PARIS: Rodgers' neighborhood has a Del Mar address

SAN DIEGO ---- His next opponent is struggling, losing two straight amid chatter that a promising season is circling the drain.

Hey Del Mar resident Aaron Rodgers, what happened to the Chargers?

"I think if you look at the recipe you need to have, they've got it,'' Rodgers said. "They've got a couple studs in the backfield. They've got a great quarterback. They have guys you can throw to. They have a stout defense. They have the right mix of veteran guys like Shaun (Phillips) and Takeo (Spikes), and a good infusion of young talent, as well.

"It just takes staying the course, and I'm sure Norv (Turner) is just telling them to believe in the system they put in place there. That team's got a lot of talent. I've had the opportunity to throw to some of those guys in the offseason and I know the kind of ability they have on the offensive side. Watching the defense on film, they definitely have done some really good things this year.''

That's Rodgers, quarterback of the world champion Green Bay Packers and a visitor Sunday to Qualcomm Stadium. While his NFL heart bleeds gold and green, this North County local is well-versed on Sunday's opponent, the Bolts.

Rodgers is as accurate as he is smart -- would you live in Green Bay over Del Mar? He has thrown 20 touchdowns against three interceptions, an antidote to whatever a Super Bowl hangover presents.

"I don't think anybody around here knows anything about that,'' said Rodgers, the first to throw for 2,300 yards and 20 touchdowns in the first seven games. "Ignorance is bliss in our case.''

Rodgers, a Chico native, is no dummy and proves it by his address. He thanks relatives for the location tip; an NFL salary for his ability to relocate to such a tony town.

"My brother was going to San Diego State getting his master's (degree), and I'd just come off a really long winter in Green Bay in 2007,'' Rodgers said. "I endured two of the coldest games of my career and was just tired of the cold. And also, I'd lived the first two offseasons with my mom and dad. Being 23, living at home, was just not what I wanted to do any more, so I decided to move down by my brother to San Diego.''

Del Mar is the cradle of quarterbacks, with Rodgers, Drew Brees and Carson Palmer residing there. Palmer's next-door neighbor is the Chargers' Turner, which makes for some interesting chatter when they collect their North County Times off the driveway each morning.

While Chargers fans mourn their first-place team's recent efforts -- 25 penalties in two losing games -- the undefeated Packers are rolling, disposing of teams like deli owners discard bad mozzarella.

"He's having a great year,'' Packers coach Mike McCarthy said of Rodgers. "The numbers speak for themselves. If you look at where he is in his career, these are prime years for him and he's in total control of the offense. We've grown as an offense. A number of our players have been working together here for three, four, five years. I think that's a big part of our success, but he's playing at an extremely high level.''

Flying high now, that's Rodgers, the NFL's highest-rated quarterback.

"He's in a groove, but I don't even like using that word in a ‘groove' or ‘hot', you expect him to play that way every week now, that is what he has done and it is fun to watch,'' Philip Rivers said. "The one thing, obviously, is he can make some throws that not every guy can make with his arm strength. Then throw in the fact he ‘backyards' it a little bit as well.''

Rivers and Rodgers don't share back fences, but when embracing R & R, they hang at the same North County golf course. That would be the SantaLuz Club, where they have adjacent lockers.

Although unlike others, Rodgers didn't land here exclusively for golf.

"The beach and the weather,'' Rodgers said. "Mostly the weather -- just got tired of that cold winter.''

What Rodgers, and others of the cheesehead strain, never grow weary of is the enthusiastic Packer Nation. They'll be dressed to the nines Sunday, turning Qualcomm Stadium into Lambeau Field West.

"I think it's encouraging knowing how well our fans travel and how national the appeal and the fanfare is for our team,'' Rodgers said. "You go into some hostile environments and you hear that ‘Go, Pack, Go!' chant, that's a pretty cool thing for our players.''

Rodgers knows cool and cold -- that explains his Del Mar mailbox.

"I always enjoy coming back to California,'' said Rodgers, a University of California product who lost to Texas Tech in the 2004 Holiday Bowl. "It'll be nice to play down there in San Diego. You've got a great field, a nice, fast track, and it'll be fun to see some friends and family.''

The Chargers won't say it, but we will: Welcome back to the neighborhood, Mr. Rodgers.

+ Call Jay Paris at 760-439-6650