(Hand) size matters to Packers' Aaron Rodgers when protecting the ball

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GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Aaron Rodgers didn’t say a word at first. He simply raised both hands, palms facing out, to shoulder level.

That was the Green Bay Packers quarterback’s answer for how he managed to hold on to the football at a crucial point in the NFC divisional playoff game Sunday, when Dallas Cowboys safety Jeff Heath drilled him from behind for a jarring, 10-yard sack.



Rodgers then nodded his head affirmatively and said: “Size matters.” End of explanation.

But oh, how it could have changed things. If Heath had managed to pry the ball loose, perhaps Rodgers would not have been standing in the Lambeau Field media auditorium in front of an NFC Championship Game banner to discuss Sunday’s meeting with the Atlanta Falcons.

A fumble there might have ended the Packers’ season. The sack came with 18 seconds left in a tie game and put the Packers back at their own 32-yard line. Instead, Rodgers popped up and immediately called a timeout. Two plays later, he hit Jared Cook for that improvised, 36-yard completion with 3 seconds left to set up Mason Crosby’s winning field goal.

http://www.espn.com/blog/green-bay-packers/post/_/id/36962/hand-size-matters-to-packers-aaron-rodgers-when-protecting-the-ball

I imagined for a moment the Packers going to the White House after winning the Super Bowl, and Rodgers shakes Cheeto's tiny hand.