NFL rules changes, & more One thing that Green Bay

Aaron Rodgers weighs in on national anthem Green Bay Packers Hoodie ,Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has made perfectly clear over the past several years is that he is much more than just a football player. Rodgers is an excellent golfer and has joined the ownership group of the Milwaukee Bucks, cementing his commitment to sports in the state of Wisconsin. He is also a dedicated member of the community in the area, becoming the most prominent public face of the MACC Fund and recently discussing his ongoing support of the Wounded Warrior Project. With these factors in mind, then, it should come as no surprise that Rodgers has strong opinions about the NFL’s treatment of players both on and off the field, the league’s handling of players’ social justice-related demonstrations, and general current events around the United States. Rodgers shared those opinions in interviews with NFL Network’s Michael Silver and The Ringer’s Kevin Clark, which were both published this week, and his comments are worth examination.In Clark’s piece, Rodgers dives more significantly into the NFL and its own specific issues. Clark’s premise revolves around what Rodgers would try to do if he were in Roger Goodell’s shoes as league commissioner, and he had plenty to say. However, one of the most profound statements he made involves the inconsistencies with the league’s owners’ reaction to players who protest about social issues during the national anthem: “If you’re going to take the focus off of what the protest was really about—it was never about the anthem, it was never about the troops, it was about social equality and racial injustice—then make it all about the anthem.” Rodgers points out that other activities continue on in NFL stadiums while the anthem is played Customized Green Bay Packers Jerseys , and he also looked back on the period early in his career: “We never came out for the anthem back in the day ... the messaging has been changed. If the owners see it as all about the flag and the anthem, everybody should be held to the same standard.”Rodgers appears to be in favor of everyone in the stadium being treated the same, rather than just the players on the field. He likes the idea of stopping food and merchandise sales during the performance, for example.But in talking to Silver, Rodgers explored the protests themselves in more detail, emphasizing that he and his fellow players “love and support and appreciate the troops” in the US military. Rodgers’ actions with the Wounded Warrior Project in particular illustrate that, even though it is the type of proactive work that often goes unseen or ignored; as he says, “the good stuff doesn’t get the headlines.” Rodgers also says that he refuses to engage with fans — or the current president — when they criticize him or other players for their actions or statements; in his words, doing so would be “giving credence to an opinion and value to an opinion that’s way off base — because they’ve missed the point of what this was all about.”Of course, as a football player, Rodgers has plenty of thoughts on how the league he plays in runs things as well. Furthermore, going through a contract negotiation, as he is now, is giving him a particularly informed opinion on the league’s financial setup under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement.Some of the ideas he suggested are borrowed from the NBA, which is hardly a coincidence. He mentioned things like a soft salary cap www.authenticsgreenbaypackers.com , eliminating the franchise tag, implementing veteran-friendly contract options, and others. He also would like to see more communication between the league and players on all rules changes — another area where the NBA has taken the lead under current commissioner Adam Silver.Interestingly, though Rodgers is all for improving player safety in football, there are limits to how far he would be willing to go. The college football targeting rule, for one thing, is something he dislikes (saying “the enforcement lacks a little bit of oversight”), and he’s not a fan of the new kickoff rules. He’s also pleased with the progress on head injuries, saing “I don’t know much more you can do on that except fining teams who don’t adhere to the protocol.”Oh, and of course the guy with the iconic championship belt celebration is fully supportive of players being able to express themselves after touchdowns. “You’ve got to respect celebrations. You love them, look forward to them,” he said. “Let guys be guys.”Let them, indeed.Check out the articles below for much more of Rodgers’ comments on these issues:We Made Aaron Rodgers NFL Commissioner for a Day | The RingerRodgers supports LeBron, implores players to ignore Trump jabs | NFL.comPackers-Bills Inactives: Bashaud Breeland, Kevin King Green Bay Packers T-Shirt , Randall Cobb all out The Green Bay Packers will take the field against the Buffalo Bills this Sunday without a pair of starters on offense and a couple of key players on defense. On offense, Right guard Justin McCray and wide receiver Randall Cobb have been designated as inactive for the week four contest, thrusting replacements into the starting lineup.McCray suffered a shoulder injury in last week’s loss to Washington and was listed as doubtful on Friday’s injury report. Byron Bell is expected to start in his place. Cobb, however, was a mid-week addition to the report with a hamstring and was listed as questionable.While an offensive lineman being out dictates a simple one-for-one swap in the lineup, the Packers will have options for how to address Cobb’s absence. The team may elect to use more two-tight end groupings, either flexing Jimmy Graham out into the slot or lining up with tight ends on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Alternately, rookie Marquez Valdes-Scantling — the team’s #4 wide receiver so far this year — could see a significant uptick in snaps with either he or starters Davante Adams and Geronimo Allison getting work out of the slot.The Packers’ defense will have a few key players back this week. Nick Perry has apparently passed through the concussion protocol and is good to go, while Josh Jones makes his season debut.However, the cornerback group will be shorthanded once again. Kevin King is inactive once again after being questionable this week with a groin injury suffered two weeks ago. Joining him as a gameday inactive is new Packer Bashaud Breeland, who was signed Wednesday morning. Breeland apparently will need another week to get up to speed with the Packers’ defensive scheme. However, the Packers will have four active cornerbacks, as Tony Brown will play — the rookie corner has been on the Packers’ practice squad since week one and was promoted to the 53-man roster on Saturday to take Muhammad Wilkerson’s spot.Packers InactivesQB Tim BoyleCB Bashaud BreelandWR Randall CobbRB Darius JacksonCB Kevin KingOL Alex LightG Justin McCrayBills InactivesG Ike BoettgerCB Phillip GainesRB Marcus MurphyOL Jeremiah SirlesG Wyatt TellerTE Logan ThomasDT Robert Thomas