Aaron Rodgers remains sidelined
— -- GREEN BAY, Wis. – For the first time since he broke his collarbone on Nov. 4, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers felt he was ready to play.
That was not enough to convince coach Mike McCarthy and team doctors to let him return on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.
Rodgers did not undergo a scan of his collarbone, and McCarthy ruled out Rodgers for the game after meeting with team physician Dr. Pat McKenzie on Friday morning.
"Frankly, it's been a difficult morning going through the conversation with Aaron and Dr. McKenzie," McCarthy said after Friday's practice. "He feels like he's ready to play. He's had a good week of preparation.
"He's very disappointed; he's frustrated. But speaking with Dr. McKenzie, this is the right decision."
Matt Flynn will make his third straight start. Last Sunday against the Falcons, Flynn led the Packers to their only victory since Rodgers was hurt.
As recently as last week, Rodgers said he still had significant pain in his shoulder area while performing basic tasks like taking snaps and handing off the football. After taking increased practice reps on Wednesday and Thursday, Rodgers said he felt significantly better and seemed optimistic about his chance to return this weekend.
"The hurdle that I know Aaron wanted to get over, he achieved it this week," McCarthy said. "He feels really good. He felt like he was ready to play. But listening to all of the conversation, all of the facts and evaluation, it's in our best interest as a football team, as an organization for Aaron not to play in this game."
McCarthy said he agreed with McKenzie's assessment.
"I'm definitely OK with it," McCarthy said. "And frankly, if I think if Aaron was asked the question, he wants to play. He feels he's ready to play. Based on what he's accomplished physically and what he was able to do at practice on Wednesday and Thursday, he's ready to go.
"Hey, it's not the easiest thing to sit there and tell your franchise quarterback he can't play in the game when he wants to play in the game. This is clearly a decision that's made in the best interest of Aaron Rodgers."
Rodgers was not available for comment on Friday.
"If he is (frustrated at not being cleared), he's not letting anybody in the locker room see that or not letting me see that," Flynn said. "I know he's frustrated, anybody would be, especially a guy who's such a great competitor like that. I think it's frustrating for him, but he's doing everything that he can to help me prepare. I appreciate him and what he's trying to do mentally for me."