Cory Rodgers may have played well in the scrimmage, but...

[Bruce]

... but in practice, the Packers can’t even count on Rodgers to catch a punt.

WARNINGFrom Christl's practice blog:

Again, during a punt return drill Monday morning, he couldn’t get a handle on the ball. On four successive turns, Rodgers stumbled and fell after making a catch; dropped one; bobbled one, but held on; and misjudged and dropped another. And get this! There was nobody covering the punts. There wasn’t a defender within 20 yards of him, much less in his face.


Rookie punt returner Cory Rodgers might be suffering from a Chuck Knoblauch or Steve Sax Syndrome. Or at least he seems to have developed a mental block about catching punts. He had at least two more drops Tuesday in a punt return drill. Rodgers also dropped a pass in the back of the end zone in 7-on-7.

Some guys are gamers and lousy practice players (he was an incredible return man at TCU), but if this does not change quickly this guy is destine to be an early waiver victim.

 

[cyoung]

oh no he dropped a pass he must be mentally sick, call the fire department, call the hospital, call his mommy.

 

[NDPackerFan]

oh no he dropped a pass he must be mentally sick, call the fire department, call the hospital, call his mommy.

cyoung, don't blow this off as unimportant. This guy has had the drops almost all preseason. In today's NFL, it's crucial to hit on as many draft picks as possible and this guy seems to have talent but is in danger of getting cut.

 

[cyoung]

yeah I know I'm just saying that its important but I'm all player somtime hit a slump and I'm sure he is going to get better.

 

[Greg C.]

From what I've heard, Rodgers is the front-runner for the kick return position, while Charles Woodson is the front-runner for punt returner. So maybe Rodgers can afford to have some training camp jitters, at least for now. Still, he would be much more valuable if he can be reliable in both roles.

Did he return punts in college? If so, I wonder why he's having these problems now.

 

[TOPackerFan]

He was drafted with the intention of him being a punt returner, so the fact that he can't seem to catch punts is more than a little troubling.

 

[cheesey]

Re: Cory Rodgers may have played well in the scrimmage, but.

Antonio Chatman didn't do much after catching a punt, but the guy was sure handed! You never had to worry that he was gonna drop a punt and give the ball back to the "D".
This kid might just be having beginners jitters. He MIGHT be OK. If not, he'll be gone.

 

[cyoung]

Re: Cory Rodgers may have played well in the scrimmage, but.

Antonio Chatman didn't do much after catching a punt, but the guy was sure handed! You never had to worry that he was gonna drop a punt and give the ball back to the "D".
This kid might just be having beginners jitters. He MIGHT be OK. If not, he'll be gone.

I think he'll get over it and toughen up

 

[tromadz]

he's a struggling rookie. give him a break. This isn't a 3rd year player we brought in from FA who is expected to do great things. We havent played ONE preseason game yet. Give him some time.

During the scrimmage he seemed solid, let him get a LOT of preseason reps, and see if he is the man (at KR\PR). If not, we have a lot of other options (Jennings,Woodson,Ferguson.Carroll,Najeh).

RELAX

 

[cyoung]

he's a struggling rookie. give him a break. This isn't a 3rd year player we brought in from FA who is expected to do great things. We havent played ONE preseason game yet. Give him some time.

During the scrimmage he seemed solid, let him get a LOT of preseason reps, and see if he is the man (at KR\PR). If not, we have a lot of other options (Jennings,Woodson,Ferguson.Carroll,Najeh).

RELAX

thats what I was thinking

 

[Bruce]

I am totally relaxed, but can tell you that a rookie trying to make an NFL roster better not be too relaxed.

I gave Rodgers props for playing well in the scrimmage. I loved his punt return ability in college. But he is not particularly fast and if he is putting the football on the turf on a regular basis (which he has throughout training camp) it is certainly an issue of concern worthy of taking note of -- especially by Cory if he hopes to make the final roster.

Greg: yes he did return punts in college to the tune of a 15.1 average, which is spectacular. But college production means nothing once you start getting paid and everyone is hungry and fighting for a job.

cyoung wrote:

oh no he dropped a pass he must be mentally sick, call the fire department, call the hospital, call his mommy.

Where is that coming from??? I didn't say a word about the passes he is dropping, rather I printed concerns about his not being able to field punts in practice - which is his best chance to make the roster.

Why visit a football forum if you don't like to talk about the players or how they are doing? Maybe you were looking for cheerleaders.com instead?

 

[Greg C.]

Thanks for the info, Bruce. A 15.1 yard average! That's amazing. I thought Rodgers helped himself in the scrimmage more than any other player with the exception of Hodge, so it's disappointing to hear about his struggles in practice. Two years ago we were stuck with a rookie punter with a case of the jitters (and who has yet to recover), so it doesn't seem fair that we may end up with a rookie punt returner with a similar problem. By the end of the preseason, we should have a pretty good idea of what we've got.

 

[cyoung]

cyoung wrote:

oh no he dropped a pass he must be mentally sick, call the fire department, call the hospital, call his mommy.

Where is that coming from??? I didn't say a word about the passes he is dropping, rather I printed concerns about his not being able to field punts in practice - which is his best chance to make the roster.

Why visit a football forum if you don't like to talk about the players or how they are doing? Maybe you were looking for cheerleaders.com instead?

I meant dropping punts but it was my way of saying people somtimes get worked up about things that will fix themselves (maybe this isn't one of them)

 

[pyledriver80]

Rodgers was the standout of the scrimmage. He did more of what I expected Jennings to do. To me he was the most impressive rookie on the field.

 

[billv]

my negative thought for the day: Can a team that has a quarterback who throws his share of interceptions and RBs who have fumble problems afford to have a punt returner who has difficulties holding on to the football?

 

[tromadz]

ok. try and...grasp this. If he cant hold on to the ball, HE WONT BE THE RETURNER.

SIMPLE.

worst case scenario is we get a chatman type back there again (aka Mr. Fair Catch)

 

[NDPackerFan]

Rodgers was the standout of the scrimmage. He did more of what I expected Jennings to do. To me he was the most impressive rookie on the field.

Not trying to be a smarta$$ but you must have been only watching the offense right? Abdul Hodge was probably the most impressive player on the field, yet alone rookie.

 

[tromadz]

Re: Cory Rodgers may have played well in the scrimmage, but.

Rodgers was the standout of the scrimmage. He did more of what I expected Jennings to do. To me he was the most impressive rookie on the field.

Not trying to be a smarta$$ but you must have been only watching the offense right? Abdul Hodge was probably the most impressive player on the field, yet alone rookie.

I was thinking the same thing. Im sure he was talking about offense.

 

[all about da packers]

Re: Cory Rodgers may have played well in the scrimmage, but.

Rodgers was the standout of the scrimmage. He did more of what I expected Jennings to do. To me he was the most impressive rookie on the field.

Not trying to be a smarta$$ but you must have been only watching the offense right? Abdul Hodge was probably the most impressive player on the field, yet alone rookie.

I was thinking the same thing. Im sure he was talking about offense.

Well I can see where pyle is coming from.

Hodge was a standout in college, so it was expected for him to be a sure tackler, have great instincts. We have been expecting him to take over and start at some point.

Rodgers was a great PR/KR in college. He stood out as a WR in the scrimmage. That is why I can understand where pyle is coming from. He showed some amazing burst that was evident in his KR/PR duties, but no so much so in his WR duties.

 

[all about da packers]

cyoung wrote:

oh no he dropped a pass he must be mentally sick, call the fire department, call the hospital, call his mommy.

Where is that coming from??? I didn't say a word about the passes he is dropping, rather I printed concerns about his not being able to field punts in practice - which is his best chance to make the roster.

Why visit a football forum if you don't like to talk about the players or how they are doing? Maybe you were looking for cheerleaders.com instead?

I meant dropping punts but it was my way of saying people somtimes get worked up about things that will fix themselves (maybe this isn't one of them)

Regardless, cy it was uncalled for.

Bruce:

I gave Rodgers props for playing well in the scrimmage. I loved his punt return ability in college. But he is not particularly fast and if he is putting the football on the turf on a regular basis (which he has throughout training camp) it is certainly an issue of concern worthy of taking note of -- especially by Cory if he hopes to make the final roster.

I know Sander had the reputation that his punts were always difficult to handle, because of the spin he put on them. Perhaps this is effecting Rodgers too? Maybe Ryan also has similar spin to BJ?

If I had to guess, I would say that Cory is perhaps trying to do too much all at once. He is trying to catch the ball, while trying to start running at the same time.

 

[pyledriver80]

Rodgers was the standout of the scrimmage. He did more of what I expected Jennings to do. To me he was the most impressive rookie on the field.

Not trying to be a smarta$$ but you must have been only watching the offense right? Abdul Hodge was probably the most impressive player on the field, yet alone rookie.

No, I meant offense and defense. Hodge made 2 plays. AJ Cooper completely missed a block and Gado had a hole to go through but froze, which allowed Hodge to make the play in the backfield.

I really don't see the greatness that everyone else sees in Hodge. To me he's just another rookie on the field. There is alot of blind hype on here about Hodge and Jennings but personally I felt Rodgers and Culver showed more than Hodge and Jennings. I didn't see Hodge make any outstanding plays that Barnett or 95% of any other NFL MLB's wouldn't have made.


Don't get all defensive now. I'm not saying they won't be good but the Hodge and Jennings fan clubs on here were going to be impressed no matter what they did. Just trying to be objective.

 

[NDPackerFan]

Rodgers was the standout of the scrimmage. He did more of what I expected Jennings to do. To me he was the most impressive rookie on the field.

Not trying to be a smarta$$ but you must have been only watching the offense right? Abdul Hodge was probably the most impressive player on the field, yet alone rookie.

No, I meant offense and defense. Hodge made 2 plays. AJ Cooper completely missed a block and Gado had a hole to go through but froze, which allowed Hodge to make the play in the backfield.

I really don't see the greatness that everyone else sees in Hodge. To me he's just another rookie on the field. There is alot of blind hype on here about Hodge and Jennings but personally I felt Rodgers and Culver showed more than Hodge and Jennings. I didn't see Hodge make any outstanding plays that Barnett or 95% of any other NFL MLB's wouldn't have made.


Don't get all defensive now. I'm not saying they won't be good but the Hodge and Jennings fan clubs on here were going to be impressed no matter what they did. Just trying to be objective.

First of all, there isn't a hint of being "defensive" in my post so I hope you're referring to your post and my potential reply. I was posing a serious question. Secondly, if you only thought Hodge made 2 plays, then you weren't watching the same scrimmage I was. When you are in on tackles with other teammates, those count as assisted tackles and hence, a play "made".

I do agree with Rodgers and Culver had impressive nights as well though.

 

[pyledriver80]

Rodgers was the standout of the scrimmage. He did more of what I expected Jennings to do. To me he was the most impressive rookie on the field.

Not trying to be a smarta$$ but you must have been only watching the offense right? Abdul Hodge was probably the most impressive player on the field, yet alone rookie.

No, I meant offense and defense. Hodge made 2 plays. AJ Cooper completely missed a block and Gado had a hole to go through but froze, which allowed Hodge to make the play in the backfield.

I really don't see the greatness that everyone else sees in Hodge. To me he's just another rookie on the field. There is alot of blind hype on here about Hodge and Jennings but personally I felt Rodgers and Culver showed more than Hodge and Jennings. I didn't see Hodge make any outstanding plays that Barnett or 95% of any other NFL MLB's wouldn't have made.


Don't get all defensive now. I'm not saying they won't be good but the Hodge and Jennings fan clubs on here were going to be impressed no matter what they did. Just trying to be objective.

First of all, there isn't a hint of being "defensive" in my post so I hope you're referring to your post and my potential reply. I was posing a serious question. Secondly, if you only thought Hodge made 2 plays, then you weren't watching the same scrimmage I was. When you are in on tackles with other teammates, those count as assisted tackles and hence, a play "made".

I do agree with Rodgers and Culver had impressive nights as well though.

I understand that but the only 2 outstanding plays he made were pretty much handed to him. I'm not saying he wasn't impressive but take away those 2 plays and you would have hardly even knew he was on the field.

 

[Bruce]

Obviously I was not the only one who noticed this:

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Packers: Returner Rodgers fails to impress

JASON WILDE
August 10, 2006

GREEN BAY - When you are a punt returner for the Green Bay Packers and sideline observers are invoking the name Joey Jamison, you know you're not making a very good impression.

But that's exactly what rookie fourth-round pick Cory Rodgers has done during the first two weeks of training camp.

Jamison was a 2000 fifth-round pick from Texas Southern who was fundamentally overmatched at the NFL level - and cut after one preseason game. Not only couldn't he catch the ball, but the Packers passed on return man extraordinaire Dante Hall, who went two picks later (153rd overall) to the Kansas City Chiefs that year.

As then-general manager Ron Wolf puts it now, "What a mess that was."

Rodgers, who left Texas Christian after his junior year as the school's all-time return-yardage leader, comes with a much more impressive pedigree - Sports Illustrated and ESPN.com named him first-team all-America as a returner - but has struggled so far in camp.

Rodgers' catching problems actually started right away at the post-draft minicamp and extended through the second, voluntary minicamp and the organized team activities. On the second-to-last day of OTAs, special teams coordinator Mike Stock asked Rodgers if he wore contact lenses; when he said that he did, the team had Rodgers' prescription checked and learned he needed new lenses.

Asked Wednesday if he was worried about Rodgers' inability to catch the ball, general manager Ted Thompson replied, "We'd like everybody to catch 'em all. We don't do a lot of worrying. We'll put guys out in preseason games and let them compete for spots and see how it goes. I've seen him drop some, (but) I've seen some of the other fellas drop some. We've got to catch 'em."

Thompson and Stock watched extensive film of Rodgers in college and said he didn't have a fumbling problem. Still, Stock is shooting balls from the Jugs machine at Rodgers every day before practice and also has taken another drastic step in hopes of helping him.

"I told him, 'Every dropped ball, 10 push-ups. Drop one, it's 10. Drop two, it's 20. Drop three, it's 30. We'll see if that helps you catch the ball more cleanly and consistently,' " Stock said. "He'll be a strong son of a gun if he doesn't catch it. He may be the new push-up champion of the world.

"I don't know what to do at this point, other than reps, reps, reps."

Stock has said repeatedly veteran Charles Woodson is his No. 1 punt returner, and Woodson expects to field the first one or two punts in Saturday night's preseason opener at San Diego.

"We need to see Charles get one or two opportunities in each of these preseason games for us to find out about him and for him to find out about himself," Stock said.

Thompson said he has no problem with a high-profile player like Woodson being the punt returner if he's indeed the best option.

"If he turns out to be the guy and everybody's in agreement, that's fine with me," Thompson said. "A lot of high-profile guys catch punts. Again, that's what we'll see in preseason. That'll be coaches' decision."

Meanwhile Rodgers, not surprisingly, was reluctant to talk about his struggles Wednesday.

"I'm not going to get into that. I'm not going to get into no negativity," he said when asked how he'd judge his camp. "Practice is practice. The game is the game. So we'll see what happens. At this level, they judge practice and if you drop a punt or something, they figure you can't do it in a game, I guess."

 

[tromadz]

thats the funniest picture ive ever seen