Pack cuts 11 players

The first roster cuts came a day early for the Packers. Perhaps the one small surprise was second-year quarterback Ingle Martin. He was being pushed hard in camp by rookie Paul Thompson, and had a lackluster performance in last night's game, although to be fair there wasn't much protection for him. What this move ultimately may translate into is the following scenario: the Packers keep only two QBs on the roster, Brett (a-duh!) and Aaron Rodgers; Thompson gets placed on the practice squad.

Other cuts were center C.J. Blomvall, wide receiver Carlton Brewster, fullback Erryn Cobb, punter Ryan Dougherty, defensive end DeVon Hicks, cornerback Antonio Malone, guard Pat Murray, running back P.J. Pope, linebacker Juwan Simpson and tight end Joe Werner.

Poster "Remember when Favre..." speculates on the linebacker situation in his recent posts. While Hodge may be on the bubble, he survived this first cut. If Desmond Bishop continues to perform as he has, he will lock up the backup middle linebacker slot and Hodge may indeed find himself looking for work elsewhere.

There was a good personnel analysis yesterday at PackerNews.com. Check it out here.

Pack vs. Jags: 2nd half review

The Packers lost the game to the Jags 21-13, after leading 10-0 at half. The game was basically decided when Coach McCarthy opted to go for a 38-yard field goal instead of going for it on fourth-and-one late in the fourth quarter. The Pack had a shot at pulling it out with about a minute to go when they recovered a fumble deep in their own territory. Unfortunately, third-string quarterback, Ingle Martin, was sacked on the first play, the second down went nowhere and then Martin threw an interception that was returned for the Jags' final touchdown.

The other news was that there was still no definitive news on receiver Donald Driver. After half, a Fox on-field reporter said he had spoken with Packers' team physician, Dr. Patrick McKenzie. McKenzie had indicated that preliminary tests revealed the injury wasn't in the ankle as originally thought, but was rather in the foot. McKenzie further stated that a final diagnosis probably wouldn't be made until after the game. It's relieving to hear the problem is not an ankle injury. On the other hand, there is a certain type of foot injury that can be even more serious than an ankle injury. Can't remember the name of it. But let's hope -- whatever it is and whatever it's called -- that it isn't serious. The team needs Driver on the field.

A couple other comments on the second half:

• Free agent running back Corey White ran authoritatively in the fourth quarter.


• The Packers' backup offensive linemen were like a sieve, allowing pressure on Rodgers and Martin the entire half.


• Can't really read too much into anything, but it just seemed as if rookie kicker Mason Crosby was getting most of the work.

Watch for further updates on Donald Driver as they become available. Tuesday is also the first cut-down day for NFL rosters. We'll take a look at who gets cut, as well as who the Packers pick up along the way. Stay tuned.