Back troubles began for Packers’ Jaire Alexander with practice collision with an unlikely teammate
GREEN BAY — Of all the things that could have caused Jaire Alexander’s lingering back issues, a collision with the third-string, practice-squad quarterback during practice surely wasn’t a square on the Green Bay Packers’ injury report bingo card.
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But that’s exactly how the two-time second-team All-Pro cornerback hurt his back, an injury that has sidelined Alexander for three of the last four games and has him listed as questionable for Sunday’s matchup against the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field.
After practicing on a limited basis on Friday, Alexander revealed his injury traces back to a play during practice in which he and No. 3 quarterback Alex McGough, playing tight end on the scout team during an 11-on-11 period, crashed into each other.
“Blame Alex. It’s his fault,” Alexander joked with reporters after practice. “He didn’t do nothing wrong at all, but it’s his fault.
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“We collided in mid-air. I don’t know how the third-string QB and starting corner collide, but hey, no one did nothing wrong.”
Alexander has played in just one game since that collision with McGough, the Oct. 9 loss at Las Vegas. Alexander played all 64 snaps in that game — in part, he admitted, because he was going against ex-teammate Davante Adams, the Packers’ former star wideout.
“Playing in that Raiders game, that (expletive) hurt. But you know, I was going against Tae. It didn’t matter,” Alexander said. “We were expected to win that game last week (and didn’t), so they need me out there.”
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Both Alexander and coach Matt LaFleur said the issue with Alexander’s back has been diagnosed by the team’s medical staff but neither one would say what exactly is wrong with it.
The injury is thought to be a pulled muscle or strain, and not anything structural with a disc or vertebrae, but Alexander wouldn’t delve into specifics despite several questions.
“What I’ve got going on is not like a regular type of thing, but I’m also not going to speak about it with you all,” he said. “It’s just something I’ve got to manage.”
Although Alexander said he has a “good shot” to play against the Vikings, LaFleur was more cautious.
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“Again, we’ll see where he’s at,” LaFleur said. “You never quite know.”
‘One tough sucker’
Like Alexander, tight end Luke Musgrave (ankle), center Josh Myers (ankle) and inside linebacker De’Vondre Campbell (ankle) all practiced on a limited basis and are listed as questionable for the game.
LaFleur said Musgrave “ran around a little bit” during Friday’s practice, something LaFleur was not expecting.
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“I was a little surprised to be honest with you, but he looked good,” LaFleur said. “We’ll see where he’s at, see how he’s feeling and make a decision on game day.”
Later, LaFleur added: “He’s one tough sucker now. I don’t think too many guys would have been able to come back that quickly from what happened to him. That just shows his toughness, his grit. … If he’s available on Sunday, that’d be a big plus for us.”
