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| Aaron Rodgers |
The Packers, the number six seed in the playoffs in the NFC, who persevered through a mounting list of injuries during the season had to fight through injuries again in their 31-25 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. The Packers lost two of their best players on opposite sides of the ball when Donald Driver and Charles Woodson went down for the remainder of the game after suffering injuries in the first half.
A lot of the teams success had to do with Rodgers, who earned MVP honors by throwing three touchdowns for 304 yards and no interceptions.
Rodgers fell to the 24th pick in the 2005 NFL Draft after the San Fransisco 49ers, the team he cheered for growing up in Chico. Calif., passed on him and instead selected Alex Smith with the number one overall pick. Rodgers had to sit behind Packers legendary quarterback Brett Favre for three seasons until the Packers decided to move towards the future with Rodgers after Favre decided to come out of retirement.
Rodgers, 27, has now removed himself from Favre’s shadow after a break through season, and is now considered one of the leaders of the team.
“I do have to be one of the leaders,” he told Letterman, “but I think it takes multiple leaders to have a locker room that functions properly…I’m more of a leader by example.”
Letterman later handed Rodgers a championship belt in honor of Rodgers’ touchdown celebrations.
