After watching the first day interviews of the Packers’ 2008 draft picks, I think I like these guys. Brian Brohm said all the right things and it is clearly evident he went to college four years and was in the spotlight most of those years. He was as smooth as can be even though he was asked many times about his role on the team with Brett Favre retired and only Aaron Rodgers ahead of him. Brohm seemed to me, anyway, a man that will put pressure on Rodgers, and that is what general manager Ted Thompson and head coach Mike McCarthy want. No free rides on this team.
I was also extremely impressed with cornerback Patrick Lee. This is one confident mother. When asked how he beat out incumbent Jonathan Wilhite, who went to the Patriots in the fourth round, Lee simply said “I made plays”. A hamstring injury to Wilhite might have played a factor, but I like the confidence, and the fact he is used to playing the bump-and-run style of defense the Packers play.
I was also impressed with the way quarterback Matt Flynn handled himself and the fact that he already knows his role on the team and even that is not guaranteed. I think the Packers will keep three quarterbacks this year and I’m sure Brohm is number two and it is up to Flynn to be better than a guy like Ingle Martin who the Packers drafted a few years ago. I think Flynn is a guy the Packers can develop. I think Brohm is a guy they develop and maybe trade if Rodgers does what I think he is going to do.
With all due respect to Jon Ryan, I would love to see the home town boy, Ken DeBauche, a guy I covered as a high-school guy for the Green Bay News-Chronicle when he played for Bay Port five, six years ago. The kid has a chance. A four year punter at Wisconsin he is consistent with his lowest average at 41.6 yards and high average of 44.8 in his four years. Wisconsin weather will come easy to him. Hopefully he provides good competition for Ryan and at least finds a job in the NFL.
Finally, I am loving Jordy Nelson more and more each time I see or hear him. And with the reports I’ve heard about Koren Robinson not wanting to work out in Green Bay this offseason, him being the last person who shouldn’t be in Green Bay, tells me his short stint in Green Bay is over and that’s fine. It didn’t cost the Packers anything and Jordy Nelson will make fans forget that Brett Favre favor in no time.
Rodgers and Nelson. Might someday be as common as Favre and Driver, or Favre and Freeman, or Favre and Brooks, or Favre and Sharpe, I could go on and on, but pretty much any one of those combinations I would take. The reality is that because of Ted Thompson the Packers are in the best possible position they could be to deal with the retirement of Brett Favre. Thompson is no dummy.
More to come…