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Aaron Rodgers blames calf injury on Tampa field conditions

By Evan Massey

January 18, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) lays on the field after being brought down by the Seattle Seahawks defense during the second half in the NFC Championship game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
January 18, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) lays on the field after being brought down by the Seattle Seahawks defense during the second half in the NFC Championship game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Green Bay Packers star quarterback Aaron Rodgers blamed his calf injury on the weather and playing conditions in Tampa, Florida.

Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers are likely still upset about their embarrassing loss against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship game. It was a tough loss to swallow, but they still had a great season and will have a very talented team heading into next season.

Things changed in a big way for the Packers in Week 16 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when Rodgers went down with a calf injury. Rodgers had to change his game to compensate for the injury, but was still able to play great football. He couldn’t move around all that well, which ended up being a major hindrance in the playoffs at times.

Rodgers also mentioned what he thought contributed to the calf injury, and was very confident that the conditions in Tampa had a lot to do with it.

"Aaron Rodgers on the calf injury: “Due to the poor surface in Tampa.” Also where he had shoulder injury in the past. — ESPN Milwaukee (@ESPNMilwaukee) February 5, 2015"

Despite the late-season injury, Rodgers was still able to play well enough to take home the Most Valuable Player honors. He beat out J.J. Watt for the award, although it can be argued that Watt would have won if he was on a better team.

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Throughout the 2014 regular season, Rodgers ended up throwing for 4,381 yards, 38 touchdowns, and just five interceptions. He played near perfect football all season long outside of a couple of mistakes here and there and a few dropped passes by his wide receivers that ended up in the defense’s hands. It was an impressive year to say the least and he was very deserving of the MVP award.

That being said, perhaps the most impressive aspect to his season was the way that he played through a very painful injury.

Having a strained calf isn’t an easy injury to play through for a player in any sport, especially a quarterback in the NFL. Rodgers had to completely change his game to adapt to the injury, but did so with flying colors.

Green Bay may not have knocked off Seattle if Rodgers had a healthy calf, but he certainly would have been a more dangerous player. There were multiple times throughout the game where he had opportunities to make plays with his legs, but simply couldn’t.

When everything is said and done, the Packers should be looking forward to next season with a championship or bust mentality. They have free agency and the draft to fill the few needs that they have, and will be even better with a lot of the young talent that will improve with another full offseason of work.

H/T Pro Football Talk

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