My Aaron Rodgers Blog

Even though the Green Bay Packers are in third place, they still have a good shot at making the playoffs. Although their best chance would be a wildcard, they have about the same chance winning the division. With the bears and the vikings at 6 and 5 the Packers are only 2 games behind at 5 and 6.

Aaron Rodgers has been the surprise of the year for the Packers. Whether or not you agree with the Brett Favre trade, Rodgers has played exceptionally well. So far this season he has an 88.1 passer rating, 228 completions on 358 attempts which gives him a 63.5 completion percentage. He has thrown for 2,599 yards with 17 touchdowns. I do not think that the Packers record reflects the play of Aaron Rodgers. Sure he has had games that he has struggled in, but overall he has played pretty solid.

Who would have thought that Brett Favre would have played for anyone but the Green Bay Packers. Now the Jets are making some noise in the AFC, and Chad Pennington is helping the Miami Dolphins make a playoff run. Its funny how one move can make change so much. The Packers, if not to make the playoffs this year, have found their quarterback of the future in Aaron Rodgers. This is the kind of guy that can keep this team going for years to come. Not all teams are lucky enough to find a guy that precedes a great quarterback like Favre. The Patriots seem to have done the same thing with Matt Cassel, but look how long it has taken the Miami Dolphins to find a new franchise quarterback. Packer fans should be happy that they have found some stability so early in their rebirth.

Perhaps Aaron Rodgers (filling for traded Brett Favre) and Matt Cassel (filling in for injured Tom Brady) should have an afternoon coffee together and share season war stories on how they carried a load of responsibility on their backs for the 2008-2009 campaign.

Aaron Rodgers complemented a few things Brett Favre (on the odd occasion) did in his final few years in Green Bay on Monday night, rushing for first downs and pushing into the end zone on a quarterback sneak to embrace a 24-19 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

Given all the stage show of Favre's stepping down story at the beginning of training camp, Rodgers was ease to get his first regular-season start out of the way. Still, he gives the impression to be living it up as the starter.

For those who witnessed last Monday (8th) night Football and saw Rodgers running out of the tunnel; looking positive, assured and assertive, into the captivating atmosphere, was really something to remember, specially after 4 long years for Aaron. Rodgers hang out most of the past three seasons backing up Favre after the Packers drafted him in the first round in 2005 and passed his first real test Monday, going 18-of-22 for 178 yards with passing and rushing touchdowns.

He was not alone, got help from punt returner Will Blackmon, safety Atari Bigby and running back Ryan Grant to claim the Packers' fifth straight victory in a harsh division rivalry, one that became even more extreme, when the Packers accused the Vikings of messing around with the then retired Favre in the offseason, an allegation that was dismissed by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, but hardly let of by either side.

It is hard to explain a true Green Bay fan why he or she should trust Rodgers to guide this team thru a good season, especially after so many years in Favre's shadow. Brett has given the Packers fans 16 years of wonderful memories, a Super Bowl championship among them that will live on forever. Brett's many accomplishments on the field are legendary. He leaves the team holding virtually every career passing record, plus his consecutive starts streak, which may never be duplicated. Favre is now playing for the New York Jets and Rodgers seems to have won over the fans, at least for this week. Can we ask for a little understanding and patience from the fans for the moment? Or maybe we as sports fans should ask ourselves... why does it always come to a single man in a group of at least 45?

The truth is that this is not about Brett Favre anymore... we still believe he is and will be one of the greatest QBs in NFL history, but this is a new chapter and it is about Aaron Rodgers now!! We hope Brett Favre has a successful year as a Jet. Having that said, we believe Aaron Rodgers can do what Favre did last year and that he can take this team even further as long as he stays cool under pressure.

 I know that I should be gushing with optimism about a nice win over the Rams, but I am not. As I turn my eyes to the Minnesota game there are numerous things that concern me.  Minnesota is playing very good football and appear to be the best team in the NFC right now.  And the Packers have managed to go 2-1, but there are a lot of weaknesses in their game right now.

I did not initially get caught up in the hype when Favre first went to Minnesota.  I said "Ahh, who cares?  We'll kick his ass."  Of course I said that before I had any clue as to how horrible our tackles were going to be this year.  The bottom line is that they have the best running attack in the league and Favre will keep defenses honest.  They are undefeated and probably are the most complete team in the NFC right now.  At least they appear to be after Favre's dramatic comeback today. What a crock of crap! The Vikings also have the best defensive line in football.  

Hmm, how interesting, the Packers have one of the worst offensive lines in football.  Sounds like a great recipe for a massive headache come next Monday night. I mentioned this already in a previous post, but I am going to go over it again just because it is so critical.  Rodgers really has to be conservative when he plays the Vikes next Monday.  I know this is kind of a weak stance, but his health is bigger than that game.  I do not want him hanging in the pocket only to get smashed by the Williams brothers and Jared Allen.  

They nearly tore his head off last year when we had both Clifton and Tauscher!  It  will probably be really ugly this year. I firmly believe that the only thing that the Packers and Rodgers can do is plan to get that ball out of there quickly.  Boring five yard passes are a good thing.  They keep the ball moving forward and prevent huge hits on our franchise quarterback.  I also think that it might actually be more effective than all this deep dropback hold onto the ball forever type of thing they have going on this season.  I am talking about true west coast offensive strategy here. So, do I think the Packers will ultimately execute such a strategy on Monday?

#23 - Green Bay Packers - Anthony Davis - Rutgers

The Packers did very well without Brett Farve, and Aaron Rodgers is quickly getting out of his shadow. Rodgers won't be able to get to NFL top 5 quarterback status if he gets hit as much as he did last year. He tied for 1st with Ben Roethlisberger in being sacked 50 times. Roethlisberger is known to hold the ball for too long and try to extend the play, Rodgers is not known for that. For stretches last year, the pass protection for Rodgers was horrible. The team needs to pick it up and that starts with drafting a LT. Anthony Davis is considered by some as the best pass-blocker, so there must be a reason he's available this low. Character concerns will determine how far Anthony Davis drops, but the Packers would have to take the risk and hope Davis works hard in Green Bay where there isn't a lot else to do. His character concerns are weight and work ethic because he didn't work out or even get on a scale at the Rutgers pro day.

The Packers defense gave up the least amount of rushing yards last year, 83.3 per game, so it appears Dom Capers switch to the 3-4 worked. The pass defense only gave up 201 yards per game, good for 5th in the NFL. The offense is also explosive, where the only help the team needs is in the rushing attack. A dominant LT would help the run game along with keeping Rodgers upright.

It's not a given that the Vikings will win the NFC North if Farve comes back because the Packers young players continue to get better and surprise the Farve loving media.

You cannot watch football this season without hearing about Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. They have been over analyzed in every way possible. So much attention surrounds the legend and the rising star who replaced him. They have faced each other twice already this season, both with a Favre victory, yet the discussions don't seem to subside for a moment. So, to add on to this intense analysis, let us explore the foot injuries of the two athletes!

Prior to the Viking and Packer game, Favre had his first report on the Viking's injury list with foot pain. Nothing more was said about the issue other than that he had a sore foot. The irony of the situation is that after the game, Rodgers suffered from a foot and a toe sprain. Is this the beginning of the end? Did Favre get the last word through foot injuries?

A sprain describes an injury in which a ligament between two bones is stretched, damaged or torn. A Grade 1 injury is fairly mild with only minor damage to the ligament. A Grade 2 injury is a partially torn ligament and a Grade 3 is a ligament that is completely torn. With a grade 1 injury, the recovery time is short with very few possible complications.

On the other hand, a grade 3 can takes months to heal and is often extremely painful. Foot sprains are rare in the general population, but are common in sports that put the foot in abnormal twisting positions. Such injuries usually result in a grade 1 or grade 2 damage and complete recovery can be seen within the season with much improvement in only weeks.

Treatment consists of rest, icing, strapping, and anti-inflammatory drugs. A sprained big toe is better known as turf toe. This usually results when the big toe is abnormally hyper-extended. This injury can often be more debilitating than a foot sprain because of the important role the big toe plays in pushing off the ground when running. The grading system is the same as a foot sprain with Grade 1 being a minor injury and grade 3 being more severe.

To prevent further damage with the ability to continue activities, taping techniques have been proven quite effective. The severity of the foot injuries of Favre and Rodgers has been downplayed and seeing their continued performance on the field allows us to assume they are minor.

Still, these injuries can be very painful and increases the risk for a more severe injury. To prevent further injuries, both players should be undergoing physical therapy and switch to a more stable shoe gear. The cleats and the flexibility of football shoes increase the chance that the foot will be twisted in a position that could worsen the injury.

Rodgers' first line of treatment should be to have more protection on the field. It is likely that the injury resulted after one of his many sacks this season. Favre, has age working against him. Younger athletes tend to recover better and faster than older athletes, but Favre has proven that age does not define his ability to play football. Only time will tell if these injuries will advance to a more serious problem that will take them off the field.

The likelihood of these injuries progressing is unlikely since they seem to be only presenting with minor symptoms. Thus, the live football drama series of Favre versus Rodgers will continue.