[img_r]http://wauk-am.tritondigitalmedia.com/includes/news_items/40/2176/rodgersruns.jpg[/img_r]GREEN BAY Raheem Morris thought hed been duped.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers first-year head coach had read that weeks injury report. He couldve sworn hed seen Aaron Rodgers name in bold letters on the Green Bay Packers list. In fact, he knew he had.
QB Aaron Rodgers (feet) probable
But with 10 minutes left in the first half the teams Nov. 8 game, with the Packers facing a third-and-6 from the Tampa Bay 41-yard line, Morris found himself wondering. With his defense playing two-man meaning the safeties were deep and the Bucs were playing man coverage underneath the pocket collapsed around Rodgers, who took off to the left sore feet and all and scrambled for a 7-yard gain, running out of bounds on the Buccaneers sideline after getting the first down. Four plays later, Rodgers would hit Donald Driver for a 32-yard touchdown.
He kind of followed me on the field and was yelling at me, 'Aaron, Aaron, Aaron.' I was wondering who was yelling my name, I turn around, it was Coach Morris, Rodgers recalled this week. He goes, 'I thought your feet hurt. I said, 'They do.' We kind of had a good laugh there."
Opponents certainly arent laughing about Rodgers ability to make plays with his feet these days.
While no one is confusing him with Randall Cunningham or Michael Vick, Rodgers does enter Sundays game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field as the NFLs top rushing quarterback, having carried the ball 49 times for 277 yards and three touchdowns one of which Rodgers had against Morris Buccaneers later in that game. He had a season-long 35-yard run against Minnesota on Nov. 1 to set up a touchdown pass to Greg Jennings and got loose for a 23-yarder on a second-and-17 play to set up a TD throw to Driver during Monday nights victory over Baltimore.
And yet, Rodgers ability to make plays with his feet isnt really based on the yardage he might gain on the occasional run. Whats more important is his ability to sense pressure and move out of the pocket, and then make a throw downfield. Thats why Rodgers said running the ball isnt what he prides himself on
Not a whole lot. I like to extend plays, said Rodgers, who showed the ability to run in college at California, where he 160 rushed for 336 yards and eight touchdowns. (Those numbers are misleading because in college football, sacks count against the quarterbacks rushing numbers.) We talk about setting goals of around 10 (rushing) yards per game or so in the quarterback room, (how) you need to make one first down, really. But it is nice to know that I have been able make positive rushing yards and have a couple of explosive runs, over 12-yard runs. Those are fun for me.
And theyre no fun for defenses. Most of Rodgers successful runs have come against two-man defenses because, as quarterbacks coach Tom Clements explained, We always tell him, if you have a team thats going to play you (with) two high (safeties) and man coverage underneath, the guy they dont cover is the quarterback. If theres a big opening, theres no one on you, so get what you can get.
Still, Clements said, the more dangerous play is when Rodgers escapes the pocket, buys himself some time to get the ball to one of his receivers.
Its either extending the play moving around and throwing it downfield or its taking off and running and getting yardage. And in either case, it can turn a play which may not be a good play into a positive or very big play, Clements explained. I think initially when he starts to scramble he looks to throw it, which is what we want him to do.
Contributing to Rodgers success with his feet has been his improved internal time clock of late. While he remains the NFLs most-sacked quarterback (45 sacks), hes absorbed only eight over the past four games after taking 37 in the first eight games, at times because he held onto the ball too long and has continually made throws on the run.
When you train the quarterback to have in-pocket awareness and out-of-pocket awareness, there's the gray area. When do you stay in, when do you come out? Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. I just think he's doing a much better job feeling it. He's in a groove.
Rodgers improved sense of timing has coincided with better protection from the line, which has stabilized since veteran Mark Tauscher took over his old right tackle spot.
The pass protection consistency definitely helps you, because when things aren't going well and you are getting hit, you think you might have to come out more often than you need to and things like that, McCarthy said. But I think he's trusting his feet, he's trusting the pocket, and he's being smart.
Rodgers has also done a better job of throwing the ball away when nothing is open instead of holding the ball and taking a sack and has been utilizing his check-down throws better of late. Still, being in sync with the line appears to be the biggest difference for him.
Having those guys being able to play together now for a couple weeks now in a row, I feel like we're on the same page, time-clock wise, Rodgers said. And it is nice having Tausch over there.
Offensive coordinator Joe Philbin acknowledged that it seems strange to be praising a quarterback whos been sacked 45 times for his pocket awareness but said the praise is well-deserved and that Rodgers ability to think on his feet and make plays on them will be valuable in the final four games.
Its big. Invariably, there are going to be plays where the thing breaks down. Even if youre doing a great job pass protecting, theres going to be plays where they have a twist or a blitz on and somebodys free, Philbin said. If you have a quarterback with a good feel of the pocket when to escape, when not to and hes got the quickness and the athleticism and the accuracy to throw the ball on the move, its a big weapon. We dont design plays where we say, Hey, lets sit in here for 2.8 seconds and then take off, but we all know that some of those plays turn out to be pretty positive plays.
The guy has very good awareness in the pocket, hes got a good sense of when to move, when not to move.