Packers Pull Off Hail Mary In Detroit: Beat Lions 27-23

Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.

On the final play of the game, the Packers drew what was probably the weakest face mask penalty I've ever seen (it only looked weak on slow motion replay, at full speed it looked a lot worse) but that's not what I'm talking about by luck. How many times does a Hail Mary work? QB Aaron Rodgers said he's never thrown one before. How many times are there four fumbles in a game and the Packers recover all four of them?

Rodgers to Rodgers for the WIN! #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/c2AkUXAzU3

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 4, 2015

The Packers are usually not a slow starting team, but this game featured one of the slowest starts I can remember from them, on both sides of the ball. The Lions easily moved down the field against the Packers' defense for their first two scoring drives, and I can't remember the last time Rodgers threw too high for a receiver and had it intercepted. The Packers looked dead in the first quarter with 38 yards of offense and 1 interception, while the Lions had three scoring drives and 133 yards of offense. Lions 17, Packers 0.

But the defense came alive in the second quarter and forced four Lions punts, though the Packers' offense remained scoreless. Both teams were hurt by their inability to run the ball, and the Lions are hurt just as badly as the Packers by their lack of depth at wide receiver. Here are some of the first half stats and it's real ugly for the Packers' offense:

Team	Yards	3rd Down %	Turnovers	Score
Packers	78	0%	1	0
Lions	151	29%	0	17

The Lions started the second half off with a 71 yard drive that led to another field goal, and it pushed their lead up to 20-0, but then they only had 84 yards on their next four drives combined, including a strip sack fumble that set up the Packers' second touchdown. While they did score another field goal in the fourth quarter, their offense had four chances to put the game out of reach and the Packers' defense stopped them.

As for the offense, obviously this was TE Richard Rodgers's game, but a lot of breaks went the Packers' way and none of these breaks were bigger than their fumble luck. While the Lions had one fumble that was recovered in their red zone, the Packers had three fumbles and they recovered them all, including a fumble by RB James Starks that was recovered by WR Randall Cobb for a touchdown.

The offense also started playing better. Even before he caught that Hail Mary pass, Richard Rodgers had around 70 yards receiving in the second half, WR Davante Adams had his first touchdown reception of the year, and Starks was good for some yards on screen passes. Rookie RB John Crockett, he was with the Packers during the preseason but was just re-signed this week, got a few carries to give the offense their best rushing yards (other than Aaron Rodgers's touchdown scramble) of the night.

So the Packers played what was probably their worst all-around quarter of the season in the first quarter, trailed 17-0, and then managed to do just enough on offense (along with a little fumble luck) to get themselves in place for the game winning Hail Mary pass. In the end, there are no style points and it's all about which team gets the W, but this was one of the least impressive wins I can remember and I don't feel like this 2015 team has turned a corner. I don't think their season would have been over if they'd lost this game either, but they need at least 10 wins from somewhere to make the playoffs (maybe 9 wins would get them in too) and this gets them a third of the way there.

Now the Packers get a little time off and don't play again until Sunday night, December 13th, at Lambeau against the Cowboys. And I'll be there! Freezing my butt off no doubt but I'll be having a great time. Hopefully I lose my voice and watch the Packers earn their ninth win of the season.

How The Packers Can Attack Seattle's Secondary

This comment doesn't take away from Seattle's great defense, but I was surprised at how few great quarterbacks they've faced in recent weeks. To start the season, they won against Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning but lost to Phillip Rivers and Tony Romo. Over their past eight games, they've faced Cam Newton, Shaun Hill, Ryan Lindsey, Colin Kaepernick (twice), Mark Sanchez, Drew Stanton, and Alex Smith. Their defense has been fantastic over those last eight games, but that's not the greatest quarterback challenge either. Aaron Rodgers, even with a bad calf, is better than those last seven quarterbacks.

How can Rodgers, #Packers target #Seahawks secondary? All-22 look at 3 route combinations: http://t.co/lB3VUS7weo pic.twitter.com/SkEiEgtOcz
— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) January 14, 2015

His article is written like something that a former NFL safety would love, and it's a bit heavy on concepts and formations, but he found three examples of big plays against the Seahawks's defense (which he admitted were hard to find). Two of them were passes to tight ends, and twice it showed how to exploit a linebacker in coverage. Just as TE Andrew Quarless and Richard Rodgers were surprise helpers in their win over the Cowboys, the Packers are going to have to use them again to exploit Seattle's linebackers in coverage.

The last time a quarterback had a good game against Seattle's defense was arguable on November 9th, when Eli Manning wasn't too bad in a 38-17 loss. Unsurprisingly he got a big game from WR Odell Beckham Jr. but he also got a career game out of third string WR Preston Parker. So another big game out of WR Davante Adams is important. In the season's opener, no Packer wide receiver other than Nelson and Cobb caught a single pass and that can't happen again.

For something completely different, the last team when the Chiefs beat the Seahawks, they did it in large part by calling more running plays for Jamaal Charles than pass attempts for Alex Smith. Maybe that was just what the Chiefs had to do because of their quarterback and lack of decent wide receivers, but it's something to consider when the Packers have Eddie Lacy available.

In the end, no pass heavy or run heavy attack is the answer. The Packers will need a combination of both, and every receiver on the team is going to have to deliver.

Rodgers Admits He Didn't Mean to Throw Unusual Touchdown Pass to Richard

The unusual touchdown one-yard touchdown pass Packers QB Aaron Rodgers threw to TE Richard Rodgers might've been cool, but that doesn't mean it was intentional.

Aaron admitted so to the Green Bay Press-Gazette yesterday.

"Well, that was a little bit of freestyle, if you will," he said. "The play is not designed that way. It's a play-action with (Andrew Quarless) as the first look in the right flat and there's only two guys in the route. Richie is the other option."

That's too bad, as it's fun to think that something like that could be on purpose. 

Still, the play was pretty unique, as the ball is said to have traveled 39.4 yards through the air on it.

Jordy Nelson Is Number One, But Spreading The Ball Around Has Made The Packers Offense Better

Sam Monson has written the definitive post about the Green Bay Packers first game with Clay Matthews at inside linebacker (don't call him an inside linebacker!) and should be read by anyone interested in his new position/role on defense.

Another interesting point raised this week was that QB Aaron Rodgers threw two of his six touchdown passes against the Bears to tight ends, which doubled the number of touchdown passes thrown to tight ends this season. He has been throwing more passes in general to TEs Andrew Quarless and Richard Rodgers in recent weeks and he's been spreading the ball around to the benefit of the offense.

Below are the number of targets to their top receivers so far this season, pro-rated out to 16 games in the next column, and compared to the number of times each player was targeted in 2013.

Receiver	2014 Targets	2014 Projected	2013 Targets
Nelson	84	149	126
Cobb	60	107	46
Lacy	30	53	44
Adams	37	66	0
Quarless	27	48	54
Richard Rodgers	14	25	0
Jones	0	0	93
Boykin	8	14	82
Finley	0	0	34

One interesting note is that overall the Packers haven't run as many offensive plays this season. So when you combine the projected number of targets to Quarless and Rodgers (73) and compare that to the total targets in 2013 to Quarless and Jermichael Finley (88), it's down but overall the number of plays are down anyway.

The number of pass attempts to Eddie Lacy is up slightly, and passes that last year went to James Jones and Jarrett Boykin (so much for his breakout season) have gone to a healthy Randall Cobb and rookie Davante Adams, though not as many. However, the one player that jumps out is Jordy Nelson.

Watch all the big plays from last night's win, including this impressive Jordy Nelson TD: http://t.co/NUr8sZxDhj pic.twitter.com/c8iaJEkRG4
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 10, 2014

29% of all pass attempts have been targeted at Nelson, which leads the team by a wide margin. Early in the season, Nelson was targeted 40% of the time, so he's actually been less featured in recent weeks. He's also had to play against two teams (Lions and Saints) who were very determined to shut him down with double coverage.

Whatever they're doing this season its working in the passing game, Aaron Rodgers moved ahead of Peyton Manning in ESPN's QBR this week, so this is not a complaint. I'm just tracking how the passing game is being used as the season goes on.

Where Did All Of Aaron Rodgers's Weapons Go?

Over the past few seasons, QB Aaron Rodgers has been pretty consistent about spreading the ball around. Last season, WR Jordy Nelson led the team with 126 targets (22% of all pass attempts) with WR James Jones second at 16%. It's a little harder to rank TE and the other WR position because Randall Cobb and Jermichael Finley each missed 10 games, but WR Jarrett Boykin was targeted on 14% of pass attempts and Finley and TE Andrew Quarless combined were targeted 15%.

I'd expect the top two receivers (Nelson and Cobb) to be targeted on 20-25% of pass attempts, the number three wide receiver at 15-20%, and the number one tight end at about 15%. But that's not at all what's happened so far this season.

Coming into this season, Boykin was expected to be the number three WR and he's only been targeted three times in two games (one reception). The starting TE, Richard Rodgers, hasn't been targeted a single time. Instead, 30 of 75 pass attempts (40%) have been thrown to Nelson. That might not seem like such a bad idea, targeting their best receiver 40% of the time (Cobb's at 20%), but Aaron Rodgers's yards per game are at 242.5 in 2014 (down from 268.8 in 2013) and RB Eddie Lacy's per game yardage is half of what he had in 2013. The offense hasn't been as effective when they can only count on Nelson for yards and Cobb for touchdown receptions.

I don't know why Boykin or Richard Rodgers have been invisible in the first two games, but rookie WR Davante Adams did emerge against the Jets with 5 receptions on 7 targets. Adams played little against the Seahawks in Week 1 (no targets) but if he kept up his Week 2 usage over the course of the entire season, he would receive about 20% of all pass attempt. That's the usage I was expecting from their number three receiver. Maybe Boykin is better suited as the number four receiver and Adams will move ahead of him shortly.

Whatever happens, the Packers have to find away to get more receivers involved in the offense.

Rookie WR Davante Adams makes a splash in home opener. Read more: http://t.co/TUUUKzwqRi #NYJvsGB pic.twitter.com/y2LJbZuiL2
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 15, 2014

Notes from Packers' 31-21 Win Over the Raiders

Some notes from the Packers' 31-21 win tonight over the Raiders:

Aaron Rodgers. During his two quarter performance, Rodgers wasn't really as sharp as usual, but still, he did do pretty well overall, completing 9 of his 20 passes for 139 yards and 2 TDs.

Dajuan Harris. Harris easily led the Pack in rushing, racking up 56 yards on 12 carries for a solid 4.7-per-play average.

Richard Rodgers. Green Bay's other guy named Rodgers didn't actually do much, but since he did still collect 2 receptions and 40 yards it seems reasonable to name him the TE of the night. 

Julius Peppers. So far this preseason, Peppers hasn't been as sharp as the Pack would like, something that definitely changed in this evening's W, with Peppers impressively recording 3 tackles and a sack. 

Packers Release Injured TE Colt Lyerla

The Packers have released injured Tight End Colt Lyerla, USA Today's Tom Pelissero reports. 

Lyerla, a rookie out of Oregon, tore multiple ligaments in his knee earlier this week, an injury that will probably keep him out a couple of months.

So, in a move that'll definitely surprise some, the Pack cut him this afternoon, officially limiting their amount of possible starters to just three (Recent Draftee Richard Rodgers, and longtime backups Andrew Quarless and Brandon Bostick)

Lyerla, 21, signed with the Pack this summer after a workout, giving him the NFL chance he originally didn't have after going undrafted.

Packers Don't Think Bostick's Leg Injury is Serious

The Packers don't think TE Brandon Bostick's leg injury is serious, ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky reports.

During yesterday's preseason win over the Rams, Bostick sustained the wound, the details of which have yet to be revealed.

Nonetheless, this news is definitely good for Green Bay, as who will start for them at Jermichael Finley's old position this year is a complete mystery.

Remember, since Colt Lyerla just got hurt and will be out weeks this season's TE possibilities have begun to dwindle, with Bostick, longtime backup Andrew Quarless, and rookie Richard Rodgers really the only possible candidates at this point.

Notes From Packers' 20-16 Loss to Titans

Some notes from the Packers' preseason-opening, 20-16 loss tonight to the Titans:

Scott Tolzein. In this evening's contest, surprisingly, Aaron Rodgers didn't play his normal one series, but that doesn't mean his position wasn't still fun to watch, with Scott Tolzein completing 8 of his 12 passes for 124 yards.

James Starks. Despite getting just 6 carries, Green Bay's backup for at least the next two years put up some pretty good numbers during this defeat, with his yard total reaching an impressive 49.

Dajuan Harris. Playing in his first game since 2012, Harris was also solid when it came to rushing the ball in this one, racking up 18 yards on 7 carries.

Mason Crosby. Crosby didn't do much tonight, but since he did make a go-ahead 32 yard field goal in the fourth quarter he did technically contribute.

Richard Rodgers and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix: Caught one pass for 10 yards and collected three tackles, respectively. 

Five Key Things To Watch In Camp: Number 4 - Starting TE

The countdown to training camp continues and I'm returning to a subject I've written a lot about this offseason: who will start at tight end for the Packers?

The current players on the roster are a bit underwhelming, which is a problem because whoever starts will see a lot of passes thrown his way based on the number of times QB Aaron Rodgers has targeted the tight end position over the past few seasons.

Feel for @JermichaelF88 in wanting to play, but know firsthand how (admirably) conservative GB medical staff is concerning head/neck.
— Andrew Brandt (@adbrandt) July 17, 2014

A lot has been written about TE Jermichael Finley, who may be medically cleared to play by at least some NFL teams, but he still has to decide whether to accept one of the modest offers he's received or retire and collect his insurance money. While Finley was in Green Bay last week, it doesn't appear that he met with any member of the Packers other than the team's doctor.

The starting job still appears to be a battle between rookie TE Richard Rodgers and the recently re-signed TE Andrew Quarless, though the position is wide open, which opens the door for someone like Brandon Bostick, if he has a strong preseason.

Because of the importance of the tight end in the passing game, the battle to determine who starts will have a big impact on how effective the offense might be next season.

2014 Starting TE Job Still "Wide Open"

The Packers 2014 starting TE job is still "wide open," team assistant Jerry Fontenot recently told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

According to Fontenot, Green Bay will have a better idea of who should get the position come Training Camp, although for now nobody is favored. 

Currently, the Pack's main two candidates for the role seem to be veteran Andrew Quarless and rookie Richard Rodgers, although FA Jermichael Finley could always find a way back in, as he's recovering pretty fast from the neck injury he suffered last season.

Ex-Oregon Duck Colt Lyerla's name has also occasionally come up as a possibility.

Who Will Start At Tight End for the Packers?

This recent mailbag on ESPN discussed a few interesting topics, and the one regarding the starting tight end position got my attention because I was just discussing that topic with a colleague.

Mailbag: Talking starting jobs at TE, S http://t.co/YapH2LDRCX
— Brandon Benson (@AcmeBrandon) July 8, 2014

Rob Demovsky's opinion is that if rookie TE Richard Rodgers "continues to show the ability to catch the ball down the field like he did this offseason, then he will be the starter." I'm not expecting much from the TE position in 2014, and I don't disagree with his assessment that Rodgers could be the starter, but I find it depressing.

In pre-draft evaluations, Rodgers came across as a finesse athlete who could be a sneaky weapon as a No. 2 TE, and compared him to TE Garrett Graham, who isn't much of a receiver. It was also noted that Rodgers would on occasion drop an easy reception.

His main competition is TE Andrew Quarless, who hasn't impressed so far in his NFL career. He could be an identical player; someone who isn't much of a blocker with the occasional drop. I'm still expecting Quarless to win the starting job because of his experience alone though I'm not expecting much from either one of them this preseason.

It's been reported that TE Jermichael Finley is healthy, but several weeks have passed since that report and you'd expect he'd have been signed somewhere if every team was convinced it was true. It's possible the Packers could re-sign him, but it feels like they've moved on.

As much as TE Colt Lyerla fascinates me, he's an unlikely candidate to earn a starting job and he's got to secure a roster spot first. I don't know how TE Ryan Taylor has kept a roster spot for three years (is it because he's the back-up long-snapper?) and TE Jake Stoneburner looks like Taylor v.2.0. Maybe TE Brandon Bostick will show more in his second season and I haven't yet seen undrafted rookie TE Justin Perillo play.

The Packers have so much offensive firepower at wide receiver and running back that they can afford to go with a second (or third, fourth) tier TE. Maybe it's good to keep my expectations so low that one of them will surprise me this preseason. But it remains a weakened position that shouldn't be expected to carry much of a load in 2014.

Packers TE Bostick Determined to Start This Season

With Jermichael Finley's departure now a definite possibility, some unknown guys on the Packers' depth chart are now getting their big chance.

Among those soon-to-be everyday names is TE Brandon Bostick, who recently told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that starting this year is his number one goal.

For the past two seasons, the first of his career, Bostick has gotten next to no playing time, possibly making this year's training camp a defining moment in his career.

As of now, Bostick is a little overweight, although the way he's talking doesn't seem to portray that as a big deal, as Bostick's main obstacle is probably overcoming Richard Rodgers.

I guess we'll see how he does in the coming weeks.

Packers Minicamp Wrap-Up: Franklin Remains The Big Story

The Packers ended their 2014 minicamp on Thursday by giving their veterans the day off. They now have just over a month off before they return for training camp on July 25.

I've been reading Aron Yohannes at Acme Packing Company, who's been doing a great job of following the practices live and accumulating tweets from the various beat reporters.

The overall theme I've read was that their receivers (wideouts and tight ends) all are practicing well. None of it matters until they start playing games, but they now have a deep group to choose from. Last season, the offense was lacking an effective pass receiving tight end after Jermichael Finley's injury, and they need either Richard Rodgers or Colt Lyerla to step up. Lyerla's a major character risk, but he's doing well so far. Maybe the move away from Oregon (where he's seemed to have lived for most of his life) to Green Bay, WI where he can work with a small group of professionals is exactly what he needs.

FYI- Lyerla's a fascinating player. He's like a TE version of Eddie Lacy; an absolute load to bring down in the open field. Sometimes he lined up in the backfield and took the hand-off (he was a star running back in high school). Richard Rodgers is more like Finley, a big receiving threat who can exploit mismatches against smaller DBs, while Lyerla could bring another dimension to the offense.

However, the news of Johnathan Franklin's retirement due to a neck injury was the major story. As far as the roster's concerned, it presents an opportunity for DuJuan Harris to fill a role on offense and special teams next season, but the big takeaway for me is how quickly a NFL career can be over. The best of luck to him in his future plans.

Packers Complete Rookie Class With Signings of Rodgers, Adams

The Packers have finally signed soon-to-be rookies Richard Rodgers and Davante Adams, team General Manager Ted Thompson announced today. 

The deals, whose details have not yet been released, complete the Pack's 2014 first year player class, as each of their nine 2014 draft picks are now under contract.

Rodgers, as we all know by now, spent the last three seasons as a Tight End at Cal, catching a solid 59 passes for 896 yards.

During that same time, Adams was a Wide Receiver down at Fresno State, where he also did pretty well, collecting 233 receptions including 38 for touchdowns.

New Packers TE Rodgers not worried about walking in #12's shoes

To Packers fans, seeing the team draft another Rodgers out of Cal this year was exciting.

The last time they did so, as you should already know, resulted in them acquiring one of the best QBs in the league, so assuming the best in this year's situation was obviously justified.

To some though, it may downplay how talented new Tight End Richard actually is, something that the youngster apparently doesn't believe. 

"I don't think I need to walk in his shoes," Rodgers, who will wear #89 in the upcoming season, recently told Fox Sports Wisconsin's Paul Imig. "Because he plays quarterback."

While what the 98th overall pick in this year's draft says there should be true, as he did have a nice 59 receptions during his three years as a Golden Bear, it isn't.

When a team has a star player with a similar history like Aaron Rodgers, this sort of treatment is to be expected, no matter what Richard ends up doing in the pros. If he's good, he'll only be known as that guy with the same name, and if he's bad, well, you get the point. The prospect's unlucky. It's just something he'll have to deal with.

Finley still a Packer to HC Mike McCarthy

To most Packers fans, the days of Jermichael Finley are over.

The veteran Tight End, still rehabing from the horrific neck injury he suffered last season, agreed to a contract with the Seahawks earlier this offseason, yet had it revoked after failing his physical.

Due to that, many NFL enthusiasts have begun to assume that Finley will never play again, although Green Bay Head Coach Mike McCarthy doesn't appear to agree.

"In my mind, (Finley) is a Green Bay Packer hopefully and he is going through a tough medical situation," McCarthy told Sirius XM NFL Radio."To my understanding, he is doing everything and beyond to get ready and we will continue to watch that."

In my opinion, having a healthy #88 back this fall would be nice, although really, I don't think it's necessary. After Finley got hurt last year, Andrew Quarless played pretty well, and, considering that Richard Rodgers is also on the roster now, I don't see a reason to go into 2014 with our heads down. The team's fine. Finley or not, I have no doubt in my mind they'll win at least 12 games in the upcoming season, even though I probably shouldn't at this time of year.

Thompson: Drafting Rodgers not connected to Finley

While Jermichael Finley's NFL future is currently unclear, there is one aspect of his drama that I consider to be a safe bet: that the Packers don't want to let him go. 

Finley, who suffered a severe, possibly career-ending spine/neck injury in last season's Week 7 win over the Browns, caught 223 passes for 2,785 yards during his six seasons with the team, making him a fan favorite and one of the most feared Tight Ends in the league. 

2013's event, unfortunately, brought that all to a grinding halt, forcing Green Bay to look elsewhere for #88's successor. 

During last weekend's draft, they appear to have finally found him in Cal's Richard Rodgers, although General Manager Ted Thompson insists the two are unrelated. 

“I don’t necessarily think the two are tied at all,” Thompson told the Milwaukee-Journal Sentinel's Tom Silverstein earlier this week. “We were just trying to pick a good player.”

While what Thompson says could be true, I'm not necessarily going to buy it. Had Finley stayed healthy throughout last season, it seems unlikely that the team would look for another TE the way they did, especially since they seem to have such bigger needs elsewhere.

Packers Head Coach McCarthy convinced team is better after draft

Now that the 2014 NFL Draft and its aftermath have officially concluded, the question is raised: what does the staff think of the new guys? 

Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy was asked that very question yesterday by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Tom Silverstein, giving an overall enthusiastic answer. 

"(We're) absolutely (better)," McCarthy said. "Not a team in the league doesn't feel better. Our players in program is off to a great start. Number of players we've added and now in process of adding new members. Definitely a shot in the arm when these guys come in. We got better (this weekend)."

While it's obvious that the Pack didn't get worse with their acquisitions, I'm still skeptical about this year's rookies. Not because I see any real issues with them (I'm actually pretty excited about Cal's Richard Rodgers), but simply because I'm always doubtful when it comes to draftees. Sometimes they turn out like Aaron Rodgers, but most of the time they turn out like Nick Perry, a guy who came with a lot of hype but ended up being just a frustrating mix of injuries and unproductiveness. 

Now I'm not saying that that always happens, but come on, it's definitely a recurring problem in this league. That can't be denied.

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).