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Surviving Sundays With No Packers Football

Last week I used this space to discuss dead wrestlers, concussions and the suicide of Junior Seau. It was some heavy and serious stuff, so serious that I didn’t have the will to keep the post going and talk about Packers news.

To make up for it, this edition of Surviving Sunday will be nothing but Packers.

Enjoy.

Rookie Camp
All eight Packers draft picks signed contracts and are participating in this weekend’s rookie camp. From a fan’s perspective, rookie camps and mini camps are a nice reminder that football season is getting closer, but that’s about it. It’s impossible for us outsiders to glean too much from offseason camps. The quotes from coaches are the same every year. Everybody looks great. Everybody is in amazing shape. Everybody looks real focused. Everybody just wants to help the team win. Yawn……

Alex Green and Ryan Grant
Alex Green wants to return by training camp according to Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. If he’s putting in the effort and work necessary to make it happen, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Green make it back for camp. It sounds like Adrian Peterson has a legit shot at playing in week one after ripping up his knee at the end of last season. Obviously, no two knee injuries are the same, but if Peterson can return that quickly, I like Green’s chances of being ready to go by August.  Read more... (665 words + 1 image, estimated 2:40 mins reading time)

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The rookies on the Green Bay Packers roster have yet to complete a half-season in 2011, but the bye week in Week 8 gave us an opportunity to gauge how the Packers’ first-year players look through seven games.

Snap-counts and statistics are courtesy of Pro Football Focus. 

T Derek Sherrod (R1)

The Packers wanted him to take hold of the left guard position coming into training camp, but that experiment died in a hurry when Sherrod couldn’t handle the switch. He’s a right or left tackle from this point on. The only major action Sherrod has seen this season came against the Falcons in Week 5. After Chad Clifton went down with a hamstring injury, Sherrod filled in at right tackle as Marshall Newhouse slid over to the left side. Of the 51 snaps he played, 36 came on passing plays, and Sherrod allowed just two quarterback pressures and no sacks or hits. That kind of snap distribution shows the confidence that the Packers have in their rookie at right tackle in pass protection. Sherrod also came in on seven snaps (five run, two pass) against the Broncos in Week 4.

WR/KR Randall Cobb (R2)  Read more... (1468 words + 1 image, estimated 5:52 mins reading time)

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With the Green Bay Packers finally making their first trip to the Super Bowl in 13 years, Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy have all but silenced their critics and slain the monkey on their backs. Bringing the Lombardi Trophy back home to Green Bay would seal the deal completely, but after sending 15 players to injured reserve this year, just making to Super Bowl XLV has been more than most could have asked for.

Part of the Packers’ ability to overcome the myriad obstacles in their way was due to their skill in acquiring and coaching the right players for the job.

While nothing may compare to the drafting of defensive superstars Clay Matthews III and B.J. Raji, this year has arguably seen significant contributions by more rookies than any other year. Whether finding their way onto the gameday roster through injuries or talent, these players rose admirably to the expectations of being a Packer and wearing the Green and Gold.

Below is my ranking of the most influential rookies who helped push the Green Bay Packers into Super Bowl XLV:

8. DE Mike Neal [IR] (Purdue) – 2nd Rd. / 56th pick

For a guy who only played in two games during the regular season, the loss of defensive end Mike Neal to injured reserve was felt hard by many fans. His ability to push the pocket could be witnessed in the few snaps he took, and he even came away with one sack and a forced fumble on the season. Unfortunately, his injuries only allowed him to play two games, which means his contributions suffered on account of his availability.  Read more... (1465 words + 11 images, estimated 5:52 mins reading time)

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