A Jack Welch Look At The Green Bay Packers Roster

Earlier this month Peter King incorporated an interesting business management rule into the make up of an NFL roster. Specifically he took Jack Welch's rule of 20-70-10 and used it to explain why the Houston Texans could let go of DeMeco Ryans and Mario Williams this past offseason. It's an interesting read if you haven't read it already.

For those who have not read it, or haven't heard of this particular management tool, the rule of 20-70-10 is that for every business 20% of the employees are elite and form your core. These employees (or players in this instance) need to be nurtured, developed, and represent the full potential of the team. The next 70% are the average working class. These are role players who fill a key function but can be moved if the right opportunity presents itself. The last 10% are the poor performers. The organization should always be on the look out to upgrade this bottom part of the organization.

Looking at the Packers roster through this lens is a good way to get ready for training camp. On one hand it is a good reminder of the obvious, who the stars of the team are and who the hope of the Packers lies with as we approach the 2012 season. This exercise can also show who is just hanging on and fighting for a roster spot.

There is no particular order that the name appear in, but if you see a * after the player's name it means he is near the bottom of that particular group. If there is a ** after the player's name then he he is at the top of his particular group. Finally these numbers are assuming a 53 man roster and NOT the current 90 player roster. As a result, the bottom grouping is a bit inflated with camp bodies and future practice squad members.

The Elite 20%

Aaron Rodgers, Clay Matthews, Charles Woodson, Greg Jennings, Jermichael Finley, Tramon Williams, B.J. Raji, Bryan Bulaga, Josh Sitton, Randall Cobb*, Desmond Bishop*, Mason Crosby*.

There shouldn't be too many surprises in this grouping. The one that may cause an eyebrow to raise is the inclusion of Crosby. Last year he got his head on straight was able to get his accuracy down. Having a young kicker with a strong leg and reliable when the pressure is on is tough to find and that makes him pretty hard to replace. That's why he gets up to this grouping rather than a second receiver or another member of the secondary.

The Good 70%

Morgan Burnett**, Jordy Nelson**, Jarett Bush, A.J. Hawk, Nick Perry, Jerel Worthy, Ryan Pickett, Sam Shields, Charlie Peprah, Donald Driver, T.J. Lang, James Jones, Jeff Saturday, Evan Dietrich-Smith, Marshall Newhouse, Mike Daniels, Derek Sherrod, Ryan Taylor, D.J. Smith, John Kuhn, James Starks, Alex Green, Andrew Quarless, Tim Masthay, Anthony Hargrove, Graham Harrell, Casey Hayward, Jeron McMillon, Davon House, M.D. Jennings, Terrell Manning, Brett Goode, Brad Jones*, Mike Neal*, D.J. Williams*, Brandon Saine*.

Again, not too many surprises. Mostly these are solid players who the Packers will need to fill certain holes. Heck, many of them could be in the Elite group for some other teams, but they just aren't quite the cream of the crop here in Green Bay. Those near the bottom end up there because they have either disappointed (Neal and Williams) or have clung on the team because of the relative weakness of their position group (Saine and Jones). They could all slip down if they aren't careful.

The Expendable 10%

Tori Gurley**, Tom Crabtree**, Frank Zombo**, B.J. Coleman**, Erik Walden**, Diondre Borel, Jarrett Boykin, Curenski Gilleylen, Dale Moss, Shaky Smithson, Eric Lair, Shea Allard, Mike McCabe, Herb Taylor, Anthony Levine, Micah Pellerin, Sean Richardson, Du'ane Bennett, Marc Taylor, Robert Francois, Jamari Lattiemore, Dezman Moses, Andrew Datko, Don Barclay, Jaymes Brooks, Grant Cook, Ray Dominguez, Nic Cooper, Jon Hoese, Daniel Muir, Johnny Jones, Lawrence Guy, Phillip Merling, C.J. Wilson, Jarius Wynn, Otis Merrill, Brandian Ross, Dion Turner, Tommie Draheim, Sampson Genus, Vic So'oto.

Lots of names here of guys you may have never heard of, but also a few former starters (Zombo and Walden) and some cult heros (So'oto, Gurley, and Borel). It's not impossible for these guys to make the roster, in fact many probably will, but it's going to be an uphill camp for these guys in general.