Travis Duncan
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Aug 9, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; Green Bay Packers defensive back Davon House (31) grimmaces in pain while being tended to by trainers of the Packers staff during a game against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE
By Travis Duncan
Packerforum.com writer
The Packers have reached the "decimated" terrority of the injury list.
"I've never seen anything like it," head coach Mike McCarthy said Sunday, according to the Press-Gazette.
"At the end of the day there’s things that concern you because you spend a whole spring and summer getting ready to have camp and you have targets to hit, this is not what you’re looking for," McCarthy continued.
"This has been a very challenging week due to injuries, but obviously if I knew why it was happening I would fix it."
The Packers find them especially weak at running back. James Starks, No. 1 on the depth chart, is "week-to-week" with turf toe. Brandon Saine has a pulled hamstring and Alex Green is still not 100-percent as he recovers from reconstructive knee surgery.
As we wrote last week, the Packers are not dependent on the run by any stretch of the imagination, however, they need improvement.
The move to sign Benson, could be out of desperation, to address a depth issue. This signing could also be a legitimate second-chance for the guy to come and take the No. 1 position away from Starks, who, to no fault of his own, has durability issues. And past history tells us that turf-toe tends to linger, and can for an entire season.
If Starks injury lasts into the regular season, and Green really isn't 100-percent, then Benson could be the guy.
Even if the Packers rent Benson for the preseason, they won't be on the hook for much money.
He signed for the veterans minimum of $825,000 with not a cent of guaranteed money, according to Andrew Brandt of ESPN.
According to Kevin Seifert of ESPN that was the sticking point which held the deal up, the Packers refused to give him guaranteed money. NFL rules mandate that once a player signs his first two practices must be in shells, before he can add pads. Benson may miss Thursday night's game because of that.
Other Injuries
Desmond Bishop
Bishop suffered a hamstring injury early in last week's preseason game against the Chargers. He'll need surgery and could miss the entire season. Mike McCarthy said his season is in "jeopardy" Bishop led the team in tackles last season.
Davon House
As we noted a few weeks back, House was really emerging as someone who could potentially start or get major playing time. House has a dislocated shoulder injury, and could miss up to three weeks. Rookie Casey Hayward will see increased action with House on the sidelines.
Jermichael Finley
Finley has a quadraceps injury and will likely miss Thursday's game against Cleveland. Finley is not expected to miss significant time however.
Greg Jennings
McCarthy said there is no real timetable regarding the return of the veteran wide receiver, who suffered a concussion early in training camp. It's not likely he'll play Thursday night.
Marshall Newhouse
Starting left tackle Newhouse, who also had a concussion, is expected to return to practice this week and possibly play Thursday night.
From all accounts it appears that Newhouse is the starter at left tackle once he returns and Herb Taylor definitely is not (note Chargers' Melvin Ingram's hit on Aaron Rodgers last Thursday night).
Newly added to the mix are seventh-round pick Andrew Datko and newly signed 10-year vet Reggie Wells, who could at least challenge Newhouse, according to Packers.com
In total 19 players missed practice on Sunday, as reported by Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press Gazette they were:
Shaky Smithson (ankle), Diondre Borel (groin), Duane Bennett (knee), Davon House (shoulder), Brandon Saine (hamstring), Jon Hoese (hamstring), Sam Shields (elbow), James Starks (turf toe), Eric Lair (knee), Desmond Bishop (torn hamstring), Frank Zombo (hamstring), Johnny Jones (knee), Ray Dominguez (ankle), Marshall Newhouse (concussion), Derek Sherrod (broken leg), Andrew Quarless (knee), Greg Jennings (concussion), Tori Gurley (groin) and Jermichael Finley (quad).
