Seen Casey Hayward lately?
No? Hayward was absent from the Green Bay Packers Wednesday practice with what coach Mike McCarthy termed a glute strain.
Okay, well where was he Sunday?
Hayward wasn’t listed on the Packers’ injury report prior to the Jets’ game and he did indeed play. He just didn’t see any significant action.
Davon House took Hayward’s spot as the team’s nickel cornerback and had a great game. Jarrett Bush played in the dime. Hayward, meanwhile, only saw action on special teams.
After the game, Dom Capers suggested Hayward’s hamstring had tightened up, which is why he wasn’t used on defense. Well, why was he used on special teams then?
There was also a report that suggested Hayward had lost his spot to House because of his poor tackling in week 1. He apparently missed three tackles against Seattle.
While it’s possible the Packers have finally started punishing guys for playing like shit, we’ve never (or rarely) seen such action from a Mike McCarthy-led staff before. Why would it suddenly start now, especially when you can just blame “pad level” again.
It certainly looks — as Chitter suggested earlier this week — like Hayward was out and out benched. If that’s the case, what is the injury about?
Well, maybe we’re reaching here, but guess who else remains out with a phantom injury.
Brad Jones, another guy who missed a boatload of tackles in week 1.
Jones supposedly has a quad injury, which kept him out of practice all of last week, right after probably his worst game as a pro. It conveniently allowed the Packers to insert Jamari Lattimore into the starting lineup — something they should have done some time ago — without anyone batting an eyelash.
Jones saves face for getting replaced because he’s “injured” and the Packers don’t have to admit they made a mistake.
It seems like a stretch to say that anyone would suggest Hayward is as bad as Jones, but…
He hasn’t done anything of note since his rookie campaign. Granted, he was injured most of last season, but he played like crap when he was on the field.
Regardless, it certainly seems like Hayward has fallen out of favor with the coaching staff.