Stuck behind a legend, Packers QB Rodgers waits

[packers11]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/packers/2007-11-20-sw-aaron-rodgers_N.htm

GREAT Aaron Rodgers article...

[BF4MVP]

Great article, thanks for posting it

[]{ilr]3]

LMFAO

They arrive in meetings together joking, laughing and seeing who can produce the loudest bodily noises. Although Rodgers considers himself no slouch in this department, he admits Favre has no peer.

One day Rodgers was talking with quarterbacks coach Tom Clements when they hard a tremendous belch from 40 yards away. "That has to be Favre," Clements said.

Washington Redskins quarterback Mark Brunell, who backed up Favre from 1993-94, can verify Favre's varied sound-producing skills. "I only wish I had just heard them," he laughs, "instead of smelled them."

[KYPack]

We are in a wierd spot with Rodgers. I've always felt we are developing a QB for another team, just like all of Favre's back-ups.

After his 5th season, he will probably be in position to get a huge deal from some team that is in a Miami or Atlanta situation. An TT might not wanna pay it.

[jvandehey19]

And what would be the basis for this 'hugh deal'-five years of holding a clip board on the sidelines.

[MJZiggy]

We are in a wierd spot with Rodgers. I've always felt we are developing a QB for another team, just like all of Favre's back-ups.

After his 5th season, he will probably be in position to get a huge deal from some team that is in a Miami or Atlanta situation. An TT might not wanna pay it.

By the time Rodgers becomes a free agent, TT's gonna have to pay him if he gets another offer because we don't have another option in case Brett retires someday.

[Rastak]

And what would be the basis for this 'hugh deal'-five years of holding a clip board on the sidelines.

So then he leaves for a smaller deal and a chance to start.

[Partial]

And what would be the basis for this 'hugh deal'-five years of holding a clip board on the sidelines.

Tell that to Matt Schaub

[Carolina_Packer]

And what would be the basis for this 'hugh deal'-five years of holding a clip board on the sidelines.

I'm not quite sure what you mean. Are you saying he didn't deserve the initial contract he received because all he has done is hold a clipboard? Or, are you saying that when he initial contract is up that he should not be extended or another team should not go after him because he hasn't proven anything yet?

Well, none of that is his fault, of course. Nobody feels THAT sorry for Rodgers, but if it was your professional life and you knew that the window was short and that you were "dying on the vine", it might be hard to keep a good attitude. You might get anxious to show what you can do and want to start feeling fulfilled professionally. I give him a lot of credit for holding it together. Sure, we don't know what he will be someday, but unless you want to play go fish with as important a position as QB (ask the Vikes how that's working out), then you're going to have to pay for Rodgers services.

This would be a nice problem to have, not a bad one.

[Joemailman]

And what would be the basis for this 'hugh deal'-five years of holding a clip board on the sidelines.

See Matt Hasselback

[jvandehey19]

If any team in the NFL wants to pay Aaron Rodgers starting qb money, after a five year career of watching from the sidelines, have at it. I just hope it's not the Packers.

[jvandehey19]

As for Houston and Schaub, aren't they the team that passed on Reggie Bush, and overpaid for Ahman Green? Didn't they hire Mike Sherman as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator? What kind of season is Schaub having? Aren't the Texans last in their division?

[Joemailman]

If Rogers wanted to explore free agency, or TT wanted to trade him, there likely would be a market for him, especially if he has another strong pre-season in 2008:

Quarterback play has rarely looked worse than in 2007

By Don Pierson
Nov. 24, 2007




Instead of trying to figure out whether 38-year-old Brett Favre is going to finally retire this year, the NFL should be trying to lure 41-year-old Troy Aikman, 46-year-old Steve Young, 59-year-old Terry Bradshaw, 46-year-old Dan Marino, 56-year-old Ron Jaworski, 41-year-old Rich Gannon, 52-year-old Phil Simms and 46-year-old Boomer Esiason out of retirement.

There are better quarterbacks in the TV booths than on the fields. This is a problem. As insightful and interesting as these former players often are in describing and analyzing a game, their voices never will substitute for the memory of their arms.

The NFL is searching high and low for quarterbacks and finding only a few. They desperately need to keep looking.

When Derek Anderson is one of the most successful quarterbacks in the league, it raises questions. Such as, who is Derek Anderson?

When Alex Smith, a former No. 1 overall draft pick, is the lowest-rated passer in the league, it also raises questions. Such as, who is in charge of looking?

When Ben Roethlisberger, drafted after Eli Manning and Philip Rivers, emerges as clearly the best of the three, it confirms the well-known truth that no system of grading prospects is foolproof. But when undrafted Tony Romo emerges as a budding superstar, it suggests that little has been learned in the half century since Johnny Unitas went from unwanted to unparalleled.

If there’s a lesson to be gleaned here, maybe it’s this: What’s wrong with experimenting? Why is the position so sacrosanct? Why must quarterbacks always be treated so delicately?

Why is the subject so sensitive when Chicago reporters ask Lovie Smith whether Brian Griese or Rex Grossman is his starter? Does it matter? If one guy throws the winning TD pass one week, let him play. If the other throws too many interceptions, bench him. If either gets bent out of shape, so what? If they can’t stand the pressure of constant scrutiny and criticism, they’ll never stand the pressure of the pocket.

Why can’t Buffalo’s Dick Jauron switch between J.P. Losman and Trent Edwards as he sees fit?

If Baltimore’s Brian Billick had paid attention to Anderson as a rookie, maybe Anderson wouldn’t be the current darling of Cleveland. Yes, it was the Ravens who made Anderson a sixth-round draft choice in 2005, Kyle Boller’s third season. Boller missed half that season with injury, and the Ravens turned to Anthony Wright because they had waived Anderson in September.

Shouldn’t the Cowboys have inserted Romo earlier instead of sticking with Drew Bledsoe? Didn’t the Patriots long ago find out that an overlooked sixth-round draft choice could beat out a former No. 1 overall pick?

Maybe coaching needs to be blamed. Would Favre be Favre if Jerry Glanville had stuck with him in Atlanta instead of sending him to Mike Holmgren in Green Bay?

Speaking of coaching and former No. 1 overall picks, is Carson Palmer still playing for Cincinnati?

Bill Walsh has to be turning over in his grave. He developed third-round pick Joe Montana into a top-five quarterback of all time. He rescued Steve Young from Tampa Bay and recommended Jeff Garcia out of the Canadian League.

There was no better judge and coach of modern quarterbacks than Walsh, whose chapter on “The Care and Feeding of Quarterbacks” in his 1990 book, “Building a Champion,” should be required reading for every scout.

“I look for more in a quarterback than just a strong arm,” Walsh wrote.

Walsh listed natural competitive instincts, spontaneity, quick delivery, agility and athletic intelligence as the key ingredients — all developed by astute coaching, of course. Accuracy is understood but can be improved as part of mechanical preparation.

“A high IQ isn’t as important as the ability to realize almost instinctively what is occurring on the field,” Walsh wrote. “That quality can be observed in all the great quarterbacks. Once you’ve selected your quarterback, the first factor for success is his credibility. Do his teammates seriously believe he can perform? That credibility may take time to establish. For one reason or another, the rest of the squad may not take him seriously at first.”

The critical and intangible quality of leadership is crafted mainly through performance. It must be earned, not granted.

If a coach or an organization sticks with a quarterback too long because of a quest for stability, a fear of indecisiveness or a concern about payroll, the experiment is usually doomed to failure. Teammates can give up on a failing quarterback almost as soon as fans do. The Texans gave the David Carr experiment about three years too many. The Panthers can’t protect him any better than the Texans could. The offensive line is officially off the hook on Carr.

Quarterbacks are the stars of the league. You used to tune in to see Kurt Warner in St. Louis. Now he’s in Arizona trying to rekindle witnesses. Drew Brees stirred a whole league last season. Now he’s struggling. Matt Hasselbeck’s prime was one short-lived trip to the top. Holmgren has done about all he can with him.

Eli Manning looks like he’s about as good as he’s going to get. So is Jon Kitna. Probably Donovan McNabb, too.

Vince Young, Jay Cutler, Matt Leinart and Jason Campbell all still look a long way off. The Chad Pennington experiment is over. More power to Kellen Clemens. It’s nice that David Garrard got a chance to prove he’s better than Byron Leftwich, just as it’s nice that Matt Schaub got his shot to replace Carr. Pretty soon, we might find out if they’re really much better at all.

No wonder Jeff George keeps calling.

Hang in there, Sage Rosenfels. Your turn will come. It did for Damon Huard. Someday, it will for JaMarcus Russell. It better, because the league needs help.

Don Pierson is a PFW columnist and former pro football writer for the Chicago Tribune.

[Rastak]

As for Houston and Schaub, aren't they the team that passed on Reggie Bush, and overpaid for Ahman Green? Didn't they hire Mike Sherman as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator? What kind of season is Schaub having? Aren't the Texans last in their division?

What does that have to do with a backup QB getting a big contract?

[mraynrand]

And what would be the basis for this 'hugh deal'-five years of holding a clip board on the sidelines.

See Matt Hasselback

Rodgers will have to look better in the preseason to get more money and a better opportunity. But with the addition and development of more weapons, Rodgers could very well look fantastic next preseason. He looks great in pregame warm ups. I watched him throwing deep outs and go routes to Jennings before the Detroit game. He has a live arm with a lot of velocity. He's accurate, and as far as I can tell, only vestiges of the Tedford throwing motion remain. Question remains: how will he fare with real bullets in the gun. I have to admit, I don't want to find out for another couple of years.

I would think that there are plenty of west coast teams that would like to take a chance on Rodgers, especially if they have a lot of other pieces in place. You would think Rodgers could come in and play effectively within a year or two, with there being an outside chance he could star right away.