{"id":70056,"date":"2019-08-08T16:15:53","date_gmt":"2019-08-08T20:15:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=70056"},"modified":"2021-03-20T16:08:36","modified_gmt":"2021-03-20T20:08:36","slug":"fake-controversy-aaron-rodgers-matt-lafleur","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2019\/08\/08\/fake-controversy-aaron-rodgers-matt-lafleur\/","title":{"rendered":"Media Creating Fake Controversy Between Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s predictable at this point, and it\u2019s unfortunately not going to go away until Aaron Rodgers<\/a><\/strong>, Matt LaFleur<\/strong>, and the Green Bay Packers<\/a> start winning some games.<\/p>\n

NFL media loves a good story line, especially when they can spin it to be controversial. And true or not, Green Bay has been full of them this off season. From the fired Mike McCarthy<\/strong> getting massages during team meetings<\/a>, to Rodgers not being able to chug a beer<\/a>, to LaFleur\u2019s foot injury possibly (somehow) hurting the team.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a long off season in Green Bay, which is to be expected when a franchise fires a Super Bowl winning head coach and then hires a 39-year-old<\/a> with no head coaching experience \u2013 let alone head coaching experience with a quarterback as prolific as No. 12.<\/p>\n

Still, the talking heads across the sports nation are doing simply just that: talking. They\u2019re making up controversy where there\u2019s nothing really there.<\/p>\n

In a way, that\u2019s expected, and it likely doesn\u2019t even phase anyone within 1265 Lombardi Ave. That doesn\u2019t make the \u201ccoverage\u201d, a term we\u2019re using lightly here, any less out-of-touch, though.<\/p>\n

The National Sports Media is Creating a Fake Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur Controversy<\/h2>\n

For the uninitiated, this all started after the Packers joint practices with the Houston Texans<\/a>. They were reportedly chippy, and Rodgers was pretty clear when talking to media actually at the camp that he\u2019s not a fan of the concept.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t mind if they didn\u2019t do it for another 14 years,\u201d Aaron Rodgers said via Tom Silverstein<\/a> when asked his thoughts on how the joint practices were going. He harped a bit on how he didn\u2019t think doing live special teams drills was smart, and in general Rodgers didn\u2019t seem to like the concept of playing things close to the vest \u2013 much like a preseason game \u2013 as to not tip anything off to another NFL team. This is time to practice the offense, after all.<\/p>\n

Those aren\u2019t controversial statements. Not in the slightest. Where this manufactured controversy came from was in comparing Rodgers\u2019 thoughts on the matter to LaFleur\u2019s, who is all about joint practices. In fact, he expressed that he \u201c100 percent\u201d wants to do a joint practice again.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s it, folks. That\u2019s all the controversy.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re talking about two adults having differing opinions on a topic that allows multiple opinions to be had. LaFleur and Rodgers weren\u2019t even asked about the other\u2019s thoughts. Instead, some in the media have taken both of their separate thoughts and turned them into some kind of duel of philosophy \u2013 one that \u201cclearly\u201d shows a rift between Rodgers and his new head coach.<\/p>\n

Foolish At Best \u2013 Negligent At Worst<\/h3>\n

The relationship between Rodgers and LaFleur is, of course, vital to the Packers success, but taking every little quote, movement, smile, nod, or frown from one or the other and turning it into a national headline is foolish at best \u2013 negligent at worst.<\/p>\n

And yet, we\u2019ve been graced with headlines like this from Mike Florio, who believes that \u201cAaron Rodgers\u2019 criticism of joint practices amounts to criticism of Matt LaFleur.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

That headline alone isn\u2019t based in any sort of reality, but then Florio goes as far as thinking up a scenario where ultimately, the Packers and Rodgers part ways because of his attitude.<\/p>\n

\u201cRodgers continues to be the most powerful employee in the organization, and he\u2019s showing everyone who wears the championship belt. They\u2019ll let him gloat for now. The moment he shows real signs of slippage, however, the Packers will cut the cord and Rodgers will be playing for another team \u2014 just like his predecessor in Green Bay.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It makes sense that one day Rodgers and the Packers could eventually part ways. As Florio suggested in perhaps his only coherent point, the Packers did trade Brett Favre<\/a> <\/strong>at one point.<\/p>\n

So yes, that\u2019s a possible scenario. But to bring up that speculative and currently made-up scenario while nothing else negative about the relationship between LaFleur and Rodgers (other than another fake controversy about audibles<\/a>) has even been uttered in Green Bay is simply click-bait journalism at its worst.<\/p>\n

A Controversy With No Real Context<\/h3>\n

Worst of all this is all also completely out of context.<\/p>\n

What Florio and others don’t tell you is that the Rodgers\u2019 frustration had nothing to do with LaFleur. Instead, he was frustrated that the Packers offense couldn\u2019t spread it wings with the Texans in town. Again, here’s Rodgers per Silverstein:<\/p>\n

\u201cI think before the Texans came, we had some really good practices,\u201d Rodgers said. \u201dI think we were very efficient, we ran the ball well, we were getting into more of our miscellaneous plays and schemes, kind of installs 6, 7 and 8, and felt good about the work that we did.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Rodgers actually doubled down on that thought, saying that he was frustrated because running LaFleur\u2019s offense is fun, and he couldn\u2019t do that much against the Texans:<\/p>\n

\u201cJust this minor frustration is when you do so many fun, schematic stuff for eight or nine days and then it gets kind of cut back for a couple days,\u201d he said. \u201cBut we\u2019ll be on next week, probably playing, and looking forward to just practices.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The context of Rodgers’ quotes proves that this has nothing to do with a rift between him and his head coach. In actuality, it\u2019s frustration from the signal-caller because he enjoys playing in LaFleur\u2019s scheme and can\u2019t wait to get back to practicing and installing that scheme.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the very opposite of a controversy.<\/p>\n

In fact, it sounds a lot like harmony in Green Bay for the first time in quite some time on the offensives side of the ball.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>