motife
05-24-2006, 01:56 AM
Young receivers show promise, raise competition level
Posted: May 22, 2006
Cliff Christl
Green Bay - While the draft is the lifeblood of every National Football League franchise and unrestricted free agents might be able to better fill urgent needs, it's essential that the Green Bay Packers, not to mention the other 31 teams, be vigilant about exploring every available means for acquiring players.
Too many make it after coming into the league as undrafted free agents or after their second, third or even fourth or fifth stops to be summarily dismissed as rubbish.
In turn, uncovering hidden gems on football's scrap heaps can play a big part in creating competition in training camp and developing a winning team. And that's why one of the more interesting plots this summer might be the battle for the six wide receiver spots that coach Mike McCarthy has said will be available.
It's a position where the Packers desperately need help following the loss of Javon Walker, their most dangerous vertical weapon. It's also a position that's undergoing a transition from some of the midgets who lined up there last year to a field of 12 candidates who average 6 feet 1 inch in height.
Only second-round draft pick Greg Jennings, at 5-11, stands less than 6 feet.
At this point, Donald Driver and Jennings probably are the only locks to make the final roster. But Robert Ferguson and Rod Gardner have shown enough in two minicamps to look safe. And unrestricted free agent Marc Boerigter probably is the frontrunner for the fifth spot.
But that still leaves at least one opening and there could be more. And, again, based on the minicamps, the competition might be fiercer than you'd expect from a lot of mostly street and undrafted free agents. Eight of the 12 candidates are either rookies or first-year men and only two of those were draft picks. But, so far this spring, they've all flashed some ability and pretty much caught the ball consistently, minus Chad Lucas and Vince Butler, the two candidates who played in NFL Europe.
A word of caution here.
Nobody in the group is going to make anyone forget Walker or even come close to filling the hole he left. And it's not unusual for young wide receivers to show promise in a minicamp and fizzle out in training camp. For example, Butler shined at times in minicamp last year, but never jumped out in training camp and failed to make it to the final cut, although he was added to the practice squad in early November.
In the end, the Packers might keep their four veterans and two draft picks - Cory Rodgers is the other in addition to Jennings - and the other six candidates might never be heard from again.
But street free agent Ruvell Martin and undrafted free agents Leo Bookman, Calvin Russell and Chris Francies might at least create a competitive situation.
Martin is a big target at 6-4 and 217 pounds. And in two minicamps, he made several big plays, while dropping only one ball, maybe two, depending on various definitions of a drop.
Martin isn't a burner. He was last timed in the 40-yard dash at 4.58 and 4.52 seconds. And he didn't play big-time college football. He's a product of NCAA Division II Saginaw Valley State.
But he has been to two camps with the San Diego Chargers, making it to the final cut last year, and the Packers liked him enough to have kept him on the practice squad for the final seven games last season. He also led NFL Europe in receiving yards and touchdown catches a year ago.
Bookman is another big target at 6-2, 212, and also the fastest of the group. He said the Packers had timed him at 4.19 and 4.25 seconds in the 40 in a workout at the Hutson Center. Bookman last played football at Kansas in 2003, but he spent the past two seasons running professional track.
A sprinter, he said his personal best was a 10.04 in the 100 meters. That doesn't put him in Justin Gatlin's class - Gatlin recently tied the world record at 9.77 - but it certainly would make him one of the fastest players in the NFL.
Russell (6-0, 190) started for two years at Tuskegee and he said he ran a 4.46 40 for the Atlanta Falcons before the draft. Three other teams also liked him enough to offer a free agent deal after the draft: Baltimore, Indianapolis and Kansas City.
Francies (6-1, 193) said he ran a 4.47 and a 4.52 on pro day at Texas-El Paso, where he started for three years.
Lucas and Butler, both of whom finished last season on the Packers' practice squad, also will be in the mix, although they'll have to catch up after missing both minicamps and also overcome the challenge of jumping from one season to the next.
They'll be playing this weekend for the Amsterdam Admirals in NFL Europe's World Bowl. Lucas led the league in scoring with eight touchdown catches and ranked sixth with 27 receptions. Butler caught 13 passes as a backup.
It figures to be the little things in the end that will determine each receiver's fate. Francies, for example, has struggled in the two minicamps against press coverage. And it may turn out that none of them will pass that test.
But it's an intriguing group, considering their relatively humble backgrounds, and just one small area where the Packers could take some baby steps forward.
Posted: May 22, 2006
Cliff Christl
Green Bay - While the draft is the lifeblood of every National Football League franchise and unrestricted free agents might be able to better fill urgent needs, it's essential that the Green Bay Packers, not to mention the other 31 teams, be vigilant about exploring every available means for acquiring players.
Too many make it after coming into the league as undrafted free agents or after their second, third or even fourth or fifth stops to be summarily dismissed as rubbish.
In turn, uncovering hidden gems on football's scrap heaps can play a big part in creating competition in training camp and developing a winning team. And that's why one of the more interesting plots this summer might be the battle for the six wide receiver spots that coach Mike McCarthy has said will be available.
It's a position where the Packers desperately need help following the loss of Javon Walker, their most dangerous vertical weapon. It's also a position that's undergoing a transition from some of the midgets who lined up there last year to a field of 12 candidates who average 6 feet 1 inch in height.
Only second-round draft pick Greg Jennings, at 5-11, stands less than 6 feet.
At this point, Donald Driver and Jennings probably are the only locks to make the final roster. But Robert Ferguson and Rod Gardner have shown enough in two minicamps to look safe. And unrestricted free agent Marc Boerigter probably is the frontrunner for the fifth spot.
But that still leaves at least one opening and there could be more. And, again, based on the minicamps, the competition might be fiercer than you'd expect from a lot of mostly street and undrafted free agents. Eight of the 12 candidates are either rookies or first-year men and only two of those were draft picks. But, so far this spring, they've all flashed some ability and pretty much caught the ball consistently, minus Chad Lucas and Vince Butler, the two candidates who played in NFL Europe.
A word of caution here.
Nobody in the group is going to make anyone forget Walker or even come close to filling the hole he left. And it's not unusual for young wide receivers to show promise in a minicamp and fizzle out in training camp. For example, Butler shined at times in minicamp last year, but never jumped out in training camp and failed to make it to the final cut, although he was added to the practice squad in early November.
In the end, the Packers might keep their four veterans and two draft picks - Cory Rodgers is the other in addition to Jennings - and the other six candidates might never be heard from again.
But street free agent Ruvell Martin and undrafted free agents Leo Bookman, Calvin Russell and Chris Francies might at least create a competitive situation.
Martin is a big target at 6-4 and 217 pounds. And in two minicamps, he made several big plays, while dropping only one ball, maybe two, depending on various definitions of a drop.
Martin isn't a burner. He was last timed in the 40-yard dash at 4.58 and 4.52 seconds. And he didn't play big-time college football. He's a product of NCAA Division II Saginaw Valley State.
But he has been to two camps with the San Diego Chargers, making it to the final cut last year, and the Packers liked him enough to have kept him on the practice squad for the final seven games last season. He also led NFL Europe in receiving yards and touchdown catches a year ago.
Bookman is another big target at 6-2, 212, and also the fastest of the group. He said the Packers had timed him at 4.19 and 4.25 seconds in the 40 in a workout at the Hutson Center. Bookman last played football at Kansas in 2003, but he spent the past two seasons running professional track.
A sprinter, he said his personal best was a 10.04 in the 100 meters. That doesn't put him in Justin Gatlin's class - Gatlin recently tied the world record at 9.77 - but it certainly would make him one of the fastest players in the NFL.
Russell (6-0, 190) started for two years at Tuskegee and he said he ran a 4.46 40 for the Atlanta Falcons before the draft. Three other teams also liked him enough to offer a free agent deal after the draft: Baltimore, Indianapolis and Kansas City.
Francies (6-1, 193) said he ran a 4.47 and a 4.52 on pro day at Texas-El Paso, where he started for three years.
Lucas and Butler, both of whom finished last season on the Packers' practice squad, also will be in the mix, although they'll have to catch up after missing both minicamps and also overcome the challenge of jumping from one season to the next.
They'll be playing this weekend for the Amsterdam Admirals in NFL Europe's World Bowl. Lucas led the league in scoring with eight touchdown catches and ranked sixth with 27 receptions. Butler caught 13 passes as a backup.
It figures to be the little things in the end that will determine each receiver's fate. Francies, for example, has struggled in the two minicamps against press coverage. And it may turn out that none of them will pass that test.
But it's an intriguing group, considering their relatively humble backgrounds, and just one small area where the Packers could take some baby steps forward.