Packers bench veteran center Jeff Saturday
Previously, Evan Dietrich-Smith was best known for being the player who Ndamukong Suh stomped on during a nationally televised Thanksgiving Day game a year ago.
Now, Dietrich-Smith will be known as the player that has nudged aside five-time Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday.
The Packers have made the decision to bench Saturday in favor of Dietrich-Smith, according to Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. OK, Dietrich-Smith will still probably be better known for the stomp, at least in the immediate future, but it certainly is noteworthy and much more appropriate to what is going on this season that the move is being made to a younger player at a position where the Packers have gone with experience, using Scott Wells in the past.
Saturday was held out of practice the previous two days but made it clear he is healthy enough to play.
“As a player, it's always disappointing whenever someone else goes in front of you," Saturday said, according to Dunne. "It's a tough thing to deal with, but I'm going to deal with it. Here's the one thing -- I can look at my family and I can look at all my players and say, 'I've put the best I can be out there.' So if that's not good enough and someone is better, they deserve to play.
“Coach McCarthy makes a decision, and as a player you're one guy on the team. So whatever decision is made, you support what happens. I've got a ton of respect for 'Dietey.' He and I have worked together. I think he'll do a good job."
Saturday, 37, says he has graded out well this season but clearly not well enough to prevent a move from being made with two regular-season games remaining.
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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune