It’s shorts season in Green Bay once again. That time of year when we read about some unlikely, unknown or underdog player that suddenly flashes a “ton of talent” and is the surprise of OTA or mini-camp practices. Media members, bloggers and fans get themselves all in a tizzy over the possibilities.
I first fell victim to this unrealistic euphoria in the summer of 2009, when this website was not even six months old. The object of my affection that summer was Jeremy Thompson, who while running around in shorts, had supposedly risen to the top of the depth chart at one of the OLB spots in the newly-instituted Dom Capers 3-4 defense. Thompson took the first snaps at the position, even before new first-round draft pick Clay Matthews. If you’d like a humorous stroll down OTA memory lane, you can read the article I wrote about Thompson at the time.
Once the pads came on in training camp, it became obvious the NFL-caliber skills were just not there. Thompson plummeted down the depth chart and saw very limited playing time in six games, recording one tackle. Then in December of 2009, he suffered an unfortunate career-ending neck injury.
The injury notwithstanding, Jeremy Thompson taught me a lesson that year: pay little attention to the unexpected “stars” of OTAs until a few weeks into training camp.
And that brings us to this week’s links, which are all about the players “making impresssions” at OTAs. The star of this year’s OTAs has supposedly has been Dezman Moses. Moses and Terrell Manning were two linebackers mentioned to me as legitimate sleeper prospects by the head of NFL Scouting. The fact that the Packers got both of them excites me, but that’s as far as I’m taking it for now.
Without further ado, here are the best of this week’s Packers links:
From Ty Dunne at JSOnline .com, “Undrafted linebacker Dezman Moses impresses Packers.”
Kevin Seifert of ESPN’s NFL North Blog devotes an entire column to the “rookie buzz” on Packers #1 draft pick Nick Perry.
Texwestern over at AcmePackingCompany.com does a nice job summarizing the stroylines coming out of the first day of Packers OTAs.
Jason Wilde of ESPN Milwaukee explores the new contact rules for OTAs and speaks with Mike McCarthy about where to draw the line.
Brian Carriveau of CheeseheadTV takes a look at the the re-shuffled Packers’ coaching staff and how they are acclimating to their new roles.
Monty at TotalPackers.com speculates how far Sam Shields may have slipped down the depth chart.
Mike Vandermeuse of Packersnews.com pontificates on Mike McCarthy and the team skeet shooting outing.
Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports on asinine Lions’ Head Coach Jim Schwarz spouting off on how the Lions “had no sporting clays today or no amusement parks or water parks.”
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Jersey Al Bracco is the founder and editor of AllGreenBayPackers.com, and the co-founder of Packers Talk Radio Network. He can be heard as one of the Co-Hosts on Cheesehead Radio and is the Green Bay Packers Draft Analyst for Drafttek.com.
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Happy Father’s Day to all you Dads out there!
Back at ya, Al!
You have put into words my feelings about the early superstars being projected by the media. This, in turn, impacts the fan perception and many words are spent supporting the newest, latest and greatest. It’s the unfortunate result of a time that Packer Fans are craving news about their heros and their is little news to give. So, not to be deffered by the facts, the Media latches on to any hint of a story and expands it geometerically. I guess it’s a good way to introduce some of the new Packers to us, so I won’t complain too much. I just won’t worry about how they fit an undrafted FA into the final 53 just yet.
Schwartz was an ass. Schwartz is an ass. And, Schwartz will alway be an ass.
there not their dummy
Thanks for the self-deprecating Jeremy Thompson flashbakc, Al!
c before k, except after a. Dang!