Morning Buzz: Packers back on practice field today
Aaron Nagler
Welcome to your Morning Buzz, rounding up news and views regarding the Green Bay Packers from around the web and here at PackersNews.com.
After a few days out of the public eye, including a closed practice Sunday where Mike McCarthy said they’d be working on preparation for the Bears in Week 1, the Packers are back on the practice field today, starting at 12:15 p.m.
We’ll start with Lori Nickel’s look at what Packers offensive linemen go through when it comes to dealing with injuries.
Offensive linemen can be beasts in the weight room, bench-pressing a car and dead-lifting a tank, but if they don’t have healthy feet and ankles, then all that strength is neutralized. That’s why Packers fans held their breath this month when their starting left tackle went down.
It wasn’t surprising that David Bakhtiari suffered a left ankle injury during the team's annual night practice at Lambeau Field, just as it wasn't surprising that he recuperated quickly enough to appear in the Packers' second exhibition game Thursday against Pittsburgh.
Offensive linemen are an interesting position group. They are both more vulnerable to ankle and foot injuries but are also often capable of doing their jobs despite the limitations and liabilities of those injuries.
But it's not easy.
Although their position doesn't call for the kind of running that ball carriers and receivers do, linemen get frequent foot and ankle injuries simply because of geography and proximity.
“It’s just the physicality in the trenches. Or, we call it, a phone booth,” guard/tackle Adam Pankey said. “It’s real tight and compact and sometimes you get feet on top of feet. It sometimes just gets messy.”
“That’s where so many injuries happen,” Bell said. “There’s so many big bodies in there. You just don’t know who’s falling down.”
There are other contributing factors when 300-pound men run, cut and plant so much.
The Packers activated their veteran outside linebacker off of the PUP list:
Jamaal Williams is not a fan of Vince Williams:
Elsewhere, Brian Baldinger is all in on Aaron Rodgers to Jimmy Graham:
Tramon Williams wants to get back to the Super Bowl:
Locked On Packers talks Packers pass rush:
Four Packers made Pro Football Focus’ Team of the Week:
The Packers Wire looks at the play Jamaal Williams was injured on:
Jason Perone gives some perspective:
Las Vegas Review-Journal looks at some bets regarding the Packers:
Matub is back with Hottest Take of the Week:
Rodgers joined Jason Wilde and Mark Tauscher for an extensive interview:
Tom Grossi gives his season predictions: