No wide receiver has been targeted more by Aaron Rodgers over the years than Jordy Nelson. He's apparently grown tired of seeing his former quarterback the target of criticism from other former teammates.
"Everyone knows negativity sells," Nelson said in an interview on ESPN Wisconsin earlier this week. "People don't want to hear (the good). People feel better about themselves when they hear bad things about other people. And that's why that gets more pub.
"I mean, no one wants to hear that Aaron's not only obviously a great quarterback but a great leader and does everything right. All right, there's your story. What fun is that? So whenever they can, they go back to the well and get the same people to say the same stuff."
Nelson, who played for the Raiders last year after 10 seasons alongside Rodgers with the Packers, was specifically referring to Greg Jennings and Jermichael Finley, incidentally two of Rodgers' favorite targets when Nelson was coming up in Green Bay. The trio spent five years together, winning Super Bowl XLV thanks to an MVP performance from Rodgers.
But Jennings, an analyst on Fox Sports, and Finley, who recently said Rodgers had "a trust issue" with teammates, have been outspoken about the difficulty of playing with the All-Pro quarterback since leaving Green Bay in 2012 and 2013, respectively.
Two weeks ago, former Packers defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila joined the fray by calling Rodgers "arrogant" in an interview with Forbes.
"I think if you look, there's two guys -- now three -- saying it, compared to the hundreds that are saying the opposite," Nelson said. "It doesn't make sense. I think it's comical when I read those comments."
In the wake of consecutive losing seasons and Green Bay's first coaching change of Rodgers' career, the two-time MVP is being scrutinized like never before, with questions arising about how coachable he is. Nelson was adamant about the answer but acknowledged why some players might have a different perspective.
"I don't want to have to be on the phone and defend Aaron," Nelson added. "He's a great leader, we all believe that and believed that and still do. He's hard on people, he demands a lot, but he demands a lot from himself. And I think any great quarterback out there does the same thing.
"They all have different expectations. If the expectations are to go out on Sunday and have fun and then go home, then you're not with the right quarterback. (Rodgers') expectations are to go out there and be successful, make plays, win ballgames and win championships. That's the level he's going to hold you to. If you don't want to be held to that level, then play your couple years there and move on to another team."