King playing through injury
GREEN BAY – The Green Bay Packers are watching rookie cornerback Kevin King closely this week, hoping the left shoulder injury that has required him to wear a support all season is strong enough for him to play against the Baltimore Ravens.
King practiced for a second straight day but was limited and gave no indication if he thought he was going to play Sunday.
The Packers haven’t had stability at their corner position all season and not having King could prevent them from finally getting it now that Damarious Randall has settled into the slot position.
The defense still needs Davon House to play better, but if King plays the Packers at least would have their top three corners on the field for the majority of the game. King has been solid, allowing 31⁄2 completions of 20 or more yards, including his only touchdown, and has tackled well.
“My mental (state) is good,” King said. “If it’s something I know, I know how to counter it. I’m going to know how to get it done. That includes when they throw at me, getting it done.”
If King can’t play, the Packer likely would go with Josh Hawkins so they can help counter the speed of Ravens receivers Breshad Perriman and Mike Wallace. Hawkins might play anyway just because he’s the fastest corner on the team.
If able, King will be on the field somewhere.
Last week, he came off the bench after starting the last five games in which he had appeared. Coordinator Dom Capers went with House and Randall as his corners in the base defense and moved Randall into the slot with King entering on the outside in the nickel.
King wouldn’t say exactly what the injury was or whether he’d need it addressed in the off-season, but he said it was related to a torn labrum he suffered as a freshman at the University of Washington. He said it flared up on him as a senior and he has dealt with it ever since.
There were no major changes in the Packers’ injury situation.
Safety Morgan Burnett (groin) and running back Ty Montgomery (ribs) both sat out for a second straight day and appear to be long shots to play. Guard Lucas Patrick (back) was added as a limited participant.
Goodson returns: Twelve long months had passed since cornerback Demetri Goodson suffered a torn ACL, and after a lengthy rehab process the medical staff finally cleared him earlier this week.
“It felt so good, man,” Goodson said. “My body needed that, too. Being out for a whole year, people don’t know how tough that was. The knee felt great. It actually caught me off guard how good I felt out there.
“The whole process, you know, you’re going to have your good and bad weeks. Days you feel good, days you feel bad. Mentally just coming in every day doing the same thing for a whole year was tough. But it’s definitely paid off for me big time, because I feel good right now.”
The last time Packers fans saw Goodson, he was being carted off the field in Washington. Goodson had been blocking for punt returner Randall Cobb when an opposing player fell into his knee from the side.
Goodson remained in Green Bay for the rehab process and spent nearly every day at Lambeau Field working with the medical staff. He practiced for the first time Wednesday and returned to the field for a padded practice Thursday.
The Packers have a three-week window to evaluate Goodson in practice while he remains on the physically unable to perform list. At the end of those three weeks, general manager will make a decision whether to activate Goodson, cut him or place him on injured reserve.
Climate control: For a quarterback who grew up in Arizona and played college football in California, frigid temperatures are not exactly part of the learning curve en route to the NFL. But come Sunday, when forecasts call for temperatures around 31 degrees with wind gusts up to 20 miles per hour, Brett Hundley will need to adjust quickly.
“Have not played in it, but I’ve got my long sleeves on,” Hundley said this week.
“It’s a mental thing. I’m always thinking 72 degrees and an ocean breeze.”
Flagged: When he heard there was a penalty called in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, nose tackle Kenny Clark looked around to see who it might be on.
When it was signaled as holding, he still didn’t know who it was on.
“I was thinking something happened way backside,” Clark said.
The call was defensive holding, a point of emphasis recently for NFL officials cracking down on defensive linemen grabbing blockers who are trying to move up to the second level and take on linebackers.
Clark admitted he got his hand on Bears guard Josh Sitton, but he said he didn’t intentionally grab him.
“I don’t play like that,” he said.
The penalty negated a 3-yard loss and gave the Bears a first-and-10 on their own 37. They scored one play later on a 46-yard pass from Mitch Trubisky to receiver Josh Bellamy.