Green Bay Packers: 10 Quick Observations from Matchup w/ Jets
By Paul Bretl
Oren Burks sees only 12 snaps
Oren Burks was coming off a fantastic performance against Houston but was only on the field for 12 defensive snaps in Week 2 of the preseason, where he would record two tackles. What that tells me is that Burks is making this roster. My guess is that the Green Bay Packers have seen enough from him in practice to feel confident about giving him a roster spot.
Miscommunications on defense
The New York Jets’ first touchdown drive is what stands out the most as there were several defensive miscommunications by the Green Bay Packers on that drive alone, but we saw these issues pop up over the course of the game. Crossing routes, in particular, gave the Packers trouble as defenders didn’t know whose responsibility that player was, and we also saw what looked like a lot of confusion pre-snap.
As far as the panic button goes, I wouldn’t worry at all. This is a new defense, and on the field for much of the game were second and third-string defenders. I’ll chalk these miscommunications up to just being a part of the learning curve.
JK Scott
Inconsistency still remains the primary issue for JK Scott. He had four punt attempts on Saturday, with one of them only going 21 yards. It goes without saying, but that’s unacceptable. During last week’s cutdowns, the Green Bay Packers released Ryan Winslow, but maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to bring in someone new to compete with Scott.
Keep your eyes on Jack Heflin
If the Green Bay Packers keep five interior defensive linemen, the room seemed pretty well set coming into training camp with Kenny Clark, Kingsley Keke, Dean Lowry, TJ Slaton, and Tyler Lancaster. But if someone is on the hot seat, it very well could be Lancaster with rookie UDFA Jack Heflin applying the pressure.
Heflin had another strong performance against the Jets, logging two quarterback hits and four tackles. Keep in mind, if Green Bay does move on from Lancaster, they’ll save $1.05 million in cap space, according to Over the Cap.