Blogs

Aaron Rodgers won’t play in Pro Bowl

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers said on his weekly radio show on Tuesday that he will not play in this year’s Pro Bowl due to injuries.

Rodgers didn’t get into many details, but he said he didn’t pass his physical. He specifically mentioned an ongoing ankle issue. He was also kicked in the calf back in Week 6 in Houston and noted how painful that was.

The only other Packers currently on the NFC’s Pro Bowl roster are LB Clay Matthews and C Jeff Saturday, but alternates could still be named to the team over the next week.

Randall Cobb will test ankle on Friday

WR Randall Cobb said he’s feeling better every day, and the plan is to have him test his injured ankle on Friday to see if he can play on Sunday in Minnesota. He’s not making any promises, but he’s giving himself a chance.

“I think it’s a possibility,” Cobb said on Thursday after he observed practice. “We’re going to take it day by day and see where we are on Sunday.”

Cobb is thankful to feel the way he does right now because he was admittedly worried when he was injured on a third-quarter punt return against Tennessee. He exited the field and went to the locker room under his own power, but he said that’s because of who was watching.

“I jogged off the field because my mom was there,” Cobb said. “My mom, I know she was crazy in the stands. That’s the only reason I jogged off the field.

“Sunday, I was hurting pretty bad. When I woke up Monday, I felt a lot better. Just trying to get better each day.”

Cobb is listed on the injury report with both ankle and knee injuries, but he said the ankle is the bigger issue.

Mike McCarthy said earlier this week he wasn’t pulling Cobb off of return duties despite the increased risk, and Cobb likes it that way.

“I love football, I love being on the field,” he said. “I think if I wasn’t on returns, it would take away form who I am and what I do.

“Statistically, it may show that (there’s greater injury risk on special teams), but this is a physical, dangerous game that we play. At any given time, your career could end.

“You can’t go out there and play scared. You’ve got to go out there and play ball, regardless of what play it is, if it’s special teams, offense or defense.”

Fellow WR Jordy Nelson, who has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury, was a full participant in Thursday’s full-pads practice and appears on track to return to the field.

“I’m not thinking about it,” Nelson said of his hamstring, which he has tweaked twice this season. “I don’t think you can. Going into it, you have to have the confidence that you’re ready to go. I have through he rehab I’ve done, the testing I’ve done, and obviously a week of practice. We’ve got one more day to continue to feel it out, and we’ll be ready to roll.”

Walden returns to practice Thurs., Kuhn sits out

LB Erik Walden (ankle) returned to practice on Thursday after missing Wednesday’s workout, but FB John Kuhn was added to the absence list.

Kuhn was not on the injury report on Wednesday, so an update from Mike McCarthy will be coming after practice.

Otherwise, the participation at practice on Thursday was essentially unchanged from Wednesday.

Post-practice update: Kuhn’s absence was “not injury related,” according to McCarthy, while OL Greg Van Roten was added to the injury report with a back injury. He was limited in practice, but the injury isn’t something the medical staff is overly concerned about.

With Van Roten, T.J. Lang (concussion, illness) and Jeff Saturday (neck/shoulder) all dealing with issues, the offensive line was a little shorthanded at practice, but McCarthy didn’t sound worried. He said Saturday could potentially return to practice on Friday, and he anticipates Lang being cleared by Sunday. Lang hasn’t passed the concussion protocol yet, but he wasn’t able to proceed with any testing on Thursday because he had the flu.

Several players miss practice Wed.

A total of nine players were not practicing on Wednesday during the portion of the workout open to the media.

Those whose injuries are known include RB James Starks (knee), TE Tom Crabtree (hamstring), WR Jordy Nelson (hamstring) and DE C.J. Wilson (knee).

But five additional players, who all played in last Sunday’s game but were not yet reported to have new injuries, also sat out. They were RB Alex Green, C Jeff Saturday, G/T T.J. Lang, LB Erik Walden and DE Jerel Worthy. Saturday (foot) and Lang (ankle) have been on the injury report in recent weeks.

Mike McCarthy will address the media with an update following practice.

Raji’s ankle not as bad as before

Mike McCarthy said on Monday that the ankle injury that forced NT B.J. Raji to limp off the field late during Sunday’s victory is not as bad as the one that led to Raji missing two games last month.

Raji apparently has re-injured the same ankle that he hurt in the Indianapolis game in Week 5. He sat out the victories in Houston and St. Louis the next two weeks before returning to the field.

McCarthy didn’t say whether Raji would play this week against the Giants, but he didn’t sound concerned about the injury long-term.

No update was provided on WR Greg Jennings and LB Clay Matthews. McCarthy said more information would be known on Wednesday.

Practice update: Packers look healthy

In the portion of Wednesday’s practice open to reporters, virtually every member of the active roster was doing something on the field, an indication the Packers may be the healthiest they’ve been all season.

TE Tom Crabtree (shoulder) and LB Jamari Lattimore (ankle) who missed Monday night’s game with injuries were back at practice. Rookie S Sean Richardson (hamstring) even took a few jog-through “look” team reps without a helmet, though it’s possible that won’t really be characterized as participating in practice on the injury report.

Undoubtedly, there will still be players listed on the injury report, because not all players will take part in the full practice. We’ll get that injury report from Mike McCarthy when he speaks to the media at approximately 5 p.m.

Jennings practicing on Saturday

As he said he would, WR Greg Jennings was practicing on Saturday in the portion of the workout open to the media. Jennings is trying to come back from a groin injury that forced him to miss Week 2 against Chicago.

However, TE Tom Crabtree (shoulder), LB Jamari Lattimore (ankle) and rookie S Sean Richardson (hamstring) were not practicing.

Coach Mike McCarthy will address the media following practice and the final designations (probable, questionable, etc.) on the injured players will be announced.

Jennings says he’s ‘ready to go’

During the closed portion of Friday’s practice, after the media left, it turned out WR Greg Jennings did participate on a limited basis, and speaking with reporters afterwards he sounded optimistic about his chances to play Monday night in Seattle.

“It feels better,” Jennings said of his groin injury, which kept him out of the Week 2 victory over the Bears. “It’s not 100 percent. I’m not going to sit here and act like it’s 100 percent, but it feels really good. I’m extremely excited about the progress.

“Right now, in my mind, I’m ready to go. Felt good. Didn’t feel great, but I felt good enough to where, oh yeah, I can do this.”

Jennings said he expected to practice again on Saturday, but he’s aware the concern of the coaching and medical staffs is that he not re-aggravate the groin injury to the point it sidelines him again, perhaps for even longer. That was the concern after Jennings tested the injury on Tuesday and then had to sit out Thursday’s practice.

Combined with the concussion Jennings sustained during training camp, he called this “a rough start” to the season. He also ended last season on a rough note, sitting out the final three regular-season games with a knee injury and then leaving the playoff game early with a rib problem.

Despite all the missed time, though, Jennings doesn’t feel his timing with QB Aaron Rodgers will suffer considerably when he does return.

“It’s just a matter of being out there consistently,” he said. “That comes back like riding a bike, so I’m not concerned about that. It’s just making sure that I’m ready to be out there, and when I am out there, I can have endurance to stay out there.”

Jennings still not practicing

WR Greg Jennings was not practicing again on Friday during the portion of the workout open to the media. Jennings also missed Thursday’s practice with his groin injury.

The Packers were practicing in pads for the second time this week. They also wore pads on Tuesday.

LB Jamari Lattimore (ankle) also continued to sit out, but TE Tom Crabtree (shoulder) returned to practice on Friday.

Mike McCarthy will speak to the media following practice with an injury update.

RB Alex Green not practicing Friday

In the portion of Friday’s practice open to the media, RB Alex Green was not practicing. Green hasn’t been on the injury report all week, so one possibility is that this was a planned day off as part of his comeback from reconstructive knee surgery. Green was on a snap count all through training camp and the preseason.

We’ll know more when Mike McCarthy addresses the media after practice and the final injury report for the week is released.

Also not practicing Friday were RB James Starks and LB Jamari Lattimore. CB Davon House was doing some drills but was not wearing his helmet and did not appear to be a full participant.

Post-practice update: Green’s day of rest was planned, and he is listed as probable on the injury report for Sunday’s game.