PHILADELPHIA -- Now that the "X'' factor has
been booted from the NFC playoffs, now that
Michael Vick has been out-Vicked by Aaron
Rodgers, we can turn our attention to the NFC
quarterback quartet that remains.
Jay Cutler in Chicago. Matt Ryan in Atlanta. Matt
Hasselbeck in Seattle.
Not even close. Aaron Rodgers is the cream of
that bunch.
And if quarterbacks color the personalities of their
teams, if the NFL is such a quarterback-driven
league, if Aaron Rodgers is the diva left in the
dance, then, the Green Bay Packers are flirting
with NFC supremacy. They are eight winning
quarters shy of reaching Super Bowl XLV.
With Rodgers looking every bit capable of making
it happen.He's a composed quarterback,'' Eagles linebacker
Moise Fokou said after his team was dumped,
21-16, here on Sunday night by Rodgers and the
Packers. Eagles season smashed. Green Bay
moves on to divisional playoff action at Atlanta on
Saturday night.
"We threw a lot of different things at him, some
different pressures and rushes,'' Fokou said. "He
wasn't rattled. He has all the intangibles you want
in your quarterback. He's a top-five quarterback
in this league. And of the NFC quarterback's left,
he's easily the top dog.''
The NFL had visions of Vick dancing in Atlanta, in
the Georgia Dome once again. So did Falcons and
Eagles fans. Vick was often described by his
teammates as the "X'' factor -- you just never
knew what he would do next that would make a
difference. He routinely crushed the hopes of
teams defending him.
But Rodgers swiped that role in this matchup.
Vick threw a touchdown pass and an
interception. Rodgers tossed three touchdown
passes and was not intercepted. Vick's passer
rating was 79.9. Rodgers' was 122.5.
The real shocker was how Rodgers was as
nimble as Vick in the pocket. How Rodgers
danced for time. How he extended plays. How he
used his feet before slicing the Eagles with his
arm.
Very Vick-like.
"Aaron Rodgers is as good as any out-of-the-
pocket quarterback there is in football today,'' his
coach, Mike McCarthy, said, adding he was
biased, but really, not needing a disclaimer. With
both quarterbacks on the same field, it was easy
for all to see.
"His ability in the pocket,'' said McCarthy, "trusting
his footwork, the time clock, the ability to come
out of the pocket to buy time, that's Aaron's
strength. He has the arm strength to make all the
throws. He gives you a lot of versatility as a play
caller and as an offensive schemer. Now with his
experience, he's a special player.''
He has the Packers playing in a composed,
confident, cool way, in just the way he is
performing. It is clear to see in the players around
him, even from rookie running back James Starks
who busted the Eagles for 123 rushing yards. All
of his receivers and linemen follow Rodgers'
confidence.
Even the Packers defense senses it, uses it, feeds
off of it.
"Every day we go against his accuracy, his
attention to detail and see the way he points
things out to his offense,'' Packers nose tackle B.J.
Raji said. "Everybody on defense has complete
confidence in him.''
They see how Rodgers handled waiting behind
Brett Favre and how he handled himself when he
took over for Favre, dealing deftly with the ruckus
before, during and afterward.
"We were at a family night, a scrimmage in
Lambeau Field for our team soon after Aaron
took over for Brett and the fans booed Aaron,''
Packers receiver Greg Jennings said. "I'll always
remember that. And I never understood why
they booed the next guy up like that. Aaron was
the next guy up. But he handled it professionally.
He took the disappointments and the negatives
and knew how to handle them. I think that's real
poise. It's part of the poise you see now, how he
built it from then to now.
"In our practices, he will tell you where you
messed up. If he messes up, he will tell you how
and what he did and admit it. He demands a lot in
practice that builds confidence in games.''
This is the key, Rodgers said, that the Packers are
playing now like they practice. Fast, smart and full
of confidence.
They took Vick's best shot, his team's best in a
noisy stadium where these NFC East champion
Eagles were sure that their season would produce
so much more.
But Rodgers had the Packers playing fast from
the start and steady throughout. Green Bay was
8 of 13 on third-down conversion plays. The
Packers were three for three in the red zone.
It was Rodgers in the pocket, Rodgers on the
edge, Rodgers standing firm, Rodgers on the run
completing dagger-like passes, pushing the
Eagles and Vick aside. Down the sidelines, across
the middle, in the flat, Rodgers shredding the
Eagles.
He is returning to the Georgia Dome, a place
where he lost a close game in late November.
And if he wins there, he goes to Chicago, a team
and city he knows well from the NFC North. Or
he could play against Seattle. Either of those
games would be for the NFC championship and a
Super Bowl ticket.
Aaron Rodgers is going places. He is the best of
the NFC quarterbacks alive.
As he left the stadium on Sunday night, he was
told his teammates said he was their leader in
practices as much as in games, that he pushes
them and himself in ways that matter when the
games are in crucial stages.
Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fg%2Fa%2F2011%2F01%2F09%2Ffanhouseeaglesnomatchforaaro.DTL
been booted from the NFC playoffs, now that
Michael Vick has been out-Vicked by Aaron
Rodgers, we can turn our attention to the NFC
quarterback quartet that remains.
Jay Cutler in Chicago. Matt Ryan in Atlanta. Matt
Hasselbeck in Seattle.
Not even close. Aaron Rodgers is the cream of
that bunch.
And if quarterbacks color the personalities of their
teams, if the NFL is such a quarterback-driven
league, if Aaron Rodgers is the diva left in the
dance, then, the Green Bay Packers are flirting
with NFC supremacy. They are eight winning
quarters shy of reaching Super Bowl XLV.
With Rodgers looking every bit capable of making
it happen.He's a composed quarterback,'' Eagles linebacker
Moise Fokou said after his team was dumped,
21-16, here on Sunday night by Rodgers and the
Packers. Eagles season smashed. Green Bay
moves on to divisional playoff action at Atlanta on
Saturday night.
"We threw a lot of different things at him, some
different pressures and rushes,'' Fokou said. "He
wasn't rattled. He has all the intangibles you want
in your quarterback. He's a top-five quarterback
in this league. And of the NFC quarterback's left,
he's easily the top dog.''
The NFL had visions of Vick dancing in Atlanta, in
the Georgia Dome once again. So did Falcons and
Eagles fans. Vick was often described by his
teammates as the "X'' factor -- you just never
knew what he would do next that would make a
difference. He routinely crushed the hopes of
teams defending him.
But Rodgers swiped that role in this matchup.
Vick threw a touchdown pass and an
interception. Rodgers tossed three touchdown
passes and was not intercepted. Vick's passer
rating was 79.9. Rodgers' was 122.5.
The real shocker was how Rodgers was as
nimble as Vick in the pocket. How Rodgers
danced for time. How he extended plays. How he
used his feet before slicing the Eagles with his
arm.
Very Vick-like.
"Aaron Rodgers is as good as any out-of-the-
pocket quarterback there is in football today,'' his
coach, Mike McCarthy, said, adding he was
biased, but really, not needing a disclaimer. With
both quarterbacks on the same field, it was easy
for all to see.
"His ability in the pocket,'' said McCarthy, "trusting
his footwork, the time clock, the ability to come
out of the pocket to buy time, that's Aaron's
strength. He has the arm strength to make all the
throws. He gives you a lot of versatility as a play
caller and as an offensive schemer. Now with his
experience, he's a special player.''
He has the Packers playing in a composed,
confident, cool way, in just the way he is
performing. It is clear to see in the players around
him, even from rookie running back James Starks
who busted the Eagles for 123 rushing yards. All
of his receivers and linemen follow Rodgers'
confidence.
Even the Packers defense senses it, uses it, feeds
off of it.
"Every day we go against his accuracy, his
attention to detail and see the way he points
things out to his offense,'' Packers nose tackle B.J.
Raji said. "Everybody on defense has complete
confidence in him.''
They see how Rodgers handled waiting behind
Brett Favre and how he handled himself when he
took over for Favre, dealing deftly with the ruckus
before, during and afterward.
"We were at a family night, a scrimmage in
Lambeau Field for our team soon after Aaron
took over for Brett and the fans booed Aaron,''
Packers receiver Greg Jennings said. "I'll always
remember that. And I never understood why
they booed the next guy up like that. Aaron was
the next guy up. But he handled it professionally.
He took the disappointments and the negatives
and knew how to handle them. I think that's real
poise. It's part of the poise you see now, how he
built it from then to now.
"In our practices, he will tell you where you
messed up. If he messes up, he will tell you how
and what he did and admit it. He demands a lot in
practice that builds confidence in games.''
This is the key, Rodgers said, that the Packers are
playing now like they practice. Fast, smart and full
of confidence.
They took Vick's best shot, his team's best in a
noisy stadium where these NFC East champion
Eagles were sure that their season would produce
so much more.
But Rodgers had the Packers playing fast from
the start and steady throughout. Green Bay was
8 of 13 on third-down conversion plays. The
Packers were three for three in the red zone.
It was Rodgers in the pocket, Rodgers on the
edge, Rodgers standing firm, Rodgers on the run
completing dagger-like passes, pushing the
Eagles and Vick aside. Down the sidelines, across
the middle, in the flat, Rodgers shredding the
Eagles.
He is returning to the Georgia Dome, a place
where he lost a close game in late November.
And if he wins there, he goes to Chicago, a team
and city he knows well from the NFC North. Or
he could play against Seattle. Either of those
games would be for the NFC championship and a
Super Bowl ticket.
Aaron Rodgers is going places. He is the best of
the NFC quarterbacks alive.
As he left the stadium on Sunday night, he was
told his teammates said he was their leader in
practices as much as in games, that he pushes
them and himself in ways that matter when the
games are in crucial stages.
Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fg%2Fa%2F2011%2F01%2F09%2Ffanhouseeaglesnomatchforaaro.DTL
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