GB’s Lang making adjustments

Associated Press

GREEN BAY, Wis.

Tom Lang won’t be at Lambeau Field on Christmas night to watch his son play against the Chicago Bears. In his weakened condition, he won’t miss the crowds or the cold. Watching the game on TV, sharing a front-row seat with grandson John Joseph Lang, suits him just fine.

“Being cold and sitting outside with a bunch of rowdy Packers fans probably wouldn’t be in his best interest,” said T.J. Lang, Green Bay’s third-year offensive lineman and J.J’s dad. “I think it’s more important that we’re all together in the same house for the holidays.”

That’s because his 55-year-old father was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness in mid-November.

Lang is shifting from his usual left guard spot to right tackle against the Bears, doing his part on a patchwork offensive line that will try to protect MVP candidate Aaron Rodgers better than it did against Kansas City last week, when he was sacked four times in the team’s first loss of the season.

Depending on what the San Francisco 49ers do against the Seattle Seahawks today, the Packers could still need a victory over the Bears to clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC and ensure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Lang hadn’t taken a snap at right tackle all season after winning the left guard job in training camp, but was forced to switch to right tackle against the Chiefs after the Packers lost starting right tackle Bryan Bulaga to a kneecap injury and rookie first-round pick Derek Sherrod to a gruesome broken leg during the second half.

The Packers are confident Lang and Evan Dietrich-Smith will make the adjustments to improve on their performance against the Chiefs.

“I don’t think it’ll be too big of a challenge,” offensive line coach James Campen said of Lang’s switch. “It probably was in the game a little bit, to go over there and get in a right-handed stance and start vertical setting and doing those things that he hadn’t done in a long time. But I think he adjusts just fine.”