[img_r]http://cmsimg.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Avis=U0&Dato=20081014&Kategori=PKR01&Lopenr=81014136&Ref=AR&MaxW=260&MaxH=201&Border=0[/img_r]In the offensive meeting room on Monday, Aaron Rodgers 45-yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings from the previous days game at Seattle was being played on the big screen.
Thats when Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin stopped the tape. He turned to running backs coach Edgar Bennett, who was beaming over the block running back DeShawn Wynn made on blitzing Seahawks safety Brian Russell that gave Rodgers the time to fire deep.
When the last time DeShawn Wynn got a rep at that? Philbin asked.
To which Bennett replied: Probably six weeks ago.
I said, That's my point, Philbin told the team. We put him in the game. We ask him to do the job, and the sucker did it. We need more of that.
That the Packers got it from Wynn was perhaps the surprise of the game. It capped a most unlikely turn of events for the second-year running back.
After a disappointing, injury-filled rookie season, the former seventh-round draft pick from Florida was released in August not on the final cuts of training camp but on the first of two mandatory cutdown dates.
At the time, most suspected the move was the end for Wynn in Green Bay and perhaps even in the NFL. Many chalked it up to an experiment failed, a flier on an oft-injured player who came in with a suspect work ethic that did not pan out.
Inside the Packers personnel offices, it was a different story.
Knowing there was no room for Wynn on their 53-man roster, they hoped they could keep him on the practice squad. To fend off interest from other teams, they cut him early, hoping those around the league would take that as a sign that Wynn wasnt worth pursuing.
They were straight with him when they cut him, said Wynns agent, Christina Phillips. They said this is what we want to do with him, and he was all right with that. He had a couple of other (practice squad) opportunities, not real serious ones, but he really wanted to stay there.
One, 10-play stint as a third-down running back Sunday against the Seahawks wont change a career full of injuries or stop questions about his willingness to fight through pain.
But at least Wynn has the chance to make amends.
He was elevated to the roster on the eve of the Seahawks game after backup running back Brandon Jackson fell ill with the flu. On Saturday, he signed a two-year contract worth the NFL minimum salaries ($370,000 this season and $460,000 in 2009). The only thing guaranteed was last weeks paycheck.
I know DeShawn took a lot of flack up there, but hes a very smart player, Phillips said. He realized in the NFL you only get so many opportunities. He already had one opportunity, and he knew he had to be ready for that second one if ever came along. He realized that he had to work harder and be more on top of the things that he had to be on top of.
For a time last season, Wynn was the Packers No. 1 running back. Jackson opened 2007 as the starter but sustained a shin injury in the third game. Wynn started the next four games, put up decent numbers (a 4.1-yard average) but injured a shoulder in Week 8 against Denver and was placed on season-ending injured reserve the next day. That followed a rookie training camp in which he missed time because of a stomach virus and a quadriceps injury.
The 2008 training camp was more of the same. He sustained a concussion and missed more practice time.
If you recall, the decision to move on, the only negative that I would say about DeShawn, was his availability, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. That factored into the decision of him being released at that time. He has come back and has done a great job.
As a member of the practice squad, Wynn didnt miss a practice and showed an attention to detail while playing on the scout team.
Hes done the little things like doing a great job in the jog-through playing linebacker, Philbin said. You can say, well what does that mean for playing the game? Those things carry over. He goes through the gauntlet running the ball better than anybody weve got. When you bust your butt, sometimes it bounces your way every once in a while.
It might be a stretch to say Wynn has come back as a different player, but there appears to be little doubt that getting released had an effect on him. Asked whether it humbled Wynn, Bennett said, I would think so. Philbin called it a little bit of a wake-up call.
What happens from here on is anybodys guess. Jackson is expected to play Sunday against Indianapolis and probably will return to his role as the No. 2 back behind starter Ryan Grant. Wynn could play on special teams and receive spot duty on offense. He didnt carry the ball against the Seahawks and caught one pass for 7 yards.
Another injury, even a minor one, could mean the end.
Accountability and availability, that was the biggest thing, Bennett said. When you look at him now versus last year, hes down 12 pounds. Hes under 230 pounds. Hes in the best shape of his life. When youre doing the practice squad the offense, the defense, opponent looks I think it helped him. I think hes in a position now to make the most of his opportunity.