GREEN BAY — One thing has become abundantly clear through the first 10 days of training camp with the Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers has spent a lot of time facing off with the team’s No. 1 defensive unit — likely the most he has since he was backing up Brett Favre.
The two-time NFL MVP quarterback certainly noticed.
“It feels like it,” Rodgers said with a smile, rubbing his throwing shoulder for effect. “The old pitch count seems to be thrown out the window.”
There’s a method behind that madness, one that coach Mike McCarthy and defensive coordinator Mike Pettine believe will help the Packers defense be more successful against the proven quality quarterbacks (Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins, San Francisco’s Jimmy Garappolo, the Los Angeles Rams’ Jared Goff, Detroit’s Matthew Stafford, New England’s Tom Brady, Seattle’s Russell Wilson and Atlanta’s Matt Ryan) as well as the less-accomplished ones on the schedule this year.