Green Bay Packers Strategy and Personnel by Sports Xchange
Aaron Rouse will get another shot at running with the starting secondary Sunday, when the Packers host the Cincinnati Bengals.
Rouse is replacing strong safety Atari Bigby, who will be out at least four weeks because of a sprained knee sustained in the season-opening win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday night.
Rouse steps in with nine starts under his belt his first two years in the league.
In those prior stints as an injury replacement for either Bigby or free safety Nick Collins, Rouse showed flashes as a playmaker with four interceptions, highlighted by a team-record-tying 99-yard return for a touchdown on a pick of the Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning last season.
Yet, Rouse has been flawed technique-wise in the past, due in part to being a taller player at 6-foot-4.
PLAYER NOTES
--WR Greg Jennings is dealing with a wrist injury this week. Jennings jammed his left wrist early in the season opener Sunday night but played the entire game, culminating with his game-winning 50-yard touchdown catch in the final 75 seconds. The team's top wideout wore a protective brace as he had limited work in practice Wednesday, but the injury isn't expected to hold him back in Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
--K Mason Crosby is an unusual casualty on the injury report this week. Crosby has an abdominal strain that flared up while he was lifting weights Tuesday. He didn't kick Wednesday but feels he will be OK for the game. The Packers don't have another kicker.
--DL B.J. Raji went through the full practice Wednesday and is progressing toward making his NFL debut this weekend. Raji, the team's top draft pick, was held out of the season opener because he wasn't fully recovered from a sprained ankle he suffered in the final preseason game.
--CB/KR Will Blackmon also was a full participant Wednesday and could be ready by the weekend after he was deactivated in Week 1. Blackmon, the team's return specialist, is trying to get over a bruised thigh he suffered Aug. 22.
--RB Brandon Jackson remains sidelined indefinitely with an ankle injury he sustained Aug. 28. The outlook for Jackson to be healthy enough to play Sunday isn't promising by him not practicing Wednesday. That would leave Ryan Grant and DeShawn Wynn to handle the running chores for the second straight game.
GAME PLAN: An anticipated air shootout never came to pass in the Packers' season opener against the Chicago Bears, thanks to numerous mistakes by the offenses on both sides. This matchup with the Bengals has all of the makings of being decided through the air. Like what happened Sunday night, though, so much will depend on whether both the Packers unit directed by Aaron Rodgers and the Carson Palmer-led Bengals cast continue to stay in a funk when plays need to be made. A shaky Bengals secondary gives Green Bay a better chance of getting its explosive act together on the heels of Rodgers' 50-yard touchdown strike to Greg Jennings for the late game-winner against the Bears. Palmer, on the other hand, must contend with a jazzed-up Packers defense that mostly flourished its first official time out in the 3-4 scheme, picking off four Jay Cutler passes. A deeper Bengals receiving corps, led by Chad Ochocinco and newcomer Laveranues Coles, will test a short-handed Packers secondary (safety Atari Bigby is out with a knee injury) more than the Bears did. Since mercurial running back Cedric Benson can't be counted on to be much of a factor, the Packers will look for the Bengals to spread things out with multiple receivers, which will mean a second straight game with a heavy dose of the nickel package. Since Palmer and Co. are accustomed to playing 3-4 defenses, the Packers have to be assignment sure with their blitzes and time them right.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Packers CB Al Harris vs. Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco. Good friends off the field figure to be locked up more often than not on the field Sunday, and that could be taken quite literally. Harris is prone to be handsy in coverage on receivers and is a favorite target of officials, and Ochocinco is coming off a season opener in which he was penalized for both holding and pass interference as he pushed off against the Denver Broncos' Champ Bailey. So, expect as much jersey tugging as playful trash talking between these two wily veterans. Harris had the better of Ochocinco (nee Johnson) when the teams last met in 2005 at Cincinnati, as the flamboyant wideout had a humbling five catches for 62 yards in the Bengals' victory. Ochocinco is determined to do a Lambeau Leap in his first regular-season appearance in Green Bay, and his best chance to reach the end zone ironically would be lined up to the left on Harris' side instead of being on the opposite side against a more effective Charles Woodson.
Packers RT Allen Barbre vs. Bengals LDE Robert Geathers. The leash presumably is short with Barbre after his abysmal starting debut against the Chicago Bears last weekend, but head coach Mike McCarthy absolved Barbre of full blame for the Packers' deficiencies in pass coverage and cast a vote of confidence by keeping him in the starting lineup. Still, Barbre was fundamentally out of whack in trying to slow down aging Bears defensive end Adewale Ogunleye, who had two sacks and three more hits on quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Now, Barbre gets a younger and bigger, if not faster, opponent with Geathers. The experienced Bengals starter has a knack for being disruptive - his big reach resulted in a tipped pass by Brett Favre that was intercepted when the Bengals prevailed against the Packers in 2005. A second straight poor performance by Barbre could have general manager Ted Thompson ready to hit speed dial and reach out to Mark Tauscher, Barbre's longtime predecessor who is waiting on a call as a free agent.
INJURY IMPACT: The only anticipated lineup change Sunday due to injury will be at strong safety, where Aaron Rouse takes over for Atari Bigby, who will be on the mend at least four weeks because of a sprained knee suffered in the season opener.
--WR Greg Jennings is nursing a jammed left wrist this week, an injury incurred in the first game, but the team's No. 1 wideout expects to be OK to play Sunday.
--DL B.J. Raji (ankle) and CB/KR Will Blackmon (thigh) will need to get through the full week of practice before they'll be considered for active duty this weekend. They were held out of the opener after practicing only on a part-time basis last week. If Blackmon isn't cleared for Sunday, WR Jordy Nelson would again handle the return duties.
--RB Brandon Jackson appears to be a long shot to play Sunday. He has yet to return to the field since suffering an ankle injury in a preseason game Aug. 28. DeShawn Wynn would remain the only backup to Ryan Grant.