Tom Oates: Rodgers clearly among NFLs elite quarterbacks
By TOM OATES / Wisconsin State Journal | Posted: Saturday, November 28, 2009 11:45 pm
[img_r]http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/lacrossetribune.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/6/48/433/648433e0-dca5-11de-90e8-001cc4c03286.preview-300.jpg?_dc=1259471382[/img_r]After the Green Bay Packers were done making the Detroit Lions look like turkeys on Thanksgiving Day, Louis Delmas, Detroit's rookie safety, told reporters that Aaron Rodgers was the toughest quarterback the Lions had faced since they saw Indianapolis superstar Peyton Manning during the exhibition season.
Considering that the Lions have faced New Orleans' Drew Brees, Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger and, yes, even Minnesota's Brett Favre since then, that was quite a compliment.
There was only one problem with it: Though clearly flattered, Rodgers wasn't buying it.
"It's high praise and I appreciate that," Rodgers said. "But before I start getting mentioned with Peyton, we've got to start winning some playoff games around here."
That's not false humility. Rodgers knows that NFL quarterbacks are judged on many things but that No. 1 on the list is winning.
Rodgers hasn't passed the winning test yet - his regular-season record since replacing Favre as the Packers' starter is 13-14 - but since his out-of-the-blue, three-interception performance in the Packers' upset loss at Tampa Bay, he's been acing many of the other tests an NFL quarterback faces during his formative years.
In a victory over Dallas, he finally won a big game against a good team. In a victory over San Francisco, he dissected a good, well-coached defense with the precision of a surgeon. And Thursday at Detroit - Green Bay's third win in 12 days - Rodgers' consistent playmaking lifted his team to victory over an upset-minded team despite a balky running game and an early deficit.
"He's playing well," offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said. "He's managing the offense well, he's making good decisions, he's showing good awareness on the field. It looks like he's playing fast but not rushed, if that makes any sense. He looks like he feels pretty comfortable out there."
That should be comforting to Packers fans. In those three games, two of which were televised nationally, Rodgers has demonstrated conclusively that he has everything he needs to be a winning quarterback in Green Bay for the next decade or so.
"He's the leader of our offense right now, and that's what you have to do," wide receiver Donald Driver said. "You have to step up, and he's stepped up for the last three weeks on a big stage in front of millions and millions of people and made the plays that he needs to make."
There are reasons for Rodgers' improvement that are beyond his control.
The return of Mark Tauscher and the emergence of rookie T.J. Lang has solidified the line and stopped the constant flow of sacks and quarterback hits that were getting inside Rodgers' head. The return of tight end Jermichael Finley and wide receiver Jordy Nelson from injury gave Rodgers as many high-end targets as any quarterback in the league. Finally, coach Mike McCarthy returned the offense to its West Coast roots with a steady diet of short, quick passes starting with the Dallas game.
In his last three games, Rodgers has completed 70.8 percent of his passes for 871 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions.
"I feel like I'm playing pretty well, but I still feel like there's things I can do better," he said. "I'm very critical of myself. Even in a game like (Detroit) where the stats probably look pretty good, I still left yards on the field. I made a couple poor throws, a couple poor reads. I'm still looking to have a very content feeling after the game. Being a perfectionist, it's not going to come that often."
Rodgers credits most of his recent success to improvement in the pass protection, which, he said, "allows me to feel very comfortable back there." He also said he getting the ball out quicker than he did earlier in the season.
"(He's) consistent," McCarthy said. "He's doing a very good job of running the offense. He's not taking chances."
Still, Rodgers hit the Lions with multiple long passes, a couple of them on improvisations, which is something he had eschewed while playing a controlled game against Dallas and San Francisco. Knowing when to go for it and when to play it safe could be a sign that he's putting it all together.
Rodgers is strong-armed, accurate, mobile, intelligent and diligent. But we pretty much knew that about him already. Lately, he's shown more of the intangibles that separate the winning quarterbacks from the merely talented quarterbacks.