Mr. Rodgers Neighborhood

[Cal2GreenBay]

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/trai...lumns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=2958306

3. Mr. Rodgers' neighborhood
This might not mean much, but word around Packers camp is Aaron Rodgers is ready to be a starting NFL quarterback. That doesn't mean much in Green Bay because Favre is the starting quarterback and he doesn't miss games. Rodgers looks comfortable behind center in practices, but that isn't new. He's looked that way in practices for the past three years. The key is managing the offense in game situations, and that's not happening while Favre is around. Rodgers has to make up the difference in the meeting room and on the scout teams. According to the coaches, Rodgers made the turn this offseason. He seems to be grasping the offense and executing it efficiently. He doesn't have the greatest arm strength, but he can make all of the throws. Should Favre retire after this season, McCarthy and general manager Ted Thompson are convinced Rodgers could take over in 2008.

 

[Greg C.]

He does appear to be doing very well this year. My biggest lingering doubt right now is his ability to run the two-minute offense. I have yet to see him do well at that in the preseason, and I haven't heard about him doing it well in practice yet either. And then of course there are the intangibles, like leadership, that you just can't judge very well until he's actually playing regular season games.

I think this is the year that Rodgers needs to genuinely put some pressure on Favre for the starting QB position. He has virtually no chance of actually beating Favre out, but he needs to make at least some people think that if Favre retires after this year, there will not be a big dropoff at the QB position.

 

[Pack93z]

In number one of that article, I think Clayton may have bumped his head someplace... Mo has a shoulder injury?

 

[Cal2GreenBay]

he needs to make at least some people think that if Favre retires after this year, there will not be a big dropoff at the QB position.

That's what the article said. He made TT and MM believe there won't be drop off in the QB position in 08. Those two are the only opinions that matter..

 

[PWT36]

Aaron Rodgers is one play away from being the Starting Quarterback of the Green Bay Packers. As when Brett Favre suffered a groin injury against Partiots last year. Favre's Back up, QB Aaron Rodgers had to come in and finish the Patriots game last year. In the Patriot game Aaron Rodgers suffered a broken bome in his foot and played the whole second half of the game with that injury.

If Packers would have had to pull Rodgers out of the game because of his injury . 3rd string QB Ingle Martin would have had to come in for Rodgers and finished the game..

This can happen anytime in NFL football game. Backups every week have to be ready to go into any game if and when the need arises.

RB This goes for any position in football, the back up must be ready to come at a moments notice.

 

[Greg C.]

he needs to make at least some people think that if Favre retires after this year, there will not be a big dropoff at the QB position.

That's what the article said. He made TT and MM believe there won't be drop off in the QB position in 08. Those two are the only opinions that matter..

Not quite. The opinions of his teammates are also very important, because he needs to command their respect in order to be an effective leader on the field. I think he also needs to win over a certain percentage of fans, or people will be on his case all the time and it will make his job even harder than it already is.

Of course, there are some fans who will never be won over, no matter what Rodgers does, because Favre is such a legend. But I think most will be willing to give him a fair shake if he plays reasonably well and conducts himself well.

 

[Cal2GreenBay]

he needs to make at least some people think that if Favre retires after this year, there will not be a big dropoff at the QB position.

That's what the article said. He made TT and MM believe there won't be drop off in the QB position in 08. Those two are the only opinions that matter..

Not quite. The opinions of his teammates are also very important, because he needs to command their respect in order to be an effective leader on the field. I think he also needs to win over a certain percentage of fans, or people will be on his case all the time and it will make his job even harder than it already is.

Of course, there are some fans who will never be won over, no matter what Rodgers does, because Favre is such a legend. But I think most will be willing to give him a fair shake if he plays reasonably well and conducts himself well.

The fans..I agree are going to probably be the TOUGHEST to win over.
Steve Young never really lived out of the shadow of Joe Montana..even AFTER winning a superbowl..but it did lesson the blow some.

Aaron's going to have to not only win games..but win PLAYOFF games..and lead the team to those wins. He's also gonna have to be personable and charismatic as Brett to capture the public's interest.

As for the players...on his first touchdown pass..the entire receiving corps came over to congratulate him. I always see him joking and smiling w/Cliffy and Taush...so I'd say he's on his way. He's made friends..but support on the field will have to come from consistent play in game situation..which he himself said is the key.

 

[Greg C.]

As for the players...on his first touchdown pass..the entire receiving corps came over to congratulate him. I always see him joking and smiling w/Cliffy and Taush...so I'd say he's on his way. He's made friends..but support on the field will have to come from consistent play in game situation..which he himself said is the key.

I like to hear that. Some fans said he did not seem to have the respect of his teammates during that Patriots debacle last season. They said he was yelling too much and they weren't helping him get up after he got sacked. I'm not sure how much truth there is to this, because the TV station that carried the game in my neck of the woods was on the fritz that day, so I could hardly tell what was happening on my screen.

Mostly what I hear about him is good, though, so I think the Patriots game may have been an anomaly. It was just a nightmare day all-around for the Packers.

 

[axelred13]

I will start by saying I haven't been a Rodgers fan so this is obviously biased, but I haven't seen Aaron do anything to prove to me that he is ready for a starting role.

I know he hasn't had the experience and we really haven't seen much of him, but what I have seen, in limited relief situations and in preseason, does not give me much hope.

I hope I'm wrong, because if I'm not, it would have been nice to have drafted Quinn.

 

[Packerfanforever]

how much better than favre would he have to play before he starts?

 

[Greg C.]

how much better than favre would he have to play before he starts?

Significantly better. And it's hard to see that happening this year. But if he's at or near Favre's level by the end of the season, and Favre decides to stick around in 2008, things could get interesting in training camp.

I hope it doesn't come to that, though. I'd like to have a smooth transition from Favre to whoever is next, whether or not it's Rogers.

 

[vikesrule]

how much better than favre would he have to play before he starts?

Link to answer

 

[Lare]

Like others, I haven't seen a whole lot from Rodgers performance on the field to make me confident he'll be able to lead a team to consistent victory over the course of an NFL season. But then again, I haven't seen enough of Rodgers on the field in game situations to really form an opinion either way. Being a starting NFL QB isn't something a person can do by reading a book or practicing, it has to come with gametime experience.

What I can say is that from what I've seen and read about Rodgers in interviews, he's handled himself very well in a difficult situation. Dealing with the Favre controversies and constant questions about following a legend can't be easy, nor can knowing that he may never get a chance to be a starter in Green Bay over the course of his contract.

And unfortunately, Rodgers biggest challenges lie yet ahead. No matter how Favre ends his career in Green Bay, Rodgers is going to be in the middle of the maelstrom from management, media and fans alike. It isn't going to be easy for him, or anybody for that matter, to perform to the best of their abilities under those circumstances.

 

[Tiger]

Rodgers looks comfortable behind center in practices, but that isn't new. He's looked that way in practices for the past three years.

This appears very contradictory, cos i remember last year reporters saying that Rodgers was far from being NFL ready and I cant imagine he was much better his rookie year.

 

[packedhouse01]

The only thing that counts is how he does in games. Nothing els matters. If he can win the players will respect him.

 

[Cal2GreenBay]

I saw his night practice the other day and he was plenty in command
of the offense. He moved the ball on the #1 defense..who anyone will
tell you..is tough to move the ball against right now.

That front four...then AJ Hawk and Burnett in the back...and having
Al Harris and Charles Woodson to cover...is a tough task.

Currently..the offense is behind the defense in progress right now.

Aaron's arm strength? I saw him thread the needle twice and catch Donald Driver in stride. I heard the receivers go "WOOO!" after the throw.
They even got on Fegie..for missing a perfect pass from Aaron...

People bring up the New England game to judge Aaron..but remember..the ENTIRE TEAM was under extreme duress in both games and Brett didn't fare ANY better than Aaron in that game.

The other thing that people don't realize is that Aaron is getting 1.7 mil per season to be the back up..but he has an escalator clause in his contract that bumps his salary to 5mil per...if he's the starting QB. each of the last two years Brett has decided to "COME BACK"..has cost Aaron roughly 3.2 mil bucks. So about 6 1/2 mil dollars..Aaron's gonna miss cuz of Favre coming back. And he HAS NOT complained a bit.

I'd say that's character and class.

 

[Zero2Cool]

I thought Harris and Woodson sat out that practice? I remember reading Dendy and Jarrett Bush started a night practice while Harris and Woodson had a veterans day off or something like that. I think its because some vets only practice once a day.

 

[Cal2GreenBay]

I thought Harris and Woodson sat out that practice? I remember reading Dendy and Jarrett Bush started a night practice while Harris and Woodson had a veterans day off or something like that. I think its because some vets only practice once a day.

The other night, McCarthy had the #1 defense out there in full.
The fun battle to watch was Woodson vs Driver.

The #1 on Def and Offense only played 1 long series for 15 minutes
and then the #2s came in.

 

[porky88]

By far his best start to camp. I'm looking forward to pre season. Hopefully he'll show his progress there. So far they've said it's been the best he's looked as a Packer. Though this early I would take it for what it is but it does at least encourage us and that's something we haven't had with Rodgers yet.

 

[net]

"Grasping the offense" and "executing the offense with Brian Urlacher ready to drill you" are two different things.

I hope Aaron is ready to play. I don't want him to fail. The future of the Packers is riding on his ability to pick it up.

But the question that never seems to be asked his way is: "if you're so darn good, why haven't you pushed Brett Favre?" What that tells me(ignoring for a moment the P.R. B.S.) is he still isn't able to beat out a 38 year old quarterback.

Apparently Rodgers hasn't improved THAT much, or there would be stories about "tough decision for McCarthy at QB" coming out. Haven't seen those yet.

Lets see Rodgers efficiently move the offense in the pre-season, like Matt Hasselbeck did. Then we'll make proclamations.

 

[tromadz]

Apparently Rodgers hasn't improved THAT much, or there would be stories about "tough decision for McCarthy at QB" coming out. Haven't seen those yet.

I disagree.

Rodgers could have had the best camp in the history of NFL training camps, and there would be no 'tough decisions' for McCarthy. Brett is the QB. He's the vet, the legend, the guy with the large contract.

All I'm saying is don't judge Rodgers on the "touch decision for mccarthy" articles, because you won't find one(unless its some journalist trying to get his stuff read).

 

[Zero2Cool]

"Grasping the offense" and "executing the offense with Brian Urlacher ready to drill you" are two different things.

I hope Aaron is ready to play. I don't want him to fail. The future of the Packers is riding on his ability to pick it up.

But the question that never seems to be asked his way is: "if you're so darn good, why haven't you pushed Brett Favre?" What that tells me(ignoring for a moment the P.R. B.S.) is he still isn't able to beat out a 38 year old quarterback.

Apparently Rodgers hasn't improved THAT much, or there would be stories about "tough decision for McCarthy at QB" coming out. Haven't seen those yet.

Lets see Rodgers efficiently move the offense in the pre-season, like Matt Hasselbeck did. Then we'll make proclamations.

Good points. However, isn't he 37? heh

"Grasping the offense" and "executing the offense with Brian Urlacher ready to drill you" are two different things.

I hope Aaron is ready to play. I don't want him to fail. The future of the Packers is riding on his ability to pick it up.

At first read this seems a little bit contradicting, but I'll read it again imagine pictures to make it easier to understand.

I thought grasping and picking up when used about football were like terms/phrases.

I would agree that the Packers future relies on how well Aaron EXECUTES the offense with the likes of Brian Urlacher about to drill him rather than his ability to 'pick it up'.

Regardless. I think the point was made and is valid.

 

[Lare]

"Grasping the offense" and "executing the offense with Brian Urlacher ready to drill you" are two different things.

I hope Aaron is ready to play. I don't want him to fail. The future of the Packers is riding on his ability to pick it up.

But the question that never seems to be asked his way is: "if you're so darn good, why haven't you pushed Brett Favre?" What that tells me(ignoring for a moment the P.R. B.S.) is he still isn't able to beat out a 38 year old quarterback.

Apparently Rodgers hasn't improved THAT much, or there would be stories about "tough decision for McCarthy at QB" coming out. Haven't seen those yet.

Lets see Rodgers efficiently move the offense in the pre-season, like Matt Hasselbeck did. Then we'll make proclamations.

You bring up a good point net, that's something I hadn't thought about.

We have to assume that Brett is starting because he's the best QB they've got and he gives them the best chance to win. Hopefully, he's not starting because he's a legend and because of all his past accomplishments.

As Brett's ratings and rankings continue to drop every year, you would think that if Rodgers is the real deal he would be challenging him for the starting position at some point. And if he isn't, that may be telling us something.

 

[Cal2GreenBay]

"Grasping the offense" and "executing the offense with Brian Urlacher ready to drill you" are two different things.

I hope Aaron is ready to play. I don't want him to fail. The future of the Packers is riding on his ability to pick it up.

But the question that never seems to be asked his way is: "if you're so darn good, why haven't you pushed Brett Favre?" What that tells me(ignoring for a moment the P.R. B.S.) is he still isn't able to beat out a 38 year old quarterback.

Apparently Rodgers hasn't improved THAT much, or there would be stories about "tough decision for McCarthy at QB" coming out. Haven't seen those yet.

Lets see Rodgers efficiently move the offense in the pre-season, like Matt Hasselbeck did. Then we'll make proclamations.

You bring up a good point net, that's something I hadn't thought about.

We have to assume that Brett is starting because he's the best QB they've got and he gives them the best chance to win. Hopefully, he's not starting because he's a legend and because of all his past accomplishments.

As Brett's ratings and rankings continue to drop every year, you would think that if Rodgers is the real deal he would be challenging him for the starting position at some point. And if he isn't, that may be telling us something.

This is the same team that is held hostage when Brett "contemplates" retirment. I don't think they'd do that for a 37 year old quarterback making almost 8 mil a year to BACK UP Aaron Rodgers. Their intention is to start Brett Favre.

IF they are EVEN in terms of playing ability...Brett will get the nod.
It's that simple. Aaron has to OUTPLAY Brett in game situations to do it.

HOW?

In a real game, Aaron's gonna have to come in and win a game that Brett could not. That's about it.

 

[net]

Brett is 37 years and 299 days old.

Pretty close to 38...at that age the old hand grenades adage applies.