Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers: The Healing has Begun with Training Camp Underway

Yes, Mr. Aaron Rodgers is back in his Titletown neighborhood. The issues that Rodgers has had with the front office of the Green Bay Packers are still simmering a bit, but No. 12 is back on Ray Nitschke Field practicing in front of the fans with his teammates. One of those teammates is Randall Cobb, who the Packers recently traded for at the behest of No. 12.

You might recall that another No. 12…Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Bucs… did something similar last year when he joined his new club after spending 20 years with the New England Patriots. Brady’s influence was definitely a catalyst for the Bucs to bring aboard tight end Rob Gronkowski and wide receiver Antonio Brown. Those acquisitions helped get Brady another Super Bowl MVP award, as well as the seventh time he had led his team to hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

The Packers restructured the contract with Rodgers yesterday, which has helped both the team with the salary cap and also Rodgers in terms of his flexibility to either stay in Green Bay or move on after this season. According to spotrac, the Packers now have approximately $10.5 million in cap space. That does not include the cap hit of offensive tackle Dennis Kelly, who the Packers signed yesterday. Kelly’s cap hit with the Tennessee Titans in 2020 was a tad over $3.5 million, as Kelly started all 16 games for the Titans at right tackle.

With the restructuring of the contract for Rodgers, the cap hit for No. 12 is now a bit over $27.5 million in 2021. However, in 2022, the cap hit for Rodgers will be a little over $46 million. The Packers will void the 2023 contract year for Rodgers. So, what does this all mean?

It means that the Packers and Rodgers have a year to work though the various issues that have been festering and at the same time, Green Bay will be able to field a definite Super Bowl-contending team in 2021.

In his press conference as he talked to the media the other day, one thing stood out to me. Much has been said about his perceived strained relationship with general manager Brian Gutekunst and team president Mark Murphy, but based on his comments, I believe you could also add the man who drafted Rodgers to the list…former general manager Ted Thompson, who passed away earlier this year.

Here are the words of Rodgers at the beginning of the press conference when he was asked what the ongoing situation with him and the Packers was all about…

“That’s kind of a loaded question. I think there were a lot of things that transpired. It wasn’t a draft day thing. This started with a conversation in February when the season ended. I just expressed my desire to be more involved in conversations directly affecting my job. Also, I wanted to help the organization learn from some of the mistakes in the past in my opinion about how some of the outgoing veterans were treated. And just the fact that we didn’t retain a number of players who I felt were core players to our foundation and locker room. High character guys.

“I’m talking about Charles Woodson, Jordy Nelson, Julius Peppers, Clay Matthews, Randall Cobb, James Jones, John Kuhn, Brett Goode, T.J. Lang, Bryan Bulaga, Casey Hayward and Micah Hyde. Guys who were exceptional players for us, great locker room guys and high character guys. Many of them who were not offered a contract at all or were extremely low-balled or were maybe in my opinion given the respect on the way out that guys of their status, stature and high character deserved.”

If one looks at the list of players who Rodgers talked about who had left the Packers, a number of them (Woodson, Peppers, Jones, Kuhn, Lang, Hayward and Hyde) left during the tenure of Thompson. So this isn’t all about Gutekunst.

There were a couple of other quotes which I took note of during the press conference. Here is one of them…

“There’s not many people who’ve been in a position of influence longer than I have in this building, so it gives me a unique perspective to shed light on things and work together. One of the most important things is chemistry and cohesion in an organization. It’s not where I need to have final say on anything. I never asked for that. I just want to be in the conversation. I’m interested in how they look at certain players.

“I’m not asking for anything that other great quarterbacks across the last few decades have not gotten – the opportunity to just be in the conversation.”

Here is the other…

“I know I can still play, and I want to still play. It’s an incredible opportunity to play this game, but it’s a tough business. … I’m definitely not closing the door to anything. I’m always optimistic.”

With Cobb now back with the Packers, it develops a good starting point for Rodgers and the Packers to try and resolve their relationship. I also believe the signing of Cobb will only help rookie receiver Amari Rodgers, as he learns the nuances of playing slot receiver with the Packers.

To me, Rodgers does deserve a voice when it comes to the roster. After all, Rodgers will be playing in his 17th season in Green Bay, which no one else in the history of the storied franchise has ever been able to equal. Not to mention all the other things Rodgers has done for the team, which includes a win in Super Bowl XLV, where No. 12 was the MVP. Plus there are the 10 seasons in which Rodgers has led the Packers to the postseason, with seven of those years being the NFC North champions.

Rodgers has taken the Packers to five NFC title games as well. I wrote about the reasons why the Packers were just 1-4 with Rodgers at quarterback in those championship games back in May. If you look at the big picture of those title game losses, there was a lot of blame to go around, but the performance of the defense was the biggest culprit.

If you add in the career numbers of Rodgers, not to mention his performance under Matt LaFleur the past two seasons, one can see why the Packers would love to try and mend the issues they are having with the former California Golden Bear.

Under the coaching of LaFleur the past two seasons, Rodgers has thrown a combined 74 touchdown passes compared to just nine interceptions for 8,301 yards. The combined passer rating for Rodgers over the past two seasons is 108.4.

The 2020 season was the best year that Rodgers ever had, as he threw 48 touchdown passes versus just five interceptions for 4,299 yards. No. 12’s passer rating was 121.5. That performance led to Rodgers receiving the NFL MVP award for the third time.

Also in 2020, Rodgers was kind enough to participate in the documentary called, You Can If You Will: The Jerry Kramer Story. I was honored to be the supervising producer for that epic film directed by award-winning filmmaker Glenn Aveni.

In addition, the Packers went to two straight NFC title games in 2019 and 2020. With Rodgers back in Green Bay again, the Packers have to be solid favorites to get to their third straight NFC championship game.

All that being said, the core issues between Rodgers and the Packers will not be easy to resolve. Why? Three words. The salary cap.

Which takes us back to Brady. In New England, “Tom Terrific” saw a number of the best players leave the team as well in free agency. But now with the Bucs, Brady helped the team manage the cap by keeping his cap hit at a reasonable number. In 2020, it was $25 million. This year it will be just $10.5 million.

Rodgers has helped the Packers in 2021 by re-doing his contract which lessens his cap hit by $10 million in 2021. There is no way the Packers can put together the type of roster that Rodgers would want in 2022 and beyond by keeping his cap hit at $46 million in 2022. That’s why the team and Rodgers have to come to some type of understanding about how to navigate around his contract in terms of putting together the roster. Which means an agreed upon contract extension, which will lesson the cap situation for the Packers, yet still give Rodgers an opportunity to end his career in Green Bay.

Bottom line, I believe Rodgers deserves a voice at the table in terms of the roster of the Packers. Does that mean that the team will agree to everything he wants to see happen? No. But at least give Rodgers a voice. With the addition of Cobb to the team, it proves that both Gutekunst and Murphy are trying to mend the bridge between the team and Rodgers. The next step is to get a contract extension done for Davante Adams, like was done last season with David Bakhtiari.

Time will tell how this will all proceed. Communication will be the key between Rodgers and the Packers.

If Rodgers does leave the Packers after this season, the words of Strother Martin in the classic film Cool Hand Luke starring Paul Newman, will be apropos.

“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.”

Milwaukee Bucks: Comparing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the Two NBA Finals Wins

The Milwaukee Bucks have now won two NBA titles. The first one came in 1971. The second one came in 2021. Yes, a 50-year difference between the two championships. The main reasons for those titles, was due to the play of the big men on those Milwaukee teams. In 1971, it was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor) and in 2021 it was Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Both players came to the Bucks in the 1st round of their respective NBA drafts.

Abdul-Jabbar (then Alcindor) was the first player taken in the 1969 NBA draft. The Bucks were able to select No. 33 after winning a coin toss versus the Phoenix Suns for the right to draft the man who led UCLA to three straight NCAA championships.

Antetokounmpo was also taken in the 1st round with the 15th pick of the 2013 NBA draft at the age of 18.

Kareem won his first NBA title in just his second year in the NBA. He had been named NBA Rookie of the Year for the 1969-70 season was the NBA MVP in 1970-71 going into the playoffs.

Giannis won his first NBA title in his eighth season in the NBA. No. 34 was twice named as the NBA MVP (2018-19 & 2019-20), plus was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2019-20.

When Kareem and the Bucks won the NBA title in 1971, their opponent was the Baltimore Bullets. The Bucks were able to sweep the Bullets in four games and Abdul-Jabbar was named NBA Finals MVP. But Kareem received some help from his teammates. Oscar Robertson averaged 23.5 points per game, 5 rebounds per game and 9.5 assists per game vs. Baltimore. In addition, Bobby Dandridge averaged 20.3 points per game, 9.8 rebounds per game and 3.3 assists per game.

When Giannis and the Bucks won the NBA title in 2021, their opponent was the Suns. The Bucks were able to win the series in six games, after being down 2-0 in the series. Giannis was named NBA Finals MVP. But the “Greek Freak” also had some help. Khris Middleton averaged 24 points per game, 6.3 rebounds per game and 5.3 assists per game. In addition, Jrue Holiday averaged 16.7 points per game, 6.2 rebounds per game and 9.3 assists per game. Plus, both Antetokounmpo (1.2) and Middleton (1.5) averaged over a steal per game, while Holiday (2.2) averaged over two steals per game.

In the 1971 NBA Finals, the Bucks played their home games at the Milwaukee Arena, but won the clinching game at the Baltimore Civic Center.

In the 2021 NBA Finals, the Bucks played their home games at the Fiserv Forum and won the clinching game at home in front of 17,500 fans in the forum and 65,000 more fans in the Deer District area.

Let’s take a look at what Kareem and Giannis did in helping to bring the city of Milwaukee the NBA title, as both were named MVP.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1971 NBA Finals

• Points Per Game: 27
• Rebounds Per Game: 18.5
• Assists Per Game: 2.8

Giannis Antetokounmpo in the 2021 NBA Finals

• Points Per Game: 35.2
• Rebounds Per Game: 13.2
• Assists Per Game: 5

Bottom line, both Kareem and Giannis were able to lead their respective teams to the NBA title by performing at a MVP level. Kareem would later win five more NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers. Time will tell how many more NBA titles that Giannis will win. The odds are pretty good that the 2021 NBA title won’t be the last. After all, Giannis is still only 26 years-old.

The Milwaukee Bucks Can Achieve a First in Cream City on Tuesday Night

The 2020-21 Milwaukee Bucks can achieve something on Tuesday night that has never happened before in the city of Milwaukee. That is, a team from Cream City winning a major professional sports championship at home.

In 1957, the Milwaukee Braves, behind the great hitting of Hank Aaron and Eddie Mathews and the great pitching of Warren Spahn and Lew Burdette, won the World Series versus the New York Yankees in seven games. However, Game 7 was played at Yankee Stadium.

The Braves had a chance to win the 1958 World Series at home, as the team had a 3-2 lead in the Fall Classic with Game 6 and Game 7 at County Stadium. Unfortunately, manager Fred Haney of the Braves decided to let Spahn (in Game 6) and Burdette (in Game 7) each pitch on just two days rest and the Braves lost each game to the Yankees.

50 years ago, under head coach Larry Costello, the 1970-71 Bucks had a 66-16 record in the regular season. The team was led by center Lew Alcindor, who would soon afterward change his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Alcindor averaged 31.7 points and 16 rebounds per game and was named the NBA MVP in 1971.

Alcindor, who had led UCLA to three straight national championships before he was drafted by the Bucks, also had one of the greatest players in NBA history as a teammate that year. I’m talking about guard Oscar Robertson. The Bucks had acquired Robertson before the season when Milwaukee shipped guard Flynn Robinson and forward Charlie Paulk to the Cincinnati Royals for Oscar. “The Big O” averaged 19.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game for the Bucks during the 1970-71 season.

The other three starters for the Bucks, forward Bobby Dandridge (18.4), guard Jon McGlocklin (15.8) and forward Greg Smith (11.7), all averaged in double figures in points. The top two players off the bench for the Bucks, forward Bob Boozer (9.1) and guard Lucius Allen (7.1), were also very effective on the court.

The Bucks compiled a 12-2 record in the playoffs that season which culminated in a four-game sweep against the Baltimore Bullets in the NBA Finals, as the Bucks won the NBA title. But Game 4 was played at the Baltimore Civic Center, not at the Milwaukee Arena.

That would be the last time a professional sports team from Milwaukee won a league championship. The Milwaukee Brewers came close in 1982 behind the great play of American League MVP Robin Yount. The Brew Crew did win the ALCS in Milwaukee, but then lost the ultimate championship, the World Series, in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals. Game 7 was also played at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

Now the Green Bay Packers did win the 1939 NFL title at the Dairy Bowl at State Fair Park in West Allis, which is right outside of Milwaukee. In fact, my dad and my grandfather were there to witness the game and to see stars like Don Hutson and Cecil Isbell in person. Still, it was not a Milwaukee team which won the title in their own backyard.

That being said…the Packers, the Braves (while they were in Milwaukee), the Bucks and the Brewers have all gotten great support from residents from the entire state of Wisconsin.

Which takes us to Tuesday night at the Fiserv Forum. The Bucks hold a 3-2 lead in the NBA Finals over the Phoenix Suns. That in itself is very ironic, because both teams came into the NBA at the same time in 1968 and both had a coin flip for the right to draft Alcindor in 1969. The whole scenario and much more, including the 1970-71 championship season, is out in a great new book by Rick Schabowski called From Coin Toss to Championship/1971: The Year of the Milwaukee Bucks.

A win on Tuesday night will give the city of Milwaukee it’s first ever championship won at home. Just like it’s been this entire series, the Bucks need to come through with a total team effort. “The Big 3” of the Bucks, forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, forward Khris Middleton and guard Jrue Holiday, all need to play well just like they did in the Game 5 victory in Phoenix.

Plus, players like center Brook Lopez, forward P.J. Tucker, guard Pat Connaughton and forward Bobby Portis have to come up big as well for head coach Mike Budenholzer.

The Suns have a terrific trio themselves, with guard Devin Booker, guard Chris Paul and center Deandre Ayton.

The bottom line is that the task will not be easy. It’s been that way for the Bucks this postseason. The team had to come back from a 2-0 deficit in the series against the Brooklyn Nets and also in this series against the Suns. But this has now all evolved to the point of just one more win brings the Bucks the NBA championship.

And if that win comes on Tuesday night, it will be the first time a Milwaukee team in a major professional sport, has ever won the league title at home. If it happens, the Fiserv Forum will be rocking. Not to mention the Deer District will be in a state of delirious celebration.

I’ve known that feeling, but in another city. In 2004, I was at Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa when the Tampa Bay Lightning won their first Stanley Cup. I was in a definite state of euphoria as I watched everyone on the team hoist Lord Stanley and skate happily around on the ice.

This year, the city of Tampa has seen that happen twice. Once with the Tampa Bay Bucs winning Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa and then the Lightning winning their second straight Stanley Cup at the Amalie Arena in Tampa.

Milwaukee has never been able to do that. I have a strong feeling that will change on Tuesday night at the Fiserv Forum.

Fear the Deer!

Tampa Bay Lightning: Ryan McDonagh is an Unsung Hero for the Back-to-Back Stanley Cup Champs

The Tampa Bay Lightning won their second consecutive Stanley Cup title last night, as the Bolts beat the Montreal Canadiens 1-0 in Game 5 of their Stanley Cup Final series. There were a number of reasons why the Lightning repeated to become the hoisters of Lord Stanley again by beating the Habs.

Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy won the Conn Smythe Award for his performance in the playoffs. No. 88 was 16-7 in the four rounds of the playoffs, plus had .937 save percentage and had a 1.90 goals against average. Vasy also had four shutouts, which all happened to come in the game that closed out a series.

Forward Nikita Kucherov led all skaters in points in the playoffs for the second straight year, as No. 86 had 32 points, with eight goals and 24 assists.

Center Brayden Point led all skaters with 14 goals, plus had nine assists.

Center Steven Stamkos also chipped in with 18 points, with eight goals and 10 assists.

Forward Alex Killorn had 17 points in the playoffs and ended up breaking his fibula while blocking a shot in Game 1 against the Canadiens.

Forward Ondreg Palat was steady as usual, with 13 points and a +8 rating.

Victor Hedman led all defensemen with 18 points, as No. 77 had two goals and 16 assists.

The line of Yanni Gourde, Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow was relentless with their great defensive play, plus the group came up with some very timely goals themselves, as the trio had 11 combined biscuits in the basket.

But probably the biggest unsung hero for the Bolts was defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who led all skaters with a +18 mark in the playoffs. That is the greatest mark in the last 20 years for defensemen, which topped the numbers of Brooks Orpik (+17) of the Washington Capitals in 2018, Danny Markov (+17) of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2004, Duncan Keith (+16) of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015, Zdeno Charo (+16) of the Boston Bruins in 2011 and Niklas Kronwall (+16) of the Detroit Red Wings in 2008.

In addition to that, McDonagh played phenomenal defense, blocking shots left and right, as well as getting the puck safely out of the defensive zone.

In Game 7 of the Stanley Cup semi-final series against the New York Islanders while the Bolts were playing short-handed, it was the former captain of the Wisconsin Badgers (McDonagh) who got the puck up the ice to Killorn, who then passed it to Anthony Cirelli, who as he skated towards the corner, passed it to a wide open Gourde, who had just come off the bench during a change by the Islanders to score what turned out to be a the game-winning goal.

And at Game 5 last night, it was McDonagh again who passed the puck to fellow defenseman David Savard, who then made a perfect pass to rookie Ross Colton for the lone goal of the game in the second period.

After that, it was the defense that kept the score 1-0. Vasilevskiy was incredible again in front of the net, but the Lightning’s group of defensemen also did a fantastic job, led by McDonagh, Hedman, Savard, Erik Cernak, Mikhail Sergachev and Jan Rutta.

McDonagh and his teammates have won two Stanley Cup titles in a row and it was a long time coming for No. 27. In college at Wisconsin, McDonagh just missed out on the 2006 NCAA title for the Badgers and then was part of the Wisconsin team which lost to Boston College in the 2010 NCAA title game.

Then in the NHL, as he was ironically originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens and then traded to the New York Rangers, McDonagh made it to the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, before the Rangers lost in five games to the Los Angeles Kings. McDonagh had one goal and three assists in that series.

In the 2017-18 season, the Rangers traded McDonagh to the Bolts. That Tampa Bay team lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Capitals.

In the 2018-19 season, the Bolts won the Presidents’ Trophy for having the best record in the NHL, but then were shockingly swept by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

But everything changed last season. I mean everything, especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That forced the NHL to have the playoffs in a bubble in Canada with no fans in attendance. Still, the Bolts persevered and won the Stanley Cup, which was their first since the 2004 season.

In this season’s Stanley Cup Final, fans of both the Bolts and the Habs were allowed to be in attendance at their respective home arenas. McDonagh certainly appreciated that he was able to play in front of a packed-house at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, as the Bolts won their second straight Stanley Cup title.

“We really wanted to seize this opportunity in front of the crowd, in front of family, and found a way to get it done,” McDonagh said. “It’s a great feeling. We’re going to celebrate all night long.”

McDonagh had a reason to party hard after his impressive performance in the year’s Stanley Cup playoffs.