http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=743162
Before the weekend is out, the Green Bay Packers will have a quarterback other than Aaron Rodgers, Jerry Baab and Dalton Bell on their roster.
It may just be veteran free agent Daunte Culpepper.
After having the former Oakland, Miami and Minnesota quarterback in for a visit Wednesday, the Packers are seriously considering adding him to their roster. Culpepper is the only free agent left on the market with the talent to be a starter and the Packers, unsure of what the draft this weekend will provide, decided to call him.
According to someone familiar with the NFL transaction wire, Culpepper's official visit showed up at the end of the day. He's the third free-agent quarterback to visit Green Bay, joining Quinn Gray and Gus Frerotte. Gray signed with Houston and Frerotte with Minnesota.
Culpepper's numbers weren't very good last year with Oakland, but the Packers and some others around the league thought he showed some of the athletic ability he possessed before tearing three ligaments in his knee during the 2005 season. Playing for a talent-deprived Raiders offense, he completed 58.1% of his passes for 1,331 yards and five touchdowns with five interceptions last year.
The Packers aren't the only team that has shown some interest in Culpepper, but they are the only team to bring him in. Culpepper represents himself and handled all of the business aspects that usually follow a get-to-know-you session with coaches and personnel people.
If the Packers sign Culpepper before the draft it's because they feel their hopes for trading for another team's backup or deposed starter aren't that great. Someone will be out of a job after rookies Matt Ryan, Brian Brohm, Chad Henne and Joe Flacco join their new teams, but there are no guarantees it will be anyone with the talent of Houston's Sage Rosenfels, the New York Jets' Chad Pennington or Seattle's Seneca Wallace.
If the Packers sign Culpepper, it probably won't be for much. The 31-year-old veteran has been on the market for 56 days and chances of him pulling anything more than a one-year, incentive-laden contract aren't very good.
The possibility exists that the Packers are using this visit as a way of trying to get everyone else in the NFL to think they're not as hot for a quarterback in the draft as they might think. But they'll have a hard time getting anyone to believe that because regardless of whether they sign Culpepper, they'll either draft a quarterback or sign one after the draft.
Perhaps the biggest question mark with Culpepper is whether he can function in a West Coast offense. Some Packers defensive players who competed against Culpepper when he was with Minnesota often talked about how easy it was to bait him into throwing to a covered receiver and that most of the time he let receiver Randy Moss bail him out.
For his career, Culpepper has completed an impressive 63.8% of his passes for 22,422 yards and 142 touchdown with 94 interceptions (89.9 passer rating). But since being separated from Moss, Culpepper has thrown 13 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.
If Culpepper doesn't sign, the Packers still have the option of bringing back Craig Nall, who finished the season as the No. 3 and is still looking for work.
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BTW I'm pretty sure someone "called" this here a long time ago but can't find it searching
Before the weekend is out, the Green Bay Packers will have a quarterback other than Aaron Rodgers, Jerry Baab and Dalton Bell on their roster.
It may just be veteran free agent Daunte Culpepper.
After having the former Oakland, Miami and Minnesota quarterback in for a visit Wednesday, the Packers are seriously considering adding him to their roster. Culpepper is the only free agent left on the market with the talent to be a starter and the Packers, unsure of what the draft this weekend will provide, decided to call him.
According to someone familiar with the NFL transaction wire, Culpepper's official visit showed up at the end of the day. He's the third free-agent quarterback to visit Green Bay, joining Quinn Gray and Gus Frerotte. Gray signed with Houston and Frerotte with Minnesota.
Culpepper's numbers weren't very good last year with Oakland, but the Packers and some others around the league thought he showed some of the athletic ability he possessed before tearing three ligaments in his knee during the 2005 season. Playing for a talent-deprived Raiders offense, he completed 58.1% of his passes for 1,331 yards and five touchdowns with five interceptions last year.
The Packers aren't the only team that has shown some interest in Culpepper, but they are the only team to bring him in. Culpepper represents himself and handled all of the business aspects that usually follow a get-to-know-you session with coaches and personnel people.
If the Packers sign Culpepper before the draft it's because they feel their hopes for trading for another team's backup or deposed starter aren't that great. Someone will be out of a job after rookies Matt Ryan, Brian Brohm, Chad Henne and Joe Flacco join their new teams, but there are no guarantees it will be anyone with the talent of Houston's Sage Rosenfels, the New York Jets' Chad Pennington or Seattle's Seneca Wallace.
If the Packers sign Culpepper, it probably won't be for much. The 31-year-old veteran has been on the market for 56 days and chances of him pulling anything more than a one-year, incentive-laden contract aren't very good.
The possibility exists that the Packers are using this visit as a way of trying to get everyone else in the NFL to think they're not as hot for a quarterback in the draft as they might think. But they'll have a hard time getting anyone to believe that because regardless of whether they sign Culpepper, they'll either draft a quarterback or sign one after the draft.
Perhaps the biggest question mark with Culpepper is whether he can function in a West Coast offense. Some Packers defensive players who competed against Culpepper when he was with Minnesota often talked about how easy it was to bait him into throwing to a covered receiver and that most of the time he let receiver Randy Moss bail him out.
For his career, Culpepper has completed an impressive 63.8% of his passes for 22,422 yards and 142 touchdown with 94 interceptions (89.9 passer rating). But since being separated from Moss, Culpepper has thrown 13 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.
If Culpepper doesn't sign, the Packers still have the option of bringing back Craig Nall, who finished the season as the No. 3 and is still looking for work.
*********
BTW I'm pretty sure someone "called" this here a long time ago but can't find it searching
