A lot to unpack here. First things first:
- That hair is ATROCIOUS. BUT: As someone who no longer has hair on his head, I’m always an advocate of, ‘if you can still grow it, for the love of God, grow it. Live dammit! Live!’ Because even though he’s looking like Slippery Pete from Seinfeld, at least he can still grow it out as he’s approaching his 40th birthday.
- An all corduroy suit is……something. As someone who lived through a corduoy pants phase in the late 90’s/early 2000’s, I will always have a special place in my heart for that very odd, non-breathable material. He is a vision in khaki.
Now with that said, of course the number one thing everyone and their mother is doing this morning is trying to interpret this speech and what it might mean for his future. To some, it would appear that Rodgers essentially said nothing. But lucky for you, Rodgers and I have been best fake friends in my mind since 2009. And due to that relationship, I have a keen sense for what my best friend might, or might not, be saying here. I’ve narrowed down my assessment into 3 potential outcomes:
- He stay in Green Bay.
- He is traded from Green Bay.
- He retires.
You can quote me on that when any of them happen. You heard it here first.
I do have a question for Packer fans: Does this MVP move the needle for you at all? Like as a fan of sports, I can recognize how remarkable it is that this guy has now won 4 MVP awards. Could you imagine telling this fan base when he took over for Favre in 2008 that he would one day have MORE MVP’s than Brett?? Certifiably nuts. BUT, given the regular season success, and given the playoff shortcomings, there’s just something about this MVP that is bittersweet. I think our fan base, and probably Rodgers himself, would trade this MVP for a second Super Bowl ring in a heartbeat. I don’t know. My non-Packer friends like to call Green Bay, ‘ENtitled Town’ when we/I complain about not winning enough titles, and maybe my feelings on this MVP is an example of EnTitled Town. But this award feels a lot like the one he got in 2011 after the Divisional Round loss to the Giants. Just sort of empty.
Related: LeRoy Butler is FINALLY in the HOF. One of the best, most versatile defensive players in the 90’s definitely deserved the nod, and definitely did NOT deserve to have to wait 16 years. He was probably the most important part of Fritz Shurmur’s defense because he was fantastic in coverage, but could also play at the line of scrimmage, collect sacks, and make sure tackles against the run. Roll that beautiful bean footage:
One of the greatest hybrid players of all time. Very excited for his HOF speech in August.
PS: Bucks with a fairly significant move at the deadline yesterday acquiring Serge Ibaka. Former 3-time 1st Team All Defense in the NBA, and Bucks fans will remember him as a big part of that Raptors team that came back on the Bucks in the ECF in 2019. Now is he still producing at that level in 2022? Probably not. But it’s no secret the Bucks have been scuffling this season defensively without Brook Lopez. It sounds like Brook is still coming back, but this move plugs that gap WAY better than the ghosts of Demarcus Cousins or Greg Monroe. Ibaka is much more athletic than either of those players, can still block shots, and is more than respectable from beyond the arc to keep opposing defenses honest (36% for his career). They had to give up Donte DiVincenzo to get him which was a bummer, but for as much as I liked Donte, he’s not the difference maker between a title contender and a non-title contender (as was proven last season). He was a nice piece, I imagine he’ll be a guy who averages 15-17 points per game with more playing time in Sacramento, but the need for a frontcourt piece outweighed the need for guard depth. Even with Pat Connaughton fracturing a finger last night.
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