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Aaron Rodgers: Is He the "Quarterback Of The Future?"
by Bob Lowe
September 1, 2005

Even before he threw a single pass for the Green Bay Packers, Aaron Rodgers was anointed as "Brett Favre’s heir apparent" at the quarterback position.

The Packers chose Rodgers as their No. 1 draft pick, the 24th selection overall, in the first round of the NFL draft in April. Speculation was he would become the Packers No. 2 quarterback ahead of backup quarterbacks Craig Nall and J.T. O’Sullivan to become Favre’s eventual successor.

Favre, 35, the future NFL’s Hall of Famer, could retire at the end of the current season. Or he could play for another 3-4 years. At this point, no one – perhaps not even Favre – knows for sure.

Rodgers, 21, who is 6-foot-2 and weighs 223 pounds, was described by the Packers quarterbacks coach, Darrell Bevell, as confident and a quick thinker.

In two seasons at the University of California, Rodgers passed for 5,469 yards and had 43 touchdowns with only 13 interceptions. His 150.3 passer rating is the best in California history.

Against Southern Cal last year, Rodgers tied an NCAA record by completing his first 23 passes. He set an NCAA record by connecting on 26 straight throws over a two-game span. He was a hot commodity in everyone’s mock draft, projected by some experts to be the No. 1 pick. To top it off, he scored 35 out of a possible 50 on the Wonderlic Personnel Test, which measures a player’s intelligence level.

Ted Thompson, the Packers new general manager, said it was an "easy" decision to make. He ranked Rodgers as "pretty close to the ceiling" on the Packers draft board and that all the coaches felt he was the best choice among the available players.

"The Green Bay Packers blithely worked to build a better future but paid precious little attention to the present with their selection of Rodgers," said Bob McGinn, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel football writer.

Journal Sentinel sports columnist Dale Hofmann, agreed, saying that the Packers did little to address the team’s present needs with their draft selections. He said Packers "has busted up the league’s best offensive line, subtracted two veterans from a wafer-thing secondary and added only a defensive coordinator to an imaginary pass rush."

ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr., however, disagreed. He said that Rodgers was the best pick available because there were no impact players available on defense when it came time for the Packers to make their selection After his first minicamp practice at the Don Hutson Center on April 29, Green Bay offensive coordinator Tom Rossley proclaimed that Rodgers was even "better than I thought he would be," citing his quick release and arm strength.

Rodgers is from Chico, Calif., and had never been to Wisconsin prior to his selection. The coldest weather he said he ever played in the mid 40s at Pleasant Valley High School during a freezing rain.

That, apparently, didn’t set off any red flags among the Packer coaches.

After all, Brett Favre was from Mississippi and played in Atlanta before coming to Green Bay. And look what he has done through rain, sleet and snow and Lambeau Field.

So after a month of training camp and three preseason games, were the Packers justified in making the choice that they did?

My preliminary answer is yes, even though Rogers’ performance to date has been a disappointment. I still think it is too early to tell. I wouldn’t second-guess the Packers top brass for choosing Rodgers. Since there weren’t any big time defensive impact players like UW-Madison’s star defensive end Erasmus James on the board when the Packers’ turn came to pick, Rodgers was probably the best available athlete available. So it was at least a reasonable and understandable choice for the Packers to make.

A more intriguing question, however, is whether Rodgers is – or should be – the Packers "quarterback of the future?" My answer, based on everything I have seen or read about him, is no. Why?

The game has changed to a point where a quarterback has to be more than a drop-back passer in the pocket – even if he has good arm strength and pinpoint accuracy.

As recently as the early 1960s, it was unusual for a quarterback to do much running out of the pocket or in the backfield.

All of that changed with the emergence of Fran Tarkenton, who redefined the role of quarterback from immobile pocket passer to sideline-to-sideline scrambler. Tarkenton played for the Minnesota Vikings (1961-66 and 1972-78) as well as the New York Giants (1967-1971).

Roger Staubach of the Dallas Cowboys and Terry Bradshaw, who led the Pittsburgh Steelers to four Super Bowl wins and John Elway, the former Denver Broncos quarterback who could outrun and elude many defensive backs, also fit into the same mold. Former San Francisco 49ers QB Steve Young, who was recently inducted into the NFL’s Hall of Fame, was another fleet-footed quarterback who could beat you with his legs as well as his powerful arm.

Today’s most successful quarterbacks have to be elusive scramblers, good runners, nifty improvisers, fearless gunslingers, explosive deep passers and imaginative play makers who can function out of the pocket. Think Michael Vick. Think Daunte Culpepper. Think Donovan McNabb. It is more than a coincidence that the three quarterbacks were the ones that outplayed and beat Favre and the Packers in last three playoff games.

Favre, in his early years, was an agile, mobile and sharp shooting quarterback who at times played with reckless abandon. But to do so, he needs a great supporting cast – on offense, defense and special teams. He is no longer the magic man who could toss 40-yard-plus touchdown bombs, scramble like Fran Tarkenton, run the ball like a halfback or block opposing players like a linebacker. Because age, injuries, diminishing skills and the changing nature of the game with its increasingly bigger, stronger and faster players, Favre can no longer be counted upon to carry the team with a bunch of underachieving teammates.

Neither can Rodgers, if he continues to be the mechanical and robotic signal caller who can’t seem to create plays on his own. He seems lost when left to fend for himself outside the pocket. His ability to avoid rush is suspect. And he appears to panic under pressure.

With some good coaching, experience and a good group of players around him, he could still become a decent quarterback. But based on his most recent performances, it is doubtful that he will ever become the Packers "quarterback of the future."

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This year’s Fox Jazz Fest will spread its wings and appear in two cities this weekend. Today, the festival will be held in Opera Square Park in Oshkosh, beginning at 5 p.m. On Friday, it will move to the Leach Amphitheater in downtown Oshkosh and on Saturday and Sunday at Jefferson Park in Menasha. Jazz Fest had its beginning in Shattuck Park in Neenah in 1994 under the sponsorship of the Future Neenah, Inc.

Last year, due to the reconstruction of Shattuck Park, the outdoor festival moved to Jefferson Park. The present organizers, including Jim Putman and pianist/composer John Harmon, decided to keep its base in Menasha but to expose it to other venues. Additional venues besides Oshkosh may be added in the future, Putman said.

Today’s lineup will include Tom Washatka and his quartet at 6 p.m., the Minneapolis-based Fat Kid Wednesday will follow at 7 p.m. and the Charlie Hunter Trio out of New York, will play at 9 p.m. On Friday, the Vig leads off at 6 p.m., followed by Mrs. Fun at 7 p.m. and Dr. Eugene Chadbourne, with special guests Brian Jackson, pianist for Gil Scott Heron, Violent Femmes Victor Lorenzo and Brian Richie will perform at 8 p.m.

Headliners for Saturday include Marvin Stamm (with Bill Mays and Rufus

Reid) at 5 p.m. and Madisalsa, a Madison based Latin dance/jazz band at 7 p.m. Sunday opens with a traditional jazz service at 11 a.m., and will conclude with Big Band Reunion, featuring Kathy Kosins, at 4 p.m. and Louis Hayes and the Cannonball Adderley Legacy Band at 5 p.m. The event is free.

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For comments or questions, contact boblowe@juno.com or by phone at (920)-731-4603.