Scott Wells, Daryn College.

[DaveRoller]

Colledge was never anything more than mediocre. A disappointment for a 2nd round pick.

Wells, at his best, was better than average, a pleasant surprise for a 7th rounder.

Lang has been much better than Colledge. Linsley, based upon 1 year of play, shows more promise at Center than any Packer I can recall in the past 4 decades.

I for one am happy to see OLineman who are more than "just guys," we have had a lot of "just guys" for a long time.

 

[HardRightEdge]

Colledge was never anything more than mediocre. A disappointment for a 2nd round pick.

Wells, at his best, was better than average, a pleasant surprise for a 7th rounder.

Lang has been much better than Colledge. Linsley, based upon 1 year of play, shows more promise at Center than any Packer I can recall in the past 4 decades.

I for one am happy to see OLineman who are more than "just guys," we have had a lot of "just guys" for a long time.

Seems to me Wells was a darn good center his last couple of years with the Packers. Linsley would do well to match that.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

The reality is there's no plug-and-play backup at LT, and there's not going to be one out of this group of 90. Should the need arise, it will have to be Bulaga at LT with somebody, probably Barclay, taking RT. I say "probably" because you never know how he'll be coming off the ACL once contact begins.

While it's probable the Packers would move Bulaga to the left side if Bakhtiari can't play he hasn't lined up there for a single preseason snap so we don't know how good height be. It's somehow concerning that we don't have any backup on the roster (aside of some snaps by Tretter) who has any NFL experience playing at LT.

 

[El Guapo]

...probably Barclay, taking RT. I say "probably" because you never know how he'll be coming off the ACL once contact begins.

The good news is that he blew his knee during camp, so he's had an entire year of recovery and will likely have even more recovery time before his service may be needed sometime during the season. You're right that there are no guarantees, but he's got a lot of things working in his favor. Most importantly though, he needs to be out all of the challengers during camp to be the top backup. He still needs to perform.

 

[HardRightEdge]

While it's probable the Packers would move Bulaga to the left side if Bakhtiari can't play he hasn't lined up there for a single preseason snap so we don't know how good height be. It's somehow concerning that we don't have any backup on the roster (aside of some snaps by Tretter) who has any NFL experience playing at LT.

While I have concerns about guys with no NFL experience (or little experience anywhere for that matter), at a particular position, such as we see at ILB, Bulaga going to LT would be low on my list of backup concerns.

Bulaga is an accomplished vet at the mirror position. He was a highly decorated LT in major college football. I'd be more concerned if he'd never played on the left side. I have little doubt he'd prove at least serviceable the first game or two at the position, and then better from there.

It's an NFL reality that plug-and-play LTs are not hanging around on the bench. If a guy is that good he's playing already at RT or G because the starting tackles are that good. As a backup LT, Bulaga's about as good as you can expect.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

While I have concerns about guys with no NFL experience (or little experience anywhere for that matter), at a particular position, such as we see at ILB, Bulaga going to LT would be low on my list of backup concerns.

Bulaga is an accomplished vet at the mirror position. He was a highly decorated LT in major college football. I'd be more concerned if he'd never played on the left side. I have little doubt he'd prove at least serviceable the first game or two at the position, and then better from there.

I agree that I wouldn't be concerned with Bulaga's talent level to be able to play on the left side. I would be worried about injuries though as he tore his ACL after lining up on the left side after only a week of camp and uf I remember correctly talked about muscle memory having something to do with it.

 

[HardRightEdge]

I agree that I wouldn't be concerned with Bulaga's talent level to be able to play on the left side. I would be worried about injuries though as he tore his ACL after lining up on the left side after only a week of camp and if I remember correctly talked about muscle memory having something to do with it.

I don't recall "muscle memory" being cited as a factor in the injury, though it certainly could be, just as any technique change--making the body do something it is not accustomed to--exposes a player to injury.

Bulaga wore a brace on that knee last season and credits it with preventing the minor MCL injury from turning into something much worse. After that experience I would expect him to continue to wear the brace, perhaps for the balance of his career. In any case, that MCL is indicative of the fact that playing on the right side does not afford any particular protection for the previously injured knee.

Interestingly, the ACL/MCL was on the left knee, which would be the push off leg on the right side. It's conceivable that the knee would be less of a performance issue on left side, at least in the run game, to whatever extend the injuries and the brace inhibit mobility, though I can't say I've noted any.

In the final analysis, ACL injuries are twisting injuries...those can happen at any time at any position. All it takes is a stuck cleat and some lateral torque. And in the NFL, the starting RT is typically the backup LT. Switching sides is not the ideal approach, but it is an accepted occupational hazard. Since Bulaga is wearing the brace, he may be less exposed than others.