The New York Jets fell to 2-4 on the season after their loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football, raising further questions about the organization’s direction for the remainder of the season. But in the eyes of SiriusXM host Michelle Beadle, Aaron Rodgers’ leadership, or lack thereof, looms large in the team’s struggles on the field.
On Tuesday’s edition of the Beadle and Decker show on Mad Dog Sports Radio, Beadle spoke about her belief that Rodgers is “kind of a crap leader”.
“Great leaders take the hits, right? Sometimes a great leader outwardly must always show a sense of unity with the team,” said Beadle. “That’s how I interpret a great leader. Now, whether or not you are 100 percent right in your assessment of the situation and Mike Williams was maybe not where he was (supposed to be). Fine, but that’s what you do behind the doors. That’s what you do as a leader in the locker room.
“But you don’t… And if this was the first time, maybe it wouldn’t be so bothersome. But it’s not, it’s like the 90th time that he’s thrown a teammate under the bus or thrown the team under the bus. Maybe this is why you’ve won one Super Bowl and one Super Bowl only. Maybe for as great as your arm was and how great and talented you are as a quarterback, you’re kind of a crap leader.
“Because I don’t think you make teammates… Unless they are the two or three you hand-picked. I don’t think you make them feel safe and trusted. Which as a person who looks to leadership, that’s all I want. I just want to know that if I screw up, talk to me about it but maybe don’t go out and publically humiliate me.”
Beadle is referring to Rodgers’ stating that his teammate Mike Williams ran the wrong route on a play late in the fourth quarter that ended up resulting in a game-sealing interception. Not only did Rodgers publicly address the situation directly after the game in his postgame press conference, but he did so again during his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday.
There is certainly an argument to be made that Rodgers could have just as easily addressed the miscommunication with Williams behind closed doors as Beadle argued.
Beadle has a pretty lengthy track record of voicing her complaints about Rodgers in the past. But when it comes to this situation, she is not alone in her critique. Former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason similarly questioned Rodgers’ leadership after publicly outing Williams for the mistake.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.