The Packer Pundit

By Pat Yasinskas / ESPN.com

"You can't replace a legend and I know that going in. All I can do is try to be the best quarterback I can be. I'm not going to let anyone outwork me and I'm going to be accountable to my coaches and teammates. I know it's a challenge, but I've got a good team around me and I had three years to learn from Brett, who is the greatest quarterback ever.'' -- Aaron Rodgers

They had been teammates for a full year before Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers started talking the same language. It was sometime in minicamp or training camp of 2006 when Favre reached out to the man he knew would someday replace him as quarterback of the Green Bay Packers. "That's when Brett came to me and he really encouraged me in a couple areas where I could improve my mental toughness and the way I would deal with adversity,'' Rodgers said Wednesday by telephone from California. "He told me it was important to think about body language and attitude all the time because everybody's watching you at all times.'' That's even truer now than it was then. With Favre's retirement Tuesday, Rodgers suddenly is the king of the cheeseheads. His every move will be scrutinized by just about everyone in Wisconsin. Come September, he'll become the first player to start at quarterback for Green Bay since Favre took over in 1992. [More]