The Packer Pundit

Bigby pushes for starting role
Green Bay Packers second-year pro Atari Bigby made a couple of big plays Saturday night against Seattle that could earn him a shot at replacing Marquand Manuel in the starting lineup at safety this week. Bigby had two sacks on blitzes against the Seahawks, including one that caused a fumble that Tracy White returned 34 yards for a touchdown. Bigby also had four tackles and a hit on the quarterback while playing only in the first half. Bigby worked with the No. 1 defense beginning on the Packers' third defensive series of the game, and though he paired with Manuel, it's Manuel's position that's open for competition. Nick Collins is the other starter. Though Bigby missed a couple of tackles last week at Pittsburgh, he worked occasionally with the starters last week in practice and appears to have the best chance of any of the backup safeties at unseating Manuel over the final two weeks of training camp. "He was very active and very physical, as he's always been, and he can run," General Manager Ted Thompson said. "Interesting guy." Bigby probably has the most range of any of the Packers' safeties other than Collins, and the 25-year-old is much more athletic than Manuel. On the sack that forced the fumble Saturday, he flew at quarterback Seneca Wallace after being unblocked. On the second, he nearly leap-frogged fullback Leonard Weaver to tackle quarterback David Greene. "I don't know if I helped the cause for the starting lineup," Bigby said after the game, "but hopefully I helped my cause for being on the team." Last week against Pittsburgh, Bigby appeared partially to be responsible for Santonio Holmes' 49-yard reception, when Holmes got behind both him and cornerback Will Blackmon. However, Bigby said he was not responsible for helping over the top on that play. Bigby also had a good shot at tackling receiver Walter Young at about the 15 on another reception, but rather than make wrap-up tackle he tried to body-block him to the ground. Young bounced off the hit and scored the 41-yard touchdown. "At the time, I thought I didn't (have a good chance at the tackle)," Bigby said of Young's touchdown. "But when I looked at the film, I thought I could have made a better decision. I thought I was too far. I thought I couldn't catch him. But looking at the film, I probably had good enough position."

Returns in
Barring an upset over the final two weeks, Will Blackmon appeared to wrap up both jobs as primary kickoff and punt returner Saturday night. Blackmon showed some intriguing elusiveness as a punt returner against Pittsburgh last week, and then against Seattle had an 83-yard kickoff return that set up a touchdown. He also had a 16-yard punt return among his two punt runbacks against the Seahawks. "These are the things that he exhibited in college," said Mike Stock, the Packers' special-teams coach. "He has all those tools that we were talking about. He does have good vision. He knows how to set up blocks and take advantage of that. It's all about familiarity with the scheme we're using, where the blocks are supposed to take place and where he's supposed to be when those blocks occur. Kickoff returns is all about timing, and (Saturday night) there was some good timing." Blackmon, who also is in the hunt for the No. 3 cornerback job, returned both punts and kickoffs during his career at Boston College. He averaged 24.5 yards on 110 kickoff returns in his career there and 10.4 yards on 49 punt returns. "I've always returned kicks my whole entire life," he said. "Punts is another story. I actually grew up having a punt phobia. I would not do it at all, ever. High school, nope. Pop Warner, nope. Then I got to college and they were like, 'OK, Will go back there.' I guess you've got to do it. It's a whole lot easier when you've got 10 guys you trust to do their job. I just catch the ball and run."

Chain-gang injury
Don Geyer, the crew chief for the chain crew at Packers home games, sustained a broken left foot in the second quarter of Saturday night's game but finished out the contest before having the injury examined by the Packers' medical staff. As crew chief, Geyer, 77, supervises the chain crew and documents all penalties. The injury occurred when he was standing along the Seattle sideline and had nowhere to get out of the way when a group of about six players came at him. When they hit him, his right leg got pinned beneath his body. "I saw it coming, and I was looking for an escape route," Geyer said. "With 80 players and about 150 coaches and everyone else on the sideline, there wasn't room to maneuver." Geyer iced his foot at halftime and returned to his job for the second half, though by halfway through the third quarter the pain and swelling became severe. He will be on crutches and wearing a protective boot for six to eight weeks, so he probably won't return to his role for at least two months. "I tried to tough it out, and it wasn't the smartest thing to do," he said.

Injury update
Thompson revealed no new information about the four players who sustained injuries to their medial-collateral ligaments Saturday night: defensive end Michael Montgomery, receiver Shaun Bodiford, tackle Orrin Thompson and fullback Ryan Powdrell. Depending on the severity of the strain or tear, MCL injuries generally take two to six weeks to heal — six weeks if the ligament is completely torn. Montgomery's injury appeared among the worst of the four, and he had his arms around the shoulders of two people as he limped to the tunnel that leads to the locker rooms at halftime. He also sustained a torn posterior-cruciate ligament and sprained MCL in his right knee in practice on Dec. 6 last year that ended his 2006 season, though it's unclear whether he injured the same knee Saturday night. Powdrell's injury left the Packers with only one fullback, rookie Korey Hall, for most of the second half Saturday night. Though Hall played linebacker in college at Boise State, he's the clear front-runner for the starting job at fullback this year. The third fullback on the roster, Brandon Miree, has missed the last two weeks because of a shoulder stinger and said he hopes to practice today and play Thursday night against Jacksonville. The Packers also could sign another fullback this week or perhaps pick up one off waivers after roster cutdowns. The cutdown to 75 players is Aug. 28, and the final cuts to 53 players is Sept. 1.

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