Green Bay Packers prepared to succeed with or without Aaron Rodgers

By Bucky Brooks
FOX Sports NFL Analyst

Mark Murphy and Brian Gutekunst might not admit it, but this is the moment the Packers have been waiting for.

With Aaron Rodgers poised to miss the Week 9 trip to Kansas City due to COVID protocols, the Packers’ brass gets a chance to show the football world that this team is more than a one-man show. While they would admit it is a lot easier to win games with No. 12 under center, Green Bay has been building a championship-caliber roster that can flourish with or without a three-time MVP in the huddle.

Now, before fans come at me suggesting that I am a Rodgers hater based on my views, I am simply saying the quiet part out loud when it comes to the Packers’ philosophy of building a team that is a perennial contender. 

Remember, Vince Lombardi’s fingerprints remain on this franchise after he built the Packers into a dynasty that claimed three NFL championships and two Super Bowls during his tenure. The successful run led the city to dub itself "Titletown," with a championship standard applied to the organization. 

As a player, I learned about those standards when I spent parts of three seasons with the Packers in the mid-1990s. I was part of teams that eventually competed in a pair of Super Bowls, including the Super Bowl XXXI victory over the Patriots.

Pro Football Hall of Fame executive Ron Wolf constructed those championship-caliber rosters with a five-star quarterback surrounded by an elite supporting cast that enabled the franchise to go toe-to-toe with the heavyweights in the league. Although Brett Favre claimed three straight MVPs and dominated the headlines as one of the top quarterbacks of the era, the Packers’ championship runs were fueled by a No. 1-ranked defense anchored by a Hall of Fame defender (Reggie White) and a host of blue-chip role players on each side of the ball.

Wolf’s commitment to building up the entire roster enabled the Packers to compete at a high level and not only brought another title to "Titletown" but also served as a team-building lesson for a legion of scouts working under his direction. Gutekunst, the current GM, was one of the evaluators who sat in those meetings and helped the Hall of Famer put the finishing touches on rosters.

Fast-forward to 2021, and it appears Gutekunst has followed the blueprint to put Green Bay in position to compete for a title this season. The Packers are sitting at 7-1 with a squad that has reeled off seven straight wins following a disappointing season opener that led to questions about the team’s handling of the offseason soap opera featuring its star quarterback.

Ironically, the drama stems from Gutekunst’s adherence to Wolf’s principles of blue-chip quarterbacks on the roster. The Packers traded up for Jordan Love in the 2020 NFL Draft to ensure that the team had a future franchise quarterback in place whenever No. 12 was no longer able to play to a championship standard. The move was reminiscent of another draft day maneuver executed by a Wolf disciple (Ted Thompson), who shrewdly picked Rodgers while Favre was still on the roster.

Considering that the Packers have been contenders with a five-star quarterback in place for the past 20 years, the decision to add Love follows a script that has helped the team remain one of the league’s elite squads.

With that in mind, I am sure Murphy, the team president and CEO, and Gutekunst relish the chance to show off a retooled roster with more talent and depth than observers might be aware of.

Granted, we do not know how well Love will play as a starter, but Matt LaFleur has a chance to utilize the complementary weapons the team has acquired to keep the Packers atop the NFC. The supporting cast was good enough to offset Davante Adams’ (and Allen Lazard's) absence a week ago, with the offensive line missing David Bakhtiari and Josh Myers for most of the season.

Defensively, the Packers have played without a handful of starters, including Za’Darius Smith, Jaire Alexander and Kevin King, for parts of the season. The unit has not skipped a beat, which speaks volumes about the team’s depth.

Speaking of the Packers’ depth, the much-maligned Gutekunst has stockpiled the roster with plenty of young, blue-chip talents who are beginning to pop like popcorn kernels in a skillet on the stovetop. Although the team did not know when it would need these young players to step into major roles, the Packers’ babies (four years of experience or fewer) are beginning to star on the big stage.

In fact, the Packers have 26 of Gutekunst’s draftees or UDFAs (undrafted free agents) featured as starters or key reserves on the two-deep depth chart. The team’s "draft and develop" philosophy has enabled the Packers to groom young players for prominent roles utilizing a patient approach. That's why the outrage over the Packers’ 2020 draft class was misguided, considering the team’s long-term plan.

While the Love pick drew the ire of Rodgers’ fans hoping for a first-round receiver, the Packers wanted an insurance policy at the quarterback position to protect themselves against an aging QB1 seemingly on the decline. Remember, Rodgers was coming off four consecutive seasons in which his completion rate and passer rating declined. In addition, the injuries were starting to mount as Father Time appeared to win a few rounds against the veteran QB. 

Given the importance of the QB1, the team’s decision to secure the position for the future was part of a long-term plan that, if Love is the player they envisioned, would enable the Packers to be competitive for the next decade. 

The draft also brought AJ Dillon on board to give the Packers a power back behind Aaron Jones. Although that pick led to more outrage among the fan base hoping to see the Packers give Rodgers a "weapon" in the form of a receiver, the 6-foot, 247-pounder has quieted the noise by averaging 4.5 yards per carry and hammering opponents as a workhorse between the tackles.

The newfound offensive balance gives Green Bay a chance to survive without No. 12 by leaning on the ground attack to play a more possession-oriented game. The offensive line will also key the transformation, with the frontline showing the capacity to move defenders off the ball on running plays while erecting a fortress in front of the quarterback on passes.

The talented quintet has homegrown star power, with Billy Turner ranking as the only lineman who was not drafted or signed as a college free agent by the Packers. With Elgton Jenkins playing like an All-Pro with five-position flexibility, the offensive line could rate as one of the league’s best when perennial Pro Bowler Bakhtiari returns to the lineup. 

While there are still concerns regarding the Packers’ pass-catchers, this franchise has a long track record of developing all-stars at the position without using first-round capital. Adams is certainly the best example on the roster, but Randall Cobb played at an all-star level in the past after entering the league as a second-round pick. The emergence of Lazard and Marquez Valdes-Scantling as solid complementary playmakers gives the Packers more than enough firepower to put points on the board with or without Rodgers.

It is certainly easier with a three-time MVP at the controls, but the team’s ability to morph into a ball-control offense should help LaFleur continue to chalk up wins at a historic pace.

With the unit paced by homegrown blue-chip talents – such as Darnell Savage, Rashan Gary and Kenny Clark playing at a high level – the Green Bay defense is good enough to win against elite teams, as evidenced by their victory over the Cardinals.

The Packers have been built on Lombardi’s legacy of focusing on the team instead of individual players. The legend’s principles have been a guiding light for the organization, and Gutekunst is following the script to ensure the Packers are contenders for the foreseeable future. 

After watching the Packers race to a 7-1 start that confirms their status as title contenders this season, we will get a chance to see if the Love-led squad can serve notice that this team will be championship-caliber over the next decade, with or without No. 12 on the field. 

Bucky Brooks is an NFL analyst for FOX Sports and regularly appears on "Speak For Yourself." He also breaks down the game for NFL Network and is a cohost of the "Moving the Sticks" podcast.