Washington thus far is a disappointment in camp...

Donnell Washington is a heck of a person at 6'6 and about 330 lbs, but he is apparently struggling in training camp. According to Christl's latest weblog, Washington is now back playing with the third unit, and even got knocked over while doing drills :shock: This is what was said:

"The biggest disappointment has been Washington. On the first day of camp, he was working with the first unit in the afternoon. On Tuesday, he was with the third unit and, again, struggled. On his four plays in the 9-on-7 inside running drill, he ended up on the ground on the first two. He was blown out of the hole on the third and walled off by a double-team block on the fourth"

http://www.jsonline.com/packer/insider/ ... entry=9328

I thought he was going to be a great player, but now I am not so sure. Hopefully, seeing as we have great coaches, they can fix his technique and get him using his legs. But man, this is not good news at all.

Hopefully it's a technique thing that can be corrected over time. But some guys have a more difficult time getting lower if they have a higher center of gravity. It's a game of leverage, and if he can't get lower to establish leverage, he's going to have a tough time no matter how strong he is.

I sure hope he can adjust and come around. With Grady's questionable knee, bad attitude, and overweight body, we need some young blood like Lee or Washington to emerge.

or maybe Wendell Bryant

(I'm aware that it is HIGHLY unlikely that this will happen)

If you scroll down the atricle, it says no team put in a claim for Bryant even though he is scheduled to make a minimum salary this year. Reggie McKenzie said the team had discussed adding Bryant but didn't make a decision as of yet.

McKenzie sounds like he's counting on Hunt, as he also said:

"...(Cletidus) Hunt is doing pretty good and eventually we'll get Grady (Jackson) out there. We're not starving."


http://www.jsonline.com/packer/news/aug05/345732.asp

I don't know if it's accurate or not, but a local radio guy down here said that Bryant was cut because he was caught drinking. He is facing suspension from the NFL. Like I said, I don't know if it's accurate or not but a Cardinal reporter said that.

Bryant failed drug tests, so i doubt the Pack would want to risk a player like that being on the team. But I am intrigues about Colin Cole, however. Last year, he was alright, and with a year under his belt, he could be better.

I thought TT cut Cole before TC...

Agreed - In the mini-camps, didn't he have a pretty good showing?

Here's the read from Christl's log entry.....

This is all we need is ANOTHER person who isn't working out for us, in a time where when you draft or pick up a young free agent they need to respond with good results all the time. It just doesnt seem to happen with the packers anymore.

We've got a lot of young prospects working out for us, but there's bound to be some disappointments -- that's the risk.

Lee, Williams, Jenkins and Cole are all playing well. Hunt has even picked up his game. Now we've got Thomas, Hawkins, Collins and Underwood all coming on in the backfield. We've also got plenty of good players on the OL right now to fill holes. Plus we're looking at a solid battle for backup LB spots.

I'm feeling really good about our young guys right now. Some injuries and disappointments will come, but things are definitely going well thusfar.

It sounds to me like the knee-bending that's being described is more of a natural ability than a technique that can be taught. Otherwise Dick Corrick would not have claimed that a player lacking in this ability will not be a good football player. This does not appear to bode well for Washington. Hopefully he's just rusty or hesitant after missing all of last season with an injury, and he can work through this problem.

This is not good news. Washington is one guy they were counting on to contribute this year. If it is his knee bend he can learn that if he is willing. College coaches were able to do that with John Henderson at Tenn and he is 6'7". Hopefully our pro coaches are at least that good.

Even with bad technique he should not be taken off his feet with his size, if he has any ability. This is discouraging news.