Behind Rodgers are second-round pick Brian Brohm and seventh-round selection Matt Flynn.
Summer school is a crash course.
"I'm getting a lot of reps in practice," said Brohm, "and I'm learning through those reps. This is a good system for a quarterback."
Brohm is fresh from Louisville, where he started three years in a pro-style attack and set a Big East career passing record with 10,775 yards. Flynn started one year at LSU, but helped win a national championship.
Rodgers, groomed for three years as an understudy after picked in the first round from Cal, had his most extensive action last season when he relieved an injured Favre at Dallas and completed 18 of 26 passes for 201 yards, with a touchdown.
He doesn't doubt that he's ready for the job — even without winning it from Favre.
"I've put a lot of hard work in the last few offseasons," Rodgers said. "I've waited in the wings. I've played well in one game. He retired … and this is the direction we went in."
It's hardly that simple. The Packers were a game away from the Super Bowl last season after a 13-3 regular-season, and think of themselves as a legitimate contender.
Yet GM Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy have essentially scoffed at the theory of supporting a proven starter with a veteran backup. Favre, who owns the NFL's all-time mark with 442 TD passes, is on the trading block despite Rodgers' slight track record. It's possible they'll enter the season with Brohm one snap away from extensive duty.
Can McCarthy find comfort in such a risk?
"I don't like the word 'comfort,' " he said. "I think we're a work in progress. We knew that when we made the decision to go forward with two young quarterbacks (behind Rodgers, 24). Fortunately, we've got a lot of time to get the work done. That's a question that time will answer. Am I confident? Yes, I am. I wouldn't have been part of the decision-making process that put us in this position if I wasn't."
With Rodgers getting about half of the snaps in team drills, McCarthy has been re-installing the offense for the second time this week, following up on offseason work. The coach has praised Rodgers' sharpness after practices, while the rookie passers inconsistencies have been exposed.
"I want to show that I'm coachable, that I can learn quickly and that when you tell me something once you don't have to tell me again," said Flynn. "With each rep I get and each day in practice, I'm just going to improve."
With the soap opera involving Favre — whom Flynn has never met and Brohm met as a college sophomore — the rookie quarterbacks are learning more than X's and O's.
After his first camp practice on Monday, Brohm had to pick his way through a pack of media to get to his locker as a crowd swarmed Rodgers.
"In the NFL you're going to have to deal with a lot of things," Brohm said. "It's not just football. So that's a learning experience like anything else."
Summer school is a crash course.
"I'm getting a lot of reps in practice," said Brohm, "and I'm learning through those reps. This is a good system for a quarterback."
Brohm is fresh from Louisville, where he started three years in a pro-style attack and set a Big East career passing record with 10,775 yards. Flynn started one year at LSU, but helped win a national championship.
Rodgers, groomed for three years as an understudy after picked in the first round from Cal, had his most extensive action last season when he relieved an injured Favre at Dallas and completed 18 of 26 passes for 201 yards, with a touchdown.
He doesn't doubt that he's ready for the job — even without winning it from Favre.
"I've put a lot of hard work in the last few offseasons," Rodgers said. "I've waited in the wings. I've played well in one game. He retired … and this is the direction we went in."
It's hardly that simple. The Packers were a game away from the Super Bowl last season after a 13-3 regular-season, and think of themselves as a legitimate contender.
Yet GM Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy have essentially scoffed at the theory of supporting a proven starter with a veteran backup. Favre, who owns the NFL's all-time mark with 442 TD passes, is on the trading block despite Rodgers' slight track record. It's possible they'll enter the season with Brohm one snap away from extensive duty.
Can McCarthy find comfort in such a risk?
"I don't like the word 'comfort,' " he said. "I think we're a work in progress. We knew that when we made the decision to go forward with two young quarterbacks (behind Rodgers, 24). Fortunately, we've got a lot of time to get the work done. That's a question that time will answer. Am I confident? Yes, I am. I wouldn't have been part of the decision-making process that put us in this position if I wasn't."
With Rodgers getting about half of the snaps in team drills, McCarthy has been re-installing the offense for the second time this week, following up on offseason work. The coach has praised Rodgers' sharpness after practices, while the rookie passers inconsistencies have been exposed.
"I want to show that I'm coachable, that I can learn quickly and that when you tell me something once you don't have to tell me again," said Flynn. "With each rep I get and each day in practice, I'm just going to improve."
With the soap opera involving Favre — whom Flynn has never met and Brohm met as a college sophomore — the rookie quarterbacks are learning more than X's and O's.
After his first camp practice on Monday, Brohm had to pick his way through a pack of media to get to his locker as a crowd swarmed Rodgers.
"In the NFL you're going to have to deal with a lot of things," Brohm said. "It's not just football. So that's a learning experience like anything else."
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