Railbird Central : Joe Porter

Three tweets 9.9.09

Brian Carriveau — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:26:17 GMT

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

1. I just noticed something. Why did the #Packers keep Trevor Ford instead of Joe Porter on their practice squad?

2. Opinion: The #Packers should hold B.J. Raji out of Sunday's season opener vs. the Chicago Bears so he gets healthy.

3. Hopefully Dom Capers opens up the dime back role to cornerbacks in addition to safeties. #Packers #NFL

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Watch special teams for bubble players tonight

Brian Carriveau — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:49:27 GMT

Tonight is the last chance for several Green Bay Packers to make a statement before the mandatory roster cutdown to 53 players by Saturday at the latest.

Some of those players on the fringe may have to have an impact on special teams if they're hopeful of making the roster. And there should be several interesting players to watch this evening in their final bid to make the team.

I know some guys like Charlie Peprah and Will Blackmon have been injured, and that's not helping their cause to make the team, especially in the case of a bubble player like Peprah.

Meanwhile, guys like Joe Porter and Brett Swain have been taking their place on the first string kickoff unit. As arguably the fastest person on the team, Porter is stating his case. And except for breaking the halo rule on punt coverage, Swain hasn't done half bad himself.

Those two guys will be a pair to keep an eye on special teams this evening. One would have to assume that the Packers will be giving playing time to those with a chance of playing on Sundays in order to get some experience.

Another player who needs to contribute but hasn't already is fullback Quinn Johnson. He started off training camp in a rough fashion but has been improving ever since. But he also needs to play on special teams in order to prove his worth to the Packers.

Pay attention to special teams personnel tonight. It might just give an indication who may or may not make the team.

Secondary is surprisingly deep

Brian Carriveau — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:26:00 GMT

Where did all the depth come from in the defensive backfield all of a sudden? When trying to piece together the 53-man roster, I found the hardest cuts coming in the secondary.

Heading into training camp, I wouldn't have said that defensive back was one of the deepest positions. Of course, maybe it isn't. Maybe it's not all that deep.

While attempting to predict the 53-man roster, I listed among the "last three out," Jarrett Bush and Aaron Rouse. The fact that they may be the 54th and 55th best players on the roster isn't really all that flattering.

Still, that doesn't make the possibility of cutting either of them any easier on the Packers. The team has some tough decisions to make amidst the secondary.

Just yesterday I tabbed Danny Lansanah as the "last player in." However, thanks to our wonderful readers here, I'm starting to be swayed toward keeping Bush instead of Lansanah.

According to Railbird Central regular reader "Satori" who said in the comments, "In the Capers scheme, he likes to use a safety in the dime package, meaning he needs 3 safeties on game day. So, its unlikely they will go with only 3 on the roster. "

As many critics as Bush has, he has dual value as both a cornerback and a safety. In addition, he's faster and may be a better special teams player than Lansanah.

Rouse, meanwhile, hasn't displayed the consistency to be able to become an everyday player. But outside of Collins, Bigby and Smith, he's the next best pure safety on the Packers.

Charlie Peprah is another tough cut as a player that's made the 53-man roster for the past three years.

And Joe Porter's play is forcing general manger Ted Thompson and head coach Mike McCarthy to make some very difficult choices. The cornerback's strength and speed combination has become a very valuable asset throughout this preseason. Did anyone notice that he led the team in tackles against the Bills?

It's a possibility that Porter would be picked up by another team if he was cut. Wide receiver JaRon Harris even said on Packer Transplants that Porter was a player that impressed him. I would not be surprised if Porter somehow found his way onto the roster in a surprise move.

Everyone knew the Packers had a good trio of cornerbacks in Charles Woodson, Al Harris and Tramon Williams. And they had a good young complement of safeties with Nick Collins and Atari Bigby. But things are looking better and deeper with each passing day.

Best & worst case scenarios for Packers cornerbacks

Brian Carriveau — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:48:47 GMT

We continue our third annual best and worst case scenarios for every player on the Green Bay Packers roster. Today we take a look at the cornerbacks. Make sure to come back tomorrow when analyze the inside linebackers.

Charles Woodson

Best case scenario: Woodson shows no signs of aging. He's been one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL ever since he came to the Packers, and he continues that trend in 2009. Woodson has more than five interceptions, and just like every year, he creates at least one turnover that seems to swing the entire momentum of the game over to the Packers. He is a first team All-Pro, which is even more impressive than the Pro Bowl.
Worst case scenario: Woodson begins his downhill slide. He'll start every game he's healthy enough to play, but his performance has the Packers wondering if it's time for change of the guard next season. His decline in play also makes Mike McCarthy consider playing him at safety once again.

Al Harris

Best case scenario: Harris picks up where he left off last season when he seemed to play better without his spleen. He also erases any doubts that he'll struggle in Dom Capers' 3-4 zone coverage schemes. Never known for a high amount of interceptions, Harris gets more INTs than expected when he's able to read quarterbacks more with his eyes now facing the backfield.
Worst case scenario: The combination of advancing age and struggles in zone coverage creep up on Harris like the Grim Reaper. He starts all season long, but he is out of the Packers' plans for 2010 in favor of Tramon Williams.

Tramon Williams

Best case scenario: Williams takes the title of most improved player of the off-season and runs with it. Even as the team's nickel cornerback, he plays a pivotal role in the success of the new 3-4 defense. He racks up just as many interceptions as last season and cements himself as a starter in the NFL next season, he simply won't be denied no matter who's in front of him.
Worst case scenario: Williams is continually picked on by opposing quarterbacks as the lesser of three evils. He allows too many completions to the players he's covering. And even though it's not entirely his fault, fans are clamoring to audition new nickel back by the end of the season.

Will Blackmon

Best case scenario: Blackmon hold off Pat Lee as fourth cornerback in the pecking order. He's still more valuable as a kick returner, but at least when he's forced to play on the defensive side of the football, he's not a disappointment.
Worst case scenario: Being a halfway decent return man is the only thing keeping Blackmon as a part of the team. He's fallen behind Pat Lee and Jarrett Bush and just flat out gets beaten more often than not on defense. He rarely sees the field on defense during the regular season as a result.

Pat Lee

Best case scenario: The second year pro is light years ahead of where he was as a rookie. He still finds playing time tough to come by in a crowded defensive backfield, but his play in the pre-season screams, "I deserve to be on the field." He makes one play during the regular season that all of a sudden makes Cheesehead Nation take notice.
Worst case scenario: The Packers made a mistake. They never should have drafted him. Rookie Brandon Underwood plays his butt off, and Lee rides the pine all year long. He's lucky if he ever is part of the 45-man gameday active roster.

Brandon Underwood

Best case scenario: The sixth round draft choice out of Cincinnati makes the team and even plays a little bit of special teams. He has a hard time seeing playing time outside of the pre-season, but just making the roster was an achievement. Underwood makes it known that he could be a potential starting-caliber cornerback in the NFL.
Worst case scenario: His back strain from lifting weights lingers. He struggles to even find the playing field let alone play well. He's put on either the practice squad or injured reserve, getting another chance to prove himself next year.

Joe Porter

Best case scenario: Porter got off to a good start in training camp with a couple of eye-catching plays and he continues it with a couple more interceptions while covering the team's best wide receivers. Somehow, someway, Porter is the 53rd man kept on the team forcing a guy like Underwood to practice squad status.
Worst case scenario: Porter is cut in a numbers game. He performs well for a player without expectations, but he just can't surpass the players ahead of him on the depth chart. He still has practice squad eligibility and that could be an option.

Trevor Ford

Best case scenario: The undrafted rookie from Troy makes it past the first round of cuts. The most he can hope for is getting a little extra time in an NFL training camp in hopes of catching the eye of maybe another team and gaining a little more experience.
Worst case scenario: Trevor, meet the UFL. UFL, meet Trevor.

Jarrett Bush

Best case scenario: Even though Bush is now considered more of a safety, he shows he can still play cornerback in a pinch. He makes the team by providing depth in the defensive backfield and playing much better special teams than he did a year ago.
Worst case scenario: The Packers decided to match Bush's contract offered to him by the Titans as a restricted free agent, but maybe they shouldn't have. They end up cutting him anyway.

Packers Daily Links 6.16.09

Brian Carriveau — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:04:21 GMT

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Big news, our next Cheesehead Nation blogcast is tomorrow night from 8 to 9:30 p.m. CST, and we will have an actual Packer on as a guest. Cornerback Joe Porter will join us Wednesday evening. Like Aaron Nagler from Cheesehead TV wrote, "We’ll be asking Joe about his journey to becoming a Packer, how OTAs have been treating him and we’ll pick his brain regarding that new Dom Capers’ defense."

I'll also be hosting a live blog tomorrow afternoon from about 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to discuss Packer OTAs right here at SportsBubbler.com. We'll be getting up-to-the-minute updates from Packers beat writers Greg Bedard and Tom Pelissero through Twitter about what's happening on the field at practice. So if you want to talk Packers tomorrow, come join us.

The Packers announced their schedule for minicamp today, and all you railbirds will have plenty of chances to see the Packers next week. McCarthy is keeping basically the same schedule he has every year for minicamp. There is both a morning practice and an afternoon practice on Monday and Tuesday followed by just a morning practice on Wednesday. All practices are open to the public and the media, but typically McCarthy chooses to substitute Tuesday's afternoon practice for a team-building activity such as bowling or paint ball. The Green Bay Press-Gazette has the details.

C.D. Angeli of Tundra Vision thinks communication will be a key to the success of the 3-4 defense, and that's why the installation process of OTAs is so crucial. Like a lot of people, Angeli is critical of safety Nick Collins' decision to skip OTAs. "I have never been on the Collins Bandwagon," writes Angeli, "but his holdout not only hurts his own cause, but hurts this defense. Collins, the free safety, has been the one responsible for making the calls and adjustments from the back of the defense. In some ways, he is the 'quarterback of the defense.' But with an entirely new set of plays and a cornucopia of assignments to keep track of, Collins is putting himself (and the team he is supposed to be guiding) into a hole." Like I wrote yesterday, it will be interesting to see if Collins shows up next week. OTAs are voluntary, but minicamp is mandatory.

Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel profiles offensive lineman Allen Barbre and his change to right tackle. She writes about him benefitting from facing a Pro Bowler like Aaron Kampman everyday in practice. And we also learn that Barbre is trying to put on some weight. "Part of Barbre's mission is to put on 5 pounds in the process, as he is one of the lightest offensive linemen at 305 pounds," according to Nickel. As one of the most athletic players on the team, an extra five pounds shouldn't affect Barbre very much.

Dale Zawada of Packers Lounge doesn't think fans should worry about Atari Bigby. Chalk up his poor 2008 season to injury and move on. He'll be back in '09 with a vengance. "He only played 7 games," writes Zawada. "Yeah, he didn’t even play half a season due to his injury, and he played those 7 hurt. And we’re going to rag on him and worry about this?" I'm one of the leaders of the Bigby bandwagon. If he's healthy, he should be force once again.

The Packers official website continues their series "The Game I'll Never Forget" with rookie linebacker Brad Jones. This Colorado Buffalo picked a good one, a nationally televised Thursday night game against Pat White and West Virginia in which the Buffs won in overtime. "Tension at Colorado's Folsom Field was sky-high as the fourth quarter unfolded," writes Mike Spofford. "West Virginia had the last chance late in regulation, crossing the 50 and facing a key third-and-1 with the clock running. Jones combined with teammate Maurice Lucas to stop Devine for another 1-yard loss, keeping the Mountaineers out of field-goal range and forcing the overtime." I wish I had some footage of that game to go back and watch Jones.

The Packers and St. Norbert College are teaming up to host a conference on sport and society. "Called 'A Mirror of our Culture: Sport and Society in America,' the May 26-28, 2010, conference will offer sessions at St. Norbert as well as Lambeau Field," reports the Press-Gazette. "Experts from around the world will present papers at the conference, according to St. Norbert. The event also will feature an exhibit area for publishers, a gallery exhibition and a film festival, organizers said."

The most interesting thing I heard about Brett Favre's appearance last night on Joe Buck Live was that he said, "We should be pretty good," referring to the Vikings. It doesn't leave much doubt that he's going to sign with the Vikes. Other than that, you can go to five million other websites to get your Favre coverage. I'm not going to waste my time on it.

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