Packers Release Safety Jerron McMillian

I'm a little disappointed to read this news, but it also looks like the first of many changes to come on defense.

#Packers sign RB Kahlil Bell, release S Jerron McMillian: http://t.co/eZinmFJlR2 pic.twitter.com/AHXbGSYhL1
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 3, 2013

Jack wrote about Kahlil Bell earlier, who will probably take over for RB Johnathan Franklin on special teams and I'd be very surprised if he ever carries the ball.

McMillian is the bigger story. I wasn't expecting him to play as a rookie and instead he took over in the slot after CB Charles Woodson broke his collarbone. He played a lot of snaps in 2012 and played very well considering his inexperience and small school background.

However, instead of improving on a promising rookie season, he completely fell apart. He lost his role on defense in October after a disastrous game against the Ravens and fell behind backup S Chris Banjo on the depth chart. This came after a bad first few weeks when he was one of the main culprits for missed tackles. The defense has been missing a lot of tackles this season, but McMillian stood out as one of the worst offenders.

It's sad to see them give up on a promising young player, but he forced their hand after an awful 2013 season. GM Ted Thompson is going to have to make changes on defense this offseason and it doesn't hurt to get the process started early.

On Whether The Packers Should Bench McMillian and Start Banjo

His game against the 49ers was bad, awful, and he has to improve. It might mean that the Green Bay Packers will bench rookie safety Jerron McMillian.

Forgot to tweet this link earlier... Might be time for Banjo to play on defense? http://t.co/zwTrVqwBUC
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) September 12, 2013

This discussion might be irrelevant because S Morgan Burnett was limited in practice on Wednesday and he might be able to play on Sunday. His return would mean a change in McMillian's role anyway. However, the 49ers game might have been a long-term sign that McMillian isn't meant to play deep safety and he's better off as a nickel/slot defender.

If Burnett isn't ready to go, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Packers bench McMillian, though it wouldn't mean the Packers are giving up on him. In 2011, M.D. Jennings had a lousy game against the 49ers at Lambeau in week 1, he lost track of WR Randy Moss who was wide open for a touchdown, and he didn't play a lot over the following couple of weeks. But then Charles Woodson broke his collerbone and Jennings finished up the regular season as the starter.

The concern is that S Chris Banjo isn't any better. He was recently released by the Jaguars which is not a good sign. While he had a strong preseason, it came against backups. His promotion would be a roll of the dice and it might work out, but I expect the coaches are considering everything they've seen from both players over the past several weeks without focusing exclusively on just one game.

So I wouldn't be surprised to see a change, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them keep McMillian ahead of him either. That's not a helpful conclusion, but I don't know what the coaching staff thinks about each player and I wouldn't be disappointed to see them go with either player.

Pro Football Focus: Where The Packers Struggled Against The 49ers

I wasn't expecting the Green Bay Packers to win on the road against the 49ers, the game was arguably their toughest game of the season, so I'm not going to be too critical after it. But there's always room for improvement and it's best to start improving your weakest links. It was pretty clear where that was against the 49ers.

Jerron McMillian led the defense in snaps (81) but was victimized in coverage (6 recs on 6 tgts, 57yds and a TD) and missed four tackles.
— Bryan Hall (@PFF_BryanHall) September 9, 2013

In their weekly re-focused article, the offensive line was a major sore spot. While the young, starting tackles were far from flawless, it was the veteran guards who really struggled. The decision to flip Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang has so far not paid off. It was arguably the worst game I've ever seen from Sitton. Lang struggled last season and he didn't show much improvement in this game.

McMillian was probably being asked to do a lot more in coverage than usual with Morgan Burnett out, and it showed. Maybe this will turn out to be his worst game of the season, but his continued development is something to watch this season, especially if he is asked again to fill in for Burnett next week.

After Two Preseason Games, The Packers Look All Right

Before the Green Bay Packers next preseason game, when they host the Seahawks on Friday night, I thought I'd take another look back at their win over the Rams.

The starters are playing all right. In two games, the defense hasn't forced any turnovers and the offense hasn't scored a touchdown, but they haven't been outplayed either. The offensive line seems set with Bakhtiari at LT though the coaches are giving Barclay a chance to unseat Newhouse (it hasn't happened yet). S Jerron McMillian has had some trouble with deep coverage, but it must be a little confusing in the secondary when rookie CB Micah Hyde is playing so much alongside inexperience CB Davon House.

The backup offensive and defensive lines dominated the Rams' backups. The backups weren't great when run blocking, which might have been a sign that the backup wide receivers weren't blocking well, but the Rams' pass rush didn't get anywhere near QB B.J. Coleman, which led to his best preseason performance (though too many of his passes were still thrown too high). The only backup lineman without a shot is undrafted rookie Lane Taylor, who picked up two penalties in the second half, including a personal foul for an illegal block.

On the defensive side, it's all about Johnny Jolly, who's making all the plays this preseason like he did in 2009 (hustle plays, tipping passes at the line of scrimmage). I can't make a case that he doesn't deserve to start, considering we haven't seen anything from rookie DE Datone Jones, who's battling an ankle injury, and DE C.J. Wilson hasn't done much.

Who will start at running back against the Seahawks? Despite the strong performance by Eddie Lacy against the Rams, he's still fourth on the official depth chart, and the Packers have started two different backs in two preseason games (Starks and Lacy). With DuJuan Harris back at practice this week, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him get the start. The Seahawks have a great defense, and probably some extra motivation to look good against a possible playoff opponent, so no back might stand out on Friday.

The backup wide receivers are getting a lot of work. With Jordy Nelson out and Randall Cobb out, a lot of passes have been targeted at undrafted rookies Myles White and Tyrone Walker. Walker had made the most of it, until a couple of drops against the Rams, and White seems to be a favorite target for Vince Young and Coleman. However, Jeremy Ross and Jarrett Boykin haven't fallen behind either of them, so White and Walker might only be playing for a spot on the practice squad.

Position Review: Safety

This position has been constantly changing since Nick Collins and Atari Bigby were the starters from 2007 through 2009. Even then, there was a parade of different strong safeties (Aaron Rouse, Derrick Martin, Jarrett Bush) who filled in for all the times that Bigby was injured. Collins's 2011 career ending neck injury forced another change, but now the position seems settled for the near future.

Position Reviews (Defense): Inside Linebacker, Defensive Line, Outside Linebacker
Position Reviews: Offense

Morgan Burnett. He's still got some room to grow, but at age 24 he's just entering his prime and it can take safeties a little longer to develop. Collins didn't become a Pro Bowl performer until his fourth season, which is the same point that Burnett will be at in 2013. A break out season won't cause any salary cap troubles either because he just signed a five-year extension.

M.D. Jennings. The Packers employ an unusual safety rotation in which he's the starter but he's not always on the field (unlike Burnett). He'll be the deep coverage safety, and while it would seem that he should be in a battle for the starting job, he's not because McMillian plays a different role on defense.

Jerron McMillian. The unknown college safety from Maine did so well as Charles Woodson's replacement that Woodson was released. He might never be as good as Woodson, but he should be better than him over the next few years (assuming Woodson keeps playing that long). He'll be asked to play like a pseudo linebacker, looking to help out in run support and in coverage against the slot receiver.

While Burnett will never leave the field, both Jennings and McMillian will come off at times, and sometimes they'll play together. Defensive coordinator Dom Capers isn't afraid to shake up the rotation depending on the opponent. I'm not sure I'm expecting great things from them, but they're going to be a solid unit.

The Packers should expect to keep at least one more safety on the roster but there isn't an obvious candidate. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the cornerbacks was asked to play at both positions this season.

Sean Richardson. The formerly undrafted free agent was a surprise addition to the 2012 roster, but his NFL future is in doubt after offseason neck surgery. I expect he'll be released soon.

David Fulton, Chaz Powell, Chris Banjo. A collection of undrafted players; Fulton in 2013, Powell and Banjo in 2012. Banjo was signed this week after Richardson's prognostic looked bleak. Which one of the three players might emerge as a keeper is anyone's guess. Powell probably has a slight lead because he was actually invited to the NFL combine after finishing college at Penn State and he ended last season on the Packers's practice squad.

Depth at safety has been a concern of mine for the past few years, especially with all the injuries, but the top three safeties appear set for the first time in years. The depth behind them is still an issue, but they should find someone worthy among the collection of young players at corner and safety.

How The Secondary Looks With Charles Woodson Back

Last week, I was wondering who would lose playing time in the Packers' secondary once CB/S Charles Woodson returned from injury. It looks like the rookie, S Jerron McMillian, was the odd man out:

Per @robdemovsky, WR Jordy Nelson, DE Jerel Worthy and S Jerron McMillian were only #Packers not practicing. McMillian played 1 snap vs MIN
— Wes Hodkiewicz (@WesHod) January 8, 2013

I've been impressed with McMillian, who was a relative unknown when the Packers selected him out of Maine in the 4th round. He's adapted quickly to the speed of the NFL in his first season. But I'd be hard pressed to make the case that right now he deserves to play ahead of Woodson.

Based on snap counts, via Football Outsiders, McMillian has been one of their biggest contributors this season:

Packers vs. Vikings: The Return of Charles Woodson

When QB Aaron Rodgers was asked about the importance of the bye week, his first comment was that it would give more time for CB Charles Woodson and WR Randall Cobb to get healthy. Luckily, it's worked out for both players and they've been cleared to play on Saturday.

My first thought was that I didn't know how they were going to use Woodson. I don't think he'll take playing time away from any of the cornerbacks. He should replace rookie S Jerron McMillian, who's been taking over Woodson's duties as the hybrid defensive back/linebacker that Woodson has been lining up as on passing downs, and replace S M.D. Jennings at starting safety on early downs.

Cobb was injured while returning a punt against the Titans, so maybe it's for the best if Cobb only plays on offense, where they might be without WR Jordy Nelson and WR Jeremy Ross returns kicks/punts. I wasn't expecting much from Ross when the Packers signed him off the practice squad in early December because there's usually something wrong with their undrafted receivers. They're either too slow, too small, or have bad hands, but Ross seems to be the exception. His 40 time was a little slow at 4.45 coming out of college, but Ross can accelerate through an opening like the best of them. And at 215 lbs., arm tackles aren't effective against him.

Fortunately, LB Clay Matthews is only a little stiff after taking one of the more violent non-injury hits I've seen in a while. While he was airborne, he took a shot and his spine was slung like a whip as he fell to the ground. But Matthews said his spine is fine and nothing was injured internally.

Woodson Out For A Month With A Broken Collerbone

I'm not sure how someone has a stealthy collarbone injury, but Green Bay Packers' CB Charles Woodson has managed it.

I talked to him after the game last night. He seemed fine. RT @jayglazer Big loss for packers. Charles Woodson broken collarbone out 6 weeks
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) October 22, 2012

Mike McCarthy said that this break isn't as serious as the one Woodson suffered during the Super Bowl. So, fortunately, the time table for his recovery isn't as long as it could have been.

While I'm not a fan of CB Jarrett Bush, his best role on defense is when he takes Woodson's place as the slot cornerback. He doesn't play as tight or take as many chances, but maybe that's not such a bad thing since he's not as good.

I expect M.D. Jennings will take over as the starting safety (maybe Jerron McMillian will officially be named the starter but it means more playing time for both of them), and Bush will take over when Woodson would have moved into the slot at cornerback.

Overall, it's a net loss for the Packers, but maybe not quite as big as it would have been in previous seasons. The stats show that Woodson isn't making as much of an impact (through 7 games in 2012, 1 INT and 5 pass defenses; compared to 2011 with 7 INTs and 17 pass defenses in 16 games). He isn't a cure-all to the Packers tackling problems either because in 2011 he was among the Bottom Three with 15 missed tackles.

However, their young secondary (Jennings, McMillian, Casey Heyward) might really miss the leadership that he brings to the field. One silver lining is that his injury comes at an opportune time. Their next two opponents before the bye week are among the worst offenses in the NFL (Jacksonville and Arizona). Unfortunately, his absence might really be noticed during road games at Detroit and the NY Giants.

What The Defense Could Have Done Better Against The Saints

While I was watching the coaches film from the Packers win over Saints, I was focusing on the defense and what they could have done better. One thing that stood out was the positioning of S Jerron McMillian, who played like an inside linebacker for most of the game, without much success. This resulted in a lot of time on the bench for the starting inside linebackers. Sometimes, it even meant that LB A.J. Hawk was on the bench while LB D.J. Smith was on the field. And after a slow start to the season, Smith is looking a lot better in pass coverage.

To QB Drew Brees's credit, he did a good job of picking apart the middle and throwing away from the help defender. Since WR Marques Colston and TE Jimmy Graham are bigger than every Packer defensive back, and a threat to go downfield, the Packers rarely pressed in coverage and gave the Saints' receivers some space to catch short passes.

I looked back at the game film from the one time the Saints had struggled this season; during the fourth quarter of their overtime loss to the Chiefs. Could the Packers had done something that the Chiefs did against the Saints? The number one thing they could have done was rush the quarterback better, but that's easier said than done. The Chiefs did a better job of taking the middle of the field away in pass coverage; LB Derrick Johnson's size made it harder to throw in between the hash marks to Graham. Also, Brees just wasn't as accurate as he missed on a couple sideline throws, which might have been caused by the Chiefs' pass rush. The Saints also seemed more determined to go deep against the Chiefs than the Packers, which led to a few deep incompletions, but that might have been a matter of taking what the defense was giving you and Brees missed on some deep sideline throws. Scheme wise, there wasn't something different the Packers could have obviously done. It was really up to their defenders to make a play.

The good news for the Packers defense is that they should only get better. They do need either LB Nick Perry or DE Jerel Worthy to step up as a reliable pass rusher alongside LB Clay Matthews. Rookie McMillian and CB Casey Hayward played a lot against the Saints, with mixed success, but they should only get better with experience. Hopefully we see more of it next Sunday against the Colts.

Nick Collins "Likely Will Be Forced To Retire"

So says the article from Dan Hanzus at NFL.com. When the Packers released S Nick Collins back in April, it was clear that the Packer organization didn't want him to ever play football again but Collins himself was working on a comeback. A recent visit with his surgeon apparently has made him change his mind:

The specialist who performed Collins' neck surgery advised the ex-Packer to to end his pursuit of an NFL comeback following a recent examination. Collins had been training regularly at IMG Academy in Florida, though that training ceased after the latest examination.

I'm not glad his career is over, but I don't want to see him playing again if he's risking so much.

He had a great career as his three consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl (2008-2010) would attest. The Packers are still trying retool (Jerron McMillian seems like the answer for the moment) their secondary which collapsed last season, in part, due to Collins's absence. He made a lot of big plays (17 INTs from 2008 through 2010) but he also cleaned up when mistakes were made in the secondary.

If You Allow A Touchdown To Randy Moss, You Find A Seat On The Bench

At first, it was hard to tell which defensive player was supposed to be covering a wide open Randy Moss when he caught a touchdown last Sunday. S Morgan Burnett was the closest player, but he was jumping up-and-down angry and he seemed to be mad at someone else. LB D.J. Smith didn't drop back in coverage, but that might not have been his responsibility. Finally, S M.D. Jennings came into the screen right after the catch, and I did notice that rookie S Jerron McMillian played during the second half. Jennings has now confirmed it:

Packers S M.D. Jennings on getting pulled in favor of Jerron McMillian: "I blew my opportunity, so they put 'J' in and gave him his chance."
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) September 11, 2012

I've never been very impressed with M.D. Jennings, but he had never before seemed like an obvious liability. A blown coverage is the type of play that keeps a young defender glued to the bench. Back in 2009, the Packers released one safety, and benched another, after Aaron Rouse (Bengals in week 2) and Derrick Martin (Vikings in week 8) botched assignments in the secondary.

I don't think McMillian is ready, and neither do the coaches if he was a reserve to start the season, but I do like his potential. Maybe the solution is to let Charles Woodson spend more time at safety, but it's not like the situation at cornerback is really solid either. Bears QB Jay Cutler has noticed the Packers' problem.

On a somewhat related note, the Packers have one less player in the defensive backfield with the release of CB Brandian Ross because they needed a roster spot for LB Erik Walden. Ross was a surprising addition to the 53-man roster, and with 11 defensive backs on the roster, I thought one of them would have to go to make room for Walden, once he was reinstated.

I expect the Packers will use Walden on special teams, and maybe even a few plays on defense. He will be good in that role; he's just not an every down starter. I wouldn't be surprised to see M.D. Jennings left inactive so that Walden can play on Thursday night.

The Charlie Peprah Era Comes To A Close

As the Journal-Sentinel noted, it was a little surprising that the Green Bay Packers chose to release Charlie Peprah. I'm surprised that they didn't release him sooner. His 2011 season was horrible, and he was one of the players responsible for the team's worst play of the season: the Hail Mary touchdown pass against the Giants. I don't know if they did him a favor by releasing him now, but at least he's got a month to try and catch on with another team.

Peprah was originally with the Packers as a special teams player for three seasons before he was released in 2009. He re-signed in early 2010, the Packers were really looking for some help on special teams, but he looked better on defense, and he was a solid replacement for the injured Morgan Burnett in 2010. Unfortunately, his 2011 season was a giant step back, despite the five interceptions he recorded, and he was rated by Football Outsiders as one of the worst players at his position.

Of course, the next question is who will replace him at safety? They drafted a safety in the 4th round (Jerron McMillian) and second year player M.D. Jennings is returning, but neither one was seriously considered as a starter during the offseason. There was some talk of moving Charles Woodson to safety, but no one from the Packers seemed in favor of that move. I didn't think much of it either: why move Woodson if he's so good defending receivers in the slot?

However, when the first practice began, it was Woodson on the field at safety and Jarrett Bush at cornerback (another player involved in the Hail Mary fiasco). I'm never in favor of more playing time for Bush, but it's hard to say that Peprah is a better player. Mike McCarthy did an interview a few months ago during which he regretted not giving more playing time to Bush last season, so he's a believer in his ability as a corner and the team did just re-sign him to a new contract. I wouldn't be surprised to see Woodson stay at safety this season.

Bush had been playing the understudy role to Woodson for at least the last couple seasons, so I expect he'll now take over his job in 2012, if Woodson stays at safety. Bush might technically start at corner ahead of Sam Shields, but when the defense goes into the nickel, Shields will be lining up against the outside receiver, and Bush will be covering the receiver in the slot.

I wouldn't think that choosing Bush over Peprah, which isn't a straight swap since it requires moving Woodson to safety, to be a big improvement, but obviously the coaches and GM Ted Thompson disagree. I'm not crazy about either option, but things couldn't get any worse than they were last season, so it doesn't hurt to try.

At Safety, The Packers At Least Have a Lot of Options

For whatever reason, under GM Ted Thompson, the Green Bay Packers haven't made a big effort to stock their safety position with depth. When S Atari Bigby struggled with injuries in 2008 and 2009, his absence exposed their lack of depth. It was so bad in 2008 that they switched Charles Woodson to safety for one game, and in 2009, they even gave LB Brandon Chillar some reps at the position.

Actually, at the start of the 2011 season, the Packers had as much depth at safety as they've had in recent years. Nick Collins hadn't missed a game since 2007 and Morgan Burnett had returned from an ACL injury. Charlie Peprah was held in reserve as the top backup after starting in place of Burnett for most of the 2010 season. Instead the position was blown open by the (probably) career ending neck injury to Collins and the collapse of Peprah, who was bad throughout the season, before getting embarrassed during the playoff loss to the Giants.


The Packers haven't uncovered every stone to upgrade at safety, but selecting Jerron McMillan in the 4th round and signing two undrafted rookies is a big haul for them. Obviously the release of Collins has made this more of a priority than it had been in recent years, but the 2012 draft class was weak at safety so it's understandable that they went with some high risk/high reward prospects, especially when they needed to use their high draft choices to bolster the pass rush and defensive line.

JSOnline.com takes a closer look at M.D. Jennings, who the Packers saw something in last year after signing him as an undrafted free agent. I'm not a believer in him yet, but I expect he'll get a much longer look this preseason with a full offseason to prepare, and with the expectation that he should be the top backup, or even the starter alongside Burnett.

He's probably a long-shot to make the roster, but they also signed Micah Pellerin, an undrafted rookie out of Hampton, to give them another option. According to NFL Draft Scout, he's undersized, but showed good coverage skills at the East-West Shrine Game. Right now they need as many options as they can get.

Packers Drafted Jerron McMillian With Their Second 4th Round Selection

The Green Bay Packers need help at the safety position, and they needed to find it in the 2012 NFL draft. They selected a defensive back, Vanderbilt's Casey Hayward, in the second round, and maybe that will lead to another cornerback, such as Charles Woodson, being moved to safety. Or maybe Hayward could be converted to safety. But the coaches expect Hayward to remain at cornerback and I think he was selected to pressure Sam Shields, who slumped last season. Also, I don't expect any of last season's cornerbacks to change position. Mike McCarthy has said he's not going to move Jarrett Bush back to safety, and none of the coaches seem eager to move Woodson either. So the Packers needed someone else in the mix at safety, and they grabbed a talented, raw prospect in the fourth round.

Round 4, Pick 133. Maine SS Jerron McMillian. Most mock drafts are hopelessly wrong, and often the players themselves have no idea. McMillian was just hoping to be drafted in any round, much less the fourth round. The Journal-Sentinel also wrote about how shocked McMillian was to be invited to the draft combine in February, and the players at Maine are typically players who receive no scholarship offers.

At 5-11 and 203 lbs., McMillian is about the same size as former safety Nick Collins. He runs a 4.36 in the 40, and in college, he was known as a big hitting strong safety who played close to the line of scrimmage. His combination of size, speed and strength make him an intriguing prospect, but one with a steep learning curve as he goes from Maine to the NFL.

It's up to McMillian himself whether he'll be a candidate to start in 2012. Morgan Burnett was thrown into the mix as a starter in 2010 as a rookie by working very hard over the summer to learn the defense, and he went out and proved it to the coaches during the OTAs. It also depends on what role Burnett will play. Will he spend the offseason preparing to take over for Collins as the deep safety in coverage? Then McMillian might be a natural fit as a safety who plays closer to the line of scrimmage.

Sometimes a player emerges during training camp, but I haven't seen anything from Charlie Peprah, M.D. Jennings, or Anthony Levine that makes me believe in them as a starter. I wouldn't expect a player like McMillian to have a shot to start as a rookie, but he doesn't haven't a lot of quality competition either.