Packers QB AARON RODGERS last night was the latest pro sports figure to be profiled on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” with CBS’ Scott Pelley saying Rodgers “seems made for Green Bay,” the smallest market in the NFL. Pelley: “Early in his career, Rogers was considered too small to compete but he scrambled to a Super Bowl victory and became the NFL’s Most Valuable Player.” Rodgers said, “That’s why Green Bay and I get along pretty well. We’ve had that underdog story as part of our history.” Pelley noted the Packers are the only publicly-owned team in the NFL and asked Rodgers, “Is there a drawback to not having a big, powerful owner, not to have JERRY JONES or a ROBERT KRAFT?” Rodgers: “No, I think it’s great. You don’t have somebody who has a ton of money but doesn’t know a whole lot about football trying to tell you what to do.” Pelley also noted that “with so many fans, we were surprised when we noticed that Rodgers doesn’t like being a celebrity all that much.” Packers WR GREG JENNINGS said, “He’s sensitive so you’ve got to be careful what you say around him. … Once he sees this interview, he’s going to be sensitive to the fact that we’re saying he’s sensitive.”
HEAD GAMES: Pelley asked Rodgers about a hit he took against the Lions almost two months before playing in Super Bowl XLV, which Rodgers said was a “scary situation” because he sustained a concussion on the play. Rodgers said he does not “remember those moments after that concussion,” but he said the “instincts I had” were to tell the referee that was fine, “I’m good, but of course I wasn’t.” Rodgers: “That’s a situation where you learn from [it] and you learn the most important thing is being able to have cognitive brain function post-career than trying to be a tough guy.” Pelley said, “There’s something about getting hit in the head that makes you a smarter quarterback.” Rodgers replied, “I think so.” Rodgers said he feels like NFL defenses every game are “trying to take me out.” Referencing the Saints’ bounty scandal, Rodgers said, “I’ve never felt like there’s been money on my head but that’s what happens. The defense is trying to either knock you out of the game or knock you out of your rhythm.” Rodgers said of other teams utilizing a bounty program, "It’s not outside the realm of thinking there could have been other teams that had similar systems” (“60 Minutes,” CBS, 11/4).
