Biggest Winners and Losers of Green Bay Packers OTAs Thus Far

Anthony Hargrove and Mike Neal have both been suspended by the NFL, Hargrove for taking part in the NFL's bounty program and Neal for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

It may turn out that neither of them is suspended, as they can appeal the punishment.

At the very least, however, the attention brought about by their situations has provided an unnecessary distraction.

And at worst, the need to prepare players on the 53-man roster has the coaching staff giving the bulk of its attention to the players they know will be available.

Head coach Mike McCarthy acknowledged as much in a May press conference.

“It’s important for us to get the whole team trained,” McCarthy said. “The priority will be to be ready for the opening of our season with our 53 players.”

With such uncertainty about the availability of Hargrove and Neal, Jerel Worthy has been practicing with the starters in the nickel package while C.J. Wilson has been running with the ones in the base defense.

The pair of suspended players can continue to practice through training camp, and they won't take up a roster spot on the 53, so it doesn't hurt for the Packers to keep them around.

But once their suspension is over, the Packers must make a choice. Either they must make room for Hargrove and Neal or cut ties with them.

Winner: Nick Perry

What makes Nick Perry a winner during OTAs is not so much the talent he's flashed or what he's done during practice, but rather, the opportunity with which he's being presented.

From Day 1 of offseason practice, Nick Perry was inserted into the Packers' starting lineup, which made perfect sense.

Last season, the Packers experimented with several options opposite Clay Matthews at the outside linebacker position.

Erik Walden, Frank Zombo, Brad Jones and Vic So'oto all received varying degrees of playing time to, likewise, varying degrees of success. None of them proved to be above replacement, however.

To show how highly the Packers think of their first-round draft choice, they inserted him into the left outside linebacker position, which just so happened to be the same spot Matthews played the past two seasons.

The decision to put Perry on the left side of the defensive formation comes in spite of the comfort Matthews displayed there and the fact that Perry played primarily on the right side during his college career.

The reasoning behind the positioning likely comes from the commonly-held conception that offenses run more often to their right, and the 270-pound Perry will make a good candidate to anchor his large body against opposing run blocking.

And besides, Matthews played on the right side during his rookie year in Green Bay, so it won't be a major change for him.

If Perry can take advantage of the reps he's receiving and gain some knowledge from outside linebackers coach Kevin Greene, he'll make a good complement to Matthews.

Loser: Frank Zombo

It's been a precipitous fall from grace for Frank Zombo, who was sitting on top of the world following the Packers' Super Bowl victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 2010 season.

Zombo received a spot in the starting lineup in Super Bowl XLV and made the most of it by notching a sack on quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

That set up Zombo nicely to begin the 2011 season until a litany of injuries that included a broken scapula, a hyperextended knee and a hamstring issue limited him to playing in only five games last year.

Zombo hasn't practiced with the team so far during OTAs, presumably as he recovers from his various ailments, and his spot in the starting lineup has been handed to Nick Perry.

With Perry and Clay Matthews manning the outside linebacker position in Green Bay, it's unlikely Zombo will regain his starting job unless injury necessitates it.

The way things currently stand, Zombo will be challenged just to earn a roster spot. Until he can return to the practice field and wow the coaching staff, he'll be fighting an uphill battle.

Winner: M.D. Jennings

When the Packers released veteran Nick Collins out of concern for his health and well-being, the safety position in Green Bay lost its best player.

Charlie Peprah filled in for Collins last season and will very likely be given the chance to replace him once again.

But as Peprah recovers from offseason arthroscopic knee surgery, M.D. Jennings has been getting the bulk of the playing time with the rest of the Packers starters during OTAs.

Jennings was a pleasant surprise last season, as he made the team's 53-man roster as an undrafted free agent.

Nearly all of the experience Jennings gained last season was on special teams, so he still has a long way to go to prove he belongs on defense.

The reps he's receiving during OTAs, however, can't hurt and are only a step in the right direction.

Loser: Charlie Peprah

Had Nick Collins not been released this offseason, Charlie Peprah would have automatically resumed his role as a reserve defensive back on the Packers defense.

Collins' release, however, opened a door. Whichever player earns the job will get a spot in the starting lineup.

Peprah will likely get first crack at the job whenever he's healthy, but it doesn't help that he's been losing out on all the practice time during OTAs.

M.D. Jennings has been practicing with the starters, but because Peprah has been sidelined, the other safeties are getting increased reps too.

Players like Anthony Levine and rookies Jerron McMillian and Sean Richardson are benefiting in the form of extra practice time and coaching attention.

Peprah will be given every opportunity to win the job as long as he's cleared for practice in time for training camp, but it won't be handed to him.

Winner: Graham Harrell

Aaron Rodgers' backup for the past four seasons is gone, as Matt Flynn signed as a free agent with the Seattle Seahawks this offseason.

That meant Graham Harrell would be given a chance to climb up the quarterback ladder to the No. 2 spot in 2012.

With a reputation as being a system quarterback in college and not having the arm strength to succeed at the next level, Harrell has taken the steps of adding weight and becoming stronger this offseason.

He'll be competing with rookie B.J. Coleman to become Rodgers' apprentice, but Harrell's experience will give him the upper hand.

The Packers even did Harrell a favor when they cut quarterback Nick Hill two weeks ago. That transaction meant one less competitor for Harrell and more practice reps as a result.

Losers: Tori Gurley, Diondre Borel

Before the Packers recently came to an agreement with wide receiver Donald Driver on a renegotiated contract, there was a chance they'd release him.

Had they not restructured Driver's contract, they would have been obligated to pay him a $1.5 million roster bonus during training camp and a $5 million salary overall, which was viewed as too much for a player past his prime.

But Driver agreed to a new deal for less money, and because of that, the chances that both Tori Gurley and Diondre Borel make the Packers roster this season have taken a hit.

Gurley and Borel are highly respected and their futures are bright. When both of them received offers to join the 53-man rosters of other teams last season––Gurley from the Minnesota Vikings and Borel from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers––they chose to remain on the practice squad of the Packers with a raise in pay instead.

There's a good chance the Packers will keep six wide receivers this season, but unless someone among Driver, Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb or James Jones gets hurt, it's unlikely the Packers can keep both Gurley and Borel as well.

For their part, nothing Gurley and Borel have done during OTAs can be considered as negative. They're just hurt by the circumstance of playing at a crowded position that has only meant less reps since Driver re-joined the team after participating in Dancing With The Stars.

If everyone stays healthy, the Packers stand a good chance of having to cut or trade at least one of their young wide receivers, assuming they won't be able to stash them on the practice squad once again.

Winner: Jerel Worthy

The Packers obviously held Jerel Worthy in high regard when they traded up to select him in the second round of the NFL draft.

And having Worthy practice with the first-string defense in their nickel package during OTAs has only magnified the respect they have for the defensive lineman out of Michigan State.

The Packers pass-rush was abysmal last season after Cullen Jenkins left via free agency. They had only 29 sacks, which is very poor considering opponents attempted 637 passes against them.

That's what the addition of Worthy will attempt to address, getting more push in the pocket.

In time, Worthy could very likely factor into the team's base 3-4 defense at an end position, but at least to begin with, his biggest contribution will be as an interior pass-rusher in the team's subpackages.

The time on the practice field lining up next to B.J. Raji is only helping Worthy.

Losers: Anthony Hargrove, Mike Neal

Anthony Hargrove and Mike Neal have both been suspended by the NFL, Hargrove for taking part in the NFL's bounty program and Neal for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

It may turn out that neither of them is suspended, as they can appeal the punishment.

At the very least, however, the attention brought about by their situations has provided an unnecessary distraction.

And at worst, the need to prepare players on the 53-man roster has the coaching staff giving the bulk of its attention to the players they know will be available.

Head coach Mike McCarthy acknowledged as much in a May press conference.

“It’s important for us to get the whole team trained,” McCarthy said. “The priority will be to be ready for the opening of our season with our 53 players.”

With such uncertainty about the availability of Hargrove and Neal, Jerel Worthy has been practicing with the starters in the nickel package while C.J. Wilson has been running with the ones in the base defense.

The pair of suspended players can continue to practice through training camp, and they won't take up a roster spot on the 53, so it doesn't hurt for the Packers to keep them around.

But once their suspension is over, the Packers must make a choice. Either they must make room for Hargrove and Neal or cut ties with them.