RashanGary
09-22-2007, 08:07 PM
Packers, Rodgers committed to each other
By Rob Demovsky
rdemovsk@greenbaypressgazette.com
In case Aaron Rodgers was wondering, the Green Bay Packers remain committed to him as their quarterback of the future.
Coach Mike McCarthy reiterated as much this week. If you’re Rodgers, that news could be met with only half-hearted enthusiasm given the early developments this season involving the guy he someday is scheduled to replace.
At 37 and in his 17th NFL season, Brett Favre had one of his best games of the last 2½ seasons in Sunday’s 35-13 win over the New York Giants, leading some — including his former position coach Steve Mariucci — to think Favre can, and just might, play beyond this season.
“Hopefully they can get Aaron Rodgers signed to another contract to be the next guy when that occurs, because I’m telling you, if Brett continues to have fun, if he stays healthy, he might keep playing,” Mariucci said. “He hasn’t made that decision yet to retire.”
Rodgers is in the third year of the five-year contract he signed in 2005 after Packers General Manager Ted Thompson selected him with the 24th pick in the draft. If Favre plays one more year and the Packers don’t do anything to Rodgers’ contract, he would take over as the starter going into the final year of his deal. If Favre were to play two more years, Rodgers’ contract would expire before he got a crack at the job.
It’s not uncommon for young quarterbacks — even high draft picks — to wait their turn, but waiting three years or more is the extreme. The Packers’ opposing quarterback today, San Diego’s Philip Rivers (the No. 4 overall pick in the 2004 draft), sat behind Drew Brees for two seasons before the Chargers traded Brees to New Orleans.
Of the 32 quarterbacks listed as their team’s regular starter, only seven didn’t become full-time starters by their second NFL season. Three — Chad Pennington of the New York Jets, Damon Huard of the Kansas City Chiefs and Rivers — did so in year three.
Three others — Matt Hasselbeck of the Seattle Seahawks, Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys and Matt Schaub of the Houston Texans — did so in year four. Trent Green of the Miami Dolphins waited the longest, first getting a full-time gig in his fifth NFL season.
Of those seven, only Schaub got significant playing time before becoming a full-time starter. He started one game in each of his first two seasons for the Atlanta Falcons as a fill-in for Michael Vick. It took an offseason trade this year for him to finally get his shot. Thirteen of the league’s starting quarterbacks made at least one start as a rookie.
Other than some mop-up duty in five regular-season games over his first two seasons, Rodgers has little NFL regular-season experience.
McCarthy has been on both sides. In 2005, he was the San Francisco 49ers’ offensive coordinator and had the task of breaking in Alex Smith, who was the top overall draft pick that season. Smith started seven games as a rookie for a team that finished 4-12.
In Green Bay, McCarthy has “the luxury” — his words — of slowly bringing along Rodgers.
“I’ve told Aaron this before — he doesn’t realize it now, but his path is clearly the best way to go,” McCarthy said. “When he first steps in there, he’s going to be ready. He’s ready right now, in my opinion. This is a better way to go as far as having the ability to have success.”
Chargers coach Norv Turner, who replaced McCarthy as offensive coordinator in San Francisco in 2006 before the Chargers hired him this offseason, agrees.
“No. 1, you’ve had a mentor,” Turner said. “You’ve had a guy, in your case like Brett Favre, where you’ve had a chance to watch him and study him and learn from him. But you also had all those repetitions, so you’re not going into a game kind of knowing what to do. You know exactly what to do.”
On the other hand, how long is too long to sit? At what point does talent get wasted or the quarterback regress from a lack of live action?
“I don’t know that a guy is going to regress in that situation,” Turner said. “Obviously, there is a transition period when you actually start playing, but I think it goes a lot faster if you’ve had those reps and have that preparation.”
Would four years, which would be how long Rodgers would wait if Favre retires after the 2008 season, be too long?
“No, I don’t think so,” Turner said.
Rodgers had easily his best preseason this past summer. He showed a greater command of the offense, looked poised in and out of the pocket, made largely the correct decisions and displayed increased arm strength. All of that led to McCarthy’s belief that Rodgers is “ready now.”
If McCarthy believes Rodgers is ready, and Rodgers believes he’s ready, then it would seemingly be tough for him to sit and watch. It’s natural to wonder if Rodgers is growing impatient and how he would react if Favre did decide to play at least one more year.
The Press-Gazette asked nine veterans in the Packers’ locker room this week this question: “If you were Rodgers and Favre came back next season, would you ask for a trade?” Only one said yes, and that was on the condition that he would become an instant starter with his new team. One said maybe. Four said definitively no, and three others said that’s too difficult to say.
“Sitting for a fourth year, that would be tough,” Favre said. “But you’ve also got to be thinking, ‘If I ask to be traded, maybe I go to a situation that’s terrible, and I could have stayed here for another year and gotten my chance.’ It’s a sacrifice now, but I think that’s probably the best way to go. But I’m not Aaron, and I’m not in that situation. He and I talk about that all the time, and we have a great relationship. I’ve said, ‘I know you want to play. I don’t blame you.’ But he’s handled it well, and I think that will make him a better player in the long run.
“But I don’t know. I know I’d be very impatient. I’d want to play right now, but I also know — and this is easy for me to say because I’m the one playing — but he’s got a lot of years left. But if he’s like, ‘Oh Brett is coming back, where does that leave me?’ His contract is probably close to being up, and he hasn’t hurt himself. If he wants, he’s going to get his shot here, and I think he’s going to be great, I really do.”
The poll was anonymous, but cornerback Al Harris wanted his answer to the trade question to be on the record.
“Being at that position, quarterback, I would say no,” Harris said. “I was behind Troy (Vincent) and Bobby (Taylor), and I asked to be traded. But if I was Aaron, I’d stay behind Brett and wait it out.”
There are financial implications for Rodgers, too, because his contract contains escalator clauses that kick in when he becomes the starter. If Favre had retired after the 2005 season, and Rodgers had been the full-time starter from 2006 through 2009, he would have added $8.25 million to his salaries from 2007 to 2009. If Favre returned after last season, and Rodgers had been the full-time starter from 2007 to 2009, he would have added $5.25 million in salary escalators. If Rodgers becomes the starter next season, he will add $2.2 million to his salary.
For the record, Rodgers claimed he would not ask to be traded if Favre comes back next season and said he wouldn’t be shocked if Favre played two more years.
“I want to play, but I feel like — and I’ve talked to some people here — that this organization wants me here and wants me to be the next quarterback,” Rodgers said. “As much as I want to play, I don’t think that’s in my best interest (to ask for a trade).”
One of Rodgers’ best friends on the Packers, running back Noah Herron, said he couldn’t even begin to make that decision if he were put in Rodgers’ shoes.
“I know every year, it’s kind of an up-and-down thing for him emotionally, just because Brett thinks he’s going to retire and then comes back,” Herron said. “It’s kind of been like that for the last two years. I just know he’s anxious to get on the field. He’s handed it well, probably better than anybody else in this locker room could. Being a first-rounder and watching all those other quarterbacks who came out his year playing and starting, it’s got to eat him up a little. He’s wanted to play the last three years.”
By Rob Demovsky
rdemovsk@greenbaypressgazette.com
In case Aaron Rodgers was wondering, the Green Bay Packers remain committed to him as their quarterback of the future.
Coach Mike McCarthy reiterated as much this week. If you’re Rodgers, that news could be met with only half-hearted enthusiasm given the early developments this season involving the guy he someday is scheduled to replace.
At 37 and in his 17th NFL season, Brett Favre had one of his best games of the last 2½ seasons in Sunday’s 35-13 win over the New York Giants, leading some — including his former position coach Steve Mariucci — to think Favre can, and just might, play beyond this season.
“Hopefully they can get Aaron Rodgers signed to another contract to be the next guy when that occurs, because I’m telling you, if Brett continues to have fun, if he stays healthy, he might keep playing,” Mariucci said. “He hasn’t made that decision yet to retire.”
Rodgers is in the third year of the five-year contract he signed in 2005 after Packers General Manager Ted Thompson selected him with the 24th pick in the draft. If Favre plays one more year and the Packers don’t do anything to Rodgers’ contract, he would take over as the starter going into the final year of his deal. If Favre were to play two more years, Rodgers’ contract would expire before he got a crack at the job.
It’s not uncommon for young quarterbacks — even high draft picks — to wait their turn, but waiting three years or more is the extreme. The Packers’ opposing quarterback today, San Diego’s Philip Rivers (the No. 4 overall pick in the 2004 draft), sat behind Drew Brees for two seasons before the Chargers traded Brees to New Orleans.
Of the 32 quarterbacks listed as their team’s regular starter, only seven didn’t become full-time starters by their second NFL season. Three — Chad Pennington of the New York Jets, Damon Huard of the Kansas City Chiefs and Rivers — did so in year three.
Three others — Matt Hasselbeck of the Seattle Seahawks, Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys and Matt Schaub of the Houston Texans — did so in year four. Trent Green of the Miami Dolphins waited the longest, first getting a full-time gig in his fifth NFL season.
Of those seven, only Schaub got significant playing time before becoming a full-time starter. He started one game in each of his first two seasons for the Atlanta Falcons as a fill-in for Michael Vick. It took an offseason trade this year for him to finally get his shot. Thirteen of the league’s starting quarterbacks made at least one start as a rookie.
Other than some mop-up duty in five regular-season games over his first two seasons, Rodgers has little NFL regular-season experience.
McCarthy has been on both sides. In 2005, he was the San Francisco 49ers’ offensive coordinator and had the task of breaking in Alex Smith, who was the top overall draft pick that season. Smith started seven games as a rookie for a team that finished 4-12.
In Green Bay, McCarthy has “the luxury” — his words — of slowly bringing along Rodgers.
“I’ve told Aaron this before — he doesn’t realize it now, but his path is clearly the best way to go,” McCarthy said. “When he first steps in there, he’s going to be ready. He’s ready right now, in my opinion. This is a better way to go as far as having the ability to have success.”
Chargers coach Norv Turner, who replaced McCarthy as offensive coordinator in San Francisco in 2006 before the Chargers hired him this offseason, agrees.
“No. 1, you’ve had a mentor,” Turner said. “You’ve had a guy, in your case like Brett Favre, where you’ve had a chance to watch him and study him and learn from him. But you also had all those repetitions, so you’re not going into a game kind of knowing what to do. You know exactly what to do.”
On the other hand, how long is too long to sit? At what point does talent get wasted or the quarterback regress from a lack of live action?
“I don’t know that a guy is going to regress in that situation,” Turner said. “Obviously, there is a transition period when you actually start playing, but I think it goes a lot faster if you’ve had those reps and have that preparation.”
Would four years, which would be how long Rodgers would wait if Favre retires after the 2008 season, be too long?
“No, I don’t think so,” Turner said.
Rodgers had easily his best preseason this past summer. He showed a greater command of the offense, looked poised in and out of the pocket, made largely the correct decisions and displayed increased arm strength. All of that led to McCarthy’s belief that Rodgers is “ready now.”
If McCarthy believes Rodgers is ready, and Rodgers believes he’s ready, then it would seemingly be tough for him to sit and watch. It’s natural to wonder if Rodgers is growing impatient and how he would react if Favre did decide to play at least one more year.
The Press-Gazette asked nine veterans in the Packers’ locker room this week this question: “If you were Rodgers and Favre came back next season, would you ask for a trade?” Only one said yes, and that was on the condition that he would become an instant starter with his new team. One said maybe. Four said definitively no, and three others said that’s too difficult to say.
“Sitting for a fourth year, that would be tough,” Favre said. “But you’ve also got to be thinking, ‘If I ask to be traded, maybe I go to a situation that’s terrible, and I could have stayed here for another year and gotten my chance.’ It’s a sacrifice now, but I think that’s probably the best way to go. But I’m not Aaron, and I’m not in that situation. He and I talk about that all the time, and we have a great relationship. I’ve said, ‘I know you want to play. I don’t blame you.’ But he’s handled it well, and I think that will make him a better player in the long run.
“But I don’t know. I know I’d be very impatient. I’d want to play right now, but I also know — and this is easy for me to say because I’m the one playing — but he’s got a lot of years left. But if he’s like, ‘Oh Brett is coming back, where does that leave me?’ His contract is probably close to being up, and he hasn’t hurt himself. If he wants, he’s going to get his shot here, and I think he’s going to be great, I really do.”
The poll was anonymous, but cornerback Al Harris wanted his answer to the trade question to be on the record.
“Being at that position, quarterback, I would say no,” Harris said. “I was behind Troy (Vincent) and Bobby (Taylor), and I asked to be traded. But if I was Aaron, I’d stay behind Brett and wait it out.”
There are financial implications for Rodgers, too, because his contract contains escalator clauses that kick in when he becomes the starter. If Favre had retired after the 2005 season, and Rodgers had been the full-time starter from 2006 through 2009, he would have added $8.25 million to his salaries from 2007 to 2009. If Favre returned after last season, and Rodgers had been the full-time starter from 2007 to 2009, he would have added $5.25 million in salary escalators. If Rodgers becomes the starter next season, he will add $2.2 million to his salary.
For the record, Rodgers claimed he would not ask to be traded if Favre comes back next season and said he wouldn’t be shocked if Favre played two more years.
“I want to play, but I feel like — and I’ve talked to some people here — that this organization wants me here and wants me to be the next quarterback,” Rodgers said. “As much as I want to play, I don’t think that’s in my best interest (to ask for a trade).”
One of Rodgers’ best friends on the Packers, running back Noah Herron, said he couldn’t even begin to make that decision if he were put in Rodgers’ shoes.
“I know every year, it’s kind of an up-and-down thing for him emotionally, just because Brett thinks he’s going to retire and then comes back,” Herron said. “It’s kind of been like that for the last two years. I just know he’s anxious to get on the field. He’s handed it well, probably better than anybody else in this locker room could. Being a first-rounder and watching all those other quarterbacks who came out his year playing and starting, it’s got to eat him up a little. He’s wanted to play the last three years.”