Mike McCarthy was pretty blunt when discussing Aaron Rodgers' chances at starting on Thanksgiving against the Detroit Lions. "Slim to none" was exactly how the Green Bay Packers coach put things when briefly talking about the injury progress of Rodgers. While the quarterback had said playing on Thanksgiving was the goal after fracturing his collarbone, it no longer appears to be an option.
"Let's be honest -- he's got to practice," McCarthy said, via ESPN.com. "There's some physical rehab hurdles to get through that he hasn't reached yet. Like I said, it would be a huge stretch for him to play in this game."
The Packers did not practice on Monday, but McCarthy said that if they did, Rodgers would not have been there. The quarterback said in order for him to play on Thursday, he had to fully participate in practice on Tuesday. With that, Matt Flynn will be the likely starter for the rivalry matchup.
McCarthy declined to officially name a starter for the game, but after the struggles Scott Tolzien displayed on Sunday, it can be assumed Flynn will be the game. The former Packer, turned Packer once again, stepped in for the rookie and helped erase a 16-point deficit to at least end the game against the Vikings in a tie.
"Matt played very well; he deserves to start," McCarthy said. "I like the way Scott has grown. So those are the things we're talking about. So we're going to do the best we can to make sure they're both ready. We've got to get two quarterbacks ready, frankly. This experience that we've gone through the last four weeks with a different quarterback in four straight games, we're taking a hard look at our preparation. Who has the ball at the beginning of the game, we'll let you know down the line. I have no announcements on that yet today."
Flynn is preparing like he will be the starter against the Lions. In his first time stepping on field in Green Bay uniform once again, the quarterback went 21 of 36 for 218 yards and one touchdown with one interception. He stepped in mid-way through the third quarter and made quick work with what he had. That type of progress has him feeling confident about his chances to be playing on Thursday.
"I'm going to spend some extra time learning and making sure I have everything down," Flynn said. "All the little nuances -- making sure I have everything down, checks down, everything like that. I'm definitely going prepare like it, but we'll see."
