Packers OTA: Who's Starting?
by Brandon on May 20, 2010 8:00 AM CDT
in Green Bay Packers Analysis
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Print- It's no surprise but TE Jermichael Finley remains ahead of former starting TE Donald Lee. I wrote earlier this month about how bad Lee was last season, and probably every Packer fan knows how good Finley was despite his immaturity.
- From JSOnline.com: DE Justin Harrell isn't hurt, yet. I've got no hard feelings towards him but I've also got no faith he can stay on the field. I hope he proves me wrong. I'm not ready to speculate what role he could play next season.
- LB Brady Poppinga started at left OLB (in place of LB Aaron Kampman) but defensive coordinator Dom Capers said LB Brad Jones is the starter. I'm not surprised to see Poppinga with the first team because he started ahead of LB Clay Matthews last season from May until week 4 at Minnesota. Poppinga is always impressing the coaches but it never translates onto the field.
- So apparently CB Will Blackmon is switching to safety? I didn't have any big dreams he'd become a great cornerback, but I did hope he'd at least be good enough to push CB Jarrett Bush down the depth chart. Apparently not. There are a growing number of players in the secondary (Blackmon, Bush, S Derrick Martin, S Charlie Peprah, CB Sam Shields) who are all better off playing primarily on special teams. This means CB Brandon Underwood and/or CB Josh Bell are going to have to step it up because they were both part of the problem last season. It also means there are a lot of safeties on the roster with 3rd round pick S Morgan Burnett plus another recently converted S Khalil Jones and undrafted rookie S Anthony Levine.
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Was Brad Jones not in attendance?
If he was, why would Poppinga get the nod over him?
Also, who was starting at left guard? This is going to be one of the biggest position battles this offseason.
What about fullback? I don’t think that it’s realistic to keep 3 FBs year-in and year-out. Quinn Johnson seems primed to take the starting role. Where does that leave Hall and Kuhn?
Any word on who’s winning the punting match?
When I retire, I want to have Ted Thompson's job!
Maybe we've seen the last of Hall.
Or Kuhn, I can’t really remember which one I like better… Quinn is the real deal though!
Jones was there
He was just with the 2nd team. But he remained the starter. I’m not sure about the logic here, but it doesn’t matter this early in the season.
IDK either
I know that Brad Jones was asked to gain 10 pounds. Did he manage to do that?
Reasons for keeping him on 2nd team are: he did not gain 10 pounds or to keep him motivated and driven.
"No player is greater than a team."
-Vince Lombardi
That's a good point about secondary and special teams.
Isn’t one of the positives of being a 3-4 team is that you have LB’s for special teams? Why, oh why are we using secondary bodies for special teams?
Will Blackmon is now a Safety?
Wow, I think that is a better fit for him, but now our desperate need for a CB just got bigger. Safeties are more important in a 3-4 then CB’s, but we do need CB’s to stop the spread offenses. Hopefully Al Harris, Pat Lee, and Charles Woodson stay healthy this year. Also, hopefully Underwood takes another step in progression. I believe our fate lies in the CB’s hands now.
"No player is greater than a team."
-Vince Lombardi
I am with you…shocker…might be a good fit but man we really need the playmakers at CB right now. hmm…I guess he could always still play CB just able to fill in at either position.
surprised
I’m surprised, but far from shocked!!! Blackmon has the size to be a good safety. He also has good ball skills, as evidenced by his playing WR as a Sr at Boston Co. He just hasn’t worked out at CB, for whatever reason… I think there are still plenty of CB on the roster.
Woodson will be back, w/ Williams, Harris MIGHT be on PUP be is aiming to start the season. We have 3 solid CB, Underwood impressed in his limited time and the Packers like him at CB as much or more than Lee, who still has room to grow. Thats already 5 CB and Bell or Ford is the 6th. Then we also have Shields who, IMO, has great potential as a CB… He STARTED at CB at The U, after playing WR, and its not like they are usually lacking CB recruits to chose from.
Blackmon at S actually gives Bush more competition, since Bush was mostly a Safety until the injury situation at CB necessitated his playing CB. We now have alot of depth at both CB and Safety. Can’t say all of it is proven, but if one CB and one S of the group steps up we will have alot of depth at both positions!!!
I forgot about Tramon Williams
that makes me feel more comfortable now. I don’t know if this is a good way to keep Bush off the field or not. I like him in Special Teams, but that’s it.
We have plenty of Safeties now though….
Nick Collins
Atari Bigby
Morgan Burnett
Will Blackmon
Charlie Peprah
Kahlil Jones
Anthony Levine
We only need 4 on the active roster, so I think this makes the hopes very slim for Peprah, Jones, and Levine.
"No player is greater than a team."
-Vince Lombardi
Maybe we'll dump a FB
And keep an extra safety.
I can’t image a situation where running low on FBs hurts the team as badly as when we were low on DBs. I’d prefer to keep 5 safeties on the roster over 3 FBs.
We've got 4 TEs right now too.
Unless Havner is done-zo. Which he might be. I like Lee, Quarless, and Finley.
I think Lee might be closer to done-zo. Havner gives us quality ST play as well so I think he’s more likely to stick around than Lee who I think is falling out of favor with Packers brass.
You’re probably right, but it’s too bad. Lee is a heck of a great team-player and a top-notch character guy. Havner… myeh, not so much. I know we’ll probably have to cut Lee for depth and salary cap reasons, but I might say cut Havner too while we’re at it and get some unproven guy for #3 TE and ST.
Then again, they kept 3 FBs last year, so 4 TEs might be this year’s head-scratcher that we’ll all be complaining about for months.
by Curly Lambeau on May 20, 2010 3:27 PM CDT up reply actions
They won’t cut them both cause we’ll already HAVE an unproven TE on the roster with Quarless. You can’t have two rookies backing up Finley who hasn’t been a starter for a full season. Maybe this is the year we package up Bigby and one of our extra TEs or FBs and get our hands on a better pass rusher or something.
Better LB
LOL… If you want to get a better pass rushing LB, it will take Finley, at least among the TE to get one. Pass Rushers are a extremely valuable commodity!!! Bigby and a backup TE will NOT get you a OLB that can rush the QB… Thats not a knock on Bigby either.
OLB is a place it would make some sense to improve, but one that can rush the QB is going to be costly!
Sounds like it’s time for somebody to put together a preliminary 53-man roster. Not sure I like the idea of only keeping 4 safeties if Blackmon’s included among them. He might be able to play there in a temporary capicity if we have an injury situation on the game-day active roster, but, let’s face it… he’s not really a real safety, and he’s probably not going to ever be one, so…
But, then again, the numbers elsewhere on the depth chart might necessitate only keeping 4 guys at safety, so I don’t know yet.
But, I will say this: looking at that list of safeties that Jabooty gave, I’m reminded of the line from Young Guns 2 where the jailer says to the prisoners, “I got some bad news and some good news. The bad news is that the only thing we got for dinner is horse s**t. The good news is that there’s plenty of it.”
Blackmon
Why the heck would you say something likt Blackmon is not a real Safety and never will?!! You don’t know your history or football very well!!! ALOT, and I mean ALOT of CB have been converted to Safety and done very well!!! Ronnie Lott and Rod Woodson to name 2… Not comparing Blackmon to them, but transitioning from CB to S is about the easiest switch there is in football! There is every reason to believe that Blackmon can make the switch. He has good size for a safety at 6’ and 207, has very good speed and agility, excellent ball skills (played WR at BC as a Sr). I think Blackmon has a better chance of making the roster at S than he did at CB!!
THere is no reason to keep more than 4 Safeties… And if one can also play a little CB, all the better. Kalil Jones is probably headed for the practice squad, but he has the kind of size and skill to play Safety, if he can learn to tackle and keep the offense in front of him!!!
Our defensive secondary now has alot of depth at both CB and S…
Well, if Strohman says so, it must be true.
Fine, go ahead and count on him at safety. That way he can get injured in the 2nd game instead of his customary 4th.
by Curly Lambeau on May 20, 2010 4:39 PM CDT up reply actions
It is TRUE, especially since I said it.
I didn’t say I was counting on him did I?!! NO… I simply was refuting your claim that is not a “real” safety and never will be. His injuries are a concern, but that doesn’t take away the fact that he could easily become a very good safety!!!
Well, speaking of history
The fact that Ronnie Lott and Rod Woodson made transition from CB to S means absolutely nothing. But since you brought it up, I believe they both made the ProBowl at CB in their rookie season. Talent is talent, and some guys are good and some guys are not. Blackmon hasn’t shown much at being good at defense.
He’s a pretty good return man, though. …which, it’s not like we don’t have a need there. So, why you’d want to push it with him when he’s got an injury history, I don’t know.
by Curly Lambeau on May 20, 2010 4:48 PM CDT up reply actions
Like I said...
I was not comparing him to Lott and Woodson, I know both were All Pro CB, but they were the easiest most recognizable names!!! THere have been alot of others as well. Many college CB who don’t have the speed or quickness to play CB in the NFL have moved to safety and done well… It actually happens every year! Another example is Antrel Rolle… He came to the NFL as a 1st rd pick at CB, failed miserably, and moved to Safety. He just got a contract bigger than Collins… Injuries aside there is NO reason to believe he can’t make a good safety!
If Blackmon is going to make the roster and be a return man he is going to have to be able to play somewhere! Packers don’t keep roster spots for a guy that is only a return man!!!
I'm not getting my hopes up
But it would be nice if we got something out of Harrell, I think he has the talent, it;s just getting him on the field. By the way, has anyone else heard they’re moving Pickett to LE and putting in Raji as our NT?
cross training
Its just doing some cross-training… And Raji needs all the reps he can get at NT. He played alot more DE than NT last season! If he’s going to become a NT he has to get reps there… IMO, Pickett will still likely be the NT on run downs, w/ Raji getting some reps at NT and more at Nickel DT.
Hopeful on Harrell too… Not counting on him, but hopeful he can contribute.
I don't know how reliable this is
But apparently it’s a permanent move.
by Charlie Kelly on May 20, 2010 9:43 PM CDT up reply actions
read them
I’ve read all the articles about it… And it is a permanent move. Like I said Raji needs all the reps he can get at NT. He didn’t get many there last year… He was mostlly a DE. So he has to start taking alot of reps at NT, and he needs alot. Pickett on the other hand doesn’t need alot. He already knows how to play NT, from last year and the previous years when he was the NT, while others played the 3 tech DT in the 43. Some techniques may be different, but he still knows how to play 34 NT. Raji doesn’t, so every rep he gets at NT the better… I don’t doubt the sincerity of the Packers, but that doesn’t change the fact that, IMO, Pickett is the better run player of the 2, and Raji is the better pass rusher. So it makes sense to use Pickett vs the run and Raji more vs the pass. I would play Raji about 70% of the time, some at NT and some at DT in the nickel. I wouldn’t use all Raji’s energy just trying to stop the run AND expect him to still provide a inside pass rush.
That just seems to make the most sense, and since NT is the most demanding position to play, why not use both and keep them fresh?!!
Grrr
I read that too, but then must have closed that page on my browser last night and forgot to write about it. I don’t get it. Will Pickett become a very expensive backup? If Raji isn’t the backup then someone else has to be. I guess if Raji is better then Jolly then Raji, Pickett and Jenkins should be starting.
One question that i wish would have been covered in the whose starting post...
Who is starting?
Who is playing with first team in Bigby and Tramon Williams place? I think I heard somewhere that Bush was playing with the first team. Please say it ain’t so. At safety behind the starters there is a huge mess of ppl and im curious who currently has that first backup spot.
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