There was no possible way that a team with as many injuries as the Green Bay Packers had was going to hoist the Lombardi trophy, let alone make the Super Bowl. But they proved me wrong. They beat the Chicago Bears and suddenly I thought, we’re going to win it all. Having the Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey out only reinforced this thought. However, that was before the game. If someone had told me before the game that Charles Woodson and Donald Driver were going down with injuries, I would have lost faith again. I would have said that there was no way the Packers could win without those two guys. Before the season began, Woodson was one of the five players that the Packers could not afford to lose. Or so I thought.

The Packers proved me wrong.

In doing so, they overcame enormous adversity along the way. This adversity started at the top and went all the way down to the very bottom of the Packers roster.

Just as early as December 2010 after a horrible 7-3 loss to the Detroit Lions, fans were calling for the firing of general manager Ted Thompson. They were criticizing Mike McCarthy’s play calling and his inability to win close games. They also wanted McCarthy fired. And that was only this season. Thompson had been criticized routinely since 2008 for trading away Brett Favre and going with the unproven Aaron Rodgers. He was the guy that got rid of a legend. There were some fans that thought the Packers would never win a Super Bowl as long as Ted Thompson was the general manager. And he proved them wrong. Thompson built a house so deep it withstood all those injuries. Why? Because Thompson’s house had a rock solid foundation provided by head coach Mike McCarthy.

I never called for the firing of Ted Thompson though I questioned some of his decision making when he failed to pick up a running back after the loss of Ryan Grant. However, I do admit that I was one of those who were critical of McCarthy. Near Christmas, I tweeted that I would give McCarthy a personal robot that would spit out all the right plays for him as well as manage the time for him. Well, I was wrong. I should have listened to Bill Johnson on Green and Gold Today. As fans, we may not always agree with the play selection, but it’s all hindsight. To get the Packers to win the Super Bowl, McCarthy must be a pretty decent playcaller. So what if he’s not perfect. Plays aren’t going to work every single time and sometimes, the execution is at fault, not the playcall. I learned that lesson this season and many more as we shall soon see.

This is because, the adversity the head coach and general manager had to face was not the only adversity the Packers faced this season. The players faced adversity too. It’s difficult to start anywhere but with the quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers has been overcoming hurdles ever since his career began. Rodgers was not heavily recruited out of high school and received no Division I scholarships. As a result, he decided to go to Butte Community College despite having the grades to go to a four-year university straight off of the bat. There he was founded by accident by Jeff Tedford who was actually scouting a tight end by the name of Garrett Cross. He went on to have a brief, but good career at Cal, reaching two bowl games though he missed out on getting to the Rose Bowl. After, thinking he could possibly be drafted first overall by the 49ers, Rodgers declared for the draft.

It didn’t happen.

And so Rodgers watched as he slipped all the way to 24, to the Green Bay Packers where he would sit behind the legendary Brett Favre. He waited patiently and bided his time. His time finally came in 2008. Despite having a good statistical season, the Packers only had a 6-10 record and had a dismal record in close games. Talk of not being a winner began to surface even as Rodgers won over many fans with his handling of the Brett Favre situation. The 2009 season came and Rodgers proved himself to be a winner as the Packers posted an 11-5 season record. However, the Packers lost in overtime to the Arizona Cardinals. Surprisingly, despite throwing for over 400 yards and 4 touchdowns, it was seen as Rodgers fault. He missed a wide open Greg Jennings in overtime, and as a result, he was blamed for the loss.

More criticism began to mount. Some fans wanted to trade Rodgers away. They cited his horrible record in close games while choosing an arbitrary cutoff of four points or less. So 7 points or less is not a close game? I defended Rodgers on this point, citing an article by Jason Lisk that was titled, “Just say no to quarterback records in close games.” Then came the criticism that Rodgers hadn’t won a playoff game yet. Well, he had only been in one playoff game and in that one playoff game, his team had given up 45 points on defense (the remaining 6 came when Rodgers was sacked and stripped).

Furthermore, Rodgers didn’t just overcome the mental adversity he faced. He overcame physical adversity as well when he suffered two concussions and had to sit out a game. When he came back, he knew he had to win the final two games just for the Packers to make the playoffs. He responded beautifully with 404 yards and 4 TD’s.

And it’s not just Rodgers. The entire team had to deal with the adversity caused by injury after injury after injury. Other players also overcame personal adversity of their own. Tramon Williams was cut by the Houston Texans before landing with the Packers. Charlie Peprah was cut by the Packers themselves. Jarrett Bush was openly criticized by the fans and was the one guy everyone loved to bash on repeatedly. Woodson overcame his initial aversion to the small town of Green Bay and now loves the community. He was seen as an aging corner whose best days were behind him when he got to Green Bay, but then he won defensive player of the year last year. Howard Green was cut by the New York Jets only to be picked up by the Packers. All across the board the Packers brought in players who were overlooked. Players that had something to prove.

Time and time again this season, I almost stopped believing. Luckily, the players never did. Not when they were stricken with injuries. Not when they were 8-6 facing a must-win game against the New York Giants. After winning that game, they rattled off four more wins to reach the Super Bowl.

There, on that turf in Dallas, the Packers prevailed again. They prevailed even as their leader on Charles Woodson broke his collarbone and even as one of their top wideouts in Donald Driver suffered a high ankle sprain.

You have probably heard all of this a thousand times already and are sick of hearing about it. However, I never will. This season will always stick with me because it was all about hard work and perseverance paying off. It was about genuinely high character guys who never stopped believing.  I will always remember this season as a special season. I’ll remember the highs and the lows. And I will remember the remarkable playoff run which started in Philadelphia, went through Atlanta and Chicago and ended in Dallas. I will remember the Super Bowl. I’ll remember the halftime speech Woodson gave that wasn’t really a halftime speech because Woodson was too broken up to speak. And I will always remember that 3^rd and 10 throw to Greg Jennings that was one of the best throws I have ever seen.

Now the newest challenge is dealing with success.

Personally, I can’t wait for the ride.

I think how Aaron Rodgers is handled will be a true test of the NFL’s concussion policy.

As a Green Bay Packers fan, this got me thinking about the concussion policy. Personally, I do think it’s good that the NFL is taking concussions more seriously and all. But there is still more that has to be changed. In my opinion, the NFL is still not doing enough. If they were, there would be no argument over an 18-game season which clearly will result in more injuries judging by the amount that we’ve seen this season. And they would do even more when it came to preventing concussions because they are still not doing enough.  

Let’s be blunt here.

If the NFL was really serious about lowering the amount of concussions in the league, then they would have all the players wear the new helmets, not just players like Aaron Rodgers. Either the Xenith XI Football Helmet or the Riddell Revolution IQ Hits Helmet or another concussion-reducing helmet. Do they prevent the risk of concussions completely? Certainly not. However, according to the data, they do significantly reduce the number of concussions. Xenith reported a 60% reduction in the number of concussions in their 2009 study after evaluating 534 players. You can obtain this information straight off of their website. The league should make wear these kinds of helmets mandatory and not just by choice. They can even still stick with Riddell if they don’t want to switch sponsors. Furthermore, this change should not be slow. It should be fast and effective as soon as possible. If the NFL wants truly wants to protect its stars (aka quarterbacks), they will do this now without any hesitation despite the uncertainty of the new collective bargaining agreement.

Rodgers should not be the “true test” of the NFL’s concussion policy. The real test is whether the league really wants to protect all of its players from concussions. And that will be exemplified by whether or not the NFL chooses to mandate one of the new concussion reducing helmets. Far as I know, the league is still using the old helmets. And far as I know, reported concussions have actually risen in this year as opposed to last. I think one report said reported concussions had increased by 21%, but I could be wrong. The increase in reported concussions is probably due to the new policy, but frankly, that’s not good enough because the players are still suffering the concussions.

Until the NFL chooses to switch to the new helmets, I’m not going to buy how Rodgers is treated as a test of the NFL’s concussion policy. Because really, it shouldn’t come down to that in the first place.

As a note of caution: This post is not stats oriented. I do not have many stats to back up this analysis, unfortunately. It is more based on my opinion and I’m no expert nor do I pretend to be. It is completely from the viewpoint of a fan. You may agree or disagree, but that’s what the comment section is for .

Aaron Rodgers needs to get back to playing how he did in the second half of 2009. And he needs to do it this week. In the last two games, Rodgers has reverted back to some bad habits, the worst of which is holding the ball too long and leading to some drive killing sacks. In truth, this is the way Rodgers has always played even dating back to his days at Cal. This quote from Tedford is definitely telling when he discussed things Rodgers needed to work on before the 2004 season:

“Not so much physical tools, but he knows he needs to work on more gamesman-type things, like when you are in the red zone, throw the ball away, don’t take sacks.” (Source: CalBears.com)

Don’t take sacks. Yet this is precisely what Rodgers has reverted back to doing. This habit has stuck with Rodgers to the pros, but the second half of 2009 proved this fundamental flaw in Rodgers’ game to be correctable with a shorter passing game and more three-step drops. This is the biggest flaw in Rodgers game despite the fact that the interceptions have been uncharacteristically up this season. A couple of them are not his fault however, and one came on a hail mary pass at the end of the first half.

Rodgers also needs to learn to throw the checkdown every once and awhile. He needs to take what the defense gives him like he did in the game against the Chicago Bears. What’s more – that was only three weeks ago although it feels more like three months. Ever since around the second half of the Washington Redskins game (presumably when Rodgers began “feeling off”) Rodgers has appeared jumpy in the pocket. His concussion may have had something to do with that. Even so, he needs to shake it off and stop worrying about the officials. Now, I can’t remember if Rodgers complained a lot to the officials in 2009, but he’s been doing an almost excessive amount of complaining in the last two games. I think uncharacteristically so. Although, like I said, I don’t remember if he did this or not in 2009 as I was focused on the games. Maybe more in the first half of the season in 2009.

Another reason for Rodgers having “happy feet” is that he seems to be less comfortable in the pocket whenever Mark Tauscher is not around. With Tauscher, the sacks stay down and Rodgers stays in the pocket longer. Without Tauscher, Rodgers gets jumpy. Still, Rodgers needs to learn to trust in his line with or without Tauscher. Tauscher is old and someday won’t be the right tackle. Rodgers needs to start learning this lesson now and trust his line no matter who it is that it protecting him. Bryan Bulaga is no Allen Barbre. I understand being jumpy with Barbre in protecting, but Bryan is much better. Yes, Bulaga is prone to some rookie mistakes, but for the most part, he did a pretty decent job in the game against the Miami Dolphins. All he needs to do is stop some of the false start penalties. He seems to have at least one every game.

Certainly, the lack of a credible running game is also hurting Rodgers. Yes, Brandon Jackson and John Kuhn have a good average yards per carry. According to Football Outsiders, Jackson and Kuhn average 5.6 yards per carry on first down. They average 4.6 yards in 2009 with Ryan Grant. If you take away Jackson’s 71 yard run and Grant’s biggest run from 2009, the yards per carry are 4.4 and 4.3. However, do any defenses really fear Jackson and Kuhn? Didn’t think so. Yeah, they can get good yardage, but they know they don’t really have to defend the run. This is more on Mike McCarthy than it is on Jackson and Kuhn. The Packers are 29th in the league in rushing attempts despite have a good yards per carry average on first down. McCarthy needs to call a more balanced attack because throwing on 75% of your offensive plays just isn’t working. Calling a more balanced game would go a long way towards keeping defenses honest and getting rid of the Cover-2 defense that most teams seem to be employing against the Packers. Pulling down a safety by running more would go a long way to opening up more receivers for Aaron Rodgers. Run more, and get rid of the Cover-2. Otherwise, teams will keep running that defense against the Packers just as long as it works. So far, it has.

Also, I know slants and screens aren’t the Packers strong suit (nor do they seem to be types of passes Rodgers is good at), but would it really kill McCarthy to call a screen or a slant every once in awhile? Right now the Packers are 27th in the NFL in screen efficiency. (Source: ESPN North Blog). They have attempted only 10 screens (an average of 1.67 screen passes per game). The Packers need to show a little creativity. They could also run more out of the shotgun formation. I saw the Colts do it to perfection. Throw some misdirection plays in there. Something. Anything. Just don’t go empty backfield on so many plays. Obviously, the defense knows the pass is coming when you do that. Unless of course, it’s to fool the defense on the goal line on fourth and one. Yes, I’m citing that great QB sneak Rodgers did to get it into the end zone last Sunday. Rodgers is great with play-action. That beautiful throw to Greg Jennings to get the 86-yard touchdown was gorgeous. However, to do play-action, McCarthy first needs to call a short yardage, horizontal game before stretching the field vertically with the deep bombs that Rodgers throws so well. Go horizontal and run more before going vertical. Then those big plays will start coming in droves.

Do this, and the Packers offensive woes may be over on Sunday night. Failure to do so will only result in further offensive struggles. Of course, the Packers also need to cut down on the penalties and drops as well. However, if the offense can find their mojo again, the criticisms of the Packers offense will mostly subside, and I believe the offense will get on a roll. Except for the criticism that Rodgers is unable to “win close games,” that is. That criticism will only be erased when Rodgers does begin winning them. (See previous post below for thoughts on that).

I believe he can.

Hot topic this past week has circled around Aaron Rodgers and his inability to win close games especially in light of two overtime losses two weeks in a row. Rodgers, in case you didn’t know, has a 1-11 record in games decided by 4 points or less and a 7-13 record in games decided by 7 points or less as a starter. And I was all prepared to jump aboard the “Rodgers isn’t clutch” bandwagon until I read the following article by Jason Lisk: Just Say no to Quarterback Records in Close Games. According to Lisk, there is no correlation between how many close games a quarterback wins between a quarterback’s first three seasons as a starter and their next three.

Basically it means that Rodgers 7-13 record in close games during years 1-3 could easily turn around and be 13-7 in his next three years. A few things here or there could go his way and Rodgers’ record in close games could easily be flipped. Even ignoring the first two years, and looking solely at this year, Rodgers’ record in close games this year could easily be 3-1 instead of 1-3. Imagine if Mason Crosby had hit the field goal before the Packers game against the Washington Redskins went into overtime. Rodgers would have led the game-winning drive leading up to the game-winning field goal. Instead, Crosby missed sending the Packers into overtime where things didn’t go their way. Or, imagine if James Jones hadn’t fumbled in the Chicago game or if the fumble had gone out of bounds. We will never know what would have happened then. Yes, this is a lot of ifs, but it is telling in why there is no correlation between a quarterbacks’ record in close games from his first three years as a starter to his next three. A few things just have to fall your way and your record in close games could be a lot better than it currently is. That’s why it is unfair of people like Colin Cowherd to call a quarterback “not clutch.” Rodgers’ defense and Mason Crosby have let him down a ton. If Crosby makes just two of the four field goals he missed in game-winning situations, Rodgers’ record is a much better looking 9-11 (almost .500). If the Packers don’t let the Steelers drive all the way down the field when Rodgers has put them ahead, his record is 8-12.

This is not to completely excuse Rodgers from the way he’s been playing (which has not been good) – but people criticizing him for being “unclutch” is not entirely fair, something I did earlier this week in a comment on someone else’s blog. However, upon further reflection, I have changed my view somewhat. Maybe he has been “unclutch” the past two games. But, that has not always been the case for his entire career. Winning close games seems to be more the element of luck. If more things had gone Rodgers’ way, there wouldn’t even be a debate because most likely, Rodgers’ record in close games wold be hovering right around .500.

Now if you want to talk to me about Rodgers’ regression this past year, well that is a different story. I would be in favor of criticizing Rodgers’ about that because he has not played well this year and has reverted to his awful habit of holding the ball too long and refusing to use any of his checkdowns. Ever. He never uses them. Yes, you don’t want a “checkdown” king as your quarterback, but Rodgers is the “anti-checkdown” king. He needs to take a page out of Peyton Manning’s book and take what the defense gives him like he did in the game against the Chicago Bears. Oddly enough, that game seems like ages ago even though it was just a few weeks back. And don’t even tell me his rating in that game was only 92.5 (he had a hail mary interception that caused the rating to be below 100). He completed 75% of his passes in that game.

In any case, the bottom line is simple. Rodgers does need to play better (and if he had, the Packers would probably be sitting around 5-1 right now instead of 3-3). He has looked average this year and uncharacteristically inaccurate. However, calling him “un-clutch” is just not entirely fair.

Unless of course, you are Brian Cushing of the Houston Texans.

This is absolutely one of the most ridiculous excuses for testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. Really? I want to know where Cushing’s doctors got their credentials from. I’m not saying that Cushing did indeed suffer “overtrained athlete syndrome,” as he probably did. It can happen and does happen. But as the article linked mentioned, apparently Cushing’s positive test was due to his unique genetic makeup. Now, I’m not denying that every individual is unique genetically because we are. But to suggest that you have a unique genetic makeup and just so happen to be a professional athlete that was caught using performance enhancing drugs is too coincidental for me. I’m sure it can happen – and if it turns out to be true (which I highly doubt) then I will personally eat my words. But the chance of that happening is probably somewhere on the odds of 1:10 billion. In addition, in another article by Yahoo Sports, one Dr. David Black of Aegis Sciences Corporation remarked, “I don’t know that there’s any good evidence to suggest that this syndrome could lead to elevated HCG in the body, if that’s what this test really indicates.” A doctor doesn’t buy it. I don’t buy it either.

I mean, Cushing could be paying these doctors for all we know. He could be paying them to make up this bogus excuse and paying them to fudge the test results all in his favor. Doctors are capable of being corrupt too. It’s not just police as a lot of movies make police out to be.

In short, Cushing, you are not getting your suspension reduced. Not unless there really is practical and hard evidence that “over-trained athlete syndrome” causes increased HCG levels. Until then, good luck.

General NFL Quick Hits:

1. Rookie Hazing – Big story this week was Tim Tebow’s “Friar Tuck” haircut. Pretty hilarious actually. To his credit, Tebow also took it extremely well unlike a certain rookie named Dez Bryant. Seriously Dez. This kind of thing happens in the NFL. This isn’t Pee Wee Football. Take a page out of Tebow’s book. That’s all I have to say about this.

2.  Brett Favre’s Indecision 2010 – Once again, Favre is playing the old “boy who cried wolf” game. By now, this really shouldn’t be news, but it is. As long as the media continues to talk about it, it will continue to be news. Frankly, it’s obvious that Favre wants to play but can’t because of the ankle injury causing him to be even more indecisive than usual. Problem is, one of these days he’s actually going to have to retire. Honestly, I just hope that he has enough to sense to retire before America has to watch one of the best quarterbacks ever carted off on a stretcher. But Favre might play this old song until that does happen. The guy has nothing else he wants to do with his life.

3. Darrelle Revis’ Contract Hold-Out - Revis is an amazing CB. An All-Pro CB as much as it pains me to admit seeing as I’m a Packers fan and a Charles Woodson fan. He should be making MUCH more than what he’s getting, and if the New York Jets don’t cave, there is speculation out there that he could sit out the entire season. Now these are just rumors based on what I’ve heard on twitter so by no means are they fact. I will point out that Adam Schefter of ESPN said this on twitter regarding Revis: “Jets chairman and CEO Woody Johnson, updating contract talks with holdout CB Darrelle Revis: “My impression is no progress.“” In addition, NBC New York reports that “Revis is under contract through his sixth year, which means he is under absolutely no pressure to play under his current deal because it won’t make him a free agent any sooner. If this is indeed the case, it is possible that Revis could sit out the 2010 NFL season if he’s not happy. As to any guess whether Revis does sit out the entire season, well, I have no idea. I just know that he should be getting more than what he is. That being said, it’s still a selfish move and only hurts his team but I can see where he’s coming from.

4. Weird Camp for Vikings – Basically, all news out of the Minnesota Vikings training camp is basically no news because according to Tom Pelissero, we haven’t seen the Vikings. Sidney Rice is hurt, Adrian Peterson just returned from injury, Brett Favre is of course not in camp, and something odd is going on with Percy Harvin. Only reason I mention all this is just because I’m keep tabs on the opposition as a Packers fan.

Green Bay Packer Specific Quick Hits:

1. Aaron Rodgers and the No. 1 Offense are 0-5 in two-minute drills – Cause for concern? I don’t believe it is – they only just started on their second week of training camp. If the trend continues, it might be more concerning, but I think they’ll get it down. After a somewhat slow start, Rodgers has been pretty sharp in camp with the exception of the two-minute drill.

2. Clay Matthews Injures Hamstring – Out Two weeks – Again, I believe Matthews will be fine, but a hamstring injury is a little more worrisome than the No. 1 offense going 0-5 in two-minute drills. Still, he’s had this kind of injury before. I believe we’ll see him back for at least the 3rd or 4th preseason game. If not, I believe he’ll be on the field for game one against the Eagles.

3. Bryan Bulaga Gets a Look at Left Guard – I think I’m with Kevin Seifert of ESPN on this one who tweeted the following: “Noooooooo! Keep him at LT!! RT: @packers: Bulaga is working as a backup LG at #PackersCamp.” He then retracted his statement a little by tweeting, “Slight overreaction on Bulaga. Could be just in case there is an emergency. I’m in favor of keeping OL prospects at one position.” I don’t particularly like the move either – I’m in the same camp as Seifert. Plus, I was hoping the Packers brought in Bulaga to be the left tackle of the future – and he has a great left tackle to learn from in Chad Clifton who has looked great in beat writer Greg Bedard’s practice videos. Let’s face it. Clifton is not getting any younger. The Packers need tackles.

And with that, I’m out. Might touch on Tiger Woods in my next post as the PGA Championship approaches especially regarding his horrible tournament at the Bridgestone Invitational where he finished second-to-last. Woods needs to re-discover his mental prowess and fast if he wants any chance of winning the PGA Championship.

It’s definitely a lot more personal than usual.

In any case, today I was given the great privilege of attending the Petros and Money Show’s Super Red Wine Friday at Spaghettini’s Italian Grill and Lounge. Because this was a small venue, not everyone could go. But I happened to be lucky enough to score an invitation and so, I went. I mean, who could pass up free food, a live reggae band, Petros Papadakis, and Matt “Money” Smith? I know I couldn’t. But even if there was no free food, it still would have been a fantastic event. For starters, they had on some pretty great guests. For starters, Long Beach Press-Telegram’s Doug Krikorian was on during the fake hour. Then they had on Houston Rocket’s Trevor Ariza (who by the way, the Lakers should have never traded, but it’s their loss). Finally, the great Tommy Lasorda was on live – and he continually got so many cheers throughout his segments that it was sometimes hard to even hear him. Of course, John Papadakis, Petros’ father was also on the show as he does every friday, and Vic “the Brick” Jacobs also make an appearance towards the end. (By the way, VTB looks like he could be at home at People’s Park in Berkeley. And I should know, judging by the fact that I’m a Cal alum and walked by People’s Park every single day. I mean seriously – with that long, scraggly hair and mismatched clothes; he could have been a hobo that I walked by asking me for a quarter). But back to the point. All the guests had good interviews – I even tweeted some of what Trevor Ariza said during the show although definitely DO NOT take those as direct quotes. Some of it is paraphrased – only so much you can do from a cell phone. Nothing earth-shattering was said, but it was still entertaining nonetheless.

Now of course I didn’t just LISTEN to the show – otherwise, what would be the point of writing a blog post about my experience? I met both Petros and Money (and take a picture with them). I also met the Trevor Ariza (stopping by on his way to San Diego for his basketball camp and who happened to show up even though his son peed on him and he had to change), and John Papadakis. That’s the great thing about smaller venues – gives you a chance to interact with the people on the show. Case in point: after my sister and I introduced ourselves to John Papadakis, he came over to us not once, but twice during the break. And he kissed my sister’s hand not just once, but twice. Very Greek of him by the way. This is definitely the kind of stuff that only happens in small places – huge concert venues? Forget about it. You’re lucky enough if you get to shake their hands. To cap it all off, we had three delicious glasses of red wine (it was red wine friday after all) and got to a listen to a great reggae band called The Expanders. Funnily enough, the Expanders were a primarily white band – definitely different for a reggae band. But they were good nonetheless.

Awesome event, awesome time. Definitely would do it again.

This is not one of those times.

This is because I want to discuss this great article on ESPN by Tim Keown which is entitled, “Above it all.” It’s a great piece on Rodgers and shows exactly why Rodgers is a guy you can get behind. 99% of the time, Rodgers both says and does the right thing. That’s important. He doesn’t just say it. He follows through with his actions. Yes, right now he is currently at a golfing tournament in Lake Tahoe. But instead of taking one last extended vacation, for the better part of the period between OTA’s and training camp, it was reported by USA Today that Rodgers was working out at a football school with guys like Drew Brees. Rodgers clearly gets “it.” Unlike a certain QB that keeps waffling back and forth between retirement and is, oh yeah, conveniently not healthy enough for training camp, Rodgers is preparing way back in March all the way until the start of the season. Yes, OTA’s are voluntary workouts. But for Rodgers, that’s when the season begins. He doesn’t just say it. He lives it.

Of course, number 12 isn’t infallible. He’s made a few mistakes – and I was certainly critical of his blasting of ESPN media personalities (aka Tony Kornheiser) no matter how true his statements were. Which, most people agree, were true. Nevertheless, I felt it was something franchise QB’s should not do, and pointed out that you don’t see the Mannings’ and the Bradys’ and the like doing something like that. In all honesty though, that’s the 1% of the time. Athletes are human too – they make mistakes. The question is, how big of a mistake is it? Like I’ve said before, I used to think Brett Favre was infallible too. I overlooked his painkiller addiction. I overlooked the drinking problem. I ignored all that. It wasn’t until he signed on with the Minnesota Vikings, that I finally took the blindfold off. That doesn’t mean I can’t admire how Favre plays. I still highly enjoy watching Favre play. But he was no longer on a pedestal.

So far, Rodgers is saying and doing all the right things. He’s got the right stuff. He’s seemingly got what a lot of athletes don’t have. In fact, what some of his own teammates don’t have like Johnny Jolly. Jolly, who was just suspended indefinitely by the National Football League for violating their substance abuse policy. Michael Vick, who just can’t stay out of trouble. Rodgers has given Packer fans a reason to be excited even if his style of play isn’t as flashy as number 4.

I’m not just pulling for Rodgers because he went to UC Berkeley, and I’m a UC Berkeley alumni. I’m not just pulling for him because I’m a Green Bay Packers fan and he happens to be the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers. All these things could very well nail me as a homer – and you might be right about that. However, I’m pulling for him because, 99% of the time, he embodies what a professional athlete should be. When the sports world is full of the Lebron James’ and the Ben Roethlisbergers’ and the Johnny Jollys’ it’s nice to know that there are still guys like Rodgers out there who had to get where they are today the hard way. As the article details, nothing came easy for Rodgers. Getting a college scholarship did not come easy. Draft day was not easy. Waiting for his chance to start was not easy, and especially not under the circumstances that they were under. I really hope that Rodgers shows that hard work can pay off to the young kids out there who want to follow their dreams.

In short, we need more stories like these.

I could have also written about the World Cup Final game between the Netherlands and Spain. I actually did watch that game. However, it was so boring and dull and had too many penalties to be even remotely enjoyable. After wasting two hours of my life, I didn’t want to waste more of my time blogging about it. I could also write about baseball in general. However, baseball is probably my least favorite sport to watch. Wait? The season is only half over? By the time October comes around, I’m going to be too hyped up on football to even care about blogging about baseball. Maybe I’ll write about the World Series – but then again, I know nothing about baseball to make an interesting post.

If Tiger Woods wins the British Open, then I might finally have something to blog about it. Until, then, I’m simply counting down the days until the Green Bay Packers open their training camp.

In any case, going to the point of this post, ESPN has an article entitled, “Should Strasburg be an All-Star?” Both Howard Bryant and Jerry Crasnick make some very valid points and it’s hard to disagree with both. But I do think Strasburg should be an All-Star. First off, Strasburg has been phenomenal as exemplified by the stats listed in the article. According to his player card, Strasburg currently has a 2.27 ERA and 48 strikeouts in just four games. Yes, he has a mediocre record. But come on. You can’t really put that on him, especially considering that he’s playing on the Washington Nationals. Strasburg is good for baseball. Personally, I still don’t really like the sport all that much – I think it’s pretty boring and I’m really detest the summer months when there is no other sport on although I like summer itself. Aside from the World Cup that is. Besides, with the USA being out, I’m not sure I’ll follow it that much anymore.

But back to the point. Baseball is stagnant. There’s not much going on with the sport, and the number of games that baseball players play simply adds to the stagnation. It consistently gets upstaged by football – heck, I’m more interested in football training camps than I am in regular season baseball games. Strasburg is a phenom. The All-Star game needs to feature exciting players. Yes, it is probably far too soon to say he’s one of the best pitchers in the national league. But everyone wants to see him and everyone wants to talk about him. Heck, when he’s pitching, my twitter page lights up with tweets about how Strasburg is doing. People are genuinely excited about this guy. The last time I remember people getting this excited for a certain player (or players) was back in the steroid-filled home run derby days of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. Of course, no one knew they were on ‘roids back then. I could be wrong though. As I said, I don’t follow baseball much so there’s definitely a lot of things that I don’t know about the sport. But if the MLB wants viewers, they should let Strasburg in.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that it’s actually going to happen. It probably won’t. And even though I don’t like the sport personally, it’s still pretty cool that baseball is finally generating some excitement again.