:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/24889075/20131024_ter_sf9_538.0.jpg)
Those hoping to receive a positive vibe from Aaron Rodgers on his weekly radio show were sadly disappointed.
According to the Packers' starting quarterback on his "Tuesdays with Aaron" show on ESPN Wisconsin, he was still experiencing pain during practice as recently as last Wednesday. Accordingly, he offered no hints as to whether a return this week is possible.
I shouldn't be having pain doing simple movements. It didn't get better as week went on. Tried a lot on Wednesday, didn't feel good. The scan last week did not show healing. We would need different results this week in order to play this week. Doing quick movements or giving a handoff with left hand, those are things that gave me some discomfort. That was a clue. It's frustrating, very frustrating. I was trying to push it before science tells you before it's possible.
That's a noticeable change in tone for Rodgers from the first few weeks following the injury. He maintained for weeks that he thought the Thanksgiving showdown with Detroit was a reasonable target, and each week after seemed plausible for at least some amount of time. Now, Rodgers appears to be letting his audience down slowly for this Sunday's game against the Cowboys, his sixth missed game if he's out.
It's been rumored that if the Packers are knocked out of playoff contention, the Packers would shut Rodgers down. ESPN's Jason Wilde asked him about this directly with Rodgers responding, "I don't want to look that far in the future. We're dealing with hypotheticals." Again, this represents a change in tone for the quarterback. In previous weeks Rodgers argued that he would fight any attempt to place him on the IR. It's too early to say for certain, but Rodgers sounds more amenable to such a fate.
Finally, Rodgers provided some insight into the week ahead. The plan is for Rodgers to continue his work outs tomorrow with Thursday being the day the team will likely make a decision on his availability. Rodgers said he has not been re-scanned so far this week, which suggests that the doctors won't be taking another look until mid-week. Until he's scanned and cleared he'll be severely limited in practice. For what it's worth, Rodgers said he'd only need a few reps to prepare for game day. With Thursday being the earliest day he could be cleared, the Packers will have to hope he's correct.
That's all from Rodgers. Keep your internet machines tuned to Acme Packing Company for the latest Packers news and developments.
