GREEN BAY – More than a few loyal fans sounded troubled Tuesday by the fact that Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, a notoriously bad prognosticator, has picked their Green Bay Packers to reach Super Bowl XLV and picked Aaron Rodgers to be the NFL MVP.
But if those fans are also worried about another SI-related hex – the dreaded SI cover jinx – they should know that Rodgers isn’t with them.
In fact, Rodgers isn’t even sure if the jinx applies to his situation.
“There’s no regional jinx, is there?” Rodgers said after practice Tuesday.
Rodgers is featured on one of five regional covers for this week’s NFL preview issue. Rodgers is on the cover for the Midwest region, while San Diego’s Philip Rivers (West), New Orleans’ Drew Brees (South), Atlanta’s Matt Ryan (Southeast) and the New York Jets’ Mark Sanchez (Northeast) are on the covers circulated in their respective areas.
Rodgers was also on the magazine’s cover last year, again as part of a regional program. He has also been on the covers of ESPN the Magazine and Sporting News in recent weeks.
Rodgers was more concerned Tuesday with his annual training-camp facial hair trim-down – from full beard to strange look (he opted for the “Friendly Mutton Chops” again this year) to cheesy mustache – and how much action he’ll see in Thursday night’s preseason finale at Kansas City.
"This is the 'friendly mutton chops' again. I went back to an oldie but a goodie,” Rodgers said of his now-disconnected beard. “The guys enjoy it, I think, that's the only reason. I'm whittling this down to my preseason mustache for the finale.”
Coach Mike McCarthy said Rodgers and the starters will play only one series against the Chiefs, but as of Tuesday evening, it was possible that Rodgers might not even play that much. Having watched Rodgers complete 41 of 53 passes for 470 yards, with six touchdowns and no interceptions for a gaudy passer rating of 141.2, McCarthy was mulling over not having Rodgers travel to Kansas City at all, according to a source.
Asked what he hopes to get out of his one series against the Chiefs – assuming he does play – Rodgers replied, “Honestly? Stay healthy. Yeah, that's the most important thing. I think we've proven a lot this preseason, we've moved the ball effectively, and done good things in the passing game. I think the biggest goal is just to be 100 percent at the end of that game."
But if those fans are also worried about another SI-related hex – the dreaded SI cover jinx – they should know that Rodgers isn’t with them.
In fact, Rodgers isn’t even sure if the jinx applies to his situation.
“There’s no regional jinx, is there?” Rodgers said after practice Tuesday.
Rodgers is featured on one of five regional covers for this week’s NFL preview issue. Rodgers is on the cover for the Midwest region, while San Diego’s Philip Rivers (West), New Orleans’ Drew Brees (South), Atlanta’s Matt Ryan (Southeast) and the New York Jets’ Mark Sanchez (Northeast) are on the covers circulated in their respective areas.
Rodgers was also on the magazine’s cover last year, again as part of a regional program. He has also been on the covers of ESPN the Magazine and Sporting News in recent weeks.
Rodgers was more concerned Tuesday with his annual training-camp facial hair trim-down – from full beard to strange look (he opted for the “Friendly Mutton Chops” again this year) to cheesy mustache – and how much action he’ll see in Thursday night’s preseason finale at Kansas City.
"This is the 'friendly mutton chops' again. I went back to an oldie but a goodie,” Rodgers said of his now-disconnected beard. “The guys enjoy it, I think, that's the only reason. I'm whittling this down to my preseason mustache for the finale.”
Coach Mike McCarthy said Rodgers and the starters will play only one series against the Chiefs, but as of Tuesday evening, it was possible that Rodgers might not even play that much. Having watched Rodgers complete 41 of 53 passes for 470 yards, with six touchdowns and no interceptions for a gaudy passer rating of 141.2, McCarthy was mulling over not having Rodgers travel to Kansas City at all, according to a source.
Asked what he hopes to get out of his one series against the Chiefs – assuming he does play – Rodgers replied, “Honestly? Stay healthy. Yeah, that's the most important thing. I think we've proven a lot this preseason, we've moved the ball effectively, and done good things in the passing game. I think the biggest goal is just to be 100 percent at the end of that game."