"He's a showboater, he's a finger pointer" - Skip Bayless has scathing take on Packers QB Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers' confrontational stances over the last 18 months have generated positive or negative responses from most of the NFL community on one issue or another. One NFL analyst summed up his view of the quarterback's personality succinctly and brutally.
Speaking on Undisputed, host Skip Bayless picked a bone with the quarterback, calling him a big personality who passes the buck. Bayless said:
"I'm going to give you this. He hates losing to San Francisco more than he hates losing to any other team including those in his division. I still believe he loves sticking it to America's team more than he loves sticking it to any other team because he's a front-runner. He's a showboater. He's a finger pointer."
It's not Ryan Tannehill's job to mentor Malik Willis. It wasn't Joe Flacco's job to mentor Lamar Jackson. Tom Brady actively undermined Jimmy G. Please ask Aaron Rodgers how supportive Brett Farvre was
Bayless is one of the most high-profile Cowboys fans. The Cowboys and Packers have been arch-rivals in recent years, giving the show host a motive to call out Aaron Rodgers. However, both have shared a coach in recent years. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has coached Aaron Rodgers and Dak Prescott for multiple seasons.
I can do this all day
Team PPG when they start:
Lamar Jackson (29.0)
Aaron Rodgers (27.3)
Dak Prescott (26.1)
Joe Burrow (25.3)
Russell Wilson (25.3)
Josh Allen (25.1)
(Not a comprehensive list, just some perspective)
Mike McCarthy's time with Aaron Rodgers and Dak Prescott
McCarthy and Rodgers have a long, storied history in Green Bay. McCarthy arrived as the head coach in 2006, coaching Brett Favre for a couple of seasons before Rodgers came to the forefront. According to Pro Football Reference, the duo came together in 2008, when No. 12 officially took over for Favre.
From 2009 to 2016, the Packers dominated the NFC North, won the Super Bowl and made the playoffs every year. That said, a narrative began to form below the surface that the quarterback was effectively carrying the team thanks to a lacking roster and coaching mistakes by McCarthy in late-game situations.
In 2017 and 2018, the quarterback suffered injuries in back-to-back seasons, leaving the team without their starting quarterback for a sizable length of time. The team failed to make the playoffs in both seasons and finished under .500. After the second time this happened, the head coach was let go.
He took 2019 off before resurfacing with the Dallas Cowboys. McCarthy, a Super Bowl-winning head coach, was tasked with helping the team finally break through in January. Instead, the team has struggled to advance deep into January in the same fashion after a lost season due to a season-ending injury to quarterback Dak Prescott in 2020 and a stumble early in the playoffs in 2021.
With rumors surfacing about Sean Payton potentially coming to the team earlier this year, some think the head coach now finds himself in a lame-duck season.