Per Shutdown Corner:
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was proud to represent the NFC in Sunday’s Pro Bowl. His team lost, only the third time Rodgers had to undergo such a trauma in the 2011 season.
Though it’s an exhibition game with an unspoken motto of, “Just don’t get hurt,” Rodgers told ESPN Milwaukee he was disappointed in his NFC teammates’ effort.
“I’ll be honest with you,” Rodgers said. “I was a little bit disappointed. I felt like some of the guys on the NFC side embarrassed themselves. [...]
“I wanted to know the plays and I wanted to play well, and I wanted to give the fans a show, and make the Green Bay fans who watched and were watching for me and my teammates, I wanted to make them proud of their Pro Bowlers. I was just surprised that some of the guys either didn’t want to play or when they were in there didn’t put any effort into it.”
Did someone forget to give Rodgers the memo about the Pro Bowl? Aaron, it’s about two things: A) Getting a free trip to Hawaii and B) Not getting hurt. Of course players weren’t going full out. Most of them had not played a game in weeks. They are still healing from the bumps and bruises of the season, and want to avoid getting any more at all costs. They’re at the game to have fun, not memorize a playbook.
Perhaps Rodgers is still smarting about being ousted from the playoffs before winning a single game. Maybe he just needs an outlet for his competitiveness, and he had high hopes for the Pro Bowl. But instead of getting mad at his NFC compatriots, Rodgers should think about installing Words with Friends or Angry Birds on his phone.
