I've read similar blog posts with the original article coming from the ESPN 'rumors central', not an original Packer Update theory.

Yes, Meredith has put on weight, but can he stay out of the trainers room and show some desire, two issues that plagued him in college and Packers camp.

I don't believe Meredith will turn any heads. The speed at which he was removed tells me the Packers saw something in his work ethic and character that they didn't like.

I was on the Meredith bandwagon back when we drafted him last year. This guy had a lot of potential and was an absolute steal at the pick we got him. Sure Meredith had maturity issues, so did Finley. Which is why I thought we should've kept him on the team for 1 year to get his head on straight. The guy has all the tools to be a great lineman in the NFL. I thought cutting Meredith was a mistake but you can't put the blame on TT for taking veterans like Barbre and Giocomini over raw talent like Meredith. However both Barbre and Giocomini suck, we know that now.

I guess Thompson can make mistakes, even serious ones. Really, don't know the big deal about that. His successes seem amazing and outweigh his misses. Still, he should strive to be 100%. As Lombardi said, strive for perfection and achieve excellence along the way.

Meredith showed a serious lack of desire and commitment. Maybe TT was too quick to cast him off, it could've been maturity issue. But the reason he fell during draft day was exactly it, and it was reported by his own coaches, which is a terrible thing.

I think it's a little different from Finley. Finley thought he was the bomb, that he didn't need to learn the whole playbook. But I don't think he took plays off. Which I believe was the case with Meredith.

I wanted Meredith too, and we sure could have used him. But Lang turned out to be effective at LT. We got the Oline fixed, presumably.
I think one reason they may have kept Breno over Meredith is that they are looking for the "bigger stronger" type dudes now. After drafting Colledge and Barbre, they started getting away from the "smaller, quicker" prototype. Just a thought.
Meredith has bulked up now, but he wasn't game ready last year.

Okay, I take issue with a few of the comments on here.

1) TT didn't "Cast away" Jamon, nor did he "allow" Meredith to go to another team. He may have made a mistake in hindsight by not finding a spot for him on the final roster (that can only be determined in time, btw), but he was signed to practice squad immediately. When one of your PS players receive an offer to play on another teams' active roster, you can't block them from signing with that other team. It should be noted that Meredith looked absolutely horrible during training camp, and he looked like he was AT LEAST a year out from having what it takes to justify a spot on the roster. Again, hindsight, people. BTW, the knock on Jamon per many scouts coming out of college was that they felt he didn't really love the game of football, he didn't really have any motivation to excel, he was coasting on talent, it was a job to him, not a passion. It wasn't that he was a loose cannon or immature in the Finley sense.

2)Anyone who says "We all know that (breno is a waste of talent) now" is full of it. We haven't really seen him play. period. Save the judgment for after we've seen him play an NFL game. There was this guy the packers had for a few years that a number of mouthy fans thought was a waste of space and proclaimed a looser before he really got any play time.. What was his name? Oh, yeah, that's right, it was "Aaron Rodgers". Even some guys who get PT from the start take a few years to see the potential realized- ala Nick Collins- so let's just wait and see on Breno. Maybe he does suck- but we certainly don't all know that now.

We'll see what happens his year with Newsome. Wtih the five starters, they will need two pure tackle backups, one pure guard backup, one center/guard and one guard/tackle. That assumes, of course, that MM is serious about stablizing the line.

Man, Aaron hates Breno almost as much as I hate Jarrett Bush!

I remember the big knock on Meredith was that he was a lockerrooom lawyer, as someone above noted!!! He tried to take the locker room and turn it into his own private opinion chamber, as opposed as being a TEAM player! His coaches in college admitted he wasn't a very good Teammate or lockerroom guy. OL is a position where you MUST be a team player and put the team ahead of yourself!

FRom what I remember the Packers thought he was a good 2 years from seeing the field. Alot of players gain 20 lbs in the offseason, but lose it as soon as training camp starts, so Meredith has to prove he can maintain the 310 lbs... He is MORE likely to slip back to 300 in camp and during the season!!!

Hard to say which between Giacomini and Meredith will turn into the better player. Breno was a TE until his Sr season and is a physical player who finishes, something Meredith is lacking. Breno was a very raw player coming into the NFL as opposed to Meredith who lacked the physicality and desire Giacomini showed. Packers obviously thought that Breno was further along than Meredith or that Meredith's other issues pushed him down a couple grades.

I wouldn't read anything into Giacomini's lack of playing time... To be on the active game day roster a backup OL MUST be versatile enough to play multiple positions... Breno is a RT only.

Time will prove one way or another...

With Lang and Bulaga fulfilling their potential, there would be no snaps for Meredith nor Braino. Last year was the opportunity for those guys, so they were both wasted picks.

As far as Jamon's personality, well you can take the opinion of a college coach with a grain of salt. Some get threatened by anyone who is smarter than them. Look at Brad Jones. They like to have a player just smart enough to be eligible and dependent on the program to continue life. Motivating anyone cerebrally is too much of a challenge that they are not up to.

I would love to see Giocomini develope into a solid NFL OL. His size is impressive and if used to advantage, a blessing.