Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy criticized the lack of production in practice this week. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers blamed himself, but also said rookies on the scout team have failed to provide the necessary tempo and looks for the offense.
Rapoport: Week 6 game rankings
What's the best game on the Week 6 slate? The worst? Ian Rapoport provides a pecking order in his Rap Sheet Rankings. **More ...**
Three defensive coaches and two rookies told Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that's not true.
Rookie safety Jerron McMillian said no one has asked the scout team to change anything.
"We try to give them the best look we can," McMillian said. "We try to ask, 'What do we need to do exactly to help them out?' Like if they want the D-line to jump up and try to knock passes, we do that."
Rodgers said there needs to be a level of professionalism from both the veterans and rookies. Defensive coordinator Dom Capers said there has been.
"You've got a number of young players over there that are learning how to do it," Capers said. "You know what you want it to look like and so you have to continue to teach guys so they get a feel for it."
Rookie linebacker Dezman Moses added, "Guys understand exactly what we need to do. It's always something you can do a little better. ... But we strive to give a little better look."
The issue became a national story when Skip Bayless called Rodgers' comments a "lame excuse" on ESPN's "First Take."
This is where the Packers are right now. An unexpected 2-3 record has every detail being questioned. Green Bay *needs *a win and to play well against the undefeated Houston Texans to calm everything down. The double-guessing will get worse if the Packers fall to 2-4.
Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter @kareemcopeland.
