The Packers built an entire offseason plan around protecting quarterback Aaron Rodgers better, only to see that plan go up in smoke when the guy they moved to left tackle, Bryan Bulaga, tore his ACL in last weekend’s scrimmage.
Now, they’re trusting the whole process to rookie David Bakhtiari, holding their breath and hoping their latest attempt to fix on the fly works.
“We felt that we needed to get to where our best players were on the left side, the ability to shut down one side of the line and do things on the other,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said, via Tom Pelissero of USA Today. “Now, we’ve got to shift gears. We’re kind of back to the thought process that we’ve been in some other years where we’ve had injuries. That’s the NFL.”
Asked if Bakhtiari was the best option, McCarthy said: “He has to answer that question.”
He’ll get his first chance tonight against the Cardinals, and the fourth-round pick from Colorado said his goals for the first time out are simple.
“Hopefully, I start all [16] weeks, on to the playoffs,” Bakhtiari said. “And yeah, that’d be a great thing to look back on. But right now, at this point, I’m a here-now kind of guy and I’ve got to focus on [doing the job].
“I’ve got to protect the blind side. I’ve got to be fundamentally sound and come in fast and aggressive, . . . The biggest thing is just you’ve got to go 110% every play just to not get embarrassed.”
It helps that he has Pro Bowl guard Josh Sitton beside him, and the Packers could always move Marshall Newhouse back to the left tackle spot. But they moved Newhouse to the right as part of an effort to prevent another league-high 51 sacks, so for the moment, they’re hoping Bakhtiari holds up.