In his first press conference of training camp, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said his current motivation is “love, probably.”
As in, apparently, he’d probably love to win another Super Bowl.
Rodgers told Adam Schein of SiriusXM Mad Dog Sports Radio that the two-time defending MVP hopes to become the one-time defending Super Bowl champion, again.
“I don’t say this as a cliche, I say this as heartfelt as I can,” Rodgers said. “I want to win the championship. I’ve had all the individual success I could possibly ever have dreamed of accomplishing. I’ve got 4 MVPs. I’m an honorary blackbelt. I’d like to win another Super Bowl.”
Rodgers is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. He’s done plenty without a supporting cast of players who are destined to be immortalized in bronze. This year, he won’t have receiver Davante Adams.
Still, it’s more than what he does, or doesn’t, have available to him. As Chris Simms has pointed out more than once, Rodgers often becomes very conservative in the postseason, resisting the kinds of throws he routinely attempts when not playing in a single-elimination setting.
Basically, if he wants it this year, he needs to go get it. When he won his only championship, the Packers entered the postseason as the No. 6 seed. They had nothing to lose, and they played that way, winning in Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Chicago. When they win the No. 1 seed, Rodgers sometimes plays like he has everything to lose.
So maybe that’s the right path for the Packers. Don’t win the division. Sneak in as a wild-card. Be written off by everyone. And then go on a tear in the postseason, capped with a Super Bowl win in Arizona.
