Nick Collins Injury: How Will Packers Defense Adjust with Safety Done for 2011?

It's been only two weeks, and already the Green Bay Packers have begun in the same eerie manner that they began 2010: coping with key injuries that force them to utilize their depth the best they can.

Free safety and three-time Pro Bowler Nick Collins suffered a neck injury in the fourth quarter of the Packers' 30-23 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, and the team has decided to shut him down for the season as result.

Said head coach Mike McCarthy, via ESPN:

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"It's tough. We've been through the injury stuff before but it's something that you never get used to as a head coach."

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Charlie Peprah will take over for Collins. It's worth noting that Peprah stepped in admirably for the final 12 games of the Packers' season last year because of injuries and all the Packers did was go on to win the Super Bowl. Of course, he was still lined up next to Collins in that case and he won't have the luxury of that this time around, set to join Morgan Burnett.

Now, Peprah can hold his own—he wouldn't be next in the Packers' depth chart if he couldn't—but there's no doubt he's going to have to step up even more this season if the Packers hope to repeat.

The Packers play the Bears in Chicago next and based on their ability to pressure the quarterback shouldn't have too much trouble even with Collins out. But their Week 5 game at the Atlanta Falcons should be a good barometer of whether they can sustain after losing such a pivotal player to the franchise.

The good news is it's not like the defense is all of a sudden going to fall apart with Collins out. There is way too much across the board defensively to allow that to happen.

But a team like the Falcons may be much more difficult to contain, especially when you have receivers Roddy White and Julio Jones flying down the sidelines.

In short, there is cause for concern.

Then again, there was last season and look what the Packers did after barely sneaking into the postseason.

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LIFE HURTS. THIS INJURY UPDATE BROUGHT TO YOU BY DICKIES.