The little things matter. 

Remember when Aaron Rodgers said he saw something from his 2010 self that made him change?

He hasn't had to worry about that much in the past because his out-of-this-world talent superceded any fundamental flaws that popped up. Throwing off the back foot? Don't worry, his arm strength can more than cover it. Holding on to the ball a bit too long? No worries, because he will thread the needle. 

However, even Rodgers noticed that he wasn't able to hide those fundamental peccadillos as he kicked off his 13th season as a starter.

"The big focus of this offseason for me in training camp was, I've talked about seeing some stuff in some old film, but a lot of it was the comfort in the offense," said Rodgers, who threw for 364 yards, four touchdowns and had a completion percentage of 73 percent as the Packers beat the Vikings 43-34 in the 2020 season opener. "I feel like I can deal the ball as quickly as I want to, and today was a good start for that. I feel like I was on time with my throws. There wasn't the need for a lot extended plays, and the couple that we had, turned inot pretty good plays. I'm feeling good about the tempo that we had, feeling good about the rhythm and the balance that I had in the pocket as well."

In other words, he looked like vintage Rodgers. Dating back to 2017, Rodgers has shown that precision only one time in the regular season — when he completed 81 percent of his passes on Oct. 20 of last year when the Packers destroyed the Raiders by 18.

Now, I've already heard enough people say that Rodgers has to do it again because that Vikings defense was nothing at all like previous stout Minnesota defenses. 

That's true. The inexperienced corners that Minnesota trotted out there got burned so bad that Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling left charcoal on the field. But that isn't Rodgers' or Green Bay's problem. How many times have the Dolphins or Jets been vastly inferior only to have Tom Brady feast on their flimsy defenses? It has happened plenty, and that's one of the reasons Brady struggled in New Orleans, because he is finally facing tougher competition. 

This is awesome because it all happened within the framework of the offense. If Mike McCarthy were still here, the Packers would've thrown early and often. However, Matt LaFleur used the run to set up the pass and it worked beautifully. 

"I thought Aaron did what he always does — just goes out there and executes at a hight level each and every week," said Packers coach Matt LaFleur. "He's one of the most accurate quarterbacks out there."

But Rodgers has always had arm talent and he has always been one of the smartest guys in the room. Rodgers has evolved. He turns 37 in December and he knows that he cannot get away with the same things that he got away with 10 years ago. That's why he needed to take a step back in time and reboot his fundamentals. 

Rodgers knows that he doesn't have to do it all because he has an elite running back that takes the burden off him. But Rodgers' jersey was clean on Sunday. He has been ripped in the past for his throwaways, but I'd rather see him throw it into the third row than take an unncecessary hit. He threw it away three times on Sunday and there were also a pair of drops.

Rodgers is getting older, but he is also adept enough to realize that he cannot stand still. His skills aren't like they have always been and in order to maintain a high amount of efficiency, he needs to master the fundamentals. 

Usually the fundamentals lecture comes from the coach. When it comes from the player, that just speaks to how smart, mature he is and how much he desperately wants to win. 

Aaron Rodgers still has FREAKISH ability. pic.twitter.com/tew5u9QN59

— Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) September 13, 2020