By: Chris Terlop
With the country waiting to hear the results of Aaron Rodgers’ evaluation by Dr. McKenzie today, I have heard a lot of fans suggest that the Packers should just shut him down for the year to avoid further injury.
In short my answer to that is absolutely not. Fans in Green Bay have been spoiled with back-to-back Hall of Fame caliber quarterbacks and during that reign they have mustered two Super Bowl victories, why is it that you as fans are so eager to accept this season as a lost one? The Packers aren’t the average team that is happy with making the playoffs, it is Super Bowl or bust every single year.
The Packers find themselves a half game out of the playoffs and, as we have seen in the past, once in the playoffs it is anybody’s game. If the Green and Gold end Rodgers’ career with just one Super Bowl victory it should be considered a waste of an amazing career. Do you realize how hard it is to find a franchise quarterback?
Just look at the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have had good defenses, or talented skill players at one point or another, but haven’t been able to find that one quarterback to lead them to the playoffs consistently, let alone being considered as a Super Bowl contender.
Then there are the teams who were able to find a good not great quarterback, but unable to get the pieces around him to make a run. The San Diego Chargers, Houston Texans (until this year), Dallas Cowboys, and of course the Detroit Lions have been able to do this but never get over the hump.
The final reason you should not take any chance at a Super Bowl for granted, the slew of young talented quarterbacks sprouting up across the league that have some good pieces to work with around them to make the “old guard’s” lives miserable. Seattle, Indianapolis, San Francisco, and Carolina to name a few that will all have a shot to be top tier over the next ten years.
Bottom line; if Aaron Rodgers can play and he is the one that gives you the best bet to win, he needs to be on the field. Who knows how many more shots Green Bay will have at a Super Bowl?
You can hear Chris M-F on Sportsline and on the Saturday Morning Showcase. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisTerlop
