Seahawks head to Green Bay

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Matt Hasselbeck has been there before, so he has a pretty good idea of how important Saturday night’s Seattle Seahawks-Green Bay Packers preseason game at Lambeau Field is to Aaron Rodgers.

In some NFL cities that don’t have a three-time MVP starting at quarterback, the backup is the most popular guy in town. But that certainly hasn’t been the case in Green Bay, where backups to Brett Favre – even the talented ones – have always been an afterthought.

Favre has started 257 consecutive games including the playoffs and hasn’t given any indication of how many more seasons he plans to play. The preseason is just about the only chance for a backup to prove himself.

“Really, that is the only opportunity you have,” said Hasselbeck, who attempted only 19 passes over two seasons backing up Favre.

The continued development of Rodgers, who was taken in the first round of the 2005 draft with the idea that he would eventually replace Favre, has been one of the bright spots of Packers training camp.

Rodgers has consistently shown off his underrated scrambling ability, arm strength and poise.

The Packers are thin at running back and tight end, and the coaches have made it clear that they might not be happy with last year’s starting strong safety, Marquand Manuel.

Beyond that, the Packers’ first-string offense failed to gain a single first down in four series at Pittsburgh.