Klemm may be lost for season
By Pete Dougherty
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The Green Bay Packers' depth at offensive tackle might have taken another long-term hit Saturday when primary backup Adrian Klemm injured his right Achilles' tendon.
With backup right tackle Kevin Barry out for the season because of an injury, Klemm was the team's top backup at both tackles entering training camp. Coach Mike McCarthy wouldn't reveal the training staff's diagnosis, but if Klemm's tendon is completely torn, which appears to be a possibility, he'll be out for the season.
The injury was bad enough that Klemm hopped away from the play on one foot, went to the ground and stayed there for several minutes. He never touched his right foot to the ground as he was helped onto a cart and driven to the locker room.
When asked if an Achilles' injury means the problem is severe, McCarthy said: "Depends on the degree of it."
If Klemm is out for an extended time or for the season, the Packers would be precariously thin at tackle behind starters Mark Tauscher at right tackle and Chad Clifton at left tackle. Klemm played both positions earlier in his career at New England.
With Klemm and Barry out, the Packers' No. 2 tackles are undrafted rookie Josh Bourke on the left side and second-year pro Will Whitticker on the right side. That doesn't mean either would play if one of the starters were injured in the regular season, but it's a possibility.
Left guard Daryn Colledge played left tackle at Boise State and could be a backup there, with Junius Coston then replacing him at guard. Coston took three snaps at left tackle in mop-up duty against New Orleans last season and is another candidate to back up either tackle spot.
The undrafted Bourke was a surprise in offseason workouts and is off to such a strong start in training camp that he would have competed for a roster spot even without the injuries. He's played well enough at left tackle that the Packers moved fifth-round draft pick Tony Moll, who's a long-term project, to right tackle.
Bourke (6-foot-7, 314 pounds) grew up in Windsor, Ontario, but attended school across the U.S. border in the Detroit area, and played in college at Grand Valley State, a Division II school in Allendale, Mich.
Bourke was a first-team all-American as a senior and a three-year starter. He missed the 2004 season because of knee-reconstruction surgery.
"I think he's a young guy that has a bright future," McCarthy said Saturday. "I'd keep an eye on him."
Whitticker started 14 games at right guard as a rookie last season but isn't agile enough to play guard in the team's new zone-blocking system, so he moved to right tackle. Whitticker struggled with being overweight last season but appears to be lighter and in better shape for training camp than he was last season and in the offseason.