Blackmon Moved To Safety
Will Blackmon is being moved to safety. The move prompts several questions which will need to be answered over the course of the summer.
By PackerAaron
More news from OTAs, as you no doubt read by now, Will Blackmon is being moved to safety.
I guess I see this move. Blackmon can use his athletic ability on the back end to try and make plays on the ball. What I worry about is how Blackmon will fare when asked to come down in the box and make a play in the running game. He'll obviously need to bulk up a bit. Will that hinder his athleticism at all? Will he be able to make the adjustment from turning and running most of the time to almost always playing with his eyes toward the backfield? Will he be able to adjust to the differences in footwork? There are a hundred questions that will have to be answered over the course of the summer.
One thing that we don't have to wonder about, as long as Blackmon is on the team anyway, is who is going to return kicks for the Packers. From his Twitter account last night:
Message to the world. As long as I'm a packer I'm returning punts, kicks whatever. Got it! Jai ho!
Amen to that. "Jai ho" indeed.
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Comments (21)
Brian Carriveau
May 20, 2010 at 08:52 am
One of those hundred questions is, "Will he be able to stay healthy?"
PackerAaron
May 20, 2010 at 08:58 am
True dat.
May 20, 2010 at 08:56 am
I see him more as a backup to Collins, with Burnett and Bigby vying for the other spot. I also think this could mean you see Derrick Martin become the S/CB emergency guy and whipping boy Jarret Bush finally sent packing...
May 20, 2010 at 09:09 am
I'm excited to have him back returning punts and kicks this year. He was outstanding at it in 2008 and if this team is going to get over the hump they need to do much better in ST's field position battle.
I think the move also makes sense if you look at the roster. At CB he probably falls behind Woodson, Harris, Williams, Lee, and Underwood. Would he even beat out Bell or Bush for the 6th CB spot? At safety he has a chance of being 4th on the depth chart behind Collins, Bigby, and Burnett. Could he be the primary backup behind Collins at FS because when I look at the roster and I have no idea who would fill if for Collins if he missed some time?
May 20, 2010 at 09:25 am
Is it possible this is a not so subtle, 'we have other options on the roster for safety depth if you don't get your game together, Bigby'? Perhaps?
PackerAaron
May 20, 2010 at 09:52 am
I doubt it. Those kind of 'messages' are almost always driven by the media. I think the staff just feels he's better suited at safety. I think it actually says more about Blackmon's ability to cover one on one, which has always been suspect.
May 22, 2010 at 02:25 pm
Blackmon's ability to play man coverage has always been suspect, right up until the 2008 season when the Packers played the Colts.
That was the first time I actually thought that Will Blackmon might actually be a viable option as at least a nickle back. I'd have to go back and check again, but I want to say it was Wayne he was matched on all day long, and he pretty much shut him down. Anyone out there happen to recall?
May 20, 2010 at 09:57 am
Another TT smokecreen no doubt. I doubt Blackmon switched positions as a way for TT to keep his hopes up of staying on the team. The truth is I doubt TT brings him back for next season once he's an unrestricted FA.
May 20, 2010 at 10:22 am
Hey Aaron, I suggested this move to you two months ago as a way to capitalize on his athleticism, but you shut me down pretty hard. Now if the other idea I proposed (Barbre to DE) comes to fruition, I will have established myself as one of the top 1000 football minds in central Oneida county.
Just having some fun, an awfully interesting day 1
Eric
PS If you have a spare 250K laying around, bet on the Pack, and in Feb, pop in to Las Vegas and pick up your cool 3.5 Mil
PackerAaron
May 20, 2010 at 10:52 am
Well, only for the reasons stated above. I really question if he can hold up to the pounding. The guy can't stay healthy at CORNER - and now they're asking him to do things like come up and force on running plays? We'll see...
May 20, 2010 at 12:43 pm
How much coming up to you see Collins do? I know, I know, it's still more than corner...
May 20, 2010 at 02:08 pm
Blackmon at Safety. OK!
May 20, 2010 at 02:31 pm
It's a last resort, desperation move to have him be a safety -- and an indication he is not likely to make the team. Martin is far superior to Blackmon as a safety, so the only reason to now keep Blackmon is for returning punts. That would be a luxury spot that TT may not be able to afford.
PackerAaron
May 20, 2010 at 03:18 pm
Can't say I disagree.
May 20, 2010 at 05:47 pm
I hope it shakes out like this.
CB: Wood, Harris, Lee, Underwood, Bell, Williams, Shields
S: Burnett, Collins, Martin, Bigby, Blackmon
Or is that too many to fit on the roster? If so trade bigby and let the rook play safety. I wonder if we could trade bigby for a young backup OLB?
May 20, 2010 at 08:11 pm
Shields listed mainly for his return skills, correct? Reports are he was terrible as a CB in college.
PackerAaron
May 20, 2010 at 08:27 pm
He also dropped a punt today.
May 20, 2010 at 06:36 pm
Just giving Blackmon the chance to focus more on special teams?
May 20, 2010 at 07:09 pm
I wonder if Sheilds will solely return kick-offs and Blackmon solely punts. The thing with sheilds is that you don't really have to have the best hands on KR's (unless you constantly have it bouncing off your facemask or chest) whereas you really need sure hands on PR's
May 20, 2010 at 09:11 pm
I work with a kid from Miami, as big of Pack fans as we are, he's just as big of a 'Canes fan (he's a 24 year old kid, really impressed with his knowledge... one of the few, SMART, Engineers). He swears Shields should get a roster spot even if just for being a Gunner on ST's. Tough to see Ted giving up a roster spot for a gunner, but if he could learn to catch...
GBP 4 LIFE
May 20, 2010 at 07:51 pm
"He’ll obviously need to bulk up a bit."
Apparently, he has:
[Comment From CSSCSS: ]
Were there players that had clearly (visibly) done work in the offseason to add bulk? I hear Brad Jones is comfortably carrying 250lbs. Thanks for the chat...
Thursday May 20, 2010 2:52 CSS
2:53 Pete Dougherty: The only thing I noticed was Blackmon looked bigger in his upper body. He's been rehabbing his knee since early last season and probably has been lifting hard, looked bigger and stronger than last year.
Bup-Bup-To-The-Bang
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20100519/PKR01/305200092/105...