Ex-Falcons HC Mike Smith slams Aaron Rodgers critics questioning his character

Even as the NFL season ends, prominent quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers remain in the limelight. Rodgers' next steps, Tom Brady's post-retirement plans and Patrick Mahomes' greatness are among the stories NFL fans are following with interest.

Green Bay Packers fans and many others have become exasperated by the constant talk every offseason of trying to figure out Aaron Rodgers' moves. That has led to many casting aspersions on his character and willingness to compete. They point out that even when he was MVP back-to-back before the recently concluded season, he failed to deliver a Super Bowl to Titletown.

However, not everyone has the benefit of having taken him on the field. Former NFL coach Mike Smith certainly had that privilege. He has come out swinging to defend the Packers quarterback by vouching for his character.

Coach Smith said that in many ways Rodgers is misunderstood and that he's a fierce competitor. He laid the blame on the propensity of the NFL to be a news-generating machine for developing malicious storylines that may target the future Hall-of-Famer. Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda's "The BallFather Podcast", he said:

"Yeah, I don't know where all that comes from. I really don't. He's misunderstood in terms of the way that he says things, but he is a competitor. I remember every time flying, and he basically would come over and tell me, 'hey, Smitty, I'm gonna kick your a** today.' I was like, well okay, I'm gonna try to stop that. But, you know, the thing that happens in the National Football League is: there's got to be storylines."

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Mike Smith highlights reason why peole like to talk about Aaron Rodgers

Coach Smith also highlighted that the quarterback will not push back unless he feels he's cornered. The reason for that might be that the modern-day great is prone to speak with his heart on his sleeve and is not always politically correct.

Smith said:

"People like to talk about Aaron Rodgers. And I think that it's gotten into a routine where they've got to have something every month that they could talk about Aaron Rodgers. He doesn't talk about it until he gets kind of backed into a corner. That's one thing; he's not politically correct; he's gonna speak his mind. And you're gonna know where you stand with Aaron Rodgers."

While coach Smith said that one will always know where they stand with Rodgers, it's still not clear where he currently stands on his own future. That will remain a burning topic in the coming days till he decides.