Sean Payton: Aaron Rodgers' body language 'drives me crazy'
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn't hesitate to criticize his rookie receivers during the preseason. He also wasn't shy in showing his frustration with them during their Week 1 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
The four-time MVP looked visibly annoyed on the sideline after rookie receiver Christian Watson dropped what likely would've been a 75-yard touchdown reception on the Packers' opening drive. Rodgers even stated as much following the game, saying, "There's going to be growing pains. This is real football, it counts. It's different, there's nerves. … We've got to make those plays."
While the Packers' receivers appeared to take the criticism well, someone who isn't a fan of Rodgers' approach is former Saints coach and FOX Sports NFL analyst Sean Payton.
"It drives me crazy," Payton said on the "NFL Rhodes Show" of Rodgers' demeanor. "It drives me crazy."
Payton had other criticisms of the All-Pro QB, saying he believed Rodgers "didn't play well" in the loss to the Vikings after throwing for only 195 yards and an interception.
"After the game we go to the interview in the locker room and the very first question posed to Aaron was about bouncing back and he referenced the first play of the game, a dropped pass from a rookie," Payton said. "And I thought, ‘Come on.’ I like Aaron Rodgers, but I didn’t like what I saw."
Someone else who didn't like what he saw from Rodgers was FOX Sports' Colin Cowherd. He's happy that someone else other than him said it, too, especially someone with Payton's track record as a head coach.
"Aaron's got no more Super Bowls than Sean Payton – and Sean Payton was always known as a big game coach while Aaron's not necessarily known as a big game quarterback," Cowherd said on Friday's "The Herd." "Sean Payton and I didn't like the body language of Aaron or Aaron talking about the rookie receivers making a mistake.
"When you have young, small college receivers coming into the NFL, maybe you show up to OTAs and play in the exhibition season. If you're not going to, then don't call them out after they drop a ball or miss an assignment. They're kids, kids make mistakes."
The Packers are rolling with a bunch of rookies or unproven receivers after trading Davante Adams and letting Marquez Valdes-Scantling walk in free agency. Even though playing without one of the league's top receivers is a difficult challenge, Cowherd noted that another quarterback is going through a similar obstacle but is approaching it differently.
"[Patrick] Mahomes has to work with a bunch of new guys," Cowherd said. "Mahomes has a bunch of rookies to deal with. He's not ghosting them. He understands it. You've got to mix it up. He threw to 11 different receivers in the first two weeks."
The Packers host Chicago in Week 2, and Cowherd surmised that they'll probably win by a lot – which is a trend he's worried about with Rodgers.
"[The losses to big teams] are always followed up by a dog vomit game in their division," Cowherd said. "They win it and all the cheeseheads and fanboys rally to Aaron's defense. But you put a little heat or a little crisis on this stuff [the Packers lose]."
The Packers and Rodgers have especially had the Bears' and the Lions' numbers since Matt LaFleur became the head coach in 2019, going 5-1 in such games. Rodgers has thrown 31 touchdowns to two interceptions with a 118.4 passer rating, too.
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Colin Cowherd is happy someone with Sean Payton's credentials criticized Aaron Rodgers.
Cowherd is tired of seeing Rodgers perform well against the bottom feeders and is instead only focused on how he and the Packers play against a handful of teams.
"When I look at Green Bay's schedule this season, all I care about is five games," Cowherd said. "I want to see him open against Minnesota – that was a loss. I want to see at Tampa Bay. I want to see at Buffalo. I want to see them against the Rams and the Vikings again.
"That's all I care about. I've seen what they do to Detroit. I've seen what they do to the Jets, the Giants and bad teams. You can keep putting the pom poms out and waving them, I know what he'll do in those games."