Sunday, Sep. 28, 2008

Bucs get first look at Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers doesn't want to be the next Brett Favre, just like Danny White didn't want to be the next Roger Staubach and Brian Griese didn't want to be the next John Elway.

Alas, no one ever asks the guy replacing the legend for his thoughts. They just hand him a pair of size 66 shoes with instructions to fill them.

Or else.

"There's a lot to chew off," Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden said.

There is no shortage of Favre jerseys in Green Bay. They are still sold at Lambeau Field, where Favre once ran wild and where Rodgers is currently running the Green Bay Packers offense, having replaced the three-time MVP and living legend this season after the three-time MVP and living legend led the Packers to the NFC Championship Game last January, retired, unretired and left the team after a messy divorce and trade to the New York Jets.

All Rodgers has done is lead the Packers to a 2-1 record entering this afternoon's game at Raymond James Stadium, where he will encounter a former legend-follower in Griese.

Griese began the post-Elway Era in Denver with four straight losses.

Griese summed up the reaction of the Broncos fans as this: "You think the sky is falling."

And you think you have it tough at work.

But there is a way to negotiate this minefield.

"You let your play speak for itself, and he's played really well," Griese said. "I think you go into it humble. He's not going to try to be Brett Favre. I didn't try to be John Elway. You can't do that."

Also, Griese said, the less you say the better.

Don't say anything to inflame the masses. Don't do anything to inflame them, either. It is best to create a diversion like, say, winning.

Rodgers has done little to turn the Packers faithful against him. Hey, even Rodgers enjoys all those No. 4 jerseys in the stands.

"I totally understand there are still thousands and thousands of Brett Favre fans in Green Bay," Rodgers said Wednesday. "I respect that, and I never want to take that away from them."

He doesn't have to, because there are still thousands and thousands of Bart Starr fans in Green Bay, and they didn't seem to mind when that gunslinger from Mississippi took their team to a Super Bowl title.

It helps Rodgers that the Packers felt it was time he took over the offense. Drafted in the first round in 2005, Rodgers spent the next three seasons learning the Packers' offense while patiently waiting for his chance.

"He's just at the point where he needs to play games and keep building on the experience one week after the other," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said.

For a quarterback who never started an NFL game until the season opener three weeks ago, Rodgers is off to a solid start. He's fifth in the NFC with a quarterback rating of 102.9 and has yet to throw an interception.

While some measure Rodgers against Favre, Rodgers is satisfied measuring himself against himself. There, he feels he grades out well.

"I'm very confident in my abilities," Rodgers said. "I feel like my preparation puts me in position to be successful. The necessities that every quarterback needs to have are confidence and mental toughness. I have both. If you play with a high level of confidence, you're going to be successful more times than not."

Still, it can be cold playing in the shadow of a legend.

And here's a funny story: When Gruden watches tape of Rodgers, he's reminded of old No. 4.

"He's exciting to watch. He's got a flair about him. He's got a charisma about him. Fearless," Gruden said. "He's very confident in himself. He's talented. Is he in a tough spot? Sure, but who isn't in a tough spot as a starting quarterback in the NFL?"

Griese agreed.

"There's a lot of pressure on him, whether he was following Brett Favre or not," Griese said. "There's pressure in Cincinnati and pressure in Pittsburgh. If you can't handle that pressure, if you don't have thick skin, you're not going to make it."

The best way to handle all that?

"Just be yourself," Rodgers said.