McCarthy: Pack will adjust, stay course without WR Nelson

Mike McCarthy said the Green Bay Packers have one goal for 2015 and the mission is unchanged in the wake of wide receiver Jordy Nelson’s season-ending right knee injury.

There is no question the devastating injury to wide receiver Jordy Nelson during Sunday’s preseason game is a big loss for the Green Bay Packers offense.

After catching a short pass from MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Nelson lost his footing and fell untouched to the Heinz Field turf. Nelson had 13 touchdown catches previous year and 43 over the last four seasons. Outside of those three injuries, Safety Mykkele Thompson will miss the season with a torn Achilles, and Cooper Taylor, Nat Berhe, and Landon Collins have all missed time so far this preseason with various issues.

Nelson posted Monday on his Facebook account, “Thank you to my family, the Packers, my friends, my partners and Packers fans everywhere for your thoughts and prayers”. Hakeem Nicks also ranks high among the potential free agent receivers that Cole notes might be available before Week 1, although he doesn’t directly link him to the Packers.

For now, the focus shifts to young receivers who will need to step up behind Randall Cobb and promising second-year receiver Davante Adams.

The Packers will return to the practice field today and will start the process of figuring out who fits where, among the remaining players to try to fill the spot that opened with the loss of Nelson.

Asked about whether the preseason was too long and that injuries such as Nelson’s could be prevented by reducing the number of preseason games, Quin said that he believed injuries are predestined and that players have little control over them. “That’s what we’ll start focusing on”, Thompson said Monday. His replacement, Don Barclay, struggled against Pittsburgh as he comes back from his ACL tear that he suffered a year ago.

He added, “It’s hard to lose a guy like that in a meaningless game”.

“When you run the read option, you’ve got to know the rules”, Suggs said. “So call me when Aaron Rodgers goes down”.

Although Nelson’s injury is terrible news for both the player and the organization, Green Bay could be in much worse shape.

Apparently what Finley was trying to say is that Rodgers’ receivers don’t get enough credit.

ST. LOUIS – Todd Gurley has been cleared to practice with the St. Louis Rams, but the 10th overall pick in the draft still won’t play in the preseason.

But no one has the kind of rapport that Nelson, entering his eight season, has cultivated with Rodgers.