Packers Blog Roundup: Tauscher Didn't Pass His Physical

News that Mark Tauscher didn't pass his physical elicited response from Packer bloggers. That and more in our Blog Roundup...

News that tackle Mark Tauscher didn't pass his physical has Brandon Benson of Acme Packing Company wondering if there's any possibility the veteran offensive lineman could return this season. "He hasn't shut the door on a return to the Packers, although GM Ted Thompson might have shut it for him, but I still can't imagine him wanting to play for another team," writes Benson. "He did make a surprising return in 2009, but the Packers offensive line looks a lot different then it did two years ago."

More thoughts on Mark Tauscher appear at Lombardi Ave.

Injuries to notable players such as Tramon Williams, Tom Crabtree and Lawrence Guy are mentioned at Acme Packing Compay, providing Brandon Benson a muse on the safety of training camp this year. "They are taking some more precautions during training camp than in the past," writes Benson. "Due to having fewer practices leading up to Family Night, they won't have a live scrimmage on Saturday night. I'm a little disappointed because I'd like to see them tackle, but there's no point in pushing the players if it increases the risk of injury." For the record, the injury to Williams does not appear serious.

Packers broadcaster Wayne Larivee likes what he sees from a pair of players whose seasons were wiped out by injury a year ago. "We have seen the Packers in a couple of padded practices this week and it was good to see two key starters back in the lineup, TE Jermichael Finley and S Morgan Burnett," writes Larrivee. "Both showed no ill effects from the injuries that wiped out most of last season.   Last night was the first time the two young veterans joined the team portion of practice and both showed why they were starters a season ago."

Morgan Burnett's time with the first-string defense is noted in a training camp report at Total Packers. "The Packers may just want to rotate Morgan Burnett in with the first-team defense or it could be a move to start him for good," writes Brady. "Tonight the Packers put Burnett in with the first team in just about every drill and in every full-team defense. How did Burnett respond? He played tight coverage on every play I recall and was able to step up in run support. In fact, he was in man coverage with Jermichael Finley for one play and shut him down, knocking the pass away before Finley had a chance to make the catch."

Rumors of former Packer Brett Favre to the Dolphins circulated yesterday, but Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com notes that they're bunk.

The Packers get an "A" in free agency from Lombardi Ave.

Marshall Newhouse's body gets attention at Packer Update.

Despite some free agent losses, Carter Wilkinson of Packers Gab warns us not to worry.

Thoughts on the Packers' visit to the White House come courtesy of Colleen Brenton of Pocket Doppler.

Video: From Aerys Sports, Fabio spotted at Lambeau Field...?

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

Second-hand news sources are not included in the blog roundup unless they also include meaningful commentary.

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Comments (6)

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foundinidaho's picture

August 05, 2011 at 09:29 am

Thanks for the shout-out, Brian. Man, I'm hoping Tramon is okay. That worries me greatly.

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MarkinMadison's picture

August 05, 2011 at 10:27 am

Thanks for the links. The Packer Update articles are really good. The column he did on Newhouse and DJ Williams definitely gives the average fan something to chew on.

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Brian Carriveau's picture

August 05, 2011 at 10:53 am

Packer Update has some of the best writing among Packers blogs. It's obvious the guy is an experienced writer, however, take what you read there with a grain of salt. They do a few things there that just aren't kosher. For example, in today's post the writer admits he's not at training camp, but yet he notes that Newhouse's strength is noticeably improved and that his weight is evenly distributed. It's possible these observations came from an interview with a scout, but that brings us to the next point. In the three or so years Packer Update has been around, there are frequent mentions of anonymous scouts interviewed. And while I personally feel like it's okay to quote anonymous sources once in a while, that's all Packer Update ever does. If there's been an actual, named source there, I've never seen it. If they would prove their integrity first, I'd feel a whole lot better about that blog. Which is a shame, because the writing is so good.

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CSS's picture

August 05, 2011 at 10:43 am

James Jones contract numbers:

3 years, $9.4 million. $1.5 guaranteed. $3.75 first year.

http://blogs.greenbaypressgazette.com/blogs/gpg/insider/2011/08/05/jones...

Pretty cheap on the back-end, great for retaining future players under the cap

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Michael Rodney's picture

August 07, 2011 at 01:45 pm

Brian- One of my readers alerted me to your comment and I felt the need to respond. While I appreciate some of what you wrote, I don't appreciate having my integrity questioned. I admitted I haven't been to training camp yet. That's why I explained at the end of the post that some of the analysis in the story was provided by Packer Update contributor Mike Tahan, who has been to a number of the practices. As far as the anonymous sources are concerned, they consisted of three people I met while working as part of the media for almost a decade. We became friends and they provided me with some insight. In return, I promised not to use their names. There's nothing unkosher about that. Anyway, I just wanted to say my piece. Take it easy.

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Brian Carriveau's picture

August 08, 2011 at 09:00 am

Michael, you're a talented writer and columnist, there's no doubt about that. But when anyone dabbles into journalism, I have a pretty high standard. Like when someone has a contributor in attendance at practice, it's good to acknowledge that either A) somewhere in the article or B) with a dateline so readers don't have to make assumptions. And I noticed you changed the text from the original article to reflect that now. Good job.

As far as anonymous sources go, I grow less skeptical of them when a reporter builds my trust by also using named, acknowledged sources. It's the burden of the reporter to build that trust with their reader, not for the reader to have blind faith.

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