From 90 to 53: how the Packers might get there

I wish, Packer fans, that I had the insights that the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Packers beat writer par excellence, Bob McGinn, brings to the table. I wish I had his job. Heck, I just wish I got paid to write about the Packers, period. But alas...such is not the case.

Still, we can be thankful that McGinn shares his rich expertise with us. Today, he serves up an early "what if" type scenario in terms of the final 53-man roster with which the Pack may go into the 2012 regular season. Across each of the team areas, he indicates the players who he feels are locks at their positions (25), good bets (10 or more), on the fence (31) and long shots (24). To be honest, I don't even recognize yet some of these names and a good many will be long gone before we even had a chance to know they were there.

As for my take on McGinn's choices amongst each category, a few surprises for me on his "On the fence" list:

• WR Donald Driver
• TE Tom Crabtree
• T Derek Sherrod
• OLB-ILB Brad Jones
• CB Davon House
• CB Sam Shields
• DE C.J. Wilson
• DE Jarius Wynn

See what you think of McGinn's take on things. He's one of the best football writers in the country. His overview of the Packers' potential roster is worth a read. You can do so here.

Packers DE Mike Neal out indefinitely

The man pegged to replace DE Cullen Jenkins in the Green Bay Packers defense this season is now on the shelf for a while. How long will Mike Neal be lost? Don't know. All head coach Mike McCarthy would say today is that Neal would be out "a significant amount of weeks."

Neal has been nursing a knee injury since training camp and both he and the team were hoping it would respond to non-surgical treatments. Apparently, that wasn't working. So the decision was made for Neal to have surgery, although the nature of the surgery -- as with the knee injury itself -- has also not yet been specified.

If there is any silver lining to this for the Packers it is that they have not placed Neal on injured reserve, which would have ended his season before it even started. But how fast Neal will return is anyone's guess.

Jarius Wynn played well as Neal's replacement in the win over the Saints. As we saw last year, this team is adept at making whatever adjustments may be necessary when a key player goes down. That will again be the case at defensive end.

You can read more about this situation here.

Packers vs. Saints: just a few points

Finally getting the time to jot down just a few points about Thursday night's NFL season-opening extravaganza in Green Bay. A lot has already been said and written about the Packers 42-34 win over the Saints.

A quick summary: the Packers wowed many of the pundits who are ready to make them the odds-on favorites to be in the Super Bowl and likely win it. OK. I can go with that.

The Packers offense, to no one's surprise, is loaded with weapons for QB Aaron Rodgers to work with. If the opposing defense blitzes, he can generally find his hot receiver and beat it. If they play man-to-man, good luck. You might cover a couple of the receivers, but the Pack's number 3 and 4 receivers are better than the opponents third and fourth d-backs. Also, who's going to cover TE Jermichael Finley in man coverage? A linebacker? C'mon. If the defense goes into a zone scheme, Rodgers will go underneath all day long. Or start running Ryan Grant and James Starks to open up the downfield game. Bottom line regarding the Packers offense is this: if the Packers don't turn the ball over and stop themselves, opposing defensive coordinators will be having nightmares trying to figure out how to scheme against this explosive offense.

Now, there was a bit of an Achilles Heel in the offense which we saw last season at times and which reemerged against the Saints: the inability at the end of the game to pick up a needed first down to enable the team to run out the clock for the victory. Giving the Saints the ball back was...oh...not good. The Packers kept the Saints in the game when the Saints couldn't do it. The inability to convert that short third down play kept the Saints alive until that final goal line stop with no time left on the clock (an extra play due to what this observer thought was a horrible pass interference call on A.J. Hawk). The Packers have to be able to close out these games without giving the opponent one last shot to tie or win the game.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Packers gave up a bundle of yards. But, the Saints got inside the 20-yard line 5 times and came away with just 10 points. That was huge. The Packers, if memory serves, got inside the 20 four times and came away with touchdowns each time; that was the difference in the game. The defense came up big when it needed to. DE Jarius Wynn, replacing the injured Mike Neal, had a huge game, as did stalwarts Ryan Pickett, B.J. Raji and Howard Green. LB Erik Walden, getting his first start opposite Clay Matthews, also acquitted himself well. Linebackers did get beat in coverage on occasion. That's going to happen in a match-ups type game. The Packers secondary was also on its game for the most part, despite giving up some big yards. There really weren't many yards-after-catch type receptions against the secondary, despite some lengthy passes to the endzone against coverage.

One of the advantages of waiting a day or so to do a game review is that we have a better feel for injuries incurred during the game. The one which looked most concerning at the time was the injury to Tramon Williams. Williams actually got hit on the shoulder by Nick Collins as he was about to make a tackle in the second half. He left holding his arm, which is usually a sign of a dislocation or worse. According to the latest reports out of Green Bay, Williams emerged with a bruised shoulder, nothing worse. Whew. They are not sure whether he'll be available yet for the game versus the Panthers, but clearly the Packers dodged a bullet which could have had season-long implications for the defense.

As to special teams...as long as rookie Randall Cobb is returning kicks, it's a good thing. As long as the coverage units are as porous as a sieve, it's not a good thing. I have not been a fan of special teams coach Bob Slocum. Thought he should have been long gone a long time ago. Granted, he didn't know exactly who he was going to have to work with on an ongoing basis until about a week before the game. So we'll give him the benefit of the doubt. But if there is not significant improvement on this squad, Mason Crosby and Tim Masthay should be kicking and punting the ball out of bounds; the sideline will do a better job covering than will the Packers special teams unit. Let us pray...

My main area of concern is still the depth of the backups on the offensive line. The starters generally did a good job Thursday night, although Rodgers got hit much more than he should have been. But if anyone on the line goes down, there's not much experience to draw upon among the three backups. First-rounder Derek Sherrod was among the inactives for the game, which gives you a clue about just how far he needs to go to be the replacement for Chad Clifton at left tackle.

But, the Packers got their first win in an important conference match. A game which could be a precursor to the NFC Championship. Which, at least in head-to-head now, means the Saints would have to come to Green Bay in January. Oh wait...there are 15 more games to go. And a LOT of things can happen along the way.

The Packers go to Carolina to play the Panthers this next weekend. They'll be well-rested and well-prepared. Let's just make an early prediction that the Pack will be 2-0 coming out of that game.

It's great to be a Packers fan! Go Pack Go!!!

Packers vs. Lions Preview

As a blizzard is set to hit Wisconsin, the Green Bay Packers are set to hit the Lions in Detroit. The Pack took to the air in time to beat the snowstorm. Still, a few players will not be on the field Sunday when gametime arrives. Key among them from the Packers' standpoint is DE Cullen Jenkins; he strained a calf muscle in last weekend's game vs. the 49ers. Trying to fill that sizable void on the D-line will be C. J. Wilson and Jarius Wynn. It's possible Howard Green might also be moved around in the rotation as well with B. J. Raji and Ryan Pickett.

But it's not the running game that is of primary concern from a defensive standpoint. It's the passing game of the Lions. And even though their starting quarterback, Matthew Stafford, is still sidelined, the backup to the backup, Drew Stanton, is a serviceable QB. Kinda like Jay Cutler...on a good day. (Ouch!) More importantly, whoever is tossing the ball in Motor City has WR Calvin Johnson on his side. His size and speed make him the Lions' main offensive weapon. But he's not the only one. TE Brandon Pettigrew benefits from Johnson opening things up. He's a big tight end, although not fast. Since linebackers A. J. Hawk and Desmond Bishop will likely wind up covering him, he may get some opportunities. But he should be able to be kept in check.

While a few Packers won't be on the field this time around, there was at least some good news going into the game: it appears that LT Chad Clifton is cleared to play, and the ankle sprain sustained during practice this week by Charles Woodson was not as serious as initially suspected; he'll also likely be good to go Sunday...it's a game in Michigan, right? Woodson won't miss that one!

The Packers are 10-4 in dome games under head coach Mike McCarthy. Is it surprising? The Packers offense is geared to the air game. And there's no better place to air out the ball, especially in December, than inside. I know, I know, that's almost heresy in Packerland. But given perfect conditions in which to throw the ball, guess what's going to happen? The Packers are going to light up the Lions, particularly given the sorry state of Detroit's secondary. QB Aaron Rodgers will have a big day, as will his receiving corps. Toss in a seemingly resurgent (yes, for the Packers that does mean just one game) running game with rookie James Starks and the Pack will be far more than the Lions can handle, even if they do happen to make it a game for a while.

Coach McCarthy, if memory serves, is 9-0 against the Lions. Sunday will make it 10-0. Despite the final score of the first meeting this season, most games aren't that close. The Packers are currently favored by 6-1/2 points. They'll take care of that going away.

What's my prediction on the final score? You'll have to check back Sunday morning for that. Barring a blizzard-born power outage, you'll get my call then.

For now...Go Pack Go!!!

If it's a new week there must be new Packers

You know that old saying, "You can't tell your players without a program"? Perhaps never has that been more true for fans of the Green Bay Packers than this season.

We're just coming up on the half-way point and there are now 10 Packers on the season-ending injured reserve list, eight of them from the defense (see my post from Tuesday regarding the situation Dom Capers has been dealing with as the defensive coordinator). Defensive lineman Mike Neal and linebackers Brady Poppinga and Brad Jones -- the latter of the Favre-ankle-fracture tackle -- are the latest.

So, over the course of this week, GM Ted Thompson has had to find some bodies. He's added several linebackers and a D-lineman who, perhaps not coincidentally, was picked up on waivers from the Packers' next opponent, the Jets.

You can read more about the new pick ups in the following articles: DT Howard Green, LB Erik Walden, LBs Diyarl Briggs and Erik Wilhelm.

To make room on the roster, LB Maurice Simpkins was cut.

With CB Al Harris and S Atari Bigby ready to be activated either this week or next, the roster is still very much in flux.

While the Packers' linebacking corps has certainly been decimated with injuries, it's interesting that only one defensive lineman has been added given its current lack of depth, as well. Sunday evening against the ViQueens, for example, the Pack was down basically to only three available D-linemen: B. J. Raji, C. J. Wilson and Jarius Wynn. Ryan Pickett was sidelined after a mere seven snaps with a bum ankle and Cullen Jenkins -- already playing one-handed with his other in a cast for the rest of the season -- strained a calf muscle in warmups and was unable to play.

There's no other team in the league that has been hit as hard as the Packers with injuries this early in the season: 10 players on IR among whom are eight members of the defense and which also includes five starters from both sides of the ball. Wow.

If somehow Thompson and the coaches can keep this all together with string and baling wire it will be one heckuva personnel job from top to bottom. Still a long way to go in the season. But it can't get any worse from an injury standpoint, can it? No, really, it can't. Can it???

Packers beat Favre and Vikings...finally!

As the football world knows today, the Green Bay Packers -- depleted by injuries coming into the game and wounded even more throughout it -- prevailed last evening over their border rival Minnesota Vikings, 28-24.

This was a much-needed win, a character win, as they say. What else can you call a game where you overcome two turnovers by your own QB in or near the red zone by getting three interceptions of your own and holding the opponent scoreless in the final 15 minutes of play? Where you have only one of your starting defensive lineman still playing at the end of the game? Where backups on offense and defense -- in some cases, players way down on the depth charts -- had to perform at a level and on a national stage they never had before?

Yes, character. That's what this game was about. Granted, it was also about getting a win against a divisional opponent that the Pack will be battling for the NFC North title (yes, we are writing off Da Bearz and Lions as contenders...I mean, c'mon...). But a game like this can go a long way to bringing a team together perhaps in a way which nothing else can. Injuries have made the journey to the playoffs and Super Bowl not what anyone expected prior to the start of the season. The games to date have not been pretty. And a couple were giftwrapped for the opponent. Last evening had it's ugly moments as well. How many times, for example, were Aaron Rodgers and his receivers running apparently different plays? Looked occasionally as if Rodgers was using the Jay Cutler Pocket Guide to Being a Mediocre Quarterback. But he threw for nearly 300 yards. And many of his passes that were on target were, dare I say, Favre-esque in their zippiness (is that a word?). In his post-game comments, Rodgers admitted the game meant not only a lot to the team but to him personally. I bet. Exorcising the ghost of quarterbacks past is no small thing. Especially in Green Bay.

Rodgers and company did enough on offense, despite missing opportunities to score which has been an unsettling and ongoing trend to date. Head coach Mike McCarthy mixed up his play calling enough to keep the ViQueens defense from blitzing on every play. The running backs made just enough contributions. Veteran TE Donald Lee came up large on two screen passes. And WR James Jones was the receiver du jour, also making big plays. Huge kudos to LT Chad Clifton who made 'Queens DE Jared Allen a non-factor. Yes, Allen got that one interception handed to him...almost literally; but that was on Rodgers, not Clifton. Rookie RT Bryan Bulaga, filling in admirably for the still injured Mark Tauscher, also held up his end of the line. All together, the Packers offensive line held up well, and that was a big difference over last season's two meetings with the funky purple folks. The only disappointment, as Rodgers himself noted, was that Donald Driver was unable to get a catch, snapping his 133 consecutive game streak. Hampered as he was with a quad injury, it was to Driver's credit that he was even on the field. Warrior. That's Donald Driver. And that was this entire Packers team last evening.

Ol' #4 for the 'Queens was also looking very old limping out of Lambeau. He got knocked around quite a bit last night, something that didn't happen at all in the meetings of last year. Sure, there was only one sack recorded (by Jarius Wynn, who just recently rejoined the team). But C. J. Wilson got a great lick on Favre, and Clay Matthews was breathing down his neck most of the night. All that pressure led, not surprisingly, to Favre mistakes. Interceptions by A. J. Hawk, Desmond Bishop (returned for a TD!) and an acrobatic Nick Collins (who promised his young son he'd get a pick in the game) helped turn the game in favor of the Pack.

Favre was feeling and looking every bit the grandfather he is as he left to a mix of applause and boos (bad show on that note, by the way, fans). Favre said in his post-game comments that he was "devastated" by the loss. With all the off-the-field mess going on around him, this was -- to quote Packers' radio voice, Wayne Larrivee -- no doubt a "dagger" that he was looking to avoid.

Think about it. Favre's last time on the field as a Packer was a loss. And now, in all likelihood, his last time on this hallowed field as a player is also a loss. Ouch. Hopefully, when all the dust settles and time soothes the wounds on both sides of things, Brett will be welcomed back to Lambeau Field with cheers, the same kind he brought to life for so many years wearing the Green 'n' Gold. It will happen again someday. But on this night, before the third-largest crowd to ever see a game at this historic venue called Lambeau Field, the cheers rightly went to the home team for an outstanding and gutsy win.

Now, the Packers have a day off and then begin to get ready for their next opponent: the Jets. On the road. The Jets are, at this stage of the season, arguably one of the better teams in the league. The Packers are still beat up. Going on the road and winning after this emotional victory will be a challenge. But we can at least now be confident that this team knows how to face such challenges and come out on top.

Let's just enjoy this victory a while longer. We'll get back to worrying about the Jets later this week.

Say it with me: It's great to be a Packer fan!

By the way, if you want to read a great article on last night's game, check out this one from Gregg Rosenthal at ProFootballTalk.com. But whatever you do, be sure to read the comments which follow. Priceless.

Packers' running game takes a hit

The first game of the NFL season took its toll on a number of teams. But the one we care about is the Green Bay Packers. DE Cullen Jenkins had multiple fractures in his hand and could play the entire season with a cast. Back up DE Justin Harrell tore an ACL and is done for the season after being placed on injured reserve yesterday.

Today, however, it was learned that the ankle injury to RB Ryan Grant was more serious than first thought. He sustained ligament damage and, because of the uncertainty of his return time, it was determined to also place Grant on injured reserve, effectively ending his season.

This leaves Brandon Jackson as the primary running back, with FB/RB John Kuhn as the main back up. Rather than working a trade as many thought might happen to bring in an experienced tailback, GM Ted Thompson has opted instead to sign RB Dimitri Nance, a 5-foot-10, 219-pound rookie, from Atlanta’s practice squad. Nance was undrafted out of Arizona State where he received honorable mention All-Pac-10 honors as a senior. He lead the team in rushing for two straight seasons, rushing for 795 yards and six touchdowns in his senior year. He ran the 40- yard dash in 4.63 seconds, had a 33-inch vertical jump, hit 9' 6" on the broad jump, and bench pressed 19 times at his pro day in March. Obviously, he's a developmental player at this stage and a body just in case something else happens to affect running back depth.

All during training camp head coach Mike McCarthy and GM Ted Thompson were touting Jackson's progress as a running back. He certainly seemed to show a bit more of that power in relief of Grant versus the Eagles. Now he'll have to show that a lot more. Some area sports reporters have said that it seemed as if Jackson finally "got it" this year, as he seemed to be a bit more professional in the approach he took during the offseason and during camp. Maybe maturity will translate into success on the field. The coaching staff and management of the Packers seem to be counting on that. The fans have to, as well.

One of the other personnel moves that happened as result of the injuries Sunday was that the Pack re-signed DE Jarius Wynn to fill Harrell's spot. Wynn was a casualty of the last roster cuts. He was with the team last year and, in comments aired by defensive coordinator Dom Capers, that seemed to be one of the primary factors in re-signing Wynn: he was familiar with the system and could be plugged right in to the scheme without any learning curve. Makes sense.

But back to Grant...he posted the following on his Twitter page: "Guess everyone has heard the news..frustrating, disappointing, all the normal emotions..there was a chance with surgery that I come back... This season but I would miss too many weeks and put the team in a bind roster wise.. It was more severe than initially thought during game.. but I just have to move forward and get it right. Anyone who knows me, understands that my spirits WILL stay high..and I will return even better, stronger.. That's how I operate.. " (Oh, by the way, you can follow this blog on Twitter, as well, by clicking on the link in the upper righthand column or by just going here.)

Come back better and stronger, Ryan. I think many fans will finally realize through your absence what you have brought to the offense over the last three years in particular: the fourth best rushing yardage in the entire NFL.

You can read a truly great concise analysis (by Green Bay Press-Gazette sports writer Mike Vandermause) of the situation with Grant and Jackson, and the Packers' probable decision process, here.

Pack finishes draft with more defensive help

Addressing the problems with the defense that couldn't close out games last season was obviously the focus of this year's draft for the Packers: the Pack selected just three offensive players while taking five from the other side of the ball. And none of the offensive players selected would be classified as skill-set players.

We left off posting here after the selection of fullback Quinn Johnson. After Johnson, the Packers chose:

• OT Jamon Meredith of South Carolina with the 162nd pick


• DE Jarius Wynn of Georgia with pick #182


• CB Brandon Underwood of Cincinnati at #187


• LB Brad Jones of Colorado with their final pick, #218 overall.

Each of the players drafted looks as if they were very good coming out of college. Whether they will make the Packers is another question. In looking at the profiles of each of these players it simply reinforces once again the great scouting staff the Packers have on board.

As for rating this draft, yes, as you know, I do wear the Green 'n' Gold glasses. But I also call 'em like I see 'em. And I see this one as an "A" level draft for the Packers. Nice job, Ted!

That's just my opinion, of course. Why not tell us and your fellow Packer fans what you thought of the draft? Rate it for yourself in the new poll in the righthand column.

Now, the chaos begins when teams try to sign those players who were not drafted. It will be interesting to see, having apparently addressed the main areas of concern on the offensive and defensive lines, whether the Pack will try to add a running back, punter, tight end and receiver to the mix. Long odds for those young men, but you never know. A punter might have a very good chance of sticking...quick, can you name the Packers' punter right now?

Check back here later Monday to see what the Packers did on that side of the personnel equation.