Notebook: Aim is for KGB to rush Romo
By Pete Dougherty
The Packers hope Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila will help spark something that was missing last year when they lost to the Dallas Cowboys: a pass rush.
Gbaja-Biamila, the Packers' rush specialist on passing downs, had an ankle injury and didn't play last year when the Packers had almost no pass rush in a 37-27 loss at Dallas. Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo wasn't sacked, rarely was pressured and finished with a passer rating of 123.5 points (19-for-30 passing, 309 yards, four touchdowns, one interception).
Gbaja-Biamila goes into Sunday night's game against Dallas with a sore post-operative knee that sidelined him for most of training camp and has limited his practice time in the first three weeks of the regular season. But the Packers think he's regaining explosiveness, and his presence also causes a domino effect on the defensive line on passing downs, allowing Cullen Jenkins to move from end to tackle, where he's a better pass rusher.
The biggest issue is whether Gbaja-Biamila can come off the corner with enough speed and torque to prevent Dallas' massive left tackle, Flozell Adams (6-foot-7, 340 pounds), from getting his hands on him and smothering him. Adams is off to a shaky start and is deaf in his right ear, so he has trouble hearing the snap count on the road.
"I don't know how much difference (Gbaja-Biamila) is going to make," said Carl Hairston, the Packers' defensive ends coach. "Those are big men (on Dallas' offensive line), they're probably bigger than I've ever seen. It's hard to get around them. Hopefully with him out there it could make a difference, as far as it might free (defensive end) Aaron (Kampman) up, it might free Jenkins up. Jenkins was playing end last year, and (the Cowboys) moved the protection toward Aaron. That can't happen this year because of Kabeer; hopefully, it will be a factor for us."
Gbaja-Biamila has been on a limited practice schedule, though his is the opposite of normal limited practice schedule. Most injured players rest Wednesday and maybe Thursday, but practice Friday. Gbaja-Biamila practiced full time Wednesday, part time Thursday, and not at all Friday to help keep down the swelling in his knee.
Wells ready
Center Scott Wells appears healthy enough to return to the starting lineup, though coach Mike McCarthy wasn't ready to declare him the starter.
Wells returned to practice this week after sitting out four weeks because of a nerve injury in his lower back. He practiced full time Thursday and Friday, and McCarthy listed him as probable on the official injury report, which means there's a virtual certainty Wells will be available for normal duty.
McCarthy said he'll see how Wells is feeling today before deciding his starting offensive line. If Wells starts, Jason Spitz will move from center to right guard, and Tony Moll will return to being a backup.
"Haven't talked to (Wells) since we broke practice ," McCarthy said Friday afternoon, "but he looked like his old self out there."
Spitz has played guard for most of his two-plus seasons with the Packers but has been primarily a center since training camp because of Wells' ongoing back problems. Spitz had a particularly rocky performance in the last game he played right guard, at San Francisco in the second preseason game.
"It was a bad game," Spitz said. "You can't have excuses in this game. When they expect you to play, you've got to play well."
Fines not dandy
Linebacker Nick Barnett has paid NFL fines totaling $132,647 this season, pending appeals, and the Packers have played only two games.
Barnett's first fine was a one-game paycheck, $117,647, for violating the league's personal-conduct policy last offseason because of an incident at an Appleton night club.
Then, he was fined $7,500 by the league for a horse-collar tackle on Minnesota quarterback Tarvaris Jackson in the regular-season opener, and another $7,500 for helmet-to-helmet contact with Detroit quarterback Jon Kitna last week, an NFL spokesman confirmed.
When asked if he feels like he's paying the NFL to play this season, Barnett said: "I'm in the negatives right now, honestly. It's crazy. I respect the first fine, that's just off-the-field, stupid stuff. I understand being fined, but that is a lot of money. A $7,500 fine, my family didn't make those two fines put together, it's a lot of money. I don't see that as being fair. I don't like fighting in the media, that's not what I want to do, but it always ends up that way. That's just not fair to be fined like that."
Barnett said he was going to appeal only the fine on the helmet-to-helmet hit on Kitna, but now plans to appeal both $7,500 fines. He expects to talk on the phone early next week with an NFL official about the hits, and to get an answer on his appeals either at the end of the call or the next day.
He thinks he turned his head to the side on the Kitna hit, and that he didn't pull Jackson straight back and down on the horse collar, but instead pulled him down sideways, so he didn't deserve either fine.
"I don't know how you're supposed to tackle a quarterback now," Barnett said.
Injury update
McCarthy listed one player as out and four as questionable for Sunday's game against Dallas.
Safety Atari Bigby (hamstring) won't play, and Aaron Rouse will start in his place.
Of the four questionable players (50 percent chance of playing), tight end Tory Humphrey (sprained knee) appears to have the best shot at playing. The others are receiver Ruvell Martin (broken finger), guard Josh Sitton (sprained knee) and fullback Korey Hall (sprained knee).
Dallas will be missing two starters, safety Roy Williams (forearm) and fullback Deon Anderson (knee).
Cowboys guard Kyle Kosier (foot) is expected to return to the starting lineup after missing the first two games.
The Packers hope Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila will help spark something that was missing last year when they lost to the Dallas Cowboys: a pass rush.
Gbaja-Biamila, the Packers' rush specialist on passing downs, had an ankle injury and didn't play last year when the Packers had almost no pass rush in a 37-27 loss at Dallas. Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo wasn't sacked, rarely was pressured and finished with a passer rating of 123.5 points (19-for-30 passing, 309 yards, four touchdowns, one interception).
Gbaja-Biamila goes into Sunday night's game against Dallas with a sore post-operative knee that sidelined him for most of training camp and has limited his practice time in the first three weeks of the regular season. But the Packers think he's regaining explosiveness, and his presence also causes a domino effect on the defensive line on passing downs, allowing Cullen Jenkins to move from end to tackle, where he's a better pass rusher.
The biggest issue is whether Gbaja-Biamila can come off the corner with enough speed and torque to prevent Dallas' massive left tackle, Flozell Adams (6-foot-7, 340 pounds), from getting his hands on him and smothering him. Adams is off to a shaky start and is deaf in his right ear, so he has trouble hearing the snap count on the road.
"I don't know how much difference (Gbaja-Biamila) is going to make," said Carl Hairston, the Packers' defensive ends coach. "Those are big men (on Dallas' offensive line), they're probably bigger than I've ever seen. It's hard to get around them. Hopefully with him out there it could make a difference, as far as it might free (defensive end) Aaron (Kampman) up, it might free Jenkins up. Jenkins was playing end last year, and (the Cowboys) moved the protection toward Aaron. That can't happen this year because of Kabeer; hopefully, it will be a factor for us."
Gbaja-Biamila has been on a limited practice schedule, though his is the opposite of normal limited practice schedule. Most injured players rest Wednesday and maybe Thursday, but practice Friday. Gbaja-Biamila practiced full time Wednesday, part time Thursday, and not at all Friday to help keep down the swelling in his knee.
Wells ready
Center Scott Wells appears healthy enough to return to the starting lineup, though coach Mike McCarthy wasn't ready to declare him the starter.
Wells returned to practice this week after sitting out four weeks because of a nerve injury in his lower back. He practiced full time Thursday and Friday, and McCarthy listed him as probable on the official injury report, which means there's a virtual certainty Wells will be available for normal duty.
McCarthy said he'll see how Wells is feeling today before deciding his starting offensive line. If Wells starts, Jason Spitz will move from center to right guard, and Tony Moll will return to being a backup.
"Haven't talked to (Wells) since we broke practice ," McCarthy said Friday afternoon, "but he looked like his old self out there."
Spitz has played guard for most of his two-plus seasons with the Packers but has been primarily a center since training camp because of Wells' ongoing back problems. Spitz had a particularly rocky performance in the last game he played right guard, at San Francisco in the second preseason game.
"It was a bad game," Spitz said. "You can't have excuses in this game. When they expect you to play, you've got to play well."
Fines not dandy
Linebacker Nick Barnett has paid NFL fines totaling $132,647 this season, pending appeals, and the Packers have played only two games.
Barnett's first fine was a one-game paycheck, $117,647, for violating the league's personal-conduct policy last offseason because of an incident at an Appleton night club.
Then, he was fined $7,500 by the league for a horse-collar tackle on Minnesota quarterback Tarvaris Jackson in the regular-season opener, and another $7,500 for helmet-to-helmet contact with Detroit quarterback Jon Kitna last week, an NFL spokesman confirmed.
When asked if he feels like he's paying the NFL to play this season, Barnett said: "I'm in the negatives right now, honestly. It's crazy. I respect the first fine, that's just off-the-field, stupid stuff. I understand being fined, but that is a lot of money. A $7,500 fine, my family didn't make those two fines put together, it's a lot of money. I don't see that as being fair. I don't like fighting in the media, that's not what I want to do, but it always ends up that way. That's just not fair to be fined like that."
Barnett said he was going to appeal only the fine on the helmet-to-helmet hit on Kitna, but now plans to appeal both $7,500 fines. He expects to talk on the phone early next week with an NFL official about the hits, and to get an answer on his appeals either at the end of the call or the next day.
He thinks he turned his head to the side on the Kitna hit, and that he didn't pull Jackson straight back and down on the horse collar, but instead pulled him down sideways, so he didn't deserve either fine.
"I don't know how you're supposed to tackle a quarterback now," Barnett said.
Injury update
McCarthy listed one player as out and four as questionable for Sunday's game against Dallas.
Safety Atari Bigby (hamstring) won't play, and Aaron Rouse will start in his place.
Of the four questionable players (50 percent chance of playing), tight end Tory Humphrey (sprained knee) appears to have the best shot at playing. The others are receiver Ruvell Martin (broken finger), guard Josh Sitton (sprained knee) and fullback Korey Hall (sprained knee).
Dallas will be missing two starters, safety Roy Williams (forearm) and fullback Deon Anderson (knee).
Cowboys guard Kyle Kosier (foot) is expected to return to the starting lineup after missing the first two games.
posted by The Gryphon at 10:35 AM
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