Rookie Fackrell earning more action
He’s helping give veterans a break
Green Bay — The Green Bay Packers have made it a priority to keep linebackers Clay Matthews, Nick Perry and Julius Peppers as healthy as possible during the playoffs even if it means playing a rookie in their stead.
That rookie is Kyler Fackrell.
The third-round draft choice was pleasantly surprised with his portion of snaps in the Packers’ 3813 wild-card victory over the New York Giants, especially considering the do-or-die element to the game.
Fackrell played 15 of 65 snaps from scrimmage (23%) as position coach Winston Moss demonstrated the same faith he had shown earlier in the year.
By comparison, veterans Datone Jones (20 of 65, 31%) and Perry (22 of 65, 34%) were only a few snaps ahead of Fackrell.
“Those last six games were pretty much all must-win, so they prefer to have veteran, tested guys out there,” Fackrell said. “But, yeah, it was definitely a big opportunity and a big step, I felt like, to be able to play that much in a playoff game.
“It’s a lot of trust that they put in a guy. I’m a rookie still. It feels like I’ve been here awhile; it’s been a long season. But I am still a rookie, so it shows they have trust in me. Obviously, I want to warrant that.”
Fackrell’s rookie season was derailed slightly by a hamstring injury suffered in Week 11 against Washington. He rehabbed for nearly an entire month before returning to play four snaps from scrimmage and 21 snaps on special teams in a win over the Chicago Bears.
The focus on special teams remained until the Giants game.
“Special teams is always an important role,” Fackrell said. “I’m just kind of impacting what I can there and doing whatever I can on defense.”
The increased playing time against the Giants was more in line with the praise heaped on him by Moss throughout training camp and the early weeks of the season.
What’s more, it keeps Matthews, who is recovering from a shoulder injury, Perry, who is playing with a broken hand, and Peppers, who turns 37 on Wednesday, from wearing down.
Injury scares: Linebacker Blake Martinez and fullback Aaron Ripkowski appear ready to go Sunday, but both were a little nervous about their injuries last week.
Martinez got hit from the side and injured the same knee he sprained against Washington in Week 11, causing him to miss three games. As soon as it happened, he feared a setback.
“I think, yeah, when it first happened, obviously it was the same knee, and I think when it happened it was a little frightening,” Martinez said. “But after a while, it was kind of one of those things where it hits you, and you’re kind of freaking out at first, but then you slowly get the feeling back and start moving around a little bit.
“I was good to go after that.”
The Packers probably will need Martinez to help play the run against the Dallas Cowboys. He expects to be ready.
“Feeling good,” he said. “Today, I kind of went through everything practice-wise, and kind of just slowly gaining confidence for it and taking it day by day.”
Ripkowski’s fears came from a shoulder injury that flared up in practice Saturday, requiring him to go on the injury report. All along, Ripkowski felt he was ready to play, but he was concerned the medical staff didn’t agree.
“It wasn’t really one injury,” the second-year fullback said. “It was one of those things, it wasn’t that bad, but you get dinged up you have to report it. I wasn’t sure what their thought process was. I hadn’t been in that position. I was a little worried.”
Ripkowski was cleared and played 25 snaps.
Well rested: While the Packers were busy eliminating the Giants from the playoffs, the Cowboys enjoyed a week off courtesy of their 13-3 record in the regular season and one of two first-round byes.
But rather than give his players the majority of the week off, coach Jason Garrett said they practiced a few times to stay sharp.
“It was good,” Garrett said in a conference call with Wisconsin media. “We got a chance to get some guys healed up. We practiced a couple days last week. Guys did a good job with that and back into the regular routine of a Sunday game.
“Any time you get a chance to give your guys a chance to freshen up a little bit, I think it helps you.”
It seems to have worked.
Star tailback Ezekiel Elliott, who led the league in rushing by more than 300 yards, said it felt like everyone was back on the field when the Cowboys resumed a normal schedule this week.
“So I think today is probably the best (session) that we’ve had all year,” he said. “We look really fresh, really energized and really ready to come out and play Sunday.”
Earlier Wednesday, Elliott escaped injury after he was involved in a car crash. The two-car accident occurred at 7:05 a.m. at an intersection located about a half-mile from the Cowboys’ training facility in Frisco, Texas., according to Frisco police spokesman Benny Valdez. Nobody was injured in the collision.
In a conference call with Green Bay reporters, Elliott said: “Just got into a little accident, glad that no one is injured. That’s all I’m going to talk about it.”
Injury report: Receiver Jeff Janis (quadricep), Peppers (rest), running back James Starks (concussion) and center JC Tretter (knee) did not practice.
Starks remains in the concussion protocol following a car accident in mid-December.
“He hasn’t made progress,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “He’s kind of at a point, that’s all I can say.”
Tretter, who suffered a strained right MCL against the Atlanta Falcons, was on the 46-man active roster for Sunday’s win over the Giants, but he did not see the field. He had been a full participant in practice last week.
Cornerback Quinten Rollins (neck/concussion) practiced for the first time since his scary fall in Detroit during Week 17. He was a limited participant and remains in the concussion protocol.