Packers Pink Slip: “Beat” Me in St. Louis

One of the many things that I love about football is how quickly things can change. A blowout can turn into a one-possession game in what seems like a blink of an eye. Status can also change…one injury and the backup Quarterback can become a Franchise Player (just watch Any Given Sunday…or better yet, last year’s Super Bowl). At the end of the day, the players are all employees…and they always stand the chance of being promoted or losing their jobs. So while Saturday’s game was an interesting competition between the Green Bay Packers and the St. Louis Rams (with a 19-7 win for the Packers), I was more interested in the intrasquad competition as the battle for starting positions heats up. Lets take a look at a few of these positions and potential changes that might take place in the near future. Running back According to Coach Mike McCarthy, DuJuan Harris is the starter for this position.  Coming off an extremely successful 2012 season (157 rushing yards in only four games), Harris has seen very limited preseason activity due to injury. With Harris temporarily out, other running backs have been given a chance to showcase their abilities. Enter Eddie Lacy. Lacy, at an imposing 5’11 and 230 pounds made his preseason debut Saturday…and boy, what a debut it was! With 8 carries for 40 yards, Packers fans were given a snapshot of what we can expect from this 2nd round draft pick. He was breaking tackles, protecting the Quarterback and even showed off his infamous spin move. Lacy is a big Running Back and uses his size with skill and efficiency. If we can keep him healthy, I see him receiving a majority of the snaps for the Green Bay offense. Corner With Tramon Williams and Casey Hayward out of preseason play with injuries, Rookie Micah Hyde has received much more time on the field. While his performance against Arizona was questionable, a more confident Hyde showed up in St. Louis. Even when he made mistakes, he quickly brushed them off and stayed focused on the task at hand. The matchup between him and St. Louis Ram Tavon Austin was just fun to watch. Hyde stayed on him and didn’t allow many yards. I’m excited to see what this rookie can bring to the table. Also, the competition for Backup Quarterback, Right Tackle and Kicker is still in full swing. At this point, the Coaching Staff has a lot of difficult decisions to make in the near future. Next Game: Packers vs. Seahawks- Aug.23- 7pm