GREEN BAY - It was the kind of
situation that made a Pro Bowl player out of former seventh-round
draft pick Donald Driver: a scalding pass in heavy traffic between
the hashmarks, with a first down on the line.
But Driver bobbled it — and
immediately found Aaron Rodgers to apologize.
"I let a big third-down play
go early on, I dropped one," Driver said. "After that, I
went to the sideline and told him it was my fault and I told him
it won't happen again. He knows that, he trusts me, and as you
see, he kept throwing the ball to me."
It was a subtle sign of respect
from Driver, a veteran who often called Brett Favre his
"brother from another mother" over the years. But Favre
is gone now, leaving Rodgers to replace one of the most popular
and productive players in franchise history.
By turning a cold shoulder to
Favre's sudden desire to unretire and instead send him packing in
a trade to the New York Jets last week, the Packers' front office
and coach Mike McCarthy put their reputations on the line to show
confidence in Rodgers.
And Rodgers' solid showing in his
preseason debut as Favre's replacement Monday night was a first
step toward winning over skeptical fans, even though the Packers
went on to lose 20-17 to the Cincinnati Bengals.
But Rodgers is most concerned about
winning the respect of his teammates, and it was their reaction
that meant the most to him.
"After I came out, a lot of
guys were really positive about how I played, which feels
good," Rodgers said. "It feels good to know that I have
the support of not only the management, which I think has been
proven in the public eye, but the guys as well — which is very
important to me."
Rodgers and the Packers' No. 1
offense got off to a shaky start. The Packers had to punt after a
false start, a sack and Driver's drop on their first possession.
Rodgers then drove the Packers into
Bengals territory on their second possession, only to throw an
interception off a deflection when his pass hit backup wide
receiver Chris Francies square in the "83" on his chest.
But Rodgers warmed up after that,
making several impressive plays in leading the Packers to a pair
of scores: A 37-yard field goal by Mason Crosby and a 30-yard
touchdown pass to wide receiver James Jones, who shook off a hard
hit that jarred his helmet loose to run to the end zone.
"A couple of balls got away
from us," said Jones, who narrowly missed hooking up with
Rodgers for another long touchdown earlier in the game.
"(The) interception, we could've caught the ball. A couple of
dropped passes. Overall, he played great. He led the offense, and
that's all we can ask for."
Rodgers was relieved by rookie
Brian Brohm after the first quarter, with the Packers holding a
10-0 lead. Rodgers finished 9-for-15 for 117 yards — a decent
showing, especially considering the tough spot Rodgers has been in
for the past month.
"He was probably more excited
than anyone else to get in front of the home crowd and just show 'em
what he can do," Driver said. "He went out there and
played well."
After quietly waiting for his turn
during three seasons spent mostly on the bench, Rodgers spent the
offseason preparing to take over as the starter. But when Favre
apparently got the "itch" to play again in late June,
Rodgers was sucked into the middle of one of the more bizarre and
bitter splits between a team and its star player in recent memory.
Until it became obvious early last
week that the rift between Favre and the Packers was beyond
repair, Rodgers was put under intense pressure and began playing
inconsistently in practice.
He struggled in the team's
"Family Night" scrimmage Aug. 3, drawing boos from the
crowd as Favre — who had flown into town that afternoon,
apparently intent on forcing a trade or competing with Rodgers for
the starting job — loomed in a suite overlooking the field.
But Rodgers and the team got
closure when McCarthy said last Tuesday that he wasn't convinced
Favre was committed to the Packers. Favre was traded the next day.
"I'm very proud of him,"
Driver said of Rodgers. "I told him, 'You're a better man
than most people because most people wouldn't be able to handle
the situation the way he handled it.' He handled it just like a
grown man and said the right things. It seems to have worked out
for him."
After watching Rodgers in action,
outspoken Bengals receiver Chad Johnson said moving on might not
be so bad for the Packers.
"Favre was very, very
good," Johnson said. "He did some wonderful things for
Green Bay. Some wonderful things. It was that time. I'm not sure,
I don't know the entire situation of what really went on, but he's
gone. It's Aaron's time now, and they need to give him a chance.
Don't compare Aaron Rodgers to Brett Favre. He has to make his own
shoes, make his own set of footprints and make his own success,
but I think he'll be all right. He looked pretty good
tonight."
