Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson made some interesting moves in Building The 53 so far this season. The most curious decision was keeping just 52 healthy guys on The 53 for almost two weeks. This all started when outside linebacker Andy Mulumba suffered a season ending injury in the Packers/Jets game. Thompson waited five days to place Mulumba on injured reserve, which opened a spot on The 53 just a few days before the Packers traveled to Detroit to face the Lions. Despite having 10 guys on the practice squad, Thompson left an open spot not only for the Lions game but also for the next week on the road against the Chicago Bears.
Thompson finally filled every spot on The 53 when he promoted defensive lineman Luther Robinson from the practice squad to The 53 just hours before the Packers hosted the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football. Thompson was essentially forced to promote Robinson to The 53 from the practice squad because he only had five true 3-4 defensive lineman on The 53 and defensive Josh Boyd was not healthy enough to play against the Vikings. That meant that if Thompson didn't add Robinson to The 53, they would have faced the Vikings with just four healthy defensive lineman.
I've long advocated for a better short-term injured reserve set-up, for The 53 in the NFL because without it there is a negative waterfall effect on The 53. A perfect illustration of that phenomenon is Thompson's most recent change to The 53. Thompson cut tight end and former special teams standout Ryan Taylor in order to add wide receiver Kevin Dorsey to The 53. With Taylor no longer on The 53 that leaves just three guys drafted in the 2011 NFL Draft still on The 53: offensive tackle Derek Sherrod, wide receiver Randall Cobb, and cornerback Davon House. That also leaves the Packers with just three tight ends and six wide receivers.
Some might find that odd that Thompson would decrease the number of tight ends on The 53 but that is all due to wide receiver Jarrett Boykin's health. With Boykin hobbled the last few games that left the Packers with just four healthy wide receivers. There is chance that Boykin will be back next week but given that the tight end position has been marginalized this season without Jermichael Finley, clearly Thompson wanted to add a wide receiver to The 53 even if it came at the expense of a tight end. Besides Dorsey, Thompson also had the option to add wide Myles White from the practice squad to The 53. I am sure that White is bummed to lose out to Dorsey but I would have a hard time choosing between Dorsey and White too. Back to my original point. If the Packers could have put Boykin on a short-term injured list they would have promoted Dorsey to The 53 till Boykin was healthy and then tried to pass Dorsey through waivers to resign him to the practice squad again. Instead Thompson was forced to cut Taylor, which hurt the depth that the Packers had at the tight end position The 53.
With the moves to The 53 out of the way, let's close with my thoughts on the practice squad. The Packers lost cornerback Jumal Rolle off the practice squad when the Houston Texans added Rolle to their 53. You could make the argument that Rolle deserved a spot on The 53 ahead of rookie cornerback Demetri Goodson. Leaving that aside, even though Thompson signed cornerback Tay Glover-Wright to the practice squad to fill Rolle's spot, the Packers still only have eight of their ten practice squad spots filled. I am not sure if Thompson is becoming a penny pincher but I would hope that he keeps The 53 and 10-man practice squad filled for the rest of the season.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Monday, October 6, 2014
Man City Report - So Far So Good...NOT Great...Just Good
It has been an interesting start to the 2014-15 season for Man City. After a great start to their EPL title defense (beat Newcastle and Liverpool), Man City got a very tough draw in Group E (Bayern Munich, CSKA Moscow, and Roma) of the Champions League group stage. A few days after my look at Man City's tough Champions League group stage draw, Man City went into the first international break of the season with a whimper thanks to a 1-0 at home loss to Stoke.
Man City didn't do much to improve their roster in the 2014 Summer Transfer Window, instead they tried to clean-up their books to comply with UEFA's Financial Fair Play Regulations. Coming out of the first international break, Man City had seven matches in September and early October before the next international break: four EPL matches, two UEFA Champions League group stage matches, and one Capital One Cup match.
In the first of the aforementioned matches, Man City tied Arsenal 2-2 on the road in the EPL. Man City followed that up with a loss on the road 1-0 to Bayern Munich on a goal by former Man City defender Jerome Boetang at the death in their opening Champions League match. Man City returned home to notch a 1-1 tie against Chelsea in the EPL thanks to a strike by former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard. Man City followed that up with a 7-0 home win over Sheffield Wednesday in the Capital One Cup where all seven goals were scored in the second half. Man City righted the ship in the EPL with a 4-2 win over Hull City on the road. Man City closed out September with a 1-1 tie at home to AS Roma in their second of six Champions League group stage matches. Finally Man City beat Aston Villa 2-0 on the road in the EPL to head into their second international break on a high note despite a couple uneven performances in September.
Here are my initial rankings of the roster for Man City at the second international break of the 2014-15 season:
1) Yaya Toure (M): In the off-season speculation swirled that Toure might leave the club after he was less than please with how Man City recognized his 31st birthday on May 13, 2014. Keep in mind that happened just two days after Toure helped Man City win their second EPL title in three years...so much for enjoying their EPL title. For how well Toure played in the EPL last season when he scored 20 goals, he started the 2014-15 EPL season with a hangover. Still Toure's ability to dictate the pace of an entire match makes him one of the most irreplaceable players in the world, which means Man City need to sort out how they are going to fill their central midfield spots when they lose Toure for almost a month for the African Cup of Nations in early 2015.
9) Joe Hart (GK): When manager Manuel Pellegrini purchased goalkeeper Willy Caballero for $10 million from Malaga before the season, Hart must have wondered how secure his spot was as Man City's starting keeper. In just the 3rd EPL match of the season Hart conceded a horrible nutmeg goal to Stoke for Man City to lose 1-0 at home, which really put his starting spot in question. In an odd twist, just a few days later Hart signed a five-year contract extension with Man City, which had to give Hart some security. Needless to say, the last few months have been a roller coaster for Hart. If I were Pellegrini I would ride Hart at all cost but given that Pellegrini spent $10 million on Caballero, he is clearly not ready to ride Hart at all cost despite signing him to a five-year contract extension so it will be interesting to see how the starting goalkeeper position plays out this season for Man City.
14) Eliaquim Mangala (D): Man City have been searching for a central defender to slot next to Vincent Kompany for almost five seasons. In my review of the 2014 Summer Transfer Window for Man City, I wondered how long it would take Mangala to perform well in the EPL. If Mangala's performance against Hull City (conceded an own goal and fouled a player in the box to concede a penalty) is any indication of how he will perform for the club over the long haul then Mangala picked up where Jolean Lescott and Matija Nastasic left off. Sadly at this point that means that Martin Demichelis is a better option than Mangala next to Kompany.
25) Frank Lampard (M): My ranking of Lampard is a good illustration of how these rankings work. Clearly Lampard is much more talented than 25th on the roster but he is on loan from Man City's MLS "sister" club New York City FC, which severely decreases his value since Man City has almost zero chance of keeping him long-term. Lampard scored a goal against Chelsea to help Man City gut out a draw against his former club. In a touch of class, Lampard did not celebrate his goal against Chelsea, which makes sense given that he scored the most goals in club history for Chelsea despite not even being a striker. Lampard followed up that goal with two more against Sheffield Wednesday in the Capital One Cup and scored another goal against Hull City in the EPL. Given Lampard's age, Man City can ill afford to start him regularly. Instead they can use Lamard as a "super-sub" of sorts so they can get him into almost every match. Once Lampard scored against Chelsea, the rumor mill of keeping Lampard on loan past January started and went into over drive after his performances against Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City. I would be surprised if New York City FC was so accommodating to Man City unless they could get an outlandish fee from Man City for Lampard's services through the end of the 2014-15 EPL season, which doesn't seem likely given all the pressure Man City is under to comply with UEFA's Financial Fair Play Regulations.
Unless something major happens, make sure to check back after the next international break in early November for another Man City Report.
Man City didn't do much to improve their roster in the 2014 Summer Transfer Window, instead they tried to clean-up their books to comply with UEFA's Financial Fair Play Regulations. Coming out of the first international break, Man City had seven matches in September and early October before the next international break: four EPL matches, two UEFA Champions League group stage matches, and one Capital One Cup match.
In the first of the aforementioned matches, Man City tied Arsenal 2-2 on the road in the EPL. Man City followed that up with a loss on the road 1-0 to Bayern Munich on a goal by former Man City defender Jerome Boetang at the death in their opening Champions League match. Man City returned home to notch a 1-1 tie against Chelsea in the EPL thanks to a strike by former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard. Man City followed that up with a 7-0 home win over Sheffield Wednesday in the Capital One Cup where all seven goals were scored in the second half. Man City righted the ship in the EPL with a 4-2 win over Hull City on the road. Man City closed out September with a 1-1 tie at home to AS Roma in their second of six Champions League group stage matches. Finally Man City beat Aston Villa 2-0 on the road in the EPL to head into their second international break on a high note despite a couple uneven performances in September.
Here are my initial rankings of the roster for Man City at the second international break of the 2014-15 season:
1) Yaya Toure (M): In the off-season speculation swirled that Toure might leave the club after he was less than please with how Man City recognized his 31st birthday on May 13, 2014. Keep in mind that happened just two days after Toure helped Man City win their second EPL title in three years...so much for enjoying their EPL title. For how well Toure played in the EPL last season when he scored 20 goals, he started the 2014-15 EPL season with a hangover. Still Toure's ability to dictate the pace of an entire match makes him one of the most irreplaceable players in the world, which means Man City need to sort out how they are going to fill their central midfield spots when they lose Toure for almost a month for the African Cup of Nations in early 2015.
| 2014-15 Player Rankings 1.0 |
| 1. Yaya Toure (M) 2. Sergio Aguero (F) 3. Vincent Kompany (D) 4. David Silva (M) 5. Pablo Zabaleta (D) 6. Samir Nasri (M) 7. Edin Dzeko (F) 8. Fernandinho (M) 9. Joe Hart (GK) 10. Jesus Navas (M) 11. James Milner (M) 12. Fernando (M) 13. Stevan Jovetic (F) 14. Eliaquim Mangala (D) 15. Aleksandar Kolarov (D) 16. Gael Clichy (D) 17. Martin Demichelis (D) 18. Willy Caballero (GK) 19. Bacary Sagna (D) 20. Matija Nastasic (D) 21. Dedryck Boyata (D) 22. Scott Sinclair (M) 23. José Ángel Pozo (M) 24. Sinan Bytyqi (M) 25. Frank Lampard (M) 26. Richard Wright (GK) |
14) Eliaquim Mangala (D): Man City have been searching for a central defender to slot next to Vincent Kompany for almost five seasons. In my review of the 2014 Summer Transfer Window for Man City, I wondered how long it would take Mangala to perform well in the EPL. If Mangala's performance against Hull City (conceded an own goal and fouled a player in the box to concede a penalty) is any indication of how he will perform for the club over the long haul then Mangala picked up where Jolean Lescott and Matija Nastasic left off. Sadly at this point that means that Martin Demichelis is a better option than Mangala next to Kompany.
25) Frank Lampard (M): My ranking of Lampard is a good illustration of how these rankings work. Clearly Lampard is much more talented than 25th on the roster but he is on loan from Man City's MLS "sister" club New York City FC, which severely decreases his value since Man City has almost zero chance of keeping him long-term. Lampard scored a goal against Chelsea to help Man City gut out a draw against his former club. In a touch of class, Lampard did not celebrate his goal against Chelsea, which makes sense given that he scored the most goals in club history for Chelsea despite not even being a striker. Lampard followed up that goal with two more against Sheffield Wednesday in the Capital One Cup and scored another goal against Hull City in the EPL. Given Lampard's age, Man City can ill afford to start him regularly. Instead they can use Lamard as a "super-sub" of sorts so they can get him into almost every match. Once Lampard scored against Chelsea, the rumor mill of keeping Lampard on loan past January started and went into over drive after his performances against Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City. I would be surprised if New York City FC was so accommodating to Man City unless they could get an outlandish fee from Man City for Lampard's services through the end of the 2014-15 EPL season, which doesn't seem likely given all the pressure Man City is under to comply with UEFA's Financial Fair Play Regulations.
Unless something major happens, make sure to check back after the next international break in early November for another Man City Report.
Friday, October 3, 2014
The 53 - Packers are 3-2 & Looking Good
It has been a interesting start to the season for the Green Bay Packers. The Packers were absolutely slaughtered 36-16 on the road to open the season against the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football. Gaber, Sug, Uncle Patty, and I had tickets to the Packers/Jets game, which we thought would be a slam dunk win for the Packers in their home opener. Unfortunately just a few minutes into the second quarter the Packers trailed 21-3. Thankfully the Packers stormed back to win 31-24. I thought their comeback against the Jets would catapult the Packers into a nice winning streak. Unfortunately the Packers looked listless on offense in their first divisional game of the season when they lost 19-7 on the road to the Detroit Lions. Thankfully the Packers redeemed themselves within the division winning consecutive games on the road 38-17 against the Chicago Bears and 42-10 at home against the Minnesota Vikings last night on Thursday Night Football.
The only upshot of Thursday night games are that the teams essentially get a mini-bye and that is truly the only upshot of Thursday night games given that they've all been blowouts so far this season since most of the games involve less than full strength rosters because players are still recovering from the game they played the previous Sunday. The Packers/Vikings game is a great example. The Packers luckily got to face Ponder instead of rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater because Bridgewater sprained his ankle against the Atlanta Falcons in a Sunday late afternoon game so he had less than four days to recover. If the game was played on Sunday instead of Thursday, my guess is that Bridgewater's ankle would have been healthy enough for him to play.
Thanks to two consecutive divisional wins, the Packers are currently on an upswing but let's not get too excited given some of their uneven performances so far this season. Here are my updated thoughts on The 53 with five regular season games in the books:
2) Jordy Nelson (WR, LR 6): Through fives games Nelson has 34 catches on 52 targets for 525 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. Wide receiver Randall Cobb is the only other player on The 53 with more than 100 yards receiving so far this season (24 catches on 34 targets for 273 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns). Sure Nelson has been targeted on a ton more passes than any other pass catcher on The 53 but his rise in the rankings is based on what he is doing despite facing so many double-teams this season. I ranked Nelson as having the 5th worst contract on The 53 before the season. That was due more to the structure of Nelson's contract and all the depth that I thought the Packers had on The 53 at wide receiver. Although Nelson's production so far this season makes me look somewhat foolish, I am not quire ready to do a 180 on that contract even though Nelson looks like he will post his most productive season yet.
9) Julius Peppers (DE/OLB, LR 10): There is no question that Pepper is the player that I wrote the most about in the off-season given how rare it is for Packers general manager Ted Thompson to sign free agents, let along free agents in their mid-30's. So far, Peppers has lived up to the hype. Peppers' mere presence on the field has loomed large because that has caused teams to have to focus on a pass rusher other than Clay Matthews, which freed up other defenders to make plays despite the fact that Peppers hasn't put up huge numbers: 15 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks, 1 interception that was returned for a touchdown, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovered. Peppers showed athleticism on most of his pick-six against the Vikings. I say most of the pick-six because Peppers had an underwhelming Lambeau Leap. That might not be Peppers' last Lambeau Leap because the lack of big plays from the tight end position combined with the fact that Peppers is 6'6" makes me think we will see him at tight end in the red zone this season.
21) Jamari Lattimore (MLB, LR 37): Despite playing sparingly in the season opener, Lattimore played extensively in the next four games and is currently tied for 3rd on the defense with 28 tackles. I wonder how excited we should get about that stat though because it seems like middle linebackers in 3-4 defenses essentially fall into 80 or 90 tackles a season. Based on how Lattimore played the last few games, he looks like a better option at middle linebacker than Brad Jones but that isn't saying much. Lattimore is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season but that does NOT mean that the Packers should break the bank for Lattimore given that the Packers have foolishly handed out extensions to middle linebackers in the past. That's right, I'm looking at you A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones.
27) Mason Crosby (K, LR 35): So far Crosby is 5 of 6 on field goal attempts and a perfect 15 of 15 on extra points. Thankfully Crosby got a miss out of the way in garbage time on the road against the Chicago Bears when it was clear that the Packers were going to win. Avid readers of this blog know I think it is waste of cap space to spend anything over the league minimum on a place kicker. The one thing that cuts against that thinking is how well Crosby performed this year from over 50 yards. Sure it is a small sample size given that Crosby is only 2 for 2 from over 50 yards but it is nice to see him making lengthy kicks given that he was always supposed to have a big leg but he has been very erratic from long distance so far in his NFL career. It will be interesting to see if Crosby can continue to kick well from distance as the season wears on because that would actually provide more than replacement value at the kicker position because not only does it put points on the board but it prevents the opposition from taking over near midfield on misses.
29) Andrew Quarless (TE, LR 33): Man do the Packers miss tight end Jermichael Finley. So far this season Quarless has just 10 catches on 13 targets for 96 receiving yards and a touchdown. Sadly that is the most in each major category of any tight end on The 53. In fact the only other tight end with on The 53 with even a catch is rookie Richard Rodgers with two catches on four targets for 54 yards and no touchdowns. The Packers traditionally get much more production out of the tight end position but they also usually have much more talent at the position too. Sure some of their lack of production at the tight end position is due to the fact that Brandon Bostick has been less than 100% for the entire season but even if Bostick gets healthy soon the trio of Bostick, Quarless, and Rodgers combined brings less to the table this season for the Packers than a healthy Finely gave them last season. In fact, I could see a healthy Finley signed to a reasonable, long-term contract as high as #2 on my rankings of The 53. Sadly that does not seem likely so the Packers need to get more from their current trio of tight ends.
41) Scott Tolzien (QB, LR 39): I don't get why Thompson keeps Tolzien on The 53 if he is going to be inactive each week. I know those 46 gameday spots are precious but I would plan for nightmare scenarios with the active roster, which is why I think it is better to have three quarterbacks active on the remote chance the starer and backup gets hurt instead of keeping nine linebackers active.
Following their mini-bye, the Packers head out on the road next week to play the Miami Dolphins. If Thompson makes any moves between now and next Saturday, check back in this space for my detailed thoughts. If not, do your best to enjoy your second non-Packer NFL weekend in the first five weeks of the 2014 NFL season.
The only upshot of Thursday night games are that the teams essentially get a mini-bye and that is truly the only upshot of Thursday night games given that they've all been blowouts so far this season since most of the games involve less than full strength rosters because players are still recovering from the game they played the previous Sunday. The Packers/Vikings game is a great example. The Packers luckily got to face Ponder instead of rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater because Bridgewater sprained his ankle against the Atlanta Falcons in a Sunday late afternoon game so he had less than four days to recover. If the game was played on Sunday instead of Thursday, my guess is that Bridgewater's ankle would have been healthy enough for him to play.
Thanks to two consecutive divisional wins, the Packers are currently on an upswing but let's not get too excited given some of their uneven performances so far this season. Here are my updated thoughts on The 53 with five regular season games in the books:
| The 53 2.0 for 2014 |
| 1. Aaron Rodgers (QB, LR 1) 2. Jordy Nelson (WR, LR 6) 3. Clay Matthews (OLB, LR 2) 4. Josh Sitton (G, LR 5) 5. Sam Shields (CB, LR 4) 6. T.J. Lang (G, LR 8) 7. Micah Hyde (S, LR 9) 8. Mike Daniels (DE, LR 7) 9. Julius Peppers (DE/OLB, LR 10) 10. Randall Cobb (WR, LR 11) 11. David Bakhtiari (T, LR 12) 12. Eddie Lacy (RB, LR 3) 13. Morgan Burnett (S, LR 15) 14. Bryan Bulaga (T, LR 17) 15. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (S, LR 14) 16. Tramon Williams (CB, LR 18) 17. Davante Adams (WR, LR 20) 18. A.J. Hawk (MLB, LR 25) 19. Datone Jones (DE, LR 19) 20. Corey Linsley (C, LR 26) 21. Jamari Lattimore (MLB, LR 37) 22. Josh Boyd (DT, LR 21) 23. Mike Neal (DE/OLB, LR 16) 24. Casey Hayward (CB, LR 13) 25. Tim Masthay (P, LR 23) 26. Davon House (CB, LR 30) 27. Mason Crosby (K, LR 35) 28. Letroy Guion (DT, LR 42) 29. Andrew Quarless (TE, LR 33) 30. Brett Goode (LS, LR 41) 31. Nick Perry (OLB, LR 27) 32. James Starks (RB, LR 28) 33. John Kuhn (FB, LR 29) 34. Sean Richardson (S, LR 45) 35. Richard Rodgers (TE, LR 22) 36. Jarett Boykin (WR, LR 24) 37. Jarrett Bush (CB, LR 32) 38. Matt Flynn (QB, LR 34) 39. Jeff Janis (WR, LR 38) 40. Brandon Bostick (TE, LR 31) 41. Scott Tolzien (QB, LR 39) 42. DuJuan Harris (RB, LR 40) 43. Brad Jones (MLB, LR 43) 44. Sam Barrington (OLB, LR 48) 45. Mike Pennel (DT, LR 47) 46. Luther Robinson (DL, LR N/A) 47. Ryan Taylor (TE, LR 44) 48. Jayrone Elliott (OLB, LR 49) 49. Carl Bradford (MLB, LR 36) 50. Derek Sherrod (T, LR 50) 51. Lane Taylor (G, LR 51) 52. Garth Gerhart (C, LR 52) 53. Demetri Goodson (CB, LR 53) |
| Injured Reserve - Designated for Return: J.C. Tretter |
| Injured Reserve |
| 1. Don Barclay (T/G/C, LR 1) 2. B.J. Raji (DT, LR 2) 3. Jared Abbrederis (WR, LR 3) 4. Andy Mulumba (OLB, LR N/A) 5. Nate Plamer (LB, LR 4) 6. Khyri Thornton (DT, LR 5) 7. Aaron Adams (T, LR 6) |
9) Julius Peppers (DE/OLB, LR 10): There is no question that Pepper is the player that I wrote the most about in the off-season given how rare it is for Packers general manager Ted Thompson to sign free agents, let along free agents in their mid-30's. So far, Peppers has lived up to the hype. Peppers' mere presence on the field has loomed large because that has caused teams to have to focus on a pass rusher other than Clay Matthews, which freed up other defenders to make plays despite the fact that Peppers hasn't put up huge numbers: 15 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks, 1 interception that was returned for a touchdown, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovered. Peppers showed athleticism on most of his pick-six against the Vikings. I say most of the pick-six because Peppers had an underwhelming Lambeau Leap. That might not be Peppers' last Lambeau Leap because the lack of big plays from the tight end position combined with the fact that Peppers is 6'6" makes me think we will see him at tight end in the red zone this season.
21) Jamari Lattimore (MLB, LR 37): Despite playing sparingly in the season opener, Lattimore played extensively in the next four games and is currently tied for 3rd on the defense with 28 tackles. I wonder how excited we should get about that stat though because it seems like middle linebackers in 3-4 defenses essentially fall into 80 or 90 tackles a season. Based on how Lattimore played the last few games, he looks like a better option at middle linebacker than Brad Jones but that isn't saying much. Lattimore is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season but that does NOT mean that the Packers should break the bank for Lattimore given that the Packers have foolishly handed out extensions to middle linebackers in the past. That's right, I'm looking at you A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones.
27) Mason Crosby (K, LR 35): So far Crosby is 5 of 6 on field goal attempts and a perfect 15 of 15 on extra points. Thankfully Crosby got a miss out of the way in garbage time on the road against the Chicago Bears when it was clear that the Packers were going to win. Avid readers of this blog know I think it is waste of cap space to spend anything over the league minimum on a place kicker. The one thing that cuts against that thinking is how well Crosby performed this year from over 50 yards. Sure it is a small sample size given that Crosby is only 2 for 2 from over 50 yards but it is nice to see him making lengthy kicks given that he was always supposed to have a big leg but he has been very erratic from long distance so far in his NFL career. It will be interesting to see if Crosby can continue to kick well from distance as the season wears on because that would actually provide more than replacement value at the kicker position because not only does it put points on the board but it prevents the opposition from taking over near midfield on misses.
29) Andrew Quarless (TE, LR 33): Man do the Packers miss tight end Jermichael Finley. So far this season Quarless has just 10 catches on 13 targets for 96 receiving yards and a touchdown. Sadly that is the most in each major category of any tight end on The 53. In fact the only other tight end with on The 53 with even a catch is rookie Richard Rodgers with two catches on four targets for 54 yards and no touchdowns. The Packers traditionally get much more production out of the tight end position but they also usually have much more talent at the position too. Sure some of their lack of production at the tight end position is due to the fact that Brandon Bostick has been less than 100% for the entire season but even if Bostick gets healthy soon the trio of Bostick, Quarless, and Rodgers combined brings less to the table this season for the Packers than a healthy Finely gave them last season. In fact, I could see a healthy Finley signed to a reasonable, long-term contract as high as #2 on my rankings of The 53. Sadly that does not seem likely so the Packers need to get more from their current trio of tight ends.
41) Scott Tolzien (QB, LR 39): I don't get why Thompson keeps Tolzien on The 53 if he is going to be inactive each week. I know those 46 gameday spots are precious but I would plan for nightmare scenarios with the active roster, which is why I think it is better to have three quarterbacks active on the remote chance the starer and backup gets hurt instead of keeping nine linebackers active.
Following their mini-bye, the Packers head out on the road next week to play the Miami Dolphins. If Thompson makes any moves between now and next Saturday, check back in this space for my detailed thoughts. If not, do your best to enjoy your second non-Packer NFL weekend in the first five weeks of the 2014 NFL season.
Monday, September 15, 2014
I Went There - Brewers/Reds & Packers/Jets
I scored tickets for the 2014 Green Bay Packers regular season home opener against the New York Jets. As luck would have it, the Milwaukee Brewers had a home stand that weekend against the Cincinnati Reds too so I thought it made sense to double-dip watching the Brewers on Saturday night at Miller Park and the Packers on Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field. A Cheesehead double-dip, if you will.
Brewers tickets were actually tough to get for Saturday night not because the Brewers are fighting for a playoff spot but because it was Hank the Dog bobble-head night. Thankfully my buddy Gaber was able to score three tickets together in the upper deck down the first base line. We were late getting into the game so we missed the first pitch. As we made our way to the entrance, people were already leaving the game with their Hank the Dog bobble-heads in hand. Even though we were late, there was still a line to get into the game too because we had to go through metal detectors. Not sure if the metal detectors were Hank the Dog related or something else but that process delayed the first pitch.
In terms of the game itself, there was really nothing of note to report other than a bungled sausage race that saw the Brewers try to get Hank the Dog a victory. Unfortunately for the Brewers, Hank the Dog was overwhelmed so he didn't even run the race. Instead, a Brewer intern had to pick-up Hank the Dog and run him past the line in 6th place. Hank the Dog was about as impressive as the Brewers given that their pitching was sub-par and their offense was non-existent en route to losing 5-1 to the Reds.
After starting the season 27-15, the Brewers have been an average team, at best. Thankfully their pitching has been pretty good because their offense has really struggled following a hot start to the season. With each day, their playoff hopes continue to fade. I am not saying that I've turned the page on the Brewers yet but their inability to score runs is really testing my patience, which is why fans were probably more interested in the bobble head giveaway than the actual game.
After the game Gaber, Uncle Patty, and I headed back to my parent's place to catch-up and set our plan of attack for the main event of the weekend...Packers/Jets at Lambeau. We spent the night catching up about everything from our all-time favorite Milwaukee Wave players to family updates, which meant we only got a couple hours of sleep but still woke up with a hop in our step to start the pilgrimage north.
Sug met us as we were picking up tailgate goodies at the Metro Market. I mention that because for those that have never had the privilege (you read that right), the fun starts in the meat section of the Metro Market in downtown Milwaukee. There are a ton of Mariano's with tasty sausages in Chicago but let's not forget that those fantastic meats got their start at the Metro Market in Milwaukee. It is great walking around the Metro Market with everyone, including the staff, wearing Packers gear. As I've said many times in this space, you really can't go wrong with any of the brat options besides the habanero cheddar. My favorites are either the jalapeno cheddar or the classic beer brat.
With a full cooler of beers and brats accompanied by some other tasties, we headed north. We made it up to Green Bay just around noon. We decided to park south of the stadium but not too close because traffic is a nightmare following the game. We had a beautiful day to throw the football and play bags. Thankfully Uncle Patty overcame a pulled muscle on his first throw of the day so we could whip the pigskin and bags around the parking lot as we feasted on brats. Given the issues we had getting into the Brewers game on time, we decided to head into the Packer game a little early so we wouldn't miss kickoff.
Once we got into the stadium, Uncle Patty and I tried to hit-up the new Packer Pro Shop. One of the new Packer Pro Shop oddities is that it is under the Lambeau Field atrium. Unfortunately it seems like almost everyone else in the stadium had the same plan so we bagged it in hopes of getting to our seats in time for kickoff. Our original tickets were split-up two and two, which I traded for four tickets together in the north end zone, opposite the wall of sound.
The Jets kicked off to start the game. In their first snap from center, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and rookie center Corey Linsley didn't connect, which resulted in a fumble that the Jets recovered. That started the wost quarter of football that I've seen the Packers play at Lambeau in my entire life as the Packers trailed the Jets 21-3 with just over 10 minutes left in the first half.
With how horribly the game started, I decided to walk around the concourse of the stadium to try to calm myself down...trust me, I know I have problems. As I chronicled in my review of the Packers/Eagles game from last season, Eagles fans are the biggest a-holes in the NFL but Jets fans are doing their best to overtake Eagles fans based on how they carried themselves in Lambeau. Instead of taking their good brakes in stride, Jets fans cheered with borderline vitriol, not a good look for such an underwhelming franchise.
The Packers added a pair of field goals (20-yard and 55-yard) via placekicker Mason Crosby to cut the lead to 21-9. The Jets were driving for a touchdown at the end of the first half when Jets quarterback Geno Smith threw a pass up for grabs as he was pressured by Packers defensive lineman Mike Daniels that was intercepted by Packers cornerback Tramon Williams right at the goal line. Given their offensive struggles, I thought the Packers might sit on the ball. Instead, the Packers put together a clinical 97-yard touchdown drive to end the half down just 21-16, which honestly felt like they were winning given how horribly the first 20 minutes of the game went.
At the start of the second half Packers head coach Mike McCarthy had possibly the biggest brain-fart of his tenure in Green Bay, which is a fairly long and illustrious list. The Jets looked to complete a 14-yard pass on 2nd and 8 from their own seven yard line. Somehow the Jets were unable to get organized following that play so they were forced to burn a timeout. Coming out of a full television timeout, which is at least two minutes, McCarthy challenged the play and lost. I get sometimes coaches are forced to throw a challenge flag in the heat of the moment but McCarthy's gaffe was the antithesis of heat of the moment. Everyone in the stadium got a million looks and knew not to challenge the call but somehow McCarthy didn't see these same replays.
Following a couple punts, thankfully the Packers went up 24-21 when Rodgers connected with wide receiver Randall Cobb for a touchdown and a two-point conversion in the end zone right in front of us. Following the two-point conversion, things got chippy. Muhammad Wilkerson, arguably the Jets best defensive player, threw a punch and got ejected. As Wilkerson walked off the field he did his best Hulk Hogan impression, apparently forgetting that he was playing on the road not at home. Those same a-hole Jets fans somehow defended Wilkerson, which tells you all you need to know about them.
At that point I thought the Packers were going to run away with the game but credit the Jets, they tied the game on their next drive thanks to a 52-yard field goal. The Packers responded on the next play from scrimmage with a beautiful catch and run that resulted in an 80-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to wide receiver Jordy Nelson in the end zone right in front of us to put the Packers up for good.
The rest of the game was fairly ho-hum till the Jets scored what looked to be a game-tying 37-yard touchdown pass right in front of us. On the throw it looked like Williams went for the interception instead of knocking it down. I say "looked to be" because Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg called a timeout before the play. By NFL rule only the head coach coach, which in this case would be Rex "Twinkle Toes" Ryan can call a timeout. In practice it is hard for refs to decipher voices so when they hear a timeout called they always grant it. Apparently Williams and some other Packer defenders heard the timeout as well because it looked like some of them were slow to react at the start of the play.
The Packers were able to stop the Jets following the timeout and run out the clock with their game clinching play...a 15-yard pass to Jordy Nelson on 3rd and 3. That is the kind of aggressive play calling that I would like to see more often from McCarthy given that the Packers have (arguably) the best quarterback in the NFL. Nelson finished the day with 209 receiving yards and a touchdown. If I had to hand out three game balls they would go to Nelson, Rodgers (25 of 42 for 346 yards and 3 touchdowns along with six rushes for 28 yards), and Daniels (5 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 quarterback hits, and a sack).
There really is nothing better than a Packers win followed by a Chicago Bear loss. The Packers/Jets game was a late afternoon kickoff and the Bears played on the road against the San Francisco on Sunday Night Football. Given how much trouble the 49ers give the Packers and the fact that they were opening their new stadium on Sunday Night Football at The Chaps, I thought it was a slam dunk that the Bears would lose...especially after the Bears collapsed at home last week against the underwhelming Buffalo Bills. We turned off the game at halftime because the Bears were getting beaten badly and their announcers are such homers even when the Bears are losing that we didn't want to listen them whine about losing to the 49ers for the entire 2nd half. Somehow the 49ers imploded and the Bears pulled it out so after two weeks, every team in the NFC North is tied at 1-1.
The Packers head on the road for two big divisional games against the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears followed by a divisional game on Thursday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings. If the Packers make any personal moves, check back for my thoughts, otherwise I will have my updated rankings to The 53 following their divisional trifecta.
More importantly, thanks to Gaber, Sug, and Uncle Patty for a great Cheesehead sports weekend, hopefully we can do it again early next fall.
Brewers tickets were actually tough to get for Saturday night not because the Brewers are fighting for a playoff spot but because it was Hank the Dog bobble-head night. Thankfully my buddy Gaber was able to score three tickets together in the upper deck down the first base line. We were late getting into the game so we missed the first pitch. As we made our way to the entrance, people were already leaving the game with their Hank the Dog bobble-heads in hand. Even though we were late, there was still a line to get into the game too because we had to go through metal detectors. Not sure if the metal detectors were Hank the Dog related or something else but that process delayed the first pitch.
In terms of the game itself, there was really nothing of note to report other than a bungled sausage race that saw the Brewers try to get Hank the Dog a victory. Unfortunately for the Brewers, Hank the Dog was overwhelmed so he didn't even run the race. Instead, a Brewer intern had to pick-up Hank the Dog and run him past the line in 6th place. Hank the Dog was about as impressive as the Brewers given that their pitching was sub-par and their offense was non-existent en route to losing 5-1 to the Reds.
After starting the season 27-15, the Brewers have been an average team, at best. Thankfully their pitching has been pretty good because their offense has really struggled following a hot start to the season. With each day, their playoff hopes continue to fade. I am not saying that I've turned the page on the Brewers yet but their inability to score runs is really testing my patience, which is why fans were probably more interested in the bobble head giveaway than the actual game.
After the game Gaber, Uncle Patty, and I headed back to my parent's place to catch-up and set our plan of attack for the main event of the weekend...Packers/Jets at Lambeau. We spent the night catching up about everything from our all-time favorite Milwaukee Wave players to family updates, which meant we only got a couple hours of sleep but still woke up with a hop in our step to start the pilgrimage north.Sug met us as we were picking up tailgate goodies at the Metro Market. I mention that because for those that have never had the privilege (you read that right), the fun starts in the meat section of the Metro Market in downtown Milwaukee. There are a ton of Mariano's with tasty sausages in Chicago but let's not forget that those fantastic meats got their start at the Metro Market in Milwaukee. It is great walking around the Metro Market with everyone, including the staff, wearing Packers gear. As I've said many times in this space, you really can't go wrong with any of the brat options besides the habanero cheddar. My favorites are either the jalapeno cheddar or the classic beer brat.
With a full cooler of beers and brats accompanied by some other tasties, we headed north. We made it up to Green Bay just around noon. We decided to park south of the stadium but not too close because traffic is a nightmare following the game. We had a beautiful day to throw the football and play bags. Thankfully Uncle Patty overcame a pulled muscle on his first throw of the day so we could whip the pigskin and bags around the parking lot as we feasted on brats. Given the issues we had getting into the Brewers game on time, we decided to head into the Packer game a little early so we wouldn't miss kickoff.
Once we got into the stadium, Uncle Patty and I tried to hit-up the new Packer Pro Shop. One of the new Packer Pro Shop oddities is that it is under the Lambeau Field atrium. Unfortunately it seems like almost everyone else in the stadium had the same plan so we bagged it in hopes of getting to our seats in time for kickoff. Our original tickets were split-up two and two, which I traded for four tickets together in the north end zone, opposite the wall of sound.The Jets kicked off to start the game. In their first snap from center, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and rookie center Corey Linsley didn't connect, which resulted in a fumble that the Jets recovered. That started the wost quarter of football that I've seen the Packers play at Lambeau in my entire life as the Packers trailed the Jets 21-3 with just over 10 minutes left in the first half.
With how horribly the game started, I decided to walk around the concourse of the stadium to try to calm myself down...trust me, I know I have problems. As I chronicled in my review of the Packers/Eagles game from last season, Eagles fans are the biggest a-holes in the NFL but Jets fans are doing their best to overtake Eagles fans based on how they carried themselves in Lambeau. Instead of taking their good brakes in stride, Jets fans cheered with borderline vitriol, not a good look for such an underwhelming franchise.
The Packers added a pair of field goals (20-yard and 55-yard) via placekicker Mason Crosby to cut the lead to 21-9. The Jets were driving for a touchdown at the end of the first half when Jets quarterback Geno Smith threw a pass up for grabs as he was pressured by Packers defensive lineman Mike Daniels that was intercepted by Packers cornerback Tramon Williams right at the goal line. Given their offensive struggles, I thought the Packers might sit on the ball. Instead, the Packers put together a clinical 97-yard touchdown drive to end the half down just 21-16, which honestly felt like they were winning given how horribly the first 20 minutes of the game went.
At the start of the second half Packers head coach Mike McCarthy had possibly the biggest brain-fart of his tenure in Green Bay, which is a fairly long and illustrious list. The Jets looked to complete a 14-yard pass on 2nd and 8 from their own seven yard line. Somehow the Jets were unable to get organized following that play so they were forced to burn a timeout. Coming out of a full television timeout, which is at least two minutes, McCarthy challenged the play and lost. I get sometimes coaches are forced to throw a challenge flag in the heat of the moment but McCarthy's gaffe was the antithesis of heat of the moment. Everyone in the stadium got a million looks and knew not to challenge the call but somehow McCarthy didn't see these same replays.
Following a couple punts, thankfully the Packers went up 24-21 when Rodgers connected with wide receiver Randall Cobb for a touchdown and a two-point conversion in the end zone right in front of us. Following the two-point conversion, things got chippy. Muhammad Wilkerson, arguably the Jets best defensive player, threw a punch and got ejected. As Wilkerson walked off the field he did his best Hulk Hogan impression, apparently forgetting that he was playing on the road not at home. Those same a-hole Jets fans somehow defended Wilkerson, which tells you all you need to know about them.
At that point I thought the Packers were going to run away with the game but credit the Jets, they tied the game on their next drive thanks to a 52-yard field goal. The Packers responded on the next play from scrimmage with a beautiful catch and run that resulted in an 80-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to wide receiver Jordy Nelson in the end zone right in front of us to put the Packers up for good.
The rest of the game was fairly ho-hum till the Jets scored what looked to be a game-tying 37-yard touchdown pass right in front of us. On the throw it looked like Williams went for the interception instead of knocking it down. I say "looked to be" because Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg called a timeout before the play. By NFL rule only the head coach coach, which in this case would be Rex "Twinkle Toes" Ryan can call a timeout. In practice it is hard for refs to decipher voices so when they hear a timeout called they always grant it. Apparently Williams and some other Packer defenders heard the timeout as well because it looked like some of them were slow to react at the start of the play.
The Packers were able to stop the Jets following the timeout and run out the clock with their game clinching play...a 15-yard pass to Jordy Nelson on 3rd and 3. That is the kind of aggressive play calling that I would like to see more often from McCarthy given that the Packers have (arguably) the best quarterback in the NFL. Nelson finished the day with 209 receiving yards and a touchdown. If I had to hand out three game balls they would go to Nelson, Rodgers (25 of 42 for 346 yards and 3 touchdowns along with six rushes for 28 yards), and Daniels (5 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 quarterback hits, and a sack).There really is nothing better than a Packers win followed by a Chicago Bear loss. The Packers/Jets game was a late afternoon kickoff and the Bears played on the road against the San Francisco on Sunday Night Football. Given how much trouble the 49ers give the Packers and the fact that they were opening their new stadium on Sunday Night Football at The Chaps, I thought it was a slam dunk that the Bears would lose...especially after the Bears collapsed at home last week against the underwhelming Buffalo Bills. We turned off the game at halftime because the Bears were getting beaten badly and their announcers are such homers even when the Bears are losing that we didn't want to listen them whine about losing to the 49ers for the entire 2nd half. Somehow the 49ers imploded and the Bears pulled it out so after two weeks, every team in the NFC North is tied at 1-1.
The Packers head on the road for two big divisional games against the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears followed by a divisional game on Thursday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings. If the Packers make any personal moves, check back for my thoughts, otherwise I will have my updated rankings to The 53 following their divisional trifecta.
More importantly, thanks to Gaber, Sug, and Uncle Patty for a great Cheesehead sports weekend, hopefully we can do it again early next fall.
Friday, September 12, 2014
The 53 - Initial Player Rankings for 2014 GBP
Welcome to the 5th and final part of my "season preview". I put season preview in quotes because I wanted to rank The 53
before the Green Bay Packers played the Seattle Seahawks on the road to open their 2014 season so that I was on the record with my initial thoughts about The 53 but work got in the way. As a result, I am going to factor in how the Packers played in their loss to the Seahawks to the rankings but that barely changed my initial thoughts.
Just as a refresher, these rankings take into account age, skill, contract, and positional depth. Going forward, I plan to post updated rankings of The 53 as often as possible. For each iteration of this post I will not only rank the players 1 through 53 but I will write about the players whose rankings change drastically from the previous iteration of the rankings. Without further adu, here are my thoughts on a few players from The 53:
3. Eddie Lacy (RB): I am not sure how many concussions Lacy suffered before he joined the NFL. We know that he suffered (at least) one last year against the Cincinnati Bengals and suffered another this season against the Seahawks. Let me be captain obvious when I say that concussions are no laughing matter. What worries me specifically about Lacy is that his punishing running style is what made me love him so much going into the 2013 NFL Draft but at some point you have to wonder whether the concussions will lead to Lacy changing his running style to run with less authority.
7. Mike Daniels (DE): Even before the Packers lost defensive tackle B.J. Raji for the season with a torn bicep, Daniels was the leader of the defensive line. That is quire a rise for a guy that was drafted in the 4th round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Although Daniels can play both the run and the pass as a defensive end in the 3-4 despite his short stature, with how little the Packers line-up in the 3-4, I actually see Daniels having the biggest impact as an inside pass rusher in passing situations this season.
11. Randall Cobb (WR): This is a good illustration of how the rankings work. There is no question that Cobb is one of the best players on The 53 but he is only signed through this season, which decreases his trade value. Plus, Cobb plays wide receiver, which is a deep position on The 53. Given Cobb's injury issues, I don't blame the Packers if they have him play out the season before signing him to a contract extension. If the Packers do that, they need to realize if Cobb stays healthy for all of 2014 that he will sign a Jordy Nelson-eque contact (four-years, $39 million with $11.5 million guaranteed).
17. Bryan Bulaga (T): Missed all last season after he tore his ACL in the preseason. Unfortunately Bulaga left the season opener early with another knee injury. Don Barclay started at right tackle in place of the injured Bulaga last season but tore his ACL this preseason so the Packers were forced to turn to Derek Sherrod against the Seahawks. As expected, Sherrod was quite underwhelming in place of Bulaga so it is going to be a daily Bulaga healthy watch leading up to the home opener this Sunday against the New York Jets.
36. Carl Bradford (MLB): Now that Bradford made The 53 by the skin of his teeth, his value shoots up mostly because he was a 4th round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, thus he has one of the most favorable contract on The 53. Following the 2013 NFL Draft I said the Packers should give Micah Hyde a look at safety but his measurables projected him more as a safety than a cornerback. For some reason the Packers waited a year and now they have a starter at safety in Hyde, just a year later than they should have. The same applies to Bradford, his measurables project him more as a middle linebacker than an outside linebacker. The Packers tried Bradford at outside linebackers all preseason where he struggled. Thankfully the Packers gave Bradford a look at MLB instead of cutting him. Keeping in mind that Bradford is getting an earlier look at middle linebacker due to injury and ineffectiveness of middle linebacker Brad Jones. Hopefully Bradford can show something at middle linebacker because the Packers desperately need an upgrade at that spot.
38. Jeff Janis (WR): At 6'3" and 219 lbs, the Packers look like they found their next Jordy Nelson. No this is not based on race, it is based on body type because both Janis and Nelson are sneaky big. What I mean by that are they are both 6'3" but are never mentioned as physically imposing wide receivers in the NFC North with the likes of Alshon Jeffrey, Calvin Johnson, or Brandon Marshall. Sure all of those other NFC North receivers are bigger guys but the Packers usually target smaller wide receivers so I am glad they took a chance on Janis because his combine and preseason performance, I think the Packers found a gem in Janis.
53. Demetri Goodson (CB): If you applied my thought process just discussed for Bradford to Goodson, you would think that Goodson would not be the last spot on The 53 given that Goodson was a 6th round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. The difference between Goodson and Bradford is that Goodson is more of an acclaimed basketball player than football player. Plus, Goodson is dealing with the effects of a concussion he suffered in the preseason too so I have low expectations for the Packers getting any real production out of Goodson in 2014.
I am going to the Brewers/Reds game on Saturday night and the Packers/Jets game on Sunday afternoon with Gaber, Sug, and Uncle Patty so make sure to check back next week for my thoughts on the games.
| Review of The 53 |
| Initial Review of the Roster Initial Review of the Practice Squad Five Most Overpaid Five Most Underpaid Initial Rankings of the Roster |
Just as a refresher, these rankings take into account age, skill, contract, and positional depth. Going forward, I plan to post updated rankings of The 53 as often as possible. For each iteration of this post I will not only rank the players 1 through 53 but I will write about the players whose rankings change drastically from the previous iteration of the rankings. Without further adu, here are my thoughts on a few players from The 53:
| The Initial 53 |
| 1. Aaron Rodgers (QB) 2. Clay Matthews (OLB) 3. Eddie Lacy (RB) 4. Sam Shields (CB) 5. Josh Sitton (G) 6. Jordy Nelson (WR) 7. Mike Daniels (DE) 8. T.J. Lang (G) 9. Micah Hyde (S) 10. Julius Peppers (DE/OLB) 11. Randall Cobb (WR) 12. David Bakhtiari (T) 13. Casey Hayward (CB) 14. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (S) 15. Morgan Burnett (S) 16. Mike Neal (DE/OLB) 17. Bryan Bulaga (T) 18. Tramon Williams (CB) 19. Datone Jones (DE) 20. Davante Adams (WR) 21. Josh Boyd (DT) 22. Richard Rodgers (TE) 23. Tim Masthay (P) 24. Jarett Boykin (WR) 25. A.J. Hawk (MLB) 26. Corey Linsley (C) 27. Nick Perry (OLB) 28. James Starks (RB) 29. John Kuhn (FB) 30. Davon House (CB) 31. Brandon Bostick (TE) 32. Jarrett Bush (CB) 33. Andrew Quarless (TE) 34. Matt Flynn (QB) 35. Mason Crosby (K) 36. Carl Bradford (MLB) 37. Jamari Lattimore (MLB) 38. Jeff Janis (WR) 39. Scott Tolzien (QB) 40. DuJuan Harris (RB) 41. Brett Goode (LS) 42. Letroy Guion (DT) 43. Brad Jones (MLB) 44. Ryan Taylor (TE) 45. Sean Richardson (S) 46. Andy Mulumba (OLB) 47. Mike Pennel (DT) 48. Sam Barrington (OLB) 49. Jayrone Elliott (OLB) 50. Derek Sherrod (T) 51. Lane Taylor (G) 52. Garth Gerhart (C) 53. Demetri Goodson (CB) |
| Injured Reserve - Designated for Return: J.C. Tretter |
| Injured Reserve |
| 1. Don Barclay (T/G/C) 2. B.J. Raji (DT) 3. Jared Abbrederis (WR) 4. Nate Plamer (LB) 5. Khyri Thornton (DT) 6. Aaron Adams (T) |
7. Mike Daniels (DE): Even before the Packers lost defensive tackle B.J. Raji for the season with a torn bicep, Daniels was the leader of the defensive line. That is quire a rise for a guy that was drafted in the 4th round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Although Daniels can play both the run and the pass as a defensive end in the 3-4 despite his short stature, with how little the Packers line-up in the 3-4, I actually see Daniels having the biggest impact as an inside pass rusher in passing situations this season.
11. Randall Cobb (WR): This is a good illustration of how the rankings work. There is no question that Cobb is one of the best players on The 53 but he is only signed through this season, which decreases his trade value. Plus, Cobb plays wide receiver, which is a deep position on The 53. Given Cobb's injury issues, I don't blame the Packers if they have him play out the season before signing him to a contract extension. If the Packers do that, they need to realize if Cobb stays healthy for all of 2014 that he will sign a Jordy Nelson-eque contact (four-years, $39 million with $11.5 million guaranteed).
17. Bryan Bulaga (T): Missed all last season after he tore his ACL in the preseason. Unfortunately Bulaga left the season opener early with another knee injury. Don Barclay started at right tackle in place of the injured Bulaga last season but tore his ACL this preseason so the Packers were forced to turn to Derek Sherrod against the Seahawks. As expected, Sherrod was quite underwhelming in place of Bulaga so it is going to be a daily Bulaga healthy watch leading up to the home opener this Sunday against the New York Jets.
36. Carl Bradford (MLB): Now that Bradford made The 53 by the skin of his teeth, his value shoots up mostly because he was a 4th round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, thus he has one of the most favorable contract on The 53. Following the 2013 NFL Draft I said the Packers should give Micah Hyde a look at safety but his measurables projected him more as a safety than a cornerback. For some reason the Packers waited a year and now they have a starter at safety in Hyde, just a year later than they should have. The same applies to Bradford, his measurables project him more as a middle linebacker than an outside linebacker. The Packers tried Bradford at outside linebackers all preseason where he struggled. Thankfully the Packers gave Bradford a look at MLB instead of cutting him. Keeping in mind that Bradford is getting an earlier look at middle linebacker due to injury and ineffectiveness of middle linebacker Brad Jones. Hopefully Bradford can show something at middle linebacker because the Packers desperately need an upgrade at that spot.
38. Jeff Janis (WR): At 6'3" and 219 lbs, the Packers look like they found their next Jordy Nelson. No this is not based on race, it is based on body type because both Janis and Nelson are sneaky big. What I mean by that are they are both 6'3" but are never mentioned as physically imposing wide receivers in the NFC North with the likes of Alshon Jeffrey, Calvin Johnson, or Brandon Marshall. Sure all of those other NFC North receivers are bigger guys but the Packers usually target smaller wide receivers so I am glad they took a chance on Janis because his combine and preseason performance, I think the Packers found a gem in Janis.
53. Demetri Goodson (CB): If you applied my thought process just discussed for Bradford to Goodson, you would think that Goodson would not be the last spot on The 53 given that Goodson was a 6th round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. The difference between Goodson and Bradford is that Goodson is more of an acclaimed basketball player than football player. Plus, Goodson is dealing with the effects of a concussion he suffered in the preseason too so I have low expectations for the Packers getting any real production out of Goodson in 2014.
I am going to the Brewers/Reds game on Saturday night and the Packers/Jets game on Sunday afternoon with Gaber, Sug, and Uncle Patty so make sure to check back next week for my thoughts on the games.
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