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What makes Aaron Rodgers the NFL’s Best?

By James Katorski

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Green Bay Packer fans have been abuzz with quarterback talk, with more good news, now going from twenty-two (22) to twenty-three (23) seasons, since Brett Favre began. A new system was being put in along with an overhauled staff. Before the first season ended, sports analysts began touting Favre and Green Bay as an up-and-coming team. As Favre reached a peak in a career that turned over more NFL records than anyone before him, the team made a change after sixteen of the most impressive seasons, Aaron Rodgers was given the go-ahead of the teams offensive command. The question was asked: Could he do it?

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With three seasons behind Favre (2005, 06, & 07), Rodgers saw only a few mop-up duties, which wasn’t enough to see his skill as an NFL starting quarterback. His first season was filled with doubt, and the fans projected it, while others remained true to their colors, backing the still growing young star who still was finding the handles within the complex offense.

Rodgers endured through it all, to begin his second season. After going 6-10, the Packers squeaked into the wild card spot going 11-5 his 2nd year, seeming as if all hell broke loose for Rodgers and Green Bay. It was nothing but improvements, and practice. In some cases he proved almost better than Favre, as many statistics began piling up, just as good as Favre. Those are darn heavy statements, but they were due to the young star, on his way to keeping the team in the same light they had been under during the Holmgren regime, as staff changes were made by the team.

The third season for Rodgers was one of the best Green Bay ever had, in domination. “This Packer offense is unstoppable!” A quote John Madden made, as the season was nearing the end in 2011. Rodgers led the Packers to a SuperBowl Victory that year. Brett Favre will never be forgotten, but he was no longer the lost savior the team needed, when they now had Rodgers pounding the airways like only the US Air Force can deliver.

Year after year week after week, Rodgers has done nothing but amaze fans with his delivery, making superstars of new young receivers, forcing defenses to key in on a pass play, making the Green Bay running game prosper from the lack of attention. Head Coach Mike McCarthy’s bid to balance the run to pass quotient fine tuned the offense with alternatives to any defensive attack that could have presented itself.

Over the past few NFL seasons Aaron Rodgers has even began media endorsement commercials, made some of he top entertainment magazines, especially pro-football and Sport mags, keying in on the romantics Rodgers has experienced with some of the top industry people in Hollywood. The stories all have one theme built into them, and that is to show how Rodgers is a winner, ranking higher not only than today’s starters for NFL teams at his position, but higher than the quarterbacks considered the “best ever” in all NFL history, by many experts, Joe Montana or Brett Favre.

“The Best Ever” is what Aaron Rodgers breaths to be, and can even smell the Title some 2,150 miles from (home) So. Cal and Hollywood. And you can bet the University of California graduate can use his head. To be the best ever, he’s going to need more than a record 126 passer rating; he needs Super Bowl appearances and victories. Over the past two seasons the team has put together both sides of the ball. The defense now ranks close to the top-ten, and with improvements through the draft, they can unify chemistry to move up a notch, have special teams come together. Mike McCarthy is finishing his new efforts in that area this summer, along with the odds-and-ends McCarthy wants his team to “shore up” on. The words we hear, the mood we feel, the talent and attitudes we sense are all there. The only thing missing are the victories that will begin September 13th. With one of the toughest schedules ever, this team, led by a healthy Rodgers, can be the real deal not only this coming February, but a few more to come. Green Bay has all they need to get past New England or Seattle for the bowl-run.

Some quarterbacks do not hold the same burning desire and determination. They many play great for a series, then falter. Aaron Rodgers only plays at one level, he raised the bar beyond the level of the others. Negative is not in Rodgers dictionary.

We began seeing that in Brett Favre, as the Ron Wolf/Holmgren legacy returned the glory, it continues with Aaron Rodgers. Winning continue under T. Thompson/McCarthy, as it was under Wolf/Holmgren, and Mark Murphy following Bob Harlan. Today, Ted Thompson is and will bring in better talent, continuing the legacy. As the commitments he has put together remain in Green Bay, TT’s version of Title-Town will remain on top.

These names today in Green Bay are not a winner today, gone tomorrow. They are constant contenders. The NFL legends and winners including Aaron Rodgers. To the Packers 13 World Titles how else can you explain it now? How many more Titles does Aaron Rodgers smell?

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