Packers O-line looking for better game
by Boris on Sep.19, 2009, under Commentary
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -Green Bay Packers guard Daryn Colledge didn’t walk or talk Friday like an injured player whose playing status is in question.
Colledge, who has a sprained right foot, ambled from one end of the Lambeau Field locker room to the other without a noticeable limp. He said the injury won’t jeopardize his playing streak Sunday when the Packers host the Cincinnati Bengals.
Daryn Colledge
“I’m ready to go. I expect to be out there,” Colledge said. “I haven’t missed a start yet (for injury reasons). I don’t plan on missing one this weekend.”
The last thing the Packers need is to be short-handed on the offensive line after the unit had trouble protecting quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the season opener last weekend. Colledge dropped out of practice Thursday with the foot injury, and he is still listed as questionable on the injury report for Sunday’s game.
Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Colledge has a good chance of playing against the Bengals.
“I think he’s going to be OK for Sunday,” McCarthy said.
Colledge was excused from practice Friday to treat the injury, which he said occurred when a teammate stepped on his foot.
“The coaches and the (medical) staff felt it was safer to say, ‘Hey, you’ve worked enough, we know what you can do, let’s just give you a chance to rest and be ready,”’ Colledge said. “I want to be 100 percent for the weekend. We’ve got a great defense coming in here, and it’s going to take more than 90 percent of me.”
Colledge has played in every game since breaking into the NFL as a second-round draft pick by the Packers in 2006. He has started all but four of those 51 games, including the playoffs.
“I’ve been benched before,” Colledge said. “But, other than that, I’ve never missed a game – high school, college, pros. I don’t plan on starting this weekend.”
Colledge, as well as the rest of Green Bay’s offensive line, is highly motivated to get back on the field after struggling in the Packers’ 21-15 win over rival Chicago. Rodgers was sacked four times, including a safety.
