Andrew Luck and Aaron Rodgers to Jump-Start Rebound 2016 at Hall of Fame Game

Saturday afternoon, two more quarterbacks will join the ranks of the showcase for the greatest ever to play the game when Brett Favre and Ken Stabler are inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

On Sunday evening, the annual Hall of Fame Game will take place, featuring a pair of signal-callers in Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers and Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts who many expect will one day get busts of their own in Canton.

Provided, that is, that Rodgers and Luck can wash off the stink of a disappointing 2015 and reclaim their spots as two of the very best at what they do in the NFL.

Now, were Mr. Rodgers to retreat to his neighborhood tomorrow and announce his retirement, he’d have a decent chance of getting into the Hall. Over 11 NFL seasons (including eight as a starter), Rodgers has thrown for over 4,000 yards five times. Twice he’s been named the NFL’s most valuable player, including two years ago. He was the MVP of Super Bowl XLV.

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Rodgers’ career touchdown-to-interception ratio is a staggering plus-192. Yes, plus-192—257 career touchdown passes against only 65 interceptions. In his 2014 MVP campaign, Rodgers tossed 38 scoring strikes against only five interceptions—including none at Lambeau Field.

If Rodgers’ career ended today, he would hold NFL records for passer rating for both a single season (122.5 in 2011) and for a career (104.1). He’s one of only two qualifying NFL quarterbacks to have a career passer rating in triple digits.

Last year, however, was another story. Playing without top wideout Jordy Nelson, Rodgers threw for 3,821 yards—a career-low for a 16-game season. Ditto for his 92.7 passer rating, which was over 11 points lower than his career average.

That down year and a one-and-done playoff trip one year after coming so close to making the Super Bowl before their meltdown in Seattle has caused more than a bit of hand-wringing where Rodgers is concerned.

Still, as Yahoo’s Frank Schwab pointed out, much of that unease is borne of expectations that range somewhere between sky-high and flat-out unrealistic.

“The Packers are 80-39 in games Rodgers has started,” Schwab said. “The Packers won four straight NFC North titles, a streak that was snapped last year. They’ve been to the playoffs seven straight times. And they won Super Bowl XLV, of course. That’s a great run.”

The team appears primed for another playoff run in 2016. Nelson is back and healthy. Tailback Eddie Lacy reported to training camp in significantly better shape than a year ago. The Packers added a number of …

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