Tuesday’s practice concluded a long, strange and bruising training camp for the Packers.
Only nine players missed practice on Tuesday, but that number was aided by the fact that Green Bay had placed half a dozen on injured reserve and a couple more on the physically unable to perform list. Earlier in camp, the Packers had 21 players sidelined for a practice, and too frequently the number of injured players was around 18.
After his team’s final training-camp practice, coach Mike McCarthy was still scratching his head over the spate of injuries and wondering if it had anything to do with the practice schedule he’d meticulously worked out.
“The thing that I’ll go back and look at like I do every year are the reps compared to the injury report,” McCarthy said. “Something wasn’t right there. We had some unusual injuries early in camp, but then we had some fatigue injuries. You always have to take a look at that and be critical of yourself there. I’m still working through it.”
McCarthy took pride in devising a schedule tailored to the Packers’ unusual first month of the regular season, when they’ll play on a Thursday in Week 2 and a Monday in Week 3.
“I actually spent time this morning assessing the scheduling of camp, the target of trying to make sure the scheduling was erratic up and down a bit to match the first four weeks of our season,” he said. "I think we definitely accomplished that. I think there were definitely points we had to adjust through the schedule. It was uncomfortable for the group at times. It took them a while to get used to it. Obviously, the morning schedule, everybody likes to be on that type of schedule. So I’m pleased with the scheduling of it.”
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers lauded McCarthy’s training camp program, though he, too, was incredulous thinking about all the injuries the Packers sustained.
“I think the first couple of days were maybe a few too many reps for the [starters], but I think for the most part, we did as good a job as we could with the injuries we had," Rodgers said. "It was probably more than any camp that I’ve ever been a part of, the kind of guys we had out at different times. We had up to 17, 18, 19 guys out of practice.”
Starks’ toe healing slow: Running back James Starks has missed the last three weeks with turf toe. Sidelined indefinitely, he’s missed crucial preparation and practice time, and there’s an outside chance his roster spot could be in jeopardy. McCarthy didn’t say anything about the possibility of the Packers’ 2011 leading rusher getting cut, but he did seem exasperated about the pace of Starks’ recovery.
“James Starks, just talking with the medical staff, is coming along slow,” McCarthy said Tuesday. “We’ll continue to treat him. He hasn’t made a whole lot of progress here of late.”
Sherrod not on PUP yet: The Packers placed two players on the PUP list on Monday, but offensive tackle Derek Sherrod was not one of them. Sherrod, still rehabbing from a gruesome broken leg suffered last season, would have to miss the first six weeks of the regular season if he was designated.
On Tuesday, general manager Ted Thompson said, “We wanted some more time to kind of take a look at that.”
It’s possible the Packers will still put Sherrod on PUP on Friday when they have to cut their roster to 53. But so far, there’s hope he can return before Week 6.
Numbers tight at TE: Only two tight ends practiced on Tuesday, Jermichael Finley and Brandon Bostick. They will be the only two players at that position who will play in Thursday’s preseason finale against the Chiefs. Bostick is a long-shot to make the team, with four tight ends likely to be on the final roster. But Finley, the talented but inconsistent starter, needs extra snaps Thursday, since he’s yet to play in a preseason game due to injuries and the birth of his son last week.
Rodgers cleans up: One day after taking a shaving cream pie to the face from fullback John Kuhn – and not appearing especially happy about it – Rodgers was in better spirits.
On Monday, Rodgers was speaking with the media at his locker when Kuhn got him on a pie-to-the-face sneak attack. Rodgers stalked off to clean up and went straight to the showers. End of interviews.
On Tuesday, though, Rodgers laughed it off. “You know what? I can appreciate a good practical joke,” he said. "I think in order to be someone who enjoys doing those things, you have to know at some point it’s going to come back to you.”
Ever the competitor, Rodgers added, “They’ve got to understand when they do it to me, it’s going to come back probably twice as hard.”
For all Packers news and updates, follow James Carlton @CBSSportsNFLGB and @jimmycarlton88.