Atari Bigby timetable pushed back
August, 19, 2010
By Kevin Seifert
It appears the Green Bay Packers are going to have an interesting roster decision to make in a few weeks. Safety Atari Bigby told reporters Thursday that it could take him up to eight weeks to recover from his recent ankle surgery, all but ruling himself out for the Sept. 12 season opener at Philadelphia and raising the question of whether he should be placed on the physically-unable-to-perform list.
If the latter scenario occurs, Bigby wouldn't count against the 53-man roster, but would be ineligible for the Packers' first six games. The other option is to carry Bigby on the roster and make him a game-day inactive until he is ready to return.
Bigby (via Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com): "I don't know what they're going to do. What I'm doing is focusing on getting healthy, getting my ankle back to where it needs to be as fast as I can and as safe as I can. Once I do that, then everything will fall into place."
Part of the decision will no doubt hinge on the preseason performance of rookie safety Morgan Burnett, who has been filling in for Bigby all summer. If the Packers believe Burnett can give them six solid games, they'll be unlikely to use an early season roster spot on Bigby. But if they're concerned about Burnett's progress, they might not have a choice. Stay tuned.