Abdul Hodge & Jon Ryan Cut

[Thunder Muscle]

...for long snapper Brett Goode & Punter Derrick Frost.

http://blogs.jsonline.com/packers/default.aspx

[ReasonablySober]

Wow. Didn't see either of those coming.

[MickeyDavis]

The biggest thing about this is that Ryan was the holder.

[MickeyDavis]

Ryan's release is surprising. Among active punters with at least two years service, Ryan is third in the league with a 44.5 average. He trails just Shane Lechler (46.5) and Mat McBriar (44.7) in that state. Frost has a 41.1.

Ryan's 44.5 and 44.4 gross averages the past two years are the third and fourth best all-time for the Packers. His 37.6 net avearge in 2007 was the best by a Packers punter since 1969

Ryan had a couple poor punts in the exhibition games but seemed to finish strongly. On 23 pres-season punts, he had a 48.0 average and a 37.7 net. Seven punts were downed inside the 20.

[Kerb Hohl]

I am more concerned about the loss of Ryan in the running game.

[rilamann]

Wow I didnt expect Hodge or Ryan to get cut either.

Hodge looked pretty solid and Ryan seemed to punt the ball pretty well in preseason.

[aaprigs311]

Odd cuts.

[Ayt]

I don't understand the cutting of Ryan.

[bucks59]

I dont know entirely how the practice squad works, what are the chances we can add Hodge to it?

[MickeyDavis]

It's weird with Hodge. His knees were hurting pretty bad his first two years, he spent last season on IR. Now he's healthy and played well in preseason and he gets cut. I know they don't think he's fast enough to play anywhere but middle linebacker and I guess he didn't do well enough on special teams.

Ryan though had been a very very good punter for two years and you cut him now? Strange indeed.

[El Duderino]

I don't understand the cutting or Ryan.

Me either, the guy had a great leg. The one thing i wonder and don't remember is if Ryan was really poor at pooch punts inside the 20 yard line, maybe to many touchbacks?

[bucks59]

The only advantage I can see that Frost has over Ryan is that he seems to be better at getting the ball inside the 20.

[Ayt]

I don't understand the cutting or Ryan.

Me either, the guy had a great leg. The one thing i wonder and don't remember is if Ryan was really poor at pooch punts inside the 20 yard line, maybe to many touchbacks?

He was by far the highest in terms of touchbacks.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/statistic ... &year=2007

[El Duderino]

Yea, that seems to be a big part of the change

Despite NFL averages (41.4 gross, 36.4 net) similar to or slightly below Ryan's (44.5 gross, 37.0 net), Frost's directional and situational numbers are better. In his four seasons, Frost has placed 97 of 317 career punts (30.6 percent) inside the opponents' 20-yard line, while having just 24 (7.8 percent) go for touchbacks. In two years here, Ryan placed 35 of 144 (24.3 percent) inside the 20, with 23 touchbacks (16.0 percent).

[paulpressey25]

I remember Forest Gregg cut punter Bucky Scribner the week before the start of the season in favor of Joe Prokop who I think became available. Same exact situation as this. Scribner had been a good punter the prior two years for the team.

I remember being confused and ticked off. And of course losing the incumbent Scribner caused all sorts of problems as it screwed up the special teams. They never recovered until the team finally admitted the mistake, cut Prokop and picked up Don Bracken midseason.

I think I've got my names right in the story above. I don't know why you make a move like this now. If you don't really like Ryan then you bring other guys in back in May/June/July.

[Bernman]

What?@!

Ryan's gross and net #'s speak for themselves. I thought the objective was to force the opposing offense to march as far down the field as possible. He was doing his part. If he had a high TB rate that's because he launches as many 55+ yarders as any punter, and even if the ball goes into the end zone his net is still fine. Frost must be a wizard at creating safety opportunities to justify this move. Forcing a team to start outside from the 10-19 yard line has no extra benefit because you can throw without seriously risking a safety. You're just forcing them to drive further still, which Ryan clearly does well overall. Frost better run a 4.6 40 and have filthy moves too. This is blatant Canuckism.

[emunney]

Ryan struck me as pretty inconsistent, more so than most punters. He had a ton of absolutely enormous kicks, it seemed, but also had more than his share of bad shanks, and those really stick out, especially at inopportune times. Overall, though, the statistics bear out the fact that he can kick the hell out of a football.

I was pretty excited about how Hodge looked this preseason after loving the draft pick and subsequently being disappointed by his constant injuries. He was really thumping guys inside. Oh well.

[paulpressey25]

I'm guessing they felt Bishop was a better all-around player than Hodge and needed in case Hawk can't make it back. White was a better special teams player. I personally like Bishop better than Hodge.

I'd just like to know if Ryan was popular at all in the locker-room. That one just seems like one of those moves where the team outsmarts themselves and it backfires with something like a blown snap hold on a game winning FG attempt next week against the Vikings.

[LUKE23]

Not a fan at all of cutting Ryan. He has a cannon leg. This guy they picked up had better get the job done.

[MickeyDavis]

I also thought maybe Ryan is a jag in the locker room. But he's been here for two years, you'd think if that was a problem they wouldn't wait this long to get rid of him. It's one thing to change punters, it's quite another to change holders.