In probably the least surprising development of the off-season, QB Aaron Rodgers enters the 2009 season as the most important player on the team.
In one way he might be less important in 2009 than he was in 2008. If he had gotten hurt and they would have been forced to start QB Matt Flynn instead, then they would have had no chance of winning. Flynn wasn't ready last season. Actually I'm still not sure he's ready, although I think he'll be a solid backup QB soon.
A 64% completion percentage in his first season as a starter is very good, but his passes always seem to be in the right place. His accuracy is exceptional. Most of his incompletions/interceptions seem to be due to a good play on defense or a missed catch by a receiver. I'm a huge fan of his accuracy while scrambling or on a called bootleg too.
He already seems like he's comfortable as a team leader and good at it. It appears that he has a complete understanding of the playbook and that his teammates have confidence in him.
I was worried about his durability entering 2008. He had suffered season ending injuries in both 2006 and 2007 (and in 2005 too?), but after he played through a bad right shoulder injury during a game late last season in Tampa, I'm not worried about that anymore. Still, I'm not expecting another QB Brett Favre like Iron Man streak; that's asking too much.
And he should only get better. The accuracy, arm strength, and mechanics are all there. The team has remained largely intact over the past few seasons and he's familiar with all his receivers and Mike McCarthy's offense. He should only get better with more experience. And there is plenty of time left since he's only 25 years old.
Just as I mentioned with WR Greg Jennings; there is still some room for improvement. There weren't a lot of late game comebacks, although I'm not sure I would ever have said any of the last minute losses were his fault. They struggled in the red zone, again not I'm not saying it's all his fault, but there is definite room for improvement. He hasn't mastered all the plays; he doesn't throw that quick slant nearly as often as Favre used to.
But if 2008 was just a typical season that we should expect from him in the future; 4000 yards, 28 TDs and 13 INTs for the next decade, I'll gladly take it. QB is the most important player on any team and he's clearly a good one that they can build around for the future.