Morning Buzz: All eyes on the draft
Welcome to your Morning Buzz, rounding up news and views regarding the Green Bay Packers and the NFL from around the web and here at PackersNews.com. Grab a strong cup of coffee, or brew some English breakfast tea if that’s your thing, and get caught up on everything you need to know about the Packers.
We’ll start with Ryan Wood on Ty Montgomery’s ability to carry the load at running back for the Packers.
The Packers expect Montgomery to produce again in the 2017 season. What they don’t know, and what at least partially will depend on the draft, is how that production will come.
Size alone isn’t enough to be a workhorse. It’s an acquired taste, something Montgomery never has done at an elite level. Which is why the Packers most likely will use a proven part of Montgomery’s skill set, specifically his versatility.
Of his 701 yards as a full-time running back, only 65 percent (451) came on the ground. The rest came as a receiver, mostly out of the backfield but occasionally split wide. For context, when Lacy had 623 yards in the final 10 games of 2015, 81 percent came on the ground.
McCarthy and general manager Ted Thompson like the mismatches Montgomery’s receiving creates. He’s tough for safeties to cover, even tougher for linebackers. His inexperience as a downhill runner explains why the Packers still want more running backs.
Ryan also wrote on the release of defensive lineman Ego Ferguson, picked up by the Packers off waivers, after he failed his physical.
I spoke with Justis Mosqueda for my podcast this week. We took a deep dive into which prospects the Packers might be looking at in the NFL draft in a few weeks:
Eddie Lacy is having a yard sale:
Elsewhere, LeRoy Butler is stumping for Green Bay to host the NFL draft:
The Packers Tailgate Tour rolls on:
Davante Adams got in some footwork drills while in Paris:
Don Jackson finally signed his tender and is officially on the roster:
Lombardi Ave. is counting down Ted Thompson’s best draft picks of all time:
The Power Sweep looks at Tony Romo’s career against the Packers:
Needless to say, some Packers fans need to step away from the computer:
Talk radio is all-in on Richard Sherman talk:
Speaking of Sherman, he understands it’s a business: