Cheese Curds, 12/1: Tavon Austin is essentially Tyler Ervin

With Tyler Ervin out due to a wrist injury over the past few weeks, the Green Bay Packers have had to scramble to find ways to replace his impact on offense and on special teams. With no like-for-like replacement on the team’s roster, head coach Matt LaFleur has turned to a jet motion-by-committee approach to fill Ervin’s role on that side of the football.

Two games ago in Indianapolis, the Packers used a lot of Davante Adams on jet motion. Against Chicago, however, it was receivers like Equanimeous St. Brown, Allen Lazard, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling taking the bulk of the creative motion, something that gives the Packers a bit of added blocking ability from that spot. On returns, Darrius Shepherd filled in to start, being replaced by Malik Taylor on kickoffs for the Bears game.

But now the Packers appear to have a drop-in replacement for Ervin’s role after signing Tavon Austin from free agency. Austin spent the first half of the season on the San Francisco 49ers’ injured reserve list with a sprained knee before receiving an injury settlement about a month ago. The speedy, diminutive Austin has the skill set to do all of the same things that Ervin did for this team and potentially more, and the signing could be a shrewd move, much like claiming Ervin a year ago.

Of course, the likelihood of Austin making a huge impact is low. The offense is well-established with Adams and Aaron Jones as the key players, while Robert Tonyan, MVS, and a now-healthy Lazard serve as the secondary options. A handoff or two per game to Austin is probably all one should expect; but that threat of pure speed should return a bit more if he works his way into the offense, and at the very least he should be able to provide some help on returns if Ervin’s injury lingers.

‘More out there’ for Packers’ defense in turnover department | Packers.com
Matt LaFleur said that the team missed out on at least two more potential turnovers against the Bears, including a dropped pick by Kevin King and a fumble by Mitchell Trubisky that Chicago was able to cover up. If the Packers get possession of those footballs, we're not talking about them letting the Bears close the gap in the 4th quarter.

Green Bay Packers: Veteran WR Tavon Austin could fill multiple roles | Packersnews.com
The obvious spot for Tavon Austin is to play the Tyler Ervin role, both with jet motion on offense and on returns. Austin will almost certainly take over for Darrius Shepherd on punts, after he was already removed from kickoff returns last week.

Former Packers QBs coach becomes interim coach of Lions | Packers Wire
Amid the holiday last week, Darrell Bevell replaced Matt Patricia on an interim basis in Detroit. Bevell may be best known in Wisconsin for his work as the quarterback of the Wisconsin Badgers in the mid-1990s, but he also was an assistant coach in Green Bay under Mike Sherman for a few seasons.

Packers-Bears game hits on deep dish pizza with viral sign at Lambeau | Green Bay Press-Gazette
Joan Malcheski, a Packers employee, wanted to find a clean way to poke fun at the Bears and Chicago in general. Regardless of your actual opinions on the dish, this was an entertaining way to do that.

NFL Power Rankings Week 13 - 1-32 poll, plus the most important game left for each team | ESPN
The Saints, without Drew Brees, are ranked higher than the Packers. Yes, they have a better record, but who won the head-to-head meeting when Brees was still under center?

Texans WR Will Fuller, CB Bradley Roby announce six-game suspensions for violating NFL PED policy | NFL.com
Apparently it's a really good thing that the Packers didn't trade a second-round pick for a half-season rental on Fuller.

All The Reasons The Minnesota Vikings Are Better Than The Green Bay Packers: A Comprehensive Analysis Of All Of The Superior Qualities Of The Vikings Compared To The Packers | Amazon.com
Need a gift for your Vikings fan friend or family member? This will be the perfect addition to their coffee table or bookshelf.

(Trust us. Read the reviews.)