Getty Aaron Rodgers and Lucas Patrick have developed a solid bond over the years.
Lucas Patrick, for one, has no problem getting jawed out by his Hall of Fame quarterback.
The fifth-year offensive lineman for the Green Bay Packers was asked about what it’s like to have Aaron Rodgers — who has been known to chew out the occasional player for making avoidable errors from time to time — give on-field criticism of his play.
Patrick’s response was as thoughtful as they come.
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Patrick Gives Perfect Analogy for On-Field Criticism
A former UDFA out of Duke, Patrick has seen his role expand with the Packers over the years. He spent 2016 on the practice squad and made the roster the following year and hasn’t looked back. He has served primarily as a backup offensive lineman, filling in at multiple positions when needed, from center to right guard.
The versatile interior o-lineman, like several Packers players over the years, has found himself on the receiving end of some mid-game barking courtesy of Rodgers if he, say, bungled a snap or missed an assignment. This on-field criticism is something some have judged Rodgers harshly for, but his teammates don’t seem to have a problem with it.
When he was asked about Rodgers’ chewing players out for mental errors, Patrick gave a thoughtful response that included the perfect analogy in a video that has been viewed nearly 700,000 times:
Great question. I think the best way to describe this is everyone has an emotional bank account with people. Hopefully, yours is, you know, quote-unquote has a lot of money. Like, I look at my emotional bank account with a lot of guys in this locker room, there’s been a lot of deposits and, unfortunately, you guys don’t get to see the deposits. Sometimes they’re daily. Sometimes they’re weekly. Sometimes it’s one big one every two or three months. But most of the time, y’all see the withdrawals, which is okay. If you have somebody that’s making deposits, whether it’s big, small, incremental, or whatever, when they make the withdrawal, there’s emotional credit to give out. So that’s how I feel anytime [Aaron Rodgers] says or does anything. That’s how I feel with a lot of my teammates. I get what you’re saying. It doesn’t matter how it comes out because I know you as a person and I trust you as a person, so whatever you need to say to get out of me the correction or whatever happens in that moment, how it’s communicated, that’s okay with me because of prior deposits they’ve put into our friendship.
You can watch Lucas’ thoughtful response below:
Packers OL Lucas Patrick got asked about his mindset when he’s getting barked at on the field. I thought his answer was really interesting
The response to the analogy from Lucas took Twitter by storm, with fans and analysts alike giving him shout outs:
One fan even called the response the “most emotionally intelligent answer to a professional sports question, in the history of sport:”
@JuMosq This is probably THE MOST emotionally intelligent answer to a professional sports question, in the history of sport! It could be applied to any relationship in any profession. Truly impressive.
Patrick & Rodgers Have Built Solid Rapport Over the Years
Patrick has seen his role with the Pack grow over the last two seasons in particular. The 28-year-old started 17 games at center for Green Bay last season, taking over for Corey Linsley after he left to play for the Los Angeles Chargers. Many thought he would become the team’s full-time center, but when the Packers drafted Josh Myers out of Ohio State in the second round of the draft this year, that changed.
So far this season, Patrick has started four games, playing 57 snaps at right guard and 305 in relief of an injured Myers. He currently has a pass-blocking grade of 70.8 from Pro Football Focus, allowing six total pressures and a QB hit so far.
Patrick says he’s grateful to Rodgers in particular for helping him along in his NFL journey, noting the QB has been there for him when he has needed a sympathetic ear.
“I think every athlete struggles with something every day — but we tend to hide it,” Patrick said on October 23, via Jason Wilde of the Wisconsin State Journal. “We’ve got stuff off the field, (too). It’s not necessarily every time it’s Xs or Os, or how things are going in the building. I truly appreciate his friendship and being able to share things that are happening off the field and just getting to know each other better that way.”
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