The Green Bay Packers picked up their first win of the preseason Friday night, defeating the Arizona Cardinals 28-20 at Lambeau Field. There were plenty of individual winners and losers from the game, but here are five storylines to take from the Packers' home preseason opener.
Chastin West: Worthy of a roster spot?
Entering the season, it was almost a guarantee that the Packers would keep five wide receivers. Chastin West is making the Packers' brass think twice.
West hauled in five catches for 134 yards Friday night, including a 97-yard touchdown grab from Matt Flynn in the fourth quarter. It was just another chapter in what has been an impressive preseason showing from the first year receiver out of Fresno State, who now stands a chance at making the 53-man roster.
There is realistically no way West would stick on the Packers' practice squad, as another team would give him a look on their roster, so the team will have a decision to make.
Should West stick, a player such as Quinn Johnson or one of Tom Crabtree/Ryan Taylor would have a much tougher time making the roster. While the Packers will be fine at wide receiver without West, he is turning into quite a talent the Packers could use down the road as emergency insurance (Donald Driver's age, Jordy Nelson 2012 FA).
Defensive Line Wearing Thin; Raji moves outside
The one area the Packers could not afford to lose any more depth at was on the defensive line, yet first year pro C.J. Wilson exited the game early with an apparent concussion. With Lawrence Guy (head) and Mike Neal (knee) already sidelined, the Packers' line is wearing thinner as the preseason moves along.
A depth chart note is that B.J. Raji saw a handful of reps with the first team at defensive end, moving Ryan Pickett inside to nose tackle. The move likely was made to generate more of a pass rush, and Raji saw time on the outside as a rookie in 2009 and on passing situations a year ago.
As is the case, Dom Capers should have his defensive linemen moving around plenty.
Finley, Green return in good form
Tight end Jermichael Finley made his long-awaited return to the Packers lineup, catching four passes for 33 yards. He admitted a bit of hesitancy after his first catch, but looked smooth and had soft hands going across the middle.
It's worth noting that the Packers brought out four wide receivers and Finley on their first offensive play of the game. Expect to see plenty of that as the Packers spread defenses out across the field.
Third round draft choice Alex Green also returned from injury, seeing his first action as a member of the Packers. He rushed six times for just eight yards, but added an impressive two yard touchdown run as well as a 25-yard screen catch-and-run on a third down.
Green, dubbed by many as the Packers' third down back, showed Friday night why he's capable of filling that role. Head coach Mike McCarthy said he was impressed by Green and said he has picked up third down concepts well. Green should get the nod over the likes of Brandon Saine and Dimitri Nance, as expected.
Lang winning the left guard battle
No starter was named after the Packers' win, but if the past two games are any indication, T.J. Lang will win the starting left guard spot over rookie Derek Sherrod.
It is becoming clear that Lang is much better suited for the position, with Sherrod working exclusively as a left tackle project. In the same breath, Lang had trouble again working as a left tackle, so it's clear guard is his best position on the offensive line.
Ross stands out among marginal cornerback performances
The Cardinals' passing numbers wouldn't tell the whole story, but the Packers' cornerbacks had a rough night. Tramon Williams was called for a pass interference call that eventually led to three points, Sam Shields allowed a touchdown and was just average in pass defense, and Pat Lee, Josh Gordy and Brandian Ross were just average.
Ross did provide the one bright spot for the unit Friday night, intercepting a Richard Bartel pass in the endzone, but it was more of a "right place at the right time" play than anything special. Ross, Gordy and Lee seem to be fighting for the final roster spot, but nothing was made any clearer tonight.
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