Have pity for Aaron Rodgers. No matter what the man accomplishes -- and he already has accomplished plenty -- the specter of Brett Favre will always follow him.
Dameshek: Let's make this interesting!
Aaron Rodgers always has comported himself with dignity when it comes to Brett Favre, but Dave Dameshek still prepared some proper comebacks for the Packers QB. **More ...**
The latest example of the Green Bay Packers quarterback's burden occurred Wednesday, when Rodgers was asked not about his team's upcoming game against the Atlanta Falcons, but for his response to recent comments that Favre made about him. In case you missed it, Favre told an Atlanta radio station this week he was surprised it took Rodgers so long to win a Super Bowl given the talent on Green Bay's roster.
Rodgers -- who always has handled Favre-related drama diplomatically -- opted not to tussle with the Wrangler pitchman.
"You know what? I'm just, the only thing I want to say is I'm just really proud of our guys and what our team did last season. It was a great accomplishment," Rodgers told ESPN Milwaukee on Wednesday. "It took all 53 of those guys, and obviously it got the attention of a lot of people, and we're proud of the fact that we achieved the ultimate goal as a team."
Did Rodgers feel disrespected?
"You know what? Again, I'm just going to say I was really proud of our team," Rodgers said. "It takes 53 guys to win a championship. We had the right recipe last year, and we're trying to do that same thing this season."
Rodgers won't take the bait, but teammate Clay Matthews did touch on the subject during an appearance on ESPN's "Jim Rome Is Burning," according to ProFootballTalk.com.
"I'm not going to get involved with that, but I know (Rodgers)," Matthews said. "He hears those comments. It definitely fuels the fire. He's playing outstanding ball, but it's only going to continue to exacerbate the situation and continue to step his game up, so I'm just looking forward to having him on my team and to see what he is able to do."
Matthews was asked if he had a problem with Favre.
"I'm sure Aaron has a bigger problem," Matthews said. "Backhanded comments like that, I'm sure it hits a core with Aaron. He's a competitor. He takes everything that people say about him, the criticisms, and puts it on display on Sunday."
We'd say Favre's comments could hurt his relationship with Rodgers, but then again, that would mean there was a relationship. There doesn't seem to be much of a connection between the two men other than occupation. We suspect it will stay this way, but that doesn't mean Rodgers won't continue to be connected to his famous predecessor.
