Clear in Green Bay, Cloudy in Minnesota
As we sit mired in a time of preseason hoopla which will largely center around the most prolific man to line up under center in the history of Lambeau Field, the Packers can be grateful they are not once again playing the Brett Favre waiting game. As the cross-division rival Vikings now find themselves on the wrong end of Favre’s yearly “we need to talk” conversation, coach Brad Childress can do little else other than stare at the telephone in hopes it will ring sooner than later and that the happy couple can stay together with no need to see other people. Not to say that Old-man Brett’s performance last year was anything short of remarkable last year, throwing 33 touchdown strikes compared to a career low 7 interceptions (any career mark is notable after nearly two decades in the league), but Favre truly did the Pack a favor by forcing their hand just two seasons ago. While the forecast says it should be cloudy in Minnesota for at least another month or so, Green Bay should enjoy the wind at their back and high visibility going forward as their offense comes together once again in training camp.Aaron Rodgers waited patiently, serving as the consummate teammate while backing up Favre during his first 3 seasons riding pine, never vocalizing his desires to see the field before his time. Instead, Rodgers punished the defense from the scout team, making believers out of many of his peers before taking his first starting snap. Now two seasons in, it’s tough to find any analyst or pundit with anything but praise for the signal caller out of California. Not the type to draw unnecessary attention to himself and say publicly waffle back and forth with the media, Rodgers has put quietly up among the best numbers in the NFL. Not only do is 58 touchdowns next to just 20 picks over the past two years prove he can get it done through the air, his 9 ground scores 570 rushing yards in the time span add a fresh dimension to the Packers attack. Perhaps most important, however, has been Rodgers cool and collected head, helping to ease the transition between the departure of Favre’s legend, a fragile time in franchise history, and the rise of his own star.