Mike Vandermause column: Give Harrell another year
By Mike Vandermause August 12, 2009
Green Bay Packers General Manager Ted Thompson was booed when he selected defensive lineman Justin Harrell in the first round of the 2007 draft. In the nearly 2 years since, nothing has happened to sway the opinion of those disgruntled fans.
Harrell has been a bust in two injury-plagued seasons with the Packers. He has played in just 13 of a possible 32 games. On the rare occasions when he has appeared on the field, Harrell has made little or no impact.
This season was supposed to be different. Harrell proclaimed his bothersome back completely healthy in the offseason, and he was part of the starting unit during the early days of training camp.
Predictably, it didnt last.
Harrell has essentially been out of commission for the past week. At first, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said the team was being smart with Harrell and resting him. On Tuesday, McCarthy reported that Harrell has back spasms and will be out indefinitely.
Add another sad chapter to Harrells injury-plagued career.
Skeptics say if the Packers really wanted to be smart with Harrell, they would cut their losses and release him. Harrell has been the subject of derision with each successive injury, but that is misguided.
Thompson deserves the brunt of the criticism for reaching high in the first round with the 16th overall pick to draft a player with an extensive injury history. Harrell was damaged goods in college, but Thompson ignored those red flags and drafted him anyway.
So it shouldnt come as a big surprise that Harrell cant stay healthy in the NFL. Thompson took a calculated gamble and lost.
The Packers have invested $7.1 million in Harrell and in return have received two starts, 37 tackles and no sacks. Thats not a lot of bang for their buck.
But despite Harrells lack of productivity and his most recent setback, now is not the time to give up on him. With so many chips pushed to the middle of the table, the Packers would be foolish to fold on this hand.
Harrell will only cost $460,000 in base salary this year, which is dirt cheap by NFL standards. While Harrell is an accident waiting to happen when he steps on the field, the Packers might as well wait it out another year even if it means stashing him on injured reserve and attempt to recoup something from this venture.
Thompson remains high on Harrell. We think a lot of Justin and we think he has a bright future as an NFL player, he said.
But Thompson has a vested stake in Harrell. Defensive coordinator Dom Capers, on the other hand, is more concerned with performance now rather than future potential. Capers doesnt speak of Harrell in starry-eyed terms like Thompson, but hes not ready to toss him to the curb.
When hes been out there, hes showed some things, Capers said. Hes made some progress when hes been able to stay out there.
Harrell may never stay healthy and could eventually join Jamal Reynolds among defensive linemen on the teams list of all-time first-round blunders. Before he receives that infamous distinction, the Packers would be wise to give him one more year to make something of his NFL career.
Mike Vandermause is sports editor of the Press-Gazette.