This is the time of year when the media is just begging for a story to take and run with for Superbowl week. Surely the Packer and Steeler players have been warned about how everything will be blown out of proportion during Super Bowl week. When it comes to "off the field" stuff, you DON'T want to be the team being talked about. So what looks to be the story as Superbowl week begins? It might be the back and forth between Aaron Rodgers (leader of the Pack) and Nick Barnett (injured linebacker). I think if they keep talking, there will be a perceived feud between them.
Nick and the other 15 Packers on injured reserve wanted to be part of the team photo. The team leaders Charles Woodson and Aaron Rodgers talked to the coach and GM on their behalf to make sure this would happen. The issue was resolved and this could have ended the story. However, some reporter was able to get Aaron Rodgers to say more. What Rodgers said basically is that if you want to be in the team picture you should stick with the team. It seems that some players including Barnett and Jermichael Finley did not stick around to support the team after being placed on IR. They chose to rehab elsewhere. I feel like they should stay around and be as much a part of the team as possible but I wish Aaron Rodgers would just become quiet on this issue. Now Barnett and Finley are tweeting about this again. Their tweets are how this whole thing started first started.
My guess is that this will get portrayed all week as some feud between players. Perception is reality so the questions to these players will include this story, no doubt. I am sure they will say there is no feud but the Packers have made the first blunder of this Superbowl week and the Steelers would love to just fly under the radar. Seriously, you don't want to be the team that gets the most coverage, just the team that scores the most points. Aaron Rodgers made a little blunder here but hopefully will more than make up for it on Superbowl Sunday.
A great example of "less is more". He should have just kept quiet. I am sure it will not effect anything, but these things get amplified at this time of the year...what else can the media talk about?
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