Packers sign RB Tra Carson to active roster

[Deleted member 6794]

In addition the team signed RB Lavon Coleman to the practice squad.

https://www.packers.com/news/packer..._CT-Roster Moves-GB_sf201231610&sf201231610=1

 

[Dantés]

Interesting. They must like what they see in Carson more than Darius Jackson, who they had on their 53 man roster to start the season. Jackson is now on the Cowboys practice squad, so they could have had him back. Carson didn't become available until the end of September.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

For those wondering Carson (5-11, 228) doesn't seem to be an option returning kicks. He had only a single attempt for 24 yards during his college career.

 

[Dantés]

For those wondering Carson (5-11, 228) doesn't seem to be an option returning kicks. He had only a single attempt for 24 yards during his college career.

He's also on the slow side (4.64 at his pro day), which I don't mind in a running back, but isn't a great sign for a kick returner. They had better just practice taking a knee in the endzone.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

They had better just practice taking a knee in the endzone.

As I've learned this week players don't have to catch the ball and kneel down if it hits the end zone on a kickoff anymore.

I have no idea about the Packers plans if a kickoff ends up short of the end zone going forward though.

 

[OldSchool101]

For those wondering Carson (5-11, 228) doesn't seem to be an option returning kicks. He had only a single attempt for 24 yards during his college career.

Did he fumble?

 

[Mondio]

As I've learned this week players don't have to catch the ball and kneel down if it hits the end zone on a kickoff anymore.

I have no idea about the Packers plans if a kickoff ends up short of the end zone going forward though.

Don't make me have to take you to school again, kid

 

[PackerfaninCarolina]

Course the thing is most RBs aren't used in the kick return capacity anyway.

I'm guessing they just wanted someone ready to step in in case AJ and JW were sidelined by injury.

 

[Poppa San]

Not Davis? Or isn't he eligible yet.

 

[HardRightEdge]

Not Davis? Or isn't he eligible yet.

Davis went to IR after week 1. A player on IR can be designated for return after a minimum of 8 weeks on the list. A team is limited to 2 such designations neither of which the Packers have used.

The short answer is Davis can return for week 10. Somebody else needs to return KOs for at least 2 games. Keep in mind a player cannot practice while on IR, so that could stretch to 3 games even if Davis is coming back at the earliest opportunity.

The long answer involves whether he's physically able and whether the Packers are interested in having him back. Word is they tried to trade him before final cut downs which says something about what they thought of him in the first place. Of course in a "beggars can't be choosers" scenario that outlook might be different. Silverstein reported immediately after Davis went to IR that the Packers did not intend to pursue an injury settlement (an option since Davis is not vested) leaving open the possibility of his return. Can he return? Do they still want him to?

The fact Davis is still on IR and not injury settled could be because he's not recovered, the Packers changed their minds about that injury settlement, but the settlement has not been determined yet hrough the arbitration process.

So, not before week 10 and maybe never pending further information.

And if the Packers are 5-3-1 that might be one thing, It it's 3-5-1 it could mean something else.

 

[BrokenArrow]

For those wondering Carson (5-11, 228) doesn't seem to be an option returning kicks. He had only a single attempt for 24 yards during his college career.

Everyone is an option. They all learned at some point. Nothing says you have to learn it in college.

 

[HardRightEdge]

As I've learned this week players don't have to catch the ball and kneel down if it hits the end zone on a kickoff anymore.
I have no idea about the Packers plans if a kickoff ends up short of the end zone going forward though.

MVS returned one KO for 21 yards in week 1. It was at the end of the first half with 0:39 on the clock. Perhaps they though he had a better shot at a long return than Montgomery with little to lose.

Before that:

3 for 61 in preseason week 1
3 for 56 in preseason week 2
2 for 30 in preseason week 3

The only player other than Montgomery to return a kick in those games was Rollins.

Davis took over in preseason week 4 with 7 returns. He looked like the starter to me.

So, the question to ask is who was Montgomery's backup had he been injured instead of traded?

It looks like MVS. So that's the starting point.

 

[HardRightEdge]

Everyone is an option. They all learned at some point. Nothing says you have to learn it in college.

Not everybody is an option. As for learning in the pros, that usually and preferably happens in camp and preseason with several weeks of practice.

It's part knack, part practice, part experience. Guys who show no knack for it get weeded out pretty quickly.

Recent events notwithstanding, at least it's harder to screw up than punt returns.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Everyone is an option. They all learned at some point. Nothing says you have to learn it in college.

While there have definitely been some decent returners who learned it on the fly at the pro level most of them handled the job in college as well.

Carson, at 5-11 and 228 pounds, running a 4.64 40, doesn't seem to present a legit option though.

 

[OldSchool101]

I also believe Carson won’t see much on Offense and if he does it would be as a lead blocker. He’s got good size on a low center of gravity and has some moderate speed to get down on ST and cover up a returner.

Yeah we all know that Davis was kept around for his return ability. Hopefully he can pick up where he left off and give us a spark or two each game. Field position was the difference last game that put LA over the top and we’ve been missing that big play ability. Just one solid return past the 50 can make the difference in a W or an L.

 

[HardRightEdge]

As for KO returns, Cobb is a possibility. He was the regular his first 2 seasons with 30+ returns each season. The results were pretty good. Then he was dialed back to 10 returns in his third season and none since. In the past they've sent him out seemingly cold, looking for some juice on a handful of punts, then gone again.

Returning KOs is not rocket science. Cobb back on his bike might be the ticket. I hate to put it this way, but with the rest of the receiver group looking pretty healthy and effective, and Cobb heading to free agency, injury concerns may not be as acute as in the past.

In any case, surveying the options, I think it will be MVS or Cobb. That could be temporary for a couple of weeks pending some Davis status news.

 

[BrokenArrow]

While there have definitely been some decent returners who learned it on the fly at the pro level most of them handled the job in college as well.

Carson, at 5-11 and 228 pounds, running a 4.64 40, doesn't seem to present a legit option though.

Since when does 40 time translate to agility and intelligence? Nobody weaves their way through coverage at full speed. When you're talking about returning, I'm much more interested in cone and shuttle times and Wonderlic scores than 40. That 40 time only comes into play after a guy gets past the coverage. If he struggles to get past coverage, who cares?

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Since when does 40 time translate to agility and intelligence? Nobody weaves their way through coverage at full speed. When you're talking about returning, I'm much more interested in cone and shuttle times and Wonderlic scores than 40. That 40 time only comes into play after a guy gets past the coverage. If he struggles to get past coverage, who cares?

Just stop it, Carson doesn't present an option to return kickoffs. Period.

 

[Mike McCarthy]

With not much to loose at this juncture seems logical to put Cobb back for returns and just hope he can make it through a few week stretch without injury. When he gets hurt again (you’re only kidding yourself if you believe he won’t) mvs or Alexander are a couple name that actually could pose a threat returning kicks.

 

[BrokenArrow]

Just stop it, Carson doesn't present an option to return kickoffs. Period.

Where do you get off telling me to "stop it?" At least I don't go around touting my opinions as fact in and of themselves.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Where do you get off telling me to "stop it?" At least I don't go around touting my opinions as fact in and of themselves.

Do you honestly believe that Carson is an option to return kickoffs??? If so, it seems you have no idea what teams are looking for at the position.

Otherwise you're just being a troll not providing anything useful to the discussion.

 

[BrokenArrow]

Do you honestly believe that Carson is an option to return kickoffs??? If so, it seems you have no idea what teams are looking for at the position.

Everyone is a potential option until they show they can't do the job, period.

Otherwise you're just being a troll not providing anything useful to the discussion.

Ah... and now you start with actual name-calling. Anyone who dares to disagree with the mighty omniscient "captainWIMM" is now a troll? Let me assure, you. You're not nearly as smart as you think you are. You sit here and preach about adding useful things to the discussion. Are you kidding me?! Throwing around your opinions and declaring them to be true without a single supporting data point and then lobbing ad hominems at anyone who disagrees is EXACTLY what internet trolls do. And that's pretty much all you ever do. If I'm wrong, how about instead of childishly insulting my intelligence by declaring that I have no idea what teams are looking for, you step up to the plate and explain exactly what it is the Packers are looking for and then articulate why Carson isn't even worth a look. Or is that too much for you? Because let me tell you, your opinion alone is absolutely no better than anyone else's.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Everyone is a potential option until they show they can't do the job, period.

Ah... and now you start with actual name-calling. Anyone who dares to disagree with the mighty omniscient "captainWIMM" is now a troll? Let me assure, you. You're not nearly as smart as you think you are. You sit here and preach about adding useful things to the discussion. Are you kidding me?! Throwing around your opinions and declaring them to be true without a single supporting data point and then lobbing ad hominems at anyone who disagrees is EXACTLY what internet trolls do. And that's pretty much all you ever do. If I'm wrong, how about instead of childishly insulting my intelligence by declaring that I have no idea what teams are looking for, you step up to the plate and explain exactly what it is the Packers are looking for and then articulate why Carson isn't even worth a look. Or is that too much for you? Because let me tell you, your opinion alone is absolutely no better than anyone else's.

I guarantee the Packers won't use Carson as a kickoff returner because he doesn't have the speed and agility teams are looking for at the position and he hasn't any experience doing it.

I don't care to address most of the ridiculous points you made in the second part of your post but if you would follow the forum with an open mind you would realize that I'm one of the posters around here trying to support my claims with facts. In addition unlike a lot of other contributors on this site I don't have a problem to admit I was wrong when proven otherwise.

 

[BrokenArrow]

I guarantee the Packers won't use Carson as a kickoff returner because he doesn't have the speed and agility teams are looking for at the position and he hasn't any experience doing it.

I don't care to address most of the ridiculous points you made in the second part of your post but if you would follow the forum with an open mind you would realize that I'm one of the posters around here trying to support my claims with facts. In addition unlike a lot of other contributors on this site I don't have a problem to admit I was wrong when proven otherwise.

Okay, and here's where there's room to disagree without being insulted and called a "troll." The NFL has made the kickoff return almost irrelevant. Since the beginning of the 2015 season, there have been 1776 team games ( 888 games, each of which represents 2 teams playing a game) played to date. In those 1776 team games there have been a total of 28 kickoffs returned for a TD. That's an average of a kickoff TD return one in every 63 games a team plays. The touchback is the 25 yard line and the wedge is now illegal. Putting the utmost importance on athleticism is pretty futile in the kickoff return game. Given the rarity of long kickoff returns, the most important factor is the ability to reliably catch the ball and the brains to make good decisions on the rare occasion that getting more than 25 yards is likely. Therefore I'm more than willing to sacrifice a couple tenths of a second in a player's ability to run without pads on a rubberized track for the sake of someone who is smart enough to make good decisions and listen to instructions. Returning kicks isn't nearly as difficult as returning punts. Kick returners never have anyone in their face while catching the ball and it is much easier to learn. No, not everyone is cut out to return punts. But every skill position player with a brain is worthy of consideration in the kickoff game.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Okay, and here's where there's room to disagree without being insulted and called a "troll." The NFL has made the kickoff return almost irrelevant. Since the beginning of the 2015 season, there have been 1776 team games ( 888 games, each of which represents 2 teams playing a game) played to date. In those 1776 team games there have been a total of 28 kickoffs returned for a TD. That's an average of a kickoff TD return one in every 63 games a team plays. The touchback is the 25 yard line and the wedge is now illegal. Putting the utmost importance on athleticism is pretty futile in the kickoff return game. Given the rarity of long kickoff returns, the most important factor is the ability to reliably catch the ball and the brains to make good decisions on the rare occasion that getting more than 25 yards is likely. Therefore I'm more than willing to sacrifice a couple tenths of a second in a player's ability to run without pads on a rubberized track for the sake of someone who is smart enough to make good decisions and listen to instructions. Returning kicks isn't nearly as difficult as returning punts. Kick returners never have anyone in their face while catching the ball and it is much easier to learn. No, not everyone is cut out to return punts. But every skill position player with a brain is worthy of consideration in the kickoff game.

I don't know where you've got your numbers from but according to Pro Football Reference's play index there have been 26 kickoffs returned for a touchdown since the start of the 2015 season including playoffs. Only 39.7% of kickoffs have been returned over the past 3+ seasons. The average of 23.06 yards per return indicates that it might be better to down every more kicks.

I prefer to have a returner able to follow instructions as well but definitely want the Packers to hand the job to someone more explosive than Carson.