Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New media
New media comments
New resources
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Resources
Latest reviews
Search resources
Members
Current visitors
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
Open Football Discussion
Green Bay Packers Fan Forum
Official Training Camp Thread 4
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="TOPHAT" data-source="post: 162313" data-attributes="member: 781"><p><strong>BACKUP SAFETIES: PREVIEW</strong></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.packersnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070822/PKR01/708220590/1989" target="_blank">http://www.packersnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070822/PKR01/708220590/1989</a></p><p></p><p><strong>Safety battle likely down to backups. Rouse, Manuel may be fighting for spot behind Bigby.</strong></p><p></p><p>The Green Bay Packers selected Aaron Rouse with a third-round draft pick this year to be one of three contenders to possibly knock Marquand Manuel out of the starting lineup at safety. <strong> But after a full offseason and 3½ weeks into training camp, the Packers appear to have never given Rouse or anyone other than Atari Bigby serious consideration for overtaking Manuel. Bigby began taking a few snaps with the starters last week in practice and will start along side Nick Collins in this Thursday's preseason game against Jacksonville.</strong> Though Rouse probably has had more snaps in practice than any of the Packers' backup safeties, almost all but one or two came with the Nos. 2 or 3 defenses, not the starters. Whether the Packers would have been better served by also giving him a look with the starters remains open for debate, but coach Mike McCarthy and defensive coordinator Bob Sanders decided that Bigby's speed, aggressiveness and experience (he's played in NFL Europa and been in the NFL since 2005) put him well ahead of the third-round draft pick from Virginia Tech. So barring injuries, either Bigby or Manuel will be starting opposite Collins in the regular-season opener Sept. 9 against Philadelphia. </p><p></p><p><strong>Though Manuel was a weak link in the secondary last year after the Packers signed him in free agency, they gave him the vast majority of snaps with the starters for the first three weeks of training camp, until Bigby took the majority in this short week that consisted of only two full practices.</strong> The team's coaching staff continues to praise Manuel publicly, especially for his ability to quarterback the secondary, and says he's a better player after recovering this offseason from a severe groin injury that slowed him last year. <strong>But if Manuel has been better in this camp, the difference isn't big, and he's done nothing to distinguish himself among the safeties. Bigby, on the other hand, showed good range in coverage in offseason practices...</strong> </p><p></p><p> In turn, if Manuel isn't the starter for the regular-season opener, there's a chance he might not even make the final 53-man roster only a year after General Manager Ted Thompson signed him to a five-year, $10 million contract that included a $1.5 million signing bonus. <strong>The Packers probably will keep four safeties, with Collins, Bigby and Rouse almost surely taking three spots. If the 28-year-old Manuel doesn't start, the Packers might prefer to keep one of their two second-year safeties, Tyrone Culver or Charlie Peprah — as a special-teams player and developmental prospect</strong>. The Packers cut third-year pro Marviel Underwood on Tuesday because they wanted to make sure Bigby, Rouse, Manuel, Culver and Peprah will get plenty of snaps in this week's game.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="TOPHAT, post: 162313, member: 781"] [b]BACKUP SAFETIES: PREVIEW[/b] [url]http://www.packersnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070822/PKR01/708220590/1989[/url] [b]Safety battle likely down to backups. Rouse, Manuel may be fighting for spot behind Bigby.[/b] The Green Bay Packers selected Aaron Rouse with a third-round draft pick this year to be one of three contenders to possibly knock Marquand Manuel out of the starting lineup at safety. [b] But after a full offseason and 3½ weeks into training camp, the Packers appear to have never given Rouse or anyone other than Atari Bigby serious consideration for overtaking Manuel. Bigby began taking a few snaps with the starters last week in practice and will start along side Nick Collins in this Thursday's preseason game against Jacksonville.[/b] Though Rouse probably has had more snaps in practice than any of the Packers' backup safeties, almost all but one or two came with the Nos. 2 or 3 defenses, not the starters. Whether the Packers would have been better served by also giving him a look with the starters remains open for debate, but coach Mike McCarthy and defensive coordinator Bob Sanders decided that Bigby's speed, aggressiveness and experience (he's played in NFL Europa and been in the NFL since 2005) put him well ahead of the third-round draft pick from Virginia Tech. So barring injuries, either Bigby or Manuel will be starting opposite Collins in the regular-season opener Sept. 9 against Philadelphia. [b]Though Manuel was a weak link in the secondary last year after the Packers signed him in free agency, they gave him the vast majority of snaps with the starters for the first three weeks of training camp, until Bigby took the majority in this short week that consisted of only two full practices.[/b] The team's coaching staff continues to praise Manuel publicly, especially for his ability to quarterback the secondary, and says he's a better player after recovering this offseason from a severe groin injury that slowed him last year. [b]But if Manuel has been better in this camp, the difference isn't big, and he's done nothing to distinguish himself among the safeties. Bigby, on the other hand, showed good range in coverage in offseason practices...[/b] In turn, if Manuel isn't the starter for the regular-season opener, there's a chance he might not even make the final 53-man roster only a year after General Manager Ted Thompson signed him to a five-year, $10 million contract that included a $1.5 million signing bonus. [b]The Packers probably will keep four safeties, with Collins, Bigby and Rouse almost surely taking three spots. If the 28-year-old Manuel doesn't start, the Packers might prefer to keep one of their two second-year safeties, Tyrone Culver or Charlie Peprah — as a special-teams player and developmental prospect[/b]. The Packers cut third-year pro Marviel Underwood on Tuesday because they wanted to make sure Bigby, Rouse, Manuel, Culver and Peprah will get plenty of snaps in this week's game. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Members online
B-Town
CarryTheG14
DoURant
Latest posts
Christian Watson signs a 4 year 110m extension
Latest: CarryTheG14
2 minutes ago
Green Bay Packers Fan Forum
Josh Jacobs facing charges…
Latest: OldSchool101
40 minutes ago
Green Bay Packers Fan Forum
2026 Roster Thread - Semi-Live
Latest: Pokerbrat2000
Today at 10:43 AM
Green Bay Packers Fan Forum
Why I Love The 2026-2027 Green Bay Packers
Latest: OldSchool101
Today at 9:26 AM
Green Bay Packers Fan Forum
Badgers Football 2025-2026
Latest: Pokerbrat2000
Today at 8:57 AM
Wisconsin Badgers Forum
Forums
Open Football Discussion
Green Bay Packers Fan Forum
Official Training Camp Thread 4
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
Accept
Learn more…
Top
