The Green Bay Packers (0-1) take the field for their home preseason opener Friday night at 7 p.m. (CST) as they take on the Arizona Cardinals (1-0) at Lambeau Field. The Packers will be looking to rebound after their 27-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns last weekend. Here are five things to watch for in Friday’s ballgame.
5 – Kevin Kolb
A great year is expected of Kolb, who was traded to Arizona by Philadelphia for stud cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a second round pick earlier this offseason. Kolb threw for 68 yards on 4 of 7 passing against Oakland last week, but will be looking for his first passing touchdown against the defending Super Bowl champs to leave a good impression for Cards fans early in the preseason and justify the price Arizona paid to bring him to Phoenix.
4 – Daryn Colledge Returns to Green Bay
Green Bay allowed Daryn Colledge to depart in free agency after starting at left guard for the Packers over the course of five seasons and helping them earn a Super Bowl title. Now, Colledge will be filling the hole left by Alan Faneca at guard on the Arizona interior. Though starters will probably only play the first half at the most, look for Colledge to show a mean streak against his former team.
3 – Battle at Left Guard
After letting Colledge walk, the Packers have been forced to find a replacement at left guard. In training camp, first round pick Derek Sherrod earned many of the repetitions with the first-team offense, even though he had no prior experience at guard and was drafted as a tackle. However, in the first preseason game, Sherrod split snaps with third-year pro T.J. Lang. Though Lang will receive the starting nod Friday evening, look for both players to share snaps again this week in their battle for the starting position.
2 – Gordy’s Play at Corner
After intercepting a pass against the Cleveland Browns last week, second-year pro Josh Gordy aided his cause to earn a roster spot in the secondary this season. Gordy spent most of last season on the Packers’ practice squad before being promoted to the 53-man roster in December and, at 5’11, has the size to be effective in Green Bay’s coverage schemes. A strong training camp has put Gordy in position to take Pat Lee’s spot after the injury-prone reserve has failed to live up to his billing as a second-round pick. Gordy will have his chance to shine in the second half again this week.
1 – Defensive Secondary
The first-team Packer defense struggled mightily against the Browns last week, allowing quarterback Colt McCoy to throw for 135 yards and a touchdown on 9 of 10 passing. The Browns offense also marched 71 yards on 8 plays in the opening drive. The secondary looked out of place throughout the first half without Charles Woodson, Tramon Williams, and Sam Shields, who sat out due to injury precautions, while starting safety Morgan Burnett, coming off of a torn ACL last season, and last year’s fill-in Charlie Peprah each allowed big completions over the middle and will need to cut down on their mistakes this week against Kevin Kolb.
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