The last few weeks the Packers have had a slew of injuries, which has forced backups to step it up, and has led me to think about the state of the current roster.

OFFENSE

Offensive Line
Grade: D minus

Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher are very solid, but neither are dominating, and although they have some tread left on the tires, their best years are behind them. The guards are a big problem, and have been ever since Riviera and Wahle left via free agency. Riviera wasn’t a huge loss since he was about done anyway, but losing an athetlic guard such as Wahle has hurt them. Ted Thompson drafted Colledge to be an immediate starter, and he’s been nothing but an immediate dud. He might be better suited as a backup tackle. Jason Spitz has the right attitude, but he’s getting blown off the line. Josh Sitton has potential, and could be a solid starter, but he’s only a rookie. The rest of the guards are just bodies. Scott Wells is a warrior at center, but he’s undersized. Either way, Ted Thompson has good depth on the offensive line, he just doesn’t have anyone that is very good.

Wide Receiver
Grade: B plus
They are set at wide receiver. Greg Jennings is a young budding star, James Jones is behind him, Ruvell Martin is sold, and Jordy Nelson has a ton of potential. The question for me is, how much longer will Driver play? The dynamic of the entire WR corp could change once Driver retires.

Tight End
Grade: D
Donald Lee is average at best. Jermichael Finley has potential, but is very green. Tory Humphrey shouldn’t be in the NFL. They really don’t have any good blocking tight ends. Remember last year when the running game finally came together? That was about the same time Bubba Franks came back. Coincidence? I think not.

Running Back
Grade: C minus
The running backs are decent. Ryan Grant needs to get back to last year’s form. Brandon Jackson, although he looks improved, he isn’t living up to his second round draft pick status. Lumpkin is interesting. He might, at some point, surpass and/or outlast both Grant and Jackson. He just needs to stay healthier than he did at Georgia. Either way, they could use a home run hitter.

Quarterback
Grade: B minus
Aaron Rodgers has proved me wrong, and looks like a legit quarterback. Aaron still has a ways to go in regards to seeing the entire field, reading defenses, and all of the little things many fans took for granted with Favre. The question is, will Rodgers be a QB that can stay healthy? I loved the Brian Brohm pick in the second round, I just didn’t think he’d lay a big stinky egg in training camp. Raise your hand if you thought Matt Flynn would beat out Brian Brohm. Anyone? I didn’t think so. The fact Flynn beat out Brohm put the Packers in a sticky situation. Thompson was more or less forced to keep both on the roster, which denied them the possibility of getting a veteran QB. Rodgers is now hurt, and the thought of Flynn starting is frightening. Ted Thompson screwed up big time not getting a veteran QB. He should have gotten a veteran QB to help mentor both Rodgers and Brohm.

DEFENSE

Defensive Line
Grade: D minus
They looked good last year, not necessarily because of each players individual effort, but because they had such great depth, they could rotate players without much dropoff. Corey Williams was traded, Justin Harrel is on the physically unable to perform list, and Cullen Jenkins is on IR. I can totally understand trading Williams for a second round pick, but thinking Justin Harrell was going to fill that hole was a mistake. Harrell might have ability, but he’s been injured almost his entire football career. Aaron Kampman is the only bright spot on this line, and the only reason I didn’t give this unit a “F”. The rest of the 2008 season is going to be ugly.

Linebackers
Grade: B
I love the Packers linebackers. Great starters, great depth. My only complaint is AJ Hawk isn’t playing like a #5 overall pick, and probably never will. Nick Barnett is by far the best linebacker on that squad. Barnett is a warrior. Brady Poppinga gets a lot of flack for being the weakest link the chain, but he plays with passion, and is much better linebacker than advertised.

Corners
Grade: B Minus
I said before the season started, Harris and Woodson MUST stay healthy. Harris is out with a damaged spleen and Woodson is playing with a broken toe. So far, Tramon Williams has done an excellent job filling in for Harris. I am starting to wonder if we’ll see Harris in a Packers uniform again. I love Al Harris, he’s the ultimate professional football player, but it might be time for the Packers to move on. Woodson is playing at a pro bowl level right now. I’d say he’s currently one of the top five, maybe top three, corners in the NFL right now. Jarrett Bush on the other hand, he should go play in Canada, the Detroit Lions, or find a new line of work. I thought Will Blackmon would have been a starter by now since he is probably the most athletic of the bunch, but he can’t stay healthy.

Safety
Grade: B minus
Nick Collins has come into his own. He’s flying all over the field, and he’s starting to make some interceptions. Bigby has been hurt, but he’s much better than I thought he’d ever be. They miss his physical presence against the running game. I like Aaron Rouse, mostly because he’s an athletic freak, but he’s still learning the game, and sometimes takes bad angles on tackles. The rest of the safeties are just bodies.

Special Teams
Grade: C minus
Mason Crosby is doing a great job, Derrick Frost isn’t. I think Ted Thompson messed up big time by making a somewhat lateral move dumping Jon Ryan so he could pickup Frost. I keep shaking my head on this one. Ted rolled the dice on this one and lost.

Overall
The Packers have a pretty solid young team with decent depth. The problem is they have some glaring holes that need to be fixed before this team goes anywhere in the playoffs, or maybe even gets to the playoffs.. Ted needs to shore up the following positions: OG, DT, DE, RB, CB.

I’m one of the believers that football games are won in the trenches. Currently, Green Bay isn’t winning those battles, and until they do, there’s always next year.