Top pick out to prove GM right

[packers11]

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=601421

By BOB McGINN
bmcginn@journalsentinel.com
Posted: May 4, 2007
Green Bay - Justin Harrell has a plan. He intends to turn jeers to cheers, just the way Donovan McNabb did it in Philadelphia.

Even now, a week later, it still boggles the mind. How an estimated 2,000 green-and-gold-clad fans in the Lambeau Field atrium let general manager Ted Thompson have it with boos described as "deafening" after the Green Bay Packers selected Harrell in the first round of the National Football League draft.

Thompson pretended the reception didn't sting but he would have to be devoid of emotion for it not to hurt. The same goes for Harrell, who was with his family back home in Martin, Tenn.

On Friday, Harrell was introduced to state reporters for the first time and took the high road, refusing the chance to lash out at fans.

"Yeah, I saw it, I heard about it," Harrell said. "That's something I can't control, but I understood where they were coming from. They're just showing their loyalty to this organization and what they felt like they really needed."

McNabb was serenaded with boos eight years ago in New York when the Eagles used the second pick to select him rather than running back Ricky Williams. The so-called "Dirty Thirty," groupie-type listeners of Philly sports talk radio station WIP, were responsible.

Not only that but Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell, now governor of Pennsylvania, lobbied for Williams and then ripped the selection of McNabb afterward.

In the end, after McNabb proved himself as the finest quarterback in Eagles history, each "Dirty Thirty" member as well as Rendell apologized to him.

Harrell, the defensive tackle from Tennessee, isn't looking for 2,000 letters of apology anytime soon. But just as the slight undoubtedly helped motivate McNabb, who frequently has harkened back to the painful start of his NFL career, it probably will drive Harrell.

"It does, but I'm not really going to focus on that," Harrell said. "I just want to show everybody that the Packers didn't make a bad decision selecting me.

"Reggie McKenzie pulled me aside today and said: 'I don't want you coming in and changing anything. You just continue being the person you were at Tennessee and everything will work out.' That's what I want to do."

Harrell hit a lot of the right notes during his 15 minutes at the podium, coming across as humble, straight-forward and goal-oriented. No one from the Packers has ordained Harrell as a regular at one of their deeper positions but it's clear what he expects from himself as a rookie.

"I will come in and work as hard as I can and try to put the coaching staff in position that I'll be ready to start," he said. "When the regular season rolls around, I plan on being a starter."

Harrell called his selection by the Packers at No. 16 as "a big shock," seeing that he had little or no contact with the team since a brief meeting at the combine.

But having said that, Harrell professed to being comfortable in the small-town environment and enthusiastic about playing for a franchise steeped in tradition.

One of his heroes, the late Reggie White, addressed the Volunteers a few times during Harrell's five-year stay in Knoxville. He became the last Tennessee player to wear White's now-retired No. 92 jersey. Green Bay issued him No. 91.

"I got a chance to meet him and his wife," Harrell said. "He was a great person on the field but also off the field. He's one of the people you want to model your game and your life after. That's one thing I tried to do."

Harrell, 6 feet 4½ inches and 310 pounds, stands about one-half inch shorter than White and almost the same weight.

He's also comparable in size to Kevin Williams (6-5, 311), the ninth pick in the 2003 draft who has two Pro Bowl appearances and 30 sacks in four seasons for the Minnesota Vikings.

Williams ran 40 yards in 4.85 seconds, a major difference from Harrell's 5.06. But Harrell performed better than Williams in three of four athletic tests at the combine and also was stronger on the bench press.

On Friday, two NFL personnel directors disagreed that the comparison between Harrell and Williams had validity. However, two insisted that it did.
"I don't see why you wouldn't say that," one of the scouts said. "Is he that good? I didn't see that. But I saw a big man that was athletic like Kevin Williams. The only question mark was the durability."

It has been about seven months since Harrell underwent surgery to repair a torn biceps. His collegiate playing days also were interrupted by leg surgery in March 2003 and a broken ankle in August 2003. He promises to be full-go for minicamp in two weeks.

"I look at my injuries like I was unlucky," Harrell said. "I broke my ankle tackling a tackling dummy. You can't really predict tearing your bicep reaching out for a tackle. They're unfortunate injuries that I can't really explain."

Harrell also has been compared to Jacksonville's defensive tackle tandem of Marcus Stroud (6-6, 321, 5.10, three Pro Bowls, 17½ sacks in six years) and John Henderson (6-7, 328, 5.01, no Pro Bowls, 20½ sacks in five years).

Scouts say Harrell isn't as talented as Tennessee's Albert Haynesworth (6-5½, 317, 4.85, no Pro Bowls, nine sacks in five years) but plays much harder.

"We played the run pretty good at Tennessee," Harrell said. "We used technique, tried to create havoc and ran to the ball. That's what I plan on bringing to this organization."

And if some Packers backers come to apologize, Harrell's career will have come full circle.

[cpk1994]

Bob McGinn has to be the biggest idiot alive. It still boggles his mind that TT got booed? Bob, let me spell it out for ya real easy. The problem is not with Harrell personally, it is the fact that TT took a DT when there are gaping holes everywhere on offense. And comparing it to McNabb and Ricky Williams? Thats a stretch. Yes Philly wanted Williams, but they also detested McNabb at the time. Packer fans don't detest Harrell, they detest the choice. But your a TT suck up and can't get your head out of his a$$ long enough to see reality, but thats ok. You need to keep your paychecl one way or another.

[Lurker64]

I'm not really mystified that fans boo. I'm mystified that enough people there thought they knew enough in order to determine whether a guy was a good pick or a bad pick within 3 seconds of the pick being announced. None of us, no matter how many draft magazines we read, have any real idea whether any of these picks will be good players. Having a conviction either way on this is simply delusional. Having such a conviction as soon as the pick is announced is a little baffling.

Booing the pick is based on 2 things:
1) The thought that some of the offensive players available would be better than the guys we have on the roster.
2) The thought that Harrell wouldn't become an absolute force and a linchpin of a dominant defense.

Claiming to know any of those things with certainty, is simply baffling. I freely admit that my reaction to the pick was "Huh, who's that guy?" but I can't say booing ever crossed my mind. The time to boo the GM on the draft is after you've seen the guys play, not after you've seen what the pick was.

[RashanGary]

Just talk to the random fan around Greenbay; they don't know what they don't know which translates into (they think they know everything.)

McGinn is sort of the opposite of this. Christl was the same. These two were and are my favorite sports writers.

[MJZiggy]

You go Justin!! Prove 'em all wrong!

[4and12to12and4]

Just talk to the random fan around Greenbay; they don't know what they don't know which translates into (they think they know everything.)

McGinn is sort of the opposite of this. Christl was the same. These two were and are my favorite sports writers.

my thoughts exactly. who knows how good Harrell will be, but i love having depth at both lines, and was suprised TT didnt go with another OL in the fourth round just to solidify it with better backups in case of injury and help keeping guys fresh. It wouldnt have bothered me if tt wouldnt picked up lineman on both sides with every single pick. That is where games are won and lost in football. Favre and co. will have a ton of success if given time to throw and holes for running opening up, and a defense that consistently gives us the ball back by pressuring opposing QBs an letting our backers and DB's make plays when QB's have to throw too quickly. Thats how you win in the NFL. I like tt's mindset. Plus he always goes after quality, smart, FOOTBALL players, rather than dumb fast athletes. We have a team with guys who have FOOTBALL mindsets and nasty attitudes on the lines. i'm exited to see more progression this year. WE WILL make the playoffs if we stay healthy.

[packinpatland]

Justin Harrell, I would think, is smart enough to know that the fans were not booing HIM.

Whether fans will admit it or not, we all openly and some secretly, hoped that TT's first pick would be one that would help out Favre and the offense. Sending a signal, that in addition to his 'read my lips' talk, he does/did want Favre to return.

The negative reation came from pure knee-jerking surprise.

Harrell needs to report and do his job, he doesn't need to prove to TT anythng.

[Rastak]

Justin Harrell, I would think, is smart enough to know that the fans were not booing HIM.



Maybe after a couple seconds of thought, but it had to sting a bit when it happened. Actually the New York Post blamed ESPN for showing the booing, and I'd agree it wasn't necessary to show that. I'm sure it's already completly forgotten and as you and others pointed out, they weren't really booing him anyway.

[packinpatland]

Justin Harrell, I would think, is smart enough to know that the fans were not booing HIM.



Maybe after a couple seconds of thought, but it had to sting a bit when it happened. Actually the New York Post blamed ESPN for showing the booing, and I'd agree it wasn't necessary to show that. I'm sure it's already completly forgotten and as you and others pointed out, they weren't really booing him anyway.

You're entirely right, as was the NYP.

Now, as to your avatar, those snicker bars really do look too much like hair rollers. I'm not the first to notice this. You really should have something more 'viking-like' :)

[Rastak]

Justin Harrell, I would think, is smart enough to know that the fans were not booing HIM.



Maybe after a couple seconds of thought, but it had to sting a bit when it happened. Actually the New York Post blamed ESPN for showing the booing, and I'd agree it wasn't necessary to show that. I'm sure it's already completly forgotten and as you and others pointed out, they weren't really booing him anyway.

You're entirely right, as was the NYP.

Now, as to your avatar, those snicker bars really do look too much like hair rollers. I'm not the first to notice this. You really should have something more 'viking-like' :)


Yea, plus nobody really gets the joke anyway......

[]{ilr]3]

I think Harrell will be a great player. I was dissapointed only because I wanted to get a good RB or Saftey with our first pick.

[Merlin]

I hope Harrell will be a great player. I like that we are giving him a shot even though he has had a major injury that has ended players careers, didn't play much in 2006 and has an injury history. He wasn't worthy of a first round contract because of this. That is my only knock on the pick. I think TT could have served the immediate team needs better by taking Quinn or trading down or out of the first round. There is no doubt in my mind that Quinn will be a better QB than Rodgers. But it was a tough call on who to pick or what to do given that Quinn was the best player on the board when we picked. Harrell will not prove TT right or wrong. He has the makings of a great DT, he just has the history that is questionable. It's our offense that is in question. TT did draft offensive players, however we were already deep at WR with no names, now we are deeper. RB is a toss up, although I like the picks we got. We need veteran leadership on this team. If TT doesn't puick up some good veteran offensive players after the cuts, it will be obvious to the fans that he has no intention of winning while Favre is still around. Favre as it stands right now has to carry this team on his back. At his age, the team should be carrying him so he can make better decisions and go out on top.

I know a lot of you get on me about my reasoning for drafting smart in the first round. I do not believe Harrell was the right choice in the first round. I do have a personal example I will share that is what I would have done as well:

My daughter moved up to the Senior division in softball this year. Every year, each division holds a draft in late February, early March. I am not coaching this year because I want to enjoy watching her play and not worry about the other stuff so I did not participate in the draft for the first time in about 8 years. I tried this 2 years ago and my daughter went #1 in the draft and I got roped into coaching for two more years when the other coach moved out of town which was unforeseen. Anyway, from July 2005 through December 2006, my daughter sustained a broken wrist (softball), pulled tendon (basketball), torn tendon (softball, same one that never healed the first time), broken thumb(soccer) and a torn MCL (basketball). Now, if she had said something about the pain in most of her injuries, they probably would have only been sprains and she wouldn't have had the problems she had. She has a big heart and wants to play. When it came time for this years draft, my daughter once again was a first round talent pick. Pitchers usually go first in Seniors so her not being picked first doesn't surprise me a bit. The year though, she was picked last in the second round because the coaches think she is injury prone. The coach took her because he was skeptical of this. He had the first overall pick in the first round, the first and last picks in the second round. His team wasn't very good last year and he lost 7 girls out of 13 so he has to "rebuild". I didn't hear about the "injury prone" stuff until after the NFL draft when I talked to a guy I used to coach with and even he couldn't convince the head coach on his team to take her in the first. The coach that drafted her has been to a few of my daughter's high school games and talked to me at length about her injuries. She is playing just fine, isn't missing a beat and I am sure he is convinced she is good to go for this summer.

I just though I would share this because if I was a coach on another team, knowing that this girl missed a month of softball last summer (basically half the season) and had all of those injuries in her career, I too wouldn't have taken her until the later rounds. Even though she is probably the best non-pitcher player, I wouldn't take the risk because I need 10 healthy girls on the field.

[packinpatland]

Merlin, that was interesting.
Is your daughter going to be playing in college?

[Lurker64]

Yea, plus nobody really gets the joke anyway......

Was it because he's going to be there a while?

[Lurker64]

I hope Harrell will be a great player. I like that we are giving him a shot even though he has had a major injury that has ended players careers

I wasn't aware there have been many (or any) football players whose careers have ended due to biceps tears. Can someone give me an example? My understanding is that it's an injury that's relatively common to recover fully from with surgery and rehab with no loss of strength.

[Rastak]

Yea, plus nobody really gets the joke anyway......

Was it because he's going to be there a while?


No, it was a snikers commercial on TV about a bald guy...pretty wierd commercial actualy.

[swede]

Bob McGinn has to be the biggest idiot alive. It still boggles his mind that TT got booed? Bob, let me spell it out for ya real easy. The problem is not with Harrell personally, it is the fact that TT took a DT when there are gaping holes everywhere on offense. And comparing it to McNabb and Ricky Williams? Thats a stretch. Yes Philly wanted Williams, but they also detested McNabb at the time. Packer fans don't detest Harrell, they detest the choice. But your a TT suck up and can't get your head out of his a$$ long enough to see reality, but thats ok. You need to keep your paychecl one way or another.

I liked the article. The subject requires some discussion, I think, in order to clear the air between Harrel and the fans.

The fans booed because they didn't expect Harrel and didn't know his name.

The fans booed because they've spent thousands of dollars on Packer jerseys, Packer hats, Packer license plates, Packer beads, Packer recliners, Packer birdhouses, Packer condoms, and genuine pieces of Lambeau field turf that they keep in the freezer and they are pissed off that they haven't gotten the big name free agents that they seem to believe we need and they'll be damned if they'll cheer for some "unknown" defensive tackle that wasn't in the Press Gazette's mock draft.

The fans weren't really booing Harrel and I think you were right, cpk1994, that what they were really booing was TT. They were booing his recent FA inactivity and his inability to follow Mel Kiper's drafting guide.

The "fans" looked ridiculous when they booed Harrel.

I have every reason to believe that these same fans will be gracious to Harrel as a player now that he's gotten to town.

[Merlin]

I hope Harrell will be a great player. I like that we are giving him a shot even though he has had a major injury that has ended players careers

I wasn't aware there have been many (or any) football players whose careers have ended due to biceps tears. Can someone give me an example? My understanding is that it's an injury that's relatively common to recover fully from with surgery and rehab with no loss of strength.

Joe Johnson & Gilbert Brown come to immediate mind. I know there have been others. It all depends on the extent of the injury. Gilbert played with his and you could tell it wasn't right. It's a tough injury to come back from and possibly because he is young yet it won't be as much of an issue as it was for the older DT's I mentioned.

[Merlin]

Merlin, that was interesting.
Is your daughter going to be playing in college?

She wants to but that is at least 3 years away yet. She is looking at UW Madison, Notre Dame and Arizona right now but she is young and I am sure her mind will change(as most women's do). She plays at a Division III, IV high school depending on the year so she would have to be a walk on. Unless you are a pitcher at that level, the scouts don't bother. The Varsity has a shot to get back to the state tournament this year after losing the championship in 2005. In 2006 they lost to the eventual state champion Grantsburg in the sectionals. She will be on the roster but won't really play because the coach is weird. No matter the score, he doesn't sub. He has his nine girls and they play no matter the score, how well they are playing, nothing. The only reason they are so good is because their pitcher is really good. Whenever a team hits the ball, the defense is so asleep that they are likely to make an error. Only three teams have scored on her and she has only given up 2 earned runs in 14 games.

[Scott Campbell]

I hope Harrell will be a great player. I like that we are giving him a shot even though he has had a major injury that has ended players careers

I wasn't aware there have been many (or any) football players whose careers have ended due to biceps tears. Can someone give me an example? My understanding is that it's an injury that's relatively common to recover fully from with surgery and rehab with no loss of strength.

Joe Johnson & Gilbert Brown come to immediate mind. I know there have been others. It all depends on the extent of the injury. Gilbert played with his and you could tell it wasn't right. It's a tough injury to come back from and possibly because he is young yet it won't be as much of an issue as it was for the older DT's I mentioned.


If memory serves, Gilbert was in what was likely his last playing year because of declinging production and weight issues. He then tore his biceps early in the season. He could have had season ending surgery to repair it, but chose to pass on surgery and attempt to play because he knew he wasn't likely to make the team in the following year. I remember reading that his decision to pass on the surgery meant that his arm would probably never be right.

[Merlin]

Yup and Harrell played with his as well. Never a good idea.

[retailguy]

Yup and Harrell played with his as well. Never a good idea.


You gotta admit that one game is different than half the season, and that a younger body is different than an older one...

[vince]

Harrell's been examined and physically tested extensively by team doctors and has been given a green light.

There's obviously always a risk for every football player, but there is no lingering health concern whatsoever in his case - as determined by the professionals who make very good living evaluating these things.

Lurker mentioned that, according to the doctors, recovery from these injuries are typically complete, and I read somewhere that they expect the muscle to be stronger after recovery than before the injury.

I'll go out on a limb and say they know about that which they speak.

[Merlin]

Yup and Harrell played with his as well. Never a good idea.


You gotta admit that one game is different than half the season, and that a younger body is different than an older one...

To a point yeah. But an injury is still an injury and a risk none-the-less. I don't recall reading that the muscle comes back stronger. In fact, it could be quite the opposite as a matter of fact. Bones heal stronger, muscles depend on what was put into it to get it back to fighting shape. It may never fully recover based on who has the injury and their genes.

[woodbuck27]

I've read this over and over and we needed a solid starter with our first round pick given the deficiencies on our team. What I read bet. the lines below is that the most we should hope for in Justin Harrell is a project.

Will he develop? I certainly hope he will but I"m not counting on him for alot this season. This may therefore be a wasted first round pick for 2007.

I've highlighted the reasons that Harrell looks like a project.

ANALYSIS

Positives:

Has thick upper-body mass with a firm chest, shoulders and good arm-muscle definition. … Has big hips, thick thighs and calves and room on his frame to add at least another 20 pounds of bulk with no loss in quickness. … Quick and explosive off the snap; even though he was used mostly to occupy multiple blockers at the line of scrimmage, he does a good job of anchoring and clogging up the inside rush lanes. …

Has outstanding weight-room strength and is starting to learn how to translate that to the football field (must keep his hands inside and active to get full value out of his punch). …

Does an effective job of combining aggressiveness with strength to create an explosive surge off the snap. … Maintains a low center of gravity to fill the inside lanes. … Will make plays downfield and shows good urgency closing on the ball. …

Lacks ideal instincts, but shows no hesitation getting to the ball once he locates it. …

Leader-by-example type who proved his moxie by refusing surgery to play with a ruptured biceps vs. Florida in 2006. …

Responsible, mature type who really embraced the leadership role thrust upon him as a senior. …

Will duck his head at times coming off the ball, but has the leg drive and burst to gain advantage. … If he learns to anticipate the snap quicker, he has that natural burst needed to dominate at the line of scrimmage.

When he hunkers his pads down and drive his foot into the ground, he is very effective at containing inside run plays. … Has good change-of-direction agility and it is rare to see him exposed on the move. …

If he learns to use his hands better to gain leverage, he could be very effective in attempts to stack and control.

Comment woodbuck27:

This seems good !

Has the strength to split double teams, but must be conscious of using his hands. … Compensates for a lack of ideal timed speed by taking proper angles to gain position to make the tackle working down the line. … Difficult to handle in one-on-one situations; he will constantly battle until the whistle. … Delivers a punishing hand jolt as he slides down the line of scrimmage and has the balance to sidestep and slip past the blocker when bull rushing. … Still plays more on his raw ability, but shows quickness reacting to the running plays, where his lateral agility is shown while giving chase. … Not much of a pass rusher; he is used more in run containment, but shows effective rip and club moves in attempts to get penetration. … More of a push type of pass rusher, but has the strength to gain inside penetration and is decent trying to adjust on the move. … Won't get to the quarterback when taking a wide loop, but up the middle he closes quickly on the quarterback, showing the leg drive and burst to collapse the pocket (better getting to the passer from his inside alignment than on the edge). … When he extends his long arms, he does a nice job of keeping blockers off him (needs to do this with more consistency, though).

Negatives:

Not that "field smart" and needs to make quicker reads, but shows good urgency to pursue when he locates the ball. …

Must learn to keep his head up coming out of his stance; this causes him to lose sight of the ball, especially when working through a crowd. … Has a good short-area burst, but when he overpursues, he lacks sharp stop-and-go action to redirect suddenly (will gather some). … Is susceptible to angle blocks and traps (mostly when he keeps his head down or fails to maintain inside position with his hands). … Lacks ideal hand placement to prevent blockers from getting underneath to lock on and ride him out of the play (blockers get their hands into his chest too often). … Has to improve his hand usage; blockers know they can attack his feet without him countering (must learn to keep his hands active in attempts to separate).

Compares To: Johnny Jolly, Green Bay. … Jolly might not have played much in 2006, but Harrell has that same explosion off the snap that lets both occupy multiple blockers.

Harrell plays with the strength needed to take up space, and while he lacks sustained speed, he does explode off the ball. He needs to develop a better feel for the ball and must be more active with his hands.

His main job is clogging and constricting the inside rush lanes, but he must create better separation with his hands if he hopes to improve his pass rushing skills.

For a team looking for a plugger in the middle, Harrell could be the answer, if he is recovered from his torn biceps.

Comment woodbuck27:

He won"t get the OK unless the Packer Doc's say so. Yet. . . overall he appears to be a project. See Johnny Jolly.

Questions that come to mind:

1. We certainly are hoping for TT"s first round pick but can we really be expecting much this season fr. Justin Harrell?

2. After Justin Harrell were there any obvious picks available to Ted Thompson that would provide for us a starter on "O" or "D"?

3. I really wonder why Ted didn"t think faster and grab Brady Quinn and offer him up for the best offer. He may have scalped the Browns ? Are there any of you that have pondered this?

GO PACKERS !!

[Patler]

To a point yeah. But an injury is still an injury and a risk none-the-less. I don't recall reading that the muscle comes back stronger. In fact, it could be quite the opposite as a matter of fact. Bones heal stronger, muscles depend on what was put into it to get it back to fighting shape. It may never fully recover based on who has the injury and their genes.

Apparently Harrell's doctors disagree with your prognosis:


Harrell indicated he's nearly fully recovered from the torn biceps that forced him to miss all but three games of his senior season in Knoxville. He's seven months removed from surgery and needs to gain a little more strength back, but he doesn't expect the bicep to limit him during this weekend's rookie orientation camp or the full-squad mini-camp coming up in two weeks.

Harrell never felt the injury was career-threatening, having been told by doctors that they expected a 100 percent recovery and that the muscle would actually come back stronger. He was depressed about having his college career end prematurely, but he quickly had to get himself focused on the future and not the past.