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Mike Holmgren Bashes Packers for Handling of Aaron Rodgers Situation

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Former Packers coach Mike Holmgren weighs in on the Aaron Rodgers drama.

Former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike Holmgren weighed in on the drama taking place between quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the team. Holmgren, who guided the Packers to a Super Bowl title, didn't waste any time saying which side he was on. He said had he been involved with the Packers today, he'd have handled the whole situation much differently.

Holmgren guided the Packers to two straight Super Bowls

Mike Holmgren Bashes Packers for Handling of Aaron Rodgers Situation
Head coach Mike Holmgren of the Green Bay Packers looks on from the sidelines during an NFL football game circa 1992 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Holmgren was the head coach of the Packers from 1992-98. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

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Holmgren knows a thing or two about football. He coached 17 years in the NFL, spending the first seven years with the Packers. He then moved on to the Seattle Seahawks, where he coached 10 years before calling it a career. Holmgren participated in three Super Bowls, two with Green Bay.

In his seven years with the Packers, Holmgren never had a losing season. He did go 9-7 in his first three seasons but then had double-digit wins the next four. In the 1996 and 1997 seasons, Green Bay went 13-3 and went to the Super Bowl both years.

The first year, the Packers defeated the New England Patriots 35-21 in Super Bowl 31. The Pack failed to repeat as John Elway and the Denver Broncos pulled off the upset, winning 31-24. Holmgren went 84-42 in Green Bay, postseason included.

Mike Holmgren watches from afar as Packers drama unfolds

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After his successful seven-year run in Green Bay, Holmgren moved to Seattle. He was the Seahawks' main man for 10 seasons. There, he went 90-80, including playoffs. He had three seasons of 10 wins or more and guided the Seahawks to a berth in the Super Bowl during the 2005 season.

The 72-year-old Holmgren has watched from a distance as his former Packers team goes through some challenging times with their MVP quarterback. Green Bay has dominated the NFL news lately after ESPN's Adam Schefter broke the news on draft day that Rodgers no longer wanted to remain with the Packers.

Holmgren was a guest on the Carmen and Jurko Show and admitted the situation was getting ugly. He said he never had to deal with a situation that bad but knows times have changed. “It's a different world now,” he said. “It's a different world.”

Holmgren weighs in on Aaron Rodgers situation

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Holmgren was a recent guest on the Carmen and Jurko Show and was asked his thoughts on the situation between his former team and Rodgers. He said he couldn't understand how a problem could ever grow to become that toxic.

“I can't imagine a relationship between the coach, or management, or whoever is making the decisions and a star quarterback like that getting to this point,” Holmgren said.”I just can't imagine it and I wouldn't allow it. It wouldn't happen.

“I would call him in. We'd sit down and not leave until we kinda had an understanding one way or the other. The ball's in his court because I want him there. I need him there. They didn't handle it very well, I don't think. I don't know how you guys looked at it, but they didn't handle it very well.”

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Mike Thomas
Sports Editor

Mike Thomas spent 23 years on staff and 16 years as the sports editor at The Herald News in Fall River, Mass., before joining Sports7 in 2020. Mike has a deep knowledge of and passion for the NFL and NBA, and he excels at interviewing sports celebrities to find out their Super Bowl picks. A New England Newspaper and Press Association award-winning columnist and an avid sports memorabilia collector, Mike enjoys keeping up with all the sports news and the works of former Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly. You can find more of Mike's work on Muck Rack.

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Mike Thomas Sports Editor

Mike Thomas spent 23 years on staff and 16 years as the sports editor at The Herald News in Fall River, Mass., before joining Sports7 in 2020. Mike has a deep knowledge of and passion for the NFL and NBA, and he excels at interviewing sports celebrities to find out their Super Bowl picks. A New England Newspaper and Press Association award-winning columnist and an avid sports memorabilia collector, Mike enjoys keeping up with all the sports news and the works of former Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly. You can find more of Mike's work on Muck Rack.

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