GREEN BAY — Perhaps rookie running backs Eddie Lacy and Johnathan Franklin will indeed wind up being the Green Bay Packers' 1-2 punch in the running game. Maybe someone will come up with a catchy nickname that will capture their distinctly different running styles, t-shirts will be made, the whole nine yards.

But until that day, the Packers dynamic duo will remain guards Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang. Regardless of which positions they're playing, the Packers' version of Starsky & Hutch, Cagney & Lacey, Phineas & Ferb will be these two best friends. They are inseparable off the field, and on the field, they are two of the key players in an offensive line shakeup that is among the biggest storylines as training camp approaches later this month.

In what might be an unprecedented move, coach Mike McCarthy revamped his line this offseason, flip-flopping both tackles and both guards. Throughout the organized team activity practices and minicamp, Bryan Bulaga worked at left tackle, Sitton at left guard, Lang at right guard and Marshall Newhouse at right tackle. Last season, Sitton started all 18 games at right guard while Lang started 14 at left guard, three at right tackle following Bulaga's season-ending hip injury and missed one game with an ankle injury.

Once the pads come on when training camp opens July 26, each lineman's adjustment to his new position will be accelerated. Although Sitton and Lang are still guards — as opposed to Lang's intermittent cameos at tackle during his first four seasons — they both said during OTAs that switching positions has presented a challenge.

"You always want to be as sharp as you can be. But we all understand that this is a pretty major change that we're going through and we know there's going to be a few hiccups along the way," Lang said. "The thing with us is you've just got to make sure you can't have any repeated mistakes. You've got to learn from what you're doing every day on the practice field.

"Certainly, we're not as sharp as we would like to be right now. But we still have a long time before we kick off the season. But the biggest thing for us is, looking at the tape, you can tell people are making improvements every day and that's good for your confidence."

The coaches deemed the move necessary after the Packers allowed quarterback Aaron Rodgers to be sacked a league-high 51 times while also struggling in run-blocking. Playing alongside aging center Jeff Saturday last season, Sitton and Lang were up-and-down at times, with Lang being charged with nine sacks, five quarterback hits and 12 hurries in 1,149 snaps according to ProFootballFocus.com. Sitton was charged with three sacks, two hits and 12 hurries in pass protection in 1,254 snaps.

Neither player felt like he had his best season, although Sitton did make the NFC Pro Bowl team for the first time. Nevertheless, both players expect to be better at their new positions.

"I thought we played pretty good a lot of times. There's definitely things we need to improve on," Sitton said. "We definitely didn't have an outstanding year but there's a lot of things I think we did great and there's a lot of things we need to improve on. And we will.

"I'm open for anything. It's kind of exciting because it is a new challenge for me. I've been doing the same thing for a long time now. It's exciting to do something different."

But Lang and Sitton's importance extends beyond how they play. Lang, who entered the league as a fourth-round pick from Eastern Michigan in 2009, and Sitton, who came in as a fourth-round pick from Central Florida a year earlier, are also two of the team's young leaders.

Both signed lucrative contract extensions that will keep them in the fold through 2016 — Sitton received a six-year, $34.95 million deal in September 2011; Lang a five-year, $22.06 million deal in August 2012 — and have developed into locker-room leaders especially after veteran tackles Mark Tauscher and Chad Clifton were released and later retired. Last month, Rodgers said it has been "very refreshing seeing guys get on board and be leaders," and he singled Lang and Sitton out as members of that emerging group.

"It is funny because we are still young, but that role has kind of snuck up on us," Sitton said. "With the older guys, Mark and Cliff leaving, we've had to take it upon ourselves to step up and be the leaders. I think we're doing a nice job to embrace the role."

Jason Wilde  wrote: