Pigskin Paul’s Roster Rumblings – 2010 Green Bay Packers

Game 1 for the Green Bay Packers is just days away, and optimism is high for the PACK’s 2010 season hopes. But before we get that far, let’s take a look at the current roster. I have some real issues with the current composition of said roster and some of the players still around, as well as those gone. So let’s get right after it.

My biggest question for TEDDY & MIKE is why SPENCER HAVNER is no longer in town? I didn’t notice any drop-off in his overall performance this summer. I also think his biggest asset is his versatility, which is a subject we hear about in Coach-Speak all year. How many things can a player do for his team? So HAVNER is now in Detroit with his ability to play special teams, TE and LB.

Meanwhile, the roster in Green Bay is populated by 3 FB (and don’t kid yourself into believing JOHN KUHN is a realistic 3rd string RB option at the NFL level) and 4 TE. TOM CRABTREE and KOREY HALL had better shine on ST this season since they aren’t likely to see the field from scrimmage very often.

Many NFL teams don’t even have a true FB on their roster, most have 1. So MIKE has 3 of them. Is it possible that  DONALD LEE had no trade value around the NFL last week? WHITEY, show some damn imagination once in a while. This one-trick-pony draftees-only act is going to cost this team down the road, in it’s desired journey to the Super Bowl.

Now, the first time I hear McCARTHY complain about lack of depth at any position HAVNER adequately backed up, I am going to scream and throw something at the TV screen.

In light of the overload at the above mentioned positions I am also going to express extreme concern over the team having only 6 DL on the roster right now. Especially, when one of those 6 is a guy named ‘HOT TUB’ HARRELL. I do realize that the PACK didn’t cut any Pro Bowlers  in getting down to their current 6, but they certainly look paper thin with the waiving of JARIUS WYNN. Perhaps this would have been an ideal position to add some talent to with the trade of say, DONALD LEE, who is one of those overkill 4 TEs. This may also be an indication that the Defense will go with a lot of 2-Man and even 1-Man DL formations in long yardage situations, as they did in pre-season. All that being said I’d like to see a 3-4 DE added to this roster in the next week or so.

Nothing against RFA/NICK McDONALD/G/C, but this penchant the the Packers seem to have for allocating one of their OL roster spots each year to some small school project is maddening to yours truly. I am thinking of guys like ALLEN BARBRE & EVAN DIETRICH-SMITH. In some cases the team goes on ad infinitum waiting for progress, as with BARBRE. In other instances like DIETRICH-SMITH, it is one and done. Guys of this ilk (including McDONALD this year) should be on practice squads not your regular roster every season. I am seriously skeptical that another NFL team was waiting to grab McDONALD off the waiver wire.

Assuming that certain younger players come through in their development as NFL players, there are certain aspects of their roster building that I find to be very positive. Its always nice to be a young team (remember the PACK had the youngest roster in the League the past 4 seasons in a row) but it only leads to playoff success when your Rookies on this year’s roster are still with the team and getting better 4 years from now. There are lots of teams in the League that keep 10+ Rookies each year, but only 3-4 of them make the team in their second year. That pattern just leads to constant turnover. not roster building and development.

So here is what I LIKE about the PACKERS roster building as indicated by it’s current roster:

9-Rookies active; 1 PUP; 1 IR.

8-2nd Year-men, all active.

7-3rd Year-men, all active.

Just as an added couple of numbers to chew on…

I show 12 new players on the current roster, including the 9 true Rookies.

That number would grow to 15 if you considered HARRELL, SWAIN, & PAT LEE, who IR’ed the entire 2009 season.

Realistically, there were no (0) real veteran additions to the team’s current 2010 roster, other than returnee  CHARLIE PEPRAH.

I have a big problem with our old friend (cough, cough) JARRETT BUSH still holding down a spot on the roster right now. MR. MISTAKE, which I have now labeled him, will most likely be around the whole year, and make more bad plays than good ones, no matter where or when he hits the field. But with both ATARI BIGBY & AL HARRIS likely to come off the PUP list by October, there could be two opportunities to see BUSH leave Green Bay. We can only hope.

There may also be a chance that when JAMES STARKS is healthy enough to be activated. WHITEY may be able to trade someone at the currently SRO TE or FB positions. THOMPSON reiterated again this past week that he is hesitant to trade/move players just before final roster cuts less a last minute injury strike at the traded player’s position. So maybe he’ll work the phones in the near future to better balance his 2010 roster.

For those of you overly concerned about having 2 QBs on the roster please rest easy. You know that GRAHAM HARRELL is now the team’s insurance policy as a Practice Squad member. And if he were to be signed away, the team would find another out of work QB to add to the Practice Squad. Let’s be realistic folks if A-RODGE goes down for more than a few games FLYNN will most likely struggle at this stage of his career, and the team is not going to place a vet, over-the-hill QB on the roster. That is not how WHITEY’s team building philosophy works folks.

I’m sure I’ll think of some more concerns later, but let’s move on for now.

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