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For them, the Green Bay Packers’ last preseason game against the Tennessee Titans tonight at Lambeau Field is, professionally speaking, life or death.
“It’s a very important game,” said rookie wide receiver Brett Swain, a seventh-round pick from San Diego State who’s vying for the sixth wide receiver spot with Quinn, Taj Smith, Jake Allen and any outside wideout the Packers might have their eye on.
“Going into it, (the coaches) are putting a lot of emphasis on the young guys and how great of an opportunity it is for us to go out there and prove to them what we can do on the field and what we’ve learned in camp. This is where we put everything to the test. We’ve built up to this moment.”
Play well, and perhaps earn a berth on the 53-man roster. Play poorly, and be among the 22 guys who’ll be unemployed when the final cuts are made before Saturday’s 5 p.m. deadline.
“A lot of positions are still to be determined this week. That’s why we’re going to play the game,” said coach Mike McCarthy, who will play his starters “approximately 10 plays” before going to the reserves, who got most of the work in practice all week. “I think it’s just important for all the younger players, particularly the rookies, to continue to progress.”
The most closely scrutinized among those young players will be rookie quarterbacks Brian Brohm and Matt Flynn, who are vying for the backup job behind Aaron Rodgers. While Brohm, a second-round pick, has worked ahead of Flynn, a seventh-round pick, all camp, McCarthy said they’ll likely share time equally tonight.
“I’d say it’s very important. I want to get out there and prove to myself that I’m going to be able to play in this league,” said Flynn, who’s statistically outperformed Brohm (87.1 rating to 35.8 rating) through three games.
“I’m excited about it. I really am. You play in these past games and you play a little bit and get a little taste of it and have some fun and start to get in a rhythm, and it’s over. I’m excited to get out there and hopefully get more reps and execute.”
Said Brohm, who’ll still play first: “Just with the way the past few games have gone, I think it’s important for me to go out there and have a good showing, have things go smoothly, lead the offense down for a couple scores and if I can get that accomplished, I’ll feel good about it.”
Adding to the challenge is Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher’s philosophy of playing his starters extended time in the preseason finale, meaning both young quarterbacks could be working against the Titan’s No. 1 defense, which finished fifth in the league last year in yards allowed. If both quarterbacks falter, the Packers will have to seriously consider signing a veteran backup.
“I look at it as a very positive opportunity for our younger players to play against a damn good football team,” McCarthy said. “This will give us a great look at a lot of guys that are fighting for jobs.”
While there are interesting battles for final roster berths at defensive tackle (Malone, Daniel Muir, Conrad Bolston, Rodney Allen), linebacker (Tracy White, Spencer Havner, Danny Lansanah), offensive line (Junius Coston, Breno Giacomini, Orrin Thompson) and halfback (Lumpkin, veterans Noah Herron and Vernand Morency), the most competitive spot is receiver.
With No. 3 wideout James Jones possibly out for the Sept. 8 regular-season opener against Minnesota, Swain, Quinn, Smith and Allen are hoping to make a lasting impression should the team keep a sixth receiver behind Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, Jones, Ruvell Martin and top draft pick Jordy Nelson.
“We just want to see guys come out and make plays — with a minimum of mistakes,” wide receivers coach Jimmy Robinson said. “You’re looking to see who can do it under the big lights and who can make plays under the pressure of that situation. So it’ll be a good test for all of them.”
