It’s a warm fall evening and Lambeau Field is so quiet you can hear the crickets chirping. Aaron Rodgers is lying, prone, on the field after taking a punishing hit while trying to dive into the end zone. The medical staff has rushed out onto the field and the Green Bay nation holds their collective breath. The fans look nervously to one another for comfort but find none; no one wants to even think the word…Concussion.
Okay, no one panic, Aaron Rodgers is alive and well and led the Packers through another great season of NFL football but the above scenario is exactly what will happen the next time he takes a big shot to the head. Everyone knows it but no one wants to jinx anything by talking about it. Too many young athletes have been cut down in their prime by the Big C, concussions.
Many fans are wondering if the Packers are prepared for life after Aaron Rodgers should he get knocked out for an extended period of time. We believe so, Green Bay is more of a meat and potatoes organization so it is unlikely that they will suffer the same way the Colts did when Peyton Manning went down for an entire season. During his one regular season appearance, back up QB Matt Flynn set single game records for passing yards (480yds) and touchdowns (6) for the Packers.
If anything, the situation in Indianapolis should serve as a wake-up call for all NFL teams, especially teams like Green Bay whose quarterback has a history of concussion injuries. The Colts were caught flat footed when Peyton went down. There player development program was exposed as sadly lacking in any type of foresight to contend with his loss.
The Houston Texans are another team that was devastated by quarterback injuries during the regular season, however, they were better prepared to cope with the losses and somehow managed to limp into the playoffs. In fact, so many teams were plagued by QB issues that an unprecedented number of untested rookies were started, which had the pundits calling the 2011-2112 season, the year of the rookie quarterback.
Football is a tough sport, every week players suffer season ending injuries which is simply part of the game. Aaron Rodgers is a hero to many and no one wants to see his career cut short however we all know in the back of our minds that with his history of concussions Mr. Rodgers is just one hit away.
