Railbird Central : Will Blackmon

Packers Daily Links 10.7.09

Brian Carriveau — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:37:11 GMT

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Looks like Mark Tauscher could be back in the fold as early as today. When asked if signing Tauscher was imminent, head coach Mike McCarthy told the press including the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "I would think so, if it works out. You know how those things go. It would be great to have Mark back here. I have spoken to (right tackle) Allen Barbre about it. He knows he is coming in. This is something that has been planned." The timing seems to have worked out almost perfectly. The Packers knew he wouldn't be ready to play at the beginning of the season. But they also knew that a football season takes its toll and will have room for him by October.

We won't be seeing Will Blackmon anytime for the remainder of the season. "Will Blackmon, who returned punts for touchdowns in both games against Minnesota last season, had his season end on Monday when he injured the ACL in his left knee during a kickoff return at Minnesota," writes Bill Huber of Packer Report. It's an unfortunate situation, but this could signal the end of Blackmon's career in Green Bay. He was a solid return man but not spectacular. It would be hard to believe the Packers would want to go with him next season coming off an injury.

As for who will replace Blackmon: "Receiver Jordy Nelson will remain the Packers’ kickoff returner, but the team hasn’t determined a new punt returner now that Will Blackmon has been lost for the season because of a knee injury," reports the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Likely candidates to return punts are either Nelson, Tramon Williams or perhaps even Brett Swain. Given Williams' return for a touchdown in the past, I think he has the inside edge if he can get in a little practice during the bye week.

Monday night's game was the highest rated show in the history of cable television. "The game was seen in 15.1 million cable TV households," reports the Press-Gazette. "An estimated 21.8 million viewers watched the Brett Favre-led Vikings beat the Packers, 30-23." This is not surprising. The previous record was also held by a Monday Night Football game between the Ravens and the Patriots in 2007.

Woodson was critical of both the coaching staff and management after Monday's game, but McCarthy didn't seem perturbed. "McCarthy said he didn't have a problem with Woodson's comments about the game plan, or when Woodson said that Anthony Smith, who was released before the season, could have helped with some of the breakdowns the team was having at safety," according to the Journal Sentinel. The release of Smith was probably the biggest personnel mistake the Packers could have made. With Nick Collins set to become a free agent, the Packers could have some gaping holes at safety by next season.

The stats show the Packers are among the worst in the entire NFL at dropping passes. "Rodgers' receivers keep dropping balls," writes Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel. "Tight end Donald Lee dropped what would have been a touchdown pass; wide receiver Donald Driver dropped a pass inside Minnesota territory; and running back DeShawn Wynn dropped a pass in the flat. According to STATS, the Packers rank tied for third in the NFL in dropped passes with 10."

Tony Wilson of Mike McCarthy's Feedbag is especially ticked off at Lee.

Howie Magner of Milwaukee Magazine thinks Monday's loss was especially painful.

Aaron Nagler of Cheeshead TV thinks Dom Capers was exposed.

Railbird endorsed video: Enjoy "Amplified Messiah" by Assembly of Dust...

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.

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Packers Daily Links 9.13.09

Brian Carriveau — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 15:08:45 GMT

Links. Get it?

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Return specialist and return man Will Blackmon may not play in today's season opener against the Chicago Bears. "Blackmon hasn't been cleared to play against the Chicago Bears even after catching a few punts during practice on Friday, a workout in which he was listed as a limited participant," reports Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. "The Packers listed him as questionable on their injury report." I've been surprised how limited Blackmon has been over the past two weeks. This is the most significant thigh bruise I think I've ever heard about.

Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes about how first round draft pick B.J. Raji tried to play catch-up after missing time due to a contract hold out. "After missing two weeks of training camp because of prolonged contract negotiations, Raji has played catch-up by spending extra time with the coaches on his own," writes Nickel. "He would meet with them for an hour each day before practice." It's amazing how much seemingly no one is concerned about the time Raji missed at the beginning of training camp. I guess this is part of the reason why. Or the fact that he's looked good during the preseason.

Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette analyzes the choices general manager Ted Thompson must make on 11 players in the last year of their contract this season. These choices are compounded by a potentially uncapped year due to the league's collective bargaining agreement. "From this seat, it looks like the Packers are best off proceeding as they would with or without a cap," writes Dougherty. "With their ownership structure, their budget for players probably should be the same whether or not there's a cap — for their purposes, the cap functions as a check on the wealthiest teams' spending." Dougherty's article is a good read to see which players are heading into free agency next season. It bodes well for the Packers this year that so many players will be playing their butts off to get a good pay day next year.

Greg Bedard of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has some inside information about tight end Jermichael Finley's preparation at 1265 Lombardi Ave. "Finley and (tight ends coach Ben) McAdoo often spend hours in the team's gymnasium concocting a life-size gridiron chessboard the day before a game," writes Bedard. "Fifty-gallon yellow bins are the offensive linemen. Red circle pads are strategically placed to show Finley where the defense will be lined up. Sometimes McAdoo gets undrafted players to be live bodies." I'd love to see this in action.

C.D. Angeli of Tundra Vision is concerned about the Packers' penalties the past couple years. "The silent elephant still in the room is the fact that the Packers have been one of the most penalized teams in the NFL since coming under the leadership of Mike McCarthy," writes Angeli. "Last year, they managed to lead the NFL in penalty yardage with 984, after finishing second in 2007 with (gulp) 1,006 yards tacked off." This is one area that can be directly attributed to McCarthy. If the Packers continue this unfortunate trend, it's McCarthy that deserves the criticism for it.

McCarthy confirmed that Brian Brohm is at the top of their list should the Packers need another quarterback. "Brohm, a second-round draft choice in 2008 who was cut last Saturday, appeared heartened to learn that the Packers would elevate him from the practice squad instead of dipping into the fairly attractive list of veterans," writes Bob McGinn of the Journal Sentinel. I don't think this is particularly surprising given the amount of time it would take a free agent to learn the Packers' offense. Brohm might not be the answer, but it would probably be an even scarier proposition to see a journeyman quarterback lead the Packers offense with only a couple weeks worth of knowledge of the system.

The official Packers website has a Q&A with McCarthy where the head coach confirmed there will be a lot more subbing on defense this year compared to previous years. "We'll probably use more combinations of players in this year's defense than we have in the past, and hopefully that will help us," said McCarthy. With guys like Brandon Chillar, Desmond Bishop and Clay Matthews all not starting, it should definitely help rotating fresh bodies in and out of the game, especially in situations that play to their strength.

Don't expect to see rookie fullback Quinn Johnson on offense, at least for the first couple weeks. "Johnson might be the most punishing lead blocker of the three fullbacks, but veterans John Kuhn and Korey Hall will do all the playing until further notice," writes McGinn. That being said, Johnson appears to be active on game days and part of special teams.

Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel looks at the 3-4 defense one more time before the season starts.

Mark Strotman of PackerChatters previews the season.

John Zoul of Packers Gab has some gambling tips.

Railbird endorsed video: Brothers Past played at the Union Terrace in Madison on Friday. I'm sorry I missed it. Enjoy "Lunar Cycle"...

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.

Impressed with Packers coach Slocum

Brian Carriveau — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:47:58 GMT

To faithful readers of Railbird Central, I apologize I haven't written much in the past couple weeks. As some of you know, I'm writing a book, and I'm trying like heck to get as much of it done as possible before training camp starts.

Thankfully, the book is nearing completion. The work of non-fiction is tentatively titled It's Just a Game, and it's about adults who commit themselves to playing amateur baseball while leading normal work-a-day lives outside the game at the same time.

Most of you that come here are Packers fans, however, and I've got a treat for you. Despite the project being about baseball, I was suprised to learn and write about a connection to the Green Bay Packers.

That's as much as I can say right now. But as I reach the end of the writing process, I will share an excerpt from the book here regarding the Packers.

Thanks for your patience. And that being said, I want to share with readers an article I read by the Green Bay Press-Gazette's Tom Pelissero about new special teams coach Shawn Slocum and his approach to dealing with Mason Crosby.

The generally held perception is that Crosby has underachieved since coming into the NFL with the Packers but has the potential to be much better.

Slocum has the responsibility to keep pressure on Crosby to succeed and not become complacent despite being the only kicker in camp. Impressive is Slocum's openness when talking about his coaching methods and how he's dealing with the situation.

"We’re aiming to make every field goal," Slocum said. "Now, realistically, what we saw last year was a 90-percentile range with the top kickers in the league. That’s something we’re working hard to do. We’re keeping track of every competitive kick in practice, and he’s getting the results back on a collective basis, so he can see his body of work over the course of time, and that’s what the season’s all about.

"We make practice difficult. If you do it in practice, then you have a chance to say in the game when a situation occurs, ‘I’ve been here and I’ve done it before. I’ll do it right now.’ So, we try to put pressure on him. We did it today, with a game-winning field goal two times, and he did well on both of them."

I think this is something Packers fans didn't necessarily see with former special teams coach Mike Stock, and it was confirmed in a quote by return specialist Will Blackmon in another recent article by Pelissero.

“Last year or even in previous years, (players) were just given the return, as opposed to Coach Slocum is actually teaching the guys technique on how to block the guy,” Blackmon said. “They can just follow what’s on the sheet and run over there — (but) it doesn’t mean necessarily they’re going to make the block. It seems that simple, and yet it’s not that simple.”

It's refreshing to see a coach do everything he possibly can to improve his coaching.