Aaron Rodgers on the importance of butt height and a low sweat ratio in centers

Considering where he was only a few years ago, it’s crazy how big-time Aaron Rodgers continues to become. The Packers quarterback, who golfs fairly regularly with Michael Jordan and has become a regular at some of the biggest non-football events like the Kentucky Derby, was recently named the most marketable player in the NFL by the Sports Business Journal.

So in addition to taking the baton from Peyton Manning on the field, the league’s reigning MVP has also arguably emerged above Manning to become the face of professional football.

Just like Peyton, Rodgers is still pretty deliberate and careful with his words. But when he’s had the opportunity to let his guard down and speak casually about more than just football, he’s proven to be a quality joker.

Yesterday on “Cabbie Presents: The Podcast” on TSN in Canada, Rodgers and host Cabral “Cabbie” Richards had a half-hour conversation that had pretty much nothing to do with football. So if you’re looking for Rodgers’ reaction to Green Bay’s draft and a look ahead to OTAs (read: clichés), then this isn’t for you. If you’re looking to gain further appreciation for Rodgers’ ability to dissect pop culture and various other parts of life in light-hearted, humorous fashion, then give it a listen.

The highlights:

When asked who his entourage would include if he were a boxer: “I don’t know if I can give you any names, but it’d have to be just two big, humongously buff black dudes,” he said, laughing. “And then three or four good-looking chicks. … We gotta put the ladies out front, and the two big black dudes on either side of me as my, like, security. But they’d be like famous dudes or just super buff.”

Regarding what makes a good center: “There’s two main components that a center needs to have, and it’s not quickness or agility or snapping or anything,” Rodgers said. “It’s two things: One, he has to have a good height, and I’m talking about where his butt rests. It can’t be too low because I don’t wanna get deep in that stance and it can’t be too high so I feel like I’m standing up. It’s gotta be just right. [Jeff Saturday has] got that. … Scott Wells, my previous center [and] Jeff Saturday — great height. Great butt height. … And the second is most important, and that’s sweating. How much do they sweat? The worst thing that you can have is third, fourth quarter on a October day where it’s 65, 70 degrees and he’s sweating through his pants. Because that is not a situation you wanna be in.”

Rodgers says centers can prevent such problems by changing their pants at halftime, something Packers backup center Evan Dietrich-Smith has apparently had to do:

He has major sweat issues,” Rodgers told Cabbie. “And when you get that ball snapped up and there’s a lot of sweat that just splashes all over you and on your hands and the ball — it’s not a good situation. So he actually has changed at halftime before. So those are the two things you look for: butt height and sweating. Jeff’s doing really well in both categories. … Low sweat ratio and solid butt height.”

So there you have it, straight from the mouth of Aaron Rodgers….

Hat tip: SportsRadioInterviews.com

About Brad Gagnon

Brad Gagnon has been passionate about both sports and mass media since he was in diapers -- a passion that won't die until he's in them again. Based in Toronto, he's worked as a national NFL blog editor at theScore.com (covering Super Bowls XLIV, XLV and XLVI), a producer and writer at theScore Television Network and a host, reporter and play-by-play voice at Rogers TV. His work has also appeared at Deadspin, FoxSports.com, The Guardian, The Hockey News and elsewhere at Bloguin, but his day gig has him covering all things NFC East for Bleacher Report.

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