GREEN BAY, Wis. -- With Clay Matthews sidelined because of a sore knee, there should be ample opportunity for the rest of the Green Bay Packers inside linebackers to stand out.
The problem is, coach Mike McCarthy hasn't seen enough.
"It's a big opportunity for the inside linebackers, and they need to start making more plays, frankly," McCarthy said after Tuesday's practice. "We're in the installation phase right now. There's too much thinking going on, and that's understandable -- particularly today's a very challenging installation for our defense, particularly the inside linebackers, just their volume of responsibility and communication. You'll probably see a little more of that hopefully as the week comes to a conclusion. They need to settle in and start playing."
Matthews missed his second straight day of practice, so McCarthy and defensive coordinator Dom Capers continued the rotation at the inside linebacker spot next to Sam Barrington. On Monday, Nate Palmer got the first reps. On Tuesday, it was rookie fourth-round pick Jake Ryan. Former practice-squad player Joe Thomas got his chance, too.
"It's very important to capitalize on the chances," Palmer said. "You want to make the most out of every situation that you're in because you don't know when the next opportunity will come. So when you're out there, it might only be one, two, three snaps. You want to make the best out of those. You don't want to mess up. You want to try to make an impactful play if you can because when Clay comes back, those reps get cut short.”
Based on McCarthy's assessment, those reps may get cut significantly when Matthews returns.
Here are some other notes from Tuesday's session:
Play of the day: Second-year tight end Richard Rodgers suggested that if he were faster, the one-handed catch he made on the sideline would have been more routine. Nevertheless, Rodgers pulled in a Scott Tolzien pass with his left hand as he was outstretched along the right sideline. "It was just a little out in front of me," said Rodgers, who caught 20 passes last season. "If I was faster, I could have caught it with two hands. I've got to work on my speed." McCarthy also praised Rodgers for his work on special teams, where he blocked two punts during a simulated (not live) punting drill.
Montgomery's first drop: A day after Ty Montgomery was praised for catching everything thrown his way, the rookie receiver dropped an over-the-shoulder pass during the one-on-one drill. However, he closed practice by catching a fade from Tolzien for a touchdown to end the no-huddle period.
Henry on the radar: Here's another rookie to keep an eye on: tight end Mitchell Henry. Not only has he gotten plenty of work on offense, but the undrafted free agent from Western Kentucky was on the No. 1 kickoff return team as one of the middle blockers.
Injury scares: There were a couple of nasty collisions involving starters, but they appeared to be just scares and nothing serious. Left tackle David Bakhtiari and defensive end Letroy Guion both came away limping during a run drill, and then receiver Randall Cobb and safety Morgan Burnett both went down in the secondary and were slow to get up. Of all the players, Cobb appeared to get the worst of it. But after sitting out just one play, he returned to finish the practice.
Injury report: Undrafted rookie guard Matt Rotheram (ankle) returned, but two others were added to the injury list: outside linebacker Adrian Hubbard (groin) and tackle Vince Kowalski (concussion). Also, running back Eddie Lacy (foot) dropped out late in practice. Others who remained out were: receiver Adrian Coxson (concussion), receiver Ricky Collins (heel), running back John Crockett (ankle), receiver Jared Abbrederis (concussion), outside linebacker Mike Neal (abdomen) and Matthews.
Special guest: Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and 2012 vice-presidential candidate, attended practice. He spent part of the morning talking with Packers president Mark Murphy.
Not a full day off: There's no practice Wednesday but unlike last Sunday, it's not a full day off for the players. They will be at Lambeau Field for meetings and workouts before the next practice Thursday at 8:20 a.m. local time. Assistant coaches are scheduled to meet with the media Wednesday afternoon.
