Our Packers are ready for the 2012 NFL season

Wow, an easy 24-3 win over Kansas City to close out the pre-season is more than I had hoped for. Especially after seeing Aaron Rodgers, Cedric Benson, and Jermichael Finley fail to produce any first quarter points.

Tonight was about the backups proving that they deserve to play in the NFL and prove it they did. I will need to do some tweaking of my 53 man roster predictions. The Defense is so hard to predict that I have decided to just leave it alone. I am sticking with my prediction that 7 rookies will be part of the 25 Defensive guys. 6 draft picks and the undrafted OLB Dezman Moses. My list includes the same three specialists as well. With the 25 Offensive players there is small change.

In what may or may not become a place for a sixth wide receiver on the 53-man roster, young prospects Jarrett Boykin, Diondre Borel and Tori Gurley all had their moments. Graham Harrell and each of them need each other to play well so they can each succeed. In this final practice game it finally all came together. When B.J. Coleman came in to play QB things did not go as well.

What this all means is that the Packers need only two Quarterbacks on this roster: Aaron Rodgers and Graham Harrell. B.J. Coleman can be safely placed on the practice squad with very little worry that some team might offer him a spot on their roster. More importantly, the Packers need not worry about looking to make a trade to bring in another backup.

Graham Harrell (13-15 223 yards and 2 Touchdowns) proved he can do the job. So, this does open up one spot on the roster.

All three of the young receivers mentioned above might be picked up by other teams as soon as they are cut so it makes sense to keep the best one as a 6th receiver on the roster...but...after Benson's fumble tonight I wonder if maybe it is too soon to cut James Starks. Maybe the Packers 5RBs need to include only one fullback or maybe 6RBs will be kept for now until more is known about each.

Here is what I have come up with:

2QB: Rodgers, Harrell (Coleman goes on practice squad)
5RB: Benson, Green, Saine, Kuhn, Cooper, Starks (either on the roster or the PUP list)
6WR: Jennings, Nelson, Cobb, Jones, Driver, Gurley (Boykin and Borel make other rosters)
4TE: Finley, Williams, Crabtree, Taylor
8OL: Bulaga, Sitton, Saturday, Lang, Newhouse, Dietrich-Smith, Wells, and someone new* (Datko, practice squad)

7DL: Pickett, Worthy, Raji, Daniels, Wilson, Muir, Neal
8LB: Matthews, Hawk, Smith, Perry, Walden, Moses, Francois, Manning
10 DB: Woodson, Williams, Burnett, Hayward, McMillian, Jennings, House, Bush, Levine, Shields

3 Specialists: K Crosby, P Masthay, LS Goode

So I have added James Starks and Tori Gurley and subtracted B.J. Coleman and Andrew Datko. The Packers will keep these rookies around but they might not be part of the 53. I am confident that Ted Thompson will pull off a trade before the 8pm deadline to bring in an OL* as we are weak at that position overall. Hopefully it will happen in a trade as most every team is interested in young WRs like Boykins and Borel. Maybe the Packers will trade a veteran receiver like James Jones to get an OL and then be able to keep one more young receiver.
Many things are possible, my goal is to be 50/53 or better!


No matter what decisions are made with these final spots in the lineup, it is the core veterans of this team, guys like Rodgers, Jennings, Nelson, Matthews, Woodson, and Williams, who need to lead the others and make this team go and achieve the ultimate goal. The only goal that can make this season successful is the 14th World Championship in the storied history of Our Green Bay Packers!