Railbird Central : Danny Lansanah

Packers Daily Links: the '09 practice squad edition

Brian Carriveau — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:35:15 GMT

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Tom Pelissero of the Green Bay Press-Gazette digs up a little dirt on newly acquired safety Derrick Martin. "Martin also arrives as the guy who, in the summer of 2008, was arrested at a Cleveland airport security checkpoint with what police said were believed to be three small bags of marijuana in his luggage," reports Pelissero. It's just as important to note that the charges were dropped, and Martin has never failed a drug test. Make sure to watch tomorrow night's episode of Packer Transplants when Pelissero will be a guest. We'll make sure to talk to him further about this subject.

Brian Brohm was one of eight players signed to the Packers' practice squad announced on Sunday. "It's probably a wise choice considering the Packers have just two quarterbacks, starter Aaron Rodgers and Matt Flynn, on their active roster," writes Greg Bedard of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "An injury to either - Flynn hasn't thrown a pass in two weeks due to a sprained shoulder - and Brohm, who already knows the system, could quickly be promoted to the active roster as insurance." Brohm is now treading on thin ice. He needs to show improvement fast, because the Packers will be quick to cut him if he doesn't.

Tyrell Sutton was claimed on waivers by the Carolina Panthers, surprise, surprise. "In essence, the Packers chose a third fullback ahead of two halfbacks they released: second-year pro Kregg Lumpkin and undrafted rookie Tyrell Sutton," writes Pete Dougherty of the Press-Gazette. Lumpkin was signed to the practice squad. The Packers made a mistake by not keeping Sutton on the 53-man roster, but they'll have doubled their mistake if they fail to trade a fullback like John Kuhn.

The Packers failed to retain linebacker Danny Lansanah. "A source said the Packers also wanted to keep inside linebacker Danny Lansanah, who played in five games last season," writes Pelissero. "But with nine linebackers on the active roster, Lansanah turned down the offer to explore other opportunities." This was a disappointing development. Lansanah was by no means a great linebacker, but he really seemed to improve throughout the course of this past training camp. If there was an injury to an inside linebacker, he would have been a good choice to bring up.

Acme Packing Company takes a look at the makeup of the entire practice squad. "In July, Jake Allen was the talk of training camp. The 6'4 receiver had drawn some attention to himself after making a series of spectacular catches, demonstrating some impressive athleticism," according to the article. "But Allen's play in practice did not translate to the playing field, as he failed to make a mark in any of the preseason games." I was surprised to see the Packers also didn't keep Kole Heckendorf on the practice squad.

Chris Lempesis of Ol' Bag of Donuts breaks down the Packers' roster including the running backs. "(Brandon) Jackson is entering a crucial year," writes Lempesis. "He has to show just why the team used a second round pick on him in 2007. He’s already hurt and might miss the season opener, so he’s not off to a good start." This is just another reason why the Packers should have kept Sutton.

Mr. Man at Camp Lambeau likes the young linebackers on the Packers' roster. "There was also likely some debate between developmental 3-4 outside linebackers Brad Jones (a late round draft pick this April) and Curil Obiozior (sic)," writes Mr. Man. "The team kept Jones on the roster, but managed to stash Obi on the practice squad. Again, a success from my perspective."

Donald's Designated Driver over at All Kinds of Time likes the idea of the Packers signing quarterback A.J. Feeley. "I wouldn't mind Thompson bringing him in as the 2nd or 3rd QB," writes D.D. Driver. "He'd be a better fit than some of the other names that I have heard tossed around like Booty and Garcia."

Greg C. of Packers Lounge is concerned about the Packers' special teams. "Mason Crosby is very good on kickoffs, but kickoffs don’t win or lose games, field goals do," writes Greg C. "In his first two seasons, Crosby has been in the lower reaches of the NFL in terms of field goal percentage, and he blew two potential game-winners last year. In the preseason, he’s been up and down."

Lori Nickel of the Journal Sentinel profiles Ryan Grant.

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Tough decisions for Packers to make at linebacker

Brian Carriveau — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 22:52:34 GMT

When it comes time to whittle down the roster to 53 players, the Green Bay Packers will have a tough time deciding which linebackers to keep.

With the switch the 3-4 defense, they'll be keeping more linebackers than in years past. One has to assume they'll keep at least nine this season, 10 if two-way player Spencer Havner is included in the count.

But who else do the Packers keep?

"It's always a numbers game, we know that," said head coach Mike McCarthy after Thursday's morning practice. "We're weeks away from making those calls. We've got to get ready to play this game, see how they respond, and then have a short week and go out to Arizona. That's why we play the games. I'm not ready to pick the team."

Even though the Packers have three more preseason games to see all their players in action, that isn't going to make the decisions any easier.

Inside linebacker is currently one of the deepest positions on the team.

"I think the inside guys that definitely have been working, Brandon Chillar, A.J. (Hawk), Desmond Bishop, and Danny Lansanah has done some really good things here the last week," said McCarthy. "I thought he started off camp a little slow. I think we definitely have depth there."

Nick Barnett, Hawk, Chillar and Bishop are all but assured of roster spots, however, it's been thought that Hawk might be a candidate for a trade considering the team's depth at the position.

Lansanah is "on the fence" regarding his fate on the team, but after a good game on Saturday, he's making a case to stick around.

On the outside, Aaron Kampman, Brady Poppinga, Clay Matthews and Jeremy Thompson are all good bets to make the team if they're all healthy.

But like Hawk, it's possible that Poppinga is another candidate for a trade. He seems to fit the 3-4 defense the least of any player on the roster and has a big contract as well.

Barring a trade, nine linebackers have been mentioned so far. That leaves seventh round draft choice Brad Jones out in the cold. Even though Jones missed the first two weeks of practice with an injury, he's back practicing now.

"It's good to have Jones back here," said McCarthy. "You can see he has a live body, has some pass-rush ability."

Undrafted rookie Cyril Obiozor and free agent pick-up Stryker Sulak are also on the outside looking in. For any of the rookies to make the team, it would take an unforeseen cut or trade in order to make room for them on the team.

In any case, the Packers face some tough choices to make when it comes down to choosing the the linebackers for the 53-man roster.

Best & worst case scenarios for the Packers inside linebackers

Brian Carriveau — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:15:00 GMT

We continue our third annual best and worst case scenarios for every player on the Green Bay Packers roster for the 2009 season. Today we focus on the inside linebackers. Make sure to come back tomorrow as we look at the outside linebackers.

Nick Barnett

Best case scenario: Barnett sets the standard for coming back from a season ending knee injury. The Packers were smart for making him come back to the field slowly. Once he finally hit the field, he played like it was 2007 all over again. Barnett offically surpasses Brian Urlacher as the best inside linebacker in the NFC North.
Worst case scenario: Over 90% of all players coming off knee surgery take two years to fully recover, and Barnett is no exception. He's a step slower, and as such, he just can't make the sideline-to-sideline plays like he used to be able to do. The Packers decide they're better off with a fully healthy Brandon Chillar or Desmond Bishop in the starting lineup than with a slow Barnett. But he'll still be given the opportunity to prove he's 100% healthy in 2010.

A.J. Hawk

Best case scenario: It took longer than most people expected, but Hawk finally lives up to his first round billing. The switch to a 3-4 defense seems to have done him wonders. And playing more zone coverage allowed him to be more of a factor against the pass. Hawk is around the football seemingly every play and is a big reason for the defense's resurgence.
Worst case scenario: Hawk turns out to be more of a quality, dependable NFL backup, but in no way was he worth a first round draft pick. He begins the season as a starter, but it becomes apparent that either Chillar or Bishop are better options.

Brandon Chillar

Best case scenario: Chillar was the Packers' most consistent linebacker last year, and he's off to one of the best starts in training camp of any player on the team. He seems to be the kind of guy that just keeps improving and keeps on doing so in '09. Chillar starts the season by filling in for an injuried Nick Barnett and somehow, someway doesn't relinquish the job either due to injury or ineffectiveness by other players on the team. Chillar has his best season as a professional yet.
Worst case scenario: Chillar lingers on the bench. He just can't find regular playing time outside of special teams with other players ahead of him on the depth chart. If this happens, it's probably good news for the Packers as a whole. It may mean the entire linebacking corps is playing well enough that they're keeping Chillar at bay. However, Chillar does see the field in particular sub-packages.

Desmond Bishop

Best case scenario: Bishop continues his hot start to training camp and keeps it going right into the regular season. Everyone knew he could hit and has a nose for the football, but his improvement in pass coverage and not blowing assignments allows him to get on the field with regularity. Bishop serves notice that he could be starter by 2010 if not by the end of the '09 season.
Worst case scenario: Bishop gets yet another chance but blows it when he's chasing running backs like Adrian Peterson in the endzone. Either that or trailing tight ends like Owen Daniels in pass coverage. Maybe he's one of the best players on the team on special teams, but he just can't be trusted on defense.

Danny Lansanah

Best case scenario: Lansanah goes out and proves why he was kept in favor of Tracy White a year ago. He becomes a special teams demon in his own right and during the pre-season shows that he might be able to play a little bit of defense too. His job is safe at least for this season.
Worst case scenario: The second year pro shows little of the promise he did a year ago. He's not good enough to make any of the special teams units let alone the defense. Lansanah is cut before the regular season even begins.

Spencer Havner & Brady Poppinga

Best case scenario: Even though both are primarily outside linebackers, they can play inside in a pinch, which adds to their versatility.
Worst case scenario: Neither have to play inside at all.

And the cuts start rolling in...

Dan Haddinger — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 04:01:46 GMT

According to ESPN, here are the Packers cuts so far:

Wide receivers Jake Allen, Johnny Quinn, Taj Smith and Brett Swain, cornerbacks Scorpio Babers and Joe Porter, defensive tackles Conrad Bolston, Alfred Malone and Daniel Muir, center Brennen Carvalho, safety Tyrone Culver, linebackers Spencer Havner and Danny Lansanah, tight end Joey Haynos, running backs Noah Herron and Vernand Morency, guard Ryan Keenan, tackle Orrin Thompson and fullback Corey White.

They also placed defensive tackle Rodney Allen, center Junius Coston and long snapper J.J. Jansen on injured reserve.

Some of the cuts are a little surpising, in my opinion. Getting rid of both Herron and Morency? That gives us a VERY young backfield. Combine that with the age of all of our QB's and we've got a group of kids who have no idea who the ThunderCats are.

We'll just see if Ted is looking to pick anyone up from wire. Looks like there's been a few bigger names let go.

My choice (and yes I know I sound like a homer) but let's bring in Nick Hayden. Panthers cut him today too and we could use someone with a good motor on the D line.