JC Tretter
Center JC Tretter was supposed to be the Packers fourth starting center in the last four years. Tretter will still get his shot at some point this season, but the 2nd year player out of Cornell suffered a knee injury and will miss what Mike McCarthy said would be “multiple weeks.”
Tretter was injured in the first quarter of Friday’s 31-21 win over the Oakland Raiders but was cleared by the team’s medical staff to stay in the game. He ended up playing 45 snaps.
Tretter’s knee acted at half time and the Packers re-examined him and put him on crutches.
Rookie fifth-round draft pick Corey Linsley, out of Ohio State took over on Friday and will step in now, to start the season against the Seattle Seahawks a week from Thursday.
The Packers did everything to get Tretter ready for opening night. He took every snap at center with the number-1 offense and was having a good training camp. Now the Packers have less than two weeks to get Linsley ready to go.
AUDIO: Josh Sitton on having to change gears at center again :10
AUDIO: Corey Linsley says he has to get on the same page with the starters :14
Linsley went 24-2 as the starting center at Ohio State over the last two seasons. He’s played in loud stadiums and in big games. There’ll be none louder and none bigger for Linsley then Seattle a week from Thursday.
AUDIO: Linsley is looking ahead to Seattle :11
Linsley knows there’s no room for missed assignments. “The urgency level is just through the roof.”
How long will Tretter be out? The answer to that question could greatly depend on if the Packers look to go out and sign another center as a backup, or whether they simply allow guards T.J. Lang and Josh Sitton to serve as a backup.