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