Green Bay Packers Training Camp: 6 Kinks That Will Need to Be Worked out

The start of the NFL season is so close we can almost taste it. Teams have already begun training camp and the defending Super Bowl Champions are no different. As the Green Bay Packers prepare to begin their defense of the Lombardi Trophy, there are a few kinks that will need to be worked out.

With a shortened offseason because of the NFL lockout, these kinks could become troublesome. While, right now, nothing that needs to be figured out is major, they could easily turn into big problems if not solved quickly.

Here are six kinks that the Green Bay Packers need to work out in training camp.

An Overcrowded Backfield

At first glance, having too many running backs may not seem like an issue, but it certainly is.

Green Bay will need to decide quickly who is going to be the starter and who is going to get the majority of touches. Whether that is James Starks or Ryan Grant, I don't know, but I do know that the Packers need to establish one of them as a starter.

Also, what role is John Kuhn and Alex Green going to play? Will Alex Green be a third-down receiving back? Does John Kuhn only come in on short yardage situations?

The overcrowded backfield needs to be figured out and player's roles need to be assigned soon or it could cause some issues.

Implementing Jermichael Finley into the Offense

Everyone knows about the potential Jermichael Finley has. His size, speed and athletic ability is an extremely rare combination and he has yet to fully tap into all that he could do.

Finley is coming back from a season-ending injury and reports are that he looks great. Now Green Bay needs to figure out how to properly use him in their offense. Aaron Rodgers had great success last year without Finley, but a weapon like this needs to be used.

If Green Bay wants to truly dominate on offense, they will need to implement Finley into the offense properly. He has the abilities to be a special player and the Packers could benefit greatly from using him properly.

Offensive Line Depth

No one was surprised when Green Bay cut Mark Tauscher, but the same can't be said about the Packers releasing Jason Spitz and Daryn Colledge.

These three cuts on the offensive line, with two having been starters last year, brings up some serious questions about Green Bay's offensive line. The big problem isn't who is going to start because rookie Derek Sherrod, T.J. Lang and Scott Wells are all capable.

Where the problem lies is in the depth of their unit. With Chad Clifton aging, any injury across the line could become detrimental. The Packers coaching staff is going to need to either see great improvement by back-up linemen or figure out how to bring in another veteran to add some depth.

Should this problem not be solved, we could see Aaron Rodgers on his back fairly often next season.

Who Replaces Cullen Jenkins?

When he was on the field, Cullen Jenkins was a force of nature. His play in the playoffs and Super Bowl was crucial to Green Bay's dominance.

Now he is a member of the Philadelphia Eagles and the Packers need to find a replacement. The logical choices appear to be either C.J. Wilson or Mike Neal. Both players have potential, but neither player has had much playing time in their short careers.

Green Bay will probably replace Jenkins with a committee at first and decide on a true starter sometime during the season. Whoever they choose will need to be ready to have a huge impact or the Packers defense could struggle at getting pressure to the quarterback.

Charles Woodson's Exact Position

As one of the most versatile cornerbacks in the NFL, Charles Woodson seems to be getting better as he ages.

He has excelled in Dom Capers' defense, where his blitzing ability and great playmaking skill has shined. With the emergence of Sam Shields during the postseason, Green Bay now has three quality cornerbacks in Woodson, Shields and Tramon Williams.

So, the question that needs to be asked is, what should Capers do with Woodson? Should they keep him at cornerback or move him to a hybrid safety position?

I believe that the more creative Green Bay gets with Woodson, the more success they will have on the defensive side of the ball.

The Best Way to Use Randall Cobb

I still believe that drafting Randall Cobb was Green Bay's best pick in the entire draft. Cobb has been compared to Percy Harvin, but I actually think he is more versatile than Harvin.

We all know that he will be used on special teams as a kick and punt returner. What is still unclear is how Green Bay plans to use him on offense. With the re-signing of James Jones, Cobb's offensive position becomes even more fuzzy.

With Jones, Greg Jennings, Donald Driver and Jordy Nelson, Green Bay already has a top receiving corp. However, I see the Packers using Cobb creatively in his first season. Don't be surprised to see him under center as a quarterback or in the backfield as a running back a few times this season.

With Cobb's great playmaking ability, Green Bay would do good to figure out how to get him on the field as much as possible.