GREEN BAY – Mike McCarthy suggested this past winter that veterans would play more roles on special teams than they have in the past.
That doesn’t mean the Packers aren’t still trying to develop the next young special teams dynamo.
Rookie fullback Aaron Ripkowski might be a candidate. The sixth-round draft pick from Oklahoma made his presence felt in the preseason opener last week at New England with two impressive open-field tackles on kickoff coverage.
His night wasn’t perfect, and as such a rookie is not likely to surge past proven special teamers like safety Sean Richardson and outside linebacker Jayrone Elliott in the pecking order anytime soon.