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ESPN takes a deep dive into Aaron Rodgers’ final days
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ESPN takes a deep dive into Aaron Rodgers’ final days

Here’s some bullshit Aaron Rodgers might not want don’t waste your time reading.

I didn’t write this time. This is a #LongRead An article by Tim Keown on ESPN.com about the final days of Aaron Rodgers’ NFL career.

The environment is biting and criticizing Rodgers. And like many #LongReads, the best thing is about a thousand words worth of Easter eggs.

At one point, Keown described the strange atmosphere in the first practice after Monday night’s loss to the Bills; A defeat punctuated by an interception in which Rodgers accused receiver Mike Williams of running the wrong route.

“This highlighted the friction between the artist and those around him,” Keown writes. “Rodgers’ ongoing torment to ‘get the guys together,’ ‘be a better leader,’ and ‘set the tone’ always carries an undercurrent of superiority, a verbal head-butt. Even the default edge care after a failed ride is almost always that of a disappointed father.

Williams spoke at length with Keown about his call-up.

“How can I explain this?” Williams said. “Aaron wants to win. He looks at the game from a different perspective. He’s been in the league for a long time, he’s seen it all, he knows what he wants. He’s had the same offense his entire career, so if he wants it a certain way, you have to do it a certain way.”

Keown writes that Williams did not appear upset. However, he admitted that he didn’t like being called out.

“No, no, no,” Williams said, “but it is what it is. . . . I’ve been in this league for a while, you know? You live, you learn. You see a lot of things happen and you’ve got to get into the next game mentality, the new day mentality.

“People were sending me (video). They ask if I saw it. ‘What would you like me to do?’ I said. I see but what should I do? I grew up. It doesn’t affect me in any way. I’m not going to go home and cry, you know? Beating myself up about this? No. No. . . . Play the next game, right? Isn’t that what they told us?”

“The driving force behind me wanting to be at my best is I don’t want to let him down,” rookie running back Braelon Allen told Keown. “There are challenges, especially around how specific and detailed it is within the plan. He expects everyone to be where they need to be when they need to be there. This is too much, you know?”

Definitely too much. If the team is winning, that’s nice. If he loses, it’s tiring.

This is the conclusion of Keown’s article. Rodgers is exhausting. And the Jets look exhausted. Which makes it hard to imagine the Jets wanting to try again with a guy who has seemingly become harder to deal with as his skills diminish.