With the return of Aaron Rodgers on Sunday, I am reposting something I wrote on December 3rd. My naive self thought he would play against Atlanta. That did not happen, but a lot of the thoughts here hold the same.
Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy might announce later today that Aaron Rodgers will be playing on Sunday against Atlanta. He could announce Rodgers is missing yet another start, and what they might be doing at quarterback this week. With Green Bay in complete flux on defense, people are viewing Rodgers as a savior who will completely bring this team back to relevancy and maybe a division title. The Packers quarterback needs to be judge with a fair microscope if he returns from injury this week or the following against Dallas.
If Rodgers returns to Lambeau Field, it might be the loudest we have ever heard the stadium. This last month has been torture for Packers fans while Cleveland Browns' faithful call it normal. Every fan right now is yearning for some positive news about their team. This is the first rock bottom moment this organization has had since 2008. At least in 2010 when Green Bay lost two games in December and looked out of the playoff hunt, Packers were at least playing well. That has not happened here. Rodgers seems to be the solution and the solver of all the problems that face this team. We all know this is not true as he is only one man taking control of one position on the field yet people will expect it to be like nothing changed for Rodgers.
That line of thinking is flawed to the highest degree. For the time being, Rodgers will play a different style of quarterback. He might not go out to run the football nor will he hold on to the ball as long as he might if Rodgers still thinks a big play is possible. In my opinion, Rodgers should apply Peyton Manning's method of of taking sacks where Manning just lays down before getting hit by the opposing lineman or linebacker. Further, Eddie Lacy could be used like he was when Rodgers sat on the sidelines with a hooded sweatshirt and a mustache. This might frustrate fans, and lead them to ask ridiculous questions although it is not fair to expect Rodgers to be at MVP levels when he returns from injury.
Jason Wilde of ESPN Wisconsin deals with a ton of BS on Twitter. We see it more because Wilde shows the idiocy of Packers' fans at times. One of them yesterday caught my eyes when a reader emailed him saying Brett Favre would have played through a collarbone injury. Simply put, there is no possible way Favre could have handled a collarbone injury. Maybe he plays through a game, but that would be about it. Green Bay fans are spoiled when it comes to quarterback injuries because they can say 'Well Favre played through it.' This is accurate, but I am willing to bet Favre cost his team a couple victories with him playing at only 60 or 70 percent. If Rodgers cannot play this week, he should not be seen as inferior rather a pretty normal player with a collarbone injury.
Every Packer fan will be sitting on hands and knees awaiting what McCarthy will say about Rodgers' injury. It could be the news people have been waiting for since Rodgers went down that fateful Monday night against Chicago, or Green Bay's depressing second half rolls on.
Charlie.
Post a Comment