Forgetting Aaron Rodgers

The last couple of days has found Matt Taibbi's name pop-up over and over again on the blogs over his recent piece on the Rolling Stone piece he wrote about the ubiquitousness of the finance industry in Obama's White House. Unfortunately, it seems that everyone missed the other article Taibbi wrote in the December 10th issue of Rolling Stone. For some reason, it's not online (neither are any of his other sports articles) so I'll copy the important bit down, see if you spot the glaring omission -

But Favre not only hasn't made the big mistake, he's actually played like a Hall of Famer all season. The list of quarterbacks who can throw the deep out with regularity and challenge the whole field is really short - it's basically Tom Brady and Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, occasionally Philip Rivers. And Favre. And that's it.

Even Ben Roethlisberger, accuracy-wise, has been a mess this year compared with Favre. The supersophemores Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan both took big steps back. Jay Cutler has completely sucked balls. Eli Manning lately is playing he's got a giant tick sucking on his decision-making center. And Matt Schaub and Matt Hasselbeck are just guys.

I don't know if I should thank Taibbi for being able to write an entire article about Brett Favre without mentioning the Packers or if I should ignore him completely for failing to mention Rodgers' very good year and most obvious comparison point to Favre. Regardless, I'll double down on this -

There is a school of thought out there that Favre shouldn't get credit for any kind of feat this season because (a) he whined and schemed his way out of two different teams, the Packers and the Jets, and (b) he did so precisely to get himself to the Vikings, playing opposite an A-list defense and behind a monster offensive line, handing off to a snarling beast of a running back, Adrian Peterson, whose very name makes strong safeties everywhere shit their pants in terror...you'll hear people say that even JaMarcus Russell might look like an NFL quarterback on this current Vikings team.

I do feel protective towards Aaron Rodgers, though, against the criticisms of Wisconsinites who can't divorce themselves from Favre and against the national narrative that seems to view him as the kid sitting alone on draft day, the kid sitting on the bench for 2 years, and then the kid who, having usurped the QB throne as Favre whined about loyalty, has to be compared to the predecessor's myth. Despite the 6-10 record he played well last year, better than Favre, but because Favre had that 6 touchdown game early in the year it seemed every week brought a new lamentation that Thompson backed the wrong QB.

Now this year, Rodgers is having a fantastic season, basically carrying the offense despite a weak line, but Favre took his revenge in the 2 regular season games, which feels like the only thing that matters. It's obvious the Vikings are the better team, but I'm still hoping for the Packers to run into them in the playoffs. Regardless of whether the Packers win or not, or whether Rodgers has a good game or not, or whether Favre continues to tear my soul from my body, this story isn't over. As TNC put it regarding Vince Young -

Likewise, for Vince Young, but even more. That drive yesterday is why I watch football. For people who think it's only about the hits, I'd show them this. There's something almost super-biographical about it. I called football a narrative earlier this year, and maybe that's not quite right. Myth, maybe? Watching a guy go from the bottom, watching him come back better at his job, and then, against incomparable odds, arrive at a moment where it all depended on a choice, is resonant. (Especially when, like me, you've spent a good part of your life considering yourself a fuck-up.)

The ending I want to see is Rodgers destroying the Vikings and Favre throwing a pick to Woodson to end the game, but if Rodgers and the Packers lose to Favre in the playoffs it'd be devastating in a way that matters. In a way that would alter the lens people viewed them with. And I'd continue to back Rodgers.