Collins Lost For Season (Update)

So, I promised some elaboration on this topic. Unfortunately, the organization is being fairly tight-lipped about the details of S Nick Collins' injury. 

What we do know is that S Charlie Peprah will be called upon to "replace" Collins. I use quotations because the Defensive Coordinator, Dom Capers, has built such a flexibility into the system, that no one player is doing just one job.

For example, many have asked if CB Charles Woodson would move to Safety to make up for the loss. Well, the answer is that the cornerback already plays safety... and nickle... and dime... and okie.... you get the idea.

Charlie Peprah (left) is going to be asked to do largely the same job he did for over 900 snaps last season, when rookie Safety Morgan Burnett went down for the season. He's not a big play guy, but he's a smart player who you can always count on to at least be on assignment, which is more than you can say for the likes of CB Jarret Bush.

Collins has not yet been placed on IR, as the Packers debate what do you with his slot on the 53-man roster.  One option being talked about is CB Brandon Underwood, who was cut before the start of the season. While it does seem to be a textbook Ted Thompson move to bring back a guy like Underwood, who could slip into the system with relative ease, the cornerback is also currently awaiting trial for allegations of domestic abuse. It's not so much the trial that conflicts with bringing Underwood back, so much as the allegations qualify him as a "character risk" (another page out of the TT Textbook).

Interestingly, the Packers recently tried out a number of defensive linemen to help out in injured DL Mike Neal's stead. So, perhaps there won't be an open roster spot for the secondary after all.

While it's not a foregone conclusion that the team can weather such a loss, just because it did so to great effect last season, I personally think that losing a starting safety is low on the list of insurmountable blows.