Aaron Rodgers advising the Bears on something sounds like an obvious trap. Why should this franchise listen to the man who quarterbacks their mortal enemy? Honestly because he’s already been kicking their asses for nine years. He has no reason to conduct some sort of football espionage. In truth the man is destined for the Hall of Fame and has some unique knowledge to apply to a situation fans are confused about.
In this case the ongoing decision by head coach John Fox to sit top draft choice Mitch Trubisky in favor of Mike Glennon. Rodgers understands the frustration of fans. He himself has experience with this sort of situation. He had to sit for three seasons from 2005 to 2007 before he finally got his shot with the Green Bay Packers.
Sure Brett Favre was a far better excuse to sit him than Glennon, but Rodgers still feels he gained a ton of knowledge during the interlude before he saw the field. Knowledge not bought at the expense of taking several hits. He explained during a teleconference conversation with Bears media what that meant.
Aaron Rodgers advising the Bears to stay the course on Trubisky
“There’s a lot of growth that can happen sitting on the bench. You can really gain in confidence every single day of practice. You can kind of come along at your own speed. You’re obviously not dealing with the pressure every week of having to perform, which is a real thing. You kind of come along and learn the league, learn how to be a professional and learn how to take care of your body, and know at some point you’re going to get an opportunity, like (Trubisky) obviously is. When he does get the opportunity, be ready to make of the most of it.”
Is it a coincidence that Rodgers threw 28 touchdowns his first year as a starter? Some, including him, will argue the extra preparation and practice time made it possible. Eventually he became a superstar and won a Super Bowl.
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Fans may be underestimating what practice is doing for Trubisky
Rodgers soon got into the specifics of how the time on the bench helped him. One aspect he harped on a lot was the value of practice. Fans often believe the only way to learn the game is on the field. Sure that’s a part of it, but they aren’t grasping how valuable constant practice and repetition honed his body and mind for the action to come.
“Obviously, getting picked in the first round, the physical aspects were there. They obviously are with Mitch. Had a good preseason, made a lot of plays, ran around, did some good things from what I saw. But mentally, it takes a while to learn the offense, and more importantly, start to learn defenses and put together fronts with pressures and coverages and start to see some different things on film. Obviously, the game is a little different preseason to regular season.”
Rodgers used one example. In practice with the Packers he didn’t have to worry about throwing interception because they didn’t count. So he decided to take more chances going down the field. It was doing this every day that helped him learn a vital aspect of quarterbacking which was manipulating the defense with his eyes. Basically looking one way. Then when the defense starts to drift that direction turn back the other way and hit the open receiver.
Of course Rodgers knows it’s only a matter of time for Trubisky. As stated earlier, Glennon is not Favre. Word persists the Bears have already begun to cool on the veteran. So the rookie best take advantage of all these hit-free moments to learn while he can.
