woodbuck27
08-28-2006, 10:38 AM
SUN., AUG 27, 2006 - 12:13 AM
Packers roster bubble set to burst... for some
JASON WILDE 608-252-6176
jwilde@madison.com
GREEN BAY - Ted Thompson was either confident or clueless, but other than his rookie year, the Green Bay Packers' general manager didn't fret too much about being on the bubble entering the final cuts during his 10 years as an NFL player.
"To hear people tell it, all 10. But I think I was a much better player than that," Thompson replied...
when asked last week how many times he was on the bubble as the final roster reduction approached.
"I'm sure maybe there were a few times that I was on the bubble but didn't know any better. The first year, I knew that I was in for a fight, but after that, I felt like I was a bona fide pro football player."
But that doesn't mean Thompson isn't sensitive to what 31 of the 84 players on the roster will go through as the Packers work to reach the league's roster limits in the next six days.
"It's difficult to talk to these kids, just because most of them will have done everything we've asked them to do and we opt to go in a different direction. And it's not their fault, that's just the way the ball bounced this time around," Thompson said.
"We try to treat them like men and be honest, and critique if we think maybe they need work on certain areas, but at the same time, they've done their best."
Thompson has already shown he has one eye on the Sept. 10 season opener against the Chicago Bears and another on the team's long-term future with some of his moves, most notably keeping kicker Dave Rayner and punter Jon Ryan over more experienced Billy Cundiff and B.J. Sander.
"We try to see the big picture," Thompson said.
"Obviously, we have to be ready to play Chicago. That's obviously very, very important. But we also have to understand where we're headed (beyond that). We will keep the best players that we can. We will have the best at every position that we can have. And it may be most or all of the current players, and it may be several players that aren't even here yet that will be on this team."
With the NFL's two mandatory roster reductions - to 75 players by 3 p.m. Tuesday and to 53 players by 3 p.m. Saturday - keep in mind, here's a subjective look at where the Packers stand entering Monday night's penultimate exhibition game at Cincinnati:
Quarterbacks (3)
In: Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers.
On the bubble: Ingle Martin.
Out: Brian Wrobel.
Favre is Favre. Rodgers has been a completely different player than he was last preseason and has made significant progress toward being the team's quarterback of the future. Martin, a rookie fifth-round pick, hasn't been any better than Wrobel, a DeSoto native who played collegiately at Winona State and spent time in NFL Europe this spring. Still, Martin figures to make the roster because of the draft investment. •
Running backs (5 or 6)
In: Ahman Green, William Henderson, Samkon Gado.
On the bubble: Najeh Davenport, Vonta Leach, Arliss Beach, Noah Herron.
Out: A.J. Cooper, Ben Brown.
Green will play his first game Monday since rupturing his right quadriceps tendon Oct. 23 and appears on track. With Henderson out with a knee injury, Gado has shown versatility sliding to fullback and appears indispensable. The Packers figure to keep two of the three other halfbacks - Davenport, Herron and Beach - and could opt for the potential of Herron and Beach over Davenport, whose nagging injury history could finally lead to his release after four-plus years of mostly unfulfilled promise.
Henderson's blocking has slipped, but his receiving, leadership and special-teams work figure to keep him around for another year. Leach must improve his catching out of the backfield to merit another year. Brown is green as grass and likely will make the eight-man practice squad. •
Wide receivers (5 or 6)
In: Donald Driver, Robert Ferguson, Greg Jennings, Rod Gardner.
On the bubble: Cory Rodgers, Ruvell Martin, Carlton Brewster.
Out: Chad Lucas, Calvin Russell, Chris Francies.
Ferguson has had a quiet camp but there are few options beyond him.
Jennings, though, has been so good as a rookie second-round pick he may move ahead of Ferguson and into the starting lineup opposite Driver. Gardner has been quiet, too, but Marc Boerigter, cut Tuesday, was awful and eliminated himself from the competition.
Rodgers has been extremely shaky catching punts and shows little as a receiver.
The only reason he'd be kept over Martin would be his fourth-round draft status. If the Packers keep six wideouts, it'll be because Martin deserves a spot and they're reluctant to give up on Rodgers so quickly. •
Tight ends (3)
In: Bubba Franks, David Martin.
On the bubble: Donald Lee, Tory Humphrey.
Out: Zac Alcorn.
Martin has fought through a hand injury and remains the best option behind Franks. The coaches like Lee, but Humphrey has tightened that competition. It's not out of the realm of possibility that they keep all four. Alcorn looks like an intriguing prospect and could be a practice-squad option.
Offensive line (9 or 10)
In: LT Chad Clifton, RT Mark Tauscher, C Scott Wells, LG Jason Spitz, RG Tony Moll, LG/LT Daryn Colledge, RT/RG Junius Coston.
On the bubble: C Chris White, G Mookie Moore, G/T Will Whitticker, T Josh Bourke.
Out: G Siitupe Peko, G/C Pete Traynor.
Spitz and Moll will start at guard over Colledge, but Colledge's second-round draft status and potential down the line make him a no-brainer for the roster. Coston has bounced around and struggled but the coaches still like him. White figures to be Wells' backup, but Whitticker, a 14-game starter last year, has been out with a hamstring injury and the staff doesn't think he fits the new zone-blocking prototype. Bourke, a rookie free agent, may stick on potential. Don't be surprised if the team picks up another club's castoff after the cuts.
Defensive line (9)
In: DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, DE Aaron Kampman, DT Ryan Pickett, DT Colin Cole, DE/DT Cullen Jenkins.
On the bubble: DT Corey Williams, DE Mike Montgomery, DE Kenny Peterson, DT Kenderick Allen, DT Johnny Jolly, DE Jason Hunter.
Out: DE Dave Tollefson, DT Jerome Nichols, DE Montez Murphy.
Cole and Jenkins earn their spots each year. Montgomery figures to be the third end but has to show more. Williams and Peterson might get their spots by default. Allen started strong but has disappointed of late. Jolly, a sixth-round pick, has potential. Tollefson and Hunter are intriguing but might need a year on the practice squad. •
Linebackers (6)
In: Nick Barnett, A.J. Hawk, Abdul Hodge, Ben Taylor, Brady Poppinga.
On the bubble: Tracy White, Roy Manning.
Out: Kurt Campbell, Tim Goodwell.
The sixth and final spot will come down to White, a very good special teams player, and Manning, who made the team as an undrafted rookie from Michigan last year but hasn't shown much improvement in Year 2. Poppinga's comeback from a torn ACL has been impressive, and Taylor, while he may lose his starting job to Poppinga or Hodge down the road, would still be a solid backup at all three positions and contributor on special teams. Campbell doesn't appear to have fully recovered from a torn ACL suffered in camp last year. •
Defensive backs (9)
In: CB Al Harris, S Nick Collins, CB Charles Woodson, S Marquand Manuel, CB Ahmad Carroll, S Tyrone Culver.
On the bubble: CB Mike Hawkins, CB Jason Horton, S Tra Boger, S Atari Bigby.
Out: S Marviel Underwood, CB Will Blackmon, CB Patrick Dendy, CB Antonio Malone, S Jeremy Modkins, CB Jerron Wishom.
Underwood showed marked improvement in Year 2, filling in for Manuel (calf) during the first few weeks of camp and was a lock for the No. 3 safety job until he blew out his knee at San Diego. Fortunately, Culver, a rookie sixth-round pick, has been solid. Carroll will be the third corner because Hawkins missed so much time with a right knee injury.
Hawkins and Horton figure to make the team, although neither has seized his roster spot. Boger could be the No. 4 safety, or the Packers could pick one up from the scrap heap. Bigby was in the mix until he broke his hand in the scrimmage. Blackmon, out all camp with a slow-to-heal broken foot, is destined for the physically unable to perform list. •
Special teams (3)
In: LS Rob Davis.
On the bubble: K Dave Rayner, P Jon Ryan.
Out: LS Thomas Gafford.
Rayner and Ryan are the men for the jobs for now, and two solid showings in the final two preseason games will solidify that.
If they falter, there's plenty of guys on the street the team could bring in. Davis is one of the best in the business and provides rare veteran leadership on a very young team, but Gafford is pretty good and figures to get a gig in the NFL sooner or later.
PACKERS at Bengals...TONIGHT !!!
GO PACK GO !! FAN FAITH !
:mrgreen:
Packers roster bubble set to burst... for some
JASON WILDE 608-252-6176
jwilde@madison.com
GREEN BAY - Ted Thompson was either confident or clueless, but other than his rookie year, the Green Bay Packers' general manager didn't fret too much about being on the bubble entering the final cuts during his 10 years as an NFL player.
"To hear people tell it, all 10. But I think I was a much better player than that," Thompson replied...
when asked last week how many times he was on the bubble as the final roster reduction approached.
"I'm sure maybe there were a few times that I was on the bubble but didn't know any better. The first year, I knew that I was in for a fight, but after that, I felt like I was a bona fide pro football player."
But that doesn't mean Thompson isn't sensitive to what 31 of the 84 players on the roster will go through as the Packers work to reach the league's roster limits in the next six days.
"It's difficult to talk to these kids, just because most of them will have done everything we've asked them to do and we opt to go in a different direction. And it's not their fault, that's just the way the ball bounced this time around," Thompson said.
"We try to treat them like men and be honest, and critique if we think maybe they need work on certain areas, but at the same time, they've done their best."
Thompson has already shown he has one eye on the Sept. 10 season opener against the Chicago Bears and another on the team's long-term future with some of his moves, most notably keeping kicker Dave Rayner and punter Jon Ryan over more experienced Billy Cundiff and B.J. Sander.
"We try to see the big picture," Thompson said.
"Obviously, we have to be ready to play Chicago. That's obviously very, very important. But we also have to understand where we're headed (beyond that). We will keep the best players that we can. We will have the best at every position that we can have. And it may be most or all of the current players, and it may be several players that aren't even here yet that will be on this team."
With the NFL's two mandatory roster reductions - to 75 players by 3 p.m. Tuesday and to 53 players by 3 p.m. Saturday - keep in mind, here's a subjective look at where the Packers stand entering Monday night's penultimate exhibition game at Cincinnati:
Quarterbacks (3)
In: Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers.
On the bubble: Ingle Martin.
Out: Brian Wrobel.
Favre is Favre. Rodgers has been a completely different player than he was last preseason and has made significant progress toward being the team's quarterback of the future. Martin, a rookie fifth-round pick, hasn't been any better than Wrobel, a DeSoto native who played collegiately at Winona State and spent time in NFL Europe this spring. Still, Martin figures to make the roster because of the draft investment. •
Running backs (5 or 6)
In: Ahman Green, William Henderson, Samkon Gado.
On the bubble: Najeh Davenport, Vonta Leach, Arliss Beach, Noah Herron.
Out: A.J. Cooper, Ben Brown.
Green will play his first game Monday since rupturing his right quadriceps tendon Oct. 23 and appears on track. With Henderson out with a knee injury, Gado has shown versatility sliding to fullback and appears indispensable. The Packers figure to keep two of the three other halfbacks - Davenport, Herron and Beach - and could opt for the potential of Herron and Beach over Davenport, whose nagging injury history could finally lead to his release after four-plus years of mostly unfulfilled promise.
Henderson's blocking has slipped, but his receiving, leadership and special-teams work figure to keep him around for another year. Leach must improve his catching out of the backfield to merit another year. Brown is green as grass and likely will make the eight-man practice squad. •
Wide receivers (5 or 6)
In: Donald Driver, Robert Ferguson, Greg Jennings, Rod Gardner.
On the bubble: Cory Rodgers, Ruvell Martin, Carlton Brewster.
Out: Chad Lucas, Calvin Russell, Chris Francies.
Ferguson has had a quiet camp but there are few options beyond him.
Jennings, though, has been so good as a rookie second-round pick he may move ahead of Ferguson and into the starting lineup opposite Driver. Gardner has been quiet, too, but Marc Boerigter, cut Tuesday, was awful and eliminated himself from the competition.
Rodgers has been extremely shaky catching punts and shows little as a receiver.
The only reason he'd be kept over Martin would be his fourth-round draft status. If the Packers keep six wideouts, it'll be because Martin deserves a spot and they're reluctant to give up on Rodgers so quickly. •
Tight ends (3)
In: Bubba Franks, David Martin.
On the bubble: Donald Lee, Tory Humphrey.
Out: Zac Alcorn.
Martin has fought through a hand injury and remains the best option behind Franks. The coaches like Lee, but Humphrey has tightened that competition. It's not out of the realm of possibility that they keep all four. Alcorn looks like an intriguing prospect and could be a practice-squad option.
Offensive line (9 or 10)
In: LT Chad Clifton, RT Mark Tauscher, C Scott Wells, LG Jason Spitz, RG Tony Moll, LG/LT Daryn Colledge, RT/RG Junius Coston.
On the bubble: C Chris White, G Mookie Moore, G/T Will Whitticker, T Josh Bourke.
Out: G Siitupe Peko, G/C Pete Traynor.
Spitz and Moll will start at guard over Colledge, but Colledge's second-round draft status and potential down the line make him a no-brainer for the roster. Coston has bounced around and struggled but the coaches still like him. White figures to be Wells' backup, but Whitticker, a 14-game starter last year, has been out with a hamstring injury and the staff doesn't think he fits the new zone-blocking prototype. Bourke, a rookie free agent, may stick on potential. Don't be surprised if the team picks up another club's castoff after the cuts.
Defensive line (9)
In: DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, DE Aaron Kampman, DT Ryan Pickett, DT Colin Cole, DE/DT Cullen Jenkins.
On the bubble: DT Corey Williams, DE Mike Montgomery, DE Kenny Peterson, DT Kenderick Allen, DT Johnny Jolly, DE Jason Hunter.
Out: DE Dave Tollefson, DT Jerome Nichols, DE Montez Murphy.
Cole and Jenkins earn their spots each year. Montgomery figures to be the third end but has to show more. Williams and Peterson might get their spots by default. Allen started strong but has disappointed of late. Jolly, a sixth-round pick, has potential. Tollefson and Hunter are intriguing but might need a year on the practice squad. •
Linebackers (6)
In: Nick Barnett, A.J. Hawk, Abdul Hodge, Ben Taylor, Brady Poppinga.
On the bubble: Tracy White, Roy Manning.
Out: Kurt Campbell, Tim Goodwell.
The sixth and final spot will come down to White, a very good special teams player, and Manning, who made the team as an undrafted rookie from Michigan last year but hasn't shown much improvement in Year 2. Poppinga's comeback from a torn ACL has been impressive, and Taylor, while he may lose his starting job to Poppinga or Hodge down the road, would still be a solid backup at all three positions and contributor on special teams. Campbell doesn't appear to have fully recovered from a torn ACL suffered in camp last year. •
Defensive backs (9)
In: CB Al Harris, S Nick Collins, CB Charles Woodson, S Marquand Manuel, CB Ahmad Carroll, S Tyrone Culver.
On the bubble: CB Mike Hawkins, CB Jason Horton, S Tra Boger, S Atari Bigby.
Out: S Marviel Underwood, CB Will Blackmon, CB Patrick Dendy, CB Antonio Malone, S Jeremy Modkins, CB Jerron Wishom.
Underwood showed marked improvement in Year 2, filling in for Manuel (calf) during the first few weeks of camp and was a lock for the No. 3 safety job until he blew out his knee at San Diego. Fortunately, Culver, a rookie sixth-round pick, has been solid. Carroll will be the third corner because Hawkins missed so much time with a right knee injury.
Hawkins and Horton figure to make the team, although neither has seized his roster spot. Boger could be the No. 4 safety, or the Packers could pick one up from the scrap heap. Bigby was in the mix until he broke his hand in the scrimmage. Blackmon, out all camp with a slow-to-heal broken foot, is destined for the physically unable to perform list. •
Special teams (3)
In: LS Rob Davis.
On the bubble: K Dave Rayner, P Jon Ryan.
Out: LS Thomas Gafford.
Rayner and Ryan are the men for the jobs for now, and two solid showings in the final two preseason games will solidify that.
If they falter, there's plenty of guys on the street the team could bring in. Davis is one of the best in the business and provides rare veteran leadership on a very young team, but Gafford is pretty good and figures to get a gig in the NFL sooner or later.
PACKERS at Bengals...TONIGHT !!!
GO PACK GO !! FAN FAITH !
:mrgreen: