For too long, Wisconsin has had legendary, one-of-a-kind players who have failed to win more than one championship. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Brett Favre, and now Giannis Antetokounmpo are prime examples of that.
However, among the all-time great athletes who have called Wisconsin home long, perhaps Aaron Rodgers stands on a tier of his own. At least, he does in the 'How did we only get one ring out of him' conversation?
That's why Tom Brady's latest comments on No. 12 will only pour salt on Green Bay Packers fans' wounds. In an appearance on Stick to Football, the seven-time Super Bowl champion said what everybody's always known about Rodgers: He's simply the greatest ever.
Tom Brady's take on Aaron Rodgers is a painful reminder for the Packers
“I think there’s no greater passer of the football than Aaron Rodgers,” Brady said. “There’s certain people, you see everyone do it, and then you see one person throw the ball that much better. Aaron Rodgers was incredible.”
“It’s hard to put into words how incredible he passes the ball,” Brady continued. “The way it comes out of his hand, the way it spins and delivers with the pace and the accuracy. There’s only probably three people in the history of the NFL that could do it like him.”
There was no greater, more beautiful sight in his sport than watching Aaron Rodgers throw the football. It was simply mesmerizing, hypnotizing, even. Time and time again, No. 12 got away with throws that no other human being in history could've pulled off.
People can talk about his demeanor and personality all they want, and that would be fair. They can also argue he didn't play up to his standards in the playoffs a couple of times, but looking back to his 18 years at Lambeau Field, one can't help but feel that the organization failed him.
Brady was never the most talented, most athletic, fastest, or strongest-armed guy out there. He wasn't even the best quarterback on the field when he had to go against guys like Rodgers or Peyton Manning. What he was, however, was the greatest winner and competitor to ever lace them up.
His willingness to take pay cuts to help the team stay competitive and his ability to rise to the occasion when it mattered the most often separated him from the rest of the pack. The Packers failed Rodgers by rarely giving him elite defenses and not giving him first-round pass catchers, but he also failed the team as a leader at times.
Whatever the case, it feels as if you were to play Rodgers' career a thousand times, this would be the only timeline where he wins only one Super Bowl. It was a perfect storm of misfortune, a passive front office, questionable coaching decisions, and him choosing the worst possible time to forget he was the most talented passer this game had ever seen.
Rodgers' legacy will always be complex. His lack of postseason success is, rightfully and somewhat deservingly, a big stain in his résumé. Still, there's no one who can watch that man drop back and sling the football down the field and not think he's the best pure passer to ever walk the face of the Earth.
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