Friday, March 18, 2005

Mr. Rodgers' neighborhood After stellar workout, Cal QB may remain in Bay Area

From Sports Illustrated: Aaron Rodgers took a quick drop, cocked his right arm in a familiar slingshot pose and unleashed a sweet spiral that landed several yards away from the intended receiver. There were maybe 150 people in the Memorial Stadium stands on Thursday morning, another 30 or so NFL personnel types milling around on the field, and it was eerie-quiet enough to hear Cal coach JeffTedford's exasperated sigh.

"What, are you nervous?" Tedford asked his former quarterback. "That wasn't even close."

Then Rodgers literally pointed out the problem, reminding his coach with a hand gesture that wideout Jonathan Makonnen, another ex-Cal player, had run a slant pattern instead of the hitch that had been called. Tedford cracked a smile and Rodgers cracked a bigger one. Then the 21-year-old quarterback settled down and put on an extraordinary air show for the men who will decide his immediate future.

By the end of the 38-minute pro-day workout in Berkeley's picturesque Strawberry Canyon, there were enough ooohs, aaahs, whistles and knowing nods to cement Rodgers' status as the top quarterback prospect for next month's draft. The most important opinions, of course, were those of new 49ers coach Mike Nolan and his hand-picked personnel chief, Scot McCloughan, the men slated to make the No. 1 overall selection. Nolan, not surprisingly, was in no mood to reveal which way he may be leaning-toward Rodgers, Utah quarterback Alex Smith, Michigan wideout Braylon Edwards or Rodgers' fellow Cal student, American Idol washout William (She Bangs) Hung -- but you can bet that what he saw Thursday enhanced the local QB's chances.

Going into Thursday's workout, sources familiar with the 49ers' thinking said Rodgers was the prohibitive favorite to go No. 1. If so, the decision is now a no-brainer.

Simply put, Rodgers looked a lot like he usually does at Memorial Stadium: He put nearly every pass on the money, showcased his scarily quick release and displayed equal helpings of touch and arm strength. He delivered picturesque deep balls with a seeming flick of the wrist, gunned deep outs and skinny posts that landed in the perfect spot and showed off his flawless footwork and fundamentals. Of the 91 balls he threw, four hit the ground-only one because of his mistake. There was the misroute by Makonnen, a drop by former Cal wideout LaShaun Ward, a near-catch over both shoulders on a deep pass by ex-Cal tight end Garrett Cross and a legitimate overthrow to Ward on a streak.

When it was over, Rodgers sat on a gold bench on the visitors' sidelines and gave himself a passing grade. "I thought Tuesday (when he and the receivers conducted a dress rehearsal) went well," he said, "and today went better."

And yes, he admitted, he was nervous coming in -- how could he not be?

Put yourself in his cleats: Look good, and you've got an eight-figure signing bonus coming your way and a chance to star for the franchise vaulted to prominence by your idol, Joe Montana. Sail a few errant passes consecutively, and two years of exceptional play in college might be drastically devalued.

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