Railbird Central : Pat Lee

Three tweets 9.16.09

Brian Carriveau — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:55:02 GMT

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

1. Question: If they're all healthy, who's the fourth best corner on the #Packers? Pat Lee, Will Blackmon, or Brandon Underwood?

2. FYI: The only active player on the #Packers not to play a single down vs. the Bears? Scott Wells.

3. Prediction: The #Packers draft a true center within the first three rounds of the 2010 draft.

Join the craze. Click here to follow Railbird Central on Twitter.

Packers Daily Links 9.3.09

Brian Carriveau — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:28:32 GMT

Links. Get it?

Social Networking: Follow both Railbird Central and me on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel thinks rookie cornerback Brandon Underwood has done good enough to hang onto the No. 4 cornerback job. "Underwood has assumed the No. 4 cornerback position, in part because Will Blackmon (thigh) and Pat Lee (back) have been sidelined with injuries," writes Silverstein. "Assuming Underwood doesn't do anything Thursday to ruin his shot at making the 53-man roster, there's a good chance he'll open the season as No. 4, behind No. 3 Tramon Williams." Simply staying healthy has definitely worked in his favor. Underwood has played well this preseason. He's been agressive and hasn't gotten beat deep. The Packers seemed to have gotten good value for a sixth round draft choice.

Silverstein tells us to watch for Quinn Johnson on special teams in tonight's game. "One way fullback Quinn Johnson can make the team is to show he can be an effective special-teams player. No team can afford to keep a fullback on the 45-man game-day roster who doesn't play special teams," writes Silverstein. "Both John Kuhn and Korey Hall are outstanding special-teams players, but they don't have the sheer power Johnson does." Up until this point, it's been disappointing to see Johnson not even competing on some special teams units. He simply must contribute there in order to make the team.

Aaron Nagler of Cheesehead TV says that tonight might just be the biggest game of Brian Brohm's professional career thus far. "They’ve spent this much time on him – it doesn’t make sense to get rid of the guy just as he seems to be ‘getting it,'" writes Nagler. "Yes, he’s been a horrible disappointment thus far, but the league’s history is riddled with QBs that looked awful their first few years before getting cut by their teams and having success elsewhere down the road in their careers. Better to keep Brohm for at least one more year and see if he can continue to develop." Seeing him throw for at least one touchdown tonight would be a major step in the right direction. Of course, it won't count for much if he also doesn't stay away from the turnovers.

According to Forbes magazine, the Packers rank near the middle among all NFL teams in terms of value. "Forbes annually estimates how much the teams are worth and placed the Dallas Cowboys as the most valuable team, worth $1.65 billion," writes Richard Ryman of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. "The Packers ranked 16th at $1.02 billion. The least valuable team is the Minnesota Vikings, at $839 million."

Acme Packing Company is taking notice that everyone is falling in love with the Packers after their good preseason. "It is a bit ironic, given the fact that a few months ago, most analysts had us finishing 3rd in the NFC, failing to transition into the 3-4 smoothly, and not improving much on our 6-10 record," writes Green and Bold. "But after three dominating preseason performances, the Packers' bandwagon is quickly filling up."

Joe Arrigo of Joe's Lockerroom Blog thinks highly of Aaron Rodgers. "Aaron Rodgers looks like he is ready to become a super star," writes Arrigo. "He is everything you would want in a QB, smart, accurate, strong armed, a leader on and off the field and handles situations with respect and grace."

Titletown Brewery is featured over at Lounge Center.

Peter King of Sports Illustrated says the Packers are going to lose to the Bears in the NFC Championship game. Hat tip: Packergeeks.

Dale Z. of Green Bay Bums gives you a reason to watch tonight's game.

Did you see Aaron Rodgers is featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated regionally.

Ol' Bag of Donuts looks at how some experts feel about the Packers.

Railbird endorsed video: Dave Matthews Band had to cancel their show on September 1 due to strain on Dave's vocal chords. For those of you that got shut out, here they are performing "All Along the Watchtower"...

Time for Pat Lee to prove himself

Brian Carriveau — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 01:12:53 GMT

Quarterback Brian Brohm has gotten his fair share of criticism from Cheesehead Nation after underperforming ever since coming to the Packers. However, fellow '08 second round draft pick Pat Lee deserves just as much criticism.

Brohm didn't play a single snap in '08, but he also played a position where Aaron Rodgers basically stayed healthy all season long. Lee, on the other hand, only played in five out of 16 games in '08 and registered all of one tackle on defense.

In the '09 preseason, Brohm has at least been giving the old college try while Lee has sat on the sidelines injured for every preseason game so far.

Lee finally is healthy and will see the field for the first time in '09 on Thursday evening against the Tennessee Titans. That game should be an important audition.

Especially with Al Harris, Charles Woodson and Will Blackmon all sitting the preseason finale out, Lee figures to see plenty of playing time. And he needs to play well.

Just like Brohm, it's too early to give up on a second round draft choice of a year ago, but Lee has to start showing signs of promise. Guys like Brandon Underwood, Joe Porter and Jarrett Bush have all been playing their tails off all training camp long and have shown signs of promise.

As long as he's able, Lee needs to be given the most snaps out of any cornerback in order to evaluate his play. And he needs to stay healthy as well.

If Lee doesn't perform up to par, he faces being a game day inactive for most of the season. And that's not good news for a player the Packers invested a second round draft choice on.

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.

Standing room only among cornerbacks

Brian Carriveau — Wed, 20 May 2009 11:11:08 GMT

Quietly, the Green Bay Packers have built a youthful if slightly overcrowded stable of cornerbacks. It's grown so large that, unfortunately, there's going to one or two that were around last year that won't make it this year.

Behind incumbent starters and Pro Bowlers Al Harris and Charles Woodson are a crew that will be fighting for maybe three or four roster spots.

After a solid season as the nickel cornerback, Tramon Williams is but assured a spot on the 53-man roster. His solid play and ability to snag his fair share of interceptions leave no doubt land him the nickel job once again.

Behind Williams in the pecking order sit last year's backup corners -- Will Blackmon and Pat Lee.

In addition to his reserve cornerback role, Blackmon has the return specialist job working in his favor. While he'll be the favorite to win that job again, he's not guaranteed a roster spot. Guys like Jordy Nelson and rookie Tyrell Sutton will have something to say about that. That being said, Blackmon is still a good bet.

Lee is coming into his second season after being a second round draft choice in 2008. He got very little playing time last year, but much more will be expected of him in 2009.

If you're keeping count, that's been five cornerbacks mentioned so far.

A little more cloudy is the situation where the corner/safety hybrids find themselves. Guys like Jarrett Bush and new 2009 draft choice Brandon Underwood offer versatility, but they're also further down the depth chart than the guys mentioned earlier.

Being able to play safety gives them more value, but it would be nearly impossible that all seven cornerbacks mentioned so far make the roster unless a guy like Aaron Rouse is cut or traded, and either Bush or Underwood can be a top backup at safety.

Not even mentioned yet are guys like Joe Porter who spent time on the 53-man roster at the end of last season, practice squad holdover Josh Abrams and undrafted rookie Trevor Ford.

That makes 10 guys fighting for five, six or possibly a remote chance at seven roster spots.

Of course, Ted Thompson has done a good job preparing for all eventualities. Injuries always play a part in the makeup of the 53-man roster, and it's possible any one of the afore-mentioned corners spend the season on injured reserve.

But if the Packers get to mid-August with 10 healthy corners, could one of them be trade bait?

There's got to be teams out there with a need for cornerback depth along with a return specialist. That makes Will Blackmon expendable for the right price.

The Titans, among other teams, were interested in Bush in restricted free agency. The Packers might have made the right call by re-signing him and later getting something in return for his services via trade as opposed to nothing free agency presents.

Common knowledge says that out of Blackmon, Bush, Lee and Underwood, one of them is not going to be on the 53-man roster. So who's it going to be? We'll know in September, but you can leave your best guesses in the comments below.