GREEN BAY -- Mike McCarthy announced prior to Thursday's practice that Packers linebacker Nick Perry is scheduled for surgery on his injured hand.
McCarthy provided no other specifics on the injury, nor a timeline for Perry's potential return. Perry has played with a club cast on an injured hand in the past, but McCarthy said he won't have a prognosis on that possibility until after the surgery.
"Violent football player. He plays physical," McCarthy said of Perry. "You look at his play style, that's really part of his game, the violence he plays with, with his hands."
Perry's injury makes the return of fellow edge rusher Ahmad Brooks from his concussion rather timely. Brooks will be in line for significant playing time opposite Clay Matthews on Sunday vs. Cincinnati, as will second-year pro Kyler Fackrell.
That said, McCarthy is just as concerned, if not more so, with the Packers' run defense heading into Sunday's game. Atlanta running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman combined for 126 rushing yards on 25 carries last week.
"We weren't fundamentally technically sound as good as we could have been in run defense," McCarthy said. "We're definitely going to need to be this week because Cincinnati is going to come in here and try to run the football."
The Bengals have three different running backs they'll turn to at different times -- Jeremy Hill, Gio Bernard and rookie Joe Mixon. Cincinnati also has a new offensive coordiantor this week, as Bill Lazor replaced the fired Ken Zampese.
"You go off of howthe former coordinator used them, but they've got a new play-caller this week, so you don't know how much that's going to hold true," McCarthy said. "I would say the rotation is more based on play time and balance as opposed to directly what scheme they're running."
Packers.com will have more following practice and locker room interviews.
