We’re gonna jump around a little bit on this week’s edition of FOOTBALL FRIDAY.  The first thing that I’m going to do is give my 3 up and 3 down for last night’s final preseason game, which was a resounding win by the Packers over the Chiefs.  The Packers are a mere 6 days away from their season opening showdown with Seattle (I can’t believe I just wrote that) and the excitement is building.  After breaking down last night’s game briefly I’m going to offer my final 53-man roster prediction before any of the cuts are announced.

 

 

3 up:

1. The Backup QBs- Flynn and Tolzien both had QB ratings over 108 and both threw for 2 TDs.  As player after player that would have made the 53 go down with injury, it becomes more and more clear that the Packers are going to keep both of these players.  In years past, Ted Thompson has rightfully valued that 53rd spot on the roster, but this season it’s too important to keep both of these players around.

2.  Jeff Janis- This kid is the real deal.  I had a 4th round grade on Janis going into the draft.  The thing about that is I thought that he was either going to be a bust or that he was going to give the return of a 1st or 2nd round pick with basically no in-between.  Janis has elite physical skills and was a terror on offense and on special teams.  As he grows in the system and becomes more consistent he has a chance to be a star in this league.

3. Jayrone Elliot- Jay Elliot is already on the team.  Anyone telling you anything different is fooling themselves.  He’s played OK against the run but has been a dominant force against the pass.  He led the NFL in sacks during the preseason and the smoothness with which he rushes the passer excites everyone.  Elliot is going to have to make his mark on special teams to begin with but I can only hope that he will be involved on 3rd and Long situations.

3 down: 

1.  Injuries- even when the Packers are keeping all of their key contributors out their depth is assaulted by the injury bug.  Tackle Aaron Adams was a player that I had pegged for the practice squad before his knee injury last night.  3rd round pick Khyri Thornton appears to mercifully be headed to IR after being carted off the field.

2. Lack of clarity- I don’t think anything was made easier on the coaching staff last night.  Jumal Rolle stated his case for the roster, playing well all night long.  Jay Elliot solidified his position with the team.  Even Carl Bradford, who was maybe or maybe not going to make the roster, led the team in tackles last night.  As I mentioned both quarterbacks proved their worth to the organization and in my opinion there are going to be at least 2 difficult cuts on this roster.

3. Was this game really necessary?- Considering that I don’t think the team really learned much and just happened to lose two players for the season I am not a big fan of the 4th preseason game.  I get why they have to have it and I am COMPLETELY against an 18 game NFL regular season.  The fact that the Super Bowl Champion might have to play 20 games, and in the new format might have to play 22 is insane.  There is just no way that the human body is designed to play 22 football games in this league over the course of 26 weeks.  I’m just not sure what to do.

Rosterdamus final 53 man prediction:

Quarterbacks (3)

Aaron Rodgers
Matt Flynn
Scott Tolzien

Running Backs (4)

Eddie Lacy
James Starks
DuJuan Harris
John Kuhn

Wide Receivers (5)

Jordy Nelson
Randall Cobb
Jarrett Boykin
Davante Adams
Jeff Janis

Tight Ends (4)

Richard Rodgers
Brandon Bostick
Andrew Quarless
Ryan Taylor

Offensive Linemen (8)

David Bakhtiari
Josh Sitton
Corey Linsley
TJ Lang
Bryan Bulaga
Derek Sherrod
JC Tretter
Lane Taylor

Defensive Linemen (5)

Mike Daniels
Letroy Guion
Datone Jones
Josh Boyd
Mike Pennel

DE/OLB (3)

Julius Peppers
Nick Perry
Mike Neal

Outside Linebackers (4)

Clay Matthews
Jayrone Elliot
Andy Mulumba
Carl Bradford

Inside Linebackers (4)

AJ Hawk
Brad Jones
Sam Barrington
Jamari Lattimore

Cornerbacks (5)

Tramon Williams
Sam Shields
Casey Hayward
Davon House
Jarrett Bush

Safeties (5)

Morgan Burnett
Micah Hyde
HaHa Clinton-Dix
Sean Richardson
Chris Banjo

Specialists (3)

Mason Crosby
Tim Masthay
Brett Goode

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Ross Uglem is a writer at PackersTalk.com. You can follow Ross on twitter at RossUglem

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