YardBarker got the bright idea to give Packers CB Jarrett Bush a YardBarker account. Nothing beats a third- or fourth-string CB blogging on his opinion. In a piece entitled “Green Bay’s Draft” Bush wrote:
So we first started off drafting a WR, but I think we might move him to tight end because we need one. Jordy Nelson is 6′2 220 lbs. I don’t know, that’s pretty big, but if he stays at WR then we will be a pretty physical team at that position. We also picked up Brian Brohm from Louisville, so I will have many opportunities to be a living hell being around the ball trying to pick off his balls. And we ended up picking a corner in the final 2nd round… but let it be known he better be ready to compete… Patrick Lee from Auburn, let’s get ready to RUMBLE!!!!!!
My first reaction was, “What are you on, Sir Bush?” Why would the Packers convert their first pick in the draft to wide receiver when they drafted a tight end a few picks later? Jermichael Finley is a freak athlete and definitely has potential. If they did convert Nelson to tight end, he would be a freak with his size and speed. However, converting Nelson to tight end would be a big mistake.
Let’s look a the Packers stable of wide receivers right now: Donald Driver is 6′2″, 190; Greg Jennings is 5′11″, 197; James Jones is 6′1″, 212; Ruvell Martin is 6′4″, 215. The only other wide receiver listed at over 6′1″ is Jake Allen, an undrafted free agent from Mississippi College, who is listed at 6′4″, 190. Nelson is listed at 6′3″, 217. We all saw what happened in the NFC Championship Game when the Packers played the New York Giants. The smaller possession receivers of the Packers were rendered useless by the conditions while Plaxico Burress had a monster game.
Remember when I was pushing for the Packers to draft James Hardy? The Packers need that big threat to offset the smaller targets. The Packers have been waiting for Martin to become that guy, but Ruvell has only shown flashes of brilliance. Plus, he dropped a big pass in that Championship Game. Nelson will provide that big threat, and with the release of Koren Robinson, he has the opportunity to become the fourth wide receiver right away.
I am not saying he should never be seen at tight end; it would create mismatches against overmatched linebackers. It just would not be best for the tight end. Donald Lee and Tory Humphrey are the top two tight ends as of right now, and Finley can challenge Humphrey for the number two spot. Also on the roster are Joey Haynos, from Maryland, who happens to be 6′8″, and Mike Peterson, a rookie from Northwest Missouri State. Adding Nelson to that mix would create a logjam and stunt Nelson’s growth as a player.
He was born in Mississippi back in 1969,
He played football for his Dad at Hancock North Central High,
When it came time to pick a college to attend,
He went to Southern Mississippi in the end,
It became apparent that this quarterback was great,
When he beat Alabama and he beat Florida State,
Brett Favre, like no one else before,
All the Monday night memories that we have of number 4,
Brett Favre, he’s a modern day hero,
He’s destined for the Hall of Fame, he’s the Legend of Lambeau,
He was drafted by the Falcons who then gave him away,
In the greatest trade ever made that brought him to Green Bay,
When the Magic man went down with an injury,
It started up a streak that will live in infamy,
All these seasons later, the statistics do not lie,
One Super Bowl, three MVPs, and a heart that will not die …
This was done before the retirement, but if you want a little chuckle, you definitely should watch this video. I enjoyed it.
Are you looking for your opinion on the Packers to be heard? Do you really want people to know your opinion on Ted Thompson, Mike McCarthy, or any member of the Packers?
Well now you can, thanks to Fan-Sided Forums brought to you by Fan-Sided. The Packers forumis open, but has not seen that much action. I urge all you Packers fans out there to sign up (it’s free!) and go over and talk about our Packers.
The Packers ended the Koren Robinson era in Green Bay Friday after the team released the troubled wide receiver after two seasons with the team. Robinson spent his first four years in the league with the Seattle Seahawks before spending a season with the Minnesota Vikings.
Robinson had numerous run-ins with the law, including DUI in 2005, a high-speed car chase with police in 2006, and violating the league’s substance abuse policy in 2004. The high-speed car chase was what prompted the Vikings to cut Robinson and the league to suspend him for one year.
Robinson appeared in four games for the Packers in 2006 before being handed a one-year suspension. Brett Favre pleaded for his reinstatement a year later, and Robinson played in nine games for the Packers in 2007. He totaled 21 catches for 241 yards and one touchdown to go with 25 kickoff returns for 596 yards.
The drafting of wide receivers Jordy Nelson and Brett Swain in the 2008 NFL Draft made Robinson expendable. The addition of Robinson last year is what made the Packers have the ability to line up in their five-wide receiver sets and create mismatches. Nelson will most likely be expected to take Robinson’s place.
Sorry for the delay in posting, but between AP classes, track, and volunteering, my minutes dedicated to the Packers are few and far between.
Recently on FanNation I was interviewed by fellow Packers fan dyhard on the Packers and basically my views on sports in general. The questioning even steered over to politics. The interview is great, so I urge all of you interested in learning a little bit more about me or seeing my opinions and views to check it out.
It has been learned that on April 24, 12-year-old David Witthoft wore a red shirt to school, instead of the Brett Favre jersey he had worn for the previous 1,581 days.
The Green Bay Press-Gazette wrote:
“His last day wearing the jersey was April 23, which was his 12th birthday,” Chuck Witthoft, David’s father, said from their Ridgefield, Conn., home on Monday. “It was tough for him for awhile but now that he’s 12, he is a little more concerned about his appearance. And the jersey barely came down to his beltline.”
This is the perfect example of what puberty does to sports fans. All of a sudden it’s cooler for kids to wear band shirts instead of jerseys. I went through that phase. On a similar note, I have also had the same Favre jersey for the past five years, and although it is rather small, it is lucky.
Witthoft is rather famous too:
David Witthoft gained national attention in 2005 when it was disclosed that he wore his Favre jersey every day since it was given to him at Christmas 2003. He gave radio, newspaper and television interviews about the streak. He also received a card from the now-former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre.
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal offered another opinion from Mr. Witthoft:
David’s father, Chuck Witthoft, said that his son’s last day wearing the jersey was April 23 on his 12th birthday. Witthoft conceded his son started to become concerned about his appearance after the jersey barely came down to his belt line.
I have to admit, when the Packers selected Jordy Nelson with their first pick (36th overall) in the 2008 NFL Draft, I scratched my head. My colleague from FanNation, League of Shadows said what seemed best at the time on the PackerNation message board:
They took a white receiver with their first pick. Kill me now.
However, League, it might not be that bad. Just look at what Nelson did to Aqib Talib, the 20th overall draft choice to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
Is that enough for you? The man can fly. This punt return against the Texas Longhorns shows his skill as well:
Jordy Nelson is one of the most interesting prospects of the draft. His coming-from-no where rise combined with his unique skill set makes him a rare talent. Nelson grew up in rural Kansas and upon joining the team earned the nickname, “The Hick From the Sticks.” He was not offered a scholarship to play anywhere he desired, so he walked on at nearby Kansas State as a defensive back. There, he did anything he could to get noticed, including playing defensive end on the scout team. Former Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder asked Nelson to switch to wide receiver before the 2005 season, his sophomore year. This was a logical decision, as Nelson had been a state champion in the 100, 200, and 400 meters in high school. His first two years at wide receiver were not that fruitful for Nelson, but 2007 was a breakout year.
Particularly last year as a senior. In 2007, Nelson earned consensus All-American honors with 122 receptions for 1,606 yards and 11 touchdowns. The reception and yardage totals both set school records, while the number of catches also set a Big 12 Conference mark and the yardage number ranks second in league history.
Nelson’s consistency was reflected in catching eight or more passes in 10 of 12 games, and 10 or more passes six times. He also topped 100 yards eight times, and in three of the other four games, he had at least 90.
Nelson also briefly describes his unique skill set, a combination of size (6-3, 217) and speed (4.4-4.5):
“That’s something I’ve developed over my years at K-State, being able to make a couple guys miss right off the bat and get vertical,” Nelson said. “That’s something I focus on a lot.
“I try to get what I can right away, not waste any time, and I think at the next level where the speed is even faster than what it is in college, that’s real important not to waste a lot of time dancing around, and just get vertical and get the ball north and south.”
The scout who seems to be the most responsible for the drafting of Nelson on Day 1 is Lenny McGill. McGill seems confident that although Nelson’s 4.5 40-yard dash time dropped the Kansas State product below some other receivers, his game will not be hindered at the next level:
“When you’re 6-2, 220 pounds you don’t have to run 4.4 or 4.3,” McGill said. “The important thing about him is he has functional quickness. Very few receivers run a legitimate 4.3, 4.4 in the NFL. 4.5 is running, and when you’re 6-2 and as big as this kid is, I think 4.5 is good enough speed.
“One thing about him is he lined up in the Big 12 Conference against pretty good competition, and week in, week out the kid made plays. Whether his timed speed was 4.5, when he lined up against some of these top corners, he had no problems getting open and beating them, so I think his speed won’t be an issue.”
When I first heard that Nelson was drafted as the Packers’ first pick, I was confused. Aaron Rodgers already has Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, and James Jones as his top three receivers, while Koren Robinson and Ruvell Martin are competent. I was even more confused when I looked at the wide receivers who were still on the board when Nelson was drafted: James Hardy (to the Buffalo Bills), Jerome Simpson (to the Cincinnati Bengals), DeSean Jackson (to the Philadelphia Eagles), Malcolm Kelly (to the Washington Redskins), and Limas Sweed (to the Pittsburgh Steelers).
Earlier this year, I advocated the drafting of Hardy from Indiana. After the Packers were destroyed by Plaxico Burress of the New York Giants in the NFC Championship Game, the idea that getting a big wide receiver of their own could counteract another big wide receiver more than finding a 6-4 cornerback (good luck) was put into my head. Hardy’s freakish size (6-7, 220) would have provided space for the speed receivers the Packers have. Anyway, that did not happen.
The fact that the front office passed on Simpson and Jackson is fine with me as I know nothing of Simpson except for the fact that any player the Bengals draft has to be a bit questionable and I think of Jackson as nothing more than a glorified return man. I would have also given Kelly and Sweed the benefit of the doubt over Nelson as well.
To prove me wrong, however, Ted Thompson has made some great choices in past drafts. When Jennings was drafted in 2006, I was a bit quizzical. I had no clue who he was except he was the best player on Western Michigan on NCAA Football 2005. However, I soon discovered the player he was. The same goes for Jones. Who drafts a wide receiver from San Jose State on the first day? Thompson apparently. And it was a great pick. The other wide receiver whom Thompson picked on the first day of the draft was Terrence Murphy out of Texas A&M in 2005. Unfortunately for Packers fans everywhere, Murphy was hit with a career-ending neck injury three games into his NFL career and was forced to retire.
Because of Thompson’s drafting history with wide receivers I have faith. CBSSports’ Dennis Doddwrote a great article profiling Nelson the week before the draft and that article definitely needs to be read. Nelson seems to be a high character guy that can make the Packers a better team.
The Green Bay Packers seventh-round draft-pick, wide receiver Brett Swain, is drawing comparisons to the New England Patriots juggernaut Wes Welker. This article from PackersNews.com describes Swain’s potential that he could realize.
GM Ted Thompson seems pretty high on him:
“He’s a little bit taller and bigger than Welker, though I’m not trying to compare him. Wes Welker is an outstanding professional football player,” Thompson said. “(But Swain) is a very good route runner, he’s very good at understanding where he is in space, understanding when he’s open, when he’s not, how to run routes, how to set up defenders. The more tape we watched, the more we liked him. We think he’s got a chance.”
Swain gives his props to Welker:
“Wes Welker has done wonders for guys like me getting drafted and getting guys more looks,” Swain said this weekend during a break in the Packers’ rookie orientation camp. “Before Wes Welker (it was like), ‘Who’s that white kid from San Diego State?’ Well, Wes Welker kind of put us on the map.”
The draft pick from San Diego State seems like he will do whatever it takes to make the team, including playing special teams:
“That’s a way I can get my foot in the door and learn behind all the great receivers they have here,” Swain said. “I made that a point to the special-teams coaches. If I’m not a returner, make me something else. Get me down there making tackles. I want to do anything I possibly can to help this team.”
I am sorry for my brief absence from blogging here. I had to put my blogging life on hold, as I was busy with track championships, a spring concert, my band playing a show, and the fact I have an AP test on Friday (European history is extremely boring). During my absence the Packers made many moves that I failed to report here. So to catch up, the Packers made some of the following moves:
On April 25, retired(?) quarterback Brett Favre was placed on the reserve/retired list. This gives the Packers an extra roster spot and frees up some cap space for the team.
Also on April 25, the Packers released offensive linemen Tony Palmer, Chris Patrick, and Cliff Washburn. These moves were primarily for freeing up roster space before the NFL Draft.
The day after the draft ended, April 28, backup quarterbacks Jerry Babb and Dalton Bell were released, due to the drafting of Matt Flynn and Brian Brohm. Punter Ryan Dougherty was also waived, making Jon Ryan’s job seem even more secure.
On Friday, May 2, the Packers announced the signings of 11 undrafted free agents:
Tai Smith, WR, Syracuse
Ken DeBauche, P, Wisconsin
Jake Allen, WR, Mississippi College
Rod Harper, WR, Murray State
Kregg Lumpkin, RB, Georgia
Marcus Riley, LB, Fresno State
J.J. Jansen, LS, Notre Dame
Mike Peterson, TE, Northwest Missouri State
Joey Haynos, TE, Maryland
Danny Lansanah, LB, Connecticut
Brennan Carvalho, C, Portland State
Many of these rookies do have opportunities to impact the roster, most likely DeBauche, Jansen, and Haynos.
In other news, the Packers rank fourth in ESPN The Magazine’s “Ultimate Standings.” The standings are based on comprehensive fan satisfaction and the Packers were back in the top ten for the first time since 2005. The first year of the rankings, 2003, the Packers ranked number one and in the following years ranked number three and number four, before dropping to number 30 in 2006. They rose back up to number 23 in 2007, and Favre’s final season put them back up No. 4. Coincidence? The Packers rank behind the Indianapolis Colts, San Antonio Spurs, and New Orleans Hornets in the rankings.
Also stirring up some controversy, former Packers safety LeRoy Butler went on a local Green Bay television station and said that Favre wants to come back and could come back with a division rival. Yes, that’s right, Brett Favre could be suiting up for the Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, or Minnesota Vikings. Now, if this happened, the hospitals in Green Bay would have some space issues with all the people coming in with various self-inflicted injuries. Not to mention the grief counselors would need their own grief counselors. I know I’d cry. So basically, Brett, don’t do it. Period.
I have already gone over Day 1 of the NFL Draft for the Green Bay Packers, which now gives me a chance to try my hand at Day 2.
Round 3 - Pick 91: Jermichael Finley, TE, Texas. The Packers filled a great need at the tight end position in the third round on the second day. Finley is athletic, although he only played 26 games in his college career. The most intriguing fact about Finley is that he was a high school basketball star. Ted Thompson and the Packers hope that Finley can follow in the footsteps of such tight ends as Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates.
Round 4 - Pick 102: Jeremy Thompson, DE, Wake Forest.
Thompson was a do-it-all player at Wake Forest and the Packers are hoping that he can come in and provide depth for the defensive line. The departure of Corey Williams to Cleveland means that Cullen Jenkins will have more play inside so Thompson will allow Jenkins that flexibility.
Round 4 - Pick 135: Josh Sitton, OG, Central Florida.
Sitton spent his college career blocking for the leading rusher in the NCAA in 2007, Kevin Smith, a third-round pick of the Detroit Lions. Smith ran for 2,567 yards and 29 touchdowns behind Sitton and the Knight offensive line in 2007 alone. Sitton will also add depth to the offensive line which struggled on the interior in 2007.
Round 5 - Pick 150: Breno Giacomini, OT, Louisville.
Giacomini provides a Louisville connection in Green Bay with fellow Cardinal Brian Brohm, a second-round pick. The Cardinals offense was one of the most prolific in the NCAA while Brohm was a 10,000-yard passer. The drafting of Giacomini provides depth for aging tackles Mark Tauscher and Chad Clifton. However, Giacomini is not exactly the long term successor for Tauscher and Clifton that Green Bay needs.
Round 7 - Pick 209: Matt Flynn, QB, LSU.
The second quarterback taken by the Packers in the draft, Flynn spent four of his five college years backing up Marcus Randall and JaMarcus Russell, a former No. 1 pick by the Oakland Raiders. In his first and only season as the full-time starter (even then, he saw extreme competition from Ryan Perriloux), Flynn led the Tigers to a BCS National Championship. His raw physical skills are rather questionable, but he has fought through quarterback competition before and is battle-tested. He should work to push Brohm, who is pushing Aaron Rodgers.
Round 7 - Pick 217: Brett Swain, WR, San Diego State.
In adding another WR to the stable, GM Thompson creates a surplus at the position. Could trades for more picks, offensive line help, or defensive backfield help be in the works? Anyway, Swain had a career season for San Diego State in 2007. He is rather small, but has good speed and will create competition. I had it right in my draft predictions that Green Bay would draft someone from San Diego State; I just picked the wrong guy. The Packers should have picked Kevin O’Connell, a third-round pick of the New England Patriots, instead of Brohm and Flynn. But that’s just my opinion.
Profiles of each draft pick are coming soon. Hopefully.
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