Packers back Rodgers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Anybody who thinks that the only place Aaron Rodgers can go is up in his second season as quarterback of the Green Bay Packers is forgetting about the man who used to have that job.

Sixteen Julys ago, quarterbacks coach Steve Mariucci admitted that he had been completely taken by the Pro Bowl campaign of the club’s captivating phenom from Kiln, Miss.

“I would rather have nobody else besides Brett Favre as our starting quarterback,” Mariucci said the summer of 1993. “He didn’t do nearly as good as he’s going to do this year.”

A few months later, coach Mike Holmgren and his staff were discussing benching Favre during games. And as late as mid-1994, offensive coordinator Sherman Lewis and other offensive aides recommended going with Mark Brunell over the impulsive, party-as-hard-as-he-played Favre.

By staying the course with Favre, Holmgren and Mariucci helped develop an all-time great. But Mariucci was dead wrong when he declared that, short of injury, there was no way Favre could regress in 1993. In a dramatic sophomore slump, Favre crashed from sixth in passer rating (85.3) in 1992 to 20th (72.2) in ’93.

Rodgers also ranked sixth in passer rating (93.8) as a first-year starter in 2008. Forced to replace an unhappy legend that was dealt to the New York Jets a week into training camp, Rodgers turned an impossible situation into a coming-out party.

The reward for Rodgers was a five-year extension worth $63.52 million that made him the highest-paid player on the team.

His No. 12 jersey is featured prominently on the cover of the latest sales brochure for the Packers Pro Shop at Lambeau Field.

And his coaches and teammates appear to echo the vibe from the majority of fans, who seems convinced that the Packers have themselves another outstanding quarterback.

“I think we do,” offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said. “We watched all 1,100 plays in the offseason. This guy is a good player. I believe that. Absolutely.”

Ted Thompson, the general manager who signed off on the Rodgers deal after merely seven games, several times has said that he expected Rodgers to play as he did. In agreement was Philbin, who remembered coaching at the Pro Bowl in February 2008 when Tony Romo, Matt Hasselbeck and Jeff Garcia were the NFC quarterbacks.

“I walked up to Tom Clements,” said Philbin, referring to Green Bay’s quarterbacks coach, “and I said, ‘Tom, the guy we got as a backup can throw the ball better than any of these guys.

“I grew up in Boston. It’s like watching some real guys throw baseballs. Ron Guidry of the Yankees. Roger Clemens. This guy can chuck a ball. I don’t think you have to be real smart to figure that out.”

Arm strength was one of the nagging questions about Rodgers before the draft in 2005. The consensus among scouts was that Rodgers was more of a game manager with an average arm.

Now, with increased overall strength and a less rigid delivery, Rodgers has answered his critics.

Rodgers’ game, however, is much more than just gunning the ball downfield. He earned more than passing grades in terms of accuracy, touch, release, setup, mobility and poise.

“He played well,” Philbin said. “We expect him to play better. He’s got to play better. No doubt about it.”