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OL Don Barclay, #67, is quietly earning a roster spot with the Green Bay Packers.

There haven’t been a lot of bright spots across the Green Bay Packers’ backup offensive line this preseason, as Graham Harrell can probably attest to. All of this negative attention, however, has probably overshadowed some of the good line play going on. One player in particular – Don Barclay (#67) – has quietly been proving his worth with the second unit.

Barclay was picked up by the Packers as a rookie free agent from West Virginia University. With experience in the guard and tackle position, he was a three-year starter as the Mountaineers’ left tackle.

As a Green Bay Packer, Don Barclay made his first big jump during the preseason game against the Cleveland Browns. He earned a No. 2 guard spot along with veteran Reggie Wells and has been practicing there since. In Thursday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Barclay once again played with the second string offensive line at right guard. During the fourth quarter, he also took the reps at right tackle with the third string unit.

After hearing some rumors about his play, I decided to go back and “A.J. Hawk” him throughout the Bengals game. What I saw was very promising. Though I am no expert on the finer techniques of being an offensive lineman, I can definitely say that Barclay looked extremely solid. He didn’t give up any pressures or sacks, and he was able to hold his ground in pass protection, rarely if ever getting pushed backwards.  Read more... (465 words + 1 image, estimated 1:52 mins reading time)

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Veteran free agent DE Phillip Merling became the twelfth defensive lineman on the Packers' offseason roster.

Call it the “shotgun approach.” Ted Thompson added his twelfth defensive lineman to the roster on Wednesday with his signing of DE Phillip Merling, who spent the last four years with the Miami Dolphins. Of the four (non-Packer) veteran free agent signings by Thompson this offseason, three have been defensive lineman: Daniel Muir, Tony Hargrove, and now Merling.

There’s obviously been some emphasis by the Packers on bolstering the talent and depth across the unit. The drafting of Jerel Worthy and Mike Daniels take the total number of new linemen up to five, meaning almost half of the group will be new faces in training camp.

Is this a case of desperation in response to the horrible performances of last season? No, that’s taking it a bit far. Ted Thompson is not spending beaucoup money on these free agent players, which one would tend to do when desperate.

But he is stockpiling the talent pool in a variety of ways, and hoping a good number of them stick.

The three free agent signings are not superstars. Tony Hargrove is the most well known of the group, but he’s probably not going to be a game-changer. His career has been up and down, playing with four different teams over eight years and racking up just 19.5 sacks and 16 run stuffs in the process. Hargrove hasn’t started a game in two seasons, and he only has 25 starts to his name across his entire career. Those numbers aren’t meant to discourage anyone – they’re certainly not the whole story – but they’re not indicators of a guy who’s going to “tilt the field.”  Read more... (1080 words + 1 image, estimated 4:19 mins reading time)

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Rookie C Tommie Draheim

Ted Thompson and the Green Bay Packers have signed a total of 27 rookies to contracts this offseason. Eight of those were his 2012 NFL Draft picks, while the other 19 were undrafted free agents picked up immediately after the draft or brought in as tryout players during Rookie Orientation Camp. With the roster now at a full 90 players, it’s time to get to know some of these new faces.

Next up is center Tommie Draheim.

Born on December 23, 1988, in Kennewick, WA, Tommie Draheim (Dray-hime) grew up in Lakeside, CA, where he played at center and defensive tackle as a senior at El Capitan High. He is the son of Tamura and Damon Draheim.

Draheim was a redshirt freshman in 2007 with the San Diego State Aztecs, and he was projected to be the starting center in 2008 until a shoulder injury suffered during summer workouts sidelined him for the season. Due to “team needs,” he was moved to left tackle upon his return, where he ended up starting in 30 consecutive games across his last three years with the team.

As a senior, Draheim became the first Aztecs offensive lineman to be named first-team all-conference since Brendan Darby in 2003. He was part of an SDSU offensive line that ranked 10th in the country in fewest sacks allowed (0.83 per game) and tied for 15th in fewest tackles for a loss allowed (4.42). They also helped quarterback Ryan Lindley become the school’s all-time leading passer and running back Ronnie Hillman finish third nationally in rushing.  Read more... (464 words + 1 image, estimated 1:51 mins reading time)

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Rookie S Sean Richardson

Ted Thompson and the Green Bay Packers have signed a total of 27 rookies to contracts this offseason. Eight of those were his 2012 NFL Draft picks, while the other 19 were undrafted free agents picked up immediately after the draft or brought in as tryout players during Rookie Orientation Camp. With the roster now at a full 90 players, it’s time to get to know some of these new faces.

Next up is safety Sean Richardson.

Born on Jan. 21, 1990, Seandre Antonio Richardson hails from Linden, Alabama, where he was given a key to the city upon his signing with the Green Bay Packers. He is the first football player from Linden to earn a Division I scholarship. He is the son of Darnell and Sandra Richardson and brother to Darnell, Jr., and sister Shonedra.

Sean was a starter at safety for his last three seasons with the Vanderbilt Commodores, and he never missed a single game, despite undergoing hand surgery in 2009. He became an instant contributor on special teams during his freshman year, concluding with the Commodore’s only touchdown (a muffed punt recovery) against Boston College in the Music City Bowl.

Both Richardson and Packers second round draft pick Casey Hayward were the anchors of the Vanderbilt secondary. As a junior, Sean Richardson set single-season career highs in virtually every statistical category: 67 solo tackles, 98 total tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 3 QB hurries, and 7 passes defended. He played mostly “in the box,” working more in run support than pass coverage. His only career interception came as a senior.  Read more... (503 words + 1 image, estimated 2:01 mins reading time)

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Rookie OLB Dezman Moses

Ted Thompson and the Green Bay Packers have signed a total of 27 rookies to contracts within the past week. Eight of those were his 2012 NFL Draft picks, while the other 19 were undrafted free agents picked up immediately after the draft or brought in as tryout players during Rookie Orientation Camp. With the roster now at a full 90 players, it’s time to get to know some of these new faces.

First up is outside linebacker Dezman Moses.

Born on Jan. 4, 1989,  Dezman Mirrill Moses hails from Willingboro, N.J., where he played wide receiver and inside linebacker at Willingboro High. He was named first-team all-county, all-conference and All-South Jersey as a senior, when he hauled in 35 passes for 596 yards and 10 touchdowns as a wideout while recording 87 tackles and five interceptions – including two returned for touchdowns. Dezman is the son of Vernon and Valerie Moses and brother to two sisters, Lauren and Shaina.

Moses graduated with scholarship offers in basketball, football and baseball. He made the decision to play football at the University of Iowa, but transferred after two seasons to Tulane in 2009 and sat out that fall per the transfer rule.  Read more... (751 words + 1 image, estimated 3:00 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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