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15 years ago


Steady starter

 
Rodgers has shown consistency in two seasons

By Greg A. Bedard of the Journal Sentinel

Posted: Dec. 30, 2009

Green Bay Apparently the way to successfully transition from one franchise quarterback to another in the National Football League is to look for polar opposites as far as on-field style.

It worked for the San Francisco 49ers in the 1990s, when the cool pocket presence of Joe Montana was replaced by the whirling dervish mobility of Steve Young.

Both are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Green Bay Packers seem to be following the same script because Brett Favre - football's version of a roller-coaster with jump-out-of-your-seat highs and head-shaking lows - has been replaced by a player who might as well have consistency stamped on his forehead.

Because if there's one thing that can definitely be said about the 31-game start to the career of Aaron Rodgers, which reached an apex with his selection Tuesday to the Pro Bowl, it's been remarkable in its invariability.

In comparing Rodgers with some of the best quarterbacks in the game - Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Donovan McNabb, Favre and Philip Rivers - over their last 31 starts, no quarterback has had more games with a passer rating between 70.1 and 120. Rodgers has 24 and McNabb 23.

The rest have had at least as many big games over 120, but only Rivers (two) can say he's been better than Rodgers (three) at avoiding the flop game (below a 70 rating) that every quarterback seems to have once in a while.

Aversion to turnovers

And nobody has had more games with no interceptions than Rodgers (18). McNabb and Rodgers both have 24 games with less than two picks.

"I think it's very impressive to not throw interceptions and not to turn the ball over," Packers receiver Donald Driver said Wednesday. "I mean, that's amazing.

"And that's one thing we as an offense have said we don't want to have. And he has the ball in his hands. He controls all of it. And he has kept his composure and went out there and made sure he made the right reads and threw the ball to the right people. I think he's just very consistent with what he wants to do and what he has done."

It would be easy to say Rodgers has become this even-keeled quarterback as a result of being in the stringent development system employed by coach Mike McCarthy and quarterbacks coach Tom Clements for two years before moving into the starting role last season. Certainly that hasn't hurt.

"You have to give Tom a heck of a lot of credit," said offensive coordinator Joe Philbin. "Tom spends a phenomenal amount of time with the guy in the off-season.

"And you watch those guys during practice, during special teams they're working. They're working on footwork, working on different throws, hot throws and getting the ball out of their hand quick. So I think it's a reflection of the work ethic of those guys. They take it very seriously."

But like Favre with his rifle right arm, quick mind and flair for the dramatic, some players are just born with special tools. Rodgers' paramount gift seems to be his aversion to turnovers, the biggest factor in staying consistent.

In his two seasons at the University of California, Rodgers threw 43 touchdown passes against 13 interceptions. In his one season at Butte College, he had 28 touchdown passes and four interceptions.

That's 71 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. So far in his pro career, Rodgers' ratio is 57 to 20.

"It's just not my personality (to throw the ball up for grabs)," Rodgers said. "I've always tried to take care of the ball as best I could.

"It starts in the off-season, being here 95% of the time and putting in the time in the film room, studying the previous year's plays, studying our own offense, being able to work with a guy like Tom Clements, who is a perfectionist and is always giving you things you can work on. I think that's been great for my development.

"But the way I prepare each week I think allows me to have a supreme confidence going into the game on Sunday that I expect to play well."

It should be almost unfair to Rodgers to compare him with the best quarterbacks currently in the game. Those players, save Favre, are in the prime of their careers and have gotten to that level by playing a lot of snaps in the NFL.

Certainly Rodgers benefited from developing in anonymity for three years, but he still turned just 26 earlier this month. Rivers is 28. Brees will be 31 on Jan. 15. The rest are over 32.

"I'm very impressed," said cornerback Charles Woodson, who has played with and against many quarterbacks in his 12 seasons. "I think the numbers speak for themselves. He comes to work every day, prepares every day like a winning quarterback and then on Sundays it shows up. Again, he just keeps getting up off the ground and making plays for this team. And there's not enough that can be said about what he's done this year."

It's certainly been a strange transition, going from the rock and roll of Favre to the mellow overtures of Rodgers. But like San Francisco before it, different doesn't seem to be a negative for Green Bay.

"Aaron Rodgers is a Pro Bowl quarterback, and that's the facts," McCarthy said. "Trust me, I fully understand the greatness of Brett Favre, and I had the opportunity to be part of his career, and he deserves everything that comes his way.

"But this is the beginning of potentially another great career at quarterback here in Green Bay, and (fans) should embrace it."


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dfosterf (9h) : Michael Macelvie- NFL teams know how to draft- Why don"t they?
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Zero2Cool (14h) : Packers were not selected for the 2025 Hall of Fame game.
dfosterf (16h) : PFOW Out of our division would be a good thing imo
Zero2Cool (18h) : Jameson Williams is done at 24 years old? What? He's a WR, not QB. I'm missing something here haha
wpr (18h) : Tomorrow is almost here.
packerfanoutwest (18h) : would you want him if Pack needed a back up qb?
packerfanoutwest (18h) : JW is done......stick a fork in him
Zero2Cool (20h) : You should. He goes to AFC that helps Packers.
packerfanoutwest (23-Apr) : don't care
Zero2Cool (22-Apr) : Lions shopping Jameson Williams?
packerfanoutwest (22-Apr) : Packers General Manager Brian Gutekunst says Green Bay’s roster can win, even without adding anyone in the draft.
Zero2Cool (22-Apr) : It's a poor design. New site has SignalR like our gameday chat
wpr (22-Apr) : Ah today's Shout was very quick to post.
wpr (22-Apr) : now 3
Zero2Cool (22-Apr) : Who? What?
beast (22-Apr) : What is he supposed to say? He doesn't want players currently on the team?
Martha Careful (21-Apr) : meh
Zero2Cool (21-Apr) : Sounds like Walker and Wyatt will be with Packers for beyond 2026
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Zero2Cool (21-Apr) : new site fan shout post fast
wpr (21-Apr) : Slow posting in Fan shout.
wpr (21-Apr) : Only 4
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Zero2Cool (21-Apr) : If only we had a topic to read about and discuss it. That's something new website must have!!!
dfosterf (21-Apr) : Justice Musqueda over at Acme Packing put up an excellent synopsis of the Packers 1st round options this am
wpr (19-Apr) : 5 days
beast (18-Apr) : 6 days
wpr (17-Apr) : 7 days
Zero2Cool (16-Apr) : sounds like Packers don't get good compensation, Jaire staying
dfosterf (16-Apr) : Nobody coming up with a keep, but at x amount
dfosterf (16-Apr) : Trade, cut or keep
dfosterf (16-Apr) : that from Jaire
dfosterf (16-Apr) : My guess is the Packers floated the concept of a reworked contract via his agent and agent got a f'
Zero2Cool (16-Apr) : Yes, and that is why I think Rob worded it how he did. Rather than say "agent"
dfosterf (16-Apr) : Same laws apply. Agent must present such an offer to Jaire. Cannot accept or reject without presenting it
Zero2Cool (16-Apr) : I'm thinking that is why Rob worded it how he did.
dfosterf (16-Apr) : The Packers can certainly still make the offer to the agent
dfosterf (16-Apr) : Laws of agency and definition of fiduciary responsibility
dfosterf (16-Apr) : Jaire is open to a reduced contract without Jaire's permission
dfosterf (16-Apr) : The agent would arguably violate the law if he were to tell the Packers
Zero2Cool (16-Apr) : That someone ... likely the agent.
Zero2Cool (16-Apr) : So, Jaire has not been offered nor rejected a pay reduction, but someone says he'd decline.
Zero2Cool (16-Apr) : Demovksy says t was direct communication with someone familiar with Jaire’s line of thinking at that moment.
Zero2Cool (16-Apr) : Demovsky just replied to me a bit ago. Jaire hasn't said it.
dfosterf (16-Apr) : Of course, that depends on the definition of "we"
dfosterf (16-Apr) : We have been told that they haven't because he wouldn't accept it. I submit we don't know that
dfosterf (16-Apr) : What is the downside in making a calculated reduced offer to Jaire?
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