Underwood Released
Underwood to be released today
By Tom Pelissero / greenbaypressgazette.com
Marviel Underwood's attempt to come back from knee-reconstruction surgery won't have a happy ending in Green Bay. Citing competition at the position, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Monday night the team planned to release the third-year safety today. "A great individual," McCarthy said of Underwood, a fourth-round draft pick out of San Diego State in 2005. "Can't say enough positive things about him, and (the intention was to) just give him an opportunity to maybe hook on with somebody else." Underwood never appeared to be at full speed in training camp, his first action in pads since he tore the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his right knee in the first quarter of last year's preseason opener, Aug. 12 at San Diego. His most memorable play in two preseason games this year was a 49-yard completion by the Pittsburgh Steelers — one Underwood might have broken up if he hadn't misjudged the ball in the air. He worked primarily alongside Atari Bigby as the second safety pairing in camp, but on the day Bigby was promoted to the starting lineup, McCarthy informed Underwood his Packers career is over. "I thought he did a really good job rehabbing (the knee)," McCarthy said. "I don't think he's all the way back to where he was last year, because I thought last year, he was having a very good camp." Underwood played in all 16 games for the Packers as a rookie in 2005, making 14 tackles (10 solo) and forcing a fumble. His release will leave seven safeties on the roster: Nick Collins, Bigby, Marquand Manuel, Aaron Rouse, Tyrone Culver, Charlie Peprah and Alvin Nnabuife. It's unlikely more than four will make the team. Underwood's agent, Bruce Tollner, did not return a phone message late Monday night.
Surgery for Montgomery
Defensive end Michael Montgomery, who has the worst of four medial collateral ligament injuries the Packers sustained in Saturday's preseason victory over Seattle, will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery this week. McCarthy did not specify a timetable for the reserve's return, but there is no chance he'll be available for the season opener Sept. 9, and he almost certainly will miss a month or more. It's the second straight year with a knee injury for Montgomery, who ended last season on injured reserve after tearing the posterior cruciate ligament and spraining the MCL in his right knee in practice Dec. 6. He injured the same knee Saturday. McCarthy said Jason Hunter and Corey Williams, who played some end Saturday night, will help fill the void. The only one of the four who wasn't seriously injured Saturday was tackle Orrin Thompson, who McCarthy said aggravated an existing injury and is day to day. Receiver/returner Shaun Bodiford said he expects to miss four to six weeks, and rookie fullback Ryan Powdrell said he will miss three to six weeks. "It's frustrating, just because I've dealt with injury before," said Powdrell, who missed most of his senior season at Southern California because of a broken ankle. "Just last year, I was on the X-ray table. Come Game 2 this year, I'm back on the X-ray table." Chuckling, Powdrell added: "I need to pick my feet up more." General Manager Ted Thompson downplayed the notion Lambeau Field's new turf, dampened by rain Saturday night, contributed to the injuries. "Every one of these injuries, watching tape, happened in completely different circumstances, so I think it's just the luck of the draw," Thompson said. "We played on the exact same field in Pittsburgh and had nothing, and I don't think the Seahawks had any injuries here. I think it's just the way the game fell."
Starters to be limited
McCarthy won't play his starters for the traditional three quarters in the Packers' third preseason game, Thursday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars. "We have some other issues that need to be addressed," McCarthy said. "No. 1, the health of our football team. No. 2, we have a lot of jobs that are still up in the air, so we'll probably play a bunch of different combinations of players both on special teams and offense and defense throughout the second and third quarter. I want to see those guys when (the Jaguars) have their ones in the game, too." McCarthy, who planned to follow a more traditional playing schedule when training camp began, said he hasn't decided how long the starters will play. They won't see extended action in the preseason finale Aug. 30 at Tennessee, either.
White stuff
Unless Vernand Morency, P.J. Pope or DeShawn Wynn makes a dramatic return or General Manager Ted Thompson has a change of heart about bringing in another back, Corey White stands to get another long audition Thursday. An undrafted rookie from Alabama-Birmingham, White (6-1, 239) created a buzz with the combination of size and speed he showed in minicamps and organized team activity practices. Saturday, he carried the ball 13 times — matching Brandon Jackson's team high — but gained only 25 yards behind a second-unit line missing several players. Asked whether the increased load was wearing on him, White said, "It really is. It's a good thing if you get a lot of work, but at the same time, you want to get a rest or two, try to get your legs under you," he said. "It gets you in shape, but at the same time, you've got more high risk of injuring yourself because you're going so much." Morency (knee), Pope (knee) and Wynn (quadriceps) continue to sit out practice because of injuries. Fullback Brandon Miree.
Odds and ends
Though Vernand Morency (knee), P.J. Pope (knee) and DeShawn Wynn (quadriceps) continue to sit out with injuries, Thompson said there are no imminent plans to bring in another running back. Fullback Brandon Miree participated in contact drills Monday for the first time since sustaining a shoulder stinger in the Family Night scrimmage Aug. 4, but it's unclear how much he'll play Thursday. … Defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila missed practice Monday because of a family situation in Milwaukee but was expected on the field this morning, McCarthy said. Gbaja-Biamila also is nursing a bruised knee and is day to day. … McCarthy said he will meet with General Manager Thompson on Thursday to compile an initial cutdown list and then meet Friday to review film and make final decisions. The first cutdown date is next Tuesday — five days after the Packers' previous preseason game — but the team likely will reach the 75-man limit before players return for practice Sunday. The final cut is Sept. 1, two days after the team's preseason finale at Tennessee. … Ingle Martin will be the No. 3 cornerback against Jacksonville, five days after rookie Paul Thompson led the third-string offense and threw two interceptions against Seattle.
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By Tom Pelissero / greenbaypressgazette.com
Marviel Underwood's attempt to come back from knee-reconstruction surgery won't have a happy ending in Green Bay. Citing competition at the position, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Monday night the team planned to release the third-year safety today. "A great individual," McCarthy said of Underwood, a fourth-round draft pick out of San Diego State in 2005. "Can't say enough positive things about him, and (the intention was to) just give him an opportunity to maybe hook on with somebody else." Underwood never appeared to be at full speed in training camp, his first action in pads since he tore the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his right knee in the first quarter of last year's preseason opener, Aug. 12 at San Diego. His most memorable play in two preseason games this year was a 49-yard completion by the Pittsburgh Steelers — one Underwood might have broken up if he hadn't misjudged the ball in the air. He worked primarily alongside Atari Bigby as the second safety pairing in camp, but on the day Bigby was promoted to the starting lineup, McCarthy informed Underwood his Packers career is over. "I thought he did a really good job rehabbing (the knee)," McCarthy said. "I don't think he's all the way back to where he was last year, because I thought last year, he was having a very good camp." Underwood played in all 16 games for the Packers as a rookie in 2005, making 14 tackles (10 solo) and forcing a fumble. His release will leave seven safeties on the roster: Nick Collins, Bigby, Marquand Manuel, Aaron Rouse, Tyrone Culver, Charlie Peprah and Alvin Nnabuife. It's unlikely more than four will make the team. Underwood's agent, Bruce Tollner, did not return a phone message late Monday night.Surgery for Montgomery
Defensive end Michael Montgomery, who has the worst of four medial collateral ligament injuries the Packers sustained in Saturday's preseason victory over Seattle, will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery this week. McCarthy did not specify a timetable for the reserve's return, but there is no chance he'll be available for the season opener Sept. 9, and he almost certainly will miss a month or more. It's the second straight year with a knee injury for Montgomery, who ended last season on injured reserve after tearing the posterior cruciate ligament and spraining the MCL in his right knee in practice Dec. 6. He injured the same knee Saturday. McCarthy said Jason Hunter and Corey Williams, who played some end Saturday night, will help fill the void. The only one of the four who wasn't seriously injured Saturday was tackle Orrin Thompson, who McCarthy said aggravated an existing injury and is day to day. Receiver/returner Shaun Bodiford said he expects to miss four to six weeks, and rookie fullback Ryan Powdrell said he will miss three to six weeks. "It's frustrating, just because I've dealt with injury before," said Powdrell, who missed most of his senior season at Southern California because of a broken ankle. "Just last year, I was on the X-ray table. Come Game 2 this year, I'm back on the X-ray table." Chuckling, Powdrell added: "I need to pick my feet up more." General Manager Ted Thompson downplayed the notion Lambeau Field's new turf, dampened by rain Saturday night, contributed to the injuries. "Every one of these injuries, watching tape, happened in completely different circumstances, so I think it's just the luck of the draw," Thompson said. "We played on the exact same field in Pittsburgh and had nothing, and I don't think the Seahawks had any injuries here. I think it's just the way the game fell."
Starters to be limited
McCarthy won't play his starters for the traditional three quarters in the Packers' third preseason game, Thursday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars. "We have some other issues that need to be addressed," McCarthy said. "No. 1, the health of our football team. No. 2, we have a lot of jobs that are still up in the air, so we'll probably play a bunch of different combinations of players both on special teams and offense and defense throughout the second and third quarter. I want to see those guys when (the Jaguars) have their ones in the game, too." McCarthy, who planned to follow a more traditional playing schedule when training camp began, said he hasn't decided how long the starters will play. They won't see extended action in the preseason finale Aug. 30 at Tennessee, either.
White stuff
Unless Vernand Morency, P.J. Pope or DeShawn Wynn makes a dramatic return or General Manager Ted Thompson has a change of heart about bringing in another back, Corey White stands to get another long audition Thursday. An undrafted rookie from Alabama-Birmingham, White (6-1, 239) created a buzz with the combination of size and speed he showed in minicamps and organized team activity practices. Saturday, he carried the ball 13 times — matching Brandon Jackson's team high — but gained only 25 yards behind a second-unit line missing several players. Asked whether the increased load was wearing on him, White said, "It really is. It's a good thing if you get a lot of work, but at the same time, you want to get a rest or two, try to get your legs under you," he said. "It gets you in shape, but at the same time, you've got more high risk of injuring yourself because you're going so much." Morency (knee), Pope (knee) and Wynn (quadriceps) continue to sit out practice because of injuries. Fullback Brandon Miree.
Odds and ends
Though Vernand Morency (knee), P.J. Pope (knee) and DeShawn Wynn (quadriceps) continue to sit out with injuries, Thompson said there are no imminent plans to bring in another running back. Fullback Brandon Miree participated in contact drills Monday for the first time since sustaining a shoulder stinger in the Family Night scrimmage Aug. 4, but it's unclear how much he'll play Thursday. … Defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila missed practice Monday because of a family situation in Milwaukee but was expected on the field this morning, McCarthy said. Gbaja-Biamila also is nursing a bruised knee and is day to day. … McCarthy said he will meet with General Manager Thompson on Thursday to compile an initial cutdown list and then meet Friday to review film and make final decisions. The first cutdown date is next Tuesday — five days after the Packers' previous preseason game — but the team likely will reach the 75-man limit before players return for practice Sunday. The final cut is Sept. 1, two days after the team's preseason finale at Tennessee. … Ingle Martin will be the No. 3 cornerback against Jacksonville, five days after rookie Paul Thompson led the third-string offense and threw two interceptions against Seattle.
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Published by PackerPundit On Tuesday, August 21, 2007 at 5:35 AM.
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