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th87 wrote:
Rodgers didn't play well at all. Two interceptions deep in Seattle territory - the first one anticipating an offside jump without actually seeing whether a flag was thrown, and the second a pass to no one. And then general futility in scoring in the RZ and putting the game away. And that too with Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman virtually dead.

th87 wrote:Once teams adjust to this dink and dunk business (or Montgomery gets injured [my way of emotionally preparing]), the party's over.

thomchatt3rton wrote:I had been trying to think of an example of another athlete who was at the top of his or her sport, and then just "lost it" a la what Rodgers is doing, and not because of an injury. I could not think of one for a long time...

....but would Tiger be a good example? I don't follow golf at all- was he falling off before his whole divorce/public humiliation or is that what turned him from "greatest ever" to "afterthought"?

Obviously, I don't think the Tiger example is perfectly analogous (personally I believe a big percent of Rodgers' problems are due to the structure of the team) but it's the best example I could come up with of a top guy just f*cking losing it.

KidA24 wrote:

thomchatt3rton wrote:I had been trying to think of an example of another athlete who was at the top of his or her sport, and then just "lost it" a la what Rodgers is doing, and not because of an injury. I could not think of one for a long time...

....but would Tiger be a good example? I don't follow golf at all- was he falling off before his whole divorce/public humiliation or is that what turned him from "greatest ever" to "afterthought"?

Obviously, I don't think the Tiger example is perfectly analogous (personally I believe a big percent of Rodgers' problems are due to the structure of the team) but it's the best example I could come up with of a top guy just f*cking losing it.

There's plenty of examples.

Dale Murphy, for one. He was one of the best players in MLB from age 24-31, and was just done at 32.

thomchatt3rton wrote:I had been trying to think of an example of another athlete who was at the top of his or her sport, and then just "lost it" a la what Rodgers is doing, and not because of an injury. I could not think of one for a long time...

....but would Tiger be a good example? I don't follow golf at all- was he falling off before his whole divorce/public humiliation or is that what turned him from "greatest ever" to "afterthought"?

Obviously, I don't think the Tiger example is perfectly analogous (personally I believe a big percent of Rodgers' problems are due to the structure of the team) but it's the best example I could come up with of a top guy just f*cking losing it.

KidA24 wrote:http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2676645-can-aaron-rodgers-be-the-type-of-leader-the-packers-need#

Whenever "What's Wrong with Aaron Rodgers?!" hysteria sweeps the nation and pundits hyperanalyze footwork, reads and the power struggle between Rodgers and McCarthy, those closest to the quarterback consider a factor that has nothing to do with football.

He doesn't have a relationship with his parents or brothers.

Of course, this storyline reached its fever pitch during The Bachelorette. Jordan Rodgers, a contestant on the show and eventually the winner, took JoJo Fletcher home to Chico, taking the world behind the curtain to look at this strained relationship. There are people once close to Rodgers who believe the strain affects his play.

One source, who was close to Rodgers for years but is among the many who have since been cut off by Rodgers entirely, said the quarterback has not spoken to his family since December 2014. Don't feel too bad, J-Mike. Immediate family members don't even have his cellphone number. When Mom and Dad sent Christmas presents to the quarterback and his girlfriend that year, the source said, those gifts were mailed back in February. He was set to be the groomsman in the wedding of one of his closest friends, the source said, and texted the day before he couldn't attend.

He didn't attend his grandfather's funeral—the same grandfather he once called before every game.

He fired a business manager he's known since high school.

The family was told they were no longer welcome in Green Bay. If Dad wants to attend a game now, he buys tickets on StubHub or goes through another player's family.

There certainly could be a side to this story the world does not know. Rodgers hasn't commented on this public schism. But this source once close to the quarterback, watching from afar, is not shy.

"There's no explanation for him playing any worse," said the source, who wished to speak under the condition of anonymity. "People are trying to figure it out. He's a f--king head case. He knows he's doing the wrong thing, and he's so arrogant and prideful that he thinks he can separate his personal life from his professional life, even though all of us know that's impossible. You can't do that. You can do that in little spurts, like when Brett Favre went out and played amazingly when he loses his Dad. But when you're talking about real situations that aren't all of a sudden circumstantial and you f--k over good people, people you're supposed to love, it's a s--tty thing to do and you're going to get humbled.

"You can't live like that, man. The people who live like that end up getting f--ked over. That's kind of what's happening here, but he's so prideful and will never admit he's wrong. Ever."

Teammates shun the theory that any family issues are affecting Rodgers. He may no longer have that family, but he has this family. Guion, for one, speaks to Rodgers every day and sees a leader making a concerted effort to know everyone.

"He's always happy. Always conversational," Guion said. "He's always in a good mood. I've never really seen him in a bad mood. Even after a loss, he comes in and works harder. He's a lot stronger and tougher than people probably think or know he is.

humanrefutation wrote:

thomchatt3rton wrote:I had been trying to think of an example of another athlete who was at the top of his or her sport, and then just "lost it" a la what Rodgers is doing, and not because of an injury. I could not think of one for a long time...

....but would Tiger be a good example? I don't follow golf at all- was he falling off before his whole divorce/public humiliation or is that what turned him from "greatest ever" to "afterthought"?

Obviously, I don't think the Tiger example is perfectly analogous (personally I believe a big percent of Rodgers' problems are due to the structure of the team) but it's the best example I could come up with of a top guy just f*cking losing it.

Tiger didn't just lose it after the divorce, though. He had several top finishes in majors and won a few tournaments in the immediate aftermath. But, he also suffered some significant physical injuries which have plagued him since then.

humanrefutation wrote:The tabloids have suggested it's all about Munn - family doesn't like her, he loves her, and thus you have the split.

I can get that, honestly. You can't choose your family, but you can choose who you date/marry. His family was apparently very religious. Olivia is not. His family was more conservative. She is most assuredly not. I could see that being an issue for them and leading to uncomfortable interactions that would lead to a breaking point. If his feelings for her were that strong, I could very well see how that would cause a rift.

The timing is notable. The Dunne article says it happened in December 2014 (holiday argument, maybe?). Then, he goes on to win the MVP, and in his acceptance speech, he made a point of professing his love for Olivia in a way he'd never done publicly beforehand. That could have been a subtle "**** you" to his family.