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Coloring the Packers
By BOB McGINN
bmcginn@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Sept. 15, 2007
Last week, a personnel director for another NFL team provided this color-coded rating of 60 players under contract to the Green Bay Packers. The executive evaluates players year-round and takes into consideration performance in exhibition games, especially by young players. The scout says a player's production and durability are key elements in his grading system, as well as character. Each player is assigned a color category.
BLUE: Makes big plays on a consistent basis. Will win games. Among the top two or three at his position. Perennial all-pro.
RED: A very good player capable of making big plays. Probably among the top 10 at his position. Has a chance to make the Pro Bowl.
PURPLE: A solid starter. He won't be going to the Pro Bowl, but a team can win with him. Can't win games but won't lose them, either.
GREEN: A backup. If he's young, a team would be content with him. If he's older, a team would be looking to replace him.
YELLOW: A young player who hasn't played much and might have a chance to develop. Anyone else, you don't want on the roster.
PACKERS BREAKDOWN
The scout used a plus sign (+) to indicate that a player was on the high end of a category and a minus sign (-) to indicate that a player was on the low end. Here are his grades:
BLUES: None.
REDS (2): DE Cullen Jenkins (-), DE Aaron Kampman (-).
PURPLES (19): WR Donald Driver (+), WR Greg Jennings (-), T Chad Clifton, T Mark Tauscher, G Jason Spitz, G Daryn Colledge, C Scott Wells (-), QB Brett Favre, DT Corey Williams (+), DT Ryan Pickett, DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (-), LB A.J. Hawk (+), LB Nick Barnett (+), CB Charles Woodson (+), CB Al Harris, S Nick Collins, P Jon Ryan (+), LS Rob Davis (+), K Mason Crosby.
GREENS (17): WR James Jones (+), TE Donald Lee, TE Bubba Franks, G Tony Palmer (-), QB Aaron Rodgers, RB Vernand Morency (-), RB Brandon Jackson (-), DT Johnny Jolly (+), DE Mike Montgomery (+), DT Colin Cole, LB Brady Poppinga (+), LB Abdul Hodge (+), LB Tracy White (-), S Atari Bigby, CB Will Blackmon (-), CB Jarrett Bush (-), CB Frank Walker (-).
YELLOWS (22): WR Carlyle Holiday (+), WR Ruvell Martin, TE Tory Humphrey, G Allen Barbre (+), T-G Junius Coston (+), T Tony Moll, C Tyson Walter, RB DeShawn Wynn (+), RB Noah Herron (+), FB Korey Hall, FB John Kuhn, RB Ryan Grant, FB Ryan Powdrell, DT Daniel Muir (+), DT Justin Harrell (+), DE Jason Hunter, LB Desmond Bishop, S Charlie Peprah (+), CB Tramon Williams, S Aaron Rouse, S Tyrone Culver, P David Lonie.
RECEIVERS: "If the Jones kid develops they've got a chance to be solid. I don't think they're going to be great. They're OK. The tight-end thing is a big hole for them. You're not going to get a lot of big plays out of those guys. Not a very good combination. I think Driver is still productive but he's nearing the end."
OFFENSIVE LINE: "They're solid. They have a couple guys in Spitz and Colledge who have a chance to get much better, and probably Barbre at some point in time. Clifton is on the decline. Tauscher is just a solid journeyman guy. You like the up-side of the group, I would guess. I would bet this line is probably about 16th best in the league. There's not a glaring weakness in the line and those guys all play hard and they're not bad as a unit, but there's just not a great player."
QUARTERBACKS: "Obviously, Brett's fading. And he doesn't have a lot around him. I don't know if you can put all that pressure on him anymore to go out and win games. I know he's got the streak now of him holding up but what happens when the other guy walks in? Other than this pre-season, you would say there's no way on Rodgers, and that's not a lot to base it on that he can go out and do it. Rodgers looked better. At least he showed a little more poise and looked like he could make a play. Whether he could go out and do it for 60 minutes or three games in a row, I don't know. You're never going to know until he plays."
RUNNING BACKS: "I can't think of a worse group. They're banking a lot on Jackson getting it done. I think that's the only chance they have. He wasn't a big-play guy in college. Caught the ball. I didn't know if he'd be a full-time guy or more like a third-down back. I've never been sold on Morency. Just the age and the character thing and just never having done it. Wynn has no chance to do that. I guess he could come in and take some plays for you. Grant has some athletic ability and he certainly looks the part. Hall is an adequate guy. He's not a great blocker and not a great catcher."
DEFENSIVE LINE: "It's a good group. They've got some guys who can rush and some guys who can play the run and they're pretty athletic. As a whole, it's probably within the top 10 in the league. You like Kampman but athletically he's like (Kyle) Vanden Bosch is in Tennessee. He makes his sacks on hustle and effort. Jenkins has some strength and he's athletic, and he can rush inside, too. Harrell still looks real raw technique-wise. The layoff may have hurt him. I thought Jolly was a real lazy, low-motor guy coming out that you wouldn't want on your team. Even last year. But somebody does a nice job with the defensive line there."
LINEBACKERS: "You like the two starters. I think Hawk has a chance to get better. For him to take the next step he needs to make some big plays. I don't see enough out of him. Barnett is a good football player. Smart, instinctive. Could play on a lot of teams. They're athletic and tough. Poppinga is OK as a third. You'd probably like better. I'd put the group somewhere between 10 and 15, probably closer to top 10."
SECONDARY: "With the two best players you worry about age and how long they will hold up. Both are fading. Athletically, Collins can do it. It's just whether mentally he can hold up and do it all the time. The other guy, Bigby, I think is just kind of a stopgap guy. You can kind of hide him. The speed thing with Bush just scares me. I'm afraid you've got to cover up for him, too. To me, he's OK in a short area."
SPECIALISTS: "The kicker was a question because the guy hadn't done it. But kicking a game-winning kick, that's a heck of a deal. Now let's talk five weeks from now. The punter's fine. They're a solid group."
By BOB McGINN
bmcginn@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Sept. 15, 2007
Last week, a personnel director for another NFL team provided this color-coded rating of 60 players under contract to the Green Bay Packers. The executive evaluates players year-round and takes into consideration performance in exhibition games, especially by young players. The scout says a player's production and durability are key elements in his grading system, as well as character. Each player is assigned a color category.
BLUE: Makes big plays on a consistent basis. Will win games. Among the top two or three at his position. Perennial all-pro.
RED: A very good player capable of making big plays. Probably among the top 10 at his position. Has a chance to make the Pro Bowl.
PURPLE: A solid starter. He won't be going to the Pro Bowl, but a team can win with him. Can't win games but won't lose them, either.
GREEN: A backup. If he's young, a team would be content with him. If he's older, a team would be looking to replace him.
YELLOW: A young player who hasn't played much and might have a chance to develop. Anyone else, you don't want on the roster.
PACKERS BREAKDOWN
The scout used a plus sign (+) to indicate that a player was on the high end of a category and a minus sign (-) to indicate that a player was on the low end. Here are his grades:
BLUES: None.
REDS (2): DE Cullen Jenkins (-), DE Aaron Kampman (-).
PURPLES (19): WR Donald Driver (+), WR Greg Jennings (-), T Chad Clifton, T Mark Tauscher, G Jason Spitz, G Daryn Colledge, C Scott Wells (-), QB Brett Favre, DT Corey Williams (+), DT Ryan Pickett, DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (-), LB A.J. Hawk (+), LB Nick Barnett (+), CB Charles Woodson (+), CB Al Harris, S Nick Collins, P Jon Ryan (+), LS Rob Davis (+), K Mason Crosby.
GREENS (17): WR James Jones (+), TE Donald Lee, TE Bubba Franks, G Tony Palmer (-), QB Aaron Rodgers, RB Vernand Morency (-), RB Brandon Jackson (-), DT Johnny Jolly (+), DE Mike Montgomery (+), DT Colin Cole, LB Brady Poppinga (+), LB Abdul Hodge (+), LB Tracy White (-), S Atari Bigby, CB Will Blackmon (-), CB Jarrett Bush (-), CB Frank Walker (-).
YELLOWS (22): WR Carlyle Holiday (+), WR Ruvell Martin, TE Tory Humphrey, G Allen Barbre (+), T-G Junius Coston (+), T Tony Moll, C Tyson Walter, RB DeShawn Wynn (+), RB Noah Herron (+), FB Korey Hall, FB John Kuhn, RB Ryan Grant, FB Ryan Powdrell, DT Daniel Muir (+), DT Justin Harrell (+), DE Jason Hunter, LB Desmond Bishop, S Charlie Peprah (+), CB Tramon Williams, S Aaron Rouse, S Tyrone Culver, P David Lonie.
RECEIVERS: "If the Jones kid develops they've got a chance to be solid. I don't think they're going to be great. They're OK. The tight-end thing is a big hole for them. You're not going to get a lot of big plays out of those guys. Not a very good combination. I think Driver is still productive but he's nearing the end."
OFFENSIVE LINE: "They're solid. They have a couple guys in Spitz and Colledge who have a chance to get much better, and probably Barbre at some point in time. Clifton is on the decline. Tauscher is just a solid journeyman guy. You like the up-side of the group, I would guess. I would bet this line is probably about 16th best in the league. There's not a glaring weakness in the line and those guys all play hard and they're not bad as a unit, but there's just not a great player."
QUARTERBACKS: "Obviously, Brett's fading. And he doesn't have a lot around him. I don't know if you can put all that pressure on him anymore to go out and win games. I know he's got the streak now of him holding up but what happens when the other guy walks in? Other than this pre-season, you would say there's no way on Rodgers, and that's not a lot to base it on that he can go out and do it. Rodgers looked better. At least he showed a little more poise and looked like he could make a play. Whether he could go out and do it for 60 minutes or three games in a row, I don't know. You're never going to know until he plays."
RUNNING BACKS: "I can't think of a worse group. They're banking a lot on Jackson getting it done. I think that's the only chance they have. He wasn't a big-play guy in college. Caught the ball. I didn't know if he'd be a full-time guy or more like a third-down back. I've never been sold on Morency. Just the age and the character thing and just never having done it. Wynn has no chance to do that. I guess he could come in and take some plays for you. Grant has some athletic ability and he certainly looks the part. Hall is an adequate guy. He's not a great blocker and not a great catcher."
DEFENSIVE LINE: "It's a good group. They've got some guys who can rush and some guys who can play the run and they're pretty athletic. As a whole, it's probably within the top 10 in the league. You like Kampman but athletically he's like (Kyle) Vanden Bosch is in Tennessee. He makes his sacks on hustle and effort. Jenkins has some strength and he's athletic, and he can rush inside, too. Harrell still looks real raw technique-wise. The layoff may have hurt him. I thought Jolly was a real lazy, low-motor guy coming out that you wouldn't want on your team. Even last year. But somebody does a nice job with the defensive line there."
LINEBACKERS: "You like the two starters. I think Hawk has a chance to get better. For him to take the next step he needs to make some big plays. I don't see enough out of him. Barnett is a good football player. Smart, instinctive. Could play on a lot of teams. They're athletic and tough. Poppinga is OK as a third. You'd probably like better. I'd put the group somewhere between 10 and 15, probably closer to top 10."
SECONDARY: "With the two best players you worry about age and how long they will hold up. Both are fading. Athletically, Collins can do it. It's just whether mentally he can hold up and do it all the time. The other guy, Bigby, I think is just kind of a stopgap guy. You can kind of hide him. The speed thing with Bush just scares me. I'm afraid you've got to cover up for him, too. To me, he's OK in a short area."
SPECIALISTS: "The kicker was a question because the guy hadn't done it. But kicking a game-winning kick, that's a heck of a deal. Now let's talk five weeks from now. The punter's fine. They're a solid group."
:P
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