NFC North: The (internal) replacements

[Brandon494]

For the past month, NFL teams have evaluated and graded every player on their roster. They've determined whom they want to keep and who can leave. Their priority lists are stacked for offseason acquisitions. As they head to the scouting combine this week, they have a clear picture of their perceived strengths and weaknesses.

I'm all about improving a team through the draft, but I've never understood why some fans and media members put more faith in the nebulous form of a future draft pick over a player who has spent a year or more in the team's program. If everyone is doing their jobs well, those players should be in better position to help out than a rookie just out of college.

In that spirit, let's take a look at one player on each NFC North team who -- with reasonable development -- could help alleviate some pressure to acquire upgrades at his position.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_/id/10074/nfc-north-the-internal-replacements

Green Bay Packers

Will Blackmon is a veteran in the Green Bay secondary.Player: Defensive back Will Blackmon
Status: Entering fifth year. Restricted free agent. Turns 26 in October.
2009 performance: Played three games before tearing anterior cruciate ligament in left knee Oct. 5 at Minnesota.
2010 hopes: Because the Packers haven't revealed their tender offers for restricted free agents, we can't say with certainty that Blackmon will return to the Packers in 2010. But based on the typical timetable for ACL rehabilitation, Blackmon should be cleared for the start of training camp. And if he's healthy and ready, Blackmon would add experienced depth to a position ravaged by injuries at the end of last season. With Al Harris rehabilitating a similar injury on a later timetable, the Packers might have to open camp with nickelback Tramon Williams as a starter. It's always possible that a rookie could help at nickelback, but all things equal, the Packers would probably be more comfortable with veteran experience at the position. Jarrett Bush struggled in that role during some games last season, opening up an opportunity for Blackmon if he's up to it.

[Fritz]

Will Blackmon? What??? He's a vet for crying out loud, not a first or second year guy.

That's like saying maybe Donald Driver will improve next year so maybe they'll have a deep threat.

Jordy Nelson at receiver?

Brent Giacomini? TJ Lang?

Brandon Underwood?

But Will Blackmon? WTF?

[Joemailman]

Will Blackmon doesn't need to develop, he just needs to stay healthy. He filled in quite well at nickle in 2008 when Al Harris was out with his spleen injury. His injury in 2009 really hurt the Packers secondary more than a lot of people realize.

[3irty1]

Jarret Bush was twice the nickle back in 2007/2009 that Blackmon was in 2008. Our fate lies in the hands of Pat Lee and Brandon Underwood.

[swede]

Nice analysis, Rats. ESPN was just frying pixels for no good reason with that chunk of information.

I'm hoping Underwood turns out NOT to be Marques Anderson.

[Maxie the Taxi]

As I said earlier, guys like Underwood, Lee and even Blackmon are hard to analyze without inside information regarding coach-ability, smarts, health, attitude, etc. The same probably goes for all our underplayed young guys. There's not a lot of film to watch on them. Underwood is intriguing. As are Giacomini, Jarius Wynn and DeShawn Wynn.

The good news is that a lot of TT's draft picks tend to "blossom" after their first or second season. I think that's because he likes to reach for small school guys in the middle round who have talent but not big-time experience or big-time coaching. Or maybe it's because it just takes time to pick up the Packer system, or push aside vets to gain playing experience.

(By the way, I was just kidding about DeShawn Wynn. I wanted to see if anyone was paying attention.)

[Zool]

Jarret Bush was twice the nickle back in 2007/2009 that Blackmon was in 2008. Our fate lies in the hands of Pat Lee and Brandon Underwood.

I must be remembering Blackmons 2008 differently than it actually happened because Bush was a dust covered shit pile this year. He should be embarrassed to pick up his check every week.

[sharpe1027]

I had high hopes for Blackmon out of college. It didn't take me long to decide that he sucked as a nickel back. Unless he learned something while rehabbing from his injuries, I would rather have Bush play there.

His return ability is also highly over-rated. The past couple years he seems to have forgotten how to turn up field. If he goes back to running north-south instead of dancing and running backwards, he might be considered a legitimate threat again.

Just my opinion.

[Brandon494]

His return ability is also highly over-rated. The past couple years he seems to have forgotten how to turn up field. If he goes back to running north-south instead of dancing and running backwards, he might be considered a legitimate threat again.

Just my opinion.

You do realize he in 2008 he combined for 1,555 punt and kick return yards which ranks as the second highest single season total in Packers history. Also had 2 punt returns for TDs in 2008. After seeing Jordy Nelson in 2009 his return ability is anything but over-rated.

[Brandon494]

Will Blackmon? What??? He's a vet for crying out loud, not a first or second year guy.

That's like saying maybe Donald Driver will improve next year so maybe they'll have a deep threat.

Jordy Nelson at receiver?

Brent Giacomini? TJ Lang?

Brandon Underwood?

But Will Blackmon? WTF?

Al Harris didn't break out til later on in his career.

Blackmon has had to deal with injuries just about every season with the Pack so I can understand where he is coming from when he thinks Blackmon can break out IF healthy.

[sharpe1027]

You do realize he in 2008 he combined for 1,555 punt and kick return yards which ranks as the second highest single season total in Packers history. Also had 2 punt returns for TDs in 2008. After seeing Jordy Nelson in 2009 his return ability is anything but over-rated.

Poor use of stats.

In 2008 Green Bay's kick return average was 32nd in the league. Ouch. Blackmon's personal return average ranked him 34th best in the league. Overrated? Very much so.

Punts, he was better and was 9th in the league in yards/return.

I am willing to concede that his punt returning was very good if you will concede that he was the worst starting kick returner in the league.

[Smidgeon]

You do realize he in 2008 he combined for 1,555 punt and kick return yards which ranks as the second highest single season total in Packers history. Also had 2 punt returns for TDs in 2008. After seeing Jordy Nelson in 2009 his return ability is anything but over-rated.

Poor use of stats.

In 2008 Green Bay's kick return average was 32nd in the league. Ouch. Blackmon's personal return average ranked him 34th best in the league. Overrated? Very much so.

Punts, he was better and was 9th in the league in yards/return.

I am willing to concede that his punt returning was very good if you will concede that he was the worst starting kick returner in the league.

Didn't they take Blackman off kick returns towards the end of the year and let him just stay on punt returns? (Just curious, I seem to recall something but can't remember for certain.)

Also, it's a pretty strong assumption to say he was the worst starting kick off returner. Yes, he was ranked 34th, but that has zero guarantee that the 33 above him were one from each team. You could have sixteen teams with two guys that had better kickoff return averages and Blackman would be the 17th or 18th best starting kickoff returner. For someone who wanted to point out poor use of stats, you certainly jumped to a conclusion you hadn't validated.

[sharpe1027]

Didn't they take Blackman off kick returns towards the end of the year and let him just stay on punt returns? (Just curious, I seem to recall something but can't remember for certain.)

Also, it's a pretty strong assumption to say he was the worst starting kick off returner. Yes, he was ranked 34th, but that has zero guarantee that the 33 above him were one from each team. You could have sixteen teams with two guys that had better kickoff return averages and Blackman would be the 17th or 18th best starting kickoff returner. For someone who wanted to point out poor use of stats, you certainly jumped to a conclusion you hadn't validated.

Feel free to actually look at the stats rather than just throwing out a hypothetical. Considering the team was the worst in the league at 20.1 Yds/return, Blackmon's average was only 21.0 yds/return and he had 55 out of 69 returns, is it really that strong of assumption?

[Smidgeon]

Didn't they take Blackman off kick returns towards the end of the year and let him just stay on punt returns? (Just curious, I seem to recall something but can't remember for certain.)

Also, it's a pretty strong assumption to say he was the worst starting kick off returner. Yes, he was ranked 34th, but that has zero guarantee that the 33 above him were one from each team. You could have sixteen teams with two guys that had better kickoff return averages and Blackman would be the 17th or 18th best starting kickoff returner. For someone who wanted to point out poor use of stats, you certainly jumped to a conclusion you hadn't validated.

Feel free to actually look at the stats rather than just throwing out a hypothetical. Considering the team was the worst in the league and he had 55 out of 69 returns, is it really that strong of assumption?

I'm not saying it isn't a realistic assumption. But my assumption that he wasn't the worst starting kick returner in the league in 2008 is more plausible... (I love a good debate about semantics)

[sharpe1027]

I'm not saying it isn't a realistic assumption. But my assumption that he wasn't the worst starting kick returner in the league in 2008 is more plausible... (I love a good debate about semantics)

Semantics eh? I never said he was the worst. I only said what I was willing to concede in exchange for another concession. Moving back to reality.

Blackmon was a terrible kick returner.