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Aaron Rodgers' no-look TD pass a reminder of his greatness

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- So about those seven interceptions Aaron Rodgers threw in the first five practices of training camp …

Those who witnessed what the Green Bay Packers quarterback did in practice No. 6 might still be in awe.

Those who were a part of it just said, in a nutshell, "Same old Aaron."

Meanwhile, all Rodgers' agent, David Dunn, should do from here until his client gets his contract extension is tell the Packers to watch the no-look, 26-yard touchdown pass to Geronimo Allison on fourth down with eight seconds left in Thursday's two-minute drill and then ask: Who else makes that play?

"Nobody else can make plays like that," Packers receiver Randall Cobb said.

Yet that's not what amazed Cobb the most.

"I'm surprised that you're even still asking about it," the eighth-year receiver said. "He's done stuff like this all the time."

The details of the play will be retold in training camps to come, much like the legendary stories of Brett Favre's throws still get shared.

And it will need no exaggeration.

Rodgers used his hard count to get at least one defender to jump offside, creating an all-so-familiar free play. He then rolled to his left and never took his eyes off that side of the end zone. Yet the ball came out sailing to the right corner of the end zone, where Allison hauled it in over rookie cornerback Jaire Alexander.

For Rodgers, it sounded like just another day at the office.

“I don’t know if the degree of difficulty was super high,” he said Friday. “Obviously it’s a different looking play because my momentum’s to the left, looking left, but it actually allows you to use your ground force, use your rotational energy there and then get plenty of arm on the ball when you’re open to a throw like that. I think it’s good to see the guys be in the right spot. G-Mo obviously knows I’ve done stuff like that, similar to that in practice before, but it’s fun to let those defensive guys know that I can still do those types of things.

“I have done things, maybe not that drastic of left hash, looking significantly left. I've thrown many passes like that. I stole that from 'Favrey' (Brett Favre); he was pretty damn good at that too.”

Coach Mike McCarthy said he’ll keep that film in the video library for a while.

“I think you appreciate it more when you watch the video,” McCarthy said. “I know I did, because he spoils you. You don’t have too many practices around here where he doesn’t make that throw where you’re just like, ‘OK, file that onto the library. That’s the way you want to teach it.’

“That one there, I don’t know, we’ll have to start a different library for that throw. It was a special throw.”

Like Cobb, Allison didn't see what all the fuss was about.

"Even Aaron, like you guys don't expect him to make that type of throw?" Allison said.

No one expects any quarterback to make that kind of throw; it's not normal.

"That's the thing, he's not normal," Allison said. "He's human, I understand that. But he's special, and he makes people around him special. And when he does stuff like that, it's only right on our part that we make that play and finish that play. That's what makes the whole thing special. If that play doesn't get made, we're not talking about it."

Rodgers actually looked surprisingly human during the first handful of training camp practices. For a quarterback who has the NFL's career-best touchdown-to-interception ratio and who once played all 16 games of a season with just five interceptions, it startled some that he threw seven camp interceptions during team (11-on-11) drills in the first five practices.

If anything, it might have been a sign that the Packers' defense, under new coordinator Mike Pettine, could finally keep up with Rodgers & Co.

Two of the interceptions came in the end zone on what would have been the final play of a two-minute drill, and another went through the hands of running back Jamaal Williams.

"I can think of another one where we turned a guy loose and free in the pocket and that sometimes could force bad things to happen to an offensive unit," offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said. "I'm not the least bit concerned at this stage of the game. The guy throws the football extremely, extremely well."

That's something Alexander, the Packers' first-round pick, found out Thursday. Yes, Alexander came up with one of the seven picks of Rodgers so far, but the throw to Allison taught him a valuable lesson that he also had some fun with.

When approached at his locker after practice to talk about it, Alexander feigned ignorance.

"I can't recall that," he said. "Threw it on who? Me?"

It took a minute to realize he was joking because when the subject turned to his interception from earlier in camp, Alexander quickly responded: "Oh yeah. I remember that."

As for Rodgers' no-look touchdown, Alexander said he's actually glad it happened to him.

"That was actually a big teaching tool for me that that happened," he said. "I wasn't expecting it. At all. I'm glad it actually happened, definitely a teaching tool. Because the quarterback can just throw it up anywhere and pray for hope. So that's kind of what happened. I'm glad that happened in practice for sure. But ask me again, and I won't remember it."

Yet no one will soon forget Rodgers' no-look touchdown.