"HARRELL OFF TO SLUGGISH START "

[The Leaper]

didn't big gil play a year with that same injury

and didn't that same injury have something to do with his career ending?

I think Gilbert's propensity to devour hamburgers by the dozen and not maintain a strong workout routine in the offseason had more to do with his early career exit than any arm injury.

[woodbuck27]

If you go down to the draft board and across from each players name you'll see a little camera. Click on the camera across from Harrells name and you have a decent little video.

http://sports.yahoo.com/s/nfldraft

OK.

Excellent size and quickness for a big man. Good lateral movement and decent feet.

He uses his hands v. well to protect against the pass. He's in the play or stays with it both straight ahead and laterally (and he's pumped) which demonstrates leadership to me. Harrell was projected at #29 and went to us at #16.

PACKERRATS (if your interested) compare Justin Harrell with:

Link:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/prospects?rank_type=13

My humble observations of each prospect are within brackets.

** #91 Amobi Okoye ( v. athletic and extreme potential being so young) - Projected at #18 and went 10th to Houston.

** #80 Alan Branch ( a monster at 6'-6" and 330 lbs., a huge man with it all ) - Projected at #16 and slipped to #33 to Arizona.

Personally, I really like the way Alan Branch plays his position. He's on the depth chart at #2 LDT behind #1 LDT Gabe Watson, Arizona Cardinals.

** #90 Turk McBride ( at 6'-4" 274 lbs. plays v. quick like a DE ). Turk McBride was projected ? and went #54 to KC.

** #13 Jay Alford ( at 6'-3" and 288 lbs. he's also v. athletic, hard hitting with good penetration and sack ability. He's all there.) Jay Alford was projected ? and went #81 to the NY Giants

** #72 Tank Tyler (v.quick and strong with loads of attitude) - Projected at #55 and Tank Tyler went #82 to KC.

** #52 Brandon MeBane (great speed, penetration and toughness). Projected at #74 and Brandon McBane went #85 to Seattle.

[woodbuck27]

Is anyone aware why DT Alan Branch (drafted by Arizona) slipped to the top of the second round?

He was projected to go midway through the first round and first among DT's.

[Lurker64]

Is anyone aware why DT Alan Branch (drafted by Arizona) slipped to the top of the second round?

He was projected to go midway through the first round and first among DT's.

I think he slipped because he's lazy, takes plays off, telegraphs to the opposing team when he's not trying very hard, and can't deal with a double-team at all. Excellent physical tools, but his motor is highly questionable. He's the sort of player whose highlight film is great, but if you watch a lot of his game film you see a lot of things you don't like on those non-highlight plays.

[woodbuck27]

Is anyone aware why DT Alan Branch (drafted by Arizona) slipped to the top of the second round?

He was projected to go midway through the first round and first among DT's.

I think he slipped because he's lazy, takes plays off, telegraphs to the opposing team when he's not trying very hard, and can't deal with a double-team at all. Excellent physical tools, but his motor is highly questionable. He's the sort of player whose highlight film is great, but if you watch a lot of his game film you see a lot of things you don't like on those non-highlight plays.

DAM !

His highlight video really showcases him.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Is anyone aware why DT Alan Branch (drafted by Arizona) slipped to the top of the second round?

He was projected to go midway through the first round and first among DT's.

It happens in every draft to numerous players, and then the so-called experts think a guy is a steal or reach based on the other so-called experts bored. Our resident Michigan fan thinks Branch is a lazy turd.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Packers: Harrell making progress
By JASON WILDE

GREEN BAY — A.J. Hawk was in New York City for the NFL draft this April — got to be a supportive brother-in-law, you know — when the Green Bay Packers went on the clock with the 16th overall pick.

But with Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn — the younger brother of Hawk's wife, Laura — available, the Packers took Tennessee defensive tackle Justin Harrell — much to the disappointment of the Quinn clan, but much to the delight of Hawk, who knew another wide-body in the middle of the defensive line would only make his job at linebacker easier.

Unlike many Packers fans, who reacted with a chorus of who?s and boos, Hawk had seen a pre-draft feature on Harrell while waiting for a piece on Quinn on the same show, so he knew all about Harrell, who'd was coming off a ruptured biceps that had ended his senior season after three games.

"I'd actually seen Justin's whole story, so when they picked him, I remembered that right off the bat and was glad," Hawk recalled between training-camp practices Tuesday. "I thought, 'That's good for us."'

And 11 days into training camp, Hawk's opinion hasn't changed, despite Harrell's slow start. After all, Hawk can identify, having gone through the same thing last year, when he found that meeting the expectations of being the No. 5 overall pick right out of the gate impossible to do.

"He's in an almost more difficult spot than I was, because he's a D-lineman. You don't notice interior D-linemen a lot," Hawk said. " So you can't judge him, especially a week into camp."

Maybe not, but Harrell is the first to admit — even before straight-talking defensive tackles coach Robert Nunn — that he didn't get off to the best of starts. After being held out of 11-on-11 periods during minicamps and organized team activity practices this offseason, he struggled in team periods early in camp and may not have passed the pre-camp conditioning test had he signed in time to participate in it.

"When you get tired, you get lazy, so I'm trying to get my conditioning level back up and just being able to do it every play," Harrell said. "There's a lot of things I need to work on, and the more I do it, the better I'll get at it. This whole defensive technique is totally different from what I played in college. So it's all new to me. It's coming along slowly, but it's coming."

Even general manager Ted Thompson, who goes out of his way to avoid criticizing players, admitted he ``thought (Harrell) was a little out of shape coming in, (but) he seems to be rounding into (form),'' while Nunn said Harrell's play has improved in direct proportion to his fitness level.

"He's behind, there's no question about that. And he knows that. Being out a year has really set him back. But he's showing some really positive signs the last few days," Nunn said after Tuesday morning's practice. "He's certainly come back, and we're giving him more reps now because he's starting to get in shape. He's going to be fine. We're encouraged."

Coach Mike McCarthy said he is "not concerned," either, because Harrell "has a very good work ethic, so I don't foresee it being a problem. As far as what's going to happen, only time will tell."

Actually, Saturday night's preseason opener at Pittsburgh should tell a lot. The Packers have a glut of defensive tackles — Ryan Pickett, Corey Williams, Johnny Jolly, Colin Cole and Harrell are all worthy of the final 53-man roster — and at this point, Harrell is behind the first four.

A strong performance against the Steelers would prove that he really is progressing and ease everyone's minds, including Harrell's.

"It's going to come along. I can't worry about what people are expecting from me," Harrell said. "But I've definitely got a lot of work to do to get to the level where I need to be.

"But for my first week, getting my legs under me, getting my conditioning better than what it was the first day, you can really see the difference. Compared to the first day, when I was dragging and barely made it through practice, it's good. It's coming along."

[The Leaper]

Harrell had a couple very nice plays in the scrimmage. He stuffed a couple runs, and had a nice pass deflection when he just bullrushed right over whatever OL guy was in front of him.

Perhaps he is a guy who plays better than he practices. I'm sure he's rusty after virtually a year off the field. He has tremendous physical potential and likely will become a solid player in this league. Most comments regarding his work ethic and attitude are very positive...and I remember a lot of people moaning about how poor Hawk looked in camp at times last year.

They aren't moaning now...and I'm guessing they won't be moaning about Harrell this time next year either.

[HarveyWallbangers]

From JSO:

Harrell had his best day thus far in one-on-one pass rush drills. He won his first three turns, slipping Palmer with a quick inside move and then beating rookie free agent Pat Murray with a bull rush and a rip move.

Jenkins sounds like he's having a helluva camp.

Defensive end Cullen Jenkins continues to dominate during the pass rush drills. He blew past guard Daryn Colledge on one turn and then drew what arguably would have been a holding penalty on another one.

[Partial]

From JSO:

Harrell had his best day thus far in one-on-one pass rush drills. He won his first three turns, slipping Palmer with a quick inside move and then beating rookie free agent Pat Murray with a bull rush and a rip move.

Jenkins sounds like he's having a helluva camp.

Defensive end Cullen Jenkins continues to dominate during the pass rush drills. He blew past guard Daryn Colledge on one turn and then drew what arguably would have been a holding penalty on another one.

Jenkins was an animal in the scrimmage. I think the defensive line is going to be one of the best in the business.

[RashanGary]

It's good to hear Harrell is improving. I think how he plays in the last preseason game will be a good indicator for what we can expect. It takes a little bit to get back in shape and to adjust to a lot of new techniques. He'll probably steadily improve over the course of the season as well, but I don't expect a world beater as a rookie. A good contributor would be very nice for this defense. Something better than Cole is all I'm hoping for as a rookie.

[HarveyWallbangers]

This is a fair article, I think. It was mentioned before camp that this type of injury takes a lot of strength away from a player and it takes time to build that back up. I wonder if that's part of the problem, where his strength is at, and how long before he's back at full strength. Anyways. I'm sure this will turn into we should have draft Greg Olsen or Robert Meachem over Harrell thread by the anti-Thompson crowd.

Jury's still out on Harrell
By Tom Pelissero

By the time Justin Harrell brought down Jacksonville's D.D. Terry on Thursday night, more than 55 minutes of game time had elapsed and the Green Bay Packers had all but cleared their bench.

The play encapsulated the potential the Packers saw in Harrell when they selected him 16th overall in April's NFL draft. The 6-foot-4, 310-pound defensive tackle knocked back guard Tuten Reyes from the line of scrimmage, then kept Reyes engaged as he reached out his free arm to haul down Terry for a 1-yard loss, with assistance from safety Charlie Peprah.

Yet the timing — in mop-up duty, against a third-string guard and a fifth-string running back, surrounded by reserves and players fighting to avoid the waiver wire — is the caveat that has marked each successful moment in Harrell's preseason.

He's spent practices with the scout team and games with the practice-squad sect. He's struggled in one-on-one drills and hasn't cracked the primary rotation, all the while taking 25 to 30 percent more reps than any other defensive tackle as he tries to play himself into football shape after nearly a year on the sideline.

Recent history shows defensive tackles sometimes need a little more time to develop into starters than players at other positions. But real games start two weeks from today, and there's little reason — barring an injury or trade involving Ryan Pickett, Corey Williams, Colin Cole or Johnny Jolly — to believe the Packers could justify having their first-round pick in uniform Sept. 9 against Philadelphia.

"That's a pretty good first-four rotation," General Manager Ted Thompson said last week. "But Justin's doing OK. I know there's a lot of speculation on No. 1 picks, and people saying, 'Well, what about this? What about this?'

"I think he's going to be a fine player, and I'm sure he would probably like to have a little more success. But he's had his moments in preseason games. But again, that's part of being a rookie, too, is kind of learning the speed of the game and learning the violence that's in there."

From 2002 to 2006, teams drafted 19 players as defensive tackles in the first round. Only seven (36.8 percent) started at least half their teams' games as rookies, but 12 of 16 (75 percent) who have played multiple seasons were starters in Year 2.

There have been busts — University of Wisconsin product Wendell Bryant (12th in 2002 to Arizona) and Johnathan Sullivan (sixth in 2003 to New Orleans) had off-the-field issues and are out of the league — but the majority have been serviceable or better. Minnesota's Kevin Williams (ninth in 2003) and Chicago's Tommie Harris (14th in 2004) have been selected to multiple Pro Bowls.

Amobi Okoye, the 10th overall pick by the Houston Texans, was the only other defensive tackle taken in the first round this year. Okoye's readiness for NFL competition has been questioned as well, but he isn't coming off a major injury like Harrell, who missed all but three games in his senior season at the University of Tennessee because of a ruptured biceps tendon in his left arm.

Harrell sat out contact drills in both minicamps and organized team activity practices as a precaution. So the past month, particularly the first 10 days of training camp, has been dedicated to regaining stamina, adjusting to his increased weight — 310 pounds, up from 300 in college — lowering his pad level and acclimating to the speed of the NFL.

"He's a little bit behind, and I tell him that," defensive tackles coach Robert Nunn said before the Jacksonville game. "He's taken a lot of practice reps, which I know his legs are not under him by no means, and so that's been a factor. Once he gets to slow down a little bit and get his legs underneath him, that's going to help him that much more. But right now, we don't have that luxury of slowing him down."

Coaches felt Harrell played well in roughly two dozen snaps in the preseason opener at Pittsburgh, in which he registered three tackles and sacked third-string quarterback Brian St. Pierre. But he left that game early because of fatigue — forcing an offensive lineman, Travis Leffew, to take his place the final series — and was less effective Aug. 18 against Seattle, a game in which he played more than 40 snaps and assisted on only one tackle.

"He's got to learn from that," Nunn said. "He's got to play when he's tired. He's got to get in a good stance when he's tired. He's got to play fast with his hands when he's tired. He's got to do all those things, so that's part of the learning process of being a rookie. But he's steadily getting better."

Harrell's other notable play Thursday was in the third quarter, when he got two hands in the face of Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich. For the most part, though, Harrell blended in during his roughly two dozen plays from scrimmage, double-teamed a handful of times but often stood up one-on-one.

Harrell has been listed since before training camp as the starter next to the seventh-year veteran Pickett, but Williams has started all three games, with Cole and Jolly rotating in regularly. Starting end Cullen Jenkins also moves inside in certain situations, leaving little room for Harrell with the front line.

Each of the players in front of Harrell can verify the difficulty of getting into the lineup as rookies. None of them started a game in their first year out of college, and Cole and Jenkins didn't even appear in one.

Then again, none of those players entered the NFL under the scrutiny that comes with being a first-round pick.

Asked whether he'd be OK with Harrell not dressing for the season opener, Thompson hesitated before saying, "I suppose. I guess it's happened before."

The last time it happened in Green Bay was 2001, when defensive end Jamal Reynolds was selected 10th overall, a pick the Packers acquired by trading quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to the Seattle Seahawks — where Thompson was vice president of football operations.

Reynolds sat out the season's first 11 games. He totaled three sacks in three seasons before the Packers cut him, cementing his status as one of the biggest draft busts in team history.

Praising Harrell's coachability and steady improvement, Packers coaches maintain Harrell will make a far more positive impact.

Perhaps sooner than his limited preseason role makes it seem.

"He's just got a lot of areas he's got to come on in," Nunn said. "I talk to him at least every other day, but probably every day about it. I think he will definitely be contributing early in the season."

[Bretsky]

This is a fair article, I think. It was mentioned before camp that this type of injury takes a lot of strength away from a player and it takes time to build that back up. I wonder if that's part of the problem, where his strength is at, and how long before he's back at full strength. Anyways. I'm sure this will turn into we should have draft Greg Olsen or Robert Meachem over Harrell thread by the anti-Thompson crowd.

Jury's still out on Harrell
By Tom Pelissero

By the time Justin Harrell brought down Jacksonville's D.D. Terry on Thursday night, more than 55 minutes of game time had elapsed and the Green Bay Packers had all but cleared their bench.

The play encapsulated the potential the Packers saw in Harrell when they selected him 16th overall in April's NFL draft. The 6-foot-4, 310-pound defensive tackle knocked back guard Tuten Reyes from the line of scrimmage, then kept Reyes engaged as he reached out his free arm to haul down Terry for a 1-yard loss, with assistance from safety Charlie Peprah.

Yet the timing — in mop-up duty, against a third-string guard and a fifth-string running back, surrounded by reserves and players fighting to avoid the waiver wire — is the caveat that has marked each successful moment in Harrell's preseason.

He's spent practices with the scout team and games with the practice-squad sect. He's struggled in one-on-one drills and hasn't cracked the primary rotation, all the while taking 25 to 30 percent more reps than any other defensive tackle as he tries to play himself into football shape after nearly a year on the sideline.

Recent history shows defensive tackles sometimes need a little more time to develop into starters than players at other positions. But real games start two weeks from today, and there's little reason — barring an injury or trade involving Ryan Pickett, Corey Williams, Colin Cole or Johnny Jolly — to believe the Packers could justify having their first-round pick in uniform Sept. 9 against Philadelphia.

"That's a pretty good first-four rotation," General Manager Ted Thompson said last week. "But Justin's doing OK. I know there's a lot of speculation on No. 1 picks, and people saying, 'Well, what about this? What about this?'

"I think he's going to be a fine player, and I'm sure he would probably like to have a little more success. But he's had his moments in preseason games. But again, that's part of being a rookie, too, is kind of learning the speed of the game and learning the violence that's in there."

From 2002 to 2006, teams drafted 19 players as defensive tackles in the first round. Only seven (36.8 percent) started at least half their teams' games as rookies, but 12 of 16 (75 percent) who have played multiple seasons were starters in Year 2.

There have been busts — University of Wisconsin product Wendell Bryant (12th in 2002 to Arizona) and Johnathan Sullivan (sixth in 2003 to New Orleans) had off-the-field issues and are out of the league — but the majority have been serviceable or better. Minnesota's Kevin Williams (ninth in 2003) and Chicago's Tommie Harris (14th in 2004) have been selected to multiple Pro Bowls.

Amobi Okoye, the 10th overall pick by the Houston Texans, was the only other defensive tackle taken in the first round this year. Okoye's readiness for NFL competition has been questioned as well, but he isn't coming off a major injury like Harrell, who missed all but three games in his senior season at the University of Tennessee because of a ruptured biceps tendon in his left arm.

Harrell sat out contact drills in both minicamps and organized team activity practices as a precaution. So the past month, particularly the first 10 days of training camp, has been dedicated to regaining stamina, adjusting to his increased weight — 310 pounds, up from 300 in college — lowering his pad level and acclimating to the speed of the NFL.

"He's a little bit behind, and I tell him that," defensive tackles coach Robert Nunn said before the Jacksonville game. "He's taken a lot of practice reps, which I know his legs are not under him by no means, and so that's been a factor. Once he gets to slow down a little bit and get his legs underneath him, that's going to help him that much more. But right now, we don't have that luxury of slowing him down."

Coaches felt Harrell played well in roughly two dozen snaps in the preseason opener at Pittsburgh, in which he registered three tackles and sacked third-string quarterback Brian St. Pierre. But he left that game early because of fatigue — forcing an offensive lineman, Travis Leffew, to take his place the final series — and was less effective Aug. 18 against Seattle, a game in which he played more than 40 snaps and assisted on only one tackle.

"He's got to learn from that," Nunn said. "He's got to play when he's tired. He's got to get in a good stance when he's tired. He's got to play fast with his hands when he's tired. He's got to do all those things, so that's part of the learning process of being a rookie. But he's steadily getting better."

Harrell's other notable play Thursday was in the third quarter, when he got two hands in the face of Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich. For the most part, though, Harrell blended in during his roughly two dozen plays from scrimmage, double-teamed a handful of times but often stood up one-on-one.

Harrell has been listed since before training camp as the starter next to the seventh-year veteran Pickett, but Williams has started all three games, with Cole and Jolly rotating in regularly. Starting end Cullen Jenkins also moves inside in certain situations, leaving little room for Harrell with the front line.

Each of the players in front of Harrell can verify the difficulty of getting into the lineup as rookies. None of them started a game in their first year out of college, and Cole and Jenkins didn't even appear in one.

Then again, none of those players entered the NFL under the scrutiny that comes with being a first-round pick.

Asked whether he'd be OK with Harrell not dressing for the season opener, Thompson hesitated before saying, "I suppose. I guess it's happened before."

The last time it happened in Green Bay was 2001, when defensive end Jamal Reynolds was selected 10th overall, a pick the Packers acquired by trading quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to the Seattle Seahawks — where Thompson was vice president of football operations.

Reynolds sat out the season's first 11 games. He totaled three sacks in three seasons before the Packers cut him, cementing his status as one of the biggest draft busts in team history.

Praising Harrell's coachability and steady improvement, Packers coaches maintain Harrell will make a far more positive impact.

Perhaps sooner than his limited preseason role makes it seem.

"He's just got a lot of areas he's got to come on in," Nunn said. "I talk to him at least every other day, but probably every day about it. I think he will definitely be contributing early in the season."

No we should have traded the pick down 15 spots to pick up a top 12 pick from the Cleveland Browns next year

[Joemailman]

So now people will start criticizing TT because he wasn't willing to trade down in the draft?

As the article states, most DT's drafted in the 1st round do not become starters their rookie year, but do become starters their 2nd year. If Harrell starts to have more and more impact as this season wears on, he should be right on target to assume a starting role in 2008.

[Carolina_Packer]

So, what will Harrell's status be this fall?

Will he dress most games?

Will he be inactive most games?

If he dresses, how many snaps will he see?

Will he make a modest impact, an average impact or a significant impact?

With our DT position being strong, I'm happy to have him rest up and learn, unlike Brandon Jackson who is being thrown into the fire. But, I guess, who wouldn't love the opportunity he's been given?