Railbird Central : Kregg Lumpkin

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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Packers will keep four halfbacks

Brian Carriveau — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:29:43 GMT

I touched on this during yesterday's play-by-play action of practice, but the Packers will more than likely keep four halfbacks on the 53-man roster this year.

Last Saturday's first preseason game against the Cleveland Browns should have been an indication of how deep the Packers are at halfback. The number one and two leading rushers from Saturday were Tyrell Sutton and Kregg Lumpkin who are fifth and fourth on the team's depth chart respectively.

Without a doubt, there's a lot of talent on the team at running back.

Just yesterday, Yahoo! Sports' Charles Robinson tweeted, "Unless he nosedives, they're going to try 2 find a way to keep undrafted RB Tyrell Sutton. They love his instincts & lower body strength."

Robinson is spot on in that observation. Sutton has value that is appealing to other teams. If the Packers happen to cut Sutton, some other team is likely to poach him off waivers and add him to their own 53-man roster.

The Packers don't exactly need three halfbacks, not many teams do. In fact, one of them is almost sure to be inactive on game days when teams are required to have 45-man active rosters.

But by keeping Sutton around, the Packers maintain a valuable commodity. General manager Ted Thompson recognizes the value that skill position players have. A running back, quarterback or wide receiver -- even if they're unproven -- oftentimes have more value than a player at another position.

It's possible the Packers do with Sutton what they did to acquire Ryan Grant two years ago, i.e. trade him right at the deadline to whittle rosters down to 53.

At the very least, Sutton and Lumpkin are practice squad candidates, but any team can sign someone off another team's practice squad at any time. The Packers risk losing them once they place them on their practice squad.

There's no doubt that Sutton only produced in a single preseason game and shouldn't be hailed as the Second Coming. However, his value to the Packers justifies keeping at least four halfbacks.

Best & worst case scenarios for the Packers running backs

Brian Carriveau — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:10:00 GMT

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

Ryan Grant

Best case scenario: If Grant can gain 1,200 yards after missing part of training camp and then being hampered, just imagine what he can do if he benefits from an entire training camp and is fully healthy. In '09 Grant is going to improve his yards per carry back to 2007 levels and over the course of 16 games, somewhere in the realm of 1,500 yards rushing is not out of the question. One of the best downhill runners in the NFL, Grant shows a little more speed and elusiveness than he did in '08. Grant makes his first Pro Bowl of his career.
Worst case scenario: There may be no other person on the roster with a ceiling as high and a floor as low as Grant. When Grant can't gain back the explosiveness he showed in '07, the Packers start to go with running backs that can. No longer is one big contract going to be an excuse for Grant to get carries. He just doesn't have the big play ability of guys like Brandon Jackson or DeShawn Wynn. As the season wears on, Grant starts to lose carries to the guys currently behind him on the depth chart. He might be the best short yardage ball carrier on the team, but that doesn't make him the best overall running back.

Brandon Jackson

Best case scenario: Jackson's 5.5 yards per carry last season was no fluke. When he continues to bust longer runs than Grant, Jackson starts to find more playing time. He won't average 5.5 yards again, but that was a small sample size compared to the increase in carries he gets in '09. Jackson becomes the most complete back on the roster, a guy who can carry the load, catch passes and help out in pass blocking too. Now in his third year, he really busts out and shows why the Packers made him a second round draft choice.
Worst case scenario: Those 5.5 yards per carry were a fluke. Jackson is losing ground to guys like Wynn and Kregg Lumpkin who appear to be better suited for the third down back role Jackson had previously held. He makes the team, but by the end of the season, it starts to become clear that he's only the third best running back on the team at best.

DeShawn Wynn

Best case scenario: Wynn picks up where he left off when he ran for over 100-yards in last year's season finale. He followed that up with one of the best training camps of any player on the Packers, and his role on the team seemingly increases every day. He's one of the best preseasons in the entire NFL by a running back, and he starts to play a bigger part in the Packers running game during the regular season. He has the second most yards rushing on the team by the end of the year, and his emergence proves that Jackson's job with the team may be coming to an end.
Worst case scenario: Even though he's had one heck of a training camp, Wynn can climb no higher on the depth chart than third. He gets the occassional carry during the regular season, but his performance is dwarfed by that of Grant and Jackson. Wynn shows just enough to prove he might be worth keeping around, but he seems destined to be a career backup.

Kregg Lumpkin

Best case scenario: Just like a year ago, the Packers keep Lumpkin on their 53-man roster because of his upside. He's makes it out of training camp completely healthy and impresses during the preseason once again. He shows that he's just as good catching passes out of the backfield as he is carrying the ball. He makes the team as their third down back shows that he has a future in the NFL.
Worst case scenario: Lumpkin shows some promise, but he's cut in a numbers game. The Packers just can't afford to keep him on their roster with Grant, Jackson and Wynn all ahead of him. It's possible they'll ask Lumpkin to be on the practice squad, but he has other competition for that job in Tyrell Sutton. The UFL might be where Lumpkin will have to head.

Tyrell Sutton

Best case scenario: Sutton gets a ton of playing time in the second half of all the preseason games and impresses with the chances he gets. He's everything you want in a third down back and can even tote the football a little bit too. Unfortunately, there's too many guys ahead of him currently, but he's asked to be a member of the practice squad. He's only an injury away from making the team, and he definitely has a chance of making it in 2010.
Worst case scenario: The NFL overwhelms Sutton. When he gets a chance to play, he looks like a fish out of water. He's got some natural athleticism, but this isn't college anymore. He's not assignment sure, he can't block elite NFL pass rushers and during the preseason it seems like every one of his carries goes for only one or two yards. He's cut and not asked to be on the practice squad.

Korey Hall

Best case scenario: Despite threats coming in two directions, Hall hangs onto his job as the starting fullback for the Packers. Putting on weight has helped him become a better lead blocker, and he is without a doubt the best pass-catching fullback on the team. Those factors plus another year's experience lead to him having his best season as a professional yet. He even chips in with at least three touchdowns this season.
Worst case scenario: Hall plays sparingly on offense. He comes in once in a while in those inverted wishbone situations or when the Packers need a fullback to catch a pass, but that's about it. He just isn't the punishing blocker that the Packers have in either John Kuhn or Quinn Johnson. Hall makes the team because he's a good special teams player and he provides depth at fullback, but that's about all he'll ever be.

John Kuhn

Best case scenario: Most people thought Kuhn's job would be lost when the Packers drafted Johnson, but that was before Johnson struggled so mightily during training camp. Because the team just can't trust Johnson, Kuhn hangs onto his roster spot on the Packers. He's a devestating lead blocker and helps springs Grant on some 30-plus yard runs back like he did in '07. And he's an integral part of special teams once again.
Worst case scenario: Just like people predicted, Kuhn loses his roster spot to Johnson. Maybe Kuhn is more steady than Johnson is at this point in his career, but Kuhn just doesn't have the upside. There's no way the Packers are going to keep three fullbacks on the 53-man roster, so Kuhn is out of a job.

Quinn Johnson

Best case scenario: Maybe Johnson struggled learning his assignments during training camp and maybe he's not the type of player that's going to touch the football a whole lot, but he's great at what he does best. And that's flattening defenders. Because Johnson is such a bulldozer of a player, he earns his spot on the team. The more the season wears on, the more of a role Johnson plays on the team. By season's end, Johnson is the Packers' starting fullback. He makes the NFL's all-rookie team.
Worst case scenario: Wow, what a bust of a draft pick! Johnson becomes the highest draft choices in the entire NFL to be cut. Maybe he's good at blocking, but the Packers can't trust him on the field yet. At all. He's a physical specimen, but he just can't pick up more complicated NFL offenses. The Packers decide he's worth developing on the practice squad, though.

Wynn has a long way to go

Brian Carriveau — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:11:47 GMT

Don't be confused by an article you may have read over at Packers Gab saying that DeShawn Wynn has "locked down" the job as the third string running back.

"According to the Green Bay Press-Gazette, DeShawn Wynn appears to have locked down the job as the Packers’ third running back," writes Matt Loede.

Locked down the job? In June? Doubtful.

That's what training camp is for, locking down jobs. It's unlikely that anybody down as low as third on the depth chart has locked down anything yet. Let's wait until August before making leaps like that.

Attributing such information to the Green Bay Press-Gazette was a mistake as well. The Press-Gazette and reporter Pete Dougherty made no such claim.

In the article Packers Gab is assumed to have gotten their information from, Dougherty writes, "If DeShawn Wynn continues to show the professionalism he has this offseason, he’ll be the front-runner over Kregg Lumpkin for the No. 3 halfback job because he’s the more gifted ball carrier."

Considering the way Wynn ended the 2008 season with a 100-yard rushing performance compared to the way Lumpkin ended his on injured reserve, it's not a stretch to say Wynn will be the "front-runner" for the job.

As any smart coach would do, give everyone a chance to win a roster spot during training camp when the pads go on. A common refrain during OTAs and mini-camp was that it was hard to learn anything about the players without pads.

Al Bracco of Packers Lounge did a nice job dissecting why Lumpkin might have a say in winning a roster berth this season.

And don't forget undrafted rookie running back Tyrell Sutton either. It's possible that the rookie might be more suited to the third down-type of role than any other running back on the team.

Concerned about running backs? Don't worry, be happy

Brian Carriveau — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:24:00 GMT

Fueled in part by our Cheesehead Nation broadcast with former Packers vice president Andrew Brandt and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel beat writer Greg Bedard, Packer fans seem to be getting restless concerning the stable of running backs.

Bedard came out and said, "Certain people in the organization wanted Ryan Grant to play."

Alex Tallitsch of Packers Lounge isn't happy and is questioning whether Grant is the best man for the job.

"It’s a serious accusation, and one I am not too happy about if it is true," writes Tallitsch. "If you are so insecure in the front office up in Green Bay that you are playing Grant to feed your need to prove something, y’all need to have a meeting and get that crap figured out."

Tallitsch isn't wrong in his assessment, but perhaps his questioning of Grant's deserving to play is misplaced. Like many in Packer Land, fans are upset that Grant got a contract maybe he hasn't yet deserved amid all the Brett Favre hoopla a year ago.

On the same website, "Jersey" Al Bracco is hyping up Kregg Lumpkin as the best running back on the Packers' roster.

"As Packer fans continue arguing Grant vs Jackson, I am here to throw a monkey wrench into the debate," writes Bracco. "Neither one of them is the best running back on the Packers. Lurking in the wings and waiting for his chance could very well be the best running back on the Green Bay Packers roster—Kregg Lumpkin."

Here we, as fans, are critiquing the Packers for playing a guy that earned over 1200 yards last season. Sure his 3.9 yard per carry average in 2008 pales in comparision to the 5.1 he averaged in 2007, but it's not as if Grant played poorly.

A comment from username PackersRS on Packers Lounge points out:

1. He played almost every 3rd and short and goal line situations.

2. He was hurt early on and didn’t attend minicamps and preseason.

3. Teams gameplanned against him, unlike 2007. And Rodgers wasn’t feared as Favre was, so teams played the run more.

I agree, I think the Packers certainly could have played Brandon Jackson more considering his 5.5 yard average on a meager 45 carries. The Packers may benefit from employing more of a two back system, and Jackson seems to impress when he gets the chance.

However, Grant brings a dimension that no other back on the Packers' roster brings with his hard nosed running. When Grant really flops and averages 3.3 yards per carry, then call for his head.

Be mad at the Packers' organization for giving Grant a contract he maybe didn't deserve, but don't be mad at Grant for his play on the field. He's done very little of criticism yet.