1) Introduction: When the Packers drafted Quarless in the fifth round of the 2010 draft, few thought his impact on the following season would be as profound as it ending up being. At the moment when Jermichael Finley tore up his knee in Week 5 at Washington, Quarless had exactly 12 career professional snaps. From that point on, Quarless played over 500 for a Packers team that ended up winning the Super Bowl.
2) Profile:
Andrew Christopher Quarless
Position: TE
Height: 6-4
Weight: 252 lbs.
AGE: 23
3) Expectations coming into the season: Some saw a mini-Finley in Quarless when he came out of Penn State, but there were never the flashes of elite athleticism from Quarless in 2010 like Finley showed during his rookie season. After an injury in camp and the drafting of both D.J. Williams and Ryan Taylor, a number of people thought that Quarless might not make the final roster. He made the 53, but expectations for the second-year tight end were low.
4) Player’s highlights/low-lights: Instead of becoming a player he wasn’t, Quarless dedicated himself to becoming the Packers No. 1 blocking tight end. Mission accomplished. Quarless played 204 snaps in 13 games and all but 47 came in a blocking role. The improvements in Quarless’ game were noticeable in both run blocking and pass protection. He was at his best against New Orleans, Minnesota (away) and Tampa Bay. A horrific knee injury covering a punt in New York ended his 2011 season and could put his short-term NFL career in serious jeopardy.
5) Player’s contribution to the overall team success: Quarless caught just three passes for 36 yards, but his impact was felt as a blocker. According to Pro Football Focus, Quarless was the only Packers tight end who had a positive rating in both run and pass blocking. And believe it or not, but some of the Packers’ best runs in 2011 where to the right side behind Quarless, Josh Sitton and Bryan Bulaga.
6) Player’s contributions in the playoffs: N/A. Quarless was put on IR after injuring his knee against the Giants in Week 13.
Season Report Card:
(C) Level of expectations met during the season
(C-) Contributions to team’s overall success.
(N/A) Contributions to team during the playoffs
Overall Grade: C-
——————Zach Kruse is a 23-year-old sports journalist with a passion for the Green Bay Packers. He currently lives in Wisconsin and is working on his journalism degree, while also covering prep sports for The Dunn Co. News.
You can read more of Zach's Packers articles on AllGreenBayPackers.com.
Follow @zachkruse2——————
Hopefully, his recovery will be rapid and complete. He took blocking seriously and was used in that capacity.
Agreed. Just hoping the injury heals in time for him to have a fair shot at making the roster.