Will Aaron Rodgers play vs Steelers ?

Except if the GM wants the DC out, he would have little interest in placing Rodgers in there to make Capers D look better. He would want Capers to prove without Rodgers they are capable of winning games. Largely without AR, they haven't been able to.

Again, I fully recognize it's a pure guess. TT could also be thrilled with Capers and it has nothing to do with AR not playing.

But MM was clearly annoyed AR's not playing. The 1st time I ever saw him openly annoyed with an "organizations decision".

And to me this is beyond being "conservative" with AR. If this is purely medical it boarding on paranoia IMO. As Boris said, gimme a break. It's is NON throwing shoulder.

While this is frustrating to all involved, fans too, I don't think there is something more going on other than McKenzie does not, in his educated opinion, believe the injury is sufficiently healed to risk short term gain against long term goals.

What are long term team goals?  The chance to make the SB next year or the year after? There are no guarantees.  If you have a chance to get in the dance, you do it.  

Unfortunately, Bob Harlan isn't president, because I could see a few stockholders calling him up, to get a bit more information.   

I don't think we are shocked that he is not quite ready to be cleared. If AR said "I still have pain" or "it is not quite healed yet".....fine, that is understandable at the 7 week mark.

I think we are shocked that both AR and MM are obviously telling us something strange is going on with their comments and body language with the press.

1. It is obvious they don't agree with the Doc.

2. It is obvious they want us to know they don't agree with the Doc...they could tone it down and not let on how they really feel if they wanted to.

"Except if the GM wants the DC out, he would have little interest in placing Rodgers in there to make Capers D look better. He would want Capers to prove without Rodgers they are capable of winning games."

So now the theory is TT does less than everything he can to win a game to get into the playoffs just to see if Capers D can win without AR?  Jeebus.  that's lucid.

 I think FS, is spot on.  The original timeframe was 6-8 weeks.  Many fans thought it would be on the shorter side, understandable, and optimistic.  What is frustrating now, is that allegedly, AR  feels better, the coach says he looks good, and can move. Allegedly, AR has done everything he can, and the decision is not his own, but the GM or Doc's.  

There is no doubt that Doc's need to protect players from themselves, but when does the coach and player have a say or do they?   I could understand if AR said he's ready, when he clearly is not, but this situation is different.  The player and the coach believe that he is ready, with final say coming from a third party.  

Maybe McKenzie has been telling McCarthy and Rodgers "a couple weeks" for 6 weeks now? 

Interesting that Briggs has been cleared after 8 weeks with a shoulder fracture....  the interesting thing about this, is he will use his shoulder to tackle on every play. 

http://espn.go.com/chicago/nfl...rs-medically-cleared

How much pressure do you think is on the Dr. McKenzie?    

The goal is to win the SB, every year. If Thompson was wanting to tank the year or whatever as a test of Caper's ability, then why did they not IR Rodgers the week after the injury? Why did they cut McMillian? Why not keep him there so Capers has to work with that POS? The Organization has been doing everything they know how to win games and make it to the tournament (as McCarthy likes to say). The want the playoffs this year as bad as we do.

LOL of course Briggs is cleared.

There were also reports that 2 NFL players (a WR and one other position) both underwent fixation for their collarbone fx's in order to get back on field sooner in the last 2 seasons.

Time missed? 2 games.

I do not think the Packers ever said how long Rodgers will be out. All these time estimates are from various press outlets. No one out side Rodgers, his Agent, doctors, and some inside the Packers organization know the extent of his injury. The Packers can  not disclose his medical condition with out his permission..  Rodgers does have a private side to him and does not give out personnel information readily.

With the current concerns about player health the Packers would be asking for big trouble if they let Rodgers play before McKenzie cleared him.

Even thought Rodgers said he will take all responsibility if he played and got hurt the real world does not work that way. Authority to do something can be delegated, but the responsibility for what that person may do with the authority can never leave the person who had it in the first place. Even thought Rodgers said he take full responsibility for what happens to him if he plays the Packer organization can never divorce itself form the responsibility for Rodgers well being.

How much longer will McKenzie be the team doc? If MM and AR are this upset over his not playing, then one has to wonder if the team doc is being waaaaay too cautious. Fear of lawsuits? Fear of TT?

Bingo. This has nothing to do with Capers or the defense or back-up QBs. The Dr simply doesn't think it's healed enough and TT is siding with that over his coach and player.

One thing that stands out, though, is that for all the great strengths TT and MM have on the football side, they sure seem to struggle with the PR and communications side a bit. Don't get me wrong -- I'd much prefer the skills they do have. But would it kill them to get someone who can speak for the franchise and address the obvious questions on everyone's mind?

We saw it during the Favre saga where you had Campen paying a visit then Murphy suddenly on a plane with some $25 million endorsement offer. And we're seeing it now with Rodgers passively aggressively telling reporters to ask the coach and the coach lobbying for him to play while also saying he supports the organizational decision. There doesn't need to be this much drama...just come out and say he won't play until the collarbone has healed enough and the latest scan showed it didn't heal enough.

CHI stated that Briggs would miss 4-6 weeks... but he wasn't cleared until after missing 8 weeks? Who's their Dr., Vinny Boombah? 

Careful Rockin Robin. That's the same thing one Mike Vandermause wrote then was lambasted for it on here. 

Let's just say this:

If Aaron Rodgers plays for any other team in the NFL in the same situation with playoffs on the line do you honestly think he is sitting on Sunday?

quote:

But would it kill them to get someone who can speak for the franchise and address the obvious questions on everyone's mind?

This discussion about Rodgers to me boils down into to trains of thought.

We fans want to win, Rodgers should play.

The other point view is if the Doctors do not think Rodgers has healed enough then he should not play.

Really?

http://www.packers.com/news-an...ad-ad34-b500aed26377

kinda like trusting the president we elected?

kinda like derp derp derp

Honestly, we don't know... but as fans of that team we'd all want him to play.

Why don't you STFU with the politics. Thanks. 

So, the goal is to win the SB this year as well.  My point is, if you have a chance to get into the playoffs, you play your best players, if they are ready, which apparently, the coach and player think is the case.   

Should the Packers hire Ari Fleischer again like they did during the Favre fallout?

Hey now, SDPF is apolitical. 

But the Dr. does not, and it's his decision. Even Rodgers acknowledged that at times the Dr's job is to protect the player from themselves.

Which question[s] do you want addressed?

No, and not just b/c I'm not a fan of his. Most NFL teams are able to function without having to pay a hired gun in the PR department.

Who in GB is that person that manages this? TT is great at many things, but he's just not a media guy. Not his skillset...he's not going to be the speaking face of the organization. So then it falls on MM who clearly has bigger and more important things to worry about and may also be caught in the middle here.

There was a time when Bob Harlan would handle these things with the media, which begs the question - what should Murphy's role be in all this? He always seems to offer his opinions publicly to questions no one cares about (when will Favre's jersey be retired)...seems like he may want to weigh in with the organizational philosophy on an injury to the franchise QB.

you guys are too funny....why are you so angry Shoeless?  It's the season!

but...I did seem to hook you with that line...I was trying to make a point:

Just make sure you say the same to the other posters who try to squeeze in politics, too...I don't see you (and others and the mods) as being consistent with that....

Merry Christmas!

1) Who's making the decision?

2) What are the conditions necessary for Rodgers to play?

3) What is the current status of each of those conditions?

Why would the league want first-year HC Trestman in the playoffs??  What does the league gain from having Trestman be successful?? 

Everything I've read would seem to indicate that McKenzie is relatively conservative in terms of injured players. If the Packers wanted a physician that would tell them what they wanted to hear he likely would have been gone long ago. Thankfully that's not how the organization operates and this strikes me as a purely medical decision with no real involvement from TT.

This.

McKenzie is a very respected, wealthy, well-known physician.  I don't see someone like him catering to the Packers wishes against his better medically opinion.