Pack signs RB

[CaptainKickass]

The Green Bay Packers Tuesday signed running back P.J. Pope from the Chicago Bears' practice squad and released center Chris White. Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations Ted Thompson made the announcement.

Pope, a 5-foot-9, 218-pound rookie from Bowling Green, had signed with the Bears as a non-drafted free agent this past spring. Chicago's leading 2006 rusher during the preseason, he gained 153 yards on 40 carries (3.8 avg.) with one touchdown. He also had four catches for 43 yards (10.8 avg.) in non-league action.

A four-year letterman at Bowling Green (2002-05), Pope finished his career as the school's only player to rush for more than 3,000 yards and accumulate more than 1,000 receiving yards.

White, a second-year player, dressed but did not play in each of the Packers' first seven games.

REGURGITATED FROM PACKERS.COM

[Tony Oday]

Hmmm well WHY DIDNT WE RELEASE HERRON!!!!??!?!?!?!

hehe :glug:

[gbpackfan]

We released Chris White?????? HUH! Who is our back-up center? I wonder if it is Spitz?

I LOVE the addition of PJ Pope. I know some people on this board were high on him and wanted us to sign him away from the Bears.

Scouting report anyone?

[Guiness]

And thus ends the Chris White era. Is there even a backup C on the roster?

[pittstang5]

Releasing Chris White.......hmmm.......I thought for sure that if they were going to release someone it would be Tracy White, not Chris White. I even double checked Packers.com and KFFL and sure enough...Center Chris White Released. This just doesn't make sense. Now, the Packers have practically no depth on the O-line. Not sure I agree with this.

[BEARMAN]

Common guys, you don't want our lefovers do you ? That's kinda like being second while pulling a train ... :shock:

GO BEARS ! 7 an 0 BABY ! :glug:

[Badgerinmaine]

I was rooting around on the Web for info on him and came across this "Rookie Diary" entry Pope wrote:
http://story.scout.com/a.z?s=93&p=2&c=583658

Nothing too earth shattering or surprising, but kind of interesting.

[Fritz]

So what does "PJ" stand for? That seems really lame and sissified, almost as bad as "BJ." I say we help this new guy out and rename him.

How about "Giant" Pope? Or "Gregory" Pope? Or "Brock" Pope?

Hey, Bearman, we'll take your practice squad guy. And what's with this "pulling a train" thing? What do you know about that, anyway? You didn't take a turn with the neighbor's chihuaha, did you?

[Brohm]

Maybe Coston will start backing up at center. Need to find a position that he can play instead of taking up roster space. Thought he was a center in college anyways....

[Sparkey]

Spitz played center at Lousiville. IF, god forbid, Wells were to get hurt, Spitz would move to center and Moll would replace him at guard.

[Bretsky]

Common guys, you don't want our lefovers do you ? That's kinda like being second while pulling a train ... :shock:

GO BEARS ! 7 an 0 BABY ! :glug:

Hmm; wasn't Hunter Hillenmeyer a Packer "leftover" ??

[billy_oliver880]

Common guys, you don't want our lefovers do you ? That's kinda like being second while pulling a train ... :shock:

GO BEARS ! 7 an 0 BABY ! :glug:

Hmm; wasn't Hunter Hillenmeyer a Packer "leftover" ??

Details are overlooked when you are winning.

[Pacopete4]

Tracy White has been playin some excellent special teams.. you cant cut him just because of that right there.. special teams is 1/3 of the game.. need to win it and so far we've been improving there too

[GrnBay007]

Common guys, you don't want our lefovers do you ?

GO BEARS ! 7 an 0 BABY ! :glug:

Bearman, http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v241/ggarrett/emoticons/buttkick.gif


:razz:

[Pacopete4]

ya know what would be great for me is let the bears keep winning.. we keep improving cuz the bears havent played a good team yet and we play you opening game of the playoffs and favre breaks your hearts one more time haha

[BF4MVP]

Oooo, interesting. I like it. He's got good size, and probably compact, at 5'9 218..Seems like he can have an impact catching the ball out of the backfield too..Something tells me this guy isn't just here to fill in while Morency is out...

Anyone know his 40 time? Also, is he a "one cut and go" back like Green and Morency?

[Bretsky]

Cutting White doesn't surprise me at all.

Two years ago the coaches bragged up some OL guy named Atlas Herrion and he didn't make the team the following year.

Last year during the offseason they bragged up Coston and White and their development. Coston isn't good enough to see the playing field and White's cut. Coston might be next.

On the brighter side, letting White go is a sign that GB has growing faith in these rookies as Spitz can play C as well

B

[Partial]

Releasing Chris White.......hmmm.......I thought for sure that if they were going to release someone it would be Tracy White, not Chris White. I even double checked Packers.com and KFFL and sure enough...Center Chris White Released. This just doesn't make sense. Now, the Packers have practically no depth on the O-line. Not sure I agree with this.

If there is an injury they will pick him up again. Remember, he is a 2nd year player so he is practice squad eligible and is likely too small to make most non-zone blocking rosters.

[Partial]

Anyone know his 40 time? Also, is he a "one cut and go" back like Green and Morency?

The knock on Morency and Tatum Bell ( good zone back imo ) are that they dance too long before making their one cut. Carry on, I just like to throw this out there whenever I get the chance.

[FritzDontBlitz]

Common guys, you don't want our lefovers do you ? That's kinda like being second while pulling a train ... :shock:

GO BEARS ! 7 an 0 BABY ! :glug:

Hmm; wasn't Hunter Hillenmeyer a Packer "leftover" ??

Details are overlooked when you are winning.

bears fans live in a parallel dimension where logic ceases to exist....

[packrulz]

http://graphics.jsonline.com/graphics/packer/mugs/2006/spope.jpg

Posted: Oct. 31, 2006
Green Bay - The Green Bay Packers added rookie running back P.J. Pope to their 53-man roster Tuesday, but only after an emotional tug of war involving the undefeated Chicago Bears.



Pope, 5 feet 9 1/2 inches and 214 pounds, had been a member of the Bears' practice squad since Sept. 4, one day after being released. When the Packers told agent Ken Sarnoff that they wanted his client, Pope had just a few hours to decide his future because the Bears also were trying to persuade him to stay.

"It was a real difficult decision, one of the biggest decisions I made in my life," Pope said Tuesday night. "I was settled and had been around some good guys."

Three-deep at running back with Thomas Jones, Cedric Benson and Adrian Peterson, the Bears really didn't have room for Pope.

"My agent told me they discussed putting me on the 53 but I don't know if it was guaranteed or not," said Pope, who played at Bowling Green. "I just based my decision on where I thought I would have a chance to play. To come in and play Sunday."

Packers general manager Ted Thompson said, "I know they (the Bears) were in conversations with him. There were times we thought we were going to be able to get him yesterday and there were times we thought we weren't going to be able to."

The Packers' need at running back was the result of a lumbar disc injury suffered by Vernand Morency against Arizona. Noah Herron, who in November 2005 decided to leave Pittsburgh's practice squad to sign with Green Bay, is the lone healthy back behind Ahman Green.

"Morency could be one of those things where it clears up fairly fast and it could be maybe something that drags out a couple three weeks," Thompson said. "We're going to have a couple (doctors) look at him and see."

To make way for Pope, the Packers waived center Chris White, who didn't play a regular-season snap in 1 1/2 seasons. Guards Junius Coston and Jason Spitz also played center in college and will back up Scott Wells.

Pope becomes the 17th rookie on the 53-man roster. Another three players are considered first-year players.

Pope led the Bears during the exhibition season with 153 yards in 40 carries (3.8-yard average).

"Obviously, we follow our divisional opponents pretty hard in pre-season," Thompson said. "He runs the ball hard," Thompson said. "He will play quick and fast. He's aggressive. He catches the ball well. He had quite a résumé in terms of production in college."

Injuries to both ankles limited Pope to 125 carries for 436 yards in 2005 after he surpassed 1,000 yards in both '03 and '04. In four seasons at Bowling Green, he rushed 595 times for 3,116 yards (5.2) and 33 touchdowns and caught 133 passes for 1,148 yards (8.6) and eight TDs.

Pope, who hails from suburban Cincinnati, turned down offers from New England and the New York Giants after the draft to take a $1,500 signing bonus from the Bears.

Thompson said the Packers also discussed signing running back Lee Suggs, who was cut Oct. 10 by Miami. In 2004, the oft-injured Suggs led Cleveland in rushing with 744 yards.

[Badgerinmaine]

So what does "PJ" stand for? That seems really lame and sissified, almost as bad as "BJ." I say we help this new guy out and rename him.


I looked it up--Wikipedia says his full name is Wiliam Leroy Pope Jr. His page at his alma mater, Bowling Green, says his full name IS P. J. Pope. Maybe it's kinda like President Harry S Truman, where the S didn't stand for anything (other than trying to make both sides of his family think the S stood for someone in their family).

[FritzDontBlitz]

So what does "PJ" stand for? That seems really lame and sissified, almost as bad as "BJ." I say we help this new guy out and rename him.


I looked it up--Wikipedia says his full name is Wiliam Leroy Pope Jr. His page at his alma mater, Bowling Green, says his full name IS P. J. Pope. Maybe it's kinda like President Harry S Truman, where the S didn't stand for anything (other than trying to make both sides of his family think the S stood for someone in their family).

maybe he wears his jammies under his uniform.

[GoPack06]

as long as he dosent fumble and can catch he should be solid player.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Is this the guy Bears fans were raving about in the preseason? I know there was an RB that a lot of Bears fans were happy got onto their practice squad.

[Packnut]

Pope is a HUGE upgrade over Herron. Good move by TT even if I was the first here to suggest it back in pre-season. Better late than never!

[Cheesehead Craig]

I refuse to get worked up over a RB that is essentially a 3rd stringer until Morency gets back. He comes out on Sunday and does a good job, I'll give him props. Until then, eh.

[Chubbyhubby]

I found the same thing. I checked out his college football page. PJ Pope full name is Wiliam Leroy Pope Jr.

[CaptainKickass]

It's an echoing dual repetitive redundancy

The P stands for POPE
The J stands for JUNIOR

So his nickname was PJ

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/9677/captainobviousax0.th.jpg (http://img166.imageshack.us/my.php?image=captainobviousax0.jpg)

[Green Bud Packer]

Common guys, you don't want our lefovers do you ? That's kinda like being second while pulling a train ... :shock:
:glug:'ceptin that the only train you and the bears will be pulling is of the HO scale variety.go pack and don't call me common.

[BEARMAN]

wOw, and NO one said Thank You !?

Are you all trying to hurt my feeling.

I come in here and cheer you all up, let you sign our 5th string RB and nothing... ?

Where's the luv now? :taunt:


GO BEARS ! 7 an 0 BABY ! :glug: