SB Nation - Pat Lee

Missing Al Harris In The Packers' Secondary

Brandon — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:00:25 -0000

by Gene Puskar - AP

I had been surprised at how well the Green Bay Packers' pass defense had held up in the first 3 games after CB Al Harris was lost for season with a torn ACL. But then came Big Ben and his 503 yards of passing offense. What happened against Pittsburgh that didn't happen in the previous three games?

Opponents: In the first three games without Harris, they played the Lions, Ravens, and Bears. Neither the Lions or Bears can throw the ball. The Ravens have a good pass offense, but RB Ray Rice is a large part of their passing success. The Ravens' don't have a dangerous wide receiver or tight end.

The loss of Harris against the Steelers hurt in the case of WR Santonio Holmes. He was covered for most of the game by CB Charles Woodson. But in past games, if a receiver was having a big game, such as TE Vernon Davis did back in November, the Packers could adjust and cover him with Woodson. But against the Steelers, the Packers couldn't make any adjustments. Woodson had to stay on Holmes or WR Hines Ward, and they had to rely on the recently signed CB Josh Bell. The additional losses of likely dime CB Pat Lee and backup CB Will Blackmon earlier in the season have robbed this unit of its depth, and Mike McCarthy said that "changing personnel frankly is not an option."

But the Steelers also presented another unique problem: they have four very good receivers. According to Football Outsiders, Ward, Holmes and WR Mike Wallace are all ranked among the Top 30 wide receivers. Also, TE Heath Miller is ranked in the Top 10 for tight ends. That's four receivers that deserve respect, and RB Rashard Mendenhall took advantage of that respect to find himself wide open a couple of times.

I'm not even talking about playoffs. The Packers have to win their next two games and then I'll talk about the playoffs. But looking at the rest of the schedule, expect to read stories about how well the Packers' pass defense responded to the poor game in Pittsburgh. Next up is the Seahawks, who's best receiver according to Football Outsiders is WR Nate Burleson, and he's likely out for the season. The Cardinals are more of a challenge but if they at least rest WR Larry Fitzgerald, he played through a knee injury last week, then their best receiver is WR Steve Breaston at No. 26 according to FO. Those are matchups the Packers can handle with their starters.

As far as next season goes, I would love to see them draft a defensive back in the 1st round who could play at cornerback or safety, and also push CB Jarrett Bush off the roster. Then draft an offensive tackle in the 2nd round as either a successor to LT Chad Clifton, or just provide them with better depth.

A Packer Fan's Guide To Madden 2010

Mitchell_M — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 21:08:06 -0000

If you're anything like me, you're excited for the season opener at Lambeau on Sunday night. However, you're also looking for ways to extend the NFL experience beyond just the weekend. You might even look for something different on Sundays when Green Bay isn't playing. Face it, Green Bay is on Monday Night Football in Week 13, the Week 13 showdowns between Detroit and Cincinatti or San Francisco and Seattle likely won't be very exciting, and you won't have much of a choice of what games to watch. (Unless of course you have NFL Sunday Ticket. In which case, why not just give your money directly to Jerry Jones? He needs it to buy chrome plating for his pizza cutter.)

So whether you're looking to get some gridiron action on a Wednesday night or you just can't stand watching St. Louis and Cleveland punt back and forth, I highly recommend Madden 2010 to help supply your football fix.

Word of warning: this lengthy post is based on Madden 2010 for the XBox 360. If you have a different system, you can try to use the suggestions below, but they might not work the same. Unless you're using the Wii. Screw the Wii.

I was a sickly child growing up, meaning I often wasn't able to go out and play with the other kids in the neighborhood. Video games helped pass the time until I shook off my various ailments, but I never lost my love for sports sims.

Historically, the Madden franchise has delivered installments with mixed results. Either they simply repackaged the previous year's product with updated roster information and/or a few horribly misguided "innovations", or they come up with something that actually works. Madden 2010 is of the latter variety.

The online mode is much improved; there's fewer bugs in the system, meaning you won't lose your mind because some 11-year old from New Hampshire discovered a tackling glitch. There's always little blemishes here and there, but the best part is that it forces players to use the Online Rosters of all 32 NFL teams. No longer will you go into a game against the Raiders to suddenly discover that they have Andre Johnson and Reggie Wayne.

The meat of the game, as always, is with the Franchise and Superstar mode. I've never been a huge fan of Superstar mode, mainly because I am horrible at it. Having played a mix of cornerback and safety in high school and college, I usually create myself as a cornerback, but I've never figured out how to effectively cover anybody in man coverage and I'm constantly giving up long TDs. However, playing Superstar mode as a QB, RB, WR, DE, or LB is usually a challenge worth a few tries.

As far as I'm concerned, Franchise mode is where it's at. Once upon a time, I had a dream of being a GM for the Packers. Franchise mode allows me to live that out, long after I realized that it simply wouldn't happen. (Even though it totally should. The moment Thompson retires/resigns, I'm sending an application.) In Madden 2010, Franchise mode remains essentially the same: pick your team, run through the preseason, play the regular season, play the postseason (if you made it), then go through offseason tasks like hiring coaches, scouting and drafting rookies, and resigning existing players.

My biggest gripe in Franchise mode has always been how unrealistic it is, especially where statistics are concerned. I don't care if Adrian Peterson gets cloned in a lab somewhere and the clones play for three other teams at the same time as AP: they simply cannot ALL run for 2,000+ yards in a season. What's worse is the statistics game-by-game. The default setting is Pro (medium) with quarter lengths of 5 minutes, which is just enough time to pass for 150 yards, rush for another 40, have five players with 3 tackles a piece, and win a game 24-0. These games are too short and too easy. So the obvious choices are to either up the difficulty or increase the time. But you can't do both, because then you either have 20 minutes of hellishly difficult gaming or 2 hours of even more hellishly difficult gaming.

EA Sports finally found a way to make longer quarters and higher difficulty co-exist: accelerated clock. Accelerated clock is so simple that it's genius: if you pick your play within the first 10 seconds of the play clock, it automatically runs anywhere between 10 and 25 seconds off the clock (depending on your settings). This allows you to play at a realistic pace: drives of 10 plays actually last 6 or 7 minutes of game time. It's an extraordinarily lifelike addition to the game, and I'm thankful for it.

* * *

Steps to setting up a realistic Franchise mode:

Set difficulty settings. The default setting is Pro, which puts all four categories (rush offense, pass offense, rush defense, pass defense) at 5 out of 20. The minimum setting should be All-Pro, which sets the categories at 10. Because it's so difficult to run the ball in Madden 2010, I usually set the rush offense category a notch or two lower than the other ones. For example, right now my difficulty setting is 13 for pass offense, 10 for rush offense, and 14 for pass and rush defense.

The reason it's important to up the difficulty is because at the default level, blowouts are perpetual. You will be hard pressed to play a game where you don't pass for 3 TDs, run for another 2, and return both a INT and punt return for six. Sure, it's fun every once in a while, but it's boring winning 63-3 every week.
Change Franchise setup options. The first thing to do is change quarter length from 5 minutes to 15. Then, go to the bottom of the menu and activate accelerated clock runoff. (I personally put mine at 25, but it leaves little time for audibles at the line, so 20 or even 15 might be a little easier to deal with.) Finally, toggle everything from "CPU" to "USER".

Like I explained above, the longer quarters combined with the accelerated clock and higher difficulty makes the game both more challenging and more realistic. For example, I just started a new franchise yesterday (when the new season rosters were released...goodbye Ruvell Martin, hello Brett Swain!), and I eked out a 20-17 win over Chicago. I was legitimately trying the entire game, and I was losing 17-13 for most of the second half. I've still managed to deliver blowouts against teams like Cincinnati and St. Louis, but I've actually lost to teams like Minnesota, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore. Getting the settings where they need to be make the Madden experience totally different from past years.
Fill out your roster. The newly-released Week One roster is exactly how the Packers are set up in real-life. However, Madden has minimum requirements at each position, and the new rosters are short on both offensive and defensive tackles. What I do is I sign Jamon Meredith and Anthony Toribio, simply because a) they won't play after the preseason ends and the depth chart is updated, and b) I have to sign someone anyway, or let the computer sign someone, and I'd rather have someone that's on Green Bay's practice roster. I also signed Brian Brohm, just because he's on the practice roster, the third QB never ever plays, and I can cut him outright after I find someone better in the draft or free agency. Sadly, Pat Lee and Justin Harrell were banished from Madden when they were put on IR.

After setting up your roster, you'll have to go through and manually set your depth chart. A few suggestions for those who want them: place DeShawn Wynn at RB2 over Brandon Jackson (better runner), Korey Hall at FB1 over John Kuhn (better blocker), Daryn Colledge as LT2 over Jamon Meredith (see above), and Jordy Nelson as both KR2 and PR2 over Tramon Williams (so Williams is fresher for nickel packages).
Set your audibles. There is nothing more irritating than running the 2-minute drill and having only one pass play that's in a formation suitable for it. Audibles should be set as the following for offense: one singleback inside run, two singleback pass plays (one short, one long), and two shotgun pass plays (one short, one long). It's even worse on defense, where the audibles are in the 4-3 alignment. Defense is obviously more open ended, but make sure that half of your options are 3-4 plays and the other half are nickel/dime packages with 4-man fronts.

* * *

Now that you have everything set up, it's time to sim through the preseason, right? Wrong! The preseason is extremely important for two reasons. First, it prevents bench players from regressing too far during the course of the season. If you sim through the pre-season and you don't play Quinn Johnson or Brandon Underwood, their ratings will degrade the following offseason. Even if they don't play much in the regular season, getting them reps in the preseason keeps them from losing points.

The second reason for playing in the preseason is much more important; for whatever reason, EA Sports removed the option to make substitution packages from the Franchise main screen. I personally hate this move, because without the option to sub players in specific formations, you barely get to use them. Get this, without the substitution option, Aaron Kampman simply won't play in nickel or dime packages. Let that soak in for a second, then read on.

The only way to sub specific players in or out in specific packages is to do so during the game. Whatever changes you make will be saved, so it only needs to be done once. After you determine who needs to be in or out in any given package, they will stay there until you move them.

Here's how to do it: play the first preseason game, but don't worry about calling plays. Instead, flip through the playbook and hit the RB button to bring up the substitution screen. This allows you to scroll through each of the 11 positions and sub a player for each play in that particular package. For example, if you sub Ryan Grant for Brandon Jackson in the Full House package, Jackson will be the RB for every Full House play. Be careful, though, because some formations have multiple looks (Singleback, I Formation, Shotgun, etc.) Each individual look has seperate subs, so you have to make sure that you're thorough with your substituting.

Here's the substitutions that I recommend for Green Bay:

Brandon Jackson for Ryan Grant in all Shotgun formations. Jackson is a far superior pass-catcher to Grant, and he's quicker in the open field. You should have him as your 3rd down back anyway, but this ensures that a swing pass doesn't end in a 2-yard loss.
Quinn Johnson for Korey Hall in Goal Line formation. Johnson can't run the ball, catch the ball, or pass block very well in Madden 2010. But boy, can he run block. Plug him in as the goal line fullback and watch him bowl over linebackers with ease.
John Kuhn for Korey Hall in Full House formation. The Full House isn't as heavy on power blocking, so it's ok to take out the slightly better Hall in favor of Kuhn, the slightly better receiver.
Jermichael Finley in most Single Back formations. Finley isn't a terrible blocker, but he's not great, which is why Donald Lee is still the starter. Any run plays you deploy while he's in the game won't be ruined by Finley's blocking...most of the time. He is, however, an outstanding receiver, meaning he should get the majority of the TE looks in most Single Back plays.
Aaron Kampman for Johnny Jolly in all 4-man front nickel, dime, dollar, and quarter formations. This one is self explanatory: Kampman > Jolly.
B.J. Raji for Ryan Pickett in all 3-man front nickel, dime, dollar, and quarter formations. This is important as it keeps Pickett fresh for base defense plays and uses Raji's pass rushing skills in pass defense plays.
Cullen Jenkins for Ryan Pickett in all 4-man front nickel, dime, dollar, and quarter formations. Again, self explanatory. Jenkins is an outstanding inside pass rusher, while Pickett is not. Putting Jenkins and Raji (the DT2) on the inside with Kampman on the outside gives the team an outstanding pass rush.
Jeremy Thompson/Brandon Chillar/Clay Matthews for Cullen Jenkins whenever Jenkins is moved inside. Don't let Mike Montgomery see the field unless you have to. He's awful.

Additionally, I would encourage mixing up the LB and DL rotation in any of the 5 base 3-4 sets. Put Bishop in for Hawk in a formation, and Thompson in for Matthews in another. Keeping your players in a rotation keeps them fresh and helps prevent them from getting beat or hurt. Again, you have to make these substitutions while playing in a game; you can't do it from the menu screen. I recommend focusing on one formation at a time, then running a play. Just keep track of who you moved and when so that you can finish anything you start. There's nothing worse than taking Cullen Jenkins out of a formation and failing to put him back in; then you're stuck with Montgomery and Pickett.

After setting up your substitution packages, you shouldn't have to worry about anything on the roster or depth chart unless there's an injury. As long as you do this during the first preseason game, you shouldn't have to make any changes for the rest of the year until you lose players and replace them with new ones.

* * *

After advancing to the regular season, hold off on playing the first game right away. The most important aspect of Franchise mode is not only improving your team, but sustaining it. The best way to do that is though the draft, but it's foolish to simply draft players based on their round projection. Scouting is imperative to this process, and you can only do it during the regular season.

Scouting in Madden 2010 is easy; you get a certain number of scouting reports per week (starting with 19, changing when you change scouting services in the offseason) to investigate college players. You tag the players you want information on, and the reports are back the following week. You can scout a player a maximum of 6 times before they are "fully scouted" and no longer provide you with new information on their skills.

Make sure you always scout players with high potential at positions you will need. For Green Bay, I put emphasis on LT, RT, DE, DT, and SS. Remember, the players with the highest potential are not necessarily surefire 1st round picks. For example, I found a safety whose potential meter was nearly full, and I intended on drafting him with my first pick (if he was available.) However, come draft time, I learned that he was projected to go in the 6th round. Naturally, this let me wait and use higher picks on higher projected players at different positions, and resulted in a more successful draft.

One important note about scouting; if a player has an injury rating of 70 or less, don't waste your time on him. He will ALWAYS be hurt, period. The same goes for any WR with a catch rating of less than 70 or any lineman with a strength of less than 70. Players will always improve their ratings on mechanical stuff (route running, footwork, etc.) But the more natural ratings like speed and strength rarely change.

* * *

Now that all the painfully boring stuff is done, feel free to take on all comers. Because I am feeling extra pretentious today, allow me to make some suggestions on Packer players to target, players to avoid, and plays to make it all happen.

Players who can help:

James Jones as a slot receiver. As long as he's not lined up outside, Jones is an absolute beast. The only defenders who can cover him are the elite LBs or CBs, and the corners are preoccupied with Jennings and Driver. Jones is best used running slants, drags, digs, and curls in 3-wide formations.
Jermichael Finley as second tight end. I know this isn't news to most of you, but Jermichael Finley is simply too big, too fast, and too skilled to be covered by most players. Running him in 2-TE sets opposite Donald Lee is usually a good idea, especially running outs to the sideline or seams in the middle of the field.
Charles Woodson as lockdown corner. Al Harris has lost a step in Madden 2010, but certainly not Chuck. Make sure he's covering the other team's best WR, and you should be safe.
Brandon Jackson as receiving back. I know I already mentioned this, but replacing Grant with Jackson in the Shotgun formations is critical. Nobody in Green Bay runs a flat route better than Jackson.
Will Blackmon as a return man. Again, not news here, but Will Blackmon is downright Hester-esque when returning kicks. He's not as fast as Hester (obviously), but he's stronger and able to break tackles better.

Players who can hurt:

Brandon Jackson as running back. He might be better in real life, but running a dive play with Jackson is absolutely absurd.
Aaron Kampman in man coverage. Blitz Kampman as often as possible, and leave him in zone coverage whenever he's not rushing. Do not, I repeat, do not let him cover someone man-to-man. He will let other teams eat the defense up on underneath routes.
Atari Bigby as long-term safety. Bigby is an excellent tackler, a strong player who forces fumbles, and can sometimes cover a receiver. But do not expect him to stay healthy. He's good for 2009, but I would look to draft a replacement as soon as possible.
Jeremy Kapinos as anything. Video games sometimes imitate real life, and this is proof. Kapinos' punts are awful. Find a replacement ASAP.

Plays to use on offense:

Strong I Slot Off Tackle: A solid run play that uses the FB as a lead blocker while the WR3 pulls a linebacker away from the box. Unless you run into a blitz, you should get no fewer than 5 yards with this play, and you'll often break longer runs.
Singleback Flex Inside Cross: A very reliable short pass play that features the TE and WR3 running opposite drag routes. Use this to pick up a short first down or, if the defense is in man coverage, to get a big play out of the receiver after the catch.
Full House Weak Zone: A safe run play that is best used away from the defense's strong point. If the LBs are loading up one side, simply switch the play to the other side. Good for running between the 20's.
Shotgun Doubles On HB Angle: On 3rd and long, this is the play to run. You have three main options: the RB running a check down route in the middle of the field, the slot receiver running a short china route to the weak side, and the tight end running an out on the strong side. If the defense is stacked towards the short zones, hit either receiver on deep routes for a big pickup.

Plays to use on defense:

3-4 Normal Strong/Weak Blitz: Either the Strong or Weak blitz works fine: the OLB and ILB on one side overload their half of the offense while everyone else is in man coverage with safety help over the top.
3-4 Over Trio Sky Zone: Very similar to the Strong or Weak Blitz, but this play offers a solid zone coverage scheme instead of man-to-man.
Nickel Normal CB Fox Blitz: Use the CB on either side to go around the offensive tackle and get to the quarterback quickly. The 4-man front helps keep any run plays in check while the corner blitzes.
Nickel 2-4 Cover 2 Sink: A very basic coverage scheme that offers decent pass rush: the DTs are flanked by both OLBs, who rush the edge. The other two LBs and all three CBs take intermediate zones, while both safeties split the field.

Well, that's really all I can think of for now. If you think I'm on to something, want to add something yourself, or you have criticisms of my strategies, or even if you hate Madden and want to rail against me for including it in a post, leave your love/vitriol in the comments section.

Just don't hate on my Madden skills. I will take on any and all comers. Challengers, step right up.

Analysis: The Green Bay Packers New Look Secondary

Brandon — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:15:19 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

3 months ago: In this July 30, 2007, photo, Green Bay Packers' Charles Woodson (21) talks to Al Harris during NFL football training camp in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers return almost all of last year's defensive players, and they'll all be adjusting to different roles--including Harris and Woodson, man-to-man specialists who now will be playing more zone. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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With three defensive backs injured during the final preseason game, and two injuries at safety entering it, the depth in the secondary has been shaken up. The whole roster got more confusing when two players were placed on I.R. (S Charlie Peprah and CB Pat Lee), and one of the preseason's stars was released (S Anthony Smith). And one new face was added in a trade.

The best news in all of this was that the starting lineup is the same. CB Charles Woodson and CB Al Harris will start, alongside S Atari Bigby and S Nick Collins. CB Tramon Williams could play as much as 60% of the time as the nickel back.

So meet the new face: CB Derrick Martin.

He was a 6th round draft choice of Baltimore in 2006, and the Green Bay Packers acquired him in trade for OL Tony Moll. The Packers have had their eye on Martin since they scouted him in college at Wyoming.
In his first three seasons, he played exclusively at cornerback, starting 3 games in 2007. He played in 4 games in 2008 before a shoulder injury ended his season.
This preseason, he's been playing exclusively at safety. Now that he's in Green Bay, I expected he'd be playing some at cornerback again, but, according to Tom Pelissero, he spent his first practice following safeties coach Darren Perry around. So he's a safety.
He projected as high as a 3rd round pick in 2006. But according NFL Draft Scout, as a cornerback, the best he can be is a nickel back, so the move to safety might be a good one.
And he had some problems with a bowling pin and some marijuana back in 2008, but was never charged.

S Anthony Smith had a great preseason, there were even rumors he might unseat Bigby, but surprisingly he was released last weekend. CB Pat Lee was a 2nd round pick in 2008 and seemed certain to move up the depth chart in 2009, but a back injury kept him out most of training camp and a knee injury ended his season.

Cornerbacks:

CB Will Blackmon. According to Tom Pelissero, he's still not dressed for practice. If he's healthy, he'll be the top reserve.

CB Brandon Underwood. They love those guys that can play multiple positions. Although he played safety during his final college season at Cincinnati, the 6th round pick has been playing exclusively at cornerback in the NFL. He's got some promise; he appears to be able to close on receivers with a good jump and his tall 6'1" frame. But he also plays with a lot of cushion and has gotten spun around by a double move on more than one occassion. He's not ready to play right now, but he's the next healthy cornerback currently on the depth chart.

Safety:

S Aaron Rouse. According to Tom Pelissero, he was in practice on Monday. Just as in 2008; he remains the top backup at safety.

S Jarrett Bush. The former nickel back has been playing exclusively at safety this preseason. The team roster lists him as a cornerback/safety, but he'd only play cornerback in an emergency.

S Derrick Martin. He'll be a safety, so he seems like an odd addition because they need cornerback depth. Apparently the Packers just had a "thing" for him, so says GM Ted Thompson:

Q: Was the decision on Anthony Smith a performance-based one?
A: It was just a thing, we had an opportunity to get a player from Baltimore that kind of fit what we were looking for. A little bit of a corner, a little bit of a safety, special teams. It just came down to that.

Analysis: Down to 53; Look Who Missed The Roster

Brandon — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 13:00:30 -0000

by John Russell - AP

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I started out by looking at who made the 53 man roster for the Green Bay Packers. But all the talk is about who didn't make the team. It's a big list, with 18 players released and 4 players placed on I.R., but there are three big surprises. I'll be going through the players on I.R. after the jump. Also, it's time to speculate who will make the practice squad.

QB Brian Brohm. It's not everyday a team releases the player who was the No. 57 overall pick less than two years ago. I'm a big fan, I think he's getting better and has a chance to be a good QB, but I can understand why he's out. He doesn't make good decisions and he has trouble throwing the ball deep. He really needs more reps; he'd be a perfect candidate for the old NFL Europe. And I can understand why they weren't able to trade him because his stats during the 2008-2009 preseasons have been bad. Also, GM Ted Thompson probably prefers carrying only two QBs on the roster. He might slip through and find his way back on the practice squad. I couldn't find any legitimate rumor of another team being interested in him.
RB Tyrell Sutton. Mike McCarthy prefers big backs. RB Ryan Grant and RB DeShawn Wynn are big backs. Sutton, at 5'7", is not. His only competition was truly RB Brandon Jackson, and it appears Jackson is a better blocker and receiver. Expect to see Sutton sign with another team very soon.
S Anthony Smith. The former 3rd round pick of the Steelers was a low cost free agent signing. He received no signing bonus, so there shouldn't be a salary cap hit for his release. He's had an outstanding preseason, although he did mix in a couple 15 yard penalties. Then they trade for CB/S Derrick Martin, who seems to be a very similar player, although he can actually play cornerback. I thought Smith had the job as the top backup safety all locked up.

WR Jake Allen. He was on the practice squad last season, but it wasn't enough to get him a good look this preseason. I rarely saw him on the field. He could return to the practice squad once again.
CB Trevor Ford. He was just awful in the game against Tennessee. He wasn't physical at the line and he couldn't keep up with the receivers in coverage. He's the least surprising cut.
OL Andrew Hartline. He had a good preseason, but he just couldn't beat out OL T.J. Lang or C Evan Dietrich-Smith. Although it probably helped Dietrich-Smith that he can play center too. He could return on the practice squad, but it will depend on who else was released around the NFL.
WR Kole Heckendorf. He had a good preseason and it should be enough to get him onto the practice squad.
LB Danny Lansanah. Another 2008 practice squad alum. He's a good player and a big hitter, but there are just too many good inside linebackers currently on the roster. He's another 2009 practice squad possibility.
RB Kregg Lumpkin. The running back everyone expected to be released. I'm still surprised he made the team last season. I'm pretty sure he's not eligible for the practice squad.
DE Alfred Malone. Rinse and repeat: another 2008 practice squad alum who had a good preseason and could make it on the 2009 practice squad.
WR Ruvell Martin. He should have made the team again this season, but he had some preseason miscues. He just didn't offer anything as a receiver that they couldn't get from WR Brett Swain. But while Swain actually showed some promise as a punt returner and as a cornerback (seriously, he wasn't that bad in the Tennesee game), Martin blew his opportunity as a holder and a punt returner (fumbled a punt return at Tennessee). He doesn't seem like a guy who will draw much interest from another team.
OL Jamon Meredith. The 5th round pick had a rocky college career in South Carolina, but the talent has always been there. He played almost exclusively at left tackle this preseason, and it seemed like he's a great run blocker. I'm really surprised they kept Dietrich-Smith over him.
NT Dean Muhtadi. He's under 300 lbs. but he always played at nose tackle. He never seemed like a good fit, but he could be signed for the practice squad.
LB Cyril Obiozor. The undrafted, college defensive end, was always a project, and he got caught in a numbers crunch. Just too many good linebackers in camp. He was probably battling 7th round LB Brad Jones for a spot, and Jones outplayed him. He's another practice squad possibility.
CB Joe Porter. Rinse and repeat: another 2008 practice squad alum who had a good preseason and could make it on the 2009 practice squad.
OL Dane Randolph. The undrafted lineman from Maryland was always a long shot, and he only played 3rd string right tackle this preseason. He's not bad, but there's just no room for him.
DE Ronald Talley. He made a couple plays this preseason, but he got beat out by DE Jarius Wynn, who made a lot of good plays.
NT Anthony Toribio. He spent a lot of time in opponent's backfields this preseason and I was hoping he grabbed one of the final roster spots. He should be playing somewhere in the NFL, but he might slip through the cracks.

Injured Reserve:

DE Justin Harrell. The frequently injured one is the least surprising addition to the I.R. Although this gives him another season to try and rehab, I don't expect he'll ever play for the Packers again.
CB Pat Lee. This sucks. He missed most of the preseason with a back injury, he finally gets healthy for the final preseason game, and he hyperextends his knee. He looked good at cornerback against Tennessee, and he made a great kick off return (on which he hyperextended his knee). With several injured players already in the secondary, they couldn't afford to stash him on the 53 man roster and wait a few weeks for him to return.
TE Evan Moore. He didn't seem hurt in the Tennessee game. He sure didn't play well this preseason (multiple penalties, at least one fumble) so I was expecting his release.
S Charlie Peprah. He played only on special teams in 2007 and 2008, but the coaches apparently like him anyway. He might have been able to return, but as I mentioned with Pat Lee above, they really can't wait.

Analysis: Green Bay Packers Trade for Derrick Martin

Brandon — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 20:50:47 -0000

More photos » by Rob Carr - AP

4 months ago: Baltimore Ravens cornerback Derrick Martin (29) breaks up a pass intended for New York Jets wide receiver Britt Davis (17) during the second half of a preseason NFL football game, Monday, Aug. 24, 2009, in Baltimore. The Ravens won 24-23. At left is Ravens Tom Zbikowski (28). (AP Photo/Rob Carr)

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I haven't posted my game review from the final preseason game yet, but it was pretty obvious why they might trade for a cornerback. CBs Pat Lee, Will Blackmon, and Brandon Underwood are all battling injuries, and CB Trevor Ford looked just awful, and he too was hurt in the last minute. WR Brett Swain played cornerback in the 4th quarter, and except for his tackling (which is something I'm sure he never practices), he was their best CB on the field. CB Jarrett Bush and CB Joe Porter are better, but they were both playing at safety, where depth is a problem too because of injuries to S Aaron Rouse and S Charlie Peprah.

With depth an issue, they made a trade for CB/S Derrick Martin, according to Aaron Wilson at the National Football Post. Baltimore will receive a 6th or 7th round pick in 2010 in return. Although Baltimore's secondary isn't loaded with big name players, including former Packer CB Frank Walker, they were a very good unit last season, so he's been competing for playing time against some good players. Martin was injured all last season, and although he's played CB in the past, the Ravens were using him exclusively at safety this preseason. Baltimore Beatdown expected that Martin would win a spot on the 53 man roster, so he should be good.

UPDATE: Great minds think alike. Mitchell and I were writing about this at the same time and his post got up before mine. Check out his post below.

UPDATE #2: It's a straight up trade of OL Tony Moll for Martin. Moll was the starting RT at the end of last season, filling in after RT Mark Tauscher went down with an injury, but he was always prone to the occasional lapse (i.e. missed assignment, holding penalty) so he was out of favor, and never even consider as Tauscher's replacement this season. He was probably going to be released, so acquiring a needed player for the secondary was a good move.

Packers Lose Final Preseason Game at Tennessee; Raji is Injured

Brandon — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 04:08:41 -0000

by John Russell - AP

3 months ago: Tennessee Titans running back Chris Henry (42) breaks away from Green Bay Packers safety Anthony Smith (29) as Packers cornerback Trevor Ford, right, closes in during the second quarter of a preseason NFL football game on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Russell)

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I've got nothing right now. I wasn't able to watch the game live, and I'll be posting my game analysis this weekend.

In a way I'm glad they lost one preseason game. They always lose the game against Tennessee anyway. But as a true sports fan, I've got a thing for jinxes and I don't want the Packers to be associated with Detroit, who won all their preseason games in 2008 (before their epic 0-16 regular season).

The most important thing during preseason is staying healthy, and there were some injuries:

DT B.J. Raji. He injured his ankle or his foot. It doesn't appear to be serious, but who knows. And according to Greg Bedard, Raji didn't want to talk about it after the game.
S Anthony Smith. It was a bad night in the secondary. It got so bad in the 4th quarter that WR Brett Swain played at CB. Smith was the first one to go down with a shot to the head, but he returned later in the quarter.
CB Brandon Underwood. The trainers came out for him twice before he finally called it a night. Tom Pellisero said it's a stinger and he had to be carted off. That doesn't sound good.
CB Pat Lee. He's barely played at all this preseason and then, Greg Bedard reported, that he hyperextended his knee in the 3rd quarter. The coaches will probably give him a couple days to see how his knee responds, but as Lee himself suspects, it might land him on I.R.
CB Trevor Ford. Probably the worst football night of his life. He's fighting for his NFL career and he's beaten on two TD passes and hurt in the final minute of the game.

Bottom line; the only starter hurt was Raji, and we won't know how serious it is for another day or two. Smith's had a great preseason, but his injury was the least severe and I doubt he'll miss any time. The final three guys are battling for the number 5 CB job, so while their injuries are bad news, their absences wouldn't impact the team on the field for week 1 vs. Chicago.

Preseason Preview: Green Bay Packers at Tennessee

Brandon — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:00:29 -0000

by Mark Humphrey - AP

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Wednesday was the travel day for the Green Bay Packers down to Nashville for the final preseason game against the Tennessee Titans.

I haven't followed the Titans at all this preseason, but they lost their last game 23-17 against Cleveland. It sounds like they miss DT Albert Haynesworth, which is no surprise. Maybe they're not happy with their wide receivers if they think Matt Jones is the answer to any question, except "Name a 1st round bust of the Jaguars?"

As far as the Packers are concerned, here's what to watch for:

Don't blink! You might miss the 1st team offense. QB Aaron Rodgers was on the field for exactly one play in their 2008 preseason game against Tennessee, a 68 yard TD strike to WR Greg Jennings.
Can LB Nick Barnett and LB Clay Matthews prove they deserve to start? They've both been out the entire preseason, so this is their first, and only, opportunty to prove it.
15 players for a couple roster spots. The 53 man roster is pretty much set, although it's not clear who will go on I.R. yet. They have to trim the roster down from 75, while 5 or 6 guys will sign on the practice squad, and maybe a few players will go on I.R. So I'm guessing that leaves about 15 players looking at their outright release.
Some players, like CB Pat Lee, I haven't seen play at all this preseason, and I have no idea whether he'll be placed on I.R. (out for the season), the PUP list (back after six weeks), or to the 53 man roster. Injuries to CB Will Blackmon, S Aaron Rouse, and S Charlie Peprah have left the secondary thin. But it's given an opportunity to CB Brandon Underwood.
There will have to be some cuts to the offensive line too. Can an undrafted player like OL Dane Randolph beat out OL Jamon Meredith for a roster spot?
Someone has to go at linebacker too. LB Jeremy Thompson was great back in June, but his first action this preseason was last week at Arizona and he didn't have a big game. He might be playing for a job. Do they have room to keep 7th round pick LB Brad Jones, or is he a candidate for the practice squad?

Wednesday Practice: Injuries and The Linebackers Continue To Impress

Brandon — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:00:23 -0000

More photos » by Mike Roemer - AP

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I'm sure Thursday is a travel day to Arizona for Friday's game against the Cardinals. Mike McCarthy said QB Matt Flynn, LB Clay Matthews, and LB Nick Barnett are doubtful for the game, which in preseason means they're out. A few others won't play either, from Tom Pelissero:

That's in addition to the list of players who didn't suit up once this week and won't play against the Cardinals: CB Pat Lee (back), S Aaron Rouse (hamstring), DE Justin Harrell (back), S Charlie Peprah (knee) and CB Will Blackmon (quad).

During the Wednesday itself practice, the backup linebackers continued to impress. First LB Brandon Chillar, and then LB Brad Jones.

When they ran the 4-3 defense last season, they usually only kept five linebackers on the roster. But as Green and Bold predicted, they might keep as many as nine on the 53 man roster this season. At first, that seemed like too many, but players like Aaron Kampman, Clay Matthews, Brady Poppinga, and Jeremy Thompson might all be asked to play at defensive end in a 4-2-5 alignment on passing downs, so they are providing depth throughout the entire defensive front seven.

Top 10 Players in 2009: #5 - CB Al Harris

Brandon — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:00:16 -0000

I'm getting on a roll with the outstanding Packers' secondary. At #6 was FS Nick Collins, and now CB Al Harris comes in at #5. Although I've got some serious reservations about putting him here.

There are a lot of good reasons why he is one of the top 10 most important players for 2009. He's coming off a great 2008 season, which included a trip to the Pro Bowl. Since they traded for him before the 2003 season, he didn't miss a start until early 2008 when suffered a lacerated spleen on a collision with LB A.J. Hawk. Even that only kept him out 4 games, and he still made the aforementioned Pro Bowl. Despite the presence of CB Charles Woodson on the roster, Harris is more likely to be covering the other team's best receiver.

But 12 months ago, I would have never put him on this list. He had a brutal 2007 season and got burned on a lot of occasions. Most notably when WR Plaxico Burress toasted him repeatedly during the NFC Championship game. He'll be turning 35 during the 2009 season and that's really old for a cornerback. But 34 is old for a cornerback too, and he did just fine last season. Also, he's never been known for his speed, so he's been spending his entire NFL career finding ways to compensate for it.

Despite his skill, his loss wouldn't be a devastating blow to the secondary. CB Tramon Williams, I guy I love but he's not Top 10 material yet, played very well last season. The coaches gave CB Will Blackmon a long look during OTA, and last year's 2nd round pick, CB Pat Lee, played well when Harris was injured in 2008.

Overall, he's been one of the top defensive players every season since 2003, usually assigned the responsibility of stopping the other team's best receiver, and he is coming off a great 2008 season. He has to be one of the top players they are relying on in 2009.

Final OTA Practice - Nick Collins, Jeremy Thompson, and Will Blackmon

Brandon — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:00:29 -0000

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I was a panelist on the Wednesday Live Blog at Cheesehead TV. Thanks again to Corey and Aaron for inviting me over. This week, they interviewed CB Joe Porter. Next week they are scheduled to talk with Greg Bedard from the Journal Sentinel and former Packer VP Andrew Brandt. Plus I got the chance to make a RB Travis Jervey reference.

I followed the final OTA practice on Greg Bedard's live blog, and noticed several things.

I'll preface my comments that it's ridiculous to read too much into 7-on-7 drills, during June practices, with no pads. No one is going to lose their starting job over a bad June practice. And if the players who are looking sharp in June don't do the same in the August preseason games, they're not getting off the bench or maybe not even staying on the roster.

S Nick Collins arrived for practices. Mitchell was all over this earlier.
LB Spencer Havner, who spent all of 2008 on the practice squad, lined up at tight end.
OLB Jeremy Thompson was on the first team defense while OLB Clay Matthews was on the 2nd team. They are holding him back as he recovers from a hamstring injury suffered earlier this month.
LB Brandon Chillar played inside in place of LB Nick Barnett. So much for my theory that Chillar would be playing outside.
CB Will Blackmon played ahead of CB Pat Lee. Again, something I was wrong about as I expected Lee would be ahead of Blackmon.
OL T.J. Lang is expected to compete at RG, but got to play at RT. Mike McCarthy doesn't know yet which position best suits Lang.