Railbird Central : Noah Herron

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.

Blue chips, red chips & cow chips from Packers preseason finale

Brian Carriveau — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:33:00 GMT

Take a look at who played well and who played crappy in the final preseason game for 2008:

The blue chip, great performances:

The linebackers -- If head coach Mike McCarthy is really going to keep the 53 best players on the roster, is there any doubt he'll keep 7 linebackers? Come to think of it, the trio of Desmond Bishop, Abdul Hodge and Tracy White would make a good starting trio on a lot of NFL teams based upon the way they played on Thursday. Both Hodge and White tied for the team lead in tackles with nine. Two of Hodge's nine tackles went for a loss. Not far behind those two was Bishop who was next with seven tackles. And none of them appeared to be out of position. Also playing well was Brandon Chillar who had two tackles in very limited playing time. The top seven players appear headed for a roster spot unless the Packers find a trading partner for one of them. Even Spencer Havner had his best showing of the preseason, but appears destined for waivers.
The first string offense -- Maybe it's unfair to put the first string offense in this spot seeing as they really only played one play, but they made the most of their one play. Why risk further injury to the starters? They got the job done. Aaron Rodgers left the game with a 158.3 passer rating and Greg Jennings had one catch for 68 yards and a touchdown. And unlike the second string, the first string offensive line gave up zero sacks. These comments are made in jest, but it was an encouraging sign.

The red chip, solid performances:

Joey Haynos -- The undrafted rookie tight end is on the fence regarding a roster spot, but he did everything in his power to put on a good performance in his final audition. Haynos had three receptions for 35 yards with a long of 20. But more impressive was the way he broke tackles and fought for extra yards while falling forward when being tackled. Having a big frame helps in that regard. Haynos could be fighting Tory Humphrey for the final tight end spot, but he also could be a practice squad candidate if nothing else.
Noah Herron -- In limited opportunities, Herron had 79 yards on 14 carriers for a solid 5.6 yard average coming into Thursday night's game. He continued to up the ante last night when he added 25 yards on only 4 carries for a 6.3 yard average. And that's not counting the 19 yard run he had that was cut down to seven on a holding penalty. It's hard to see the Packers keeping both Herron and Vernand Morency. At least Herron has helped to make their choice a tough one.

The cow chip, crappy performances:

Brian Brohm -- Aside from the statstics, Brohm has really put the Packers in a quandry. If the Packers decide to add a veteran quarterback after the rest of the NFL teams decide to trim their rosters, they'll have to cut Matt Flynn and risk losing him to make room for a veteran QB, because you know they're not going to release the second rounder. So even though Flynn has outperformed Brohm, Flynn could end up lost due to Brohm's ineptitude. Thursday didn't help when Brohm had three fumbles (lost only one) and was sacked four times (at least one of which he could have avoided). He completed over fifty percent of his passes, but hasn't shown that he can consistently lead scoring drives like Flynn can.
The pass rush -- It's only the preseason, but have you noticed that the Packers only had two sacks the entire preseason. The Packers certainly weren't going to expose any new blitz packages and played pretty vanilla defense most of the time. But the defensive line didn't exactly wow anyone with pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Of course, that could change in the regular season. You just know Aaron Kampman will be his usual self, while seeing KGB could go a long way towards improved sack numbers.

Blue chips, red chips & cow chips from Packers vs. Broncos game

Brian Carriveau — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 15:53:23 GMT

After viewing the first win for the Green Bay Packers this preseason, here's how things break down:

The blue chip, amazing performances:

Aaron Rodgers -- One week after there was cause for concern, Rodgers rebounded with a solid bordering on spectacular performance. Rodgers was 18 or 22 on the game for 193 yards with one touchdown and zero interceptions. Of his four incompletions, one was an obvious drop and another was a catch that was out of bounds. Given those miscues it was a great performances. After last week's game against the San Francisco 49ers in which Rodgers was criticized for hanging onto the ball to long, which led to four sacks, both Rodgers and the offensive line improved their play allowing only one sack.
Special teams -- For the second week in a row, punter Jon Ryan killed. The third year pro had a 60 yard gross average on three punts with a 49.7 yard net (!) and a long of 72 yards. Performances like that will pin opponents deep in their own territory. It's also possible that the Packers will have the deepest return specialist unit in the NFL. None of them are as talented as Devin Hester or Josh Cribbs, but do you realize that Tramon Williams is probably going to be the third string punt returner? And that makes Charles Woodson fourth string?!?! I still don't know how or why the Packers won't put Jordy Nelson on their first string kickoff return tandem with Will Blackmon. How can you not have him on the field?

The red chip, solid performers:

Wide receivers -- The receiving unit has been under fire lately for an unusually high amount of dropped passes. As if Aaron Rodgers' job isn't tough enough, he's been plagued by drops that aren't his fault. The receivers had a solid game and could have been in the blue chip category had James Jones not had a drop. After key drops in each of the first two preseason games, Donald Driver was back to his old self with a touchdown. Greg Jennings led the team in receptions despite playing in his first preseason game this year. And solid performances were turned in by Ruvell Martin, Jordy Nelson, and Chris Francies as well.
The backup halfbacks -- Maybe the toughest personnel decision the Packers will have to make is what to do with the halfbacks. They normally keep three, but five are deserving. Ryan Grant and Brandon Jackson are locks, but Vernand Morency, Noah Herron and Kregg Lumpkin are all making a case to stick around. The Packers may keep four of them just because they'd be among the 53 best players on the roster regardless of position. Vernand Morency will be tough to cut because he's a veteran who's had a 100 yard game in the past, he's a reliable blocker and he's a key special teams contributor. But can the Packers afford to keep a fourth? Herron averaged 6.8 yards on four carries last night in hopes of proving his worth? And Lumpkin led the team in yards and had another touchdown. The Packers could try to keep Lumpkin on their practice squad but risk losing him if another team thinks he's worthy of being on their 53 man roster.

The cow chip, poor performances:

The defensive line -- The Packers are sorely, sorely missing Ryan Pickett. His anchor in the middle of the line is invaluable to the performance of the line as a whole. He sometimes demands double teaming, and at the very least, he frees up linebackers to make tackles. The rest of the tackles are simply under-performing. Cullen Jenkins plays best at end and needs to start there. He can play effectively in the interior in passing situations only. Colin Cole is okay, but he's not starting caliber. And none among a group of players including Johnny Jolly, Daniel Muir, Alfred Malone and Conrad Bolston did anything of note last night. I'm not even sure why the Packers even experiment with Jason Hunter and Michael Montgomery at the tackles. The only way either of those two are going to see any success is on the edge where they can use their speed and are going one-on-one with a single lineman.
Nick Barnett -- This might be a little bit of a harsh assessment, but there were a couple times last night and several times this preseason when Barnett has missed tackles because he has over-pursued ball carriers and can't make an adjustment when the carrier changes directions. Overall, Barnett has been solid, though. At least he has lived up to the saying that says if you make a mistake, make it at 100 percent.

Best/worst case scenarios for Packer running backs

Brian Carriveau — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:57:18 GMT

Today we take a look at the best and the worst case scenarios for the Green Bay Packer running backs for the 2008 season:

Ryan Grant -- After a holdout early in training camp, Grant is in the fold. But now he's nursing an injury that may or may not set him back. Whether being in training camp would have given Grant better conditioning and decreased his susceptibility is up for debate. It appears he'll be ready to go for the season opener on Monday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings, though. Best case, Grant has the same type of season he did last year, but it begins week one. He rushes for at least 1200 yards and takes a lot of pressure of Aaron Rodgers. Worst case, Grant doesn't live up to the hype and is a middle of the road NFL running back. He starts but doesn't strike fear in anyone.
Brandon Jackson -- It's time to see whether the hype given to Jackson from head coach Mike McCarthy is warranted or not. After a rookie year in which he slowly but steadily improved, Jackson stands to play a significant role in the offense even if he doesn't start. Best case, Jackson shows that the Packers have 1 and 1A running back with him and Grant much like the New York Giants duo of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. Worst case, Jackson eventually loses his grip on the top backup job and finishes the season somewhere in the realm of 200 rushing yards.
Vernand Morency -- Remember when rushed for over 100 yards in a game in the 2006 season after the Packers traded for him? And when he rushed for 99 in another? Remember the high expectations? It wasn't all that long ago, and I doubt he's lost that much. Best case, Morency's solid play both running the ball and in his pass protection have him pushing for Jackson's hold on the No. 2 halfback spot. Worst case, I can envision a scenario where the Packers either cut or trade Morency when they decide either Noah Herron or Kregg Lumpkin is a better choice. Not a likely scenario but possible.
Noah Herron -- The book on Herron has always been that he's a solid but not spectacular performer. The type of guy you can rely to play mistake free football, but not the type who's going to break off a 50 yard touchdown run. Best case, Herron's continued solid play has him becoming the third down specialist because he can catch the ball out of the backfield as well as take on blitzing linebackers. Worst case, the Packers keep a potential game breaker like Lumpkin instead of going the safe route with Herron.
Kregg Lumpkin -- The Packers are doing more than just kicking the tires with Lumpkin through their first two preseason games. They're taking him for a very, very long test drive. With the exception of his one costly fumble, he's played pretty well too. Best case, the Packers think that if they cut Lumpkin, someone's going to gobble him up before they can stash him on their practice squad. Therefore, he actually makes the roster. Worst case, he's on somebody else's practice squad. Someone in the NFL is going to give him a shot if it isn't the Packers.
DeShawn Wynn -- It's hard to envision the Packers giving Wynn another chance. With Grant and Jackson being locks, it looks like either Morency, Herron, and Lumpkin would all be more reliable options than the up and down Wynn. Best case, the Packers brass disagrees with me and Wynn somehow, someway finds his way onto the roster. Worst case, he's looking through the newspaper classifieds.
Korey Hall -- The Packers got a pleasant surprise when last year's sixth round draft choice became a starter for them. He didn't wow anyone, but he made a lot of NFL All-Rookie teams at fullback. That being said, there weren't a ton of rookie fullbacks. Best case, Hall learns and grows and takes a big step up in his second year, which includes a couple touchdowns on the receiving end of passes. Worst case, the Packers phase the fullback out of the offense like a lot of other teams in the NFL. Hall becomes primarily a special teams player.
John Kuhn -- There's a segment of fans out there who attribute last year's successes in the running game to Kuhn whose blocking paved the way for some long touchdowns for Grant. If he can continue to do that along with being a consistent special teams contributor, he should find himself a spot again. Best case, Kuhn unseats Hall in the starting lineup at fullback. He also contributes a touchdown or two. Worst case, the Packers decide they're only going with one fullback and Hall is it.
Ryan Powdrell -- Powdrell's biggest asset is that he's a big, bruising fullback. Whether that works in his favor or not, I'm not sure. Best case, Powdrell is asked to be on the practice squad, which would actually be a step up for him seeing as he spent all last season on injured reserve. Worst case, the Packers go with Kuhn and the only big, bruiser they need.
Corey White -- White's biggest asset is that he's versatile. He's a fullback but can play halfback in a pinch like he did during the 2007 preseason. Best case, White is back for his second stint on the practice squad and even that is looking like a long shot. Worst case, pink slip.

Photo credit: Mark Hoffman/Journal Sentinel