Five Key Things To Watch In Camp: Number 3 - Starting Center

When one of the keys to watch in training camp is the center position, you know the Packers enter the season in pretty good shape. It's a position that's usually ignored during the draft, and the highest cap number for any center in 2013 was only $6.5 million, so it's not typically a priority during free agency either. That helps explain why the Packers didn't re-sign Evan Dietrich-Smith and instead are trusting that a former 4th round pick can learn the position after having played tackle in college.

J.C. Tretter trying to become long-term answer at center for Packers http://t.co/BFnuelIBLE
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) July 1, 2014

There's a lot to like about J.C. Tretter, who moves well laterally and is quick off the ball. He could become a very effective run blocker who can take out the linebacker downfield. He'll also be helped by two veteran tackles who are among the best in the NFL. Though he missed almost the entire 2013 season to a broken ankle, he did return in early December and was able to practice for several weeks with the team. He won't be learning to adapt to the NFL schedule because he's already done it.

While there's not a lot to be worried about with Tretter, we still haven't actually seen him in a game as a Packer, which is why he'll be someone to watch this preseason.

Clements Believes Center Position is Key For Offensive Line's 2014 Success

Packers Offensive Coordinator Tom Clements believes the center position is the key for the line's 2014 success.

In an article published yesterday by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Bob McGinn, Clements claimed that if "the center position comes along we'll have a very good line," seemingly announcing his trust for sophomore J.C. Tretter.

Currently, Tretter, the team's 4th Round Draft Pick last year, appears to be Green Bay's replacement for Evan Dietrich-Smith, who left earlier this offseason for the Buccaneers. 

Now since Dietrich-Smith's new contract was only worth $7.25 million, the Pack probably could've kept him if they wanted to, but since Tretter apparently impressed them they decided to go with him instead, something that could soon be regretted if the latter turns out to be a bust.

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.

Packers Center Dietrich-Smith signs 4-year deal with Buccaneers

According to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport, Packers Center Evan Dietrich-Smith, who has played each of his first 4 NFL seasons with the team, has signed a 4-year deal worth a total of $14.25 million ($3.6 million a year) with the other bay team: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On Thanksgiving Day 2011, Dietrich-Smith was the victim of the infamous Ndamukong Suh stopping incident, which resulted in Suh being suspended for two games and the rivalry between the two teams officially getting re-born. 

So yea, while having a bunch of nice things to say about a Center is pretty difficult, I guess this guy'll be missed. I mean, he was loyal and solid, wasn't he?

2014 Packer Free Agents: Sam Shields Wants A Reasonable Contract

I've been going through the list of key free agents for the Green Bay Packers in reverse order, starting with the 19 players who aren't really free agents and/or aren't going to command a multiple year contract, and moving onto the 5 guys who aren't really important to re-sign. I had a few more players to write about before I wrote about CB Sam Shields, who I viewed as their most important player to re-sign, but some recent news made me decide to write about him now.

According to reports, #Packers CB Sam Shields looks to land a four-year, $22.4 million contract this offseason http://t.co/oANRexsiBI
— Acme Packing Company (@acmepackingco) February 23, 2014

Those numbers rang a bell. Four-years, $22.4 million are exactly the same contract terms that CB Tim Jennings agreed to with the Bears back in January. Those two aren't exactly the same type of player (Jennings has played a lot of cover-2 and Shields is younger) but they're comparable players; starting caliber cornerbacks who aren't shutdown corners. They were within 0.1 of having the same overall 2013 grade according to Pro Football Focus. Maybe it's too much of a coincidence; someone is just assuming Shields should receive the same contract as Jennings. On the other hand, his agent (Drew Rosenhaus) isn't a dummy and probably knows his client's market value.

As a brief aside, there is a good argument to be made that their most important free agent this offseason is C Evan Dietrich-Smith. He had a very good 2013 season, better than I expected, and he played more snaps last season than any other free agent. He was very important to their team. However, he's a center, and he's playing alongside two veteran guards (who were both great in 2013 too). They might not want to re-sign another interior lineman to a big multi-year contract, and I think that if the Packers plugged someone like J.C. Tretter in at center alongside Lang and Sitton, we wouldn't notice the difference.

I really wanted them to re-sign Shields, but it would be an overpay to use the franchise tag on him, so I was concerned that they wouldn't be able to keep him from testing the market. Hopefully they can sign him to a new contract based on the terms that were reported yesterday.

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 Offense Is Playing Great and The Injuries Aren't That Bad

It's been kind of a gloomy week, despite the win over the Lions, because LB Clay Matthews was injured. However, I'm very optimistic after a commanding win over the Lions (be it without WR Calvin Johnson) and it feels like the Packers are about to go on a run.

This headline is a head scratcher: Packers offense not firing on all cylinders. QB Aaron Rodgers isn't playing like it's 2011, but this is a powerhouse offense. They're the number two offense according to Football Outsiders, which is basically the best any team can hope for this season when QB Peyton Manning is on pace for 64 TDs and 3 INTs. Rodgers isn't having his best season statistically, but otherwise the offense has made two major improvements to areas that had been holding them back.

After watching Rodgers take hit after hit for the past few seasons, he's only been sacked 11 times this season, which is tied for 8th best. Also, the offensive line has helped two different backs go over 100 yards rushing in a game (Franklin and Starks) and Lacy just missed the mark with 99 yards against the Lions. That's even more impressive considering there have only been eighteen 100 yard rushing games in the entire league so far this season.

The additions of Franklin and Lacy have obviously helped, but I've also been impressed with the run blocking of LT David Bakhtiari. Another key promotion has been C Evan Dietrich-Smith, who's been much better at taking out the inside linebacker against the run than C Jeff Saturday was. The pass offense is still outstanding, ranked behind only Denver and San Diego according to Football Outsiders, but now the running attack is a top 3 unit, behind only Philadelphia and Indianapolis.

As for the injuries, the return of S Morgan Burnett last week was great to see. Hopefully CB Casey Hayward can end his season long absence and return soon. RB James Starks is hurting, but that was inevitable. LB Brad Jones is a big loss, he's good at every aspect of the game, but he might only miss one week (with another hamstring injury?). There's no player more important to the defense than LB Clay Matthews, but they actually have no idea when he might be back (in a good way). His thumb won't heal but he can play with a cast and he might return sooner than we originally believed. Matthews could also use the time off; he looked a bit slow during the Lions game and his hamstring might still be bothering him. There will be some problems on defense next week, against a Ravens team that has a lot of problems on offense, but the defense should be getting all their starters back shortly.

Position Review: Offensive Line-Center

Now that the Green Bay Packers have filled out their roster through the draft and free agency, it's a good time to look ahead at the 2013 roster. They have some roster flexibility but usually it's a consistent number of players at each position. There should be at least two players on the 53-man roster listed as C/G and they could keep one more on the practice squad.

Starter Evan Dietrich-Smith. I was hoping to see the Packers draft their center of the future while keeping him around as a stop-gap measure. The future is open to debate, but the present belongs to Dietrich-Smith. I don't view him as a starter, and I don't get the impression that many around the NFL do either. The Packers gave him a low tender offer that required no draft pick compensation if he signed elsewhere, but no other team pursued him as a restricted free agent. 2013 might be the only year he begins the season as the starter, depending on how the next player develops.

Greg Van Roten. I started my positional reviews at center because I noticed the Packers are now listing Van Roten as a guard and center. Van Roten was an undrafted free agent signed in 2012 who impressed the coaches in training camp. He started the season on the practice squad but finished it on the active roster. I thought rookie 4th round pick JC Tretter would wind up on the inside, but he's starting his NFL career at tackle. Van Roten, and his role on the offensive line, should be a player to watch closely next preseason.

Garth Gerhart (brother of Toby Gerhart) and Patrick Lewis. Gerhart went undrafted in 2012 out of Arizona State and spent the season on the Browns' practice squad. He started 35 games in college, but at 6-1 he's a little short for the NFL. Lewis went undrafted out of Texas A&M after an impressive college career. He's almost identical in size to Gerhart, with similar workout times, and both players lack of elite athleticism and size might be the reason they went undrafted. They won't both stick with the team but they give the Packers their best shot of finding the next Scott Wells (late round/undrafted big college player who developed into a starter).

The Packers might have quietly created a battle for the starting job between Dietrich-Smith and Van Roten, while adding a couple of quality, big school backups. The Packers won't send a center again to the Pro Bowl in 2013, but there might be a good competition at the position.

How DE Johnny Jolly Could Change The Packers' Draft Plans

I thought I'd be writing about the upcoming draft all this week, but instead I've found myself writing about veterans who could factor into their draft decisions. First it was about C Evan Dietrich-Smith, who signed his restricted tender. Now it's about recently reinstated DE Johnny Jolly.

Packers, Johnny Jolly in beginning stages es.pn/XUjJkK
— Kevin Seifert (@espn_nfcnblog) March 18, 2013

There's been a lot written about drafting a safety, and there's no reason they can't add more depth in the secondary, but I'm expecting S Jerron McMillian to replace Charles Woodson's role next season. The two most important areas remain the interior offensive line and the defensive line.

With Dietrich-Smith back, the Packers have an adequate Plan B if they can't find a future starter in the draft. They don't absolutely have to draft a center. Also, California C Brian Schwenke would be a great prospect, and he's someone they could select in the second round.

While Jolly was reinstated recently, I didn't expect the Packers would have any interest in him, after he was arrested multiple times and has been out of football since 2009. To my surprise, the Packers have him under contract and he's scheduled to attend the Packers' offseason workouts this week. He won't be ready to put on pads and step on the field, but the Packers will get an extended look to see what's become of the player who started 39 games in his first four seasons.

Jolly's not a great pass rusher (2 career sacks) but he was surprisingly agile for a 325 lb. guy and he had a knack for getting his hand up in the passing lanes (10 pass deflections in 2009). I'd have liked to seen him record a few sacks per season, but otherwise he was almost a perfect fit as a 3-4 defensive end. He might compare to North Carolina's DT Sylvester Williams, who's been mentioned in mock drafts as a possibility for the Packers in the 1st round pick.

While this is a great draft for defensive lineman, if Jolly still looks a lot like the guy they remember from three years earlier, he could give them the option of passing on a defensive lineman in the 1st round. There's nothing wrong if they still take a defensive lineman at the top of their draft, but I wouldn't want them to feel like they have to draft one. Jolly might give them another option.

Packers C Evan Dietrich-Smith is $1.3 Million Richer

Back in March, when the restricted free agents were tendered contracts for 2013, there was some concern that the Green Bay Packers made a mistake with C Evan Dietrich-Smith because they didn't offer a high enough tender to secure a draft pick in return if he signs elsewhere. Now that bit of drama is over because he signed his tender and he'll return to the Packers in 2013.

Dietrich-Smith signs restricted tender pck.rs/XxUlB3
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) April 13, 2013

I was on the fence back in March whether the Packers would even tender him a contract. They didn't appear to view him as a starter, and $1.323 million is rich (at least with the Packers) for a backup. But with no Plan B currently on the roster, paying Dietrich-Smith a premium (as far as the Packers were concerned) was probably worth it.

It was possible that another team might have offered him a multi-year contract and a starting role, Adam Czech thought it could happen, but as was the case with LB Brad Jones, it turned out that both players were more valuable to the Packers than any other team. While Jones received a multi-year deal because he was an unrestricted free agent, Dietrich-Smith is only re-signed for one year as a restricted free agent. Here's what I wrote about Jones a couple weeks ago.

While I'm not a big fan of Dietrich-Smith, he's OK as a backup but stretched as a starter, this is a no-risk signing. It's hard to disagree with a one-year contract when the Packers have cap room available, and he provides depth at a very thin position.

The Packers Tender Shields and Dietrich-Smith

It's not clear if contracts will be offered to TE Tom Crabtree, LB Robert Francois, or LB Frank Zombo, but it is known that the Green Bay Packers tendered a contract to CB Sam Shields and C Evan Dietrich-Smith.

New from JS: Report: Shields receives second-round tender from Packers bit.ly/YX6U80 #packers
— tom silverstein (@TomSilverstein) March 12, 2013

The only bad news here is for Shields, who will be paid around $2 million in 2013 instead of around $3 million if he had received a first-round tender. The fact that the Packers gave him a lower tender, and would only receive a second-round pick as compensation instead of a first, if Shields signs elsewhere, is irrelevant. The restricted free agent market is dead; no team has surrendered a draft pick as compensation for a restricted free agent in years. The second-round tender is as good as a franchise tag.

Dietrich-Smith ended the season as the starting center, but I don't think the Packers view him as their starting center. I think they view him as a backup, and I wasn't expecting them to pay him $2.023 million (the cost of a second-round tender) for a backup lineman. I'm a little surprised they tendered him at all because he'll now receive at least $1.323 million for 2013, and the Packers don't pay players to be backups. Everyone on the bench is usually paid the minimum or is a young player who could become a starter in the near future. But Dietrich-Smith will never develop into what the Packers expect from a full-time starter.

The risk for the Packers is that another team will offer Dietrich-Smith a multi-year contract because the Packers probably wouldn't match it and they'll receive nothing in return. Then they'll have to find at least two interior offensive lineman in free agency or the draft. The Packers seem to like Dietrich-Smith, but they don't seem concerned about trying to replace him. If their scouting department does their usually solid work, there are probably a couple of players they already have in mind.

Who Will The Packers Sign Among Their Restricted Free Agents?

Because the Green Bay Packers' collection of restricted free agents consist entirely of players who were undrafted, the team has some tough choices to make.

My ranking of #Packers' 5 restricted free agents: 1-Dietrich-Smith. 2-Shields. 3-Crabtree. 4-Zombo. 5-Francois. pck.rs/XghbMY
— Mike Vandermause (@MikeVandermause) February 18, 2013

The first question is how much does it cost to tender a contract to a restricted free agent? The levels don't appear to be publicly known, but last season they ranged from $2.742 million to $1.26 million. A tender at the lowest level is tied to the player's original draft selection, but since the Packers didn't draft these five players, the lowest tender will be essentially worthless. The Packers will have to offer the higher amounts to give themselves draft pick compensation protection and that might not work with their salary cap.

The good news is that teams seem to have no interest in signing restricted free agents, especially ones that would require them surrendering their first or second round pick.

C Evan Dietrich-Smith. Would any team offer him a contract to become their starting center? I don't think so, but the Packers probably know better than me. His salary was $619,650 in 2012, so a first (approx. $3 miliion) or second-round tender (approx. $2 million) would be a huge increase. I don't think the Packers want to pay $2 to $3 million for a backup lineman. Mike Vandermause thinks the Packers will offer a first or second-round tender because there's no other candidate on the roster who could start at center. If he does receive a higher tender, it would likely mean he'll be the starter next season and the Packers will look for their center of the future in the later rounds.

CB Sam Shields. It's a no-brainer that he'll receive a first or second-round tender since he's their starting cornerback. Either way, he'll receive a significant raise from $547,540 in 2012 to $2 to $3 million next season. But should it be a first-round or a second-round offer? A second-round tender should be enough to scare off every team. The only downside is that Shields might feel slighted by receiving a second-round tender (and approx. $1 million less).

TE Tom Crabtree. Yes, he's a fan-favorite, but I can't see any reason why he should be tendered a contract. He's obviously liked by the coaches because he's played ahead of TE D.J. Williams and TE Ryan Taylor for the past two seasons, but he probably doesn't want to leave Green Bay and would be happy with a reasonable multi-year deal. Another team or two might show some interest, but I can't see anyone giving him big money.

LB Frank Zombo and LB Robert Francois. I can't see either of them receiving a tender offer. Zombo's struggled too much with injuries and Francois is buried too deep on the bench. Plus, the Packers do have to open up some roster spots for the 2013 draft class.

Packers Free Agency: Who Might Return In 2013?

When the Green Bay Packers have let a player become an unrestricted free agent in recent years, it's a pretty good sign that they don't intend to bring him back. One recent exception was LB Erik Walden, who re-signed last year for near the veteran's minimum, but he might have hurt more than he helped last season.

For those who've asked, here's the list of #Packers unrestricted and restricted free agents: sulia.com/c/green-bay-pa…
— Jason Wilde (@jasonjwilde) February 14, 2013

RB Cedric Benson, RB Ryan Grant, WR Greg Jennings, ILB Brad Jones, and OLB Erik Walden are all unrestricted free agents.

TE Tom Crabtree, C Evan Dietrich-Smith, ILB Rob Francois, CB Sam Shields, and OLB Frank Zombo are all restricted free agents. Since the restricted free agent market is for all practical purposes extinct, those players aren't going anywhere. They will sign modest one-year contracts to return, unless the Packers decide they don't want them back at any price. I'd expect them all to return for the start of training camp.

Do you see the Packers re-signing any of their unrestricted free agents?

They might wait until April, but they could re-sign Cedric Benson. They were pretty happy with his style of running before his season ending foot injury, and if he can pass a physical, he might return as the veteran alternative to RB DuJuan Harris or any back they add in the draft.

Jennings will probably be too expensive, despite what these former GMs think, because there are some teams with money to spend. All it takes is one serious suitor for Jennings to become too expensive.

Both Grant and Walden were allowed to leave last year and only played roles with the team because of injuries. I don't think the Packers will bring them back to do the same thing in 2013.

The Packers would probably like Brad Jones to return, but after a year of starting at inside linebacker, he might look for a starting job elsewhere. He might even find some team willing to let him start and pay him a couple million per year over the next few years. That's not a lot of money, but the Packers would only use him as a special teams player and backup linebacker, so a couple million is too much to pay him.

In the end, the Packers probably won't re-sign any unrestricted free agents before March, but they could return later in the month.

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.

Looking Back At The Packers' Win Over The Vikings

The one note of caution for the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks is believing that they have momentum going forward into next weekend. The Vikings were playing without an NFL quarterback and Deadspin has the GIFs to prove it. The Redskins showed what they can do when QB Robert Griffin III is healthy by scoring two touchdowns on their first two possessions, but he re-injured his knee on that second touchdown drive and then vanished for the rest of the game.

Football Outsiders seemed to be a little down on the Packers after their win because QB Joe Webb is beyond awful as a pocket passer and they coasted after building a 24-3 lead that was insurmountable against any offense led by Joe Webb.

Pro Football Focus was negative on both the teams' offensive lines and especially down on C Evan Dietrich-Smith. I think the Packers are well aware of Dietrich-Smith's limitations, PFF said "he was completely man-handled in the run game", and it's why they signed free agent C Jeff Saturday in the first place. When the Vikings knew that the Packers were going to run out the clock, Dietrich-Smith couldn't get a push at the point of attack. But when there aren't eight men in the box, he's better at moving down field and blocking linebackers, which is why I expect the Packers will stay with him over Saturday again next week.

PFF also noted that LB Erik Walden, while making a few big plays, also got beat a lot of the time. I praised Walden after the game for making big plays, and that's really the best that can be expected from him. He has to make the highlight reel when the opportunity presents itself. If he were able to hold up on every snap, then the Packers wouldn't have drafted LB Nick Perry, wouldn't rotate LB Dezman Moses with Walden, and Walden would have kept his starting job after last season. He's a limited player and the Packers got the best they could have hoped from him against the Vikings.

Packers Bench Starting Center Jeff Saturday

Last offseason, the Green Bay Packers made veteran C Jeff Saturday their biggest free agent signing since the team signed CB Charles Woodson in 2006. Now, they've asked him to take a seat on the bench.

Jeff Saturday confirms he has been benched as the #Packers starting center in favor of Evan Dietrich-Smith. Calls it a passing of the torch,
— Jason Wilde (@jasonjwilde) December 21, 2012

I'm a little surprised at the timing. If anything, he seemed to have been playing better as the season progressed. While I don't believe he was a problem in pass protection, he did seem to be overruled by RG Josh Sitton at times on blocking assignments. The Packers probably weren't expecting perfection, but Saturday did seem to struggle more than they might have expected from a 13 year veteran. It probably didn't help that he was adjusting to his first non-Peyton Manning led offense in over a decade.

Saturday's weakness was in the running game. He didn't seem to provide any push or the ability to take a linebacker out at the second level. While pass protection is the offensive line's top priority, Mike McCarthy has always spoken about doing more on the ground and I would expect better run blocking from Dietrich-Smith.

Unfortunately, Dietrich-Smith hasn't done a lot earn a starting job this season. He was OK at left guard, but he's fallen behind rookie RT Don Barclay on the depth chart over the past few weeks. Blocking against a bull rush isn't the best part of his game because he's undersized, however, that concern will be lessened by playing at center. He should be more mobile, and better able to move off the line and block a linebacker. What he can add to the running game may be the reason this move was made.

Don Barclay Is One Of The Packers Five Best (Healthy) Lineman

If T.J. Lang is ready to return next Sunday against the Bears, he might not be returning to play right tackle.

New Insiders blog:Morning roundup: Is Lang heading back to left guard? dlvr.it/2crgRm #Packers
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) December 11, 2012

The article quotes Mike McCarthy who praised Lang's versatility. Reading between the lines, it means Lang could return to play either left guard or right tackle. Recent times have been tough for LT Marshall Newhouse, but I don't think he's in danger of losing his job to Lang.

RT Don Barclay. Right now, Barclay is one of their top five lineman, which indirectly means he should be starting. He's not good in pass protection, but the combination of Barclay and RG Josh Sitton on the strong side has been a boost to the running game. If he can't improve as a pass blocker, then I'm not sure if he'll fit into their long-term plans, but he's the best alternative they have at the moment.

LG Evan Dietrich-Smith. His game against the Lions was actually one of his better starts, though he was blown up on a bull rush by DT Nick Fairley, which led to a sack. But in previous weeks, he's struggled in pass protection and with penalties. They still need him as a backup, but Barclay's moved ahead of him in my mind.

That would leave the door open for moving Lang back to guard, and it should make the entire offensive line a better unit. It's not an ideal situation for the future, and they'll still have problems trying to protect QB Aaron Rodgers, but they need their best five lineman on the field next week to face the Bears' defensive line.

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.

How Will The Packers Get By Without Bulaga?

In Pete Dougherty's recent article, he doesn't appear to have any inside information on injured RT Bryan Bulaga, but he can read between the lines and thinks the Packers' silence about Bulaga over the past week is a sign that the injury is serious. If you re-watch the injury on NFL Game Rewind, he might have not even been in contact with another defender when it happened, though sometimes the lack of severity has nothing to do with it's actual extent. Assuming that Dougherty is correct and it's a serious injury that keeps Bulaga out for several weeks, who are their options on the offensive line?

Evan Dietrich-Smith at left guard and T.J. Lang at right tackle. While I've seen the same problems with Dietrich-Smith that the Packers have seen over the past couple years (he's somewhat undersized and can miss his blocking assignments) he played well when he replaced RG Josh Sitton last season. And he looked good against the Cardinals last Sunday too, who have a couple of quality inside pass rushers (Darnell Dockett and Calais Campbell). Lang struggled at right tackle when he played it in 2009, but he's certainly improved since his rookie season, though he did allow at least one hit on QB Aaron Rodgers. It's not an ideal situation, and it might be asking a lot of Lang, who's taken a step back at left guard after a strong 2011 season, but it should work.

Undrafted rookies Greg Van Roten and Don Barclay. While both players come from humble origins, they impressed the coaches this summer. If the Packers really believed they could improve on either of them, they could have brought in some other offensive linemen for a workout. Van Roten seemed to have made a big impression on the coaches in practice, while I was less impressed with him during the actual preseason games. Barclay played well throughout the preseason at guard and tackle (Van Roten only played guard). Neither player is a project either. According to Packers.com, Van Roten started 30 games in college and Barclay played in an impressive 52 games at West Virginia and stated at left tackle for three seasons. While Van Roten was probably undrafted because he played at a small school (Penn), Barclay is undersized for an NFL left tackle and probably not the most athletic player at his position. However, they both seem able to play, if needed.

Seventh round rookie OL Andrew Datko. This preseason, he didn't seem to be over the shoulder problems that plagued him in college and he finds himself on the practice squad instead of the active roster. If he wasn't healthy enough to practice then I don't expect the Packers would be stashing him on the practice squad. During the preseason, he didn't look like an asset in the running game but he did seem to hold up as a pass blocker. He might find himself back on the active roster soon depending on what happens with Bulaga.

Former first round pick Derek Sherrod. The Packers made room for him on the roster this week, but Sherrod still hasn't practiced in forever. It's possible he could return, but it's more likely he'll find himself on season ending I.R. in a couple weeks. They don't need another offensive lineman immediately (with Van Roten and Barclay active on game day, they'll give the Packers their usual seven active offensive lineman) so they can afford to wait a couple weeks on Sherrod.

While that isn't an impressive stockpile of depth, it's decent enough. At least they wouldn't have to rely on someone who's no good, such as former lineman Herb Taylor who was released during the preseason.

In Defense of Graham Harrell

Hey, it could be worse.

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Seriously, after re-watching the preseason game against the Browns, I'm going to stick up for Graham Harrell. I'd rather have him as the backup over Colt McCoy or Tarvaris Jackson. Harrell made some poor throws and he'd be an average replacement starter, at best, but he was let down by his teammates on his turnovers:

The second quarter INT that was returned for a touchdown, overturned by a penalty. Maybe the pass was a little off target, but it still hit TE Tom Crabtree in the hands, who tipped it up in the air for a gift INT to a nearby Browns defender.

The end of the second quarter Hail Mary. It wasn't the best attempt, but that's a pass you expect to be intercepted. When Football Outsiders ranks quarterbacks, it removes Hail Mary INTs from their definition of a turnover because it really isn't one.

The third quarter INT that was returned for a touchdown. I had been hoping to see some good things from TE Ryan Taylor this preseason, but he was held out against the Chargers due to a previous concussion. He returned against the Browns, but he tripped over his own feet on a crossing route and the Browns defender made a diving INT at the spot where Taylor should have been standing. If Taylor doesn't fall on his face, there's no chance that this pass is intercepted.

The fourth quarter intentional grounding in the end zone for a safety. It's been a mixed bag among the backups on the offensive line. Rookie Andrew Datko did a fine job in pass protection and the players at guard looked good, but on this play, the Browns' DE ran a stunt over center that neither the left guard nor center Evan Dietrich-Smith picked up, and the defender ran untouched right up the middle. That looked like Dietrich-Smith's responsibility, and Harrell had no chance.

On three bad plays (excluding the Hail Mary pass), Harrell was let down when a teammate made a bad play. His stats wouldn't have been great even if his teammates had helped him out, but it wouldn't have been a disaster either.

As a final note, if there was ever a competition between Harrell and rookie B.J. Coleman, it ended when Coleman's only attempt against the Browns was a pass he should have never thrown against even a college subdivision team. It looked like the receiver ran a different route, probably in response to the double-team he was facing, and Coleman failed to read the defense. The silver lining is that Coleman should have no problem passing through waivers, and they can stash him on the practice squad. The new question is whether they should keep Coleman under any circumstances.

As a final, final note, I liked what I saw from Datko against the Browns. He's a natural left tackle who's got great size and seems to move his feet well, but he was beaten against the Chargers when bull-rushed and he got no push when asked to run block against the Browns. If you're wondering why the Packers haven't ran the ball well this preseason, it's because their two tackles (Datko and Herb Taylor) can't get any push off the line. It looks like the shoulder Datko injured in college is still holding him back, and he might not be anything more than an emergency option until it's fully healed, but he could be very good by next season.