Training Camp Thread

[emunney]

I really like our UDFA WRs. Hope we can keep one or two of them. Gurley is such an interesting player, apparently he's got a knack for pressuring kicks, too. Crazy long.

[BUCKnation]

i think they are giving west a shot at returner to see if he can show something other than being a receiver. He needs to show even more value on ST if he is going to make it as a 6th WR

[Ayt]

I don't think this was posted. The coaches graded out Zombo at 100% on his 30 plays against AZ.

“I couldn’t really raise my arm up all that well, but I didn’t think anything was broken,” Zombo said. “I just thought it was a bruise and when the swelling went down, I would be all right.”

“I don’t think it’s that serious of an injury where it’d be a whole season,” Zombo said. “I definitely hope not. I was playing great up until then. I graded out at 100 percent. I played 30 plays with one arm. I played really well with one arm. It hurts because I was playing well and played really well in camp.”

http://blogs.greenbaypressgazette.com/b ... is-injury/

i think they are giving west a shot at returner to see if he can show something other than being a receiver. He needs to show even more value on ST if he is going to make it as a 6th WR

What this guy said.

[Wilford Brimley]

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Pac ... tmare.html

[MickeyDavis]

It will be interesting to see how much we actually use the no huddle in the regular season. MM might just want to plant the idea in opponents heads and then not use it much.

[an_also]

If we can do it successfully, we should use it a lot. Just look at all the success Manning and the colts have had with it. Rodgers is capable of running the show ala Manning. I think it will be really useful when playing sub par teams. Their defenses wont have a chance to stop the offense. Slow it back down when elite teams.

[Badgerlander]

I really hope we can get a running game going, our defense isn't even close to deep enough to take being on the field all day if we go no huddle too much.

[LUKE23]

I want whatever scores us the most points.

[LikeABosh]

I really hope we can get a running game going, our defense isn't even close to deep enough to take being on the field all day if we go no huddle too much.

Yeah, that's basically the problem with no-huddle. It won't give our defense a lot of rest.

If we get a running game going, we can probably take a more methodical approach to scoring.

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

Am I the only one who thinks Nance has looked as useless as he did last year? I for one wouldn't want to cut Grant for Nance and some saved money. I want a Grant, Starks, and Green backfield.

Did the Green Bay Packers' 2011 season prove, once and for all, the value of an established 1-2 punch in the offensive backfield?

Or did it demonstrate how overblown that theory is?

That's the question I found myself asking while reading Tom Silverstein's analysis of the Packers' current backfield roster dilemma. In short, Silverstein sees three running backs with assured roster spots. Veteran Ryan Grant isn't one of them.

It's hard to imagine James Starks, John Kuhn or rookie Alex Green not making the final roster. It's been assumed that Grant would be part of that group as well, provided he returned healthy from an ankle injury that cost him most of last season. But the preseason performance of second-year player Dimitri Nance has at least given the Packers a more difficult decision than anticipated.

Nance is young and fresh-legged and, just as important, almost $4 million cheaper than Grant. Rare is the team that keeps four tailbacks unless one is a full-time returner or depth issues at other positions provide that flexibility. The Packers, however, could make reasonable arguments for keeping as many as seven receivers and maybe five tight ends. Something has to give at one of their offensive skill positions.

Normally, I would echo what coach Mike McCarthy said this spring: "If you look at history, you look at our history, running back is a position that you really don't have enough of. We play in the elements. Winning games in December and January outdoors, it's a big factor. We'll definitely make a conscious effort to always improve our running game."

Based on that theory, the Packers have already paid Grant a $1.75 million roster bonus this summer. But Silverstein's story hints at another element: Whether Grant has re-established himself as the same back he was before the injury. Here's how Silverstein put it: "Grant has missed some running opportunities this summer, including a poor decision on a draw play against the [Arizona] Cardinals, but he's also the kind of player who gets better with carries. The coaches might be seeing things others don't in the way Grant has run."

Grant has 36 yards on eight carries this preseason and figures to get extended playing time in Friday's preseason game at Indianapolis. If he hasn't fully recovered, it's not by much and probably perceptible only to a football professional.

Would something less than the pre-injury Grant be worth jettisoning in favor of, say, Nance? The bigger question is whether you trust the oft-injured Starks to be a reliable and weekly competitor. Starks had only 29 carries in the 2010 regular season and missed last week's preseason game because of an ankle injury.

Grant's injury left the Packers' running game undermanned for the final 15 games of the 2010 regular season. That they still qualified for the playoffs was either the result of the extraordinary compensatory efforts from other players or a comment on how unnecessary a deep backfield is in today's pass-happy NFL. That's a chicken-and-egg dilemma the Packers will have to solve for themselves.

Another question for the Packers to consider: Was their postseason offensive improvement the result of Starks' presence or simply the faith McCarthy displayed in him?

In the end, I think it should require a perfect storm of circumstances for the Packers to feel comfortable jettisoning Grant. They'll need to be convinced of Starks' durability and confident that Kuhn, Green and Nance could provide credible performances during any short-term absence. They'll need to have a better way of using the roster spot, like keeping a promising young tight end or receiver they would otherwise lose through waivers. And, frankly, they'll have to agree internally that Grant is no longer a 20-carry back.

Without that combination, releasing or trading a proven running back like Grant seems like an awfully risky proposition to me. You?

[Newz]

So is Saine just totally out of the RB picture now?

[LUKE23]

From reports, he's looked good, but just isn't room for him.

[Newz]

I like him more than Nance. I would think if anyone would steal Grant's spot and force him off of the roster, that is who it would be... Plus I think Saine compliments the other two guys better.

I still think losing Brandon Jackson kind of sucks though. We don't seem to have a guy at HB that is any good when it comes to pass protection. Rodgers is probably going to take some extra hits this year because of that, which I am not a fan of.

[Greatness]

I know it was just preseason but I wasn't happy how Rodgers was getting pressured almost every dropback, the blitz pickup was not good. I'm afraid if it doesn't improve and we face the Lions who really scare me with their D line.

[Ayt]

I like him more than Nance. I would think if anyone would steal Grant's spot and force him off of the roster, that is who it would be... Plus I think Saine compliments the other two guys better.

I still think losing Brandon Jackson kind of sucks though. We don't seem to have a guy at HB that is any good when it comes to pass protection. Rodgers is probably going to take some extra hits this year because of that, which I am not a fan of.

If worst comes to worst, we'll use Kuhn as the HB in the shotgun formation. He did it throughout the season last year and got a lot of snaps there in the Owl.

I know it was just preseason but I wasn't happy how Rodgers was getting pressured almost every dropback, the blitz pickup was not good. I'm afraid if it doesn't improve and we face the Lions who really scare me with their D line.

That was just the OL sucking. All the pressure was by DL when Rodgers was in there.

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

Grant restructured his deal so I highly doubt he gets cut.

Second, Adam Caplan of The Sideline View adds another layer to our discussion about the future of Green Bay Packers tailback Ryan Grant. According to Caplan, Grant restructured his contract earlier this month. As part of the deal, he lowered his base salary by about $1 million.

I'm not sure if this news changes anything about the crux of the discussion: Whether the Packers would be tempted to use Grant's roster spot to prevent the loss of a younger player.

More of than not, players who agree to new restructured deals do so under the assumption it will enhance their chance of making the team. But there is nothing preventing the Packers from trading or releasing Grant before the season as a result. If anything, the lower base salary might make it easier to trade him. Stay tuned.

[jimmybones]

I wonder if Grant could be a 3rd down back and still split carries with Starks. The title of 3rd down back doesn't mean much to me other than be good at picking up blitzes and have respectable enough hands and ability on draw plays to make you a threat. I don't see he can't be that, especially as Starks earns more carries.

[MickeyDavis]

I'm fine with having Grant in the rotation. It's not like anyone else is head and shoulders better. But I'd give Starks every opportunity to be the lead dog.

[Badgerlander]

I think the ideal would be Starks as the starter, Green as the 3rd and long change-up guy, Grant as the 3rd and short back, and Saine on the PS. With all of our receiving weapons I'm hoping that we can jump out to early leads and run the ball more in the second half. Also with all of the cold weather games after the bye we are going to need all three backs as guys get banged up.

[Badgerlander]

BobMcGinn
Brandon Underwood still on #Packers roster because of bountiful athletic gifts and dimensions. He is to play tons tonight. It is his chance.
21 minutes ago