Super Bowl Domination

Chapter 1594 Ruthless
In 2004, Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre suffered a series of devastating blows. First, his father passed away from illness, then his mother-in-law died in a car accident, followed by his wife's diagnosis of cancer. These family tragedies severely impacted Favre's performance, and he suffered a concussion in a game against the New York Giants at the end of the season.

He refused to undergo examination and refused to miss games. At the time, the league had not yet implemented a concussion protection plan, so Favre's decision was not unexpected.

Nevertheless, Favre, who had already secured a Hall of Fame spot, still led the Green Bay Packers to the playoffs.

In the Wild Card game against their divisional rivals, the Minnesota Vikings, Favre broke Dan Marino's long-held playoff record for consecutive games with at least one touchdown pass. With this, most of the league's quarterback records have now been taken over by Favre.

Unfortunately, Green Bay Packers lost and were eliminated in the wildcard round.

At the end of the season, facing concern and doubts, Favre said that he still has ambitions and is ready to meet any challenge.

The team manager, head coach, and residents of Green Bay all expressed their solidarity and support for Favre, standing with him through this difficult time.

Then, at the 2005 NBA Draft, a sudden change occurred.

Aaron Rodgers, who was originally a strong candidate for the number one draft pick, saw his draft position plummet and completely collapsed. The NFL draft experienced the most exaggerated and severe "top pick drop" in history. All teams seemed to avoid Rodgers like the plague, and fear and panic spread throughout the country.

The Green Bay Packers stared in disbelief as Rogers fell from his throne to their feet. With no one interested in the 24th pick, the uniformed staff finally succumbed to temptation and, as if making a deal with the devil, secretly snatched Rogers away.

Everything happened unexpectedly, so naturally there was no time to inform Favor.

Later, the Green Bay Packers' locker room was thrown into turmoil. Favre even did everything he could to torment Rodgers in the team. No one in the locker room dared to offend Favre, so much so that Rodgers, the once-promising star, spent three years in Green Bay that were worse than death. He endured hardship and bided his time, and finally replaced Favre as the starter in the 2008 season.

The rest of the story is already known to everyone.

Nevertheless, the League still talks about that betrayal and that turbulent, dark period with great relish.

Even now, when people reminisce about the most memorable moments of the NBA draft, Rogers' three agonizing hours in the green room during the 2005 draft still make him a strong contender for the top three.

However, as time went by, something familiar happened again.

It's the Green Bay Packers again, the locker room leader betrayed again, the team's cornerstone core betrayed again—a fifteen-year cycle repeating itself once more.

Moreover, this time it's even more outrageous and outrageous.

In 2005, setting aside Favre's decline in performance, the Green Bay Packers didn't actively pursue him; instead, they watched Rogers slip away. With the former number one draft pick Rogers within easy reach, the front office's inability to resist the temptation is forgivable.

But this time, putting aside Rogers' continued peak performance in the league, the Green Bay Packers' proactive move is puzzling:
Why go to such great expense to trade up the draft, only to choose a second-round draft pick quarterback instead?
……what?

What exactly is this operation?
The real fatal blow is that no team that made a move after the Green Bay Packers actually selected a quarterback, which once again proves that the Green Bay Packers had no need to make a move up the pack. So what exactly is the front office doing?
The entire league was stunned. No one knew how Rodgers would react, and even the onlookers were baffled, unable to understand the Green Bay Packers' front office's calculations. Trading up meant they valued the player and were willing to pay any price to draft the rookie; that player would definitely play a crucial role on the team, after all, it was a first-round pick, and the salary cap was a serious matter. But instead, they chose a quarterback—wasn't that a blatant message to Rodgers?
Your days at Green Bay are counting down.

Furthermore, the Green Bay Packers selected a quarterback who was originally slated for a second-round pick, not even Hertz, who was the runner-up in the Heisman Trophy. This means that they had planned this out long ago, and after repeated evaluations and discussions, it was a well-thought-out decision, not a rash one.

If that's the case, the Green Bay Packers would have told Rodgers early on: "We're going to do this. We'll draft a quarterback in the first round to be your backup and develop a successor, just like the New England Patriots drafted Galloppolo as their successor." Rodgers couldn't possibly refuse that decision coldly.

But instead of doing that, they betrayed Rogers.

Everything suggests that the partnership between Green Bay Packers and Rogers has come to an end.

The problem is that no one has forgotten that Green Bay Packers signed Rogers just two years ago, and Rogers has proven his worth in those two years. So why did the uniform department turn around and abandon Rogers?
I don't understand, I really don't understand.

In fact, the logic is clear: the league is ultimately a professional sport, where profit comes first. No one is bigger than the team, and no one is bigger than the championship. The transfers of Brady and Watt during this offseason have already proven this point. The same goes for Rodgers; his peak will inevitably begin to decline sooner or later. At that time, he will either transfer or retire. This is an inevitable outcome, and no one can be an exception.

Professional leagues are ruthless and cold-blooded; it's that simple. In the face of profit, everyone is just a number, a string of cold, lifeless numbers.

Everyone understands the principle, but the Green Bay Packaging worker's handling, response, and planning were absolutely terrible, violating every taboo in the workplace.

Shock!

When Goodell announced the Green Bay Packers draft results, the entire league was caught in a storm, collectively losing its composure, and everything else became irrelevant.

It doesn't matter that Burrow became the number one pick in the draft, it doesn't matter that five wide receivers made it to the first round, it doesn't matter that cornerbacks and defensive lines became the focus of attention. For a moment, only the Green Bay Packers and Rodgers remained. Even Jordan Love, who was selected, didn't matter. He was just a tool, an unlucky guy, and a sacrificial lamb in the power struggle between Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

Boro: ? ? ?
However, no one paid attention to Boro's frustration and depression, nor did anyone care about the choices of the remaining teams in the first round; social media had gone completely crazy.

For Hubble, this is a good thing; hidden behind the storm of the Green Bay Packers, they quietly completed the draft.

Neither a wide receiver nor a cornerback, Harper was probably the only coach who trusted Levy's judgment. Based on information and assessments from his draft team, the Baltimore Ravens ultimately selected a linebacker.

Patrick-Queen, Louisiana State University.

Finally, the Houston Texans used the first-round pick they acquired from the Kansas City Chiefs to select a running back, and the first day of the 2020 NBA Draft came to a close amidst the hustle and bustle.

However, the real storm has only just begun, and the eyes of the public are focused on Green Bay, so much so that the second and third days of the draft were quiet.

(End of this chapter)