Days after saying the offense was "terrible" in Week 4's shutout win over the Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers found himself answering questions if things were fine with head coach Mike McCarthy.
Rodgers made it clear Wednesday that the bond between player and coach isn't strained.
"Mike and I talk all the time; we have a great relationship," Rodgers told reporters Wednesday. "There's always been great communication between us, even if there is things that we need to talk about that are tough subjects, we've never had a problem finding time and talking. That's the way it's been for 10-plus years."
The Packers' signal-caller then emphasized there are no hard feelings when a reporter followed up by asking if everything was OK with McCarthy.
"Yeah, that's what I just said," Rodgers said. "Communication is the basis for a good relationship, wouldn't you say? I think it is. For any relationship, it starts with good communication and being able to be honest with each other, and then hug it out afterward."
McCarthy also downplayed any issues with his QB earlier this week.
"I have good relationships, proper relationships, with all of our players," he said. "Aaron and I, we have gone through a lot of years together, so I feel good about our relationship."
The Packers quarterback did his part in Week 4 with 298 yards passing and a touchdown with an interception, while the running game combined to produce 141 and a touchdown for a balanced attack.
Green Bay, however, had to settle for three field goals and wide receivers dropped a few passes leading to Rodgers' comments after the game.
His remarks drew media scrutiny with some speculation that he was upset with the play-calls despite the shutout win, but any fears of trouble in Green Bay were hopefully put to rest Wednesday.
"I think you're taking some of those words out of context," Rodgers told reporters. "I first was talking about that I need to throw the ball to Davante [Adams] more, but there's frustration in this business and that's what Mike always says -- conflict is good.
"You've got to keep the conversation going. We've got to find ways to be more efficient on offense although, like I said Sunday afternoon, the numbers might have looked good -- [423] yards and 50 percent-plus on third down -- but the execution wasn't where it needs to be. I'm always going to hold myself and this offense to a higher standard. I've got to play better and we've got to play better, because last week was unacceptable. We put the ball on the ground too many times, threw an interception. We've got to play better."
Ultimately, Rodgers' comments after the game could be attributed to competitive nature and a desire for excellence, especially when considering the team currently ranks 17th in total offense and 14th in passing.
While the Packers secured the win to improve to 2-1-1 on the season with a performance that featured dropped passes and field goals instead of touchdowns, Rodgers simply expects more.
