Thanks, Aaron

While it's not official, it appears Aaron Rodgers will be a member of the New York Jets. 

Rodgers went on The Pat McAfee Show today and and announced that while a trade is not done, he "intends" to play for the Jets this upcoming season. 

I'm honestly so conflicted. Did I want him back with the Packers? Probably not. Did I want him to retire? Probably. Did I want him to go to the Jets? Absolutely not! The Jets were on a list of probably five teams I did not want to see him on. 

Well, here we are. It's not official, but it's all but official. 

It was interesting to hear Aaron say that prior to his "darkness retreat" he was pretty sure he was retiring, Then something changed when he was in or came out of the retreat that made him want to continue to want to play. 

You knew at that point that it was pretty unlikely he was going back to Green Bay, especially after the comments Packers CEO Mark Murphy made last week. 

Thanks for 18 years. Fifteen as a starter. Many highs and many lows. So much regular season success for Aaron and the team, and unfortunately, the success for the team in the playoffs was not the same. 

One Super Bowl Championship in the 18 years, while great, is not enough. Especially with the amount of times they were in the playoffs and even the NFC Championship game. 

Super Bowl MVP, 4 time NFL MVP. A phenomenal player on the field. 

Eventually, Aaron will be in the Packers Hall of Fame, his number will be retired and he will go into the NFL Hall of Fame as a member of the Packers. 

Tremendous career. 

Off the field, an interesting person. And that is putting it very nicely. 

Aaron's following Brett Favre's path so far of the Packers to the Jets, so does that mean he goes to the Vikings or another division rival next? 

For me, as much as I always feel like I say Favre is my favorite all-time football player, I only saw the end of his career, including only a his last few years in Green Bay. I've watched Aaron's entire career. From him coming in for Brett a few times, to him finally getting his opportunity, to being "the man." This really feels like the end of an era.  

Will be interesting to see what he does with the Jets. 

For the Packers, it's Jordan Love time. 

Began's Perseverance Helping In Life And Basketball

Jack Began handles the ball at the top of the key (SS Photo)

Perseverance. Survivor.

Those are two words to describe Jack Began, but he is so much more than that. He is hardworking, caring, honest and so much more. The junior on the Fairfield Ludlowe boy's basketball team has fought through a lot of adversity in his life.

Jack grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin (30 miles south of Green Bay) with his parents, Sandra and Patrick, and brother Charlie.

In September of 2012, Patrick died by suicide.  In July of 2014, Jack, his mother and brother moved from Wisconsin to Fairfield, Connecticut.

Jack and his mother have both written about their experiences and I will let them tell the story. This is a focus on Jack as a basketball player and a person.

Jack played freshman basketball during the 2014-2015 for Ludlowe. His sophomore year, he made a decision to not play that year and was a student manager. He put in the work as a manager, while continuing to keep his basketball skills strong. As a manager, Jack worked with the other managers and did what was asked of him. Anytime there were people needed for a drill, Jack would jump in and play hard. He watched intently as the team practiced so he could learn the plays and terminology used by coaches John Dailey and Lawrence Richardson.

Jack could have just sat there and said, I'm not playing so I won't help any more than I have to, but that's not him. He wanted to help, he wanted to get better, he wanted to learn.

This season, Jack is back on the court and has a positive impact on his team. He is starting on junior varsity and playing as a role player off the bench for the varsity team. Even as a junior, he is showing great leadership qualities. Jack pushes everyone to work hard and makes sure people know what they are supposed to do.

The sharp shooter, Began hit a big three-pointer late in the Falcons loss against Bassick on December 21.  He is a very smart player on the court, knowing what to do and where to be on the court in certain situations.

Jack is working hard every day in practice to not only be a sharp shooter, but the best all-around player he can be so he can help the Falcons as much as possible.

Jack is also a writer and a big time sports fan. Jack has written articles on many different topics, including his father. You can check out his writing here. He roots for the Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Bucks, Milwaukee Brewers, and the University of Wisconsin.

Jack will look to be a key piece for the Falcons this season.