Cantina » From second-year pros to a recently-arrived free agent

Justin Vogel Jersey , the responses to this week’s prompt are all over the roster." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesAcme Packing Company homepageHorizontal - WhiteAcme Packing Companya Green Bay Packers communityFollow Acme Packing Company online:Follow Acme Packing Company on TwitterFollow Acme Packing Company on FacebookFollow Acme Packing Company on InstagramLog in or sign upLog InSign UpSite searchSearchSearchAcme Packing Company main menuFanpostsFanshotsSectionsPackersOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 321 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections The APC PodcastPackers Film RoomFantasy Football Advicesecond-year pros to a recently-arrived free agent, the responses to this week’s prompt are all over the roster.CDTIt’s Wednesday, and that means another edition of APC’s Walkthroughs. This week, we’re looking at Green Bay Packers players primed for a breakout. Specifically, our prompt this week is to name the Packers player who will take the biggest leap forward from the 2018 season to 2019. Several contributors looked at this question differently — some focused on statistics, some on the player’s role on the team, and some on the potential impact on the team overall. And everyone considered all of those in some capacity.Here are some of our picks for the Packers player due for the biggest leap in 2019 — and be sure to give us your picks in the comments.Kris Burke: WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling“MVS” showed flashes of being a solid receiver as a rookie but he also took his lumps as most players do in their first year adjusting to the speed of professional football defenses.Now with a year in the league under his belt as well as experience playing with one the all-time most demanding quarterbacks in Aaron Rodgers, Valdes-Scantling is primed to explode on the scene in 2019.New head coach Matt LaFleur’s offense can properly utilize his talents unlike Mike McCarthy’s archaic system and when Rodgers singles you out in offseason interviews, one of your eyebrows should be immediately raised and in a good way.With Randall Cobb off to the Dallas Cowboys, the battle for WR2 should be interesting to watch over the course of the season. Geronimo Allison more than likely starts in that spot thanks to his experience as well as Rodgers’ trust in him, but don’t be surprised if Valdes-Scantling finishes the season close to or even above Allison in targets. Rodgers apparently likes what he’s seen from him and if the chemistry continues to develop between the two, Valdes-Scantling is a prime candidate to have a breakout year.There’s once again a hype train about a player wearing number 83 in Green Bay and this time it’s legitimate. All aboard! Shawn Wagner: Za’Darius SmithGreen Bay saw enough in Smith to give him a four-year, $66 million deal this offseason despite never starting more than eight games in his four seasons in Baltimore. It’s been rumored that the Packers almost selected him in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft and that they attempted to trade for him more than once. Now they have him.For the Packers, Smith should be lined up in multiple spots in multiple formations. He is expected to primarily be located on the edge, but could also line up with his hand on the ground on pass-rushing downs and drop back into coverage if needed. He should get every opportunity to start all 16 games and eclipse the career-high 8.5 sacks he posted a year ago in half the number of starts. With Preston Smith lined up on the other edge Justin McCray Color Rush Jersey , opponents should not be solely keyed in on Za’Darius, providing him with the chance to really break out in 2019 at just 26 years of age.Paul Noonan: Kevin KingSome players are truly injury prone, and it’s entirely possible that King is one of them. That said, football is difficult, and sometimes guys just get hurt because football is difficult, and then, after a few years, they stop. When running back Fred Taylor entered the league he quickly gained the nickname “fragile Freddy” and indeed, he missed quite a few games through his age 25 season. That said, starting in his age 26 season, Taylor was one of the most durable players in the game for 7 consecutive seasons, and really only saw declines in his playing time due to age. When King has played, he’s been outstanding. The only thing keeping him from being an elite corner is being on the field, and there’s at least a decent chance that King is not truly injury prone, and will in fact be on the field. If that happens https://www.thepackersfanshop.com/Marwin-Evans-Jersey , and if Jaire Alexander is similarly available, the Packers will find themselves with the best CB tandem they’ve had since their last Super Bowl victory. Evan “Tex” Western: Oren BurksLast year, Burks entered training camp as a likely backup to Blake Martinez and Jake Ryan before Ryan’s torn ACL thrust the third-round rookie into the starting lineup. However, a preseason injury after two encouraging performances sapped his ability to contribute on defense for almost an entire season, as his rookie year was effectively a redshirt season.Now in 2019, Burks sounds like he’s playing faster and understanding his role in Mike Pettine’s defense better, which should portend good things for him. With his athleticism, the Packers could use two true linebackers more often rather than plugging in a safety at the cover linebacker spot. The Packers have their downhill, blitzing/run-stuffing Mike in Martinez, and I believe Burks is going to solidify himself as a solid Will linebacker who’s able to flow freely to the football and cover backs and tight ends in space. GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers are winless on the road and there are questions about coach Mike McCarthy’s job security.Packers CoveragePhotos of the Week: 7/21/19 – 7/27/19Packers rookie Gary’s biggest critic is himselfTop Tweets: Former Badger TJ Watt has impressive four-year transformationPHOTOS: 2019 Green Bay Packers training campPackers’ Rodgers, LaFleur ironing out offense, building chemistryPlayers to watch at Green Bay Packers 2019 training campLaFleur: Offense still a work in progress as Packers open campPackers release defensive tackle Mike DanielsGreen Bay Packers 2019 training camp primerPackers’ Rodgers not ranked as a top-5 quarterback in Madden 20However they enter Sunday night’s game at Minnesota trailing the Vikings by just one game for the final NFC wild-card spot.“We fully understand where we are. We understand what our record is,” McCarthy said on Monday. “We need to win on the road. That’s something we haven’t done.”The game against the Vikings will be Green Bay’s fourth road game in five games coming out of their bye. They were tied or ahead in the fourth quarter at the Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots and again on Thursday against the Seattle Seahawks Jermaine Whitehead Jersey , but lost all three games.The bad news for the Packers is that the latest defeat left them at 4-5-1. The good news is the NFC playoff chase is jumbled. While Chicago seized control of the NFC North race with its victory over Minnesota on Sunday night, the Vikings (5-4-1) lead the Seattle Seahawks (5-5), Dallas Cowboys (5-5) and Packers in the pursuit for the last playoff spot.“We understand that there’s still a lot of football left,” safety Tramon Williams said. “As long as there’s a lot of football left, we know that we have a chance to be where we want to be at. Will it be easy? No, but we’re optimistic.”Having played on Thursday, the Packers got a short break to get ready for that game in Seattle. Four starters didn’t travel to Seattle because of injuries — receiver Randall Cobb, safety Kentrell Brice, cornerback Kevin King and outside linebacker Nick Perry.Tight end Jimmy Graham suffered a broken thumb during the first half and defensive tackle Mike Daniels sustained a foot injury during the second half. McCarthy said Graham “intends to try to play” while Daniels will miss a couple of weeks.The return of Cobb and Graham could bolster an inconsistent offense. Green Bay ranks eighth in yards, but only 13th in points because of mediocre production on third down (19th) and in the red zone (14th). Cobb had a huge game in a come-from-behind-victory over Chicago in Week 1 with nine catches for 142 yards, including the game-winning, 75-yard touchdown.Over the past nine games, however, he’s been inactive five times and caught 17 passes for 116 yards and no touchdowns. Graham is second on the team with 34 receptions, but has only one catch in three of his past four games.“Everybody is very frustrated. Nobody wants to lose games Aaron Ripkowski Color Rush Jersey ,” Cobb said. “We don’t go out and work every day in the offseason to come into the season in shape and go through training camp and beat each other up in training camp and go through seasons and lose games. Nobody wants to do that. That’s not fun. We want to win games and we’ve won a lot around here. We’ve got to find a way to get back on track.”The Packers are running out of time, regardless of what the playoff standings suggest. A sixth consecutive road loss on Sunday would put Green Bay two games behind Minnesota (plus the head-to-head tiebreaker) with five to play.Still, the Packers have a chance. They were 4-6 at this point in the 2016 season and reached the NFC championship came. Among the four primary challengers for the last playoff spot, the Packers have the easiest remaining schedule. Their final six opponents have a combined winning percentage of (.425), followed by the Seahawks (.442), Cowboys (.500) and Vikings (.542).“Our reality, it’s where we expect to be,” McCarthy said. “Regardless of what anybody’s opinion is, we expect to complete the goal that we set out back in April. That’s the big-picture focus. But it’s not anything we’re talking about right now.“Because part of the message today, there’s not a whole lot to talk about. We know where we are, we knew this four-game stretch was going to be a challenge, we didn’t hit the target as well as we’d like, but now we have six seven-day stretches here. We have full intentions of going to Minnesota and winning this game.”