Thanks, Ken. Now I'm really depressed and worried.

We can't wait half this season to get the O warmed up again like last year. Actually, we can't wait half the season to get an O-line put together and working together acceptably, which is what's holding and has held them back. Not having a healthy running back might have attributed to the problem so we can't have that happen either. Depth on the line and in the running back room are the priority, it seems.

I'm not too worried about the offense because it was good at the end of last year, and all of the same starters are back with the exception of Aaron Jones and John Runyan. Josh Jacobs should be about as good as Jones, and Runyan was an average player who they should be able to replace. The #3 tackle job is the biggest worry. They need to get that figured out. Maybe there is still hope for Jordan Morgan to be that guy, even though he is playing guard right now. Could he be a starting guard and a backup OT?

If the offense continues to struggle in practice, maybe they will play a significant amount in the preseason, like they did last year, to get tuned up. But we may have to wait until the regular season to see the starting offense in action.

Grant DuBose may be the #7 WR now, ahead of Samori Toure, but he will probably still have to beat out Malik Heath for #6 in order to make the roster. It's not impossible. Whoever loses the battle may wind up on another team instead of on the practice squad.

As of right now I think we have 6 WR's on the 53. Watson, Doubs, Reed, Wicks, Melton and DuBose! I know Heath performed well out of the gate last year but I feel like he faded late and I haven't heard a lot out of him this year. Now I'm not at practices to see what is going on, but I'm following along like most people. From everything I have seen DuBose has been making plays almost daily and Heath has had somewhat of a quiet camp.

"Is there a third tackle on this team?"
This is one of my biggest worries right now. At this point I don't know if we have a 3rd OT on the team. That is without shifting Morgan or Jenkins outside and putting Rhyan in at OG. Which maybe that is the best option, but I feel like they really need that Yosh backup OT that can come in and plug and play. There isn't a massive shuffle.
I think OT might be a spot that they could potentially be looking for a backup during cut downs. Unless someone emerges the rest of camp/preseason, I think that could be an option.

After watching Family Night, the O-line is a concern. I had the same impression as the author - the Packer running game showed very little on Saturday night. They got absolutely nothing inside and maybe had a couple of runs outside provided the RB could beat one tackler (non-tackling drill so hard to tell).

Zach Tom's return will help this group as well as the continued development of Morgan at RG. However depth is a serious concern. Rhyan was just okay as a reserve IOL, Monk had a rough night and Newman was Newman. It seems they are grooming Rhyan to play every IOL position as he played LG, C and RG.

Reserve tackle is wide open. None of Telfort, Tenuta, Jones or Dillard looked good in run blocking and pass protection was spotty. The D-line spent the entire night attacking and dominated the O-line.

Melton got lots of special team's time as a gunner on the punt coverage team. Between his WR play (speed) and his special teams play I think his spot on the 53 looks pretty secure. Heath, Dubose and Toure will be battling for the last WR spot.

Either some reserve OL start stepping up in TC or Gute will need to do some late preseason shopping.

It was hard to be sold on Dillard with his latest resumee. I thought it could be a bad chapter and redemption is possible. Unfortunately the story continues.

Let’s get Tom back, let Caleb Jones get the rust off—he just started practicing last week—before panicking about the OL. Let’s also remember this was a very vanilla O, which means our defenders largely know what’s likely coming.

This comes from someone who has had long term doubts over our handling of O line personnel choices and approach. Those remain for me, but at this point let it settle in terms of personnel and positions and give time for everyone to get up to full speed either from injury or because they are rookies.

Hopefully now we are through the bulk of the experimenting with Morgan and Jones will rapidly get up to speed so we get a fair view of his capabilities, good or not. Walker certainly looks like the player he was at the back end of last year: that’s a huge win.

As to an injury prone RB, Jacobs hasn’t been, and apparently would have played if it was a game. Personally, I’m happy with being excessively cautious during a practice (albeit a televised one) prior to even preseason. Even if that were true, Wilson has looked really good in pass pro as well as the run threat he flashed as this time last year, and he’s likely the 4th option. Our draft pick is only getting up to speed but could also be a weapon this year.

As to Love, we know he’s not the finished article—the team knew that before betting on his having further upside. He’s also just getting into the groove. Even if he does, his growth will still be somewhat up and down and he’s unlikely to be Rodgers-like. He’s going to take chances.

Now what I want to see is not Doubs, Reed, Clark, Gary, McKinney and the certain starters but the rest of the roster candidates show they are worthy starters or situational players and depth in the roster and as PS candidates for the future. That comes in the preseason game period, and it’s why that is still valuable.

We have already seen that Stokes’ athleticism seems undiminished from his rookie year, that’s a win in itself. Now we should see which others are pushing to get playing time. We are already seeing King suggest he may be another 7th rounder who offers far more than his draft position, particularly as a slot option.

The next three weeks should be very interesting. Indeed, the period when we really get insights in any year has yet to begin. Probably wise not to get too depressive (or euphoric) yet.

"Did the Packers bid farewell to one injury-prone running back and sign another with the same issue?"

OK, Ken...here's what I am thinking: No.

Last 5 years: Jacobs 1305 carries, 5,545 yards. 18 carries/game.

Missed 9 games, less than 2 games a season. (Missed 4 games last year.)

Last 5 years: Jones 963 carries, 4,764 yards. 13 carries/game.

Also Missed 9 games, less than 2 games a season. (Missed 6 games last year.)

Neither Jones nor Jacobs have been injury prone for an NFL RB...until last season when Jones just could not go while his team was in the playoff hunt. Red Flag for an older RB.

Jacobs missed games late last season as the Raiders were a mess and playing for draft position. In a few of those missed games, had they been playoff meaningful, Josh would have played.

Packers replaced an older productive RB with a prior season of injuries with a younger, more productive RB who can handle more work.

When is it time to worry about the offense? Not yet. It's a month yet until it counts.

Last year, in our losses, we scored 24, 20, 13, 17, 10, 19, 22, 20, and 21.
Last year, in our wins, we scored 38, 18, 20, 23, 29, 27, 33, 33, 17, and 48.

We're almost bulletproof when we score 24 or more. That's four possessions, out of 11, that produce some points. If we can convert on the opening drive, which is always a sign of a team that's ready, then that's only 3 out of the next 10 possessions. If we can't manage that, it'll be time to worry about the offense.

These comments caught my attention…

“ Ever since camp began, I had been reading descriptions of how the defense was ahead of the offense. But Saturday night we got to actually watch it. Yikes. It was more one-sided than I thought.”

“ Our defense should be better this year, but are they THAT much better?”

Perhaps this shows how bad a DC Joe Barry truly was. It seems Hafley really is lighting a fire under the defense. Time will tell and I’m certainly looking forward to the preseason games.

I loved that they streamed it for us out-of-staters, but it wasn't only the commercials: Wayne and Larry seemed more interested in interviewing people than in showing and commenting on the action.

Glad to see Dubois doing well. I remember when they drafted him I watched his highlight reel from college. The competition wasn't great, but he made some difficult catches. Showed ability to adjust to off target throws, and good running ability after the catch. I thought he might have gotten some playing time towards the end of last season, but Melton got the opportunity instead. Looking forward to seeing what Dubose does this preseason. He had some injury issues last year that may have held him back. The depth of the WR room is impressive.