Aaron Rodgers: Ability on his feet

I find this diatribe quite telling, to single Aaron Rodgers out for playmaking on his feet. This elevates him above Manning and Brady, one author believes:

What Brady and Manning have on Rodgers is they’ve performed great and won big over long careers. Rodgers still faces the test of time.

But Rodgers has something neither Brady nor Manning ever have had, and that’s the ability to make plays with his feet. In the last two seasons, Rodgers has rushed for 672 yards, which is second in the league over that time, behind only Michael Vick (771 yards in seven fewer games). At ages and 26 and 27, Manning rushed for only 174 yards and Brady only 91.

Running can be a double-edged sword, because it also leaves a quarterback vulnerable to big hits, and the greatest threat to the Packers the next couple of seasons is the two concussions Rodgers suffered last year. Brady and Manning, while lacking playmaking ability outside the pocket, are masters at sliding in the pocket to avoid rushers and quickly getting the ball out when they can’t avoid, as their sacks numbers show. Manning has been sacked an average of only 17.8 times a season in his 13 years as an NFL starter and never has missed a game. Brady has averaged 27.1 sacks in his nine seasons as a starter.

If you actually watch Aaron Rodgers on the run, it's timed- it's almost premeditated. He finds a hole on his way to the endzone and somehow floats into it. Rarely do you see him rushed. Rarely is it anything more than a few feet in the RedZone, ball in a one-handed palm grasp, and held over the goal line for 6 points.

It will be this effort, not the frantic scrambles of his predecessor, that I think the coaches will include in their playwriting. Sure, the ill-fate of a Michael Vick rushing high and tackled to season-ending injury is a possibility.

But with the smarts like Manning and the cool like Brady, I think Rodgers will best them all.

A Rodg v. B Pevre, I mean Favre

There is a notion floating out in the blogosphere that Favre is STILL better than Rodgers, that they have a crappy relationship, that Aaron Rodgers is bitter, and that it somehow is still a problem.

Let's clear this up right now.

Of COURSE Brett Favre is on the books as a better QB. He played 8 times as freakin' long as Rodgers has. He has the longest running streak of games started. And others...

But Favre, too, has 1 Superbowl win. Just 1. Doesn't count how many times you GET there.

So let's just say this. I don't KNOW Aaron Rodgers personally, but that man has some media training! He knows when not to fill the silence because the media wants him to. He knows how to keep a cool head. He generally is a smart guy, and it all comes across in his performance with the press. Oh, and on the field - but that goes without saying.

The thing is, I believe Aaron Rodgers doesn't need Favre. He watched him for 3 years on the sidelines, in practice and in the locker room. He learned what he needed to. He's emulated what he needed to - the GOOD parts of Favre. Rodgers can scramble with the best of 'em. He can get away from his attacker. He's breaking the fingers of his receivers day in and day out wiht the velocity he puts on the ball. And he doesn't throw the stupid pass that leads to the 4th quarter interception to lose the game. He may even hold on to the ball too darn long! But joking aside - Most of all, he hasn't let it lead him astray in a stupid way - toward drugs or sex or rock'n'roll...

Well, maybe a little music. Rodgers has his own music label and he's working to find that next up and comin' band who's got "IT." But that's just the spirit of an entrepreneur, not the desperate attempts of a lonely, washed-up QB who feels the need to show off his cock.

Harsh, perhaps. But let's MOVE ON. If the press and the idiot bloggers would quit TYING the two together, we'd all stop caring. The fans sure have!

Let the man be a star. Let him revel in the glory of an MVP and a Superbowl win in his 3rd year. Let him show people that what happens between him and Brett Favre should be just that. Let Rodgers prove he's the bigger man. And if someday they speak, I'm sure it will be respectful and professional. Isn't that all that matters?

Rodgers will most always likely follow Favre on the books. But I believe he'll far surpass him in life. And by that, I mean with his own personal viewing of the person he has become to his community, his family, and his Maker.

PACKERS WIN THE SUPERBOWL

Congrats to my Pack. I should have posted this a week ago, but I'm still on HIGH from the Win. Much deserved.

And a little note on our friend, Aaron Rodgers:

But Rodgers made it clear in Tuesday's jam-packed Super Bowl XLV Media Day he only wants to be a leader of God's pack when it comes to influencing others to see his faith in Jesus Christ.

"We all have a platform, we all have a message in our lives," Rodgers told Baptist Press and a worldwide media turnout, which ringed his individual interview area. "I just try to follow Jesus' example, leading by example."

During his six years with the Packers, his career has seen enough twists and turns, dead ends and detours to test anyone's faith. An expected top 10 draft choice, he lasted until the end of the first round for reasons he never understood. He stood on the sidelines for three seasons while Packers quarterback Brett Favre went through his yearly will-he-or-won't-he retirement routine as Packers QB.

Finally given a chance to start three years ago, he has matured into one of the top quarterbacks in the league, but not forgetting his past, present and future in Christ.

"God always has a plan for us, a path. Sometimes we wish we knew it sooner," Rodgers said with a bit of a laugh, "but He always shows up His way."

He credits his parents, Ed and Darla Rodgers, who still live in Northern California where he was raised, for showing him a loving and Christ-centered household. He also remains close to his two longtime accountability partners, Pastors Andrew Burchett of the Neighborhood Church in Chico, Calif., and Young Life Christian youth group leader Matt Hock.

Shout it Aaron Rodgers!

This guy just grew FEET against my tape measure of awesomeness. I marked him WAY taller than he actually is on the door frame.

Rodgers, who will start for the NFC in Sunday’s game, was asked if he thought Favre would retire.

“I just think nothing is going to happen for a while,” he said as the NFL Network crew burst out in laughter. “There’s not much else you can say.

“I’d say just give it a rest for a while. You don’t need to do an update every day. It’s not going to happen.”

Love you, Aaron.

Keep doin' what your doin'!