In our daily chat this morning, my co-worker John Paulsen said something interesting in regards to his Packers:

“It seems like Super Bowl winners always have minor injuries throughout the year, but nothing major they can’t overcome. The Packers are getting decimated.”

I agree.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported late Wednesday night that Packers’ middle linebacker Nick Barnett would miss the rest of the season due to a Brian Urlacher-type wrist injury. And although Barnett is reportedly considering not undergoing surgery, it’s doubtful that he’ll risk further damage to the wrist.

On Thursday, the National Football Post reported that right tackle Mark Tauscher is dealing with a shoulder injury that could sideline him for a significant period of time. These injuries come on the heels of Green Bay having to place safety Morgan Burnett on injured reserve today with a torn ACL.

The good news is that GM Ted Thompson has done a nice job over the years of adding depth to the Packers’ roster. Despite spending most of his practice time at guard and left tackle, rookie first round pick Bryan Bulaga will fill in for Tauscher and should be able to hold his own. Atari Bigby will replace Morgan and 26-year-old Desmond Bishop will take Barnett’s spot in the middle.

The problem is that Bigby (hamstring) won’t be eligible to cover off the PUP list until Week 7, meaning that Derrick Martin (a special teamer) or Carlie Peprah (who is suffering from a quad injury) will have to take over until then. And even before Burnett went down, the Packers were surrendering 5.2-yards per carry, which leads the NFC.

Thanks in large part to Dom Capers’ game plans, Green Bay led the league in defense last year. But their run defense has been an issue and losing Burnett only compounds the problem. Until Bigby is eligible to come off the PUP list, the safety position is awfully thin as well.

Again, Bulaga should hold his own on the offensive line (Thompson drafted him as an eventual replacement for either Tauscher or Chad Clifton anyway), but the Packers have some big concerns on the defensive side of the ball. And as my colleague pointed out this morning, Super Bowl teams generally don’t have this many injuries to overcome – especially so early in the season.