Unreasonably Early Rock Moster

Date ladies with buzz-cuts.

Best guess at Running backs: looking like they will keep 5 

1. Lacy
2. Starks
3. I prefer Crockett here but have a hunch they keep Neal due to his greater experience in the offense. Harris out of the running 
4. Kuhn
5. Ripkowski - looks to be one of our best Special Teamers (btw, I would like to go on record and state how much I dislike Ron Zook) 

 

 

Worth noting on Rip:  One of the podcasts (I think it was Baranczyk) said he liked Rip seeking out contact, but his lane responsibility left a lot to be desired.  That's something the better ST coaches will hone in on and exploit.  Hopefully he cleans it up before the season gets going.   
     

It's not as if Ron Zook will clean it up. 

Zook is the new Campen.

The Boot is just taking Chris Carter's advice and hiring a fall guy for every season.  

Sound advice.

As good as Hundley looked knowing we have worse backup QB's would you consider moving or cutting Badger Boy Scotty T?  Keep Blanchard on practice roster as the 3rd?  Tolzein being a FA next year is of little value other than as a backup.  Carrying only 2 QB's leaves and open spot for WR, DB, or OL.

 No.

No way they'll cut Tolzien. As for a trade, what value does he have? Is he starter value for another team? If someone came knockin' for Scoots and gave decent value in a trade, I'd think they'd be okay with Hundley and Blanchard. 

 

 

More okay than 2008 when we kept rookies Brohn and Flynn?  I say better with either.  And we get to keep an extra value player.

They'll carry 3 QBs on the 53.

Agreed. Blanchard might fetch a 7th if some team is desperate or worried another team might beat them out...but probably not.

I think with Tolzien, they keep 3 QBs, Hundley being the 3rd. If they were to get an offer that was good enough to trade Tolzien, then I think it is possible they keep only 2. The more I think about it, the less likely a Tolzien trade is anyway, even though I think he would be well worth another QB needy team's while.

 

It might be smart to keep Tolzien around till at least the Nov. 5th trade deadline. The need for a starting calibre QB could grow quite a bit between now and then. As rare as trades are, I guess it could happen and the Packers might make out in a deal like that.

 

I agree Boris, Blanchard should be tradeable, but he probably isn't. He's good enough.

 

3 it is.

I don't see any teams pulling off a trade for any of the Packer QBs.

 

Team 95 is all in for this season. They're not trading Tolzien because, in case of Rodgers getting nicked up (which, unfortunately, the past few seasons indicate is more likely than not), he could steal you a few games. I wouldn't see Scotty generating much in a trade at this point anyway as he needs to show he can deliver when real bullets are flying.

 

Hundley is on the 53 for sure owing to the above and the fact that he'll never make it to the practice squad. Not on the trading block, one bit. Too much potential. He could be the #2 next year.

 

To me the interesting case is Blanchard. MM loves him and he could develop into a solid backup. There's something to be said for keeping him on the PS this season and develop him as its possible Tolzien could be elsewhere next year. 

My Guess:

 

OFFENSE
7 Brett Hundley QB
12 Aaron Rodgers QB
16 Scott Tolzien QB        
                                        3
38 John Crockett RB
27 Eddie Lacy RB
34 Rajion Neal RB

44 James Starks RB 

                                        4

30 John Kuhn FB
22 Aaron Ripkowski FB   
                                        2
17 Davante Adams WR
18 Randall Cobb WR
83 Jeff Janis WR
88 Ty Montgomery WR
19 Myles White WR  
                                         5
86 Kennard Backman TE
81 Andrew Quarless TE
89 Richard Rodgers TE  
                                         3
63 Corey Linsley C
69 David Bakhtiari OT
75 Bryan Bulaga OT
73 JC Tretter OT
70 T.J. Lang OG
71 Josh Sitton OG
65 Lane Taylor OG
79 Josh Walker OG         

                                         8
                           TOTAL 25   
DEFENSE
93 Josh Boyd DE
76 Mike Daniels DE
90 B.J. Raji DE
97 Christian Ringo DE   
                                         4
99 Bruce Gaston DT *
78 Lavon Hooks DT **
64 Mike Pennel DT  
                                         3
58 Sam Barrington LB
91 Jayrone Elliott LB
52 Clay Matthews LB
55 Andy Mulumba LB
96 Mike Neal LB
51 Nate Palmer LB
56 Julius Peppers LB
53 Nick Perry LB
47 Jake Ryan LB  
                                         9
36 LaDarius Gunter CB
29 Casey Hayward CB
23 Damarious Randall CB
24 Quinten Rollins CB
37 Sam Shields CB  
                                         5
28 Sean Richardson DB
32 Chris Banjo SS
42 Morgan Burnett SS
21 Ha Ha Clinton-Dix FS  

                                         4

                           TOTAL 25

SPECIALISTS
2 Mason Crosby PK
61 Brett Goode C
8 Tim Masthay PK             
                           TOTAL  3
              GRAND TOTAL 53

PRACTICE SQUAD
6 Matt Blanchard QB
11 Larry Pinkard WR
74 Matt Rotheram OG
49 Adrian Hubbard LB
43 James Vaughters LB
78 Lavon Hooks DT *After week 1
25 Tay Glover-Wright DB
99 Bruce Gaston DT **After week 3

SUSPENDED
95 Datone Jones DE *Returns after week 1
98 Letroy Guion DT **Returns after week 3

INJURED RESERVE
87 Jordy Nelson WR
33 Micah Hyde FS (just a guess right now)

CUT
84 Jared Abbrederis WR (possible injury settlement?)
10 Javess Blue WR
82 Jimmie Hunt WR
13 James Butler WR
85 Mitchell Henry TE
72 Garth Gerhart C
77 Andy Phillips C
68 Fabbians Ebbele OT
60 Jeremy Vujnovich OT
50 Vince Kowalski OT
80 Justin Perillo TE
5 Ed Williams WR
94 Khyri Thornton DT
57 Tavarus Dantzler LB
45 Josh Francis LB
59 Jermauria Rasco LB
48 Joe Thomas LB
31 Ryan White CB
20 Jean Fanor DB
41 Kyle Sebetic DB
39 Demetri Goodson CB
54 Carl Bradford LB
67 Don Barclay OT
46 Alonzo Harris RB

Nice work, GD. Who do you cut when Hyde doesn't go on IR?

And who do you keep when Clueless is suspended?

I doubt Hyde goes IR, he had "neck spasms" per the team  which did not sound terribly serious, course I'm no Dr. So my guess would be Banjo is the odd man out at S if Hyde does make the team.

 

Then again the Giants are desperate for S help due to their injuries there. Could TT trade them a S (Richardson?) for a WR like Jones?

I don't envy TT one bit.  The amount of roster juggling due to injuries, suspensions, etc. is going to be crazy the first four weeks.

 

TT will have to carry an extra WR if Cobb can't go Week 1.

 

GD: 7 DL seems heavy, and 9 LB seems light.  Ringo seems like a perfect PS guy.  May have to carry one more OL given all of the injuries along there.  Probably only go with 3 RBs.  But what do I know.

Nice write up GD, hard to argue with anything there. Always will be questions on spots 50-53 but at the end of day, those spots are going to be a revolving door between injuries and suspensions so no reason to get too worked up about them.  

 

And I doubt we see any trades.  Hyde was a favorite of this team last offseason and doubt that's changed so much that he'll be traded.  And I don't see that much talent at the bottom of the roster that a team would offer anything.  

 

Oh, and Tolzien stays.  Hundley is definitely improving but no way he's ready for regular season action.  

They seem to like Abbrederis a lot and I wouldn't be surprised if he lands on the PUP.

If Hyde doesn't go on IR, which I just assumed because of this teams history of being ultra-conservative medically especially with neck injuries, then Banjo will get the boot. Hyde is the #3 Safety as it is and Richardson has more versatility. Banjo is a good ST player, but not a great one.

I forgot about Quarless suspension. I'm guessing they keep Hubbard. They will keep the guys they want on the PS, but don't want to expose to waivers.

I'm sure they like Abbrederis, but the guy has been out over a month with a concussion after coming off a torn ACL. Why cut a healthy talent because Abb might offer something even though he hasn't played since the end of July after missing a whole season. His next concussion will probably be the last of his career. Considering how ultra conservative they are with injuries, I'm surprised they haven't already given him a settlement. My only guess is that an injury settlement will pay a lot of money due to his 4th round pick  contract and they want to see what they have will other young talent before deciding whether to pay that or stash him on IR.

Crockett might land on the PS but he won't make the roster.

Gotta make it through waivers and I don't believe Crockett would make it through waivers.

Oline: really like the way Walker has been playing. The top 7 look pretty solid with Walker and Tretter being the top subs. The number 8 spot on the OL seems to be between Taylor and Barclay., for some reason I just don't see them cutting Barclay. 

 

GD, looks like you've changed your mind from a few pages back re:Fanor beating out Banjo.  I agree, still. That said, hopefully Hyde is ok, and hopefully the thought of him playing corner is over, that was ugly. 

Only real reason Crockett wouldn't clear waivers is his college career, and that wasn't enough to get him drafted. He's been injured but really hasn't done much in camp.

Agree with GD on Crockett.  16 game season and the beating RB's take, we are likely going to need him at some point.

I expect Crockett to be on the practice squad. That's where he belongs. I'd be very surprised if another team claims him.

Alonzo Harris is a PS candidate as well. RBs will be Lacy, Starks and Neal. No way does TT waste another spot on a back.

RBs and WRs tend to be picked off practice squads more than other positions, so hard to stash those guys.   It's just easier to stash a #5/6 WR or #3/4 RB on your active roster b/c you can get by with them not playing.  And even if they do play, it's not as detrimental to your team b/c you can just run basic plays with them in.  Doesn't work like that on defense, nor OL/QB.  

 

Of course I base this off nothing more than what I notice over the years, so feel free to rip away. 

Some good guessing work Grave Digger!

 

I'm thinking Don Barclay played himself onto the roster in Saturday's game. With the attrition we've seen at OL, they could be inclined to keep 9 players there. I do like your keeping Crockett on the roster along with Neal. Wish we could keep Harris too. I think they all bring good attributes to our running game. My guess is they will keep just 3 RBs though, probably Neal. Crockett is one tough SOB. No way does he last on our PS, nor Harris. Have to consider them gone if they are placed there.

 

Kuhn is turning into a consensus pick to make the final 53 amongst many. I still struggle with keeping 2 FBs, as it seems a luxury we cannot afford. At WR I almost like Larry Pinkard better than Miles White, but only from a potential standpoint. They seem pretty even, and choosing White is solid. And I think your 3 TEs are spot on.

 

DL is interesting. I'm wondering if Josh Boyd hasn't played himself off the roster this preseason? He hasn't done a whole lot, while others, especially Gaston, have produced a lot better. Pennel seems a lock. Ringo and Hooks look to be showing improvement, but have they shown enough? With Datone's suspension, we have some wiggle room there for an extra week. Speaking of which, Raji has been pushed around a lot. I really wonder about our DL, and who that best mix might be.

 

LB is a position I would make sweeping changes to. If I were to keep 9 of them, it would be:

91 Jayrone Elliott LB
52 Clay Matthews LB
55 Andy Mulumba LB
96 Mike Neal LB
56 Julius Peppers LB
47 Jake Ryan LB

54 Carl Bradford LB

49 Adrian Hubbard LB
43 James Vaughters LB

 

I'd IR Palmer with a Designated to Return status. At CB, your picks look solid. At S I would replace Banjo with Fanor, which is not a knock on Banjo at all, but I believe Fanor is the better player of the two. Hyde probably stays over both if healthy, which I think you agree.

 

I thought our DL stunk last year, save for Daniels and Guion. I thought our coverage of TEs and RBs as receivers over the middle was atrocious. Our run D was pathetic. Add to that, we gave up way to many explosive plays in our secondary. How does it get better if we keep hanging onto the same guys, especially the ones who give us marginal results? Looks like we might have a solid fix in our secondary with the rookies and 2nd year players. Maybe we could do the same at some spots on our DL and at LB.

 

We need some new life on defense. The secondary changes look solid. I hope the DL and LB follow suit.

My thought process with Crockett is two-fold: his flashes of talent and our depth. He hasn't played much, but you can see the raw talent there. Great size, great vision, good speed...he just needs to get some experience.

Our depth is a concern because we only have two backs at a pretty physically demanding position. There's also Eddie Lacy's running style and James Starks injury history to consider. Last year Kuhn was essentially our #3 RB and while he's good enough to surprise D's occasionally, he's not good RB depth. Rajion Neal is a good change up who offers more versatility with his ST and receiving ability. GB seems to cover versatile players so I think he has a spot. I don't see him as a potential #1 or #2 in this league though. With Starks contract coming up I don't think it's wise to risk losing a player like Crockett who could be a really good #2 in the mold of James Starks. I think Crockett's potential allows him to stick around.  Just my opinion though.

Dude, I am right with you on Crockett and keeping 4. Especially if we were to up our running game attempts this season, which I believe would be really smart. I'd prefer keeping 4 with just 1 FB, and that would be Rip.

 

BTW, the whole keeping multiple FBs or 5 TEs thing was more about STs. LBs interchange there too, as they all are similar body types. Just looking for the best athletes there. 

 

I just don't know if McCarthy has the nuts to run more. It would save Aaron.

 

Tropies:

91 Jayrone Elliott LB
52 Clay Matthews LB
55 Andy Mulumba LB
96 Mike Neal LB
56 Julius Peppers LB
47 Jake Ryan LB

54 Carl Bradford LB

49 Adrian Hubbard LB
43 James Vaughters LB

 

I see you're cutting Sam Barrington in favor of the great Carl Bradford. Bizarro.  You also have Clay  Matthews as the only player with experience at ILB. Not wise. 

Nahhhhh! You guys are hanging onto the former 7th rounder like he's All-Pro. 

 

Take one look at the Seattle highlights from the NFCC game, and watch what a turnstile he is. Wow. Barrington kind of sucks. His preseason opponent's QB rating for passes into his area is 145. Carl Bradford's is 35.

 

All I want is the best player, and for some reason, the blinders are on when looking at what Sam Barrington actually does. Actually, the blinders are on with regards to Bradford's play as well. He's made some good plays that fans don't want to seem to acknowledge. In just 10 snaps, he had one hell of a pass breakup and 2 tackles against PHI.

Bradford has played well in his game snaps.   I sure hope they don't cut him. 

Rip will make the team as an ST player, but Kuhn is also a good ST player and a really valuable part of the offense.

Its not just us Trophies, did you notice who was and wasn't starting at ILB all offseason and all preseason? If Bradford is starting material, why hasn't he even gotten a chance with the 1's? Even when Bishop was being held back, he still played with the 1's often in the preseason against the other team's 1's. Bradford is barely sniffing the field, that's not an accident. Barrington is not special and is not an all-pro, but he's the best ILB we have not named Clay Matthews. That's not just my opinion, that's reflected in the depth chart. We don't see all the extra stuff away from the field that guys have to do also...maybe Bradford isn't great in the film room/meeting room. Maybe he's just not what they're looking for at an ILB...maybe he's a fine ILB, but not what the coaches are looking for in this scheme. It's not a black and white issue when someone says Barrington should stay and Bradford should go...it's not them saying Barrington is elite and Bradford is a scrub.

Keeping a useless Barrington and expecting different results seems unwise to me.  What has he done????

 

How many sacks did he have last year?

How many QB pressures?

How many stuffs?

How many passes defensed?

How many INTs?

How many FFs?

How many FRs?

How many TFLs?

 

I said IR Palmer with Designated to Return. He is ineffective with the club.