Cory's Corner: Lucas Patrick Continues To Persevere
The undrafted rookie's heart never stops ticking.
I still remember the Timex slogan, “It takes a licking and keeps on ticking.”
Lucas Patrick is the Packers’ Timex watch. He is in a tight battle with rookie Royce Newman, Ben Braden and Jon Runyan for both starting guard spots. Backup center Jake Hanson has taken practice snaps at guard as well as third string center Jacob Capra.
But remember, Patrick started 15 games last year. Patrick, 28, was an undrafted rookie by the Packers in 2016. He started a total of six games before last year and I would’ve understood if he would’ve been a little salty about having to go through all of that again. But that isn’t what makes Patrick tick.
“I love competition,” Patrick said earlier in camp. “I’m speaking as frankly as I can: I think the NFL is awesome because you have a healthy fear for your job. The scouts, they're scouting people, they're scouting thousands of college kids and scouting guys on different NFL teams and scouting guys who were free agents. I've had that mentality since day one. Like, it doesn't matter if I've started 100 games, zero games, I'm going to approach it the same. It's competition to me.”
Patrick played 928 of his 931 snaps last year at left and right guard. His two blemishes were allowing 13 hurries and a team-high three sacks.
Patrick started along with Jon Runyan at both guard positions in Green Bay’s preseason opener vs. Houston, but the running game couldn’t get out of idle. The Packers only tallied 2.3 yards per rush and the leading rusher in that game for the Packers was Dexter Williams with 32 yards.
“We just didn’t block very well,” said Packers coach Matt Lafleur after the game. “We couldn’t even get the runners going until late in that fourth quarter. It wasn’t necessarily mental assignments. It was the technique of our guys. That will certainly be stressed all week and it will be great to go against another opponent once we get into Wednesday and Thursday, just a different scheme, a different philosophy on this side of the ball.”
The most important thing for offensive line/run game coordinator Adam Stenavich is to find a unit with some continuity. Obviously, that’s hard because Pro Bowl left tackle David Bakhtiari is out, Pro Bowl left guard Elgton Jenkins didn’t play vs. Houston and seven-year veteran Billy Turner didn’t play vs. Houston either.
No matter how the preseason shakes out, you can count on Patrick maintaining his upbeat attitude as he continues to be the personification of perseverance.
You can measure a lot of things in sports. Yards, touchdowns, tackles and sacks are just a small sampling of stats you can gather in football. However, it’s what you cannot see that makes Patrick so valuable.
And it’s that ticking heart that will keep Patrick in the game.
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Cory Jennerjohn is a graduate from UW-Oshkosh and has been in sports media for over 15 years. He was a co-host on "Clubhouse Live" and has also done various radio and TV work as well. He has written for newspapers, magazines and websites. He currently is a columnist for CHTV and also does various podcasts. He recently earned his Masters degree from the University of Iowa. He can be found on Twitter: @Coryjennerjohn
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Comments (13)
Guam
August 21, 2021 at 07:48 am
Cory: In your third paragraph from the bottom, I think you meant "Patrick", not "Turner".
I know some have suggested trading Patrick to save cap dollars, but I hope they don't do it this year. Patrick has been a warhorse for the Packers and has the versatility to play either guard or center. I hope they keep him while the younger guys develop. None of the young guys have stepped up enough to take the RG spot away from Patrick yet and until that happens, I assume Patrick will be our starting RG this year.
My best memory of Patrick was watching him plant Suh on his butt during the NFCCG last year. Patrick may not be an all pro, but he can play.
HawkPacker
August 21, 2021 at 08:16 am
Guam I read that paragraph three times and came to that same conclusion.
I do not believe they will trade Patrick. He has too much value to the offensive line for what he is being paid.
dobber
August 21, 2021 at 10:18 am
There's a tremendous amount of game day versatility in Patrick: he can play either G position and can slide over and play C...that means they don't have to carry a C-only backup on gamedays, and they're positioned well to adjust their line in case of an injury. Remember, too, that his ticket to the roster in 2020 was as the top backup at all 3 IOL positions because Lane Taylor was the starting RG.
There's only a little cap room to be gained by cutting/trading Patrick (about $2M). He's also very familiar with the offense, and is a mature (meaning play strength and mental approach) player in comparison to the younger guys he's competing with.
He's also in the last year of his deal, and the Packers seem to be unlikely to commit to a new deal at starter's money with him...and given he now seems to be in a dead heat with three other guys at G, the question becomes--if he can't set himself meaningfully apart from the other players--how does he generate the most value for this team?
I think if Patrick is in a dead heat with these younger guys at G, and with Runyan learning C and able to play both G positions, Patrick doesn't make the final roster--either as a cut or a trade. The things that make him valuable to the Packers also make him valuable to other teams with issues on the interior...and getting cap relief in 2021 plus a draft pick in 2022 might be hard to pass up. That $2M in cap room could be what allows the Packers to re-up/sign one of their other expiring contracts early and spread the hit...or bring in a veteran to shore up a position of need.
...sorry K.
Thegreatreynoldo
August 21, 2021 at 11:29 am
This sums up my position quite well. I had hoped that Stepaniak, Newman, Runyan or even Hanson would make it an easy choice. Now, it is watch closely to see if there are viable options: I believe GB is all-in this year.
Leatherhead
August 21, 2021 at 11:38 am
I’m going to disagree with Dobber and TGR here.
Patrick has been a starter for us for two years and we’ve had a good line and a good offense both of those years. Given that our season depends on keeping Rodgers healthy, we’re not going to get rid of a guy like Patrick in the hopes that some untested guy can do better in his place.
Last year, Taylor, Bakhtiari, and Linsley all lost time to injury but we had guys in reserve who could do the job. I think we’ll do the same thing this year.
CoryJennerjohn
August 21, 2021 at 03:41 pm
Guam, thanks for the heads up. Appreciate it.
No way do you trade a guy like Patrick. Is he one of the best offensive linemen? Probably not. However, there is tremendous value in having team guys that understand team culture.
Coldworld
August 21, 2021 at 08:42 am
So far none of his challengers have proven themselves better. To complicate things further, Patrick and Runyon were particularly poor last week. Braden was just ok and Newman flashed. Round one of three is in the books. Patrick and co are in a down and dirty fight now, with his performance last week being the most inexplicable of the 4 given his greater experience. Time to demonstrate superiority on the field.
PeteK
August 21, 2021 at 09:45 am
I will put my money on the experienced and versatile Patrick. I'm always a big fan of the low drafted and undrafted players. However, I am a bit worried and can't wait for Bak and Jenkins to return to their normal positions. The D better take up the slack vs New Orleans.
PatrickGB
August 21, 2021 at 09:54 am
I like his name.
stockholder
August 21, 2021 at 09:55 am
This guy is a Bargain.
jannesbjornson
August 22, 2021 at 01:51 pm
He engages and cleans the pile off the RBs while others watch like drones.
flackcatcher
August 21, 2021 at 02:52 pm
Last week's preseason game is all on Lafleur. He knew his offense would be disjointed at best. That's the cost of doing a massive eval of your roster. Patrick played well in his assignment given who he was paired with. This is one of the few times I wish the head coach would use more "coach speak" rather than trying to blame a veteran for a position he put that veteran in. Still, Patrick is at risk of being a Cap cut. Not fair with how he has played over his career, but that's the NFL for you.
PatrickGB
August 21, 2021 at 06:16 pm
He did not do well against the Jets.