Monday, August 27, 2007

Running backs getting even thinner

No, we don't mean the guys in the backfield have gone on a diet. We mean that what was already a real area of concern for the Packers got even more so over the weekend. Rookie RB Brandon Jackson, seen as perhaps the season starter due to the injury to nominal starter Vernand Morency, may have suffered a concussion in practice during a 2-minute drill. Not good.

Luckily, DeShawn Wynn, another rookie who the Pack is high on but who has also been hurt most of training camp, returned to practice. So, right now, here are the current running backs available to the Packers along with Wynn: Noah Herron and Corey White. Ditto the "not good" from above.

Whether there are any veteran cast-offs which might be of interest to the Packers after final cuts this weekend, who knows? But one would think Packers GM Ted Thompson and Coach Mike McCarthy have to be sweating bullets right now about this situation. Losing Ahman Green to Houston in the offseason was a definite blow. Having a series of injuries to contenders for the starting spot -- especially a plethora of rookies -- didn't help matters any.

Expect Wynn to get a lot of playing time during this Thursday's final preseason game at Tennessee. Whether he can pick up enough game feel and conditioning during the next week or so remains to be seen, as does the recovery of Jackson and Morency. Beyond that...let's not even go there.