Let me summarize how popular Aaron Rodgers was during Wednesday’s practice round of the American Century Championship, where athletes and celebrities go to show off their golf game.
Brian Baumgartner, who played Kevin Malone in the extremely popular sitcom “The Office”, at one point jokingly said “no pictures” while fans rushed past him to chase Rodgers for autographs. And don’t feel bad for Baumgartner. He got his moment when fans asked him to sign pictures of his infamous “Office” scene of him dropping a large pot of chili.
The group of Rodgers, Baumgartner and actor Miles Teller provided many memorable moments on the Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nevada. Teller, who recently starred in Top Gun: Maverick, nearly had a hole in one that drew oohs and aahs from the crowd.
Teller followed by giving Rodgers a sympathy pat on the chest after the new Jets quarterback had a poor swing that placed him in a rough area near the sand. But Rodgers quickly recovered on his next swing and unleashed his familiar fist pump after landing next to the hole.
By the way, you can find videos of these moments on my Threads account (gmanzanonfl). Yes, I just plugged my Threads account. Get over it, Elon Musk.
Rodgers might have been the most popular NFL player during Day 1 of the celebrity tournament, but Bills star quarterback Josh Allen was up there. Here are other NFL-related notes from beautiful Lake Tahoe:
Allen is very aware
Not many can do what Allen does on the football field as a mobile 6'5", 237-pound quarterback with a cannon for a throwing arm. He plays with plenty of force—just watch the nasty stiff-arm he had in Week 1 last season—and his golf game isn’t much different.
I stood next to Allen when he teed off for the 13th hole, and let’s just say his driver made a very loud noise. Also, I don’t know much about golf, but he might have a shot to win this tournament with how far he can hit.
Allen also gets points for awareness. He must have signed hundreds of autographs Wednesday, but he called out a young man for attempting to get a second autograph from the two-time Pro Bowler. Interestingly, the fan stood out by wearing an Allen No. 17 jersey with a red Chiefs hat. Strange combo.
Earlier in the day, Allen noticed the bar next to the 12th hole and stopped to make himself a Bloody Mary. He didn’t need help from the bartender, and went heavy on the Tabasco. Again, you can see this moment on Threads @gmanzanonfl, just letting you know.
Peterson aiming for seven INTs
I had a stop-and-chat conversation with Patrick Peterson in between holes about his upcoming first season with the Steelers.
He mentioned that recording at least seven interceptions will be feasible playing in a stacked Pittsburgh defense that features T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick.
“It’s just going to make my life that much easier,” Peterson said. “So, hopefully I get more interceptions than I did last year [five with the Vikings]. Seven, here we go.”
Peterson, 33, said he’s no longer aiming to prove doubters wrong because he proved last season he can still play at a high level. It was a rough season for the Vikings’ defense in 2022, but Peterson played well individually—Pro Football
Focus gave him a coverage grade of 79.7.
“I’m not as eager as I was last year because I believe they got the point,” Peterson said. “I’m just going to continue doing what I’ve been doing.”
He’s also going to continue playing golf. For the record, he had the most stylish golf pants from Day 1.
“Very competitive,” Peterson said about golf. “Just as competitive as I am being a defensive back in the NFL.”
Smith not worried about Lions hype
If Peterson wants to win the tournament this week, he’ll need to beat his former Vikings teammates Adam Thielen, who’s now with the Panthers, and
Harrison Smith.
I caught Smith after the second hole and asked him for a brief breakdown for his overall performance Wednesday morning.
“We were a little squirrely off the [second] tee,” Smith said. “Had a tough approach and had to take a par there. Overall, we’re playing pretty good. I got two eagles, decent amount of birdies, so it’s going well.”
Smith mentioned he’s excited to play with under defensive coordinator Brian Flores and with teammates Marcus Davenport and Byron Murphy Jr.
“I’m very excited to be a part of it,” Smith said. “Not only with what we have, but the pieces we’ve added, and playing for Flo and learning from him. It should be a good year.”
As for the Lions getting all the offseason hype and being considered the favorites to win the NFC North? (The Vikings won the division last season.)
“People are going to say what they’re going to say,” Smith said with a smile. “You know how it is.”
