Derek Sherrod Opens Camp As Starting Left Guard. Everybody Cheer? Panic? Give McCarthy Side-Eye?

by Kevin McCauley on Jul 31, 2011 7:00 AM CDT in Green Bay Packers Training Camp

Easily the biggest story to come out of the Green Bay Packers' first training camp practice of 2011 was Derek Sherrod practicing with the first team offense at left guard. With the departure of Daryn Colledge, most believed that T.J. Lang would open camp as the starter, while some made the case for Bryan Bulaga to move to that spot. I even heard some shouts for Nick McDonald to get a shot at the job. Sherrod at left guard? It was a possibility we all considered, but I don't think anyone expected him to start there on day one.

Of course, this could mean nothing. Things could change when the pads go on, or in the first preseason game, or really at any point in time. It's impossible for any of us to know what Mike McCarthy is thinking and whether or not he sees Sherrod as a left guard long term, short term, or in any term at all.

I am, at the very least, interested to see Sherrod get some time at guard. Ted Thompson has a history of drafting college tackles that McCarthy converts to guards, so this shouldn't be surprising at all. What do you guys think? Do you feel like Sherrod has a chance to be the starting left guard in Week 1 of the regular season, or do you want to wait until seeing a couple preseason games to jump to any conclusions?

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best 5 will play on the line, so it makes sense to try Sherrod out there.

in other news, Jets signed Plaxico Burress to a one year deal. Looking more and more likely that James Jones remains a Packer. Also the Seahawks are releasing Lofa Tatupu, he should come to GB haha

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by ThroughBeingCool on Jul 31, 2011 9:19 AM CDT reply actions

LG

Doesn’t surprise me that they are trying Sherrod at LG. But Sherrod is not going to be an OG long term. He is too talented at OT to be playing OG, except as one year trial. Personally, I would rather see them settle on a long term answer at LG and keep Sherrod at LT, where he will get plenty of reps behind Clifton. Lets find our LG of the future, not just for this year.

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by Strohman on Jul 31, 2011 9:53 AM CDT reply actions

I agree, Sherrod playing guard for a year could happen if he's one of the best five

But Sherrod is better suited and more valuable at tackle and you don’t draft a guard in the first round. I prefer him starting as a backup tackle with guard settled so that tge guardpostion can be resolved with Lang or McDonald and so Sherrod can practice at tackle, moving Sherrod to guard is a two headed monster that slow settling guard and tackle on the left side long term just to maybe be slightly better this year

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by Buddhasillegitimatechild38 on Jul 31, 2011 11:30 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions

I don't think he stays there long term

I think a lot of people believe that the tackle and guard spots are interchangeable, and to an extent they are, but it’s not as simple as “starting the best 5”. There’s a reason tackles are so much more valuable than guards – it’s because they have to be higher level athletes at the same size and strength. Long-term, it would be a bit of a waste to have Sherrod at LG, you don’t draft a LG in the first round of the draft, you take a tackle there.

That being said, they’re probably not ready to hand over LT and Aaron Rodger’s health to a rook, and trust Clifton there for another year. They’ll likely continue to develop Bulaga at RT, with the goal of him being there or LT eventually. If they feel Sherrod will benefit from taking snaps at LG, then he should play there. The only concern would be injury. It also likely slows TJ Lang’s development, since he won’t be accruing the same level of experience.

by rip_city_swagger on Jul 31, 2011 3:23 PM CDT reply actions

I doubt Sherrod is being considered a LG long-term

If we assume that the Pack want him to get on-field experience without him playing LT immediately (Clifton is not switching to LG), then footwork conversions seems like an issue. I have read that most OL players find moving between left-side and right-side to be a harder footwork adjustment (everything is reversed) than to slide from T to G on the same side.

I think that the choice of putting Sherrod at LG is interesting in that it indicates how the coaches see Sherrod in relation to Bulaga. I deduce that the coaches see Bulaga as the long-term RT and Sherrod as the long-term LT, meaning that forcing both to do the reversed footwork in practice would be counter to both players’ developments.

by NYCPac on Jul 31, 2011 4:45 PM CDT reply actions

Has anyone noticed...

McCarthy’s difficulty with o-line issues seem to be on the left side?

Two years ago, Clifton was hurt and Colledge was moved to LT. It didn’t work. Colledge went back to LG and Lang started against the Browns in place of Clifton and played well.

Last year, Bulaga was given a chance to start at LG, didn’t do real well and Colledge was back at LG. When Tauscher went down, Bulaga is shifted to RT, does well and Tauscher is no longer on the team. Bulaga might be a RT for his career. Josh Sitton hasn’t been a problem at RG.

The successful move of Bulaga to RT creates the same LT problem again…who will be the next LT behind Chad Clifton? In the draft, the Packers take another LT in Derek Sherrod. This seems like a logical decision. Now that training camp started, he’s penciled in at LG?

Playing the best five linemen isn’t always the best solution. One has to see which five play the best together. I don’t see this as a viable process to determine who the next LT is going to be.

McCarthy has his weaknesses as a head coach. This is one of them. His tinkering contributes to instability on the o-line and inhibits continuity. Continuity is critical on the o-line.

by Slim11 on Jul 31, 2011 9:25 PM CDT reply actions

I think your totally over analyzing this.

Bulaga was barely even tried at LG. He was never in the running to unseat Colledge. I think they gave him reps in a couple practices at most. Other than that Bulaga got all his reps at LT… Colledge has been steady and never missed a game or barely any practices in 5 yrs in GB. I would rather see Sherrod strictly at backup LT right now, but he’s choosing to get a look at him at LG, since there isn’t an incumbent at that spot. Transitioning from LG to LT is pretty easy since the footwork is pretty much the same. LG and LT (except for Clifton’s injuries) has been locked up since McCarthy arrived. Now it looks like we’ll be having a new LG and LT in consecutive years. Doesn’t really sound like a coaching weakness.

Continuity is why I would rather we find a LG of the future this year and stick w/ him. But theres also an argument to be made for getting Sherrod some experience in the NFL at LG, before he takes over at LT.

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by Strohman on Jul 31, 2011 10:16 PM CDT up reply actions

Here's a thought

Maybe MM just wants to get Sherrod some practice time against top-level players to get a feel for the speed of the pro game. Maybe he gives a tackle a little bit of time at guard to get some at practice run-blocking against the stronger NFL players.

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by I voted for Kodos on Jul 31, 2011 10:35 PM CDT reply actions

Finding a LT is more important than finding a LG.

Colledge was drafted to be a LT. He couldn’t handle it and wound up at LG. Mike Wahle couldn’t play LT and also wound up at LG. Arguably, his career at LG was substantially better than Colledge’s has been thus far.

Bulaga was drafted to be the next LT in Green Bay. I was critical of the decision moving him over to the right side. While the move is paying off, the consequence is finding another LT. It seems Sherrod would fill that need. Now, the coaching decision to play him at LG might create another personnel decision as to who the next LT is going to be.

by Slim11 on Aug 1, 2011 8:24 AM CDT reply actions

LT

Sherrod will be the long term LT. Packers want to get him on the field for experience and have an opening at LG. If Sherrod can play LG, he’ll be there until Clifton is done, whether thats this year or next. Colledge wasn’t drafted to be a LT. He played that in college, but the Packers never considered him as anything other than an OG and as a backup OT. Sitton was an OT in college too, but they never tried him at RT. He became an OG immediately, just like Colledge.

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by Strohman on Aug 1, 2011 11:49 AM CDT up reply actions