Aaron Rodgers: Why He'll Pass Brett Favre as Green Bay Packers Greatest QB
After Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers notched his first Super Bowl with the Packers in Super Bowl XLV—beating the vaunted Pittsburgh Steelers defense—the young quarterback looks to have a good NFL career ahead of him, if not a great one.
In case you haven't noticed, Brett Favre is no longer the quarterback of the Packers, currently in retirement after "ending" his career with the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings (who knows, he may come back).
Of course, it's only natural to speculate if Rodgers could become the Packers' all-time greatest quarterback, already tying Favre for championships with one.
So, the question is, will Aaron Rodgers surpass Brett Favre as the Green Bay Packers' greatest quarterback in franchise history?
7. Yes: He's Already Tied Favre in Super Bowl Wins
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Brett Favre played for 20 years, winning one Super Bowl, Super Bowl XXXI in 1997.
Aaron Rodgers has already won a Super Bowl with the Packers in his sixth year, his third year starting.
As unfair as it may seem, quarterbacks are judged by how many Super Bowls they win.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is a prime example of this, who many analysts and NFL players predicted would be a lock for the Hall of Fame if he had won Super Bowl XLV.
7. No: Favre Led the Packers to Numerous Playoff Appearances
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Quarterbacks should not only be judged by how many Super Bowls they lead their team to, but how many times they get them in the playoffs, as well.
During his career, Favre led his team to eight division titles, five NFC Championship games, and two Super Bowls (in back-to-back years). Most of these came with the Packers.
Rodgers is off to a good start, but that's quite a record to overcome.
Of course, another Super Bowl could change things.
6. Yes: Rodgers Has More Super Bowl MVPs
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Aaron Rodgers not only led the Packers to a championship this year, he did so in convincing fashion, in his first Super Bowl ever.
Rodgers threw for 304 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions against a Pittsburgh Steelers defense that allowed 14.5 points per game during the regular season.
Favre never won a Super Bowl MVP award in the two times he was given the chance.
6. No: Favre Has Three MVPs
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Rodgers may have more Super Bowl MVPs, but Favre won three MVPs for the season during his career.
This mark has only been surpassed by Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, who has four.
Favre won the MVP award in three consecutive seasons.
Talk about a few good years.
5. Yes: Rodgers Played Better in the Big Game
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This is debatable, but what Rodgers did against the Pittsburgh Steelers was something else—especially with little seasoning as a starting quarterback in the league.
He actually looked at ease at times, against a Steelers defense that had one of the most ferocious linebacking corps in the NFL and the Defensive Player of the Year, safety Troy Polamalu.
If this is Rodgers starting to evolve, I can't imagine the type of big-game quarterback he could become.
5. No: Favre Holds Countless NFL Records
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A few of Favre's NFL records as a QB in the NFL: most touchdowns passes, most career passing yards, most career pass completions, and most consecutive starts (by any position player).
You look at all the greats that have played in this game, and those records explode off the page.
Rodgers will likely not surpass all of these records, nor even some of them.
4. Yes: Favre Also Holds the Record For Most Interceptions
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How many interceptions does Brett Favre have for his career?
A whopping 336.
Sure, he also holds the record for most pass attempts, but there's no denying Favre was interception-prone at times, particularly in the later stages of his career.
Rodgers has a 87:32 touchdown-to-interception rate thus far.
That shows he takes care of the ball in a game where turnover differential can be pivotal.
4. No: Favre Is the Iron Man of the NFL
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Football takes toughness into account more so than most sports.
Favre was certainly tough, with the most consecutive starts ever by a position player, with 297 (321 including playoffs).
That kind of dedication and perseverance demands respect in football's folklore.
It's hard to beat that.
I don't think Rodgers—or anyone else for that matter—will ever beat this mark.
3. Yes: Rodgers Is a Better Teammate
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Another quality that is looked at when comparing NFL greats is the player's teamwork, if he truly cares about everyone on his team.
I think there's no question Favre has exhibited good teamwork and dedication to his team, given his consecutive starts record.
But he's also appeared to leave organizations, including the Packers, high and dry when they've needed to know if he was leaving, retiring or whatever he intends to do.
Some would argue he left Rodgers high and dry—not appearing to tutor his protege on the bench when he was with the Packers.
3. No: Favre's a More Respected Teammate
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I even have some issues with this argument—given the aforementioned confusion he caused for organizations he's been a part of.
But I think overall, Favre is more respected in the NFL given his career than Rodgers.
It takes a lot to build up trust in the NFL, particularly among the greats that have played the game.
Rodgers still has to prove a lot of things in his career before he surpasses Favre in all-time respect.
2. Yes: Rodgers Has Had a Better First Three Years As a Starter
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In his first three years as an NFL starter, Aaron Rodgers has thrown no less than 28 touchdowns in a single season or thrown more than 13 interceptions in a single season.
That's impressive.
Combine that with the fact he was the first player ever to throw for more than 4,000 yards in his first two seasons and the argument can certainly be made for Rodgers having a better start to his career.
In Favre's first two seasons, he had 18 touchdowns to 13 interceptions in 1992 and 19 touchdowns to 24 interceptions in 1993.
He did, however, start to get things rolling in his third year...
2. No: Favre's Third Year Began His Legendary Career
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Rodgers may have had a better first three years overall, but Favre's numbers in 1994, which really was the start of him becoming a Hall of Fame quarterback, were nothing to scoff at.
Favre threw for 33 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 1994, passing for almost 3,900 yards.
Favre went on to pass for at least 30 touchdowns in his next four seasons, throwing for at least 30 TDs a total of eight times after 1994.
That's quite a feat to stand up to.
1. Yes: Rodgers Already Has Been to a Pro Bowl
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Three years as a starting quarterback, and Aaron Rodgers already has been selected for a Pro Bowl (oddly enough, that was last year, not this year).
Pro Bowls can be a good measure of a player's ability, as they measure the respect around the league for a player during that time period.
Rodgers has already gained a good amount of respect.
1. No: Favre Has Been to 11 Pro Bowls
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Going to 11 Pro Bowls in one's career instantly thrusts that player into the elite of the elite.
Although Pro Bowl selections can be gimmicky, given the fans' votes can be popularity-based, 11 Pro Bowls is astounding.
Former New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Merlin Olsen holds the record with 14 Pro Bowl appearances.
Rodgers has a long way to go before he's considered in Favre's league.
Conclusion
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In conclusion, I ultimately can't see Aaron Rodgers surpassing Brett Favre as the Green Bay Packers' all-time greatest quarterback.
There are too many records set by Favre, too much history and too many legendary moments.
Although Rodgers has a good chance to bring more championships to Green Bay, the accomplishments by Favre throughout his career would outweigh this in my mind.
However, if Rodgers threatens some of Favre's records, or even surpasses them, I would probably tip the scale in Rodgers' favor.
Except for Favre's NFL record for career interceptions, don't pass that up Rodgers.
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