Maybe I’m just not looking in the right places, but on Sunday, I saw something for the very first time.
An Aaron Rodgers jersey. Worn by someone other than Aaron Rodgers.
It was around 3 p.m. at the off-leash dog park where I take my pooch. And thankfully, the jersey wasn’t on one of the dogs. It was proudly displayed by a female Packers fan, though she did seem more concerned about little Fido than getting home in time for kickoff.
Judging by this September article, there should be plenty of Rodgers jerseys out there, but this was the first one that registered with me. Maybe it’s because in the week leading up to Sunday’s game, I heard people insisting that Green Bay’s problems were Rodgers’ fault.
They said that he didn’t scare opponents enough. That he didn’t inspire his own teammates. That he wasn’t enough of a leader.
Sure. I hear he crashed the stock market, too.
Look, Green Bay is 3-3 for a very simple reason. Its run defense ranks 27th in the league. That’s just four spots ahead of Detroit!
In fact, you can make the argument that without Rodgers, the Packers might be winless like Detroit. Green Bay’s passing offense ranks 10th in the league, but its running game is all the way down at 21st.
But before Green Bay’s win over Seattle, disaffected Packers fans were trying to scapegoat Rodgers. The sum of their argument was simple, and not surprising. He’s not Brett Favre.
Sports Illustrated’s Peter King begs to differ. King has the Packers way down at 17 in his weekly NFL rankings, but praises Aaron Rodgers for “playing well, almost Favrian, with a bum shoulder.” High praise from the president of the Favre Fan Club.
Rodgers deserves the accolades. His passer rating of 98.0 ranks eighth in the league – better than Ben Roethlisberger, Donovan McNabb, Peyton Manning and Jay Cutler.
But rather than give the kid his due, too many Packers fans will point to Favre’s fourth-best passer rating of 103.0 and blame Rodgers for not duplicating it. Just like it’s his fault that Green Bay can’t tackle anyone.
I get it. Rodgers is the easy target, the interloper who’s sitting on the throne of a legend.
Still, it’s about time that people appreciate what they have – an above-average quarterback who’s even making progress on erasing the biggest knock against him. Yeah, Rodgers may still be injury prone, but he’s proving he’ll not only play through those injuries, but play well. You try throwing a ping pong ball, much less a football, with a recently separated shoulder.
I can hear the doubters now, though. "That’s nice, Aaron…
But where’s that cure for baldness?"
Quote of Note
“You define who you are when you’re faced with adversity.”
– Wisconsin football coach Brett Bielema, whose Badgers are getting plenty of definition after dropping to 0-3 in the Big Ten.
In other news…
Something to smile about
It wasn’t the best week for Brewers owner Mark Attanasio. Not only did his Brewers get knocked out of the playoffs, but his day job must have pretty much sucked. He is, after all, an investment banker.
But Attanasio still took the time to publish an open letter to Brewers fans, taking out two full page ads in the Journal Sentinel. Not sure how much that cost him, but I hope he didn’t pay it off in GM stock.
NBA Cuts
Seems the NBA isn’t immune to the economic downturn. Commissioner David Stern has announced that the league must lay off some 80 workers.
Sorry Knicks fans.
Chemistry Set
At the Bucks’ media day a couple weeks ago, I asked newcomer Richard Jefferson how long it would take to build up some team chemistry, and he basically said he didn’t know. Judging by the preseason results – four games, all bad losses – nobody else knows, either.
So maybe this trip to China is just what the team needs. Because as Michael Redd noted, what else are they going to do on the plane?
“We’ve got 15 hours each way to talk and get together,” Redd said, “and we can develop chemistry over there, too.”
Maybe Mayor Tom Barrett can give them some tips. He’s on the trip, too.
And finally…
When the Bucks do arrive in China, they’ll find that the Westernization of China is coming along nicely.
Because apparently some of their athletes have oversized egos, too.
Tune in every Tuesday morning during the 6 o’clock hour when I join Doug Russell and Mike Wickett on SportsRadio 1250 AM for Tuesdays with Howie. You can find the interviews in their Audio Vault, too. And don’t forget to check out our new fitness column, Training with Tim.
