Category Archives: Special Teams

Articles about the Green Bay Packers Football team – Special Teams

22

May

Packers Coaches Campen, Slocum Out of the Fire?

James Campen

Is James Campen finally off the hook in the eyes of Packers fans?

There’s been something missing this offseason, and I’ve finally figured out what it is: the annual tirade of Packers fans against special teams coach Shawn Slocum and offensive line coach James Campen. What once was a common occurrence has quietly but certainly escaped from our foremost thoughts. They have only been mentioned in mere passing in recent news stories, and even the most rabid of fans have barely even whispered their names.

All of this, evidently, must be a good thing.

Just about 11 months ago, our own Zach Kruse wrote a post detailing five areas in which the Packers could improve in 2011, despite having won a Super Bowl title the previous year. Three of those areas were Kick and Punt Returning, Kick and Punt Coverage, and Pass Protection. In revisiting those now, we’ve seen some noteworthy improvements.

In first looking at Special Teams, the addition of Randall Cobb as a punt and kick returner was huge. Not only did he win the NFL Honors Play of the Year for his 108-yard kickoff return against the New Orleans Saints, but he made a significant mark on the statistics sheets. In yards per punt return, Cobb ranked third in the NFL (13.4), and he ranked seventh in yards per kickoff return (27.6).

12

May

Green Bay Packers 2012 Roster by Position

.

GREEN BAY PACKERS 2012 ROSTER

(click here for a list of all Packers Players Transactions)

(For the latest updates/changes, see our Roster Page)

LAST UPDATED:
May 15, 2012

Current Player Total: 86
Rookies: 22

*** Players in GREEN are rookies. ***

2012 GREEN BAY PACKERS ROSTER
# Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Age Exp. College
QUARTERBACK
9 Coleman, B.J. QB 6-3 231 23 R Tenn.-Chattanooga
6 Harrell, Graham QB 6-2 215 26 1 Texas Tech
17 Hill, Nick QB 6-3 215 27 1 Southern Illinois
12 Rodgers, Aaron QB 6-2 225 28 8 California
RUNNING BACK
23 Bennett, Duane RB 5-9 213 22 R Minnesota
20 Green, Alex RB 6-0 225 23 1 Hawaii
33 Saine, Brandon RB 5-11 220 23 1 Ohio State
44 Starks, James RB 6-2 218 26 3 Buffalo
27 Tyler, Marc RB 5-11 226 23 R Southern California
40 Cooper, Nic FB 5-10 249 23 R Winston-Salem State
35 Hoese, Jon FB 6-2 238 22 1 Minnesota
25

March

NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Chris Rainey, RB/WR, Florida

NFL Draft Profile: Florida RB/WR Chris Rainey

Florida RB/WR Chris Rainey

Green Bay Packers draft prospect profile: Florida RB/WR Chris Rainey

Player information:

  • Chris Rainey, RB/WR, Florida
  • 5-foot-8, 180 lbs.
  • A world-class track athlete who can do far more on a football field than just run.

NFL Combine:

  • 4.45 40-yard dash*
  • 3.93 20-yard shuttle*
  • 11.06 60-yard shuttle*
  • 6.50 3-cone drill*
  • 120″ broad jump
  • 36.5″ vertical jump
  • 16 bench press reps

* =Top performer

News & Notes:

Won two straight USA Today high school National Championships while at Lakeland (Fl.) High School…Played in four games his freshman season but received a medical hardship waiver after hurting his shoulder…Ran for 682 yards and four scores during his redshirt-freshman year, earning SEC All-Freshman honors…Finished his college career with 2,393 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, plus 66 catches for 764 yards and six more scores…Returned 25 punts and 18 kickoffs…Lost seven fumbles during his four years…Was charged with aggravated stalking in 2010 after sending his ex-girlfriend a threatening text message, later suspended by the school…Those charges were dropped when he completed a program of community service and anger management…Has experience playing running back, receiver and special teams…He’s been one of the nation’s most productive punt blockers over the last four years, as his six blocked punts set a SEC record…Struggles blocking out of the backfield but has a solid, compact frame…Most compare him to Percy Harvin, his former teammate at Florida and current Minnesota Viking…If used right at the next level, could have Darren Sproles like impact…Given his versatility and rare athleticism, the Packers could realistically afford to use a roster spot on him as another Swiss Army knife type player.

24

March

NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Brandon Boykin, CB, Georgia

Georgia CB Brandon Boykin

Green Bay Packers draft prospect profile: Brandon Boykin, CB, Georgia

Player information:

  • Brandon Boykin, CB, Georgia
  • 5-foot-9, 182 lbs.
  • Broke his leg during the Senior Bowl, which robbed him of the opportunity to compete at the combine and Georgia Pro Day.

NFL Combine (DNP, leg):

  • N/A 40-yard dash
  • N/A 20-yard shuttle
  • N/A 3-cone drill
  • N/A broad jump
  • N/A vertical jump
  • N/A bench press reps

News & Notes:

A prep star in Georgia, Boykin stayed home and went to school in Athens. He appeared in 13 games his freshman season before going on to start 38 of the next 40 games for the Bulldogs. A jack-of-all-trades, Boykin registered nine interceptions, 19 tackles for losses and 18 passes broken up on defense, plus five return scores and three offensive touchdowns. He became the first player in SEC history to score three or more touchdowns of 100 yards. While Boykin is definitely on the short side (5-9) for cornerbacks, players his array of skills are hard to find. Boykin represents good value in the second round or later at a position that has three good players but struggled in 2011.

20

March

Jarrett Bush to Re-sign With the Green Bay Packers

Jarrett Bush Re-signs with the Packers

Jarrett Bush Re-signs with the Packers

It’s being reported today that cornerback and special teams ace Jarrett Bush has decided the grass is not greener elsewhere and will stay with the Packers. According to Aaron Wilson of Scout.com, he spoke with a league source familiar with the Bush negotiations. The source told Wilson that Bush has signed a three-year contract with Green Bay after visiting with the Arizona Cardinals and the NY Jets.

Bush was scheduled to visit with the Dallas Cowboys as well, but decided to not bother and just re-upped with the Packers.

Bush has been a favorite whipping boy for many Packers fans, but the last two seasons he has shown steady improvement in the secondary and has elevated his special teams play to be one of the best in the league. One big reason is that he has seemingly quelled his propensity for drawing penalty flags. That was something that caused plenty of angst among Packers fans.

This move makes perfect sense. Although Bush still struggles inn some aspects of playing secondary (still has trouble locating a ball thrown over his head), the Packers coaches have made a point to use him in ways that play to his strengths. In addition, the Packers’ coaches highly value versatility, and Bush has plenty of  it. Besides cornerback, he can and has played safety when needed.

25

February

Green Bay Packers 2012 Salary Overview

The offseason is starting to heat up. To ensure that the faithful AllGBP.com readers are prepared, here is an overview of individual Packers’ player salaries courtesy of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Player, pos

Salary
(M=millions)

Contract Information
(Click year to review details)

Contract Expires

Charles Woodson, CB

$11.562M

2010

After 2014

Aaron Rodgers, QB

8.5M

2008

After 2014

Tramon Williams, CB

7.381M

2010

After 2014

Greg Jennings, WR

7.347M

2009

After 2012

A.J. Hawk, LB

6.531M

2011

After 2015

Jermichael Finley, TE

5.75M

2012

After 2013

Ryan Pickett, DE

5.737M

2010

After 2013

Chad Clifton, T

5.593M

2010

After 2012

Donald Driver, WR

5.0M

2010

After 2012

Josh Sitton, G

4.8M

2011

After 2016

Nick Collins, S

4.787M

2010

After 2013

B.J. Raji, NT

4.255M

2009

After 2013

Desmond Bishop, LB

4.245M

2011

After 2014

Jordy Nelson, WR

3.825M

2011

After 2014

James Jones, WR

3.1M

2011

After 2013

Mason Crosby, K

2.4M

2011

After 2015

John Kuhn, FB

2.4M

2011

After 2013

22

February

Packers Stock Report: 2011 End of Season Full Roster Edition

Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers stock fell a bit during the playoff loss to the Giants, but it remains high heading into next season.

The Giants beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl and there will be no more meaningful football games for the next six months. That’s six months to reflect on how a team that lost twice to the Redskins during the regular season could go on to knock off the mighty Packers in the playoffs and keep rolling all the way to the Lombardi Trophy.

Depressing.

It’s hard to find a silver lining, but if you’re searching for one, take a few minutes and look over the Packers roster. It’s pretty good. Go ahead and cross off some of the players you think won’t be around next season, and it’s still pretty good. This team is going to contend again next season, and probably for the next couple of seasons after that. At least Packers fans have something to look forward to.

We’ve spent the last couple of weeks at AllGBP.com evaluating and grading every player on the Packers roster. Those report cards are done now, and it’s time to put this season in the rearview mirror.