TT: Please sign walt williams

musccy

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WW has been in camp the last 2 years (so he knows the offense).

-reports said he almost beat out Fisher for the 3rd spot this year.

-he's looked very good for the Packers in the past.

So what the heck is TT waiting for?!? I don't buy that Rashard Lee is better than Walt!!!
 

DePack

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Why? TT thinks Lee is better and is not going to sign another back. We need another WR before we need another back. Musccy, I usually agree with you on most matters but Rashard Lee is a much better special teams player and I think that's what TT 's thinking is.
 
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musccy

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I never considered the special teams aspect, which I should have.

I've always been impressed w/ Walt as an rb, and thought he might even make the roster over Fisher this yr, esp. w/ his solid performances, and Fisher's shaky play in the preseason. I'm not sold on Fisher as a feature back (which he may need to be if Ahman can't get healthy) which is why I'd like to see him around.

I see your point about wrs, but I'm just not comfortable w/ the rb situation at the moment.
 

NDPackerFan

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I'm really surprised that Walt Williams has not been picked up by anyone yet. Maybe there is some inside info on him that we don't know about or something. I know he was injury-prone while with the Packers but he ran with a punishing style that would really help our rushing attack right now.
 

Cheesehog

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concerning Walt Williams
Quote from part of PackersNews.com article:

"The Packers like Lee enough that they’ve eliminated bringing back Walt Williams because of injury concerns, said Williams’ agent Chad Wiestling.

Williams won some fans within the organization over the past year with his hard running but had a season-ending rib injury in his one game with the Packers last season and missed nine days of training camp this year because of an ankle injury before they cut him."
Sounds like they think he is injury prone
 

IPBprez

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Could be on that note, Cheese..... glad you posted that....

Let me email a few people and see what they have to say about it...
If he's healthy - they could bring him in on the Practice Squad, just in case TF goes down.

To me - two injuries - a bad player - don't make.....
If so, why are we keeping Najeh, along with several others.....?
 

NDPackerFan

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Najeh would be a good back in the NFL if he could keep that injury bug away. He'll more than likely be back next year on a one-year deal worth the minimum. I suppose one could be happy that we have the chance to keep him at a discount for one more season before he ships off to wherever....
 

IPBprez

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Some friends I email are :in concert" that Najeh may not be offered a chance to return, specifcially because of this injury bug he always has... To be fair - this broken ankle injury is a horse of a different color to me....

How many times do we actually see a broken bone injury? Seriously.....!
It's totally unfair that they would use that specific injury as the final nail in his coffin...
But, they may be what happens... if he were to come back early? Well.....
'course, it's not likely that happens, either.

Several boards are starting to write up a list of available RB's out there, where the Packers can grab one during the BYE week.... We should do the same, to make sure we KNOW what the heck we're talkin' about.

Also - next year's draft - (mentioned before) - is RB heavy.....
 

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The critical factor in the decision was special teams. With Murphy out, Davenport out, and Chatman a non-factor on kick returns, they wanted someone with good hands to return kicks. TT told the papers he considered Williams, but liked what he saw from ReShard Lee during the scrimmage time with Buffalo.

From Packers.com:
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The bye week comes at an opportune time for ReShard Lee. The Green Bay Packers running back, acquired on Oct. 6, will go through a crash course in mastering his new offense.

"I'm going to use every day that I can to improve everything I know," Lee said. "As much they taught me, I can go in there and play the game, but I still have a long way to go."

Indeed Lee went right in there. Three days after signing with the Packers, he rushed the ball seven times. He also returned kicks with wide receiver Jamal Jones, but the kickoffs went toward Jones' side.

"It was a lot of work, especially including the special teams," Lee said. "But that's what they expect you to be able to do. That's what the conditioning's all about."

He may see more action with No. 2 running back Najeh Davenport out for the season with a fractured ankle and the starter, Ahman Green, questionable with a knee/quadriceps injury.

After Sunday's game, Green said he would play on Oct. 23. Head coach Mike Sherman expressed less optimism.

"They're making progress. We're obviously pushing for the Minnesota game," Sherman said. "There are no guarantees there."

If Green cannot go, Fisher likely will start. He has only started one game in his career, serving instead as a third-down back and a valued special teamer. He showed that versatility on Sunday, gaining 59 total yards and leading the Packers in receptions with six.

"He has done a lot of different things in a lot of special situations for us," Sherman said. "Tony Fisher did a great job before Najeh got hurt and even after Najeh got hurt."

Fisher averaged 2.7 yards-a-carry on Sunday -- far less than his career average of four yards-a-carry. He, however, expressed his readiness for the job.

"You always have to prepare to be the guy," Fisher said. "You never know what's going to happen."

Lee can attest to the uncertain timing of life. As a Buffalo Bill, he wowed the Packers three months ago. A 220-pounder, he showed a nice burst during the team's joint scrimmages and returned a kickoff return for 69 yards in the preseason game between the teams on Aug. 20.

Little did Lee realize he eventually would end up on the opposite sideline. He said he did not know why the Bills released him following his strong preseason showing.

"I never would have thought it," he said." But everything happens for a reason."

Whether karma-induced or not, Lee filled a role for the Packers on Sunday, rushing seven times for seven yards. Those numbers will not light up any stats sheet, but with the Packers trying to grind out clock, the New Orleans Saints frequently brought their strong safety down to stop the run.

"He did not have many chances to be successful in the game," Sherman said. "That's not indicative of what he's capably of doing."

Lee has displayed the ability to run between the tackles during 9-on-7 practice drills. Those skills are why he led the Dallas Cowboys in rushing average (4.7) with 128 yards on 27 carries in 2004.

"He can be a pretty good runner," Sherman said. "He's a big back. He has excellent hands. He can catch the ball out of the backfield ... He's an excellent student, studying pass protection."

Lee is not only learning the Packers' offense but how to play the running back position. A knee injury wiped out his first NFL season in 2003. He played another year with the Cowboys before the Bills signed him in May.

He only has played running back for three years. At Middle Tennessee State University -- where he earned All-Sun Belt Conference honors -- he served as quarterback, receiver, running back and kickoff returner before declaring for the NFL draft after his junior year.

"Anything with the football is what I did," he said.

Running back coach Edgar Bennett is helping Lee understand the nuances of the position such as how to properly use a stiff arm and avoid punishing blows.

"I'm learning to do the little things," he said.

Lee will not have to adjust to life in Green Bay, Wis. A Brunswick, Ga., he enjoys the pace of life there.

"I'm a country boy," Lee said. "I stay in the house and watch DVDs and BET. That's what I do."

He will also spend much of the time learning a new offensive system.
 

ArizonaPackerFan

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Below are Packer Reporter Rob Demovsky's comments regarding Williams in his Packer Chat tonight.

Andy, Hastings, MN: Hey Rob- Apparently Thompson and Sherman are the only two people in Green Bay who don't like Walt Williams. Any inkling as to why they are so reluctant to sign him back? It seems really strange that they'd bring in someone from off the street to help out in a game instead of someone who went through all of training camp, knows our offense, played with our guys and looked impressive doing it.

Rob Demovsky: Andy-- During training camp, I thought Williams was an NFL-caliber back. In fact, their pro personnel director Reggie McKenzie said the same thing. But Thompson and Sherman aren't the only ones who apparently don't like him. There are 31 other NFL GMs and head coaches who could have signed him but didn't. Williams is out of football, and there must be a reason. Perhaps it's because he's injury prone. Remember the Houston game last year. He couldn't last one game last season. He missed more than a week of training camp this summer, too.
 

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