Photo Credit: Corey Wilson, Packers.com
If you think it was a mistake to take Jordan Love in the first round of the last draft, it’s worth considering the Bears, and their comical history of never having a quarterback when one is needed. Green Bay did exactly what they should have against Mitch Trubisky, as Darnell Savage managed to pick him off twice, and the Smiths combined for a sack-fumble-touchdown, scored by Preston, to put the Bears away early. The Bears famously traded up to draft Trubisky, passing on superstars Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson in the process. That decision likely set the Bear franchise back decades, and with wide receiver Allen Robinson entering free agency after the season, they will require a complete overhaul on offense.
Green Bay has a long history of maintaining a deep bench at quarterback. That has gone away a bit in the Rodgers era, with only Matt Flynn really amounting to anything, but as Aaron Rodgers enters the last stage of his career, it makes sense to have some potential behind him. If they don’t see anything in Love, they can dip back into the draft pool before Rodgers hangs it up. If Love starts to show some promise, that’s a good problem to have.
Under Ron Wolfe, this was common practice as the Packers kept future NFL starters Aaron Brooks, Mark Brunell, and Matt Hasselbeck behind Brett Favre. Favre famously never needed the backup, but it’s that philosophy that allowed the Packers to pass seamlessly from Hall-of-Famer to Hall-of-Famer, as Favre was very much still around when Rodgers was drafted. It’s almost certainly true that outside of 40s phenom Sid Luckman, they’re never had a good quarterback. This is all even more amusing when you consider the fact that the Bears could have had every single one of these quarterbacks.
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When the Atlanta Falcons selected Brett Favre with the 33rd pick of the 1991 draft, the Bears had just selected a tackle named Stan Thomas 11 picks earlier. The Packers selected Brunell with the 118th pick of the 1993 draft, just six picks after the Bears selected defensive end Albert Fontenot. In 1999 the Packers grabbed Aaron Brooks with the 131st pick, 20 picks after the Bears grabbed Roosevelt Colvin. Aside from Favre and Rodgers, the next best quarterback was undoubtedly Matt Hasselbeck, who was taken by the Packers with the 187th pick of the draft, in the 6th round. Earlier in the 6th, the Bears took a linebacker named Chris Draft. And of course, in 2005, with Kyle Orton manning the helm, the Bears opted for running back Cedric Benson over Aaron Rodgers.
Any one of these players would have had a good shot to be the second greatest quarterback in Bears history, but the Bears just never seem to get this right. The Packers only made sparing use of everyone but Brett and Aaron, but aren’t you glad the Packers had them?
Rodgers Rampages
For the second week in a row, the Packers’ offense looked very good against one of the league’s best defenses. There are a few caveats as the Bears were without edge rusher Akiem Hicks (hamstring) and safety Eddie Jackson (COVID list), but they still feature stars at every level, and Aaron Rodgers picked them apart. Cornerback Kyle Fuller came into the game as the NFL’s best defender of number one receivers, but that didn’t stop Davante Adams from putting up 61 yards and a touchdown. Tight End Robert Tonyan appears fully recovered from his ankle injury and ensured that the Bear defense would not be able to focus exclusively on Adams.
The Packers’ most impressive feat of the day came from the offensive line, which did not allow a sack or pressure of Aaron Rodgers despite losing center Corey Linsley to an MCL tear during the game. Khalil Mack is a tough task for anyone, but the Packers stymied him time and time again, even with Elgton Jenkins moving from guard to center, and rookie Jon Runyan filling in admirably at guard. Jenkins has been a standout after an impressive rookie campaign in 2019. He’s moved seamlessly across the line, and excelled whether called on to play tackle, or inside.
Green Bay finishes the season with four of the worst teams in the league (in addition to a tough game against Tennessee), and find themselves in excellent position for a top seed. No defense the rest of the way will be as good as this Bears defense, and the Packers may be rounding into form at just the right moment.
To read more Packers coverage by Paul Noonan, click here.
