With the season opening NFL showdown between two highly-recognized quarterbacks taking the field in Green Bay as the Packers defend their Super Bowl record against the 2009 champs New Orleans Saints, the question might be--who is better--Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers?Saints coach Sean Payton did not squarely answer that question on Tuesday but he did call Rodgers "elite".
This is what he said about Rodgers. So, who do you think is teh better quarterback
“I think the challenge anytime you play an elite level quarterback, and I think he’s at that spot right now, is trying to minimize some of the things he does really well. Number one he can really break down the defense with his feet and he’s an exceptional guy in the pocket. He doesn’t just move to run, he does a very good job of moving in the pocket and finding throws, but he can also step up and flush either direction and instead of gaining two or three yards he can gain twelve. That’s challenging. He’s very accurate, his release is fantastic, he’s very experienced in the system, so the logical things you would say is you can’t allow a quarterback like that to be comfortable. As this game unfolds, the ability of both team to protect their passer and allow them to find a rhythm obviously becomes important. Now that can happen with great coverage, that can happen with a good pass rush, and certainly that can happen with both. Those would be the things you’d look at when you’re playing a guy like Aaron.”
Is he unusually good blitz situations?
“He was first in the league (rating under pressure) last year. You have all these statistics and there are some that are kept just by the league, but he was first in the league efficiency-wise against pressure. That would mean a fifth rusher or more. He has a quick release. They have a very good system. He knows where his answers are if he’s getting blitzed or he’s getting a zero blitz or if he’s getting just a five man rush, there are all sorts of different pressures he could face, but he knows what to do with the football and he has a quick release. He doesn’t hold it and he doesn’t take sacks so you have to be somewhat judicious when you choose to pressure and understand the ball comes out.”
Maybe with the exception of the yardage gained when he’s flushed, he sounds a lot like Drew Brees.
“They’re different and yet there are some similarities. They’re both accomplished passers. As we always try to evaluate young quarterbacks, quarterbacks in the draft, the on trait that you’re looking for aside from being a competitor and aside from being smart, they have to be accurate so the quarterbacks who can put the ball in a location in tight coverage where it needs to go are the ones that have a chance to go and play at a really high level. In that case, both of those traits you’ll see this Thursday night. He’s worked very hard to where he’s put himself in this position. There’s all sorts of discussion as to how much time a young players needs and it can vary, but his development with Mike (McCarthy) and the staff there and their offense has been outstanding.”
by Ed Staton
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