Hey, chalk another first-round bust up for draft genius Ted Thompson! The Green Bay Packers released tackle Derek Sherrod, a 2011 first-round pick, on Monday.
The Packers were able to cut the cord on Sherrod because they brought J.C. Tretter off injured reserve. Tretter is coming back from a leg fracture he suffered during the preseason and had been practicing for the past two weeks.
What’s interesting here is the current state of offensive line depth. Sherrod was the only backup tackle the Packers had on the roster. Tretter was the team’s starting center before he got injured.
Very few teams would go the route of replacing a tackle with a center. However, the Packers obviously think Tretter can play tackle if he must. Or at least that he can play tackle better than Sherrod.
And there’s reason to think they’re right on both counts.
Tretter is only a center because the Packers made him one. He played tackle at Cornell, so he does know how to play the position. He also doesn’t have a lofty standard to live up to. Sherrod played in two games when right tackle Bryan Bulaga was hurt this season and he was, in a word, awful.
If you look at the rest of the backup linemen, you realize just how little the Packers thought of Sherrod. Their other backups are guard Lane Taylor and center Garth Gerhart. Both guys are former undrafted free agents and Gerhart — get this — plays center.
Is there any chance the Packers will need three centers? None whatsoever, but they would rather keep three centers than any Derek Sherrods.
When Sherrod was drafted, we were all pretty happy about it. The Packers had drafted another tackle, Bryan Bulaga, in the first round a year earlier. We all said to ourselves, swell. Now the Packers have their tackles for the next 10 years.
Well, no they did not. Sherrod didn’t get any playing time on offense until late in his rookie year. In December of that campaign, he suffered a broken leg that would require two surgeries and cost him a season and a half. Whatever Sherrod may have been capable of prior to that injury, he was not capable of when he returned.
Of course, assuming that he was capable of anything prior to the injury is a stretch. Sherrod has only one career start to his credit. Here is a guy who will be most noted for not being able to unseat the human turnstile, Marshall Newhouse, for a starting spot.
Do me a favor, break your leg in two places and then go play in the NFL. If you don’t pull your mangina first then you can say “Good Riddance” to Derek Sherrod.
Monty only played flag football because two handed touch was to rough for him. He is one clueless POS.
Best wishes to you DS.
Yeah, that injury was pretty horrific. I don’t know how you go back on the field after that, frankly.
But I thought TT didn’t cut his high draft picks? I thought he was biased towards them and hung onto them forever? Someone was full of shit. Possibly lots of people.
Anyway, still better than the 1st, 3rd, 7th and $25 mil that John Schneider blew on Percy Harvin.
Good point (about the waste of picks on Harvin)! That may well be the smartest move the Queens ever made – and Schneider’s WORST.
That was an awful bad break. Not many players come back from that injury and neither did Sherrod, but he tried. I give him credit for effort you just need more than that in a tough business.
In regards to effort the good news is we do have another offensive tackle on the team. I would be sure McCarthy and the coaches have been getting Peppers offensive tackle reps along with the WR reps. With that wingspan he should be able to pass block with the best in the league.
Howard you nearly made me piss myself with your last 2 comments…bravo
Here’s a news flash.
Sherrod wasn’t any good before he broke his leg, he couldn’t beat out Newhouse. Blame his broken leg if it makes you feel better. I have a feeling he was medically cleared to perform his job. He couldn’t perform, end of story.
Good riddance.
News flash your news is old news. Sherrod was medically cleared and activated a year ago. That is some real insight.
He was medically cleared after his injury Howard?..I did NOT know that..Really?
Yes Howard, he was medically cleared. I was saying that sarcastically in response to the people who want to blame his broken leg on his failure to perform. Thank you for trying to understand.
I did not see anyone try to blame Sherrod’s broken leg on Sherrod not performing. Sherrod had a bad break in more ways than one. Sherrod did not perform in a performance based business. I think the comments, mine included were just saying it took a lot for the young man to even attempt to come back. Most would not attempt the come back.
Bullshit. They’d all attempt to comeback. They get paid. They aren’t going to make 700,000 a year working at Home Depot.
Are you sure about that? In The case of Sherrod I believe he received a contract worth approx. 6.6 mil. Of that 5.3 mil. was fully guaranteed. The only year not guaranteed was 2014. I guess you could make the case that Sherrod went through all the rehab and surgeries to try to get to 2014 and beyond. I think most reasonable people would give him credit for trying when he could have walked away with the 5.3 mil.
The only open question is did Sherrod have a split contract clause that would reduce his guaranteed salary in the event of an injury. I bet that info will be available soon enough.
I’m laughing….. “I think most reasonable people would give him credit for trying when he could have walked away with the 5.3 mil.”
Dude, Guaranteed or not….He can’t decide to “walk away” (quit) and receive his 5.3 million. Are you kidding me with this shit you write?
You are the one using the word quit not me. I never wrote quit you did? It really does not matter as Sherrod had a injury and if he couldn’t come back from it he gets the portion of the fully guaranteed contract. Sherrod made a great effort to come back, he could have not been able to come back if he wanted and no one would have blamed him except maybe you.
The exception to the fully guaranteed contract is; was there a clause in the contract that reduces the contract in the event of an injury.
Um..
Yeah…
I told you so.
Ohh wow
Well… yeah… I guess… he really wasn’t good at all
Like… at all. The guy was a complete bust, whether it was due to a busted leg, or not
Well fucker-doodle doo!
Thompson has had 10 drafts, and 10 Let’s have a look at all of Thompson’s first round draft picks, since this article implies there are a bunch of “busts” there.
2005 – Aaron Rodgers
2006 – AJ Hawk
2007 – Justin Harrel
2008 – Jordy Nelson*
2009 – BJ Raji, Clay Matthews
2010 – Brian Bulaga
2011 – Derek Sherrod
2012 – Nick Perry
2013 – Datone Jones
2014 – Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
I count two busts. I have a hard time believing there are many GMs with better results in the last 10 drafts.
But don’t let facts or a little perspective get in the way of an opportunity to bash Thompson.
Harrell also dealt with serious injury issues – but I am sure you already know that. So I guess I agree with what you are saying, and that TT’s D1 record is probably on part with most of the GMs in the league.
News Flash – Jordy Nelson was NOT a 1st Round Pick and if your going to include that 2008 class then include the other 2nd Round “Busts” like Brian Brohm and Patrick Lee. Yes, your boy Teddy T drafted Brian Brohm (a projected 1st Rounder in 2007) to COMPETE with Aaron Rodgers. Yes, yes, yes — he did. And there are more “busts” in that group than just two. Your definition of bust shouldn’t be the Derek Sherrod worst player on earth example. The 1st Round is for future stars and IMPACT players for your franchise as I read off your list I see 3 maybe 4 players who have made Pro Bowls and made an actual IMPACT!
AJ Hawk was billed as “the next Brian Urlacher”. Sorry, not even closed. Awful in coverage, beaten like a drum in man-to-man coverage, grades out as a poor to below AVG OLB. I’ll give you mediocre at best. Just because he and Brad Jones “start” doesn’t make them impact players.
Justin Harrell – Monumental Bust. Epic Failure. Could have had Joe Staley, Jon Beason, Ryan Kalil. Epic fuck-up!
BJ Raji – Make whatever excuse you want but 1-2 “okay-esque” seasons and one fluke INT in the NFC championship doesn’t make him a standout. Below AVG player who probably won’t be seen in GB again.
Brian Bulaga – What’s he done? Do you know who else we passed on to get this injury prone/mediocre “supposed” stud tackle? Dez Bryant and Gronk went right after him. My god.
Derek Sherrod – No comment
Nick Perry – If your not going to call him a bust, you clearly don’t know what to look for on Sunday’s. Consider this. Graded out as the “worst 1st Round Selection pick in the 2012 Draft”. THE WORST! But he’s not a bust?
Datone Jones – Too soon to judge but he sure didn’t make an immediate impact? He grades out as one of the lowest/least productive picks of the 2013 draft so far. I’ll give him credit on Lacy in R2 but that pick was 5 years overdue and this franchise went into 2013 “planning” on going with DuJuan Harris (it’s true!)
Ha Ha DIx – I’m hopeful and positive on him. Although drafting a top-end safety was long overdue after Morgan Burnett hit the shits.
As for Jordy Nelson. I love him, very good player — made to be a Packer. But I made the argument when Greg Jennings was here and got laughed at. If Jordy Nelson played in Minnesota, Houston or any other market without a top-end QB he’d be the Toby Gerhart of wide receivers (which you could say about any WR in the NFL not playing with an elite QB) but Rodgers makes any AVG WR elite. Greg Jennings was made by Aaron Rodgers just like Antonio Freeman was made by Favre. Jordy is good but he’s not in the Calvin Johnson mold of “freak performers” who make QB’s better (Stafford sucks dick w/o Calvin).
Yeah, Dez Bryant would have been a great fit in GB.
10 drafts, 10 first round picks.
*Nelson was a second round pick. There was no 1st rounder that year.
I just have to wonder where we would be right now if TT had taken a run stopping, play making stud ILB instead of Sherrod, since that seems to me to be the piece that we are still missing on D….
Good old Teddy missed the boat in the 2012 draft, probably still hung over from the Super Bowl party with Fat McCarthy.
Teddy missed on Justin Houston and DeMarco Murray in the 3rd Round — he liked Alex Green outta Hawaii better. Teddy was looking for a D-back in Round 4 and went with Davon House over Richard Sherman. Then he actually traded up to get a tight-end by the name of DJ Williams but a guy by the name of Niles Paul was still on the board and Julius Thomas went 10 picks before. Hmmmmmmm.
I always come back to names like Brandon Jackson, Brian Brohm, Patrick Lee, Mike Neal, Jerel Worthy, Terrence Murphy in the 2nd Round Selection History of old Ted. And you wonder why our defense is fitted with castoffs like Peppers and LeTroy Guion.
Murray was injury prone until this year. Nobody heard of House or Sherman so those picks are gambles, a lot of teams passed on Sherman if he lasted so long in the draft, and House is not a bust. So you knew Niles Paul too? Doubt it. If you are going to talk second rounds too be sure to mention, Nelson, Jennings and Cobb if Teddy is so bad. Armchair GMs. Plus I’d take 11 Peppers right now and start them all.
TT’s 2011 draft is going down in flames. Other than Cobb he struck out. The Alex Green pick was a disaster. The Packers desperately needed a pass rusher or ILB and TT went and wasted the pick on a rb from Hawaii. Let’s face it, TT is writing the manual on how to waste the career of a HOF qb. San Fran had back-to-back HOF qb’s and won 5 SUPER BOWLS!
Yes you are correct SF won five super bowls, however Montana was QB on the first four. So are you trying to say Favre, Holmgren, Wolf, and Sherman did not hold up there end of the stick. Not sure how you can relate TT to the previous GM’s and head coaches.
The ignorance of all these comments bashing draft picks is mind blowing. DS suffered a major injury. His comeback did not work out. End of story. Move on.
This homo writer and some of his supporters have no clue how to manage their own life let alone one of the finest football organizations in the NFL. The Viking fan club is waiting for you to join them.
TT and MM will be here for years to come. The Packers are built to be competitive for years into the future. You mentally ill bastards have no clue what it takes to assemble Lincoln logs let alone a football team. You are rear view mirror fans. Now go do each other up the ass. Monty, your friend in Dallas was just let go. Maybe he will join you and the rest of the west coast fruit cakes.
Whoever you are, you certainly make a lot of noise about being gay, taking it up the ass. etc. Perhaps you are just having a bit of reoccurring psychological projection? . . . just come out fucktard and ease up a bit on your masked sexuality. The Lincoln logs? that was good!
Andy’s list of the past 10 first round picks is intriguing, but I’d like to see the second round picks each of those years as well.
As noted and intentionally asterisked, yes, Jordy was a 2nd rounder, but he was the first pick of the 2008 draft. These comments are out of control. All I did was list the actual players. Two of them are certifiable busts, and some are just ok players. I don’t think that makes them busts, but maybe that’s a matter of opinion. Or maybe, again, it’s a matter of perspective. For example, how many of 32 teams’ last 10 1st round picks are all that much better than Thompson’s? Name them, and list their players.
And, FYI PackAttack, your is possessive. “If your not going to call him a bust…” doesn’t make sense. The contraction you meant to use but are unable to understand for whatever reason is “you’re” as in “you are.” You’re welcome, and please take a deep breath.
One thing I keep noticing is that the Packers continue to be one of the best teams in the NFL, year after year. Yet, casuals on sites like this seem to think they have the dumbest coach and a terrible GM. You know, McCarthy can’t coach, but he wins all the time, or at least more than almost every other coach over the past 8 years. So it must be the talent that wins for him. But, according to some around here, there is no talent either because Thompson drafts busts all the time! Amazing! Which is it? Does McCarthy win because of the talent he has to work with, or is McCarthy winning despite the terrible talent Thompson supplies him with? Or are the Packers just very very super lucky every year?
It is so easy to hate apologists.
Your list indicts itself.
In Thompson’s defense, all ‘first round’ picks are not the same. Teams have gotten much better at picking than say 40 years ago where it was crap shoot. The first 10 to 15 picks in the first round have a better than average chance to be Pro Bowlers. The odds of getting a Pro Bowler with the first 10-15 picks in the first round is pretty decent but after that point the success rate drops in a linear fashion. The success rate is so different, that two picks in the last 5 in the first round are required to have the same Pro Bowl success rate as a top 10-15 pick.
Congrats to all you assholes that got your wish here…