Aaron Rodgers: Why Most of The NFL Is Pulling for Him and The Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, in just his third year as the starter, has taken his team to the Super Bowl. 

By beating the Chicago Bears, Rodgers and the Packers earned themselves a date with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV on Feb. 6. 

While the Packers opened the week as favorites in Las Vegas, they will also be the team most fans will be pulling for (except in Pittsburgh, Chicago and Minnesota maybe) to win the Super Bowl. 

Here's five reasons why the Packers will be America's team come Super Bowl Sunday. 

Steelers Have Been There Recently

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TAMPA, FL - FEBRUARY 01: Mewelde Moore #21 of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrates holds up the Vince Lombardi trophy as he celebrates with his daughter Jalyn Chantelle after their 27-23 win against the Arizona Cardinals during Super Bowl XLIII on February

The Steelers have been no stranger to the Super Bowl over the past 10 years, and this appearance will mark the third time (2005, 2008, 2010) they'll play for the Lombardi Trophy over that time span. 

The Packers, on the other hand, haven't been to the Super Bowl in 13 years and haven't won it since 1996. 

While Steelers fans will want a victory to push their franchise towards the "dynasty" label, most NFL fans are interested in seeing the new team get a championship.

Another win for Ben Roethlisberger would also help him get one step closer to establishing himself as a Hall of Fame quarterback, but Aaron Rodgers could use a victory to jump start his early start to a similar career. 

Either way you look at it, Roethlisberger and the Steelers are old news at the Super Bowl, and Rodgers and the Packers are the new kids on the block.

The Packers Story

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LANDOVER, MD - OCTOBER 10: Tight end Jermichael Finley #88 of the Green Bay Packers leaves the game on a cart after injuring his knee against the Washington Redskins at FedExField on October 10, 2010 in Landover, Maryland. The Redskins won the game in ov

While the Steelers have clearly been through adversity this season, no team has been through as much as the Packers have this year. 

It all started in Week One when Ryan Grant was hurt for the season. Owner of back-to-back 1,200-yard seasons, Grant's 2010 finished with just 45. 

A few weeks later, the Packers lost up-and-coming tight end Jermichael Finley for the season. Tabbed by many as one of the NFL's elite talents, Finley's promising start to 2010 was over after just 21 catches. 

Sprinkle in the loss of Nick Barnett, the defense's veteran leader, and other solid contributors like Morgan Burnett, Mike Neal, Mark Tauscher, Brad Jones, Brandon Chillar and Derrick Martin, and it's clear the Packers have lost a serious chunk of their opening day roster. 

But that's not all. The Packers have also had to fight through two Aaron Rodgers' concussions that put Green Bay's season in serious jeopardy. 

Through it all, however, the Packers have gelled as a team and are now peaking at just the right time. Their incredible story gives them the feel-good advantage over the Steelers. 

James Harrison's Dirty Reputation

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PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 15: Linebacker James Harrison #92 of the Pittsburgh Steelers sacks quarterback Joe Flacco #5 of the Baltimore Ravens during the AFC Divisional Playoff Game at Heinz Field on January 15, 2011 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo b

James Harrison may or may not be a dirty player (that's up to you to form your opinion on that), but the NFL has certainly gone out of its way to paint him as one. 

Harrison was fined four times this season (including a retroactive $25,000 punishment for being a repeat offender) totalling over $150,000. 

That's a hefty price tag for playing the way Harrison does, but it's also given him a reputation for being a dirty player. After several helmet-to-helmet hits, including a concussion-inducing strike on Mohamed Massaqoui, it's probably a fair assessment. 

That also brings up an interesting observation. Rodgers, who has been concussed twice this season (one on an illegal hit), obviously hasn't been aided much by the new rules.

However, you'd have to think that most fans would be pulling for Rodgers instead of Harrison, who is the NFL's most wanted man when it comes to illegal hits. 

The Negative Perception of Big Ben

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PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 23: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrates after the Steelers won 24-19 against the New York Jets during the 2011 AFC Championship game at Heinz Field on January 23, 2011 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo

To Ben Roethlisberger's credit, all you hear these days is how he has changed himself for the better after a couple trying summers away from football. 

However, while the media and NFL people have started to come around on Big Ben, the fans of the NFL have been slower to forgive him for his misgivings. 

Fair or not, Roethlisberger is still being labeled and criticized for the things he has done off the field, and while he certainly is a good story for overcoming everything that has gone on around him, there will still be plenty of fans that remember him only for those vulnerable moments. 

Just like Michael Vick, Roethlisberger will have people cheering in his corner, but the casual NFL fan would probably rather see him fail than succeed at this point. 

Rodgers, his counterpart in the Super Bowl, has no such negative perception. In fact, he's become the darling of this year's postseason, and many believe a Super Bowl win would cement his status as an elite NFL quarterback. 

Overcoming Brett Favre

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GREEN BAY, WI - NOVEMBER 11: Brett Favre #4 of the Green Bay Packers talks with Aaron Rodgers #12 during the game against the Minnesota Vikings give chase on November 11, 2007 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Imag

You don't have to be a Packers' fan to know how much Rodgers has been through when it comes to a certain old Green Bay quarterback. 

Rodgers waited three years behind Brett Favre to become the Packers' starting quarterback, and when Favre tried to unretire and regain hold of his old team, the Packers had already moved on with Rodgers. 

The drama of summer 2008 commenced, and eventually Favre was shipped off to New York. However, many Packers fans wouldn't and maybe still won't forgive management for that decision. 

Rodgers, on the other hand, has done everything possible to help Packers' fans forget about Favre. His three-year stretch from '08-10 is rivaled statistically by possibly only Favre's '95-'97 run, and he took the Packers to the Super Bowl in just his third year. 

Overall, Rodgers has overcome a lot when it comes to Brett Favre, and considering how far Favre has fallen in the eyes of NFL fans, there will certainly be a few in Rodgers' corner during the Super Bowl. 

If Rodgers can win Super Bowl XLV, then maybe we can shut the case once and for all on Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre.