Packers CB Davon House close to returning from injury

DENVER – The way Davon House was moving around in pregame warm-ups Saturday night, it appeared he was going to make his exhibition season debut against the Denver Broncos.

But warm-ups were all House was cleared for in his first work since injuring his hamstring Aug. 5.

“Yeah, I kind of took today like if I was going out there and play,” House said. “That was the plan. I just haven’t practiced yet. They don’t want me to go out and play a game before I practice. I felt the same way.”

House wore pads and took part in all the half-to-three-quarter speed individual and team drills that are part of the pre-game warm-up. He didn’t say why a decision was made to use the warm-ups as his return to action, but he said things went very well and he feels ready to practice again.

“I feel good, I feel confident,” said House, who is expected to start once he’s healthy. “I want to practice.”

The Packers work only once this week as they prepare for the finale against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night at Lambeau Field. Traditionally, few starters play in the game and the second-stringers get most of the practice time.

House said he would like to play, but that it’s up to the coaches.

“I have no clue,” he said. “We’ll see. If they wanted me to, I wouldn’t mind at all.”

Damarious Randall and rookie Kevin King were the starting cornerbacks against the Broncos. Randall strung together another solid performance and probably earned a starting berth opposite House in the base defense.

Randall also played in the slot in the nickel defense. If he handles those duties it would allow defensive coordinator Dom Capers to play either King or Quinten Rollins outside based on match-ups he prefers.

The most significant injury that came out of the game was to Nick Perry, who appeared to roll his right ankle in the first quarter. After walking off the field, he sat on the bench with an ice pack on his ankle.

The early diagnosis was that it wasn’t serious, but Perry was expected to undergo tests as a precautionary measure. He probably wasn’t going to play against the Rams, so he’ll have more than a week to rest the ankle before preparation for the Seattle Seahawks begins.

Outside linebacker Jayrone Elliott attempted to play after missing practice time this week with a back injury, but it didn’t take long for him to realize playing wasn’t a good idea. Early in the second quarter, he left the field for good with his back still tight. Elliott first injured his back at Washington the previous week.

He said he didn’t aggravate his back, but left because he wanted to avoid further injury.

“It’s been tight all week,” Elliott said. “Tried to go out there and give it a go. I feel like I was productive when I was out there, and I just didn’t want to chance it.”

Elliott made the same decision during practice Wednesday, dropping out soon after it started.

Backup center Lucas Patrick played most of the game, but was injured late and left the game. He was evaluated for a concussion and did not return.

Among those who were scratches for the game was safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, who took part in pre-game warm-ups but was held out after experiencing some knee discomfort. The injury is not believed to be serious and he was held out for precautionary reasons.

Others who did not play because of injury were: safety Jermaine Whitehead (hip), running back William Stanback (hamstring), linebacker Jordan Tripp (concussion), offensive lineman Don Barclay (foot), tackle Bryan Bulaga (ankle), defensive tackle Montravius Adams (foot) and defensive end Dean Lowry (knee).

Ryan Wood of PackersNews.com contributed to this story.