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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