Excited about Jerel Worthy

This is a great pick. I can’t believe he lasted this long in the draft. I think TT couldn’t believe he was still around and took the opportunity to move up in the draft to snag him. Just a great draft pick. I usually don’t feel so strongly about drafted players because I usually don’t know a heck of a lot about guys. But I have seen this guy play on several occasions (and not just against Wisconsin) and I think he’s really good. He’s disruptive, he very strong, he’s aggressive and he can be nasty. Even though the Pack may not be looking to him to be a starter or every down guy, I can see him eventually filling in alongside Pickett/Raji on the line.

The fact that we got him with the 51st pick is amazing to me. Great pick TT.

Why Nick Perry pick is at least a bit curious

I was listening to some kind of interview with TT before the draft in which he was talking about how his philosophy of taking the best available player hasn’t changed. He was, per norm, fairly adamant about this. In light of this, it’s at least curious that his first pick this year happens to be at a position where we’re desperate for improvement. In other words, I wonder if TT truly took the best player on their board or if strayed a bit from his plan by thinking a bit about need. Perry projects as a ROLB in a 3-4, a position that has been a serious weak spot for the last few years. (Remember, this position was a problem before we got rid of Cullen Jenkins – Jenkins’ departure only highlighted just how bad we were there.)

Either way – I don’t mind. Truth is we really need help at ROLB and it appears as though we picked up a dude who may be ready to step right in and make a difference.

Packers looking at Colt McCoy?

Read here from PFT via Packer Report. I actually think McCoy has a decent future but I’m not sure this makes a lot of sense to me. Graham Harrell has done decently with his opportunities and knows the system well – which I think is a more important factor in McCarthy’s world than actual talent. I wouldn’t be disappointed with adding McCoy especially if we get him for cheap – I do think he has some real potential – but I guess I’m just a bit surprised to hear about this.

Nick Perry – could be a quality pick

Read up on him here. The best part to me is his “relentless motor”. He looked good on the highlights and having two relentless motors on opposite sides (Mathews and Perry) could be seriously fun to watch.

Packers to take Jerel Worthy?

A bit disappointed Bruce Irvin is off the board – he’ll be good in the NFL. But I can see the Pack going for a huge dude like Worthy here. He is a really good player, he’s aggressive and he could fill out the line, pretty much eliminate the run and provide a decent pass rush presence as well. Tough player.

Or,  might they go after Peter Konz?

Packers to release Nick Collins

Read here. Sad day for Collins and the Packers. Collins was a quality safety and had a bright future with the team. I’m guessing this was one of those decisions that kept TT and company up at night. If Collins had been determined to be healthy, he’s the kind of player who could have stepped right back in likely and made a significant difference on a defense that clearly was not the same without him. Yet, this is some tricky stuff and if the MD consults weren’t necessarily conclusive, I can see why the Pack has opted to just let him go.

We loved having you Nick and will remember your pick-6 against Big Ben in the Super Bowl for a long time. Thanks man.

Chad Clifton released

Read here. Sad day for Packer nation. Chad Clifton has been a heck of a player for a number of years for this team and he will be missed. Injuries have plagued his latter years but he mostly played through them (opting often for off-season surgery). It’s no surprise he failed his physical – in fact it’s hard to believe he’s passed a physical in the last 4-5 years.

We will miss you Chad Clifton – good luck going forward.

Tremendous Old Man Injury

Last night, at some point, I broke my toe. During the day I was running around kicking a ball with my son. There wasn’t the slightest indication that the 2nd toe on my right foot would soon leave me writhing in pain. But by the end of my short workout last night, I started to notice my toe was sore for some reason. (And all I did was lift weights, didn’t really do any cardio.) By about 10pm, I noticed that this was no passing/mild pain and I started complaining to my wife (who by now just rolls her eyes at my complaints due to the frequency of my OMIs). By 3am, I decided to just get up for the day because I couldn’t sleep – in too much pain. Ibuprofen didn’t do much. I tried a building a makeshift splint using Q-Tips (I had already eaten the 3 boxes of popsicles we had in the freezer due to a popsicle-dependency issue, so popsicle sticks were out) but this didn’t help. This Q-Tip idea, by the way, is one of those harebrained ideas you get at 3am when you’re beyond tired yet grappling with a pain issue. I sit here now at work quite uncomfortable both from what appears to be a broken toe and also, perhaps, from the Q-Tips sort of poking into the bottom of my foot.

I have an MD appt this afternoon to hopefully confirm whether or not it’s a break. I kind of hope it is so that I can say that my first broken bone was due purely, to an Old Man Injury.

UPDATE:

Went to the MD on Friday and the first thing he ruled out was…gout. I felt positively medieval when he mentioned this as a possibility. But he ruled it out. Then they took an x-ray and ruled out a break. In the end, he thought it was probably a strained tendon or ligament down there. Based on the fact that by yesterday afternoon it looked like I had 2 big toes on the same foot, I’m guessing it may have been more like a tear of some kind. It’s a bit better today but wow, I really have no idea what happened here.