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Pete Murray. Counting Crows. Jack Johnson. Anberlin. Switchfoot.
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Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers works on a passing drill during football training camp Friday, Aug. 8, 2008, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Shawano Leader, Cory Dellenbach) |
But as the Green Bay Packers’ new starting quarterback prepared for tonight’s preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers, the admitted country music fan knew the perfect song to serve as the soundtrack for his return to the Bay Area.
Garth Brooks’ “Unanswered Prayers.”
Rodgers was 6 when “No Fences,” Brooks’ hit second album, debuted during the summer of 1990, but he still likes the old-school tune (give him a few days and he’ll play it for you on his acoustic guitar), can sing its defining lyric (“Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers”), and knows full well why it would be perfectly appropriate for the Candlestick Park sound system to blare it when he is announced with the rest of the Packers’ offensive starters tonight.
A week before the 2005 NFL draft, Rodgers sat in then-49ers offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy’s office, believing in his heart that the 49ers would take him with the No. 1 overall pick.
The scenario was simply too perfect: He grew up in Chico, Calif., just 3 hours away; his childhood idols were 49ers quarterbacks Joe Montana and Steve Young; and he played his college ball just across the Bay in Berkeley at Cal. All that, plus the 49ers were in the market for a franchise quarterback.
“I wanted to go to the 49ers. I thought I was going to the 49ers,” Rodgers said. “That was the dream scenario.”
Dream deferred
That dream, of course, did not come true.
The 49ers opted for Utah’s Alex Smith, and you know the rest: Rodgers spent the next 41/2 hours waiting on-camera in the Jacob Javits Convention Center green room until Packers general manager Ted Thompson picked him at No. 24, then spent the succeeding three years waiting some more, behind the legendary Brett Favre on the Packers’ depth chart.
And so, it is against that historical backdrop that the Packers come to town at a time when the 49ers continue their struggle under center.
Smith, now playing for his fourth offensive coordinator in as many years, is losing his battle for the starting job to journeyman ex-Packer J.T. O’Sullivan, a throw-in in the 2004 Mike McKenzie trade who’ll make his second straight start tonight.
“Once (Rodgers) got out of the top 10, I turned to Ted and said, ‘That guy’s going to fall right to us,’” Packers college scouting director John Dorsey recalled Friday. “It’s always been interesting to see how the two would turn out.”
The Packers had Rodgers rated above Smith on their draft board, according to Dorsey and West Coast scout Sam Seale, who evaluated the quarterbacks.
While the Packers didn’t plan on Rodgers being there, Dorsey said, “It comes down to best player on the board, and at the time he was. You have to make sure everybody’s on board with it, but we saw it as an opportunity for him to sit back for two, three years, mature, watch the game and then plug him in.
“At the time, there was talk (Favre) was going to retire the next season. Obviously, he didn’t, but in order to sustain a high success level, you’d better have a young quarterback in the fold who’s ready to step onto the center stage when it’s time. And we’ve always said three years is the optimal time for a young quarterback to sit there and learn everything and let the game slow down.”
‘Better off’
While Rodgers described his relationship with Smith as “very friendly” and said he doesn’t begrudge Smith for the big payday he received (Smith signed a six-year, $49.5 million deal that included $24 million in guarantees, while Rodgers is entering the fourth year of a five-year deal tied to playing time that included $5 million in guarantees is paying him a base salary of $680,000 in 2008), McCarthy knew upon his hiring as the Packers’ coach in 2006 that he’d have to talk to Rodgers about the 49ers’ decision.
“It was the first conversation I had with him, and I was honest about it. We’ve talked about it a couple times,” said McCarthy, who hadn’t seen Rodgers since their pre-draft interview.
“We talked about what went on during that time, and frankly, I’ve told him this a number of times: ‘You’re better off where you are. I know you wanted to play and I understand the financial ramifications behind being No. 1 (compared to) where you were picked, but it’s about the big picture.’ And I think his opportunity to be able to sit and develop and prepare for his time is a better way to go than what Alex had to go through in San Francisco with four coordinators in four years.”
Great expectations
While nothing can truly prepare Rodgers for the challenge he faces in following Favre — and the constant comparisons he’ll face with Favre playing for the New York Jets — this preseason is providing a glimpse into how Rodgers deals with pressure and expectations.
In the Packers’ preseason-opening loss to Cincinnati on Monday night, Rodgers played four series. Victimized by a third-down drop by Donald Driver and an interception that caromed off Chris Francies chest after hitting him in the numbers, Rodgers responded by leading scoring drives on the ensuing two possessions.
On a night when thoughts of Favre were all around, he finished 9-for-15 for 117 yards with a touchdown, the interception and a 79.0 passer rating. Likewise, his first road start comes with a more-than-just-an-exhibition-game feel to it, given his back story with the 49ers.
“I don’t think the pressure on me in preseason can equal the pressure that’s going to be on me in the regular season,” Rodgers said. “But I’ll say this: You want to play well, regardless of the situation. Obviously last week, there was a little extra importance to play well. Just the added pressure of the first game, high expectations, I really wanted to play well. This week is still very important. It’s not a national (TV) game, but it means a lot to me.”
