GREEN BAY — Don Barclay is officially the Green Bay Packers' starting right tackle. Well, sort of.
Coach Mike McCarthy still wouldn't say that Barclay would indeed start Sunday's regular-season opener at San Francisco, but the coach did have Barclay there in practice on Monday ahead of Marshall Newhouse.
Afterward, though, McCarthy muddled the picture further.
"As far as our tackles, I like all three tackles," McCarthy said in his post-practice press briefing. "Don started today at right tackle. I wouldn't be surprised if Marshall plays in the game. But Don is very consistent, he's physical. He's a young player and he's a young, ascending player. We're going to need all those guys."
So apparently McCarthy is at least mulling the idea of playing Newhouse, the team's starting left tackle for 28 of 35 games over the past two years (including playoffs), part-time against the 49ers.
The nonplussed Barclay said he hasn't been told by his coaches what the plan is for Sunday and that the idea of Newhouse seeing spot duty will keep him motivated
"I guess you could say it's not settled yet," said Barclay, who started the final three preseason games at right tackle, ahead of Newhouse. "They haven't really said anything yet. I'm just treating it as if I am the starter, and that's how it is. That's how I play it out. I'm going to meetings and practice preparing myself to play that first snap. And if that's how it plays out, that's how it is.
"Right now, it pushes me, it makes me work harder. And that's how I look at it. No one can get relaxed, whether you win the starting job or not. So that's my main focus on it."
Jason Wilde wrote: