Aaron Rodgers: No longer in the shadow of Brett Favre
Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers take on the Chicago Bears today in the hunt for the NFC Championship. Quarterback Rodgers has emerged from the drama that is Bret Favre to lead the Packers franchise back to glory.
In this Jan. 2, 2011, file photo, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) talks to Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) after an NFL football game in Green Bay, Wis. The Bears are scheduled to host the Packers in the NFC Championship game on Sunday.
Mike Roemer, AP
In March of 2008, Brett Favre delivered a tearful retirement news conference, then un-retired during the following training camp. But the Green Bay Packers had already moved forward with Aaron Rodgers and traded Favre to the New York Jets. There were huge cleats to be filled.
Fast forward three years.
Aaron Rodgers finished the regular season with the third best passer rating in the NFL, at 101.2 (just behind Philip Rivers and Tom Brady). And the Bears' Jay Cutler? No. 16 with a rating of 86.3.
Lack of confidence? Not a problem for Aaron Rogers. Brett who?
USA Today's Jim Corbett compiled some of the recent praise about Rodgers from Hall of Famers Phil Simms and John Elway.
| "When you step into a Hall of Famer's shoes like Aaron's had to in Green Bay and then perform as well as he's performed, it just goes to show what he's made of," Hall of Fame quarterback and two-time Super Bowl winner John Elway said. "I've played golf with Aaron, a class kid with that demeanor that he's able to handle all the different things that have come at him. He's just moving into his prime. We saw how good he can be the other night." "Rodgers made a couple of plays against the Falcons that were incredible," Simms said. "His arm is borderline spectacular, and his feet put him over the top." Fair or not, success in the NFL is measured by the number of rings you wear. Aaron Rodgers hopes to add some bling to one of his fingers this season, but the Chicago Bears are currently standing in the way. |
Rodgers is having a postseason to remember.
No interceptions, six touchdown passes and a 134.5 passer rating. Rodgers is the quarterback of the future. Win or lose against the Chicago Bears today, Green Bay is building its franchise around him, which means the Pack is going to be in the hunt every season for a long time.