Dec 25, 2011; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers guard Evan Dietrich-Smith (62) during the game against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. The Packers defeated the Bears 35-21. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

With the news that the Green Bay Packers will be without the services of starting right tackle Bryan Bulaga, opportunity has come knocking for a once unknown and unwanted backup lineman.

Evan Dietrich-Smith, an undrafted rookie in 2009 and twice released by NFL teams, has just been handed a seven week window to show the Packers – and perhaps the entire NFL – that he belongs. More importantly, he has the chance to prove he belongs in the starting lineup.

Barring injury, Dietrich-Smith should spend the remainder of the 2012 season stationed at left guard. This, however, may not be where his future lies. While Dietrich-Smith’s greatest asset to the Packers has been his versatility, the team may soon discover that the heir to Jeff Saturday already resides on their roster. If that were to happen, it would be a remarkable story and an even more remarkable surprise.

During the 2010 preseason, Dietrich-Smith was unable to beat out Nick McDonald – himself an undrafted rookie that year – for the final offensive line spot despite a full year on the active roster. The linemen-starved Seahawks picked him up only to release him that October. It appeared that in less than two years, Dietrich-Smith was already on his way out of the league.

Here’s where the story gets interesting. On New Year’s Eve 2010, the Packers were forced to put tackle Marshall Newhouse on injured reserve, opening up a spot for an offensive lineman on their 53 man roster. Dietrich-Smith, being both highly versatile and familiar with the Packers’ zone blocking scheme, was granted one more shot with the club.

While he was merely a ride-along on the Packers miracle Super Bowl run, Dietrich-Smith’s late season signing ensured him the inside track to make the team in 2011. He did just that, starting three games on top of occasional injury substitution duty.

Nov 24, 2011; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (90) stomps on Green Bay Packers offensive guard Evan Dietrich-Smith (62) after the play. Suh was ejected from the game during the third quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE

While playing for hobbled right guard Josh Sitton during a Thanksgiving matchup with Detroit, Dietrich-Smith unwittingly made headlines when he became the target of Ndamukong Suh’s right cleat. The event overshadowed the progress Dietrich-Smith made since returning to the club. While he still struggled with consistency, the Packers did not have to make major adjustments to account for him.

As we documented last month, the Packers backed themselves into a corner with their lack of depth along the offensive line. While Dietrich-Smith has improved greatly since returning and the play calling hasn’t been substantially altered by his presence, he’s still a largely untested commodity in charge of protecting the league’s most valuable player. Should Dietrich-Smith get knocked back at the point of attack or fail to pick up a blitzing linebacker, Aaron Rodgers could be left immobilized on the turf.

A similarly grim reality comes into view should Dietrich-Smith prove incapable or get hurt. The in-house replacement options are all undrafted rookies, one of which didn’t even make the 53 coming out of preseason.

Consequently, it’s imperative that Dietrich-Smith hold steady at left guard and remain healthy. If he can stabilize the offensive line, he could be looking at a new contract and the starting center position heading into 2013.

Sep 13, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga (75) during the game against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. The Packers defeated the Bears 23-10. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

The unmentionable has officially occurred for the Green Bay Packers.

The offensive line, which has been intact for much of the season, received a blow when it was officially announced today that Bryan Bulaga, the Packers starting right tackle, would be placed on injured reserve, ending his season.

So, with the likes of Ndamukong Suh, Jared Allen and Julius Peppers licking their chops to get after Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the likelihood is that their chances may have increased with the loss of Bulaga.

However, there are those who may think that Bulaga hadn’t been playing his best ball over the first eight games anyway and the line continued to perform fairly well in the third and fourth quarters when Bulaga went out with a hip injury against the Arizona Cardinals.

When Evan Dietrich-Smith replaced left guard T.J. Lang when he slid over to replace Bulaga, the line continued to play without  too much of a drop-off – something they will have to continue to do when they come back out of the bye and play their first game against the Detroit Lions.

No doubt, that group of defensive linemen will be ready to test the Packers.

The good thing is that the Packers have the entire week to get the new players entrenched into their new positions before they head into the final stretch of the season. Just like all the other injuries that have taken starters away from the field, this one is no different. The continuing mantra of “next man up” continues with the offensive line.

Our hope is that any other injuries along the line can be avoided in this crucial stage of the season just when the NFC North Division standings have tightened with the loss by the Bears to the Houston Texans. And the rash of concussions to big-time players – Chicago QB Jay Cutler included – only underscores how injuries are affecting all teams.

This is the time of the season when team depth is a big player with which teams make the playoffs and which advance deep into the tournament and end up in the Super Bowl.

It’s time to buckle down, play hard and win games.

Like Lombardiave.com of Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Oct 14, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson (87) and quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) show emotion on the sidelines against the Houston Texans in the fourth quarter at Reliant Stadium. The Packers defeated the Texans 42-24. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-US PRESSWIRE

It’s a philosophical point as much as it is a football matter: At what point is the offense of the Green Bay Packers no longer the dominant, elite unit to which we’ve grown accustom?

More specifically, what’s missing that is causing the offense to sputter against the Jaguars, one of the league’s least intimidating defenses?

As I predicted in the week 8 game preview, the offense did not function well as Aaron Rodgers didn’t have either of his go-to-receivers. As though you didn’t already know, those receivers are Jordy Nelson and Greg Jennings.

Sep 13, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings looks on during warmups prior to the game against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

No one can say definitely whether Nelson’s absence was the cause of the many short drives the Packers experienced Sunday. However, 19 catches for 243 yards and 3 touchdowns went through Nelson his last two games. To expect normal effectiveness after that production is cut out without an adequate replacement is just an unrealistic expectation.

Coach Mike McCarthy said that Nelson was almost ready this past Sunday, so the Packers will likely perform better this week against the Cardinals. That’s only part of the solution, however.

As Ray Rivard touched upon earlier, Greg Jennings’ sports hernia surgery has been delayed as a result of Hurricane Sandy. It’s now expected that this will end up costing Jennings another game as he recovers.

That’s an additional week that the Packers are a Nelson injury away from reverting to the form they displayed against the Jaguars. In the rough NFC playoff picture, that’s not something they can afford.

Aug 19, 2011; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Derek Sherrod (78) looks on from the bench during the third quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Lambeau Field. The Packers defeated the Cardinals 28-20. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

With the injuries to Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Charles Woodson, Sam Shields, Desmond Bishop, D.J. Smith, B.J. Raji, and Nick Perry, it’s easy to conclude that the Packers have become the walking wounded. I disagree. In my estimation, they’ve been extremely lucky that through roughly half an NFL season, their offensive line has been nearly unscathed.

It’s been a long time since the Packers had effectively the same five offensive linemen for a entire season: 2003 to be exact. Though the line has been up and down thus far, a single injury anywhere along line could likely result in disaster – knock on wood.

Aug 19, 2011; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Derek Sherrod (78) blocks during the third quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Lambeau Field. The Packers defeated the Cardinals 28-20. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

The first man up is Evan Dietrich-Smith, a journeyman who isn’t even replacement level on his best day. His best asset is that he can play any of the interior positions, but what if one of the tackles goes down?

In that scenario, T.J. Lang would move outside with EDS filling Lang’s spot. While Lang has improved considerably since the last time he played tackle, he struggles with finesse rushers. With Julius Peppers, Jared Allen, Chris Avril, and the Giants’ trio of Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, and Jason Pierre-Paul left on the schedule, it’s a scary scenario.

All of which is why the news that Derek Sherrod is unlikely to play this year is a big blow to the Packers. Sherrod’s return would have given Mike McCarthy a serviceable option at tackle should something happen to Marshall Newhouse or Bryan Bulaga.

Think back to 2009 when Clifton was injured early in the season, Daryn Colledge slid from left guard to left tackle. The adjusted line played terribly, resulting in the aforementioned trial run of Lang as a tackle. Lang’s struggles on the outside led the team to re-sign longtime right tackle Mark Tauscher.

There’s no Tauscher fallback plan this year, and the Packers are just one injury away from needing one.

Sep 13, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers nose tackle B.J. Raji (90) rushes as Chicago Bears guard Lance Louis (60) and offensive tackle Gabe Carimi (72) block during the game at Lambeau Field. The Packers defeated the Bears 23-10. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

The Green Bay Packers go into Sunday night’s showdown in Houston without the services of starting running back Cedric Benson – we all know that.

But the jury is still out on the availability of wide receiver Greg Jennings, defensive lineman B.J. Raji and tight end Jermichael Finley.

All of them went down to injury over the past couple of weeks and for a team that’s struggling on both sides of the ball, losing important starters like these guys isn’t going to help their cause at Houston.

Jennings has been a hit or miss over the last three games as he struggles to make it back from a groin injury. As the days wind down to their next game and without him practicing, one has to lean toward him not making it to the field in Texas.

Of all the three – Jennings, Raji and Finley – his loss affects the team the most. I say that because when he is out it hasn’t seemed that any of the other wide receivers, with the exception of James Jones, has really stepped up their play. Heading into the season, wide receiver was seen as the Packers’ greatest strength. Without Jennings it seems like one of its greatest liabilities.

The defensive line received a bolstering when Mike Neal returned, but losing Raji removes its strength in the middle. How Dom Capers adjusts to Raji’s loss will be a key in stopping the potent Houston run game.

Sep 9, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers tight end Jermichael Finley (88) during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lambeau Field. The 49ers defeated the Packers 30-22. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

As for Finley, Packers Nation is so disappointed in his comments today that were taken to diss Aaron Rodgers that most probably don’t care. However, he is a talent the Packers need to help make up for the loss of Jennings. His backups, D.J. Williams and Tom Crabtree, have also been dinged up in the early going, so if Finley can make it back onto the field in time for Sunday’s game that will be a plus.

The real question, however, on the injury front, is how the Packers will fill the void left by Benson. The newly-acquired running back is gone for the next two months and it sounds like the Packers running game will be managed via committee.

I guess we’ll see if Alex Green and James Starks will be able to carry the load. Throw in John Kuhn and hopefully the Packers will be able to throw some different looks at opponents. No doubt, the offense is going to miss the pounding up-the-middle running style that Benson brought so effectively. The bottom line is that Benson will be difficult to replace – as will Jennings, Raji and Finley.

Being a healthy team would go a long way in knocking off the 5-0 Texans, but that’s not what the Packers bring. How the staff schemes to adjust for those losses will be a huge key in how the Packers do against the Texans and down the road.

Like Lombardiave.com on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.