 |
|
Scott
Wells
|
GREEN BAY - Green Bay Packers center
Scott Wells says he's feeling fine after his doctors finally found
and treated the pinched nerve in his back. Now it's up to the
coaches to decide if he'll return to the field against Dallas on
Sunday.
Wells, who has been out since
aggravating his lower back injury in an Aug. 16 preseason game in
San Francisco, returned to practice this week and fully participated
in Thursday's session.
Wells said his injury — which
originally developed in the offseason and first was described as a
"trunk injury" — basically was a pinched nerve.
"It just took a while for them
to pinpoint exactly what it was," Wells said. "We tried a
few different things early on and it didn't work. Now I feel like
we've treated the issue and it shouldn't be a problem."
Assuming the injury doesn't flare
back up, Wells must prove on the practice field that he's ready to
return. And he thinks he took steps in that direction this week.
"That's usually the way it goes
with an injury," Wells said. "They want to kind of feel
you out. They don't want to throw you in headfirst. So they want to
put you in, increase your workload throughout the week and then
evaluate how you practiced. So I feel like I put in two good days of
work, and it's up to them. They'll evaluate it, and whatever's best
for the team, they'll do."
Packers coach Mike McCarthy was
reserving judgment.
"I'll know more as time moves
on," McCarthy said.
In Wells' absence, Jason Spitz moved
from left guard to center and Daryn Colledge replaced Spitz at left
guard. Tony Moll played right guard after an injury derailed rookie
Josh Sitton's bid to win the starting spot in training camp,
although Sitton also seems ready to return soon.
Wells says he's sick of sitting out.
"As a competitor, it's hard to
sit out," Wells said. "So it's been difficult watching.
But at the same time, you have to do what's best for your body.
Definitely, I wasn't ready to play the last two weeks. The selfish
side of me said put me in, but the intelligent side of the coaching
staff said let's wait."
Wells admits he might be a little
rusty, but prefers to think of himself as "fresh."
"You know, practice is to get
the rust out," Wells said. "And there may be some rust
early in the game. You know, we have an excellent opponent. So I
think that should kind of get knocked off early, once you get into
it."
___
RYAN READY?: Huffing and puffing in
the locker room after an apparently intense workout, running back
Ryan Grant said his nagging hamstring injury is feeling good — so
much so that he doesn't expect to be limited in practice after this
week.
"I feel fine," Grant said.
"I think this might be the last week I'm on this
schedule."
The Packers have limited Grant in
practice because of the injury and reduced some of his workload in
the first two games of the season. Grant had only 20 yards on 15
carries in Detroit on Sunday, but said the injury wasn't holding him
back.
"I watch film, I'm real hard on
myself," Grant said. "Of course I feel like I should have
broke this, I should have broke that."
___
NOTES: There were three changes to
the Packers' injury report Thursday: DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (knee)
was limited in Thursday's practice after fully participating
Wednesday. OG Josh Sitton (knee) and Wells (back) fully participated
Thursday after being limited Wednesday. Also listed on the Packers'
injury report were S Atari Bigby (hamstring), did not participate;
OT Chad Clifton (knees), limited; RB Ryan Grant (hamstring),
limited; FB Korey Hall (knee), did not participate; TE Tory
Humphrey, (knee), did not participate; WR Ruvell Martin (finger),
full participation; and CB Charles Woodson (toe), did not
participate. ... McCarthy said Hall and Humphrey were likely to
practice Friday. ... McCarthy said Woodson was not likely to
practice again Friday, and is wearing a boot to protect his broken
toe during the week. Despite a similar lack of practice time last
week, McCarthy said he didn't sense any drop-off in Woodson's play
in Sunday's game at Detroit. "He's missed some practice time in
his time here, and it's something that he's definitely individually
been able to overcome," McCarthy said.
|
