"Way to go, Aaron," one Packers fan sarcastically screamed. "We've traded Brett Favre for Joey Harrington."

Not exactly, but you get the point.

Comparisons to Favre are one thing. They would engulf whoever was replacing a future Hall of Fame quarterback, let alone one who recently flirted with a Packers comeback.

Mentioning Rodgers in the same breath as Harrington — a Detroit Lions washout chosen with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2002 draft — is harsh and premature. Rodgers has yet to even start a game in his first three NFL seasons mired behind Favre.

Rodgers might follow in the same footsteps as Steve Young after he served as Joe Montana's understudy in San Francisco. Or Rodgers may become the next Scott Hunter, who flopped after replacing another retiring Packers icon (Bart Starr) in 1972. Nobody knows for sure.

Still, Rodgers could have silenced his critics at least temporarily by shining in Green Bay's two most high-profile preseason practices. He instead provided more cheddar to the Cheesehead contingent clamoring for Favre's return.

Rodgers completed only seven of 20 passes during a Sunday night scrimmage. He was just as shaky during Tuesday's full-pads session as crowd chants of "Bring Back Favre!" and "We Want Brett!" echoed across the practice field.

Is it coincidence that those poor outings came amid the furor generated by Favre's return to Green Bay for discussions with Packers management?

Packers coach Mike McCarthy said he expected Rodgers would experience some "bumps in the road." Rodgers, though, is hitting potholes.

Rodgers, though, wouldn't use Favre's presence as an excuse. He explained Tuesday that "there's a lot of stress just being a quarterback in this league and practicing against our defense every day." Fair enough, especially with Green Bay's staunch secondary usually smothering his intended targets.

But Rodgers is pushing too hard. He might have done that anyway trying to show teammates he can handle the job. The Cirque de Favre preseason is making matters worse.

This should be worrisome to the Packers brass that has chosen Rodgers over Favre as their starter. Because if Rodgers is being negatively affected by what's transpiring around him now, he may very well crack under the pressure that will increasingly build as the regular season approaches.

Favre himself has done nothing to help the situation. Following extensive conversations this week, McCarthy conveyed that Favre "was very positive about Aaron. He thinks he's doing a really good job."

Favre, though, hasn't bothered telling that to Rodgers directly. The two still haven't spoken since the end of the 2007 season.

Rodgers has publicly said he wanted to chat with Favre and made an unsuccessful attempt at doing so when both were attending a recent sports awards show. Rodgers sighed when asked why Favre has kept in touch with other teammates but not him.

"You know, that's a question for Brett," Rodgers said. "I can't speak for him. He knows how to get a hold of me."

Should Favre finally reach out, he would be gracious to offer Rodgers some tips on how best to handle this transition. And if he doesn't, Rodgers may want to seek advice from someone who knows first-hand how high expectations and public pressure can help ruin an NFL career.

Harrington.