Do you think T.I. would be mad if I borrowed his group's name for a minute?
Sorry, guys. I am not trying to front, honest. But your "25 To Life" album was kind of weak. And tell the guys on the right that their hats are crooked.
Regardless of how these gentlemen feel about it, I can tell you that I'm somewhat excited to learn about the Packers' additions to the practice squad. Brandon covered who made the final roster cut and (more importantly) who didn't make it. Here, we're going to talk about the notable players who will stay with the team at a large discount...and some of them who didn't.
- WR Jake Allen - He was a member of the practice squad in 2008, but never made a notable appearance during the preseason. Any teams that wanted to claim him would have virtually nothing to go on. I have no idea what the team sees in Allen, but he's staying for at least a while longer.
- CB Trevor Ford - An awful showing in preseason ended with an injury against Tennessee. From what I saw, however, his problem was more mechanical than physical. Maybe they think extensive coaching will turn him into a suitable option for coverage packages. I kind of doubt it.
- LB Cyril Obiozor - Undrafted, converting from DE to LB, and on a team that ended up keeping 9 full-time linebackers. Obiozor may or may not be a decent option, but we'll have the chance to see next offseason.
- DE Ronald Talley - Didn't do enough to get past Jarius Wynn on a team that will likely only dress a half-dozen defensive linemen (Jenkins, Pickett, Raji, Jolly, Montgomery, Wynn) per game. He has decent size and above-average athleticism for his position, but simply isn't at the level he needs to be at yet for 53-man roster consideration. That's why he's here.
- RB Kregg Lumpkin - Brandon didn't think he was eligible for the practice squad, but there's apparently some sort of loophole that granted Green Bay the ability to stash him there (similar to the loophole that allowed Minnesota to put John David Booty on their practice squad). Lumpkin had a decent preseason, but had a bad case of the fumbles in training camp, and was outperformed by Tyrell Sutton. Perhaps more seasoning is the key to his return to the active roster.
- DT Anthony Toribio - Now we get to some of the good ones. Toribio would have made the roster under last year's defensive scheme, but was simply squeezed out by Raji, Pickett, Jolly, and Jenkins in the 3-4. He gets good push on the line and can penetrate the backfield consistently. It's somewhat of a surprise that no teams put in a waiver request on him.
- OT Jamon Meredith - One of the bigger surprises from yesterday's cuts. Meredith was a fifth-round pick with second-round talent who dropped in the draft because a) his position was abnormally deep this year and b) he did not get along that well with his coaches at South Carolina. As Brandon said, the talent has always been there, but his showing in the preseason was less than stellar. To quote uglyfatpimplynerd:
Turnstile
"You didn’t see him in the Tennessee game? That might have been because the other guys were stomping all over him on their way into the backfield. He didn’t show anything to make me think he was worth keeping around."
Ouch. The truth hurts. But the important thing is that Meredith, who was projected as being in the long-term competition for Chad Clifton's job, gets a shot to redeem himself over the course of 2009 and make a push for 2010. - QB Brian Brohm - Many people didn't think that Brohm would be released. Other people believed that he would be quickly scooped up by other teams that saw the 57th overall pick in 2008 (and contender for first overall pick in 2007!) was available.
These people were mistaken. For whatever reason, Brohm cleared waivers and decided to stick with Green Bay to hone his skills. Maybe the practice squad will be good for him. I personally doubt it, since he's got the reputation of being excellent in practice and subpar in games. More practice isn't the solution to that problem; there simply isn't one. - RB Tyrell Sutton - Probably the biggest surprise of training camp turned into an excellent preseason performer. Unfortunately, Sutton did not make the final cuts, and he did not clear waivers as the team hoped. Carolina put in a request for Sutton, who will likely never come back to Green Bay in a Packer uniform.
This move might make more sense after something is done with one of the three fullbacks on the roster, the main reason for Sutton's release. Sutton's tiny stature (5'7") didn't help his cause either, as McCarthy has an affinity for larger running backs.
In any case, we wish Tyrell the best of luck and hope he finds success in Carolina. As long as it isn't against Green Bay.