Just one week remains before the start of the regular season and the Green Bay Packers still don't know if they have a functional backup at center or guard.
The situation is about clear as mud because rookie Caleb Schlauderaff and veteran Nick McDonald, the two players the Packers hoped would solidify their interior, have failed to emerge.
After a lousy performance in Indianapolis, Schlauderaff was pushed back to third-string guard this week in favor of veteran Evan Dietrich-Smith, who has quietly put together a very solid training camp.
Dietrich-Smith, the No. 3 center behind Scott Wells and McDonald throughout August, appears to have drawn abreast of McDonald at center, too.
With the starters projected to play just a series or two, the backups will be battling it out for more than three quarters Thursday night against Kansas City to decide what looks like two openings on the 53-man roster.
"We need some more information before I'm comfortable saying this guy is our backup guard, he's on our team and he's not," offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said Monday. "It's still wide open. We're going to wait and watch the film to figure it out."
As of Tuesday, the No. 2 unit, from left to right, consisted of top pick Derek Sherrod, Dietrich-Smith, McDonald, rookie Ray Dominguez and Marshall Newhouse.
When Dietrich-Smith shifted to center, McDonald played left guard ahead of Schlauderaff.
The No. 3 line had two players: Schlauderaff at left guard and rookie Spencer Genus at right guard.
"These preseason games are my Super Bowl games," said Dominguez, a free agent from Arkansas. "Hey, I want to prove to Coach (Mike) McCarthy and Mr. (Ted) Thompson that I belong here. If they don't see it, hopefully, the other 31 teams will."
A year ago, the Packers enjoyed ample depth inside with Jason Spitz, who started 47 games at both guards and center from 2006-'09, and T.J. Lang. For the first time under McCarthy, the Packers kept a 10th offensive lineman. That was McDonald, who was inactive for 20 games.
In Week 13, Spitz played poorly at guard in relief of Daryn Colledge in Detroit and was pulled at halftime in favor of Lang, now the starter at left guard. Memory of that outing is one big reason why the Packers let Spitz walk to Jacksonville on July 28 as an unrestricted free agent.
Tony Moll proved to be an excellent backup guard in McCarthy's first two seasons, making 13 starts. Josh Sitton was the No. 3 guard as a rookie in 2008, and both Lang and Spitz handled that hole the last two years.
"How many starts did Spitz have?" said Philbin. "But I think we'll be all right. There's a bunch of candidates still out there. I wouldn't rule anybody out."
Dietrich-Smith lost his roster berth to McDonald last Sept. 4, spent a month in Seattle and was brought back Dec. 31. He's better at center than guard, but with his strength he's probably more effective at guard than McDonald. In a pinch, he can play left tackle, too.
"He's done well," Philbin said. "Tough guy. Pretty good knowledge of the system."
At 6 feet 2½ inches and 308 pounds, Dietrich-Smith looks dumpy compared to the sculpted McDonald (6-4, 302). Physique and potential are reasons why McCarthy has been so high on McDonald, but Dietrich-Smith has played stronger.
"He (Dietrich-Smith) is a really compact kind of guy," offensive line coach James Campen said two weeks ago. "Has good leverage. Maybe a little ahead of Nick as far as fundamentals playing center."
McDonald has played 13 series to Dietrich-Smith's nine at center in three exhibition games. Dietrich-Smith went 11-1 in his last 12 reps in the one-on-one pass-rush drill compared to 10-6-3 earlier, whereas McDonald might have hit a plateau.
"He's still growing," Campen said, referring to McDonald. "The thing is, he has to keep his pad level down when he has guys in his face."
McDonald didn't play any guard until this week. He did start at guard in 2008 at Grand Valley State.
Before deciding what to do with Schlauderaff and Dominguez, the Packers must decide what to do with Sherrod.
Beaten out by Lang at left guard, Sherrod has played strictly left tackle for 10 days in what can be assumed is the process of becoming Chad Clifton's successor. Certainly, Sherrod is more of a left tackle than guard, but given their options the coaches still might view him as the best alternative for a No. 3 guard.
Sherrod, however, might not even be active on most game days in favor of Newhouse, who also has demonstrated that he can play right tackle. Sherrod has never played the right side; Newhouse has outperformed him this summer.
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