What is bugging me right now is the obvious comparison with New England last year when they started the season without Brady. First they lit it up with Garoppolo and then, when he went down, they plugged in a guy off the street (Brissett) who also managed to play at a respectable level. New England practically ddin't miss a beat with Brady out whereas the Packers going flying off the track and burst into a gigantic fireball when Rodgers goes down.

Is the talent level surrounding Brady that much higher than what GB has right now? Is Bellichick somehow able to prepare his anonymous third string QB (who has since proven to be human, all too human in Indy) better than what McCarthy can do over the course of three training camps? Or has he somehow managed to design a system in which anyone (except possibly Brian Brohm) could succeed whereas McCarthy implements a system that precisely one person on the planet is capable of running? I'm inclined to believe that the talent level surrounding Rodgers must be really low, but then we see guys who were marginal starters in GB (Hayward, Hyde) go on the excel elsewhere. So: low talent level combined with coaching staff that is incapable of recognizing what they have? I am mystified.