GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Green Bay Packers lost a quarterback
for the season on Monday. It wasn't Brett Favre.
Backup Aaron Rodgers said he didn't know how he broke his left
foot in the third quarter of Sunday's game against New England and
thought he was just feeling sorry for himself because of his poor
performance.
Rodgers had replaced Favre, who hurt his elbow earlier in the
game, but is expected to return in time for Monday night's game at
Seattle.
Rodgers' injury requires surgery, which he said will likely
include placing a screw in his foot. He'll be out for the rest of
the season, and the Packers are in need of another quarterback.
"I didn't want to come out of the game," Rodgers said. "I
knew it was bothering me, but I still felt like I could make some
plays and I wanted to be out there."
Rodgers said he told rookie Ingle Martin, the team's third
quarterback, that he thought he had broken his foot and told the
trainers in the fourth quarter he needed an X-ray.
But he finished the game, going 4-of-12 for 32 yards, and
brushed off reporters Sunday while hobbling through the locker room
with a noticeable limp. He apologized on Monday.
"After finding out I'd be out for the season, it was a tough
blow to take and I didn't feel like answering any questions,"
Rodgers said.
Rodgers said he'll be on crutches for about six weeks, but
should be able to return in time for minicamps next year.
"On a personal level, you feel terrible for him, because the
first thing you think about is here's a guy who has been here since
March 20, he's been here every day going through the quarterback
school, getting ready to potentially be the starter for our
football team," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "He finally
gets the opportunity to play and that happens to him."
Favre, starting his 251st game including playoffs, injured a
nerve in his elbow after getting sacked just before halftime in the
Packers' 35-0 loss.
He couldn't muster enough strength to adequately grip the
football and missed completing a game for just the sixth time in
his career due to an injury.
Favre was 5-of-15 for 73 yards when he left. The five
completions were a career low for a start, while the 73 yards
passing were his fewest since Oct. 20, 1994, when he was also
forced out of a game at Minnesota with a severely bruised left hip.
McCarthy said Monday that Favre has most of the strength back in
his elbow, but he wasn't ready to say the three-time MVP would
practice this week.
"I think his elbow is going to be fine," the coach said.
"He's been in for treatment for both the elbow and the groin and
we'll re-evaluate him Wednesday, but he doesn't seem very concerned
about it."
The team's doctors were comfortable with Favre's ability to
return for next Monday night's game against Seattle because of the
quarterback's demeanor, McCarthy said.
"He's not very worried about it, which to them is a clear
indication because he's been through this so long. They trust his
judgment based on their history with him," he said.
McCarthy said the team could elevate Martin, drafted in the
fifth round, or look for a more experienced quarterback to back up
Favre now.
"We're looking at every scenario," he said.
Rodgers, selected with the 24th pick of last year's draft, was
sacked three times against the Patriots in his first extensive
action since he relieved Favre last year in a 48-3 loss to
Baltimore.
But Rodgers receives more repetitions in practice because Favre
routinely rests during the later weeks of the season.
"I'm pretty bummed," Rodgers said. "Mentally, I think it
still hasn't sunk in yet that I won't be able to do the things I
used to be able to do. But it's definitely going to make me a
better person, I think, and give me a greater love for the game
because it's been taken away."