Whee! The Packers Claim A Fullback » Brats & Beer

September 3, 2007
posted under: Packers, Pre-season

I’m convinced now that Ted Thompson is not lying and he is not trying to whitewash the issue when he says he has complete confidence in running backs Vernand Morency and Brandon Jackson, because he’s pretty much staked his professional career in Green Bay to those two players.

Over the weekend the Packers cut their roster down to 53 players, including placing Noah Herron on injured reserve after he suffered a knee injury in the final pre-season game against Tennessee. That leaves Morency (knee) and Jackson (concussion) as the lone “starters” with rookie DeShawn Wynn as a possible backup. The cutdown also left Donald Lee and Bubba Franks as the only two tight ends on the roster.

One might have expected TT to go out an find himself an experienced running back to help fill the void in the backfield or make a deal for a third tight end. Instead, the Packers made a conditional trade with the Giants for Ryan Grant and then claimed fullback John Kuhn off waivers from Pittsburgh. Granted, maybe the pickings were slim out there, but TT has consistently maintained that he thinks the world of Morency and Jackson and feels they can get the job done. I certainly hope he’s right.

Grant, a third-year player who sat out 2006 on IR after cutting his arm in an accident at a nightclub, has received praise for his work ethic and running ability, but he’s never played in a regular season game. According to the Press-Gazette, TT passed over Corey Dillon and Antonio Pittman to get Grant. Kuhn, another third-year player, appeared in nine games last season with the Steelers, but he’s behind rookie Korey Hall on the depth chart.

The bigger question on my mind, though, is why the Packers have done nothing to create depth at the tight end position. Neither Franks nor Lee are impervious to injury and if one of them goes down in a game this season the Packers are in deep trouble.

On the bright side, there was some good news to read today. Both Morency and Jackson were at practice yesterday and it looks like Jackson at least will be ready to start against the Eagles on Sunday. Also on the field was Donald Driver, and according to the Journal Sentinel’s new Packer blogger the #1 wideout apparently looked healthy and ready to go. Keep praying, though: Speedy recovery, speedy recovery.

TT might still make some moves today or tomorrow, but it seems a little too late to bring in any sort of impact player who can be ready for the season opener. We will see, though, how this shapes up and what the backfield looks like when the first injury reports are issued this week. I’ll be crossing my fingers and toes that the Packers can at least get off to a good start this year.