There’s a lot to appreciate in Aaron Rodgers from a fan and media perspective
Hating on Aaron Rodgers isn’t special. Anyone can do that — and they certainly do.
Praising him for something other than his on-field play? Now, that seems to be a privilege reserved for only his New York Jets coaches and teammates.
For media members doing their jobs, though, it should be easy to laud Rodgers. After all, he provides far more insight than most NFL players do. Instead of appreciating it, though, many simply pick apart his words to bash him.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero put it best on The Rich Eisen Show.
“I’ve known Aaron (as much as anyone can know him) going back to 2007,” Pelissero said of Rodgers. “I’ve always found him to be a really intelligent, thoughtful guy who can explain things in football and life in unique ways. When you really kind of peel back the layers and he’s comfortable with you you learn a lot talking to Aaron Rodgers. I think a lot of Aaron as a player… and as a person.”
Rodgers’ first training camp press conference should have been fodder for excellent articles about the Jets. Instead, the only thing posted on X was that he was fined for missing mandatory minicamp. Surprise, surprise.
Press conference quotes
The most interesting point Rodgers made was the last one. A reporter asked him what he had been saying to Garrett Wilson and Malachi Corley when he appeared to be coaching them up. Rodgers’ answer was more informative than most players’ would have been.
“Garrett has a different skill set than I’m used to. He’s so dynamic with his moves,” Rodgers said. “Sometimes he doesn’t need to do all that. Sometimes he could just speed cut out of something. So we were just talking through, I’m going to watch the film, but it was basically like, ‘What did you see? How come you did this? What about speed cutting maybe? Let’s watch the film and talk about it.'”
About Corley, Rodgers explained, “It’s just a little reminder when we’re running a certain route in a 3×1 and he has a vertical, if he has inside leverage already, he can just push straight up and the ball’s going to be on him.” Later, he added, “If there’s a situation where you could’ve gotten the ball, his angle was way too flat. You’ve got to be vertical and expect the ball on your back shoulder.”
Rodgers further elaborated that it’s his job to take mental reps even when he’s not in on the play. As the quarterback, he needs to talk to his receivers to make sure they’re on the same page. So much for Rodgers not being a leader — he has his eye on the ball even when it’s not his rep.
On his motivation
Another interesting comment Rodgers made was regarding his motivation to prove the doubters wrong and if it’s similar to when Green Bay drafted Jordan Love. He joked, “And now they drafted another Jordan [fifth-round pick Jordan Travis].”
But then he remarked, “I think there’s always similarities. You’ve got to find perceived or actual slights to add to the chip, sometimes you make it up if you really need it. I haven’t seen the need to do that, there’s plenty of doubts out there, which is great.”
Way to say the quiet part out loud, Aaron. Many players do invent reasons to have a chip on their shoulder. Rodgers has never needed to do that.
On his trip to Egypt
Rodgers also added some personality to his press conference. He was asked about his choice of Egypt. He answered, “I’ve been a fan for about three decades since I was in a gifted and talented education class… we studied mythology from Egypt and Greece, and those are top two on my bucket list. Back in the doldrums of my rehab, I thought it would be fun to put together a trip with some friends.”
Some speculated that Rodgers’ choice of attire on the first day of training camp was a troll job for his critics. He wore an Egyptian cat shirt. Asked about that, Rodgers smirked slightly and said, “I actually bought one of those full-length outfits I saw online in Egypt. I put it on and it was a little tight, to be honest. I hadn’t tried it on since Egypt so I decided I wasn’t going to wear that one, but I liked that shirt I bought so I decided to wear that.”
Other quotes
Rodgers believes that the Jets are one of the 8-12 teams who could win the Super Bowl. When reminded that he said 6-8 teams last year, he laughed. “I expanded it? Parity, that’s what the NFL wants, parity.”
Later, he called Javon Kinlaw a “creature.”
Rodgers’ pressers are interesting
When you eliminate all the drama surrounding Rodgers, he’s an interesting guy to listen to. He’s as detail-oriented as anyone about the game of football, which is why reporters should ask him more specific questions about what goes on on the field. In general, he often says the quiet part out loud, which some might find awkward but should be refreshing in the era of boring, media training-generated quotes.
Rodgers may be polarizing, but he’s as far from boring as they come.
