Thumbs up
[ul]There should be no reason or excuse for Aaron Rodgers to get beat up in Sundays opener at Philadelphia like he did early last season, when he was sacked 10 times in the first two games combined.
This time, Rodgers has his two veteran starting tackles, Chad Clifton on the left side and Mark Tauscher on the right side. Last year at this time, Tauscher was at home rehabilitating his surgically repaired knee and wasnt even under contract. Clifton got hurt on the first play of the third quarter in Week 2 and his sprained ankle kept him out the following two games.
Theres stability on the interior of the line, too. Scott Wells is back at center after losing the job early in training camp last year. He got the job back early in the season after Jason Spitz got hurt and had one of his best seasons. Daryn Colledge is back at left guard after edging out rookie first-round pick Bryan Bulaga this summer. It should help Colledge that he has been able to focus on one position after having to flip-flop between left guard and left tackle last season. And Josh Sitton, perhaps their most consistent lineman last season, is back at right guard.
Whats more, the Packers seem better equipped if theres an injury. Rather than having to move starters around, there are clear-cut backups at each spot. Bulaga will back up left guard and left tackle. T.J. Lang is the backup at both right-side spots, while Spitz is the backup center.
Also, Rodgers was much better at getting rid of the ball in the second half of last season, and it wasnt a problem this summer in practice or in the preseason.[/ul]
Thumbs down
[ul]There has to be some anxiety about the Packers defense.
How can there not be after General Manager Ted Thompson virtually ignored the cornerback and outside linebacker positions this offseason? Those two spots seemingly were the weakest coming out of last season, and Thompson didnt draft a single player there or sign a veteran in free agency.
Combine that with the fact the starting defensive unit practiced together in training camp for all of two full days before injuries to key players like Clay Matthews, Brad Jones and Cullen Jenkins decimated the unit.
The loss of defensive end Johnny Jolly to a year-long suspension for violating the NFLs substance-abuse policy hasnt gotten a lot of attention, but it should be viewed as a key loss. Some scouts rated him as the Packers top defensive lineman last season.
Al Harris failure to come back from last seasons knee injury in time for the opener also was a setback.
The Packers will argue theyll be better this year because its the second season in Dom Capers 3-4 scheme, but this is a players league, and Capers might not have enough good ones at his disposal.[/ul]
Key matchup
[ul]Eagles receivers vs. Packers nickel cornerback Sam Shields
How many teams with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations will depend heavily on an undrafted rookie? Thats the situation the Packers will be in on Sunday, when Sam Shields is expected to be the third cornerback. That means he will be on the field whenever defensive coordinator Dom Capers employs his nickel package, which is usually around half of the snaps. Eagles coach Andy Reid pretended during a conference call earlier in the week with reporters who cover the Packers that he had no idea the Packers planned to use an undrafted rookie in that key defensive spot and thanked the media for telling him, but you can be assured an offensive-minded coach like Reid knew all along he would attack Shields with the likes of speedy receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Macklin.
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