Recapping The Packers 2016 Free Agent Period

The NFL free agent period is rarely an exciting time for GM Ted Thompson and the Green Bay Packers, and 2016 has been no exception. Extending DT Mike Daniels was the most important task they could have accomplished, and they did it back in 2015, but I'm still left more disappointed than usual. There were some notable free agent departures and they'll be looking to find replacements, and depth, at those positions in April's draft.

Mike McCarthy confirmed the Packers are moving on from WR James Jones. He praised him for being "such a class... https://t.co/Z6qumLVpIV

— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) March 22, 2016

WR James Jones. Maybe Jones's agent was talking about a $4 million per season Jermaine Kearse type contract, which I would never expect them (nor should they) agree to. But Jones signed for under $1 million twice last season (first with the Giants and then the Packers) so he's probably not looking for a big deal. He finished 2015 as the 20th best receiver in the NFL according to Football Outsiders and he was the team's best receiver by a mile, so asking him to return in 2016 as a $1 million insurance policy looked like a no-brainer, even if he loses the battle in camp this summer to WR Jeff Janis and/or Jared Abbrederis. Yes, WR Jordy Nelson will be back, Janis and Abbrederis should continue to improve, and Jones might not have been necessary. But he was absolutely necessary in 2015 and he wouldn't have broken the bank. I'm also not mentioning WR Davante Adams, who the team appears to have faith in, though I don't. I'd have made re-signing Jones a priority if he's still available in the $1 million range.

DTs B.J. Raji, Letroy Guion, and Mike Pennel. Pennel wasn't a free agent but his upcoming four game suspension should factor into their 2016 plans. But I don't think they expected Raji to walk away from football. Mike McCarthy thinks Raji will return some day but I'm less sure about it because football doesn't seem to be the most important thing in his life. Good for him, but that won't help the Packers much in 2016. That leaves the middle of their line anchored by Guion and Daniels, and a couple other guys who've never played meaningful NFL snaps. DT Josh Boyd will also return, but he was never very good and he's now coming off a season ending injury. I'm worried that some teams will be able to run right over the defense next season.

LB Mike Neal. The Packers want to move LB Clay Matthews back outside next season and they did re-sign LB Nick Perry, so this seems like a good time to let Neal find another NFL home. I've never been his biggest fan so I'm glad they're looking to find someone better than him. But he was 5th on the team with 734 defensive snaps last season so they have to replace him with somebody, and I have no idea who that somebody will be. LB Sam Barrington will return but you never know what a player is like after a season ending injury. LBs Jake Ryan and Joe Thomas should continue to improve while platooning as a run stuffing and pass covering inside linebacker combo. Also, former disappointments LB Nate Palmer and Carl Bradford remain on the roster. The Packers have a lot of draft choices in the upcoming draft and they're sure to draft at least one linebacker, but they haven't had the best track record of developing inside linebackers. The loss of Raji and Pennel up front, along with Matthews moving back outside from inside, has left the middle of their defense looking like a giant question mark heading into 2016.

CB Casey Hayward. The Packers really didn't need Hayward anymore. The Chargers are paying him $5 million per season starting in 2016 and he might have been challenged for playing time with the Packers by CB Quinten Rollins and LaDarius Gunter. Also, former 5th round pick CB Demetri Goodson is in the mix. But letting a solid player like Hayward go for only a future 3rd or 4th round compensatory pick seems like a poor value. Hayward is a good player now, and that future draft choice is only maybe a good player someday. They've given up something without getting enough back, while at the same time the defense is taking a step back at tackle and inside linebacker.

I'm just not feeling the power of young players when a few of them disappointed last season at key positions like receiver and linebacker. That's the way the Packers work and free agency isn't the answer for most teams, but it's still left me underwhelmed with their offseason plans while I wait for them to re-load in the upcoming draft.

Packers Start 2015 1-0: Defeat Bears 31-23

The big story was obviously WR James Jones, who looked like he never left Green Bay. He signed early this week after being released by the New York Giants, and caught two touchdowns with a 3rd that was taken away by a penalty.

James Jones is back. #GBvsCHI pic.twitter.com/yA8VzSrKx5

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 13, 2015

Technically the Packers had 30 run plays to only 23 pass attempts, but 8 of those rushes were by QB Aaron Rodgers and one was a lateral to TE Richard Rodgers after the pass protection broke down. So the Packers are keeping their pass heavy ways even though Tom Clements is technically calling the plays now instead of Mike McCarthy. Rodgers still calls a lot of the plays himself, so some things won't change, and again it was a nearly flawless game from Rodgers with a QBR of 94.4, 3 touchdowns and no turnovers. He even looked good when running, though I hope he does less of it as the season goes on.

Only five receivers were targeted, which surprised me because I was expecting the Packers would rely on many receivers to overcome the preseason loss of WR Jordy Nelson. All those targets that would have gone to Nelson last season have to go somewhere. Instead, they got a break when the Giants released Jones. I wasn't sure he would actually move ahead of WR Ty Montgomery, but it doesn't look like JJ's forgotten any of the offense, while I'm sure Montgomery is still learning it. Though Montgomery did make his mark with a big kickoff return.

Oh, CB Sam Shields. The Bears saw something they liked, and almost every running play and crossing route went to Shields's side of the field. He's great in single coverage down the sidelines, he knocked a touchdown pass away from WR Alshon Jeffrey in the end zone, but he struggled with nearly every open field tackle that came his way. It'll be something to watch as the season goes on, and the absence of starting S Morgan Burnett might have made the situation worse.

LB Clay Matthews is still a beast. He ran across the field to tackle a running back from behind on one play, and on the game clinching INT he ran from left to right tackle to make the interception. He didn't have a huge impact as a pass rusher, it was LB Julius Peppers's day in that department, but as long as Matthews's is healthy and still running at full speed, it's only a matter of time until the sacks come.

LB Nate Palmer in pass coverage. As you might expect, there's been some rough patches watching Palmer, a former college defensive end, adapt to life as a pass covering inside linebacker in the NFL. And he's coming off a lost season, and played the entire preseason with a giant club on his injured hand. The Packers lost LB Sam Barrington mid-game with an ankle injury, and though Barrington's no great shakes in pass coverage either, he's still probably better than Palmer.

As much as they struggled with RB Matt Forte on defense, they once again had no problem with QB Jay Cutler (who always seems to play his worst against the Packers) and the offense hummed along with the addition of Jones. Next week they host the Seahawks, who are looking for answers after their upset loss to the Rams, in arguably the biggest regular season game of the season.

Nelson Day-to-Day After Suffering Hamstring Injury

Packers Wide Receiver Jordy Nelson is currently listed as day-to-day after suffering a hamstring injury last week, ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky reports. 

During Saturday's preseason opener in Tennessee, strangely, Nelson didn't play, the reason for which remained unknown until today. 

Fortunetaly, though, the injury doesn't seem to be anything serious, and #87 is expected to play this weekend.

Nelson, 29, just signed a 4-year/$39 million extension with Green Bay a couple of weeks ago, a deal that likely needed to be done when you consider this year's reasons for concern, most notably the sudden absence of longtime-catcher James Jones.

Nelson "Doesn't Want to Go Anywhere" After Contract Year

Following each of the last two seasons, a starting Packers WR has left in Free Agency.

Last year, Greg Jennings moved over to the Vikings, while James Jones switched conferences by joining the Oakland Raiders this spring.

Despite that recurring trend, Jordy Nelson apparently doesn't want to leave despite the possibility of making more, telling the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that he "doesn't want to go anywhere" after 2014.

Nelson, currently the Pack's oldest receiver at 29, has been with Green Bay all six seasons of his career, helping the team win 3 Division Titles and a Super Bowl during that time. 

2014 NFL Draft: Could Packers consider taking Colorado's Paul Richardson?

I know that the first thing people usually think about when it comes to the Packers drafting players in the first round is defense, but in this case taking a nice WR like Colorado's Paul Richardson might not be a bad idea. In his three year career at Boulder, Richardson was overall pretty good, catching a total of 156 passes (83 alone last season, a school-record) for 2,412 yards, but still, since he is an offensive player is he worth that twenty-first overall pick?

In my opinion, yea, he is. Not so much because he'd be a superstar, but simply because I feel the Packers are short-handed when it comes to receivers right now. They still have stars Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson available, but, as we've already seen, Cobb can get hurt, while Nelson, though usually healthy, isn't always contributing. 

And besides those two, exactly who else is there? James Jones just went to Oakland, and Jarrett Boykin, while respectable, hasn't shown the world enough to suggest he's a long-term solution (again in my opinion). Now in the end he might turn out to be, but for now I just see drafting at least one solid receiver to be necessary. It'd just help take some of the pressure off the current guys.

James Jones To The Raiders; James Starks Back With The Pack

I thought the Packers had a chance of re-signing WR James Jones because other teams might have some (legitimate) concerns that he'd struggle without QB Aaron Rodgers. But it turned out that one team (the Raiders) had some money still burning in a hole in their pocket:

Raiders gave former Packers WR James Jones a three-year, $11.3M deal.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2014

That's a slight increase over his previous contract. It was rumored earlier this month that Jones might like to return to the West Coast and I floated the Raiders as a possible target. He doesn't fill a major need but having another wide receiver won't hurt them either. With the emergence of WR Jarrett Boykin, and the need to save some salary cap room for future extensions with WR Randall Cobb and WR Jordy Nelson, it left Jones as the odd man out. He's been a solid player for them, I was hoping they would re-sign him, but I can understand why they let him leave.

However, I did not see this latest re-signing coming:

Packers now expected to bring back RB James Starks on a two-year deal, per source; deal considered imminent.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 18, 2014

I've got nothing against bringing him back, he's a powerful runner when healthy, but he joins a crowded collection of back-ups behind RB Eddie Lacy. With the starting job settled and a collection of other solid reserves in hand, I expected Starks to find a new home in 2014.

The money shouldn't be an issue, but I doubt they'll keep four running backs on the roster. I wouldn't expect them to give up on RB Johnathan Franklin and they loved RB DuJuan Harris. Of course, both of them finished the season on I.R. and Harris didn't even make it to the start of the season. Starks will provide depth in case of injury, but if all four backs are healthy at the start of next season, one of them not named Lacy will probably be released.

Jets showing interest in WR James Jones

According to the New York Daily News, the Jets are expressing "real interest" in Packers WR James Jones. In 7 seasons with Green Bay, Jones has been pretty good, catching 310 passes for a total of 4,305 yards, making him an attractive replacement for the recently-released Santonio Holmes. 

Now while I personally don't want Jones back with the Cheeseheads, I guess this news is pretty good for him. I mean, he's obviously not a great receiver, but he's still good enough to deserve a job somewhere notable (yea, the Jets are terrible, but still, people care about them), isn't he? 

James Jones eyeing Packers, Colts, Chargers as possible 2014 destinations

In an article recently published by NFL.com, soon-to-be free agent WR James Jones let the world know what teams he'd like to go to this fall. 

"I've thought about places that I would like to go play, whether it's in Indy or there's coming back home, San Diego or somewhere," Jones said. "Teams have popped up in my head. I can't say I haven't thought about it, but in a perfect world I'd love to go back (to Green Bay)."

Well, unfortunetally for him that last sentence is unlikely to come true. So yea, I guess now he's heading to either the Colts or the Chargers. I mean, if he truly wants to play for them, then I can't imagine why they wouldn't at least give him a look.

James Jones' time in Green Bay likely over

James Jones' time in Green Bay is likely over, The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Bob McGinn reports. According to McGinn, the Packers are yet to offer the 29-year old receiver a new contract and, "in all likelihood," never will. Jones has played each of his first 7 NFL seasons with the team, catching a total of 310 passes for 4,305 yards, so this definitely a big deal. 

Now overall, I've liked having Jones on the team, but really, he's not that good. He's basically just another Greg Jennings, meaning that he's only as good as his QB is. So yea, I guess I'm fine with this decision. I'll still miss Jones a little, but in the end, his absence probably won't affect anything that much. 

James Jones: Looking Back and Looking Forward

I haven't decided about most of the Green Bay Packers's 2014 free agents, except they should pay whatever it takes to re-sign CB Sam Shields, but I was thinking about WR James Jones. In the game against the 49ers, he had two opportunities to make game changing plays and he didn't make either one. He did, however, have a legitimate excuse:

James Jones told me he has been playing with broken ribs since Pittsburgh game. More on blog soon... #Packers http://t.co/BiboAwXgTW
— Lori Nickel (@LoriNickel) January 7, 2014

On their first drive of the 3rd quarter, 3rd and 8 from the Packers' 46 yard line, Rodgers threw a pass to the deep middle of the field that Jones was able to get his hands on but didn't catch. They punted on the next play. On the first play of the 4th quarter, Rodgers threw a deep pass along the right sidelines that Jones missed too. That one wasn't as important because on 4th down, Rodgers threw an amazing pass to WR Randall Cobb, which led to a touchdown. While both catches would have made the highlight reel had he caught them, the first one would have led to at least a field goal. A big play from him could have turned the game into a win.

While he was outstanding in both of their 2012 meetings against the 49ers, Jones went without a single target in their 2013 Week 1 game and only caught 2 of 5 passes attempts on Sunday for 20 yards. He doesn't single-handedly deserve the blame for the loss, but he wasn't part of the solution either.

As for next season, I'm expecting the Packers' will re-sign him because his price should be reasonable. When he last tested the free agent market in 2011, he appeared very marketable as he entered his late-20s and fresh off a Super Bowl win. Instead, he didn't draw much attention and returned to the Packers. While his 2012 career season was outstanding, the only stat that stood out were his touchdown receptions (14). Since 2009, he's been a very consistent (and healthy) player, so they do know what to expect from him.

I'm not expecting he'll receive much free agent interest this year either because he's now entering his early 30s and most of his value is related to the fact that he's catching passes from Aaron Rodgers. In 2013, both of his 100 yard receiving games and two of his three touchdown receptions happened when Rodgers was the QB. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it looks like he has more value to the Packers than to any other team. And the Greg Jennings situation is probably another reminder that teams shouldn't over-value Packer receivers.

If they do part ways next season, the Packers would have to look to the draft for a replacement. WR Jarrett Boykin had a better statistical season than Jones and would move into the No. 3 spot. Behind him is only WR Chris Harper, who's still looking for his first career NFL reception, and counting on him alone would be asking for trouble.

With so many holes on defense, and the fact that GM Ted Thompson should not be expected to fix the defense through the free agent market, it would be better to spend their money on an affordable veteran receiver (Jones) and using the draft pick they would have had to used on a receiver on another defensive player.

James Jones will play tonight

I was hoping to be able to post the full list of inactives tonight, but since I couldn't find it I guess this little shred of news will have to do. According to ESPN's Monday Night Countdown, Packers WR James Jones, who has missed the team's last two games, will play tonight. I've been talking about Jones all week, so I'm pretty happy that he's active, even if it is in a game that they'll definitely win. 

As you all should already know, this one will kickoff in a little over an hour, 7:40 CT to be exact. Like all Monday night games, it'll air nationally on ESPN. Enjoy it. 

Jones now listed as questionable for tomorrow's game

As a continuation to yesterday's post, Packers WR James Jones has now been listed as questionable for tomorrow's game against the Bears, Bleacher Report reports. I already said yesterday why I don't think Jones playing or not in the game will matter, but still, this is news. 

The full list of Packers inactives will not be released until tomorrow, so when that happens we'll know for sure if he'll play. But like I said, don't panic if he's out again. In my opinion, they'll definitely win this game, so if #89 has to take another week off let him. It's the Bears at Lambeau, not the Saints at the Superdome. 

James Jones returns to practice; statues for Monday still unknown

According to ESPN's Rob Demovsky, Packers WR James Jones, who's been out since Week 6 with a leg injury, returned to practice yesterday. Despite this good news, whether or not #89 will play this Monday is still unknown. 

If Jones does miss this week's game, I don't think it'll matter at all. They're playing the Bears at Lambeau. They'll win for sure whether he plays or not. I'm tired of speculating on this. There is simply no way the Bears will win this game. You know what, I'll take this a step further. I GUARANTEE A VICTORY. You guys should too. 

Packer Wide Receivers: Without Cobb But Jones Back Soon?

Mike McCarthy addressed the Green Bay Packers' injuries at wide receiver and linebacker, but I'll leave the linebackers out of this post (LB Nick Perry won't play next week) and just look at the receivers:

Blog update: #Packers WR Randall Cobb will be sidelined for "multiple weeks" with knee injury: http://t.co/vRmvfs7H8Q
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) October 14, 2013

When I saw the injury, I thought Cobb's season was over, so any possible return this season is great news. However he's still going to be out for a while.

It's still early in the week, so this is subject to change, but WR James Jones might be back next week. I wasn't expecting any good news from him either. His injury happened on one of those plays where his knee gave out although it wasn't hit, and often those turn out to be season ending.

They need to add another wide receiver anyway because Jones only gets them back to three. The guy I wish they could sign was former 7th round WR Charles Johnson, but in a case of terrible timing, he was just signed off the practice squad by the Browns. Now it looks like the Packers will raid someone else's practice squad to find a replacement:

Ijust asked Tavarres King if he was going to Green Bay. "How do you know that?" Then he ducked into the bathroom. So, we'll see.
— Lindsay Jones (@bylindsayhjones) October 14, 2013

King was the Broncos' 5th round draft choice and one of their final cuts before the season. He was a big playmaker in his final college season at Georgia (42 catches, 950 yards, 22.6 average, 9 TDs). His work out results were solid (4.40 40 time) but he's not a big guy (6-0, 189 lbs.) so I can see why he didn't make the 53-man roster. His hands are inconsistent and he's going to have to improve on that if he wants to have an NFL future.

His only known competition is WR Myles White, who's currently on the practice squad. I like him, but he dropped a few too many passes last preseason.

Position Review: Wide Receivers

This week, the Green Bay Packers signed another wide receiver to bring the total number of wide receivers in camp up to 11. While the top three are locked in, the bottom six are all rookies who probably have to shine during the preseason to stick with the team.

Previously:
Position Review: Offensive Line Guards and Tackles
Position Review: Offensive Line-Center

Starters: Randall Cobb, James Jones, Jordy Nelson. No doubt about it.

The Packers will probably keep three other receivers, two on the 53-man roster and one on the practice squad, and here are the other eight candidates.

Jarrett Boykin. A late season ankle injury ended his rookie campaign early, but before that he looked like a reliable player who ran good routes without dropping passes. He's the early favorite to become the No. 4 wide receiver.

Jeremy Ross. The Packers didn't sign him to the practice squad until October 17, 2012 but he ended up playing in five games (plus playoffs). While he didn't have a single pass thrown to him, he looked like a dynamic return man after big games against the Titans and Vikings. Until this happened against the 49ers. He'll get another chance, but if he drops a punt or two during the preseason, I wouldn't be surprised if he's released.

Charles Johnson and Kevin Dorsey. The two receivers the Packers drafted in the 7th round. Johnson was a small school guy who impressed Mel Kiper Jr. (and obviously the Packers' scouts) while Dorsey was a No. 1 college wide receiver during an epic quarterback injury situation. They might find themselves on the practice squad at the start of the season.

Sederrik Cunningham, Alex Gillett, Tyrone Walker, Myles White. Gillett was just signed this week as he makes the switch from college QB to NFL WR. All four players are going to have a very hard time making even the practice squad.

In the end, while the players will have to learn the offense and train hard, what's going to separate them is whether they drop passes or fumble the ball during the preseason games. It wouldn't be a surprise to see them all stay in camp until the very last preseason game so the Packers can find out who they can trust with the ball.

Will The Packers Have Three 1,000 Yard Receivers?

I don't think it's important to the Green Bay Packers' offense that their top three receivers each have 1,000 yards receiving in a single season, but it's fun to discuss. From NFL.com, here's what WR James Jones said recently about the subject:

"I think a 100-catch receiver is gone out of our offense just because Aaron (Rodgers) spreads the ball around so much," he said. "If anybody had a shot to get 100 catches, I'd probably say Randall because he's in the slot and he'll probably get a lot more targets.

"I can see me, Jordy and Randall getting about 80 catches a piece. I can see us all having over 1,000 yards."

In his defense, he did clearly point out that QB Aaron Rodgers targets many different receivers. Which would seem to make it difficult for three specific receivers to hog so many targets. And the Packers have had only had one 1,000 receiver in the past two seasons (WR Jordy Nelson in 2011).

But his point is still valid. Especially if TE Jermichael Finley doesn't return next season, because he's been targeted on average 90 times per season over the past two years. While Jones himself only had 784 yards on 98 targets last season, WR Randall Cobb came close with 954 yards on 104 targets. Nelson had 1,263 yards on 96 targets in 2011 and WR Greg Jennings just missed the century mark with 949 yards on 101 targets in 2011.

The key is health. If Jones, Cobb, and Nelson each played all 16 games next season and they each had 110 targets next season (about 7 per game) then they'll be right around 1,000 yard goal. Arguably the only thing that prevented Nelson and Jennings from 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons was that they both missed games due to injury.

The other big problem is the opposing defense. Last season, Rodgers' yards per attempt was only 7.8, down from 9.2 in 2011. Defenses couldn't stop him, but they could hope to contain him. Nelson and Jones each saw a drop of 3 to 4 yards per reception as defenses took away the deep sideline routes. Their opponents were willing to open up the middle of the field for slants to Cobb and short passes to Finley (88 targets in 2012) in exchange for taking away the big play. And the Packers are probably going to have to take what the defense gives them again next season.

At first I thought Jones was just talking big, but his theory is possible. Still, it doesn't seem likely due to health and defenses' strategies.

Some Strange Snap Counts Against The Giants

Luckily for everyone involved, I'm not going to say much about DJ World Peace other than to point out that players often rehab away from their team's facility. LB Ray Lewis is another example of a player who isn't rehabbing at his team's facility, though I've seen him on the sidelines during Ravens' games. While it's a P.R. headache to see the team's second leading rusher booking shows at gentlemen's clubs, it probably has no impact on his recovery.

As for some actual Packer news, Wes Hodkiewicz has some interesting snap counts from their game against the Giants:

#Packers rookie LB Dezman Moses played all 65 defensive snaps versus the Giants. Erik Walden (34) and Frank Zombo (31) split other OLB snaps
— Wes Hodkiewicz (@WesHod) November 26, 2012

It's no surprise to see that Moses played every snap since he was about the only defensive player who stood out in a positive way. But Walden had a good game against the Lions so I'm surprised that Zombo's snaps came entirely at Walden's expense. However, both Walden and Zombo were unable to get to the quarterback or shed blocks against the run, so it didn't matter which one of them was on the field against the Giants.

Casey Hayward only saw 21 defensive plays in the game. Offensively, James Jones went 56 plays without a reception. Driver with only 7 snaps
— Wes Hodkiewicz (@WesHod) November 26, 2012

Unless the coaches are concerned that Hayward is hitting the rookie wall, I don't see why they limited his snaps. Having an extra safety at Hayward's expense wasn't any help. It's even worse than that for Jones: he wasn't targeted on a single pass attempt. I'm surprised they didn't make any effort to get him involved in the offense.

Having said all that, none of these trends may continue into their next game. The Packers seem to change their player rotations every week. It wouldn't have made a difference in the results, but limiting the impact Hayward and Jones couldn't have helped.

The Pro Football Focus Mid-Season All-Pro Team

Even among stat-heads, there can be some varying opinions on players. With that in mind, here's the Mid-Season All-Pro team according to Pro Football Focus. Only one player was named an All-Pro (LB Clay Matthews) but two other players received honorable mention (including one surprise).

Matthews is no surprise, while QB Aaron Rodgers (currently ranked No. 3 by Football Outsiders and in the Top 4 by Pro Football Focus) was only honorable mention. He's probably ranked behind Brady, Manning, the other Manning, and Ryan because of all the sacks he's taken, which is a fair enough complaint.

But the surprise mention is rookie CB Casey Hayward, who earned honorable mention at cornerback. He's played as well as I could have expected, and he's no doubt mentioned because he's currently ranked third in the NFL with 4 INTs. He's come a long way quickly.

The only notable omissions could be the Packers' trio of wide receivers who are currently ranked in the Top 10 by Football Outsiders (Nelson at No. 2, Cobb at No. 3, and Jones at No. 7). Maybe it was too hard for Pro Football Focus to pick one Packer receiver over another, and maybe they gave extra credit to other guys (Percy Harvin, Reggie Wayne, Brandon Marshall) because their teams have no other receiver on them that would be the focus of a defense.

Time To Bench Greg Jennings This Week For Your Fantasy Team

#Packers Injury Report: WR Greg Jennings (groin, OUT FOR SUNDAY), G T.J. Lang (personal, DNP), S Sean Richardson (hamstring, DNP)
— Wes Hodkiewicz (@WesHod) October 4, 2012

Two other Packers were listed on the injury report, S M.D. Jennings and DE Ryan Pickett, who were both hurt during the Saints game, but it would be a surprise if either of them were out against the Colts. Unlike the Seahawks game, when the Packers left Jennings as a game time decision, they've decided he needs time to rest. His groin injury is lingering and Mike McCarthy is frustrated, so letting him rest is probably the best decision.

So what does it mean for the Packers? Here are the wide receiver rankings for their top four wide receivers according to Football Outsiders:

Player	DYAR	Rank	Passes	Yards	TD
Jones	77	12	23	191	3
Cobb	49	26	21	162	0
Nelson	42	33	31	260	1
Jennings	-19	75	22	78	1

Jennings had his ranking slip since last week, but there are now more receivers with over 15 pass attempts. He's now further away from the bottom of the list after recording a touchdown reception against the Saints. Still, he only has 78 yards for the season, with a poor 55% catch rate, so it's understandable. He's unlikely to improve those numbers if he tries to play when he's hurt.

Donald Driver isn't ranked by Football Outsiders because he's only had 2 receptions, although one of them was for a touchdown. He should have more opportunities against the Colts' 26th ranked pass defense, and all of the receivers could be breakout candidates. You'd have to put Jordy Nelson at the top of the list because he's been targeted the most this season (31 times).

A lot of this will depend on how the Colts play because the Packers have different ways to beat them. If the Colts blitz, it could force TE Jermichael Finley to block more and would likely involve more short passes to Cobb and RB Cedric Benson. If the Colts play a deep zone to take the sidelines away from Jones and Nelson, it could open up the intermediate routes for Finley. If the Colts stay with a single deep safety, it could provide great one-on-one match-ups for Jones and Nelson.

Maybe all of them will get into the game as the Colts try different defensive alignments to shut down the offense. QB Aaron Rodgers has said he likes playing indoors, so maybe it will be a good day for whoever touches the ball.

Will The Packers Miss Greg Jennings?

Setback for Packers' Greg Jennings es.pn/QpqunX
— Kevin Seifert (@espn_nfcnblog) September 20, 2012

WR Greg Jennings sat out practice on Thursday because he's not over the groin injury he suffered late in the game against the 49ers. The Packers expected to get him back this week. However, I wouldn't rule him out for next Monday night if he can get back to practice by the end of the week.

QB Aaron Rodgers's stats were down last week against the Bears without Jennings, but he also threw 12 fewer passes (44 to 32). Maybe the biggest concern is that WR James Jones, who should receive most of the snaps in his place, occasionally runs poor routes and it led to an interception last Sunday. I don't expect to see either WR Randall Cobb or WR Donald Driver replace Jones because they seem intended to play different roles in the offense. Jones isn't as good as Jennings, so while the offense will be fine without him, they'll only get better once he returns.

As for the Seahawks, I don't expect they'll play differently if Jennings is available or not. The 49ers and Bears played similar styles against the Packers by playing both safeties deep to take away the sideline threats. Until TE Jermichael Finley or Cobb start gashing big gains down the middle of the field, or RB Cedric Benson runs wild against a seven-man front, I expect most defenses will scheme the Packers that way.