Among the final cuts were 2 suprises, DT Cletidus Hunt and LB Ray Thompson.

Hunt has been a thorn in the side of the coaching staff since being drafted in the 3rd round. He got a huge contract that caused the end of Vnnie Holiday's Packers service. As with a number of players in the past (:cough: Antonio Freeman :cough:), he got his contract and then lost focus or drive to succeed. I think the skipping of the mini-camps this year was the final straw, though one might ask just how "injured" he was all preseason.

Ray Thompson was signed in the off-season to upgrade the linebacking corps. The knock on him was that he got himself in Denny Green’s doghouse, which doesn’t seem like a bad thing. Maybe Denny had a point, for once.

Dumping defensive starters when the defense is so awful signals that the new coordinator is cleaning house or that these guys were on the team for reasons other than production (:cough: Jamal Renyolds :cough:). I think it is likely that both were in play in these two cuts.

Update: Ted Thompson, class individual:

General Manager Ted Thompson went out of his way to say he wouldn’t make disparaging remarks about any player released, and so he didn’t with Hunt. But Hunt’s release says it all, because Thompson not only ate a $750,000 roster bonus paid to Hunt in March and refused to keep him for a relatively cheap $1.25 million salary this year, but he’s taking on $3.6 million in dead salary-cap money next year.

Dude, $3.6 million on next year's cap as dead money? $750,000 this year as a roster bonus? Holy Crap Hunt must have really screwed up big time!