Pack signs a linebacker IR's Humphrey

[CaptainKickass]

From Packers.com:



The Green Bay Packers have signed linebacker Stryker Sulak. The signing was announced Wednesday by Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations Ted Thompson.

As a senior at Missouri in 2008, Sulak (pronounced SHOE-lock) made 55 tackles, including 15½ tackles for loss and 10½ sacks, and led the NCAA with six forced fumbles. He was a sixth-round selection by the Oakland Raiders in the 2009 NFL Draft.

A 6-foot-4, 251-pound player, Sulak will wear No. 47.

The team also announced it placed TE Tory Humphrey on injured reserve.


Nice name for a LB: STRYKER

[KYPack]

Good catch, Cap.

He's the kid the Raiders drafted, then cut.

"The Raiders dumped one of their own draft picks before training camp even started, as the team released Stryker Sulak, a DE from Missouri."

[Harlan Huckleby]

Not a big deal, but I think Humphrey was more valuable than another LB, so I don't like this news. Life's a bitch.

[CaptainKickass]

Good catch, Cap.

He's the kid the Raiders drafted, then cut.

"The Raiders dumped one of their own draft picks before training camp even started, as the team released Stryker Sulak, a DE from Missouri."

Well shit balls. I didn't even put that together as the "release" conveniently says nothing about it.

I thought I heard we're nicked up @ LB so this would kinda make sense.

Aren't we a bit thin at TE? Didn't Tory just have a broken forearm?

Hell - I read all this crap everyday and still feel like I don't know a gawd damn thing.

:?:

[hoosier]

Not a big deal, but I think Humphrey was more valuable than another LB, so I don't like this news. Life's a bitch.

There is no difference between Humphrey and the dozens of other TEs who have given us a very brief glimpse of talent during the last decade, guys like Ty Davis, David Martin...hell, I can't even remember them all because they just blend into the same amorphous blob of mediocrity.

[MichiganPackerFan]

Not a big deal, but I think Humphrey was more valuable than another LB, so I don't like this news. Life's a bitch.

There is no difference between Humphrey and the dozens of other TEs who have given us a very brief glimpse of talent during the last decade, guys like Ty Davis, David Martin...hell, I can't even remember them all because they just blend into the same amorphous blob of mediocrity.

That made me think of who I couldn't remember. Here's the last 10 years of TE's courtesy of Packers.com

Name / Pos. / College / Year(s) / Games Played
1. Chmura, Mark TE Boston College 1993-99 89
2. Thomason, Jeff TE Oregon 1995-99 75
3. Davis, Tyrone TE Virginia 1997-2002 69
4. Hall, Lamont TE Clemson 1999 14
5. Wetnight, Ryan TE Stanford 2000 10
6. Franks, Bubba TE Miami (Fla.) 2000-07 114
7. Collins, Bobby TE North Alabama 2001 4
8. Martin, David TE Tennessee 2001-06 70
9. Walls, Wesley TE Mississippi 2003 14
10. McHugh, Sean TE Penn State 2004 1
11. Steele, Ben TE Mesa State 2004-05 17
12. Humphrey, Tory TE Central Michigan 2005-06, 08 8
13. Lee, Donald TE Mississippi State 2005-08 45
14. Alcorn, Zac TE Black Hills State 2006 6
15. Krause, Ryan TE Nebraska-Omaha 2007 9
16. Finley, Jermichael TE Texas 2008 1

[Harlan Huckleby]

I've heard that Humphrey is an excellent athlete, good speed, he didn't blossom because of a series of injuries. Thought this might be the year.

He flashed ability to be a cut above the generics. But I guess flashes are things that happen in pans and go away.

[Lurker64]

As a senior at Missouri, Sulak recorded 55 tackles, including 15.5 TFL, and 10.5 sacks, with 6 forced fumbles. I believe the 6 forced fumbles led the NCAA last year.

It may take him a while to adjust to OLB, but he's got promising talent.

[MadScientist]

Not a big deal, but I think Humphrey was more valuable than another LB, so I don't like this news. Life's a bitch.
They were already thinking in terms of the broken arm keeping him out for the season, so IR now makes perfect sense so they can have an extra body at LB for the preseason. He was going on IR, it was just a question of when they turned in the papers.

[hoosier]

Has anyone offered a reasonable explanation for why the Raiders "cut" him--assuming you can cut someone before even signing him? The fact that nobody else jumped to sign the guy suggests to me that the Senile One was the only person who had him on his board to begin with.

[hoosier]

I've heard that Humphrey is an excellent athlete, good speed, he didn't blossom because of a series of injuries. Thought this might be the year.

He flashed ability to be a cut above the generics. But I guess flashes are things that happen in pans and go away.

Humphrey a cut above? Hardly. More like cut from exactly the same cloth. Take a look at MPF's list, it is just oozing talent. Don't you remember all those TC reports on how THIS was going to be the year that Ty Davis or David Martin finally breaks through and emerges as the next Keith Jackson?

[Freak Out]

We have Frischknecht at TE so were good.

[Lurker64]

Has anyone offered a reasonable explanation for why the Raiders "cut" him--assuming you can cut someone before even signing him? The fact that nobody else jumped to sign the guy suggests to me that the Senile One was the only person who had him on his board to begin with.

I think maybe they figured they had enough guys at his position and they wanted to clear rookie pool money for DHB's ridiculous contract?

He'll basically fill Brad Jones's position on the roster/ps, as a try-hard high motor guy who needs a lot of work in coverage. But you get great 3-4 OLBs as late bloomers sometimes. Joey Porter and James Harrison come to mind.

[KYPack]

Has anyone offered a reasonable explanation for why the Raiders "cut" him--assuming you can cut someone before even signing him? The fact that nobody else jumped to sign the guy suggests to me that the Senile One was the only person who had him on his board to begin with.

Because it's so wierd, I was thinking Al came out of a nap and screamed, "get rid of that kid, I didn't wanna draft him anyway" or some shit like that.

[MadScientist]

Has anyone offered a reasonable explanation for why the Raiders "cut" him--assuming you can cut someone before even signing him? The fact that nobody else jumped to sign the guy suggests to me that the Senile One was the only person who had him on his board to begin with.

Because it's so wierd, I was thinking Al came out of a nap and screamed, "get rid of that kid, I didn't wanna draft him anyway" or some shit like that.

Reasonable explanation and Raiders don't always mix. Here's a link with some discussion on the cut.
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/53163177.html

It sounds like a cross between a numbers game and wanting to F up the slotting system by overpaying for DHB. Even if they didn't expect him to make the team it would have made sense to see if he was worth putting on the practice squad to develop for next year.

May he prove himself with the Packers to give everyone else another reason to laugh at Al Davis.