|
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Forgive Ron Rivera for not being too thrilled or too surprised by Aaron Rodgers’ announcement that the Green Bay Packers quarterback has been medically cleared to play. This is what the Panthers coach expected. This is what he has been preparing for.  "It was said that he could come back, and the approach was he was going to be back," Rivera said Wednesday, a day after Rodgers made it official by posting his clearance on Instagram. "That’s the way we look at it."
Rodgers broke his collarbone in a Week 6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. The injury required surgery, 13 screws and two plates to repair, but only eight weeks of rehabilitation to recover. "In Aaron’s case, you’re never surprised," Packers coach Mike McCarthy told Charlotte reporters in a conference call. "I don’t ever bet against him." So the Panthers have been preparing for Rodgers since there was an inkling he might return, but they haven’t been watching film from early in the season when the two-time MVP was playing before his injury. Carolina’s defense has prepared by watching film of replacement quarterback Brett Hundley, who might not have the same preposterous arm strength of Rodgers, but who has been running the same offense. "I wouldn’t expect them to change it up too much because that quarterback has been there for awhile," Panthers cornerback James Bradberry said. "He knows the offense pretty well." The difference, though, comes in Rodgers’ ability to work within that offense. "He has an elite arm," Bradberry said. "He’s very smart. He’s a 13-year guy, so he’s very smart. He knows how to construct the offense." The Panthers’ defense, however, is fifth in the league in allowing 302.1 yards per game and remains focused more on preparing to stop the Packers' offense as a whole, not in thwarting a single player. "I believe you prepare for what a team does as opposed to who’s doing it," Rivera said. "That’s something I learned a long time ago when I was playing. Our approach is this is what they do, and so we’ll prepare that way." Still, there are a few concerns with Rodgers on the field, some Panthers are willing to admit. Well, one main concern. "I would say his arm is a different type of animal. He can make every single throw on the field, and that’s the most dangerous part about it," defensive back Daryl Worley said. "You can’t really sleep or bait yourself into anything, because he can make every throw." Rivera is pretty sure Rodgers has "probably been throwing the ball for four to five weeks already," so the team is expecting the quarterback’s arm strength to be fully recovered. "I’m being serious," Rivera said. "I would not be surprised if he’s been throwing the ball for awhile." So while Rodgers' declaration that he would play this week might have been surprising to many, it was a shoulder-shrugging announcement for the Panthers. It was exactly what they anticipated. "I told our guys, 'It doesn’t matter if he plays, we’ve still got to play the Packers,'" Rivera said. "If he’s the quarterback, great. If he’s not, great. I don’t think to us that should be a big deal. They said that he was going to be back for our game. That’s what we expected."
|
