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This is from Bob McGinn in the Journal today. After the minicamp, the interest in Verba appears to have waned :
"Standing pat: Don't look for the Packers to add a veteran offensive lineman. They recently worked out a familiar face, former Packer Ross Verba, and have discussed former Saint guard Kendyl Jacox.
Verba, 32, sat out last season after being waived by Cleveland on June 9. He demanded more money. When the Browns wouldn't deliver, they cut him.
"We had him in for a visit," Thompson said. "I won't get into it other than to say he looked fine."
Verba generally started at left tackle from 2001-'04, although he missed all of '03 with a torn biceps. He was the Packers' left tackle from 1997-'99 and their left guard in 2000.
Thompson appeared to be relatively pleased with the Packers' situation at guard after the minicamp.
"I think we're going to have some interesting competition," he said. "We wanted to try to get some competition going.
"(Daryn) Colledge looked all right. He got better every day, which is kind of what you want to see from young guys. He's a tough guy and he's smart. Same with Spitz.
"We've always looked at Tony Moll as more of a tackle. He's very gifted athletically.""
Packers take another look at Verba
By Pete Dougherty
PackersNews.com
Ross Verba might be back in the NFL this year, and there’s a chance it could be with the team that drafted him, the Green Bay Packers.
Verba, 32, an offensive lineman who was the Packers’ first-round draft pick in 1997, was out of football last year but has talked to several teams about returning this season.
He recently worked out for the Packers, but apparently has not been offered a contract. Despite the year’s layoff, Verba looked more than capable of playing.
The Packers are interested in Verba as a potential starter at guard, where they have two open jobs.
“He’s an athletic guy. Very athletic guy,†said offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski, who was the Packers’ tight ends coach during Verba’s final two seasons in Green Bay, 1999 and 2000. “A little bit older guy, but the (scouts) wanted to bring him in and see what he looked like. I think he’s still got something in him.â€ÂÂ
The 6-foot-4, 305-pound Verba is the smaller, more athletic kind of lineman the Packers want for their new zone-blocking scheme. They don’t appear to have major concerns about Verba’s conditioning after the year off. He has started 100 of 106 games over eight seasons.
At this weekend’s minicamp, second-round draft pick Daryn Colledge is starting at left guard, and second-year pro Junius Coston is starting at right guard. Other candidates are Will Whitticker, who started 14 games at right guard as a rookie last season but probably lacks the mobility to win that job in the zone-blocking scheme; Kevin Barry, a fifth-year pro who’s battling a weight problem; and Jason Spitz, a third-round draft pick.
A friend of Verba’s, Dr. D.S. Ping, said there’s genuine interest from Verba and the Packers.
Arizona and Tampa Bay also are interested in Verba, who wants to sign in the next week or two so he can get some offseason work with a team before training camp opens in July.
Ping, an NFL agent, doesn’t represent Verba but talks to him regularly.
“He’s ready to play a couple more years,†Ping said Saturday. “He just got tired of being in Cleveland.â€ÂÂ
Verba played tackle for the Packers from 1997 to 2000 but left in free agency because former coach Mike Sherman moved him to guard. He played for the Browns from 2001 to 2004, then sat out last year after the Browns’ new management refused to upgrade his contract, which he said the previous regime had promised.
Verba wanted out of Cleveland so badly that he repaid a $465,000 roster bonus and walked away from a $2.925 million salary so he could become a free agent. However, he miscalculated his worth. When he didn’t get any contract offers he considered adequate, he decided not to play last year.
Instead, coming off a divorce, he made news and gossip columns during his year off with a major change to a fast-lane, party-oriented lifestyle.
If General Manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy decide Verba will fit in with the Packers, they could make a run at signing him.
Verba’s year out of football leaves him with relatively little contract leverage. It’s unclear whether he’ll come back for a bargain-rate deal loaded with incentives or insist on a more substantial signing bonus. If Verba is adamant about the latter, he could be difficult to sign.
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This is from Bob McGinn in the Journal today. After the minicamp, the interest in Verba appears to have waned :
"Standing pat: Don't look for the Packers to add a veteran offensive lineman. They recently worked out a familiar face, former Packer Ross Verba, and have discussed former Saint guard Kendyl Jacox.
Verba, 32, sat out last season after being waived by Cleveland on June 9. He demanded more money. When the Browns wouldn't deliver, they cut him.
"We had him in for a visit," Thompson said. "I won't get into it other than to say he looked fine."
Verba generally started at left tackle from 2001-'04, although he missed all of '03 with a torn biceps. He was the Packers' left tackle from 1997-'99 and their left guard in 2000.
Thompson appeared to be relatively pleased with the Packers' situation at guard after the minicamp.
"I think we're going to have some interesting competition," he said. "We wanted to try to get some competition going.
"(Daryn) Colledge looked all right. He got better every day, which is kind of what you want to see from young guys. He's a tough guy and he's smart. Same with Spitz.
"We've always looked at Tony Moll as more of a tackle. He's very gifted athletically.""
Packers take another look at Verba
By Pete Dougherty
PackersNews.com
Ross Verba might be back in the NFL this year, and there’s a chance it could be with the team that drafted him, the Green Bay Packers.
Verba, 32, an offensive lineman who was the Packers’ first-round draft pick in 1997, was out of football last year but has talked to several teams about returning this season.
He recently worked out for the Packers, but apparently has not been offered a contract. Despite the year’s layoff, Verba looked more than capable of playing.
The Packers are interested in Verba as a potential starter at guard, where they have two open jobs.
“He’s an athletic guy. Very athletic guy,†said offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski, who was the Packers’ tight ends coach during Verba’s final two seasons in Green Bay, 1999 and 2000. “A little bit older guy, but the (scouts) wanted to bring him in and see what he looked like. I think he’s still got something in him.â€ÂÂ
The 6-foot-4, 305-pound Verba is the smaller, more athletic kind of lineman the Packers want for their new zone-blocking scheme. They don’t appear to have major concerns about Verba’s conditioning after the year off. He has started 100 of 106 games over eight seasons.
At this weekend’s minicamp, second-round draft pick Daryn Colledge is starting at left guard, and second-year pro Junius Coston is starting at right guard. Other candidates are Will Whitticker, who started 14 games at right guard as a rookie last season but probably lacks the mobility to win that job in the zone-blocking scheme; Kevin Barry, a fifth-year pro who’s battling a weight problem; and Jason Spitz, a third-round draft pick.
A friend of Verba’s, Dr. D.S. Ping, said there’s genuine interest from Verba and the Packers.
Arizona and Tampa Bay also are interested in Verba, who wants to sign in the next week or two so he can get some offseason work with a team before training camp opens in July.
Ping, an NFL agent, doesn’t represent Verba but talks to him regularly.
“He’s ready to play a couple more years,†Ping said Saturday. “He just got tired of being in Cleveland.â€ÂÂ
Verba played tackle for the Packers from 1997 to 2000 but left in free agency because former coach Mike Sherman moved him to guard. He played for the Browns from 2001 to 2004, then sat out last year after the Browns’ new management refused to upgrade his contract, which he said the previous regime had promised.
Verba wanted out of Cleveland so badly that he repaid a $465,000 roster bonus and walked away from a $2.925 million salary so he could become a free agent. However, he miscalculated his worth. When he didn’t get any contract offers he considered adequate, he decided not to play last year.
Instead, coming off a divorce, he made news and gossip columns during his year off with a major change to a fast-lane, party-oriented lifestyle.
If General Manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy decide Verba will fit in with the Packers, they could make a run at signing him.
Verba’s year out of football leaves him with relatively little contract leverage. It’s unclear whether he’ll come back for a bargain-rate deal loaded with incentives or insist on a more substantial signing bonus. If Verba is adamant about the latter, he could be difficult to sign.
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