When NFL players fall to injuries, they respond in different ways. For someone like Tony Romo, he worked harder to minimize the hits to his back and changed his reckless style somewhat. It didn’t matter, and his career ended thanks to an injury. Other players will work harder to prove that injuries won’t hold them down, which is what running back Adrian Peterson did when he tore his ACL at one point in his career and returned one year later to lead the NFL in rushing.
Count Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers as more of an Adrian Peterson than a Tony Romo. At the Packers’ OTAs, Rodgers too questions from reporters and said that he wasn’t changing anything about how he plays this season.
Aaron Rodgers’ 2017 injury problems
In 2017, the Green Bay Packers needed Aaron Rodgers as they started to slip out of playoff contention. Rodgers was able to play through some injuries and then roared back into action to help the Packers try their playoff push. That return lasted for one game and then the Packers put him on the injured reserve list. Rodgers broke his collarbone in Week 6 when playing the Minnesota Vikings.
He was allowed to return after eight weeks but couldn’t make the return full-time.
In seven games, Aaron Rodgers threw for 1,675 yards and 16 touchdowns with six interceptions. Three of those interceptions came in that one game back from injury – possibly pushing his trip to the IR. The fact that Rodgers feels confident heading into the 2018 NFL season has to make the Green Bay Packers feel better as they hope to rebound after a disappointing 2017.
Packers 2018 season hopes
In his career as the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers (that started in 2008), Aaron Rodgers has thrown more touchdown passes while running outside the pocket than any quarterback in the NFL. That puts him at a higher risk of an injury than other quarterbacks who remain in the pocket and throw the ball away before running.
Rodgers has thrown 62 touchdown passes while running outside of the pocket in his career, while Matt Ryan is in second place with 35 while starting 16 more games than Rodgers.
However, when asked if he will change how he plays to avoid another injury such as the broken collarbone that took him out of action in 2017, he simply said “nope.” Aaron Rodgers said that he hasn’t given it any thought and that he just thinks about preparing for this upcoming season and doing what he can to win games. The Green Bay Packers new quarterback coach, Frank Cignetti Jr., said that he won’t ask Rodgers to stop extending plays by running outside the pocket.