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POSITIONS BATTLES REVIEWS; WRS AND RBS
Packers by position: WRs thin on talent
The Green Bay Packers' receiving corps still is suffering from the Javon Walker debacle that forced the Packers to trade one of the league's best young receivers in the spring of 2006. It's no coincidence that without the dynamic Walker, two Internet scouting services — Scouts Inc. at ESPN.com and Football Outsiders on FoxSports.com — recently rated the Packers as the No. 28 receiving corps in the 32-team NFL going into this season. Scouts Inc. bases its rankings on subjective personnel evaluations of game videotape, whereas Football Outsiders uses the videotape study for a more statistically oriented evaluation. Both came to the same conclusion. They lauded warhorse Donald Driver (262 receptions the past three years) as a capable and productive player, and said second-year pro Greg Jennings appears promising, though his ankle injury last season raises durability concerns. But they decried the Packers' overall lack of talent at the position, where surprise third-round pick James Jones, young journeymen Ruvell Martin and Carlyle Holiday, and perennial tease Robert Ferguson are the top contenders for the unit's Nos. 3 and 4 spots. "We have some unproven (receivers) that aren't household names that we believe in, we think are good football players," said John Schneider, the Packers' personnel analyst to the general manager.
Some of the fate of the Packers' passing game rides on whether Jennings can become a productive and occasionally dangerous player. Jennings showed he was far more advanced than most rookie receivers last year, and in the first five games, he had 19 receptions, including 75- and 46-yard touchdowns. Then he injured his ankle early in Week 6 against Miami, missed the next game and wasn't the same player the rest of the year. He missed all of the offseason practices this year while recovering from offseason ankle surgery, so the Packers haven't seen Jennings on the field since late last year. But they are counting on him to blossom in his second season. "I think you would have seen (60-plus catches) in Greg Jennings had he not been hurt, missed the time he missed and was limited when he was playing there in the second half of the year," said Jimmy Robinson, the Packers' receivers coach. "I think he would have been in that (productive rookie) category. I don't know how many catches he had, 40-some I think. I feel like he would have beaten the (rookie) odds on that had he stayed healthy." As big an issue is whether the Packers can put three- and four-receiver alignments on the field that will challenge defenses. To that end, they could use immediate help from Jones, though through the offseason practices, he hasn't been as precocious as Jennings was last year.
General Manager Ted Thompson surprised a number of teams around the league by selecting Jones out of San Jose State in the third round after a run on receivers depleted that position in the draft. Where many clubs saw a productive college receiver who lacked speed and quickness, Thompson and his scouts saw an unusually strong player for his position (6-foot-1, 207 pounds) who played faster than he timed, somewhat in the mold of Arizona's Anquan Boldin or Pittsburgh's Hines Ward. In offseason practices, Jones showed he's an extended-hands catcher — he plucks the ball in the air, away from his body, which is much preferred. But whether he has the quickness and speed to get open consistently, or at least the strength to regularly make tough catches in traffic, will remain unknown until the pads are on for a while. "I can't speak for other teams," Schneider said, "but what we saw was a power, old-school West Coast (offense) receiver. A guy that's strong, takes the ball out of the air; players bounce off him. He's got great run-after-the-catch ability. He may not be a huge threat down the field, especially when you look at his 40 speed, yet he still was catching balls down the field (in college). He's just a tough, competitive guy that fit the mold of the type of players we want to add to his team."
In the offseason workouts, Martin and Holiday worked ahead of Jones, though both are possession receivers with speed limitations. Martin, who made the roster as a street free agent last year, has size (6-4) and caught 21 passes last year in an increased role after Jennings was hurt. The Packers picked up Holiday after Arizona waived him Dec. 4, and he caught one pass in each of the Packers' final four games. In that brief audition, Holiday demonstrated strength (6-2, 217 pounds) and caught a couple passes that were off target, though at 25, he's a former college quarterback from Notre Dame still trying to make the adjust to receiver in the NFL. The Packers also continue to mention Ferguson as a possible No. 3 receiver, though the 27-year-old always seems to be held back by injury or circumstance. In his six seasons, the former second-round pick has only 116 catches and hasn't come close the breakout season the team had anticipated for several years. This will be his last shot in Green Bay.
David Clowney, a fifth-round pick this year, showed speed in offseason workouts but appears to be a project whose best chance of contributing this season is as a return man. "I feel good we'll come out with somebody we can count on," Robinson said. "It may also be where it's not one clear-cut guy but many. Who knows?" The Packers also could bring back Koren Robinson in October from his year-long substance-abuse suspension. However, the 27-year-old will have been away from football for a full year, and whether his career in Green Bay continues will depend in part on his physical conditioning. If the Packers put him in a prominent role quickly, it could be a sign that no one has come through among the backups. Unlike a handful of NFL teams such as San Diego and Kansas City, the Packers don't have an elite tight end to function as one of their top playmakers. Fifth-year pro Donald Lee worked as the starter all offseason ahead of the declining Bubba Franks.
Franks, who missed six games because of a knee injury two years ago and last season caught only 25 passes (none for a touchdown), returned to Miami this offseason to work out with former teammates at the University of Miami after staying in Green Bay last year. He came back in good shape but never was fast and, at 29, has lost a step from earlier in his career. Lee, who's the superior receiving threat, stands a good chance of beating him out for the starting job. "(Lee) is playing the best football he's played since he's been here," said offensive coordinator Joe Philbin of Lee's offseason. "Obviously that needs to translate onto the field next year on Sundays." Three others also will also vie for the three or four spots that will go to tight ends: Second-year pro Zac Alcorn, who has the best hands among the tight ends; second-year pro Tory Humphrey, who is the best athlete of the group but at 6-2 is a tad short for the position; and seventh-round draft pick Clark Harris of Rutgers.
Receivers:
11 David Clowney 6-0 188 22 R Virginia Tech
13 Carlton Brewster 5-11 208 24 1 Ferris State
17 Calvin Russell 6-0 190 24 1 Tuskegee
18 Carlyle Holiday 6-2 217 25 2 Notre Dame
19 Shaun Bodiford 5-11 186 25 2 Portland State
80 Donald Driver 6-0 190 32 9 Alcorn State
82 Ruvell Martin 6-4 210 24 2 Saginaw Valley State
83 Chris Francies 6-1 193 24 2 Texas-El Paso
85 Greg Jennings 5-11 197 23 2 Western Michigan
87 Robert Ferguson 6-1 210 27 7 Texas A&M
89 James Jones 6-1 207 23 R San Jose State
Tight ends:
44 Clark Harris 6-5 256 23 R Rutgers
49 Zac Alcorn 6-4 255 26 2 Black Hills State
84 Tory Humphrey 6-2 250 24 2 Central Michigan
86 Donald Lee 6-4 248 26 5 Mississippi State
88 Bubba Franks 6-6 265 29 8 Miami (Fla.)
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Packers by position: Team is green at RB
The Green Bay Packers' charge at running back for 2007 isn't replacing the recently departed Ahman Green; it's replacing the Ahman Green of 2000 through 2004. The Ahman Green of 2007 is not the player who went to four straight Pro Bowls (2001 through 2004 seasons) and gave the Packers one of the top five running games early this decade. He'd shown decline in the second half of 2005, and coming off a severe injury (torn hamstring tendon) last year, averaged 4.0 yards a carry, well below the 4.6 yards he averaged in eight previous NFL seasons. So, it was hard to blame General Manager Ted Thompson when he drew a line in a free-agent bidding war that ended with the 30-year-old Green signing with the Houston Texans this offseason. Houston will pay Green $8 million in bonuses and salary this year and $12.5 million over the first two years, a steep price for an aging back.
The question for the Packers is whether the combination of second-round draft pick Brandon Jackson and third-year pro Vernand Morency can average in the range of 4.5 yards a carry and push the Packers well ahead of last season's 23rd-ranked running game. The Packers will be in their second season in the zone-blocking scheme coach Mike McCarthy installed, so they're counting on making a noticeable jump. "We played with a lot of young players last year, and that takes time," said John Schneider, the Packers' personnel analyst to the general manager. "And if there's one position you can say a guy can come in the league and be productive right away, it's running back." The Packers selected Jackson surprisingly high in this year's draft, the 63rd pick overall, even though he never was a full-time back at Nebraska and as a junior last year had a career-high 188 carries for 989 yards (5.3 yards a carry). At 5-foot-97/8 and 212 pounds, he's a little on the small side, but the Packers were looking for a good fit for the zone-running scheme.
"The one thing we're looking for is a guy that's decisive and has got some acceleration through the hole. That's probably the most important thing," offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said. "They can't be a guy that dances and shuffles. They have to be decisive once they move off their initial read, they have to get their foot in the ground and get north and south." The Packers haven't seen Jackson in pads, but projected him at draft time to push for the starting job in their idiosyncratic scheme. When asked what sold the team on Jackson, Schneider said: "His foot quickness, his balance, his vision, his burst. He made long runs. With minimal opportunity, he really was productive when he played. Given the opportunity, he did some real nice things. He's one of those guys that always has his feet on the ground, has a real nice feel for the flow and cutback, can be a real sharp, one-cut-type back." Most likely, Jackson and Morency will share the workload at halfback, though one could end up outperforming the other and getting more carries.
The Packers acquired Morency last year in a trade with Houston for Samkon Gado that appeared to be a relatively minor move at the time. Morency (5-10, 212) is about the same size as Jackson and averaged 4.6 yards on 91 carries with the Packers. But whether he can perform at that pace playing regularly is another matter, because his size raises durability concerns. He missed two games last season because of a lower-back injury. "We feel like, from a talent standpoint and athletic standpoint, we feel like these guys can (provide what Green used to)," Philbin said. After Jackson and Morency, any of several players could end up as the No. 3 back. Noah Herron has held that role the past two seasons but has speed limitations, and P.J. Pope intrigued the team enough to pluck him off the Bears' practice squad last year. The Packers also used a seventh-round draft pick on Florida's DeShawn Wynn, an elite recruit coming out of high school who was a major underachiever in college because of a lack of toughness and dedication. Wynn, who has excellent size (5-10¾, 232 pounds), gained 630 yards and averaged 5.1 yards a carry last season. He sustained a strained calf in his first practice with the Packers at rookie orientation camp immediately after the late-April draft and didn't return to the field until June 7.
He might find a niche as a short-yardage back early, though undrafted rookie Corey White (6-1, 239) of Alabama-Birmingham showed at least as much promise in offseason practices. "DeShawn Wynn finished the offseason program on a positive note, and he's a big man. It could be him (on short-yardage downs)," Schneider said. "I'm not exactly sure. Someone in that group is going to step forward. And one thing about our staff, they're willing to try a number of combinations to make things work." William Henderson was a true professional as a fullback for the Packers for 12 years, but they cut ties with him this offseason because age rendered the 36-year-old an ineffective blocker. Brandon Miree, who played through a severe elbow injury last year, probably will be the starter. White is a halfback-fullback hybrid, and the Packers drafted Korey Hall from Boise State in the sixth round as a special-teams player and possible backup fullback. He played linebacker in college.
Packers by position: WRs thin on talent
The Green Bay Packers' receiving corps still is suffering from the Javon Walker debacle that forced the Packers to trade one of the league's best young receivers in the spring of 2006. It's no coincidence that without the dynamic Walker, two Internet scouting services — Scouts Inc. at ESPN.com and Football Outsiders on FoxSports.com — recently rated the Packers as the No. 28 receiving corps in the 32-team NFL going into this season. Scouts Inc. bases its rankings on subjective personnel evaluations of game videotape, whereas Football Outsiders uses the videotape study for a more statistically oriented evaluation. Both came to the same conclusion. They lauded warhorse Donald Driver (262 receptions the past three years) as a capable and productive player, and said second-year pro Greg Jennings appears promising, though his ankle injury last season raises durability concerns. But they decried the Packers' overall lack of talent at the position, where surprise third-round pick James Jones, young journeymen Ruvell Martin and Carlyle Holiday, and perennial tease Robert Ferguson are the top contenders for the unit's Nos. 3 and 4 spots. "We have some unproven (receivers) that aren't household names that we believe in, we think are good football players," said John Schneider, the Packers' personnel analyst to the general manager.
Some of the fate of the Packers' passing game rides on whether Jennings can become a productive and occasionally dangerous player. Jennings showed he was far more advanced than most rookie receivers last year, and in the first five games, he had 19 receptions, including 75- and 46-yard touchdowns. Then he injured his ankle early in Week 6 against Miami, missed the next game and wasn't the same player the rest of the year. He missed all of the offseason practices this year while recovering from offseason ankle surgery, so the Packers haven't seen Jennings on the field since late last year. But they are counting on him to blossom in his second season. "I think you would have seen (60-plus catches) in Greg Jennings had he not been hurt, missed the time he missed and was limited when he was playing there in the second half of the year," said Jimmy Robinson, the Packers' receivers coach. "I think he would have been in that (productive rookie) category. I don't know how many catches he had, 40-some I think. I feel like he would have beaten the (rookie) odds on that had he stayed healthy." As big an issue is whether the Packers can put three- and four-receiver alignments on the field that will challenge defenses. To that end, they could use immediate help from Jones, though through the offseason practices, he hasn't been as precocious as Jennings was last year.
General Manager Ted Thompson surprised a number of teams around the league by selecting Jones out of San Jose State in the third round after a run on receivers depleted that position in the draft. Where many clubs saw a productive college receiver who lacked speed and quickness, Thompson and his scouts saw an unusually strong player for his position (6-foot-1, 207 pounds) who played faster than he timed, somewhat in the mold of Arizona's Anquan Boldin or Pittsburgh's Hines Ward. In offseason practices, Jones showed he's an extended-hands catcher — he plucks the ball in the air, away from his body, which is much preferred. But whether he has the quickness and speed to get open consistently, or at least the strength to regularly make tough catches in traffic, will remain unknown until the pads are on for a while. "I can't speak for other teams," Schneider said, "but what we saw was a power, old-school West Coast (offense) receiver. A guy that's strong, takes the ball out of the air; players bounce off him. He's got great run-after-the-catch ability. He may not be a huge threat down the field, especially when you look at his 40 speed, yet he still was catching balls down the field (in college). He's just a tough, competitive guy that fit the mold of the type of players we want to add to his team."
In the offseason workouts, Martin and Holiday worked ahead of Jones, though both are possession receivers with speed limitations. Martin, who made the roster as a street free agent last year, has size (6-4) and caught 21 passes last year in an increased role after Jennings was hurt. The Packers picked up Holiday after Arizona waived him Dec. 4, and he caught one pass in each of the Packers' final four games. In that brief audition, Holiday demonstrated strength (6-2, 217 pounds) and caught a couple passes that were off target, though at 25, he's a former college quarterback from Notre Dame still trying to make the adjust to receiver in the NFL. The Packers also continue to mention Ferguson as a possible No. 3 receiver, though the 27-year-old always seems to be held back by injury or circumstance. In his six seasons, the former second-round pick has only 116 catches and hasn't come close the breakout season the team had anticipated for several years. This will be his last shot in Green Bay.
David Clowney, a fifth-round pick this year, showed speed in offseason workouts but appears to be a project whose best chance of contributing this season is as a return man. "I feel good we'll come out with somebody we can count on," Robinson said. "It may also be where it's not one clear-cut guy but many. Who knows?" The Packers also could bring back Koren Robinson in October from his year-long substance-abuse suspension. However, the 27-year-old will have been away from football for a full year, and whether his career in Green Bay continues will depend in part on his physical conditioning. If the Packers put him in a prominent role quickly, it could be a sign that no one has come through among the backups. Unlike a handful of NFL teams such as San Diego and Kansas City, the Packers don't have an elite tight end to function as one of their top playmakers. Fifth-year pro Donald Lee worked as the starter all offseason ahead of the declining Bubba Franks.
Franks, who missed six games because of a knee injury two years ago and last season caught only 25 passes (none for a touchdown), returned to Miami this offseason to work out with former teammates at the University of Miami after staying in Green Bay last year. He came back in good shape but never was fast and, at 29, has lost a step from earlier in his career. Lee, who's the superior receiving threat, stands a good chance of beating him out for the starting job. "(Lee) is playing the best football he's played since he's been here," said offensive coordinator Joe Philbin of Lee's offseason. "Obviously that needs to translate onto the field next year on Sundays." Three others also will also vie for the three or four spots that will go to tight ends: Second-year pro Zac Alcorn, who has the best hands among the tight ends; second-year pro Tory Humphrey, who is the best athlete of the group but at 6-2 is a tad short for the position; and seventh-round draft pick Clark Harris of Rutgers.
Receivers:
11 David Clowney 6-0 188 22 R Virginia Tech
13 Carlton Brewster 5-11 208 24 1 Ferris State
17 Calvin Russell 6-0 190 24 1 Tuskegee
18 Carlyle Holiday 6-2 217 25 2 Notre Dame
19 Shaun Bodiford 5-11 186 25 2 Portland State
80 Donald Driver 6-0 190 32 9 Alcorn State
82 Ruvell Martin 6-4 210 24 2 Saginaw Valley State
83 Chris Francies 6-1 193 24 2 Texas-El Paso
85 Greg Jennings 5-11 197 23 2 Western Michigan
87 Robert Ferguson 6-1 210 27 7 Texas A&M
89 James Jones 6-1 207 23 R San Jose State
Tight ends:
44 Clark Harris 6-5 256 23 R Rutgers
49 Zac Alcorn 6-4 255 26 2 Black Hills State
84 Tory Humphrey 6-2 250 24 2 Central Michigan
86 Donald Lee 6-4 248 26 5 Mississippi State
88 Bubba Franks 6-6 265 29 8 Miami (Fla.)
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Packers by position: Team is green at RB
The Green Bay Packers' charge at running back for 2007 isn't replacing the recently departed Ahman Green; it's replacing the Ahman Green of 2000 through 2004. The Ahman Green of 2007 is not the player who went to four straight Pro Bowls (2001 through 2004 seasons) and gave the Packers one of the top five running games early this decade. He'd shown decline in the second half of 2005, and coming off a severe injury (torn hamstring tendon) last year, averaged 4.0 yards a carry, well below the 4.6 yards he averaged in eight previous NFL seasons. So, it was hard to blame General Manager Ted Thompson when he drew a line in a free-agent bidding war that ended with the 30-year-old Green signing with the Houston Texans this offseason. Houston will pay Green $8 million in bonuses and salary this year and $12.5 million over the first two years, a steep price for an aging back.
The question for the Packers is whether the combination of second-round draft pick Brandon Jackson and third-year pro Vernand Morency can average in the range of 4.5 yards a carry and push the Packers well ahead of last season's 23rd-ranked running game. The Packers will be in their second season in the zone-blocking scheme coach Mike McCarthy installed, so they're counting on making a noticeable jump. "We played with a lot of young players last year, and that takes time," said John Schneider, the Packers' personnel analyst to the general manager. "And if there's one position you can say a guy can come in the league and be productive right away, it's running back." The Packers selected Jackson surprisingly high in this year's draft, the 63rd pick overall, even though he never was a full-time back at Nebraska and as a junior last year had a career-high 188 carries for 989 yards (5.3 yards a carry). At 5-foot-97/8 and 212 pounds, he's a little on the small side, but the Packers were looking for a good fit for the zone-running scheme.
"The one thing we're looking for is a guy that's decisive and has got some acceleration through the hole. That's probably the most important thing," offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said. "They can't be a guy that dances and shuffles. They have to be decisive once they move off their initial read, they have to get their foot in the ground and get north and south." The Packers haven't seen Jackson in pads, but projected him at draft time to push for the starting job in their idiosyncratic scheme. When asked what sold the team on Jackson, Schneider said: "His foot quickness, his balance, his vision, his burst. He made long runs. With minimal opportunity, he really was productive when he played. Given the opportunity, he did some real nice things. He's one of those guys that always has his feet on the ground, has a real nice feel for the flow and cutback, can be a real sharp, one-cut-type back." Most likely, Jackson and Morency will share the workload at halfback, though one could end up outperforming the other and getting more carries.
The Packers acquired Morency last year in a trade with Houston for Samkon Gado that appeared to be a relatively minor move at the time. Morency (5-10, 212) is about the same size as Jackson and averaged 4.6 yards on 91 carries with the Packers. But whether he can perform at that pace playing regularly is another matter, because his size raises durability concerns. He missed two games last season because of a lower-back injury. "We feel like, from a talent standpoint and athletic standpoint, we feel like these guys can (provide what Green used to)," Philbin said. After Jackson and Morency, any of several players could end up as the No. 3 back. Noah Herron has held that role the past two seasons but has speed limitations, and P.J. Pope intrigued the team enough to pluck him off the Bears' practice squad last year. The Packers also used a seventh-round draft pick on Florida's DeShawn Wynn, an elite recruit coming out of high school who was a major underachiever in college because of a lack of toughness and dedication. Wynn, who has excellent size (5-10¾, 232 pounds), gained 630 yards and averaged 5.1 yards a carry last season. He sustained a strained calf in his first practice with the Packers at rookie orientation camp immediately after the late-April draft and didn't return to the field until June 7.
He might find a niche as a short-yardage back early, though undrafted rookie Corey White (6-1, 239) of Alabama-Birmingham showed at least as much promise in offseason practices. "DeShawn Wynn finished the offseason program on a positive note, and he's a big man. It could be him (on short-yardage downs)," Schneider said. "I'm not exactly sure. Someone in that group is going to step forward. And one thing about our staff, they're willing to try a number of combinations to make things work." William Henderson was a true professional as a fullback for the Packers for 12 years, but they cut ties with him this offseason because age rendered the 36-year-old an ineffective blocker. Brandon Miree, who played through a severe elbow injury last year, probably will be the starter. White is a halfback-fullback hybrid, and the Packers drafted Korey Hall from Boise State in the sixth round as a special-teams player and possible backup fullback. He played linebacker in college.
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