GREEN BAY, Wis. -- This is the Aaron Rodgers that Jordy Nelson has seen for years: In the meeting rooms, on the practice field, during their car-pooling days to the airport for road games and, of course, on the field.

To the Green Bay Packers receiver, the Aaron Rodgers who stood in front of the throng of reporters on Nov. 23 and took the ultimate leap of faith when he said he thought his 4-6 football team could win out is the same Aaron Rodgers he's known since 2008.

So when Rodgers said he thought the Packers could "run the table" even as they were mired in a four-game losing streak, Nelson didn't blink.

The Packers say that Aaron Rodgers' leadership and his expectations for his teammates helped fuel their recent run. Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

"He stayed true to himself; he didn't change anything," Nelson said. "He just continued to grind, made sure we were focused on what was important -- not the outside noise and everything else. He's been the leader of our team -- not just when things are bad, but for the last however many years -- ever since I've been here. I think he's done a great job, whether it's verbally or by action, which I think carries more than anything. His performance, the way he goes about his job in the meetings or practice, it's what you want."

So maybe Nelson is the wrong person to ask. After all, this season he and Rodgers set the franchise record for most touchdowns by a receiver-quarterback duo, surpassing the record set by Brett Favre and Antonio Freeman.

Surely, there had to be some in the locker room, who didn't buy into Rodgers' comments. But Randall Cobb says that's not so.

"He does a great job of getting guys to understand what we're trying to accomplish, being hard on them at times when he needs to be," Cobb said. "I think he's an excellent leader. I definitely think he's continuing to grow as a leader throughout the course of his career.

"It's always the same. He expects a lot from us. His expectations are very high in practice and in the game, and he treats every day like a game, whether it's in the meeting room or on the practice field."

Maybe those on the defensive side of the ball felt differently? No, says linebacker Clay Matthews.

"He has a type of leadership where he likes to prove people wrong," Matthews said. "I think by putting those expectations out there, kind of really [had] this locker room come together, and kind of back him up, and obviously trying to achieve those goals which we're aiming for.

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"Now we're six in a row, and we're fortunate enough to do that, so hopefully part of that table means four more games or whatever it is now. The type of leadership he brings is one that I think is kind of infectious in what you see on Sunday and every day in practice, when some of you guys are able to see what he does."

Listen to Rodgers' current teammates, and it's a wonder anyone ever questioned his leadership style. But former receivers Greg Jennings and Donald Driver did just that after they left Green Bay, and so did former Packers tight end Jermichael Finley in a story earlier this year by Bleacher Report.

But if Rodgers' comments and leadership style didn't get through to his teammates, then how did they manage to play some of their best games of the year during this stretch?

"I think the best leadership is authentic, and the best leaders and the best players don't have to go around telling other people that they are those things," Rodgers said. "You let your play and you let your teammates speak for you. I'm going to do that in this moment. I care about these guys. I show them in a number of ways. I show them by my performance as well. Because I know how important my role is and my job in this offense and this team is, and how important my play is to this team getting on the right track and winning football games. So I take that part very seriously, as well as being a good teammate to the young guys -- young quarterbacks, new players -- and holding guys accountable as well."

It certainly helped that when the Packers' world seemed to be crashing around them when they were 4-6, Rodgers responded with a remarkable stretch of play. In the six-game winning streak they take into Sunday's playoff opener against the New York Giants, Rodgers completed 71 percent of his passes, averaged 277.8 passing yards per game and threw 15 touchdowns without an interception.

On Wednesday, Rodgers was selected as one of the team's playoff captains as voted on by the Packers' players.

"I think the biggest thing, besides his performance, and I think he's an incredible teammate, but I think anytime you work with an individual over a long period of time, one of the best compliments that you can give him is his consistency of how he comes to work every day," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "Because there's a lot that goes on during the season. Obviously, the demands and the responsibilities of the quarterback, and particularly Aaron Rodgers, there's obviously more on top of that."