Disclaimer: This post is mildly influenced by the fact that Drew Brees doesn't get anywhere near enough credit. As much as I would love to refute the obvious, I can't - in good conscience - deny that the things that Aaron Rodgers has proven capable of from the quarterback position are acts of athleticism that have never before been seen from one person with any regularity. The scrambling ability that leaves men with superhuman combinations of size, strength, and speed grasping at air. The presence of mind that allows him to be productive despite repeatedly hitting the snooze button on his internal clock. The pin point accuracy that shouldn't be possible with how often he gives a nice big "fuck you" to fundamental mechanics. The arm strength responsible for hail marys that consistently leave my 50 inch television screen only to reappear in the arms of an awaiting receiver 60 some odd yards down the field. It's getting to the point where it's nearly impossible to argue that the current quarterback of the Green Bay Packers isn't one of the most purely talented players ever to step on a football field, yet - after fluffing him nearly to completion - I must say that it somehow feels like he still gets too much credit. I like to think I am objective enough to appreciate greatness regardless of the source, but I do find it odd that Aaron Rodgers is the only signal caller in the NFL that is able to avoid criticism when he's not remotely close to near perfect. Before this historic run of games started the Green Bay Packers were rapidly approaching a full calendar year of exceedingly underwhelming football, yet the only explanation that oft-pessimistic analysts could think of was that the entirety of Aaron Rodgers locker room let him down. Playing quarterback is supposed to be a gift and a curse. You are supposed to get all the praise when you win and all the blame when you lose. That's how it is for literally every other person that lines up under center. Why did the guy who was nonsensically getting compared to Michael Jordan six games into last season get treated with kid gloves when his career hit a speed bump that was more reminiscent of LeBron's first stint in Cleveland? These are same "journalists" who were quick to say that Tom Brady had fallen off a cliff when the Patriots started 2-2 in 2014 and are ready to put Drew Brees football career in the morgue every time he throws multiple interceptions. Yet when a physically superior quarterback - with obvious personality flaws - struggles they are quite to point the finger elsewhere like parents who blame their teenage son's new "crowd" when he goes from a 4.0 GPA to rolling joints with his D+ essays? Excuse me for acknowledging facts here, but is it possible that the guy who has a rocky relationship with family, friends, and - most importantly - former teammates (with whom he won a championship) only has one Super Bowl for a reason? I'm not ignoring the seemingly impossible things he's able to do with a ball in his hands, but don't we think the lack of leadership he displays literally every time he throws an incompletion and immediately proceeds to toss a teammate right under the wheels of the nearest bus is worth mentioning? I'm definitely being too hard on a guy that's riding a streak that's hotter than his brother's run on 'The Bachelorette', but - god dammit - it's about time someone said something bad about the guy that appears to be an insufferable asshole during the increasingly rare occasions that he's not wowing a viewing audience.
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