Richard Rodgers: You Make The Call!

[Guiness]

The TE grouping is shaping up to be a pretty interesting bunch, a lot of players there that could all make the team. I really have no idea who it's going to be.

Quarless and Taylor are the vets and should be safe.
Bostick is going into his second season, and played well enough last year. Stoneburner was on the PS, got called up late in the year.

Add Rodgers, Lyerla and Perillo to that mix - can't see Rodgers, who was a draft pick, getting cut, and he seems to be playing well. Lyerla is supposed to be a 1st round talent if he can keep his nose clean (he has, biggest thing we've heard is a burger joint sighting!) and there's been a lot of good press about Perillo!

Really don't know what's going to happen here when the cuts start.

[texaspackerbacker]

And on top of that, most of what we've heard about in camp is the wideouts and now increased passing to the backs.

I wonder where there could be roster trimming to allow keeping more TEs - 5 or even 6. Getting by with two QBs? a risk. Using Linsley as a long snapper to save a spot? hardly even talked about. It seems like we are talent-heavy at least in terms of quantity across the board on defense. Maybe only 8 O Linemen instead of 9, but that's barely a start.

[hoosier]

The TE grouping is shaping up to be a pretty interesting bunch, a lot of players there that could all make the team. I really have no idea who it's going to be.

Quarless and Taylor are the vets and should be safe.
Bostick is going into his second season, and played well enough last year. Stoneburner was on the PS, got called up late in the year.

Add Rodgers, Lyerla and Perillo to that mix - can't see Rodgers, who was a draft pick, getting cut, and he seems to be playing well. Lyerla is supposed to be a 1st round talent if he can keep his nose clean (he has, biggest thing we've heard is a burger joint sighting!) and there's been a lot of good press about Perillo!

Really don't know what's going to happen here when the cuts start.

It is sounding more and more like they will keep 7 TEs this year.

If that doesn't pan out, my prediction is that the other Rodgers will win the starting position outright in TC. They will keep Bostick, Quarless and Taylor. Lyerla and/or Perillo to the PC. While I haven't seen him play, I have this intuition that there is something off in Lyerla's game. Maybe it is just that he hasn't played in forever and is rusty, but the initial reports of Perillo outshining him by a mile were not encouraging. And in a Ron Wolf special, Stoneburner gets traded to Oakland for past considerations.

[texaspackerbacker]

It is sounding more and more like they will keep 7 TEs this year.

If that doesn't pan out, my prediction is that the other Rodgers will win the starting position outright in TC. They will keep Bostick, Quarless and Taylor. Lyerla and/or Perillo to the PC. While I haven't seen him play, I have this intuition that there is something off in Lyerla's game. Maybe it is just that he hasn't played in forever and is rusty, but the initial reports of Perillo outshining him by a mile were not encouraging. And in a Ron Wolf special, Stoneburner gets traded to Oakland for past considerations.

I can't tell if that's sarcasm or not. As I often ask my wife when she comes up with a crazy idea, what is the rest of your plan to make that happen?

[smuggler]

You can safely assume it's sarcasm based on the fact he suggested we may keep seven TE this year, three more than we typically do.

[Fritz]

It is sounding more and more like they will keep 7 TEs this year.

If that doesn't pan out, my prediction is that the other Rodgers will win the starting position outright in TC. They will keep Bostick, Quarless and Taylor. Lyerla and/or Perillo to the PC. While I haven't seen him play, I have this intuition that there is something off in Lyerla's game. Maybe it is just that he hasn't played in forever and is rusty, but the initial reports of Perillo outshining him by a mile were not encouraging. And in a Ron Wolf special, Stoneburner gets traded to Oakland for past considerations.

I think Bostick and Stoneburner are more vulnerable to being cut than most people think. Bostick is going into year three - now's the time, if he's ever going to show that he can stay healthy, block, and know the offense inside and out. Sinc Stoneburner is Bostick Part II, I think one of them will be cut. I also think Lyerla is not going to show enough.

[Guiness]

I think Bostick and Stoneburner are more vulnerable to being cut than most people think. Bostick is going into year three - now's the time, if he's ever going to show that he can stay healthy, block, and know the offense inside and out. Sinc Stoneburner is Bostick Part II, I think one of them will be cut. I also think Lyerla is not going to show enough.

If you assume Quarless and Taylor stay, and Rodgers gets a pass because of his draft status (reports are he's been playing well enough to not need a pass) that leaves one spot between Stoneburner, Bostick, Lyerla and Perillo. I don't think Lyerla would make it to the PS if he continues to behave himself - someone else will want to have a look at him.

So I go back to Quarless and Taylor. I don't thing either have done enough to assure themselves of a spot on the team and I see them both as being vulnerable. Quarless had an ok season last year, but his blocking is still not great. Taylor's contribution is almost entirely on STs, going into his 4th season, they might want more than that.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Quarless came back from injury, improved through last season. You can pencil him into a roster spot.

[Harlan Huckleby]

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packe...269633481.html

Reading the Bob McGinn article about the TEs left me unthrilled.

"You can't replace Jermichael because of his talent, his size, his stature," Stoneburner said. "That was a lot of experience we don't have. As a whole, maybe we can duplicate it."

Fuck that platoon talk. If you have three guys good enough to be the starter, you probably got none. Finley was a good, not great, TE. We need somebody to be as good as Finley. Rodgers or Bostick.

[Joemailman]

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packe...269633481.html

Reading the Bob McGinn article about the TEs left me unthrilled.

"You can't replace Jermichael because of his talent, his size, his stature," Stoneburner said. "That was a lot of experience we don't have. As a whole, maybe we can duplicate it."

Fuck that platoon talk. If you have three guys good enough to be the starter, you probably got none. Finley was a good, not great, TE. We need somebody to be as good as Finley. Rodgers or Bostick.

Pretty rare for rookie TE's to make a big impact. I think Bostick is the best bet. He should know the offense by now, and probably is the TE most similar to Finley physically. Quarless may start out as the starter because of inexperience, but may not be able to hold it.

[Patler]

Bostic has had a couple mental gaffes already in camp. I'm not sure he will stick around if there are anymore.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Bostic has had a couple mental gaffes already in camp. I'm not sure he will stick around if there are anymore.

Actually this sounds like perfect replacement for Finley.

[hoosier]

You can safely assume it's sarcasm based on the fact he suggested we may keep seven TE this year, three more than we typically do.

The seven TEs was sarcasm, but my keepers wasn't. I expect Rodgers to emerge as the best of the bunch. They keep Quarless because he can do everything serviceably well, but unfortunately that is all he will ever do--I suspect he has reached his ceiling. Taylor is ok as a third TE/ST player. Bostick looks to me like the second coming of Tyrone Davis, a guy you think might have it in him to become Keith Jackson II but it never quite materializes. Stoneburner and Lyerla are undistinguished.

[texaspackerbacker]

I figured 7 was sarcasm, but I wouldn't rule out finding a way to keep 6 - and 5 is a strong possibility.

I think they are giving all or most of them a chance to make Taylor unnecessary to keep. That doesn't mean it's gonna happen, though. Time will tell whether we have a lot of quality depth or just a bunch of fairly equal mediocrity. I'm an optimist; I lean toward thinking they are decent, and that Quarless and Rodgers are gonna step up and do better than Finley at his best.

[hoosier]

I figured 7 was sarcasm, but I wouldn't rule out finding a way to keep 6 - and 5 is a strong possibility.

I think they are giving all or most of them a chance to make Taylor unnecessary to keep. That doesn't mean it's gonna happen, though. Time will tell whether we have a lot of quality depth or just a bunch of fairly equal mediocrity. I'm an optimist; I lean toward thinking they are decent, and that Quarless and Rodgers are gonna step up and do better than Finley at his best.

The two things Taylor is good at--blocking and special teams--don't really show up at all in the other guys's repertoires, so I think Taylor sticks unless they decide they don't need a blocking TE this year (very unlikely). Keeping a lot of TEs will mean cutting someone who has decent upside at another position such as WR. I would bet on TT keeping more players at a position of strength instead of stockpiling mediocrity at TE.

[Bretsky]

With Jermicahael Finley, lets call a spade a spade.

We will miss his elite talent. No TE on this roster has the combo of skills he brings. DC's game planned for Finley; they won't with our current TE's.

What we don't miss is his perceieved occasional arrogance and the mentality he sometimes gives off.

But talent wise he is elite.

I think the combo of TE's we have can do a fine job though.

[Pugger]

Actually this sounds like perfect replacement for Finley.

[pbmax]

DC's game planned for Finley; they won't with our current TE's.

I actually don't believe this has been the case since 2010. But I am interested in why you think this was still happening.

[mission]

I think Rodgers will be pretty good. Looks huge next to the other TEs except Bostick.

And not sure what you guys are reading about BB, but he's been flashing all camp... no way he gets cut. I'll take any bet on that. PM me.

[Joemailman]

According to JSO, Rodgers' weight is up in the 270-275 range. He'd be an imposing guy if he can run well at that weight.