Who will finish the Packers/Giants game at left tackle?

[El Guapo]

Will Clifton last the entire game or will we see Newhouse finish?

My opinion is that Clifton is too old to do the job. I know, I know. He played outstanding last post season. However, that was after playing in the regular season. It took Clifton a solid 5-6 games last year before he started playing well....and that was after gearing up in training camp. He's too old to sit out for several months and then step right back into the mix. My fear is that Jason Pierre-Paul will abuse Clifton so badly that Green Bay will need to put Newhouse back in to finish the game. Thoughts?

 

[13 Times Champs]

Clifton played in the last regular season game. After shaking off some rust he played pretty well. An old Clifton is better than a young Newhouse. We all better hope he finishes.

 

[DoddPower]

I think Clifton will be fine as long as he stays healthy. He's still a savvy veteran. Yeah, he will get beat some but so does everyone. I think he'll get beat less and win more than Newhouse will. I'm not sure if Newhouse has reached his ceiling or if he is capable of becoming a solid T. Either case, his best position is probably RT. I'd say we're pretty set at RT now though!

 

[slaughter25]

I hope he makes it, and I dont feel as worried about it as you do, but I do think you make a valid point. He is older, had a lot of problems getting back on the field this year. But in the same breath do you think it would have been better for his aging knees to take those 10 games more of beating going into the playoffs. He is a pro for a reason and you can bet he has kept himself in as good of shape as possible and maybe his 10 game hiatus will be a blessing in disguise.

 

[TJV]

I agree Clifton's play is a valid concern. I still haven't had a chance to watch his play vs. the Lions but I know he didn't start off well in that game. In his pay-site review of that game, McGinn writes that Clifton didn't play strong or look nimble. He also wrote:

In 25 snaps, Clifton gave up 3½ pressures and one "bad" run to DE Kyle Vanden Bosch.

In about twice as many snaps, Newhouse was better, statistically. I still hope Clifton advances enough before Sunday to start. I'm not so concerned about his run blocking; if he can approximate his pass blocking from last season, that will be a great boost to the OL and Rodgers.

 

[Greenbayphil]

I wreckon Clifton will play just fine

 

[El Guapo]

I understand the blind optimism because Clifton has been good for so long, but he's taken a long time to warm up -- like an old truck -- for the past three seasons now. It's tough to imagine him jumping into playoff form after just 25 game snaps against the Lions. Nothing that these guys do in practice anymore prepares them for gameday. The new CBA made sure of that!

All of that said, I love Clifton and am extremely proud of how well he's played for so long. He will surely go down as one of our top 10 tackles of all time.

 

[JacobInFlorida]

I agree he probably won't step in and be "normal" but he's seen it all and will at least be another option we didn't have last game. With them having Umenyiora back this time around, we'll need all the help we can get.

 

[El Guapo]

Agreed - the one thing that I appreciate is having both Clifton and Newhouse available to protect Rodger's back side. It's a wonderful thing to have options.

 

[armand34]

hopefully would jennings back, that should help rodgers get rid of the ball faster, Jennings is a huge part of the rest of wr's matchups and how fast they get open

 

[PackFanNChiTown]

Let's hope it's Clifton, Newhouse has a bad "open door policy" when it comes to good DEs like Hali...