Pankey emerging after year spent in shadows
GREEN BAY - As the Green Bay Packers prepared to play the Atlanta Falcons in last September, the pregame panic focused on who would occupy the five offensive line spots in front of quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Starting tackles David Bakhtiari and Bryan Bulaga were both ruled out with injuries. Bakhtiari had injured his hamstring in the season opener seven days prior when his legs gave out and the Packers’ left tackle stretched into a full split. He warmed up on the field in Atlanta under the watchful eyes of team physician Patrick McKenzie, but the final decision was a decisive, deflating thumbs down.
Bulaga couldn't go because of a right ankle injury suffered during training camp.
Without either tackle, the Packers turned to Kyle Murphy and Justin McCray to play on the left and right, respectively, as Rodgers prepared for an evening under siege. But for a moment — albeit a fleeting one — rookie offensive lineman Adam Pankey thought he might make his NFL debut under the lights of Sunday Night Football four days after being promoted from the practice squad.
“I would say it’s (most difficult) to stay patient,” Pankey said Wednesday after the team’s minicamp practice. “That’s more what you have to do, you have to just wait for your time.”
In reality, that hour before kickoff was the closest Pankey came to legitimate playing time during the 2017 season. For the next few months — from mid-September through the end of the season — Pankey remained on the 53man roster.
He finished the season with one snap to his name, a single play on special teams during Week 17, after the Packers had been eliminated from playoff contention.
Instead, Pankey spent a year in the shadows for what amounted to a redshirt season.
He finished with more appearances on the inactive list (10) than any other player on the team and also spent four full games as a padded observer during weeks he made the 46-man roster. He was, for all intents and purposes, an invisible man.
“A true pro has to be able to watch the guys on tape,” offensive line coach and run game coordinator James Campen said earlier this spring. “You have to listen. You have to have big eyes and absorb things . ... Those things, if you’re paying attention and you’re taking the mental reps whether you’re on the field, in the classroom, those things will help you. He’s done a good job with that.”
Closing shop: The Packers completed their off-season program Thursday with the final practice of a three-day, mandatory minicamp and a series of parting messages from coach Mike McCarthy and members of his staff.
“That was really the message today about finishing a quality off-season,” McCarthy said. “I clearly think it’s one of our better ones, one of our best offseasons just as far as the amount of work we were able to get done, the quality of work.
“We were able to move some things around in the practice schedule, so our number of team reps was higher, so I think we were able to a lot more in the competitive arena just with these types of practices that we have.”
The Packers began their offseason program in mid-April when players returned to Green Bay after a threemonth hiatus.
Aside from running practice, McCarthy said he and his staff spent the last four weeks preparing for training camp, which begins July 25. The coaches planned the details of every practice and will review those outlines in the coming weeks.
Injury update: The Packers finished their off-season program with just a few minor injuries after several weeks in which the medical staff exhibited plenty of caution.
Wide receiver Trevor Davis (hamstring), safety Josh Jones (ankle), linebacker Jake Ryan (hamstring) wide receiver Geronimo Allison (ankle) and tight end Robert Tonyan (hip) did not participate in minicamp this week.
Aside from Bulaga, who is still recovering from a torn ACL, McCarthy said he has no concerns about his players’ availability for training camp.