Packers linebacker Sam Barrington pressures Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan during Green Bay’s Monday night win. Credit: Mark Hoffman

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Green Bay — Players in the Green Bay Packers locker room rave about Sam Barrington unprompted. The pop. The violence. His presence.

But the second-year inside linebacker admits he wasn't always this way.

"It just happens," Barrington said. "I guess it's survival of the fittest. Tackling guys like Eddie (Lacy), if you're going to tackle him you have to bring something with it."

This element of Barrington's game is relatively new. He's still a work in progress. But the Packers have made it clear they're prepared to see this work in progress through. The last two home wins, Barrington replaced A.J. Hawk in Green Bay's nickel defense.

Defensive coordinator Dom Capers realizes there's still seasoning ahead — but they're counting on Barrington's upside.

"It's not like he has two, three seasons of playing there under his belt," Capers said. "He's going to be an ascending guy that hopefully you see him make certain plays this week that he didn't make last week."

Inside the Packers locker room, Barrington's locker is right next to Hawk's. On Thursday, one spoke right after the other. This situation, Barrington said, only gets weird if you make it weird. They haven't. So as the 24-year-old takes snaps away from the 31-year-old, he realizes he needs to be more consistent.

Sometimes, he admits he asks himself, "What's stopping me from doing good things all the time?"

These last two games, he stuffed the likes of LeGarrette Blount and Shane Vereen in their tracks. He also was a step behind Jacquizz Rodgers on a 14-yarder Monday night. The full operation can still go smoother.

"The biggest challenge is situational stuff because you could have a call and it'll be something we never practiced and it pops up into the game," he said. "You have to be the one guy that can get a call out and get guys lined up."

For example, the defense called may expect "nothing but run" in a goal-line situation, he said, and suddenly the offense spreads it out in an empty set.

"What are you going to do about that?" Barrington said. "You have to make an adjustment....There are always going to be teaching moments. But I think I'm doing OK with the opportunities I've had so far."

The reason he's on the field is he's triggering decisions into action with less and less hesitation. Green Bay noticed the change in practice and decided to make the move.

Capers, for one, saw more confidence in Barrington's game.

"We've always seen the quick-twitch and the explosiveness that he's had," Capers said. "But it's hard if you're not confident in your assignments to be able to just go out there and turn it loose. You're more controlled because you don't want to make a mistake and you're not quite sure at times in terms of movement and the gap fills.

"Once you get that down and you're confident, then you're just playing, you're hitting it, and you're playing a lot more, that's when you see his aggressiveness come out."

And with all of this, Barrington first credits...Jermichael Finley? Yes.

In Barrington's first training camp, he battled the tight end regularly.

"Practicing against him when I was a rookie, he was a guy who brought it every day," Barrington said. "So I knew I had to do that. It basically just became a part of my game, and I pride myself on being physical."

Finley did plenty of talking on the practice field, so Barrington learned to talk back. They bashed into the occasional scrum, too. Neither backed down.

Now, the Packers are counting on Barrington to help steer the defense into January.

"He had an acquired state of mind where he knew what he was going to do and knew how he was going to do it," Barrington said. "So I can do nothing but appreciate a player like that because those are the type of players, you're going to get better playing against.

"It's just something I grew into. But that was one of those moments that kept me saying I want to be one of those players because I could have easily let him put me on my back."

Hawk watch:Meanwhile, Hawk is now strictly a base 3-4 inside linebacker. Against Atlanta, with a big lead, that meant playing only eight snaps.

He still has one year left on his contract, but Hawk realizes this could be a swan song in Green Bay. That possibility, he said, is "not something I'm scared of." And he doesn't believe his demotion is even worth discussing.

"It doesn't matter. No one cares," he said. "Everyone is in their own life and they should be. This team is playing really well. That's why I was hesitant to even come in here. Nothing is about me. It shouldn't be about me. It's dumb to talk about me. We're 10-3.

"I shouldn't be a storyline."

House call:The chances of cornerback Davon House (shoulder)playing this week at Buffalo sounded worse Thursday with coach Mike McCarthy saying House would go through more tests Friday and possibly Saturday.

House banged his right shoulder on Julio Jones' knee on a pass breakup in the end zone.

McCarthy said the Packers still were gathering information.

"Hopefully it's not as bad as they maybe initially thought," McCarthy said. "It was a hell of a play by him, and I think also Julio was injured on the same play. Both those guys were in an awkward position. It's clearly why you have to take a close look at those things."

Defensive tackle Bruce Gaston (illness) and inside linebacker Jamari Lattimore (ankle) also did not practice.