Masthay, Burnett, Zombo, Shields solid
Mike Neal (96) and Frank Zombo pressure Colts quarterback Peyton Manning on Thursday.
Contenders separate themselves
By Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel
Aug. 27, 2010
Green Bay The Green Bay Packers played the closest thing to a regular-season football game Thursday night, and it gave them a chance to find out quite a bit about which players fighting for jobs belong in the National Football League.
And, for that matter, which ones don't.
General manager Ted Thompson will make the final call on who makes it and who doesn't, but he would have to be blind not to notice the play of a couple of players.
Punter Tim Masthay, rookie safety Morgan Burnett, rookie linebacker Frank Zombo and rookie cornerback Sam Shields solidified themselves as legitimate prospects with strong performances in a 59-24 victory over the Indianapolis Colts at Lambeau Field.
What's more, veteran Daryn Colledge probably wrapped up the left guard job after taking all the snaps with the No. 1 offense because rookie Bryan Bulaga was held out with a hip injury. It's getting late to make a change at that spot.
"I thought I played well," Colledge said. "I think I had another winning performance. I got an opportunity to get more than just one series in a row, so if I do win the job, it will be good for me to get in the rhythm tonight."
Masthay probably took a lead on Chris Bryan for the punting job with one brilliant punt in the second quarter. The former Colt launched a 53-yard punt with 5.06 second hang time that returner Brandon James muffed inside his 10-yard line. The ball rolled into the end zone, where Korey Hall recovered it for a touchdown.
Compared with Bryan, who had two punts averaging 41.5 yards, both with poor hang time, Masthay looked like an NFL punter.
"I thought Chris mis-hit the first one," special teams coach Shawn Slocum said.
"Tim had a very good punt. It was in perfect position and that was positive. Obviously, Tim had a good game and he also kicked off well and held well."
Slocum said it would be unfair to deem one of the two the winner in the battle because the winner will be decided based on a full body of work over training camp.
On defense, coach Mike McCarthy couldn't have been happier than to see Burnett, his third-round draft choice, ratchet up his play in a game against the defending AFC champions. Burnett has had a so-so preseason, but against the Colts the game didn't look too big for him.
Burnett was kicking himself for not hanging onto quarterback Peyton Manning's deep throw down the sideline early in the first quarter, but it was Manning feeling the pain when Burnett jumped a route deep inside Colts territory and picked off a pass that gave the offense a first down at the 18.
Known for picking off passes at Georgia Tech, Burnett had played it fairly safe in the Packers' two previous games. This time, he played the Cover 2 scheme perfectly on the first play and hung back just long enough so Manning didn't see him on a well-designed pressure run in front of him.
"He's an aware guy," coordinator Dom Capers said. "He has good ball skills. Hopefully, that's a sign of things to come. I like his presence. There are still a few glitches but he's making progress."
Shields, who is still learning the finer points of playing cornerback after being mostly a receiver and special teams player at Miami, continued to show why he deserves to make the team. On the opening kickoff, he did a good job of funneling the return inside, on punt coverage he was able to get downfield without too much trouble and on defense he broke up three passes, including a late interception against backup quarterback Curtis Painter.
Zombo, meanwhile, continued to show pro potential, especially as a pass rusher. He has been productive in all three preseason games and can add a sack of Manning to his rsum. Zombo stripped Manning from behind in the third quarter - his second turnover-causing play of the preseason and second sack - setting the offense up deep in Colts territory.
Zombo not only showed some pass rush ability but also showed decent coverage on at least one pass over the middle. This was a critical game for him to prove that he has fully made the transition from defensive end to outside linebacker.
Zombo played on both sides of the defense and played with his usual relentlessness.
On the other hand, cornerbacks Brandon Underwood and Pat Lee did little to solve the question about who will be the team's nickel back on opening day, adding even more concern in the secondary given the troubles starter Tramon Williams had against all-pro Reggie Wayne.