While Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers doesn't seem to be starting a trend by sitting out for half of the preseason, there are certain quarterbacks who advocate for August games.
Consider Giants quarterback Eli Manning one of them.
"I need the preseason," Manning said Tuesday on Good Morning Football. "As a quarterback, you go a long time without getting hit. I haven't been hit coming up on nine months. It's been a while at practice and I can work on moving the pocket but I also know those guys aren't allowed to hit me in practice and in games those guys are trying very hard to hit me. I need to get that pocket movement, work on taking a hit and realize that it's not as bad as it seems sometimes, but I need that game speed, game environment to get ready for Week 1."
While it sounds like Rodgers will get an extended look in the team's third preseason game, all indications coming out of Green Bay suggest he's more than ready without any looks until the regular season.
Reporters on the ground in Green Bay noted that Rodgers has been a practice All-Star and is primed for yet another excellent season. Given his total value to the offense, it's no surprise that head coach Mike McCarthy wants to limit his exposure to a hit that might cause injury (Rodgers also did not plan on playing in the Hall of Fame game against the Colts before it was canceled).
Manning's theory is interesting. The two-time Super Bowl winner has been a picture of durability for the Giants, due in part to his ability to ride the wave of an often uneasy pocket. While his stance on the preseason wasn't a shot at Rodgers, or any star player opting for the safer route, it's always valuable to hear the other side of an argument. There is more than one way to string together a Hall of Fame worthy career.
