March 24, 2011
It’s been a crazy few months for a humble quarterback from Chico, Calif., named Rodgers. No, not the one with the Super Bowl ring and championship belt.
Vanderbilt’s own Jordan Rodgers followed his brother Aaron and the Green Bay Packers throughout the 2011 playoffs. After transfering to Vanderbilt last January, Rodgers sat out the 2010 season due to injury. As spring practice approaches, Rodgers’ shoulder is nearly back to full strength, and the redshirt junior quarterback is hungry for a chance to prove himself.
Rodgers spoke with Commodore Nation about watching his brother win Super Bowl MVP, recovering from shoulder surgery and creating his own legacy.
COMMODORE NATION: You were in Dallas for Super Bowl XLV. What was it like to be at the big game?
JORDAN RODGERS: “There was tons of nervousness. My parents get really nervous during the games, for obvious reasons: a mom watching her son out there. Me and my older brother (Luke) were pretty excited. I think we got a little nervous at times. Through the course of the game it felt like [Aaron] was playing lights out, in his groove. We took a deep breath and relaxed a little bit until it started getting hairy there at the end.”
CN: And when the Packers won?
JR: “We were in utter shock at the end of the game. When they finally won, I think my brother and I didn’t say a word for about a minute. We just gave each other a big hug and we were in shock as the confetti was falling, realizing my brother just won the Super Bowl and he might be the MVP. That was unbelievable.
“We got to go down on the field when the confetti was falling and he was on the stage with the trophy. It was an unreal experience. He had about a million reporters and cameras around him, so we just got a brief hug and said “good job” and that we’d see him afterwards, and he was swept off by the media to do the postgame interviews.”
CN: Your brother’s “championship belt” TD celebration has become famous. Is that something you plan to emulate?
JR: “I’ve been asked that a couple times. I’m probably not going to do it on the field. Maybe on my way back from the field I might try it. But I don’t want to get a penalty. I don’t think that would be good. Coach Franklin wouldn’t be too happy if I got a penalty on my first-ever touchdown pass. I might try to come up with my own celebration. I might do a ninja bandana or something, I’m not sure yet. I’m trying to figure it out.”
CN: You have been asked a lot of questions about Aaron over the past few weeks. Are you ready to talk about Jordan?
JR: “Absolutely. It’s great, all the attention my brother has gotten. But at the same time, I’m a competitor. My dream is to follow in the footsteps of my brother, so I’m chomping at the bit to really get healthy and get out there and show what I can do. The reins are on me right now, but I’m so ready to get back going and try to win the starting job and have some success here. I just can’t wait.”
CN: Will you be ready to go when spring practice starts in March?
JR: “I’ll be starting my throwing program [in mid-February]. They said it would be about a month after that before I really started feeling good. I’ve talked with the coaches, and if I’m not 100 percent that first week that’s fine. What we’re really shooting for is for me to be really healthy and competitive that second week of spring ball. Obviously, we want to get as healthy as possible as quickly as possible, but our goal is for me to have a couple good weeks leading into the spring game to show what I can do.”
CN: What’s the No. 1 thing you’ve learned from Aaron?
JR: “The way he’s handled himself in all the controversy and conflict he’s been through in the last three years in Green Bay. He was sitting behind [Brett] Favre, but he was getting the feeling he was ready to start playing, he had the skills to play. The biggest thing I’ve learned from him is when you get an opportunity, you have to take full advantage of it. I’m just going to be waiting for my opportunity, and when I get it I’m going to try to carry myself how he carries himself.”