AllGreenBayPackers.Com

Surviving Sunday with no Packers Football

This is the time of year when we plant our flowers/veggies while NFL teams hold rookie camps. There are some parallels there.

We select what we think look like healthy new plants/vegetables, and give them an initial strong foundation, planting them firmly in the ground. We then watch over them, monitoring their progress and giving them the care and nurturing they need to sprout into flower or veggie-producing mature plants.

NFL teams pick this years plants (rookies) in the April draft and the free agency period in the days following. Rookie mini-camps are held, where the players are given their initial foundation of knowledge with regards to team operations and offensive/defensive schemes. They are evaluated by the coaching staff, who then decide what kind of individualized ongoing attention and care they will need.

Training expectations are established and their progress is monitored and assisted. The goal is for these young players to develop and blossom into valuable producers in their own right.

Staying on that theme, today’s “Surviving Sunday” will focus on these new Packers players. While we all know their names by now, here are some articles that will tell us a little more about some of these players.

Tyler Dunne of JSOnline.com does an in-depth profile of Packers UDFA running back Marc Tyler.

Over at Acme Packing Company, they take a look at Nick Perry getting all his camp reps at left OLB.  Read more... (385 words + 3 images, estimated 1:32 mins reading time)

---- Get AddToAny

It probably goes without saying that the 2011 Green Bay Packers should have a deep, talented roster.

That was likely the case before the last season begun, too, and it was proven time and time again during the course of the season when 15 players went to IR. Because of that talent and depth in the roster, the Packers were able to overcome the injuries and win the Super Bowl.

Heading into this season, the Packers only lost a handful of players from that run. The list of players from 2010 playing elsewhere this year: Cullen Jenkins (Eagles), Nick Barnett (Bills), Brandon Jackson (Browns), Daryn Colledge (Cardinals), Jason Spitz (Jaguars), Korey Hall (Saints) and Brady Poppinga (Rams). Brandon Chillar, Mark Tauscher, Anthony Smith, Atari Bigby, Matt Wilhelm, Justin Harrell and Derrick Martin are currently free agents without a team.

From those names, only Jenkins, Jackson, Colledge, Spitz and Hall were with the team the entire season. All the others were either mid-season pickups or went on IR at some point during the year. The point here is that the Packers found adequate replacements for the rest of the players listed, somewhat nullifying their impact on this year’s roster.

It’s a testament to GM Ted Thompson and his team of scouts, as they have done a terrific job of identifying talent, regardless of which avenue they’ve taken to acquire it.  Read more... (1185 words + 2 images, estimated 4:44 mins reading time)

---- Get AddToAny

While the NFL draft is certainly where Packers GM Ted Thompson does the majority of his best work, the undrafted free agent market has also been kind to Thompson.

His most notable finds—Tramon Williams, Sam Shields and Frank Zombo—were all important contributors to the Packers Super Bowl season in 2010.

With that in mind and the 2011 draft over, who could be the next undrafted player that Thompson discovers? Here are some interesting prospects who could be brought in by Thompson (whenever teams are allowed to do so).

CB/S Anthony Walters, Delaware

He’s a cornerback/safety hybrid who can play on special teams and add depth to the Packers secondary. Thompson worked out Walters, and despite taking Davon House, Walters has a solid chance at landing in Green Bay.

WR Jarred Fayson, Illinois

Thompson did well on the last highly skilled but under-acheiving speedster he signed after the draft. If the Packers could harness some of the explosiveness Fayson has (he’s a former five-star recruit), maybe he could be a Sam Shields type player early on.

DT/DE Anthony Gray, Southern Miss

Gray has the type of body and playing style that will remind most of Ryan Pickett and Howard Green. At 5-11, 335 pounds, Gray could help bolster a defensive line that is losing Cullen Jenkins.

OLB Mario Addison, Troy

The Packers added Ricky Elmore in the draft, but there’s nothing wrong with adding competition at rush linebacker. Addison had 10.5 sacks in his final year at Troy, which also happens to be the same school that produced Demarcus Ware.  Read more... (697 words + 1 image, estimated 2:47 mins reading time)

---- Get AddToAny

Call him the Florida Flash.  By now, most Packers fans know that Sam Shields can outright fly. Shields himself knows that putting that speed to use on the playing field will be his ticket to outpace other candidates for a spot on the 53-man roster. Let’s just say that after his 98 yard interception at the family night scrimmage, Shields has made a good first impression.

I generally like to do my undrafted free agent evaluations before training camp starts, so I can make more of a “blind”  evaluation uninfluenced by camp performances (I like the challenge). While in the previous weeks I covered the wide receivers, running backs and offensive linemen free agents, there just hasn’t been time to get to the defensive UDFAs.

But there are a couple of defensive UDFAs in camp that are worthy of a “better late than never” evaluation, and we’ll start with Sam Shields.

Shields was born in Sarasota Florida and played football there for Booker High School. After a senior year where Shields caught 67 passes for 1,201 yards (17.9 avg.) and 22 TDs, as well as two TDs on punt returns and a 44 yd average on kickoff returns, Shields was a top-20 nationally ranked WR recruit. Shields chose the University of Miami over Florida, LSU and other suitors.  Read more... (1077 words + 3 images, estimated 4:18 mins reading time)

---- Get AddToAny

Vince Lombardi had 30 picks in his first draft.  The next year the AFL had its first draft of 33 rounds. Competition for picks was an all out war.  In today’s draft when the final pick is made, it becomes the Wild Wild West for GM’s working to sign the best of the UDFA’s.  With 32 teams drafting, and 7 rounds of picks, getting those picks right can cure or kill a team. Signing the lesser-known players you have scouted is just as important as getting those draft picks right.

(This article is by Lifetime Packer fan Don Christensen, a frequent contibutor as “Yoop” on the TalkinPackers Message Board, who weighs in today with his choices for the UDFAs with the best chances to stick with the team.)
NFL General Managers build teams from the top down with the draft, then from the bottom up developing young players. Many expect their top picks to start right away.  Last year, Clay Matthews made it to the Pro Bowl his rookie year.  But many high draft picks end up playing limited roles in their early years.  I believe the expectations the fans have of higher draft picks is unrealistic and the development of late round picks and undrafted players is greatly overlooked.

Before free agency, NFL GMs drafted players to develop, knowing it takes years to do so. They knew it took time for players to make that jump from college prospect to NFL player. Free agency sees players moving from team to team and that mindset hinders the development of players.  Read more... (1311 words + 3 images, estimated 5:15 mins reading time)

---- Get AddToAny