Johnson In, Butler Out
By Aaron Nagler on Jul 22, 2009 with 14 Comments
The signing of Quinn Johnson leads to the release of Carson Butler, which is unfortunate in light of the fact that Butler seemed to be turning heads early on in OTAs before injuring his knee. That said, I think the writing was on the wall once they started working Spencer Havner at TE.
Excited to see Johnson once the pads come on. A question I see repeatedly asked this offseason is “Who will the Packers cut? Hall or Kuhn?” I guess an argument could be made either way, but I don’t think there’s any question that, if health is not a factor, Hall will stay and Kuhn will go. Kuhn is a nice athlete and has decent hands for a fullback, but he repeatedly got blown up at the point of attack last year, which I suspect was a major reason we saw the drafting of Johnson.
Filed Under: Quinn Johnson
I just love the thought of a CRUSHING fullback. But so many other teams are managing their roster spots by digging for guys that can block in the backfield AND play TE, so they can devote perhaps 3 roster spots to both positions instead of 5.
Interesting. I do like this guy, and I hope he’s as physical as they say. I also hope he can catch a pass…
Ruppert – that last is the great mystery. On draft weekend, all I read about were how poor his hands were. A week later I kept reading what a natural he is at catching the ball. I’m pretty sure he didn’t get much of an opportunity in college (he had, what, 5 catches?) We’ll see…
There are guys who get a rap as not being able to catch the ball, just because they never get the opportunity in college. Hard to say until we see him in action.
I still think they could move Lumpkin to FB and ditch both Kuhn and Hall.
“I still think they could move Lumpkin to FB and ditch both Kuhn and Hall.”
There’s a better chance that the fans cheer Favre on 11/1 at Lambeau than Lumpkin being moved to FB.
Not gonna happen. He’s a halfback-type 100%. Not big enough nor good enough blocker to be a FB. Besides, he’ll have to beat out FA T. Sutton to make the team — and I expect Sutton to win the job because MM wants at least one RB to be a speed burner, an ingredient he currently does NOT have in his backfield.
No way Lumpkin gets moved to FB.
“Besides, he’ll have to beat out FA T. Sutton to make the team — and I expect Sutton to win the job because MM wants at least one RB to be a speed burner”
go check out sutton’s 40 time. this guy is not a speed burner. i hear this misconception stated all the time.
i wanna say he ran like a 4.6 something… pretty pedestrian.
Well then what is your 40 time cow42?
cow42 – you are indeed correct. Sutton is not a speed merchant. What he does do well is ’see’ the game in a way guys like Grant and Jackson do not. Watching his college game, it’s apparent he has what it takes, vision wise. The questions will be whether he can learn the playbook due to his late start and, as always with young backs, if he can pass protect. Those two things alone would go a long way to him making the team.
With the RBs it’s a good problem to have. Sutton at least has a shot– especially since Lumpkin beat out Wynn and herron last year. His size worries me though.
Last year I heard Jackson has had a string of concussions. Could this be contributing to his lack of carries?
The interesting thing about Sutton is he chose the Packers. He obviously is of the mindset that he has a very good chance to make the team.
As an NU alum, I’ve followed Sutton all through college. Sutton’s not a burner; in fact, his speed is pretty average. What he is, is quick, and he does a real good job of reading and following his blockers. And he has great hands. He’s one of the very best RBs coming out this season at catching the ball out of the backfield and doing something with it. I don’t have any special insight into whether or not he’ll make the team, but he does bring a dimension that has been lacking in recent years, so I think he has a real shot.
Along this same line, think back to Rodgers’ performance last year, without much of an option out of the backfield. We saw throughout Favre’s years in Green Bay how he relied on having a solid receiver coming out, either on a screen or as a check down. Rodgers really didn’t have much of that last year. Adding someone like Sutton to the mix could be a real nice addition to Rodgers’ arsenal this season.
I’d LOVE to see the Packers get someone they can dump the ball off to or someone who can run screens and whatnot. That would be wonderful.
I think we’ve got alot of talent back there, and I don’t think there’s room enough for all those guys on the 53. Good problem to have.
If it comes down to either Hall or Kuhn. I would have to give the nod to Hall making the team seeing he can play Defense and Special Teams
I see Sutton as a screen pass demon, but not much else. Ran a 4.68 40 at his Pro day and could only do 13 bench press reps. Too small for a lot of special teams work, so that hurts him too. Of course, I am a bit biased, having declared Lumpkin as the Packers best running back (minus the injuries).
Butler received the second highest signing bonus of the Packers’ Undrafted Free Agents. His injury must have been pretty serious and/or Havner must be doing OK at TE.