Blake Martinez gathered his fellow inside linebackers together after a tough day at Green Bay Packers practice.
It’s difficult to see two key members of the defense go down with injuries on just the fourth day of training camp.
Inside linebacker Jake Ryan, one of the team’s top run defenders, was carted off the field late in practice Monday with an apparent right leg injury. Kentrell Brice, a potential starter at safety, was carted off the field during a special teams drill, though the type of injury was unclear.
“Oh, man. That was bad, man. You hate to see that, especially as a player. That’s your brother,” safety Josh Jones said when asked about Brice.
Practice ended up being cut short early because of the threat of lightning. The injuries dampened the mood in the locker room.
Back inside Lambeau Field, Martinez gathered the rest of his position group together. Martinez (158) and Ryan (89) led the team in tackles last season.
After third-year pro Martinez and Ryan, who is in his fourth year, rookies fill the inside linebacker depth chart. Martinez called a position meeting to get everyone refocused.
“It just comes down to ‘What are we going to do now?’” Martinez said in recounting his message. “Or whatever your mindset is, what are you going to do to get better every day?”
Oren Burks, a third-round draft pick out of Vanderbilt, might play a bigger role if Ryan misses significant time. Burks played inside linebacker in college last season after taking on a hybrid linebacker/safety role as a junior. He played free safety as a sophomore.
The Packers are also making changes on defense after Mike Pettine replaced Dom Capers as coordinator. Martinez said that he’ll be checking on the rookies constantly to make sure they are up to speed.
“I know my goals for this season, our team goals for this season and I’m not going to let one injury kind of ruin that for us,” he said.
August 9th, 2018 
Patrick Casey 
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