Category Archives: John Kuhn

3

April

2013 Packers Position Group Analysis: Running Backs

Packers RB DuJuan Harris will surely be back with the Pack in 2013.

Packers RB DuJuan Harris will surely be back with the Pack in 2013.

As far as personnel, the Packers underwent more changes at running back than any other position. James Starks was the starter through training camp before the team signed Cedric Benson after the first preseason game. Injuries added up, allowing DuJuan Harris–a former used car salesman–to take over as the team’s feature back.

Where are we now:

Here are the current suspects;

DuJuan Harris (UDFA, Signed as FA in 2012)
Alex Green (3rd round, 2011)
James Starks (6th round, 2010)
Brandon Saine (UDFA, 2011)
John Kuhn (UDFA, Signed as FA in 2007)

Listen to expanded coverage of this topic using the player below or download the podcast from the Packers Talk Radio Network on Itunes.

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Harris: For the 2012 Packers, DuJuan Harris (5-9 208) was a huge blessing in a small package. After starter Cedric Benson was lost for the season with a Lisfranc injury, and reserves Alex Green and James Starks both battled injuries of their own, the team turned to Harris to be the lead back. Harris played in a total of six games last season and recorded a team-high four rushing touchdowns.

Green: After Cedric Benson was lost for the season while James Starks was already out of the lineup, Alex Green was the next man up. Green broke off a season-long run of 41 yards later in the game Benson got hurt but never grabbed hold of the starting job. For the season, Green averaged just 3.4 yards per carry.

25

March

The Results are In: The Packers “Sweet Sixteen” Best Players

March Madness: Packers' Sweet Sixteen"

March Madness: Packers’ Sweet Sixteen”

As March Madness was zeroing in on the “Sweet Sixteen,” the ALLGBP readers voted for the Packers best sixteen players over the weekend.

With the top 12 already selected, our readers voted for the last four to make the list of “Sweet Sixteen.”

Here are the 12 that made it by default.

1) Aaron Rodgers

2) Clay Matthews

3) Josh Sitton

4) BJ Raji

5) Ryan Pickett

6) Tramon Williams

7) Randall Cobb

8) Desmond Bishop

9) Morgan Burnett

10) Jordy Nelson

11) James Jones

12) Sam Shields

 

And now here are the voting results for the last four spots. (The percentage numbers represent what percentage of the voters cast a vote for that player.)

93% Casey Hayward

86% Bryan Bulaga

67% Jermichael Finley

50% Tim Masthay

47% T.J. Lang

24% Brad Jones (write-in)

23% Dujuan Harris (write-in)

20% Davon House (write-in)

17% A.J. Hawk

9% C.J. Wilson

7% John Kuhn

5% Mason Crosby

5% Jarett Bush

Other random players received a vote here or there, not much worth mentioning, except that Aaron Rodgers got a write-in vote. Either someone didn’t read very well or they thought he was twice as good as anyone else on the roster. I guess we’ll never know.

12

March

Will John Kuhn Return to the Packers?

John Kuhn

My hunch is the Packers bring FB John Kuhn back in 2013.

Most of the offseason focus on Packers roster cuts has focused on Jermichael Finley and A.J. Hawk. Both of those players elicit strong reactions from Packers fans.

Mention Finley on a sports-talk radio show and the phones lines light up. Drop Hawk’s name in a blog post and the comments section gets heated in a hurry.

John Kuhn doesn’t move the needle like Finley or Hawk. Most Packers fans like Kuhn. They view Kuhn as an underdog who got where he is through toughness and hard work. They also like yelling “Kuuuuuuuhn!” whenever he touches the ball.

As well-liked as the fullback from Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania is, however, there’s a chance his days in Green Bay could be over.

Kuhn is set to make $2.6 million in 2013. That’s a lot of money to pay a back in a passing offense who isn’t much of a threat to run, pick up short-yardage first downs or turn checkdown passes into big gains.

Kuhn played 39.2 percent of the Packers offensive snaps in 2012. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 4.3 for the season, ranking him 12th among all fullbacks  (out of 25 that were graded)..

His blocking grade of 4.4 ranked him 16th and his running grade of -1.1 ranked 23rd.

18

February

2013 Green Bay Packers: The Youth Movement is Underway

Ryan Pickett

Pickett is currently the oldest player on the Packers roster at 33

Since the Green Bay Packers’ 2012 season ended, the team has lost three of their oldest veterans in that of Donald Driver (37, retired), Jeff Saturday (37, retired) and Charles Woodson (36, released).  That makes defensive lineman Ryan Pickett their oldest player at 33 and the only veteran on the current roster with 10 or more years of experience.

It’s impossible to say what the team’s average age will be come the end of this year’s training camp, but it is clear that the team is headed for a youth movement for the next year or two.

The Packers being one of the league’s youngest teams is nothing new to most of us who will recall that from 2006 – 2009, they were the NFL’s youngest.  In 2011, the Packers were third youngest and in 2012 they were fifth youngest roster in the league.  In 2013, the Packers will be strong contenders for the “youngest” label once again.

Here is a list of players , courtesy of ESPN, that were on the roster during the 2012 season.  I don’t expect the team to bring running backs Cedric Benson nor Ryan Grant back in 2013.  That leaves John Kuhn as the only player currently 30 years old or more.  Several players are set to turn 30 this year; AJ Hawk, Aaron Rodgers, Tramon Williams and Greg Jennings.

17

February

Packers John Kuhn: 2012 Player Evaluation and Report Card

1) Introduction: Kuhn was picked up by the Pittsburgh Steelers after he went undrafted in the 2006 NFL Draft. The Packers signed him in 2007, and he’s since become one of the league’s more versatile fullbacks in Green Bay. Fans love to chant “Kuuuuuhn,” and the coaching staff loves calling his number on third-and-short. Fresh off his first Pro Bowl selection in 2011, Kuhn figured to have great year in 2012.

2) Profile:

John Allen Kuhn

  • Age: 30
  • Born: 09/09/1982, in Dover, PA
  • Height: 6’0″
  • Weight: 250
  • College: Shippensburg
  • Rookie Year: 2006
  • NFL Experience: 7 years

 Career stats and more:

3) Expectations coming into the season: As a versatile fullback and the team’s short-yardage specialist, Kuhn is clearly a fan favorite in Green Bay. He’s a terrific pass protector and a hard runner, capable of moving the pile in short-yardage situations. Kuhn had six total touchdowns in 2010 and 2011, and the Packers hoped for similar production in 2012.

4) Player’s highlights/low-lights:  Kuhn’s best game of the season came against the Minnesota Vikings in the wild card round of the playoffs. He gained just four yards on three carries but scored two touchdowns on just five touches. The lowlight of Kuhn’s season was when he was inactive for two straight games—first against the Jacksonville Jaguars and then against the Arizona Cardinals. Also, the handoff to Kuhn from the shotgun didn’t work so well on one yard-to-go situations, either.

23

January

Packers Stock Report: End of Season, Full Roster Edition

CB Tramon Williams and S Morgan Burnett fight for an interception against the Saints

Packers CB Tramon Williams found himself in the falling category. Safety Morgan Burnett was steady.

The Packers end of season, full roster stock report is upon us. Below are over 2,300 words of insight, analysis, opinions and nonsense about every player currently on the Packers roster.

Read closely and enjoy, because many of these players likely won’t be around in 2013.

I incorporated each player’s performance from this season, and their future outlook while categorizing. Please agree or disagree in the comments.

As always, thanks for reading the weekly stock reports. Onto the last one:

Rising

Aaron Rodgers
It wasn’t as great as his MVP campaign, but it was still damn good. With chaos and injuries swirling all around, Rodgers kept the Packers offense moving forward and limited mistakes. A fine all-around performance and no reason to think it won’t continue in 2013.

Randall Cobb
With Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson hobbled most of the season, Cobb broke out and turned into the Packers most dangerous weapon. I worry a little about his durability, but his production when healthy was great. Oh, and he needs to drop fewer passes.

DuJuan Harris
Is this too much praise for the 5-foot-7, 210-pound rolling ball of butcher knives? Maybe. But if I’m buying Harris stock, I want in right now. I think he’s going to stick with the Packers and get a chance to make some noise.

2

January

Packers Drive Rewind: Rodgers Owns the Vikings’ Secondary

Jordy Nelson

Jordy Nelson’s TD catch tied Sunday’s game against the Vikings at 34 in the fourth quarter.

Let’s keep it positive for this week’s Packers Drive Rewind and focus on Green Bay’s game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter.

The Situation
Down 34-27, the Packers get the ball at their own 22-yard line with 7:54 to play.

The result
Aaron Rodgers overcomes a sack and a penalty, and leads the Packers on an 11-play touchdown drive that ties the game at 34. Green Bay’s defense was so impressed with Rodgers’ effort that it decided to let the Vikings march right back down the field and win the game on their ensuing possession.

Play 1: Rodgers to James Jones for 12 yards

This is what happens when Rodgers can just stand in the pocket, find a favorable matchup, and exploit it. It looks so easy. Jones is one-on-one with A..J. Jefferson and it looks like Jefferson doesn’t want anything to do with him. Jones takes advantage of the loose coverage and runs a nice hitch route for the easy catch. If the Packers offensive line can pass block like this consistently throughout the playoffs, Green Bay will win the Super Bowl.

Play 2: Rodgers sacked for an eight-yard loss by Everson Griffen