Training Camp Thread

[Profound23]

Point is we lost depth on our Oline. IF Bulaga gets hurt, Tauscher can't be there to back him up. If Lang gets hurt, our inside run game will suffer.

Same thing on the Dline without Jenkins.

Don't know if you guys have watched any of the Eagles practices. Casey Matthews looks like a REALLY good player. It will be interesting to watch him vs Baltimore, but so far he has earned the starting MLB position. We may regret not trading up, when we drafted a TE (Julius Thomas) just a few picks after Casey.

[LUKE23]

Point is we lost depth on our Oline. IF Bulaga gets hurt, Tauscher can't be there to back him up. If Lang gets hurt, our inside run game will suffer.

Same thing on the Dline without Jenkins.

Don't know if you guys have watched any of the Eagles practices. Casey Matthews looks like a REALLY good player. It will be interesting to watch him vs Baltimore, but so far he has earned the starting MLB position. We may regret not trading up, when we drafted a TE (Julius Thomas) just a few picks after Casey.

My point was that Tauscher was at the end of the line. If Bulaga gets hurt, it's a solid bet that a guy like Newhouse could fill in at minimum at the level Tauscher did last year. I think Colledge was probably the best LG of the guys we currently have, but I also think the dropoff could be minimal between him, Lang, and Newhouse. I guess I'm not concerned about it. From last year, we lost Tauscher and Colledge, got the other four starters back, added Sherrod, and guys like Bulaga, Lang, Newhouse, McDonald get an extra year under their belt. I'm not saying our OL is studly, I just don't think it will be a dropoff from last year.

We drafted DJ Williams, not Julius Thomas.

[Wilford Brimley]

Our inside run game blows anyways.

Also, from what I recall, Lang was nice at Guard in 2009, it was at T where he struggled.

You could say for almost every team and just about every position, "if so and so gets hurt"

[ReasonablySober]

Point is we lost depth on our Oline. IF Bulaga gets hurt, Tauscher can't be there to back him up. If Lang gets hurt, our inside run game will suffer.

Same thing on the Dline without Jenkins.

Don't know if you guys have watched any of the Eagles practices. Casey Matthews looks like a REALLY good player. It will be interesting to watch him vs Baltimore, but so far he has earned the starting MLB position. We may regret not trading up, when we drafted a TE (Julius Thomas) just a few picks after Casey.

He was healthy and able to play for four games last season. He wasn't even an option if Bulaga or Clifton went down.So again, losing Tauscher does nothing to our depth this season. If anything it helps that he's cut now instead of a month into the season where we have to find a street free agent or bump up a member of the practice squad.

[emunney]

We've lost players on the O-line, but have we lost good players? Colledge was the best and was probably average overall. I don't think it hurts to lose below average players. You can always get more of those. If anything, we should be deeper and more talented overall at tackle this year. Guard is going to have to shake out. Colledge left the only question mark behind, and it's not a huge one.

[Wilford Brimley]

Where does Sherrod fit into this?

Newhouse/Lang/Wells/Sitton/Bulaga

[LUKE23]

Where does Sherrod fit into this?

Newhouse/Lang/Wells/Sitton/Bulaga

I'm guessing you'll see Sherrod at LT. After that, you could see Bulaga moved to LG and Newhouse moved to RT, or Newhouse to LG, or Sherrod/Bulaga as the T's and us drafting another interior OL high. I think Sherrod will be playing LT though.

[Wilford Brimley]

Good problem to have. What you wrote makes sense as Lang is the "worst" of Bulaga/Lang/Newhouse/Sherrod.

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

Yahoo Article on Lang:

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP)—T.J. Lang(notes) certainly isn’t talking like a player who expects to take a back seat to a first-round draft pick this year.

Lang, the Green Bay Packers’ fourth-round draft pick out of Eastern Michigan in 2009, is competing with rookie Derek Sherrod(notes) to be the starting left guard for the reigning Super Bowl champions. The spot was left vacant when Daryn Colledge(notes) signed with the Arizona Cardinals as a free agent, and naming a successor is one of the top questions facing the Packers in training camp this season.

And after shuffling between tackle and guard his first two seasons—with a few appearances as a defensive lineman thrown in—Lang now intends on taking up permanent residence between center Scott Wells(notes) and left tackle Chad Clifton(notes).

“My goal is to start, and the best shot is going to be at left guard, and that’s pretty much where all of my focus has been in the first week of camp,” Lang said Monday. “That’s where I’m really trying to hone my skills.”

Lang isn’t getting much of a look so far, as Sherrod is taking the majority of snaps with the first-team offense in practice. But Lang figures that might change as the Packers progress through camp and the preseason. The Packers begin preseason play at Cleveland on Saturday after visiting the White House on Friday.

“I think the big evaluation will be once we start getting into these preseason games,” Lang said. “With Cleveland coming up, that’s going to be a huge step for me to take to get out there on an actual game field and perform.”

And if Lang plays like he has been practicing for the first week of camp?

“I think I’ll be in pretty good shape,” he said.

Whether Sherrod or Lang wins the left guard competition, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers(notes) said either player will be challenged to match Colledge’s consistency and intelligence.

“We’ll have to find somebody, either Derek or T.J., and to make sure we’re sure we have a guy who is mentally sharp,” Rodgers said last week. “Because our offense is so diverse in what we’re trying to do. And we can do a lot of things at the line of scrimmage if we want to, and a lot of different calls.”

Lang, who converted from defensive line to offensive tackle in college, hasn’t found a permanent spot on the line during his time in Green Bay.

He was pressed into service at tackle early in his rookie season because of injuries, making three starts. Coming off wrist surgery, Lang played less frequently last year, with his most extensive action coming as an injury replacement at left guard in a loss at Detroit on Dec. 12. He also was used occasionally as an extra defensive lineman in short-yardage situations.

“I really haven’t had much game experience (at left guard), just a half last year in Detroit was pretty much all I have to work on from game experience that way,” Lang said. “But I think I’ve had enough snaps the last two years, I’m comfortable when I go out there. I don’t feel like I’m being thrown into the water like I was for a couple games my rookie year. I feel like when it does come time, I’m poised, ready to take over. I feel comfortable and confident I can get the job done.”

Sherrod hasn’t stood out at left guard in the first week of camp—which is understandable, given the fact that he was a left tackle in college and didn’t get a full offseason worth of team-organized workouts. Lang said he isn’t worried about which offensive unit he’s lining up with for now, but he would like more chances to see what he can do against B.J. Raji(notes) and the Packers’ No. 1 defense.

“When you go against guys like that, there’s something in the back of your mind,” Lang said. “You do want to prove a point.”

And with a more compressed training camp in the wake of the lockout, Lang said his knowledge of the offense could swing things in his favor.

“That’s the biggest thing I’ve noticed so far this year to last year, outside of being healthy, was just my mental grasp of the offense,” Lang said. “The first day, kind of getting back into it, there was confusion and questions. But the more each day went on, I looked at it, just started realizing that I know this stuff, it’s just a matter of getting out there and doing the repetitions.”

Connect with AP Sports Writer Chris Jenkins: www.twitter.com/ByChrisJenkins

[LUKE23]

Good to read this:

http://packersnews.greenbaypressgazette ... /110808136

Sitton is a sure thing to get a new deal and now that Finley has shown he’s recovered from the knee injury that knocked him out for the season last year in Week 5, he’s in line for a blockbuster contract, too.

In April, when the Packers drafted two tight ends – D.J. Williams of Arkansas in the fifth round and Ryan Taylor of North Carolina in the seventh round – it raised questions about whether general manager Ted Thompson wanted to spend the money it’s going to take to retain Finley. But no one in Finley’s camp believes his future will be anywhere other than with the Green Bay Packers.

“I think everyone understands how valuable he is,” Blake Baratz, Finley’s agent, said. “He’s 24 years old; he’s just coming into his own. The people who know football understand there’s not a lot of guys in the league like him. I don’t envision a scenario in which you let a guy like that walk out the door.”

Like I said, by my estimation, the Packers currently have 9 pro bowl caliber players:

Rodgers (27): inked until 2014
Finley (24): inked until 2011
Jennings (27): inked until 2012
Sitton (25): inked until 2011
Raji (25): inked until 2013
Matthews (25): inked until 2013
Woodson (34): inked until 2014
Williams (28): inked until 2014
Collins (27): inked until 2013

I'm fine with literally ANY other moves that allows us to keep the above guys, and that is how TT operates. While bringing back a guy like Nelson next year is a luxury, it's far, far behind getting Sitton and Finley re-signed.

Thankfully, Jennings is the only stud player up for an extension the next year, so we should be able to make solid financial plans for re-upping Raji, Matthews, Collins, or at least Raji and Matthews.

[an_also]

article on walden.
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/127284018.html

[James1980]

If Walden beats out Zombo and Jones, do one of them move to backup inside LB?

[ClassicJack]

Jones probably moves inside. I doubt they would ever move Zombo inside.

[emunney]

I think they want most of those backups to be able to play inside or outside as needed.

[LUKE23]

Zombo is pretty stiff in coverage. My guess is that Jones is currently the #3 ILB with how they use OLB outside of Matthews still to be determined. Zombo is the best run stopper of the three, Jones the best pure pass rusher, Walden probably the most well-rounded between run D/pass rush/coverage.

[Wilford Brimley]

I'm excited to see Walden with a full TC under his belt.

[ReasonablySober]

Zombo is pretty stiff in coverage. My guess is that Jones is currently the #3 ILB with how they use OLB outside of Matthews still to be determined. Zombo is the best run stopper of the three, Jones the best pure pass rusher, Walden probably the most well-rounded between run D/pass rush/coverage.

Huh. I've never seen a shred of pass rush ability from Jones.

I think Walden's the best of any of them. It's hard not to come back to that dominating performance against Chicago.

[Flames24Rulz]

I could see Jones as a backup ILB.

[eagle13]

My guess at this point is Walden with nickel (which is approx. 50% of plays) for sure but maybe Zombo starts getting the early run downs.
Jones backup at all 4 spots

[emunney]

I like this pathetic inability of 5 guys to block 4 guys.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG0VWNf9Fas[/youtube]