Posistion preview for th pack
Suffice it to say, the Green Bay Packers are a much better team with Pro Bowl receiver Javon Walker than without him.
Walker ranks high on the list of the Packers’ most important offensive players, behind only Brett Favre, Ahman Green and perhaps Chad Clifton.
That certainly isn’t lost on rookie General Manager Ted Thompson, even if Thompson recently informed Walker’s agent that he wouldn’t extend Walker’s contract with two years remaining on it.
Never mind that Walker surprisingly backed off his threat to boycott training camp and reported Wednesday night with the rest of the Packers’ veterans. Thompson didn’t know that when addressing the Packers’ shareholders at the team’s annual shareholders meeting Wednesday morning at the Resch Center.
“Javon Walker is a very good football player and we want him with the Green Bay Packers for a long time,” Thompson said in his state-of-the-team address. “Sometimes business decisions and the economic side of this game get in the way of just being a fan and enjoying the fact that a guy’s a good player. But we have not lost sight of the fact that Javon’s a good player, and we want him on our team.”
Walker’s return no doubt is heartening for the Packers as they open training camp this week. Considering the team’s defensive shortcomings, there’s reason to wonder whether the Packers could have challenged for a playoff spot without their best receiver, even if the position overall is relatively deep.
After two undistinguished seasons in the NFL, Walker blossomed last year into Favre’s favorite target and caught 89 passes for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns. At age 26 — he turns 27 in October — Walker should be at the height of his physical powers and only getting more refined as an NFL receiver.
“He’s just such an explosive athlete,” said James Franklin, the Packers’ receivers coach.
With Walker, Donald Driver and Robert Ferguson forming a sound trio of receivers, the Packers have a deep receiving corps in a league where three- and four-receiver sets have become commonplace.
Ferguson has put up modest numbers to say the least — he has 84 receptions the last three seasons combined — but received a $3.5 million signing bonus last year because of his toughness and potential to step into a bigger role if need be.
The biggest concern is whether Ferguson will be gun-shy after the ferocious forearm shot Jacksonville safety Donovin Darius took at his head last December. One of Ferguson’s strength is his willingness to take hits over the middle, but that hit severely injured his head and neck and ended his season.
This offseason, Ferguson wore a tinted visor over his helmet at the Packers’ minicamps, but that was because he underwent laser-vision correction surgery in the offseason.
“He came out here and was extremely impressive (in minicamps),” Franklin said. “He had a strong camp, didn’t miss a step, he’s hungry. I’ve had a bunch of conversations with him, and he’s ready to go, so I don’t think that (hit) is going to make a difference.”
Driver, 30, rebounded from a 52-catch season in 2003 with 84 receptions last year. Though not a big downfield threat — his long reception the last two years was for 50 yards — he has 206 catches and 20 touchdowns combined in the last three years combined.
The wild card in the receiving corps is rookie Terrence Murphy, a second-round draft pick from Texas A&M. Murphy has a far better college resume than Ferguson, another former second-round pick who also played at Texas A&M. But even with his 45 games, 32 starts and 172 receptions in college, Murphy is playing a position where even first-round draft picks generally have needed at least one season before they make much of an impact. Walker is a prime example.
“(Murphy) is one of the few guys I’ve been around who’s willing to work hard in the classroom, willing to work hard in the weight room, and when he’s on the field he’s going to try to be the hardest-working guy on the field,” Franklin said. “He’s one of those kids that not only has a lot of ability, but he’s willing to pay the price and not just say I want to be a great player but be willing to do all the work.”
Third-year pro Antonio Chatman has become a competent NFL receiver (22 receptions last year) but still is handicapped by his height (5-foot-9). He, along with sixth-round draft pick Craig Bragg (6-1, 195), undrafted rookie Vince Butler (6-0, 185) and first-year pro Andrae Thurman (5-11, 185) — who played in two games last season for the Packers — will be fighting for one or two roster spots.
Though starting tight end Bubba Franks hasn’t signed his $2.095 million transition tender because he’s waiting for a long-term contract, it’s hard to see him sitting out regular-season games when the paychecks would start if he can’t reach a long-term deal.
For the last two seasons the Packers have talked about making backup tight end David Martin a bigger part of their passing game, but that hasn’t happened. They re-signed him as a restricted free agent this offseason, and if Franks misses training camp, Martin will get an extensive look as a possible downfield threat with the No. 1 offense.
Wide receivers
No., Name, Ht., Wt., Age, Exp., College
2, Jamal Jones, 6-0, 214, 24, 1, North Carolina A&T
10, Chad Lucas, 6-1, 201, 23, 1, Alabama State
13, Chris Samp, 6-3, 217, 24, R, Winona State
17, Craig Bragg, 6-1, 195, 23, R, UCLA
18, Sam Breeden, 6-4, 206, 25, 1, NW Okla. State
19, Vince Butler, 6-0, 185, 24, R, NW Okla. State
80, Donald Driver, 6-0, 190, 30, 7, Alcorn State
81, Andrae Thurman, 5-11, 185, 24, 1, Southern Oregon
83, Antonio Chatman, 5-9, 183, 26, 3, Cincinnati
84, Javon Walker, 6-3, 215 , 26, 4, Florida State
86, Terrence Murphy, 6-1, 196, 22, R, Texas A&M
89, Robert Ferguson, 6-1, 210, 25, 5, Texas A&M
Tight ends
No., Name, Ht., Wt., Age, Exp., College
47, Steve Fleming, 6-6, 262, 24, R, Arizona
49, Garrett Cross, 6-4, 245, 22, R, California
82, Ben Steele, 6-5, 250, 27, 2, Mesa State
85, Sean McHugh, 6-5, 265, 23, 1, Penn State
87, David Martin, 6-4, 265, 26, 5, Tennessee
88, Bubba Franks, 6-6, 265, 27, 6, Miami (Fla.)
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