Packers are releasing OT Chad Clifton today

[HarveyWallbangers]

I've already written Sherrod off as a bust... if he's your starting LT, ARod might as well book his rehab schedule for September now.

If it's based on performance, and giving the team the best chance to win?? Newhouse will be the starter. If it's based on draft status, ARod is a dead man.

wist is back. Super Bowl one year and 15-2 the next, and it's like we are the Browns. Sherrod has talent. He has the athletic ability to start in the NFL. I'll give the young man a couple of more years before writing him off as a bust.

[wist43]

Bust after one season without having a training camp as a rookie?

Busted leg, looked pathetic... wow, he was bad.

Besides, I've gone back and looked at Newhouse some more, and the more I look at him, the more I like him. Isn't always pretty getting it done, but he is fairly dependable - dependable enough that I'm okay with him at LT.

If Sherrod beats out Newhouse on performance, then bully for us; but if Sherrod is handed the job on draft status?? I have a problem with that. I thought Newhouse performed pretty well and deserves to be pencilled in as the starter.

[wist43]

wist is back. Super Bowl one year and 15-2 the next, and it's like we are the Browns. Sherrod has talent. He has the athletic ability to start in the NFL. I'll give the young man a couple of more years before writing him off as a bust.

Wait til I get home from hospital in a few days... whacked out on every pain killer known to man. I plan on being completely vegged during the draft

[Scott Campbell]

Busted leg, looked pathetic... wow, he was bad.

Besides, I've gone back and looked at Newhouse some more, and the more I look at him, the more I like him. Isn't always pretty getting it done, but he is fairly dependable - dependable enough that I'm okay with him at LT.

If Sherrod beats out Newhouse on performance, then bully for us; but if Sherrod is handed the job on draft status?? I have a problem with that. I thought Newhouse performed pretty well and deserves to be pencilled in as the starter.

I'm working from memory here, but didn't Sherrod break his leg when Newhouse whiffed on his guy and he plowed into Sherrod from the backside?

[Scott Campbell]

Bust after one season without having a training camp as a rookie?

And he plays a position where you often see a huge second year progression.

[Smidgeon]

And he plays a position where you often see a huge second year progression.

At least you do on tackles drafted by the Packers in the first round within the last two years...

[Pugger]

Bust after one season without having a training camp as a rookie?

Of course. To some folks if a guy isn't All-Pro right out of the box he's a bust.

[Guiness]

Bust after one season without having a training camp as a rookie?

tough crowd...

[pbmax]

I'm working from memory here, but didn't Sherrod break his leg when Newhouse whiffed on his guy and he plowed into Sherrod from the backside?

Yes and no. Newhouse did get a glove or two on him and pushed him wide, barely. Against a quality DE like Hali, that isn't a sin. His bigger failure was to stop. Hali rolled to get up and dived into the back of Sherrod. If Newhouse has sat on him, Sherrod would have been fine. If I was a big fat lineman, I would relish any chance to dive on a smaller pass rushing DE just to make him sore and have to push me off to get up.

Now I am angry about that hit all over again.

[Patler]

What bothered me about Sherrod's performance last year was that he seemed completely overwhelmed at times, and more importantly didn't always look like a scrapper who would do anything and everything to stop a rusher. What made both Clifton and Tauscher such good passblockers was that even when they did get beat, they would get a small piece of a guy, shove him as he went past, lunge at him, do anything to divert his path to the QB.

Colledge drove me crazy because of the number of times he gotten beaten cleanly, without getting a hand on the guy. I saw a little of that from Sherrod last year, indecision that seemed to cause him to freeze, which is the last thing you want an athlete to do. Better to do something, even if wrong, than to do nothing at all.

Hopefully, that will all change this year.

[RashanGary]

Busted leg, looked pathetic... wow, he was bad.

Besides, I've gone back and looked at Newhouse some more, and the more I look at him, the more I like him. Isn't always pretty getting it done, but he is fairly dependable - dependable enough that I'm okay with him at LT.

If Sherrod beats out Newhouse on performance, then bully for us; but if Sherrod is handed the job on draft status?? I have a problem with that. I thought Newhouse performed pretty well and deserves to be pencilled in as the starter.

I agree with this. Both Sherrod and Newhouse came from schools that do not practice pro style blocking fundamentals. It's a bigger transition for those guys. Newhouse took year one to get his fundamentals somewhat in order. Year two he was like a rookie from a big 10 school. Year 3, he'll be maturing in his technique and in his physical make-up.

There is a lot of reason for optimism on Newhouse. He's shown he can kinda hack it early in his career, shown big improvement and has a trend of play pointing up.

Sherrod looked lost. His fundamentals sucked. His body was underdeveloped. He needs to get stronger and get more secure in his fundamentals. Unlike Newhouse, he hasn't shown he can hack it. But like Newhouse, he might need a year. Smeefers said today, he gives a guy 3 years. I'm on board with that. If Sherrod doesn't get it together by his JR year, I'm giving up on him.

For now, Newhouse has shown more, and IMO is more likely to be the better player, although Sherrod has a chance because he has more raw ability. Just have to let it play out for now. Not all players light it up in year 1, or year 2 even. Scouts talked about Sherrod being a bit of a project if I recall. That's why Carpenter was drafted higher. He played pro-style technique and was good at it. He was a damn good tackle from day one, similar to Bulaga. It's a lot easier to judge a guy who's already done what you're going to ask him to do, and these guys are more likely to be ready out of the gate. To Thompson's credit, he does go for the gusto. Sherrod is a gusto pick, the chance for dominance over a guy who's sure to be average.

That's how we end up with guys like Matthews and also why we end up with guys like Harrell. Playmakers make the difference though. Gotta take those gambles. And big guys who can move are rare. Again, TT is a bit of a gambler for excellence and seems to really value big guys.

[RashanGary]

Oh, and releasing Cliffy opens up some money to extend some big players for us. Unfortunately, Driver may need to take a pay cut because his salary could be better spent on a guy like Jennings.

[Harlan Huckleby]

What bothered me about Sherrod's performance last year was that he seemed completely overwhelmed at times, and more importantly didn't always look like a scrapper who would do anything and everything to stop a rusher.

And Newhouse was better? This gets me so mad I'm going to start a poll.

[pbmax]

What bothered me about Sherrod's performance last year was that he seemed completely overwhelmed at times, and more importantly didn't always look like a scrapper who would do anything and everything to stop a rusher. What made both Clifton and Tauscher such good passblockers was that even when they did get beat, they would get a small piece of a guy, shove him as he went past, lunge at him, do anything to divert his path to the QB.

Colledge drove me crazy because of the number of times he gotten beaten cleanly, without getting a hand on the guy. I saw a little of that from Sherrod last year, indecision that seemed to cause him to freeze, which is the last thing you want an athlete to do. Better to do something, even if wrong, than to do nothing at all.

Hopefully, that will all change this year.

I saw indecision in Sherrod but not inaction in desperation. Newhouse had a tendency to block to a point and then just stop. Like a timer had gone off in his head.

[ND72]

Busted leg, looked pathetic... wow, he was bad.

Totally disagree. The one game (no I don't remember) he got extended playing time, as he got more and more comfortable he looked quiet good. Until his injury at KC, he was starting to settle in a bit there as well. No pre-season work because of lockout, many OL rookies looked bad last year, just tough for them. If we went off of a rookie season, Rodgers would have been cut by GM Wist...(no, I'm not saying Sherrod is a comparision)