Zero2Cool
14 years ago
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/99180464.html 

Green Bay In truth, general manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy could hardly have hoped for any more from Aaron Rodgers after they mortgaged their futures by trading Brett Favre.

All Rodgers has done in Green Bay is post a passer rating of 97.2, placing him just ahead of Steve Young (96.8) as the National Football League's all-time efficiency leader.

Just as the Packers were Favre's team from 1992-2007, they now belong to Rodgers. Almost without skipping a beat, the Packers see it as making a simple and also stunning transition from one franchise quarterback to another.

Thompson had the foresight to stop Rodgers' plunge in the 2005 draft after 21 teams passed, McCarthy developed him and Rodgers proved more than ready after a three-year apprenticeship.

At 26 with five seasons remaining on a $63.53 million contract, Rodgers is in position to equal if not exceed Favre's all-time career achievements.

"I'm not comparing him to anybody else," offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said. "But there's nothing that tells me this guy can't be an excellent player for a long time. He's a very good quarterback with a great future."

In 2008, the Packers wanted to see a competent level of starter's play from Rodgers. They got it.

In 2009, they wanted Rodgers to start winning games in wake of 6-10 and get them back to the playoffs. They went 11-5, qualifying for the postseason as a wild card.

This year, they want Rodgers to bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Green Bay for the first time since the 1996 season.

Unrealistic, you say? Not according to some in the national media.

Two football writers from Sports Illustrated have placed the Packers atop their preseason power rankings. Pro Football Weekly did the same.

Closing with a rush, the Packers had a legitimate chance to win the Super Bowl last year. Then their defense fell apart in Arizona, Rodgers didn't play his game and was soundly outplayed by Kurt Warner, and the Packers were eliminated in overtime, 51-45.

In order to take the Packers to North Texas for the 45th Super Bowl, Rodgers will attempt to join the short list of quarterbacks who have won a Super Bowl without first having won a playoff game in a previous season. In the last 25 years, that list includes Jim McMahon in 1985, Jeff Hostetler in '90, Warner in '99, Tom Brady in 2001 and Eli Manning in '07.

Favre had four playoff victories notched on his belt before the Packers swept to the mountaintop in 1996.

"He certainly appears to be a young quarterback on the rise," a personnel director for an NFC team said. "He played with confidence to play in big games, but until they win a big game that question is always there."

Of Rodgers' 17 victories in 33 starts, counting the postseason, six came against teams that finished with winning records. Five of those games were played at Lambeau Field, and the sixth was in Arizona last January for the regular-season finale when the Cardinals mailed it in.

"There's been a lot of guys with talent," the personnel man said. "But when they get into big games they try to do too much. Aaron is not playoff-hardened yet."

Although Rodgers' deep-ball accuracy deserted him in the wild-card game on potential touchdown bombs of 80 and 73 yards to a wide-open Greg Jennings, he does rank as one of the most pinpoint long passers in the game.

Thanks to mechanical alterations to his delivery and weight-room diligence, Rodgers' arm is much stronger than it was even three or four years ago.

Surprisingly athletic, he beats perfect coverage about once a week by taking off and running for a first down.

"His arm is big-time," said Philbin. "He's a big guy. Big hands. Long arms. And his mobility is outstanding."

Rodgers also has a plan for every pass and almost never throws into traffic. Counting playoffs, his touchdown-to-interception ratio in his first two seasons as a starter is 62-21, whereas Favre was at 42-40 after his first two seasons in Green Bay.

"I like the fact he was the quarterback of an offense that had 15 giveaways last year," Philbin said. "He was 30-7 (touchdowns to interceptions). I mean, holy cow. Man, a four-to-one interception ratio is not too shabby."

The main chink in Rodgers' armor has been his tendency to hold the ball. One scout said that flaw was evident during Rodgers' career at the University of California. Then he was responsible for 9 1/2 of 34 sacks (27.9%) in 2008 and 16 1/2 of 55 (30%) last year.

By comparison, Favre was charged with only 12 of 73 sacks (16.4%) in his last four seasons as a Packer. In lieu of sacks, however, Favre sometimes would unload interceptions.

"There's sometimes where you wish he would have gotten rid of the ball a little quicker," said Philbin. "But there's a lot of plays on film where he does a lot of the same things and gets the ball away just before the rush gets there and makes a big play. You can't always have it both ways. I don't think he's got a huge issue of holding onto the ball."

As the personnel man pointed out, Rodgers has a rapid release when he makes up his mind to throw the ball. At times, Rodgers tends to become greedy looking for the big play down the field, but Philbin said he did a better job getting rid of it in the second half of 2009.

"He has a pretty good mastery of what we're doing," said Philbin. "I don't think he's a guy that gets surprised an awful lot. Certainly, he's only started 32, 33 games in his NFL career. There's some things we're looking for him doing better."

Backup Matt Flynn also has increased his arm strength, one of the short-comings that caused him to fall to the seventh round in 2008. Now his coaches think he can move and throw, and that he knows what he's doing.

Given the Packers' burgeoning faith in Flynn, who destroyed highly touted Brian Brohm in two training camps, there seems to be no organizational incentive to sign a veteran quarterback or even keep a third on the roster.

"I'm gaining confidence in him every day," Philbin said. "His command of the huddle is very good. His decision-making is good. His arm is not as good as Aaron's today but it's improving.

"He's kind of a regular guy that you like to see do well. He's got a bounce in his step when he's in there. Example is the No. 1 criteria for leadership, and he sets a good example on the field. He's got a lot of juice, and he's got ability."


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RaiderPride
14 years ago
It is always interesting to look back at the teams who passed on this future hall of famer.

1 Alex D. Smith 49ers QB Utah
2 Ronnie Brown Dolphins RB Auburn
3 Braylon Edwards Browns WR Michigan
4 Cedric Benson Bears RB Texas
5 Cadillac Williams Buccaneers RB Auburn
6 Pacman Jones Titans DB West Virginia
7 Troy Williamson Vikings WR South Carolina
8 Antrel Rolle Cardinals DB Miami (FL)
9 Carlos Rogers Redskins DB Auburn
10 Mike Williams Lions WR USC
11 Demarcus Ware Cowboys DE Troy State
12 Shawne Merriman Chargers LB Maryland
13 Jammal Brown Saints T Oklahoma
14 Thomas Davis Panthers DB Georgia
15 Derrick O. Johnson Chiefs LB Texas
16 Travis Johnson Texans DT Florida State
17 David Pollack Bengals DE Georgia
18 Erasmus James Vikings DE Wisconsin
19 Alex Barron Rams T Florida State
20 Marcus Spears Cowboys DE Louisiana State
21 Matt Jones Jaguars WR Arkansas
22 Mark Clayton Ravens WR Oklahoma
23 Fabian Washington Raiders DB Nebraska
""People Will Probably Never Remember What You Said, And May Never Remember What You Did. However, People Will Always Remember How You Made Them Feel."
nerdmann
14 years ago
Thats cool but in all fairness, Rodgers wouldn't have been ANYTHING if Ted Thompson hadn't hired MM. He would have been a huge BUST.
But then again, Ted Thompson DID hire MM...
I can see why teams passed him over, though. Mike McCarthy himself preferred Alex Smith over AR12. Smith would hardly suck today if Mike McCarthy had remained his QB coach.
“Winning is not a sometime thing, it is an all the time thing. You don't do things right once in a while…you do them right all the time.”
Fan Shout
Zero2Cool (10m) : I'm not sure I hope for that. I'll be at the game.
Martha Careful (14h) : I hope it is colder than a well-diggers ass on Thanksgiving night.
Zero2Cool (22h) : doubt he wants to face the speedsters
beast (22h) : Dolphins offense can be explosive... I wonder if we'll have Alexander back
Zero2Cool (25-Nov) : No Doubs could be issue Thursday
Mucky Tundra (25-Nov) : Bears. Santos. Blocked FG
Zero2Cool (24-Nov) : Bears. Vikings. OT
Mucky Tundra (24-Nov) : Thems the breaks I guess
Mucky Tundra (24-Nov) : Two players out and Williams had an injury designation this week but Oladapo is a healthy scratch
Zero2Cool (24-Nov) : Packers inactives vs 49ers: • CB Jaire Alexander • S Kitan Oladapo • LB Edgerrin Cooper • OL Jacob Monk
TheKanataThrilla (24-Nov) : Aaron Jones with a costly red zone fumble
Zero2Cool (24-Nov) : When we trade Malik for a 1st rounder, we'll need a new QB2.
packerfanoutwest (23-Nov) : Report: Aaron Rodgers wants to play in 2025, but not for the Jets
beast (23-Nov) : That's what I told the Police officer about my speed when he pulled me over
packerfanoutwest (23-Nov) : NFL told Bears that Packers’ blocked field goal was legal
packerfanoutwest (22-Nov) : 49ers are underdogs at Packers, ending streak of 36 straight games as favorites
Zero2Cool (22-Nov) : 49ers might be down their QB, DL, TE and LT?
packerfanoutwest (22-Nov) : Jaire Alexander says he has a torn PCL
Zero2Cool (20-Nov) : Even with the context it's ... what?
Mucky Tundra (20-Nov) : Matt LaFleur without context: “I don’t wanna pat you on the butt and you poop in my hand.”
beast (20-Nov) : We brought in a former Packers OL coach to help evaluate OL as a scout
beast (20-Nov) : Jets have been pretty good at picking DL
Zero2Cool (20-Nov) : He landed good players thanks to high draft slot. He isn't good.
Zero2Cool (20-Nov) : He can shove his knowledge up his ass. He knows nothing.
beast (20-Nov) : More knowledge, just like bring in the Jets head coach
Zero2Cool (19-Nov) : What? Why? Huh?
beast (19-Nov) : I wonder if the Packers might to try to bring Douglas in through Milt Hendrickson/Ravens connections
Zero2Cool (19-Nov) : The Jets fired Joe Douglas, per sources
packerfanoutwest (19-Nov) : Jets are a mess......
Zero2Cool (19-Nov) : Pretty sure Jets fired their scouting staff and just pluck former Packers.
Zero2Cool (19-Nov) : Jets sign Anders Carlson to their 53.
Zero2Cool (19-Nov) : When you cycle the weeks, the total over remains for season. But you get your W/L for that selected week. Confusing.
packerfanoutwest (19-Nov) : the total and percentage are the same as the previous weeks
packerfanoutwest (19-Nov) : the total and percentage are the same as the previous weeks
packerfanoutwest (19-Nov) : the totals are accurate..nrvrtmind
Zero2Cool (19-Nov) : I don't follow what you are saying. The totals are not the same as last week.
packerfanoutwest (19-Nov) : ok so then wht are the totals the same as last week?
Zero2Cool (19-Nov) : NFL Pick'em is auto updated when NFL Scores tab is clicked
Martha Careful (19-Nov) : The offense was OK. Let's not forget the Bear defense is very very good.
packerfanoutwest (19-Nov) : Who updates the leaderboard on NFLPickem?
beast (19-Nov) : Has the Packers offense been worse since the former Jets coach joined the Packers?
Zero2Cool (19-Nov) : Offense gets his ass in gear, this could be good.
Zero2Cool (19-Nov) : Backup QB helped with three wins. Special Teams contributed to three wins.
bboystyle (18-Nov) : Lions played outside thats why. They scored 16 and 17 in the only 2 outside games this year
Zero2Cool (18-Nov) : The rest of the NFL is catching up to Packers ... kicking is an issue throughout league
packerfanoutwest (18-Nov) : Packers DL Kenny Clark: We knew 'we were going to block' Bears' game-winning field goal attempt
Zero2Cool (18-Nov) : Lions seem to be throttling everyone, but only (only) got 24 lol maybe the rain is why
Zero2Cool (18-Nov) : Packers vs Lions game doesn't seem so bad.
beast (18-Nov) : Dennis Green "They are what we thought they were, and we let them off the hook!"
Martha Careful (17-Nov) : comment of the day Z2Cool "Bears better than we want to admit. Packers worse than we think. It's facts."
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