Nose tackle Mike Pennel made the Green Bay Packers roster as an undrafted free agent. Then they made him one of their inactive players for week 1.
Turns out they could have used him. Turns out they probably realize that now.
The Packers went with Letroy Guion — a guy who had virtually no action in the preseason — as their starting nose tackle against Seattle. Guion was one of the weak spots in an all-around craptacular defensive effort that saw the Packers get gouged for 200-plus rushing yards.
Throughout the week, we’ve heard people saying one of the reasons the Packers defense doesn’t work in its current form is because Guion is too small to play nose. He’s 6-4, 315, while the guy he replaced, B.J. Raji, is 6-2, 335ish.
You see, Guion’s ass isn’t wide enough to take up enough blockers and then blockers get out on the Packers god-awful inside linebackers, who would have a better chance of being armless and getting out of a pit of quicksand than shedding a block.
But you know who’s ass is wide like Raji’s? Mike Pennel’s.
That boy’s 6-4, 332.
And the Packers next opponent, the New York Jets, are coming to town with a formidable rushing attack of their own. They gouged the Raiders for 200-plus yards in week 1. So why not throw the wide-assed rookie out there?
“Mike had a good week of practice. I think he’s ready to go,” defensive line coach Mike Trgovac said. “Obviously, you have to make decisions on who you bring up and who you bring down. You’d like to have them all in the game, but I think Mike’s earned a chance to play.”
Certainly couldn’t be any worse than Guion. So, yeah, let’s see what the hell Kelly Hayes’ boy Mike Pennel can do.