By Michelle Tuckner
Aaron Rodgers's first regular season start comes with plenty of hype, national TV, and a hated division rival. Now the Minnesota Vikings are trying to get inside his head.
The wait is almost over for Rodgers. The Vikings game is just days away, and the buildup for the season opener is nearly unmatched.
"It's a little surreal. It feels like it went by quick but the years individually went by slow," Rodgers said. "It's nice to be the guy now."
The Vikings added even more spice to the opener and the rivalry. Back in August, after Favre was traded, the Vikings started trash talking.
"I'm not even going to say his name because he's not Favre. Whatever his name is, he's not Favre," defensive tackle Pat Williams said.
Defensive end Jared Allen, who is new the rivalry, added, "Hopefully I can put my helmet square in the back of his spine. If I can do that and knock the ball loose, it'll be a good day."
So does Rodgers feel like a marked man?
"Every quarterback is a marked man," he said. "I'm confident in the guys up front, and my job is to get the ball out of my hands. Hopefully I'll be able to get up after I get hit."
Under head coach Mike McCarthy, trash talking from the Packers locker room hardly happens, and Rodgers would not provide the Vikings with any bulletin board material.
"They want me to make a reaction to that. I don't need something like that to motivate me. I have enough motivation being the starting quarterback," Rodgers said.
"I've never seen anything to gain from it. That's really the only message I've given our players. I think it speaks volumes of how they go about their business," Coach McCarthy said.
Wow......i'm glad to see the Vikings are up to their old tricks! Keep flapping your jaws boys! That will make beating you that much sweeter! :thumbleft: