Aaron Rodgers is better than Tom Brady, and anyone not blinded by the jewelry on Brady's hand can see that.
Unlike Tom Brady, Aaron Rogers is a statistical giant not only in the regular season, but also in the postseason.
Unlike Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers' passer rating goes up in the playoffs.
Unlike Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers can run.
Unlike Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers can perform -- and even thrive -- in spite of sub-par offensive line performance. Some of his best statistical performances have come in games when arguably the line performed its worst. By contrast, look what happened in the AFC divisional round when the Jets put Brady on the ground a few times.
The only reason Brady's statistics are so stellar -- and I'm not the only observer to have pointed this out -- is that most teams are so afraid of giving up the big play that they play soft zone against him. He has all day to stand behind the line and tear up the middle of the field. Teams that play him aggressively and put their defensive backs on the line of scrimmage easily confuse him and tend to beat him. He doesn't have the benefit of overthrowing the high-jumping Randy Moss anymore.
The fact is, Tom Brady is one of the luckiest quarterbacks in the history of the league, and to his credit, he's capitalized on it. On the other hand, he benefited from taking the reins of a team that had just reached and was nearing the end of its peak. It's no coincidence that he hasn't won a Super Bowl in 7 years (although admittedly he was one miraculous catch and probably a blown call away from winning it in 2007).
His greatness may not be acknowledged yet, and it might not even be fully appreciated until after he retires, but I am confident that one day, Aaron Rodgers will be regarded as the premier quarterback of this generation, eclipsing Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and yes, even Tom Brady. And as for Brett Favre . . . well, I'm sure we'll all be grateful Mike Holmgren kept him safely muzzled in the second half of Super Bowl XXXI.
"Nonstopdrivel" wrote: