The unluckiest player in the NFL today

By Os Davis  |   Thursday, November 23, 2006  |  Comments( 6 )

Green Bay Packers
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It's a scenario that is played out in the NFL a half-dozen times every season. In the preseason, the wily old veteran is tapped to give it one more go as starting QB; debates of varying ratio and intensity rage over just who the pilot of the ship should be.

Most of these teams facing the "quarterback controversy" eventually end up sending in the new guy, whether out of sheer frustration (cf. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys), injury (David Garrard, Jacksonville Jaguars), out of interest of giving the rookie playing time (Jason Campbell, Washington), or a combination of all three (Matt Leinart, Arizona Cardinals).

For the Green Bay Packers, the man in waiting was 2005 first-round pick Aaron Rodgers. Though given no chance at the starting position once Brett Favre decided to stick around for another year at the helm of the Pack, Rodgers did what is expected of backup quarterbacks. This is to say he, um, well, he was ready to go in the game at any time during the season.

After being taken with the 24th overall pick in '05, Rodgers threw the ball 16 times in three games last year, 15 of which came in the midst of a 48-3 blowout at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens. Rumor has it that Favre refused to tutor the heir apparent during the season.

In spring, what little focus wasn't on Favre and the "will he/won't he?" questions of the old dude's retirement was directed at applying negative adjectives to Rodgers' performance in camps. Terms used in defining Rodgers' preseason outings were words like "spotty" and "disappointing" and flat out "poor." Many reporters noted his inability to successfully work the two-minute drill. And this was out of the Wisconsin media.

Perhaps unkindest of all was Rodgers' appearance on ESPN. In a cutesy, behind-the-scenes look from the "Worldwide Leader in Sports" at a group of guys paid by the NFL to prep footballs before games, Rodgers finally got his moment of "Sportscenter": As the dude who tests the feel of the balls for Favre.

No matter, any of it: For with 1:41 to go in the second quarter, Rodgers took the field on Sunday in a meaningful situation, set to prove the doubters wrong and show his true first-round abilities.

The results? The replacement went 4-of-12 for 32 yards and could do nothing to cease the relentless 35-0 punishment doled out by the New England Patriots.

And was subsequently diagnosed with a broken foot.

And was placed on injured reserve. Season over. Rodgers' big chance ... well, at least put on hold indefinitely.

Meanwhile, Rodgers' gutsy play with a season-ending injury against one of the league's top defenses seems to have been immediately forgotten, victimized by short-term collective memory along with his outstanding play at Cal that made him the first first-round QB chosen by the Packers in almost 25 years. (Did you know Rodgers' career quarterback rating at Cal was an insane 150.27?)

Surely to be forgotten in a day or two, too, is Rodgers himself. Already, his name is taking a back seat in the news, behind stuff like "Favre OK" (Can you imagine similarly reported news, like "Oracle third-quarter returns OK" or "Michael Richards rant not OK"?) and coverage of Green Bay's newest QB, Todd Bouman.

Said coach Mike McCarthy: "On a personal level, you feel terrible for him ... He finally gets the opportunity to play and that happens to him."

This writer has maintained all year that Rodgers, as Favre's backup, has the single most thankless job in the NFL. Anything less than Rodgers' utter mastery of McCarthy's West Coast offense may be considered failure, at least in majority public opinion. Rodgers will be forever compared to a quarterback of legendary proportions, the second coming of Bart Starr in the hearts of cheeseheads.

One fluke injury and lots of pro-Ingle Martin IV hype later, and Rodgers may have a one-way ticket of out the Frozen Tundra punched. Wish him a speedy recovery and lots of luck: He's gonna need it.

Watch the ebb and flow of the Green Bay Packers' luck at RealFootball365.com.
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About Os Davis

Os Davis has taken a twisted route to get to RealFootball365.com in his nearly 17 years in professional writing, working in any number of capacities in the sportswriting, news reporting and film criticism worlds. In print media, Os has served as editor at a few publications, including Albuquerque's...
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