The Pack finished the 2010 regular season with 15 guys on IR.
IMHO, here are the 15 Guys we don't want to see on IR this year based on performance and whether Pack has depth to replace them.
1) Aaron Rodgers. Flynn is a nice backup, but the gap between the 2 in terms of ability is large.
2) Clay Matthews. For the game and a half that Matthews missed last year, you could see the difference when he wasn't out there.
3) B.J. Raji. Maybe not the 3rd best player on the team, but there is no other D-Lineman on the roster that can duplicate what he does.
4) Tramon Williams. At least the Pack is deep at corner which might overcome his loss. But the strength of the team was having 3 good to great CBs. They'd be short a great one.
5) Chad Clifton. Not as important as the top 4, and it's entirely possible the Pack can completely overcome his loss with the young guys. LT is probably 2nd most important position on a pass-first team like the Pack. Maybe Bulaga or Sherrod could fill in for Clifton at LT, but like I say, I really hope we don't have to find out as they are unproven.
6) Josh Sitton. Pack doesn't seem particularly deep at guard. Maybe you move Bulaga into his spot. Would be a huge loss.
7) Charles Woodson. Slightly on the downside, but still a hugely important guy on the team.
8) Greg Jennings. The best WR on the team at the end of last year. Pretty fair dropoff from him to the other WRs with Driver getting up in age. Jordy getting better, but not in Jennings' class.
9) Jermichael Finley. Was on IR last year and his loss was overcome. But it took 3 games for the team to adjust to his loss. Pack more prepared this year if he goes down. If healthy, possibly one of the top 3 pure talents on this team.
10) Nick Collins. Really has turned into a very good safety. I might be underestimating his loss if it happens. Hoping a guy like Morgan Burnett might be able to make up for it if Burnett has made a full recovery. The fact that I am putting him #10 shows just how talented this Packer team really is.
11) Bryan Bulaga. His versatility on the O-Line would be missed. Not a great player yet, but may start heading that way in his sophomore season.
12) Mike Neal. Was on IR last year. Has to stay healthy to overcome likely loss of Cullen Jenkins. Flashed impressive skills when he played. We need this guy to stay healthy.
13) Scott Wells. Solid but not great player, stabilizes the C position. Would have to go to inexperienced guys to replace him.
14) Sam Shields. Having him as a 3rd corner makes a very good defense into a special one.
15) Ryan Pickett. Would not be on this list if Johnny Jolly wasn't such an idiot. Because we likely won't have Jolly, we need another solid year from Pickett. D-Line is probably Pack's most questionable position as without Jenkins and possibly Jolly, we can't afford any season ending injuries.
Kind of amazing that talented guys like Driver, J. Nelson, R. Grant, Starks, Hawk, Bishop don't make the list, but it's because of depth that they don't make it, not necessarily talent. If Grant goes down, we have Starks to replace him (or the other way around). If Hawk or Bishop go down, a healthy Brandon Chillar could pick up most of the slack.
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