Packers Beat Saints On Thursday and Set Their 53 Man Roster on Saturday

Few projected starters took the field for the Green Bay Packers last Thursday against the Saints, and those that did see the field like DE Mike Daniels weren't there for long. It was the QB Brett Hundley show again as the Packers have found a NFL starting QB in the 5th round but I'm not sure if anyone played well enough on Thursday to have changed the team's mind.

Abbrederis, Thornton, R. Neal, Bradford headline #Packers cuts to 53-man limit. Blog: http://t.co/Uuqk6bRoDZ pic.twitter.com/ithwGtRe96

— Jason Wilde (@jasonjwilde) September 5, 2015

WR Ty Montgomery didn't take the field against the Saints which looked like a sign that he had the No. 3 job locked up, that was until the Giants released WR James Jones. He hasn't been gone for long and should step right back in. Plus he's been working this year with former Packer coach Ben McAdoo in New York. Though Janis catches a TD pass in almost every preseason game, he also vanishes for stretches and does drop a pass or two. White is a handy emergency receiver who's familiar with the system but he has either a drop or penalty in every game. I love Abbrederis's game, but he had a fumble in his only preseason game played (ball security in the preseason is huge) and he hasn't been healthy over the last two years.

They keep nine offensive lineman. OL Don Barclay and Josh Walker led everyone in snaps played this preseason, but neither of them was very good. At times, as many as four starting lineman were out with injuries, so this might have to do more with keeping depth than quality.

RB Alonzo Harris stays, RB Rajion Neal is released. I'm a little surprise that either of them were kept. It had to help Harris that he's a big guy, he out weighs Lacy, and McCarthy generally prefers size and power.

They keep five defensive lineman. This could become a seven man rotation after DE Datone Jones and DT Letroy Guion finish their suspensions but they won't have much depth for their first game. Despite being a 3rd round pick, Thornton never did show much (though he was never terrible either) and his release isn't a big surprise. I'm not sure how DT Josh Boyd has kept his job, the Saints shoved him all over the place in the 1st quarter, but he'll be part of the rotation in 2015. Hopefully Pennel and Gaston play bigger roles during the regular season than Boyd.

They keep nine linebackers. I'm a little surprised to see LB Nate Palmer survived the transition to inside backer while wearing a club on his broken hand, but his rivals (like Carl Bradford) never surpassed him. LB James Vaughters had a nice preseason and it would be good to see him back, and LB Joe Thomas (though he's too small) is another quality player, though neither brings something that they don't currently have on the roster from another player. I hope they find a role for rookie 4th round LB Jake Ryan during the regular season.

They'll have three rookie cornerbacks on the 53-man roster. CB Ladarius Gunter was the surprise of the preseason and it's not at all to see him make the roster in addition to their two top draft choices, who both struggled as the preseason wrapped up. They really needed someone like Gunter to emerge because they lost three veteran CBs this offseason (Williams, House, Bush) and they needed replacements. Who'll be that 3rd CB, someone who occasionally lines up outside in place of Shields or Hayward? Gunter deserves the job on merit but it's not clear he's actually moved ahead of either Russell or Rollins so far.

It's a pretty deep roster and while WR Jordy Nelson's loss casts a shadow over the preseason, he's the only player currently on the I.R. In recent years, the Packers have sometimes had several players on the I.R. to start the season, so Nelson's injury is huge but overall the roster is in good health. Compare that to their first opponent, the Bears, who have five players on I.R. right now. It does seem like Aaron Rodgers is correct and the preseason is too long, especially that fourth game that probably changed their roster little, but I don't see how that would have avoided Nelson's knee injury. Bring on the Bears!

Five Key Things To Watch In Camp: Number 1 - Julius Peppers and the Defense

Julius Peppers comes to Green Bay as one of the biggest free agent signings in GM Ted Thompson's tenure, and he is the face of the new look defense Dom Capers is bringing to the Packers in 2014. While everyone will be watching to see how many sacks he records, he's only going to succeed if Capers's new defense is a hit.

What has #Packers DT Mike Daniels learned from new teammate Julius Peppers? Watch: http://t.co/ZuyBqfzYQv pic.twitter.com/bZROVqQDyv
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) July 8, 2014

If you look at the defensive front seven, which is where the new defensive look should be obvious, the roster is mostly the same as it was in 2013. Peppers is on board, along with rookies DE Khyri Thornton and LB Carl Bradford, but the rookies might barely play in the early goings. The only mountain on the line remaining is NT B.J. Raji (gone are Pickett and Jolly) and the Packers could frequently line up with only two 300 lb. lineman and an army of linebackers and defensive backs behind them. That formation will be easier to run against, but it'll be hard for a receiver to find any room in coverage.

Capers described the defense as "less volume, more packages" which actually brings some simplicity to the defense. The personnel on the field will "dictate the defense" instead of going with the same personnel group and asking them to do different things. I expect that means he'll be coaching more to his players' strengths.

So Peppers might be playing primarily at linebacker, but he's still listed as a LB/DE, so there should be packages that line him up at defensive end. It's probably the same role they had in mind for Mike Neal last season, but injuries forced Neal to play at linebacker most of the time. Asking Nick Perry to play the same role wouldn't be a bad idea either because he's never looked great dropping back into coverage.

We should be seeing more players rotating on and off the field in 2014, and maybe they'll keep an extra defensive end and linebacker on the roster. However, the disappointing thing is that we might not see what this new defense looks like until the regular season. The Packers have already coached the players on how these new packages work during OTAs, but there's no incentive to give the rest of the NFL an early look during the preseason. Maybe a few of them will be shown, but the Packers will probably play nothing other than their base defense as they evaluate some of the fringe roster candidates during the bulk of the preseason games.

While everyone will be watching Peppers and the new look defense this season, unfortunately neither of them should be seen much during the preseason games.

Rookie DT Khyri Thornton was a Packers Fan Growing Up

Since the draft happened, so much has been made this offseason about Wisconsin Wide Receiver Jared Abbrederis.

Abbrederis, as we all know by now, grew up rooting for the Packers in the Badger State, making him the guy we all want to succeed.

However, Abbredris actually isn't the only new guy who grew up watching Green Bay, as it was recently revealed to Packers.com Staff Writer Mike Spofford that Southern Miss Defensive Tackle Khyri Thornton was also a Cheesehead fan during his youth.

“It’s a blessing right now. I couldn’t have asked to come to a better team, the Green Bay Packers,” Thornton told Spofford at the team's recent rookie orientation. “Who wouldn’t want to come to the Packers? This was my favorite team growing up, my best friend’s favorite team. I’m enjoying it right now.”

Apparently, Thornton's Uncle Tyrone Bolware played for the Golden Eagles from 1994-1997, just four years after Brett Favre's departure.

So, the youngster watched Favre and the Pack from his Florida home instead of any of the Sunshine State teams, although he did come close to playing college ball at Florida State before failing to meet NCAA requirements, making him go to Southern Miss.

2014 NFL Draft, Rounds 2 and 3: Packers Select Adams, Thornton, and Rodgers (Not That Rodgers)

There's some merit in the idea of drafting the best player available. Maybe that's what the Green Bay Packers are doing, but it sure looks like they're addressing the positions (other than inside linebacker) where they need help.

2nd round, Fresno State WR Davante Adams. He posted obscene numbers in his final college season (131 receptions, 1718 yards, 24 TDs - in one season!) as part of Fresno State's high powered spread offense, which he'll never come close to repeating as a pro. At 6-1 and 212 pounds, he's similar in size to former WR James Jones, though he doesn't have quite as much speed. However, he did record an outstanding 39.5 inch vertical jump at the combine, so he can go up and get the ball away from a defender. Watching the highlights below, he's good at getting yards after contact, another important skill for a Packer receiver. Mike McCarthy's offense has struggled at times when he's been forced to scrape together a group of receivers due to injuries, so keeping the position deep and talented is important.
3rd round, Southern Miss DT Khyri Thornton. Without Ryan Pickett and Johnny Jolly around, they needed at least one more big body to backup on the defensive line along with second year DL Josh Boyd and free agent Letroy Guion. Thornton's not much of a pass rusher, but he's a high energy guy who was his team's captain. He's a bit of a reach for the 3rd round, but he's agile for a 300 pounder and that probably makes him a good fit for the more flexible scheme DC Dom Capers wants to install next season.

3rd round, California TE Richard Rodgers. Yes, the Packers just drafted another Rodgers from Cal. It's destined to be a great move! Just as Clinton-Dix reminds me of Burnett, and Adams reminds me of Jones, Rodgers reminds me of another Packer; Andrew Quarless. The Packers seem to keep drafting players who are comparable to players they've drafted in the past. This Rodgers is more of a receiver than a blocker, he even slimmed down last year to play a hybrid slot receiver position, which is fine because they really need a tight end who can catch more than they need one who can block. Just like Thornton, he's a bit of a reach for the 3rd round, but there aren't a lot of players like him who are still available, so it's better to get him now.

The Packers have five more picks on Saturday and it's time to find some depth. They could use another interior lineman, and maybe even a tackle depending on the rehab schedules for Bulaga and Sherrod. I'd be surprised if they didn't draft a linebacker, and they could also use another defensive back. Maybe even a quarterback, who could start the regular season on the practice squad, leaving the backup job as a battle between Flynn and Tolzien (with the runner up finding himself released).