NEWSLETTER
This offseason hasn’t been one of smooth sailing for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Ex-teammates and former coaches have dragged Rodgers, sharing stories of him freezing out receivers (who follow the game plan instead of his audibles), undermining coaches, fracturing relationships, and feuding with the head coach. Indeed, Rodgers has publicly clashed with his new coach about the littlest and dumbest of things and his humblebrags have been passive-aggressive towards others (because of course). Rodgers has continued to go on the offensive in defense of himself here recently, labeling criticisms as “fake news” … because that happens to be the go-to for anyone trying to deflect these days.
At minimum, Rodgers’ having to sidestep criticisms and unflattering stories has made for an eventful and entertaining offseason. But isn’t it nice to live on the other side of drama for once?
In Chicago, quarterback Mitch Trubisky proclaimed he would rather be playing the preseason. It’s a contrasting opinion from what Head Coach Matt Nagy would prefer as a noted hater of exhibition football games. But rather than go against the grain, Trubisky is playing it straight.
“It’s not up to me,” Trubisky said, via the team’s official website. “I definitely believe in the big picture and whatever coach believes in. Whether he wants me to go out there and do a couple handoffs and come out, I support that, or whether he wants me to go out there and threw 50 times in a preseason — that’s not going to happen, but I’d support that as well.”
This might not seem that important to the naked eye, but Bears fans who lived through Jay Cutler’s public beefs with Ron Turner, Mike Martz, and others probably have a different level of appreciation that the quarterback and lead offensive play-caller are on the same page.
Nagy has tried to maintain a cautious optimism when talking about the offense. After throwing waves of things at his unit throughout the offseason and into training camp, Nagy has scaled things back in order to focus on the things they have mastered (because putting effort into things that simply don’t work is an exercise in futility and a waste of time). And while we won’t know how important Trubisky and Nagy being on the same page will be until games of consequence are played, at least they are on stable ground before getting things rolling.
