Any updates from camp?

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I will almost guarantee that Starks will be the #1 at the start of the season if he is healthy. There is no reason to start Lacy or Franklin unless they are tearing it up Adrian Peterson-style. Van Pelt and McCarthy will immediately start giving Lacy and Franklin game reps and increase or decrease them based on production. Green of course will be in the mix too. If and when Starks does get hurt, then the door is open for Lacy or Franklin....or Green.

We will certainly have to revisit this almost guarantee. lol

I think there's a better chance Starks isn't on the 53 roster.
 

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I will almost guarantee that Starks will be the #1 at the start of the season if he is healthy. There is no reason to start Lacy or Franklin unless they are tearing it up Adrian Peterson-style. Van Pelt and McCarthy will immediately start giving Lacy and Franklin game reps and increase or decrease them based on production. Green of course will be in the mix too. If and when Starks does get hurt, then the door is open for Lacy or Franklin....or Green.

I'll respectfully disagree. Starks had the great run in the 2010 playoffs. Otherwise, he's been pedestrian, at best, even when healthy. He used to be a downhill runner. But he started developing a terrible habit of dancing a bit too much behind the line, resulting in negative or no-gain plays. Even with his decent start at camp, I suspect he's the 5th runner on the totem pole and will need injuries ahead of him to make the roster.

I predict we'll keep four RB's and Kuhn (ugh - hate it). And I think the starter will be Lacy or Harris, with Green and Franklin getting their touches on third-down or change of pace.
 
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HardRightEdge

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He used to be a downhill runner. But he started developing a terrible habit of dancing a bit too much behind the line, resulting in negative or no-gain plays.
I'm not sure he's been 100% at any time since 2010, which might account for his less than impressive performances since. He's been in and out regularly, knee sprains being the most common reason it seems. Guys might play dinged up, but you cannot expect their best efforts when they do.

Can he stay healthy through preseason? It's his only shot, and history argues against it.
 
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HardRightEdge

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I will almost guarantee that Starks will be the #1 at the start of the season if he is healthy. There is no reason to start Lacy or Franklin unless they are tearing it up Adrian Peterson-style. Van Pelt and McCarthy will immediately start giving Lacy and Franklin game reps and increase or decrease them based on production. Green of course will be in the mix too. If and when Starks does get hurt, then the door is open for Lacy or Franklin....or Green.

Of all the jobs on the football field, running the ball has the easiest transition from college to the pros. Every year we see a few rookies on the yardage leader board. Or look at Harris as an example...picked off the street, a week or two of practice in midseason, and he was immediately effective.

There's no reason to believe Lacy can't take the job week one with a full off-season of prep if he shows the expected instincts and muscle.
 

Einstein McFly

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It's really too bad that Franklin sounds like he can't pick up a blitz. He seems to have all of the other traits for a good third down back. With Starks and Green both looking so good, I've been wondering if they don't cut Kuhn and keep five backs. That is, if someone can block back there.
 
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HardRightEdge

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It's really too bad that Franklin sounds like he can't pick up a blitz. He seems to have all of the other traits for a good third down back. With Starks and Green both looking so good, I've been wondering if they don't cut Kuhn and keep five backs. That is, if someone can block back there.

Well, there are a lot of teams who don't carry any fullbacks...they use TEs to run block from the backfield...the H-back concept. We already use it with some regularity (just not with Finley).

This guy Mulligan can lay some wood from all accounts and he's not just a blockhead...he played Division III basketball and was honorable mention HS all-state in soccer, so the guy must have some agility and decent footwork which fits with lead blocking.

Still, MM has this thing for Kuhn and Bush. He seems to just like having them around for veteran presence, "continuity", special teams, "good guys". But their roles have diminished sharply from 2010...you wonder when they hit the point of diminishing returns, intangibles notwithstanding.
 

El Guapo

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Still, MM has this thing for Kuhn and Bush. He seems to just like having them around for veteran presence, "continuity", special teams, "good guys". But their roles have diminished sharply from 2010...you wonder when they hit the point of diminishing returns, intangibles notwithstanding.
I caught a few minutes of NFL Live or one of those shows the other day. Mark Schlereth was talking about their Super Bowl season. In the offseason, the Broncos let one of their special teamers go....might have even been the long-snapper. Mark said that not many in the media or fanbase noticed or cared. However, this guy was the "glue" that kept the team energy up, cracked jokes at the right time, and kept them loose. After his departure, the team really struggled (in his words) with a lot of the little things and subsequently had a less-than-stellar season. Schlereth talked about how some of these "inconsequential" veterans play very important roles that sometimes only the players or coaches know about.

I'm not saying that specifically about Kuhn and Bush, but I've heard enough about Bush at least to draw a parallel between him and the type of player that Schlereth described.
 

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I'm just wondering if this "looking good" for a few RB's is a ploy to keep a steady paycheck. It seems that certain ones "look" good on ye old eyeball test, but fall out with an injury or just plain get stoned when the other team steps in front of them.

Lacy/Franklin
D. Harris
Green

That is my 4 keepers in order

ALL others can go pound sand.
 

Luca

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The RB competition is definitely the most interesting camp competition. A week ago I would have thought that Starks would be cut by the final cuts. But the guy is really doing great in camp, so he might starter in week 1. Lacy was doing a great job in the red zone carries, but had some unimpressive days as well. My guess is that he will be goal line and short yardage back only in week 1. The battle for the 3rd down back is gonna be interesting as well. Franklin running style fits that role best, but he didn't impress in blitz pickup. Harris has the same running style is a better blocker, but his injury hurts his stock big time. Green is the best blocker of the bunch and a solid pass catcher. If he shows that he can run as well, he might be the guy. Green actually had some nice runs in OTA's as well as in camp. My guess is that the pack keep 4 of these guys, and that Harris is the odd man out due to his injury. However I would actually not be surprised if they keep all 5.

About the full back position. I feel that Kuhn isn't a lock this year for the first time. The packers signed a great run blocking TE in Mulligan who can replace him. Ross was working out as personal protector on special teams. The fact that Taylor looks bad in camp helps Kuhn though. So my guess is that Kuhn makes the 53, but I would not be surprised if he will be cut.
 

Oshkoshpackfan

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The RB competition is definitely the most interesting camp competition. A week ago I would have thought that Starks would be cut by the final cuts. But the guy is really doing great in camp, so he might starter in week 1. Lacy was doing a great job in the red zone carries, but had some unimpressive days as well. My guess is that he will be goal line and short yardage back only in week 1. The battle for the 3rd down back is gonna be interesting as well. Franklin running style fits that role best, but he didn't impress in blitz pickup. Harris has the same running style is a better blocker, but his injury hurts his stock big time. Green is the best blocker of the bunch and a solid pass catcher. If he shows that he can run as well, he might be the guy. Green actually had some nice runs in OTA's as well as in camp. My guess is that the pack keep 4 of these guys, and that Harris is the odd man out due to his injury. However I would actually not be surprised if they keep all 5.

About the full back position. I feel that Kuhn isn't a lock this year for the first time. The packers signed a great run blocking TE in Mulligan who can replace him. Ross was working out as personal protector on special teams. The fact that Taylor looks bad in camp helps Kuhn though. So my guess is that Kuhn makes the 53, but I would not be surprised if he will be cut.

Starks has not done a damn thing since 2010, and I am starting to think that was a fluke. Camp is one thing, real time action vs another team is the real deal and starks wont cut it, once again. How is D. Harris the odd man out? what "injury"? He had a very simple operation and should be 100% very soon, that is not an injury. If anyone is the odd man out, it will be starks. Doubt they will keep all 5 with the two rookies and the big names they carry. Pre-season will show us who starks really is.....and don't be surprised to see him go bye bye.
 

Luca

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Starks has not done a damn thing since 2010, and I am starting to think that was a fluke. Camp is one thing, real time action vs another team is the real deal and starks wont cut it, once again. How is D. Harris the odd man out? what "injury"? He had a very simple operation and should be 100% very soon, that is not an injury. If anyone is the odd man out, it will be starks. Doubt they will keep all 5 with the two rookies and the big names they carry. Pre-season will show us who starks really is.....and don't be surprised to see him go bye bye.

I agree that he hasn't done a damn thing since 2010, and that the guy hasn't been healthy since 2010. Right now he is healthy, and he was impressive last week. But I agree that he needs to show it in the pre-season games to secure his spot. DuJuan Harris has a knee injury, that will cost him at least 2 to 3 weeks. That why I think he faces an uphill battle. The packers might decide to put Harris on PUP though, to postpone this though decision. In short the competition at RB is very very tough, and so Starks, Green and Harris are all three in danger of being cut.
 

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I agree that he hasn't done a damn thing since 2010, and that the guy hasn't been healthy since 2010. Right now he is healthy, and he was impressive last week. But I agree that he needs to show it in the pre-season games to secure his spot. DuJuan Harris has a knee injury, that will cost him at least 2 to 3 weeks. That why I think he faces an uphill battle. The packers might decide to put Harris on PUP though, to postpone this though decision. In short the competition at RB is very very tough, and so Starks, Green and Harris are all three in danger of being cut.

Damn it. When the hell did he pull off a knee injury? I try to keep up on the current training camp news, but this one slipped past me. Last I knew he was almost at 100% recovered from that minor lung operation. injury bug, here we come!!!
 

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Damn it. When the hell did he pull off a knee injury? I try to keep up on the current training camp news, but this one slipped past me. Last I knew he was almost at 100% recovered from that minor lung operation. injury bug, here we come!!!

At first I thought he was on PUP for the lung operation as well. But Mike McCarthy said Tuesday at the press conference that it was a knee injury, and that it would take 2 to 3 weeks.
 
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HardRightEdge

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I caught a few minutes of NFL Live or one of those shows the other day. Mark Schlereth was talking about their Super Bowl season. In the offseason, the Broncos let one of their special teamers go....might have even been the long-snapper. Mark said that not many in the media or fanbase noticed or cared. However, this guy was the "glue" that kept the team energy up, cracked jokes at the right time, and kept them loose. After his departure, the team really struggled (in his words) with a lot of the little things and subsequently had a less-than-stellar season. Schlereth talked about how some of these "inconsequential" veterans play very important roles that sometimes only the players or coaches know about.

I'm not saying that specifically about Kuhn and Bush, but I've heard enough about Bush at least to draw a parallel between him and the type of player that Schlereth described.

No argument there. I recall Murphy doing some appearances after the Super Bowl with Kuhn at his side...there's that "good guy, a face of the franchise" factor. Certainly Driver had the same intangibles, but his time had come.

My question is how limited of a role do Kuhn and Bush need to play before their times come, especially when they're making decent well-above-minimum salaries? At this point, barring injuries to others, Bush's appearance on the secondary depth chart is strictly honorary...his role is limited to gunner. Kuhn can't even lay claim to short yardage running duty with Lacy on board, and we've steadily moved toward H-backs and away from fullbacks for blocking duty; that leaves him with special teams.

Kuhn may be most vulnerable. MM was recently highly complimentary of Mulligan's work ethic and professionalism and commented that he's brought added intensity to the weight room...so there's some vet leadership there. He also looks like a guy who can block from H-back.
 

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I don't know, guys. I feel like Starks has the inside track over Green for a roster spot.

It's been awfully quiet on the Nick Perry front, no?

According to the Wednesday report from the JS;

When the outside linebackers went one-on-one Sunday in the run game against the tackles and tight ends, NickPerry was an overwhelming force. After shedding T Don Barclay twice, Perry got low and shoved TE Ryan Taylor 5 yards deep in the backfield. OLB coach Kevin Greene and TE coach Jerry Fontenot convened their players for the second session of training camp Wednesday. This time, Perry was pitted against TE MatthewMulligan, the well-traveled veteran signed in April to beef up the ground game. With all eyes watching, the 267-pound Mulligan got underneath the pads of the 262-pound Perry and actually moved him back just enough to win the round. "You have to utilize your strengths, and (blocking) clearly is a strength of his," said coach Mike McCarthy. "I really like what Matt Mulligan has brought to our football team."

I'd say that that definitely sounds encouraging, having a second OLB who can consistently set the edge and even drive his man back would give our defense a shot in the arm.

On the pass rushing front he roughed up Datko for what it's worth. As for pass coverage, he's never going to be a ball hawk. I'd figure that for a player like him no news is good news.
 

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I will almost guarantee that Starks will be the #1 at the start of the season if he is healthy. There is no reason to start Lacy or Franklin unless they are tearing it up Adrian Peterson-style. Van Pelt and McCarthy will immediately start giving Lacy and Franklin game reps and increase or decrease them based on production. Green of course will be in the mix too. If and when Starks does get hurt, then the door is open for Lacy or Franklin....or Green.

Starks will be lucky to have a roster spot after camp, the team can't keep taking chances on a guy who is never available.
 

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They don't publish the stats, but I haven't heard anything good said about Van Roten or about Barclay at center. Who is our backup going to be? We can't just go in there with EDS and no one else, but it sounds like maybe Van Roten hasn't taken the step forward that people had been hoping for.


Barclay has been rolling snaps in the dirt out of shotgun since the beginning of camp. They have really tried to push him into the back up center role but it just doesn't seem to be working out. I dont think that is a slight on Van Roten as a back up center the packers just value versatility more than anything with OL it seems and they were seeing if Barclay could do it. He couldn't and hopefully that experiment is over so he can focus on usurping Marshall Newhouse's spot at RT .
 

HyponGrey

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Barclay has been rolling snaps in the dirt out of shotgun since the beginning of camp. They have really tried to push him into the back up center role but it just doesn't seem to be working out. I dont think that is a slight on Van Roten as a back up center the packers just value versatility more than anything with OL it seems and they were seeing if Barclay could do it. He couldn't and hopefully that experiment is over so he can focus on usurping Marshall Newhouse's spot at RT .
Barclay is more inept at pass blocking than Newhouse is at run blocking. They're trying Barclay at Center because they realize his highest ceiling is as an interior lineman and desperately want to keep him, but don't want to spend the extra roster spot. His only edge at RT is his mindset, he's almost completely unsuited for the outside from a skill set standpoint.
 

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Barclay is more inept at pass blocking than Newhouse is at run blocking. They're trying Barclay at Center because they realize his highest ceiling is as an interior lineman and desperately want to keep him, but don't want to spend the extra roster spot. His only edge at RT is his mindset, he's almost completely unsuited for the outside from a skill set standpoint.

Do you have something to back up those statements? I'm just curious because I thought he held his own last year when he got in there. He's a fighter and certainly was a pretty solid run blocker. I never really noticed him being a weak link in pass pro. So, I'm curious what you are basing your conclusory statements on.
 

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Do you have something to back up those statements? I'm just curious because I thought he held his own last year when he got in there. He's a fighter and certainly was a pretty solid run blocker. I never really noticed him being a weak link in pass pro. So, I'm curious what you are basing your conclusory statements on.

Same exact thoughts I was having....???!!!???!!!
 

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