Last season, the Packers had one of the most potent offenses in the NFL. They averaged over 370 yards per game, second only to the New England Patriots. Will this season be different?
The heart and soul of the offense, Brett Favre, has finally hung up the pads after playing quarterback for the Packers for the past 200 years. Will Aaron Rodgers come in and save the day? Or will he be yet another first-round quarterback bust? Only time will tell.
What about all the other positions, you ask? Well, let's take a look.
Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers, Brian Brohm, Matt Flynn
Aaron Rodgers has his share of doubters and bandwagoneers. At this point, no one knows how well he will perform. He gave Packer fans a reason to be excited when he came into the Cowboys game last season when Favre went out with an injury.
The Pack was down 27-10 when he came in, and he rallied them to two touchdowns to make it a three-point game. He has shown he has poise in the pocket, and he can run with the ball, which will bring a whole new aspect to the
Packers offense that they haven't had for a while.
This being his fourth year in the NFL, the game speed has slowed down considerably for him, allowing him to feel more relaxed in the pocket. Rodgers' arm strength and accuracy are very good as well. Aaron Rodgers has all the tools to be a very good NFL quarterback. He just needs to piece them together.
The Packers took Brian Brohm this past April after he plummeted into the late second round in the draft. It could end up being a very wise move by Packers GM Ted Thompson if Rodgers doesn’t pan out or gets hurt.
Brohm is a very smart player and appears to be fitting in well so far at the Packers' OTAs. He has adequate arm strength and good accuracy and timing.
The Packers grabbed LSU’s Matt Flynn in the seventh round in this past draft. He has good athleticism for a quarterback and can make plays with his feet. Flynn is a very smart player and cool under pressure. However, his arm strength and accuracy are just average. With a little bit of work, he could prove to be a solid No. 3.
Overall Grade: C+. Talent wise, the Packers quarterbacks are in the top half of the league, but due to lack of experience, the group only warrants an average grade.
Running Back
Ryan Grant, Brandon Jackson, Vernand Morency, DeShawn Wynn, Noah Herron
The Packers came into last season with a huge question mark at running back. Second-round pick Brandon Jackson was supposed to be their featured back, but he started out slowly and got hurt. However, he did show potential towards the end of the season, racking up 113 yards on only 20 carries against the Lions.
The big surprise of the Packers season last year was the emergence of Ryan Grant. The Packers received him from the Giants at the beginning of the season for a sixth-round pick. In just ten starts, Grant piled up 929 yards and averaged 5.1 yards per carry.
Grant must have the starting position locked down for next season, right? Wrong. Currently, Grant is sitting out of practices while his contract is in the process of being completed.
4 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Joe Kotowski about 1 year ago
Good analysis. However, I think the running back situation is too unsettled. Ryan Grant's status and attitude are uncertain as well as what to expect from Brandon Jackson.
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Joshua Skaar about 1 year ago
I agree with just about every grade, except TE.
The TE position is this years 2007 RB situation. I would give the TEs a preseason grade of C, or maybe even C-
As for Joe up there. Ryan Grant has been to every OTA, although he has not been allowed to participate since he is not technically signed. Grant has been quoted as saying that he can't wait to get back on the field, but is waiting for a fair contract offer, rather than the minimum offer for an exclusive-rights contract that he is currently entrenched in.
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Peter Bukowski about 1 year ago
How can you say the tight end position is the same place the running back position was last year?? They literally had NO proven player at runningback last season and in 2008 the Packers bring back Donald Lee, a border-line Pro Bowl tight end last season. Now they have an athletic talented rookie to bring along behind him as well as a guy in Humphrey who adds depth. Plus...what is wrong with the 2007 running back situation? The Pack got a near 1,000 yard rusher in less than a full season and glimpses brilliance from two rookie runners. If GB can get that kind ofp roduction from the tight end position Mike McCarthy will be donig jumping jacks in his office
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Joshua Skaar about 1 year ago
Lee is not a great overall TE. He is a solid receiving option, but is lacking in the blocking department.
Jermichael Finley is an inexperienced rookie who is a physical phenom. But will need most of the season to adapt to the NFL speed. And his blocking is also suspect.
Finally I wasn't comparing the TE situation to the ENTIRE RB situation from training camp to the NFC Championship game. I was making more of a comparison towards this time last year when all we knew was that Vernand Morency was supposed to be the starter and Jackson would eventually supplant him as the starter.
Then Thompson made a trade and picked up the assumed project of Ryan Grant who, as we all know, flourished under Coach McCarthy's zone blocking scheme.
As far as raw talent goes the Packers are in the top 10 for the TE position. As far as overall NFL-ready skill the Pack are probably in the bottom 10
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