Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy caught their players off guard on Wednesday when they cut Aaron Rouse only three days after hed started at safety for the Green Bay Packers.
The Packers general manager and coach, respectively, made the surprise move after Rouse committed several big errors while filling in for the injured Atari Bigby last week in the Packers upset loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
The move puts the Packers surprising decision to release safety Anthony Smith at the end of training camp in a bad light, because if they would have kept Smith, hed have been better prepared to start than recently acquired Derrick Martin or special teams core player Jarrett Bush, who is more of a cornerback. Bigby is expected to miss at least three more games because of a knee injury.
Yeah, definitely surprised, linebacker Nick Barnett said of Rouses release. Any time somebody gets cut after the second game of the season
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Thompson replaced Rouse on the 53-man roster with a street free agent, Matt Giordano, 26, who worked out for the Packers on Tuesday. The fifth-year pro started six games for Indianapolis over the past four seasons and was cut at the end of training camp this year.
The move suggests the Packers regret cutting the free agent Smith instead of Rouse, who missed the final three preseason games because of a hamstring injury.
In practice and preseason games, Smith showed an ability to play the ball he intercepted Cleveland quarterback Brady Quinn and Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner but he occasionally played outside the scheme. The Packers also questioned how well Smith would function over the long season because of a recurring groin injury.
The St. Louis Rams, the Packers opponent this week, picked up Smith immediately after final cuts.
This was not we choose one guy over another and now we are going back on that, McCarthy said. That would not be accurate. Whether thats your opinion or not, Im just telling you what the facts are.
Things do happen. Where we were a couple of weeks ago and a number of new elements that enter into this discussion part of (it was) the people that we worked out on Tuesday. Thats just the way our personnel department has always operated. There are some moving targets that you are always looking at in the personnel side of this.
The Packers clearly were deeply dissatisfied with Rouses play last week and thought it signaled a lack of development for a third-round pick from the 2007 draft.
Rouse also had a series of short-term injuries that had sidelined him, including an ankle and hamstring that kept him out of seven games during his first two seasons, and the hamstring injury in camp this year.
Against Cincinnati, Rouse made nine tackles but also had glaring errors on several key plays. Those included taking a bad angle on a screen pass to tight end Daniel Coates, who converted a first down on a crucial third-and-34; leaving his deep zone on a flea flicker that allowed a 44-yard pass to Chad Ochocinco; and being caught unaware when Chris Henry broke open behind him for a 5-yard touchdown pass.
In our conversation with him, I just felt that his ability to be consistent and the growth part of it is one of the reasons that we made the change, McCarthy said. But there are other factors involved based on availability.
The Packers might have to start two backup safeties this week, though starter Nick Collins chances of playing look decent after Wednesday's practice. He sprained his clavicle against Cincinnati and couldnt return, but on Wednesday he felt good enough to participate in part of the padded practice.
I anticipate Nick will play, but the week (of practice) will answer that question, McCarthy said.
Assuming Collins can play, the Packers still must get Martin, Bush or Giordano ready for the Rams.
Bush replaced Collins last week and remains an alternative. Martin is only in his third week with the Packers they traded offensive lineman Tony Moll to get him from Baltimore at the end of training camp and the Packers considered him an upgrade from Smith at safety.
Considering the 5-foot-11, 200-pound Giordano just joined the Packers on Wednesday, he presumably would be the least likely to start.
Game-planning wise, we can get away with (starting Martin or Giordano), because we cut down to a certain amount of plays for the game and pretty much everyone can handle it, nickel cornerback Tramon Williams said.
If it was the size of the playbook, no way he can come in and play and know everything. But they cut down everything, and we run it through our practice and you can get the calls down. We do so much film study, almost everything weve done at practice in the same set and same situation will be the same thing in the game. If you can get it down at practice, you can get it down in the game.
If the 5-10, 198-pound Martin starts, it would cap an especially big week for him. On Monday, he missed all team functions because his wife, Alexa, gave birth to their daughter, Harlow. When he came to work on Wednesday, he was as shocked as anyone to see Rouse was gone.
First thing you want to know is what happened so you dont make that same mistake, Martin said. When you dont know what led up to it, you really dont know what to think. Thats pretty much why I am where I am, (by always asking) what can I do to stay out of that position?