Just reading today again that Brandon Jackson is expected to miss this week as well. Right now, we have 2 healthy halfbacks. Halfback is a position that sees plenty of injuries. I know the team thinks John Kuhn is able to switch in and play halfback because he did it in college – I don’t. That would be ugly. If Sutton were here now, he could be getting some playing time and doing some damage on the field because the guy can flat out play. Even though Jackson still has potential and I don’t think he’s bad, he has some trouble staying healthy. I know McCarthy/Thompson always have their reasons for cutting guys, but I still think cutting Sutton was a mistake. The fact that he was picked up instantly and put on a roster of a team that already had 3 quality RBs (Carolina) and not put on a practice squad, offers support for the argument that this was a mistake.
Couple the Sutton situation with the Desmond Bishop situation (plus a few others over the years), and it leads me to a small worry that sometimes MM/TT overlook obvious, obvious talent. Generally, they evaluate talent reasonably well, but there are times when I can’t possibly imagine how they arrive at their decisions. Cutting Tyrell Sutton is one of those decisions.
packergeeks 
September 18, 2009 at 9:21 am |
Andy – Agree with you re: Sutton, Bishop, Poppinga, and the whole punting fiasco last year. There always seem to be these decisions that defy common sense every year. Granted, it happens with all teams, but I think it is the cumulative effect of these small decisions that make the difference between a championship team and an also-ran team.
September 18, 2009 at 9:31 am |
Personally, I think TT and probably MM as well, have a hard time admitting they made a mistake. Poppinga is a prime example. Why is he playing and Bishop dwells on ST’s & the pine. I’m beginning to have my doubts about Hawk also. I think a much better choice would have been to keep Sutton & let one of those guys (preferably Poppinga) find employment elsewhere. Sutton was an undrafted FA and we all know TT’s not a real advocate of free agency. I like where the team is going but sometimes I think we’re taking the long way home.
Btw, this is strictly a personal observation but when the defense was introduced by the announcers the other night and they flashed up the pictures of the players at the bottom of the screen I couldn’t help but notice 2 resemblances. AJ Hawk reminded me of Woody Harrelson & Poppinga looked like Jack Nicholson in One FLew Over the Cuckoo’s nest, post frontal lobotomy. Just my wierd mind at work.
September 18, 2009 at 11:23 am |
You are SO right about T-Sutton. I’ve been a huge fan of his for years, watching him (a) make plays with his feet (quick enough) and legs (strong enough), (b) play hurt, (c) catch passes (led the nation in receiving by active RBs during his career)… and most importantly (D) PROVE PEOPLE WHO MAKE JUDGMENTS ABOUT HIM WRONG.
So now I have a reason to be a Carolina Panthers fan plus a Packer Backer. It will be sweet, but bittersweet, to follow the REST of Sutton’s career — and it will be a good one. Trust me on that. Five years of following this terrific (in more than one sense) guy on film, in person, and on the tube are more than enough to make that prediction.
Could I be wrong? Sure — he might get banged up in some serious way. Otherwise, he’ll be one of the NFL’s better stories.
September 18, 2009 at 11:59 am |
GET OVER IT ALREADY! Good Lord. How many boring Sutton articles are you guys going to post. He’s slow and small. Guys like him are a dime a dozen. Geesh. Move on and post some fresh material. WE ALL GET IT. PACKERGEEKS.COM IS UPSET THAT SUTTON GOT CUT. Message received! NEXT!
September 18, 2009 at 12:32 pm |
I have never seen so much written about an average looking back in my life. Yes, Carolina picked him up – they were the only team to put a claim in and one of their backs was injured.
Really – let it go.
September 18, 2009 at 1:36 pm |
Interesting frustration from a relatively innocent post. Easy. I had moved on, until I saw that the injury-prone Brandon Jackson would be out again and that we’d be down to just 2 RBs. It made me wish Sutton were there to help. That’s all. Yes, I’ve mentioned him a couple times since preseason, but I think you and Aaron are overstating things a bit here.
And Aaron, my man-love for Sutton pales in comparison to your Brandon Jackson yearning!
September 18, 2009 at 2:22 pm |
Whew, thought I was at PFT for a minute.
September 19, 2009 at 9:50 am |
[…] some playing time and doing some damage on the field because the guy can flat out play," writes Andy Hayes of packergeeks. "Even though Jackson still has potential and I don’t think he’s bad, he has some trouble […]
September 19, 2009 at 2:16 pm |
I follow Northwestern football with pretty close to the same fervor that I follow Packer football, so I’ve watched Sutton play throughout his college career. The guy can play, and I was disappointed to see the Packers release him despite the success he’d had in the preseason. And it was interesting to see the backlash against him from some corners after his initial success, some based on fact (“he’s small!”, “he’s playing against third teamers!”), some somewhat off-target (he’s slow!”), some completely uninformed (“Deshawn Wynn catches the ball better out of the backfield!”).
Against the Bears, we got to see the guy who did Wynn the roster spot perform not particularly well, even in those areas (pass protection) where he was clearly a superior option to Sutton. I can’t say that Sutton would have done any better, but I’m not sure he’d have done a lot worse either.
I think Jackson’s injury hurt Sutton’s chances to make the team. Because of his size, the club did not want him being the only backup available, and they had decided that there were only three spots available. Had Jackson been healthy, I think the decision may very well have been different.
September 19, 2009 at 3:33 pm |
Nice Andrew 😉
You mean the Brandon Jackson who took over the primary-back duties when Grant hurt his fingernail against Carolina and proceeded to look better than Grant had all year? The Jackson that has actually performed, and performed well, against NFL starters? Yes, I like Jackson much, much, much more than some Whisper Goodman clone…
September 20, 2009 at 6:31 pm |
Yeah, our running back situation is fine. Today Grant has 17 touches (14 runs, 3 passes) for 46 rushing yards, plus 22 receiving yards offset by a fumble. And our backup rusher, #12 chips in with 43 yards while doubling as QB. Brandon Jackson is where again? Meanwhile Cedric Benson goes for 141.
Carolina has 144 rushing yards rushing between Stewart and Williams, and they add 46 receiving on 6 catches, which would make 190 out of the backfield — with Sutton in reserve (inactive).
Like I said, the Packers are an “A” in evaluating and coaching QBs and Receivers, but a “C-/D+” at best in terms of ball carriers.
All Sutton did in the Big Ten was find holes where others couldn’t, move the pile when others didn’t, and catch more passes than any other RB in the country. With a line that was kind of spotty. Nothing we could use at the moment. Nah, he’s a Whisper Goodman. I was kind of thinking he’s a Rocky Bleier, but what do I know? Anyway, Ohio State decided he was too small. The Packers decided to say “thanks, but no thanks”. But his career will go on in spite of two organizations and a bunch of fans that think he can’t play. He’s in a good place now, ready to break in when someone gets nicked up.
Meanwhile, in today’s early games — every team had more production from their #1, or a combination of #1/#2 splitting running duties, than did Grant, the only one to get a handoff today. Only the Texans were close with 59 to Grant’s 46. I’ve nothing against Ryan, but it would be nice to have another guy come in and mix things up a bit, no?
No problem, though, for the Pack. Who needs a running game?
November 26, 2009 at 2:12 am |
http://cbs2chicago.com/wireapsportsil/From.pewee.football.2.1334522.html