Who is Aaron Rodgers’ new favorite teammate? We would have to guess it’s rookie inside linebacker Blake Martinez.
Martinez has taken to pestering Rodgers for advice, asking him how he reacts when linebackers make specific movements. In other words, Martinez is trying to understand what goes on in the opposing quarterback’s mind pre-snap.
“Little tips and cues,” Martinez said, “that he has for me from things he’s gone against. He told me little things he learned from playing against (former Chicago Bears linebacker Brian) Urlacher that he gave me tips on. Little coverage tips, and those types of things. It’s been a lot of help just being out there and, all of a sudden, if I make one step to the left, he’s like, ‘It’s coverage!’ and he’s yelling it out loud, and we’re like, ‘Oh, crap!’ The next time, I’m like, ‘Now I need to show something else to him to make sure that he doesn’t see that defense.
“I might get to the point where he’s like, ‘OK, stop talking to me,’ but I’m at least going to take that risk and go at it, take it to the breaking point in asking questions and doing those things.”
It’s great that Martinez is this much of a student of the game. Rodgers must love that, considering he’s Mr. Attention To Detail.
Although Mike McCarthy’s Packers have shown reluctance to start any rookie on day one, Martinez just might prove to be the exception. Not only does he appear to be ahead of most rookies mentally, he’s been given a head start on winning a job with Sam Barrington standing around throughout the offseason program.
It will be interesting to see what the Packers do when training camp begins, assuming Barrington is ready to go then. Martinez has been working with the No. 1 defense thus far. We’ll see if that changes when Barrington is healthy.