William Henderson

FB William Henderson let everybody know that the Packers will be releasing him. Henderson was a great player for the Packers. He was a great blocker, always played on special teams, and he was just enough of a receiving threat that he would catch one first down pass per game. The NFL rewarded his solid career with a Pro Bowl appearance in 2004. I've been going on like I have a total man crush on him.

It looked like he was going to be released during the 2006 season until RB Ahman Green got hurt early in the season and then FB Brandon Miree got banged up after Green returned. So it is no surprise that he will be released this offseason when the Packers can get healthy and reload in the backfield. Tom Silverstein says Henderson is out because he is a power-gap type and not a zone blocking type fullback, but it was obvious that Henderson's best days were behind him.

But even at age 35, Henderson was still better than his replacement, Miree. No team uses their fullback to run the ball anymore (Am I the only one who misses Gerry Ellis?) and the Packers are no exception. All they ask is for some blocking and a reception once in a while. However Football Outsiders says both Miree and Henderson were awful receivers last season. So it's not surprising they plan to bring FB Justin Griffith in for a visit. As enticing as Griffith might be due to his zone blocking experience, he is even more enticing because he is a pretty good receiver, listed by Football Outsiders right next to RB Noah Herron. The Falconer is sad to see him go; a casualty of the new power running game Bobby Petrino is installing in Atlanta next season. Griffith will only be 26 next season and would be an improvement over Miree and Henderson. Hopefully GM Ted Thompson can convince Griffith to sign with the Packers.