Big play yielding, injury prone 25 year old. Not a great start.
On Goodson, I noticed him a couple games ago.
When he got in, he had perfect pre-snap mechanics.
He was text book.
After some decent coverage, he screwed up and got beat on a basic route.
Last game, the wheels came off.
After his first spinerelly, he looked like a lost kid at the mall searching for mom.
A year on PS, OTA's and another camp might get him together, but I'd think not.
He's got miles to go.
Didn't really get a good look at Pennel today. Rolle, Elliott, and Janis all locked in their spots tonight.
Bud Adams told me the franchise he admired the most was the Kansas City Chiefs. Then he asked for more hookers and blow.
I won't get to see the game until after cuts, so I might as well make my predictions based on other people's observations:
QB (3) Aaron Rodgers, Matt Flynn, Scott Tolzien
RB (4) Eddie Lacy, James Starks, DuJuan Harris, John Kuhn
WR (5) Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Jarrett Boykin, Davante Adams, Jeff Janis
TE (4) Richard Rodgers, Andrew Quarless, Brandon Bostick, Ryan Taylor
OL (8) David Bakhtiari, Josh Sitton, J.C. Tretter, T.J. Lang, Bryan Bulaga, Derek Sherrod, Corey Linsley, Lane Taylor
DL (5) Mike Daniels, Datone Jones, Josh Boyd, Letroy Guion, Mike Pennel
OLB (5) Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers, Mike Neal, Nick Perry, Jayrone Elliott
ILB (5) Brad Jones, A.J. Hawk, Jamari Lattimore, Sam Barrington, Carl Bradford
CB (6) Sam Shields, Tramon Williams, Casey Hayward, Davon House, Jarrett Bush, Jumal Rolle
S (5) Morgan Burnett, Micah Hyde, Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix, Sean Richardson, Chris Banjo
ST (3) Mason Crosby, Tim Masthay, Brett Goode
Last 3 on vs. Last 3 off: Flynn, Bradford, Taylor vs. Mulumba, Dorsey, Stoneburner. They could easily roll with just Rodgers and Tolzien, but I think the chemistry is good in the QB room. I'm not sure any of the last three guys off would make a big enough difference to go another direction. I really want to put Stoneburner over Taylor, but Taylor trumps him on special teams. I think Dorsey has a future in the NFL, but he didn't take advantage of his chances. It sounds like Bradford showed enough at ILB to give Thompson a reason to keep the 4th round pick. I'm not sure Mulumba has enough pass rush potential to warrant a spot, but he could make it on special teams.
"There's a lot of interest in the draft. It's great. But quite frankly, most of the people that are commenting on it don't know anything about what they are talking about."--Ted Thompson
The more I think on it, the more I could see the team cutting Tramon or perhaps (if the right partner stepped forward) trading him. His cap number is 9.5m and his dead money is only 2.3 or thereabouts.
I know he's still a good player, but he's 31 and CB is kind of deep for us...
Hubbard has a way to go, but both he and Elliot have a body type the Packers haven't had with the exception of Peppers. And Elliot knows how to leverage that length to get around a corner. He's like a can opener.
Hubbard might need to gain 40 pounds. He looks like a mall forward at 250.
Bud Adams told me the franchise he admired the most was the Kansas City Chiefs. Then he asked for more hookers and blow.
Chris Banjo is an interesting case. Solidified his value on ST last night, but most reports are that he is clearly the #5 safety, behind Richardson. That being the case, will he even be active on game days? Or, do you sit Richardson if the three above him are healthy, and keep Banjo active for special teams? Some games they have gone with only 3 active safeties. I'm not sure it makes a lot of sense to keep 5 safeties.
I was about to post a 53 and read this article to get a bit more perspective. I'm not a huge fan of Pete Dougherty but I think he's all over the 53. Injuries to Thornton and Palmer have cleared some things up for what may have been fringe spots.
53 man prediction
1. I'm torn on the 2 or 3 QB question. Both have played well enough to make it but I still have some questions on Tolzien for the short-term so as much as it's a waste of a spot for this year I think holding onto both might be the answer.
2. For me it comes down to four of Flynn/Tolzien/Stoneburner/Rolle/Banjo. Stoneburner would probably be most likely to pass through to the PS. Unless injuries come on the outside, Banjo appears to have more gameday value than Rolle but Rolle may have a higher likelihood of being claimed by someone due to the supply and demand of serviceable CB's throughout the league.
2. Bradford moves forward well and tackled well but is not ready for primetime at ILB. He gave up the TD to the TE in the red zone and I'd fear he'd get picked on big time against NFL starters who are actually game planning to win as opposed to evaluate the bottom of the roster at cut-down time. He can't make the team unless he's a primary special teams contributor and I've seen or read nothing of that sort to date.
3. White is ahead of Dorsey I think. Both have been inconsistent throughout camp so I'd be a bit surprised to see either on the 53 but White is the better receiver IMO and as a safety on kickoff coverage has some value. Gillette's a hard-nosed kid that coaches have to love so I see two maybe even all 3 of these guys on the PS.
4. 5 is a little light on the DL but with the way the Packers play plus having Peppers, Neal and even Perry likely putting their hand on the ground in certain packages/situations it makes sense. They should be OK with Gray on the PS ready for call-up.
Last edited by vince; 08-29-2014 at 09:25 AM.
You sure about Elliot??
He may have 5 sacks this preseason, but what I saw last night was what I saw when I looked him up on youtube - a guy who doesn't use his hands at all. He may have the speed and athletic ability to get the corner against scrubs, but against starting calibur NFL linemen - he's going nowhere.
He might as well be a double arm amputee for as much as he uses his hands... If a guy can't keep seperation from a blocker by locking out, he can't set the edge; and if he can't hand fight his pass rush is dead; it's why pass rushers with short arms are at a distinct disadvantage against long-armed OT's.
They may very well keep him on the roster - b/c he does have ability, and maybe they figure they can coach him up, but until he figures out how to use his hands, he has no chance of succeeding in the NFL.
wist
Elliot's sack last night was against KCs starting right tackle, as I believe was the holding penalty on the previous play, and a blatant hold on the first KC drive that wasn't called.
Elliot has earned the spot and no way would he clear waivers.
(Although he is raw--there were several plays where he took himself out, overran the run, etc. But even just as a situational pass rushers he has great potential)
He's terrific at anticipating the snap count and clearly understands leverage well enough to beat his guy inside. I see what wists saying in that he's a long guy who doesn't play that long but hes got some moves with his hands. Watch his sack against the Raiders he does everything perfect. He's the first one off the line, karate chops the OT's arms off and blows past him before he can regain balance. I think if he were stronger he might be able to play a bit longer. His arm tackles look like running through pool noodles.
70% of the Earth is covered by water. The rest is covered by Al Harris.
What jdrats said. I wasn't saying he should start or anything. Just that he has shown too much promise to cut. Of all the things an OLB must do, hand technique seems like one of the easier to fix, or at least it's possible.
Elliot went undrafted for a reason(s)... his hands would be at the top of that list I'd imagine.
As I said in another thread - go back and look at his college tape... no motor, and it looks like his arms are duct taped to his sides.
You can see the athletic ability. He's long, long arms, good take off... but the entire time I watched him, I wanted him to do something, anything - if the play went away from him he just jogged down the line, he didn't seem to have any instincts, and then there is the lack of effective hand use.
I'm sure his college coaches were constantly in his ear about it - yet he's still doing it. They may keep him for what he could be, but if hasn't figured out that he has to use his hands by now, he may never.
wist
At best, Elliot would start the season as the 5th OLB. He won't even be active on game days. He will be kept for developmental purposes, because it is unlikely he would get through to the PS simply because of the highlights he has had. His weaknesses now are inconsequential, because he won't play until he improves on them, or the position is devastated with injuries. It's all about potential for the future with him.