Several media reports on Sunday indicated that quarterback Brett Favre will be returning to Green Bay Packers training camp to compete for the starting job with Aaron Rodgers, and even though Head Coach Mike McCarthy did not confirm that will be the case when Favre is reinstated on Monday, Rodgers emphasized following the Family Night scrimmage that if a competition does result, he has no plans to just hand over the job he's held since Favre's retirement in March.
"I'm a competitor. I'm going to compete," Rodgers said. "This isn't going to be easy. It's going to be a dogfight, and I know if they do open it up to competition, not a lot of people will give me a chance. But I believe in myself, and I'm going to be the best I can be and let Coach decide from there."
McCarthy is scheduled to address the quarterback situation with the media at 8:15 p.m. on Monday from the Lambeau Field auditorium. He said he would talk with Favre before then, (after Favre takes his physical and conditioning test), and he will determine from that conversation what the next steps are at quarterback.
McCarthy did say that Favre has not been promised an opportunity to get his old job back, and he has not discussed the situation at length with the team. That is part of his plan for Monday, after he talks with Favre.
"There have been no promises," McCarthy said. "Once again, there has been indecision throughout Brett's path back here to Green Bay. It's important for us to sit down, communicate. There are some things that we need to go through and then once again, ... information that comes out of that conversation will be used to move forward in the decision we'll make for our football team. That's where we are."
For his part, Rodgers was solid in his first dress rehearsal as the starter, in front of 56,600 fans who waited through an evening rain delay before the scrimmage could begin.
Rodgers' numbers (7-of-20, 84 yards, 1 interception) weren't impressive by any means, but he hit his first pass of the night - a 17-yard bullet over the middle to Donald Driver - and didn't have any glaring errors. Defensive backs Charlie Peprah, Pat Lee and Tramon Williams all broke up on-target throws that receivers had a chance to catch during the opening three series for the No. 1 offense, and receiver Greg Jennings dropped an open slant that should have been a good gain.
"I thought Aaron was solid," McCarthy said. "There are some things where the production wasn't there, whether it was on the front end or the back end of the pass play."
During his crack at the 2-minute drill, with the offense trailing 14-10 and starting on its own 25, Rodgers started slow but found some rhythm. He needed consecutive fourth-down completions - of 12 yards to Jennings and 10 to Donald Lee - to keep the drive alive initially.
Lee's grab began a string of five straight completions, the longest a 23-yarder to rookie Jordy Nelson, that moved the ball to the 10-yard line with 15 seconds on the clock. But a holding penalty on Jason Spitz pushed the offense back to the 20, and with eight seconds left, Rodgers tried to thread a desperation pass through a well-guarded end zone and it was intercepted by Aaron Rouse.
Rodgers was asked afterward if his play was affected in any way by all the news about Favre that swirled around on Sunday.
"Affected by it? Not at all," he said. "I'm just playing football out there tonight. We didn't throw and catch it as well as I would have liked to, but it's a growing process. We're going to try to peak at the right time when we play Minnesota."
Rodgers said he just continues to focus on the things he can control, which is his play on the field and getting ready for the regular season. He still considers himself the starter, because he hasn't been told differently by anyone.
{sportsad300}He said when Favre returns, he expects their friendship to continue as it's been. He also said he would not feel betrayed should the organization that has steadfastly backed him as the starting quarterback open up the job to competition, because the circumstances are so unique.
"I think the organization has been put in a tough spot," Rodgers said. "It's a difficult situation when he decided to change his mind. But we're going to welcome him back and move forward as a team.
"With him coming back and if they do open it up to competition, then I get a chance to compete, and that's all I can ask for."
Rodgers has certainly done his part up until now, going through McCarthy's quarterback school for the third straight offseason and taking on a larger leadership role during the offseason program in preparation for taking over as the starter.
No matter what unfolds in the coming days and weeks, how much that counts for will be known soon enough.
"I think the guys in the locker room and I have definitely grown a lot closer, and that's only going to help me," Rodgers said. "Hopefully I'll be the guy this year, but I know I'm going to get a chance to lead this football team, and you're going to have to pry it out of my fingers."
