There are rumblings that the Packers are prepared to move on from fullback John Kuhn. This is big news, because Kuhn is a fan favorite and a capable veteran pass blocker. Every time he touches the ball he also sets off the KUUUUUUUHN! chants, which are fun to participate in live at Lambeau, at home on TV or from Packers fans who travel to a road game. 

So, if Kuhn is gone, who will Packers fans chant for? Forget about which receivers will make the team or how the Packers offense will rebound from a down year. All I want to find out during the exhibition season is which player will step up and claim the chants of Packers fans across the world.

There are criteria a player must meet in order to be deemed worthy of a regular name chant from the Lambeau faithful:

• Your name has to be chantable. One might think that Ripkowski will transition into Kuhn's name-chanting role, but you can't easily pronounce, let alone chant, the name Ripkowski (especially after seven Miller Lites).
• You can't be a star player with a huge contract. The big stars get plenty of attention. There's no need to chant their name whenever they do something. Name-chanting is reserved for role-type players who chip in with nice plays once every three games or so.

Now that we've established the criteria, here are the candidates:

Jayrone Elliott
I could see JAY-ROOOOOOOOONE! chants breaking out if the undrafted free agent from Toledo gets more snaps and gets after the QB.

Datone Jones
Jones is a first-round pick, so that could disqualify him. However, he hasn't done much as a pro and DA-TOOOOOOONE would make for a solid-sounding chant.

Jeff Janis
Ok, obvious choice here. Janis checks off all the boxes: White, cult hero, seventh-round pick, chantable last name. The potential is there for years of Janis! Janis! Janis! chants resonating throughout Lambeau.

Ladarius Gunter
Another undrafted free agent who might get a shot at more playing time. Guuuuuuunter! would sound somewhat similar to Kuuuuuuuuuhn! so don't count out Ladarius becoming the next Packers folk hero.

Kyle Fackrell
Use your imagination on this one. FAAAAAAACK can be used whenver Fackrell makes a play, or when Fackrell or the Packers, ahem, eff up.

There are five solid candidates. Do any of them resonate like KUUUUUUHN!? Probably not, but you have to start somewhere. Did I miss anyone?

Side note: Some people didn't like the Kuhn chant. These people also probably hate cheese curds and were disappointed when the Packers won the Super Bowl because they didn't shut out the Steelers. Some people just aren't fans of fun, I guess. Sure, the fullback dive got to be an annoying playcall, but there was nothing annoying about chanting KUUUUUUHN! whenever No. 30 touched the ball.

Packers news, notes and links

• Did you know that Ted Thompson was once so jacked up from lifting weights that he lost speed? Or that he was nicknamed "Ted the Toe" for his kicking prowess? Read this story from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel if you want to know more about the man, the myth, the legend: Packers general manager Ted Thompson.
• One minute you're rolling along, trying to establish a nice little career in the NFL. The next minute you suffer a major ankle injury. Then you're cut from the team in the offseason. This is what, unfortunately, has happened to Josh Boyd.
• Not re-signing Mike Neal is part of the Packers overall re-boot at the outside linebacker position, writes Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press Gazette. Here's hoping Jayrone Elliott receives more snaps and makes a major leap. 
• Here are some Packers breakout candidates for 2016 from Andrew Mertig at PackersTalk.com. My money is on Elliott.
• Here's an interesting Reddit discussion on strange team memorabilia. My strangest piece of Packers swag is probably this really weird bobble head type of guy wearing a Jerry Kramer jersey sitting atop a hand-painted Packers "trophy."
• Jodie Foster is a Packers fan? I guess so.

Non-Packers links and other nonsense

• TNT's "Inside the NBA" is the only sports studio show worth watching these days. Here's an awkward moment where Charles Barkley asks Dwight Howard why he's so disliked.
• Sports Illustrated had an outstanding piece on Vin Scully this week.
• Is Spurs coach Gregg Poppovich mean? Kyle Koster, writing for the Big Lead, thinks so. Koster argues that Popp's belittling of media members makes him a jerk. Instead of being a jerk, Popp should just answer the questions like most every other coach and athlete. I'm not saying Koster is wrong, but aren't we, the consumers of media, partly to blame for how Popp interacts with the press? Nobody posts vines or social media videos of Popp or other coaches giving insightful answers to how he sets his starting lineups or how he attacks a zone defense. That's because videos of those types of answers don't generate clicks. What does generate clicks is confrontation: Popp laughing at a stupid question, Popp getting angry, Popp calling a question stupid and dismissing the reporter. Before getting too uppity and calling out how Poppovich handles the press, we need to look in the mirror and slap ourselves on the wrist for often favoring confrontation and jerk-like behavior over actual insight and thoughtful responses.
• If I didn't have cancer, two kids and a wife, I'd totally go on Rob Gronkowski's party cruise.
• Cancer update: Another round of treatment began on Thursday. I've actually felt prett good for a change. So good, in fact, I took my 2 year old to his first live pro wrestling event on Saturday night. Good times! But enough about me. My wife has been a real rockstar since our second son was born nearly two weeks ago. If I'm knocked down from chemo, she's been handling the two kids on her own like Mike Daniels handles an overmatched offensive guard. Just dominating. Thanks honey!