Green Bay Packers Training Camp Analysis

by user The Beast

Training Camp is about a week away here is a training camp preview for the greatest football franchise of all-time, the Green Bay Packers. I have included a position by position breakdown, excluding the O-Line becasue nobody can do an honest evaluation of the O-Line.

• Quarterbacks
• Starter -- Brett Favre.
• Backups -- Aaron Rodgers, Ingle Martin, Brian Wrobel, Tom Arth.

Provided that his home schooling went well in the month preceding the start of training camp, Favre is poised to make amends for his career-worst, 29-interception season last year. Physically, the 36-year-old Favre is as nimble as ever and hasn't lost any zip on his throws. However, the biggest challenge for Favre will be processing the new terminology in the West Coast offense incorporated by first-year head coach Mike McCarthy. Favre still will take chances, but the no-nonsense McCarthy, a QB guru who worked with Favre in 1999, won't hesitate to rein him in if there's a carryover from 2005. Keeping Favre healthy yet another season figures to be critical because heir apparent Rodgers, the team's first-round draft pick last year, still has to prove he can sufficiently run the offense. According to sources, he was inconsistent in the off-season workouts and didn't distinguish himself when he had ample opportunity to direct the No. 1 unit on the days Favre was absent. Watch out for Ingle Martin, a fifth-round pick this year, has a live arm and should stick as the No. 3 guy with the possibility of challenging Rodgers once Favre calls it quits.

• Running backs
• Starters -- HB Ahman Green, FB William Henderson.
• Backups -- HB Najeh Davenport, Samkon Gado, Noah Herron, Arliss Beach; FB Vonta Leach, A.J. Cooper.

Green, a four-time Pro Bowler, will be the starter when he returns, but there's no telling how soon that will be in camp. He likely won't get his first taste of contact since He averaged a career-low 3.3 yards per carry prior to the injury last season. Uncertainty also hangs over Davenport, who's been anything but durable his first four years in the league. He should be ready at the outset of camp after recuperating from a broken ankle sustained early last season. Gado had his moments of brilliance as an undrafted rookie in a fill-in role during the second half of last season, but he's not featured-back material in the new zone-blocking scheme. Herron adapted better to making the required reads and will push Gado for a roster spot. Henderson, at 35, refuses to relinquish the fullback job. Undrafted rookie Cooper, a converted tight end, catches the ball better than incumbent backup Leach.

• Wide receivers
• Starters -- Donald Driver, Robert Ferguson.
• Backups -- Rod Gardner, Marc Boerigter, Greg Jennings, Cory Rodgers, Chad Lucas, Ruvell Martin.

McCarthy plans to give Favre as many weapons as possible by keeping six receivers when camp breaks in late August. Other than the dependable Driver, who was rewarded with a four-year, $17 million contract extension in May, Favre can't be sure of what he'll have at his disposal. There's a huge void to be filled in the starting lineup after the Packers caved in to Pro Bowler Javon Walker's trade demand and jettisoned their deep threat to Denver on the first day of the draft. Ferguson gets the early nod to jump up to No. 2, but the second-round pick in 2001 has failed in previous years to establish himself as a starter. He will play a huge in the success of Favre and the development of Rodgers and Martin. Ferguson could end up making things a lot easier on the QB, but could also fall out of the WR rotation. Former first-round draftee Gardner was re-signed after being a serviceable late-season pickup last year. Free-agent addition Boerigter, likewise, brings a veteran presence to a young corps and is a tall target for Favre. It might not be long before Jennings, taken in the second round this year, joins Driver in the lineup. The Western Michigan product is on the short side at 5-foot-11, but he's quick out of his breaks and has adjusted well to the complexities of the pro level.

• Tight ends
• Starter -- Bubba Franks.
• Backups -- Donald Lee, David Martin, Tory Humphrey, Zac Alcorn.

Can Bubba Franks return to form after an injury-plagued 2005 season? The tight ends won't be purely window dressing in McCarthy's version of the West Coast. For Franks, coming off an injury-marred season, that means topping his career-best numbers of 54 catches for 442 yards in 2002 should be doable, even if his forte will remain as a red-zone threat. Lee was one of the few receivers who earned Favre's trust last year, catching 33 passes, and knows how to get open between the 20s. The underachieving Martin has managed to keep a job for five years in Green Bay, but there's no guarantee he'll stay for a sixth, especially with the intriguing Humphrey and undrafted rookie Alcorn making strides in the off-season.

• Defensive line
• Starters -- LDE Aaron Kampman, RDE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, DT Ryan Pickett, DT Cullen Jenkins.
• Backups -- DE Michael Montgomery, Dave Tollefson; DT Corey Williams, Colin Cole, Kenderick Allen, Kenny Peterson, Johnny Jolly, Jerome Nichols.

Pickett was one of the team's few noteworthy off-season acquisitions. The former first-rounder bolted St. Louis in free agency for a four-year, $14 million contract to fill the wide gap inside when. Pickett, though, was dealing with weight issues in the off-season and acknowledged that he had to shed about 10 pounds to get under 320. The lighter, the better because Pickett has pass-rushing capabilities to go with his proven run-stopping prowess. He's part of a stout interior that has numerous combination possibilities that will also include Jenkins, formerly of the New York Giants who was a late signee in free agency. Kampman is the heart and soul of the line and was rewarded with a four-year, $21 million deal with $8 million in bonuses as an unrestricted free agent. The team's pass rush, though, languished last year with only 35 sacks and just eight by specialist Gbaja-Biamila. Since he's a liability against the run, new coordinator Bob Sanders will give consideration to using Gbaja-Biamila strictly on passing downs. That would allow the lengthy Montgomery to get on the field in early situations.

• Linebackers
• Starters -- WLB A.J. Hawk, MLB Nick Barnett, SLB Ben Taylor.
• Backups -- Roy Manning, Brady Poppinga, Abdul Hodge, Tracy White, Kurt Campbell.

The strength of the defense lies in the Linebackers corpse. The team surrounded Barnett with an equal by taking Hawk fifth overall in the draft and adding the gritty Taylor in free agency. As expected, Hawk adjusted well to his indoctrination to the pro game in the off-season workouts he was able to attend as he juggled completing his studies at Ohio State. He's a natural playmaker, and Sanders is inclined to have him on the field on a full-time basis, along with Barnett. Taylor, formerly of Cleveland, emerged as the top candidate to start on the strong side. He's well-versed at all three positions in the 4-3 scheme and is coming off his first injury-free season.

• Defensive backs
• Starters -- LCB Charles Woodson, RCB Al Harris, FS Nick Collins, SS Marquand Manuel.
• Backups -- CB Ahmad Carroll, Jason Horton, Mike Hawkins, Patrick Dendy, Jerron Wishom, Will Blackmon, Therrian Fontenot; S Mark Roman, Marviel Underwood, Tyrone Culver, Tra Boger, Atari Bigby.

The Packers have perhaps the best shutdown tandem in the league after signing four-time Pro Bowler Woodson to a seven-year contract worth more than $39 million in free agency to pair with Harris. However, most of the off-season workouts didn't include the two veterans. Woodson was jet-setting overseas and didn't bother participating in any of the voluntary practices, thus putting into question whether the talented, yet eccentric former Oakland Raider is committed to resurrecting a career marred by injury issues the last few years. Harris, meanwhile, deliberately skipped the non-mandatory workouts because he's demanding a new contract and has gone so far to threaten being a no-show for camp. The prolonged absences of the two high-profile players meant valuable reps for a stable of young cornerbacks, including Carroll, the demoted 2004 first-round pick who's resigned to playing nickel back. If Woodsen and harris are present for all of the games and camp, the Packers should be fine in the secondary.

• Special teams
• Kickers -- Billy Cundiff, Dave Rayner.
• Punters -- B.J. Sander, Jon Ryan.
• Punt returners -- Cory Rodgers, Greg Jennings, Charles Woodson, Robert Ferguson.
• Kick returners -- Jennings, Samkon Gado, Najeh Davenport, Ahmad Carroll.

Two of the bigger battles in camp will involve the kickers and the punters. The Packers must replace their all-time leading scorer, Ryan Longwell, who pulled a Benedict Arnold and signed with division rival Minnesota in free agency. His proficiency notwithstanding, Longwell's rarely rivaled skill of handling inclement conditions late in the season is a huge loss. Dallas castoff Cundiff has a strong leg, but his accuracy (73.2 percent) isn't close to being in Longwell's league. Rayner, a onetime standout at Michigan State, handled kickoffs for Indianapolis last season but has attempted only one field goal in an NFL game. The competition will sort itself out in the preseason games, though another kicker could be added by the end of camp. As for the punters, Canadian Football League import Ryan outperformed incumbent Sander in the off-season workouts. Ryan's strength is his distance, but he must improve on his get-off and hang times to solidify the job. Sander, who doesn't have a strong leg, faces an uphill climb to earn a reprieve and try to make amends for his disastrous first season kicking last year. Whoever wins the punting battle likely will be the holder on kicks as well, although quarterback Aaron Rodgers and receiver Ruvell Martin have been working on it. Rookies Cory Rodgers and Jennings factor heavily in the return game after the team didn't retain the pedestrian Antonio Chatman.

Date

Wed 07/19/06, 1:58 pm EST