Quote Originally Posted by Patler View Post
Sherrod was hurt in week 15. He missed two weeks of the season. How much more did he need before you would count his rookie season as a season played for the Packers?

Rookies who don't play a lot but practice all year are not expected to play like rookies the next year. It is when they are supposed to make the big jump. This should be Sherrod's year to make the jump.

Are you giving Datone Jones the same leniency this year. Do you have no expectations for him simply because he didn't play much last year? Or, do you expect him to step up his game because he has had a year with the team already?
We've been through the rookie year before. Its does not mean as much now that he has had a full offseason program but his rookie year was marked by two very odd factors.

1. No offseason program. If Datone Jones had no offseason program his rookie year and just camp and a few games, I would expect him to be behind other typical second year players.

2. Camp was shortened by the lockout. Then he started out splitting reps with Lang at Guard. So of that truncated camp, he only spent the last week or two full time at tackle. By then McCarthy has switched to his regular season practice schedule and dialed back the number of practices. During the regular season he is on the scout team running other teams plays and a minimum of padded, live work.

So even without the injury, he wasn't going to be a typical second year player, that much is simply obvious. The problem is that now, still in his second year, if we count by number of practices (and with one full offseason), he has not progressed. The more distressing thing is that in some ways, he may have regressed.