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The Packers have released 28-year old TE Spencer Havner. Havner played in 21 games (1 start) for the Packers over the last three years and he caught 7 passes for 112 yards (16.0 avg) with 1 TD grab. He also returned 2 kickoffs for 26 yards (13.0 avg) for the Packers. The Packers shouldn’t miss Havner too much going forward as they are pretty loaded at TE for the 2011 season.
28-year old Ryan Grant broke his ankle in the season opener last year and it caused him to miss the rest of the season. Grant will try to make up for lost time in 2011 as he tries to regain his starting job at RB. Grant played in 1 game (1 start) for the Packers last year and he carried the ball 8 times for 45 yards (5.6 ypc). He has now played in 48 games (38 starts) in his first four years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 790 times for 3,457 yards (4.4 ypc) with 23 TD runs. He has also caught 73 passes for 458 yards (6.3 avg) with 1 TD grab so far in his NFL career.
25-year old James Starks is challenging Grant for the starting RB gig in 2011. He as incredible in the post-season as he helped the Packers get to and win the Super Bowl. During the regular season though, Starks was less than impressive. Starks played in 3 games (0 starts) for the Packers last year and he carried the ball 29 times for 101 yards (3.5 ypc). He also caught 2 passes for 15 yards (7.5 avg) last year for the Packers.
23-year old rookie Alex Green was a 3rd round pick out of Hawaii last April by the Packers. He is used to playing in a spread formation so he will likely fit right in on the pass happy Packers. He will have to work his way up the depth chart.
23-year old Dimitri Nance played in 12 games (0 starts) for the Packers in his rookie year in 2010, in which he carried the ball 36 times for 95 yards (2.6 ypc). Nance also caught 3 passes for 30 yards (10.0 avg) last year. Nance is going to have a hard time making the Packers’ roster in 2011.
PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE PACKERS RBS IN 2011: B
The Packers scored the last 11 points last night to down the pesky Colts. Aaron Rodgers was razor sharp as he completed 19 of 23 passes for 204 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs. He also carried the ball 2 times for 10 yards (5.0 ypc) last night. Matt Flynn made a brief appearance in which he completed 4 of 6 passes for 32 yards without a TD pass or an interception. Graham Harrell was solid for the Packers last night as he finished up the game by completing 12 of 21 passes for 85 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT. Ryan Grant led the way on the ground with 16 yards rushing on 6 carries (2.7 ypc) in this game. WR Jordy Nelson (5 rec, 65 yards), TE Jermichael Finley (4 rec, 41 yards, TD) and TE Ryan Taylor (3 rec, 24 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Packers last night. The Packers finished up with 45 yards rushing on 19 carries (2.4 ypc) and they also completed 35 of 50 passes (70%) for 345 yards as they had possession of the football for 33:44 last night.
LBs D.J. Smith (6 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit) and Vic So’oto (4 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Packers’ D last night. The Colts finished up with 112 yards rushing on 27 carries (4.1 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 30 passes (50%) for 179 yards in this game. The Packers are now 2-1 on the season.
The Packers scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to pull away from the Cardinals last night. Aaron Rodgers was sharp again as he completed 9 of 12 passes for 97 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs. Matt Flynn was also razor sharp as he completed 5 of 6 passes for 141 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs. His TD pass was a 97-yard bomb to WR Chastin West. Graham Harrell looked a lot better this week as he completed 7 of 9 passes for 81 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs. He also carried the ball 2 times for 14 yards (7.0 ypc) in this game. Dimtri Nance led the way for the Packers on the ground in this game with 28 yards on 4 carries (7.0 ypc). Ryan Grant looked solid again with 23 yards rushing on 5 carries (4.6 ypc) in this game. Rookie RB Alex Green pitched in with 6 carries for 8 yards (1.3 ypc) with 1 TD run. He also caught 1 pass for 25 yards last night. WRs Chastin West (5 rec, 134 yards, TD), Greg Jennings (2 rec, 24 yards, TD) and Kerry Taylor (1 rec, 6 yards, TD) all made big plays in the passing game for the Packers last night. TE Jermichael Finley also pitched in with 4 grabs for 33 yards (8.3 avg) last night. The Packers finished up with 85 yards rushing on 23 carries (3.7 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 27 passes (77.8%) for 297 yards last night.
The Packers played well against the run last night but not so good against the pass. Safeties M.D. Jennings (7 tackles) and Nick Collins (5 tackles, 1 pass defensed) led the way for the Packers’ D in this game. CB Brandian Ross pitched in with 2 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception. The Cardinals finished up with 95 yards rushing on 27 carries (3.5 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 41 passes (58.5%) for 289 yards. The Packers are now 1-1 on the pre-season.
The Packers got ambushed by the Cleveland Browns last night. Aaron Rodgers looked sharp though when he was in the game as he completed 6 of 8 passes for 74 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs. Matt Flynn was the next QB up and he completed 11 of 18 passes for 126 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs. He also carried the ball 1 time for 6 yards last night. Graham Harrell had a night to forget. He completed 11 of 22 passes for 100 yards with 0 TD passes and 0 INTs, but he fumbled three times….losing 1 of them. RB Brandon Saine led the way on the ground for the Packers last night with 35 yards on 10 carries (3.5 ypc). James Starks (2 carries, 14 yards) and Ryan Grant (3 carries, 13 yards) also pitched in for the Packers in the running game last night. Rookie WR Randall Cobb looked sharp as he led the way for the Packers with 60 yards receiving on 3 catches (20.0 avg). He also returned 2 kickoffs for 58 yards (29.0 avg) last night. WR Kerry Taylor (3 rec, 31 yards), WR Greg Jennings (2 rec, 27 yards, TD) and TE Spencer Havner (1 rec, 3 yards, TD) also pitched in for the Packers in the passing game last night. The Packers rushed for 78 yards on 19 carries (4.1 ypc) and they also completed 28 of 48 passes (58.3%) for 263 yards last night.
The Packers’ D didn’t look too good against the Browns last night. CB Jarrett Bush led the way for the Packers on D with 6 tackles last night. Safety M.D. Jennings (3 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) and CB Josh Gordy (1 tackle, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack, 1 pass defensed, 1 QB hit and 1 interception) also made big plays for the Packers’ D last night. The Browns rushed for 124 yards on 32 carries (3.9 ypc) and they completed 21 of 29 passes (72.4%) for 240 yards in this game.
27-year old Aaron Rodgers led the Packers to the top of the mountain last season as the Packers won the Super Bowl. They are hoping to repeat as Super Bowl Champs this year and Rodgers is the most important player on the team. Rodgers played in 15 games (all starts) for the Packers last year and he completed 312 of 475 passes (65.7%) for 3,922 yards with 28 TD passes and 11 INTs (101.2 QB Rating). He also carried the ball 64 times for 356 yards (5.6 ypc) with 4 TD runs last year. Rodgers has is all as he is a great thrower, runner and leader. Rodgers has now played in 54 games (47 starts) in his first six years in the NFL and he has completed 1,038 of 1,611 passes (64.4%) for 12,723 yards with 87 TD passes and 32 INTs (98.4 QB Rating). He also has carried the ball 189 times for 926 yards (4.9 ypc) with 13 TD runs so far in his career with the Packers. Aaron Rodgers is now 27-20 (57.4%) during the regular season so far in his NFL career. Rodgers is one of the best, if not the best, QBs in the NFL.
26-year old Matt Flynn got thrust into the starting lineup late last season for his first NFL start and he almost toppled the New England Patriots. Flynn played in 7 games (1 start) for the Packers last year and he completed 40 of 66 passes (60.6%) for 433 yards with 3 TD passes and 2 INTs (60.6%) for 433 yards with 3 TD passes and 2 INTs (82.4 QB Rating). Flynn also carried the ball 9 times for 26 yards (2.9 ypc) last year. Flynn has learned well under Aaron Rodgers the last three years and the Packers are confident that he would do a good job for them if pressed into action. Flynn has now played in 29 games (1 start) in his first three years with the Packers and he has completed 49 of 83 passes (59%) for 497 yards with 3 TD passes and 3 INTs (73.2 QB Rating). He has also carried the ball 18 times for 25 yards (1.4 ypc) so far in his career. Flynn is 0-1 as a starting QB in the NFL.
26-year old Graham Harrell spent some time on the Packers’ practice squad. He will likely graduate to being the Packers’ #3 QB on game days in 2011. He doesn’t have any game experience in the NFL yet.
PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE PACKERS QBS IN 2011: A+
The Packers have signed 24-year old linebacker K.C. Asiodu. He played in 1 game for the Saints last year and he had 1 tackle. He has now played in 11 games in his first two years in the NFL and he has 9 tackles. Asiodu was the first player the Packers have signed that didn’t play with them last year. That is sure showing a lot of confidence in the current roster because Asiodu is going to have a hard time making the team.
The Packers have re-signed 27-year old WR James Jones to a 3-year deal. Jones played in all 16 games for the Packers last year and he caught 50 passes for 679 yards (13.6 avg) with 5 TD grabs. He has now played in 58 games in his first four years with the Packers and he has caught 149 passes for 2,069 yards (13.9 avg) with 13 TD grabs. It was smart of the Packers to bring back Jones as he is one of the best #3 or #4 WRs in the entire NFL.
The Packers have re-signed FB John Kuhn to a 3-year deal. Kuhn played in 16 games (2 starts) for the Packers last year and he carried the ball 84 times for 281 yards (3.3 ypc) with 4 TD runs. He also caught 15 passes for 97 yards (6.5 avg) with 2 TD grabs last season. Kuhn has now played in 62 games (12 starts) in his first four years with the Packers and he has carried the ball 100 times for 309 yards (3.1 ypc) with 6 TD runs. Kuhn has also caught 28 passes for 172 yards (6.1 avg) with 6 TD grabs. Kuhn is a tough guy and a good lead blocker. This was an essential move for the Packers.
