45-Man Gameday Roster Prediction Vs. Falcons
Frank Zombo has been ruled out of Saturday's game. Atari Bigby, Korey Hall and Jason Spitz are all listed as questionable.
Below is the Packers' entire roster. Players in bold text are those I predict to be inactive on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons in the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs:
- QB: Aaron Rodgers, Matt Flynn, Graham Harrell
- 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
- OL: Chad Clifton, Daryn Colledge, Josh Sitton, Scott Wells, Bryan Bulaga, Jason Spitz, T.J. Lang, Nick McDonald, Evan Dietrich-Smith
- DL: Cullen Jenkins, B.J. Raji, Ryan Pickett, C.J. Wilson, Jarius Wynn, Howard Green
- ILB: A.J. Hawk, Desmond Bishop, Matt Wilhelm, Robert Francois
- OLB: Clay Matthews, Frank Zombo, Diyral Briggs, Erik Walden
- CB: Charles Woodson, Tramon Williams, Sam Shields, Pat Lee, Brandon Underwood, Josh Gordy
- S: Nick Collins, Charlie Peprah, Jarrett Bush, Atari Bigby
- ST: Mason Crosby, Brett Goode, Tim Masthay
Notes:
- This is a very difficult game to predict given the uncertain health of a couple players.
- Frank Zombo has been ruled "out," so he definitely won't be playing.
- Korey Hall is listed as "questionable," giving him hypothetically a 50/50 shot at playing. However, I'm encouraged that he was a full participant in Thursday's practice. He's also the leading special teams tackler on the Packers by a large margin, and very good at it.
- Atari Bigby is also listed as questionable, but he too was a full participant during Thursday's practice, which is a positive. I think the Packers can elevate Bigby and de-activate Brandon Underwood and still be okay in the secondary. Underwood hasn't offered that much on special teams this season.
- Jason Spitz is listed as questionable but has been limited in practice all week. Seeing as he hasn't provided that much even when he's been fully healthy, the guess is the Packers will go with someone who's at full strength.
- In a recent interview with Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Nick McDonald seemed pretty sure he'd be the backup center and possibly guard this weekend despite not being active for a single game this weekend. My guess would have been Evan Dietrich-Smith seeing as he has actual regular-season experience, but we'll go with McDonald for the first time ever.
- It was a difficult decision to predict Donald Lee as inactive, but the only other time he was inactive this season was against the Falcons in Week 12. He seems to offer less on offense than either Andrew Quarless or Tom Crabtree, which was the deciding factor.
- It was also a difficult choice to guess that Dimitri Nance will be inactive. He's been active the past couple weeks, but the development of James Starks would seem to be costly to Nance's chances. And even though Nance has played on a couple special teams units, he hasn't played on all of them.
- Howard Green was inactive this week, but it's nearly guaranteed he'll play this week with the need for the base 3-4 defense to help stuff Michael Turner.
- Josh Gordy has been inactive for several weeks now, and that shouldn't change.
- Graham Harrell will be the designated third quarterback.
Comments (17)
January 14, 2011 at 01:07 pm
"Underwood hasn't offered that much on special teams this season"
Not to the Packers anyway. The Eagles might dispute this claim though.
January 14, 2011 at 01:25 pm
These are never easy to pick even on weeks where it seems fairly obvious. This guess is as good as any.
Donald Lee has playoff experience and you hate to see a player with such an attribute ride the bench. He's made some fairly big post-season plays. That's the only thing that stands out to me if I had to nit-pick.
Heaven for bid they have to insert McDonald at any point.
January 14, 2011 at 02:01 pm
McDonald hasn't made the active game day list all season and I don't seeing if happening over Lee or Nance.
Brian Carriveau
January 14, 2011 at 02:08 pm
But you have to look at it from an offensive line standpoint. They're not going to keep only 1 backup offensive lineman inactive.
I can definitely see Lee or Nance being active, but if they do, it's because Hall or Bigby can't play, or they de-active one of the linebackers instead.
January 14, 2011 at 02:34 pm
They will always dress 2 reserve OL`s, but Im seeing EDS dressing before McDonald.
January 14, 2011 at 02:04 pm
My eigtht inactive player picks:
Graham Harrell
Dimitri Nance
Nick McDonald
Jason Spitz
Frank Zombo
Matt Wilhelm
Josh Gordy
January 14, 2011 at 02:57 pm
i like yours the best, i dont see Donald Lee not playing, he has caught 2 TD in the last few weeks if im not mistaken and they would like to have his help down in the redzone. Also underwood plays on special teams and besides from that one bad play last week he has been okay. They arent gona switch up special teams now after they finally have consistency.
January 14, 2011 at 02:53 pm
Come on BC .....
Quarless & Crabtree are still having problems locating the closest bathroom ......
Donald Lee for the winning TD .......
Brian Carriveau
January 14, 2011 at 03:59 pm
Lee gets fewer snaps than both of them. He's a worse blocker than Crabtree no matter how you cut it. When it comes to receiving, Lee might be more reliable, but he's less athletic than Quarless.
January 14, 2011 at 03:36 pm
Hey Brian when are we going to start the debate about who is the best GM, TT or Wolf?
Brian Carriveau
January 14, 2011 at 03:57 pm
It will always be Wolf until TT at least wins a Super Bowl. And it still might take a couple more playoffs seasons beyond that to make it comparable.
January 14, 2011 at 05:02 pm
I'm with you Brian, you just can't argue with success. Brett and Reggie turned the franchise around. It may be that Rodgers and Mathews are latter day versions of Favre and White but until they win it all there is no debate. Thompson has a tough act to follow.
January 14, 2011 at 03:57 pm
That's already been settled .... Wolf recommended Mike Sherman as his replacement ......
January 14, 2011 at 11:48 pm
While I love the way uncle Teddy has constructed this team with a nice mix of youth and veterans, until he gets some hardware it's not even a conversation piece between he and Ron...
...So the debate will begin in less than a month! And 10 years from now we will look back and say "Ron was a genius, but he did only get us the one Lombardi where as Ted got us (more)", so there won't be an argument to be made for Ron. This team will win more than 1 SB with #12, I firmly believe that. And Ted's philosophy for building a sustainable team will be the main reason why.
GBP 4 LIFE
January 14, 2011 at 03:53 pm
After reading your post I went and read Brian McIntyre's injury report post. I find it surprising after the Falcons had a bye week they have so many guys banged up. I'm sure they'll play but all are listed as doubtful or questionable.
Brian, do you have any knowledge through your sources on just how hurt these guys are?
Atlanta
Doubtful: CB Brian Williams (knee)
Questionable: DE John Abraham (groin), DT Jonathan Babineaux (shoulder), S Thomas DeCoud (ankle), LB Curtis Lofton (knee), C Todd McClure (ankle), WR Roddy White (knee)
January 14, 2011 at 08:07 pm
I am hoping Atari Bigby will make his last 3 games as a Packer memorable ones!
January 14, 2011 at 09:50 pm
I rememeber reading one time that Wolf also let Sherman talk him into drafting Jamaal Reynolds when he really LB Dan Morgan and listened to Sherman talk up Robert Ferguson from Texas A&M where Shermie's friend coached...thus passing on homegrown Chris Chambers.
TT has had to contend w/ the salary cap his entire time, unlike Wolf. However, TT does have to win a SB along with many playoff wins.