First of all, I think Aaron Rodgers is awesome.
No, not awesome – A-W-E-S-O-M-E.
He is the best player in the NFL. More than likely he will win the MVP this season – which will be his second.
He is a truly dominant player who very rarely makes a mistake.
Simply – he is awesome.
And in our stats-driven society, we all know Rodgers is 68-32 in his first 100 starts, which is the same record Brett Favre had. And we know Rodgers has thrown about 4,000 fewer interceptions in his career than Favre did to this point.
Which leads me to this question: "So what?"
I believe not turning the ball over is a big deal. It’s proven teams that turn the ball over lose more regularly than teams that protect the ball. And Rodgers is the BEST at protecting the ball.
But if he’s so good at it, and he’s 68-32, then how the heck was Favre ALSO 68-32?
In Favre’s first six seasons as a starter, he threw 93 interceptions. In essentially the same amount of games, Rodgers has thrown 54.
A huge difference, right?
I understand the difference in having Reggie White and LeRoy Butler on your side. I get it. I really do. And in the Packers’ recent Super Bowl-winning season, I get what an impact having an all-world Charles Woodson on your side can do.
But 93-54 seems pretty overwhelming. If I gave you those numbers without the records,
you’d probably tell me the 93 interceptions belong to a team that is scratching .500 and the 54 interceptions are representative of a team with multiple Super Bowl appearances.
So I’m left with a conundrum. I know Aaron Rodgers believes all interceptions are bad. But
I’m not so sure. I don’t think I care about turnovers the same way Rodgers does.
I care about winning. And don’t get me wrong – I KNOW Rodgers cares about winning as well. He cares vehemently. He cares with his very fiber and being.
But just look at the record. He’s 68-32. Favre was 68-32.
So tell me why I should care about interceptions.
Mitch
Nelles, aka Thunder, is a long-time resident of the Milwaukee area with some
serious Wisconsin roots.
Born and
raised in Boston himself, Mitch brings a bit of a coastie attitude to his
fandom. He moved to Wisconsin in 1990, where he attended Nicolet High School
and the University of Wisconsin. His grandparents and entire mother’s side of
his family were born and raised in Milwaukee (yes, serious roots).
Mitch
has worked for the Wisconsin State Journal, Milwaukee Bucks and 540 ESPN in
Milwaukee/100.5 ESPN in Madison, serving as the co-host of “Homer & Thunder”
for the past eight years.
Also
very active in the community, Mitch has emceed and auctioneered events for
Make-a-Wish, Variety of Wisconsin, Russell Wilson’s personal foundation and The
Guest House, just to name a few.
Mitch was in the crowd when the Red Sox won the 2004 World Series, when Wisconsin played in the Final Four this past April and when Ron Roenicke inexplicably pitched Shaun Marcum in Game 6 of the NLCS in 2011.
