Bleacher Report - Green Bay Packers

Mid-Round Rookie Running Backs Set to Make an Impact in 2013

Brandon Holstein — Wed, 22 May 2013 01:48:54 -0400

There's something to be said about taking an opportunity and running with it.

Sometimes it can be as simple as being in the right situation at exactly the right time, while other times it involves more knowledge and overall skill.

Nevertheless—no matter which way you spin it—success nearly always starts and can be defined by this one simple saying from Seneca:

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."

Corny, yes, but there is also a lot of truth and meaning to take away from this quote as well.

After all, each year we see player's who shock everybody, turning out much better than anyone could have ever expected.

For instance, running backs like Daryl Richardson, Bryce Brown and Alfred Morris, who, just last year, turned out to make substantial impacts despite facing some rather improbable odds.

It's an anomaly of sorts, but the crazy thing is it happens each and every year, and this year appears to be no different.

So, who exactly are the running backs going into the most ideal situations in this, their rookie seasons?

Ahead, I try to pinpoint these players—discussing exactly what makes them special and how they will make their presences felt sooner rather than later.

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The 6 Best and Worst Moves of the Packers' 2013 Offseason

Bob Fox — Tue, 21 May 2013 08:41:48 -0400

The 2013 offseason has been very interesting for the Green Bay Packers. The team has had to make a number of very difficult decisions, but through it all, the team has been improved, at least from my standpoint.

Like usual, general manager Ted Thompson has not done much in free agency, except for signing "street" free agents and undrafted rookies. But Thompson did very well in the 2013 NFL Draft, one that may turn out to be among his very best.

The Packers also saw some key veteran leadership leave the team with the retirement of Donald Driver and the release of Charles Woodson.

The Packers also looked to the future with the contract extensions they signed with both Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews, who are the building block pieces of the franchise.

Let's take a look now at some of the best and worst moves the Packers made this offseason.

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Green Bay Packers: What to Watch for at OTAs.

Kris Burke — Mon, 20 May 2013 08:18:49 -0400

Change is in the air for the Green Bay Packers, and the team's organized team activities will give fans their first glimpse at the 2013 team.

After the usual busy draft, but quiet free agency, Green Bay has reloaded its roster, but the team will have a much different look than last season.

After drafting two running backs, the Packers are expected to finally feature a much more balanced offense. With the selection of Datone Jones in the first round, a pass rush is also expected to finally return to Green Bay.

OTAs are just the first battles in the larger war for a roster spot for many players, but here are some things to watch as the team gathers for what it hopes will be a first step on a Super Bowl journey.\

OTA Dates (voluntary): May 20-22, May 28-30, June 11-14. Mandatory minicamp: June 4-6

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Green Bay Packers: A Scout's Perspective on the Changing of the Offensive Line

Bob Fox — Sun, 19 May 2013 10:02:03 -0400

Like I normally do each Friday, I had an opportunity to talk with Chris Landry on the Steve Duemig show. When it comes to scouting talent in both the NFL and college football, Landry is one of the best in the business. Chris shared his thoughts about the offensive line changes that the Green Bay Packers are making in 2013:

Well, Bulaga doesn't have great feet for a left tackle, but he's got good feet and he's a great technician. I think he's the best left tackle that they have. So, moving him there makes sense. I like Sitton at left guard. And Lang at right guard with an open competition so to speak at right tackle. I think it makes them better. There's no doubt in my mind it does.

The biggest reason the Packers made the move had to be with No. 12 in mind. That would be quarterback Aaron Rodgers. For the last two seasons, left tackle Marshall Newhouse has given up 24.5 sacks. In 2011 and 2012, Rodgers was sacked 87 times.

Still, even with those issues the last two seasons, Rodgers threw 84 touchdown passes versus just 14 interceptions for 8,938 yards. He had a quarterback rating of 122.5 in 2011 and 108.0 in 2012. He was also the NFL MVP in 2011. Imagine what he could do with solid pass protection.

Landry talked about how important it is to protect Rodgers:

"It kind of solidifies things. And certainly, you've got to protect the best quarterback I think in the league."

Running the football should also be better for the Packers, according to Landry:

It also helps them in the running game with the two running backs, Eddie Lacy and Johnathan Franklin. I'm not so sure that Franklin won't be as much of a factor, because he can help in the passing game, as well. I think this makes them a lot better offensively. If they can just stay healthy and get better play defensively, they are going to be real good.

Bottom line, Landry thinks Mike McCarthy and company made the right move by putting Bryan Bulaga and Josh Sitton on the left side of the offensive line:

I like the moves on the offensive line. I think it improves them at a couple of positions. If they had an elite-footed left tackle, then maybe you could probably (play him). Here's what it does. It gives you some flexibility because Bulaga can play left or right tackle, but I do think he's their best left tackle.

The big question, says Landry, will be at right tackle:

How it ends up at right tackle will be the real key as I look at it. I think this makes them better along left to right, and except for the right tackle position, I think it's pretty much solidified. I think they will be fine at right tackle, eventually. I think they've got a couple of guys they want to take a look at, and we'll see how that plays out there.

Time will tell how the offensive line changes pan out for the Packers in 2013, but you can count Chris Landry as one who believes it was the correct move for the team to make moving forward.

Read more Green Bay Packers news on BleacherReport.com

Green Bay Packers: Early Look at 2013 Training Camp Battles

Colby Lanham — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:42:26 -0400

The last time we saw the Green Bay Packers in action, the San Francisco 49ers had a field day at Candlestick Park as they cruised to a 45-31 victory.

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick's 181 rushing yards and two touchdowns were no small part of the 49ers' victory. The Packers went back to the drawing board in the draft, drafting defensive linemen UCLA's Datone Jones 26th overall, while hoping to boost their subpar running game by drafting Eddy Lacy and Jonathan Franklin in the second and fourth rounds, respectively.

But running back isn't the only position to watch during the Packers' training camp. In fact, just about every position outside of starting quarterback and receiver will be under scrutiny. Here's a look at how the position battles are shaping up heading into training camp.

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Packers' Quarterback Breakdown: Full Evaluation and Depth Chart Analysis

Bob Fox — Fri, 17 May 2013 08:03:12 -0400

The Green Bay Packers have been very fortunate with their two starting quarterbacks over the past 21 years.

Brett Favre started 252 consecutive games over 16 seasons with the Packers (starting in 1992) and won 160 games over that time, in addition to seven NFC North/Central divisional titles and a Super Bowl.

Aaron Rodgers has started 78 out of 80 games over five years, winning 52 games over that time and two NFC North divisional titles and a Super Bowl.

Think about that for a moment. Over the past two decades in the NFL, the Packers have averaged 10 wins a year, been in the playoffs 15 times, have won nine divisional titles and have won two Super Bowls.

That success should continue as long as Rodgers is behind center.

Going into the 2013 season, Rodgers is the highest-rated quarterback in NFL history. Rodgers has thrown 171 touchdown passes, compared to just 46 interceptions, for 21,661 yards. That adds up to a 104.9 quarterback rating.

Rodgers also has the highest quarterback rating of all time in a single season, when he had a 122.5 rating in 2011.

Rodgers was the NFL MVP in 2011, has been named to three Pro Bowls and was also Super Bowl XLV MVP, when the Packers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25.

The former California Golden Bear is almost as good in the postseason, where he is currently ranked as the third-rated quarterback of all time in the NFL, behind only Bart Starr (104.8) and Drew Brees (103.9). Rodgers currently has a 103.6 rating, based on the 18 touchdown passes he's thrown compared to five picks for 2,315 yards.

The last two seasons Rodgers has been almost unstoppable as a quarterback. His stats are mind-boggling. Rodgers has thrown 84 touchdown passes against 14 picks for 8,938 yards in 2011 and 2012.

The recent performance of Rodgers has earned him the best deal in NFL history, when he signed a five-year, $110 million dollar contract extension, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

In addition to that, Rodgers will get $54 million in guarantees, which includes a $35 million signing bonus and $62.5 million in the first three years of his extension.

The Packers also have one of the better receiving corps in the NFL, plus have added some real talent at running back, with the drafting of Eddie Lacy and Johnathan Franklin in the 2013 NFL draft.

Plus, if that wasn't enough, the Packers announced recently that they are shifting their best two offensive linemen, tackle Bryan Bulaga and guard Josh Sitton, to the left side of the offensive line to protect Rodgers' blind side.

Head coach Mike McCarthy told the media why he was making the move, via Packers.com:

“Frankly, we felt Bryan Bulaga and Josh Sitton were our two most accomplished offensive linemen, and just going back to the old-school theory of how you structure your offensive line. We wanted to put those guys on the left side. We had a chance to watch Josh working and playing the left guard position at the Pro Bowl, so there was more information there. And so, with that, I think it creates more competition.”

The backup situation behind Rodgers is a bit murky, however. Right now the second-string quarterback is Graham Harrell, who was very inconsistent over the first three games of the 2012 preseason before having a very nice game in the last preseason game of the year versus the Kansas City Chiefs.

Still, we are talking about a guy who has thrown just four passes in the regular season (completing two) in his three-year career.

The Packers couldn't have been very happy when Harrell had to relieve Rodgers in the New Orleans Saints game early last season, when Rodgers had to go out of the game for a few plays due to getting poked in the eye.

The Packers were near the New Orleans goal line holding a 21-20 lead, when Harrell came into the game. He proceeded to fumble a handoff to the running back, which the Saints recovered. The Saints then went on to score the go-ahead touchdown.

To be fair, Harrell was tripped up by the feet of one of his offensive linemen as he was handing off, but sometimes you are just better off just eating the ball in a situation like that.

Luckily, Rodgers led the Packers to another touchdown and the Packers won 28-27.

The Packers have steadfastly stood by Harrell, even as he was struggling last preseason.

The Packers third-string quarterback is B.J. Coleman, who was a seventh-round draft pick in 2012, and spent the 2012 season on the practice squad.

Coleman looked very impressive at the minicamp held last weekend for rookies and second-year players. McCarthy was particularly impressed, as he spoke to the media via Packers.com:

“What I had to see from B.J. is him [having] looked like he’d been here for a year, be in charge of the drills and be productive. And that was evident in all three practices. Now there’s a couple things that he’ll learn from. Actually, I was talking to B.J. coming off the field about a particular play in the final team period. So he’s got ability. There’s just some things that he’s done in the past and the way he’s played the position that are total opposite of the way he’s being taught, so we got to get that part figured out. But I think he’s definitely making a lot of progress.”

Coleman is similar to Rodgers in arm strength and has better mobility than Harrell, who does not have the fastball that both Rodgers and Coleman possess.

I expect to see Coleman receive quite a bit of playing time this preseason, and he will attempt to pass Harrell on the depth chart.

Harrell will get plenty of playing time, too, but he needs to more consistent and productive this preseason.

The Packers hope to have four quarterbacks in camp this summer, even though the Packers did not draft a quarterback last month in the 2013 NFL draft. The team did, however, sign Matt Brown of Illinois State as an undrafted rookie free agent.

Brown put up some very good numbers in college, where he threw 78 career touchdown passes compared to 36 interceptions. In his senior year, Brown was Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Year, when he threw 27 touchdowns versus 12 picks for 3,370 yards.

Brown will not get a lot of opportunities in terms of playing time this preseason, but when he does, he needs to make the best of it.

The best case scenario for Brown is to push Harrell and Coleman for a roster spot, or at the very least get on the practice squad.

Overall, the Packers will be among the best in the NFL at the quarterback position as long as Rodgers is behind center.

If Rodgers does go down with an injury or misses significant playing time, the Packers would be in a bit of a quandary. That's why it's essential that Coleman continues to improve and pushes Harrell to become better as well.

Seventh-round draft picks like Coleman have been okay under McCarthy. Just look at Matt Flynn, who was spectacular in the two starts when Rodgers didn't play. Flynn completed 55 of 81 passes for 731 yards, plus threw nine touchdown passes versus two interceptions.

I'm not saying Coleman would ever approach those numbers, but even if he's close, the Packers would be satisfied.

Bottom line, that's why the Packers have had a quarterback school in the offseason since McCarthy became head coach, and why his quarterbacks have done so well over that time. McCarthy, offensive coordinator Tom Clements and quarterbacks coach Ben McAdoo make the quarterbacks go through intense playbook and film study and teach them the various nuances of the Packers offense.

The Packers also stress improving technique, whether it be in dropping back to pass or rolling out.

Obviously Rodgers has mastered what McCarthy is looking for from his quarterback, and it will be interesting to find out in 2013 who will take the next step forward in progressing as a reliable and productive backup quarterback.

Read more Green Bay Packers news on BleacherReport.com

Green Bay Packers: What the Offensive Line Shakeup Will Mean for Aaron Rodgers

Kris Burke — Thu, 16 May 2013 07:56:35 -0400

When someone makes a big financial investment in something, they usually try to protect it at all costs.

Such is the case with the Green Bay Packers and their quarterback. Aaron Rodgers recently signed a $110 million extension, making him the highest paid player in NFL history (for the moment, anyway). For a small market team like the Packers, this is a remarkable amount of cash to give a player and the team will need to make sure it gets all the possible bang for its buck.

After Rodgers endured a career high 51 sacks last season, it was the clear Green Bay needed to do something with the offensive line. Now that Rodgers is the league’s highest paid player, protecting him has become an even higher priority.

Head coach Mike McCarthy got the message and shook up the offensive line. Bryan Bulaga, who is recovering from a season ending hip injury, and Josh Sitton will move to left tackle and left guard, respectively, and Marshall Newhouse (for now) and T.J. Lang move to right tackle and right guard. Evan Dietrich-Smith remains the team’s starting center.

It’s a pretty big deal when a team literally flips both sides of its offensive line, so what does this mean for Rodgers?

The jury is out until the season gets underway, but a few things already stand out. First, since Rodgers became the starting quarterback in 2008, there has been a constant game of musical chairs with the offensive line. Rodgers has been sacked 202 times in his five years as starter, which is an average of around 40 per season. He’s been sacked at least 50 times in two seasons, last season and in 2009.

Of course, some of the sacks are on Rodgers. He has a tendency to hold onto the ball too long at times looking to make a play. Rodgers needs to work on releasing the ball quicker. It's probably the one flaw in his otherwise stellar play.

Back to the offensive line, however.

Any quarterback, no matter how talented they are, benefits from a stable offensive line. Thanks to both inconsistency as well as injuries, Rodgers never has had that luxury. That actually makes his career numbers thus far look even more impressive. Brett Favre had some of his best years in the 2000s with basically the same offensive line and for Rodgers to exceed those numbers with his line in flux is remarkable.

Aside from the fact that this again forces Rodgers to adjust to a new line, at least the players remain the same, save for the right tackle position. Marshall Newhouse struggled at protecting Rodgers’ blind side, so his move to the other tackle position hopefully takes some pressure off a player not many consider a quality starter.

Thankfully, Newhouse will be pushed in camp this year by Don Barclay and Derek Sherrod. Barclay performed well last season when Bulaga went down, and could steal the starting job from Newhouse. The good news is with this being the right tackle instead of the left, Rodgers will be able to see pressure coming much easier. It’s not the perfect situation of course, but it’s better than constantly being under fire on his blind side.

Speaking of Rodgers’ blind side, moving Bulaga to left tackle puts the Packers back on the same plan they had when they drafted him in 2010. The thinking was Bulaga would eventually replace Chad Clifton at left tackle, but injuries in 2010 forced him to the right side. He played right tackle at a Pro Bowl level, so just thinking of the possibilities when he moves to the left gives Packers fans something to be patient for.

Overall, this move is beneficial to Rodgers. As mentioned above, at least the actors are the same. They’re just playing different roles. Having gone through two of the last three seasons dealing with major injury issues on the offensive line, Rodgers is adaptable enough to handle this shakeup.

Still it would be nice if McCarthy could settle on a line. He has no control over injuries, however. With over $100 million invested in his quarterback, McCarthy has to do whatever is necessary to protect “the franchise” and this was all he really could do. The Packers did select a few tackles in the draft, but none of them are considered NFL starters at the start of training camp.

It might take the line a little bit to adjust, but the move will be beneficial to all involved. With Green Bay now focused on having a solid running game that can run, catch and pass protect, Rodgers should see plenty of reinforcements to help protect him as the 2013 season gets underway.

The Packers don’t want to pay Rodgers that kind of money and have him sit on the injured reserve list while watching their season go up in flames. Nor does Rodgers want to miss playing the game that he loves.

The new offensive line will be one of the big things to watch as training camp opens in July.

Packers fans hope that’s the only time the line is under the microscope the rest of the year.

Read more Green Bay Packers news on BleacherReport.com

5 Green Bay Packers Feeling the Most Pressure Heading into Camp

Kris Burke — Wed, 15 May 2013 07:49:41 -0400

The NFL draft has come and gone and now comes the hard part for GM Ted Thompson and the Green Bay Packers.

With another solid draft class in tow, Thompson and head coach Mike McCarthy will now get to work piecing together a roster of 53 players to open the 2013 season in San Francisco. With mini camps and organized team activities (OTAs) ahead, this will be the first real look there will be at the 2013 version of the Packers.

As far as determining roster spots, the real battles begin in training camp in July. Despite Green Bay making the playoffs for four consecutive years, Thompson isn't resting on his laurels and has injected competition at multiple positions on the team.

Here are five Packers that will experience the most pressure when training camp opens.

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