There’s this not-so-funny thing about playing an NFL game when the other quarterback is Aaron Rodgers because it’s like playing more than one game.
It’s hard to stay focused against that guy.
So, the Falcons plan to swallow measures of frustration Sunday night, and hopefully fight through each anxiety attack, when Green Bay visits Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The two-time NFL MVP (2011, ’14) and TV commercial king wearing No. 12 virtually is certain to slide around in and out of the passing pocket when the Packers seek to pass. Rodgers often tends to be like a human video game when he drops back to throw.
“One play essentially turns into two plays because if he doesn’t have his initial read he’s going to keep the play alive,” Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said.
So that means the guys up front up will be putting in overtime, battling the Packers’ slugs.
So what about the guys in the back? They’re probably not going to have fun, either.
“What makes Green Bay unique is just how much Aaron can extend a play,” cornerback Desmond Trufant said. “Sometimes, it can be a 10- or 12-second play that you’re out there covering. Usually, it’s just four or five seconds. We’re focused on playing hard, pretty much playing two plays.”
The Falcons’ plan worked against Green Bay last season, when they defeated the Packers 33-32 in a regular-season game, and especially when they whipped the injury-decimated Packers 44-21 in the NFC Championship game.
Green Bay was short-staffed in the postseason at wide receiver and running back. Not so much now.
Having signed free-agent tight ends Martellus Bennett and Lance Kendricks, they also have a healthy Randall Cobb to go with the fabulous Jordy Nelson at wide receiver.
“They really went into the lab,” defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel said of the Packers’ offseason moves. “It’s championship weekend, and we’re going to be ready for it.”
Actually, it’s not championship weekend, but rather the first NFL regular-season game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and a clash between two teams widely considered favorites to compete for the NFC championship.
Manuel knows a thing or two about Rodgers.
In his eight-year career as an NFL defensive back, he spent the 2006 season with the Packers, and even though Rodgers was backing up Brett Favre at the time, Manuel saw Rodgers up-close and personal. He also played against him a few times while with the Panthers, Broncos and Lions.
Rodgers probably is the best player in the NFL at spotting a defense that is not ready, changing to a play that will beat it, and calling for a snap before a defense is not set or if it lacks 11 players because of personnel changes.
“Having played with him, he excels at ... catching you at every moment you’re not thinking,” Manuel said. “He’s a tremendous athlete ... a lot of guys don’t understand that. Aaron is a pocket passer, but he’s just as effective when he moves.
“One of the things you’ve got to understand is that if we jump offside or don’t line up, he knows it. ... Aaron will run the play. ... He’s ready to roll. And he’s the ultimate competitor.”
For all of the beauty in Rodgers’ arm strength, the mortar of the legend that he is building is his ability to find more time to pass than the normal man; it’s in his legs rather than his right arm.
He’s not Usain Bolt, but he’s quite a bit like Barry Sanders in his ability to evade.
This guy doesn’t high-tail it like former Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, although Rodgers does have 2,565 rushing yards and 25 rushing touchdowns to his 13-year career credit.
In last season’s regular-season game against the Falcons, he not only completed 28 of 38 passes for 246 yards and four touchdowns, but he ran six times for 60 yards to lead the Packers in rushing.
The Falcons are less worried about Rodgers’ running beyond the line of scrimmage, however, than all the running he does behind the line.
He so often throws down timely, often subtle, dance moves in the pocket that the Falcons are planning -- not anticipating but planning – on being driven nuts. At times, the Falcons may “spy” a linebacker to shadow him.
“That’s just talent. I don’t want to say unconventional,” defensive end Derrick Shelby said of Rodgers’ ability to thrown from all kinds of spots. “He’s in the pocket making the same throws. He’s just a playmaker. He extends plays, and makes the throws.
“It’s more than extend-the-play ability. He’s more fleet of foot than people would expect, and he has one of the best arms in the league. The combination is kind of deadly. He has the ability of feeling the rush around him without taking his eyes from downfield. He always seems to spin out the right way.”
The key in defending against Rodgers might be simply summed up, even if the process of hemming him in is not, as defenders will spend more time defending play after play.
As Falcons coach Dan Quinn said, “it’s about can you do it right longer?”
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