There is a difference between building a reputation and having a reputation in the National Football League.
Case in point, the two Green Bay Packers who earned Pro Bowl recognition this week.
Wide receiver Davante Adams is the former. He has worked his way among the elite pass catchers in the game to earn his first election to the NFL All-Star contest. He was an alternate last year and was invited to play after putting up 74 receptions for 885 yards and 10 touchdowns. Thrust into the number one receiving role this year after the release of Jordy Nelson, Adams has gone way above and beyond the call. He ranks among the league leaders with 100 receptions for 1315 yards and a dozen scores with two games to go. He's the only player in the NFL to have at least 70 catches and 10 TD's in each of the last three seasons. He's just the third Green Bay Packer to reach the century mark, joining Sterling Sharpe who did it twice and Robert Brooks once. Another 13 catches and 205 yards and Davante will break the franchise single season records held by Sharpe (112) and Nelson (1519).
Adams' reputation has been firmly established and he was thrilled to hear the news of becoming a Pro Bowler:
(Audio: Davante Adams)
Then there's Aaron Rodgers, who earned his 7th trip to the Pro Bowl this week. It had to be his well established reputation that got him there.
Even the most casual observer can see 2018 has not been the best of seasons for the Super Bowl champion and two-time Most Valuable Player. Sure, he has a glittery 23 touchdowns to just 2 interceptions but he's long held the NFL's best TD to INT career ratio. Battling through injury and playing with young receivers, Rodgers' completion percentage is just 61.8%, the second lowest of his career. His team has won only five games and Aaron's passer rating of 97.2 trails non-NFC Pro Bowl quarterbacks Russell Wilson, Matt Ryan, Carson Wentz, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Kirk Cousins.
Knowing how the Pro Bowl balloting works, it's easy to understand why Rodgers got the nod again, joining Drew Brees of the Saints and Jared Goff of the Rams. Still, Rodgers was appreciative and thankful he'll have his number one battery mate going to Orlando with him.
(Audio: Aaron Rodgers)
The Packers had three players selected as alternates, Kenny Clark and Corey Linsley, two ascending players and left tackle David Bakhtiari, snubbed yet again.
Bakhtiari probably won the electoral vote (from coaches and players), but not the popular vote (from fans). That's too bad. He made one Pro Bowl as an alternate in 2016 but has yet to crack the top three recipients even though he was twice named second team All-Pro by the Associated Press, a more subjective honor than the ballot stuffing Pro Bowl process.
As for the practice week in advance of the team's final road trip of the year to New Jersey, the debate will focus on who can or should take the field in one of only two games on the week 16 schedule that doesn't have any playoff implications. The 5-8-1 Packers play the 4-10 New York Jets at MetLife Stadium Sunday.
Rodgers practiced Wednesday and has said repeatedly he wants to play. Rodgers feels a bad example would be set if as a leader of the team, he would take a powder only because nothing is on the line other than a sixth win for the year.
Same for Bryan Bulaga who has missed the last game and a half with a knee injury. Bulaga practiced and said Wednesday afternoon he wants to play to try and help the team win and any football game played is still fun for him.
Two players were sidelined in the concussion protocol, Randall Cobb and Jason Spriggs. Clark and Jimmy Graham didn't participate and guard Lucas Patrick and punter J.K. Scott stayed home with an illness.
Interim Head Coach Joe Philbin will decide on how to construct his 46 man game day roster by the time the team heads to the Meadowlands.
Finally, the Ashwaubenon Village Board has given it's approval to the Phase 2 plans for the Titletown District this week. The grandiose effort of the Packers organization to develop a year-round (and money making) destination adjacent to Lambeau Field is already up and running.
The first phase is anchored by Hinterland Brewing, Lodge Kohler and the Bellin Health Titletown Sports Medicine and Orthopedics facility. There's the recreational football field in place and of course Airens Hill for sledding and the skating rink.
TitletownTech, the joint venture between the Packers and Microsoft should open early next year.
Phase 2 will have the Packers become landlords in a very big and profitable way. The plans call for a four to five story office building, a 150 unit apartment complex and between 70-90 townhouses to be built along Marlee Lane and Brookwood Drive. These will not be row houses or tenements, rather upscale and pricey residential units that will have a view of the stadium.
All in the name of generating more non-shareable revenue for the organization. It will certainly be the legacy of Packer President and CEO Mark Murphy but the primary purpose of the Green Bay Packers, Inc. is not well appointed cribs or ice skate rentals, it's football. Murphy's eyes have been pointed west from his Lambeau office toward the Titletown District development for the last five years. His focus must now be re-directed to the football operations for he is about to make the most critical decision of his tenure, hiring the successor to Mike McCarthy as Head Football Coach.