Preparing for his first Super Bowl, Aaron Rodgers has received advice from some great quarterbacks, all past Super Bowl champions - Green Bay legend Bart Starr, Steve Young, and Kurt Warner.
From Sporting News:
“It’s a privilege,” Rodgers told reporters Tuesday. “Bart has been incredible to me — in the last three years especially — with the e-mails and conversations that I’ve been able to share with him. He’s an incredible man and a guy I’d love to model my career after.
“(Warner and Young) said, ‘Good luck with the distractions.’ There’s going to be a lot of different things that could disrupt your week if you let them, but they said just focus on keeping your preparation the same.”
When asked if he sought out advice from former teammate Brett Favre, Rodgers gave a simple but direct answer: "No."
I'm not at all surprised that Bart Starr would act as a mentor to Aaron Rodgers, and I'm not surprised that Rodgers would look to someone as grounded and classy as Starr as a role model.
Rodgers strikes me as someone who wants to learn. It appears he wants to benefit from the experience of others, like Young and Warner. Of course, Rodgers shows a lot of poise and confidence but he doesn't act as if he knows it all.
I can understand why Rodgers would not turn to Brett Favre for guidance, and not just because of Favre's off the field antics - the infidelity, the sexual harassment, the creepy little text messages.
Rodgers was Favre's backup for three years, but Favre cut off all communication with him after he left the Packers. What is that?
I thought it was so weird the way Favre cozied up to Tony Romo while completely turning his back on his former teammate, Aaron Rodgers.
Even worse, Favre spent the next three seasons trying to undermine his former team.
At Super Bowl media day, Packers president Mark Murphy was asked about the team reaching out to Favre.
From the Associated Press, via 620 WTMJ:
Packers president Mark Murphy says the team still expects to reconcile with former quarterback Brett Favre sometime down the road.
Speaking at the Green Bay's Super Bowl media day session Tuesday, Murphy says the team will reach out to Favre at the "appropriate time." It remains unclear just when that might be.
The sentiment isn't new for the Packers. Murphy has said in the past that he expects the team to eventually repair its relationship with Favre, the former face of the franchise now led by Aaron Rodgers.
...Murphy said in hindsight, he's proud of the way the team handled a difficult situation.
I expect the disgraced Vikings quarterback Favre to be welcomed back to the Packers family eventually, but the "appropriate time" is not yet on the horizon.
There was so much bad blood and Favre behaved so terribly. He wanted to stick it to the Packers by playing for the Bears or the Vikings. He got his wish. What he didn't get was a storybook ending to his career. He went out, assuming that he really is out this time, as a pathetic figure, a broken old man.
He says he no longer has any bitterness but his words belie his actions. In December 2010, he wanted the Bears to defeat the Packers, no allegiance to the Packers.
Aaron Rodgers' success and the Packers' success and Ted Thompson's success must be Favre's worst nightmare.
2010 was a storybook season, but not for Favre. The Packers fought their way through a lot of adversity and now are just days away from playing in Super Bowl XLV.
Favre is ancient history. His dream came true when he got his chance to prance around as a Viking. Too bad his dream fell apart.
I don't think of him as a Packers legend. He's a train wreck.
Lambeau Field Atrium (Photo/June 2009)
We're in the Aaron Rodgers era now. Why should we look back when the present and the future is so fantastic?
If Favre really wants a reconciliation with the Packers, a nice start would be for him to reach out to Rodgers, congratulate him, wish him luck in the SUPER BOWL.
I don't think Favre has the class. He doesn't have the character to do that.
Clearly, this isn't close to being the "appropriate time" for the Packers to reconcile with Favre.
We're too busy. We're in Super Bowl XLV.
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