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Cheesehead
By BOB MCGINN
bmcginn@journalsentinel.com
Posted: April 30, 2008
Green Bay - The Green Bay Packers were willing to take a chance on unheralded tackle-guard Josh Sitton of Central Florida late in the fourth round partially because he reminded them of Mark Tauscher.
In terms of height, weight, vertical jump and intelligence, Sitton is eerily similar to Tauscher when he joined the Packers as a seventh-round draft choice from Wisconsin in 2000. Their style of play was comparable as well.
"I'm not saying he's Mark Tauscher," general manager Ted Thompson said Wednesday. "Mark Tauscher is a bona fide NFL starting player, so I'm not trying to put a draft choice in the same category.
"But he has similarities to Mark. You will see similarities in their movement and in their ability to absorb charges and block their guy."
Thompson said that like Tauscher, Sitton has demonstrated the ability to keep his feet and recover when a pass rusher beats him initially.
Tauscher, the 224th selection eight years ago, started one year at right tackle in college but did play left guard in the East-West Shrine game. Sitton, the 135th pick, was a four-year regular with starts at right tackle and both guards.
Tauscher and Sitton both measured 6-foot-3 1/2 and scored 25 on the Wonderlic intelligence test. Sitton weighs 324 pounds, 11 more than Tauscher.
Their vertical jumps were almost equal (29 inches for Sitton, 27 for Tauscher). The edge for Sitton is in 40-yard dash time (5.18 seconds to 5.42) and broad jump (9-foot-0 to 7-6).
Thompson maintained that Sitton wasn't a reach.
Roster chatter
The Packers have 13 wide receivers on their 80-man roster, and Thompson couldn't say definitely that there would be room much longer for Koren Robinson.
"We're still kind of working through our roster," Thompson said. "We're not letting anybody go. We'll see how it works itself out."
Robinson, 28, played 196 snaps in nine regular-season games. Counting playoffs, he caught 25 passes for 257 yards (10.3) and one touchdown. A favorite of Brett Favre, Robinson has a bone-on-bone knee problem that probably isn't going to go away.
Robinson was in Green Bay earlier in the week but has been working out back home in North Carolina, not with his teammates, since the off-season program for veterans began March 31.
"Sometimes they have legitimate reasons why they're not here," Thompson said. "And I want to say his was a fairly legitimate reason. I just don't specifically remember what it was."
Meanwhile, two veterans without contracts, tight end Ryan Krause and center Tyson Walter, won't return, Thompson indicated.
Krause played 128 snaps in the regular season and caught two passes. Walter suffered a season-ending toe injury Aug. 30.
Jason Spitz (14 starts), Daryn Colledge (15 starts) and Junius Coston (seven starts) will battle for starting jobs at guard.
"In my mind right this second I'd say our two starting guards are the way we finished the season," Thompson said. "Spitz and Colledge."
Given the tighter rosters, the Packers might not go to training camp with a fourth quarterback. Even though the Packers just drafted Brian Brohm and Matt Flynn, Thompson doesn't think a competent veteran would necessarily deem Green Bay as an impossible situation to make a team.
Asked if would mind entering the regular season with Aaron Rodgers backed by two rookies, Thompson replied, "It's OK with me. Now we've never seen two of them with a Packer helmet on yet. Let's take this one step at a time."
Top pick
Although there were strong indications the Packers would have remained at No. 30 to select cornerback Antoine Cason if he hadn't been taken three picks earlier by San Diego, Thompson wouldn't confirm it.
"We liked Antoine Cason," he said. "We think he'll be a good NFL player."
With Cason gone, Thompson traded down to No. 36. By doing so the Packers lost the chance to draft defensive end Phillip Merling, who would have figured as an inside rusher on passing downs as a rookie. He went No. 32.
"Merling was a player we would have considered at several spots along the way," Thompson said.
Although Devin Thomas, the top-rated wide receiver for some teams, lasted until No. 34, Thompson wouldn't say Thomas would have been the pick over Jordy Nelson.
Nelson, the third receiver taken, finished with the ninth most points at the position in a Journal Sentinel pre-draft poll of 18 scouts.
"As scouts, we think we were right on (Nelson)," Thompson said. "I can't explain what other people might say prior to the draft. I'm not saying it's not interesting reading, but if you're trying to do your job and you get caught up in that and Mel Kiper's mock drafts, then all of a sudden you start drafting based on that. So we decided to stick with the football guy."
Character issues
To his knowledge, Thompson said none of the nine draftees tested positive for drugs during college or at the combine. Also, he said that the Packers don't automatically drop a player for one positive test.
"I think we try to judge each person," Thompson said. "We acknowledge that everybody makes mistakes. We will eliminate someone if we think he's a bad guy. I think there's good guys and bad guys."
Sitton was arrested for driving drunk in 2006. Tackle Breno Giacomini, a fifth-round pick, was arrested March 21 for the same offense.
"First of all, a DUI is a very serious offense," Thompson said. "Obviously, those are huge mistakes made by both players. We checked into that very closely.
"(Giacomini) is very conscious of the mistake he made and is aggressively trying to remedy that.
"As for Sitton, same thing. Great guy. Made a serious mistake. We don't think that's a problem going forward."
bmcginn@journalsentinel.com
Posted: April 30, 2008
Green Bay - The Green Bay Packers were willing to take a chance on unheralded tackle-guard Josh Sitton of Central Florida late in the fourth round partially because he reminded them of Mark Tauscher.
In terms of height, weight, vertical jump and intelligence, Sitton is eerily similar to Tauscher when he joined the Packers as a seventh-round draft choice from Wisconsin in 2000. Their style of play was comparable as well.
"I'm not saying he's Mark Tauscher," general manager Ted Thompson said Wednesday. "Mark Tauscher is a bona fide NFL starting player, so I'm not trying to put a draft choice in the same category.
"But he has similarities to Mark. You will see similarities in their movement and in their ability to absorb charges and block their guy."
Thompson said that like Tauscher, Sitton has demonstrated the ability to keep his feet and recover when a pass rusher beats him initially.
Tauscher, the 224th selection eight years ago, started one year at right tackle in college but did play left guard in the East-West Shrine game. Sitton, the 135th pick, was a four-year regular with starts at right tackle and both guards.
Tauscher and Sitton both measured 6-foot-3 1/2 and scored 25 on the Wonderlic intelligence test. Sitton weighs 324 pounds, 11 more than Tauscher.
Their vertical jumps were almost equal (29 inches for Sitton, 27 for Tauscher). The edge for Sitton is in 40-yard dash time (5.18 seconds to 5.42) and broad jump (9-foot-0 to 7-6).
Thompson maintained that Sitton wasn't a reach.
Roster chatter
The Packers have 13 wide receivers on their 80-man roster, and Thompson couldn't say definitely that there would be room much longer for Koren Robinson.
"We're still kind of working through our roster," Thompson said. "We're not letting anybody go. We'll see how it works itself out."
Robinson, 28, played 196 snaps in nine regular-season games. Counting playoffs, he caught 25 passes for 257 yards (10.3) and one touchdown. A favorite of Brett Favre, Robinson has a bone-on-bone knee problem that probably isn't going to go away.
Robinson was in Green Bay earlier in the week but has been working out back home in North Carolina, not with his teammates, since the off-season program for veterans began March 31.
"Sometimes they have legitimate reasons why they're not here," Thompson said. "And I want to say his was a fairly legitimate reason. I just don't specifically remember what it was."
Meanwhile, two veterans without contracts, tight end Ryan Krause and center Tyson Walter, won't return, Thompson indicated.
Krause played 128 snaps in the regular season and caught two passes. Walter suffered a season-ending toe injury Aug. 30.
Jason Spitz (14 starts), Daryn Colledge (15 starts) and Junius Coston (seven starts) will battle for starting jobs at guard.
"In my mind right this second I'd say our two starting guards are the way we finished the season," Thompson said. "Spitz and Colledge."
Given the tighter rosters, the Packers might not go to training camp with a fourth quarterback. Even though the Packers just drafted Brian Brohm and Matt Flynn, Thompson doesn't think a competent veteran would necessarily deem Green Bay as an impossible situation to make a team.
Asked if would mind entering the regular season with Aaron Rodgers backed by two rookies, Thompson replied, "It's OK with me. Now we've never seen two of them with a Packer helmet on yet. Let's take this one step at a time."
Top pick
Although there were strong indications the Packers would have remained at No. 30 to select cornerback Antoine Cason if he hadn't been taken three picks earlier by San Diego, Thompson wouldn't confirm it.
"We liked Antoine Cason," he said. "We think he'll be a good NFL player."
With Cason gone, Thompson traded down to No. 36. By doing so the Packers lost the chance to draft defensive end Phillip Merling, who would have figured as an inside rusher on passing downs as a rookie. He went No. 32.
"Merling was a player we would have considered at several spots along the way," Thompson said.
Although Devin Thomas, the top-rated wide receiver for some teams, lasted until No. 34, Thompson wouldn't say Thomas would have been the pick over Jordy Nelson.
Nelson, the third receiver taken, finished with the ninth most points at the position in a Journal Sentinel pre-draft poll of 18 scouts.
"As scouts, we think we were right on (Nelson)," Thompson said. "I can't explain what other people might say prior to the draft. I'm not saying it's not interesting reading, but if you're trying to do your job and you get caught up in that and Mel Kiper's mock drafts, then all of a sudden you start drafting based on that. So we decided to stick with the football guy."
Character issues
To his knowledge, Thompson said none of the nine draftees tested positive for drugs during college or at the combine. Also, he said that the Packers don't automatically drop a player for one positive test.
"I think we try to judge each person," Thompson said. "We acknowledge that everybody makes mistakes. We will eliminate someone if we think he's a bad guy. I think there's good guys and bad guys."
Sitton was arrested for driving drunk in 2006. Tackle Breno Giacomini, a fifth-round pick, was arrested March 21 for the same offense.
"First of all, a DUI is a very serious offense," Thompson said. "Obviously, those are huge mistakes made by both players. We checked into that very closely.
"(Giacomini) is very conscious of the mistake he made and is aggressively trying to remedy that.
"As for Sitton, same thing. Great guy. Made a serious mistake. We don't think that's a problem going forward."
