"They would be a four-win team without their star quarterback."

It's a sentiment you hear often in the NFL, but it's usually directed at the Indianapolis Colts, or the New Orleans Saints, or perhaps the Carolina Panthers.

It's time for the Green Bay Packers to accept that it also applies to them. And it's time for them to take the steps necessary to change that.

Aaron Rodgers is the best quarterback on the planet and may end up as the unanimous choice for the best ever to play the game. But Rodgers can only win so many games without a rushing attack behind him, or a defense to prop him up during the rare moments when he struggles.

Sunday, the Packers saw that fact laid bare in front of them.

Matt Ryan's Atlanta Falcons came out red-hot, scoring a touchdown on their opening drive for an eighth straight game. The Packers offered very little resistance the rest of the way, eventually succumbing 44-21 after being thoroughly outclassed by the likes of Ryan, Julio Jones, and Devonta Freeman.

After Rodgers' magic to carry the Packers to the playoffs, and against the Dallas Cowboys a week ago, he just couldn't keep pace.

Now it's time for the Packers' decision-makers to ask themselves whether their core principles might prevent them from reaching the top of the mountain again during Rodgers' prime years.

Principle #1: Loyalty

The Packers have traditionally been one of the NFL's most loyal and conservative franchises, some of it owing to the team's unique public ownership structure, which prevents a fickle owner from making snap decisions to fire staffers.

That loyalty has saved head coach Mike McCarthy's job in years that it probably shouldn't have. The same can certainly be said for defensive coordinator Dom Capers, whose performance over the past half-decade has been far below most teams' standards but who nonetheless remains employed.

It will be painful, but the Packers must make changes to their coaching staff. McCarthy's message has worn thin, his X's and O's aren't good enough, and it's time for fresh voices. The Packers need to look no further than across the field in Sunday's game to see the kind of innovative thinker that could alter the course of their franchise from the top down. Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has built the NFL's deadliest offense around Matt Ryan; imagine what he could assemble with Rodgers as his centerpiece.

Principle #2: Build through the draft

The Packers don't participate in free agency. While most of the NFL goes on a spending spree every the spring, the Packers stay home with their wallets firmly shut.

The Packers believe in building by finding value in the draft and retaining their homegrown talent. Go down their roster and you'll find only a few players who have ever played a snap for another team.

It's time for that to change. The Packers' defense needs reinforcements at all three levels, and Rodgers needs more weapons around him (particularly in the running game).

There are landmines in free agency, sure, but for every overpaid bust there's a player who is the final piece to a championship roster. Just ask last year's Super Bowl champions - they added Peyton Manning, Emmanuel Sanders, DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, and T.J. Ward, among others, in free agency. You could say they bought a championship.

The Packers have a projected $35 million in cap space entering free agency, and can free up even more with a few releases.

Imagine a Packers roster with Rodgers handing the ball off to LeGarrette Blount and throwing it to a receiving corps of Jordy Nelson, Alshon Jeffery, and DeSean Jackson. Or a Packers defense with twin pass-rushers Jason Pierre-Paul and Chandler Jones.

Far-fetched? Maybe a little, but far from impossible - if the Packers are willing to admit their stubbornness has put a cap on what they can accomplish.