The Green Bay Packers took a different approach. They cut no one.

Instead, the Packers placed three players on the PUP list and one more on injured reserve (they had only 79 players [...]]]> Tuesday was the first of two scheduled cutdown days for NFL teams, with every team mandated to get down from 80 to 75 players.

The Green Bay Packers took a different approach. They cut no one.

Instead, the Packers placed three players on the PUP list and one more on injured reserve (they had only 79 players to begin with, not 80).

Cornerback Al Harris, strong safety Atari Bigby and running back James Starks were put on the PUP, meaning each player will be unavailable to practice and play with the team for the first six weeks of the season. They will all be eligible to return for the start of Vikings week, part one, in late October. Even if they aren’t quite ready yet at that time, each player is given three weeks to practice – without counting on the roster – before the team has to make a decision. The player has to be cut, activated to the roster or placed on injured reserve after those three weeks are up.

Speaking of injured reserve, that’s where promising rookie running back Quinn Porter found himself Tuesday. His season is now over.

Now that we’ve taken care of the specifics, let’s break down what this all means for the Packers.

Obviously, the biggest name on this list is that of Harris.

We heard roughly a million different timetables/possible return dates for Harris during camp. At first, the PUP list seemed to be his likely destination. Then, two weeks ago, we heard – from the National Football Post, a site run by Harris’ agent, Jack Bechta – that Harris could be back on the practice field before the Seattle game. That led many, myself definitely included, to say that Harris would surely be back for the season opener. That was as good as things got, though.

Harris couldn’t pass a recent physical and, with seemingly little progress made, the team decided to take the cautious approach and scratch him for the first six weeks instead of keeping him on the roster and hoping he’d be back for, say, the Chicago game in week three. The Packers are taking the smart angle here, even though it’s causing much hand-wringing amongst fans. The team simply does not face any deep, high-powered passing attacks until Favre comes to town in week seven.

With opponents like New England, both New York teams, Atlanta and, of course, the aforementioned Vikings (twice) littering the schedule from week seven on, Green Bay is deciding to save Harris until it really counts. Smart, smart, smart. This puts more pressure on the youngsters (Sam Shields, Brandon Underwood and Pat Lee), of course, but the early schedule should allow them to gain valuable NFL experience against teams that don’t appear capable of eating them alive. This wiil benefit the defense, as a whole, later.

The Bigby move, on the other hand, comes as no surprise. We’ve all known for awhile now that this is where he’d end up and he did. As I’ve said before, Bigby misplayed his hand in hoping for a new deal, which is why he didn’t get the ankle cleared up earlier. As a result, Bigby could find himself on the bench even if he returns healthy. Morgan Burnett has struggled at times, but has also shown huge upside. By week seven, Burnett could have the job locked up to the point where the team won’t want to mess with chemistry by giving Bigby his job back. At the very least, he will provide good depth.

I have to admit, I was surprised Starks ended up on the PUP list and not IR. His hamstring simply has not gotten much better during camp, from the sounds of it, and the Packers have a recent history of placing youngsters who are struggling with injuries on IR even if the injury isn’t necessarily a season-ender. Still, the move makes some sense after further examination. Starks, if healthy, should bring good value as a pass-catcher. And with only Kregg Lumpkin and fullback John Kuhn ahead of him on the depth chart, as of now, Starks could be a definite upgrade at the position come week seven.

Finally, we come to Porter. As stated before, he showed some promise, especially early in camp. His impact faded a bit over recent weeks and when he suffered the ankle injury, you knew that’d be a wrap for him this season. Clearly the team likes his upside, though, or else it would have cut him outright. A player to watch in years to come.

The Packers now have until Saturday afternoon to cut down from 75 to 53. Allen Barbre – I hope your house is drawing some offers.

-Chris Lempesis

(One more game and it’s finally over.)

That changed Sunday.

The Packers got back to work on the practice field and there was some fairly significant news to come out of it. So, that being the case, we’ve decided to whip [...]]]> The Green Bay Packers had been very quiet since Thursday night’s preseason pounding of the Indianapolis Colts.

(One more game and it’s finally over.)

That changed Sunday.

The Packers got back to work on the practice field and there was some fairly significant news to come out of it. So, that being the case, we’ve decided to whip up a batch of training camp stew for you. Not a bad way to start off the week, right?

As always, the information in this report comes courtesy of the fine folks at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Green Bay Press Gazette and ESPN Milwaukee’s Jason Wilde.

• Well, we have a winner in the left guard battle: Daryn Colledge. Head coach Mike McCarthy made the announcement after practice today and, really, it comes as no surprise. Colledge, despite getting a better-than-expected (at least in my mind) test from Bryan Bulaga, has been solid in camp for the most part. And with the offensive line, as a whole, playing so well, McCarthy clearly did not want to mess with that, even if it means rolling the dice with a player who has experienced an up-and-down career. The move also means Bulaga can fully heal up, as he’s been dealing with a hip flexor throughout camp.
• Still, even with Colledge winning the job, I don’t think his leash is all that long. Bulaga has shown he can play the position – and play it well – and my best guess is that McCarthy won’t be afraid to go to him at that spot if Colledge has a tough start to the season.
• The Al Harris saga continues. Sunday we found out that Harris is likely out for the season opener and the team is now faced with the decision to either put him on the 53-man roster or place him on the PUP list, making him unavailable until week seven. Quite honestly, I’ve been wrong so often on Harris that, at this point, I am not totally sure what the team should do with him.
• One thought, though: If he’s unavailable for the Philly game, don’t you then have to look at the schedule? Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Washington and Miami would be the five games he’d miss. How many of those teams have deep receiving corps? By my count, none. In that case, it seems to make sense to put him on the list and have him ready for Minnesota on Oct. 24. He’d surely be 100 percent by then. Again, just a thought.
•  Of course, that decision would be easier if Brandon Underwood wasn’t struggling with a shoulder injury. But he is, meaning Sam “My Guy” Shields is getting a look at the nickel spot. I like Shields, but as a nickel? Hopefully, Underwood’s shoulder isn’t that bad.
• Let’s break up the injury news and talk about punters. Tim Masthay outboomed (not sure if that’s a real word) Chris Bryan again Sunday and appears to have taken the lead in the battle there (remember, Masthay was better Thursday, as well). I thought Bryan had the job locked up after his nice start to camp. But Masthay’s gaining on him steadily. No clear winner yet, but I’d guess that will change by Friday morning. In fact, I’d say one of the last decisions the coaches make will be on this position.
• Back to the injury news that’s bad. Cullen Jenkins continues to miss time with his calf injury. He’s all but out for Thursday at Kansas City. Fortunately, though, he should be locked-and-loaded for Philly. And, really, isn’t that all that matters? Seriously, can you imagine the d-line without Jenkins? Scary thought.
• On the bright side, Brad Jones and Clay Matthews appear ready to return, possibly as soon as Thursday night. As much as I don’t want anyone of note to play in this game, I do think it’s important for those two to get a handful of snaps in to shake off the accumulated rust.
• Anyone else starting to worry about Will Blackmon’s knee injury that still isn’t up to par? Anyone else thinking Jason Cherry could crack the roster as a return guy if he turns in another good showing Thursday?
• Should I talk about Quinn Porter’s apparently serious ankle sprain or save it for an updated 53-man roster for Tuesday? I’ll save it, but I think Kregg Lumpkin should be happy about this news.

-Chris Lempesis

That could be especially true in this one, as the Green Bay Packers take on the Indianapolis Colts and some cat named Peyton at Lambeau Field tonight [...]]]> Well, the third preseason game is here. And, as Denny Green once famously informed us, this is the one that teams do not, in fact, play like it’s bull(expletive), bull(expletive)!

That could be especially true in this one, as the Green Bay Packers take on the Indianapolis Colts and some cat named Peyton at Lambeau Field tonight at 7 p.m. Lambeau Time on ESPN.

As usual in game No. 3, we should see the starters for each team play at least one half. That’ll be good, but here’s what I’d like to see from the entire team – starters, backups and guys who will be bagging groceries in a week:

Offense

• A clear-cut winner emerge in the Daryn Colledge/Bryan Bulaga battle at left guard. Of course, that doesn’t mean I want to see one player struggle more than the other (even I don’t dislike Colledge that much). Rather, I’d like to see one guy turn in a dominating performance and win the job outright. It’s time to get the starting five set.
• A lot of the running game in the first half, Brandon Jackson in particular. We all know what Ryan Grant can do and, while I think he should get a decent amount of carries, Jackson should be the main guy when the starters are in. He’s been good in the first two games, but it’s time for him to be tested against another team’s starters.
• Greg Jennings on the sidelines in sweats, please. Don’t need his back spasms getting any worse.
• Donald Driver, Jordy Nelson and James Jones make some plays in the first half. Those guys have been quiet in the first couple of games – Driver was out last Saturday, though – and it’d be nice to see them become involved.
• Jermichael Finley just keep doing what he’s been doing.
• A clear-cut winner emerge in the Quinn Porter-Kregg Lumpkin battle for the No. 3 running back spot. Both are injured and I’m not sure of either’s status. But at least one of them needs to suck it up and get through this – after all, an NFL job is on the line.
• Matt Flynn build on his nice showing from the Seattle game. These next two games are potentially huge for his future if he wants to be an NFL starter someday.
• Spencer Havner and/or Andrew Quarless make some big plays. The Pack are going to keep four tight ends, as much as that baffles me, so the bottom two might as well be good.
• Breno Giacomini finally add some “Steak” to all the “Sizzle” the coaches have sold us on with him for the entire offseason. His future in Green Bay depends on it.

Defense

• Some pass rush from someone in the starting unit. I know, I know – Green Bay may once again be without its entire starting linebacking corps (A.J. Hawk, Brad Jones, Clay Matthews and Nick Barnett). And I know that it’s really, really hard to get pressure on the great Peyton Manning. But whoever may happen to be starting on defense, it’s imperative that some form of a pass rush gets established here, just so the team can be more sure in that area heading into Philly on Sept. 12.
• B.J. Raji get some real push up the middle. The big fella’s been solid, if unspectacular, during camp thus far. Let’s see a little spectacular tonight.
• Cullen Jenkins join Jennings on the sidelines in sweats, please. That ankle has to be ready for the games that count.
• Manning challenge Charles Woodson at least a couple of times, so we can see what really happens when two elite talents go right at each other.
• Pat Lee and Brandon Underwood be less terrible than they were last week. With Woodson returning, these guys will draw the nickel and dime spots, respectively, and should get a good test against a deep Colts receiving corps.
• Morgan Burnett do better. It’s time for him to start coming around a bit, rookie or not. And, even though it’s a game that doesn’t count, you know Manning will throw right at him.
• Someone emerge at d-line from the group of Justin Harrell, C.J. Wilson and Jarius Wynn. A key spot in the rotation is there for the taking, fellas.
• Sam Shields make some plays so he can shut all the doubters up. Come on, man – you’re “My Guy” for 2010 training camp. Don’t make me look silly.
• Two words: More Zombo!

Special Teams

• Mason Crosby keep doing what he’s been doing over the past 10 days.
• Everyone else be much, much, much better in every single area. That is all.

And, as usual, I’ll end this with the thing I’d like to see more than any of the rest: NO INJURIES!!

We’ll be back afterwards to wrap it all up. Enjoy the game, everyone.

-Chris Lempesis

The Pack’s 2010 preseason opener was again at home – again versus the Browns – only this time, words like “good”, “bad” and “ugly” don’t seem to [...]]]> In our game recap for the Green Bay Packers’ 2009 preseason opener, a home game against the Cleveland Browns, we broke down the good, bad and ugly portions of the contest.

The Pack’s 2010 preseason opener was again at home – again versus the Browns – only this time, words like “good”, “bad” and “ugly” don’t seem to fit quite as well.

Things were, well, a little more extreme this time around.

On both ends of the spectrum.

Green Bay was extremely good at times and extremely poor at others in Saturday’s uneven 27-24 loss to the Browns at Lambeau Field.

The extremely good portions could be found in the play of the Pack’s starting offense, particularly the passing game. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was, in a word, flawless, 12-of-13 for 159 yards and a touchdown, leading the offense to two scores in four drives. Why head coach Mike McCarthy decided to send him out for a fourth drive, we can not be certain, though I’m certain it was a stupid decision.

The numbers only tell so much, especially with this being a meaningless contest. The biggest thing to come out of Rodgers’ showing is this: The internal clock that quarterbacks must have – something Rodgers lacked at times last season – is there now. He instinctively knows when the ball must come out. No more uncertainty. That was on display countless times Saturday against a Browns defense that was definitely bringing some pressure.

And another step towards greatness appears to have been taken by the young signal-caller.

(P.S. Thank God Brandon Jackson is there to bust the blitz. Guys who can do that are invaluable.)

The weapons at his disposal looked sharp, too, particularly Greg Jennings. The wideout took some heat this offseason for his uneven 2009 campaign. With three catches for 68 yards and a score, he appears ready to quiet those doubters. Again, it’s more than the numbers; Jennings made Cleveland’s secondary look silly with his skill set. That group won’t be the last.

While the second-teamers failed to generate much through the air – Matt Flynn had an up-and-down night and Graham Harrell was pretty tough to watch – the running game looked good. Quinn Porter (nine carries, 38 yards) and Kregg Lumpkin (11 carries, 42 yards, one touchdown) both ran hard and made guys miss. If rookie James Starks does indeed end up on I.R. (or even the PUP list), both backs showed they could be viable options. Ryan Grant had, however, a tough night. He fumbled on the team’s opening play, then ran three times for six yards before leaving the game after a shot to the head. He should be fine, though, from the sounds of it.

Now it’s time to get to the extremely poor portion of the night. Those honors – or are they dishonors? – go to Green Bay’s starting defense and special teams.

Boy, did that defense struggle or what?

In four trips to the field, the Packers starters allowed three touchdowns. Two different, but equally mediocre, quarterbacks (Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace) ate that group up. No surprise as neither QB was under any significant pressure at all.

It’s important to note that Green Bay ran a fairly vanilla scheme and was minus Clay Matthews (hence the lack of pressure). Still, the Packers appeared to have the Browns outclassed in that matchup, in terms of talent, as every other starter was available. That alone should have equaled more pressure (and better coverage on the back end, Brandon Underwood’s strong performance notwithstanding).

It didn’t.

Matthews’ return will help significantly, but you have to wonder if Dom Capers isn’t going to have to start involving non-front seven players in order to generate pressure consistently this season. I’m just not sure the front seven guys are enough to get it done. I’m not panicking, just wondering.

I am, however, deeply concerned about yet another awful showing from the special teams. Were both punters, Chris Bryan and Tim Masthay, good? Yes, and that’s a major positive going forward.

But every other area of the unit appears to be right where they were last season. The coverage units continue to allow multiple lanes for opposing returners to target. Not only that, but the lanes were quick-developing lanes against Cleveland. As I’ve said before on this site, even bad teams can beat you if they consistently have good field position (not to mention the mental boost teams get from good returns). Gulp.

If that wasn’t enough, the Packers did a grand total of nothing when they had their shots to return punts and kicks. Five yards on three punt returns (Cleveland averaged 16.5 yards on its two returns); a 17.3 yard average on four kick returns (compared to 26.5 for the Brownies). No lanes for the returners to hit - that is, if they were able to hang on to the ball (not good enough, Sam Shields). Double gulp.

The overall performances of the offense and defense should be taken with an extreme grain of salt. The offense won’t always be perfect and the defense won’t always be atrocious.

But if you want to be extremely concerned with the special teams, that’s fine. You can get behind me in line there.

-Chris Lempesis

The Green Bay Packers went at it twice Thursday as they are just two days away from their preseason opener against the highly touted Cleveland [...]]]> After an ever-so-brief hiatus, we’re back with another helping of training camp stew – your nightly update on the most interesting bits of information to come out of that day’s practice(s).

The Green Bay Packers went at it twice Thursday as they are just two days away from their preseason opener against the highly touted Cleveland Browns (wait – scratch that last part).

As always, the information in this report comes courtesy of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Green Bay Press Gazette and Jason Wilde of ESPN Milwaukee:

• Man, it really sounds like the heat is beyond brutal in Titletown right now, doesn’t it? It was so bad – how bad was it? – that head coach Mike McCarthy decided to avoid going with full pads for the evening practice, also shortening the evening session by over a half an hour. It also sounds like Mike Mac was just a hair irritable during the morning session. As I’ve said before on this site, McCarthy – like myself – is a big guy. We do not take to heat well and, sometimes, we take out our aggressions on those around us. Our bad.
• Sorry to begin with the weather. Didn’t mean to sound like my mother there.
• Back to the lack of full padded practices over the last week or so. It’s a smart idea, really. The team did plenty of full pad, full contact stuff early on. And with the preseason games actually upon us, this team’s going to have more than enough opportunity to start hitting. Really, you’d rather have them hitting players on other teams, anyways.
• Guard T.J. Lang injured his quad in the morning practice and didn’t go during the evening. It’s not yet known how serious it is, but McCarthy did say Lang could very well miss Saturday’s game. In McCarthy terms, that means he’s out.
• Chalk up another outstanding day for my man Sam Shields. With two more interceptions in the morning session, Shields just continues to prove he belongs on the 53-man roster. He’s officially earned “my man” status for the 2010 camp. The past two winners of this honor were Tyrell Sutton (’09) and Kregg Lumpkin (’08, before we had the blog). Something tells me Shields is more Lumpkin than Sutton, in terms of ultimately making the roster.
• Donald Driver, after missing five straight practices, returned for the night session and did what Double D always does: Make plays, including some tough catches in traffic. I really don’t think the calf injury was that serious. Rather, I think the team is being cautious with him, especially when you factor in his offseason knee surgery and age. There really isn’t much Driver needs to work on, anyways. He needs to be locked and loaded for Sept. 12 (less than a month away!).
• Green Bay is so depleted in the linebacking corps – how depleted is it? – that Spencer Havner was actually taking some snaps there Thursday. The move appears to be only temporary, but still, it’s a sign that this team needs to heal up there in a major way.
• Graham Harrell appears to be improving steadily each and every day and turned in another solid day Thursday. You might laugh, but Harrell actually has a decent shot to make this team, in my mind. It’s clear the Packers are grooming Matt Flynn in the hopes of trading him after the season. And it’s no secret that other teams have showed interest in Flynn in the past. That being the case, the Packers need to start prepping their next Matt Flynn. Maybe it’s Harrell and, if that’s the case, he’ll likely get a spot on the team so he can begin to learn the position.
• Some more info on the Browns game. The starters will go roughly 20 snaps, which seems like a higher-than-usual amount considering its the first game. I’d go a series for each side. Games two and three are the ones you should focus on. Actually, I wouldn’t play them at all during the preseason, but that’s just me. I’m terrified of injuries like that.
• Nick Barnett (knee), Jason Spitz (calf), Clay Matthews (hamstring) and Will Blackmon (knee) are all likely to join Lang on the sidelines for the game.
• Finally, this has nothing to do with Thursday’s practices, but I think you all should read Lori Nickel’s outstanding piece on Anna Schmidt, a 13-year old girl who recently visited a Packers practice by way of the Make-A-Wish foundation. We talk about football being a battle – but, really, that’s b.s. Read up on what this kid had to go through. THAT’S a battle. As fans, we need perspective some times (myself chief amongst that group) and this provides it.

We’ll be back Friday with a preview of sorts for the Browns game.

-Chris Lempesis

I decided to pass on cooking up a batch of training camp stew for Tuesday, even though the Green Bay Packers practiced twice. The Stew will return Thursday night, [...]]]> Folks, I got to the line of scrimmage, saw the look of the defense and decided I didn’t like the play. That’s right – I’m calling an audible.

I decided to pass on cooking up a batch of training camp stew for Tuesday, even though the Green Bay Packers practiced twice. The Stew will return Thursday night, though, so fear not.

Instead, we’ll be using this space to answer – or, at least, attempt to answer – some early training camp questions. The Packers are only 10 days into camp, so obviously there are many questions left unanswered.

Here are some of the bigger ones, at the moment:

• What does a potential Bryan Bulaga shift to left guard mean for the rest of the line?

It could shake things up considerably. Again, it is early, but if Bulaga is to make the switch to left guard, that only furthers my thinking that either Daryn Colledge or Jason Spitz – players who were both looked at as future building blocks, once upon a time – won’t be on the roster come opening day.

Since Spitz can play both guard spots and center, you have to think Colledge is gone if Bulaga moves over (even more so if he ends up being the starter). A guard on some team will suffer a significant injury before the preseason ends because, well, that always happens. Colledge brings value, as he’s started a significant amount of games, and could bring back decent value in a trade (a fourth or fifth rounder or a player at a spot of need, like d-line or corner).

Who, then, would be the offensive linemen for the 2010 Packers? The starters, from left to right, would be Chad Clifton, Bulaga, Scott Wells, Josh Sitton and Mark Tauscher. Marshall Newhouse, Spitz, T.J. Lang and Breno Giacomini would then be locks to serve as backups, with the team possibly keeping Evan Dietrich-Smith if it wants 10 linemen (not a necessity when you consider the versatility of players like Spitz and Lang).

All I know for certain is this: Allen Barbre is gone, baby, gone.

• What’s going on in the backfield?

Sure, Ryan Grant and Brandon Jackson are safe. But outside of those two, the situation is fairly clouded.

First, the running backs. The field would be set if rookie James Starks’ hamstring wasn’t a somewhat significant concern. As of now, though, it is. Starks is currently on the PUP list and it doesn’t really sound like he’ll be ready in the near future. Quinn Porter has been one of the big stories in camp so far and Kregg Lumpkin hasn’t been bad.

If those two continue to do well, I could see a scenario in which the team places Starks on I.R. at some point soon if the injury continues to bother him. Is it premature to end Starks’ season so soon? Maybe, but remember the Packers have done this before with young players even if the injury isn’t necessarily something that would keep them out the entire year (see: Pat Lee last season). At that point, it would be a two-man battle, with the early edge going to Porter. But Lumpkin’s resiliency – he’s been with the team in some form or another for over two years now – would definitely give him a shot.

Now, the fullbacks. Everyone’s just assumed (myself included) that Quinn Johnson would be assured of a spot on this team and that Korey Hall and John Kuhn would be left to fight for the other. I’m beginning to re-examine that. Johnson seems to have some potential, yes, but I wonder how good a fit he is for this team. He’s not a great pass catcher; rather, he’s more of a pure, bruising fullback, well-suited for a power running game.

Um…but the Packers aren’t really a power running team, as much as they may claim they want to be. The fullbacks have to be multi-dimensional in this offense. Kuhn and Hall have both shown to be that type of player. If Johnson isn’t, maybe the team would be better off letting him go. Either way, this thing is a three-way battle – not two.

• What should we make of Brandon Chillar no longer being listed at ILB on the depth chart?

There are two potentially major ramifications from this. The first is that Desmond Bishop finally appears to be in the mix at inside linebacker. He no longer needs to complain to the press, because he just might get his shot, finally.

The second is that the Packers appear to be coming around on the idea of using a Chillar/Brad Jones platoon at ROLB (as of now, it appears Clay Matthews will stick at LOLB once his hamstring heals). I have to admit, I love that idea, as well. The two compliment each other so well, on the surface. Chillar is more of a pure athlete, which can be utilized in both rushing the passer and pass coverage. Jones is a bit bulkier, which is great for playing the run. Jones has some ability as a pass rusher, as well. Plus, both will stay fresh if the reps are being split.

And I wouldn’t count Chillar out at ILB totally, either. He knows the position and, again, he’s such a good athlete, he could play some downs there, too.

(Now, we move to the lightening round…)

• Does the placement of Josh Bell on I.R. mean Sam Shields is guaranteed a spot on the roster?

No. But he’s dangerously close to getting one (a good thing, if you ask me).

• Still think there’s no chance the team keeps four tight ends?

I wouldn’t say there’s “no chance” anymore, as Tom Crabtree seems to have some potential. But I’d still be awfully surprised.

• Why are some people still suggesting Jordy Nelson and James Jones are battling for the third receiver spot?

Because they are idiots. It’s Nelson’s job. Lock that up.

-Chris Lempesis

Ahman Green is a Green Bay Packer once again.

Green signed a one-year deal with the team. Terms were not disclosed. Green and former Indianapolis Colts running back Dominic Rhodes both worked out for the team Monday.

I’ll have a column expanding my thoughts on the Green signing later today, so [...]]]> What was rumored Tuesday became official Wednesday.

Ahman Green is a Green Bay Packer once again.

Green signed a one-year deal with the team. Terms were not disclosed. Green and former Indianapolis Colts running back Dominic Rhodes both worked out for the team Monday.

I’ll have a column expanding my thoughts on the Green signing later today, so make sure to check back. But for today, let’s focus on what this means for the Packers running back situation:

• First, the biggest reason for Green’s signing comes in the form of DeShawn Wynn once again going on injured reserve. Head coach Mike McCarthy announced that Wynn had season-ending knee surgery. That likely marks the end of Wynn’s time in Green Bay. Wynn showed flashes of talent throughout his two-plus seasons with the Packers. But he could never stay healthy, missing 22 of a possible 37 (through this past Sunday) regular season games due to injury.
• What does this mean for Kregg Lumpkin? After all, Lumpkin was sitting there on the team’s practice squad, just waiting to get the call in the event someone got hurt. Well, someone got hurt. And he didn’t get called. Instead, the team went with a 32-year old running back who has missed much of the past two-plus seasons due to injury. Yes, Lumpkin has had some trouble staying healthy as well (spending most of last season on I.R., for example). But he’s a lot younger and if the team liked him as much as it claimed, how come he didn’t get signed? You have to wonder.
• Green met with the media today and, to hear him tell it, it doesn’t sound like he’ll be ready for Cleveland this week. It will be interesting to see how things shake out once he is ready. McCarthy usually only activates two running backs per week. With Ryan Grant and Brandon Jackson already in the fold, will Green be battling Jackson for the backup spot? Will McCarthy activate three backs now?

Injury update

An injury update, courtesy of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

A handful of Packers missed practice today, most notably left tackle Chad Clifton. Clifton re-aggrivated his right ankle injury against the Lions. It’s unknown whether he’ll go this week. Personally, I’d hold him out and give T.J. Lang a shot. The team liked how he looked against the Vikings and the Browns would provide a good chance to get his feet wet against an inferior opponent. Plus, with four penalties against the Lions, you have to wonder if Clifton is reaching the end.

Jason Spitz missed practice with his ailing back that caused him to sit out the Lions game. I have a feeling he might not play this week. Again, it’s Cleveland. Scott Wells can handle the center duties for this one. He needs to be ready for the Vikings game.

Jordy Nelson (knee) was out. Not a surprise, though, as it sounds like he’ll miss at least a couple weeks. James Jones – this is your shot to grab hold of the No. 3 receiver spot. Take it.

A pair of fullbacks, Korey Hall (knee) and Quinn Johnson (unknown), were both out today. Who’s laughing about keeping three fullbacks now, huh? All kidding aside, I am worried a bit about Hall. He’s been hurt for awhile now.

Thoughts on Mayor Schmitt’s idea
You might have noticed we haven’t run any reaction to Mayor Jim Schmitt’s idea that the town of Green Bay should welcome back Judas in a classy manner when he returns for the Nov. 1 contest at Lambeau Field.

There’s a reason why: Schmitt is just another pandering idiot politician – wait, aren’t they all? – who is trying to drum up support that he can then use for re-election, whenever that might be.

Screw your idea and screw you, Jim. No mercy.

-Chris Lempesis

But it’s not quite the group a lot of us thought it would be.

Saturday’s cutdown from 75 to 53 was certainly chock full of surprises, obviously the biggest being the release of quarterback Brian Brohm (I guess I was wrong when I said Friday [...]]]> The Packers have the group they want to go to war with.

But it’s not quite the group a lot of us thought it would be.

Saturday’s cutdown from 75 to 53 was certainly chock full of surprises, obviously the biggest being the release of quarterback Brian Brohm (I guess I was wrong when I said Friday that the idea of that happening was laughable, huh?)

But since Adam has already done a nice job covering that, I’ll break down the other major moves made instead.

We’ll have full analysis on the final roster later today, so this will just be focusing on the roster cuts/injured reserve moves.

Cuts

To me, the biggest head-scratcher comes in the release of safety Anthony Smith. Smith had a good camp and certainly seemed to be, if not outperforming, at least playing every bit as well as Atari Bigby. He had an intimate knowledge of the scheme from his time in Pittsburgh and would have provided solid depth. Mark Ted Thompson down as 0-for-2 on 2009 free agent signings now as both Smith and center-guard Duke Preston failed to make it to the opening day roster.

Perhaps the Packers feel they’ll be better served, depth-wise, with cornerback/safety Derrick Martin, acquired from Baltimore for tackle/guard/stiff Tony Moll.

Martin, a sixth-round pick in the 2006 draft out of Wyoming, played sparingly for most of his three seasons with the Ravens. His biggest year was 2007 when he recorded 40 tackles, two interceptions and seven passes defended in 16 games. He only played in four games last season, however, and was arrested in June 2008 for posession of marijuana at Hopkins Airport in Cleveland. So that’s nice. At least Green Bay got rid of Moll, a truly mediocre player who would not have done one bit of good for the team, either this season or beyond.

The Smith/Martin moves were certainly suprising, but really, most of the interesting moves occurred with the offense.

First, the running back situation was cleared up as the Packers released both Tyrell Sutton and Kregg Lumpkin. They, for now, seem content on going with three backs. The Sutton move was a big surprise as he had an outstanding preseason (191 yards rushing, fifth best in the NFL) and, in my mind, appeared to be a lock to make the roster. Guess I was wrong there, too, huh?

Lumpkin didn’t play quite as well as he did last preseason when he was arguably the biggest surprise of camp. Still, he was solid and I wouldn’t have been surprised to see him stick.

Green Bay instead decided to stick with all three fullbacks (John Kuhn, Korey Hall and Quinn Johnson). All three played well, yes, but I have to think some type of move is coming shortly. Do teams ever keep three fullbacks? I can’t think of a time when that’s happened.

For as much as Thompson values his draft picks and likes to give them time to grow, the release of rookie tackle Jamon Meredith in favor of guard-center Evan Dietrich-Smith was another sizeable surprise. Meredith certainly struggled, but he was thought by many to be a project before the draft so the Packers couldn’t have been that shocked. Dietrich-Smith had himself a decent camp and he does provide depth at multiple spots. Doesn’t Scott Wells already do that, though?

The receiver position was also shaken up a bit as Ruvell Martin, a solid No. 5 receiver/close friend of Aaron Rodgers’ for the past few seasons, was cut in favor of Brett Swain. Swain was on the practice squad last season, so the team clearly liked him. Swain is probably a little more athletic than Martin, so that will be nice to see. Categorize this one as a minor surprise.

The other 31 teams have until 11 a.m. today to place waiver claims on any of the players released by the Packers. If mutiple teams place claims on a player, it will take an hour to determine where that player ends up as the waiver priority list will then be set based on the records of the teams who put in claims. In other words, we’ll know the Packers’ practice squad by noon.

My guess is that Brohm and Sutton won’t make it through waivers and will end up somewhere else but that Meredith and Lumpkin will. For those two, that might be the best place for them at this point in their careers, anyways.

I.R. moves

The Packers placed four players on the I.R. list Saturday, ending their seasons.

The biggest of those, obviously, is defensive lineman Justin Harrell’s season ending as a result of his bad back.

It was a wild ride for Harrell this preseason.

First, he looked fairly impressive to start camp. Then his back flared up but we were told it was nothing serious. Then Harrell himself told reporters he might never play again. Then we were told it wasn’t career-threatening but rather a pain tolerance issue and that he could play once that level subsided.

Then it was all over.

And you know what? That’s it for me. I’m done with Justin Harrell. Even if his back clears up, this team should cut him as soon as the season ends and just move on. Enough.

(Might as well link to this one more time).

The other big I.R. move was the Packers ending cornerback Pat Lee’s season as a result of back/knee problems. Lee, like Harrell, had a nice start to camp before getting hurt. I’m already sensing a pattern with this guy and I don’t like it. I know Will Blackmon had a similarly rough start, injury-wise, to his career. But he at least got on the field at times through his first two seasons.

The Packers had three picks in round two of the 2008 draft – Brohm, Lee and Jordy Nelson.

Thank God at least one of those guys looks like a player.

-Chris Lempesis