I'm trying to remember a Packers game where one player was under as much pressure as Aaron Rodgers faced Monday night. I'm not sure any Packers player ever had so many people wondering whether he'd fall on his face, and maybe some even hoping that he would. Maybe Jim Carter replacing Ray Nitschke but that wasn't a quarterback and it was before the sports media went on 24-hour news cycles on radio, television and the web.

This is not meant to diminish Brett Favre or anoint Aaron Rodgers. It is meant simply as a "job well done" to Rodgers for standing up to that intense pressure and helping to deliver a victory over the Vikings. I don't think any of us can truly understand the impossible situation he's been put in over the last few months. You know there have had to be many times when he just wanted to scream--"shut up about Brett Favre. He wasn't a saint and he wasn't perfect on the field. Get over it!" But, with the exception of one ill-advised comment to Sports Illustrated, Rodgers has been mature and virtually flawless in his awkward position. 

Still, it all comes down to performance. One game doesn't make a season or a career but Rodgers was poised and controlled against Minnesota. His decision-making reflected a maturity beyond his years. His good friend Aaron Kampman said that Rodgers performance shows that "he has something special inside."

A victory over Minnesota was a very encouraging way to start the season. We should all be prepared that honeymoons don't last. If Rodgers throws four interceptions and the Packers lose to a bad Lions team Sunday, the wolves will be barking. The comforting thing is that Rodgers appears tough enough to handle that as well.