Harrell showed poise in the pocket against the Cards
Green Bay evened its preseason record at 1-1 by beating the Cardinals 28-20 at Lambeau on Friday night. More importantly, a number of young players stepped up. Here’s a quick look at the movers and shakers from week 2:
GRAHAM HARRELL: The second-year quarterback has struggled for most of camp, but he justified coach Mike McCarthy’s faith in him on Friday night. The former Texas Tech star played with poise and even showed some zip on a few passes. Whether he has the arm strength to succeed against quality corners remains to be seen, but he probably played well enough to convince GM Ted Thompson to carry a third quarterback.
DIMITRI NANCE: The former Arizona State star ended last season on the 53-man roster, but he’s pretty much been a forgotten man this summer. That might’ve changed thanks to a solid performance on Friday night. He ran very hard and he didn’t look overmatched in protection. The Packers probably won’t keep a fourth running back, but Nance’s quality work against the Cardinals will at least give Thompson something to think about in the coming weeks.
CHASTIN WEST: The second-year receiver was impressive a year ago, but he lost out to Brett Swain. And while the former Fresno State star has distanced himself from Swain this summer, he could still wind up on the outside looking in. That’s because the five receivers ahead of him on the depth chart are guaranteed spots on the final roster. West might force Thompson to keep a sixth player at this position. If not, he could be traded. He has the ability be a No. 4 or maybe even a No. 3 for a number of teams.
RYAN TAYLOR: The rookie tight end is fighting for a roster spot at one of the deepest positions, but it’s hard to imagine him not sticking. Already a demon on special teams and a surprisingly adept receiver, he showed improvement as a blocker against the Cards. The former linebacker needs to work on his technique, but he has the size and toughness to knock defenders off the ball in the running game and at least slow down defensive ends in pass protection. It wouldn’t be a shock to see him vault up the depth chart.
T.J. LANG: Some will argue that rookie first-round pick Derek Sherrod played his way out of the competition at left guard on Friday night, but that would be extremely unfair. Lang has been solid all summer. The third-year pro from Eastern Michigan looks unsure of himself at times, but that will happen when a still young offensive lineman is forced to take snaps at as many as four different positions in practice. It’s time to let him settle in at left guard and become the player he has the potential to be.
EVAN DIETRICH-SMITH: The third-year offensive lineman will never be more than an 8th or 9th offensive lineman in the National Football League, but he’s been better than Nick McDonald all summer. While Dietrich-Smith has plenty of physical limitations, he does have the strength to slow down defensive tackles – at least a little. McDonald is more talented, but he gets pushed around by even mediocre players. One could argue that neither player is good enough to back up center Scott Wells, but after Friday night, it’s hard to argue that McDonald is more deserving of a spot on the final roster.
C.J. WILSON: The second-year defensive end left early after taking a blow to the head, but not before he left a fairly positive impression. He didn’t get blown off the line of scrimmage and he fought through heavy traffic to locate the ball. More importantly, the former East Carolina standout played with more passion than he’s shown so far this summer. Maybe he was pumped up because he was starting or maybe he finally realized that his spot on the final roster was in serious jeopardy. Whatever the reason, he finally resembled the player whom the coaches had such high hopes for at the start of camp.
JARIUS WYNN: The former Georgia star was released last summer, but he’s playing at a much higher level now. While he’s still not a consistent pass rusher – his supposed strength – he does have some potential in that area. More importantly, Wynn is at least holding his own against the run – something he was unable to do in the past. He’ll always be undersized for a 3-4 end, but he’s gained about 15 pounds and improved his technique since joining the Packers three years ago and it showed on Friday night.
D.J. SMITH: The rookie’s lack of height makes comparisons to former Pro Bowler Sam Mills inevitable, but there’s more to it than just their size. I watched Mills when he played for USFL’s Philadelphia Stars in the early 80s, and believe me when I tell you that Smith looks like an exact replica. Whether he’ll develop into a star like Mills remains to be seen, but his instincts and his explosiveness gives him a chance to be successful. He might not be ready to be the No. 3 inside linebacker, but he belongs on the final roster.
JOSH GORDY: The second-year corner was given a major opportunity on Friday night, and while he didn’t exactly cover himself in glory, he didn’t hurt his chances of making the final roster either. He needs to clean up his footwork, but he has above-average speed, fluid hips and decent instincts. That might not be enough to make him an effective starter at this level, but it should be enough to keep him around as the No. 6 cornerback. That is, of course, if Thompson decides to keep six players at that position.
With the quality depth the Pack has, it will be difficult to keep 3 QBs, especially when the #3 can’t be viewed as the down the road starter. For example, would it be worth losing Chastin West or Quinn Johnson or Andrew Quarless or Tom Crabtree to hang on to QB3, Graham Harrell? In fact, I would contend there is a chance there is no room on the Final 53 for any of the young, deserving, offensive players you list above (except for Lang of course) unless TT makes some surprise moves between now and SEP 5.
Roster Math: 53 – 3 (K, P and LS) = 50
Assuming defense = 24 (6 DL, 8 LB, 10 DB), that leaves 26 for offense.
At bare minimum, we know the following:
QB > or = 2
FB > or = 1
HB > or = 3
WR > or = 5
TE > or = 4
OL > or = 9
That adds up to 24, leaving 2 “Wildcard” openings.
WC Candidates:
TE5 – Crabtree/Quarless
FB2 – Quinn Johnson
WR6 – Chastin West/B Swain/Borel
HB4 – Nance/Gaine
QB3 – Harrell
OL10 – unlikely???
Thus, the Pack has quality depth at 5 positions but has only two openings w/o TT intervention.
My guess is TT would like to keep the “extra” player at all 5 positions. How can he do it?
(1) By trading away two guys who definitely won’t be back next year – M Flynn and R Grant. Letting Grant go will save cap money as well, which will help with Sitton, Wells, Nelson and Finley deals looming.
(2) I know it’s popular to suggest QJ be cut but if Kuhn was injured, the Pack would miss not having a FB who knows their system (Vontae Leach anyone?). Despite the Pack’s current embarrassment of riches at WR, there is no way they will push DD out this year with the all-time receiving yards record on the line. Nor should they. So, final choice, cut either Crabtree or Quarless, or trade a WR, most likely Jordy Nelson. Jordy is one of my favorite Packers but unless the Pack drafts a Pouncey-type C/G next year, they need to keep Wells. And Finley/Sitton are no-brainer keeps. And Jordy has the best trade value of any WR they have other than GJ, who is untouchable. So, like (1) above, the answer is to trade a guy now rather than let him walk next year (and get nothing in return) because you can’t afford to sign him. What I would I want for Jordy? At least a D2. Preferably a D2 + a lower pick.
We shall see on SEP 5 whether any of this comes to pass. If not, it was a fun thought process.
Arch
Archie, thanks for taking the time to comment. You made some very good points. I wish more people took the time. This site has some of the most knowledgeable fans and hearing what you guys have to say is always enlightening. It also makes this site a more interesting place to visit.
Love the site….keep up the good work. I will bring more of my jeenious to the comment sections when I can.
I love and look forward to reading your articles, I hope you keep it up!
I agree, I visit the site and your twitter on a daily basis.
Michael – checking your site via computer or smartphone is a daily occurrence for me. I’ve taken to following you on Twitter as well.
I hope you keep up the great work.
http://www.timesfour.com is willing to host you according to the board owner
I appreciate it. If it weren’t for the great fans at Times Four, I would’ve stopped writing a long time ago. But I’m not sure hosting the site over there would make much of a difference. The people there already know about Packer Update. I need to get the word out to others, and I haven’t been able to do that yet. Of course, it’s also possible that others simply aren’t interested. You’d be surprised at how many people prefer generic drivel. Just look at what’s popular on TV, at the movies and in the Packers blogosphere these days.
Would hate to see you stop….you have a gift…. and just so happens your gift involves my favorite team. I seek out things written by you and McGinn. You are often my first stop of the day. Do what is right for you…but my vote is keep on keepin on. And you have really pumped out some good stuff this year.
Agreed 100%. I have been doing my best to spread the word to my Wisconsin people. I live in Bengal country and all my friends are jealous that they don’t have a similar site for their Bungels. I hope you find a way to juggle both school and the site.
Michael,
I daily read several sites. Yours is my favorite. Only a couple of the prize winning pros equal your insight. Plus, you write extremely well. Very polished. Again, only a couple of the pro’s can match you. But, keep studying. Is sports journalism an option? Thanks for sharing
Lee, I haven’t studied in 15 years. I have a Journalism degree and I teach high school English. Not so impressed anymore, are you? Thanks for the kind words.
No problem Michael. I enjoy your posts, but life has priority no 1.
Michael, suggest your checking out this discussion about your site on X4: http://timesfour.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/938109321/m/9834000208
New reader, found reference to you on Timesfour.com, love the insight- I hope you find time to keep producing articles. Well done, sir!
This is by far the best Packer site. Please keep it up – it is much appreciated.
Have you thought about getting paid for your articles/analysis by JS or GBPG as a guest writer? The quality of your analysis of the Packers far exceeds anything that is currently offered by either paper. One of the papers runs columns by a guest columnist, a guy named Banasack, that your material would complement well. For waht it’s worth, you are my favorite Packer read these days.
Arch
Michael, my friend is having problems getting into your site. He tells me he registered, got the email back with the password, but still won’t work. Any advice I can offer him?
Have your friend send me an e-mail and I’ll help him out.
Thanks Michael. How does he do that though? I don’t know your email address.
You can find it at the top of the blog. Just hit the icon with the envelope.
Hey Michael, many thanks for taking the time to maintain Packer Update! You’re one of the few people covering the Packers that I actually take seriously. Hope you keep it up, but if you can’t, I’ll look forward to your analysis next summer.
Best,
Travis
Like many, I discovered your writing through Times Four and have enjoyed it ever since. The content and insight that you provide is top notch – I’m rather surprised that one of the larger Packer publications hasn’t sought you out. I haven’t posted before, so take this as a (selfish) plea from a loyal reader to keep up the great work.
Michael,
Thanks for the great Packer coverage. You clearly know your stuff and express it well.
Getting down to the final 53 will be brutal this year. Ted has created his own little nightmare – but it’s a nice problem to have.
Here’s my projection at a final roster (assuming no trades) -
Offense (26)
QB – Rodgers, Flynn, Harrell
FB – Kuhn
RB – Grant, Starks, Green
TE – Finley, Taylor, Williams, Crabtree
OL – Clifton, Lang, Wells, Sitton, Bulaga, Sherrod, Newhouse, Dietrich-Smith, McDonald
WR – Jennings, Driver, Nelson, Jones, Cobb, West
Defense (24)
DL – Pickett, Raji, Neal, Wilson, Green, Wynn, Guy
LB – Matthews, Hawk, Bishop, Walden, Zombo, Smith, Jones, So’oto
DB – Woodson, Collins, Burnett, Williams, Shields, Peprah, Bush, Gordy, House
Special (3)
K – Crosby
P – Masthay
LS – Goode
Last four in – West (too good to cut), Guy (defensive line is banged up), So’oto (nice upside) and McDonald (tempting to go with eight O-lineman, but stayed with nine; Schlauderaff, Dominguez and Genus could also push for this last spot)
Last four out – Quarless, Johnson, Schlauderaff and Elmore (Ted hates to cut those draft picks)
Most likely to be traded – Quarless
I mostly agree with this except:
Zombo will probably start the year on the PUP list, which allows for one open position.
Francois will make the final roster.
I don’t think Guy will make the final roster.
I agree with the poster below that Chastin West may get traded; if so, then I think Gurley takes his place on the final roster. Hard to let go fo a 6’4″ 215 lb WR who has performed well.
Zombo can’t go on PUP. That’s only for players who haven’t practiced.
Bummer. I think they will IR him then. It would be tough to keep a roster spot open for the first quarter of the season this year.
Hey Mike just want to say thanks for this great site I really hope you can keep writing it and your twitter because they are both excellent.
Keep up the good work and good luck with school!
I know that with all the injuries last year that TT would like to wait out training camp to see that everyone stays healthy, but given the excess of talent now is the time for TT to trade a handful of players for a couple of guys who could step in on the DL and OL. Maybe, somehow, a top notch LB (OLB or ILB). I know that teams must be scared to trade with TT. And the weaker teams might prefer to pick guys up off the waiver wire. But this week or next is the time to act.
mike: Agree with most of what you wrote but I do think West will be a ram in a few days, I just can’t see TT keeping 6 WR and if he waits out first cuts he might have to give him away. Gb has a couple of guys I could easily see packaged off for one veteran OLB or 3-4 DE. I just can’t make up my mind which trade partner makes the most sense. Rising teams farther up the food chain than the bottom 5 would indicate places like Tennessee or Tampa Bay but I’m not sure they have the player that TT would want.
Pack88
Love the site. You have the best packer related material on the internet. Would be very upset if it stopped running. No other site provides the depth and insight into the green bay packers organization.
Hey Dude,
As many others, visiting your site has become a daily routine for me – season as well as off season.
Keep up the good work!
Greets from Denmark
Michael, I started following you when you discussed how good players like Bigby would be after a year on the PS. I find it hard to believe that your information hasn’t received more traction or notice. I think there are many that just go to sites like Packer Chatters and CheeseheadTV and read stuff being re-hashed multiple times a day.
I understand making a living and keeping a web site active. Don’t assume everyone knows about your site and chooses to ignore it, more likely they have no idea it exist.
Not sure how you know as much as you do about the players but appreciate the insight and your opinions.
Thanks for the kind words AND for remembering that story. I think one of this site’s “problems” is that so many of the stories predict what’s going to happen in the future. People tend to forget all the times I’m right (of course, I’m all for short memories when I’m wrong!). For example, I remember taking a lot of crap at the time for suggesting that Desmond Bishop would be a quality starting linebacker if he ever got a chance to play on a consistent basis. But how many people remembered that story when it proved 100% accurate 6 months later? Maybe re-hashing the events of the day is the way to go. It seems to be working for many of the professional writers and for some of the more popular blogs.
I read your site every day and look forward to your articles. You have a different spin on them than the standard media and even sites like Packer Chatters. I understand the time constraints issue, but I hope you are able to continue with this quality site.
no problem, me too I really enjoy your articles
Here’s another vote for keeping this site. I was blown away when I first discovered it. Your content is amazing and I’m surprised to hear you aren’t seeing a lot of traffic. It seems like it’s mostly die hards on here, so maybe it’s only a matter of time before it spreads to the masses. I’d love for you to keep the site (or at least Twitter) going. Please?!
The articles on this site are so much more insightful then most everything else that is out there. This is far and away my favorite Packer site and I hope you can continue the outstanding work you do here.
I hope you keep writing. Love the site and especially the content.
Love the site too, but I’ve been unable to access it for the last few days. I kept getting the wordpress login page.
Nerdmann, I asked people to register from Saturday through Tuesday so I could find out exactly how many people visit this site. I have my answer, so the site is open again to all visitors. By the way, thanks to all the people who registered. I know it was a minor inconvenience, but I needed to get accurate numbers.
LOL. I thought it was some routing error, like it was asking us to sign in as webmaster. Anyway, I have a wordpress account, and it didn’t sign me in, iirc.
Michael, one thing I have learned over the years is to be true to yourself. If you feel the urge to write about what will happen, then do it. Recycling old news only goes so far and what you really want to do is show how you are different. You provide value added material. That is golden in todays print.
If you do run low on time think about a partner who you trust that will continue feeding information that you or they can present that provides information and keeps the site fresh.
It’s just an idea.