By Jason Wilde
Channel3000.com's Packer Insider from ESPN Madison

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Frank Zombo and Sam Shields may not have done enough in the Green Bay Packers’ 59-24 victory over the Indianapolis Colts Thursday night to win the jobs they’re competing for – Zombo for a starting outside linebacker spot, Shields the No. 3 cornerback job in the nickel – but it sure looks like a safe bet that both undrafted rookie free agent defenders will be making the 53-man roster coming out of training camp.

Just as they both had in previous games – or, in Shields’ case, games and pseudo-games – both Zombo and Shields made head-turning plays: Zombo sacked quarterback Peyton Manning to force a fumble that Robert Francois recovered and returned 35 yards to set up a touchdown, and Shields picked off a late Curtis Painter pass for his second interception in as many weeks.

“With young guys, what you’ve got to do is you’ve got to take advantage of your opportunities,” defensive coordinator Dom Capers said. “(Zombo’s sack-fumble) was a big play. He’s really come up with one in every game so far, and I think the same thing with Sam. Sam, that interception you saw him make to close the game out … and he’s made a play in every game. So that part of it was encouraging.”

On a defense that has lacked encouraging signs – not to mention good health – Zombo and Shields have been breaths of fresh air.

After missing a couple of days early in camp with a sprained ankle, Zombo generated one of the Packers’ few pressures in their Aug. 14 preseason opener against Cleveland, walking right tackle Casey Bender back into quarterback Colt McCoy, who couldn’t step into his throw and tossed an interception. In the team’s next practice, Zombo had a pair of quarterback sacks during the 2-minute drill. Then, in last Saturday’s second preseason game at Seattle, Zombo sacked Seahawks quarterback Charlie Whitehurst for a 3-yard loss in the third quarter.

With nominal starter Brad Jones sidelined with a shoulder injury, Zombo got the start against the Colts and played every defensive snap, generating a decent pass rush before his sack and strip of Manning, who held on to the ball with no one to throw to.

“Obviously, there was great coverage – there had to have been, he was holding onto the ball for, what, 4 seconds?” the humble Zombo said. “He was stepping up a lot in the pocket and I spun and there he was, standing there with the ball. Sometimes you spin and he already throws it, but he was still sitting there. I guess I got a lucky hit on him. … Obviously the sack-fumble on Peyton Manning is pretty cool.”

Shields, meanwhile, was inserted into the nickel – the Packers played nickel exclusively throughout the first half – after Brandon Underwood handled the first three series as the third cornerback. While he was beaten by Pierre Garcon on a crossing route that picked up 24 yards on his first play from scrimmage with the No. 1s, and was one of the culprits who overran Joseph Addai on his 33-yard catch-and-run three plays later, Shields settled in after that and made plays – again.

Shields first gained attention in the team’s Aug. 7 Family Night Scrimmage, when he intercepted a Matt Flynn pass and returned it 98 yards for a touchdown. In the team’s loss to Cleveland Aug. 14, he was in perfect coverage and dropped an interception that would have likely sealed a Packers victory; and against Seattle on Saturday night, he picked off a Charlie Whitehurst pass with 2:50 left in the game to preserve their 27-24 triumph.

Playing late in the game Thursday night, Shields turned around just in time to pick off a fourth-quarter pass by Painter intended for wide receiver Dudley Guice. While it wasn’t against the first-string Colts offense – Capers and cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt wanted to see Shields against better competition, hence inserting him into the nickel package early in the game – the interception was impressive for how Shields turned around just when the ball was on top of him and made the catch.

“The route that they ran, they ran it three times in a row,” Shields said. “The first time they threw it, it got batted (down at the line), so (Painter) ran it again,” Shields said. “I got my head around, and the ball was right there.”

Right there is also a good way to describe where Zombo and Shields are entering the preseason finale at Kansas City next Thursday.

They appear to have the team made, so their next challenge is to prove they deserve such vital roles as the starting right outside linebacker job and the No. 3 cornerback job, given how vital it is for the team to find a complementary pass rusher to Clay Matthews and find a solid third cornerback if two-time Pro Bowl veteran Al Harris isn’t ready for the regular season.

“I’m still learning the position. I had a few mistakes. But what I can control is my effort, and I feel like I gave great effort on a lot of tackles,” said Zombo, who led the Packers with nine tackles and had eight members of his family make the trek from Michigan to see the game. “You never know. I’ve still got a week left. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I’m not hanging up my pads yet. I’ve got a week left of hard work, giving great effort and hopefully they still acknowledge that and give me an opportunity.”