Aaron Rodgers Hopes "Price is Right" After Brett Favre's Retirement

So Brett Favre has apparently retired from the NFL, signaling the end of an era.

Now I know what you're saying: "Oh come on...there's probably thirty 'Brett Favre is retiring and here's why it is a good/bad thing for his career' articles on this site alone."

And you're probably right. 

But who would have thought that Brett Favre and Bob Barker had so much in common?

I mean aside from age (Barker is 84 and although the running joke is that Favre would play until he's 84, Brett is still a "young and spry" 38), Brett and Bob may as well be mirror images of each other, as both have walked the path of obscurity to fame over their lives.

To match Favre's story of growing up in Kiln, Mississippi, Barker has his childhood memories from Darrington, Washington and the Rosebud Indian Reservation. To combat Brett's college career, Barker has Truth or Consequences—and his short-lived The Family Game may as well be Favre's time with the Atlanta Falcons.

Even the records match: Favre is the leader amongst Quarterbacks in consecutive games played (275 including playoffs), while Barker held down a weekday T.V. job for a record 51 consecutive years before is retirement in June 2007. Barker has a record 14 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Game Show Host, while Favre is the only player to ever take home three NFL MVP awards.

They've even suffered through their own shares of health concerns, as Favre has had questions ranging from his head, to his arm, to his ankle, while Barker has had to "play through" a minor hand injury, prostate surgery, two strokes, and carotid endarterectomy surgery.

Meanwhile, their replacements are suffering a fate worse than a third-string quarterback for the Miami Dolphins.

I mean, how do you replace someone who was as beloved by fans as Barker and Favre were?

Well, you don't really.

As of this moment, both Drew Carey and Aaron Rodgers are faced with having to live up to—and exceed—the expectations that their predecessors laid out. There's no room for error, and at the first sign of trouble, fans will be all over them.

In actuality? Fans had (or will be in the case of Green Bay) been jumping off the bandwagon just because it wasn't who they grew up with. I mean thousands of old ladies probably stopped watching The Price is Right just because Drew Carey isn't the man they fell in love with.

How many fringe Packers fans will jump ship just because Brett Favre isn't around anymore and they're left with Aaron Rodgers?

Don't get me wrong: both Aaron Rodgers and Drew Carey are quality talents in their own rights, as both have had to prove themselves on some level—Drew Carey hosting Whose Line is it Anyways? and The Drew Carey Show (Whether it was good or not, the man still had a self-titled show, which isn't something everyone gets)—and Rodgers, who set numerous school records at the University of California, and has seen some success in a limited role in his first three NFL seasons—but both will be living in the shadow of legends.

And we've seen how constant comparisons to the greats can kill players' careers.

What will help Rodgers though is the fact that he's not coming straight from the draft.

If the Packers were to go out and draft Favre's successor this April, then the kid would be under constant scrutiny, and have no one to show him the ropes aside from Craig Nall and whoever else the Packers decided to bring in as a mentor.

To Rodgers?

This is just the same old song and dance, seeing as he's been constantly dealing with pressure in Green Bay as Favre has taken a year-by-year stance on his playing future since Rodgers entered the scene.

And he did get to study under Favre for a few years at least, which is certainly more than Drew Carey got.

But perhaps Drew said it best: "You can't replace Bob Barker. I don't compare myself to anybody…It's only about what you're doing and supposed to do".

So if Aaron doesn't try to replace Brett Favre, and just goes out and does what he's supposed to do—growing pains and all—there's no reason he can't be successful in Green Bay.

It's convincing the Packer faithful to keep that same mindset that's the hard part...