Aaron Rodgers’ greatness is simple.
His résumé is impeccable.
It’s plagued by private accomplishments — three league MVP honors (about to be 4 when this yr’s award is introduced), quite a few regular-season and playoff data, nine-figure hundreds of thousands in earnings on and off the soccer area.
There’s in all probability not sufficient shelving in his Wisconsin residence to suit all of the trophies and plaques that illustrate his exceptional feats in 14 seasons because the Packers’ beginning quarterback.
However, when it’s throughout for the 38-year-old Rodgers, are these the issues he desires as the final word definition to his legacy?
Rodgers has the whole lot, even a Tremendous Bowl ring.
Ring.
Not rings.
That is the one blemish on the Rodgers résumé. For all of the exceptional issues he’s achieved, he ought to have a couple of Tremendous Bowl ring on a type of trophy cabinets.
Peyton Manning, who earlier than Rodgers was probably the most prolific quarterback ripping aside report books with private accomplishments, ultimately obtained a second Tremendous Bowl ring when he left Indianapolis for Denver.
Even Eli Manning, whose profession statistics are pedestrian in comparison with these of his brother or Rodgers, received two rings with the Giants due to a few magically timed sizzling streaks.
Rodgers, whose Packers (13-4) play the 49ers (11-7) within the NFC divisional spherical Saturday night time at Lambeau Area, wants one other ring to raise his legacy. And, at his age, the window isn't opening wider, it’s slowly closing.
When that indisputable fact was delivered to his consideration throughout a Zoom name on Tuesday, Rodgers joked with the reporter who requested him about questioning what number of extra probabilities he’ll get to win one other ring that the query “appears just a little morbid.’’
“Soccer mortality is one thing that all of us take into consideration,’’ Rodgers stated. “All of us take into consideration what number of extra alternatives we’re going to be afforded, and every one is particular. Every season is particular and distinctive in its personal approach — as has this one been.
“There’s 4 groups left on the NFC facet and we’re certainly one of them. We get to host playoff video games (the Packers have home-field benefit so long as they’re alive). It is a particular alternative. We’re not going to make it greater than it's. We’ve gotten this far being level-headed and even-keeled and never driving a curler coaster of feelings and we’re going to maintain on doing the identical factor.
“If it was ok to get us this far, it’s ok to get us previous this level.’’
Rodgers is contemporary off one more superb common season throughout which he threw 37 touchdowns and solely 4 interceptions together with 4,115 yards, a 68.9-percent completion charge and an NFL-best 111.9 passer ranking. He’s thought of a digital lock to win one other league MVP award.
He has an excellent staff round him — on either side of the ball. That places lots of stress on Rodgers, who occurs to be 0-3 within the postseason towards the 49ers, the staff he rooted for as a child.
A one-and-done exit from the playoffs this yr — notably after the pointless soap-opera drama that occurred throughout the offseason with him reportedly threatening by no means to play for the Packers once more — would tarnish a legacy that ought to be enhanced.
Rodgers, who after all isn’t eager about that, is aware of it.
“It’s all part of it,’’ Rodgers stated. “Success is commonly primarily based, for quarterbacks, on championships received. Success individually is far more than that. And on the flip facet of that, failure, for my part, shouldn’t be primarily based solely in your losses and your failures and your errors and your low factors.
“It’s a lot greater than that,’’ Rodgers, getting introspective, went on. “It’s mindset, it’s strategy, it’s the whole bundle. However I perceive that in our enterprise, a lot of it's centered on the wins and losses — particularly within the playoffs, Tremendous Bowl rings and all that stuff. I perceive that’s a part of my legacy I’ll be judged on once I’m accomplished enjoying.
“Yearly is vital with regards to furthering your legacy, however I take lots of satisfaction within the success that we’ve had and that I’ve had and I hope we will add to it — each from a how-we’re-judged standpoint and how-we-judge-ourselves standpoint.’’
Legacy, after all, falls within the latter of these two standpoints.
And Rodgers, for all of his greatness, is aware of that to ensure that him to reinforce his legacy he has to make a type of personal-accomplishment classes plural — from ring to rings.
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