Why Aaron Rodgers Deserves Just as Much Blame as Offensive Line for MNF Sacks

To solely blame the Green Bay Packers offensive line for allowing Aaron Rodgers to be sacked eight times in the first half of Monday Night Football would be a travesty.

Yes, the O-line has been terrible, pathetic, abysmal and every other bad adjective you can think of, but Rodgers hasn't helped.

Last season's MVP has been reduced to an indecisive shell of his normal self.

He is dropping back in the pocket and staying there, and then staying there some more, until eventually the Seattle Seahawks defenders can't help but sack him.

Chris Clemons had four sacks alone in the first half.

Four.

Clemons is a quality defensive end that averages double digit sacks per year, but he is not the type of other worldly talent that can decimate an O-line week in and week out.

Rodgers has abandoned the attributes that propelled this offense to elite status in the first place.

Quick strike passes that allow his play makers to catch the ball in space have been forgotten in favor of dropping back and hoping his receivers get open 40-50 yards down field.

It's almost as if this game is some kind of odd trip down memory lane back to 2009.

That was the season a young and fresh faced Rodgers took the reigns of the Packers offense and was abruptly sacked 37 times through the teams first eight games.

Granted, the Seahawks should be commended for mixing up blitz packages and ensuring the Packers do not see the same looks too often, but this is nothing new to Rodgers.

He has stood tall in the face of heavy pass rushes before and delivered accurately thrown short passes that counteract any tricks a defense tries to pull.

Maybe Rodgers has simply been off his game on Monday Night Football.

Maybe Bruce Irvin, Chris Clemons and the rest of Seattle's defense really are as good as they look on a national stage.

But, something has seemed off with Rodgers all season, and the offensive line is not the only reason he has spent so much time getting acquainted with the turf.