Donald Driver on Packers QB Aaron Rodgers: Blah, blah, blah, blah
Donald Driver made no sense when talking about Aaron Rodgers’ leadership.
Normally I don’t care about off-the-field drama involving the Packers. I like talking and writing about football, not TMZ- or WWE-style storylines involving the Packers.
Unfortunately, Donald Driver decided to weigh in on the squabble between Aaron Rodgers and Greg Jennings and ended up piling onto the “Lets take shots at Rodgers’ leadership” bandwagon.
I don’t want to discuss what Driver (or Jennings) thinks of Rodgers’ leadership because I don’t care. I do want to address one thing Driver said because it was completely asinine. I’m all for players being honest and blunt in their comments — if you think Rodgers is a bad leader, fine, say so. But one thing Driver said wasn’t blunt, it was just dumb.
Once I’m done filleting Driver for the comment, I’ll go back to respecting him again. Everyone else should do the same. Driver’s a legend in Green Bay. Just ask him.
Driver on if Rodgers is a “me” guy:
We’ve always been in the room and we’ve always said that the quarterback is the one who needs to take the pressure off of everyone else. If a guy runs the wrong route, it’s easy for the quarterback to say, ‘Hey, I told him to run that route,’ than the guy to say, ‘Hey, I ran the wrong route.’ Sometimes you ask Aaron to take the pressure off those guys so we don’t look bad. He didn’t want to do that. He felt like if you did something bad, you do it. That’s the difference. You want that leadership. I think sometimes you may not feel like you got it.
Let’s say you’re a waitress. A group of four sits at one of your tables, orders drinks and food, and waits patiently for you to bring it out. Instead of bringing the group what they ordered, you drink all their drinks, eat all their food, and take a nap on the bathroom floor. When the group complains to the owner about what you did, the owner calls you and your manager into his office.
Is your manager a bad manager if he doesn’t take the fall and tell the owner that the only reason you ate all the customers’ food, drank their drinks and passed out in the bathroom is because he — as your manager, boss and leader — ordered you to do so?
Driver apparently thinks so. What Driver doesn’t understand is that leadership is not covering for someone’s lack of preparedness or stupid mistakes. Leadership is holding people accountable and doing everything you can to make sure they are as prepared as you are so they don’t make stupid mistakes.
If what Driver describes actually is good leadership, then I want Rodgers to remain a “bad” leader for the rest of his time with the Packers.
Now back to football…
39 Comments On “Donald Driver on Packers QB Aaron Rodgers: Blah, blah, blah, blah”
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Agreed. Driver thinks leaders take on the blame for others’ mistakes. I don’t buy it. On the other hand, I can’t see a leader being a finger pointer in public. That breaks down the trust and moral of a team. I can’t recall Rodgers ever pointing the finger at his teammates. In my opinion, Rodgers is a good leader.
The full interview is a bit more telling and not quite as harsh of what he was trying to say but it does show a mentality I hadn’t expected from him. In the real world managers often take the heat off their teams by being a bullet proof vest for them, in public. But behind closed doors, you better own up to your own mistakes and fix them, I would classify in those meetings when you are doing tape as behind closed doors. Grown men handle their mistakes as well as their successes.
Rephrase, “Adults handle their mistakes as well as their successes.”
I guess driver didn’t have many quarterbacks to compare. Imagine Brady or P Manning reaction if a receiver ran a wrong route. Yeh, I have to think DD comment wasn’t meant quite like it came out. If he does really believe a sport team leader should just cover over mistakes….then maybe he took too many head hits during his career. Otherwise, he had always been a classy player. Hope the comments stop.
Oh…and imagine Cutler calling DD out on camera shot, with arm gestures on the way to the huddle. And after the huddle, one more head shake.
I am so over this drama.
While it was the players in the beginning that started everything, it’s the media that is keeping it rolling. Why do they insist on asking these petty questions and pursuing this issue every chance they get? Find something else to talk about.
The media asks because dummies like me post about it and other dummies like me keep talking about it.
This post has been online for like an hour and already has seven comments. My post yesterday on Matthew Mulligan has been up for over 24 hours and only has like 10 comments.
People love the drama, even if they say they don’t. Unfortunately, I also fall into that category.
True, but they also keep giving you reasons to talk about it…
Part of me was hesitant to post this because I hate jumping all over guys for one quote, which may or may not have come out as intended.
But this specific quote was just so….dumb. I hope Driver just phrased it wrong and it’s not actually what he thinks.
Criticizing Rodgers’ leadership is fine. But you should at least have a basic understanding of what leadership is before doing so.
Donald…’DWTS’ lost your phone number..please call them.
I hate to bring Favre into this, but he is the only QB besides Rodgers that Jennings and Driver have played with extensively. Rodgers has a perfectionist mentality, Favre does not, and apparently it was a difficult adjustment for the star receivers.
I’m not disparaging Favre, but he threw a LOT of INTs. Do you think he could still hold credibility with his WRs if he threw 3-4 picks in a game and then got ticked at them for making mistakes?
Rodgers makes mistakes, too but rarely are they drive-killers. Anyone who listens to his radio show with Jason Wilde knows he holds himself accountable. MM agrees. Enough said.
I recall several times when Favre corrected guys following the play when they ran the wrong route, or stopped running the route…which often lead to an INT.
Isn’t that what team mates do?…help one another to be onthe same page.
Yeah,we all remember that playoff game against the Eagles back in ’03 when Favre threw INT that ended drive and gave Eagles opportunity for winning FG. Javon Walker broke off his route and ran wrong way on pass play Sherman called and Favre threw, the ball was in the air when Walker broke to middle instead leaving only Eagles defenders around. Walker had scored against Raiders earlier in season on the same play. Surprised to hear Driver would be a player to make comments like this, Jennings is angry Pack wouldn’t hand out big money to him.
If this is all we have to cover during the Packer’s training camp I guess the team is in pretty good shape.
Thanks, Since ’61
Though not as rocky as the Favre or Jennings situations, I was not crazy about Driver’s attitude over the past year or so. TT gave him a gift by giving him a 2-year contract extension in 2010 and his response is that he wants to play beyond his contract, then TT puts him on the 2012 roster even though he clearly should have been released and he brings attention to himself about lack of playing time.
Now this.
I’ve lost a lot of respect for DD.
Just another sad story from disenfranchised former players. When did these guys lose touch with the proposition “I got your back”.
Seems these days it’s more like “I got a knife for your back”.
I too have lost a lot of respect for Driver.He should just keep his mouth shut,except for Dancing with the Stars questions!
I think Driver went on Mike and Mike with good intentions to try and bring an end to the feud between Jennings and Rodgers but in reality he ended up making it worse.
Some really bizarre comments from Driver, in particular the main crux of his argument about the QB taking some of the blame for others mistakes.
If I was a wide receiver and I ran the wrong routes I would expect to get chewed out by the QB. It would be my mistake and I would have to hold my hands up for it. Why would I want the QB to take the blame for my mistake like Driver said? Bizarre comments.
I don’t have an issue with Rodgers or anything to do with his personality or leadership. Whatever it is that comprises of his personality makeup is what drives him and therefore the Packers to be successful.
With one Super Bowl Championship and potential GOAT stats the guy backs it up on the field.
ARods make yourself accountable style helped DD and Jennings collect SB rings. And isn’t that what it’s supposed to be about?
Imagine if on that 3rd and ten in the 4th Q of the SB the two(Rodgers & Jennings) weren’t on the same page. The completion doesn’t happen and Pittsburgh is in a great position to win the game. That shows what precise route running and execution can do.
I always had a strong feeling DD, Jennings and Finley were the players Shannon Sharpe was referring to last year. I think most of Finley’s gripes come from his own perspective, while DD and Jennings were established vets who probably verified and supported each others viewpoint on Rodgers. I wonder how many time DD and Jennings privately snickered at Rodgers “sensitivity” or scholarly route running demands.
DD’s declaration that he’s a legend in GB is a little creepy. I know he’s said in the past how much he is loved and admired by the fans. Aren’t the fans the ones who are supposed to say that? Ego anyone?
What’s funny about adoration and love is how quickly they forget and stick their foot in mouth. Driver was a Farve guy, plain and simple. He had just a few good years with Rodgers, he had like 6 or 7 very good years with Farve. Clearly Driver forgets plays like the NFC Championship in Lambeau where Farve threw it directly to Webster in OT. If Rodgers had a defense like he had in 2010 every year he’d have won 2 SB for sure.
I wish these assholes would just take their ball and go home
My guess is that when he realizes that he has lost some “fan love” over this DD will backpedal faster than Reavis in coverage!
Players did not start this mess. It was a single player, Greg Jennings, who started this mess. People in GB think AR is God, GJ was Abraham, and DD was Noah. Noah can go build another Ark, Abraham can go sacrifice his career by palying with a crappy QB, and they both can let God get to work and focus on another Super Bowl for the Packers.
I definitely agree with the comments about how ESPN has turned into TMZ… i cant even stand to watch it anymore, its all about the drama with little focus on actual sports
Welcome to the 24-hour news stations, where quantity is more important than quality.
I think we kept DD and GJ for a couple of years too long. They’ve become grumpy old men with grudges.
Love me some DD, but let’s not get it twisted… The guy’s not not a rocket surgeon.
if nothing else, Driver’s statements verify that Jennings issues are without much merit. Covering for a WR who doesn’t know enough to run the correct route? I’m in Rodgers corner on this one.
This all comes down to the little kid that got mad cause his buddy didn’t cover for him. Favre used to cover for his receivers, and Jennings expected Rodgers to do the same. But Rodgers holds his receivers accountable for THEIR mistakes.
I think this Czech guy (who wrote the Blah, Blah, Blah article) is just a bit Prejudiced in his viewpoint. Just because he thinks the sun rises and sets on Rogers doesn’t mean that he isn’t without his own faults. I would guess that not everybody on the team cares for Rogers for reasons of their own. DD was just making a comment and it didn’t seem so harsh to me. Geez, everybody, he is just a guy- so what if someone points out that he has his own faults too? The fact that DD never said anything until he was no longer on the team, is a testament to what a good teammate he was, not what a bad guy he is. Where were all the articles when Rogers stormed off in a huff when Kuhn gave him the shaving cream treatment during an interview to lighten him up a bit? I guess its all about Aaron- right Mr. Czech? (by the way, does that sound familiar?)
Read the post again, Mr. Dan. It’s got nothing to do w/ Rodgers’ leadership or Driver’s criticism of it. I don’t know if Rodgers is a good leader or not and I don’t care.
The post is about a really off-base comment Driver made about leadership in general. I’m all for players being honest. If Driver thinks Rodgers isn’t a leader, fine, he should say so. Instead Driver gave some really weird definition of what being a leader is and lost all of his credibility on the subject.
Mr. Czech, I don’t know how you meant to come across in your article, but you did write: Driver ended up piling on to the “lets take shots at Rogers leadership bandwagon.” Doesn’t sound like you were just concerned about Drivers lack of clarification to me. First of all, you berate him for what you suppose he meant, then you want him to be more blunt about it. In the third paragraph of your article you wrote: “I wont discuss what Driver and Jennings think of Rogers leadership because I don’t care” In your reply to me you state that you don’t know if Rogers is a good leader or not and you don’t care. which is it? you don’t care what Driver and Jennings have to say, or you don’t care if Rogers has leadership skills or not? I will leave the answer up to those who have played in the National Football League and who have played with Rogers. There are probably as many different opinions as there are players, but what’s so surprising about that? This is all I will reply, I believe I understand what you mean to convey, but it really does come across as “everyone is picking on poor Aaron.”
I agree with one guy. what driver and Jennings say has no relevant anymore, their done and as for Jennings, he is really done.
go show them Rodgers that you don’t need them and that is why neither one is a Packer any more.
Charles Woodson weighs in:
“I don’t understand where it’s all coming from. I think A-Rod would consider these guys his friends, so for stuff like this to be coming out about him now that the guys are gone, it’s got to be hurtful to him because what are they talking about, to question his leadership ability, his leadership skills? The guy is one of the best players in the NFL, and I think he does a great job as far as leading them into battle.”
“I just think the best thing that A-Rod does, he’s been able to keep a lot of things from getting to him. The way he came in following a legend and handled those pressures, his ability to be a steady guy throughout that time and then going out and performing at the level he performed, that shows leadership. And he’s continued to get better. Every player should look at him and say, ‘Here’s a guy who’s really on top of the world, and he’s trying to get better. That’s what I think is so hard to understand about what they said.”
“It might be a receiver thing.”
More from Woodson:
“I would say this: There’s been times throughout my career there when defensively we put a piss-poor product on the field, and we’ve been in games and won ballgames solely on the arm of Aaron Rodgers and the legs of Aaron Rodgers and what he’s been able to do throwing a ball to a Greg, a Donald, a Jermichael. A couple years ago, we were 15-1, and if we have any other quarterback other than Aaron Rodgers, we’re 7-9.”
“What do you want the guy do to? He’s done everything he possibly can to keep everyone happy when guys want the ball for themselves. The way he’s been able to do it is incredible. Don’t get me started on the Super Bowl run. I mean, how brilliant was that guy during that run? There was no question about his leadership then.”
“I think whatever you do – if you run the wrong route and you’re a receiver, or if you’re a quarterback and you throw an interception – it’s up to you as an individual to say you messed up,” Woodson said. “I don’t think A-Rod has to be sticking his neck out to say I told him to do something if that’s not what happened. If A-Rod needs to take the blame for something, I’m quite sure he does.”
“I didn’t understand that part, either. There’s no question in my mind that A-Rod’s the leader of that team and he does a great job. Maybe he thought he had some friends where he doesn’t have some friends. Now that those guys are gone, they’re voicing this. I don’t know how that’s fair.”
All this from the only one of Jennings, Driver and Woodson to actually get released while under contract!
You’re a class act, Chuck.
It all sounds like a touch of resentment tinged with a bit of dented egos. What’s the term? Sour grapes. That GB wants to use roster spots as a wiser investment to develop promising new talent vs keeping a veteran in the twilight of his career on the payroll so he can extend it to 15 yrs; or pay big bills for another established star WR w/injury issues is common sense mgt. The savings against salary cap enables the tm to fill other areas of need. It’s a business, times change and who really cares what former players think,(including Farve or even Rodgers someday). When it’s time to take a seat, some guys just can’t adjust.
One thing is sure, you’ll never hear complaints like this from A-Rod because as a class act, he always knows the score. As the top rated passer 2 yrs running, he does’nt even need to bother answering the critics which is something he he would never bother himself with anyway. His production is always the answer to sniping, it speaks for itself and the player very well indeed.
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