Lombardi Ave » Quinn Johnson

Ted Thompson wheel’ and dealing’

Raymond Rivard — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 22:54:05 +0000

Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press Gazette is reporting the packers have traded Caleb Schlauderaff to the New York Jets for a conditional draft pick and Quinn Johnson to Tennessee for an undisclosed draft pick. Ted Thompson at work again … Getting SOME value out of players they probably planned to cut anyway. Like [...]

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Packers Training Camp Opens Today

djlombardi — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 17:05:49 +0000

Packers training camp opens, today, August 1st in Green Bay, WI at the newly renovated Ray Nitschke Field across the street from legendary Lambeau Field. The Packers have 25 practices scheduled between today and September 1 that will shake down the Packers roster to the 53 men needed to lead the Packers to a winning season. Nitschke Field was renovated during the summer to provide Packers fans with an enhanced experience of viewing the practices. As someone who has attended training camp in the past, I’d have to say that Packers training camp is one of the most unique experiences in the NFL.

But enough introduction, time to get down to the offensive battles to take place on the field:

Fullback
The Packers have a three-way battle for the fullback spot in Mike McCarthy‘s West Coast offense between Korey Hall and John Kuhn, who have been in Green Bay for the past two years, and Quinn Johnson, a draft pick out of LSU. Both Hall and Kuhn are special teamers who could make the team that way, while the blocking abilities of Johnson will be tested by the coaches at every opportunity. Ryan Grant‘s yards-per-carry average dropped from 5.1 in 2007 to 3.9 in 2008, so the Packers are looking for the best blocker they can get. The Packers have kept multiple fullbacks on the roster in the past few years. My picks: Hall and Johnson, with Kuhn the odd man out. Hall will be the starter. Hall has been solid in his conversion from a linebacker at Boise State and continues to progress, while Johnson provides some athleticism as a blocker.

Right Tackle
With long time mainstay Mark Tauscher gone, the Packers have a wide-open competition for that spot. During OTAs and mini-camps, third-year man Allen Barbre worked with the first unit and many expect him to open camp with the first team. Rookie T.J. Lang wants to play immediated and will be no slouch for Barbre to compete with, with while second-year man Breno Giacomini is coming off ankle surgery and could steal the job if Lang and Barbre aren’t careful. My pick: Barbre, on experience. This battle will be interesting, as Lang, who went to Eastern Michigan, is intriguing, but Barbre’s good performance in OTAs and mini-camps will translate into a good training camp and a starting job for him.

Center
In the past two years, Scott Wells and Jason Spitz have started all the games for the Packers at center, with Wells starting 26 and Spitz filling in on the other 6. Wells ran into injury problems in 2008, causing the offensive line to be shuffled around as Spitz filled in at center. This race will go down to the wire and has potential ramifications for the rest of the offensive line, as Spitz can also play either guard position, meaning that if he loses this race, he could jump in one of the guard racers and steal that spot. My pick: I’m going to have to give it to Wells by a nose.

No. 5 Wide Receiver
The Packers already have their Top 4 lined up, but the Packers want a fifth wide receiver to make their “Big 5″ formaton work. Ruvell Martin has held down the spot the last three years, but has seen his production decline. One of the Packers seventh-round picks from 2008, Brett Swain spent 2008 on the practice squad but has been impressive in camps. Also in the race are Jake Allen, who had a good preseason in 2008 and Kole Heckendorf who “flashed some ability during OTAs” according to the Packers website. My picks: The Packers carry six receivers, allowing them to go big within the Big 5 with Martin, or smaller with Swain, creating more matchup problems.

No. 2 Quarterback
We were all shocked last year when seventh-round pick Matt Flynn came into training camp and beat out second-round pick Brian Brohm for the No. 2 spot. However, Flynn’s brief appearances relieving Aaron Rodgers and his subsequent offseason workouts and OTAs have done nothing to secure his spot as the No. 2 QB, allowing Brohm another crack at the job. Both players have had a year in the system and will be working against a difficult 3-4 defense so they will be tested and able to show much improvement. Plus, they will see more time in preseason games, as Rodgers no longer needs that starting experience as much as he did last year. My pick: Brohm leapfrogs Flynn to take the job.

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Packers: Day 2 Draft Review

djlombardi — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 01:28:16 +0000

The Packers entered Day 2 of the 2009 NFL Draft with a long wait on their hands. After trading up into the first round to select Clay Matthews, the Packers were left without picks in the second and third rounds. Ted Thompson earned plenty of time to sit and twiddle his thumbs before the picking started again.

Thompson opened up the second day in the fourth round by picking Eastern Michigan tackle T.J. Lang with the 109th pick of the draft, bolstering the depth along the offensive line. Competition was added to the fullback position, as Thompson tabbed Quinn Johnson out of LSU in the fifth round with the 145th overall pick.

Fostering competition seems to be one of Thompson’s goals from this draft, as in the fifth round, with the 162nd pick acquired from the New England Patriots, he drafted Jamon Meredith, an offensive tackle from South Carolina. The picks of Lang and Meredith means the Packers have drafted four offensive linemen in the last two years, after Breno Giacomini and Josh Sitton were drafted last year. This creates a logjam on the offensive line, but Thompson and head coach Mike McCarthy feel that it will bring the best players to the forefront, ultimately helping the team.

With their last three picks, Thompson added more pieces to Dom Capers‘ defense, with defensive end Jairus Wynn from Georgia and cornerback Brandon Underwood from Cincinnati in the sixth, and linebacker Brad Jones from Colorado in the seventh. Wynn will be expected to attempt to compete for a spot along the defensive line, for which he will have to bulk up for, while Underwood is projected as a special teams player. However, he does join a crowded stable that is jockeying for position behind the aging Al Harris and Charles Woodson. His versatility also makes playing safety a possibility. Jones, the Packers last pick, has played in a 3-4 before, and joins an almost comically crowded linebacking corps.

Day 2 wasn’t as crazy as Day 1 for Packers fans, but Thompson is good at finding diamonds in the rough, so it will be interesting to see how these guys shake out for the Packers.