By CHRIS JENKINS
AP Sports Writer
GREEN BAY, Wis.(AP) -- The hits just keep on coming for Green Bay
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who has experienced a
season's worth of sacks in seven games. All that punishment is
beginning to take its toll.
Rodgers limped away from Sunday's loss to the Minnesota Vikings
with a sprained toe on one foot and a nagging sprain on the
other. Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Rodgers could miss time
in practice this week but is expected to play Sunday at Tampa
Bay without losing mobility.
Rodgers has been sacked a league-worst 31 times this season,
including six by Minnesota on Sunday.
"Our sack numbers are clearly out of balance," McCarthy said.
"That's something we'll continue to work through."
But Rodgers' inability to stay upright is only one of the
glaring problems facing the Packers (4-3), who were put in their
place - a distant second place in the NFC North - by their
former quarterback, Brett Favre.
"Their quarterback has made a big impact," McCarthy said of
Favre. "That's something, that quarterback productivity, they
haven't had in the last three years that we have played them."
Meanwhile, the Packers keep showing they're not quite ready for
prime time.
They're smarting from yet another round of costly, preventable
penalties and trying to quell criticism of Dom Capers' new 3-4
defense from yet another veteran player.
Beyond that, McCarthy said linebacker Brandon Chillar has a
broken hand and was scheduled to have surgery Monday. He is
expected to miss at least two weeks before returning to play
with a club cast, and his role will be filled by A.J. Hawk or
Desmond Bishop. The so-called "Big Okie" package, where Chillar
plays in place of a safety, is on the shelf for now.
McCarthy was typically measured in his assessment of the
Packers' play Monday, but had sharp words for defensive lineman
Johnny Jolly, whose personal foul head-butting penalty wiped out
a third-down stop and set up the Vikings' first touchdown of the
game.
Jolly didn't seem particularly repentant Sunday night.
"It is what it is," Jolly said. "That didn't cause (us to lose)
the game."
Jolly's comments didn't sit well with McCarthy, who has drawn
some criticism for his team's penchant for penalties over the
last two-plus seasons.
"There's no reason for it, there's no explanation for it,"
McCarthy said. "He needs to be more accountable for that."
McCarthy said he planned to have discussions with Jolly and
fellow defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins, who said after Sunday's
game that the defense - which failed to sack Favre in two games
- was "in handcuffs" in Capers' scheme.
"It's tough," Jenkins said. "You come into the season with new
stuff and you're told we're going to give you opportunities to
do this and do opportunities to do that, and then you're not
given them."
McCarthy seemed to suggest that Jenkins' comments sounded
selfish.
"I'm not interested in having Pro Bowl players and having a
27th-ranked defense," McCarthy said. "Our interest and our focus
is on being a top-three defense in the league. It's utilizing
all of our players. Sometimes players are asked to do things, to
sacrifice so someone else can benefit from it, and that's part
of the deal. That's the way we operate. We have a lot of good
players on defense. It's not about one guy getting his."
Cornerback Charles Woodson took issue with Capers' play
selection after the Packers' first loss to the Vikings Oct. 5,
earning him a talking-to. Woodson didn't speak out after
Sunday's game.
Capers said he had spoken with Jenkins, and was confident that
everyone was on the "same page."
As for not putting enough pressure on Favre, McCarthy said a
team's defensive scheme or game plan doesn't matter if players
aren't consistently beating the guy in front of them.
"It's about winning one-on-ones, whether you are run blocking or
you're in a pass rush," McCarthy said. "That's football."
Meanwhile, McCarthy did not commit to a starting offensive line,
saying he would take the week to examine his options.
McCarthy had veteran tackles Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher
active on Sunday, but chose not to replace rookie left tackle
T.J. Lang or third-year right tackle Allen Barbre. Vikings
defensive ends Jared Allen and Ray Edwards combined for five
sacks on Sunday.
In all, McCarthy said the season isn't lost but the Packers must
improve.
"We're 4-3 for good reason," he said. "I think we have not
handled two prime-time games very well. I'm confident that we'll
learn from these experiences. I thought we would have learned
more from the first game (in Minnesota) to this one. We had some
repeated mistakes. That's frustrating, and something that we
take with full accountability as coaches."
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