Let's be fair: Rodgers was ready

[GrnBay007]

Rodgers quote of:

"I think some of my success can be attributed not only to my work ethic that I put in the offseason," Rodgers said, "but [also] really the three years of growth that I've been able to learn behind one of the greatest quarterback to ever lace them up. And to not really have any pressure on me for three years to learn the offense and also defenses. I think you're kind of seeing that by-product."


reinforces the argument that rookie quarterbacks need to come into the NFL and sit, absorb, and learn the system and the new level of football before they assume a starting position.

Rodgers is taking over at a prime time for the Packers. I'm extremely happy to see him playing so well. If he had struggled early on things could have gotten very ugly for the Packer nation.

What is especially refreshing to see, while he is doing so well coming out of the gate, is that he is being humble about it. Packer fans that doubted him will embrace this.

And, what is really nice, is that so early in his winning career, and at such a young age, he can be a model to Packer fans that don't seem to have the class he does.....

What they did was a slap in the face to the Vikings as if to say our garbage is obviously better than the best you have and we're going to make sure you don't get it so keep your nose out of our dumpster.

http://packerrats.com/ratchat/viewtopic.php?t=14735 ~ JH

[HarveyWallbangers]

If you need a quarterback, you probably shouldn't draft one
By Tim Keown, ESPN.com

There are many lessons to be learned from the dual sagas of Aaron Rodgers and Alex Smith, not the least of which is this: The best time to draft a quarterback is when you don't need one.

Carrying a clipboard was the smartest thing the Packers asked Rodgers to do.

Easier said than done, of course, since there are times when you don't think you need one until suddenly you discover you do. Still, the idea is solid. It's pretty much unquestioned that quarterback is the most important position in any team sport. Nothing else really compares -- not a big-time starting pitcher (significant only every fifth day) or even a LeBron James-type basketball player (though that one comes closest).

When you factor in how much football coaches expect a quarterback to learn and how quickly they expect him to learn it, there's no other position that deserves a place in the discussion. And if NFL offenses seem at times to be overly complicated -- maybe even artificially complicated -- well, you're not alone in that line of thinking. No matter, though, since wondering if all of that professorial, sleep-in-the-office stuff is necessary doesn't make it any easier to master.

There's no doubt Rodgers would have rather been playing in Green Bay -- or maybe somewhere else -- than standing on the sidelines in a ballcap waving in signs like a third-base coach. For three years he played behind Brett Favre, and it was the rare instance in football where nobody clamored for the backup.

It's also true that Rodgers' time as a backup to Favre couldn't have been better for the Packers. How good do they look now? They drafted him in 2005 knowing he wouldn't play right away, and now that he is playing he looks like a younger, more practical version of Favre. So far, he's Brett without all those lovable mistakes.

The theory on Rodgers is this: It wouldn't have happened if he started as a rookie. In fact, if he had started as a rookie, it might not have happened at all.

Which brings us back to Alex Smith. Taken by a quarterback-starved 49ers team with the first pick of the same draft, Smith was tossed into the grinder far too soon. He played poorly, got hurt and wandered through three different offensive coordinators in his first three years.

Who knows what Alex Smith could have done if he were not thrown into the fire so quickly?

Were the talent evaluators that far off on the respective talents of Smith and Rodgers, or did their circumstances dictate their futures? Rodgers has started only two games, so there's always the possibility this won't last, but no quarterback has hit the ground running like this guy in the past 10 years. And Smith, out for the year with another shoulder injury and ostensibly through as a 49er, is being discussed as the worst pick in the history of the NFL draft.

And right now, it would be hard to craft a compelling argument against that statement.

Assuming the talent evaluators had some level of competence, the difference is largely location. Smith was the great hope for 49ers fans hoping for a return to the team's quarterback-centric glory. After all, there's only so much Tim Rattay, Ken Dorsey and Cody Pickett that any dues-paying fan can take.

So what's a team to do? If you have the luxury, pick a quarterback high in the draft and wait it out. As a real-life example, think about how many years Peyton Manning has left at his current level. Four, maybe five? Assuming Jim Sorgi isn't a solution, there's only one option for the Colts: Look for a quarterback, now, with the idea of getting one of the top two in next year's draft. Pick your linebackers and wide receivers after the first round, and concentrate on the most important position first.

Either that, or choose this option: Sign Alex Smith. Give him the apprentice years he wasn't afforded in San Francisco. That way, we'd all get to see whether environment is the main factor in the development of a quarterback.

[Guiness]

Smith and Rodgers will forever be linked because of the way they were drafted, and the way it fell out. Although I sometimes wonder why Jason Campbell is never mentioned.

I wonder what will happen to Smith from here. A year on the IR - does his arm get back to full strength? If he goes elsewhere and has a chance to sit, will he succeed, or fail again like Carr/Harrington/Akili, etc? I can't think of any examples of highly touted QB's that failed with their initial team, only to do well somewhere else. All the first round flameouts I can think of never had a resurgence.

[oregonpackfan]

Rodgers quote of:

"I think some of my success can be attributed not only to my work ethic that I put in the offseason," Rodgers said, "but [also] really the three years of growth that I've been able to learn behind one of the greatest quarterback to ever lace them up. And to not really have any pressure on me for three years to learn the offense and also defenses. I think you're kind of seeing that by-product."


reinforces the argument that rookie quarterbacks need to come into the NFL and sit, absorb, and learn the system and the new level of football before they assume a starting position.

There are too many rookie quarterbacks who have had to start in front of mediocre or lousy teams who have had their careers stunted because they were not ready to start. I am talking about the stunted careers of David Carr, Akili Smith, Joey Harrington, Alex Smith, Tim Couch and so on.

Though he appears to be talented, the same stunted fate may happen to rookie QB Matt Ryan.

Most of those guys got chances, later in their careers, to sit on the bench and learn. Somehow they didn't develop their "talent" then. Maybe they just sucked. Maybe scouts aren't always right in their evaluation of QB's.

Maybe by the time they had the chance to sit on the bench after early demoralizing years, these guys have lost their confidence. In addition, the coaches have lost confidence in the QB's abilities and don't want to give them needed coaching, practice reps, etc.

[Patler]

I can't think of any examples of highly touted QB's that failed with their initial team, only to do well somewhere else. All the first round flameouts I can think of never had a resurgence.

I think Steve Young falls into that category. He was highly touted, and Tampa Bay drafted him but gave up on him after two seasons, one as their starter. He sat for most of four seasons in SF, playing only as a backup until finally taking over for Montana and forging an 8 season career as their starter good enough to earn him a spot in the HOF

[Zool]

I can't think of any examples of highly touted QB's that failed with their initial team, only to do well somewhere else. All the first round flameouts I can think of never had a resurgence.

I think Steve Young falls into that category. He was highly touted, and Tampa Bay drafted him but gave up on him after two seasons, one as their starter. He sat for most of four seasons in SF, playing only as a backup until finally taking over for Montana and forging an 8 season career as their starter good enough to earn him a spot in the HOF

Trent Dilfer
Vinnie Testaverde
Along with Young, that makes 3 from Tampa. Good job down there.

Plunket did alright in Oakland after bouncing around
Plumber was good for Denver
Chris Chandler

Is is cheating to say Elway?

[Gunakor]

I can't think of any examples of highly touted QB's that failed with their initial team, only to do well somewhere else. All the first round flameouts I can think of never had a resurgence.

I think Steve Young falls into that category. He was highly touted, and Tampa Bay drafted him but gave up on him after two seasons, one as their starter. He sat for most of four seasons in SF, playing only as a backup until finally taking over for Montana and forging an 8 season career as their starter good enough to earn him a spot in the HOF

Trent Dilfer
Vinnie Testaverde
Along with Young, that makes 3 from Tampa. Good job down there.

Plunket did alright in Oakland after bouncing around
Plumber was good for Denver
Chris Chandler

Is is cheating to say Elway?

Elway didn't exactly fail with his "original" Broncos teams. He didn't win any SB's, but at least he got his teams to a bunch of them. I don't think that would be considered failure in the context of Guiness' post.

[Scott Campbell]

Plumber was good for Denver

Jake was pretty good in AZ too.

[mraynrand]

I thought Rodgers was ready all along. But ready for what?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfHDJYvZPwg

[Guiness]

I can't think of any examples of highly touted QB's that failed with their initial team, only to do well somewhere else. All the first round flameouts I can think of never had a resurgence.

I think Steve Young falls into that category. He was highly touted, and Tampa Bay drafted him but gave up on him after two seasons, one as their starter. He sat for most of four seasons in SF, playing only as a backup until finally taking over for Montana and forging an 8 season career as their starter good enough to earn him a spot in the HOF

Trent Dilfer
Vinnie Testaverde
Along with Young, that makes 3 from Tampa. Good job down there.

Plunket did alright in Oakland after bouncing around
Plumber was good for Denver
Chris Chandler

Is is cheating to say Elway?

Good list. Don't know how SY slipped my mind. Has any other modern era player made it into the hall after staring for so few years? I guess the SF lifestyle brought him out of his shell...I know Charles Haley enjoyed his presence.

I wouldn't say Dilfer failed in Tampa, or succeeded real well elsewhere. He did have one very good season in TB, making the Pro Bowl. He struggled for a bit, TB kicked him out because of his low ceiling, and he never went above that ceiling. And I don't want to hear about the SB.

The Snake was pretty good in AZ. I don't think they gave up on him so much as he wanted out, didn't he? I seem to remember him being a pretty hot commodity. A lot felt he would succeed in Denver, and he did not bad.

Testaverde is another good example (wasn't he drafted to replace Young?) I don't know Crystal or Plunkett's stories. Chandler did well in Atl, did he bounce around the league before that?

[Gunakor]

that article will be irritating to some so should be moved to the garbage can.

Why would anybody other than a Vikings fan, a Bears fan, or a Lions fan find this article irritating?

[Zool]

Crystal Chandelier played for 5 teams before ATL. He will always have a place in my heart for beating the 15-1 Vikings in the NFCC game.

Plunkett was a #1 overall for the Pats. Bounced around before landing in Oakland/LA.

Dilfer wasn't too bad in TB, but he did win a Superbowl after he left. Oddly enough, so did they.

Jake was good on some bad AZ teams, agreed. He was supposed to be the savior in Denver but that didnt really pan out. Even with the series of 1500yd RB's at their disposal.

I didn't pay attention to the failing on first team part. Mainly guys who played well on a different team when the team that drafted them picked them high.

[MOBB DEEP]

nfl season is a marathon, not a sprint...

[Lurker64]

Is is cheating to say Elway?

Elway didn't exactly fail with his "original" Broncos teams. He didn't win any SB's, but at least he got his teams to a bunch of them.

Yeah, but how did Elway do for the team who drafted him #1 overall (the Baltimore Colts)?

[mission]

nfl season is a marathon, not a sprint...

What does that have to do with Aaron Rodgers being a capable quarterback, Mr Irrelevant?