The Zombo Aftermath

AHHH! Get your mitt off my broken scapula, coach!

I don't have all the information yet, but it's a safe to say to say that second-year OLB Frank Zombo will be out for some time. Zombo broke his scapula (shoulder blade to us less medically inclined folks) when he collided with FB John Kuhn in warm-ups before the Arizona preseason game. And he played with it. If he was trying to prove his toughness and grit, he's convinced us. But if he's trying to be the Packers opening day starter opposite Clay Matthews, he's now out of contention.

McCarthy has indicated that he believes Zombo will return "sooner rather than later," but word is that this type of injury takes about six weeks to heal. That timetable for recovery would put us well into the regular season, so it's all but a given that Erik Walden will be the starter at OLB. Additionally, Brad Jones, who I think was previously a candidate for the cutting block, can now feel a little safer about his roster spot.

While this much may be true, there's a lot of uncertainty involving depth at OLB, as well as Zombo's own roster status. Because he's not eligible to be placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, the Packers really only have three options.