Packers 2016 Roster: Josh Sitton Released, Signs With Bears

Every year I write a post before the start of the season about the players who were kept or released by the Green Bay Packers, and the composition of their initial practice squad. Most of these moves weren't a surprise, though I expected a couple more players like Janis and Davis would end up on I.R. instead of the 53-man roster, and the practice squad is made up of most of the players I expected. But one move was just shocking:

#Packers release guard Josh Sitton: https://t.co/w7jErwKXoB pic.twitter.com/AvnfZq0yzg

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 3, 2016

This was unbelievable. I couldn't write about it on the Saturday when it happened. It took me two more days to process it and try to come a conclusion of why they did it. It would have been OK if they allowed him to leave in free agency after the season, gained a compensatory draft pick for their loss, and moved onto the next man up. I don't agree with the timing of this move, and the following is the best sense I can make of it.

McCarthy: This is about growth for our football program. Every decision we make is in the best interest in improving all aspects of program.

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 5, 2016

When asked point blank if Sitton's release makes the Packers a better team, Mike McCarthy dodged the question. Instead he made the above statement. Sitton's release probably doesn't make them a better team for Week 1 at Jacksonville, but he thinks this will be better overall for the team. How this makes "all aspects of (the) program" better is open to speculation.

McCarthy on new starter Lane Taylor: "He’s earned this opportunity. He’s done a very good job particularly in the run blocking" 1/2

— Packers Barroom (@PackersBarroom) September 5, 2016

McCarthy 2/2: "The pass protection and some of the things – how we do it and what we do – is something he just needs some game experience"

— Packers Barroom (@PackersBarroom) September 5, 2016

Lane Taylor, their new starting left guard, was so bad during their last preseason game against Kansas City that I thought he would be the player being released on Saturday, not Sitton. But this decision isn't just about one preseason game. They've been watching Sitton for the past eight years and Taylor for the past four years. All of that experience went into their decision. McCarthy seems to be saying that Taylor is just as good as a run blocker and he'll be a good pass blocker with more game experience. He might be right, he might be wrong.

The only really notable thing McCarthy said on Sitton, without really saying it, is that the guard position isn't as important as others.

— Aaron Nagler (@AaronNagler) September 5, 2016

McCarthy digressed a little bit and talked about premium vs. non-premium positions. He called the quarterback the most important position on the team, and while he didn't specifically say his guards were playing a non-premium position, that's the implication. Playing a lesser, but still good, player at guard won't change the outcome of any game. I think the switch from Sitton to Taylor is going to lead to at least a couple more sacks this season. At the most, three or four. Of course, it only takes one sack to cause a significant injury to Aaron Rodgers but that appears to be an acceptable risk in their book, and guards are a lot less likely to make bad plays that lead to sacks than tackles. They felt this is a risk worth taking because of all the benefits it provides (salary cap room for extensions, avoiding the risk of Sitton's decline due to weight loss and/or bad back, sometimes Sitton could be a pain in the ass).

I don't like this move, but I'm usually on the wrong side of hanging onto to veterans for too long. The release of Josh Sitton feels all kinds of wrong, but it's more likely that this was the right decision when we're looking back on it in a few years.

Sitton Understandably Upset After Loss to Seahawks

Now that the team's season is over, Packers Guard Josh Sitton is pretty upset.

Here are some of his postgames from yesterday's loss, courtesy of NFL.com's Kevin Patra. They're kind of harsh:

"Anytime you feel like you should have won, it's tough to get over. And when it's the last one, it's very difficult to get over. You feel like it's a waste of seven, eight months. What's the point of getting this far? I'd have rather not even made the playoffs." 

"We kicked their ass up and down the field all day. And there's no reason we shouldn't have won the game. Literally one of 10 plays you can pick that if we get it, we win the game. It's frustrating when you should have won the game and you're the better team. And I thought we were the better team all day except for three minutes."

Rodgers, Kuhn Named First-Team All-Pros

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers and FB John Kuhn have been named 2014 NFL First-Team All-Pros, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Tyler Dunne reports. 

Rodgers received 44 of 50 media members' votes for his position, according to Dunne. As for Kuhn, he got 18 at fullback, enough for the accolade.

Besides them, WR Jordy Nelson and Guard Josh Sitton both made the second team, solidly garnering 15 and 22 votes, respectively. Sitton's total left him just short of the first team, writes Dunne.

The Packers are coming off a 12-4 campaign this fall, one which proved good enough for the NFC's no.2 seed after Sunday's win over the Lions.

Five Packers Make NFC Pro Bowl Team

Five Packers players have been named to this year's NFC Pro Bowl team, ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky reports.

QB Aaron Rodgers, who ranked number one overall among the fan balloting, will return to Hawaii for the fourth time, accompanied by FB John Kuhn (second selection), WR Jordy Nelson (first selection) and G Josh Sitton (second selection) on the offensive side of the ball.

As for Green Bay's defense, it willl be represented by LB Clay Matthews (fifth selection), who has 10 sacks this season. 

WR Randall Cobb is considered by snubb by Demovsky, having not been selected in favor of Cincinnati's A.J. Green. 

Should We Be Concerned About The Packers Offensive Line?

Injuries really become a problem for NFL teams when they hit multiple players at the same position. So the timing of injuries to LG Josh Sitton and RG T.J. Lang could leave the Packers in a bind when they play the Bears on Sunday.

This is how #Packers guards Josh Sitton (toe) and T.J. Lang (ankle) spent the portion of practice open to the media. pic.twitter.com/owgf5Ox817
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) November 6, 2014

I wouldn't count either of them out until game time, but it sure is possible they could miss the game. Sitton is once again their best offensive lineman for the umpteenth season in a row. Lang played poorly against the Seahawks in the opener, but he's been very good since then.

Their replacements would be JC Tretter (who hasn't played a snap this season and just came off of I.R.) and Lane Taylor (who's clearly their worst lineman now that Derek Sherrod's been released). Tretter's been worked mostly at center over the past two seasons and played tackle in college, so it's safe to assume he's least familiar with the guard position. It's likely to be a big step down from Sitton and Lang to Tretter and Taylor.

Unfortunately the Bears could be in good position to take advantage of it. 9.5 of their 20 sacks this season have come from their interior lineman while Stephen Paea and Jeremiah (Jay) Ratliff are currently ranked by Pro Football Focus as their two best pass rushing defenders. Ratliff has looked impressive this season and shaken off the problems that kept him off the field for the Cowboys back in 2012 and 2013. If their tackles can provide a consistent pass rush, they could disrupt the entire offense, as the Lions did back on September 21st when they held the Packers to seven points by stopping the running game and forcing QB Aaron Rodgers into a lot of quick passes because of pressure.

To answer my own question; I'd be very concerned if Sitton and Lang couldn't play on Sunday.

The Packer Offensive Line Was Awful Against The Lions

Worrying about the offense is not a concern I've written about often for the Green Bay Packers. This shouldn't be a big concern when QB Aaron Rodgers is healthy and playing, but the other 10 starters on offense have to contribute too.

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix grabbed his 1st career career INT on Sunday. #GBvsDET Game highlights: http://t.co/C24up63FTq pic.twitter.com/nAOvx6qO6t
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 21, 2014

The good news is that the defense is looking much better. They got big plays from two new faces (LB Julius Peppers and FS HaHa Clinton-Dix) and another one from a player who was seldom used in the past (CB Davon House). Though House's INT was probably the least helpful turnover I've ever seen since it pinned the Packers on the goal line and led to safety. The defense wore out late in the game as RB Reggie Bush ran for a long TD and even WR Golden Tate was running through tackles on the final drive. The defense could have done more, but overall they held a good offense in check.

I wrote last week about the lack of help from the offensive skill players. The Lions double-teamed WR Jordy Nelson (who still managed to lead the team in receiving) and it left the offense without a big play threat. TE Andrew Quarless had a great game, but that can't be said for any of the other receiver or back. However, the big problem was that the offensive line had a bad, bad day.

This isn't the first time they struggled badly trying to stop Suh and Fairley. While neither Lion had a huge stat line, they were shoving lineman out of the way at times and Rodgers was throwing a lot of quick passes. He couldn't take a few seconds to let a route develop. The Packers had done a pretty good job against them in recent seasons but this wasn't one of those moments.

LT David Bakhitari. Pro Football Focus gives him the worst run blocking grade of any lineman this season, and the visual evidence would confirm that. However, he does have a positive pass blocking grade, which might be good enough for Mike McCarthy. Former LT Chad Clifton was rarely an asset as a run blocker, but it didn't matter because of his reliable pass blocking.

LG Josh Sitton. He still has the best overall grade at Pro Football Focus of any lineman despite having his worst game of the season. He usually has one bad game per year (in 2013 it was the home opener against the 49ers). I expect he'll bounce back.

C Corey Linsley. He looked like a rookie trying to fill in for a starter last Sunday. Suh especially was shoving him around. He's probably not a long-term starter and he held up as best he could considering neither of the two veterans playing alongside him played well.

RG T.J. Lang. I lost track of the number of times I saw Lang on the ground. He was the lineman watching LB DeAndre Levy running by him on his way to tackling RB Eddie Lacy in the end zone for a safety. He was the only lineman charged with a sack by Pro Football Focus but he still ended up with a positive grade from them on Sunday. Go figure. It looked like a forgettable game for him.

RT Bryan Bulaga. With his surprising return from a knee injury, I'd expected the line to play well, but that didn't happen. Still, it wasn't his fault and he was the only lineman with a positive grade from Pro Football Focus.

The combination of arguably the best two defensive tackles going up against a line featuring a rookie center ended up going about as bad as you might expect. Hopefully it goes better against the Bears next week, but DT Stephen Paea had a good game against the Jets and DT Jeremiah Ratliff is having a good season (assuming he returns from a concussion). At this point, there's no big fix coming until JC Tretter returns later this season, but Sitton and Lang should bounce back from their poor game against the Lions.

Sitton: "We're a Very Hungry Team Right Now"

In an article recently published by the Pensacola News Journal, Packers Offensive Guard Josh Sitton talked about how "hungry" the team is right now after failing to reach the Divisional Playoffs last season. 

"We're a very hungry team right now," Sitton said. "I think we'll do a few different things with our defense. We have a few new pieces on defense, so I think there's going to be a big jump and big improvement on our defense."

Among those new pieces are Free Agent Signing Julius Peppers and first round draft pick Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, two guys who may just change Green Bay's future in the sense Sitton seems to be referring.

Packers 2014: The New Look Offensive Line

After reading Jack's post on RT Bryan Bulaga, I realized that I hadn't thought much about the changes on the offensive line this offseason. It's been a quiet 2014 so far with no free agent signing like with C Jeff Saturday in 2012 and only one late round draft choice (5th round C Corey Linsley). But the line's starting five is pretty much set, barring something surprising this preseason.

LT David Bakhitari. He went from unknown to the unquestioned starter at left tackle. He had a couple bad games last season, and unsurprisingly his conditioning entering last season as a rookie wasn't up to NFL standards. The fact that he's the unchallenged left tackle this season shows how much confidence the team has in him.

LG Josh Sitton. He had a rough start last season in Week 1 because of a back injury, but it cleared up within a couple weeks and he went onto be ranked as the No. 2 guard overall last season by Pro Football Focus.

C JC Tretter. Mike McCarthy has seemed to have wanted a tall center for years. He tried to promote Jason Spitz over Scott Wells a few years ago, but Spitz got hurt and Wells went onto play at a Pro Bowl level. Tretter is more athletic and taller (6-4) than any starting center they've had in years, and the coaches know exactly what they've got after watching him play on the scout team for the last several weeks of the 2013 season. Playing alongside two veterans will help with his transition, and I've got zero concerns about him.

RG T.J. Lang. He was very good in his first season as a starter (2011) but he slipped in 2012, and I was worried about his long-term future. Instead, a move to the right side of the line gave him no problems, and he bounced back with a solid 2013 season (the 15th ranked guard last season overall according to Pro Football Focus). Sitton and Lang were the anchors of the line in 2013, and they'll do it again next season.

RT Bryan Bulaga. If they did have any concerns about him returning from an ACL tear, he's seemed to have answered them this offseason. His health is still the biggest concern among the five starters, and even if that does become a problem again, Don Barclay was OK last season in his place.

Warm and humid today at #Packers minicamp. Lang, Tretter and Bulaga chat during special teams. pic.twitter.com/bJTLz50uCf
— The Fan 1075 (@WDUZ) June 17, 2014

Packers Lose Dietrich-Smith; JC Tretter Expected To Start At Center

I was in favor of re-signing C Evan Dietrich-Smith, but that was a contract the Packers wisely passed up. At four years and $7.25 million guaranteed, this will be a contract that leads to some dead salary cap money in a couple years. While he was very good in 2013, he's not worth that kind of money. He's also one year removed from receiving little interest in the free agent market, and he was previously released by the Packers back in 2010.

Second year player JC Tretter is expected to be the starting center, which was the position I expected him to play when they drafted him last year, and he should be fine alongside two veterans; Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang, who are two of the reasons Dietrich-Smith played so well last season in the first place.

Back in 2011, when Scott Wells played alongside Sitton and Lang, Wells was ranked by Pro Football Focus as the No. 4 overall center. He's had some injury problems over the past couple years, but in 2012 he was ranked near the bottom of the league (even below former Packer Jeff Saturday) and in 2013 he was ranked No. 23 (below average). He's clearly missed played in front of QB Aaron Rodgers and alongside Sitton and Lang (both ranked among the Top 15 guards in the league last season according to Pro Football Focus). They'll help make this a smooth transition for Tretter, and I expect he'll be ranked higher next season than Dietrich-Smith will be in Tampa.

Extra Points: Packers Win Over The Falcons

Since QB Aaron Rodgers had an MRI on his collarbone last week, the news hasn't been good, and it's still not looking good. QB Matt Flynn and the defense have to keep improving if they want to make the playoffs.

Pro Football Focus ran it's weekly ReFo article after the Packers' game, and I wanted to mention a couple players that I hadn't mentioned in Monday's recap.

C Evan Dietrich-Smith. The Falcons' defense was pretty unimpressive, but DT Corey Peters made an impact (PFF grade of +1.6) while recording one sack, one TFL, and one QB hit. On multiple plays, he got in the backfield, usually past Dietrich-Smith. EDS has started the last two weeks, but his injured knees must still be bothering him. He's played better than I expected this season though I'm wondering how he's going to hold up over their final three games.

LB Nick Perry. He was still listed on the injury report with the same foot injury that's forced him to miss a few games this season. With rookie LB Nate Palmer providing zero in his absence, it's been great to see Perry back. He had a strip sack fumble against the Lions that was returned for a touchdown and Pro Football Focus gave him credit for six pressures against the Falcons. He's been an effective edge rusher in his first two seasons, when healthy.

DE Johnny Jolly. A couple of minor injuries seemed to have slowed him down over the past several weeks, but he made an impact last week with a tackle for a loss and a patted down pass. Maybe he's getting healthy and back into form.

LG Josh Sitton. His back was bothering him for the first couple weeks of the season, but he's been outstanding since then. Pro Football Focus said that he surrendered no pressures against the Falcons and that was the eighth time he done that this season. He might be on pace for his second consecutive Pro Bowl appearance.

The Packers Might Shuffle Their Offensive Line

This has been one bad week for LG Josh Sitton and now he might not be able to start next Sunday.

Marshall Newhouse will play if Sitton does not. McCarthy won't say how that'll work but I'd expect Barclay to move RT to G.
— Jason Wilde (@jasonjwilde) September 11, 2013

Sitton had a bad game against the 49ers, Pro Football Focus gave him a grade of -4.5 for his struggles against DE Justin Smith, and part of the problem might have been a bad back which kept him out of practice on Wednesday. Maybe he hurt it during the game. Unfortunately it's hard to tell at this point whether it's serious.

If Sitton does miss their game against the Redskins, Jason Wilde thinks Newhouse would play at right tackle and Don Barclay would move inside. They might even move T.J. Lang back to left guard. During their last preseason game, at times the Packers played the now released T Kevin Hughes at left tackle with Newhouse at RT and Barclay at RG. I don't recall seeing Barclay play on the left side this preseason, though he did play some at center early in training camp.

I don't think Mike McCarthy likes moving his lineman around, but he probably wants his five best lineman on the field. Since I can't recall Newhouse playing anywhere this preseason except at tackle, that would be where he has to go, and the guards might be shuffled around accordingly.

Pro Football Focus: Where The Packers Struggled Against The 49ers

I wasn't expecting the Green Bay Packers to win on the road against the 49ers, the game was arguably their toughest game of the season, so I'm not going to be too critical after it. But there's always room for improvement and it's best to start improving your weakest links. It was pretty clear where that was against the 49ers.

Jerron McMillian led the defense in snaps (81) but was victimized in coverage (6 recs on 6 tgts, 57yds and a TD) and missed four tackles.
— Bryan Hall (@PFF_BryanHall) September 9, 2013

In their weekly re-focused article, the offensive line was a major sore spot. While the young, starting tackles were far from flawless, it was the veteran guards who really struggled. The decision to flip Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang has so far not paid off. It was arguably the worst game I've ever seen from Sitton. Lang struggled last season and he didn't show much improvement in this game.

McMillian was probably being asked to do a lot more in coverage than usual with Morgan Burnett out, and it showed. Maybe this will turn out to be his worst game of the season, but his continued development is something to watch this season, especially if he is asked again to fill in for Burnett next week.

Position Review: Offensive Line Guards and Tackles

When the OTAs (organized team activities) start this week for the Green Bay Packers, who's playing where on the offensive line will be a topic of conversation because Mike McCarthy said that Bryan Bulaga and Josh Sitton are moving to the left side of the line and the Packers drafted two rookie lineman in April. It's clear Bulaga and Sitton will be the starters, along with T.J. Lang at right guard, but the position (guard or tackle) and future of every other lineman on the roster is an open question.

Position Review: Offensive Line-Center. Though I wrote earlier about Evan Dietrich-Smith and Greg Van Roten, they're both listed as G/C so it wouldn't be a surprise to see either of them playing guard in the future. But right now, they're the top two centers.

Marshall Newhouse and Derek Sherrod. While their situations are different, Newhouse was displaced by Bulaga on the left side and Sherrod hasn't been able to get his career back on track after a major leg injury, they're probably options 1A and 1B at right tackle. Newhouse can certainly play there but they'd rather see Sherrod show the promise they saw when selected him in the 1st round in 2011. This is a big offseason for both players. The loser will probably wind up on another team's roster in 2014.

David Bakhtiari and J.C. Tretter. The problem for the winner of the Newhouse/Sherrod battle is that they might only win the starting job for one season before Bakhtiari and Tretter are ready. GM Ted Thompson has had success finding offensive lineman in the 4th round (Sitton, Lang) and he found two more in 2013. Both players look more talented then their draft selection would indicate. They might have been available in the 4th round only because it was a strong draft for offensive lineman and they played at two little watched schools (Bakhtiari at Colorado, Tretter at Cornell). Their futures might be at guard, so they should play both guard and tackle this preseason as the coaches get a better look at them. I wouldn't be surprised to see both of them become long-term answers on the offensive line.

Don Barclay, Andrew Datko, Kevin Hughes, Lane Taylor. Barclay beat out Datko last year to become their emergency starter at right tackle, but Datko might look better this year if the shoulder he injured during his senior season is stronger. The problem for all four players is that the Packers have more depth now then they've had over the past few seasons. There might not be any room for undrafted or former practice squad players this year. I count nine lineman ahead of these four players, and the Packers have only kept seven to eight lineman at the start of the last two seasons. Even if they kept nine, these players probably wouldn't make the cut.

The starting five aren't settled like they were a year ago, but there's more depth then ever and it could lead to a surprising mix on the offensive line in 2013.

Mike McCarthy Shuffles The Offensive Line

There's been a lot written this offseason about LT Marshall Newhouse's future at left tackle and now Mike McCarthy has confirmed a move that had been discussed for a couple years; Bryan Bulaga to left tackle.

New from JS: Packers offensive line undergoes a makeover bit.ly/18xBN5s
— tom silverstein (@TomSilverstein) May 3, 2013

The main argument for keeping Bulaga at right tackle is that the team needs a good right tackle too. Bulaga was great on the right side in 2011 so why mess with success? It was a little surprising how secretive Mike McCarthy was about it. Tom Silverstein wrote:

Initially, multiple sources detailed the move, and later after an interview request, coach Mike McCarthy confirmed it and agreed to discuss it.

Or maybe he wasn't trying to keep a secret but he didn't want to talk about it. He might not want to give away any changes in his play calling tendencies. He did say "There was a lot of information that went into this decision" and "you put your athletic guy on the left and the more powerful guy [T.J. Lang] on the right."

Right now, it looks like an equal, three-way race between Newhouse, Don Barclay, and Derek Sherrod (health permitting) for right tackle job. Maybe rookies David Bakhtiari and J.C. Tretter will join in the competition, but the coaches want to see them in person first.

I don't see a downside to moving Bulaga and Sitton to the left side, but it's not obvious that this will make them any better. They might still line up with the same five players if Newhouse is named as the starting right tackle. Moving their offensive line problems from the left to the right side won't help. Still, it's great to see the coaches address the offensive line and look for ways to make the unit better.

Packers Pro Bowl 2013: Did Anyone Watch It?

With QB Aaron Rodgers and LB Clay Matthews not playing in the Pro Bowl due to injuries, probably nothing that would have kept either of them out of a playoff game but serious enough to pass on an exhibition match, there wasn't much for a Green Bay Packers fan to watch. So I didn't watch it. I'm not sure who did watch it. I know all the Packers' coaches were on the sidelines, but that game has the least amount of coaching possible.

New Insiders blog:Pro Bowl switcheroo gives Saturday one last snap with Manning dlvr.it/2s5N8B #Packers
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) January 28, 2013

When the big story is that legacy selection C Jeff Saturday took a snap with the AFC team, and DE J.J. Watt had a bloody pinkie (he's fine), it doesn't look like I missed much. Except for a lot of scoring.

One good thing that came out of it was that RG Josh Sitton has finally made it to the Pro Bowl. He probably deserved to go after the 2010 season, but he would have skipped it because of his first Super Bowl appearance. He was the team's best offensive lineman last season and now becomes only the third guard to represent the Packers in a Pro Bowl in the last 40 years.

Improving The Packers' Offensive Line

Overall, I was disappointed with the Green Bay Packers offensive line and thought they took a step back last season. However it's not obvious how they can improve either. While C Jeff Saturday didn't have as much left in the tank as the Packers expected and the team will again look for a new starting center, it was a step back for Lang and Bulaga too. Are they part of the problem or can we expect them to bounce back next season?

Here are the offensive line snaps from the Washington Post:

Lineman	Games Started	False Start	Holding	Sacks
Newhouse	16	1	2	10
Lang	15	1	2	11
Saturday	14	0	1	3.5
Dietrich-Smith	6	2	3	2
Sitton	16	1	3	2.5
Bulaga	9	2	3	5
Barclay	4	3	0	3.5

While LT Marshall Newhouse was second on the team with 10 sacks allowed, he actually improved last season. In 2011, he surrendered 11.5 sacks in 13 games starts and there were a couple games when he was just demolished by elite pass rushers (DE Jason Pierre-Paul is one example). He didn't have those awful games again in 2012; it was more of a slow trickle of sacks throughout the season and certainly some of those were due to the coverage. He's not an elite left tackle but he took a step forward last season.

The Packers' New Look Offensive Line

It hasn't been a great season for the Green Bay Packers' offensive line and they could be making some changes across the line next year. But in the meantime, the o-line is getting a new lineup because of injuries. The new starting right tackle has only one regular season game under his belt and the backups don't even have that much.

McCarthy-Don't have a feel for TJ Lang's return. Not progressing the way he'd like. #packers
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 5, 2012

The hope was that RT T.J. Lang could bounce back from his ankle injury and return on Sunday, but that hope seems to be lost. It appears undrafted rookie RT Don Barclay will have to start this week, and he'll probably struggle as he did against the Vikings, even if he does gets some help with a chip block from the tight end.

If coaching the offensive line is a thankless job, then this has to be the low water mark. QB Aaron Rodgers has been getting sacked too often and the running game has been going nowhere. Now offensive line coach James Campen has to help Barclay get ready to start, and see if he can get a better performance from LG Evan Dietrich-Smith, who's been struggling and committing too many penalties. Even LT Marshall Newhouse, who allowed two sacks last week to DE Jared Allen last week and a lot of pressure against the Giants, could use some extra advice. Finally, he's got to get a couple rookies up to speed.

LG Greg Van Roten has been on the active roster for a few weeks, but he hasn't played on offense yet. Since he's the next man up, he'll see playing time if any of the other lineman are forced out of the game. He'd probably replace either of the guards if they were hurt, but if another tackle was injured, I wouldn't be surprised to see Van Roten play at guard and RG Josh Sitton move to tackle.

The other option might be to play rookie OL Andrew Datko at tackle. With the re-signing of OL Shea Allard to the practice squad, it's been speculated that Datko could be added to the active roster if Lang is ruled out. As for Allard, he was bad during the preseason, and he confirmed that by admitting he hadn't drawn any interest since the Packers released him at the end of preseason. Familiarity seems to be as good as any other option at this point. Since the Packers probably don't want Allard to do anything more than play on the scout team, familiarity might be all they want.

There's not much for the offensive line to do except to hold on. Their struggles have been keeping a lid on the offense this season, and it's not going to get better over the next few weeks.

Jennings Has Surgery, But I'm Writing About The Offensive Line

In previous years, losing WR Greg Jennings for an undisclosed amount of time due to surgery for a groin injury would be a big deal, but the Green Bay Packers have basically been without their top wide receiver already this season. He hasn't played at all in October, and over their last three games, QB Aaron Rodgers has thrown for 12 touchdowns and 1 INT. They'll be fine without him, which might be something to consider when Jennings becomes a free agent at the end of the year.

However the one area that has been a concern this season is the offensive line. While Rodgers had a great game against the Rams, the offensive line struggled to protect the QB and open running lanes for RB Alex Green. It seems like their problems every week can be traced to one player on the line, and against the Rams it was LG T.J. Lang.

His main problem was DT Michael Brockers, who despite having a quiet rookie season was great against the Packers. He had a sack in the first half when he shoved Lang into the backfield, and recorded two tackles for a loss on running plays (though one came when C Jeff Saturday couldn't block him). Overall, Lang appeared to allow two first half sacks, and missed on at least two blocks on second half running plays. Allowing that many plays in the backfield isn't good.

One strange thing was that they seemed to call for more runs to the left side although arguably their best lineman (RG Josh Sitton and RT Bryan Bulaga) play on the right. It was even more strange considering Lang's struggles, and some early game difficulties LT Marshall Newhouse, who had keeping up with DE Robert Quinn. At least Newhouse seemed to improve after the first quarter.

As long as I'm bringing up the bad, I should point out the good. The Rams's star DE Chris Long (13 sacks in 2011, 4 in 2012) was a non-factor and only recorded one tackle against the Packers. Mike McCarthy rarely gives his tackles any help in pass protection and Bulaga was great against the Rams' playmaker.

The Packers 90-man Roster: Guards

I feel like I'm cheating. There's not much to write about with the guards for the Green Bay Packers. The Packers have two young, established starters, and a group of undrafted free agents battling for a reserve job.

Player	Height	Weight	Age	Experience
Barclay, Don	6-4	305	23	Rookie
Brooks, Jaymes	6-2	300	22	Rookie
Cook, Grant	6-4	318	23	Rookie
Dominguez, Ray	6-4	334	24	2
Lang, T.J.	6-4	318	24	4
Sitton, Josh	6-3	318	26	5

Sitton was outstanding during 2009 and 2010, and he was rewarded early last season with a huge contract extension. He's not going anywhere, and he should be in the discussion when people are talking about the best right guards in the NFL. He was a little off his game last season as he played through some injuries and missed two games, but he should be back strong.

Coming into the 2011 season, T.J. Lang had a lot to prove. He'd shown some promise at guard during his first two seasons, but faced only mild competition from Derek Sherrod during the preseason before securing the starting left guard job. And he did a fantastic job in his first season as a starter. He'll be a free agent next March, but the Packers are almost certain to extend his contract before then. With the departures of Chad Clifton, Daryn Colledge, and Scott Wells over the past two years, there's room for him under the salary cap. Bryan Bulaga won't be a free agent until after the 2014 season, so they can afford to take care of Lang now.

Ray Dominguez has played at both guard and tackle, but he's currently listed as a guard. He spent most of the last season on the practice squad, and he'll be eligible for it again in 2012. He was as good as any reserve lineman who played last preseason, but he wasn't great, and the pool of undrafted rookie free agents (Barclay, Brooks, and Cook) could challenge him with a strong preseason of their own.

Overall competition level: medium. While the starters are set, the backup position is wide open. Not only are four players battling for what could be only one spot on the practice squad, they also have to worry about spill over competition from the tackle position (that'll be a future post). This will be a position I'll be watching this preseason because I really want one of these players to step-up and establish himself as the clear backup guard.