GREEN BAY, Wis. _ Without a sling, and with considerably less pain than he originally endured, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers addressed the media Friday for the first time since breaking his right collarbone 19 days ago.
"It's good to be back," Rodgers said. "Good week for me last week having surgery and then getting to stay out west for the initial rehab and checkup. But it's good to be back here with the guys."
Rodgers underwent surgery in California to repair an injury he said was significantly different from the broken left collarbone he suffered in 2013. An unspecified number of plates and screws were inserted to stabilize the fracture, according to Rodgers, and the procedure was performed at a facility of his choosing.
He remained in California through the bye week before returning to Green Bay earlier this week, joining the rest of his teammates in their preparation for Monday's game against the Detroit Lions.
"I spent the first three days after the injury doing a lot of research, not only on where I wanted to get the surgery but remedies to increase healing," Rodgers said. "I talked to a lot of people during that time. And obviously, I have a lot of down time now, a lot of rabbit holes I can go down as far as healing and alternative ways of (decreasing) that time that are obviously natural and legal and safe. But ultimately it comes down to the blood flow to that area and how fast it lays down some bone there.
"The first couple days were really hard. The pain, obviously, was intense. But you settle into starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. For me, that's being healthy and hopefully as soon as possible. Obviously, it's disappointing not to be out there after all the hard work you put in during the offseason and just how much you put into this each week. But some things are out of your control, and right now that rehab and that bone healing is out of my control. Just hopefully I can heal up as quick as possible."
Whether Rodgers can return this season is contingent upon his rate of healing, and more specifically how quickly the bone fuses around the newly installed hardware. The framework of a potential return was carved into stone when the Packers placed Rodgers on injured reserve, guaranteeing he will miss a minimum of eight weeks. And Rodgers made it very clear he will not push the envelope just for the sake of playing as soon as possible.
"The only reason to come back would be that I'm healed completely," Rodgers said. "If that doesn't happen in eight weeks, there's not even a conversation. ... The biggest thing right now is range of motion and the strength, which ultimately won't be the issues as we get to the end of this season. It will be the bone healing. But there's a timetable. I believe I can practice in six weeks based on the schedule. So if I'm at a place at that point healing-wise and ability to throw, then I'll be out here. And if I'm not, I won't."
