One of the things I really loved about Brett Favre was his cannon of an arm. It seemed there was no seam that Brett couldn’t throw the ball into.
It seemed that way…
Until he fired one of his infamous interceptions.
When Aaron took over the reigns in Green Bay the change in that department was like night and day. Aaron has consistently protected the ball. Sometimes he’s held the ball way longer than I care to see him hold onto it, but he rarely lets the wrong jersey catch the rock.
There are other QBs in the league who protect the ball almost as well as Aaron, but with one notable difference…
Minimizing Interceptions
Aaron led the league in interception percentage last season. Only 1% of his passes were intercepted. There were some others that came close. Carson Palmer had an INT percentage of 1.3%. Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady, and Russel Wilson tied with an INT percentage of 1.5%
Most notable in the INT percentage list for 2014 was Alex Smith. You know Alex. He’s the guy who’s name makes me smile every time I hear it because, not only because it means the Packers got Aaron Rodgers, but also because the 49ers blew a draft pick. And, that makes me happy.
Alex protects the ball very well. His INT percentage was just 1.3%. But there’s a very critical difference between how Alex protects the ball and how Aaron protects the ball.
The Chicken and the Calculated Risk
Alex doesn’t throw interceptions for one main reason…
He never throws beyond 20 yards!
In 2014, Alex Smith was dead last in big play passing (completions 25 yards or more down field). So, the picture of his INT percentage starts to come into focus quickly. How many times have we seen rookies or back up quarterback enter the game and thrown little more than checkdowns? While that’s extreme, that’s basically how Smith has earned his “impressive” INT percentage.
Now, Aaron Rodgers, on the other hand, is a whole different story.
In addition to having such a stellar INT percentage, Aaron also ranks 4th in the league in big plays. Thirty-four times Rodgers completed pass for 25 yards or more.
The Conclusion
Isn’t it great to have a quarterback that’s the best of both worlds?