The Green Bay Packers aren’t planning drastic changes to help fix an offense and quarterback that have faltered for the better part of a calendar year.
Head coach Mike McCarthy simply wants to trust the process in helping Aaron Rodgers.
“I’ve never trusted a quarterback or an individual as a player more than I trust Aaron Rodgers,” McCarthy said, via ESPN. “His work ethic is at the top of his career, the time he spends in his facility, with his coaches and his teammates, so from that, it’s a process. We’ll all stick to the process and from that we’ll all have success.”
Rodgers has sputtered out of the gates in 2016, ranking 30th among qualified quarterbacks in completion percentage (57.1), 27th in passing yards (412), 31st in yards per attempt (5.9) and 22nd in passer rating (82.6). The two-time NFL MVP hasn’t produced a game with a passer rating over 100.0 since an October win against the San Diego Chargers last season.
Sunday night’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings represented a low point of sorts for Rodgers, who had three fumbles and a late interception in the 17-14 defeat. But the problems for the Packers offense date back to early last year, when Rodgers hit a slump he’s been unable to escape to start 2016.
The struggles haven’t sapped any of McCarthy’s confidence in his quarterback.
“We clearly understand the importance of the quarterback position. It’s a priority of how we install our offense and the responsibility we give to Aaron,” McCarthy said. “He’s the most trusted player that I’ve ever coached and I continue to believe that we’ll just keep pounding away at our process and good things will happen.”
Rodgers still threw 31 touchdowns with only eight interceptions last season, and the Packers were a couple of bad plays away from getting to the NFC Championship Game. It’s important to remember the 2016 season is only two weeks old, and Rodgers is still working to get on the same page as Jordy Nelson and Jared Cook, among others.
Issues now could have been expected. But if the same problems exist come October and beyond, the Packers might have to address their process and why it has failed to provide answers for arguably the most talented quarterback in the game.
