Aaron Rodgers and the 2007 Season

I think it's fair to kill Favre for his character but he gutted it out every time he was challenged to make a start in GB. The one year with the ankle was insane. Didn't think there was any way he was going to suit up.

Yup... and what was it, 39 TD passes that year with a broken thumb?

I'm really disappointed in what he's become, but he did lay it all out for the Packers for a long time...

It was for himself, he just happen to play for the Packers.

Fantastic Henry. Just hold on to that hate.

I still think that the Packers go to the Super Bowl if Aaron Rodgers plays the second half against the Giants in the NFCC. Pure speculation on my part, but the Packers needed just 1 drive to win that game and I think Rodgers could have given it to them.

the ensuing circus from AR taking over for bert in the NFCC in 2007 and winning it would have been incredible! if it had happened I have no doubt bert woulda told a story about being too injured to play rather than the truth of getting pulled.

and then who starts in the SB? oh the drama. bert woulda loved it. "I had a miraculous healing. I'm ready to go." and what does MM do then?

probably a good thing we'll never know.

I've heard from a credible source that m3 wanted pull favre at halftime of the NFC Championship game and put in AR ...

yep, that story's been told.
MM also had a meltdown in the offices after the game ended with bert's INT. I firmly believe MM didn't want anything more to do with bert at that point and I'll bet bert knew that when he tried to unretire the next fall.

My wife & I were sitting on the Packer sideline in the 9th row for the NFCC game and it was painfully apparent that Pevre didn't want to be on the field that day. We commented on it throughout the game & it's a miracle the contest went to OT. Outside of the 90 yard pass to Driver, we were soundly trounced and our fearless leader was AWOL.

There were quite a few posters who thought Rodgers play was because of Dallas' vanilla defense that game.

What I remember about that game is that brent didn't seem to follow the game plan and tried to light 'em up. AR came in and executed the game plan and had success.

he just always starts games too excited...

quote:

Originally posted by Tdog:
yep, that story's been told.
MM also had a meltdown in the offices after the game ended with bert's INT. I firmly believe MM didn't want anything more to do with bert at that point and I'll bet bert knew that when he tried to unretire the next fall.

BrINT was going to be allowed to come back without competition in the spring of 2008, but he changed his mind less than 24 hours before the announcement was going to be made. That fact was not mentioned very often back in 2008 when Ted and Mike were being grilled by the Green Bay Favre fans and media dopes.

and not just once but 2 or 3 times before the draft if I recall correctly.
if he had changed his mind and come back before the draft, I believe MM would have made him compete for the starting job. at least, I hope he would have.

Before he cancelled at the 11th hour, the agreement was all in place and the only thing left to do was for Favre to fly back to Lambeau and make the announcement in the atrium with Thompson and McCarthy. Do you imagine that he would have ever agreed to a QB competition? He only lost his starting job after the draft because they were forced to spend draft picks on Brohm and Flynn.

Favre did have a habit of being wild in the first quarter (usually throwing high). But I don't think it's fair to say he didn't execute the game plan. For a very long time, the Packers started every game with script.

And I'll agree that if you put in the 2010 version of Aaron Rodgers into the NFCC Game against the Giants, they could have won. But in 2007, Rodgers was not yet the player he is now. And let's face it, the Packers played over their heads that year. The talent on the defensive side of the ball wasn't there yet, and their overall depth still had a ways to go. Those weaknesses asserted themselves in 2008.

Besides, the Giants managed to beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl with their crushing pass rush, and one of the luckiest catches I've ever seen. The Packers would not have been able to duplicate that.

I know it's popular to blame Favre for that loss, and maybe it's deserved, but I have a hard time believing the guy checked it in. He was getting pounded by the same defensive line that bashed Tom Brady out of his 4th Super Bowl ring. And I don't think you'll find many players that like playing in the bitter cold. But all he wanted was another Super Bowl victory so he could retire on top. And let's not forget Favre's play that year was the biggest reason the Packers even made it to the NFC Championship game.

Rodgers is a great QB. When it's all said and done, there's a very real chance he will be remembered as a better QB than Favre. But in 2007 he was not Favre's equal.

If you want to make the argument that starting Rodgers in 2007 would have bettered the Packers' Super Bowl chances in 2009 - I could see it. But I don't believe for a second it would have helped in 2007.

Boxedup, I think you summarized my feelings as well. I don't think the Pack has a 13-3 season in '07 with Aaron Rodgers as QB. The Aaron Rodgers we see today to me was borne after that Tampa debacle in 2009. He was good and sometimes very good before that point. But from that day forward (after Tampa), he's been elite.

He's much quicker to read defenses and deliver the ball now compared to 2008 or early 2009, it's quite a contrast. That really was his one weakness, and he pretty much turned that weakness into a strength.