| Randolph Charlotin. 17th September, 2008 - 3:29 pm
 He needed to win the season opener. There was a 442 touchdown gorilla he had to shake off his back, and it is still growing.
By his second game, the weight was off his shoulders and he could just play.
Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rogers is finally playing in the NFL unencumbered. It was a rough off-season being the child in the middle of an ugly divorce. But that’s behind him, and Rogers is off to a great start. Even better, he’s off to a better start than the gorilla he replaced.
Everyone is familiar with the off-season Brett Favre saga: Retires, changes mind, not wanted, whines, traded. But as Favre and the Green Bay front office conducted a war of words, Rogers was stuck in the middle, biting his lip.
He waited four years for his shot, but Rogers can’t outright say “I won’t step aside for Farve” without alienating the Packer fans that worship Number 4. As much as Rogers appreciated learning from Favre, Aaron wasn’t about to step aside no matter the circumstances.
The Green Bay front office deserves credit for standing their ground. Once Favre announced his retirement, General Manager Ted Thompson and Coach Mike McCarthy set the plan in motion with Rogers as their quarterback. Even after Favre did a 180, and everyone said Green Bay should bend over backwards to accommodate the Packers icon, they stood by Rogers and said they moved on.
The stalemate led to parting ways and on the opening Sunday, Favre was in Miami starting for the New York Jets while Rogers anxiously waited for his Monday Night Football debut.
The pressure was on Rogers not to just perform but to win. It was the standard set by Favre the day before as he led the Jets to victory. If Rogers couldn’t beat the Minnesota Vikings, it validated those who said the Packers can’t win without Favre.
Style points mattered, as well. Long time Favre fans saw the touchdown bomb thrown to WR Jerricho Cotchery. And watching Favre escape a would-be sack before heaving a prayer to receiver Chanci Stuckey for a score, refreshed the memories of Brett doing those same things in front of the Green Bay faithful for 16 years.
Rogers had to be himself, but a sloppy win wouldn’t convince fans still loyal to Favre to renew their commitment to the Packers. The history of passers following in the footsteps of a legend isn’t good.
With the pressure on, Rogers played very well. He was accurate, going 18-for-22. He made big plays, none bigger than the 56-yard completion to Greg Jennings that set up a touchdown. And with the game close in the fourth, Rogers drove the team to the deciding score, a 1-yard QB plunge. He celebrated by spiking the ball and took his first ever Lambeau Leap. Rogers was held by a few fans and embraced by the home crowd.
Rogers was even better in game two, going 24-for-38, 328 yards, and three touchdowns. The win was made sweeter with Favre throwing a critical interception in a Jets' loss. It doesn’t please Rogers to see his mentor lose, but as long as Rogers out-performs Favre and wins more, the easier to seduce Favre-colytes back to the Packers.
It shouldn’t be a hard sell for Rogers. Fans are supposed to be loyal to the team first and not the players. But it is an understandable attachment to Favre. He won the Packers a Super Bowl, and no one in Packers' history had been as successful. Favre is also a very likeable down-to-earth guy. He’s one of them.
But Rogers isn’t some nobody. The former first-round pick has been with the organization since his first pro day. And in his first extended action last year, Rogers played well in relief of an injured Favre in a prime time game against the Dallas Cowboys. Rogers didn’t have an impressive resume, but he gave fans reason for optimism.
Two games don’t make a career, but Packer Backers should feel a lot better about Rogers at the helm. They will watch very closely how Aaron does this week against the Cowboys in the Sunday night prime time game and observe how he bounces back from a loss or a poor game.
In the long run, the Packers are better off with Rogers as opposed to Favre. Rogers is just 24 years old with his career ahead of him. By trading for Favre, the Jets get results at the box office but limited return on the field because he doesn’t automatically make New York a playoff team. And considering Favre almost retired, there’s no guarantee he will play beyond this season. If 2008 doesn’t meet Favre’s expectations, he won’t be back in ’09.
Favre will be the greatest Packer for a long time, if not ever. His exploits have become folklore. To Packer fans, Brett Favre is a legend. But being a legend means his best days are behind him. The Packers have a young team. It’s best they have a quarterback that grows with the team.
Randolph Charlotin has a blog at http://www.newenglandpatriotsnews.com/randolphc/weblog/. He can be contacted at lordrc@netzero.net. |
