Packers Daily Links: Cobb Excels From Slot Position

Rookie wide receiver Randall Cobb did some damage from the slot position in the Packers' preseason opener. That and more in today's Daily Links...

Rookie wide receiver Randall Cobb's preseason debut only heightened the excitement around him after leading the team in receiving yards this past Saturday. Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette interviewed Cobb about his impact from the slot receiver position, where he had all three of his catches against the Browns. “They had me out there mostly in the slot,” Cobb is quoted as saying. “I enjoyed it. There’s still a lot of things to work on as far as being a receiver inside and outside. I’m just taking it day by day and trying to get better each day.” The Packers have said he needs to learn to play all the receiver positions, but by being so deep in that area, the Packers can afford to bring him along slowly and utilize him where he'll fit best, at least to begin.

An analysis of the battle between T.J. Lang and Derrek Sherrod comes Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (subscription required), and he calls it a dead heat. "It will be interesting to see what Mike McCarthy and his offensive coaches do at left guard this week after watching Derek Sherrod and T.J. Lang," writes Lang. "From here, it's absolutely too close to call." McGinn says Sherrod's athleticism and Lang's ideal size work in their favor.

In a case of good timing, a similar analysis comes form Eric Baranczyk of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, who thinks Derek Sherrod is a little too "green" to be the starter at left guard. "Sherrod is a natural left tackle playing left guard, and he has a lot of work to do to be a starter in the NFL," writes Goska. "I don’t think he finishes well. He sometimes stays on blocks for a little bit, but he doesn’t block until the whistle. He has the ability to get out to linebackers in the run game, and he has the size and reach and body type to do it, but he just didn’t finish blocks against the Browns. He also needs to play with lower pad level and use his hands better, be under control with his hands." In my opinion, the Packers shouldn't spend any more time than this week to decide who their starter will be. They need to start figuring out contingency plans at each of the other offensive line positions and need to get guys comfortable there.

Punter Tim Masthay's solid evening this past Saturday is chronicled in an article by Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel. "Masthay punted five times and averaged 55.6 yards on his first four, hitting distances of 58, 59 and 60 yards on three of them," writes Silverstein. "His final punt was only 39 yards, but it was an Australian-style pooch punt that landed inside the 10-yard line and was downed at the Cleveland 7." Masthay's lack of competition at the punting position this training camp is the focus of the article, and it's easy to see why the Packers haven't signed another punter. Masthay is good.

An accompanying blog post to Silverstein's Tim Masthay article appears in the  JSOnline Packer blog focusing on the two kicking specialist positions. "The Packers might have some things to iron out in other places, but as far as the kicking game goes, they appear to be in excellent shape," writes Silverstein. Mason Crosby's likewise good performance despite coming off an ankle injury is noted. Whether he can eclipse an 80% field goal percentage this season will be his barometer for success this year.

In a follow-up to a longer interview with general manager Ted Thompson, a few more quotes from the G.M. are included in a blog post by Mike Vandermause of the Press-Gazette. On the topic of scouting, Thompson said, “There’s parts of it that are kind of reinvigorating. You get up early in the morning , you get a workout in, you go to the school, you visit with coaches, you see some young players that you try to figure out what their future is going to be like over the next 10 years. I think that’s a pretty exciting part of the game.”

A feature on defensive lineman Howard Green appears at the Packers official website.

A photo gallery from the Cleveland Browns preseason game can be viewed at Packer Report.

Packer Report also has articles on recent injuries and the special teams (subscription required).

A column by Michael Rand of the Minneapolis Star Tribune wonders "What if the 49ers had drafted Aaron Rodgers?"

Video: The Press-Gazette has video of Ryan Pickett talking about the defensive line...

Brian Carriveau is the editor of the Maple Street Press Packers Annual. To contact Brian, email [email protected].

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Comments (2)

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Briandevil78's picture

August 15, 2011 at 08:25 am

With Cobb in the slot DD reps get fewer and fewer

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JerseyCheese's picture

August 15, 2011 at 08:29 am

I love what I'm seeing from Cobb already. I would love for him to work in with the 1's though. The announcers were pointing out his poor route running. Has anyone else focused on him getting off the ball and finding a window?

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