DENVER—Greg Jennings is returning to the Green Bay Packers’ lineup and also to the scene of his signature NFL moment.
The Packers will welcome back their star wide receiver on Friday in Denver after he missed the team’s first two preseason games with a sore knee. Jennings had one of his biggest moments of his career at Denver last season, catching an 82-yard touchdown pass from Brett Favre on the first play of overtime to power the Packers to a memorable 19-13 win.
It was the second-longest TD pass in NFL overtime history. On Nov. 10, 1985, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski and wide receiver Mike Quick combined on a 99-yard play.
“Last year was last year,” Jennings said. “I’m pretty sure they’re probably thinking about that and don’t want that to happen again.”
Green Bay running back Ryan Grant also burst onto the NFL scene in Denver last season, coming in when DeShawn Wynn went down early with an injured shoulder and gaining 104 yards on 22 carries, a prelude to his big runs and big bucks that were to come.
Grant is still nursing a sore hamstring, however, and isn’t expected to play Friday night.
The Broncos (1-1) will be without Tom Nalen again. Their stalwart center who has missed most of training camp was scheduled for surgery on his left knee, his second in 2 1/2 months, and his status for the season is up in the air, depending on what the surgeon finds.
If Nalen can’t return quickly, the Broncos have a big decision to make about whether to add him to their 53-man roster because they’re already planning to hold open a spot for rookie running back Ryan Torain, who will miss the first half of the season recovering from a broken elbow.
Denver will get cornerback Champ Bailey (hamstring) back in the lineup for his preseason debut against Green Bay.
“Champ’s in good shape. Champ’s had a good week. There’s been no setback and he’s practiced every day. So, I’m sure he’s looking forward to playing his first game,” Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said.
Bailey’s presence will surely provide more of a test for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who struggled at San Francisco last week after a fairly sharp outing in his debut against Cincinnati.
Rodgers took the blame for some mental mistakes, including holding on to the ball too long against a heavy pass rush, but he didn’t get enough help from wide receivers who struggled to hang on to the ball and an offensive line that allowed four sacks.
“We’re not putting extra pressure on ourselves, but we definitely want to get some momentum going into the season,” Rodgers said.
Now that Favre’s monthlong unretirement saga has been resolved, instability on the interior has been the biggest problem for the Packers’ offense in camp.
With starting center Scott Wells fighting lower back injuries, Jason Spitz is likely to play center. Spitz is generally considered the team’s best guard, although he has shuffled between the left and right side throughout camp as the Packers sort through a handful of options at the other guard spot. With Spitz at center, the Packers are likely to start rookie Josh Sitton at right guard and Daryn Colledge at left guard.
The Broncos also have reshuffled their line. With Nalen out, not a single incumbent starter is back from last year.
Still, Cutler has yet to be sacked, and he’s completed 24-of-30 passes for 237 yards and a TD.
Denver has some experience in the interior line with free agent Casey Wiegmann, who’s entering his 13th NFL season, replacing Nalen, and Ben Hamilton and Chris Kuper at guard. At tackle, the Broncos are young, with first-rounder Ryan Clady protecting Cutler’s blind side and second-year pro Ryan Harris on the right side. Harris was flagged four times in the exhibition opener.
“It’s a learning experience. They’re going to have some tough games. But they’re excellent athletes. And they’re great competitors. And they’re learning every day on the job,” Shanahan said.
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AP Sports Writer Chris Jenkins contributed to this report from Green Bay, Wis.
