The Green Bay Packers are entering their 23rd straight season of superior quarterback play. When Brett Favre was shipped off to the New York Jets in 2008, there were still many question marks about the type of player Aaron Rodgers was. Those questions were quickly answered as Rodgers put up two-straight 4,000 yard seasons followed by a Super Bowl championship campaign in 2010.
It seems fitting that we’re celebrating 10 years of Rodgers in the same week that we learned exactly when the Packers plan to retire Favre’s #4 in 2015. April 23, 2005 was the day that Rodgers sat and waited. . and waited. . and waited in the green room at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Waited for his name to be called as one team after another chose someone else ahead of him. Current Packers general manager Ted Thompson ended the circus and Rodgers was a Green Bay Packer at pick 24.
A decade later, Rodgers is coming off of a second MVP season, has the Super Bowl win and some big-time numbers to boot. 28,500 passing yards, 93 touchdowns, 65.8 completion percentage and a quarterback rating of 106.0. The narrative on how spoiled Packers fans are is long and winded. Especially if you talk to Chicago Bears fans, who have seen what seems like 100 different guys pass through the turnstiles over the past 20-plus years. Packers fans are spoiled and this week is as good of an opportunity as any to celebrate that good fortune.
In today’s NFL that favors the pass so much that running backs are rarely drafted in the first round, a good quarterback is a must if a team wants to win. There’s varying degrees of good quarterback from guys like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady who rely on precision and timing to be successful to others like Russell Wilson and Cam Newton who can do as much with their feet as they can through the air. Rodgers does a decent amount of both. And he takes care of the ball. Just 57 interceptions and since 2010, he has had no more than eight in any one season. I’ll add in that around half of those were balls that receivers tipped and should have caught.
Rodgers says he wants to play another nine years or so. It’s hard to imagine that his play won’t decline at least a little bit over that time and who knows what the future holds. For any player at any position to play 19 seasons in professional football is a feat by itself. For a quarterback, it’s as rare as a blue crab. Rodgers has taken to a few different routines to keep himself in top shape and prepared for the rigors that an NFL season brings. Health is far from guaranteed on the field, but off of it, Rodgers does all the right things. I wouldn’t bet against him as far as he can control what happens to him physically.
I said on our most recent No Huddle Radio podcast that I’m taking the Packers to reach the pinnacle again this season. A Super Bowl win to add to the collection. A lot of things have to happen before we see the Pack hoisting the Lombardi amidst the confetti in San Francisco in early February. But one thing we know for sure is that Aaron Charles Rodgers is the QB1 until further notice or the most unfortunate strokes of bad luck strike the Packers again. And with that QB1, the Packers have just about the best chance that a NFL team can going into any game, any season.
Cheers, #12, and here’s to 10 more!
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Jason Perone is an independent sports blogger writing about the Packers on AllGreenBayPackers.com
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ARod does NOT look happy to be going to the team that BF built (and was still playing well for..)
Glad we have him though.
As soon as Rodgers retires Favre is ready for his next comeback.
Can’t quibble with the core of the article. AR’s 10 years in Packer togs have been pretty damn amazing. But a question – is there still a requirement in journalism, no matter the form or forum, to fact check the accuracy of what’s published for consumption? 226 TD’s maybe? “93” is the distance of his longest TD pass. Wrong line off the PFR stat chart I guess.
And just as an FYI, blue crabs are common as hell.
The Packers and their fans have been extremely fortunate to have such a high level of QB play for the past 23 seasons. With Favre and Rodgers the Packers have had a good chance to win every game during that period except for the times when Rodgers has been injured. We should have at least another 3 -5 seasons of outstanding QB play as long as Rodgers remains healthy and maybe even a few more seasons depending on how long he chooses to play. I cannot think of another NFL team that has had as much success as the Packers at the QB position for such an extended period of time. It’s possible that if Luck stays healthy the combination of his and Peyton Manning’s career could be similar for the Colts. But for now we should appreciate that we have a great QB, probably the best in the league in Green Bay and a legitimate shot to win it all every season. Thanks, Since ’61
Fortunate yes…. but also deserved. We went through 30+ years of hell after Lombardi. Thankfully, I only remember the last 5 of those…
That said, when quality football guys like Harlan, Wolf, Holmgren, Murphy, TT, MM (and yes even Sherman the coach) are running the show, good things are going to happen. It starts at the top, and with a hat tip to the Pats, we’ve had the most consistent quality in our front office in the league since 1992. And when you compare that to our division “rivals”? BWAHAHAHAHA!
Like taking candy from a baby.
Yes Bearmeat, very well deserved after Scott Hunter, Jerry Tagge, Jim Del Gaizo, John Hadl, David Whitehurst, Blair Kiel, Jack Concannon, Randy Wright, Anthony Dilweg and a few others. We did get some breaks from the mediocrity thanks to Lynn Dickey and Majkowski. Fortunately, it all turned around with Favre and there’s been no looking back since. It’s been a great privilege to watch Rodgers play these last several seasons. Thanks, Since ’61