In a major way.Appearing on radio with Jason Wilde and Mark Tauscher of ESPN Milwaukee Montravius Adams Jersey , Rodgers decried last week¡¯s exhaustive article from Tyler Dunne of BleacherReport.com as a ¡°smear attack.¡±Here¡¯s the full money quote, from Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com: ¡°This was a smear attack by a writer looking to advanced his career talking with mostly irrelevant, bitter players who all have an agenda whether they¡¯re advancing their own careers or just trying to stir old stuff up.¡±Rodgers specifically addressed two specific aspects of Dunne¡¯s report, including one that as of Friday afternoon was destined to be handled by Rodgers.¡°The two main things I think I really want to talk about and just clear up, which are really central themes to the article, the first is the [Packers CEO] Mark Murphy conversation because part of the article seems to want to say the Packers are worried about me as the leader of the football team moving forward,¡± Rodgers said. ¡°And before I get into what actually happened in the conversation with Mark, I want to say two things: One, if they knew that, why would they offer me a contract last year? And two, which goes into my second central thesis point that I¡¯m going to take down, is if I really disliked Mike [McCarthy] so much, why would I re-sign knowing that if I play and we do what we do around here ¡ª we made the playoffs eight straight years and then I got hurt and we missed the playoffs ¡ª it¡¯s going to be me and Mike my entire career. So if I really disliked him that much, do you think I¡¯d re-sign. Is the money that important to me? I¡¯ll tell you it¡¯s not. Quality of life is important.¡±Via Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, Rodgers said that the report that Murphy told Rodgers ¡°don¡¯t be the problem¡± is ¡°ridiculous¡± and ¡°100 percent false.¡±As to Rodgers¡¯ reported rift with former Packers coach Mike McCarthy, the quarterback admitted that they ¡°had issues,¡± but he said that those issues always got resolved and he denied a grudge dating back to the 2005 draft, when McCarthy and the 49ers passed on Rodgers. Rodgers also made a plea for positive treatment of McCarthy in the community.¡°I think we need to honor Mike and respect him the right way Jamaal Williams Jersey ,¡± Rodgers said, via Demovsky. ¡°We had a hell of a run. We had 13 years, four NFC championships, one Super Bowl, eight straight playoffs, 19 straight wins. . . . So, instead of trashing this guy on the way out, let¡¯s remember the amazing times that we had together. Packer fans, remember this, especially those of you who live in Green Bay: Mike lives here. Mike has young kids here. So Mike has to be here. Think about how difficult it is for him. My favor that I would ask of you, strongly, is if you see Mike, shake his hand. Tell him thanks for the memories. Tell him thanks for the coaching job that he did. Tell him how much you appreciate him being a part of what we built here. Things change from ¡®06 to ¡®18. We came off of a bad season in ¡®05 and we built something special and had sustained success, so instead of trashing this guy on the way out ¡ª last year was tough, no doubt about it ¡ª but let¡¯s honor him and his legacy as the second-winningest coach in Packers history. If you see him, please, just show him the respect that he deserves. Not only does he have to live in Green Bay, he wants to. He loves it here. He¡¯s going to be here. So Kenny Clark Jersey , if you see him, do him that favor and show him the respect that he deserves.¡±Rodgers expressed regret for publicly complaining about the team¡¯s offense after a lackluster win over the Bills.¡°I wish I hadn¡¯t said anything after the Bills game last year,¡± Rodger said, via Demovsky. ¡°I wish I had just gotten with him in person. I wasn¡¯t trying to be disrespectful to him but I know how it came off. That¡¯s what I told him when I met with him face to face.¡±Rodgers opted to address these issues not via the shotgun feeding frenzy of a press conference or locker-room scrum, but in a radio interview that was conducive to a more reasoned and deliberate conversation, with Rodgers able to address all items that he wanted to cover. While that doesn¡¯t mean the issues won¡¯t be rehashed if/when Rodgers meets with reporters during the first week of the team¡¯s offense program, much of the ground already has been covered. APC breaks down the free agent acquisitions of each NFC North team, starting with Detroit."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections The APC PodcastPackers Film RoomFantasy Football AdviceCDTShareTweetShareShareNFC North in Free Agency: Lions landed the top edge rusher on the open marketChristopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY SportsThe Green Bay Packers play their division rivals twice a year, so regular APC readers have surely kept an eye on what the Lions, Bears and Vikings have done during the offseason. We¡¯re going to take a look at what their acquisitions could contribute to new squads and why each team might have felt they could fill a hole on their rosters.This breakdown begins with the Detroit Lions, who were big spenders in free agency ¡ª landing one of the top EDGE players available in Trey Flowers ¡ª as more Belicheck disciples buck the ¡°Patriot Way¡± of team-building. The Trey Flowers contract was a big deal for the defensive end, who¡¯s coming directly from New England, where Matt Patricia used to coach the defense. A five-year contract worth a potential $90 million seems like a lot for an EDGE who didn¡¯t specialize in sacks, necessarily, but rather being in the right place at the right time and applying pressure to opposing quarterbacks. By adding Flowers to a defensive line that includes Damon Harrison and a talented A¡¯Shawn Robinson, the Lions could have good control of the trenches. By not re-signing Ezekiel Ansah, though, you have to wonder how much pass rush pressure they¡¯ll apply. According to Football Outsiders Jason Spriggs Jersey , the Detroit Lions were 29th in pressure rate last season at 26.3 percent of pass plays. Sacks aren¡¯t everything, as football Twitter has been quick to remind us this offseason, but a momentum-changing sack every now and then can light a fire in the defense.The Lions also paid big money to add another former Seahawks defensive back in Justin Coleman to help shore up their 31st ranked pass defense (by defensive DVOA). We remember the Deshawn Shead experiment, however, which ended poorly. Still, slot corners are as valuable as ever in today¡¯s NFL and Coleman allowed an average of just 1.09 yards per slot coverage snap last year, which was good for 14th among corners with at least 100 passes thrown their way. Coleman is listed at 5-foot-11 190 pounds, so it will be interested if the Packers decide to test him with big slot options like Jimmy Graham and Equanimeous St. Brown.The offensive additions are fine, but not great. Danny Amendola will replace Golden Tate on the depth chart, but his role in the offense could be limited. As these things go, Amendola is another former Patriot whom Patricia knows well. Amendola had a few good games with the Dolphins last season, but other than that he was an afterthought. Blame it on the wonky QB situation if you will, but Amendola has never had more than four touchdowns in a season and hasn¡¯t played a full 16 games since 2014. He should easily be a step down from Tate. The Lions¡¯ newly signed TE Jesse James doesn¡¯t feel like he¡¯ll add a new dimension to the offense that wasn¡¯t there with Luke Willson last year. The Lions also let former Packers guard T.J. Lang go (and he is apparently planning to retire), so adding Oday Aboushi for depth was a practical move.Major AdditionsDE Trey FlowersCB Justin ColemanWR Danny AmendolaTE Jesse JamesG Oday AboushiRe-SignedCB Marcus CooperDE Romeo OkwaraDeparted in Free Agency/ReleasedDE Ezekiel Ansah (currently unsigned) DE Kerry Hyder (Cowboys)WR Bruce Ellington (Patriots)G T.J. Lang (retiring)TE Luke Willson unsigned)S Glover Quin (unsigned)TE Levine Toilolo (unsigned)