My Aaron Rodgers Blog

 Aaron Rodgers is looking like he is really ready to be the true leader of the Green Bay Packers this year. In the second half a reporter interview Jason Spitz on the sidelines about Aaron. Based on his responses, it seems that he and the rest of the team are really ready to rally around him. That is the exact chemistry needed to have a big season.

Rodgers' passes are looking really accurate so far. His deep balls have been especially impressive. Even the ones that are incomplete appear to be extremely close. Hi is simply throwing darts out there.

Rodgers pocket awareness and patience also seem to be much improved over last year. Last year he definitely took some sacks because he did not feel the rush.

Now, at least from what I have seen from him so far this preseason, he has had much better awareness of the pass rush. He has been getting rid of the ball when he needs to, and has shown really good patience when he does have a lot of time.

Aaron Rodgers is also developing some really encouraging chemistry with Jeremichael Finley, a guy that I have been telling everyone to watch.  The two hooked up for two TD passes in the first half on friday night and I think they will be trying to isolate Finley to get some big plays.  I look forward to it.

The Rodgers to Jordy Nelson TD pass was gorgeous.  Nelson did not have to break stride at all, he just had to put his hands up.  The pass to James Jones down the sideline was also pretty much perfect.

Based on what I have seen so far, I am going to make a prediction that the only thing that could prevent Aaron Rodgers from having a huge season is injuries.  Injuries to either himself or a bunch of other key players.  Which unfortunately seems to happen to the Packers frequently.  But that is the only way, if our starters can stay healthy, we will have a huge year. Period.

While Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson has said that Brett Favre can come back to the organization, he has said that Favre will not be the starting quarterback.

What?!

It is understandable that the Packers are getting restless with Favre's retirement-then-unretirement saga every season, but at the same time, how can you deny one of the greatest quarterbacks in history the chance to come back and lead the team that he helped build over the last two decades.

First off, the NFL needs him. Favre's infectious passion for the game and pictures of him picking up snowballs and launching them after throwing touchdowns has kept fans entrenched in a time when arrests, scandals and even deaths have rocked the game.

Second, the fans need him. Partially for reasons above, but let's look at them more in-depth. Favre is the face of 75 percent of America. His five-o-clock shadow and blue-collar attitude builds an invaluable connection with the rest of the United States.

He isn't advertising with Nike or Under Armour; his endorsement deals include John Deere and Wrangler. He could probably sign endorsement deals with bigger money partners, but he stays true to himself and what he is.

Such a connection with the American public has lifted the game immeasurably. In recent years, athletes have been put on such high pedestals that they've actually been dehumanized - much like today's celebrities.

However, in the Favre folklore, there is nothing more human than a guy that had to endure his father's passing and go to work a couple of days later.

Oh by the way, it just so happened to be Monday Night Football and it just so happened to be one of the most masterful quarterback performances in the history of the game.

And third, the Green Bay Packers damn sure need Favre to be worth anything. If Thompson says that an unproven Aaron Rodgers is the starter over a man that took a half-talent, low-budget team and turned them into a world champion, he is smoking a hell of a lot more than Wisconsin cheddar.

If Favre decides to come back, it would not only be unfair to Favre to be holding Rodgers' clipboard, it would be unfair to Rodgers to put that type of pressure on Rodgers.

For once, something involving an NFL decision goes beyond the dollars-and-cents reasoning. It would simply be better for the game if Brett Favre is the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers in 2008.

John Burbar is a featured writer for Sportsfananza.com. Sportsfananza is the a leading online news and video sharing site for sports fans to share information, ideas and provides sports fans with a voice. Members of Sportsfananza can post user-generated sports videos and sports articles (blogs) about any sports topic.

I cannot believe how fooled I was by the pre-season. I really thought the Packers were ready to take on the world and kick the crap out of Brett Favre. How wrong I was. The main problem that the Packers have is their blocking. It all starts up front and the Minnesota Vikings are going to sack Aaron Rodgers about 15 times and end his season at this rate. Favre will only have to hand it off to Peterson and his team will take care of the rest. This is going to make it difficult to post a winning record much less make it to a Super Bowl.

The biggest and most obvious problem that the Packers have is in their offensive line. If Clifton cannot play, they might as well just throw Brian Brohm out there and let him take the pounding so that we can have Rodgers next year after we can get some linemen in the off season. Rodgers is going to be running for his life every single week and we are probably not going to be able to run the ball worth a crap either. It is going to get very ugly.

When you cannot block the Bengals, do not even think about making a playoff run. I hope they draft about five offensive linemen next year in the draft and go after some free agents too. I know we have some cap room and Thompson needs to do something fast or we are going to miss this window that we have. We have some extremely talented areas on our team and we need to take advantage of that.

As much as I like the flash of the "skilled positions," we need to focus on getting offensive linemen. It all starts there. If Rodgers had some time, he would be picking defenses apart.

Taking over a team with the tradition of the Green Bay Packers has got to be a daunting task.  This is especially true if you are following in the footsteps of one of the all-time greats like future hall of famer, Brett Favre.  Aaron Rodgers has not performed too badly, though it is still rather early, in his transition into the starting quarterback role for the Packers.  Here is a look at five things you may not know about Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

1.  His first NFL regular season touchdown pass was completed in his third season while he was still serving as the backup to Brett Favre.  It came on November 29, 2007 in the second quarter of the Packers game against the Dallas Cowboys and it was an 11-yard pass to Greg Jennings.

2.  His firs NFL regular season interception came during his rookie season in what would become a 48-3 Monday Night Football loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

3.  During his last year of college (2004) at the University of California, Aaron Rodgers while playing quarterback caught a ten yard pass.

4.  He was not widely recruited out of high school, in fact he received only one invitation and it was as a walk-on from the University of Illinois.  He started college at Butte Community College before transferring to Cal for his sophomore season, Rodgers' first game as starting quarterback was against the same University of Illinois team that had been the only school to offer him a spot on their roster.

5.  During his second season in the NFL and still serving as the backup to Brett Favre, he broke his left foot while filling in for an injured Favre in a 35-0 loss to the New England Patriots.

Aaron Rodgers has shown some flashes of talent and a good amount of leadership during his short time as the starting quarterback of the Packers.  At the rate he is going, it should not be long before he is regularly thought of as one of the better quarterbacks in the league.  The better he performs, and the better he will be thought of by opposing players and fans alike.  This is the best way for him to escape the long shadow cast by former Packers quarterback Brett Favre.