GREEN BAY \u2014 For as much attention as Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur\u2019s decision to play some of his starters \u2014 including quarterback Jordan Love \u2014 in Thursday night\u2019s preseason opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh got this week, the reality is that these exhibition games are primarily for the guys trying to keep their NFL dreams alive.<\/p>\n
So while Love may play a series or two, and other key starters might also see the field, as long as they exit the game healthy, the vast majority of information that\u2019ll be gained by LaFleur and the coaches, and general manager Brian Gutekunst and his personnel staff, will be about the guys who aren\u2019t in line to start the Sept. 13 regular-season opener in Minnesota.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re just trying to still be on the team for that game.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s always areas [of the roster] where you\u2019re like, \u2018OK, we need to improve,\u2019\u201d Gutekunst said last week \u201cThey\u2019ve been working good, the attitude\u2019s been good, the energy\u2019s been great. There\u2019s always injuries \u2014 more than ever I want; there always is \u2014 but now we\u2019re starting to get into those phases of, let\u2019s see the performances come out and see how this team is going to start to shape up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here are three aspects of the preseason opener worth watching:<\/p>\n
1\ufe0f\u20e3 IN THE LINE OF FIRE?<\/p>\n
There isn\u2019t a position group on the roster where the Packers have more to figure out than on their offensive line, where they came into training camp with questions and somehow managed to have even more questions after two weeks of practice.<\/p>\n
With veteran left guard Aaron Banks still not having taken an 11-on-11 rep in practice, right guard Anthony Belton having been demoted from the starting job he held last season, and Jacob Monk catapulting himself from fighting for a roster spot to potentially being an opening-day starter, there have been lots of moving parts already in camp.<\/p>\n
LaFleur hinted that the presumptive starting line for this game \u2014 Jordan Morgan at left tackle, rookie Jager Burton at left guard, Sean Rhyan at center, Monk at right guard and either Darian Kinnard or Belton at right tackle \u2014 will play longer than some other starters against the Steelers, and the work the group gets should help decide the trajectory of the unit.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s a hard thing and that’s just something as a coach you have to deal with and make the best of it,\u201d offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said of the uncertainty up front. \u201cThere\u2019s always competition. These guys are out here, they\u2019re competing. There\u2019s a few guys that really are doing a nice job, so I think that\u2019s going to make our [group] better, having those competitions. And those best players will rise up.\u201d<\/p>\n
2\ufe0f\u20e3 BACKED INTO A CORNER?<\/p>\n
Competition is also the name of the game at cornerback, where the Packers might not have a clear-cut No. 1 \u2014 not after Keisean Nixon spent time with the No. 2s during a couple of 11-on-11 series in practice earlier this week \u2014 but seem excited about the options they have at the position.<\/p>\n
With Nixon, rookie second-round pick Brandon Cisse, veteran free-agent signee Benjamin St-Juste and emerging former practice-squad cornerback Jaylin Simpson all in the mix \u2014 and Carrington Valentine, a 30-game starter the last three years, coming back from a hamstring injury \u2014 the Packers have three games to figure out who their best options will be for their season-opening matchup with the Vikings.<\/p>\n
New defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon isn\u2019t expected to run much of his playbook in the preseason, cornerback is a position where the coaches can assess development even in the simplest of schemes<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ve had some really good conversations with Matt about that,\u201d Gannon said of how much he may or may not show in preseason. \u201cI don’t think there’s a right or a wrong answer\u00a0with\u00a0that question. I’ll probably punt that one to\u00a0Matt what\u00a0we’re going to do. How do I say this the right way to you guys? \u2026 I think that our players have earned the right to play our stuff and get really good at it and go play.\u201d<\/p>\n
3\ufe0f\u20e3 GETTING HIS KICKS<\/p>\n
For all the scrutiny and hand-wringing about rookie kicker Trey Smack\u2019s 8-for-13 start to training camp, he\u2019s gone 12 for 15 on his kicks since, including 6 for 7 on Family Night and 4 for 5 during Tuesday\u2019s practice.<\/p>\n
While that\u2019s certainly not perfect, it is a sign that he\u2019s trending in the right direction. Now comes his next test: Kicking well in a game environment, knowing that strong performances will further quiet critics but more uneven showings with only increase the concerns of everyone involved.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think anytime you have any young guy, whatever position it is, there’s going to be some ups and some downs,\u201d special teams coordinator Cam Achord said. \u201cI think it’s the consistency [you\u2019re aiming for]. When you come in and you look at the film, you talk to the guys. \u2018What are you working on, technique-wise? What can you improve on?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve just got to have him be a consistent person every day he\u2019s here and just continue to improve on it because there’s something to probably tweak or look at every day, and you just want to see him get better.\u201d<\/p>\n
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