In a pair of moves that nobody really saw coming, the Green Bay Packers released two players most people thought would play roles on the team this year. Gone are punter Jon Ryan and linebacker Abdul Hodge as room has been made to bring in two specialists.

The Packers finally filled the role of long snapper when they signed Brett Goode who was previously signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars but has never played in a regular season game.

To make room for Goode, the Packers released linebacker Abdul Hodge. After such a good showing during the preseason, not many fans thought Hodge would be released.

A former third round pick, Hodge nearly solidified himself as the top backup to Nick Barnett. But he had a couple of things working against him. After knee surgeries on both knees, he just isn't the special teams player that either fellow linebackers Tracy White and Desmond Bishop are. Many people thought that White may be at risk of being cut, but White also served as one of the team's six captains during the playoffs last year.

It's also possible that the Packers tried to trade one of the linebackers, but just couldn't work one out.

Another surprising move was the release of punter Jon Ryan in favor of former Washington Redskin Derrick Frost who was released this weekend. Frost was reportedly set to try out for the Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday but signed with the Packers without a tryout.

While punting for Washington last year, Frost had both a lower gross and net punting average than Ryan. The only thought is that the Packers must hope Frost will be more consistent than Ryan.

Ryan was vulnerable to costly mistakes like the game against Cincinnati this preseason when he shanked one punt and had another partially blocked that both went for 15 yards or less. Fans will also remember Ryan's blocked punt and failure to catch another against the Chicago Bears last year in a crucial loss. Additionally, he never was noted for a high hangtime.

Ryan was a boom or bust type of punter. Even though he was a victim of an occassional miscue, he could also have one of the strongest legs in the league. His 72 yard punt this preseason is evidence of that.

Barring future injuries, the roster appears to be set going into week one of the regular season. And fans will start to get a good look at a couple new faces.