When it’s all said and done, Aaron Rodgers will go down as one of the greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time, and many have him in the conversation already.
Whether you like the guy or not, Rodgers is one of the most clutch quarterbacks to ever play the game, and teams fear him when he has the ball late in the game.
Unfortunately, the 39-year-old tore his Achilles tendon on the fourth play of the game during his debut with the New York Jets, sidelining him for the season. However, he’s made it clear that he’s gonna do everything he possibly can to get back on the field, and he isn’t ready to hang the cleats up yet.
And the way he was walking around on Monday night, he just might be back this year.
But speaking of Rodgers, one of his former college teammates recently sat down with Shannon Sharpe for Sharpe’s show Club Shay Shay, to discuss what it was like playing with Rodgers in college…
And it’s no other than “Beast Mode” himself, former star NFL running back, Marshawn Lynch.
Lynch and Rodgers were teammates at the University of California, and needless to say, Lynch had some high praise for his former QB.
Sharpe asked him if he thought that Rodgers would turn out to be one of the all time greats, and Lynch responded:
“Yeah. The only difference is that I thought he would’ve had more Super Bowls by now. Aaron Rodgers is the reason why I got my opportunity.”
Can’t argue with that… I think we all thought Aaron Rodgers would have more by now, and the Jets were primed for one with him at the helm.
He then recalled the time when Rodgers got him to play with the ones in the Cal spring game when he was a freshman. Marshawn explained that a number of upperclassmen were ahead of him on the depth chart, but A-Rod got him on the field.
“As a freshman you know it’s hard to play. And there was a running back on our team who rushed for I think 1,500 the year before, and had 2,000 my freshman year.
So the chances of me getting the opportunity to play was slim. I remember we had our spring game, and I mean you know the ones going against the ones, they’re like ‘ay put 2-4 in there.’
I’m looking around like everybody like what? You fixing to give this freshman an opportunity? Because we had some older guys that still ain’t even got a carry…
I come in there and they call 24 power, I’m like I get a power? I get back there I’m looking across that defense and I’m like ooh sh*t, them boys grown ups. I get in there, call the play, set in, ‘Go!’
I done went the wrong way. I done went the wrong damn way… “
And then when Marshawn ran the wrong way, Rodgers took the heat for it:
“But this is how I knew A-Rod (Aaron Rodgers) was special. As A-Rod turning around and he looking for me… that boy turned around and handed the ball off to me backwards.
He was facing the other way, handing the ball off to me backwards. I come around and get back into the play and yard. My running back coach goes ‘What the f*ck, you know I don’t curse but what the h*ll was you doing?’
I’m like what you mean I just scored? ‘You went the wrong way,’ but I scored? ‘That ain’t what we talking about I’m talking about being accountable, yeah you scored but you’ve gotta do sh*t right around here. That’s how you separate yourself. What you did, that’s not gonna work.’
Aaron Rodgers comes over there, before the head coach can even open his mouth, I just hear A-Rod telling him ‘No, no, no, that was me that was me.’ I’m like ‘what the f*ck?’ Running back coach is like ‘No he ran the wrong way I know he did.’ … A-Rod like ‘No, no, no, I did the wrong thing.’ …
Now me and A-Rod built a level of trust where he’s like ‘Ay go out and lineup at wide out, if you get a safety or a linebacker on you, I don’t care what the play was, run a go.’ Man A-Rod throwing me fades and some more sh*t. We built up that trust with each other…
I would’ve thought he would’ve had more Super Bowls, but he’s the best quarterback I’ve ever played with.”
Check it out:
