| Green
Bay Packers' Casey Hayward intercepts a pass in the end zone
intended for Houston Texans' Keshawn Martin during the fourth
quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday in Houston. The
Packers won 42-24. |
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GREEN BAY - The
Green Bay Packers are about to find out if their defense truly is
deeper than it was last season.
The Packers ranked
dead last in the NFL in yards allowed in 2011, prompting general
manager Ted Thompson to use his first six draft picks on defensive
players and add two more rookie defenders via free agency.
Some of those
rookies, along with several holdovers whose defensive roles have
been limited to this point, will likely see action Sunday against
the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome.
The Packers will be
without four starters on defense: inside linebacker D.J. Smith, who
was placed on injured reserve this week with a knee injury; outside
linebacker and rookie first-round pick Nick Perry (knee); cornerback
Sam Shields (shin/ankle); and defensive tackle B.J. Raji (ankle).
Smith, Perry and
Shields were injured last Sunday at Houston, while Raji missed that
game with the ankle injury he suffered at Indianapolis on Oct. 7.
Fourth-year veteran
Brad Jones took over after Smith went down against the Texans and is
the logical pick to start.
At outside
linebacker, veteran Erik Walden, who had been splitting time with
Perry, figures to play the entire game with undrafted rookie free
agent Dezman Moses possibly in the mix, too. Long term, Frank Zombo
has returned to practice from the physically unable to perform list,
and while he won't play this week, he'll also provide depth once the
team adds him to the 53-man roster.
At cornerback,
rookie Casey Hayward, who had two interceptions against Houston, is
on course to start. Davon House, who had been working with the
starters before an Aug. 9 shoulder injury, should also be back.
Jarrett Bush, who started training camp as a starter, is also an
option.
And without Raji,
who made his first Pro Bowl last year, the Packers managed to bottle
up running back Arian Foster (17 carries, 29 yards) with strong
efforts from veteran defensive tackle Ryan Pickett and defensive
ends C.J. Wilson, Jerel Worthy and Mike Neal. Rookie Mike Daniels
also saw action.
"It's one of
the real keys in this business: You have to have depth,"
defensive coordinator Dom Capers said. "That's why you tell
these young guys, 'You never know when you're chance is going to
come, but you need to be ready when it does come.' With the number
of young guys we've played to this point in time, you've seen some
of those guys get better."
That's especially
been the case with Hayward, who has three interceptions in the past
two games and has shown remarkable growth.
"He's a smart
kid, but he's really picking up the finer points of the
defense," cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt said Friday. "A lot
of guys who are rookies are just running the playbook, what's in the
playbook. They're not actually playing football. And this guy's
playing football. He hasn't really made a lot of mistakes. He's a
mature young man. He doesn't act like a rookie."
While Smith wasn't
perfect in the first six games, he managed the game as the defensive
signal caller — A.J. Hawk will now wear the radio transmitter
helmet with Smith out — and his loss leaves the Packers thin. Hawk
seems like the obvious choice there, although he's had a renaissance
season in part because he hasn't had to spend as much time in
coverage.
"I think we
have to take a look at these guys and see where they are. They're
all capable of handling certain facets of the game," Capers
said. "We're playing a lot of different personnel groups and
sometimes it's good to have guys who are specialists in their
personnel group."
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