Getty Quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers #12 and Tim Boyle #8 of the Green Bay Packers warm up before the game against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field on December 15, 2019 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Tim Boyle have provided one of the most entertaining positional battles at this week’s Green Bay Packers practices, but not for the competitive reasons you might think.
Rodgers and Boyle have been “sparring” with each other all week in practice in a series of hilarious and just-for-show confrontations that have escalated from joking jabs to dramatic wrestling takedowns. Even some of their Packers teammates became invested in the action at Friday’s practice with the Packers tweeting out a video of the quarterback battle and declaring it a “Rumble in the Tundra.”
The saga seemed to start during Wednesday’s practice when Rodgers flipped a football at Boyle and then kicked it away from him as Boyle went to retrieve it. Boyle claimed his revenge the following day when he pushed Rodgers from behind, sending the starting quarterback to the turf with a slow-motion, fully-controlled roll.
Olivia Reiner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was kind enough to chronicle all three of the exchanges on video; though, you’d have to assume the Packers quarterbacks intended to have their light-hearted bouts captured and shared, maybe to poke fun at the people who insist there is a quarterback controversy in Green Bay.
Aaron Rodgers got a little aggressive in practice today. 😂
UPDATE: Tim Boyle gets his revenge on Aaron Rodgers.
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No Question About Packers’ QB1 in 2020
The Packers caught many by surprise when they traded up and selected Utah State quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft, but the presence of a possible heir to Green Bay’s quarterback throne hasn’t changed the picture much for this season.
While Rodgers didn’t break any passing records in 2019, the two-time MVP quarterback still threw for 4,002 yards and 26 touchdowns with an underachieving receiving corps. He also tossed just four interceptions, the lowest interception rate in the NFL, while attempting the eighth-most passes (568) in the league to earn Pro Bowl honors. Any suggestion that he would not be the starting quarterback in 2020 was simply misinformed.
The bigger question is how Rodgers’ forthcoming season will impact his long-term future with the team. The 36-year-old veteran now has a year of experience in Matt LaFleur’s offensive system to help raise his comfort level, and it showed with some particularly sharp performances throughout his 16th training camp this summer. A dominant showing in 2020 could shape the Packers’ approach to their future with Love.
Packers Trust Boyle as Backup
The Packers hope they won’t have to consider their options behind Rodgers at any point during the 2020 season, but an experienced backup like Boyle has even more value this year with new COVID-19 rules increasing the chances of a starter getting wiped out on short notice.
Boyle has impressed in two straight camps for the Packers, winning a preseason battle with DeShone Kizer last year for the backup spot, and would appear to have several advantages over Love for the upcoming season. Not only did the pandemic-constrained offseason keep Love from getting on-field work until this summer, but Boyle has shown the Packers brass enough for them to have faith in him taking command — if needed in a pinch.
With Aaron back there, you hope you never have to go that route,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst told reporters in late August, “but if we did, I feel very confident we can win games with Tim Boyle.”
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