It has never been easy for Aaron Rodgers since his entrance into the NFL. It started on draft day 2005, when he slowly dropped down the draft list, ending up going 24th to the Green Bay Packers, all while ESPN filmed every second of his agonizing and embarrassing wait. Then he proceeded for three years of his "career" to back up hall of fame super bowl winning quarterback turned pop icon Brett Favre, never starting one game during that time. After Favre was let go by the organization in favor of the young and promising Rodgers, Packer nation for the vast majority was in an uproar about the situation, feeling as if Favre was not yet finished. After Favre eventually signed a deal with the New York Jets, Rodgers was now viewed as "The Next Brett Favre," and anything short of Favre like success would be unacceptable. Things got especially hard for Rodgers when his Packers got eliminated by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2009 NFC wild card round, the same year Favre, now with the hated Minnesota Vikings, lead them to the NFC championship.
But then 2010 came, a year in which Rodgers had all the potential in the world to break out. Still to this point, Rodgers had not won a playoff game in his career and in a way the verdict was still out on whether the decision to go with him three years ago was correct. In the last 6 weeks, Rodgers has done everything to prove that it was. He has essentially won five games in a row in which his Packers faced elimination, beating the New York Giants and rival Chicago Bears to squeeze into the playoffs as the last seed. He has proceeded to beat the top three seeds (Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago again) to guide the Pack on a miracle ride to the Super Bowl. This is after he put up rediculous stats this season to the tune of almost 4,000 yards and 28 touchdowns. Oh, and that Favre guy's 2010? Well, his NFL record for consecutive starts ended, suffered multiple injuries, and his Vikings finished 6-10, good for last in the NFC North.
With Rodgers one game away from winning a title, he will have the opportunity to notch his name up there with Bart Starr and Favre as quarterbacks of Green Bay Packer super bowl winning teams. With a win, he will also equal the amount of Super Bowl victories as Favre (one). Most importantly, with a win, Rodgers will finally separate himself from any Favre connection, as he will be his own individual self with his own individual ring. This game is the biggest in Rodgers' career, as he now has the opportunity to erase the "Next Brett Favre" tag and just be himself. And considering Favre never reached a Super Bowl again after his 1996 victory, who knows how many more opportunities he will get.
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/576224-aaron-rodgers-tom-brady-2011-nfl-draft-and-mondays-late-nfl-news/entry/42835-aaron-rodgers-escaping-the-shadow-of-brett-favre-once-and-for-all
But then 2010 came, a year in which Rodgers had all the potential in the world to break out. Still to this point, Rodgers had not won a playoff game in his career and in a way the verdict was still out on whether the decision to go with him three years ago was correct. In the last 6 weeks, Rodgers has done everything to prove that it was. He has essentially won five games in a row in which his Packers faced elimination, beating the New York Giants and rival Chicago Bears to squeeze into the playoffs as the last seed. He has proceeded to beat the top three seeds (Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago again) to guide the Pack on a miracle ride to the Super Bowl. This is after he put up rediculous stats this season to the tune of almost 4,000 yards and 28 touchdowns. Oh, and that Favre guy's 2010? Well, his NFL record for consecutive starts ended, suffered multiple injuries, and his Vikings finished 6-10, good for last in the NFC North.
With Rodgers one game away from winning a title, he will have the opportunity to notch his name up there with Bart Starr and Favre as quarterbacks of Green Bay Packer super bowl winning teams. With a win, he will also equal the amount of Super Bowl victories as Favre (one). Most importantly, with a win, Rodgers will finally separate himself from any Favre connection, as he will be his own individual self with his own individual ring. This game is the biggest in Rodgers' career, as he now has the opportunity to erase the "Next Brett Favre" tag and just be himself. And considering Favre never reached a Super Bowl again after his 1996 victory, who knows how many more opportunities he will get.
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/576224-aaron-rodgers-tom-brady-2011-nfl-draft-and-mondays-late-nfl-news/entry/42835-aaron-rodgers-escaping-the-shadow-of-brett-favre-once-and-for-all
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