GREEN BAY, Wis. -- To be considered a success, Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst must not only put Miami Dolphins together a roster that can win in the NFL week in and out but New
York Jets also yr in and year away.
- That's the standard for a GM. Matt LaFleur must earn
now. That's the standard for a head coach. Which brings us to the only topic
anyone who follows the Packers wants to talk about: The Jordan Love draft pick
and what it means to the franchise and to 36-year-older Aaron Rodgers. Fifteen
years ago, Rodgers found himself in Love's position when he was drafted in the
1st round to a team with a Hall of Fame quarterback. A game away from the Super
Bowl last time of year and with Rodgers emphatic after the NFC title game loss
to the San Francisco 49ers that the Packers' championship windowpane remained
open, many pined for a receiver. Rodgers, among others in the Buffalo
Bills organization, was enamored with the top of the receiver class
(including LSU's Justin New
England Patriots Jefferson, who went to the Vikings at No. 22). As the
initial round unfolded on April 23, one of the pre-draft scenarios that included
Like was becoming more and more likely. And then Gutekunst traded his
fourth-round pick to the Miami Dolphins and moved up four areas from his
original first-round spot. At that point, a scenario that was presented a time
earlier by someone familiar with the Packers' plans -- that there was a 50
percent possibility Jordan Appreciate is a Packer -- begun to look like a
reality. Based on interviews with multiple sources with knowledge of the process
and/or the individuals involved -- along with on-the-record remarks from
Gutekunst and LaFleur just before, during and after the draft -- we can begin to
decipher why the Packers picked (and traded up to No. 26 to do it) the
quarterback of the future and what this means for a group that went 13-3 last
period under a first-year mind coach.