Giants prepare for the challenge of facing Aaron Rodgers

One team is not yet officially sure who its quarterback will be. The other knows it will have one of the best quarterbacks of all time on its side.

So in that sense, the Giants and Packers are coming from opposite directions as they arrive in London for their game on Sunday.

Things continue trending in the right direction for the Giants, as Daniel Jones did not suffer any setbacks to his sprained left ankle after practicing on Wednesday and looked spry during individual drills on Thursday.

But things have been trending in the right direction for the Packers for a decade-and-a-half now, thanks to the presence of future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers.

At 38, Rodgers still is a formidable presence. To Giants coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale, defensive challenges do not get any bigger than this – on any continent.

Martindale, 59, has been around long enough to know there is no one answer to dealing with Rodgers, a four-time NFL MVP, including for the past two seasons.

“What [many people] don’t really appreciate, which I do, is just the great football mind that he has,” Martindale said before practice on Thursday.

“He gets them in the right run game, he gets protections right, he knows the pressures are coming. He’s a great student of the game and I really admire how he goes about playing this game. It’s always fun. It’s a fun matchup.”

Rodgers’ 10.5-yard average per completion through four games is lower than in any full season since he became a starter in 2008, a trend that gave Martindale no comfort.

“It’s like owning a python and saying, ‘Don’t worry about it, he won’t bite,’” Martindale said. “Aaron Rodgers is Aaron Rodgers. To me, there’s no difference. I think that he’s just as effective today as he was five years ago, six years ago.”

Rookie defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux said the key to handling Rodgers will be maintaining discipline in the pass rush. But he said the fact Rodgers is the man he will be chasing will not be a motivating factor.

“I don’t really look at stars,” he told Newsday. “I just try to go play my game. I try to look at them as any other person. They’re just nameless, faceless characters.”

He did, however, acknowledge he is itching for his first NFL sack, no matter who it comes against. “It’s time,” he said. “It’s time. I feel like it’s overdue, and hopefully the time comes, God-willing, on Sunday.”

Asked what makes Rodgers such a challenge, cornerback Adoree’ Jackson told Newsday, “It’s the same thing that [fans] see on TV. That’s the same thing that we see when we’re playing and watching film.

“At the end of the day, they always talk about how film doesn’t lie. You can see how good he is, whether it’s passing the ball, running the ball, under center, in the 'gun, just an elite athlete.”

Rodgers knows how to work every angle. For example, have the Giants prepared for his ability to get “free plays” by inducing defensive offsides using hard counts?

“No doubt,” Martindale said. “I mean, he’s a pain in the butt. I wish there was something easy to say, but like I said, it’s a great challenge.

“If you have you respect for the game, which we all do, you really are excited about this challenge, going against him. It will be something that you talk about the rest of your life.

“When I’m retired on a golf cart some place down in Florida hitting a golf ball, I hope he’s in the foursome in front of me and I’ll hit a golf ball into him.”

By Neil Best

neil.best@newsday.com@sportswatch

Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.