AC

Even though the Green Bay Packers waited until Friday to rule out Aaron Rodgers for the seventh straight game, the star quarterback apparently wasn't as close to coming back as it may have appeared. Rodgers' fractured left collarbone still showed "extraordinary risk" if he returned to the field on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, sources told ESPN. Rodgers practiced in a limited fashion this past week. He split snaps with Matt Flynn on Wednesday, but his participation tapered on Thursday, when it became clear the Packers were again preparing Flynn to start against the Steelers. Upon ruling out Rodgers on Friday, Packers coach Mike McCarthy repeated several times during a short news conference that it was "an organizational decision." McCarthy used that term at the insistence of Rodgers, who wanted an emphasis placed on his toughness, according to sources. One driving force behind McCarthy's message was Rodgers' sensitivity that his injury...