They were named after the gold rush of 1849 and San Francisco is where the 1-1 Packers are headed this week for a second straight, prime time contest against the 2-0 49ers.
The practice week began with a mid-afternoon workout Wednesday and a surprising absence. Starting left tackle Elgton Jenkins, who I’m hard pressed to recall ever missing a practice, did not participate because of an ankle injury. It occurred during the Monday night victory over the Lions but Jenkins still finished the game.
“I think Elgton is one of the toughest guys we have on this football team”, Matt LaFleur said of the 2020 Pro Bowler. LaFleur added just like any injury, they’ll monitor it through the rest of the week and see if he’s ready to go Sunday night. Four players were listed as limited on the week’s first injury report. Tight end Josiah Deguara has cleared the concussion protocol and returned on a limited basis. Tyler Lancaster (back), Eric Stokes (quad) and Vernon Scott (hamstring) were the other three.
The Jenkins injury is particularly troubling considering the Packers already start two rookies on the offensive line in Josh Myers and Royce Newman. Second year guard Jon Runyan made his first career start against Detroit. The front five will be severely challenged by a San Francisco defensive line which has three, first round draft picks among the four starters. Arik Armstead had six pressures in San Francisco’s 17-11 win in Philadelphia last week, Nick Bosa, back from a season ending injury in 2020 recorded a pair of sacks and Javon Kinlaw, last year’s number one is quickly emerging at defensive tackle. When asked what he sees in the 49er front, Aaron Rodgers deadpanned, “I see a lot of studs.”
Rodgers met with the media before practice for a change and had some serious answers to questions raised about his admittedly poor performance in the season opener against the Saints. Some national pundits called into question his commitment to the team after all the off-season drama and last minute return before the start of training camp. Aaron’s response?
Rodgers also wanted to set the record straight over how some perceive his off-field lifestyle and how that might impact his play on the field.
Rodgers is anxious to take another shot at the team he rooted for as a child. There have been three heartbreaking playoff losses to the 49ers in his career that started when he thought for sure he was headed to San Francisco as the number one overall pick in 2005. We know how that turned out. But when news broke that Rodgers was unhappy in Green Bay last April, speculation was rampant that San Francisco might be his next stop if the Packers had any intention of trading him. Aaron admitted anything is possible but never considered that a real possibility. However, on draft night when the news broke, the 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan actually called Green Bay to inquire if Rodgers was going on the market. He got a blunt “NO’ for a response and that was the end of it. Shanahan and LaFleur are close, they’ve coached together at a couple of stops in their careers. Did having a friend inquire about your quarterback impact LaFleur’s relationship? Matt said it did not, they’re still tight. In San Francisco, Shanahan was asked about that call and said we were just doing our due diligence just in case. When asked what the 49ers were willing to give up to get Rodgers, Shanahan joked “You” meaning the reporter who asked the question. It never got to the point of contemplating the compensation needed to land the three time NFL MVP.
A couple of other notes from mid-week. Tight end Jace Sternberger, the Pack’s 3rd round pick in 2019 who was waived after coming off his two week league suspension, has been picked up by the Seattle Seahawks who signed him to their practice squad.
The Packers are well represented on the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s initial list of 122 nominees for the Hall of Fame class of 2022. LeRoy Butler, a finalist last year, heads the list. He’s expected to be strongly considered again this year. Donald Driver, Nick Collins and Ryan Longwell have also been nominated after playing all or most of their careers with the Packers. Several players who made their name elsewhere but helped out the Pack for at least a season are also on the list. Andre Rison, who caught Brett Favre’s first touchdown pass in Super Bowl XXXI is on it, along with linebacker Seth Joyner, tight end Wesley Walls, center Jeff Saturday and punter Sean Landeta.
