By Troy Sparks Special to OnMilwaukee.com Published Jan 06, 2012 at 6:17 PM

If you're looking for something to do during the Packers' bye week to get your green and gold fix, how about sitting down to read an autobiography of one of your favorite Green Bay players?

The book that I picked up is a good read for any Packer fan. When I was at Lambeau Field this past Sunday, I went down to the gift shop to get the book that was mentioned on a TV show.

Journal Sentinel and Packers Plus reporter Rob Reischel did a very good job in writing the book about Green Bay quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers. His book, "The Leader of the Pack (take that, Brett Favre)," was interesting. I opened up the book as I left the gift shop before the second half game between Green Bay and Detroit began.

A little side note for Reischel: Your book sells for $22.95 in the U.S. and three dollars more in Canada, but I paid $11.00 less in the gift shop. I really got me a deal.

Throughout the book, Rodgers was underrated, underappreciated and the underdog at every level of football. Rodgers knew that the road to the NFL was going to be a long one.

Can you imagine someone telling you that you weren't good enough to be the starting quarterback? What about when you have to wait in the green room for your name to be called in the NFL Draft and thinking that everything you did in college to impress the pro scouts wasn't good enough?

Well, try walking in the shoes of Rodgers for a moment. He didn't become MVP overnight. Even though Rodgers had a good high school career as a QB, no Division I school called for his services. So off he went to Butte (CA) Junior College to prove the naysayers wrong. And he had to prove himself all over again at the University of California.

Rodgers had a great combine, but at 6-foot-2, he was too short to play the position. An AFC college scouting director said that Rodgers' throwing mechanics were all screwed up when he saw him in the summer of 2005. Head coach Mike McCarthy complimented Rodgers on his arm strength. By the way, is that scout still working for that AFC team? Who's laughing now?

I didn't know how much Favre saw Rodgers as a threat to his position until I read the book. In his mind, how dare the Packers draft a QB when they had a capable backup in Craig Nall? Maybe Favre saw the writing on the wall. Besides, why did Favre feel the need to look over his shoulder when he knew that as long as he was healthy, he would start? Rodgers leapfrogged over Nall to anchor the backup QB position.

We know about the time when Favre announced his retirement, then changed his mind and showed up at camp to take the job that has been handed to Rodgers, only for the Packers to usher No. 4 out the door. What were the Packers supposed to think when Favre made that choice on his own? They already groomed Rodgers to take over because they wanted to see if he was an NFL-caliber signal caller.

And you know what? Through all that drama, Rodgers remained calm. It was his team, and the jury was still out on if No. 12 could get the respect of his teammates and lead the Packers back to its winning ways.

I think going from a 6-10 season to 11-6 and a first round exit in the playoffs to 14-6 and a Super Bowl win to 15-1 (so far) in Rodgers' last four seasons as the starting QB that's on a mission to go to Indianapolis for their second straight Super Bowl is incredible. But don't ask Favre to give Rodgers credit. He gave Rodgers the cold shoulder as his understudy, so why should we expect anything different? Get the book.

Troy Sparks Special to OnMilwaukee.com
I’m known for flying under the radar.  It’s OK if I don’t get mentioned in the same sentence as the other members of the local sports media.  When they see me sitting or standing next to them in the press box or locker room and not knowing who the underdog is, that’s when they should know that I’m the guy who’s trying to reach their level.