Aaaand...here we go with injuries again.

[Mike McCarthy]

The thing that scares me is Gute saying he wanted to take the TT approach and see how the guys we currently have come along. I hope he is just saying that to the media and that is not how he is actually going to handle the situation. We have seen how TT handled situations like this for years, and it was a epic failure more times than not. Looking at the rest of the lb on the roster, and their injury history it would appear we are 1 more injury from being a train wreck at the position again this season.

 

[C-Lee]

Sucks about Jake Ryan, but look, this isn’t a deal breaker. If we were solely relying on Jake Ryan to win a Super Bowl, we have much bigger problems.

 

[GBkrzygrl]

Mike Daniels dropped out of practice as well but was able to walk off the field on his own limping.

He did not dress out today but participated in walk-throughs.

 

[OldSchool101]

Tough news. Hope Jake makes a full recovery, I know he loves his job..you can see that in his style of attack and how hard he works.
I really like the idea about getting Josh Jones closer to the LOS and putting Reid in that Safety group. I just think his speed (even if he gained a few pounds of muscle) would be showcased better.
At the same time Reid would give us an upgrade at Safety. It may not be possible with our limited Cap but one can always wish

 

[7thFloorRA]

At least the yearly Lovat Hamstring and Groin clinic hasn't opened yet.....well Aaron Jones made an early visit to it but only 1 so far...i'll take that.

 

[Mike McCarthy]

At least the yearly Lovat Hamstring and Groin clinic hasn't opened yet.....well Aaron Jones made an early visit to it but only 1 so far...i'll take that.

I agree, sure would be nice to go 1 season without Clay’s groin and hamstrings being a major topic of discussion. Maybe this will be the year!

 

[Deleted member 6794]

However, they do have ways to free up cap money, cutting Bulaga for one.

That would possibly result in the Packers needing an upgrade at right tackle though.

I DON'T like Quentin Rollins working out in the sub packages at ILB. I honestly can't think off of the top of my head any tackles he has had I know he's had tackles, I just don't remember them.

I prefer having Rollins line up at inside linebacker in sub packages over having him play cornerback.

I saw the idea of Karlos Dansby floated on Twitter. It’s an interesting idea given his familiarity with Pettine.

I'm not convinced that Dansby, who will turn 37 during the season, would still present a significant upgrade.

Sucks about Jake Ryan, but look, this isn’t a deal breaker. If we were solely relying on Jake Ryan to win a Super Bowl, we have much bigger problems.

While that's true the Packers definitely lack quality depth at inside linebacker after losing Ryan for the season.

 

[Dantés]

That would possibly result in the Packers needing an upgrade at right tackle though.



I prefer having Rollins line up at inside linebacker in sub packages over having him play cornerback.



I'm not convinced that Dansby, who will turn 37 during the season, would still present a significant upgrade.



While that's true the Packers definitely lack quality depth at inside linebacker after losing Ryan for the season.

Me neither. I don’t see a FA who would. But if they were to sign someone, his connection with Pettine would make some sense.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Me neither. I don’t see a FA who would. But if they were to sign someone, his connection with Pettine would make some sense.

I guess Navarro Bowman would improve the Packers defense.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

That would possibly result in the Packers needing an upgrade at right tackle though.

Given Bulaga's current status and his injury history (only 1 out of 7 seasons has he not missed time, 31 missed starts), I would hope they have plans at RT that do or don't include Bulaga anyway. When Bulaga is healthy, he is a solid RT, but at this point, if Spriggs or someone else is ready to go, which I assume they are going to have to be, I would be fine seeing Bulaga cut and the savings used on a FA or 2 that can immediately help the Packers.

 

[lambeaulambo]

I see the sky is still intact....this LB corps is fair to midland. Gotta get a pass rush to make these guys from looking like they have in the past.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Given Bulaga's current status and his injury history (only 1 out of 7 seasons has he not missed time, 31 missed starts), I would hope they have plans at RT that do or don't include Bulaga anyway. When Bulaga is healthy, he is a sold RT, but at this point, if Spriggs or someone else is ready to go, which I assume they are going to have to be, I would be fine seeing Bulaga cut and the savings used on a FA or 2 that can immediately help the Packers.

I wouldn't mind the Packers cutting Bulaga to save up to $6.3 million in cap space for this season if the coaching staff is confident in another right tackle on the roster. I'm not convinced either Spriigs, Murphy or another offensive lineman is up to the task though.

I see the sky is still intact....this LB corps is fair to midland. Gotta get a pass rush to make these guys from looking like they have in the past.

The Packers losing Ryan most likely will solely result in their run defense being weakened a bit. The team might be able to compensate for it by having a dominant defensive line though.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I wouldn't mind the Packers cutting Bulaga to save up to $6.3 million in cap space for this season if the coaching staff is confident in another right tackle on the roster. I'm not convinced either Spriigs, Murphy or another offensive lineman is up to the task though.

But that is kind of my point. Bulaga may not be ready to go come September and who knows how long he will make it after that. So no matter what, the Packers need a decent player to be ready to go at RT. $6.3 M can buy you a very healthy player or 2 or 3. Maybe not one quite as talented as a healthy Bulaga, but will we see a healthy Bulaga?

Holding on to guys like Bulaga, Matthews and Cobb too long can be a real wet blanket on your cap. Unfortunately, the Packers haven't done much at any of those 3 positions to afford themselves the luxury of cutting the fat.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

But that is kind of my point. Bulaga may not be ready to go come September and who knows how long he will make it after that. So no matter what, the Packers need a decent player to be ready to go at RT. $6.3 M can buy you a very healthy player or 2 or 3. Maybe not one quite as talented as a healthy Bulaga, but will we see a healthy Bulaga?

I agree that the Packers have hold on to Matthews, Cobb and to a lesser degree Bulaga for too long when considering their cap hits as the team hasn't been able to adequately replace them. It seems that there's a chance Bulaga might be ready for week 1 though.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I agree that the Packers have hold on to Matthews, Cobb and to a lesser degree Bulaga for too long when considering their cap hits as the team hasn't been able to adequately replace them. It seems that there's a chance Bulaga might be ready for week 1 though.

The "might be" and for how long part is what bothers me. I know there are no sure things, especially in the NFL, but its hard to build a championship caliber team around too many "might be's" and "should see improvement from this guy". You and I have volleyed back and forth over depth and the ability to have quality depth due to the cap, but this is a perfect example of too much money locked up in a single player, that if things go wrong, creates a big hole in your lineup, because that money wasn't spread out across 2 or 3 players for depth.

Josh Sitton and letting Lang walk are great examples of the proper way to pull the trigger at the right moment. As much as I squirmed during both of those moves, seems the Packers knew what they were doing. I hope the same holds true for Bulaga.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

The "might be" and for how long part is what bothers me. I know there are no sure things, especially in the NFL, but its hard to build a championship caliber team around too many "might be's" and "should see improvement from this guy". You and I have volleyed back and forth over depth and the ability to have quality depth due to the cap, but this is a perfect example of too much money locked up in a single player, that if things go wrong, creates a big hole in your lineup, because that money wasn't spread out across 2 or 3 players for depth.

I would definitely be fine with Bulaga counting $7.9 million towards the cap if he would be able to stay healthy but unfortunately that's a huge question mark with him. In addition, with Spriggs not performing up to his draft status it seems the Packers don't have another starting caliber tackle on the roster as otherwise they would have released him by now.

While it might have been smart spreading out that money over two or three players it might not have been enough cap space to sign several veterans capable of protecting the edge.

 

[Divot]

People aren't really talking this year about Clay playing ILB like he has in the past (dual positions). Perhaps that is part of the plan? But we are thin at OLB too. Our LB positions are a bit of a mess at the moment.

Give it another week or two. I would bet that we will see another ILB (but prefer OLB) on our roster. I am thinking we will stay pat with our Safety postions.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

People aren't really talking this year about Clay playing ILB like he has in the past (dual positions). Perhaps that is part of the plan? But we are thin at OLB too. Our LB positions are a bit of a mess at the moment.

The Packers don't have enough quality depth at edge rusher to move Matthews inside. In addition he's average at best at ILB.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

People aren't really talking this year about Clay playing ILB like he has in the past (dual positions). Perhaps that is part of the plan? But we are thin at OLB too. Our LB positions are a bit of a mess at the moment.

Give it another week or two. I would bet that we will see another ILB (but prefer OLB) on our roster. I am thinking we will stay pat with our Safety postions.

I wouldn't be in favor of relying on shifting Matthews inside once again. It's August, that should only be a backup plan for mid season. Yes, there is a month, practices and 4 preseason games to "wait and see" what happens and who is available if help is needed. However, I also don't expect the Packers to remain injury free during that time, nor will other teams. We are now hearing the buzz of FA's, even Eric Reid, visiting with teams. I think the Packers are missing the boat here to not at at least be thinking about signing a guy or 2.

 

[Favre>Rodgers259]

I believe BG publicly saying he's not going to bring in a vet coincides with Pettine possibly shifting the Defense to more of a 4-3 look. If that's the case, we only have to worry about one OLB spot up for grabs, which I assume would primarily be between Burks, Fackrell, and perhaps Jones if he can play the position.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I wouldn't mind the Packers cutting Bulaga to save up to $6.3 million in cap space for this season if the coaching staff is confident in another right tackle on the roster. I'm not convinced either Spriigs, Murphy or another offensive lineman is up to the task though.

I guess we got some good news on Bulaga today (He is off the PUP), now lets hope he stays healthy

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/24274820

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I believe BG publicly saying he's not going to bring in a vet coincides with Pettine possibly shifting the Defense to more of a 4-3 look. If that's the case, we only have to worry about one OLB spot up for grabs, which I assume would primarily be between Burks, Fackrell, and perhaps Jones if he can play the position.

The Packers don't have anyone on the roster perfectly suited to line up as a SAM linebacker. While Burks or Jones seem to be a fit as a WILL both of them have yet to prove capable of playing that position.

I'm not sure you're suggesting that Fackrell could line up on the weak side but he's definitely not athletic enough to do so.

 

[n4t]

I don't care how pass-happy the NFL has become. Having only 1 bona fide off-ball linebacker on the team right now is pretty crazy.

Martinez and the Converted Safeties does not sound like a tune we can all dance to.

Ryan was a plus run defender, and there is no replacement for that skill-set on the current roster that I am aware of.

On the other hand, they were willing to go with only 2 actual off-ball LBs on the squad in the first place, so maybe they know what they are doing. We shall see..

 

[LambeauLombardi]

I don't care how pass-happy the NFL has become. Having only 1 bona fide off-ball linebacker on the team right now is pretty crazy.

Martinez and the Converted Safeties does not sound like a tune we can all dance to.

Ryan was a plus run defender, and there is no replacement for that skill-set on the current roster that I am aware of.

On the other hand, they were willing to go with only 2 actual off-ball LBs on the squad in the first place, so maybe they know what they are doing. We shall see..

Is 4-3 a possibility?

With one of the strengths being at corner I expect to see an ample amount of nickel and even dime. Last I checked House is still on the roster as he may be the 5th best corner this year and was maybe the best last year. But they need a backup plan if Martinez goes down. They are asking a ton from him to begin with.

 

[n4t]

We simply don't have the personnel to run a base 4-3. You'd still need at least 2 conventional LBs for your base lineup, and we don't have 'em.

We'll be playing nickel or dime most of the time anyway, I know. Still...