Packers Training Camp: Let The Battles Begin

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Now that OTA's are just about wrapped up, next up is training camp. For the Green Bay Packers, the OTA's were primarily focused on the installation of the new 3-4. It was nice to see everyone attending camp with the exception of a few.

Say what you want about Coach Mike McCarthy, but he does run a tight ship and demands the most out of his players during camps. It is definitely not the lax Sherman camps of past.

Looking ahead to training camp we can see that there are many jobs are on the line, the following positions are of interest:

Offensive Line—There will be a strong competition to take Mark Tauchers right tackle spot. Front runners include, T.J. Lang, Breno Giacomini, and Allen Barbre. Coach McCarthy has praised T.J. Lange during OTA's, but has also been high on Barbre as well. OTA's showed Lang is flexible at either tackle or guard.

Jason Spitz and Scott Wells will battle for the center position. Wells has fought through injury and deserves a shot to defend, but look for Spitz to win out because his right guard spot may get overtaken by Josh Sitton.

If Spitz should win out, Wells will battle Sitton for the guard position. Jason Spitz will challenge Sitton if he cannot take the center position from Scott Wells. Josh Sitton was really starting to impress before his injury in 2008. In all, it seems that there is good competition for line positions and I expect to see improvement for 2009.

Tight End—Has Jermichael Finley finally matured? He has made some strides through OTA's but will that be enough to overtake the starting position from Donald Lee? Lee has been solid but Finley is raw with great athletic ability. Barring injury, Tory Humphrey will be in the mix and LB/TE Spencer Havner may just make the roster also.

Fullback—There are three players fighting for spots. If rookie Quinn Johnson(LSU) is the second coming of Lorenzo Neal, then he would have to be the starter. Korey Hall and John Kuhn would then battle for the back up role with possibly one of them not making the cut.

The tape on Johnson does not lie. This guy is punishing and loves to hit. Korey Hall and John Kuhn shared time last season at fullback, but if the Packers want to establish a physical man on man running game, one of them needs to step up and show that they can consistently pick up the blitz and blow up holes for the run game.

Safety—How much has Nick Collins learned while attending only a few OTA's?

Whether it's family issues or contract, you have to wonder if he is really ready to execute the new defense. In the wings is Anthony Smith and Atari Bigby. Bigby is a fearsome hitter and Smith has experience in the 3-4.

Should Collins fall behind, look for one of them to quickly take the position. Bigby came on strong in 2007 but could not recover from injury. He has stated he feels great and he will break out in 2009. Smith knows the 3-4, but can get beat on deep routes. Some of his strong points are playing the run, breaking, and reacting to plays, quickness, and playing zone.

Defensive Line—Through OTA's it has been B.J. Raji playing end and tackle along with Ryan Pickett and Cullen Jenkins. Pickett was playing at the defensive end position as well, meaning there is a good chance Raji will not be on the bench this season.

Look for Johnny Jolly and Michael Montgomery to play a back up role between end and tackle if they cannot beat out Cullen Jenkins or B.J. Raji. I like the rotation on the line because having the ability to move around causes problems for offensive lines when they see B.J. Raji or Ryan Pickett at tackle on one play, then have to deal with him at end on the next. You can exploit an opposing players weakness on the line and create match up problems.

Linebacker—Assuming A.J. Hawk and Nick Barnett are healthy, their positions are secure. Aaron Kampman will move outside as well, creating a battle between rookie Clay Matthews, veterans Brady Poppinga, Brandon Chillar, and Jeremy  Thompson. Matthews has been out for most of the OTA's while Thompson has shined.

There should be solid depth with Desmond Bishop, Brandon Chillar or Brady Poppinga, and rookie Brad Jones. Matthews will have to make noise when he actually gets on the field at 100 percent in July and August to challenge Poppinga and Chillar.

Other Notes—Jordy Nelson has looked absolutely great during OTA's. He has caught everything thrown his way and looks sharp on his routes and cuts. He was a machine at Kansas State and looks to be the stud of the 2008 Packer draft class.

How about some kudos to Aaron Rodgers. This guy handled all the Favre drama and became the starter without any disrespectful comments or attitude. He played through last season with a bad shoulder after critics said he was not tough enough and threw for 4,000 yards.

He gets asked about the possibility of seeing Brett Favre twice a year in 2009 and handles the question with class saying, "If Brett wants to play, then he should play and that’s kind of all I have to say about that. Other than that, he’s one player on one team that we play twice a year.”

Asked whether he looks forward to matching up with Favre, Rodgers said, “I’m not going to speculate on things that haven’t happened yet. So, when that happens, then I’ll give you a good answer.”

Translation—When these two meet it will be the emotional, hellbent on revenge, Favre versus the cool, calm, and cerebral Rodgers. I cannot wait for these two games and to see the T.V. ratings for the Favre return to Lambeau Field in purple. It is going to be crazy.

Is it September yet?

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