1) Introduction: Green Bay Packers running back John Kuhn is one of only four current Packers players to have played for another NFL team (Ryan Pickett, St. Louis Rams, Matt Flynn, Seattle Seahawks, Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills and Khalil Bell, Chicago Bears). Kuhn has been a steady presence in the Packers backfield for the past seven seasons and is one of quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ personal favorites on the team. Kuhn proved very valuable to the Packers in 2013 and has a good chance to be back next season.
2) Profile:
John Allen Kuhn
- Age: 31
- Born: 9/9/1982 in Dover, PA
- Height: 6’0″
- Weight: 250
- College: Shippensburg
- Rookie Year: 2006
- NFL Experience: 8 years
3) Expectations coming into the season: With a crowded backfield and two rookie draft picks entering training camp, Kuhn’s status on the team was unknown. With all of that youth came the need for a mentor and steady rock in the backfield and hence, Kuhn remained a Packer. His role was limited to pass protection and lead blocking moreso than carrying the ball.
4) Player’s highlights/low-lights: One of the reasons the Packers kept Kuhn was for his football intelligence. Rarely a mental blunder does Kuhn make. He did have one in particular that he would surely like to forget back in week six against the Baltimore Ravens. The Packers blocked a punt and in an attempt to recover the ball, Kuhn took a half-hearted swipe at it and allowed a Ravens player to pounce on it and keep a drive alive. Fortunately the Packers won that game and it didn’t become an infamous mistake. Kuhn scored his only touchdown of the regular season against his former team, the Pittsburgh Steelers (after which he attempted one of the worst Lambeau Leaps we will likely ever see). But Kuhn’s biggest highlight of the season came in week 17 late in the game against the Chicago Bears. On a fourth down play and with the Packers trailing, Kuhn alertly slid over to pick up a free running Bears defensive end Julius Peppers and allowed Rodgers to move out and heave the go-ahead touchdown bomb to Randall Cobb. That play is the epitome of Kuhn’s career and role in Green Bay: unsung hero.
5) Player’s contribution to the overall team success: Based on that block in week 17, Kuhn’s stock shot up and his overall contribution got a huge boost. For the most part, Kuhn was the role player the team needed him to be and he provided some much-needed leadership off the field as well. His numbers weren’t flashy, but most of what Kuhn does never appears on the stat sheet.
6) Player’s contributions in the playoffs: Kuhn had a key touchdown run early in the fourth quarter of the wild card game against the San Francisco 49ers. The run came on a two-yard dive and against a tough 49ers front. The score would end up being Green Bay’s last touchdown of the season. It gave the Packers a lead that they would unfortunately relinquish, along with the game.
Season Report Card:
(B) Level of expectations met during the season
(B+) Contributions to team’s overall success.
(A-) Contributions to team during the playoffs
Overall Grade: B+
——————
Jason Perone is an independent sports blogger writing about the Packers on AllGreenBayPackers.com
Follow Jason Perone:
Follow @JasonPerone
——————
UMM…. Kuhn is NOT 23 years old. I’m pretty sure that Flynn, Tolzien and that one running back Kahil (sp?) have been on other teams, as well.
Age is updated.
Tolzien doesn’t count, he never played a down for anyone prior to signing onto Green Bay’s active roster. With Bell added late last season, that puts the total of Packers players who have been on another NFL roster at 4.
Wrong Packers fans–Packers signed WR Chris Harper from Seattle Seahawks to roster and though he didn’t play on offense or have any passes thrown to him, he did play on special teams in 4 games this season for GB.
Wrong Packers fans–Packers signed WR Chris Harper from Seattle Seahawks to roster and though he didn’t play on offense or have any passes thrown to him, he did play on special teams in 4 games this season for GB.
Wrong Packers fans–Packers signed WR Chris Harper from Seattle Seahawks to roster and though he didn’t play on offense or have any passes thrown to him, he did play on special teams in 4 games this season for GB.
Wrong Packers fans–Packers signed WR Chris Harper from Seattle Seahawks to roster and though he didn’t play on offense or have any passes thrown to him, he did play on special teams in 4 games this season for GB.
I don’t know what the heck’s wrong with this site when you click submit to post your message–I clicked submit ONCE and didn’t see anything happen, clicked it a second time before seeing any activity start and the damn thing posted my comment four times. Sorry fellas–was NOT intentional on my part! GO KUHN, a hardworker who just shows up to play and never complains. His QB talks him up, that’s all we need to know, hopin’ he resigns with Pack.
Troy Aikman loves John Kuhn.
Man crush or something more?
Hate Aikman from the 90s, Why FOX makes us endure him for Packers games is, well, insensitive. All Packer fan should despise him. FOX, when it’s Packers give us the #2 announcers.
Troy Aikman loves John Kuhn.
As much as I despise the FB dive play, it actually worked more often than not and the block in the Bears game epitomizes why the coaches and Rodgers love having Kuhn on the team. If his $ is reasonable and I think it will be, I am happy to have him back. GoPack!
I despise the way the packers use the dive. Its always on a third or fourth and short, always packed in line. When will they learn that they aren’t at their best trying to blow the other team off the line of scrimmage when the other team KNOWS ITS COMING!!! Drives me frigging crazy. Now that I’ve got that out, I think Kuhn is good, not great at what he does. The pack would be wise to bring him back at a reasonable price and then use him more in imaginative ways. Ala William Henderson. Make the defense account for him.
Kkkuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhnnnnn!!!!