How Long will Aaron Rodgers Last?

Fielder, Feeley, Freotte, Harrington, Lemon. Those are the names of the leading passers since Dan Marino decided to call it quits in Miami. The Dolphins are still looking for the guy who will lead the team and comparisons (if they are worthy of comparison) will fade out.

Tomczak, Majkowski, and Wright. Those are the names of the last three passing leaders for Green Bay before Brett Favre took the leading role. His first couple of years were very rocky but they kept going with him. After all, he did not have to replace Brett Favre (or anyone remotely close). Will Aaron Rodgers get the same chance? It’s hard to say. Even since the times when Favre took over at QB for the Packers there is more urgency now to win. Even after the rough start the Packers only fell below .500 once under Favre. Brett Favre didn’t have to take over a team that was one drive away from the Super Bowl either. How long will Aaron Rodgers last?

“I’m going to be the best quarterback I can be,” said Rodgers, who was in Green Bay for the Packers’ annual fan fest. “He did it his way, I’m going to do it my way. And hopefully, I can be successful.”

Aaron Rodgers has been a question mark since being drafted by the Packers in 2005 at #24. Why did he fall so far? He was rumored time and again to be the #1 overall pick. Ironically, Mike McCarthy had a hand in the 49′ers taking Alex Smith over Rodgers with that pick. So for the next three years we had to listen to Favre retirement rumors and Rodgers trade rumors. Now the time has come to answer some questions. Some Packer fans that I have discussed Rodgers with are not comparing him to Favre…yet. They are optimistic that Rodgers can step in with a good team around him and he has that.

“I’m in a good situation,” said Rodgers, who turned 24 in December. “I’ve got a great team around me. A lot of people are focusing on what I’m going to do — it’s what the team’s going to do, really. I’m an important part of that. I know my role and I need to play it well. And I’m not going to really have a grace period, either.”

Being left with a good team is going to make for even more pressure on the kid. It can go either way. If they get the W’s to keep his job, great. If for some reason they fall, his head will be on the block.

Rodgers was impressive attempting to comeback against the red hot Dallas Cowboys in week 13 of the 2007 season. After Favre went out injured, Rodgers threw a TD and completed 18 of 26 attempts for 201 yards. He even tacked on another 30 yards rushing. There really isn’t a reason that Aaron Rodgers can’t go in and be an NFL QB. It’s time to answer questions in his career and unfortunately for him the spirit of Lord Favre will be hanging over Lambeau Field. Good luck kid!

“I think he’ll do a great job,” Favre said during his retirement news conference Thursday. “I think he has the talent. I’ve heard it for the last three years that, ‘Hopefully he’s learned from Brett.’ What that means, I don’t know. He’s his own player, he has his own style and that’s what he needs to stick to.”

tag: NFL, Football, Green Bay, Packers, Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Dan Marino, Sports

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