GREEN BAY — No one has, at any point, used the word benched. Certainly not coach Mike McCarthy, who worked awfully hard to avoid it on Tuesday.
But whatever the Green Bay Packers did with veteran cornerback Sam Shields on Monday night after he struggled in coverage against Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones, it's officially in the past.
Shields said Wednesday he fully expects to be back in his every-down role for Sunday's game at Buffalo, and whatever lingering effects there might have been from his Nov. 30 concussion are gone, he said.
When asked about Shields being replaced by Davon House in the fourth quarter against the Falcons, McCarthy said it was part of the coaches' "rotation" plan. Except, a rotation would imply that players rotate in and out of the game, and when Shields came out, he never went back in. House ended up playing the final 21 defensive snaps.
Asked why he was told he was taken out of the game, Shields kept saying that the Packers were just being "cautious" with him.
"I talked to my certain coaches, we talked about it and moved on. But they weren't like, 'You're benched, you suck.' It wasn't like that," Shields said at his locker Wednesday. "They felt it was time for House to get in there. They were being cautious about my head."
House broke up what would have been a touchdown to Jones with 7 minutes 20 seconds left in the game. Although he stayed on the field, House was unable to practice Wednesday because of a shoulder injury he suffered on the play. His status for Sunday against the Bills is unclear.
Shields acknowledged being off his game and said not practicing during the week — he said he wasn't cleared by doctors until "Friday or Saturday," and he did next to nothing in practice on Sunday — was a factor in his performance
"Man, it's very tough, just going in without practice," Shields said. "I needed a couple reps. That probably would've helped out. It happens. I was in there, I got back on the field (and) that was the most important part. I'm getting reps this week and I'll be ready for Buffalo."
Pro Football Focus charged Shields with four completions on eight targets for 75 yards and a touchdown, an opposing passer rating of 122.4.
"Me watching the film, I don't think I played bad," Shields said. "One deep ball that [Jones] caught out of bounds that could've been a touchdown, I was supposed to be on top. That was my fault. But other than that, I think the game went well."
Whatever the case, Shields expects Sunday, when the Packers must deal with rookie standout Sammy Watkins, to go better.
"We talked about it. We moved forward," Shields said. "But that week without preparation, it does take its toll on you."
Jason Wilde wrote: