In three years running the good ship Packers, Aaron Rodgers has proven himself more than capable of being a starting quarterback in the National Football League.
He's proven himself a worthy successor to Brett Favre, putting up impressive numbers, but, as his detractors and Favre-loyalists love to point out, Rodgers hasn't yet "won the big game."
The numbers don't lie -- Rodgers is 2-13 in games decided by four or fewer points.
Example No. 1 for the critics is the overtime playoff game last year against Arizona, which the Packers lost by six points.
What more could Rodgers do? He led the offense to 45 points but the defense gave up 51. You can't really expect the guy to play both ways. But at the end of the day, results matter in the NFL and when the game comes down to the wire, Rodgers hasn't had much success.
Which begs the question, does Rodgers have anything to prove Sunday, when the Packers travel to Philadelphia to face the Eagles in a Wild Card game at Lincoln Financial Field?
Does he have a proverbial monkey to get off his back, as he supposedly did when facing Brett Favre and the Vikings?
He does, in the eyes of some, but he shouldn't. Rodgers has been nothing short of spectacular since taking over the job. If his trends hold up, there's no reason to think his performance will start to drop off anytime soon, which makes it all the more likely that playoff victories will come.
If the Packers lose Sunday, it probably won't be because Rodgers is chucking the ball at the Eagles' secondary on every other drive.
See ya, J.J.: As expected, Wisconsin defensive lineman J.J. Watt announced Thursday that he would forgo his senior season to enter the NFL Draft in April.
Chalk it up as another big loss for the Badgers, who also need to find a way to replace quarterback Scott Tolzein, offensive linemen Cabe Carimi and John Moffitt, wide reciever David Gilreath, linebackers Blake Sorensen and Culmer St. Jean and safety Jay Valai.
Watt's loss will hurt on and off the field. He is a prime example of what makes the UW program special. The Pewaukee native walked on, played his way to a scholarship, led his team to a Big Ten Championship and walks away an All-American selection.
Big victory: Sure, Butler isn't the same team that narrowly missed upsetting Duke in the 2010 National Championship Game, but that doesn't make the Milwaukee Panthers' 76-52 victory over the defending National Runners-Up any less impressive.
The Panthers have had a hard time generating buzz in the post-Bruce Pearl years and head coach Rob Jeter hasn't exactly inspired the passion of the Panthers Faithful.
But at 8-8 overall (3-2 in the Horizon League), could this be the year Milwaukee finally gets back on track and becomes a mid-major player again?
Wanna get away? The Admirals are home this weekend with back-to-back games at the Bradley Center and if you've been dreaming of heading to Philly to watch the Packers' playoff game Sunday, you might want to consider taking in some hockey Saturday night.
The Admirals plan to give away an trip for two to see the Packers and Eagles in Philadelphia during their game against Hamilton. Fans can pick up an entry form at one of four kiosks on the 200 Level. If you're the lucky winner, you and a friend will receive round-trip airfare, two tickets to the game and hotel accommodations for Sunday night.
The game Sunday was moved to a 1 p.m. start time to accommodate fans wishing to watch both the hockey and football games. Tickets are available by calling the Admirals at (414) 227-0550.
Larry King Lounge: The most amazing thing about Brett Favre's career, to me, is the fact that after 20 years, every spell-check program in the world still tells me I'm spelling the guy's name wrong ... Congratulations to Appleton-native Matt Erickson, who this week was named manager of the Class A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Erickson had a brief stint with the Brewers (four games) in 2004 ... If Jeter's job is in jeopardy under new Milwaukee AD Rick Costello, he probably helped his image by trouncing the Bulldogs' while the new boss was making his first game day appearance ... Michigan's decision to fire head coach Rich Rodriguez was bad news for the rest of the Big Ten, which had posted a 18-6 record against Michigan (ranked Big Ten teams went 11-0 against the Wolverines) during RichRod's three-year stint in Ann Arbor ... Anybody else curious about Brandon Jennings' inclusion in the slam dunk contest?
