Silverman: Packers' Rodgers Rocketing To Top Of The All-Time QB List
By Steve Silverman
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He is not better than Joe Montana or Johnny Unitas, and he hasn't had the longevity to his career that allows him to go by Peyton Manning, Tom Brady or even Brett Favre.
But by the time Aaron Rodgers is done with his career, he will probably be the best quarterback in the history of the NFL. If he keeps going the way he has been, he will not only pass up Unitas and Montana -- clearly the best in their own eras -- he has a chance to pass Jerry Rice and Jim Brown as the best football players in the history of the game.
Any time you hear a talk show host or a sportswriter mouth an opinion on the best football player or baseball player of all-time, it is just that, an opinion. You can back it up with statistics, quotes, memories, highlights, but that doesn't make it a fact. It can be an educated opinion, but it can't be a fact.
But we measure the game through achievements and numbers, and what Rodgers has done in his past three full seasons is completely off the board. We will throw out the 2013 season, because a shoulder injury caused him to miss seven games and robbed him of the chance to put up huge numbers.
He has been unstoppable since the start of the 2011 season. He was excellent before that, but he's taken his game to a completely different level.
In 2011, Rodgers completed 343 of 502 passes for 4,643 yards with a 45-6 TD-interception ratio. The following year, he was nearly as productive by completing 371 of 552 for 4,295 with a 39-8 TD-interception ratio.
With three games to go this year, Rodgers is at it again, and he has gotten even better. He has completed 276 of 416 passes for 3,652 yards and an amazing 35-3 TD-interception ratio.
None of his interceptions have come at home. He simply doesn't make mistakes at Lambeau Field, and that makes him nearly impossible to beat.
The Packers got off to a bit of a slow start this year, losing two of their first three, but they have been rocketing through the league since. They have won nine of their last 10 games, and while they have sensational receivers in Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb and a fine power running back in Eddie Lacy, they are riding Rodgers' strong right arm and it would be somewhat shocking if they don't end up representing the NFC in the Super Bowl. Rodgers is the leading candidate to win his second MVP Award.
But let's get back to those quarterback comparisons. We're not going to bring up the numbers Unitas and Montana compiled because they played in much different eras and their yardage and TD numbers simply don't compare. But Unitas was considered unstoppable in the most important games such as the 1958 NFL Championship game win over the Giants in overtime -- "the greatest game in pro football history" -- while Montana is the only quarterback to go 4-0 in the Super Bowl.
Manning has certainly had brilliant years and record-setting numbers. He has thrown 128 TD passes and just 32 interceptions in the last three years with the Broncos. Those numbers are better than his best three-year run with the Colts, which came between 2003 and 2005, when he threw 106 touchdowns and 30 interceptions.
Brady has three Super Bowl titles to his credit, but also has two Super Bowl losses on the debit side of the ledger. He had a memorable three-year run with the Patriots between 2003 and 2005 that saw him throw 100 TD passes and 30 interceptions, and an even better one between 2010 and 2012 that included 109 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.
Rodgers' current three-year explosion has seen him throw 119 touchdowns and just 17 interceptions. His ability to avoid those costly turnovers is what sets him apart and may drive him to the top of the list before all is said and done.
The key for him to get to the top of the list is his work ethic and his constant desire to improve. Green Bay quarterback coach Alex Van Pelt may be the X-factor behind Rodgers' success. Rodgers understands how it works in the NFL and past achievements mean little since professional football is a prove-it-to-me business.
Van Pelt will sit in the film room and pick apart Rodgers game, and show him where he could have had better footwork, hand placement or throwing technique. Rodgers doesn't resent corrections, he relishes them.
Rodgers likes working with Van Pelt and he is getting quite a bit from their partnership.
"He's had a big hand," Rodgers said to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Tyler Dunne. "It's been a steady hand. He's the same guy every single day. He's great on game day, giving me just a couple of things to think about."
Coachability is another factor that has taken Rodgers to the top. Manning and Brady have it, but not to the same degree as Rodgers.
A great player needs ego to succeed, because it helps him realize he is capable of greatness. But the best players can put that ego aside at key moments, and realize that there are improvements to be made and lessons to learn.
Follow Steve on Twitter at @ProFootballBoy
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