45-Man Gameday Roster Prediction Vs. Falcons
Listed as "doubtful" on the injury report, safety Anthony Smith is expected to be inactive for the Packers game on Sunday at the Atlanta Falcons.
Below is the Packers entire roster. Players in bold text are those I predict to be inactive on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons:
- QB: Aaron Rodgers, Matt Flynn
- RB: Brandon Jackson, Dimitri Nance, James Starks
- FB: Korey Hall, John Kuhn, Quinn Johnson
- WR: Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, James Jones, Jordy Nelson, Brett Swain
- TE: Donald Lee, Tom Crabtree, Andrew Quarless, Spencer Havner
- OL: Chad Clifton, Daryn Colledge, Josh Sitton, Scott Wells, Bryan Bulaga, Jason Spitz, T.J. Lang, Nick McDonald, Marshall Newhouse
- DL: Cullen Jenkins, B.J. Raji, Ryan Pickett, C.J. Wilson, Jarius Wynn, Howard Green
- ILB: A.J. Hawk, Brandon Chillar, Desmond Bishop, Matt Wilhelm
- OLB: Clay Matthews, Frank Zombo, Diyral Briggs, Eric Walden
- CB: Charles Woodson, Tramon Williams, Sam Shields, Pat Lee, Brandon Underwood
- S: Nick Collins, Charlie Peprah, Jarrett Bush, Anthony Smith, Atari Bigby
- ST: Mason Crosby, Brett Goode, Tim Masthay
Notes:
- The toughest choice this week came down to Brandon Underwood and Quinn Johnson for me. With Korey Hall back and healthy, the Packers don't necessarily need Johnson on offense. So it comes down to the bigger contributions on special teams. Seeing as Underwood was inactive last week, I predict the same happening again this week. Johnson gets the nod.
- Atari Bigby has already been ruled out for Sunday, so he definitely won't play. Anthony Smith is listed as "doubtful," meaning there's a slim chance he'll play, although he likely still won't. Jarrett Bush is the top backup at safety this week.
- With Dimitri Nance playing well a week ago, that all but eliminated any chance James Starks had of being active.
- Jarius Wyn, Diyral Briggs, Marshall Newhouse and Nick McDonald were all inactive a week ago. Don't expect that to change.
- All players listed as "probable" this week are expected to play.
Comments (3)
November 27, 2010 at 12:04 pm
First, I want to state I'm not one of those fans who thinks Starks will be a big contributor this season, and I certainly don't want to see Holly eat her shirt.
That being said, Brian, I was wondering if you think the door may be ever-so-slightly cracked open for a Starks activation this week- not necessarily that he'd get significant play time, or anything more than perhaps a showing on STs- due to the following:
1) Korey Hall, FB and core ST'er, having back spasm issues.
2) McCarthy stating that John Kuhn is being pulled back from HB duties because he feels it was 'wearing him down' and taking away from his performance on STs in particular.
3) McCarthy also stating this week that he likes how big and physical Starks is, and believes he will be a core special teams player.
I know it's a long shot, and this is all circumstantial, but it seems there might be a chance a spot is opened up if Korey Hall can't go or if they just want to be safe with him. Somebody should fill that spot, and if Kuhn has trully been admonished of his HB duties, and the team is short a special teamer, why not insert the RB you don't know much about that you think will end up being a core ST'er?
I know, it's a long shot, but what do you think?
November 27, 2010 at 12:20 pm
Oh, also add in that if Hall is made inactive, Jarret Bush (core special teamer) is the only back up option at Safety, so the Packers may want to err on the side of caution with Bush's ST snaps to ensure he's healthy should, god forbid, Collins or Peprah go down.
Yeah, I know, I'm really stretching thin on this one, lol.
November 27, 2010 at 02:32 pm
Geez, Oppy - your whole statment sounds like an apology for thinking this way. I think it's an interesting proposition. I still think it's an outside shot that he's activated because McCarthy mentioned Starks still needs to "work on the fundamentals." Still, at some point you might see Starks in favor of Johnson this season.