Packers' QB Aaron Rodgers named Player of the Year by the Associated Press – NFL News
The Associated Press on Wednesday announced Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers as the Male Player of the Year for 2011.
The annual award is given to sports personalities who receive the highest number of votes from organisations that make up the Associated Press.
The Green Bay Packers are 13-1 this season mostly thanks to Aaron Rodgers and his brilliant abilities. Rodgers who is also in line to win the National Football League’s Most Valued Player of the year award is one of the three quarterbacks
who have recently received the honour.
New England Patriots Tom Brady won the award when leading his side to an unbeaten regular season which just fell short at the Super Bowl. Drew Brees of New Orleans Saints also won the prized award in 2010 when he led the franchise
to the Super Bowl title.
Rodgers’s performances made him a strong contender for this year’s award. The quarterback led the Packers to the Super Bowl XLV crown earlier in 2011 with a victory over Pittsburgh Steelers. Rodgers also was crucial to Packers
20 game unbeaten run which ended with defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs last week when Packers lost to a dogged Chiefs defence 19-14.
Rodgers to date has created 40 passing touchdowns to lead the overall National Football League charts for a quarterback. He also leads the NFL with the highest rating for a quarterback at 120.1. Rodgers has covered 4,360 passing
yards this season completing 322 out of 473 attempts for a completion rate of 68.1%.
On getting the award Rodgers was awestruck and said that it was a surreal feeling to be labelled the best sportsman in the United States.
"Those guys are household names, the best of the best," Rodgers said. "(It's) special to win the award, and something I'll remember."
Rodgers draws motivation from the fact that his ability to lead had been doubted when he first broke into the National Football League. Fans had at one time even booed their hero when he first broke into the Green Bay Packers side.
"It would only be tougher if you stopped remembering or drawing or thinking about those things," Rodgers said. "And I think a great competitor has to have at least some sort of chip on their shoulder, or at least the attitude that
you have something to prove every time you take the (field)."
Those doubts and critics were laid to rest when Rodgers led the Packers to victory in the Super Bowl and now those same fans have become his most avid supporters.
Green Bay Packers and Rodgers will look to put behind the defeat against the Chiefs behind them and secure the first 1st seed in the playoffs which will allow them to play all their playoffs games at home in Lambeau Field.
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