Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Who will return kickoffs for Packers?
When I asked Mike McCarthy after the draft if his kickoff returner for the 2010 season is on the roster, he replied: "Yes, because I don't think we drafted one. I would have to say he is on the roster. I think we're going to do some things a little differently on kickoff returns and I think that will definitely help our returners."
Perhaps McCarthy and special teams coach Shawn Slocum have come up with a creative new blocking scheme to help their returners.
But the question remains: who is going to be the primary kickoff return man this season?
I admit I've been down on Jordy Nelson, who handled the bulk of kick return duties last season after Will Blackmon went down with a season-ending injury. Nelson strikes me as a straight-line runner without enough burst to be dynamic.
But in looking at Nelson's raw numbers, he wasn't that bad. His 25.4-yard return average is the best in Green Bay since Allen Rossum in 2000, when considering return men who had at least 20 returns in a season. Nelson's average also ranked No. 11 in the NFL in 2009 among regular returners.
For the record, Dorsen Levens posted a 25.9 average in 14 returns in 2001, and Najeh Davenport had a 31.6 average in 16 returns in 2003. But beyond that, Nelson is on top of the Packers' list over the past decade.
Perhaps that's not saying much. The Packers haven't had a kickoff return over that span. But what are the alternatives for McCarthy this season?
He could put Will Blackmon back there, assuming he is healthy. But Blackmon is better suited to punt returns. He averaged just 21.0 yards on a whopping 55 returns in 2008, with his longest of just 45 yards. You would think someone could break something longer than that with so many attempts. At least Nelson had a 54-yard return last year among his 25 attempts.
If McCarthy or Slocum want a running back as the kickoff returner, the pickings are slim. Sixth-round draft choice James Starks has little special teams experience, and Brandon Jackson doesn't look the part.
There's no way the Packers would risk Tramon Williams, who was the primary kickoff returner in 2007 but is now too valuable as either the No. 2 or No. 3 cornerback.
Here is a list of the Packers' primary kickoff returners over the past decade:
2000 - Allen Rossum, 25.8
2001 - Rossum, 18.7
2002 - Javon Walker, 22.0
2003 - Antonio Chatman, 22.3
2004 - Chatman, 22.6; Robert Ferguson, 25.0
2005 - Ahmad Carroll, 20.5
2006 - Vernand Morency, 21.6
2007 - Tramon Williams, 22.8; Koren Robinson, 21.1
2008 - Will Blackmon, 21.0
2009 - Jordy Nelson, 25.4
--Mike Vandermause, mvandermause@greenbaypressgazette.com