Colt Lyerla in Packer Rookie Orientation

[MadScientist]

Jolly's drug problem was mostly a legal matter. Be it drugs, brain damage, or a psychological disorder, Lyerla's problem is mostly behavioral and not legal. Big difference.

Not sure what you mean by mostly a legal matter. He had a drug addiction, everything else stemmed from that. It took the shock of jail to finally get him to do what was necessary to get his life under control. Lyerla has an addiction to worse drugs, and we don't have enough information to properly asses what problems he might have beyond the drugs without getting him cleaned up first.

[Smidgeon]

Damn I hope this kid can turn it around.

That was a fun highlight package. Kid fought for more yards after contact than a semi driving through into a house.

[pbmax]

I wonder what harm would it be to sign him to a UDFA contract and see what happens? We won't have a lot invested in him so if it doesn't work out we aren't out much. But if he can get his act together...!

Several teams felt this way. I don't know who his agent is (missed it on radio if mentioned) but the guy has a good relationship with the Packers and pointed the kid in their direction. But Dougherty (the guy reporting this) said he has multiple offers to consider for UDFA.

[pbmax]

My view of Twitter: Every post should have a certain take-back period, from an hour to a day, where you can just say "that was posted by 'not me'" I didn't mean it, it was a mistake, move along, nothing to see here. It's shouldn't be like a blog where you can't ever erase a post or a thread, for example.

[]

If it was one Tweet (or say four in a row) I would agree. But he spent an hour arguing with someone on his feed and was also Retweeting those who supported him. That's not just a brain fart or Tweet gone wrong.

He wanted* you to seriously consider that the Sandy Hook shooting was arranged by the Federal Government and that the parents of the dead children are lying in support.

http://dailyemerald.com/2013/03/21/uo-football-player-colt-lyerla-tweets-controversial-conspiracy-theory-about-sandy-hook-shooting/

His stay with the Packers, if there is one, won't end well.

* EDIT: changed to past tense. Perhaps he has changed his mind.

[Brandon494]

Who knows really but people can change, hopefully not being drafted was a wake up call for him. I don't know how he is going to act once he acquires NFL type money but we have a strong enough locker room for us to take a chance on this kid. TT has a track record with Koren Robinson and Jolly who have had problems with substance abuse so I could see Lyerla making the 53 man roster.

[mraynrand]

If it was one Tweet (or say four in a row) I would agree. But he spent an hour arguing with someone on his feed and was also Retweeting those who supported him. That's not just a brain fart or Tweet gone wrong.

He wanted* you to seriously consider that the Sandy Hook shooting was arranged by the Federal Government and that the parents of the dead children are lying in support.

http://dailyemerald.com/2013/03/21/uo-football-player-colt-lyerla-tweets-controversial-conspiracy-theory-about-sandy-hook-shooting/

His stay with the Packers, if there is one, won't end well.

* EDIT: changed to past tense. Perhaps he has changed his mind.

You're right of course. He sold himself as insane, or more likely, extremely immature and stupid. But with twitter, social media, recording devices, etc. one moment of immaturity (or two, or three, or more) is becoming death sentences for people, even if stuff is totally 'private,' notwithstanding whether it is racist, crazy, or otherwise reprehensible. Taken as a whole I think it is not good, even though there are some redeeming qualities.

[Bretsky]

ON BOARD; offer him a nice signing bonus. He shows way better IMO than our 3rd round draft pick. He's got plenty of baggage but talent wise this guy looks like he has it Nice size...catches ball well with his hands..turns upfield...and plays fast

[Joemailman]

ON BOARD; offer him a nice signing bonus. He shows way better IMO than our 3rd round draft pick. He's got plenty of baggage but talent wise this guy looks like he has it Nice size...catches ball well with his hands..turns upfield...and plays fast

I think the last thing this guy needs is a big signing bonus. He needs to understand he needs to earn anything he gets. Let's find out how bad he wants it. The talent is there if he's committed.

[pbmax]

You're right of course. He sold himself as insane, or more likely, extremely immature and stupid. But with twitter, social media, recording devices, etc. one moment of immaturity (or two, or three, or more) is becoming death sentences for people, even if stuff is totally 'private,' notwithstanding whether it is racist, crazy, or otherwise reprehensible. Taken as a whole I think it is not good, even though there are some redeeming qualities.

Its a great question and one I am curious if the Packers have considered and answered.

Do those actions indicate fleeting but unlikely to be repeated momentarily stupidity or is there something deeper going on?

I think the trouble he had with the team (one absence was reported, though not confirmed, to be a rehab stay, another absence wasn't explained nor was his decision to leave) is indicative that the Twitter outburst might be the least of his troubles. At least from a football standpoint.

[HarveyWallbangers]

ON BOARD; offer him a nice signing bonus. He shows way better IMO than our 3rd round draft pick. He's got plenty of baggage but talent wise this guy looks like he has it Nice size...catches ball well with his hands..turns upfield...and plays fast

Of course, he shows better than our third round pick. You could say that about almost every TE in the draft. This is a first round talent. Based on talent alone, he's probably a better prospect than anybody but Ebron and ASJ. Probably better than Amaro. No to a big signing bonus.

[pbmax]

Strictly on the football side, how worried are the Packers about pass catching TEs and that they brought him in?

It seems like they have serious doubts about Finley's return, despite M3's optimism earlier this Spring.

[Carolina_Packer]

I'm assuming that if he passes the first hurdle and gets signed off of this rookie try-out, there will be conditions he must meet.

I wonder if you could sign a guy like Lyerla and if you can't hide his issues in his first year, talk to him about putting him on injured reserve (not sure if you can reserve a guy for mental issues or addiction, but there's a first for everything).

He's signed to a college free agent deal, he's not taking up much money, and before saying, "just cut him if he acts up", what if someone really fought for the kid and showed him some loyalty with the possibility that he gets helps, gets right and then only has to worry about football? It would be a calculated risk, and it could turn him into a success story, rather than another in a long line of guys who pissed away their potential.

Would there be team selfish reasons for doing something like that? Sure! If you hit on a guy like Lyerla after taking a chance on him, it could be an incredible weapon for the offense. I say if you sign him, fight like hell for him because he's a kid who needs it, and hopefully he will repay the favor, but he will never be able have a career until he gets drugs out of his life. I'm rooting for him no matter what the Packers decide.

[Pugger]

That was a fun highlight package. Kid fought for more yards after contact than a semi driving through into a house.

After watching him blast thru tacklers if he were black and had dreads he would resemble Lacy!

[Pugger]

Several teams felt this way. I don't know who his agent is (missed it on radio if mentioned) but the guy has a good relationship with the Packers and pointed the kid in their direction. But Dougherty (the guy reporting this) said he has multiple offers to consider for UDFA.

We are also known for giving UDFAs a real chance to make roster.

[Willard]

The Pack is chasing the niners after 3 or 4 (?) consecutive losses. The niners have questionable characters on their team, and they are bringing in more questionable characters this spring to try to get better. Clearly the Packer brass has decided to follow this path else fall further behind. Maybe they are right, the end justifies the means. Let's just stop this nonsense about Packer People. It may help us fans feel morally superior to Bengal fans, lion fans, and Niner fans -- but it is bullshit.