Bulaga is working to find his footing
GREEN BAY - It was an accomplishment, and then it wasn’t.
Such is life in the National Football League. You’re hurt? What is the injury and how long might it take to recover? How fast can you get back? Wow – that was fast. You’re back? OK. Whatever.
Depending on the nature of the injury, that process may play out over the course of many months – or a year – but it can feel that quick. Green Bay Packers right tackle Bryan Bulaga is in that boat. He tore his right anterior cruciate ligament on Nov. 6, 2017. He was cleared to practice on Aug. 3, 2018. He played his first game, just 12 snaps, on Aug. 30. Then, hello Khalil Mack on Sept. 9. Then Danielle Hunter last Sunday. Three-time Pro Bowl rush linebacker Ryan Kerrigan is expected to line up over Bulaga’s right shoulder on Sunday in Washington.
At this point, his knee is physically healthy. But to go from practice reps to a dozen snaps against Kansas City backups in the fourth preseason game to 100 percent of the plays the first two weeks of the regular season – there’s still a final bit of “recovery” to finish up for the right tackle.
“To a degree, I feel like the recovery to the knee, it’s done, but the whole part of getting back into the technical part of the game is a process,” Bulaga said.
“I feel like, not just the speed of the game, that’s all slowing down to where it needs to be I feel like, it’s just a matter of being comfortable again in space and doing certain things and just seeing the defense the way that you were used to before you hadn’t played football in 10 months. It’s just kind of one of those things that from week to week you start to settle in and get more comfortable. Things start to happen more natural.”
The 29-year-old went through this before in 2014 when he came back from a torn left ACL, which initially helped him in the physical rehab and the mental reclamation to football.
But here in advance of Week 3, he’s still finding his footing with his technique. That’s been on display through two weeks. Pro Football Focus has rated Bulaga as the league’s 55th-best tackle (out of 73) with a 58.6 overall grade, and a 71.8 pass blocking grade (36th). It has him giving up seven total pressures (tied 60th).
“It’s kind of just retraining the muscle to just do those things and be natural – kicking out to a defensive end and he redirects inside and you push him back off – that’s all things muscle memory triggers,” Bulaga said. “And when you don’t get to do it for so long, those things kind of shut off a little bit. Then it takes your body a bit to readjust.
“Training camp is one thing. A preseason game is one thing. Live speed, full bore games are a different animal. So, I mean, I remember in ’14 when I came back off the left one, it took me, I feel like, longer that year to feel comfortable than it is now. I don’t know why that is but it just is.
“I feel like I’m getting more comfortable, faster, now than I was then. Maybe it’s because that was the first one I’d ever done and you are thinking about it, and maybe I was, but this time around it’s just – yeah there are things that still don’t feel right. Not from a knee standpoint but just from a technical standpoint, but I feel like it’s coming around faster.”
Same Rodgers routine
For the second consecutive week, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will practice only Saturday in advance of a Sunday noon kickoff.
Rodgers and the club will work in Green Bay before flying out to Washington.
While the team didn’t practice Wednesday this week, Rodgers continued his same routine of rehabbing. He did the same Thursday when the team moved to the Don Hutson Center.
“Aaron’s had two good days,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Friday morning. “Obviously we didn’t do a whole lot Wednesday. But I thought he looked good in practice (Thursday), so it’s great to have him back out there.”
A week ago, Rodgers rehabbed his injured left knee until the day before taking on the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field. He played the entire game in a brace, completing 30 of 42 passes for 281 yards and a score.
“It’s just going to be something you’ve got to deal with for a while,” Rodgers said Wednesday. “Take it week by week. It doesn’t seem like there’s a major setback at this point, so just being smart about it and trying to get ready to play Sunday.”
Adversity test
Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine had as much reason as anyone to be upset with Clay Matthews’ controversial roughing-the-passer penalty last week, but he took issue more with what happened next.
“We gave up probably 12, 13 completions after it, well over 100 yards passing, a touchdown,” Pettine said. “We didn’t handle the adversity well.”
The Packers appeared to have sealed a win against the Vikings when Matthews hit quarterback Kirk Cousins, forcing him to overthrow a deep pass cornerback Jaire Alexander intercepted. Even after the penalty, they still had plenty of chances to still win. The Vikings instead marched down the field to tie the game, then got into field-goal range twice in overtime.
Pettine used the situation as an early-season lesson he hopes pays off down the road.
“It’s going to happen in football,” he said. “You’re going to have something go against you that you have no control over – we don’t – and that was the most disappointing thing to me. We went from thinking ‘Hey, this game’s over,’ to ‘Hey, we’ve got to keep playing,’ and we didn’t handle that well.
“That’s the frustrating thing and that’s the thing we addressed in in our room and it’s something that moving forward that we need to handle adversity like that better.”
Matthews not fined
Matthews said Friday he was not fined for his controversial roughing-the passer penalty on Cousins, or his postgame comments on referee Tony Corrente’s call.
The penalty wiped out Alexander’s interception, extending a game that would eventually end in a tie. Afterward, Matthews shared his opinion on the call.
“I have so many emotions running through as far as what a terrible call it was,” he said.
While Matthews wasn’t fined, safety Kentrell Brice said he received a $20,000 fine for a hit against Oakland Raiders quarterback Connor Cook in the preseason. Brice’s hit wasn’t penalized, but after the game the NFL informed Brice it was a roughing penalty.
Also, there was one fine from Sunday’s game: Vikings safety Andrew Sendejo was penalized $53,482 for his unnecessary roughness penalty on Davante Adams. Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks was not fined for his roughing-the-passer penalty on Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Injury update
As expected, Rodgers was listed as questionable on the Packers’ injury report Friday. Rodgers will practice Saturday and, barring a setback, will be good to go Sunday at Washington.
Cornerback Kevin King (groin) is out. Inside linebacker Oren Burks (shoulder) is expected to play Sunday, mainly on special teams. Cornerback Davon House (biceps) and safety Josh Jones are expected to be available.