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          Starter Pack: Pennel could help tackling

          A roundup of what's happening on the Green Bay Packers beat.

          GREEN BAY, Wis. – It turns out the Packers didn't have the second-most missed tackles in Week 1 of the NFL season.

          They had the most.

          ProFootballFocus.com revised its missed tackle count for the New Orleans Saints, reducing their total from 23 to 16, making the Packers' 18 missed tackles in their loss to the Seattle Seahawks as tied for the worst tackling performance of the opening weekend with the St. Louis Rams, who also saw their missed tackle count change from 16 to 18 by PFF.

          Combine the tackling issues with the fact that the Packers allowed the second-most rushing yards (207) last weekend, and perhaps it's not a surprise that the coaches are leaning toward activating rookie nose tackle Mike Pennel this week against the New York Jets.

          Their biggest defensive linemen, the 332-pound Pennel was one of last week's seven mandatory inactive players.

          "Well he's certainly a big guy," defensive coordinator Dom Capers said Thursday. "I think he'll have a role. It will probably depend on what personnel groups we’re in based off what they give us."

          Pennel, an undrafted rookie from Colorado State-Pueblo, was impressive from the outset of training camp and has seen his practice snaps increase this week.

          "We've been trying to get him some reps in practice where if we decide to go that direction, he'd be ready to play a role," Capers said.

          In case you missed it on ESPN.com:

          • Running back Eddie Lacy was cleared to return from the concussion he sustained against the Seahawks and expects to play against the Jets. He plans to switch back to his old helmet and also is considering ways to alter his running style to avoid additional blows to the head.

          • However, Packers running backs coach Sam Gash said he does not believe Lacy needs to change the way he runs.

          • It looks like linebacker Brad Jones, who played poorly against the Seahawks, won't be available this week because of a recurring quad injury. Details on that and an update on tackle Bryan Bulaga can be found in Thursday's injury report.

          • Jets running back Chris Ivory broke eight tackles on his own last week against the Raiders, which could spell trouble for the Packers' defense.

          • From the video department, see who the NFL Live crew picked to win Sunday's game at Lambeau Field and what ESPN NFL Insider Mike Sando thinks will be the difference in the game.

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