Cheesehead TV - anti-Beaver

Read Cheesehead TV’s response to my recent post lobbying for the Packers to keep RB Justin Beaver on the roster. Fairly strong reaction I’d say to an innocent argument for keeping a hard-working, qualified, local, talented player on the team. I maintain that signing Beaver would have provided a bit of a lift for fans and the overall team - just like Donald Driver making the team got people pumped up a few years ago. (Of course, Aaron conveniently left out my Driver analogy which read: “Think about how excited we all were when we’d read stories about Donald Driver and how this 7th round pick might make the team. Then he made the team and elevated his game to Pro Bowl level. We love stories like that here and the timing of this story could help Packer Nation move forward”).

But I have other issues with Aaron’s response. I sense that Aaron believes the Packers are fine at the RB position. I don’t. We don’t have major talent back there (Grant excluded). Aaron, just because you predict that Jackson will “surprise” this season doesn’t make him a high-caliber player now - all he’s done so far is lose his starting job (last year). While I certainly hope Wynn, Jackson or Morency do emerge as legit players and I don’t feel any of these guys are awful, right now, the fact is, RB is still a position of need and adding Beaver would add needed competition and depth at RB.

Also, importantly, Aaron left out an important piece of my post - Beaver’s versatility. I wrote: “He is fast, very quick (”quick as a hiccup” according to McCarthy), very strong, young, hard-working, devoted - and he’s somewhat versatile in that he can return kicks and compete at RB.” Beaver could be a solid option as a return guy - bringing speed, quickness and also toughness to a position that needs it. He has an upside on special teams that Jackson, Wynn and Morency don’t seem to have. I think it’s a mistake not to give Beaver a chance and instead waste 13 roster spots on wide receivers (which essentially leaves 10 guys competing for 2 spots).

Anyway, bottom line is, we should still sign the guy and give him a chance. We may have just turned our back on the next Devin Hester or Steve Tasker or Travis Jervey.

First a Pabst casket, now a 12 year old’s Favre jersey

Are you dedicated?

Yesterday, we posted on a Chicago guy who demonstrated his strong affinity for Pabst beer by purchasing his casket (he’s only 57 years old!) - a giant, beautifully decorated Pabst can.

Today, we learned that 12 year old David Witthoft has accomplished the nearly impossible task of out-dedicating, if you will, many Packer fans by donning a Brett Favre jersey daily for the last 4+ years of his life (1581 days).

TT, just sign Beaver

Great comment here from loyal Packergeeks reader Joe:

“Just sign him. It is one spot out of 80. Take a chance and earn some good PR; the kid has some skills that justify a signing and the fans will eat it up (including me). This just makes good business sense and it ain’t bad football either.”

I couldn’t agree more. I really do think it would be a good PR/business move. Listen, a few months ago, Green Bay fans received the devastating news that Favre was calling it quits. Die-hard Packer fans, no matter how tough, are dealing with the emotional scars of seeing perhaps the most popular Packer ever, retire. While signing Justin Beaver won’t bring Favre back or heal Favre-retirement wounds, it might help infuse some extra excitement for the team at a time we could really use it. Think about how excited we all were when we’d read stories about Donald Driver and how this 7th round pick might make the team. Then he made the team and elevated his game to Pro Bowl level. We love stories like that here and the timing of this story could help Packer Nation move forward.

As far as a football move, as I wrote previously, I think it makes football sense to have a guy like Beaver not only on the 80-man roster, but on the 53-man roster. I know during training camp time, it can become the norm for sportswriters and bloggers to end up lobbying for a bunch of players like this with great stories to make the team, but this is one guy in whom I really believe. He is fast, very quick (”quick as a hiccup” according to McCarthy), very strong, young, hard-working, devoted - and he’s somewhat versatile in that he can return kicks and compete at RB. When I compare his obvious skills to someone like Noah Herron, I can’t help but think there is way more upside with someone like Beaver. I could understand NOT giving Beaver a shot if the backfield had other major talent besides Grant, but it doesn’t. And, while Tramon Williams and Will Blackmon both showed skills as return guys last year and Brett Swain or Jordy Nelson may yet prove to be good in this capacity, why not give a hard-working guy who would do anything for the team a chance to prove himself.

Packergeek sfhayes on Dennis Miller radio show again

Co-packergeek Steve Hayes will be on the Dennis Miller radio show again today. Check here for local listings. In the Milwaukee area, the Dennis Miller show usually airs on 620 WTMJ starting at 8pm. Steve indicated that he does talk about the Packers draft at the beginning of the show - so it would be worth a listen.

Jason Taylor may be on his way out

This morning on Mike and Mike in the morning, ESPN radio, they were discussing how Bill Parcells apparently handled a recent meeting with Jason Taylor. Taylor had taken a break from Dancing with the Stars (a questionable pursuit at best) to stop by Dolphin headquarters, say hi to teammates and wanted to stop in and say hi to Parcells as well. When he showed up at the threshold of Parcells office, Parcells looked up, saw Taylor, didn’t say anything and then went back to watching film. Taylor then left and was understandably pissed about this. Parcells apparently has been mad at Taylor for not showing up to the voluntary camp thing even though Taylor had said a while ago he couldn’t because of his, again, admittedly questionable, commitment to…dancing. Mike and Mike were criticizing Parcells for handling this so poorly considering Taylor is still one of their best players.

I agree. I think Parcells is an idiot. It really got me thinking about the social license we seem to give jerks, as long as they are successful. Many argue that football is just a tough sport and his toughness and cold demeanor are part of what have made him successful. I don’t buy that. I think Tom Coughlin only won a Super Bowl AFTER he softened some and remembered he’s dealing with humans. Think of all of the people in general society and some of the people you know personally, who are total jackasses but who have become successful somehow. Like the previous discussion re Peyton Manning, it is hard to get behind people who whine, complain, treat people disrespectfully, or just plain have no tact, like Parcells. Packerbelle makes a great point in the previous Peyton Manning post comments section when she indicates that part of what hurts about seeing Favre go is how much he respected the game, his teammates, his coaches. He very very rarely whined (he did publicly snap at James Jones last year, but that was uncharacteristic). It is a marvel to me to this day that Favre could classfully (if you will, nice new word) absorb yet another predictable draw play call from Tom Rossley on 3rd and 16 without screaming at him on the sidelines.

I feel lucky that in my lifetime, two of my greatest sports heroes also happen to be two of the classiest guys to play on the biggest sports stages - Sidney Moncrief and Brett Favre. Sorry, tangenting.

Anyway, getting back to my point. I do think we should keep Taylor on our radar. I know the draft is done and some of our ammo for making a trade has been eliminated, but still, I think TT should keep an eye on this because Taylor would be a great veteran addition to our team and it’s possible if this war between Taylor and Parcells isn’t resolved soon, the stubborn Parcells could dump Taylor for less than he was originally seeking.

UW Whitewater’s Justin Beaver gets the call

Read here from jsonline’s Tom Silverstein and Greg Bedard about Justin Beaver getting a tryout from the Packers this weekend. No free agent contract, just a tryout. Smart TT, very smart. I have written previously about my concern for the trend in the NFL of having shifty, juke-type runners as kick/punt returners because maybe after being successful for part of a season, they all seem to get tentative or afraid and then suck. Hester being the exception. (There was also the Mike Sherman trend of using fat, incredibly slow guys to return kicks but needless to say that didn’t catch on because it was a ridiculous idea).

I think Justin Beaver should be the Packers return guy and here’s why. Justin Beaver ran a 4.45 40, so he’s fast. He does have some juke in him, but he’s also a solid guy. While only 5′7″, Beaver is still 191 pounds, so he’s no Philip Epps and can probably take a hit or two. But most importantly, he has a bit of crazy in him. He’s at least would be crazy enough to catch a punt running full speed hoping to break one. And, throw in there that he wants more than anything to play in the NFL - he’s more likely than some guy who is already safely on the roster to take chances and be aggressive. Desmond Howard was like this too in his first few years as a return man, until he became good. Then he got tentative and sucked. For someone who knows he’s such a long-shot, I can’t see Beaver ever getting tentative.

Now, I am assuming they will think to try him as a return guy but maybe they are looking at him just as a RB. We’ll see, but good luck Justin - he’d certainly be a popular Packer in Wisconsin.

Jermichael Finley’s name - theory

There were many more interesting names in the 2008 Draft. But I thought I might share my theory on how Finley was named Jermichael. (And I should add, a scenario I’m not unfamiliar with…)

Setting - hospital in Texas, March 26, 1987:

Mother talking to father moments after mother delivers. “What should we call him. We’re so indecisive. We’ve narrowed it down to two, I love Jeremy and and you love Michael. We have to decide. I also am not sure if I should have the lasagna or the chop suey”.

Mom: “Let’s go with Jeremy”.

Father, “No, should be Michael.”

Mom: “Jeremy”

Father: “Michael”.

Nurse: “um, we need a name”.

Mom: “Fine, how about Micheremy?”

Father, “No, but Jermichael would work”.

Jermichael.

Jokes aside - I’m excited to welcome Jermichael to the Packers. Exciting player.

Thoughts on the Packer Draft? Immediate grade: B

Packergeeks invites your comments/thoughts on this past weekend’s draft. Just to recap for reference sake, our 9 picks:

1. Jordy Nelson - WR
2. Brian Brohm - QB
3. Patrick Lee - CB
4. Jermichael Finley - TE
5. Jeremy Thompson - DE
6. Josh Sitton - G/T
7. Breno Giacomini - T
8. Matt Flynn - QB
9. Brett Swain -WR

Some of the reaction to the draft has been interesting. Some are ticked that we took 7 offensive players. Some are ticked we took 2 WR and 2 QBs. Some don’t like the attitude of Giacomini. Some think Patrick Lee is very mediocre. One guy (”Sparky” on WSSP) really didn’t like the draft and believes TT really blew this one. Doug Russell on WSSP earlier in the morning loves the draft. One of the guys at ESPN Milwaukee Radio is ticked at anyone who grades drafts saying you have to wait 3 years to know the true grade of a draft in the NFL. Yet, they then dissected the positive and negative points about the draft. It’s really the same thing fellas, you just didn’t assign a letter to it.

If I had a leaning at this point, overall I would fall in favor of his selections this past weekend. While I did not classify WR as a need position prior to the draft, our #4 (Robinson) and #5 (Martin) receivers are really only OK and could possibly be upgraded. Obtaining Jordy may not be a bad pick if he indeed has the upside TT and the staff believe he has. To be consistent, I have to support picking a bigger/possession-type WR as I have been asking for one for years. The Brett Swain pick is a bit more mysterious unless they have special teams thoughts for him or perhaps think he may be a Wes Welker-type slot receiver. Patrick Lee was a need pick, regardless of TT’s claim that he only picks the best player - TT knew we needed at least another corner to compete behind Harris and Woodson. I’m fine picking the 2 QBs, especially Brohm. He is a really good player - you gotta wonder how the draft would have turned out had Petrino stayed at Atlanta - would he have taken Brohm #3 - probably. (I do wonder if TT has a notion to develop Flynn and Brohm and try to deal one of them down the road, especially if one of them sees some back-up action and plays well - like Matt Schaub). I really like the TE pick-up: a young guy who is coachable, has tremendous athleticism, is a great receiver and at the same time someone who can be developed. And, some fresh blood at DE in Jeremy Thompson might help out what became a worn down pass rush by year’s end lasts year. And, we need bodies to compete on the O-Line - and importantly, once we decide who will play, we need to coach them hard and give them a chance to succeed. I don’t want this back-and-forth crap like last year.

I do wish TT had angled harder to pick up a viable RB (and/or a FB). Grant is very good and I am fairly confident he’ll continue to play well. But I don’t like the guys behind him. I heard Homer on ESPN radio over the weekend reminding us to not forget about Noah Herron. Listen, I like Herron because he’s from Milwaukee, but I don’t like him on the Packers and I really don’t like his hair. But I fear the Packers’ brass likes him because he’s solid, doesn’t make mistakes and works hard. I’m sorry, sometimes there’s more to football than working hard. It’s interesting really, with the RB position, we have Herron who works too hard with limited results, Jackson who works pretty hard with OK results, Morency who works sort of hard with nothing-nothing-nothing-big run-nothing, and then Wynn who doesn’t work hard at all and has decent results. I still believe we should have pulled something to pick up Rashard Mendenhall when he was in that brief, inexplicable free-fall in the first round. Or, Steve Slaton. We need some excitement back there and I want a viable 1-2 punch. That said, I will allow for the possibility that TT and MM have seen something from these other RB guys in the off-season I haven’t and that perhaps we may be more stable there than most of us presently think.

What are your thoughts on the overall draft by the Pack?

UPDATE: Forgot to add that I think we should have picked up a linebacker - even a 7th round guy to be a competitive body in camp. With 9 picks, TT should have been able to find one RB and LB who could contribute.

Packers select Jermichael Finley in 3rd round

Intriguing prospect. This guy made a surprising decision to enter the draft after having a solid year at Texas (as only a 3rd year sophomore). He indicates that he entered the draft primarily because he has a young family to take care of.

Read up here on this guy’s talents. I like drafting for a tight end - especially a 6′5″ guy who is 243lbs now, but with the capacity to add a good amount of weight without affecting his quickness. This guy’s athleticism is thought to be exceptional and I think this is a strong draft choice. He also apparently has great hands and is not afraid to contend for jump balls (could be valuable to Packers in the end zone). His blocking sounds like it needs improvement, but one comment made was that he’s very coachable (of course he is, most TT/MM draft picks are), so blocking can always be improved. Good pick.

I’ll leave you with this quote from the analysis:

“Finley will bring instant value in a double-tight end package, as he can line up in the slot, wide or in motion.”

Brian Brohm with 2nd pick, Patrick Lee with 3rd pick

What do we all think of that? Let Packergeeks know.

Brohm  - I like it. He was one of the players who would have been picked really high in last year’s draft had he come out. He can play and if you really analyze his 2007 year, he did little to hurt his stock. He is a very good quarterback and I really like Rodgers having some competition. Rodgers has shown some ability here and there but the truth is he’s still a bit of a question mark (especially with the injury concerns).

I think because most Packer fans are nice people, we are all rooting for Rodgers because he had to wait a few years patiently to get the chance to play - so we may feel a bit badly for him personally. In fact, I’ve already heard some out there (on radio broadcasts of the draft) not liking this pick because they feel Rodgers should just be given the starting job no question. I disagree. If Brohm comes in there and dominates, he should start. I like getting someone like this deep in the second round. Nice.

Lee - I heard one of the talk radio guys pulling for Patrick Lee - so he must be happy. I confess I know little about him. For those of you who also don’t know much about him - read up here. At least we drafted in more of a need area with this pick. I think it will be helpful to have another talented athlete back there. I do think that one thing TT has in mind when he makes picks is the confidence he has in the coaching staff and their ability to bring players along. From what I’ve read about Lee, sounds like he has some raw talent and speed, some quality return ability, but may also have to work some to be competitive at the next level.