[Author's note: portions of this article are based on previous discussions with Chris Kristofco Follow @TTSO_Chris of Titletown Sound Off and with my co-hosts on the Out of the Pocket Podcast].

It wouldn't be a Packers season if the injury bug didn't hit, and that infection has already started to ravage the starting lineup. Luckily, the Packers appear to have depth at some key positions.

Right tackle appears to be one of those spots that has depth following the injury to starter Bryan Bulaga. Don Barclay, who missed all of the last season with a torn ACL, is once again being counted upon to shore up the right side of the formation while Bulaga heals over the next 6-8 weeks.

During the preseason, Barclay got some reps at left tackle while starter David Bakhtiari was nursing a sore knee. The switch from the right to left side wasn't exactly kind to Don, which started to strike some panic into Packers fans when it was announced he would start at right tackle against the fearsome Seattle Seahawks pass rush.

Maybe I was one of those people predicting Aaron Rodgers would need a spatula to pry his body from the Lambeau Field turf.

While I was pessimistic going into the game, I tried to be as optimistic as possible by remembering the 2013 season when Don started 14 games and preformed quite admirably.

After watching the game, a lot of my fears subsided when my gut reaction told me Barclay played quite well, especially since QB1 wasn't taken off the field on a meat wagon or body bag.

Barclay kept Rodgers upright and alive.

At this point, I was feeling pretty good moving forward and confident that Barclay would hold down the fort.

Then, I got blindsided when Pro Football Focus (PFF) revealed their grades for the Packers, and they seemed to absolutely decimate Don.

Perhaps even unfairly so.

The #Packers offensive player grading out the lowest in the win over the Seahawks, according to @PFF, was RT Don Barclay (-10.3). — Brian Carriveau (@BrianCarriveau) September 21, 2015

This absolutely shocked me. Were they watching the same game that I did? Did they see that CPR wasn't necessary for QB1? Did they see Rodgers was only sacked twice and that Neo Starks had almost 100 yards rushing against a stout defense?

What gives?

Then, the grading criteria were partially revealed.

Per @PFF, David Bakhtiari and Don Barclay allowed 19 QB disruptions last night. 2 sacks, 7 hurries for 69; 10 hurries for 67. -17.6 grade. — Zach Kruse (@zachkruse2) September 21, 2015

It appears that Barclay was being severely penalized for allowing QB pressures.

Maybe that's legit.

Or, maybe it's not.

Personally, it's a little unfair. I understand the people at PFF have a tough job and they do the best they can. However, one of their criticisms is they don't know the game plan.

In this case, I think the game plan was to protect Barclay against a fearsome pass rush.

Don was matched up against Cliff Avril, Michael Bennett, and Bruce Irvin, who are about as good as they come at rushing the passer. They are fast and strong, and give even the best tackles in the NFL fits.

There are several ways to protect an offensive tackle against superior pass rushers, including chipping by another player, quick passing, and riding the rusher to the back of the pocket.

The Packers appeared, at least in my eyes, to be protecting Barclay with the last two options; I don't seem to remember any instances when they chose to chip.

In the picture below, during the opening drive, the Packers came out with a quick pass. In less than two seconds from the snap of the ball, Rodgers let it fly to an open Davante Adams (standing on the 40-yard line marker). A quick pass is one of the most effective ways to minimize and slow down a monstrous pass rush. The ball is gone before the rush can ever get home.

Barclay was able to block his man and form a throwing lane for the quick pass. You can also see the interior linemen of Josh Sitton, Corey Linsley, and T.J. Lang are already heading up field to block, clearing showing this was a tempo play.

Another effective method to protect the pass blocker from a superior rush is to use the speed and aggression of the pass rusher against himself.

If the rusher wants to explode up field, let him. Once he turns the corner, collapse down on him and push him to the back of the pocket. This allows the quarterback to step up in the pocket and into the throwing lane.

It may not be the prettiest way at stopping the rush, but it's very effective. In fact, it's taught at all levels of football because it's so adequate and useful.

There were many examples of this concept during the game, but the play below best illustrates it. In the following three pictures, you can see how Barclay rides the rusher to the back of the pocket, Rodgers steps up into the pocket to his right, and then hits Cobb on a crossing route, who was also running to the right.

This entire play seemed to be a symphony of those three moving parts. The facts that Rodgers rolled right and hit a route breaking to the right suggest that this was all by design.

They wanted Barclay to ride the rusher to the back of the pocket. Even more telling is the running back (44) has his eyes to the middle of the formation and pays no worry to Barclay on the edge.

Moreover, this is a prime example of how PFF might downgrade Barclay for allowing a pressure when in fact it may have been part of the overall play call, if not the entire game plan itself. The play above clearly shows how Barclay took care of his man in the pass rush and allowed Rodgers to step up and complete a pass on the run.

I'll take that all day long.

So to quote QB1 from a year ago, "R-E-L-A-X."

The right tackle situation is fine, and it will only continue to improve while Barclay gets more reps and returns to form after missing an entire year.

Trust your own eyes, the coaching staff, and enjoy the ride.