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Will Don Barclay be the Packers sixth offensive lineman?

There has been a lot of news worth following on the Packers offensive line this offseason. Another storyline up front that should develop further once training camp heats up is who will “win” the sixth-man slot on the offensive line.

I put “win” in parentheses because, technically, if you’re the sixth man on the line, it means you failed to land a starting spot. In other words, you lost the battle you were actually trying to win.

Nobody goes into camp hoping to “win” a spot on the bench, but when it comes to the offensive line, the sixth man typically ends up getting at least a few starts and playing some type of meaningful role during the season. If you don’t start on the line, being the sixth-man is the spot you want to secure.

The leading candidates to be the Packers sixth man appear to be Marshall Newhouse, Don Barclay, Derek Sherrod and rookie David Bakhtiari.

Derek Sherrod
In an ideal world, I think the Packers would like to see Sherrod storm into camp fully recovered from his broken leg and show everyone why Ted Thompson spent a first-round draft pick on him. Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like Sherrod is on track to do that.

Ideally, the sixth-man on the line needs to be able to play multiple positions. Sherrod was drafted as a left tackle, but did compete at guard during training camp of his rookie season. Strength and nastiness appeared to be Sherrod’s weaknesses before he was injured.  Read more... (791 words + 1 image, estimated 3:10 mins reading time)

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Packers CB Jarrett Bush has stuck with the team since 2006.

The pitchforks were out and the torches were lit after the 2009 season. Packers fans wanted cornerback Jarrett Bush off the team.

I admit that I was one of those Packers fans holding a torch high in one hand and a pitchfork in the other. I was sick of seeing Bush stumbling three yards behind a receiver after a double move left him in the dust and led to another touchdown against the Packers.

Ted Thompson has never paid much attention to the pitchfork- and torch-wielding sector of the Packers’ fanbase, and he held true to that philosophy with Bush. Now the undrafted free agent out of Utah St. and claimed by the Packers off waivers from Carolina is one of the longest-tenured Packers, a good special teams player and, dare I say it, somewhat beloved by fans.

I say “somewhat” because if Bush ever ends up playing significantly as a defensive back again, it will probably get ugly and fans will turn on him again. But as long as he remains the blue-collar, hard-working leader of the special teams unit, the love for Bush will only get stronger.

Admit it: When Bush picked off Ben Roethlisberger in the Super Bowl, you slapped yourself and wondered aloud if you just watched Jarrett Bush intercept a pass in the Super Bowl. For the Green Bay Packers. In January of 2011.  Read more... (538 words + 1 image, estimated 2:09 mins reading time)

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Could Packers RB Brandon Saine be on the team over James Starks in 2013?

I just recorded a podcast on the Packers running backs with my colleagues Jason Perone and Marques Eversoll. One of them, I can’t remember which, asked an interesting question: Will Brandon Saine make the Packers roster over James Starks?

Saine missed most of the 2012 season after blowing out his knee. He has 18 carries for 69 yards in his career and has contributed some on special teams.

Starks has missed all kinds of time with various injuries throughout his three-year career. When healthy, Starks shows just enough to get Packers fans excited before breaking/spraining/pulling/straining one of his limbs or muscles.

When this topic first came up, I thought it was a silly question. I didn’t think there was any way Saine could be on the team over Starks. But as the conversation carried on, I changed my mind.

Will Mike McCarthy have the patience to deal with Starks if he comes up lame yet again in training camp or the preseason? Will McCarthy even want to deal with the risk of Starks getting hurt again?

It sounds like McCarthy wants to find a back that can carry the load this season instead of always plugging in different players. Given Starks’ injury history, I’m not sure he meets the coach’s criteria.  Read more... (426 words + 1 image, estimated 1:42 mins reading time)

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Will Charles Woodson at safety improve the Packers defense up the middle?

Doesn’t it seem like the middle of the field is 20 yards wider whenever the Packers defense is out there?

Packers defenders always seem a step behind covering a receiver down the middle and off-balance when trying to make an open-field tackle between the hash marks. If teels like there’s too much space for them to cover.

Green Bay struggled to cover the middle of the field last season, even before Nick Collins got hurt. So far this preseason, it doesn’t look like much has improved.

Yeah, yeah, I know it’s early, but man, I don’t think I can handle another season of Packers’ corners giving receivers a 10-yard cushion, then looking helpless as opposing teams pick apart the middle.

I realize the middle of the field is difficult to defend for all teams, not just the Packers. I also realize that every offense tries to attack the middle, especially in this day and age of rules that favor offense, tight ends that can’t be covered and quarterbacks that are as accurate in real life as they are in the Madden football video game.

If the Packers want to shore up how they defend the middle of the field, here’s what needs to happen:  Read more... (645 words + 1 image, estimated 2:35 mins reading time)

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“Oh, man. Not this stuff again.”

Hopefully, Desmond Bishop’s injury is the only big one the Packers suffer

This has likely been the thought of many Cheeseheads as the Green Bay Packers continue to work their way through training camp and the preseason.  One season removed from being decimated by injuries on their way to the Super Bowl XLV title, the Packers once again are looking at infirmary that may have more players in it than are on the practice field.

If there is one team in the league that can get by being devastated by injuries, it is the Packers.  GM Ted Thompson has built one of the deepest rosters in the NFL and the vast majority of the players went through something similar two years ago.

Still, the current rash of injuries has to be more worrisome to Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy for one simple reason: it’s still training camp.  The players aren’t even taking hits at full game speed and yet here the Packers are again in the position of having almost a roster on the injury report.

So far, Desmond Bishop has been the only real catastrophic injury.  His season is in jeopardy with his torn hamstring needing surgery.  Though the rest of the injuries aren’t “season threatening,” they’ve been numerous enough to make McCarthy alter his practice schedule and even cut some practices short.  Worse yet, McCarthy hasn’t really had a chance to see his full number one offense and defense face off against each other.  Read more... (936 words + 1 image, estimated 3:45 mins reading time)

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Give Packers rookie T Andrew Datko a little more time before writing him off.

Early reports on Packers’ seventh-round draft choice Andrew Datko were not good. Comparisons were made to Ricky Elmore.

We got our first glimpse of Datko against the Chargers, and it wasn’t pretty, at least initially. He got whipped a few times and didn’t do much to disspell those early reports.

Then he settled down and wasn’t half bad the rest of the game. Jason Wilde reported on Saturday that Datko has looked better in practice as well after a rough start.

I’m not saying that Datko will become the second coming of Chad Clifton, but it’s silly to write him off so early. Bob McGinn didn’t exactly write him off with his ominous Tweet, but it was a little quick to even suggest that a guy can’t play only a few days into camp.

It’s all about health with Datko. He was a good tackle at Florida State — when on the field. Shoulder injuries limited Datko later in his college career. The guy simply hasn’t played much football recently.

Ted Thompson swung for the fences with the Datko pick. You’re probably asking how it’s even possible to swing for the fences with a seventh-round pick, but in my opinion, that’s the only swing Thompson should be taking that late in the draft.  Read more... (426 words + 1 image, estimated 1:42 mins reading time)

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Packers RB Alex Green

When the Packers traveled to Minnesota last season, running back Alex Green was in line for an expanded role with the team.

However, Green suffered a torn ACL early in the game, thus putting an abrupt end to his big day, and closing the book on his rookie season after just four games.

But by all accounts, Green’s offseason rehab has gone extremely well. The second-year running back has been on the field since the beginning of training camp after undergoing knee surgery in the middle of November.

Green sat out of practice on Tuesday, but he’s expected to play in Thursday night’s preseason opener in San Diego. And if Green does indeed play against the Chargers, it will be interesting to see how he–and his knee–responds to full speed game contact.

The Packers have shown no interest in bringing back unrestricted free agent Ryan Grant, so in all likelihood, they’ll enter 2012 with Green and Brandon Saine behind starter James Starks.

And although Starks is certainly a terrific athlete, he’s been largely inconsistent throughout training camp. Starks flashes limitless potential, then follows it up with a dropped pass or missed block. And throughout his first two seasons, Starks has missed a full season of work due to injury, appearing in just 16 of a possible 32 games.

In all likelihood, Green will have an opportunity to be the Packers’ primary ball carrier at some point this season given Starks’s struggles to stay healthy.  Read more... (480 words + 1 image, estimated 1:55 mins reading time)

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