Aaron Rodgers led the first-team to a 10-play, 80-yard touchdown drive the opening play of Green Bay’s preseason game against Pittsburgh.
But the cheerful quartberback just wanted to leave the press conference Sunday. Not because of the Packers’ 24-19 preseason loss to the Steelers, but because it came at the expense of his No. 1 receiver Jordy Nelson to a severe knee injury and the game was just that: during the preseason and therefore meaningless in the eyes of Rodgers and most NFL players.
“It’s difficult to lose a guy like that in a meaningless game,” Rodgers said after the realization that he may lose Nelson to a preseason game for the entire season.
Although Rodgers isn’t ready to get rid of all of the preseason games, he is tired of all the unnecessary injuries. But he also understands that a lot would have to happen for the preseason to be shortened, and the decision isn’t in his hands. All he can do is give his take.
“A lot would have to happen,” Rodgers said. “The fans, I think, are paying close to full-price tickets. It’s not just the coaches’ and the players’ decision.”
At least he can take comfort in team president Mark Murphy saying that the league has been looking at a way to modify the preseason and cutting it by one game is a possibility.
“I think with all the concern about player health and safety, it would be difficult to go from 16 regular-season games to 18,” Murphy said. “One of the things that has kind of been looked at is, do we reduce the number of games overall [to] three preseason games and 16 regular-season games? But obviously there’s a loss of revenue that comes with that.”
I think we’re all learning to love Roger Goodell more and more everyday. What a human being.
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