Super Bowl Brother

Athlon's Managing Editor Mitch Light had a chance to sit down Vanderbilt quarterback Jordan Rodgers. He has an interesting perspective on the Super Bowl. He is the brother of the Packers’ starting quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, and he is a quarterback himself — a junior at Vanderbilt who will battle incumbent Larry Smith for the starting assignment next fall. We spent some time with Jordan to talk about his brother’s run to the Super Bowl.

Might Light: How cool has this been to see your brother experience so much success?

Jordan Rodgers: It’s been awesome. I was only able to make one game during the regular season, the last game of the season, at Green Bay vs. the Bears. I was able to make the last two playoff games. It was a ton of fun to be able to watch my brother and his team have the type of success they are having. It’s a dream come true for him, to make it to the Super Bowl. He is going to be the starting quarterback in the Super Bowl. I am so happy for him.

ML: Do you watch the game as a fan? Are you nervous? Or do you just focus on him?

JR: I am definitely nervous, but not as nervous as my parents are when they watch. I’m usually focusing on him. Being a quarterback myself, I like to watch the game to see what he does. If he takes a hit that I know hurts or could be an injury, I get a little worried. I do get nervous.

ML: Were you in the stands in Chicago or in a suite?

JR: Freezing my butt of in the stands like everyone else. My parents, my brother and I were sitting in the end zone. I was freezing. It was a great game to watch.

ML: Did people know who you guys were?

JR: No. Not really. There were obviously a lot of Bears fans around us. I don’t think anyone noticed who we were.

ML: What was he like after the game?

JR: I talked to him right after the game. He had a big smile, even though it probably wasn’t his best performance. But he got the win and there is just one more until they meet their goal, so he was ecstatic.

ML: Has he been even-keeled? Does he realize how big this is?

JR: He is realizing how big it is, but for the most part, my brother has been even-keeled and just goes with the flow. He worries about things he can control. He stays humble about the situation. It will sink in at some point.

ML: What are your plans (for the game)?

JR: I want to get out there. I will talk to our strength coach about doing one of my workouts early, so I can get out there with my family. I definitely am not going to miss this.

ML: Have your teammates been asking you about it?

JR: Oh yeah. My teammates have been all over me, especially about that Bears game because we have so many Vanderbilt players on the Bears. There are a lot of closet Bears fans here that were talking some trash. It got a little quiet after the game.

ML: What were you thoughts on the Jay Cutler situation? He took a lot of abuse.

JR: It is too bad. Just knowing Jay — the guy is as tough as they come. You know something had to be bad for him to not to get back on the field. He would have tried to get back on the field if he could have — at all costs. It’s tough to hear people criticize him. I understand a lot of what he was going through. I was injured in a big game during junior college. It is so frustrating when you can’t help your team.