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Mike McCarthy wants LT Chad Clifton to play Sunday against the Detroit Lions.

Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy made no mistake about his team’s desire to be 15-1, and he might get to try out a few players in the process, including left tackle Chad Clifton, against the Detroit Lions in Week 17.

McCarthy said Monday that the Packers are preparing to “win the game” and that sweeping the NFC North is an important goal to accomplish.

“We have every intention of being 15-1 come Sunday afternoon,” McCarthy said.

No mention was made about how long his starters will play, but McCarthy did say that he wants Clifton, who’s been out since injuring his hamstring in Week 5, to practice this week and play in Sunday’s game. McCarthy acknowledged the importance of Clifton seeing live action before the playoffs begin, and this week represents the last of those opportunities.

The Packers will also look to get more playing time for both Vic So’oto and Jamari Lattimore at outside linebacker, a position that opposite of Clay Matthews has been nothing short of a disaster this season. McCarthy said that So’oto earned his opportunity to play on Sunday, and Frank Zombo’s healthy scratch was partly due to special teams.  Read more... (531 words + 1 image, estimated 2:07 mins reading time)

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The rookies on the Green Bay Packers roster have yet to complete a half-season in 2011, but the bye week in Week 8 gave us an opportunity to gauge how the Packers’ first-year players look through seven games.

Snap-counts and statistics are courtesy of Pro Football Focus. 

T Derek Sherrod (R1)

The Packers wanted him to take hold of the left guard position coming into training camp, but that experiment died in a hurry when Sherrod couldn’t handle the switch. He’s a right or left tackle from this point on. The only major action Sherrod has seen this season came against the Falcons in Week 5. After Chad Clifton went down with a hamstring injury, Sherrod filled in at right tackle as Marshall Newhouse slid over to the left side. Of the 51 snaps he played, 36 came on passing plays, and Sherrod allowed just two quarterback pressures and no sacks or hits. That kind of snap distribution shows the confidence that the Packers have in their rookie at right tackle in pass protection. Sherrod also came in on seven snaps (five run, two pass) against the Broncos in Week 4.

WR/KR Randall Cobb (R2)  Read more... (1468 words + 1 image, estimated 5:52 mins reading time)

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The Green Bay Packers were without left tackle Marshall Newhouse and defensive lineman Ryan Pickett Friday as the team prepared for their trip to the Metrodome to take on the Minnesota Vikings.

Newhouse, who took over at left tackle when Chad Clifton went down with a hamstring injury, was attending to personal matters outside of Green Bay but is expected to play Sunday. Rookie Derek Sherrod took his snaps at left tackle. After practice, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said that “Marshall is ready to play” and that they anticipate him back with the team on Saturday.

McCarthy has preached all week that Newhouse was about to face his toughest challenge in Vikings defensive end Jared Allen, who has 9.5 sacks against the Packers over the last two seasons. He’ll now head into Sunday’s game without the final day of preparation from a practice standpoint. It will be interesting to see where Newhouse’s concentration level is at on Sunday, especially considering his personal matter was serious enough to fly out of Green Bay and miss Friday practice.

The defensive line might be missing a key cog in stopping Vikings running back Adrian Peterson.

Starting defensive lineman Ryan Pickett suffered a concussion during Thursday’s practice and is questionable, although McCarthy sounded optimistic about his chances of playing against the Vikings. He’ll likely be a game-time decision.

G/T Ray Dominguez was also attending to personal matters and missed Friday’s practice. He’s probable.  Read more... (432 words + 1 image, estimated 1:44 mins reading time)

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Packers GM Ted Thompson did not add any players off the waiver wire.

According to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Green Bay Packers did not claim anybody off waivers after Saturday’s roster cuts.

This means the Packers will enter their final days of preparation before facing the New Orleans Saints with an abnormally high number of TEs (5) and LBs (10), and record lows on the OL (8) and RB (4).

I thought the Packers might put in a claim for an OL or a DL and part ways with TE D.J. Williams or LB Jamari Lattimore, but it didn’t happen. I’m guessing Williams and Lattimore will be inactive for the early-season games, but as with everything else on a team built by Ted Thompson, we shall see.

Adam Czech is a freelance reporter and a Packers fan living in the Twin Cities. Follow Adam on Twitter. Read more of Adam's writing on the Packers here.

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Packers Linebackers Vic So 'oto and Jamari Lattimore

My initial impetus for this film study was to take a closer look at Packers’ LB Vic So’oto, who seemingly has caught the attention of many Packers fans. As I played back the Arizona preseason game, I soon noticed that Jamari Lattimore was getting quite a few snaps over at ROLB. Why not take a look at both, I thought to my self. Well, I’m glad I did.

Taking a close look, it’s easy to see what Ted Thompson saw in both of these players, and just as easy to see why they didn’t get drafted. When you are a very successful college football player, as both of these men were, and you don’t get drafted, it’s because you’re missing something. It could be a physical attribute, a mental deficiency, a lack of experience or playing against inferior competition.

By coincidence, what each of these players lack is something that the other player has as a strength. If we could combine their best attributes into one body, we’d have the perfect 3-4 OLB (aka Clay Matthews).

Jamari Lattimore is 6-2, 230 pounds and was the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a senior. On the season, he tallied 64 tackles, 11.5 sacks, two blocked kicks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Lattimore’s strength is quickness and lateral agility. His pro day numbers of 7.04 in the 3-cone drill and 4.40 in the 20 yard shuttle, would have landed him in the top 10 and top 20 respectively, among linebackers at the NFL combine. His weakness is lack of size and strength  Read more... (767 words + 3 images, estimated 3:04 mins reading time)

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The Green Bay Packers agreed to terms with Middle Tennessee State linebacker Jamari Lattimore on Tuesday, according to his representatives and JSOnline.

Lattimore (6-2, 230 pounds) wasn’t invited to the NFL combine but ran a 4.71-second 40-yard dash at his pro day. He also posted 20 reps at 225 pounds and had a vertical leap of 31 inches.

College summary

Lattimore was a three-year starter at defensive end for the Blue Raiders, but he saved his best season for his senior year. He tallied 11.5 sacks in 2010, tying the school record set by the Packers own Erik Walden, and was named the 2010 Sun Belt defensive player of the year. A four-sack effort at Louisiana-Lafeyette and three more vs. Louisiana-Monroe  helped his numbers. Overall, the 11.5 sacks were good enough for sixth in the nation and first in the conference.

Lattimore ended his collegiate career with 20.5 sacks, placing him second on Middle Tennessee State’s all-time list.

Commentary

While a defensive end at Midde Tennessee, Lattimore is best suited for outside linebacker at the NFL level. Like any end making the transition, he’ll need to make the adjustment from rushing the passer with his hand down to standing up. Lattimore appears to have the body type and athleticism to make the switch.  Read more... (397 words + 1 image, estimated 1:35 mins reading time)

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Jamari Lattimore, DE, Middle Tenn State, is a reported UDFA acquired by the Packers.

It certainly hasn’t taken long for the NFL to return to full operation. Last night, Twitter was a flurry with reports of undrafted free agent negotiations. Here at Jersey Al’s AllGreenBayPackers.com, we highlighted three of the Green Bay Packers’ acquisitions in just the span of one hour.

As of 1:30 p.m. CT, the list has grown from three to 14. Below is a quick breakdown of each reported signing; but don’t worry, we’ll take a more in-depth look at each player in the very near future.

One word of caution, though. These reports have yet to be verified by the Packers front office, so things are always subject to change. Additionally, according to the latest report, actual UDFA signings can’t take place until after 10 a.m. ET today.

We will keep you posted!

Tori Gurley (WR, South Carolina)

“At 6-4, 220 pounds, Gurley is an imposing receiver who surprised some by coming out after just his redshirt sophomore season. At the NFL combine, Gurley ran the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds, the 20-yard dash in 2.67 and the 10 in 1.62. He also benched 225 pounds 15 times and had a vertical leap of 33.5 inches. He chose not to run at his pro day in March.” (read more)

Shaky Smithson (KR, Utah)  Read more... (1322 words + 1 image, estimated 5:17 mins reading time)

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