Aaron Rodgers Steps Into The Broadcast Booth, If Only For One Game

Aaron Rodgers Steps Into the Broadcast Booth, If Only For One Game

I can’t say that I listened to Aaron Rodgers the whole time that he was on NBC’s broadcast of the Super Bowl on Sunday, but from the parts that I heard, I found him to be pretty entertaining. Others who watched more closely seem to agree that he did a pretty decent job. But don’t expect it to become him to move to the booth full-time when his football days are done.Rodgers says he’s got other plans for using his talents when those days roll around. There has been chatter, however, about the Packers quarterback hosting Saturday Night Live. I imagine I’d watch that.

Aaron Rodgers joined ESPN Milwaukee with Jason Wilde to discuss what it was like to work in broadcasting, the feedback he got from it, what his day was like, his public criticism of the effort level in the Pro Bowl and advice that he might have for Andrew Luck should his career begin with him playing behind Peyton Manning.

Are you planning on getting into broadcasting after football?:

“As much fun as it was to be in that setting – I really appreciate the opportunity from NBC, I enjoyed the little segments I got to do – I really would like to use my talents to do other things when I am done playing. That’s still the plan.”

How tough was it analyzing the Super Bowl?:

“It was tough. Like I was teasing Hines (Ward), you have an earpiece in both situations. The headset cuts off at 15 seconds in the play clock when you are playing football. When you are on the TV, you hear a lot of different things when you are talking. They were good about really not saying a whole lot when I was talking. But it’s tough to hear, you know, two, three or four different voices when you are going through your segments and try and stay focused. But it was a really good learning experience for me. … I have a greater respect for what those men and women do on TV.”

What kind of feedback did you receive?:

“I really had a lot of freedom about what I wanted to say. I think NBC people were happy with the way it went. Obviously, there were some nerves. In my rehearsal the day before I was working on about four and one-half hours of sleep. They might have been worried slightly about my energy level. I told them on Sunday morning when we had a meeting, I said don’t worry about me. I’m going to be good today. I’m going to bring it. I think they were happy with the way it turned out.”

On how his role changed as the day went on:

“On Sunday they added a couple extra (segments) in and changed the format a little bit to give me a little more opportunity. … I think there was an expectation level that I was going to do a good job, but at the same time they wanted to see how the early segments went and then they adjusted accordingly after I got off to a decent start. It’s funny talking about TV in those terms. I think I did get off to a pretty good start and after that they gave me a little bit more opportunity in some other segments.”

On his public criticism of the effort level in the Pro Bowl:

“In that situation I spoke about some strong feelings that I really believed in. There were some negative comments about it, but I think in general it was the thoughts of everyone who participated in the game or watched the game. Whether or not they were willing to say it, I was willing to say it. Haven’t backed down from it. Still wouldn’t back down from it. Wasn’t surprised by the commissioner’s comments that not only are they thinking about changing the format, but maybe eliminating it completely.”

If the Colts draft Andrew Luck and keep Peyton Manning, would you talk to Luck about being behind a legend on the depth chart?:

“It is a similar situation (to mine with Brett Favre). Obviously it has different components. I do think part of your legacy as a quarterback is how you bring up the next generation of quarterbacks. And I would be more than willing to talk with him as I have talked with some other young quarterbacks in the past. That being said, I think that the parties, let me just say all three parties, including (Colts owner) Jim Irsay, the Mannings – which includes Archie and Peyton – and Andrew Luck, would do a lot of good for the situation by not talking about it as much as there has been. Andrew first and foremost not having been picked yet, although most people assume he is going to go number one. I think it would do him a lot of good for him to have a less-is-more strategy when it comes to talking about the potential situation in Indy.”