The Green Bay Packers hadn't been shut out in a preseason game since the dark ages (a.k.a. when Forrest Gregg was the head coach in the 1980s) but that really wasn't a big surprise after they needed to add QB Vince Young to the backup quarterback battle. This game was really a sign that they'd be in trouble if anything happened to QB Aaron Rodgers. The good news is that on Rodgers' only series, he drove them 86 yards before they got stuffed at the one-yard line on 4th down.
The only injury was rookie 1st round DE Datone Jones, but it wasn't clear if his ankle injury was serious.
For Arizona, DB Tyrann Mathieu was deemed impressive but he was the highlight maker from a game without many of them. His sack of QB Graham Harrell was Harrell's fault, he completely ignored a blitzing DB which earned Harrell an exasperated stare from Mike McCarthy. Mathieu's other big play was a 24 yard punt return.
So without focusing on what the team did, here's how some individual players performed.
LT David Bakhtiari. Breathe a sigh of relief: he was solid. He looked a little off-balance on the first drive, his momentum carried him too far forward on one early run play, but he looked nearly perfect thereafter. He certainly looked better than Marshall Newhouse, who was beaten on a speed rush by DE John Abraham which led to a sack-fumble of Harrell.
WR Tyrone Walker. After the first drive, when Rodgers and WR James Jones took a seat, the undrafted rookie out of Illinois State was basically their entire offense. The Packers' backups only generated 137 yards of offense and 41 yards was from Walker. He's looked great in practice, in last weekend's scrimmage, and he did it again in his first game.
The defensive backs. Yes, CB Davon House was burnt early and often, but the guys behind him on the depth chart were awful too. Rookie 5th round CB Micah Hyde gave up a touchdown. The worst play was made by CB Brandon Smith, who was completely fooled on a comeback route and ended up running out of bounds. The good news is that none of these guys are expected to start, and since it was only one game, hopefully they bounce back next week.
The running backs. None of them made plays, but rookie RB Johnathan Franklin looked the best to me (Eddie Lacy was held out due to a hamstring injury). I need to see the rest of the preseason games before deciding.
QB Graham Harrell. It would have been a bad game even if he hadn't fumbled (see above) and telegraphed an easy interception (though WR Jeremy Ross seemed lost on the route). The only good news for him is that B.J. Coleman and Vince Young looked worse, though Young only knew about six plays. This isn't something GM Ted Thompson can fix this year, so the coaches will have to make due with the backup quarterbacks they've got.
DE Johnny Jolly. The defense didn't provide much of a pass rush, but Jolly got loose in the backfield on a couple plays. He looked almost as good as ever, despite the nearly four year absence from football. He's still got to prove himself over the remaining preseason games, however, after the first game, he looks like he should be part of the defensive line rotation.
Showing posts with label Tyrone Walker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tyrone Walker. Show all posts
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Sunday, August 04, 2013
Family Night Scrimmage: Eddie Lacy Shines
It seems like every other year these Family Night events are cancelled due to thunderstorms, but the Green Bay Packers were able to scrimmage Saturday night in front of just over 63,000 fans. There were a couple of interesting takeaways:
At running back, James Starks started, Eddie Lacy replaced him on the first drive, Johnathan Franklin went third, and Alex Green was fourth. The only back who's really suffered this week is DuJuan Harris, who's been held out after having a cyst removed back in June. The snap count between the top four backs was almost identical, however Lacy stood out with 65 yards on eight carries behind the first team offensive line. Technically, Green came into camp at the top of the depth chart, but (surprisingly) Starks is healthy, he certainly knows the offense, and that might have given him the early advantage, though Green ran the ball well during scrimmage too. The position looks like a toss up.
At quarterback, Graham Harrell easily outplayed B.J. Coleman. For whatever progress Coleman has made in his second NFL season, he keeps turning the ball over in camp, though he didn't get much help from Jeremy Ross who dropped one pass before he slipped on another route which led to a pick-six INT. The talk earlier this week that Coleman might move ahead of Harrell seems well premature.
At right tackle, Marshall Newhouse is the starter but he was quickly replaced by rookie David Bakhtiari, so it looks like they are closely competing for the job. I really like Bakhtiari's potential, so I don't see this as a bad thing. Don Barclay started at right tackle at the end of last season, but he was awful in pass protection and is being moved all over this line so far in camp, apparently to see where he might fit. Former first round pick Derek Sherrod hasn't practiced at all, as far as I've read. The competition might already be down to Newhouse and Bakhtiari, though the winner shouldn't be obvious until the second or third preseason game.
I wrote about Tyrone Walker last week, he's still a long-shot, but he stood out during the scrimmage with a couple nice receptions.
Also, Mason Crosby's kicking woes continued and the boo-birds let him have it. I'm not sure how much more time the team will be willing to give him; they've already given him more than many franchises would have.
At running back, James Starks started, Eddie Lacy replaced him on the first drive, Johnathan Franklin went third, and Alex Green was fourth. The only back who's really suffered this week is DuJuan Harris, who's been held out after having a cyst removed back in June. The snap count between the top four backs was almost identical, however Lacy stood out with 65 yards on eight carries behind the first team offensive line. Technically, Green came into camp at the top of the depth chart, but (surprisingly) Starks is healthy, he certainly knows the offense, and that might have given him the early advantage, though Green ran the ball well during scrimmage too. The position looks like a toss up.
At quarterback, Graham Harrell easily outplayed B.J. Coleman. For whatever progress Coleman has made in his second NFL season, he keeps turning the ball over in camp, though he didn't get much help from Jeremy Ross who dropped one pass before he slipped on another route which led to a pick-six INT. The talk earlier this week that Coleman might move ahead of Harrell seems well premature.
At right tackle, Marshall Newhouse is the starter but he was quickly replaced by rookie David Bakhtiari, so it looks like they are closely competing for the job. I really like Bakhtiari's potential, so I don't see this as a bad thing. Don Barclay started at right tackle at the end of last season, but he was awful in pass protection and is being moved all over this line so far in camp, apparently to see where he might fit. Former first round pick Derek Sherrod hasn't practiced at all, as far as I've read. The competition might already be down to Newhouse and Bakhtiari, though the winner shouldn't be obvious until the second or third preseason game.
I wrote about Tyrone Walker last week, he's still a long-shot, but he stood out during the scrimmage with a couple nice receptions.
Also, Mason Crosby's kicking woes continued and the boo-birds let him have it. I'm not sure how much more time the team will be willing to give him; they've already given him more than many franchises would have.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Getting To Know WR Tyrone Walker
I don't read too much into the first week of training camp but sometimes unknown players jump out. That might be happening to undrafted free agent WR Tyrone Walker.
His main talent, via Jersey Al's, is that he's a solid route runner who makes good adjustments on the ball. That should help him make his quarterbacks look better, especially when he's catching passes from Graham Harrell and B.J. Coleman, who aren't known for their accuracy.
Aaron Rodgers said Walker's a good route runner who reminds him of former Packer WR Antonio Chatman. If Walker can do the same as Chatman, who ended up having a nice six year career with the Packers and Bengals while recording 114 career receptions, that would probably be the best case scenario for him.
Tyrone Walker has turned some heads early on in training camp #packers https://t.co/c4EvLXR8PSHe was signed in May after a tryout during rookie orientation. He played at Illinois State, so he wasn't very well known, and he ran a 4.59 40 at his pro day, which isn't very fast. He still has a very tough road ahead of him, he has to move ahead of at least three other players to make the roster, but both 7th round picks (Charles Johnson and Kevin Dorsey) have missed some practice time and given Walker an opportunity.
— Wes Hodkiewicz (@WesHod) July 31, 2013
His main talent, via Jersey Al's, is that he's a solid route runner who makes good adjustments on the ball. That should help him make his quarterbacks look better, especially when he's catching passes from Graham Harrell and B.J. Coleman, who aren't known for their accuracy.
Aaron Rodgers said Walker's a good route runner who reminds him of former Packer WR Antonio Chatman. If Walker can do the same as Chatman, who ended up having a nice six year career with the Packers and Bengals while recording 114 career receptions, that would probably be the best case scenario for him.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Position Review: Wide Receivers
This week, the Green Bay Packers signed another wide receiver to bring the total number of wide receivers in camp up to 11. While the top three are locked in, the bottom six are all rookies who probably have to shine during the preseason to stick with the team.
Previously:
Position Review: Offensive Line Guards and Tackles
Position Review: Offensive Line-Center
Starters: Randall Cobb, James Jones, Jordy Nelson. No doubt about it.
The Packers will probably keep three other receivers, two on the 53-man roster and one on the practice squad, and here are the other eight candidates.
Jarrett Boykin. A late season ankle injury ended his rookie campaign early, but before that he looked like a reliable player who ran good routes without dropping passes. He's the early favorite to become the No. 4 wide receiver.
Jeremy Ross. The Packers didn't sign him to the practice squad until October 17, 2012 but he ended up playing in five games (plus playoffs). While he didn't have a single pass thrown to him, he looked like a dynamic return man after big games against the Titans and Vikings. Until this happened against the 49ers. He'll get another chance, but if he drops a punt or two during the preseason, I wouldn't be surprised if he's released.
Charles Johnson and Kevin Dorsey. The two receivers the Packers drafted in the 7th round. Johnson was a small school guy who impressed Mel Kiper Jr. (and obviously the Packers' scouts) while Dorsey was a No. 1 college wide receiver during an epic quarterback injury situation. They might find themselves on the practice squad at the start of the season.
Sederrik Cunningham, Alex Gillett, Tyrone Walker, Myles White. Gillett was just signed this week as he makes the switch from college QB to NFL WR. All four players are going to have a very hard time making even the practice squad.
In the end, while the players will have to learn the offense and train hard, what's going to separate them is whether they drop passes or fumble the ball during the preseason games. It wouldn't be a surprise to see them all stay in camp until the very last preseason game so the Packers can find out who they can trust with the ball.
Previously:
Position Review: Offensive Line Guards and Tackles
Position Review: Offensive Line-Center
Starters: Randall Cobb, James Jones, Jordy Nelson. No doubt about it.
The Packers will probably keep three other receivers, two on the 53-man roster and one on the practice squad, and here are the other eight candidates.
Jarrett Boykin. A late season ankle injury ended his rookie campaign early, but before that he looked like a reliable player who ran good routes without dropping passes. He's the early favorite to become the No. 4 wide receiver.
Jeremy Ross. The Packers didn't sign him to the practice squad until October 17, 2012 but he ended up playing in five games (plus playoffs). While he didn't have a single pass thrown to him, he looked like a dynamic return man after big games against the Titans and Vikings. Until this happened against the 49ers. He'll get another chance, but if he drops a punt or two during the preseason, I wouldn't be surprised if he's released.
Charles Johnson and Kevin Dorsey. The two receivers the Packers drafted in the 7th round. Johnson was a small school guy who impressed Mel Kiper Jr. (and obviously the Packers' scouts) while Dorsey was a No. 1 college wide receiver during an epic quarterback injury situation. They might find themselves on the practice squad at the start of the season.
Sederrik Cunningham, Alex Gillett, Tyrone Walker, Myles White. Gillett was just signed this week as he makes the switch from college QB to NFL WR. All four players are going to have a very hard time making even the practice squad.
In the end, while the players will have to learn the offense and train hard, what's going to separate them is whether they drop passes or fumble the ball during the preseason games. It wouldn't be a surprise to see them all stay in camp until the very last preseason game so the Packers can find out who they can trust with the ball.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Packers Sign Three Players After Rookie Orientation Camp
The Green Bay Packers hosted their annual rookie orientation camp over the weekend.
The main attractions were their recent draft picks. They also invited 27 players in for a tryout but only three of them were signed. Little is known or expected from Illinois State WR Tyrone Walker, Washington FB Jonathan Amosa, or Arizona State CB Brandon Smith but obviously they did something to stand apart from the 24 other players who did not receive a contract offer.
Mike McCarthy didn't always have a camp for rookies after the draft, but this gives them a chance to get a taste of an NFL camp (and what the Packers expect) before the organized team activities this summer. It also provides extra work for young players (like QB B.J. Coleman) who aren't rookies but can attend because they were on the practice squad last season.
Coleman stood out because he seems to have learned so much in the last year. The physical ability has always been there, but now he might have a chance to win the backup quarterback job over Graham Harrell.
You can't read much into what happened over the weekend. At the post-camp press conference, McCarthy said that this camp is about seeing if each player is a fit for what the Packers need. "The real football doesn't start until training camp."
The main attractions were their recent draft picks. They also invited 27 players in for a tryout but only three of them were signed. Little is known or expected from Illinois State WR Tyrone Walker, Washington FB Jonathan Amosa, or Arizona State CB Brandon Smith but obviously they did something to stand apart from the 24 other players who did not receive a contract offer.
Mike McCarthy didn't always have a camp for rookies after the draft, but this gives them a chance to get a taste of an NFL camp (and what the Packers expect) before the organized team activities this summer. It also provides extra work for young players (like QB B.J. Coleman) who aren't rookies but can attend because they were on the practice squad last season.
Coleman stood out because he seems to have learned so much in the last year. The physical ability has always been there, but now he might have a chance to win the backup quarterback job over Graham Harrell.
You can't read much into what happened over the weekend. At the post-camp press conference, McCarthy said that this camp is about seeing if each player is a fit for what the Packers need. "The real football doesn't start until training camp."