Aaron Rodgers Comments on Criticism of Packers Coach Mike McCarthy

For the first time since 2013, the 4-5 Green Bay Packers are under .500 more than halfway through the season.

The team's struggles have heated up head coach Mike McCarthy's seat, much to the chagrin of franchise quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who called criticism of his coach "ridiculous" when speaking with the media Wednesday, per ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky.

Green Bay has lost four of its last five games, including a 47-25 defeat to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, but Rodgers doesn't think people should be going after McCarthy:

"

I think people don't understand how difficult it is to win in this league and win consistently. The success that we've had here, it's tough to do. We've set the standard pretty high.

But I wouldn't listen to some of those people out there. I mean, they're not in this locker room, they're not in the meeting rooms, they're not in the practice environments. They don't know what's going on, they don't know the type of work ethic that we have here and that Mike has here.

"

McCarthy, who has been the team's head coach for 11 seasons, has had only one losing season, which came in 2008.

He's made the postseason eight times in the process, including a Super Bowl XLV win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, while compiling a 108-60-1 record. Those 108 wins rank sixth among all active NFL head coaches.

While Rodgers rushed to his coach's defense, McCarthy doesn't seem to be bothered by the scrutiny. On Monday, he said he's "a highly successful NFL coach," adding that he is "not into shock and awe or torch the landscape," per Demovsky (via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk).

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported McCarthy and Rodgers have a strained relationship, but the signal-caller squashed those rumors in decisive fashion Wednesday, per Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "Don't waste your time reading crap like that."

Even with the Packers' struggles, Rodgers and McCarthy are just one game behind the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions for first place in the NFC North. A pair of NFC East tests await, as the Packers will spend Weeks 11 and 12 on the road against the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles.

A winless stretch could not only essentially end Green Bay's season, but also make the calls for a new head coach even louder.

Stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com.