Joseph's Judgement: Pack Attack Needs Some Zach
Packers' 4th Round Rookie Needs to be Part of the Winning Formula
By JosephR
The Case: Sunday night, we got our real first taste of the new Packers offense in 2022 with a convincing 27-10 victory over the Chicago Bears at Lambeau. Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur stuck to his coaching guns with a sound running attack, with the Green and Gold grinding out 203 yards to the tune of 5.3 yards per carry and 13 first downs. When it came to push the ball downfield, QB Aaron Rodgers stuck to his respective guns, putting the ball into the hands of his trusted veterans, with Sammy Watkins, Randall Cobb, and Aaron Jones leading the Packers in recieving yards. It's equally scary and promising to think that an offense that struggled to even get into plus territory in the season opener against the Minnesota Vikings could turn up the heat and score over 25 points a week later against yet another NFC North Division rival.
Findings: Despite the explosion of offense in Week 2, the Packers are still quite tentative in one of the most critical areas of the game, and that's along the offensive live. While the Packers were certainly longing for the services of David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins in Week 1, they regained one Sunday night (although Jenkins certainly showed some signs of rust), and it still resulted in Aaron Rodgers finding himself on the ground three times. The future surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer has been sacked 7 times in 2 weeks(don't get me started on knockdowns), a rate that only those who'd like the Packers (Jordan) Love Affair to start sooner rather than later. Across two games the Packers are averaging a mediocre 219 passing yards per game, while which can partly be to blame due to the Packers young receiving corps, but also because Rodgers rarely gets a solid pocket and is running for his life behind center. Rodgers can stil get the ball out lighting quick (2.14 seconds), but with a roster that includes rookies Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Samori Toure, even an extra half second in the pocket could be the difference between Rodgers throwing the ball away or a pass completed for a big gain. We know Rodgers still has the magic, despite his modest numbers, he's still averaging 7.5 yards per attempt, which would be a Top 10 finish in 2021. The Packers have got to find a way to keep him upright, they likely won't see another Lombardi Trophy delivered to TitleTown without giving him time to disect the defense and allowing these rookies to find separation in coverage. Averaging 3.5 sacks(would be dead last in 2021, 26th in 2022) per game would absolutely be detrimental to their success.
Verdict: Of those 7 sacks, I come to the following verdict:
Royce Newman - GUILTY, 3.5 sacks
Jake Hanson - GUILTY, 1.5 sacks
Yosh Nijman - GUILTY, 1 sack
Elgton Jenkins - GUILTY, 1 sack
Impact Statement: While we're all aware that Matt LeFleur will continue to experiment along the offensive line until both Bakhtiari and Jenkins both return to the starting lineup, it would seem mistakes were made Sunday night. In 2 games, Royce Newman has seemed overwhelmed at both positions on the right side of the offensive line. Coming out of the Draft, we knew the Packers would try to mold him into their next swing tackle but I just haven't seen much promise in that spot. I think a fully recovered, fully practiced Elgton Jenkins would have covered up his weaknesses, but Jenkins was busy trying to work himself back to full speed and even surrendered a sack himself. Nijman was probably the most improved from Week 1 to Week 2, and it showed when the Packers started implementing their screen game. With Jenkins returning to the lineup, Jake Hanson was promptly bumped back to reserve duty. Jon Runyan and Josh Myers had pretty solid outings both weeks (minus a botched snap). To be honest, I was actually pretty surprised the Bears were able to get a sack at all with a defense that was now missing Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, Danny Trevathan, and Eddie Goldman.The Packers are hitting the road again in Week 3, this time against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; who are sporting a defense that already looks in mid-season form. If the Packers can't consistently get a clean pocket for Rodgers, it could get ugly quickly, like Week 5 of the 2020 season ugly (the Packers were routed in Tampa 38-10, with Rodgers being sacked 4 times).
Sentence: I sentence the Packers to 1st-Team Reps for Rookie OL Zach Tom all week with his first NFL start this upcoming Sunday. The rookie got some good reps in against the Vikings and actually showed a decent body of work against a defensive front that benefited from better coaching this season. Upon proof of continued success, make Zach the full-time starter for the rest of the year, and allow Newman and 3rd Round Rookie Sean Rhyan to compete for 2nd-Team duties and plug in for injuries as needed.
Will the Packers coaching staff comply with their sentencing and rehabilitate themselves, becoming good, productive citizens the NFL's high-powered offensive society? We'll find out Sunday afternoon in Tampa.
#GoPackGo
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__________________________
Joseph has been an avid fan of the Green Bay Packers since 1997, citing an affinity for dairy products during his childhood and his favorite color, green. Born in Jacksonville, FL, Joseph currently is an Active Duty servicemember in the U.S. Armed Forces. Joseph considers himself a lifelong fan of the game of football, competing since his youth well into adulthood. When it comes to the Pack, Joseph is particularly impassioned about the NFL Draft and collegiate scouting process, and will contribute regularly on CHTV.com leading to that year's upcoming Draft. You can follow him on Twitter at @joeyreyallday.
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Comments (60)
Coldworld
September 19, 2022 at 07:04 pm
Newman is a different player at G. While Jenkins was understandably rusty, he and Newman were massively better. LaFleur admitted as much immediately after the game.
So now you want to introduce Tom? Why? Because he was better than Hanson in preseason? Newman last year was the best G in the league in preseason and it took him 3 months to become decent in the actual season.
I’m very relieved that we have Tom as a back up. I’m excited to see him be more in future, but right now we have our best line up outside of Bakh bring back and a possible move of Nijman and Jenkins if they see our best 5 as inclusive of all 3 even if Nijman has to adjust to RT.
Other than the mythical return of the Bakh, I don’t want more changes on the OL, I want the current starters to settle and get time as a unit. That is key to O line play. Tom can learn and hopefully add some functional power while learning C (and making Hanson redundant) and we can watch a settled group gel and reap the benefits.
Johnblood27
September 20, 2022 at 01:09 am
i am with joseph here coldworld.
play Tom. He has earned it.
Alfred E Newman has had plenty of opportunities to show himself a competent NFL guard and he is sub-par. Tom was just fine in Minny, get the kid some PT.
The team will be better overall for the change.
Mark it down.
Coldworld
September 20, 2022 at 07:29 am
In what way?
Johnblood27
September 21, 2022 at 12:27 am
one less mullet?
newman has given up the most sacks on the ol.
thats how
JosephR
September 20, 2022 at 06:20 am
Being the best Guard in the League during the preseason is far from noteworthy, and it's obvious to say he isn't performing like even a Top 75 Guard in the League right now. I think he does have some good value as a reserve and special teams offensive lineman, but I would not prefer him out there when the game really matters.
Jenkins should continue to get back to form and cover up his mistakes/weaknesses. But Zach Tom (and to a lesser note Sean Rhyan) is the future. I doubt the Packers draft 3 offensive linemen this year if Newman was the stud you propose him to be.
Coldworld
September 20, 2022 at 07:32 am
The best guard in the league in his rookie preseason was referenced as a point of context. Even with him being that good last preseason it too 3 months before it started to translate in real games. Tom wasn’t that good but you want to anoint him despite both that and inexperience.
Newman was far from bad on Sunday. He was not at G but at T against the Vikings. He’s not a tackle. He was a good guard in the last quarter of last year. Let him get back to that and we win. That’s what I calm earning it.
As far as T goes, hopefully Jenkins has no set back and works out the rust and, if we really do get Bakh back and it seems sustainable, then we can start to think about whether our best 5 includes Bakh, Jenkins and Nijman (at RT) and whom Jenkins then replaces.
In the meantime, stick with what worked before and last week even if both had some rust at their respective positions.
Guam
September 20, 2022 at 07:39 am
So the fourth round draft choice of this year is the future and the fourth round draft choice of last year is not. Based on what? The preseason play this year and a few snaps in the Minnesota game? Newman started all of last year and played creditably, particularly late last year as his experience grew.
I think Tom has good potential, but is he the future over Newman at this point? I don't see it and I certainly don't see Rhyan as anywhere near the level of Newman much less than future of anything at this point.
JosephR
September 20, 2022 at 08:33 am
I saw Tom flash more in the Vikings came than I have seen with Newman. Tom appears stronger and the better athlete. When it comes to offensive line play, you want guys who can "WIN" their matchups on the opposing defensive line. Last night, even back in the RG position where many say he is utilized best, I only saw Newman stalemate a defender.
If you recall the Week 1 play where Dillon got in for a TD, Tom was able to knock back his defender, pull, and then give Dillon the extra assistance to cross the plane. I don't expect to see that from Newman on a regular basis.
Call it luck, but we saw that AFTER Runyan exited the game with a concussion, and the run game got better because of that. The Packers lost their best offensive lineman of the game and actually got better in the run game when Tom came in. Would the same happen if the roles were reversed with Newman? Maybe, but I doubt it.
Coldworld
September 20, 2022 at 09:29 am
There are various other reasons why the run game could have got better against the Vikings in the second half. A couple of obvious ones would be trying it more consistently and the fact that the Vikings D was more willing to try to contain.
Against Chicago the run game was significantly better and both behind Runyon, whom Tom replaced and Newman at G and Jenkins. However, you say that that is because Jones is so elusive and Dillon can pound without blocks or holes. If I take that at face value then the logical conclusion would be that Tom was not factor, it was just opportunities for runners and them making their own success.
For the record, Runyon was not the best OL against the Vikings by a country mile. He in fact had an uncharacteristically poor game. Nijman was far and away the best player on the OL in that line that day. He was equally clearly their best in the run game.
Leatherhead
September 21, 2022 at 10:57 am
Or….a good RB (Jones) was in top form. And he was, and it happens. When a good RB is feeling it, it’s hard to stop.
Our best offensive line played against Chicago. Nijman, Runyan, Myers, Newman, Jenkins. That is a good unit if we can keep them healthy. I’m wondering how many will still be available after Thanksgiving?
Considering Bakhtiari’s age, injuries, and extended inactivity, I’m wondering how much of an improvement he brings as opposed to Nijman.
Guam
September 20, 2022 at 02:44 pm
I agree that Tom "flashed" some in the second half of the Minnesota game, but Newman played well for most of the second half of last year (eight games). Tom is going to have to do a great deal more proving before he is ready to replace Newman. Tom has potential, but moving him to a starting role over any of the Chicago game starters looks very premature to me.
Guam
September 20, 2022 at 07:30 am
Concur ColdWorld. Newman is a decent NFL guard who was very much out of position playing tackle. I see no evidence that Tom is a better guard than Newman (although he is significantly better than Hanson) and would prefer to keep Tom as the backup for all three interior line positions for at least this season.
T7Steve
September 20, 2022 at 08:01 am
Didn't Nij play allot of R-tackle during camp? I think he can play there. So then if Bakh comes back the best line would be Bakh, EJ, Meyers, JRJ, Nij, don't you think? I know JRJ played RG in camp too. Let this line jell then they can switch it to Hansen and Newman if we get to the playoffs, Right?
Coldworld
September 20, 2022 at 08:24 am
Nijman played a little but Stenavich has said that he struggles to apply the technique in reverse. He played on the right in college a fair amount, but he was essentially without technique when he arrived. How big a conversion project it would be is unknowable, so it’s hard to know if they would consider him viable there if Bakh was back either immediately or later in the season.
T7Steve
September 20, 2022 at 08:59 am
Still wish we could include him in the top five somehow. Isn't Caleb Jones primarily a left tackle too?
Coldworld
September 20, 2022 at 09:54 am
He played both in camp, starting at right and then mostly on the left. He played both in college. I think Walker only played right, but he played so little. He played at RT in his preseason appearance
Since'61
September 19, 2022 at 07:19 pm
The article that the Packers should start Zach Tom on the OL. OK, at which position? Replace Newman? Make another change to the OL? Why? Let the OL plays a few games together and get some continuity. Bak may return and that will mean Nijman will become our swing OT, I think. The Packers may choose to return Jenkins to LG and move Nijman to RT but I doubt it.
In any case except for the return of Bak I recommend that they leave OL as is. We have seen nothing to indicate that Tom would be any better than Newman at RG or at any other OL position. If Newman plays poorly for a few games than we can consider a switch but for now give the OL a chance to build up some continuity and play together. Thanks, Since '61
dblbogey
September 19, 2022 at 07:31 pm
Yes. Replace Newman. Tom has outplayed him since training camp started. And whose idea was it to keep Jake Hanson all this time? Or not to start Yosh in the playoff game?
Coldworld
September 20, 2022 at 07:44 am
How has Tom outplayed Newman at G? When? In what way and against whom?
dblbogey
September 20, 2022 at 09:58 am
All training camp. All preseason. When he came in to replace Runyan in game 1, when he did get a few plays in game 2. Are you Newman's dad or something?
Coldworld
September 20, 2022 at 10:11 am
No, just happy sanity has returned to the OL at least to the coaches if not with some here.
Since'61
September 20, 2022 at 01:58 pm
Tom has yet to take a snap in an NFL game against legit NFL players. What he did during the preseason is meaningless and irrelevant. If our coaches thought that he was such a superior player based on his preseason he would be in there. Fortunately they realize that his preseason play, probably against guys who are no longer in the league, doesn't mean anything when the games count.
I'm not trying to state that Newman is a great player but compared with a guy who has yet to play in the NFL I'll stick with Newman for now. Tom may evolve into an excellent OL at some point but I have yet to see anything from him that indicates that he is ready to start on the Packers OL. Thanks, Since '61
LLCHESTY
September 20, 2022 at 07:15 pm
He played in week 1 after Newman was hurt?
Thegreatreynoldo
September 19, 2022 at 08:19 pm
Runyan > Newman
Newman > Tom
Tom > Hanson (at guard and if given reps, perhaps at OC)
Leatherhead
September 20, 2022 at 12:01 am
LT>C>RT>LG>RG
PhantomII
September 20, 2022 at 06:03 am
Newman has no muscle tone. He may be better than Hanson but I doubt Tom. If we are running the rock the bigger the better. Not crazy about ML stretch run BS as it usually fails against fast ILB's. But plowing strait ahead it works better. So beef up the OL and plow ahead....I'm all for that. Especially against the Rams, Bucs and SF.
JosephR
September 20, 2022 at 06:14 am
I was not a fan of him at all in the Draft, he wasn't even on my board to be honest. He's not overly powerful and is a marginal athlete. I'm thinking the Packers thought maybe a full NFL offseason might yield something, but if he didn't have it in the SEC, I don't expect it to manifest himself in the NFL.
Coldworld
September 20, 2022 at 07:56 am
I’d suggest that leaving pre draft opinions behind once there is actual evidence of play in the nfl. I’d further suggest that it’s risky to conflate preseason and in season readiness or success. You have nothing tangible to suggest that Tom is the better G at this point from this preseason. You could just as easily target Runyon. You’d be just as wrong.
Just to set the record straight, Newman is in fact a plus athlete. He has an 8.72 RAS. The Packers noticed that and one of their comments in drafting him was the potential to be a force in the run game. He scored that despite a glaring weakness—23 bench reps only, for which he was heavily dinged. Ironically Tom managed 2 less.
Unlike Tom, (8.97 RAS as a G) who had elite short area agility for a G, Newman’s was just ok. Newman was faster and more explosive though. A fact that the Packers pointed to as what they were excited about in a G (contrary to your assertion, I’ve never come across anyone who saw Newman as intended to be a future T, swing or not).
dblbogey
September 20, 2022 at 10:01 am
Newman has proven he's a below average lineman. Thanks for setting the record straight.
Coldworld
September 20, 2022 at 10:14 am
How exactly? He was below average till the latter part of his rookie season. He was pretty good thereafter. Then again, since I only spoke above to athletic metrics, I doubt that proves anything except to refute a claim that he’s not athletic.
JosephR
September 20, 2022 at 10:12 am
Newman tested great, but he continually finds himself in trouble with bull rushers on the inside(stonewalls at best), and dynamic edge rushers on the outside(you should clearly be able to see that on the Vikings tape). What we see on the RAS card doesn't appear to fully manifest itself on the field. Has he gotten better? Yes, but I'm still wanting more.
I will concede to you that it's far from ideal to consider Tom's 30 or so regular season snaps against Newman's full body of work from 2021, but that's exactly where I'm at. It's a long season, maybe we'll see him in the starting lineup sooner than later, maybe not. We'll definitely revisit this on my second piece somewhere around Week 7-9.
Coldworld
September 20, 2022 at 10:22 am
Newman needs to continue to get better at reading stunts. That was his issue. Hopefully he’s added some strength in the training program too. If he plays badly then it’s fair enough to consider other options, probably Tom, definitely not Hanson.
The likelihood is that Tom will start at some point, though where is uncertain, but Newman, while not a T, was a decent NFL G by late last year. Tom is as yet unproven and would really benefit from a year I. The weight room. I wish they had used the summer to prepare him at C. Hanson actually looked worse there than at G in the preseason. It will likely take a game or two got the right side to fully settle now. They did ok in game one, now let’s hope Newman and Jenkins can build on that.
Coldworld
September 20, 2022 at 07:50 am
My aunt Nellie is better than Hanson. Honestly, one of my real concerns about Rhyan is not that he’s not ready (some take time) but that he wasn’t even in the mix when they trotted out a player as poor as Hanson showed himself to be repeatedly. As for Tom, he didn’t unseat Hanson either.
LaFleur spoke volumes in his comments about having not only Jenkins but Newman back at G possibly being the difference between winning and losing. True or not, that tells you that the faith in Hanson was not real and the lack of comparable alternatives.
dobber
September 20, 2022 at 10:52 am
Rhyan played almost exclusively at LT over his college career. Some guys just don't adjust to playing in confined quarters, or they adjust vey slowly. I won't write him off yet.
"True or not, that tells you that the faith in Hanson was not real and the lack of comparable alternatives."
That's the issue, in my mind: they didn't feel that they had a better alternative....for whatever reason, Tom wasn't competitive there in their minds until he was needed under fire.
PhantomII
September 20, 2022 at 09:27 pm
I am not sold on our coaching point of view. Look how long it took Nijman to get in the game and even after Newman and others. I think they wanted him unknown and on a cheap contract instead of paying for another LT money.
Leatherhead
September 19, 2022 at 11:59 pm
I thought the offensive line did a pretty good job of run blocking against a pretty good Chicago defense.
MattMM
September 20, 2022 at 01:09 am
Yes, but will it work with others that is the question
Coldworld
September 20, 2022 at 10:08 am
The question posed here is surely whether it would work better with Tom than Newman? The answer in my view is no on available evidence.
The answer to your question is not always. This is not the line of a few years ago. Bakh will be coming off injury and older. Myers is still to hit ten games as a pro and Jenkins is learning. The days when we had Bulaga, the leagues best C in Linsley and Bakh pre-injury still saw struggles at times. I would expect this line to struggle to open holes at times, but a similar version was pretty good at keeping Rodgers healthy last year.
Myers and Patrick is not obviously a significant downgrade made and may be an upgrade with time. Jenkins too is a good bet to match last year on the right. If Rodgers could get the MVP last year behind that OL, the version with Myers and Jenkins at RT and the same other three should be just fine, even if Bakh doesn’t return.
JosephR
September 20, 2022 at 06:13 am
They did a fine job run blocking yes, but keep in mind that Aaron Jones can make something out of nothing with how shifty he is, and AJ Dillon can run over just about anyone with a full head of steam.
However, think about how the Minnesota game went when the Packers were playing from behind. If they fall behind by more than 10 points against Tampa and are forced to throw, you'll really see how good (or not) this particular OL combination is.
Coldworld
September 20, 2022 at 08:10 am
With the exception of Jenkins at RT and Patrick at C, we have seen Nijman, Runyon and Newman get us to the playoffs. We might have been better had we not messed with that in the Championship.
So the two variables are Myers and Jenkins. You aren’t targeting Myers for replacement and I presume you aren’t impliedly arguing that Tom is better than Jenkins at RT. So we know where these personnel can get us and about Newman in pass protection. It’s not the first game he’s played. I think I’d risk Jenkins at RT over Tom at this point, despite the fact that he’s got little track record there.
The more you write the more this seems completely without logical foundation.
JosephR
September 20, 2022 at 08:41 am
My article explicitly states a move of Zach Tom to the starting RG position. I would have expounded more on Hanson, but again he was effectively "demoted" by Jenkins returning to the lineup. If that was somehow lost in translation, I'll do a better job of articulating that in my writings.
If you have an opinion on how that combination will, or won't work, I'm always here to talk shop.
Coldworld
September 20, 2022 at 09:04 am
I can read. Hence my use of the term impliedly, meaning by implication not express statement.
Since Hanson played G, he was demoted not by Jenkins directly but by Newman. They could have replaced Hanson with Tom or just leave him at G. They instead started Newman.
Since we have seen Newman for a season at G, the questions over the combination would therefore be presumably how well Jenkins can handle RT. I have stated that I think just fine, once the rust disappears. He was good at LT and is supremely adaptable based on past play.
What you haven’t asserted in any palpable way is why Tom would help Jenkins more or be better than Newman at G. You claimed Newman isn’t athletic, but he is, you cite your pre draft opinion, but Newman has played for a year and you obviously overlooked near comparable athleticism back then too and haven’t reappraised that.
To be clear, I wasn’t looking to draft Newman either. He certainly never was one of my personal picks. Neither was Tom. I doubted Newman for the same reason I doubted Tom as a G. Lack of strength. The difference is that Newman hasn’t looked overmatched physically last year and should have added strength through the Packers training regime. He improved his recognition abilities and was good later last season. I see no reason to ignore that and you have given me none to suggest there is credible evidence that Tom has surpassed him.
Leatherhead
September 20, 2022 at 05:28 pm
I think Tom should be worked at RT, because if he could play RT then Jenkins could be plugged in somewhere else.
He’s a good player, and versatile as advertised. Our best starting 5, right now, is Nijman, Runyan, Myers, Newman, and Jenkins. All of the starters last year and only Jenkins in a different spot. Tom, Bakhtiari, and yes, probably Hanson and Rhyan will be needed before Christmas.
LLCHESTY
September 20, 2022 at 07:20 pm
🙄 They gave up 176 yards rushing against the 49ers and 180 to the Packers and are 32nd in a league of 32. Yep pretty, pretty good.
Leatherhead
September 21, 2022 at 10:49 am
Yes, two weeks tells the whole story. I’m going to save this one and file it under “Chesty’s Premature Evaluations”.
I think you’re like Matt Damon’s character in Good Will Hunting. A smart guy who only knows what he’s read about. You’ve never been responsible for putting a team on the field. You’ve never been paid to coach or play or scout. You’re not a bad guy, but you know less than you think you do.
croatpackfan
September 20, 2022 at 08:15 am
I do not agree to put Bakh on LT vs over average D. This is tha path for disaster.
We saw how much rust showed Elgton in his 1st game after something less than one year w/o football. I expect much more rust on Bakh, because he is out of football almost 2 years now (2-3 months less). We can expect him to be beat very often if he needs to block premier rusher. I would inserting him among starters very slowly. And that is despite I recognize his talent he was showing from the very first moment after Packers drafted him. He started as rookie and was never the worst player on OL. I would not give him opportunity to be that guy this season (to be the worst on the OL).
I'll wait till week 6 and Jets at Lambeau Field as the moment for his implementing in the OL.
T7Steve
September 20, 2022 at 09:04 am
That can't be the plan, can it? Otherwise they could have kept him on the PUP or IR.
croatpackfan
September 20, 2022 at 09:35 am
They might thought he will be able to play from day one, what would not be with positive outcome, but next 3 opponents has very good to excellent pass rushers, so that is what I would do. At the end, nobody asks me for opinion.... ;-)
T7Steve
September 20, 2022 at 09:46 am
So I'm nobody? HA!
We just need to get a line locked in and playing together (see CW above). Against great pass rushers (all teams have at least one) we could take a hit to start with but, just have to get set and hope for no injuries. The last couple years have taught me that our depth isn't as good as I thought.
croatpackfan
September 20, 2022 at 10:41 am
I was not thinking of us, posters and fans. I thought of, for this issue relevant people...
I know about football much less than many here, so I also take that fact in consideration.
Some things, like return from long lasting injury is similar in mostly all area of human work, no matter what kind of proffession is in question.
Also, behaviour of different people is mostly the same around the world, when you take in consideration culture, myths and preffered outcomes.
There I'm pretty confident, I have some knowledge.
So, no, you are somebody, even more, very important person to someone or more of them, I'm sure!
T7Steve
September 20, 2022 at 10:57 am
I'm really closer to a "Nobody" than a "Somebody" but, thanks. Might have to review and revise your scouting procedures.
Coldworld
September 20, 2022 at 10:29 am
I think they thought he might be ready by week 4 and have some practice under his belt. This approach means he can practice and potentially play before week 5. There is a lot of rust to knock off. He’s been out nearly two years in reality. On PUP he’s not gradually getting practices in and on IR he couldn’t play till week 5 and then only on limited practice time. If he’s still missing by week 6 then they lost their gamble.
croatpackfan
September 20, 2022 at 10:47 am
Thank Coldworld for this explanation. I completely forget about rights of practicing. That is, maybe, the main reason why Bakh is not kept on PUP or placed on IR.
On the other hand, if he will be still unable to perform after 10th week, I believe he will be done for football. What is pretty pitty.
dobber
September 20, 2022 at 10:57 am
They keep talking about putting their five best OL on the field, and they got one man closer by adding Jenkins. They'll have to make a leap of faith on Bakhtiari once he comes back: they'll trust that he's one of the 5 best...but the flexibility they have in Jenkins will help if they feel Nijman can man the right side.
So right now, I'd readjust that headline to read: "Pack attack needs some Bakh"
The question is: do you give him his first snaps against TB? NE? The Gents?
Coldworld
September 20, 2022 at 11:05 am
I would doubt it’s this week. Partly because of conditioning. Not just the expected heat but generally. Bakh hasn’t been consistently out there and he’s not 25 and hasn’t played in 2 years really. I’d want him practicing for at least a couple of weeks. Obviously, I don’t know his physical state, but caution seems wise. It’s not like Nijman has been an issue. Even if he might be ready this week, I’d hold off unless it’s clearly apparent that he is.
T7Steve
September 20, 2022 at 11:19 am
Think they could give him some mop up play time (winning or losing) late in games to start getting his legs back or is that below his status?
Did you get a chance to look at these?
https://www.packers.com/news/what-you-might-ve-missed-good-blocks-galore...
Coldworld
September 20, 2022 at 02:09 pm
That’s an interesting piece. Thanks, I’d missed that.
Coldworld
September 20, 2022 at 02:09 pm
That’s an interesting piece. Thanks, I’d missed that.
Coldworld
September 20, 2022 at 02:09 pm
That’s an interesting piece. Thanks, I’d missed that.
croatpackfan
September 20, 2022 at 02:43 pm
And many hear cries out that Lowry is bad at run stopping. Ha!