Rodgers calf trouble to continue ahead of Seattle clash

[January 12, 2015]  By Simon Evans
 
 GREEN BAY, Wisconsin (Reuters) - Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers overcame a painful calf injury to beat the Dallas Cowboys, but it is likely to remain a concern for the NFC title game at Seattle next week.

Rodgers showed signs of a limp at times during Sunday's game and it was clear his mobility was limited and he chose not to run with the ball.

"The pain in my calf helped make that decision very easy," said Rodgers, who threw for three touchdowns.

"We'll see how it feels in the morning but I will probably go through the week similar to last week as far as practice goes and just see how it feels as the week goes on."

He had only reduced involvement in practice last week as he tried to give the calf, which he injured against Tampa Bay and aggravated on Dec. 28 against Detroit, time to heal.

"I've got to give a lot of credit to our training staff, they spent a lot of hours with me this week and did a great job of getting me ready," he added.

Rodgers also used a more unexpected form of treatment for the injury.

"I've been getting a lot of acupuncture the last six to eight weeks, so I just supplemented the treatment I got here with that," he said.

Despite Rodgers having limited movement, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said he was not worried about his quarterback not making it to the end of Sunday's game.

"Every time I asked him he said he was fine. I just kind of go with it and when the medical people are concerned that is when I get concerned. They weren't concerned today," he said.

Nor was he worried that Dallas's defense might get to Rodgers and add to the pain.

"He's a great athlete and does a good job at keeping his body out of a tough position," McCarthy said. "I was comfortable with the way the protection was around him and the way he played."

The Seahawks defense will be a different proposition but Rodgers said he was relishing the prospect of taking them on.

"To be the best you have got to beat the best," he said.

(Reporting by Simon Evans, editing by Gene Cherry)

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