Give Aaron Rodgers The Ball

By: Darren Barnett

It takes a special playerâ€”and a special personâ€”to handle life as the player who succeeds a legend. The Brett Favre era in Green Bay lasted from 1992 through the 2007 season, but it quickly became clear to even the most ardent Favre fans that Aaron Rodgers is the Packers quarterback of the future and possibly an NFL star in the making.

Rodgers patiently waited for his chance to start and is now being rewarded by firmly grabbing the reigns of one of footballâ€™s most successful franchises as a mature professional.

Rodgers was born December 2nd, 1983, in the city of Chico California. He attended Pleasant Valley High School where he threw for over four thousand yards in his two years as a starting quarterback. Even with his great skills and stats, he only had one NCAA Division I offer--a walk-on opportunity from the University of Illinois. Rodgers turned down the walk-on offer and attended Butte Junior College. It was in 2003 when California coach Joe Tedford discovered Aaron and his talent as a freshman .

After transferring from Butte to the University of California, Rodgers had three years left of eligibility and became the starting quarterback just five games into the season. He led the Golden Bears to an 8-6 record, including a huge upset of the then number three-ranked University of Southern California. He also had an important win against the Virginia Tech Hokies at the Insight Bowl.

As a junior he posted more impressive numbers and propelled Cal to a #4 ranking. The Bears only lost one game that season with Rodgers starting at quarterback. In that game against USC, Rodgers tied an NCAA record with 23 straight completions. He posted over 2,300 passing that year and threw for 23 touchdowns and only seven interceptions.

Rodgers was projected to be an early first round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft but wasnâ€™t taken until the Green Bay Packers selected him with the number 24 spot in the first round. It proved to be an ideal situation.

Rodgers spent his rookie season behind a struggling Brett Farve and a Packers team that finished 4-12. In his second season as Farveâ€™s backup, he suffered a broken foot in a 35-0 win over the New England Patriots.

Rodgersâ€™ coming out party as an NFL quarterback occurred during the 2007 season when Farve went down in the second quarter against the Dallas Cowboys. The third-year backup entered the game with confidence and before it was over, he had thrown for over 200 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. It was that performance which cemented the feeling of confidence that Aaron could lead the Packers should the opportunity arise. That chance came with the somewhat awkward departure of Favre during the summer of 2008. Rodgers assumed the starting role for which heâ€™d been groomed and began his NFL journey with gusto. He is the first player to start his first three games and not throw an interception.

Where Favre jerseys once ruled, Aaron Rodgers jerseys and memorabilia are now starting to become more prevalent as a new era in Green Bay dawns. Aaron Rodgers autographs have become sought after by sports collectors and Packers fans who see him as an exciting player who should only improve with time. Aaron Rodgers rookie cards are now in demand.

A true team-oriented player, grounded in his singular desire to become the best teammate and NFL player he can be, Aaron Rodgers deserves his chance to prove the Packers made the right call when he unexpectedly fell into their lap that spring day in 2005.