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Blaming the Victim
OK, so now it’s Aaron Rodgers’ fault for all those sacks. At least that is line of thought being suggested by Tom Silverstein in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel following the Packers loss to Minnesota on Monday night. ESPN’s Kevin Siefert blogged on this subject today.
My take is that Mike McCarthy is protecting an deficient OL by spreading the blame around. I am confident that he doesn’t want Rodgers ducking and covering like his predecessor, throwing the ball to spots where receivers “should” be based on a Pre-snap look or other anticipation based on a read. Certainly, he could also try to force the ball into tighter spots in hopes of “making a play.” This got Favre a huge reputation and a ticket to Canton…but it also cost the Packers a lot of games, particularly in the post season.
All of this “blaming the victim” in the post-MN game analysis covers the real issue: Ted Thompson has not given Mike McCarthy and James Campen the talent they need on the OL to protect their prime asset: Aaron Rodgers.
2 Comments
It’s not a question of spreading the blame – go back and watch the game. Rodgers holds it way too long at least three times, if not four. While I completely agree on the failure of Thompson to provide a line, Rodgers should not escape criticism.
I am not suggesting Rodgers is totally and completely without fault as he did seem to hold the ball too long on a couple of occasions. But that was hardly the main problem — the poor protection by the OL was. In my judgment, the focus on Rodgers holding the ball that is cropping up in some quarters is totally misplaced as the real, overriding issue is that he rarely has adequate time to execute the offense without prematurely releasing the ball or throwing it away. It’s like the NTSB focusing on pilot error when a plane crashes after hydraulic failure.