LEANER, MEANER, AND MORE ATHLETIC

Packers D Rebuilds

The mandate for Mike McCarthy and Dom Capers’ defense was simple – go get younger, leaner, meaner, more athletic guys on defense. After being run over by the 49ers in the playoffs the Packers were still smarting going into the offseason and into the draft. Once again the first pick was on defense; last year it was OLB Nick Perry who had his season cut short with wrist surgery, this year it’s UCLA’s DE Datone Jones.

As the new age/ new wave of Cam Newton, RG3, Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick type QB’s are embracing the read option offense defensive coordinators like Capers have to find ways to stop them. Stopping them with schemes just won’t work; these guys are just too athletic. The countermove has been to go find guys who can run and play in space and are just as athletic, the NFL term for being able to run down some of these mad scramblers. The big, lumbering dinosaurs of the NFL are being replaced by cheetahs.

In Jones the Packers are hoping to be able to balance the strong side with the weak side. In Clay

Matthews the Packers have a true stud and an elite player. Now it is up to Perry and the rookie Jones to set the opposite edge and keep Kaepernick/ RG3 et. al. from running wild. How well will the new guys do? They’ll be thrown into the crucible right at the start as the Pack opens against the Niners and Washington Redskins to launch the season.

As we make our predictions for the defensive player who make the roster a few moves have already been announced. The logjam in the backfield just got thinner as projected #1 RB DuJuan Harris is lost for the season as he’ll be undergoing knee surgery. That may make Alex Green breathe a whole lot easier so now look for Green to make it 4 in the backfield. The same applies to the WR’s as rookie WR and 7^th round pick Kevin Dorsey was alos IR’d. And in the nightmare that has been the preseason kicking fiasco Mason Crosby finally looks to have taken the job back as both Giorgio Tavecchio and last minute K Zach Ramirez were both released. As for the defense here’s who we think makes the cut.

DEFENSIVE LINE – Once again the Packers went to the draft to find guys to fill the line. The Packers run defense was better last year, but the 579 yards yielded to San Fran in the playoffs takes any good feeling of a season of improvement and flushes it right down. B.J Raji has backslid from his stellar 2010 performance and is looking for help. He’ll find it in the athletic Datone Jones. Jones is the prototype 3-4 DE at 6’4” and 285 lbs. He can fast and has huge wingspan, exactly what the Pack needs to force the running QB’s they’ll see back into the middle and try to contain them. Jones had a great year at UCLA registering 62 tackles, 19 for losses and 6.5 sacks. In addition to his speed are his hands. He seldom gets locked up and makes running past him in the middle difficult as he can get an arm out while being engaged in a block. He is a plug-and-play draft pick and he will start from day 1. Ryan Pickett is nearing the end of his career and he’ll be back. Mike Neal finally showed some signs of life after opening his career with more injuries than game time. Neal had 5 sacks last year and has been experimenting in an upright LB spot as well. IF Neal can continue he’ll shed the ‘disappointment’ liable that was slapped on him early in his career. C.J. Wilson will make it as Jerel

Worthy opens the year on the PUP list. But if Worthy can show the form that he displayed before going down with a knee injury there will be room made for him. The feel-good story is and continues to be the resurrection from literal hell of Johnny Jolly. Jolly’s off field transgressions have been well documented. After serving 3 years for possession of codeine Jolly was signed back by the Pack after being cleared to rejoin the NFL. McCarthy, capers, and GM Ted Thompson may be rewarded for their support as Jolly is showing signs he can still be a pass swatting nightmare for offenses in the middle of the field. His game against Sam Bradford and the Rams in the preseason may be enough by itself to make the team as he had 1 deflection that went for an interception and an interception of his own. The big fella can still play, and that’s exactly what the Packers need. Rookie Josh Boyd gets squeezed out but may clear waivers and will be brought back to the Practice Squad to continue to develop.

B.J. RAJI, RYAN PICKETT, DATONE JONES*, JOHNNY JOLLY, MIKE NEAL, MIKE DANIELS, C.J. WILSON, JOSH BOYD (PS), JEREL WORTHY (PUP)

LINEBACKERS – The easy ones are Matthews, Perry, A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones. Nothing at this point can be written about the ridiculously talented Matthews that is hyperbole. The best news of the off season was in addition to QB Aaron Rodgers there was enough money left to sign Matthews to a deal that made Dom Capers breathe a lot easier. Much is expected of the athletically gifted Perry. Playing opposite Matthews and paired with DE Datone Jones Perry needs to contribute mightily for the Packers defense to improve. The key to the Packers season will be how well Perry and Jones can lock down the outside and play against the run. Brad Jones shined last year as his play has made the injured Desmond Bishop and D.J. Smith expendable and both have been released and are struggling to make the rosters in Minnesota and San Diego. The Packers have clearly committed to younger, faster, stronger LB’s. Nate Palmer was a 5^th round pick up and Robert Francois has continued to develop along with Jamari Lattimore. Last year Dezman Moses’ hell-bent-for-leather style of play earned him a spot and he’ll return. Terrell Manning was the victim of colitis last year as an intestinal parasite robbed him of strength, weight and a promising rookie season. His illness got to the point he required an ER visit to a local hospital where it was detected and treated. The backups will see a lot of time on Special Teams looking to make their marks.

CLAY MATTHEWS, NICK PERRY, A.J. HAWK, BRAD JONES, TERRELL MANNING, NATE PALMER*, ROBERT FRANCOIS, DEZMAN MOSES, JAMARI LATTIMORE, SAM BARRINGTON* (PS)

CORNERBACK – At the Cornerback position the Packers have a stable of CB’s that may just be the

best in the business. Only Seattle can boast of as good a crop of Corners in the NFL. There may be better individual CB’s but no one possesses the depth the Packers own. In Tramon Williams and the ever improving Sam Shields the Packers have one of the best 1 -2 CB combinations in football. Lost in the loss to SF was the fact that Shields picked off Kaepernick’s first pass and took it to the house in last season’s playoff loss. He gets better every time he takes the field. His blazing speed is now well documented and his tackling has jumped up as well. Williams is nearing 30 and has not yet lost a step but continues to be plagued with nagging injuries. He has fallen from his Pro Bowl form of the Packers Super Bowl season but his leadership will help to stabilize a very young group. Last year the breakout star was Casey Hayward. Okay class – everyone who saw that coming stand on your head. Hayward had 6 picks in a part time role and has to avoid the sophomore slump. Davon House was hampered by a shoulder harness after sustaining a similar shoulder injury to Williams and is also poised for a bust out year. Joining the diaper mix of talent is rookie Micah Hyde, the Big 10 Defensive Back of the Year last season at Iowa and just has the natural look of a football player on the field. The Triple ‘H’ combination of Hayward, House and Hyde do not possess the speed of Shields but they make up for it with football smarts, quickness and a nose for the ball. Hyde has increased value on Special Teams as a returner and may make Jarrett Bush expendable.

TRAMON WILLIAMS, SAM SHIELDS, CASEY HAYWARD, DAVON HOUSE, MICAH HYDE*

SAFETY – Morgan Burnett is a mortal lock and will be for some time. He is quietly becoming one of the best Safeties in football and leads a very young Safety corps. Burnett seldom gets burnt and has a real nose for the run game. His natural tendency to go for the hit makes him vulnerable occasionally to a big hit over the top. His running mate is another story. Young and developing are the best way to describe Sean Richardson, M.D. Jennings and Jerron MacMillian. All are almost clones of each other, and the job is all but Richardson’s to lose. MacMillian had a decent enough season last year, at times playing heady, instinctive ball and at others looking like a lost rookie, but if there is a weakness in the Packers’ defense it is in the inexperience of the S spot opposite Burnett’s.  The Packer brass felt comfortable enough with this group to not draft a Safety. Now someone will have to step up to validate the trust placed in the position.

MORGAN BURNETT, SEAN RICHARDSON, M.D. JENNINGS, JERRON MacMillian, CHAS POWELL (PS)

PUNTER – A true no brainer. No other punter was brought in to challenge incumbent Tim Masthay

and for good reason. His booming kicks have been a breath of fresh air across the Frozen Tundra as well as his inside the 20 placement. His value only increases by the fact he has become a superb holder and showed versatility in that underappreciated spot by working from both the left and right side and the left footed Tavecchio and Crosby duked out an offseason kicking competition. Masthay also has a huge leg and has driven several kickoffs out of the end zone so should Crosby falter again the Packers have that spot covered.

TIM MASTHAY

KICKER – The falterings of  K Mason Crosby last year were maddening. He had by far his worst year as a pro and McCarthy stuck by his man. But MM did not hesitate to let Crosby know he had to earn his spot this year. Crosby possesses a big leg but like a golfer who develops the shanks he suddenly couldn’t kick the ball into the water off a pier at high tide last year. The shanks, the yips, the heebie-jeebies or whatever got into his leg got into his head and he was clearly pressing, so much so that after hitting a routine 38 yarder last year the entire team acted as if he had just won a Super Bowl for them. Crosby is a guy everyone likes and wants to see succeed. But his very shaky performance carried over into camp and he stunk the joint out in preseason, missing 3 field goals attempts on family night. McCarthy turned the flame up hotter under Crosby’s backside by bringing in Giorgio Tavecchio for competition in camp and when Crosby continued to struggle MM was unrelenting. “He’s got to makes those kicks, and he knows it” said McCarthy of Crosby. Even up to the last week of training camp the job was Crosby’s to lose as MM cut Tavecchio and imported Zach Ramirez underscoring the urgency of Crosby’s plight. But Crosby responded to the pressure by going a perfect 14 for 14 in the last camp competition. Ramirez was also cut loose after making a pedestrian 6 of 16. MM is playing a few mind games and keeping the pressure on Crosby by ominously letting Tavecchio know he could still factor into the Packers’ plans. The job is Crosby’s – for now. This year MM won’t hesitate to pull the trigger if Crosby struggles again, and Crosby knows it.

MASON CROSBY (MAYBE)

LONG SNAPPER – The sun rises in the east, water is wet, birds fly, death and taxes are inevitable and Brett Goode makes a perfect snap on punts and field goals. That’s all the guy does. He does it so well that few, if any, fans know who Brett Goode is. And - he is that good. Since becoming the Packers regular Long Snapper in ’09 Goode has been money, not having a bad snap in that span. Goode? How about Greate?

BRETT GOODE

That leaves one roster spot open. JARRETT BUSH (CB/S) OR RYAN TAYLOR (TE) OR BRANDON

BOSTICK (TE) OR JEREMY ROSS (WR/ KR) are in a 4 way battle to keep a job. Taylor and Bostick are caught in numbers crunch and one may end up in Miami where they are desperate for TE help. Ross’ star is fading; he had a drop in practice that didn’t help his stock and players like Jonathon Franklin and Micah Hyde show they can return kicks meaning Ross may get squeezed out. That leaves the versatile Jarrett Bush who is highly regarded on Special Teams but can be a liability at times at CB. He can also play at the Safety slot when needed. His versatility gives him the nod – barely.

JARRETT BUSH – CB/S

There’s the Final 53 as we see it. Mike McCarthy and GM Ted Thompson have a little more say than we do however. The real team will be formed after the Kansas City game, and then the fun begins in San Francisco.

NEXT – THE SEASON PREDICTIONS: RANKING THE TEAMS

 

WAITING FOR THE TURK

Predicting the 53 Man Roster

 

 

Under the terms of the new CBA there will only be two cut days during training camp, one being Tuesday (down to 75 from 90) and the last following the last game of the preseason (down to the final 53). Logic is in there somewhere as to why – maybe to extend jobs, but in all likelihood it may cost more – but it is what it is. The 2013-14 Green Bay Packers got a leg up and to no one’s surprise Graham Harrell was released in advance of the impending date, most likely due to the fact that Vince Young has no secured the #2 QB position and this will give Harrell some time to hopefully latch on elsewhere.  The paucity of points put up by the Pack in the preseason is no cause for concern as the Packers went in with the luxury of knowing, for the most part, what their 1st team was going to be. The grand experiment of flipping the left side of the offensive line for the right was making Mike McCarthy look like a genius until Bryan Bulaga blew out a knee in camp. Now the 2^nd most critical spot on the offense – protecting mega millionaire Aaron Rodgers backside and wallet – falls to a 4^th round rookie in David Bahktiari.

In out annual tradition we take a look into our crystal ball and take a shot at who makes the final 53. The starters are in BOLD TYPE, the backups in CAPS, the projected PRACTICE SQUAD in BOLD ITALICS and the INJURED IN CAPS ITALICS. The most logical place to start is right at the top:

QUARTERBACK – Here is the worst kept secret in the NFL. The Packers are Aaron Rodgers first,

second, last and everything in between. Rodgers is the best QB in the NFL now and as Rodgers goes, so goes the Pack. In an era of high powered passing games no one in the NFL possess the combination of Rodgers arm strength, accuracy, field vision, football smarts and running ability. Rodgers was richly rewarded with a mountain of money in the offseason that will end any questions as to who the Man for the Pack will be for some time. As the highest paid player in NFL history Arod is set to cash in a cool $43 mill this year, a testament to both his talent and value to the Packers. When backup QB Graham Harrell was released it came as no real surprise as Harrell could not take the next step and the concern Mike McCarthy and GM Ted Thompson had if the Man goes down was enough to place a call to former #3 overall flameout Vince Young who has started slow but been very effective at moving the ball and putting points on the board. While Young is more of an athlete as opposed to a pure pocket passer he gives McCarthy another facet for his high powered offense. Young will ultimately be measure by how well he can throw the ball if the time comes when he is pressed into duty. Consistency and accuracy are what drove him from the show and for Young this is his last chance. For 2^nd year man B.J. Coleman he is in last chance territory also. Coleman will be released and resigned to the Practice Squad and he has to make hay while the sun shines. If he can’t MM and TT are betting the combination of Rodgers and Young keeps the Packer offense hitting on all cylinders all season.

 AARON RODGERS, VINCE YOUNG/ B.J. COLEMAN (PS)

RUNNING BACK – The ugly redheaded step child of the otherwise stellar Packer offense for too long has been the running game. Packer Nation can finally breathe not only a small sigh of relief but can actually get excited for the coming year. Eddie Lacey (Alabama – 2^nd round) and Jonathon Franklin (UCLA – 4^th round) got everyone’s attention when they were taken in this year’s draft. Incumbents James Starks and Alex Green have been too inconsistent and too injured for McCarthy’s taste. With late season acquisition DuJuan Harris (who missed most of camp and all of the OTA’s after surgery to remove a benign tumor and then a knee injury) still tagged by MM as the starter the competition for a RB spot has been fierce. At this juncture the only thing for certain is Lacey and Harris both are locks. Franklin showed early flash but his arc has flattened considerably. It is unlikely he will be cut loose, and the more logical thinking has Alex Green being the odd man out. Starks has, at times, shown the form in camp that he had when he reinvigorated a moribund running game and propelled the Pack to a Super Bowl win, but poor lane decisions and fumbles as well as injuries continue to haunt him. He remains a viable option though if Harris or Lacey get nicked up, and Franklin has too much upside to release yet.

EDDIE LACEY (R), DuJUAN HARRIS, JAMES STARKS, JONATHON FRANKLIN (R)

FULLBACK – The Packers are one of the few teams still employing a full time Fullback. John Kuhn is

one of the smartest guys on the offense and knows the playbook as well, if not better, than Rodgers. He’ll no longer be needed to grind out a tough few yards or catch the odd swing pass. Kuhn’s strengths will be what they have always been – opening holes for a back to hit, protecting Rodgers in the passing game and on special teams where he continues to be at or near the top of the depth charts. But at $1.2 million this year he has a hefty price tag. Rookie FB Jonathon Amosa has shown enough to earn a callback to the practice squad.

JOHN KUHN, JONATHON AMOSA (PS)

WIDE RECIEVER – The Fearsome Fivesome has been reduced to the Big 3 and a few unknowns. Gone are Greg Jennings (FA- Minnesota) and Donald Driver (retirement), but Jordy Nelson, James Jones, and the next big thing Randall Cobb are as good a receiving corps as there is in the NFL. Jones led the NFL in TD receptions and Cobb had an 80 catch season. Nelson had a minor knee procedure done in preseason and should be ready to go when the season starts. Last year camp stud Jarrett Boykin makes the cut but the pleasant surprise has been the play of UDFA Tyrone Walker who has been fearless over the middle and shown a great pair of hands. With 7^th rounders Charles Johnson and Kevin Dorsey both missing far too much in OTA’s and camp the feel-good story of the offense Walker makes the varsity squad while Johnson and Dorsey will be cut, but resigned. Johnson, at 6’4”/ 215 lbs. and a 4.3 40 time is the most intriguing but just hasn’t shown enough – yet.

JORDY NELSON, JAMES JONES, RANDALL COBB, JARRETT BOYKIN, TYRONE WALKER (R), C.J. JOHNSON (PS - R), KEVIN DORSEY* (PS - R)

TIGHT END – The Tight End position is as jumbled a mess as is the state of the Running Backs. Lots of

bodies, a clear #1, and then a whole lot of question marks. Jermichael Finley has come in stronger, heavier, leaner and in a contract year is looking to have the big breakout season and finally deliver on his promise of potential. The emergence of Finley gives McCarthy the luxury of not having to carry 6 WR’s unless he wants to. Finley, Andrew Quarless and D.J Williams are all terrific pass catchers. Finley’s additional size and strength will only help him in the blocking game, areas where Quarless and Williams have both struggled.  Quarless, Williams and Ryan Taylor all missed most of last year with injuries. Brandon Bostick has not leapt at the chance to move up the depth charts and FA pickup from St. Louis Matthew Mulligan is not playing for one of two reasons. 1 – his spot is safe and the staff needs a longer look at the others or 2 – he does not factor into the Pack’s plans at all. Mulligan has a good combination of passing and catching skills, so he may be flying under the radar. Just don’t look for another 5 TE team this year.

JERMICHAEL FINLEY, ANDREW QUARLESS, D.J. WILLIAMS, MATTHEW MULLIGAN

OFFENSIVE LINE – McCarthy wasn’t pleased at all with the play of the left side of the line last year. LG T.J. Lang and LT Marshall Newhouse came under considerable fire for their role in an ugly 51 sack season. To be fair Newhouse had to man the fort when former 1^st round pick Derrick Sherrod sat out all of last year after a gruesome broken leg that required surgery and is still not yet back on the field. But McCarthy had a brainstorm. Why not switch the strength of the line – RT Josh Sitton and RT Bryan Bulaga to the side most needing studs? The move looked to be sheer genius until Bulaga had a mysterious ACL tear in Family Night and no one seems to recall exactly how it happened, Bulaga included. The bitter irony is Bulaga was having by far the best camp of his career and he and Sitton were looking to be real forces. In a surprise move McCarthy has tabbed rookie LT David Bahktiari to fill the role much like Don Barclay stepped in last year when Bulaga went down. Bahktiari lasted until the 4^th round as most scouts thought his size at 6’4’ and 300 lbs. was too small by NFL standards. While Bahktiari and Barclay are between 30 – 60 lbs. under the typical tackle’s weight in the NFL they possess smarts and strength. The Packers have also been steadily drafting a plethora of LT’s and turning them into versatile linemen like Andrew Datko and Greg van Roten. Newhouse hangs on as a backup - for now - while Sherrod starts the year on the PUP list. In 6 weeks it may be a different story altogether. But is gives MM enough time to evaluate his line in the interim.

JOSH SITTON, EVAN DIETRICH SMITH, T.J. LANG, DAVID BAHKTIARI*, DON BARCLAY*, GREG VAN ROTEN, ANDREW DATKO, LANE TAYLOR *, MARSHALL NEWHOUSE,  BRYAN BULAGA (IR), DERRICK SHERROD (PUP), J.C. TRETTER* (PUP)

NEXT: THE DEFENSE GETS YOUNGER, LEANER, MEANER, AND MORE ATHLETIC



THE DEFENSE TAKES THE FIELD

New Faces On D Look To Shake 'Soft' Label

 

579.

The number sticks in Head Coach Mike McCarthy’s craw like a splinter in the eye.

579.

That is the total number of yards yielded by McCarthy’s Green Bay Packer defense in last year’s divisional playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers. By any measure, by any barometer, by any yardstick that is an ugly, embarrassing number. McCarthy and Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers had their hands full this off season in not only addressing the numbers but how to keep the likes of the new-age QB’s in the NFL like Robert Griffin III of Washington, Russell Wilson in Seattle and the Niners Colin Kaepernick who used the playoffs as his own personal statement and coming out party from running wild this season.

And considering that the Pack faces all 3 – Wilson and the ‘Hawks in the preseason rematch of the

epic Fail Mary game and Kaepernick and Griffin in weeks 1 and 2 – the Packer brain trust did not stand idle in the offseason.

The new faces on D as well as the departed reflect an inner resolve to get tougher and more athletic. Gone is OLB Eric Walden who had a brutal game against the Niners in the playoffs and last year’s rookie standout DL Jerel Worthy is not yet back from his season ending knee surgery. Once promising LB’s D.J. Smith (San Diego) and Desmond Bishop (Green Bay West – Minnesota) were released early as they no longer fit into the Pack’s plans. Charles Woodson has also left and the task in the offseason was to go out and get the types of players that can play against the new-age QB’s.

After the embarrassing loss to the 49ers, a game in which the Packers were actually leading, if not dominating, and threatened to break open until punt returner Jeremy Ross fumbled a punt inside the Packer 20 after the D held Kaepernick & co. to a 3 and out, the whispers around the league were that the Packers were ‘soft’. ‘Weak’.  A pure ‘finesse’ team. Nothing without Rodgers. Not tough. The Packers lacked the toughness requisite to win the tough games, especially on the road.

GM Ted Thompson heard the same talk and has used the draft once again to go out and get what McCarthy needs. He grabbed DE Datone Jones in the 1^st round. At 6’4” and 285 lbs. Jones is a gifted athlete who combines size, speed, and the wingspan of a pterodactyl and has been called the prototype DE for a 3 -4 D that has to face the newest innovation in the NFL. Jones lined across from this year’s #1 overall pick in LT Eric Fisher (Kansas City) in the Senior Bowl practices and caught many scouts’ eyes when he was was able to manhandle the bigger and stronger Fisher in practice. Jones is a plug-and-play player who will step right into the fire and will start from day 1.

For Capers he will be getting an almost 2 for 1 type of draft defense in that last year’s #1 pick of the OLB Nick Perry will be back after playing only 6 games and being lost for the season after wrist surgery. Perry’s athleticism and speed opposite Clay Matthews elevates the Packers D and the combination could provide what Capers and McCarthy need to stay in the hunt for the Lombardi Trophy. Both Jones and Perry add an element of speed that has been missing and desperately needed. Jones injured an ankle early and the Packer brass is hoping this does not become another season long, season ending dilemma so fresh in the minds of everyone in green and gold. The past few years of injuries – Bryan Bulaga, Perry, Derrick Sherrod, Cedric Benson, former 1^st round bust Justin Harrell, Nick Collins are a few names that recall the panic that sets in when a key player goes down.

The mandate of the D in addition to getting tougher is to stop the run better. B.J. Raji slid from his previous outputs last year and DE Ryan Pickett cannot play forever. To shore up the line DE Josh Boyd (6’3”/ 310 lbs/ Mississippi St.) was taken in the 5^th round. He joins 2^nd year man Mike Daniels and Mike Neal on the line. Neal finally began to show some glimmers of hope last year after he has had an up and down start after being drafted in the 2^nd round. Neal’s biggest problem is – what else? – the injury bug that has plagued him since he moved north. So impressive has Neal been that Capers has experimented moving him back to an upright hybrid OLB position on occasion. It gives the Pack some flexibility and some creative options for Capers to create some exotic package.

The feel-good story of camp and quite possibly in the entire NFL has been the return of a once rising

young star in DT Johnny Jolly. Jolly began to become a force and earned a hefty raise but was busted in ’09 for drug possession and was sentenced to a 3 year term in prison. Few, if any, gave Jolly any chance at the age of 30 of ever seeing an NFL field again.

But Jolly has been one of the surprise stars of camp. His capacity for batting balls at the line has returned; against the Rams he deflected a ball that was picked off by Jarrett Bush and later added an interception of his own greatly improving his chances of sticking. Jolly’s nimble feet have also caught the coaches’ eyes and it will be no shock to see him make the final 53.

Besides Jolly the surprise player on defense in camp has been the play of rookie 5^th round CB Micah Hyde (6’0”/ 197 lbs./ Iowa) who was named the Big 10’s Defensive Back of the year last season. Hyde is coming into a deep, elite group at CB. The Packers own the deepest stable of CB’s in the league, a position so deep it allowed them the luxury of cutting Charles Woodson loose. Tramon Williams, last year’s rookie sensation Casey Hayward and Sam Shields have all been nursing injuries in camp increasing Hyde’s playing time thus far. He has a nose for the ball and isn’t afraid to get it bloodied in the run game. Hyde has also shown some flash as a punt returner. While Hyde has made a few mistakes and been beaten on some deep balls he possess the type of athleticism McCarthy and Capers are looking for. In a pass happy league good corners are the antidote. While Hyde is not great yet, he has the tools to become one about the time Tramon Williams begins to slip. As a kick returner Hyde may not possess the lightning like strikes of Randall Cobb but he offers McCarthy a viable option to protect the Pack’s prize possession on offense. Davon House is also in the mix and all 5 give the Packers a truly elite corps of corners. With the depth at the CB position and at Safety special teams ace and swingman Jarrett Bush may become the odd man out in this scenario.

TT also drafted LB’s Nate Palmer (6’2’/ 248 lbs./ Illinois St.) and Sam Barrington (6’1”/ 235 lbs./

South Florida) to add some much needed depth at the LB positions. Perry, Clay Matthews, A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones comprise the 4 starters and the race is on for 5 more LB’s to make the team. 2^nd year man Terrell Manning is, like Barrington, a noted thumper and Barrington is built along the Sam Mills size and plays much bigger than his 235 lbs. Manning had a mysterious illness last year that turned out to be colitis, a parasitic infection that caused him to lose weight and missed most of the 2^nd half of the season but is now healthy. Barrington’s size along with the physical play of last year’s camp surprise Dezman Moses may make it a battle between Barrington, incumbent Jamari Lattimore and Palmer for a roster spot.

Surprisingly the Packers stood pat at the Safety position. Morgan Burnett has quietly become the anchor of the S group while Sean Richardson, M.D. Jennings and Jerron MacMillan battle for the starters spot.

Another real battle is at the Kicker position. Mason Crosby had a dreadful season last year, his worst as a pro. Crosby has struggled mightily in camp and McCarthy’s once steadfast support of his kicker has wavered as Crosby’s consistencies and accuracy woes continue into camp. Rookie UDFA K Giorgio Tavecchio (tah-veh-KEE-oh) was brought in for competition and at this writing the position is no clearer than it was prior to camp. Both players have missed makeable kicks, and it seems that every time Crosby gets a leg up he follows it with yet another maddening, frustrating shaky performance. Tavecchio has also had his misses and does not possess the leg Crosby has. It is not out of the spectrum of possibility the Packers go shopping for a street free agent (David Akers, Lawrence Tynes, Phil Dawson) if Crosby continues to falter. McCarthy has gone on record flatly stating “He (Crosby) needs to makes his kicks. He knows that”. That is hardly the endorsement McCarthy rang even late last year.

So how much tougher are the Packers than last year? If the numbers of in camp fistfights are any

indication the Packers are a whole lot tougher. McCarthy preaches constantly about playing with an edge. The competition for a roster spot has been tough.

The question remains will the final 53 be tough enough? Will the new faces be enough to catch the Niners and the Seahawks while fending off the rising challenges within the now incredibly tough NFC North? The depth the Packers have and the internal slugfests indicates they are serious and some decent players will end up elsewhere as they get caught up in a numbers game

But the number 579 has got to go. That is one number that will haunt McCarthy for the rest of his career.

 

NEXT: MAKING THE CUT - THE FINAL 53 (MAYBE)

BACK TO FOOTBALL

A Look at the New Faces on the Packers

 

As the summer sun begins its annual retreat yielding to the winds of autumn very large men in shoulder pads and helmets toil relentlessly under its fading, blazing glory in preparation of the 2013-14 NFL season.

For some a roster spot is secure. For others it is a last ditch effort to hook on somewhere. There are always the new faces; the rookies both drafted and ignored and free agents going literally head to head to claim a job. Across the NFL landscape the new CBA has limited the total number of padded practices and the unmistakable thump and thwack of pads colliding at frightening speed and power signal the start of NFL training camps.

The 2013-14 Green Bay Packers come to camp with as deep and as loaded a roster with talent as it

has ever seen. The Running Back, Tight End and Cornerback positions have a veritable glut of talent so much so that some really good ballplayers won’t be in green and gold to start the season. As the season opens it’s time to take a look at the new faces and how they factor into the coming seasons’ plans.

 

In one of the biggest off season announcements Head Coach Mike McCarthy made an unprecedented positional switch in flipping the entire right side of the Offensive Line with the left side of the OLine. The numbers don’t lie – 51 times QB and franchise cornerstone Aaron Rodgers was put on his back last year, an embarrassment of a number that forced McCarthy to move former 1^st round pick RT Bryan Bulaga to LT and moving former All Pro RG Josh Sitton to RG and sending Marshall Newhouse and T.J. Lang to the right side. Newhouse had been a serviceable, at best, fill in at LT after another 1^st rounder Derrick Sherrod was out all last year recovering from a gruesome broken leg. Newhouse may end up in the doghouse at RT as last year’s surprise Don Barclay has moved to the top of the heap. And if Sherrod can somehow get back onto the filed the OLine has some depth.

Newhouse’s shortcomings were exposed and exploited by the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs last year. The 49ers have become the barometer for the Pack this year. With their highly vaunted Read-Option offense run by star-in-waiting QB Colin Kaepernick and hyper aggressive defense the Niners manhandled the Packers in the Divisional Playoff game last year as they sent Green Bay packing and smarting. The whispers of Green Bay being ‘soft’ and a ‘finesse’ team began and McCarthy and GM Ted Thompson have responded. The Packers open the season against San Fran and it will be an early season litmus test, a test of who is tougher.

But even before the grand experiment could get off the ground an old, unwelcome visitor came to

camp. The injury bug, the Packers dreaded nemesis, came back to bite. Again. Bulaga was having the best camp of his young career and the flip was beginning to look like genius. Then Bulaga tore his ACL and will be lost for the year. Packer fans have a much lower threshold for pain and adversity than the coaching staff. Much credit has to go to a man who continues to draw criticism for not venturing into the murky waters of Free Agency. GM Ted Thompson has very quietly and very much under the radar done a superb job of keeping the shelves stocked without breaking the bank.

While the rest of Packer Nation had to be talked down from the ledges McCarthy moved rookie 4^th round pick LT David Bahktiari (bock-tee-AIR-ee/ Colorado/ photo left) into what is arguably the 2nd most important job on the team. It’s one thing to protect a $120 million dollar investment (Rodgers) with a known factor even if he is relearning technique at a new position in Bulaga; it is an altogether different kettle of fish to ask a 4^th rounder to keep Rodgers upright and clean.

But Bahktiari is not your typical wide eyed rook. McCarthy has come out publicly and stated that Bahktiari “…has only made one mental mistake in camp, and only given up one sack…’’ in two games. Pretty heady praise for a 4^th rounder.

But MM is not blowing smoke. Bahktiari has shown a maturity beyond his years (21) and has been the surprise of camp on offense. Bahktiari fell to then 4^th in part due to the fact that most scouts felt he was “…too small…” at 6’4” and 300 lbs. to play in the NFL. But Bahktiari has more than held his own. Lining up across from Clay Matthews every day can scare a rook but Bahktiari has handled the challenge and risen. Fellow 4^th rounder J.C. Tretter (Cornell) suffered a broken ankle early and will be lost for the year. But Tretter may become part of the Packers future by learning to play all the positions on the OLine and has an excellent chance to move into the C slot if he can rebound from his injury.

McCarthy is a stubborn man. He is adamant about the Packers becoming a more physical team and

wants to run the ball. In the pass happy era the NFL has become MM is sticking to his guns and has steadfastly held to his desire to create a solid running game to open up the passing lanes for Rodgers. Much ado has been made of the Cover 2 defense and how it has stifled the once feared and vaunted Packer passing game. The Cover 2 has worked against the Packers because the threat of a run or even the existence of a running game was so weak that opposing defenses literally dared Rodgers to beat them. By stacking both safeties deep Rodgers and the Pack had the deep ball taken away and limited the Packers arsenal.

Fine, said Thompson. No running game? Forget free agency. TT got his man in the 2^nd round by drafting Alabama RB Eddie Lacey who was arguably the best RB coming out of college. So why the drop? Lacey couldn’t compete in the pre-draft NFL combine due to a hamstring injury and also had a toe fusion surgery that scared off a few suitors. Much like having Rodgers fall to them in ’05 at the 24^th pick Lacey landed in TT’s lap deep in the 2nd round where TT eagerly snatched him up. Lacey wasn’t even the first back taken in the draft but his explosive debut against the Rams in pre-season was eye-opening. The numbers don’t tell the whole story. 8 carries/ 40 yards is a hefty 5.0 yards/ carry average but it is not how many yards Lacey gained but HOW he gained them. On one play he throws a spin move at an unsuspecting foe leaving the poor sap’s jock on the ground for an 11 yard pickup. On a simple run up the gut Lacey displayed his power by lowering his shoulders and driving defenders backwards for 9 yards. He also caught a ball out of the backfield and showed some thump in pass protection. Get excited – Lacey IS the real deal and if he can deliver on his promise of talent opposing defense will truly have to pick their poison. Keep the safeties back in pass coverage and Lacey can pound it out. Send one up into the box and Rodgers has shown he can shred a defense.

And as if Lacey (photo right) wasn’t enough TT grabbed UCLA RB Jonathon Franklin in the 3^rd round. A shot has

been fired across the bow that should get the attention of every RB in camp. TT and MM were clearly displeased with last year’s RB group, Late season pickup DuJuan Harris has the look of an NFLer but has been hampered by injuries in camp (tumor surgery/ knee) thus far. For returnees James Starks, Alex Green and FB John Kuhn it is fish or cut bait time. Someone will be on the outside looking in. After showing some early flashes Franklin has slid back down the depth charts. Starks has been terrific, at times, in camp but still suffers from injuries and inconsistencies. Green shows some promise but can’t seem to raise his yards/ carry avg. much above 3.0 and that just won’t cut it. With UDFA rookie Angelo Pease in the mix as well as FB Jonathon Amosa (Washington) it will be a tough battle as Lacey and Harris look to have secure spots and everyone else is scrambling.

TE Jermichael Finley has bulked up and come to camp bigger and stronger. If maturity has also been added Finley may finally break out and become a bona fide star. With WR’s Donald Driver (retirement) and Greg Jennings (FA – Minnesota) gone Finley may finally get a shot to become a bigger factor in the Pack’s passing attack. Losing Tom Crabtree (FA – Tampa Bay) is offset by the return of Andrew Quarless who is healthy as is D.J. Williams and both have excellent hands. In a very quiet FA pickup TT signed onetime Ram Matthew Mulligan who is an intriguing prospect. Shocked he was released by the Rams Mulligan is a good combination of blocking and pass catching. With returning TE’s Ryan Taylor (out last year with an injury) and Brandon Bostick as well as UDFA Jake Stoneburner the battle at TE is going to be intense. Miami may be a suitor for the odd man out here. Last year the Pack carried 3 RB’s and 5 TE’s. The tough call is who makes the cut this year.

The only true weakness in depth on the offense is at QB where former #3 pick overall Vince Young

was signed as neither Graham Harrell nor B.J. Coleman has gained MM’s confidence. Harrell has turned the ball over and if the turf was a target Coleman’s passer rating would be off the charts. Neither has been particularly able to grab the opportunity to seize the backup QB sot and while some may think Young is here only to provide a live tackling dummy to prepare for the 49ers and Skins’ read option guess again. Young has game experience and his year out of football may have grown him up. Sadly lacking in maturity but not in talent Young has as good a shot as anyone at making this last shot of his count.

Minnesota has become the LaBrea Tar Pit for aging Packers as Viking-Land seems to be the place where old Packers go to end their careers. While the Pack lost Greg Jennings at WR to Green Bay West in Minnesota it has hardly left the shelves empty. Jordy Nelson (out till at least game 1 after a minor knee surgery) and James Jones have shown the ability to step it up. Jones cut back his drops dramatically last year to lead the NFL in TD receptions. With budding superstar Randall Cobb the Pack’s Big 3 is as daunting as ever.  Last year’s camp surprise Jarrett Boykin is poised to make the leap to the next level. This year’s camp surprise has been one Tyrone Walker (UDFA/ Illinois St/ 5’10”/ 190 lbs/ photo left) who has caught everyone’s eye by catching everything thrown his way. Absolutely fearless through the middle of the field Walker has put together some very impressive tape even if he can’t stick with the Pack. A pair of 7^th round picks make the WR group another deep, deep pool of talent. TT’s scouting staff somehow manages to find unpolished diamonds and TT collects them like a hoarder. Are they diamonds or merely lumps of coal? MM and his staff have been charged with polishing them to see what they may truly have. The most interesting of the picks is C.J. (Charles) Johnson (Grand Valley State/ 6’2”/ 215 lbs/ photo - right) somehow and inexplicably feel thru the cracks

to the 7^th round. He turned in a 40 time of 4.37 and any 4.3 time is enough to make scouts drool. Injuries have kept him off the practice field but his size and speed are enough to make this prospect very attractive. Will he play or be IR’d and kept on the shelf till next year? The same goes for fellow 7^th rounder Kevin Dorsey, a 6’” 207 lb. blazer from Maryland. Dorsey was once considered among the top receivers in college… until Maryland went through a QB drought and had nothing thrown his way last season. He also had a knee injury but is now back.

The bell cow for Green Bay can be found in the NFC West. As the 49ers are the sexy pick to be the best in the NFL Green Bay looks to reload. On offense they may have enough weapons to be truly unstoppable.

NEXT: THE DEFENSE’S NEW FACES