FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- A small corner of the big city came to a virtual stop at noon on Aug. 30.
A barricaded crowd on the sidewalk outside the Ziegfeld Ballroom on West 54th Street in Manhattan buzzed with anticipation as the New York Jets' buses, led by a police escort, pulled up for their annual kickoff luncheon. Out stepped their new starting quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, wearing dark shades and exuding "VIP" as he walked the Jets green carpet with fans screaming his name.
"It was like we were some sort of pop band or something -- a boy band," he said later.