It's Not Your Fault, Aaron

I spend a lot of time here criticizing those who refuse to take responsibility for their actions and their resulting lot in life.  But what I find just as disingenuous is when people take blame for stuff that is not their fault.  And that is the case with this week's comments from Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

On his weekly Milwaukee radio show, Rodgers says the team's 2-3 start is his fault--and that he needs to play better.  While his numbers aren't as gaudy as they were at this same point last season, Aaron Rodgers would be the LAST person I would blame for the Packers slow start.

Is Aaron the guy who REFUSES to call running plays?  Does Aaron block for himself when he drops back to pass?  Can Aaron not only throw passes to Jermichael Finley but catch them for the tight end as well?  Should Rodgers play both ways and get pressure on the opposing quarterback, or stuff the run, or cover tight ends and backs in space or guard receivers downfield without being called for interference?  Does Aaron have to take over long-distance field goal kicking?  And should he have served as a replacement ref for the first three weeks of the season?

To "play better" does A-Rod mean he will lay hands upon Greg Jennings groin and heal it so that he can return to the field?  Will he do the same to Cedric Benson's foot, and Finley's shoulder, and BJ Raji's ankle?

Knowing the locker room culture of professional sports, Aaron was actually firing a shot at everyone else around him by taking far more of the blame than necessary.  But will the message hit home with his teammates and coaches?

Will Mike McCarthy finally make good on his seven year promise of "finding balance" in the offense with his play-calling?  You know what might make play-action pass plays more effective is actually running the ball consistantly to make the d-line and the linebackers actually have to think about defending the run.  That would help the o-line quite a bit as well.

Will Jermichael Finley work on making the easy catches, instead of having his agent rip Rodgers' leadership ability on Twitter and patting himself on the back for the four receptions he had in traffic and pretending the three drops never happened?  Will Clay Matthews make a tackle on a rushing play--or will AJ Hawk actually cover a tight end or a running back in the flat?  Will Mason Crosby make a clutch kick?  And will the NFL assign an officiating crew that actually knows what it is doing to the Packers games?

So don't be so hard on yourself Aaron.  It is most certainly NOT your fault that your team faces a must-win game in Houston this weekend. 

Oh, and say "Hi" to our old friend JJ Watt--you'll be seeing plenty of him Sunday night.