I think I speak for Aaron Rodgers when I say thank God the Brett Favre saga is over. If we as fans were all so annoyed with the ridiculous 24/7 coverage just imagine how Aaron Rodgers felt.
He would claim that he wouldn't let it bother him or that he wouldn't pay attention to all of it, but how could you not? It is only natural to be a little bit pissed off with this whole situation and how it was handled.
Rodgers is a soft spoken kid from the west coast and he can now officially say that he will Green Bay's starting QB heading into this year. Ever since he was drafted by the Packers a few years back he was being groomed as Favre's replacement.
He was only considered a replacement, not an heir to the throne, as nobody would be worthy to get the same fanfare and support that Favre received from the Green Bay faithful. He is following a football legend and this whole retirement fiasco has added to the pressure for Rodgers.
With Favre going to the Jets (for a conditional draft pick), Rodgers will have some pressure on him to perform well. Favre isn't a memory, he is still a player, but for a different team. He will be compared to Favre's statistics with New York and you better believe he will face criticism if he can't guide this team to a winning season.
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The Packers had a chance to take Favre back. They knew what they were getting with Favre, a crafty veteran who has complete knowledge of their system and just came off an impressive season. The team passed on his services in favor of the young Rodgers, but fans might not be so forgiving when they see Favre in a different green jersey. Whatever Rodgers does will be very unfairly compared to Brett.
The team has gone out on a limb to say that Rodgers is ready to lead this team to a successful season. All the pieces are still in place from last year's team that was one overtime score away from the Super Bowl. The one main change is that of the signal caller. Any short comings of this Packer team will probably be blamed on the quarterback.
This team had a real chance to win with Favre calling the shots, but the front office didn't want to make Rodgers feel anymore unwanted than he might have already felt. If they were to take Favre back as their starter, that would have probably lasted another year after this one and then Rodgers would be gone in free agency and the Packers would have wasted their first round pick of that year.
Would it have been so bad to take back the legend? Even if they were worried about Rodgers leaving down the line if Favre returned, they did draft Brian Brohm out of Louisville and he could be a potential quarterback of the future.
The Packers better believe that the ghost of Brett Favre will still be around Lambeu Field this season. Just because he was traded doesn't mean the fans will forget what he could be doing for their team, and if this team falters there will be a disgruntled fan base, especially if Favre works his magic again this year for Gang Green.
Aaron Rodgers may breathe easy now, but he still isn't out of the water yet. And whether he likes it or not, he will forever be cast in the shadow of Brett Favre.
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about 1 month ago
Good article.
I like Favre. The true QB warrier. How the guy managed to play so long without major injury remains one of life's major mysteries. I personally suspect the guy is a alien from outer space. Wonder if the drug testers ever wondered why the guy's blood is green.
That being said, I would like to add that Favre orchestrated the prefect strategy for undermining the performance of his replacement. Textbook. Rodgers is going to have to walk on water to meet the expectations of his teammates, GB fans and the media. Pretty cool, you leave a job and do everything in your power to put your replacement in an impossible situation, and Greenbay fans have bought in hook, line and sinker.
Cheers
from about 1 month ago
I truly do feel bad for rodgers and the situation he finds himself in...I hope he can overcome all this Favre stuff but Im not sure that is possible regardless of what he does
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