2011 Week 2 - Packers 30, Panthers 23... CONCISE

I think Lang adds the nasty to the left side that was sorely missing.

Are you suggesting that Colledge was soft?

I agree and Lang appears to be an upgrade at this point.

I think it's a trade-off. Colledge obviously worked well with Clifton and was the starter over Lang and others there for a reason, that reason obviously looks like pass protection. One of the articles even pointed at that. I do agree it looks like Lang is much more stout at the point and in drive blocking.

It's the same thing with the linebackers. Letting Chillar and Barnett go means more Bishop and Hawk, which is more stout against the run and weaker in pass coverage. With the 2-4 defense and the backs they had healthy they felt there were enough cover guys to "make up" the coverage loss while the inside linebackers could (and have to) stand up to lineman blockers more.

It'll be interesting to se how the defense adjusts going forward. We saw quite a few changes last season when Barnett and Chillar went down, changes that are carried over to this season. I think Capers and crew are up to the challenge.