5 Reasons Why We Should Appreciate Aaron Rodgers

Groundhog day has come and gone but for Packer fans it is more like the movie “Groundhog Day.” Each day we wake up to check out social media to see if there are any updates on the Rodgers trade only to find out very little updates. Next, we check out all the Packer blogs, podcasts, and news and notes only to continue the waiting game. Lastly, we absorb the talking heads on television partaking in the he said, he said saga between Brian Gutekunst and Aaron Rodgers. Even though we all say we have heard and seen enough we keep at it day after day searching for a resolution and a chance to turn the page therefore making groundhog day end. So before that becomes a reality and Rodgers is no longer a Packer let’s take time to appreciate what Aaron Rodgers has meant for all of us. Searching my own memories these are my top 5 things I will forever appreciate about Mr. Aaron Rodgers:

5. The transition from Brett Favre.

Who could forget the saga of the last years of Brett Favre? Yes, you people not old enough to remember those days of the Brett Favre drama, it made this current drama feel tame. Watching Rodgers play in that Dallas game in relief for Brett gave us all hope in the next Packer quarterback. How Aaron handled the boos during family night with class and then watching him become another hall of famer almost made you forget how great Favre was.

4. Lack of interceptions.

Speaking of Brett Favre I was sitting in the stands at Lambeau field for what would become Favre’s last game during the 2007 playoff game loss to the Giants. Enduring what I believe was the second coldest game next to the “Ice Bowl” I sat in utter disbelief as Brett threw another one of those untimely interceptions he became known for. Looking back at Aaron Rodgers career statistics he has thrown 520 touchdown passes to 118 interceptions. Having lived through the Favre and Rodgers eras I certainly loved the way Favre played and enjoyed his gunslinging passes but man did those interceptions make me want to pull my hair out. Watching Rodgers take over and basically do the complete opposite allowed me to savor two very different hall of fame quarterback styles for over 30 years.

3. The Aaron Rodgers experience.

R-E-L-A-X, I own you, the belt, and the media. Who could forget the 2014 season in which after the Packers started 1-2 Aaron uttered his now famous phrase “Five letters here just for everybody out there in Packer-land: R-E-L-A-X.” Even more fun to a Packer fan who now lives in Illinois was in week six of the 2021 season when the Pack beat the Bears 24-14 Aaron exclaimed: “I Still Own You.” Then there was the classic belt celebration that Rodgers seemed to pull out at just the right times. And lastly, even though we have come to dislike all of the media attention and focus on Aaron Rodgers we must remember that all that coverage brings with it a lot of coverage for titletown and the Green Bay Packers. It is why the Packers have fans across the world and partially why this franchise is beloved today.

2. The MVP’s.

Would we all take Superbowls over MVP’s? Of course we would but having your QB win four MVP’s also means having good seasons. Taking home the MVP in 2011, 2014, and back-to-back in 2020-2021 made those seasons pretty special as well. Those MVP’s also cemented Aaron Rodgers as one of the greatest players and perhaps the greatest pure thrower of the football in NFL history.

1. Super Bowl XLV.

I have checked off a few of my “Bucket list” items and one of those was the Superbowl in 2011 in Dallas, Texas. That season was so magical from the victory in Philly to the trouncing in Atlanta and the rematch against Chicago to the Championship against the Steelers. Sitting in the stands on that day in Dallas and watching the greatest pass I have ever seen thrown in my life will forever be seared in my mind. The throw to Jennings over the middle as it just missed the Steelers defenders hand late in the fourth quarter was Rodgers at his best. Watching the confetti fly and seeing Rodgers hoist the belt, MVP, and Lombardi trophy is definitely one of my fondest memories.

So as we wake up tomorrow and hope for an end to this groundhog day take a moment to reflect on how good we have had it with Aaron Rodgers as QB1.

Feel free to share your top appreciations as well.