digsthepack
Cheesehead
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There is an article over at he jsonline site where Ferguson displays the fact that he is completely delusional as to his status on the team and within the league. His attitude is rather startling! Good think we drafted Murphy, becaues ol' #89 is soon to be gone after this one. What a moron.
Ferguson has failed to catch on
But wide receiver says, 'I'm better than I've ever been'
By ROB REISCHEL
Special to Packer Plus
Posted: Dec. 21, 2005
Green Bay - First, Robert Ferguson was called for pass interference on a comeback route. Later he dropped a sure touchdown pass from Brett Favre.
Advertisement
When Green Bay's embarrassing 48-3 loss to Baltimore had finally ended Monday night, Ferguson's line read like this: one catch, two yards, zero impact. In this, what Ferguson expected to be his breakout year, he continued to break hearts.
"Am I pretty bummed? No, I don't get bummed," Ferguson said. "I'm trying not to drive myself crazy thinking about things I can't change. It is what it is. People are going to say what they say, so be it.
"I've got the talent so I'm not going to get down on myself. I'm not bummed about the season at all. Right now, I'm better than I've ever been."
If that's the case, it might be time for the Packers to move on without Ferguson.
Ferguson, who moved into the starting lineup in Week 2 after Javon Walker tore his right ACL, has been the definition of pedestrian. His 27 receptions rank fifth on the team. His 366 receiving yards rank third. And his three touchdowns are tied for second.
Those numbers aren't exactly what the Packers look for in a No. 2 receiver.
While Ferguson has fumbled away his big chance, Miami's Chris Chambers - the player the Packers passed on to take Ferguson - continues to star. Over the last four games alone, Chambers has 33 catches for 394 yards and four touchdowns. The way Ferguson's year is going, he might not match those numbers this entire season.
The Packers are currently paying for countless sins.
But the selection of Ferguson over Chambers continues to be among the most painful.
Back in 2001, Green Bay general manager Ron Wolf took Ferguson in the second round with the 41st overall pick. Chambers, who played at the University of Wisconsin, was still on the board and lasted until Miami took him with the 52nd overall pick.
Ferguson, who attended Texas A&M, had just one year of major college experience at the time. Chambers was a freak physically, and even though he played at a predominantly running school, he set several career receiving records.
Still, Wolf went with Ferguson. And to this day, that choice continues to haunt the Packers.
"Boy, I blew that one," Wolf told Packer Plus last year. "Absolutely."
Ferguson has done nothing to change Wolf's - or anyone else's mind - this season.
Ferguson is one of the toughest players on Green Bay's roster and has been a special teams standout in past seasons. That makes it so surprising that he shows so little fight for some of Favre's passes.
Ferguson was at least partially responsible for an interception in each of Green Bay's first four games this season. The most egregious came at Carolina, where Ferguson couldn't control a perfectly thrown slant pass, cornerback Ken Lucas ripped the ball from him and Favre dressed him down on national television.
Ferguson has made precious few big plays. His speed is no better than average. And he hasn't been enough of a threat to draw the constant double teams away from Donald Driver.
After five years in the league, it's become pretty apparent that Ferguson is no better than a No. 3 or 4 receiver - even though he refuses to admit it.
"I think I'm one of the best, yeah, without a doubt," Ferguson said. "That's the only thing that matters is what I think. It don't matter what you think or what anyone else thinks. I'm the one going out there and I have to have confidence in myself to make those plays.
"I'm primed and ready to be a star in this league. I've been through it all so far. So something good's got to happen now."
In theory, if something good was going to happen to Ferguson's career, it would have happened by now.
Oh, he's shown flashes. Ferguson had a pair of touchdown receptions in a 2003 playoff loss at Philadelphia. And he had 105 yards and two scores against Minnesota in a Sunday night game in 2002.
But performances like that have been the exception, not the norm. In the 56 career regular season games Ferguson has been active, he has caught four passes or more just 12 times (21.4%). Ferguson has eclipsed 50 receiving yards only 12 times. And he has just 11 career touchdowns.
Chambers, meanwhile, has become one of the elite receivers in the game despite playing with riff-raff quarterbacks such as Jay Fiedler, A.J. Feeley, Gus Frerotte and Sage Rosenfels. This year alone, Chambers has 72 catches for 992 yards and nine TDs.
"I know what I can do. I know the talent I have," Ferguson said. "It's just a matter of me showing it and I admit, I haven't done that.
"But in order to be consistent week-in and week-out, it's not just me. People don't understand that I don't control that. It comes from a lot of other things besides myself. I have to be on the same page with the quarterback, the coaches have to call plays for me to get the ball and if you're not a focal point of the offense, there's no way you're going to get the ball. It's not just me, me, me.
"When Javon went down, people were like, 'You got to step up, step up.' I was like, 'You're talking to the wrong person. I don't control the offense.' Honestly, since he went down, I haven't run a route that he ran. So I'll just keep grinding and whatever happens will happen."
Ferguson hasn't been the only receiver in the Class of 2001 to flop. Chicago's David Terrell, the eighth overall pick, Washington's and Philadelphia's Freddie Mitchell (25th) were both busts and are currently out of football. Koren Robinson (ninth) was a disaster in Seattle, but has revived his career in Minnesota.
Washington's Rod Gardner (15th), who later played with Carolina, was out of football before Green Bay signed him on Tuesday.
There were some major stars found in the draft, as well. Cincinnati's Chad Johnson (36th) and Carolina's Steve Smith (74th) rank among the game's top five receivers. Santana Moss (16th), who's now playing in Washington, and Indianapolis' Reggie Wayne (30th) are borderline Pro Bowl selections. And then there's Chambers, who took it personally that Green Bay passed him by and has been making up for it ever since.
Ferguson's career, meanwhile, appears to be at a crossroads. He's done little with his chance this season and the Packers could certainly elect to cut bait this off-season.
Ferguson is signed through 2008 and his salaries for the next three years are $1.4, $1.8 and $2.2 million.
If Green Bay released him, it would be off the hook for that money and only the remainder of Ferguson's signing bonus ($2.1 million) would count against its 2006 salary cap.
"I don't know. I'm not concerned with that right now," Ferguson said. "That's up to the people upstairs. Wherever I'm at, if it's here or wherever, I'm going to have a good year. I'm not scared, I'm not worried or anything like that. Whatever happens, happens.
"I've had a fair shot. But for whatever reason it hasn't worked out and I don't point the finger at anyone but myself for it. It's just about being a realist and not blaming anyone else for it."
Ferguson has failed to catch on
But wide receiver says, 'I'm better than I've ever been'
By ROB REISCHEL
Special to Packer Plus
Posted: Dec. 21, 2005
Green Bay - First, Robert Ferguson was called for pass interference on a comeback route. Later he dropped a sure touchdown pass from Brett Favre.
Advertisement
When Green Bay's embarrassing 48-3 loss to Baltimore had finally ended Monday night, Ferguson's line read like this: one catch, two yards, zero impact. In this, what Ferguson expected to be his breakout year, he continued to break hearts.
"Am I pretty bummed? No, I don't get bummed," Ferguson said. "I'm trying not to drive myself crazy thinking about things I can't change. It is what it is. People are going to say what they say, so be it.
"I've got the talent so I'm not going to get down on myself. I'm not bummed about the season at all. Right now, I'm better than I've ever been."
If that's the case, it might be time for the Packers to move on without Ferguson.
Ferguson, who moved into the starting lineup in Week 2 after Javon Walker tore his right ACL, has been the definition of pedestrian. His 27 receptions rank fifth on the team. His 366 receiving yards rank third. And his three touchdowns are tied for second.
Those numbers aren't exactly what the Packers look for in a No. 2 receiver.
While Ferguson has fumbled away his big chance, Miami's Chris Chambers - the player the Packers passed on to take Ferguson - continues to star. Over the last four games alone, Chambers has 33 catches for 394 yards and four touchdowns. The way Ferguson's year is going, he might not match those numbers this entire season.
The Packers are currently paying for countless sins.
But the selection of Ferguson over Chambers continues to be among the most painful.
Back in 2001, Green Bay general manager Ron Wolf took Ferguson in the second round with the 41st overall pick. Chambers, who played at the University of Wisconsin, was still on the board and lasted until Miami took him with the 52nd overall pick.
Ferguson, who attended Texas A&M, had just one year of major college experience at the time. Chambers was a freak physically, and even though he played at a predominantly running school, he set several career receiving records.
Still, Wolf went with Ferguson. And to this day, that choice continues to haunt the Packers.
"Boy, I blew that one," Wolf told Packer Plus last year. "Absolutely."
Ferguson has done nothing to change Wolf's - or anyone else's mind - this season.
Ferguson is one of the toughest players on Green Bay's roster and has been a special teams standout in past seasons. That makes it so surprising that he shows so little fight for some of Favre's passes.
Ferguson was at least partially responsible for an interception in each of Green Bay's first four games this season. The most egregious came at Carolina, where Ferguson couldn't control a perfectly thrown slant pass, cornerback Ken Lucas ripped the ball from him and Favre dressed him down on national television.
Ferguson has made precious few big plays. His speed is no better than average. And he hasn't been enough of a threat to draw the constant double teams away from Donald Driver.
After five years in the league, it's become pretty apparent that Ferguson is no better than a No. 3 or 4 receiver - even though he refuses to admit it.
"I think I'm one of the best, yeah, without a doubt," Ferguson said. "That's the only thing that matters is what I think. It don't matter what you think or what anyone else thinks. I'm the one going out there and I have to have confidence in myself to make those plays.
"I'm primed and ready to be a star in this league. I've been through it all so far. So something good's got to happen now."
In theory, if something good was going to happen to Ferguson's career, it would have happened by now.
Oh, he's shown flashes. Ferguson had a pair of touchdown receptions in a 2003 playoff loss at Philadelphia. And he had 105 yards and two scores against Minnesota in a Sunday night game in 2002.
But performances like that have been the exception, not the norm. In the 56 career regular season games Ferguson has been active, he has caught four passes or more just 12 times (21.4%). Ferguson has eclipsed 50 receiving yards only 12 times. And he has just 11 career touchdowns.
Chambers, meanwhile, has become one of the elite receivers in the game despite playing with riff-raff quarterbacks such as Jay Fiedler, A.J. Feeley, Gus Frerotte and Sage Rosenfels. This year alone, Chambers has 72 catches for 992 yards and nine TDs.
"I know what I can do. I know the talent I have," Ferguson said. "It's just a matter of me showing it and I admit, I haven't done that.
"But in order to be consistent week-in and week-out, it's not just me. People don't understand that I don't control that. It comes from a lot of other things besides myself. I have to be on the same page with the quarterback, the coaches have to call plays for me to get the ball and if you're not a focal point of the offense, there's no way you're going to get the ball. It's not just me, me, me.
"When Javon went down, people were like, 'You got to step up, step up.' I was like, 'You're talking to the wrong person. I don't control the offense.' Honestly, since he went down, I haven't run a route that he ran. So I'll just keep grinding and whatever happens will happen."
Ferguson hasn't been the only receiver in the Class of 2001 to flop. Chicago's David Terrell, the eighth overall pick, Washington's and Philadelphia's Freddie Mitchell (25th) were both busts and are currently out of football. Koren Robinson (ninth) was a disaster in Seattle, but has revived his career in Minnesota.
Washington's Rod Gardner (15th), who later played with Carolina, was out of football before Green Bay signed him on Tuesday.
There were some major stars found in the draft, as well. Cincinnati's Chad Johnson (36th) and Carolina's Steve Smith (74th) rank among the game's top five receivers. Santana Moss (16th), who's now playing in Washington, and Indianapolis' Reggie Wayne (30th) are borderline Pro Bowl selections. And then there's Chambers, who took it personally that Green Bay passed him by and has been making up for it ever since.
Ferguson's career, meanwhile, appears to be at a crossroads. He's done little with his chance this season and the Packers could certainly elect to cut bait this off-season.
Ferguson is signed through 2008 and his salaries for the next three years are $1.4, $1.8 and $2.2 million.
If Green Bay released him, it would be off the hook for that money and only the remainder of Ferguson's signing bonus ($2.1 million) would count against its 2006 salary cap.
"I don't know. I'm not concerned with that right now," Ferguson said. "That's up to the people upstairs. Wherever I'm at, if it's here or wherever, I'm going to have a good year. I'm not scared, I'm not worried or anything like that. Whatever happens, happens.
"I've had a fair shot. But for whatever reason it hasn't worked out and I don't point the finger at anyone but myself for it. It's just about being a realist and not blaming anyone else for it."