The Golden Boy Finally Gets His Chance

I remember waking up that Saturday morning, April 23, 2005, and being really excited. Excited because it was the day of the NFL. Excited because my San Diego Chargers, after a playoff appearance, had the No. 12 and No. 28 picks in the first round (thank you Eli Manning, I hope you enjoyed that Super Bowl win).

And I was excited because Aaron Rodgers, the Golden Boy quarterback of my University of California football team, was going to get picked in the first round, maybe even as the No. 1 overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers.

When I woke up, I could hear Paul Tagliabue say, "With the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers select Aaron Rodgers, quarterback, from the University of California." And then I could go do whatever the hell I was going to do that day.

But that didn't happen. The 49ers took Alex Smith of Utah and I waited for hours, with Rodgers, to get picked.

Now, Rodgers was a beloved player for Cal. He awkwardly held the ball as he scanned the field for receivers. He was okay looking for all the girls (and a few guys). We perceived him to be smart. And he was a really chill, laid back, really cool guy.

He was in my history discussion section in my first semester at Cal and Rodgers' last season with the Bears. I remember one morning, in class, one of my classmates asked Rodgers if he was someone that he knew. I, under my breath, said "He's the fucking quarterback for the football team."

Rodgers, in a sort of nonchalant way, asked the kid, "Do you follow Cal football?

"Yes," the naive classmate said.

"Well, I play quarterback," Rodgers said, with a little smirk.

I jumped in, "He's the starter."

Rodgers was a likeable guy, who acted like he was a normal student (even though we all know that the starting quarterback for a team that was ranked as high as No. 4 in the country is no normal student). He even continued to talk to me when I said I wrote for the school paper, The Daily Cal.

One day, he asked if I was going to interview him. I said that I wasn't--I'm not that big time yet--boosting my fragile little ego.

Back to the NFL Draft. There, Rodgers waited, for hours, and I with him. He was in the green room. I was in my dorm room, waiting for this guy I barely knew--he probably doesn't even remember me--get drafted. And when he did, I was probably just as relieved as him.

Because he got picked into a good situation. He got to learn from one of the NFL's greatest in Brett Favre. The fan base will be just as frenetic and crazy and oogle all over him as they way the students at Cal did for Rodgers.

And then Rodgers waited his turn as Favre, in a kind of soap opera fashion, decided each year whether or not to retire. Now Favre's with the Jets. Good for Rodgers, cause I think he's ready. He's ready for his time. He's ready to take this team by the reigns. Rodgers is ready to get his taste of NFL football.

So when Rodgers takes his first real snap as the starter for Green Bay tonight on Monday Night Football, you know that an entire university and its alums and fans will be cheering from about 2,000 miles away.

And it's that personality that will make Rodgers' transition in taking over for one of the most popular quarterbacks in NFL history. (By the way, I hope history takes a little note of how Favre as acted the last three years, making himself into a faux-news story every summer, bluffing about retirement).

While some Packers fans may still want No. 4 to be on the field and No. 12 to still wait his turn, I'm pretty sure that Rodgers' personality and play on the field will win them over eventually. Rodgers is good. In my opinion, he's probably the best quarterback prospect that Jeff Tedford has coached (and Tedford has coached a long list of NFL quarterbacks).

Yes, people are gonna knock Rodgers for being a Tedford mentee, but I really do this he's ready. He's got the mechanics, the work ethic, he plays for his teammates and he can rally his teammates. And he's got the personality of a guy who you just really can't hate. How can you really hate a guy like Rodgers?

And that's why people should be rooting for him. I know that Favre has the MVPs, the records and that Super Bowl, but I think Rodgers has a little bit more class. I mean, this guy was just waiting for his turn. He could've bitched, like Eli Manning now wanting to go to San Diego. Or he could have been a prima donna, like Matt Leinart and his faux-Hollywood lifestyle. But he didn't and he's not. He bided his time.

Rodgers has earned his start tonight.