Column: Epic playoffs show new wave of quarterback talent

Aaron Rodgers appeared drained and uninterested, nearly as if working extra time to unfold faux science and conspiracy theories was extra vital to him than getting the Inexperienced Bay Packers to the Tremendous Bowl.

Tom Brady didn’t look a lot better. He was overwhelmed up and ageing shortly on the sphere in Tampa Bay — till immediately he wasn’t.

They each ended up losers on a NFL playoff weekend that may have been essentially the most entertaining ever. And so they each left their respective fields uncertain of the place they are going to be taking part in subsequent yr — or if they are going to be taking part in in any respect.

Not that it issues all that a lot. In an epic spherical of playoff video games, the younger quarterbacks confirmed the NFL will likely be in good palms for years to return.

Patrick Mahomes outdueled Josh Allen and the Payments in a sport so good it ought to have been a Tremendous Bowl by itself. Possibly two.

Joe Burrow gained one for the Bengals, proving he's pretty much as good as he's brash, and Matthew Stafford is a sport away from doing in Los Angeles what he by no means had an opportunity to do in Detroit.

Jimmy Garoppolo, in the meantime, by no means stopped smiling although he did little besides lead San Francisco to a successful subject aim in frigid Inexperienced Bay.

The previous guys? Eh, not a lot.

It appeared like the proper alternative for Brady to lastly acknowledge Father Time and name it quits on a exceptional profession, whilst he helped lead an inconceivable fourth quarter Tampa Bay rally in opposition to the Rams. Brady had his moments, however there have been lengthy stretches of the sport when it appeared retirement couldn’t come quickly sufficient for the best quarterback ever.

“I haven’t put a variety of thought to it,” Brady mentioned afterward, selecting his phrases fastidiously. “We’ll simply take it day-to-day and see what occurs.”

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) reacts as he leaves the sphere after the group misplaced to the Los Angeles Rams throughout an NFL divisional spherical playoff soccer sport Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022, in Tampa, Fla.

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Rodgers additionally wasn’t going to decide to his future, however he did warn Inexperienced Bay followers they wouldn’t see him once more if the group was planning to enter a rebuilding mode. He’s bought a yr left on his contract, although you may marvel why the Packers would threat one other season of disruption by the hands of a quarterback who completely disrupted this one.

However, actually, who else would need him?

Rodgers is as self-centered and conceited as star athletes come, satisfied maybe by his stint internet hosting “Jeopardy!” that he is aware of solutions others can solely guess. He had no compulsion throughout the season pretending he was vaccinated, disrespecting his teammates and placing them and everybody else at Packers headquarters prone to catching COVID-19.

The best way social media gleefully mocked Rodgers’ efficiency within the snow in opposition to San Francisco, he doesn’t appear to have lots of people cheering for him, a lot much less shopping for a brand new insurance coverage coverage at his behest.

These within the Twitterverse urged Rodgers was silenced by a conspiracy of particular groups gamers. They mentioned he had no shot of successful, and identified that this was his first playoff loss within the Moderna period.

Additionally they puzzled — identical to all of us — if the sport plan for the 49ers was as detailed because the 500-plus pages of “analysis” Rodgers learn earlier than making his thoughts as much as roll the cube with a virus that doesn’t care how good he's at discovering open receivers.

Nearly misplaced in all of the drama is the actual fact is that although Rodgers is poised to win a second straight MVP trophy he has performed in just one Tremendous Bowl in 14 years as a starter in Inexperienced Bay — and that was 11 lengthy years in the past.

Brady is totally different, in fact, as a result of Brady is totally different than any quarterback who got here earlier than him. The seven Tremendous Bowl rings will likely be a file that stands the check of time, and he gave a whole franchise new life when he left New England for the Buccaneers two seasons in the past.

Brady could also be onerous to heat as much as even in spite of everything these years, nevertheless it’s not as a result of he thinks Invoice Gates is placing monitoring chips into vaccines. He performs on his personal phrases and divulges little else to followers, however nobody can dispute his greatness. Even in an uneven efficiency on Sunday he was nonetheless the one participant most feared on the opposing sideline because the clock turned to the fourth quarter in Tampa.

If Brady desires to return again for yet one more season, the Bucs will certainly welcome him. However on a weekend when younger quarterbacks had been strutting their stuff, what’s to realize from a twenty third season on a subject with gamers who hadn’t even been born when he took his first NFL snap?

The Brady period has to finish someday and Sunday felt prefer it was that point. There actually hasn’t been a Rodgers period exterior of Inexperienced Bay, nevertheless it’s time for that to finish, too.

As was clear to anybody watching the wildly entertaining quartet of video games, there are many nice quarterbacks to take their place.

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Tim Dahlberg is a nationwide sports activities columnist for The Related Press. Write to him at tdahlberg@ap.org or http://twitter.com/timdahlberg