TheEngineer
14 years ago
I'm kinda sick of reading about missed penalties, so after Rodgers' mostly successful season, here's what they all thought back when we drafted him.

Packers Go Value Over Need With Rodgers 

by Jason Bellamy, Special To Packers.com
posted 04/23/2005

If Green Bay Packers fans didn't have a clear enough picture of Ted Thompson's draft philosophy heading into the selection weekend, the general manager brought it all into focus with just one pick.

By taking California quarterback Aaron Rodgers with the 24th overall selection, the Packers did just what Thompson said they would do in the weeks leading up to the draft: looked past current needs in the name of overall talent and value.

In Rodgers the Packers don't have a player who can help fill holes in their defensive secondary or offensive line. And with Brett Favre returning for his 15th season in Green Bay, Rodgers isn't a player who is likely to make an impact next season, or for however long the Packers' ironman stays in the game.

But in Rodgers the Packers do get a player who completed 66.1 percent of his passes last season for 2,566 yards and 24 touchdowns, and who as little as a month ago was predicted to be perhaps the first overall pick of the 70th NFL Draft. Saturday, Utah's Alex Smith was the only quarterback to go ahead of Rodgers, to the San Francisco 49ers with the first overall selection.

In short, Rodgers gave the Packers a value that was too good to ignore.

"It sounds silly to keep repeating myself," Thompson said from the media auditorium at Lambeau Field, just minutes after the selection of Rodgers. "We really and truly wanted to take the best football player on the board, and we felt like he was the best football player on the board."

Exactly how high Rodgers rated on the Packers' draft board, Thompson wouldn't reveal. However, he did note that the Packers wouldn't have taken a quarterback at the 24th spot had Rodgers, and presumably Smith, been off the board by the time Green Bay was on the clock.

"He was up pretty high, pretty close to the ceiling there," Thompson said. "You kind of let the draft and the board just work. If things fall a certain way, then you have a decision to make. In this particular case it fell a certain way where the decision was really pretty easy."

In fact, the Packers think so much of Rodgers that until a few weeks ago Thompson thought there was no way he would be available at pick 24. It wasn't until the 49ers leaned toward Smith and several mock drafts suggested that Rodgers might fall out of the top 10 that Thompson saw a sliver of hope.

"Did we think he was going to be there when we were watching tape? No," Thompson said. "Over the course of the last week or so, there were a couple of Web sites that said maybe he might get (to pick 24), so I went back and gave him another look just to make sure. But I feel very comfortable that this kid warranted getting picked where we were at."

The Packers' interest in Rodgers is by no means a recent fad. Offensive coordinator Tom Rossley attended Rodgers' individual workout at Cal and the 21-year-old was one of the 60 players the Packers personally interviewed at the scouting combine in Indianapolis.

Speaking on a conference call from draft headquarters in New York, Rodgers said the interest from player and team was mutual from the very start, even if the likelihood of a match seemed low.

"I think we both thought that there wasn't a good chance that I would slide down to 24," Rodgers said. "But at the same time I remember telling them, 'Trade up, I'd love to play for you guys.'"

As it happens, the Packers didn't have to trade up at all. To hear the draft 'experts' at ESPN describe it, Rodgers' slide down the draft board is related to his rather unorthodox carrying of the ball in the pocket: up high, near the ear, a trademark of players coached by quarterbacks guru Jeff Tedford that emphasizes a quick and accurate delivery of short to mid-range passes over long downfield bombs.

But quarterbacks coach Darrell Bevell said he's confident that Rodgers can run the Packers' offense, a West Coast attack similar to the one employed at Cal, noting that he was only a "little" concerned about the quarterback's mechanics.

"We'll kind of feel it out when he gets here," Bevell said. "I know that (holding the ball high) is something that he's coached to do with Coach Tedford, and they practice it every single day and work on it. So I'll have conversations with him and we'll go from there.

"I usually don't like to change a lot, but I think possibly if we're not working on it every day (Rodgers' holding of the football) may drop down on its own a little bit. If it doesn't, we may make a change."

The benefit for Rodgers and the Packers is that both have time to work on that change. Other Tedford pupils like Baltimore's Kyle Boller, Houston's David Carr, Detroit's Joey Harrington and Tampa Bay's Akili Smith haven't found in the pros the kind of success they had in college, but none of those players had the pleasure of learning behind a three-time NFL MVP for at least a season, and maybe more.

When Favre does retire, Thompson doesn't expect Rodgers to fill the massive void left by the legend, but he does think Rodgers can take Favre's place behind center.

"I think he'll have to be the quarterback that plays after Brett Favre. There won't be a Brett Favre heir-apparent," Thompson said. "I don't think we need to paint this kid like he has to be Brett Favre. We'll see how Aaron does. We're very excited about his prospects as an NFL player."

Prospects, after all, that were just too good to ignore.



Rodgers: Wait Was Worth It 

by Jason Bellamy, Special To Packers.com
posted 04/23/2005

Generally, players who get taken with the 24th overall pick of the NFL Draft don't complain about the wait. But then most of those guys don't go to draft headquarters in New York with 17 of their family members thinking that they might be the first overall selection.

That was the situation Saturday for California quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who, up until NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue called the name of Utah's Alex Smith, thought his wait to be drafted might be the shortest of all.

Instead his stay in the green room was a test of endurance, watching hours go by instead of minutes, until a situation he initially thought impossible started coming into view.

"It was pretty difficult," Rodgers said of the wait. "We had an idea that if things didn't go our way between (picks) 14, 15, 16 that the Packers were looking more and more (like an option) ... I think the need for a quarterback after the first pick just wasn't there."

Of course, the Packers don't have a need at quarterback either. At least, not immediately. Three-time NFL MVP Brett Favre is due back for his 15th season in Green Bay and has set no definitive timeline for when he might retire.

But as general manager Ted Thompson noted, Favre will hang 'em up someday. And while the possibility of succeeding Favre carries with it some pressure, Rodgers said it wouldn't be "as much pressure as being thrown in the fire right away without a supporting cast."

And so in that respect, Rodgers figures his wait was worth it. Instead of going to a rebuilding franchise like San Francisco that's coming off a two-win season, Rodgers slipped down the draft board and landed in the cozy lap of a team that hasn't had a losing season since 1991.

"I totally recognize the fact that Brett is the guy back there and he's a legend, and my goal for this next year is to tap into his resources as a player," Rodgers said. "As a competitor, I'd obviously love to play right away. But if you get in a situation where you don't have a great supporting cast or maybe an organization not dedicated to winning, you can have a rough career."

Besides, Rodgers said that by falling down the draft board he'll enter the league with a chip on his shoulder, eager to prove himself. From any other player, such comments might be nothing more than cheap talk. But coming from Rodgers there's extra meaning.

Coming out of Pleasant Valley High School in Chico, Ca., Rodgers didn't get a single NCAA Division I scholarship offer. Instead, he took his game to Butte Junior College, where he completed nearly 62 percent of his passes for 2,408 yards and 28 touchdowns with only four interceptions.

From there, Rodgers went straight to the University of California, where he further blossomed under quarterbacks guru Jeff Tedford, leading the Bears to a 17-5 record over two seasons, and once completing 23 straight passes against the eventual national champion USC Trojans.

"I definitely have a lot to prove," Rodgers said. "I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, even this draft. I made the most of a good situation and I'm very excited about being a Packer."



UserPostedImage

I wonder what Rodgers thinks now everytime he passes that plaque.
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British
14 years ago
Thanks for posting this.

I wonder if Ted will keep the same philosophy and would pick Clausen if he fell to 23 this year.

I'm almost certain he wouldn't.
UserPostedImage
dhpackr
14 years ago
i found it interesting in the first paragraph they discuss the Packers needing defensive secondary help and offensive line help and 5 yaers l8r its still the teams weakest positions!

hmmm....whats that say??
So if you meet me Have some courtesy, Have some sympathy, and some taste
Use all your well-learned politesse, Or I'll lay your soul to waste
Cal2GreenBay
14 years ago
Aaron is Ted Thompson's masterpiece pick to his vision of the packers.
AJ Hawk, Greg Jennings, Clay Matthews...are all pieces to the orchestra...but Aaron is the piece that makes all of the vision come together.

We are not witnessing the beginning of the Aaron Rodgers era.

Arizona and Minnesota got lucky this year.
JUST WAIT..until next year. Aaron will be stronger, and more masterful of the offense.

The packers will be reloaded and more powerful than ever next year.

#4 will be older and more whiney.

The best is yet to come.
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shield4life
14 years ago

Aaron is Ted Thompson's masterpiece pick to his vision of the packers.
AJ Hawk, Greg Jennings, Clay Matthews...are all pieces to the orchestra...but Aaron is the piece that makes all of the vision come together.

We are not witnessing the beginning of the Aaron Rodgers era.

Arizona and Minnesota got lucky this year.
JUST WAIT..until next year. Aaron will be stronger, and more masterful of the offense.

The packers will be reloaded and more powerful than ever next year.

#4 will be older and more whiney.

The best is yet to come.

"Cal2GreenBay" wrote:



Hasn't yet hit his prime :physassult:
Glad To Be A Packers Fan.
The_Green_Ninja
14 years ago
Crazy how Aaron Rodgers looks like a mix of Jorge Posada and my High School Band teacher.
UserPostedImage
Greg C.
14 years ago

We are not witnessing the beginning of the Aaron Rodgers era.

"Cal2GreenBay" wrote:



Did you mean "now" instead of "not"?

At any rate, it's good to have you back. You've had every right to gloat about Rodgers all season, because you told us from the beginning that he was going to be really good, so I'm not sure why you've been so scarce around here.

As for the articles, I enjoyed them. It was interesting to me that Ted Thompson said that he was watching the mock drafts on the Internet. I'm not too surprised that he did that, but I'm surprised that he admitted it. Seems like he was a little more outspoken back then than he is now. Which isn't saying much.
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TheEngineer
14 years ago
Yeah, I found that interesting as well Greg. Heck, maybe if we all make enough mock drafts we could get him to draft Best or Bulaga. 🙂
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IronMan
14 years ago

UserPostedImage

I wonder what Rodgers thinks now everytime he passes that plaque.

"TheEngineer" wrote:



What a handsome young man. I have stood on those bricks. Goosebumps.
Nonstopdrivel
14 years ago
lol, I was thinking he looked incredibly dorky in that photo. Gives dorks like me hope.
UserPostedImage
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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.
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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."
Mucky Tundra (17-Nov) : my worst case scenario: Bears fix their oline and get a coach like Johnson from the Lions and his scheme
Zero2Cool (17-Nov) : Bears get OL fixed amd we might have a problem
buckeyepackfan (17-Nov) : Pretty sure they already have scouting reports on guys who aren't even starting for their college team. The future is now for me.
buckeyepackfan (17-Nov) : I tend to let Gute and Co. Worry about the future.
beast (17-Nov) : That's great news and Packers need to keep upgrading their OL, DL and DBs this off-season, so missing one guy doesn't kill them
beast (17-Nov) : That's great news and Packers need to keep upgrading their OL, DL and DBs this off-season, so missing one guy doesn't kill them
buckeyepackfan (17-Nov) : Jaire and Evans Williams are both ACTIVE! Good news.
Martha Careful (17-Nov) : The badgers really need to change the whole offensive scheme. No draws no screens plus the quarterback is marginal
Cheesey (17-Nov) : If the Badgers had a decent QB, they would have won. The guy can't hit a wide open receiver
Martha Careful (17-Nov) : chop block
Martha Careful (17-Nov) : there was a very questionable job Block call that upon viewing replay was very borderline
beast (17-Nov) : How so? (I didn't watch)
Zero2Cool (17-Nov) : Badgers got hosed vs Oregon
packerfanoutwest (16-Nov) : damn,he hasn't played since week 2
Mucky Tundra (15-Nov) : poor guy can't catch a break
wpr (15-Nov) : wow. That three different things for the kid.
Zero2Cool (15-Nov) : MarShawn Lloyd has appendicitis according to Matt LaFleur.
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