FanPost

The Great Camp Battles of 2011

Training Camp is right around the corner. Man I can't believe I'm typing that after the whirlwind week or two that's been happening. It's gone from nothing and speculation to full on insanity in just a few days. This sudden cold to hot has made it hard for me personally to get the feeling that training camp is really upon us....

But it is.

So what are some of the battles that we can look forward to as the players get ready to ride little kid bikes and ride onto Ray Nitschke field?

Starting OLB: You know it. I know it. This is the weakest link of our defense and the spot where an upgrade needs to happen the most. Right now the Packers are going to have three guys battling for one spot to play opposite Clay Matthews. Those three are Erik Walden, Frank Zombo, and Brad Jones. All three are decent football players. All three were acquired for next to nothing (Jones being the only one drafted by the Packers and he was a 7th rounder). All three have basically been average with each showing a small niche of specialization. These three are going to battle it out, and it maybe that none of them win. Capers might be planning on swapping them in and out depending on the situation in order to maxmise their talents. Well crazier things can happen.

Guy on the inside track: Zombo. He ended the year as starter and I think he continues there if only by default.

Starting Strong Safety: Kevin got the ball rolling on this one. Right now the battle is between Charlie Peprah and Morgan Burnett. Really this is going to boil down to what we want that other safety besides Nick Collins to be. If we want a more enforcer who is going to give hard hits and solid play up the middle then the guy is Peprah. If we want another ball hawk who is going to make plays happen then it's Burnett. Right now the Packers are expecting the knee to be healthy so it's game on...

Guy on the inside track: Peprah. Peprah stepped up down the line last year, played very well and was able to make things happen through hits and some key picks. I would say it's his job to lose, especially since the Packers are thinking Burnett over Peprah apparently, but I think Peprah makes it out of camp with the job after a hell of a fight from Burnett.

Starting Left Guard: Colledge is out. Sure the Packers never really made an offer to bring him back, but that means theyl need a replacement. Now anyone who has paid attention to this line over the last couple years can guess the trendy player to take that spot....that's right make way for T.J. Lang! Last season we saw the great debate of LG or RT for Lang, one I guess that has been ranging among the coaching staff as well as the fan base. So it would seem with Colledge gone Lang should be able to step in and make something happen. I don't think it's going to be that simple though. Lang is going to need to beat out a few guys in order to secure this spot. His competition? Nick McDonald will be in the mix, but I'm not sure what kind of a push he will give. Biggest compeition will probably come from Derek Sherrod. Bulaga gave the push to Colledge last year and I fully expect the Pack to do the same thing with the current rookie LT of the future this year. Heck, at this point I wouldn't be surprised to see Brian Bulaga himself to be in the mix for this position and let the RT position be up for grabs too. If there's anything we should know by know with MM is that the best five lineman will be on the field when all is said and done even if that means a bit of musical chairs.

Guy on the inside track: Lang. It has to be Lang. He's been hyped too much and so much promise has been swirling around this guy for him not to be the guy expected to win. If he doesn't win it this year and put that potential into actual then it's time for the Pack to part ways with him because I don't think we need the jack-of-all trades back up that he will become at that point. We already have enough of those and can draft another very easily.

Starting DE: Jenkins may or may not be gone. I don't think the Packers have really tried to sign him, but he's also not really inked anywhere yet....so who knows. Assuming he does leave, which most of the tea leaves have been pointing to for months, means a new starter needs to be found. Enter Mike Neal. He was drafted for this day and this should be his moment to shine. But he does have some injury concerns and there is some question about how his shoulder is holding up. Neal will have to show his health and beat Jarius Wynn and C.J. Wilson in order to fully claim Jenkins spot. Now those two may not seem like great competition, but each played solid down the stretch. My gut is also telling me that Wilson may be in for a bit of a break out season. He would of benefited from the offseason workouts and time with the coaches, but I think this year he can learn to push the pocket and put some pressure on the QB. The other dark horse in this race? Lawrence Guy. He's got some upside, but is pretty raw and definately could of used those OTA's and rookie camps.

Guy on the inside track: Neal. If he's healthy he's the guy. He didn't play much last year, but he was able to use his power pretty effectively and that should continue this year.

After these battles will be a collection of guys just fighting for a roster spot at some of our overloaded positions like WR, TE, CB, and FB. Any one of these will be some great story lines through the coming weeks and will help push most of those players to work through some of the complacency that typically comes with winning a Super Bowl.

So which of these battles are you looking forward to the most? Which rookie do you think is going to push the hardest and make a name for himself in camp? Or my personal favorite....which veteran do you see as the big surprise cut/roster move this year....or as we around here typically call it the Jon Ryan award.

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