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B.J. Raji

From the time BJ Raji was drafted in 2009, I’ve taken a special interest in this player. Maybe because he’s from a local town here in NJ, maybe because I was hoping he would be one of the linchpins for Dom Caper’s new 3-4 defense – the next “Gravedigger.”

I wrote a profile on Raji back in May of 2009, and later talked to some people who saw him in his HS playing days. “Really nice kid from a nice family,” I heard repeatedly, followed by, not sure if he has enough “mean” in his personality to thrive in the trenches in the NFL.

I discounted those comments for the most part. Surely the Packers wouldn’t have spent a top-10 draft choice on him if the Packers didn’t think he was a potential star.

B.J. Raji made the Pro Bowl in 2011, probably based on the rep earned by his 8 sacks and strong sophomore season  in 2010 (film study here).  Ironically, though, he just wasn’t that good in 2011.

Raji’s 2012 season for the Packers was noticeably better than 2011, but one major thing was missing; consistency.  It seemed to these non-expert eyes that as the season unfolded, Raji had some very strong performances, and some downright awful ones.

Raji terrorized the Bears (film study here) late in the season and a few weeks later was bounced around like a pinball machine by the 49ers offensive line. With those two offensive lines being on opposite ends of the talent scale, a thought crossed my mind; were’s Raji’s “good” performances all against “bad” offensive lines and vica versa?  Read more... (837 words + 4 images, estimated 3:21 mins reading time)

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In the shadow of the last two postseason losses, I’ve seen a number of Green Bay Packers fans itching for Ted Thompson to make some big roster moves. Their basic premise is that star quarterback Aaron Rodgers doesn’t have much time left to get to another Super Bowl. It’s either now or never if the team wants to make another serious run at it.

Rodgers is, after all, turning 30 this December. By the time the season is over and the playoffs are underway, he’ll have reached that magic age in the NFL when a player’s value suddenly drops like a brand new car being driven off the dealer’s lot. Sure, he hasn’t shown any physical or mental signs of decline in his performance, but time flies when you’re chasing the Lombardi Trophy.

To be perfectly clear, I have been a big skeptic of this line of thinking. This skepticism has actually led me to do a little data mining. How many quarterbacks have won the Super Bowl after they’ve turned 30? How many have even played in a Super Bowl? Is it a foregone conclusion that Rodgers will be battling the odds in the coming years?

So I went all the way back to Super Bowl XXX and compiled the ages of the starting quarterbacks since that year. Just to note, I only went back 18 years for the purposes of time management and the idea that modern rules are helping with durability. Quarterbacks are being protected from physically damaging hits, so they should theoretically have a better chance of playing into their later years.  Read more... (759 words + 3 images, estimated 3:02 mins reading time)

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Graham Harrell

1) Introduction: Was Harrell’s 2012 season the best ever by a backup quarterback? The second-year player from Texas Tech held the clipboard with perfect form. His posture and facial gestures while watching games from the sideline was second to none. His bored-to cup-to pour time — aka the amount of time it takes Harrell to snap out of staring straight ahead and being bored, sprint to the water cooler, grab a cup, fill it, and deliver it to Aaron Rodgers without spilling — was the best in league history. I can think of no other quarterback that is better suited to back up Rodgers than Mr. Graham Harrell.

2) Profile:

Graham “Mr. Wonderful” Harrell

• Age: Ageless
• Born: to play backup quarterback
• Height: He’s bigger than the game
• Weight: Harrell doesn’t wait for anything or anybody
• College: School of Hard Knocks
• Rookie Year: Doesn’t matter. Harrell has played like a veteran ever since setting foot on the field
• NFL Experience: Watching Harrell play is an experience we all should cherish.

Career Stats and more:

3) Expectations coming into the season: Stay the hell off the field. The Packers kept extra beer in the coolers at Lambeau just in case Harrell ever had to enter a game. It is unclear whether the beer was intended to distract the fans from Harrell actually being in the game, or to calm the nerves of the Packers coaching staff who had to try and make sure Harrell didn’t injure any teammate by hitting them in the nuts with an errant pass.  Read more... (441 words + 1 image, estimated 1:46 mins reading time)

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Packers QB Aaron Rodgers

1) Introduction: It was a grind at times for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Things didn’t look quite as easy as they did in 2011. When injuries mounted and adversity came and went, Rodgers kept the Packers in games and came through in the end more often than not. It wasn’t an MVP season, but it wasn’t far off.

2) Profile:

Aaron Rodgers

• Age: 29
• Born: 12/02/1983, in Chico, CA
• Height: 6’2″
• Weight: 225
• College: California
• Rookie Year: 2005
• NFL Experience: 8 years

Career Stats and more:

3) Expectations coming into the season: 8,000 yards, 108 touchdowns, 1 interception and a QB rating of 607.3. Seriously, I think some people honestly expected those numbers from Rodgers. His 2011 run might have been a once in a lifetime thing. It’s unfair to expect that to happen every season, maybe ever again. Rodgers ended up leading the league in passer rating for the second straight season and made several plays when he had no business making a play. It was another great season, regardless if he failed to meet some people’s unrealistic expectations.

4) Player’s highlights/low-lights: This was my favorite Rodgers’ throw of the season. Amazing. Other highlights include the big game against Houston, making plays down the stretch at Lambeau against the Vikings and recovering nicely from an interception to beat the Saints in a must-win early-season game. If I could change one thing about Rodgers’ season, it would be the interception against the 49ers in the playoffs. Rodgers hasn’t had a holy crap that was awesome! type of playoff game since the Super Bowl. That needs to change.  Read more... (471 words + 1 image, estimated 1:53 mins reading time)

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1) Introduction:  After missing his entire senior season at Buffalo due to injury, James Starks fell to the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. The Packers stashed him on the PUP list to start the season before activating him for their week 13 game against the San Francisco 49ers. Starks was the Packers’ starting running back during the team’s run to the Super Bowl in 2010. But in his second season, Starks was nothing more than an average running back on a pass-happy team. He entered 2012 as the team’s starter, but expectations were limited.

2) Profile:

James Darell Starks

• Age: 26
• Born: 02/25/1986, in Niagara Falls, NY
• Height: 6’2″
• Weight: 218
• College: Buffalo
• Rookie Year: 2010
• NFL Experience: 3 years

 Career stats and more:

3) Expectations coming into the season:  Starks was the starter coming into the season, playing ahead of second-year player Alex Green. But after a porous performance in the team’s preseason opener in San Diego, the team realized Starks may not be the answer. As a result, the Packers signed veteran Cedric Benson in hopes that he’d help revive a struggling running game.

4) Player’s highlights/low-lights:  After the preseason opener against the Chargers on August 9, turf toe kept Starks out of the lineup until October 14 against the Houston Texans. The early-season injury was more of the same for Starks. But with Benson out for the season and Alex Green struggling as the starter, Starks became a more important part of the offense late in the season. The highlight of his 2012 season was against the Minnesota Vikings when he rushed for 66 yards on 15 carries, including a 22-yard touchdown run.  Read more... (399 words + 1 image, estimated 1:36 mins reading time)

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1) Introduction:  At the end of training camp, DuJuan Harris was cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Harris was picked up by the Pittsburgh Steelers but lasted only four days on the team. Out of opportunities in the NFL, Harris found a job selling cars at Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Arlington in Jacksonville, Fla. A few months later, he’d be starting for the Green Bay Packers.

2) Profile:

James Darell Starks

• Age: 24
• Born: 09/03/1988, in Brooksville, FL
• Height: 5’9″
• Weight: 208
• College: Troy
• Rookie Year: 2012
• NFL Experience: 1 year

 Career stats and more:

3) Expectations coming into the season:  Considering he was a car salesman to start the 2012 season, not much was expected from Harris this year. Even when he was signed by the running back-needy Packers, Harris was afterthought, still trailing Alex Green and James Starks on the depth chart.

4) Player’s highlights/low-lights:  In his first game with the Packers, Harris found the endzone against the Detroit Lions. Including the playoffs, Harris scored four touchdowns in six appearances. It’s hard to consider any part of his 2012 as a “low-light” considering he gave the Packers’ running game a much-needed boost.

5) Player’s contribution to the overall team success:  It became evident fairly early that Harris was the team’s most effective running back. In the regular season, Harris racked up 157 yards and two touchdowns on 34 carries. Although he certainly wasn’t the focal point of the Packers’ offense, Harris provided the team with some balance offensively.  Read more... (354 words + 1 image, estimated 1:25 mins reading time)

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1) Introduction:  The Packers selected Green in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Green attended the University of Hawaii after transferring from Butte College—the same school Aaron Rodgers attended before transferring to the University of California. As a rookie, Green was in line for an expanded role within the offense before a torn ACL ended his season early. Coming off major knee surgery, it was unknown how much of an impact Green would have this season.

2) Profile:

Alexander Denell Green

• Age: 24
• Born: 06/23/1988, in Portland, OR
• Height: 6’0″
• Weight: 225
• College: Hawaii
• Rookie Year: 2011
• NFL Experience: 2 years

 Career stats and more:

3) Expectations coming into the season:  Green suffered a torn ACL Oct. 23 of last season, and he was back on the field for the team’s preseason opener on August 8. He started the preseason behind James Starks on the depth chart. And when Cedric Benson signed with the team, Green fell behind him as well.

4) Player’s highlights/low-lights:  Green played well replacing Benson after his injury against the Indianapolis Colts. He finished with 61 yards on ten carries, thanks primarily to a 41-yard burst in the fourth quarter. When DuJuan Harris emerged as the clear-cut No. 1 back, Green’s role within the offense was essentially eliminated.

5) Player’s contribution to the overall team success:  When Cedric Benson suffered a foot injury Oct. 7, Green assumed the role as the team’s starting running back. He started the ensuing three games but failed to run away with the job. James Starks and DuJuan Harris each took a turn as the team’s feature back.  Read more... (347 words + 1 image, estimated 1:23 mins reading time)

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