By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor
There's been quite a bit of discussion in recent weeks about where Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will rank in terms of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time at the end of his career. He's unlikely to ever have the same amount of team success of individual statistics as Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, yet there's a shared feeling from many that Rodgers might have the most arm talent of any quarterback of all-time, his footwork is second-to-none and unlike Brady and Manning, he can extend plays with his legs.
Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins, who is never afraid to share his opinions, has a very nuanced opinion on the matter. Appearing on NFL GameDay Live on NFL Network, Jenkins admitted that he thinks Brady is better in the all-time discussion than Rodgers "by far," but said that he would prefer to play against Brady than Rodgers:
"I'd rather play against Tom Brady, because at the end of the day I know he's going to be three yards from that center and he's not moving from that spot," Jenkins said. "You can get after him and try and get pressure on him. He's obviously going to still make plays but the one thing about playing Aaron Rodgers is, if you want to get after him, he's good at beating you no matter how he does it.
"Whether he's mobile, you get him out of the pocket and he's just as accurate. He can buy time. He's smart enough to change the plays at the line of scrimmage and get them in advantageous plays, get the ball out quick. He does it all. He's Russell Wilson and Tom Brady combined. And he's the hardest player, for me in terms of a quarterback, to play against."
While it's hard to argue with what Jenkins is saying, it's important to keep his perspective in mind. Rodgers' run of second half dominance started against the Eagles when he played at an MVP caliber in the Eagles' Week 12 loss to the Packers on Monday Night Football. In 2014, which was the first year Jenkins played for the Eagles, Rodgers threw for just shy of 350 yards and tossed three touchdowns in a game that the Eagles lost to the Packers 53-20. Jenkins has only faced Brady once since coming to the Eagles, and the Eagles won a fluky game where Jenkins had a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Regardless of which quarterback you are playing against, your defense probably isn't going to have a good game. Brady led the Patriots to their sixth consecutive AFC Title Game yesterday evening, giving him nine playoff wins since the Eagles last won a playoff game. Rodgers, on the other hand, led the Packers past what was previously a hot New York Giants defense last week and hopes to upset the 13-3 Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Divisional round this afternoon.