Packers biggest strength,weakness so far in training camp

August 9, 2015 /   /  Adam - CheeseheadTV, Uncategorized

The Green Bay Packers now have eight practices under their belt as they prepare for the 2015 season.

It’s impossible to make meaningful judgments after eight practices,or label individual players as booms or busts. But we can still take the temperature of the team as each practice concludes and reports come in about certain players who have stood out,fallen behind,or gotten hurt.

If the season started today,after only eight practices,here’s what I would consider the Packers biggest strength and biggest weakness.

(Note: Obviously,Aaron Rodgers is the Packers’ biggest strength. But writing these posts wouldn’t be much fun if we just listed his name over and over again.)

Strength

Wide receivers. Jordy Nelson doesn’t appear to be slowed down by offseason hip surgery. Randall Cobb still appears to be Randall Cobb after signing a fat new contract. Ty Montgomery looks like yet another receiver find for Ted Thompson. Davante Adams hasn’t gotten many balls in practice,but nobody is saying that he’s taken a step backward in his second season,either.

Heck,even Myles White is having a strong camp.

It’s shaping up to be another fun season for Packers wide receivers. The group has it all — talent,experience,depth,and a quarterback with the ability to elevate the entire group.

Weakness

Linebacker. It’s weird labeling a position group that includes Clay Matthews and Julius Pepper as a weakness,but I don’t have much of a choice. Nick Perry and Mike Neal have always been injury-prone and average players at best. Less than two weeks into camp,both players have already missed time with injuries. Matthews is also dinged up as he prepares for whatever inside or outside role he’ll be playing.

Other injured linebackers include Jayrone Elliott,Josh Francis and Adrian Hubbard. 

Getting rid of A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones was supposed to be an addition-by-subtraction sort of thing. So far,the Packers have continued subtracting at the position thanks to injuries. As camp continues,we’ll see if the Packers start hitting the “+” button on their calculators at the linebacker position.

Other thoughts

  • I considered tight end for the weakness slot,but went with linebackers because the Packers receivers,offensive line and Rodgers should be able to compensate for not having a strong tight end group.
  • By most accounts,the Packers young defensive backs are showing promise. Defensive back would probably have gotten the weakness slot if I wrote this before camp started.
  • Would it have been crazy to list offensive line as the team’s strength? I don’t think so. If the Packers offensive line stays healthy and plays like it did last season,the Packers will win the Super Bowl.