Packers Morning Buzz: Aaron Rodgers channels Brett Favre when talking about toughness
Welcome to your Morning Buzz, rounding up news and views regarding the Green Bay Packers from around the web and here at PackersNews.com.
The Packers opened their regular season Sunday night with a 24-23 victory over the Chicago Bears. They host the Minnesota Vikings at noon Sunday.
We'll start with Pete Dougherty's take on Aaron Rodgers' dramatic comeback from a knee injury and how he willed the Packers to victory.
Pete writes:
This is what great quarterbacks do, and why Rodgers and Tom Brady are worth just about anything their teams are willing to pay them. It brought back memories of the Brett Favre era, when Favre on several occasions got off the deck and played games when it looked like he couldn’t, and won games that looked lost.
Rodgers even mentioned how playing behind Favre for three seasons showed him what an invaluable trait toughness is for a quarterback in this league. It doesn’t guarantee the Packers will have a great season — it’s only Week 1, and there will be plenty of ups and downs. But when the quarterback comes through when he’s hobbled and his team is down, it does filter down through the roster and help establish a team’s character.
Talent, of course, is huge, and Rodgers has as much throwing talent as anyone who’s ever played this game. But football also is a battle of wills, and this kind of display of will from the most important player on the team, it’s hard to overstate what an profound example it sets for a team.
Be sure to read Pete's entire column here:
Tom Silverstein looks at how the Packers' offensive line adjusted to give Rodgers more time:
Pete and Tom break down the Rodgers' comeback:
Ryan Wood writes about the reaction to Rodgers' latest magic act:
Jim Owczarski details how Rodgers came back after being carted off in the second quarter:
Rodgers talks about what it means to beat the arch-rival Bears:
The Packers' defense finally righted the ship after a distressing start, Owczarski writes:
Rodgers' backup DeShone Kizer had Packers fans longing for the days of Brett Hundley during his relief stint:
Elsewhere, Albert Breer writes about when Rodgers' teammates learned he was coming back into the game:
Also at The MMQB, Andy Benoit looks at the quarterback the Packers will face next Sunday, Minnesota's Kirk Cousins:
Tom Oates offers his thoughts on Rodgers' heroics for the Wisconsin State Journal:
The folks at "Good Morning Football" are abuzz over what Rodgers' performance means for the league:
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network gives his thoughts on what's ahead for Rodgers:
According to ESPN, Rodgers tied the largest comeback win of his NFL career, equaling the rally from a 20-0 deficit in 2015 at Detroit (the Hail Mary game):
In Chicago, the lament i that the Bears took their foot off the gas: