B.J. Sander Released

The Green Bay Packers released punter B.J. Sander, bringing to an end a career that came to symbolize the disappointment associated with former coach Mike Sherman's brief stint as the team's general manager.

Sander won the Ray Guy award as the nation's top collegiate punter at Ohio State, but has failed to live up to high expectations since Sherman and the Packers traded up to take him in the third round of the 2004 NFL draft.

Green Bay signed Canadian Football League standout Jon Ryan in the offseason to compete with Sander in training camp. Sander's release makes Ryan, who has shown good leg strength in training camp, the favorite to win the punting job.

In a news release, the team noted that Ryan should expect to take all the snaps at punter in the final two weeks of the preseason, but said, "the move, however, doesn't guarantee Ryan the regular-season job. He continues to compete against all other punters in NFL camps who could be released by their respective teams and potentially signed by the Packers' pro personnel department."

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