Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was effusive in his gratitude today as he talked about three Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks who have helped him in his preparation for his own first Super Bowl. But he offered just a one-word answer when asked whether he has spoken this week to his Super Bowl-winning Green Bay predecessor.
Rodgers said that Bart Starr, who led the Packers to victories in the first two Super Bowls, has served as a mentor to him.
“It’s a privilege,” Rodgers said. “Bart has been incredible to me — in the last three years especially — with the e-mails and conversations that I’ve been able to share with him. He’s an incredible man and a guy I’d love to model my career after.”
Rodgers also talked about his relationships with Kurt Warner and Steve Young, two former Super Bowl MVPs who have encouraged Rodgers to keep his focus on football and not on everything else that goes along with Super Bowl week.
“They said, ‘Good luck with the distractions,'” Rodgers said of his conversations with Warner and Young. “There’s going to be a lot of different things that could disrupt your week if you let them, but they said just focus on keeping your preparation the same.”
And then the subject turned to Brett Favre. Asked if he has talked to Favre about preparing for the Super Bowl, Rodgers simply answered, “No.”
So Rodgers is preparing for the Super Bowl with the support of some quarterbacks who have been there before. But without any encouragement from the quarterback he backed up for the first three years of his career.