With Aaron Rodgers out, it’s put up or shut up time for Mike McCarthy
By Josh Hill
Aaron Rodgers going down with a broken collarbone will put all of the pressure squarely on the shoulders of Mike McCarthy.
When Aaron Rodgers was being carted away from the Packers sideline, everyone in Green Bay felt a shiver go up their spine. The person who felt the coldest shiver wasn’t in Wisconsin, rather he was on the sideline in Minneapolis.
Sans the strength of Rodgers’ arm to protect him, we’re going to find out what kind of head coach Mike McCarthy really is.
Whenever anything goes remotely wrong with the Packers, the conversation immediately becomes whether or not McCarthy is the right guy for the job. Every single season, Green Bay goes through a stretch where underperformance breeds open contempt from fans towards McCarthy.
Afterall, Rodgers is a Hall of Famer and the best quarterback in the NFL. Nothing is ever his fault (even when it sometimes is).
Rodgers’ broken shoulder doesn’t have the strength to save him this time, McCarthy has to do it all on his own this time.
McCarthy is always the first guy mentioned as being the problem, something that goes away as soon as the Packers start winning again. But this time, that quick turn of the public opinion tide won’t comes so easy. Rodgers has a broken collarbone and could very well miss the rest of the season. McCarthy’s safety net is gone, and now we’re going to see if we were right or wrong about Rodgers being the only reason he’s had success in Green Bay.
It’s a little unfair to put that onus on him, but he’s the head coach. If the team’s success hasn’t solely been because of Rodgers then now is as good a time as any to prove it.
If McCarthy is truly an offensive wizard who helps Rodgers draw up his plays, then he’ll be able to at least make Brett Hundley serviceable. None of the top receiving targets are out, which means Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and others are still at the disposal of the offense.
Losing Rodgers obviously makes the Packers worse than they are with him healthy. But if McCarthy is truly this great head coach that so many make him out to be when the Packers are winning, then losing Rodgers shouldn’t be a fatal blow to the season.
Next: Best NFL player from each state
Rodgers broken shoulder doesn’t have the strength to save him this time, McCarthy has to do it all on his own this time.