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Packers Defensive Lineman Ryan Pickett

Green Bay Packer defensive lineman Ryan Pickett recently joined the hosts of CheesheadRadio to talk about football, his charitable endeavors, “his “grizzled veteran” status at 33 yrs old, and his outlook on life in general. It’s a fascinating interview that gives you a unique look inside the mind of this huge man with a heart of gold.

The Pickett interview starts at the 17:00 mark, but I hope you’ll have time to listen to the entire show and become a regular Cheesehead Radio subscriber on itunes or listener on Blog Talk Radio.

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Find out more out Ryan’s Charitable foundation, Team 79, at theryanpickettfoundation.com, and get the full details about his Celebrity Golf Tournament coming up at  Barona Creek Golf Club in Lakeside, CA.

Here’s some info on Ryan’s Golf Tournament:  Read more... (309 words + 3 images, estimated 1:14 mins reading time)

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Surviving Sundays with no Packers Football

With NFL draft now behind us, I’ve found myself asking one question about the Packers over the last week: Do the players Ted Thompson selected make the Packers a more physical team?

The answer I come up with is…maybe?  Read more... (961 words + 1 image, estimated 3:51 mins reading time)

• First-round pick Datone Jones is 6-foot-4, 280 pounds. When you see him play, you think long and lean instead of tough and mean. But a player’s height and weight doesn’t tell you much about how physical they’ll play. I’m sure Jones will add some weight. If he doesn’t, sometimes smaller guys play with such an attitude that they might as well be 320 pounds of brute force.
• The first thing that comes to mind when I watch Eddie Lacy run is physical. You can automatically place Mr. Lacy in the immediately-makes-the-Packers-more-physical category. The catch with Lacy is his health. One of his big toes is fused on, he’s got screws in his hand, he can barely bench press because of an old pectoral injury and he’s had hamstring issues. It’s hard to help your team be more physical while riding an exercise bike on the sideline. Let’s hope Lacy is able to use his aggression on the field instead of in the team’s rehab facility.
• J.C. Tretter and David Bakhtiari are two offensive linemen that were not projected to be drafted because of their physicality. The Packers like drafting athletic college tackles who can play multiple positions in the NFL, and that’s what Tretter and Bakhitiari are. I suppose they could develop into maulers, but neither one makes me think they’ll immediately make the Packers more physical.

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The Packers will move Bryan Bulaga from right tackle to left tackle for the 2013 NFL season.

The Green Bay Packers aren’t waiting until training camp to shuffle their offensive line.

Details of the Packers new-look line can be found in this excellent Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel story by Tom Silverstein. To summarize:

• Bryan Bulaga moves from right tackle to left tackle
• Josh Sitton moves from right guard to left guard
• T.J. Lang moves from left guard to right guard
• Marshall Newhouse (last season’s starting left tackle), Don Barclay (who got a few starts in 2012) and Derek Sherrod (coming off a major leg injury that forced him to sit out last season) will compete to start at right tackle.
• Evan Dietrich-Smith is the starting center

Essentially, Packers coach Mike McCarthy is moving his two most talented and experienced offensive lineman from the right side to the left, which is Aaron Rodgers’ blind side, the Packers franchise quarterback who just signed a five-year contract extension worth $110 million.

Having a shutdown left tackle isn’t as important as it used to be in the today’s NFL. If you have a quarterback like Rodgers — someone who is mobile, smart and reads the opposing defense like a coach — you can get away with having an average left tackle.

But why take that risk? Why not combine your all-world quarterback with a reliable left tackle? If I climbed inside McCarthy’s head, I’m guessing that’s what his thinking behind the move would be.  Read more... (552 words + 1 image, estimated 2:12 mins reading time)

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Vikings first-round draft pick Shariff Floyd.

The Packers used the 2013 NFL Draft to finally address the running back position and add a much-needed player on the defensive line. What were the Packers division opponents up to in the draft?

Well, two of them used fifth-round selections to take punters and another drafted an offensive lineman in the first round that most analysts pegged as a second or third rounder.

Those were a few of the moves that made people scratch their heads. But it wasn’t all bad in Vikings/Lions/Bears land. Let’s take a trip around the NFC North to see how the Packers’ rivals used the draft to (maybe) close the gap and challenge Green Bay for a division title in 2013.

Minnesota Vikings

The Picks:

1 — Sharrif Floyd, DT Florida
1 — Xaveir Rhodes, CB Florida State
1 — Cordarelle Patterson, WR Tennessee
4 — Gerald Hodges, LB Penn State
5 — Jeff Locke, P UCLA
6 — Jeff Baca, G UCLA
7 — Michael Mauti, LB Penn State
7 — Travis Bond, OG North Carolina
7 — Everett Dawkins, DT Floriday State

The Breakdown:

Just when it looked like the Vikings might be on the right track, they draft a punter in the fifth round. A punter! In the fifth round!

Ok, a fifth-round pick isn’t going to make or break a draft, but c’mon. A punter! In the fifth round!  Read more... (1291 words + 1 image, estimated 5:10 mins reading time)

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Must… Find… Hidden… Gems…

The 2013 NFL draft is in the books but this is when Green Bay Packers GM Ted Thompson’s dirty work is just beginning.  Thompson has forged a reputation for being a huge proponent of using undrafted free agency to find some hidden gems.  Some examples of those past finds are Tramon Williams, Sam Shields, M.D. Jennings, Don Barclay and Dezman Moses, to name a few.

Here is the complete list of the Packers’ 2012 UDFA (undrafted free agent) signings, complete with height, weight and 40 yard dash times. We will be continually updating the list with additional player information or adding new signings, so check back in throughout the day.

Matt Brown, QB, Illinois State – 6’3″ 223lbs, 4.87 40yd dash time -

Took over as the starter in his freshman season, compiling a 93.1 NFL passer rating across the next four years. Completed 928 of 1,456 passes (63.7%) for 10,596 yards, 78 touchdowns, and 36 interceptions. At his Pro Day, also had a 41.5 inch vertical, had a 10’10 broad jump.

Ben Ericksen, S, Illinois State – 6’1″ 194lbs, 4.51 40yd dash time -

Played all four years at Illinois State, starting out as a wide receiver before converting to a safety in his second year. Was also used as a kick returner each year. In his senior year, had seven interceptions. At his Pro Day, scored 16 bench reps, 36.5″ vertical, 10’02″ broad jump, 4.22s shuttle, and 6.85s 3-cone.  Read more... (947 words + 3 images, estimated 3:47 mins reading time)

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With their final pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, the Packers took South Florida OLB Sam Barrington.

With their final pick in the seventh round (232nd overall) in the 2013 NFL draft, the Green Bay Packers select Sam Barrington, OLB, South Florida.

PLAYER DETAILS: 
Sam Barrington
OLB
South Florida
6’1″/246lbs

CAREER NOTES: From CBSSports:

2012 SEASON  Read more... (1167 words + 1 image, estimated 4:40 mins reading time)

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Kevin Dorsey, WR, Maryland

With their seventh round pick (224th overall) in the 2013 NFL draft, the Green Bay Packers select Kevin Dorsey, a WR from Maryland.

PLAYER DETAILS: 
Kevin Dorsey
WR
Maryland
6’2″/207 lbs

CAREER NOTES:

(from CBSSports.com)

A talented fifth-year player who served as the No. 1 receiver for his final two seasons … an intelligent, polished receiver with excellent size and soft hands … a preseason All-ACC selection … fourth team preseason all-conference pick by Phil Steele … has overcome foot injuries to become a productive performer … played in 47 career games with 23 starts … voted one of four team captains at the end of the spring.

PRO DAY:

40-yd.: 4.47s … bench: 17 reps … vertical: 38″ … broad: 10’10″ … shuttle: 4.28s … 3-cone: 7.08s

SCOUTING REPORT:

(from NationalFootballPost.com)

Strengths:

• Initial quickness and smooth start from LOS lets him get down field quickly.
• Plants foot well on slant routes.
• Good hands and awareness to make plays on the ball.

Weaknesses:

• Does not get much separation.
• Unwillingness to block on run plays.
• Sometimes rounded out his routes – not crisp.

COMMENTARY:

The Packers have now selected two OL, two RBs, and Dorsey makes the second WR. He and the newly acquired Charles Johnson will definitely be battling for a spot on the roster, but it’s interesting to note that they both share a similar height and weight. Johnson’s Pro Day numbers were a little better than Dorsey’s, though. He’ll definitely need to work on his route running if he wants to make it in the Packers offense.  Read more... (308 words + 1 image, estimated 1:14 mins reading time)

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