I will never forget the day Brett Favre retired.
Though I’m from Los Angeles and I didn’t feel any personal anguish, the impact on the UW campus was unbelievable. All my friends couldn’t bear to watch ESPN — they sulked for what seemed like weeks before finally starting to accept that their man wasn’t coming back.
Their Hall of Fame quarterback was gone for good, and that meant the team would be left with Aaron Rodgers, who hadn’t started a game since his collegiate days.
Green Bay fans were naturally upset. The most prolific player in Packers history left, and they were left with a kid who never started a game in the NFL? Yeah, if I were a Packers fan, I’d be pretty upset too.
But after a 2-0 start, over 500 passing yards and a quarterback rating near 117.8, it seems like those fans calling for head coach Mike McCarthy and general manager Ted Thompson’s heads will finally keep their mouths shut.
Favre has performed relatively well — he has 375 passing yards and three touchdowns through two games. But for now, it seems like Rodgers is coming into his own as the Packers’ new leader, and few in Green Bay seems to care about Favre’s performance in New York.
In his first start as a Packer, Rodgers didn’t disappoint, passing for 178 yards and a touchdown. He again showed off his arm against Detroit on Sunday, passing for 328 yards and three scores. Not bad for his first two games as a starter in possibly the biggest football town in the country.
Sure, Favre may be on the radar in New York. But right now, Rodgers is showing Green Bay that he’s ready to take over the show, even if a large portion of the fans in his home stadium still wears their No. 4 jerseys.
But what’s really interesting is the way Rodgers accepted his role and has outperformed his predecessor. Through all of the summer turmoil and confusion regarding Favre, Rodgers sat back and did whatever he was told.
Look at him now, on top of the division and being embraced by all of Green Bay.
Now, with an early division lead, the Rodgers-led Packers — who simply wanted to resolve the issue with Favre — are now sitting back, loving what they are seeing.
How could they not be happy?
Nobody expected Rodgers to be better than Favre, and chances are he won’t be. At least for now, though, Rodgers is giving Packers fans a reason to get excited.
He has a higher passer rating, more touchdowns, more passing yards and a higher completion percentage than Favre — more importantly though, he has led the Packers to two strong victories.
That’s not to say that Favre won’t be forgotten. He did more for the Packers organization than anyone else in history. Instead, think of Rodgers as a consolation prize that will give Green Bay something to cheer for.
McCarthy and Thompson may have handled Favre’s situation poorly over the summer, but it seems like Packer fans ready to run the two out of town will forgive their general manager and head coach for letting him get away.
Rodgers faces another major challenge this coming Sunday against the Cowboys. He will be on national television and might even get his first loss as Green Bay’s starter. But that shouldn’t discourage Packers fans — he will only continue to get better.
Be happy, Packer fans. I don’t want my last memory of Wisconsin to be sad faces with little hope for the future. If the first two games of the 2008 season are any indication, Green Bay has a lot to be excited about for a very long time.
I bet nobody saw that one coming.
