Being a northwest native, I was always intrigued by Pac-10 football.
The self proclaimed “Conference of Champions” has been fielding great football teams for decades, including the ever dominant USC Trojans.
When Aaron Rodgers started carving up defenses as a junior college transfer at Cal, I watched and wondered how long it would be before the NFL took notice.
When he set school records while completing 23 straight passes against No. 1 USC during a road loss, I wondered how long it would be before he won his first national championship.
When his No. 4 ranked Bears were overlooked by the BCS and dropped to the Holiday Bowl, I wondered how long it would take during the next season before he finished getting his revenge.
Rodgers surprised many when he chose to forgo his senior season and entered the 2005 NFL draft.
Many analysts questioned his size (6’2 210lbs) and his passing mechanics. They questioned whether a Jeff Tedford taught quarterback could make it in the NFL. They questioned his durability.
But they could not question his football intelligence, demonstrated by his obvious knowledge of defensive coverages and the west coast offense, which he was happy to put on display both in the x’s and o’s on the whiteboard, or on the field, for whichever scout(s) cared to view.
He was passed over during 23 grueling draft picks, taken behind Utah’s Alex Smith and just ahead of Auburn’s Jason Campbell.
Smith came from an Urban Meyer built Spread Offense; built more on Smith’s legs and creativity, rather than his arm or brains. He has since been asked to handle the west coast scheme of the 49ers, and has struggled mightily having to stay in the pocket or trying to out run NFL sized defensive ends.
Jason Campbell came from a run heavy offense built around Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown, rarely having to carry any portion of the offense. He has large size and good arm strength, but a game manager in college is hardly the same in the pros.
When Rodgers was drafted No. 24 overall by the Green Bay Packers, I couldn’t help but smile. Here was the kid who had made Cal my favorite team to watch during his two years as a starter, now making the transition to future starter of my favorite pro team.
Brett Favre was and is always fun to watch, but his general disdain for safe play made me cringe. Even when plays went well I could not help but think, how badly it could have been.
I was usually rewarded for my backwards thinking by watching Favre do his worst to match his interception total to his touchdowns.
When the Packers drafted Rodgers, I thought we finally had a guy in place that would work the system in our favor. We finally had a surgeon for a QB, in the mold of Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. We finally had a guy who was going to be consistent and dependable.
After watching Favre go through the downs of the 2005 and 2006 seasons, then through the ups of the 2007 campaign, I finally heard the news I had been hoping for.
After showing some pop and sizzle during a game at Dallas
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