Guys With Everything to Prove Tonight

Face it, tonight's game against the Chiefs is about as anticlimactic as NFL games get.  You're excited for the first preseason game, simply because it is the first game since January.  The second game is pretty good, first team gets some work, and of course, the third game is the best game as the starters get to play into the third quarter.

But that last game is a sideline-watching game for the guys whose roster spots are set, leaving the no-names to battle for the last roster spots, guys who will be mostly special teamers or on the inactive list each week.  We sit to watch them stumble through an exhibition game that ends up usually being a yawner.

After spending a spirited hour with Kareem Copeland of the Green Bay Press-Gazette last night on Cheesehead Radio, we found a lot of guys for whom this isn't just a boring game...tonight could be the difference between a roster spot and the practice squad, or the difference between the practice squad and being unemployed.

Graham Harrell:  The Packers' third string quarterback has long been presumed to be on the practice squad;  after all, the Packers only need two quarterbacks on the roster.  But, we've seemed to accept the "rule" that you only need two quarterbacks, while most NFL teams continue to stock three.  Matt Flynn's shaky start to the preseason has leveled off, and it seems likely that the Packers feel set with those two again.

But Kareem has mentioned that Harrell has been perhaps one of the most improved players in camp this training camp.  Like most third-stringers, he's gone from desperately managing the team, going to check-down after check-down, to throwing with more confidence in the middle of the field and starting to make some plays.  And, it's not like he's an unknown:  he's a record-setter at Texas Tech and as intriguing a project quarterback as anyone else in the league.

Harrell's going to get some serious playing time tonight.  If he has a so-so performance, it's pretty much a done deal that he will end up on the PS.  But, if he ends up impressing and taking command of the QB position while he is out there, the Packers may be forced to face that Harrell will not last long on the practice squad, especially with the number of scouts that have been at our games.  It will depend on how enamored the Packers are with keeping him, but there are many NFL teams that are going to be unimpressed with the progress of their third quarterback after tomorrow, and if all Harrell is doing is improving, he will be targeted sooner or later.

Kregg Lumpkin:  There's a reason the Packers were trying out John Kuhn at running back the past few weeks, and it wasn't just because of injuries.  McCarthy loves saving a roster spot by having guys multi-task (see:  Spencer Havner) and Lumpkin has hung around for years and simply not shown that much improvement in his game.  I remember when he first got carries in the preseason a few years ago and everyone went ga-ga over him, but those days are a distant memory.

With Porter on the IR, and Starks on the PUP, it seems cut-and-dry the Packers will keep Grant/Jackson/Lumpkin, but Kregg needs to earn it tonight.  In just the opposite scenario as Harrell, if the Packers are not impressed with Lumpkin, the chances increase that they will be scouting the final waiver wires of other teams for a more promising third running back.  Lumpkin may be playing for his roster spot tonight.

Quinn Johnson:  Depending on who you talk to, Johnson is either already a shoo-in or he's trade bait for a team with a more conventional running game.  Johnson has demonstrated his run block ability, but the Packers don't always run a power or I-formation, limiting the number of downs you need a guy like Johnson for pure blocking.  And, his knocks - catching the ball out of the backfield and special teams play - have improved, but enough to justify keeping him on the roster?

The Packers were giving Johnson a lot of reps this week in practice, a good sign that John Kuhn will be sitting down early and Johnson will be given extended time to show that he's not a liability in the passing game.  More importantly, watch Johnson in lateral blocking...when he has to move and seal blocks to the side instead of just plunging into the line and bending a linebacker over backwards.  If he is able to catch the balls thrown at him and continue to open up the running game in a more ZBS-oriented run style, Johnson may seal his roster spot.  If not, he might be on the chopping block (or the trade block).

Jason Chery:  No one on this team has more to gain or lose than this kid tonight.  A week ago, he had no chance of making the roster.  Tonight, he will be given all of the kick and punt returns in order to see if he can repeat the lightning in a bottle he conjured up last week.  Think about it.  The pressure on this kid is going to be intense.  Everyone wants to see if he can run another one back, yet if he drops just one punt of kickoff, he's sealed his doom.  And, even worse, he's now had a chance to be coached by Shawn Slocum for a week, which will only make it worse.

Personally, Chery seems very excitable and nervous.  I think he can make the roster with some decent runbacks and no drops.  The amount of pressure that will be on him on every single return should be enough to prove that he's mentally tough enough to handle the job, if he makes it through without muffing any.

Tom Crabtree:  Poor kid...shows up for training camp and shows blocking skill that most of the other tight ends don't have, and still may end up being a victim of the numbers game.  Like Quinn Johnson, I believe blocking is an often overlooked skill nowadays, and frankly, Crabtree might have a better shot of making the roster if Johnson isn't on it.

But, right now it looks like Crabtree is headed to the practice squad.  There's too many teams without depth at tight end that would snap up Andrew Quarless if he were on the PS, so the Packers need to protect him on the roster.  But with a solid showing tonight, Crabtree could make that decision a lot harder.  Donald Lee has been the subject of trade rumors among many in the Blogosphere, and if the Packers feel comfortable with Finley/Havner/Quarless, Crabtree might make the team is a sort of H-back if they feel he can combine Johnson's blocking with Hall's receiving skills.

But, Crabtree is going to have to play the game of his life to get that kind of consideration.  And it's too bad, because he could be the third tight end on a lot of other NFL teams.  The Packers, quite simply, have too many decent guys at the spot.

Breno Giacomini:  The Packers have been enamored with this guy since he was drafted, and love his height.  But his debacles against the Brown and the Seahawks have all but doomed him.  Yet, you still get the feeling that if he showed just a little spark, the Packers would want to keep him around on potential alone.

A towering 6'8", I have to imagine it is difficult for Breno to gain leverage when the goal of blocking is to be the lowest guy, but his sheer power has to be considered if he shows any improvement in getting his body into the right place quickly enough and has the awareness to make the right blocks.    With Jason Spitz allowing the Packers to entertain trade offers, there may be room on the roster for Giacomini if he demonstrates the love he's gotten from the organization the past few years is worth the wait.

Justin Harrell and Jarius Wynn:  These two guys will likely make the roster based on one factor:  default.  Neither have really done much this preseason to separate themselves from the rest of the camp bodies, but the fact they've been around and the "you can never have too many defensive linemen" means they probably make the final roster.

However, as Kareem said last night, defensive end is likely one of the primary positions the Packers will be looking to sign from the castoffs of other teams, so these two are not just competing against CJ Wilson and Mike Neal, but against other DL's throughout the league.  With such a lack of depth at the position, you might have to guess that another NFL team is going to cut or try to stash away a guy who's shown more than these two.  If they sign one DE, one of these two are going to have to go, and tonight will likely dictate which one that will be.  Harrell has been a great story this training camp and has a ton of people in his corner, but the level of frustration if he can't produce tonight could reach a boiling point for everyone else.

Pat Lee:  Of all the DB's on the roster, Lee may be the guy in the most danger.  There's a lot of shuffling going on at DB...with both Harris and Bigby going on the PUP list, not only are there two more roster spots open, but the Packers may consider keeping another player than they would have simply because of depth and so many of these players, like Lee, have been so inconsistent. 


Brandon Underwood was abused last week, but has shown enough previously to keep a roster spot.  Sam Shields should make the team, and special teams mavens Derrick Martin and Jarrett Bush will likely survive another camp, at least until Harris and Bigby return.  Adding in the four starters, Charlie Peprah, and Tramon Williams, that is already 9 DB's.  Lee might benefit if Jason Chery bombs out and Williams is considered primarily as a returner. 

But Lee needs to justify his second-round status in the draft two years ago.  When undrafted free agents like Shields are showing you up, it's time to put up or shut up.

Chris Bryan:  While many of us have given Tim Masthay the job after his nice punt last week and reports of his booming punts in practice, Kareem warned us last night not to assume anything.  Bryan has been very consistent and his unorthodox punting style is intriguing.   

Bryan may consider this is final exhibition to prove himself, but even McCarthy has intoned that he thinks both players are NFL-ready and both may be kicking in the league this year.  Bryan is going to want to go out and make it a good dress rehearsal for both the Packers and anyone else looking for a punter.

As Kareem said, Bryan will have to punt the game of his life tomorrow, but if he does, the Packers will have to review a lot of tape.  And remember, these two have been kicking in Green Bay since March...the Packers know more about these two than a couple of days worth of kicks.

Chery Sums Up Crux of Special Teams' Issues

Ah, out of the mouth of babes.

Jason Chery did more than give the Packers beleaguered special teams units a glimmer of hope last Thursday, he sent a clear message as to what special teams are all about.  Chery, a mid-training camp afterthought signing that had about as much chance to make the final 53 as a fourth-string quarterback, scintillated the crowd with a late 75-yard punt return for a touchdown...an opportunity he had to plead with the coaches to get.

Pete Dougherty gives a nice writeup on Chery and his sudden thrust to prominence: now apparently after having to beg for a chance to return one punt, he will now be fielding every punt and kick in the last preseason game against the Chiefs.

But one thing really stood out to me in Dougherty's piece:  an exuberant Chery described at length the process of petitioning the coaching staff, then getting out on the field.  With little time to properly go through the intricate coaching needed to properly field a punt and run it back, Chery got the Cliff's Notes version:

“By the time I finally went out there,” Chery said, “everybody was on me, the whole team was rooting for me, ‘Catch the ball, make sure you catch the ball,’ ‘Be calm,’ this and that. I was like, this is like college all over. The more they were telling me, the more a regular kid, he’ll get nervous.
“So I’m back there, I’m already nervous, my adrenaline is pumping, my eyes are red because I’m emotional — ‘Finally, my time.’ Then I said, ‘OK, catch the ball.’ So I caught the ball, and then I was, ‘OK, what am I going to do? So I caught the ball and made one move, because coach said, ‘Make one move and hit it.’ I did exactly what they told me to do, and I hit it.”

 
So, there you go:  just catch the ball, make one move, and score.  Sure, it doesn't hurt that Chery has 4.3 speed, but then, so does Sam Shields.  In a nutshell, Chery may have revealed one of the issues plaguing the special teams:  is it possible Slocum is trying to do too much?
 
Last week, I talked with Wally Pingel over at PocketDoppler, and hearing Chery seemed to echo my concerns I mentioned about special teams and Shawn Slocum.
 

More than anywhere else on a football team, special teams are all about fundamentals and execution. It’s always the same: snap, hold, kick; or field the kickoff, set up the wedge, and make your blocks. There’s no formation changes, no play-action, no disguising coverages. You don’t have the chess match like the offense and defense do. The breakdown on special teams is a breakdown of the most basic skills football players need to have, and that puts the bullseye squarely on the coach.

It's like a free throw in basketball.  There's no strategy, no plays called, no zone defense or man-to-man...you line up at the exact same point, with no defense, and try to hit the front of the rim exactly ten feet high and thirteen feet away.  It's about discipline, fundamentals, and doing the same motions naturally and consistently.
 
Special teams in football are similar...oh, don't get me wrong, I know there's a world of difference between the opposing players parting like the Red Sea and letting you shoot a free throw and all them coming straight at you with blood-curdling kamikaze screams.  But returning a punt shouldn't be that hard.   I took a little ribbing during the game last week when I asked how hard it had to be to catch a punt.  Yet, Chery did it, only thinking about the essentials:  catch it, one move, run.
 
When you think about the difficulties the Packers have had with special teams, several names come to mind:  Mason Crosby and his blind spot on the right hashmark, Jarrett Bush and Derrick Martin with their dumb penalties.  Slocum himself claimed last season he had to essentially bring Crosby back to ground zero in terms of his technique and start him over from scratch.  Why?
 
Derrick Martin, who added some unnecessary contact a couple of weeks ago against Seattle, compounds the problem with his swaggering attitude.  Despite his own head coach angrily denouncing his actions, Martin defied the admonishment, claiming McCarthy only has to do that for show.
 

Asked if the coaches were mad at him, Martin said yes.


“That’s what they’re supposed to do. You get ejected from the game, they’re supposed to yell at you,” Martin said. “So they yelled at me and we’re moving on.”

Nevertheless, Martin maintained his innocence and vowed not to change the way he plays.
“You can expect high intensity every play. I’ll be like that the whole time,” Martin said. “From what I’ve seen on film, I feel like I’ve played inside the rules of the game. If I get fined we will appeal it just to see. I feel like I did nothing wrong. I play like that every week – high intensity, high power, high aggression. And I will continue to play that way.”

Quite a difference in attitude between Chery and Martin, isn't there?  Now, I'm not saying this is the entire crux of the problems with special teams...I have a feeling it goes far deeper than that.  But, the idea that Martin is worrying more about his intensity, power, and aggression instead of worrying about what his coverage duties are tends to be a warning flag to me.  If he were truly concerned about his coverage duties, he wouldn't have been fisticuffing with an opponent while the ball was still in play. 
 
Focus on your role and assignments on special teams is paramount, and executing them is the key to success.  It's not rocket science...it's fundamental, perhaps the most fundamental (and the most methodical) you will find in football.  The holder snaps the ball to a predetermined spot each and every time.  The holder must field the ball and place it in the correct predetermined spot each and every time.  The kicker must execute his kick at the right power and angle each and every time. 
 
There's always room for physical error, but on special teams, there's no room for mental error, or a lack of discipline.  Give Chery, who earned several conference Special Teams Player of the Week honors while at Louisiana-Lafayette, a chance to show he's coachable.
 
And then, K.I.S.S--Keep It Simple, Slocum.

Interchangeability and the Case for Quinn Johnson

I'm a Quinn Johnson fan.  Loved the pick, love watching him play.  Honestly, if he makes the team this year, I'm considering getting a Quinn Johnson jersey.  Only trouble is, Johnson is as much on the bubble as anyone...and could even be a potential cut on August 31 if the coaching staff has already decided that the tandem of Kuhn and Hall, along with the potential of some of the tight ends can do the job.

You know what I mean...that trait the Mike McCarthy loves so much:  interchangeability.  McCarthy may just love having a guy like Tom Crabtree who can go out and play the tight end spot, but with his good blocking skills, be able to line up in the backfield, too.  And of course, we already know about John Kuhn's newfound talent at halfback.  Heck, you might be able to take all the backs and tight ends and choose their spots in each formation with a bingo-ball machine.

Except for ol' Quinn, he the one-trick pony laying crushing blocks, but inconsistent in the passing game and on special teams.  Compared to wily, versatile do-it-all fullbacks like Kuhn and Hall, Johnson appears to be the odd man out in McCarthy's Interchangeable Circus.

And, like Sam Shields, my hopes for him making the 53-man roster ebbs and flows through each practice and game.  One second, he's struggling to catch a low pass, and just when I start losing faith, he crunches a block that the television commentators crow about while replaying it in slow motion.  And then, just when I get my hopes up again, he looks lost on kickoff coverage.  And so it goes for a young player trying to crack the roster in the NFL.

Now, don't get me wrong:  I'm not bashing interchangeability.  But, I will be honest, I am old school and a bit X's and O's when it comes to the schematics of a football team.  When I think of versatility being a valuable asset, it's something I usually would think of in a top backup (a "sixth man", so to speak).  Good examples would be Brandon Chillar or Daryn Colledge, each valuable backup-caliber players who can play almost any of the positions left-to-right along the linebacking corps or offensive line.  And yet, these players don't quite have what it takes to crack the starting lineup and command their spot. 

No one talks of moving Chad Clifton inside or Nick Barnett outside (well, besides me), because they are the masters of their position...again, old-school thinking that starters command their role, while versatile players back up them and other positions nearby.

But the advantages of having players who are versatile are also considerable.  Kuhn may not get a ton of snaps as a fullback, especially with the number of double-tight end sets the Packers have been running, so having him able to line up in the backfield not only helps his playing time, but could potentially allow the Packers to keep only two pure running backs on the roster.  Spencer Havner's two-way ability is more than just a novelty, especially when he keeps finding the ball in the end zone.  Yes, interchangeability makes it a heck of a lot easier to plug holes in your lineup when injury hits.

Of course, in practice, that isn't always the case.  When Chad Clifton got hurt early in the season last year, McCarthy put in motion a game of musical chairs, moving players up and down the line to compensate.  Suffice it to say, the results were less than stellar, and many of us wondered if we just would have been better off plugging in just one player at tackle and offering him schematic help, instead of moving Colledge from his guard position over to tackle, putting two guys out of position.

However, whatever your opinion is on interchangeability, this is a mantra of Camp McCarthy.  When final cutdown days arrive, a player like Anthony Smith, who strictly played safety and was not much of a special teams contributor, will find himself on the waiver wire while Jarrett Bush continues to have a job.

So, will Johnson's bone-jarring rush blocks be enough to keep him on the roster another year?  Odds would say not, but I am going to say it should be yes. 

Quiz Question:   Against the Arizona Cardinals in the playoffs last year, the Packers had six touchdown-scoring drives.  Guess the average time of possession on each TD-drive?

Well, the longest drive was 4:14, if that gives you any indication.  It took the prolific Aaron Rodgers-led passing attack only an average of 3:03 to make their way down the field and score (an average of 68 yards, by the way).  Many pointed fingers at the defense for their inability to keep the Cards out of the end zone, and rightfully so, but few pointed at the faults of the offense...and here is the fault that stands out.

The offense scored too quickly.  In a game like this, the Packers would likely have benefited from hanging onto the ball for a long, nine-minute drive, instead of scoring and handing the ball back to Kurt Warner in what became a game of Madden on the easy setting.    In the second half, Rodgers started out with 13 straight plays from the shotgun, and in all, attempted 33 passing plays to 10 rushing plays.

Now, I'm not so obtuse to realize that a lot of that is playing from behind, as well as taking what the defense offers you.  But, the Packers got into a shooting match that they lost control of.  They would score in three minutes, and the Cards came back and scored almost as quickly.

Ryan Grant finished with 64 yards on 11 carries, but had only 18 yards in the second half of the game when the offense compiled 322 total yards of offense.  I take nothing away from Rodgers, Jennings, and Co., who were prolific then and should be even moreso this upcoming season.  But at some point, the Packers needed to control the ball, keep it away from the Cardinals, take away their momentum.  And they couldn't.

At some point in the season, and most likely in the post-season, you're going to come up against a team that has your number.  They've studied your tape, they know your strength, weaknesses, and tendencies, and will simply match up well with you.  This is where interchangeability loses its luster.  Who could the Packers have put into the game on either side of the ball to stem the tide?  The Packer defense couldn't stop the Cardinal offense, while the Packer offense couldn't pace themselves and establish the running game.

And, guess who was inactive that game?  Quinn Johnson.

In a game like this, it doesn't matter if you are handing the ball to Ryan Grant or Brandon Jackson, or if you have John Kuhn or Korey Hall blocking.  Interchangeability usually also means similar skill sets, so you weren't getting anything "new" or different out of the substitutions.  In fact, the Packers had used the shotgun/empty backfield so much over the course of the second half it wasn't any wonder the Cards got away with sending more rushers than we had blockers on the game's final play.

Quinn Johnson has the potential to be that kind of game-changer.  Not "game-changer" in the sense that we normally think of it, like "Greg Jennings is a game-changer", but the kind of player who can force the opponents to change how they play us.

The dominant Packer offenses of the 90's had a definite modus opporandi with their running game.  While the first half was often all passing game, with usually 2-3 touchdowns scored, the second half featured the running game, with Dorsey Levens and Edgar Bennett draining the life out of the defense with an eight- to ten-minute drive or two.  This was even evident in the Super Bowl, though admittedly, the Packers were playing with a lead.

I'm a strong believer in keeping players with better-than-just-average abilities, and I think Johnson has the ability to force defenses to respect the run, to put an extra man in the box, to make the linebackers watch for #45 just as much as they are watching for #25.  While a shootout is fun to watch, it's no fun at the end if you've lost.

As for the argument that Johnson isn't an asset on special teams, I say hogwash.  We kept players on this roster because of their interchangeability and their ability to be contributors on special teams, and what did we get for that?  A special teams unit ranked #31 in the NFL by Rock Gosselin's respected ST rankings.  Loading our roster with Jarrett Bushes and Derrick Martins not only diluted positional talent, but didn't reap any benefits at all in special team play.

Johnson offers something against the grain of what Mike McCarthy has traditionally valued....and perhaps he is a one-trick pony, a crushing blocker that would signal whenever he's in the game that a rush is coming.

Perfect.  Can you imagine the audibles Aaron Rodgers would have available to him when opposing defenses bring eight or nine in the box to guard against the run?

It's not often that you look at an offense and find a need to slow it down, but last January, we might have seen it.  Quinn Johnson offers the Packers the ability to apply the brakes when you need, as take the wind out of the sails of the opposing defense...just like the championship teams of the 1990's used to do.