For the Green Bay Packers, Saturday's preseason opener against Cleveland is the start of a new beginning. The Browns, meanwhile, just hope to take a step toward figuring out a starting quarterback.When the two meet at Lambeau Field, the only thing that is known is that the Packers will play a live game for the first time under new defensive coordinator Dom Capers. In the short time that the starters play, and in the normally-bland environment that preseason games against regular-season opponents can create, what should Packer fans look for?
Dom Capers isn't likely to show much. This guy's been around for a while. He's not an idiot. He knows that this is a preseason game. Moreover, he knows his team faces Cleveland in Week 7. Don't expect to see much from the Packers that isn't close to the vest, especially on defense, where they've installed a much more complex scheme than the one they played last year.
As for personnel, newly-signed rookie B.J. Raji won't play, and neither will middle linebacker Nick Barnett. Can A.J. Hawk mesh into this defense in a way that he couldn't under former coordinator Bob Sanders? Saturday night might not answer this, but Hawk will get a chance to play a huge role with Barnett out.
Both Cleveland quarterbacks -- Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn -- have a lot to prove, so the Packers can show something on defense by keeping them at bay.
Can Ryan Grant rebound? After a relatively poor 2008 season (Grant ran for 1,200 yards but only averaged 3.9 yards per carry), Grant tries to prove his magical run in 2007 was no fluke. It helps that he'll be around for the preseason after being held back by a contract dispute last summer. It also helps that there is no doubt he will start for Green Bay.
After teasing coaches and teammates last summer, Brandon Jackson has settled into a backup role. Were DeShawn Wynn ever able to stay healthy, he could probably push Jackson.
No question, though, that this is Grant's job. He's healthy, and he should be plenty motivated after a rocky season.
Aaron Rodgers has plenty of pressure, no excuses. No one will accuse the second-year starting quarterback of making excuses for the team's poor season in 2008. Rodgers has been up-front and shown good leadership qualities throughout his short tenure as the Packers' field general.
This time around, failure could have a huge impact. Rodgers knows this. He knows that -- right or wrong -- many people gave him a pass last year because of the Brett Favre fiasco. Those same folks won't be as forgiving if Rodgers leads the Packers to another third-place finish in the NFC North. That just isn't acceptable in Green Bay.
It's a different kind of pressure this year. Rodgers can't afford too many missteps, even in meaningless games.
The offensive line has to sort itself out. Head coach Mike McCarthy has committed to trying to avoid the revolving door that plagued the line last year. While Daryn Colledge and Chad Clifton are starting on the left side, and Josh Sitton is the likely starter at right guard, there are questions at the other two positions.
Whether it's going to be Jason Spitz or Scott Wells at center, and no matter if it's Allen Barbre or Breno Giacomini at right tackle, McCarthy wants to be able to set his starting five and stick with it this year.
