Aaron Rodgers is seemingly less than thrilled that quarterback coach Alex Van Pelt didn't survive the cleaning house of new Packers GM Brian Gutekunst. When he was asked about Van Pelt not being retained after Ted Thompson's duties with the team changed at the conclusion of last season, Rodgers was measured in his response.
"My quarterback coach didn't get retained," Rodgers said on ESPN's "Golic and Wingo." "I thought that was an interesting change -- really without consulting me. There's a close connection between quarterback and quarterback coach. And that was an interesting decision."
After going 7-9 and missing the playoffs, the Packers have undergone sweeping changes this offseason, highlighted by Thompson's reassignment and the firing of defensive coordinator Dom Capers. The season was derailed when Rodgers broke his collarbone in a Week 6 loss to the Vikings.
Along with Van Pelt, offensive coordinator Edgar Bennett also got the ax.
Van Pelt, however, seemingly left willingly, with head coach Mike McCarthy saying that he allowed his contract to expire to pursue a coordinator job. Teams cannot block assistants from becoming head coaches, but they can block assistants from becoming coordinators (the NFL recognizes only two tiers of coaches).
"When you get to this point, frankly this decision was made last year," McCarthy said last month on Van Pelt. "I don't want to speak on Alex's, his thoughts, but this is a moment he's prepared himself for."
For Rodgers, however, the concerns are deeper than just the quarterback position. He believes the defense needs to get better under new coordinator Mike Pettine.
"I'd say we're not too far off," he said. "If you look at the final four teams that were in it, three of the four have dominating defenses, and the other one is the Patriots, who are often the most well-coached in the NFL. So you're looking at what Jacksonville did this year with their defense, what obviously Minnesota, they do with their defense, and Philly was phenomenal.
"We've got to get back to playing championship defense. We've got a new coordinator, actually on both sides. Joe Philbin came back, and his last year with us was '11, and we had a pretty damn good offense that year. So it's exciting having him back. Some other changes that are a little strange, maybe, but we'll see how they all play out."
So although Rodgers seems a bit "confused" about letting Van Pelt walk, he also seems optimistic about the future of the Packers.