Packers: Rogers gets the chance he's dreamed about

GREEN BAY, WIS. - Aaron Rodgers wasn't going to feel alone Monday night.

Not as he did during the second quarter of an exhibition game against San Diego three years ago, the first time he ever took a snap for the Green Bay Packers.

The communication system in Rodgers' helmet shorted out because of rain, so suddenly he was without direction from the sideline and virtually on his own. He ended up calling the next three plays on his own and exiting after a three-and-out.

With Monday night's game still in progress when this edition went to press, Rogers had completed nine of 15 passes for 117 yards and one TD, a 30-yard pass to James Jones. The Packers trailed Cincinnati 20-17 in the fourth quarter.

After getting caught in the eye of tropical storm Brett the past two weeks, Rodgers finally got a chance to do what he had dreamed of doing since being drafted in the first round in 2005 -- start a game for the Packers.

"You think about that all the time," Rodgers said before the game of running through the tunnel as the starting quarterback. "Definitely, it's going to be an exciting time. Hopefully there will be more cheers than boos.

"Sometimes there's more boos than cheers in my dream. But we have a great group of fans and I'm excited about the opportunity to be one of the leaders on this football team and just get things rolling into the regular season."

It's not easy replacing a legend, let alone one who was refused the opportunity to get his job back and was embroiled in an ugly standoff with Packers management, causing an uproar among fans.

When Rodgers grabbed hold of the wheel for the first time Monday night, the organization crossed the bridge from one era to another, unsure where exactly this one will take them.

It's just an exhibition game and the true test of Rodgers' worth will be Sept. 8 in the season opener against the Minnesota Vikings. But the events of the past six weeks and the hard feelings they left mean Rodgers won't be given the benefit of the doubt.

"He's a tough guy," Green Bay tight end Donald Lee said. "One thing we all like about him, he has thick skin. No matter how bad the situation or tough the situation he'll come out and do what he has to do. I feel like if we support him and show we're behind him, then he'll be fine. That's what teammates are for."