Railbird Central : DeShawn Wynn

Memo to Packers: Use DeShawn Wynn

Brian Carriveau — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:12:22 GMT

If there was ever a time for DeShawn Wynn to get an opportunity to prove himself, the beginning of the '09 season seemed like an opportune time. Incumbent No. 2 tailback Brandon Jackson has been out with an injury, and the Packers cut Wynn's primary competition from training camp when they released Kregg Lumpkin and Tyrell Sutton.

But so far Wynn has gotten four carries all season long. It's not like Ryan Grant has been tearing up the joint either. Grant hasn't done poorly, but 3.7 yards per carry on 56 rushes isn't Adrian Peterson-like production.

So what would hurt with Wynn getting a couple more carries to prove himself? Heck, Grant could use a breather once in a while.

There's been speculation that there's people within the Packers' organization that want to see Grant play after signing a large contract a season ago. If that's true, it's a shame. First of all, Grant doesn't deserve nearly 90 percent of the carries. Second, the Packers are only hurting themselves by giving him so many.

It seems as if ever since the Packers cut Wynn following training camp in '08, he's had a bit of a wakeup call. Once they signed him back and the '08 season wore on, Wynn improved nearly every week. He capped off the year with an over 100-yard effort in the season's final game.

Now, even with Jackson hurt, Wynn is seeing minimal playing time while the running game is stagnating. Maybe he's not a superstar, but it's time to give him some carries.

And if Wynn really isn't deserving of playing time, it's a shame they had to cut someone with promise like Tyrell Sutton to make room for Wynn. Sutton easily could be doing what Wynn is doing for the Packers right now, which is next to nothing anyways.

Three tweets 9.29.09

Brian Carriveau — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:16:33 GMT

I'll be providing at least three thoughts about the Green Bay Packers per day on Twitter. Here what I'm tweeting about:

1. Why aren't the #Packers giving DeShawn Wynn more of a chance to carry the ball? He excelled last season when given the chance. #NFL

2. I was very, very glad to see the #Packers activate Jarius Wynn ahead of Montgomery this past week, especially w/ Monty in a club cast.

3. Question: If Breno Giacomini was inactive last week when Chad Clifton was out with an injury, will the #Packers ever activate him? #NFL

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Packers Daily Links 9.11.09

Brian Carriveau — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:45:37 GMT

Links. Get it?

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No one can blame B.J. Raji for his enthusiasm. "The first-round draft pick returned to practice Thursday in limited duty, his first on-field work since sustaining a sprained ankle in the preseason finale at Tennessee on Sept. 3," reports Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. "Coach Mike McMcCarthy was less sure about Raji’s status for Sunday and was adamant he’ll keep the long haul of a 16-game schedule in mind when deciding whether the defensive lineman will play against Chicago." The Packers need to be smart about Raji. I want to see him play as much as anyone else, but the Packers need him the long haul.

Among the biggest concern in the Bears game is how the Packers are going to cover their two talented tight ends. "When the Packers host the Chicago Bears and their two-tight-end offense on Sunday evening, there will be a considerable difference in the way they cover Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark compared with last year," writes Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Playing against a 3-4 defense, the Bears will have to think a little bit about who's covering the tight end." Hopefully it will be guys like Aaron Kampman on the early downs, and better pass defenders like Brandon Chillar on later downs.

With Brandon Jackson likely out on Sunday due to injury, it looks like DeShawn Wynn will hold the third down back role in the season opener. He talked to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about blitz pickup, and the way the Bears blitz. "They'll bring all three linebackers in the hole between the linemen so it looks like a jailbreak and then they'll drop back into Tampa 2," Wynn told the Journal Sentinel. "Sometimes they bring them all and drop a D-end. I wouldn't say they do a lot of blitzing on third down, but they have a whole lot of things they can do as far as different backers they can bring." Wynn's comments show that he has done his homework. That combined with the fact that he's probably the best pass protector among all the Packers' running back is a good sign that Aaron Rodgers will stay upright on Sunday.

It looks like the Packers have officially cut ties with safety Charlie Peprah. "The Packers reached an undisclosed injury settlement with safety Charlie Peprah and waived him off injured reserve Thursday, according to the NFL’s transaction wire," reports Dougherty. "Peprah had been out since Aug. 22 because of a knee injury." I always liked Pep. I wish the Packers would have kept him on injured reserve and given him another chance next year, but that's the way the cookie crumbles.

Bill Huber of Packer Report has the scoop on special teams. "Five players are on the No. 1 units on the four major special teams (kickoff, kickoff return, punt, punt return): Brett Swain, Jarrett Bush, Clay Matthews III, Jeremy Thompson and Desmond Bishop," writes Huber. "Fullbacks John Kuhn and Korey Hall are on three, and are interchangeable as the No. 1 personal protector on punts. Brandon Chillar (not on punt return) and Spencer Havner (not on kickoff) are on three of the four." The Packers are getting lots of mileage out of guys not in the starting lineup. This also might be an indication that the Packers don't have any plans at the moment to insert either Desmond Bishop or Brandon Chillar in the starting lineup.

Getting tickets to a Green Bay Packers game is a relative bargains says the Business Journal of Milwaukee. "The Packers reported a average of $63.39," according to the article. "Adding in the cost of beer, soft drinks, hot dogs, parking, a program and team cap, the Pack ranks 22nd most expensive of the 32 teams."

B.J. Raji has the second best odds to win the defensive rookie of the year award according to BETUS. "Raji, the ninth overall pick by the Green Bay Packers, has plenty of talent, but he plays the wrong position (defensive tackle) to really stand out for voters that love disruptive, speedy, playmakers," writes Eric Williams. "Still, Raji will have a shot at the very least." With a couple of sacks, he'll be right in the running.

It appears as if Will Blackmon is balancing the line of playing and not playing on Sunday. "If Blackmon is unable to play, McCarthy mentioned wide receivers Jordy Nelson and Brett Swain, cornerback Tramon Williams and running back DeShawn Wynn as potential candidates to handle return duties on Sunday," writes Tom Fanning of the Packers official website. Williams has shown potential as a return man in the past and would be my preferance to return kicks against the Bears if Blackmon can't go.

It's a couple days old, but I just saw where Brandon of Acme Packing Company interviewed Sports Illustrated's Lee Jenkins. "I like the Packers best because of their consistency at the quarterback position," said Jenkins. "The other teams in the division have a fundamental switch to a new quarterback and they can't all succeed. At least one of them will struggle, while Rodgers returns for the Packers."

Tony Wilson over at Mike McCarthy's Feedbag used to be a fantasy football writer for the Sporting News. So when he breaks down the impact of the Packers/Bears game on your fantasy team, you should pay attention. Among his advice is to start Donald Driver. "Driver surpassed 1,000 receiving yards yet again in 2008," writes Wilson. "While he's no longer a tremendous threat, he still has the ability to make big plays and stretch the field. If you're in a bind at WR, or in a deeper league, you can confidently place Driver in your lineup."

John Zoul at Packers Gab has some insight into special teams. "Remember the roster cuts and the addition of Derrick Mason in the Tony Moll trade?" asks Zoul. "Well, it just has become crystal clear, that some of the players we’ve retained may turn-out to be stars of our special teams. I’m talking about Brandon Underwood, Jarrett Bush (already an outstanding player on ST), Brad Jones, TJ Lang, Quinn Johnson and Brett Swain just to name a few. Oh, by the way, did you know Clay Matthews III was a 3-time ST Player-of-the-year at USC? That Brandon Underwood, after transferring from Ohio State for his senior year at University of Cincinnati, starred as their main “gunner” and was Cincinnati’s ST 'P-o-t-yr' in 2008? Or that TJ Lang played STs for three years at Eastern Michigan? Brad Jones played special teams for four years at Colorado, where he excelled and says he 'loves' playing STs. Same with Quinn Johnson and Brett Swain. They 'love' special teams."

Aaron Nagler of Cheesehead TV breaks down how the Packers might attack the Bear defense. "Another way McCarthy likes to bust the Tampa 2 is by using an evenly spread formation and attacking the linebacker drops with four verticals, a play where the Packers will send all four receivers in the formation straight up the field," writes Nagler. "The inside receiver on either side are the main targets, though Rodgers definitely favored his open side to his right last season." There's plenty of video to supplement the article over at Cheesehead TV. Go there to find one of the best breakdowns of the game you'll find anywhere on the Internet, including the major media outlets.

If you're going to the game on Sunday, James Lofton and Jerry Kramer will be signing autographs.

Monty over at Total Packers has an ode to Charles Martin.

Ol' Bag of Donuts looks at the Packers vs. Bears match-up.

Charles Woodson is Tundra Vision's hero.

Railbird endorsed video: Enjoy "Save Me" by Dave Matthews & Friends (not Dave Matthews Band). Dave & Friends are very underrated...

Three tweets 9.10.09

Brian Carriveau — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 22:44:42 GMT

I'll be providing three thoughts about the Green Bay Packers per day on Twitter. Here they are:

1. Prediction: Jarius Wynn will be ahead of Mike Montgomery in the #Packers defensive line rotation.

2. I find it humorous that some pundits are worried that the switch the 3-4 will take years & others have the Pack picked for the Super Bowl.

3. Prediction: DeShawn Wynn will return kickoffs vs. the Bears on Sunday.

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Packers get healthy and happy

Brian Carriveau — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 21:59:27 GMT

The rash of injuries by the Green Bay Packers in the run-up to last week's Family Night scrimmage was disappointing. Many players wouldn't be participating, which is even more discouraging given the need for players to both prove themselves and prepare for the upcoming season.

However, good news came in the middle of this week when several players returned to practice after having sat out several practices.

The running backs received perhaps the biggest boost when Brandon Jackson returned to action on Tuesday, and DeShawn Wynn did likewise on Thursday.

Had the Family Night scrimmage taken place, the Packers would have been down to only Ryan Grant, Kregg Lumpkin and Tyrell Sutton at the halfback position.

Three running backs are plenty for the regular season, but it's time to see what guys like Jackson and Wynn can do in a more prominent role.

Wynn, although he's had a good training camp, he's not a lock for the roster and needs to prove himself during games. It's good to see that tonight will be the beginning of such a campaign.

Also on the offensive side of the football, wide receiver also returned to practice this week after sitting out a couple practices.

The defensive line received a boost when Johnny Jolly returned from a sprained ankle. According to camp reports, he showed very few if any ill effects in his return on Thursday.

In addition, a newly signed B.J. Raji may not play tonight, but with a healthy Raji and Jolly, the Packers have much more depth at the position than they did just three days ago.

As far as the linebackers go, two big pieces of the 3-4 puzzle remain out with Clay Matthews and Jeremy Thompson. But the Packers did a good job disguising their lack of depth.

By having two-way player Spencer Havner practice at outside linebacker and signing Stryker Sulak to the team, the Packers at least have a little more depth. Havner and Sulak aren't going to provide the impact that either Matthews or Thompson may have, but at least they provide a stopgap solution until the injured duo return to the field.

At least compared to one week ago, things are looking up.