Corey Linsley, center
FOX Sports Wisconsin's Paul Imig gives an in-depth statistical analysis and film study of every Packers player in his annual offseason checkup. You can find every report here.
Season stats (playoffs included): 18 games, 18 starts (1,216 snaps; 100 percent of total offensive snaps); two sacks allowed, 13 quarterback hurries allowed, four penalties committed
ProFootballFocus.com season rating: 12.0 (ranked No. 8 out of 24 Packers offensive players; ranked No. 4 out of 40 among NFL centers)
Best game: Week 5 win over Minnesota (played all 57 snaps); two QB hurries allowed, zero sacks allowed, zero penalties committed; 4.1 PFF rating
Worst game: Week 16 win at Tampa Bay (played all 75 snaps); zero QB hurries allowed, zero sacks allowed, one penalty committed; minus-3.4 PFF rating
Expectations at the start of training camp: Low
Expectations were ... Exceeded
Looking live: When Corey Linsley was selected by the Packers in the fifth round of the 2014 draft, it was not with the thought that they'd just found their long-term starting center. Green Bay thought they already had that in JC Tretter. Linsley was an insurance policy. A backup plan.
"It's good to finally draft one that's played the position before," Mike McCarthy said of Linsley at the conclusion of the draft's final day. "We're all excited about that. I know (offensive line coach) James Campen is real excited. Tough guy. Anybody you talk to at Ohio State and the reputation he has there, and just the way he plays, it will be good just to have a natural center come in and play that position. And I view him as a center. I know we historically move our guys around, but I think it's important for him to come in and play center."
As expected when training camp began, Tretter was the starting center. He got all of the work with the first-team offense while Linsley waited on the sideline until it was time for the No. 2 group to get their shot.
The momentum of Linsley's career (and Tretter's career) drastically shifted on Aug. 22, 2014. It was during the Packers' third preseason game that Tretter suffered a knee fracture, which landed him on the designated to return injured reserve list 10 days later.
Suddenly, with just one preseason game to go, Linsley was going to be pressed into action. Green Bay's backup plan at center had just become its only option. Over the final couple training camp practices, Linsley took the vast majority of snaps with the starting offense. Josh Sitton and Garth Gerhart each took a couple reps as well, but it was Linsley's show. However, despite Aaron Rodgers having never worked directly with Linsley, the Packers had their MVP quarterback only take scout-team snaps in practice that week. Green Bay didn't use Rodgers in the preseason finale, meaning that he wouldn't work live reps with Linsley until stepping into the noisiest environment on the opening night of the NFL season in Seattle. It was a risky proposition and one that could have easily backfired.
Upon further review: The Seahawks sure thought Linsley wasn't going to be ready for the huge Week 1 matchup, with Bruce Irvin commenting that he was "going to pray" for him. Apparently, Linsley didn't need much time to prepare for his NFL debut against the best defense of this century. Linsley turned in a spectacular performance and earned the respect of Irvin and the Seattle defense, but not before those comments took a brief toll on him.
"I had just gotten past the anxiety of everything and I felt comfortable and confident going into the game," Linsley said the week following that game. "Then I was like, 'Man, these guys are after my head. I'm going to have the best defense in the league after my head.' It took me a couple hours to get over it."
Things went so well for Linsley in September and early October that the starting job became his permanently, even after Tretter was healthy enough to play.
"If things keep going the way they're going, I think we'll look back on this start as probably one of the most impressive situations that a young player has stepped up and performed in my time here -- and we've had a lot of guys step up," McCarthy said on Oct. 10.
Everyone knew Linsley was physically strong. The questions were more about whether he could make calls at the line of scrimmage and how well he'd make the right adjustments. But Linsley answered those concerns quickly.
"He's one of those guys as a rookie that came in here and you knew right away he belonged," McCarthy said. "Mentally, he's very sharp, very detailed; played in a big-time program, so he had a lot of things going for him."
With the exception of a brief hiccup Week 16 in Tampa Bay, Linsley's momentum never stalled. He proved to be a very good run-blocker and pass-protector, and he was also the only offensive player to be on the field for every snap this season.
According to the ratings system at ProFootballFocus, there were only three NFL centers who had a better 2014 season than Linsley. Considering this was a rookie who didn't take a single in-game snap with the starting quarterback until Week 1, it was one of the most significant parts of the Packers' season. Linsley turned what could have been a disastrous situation at center into a major positive.
Overall 2014 grade: A-minus
Status for 2015: One-hundred percent chance of being the starting center again. Of course Linsley remains the starter going forward. The question is how many years Linsley remains the starter. Could he still be entrenched in that job long after Rodgers retires sometime around the year 2023? It's certainly possible given what Linsley has put on film so far. He benefits greatly from playing next to Sitton and T.J. Lang, but Linsley has the potential to become a multiple-time All-Pro.
Next: Punter Tim Masthay
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