Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
Aaron Rodgers is, probably, very familiar with the cliche as a franchise passer and one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, and he clearly utilizes that in all walks of life.
The lifelong "Jeopardy!" superfan is stepping away from a gridiron and behind the microphone for a two-week stretch as the host of the long-running game show starting April 5 and concluding on April 16.
With the passing of legendary host Alex Trebek in January, a select number of guest hosts have been tapped to host the show, with no permanent host yet selected. It sounds, though, like Rodgers made quite the impression on producers and other behind-the-scenes folks during his 10-episode run.
So, how did Rodgers prep for the once-in-a-lifetime gig?
MORE: Full schedule of Aaron Rodgers hosting 'Jeopardy!'
In an interview with ESPN, Rodgers boiled down his prep for the show like he would an NFL game: Tape, tape and more tape.
Rodgers took to Netflix to watch episodes of the show, but admitted he had a different lens this time around, opting to keep an eye on the late-great Trebek over guessing answers with the
I watched hours and hours and hours of episodes. Luckily Netflix has a few seasons, and I went back to DVR. But I had to watch from a different perspective — from Alex's perspective. I couldn't watch it as a fan anymore.
I took pages and pages and pages of notes. I wrote down every affirmative that he said to any type of clue. I wrote down how he would respond if they didn't get it right. I wrote down beat points of the show. I wrote down all the different ways he would take it to break. I wrote down the stuff that he said coming out of break. Literally, I studied for this like no other. I wanted to absolutely just crush it.
Long-time producers and behind-the-scenes folks were impressed with Rodgers' seamless transition to host over contestant, as well.
"One of the head producers said as much. She was like, 'I'm just so appreciative of your approach.' And my whole thing was I felt like the best way to honor Alex's memory was to be so dialed in and so ready, and that's the approach I took. So I was ready to rock and roll."
Sounds like the reigning NFL MVP and Super Bowl winner could have a career after his tenure with the Packers — whenever that ends.
