- I am surprised we didn’t try to hang on to Graham Harrell or at least hang onto him and then trade him. We put significant time/energy into teaching this guy our system and by all appearances, he learned it well.
- I’m surprised Brad Jones kept a spot. He has not looked good in the preseason.
- Clearly the team believes that TEs can be taught the FB position. We have seen this more and more the last few years with TEs stepping into the backfield to block etc. Still I’m a bit concerned about having only 1 FB – especially because Kuhn himself is not actually a FB…remember Kuhn was a RB in college.
- I’m a bit concerned with getting rid of Quinn Johnson. I thought he had potential to be a Vonta Leach-type FB who could seriously clear space. I know his performance over time with us was not stellar and that perhaps the coaches thought he wasn’t developing fast enough. But I just thought he had considerable potential. And again, it’s difficult knowing we have no pure FBs on the roster right now.
- While I like TEs and believe it’s important to have depth there, I’m wondering what the meaning behind drafting so many in recent years is. Is there little desire/plan to re-sign Finley, so TT and MM are wanting to develop depth now? Is the plan to teach all TEs both the TE and FB positions – essentially getting rid of the FB role? If this is the plan (and it appears as though it is), is this being done in part because TEs somehow are more valuable on special teams?
- OK, enough about TEs and FBs. It’s unfortunate that we’re only keeping 5 WRs. I think a few of those WRs showed well in camp including Gurley, West and even Kerry Taylor – and I think keeping one of them would have made some sense. In particular, I think Gurley would have been a nice addition not just because of his WR skills, but because of his punt blocking talent. Jsonline had an article a few weeks back about Gurley and his punt blocking abilities. Even having the threat of a punt blocker out there can mess with an opposing punter’s mindset. It’s the kind of talent that could change games.
- I won’t lose sleep over these cuts. The Packers still have an awesome team this year.
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packergeeks 
September 4, 2011 at 10:10 am |
8 Olineman? The Backups – Sherrod a rookie that needs a lot of work. Newhouse a 2nd year player whose skills still need a whole lot of honing. And, EDS. In my opinion another Moll/Spitz/Breno. TT has to have a better plan than that.
In the interum, I’m off to say a novena for Clifton.
September 4, 2011 at 11:54 am |
Agree Ron – I forgot to mention that even though it needs to be mentioned. wonder if they plan to keep a fair # of guys on the practice squad.
September 4, 2011 at 12:32 pm |
Not much to add yto what you guys have already mentioned. I’d sat it’s a safe bet that a lot of teams are srutinizing the Packer cuts. I’m also sure that TT is looking at what might be available re: other practice squads should that become necessary. Really was surprised to see them let Harrell go and also wonder if Finley’s longevity might be an issue for TT/MM thus the # of TEs.
September 4, 2011 at 12:33 pm |
Sorry, new keyboard–guess I’ll need to proofread a little better
September 4, 2011 at 12:35 pm |
Wow, the Bears signed Brandon Meriweather
September 4, 2011 at 1:46 pm |
Well I’m a bit surprised that the Packers managed to keep these guys on the practice squad.
Gurley, West, Borel, Harrell, Ray Dominguez, Sampson Genus, Brandian Ross, Brandon Saine.
Can’t believe we were able to keep all those WRs with us on the Practice squad, and Harrell will be here longer to help learn the system. Next year could be interesting when these players develop a bit more.
In terms of depth on O line. I didn’t even notice it until now, but it’s actually a bit concerning. There really is no backup there than can just step in and cause things to not lose a step. Couple years ago when Rodgers got sacked 50+ times, things on the line was very shaky. No real chemistry and just everything in sorts on the line.
We are one step away from it being like that again if somebody goes down. Sherrod may be a great lineman in the future, but he’s got plenty of work to do and starting is not an option at this point.
Recently we had Bulaga and Lang as backups. Those 2 guys you could trust could come in and do a decent job. You don’t feel that same way now with the guys we have right now.
Chances are something will happen at some point in the season. A lineman will get hurt, and miss time. Not necessarily for the year, but a backup would have to step in. Rodgers is the key to this offense. We need him healthy, not only for this year, but for years to come so his body can hold up down the road.
I like Clifton, he’s been a great Packer for years. He still can do it. Lang, has proven to be serviceable, and to be counted on. I know he can do it. Wells and Sitton, they both do a great job. And Bulaga, he’s learning at a pretty good pace, and has done a great job since he came in as a rookie.
I don’t have many concerns about the line other than a bit of rust and the line needing to gain that chemistry. To work well as a unit. When it’s the same guys every day, at the same position, they start to really build on that and solidify. But with the short off season and a bit of experimenting, we’ve lost some time to achieve that, and our line still needs to solidify a bit more. I think they will get there at some point, but the sooner the better.
The other issue is obviously health. Because the depth is very thin, somebody going down will really derail this line. This is a major concern and I think the team needs to figure out a better solution to the one we’ve accumulated now because I don’t think the depth we have is the answer.
In the end, I don’t think this is it. We could see a move or two before Thursday. I don’t think Ted wants to roll the dice with these 8 lineman. He knows what can happen when the line is in shambles. It must be fresh in his memory being only a couple years ago. Unless they really trust the guys they have to step in, I think they plan to address this issue real soon.
But like Andy said, I still like this team. We got a lot of great things all over the place and certainly have a team that is in contention and could do some big things again this year!
September 4, 2011 at 2:18 pm |
Trav, Maybe our view of those guys is from a different percpective than the rest of the league. Or, the owners have conspired and agreed to leave each others prime cuts (a little butcher analogy) alone.
September 4, 2011 at 8:23 pm |
I think MM and TT are little more encouraged by Sherrod at G then most fans. They must have faith that if Lang or Sitton go down then Sherrod can step in and be at least adequate. I tend to agree. It might be tough if we have an injury early in the season but I think Sherrod will be able to step in and play NFL quality guard if needed.
I also get the sense they are really high on Newhouse. They feel that they have 7 guys (Bulaga, Sitton, Wells, Lang, Clifton, Sherrod, and Newhouse) that can play at a high enough level. Between those seven they feel they can patch things up in case of injury. Plus, they only keep 7 o-lineman active on game day and you don’t cut quality players elsewhere on the roster for o-lineman that you don’t feel are NFL quality.
September 4, 2011 at 8:48 pm |
Im not worried about anything right now. Having the 2 OL guys on the PS is really no different than them being on the 53 except the fact that another team could snatch them up. Im sure everyone on the PS has been told they will get promoted if another team comes sniffing around. They will practice every day with the team and when they improve enough or an injury happens then they will get called up.
I was glad to see guys like Gurley, West and Harrell make it to the PS though.
September 5, 2011 at 8:48 am |
Regarding O-line depth, is Tauscher still working out in case he gets a call?
September 6, 2011 at 7:45 am |
Why are you so concerned about the cuts? All the guys, save Johnson, are now on our practice squad.
September 6, 2011 at 8:04 am |
christo – as I indicated, I’m not going to lose sleep over any of these cuts – the team is just fine. But I am surprised that so many of these guys were available for us to pick back up after being cut. Especially guys like Harrell and West. I’m pleased we were able to retain these guys on the practice squad.
September 6, 2011 at 8:20 am |
I think the bigger problem is that Packer fans are starting to lose their perspective… with the assumption that whomever we draft will be coveted by the rest of the league. Although I too am glad – and surprised – that our WR’s cleared waivers — maybe they just aren’t as good we think/thought they were…
September 6, 2011 at 11:47 am |
The fact that Harrell, Gurley, and West cleared waivers and signed to the practice squad is further evidence (as if we needed any) that TT knows exactly what he is doing …
September 6, 2011 at 1:50 pm |
These players clearing waivers is more a reflection on how young they are and how close to the start of season we are then their talent level. These are rookie WR’s that had a very abbreviated off-season. Many teams may think Gurley or West have better talent then their 3rd WR but the season starts next week and right now for most teams its about installing week one game plan and winning a game. They just do not have the luxury of bringing in a rookie WR who doesn’t know the system, the playbook, the route tree, etc… Not only are you bringing in a WR that isn’t ready to contribute but you then have to boot a player off your roster that probably can contribute.
The Packers won the Superbowl last year. They have a loaded roster by most accounts. Yet, they have only 6 players over age 30 and have the 2nd youngest roster in the league. (Tampa is first this year) TT isn’t perfect but he is damn good at talent evaluation and this coaching staff is damn good at coaching up young players and plugging them into their system. I do it also but it seems silly to 2nd guess TT and MM on how they churn the bottom of the roster.