Packers Trying to Help Rodgers Emerge from Favre's Shadow

There had been talk that one of the reasons the Packers didn't want to take Favre back is they already had altered the offense in order to take advantage of what Rodgers does best. But McCarthy says the offense that Favre ran is the same one Rodgers will run.

"If Brett walked in here today, he wouldn't think anything was different," McCarthy says, while allowing he may call certain routes more or less with Rodgers.

We already know from watching in the preseason that the quarterback sneak is back in the playbook. The Packers rarely called for sneaks in Favre's later years.

McCarthy also says he does not anticipate emphasizing the run more than he did late last season, despite the need to ease Rodgers into his role.

"If we have to (pass an inordinate amount), I have all the confidence in the world to go down that road with Aaron," McCarthy says. "He has complete control of the system. I'm not holding back anything."

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For all of Rodgers' potential, he remains an unknown. And Favre, for better or worse, may be the most predictable player in the league because of his long track record.

What the young Packers may discover is Favre isn't a memory as much as he is a shadow - a dark, magnificent shadow that could threaten to take the light out of an entire season.

Rodgers has had some ups and downs since Favre left town. Against the 49ers he was sacked four times and averaged 3.6 yards per pass. But this last weekend against the Broncos, he completed 81.8 percent of his passes and had a passer rating of 118.4.

He has been sworn at by little kids who don't like the fact he is not Favre. And he has been embraced wholeheartedly by an organization and a locker room that feels bonded with him for better or worse.

For his part, Rodgers says he isn't concerned with outside expectations. He doesn't read the paper or listen to the radio, though he often hears what is written or said via friends. As for the fans, he knows they will love him or hate him based only on how he plays.

"We have great fans," Rodgers says. "I understand their love for Brett, for what Brett has done and his legacy. I'm not trying to take anything away from that. I'm trying to add to the legacy of the Green Bay Packers."

As of now, there really is nothing to react to. This is the honeymoon for Rodgers. If he screws up in preseason, the stakes are so low that all is forgivable and forgettable.

The Packers are trying to make it as easy for him as possible. McCarthy, a former quarterbacks coach, says he is spending more time in the quarterbacks meeting room this year.

And the Packers are telling Rodgers to not be concerned with anything that does not involve throwing a football.

"His job is to play quarterback," general manager Ted Thompson says. "A lot of the things that go with it - leadership, face of the organization, interviews - that's not his job. What's important for him is to play the game. A lot has been put on his plate. We have other spokesmen. It doesn't have to be all about Aaron Rodgers."

But in this football-obsessed environment, and at this point in time, how could it not be?

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