Tuesday’s takeaways
❚ Sometimes you must read between the lines a little bit when assessing the depth chart, but the coaches’ decision to shift veteran Byron Bell to right guard and start him in place of injured Justin McCray this week wasn’t hard to decipher. First, Bell, who has been playing right tackle almost all of camp, is in the running for a roster spot. They wouldn’t work him at two positions and with the No. 1s if they weren’t strongly considering him for a backup job. Secondly, and maybe not as clear-cut, is that they aren’t seeing enough from second-year pro Adam Pankey to feel good about him being a top backup. They may still view him as a developing player or they may feel he’s not going to make the roster. More than likely, they’re happy with the 29-year-old Bell but need to put him under the microscope to see whether he’s up to the challenge physically. The eighth-year veteran has started 74 games in his career, so there isn’t any worry about him handling any position mentally. With McCray a starter they’re in need of someone they can plug into multiple positions and still function offensively.
❚ In each of the past two years the Packers had at least nine injuries that caused players to miss the final practice before the third exhibition game, including those who were on the physically unable to perform list. On Tuesday, the last practice before the Packers play game No. 3 at Oakland, they were missing just three players. Two others took part in a limited portion of practice (no team drills), but it’s quite a difference from previous years under coach Mike McCarthy. The dearth of injuries has allowed McCarthy to conduct long practices with a dozen or more periods throughout camp. Practice lasted 2 hours and 13 minutes, which is far from the record this summer, but nothing had to be scaled back to account for injury. The only position that has been affected is running back, and finding guys on the street who can carry the ball is a lot easier than finding players who can cover or block. McCarthy has been able to stick to his No. 1s vs. No. 1s emphasis because there haven’t been that many injuries to his starters.
❚ Just because a player is on fire in practice doesn’t mean he can’t be humbled. During 11-on-11 drills, outside linebacker Clay Matthews destroyed right tackle Bryan Bulaga with an inside move that would have resulted in a sack and laid a big hit on running back Ty Montgomery. Then, in the final team drill, Matthews beat left tackle Alex Light, but some of the offensive linemen on the sideline preferred not to see it that way. “We were kind of messing with him,” tackle Jason Spriggs said. “We told (Light) before the next play, ‘Buckle up, because Clay is coming.’ ” With steam coming out of his ears, Matthews shot out of his stance, intent on bull-rushing Light into the Resch Center across the street. But just as he reached Light, he slipped and landed flat on his knees, drawing hoots and hollers from the offensive linemen on the sideline. Matthews stayed down for a while, took his punishment and then returned to the huddle.