Aaron Rodgers Is So Screwed

Green Bay quarterback, Aaron Rodgers says he doesn't want our pity, but he is going to get some of mine. The kid in the short YouTube above rejected Rodgers' attempt to autograph his football, and as was explained in an article preaching that fans take it easier on Rodgers, another kid told him:

"We don't love you. You suck."

Children often express elemental but brutal honesty, and I'm not sure things are going to be much better for AaRod in his dealings with fans in general.

Whatever side you pick in the Packer front office versus Brett Favre pissing match dispute, there is going to be a percentage of the fanbase who will be bitter at GM Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy for kicking Favre to the curb in favor of an unproven Rodgers. And however misguided it is, those fans will take it out on Rodgers.

Though the course of a game, it is easier to boo Rodgers than Thompson and McCarthy. Emotional and overwrought perhaps, but that's how things work. The decision makers don't throw incomplete passes and every quarterback does.

Replacing a legend is never easy for any quarterback. It's a very exposed position on the field, so any mistakes you make are magnified. Replacing a legend AND learning to be a starter AND dealing with the hurt feelings of the fanbase means he is screwed. Rodgers, of course, has the opportunity to make more money now that he's a starter, and maybe he can count it to comfort him after he makes the inevitable mistakes that inexperienced quarterbacks do.

There are few past situations that are instructive to say what Rodgers' future might be.

Steve Young replaced legend Joe Montana, but at the time Young took hold of the starting job, he had already had many starts due to injuries to Montana. It was also a less proctological time in sports media coverage.

Denver and Miami have struggled for years trying to find their Steve Young to replace their legends, yet Green Bay is confident that they have their quarterback.

An inexact modern media analogy would be Texans management's decision to keep David Carr and not draft Texas Longhorn legend Vince Young fresh of his National Championship win. The fanbase was naturally skeptical of Gary Kubiak's ability to fix Carr, and completely bitter than Young was going to play for a rival team. And angry at management for thinking that Carr was the sort of quarterback that could take them to the Super Bowl.

Though he didn't get sacked as much his final year with Houston, the season was particularly brutal for the Houston quarterback who was not Vince Young. The fans were especially quick to boo him--an Eagle fan even asked me why Texans fans were booing Carr so much.

And the Rodgers' situation is much worse than that, except that Rodgers doesn't wear mittens.

In a league where many teams don't have even one proven quarterback, the Packers ditched a guy who over the course of last season had 4,155 passing yards last year, 259.7 per game, 66.5 completion percentage, 28 TDs, and 95.7 QB rating (and well, an unfortunate season ending interception). Aaron Rodgers is going to have to play phenomenally to get fans to give him a break. Not just good for a first year starter good.

It's all about good will. Favre had a ton, and lost some with this offseason soap opera. Thompson, McCarthy, and Rodgers have little good will to get them through the inevitable difficult times NFL teams face during their season.

I've always felt that few NFL players are so good that they could thrive no matter their situation and support. Even Favre wasn't The Brett Favre coming into the league in Atlanta. Is Rodgers such a good player who can develop his game in an environment where many will be rooting for his told-you-so failure?

I guess he is going to hope that fans just decide to get on board and shut up. Funny, I don't see that happening.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

8-07-2008 @ 2:19PM

Brodie said...

This situation is just ridiculous. I get that fans are mad at management for letting Favre go, but Rodgers didn't have a hand in that. I love Favre, and I love the Packers. Am I upset that he's gone? Sure. If the Packers fail, will I take a sort of perverse satisfaction in the fact that this decision will be thrown back in the faces of management? Sure.

Do I want to boo our QB and see the Packers fail? Of course not. Being upset at management doesn't mean you should want to see your team fail. There's 50+ other guys on that roster...they had nothing to do with Favre's departure. You loved all those guys and this team in general last year...don't turn on them because of something they had nothing to do with.

If history proves this group of decision-makers to be idiots in letting a legend walk, then fine...we can crucify them in the future. But until then, if you supported the Green Bay Packers last year, then you should support them still. The guys out there making the plays had nothing to do with any of this.

8-07-2008 @ 3:46PM

Beth said...

Brodie, you are absolutely correct! This is a tough situation for everyone involved. None of us know the particulars and probably never will.
When you think of the Packers, you think of Brett Favre, even though he was one of many on the team. It is hard for people to accept the fact that he isn't going to be there any longer. It has been easy to love the guy, he is a legend after all. It just seems like all his hard work and dedication to the team meant little after he spoke the word "retirement".
One can wonder why his desire to play football again was met with such resistance. Lots of questions with just a few answers.
In the end we wish the Favre family well in New York. If you are a true fan, this "bump" in the Packer road won't sway your devotion.
We'll just have to watch the Jets play too...

8-07-2008 @ 2:53PM

hootie_69 said...

Steve Young had plenty of starts before he ever got to the 49ers. He was a starter two years in the USFL and for two years in Tampa Bay before he was traded to San Francisco. Steve had plenty experience as the team leader and not just a substitute when he took over. Unless Aaron has nerves of steel he is going to have some serious problems.

8-07-2008 @ 4:12PM

petejayhawk said...

AaRod?

BAN.

8-07-2008 @ 8:28PM

ursus maritimus said...

Who sucks?
This child needs a parent or someone with proper sports etiquette to teach him manners, politeness and sportsmanship...... not a football. His display of behavior is clearly (and unfortunately apparent in most Packers fans) emotionally immature. Certainly we all get emotionally charged up when we watch our favorite athlete or sports team, but in the end it's all about the players congratulating their opponents after the game or tournament as a show of honor and respect (even when they are upset). We can learn much from our team and the opponents, especially if our team loses. Fans get into brawls with each other more than the players. It's sport, not Auschwitz.

I think all of us fans, regardless of team, have a tendency to act like the saying: "love is blind"...we are so emotional (and passionate) and think beyond reason that our partner, or in this case, our favorite athlete or team, can DO NO WRONG no matter what. I suppose that's part of the fun of being a spectator.....we live our lives vicariously through our role models and still love them even when they're busted for steroids, firearms, dogfighting or melees at strip clubs. At least we're keeping Congress entertained.

8-07-2008 @ 8:57PM

chuck cole said...

It's not rodgers fault,...he just wants to play Qb,..I support him - GO GET EM KID -GO PACK GO !!

8-08-2008 @ 2:14AM

JG said...

ursus maritimus -

What was Favre's crime? He wanted to return to the game, so he did. Quit comparing him to other problem players like Vick, Jones, johnnson and so forth.

Children are a product of their environment and i'm sure his parents, like most of GB, were die hard Favre fans. favre was probably the kid's hero. It's just a fan's point of view, even if the fan is 10 years old.

Calling most Packers fans emotionally immature isn't being respectful now is it? You act like you are a saint and have never acted out of emotion... We call those people hypocrites.

So don't get all tree huging lovey peace hippie on here. Even one of the most spiritual people that lived on this planet lost his anger... I think some call him Jesus.

No one wants Rogers to fail, not even Favre, unless you are an opponent of GB.

Also, if you are so passionate about criticizing a child for showing one person no respect, maybe you should send Rogers a letter for disrespecting and being impolite to a whole fan base by telling them to shut up.

8-08-2008 @ 6:05AM

chron said...

Maybe Mario can buy him a drink at the end of the season and remind him that time wounds all heels, if you keep your head on straight and continue to work. Or maybe he'll have a good year or two and end up on a team where the fans aren't hung up on their lost love.

One important element in the David Carr saga is that, however unfair the fans may have been to him, he went on to prove that he really wasn't that good even with other teams. I'll be rooting for Rodgers to show that's not the case, whether he does it in Green Bay or, later, elsewhere. Meanwhile, I'm wondering if the Jets offense is enough like the Packers' that Favre can fit into the existing scheme and current talent, because it won't be too long before he really is too old to play the game -- they don't have time to build around him.

8-08-2008 @ 10:24AM

Cray said...

And people wonder why NFL commissioner Roger Goodell decided to implemented a new code of fan conduct.That kid needs 16 hour lecture in good sportmanship.