Top pick out to prove GM right

[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.