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General Category => Archives => Topic started by: Dave23 on April 12, 2011, 10:33:57 am


Title: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on April 12, 2011, 10:33:57 am
So very, very hard...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: AZSteve on April 12, 2011, 03:47:37 pm
Did the Govenor of Wisconsin have anything to do with NFLPA de-certifying their union?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on April 13, 2011, 09:07:09 pm
sucks should be capitalized.  Or even all caps like "SUCKS!!!".
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 15, 2011, 07:27:11 pm
LOL.  Off to a good start, gentlemen.   ;)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: VJ on April 16, 2011, 01:23:18 pm
FUC-K THE PACK, THEIR DIPS-HIT QB, AND THEIR DUMBASS FANS!

eh close enough  :P
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: chifaninva on April 16, 2011, 01:50:43 pm
LOL!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on April 16, 2011, 02:21:11 pm
No championship since 97
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 19, 2011, 06:59:16 pm
After checking th3 2011 schedule it looks like if the stations follow the usual pattern I willl get to see 14 of the 16 games.  If so, bye, bye Sunday Ticket this season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 20, 2011, 10:44:05 am
Fifth toughest schedule:

5. Green Bay Packers

 The defending Super Bowl champs have a tough schedule that begins with a home game to kick off the NFL season against the Saints.

Green Bay has only two games that should give them little trouble on paper and those are against the Panthers and Broncos in weeks 2 and 4.

The Packers will have an even bigger target on their back than usual this season so they will have their work cut out for them in their quest to repeat.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest77 on April 20, 2011, 10:49:44 am
Defending the crown is tough.  Everyone wants to beat the champs! 
 
I'd love for the Bears to have that problem next season  ;D   Go Bearssss!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on April 20, 2011, 08:41:15 pm
Hey! Where's Bob? He didn't make it over? We got stiffed.....by Bob? WTF?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on April 20, 2011, 10:49:29 pm
Hey! Where's Bob? He didn't make it over? We got stiffed.....by Bob? WTF?

He probably keeps spelling the site name wrong
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 21, 2011, 10:19:36 am
LOL.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 21, 2011, 10:20:25 am
By Brian Carriveau on Apr 14, 2011 with 0 Comments

University of Wisconsin offensive lineman Bill Nagy might not get the attention of fellow Badgers linemates Gabe Carimi and John Moffitt, but that doesn't make him any less of an NFL prospect.

"I don't feel overshadowed at all," Nagy told Cheesehead TV. "Those guys had great careers here. Those are two of my best friends, so I'm not jealous or anything of them. That's cool that they get to do [the NFL Combine] and everything. I'm just really focused on just bettering myself."

Nagy figures to be a late-round draft prospect or an undrafted free agent type. But he feels that after his pro day workout last month, he'll be getting more attention from NFL teams.

With Packers general manager Ted Thompson, head coach Mike McCarthy and assistant director of college scouting Shaun Herock in attendance that day, Nagy took it upon himself to put a face to a name.

"I shook some of their hands, introduced myself to some of them," said Nagy.

Among the more impressive numbers Nagy put up on March 9 was his vertical jump, which reportedly measured in at 30.5 inches.

That height would have put him in the upper echelon of offensive lineman at the NFL Combine and displayed his athleticism to all the scouts and coaches watching, including Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and Chicago Bears assistants Mike Tice and Mike Martz.

"I think I bring athleticism to the offensive line, and I take a lot of pride in the mental aspect as well," said Nagy. "I feel like I'm a pretty smart guy and don't make many mental errors. I feel like those are some of my strengths."

Despite being primarily an interior offensive lineman, there's perhaps no better example of Nagy's athleticism than the two consecutive games he started at tight end in Wisconsin's jumbo package in wins against Minnesota and then no. 1 ranked Ohio State last season.

It was a season in which Nagy started eight games for the Badgers, helped them become co-conference champions, earn a trip to the Rose Bowl and was named honorable mention All-Big Ten by the league coaches.

As a player that's started at both guard and center throughout his college career, Nagy has recently been working on improving his game with former NFL offensive lineman and two-time Pro Bowler LeCharles Bentley.

"I was working out with LeCharles Bentley leading up to [Wisconsin's pro day], doing some offensive line stuff," said Nagy. "I was just talking, watching film with him, just learning all sorts of new stuff. And the cool thing that he said, he said there are guys that have been in the league for 10 years and they're still like, 'Man, I've got to work on this. I've got to work on that.'

"So it's always a process of trying to better your game, try to learn new things, just keep really doing well, sharpening the trade I guess you could say."

The NFL Draft is exactly two weeks from today, beginning on Thursday Apr. 28 and concluding on Saturday Apr. 30.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on April 21, 2011, 10:31:56 am
interesting that bot Tice and martz were at his workout
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 21, 2011, 11:06:24 am
Moffit may be a fit for the Bears.  UW OL players usually fair pretty well in the NFL.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on April 26, 2011, 04:41:55 pm
Hey! You guys missed me!!! I can speeellll....I clearly can not type. I need to get my admin to type these! Ha!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 27, 2011, 10:11:42 am
I don't expect to see GB draft anyone on day one.  Odds seem overwhelming that they will trade down from #32.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 29, 2011, 03:34:45 pm
e-mail print By Bob McGinn of the Journal Sentinel
April 29, 2011 |(98) Comments

Excited: 92% Disappointed: 8% Total Responses: 7686
 TOM SILVERSTEIN:

Green Bay — Making draft choices such as Mississippi State's Derek Sherrod are how top National Football League organizations stay on top for the long haul.

Twelve years after the Green Bay Packers drafted left tackle Chad Clifton with the 44th overall pick, the Packers landed his heir apparent Thursday night with the 32nd and final selection of the first round.

"I hope he's as good as Chad Clifton in terms of pass setting and doing what we want him to do," general manager Ted Thompson said. "We'll see. We're going to give him a chance to play, though."

Sherrod, 6 feet 5½ inches and 315 pounds, is a three-year starter at left tackle in the Southeastern Conference just as Clifton was a four-year starter in the SEC for Tennessee.

Besides similar body types, personnel people said there are also similarities how Sherrod played compared to how the 34-year-old Clifton has played for 11 seasons in Green Bay.

Sherrod is regarded as more of an athletic player than a power player. By style, he probably fits better as a left tackle.

"He plays with good balance and base," Thompson said. "Hard to knock off his feet. He has ability to run block and cross over to pass block. We think he has a chance to be a complete player."

Somewhat surprisingly, Sherrod was the sixth tackle to be taken, although the Packers had him ranked several rungs higher. When Sherrod fell to Green Bay, Thompson said the mood in the draft room was jubilant.

"We were pretty happy," he said. "I feel OK. If you can get a quality big man I think you always lean that way."

Sherrod's bid to play early in his career and become a long-term player will be enhanced by his intelligence. He graduated, earned a 3.54-grade point average and scored 25 on the 50-question Wonderlic intelligence test.

That gives him the edge on Clifton, who has always required extra repetitions throughout his career as one of the most gifted pass blockers in the business.

When the Packers get back to playing football, the assumption is that Clifton will be at left tackle, Bulaga will be at right tackle and Sherrod will be stationed behind Clifton with the capability of playing both sides.

"I think either he or Bryan could play left tackle," said Thompson. "We'll kind of see. It just works itself out."

Thompson said he wouldn't rate Sherrod as a better athlete than Bulaga or Bulaga as a stronger player than Sherrod. On the bench press, Sherrod came up short with just 23 reps.

"We were surprised Bryan was there (23) where he was last year and we were kind of surprised Derek was still there," Thompson said.

They say the best time for a team to draft a left tackle is when they don't need one. The Packers didn't plan to start Bulaga as a rookie but when Mark Tauscher was injured he was there to offer solid performance at right tackle on a Super Bowl champion. Now the hope is that Sherrod can do the same if the oft-injured Clifton were to go down.

"I hope he's a 10-year player," said Thompson. "But I don't know if I'll be here then."

The selection of Sherrod undoubtedly means that T.J. Lang will play guard in his third season. He and Nick McDonald are expected to compete for the No. 1 job at left guard even if Daryn Colledge is resigned.

Marshall Newhouse, a fifth-round pick in 2010, might have the feet for left tackle and will go to camp as the No. 4 tackle. Tauscher almost certainly will not return.

Of the six top tackles, Sherrod's arm length of 35 3/8 inches ranked third longest and are about 2 inches longer than Bulaga's. His size-11 hands tied with Colorado's Nate Solder as the largest.

"He's a big, long guy," said Thompson. "I guess the other guys that took a left tackle would say their guy is the best. We liked how it turned out."

Thompson said he had some discussions from teams interested in acquiring the 32nd pick but nothing was serious in the last hour before the pick was made at 10:38 p.m.

"It never was close," he said. "There were some stupid deals offered to us."

Thompson said he was not offered a first- or second-round pick in 2012 in exchange for No. 32.

"Once it got to be our pick we were ready to go," he said.

Unlike the last two drafts, when the Packers traded up for linebacker Clay Matthews (first round) and safety Morgan Burnett (third round), they stood pat this time even though several players they liked slipped down the board.

Alabama running back Mark Ingram, a player that friends of Thompson said he had tremendous admiration for since last fall, fell all the way to 28 before NFC rival New Orleans traded up with New England to take him.

"I won't talk about that," Thompson said. "That player is on another team."

Meanwhile, Thompson bypassed Clemson's Da'Quan Bowers even though sources said the Packers had serious interest in him. The word was that the Packers planned to use Bowers as a third-down pass rusher while teaching him how to play right outside linebacker opposite Matthews.

In time, the feeling was that the 285-pound Bowers might have been able to bulk up and play end in the 3-4.

After the combine re-check two weeks ago, the doctors for just three teams flunked Bowers because of his post-operative knee. The Packers cleared Bowers, but there are degrees of clearance.

Having been stung by defensive tackle Justin Harrell and his multitude of injuries, Thompson decided against taking an explosive pass rusher in favor of the safer pick at perhaps an even greater position of need.

Asked if Bowers was a fit for the Packers' 3-4, Thompson replied, "It's part of the discussion we were having. It's debatable. But he's a good football player."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 30, 2011, 10:20:39 am
I absolutely loved the picks of WR Randall Cobb and and RB Alex Green.   Mayock said of the GB and Pitt picks "the rich get richer".
 
Cobb is a "do-it-all" player, including kick returner.  He does everything from catch and run to even throwing a pass.  Very "aware" player.
 
Green has the receiving talent of a WR coming out of the backfield.
 
Both players fit perfectly for the Packers' offensive style.
 
Adding Green and Cobb to Finley and the present WR corps should make  the passing game very hard to stop.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 30, 2011, 10:48:16 am
Randall Cobb
Green Bay Packers
Round 2, Pick 64
SI Grade
2.87
Grading System
Position: WR
Class:  3Jr
School: Kentucky
Conference: Southeastern
HT: 5-10.5
WT: 191
40 Time: 4.46
Biography: Full-time starter the past two seasons after seeing limited action with the first team as a freshman. All-Conference selection after his sophomore and junior campaigns and named an All-American in 2010. Receiving totals last season included 84/1017/7 when he also added 424 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. Averaged 7.8 yards on 28 punt returns with additional score as well as 23.7 yards on 41 kick returns. Sophomore totals included 39/447/4 receiving and 573/10 rushing. Averaged 12.8 yards on 44 punt returns with another score that season.

Positives: "Versatile skill player who positively affects the offense in a variety of ways. Shows terrific quickness, has a burst of speed, and is dynamic handling the ball. Fluid receiver who comes back to the pass out of breaks, easily adjusts to the errant throw, and possesses both soft and strong hands. Quickly transitions from making the catch to running after the reception, shows a burst of speed, and has the ability to create yardage in the open field. Quick footed and elusive, displays terrific explosiveness, and plays with intelligence. Effective running reverses, alters the momentum of games as a return specialist, and occasionally lined up behind center in wildcat formations."

Negatives: Not a true deep threat. Really cannot run to the long pass.

Analysis: Cobb has been tremendously productive on the college level since stepping onto the field as a freshman for Kentucky. He's a multipurpose offensive threat with the skills to be a second receiver and return man on the NFL level.

Projection: 2nd

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/684600-randall-cobb-to-green-bay-packers-2011-nfl-draft-scouting-report (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/684600-randall-cobb-to-green-bay-packers-2011-nfl-draft-scouting-report)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 30, 2011, 02:49:11 pm
Green Bay Packers Draft Grade
Sean Gardner/Getty Images Picks: OT Derek Sherrod, WR Randall Cobb, RB Alex Green




The Packers make a safe, conservative pick by drafting one of our top offensive tackles in Derek Sherrod. Sherrod can replace Chad Clifton at left tackle in the next two seasons.

Randall Cobb is a dynamic player who can make plays in the run game, passing game and on special teams. He's a Percy Harvin-like talent.

Alex Green is a pick we really like. He's a big back with speed who fits the Packers offense. He wasn't used right at Hawaii. The Packers will use him right.

 

Grade: A

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on April 30, 2011, 04:25:12 pm
Just a quick check-in post before I hit the road to the in-laws. Quite pleased with the top 4 in the draft, the rest will prove out only with time. Impossible not to notice that the Packers do not neglect to factor in character big-time with their picks as per past history - no issues with any so far and Sherrod seems to be outstanding.

:::::::::::: you are not alone, PR, you are not alone ::::::::::::

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on April 30, 2011, 04:50:21 pm
They are Packers therefore they automaticly SUCK!!!

Such is the way of Packers.  I don't make the rules I just point them out...

Oh and can I get three pounds of back bacon, two packs of smokes and a beer... in a tree!?!?!?!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on April 30, 2011, 04:52:44 pm
I couldn't leave w/o commenting on Dan Lauria's LOMBARDI cameo while announcing the Elmore pick. I saw the Broadway play a few weeks ago and it was rivetting. Great move by GB.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on April 30, 2011, 04:56:09 pm
Heh Pekin. Other than than the smokes, I have lots, especially below:

(http://www.beermansez.com/images/SleemanCream.gif)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on April 30, 2011, 05:13:53 pm
Beer is good! 

I actually quit smoking years ago!  That **** will kill you plus it is WAY to expensive.

I need my lungs way more then my liver plus my liver is tough it can take it!

May the Bears and Packers meet in the Championship game again this year.  Of course with a different ending...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 30, 2011, 06:40:54 pm
I'll go along with part of that.   ;-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on April 30, 2011, 07:29:39 pm
Hey Pack, gotta get an icon.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 01, 2011, 10:07:31 am
Super Bowl champs even stronger on offense

Dennis Dillon
The picks are in -- all 254 -- from the NFL Draft. No one knows when there will be an on-field sighting for these lads. Unfortunately, that decision is in the hands of the courts instead of coaches.

But you want instant analysis. Here are five teams we believe helped themselves the most.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tampa’s youth movement continues to look promising. To complement their young playmakers on offense, the Bucs added pass rushers in DEs Adrian Clayborn and Da’Quan Bowers, and a productive MLB in Mason Foster.

“I think we have a system in place,” coach Raheem Morris said. “Our whole deal is about playing fast, playing hard, playing smart and playing together.”

Green Bay Packers. Is it possible their already potent offense could become even more dynamic? It is if WR-KR Randall Cobb, RB Alex Green and TE D.J. Williams perform up to expectations. Williams, last year’s Mackey Award winner, and Jermichael Finley could give the Super Bowl champs a productive tandem much like New England’s young duo of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.

Detroit Lions. Coach Jim Schwartz’s team had only five selections, but it made the most of them. WR Titus Young and RB Mikel Leshoure add more firepower. Nick Fairley, paired with Ndamukong Suh, last year’s defensive rookie of the year, gives the Lions two formidable tackles.

“What you want to do is match the players’ talent with what you’re going to ask them to do,” Schwartz told ESPN, “and also have the discipline to take the best player on the board that fits that.”

New England Patriots. They didn’t take many marquee players, but the Patriots plucked nine prospects, including Ryan Mallett, the potential successor to Tom Brady. And the forward-looking Patriots did enough dealing to get themselves two picks in each of the first two rounds next year.



Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 01, 2011, 10:16:13 am
 Caleb Schlauderaff
#72 - Utah Utes
Profile
Position    Offensive Line
Height    6'4"
Weight    302 lbs
Birthplace    Shelton, Washington
School    Shelton HS
Year    Senior

With Tauscher gone we need another krauthead.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 01, 2011, 07:47:56 pm
...Take Arizona defensive end Ricky Elmore, for example. Elmore was the teammate of defensive end Brooks Reed, a second-round pick by the Houston Texans. The Packers had interest in Reed, for he fit in the area of the final pick of the first round and he projected nicely to outside linebacker in Dom Capers’ 3-4. So, of course, does Elmore.

The Packers worked the two players out together. You might say Elmore and Reed were working out against each other, and you might say Elmore worked out well enough to qualify as the sixth-round equivalent of Reed...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 03, 2011, 07:11:06 pm
(http://nbcprofootballtalk.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/sb1packersring.jpg?w=242)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on May 04, 2011, 03:04:18 pm
Pack

That is the best post I've seen from you. Anybody want to talk about last years playoffs?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: stelz on May 04, 2011, 05:26:18 pm
Otto!  All right, welcome back
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on May 04, 2011, 05:47:37 pm
Hey it's good to be back...how have you been?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on May 05, 2011, 02:44:01 pm
Everyone

Packie posted a picture of the ring that mist of Chucago is looking for...I think it's in Green Bay.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: stelz on May 05, 2011, 03:01:49 pm
Good!  I think you are the only other person on here with "liberal" politics.  Not that I read the mindless crap that gets spewed in that forum.  Gotta stick to football on this board.

:  )
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 05, 2011, 08:02:41 pm
From Bleacher Report:

Randall Cobb Will Become Aaron Rodgers' Favorite Target
Andy Lyons/Getty Images I can’t really justify in words how exceptional I thought this pick was for the Green Bay Packers.

Randall Cobb perfectly fits the profile of the new breed of NFL receiver.

Cobb is a smaller slot receiver with devastating quickness and speed, and he’s the type of player who has to be accounted for on every snap.

With the exception of Greg Jennings, Green Bay’s receiving corps have been plagued by inconsistent play recently, so Cobb has a great shot to come in and be an immediate impact player as a rookie.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 06, 2011, 06:57:56 pm
From Bleacher Report:

The Green Bay Packers stocked their roster by drafting 10 players last week, which will leave some veterans either out of work or demoted come September.

That’s the nature of the NFL, where competition and General Manager Ted Thompson’s constant quest for improvement keeps the revolving roster door spinning. The draft created clear winners and losers among returning players:

Winners
• The Packers showered quarterback Aaron Rodgers with gifts. He received new offensive weapons in the form of receiver Randall Cobb and running back Alex Green, and extra protection with first-round tackle Derek Sherrod. Life is good for the reigning Super Bowl MVP.

• C.J. Wilson was an unsung seventh-round draft choice last year but has the chance to play a significant role on the defensive line. The expected departures of Cullen Jenkins and Johnny Jolly already provided a window of opportunity. But it got even better for Wilson when the Packers ignored a college talent pool rich in defensive ends until the seventh round. Third-year defensive end Jarius Wynn’s career prospects also went up.

• Graham Harrell isn’t ready for prime time, but with Matt Flynn’s contract expiring after the season and no competition coming out of the draft, the Packers’ third-string quarterback has the chance to eventually climb the depth chart.

• The Packers waited until the sixth round to draft an outside linebacker, which is a huge vote of confidence for Frank Zombo, Erik Walden and Brad Jones. One of those players likely will be in the starting lineup opposite Clay Matthews in the season opener.

• The selection of Cobb, who doubles as a return man, means Pro Bowl-caliber cornerback Tramon Williams no longer needs to sacrifice life and limb returning punts. The Packers risked Williams’ health last season on special teams because there was no decent alternative. Williams can get back to focusing on what he does best, which is shutting down opposing receivers.

• Jarrett Bush, formerly one of the most criticized players on the team, proved his worth on special teams last season and in the secondary with an interception in the Super Bowl. The Packers didn’t draft a safety, which should allow Bush to stay for another year.

Losers
• It’s conceivable, maybe even likely, that Pat Lee and Brandon Underwood will make the roster, but their chances of earning more playing time were reduced when the Packers drafted cornerback Davon House. What formerly was a two-man scramble for cornerback duty behind Charles Woodson, Williams and Sam Shields has become a three-way battle.

• The presence of Green, the third-round pick from Hawaii, could knock Brandon Jackson out of his third-down running back role, or make the Packers less inclined to give Jackson a new contract. If Green produces a big splash, it also could pave the way for the departure of Ryan Grant after this season.

• The Packers won’t feel as hard-pressed to re-sign James Jones now that Cobb, the second-round receiver from Kentucky, is in the fold. Even if Jones stays, he likely won’t see as many balls thrown his way.

• Conventional wisdom suggests the drafting of two tight ends will spell trouble for Tom Crabtree. But it’s possible the Packers will keep four tight ends at the expense of the fullback position. While the versatile and productive John Kuhn is a good bet to stick, the same can’t be said for Korey Hall or Quinn Johnson. One or both might have to go.

• It’s almost a given that Sherrod’s arrival will hasten the departure of tackle Mark Tauscher. But veteran guards and potential free agents Jason Spitz and Daryn Colledge also could be on their way out the door if young and hungry linemen like T.J. Lang, Nick McDonald or sixth-round draft pick Caleb Schlauderaff develop.

Reach Vandermause at mvandermause@greenbaypressgazette.com or at www.twitter.com/MikeVandermause.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on May 06, 2011, 10:47:25 pm
I bet they could get a pretty penny in a trade for Flynn if they feel Harrel can progress enough - but I would dread every sack of Rodgers thereafter.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 07, 2011, 10:41:43 am
I'm wondering just how good Harrel is.  Thompson/McCarthy must be confident since they didn't draft a QB.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on May 09, 2011, 01:53:19 pm
at least you guys got another T in the pipeline and you don't have to rush him in. You guys are really the example org in the NFC.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 09, 2011, 06:38:11 pm
After Thompson dumped Favre a whole slew of packer fan were ready to hang him  Fans are not always too bright.  Fortuntely Thompson is.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on May 09, 2011, 10:13:04 pm
Everyone knew Favre was pretty much done. He threw too many games away for you guys. We were hoping he would stay there 3-4 more years.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 10, 2011, 10:19:00 am
You know, hardly a game went by where I was not screamuing at Favre for a stupid throw.  Now, there is hardly a case where Rodgers makes a bad throw that is really aggravating.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on May 10, 2011, 07:00:03 pm
I guess you were lucky that Favre didn't think mentoring the new guy was his job.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 10, 2011, 07:01:29 pm
LOL.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 11, 2011, 10:04:22 am
Greatest NFL records of all time:

2. Don Hutson: 8 touchdown titles
I can't get enough of Don Hutson and his records.
Imagine a player leading the league in touchdowns eight times. Most players nowadays barely have eight good seasons. How about eight of the most dominant seasons in the league?
Hutson's feat is even more incredible because he is a wide receiver and not a running back.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 11, 2011, 10:05:30 am
11. Don Hutson: 29 Points in One Quarter
Hutson is the greatest wide receiver in league history, and he holds many of the league's most incredible records, such as most times leading the league in receptions, yards, and touchdowns.

He also had probably the best 15 minutes of any football player in history. In a 1945 game, he caught four touchdowns and kicked five extra points in a single quarter. That's more points than some NFL stars score in a month
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 11, 2011, 10:10:09 am
5. Gale Sayers: 30.6 Yards Per Kick Return, Career
Sayers returned just 91 kicks in his six-year career, but he took six of them back for a touchdown.

He averaged an incredible 37.7 yards per kick return in 1967 and topped 30 on two other occasions.

When he retired, he had averaged 30.6 yards per kick return. Some returners go two or three games without breaking off a 30-yard return.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on May 13, 2011, 05:41:52 am
I am really impressed by Emmet Smith's numbers:

16. Emmitt Smith: 4,409 carries, 18,355 yards
For a running back to top Smith's rushing marks, he would need to carry the ball 300 times for about 1,250 yards per season for 15 straight seasons. And no running back is going to be able to handle that

Admitting to being impressed by a member of Jerry Jones Showboat-team-of-the-century takes a lot; but then again, Smith was one of the rare few on that team who always played liked he had done it before.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on May 13, 2011, 09:03:40 am
Except when  he reached the endzone and ripped off his helmet so everyone could see his pretty face.  NFL changed the rules because of him.

In comparison, I can only recall seeing Walter Payton spike the ball once.  Most of the tme he'd just hand it to a lineman.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 13, 2011, 10:48:26 am
Peyton was one of a kind but Emmet Smith was a very good player and team-mate.  One season, during the Cowboys best run,  he held out for the first two games.  Dallas lost both and Jones promptly signed Smith and the Cowboys rolled on.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on May 13, 2011, 12:06:21 pm
I agree Dallas that Payton WAS one of a kind - it was NEVER about him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 13, 2011, 06:10:00 pm
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on May 13, 2011, 1:28 PM EDT
 
Getty ImagesWith Kevin Kolb and Kyle Orton getting a lot of attention as possible quarterback trade targets, we haven’t heard much about Packers backup quarterback Matt Flynn.  For good reason.

The Packers don’t seem eager to let him go and Flynn doesn’t sound too antsy about leaving the nest yet.

“I love being a Packer and I’ll be here as long as they want me,” Flynn told Kareem Copeland of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.  “It’s all kind of speculation right now, of what people want to write or whatever they want to say. You can’t say that anybody wants me or doesn’t want me. We’ll see what happens. I just like where I am right now.”

We question whether the Packers could get that much for Flynn.  He was rock solid in a performance against the Patriots last year, but that game was more of a coaching masterpiece by Mike McCarthy than it was a dazzling quarterback display.

Even though he’s entering his contract year, Flynn’s value to Green Bay in 2011 may be greater than a mid-round 2012 draft pick.  Based on Flynn’s words, it sounds like the team may get a chance to re-sign him as a long-term backup next year anyhow.

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 14, 2011, 12:28:15 pm
Mike Spofford
Posted May 12, 2011

aaRead Discuss Comments:2 
Packers GM Ted Thompson loves answers like this.

Ask Arkansas tight ends coach Richard Owens what will make the undersized (6-2, 245) but ultra-productive D.J. Williams successful in the NFL, and the reply comes without hesitation.

“It’s important to him. The game of football is important to him,” Owens said. “He loves playing the game.”

The Packers strive to get players that feel that way with every one of their draft picks. The hope is that the combination of Williams’ ability and attitude will allow the tight end to overcome his lack of prototypical size at his position, which helped make him most believe will be a steal at the 141st overall pick.

It’s the missing 2-3 inches and 15-20 pounds that kept the 2010 John Mackey Award winner as the nation’s top tight end available until the fifth round of last month’s draft.

There were certainly no qualms about his character as a community-oriented young man who gives lots of time to organizations such as Big Brothers, Big Sisters and Boys & Girls Clubs. He’s always willing to share his story of escape from an abusive father (highlighted by ESPN’s E:60 show) in order to raise awareness of domestic violence and give others in similar circumstances hope for the future.

There’s also no argument with his production after he averaged 49 catches for 587 yards and three touchdowns over his final three seasons at Arkansas. Owens points to Williams’ natural feel for the game and the position as the trump card to his size at the college level.

“He can beat a linebacker one-on-one, and he did it week in and week out for us, year after year,” said Owens, a former NFL tight end himself. “It’s a feel thing, being able to run routes off a linebacker, feel leverage and pressure and know where the holes are. That’s what he does.”

As important as the game is to Williams, he was pretty important to the Razorbacks. One of five players last season to compile at least 600 receiving yards, Williams was as clutch as any of quarterback Ryan Mallett’s targets, particularly in the Southeastern Conference’s hostile road stadiums.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on May 17, 2011, 10:11:25 pm
Elmore was one of the first to recognize how the NFL was viewing him, going to the very 2011 lengths of posting YouTube videos depicting him jumping out of a pool and later into a truck.

Be careful of those guys jumping out of pools on YouTube.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 18, 2011, 10:54:33 am
LOL.

Point taken.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 01, 2011, 05:46:27 pm
Breaking down the impact from the Packers' TE. Matt Bowen

 Print This Send This May 31, 2011, 05:30 AM EST .39 Comments .

Over the holiday weekend, I ran into plenty of Packers fans up in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. No question they are talking repeat, however, the one name that always surfaced in our conversations was TE Jermichael Finley. And while talking educated football (something you always get with Green Bay fans), I started to think about the upcoming season and how lethal of a player Finley can be in Mike McCarthy’s offense.

Today, let’s think like a coach and discuss why Finley is the one player we should all look forward to seeing back on the field in 2011.


ICON
The Packers game plan is going to look solid with Finley back in the lineup.
Multiple Alignments: First thing I look at when breaking down the TE’s of today’s game. Are they a traditional “on the line Y” (think attached to the core of the formation) or are they the type of player that can be used as a receiver. With Finley, I see both. An athlete that can align as the TE in regular personnel (2 WR, 1 TE, 2 RB), and in the multiple spread looks we see every Sunday from the Packers. In the slot, as the “X” receiver backside of a 3x1 formation (isolates the TE vs. a CB or SS) and when the Packers use their empty sets. The Packers’ TE gives you options in any personnel grouping.

Impact vs. Lovie and the Bears: How do you defeat the Tampa 2 defense in Chicago? Get down the middle of the field and challenge middle linebacker Brian Urlacher and the two deep safeties.  As part of the 4 vertical route scheme, double china-post and in play action. QB Aaron Rodgers and the Packers have issues vs. Lovie Smith and the Chicago defense, and adding Finley back to the mix allows them to test the top of the scheme—which produces explosive plays. Much easier to target the defensive scheme when you have the player to get it done.

Red Zone matchups: When I was playing in the NFL, it was Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates and Todd Heap. The three players you had to specifically game plan for once the ball crossed the 20-yard line. And that game plan got even more nervous when the ball was inside of the 10-yard line. TEs that can catch the ball, win vs. a safety and are an issue for any defensive coordinator. Finley can abuse man coverage and Cover 4 (quarters) will be easy to beat. Look for more Red 2 (CBs sink to create an almost 5-deep look) vs. Green Bay this season. Because I don’t have a real good answer to give you right now to defend him in the red zone.

Adding to the game plan: What is crazy about this post (and the converastions I had with fans over the weekend) is that we are talking about the defending Super Bowl champs. This isn’t a 7-9 team looking to get an impact player back into the lineup in hopes of making a playoff run. Instead, this Packers’ team is already loaded on offense with No.12 under center, plus the weapons they have at receiver and in the backfield. Getting Finley back just adds to what they already have—the best offense in the NFL. The type of player that is luxury to put into your Sunday game plan.

This guy makes me want to talk NFL football. Time to get this lockout settled—don’t you think?

Follow me on Twitter: MattBowen41
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on June 02, 2011, 09:43:10 pm
............................. /drool
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 10, 2011, 10:56:18 am
Why Thompson didn't draft a DE high:

The 2010 season and a win in Super Bowl XLV was supposed to be the pinnacle of achievement for everyone on the Packers’ roster.

It wasn’t for defensive end Mike Neal.


The 2010 second-round draft pick played in just two games after missing the first three with an abdominal strain then the final 11 plus the postseason with a shoulder injury. Neal missed a total of five games, all during his redshirt freshman year, at Purdue because of injury.


Sitting and watching was a nightmare.


“That was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life,” Neal said. “I’ve never missed a season due to an injury. I’ve been through a lot of tough things, but to not be able to play the game of football and feel like I’m a disappointment to not only myself but to my team is probably one of the biggest things.


“I put a lot of pressure on myself. So, for me missing the season, truly has me feeling like an animal inside. Next year is going to be good.”


Neal participated in the Donald Driver charity softball game Sunday in Grand Chute and said the shoulder, specifically the rotator cuff, is close to 100 percent. Rehab has focused on flexibility and strength in the joint.


As eager as all players are for the lockout to end, it allowed more time for Neal’s shoulder to heal. But players often make the most significant improvement of their careers between their rookie and sophomore seasons. The lockout has kept players from coaches and offseason programs.


“The good thing is I’ve been able to get away and rehab and take my mind off what I would consider a disappointing season,” Neal said. “The learning part of it is something that I will miss. That’s definitely a bad thing because I need that learning, to sit around the players and learn the system and do more things.


“That’s the biggest thing I’m missing, the mental part of the game.”


Which is what Neal needs most.


There are few questions to be asked in regard to Neal’s physical ability. He is a physical specimen who set weightlifting records at Purdue and is known for his strength — even on the professional level. If the shoulder is healthy, there will be few concerns about his conditioning.


Neal, however, may be expected to start this season if Cullen Jenkins is lost via free agency. Johnny Jolly is also expected to leave after being suspended for all of 2010 for a violation of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy and run-ins with the police in Houston.


Neal needs all the mental reps with the coaching staff he can get.


“You hear a lot of talk,” Neal said. “I’m just trying to be optimistic and be ready to do my job when they call on me.”


One thing is certain — Neal cannot wait to return to the football field.


“A whole lot of hell on the field,” Neal said when asked what fans should expect. “That’s it. A whole lot of hell.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 17, 2011, 10:15:16 am
Pic SB ring:

http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article_spofford/article-1/Ring-tells-story-of-10-and-time/15b2ff17-30a6-4b9c-a708-e561891ba9ec
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on July 05, 2011, 03:44:55 pm
Just so everyone knows the Green Bay Packers have won FOUR of FIVE SUPER BOWLS.

The rest if the division, one.

While going to a total of 6.

I guess it sucks the finish if your from Packerland.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on July 05, 2011, 06:58:36 pm
I guess it sucks the finish if your from Packerland.


Is there someone out there that can translate Wisconsinese?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on July 05, 2011, 07:40:29 pm
It means every team in the NFC Norse Division sucks except for the one team that can finish the job!

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on July 06, 2011, 11:23:13 am
They're so good they couldn't even win the division.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on July 06, 2011, 11:28:33 am
I'm sure having the division crown is better than the SB one....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: stelz on July 06, 2011, 10:05:59 pm
yeah the Bears will be lording that over the Pack this coming season...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on July 06, 2011, 10:11:44 pm
I suspect the Bears will beat the Packers twice this year and win the division.  I am hopeful for a superbowl win but that is not an easy thing to predict for any team ever.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on July 07, 2011, 04:16:17 pm
Unlike the saying...it definitely doesn't suck to be King.

Quarterback...by a wide margin GB
Runningback...John Starks/Ryan Grant better
WRs...GB all day everyday
Offensive line...LOL at the bear

Defensive Backs...GB
Linebackers...one is old one is not...GB
Defensive line...GB

Special teams...Maybe even

Coaches...one group won a SB one didn't

Front Office...one in Chicago is laughable.

Field...always GB
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 07, 2011, 06:15:34 pm

Is there someone out there that can translate Wisconsinese?

I'm from Wisconsin and that is not Wisconinese.  It's from the commisar in Madison so I guess it's Madisonese.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 10, 2011, 06:17:17 pm
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on July 10, 2011, 9:48 AM EDT
 
AP
While the wife of Packers cornerback Brandon Underwood has done her best to cover for her husband after a recent domestic disturbance, it’s quite possible the incident will end Underwood’s tumultuous run in Green Bay.
 
Greg A. Bedard of the Boston Globe writes that Underwood “should be in his final days as a Packer.”  The former Packers beat writer believes that coach Mike McCarthy’s stated goal to only have “Packer People” of high character on the roster should make the decision easy.
 
“Underwood, like [Johnny] Jolly, should never play for the Packers again. Or the phrase ‘Packer people’ is worth about as much as the paper it was printed on,” Bedard writes.
 
Considering Underwood’s relatively minor role at a deep position for the Packers, getting rid of him shouldn’t be too painful.
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 13, 2011, 06:44:42 pm
By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel
July 12, 2011 |(163) Comments

Greetings Packer Nation. It's a privilege to enter your world. This week, I start my job covering the defending champs for the Journal Sentinel. Needless to say, I'm thrilled and honored to serve some of the best fans in the country. This is, without a doubt, a dream opportunity and I certainly have big shoes to fill. My predecessor, Greg Bedard, did a great job connecting with all of you. Hoping to pick up where he left off. I'm also really looking forward to working with - and learning from - some of the best beat writers in the country in Bob McGinn, Tom Silverstein and Lori Nickel.



As for me, I'm from Great Valley, N.Y., a small town about an hour south of Buffalo. For two summers during college, I acquired an itch for the Packers beat as an intern for multiple publications in Wisconsin. And after graduating from Syracuse University in June of 2010, working at the Fayetteville Observer and Buffalo News, I'm ecstatic to return.

On to football. The news surrounding a potential lockout resolution is sweetening so let's look ahead. Here are 10 topics to ponder with a new season looming. Feel free to reach me any time at tdunne@journalsentinel or via Twitter @TyDunne.

10. Tracking the loaded NFC North. This may be the best division in football, devoid of bottom-feeders. The Bears remain a contender. The Lions should finally make their leap into relevancy. And the Vikings, much better than their 6-10 record indicated a year ago, will return to normalcy.

9. How is Jermichael Finley re-assimilated into the offense? Without him, the Packers leaned on a multi-wideout attack. The top four wide receivers each had at least 45 receptions. An entire year's gameplan changed on the fly - and succeeded. Now, Finley returns. How does Mike McCarthy harness his sudden abundance of weapons effectively?

8. Who stays, who goes? Don't expect Ted Thompson to be a player in free agency. It's not in his nature and there's no need to. But depending on how free agency is constructed under the new CBA, he'll have some tough decisions to make. We could see an unprecedented, abbreviated feeding frenzy. GMs have been licking their chops for months to fill needs. Who does Thompson retain?

7. Is Cullen Jenkins replaceable? His exit may be a foregone conclusion. But for a 3-4 end, Jenkins is a mutation. Beyond a mere space-eater, he totaled seven sacks in 11 games last season. Finding an adequate replacement (see: grooming Mike Neal) will be at the top of Dom Capers' to-do list.

6. Judgment Day? Character has weighed heavily in the makeup of the current roster. Will the Packers brass deal with Johnny Jolly and Brandon Underwood swiftly?

5. New toys. A pair of rookie offensive weapons fell in the team's lap in the draft. On paper, Kentucky's Randall Cobb and Hawaii's Alex Green fit in immediately. One in the return game, the other as a third-down back. First, though, they need to get on the field.

4. Goodbye Barnett? Desmond Bishop broke out last year, entrenching himself as a starter. Barnett's play isn't exactly deteriorating. But coming off of a season-ending wrist injury, he's set to make $5.5 million in 2011. Green Bay might deem its situation at ILB a pork project.

3. The battle at running back. Remember when many fans practically were hoisting pitchforks at 1265 Lombardi Avenue, urging management to pursue Marshawn Lynch? Hit-and-run, gun charges and all? A distant memory. The competition in Green Bay's backfield will be heated. Returning from an ankle injury, Grant says it's still his job to lose. Unsung hero James Starks is breathing down his neck. Green isn't far behind and the likes of Brandon Jackson and John Kuhn could still be in the picture. Ding, ding.

2. The motivation meter. Drive should not be a problem. The roster is stocked with players with something to prove, players that watched a Super Bowl victory in basketball shorts. For a defending champ, that's rare. Does Pat Riley's old "Disease of Me" theory set in? Or will the chemistry McCarthy and Thompson carefully crafted prevail?

1. Above all, can Aaron Rodgers get even better? He was borderline invincible by year's end with a 109.8 postseason passer rating. The greats always hunt down a weakness in their game and attack in the offseason. Maybe Rodgers, three years in as a starter, is just getting started.

NOTE TO OUR READERS: Tyler Dunne will answer questions
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on July 19, 2011, 02:26:37 pm
What a dumb f uck for a lot of reasons.......

The NFL lockout has prevented Packers players from receiving their Super Bowl rings in a public ceremony or making the customary trip to the White House. Getting tatted up with the former is one way to solve that problem.

My biggest concern for Shields is that he becomes a free agent after the 2012 season. When he walks into a negotiating meeting at Lambeau Field with a four-inch Packers G popping from his shirt collar, reason dictates that it would kill his leverage a bit.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 19, 2011, 06:36:49 pm
My biggest concern for Shields is that he becomes a free agent after the 2012 season. When he walks into a negotiating meeting at Lambeau Field with a four-inch Packers G popping from his shirt collar, reason dictates that it would kill his leverage a bit.

Yes it would.  However, I hope and bet that he never leaves.  He was a rookie last season and will likely become a core player.

I think the tattoos are stupid.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 20, 2011, 11:52:15 am
Jermichael Finley, TE
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
This was the most painful player to write about.

The potential for Jermichael Finley is absolutely stunning, but that potential will be somewhere else in 2012.

If—and this is a huge if right now—Finley can stay healthy for an entire season, he will absolutely separate himself as the best tight end in football. It won't be easy to let Finley go, but the amount of money he will want will be too much for Green Bay.

Remember that Green Bay drafted two tight ends back in April, and D.J. Williams has all the tools to be a special player. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on July 21, 2011, 06:28:26 pm
Tatoos don't determine how one plays, a real GM knows this.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 22, 2011, 07:29:34 pm
Green Bay - The Green Bay Packers didn't need any favors in their attempt to repeat as Super Bowl champions.

Then along came an off-season without football, which provided the Packers with a subtle but almost unfair advantage entering 2011.

Each day that the National Football League lockout persists represents one fewer day for 31 teams to catch Green Bay. If the labor dispute had dragged on until September, as I guessed all along that it would, the Packers might have been almost impossible to beat.

One day last month, Mike McCarthy was trying to stay sharp as a football coach without a team. When it was suggested to McCarthy that every day without football only benefited the Packers, he blanched.

"We always get a lot better during the OTAs," insisted McCarthy. "We needed them."

McCarthy's three-month off-season program (mid-March to mid-June) was run as well if not better than most other programs around the NFL. He swore by the results. So did many of his players.

It isn't that the Packers didn't need their off-season. It's that every other team needed it more.

No off-season programs basically meant every team stayed right where it was. That's precisely where the team at the top, in this case the Packers, would want everyone else to remain.

Twenty teams haven't been on a football field since Jan. 2. Of the 12 playoff teams, only Super Bowl participants Green Bay and Pittsburgh had the benefit of 15 practices after the 20 non-playoff teams were finished.

McCarthy already had planned to delay the start of the off-season program by two or three weeks so his players, coaches and support staff could catch their breath. More than any other team, the Packers will have benefited simply by getting away from football and just resting.

In the first 44 years of the Super Bowl era, eight teams have been able to win championships back-to-back but no team has ever won three in a row. The Super Bowl hangover is real. Just seven of the last 15 champions so much as won their division the following season.

Super Bowl champions face a variety of obstacles. Friends and family tell every player on the roster how great they are. And, having accomplished the ultimate goal, some players lose their desire for the punishing workouts that are at the core of their job livelihood.

In the case of the Packers, they played 24 games last season and ended up with one of the most magnificent seasons in franchise history. It would have been difficult for some players to be right back in town nine or 10 weeks later sitting in meeting rooms listening to the same stuff that they had mastered during the season.

Let's assume the Packers won't practice for the first time until the weekend of July 30-31. That's 25 weeks, almost half a year, since they beat the Steelers in Dallas.

Listen to and read the words of players in the last few weeks. There's a sense of eagerness among the Packers that simply wouldn't have been there had it been a normal off-season.

This is the perfect scenario for a team trying to recapture its esprit de corps of six months ago.

The last time the Packers were in this situation was 1997. That team overcame early season-ending injuries to Edgar Bennett and Craig Newsome, duplicated the 13-3 mark of the '96 titlists and made it back to the Super Bowl before falling to Denver.

On the eve of the '97 season, I wrote that the Packers should be favored for five reasons: the quarterback, the coach, the general manager and his scouts, the corporate structure and the continuity within the organization.

The principals are different now in each of the five categories, but the level of excellence is similar.

Not only does Aaron Rodgers have the best regular-season passer rating in history, he has the best postseason mark in history. Upon careful study, and multiple interviews with Packers and Steelers alike, Rodgers' performance in Dallas should rank among the half-dozen finest in Super Bowl history.

McCarthy became more than just a top-flight offensive coach a year ago. He grew into the leader that the organization sorely needed.

Ted Thompson will never change. He outworks many of his peers, listens to his people and keeps demonstrating the knack for picking the best of closely rated players. What shouldn't be overlooked about Thompson is the understated, professional workplace that he creates.

Mark Murphy recognized early that Thompson and McCarthy were worthy of his support and that of the board of directors.

After camp opens, the Packers should be ready to play a game in no time.

On offense, McCarthy starts his sixth season with the same scheme, the same coordinator (Joe Philbin) and five position coaches that have been with him throughout his tenure. Jimmy Robinson, the premier wide receivers coach, departed for Dallas.

On defense, the coordinator (Dom Capers) and his entire staff remain intact for a third year in a row.

It isn't only that these coaches know exactly what McCarthy wants. The collective level of expertise on this staff might match favorably against any in club annals.

In the personnel department, the Packers have been as stable as just about any group in the NFL over the last 10 years. When the Eagles and coach Andy Reid pursued Eliot Wolf hard after the draft, the Packers promoted Wolf to a position akin to what John Schneider had and retained his services

Compare that checklist to what's going on around the league.

Eight franchises will have new coaches with, for the most part, entirely new schemes. Minus an off-season, none of them really has a chance in 2011.

Depending on your definition of "set," 14 of the 32 coaches either don't know who will be their starting quarterback or, if they were honest, recognize that their starter isn't good enough to win the Super Bowl. Six quarterbacks were drafted in the first two rounds, but in the wake of the lockout there just aren't enough hours of preparation for them to stand out as rookies.

Six of Green Bay's 16 games are against teams with new coaches or teams unsettled at quarterback, or both.

When the gong sounds for the start of free agency, the Packers won't be signing anyone. They'll try to re-sign some of their own veterans before they hit the market, add a dozen or so undrafted rookies and take the practice field with all but a handful of players from their Super Bowl 53 supplemented by eight to 10 of the 15 players that ended the season on injured reserve.

No one in their right mind should ever think that the Packers would even entertain lavishing $18 million or more this year alone on Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. They'll continue developing Sam Shields, hope for another good year or two from Charles Woodson and see what fourth-round pick Davon House has to offer.

The Packers have more than enough players. Even if they didn't, a blockbuster deal in free agency might be hard to handle given their cap situation.

In late February, the players under contract to Green Bay for 2011 totaled $128.6 million against the salary cap that was in effect through 2009. Only the Cowboys ($134.2 million) had more cap commitments, although A.J. Hawk's new deal on March 3 did reduce the Packers' charge by about $8 million.

The proposed collective bargaining agreement approved by the owners Thursday includes a salary cap of $120.375 million for 2011.

Cullen Jenkins will be leaving for what should be a huge contract in free agency. Jenkins was the team's second-best pass rusher, but he's 30 and Mike Neal was drafted high a year ago to replace him.

The decision to pay Hawk enormous money means he'll keep starting alongside Desmond Bishop, Brandon Chillar will back up at inside linebacker and Nick Barnett will become a cap casualty.

McCarthy still thinks James Jones can become consistent even though he has dropped 30 of 285 targeted passes (10.5%) in four seasons. Now it's up to Jones.

The Packers are expected to offer him a reasonable contract even though Randall Cobb was drafted to do more than return kicks as a rookie. The market, however, likely will provide other opportunities for Jones.

Mason Crosby's next contract will be with Green Bay. So will John Kuhn's. I wouldn't offer Daryn Colledge a representative multiyear deal, but someone might because players from Super Bowl teams often are overvalued in free agency.

The flurry of developments that transpire over the next few weeks will be newsy. Still, they'll be merely window dressing in comparison to the arresting level of talent residing on the depth chart.

Jermichael Finley, one of six key Packers sure to be inspired by a contract year in 2011, heads the list of five tight ends, four of whom can get downfield. Drafting Derek Sherrod all the way down at No. 32 in the first round gives McCarthy the luxury of having three tackles. And then there are three or four respectable candidates to succeed the mediocre Colledge at left guard.

Few teams can match the Packers' collection of three running backs, all of whom at least have the size and ability to be every-down players.

Wide bodies B.J. Raji, Ryan Pickett and Howard Green, a stubborn three-man front down the stretch, have had weight issues and will be monitored closely next month. Defensive end C.J. Wilson might not have Neal's ability but he is no slug, either.

The Packers won a Super Bowl with Frank Zombo, Erik Walden and Brad Jones playing opposite Clay Matthews. The return of Morgan Burnett and the re-signing of Charlie Peprah give Capers three safeties.

Perhaps Cobb will help improve the special teams that haunted McCarthy in four of the six defeats.

McCarthy's enemies are selfishness and greed in the locker room. Everything else, at least when compared to the competition, couldn't be more to his liking.

The lockout locked in the Packers as the team to beat. Pick against them at your peril.

Send email to bmcginn@journalsentinel.com
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 27, 2011, 02:51:55 pm
7:02PM ETEmailPrintComments339By Kevin SeifertMany of us presumed the Green Bay Packers were prepared to let receiver James Jones move on via free agency. I, for one, have been among those who wondered if the Packers would commit market-level money to a pass-catcher when Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jordy Nelson and Jermichael Finley will all be on the roster in 2011.

James Jones
#89 WR
Green Bay Packers
2010 STATS

Rec
50Yds
679TD
5Avg
13.6Long
66YAC
301Well, none of us asked Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Appearing Tuesday on ESPN 540 in Milwaukee, Rodgers lobbied for Jones' return in the strongest terms imaginable.

"James is extremely talented and he's a guy that I think we need to bring back without a doubt," Rodgers said. "He should be priority No. 1 and I mean that with all my heart. He really should be priority No. 1. We don't win the Super Bowl without him and we need him."

Asked about Jones' well-documented drops last season, Rodgers said: "Physical mistakes can happen. Yeah, it's frustrating, but James made a ton of big plays for us [last] season and I think his best football is in front of him."

Whoa.

General manager Ted Thompson doesn't typically consult with players on such matters and Rodgers admitted his job isn't to make such decisions. But when the Super Bowl MVP speaks up forcefully on a personnel issue, it's worth listening to. If nothing else, we know Rodgers will be quite disappointed if Jones moves on.

There are a number of high quality receivers available, and the market has yet to develop. It's possible the Packers could wind up with Jones at a bargain price. We'll see.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 28, 2011, 06:46:08 pm
July 27, 2011 |(13) COMMENTS

The oddmakers at MGM Resorts International released their NFL win totals for 2011, and they set the Packers and New England Patriots at the highest mark with 11½  games.

Win totals predictions allow bettors to choose whether a team will finish with more or fewer victories than the total projected by oddmakers.

Here are the win totals predictions for all NFL teams in 2011, from highest to lowest projections:

<font face=courier>
Team   Wins
Green Bay   11½
New England   11½
Baltimore   11
Pittsburgh   11
Atlanta   10½
Indianapolis   10
New Orleans   10
San Diego   10
Philadelphia   10
N.Y. Jets   10
Chicago   9½
N.Y. Giants   9½
Dallas   9
Tampa Bay   8½
Houston   8
San Francisco   8
Miami   8
Kansas City   8
Cincinnati   7½
Detroit   7½
St. Louis   7
Oakland   7
Seattle   7
Cleveland   6½
Tennessee   6½
Washington   6½
Minnesota   6½
Arizona   6
Jacksonville   6
Denver   6
Buffalo   5
Carolina   4½
</font>
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 29, 2011, 11:49:03 am
This guy can catch, run, return and even throw the ball.

I was fully expecting Cobb to be a first-round pick, so in my opinion, the Packers got an absolute steal drafting him in the second.

He's going to contribute instantly to the return game, and I expect him to play a role in the offense right away.

Depending on how the Packers handle James Jones in free agency, and how much they trust a guy like Brett Swain, I think Cobb might get more playing time than what many people are expecting.

I expect at least two offensive touchdowns out of him and one in the return game in 2011. Let's throw a touchdown pass in the mix as well; I think the Packers have that little wrinkle in their playbook!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 29, 2011, 11:51:21 am
CLEVELAND - The Cleveland Browns continue to add players before they begin training camp this Sunday.

Thursday night, the Browns agreed to a two year deal with running back Brandon Jackson. The deal is worth 4.5 million dollars according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Jackson made 13 starts for the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers in 2010, rushing for 703 yards on 190 carries.

The 25-year old has the pass catching skills that new head coach Pat Shurmur likes as part of the west coast offense. Jackson has 110 career catches in his four season in Green Bay.

The Browns can not officially announce the signing until Friday evening.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 29, 2011, 12:01:18 pm
Packers inform Chillar he has been released

 
e-mail
print
By Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel

Updated: July 29, 2011 9:03 a.m. |(87) Comments
 
The Green Bay Packers released linebacker Brandon Chillar Friday morning, raising questions about whether the league is being unfair to players who were injured while training during the lockout.
 
Chillar, who severely pulled a hamstring during personal workouts, was told that he had been let go. There was no way he was going to pass his physical, but the Packers could have put him on the physically unable to perform list if they thought he could come back from the injury.
 
Given Chillar is coming off shoulder surgery, it's possible the combination of injuries made it likely he wouldn't play this year and the Packers decided to move forward without him. I'll know more about the process in which this occurred later.
 
Chillar signed a four-year, $19 million contract that included $7 million over the first year back in December of 2009. He was due to make $2 milion in base salary, $300,000 in a roster bonus and $300,000 in a workout bonus this year.
 
As a result of his release, the Packers will gain $1.8 million in salary cap space. That's his $2.6 million earnings in 2011 minus $800,000 of pro-rated signing bonus money left in 2012 and '13.
 
Through the release of linebacker Nick Barnett, end Justin Harrell, linebacker Brady Poppinga and Chillar, general manager Ted Thompson has sliced of $10.4 million off the Packers' salary cap. He started out right at the $120 million limit.
 
I've been told the June 1 rules still apply under this collective bargaining agreement, so that means all of the pro-rated signing bonus money in future years gets pushed to next year instead of this year. So, the Packers will gain all $2.6 million of Chillar's earning this year and will take a charge of $800,000 next year.
 
Through the release of linebacker Nick Barnett, end Justin Harrell, linebacker Brady Poppinga and Chillar, general manager Ted Thompson has sliced off $12.7 million of the Packers' salary cap. Those same cuts will cost him $2.48 million next year because of the pro-rated shares left over in each player's contract.
 
The Packers were right at the $120 million salary cap mark at the start of free agency.
 
Kicker Mason Crosby's deal will account for more cap money spent and so will each of the draft choices the Packers sign.
 

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on July 29, 2011, 05:46:49 pm
July 27, 2011 |(13) COMMENTS

The oddmakers at MGM Resorts International released their NFL win totals for 2011, and they set the Packers and New England Patriots at the highest mark with 11½  games.

Win totals predictions allow bettors to choose whether a team will finish with more or fewer victories than the total projected by oddmakers.

Here are the win totals predictions for all NFL teams in 2011, from highest to lowest projections:

<font face=courier>
Team   Wins
Green Bay   11½
New England   11½
Baltimore   11
Pittsburgh   11
Atlanta   10½
Indianapolis   10
New Orleans   10
San Diego   10
Philadelphia   10
N.Y. Jets   10
Chicago   9½
N.Y. Giants   9½
Dallas   9
Tampa Bay   8½
Houston   8
San Francisco   8
Miami   8
Kansas City   8
Cincinnati   7½
Detroit   7½
St. Louis   7
Oakland   7
Seattle   7
Cleveland   6½
Tennessee   6½
Washington   6½
Minnesota   6½
Arizona   6
Jacksonville   6
Denver   6
Buffalo   5
Carolina   4½
</font>

Easy money - Take the GB Under and the CHI over.

Save this post
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 29, 2011, 07:23:40 pm
By Bill Huber
packwriter2002@yahoo.com
Posted Jul 29, 2011 



| More

The headliner from Friday is second-round pick Randall Cobb. Still left for the Packers to hammer out before Saturday's first practice is first-round pick Derek Sherrod and third-round pick Alex Green.

Eight down, two to go with the clock ticking until the first practice of training camp starts at 7 p.m. Saturday.
The Green Bay Packers announced the signing of seven draft picks on Friday evening, headlined by second-round pick Randall Cobb. Four of the signings were reported by Packer Report and others on Thursday: fifth-round tight end D.J. Williams, sixth-round guard Caleb Schlauderaff, sixth-round linebacker Ricky Elmore and seventh-round tight end Ryan Taylor. The others announced by the Packers were sixth-round inside linebacker D.J. Smith and seventh-round defensive end Lawrence Guy.

The eighth player is cornerback Davon House, a fourth-round pick from New Mexico State who agreed to terms, according to a source.

Cobb’s four-year deal is worth the prescribed $3,209,430 from the “2011 Rookie Compensation Pool” document that all teams and agents are using to hammer out contracts in short order. A source told Packer Report that his signing bonus will be $834,000.


 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 31, 2011, 06:33:50 pm
THUMBS UP

To management of the Packers for hiring Jason Wahlers as the director of public relations. A native of Green Bay, the 33-year-old Wahlers will begin his duties within two weeks. He spent nine years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, including the last six as public relations manager, and gained a reputation for his even-handed dealings with the media and understated approach to the profession.

"His experience and personality is an excellent fit for the organization and the community," Jason Wied, vice president of administration, said in a statement. "He will foster great relationships internally with all our staff, and externally with local and national media, which will be crucial moving forward."

The Packers had concerns about the tenor and direction of their PR staff in recent years. There was sentiment within the organization to open up some avenues of access to its key people and create a less restrictive and friendlier atmosphere.

To Joe Fan, public relations might not seem like an important facet of the Packers' operation. In truth, it is a vital department because of its role influencing how the team's message is transmitted to the public.

From 1974-2003, Lee Remmel ran the department in Green Bay. Exuding warmth, he made friends for the organization across the country and state. The press box at Lambeau Field is named in honor of Remmel.

Wahlers succeeds Jeff Blumb, who was let go in March. Blumb had been only the eighth head publicist in club history.

Wahlers holds a bachelor's degree from Iowa State and a master's degree from Ohio University. From 1999-2000, he worked in group sales for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers minor-league baseball team.
 
THUMBS DOWN

The opening 11-on-11 work Saturday night was met with disapproval by one position coach. Mike Trgovac, the demanding coach of the defensive line, wasn't pleased with what he saw.

"That's the worst footwork I've seen in years," Trgovac told his players, the half smile across his features letting them know it wasn't the end of the world. As Trgovac spoke, veteran B.J. Raji nodded in agreement.
 
ODDS AND ENDS

Rookie Derek Sherrod, the first-round draft choice, worked with the No. 1 offense at the LG position formerly held by Daryn Colledge. Sherrod also took a few snaps at LT. The No. 2 LG was T.J. Lang.

At LT, Marshall Newhouse worked behind Chad Clifton. Rookie Caleb Schlauderaff was No. 2 behind RG Josh Sitton, and Nick McDonald was No. 2 behind C Scott Wells.

Charlie Peprah was given the opening-day assignment at SS ahead of Morgan Burnett. Ditto for Frank Zombo at ROLB over Erik Walden and Brad Jones.

Mike Neal worked with the No. 1 base defense at RE ahead of Howard Green.

Rookie free agent Elisah Joseph reported to camp with an undisclosed injury and was placed temporarily on the reserve/non-football injury list.

The Packers didn't assign the No. 89 jersey, presumably because they still would like to re-sign free agent wide receiver James Jones. John Kuhn's No. 30 hasn't been assigned, either.

On the other hand, they did assign No. 20 to running back Alex Green. It had been worn for five years by safety Atari Bigby, another free agent who obviously will not return.

The No. 57 jersey worn by linebacker Matt Wilhelm, another free agent, was given to linebacker Ricky Elmore.

Newly re-signed K Mason Crosby isn't permitted "even to break a sweat," as he put it, on club property until the league year starts Aug. 4. Thus, Crosby was out looking for an available football field to kick at Saturday afternoon.

Brandon Underwood, a cornerback his first two seasons, practiced strictly at safety.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 31, 2011, 06:46:58 pm
Green Bay - Opportunities for cornerback Sam Shields and linebacker Frank Zombo came last year. Opportunity for Nick McDonald, *****the third member of the Green Bay Packers' 2010 class of rookie free agents, is right around the corner.*****

In what could be a free-for-all replacing Daryn Colledge at left guard, the anonymous McDonald is going to get one of the first shots to prove that he can protect Aaron Rodgers for a Super Bowl team.

"Everybody talks about Sam and Frank," coach Mike McCarthy said just before the lockout began. "But, I mean, this guy here. . . . I think he could be one of those guys when you say, 'Who made the biggest jump from year one to year two?' I think he has a very bright future."

Is it possible that McDonald, a two-year starter at Grand Valley State who spent most of his first season toiling at center but not playing a snap from scrimmage, could become a functional starter in just his second season?...

Besides no playing time, McDonald's arms (311/8 inches) are considered rather short and his 40-yard time was a ho-hum 5.26 seconds (Colledge ran 5.06 in 2006). McDonald did 27 reps on the bench press compared to 22 for Colledge.

"He's a good athlete, a good fit for what we do," Philbin said. "Serious guy. Smart. It's going to be a big camp for him."

Philbin said it would be ideal to have two players, not three, competing full-bore at left guard. He just didn't know who they would be.

Besides McDonald, the other possibilities would seem to be T.J. Lang, sixth-round pick Caleb Schlauderaff, free agent Ray Dominguez and possibly top pick Derek Sherrod.

McCarthy, who says it's a telltale indicator if a player doesn't show major improvement in his second season, didn't see it from Lang. Spring wrist surgery ruined Lang's second off-season, and the lockout affected this one.

Early training camp will tell if Lang added the strength that the coaches considered a necessity. He is expected to swing between guard and right tackle.

"I always felt he was a guard," McCarthy said. "But you watch and he's very natural at tackle. He has a better feel out there, which is obvious. He has played more out there."

Schlauderaff is a down-and-dirty, ugly-body type of player with excellent natural strength and the ability to run and pull. The other rookie, Dominguez, has phenomenal bulk, long arms and is light on his feet. A starting tackle for three years at Arkansas, he will need to get in better shape.

The Packers were overjoyed that Sherrod fell to them at the bottom of the first round. He was drafted to be Clifton's successor at left tackle, the only position that he played at Mississippi State.

Sherrod, Philbin said, will begin camp on the left side. Based on the consensus of scouts, Sherrod doesn't seem to be a guard. At this point, he isn't that strong, he isn't that physical and he isn't that thickly built.

His pluses - athleticism, arm length, intelligence, technique - suggest tackle, not guard.

In this strangest of camps, almost any move is plausible. Bryan Bulaga would appear to have a better chance than Sherrod at guard because he played there in 2007 at Iowa and has the stouter build.

Philbin, however, said he would prefer keeping Bulaga at right tackle, mainly because he's just 22 years old and was adequate in 16 starts there.

Like McDonald, Marshall Newhouse made the team as a rookie but never played. Clearly, he was better at left tackle than guard last August. His feet are good, his power was marginal. He has to be more aggressive.

Josh Sitton and center Scott Wells were the unit's two best players in the previous two seasons. Each has a year left on his contract.

"Sitton reminds me of a young (Steve) Hutchinson," an NFC scout said in November. "He stumbles around a little bit like Hutchinson but he's a tremendous anchor. He's not going to be real active in the secondary, but you're not going to line up in front of him and beat him with strength."

Philbin praised Sitton's pass blocking and said his run blocking was good, too, although he'd like to see Sitton generate more movement at the point of attack.

The Packers tried to replace Wells with departed Jason Spitz in summer 2009. When injuries struck, Wells replied with his two finest seasons. Because of his commitment and field savvy, Wells' coaches have always appreciated his play more than outsiders.

"There's a lot of centers like Wells," one scout said late last season. "I think they've been concerned about his size, but he ties things together well. I don't think Wells is mean, but he is a battler."

Clifton, 35, allowed a career-high eight sacks and 29½ pressures. He isn't as automatic in protection as he once was...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 02, 2011, 07:11:12 pm
TE D. J. Williams is a guy i like as a rookie:

Much of the buzz Sunday was over the re-signing of wide receiver James Jones. But an equal buzz should have been over the return of tight end Jermichael Finley and the potential of rookie tight end D.J. Williams. Finley is being held back so he doesn't push too hard coming off knee surgery and is limited to individual drills and seven-on-sevens. But he's definitely ready to go. On one route he came back for an errant pass and snatched it out of the air before a defender could get a hand on it. In another drill, where multiple quarterbacks throw to different receivers, two quarterbacks accidentally both threw to Finley. He caught one ball, tucked it in and caught the other. Williams, meanwhile, is a very smooth route runner. He made a beautiful over-the-shoulder catch on a corner route and looked good on several other catches. He still has to prove himself with the pads on and when defenders are in his face, but so far so good.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 02, 2011, 07:12:27 pm
Second-round pick Randall Cobb is working with the No. 1 kick return unit and there's a reason. The way he hit a hole on his only attempt, it's obvious what the Packers saw in him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 03, 2011, 09:41:44 am
Evaluating Packers 3 QBs:

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/126151863.html
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 03, 2011, 09:45:58 am
Packer TEs:

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/126226833.html
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 03, 2011, 06:44:54 pm
Finley's double catch:

http://bleacherreport.com/tb/bap09
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 05, 2011, 10:29:17 am
Green Bay - Davon House didn't get a rookie orientation from the league, thanks to the lockout. He hasn't even seen the inside of Lambeau Field yet, thanks to the crash course this training camp has been.

He's been thrown out there and hasn't used any of it as an excuse not to make plays.

At practice Wednesday night, the 6-foot, 195-pound Green Bay Packers rookie defensive back made the right read, shot his gap as fast as he could and ended up breaking up a pass from Aaron Rodgers to Greg Jennings in the end zone. And Thursday, he kept it up with an interception on one tipped pass.

He's shown his physical ability by shedding blockers.

"I'm out there playing fast," House said.

That's fairly remarkable on a field crowded with star cornerbacks. House has taken coaching well. When cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt Jr. told him to lower his stance, he did. When Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams, who also hails from the Western Athletic Conference - give advice, he's listening.

"I'm asking Al the questions I can ask," House said.

Perhaps another reason House is off to a good start is because he is experienced as a quick learner. He played in three different defenses for three different defensive coaches at New Mexico State, from man to zone to a combination of the two.

"That made me learn defenses a lot faster and techniques a lot faster," House said. "Three defenses in college in three years was crazy."

During the lockout, he worked out on his own the best he could, but there was no guidance or direction other rookies got in past seasons. Once the lockout was lifted, House just asked director of player development Rob Davis for tips on finding a place to live, his main concern.

Then he devoted all his energy to get caught up in football.

"When I got here, I wasn't prepared for all this - but I didn't have much to work with," House said. "Now I'm a small fish in a big pond.

"I mean, I feel like I belong. But I feel like I start making plays, people will start noticing me more. It would make me fit in more."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 05, 2011, 06:46:27 pm
Starks Looks Bigger, Badder, Better 
 


RB James Starks (Nelson Chenault/USP)  By Bill Huber
packwriter2002@yahoo.com
Date: Aug 5, 2011

Running back James Starks is bringing a new-and-improved body to the Packers' talented backfield. Starks talks about what he did in the offseason to explain what he did during Thursday night's training camp practice
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 06, 2011, 11:30:24 am

By Mike Spofford

Posted Aug 1, 2011




Read
Discuss

Comments:19

 
If one Packers rookie jumped out on his first day as a pro in pads, it was second-round draft pick Randall Cobb.
 
Cobb, a receiver and kick-returner from Kentucky, caught at least a half-dozen passes in team (11-on-11) drills during Monday night’s workout at Ray Nitschke Field.
 
Working with every quarterback on the roster, Cobb started his impressive night by grabbing a couple of throws over the middle from third-stringer Graham Harrell. He ended his night with a leaping two-handed snag of an Aaron Rodgers bullet on a deep crossing route in the final team period.
 
“Randall is everything physically we thought he would be,” Head Coach Mike McCarthy said after practice. “Very bright, bright-eyed, communicates very well and seems to be picking things up very rapidly.”
 
Cobb is trying to learn all the receiver positions in the offense rather than be slotted into one, and he admitted the playbook was “huge” when he first saw it but, as he dug into it, he began to recognize some things.
 
“It’s not really as bad as it looks,” Cobb said earlier on Monday. “It’s just the terminology. I ran a lot of the same plays and the same concepts in college. It’s just the terminology that’s different.”
 
If there was one flaw to Cobb’s work on Monday, it was that he went to the ground too many times, either as he was catching the pass or afterward the catch, negating opportunities for yards after the catch.
 
McCarthy feels that will get smoothed out the more Cobb works with Rodgers and tries to become another reliable weapon in a deep receiving stable that already includes Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jordy Nelson and the newly re-signed James Jones, who was in attendance watching from the sidelines...

Remember this name.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 06, 2011, 11:50:23 am
More Cobb:

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/126947563.html
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 08, 2011, 06:25:02 pm
Shaky Smithson chooses GB becaue it's a small town.

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/127153798.html (http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/127153798.html)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 08, 2011, 06:30:53 pm
Brandian Ross:

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/127266638.html
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 09, 2011, 06:48:25 pm
(http://media.jsonline.com/images/mjs-packers03-10-of-hoffman(3).jpg-packers03(3).jpg)

Missing Super Bowl part of motivation

 
By Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel

Aug. 8, 2011 |
 
Green Bay - Long before Aaron Rodgers threw his first pass, referee Walt Anderson flipped a coin and Christina Aguilera botched the national anthem, Green Bay Packers linebacker Erik Walden had an end zone at Cowboys Stadium all to himself.

With nary another player around and linebackers coach Kevin Greene keeping a watchful eye over him, Walden ran sideline to sideline to test an ankle sprain he had suffered in the NFC Championship Game two weeks earlier. Heavily taped, Walden gave it his best and then got the news from Greene.

He wasn't going to play in Super Bowl XLV.

"KG did a great job of just kind of calming me down and making me see the big picture," Walden said, now six months later. "As long as we win, I'll still get a ring. That's the main thing. But that was tough; that was a tough pill to swallow."

It was tough because Walden came out of nowhere to secure the right outside linebacker position and become a prime-time performer for defensive coordinator Dom Capers in the playoffs. Before he rolled his ankle on the messy Soldier Field turf, he had amassed 31 tackles, four sacks, eight quarterback hits and a forced fumble in the final four games.

As fulfilling as it was to help the Packers achieve their dream, there was an empty spot in the pit of Walden's stomach left over from not playing.

"That's why I've been working so hard to help get this team back," he said. "Lord willing, hopefully, I can play this time."

Locked in a three-way battle with Frank Zombo and Brad Jones - both of whom started games at the position before Walden took over - Walden has been the one who has charged out of the gate first.

Every practice he seems to make one physical play that sends Greene into an apoplectic rush of celebration, usually resulting in Walden getting slapped on the helmet or chest-bumped. Physically more imposing than he was a year ago, Walden seems to be taking it just fine.

"I saw him at the ring ceremony and I was like, 'Man you swolled,' " inside linebacker Desmond Bishop said. "He definitely got bigger and more powerful in the off-season. It definitely shows."

Anyone who has watched practice tape can see that Walden can get underneath the pads of an offensive tackle and jack him up on a running play. He said he put 10 pounds on his 6-foot-2 frame and greatly increased his upper body strength.

Signed Oct. 27 after being released by the Miami Dolphins, Walden didn't have the luxury of learning what Greene wanted from him over the course of an off-season or training camp. He was a quick study when it came to the playbook but didn't really start to come around until Zombo got hurt against Detroit Dec. 12.

Walden has a better idea of what Greene wants, and that's why he hit the weight room hard in the off-season.

"He wants us to be physical," Walden said. "When you're not being physical, there's a problem. What he's teaching us has worked for him and I'm sure it will work for us. We just have to make sure, especially as an outside linebacker, that we be physical. There's no ways around it.

"That was kind of my approach to be more physical and set up other things for me as far as pass rush and things of that nature."

Walden wasn't sure until early July that he would be able to play this way because the high ankle sprain he suffered against the Bears was slow to heal. Tests were done again in the off-season, but he was assured nothing was wrong structurally and the ankle would heal on its own.

About the beginning of July, he was able to start running without the ankle taped heavily.

The two things Walden holds over the other two linebackers is strength and versatility. Zombo improved greatly dropping into coverage and can rush the passer better than the other two, but he's not as stout at the line of scrimmage. Jones plays with good leverage at the line and also drops well into coverage, but he hasn't shown much pass rush ability.

That's where the power comes in. Walden would like to get opposing tackles worrying about his bull rush so he can counter and slip around them. The power is the part that's noticeable now.

"You can tell he was doing some good things in the off-season," guard T.J. Lang said. "Watching him on film, he's a good player. He's a guy who sticks out. He's having a great camp so far."

Because it's a three-man race, Capers has the option of going with just one or using all three. How he decides to use them in the regular season will depend a lot on the opponent unless one of the three just consistently outperforms the others.

"Each guy has his strengths and weaknesses," Capers said. "We use so many different personnel groups that if certain guys have their niche, we might fit them in different personnel groups. We'll do a lot of different things with those guys."

Walden, like the others, would prefer not to come off the field, but to do so he'll have to add a better pass rush to his game. He did a fine job of dropping into coverage and spying the quarterback, but Capers needs someone to replace end Cullen Jenkins' ability to apply pressure.

"I feel like I really have a whole camp to develop," Walden said. "Last year I had to struggle to learn the plays. I had to do that in practice. Now I have a whole camp, a preseason to work on my fundamentals and techniques, so I think that's going to enhance my play a lot.

"I feel like it's going to be a great competitive battle and may the best man win."

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 10, 2011, 09:43:12 am
(http://cmsimg.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=U0&Date=20110809&Category=PKR0205&ArtNo=108090819&Ref=PH&Item=1&Maxw=640&Maxh=410&q=60)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on August 10, 2011, 10:51:17 am
You know the gheys own the rainbow now, right?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on August 10, 2011, 10:52:32 am
I thought skittles owned the rainbow
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 10, 2011, 06:59:20 pm
LOL.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 10, 2011, 07:50:16 pm
Rodgers produced the rainbow after he rode to practice on his "Liger".  Apparently his gigantic eyeballs produced enough tears to create the rainbow after he saw tapes of the Bears defense practicing to dismemeber him in Bourbonais.

There has been no confirmation from Packer players at this time that he yelled, "gay pride" when it first appeared. 

Uncle Rico reporting from Packers training camp...   
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 11, 2011, 09:38:29 am
LMAO, Peke.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 11, 2011, 09:39:56 am


Green Bay Packers tackle Bryan Bulaga during training camp practice at Ray Nitschke Field, Wednesday, August 10, 2011. / H. Marc Larson/Press-Gazette
 











Related Links
Bryan Bulaga
 
The Green Bay Packers have one of the NFL’s elite outside pass rushers in Clay Matthews.

So it says something that Bryan Bulaga has held up well at right tackle lining up across from Matthews daily in training camp.


To be sure, one-on-one pass-rushing drills are not the ultimate measure of line play, where sometimes a player is more concerned with working on a move than with winning the snap. Yet, there’s also no dismissing Bulaga’s unofficial 14-2-1 record against all comers in one-on-ones, including 5-2-1 against the outside linebacker who last season finished No. 2 in the voting for NFL defensive player of the year.


Where Matthews’ array of spin moves and low shoulder dips embarrass other lineman, Bulaga has kept his balance and poise, with the exception of one spin move Wednesday night.


“A guy on the offense who has really stepped up his game, it’s definitely (Bulaga),” Matthews said. “There’s guys on the offensive line who I enjoy going against because I know I can take advantage of them, and there’s him, who has stepped up his game. (You can see it) just by watching his footwork, how big he is, how strong he is and how well he can move. He’s gotten good. He’s gotten real good.”


In fact, with how Bulaga has looked so far in camp, there’s reason to think he’s found his home on the right side.


When the Packers selected Bulaga at No. 23 overall in last year’s draft, they saw a good prospect for left tackle whenever Chad Clifton retires, though they were open to playing him at right tackle or maybe even left guard, at least early in his career.


And in Week 2 last season, Bulaga stepped in for the ailing Clifton in the second quarter against Buffalo and finished the game without incident. That suggested Bulaga could play left tackle in the NFL, even though Clifton returned the following week and went on to have a strong season protecting Aaron Rodgers’ blind side.


But after playing right tackle the final 16 games last season, playoffs included, Bulaga from the start of this year’s camp has looked like a natural on the right side. The Packers aren’t inclined to make definitive statements about Bulaga’s long-term position, but with this year’s first-round pick, Derek Sherrod, looking like a natural left tackle, and even second-year pro Marshall Newhouse showing he might be a viable option down the road, the Packers might be leaning toward leaving Bulaga at right tackle permanently. Why mess with a good thing?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 11, 2011, 09:44:20 am
For the second straight night, third-string quarterback Graham Harrell had the offense inside the 10-yard line with one play to win the 2-minute drill. A night after throwing incomplete from the 8-yard line on the final play, Harrell had a fourth-and-1 from the 6. But he and rookie tight end Ryan Taylor got crossed up, and Harrell threw well behind him. Matt Flynn took the first snap of the drive, which began at the minus-35, but Harrell inexplicably took over after that. He twice hit Taylor for gains of 17 and 27 yards, had a 16-yarder to Tori Gurley and a 9-yarder to D.J. Williams.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pistol on August 11, 2011, 08:40:53 pm
Sucks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on August 11, 2011, 11:44:53 pm
Sucks.

 Fuuucking Pistol you fuuucking son of a bitccccch **** you!

 Glad to see you here !
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: VJ on August 12, 2011, 07:11:20 am
FWIW, I got this blurb from an email sent from a fantasy site (http://www.4for4.com/fantasy-football/free-content/2011/preseason/ryan-grant-james-starks-battle-live-packers-camp-44422048)

If you are a seriously-superstitious fantasy owner, the 2011-12 season is going to be a rough one for the Packers.  The very first play of the Packers intrasquad scrimmage was an Aaron Rodgers pass for a pick-6. The next was Ryan Grant losing 2 yards.  I would keep an eye on the O-line in the preseason.  Big #95 (Howard Green, a 2nd-string NT behind Raji) got through, and stood next to Aaron Rodgers for a good 1-1/2 seconds before Rodgers found a receiver and delivered the ball. The first-string O-line was playing the D2s.  Not good for a first look. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 12, 2011, 10:08:16 am
A breakout for a back-up.  The Pack will need every break to compete with a stronger Bears, Eagles and Falcons.

By Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel

Aug. 11, 2011 |(61) Comments


Bush playing with confidence in camp

Green Bay - A lot of people scoffed when the Tennessee Titans signed Green Bay Packers defensive back Jarrett Bush to a three-year, $4.5 million offer sheet.

Some Packers fans gagged when general manager Ted Thompson matched it.

That was two years ago when Bush was a special-teamer in a cornerback's body trying to shed a label that all he could do was run downfield as a gunner and commit a penalty. Thompson smartly hung on to Bush, and the investment paid off last year when the 27-year-old defensive back not only blossomed as a special-teamer but made a key interception in Super Bowl XLV.

Plunk yourself down on the sideline at Packers training camp this year and one of the things that strikes you right away is that the 6-foot, 200-pound Bush is playing cornerback with far more confidence and aplomb than he ever has. His one-on-one coverage has been better than it's ever been and his mistakes fewer and far between.

"Just confidence," Bush said when asked what was the difference. "Knowing who I'm up against. Knowing I can run with anybody. Just knowing formations so when the offense comes up to the line of scrimmage, I know what the tendencies are...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 12, 2011, 10:32:49 am
Warner comments on repeating as SB champs:

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/127553003.html
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 12, 2011, 10:42:03 am
Another undrafted FA WR may make the Packers squad this season (Gurley, 6-4, 216):

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/127496748.html (http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/127496748.html)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 12, 2011, 06:27:08 pm
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/08/12/packers-make-their-white-house-visit-obama-wants-rodgers-on-the-bears/

Yet another reason to dislike this guy.  Way to bash Cutler you ****. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 12, 2011, 06:28:22 pm
LOL. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 12, 2011, 06:28:37 pm
Written by
Rob Demovsky
Green Bay Press-Gazette
Filed Under
News
 Zoom Green Bay Packers safety Morgan Burnett works against Vic So'oto during training camp practice at Ray Nitschke Field, Thursday, August 11, 2011. / H. Marc Larson/Press-Gazette
More

Related Links
Green Bay Packers Training Camp, Monday, Aug. 8, 2011
Green Bay Packers Training Camp, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2011
Green Bay Packers Training Camp, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2011

If there was any doubt who the Green Bay Packers’ starting strong safety would be this season, that’s been erased less than two weeks into training camp.

On the first day in which he was cleared to participate in team drills, Morgan Burnett was back with the number one defense. And he’s been there ever since.


As well as Charlie Peprah played last season after Burnett was lost for the season when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in Week 4 against Detroit, it speaks volumes about what the Packers think of Burnett and his future that they’ve reinstalled him as the starter without much of a competition.


While Burnett says he’s taking nothing for granted, and Peprah isn’t willing to concede anything yet, it has become clear which direction the Packers are going. They’re going with the guy they drafted in the third round out of Georgia Tech last year, not a guy they re-signed as a street free agent.


“I’m looking forward to Morgan taking that next step and really showing us the reason why we took him when we did,” Packers safeties coach Darren Perry said. “Just keep him healthy, and I think all the things that excited us about him at Georgia Tech will show up.”


The 6-foot-1, 209-pound Burnett was a playmaker extraordinaire in college. In just three seasons, he intercepted 14 passes – tying for second most in school history – and 11 of those came in his sophomore and junior years combined. An early entry into the draft, Burnett was picked at No. 71 overall after the Packers traded up 15 spots, giving up a fourth-round pick, to take him.


On his first day with the Packers in the spring of 2010, he began working alongside free safety Nick Collins with the starters, assuming the spot previously held by the oft-injured Atari Bigby. Some of Burnett’s playmaking skills showed up in the early going. He had a takeaway in his second regular-season game, a fourth-quarter interception against Buffalo. On the play, he wrestled the ball away from receiver Roscoe Parrish, answering some of the questions about whether he could handle the physical aspect of the NFL game.

(Page 2 of 2)

Burnett made his share of mistakes, too, like the pass interference penalty in Week 3 at Chicago that wiped out an interception by Collins deep in Packers’ territory. But the Packers believe those would have lessened as the season went on.

“As a rookie, there were so many things that he didn’t know,” Perry said. “You can tell by some of the questions that they ask that maybe he didn’t know it quite as well as he needed to last year, but he was thrown into the fire, and I thought he handled it quite well.”

Despite missing all but four games of last season and having no offseason to work with the coaches because of the lockout, Burnett has shown a greater understanding of the defense, according to Perry.

“I’ll tell you what, I don’t think Morgan is far off at all,” Perry said. “Mentally, he’s so much further along than he was last year.”

Burnett spent his offseason in Atlanta, where he continued to rehabilitate the knee that team physician Dr. Pat McKenzie reconstructed last fall. That Burnett was cleared to return to team drills on a full-time basis just four practices into training camp spoke to the diligence of his rehab and his conditioning. McKenzie typically likes to bring back players with ACL tears very slowly.

“I was in shape,” Burnett said. “But just getting used to running around with your equipment and still trying to clean up a lot of techniques and get your alignment right, it’s still a long journey back.”

Physically, there’s no evidence the knee has given him any problems. He showed off his ball skills and his vertical leap in Tuesday’s practice when he intercepted a high pass that sailed through the hands of rookie receiver Randall Cobb. Perhaps the best thing about Burnett is that he’s only 22 years old.

“I’ll say this, I think he’s having a really good camp,” Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers said. “Part of it is Morgan’s approach. He’s smart. You know if you coach Morgan on something, he’s going to do it that way. He’s a good athlete. I like what I see out of Morgan right now. I think he’s having a good camp. It will be fun to see him in those preseason games.”

Playing smart was perhaps Peprah’s best attribute last season. He effectively communicated play calls and pre-snap adjustments and his understanding of the defense, which put him in the proper place and helped make up for some of his athletic deficiencies.

“I just tried to be reliable and accountable,” the 5-11, 203-pound Peprah said. “That was the focus last year, and it showed.”

Asked what he thought he proved last season, the 28-year-old, sixth-year journeyman said: “That I can play and guys can rely on me and that you can win with me in there."...

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 13, 2011, 10:56:15 am
Entering training camp, teams around the league feared the number and severity of injuries stemming from the lockout and lack of offseason workouts.
The Green Bay Packers had emerged relatively unscathed among their core players, but that changed a bit on Thursday night.

On the second-to-last play of practice, third cornerback Sam Shields made a brilliant interception, ripping the ball out of the hands of rookie Tori Gurley, but went down grasping his back. Coach Mike McCarthy called the injury a bruised hip pointer, and his availability for Saturday night’s preseason opener at Cleveland is in jeopardy.

With starters Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams performing only on the scout team, it appeared McCarthy had no intentions of playing them on Saturday. Plus, fourth-round pick Davon House and undrafted rookie Brandian Ross are injured.

Thus, it’s possible the Packers would go into the game with just three corners...

Doesn't bode well for GB tonight.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 13, 2011, 06:40:51 pm
3 and out by the Packers.  Packers offense looks out of sync. An incomplete short pass, a small dump off for 5 yards and another incomplete pass.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 13, 2011, 06:47:29 pm
Browns just score a TD.  Packers defense looks bad also.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 13, 2011, 09:54:14 pm
Lost to the Browns 24-17 was it?  Not a big deal it is pre-season.  However the first team O and D looked rusty.

Really nothing to be concerned about at this point.  And the Packers O did score the second possession and looked sharper. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 14, 2011, 05:26:05 pm
Typical sloppy first game.  Rodgers and Flynn looked good.  Cobb had 4 catches for 60 yards.  Looked like football player.  Can't recall a rookie WR ever doing that in his first game of the GB WCO.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 14, 2011, 05:37:48 pm
Bob McGinn of the Journal Sentinel

Cleveland - It was typical ho-hum exhibition fare, the Green Bay Packers' 27-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Saturday night.

But there was nothing the least bit flat about the performance of Randall Cobb, the Packers' exciting second-round draft choice.

Based on his three first-half returns against the Browns' almost always top-notch special teams, Cobb looks as if he has a chance to make the weakest part of the defending Super Bowl champions' game considerably better.

On offense, Cobb received a few snaps with the No. 1 offense in its two series of work. But when Matt Flynn entered the lineup late in the first quarter, coach Mike McCarthy made Cobb a prominent part of the attack.

Cobb slipped inside out of the right slot and made a diving catch for 13 yards despite tight coverage by cornerback DeAngelo Smith. It came on third and 5, exactly the type of situation in which general manager Ted Thompson envisioned Cobb doing damage.

Late in the first half, Cobb lined up in the left slot when he worked free inside of cornerback Buster Skrine, the Browns' speedy rookie, and turned it into a gain of 19.

One play later, safety Ray Ventrone found himself in a terrible matchup against Cobb from the left slot. With Ventrone ill-equipped to cover more closely, Cobb zipped inside and turned an 8-yard route into a gain of 28.

"He's going to be a good player like he was in college," a National Football League personnel man said at halftime. "Looked good in the slot. Explosive."

Cobb's obvious ability to play gives the Packers five capable wide receivers: Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jordy Nelson, James Jones and the rookie from Kentucky. Several others down the depth chart might be able to play, too.

"They have receivers so they can bring him along slowly," the scout said. "He doesn't have to play right away."

On his two kickoff returns, Cobb was impressive just by how his body was moving forward with momentum before he fielded the ball.

The opening kickoff by Phil Dawson hung in the air 4.09 seconds and came down 4 yards deep in the end zone. Nonplused, Cobb surged ahead, broke through some trash and gained 32 yards to the 28.

When Dawson hit his next kickoff to the 1 with 4.19 hang time, Cobb ran even harder and ricocheted for a 26-yard return.

Before rookie Shaky Smithson took over the return duties, Cobb had one crack on a punt. He took a chance, fielding Richmond McGee's 46-yard punt that hung 4.68 seconds. Cobb failed to gain, but he was under control and secured the ball well.

"He should be good at both," the scout said. "It should help them."

Green Bay ranked 22nd in punt-return average and 26th in kickoff-return average last season. Shawn Slocum, the special teams coach, identified the return game as his main focus for improvement...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 15, 2011, 10:39:35 am
By Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel

Cleveland - They might be competing for the starting job at left guard, but as long as they play for Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy and line coach James Campen, rookie Derek Sherrod and veteran T.J. Lang are going to play left tackle, too.

Locked in a battle for the right to replace former starter Daryn Colledge, Sherrod and Lang flip-flopped at guard and tackle in every series they were in together during the Packers' 27-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns Saturday night.

Sherrod got the start at left guard and then gave way to Lang when the starters were in. Then the two played next to one another for about two quarters, switching off each series. Neither is getting a shot to be a backup at right tackle; that duty went exclusively to Marshall Newhouse...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 15, 2011, 11:13:20 am
The Packers came into camp excited about first-round draft pick Derek Sherrod possibly starting this year, but after watching their preseason opener Saturday night at Cleveland, I’m not so sure they should be, not as a starter right away.

Sherrod is a natural left tackle playing left guard, and he has a lot of work to do to be a starter in the NFL. I don’t think he finishes well. He sometimes stays on blocks for a little bit, but he doesn’t block until the whistle. He has the ability to get out to linebackers in the run game, and he has the size and reach and body type to do it, but he just didn’t finish blocks against the Browns. He also needs to play with lower pad level and use his hands better, be under control with his hands.


Even in pass blocking he didn’t finish and allowed some pressure. This is the easiest thing for him to correct right now, finish his blocks. They’ll go to the tape and tell him, ‘You can block longer than you have been.’ That part I think will be OK.


What concerns you more is his pad level and hands. He moves his hands well and gets them on people, it’s just that his aiming points are off. In pass protection his initial shot, it doesn’t slow people down, it’s not shocking them, he’s giving up too much ground. Some of those things he’ll fix, but I don’t know if he can play guard. We’ve got a couple more preseason games to see.


I like third-year pro T.J. Lang better at left guard. He was OK Saturday night. They flip-flopped him and Sherrod, left guard and left tackle, obviously trying to get a take on both guys. Lang has a better punch at guard. Things happen at guard a little faster than at tackle, and you have to be there right now. At this point in camp I think Lang is probably the guy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 15, 2011, 04:21:17 pm
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/08/15/daryn-colledge-disappointed-packers-didnt-invite-him-to-white-house/

That is pretty shiiittty.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on August 16, 2011, 04:54:36 am
He's probably a tea partier
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on August 16, 2011, 08:03:04 am
yeah Pekin and if I remember right, GB let College go, it wasn't like he jumped ship to the highest bidder.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 16, 2011, 11:12:02 am
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on August 16, 2011, 9:03 AM EDT
 
Getty Images
The remarkable rise of Zombo looks ready for a sequel.
 
(Yes, it’s Frank Zombo, Packers outside linebacker. But if anyone should just have one name, it’s Zombo. Let’s do this.)
 
Zombo started nine games last year as an undrafted player, including the Super Bowl.  An injury to Erik Walden put Zombo back in the starting lineup against Pittsburgh, and he’s stuck there throughout training camp, despite a challenge from Walden and last year’s Week One starter Brad Jones.
 
Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette says Zombo has been the “most consistent” of the trio and clearly looks like the favorite to start opposite Clay Matthews against the Saints three weeks from Thursday.  (Yes, it’s that soon. Sweet.)
 
Because this is Green Bay, Demovsky has “records” for all three linebackers in 1-on-1 pass rush drills from camp. Which is awesome. Zombo is 7-7, Walden is 6-11, and Jones is 4-15.
 
“My pass rush has been great. I think I’m dropping [into coverage] well and I understand the defense,” Zombo said. “So yeah, I feel like in a way it’s my job to lose.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 16, 2011, 06:47:05 pm
...Saine says pass protection - above all else - is what Green Bay coaches value in their running backs. Not elusiveness in the open field. Not lowering the kaboom between the tackles. Here in Green Bay, where Aaron Rodgers is the Super Bowl MVP, the top priority of the running back is no secret.

Whoever does it best will play.

"If you can't protect your quarterback," Saine said. "you're not going to play."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 16, 2011, 06:52:04 pm
By Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel

Aug. 15, 2011 |(36) Comments

Green Bay - Things are starting to fall for the Green Bay Packers' offensive line exactly the way they did a year ago.

And that's not a bad thing.

For the second straight year, the only job up for grabs is left guard and for the second straight year the team's No. 1 draft pick is competing for a starting job at a position he didn't play in college.

Last year, it was Iowa left tackle Bryan Bulaga trying to make the transition inside and this year it's Mississippi State left tackle Derek Sherrod. Last year, it was after the first exhibition game that Daryn Colledge started getting the majority of snaps over Bulaga and on Monday veteran T.J. Lang got them over Sherrod.

McCarthy wasn't saying whether one guy was ahead of the other, but Lang had a better first game.

"T.J. probably graded out a little better than Derek," McCarthy said of the Packers' 27-17 loss to Cleveland in the preseason opener Saturday night. "We're not making a decision today. It's important to get those guys as many reps as possible."

Like Bulaga, Sherrod is clearly a better tackle than a guard and may wind up backing up Clifton. But he's athletic and gifted enough that the coaches have to see if they can fit him into the lineup.

Lang, however, looks more natural playing inside. He said he's hoping he'll be able to increase his snaps at guard, but he blew off the advantage over Sherrod Monday and said he was taking nothing for granted

"Overall, I did a pretty decent job," Lang said of Saturday. "Watching the film, a lot of good things showed up. Just a couple of small things I've got to keep improving on. Not too many detrimental plays. I'm going to build on that. I think it was a good starting point."

The main thing going for McCarthy is that he can allow the competition to go as long as he wants because he's got four starters returning to their positions this year, three of whom - Clifton, center Scott Wells and right guard Josh Sitton - were starters in the same place the year before that.

The advantage of experience is that McCarthy could go to a no-huddle offense with his No. 1 unit in the first game and barely blink.

"We felt we were successful moving the ball in the no-huddle," Wells said. "We controlled the tempo, which is a big key in that situation. We were able to go out there and keep them on their heels a little bit and use the snap count to our advantage. That could be a good weapon for us."

In general, the Packers are probably in better shape on the line than their NFC North brethren because of the continuity. In Detroit there are injury concerns at both tackle positions; in Minnesota, there's a new left tackle and possibly a new right guard; and in Chicago center and right tackle will feature new starters...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 17, 2011, 10:00:47 am
Big things expected of Shields:

http://packersnews.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20110816/PKR01/110816149/-1/NLETTER1101/Big-things-expected-of-freshly-tattooed-CB-Shields?source=nletter-sports
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pistol on August 17, 2011, 10:03:54 am
Sucks
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 17, 2011, 05:40:22 pm
Bob McGinn of the Journal Sentinel


Aug. 16, 2011
 Tyler Dunne, beat writer:

Either way you look at it, the Green Bay Packers are three weeks away from selecting a 53-man roster without the services of 13 veteran players that were good enough to play on their National Football League championship team.

On Super Bowl Sunday, tight end Donald Lee, guards Daryn Colledge and Jason Spitz, running back Brandon Jackson, fullback Korey Hall and defensive end Cullen Jenkins all were in uniform.

During the regular season, tackle Mark Tauscher, defensive end Justin Harrell, linebackers Nick Barnett, Brandon Chillar and Brady Poppinga, and safeties Derrick Martin and Anthony Smith all played before ending up on injured reserve.

How many veterans did general manager Ted Thompson add to replace them?

Not a single one.

Instead, Thompson drafted 10 players, signed 17 rookie free agents and picked up eight "street" free agents.

Three weeks into the unrestricted free-agent signing period, 156 players have switched teams. Green Bay and the New York Jets are the only clubs that haven't signed anyone.

On the front end of their roster, the Packers are loaded. They can match star for star with anyone.

As for the back end, time will tell how deep they are.

"We think we've got a good roster," said Reggie McKenzie, the Packers' director of football operations. "It remains to be seen if it's really good because we've still got some young guys that need to step up."

The Packers seem deeper on offense than defense.

"If some guys step up, yes," McKenzie said. "We've just got to get that O-line squared away. The coaches are doing a lot of things there, trying to figure that out.

"We've got a lot of tight ends. We added another receiver. The running back is healthy, plus we added one more.

"We lost a couple guys on defense. At linebacker, we had at the beginning Nick Barnett and Chillar."

The Packers are well aware that their roster is being scrutinized daily by competitors seeking upgrades. With a potential surplus of talent at wide receiver, tight end, running back and defensive back, they will look to make the type of cut-down day trade for a future draft pick that eluded them a year ago...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 18, 2011, 06:25:51 pm
Green Bay - If you play wide receiver, tight end or running back for the Green Bay Packers, every roster berth will be a blessing and every regular-season snap will need to be earned.

The Packers might have more legitimate skill-position options than any team in the National Football League. They're brimming with wide receivers, tight ends and running backs.

Maybe in previous years, a luminary such as Donald Driver or a two-time 1,200-yard rusher such as Ryan Grant could ease into training camp.

Nobody has the luxury of easing into anything at their positions this summer.

Nine, maybe even 10 of the 12 wide receivers in camp might have the ability to play in the league. At running back, all five probably do...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 18, 2011, 06:32:49 pm
By Bob McGinn of the Journal Sentinel


Aug. 17, 2011

Green Bay - The Green Bay Packers finally broke their three-week, three-way rotation at right outside linebacker Wednesday, and Erik Walden was the player moving to the forefront.

"It ain't done until the fat lady sings," Walden said after spending his second straight day with the No. 1 defense ahead of Frank Zombo and Brad Jones. "It's final when New Orleans arrives."

Still, Walden admitted he was "absolutely" pumped and said he would do whatever was necessary to hold the spot.

"Anytime you're with the 1's it's definitely a little boost," Walden said. "I'm working every day trying to convince him ( Kevin Greene) along with the other coaches and the organization that I'm their guy. But, at the same time, you can't be worrying about that too much or it might affect your play.

"I give them a player that can do a numerous amount of things. Just that energy, and playing with heart. I'm going to show up every Sunday and try to help the team win."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 18, 2011, 06:34:02 pm
Green Bay - The Green Bay Packers aren't giving up on the possibility that first-round pick Derek Sherrod can play left guard, but if they had to play a regular-season game this week, T.J. Lang would be their starter.

Lang has taken a solid lead over Sherrod in a competition that features the two rotating in practice from left guard to left tackle on almost a down-by-down basis. After praising Lang for his performance in the preseason opener earlier in the week, coach Mike McCarthy stretched his praise even more after practice Wednesday.

"I really like how T.J.'s come to camp," McCarthy said. "We have a history with T.J. He's made a jump from last year. That's clearly evident...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on August 18, 2011, 10:36:31 pm
Wow, making guys on the OLine improve in the system to play....do the bears know about this?

No.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 19, 2011, 04:16:27 pm
http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/west_coast_offense_cliff_notes/6180286?refmod=backyard

Packrat you might enjoy this.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 19, 2011, 07:30:31 pm
3-0 Cardinals.  Cardinals scored on their seconf series.  Green Bay failed to score with their first one. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 19, 2011, 07:58:10 pm
6-0 Cardinals.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 19, 2011, 08:28:02 pm
Packers end up leading in the first half 14-6.  They left Rodgers in until they scored a TD very late in the 2nd quarter.  Flynn lead the second scoring drive.  Not sure if either was against the Cards first team defense.  But yet another slow start by the Packers O and D.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on August 20, 2011, 05:55:41 am
I think the Packers are going to be fine.  But I am with you on one of your posts about the time to test Matthews for HGH.  If there was ever a freak on this, it is him.  Who was the Texan's linebacker that was busted for this stuff?

Watch Matthew's weight and production mysteriously begin to drop.  "Just wanted to get leaner, and faster..."  When does testing begin?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on August 20, 2011, 06:02:42 am
Well here you go...

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/08/19/union-says-there-might-be-no-hgh-testing-at-all/

Brian HGH Cushing

I love reading some of the cooments after these articles!  Matthews is the poster child for HGH, make no doubt
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 20, 2011, 11:17:10 am
Thumbs down

Sherrod, the Packers’ first-round draft pick, isn’t doing himself any favors in his bid to win the starting left guard job.


A career tackle in college at Mississippi State, Sherrod got beat to his outside shoulder by defensive end Calais Campbell, who had an easy sack of Aaron Rodgers in the first quarter.

Sherrod is a work in progress. ;-(
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 20, 2011, 11:19:39 am
Think Jermichael Finley isn’t going to be Aaron Rodgers’ go-to guy again?

His 2011 debut would suggest otherwise.


The Green Bay Packers tight end was Rodgers’ target on three straight plays when they went to the no-huddle offense in the second quarter of Friday’s preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals at Lambeau Field. Finley caught all three of them — a 6-yard out, a 7-yard quick hitter and a 17-yard crossing route — to help set up the only touchdown by the starting offense in a 28-20 victory.


“That’s big right there,” Finley said. “If your quarterback has confidence to throw you a ball, and you get 5 yards and then throw it again down the field for 15, that’s confidence in the player that you are.”


It was Finley’s first game action since Week 5 of last season, when he sustained a knee injury at Washington on Oct. 10. He sat out last Saturday’s preseason opener at Cleveland because of a glute bruise.


“It was all that I expected,” Finley said of his return. “I felt like the old (number) 88. I started getting revved up and heated up. I was really close to telling them to keep me in. I’ll play with (backup quarterback Matt) Flynn if I had to. It was one of those things that I had to get past me, and I got it past me, and I really do feel like I’m the old 88 right now.”


The day before his debut, Finley said he wanted to play only one series, presumably to avoid any further risk of injury, but he played three series against the Cardinals. He caught one ball, a 3-yard swing pass, on the second series and had another pass near the sideline thrown behind him and was broken up on that series. In all, he was targeted five times by Rodgers and had four catches for 33 yards.


“It was good to have him back,” Rodgers said. “He is a difference-maker for us. He is a tough matchup problem. I wish I would have thrown him a better ball on the corner route that got knocked away by (linebacker Joey) Porter. But it was nice to have him back out there. He’s going to have a big role for us this season.”


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 20, 2011, 11:30:55 am
I will predict that CB Lee and WR Swain will lose their roster spots.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on August 20, 2011, 12:16:30 pm
Hmm...

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/08/20/packers-first-round-pick-sherrod-struggling-to-find-role/

Sounds like the Packers may have a Chris Williams situation of their own developing here?  Chris Williams of course having been drafted a half round higher than Sherrod but the essential issues being very similar.

I'll be following this with interest since Sherrod had been projected to the Bears in a few mock drafts.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 20, 2011, 06:35:20 pm
Sherrod is a natural T but McCarthy wants to get the best 5 players on the field so her is letting him try to beat out Lang at LG.

Nevertheless, Sherrod will probably take a year to get ready to start in the NFL at G or T.  IF Clifton holds up this season the Pack should be OK.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 20, 2011, 06:38:07 pm
Graham Harrel looked very good at QB against the Cardinals.  There is little doubt that he will be the GB #2 QB next year.

GB will be cutting some good players, especially WRs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 20, 2011, 07:22:17 pm
Excerpts from game report:

The Cardinals, who were penalized nine times for 50 yards in the first half, jumped offside on third and 3 to give the Packers a first down at the Arizona 27. On the next play, rookie Alex Green patiently set up his blocks on a screen pass, broke three tackles and zipped 25 yards to set up his own 2-yard touchdown run.

"I like that kid," a personnel man for another NFL team said at halftime. "He played in a pass offense, but he can run big between the tackles. He gives them another inside presence. At the very least, he will be a contributing backup, with the arrow pointing up. That was a good value pick."...

...Most of the scouts in attendance were focused on players that the Packers might cut but possibly could help lesser teams.

"Green Bay is deep," the scout said. "I think they have some good players that may come free because of their numbers."

The Packers took the lead on the first play of the fourth quarter when Flynn found wide receiver Chastin West for a 97-yard touchdown. Exhibition-game records don't exist, but in the regular season the Packers have completed just one pass longer (Robert Brooks, 99, 1995)...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 21, 2011, 01:20:52 am
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/08/21/fake-favre-signs-autographs-in-green-bay/

Who would fall for that?   The only way this guy could be confuses for Favre is if you have cataracts or are really drunk.  He looks like him a little bit but not enough for anyone to actually think he is Brett Favre. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 21, 2011, 07:45:24 pm
Extra points

• The Packers might have something in receiver Chastin West, who was on their practice squad last season and had the 97-yard touchdown reception on Friday night. That could be a tough choice on final cuts between him and undrafted rookie Tori Gurley. I still like Gurley better because of his size and potential. You can always find a 6-1 receiver, but a talented player at 6-4 is a different story.


• Starting inside linebackers Desmond Bishop and A.J. Hawk look good playing together. The Cardinals used a bunch receiver formation a couple of times, which is tough on linebackers because they’re not as good turning and running as defensive backs. But those two passed off guys well and it looks like they’ve worked on it. Hawk is around the ball all the time, but I’d like to see him get there with more authority. He wrestles the guy down, and in run fits he’s right there all the time. You’d just like to see him blow up guys a little more.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 22, 2011, 11:26:47 am
Harrell set in GB.  How he got there:

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/128160128.html
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 23, 2011, 06:32:58 pm
Green Bay - The Green Bay Packers wanted bigger and better than Daryn Colledge at left guard and shouldered the onus for finding that player

Three weeks into training camp they've come up with T.J. Lang, a brawler with a far different playing style from his predecessor.

"Not to belittle Colledge, but I think T.J. will definitely be more effective," nose tackle B.J. Raji said Monday shortly after coach Mike McCarthy announced Lang had beat out rookie Derek Sherrod.

"Because his confidence level will be there. We do some things in protection to help interior guys, so I think he will benefit from that. And I think his overall aggression will eventually wear guys down."

Three nights earlier, Colledge had started at left guard for the Arizona Cardinals in an exhibition game at Lambeau Field. On an early second-quarter run, Raji manhandled Colledge in the hole and swallowed the ball carrier for minus-1.

It was a classic example of Colledge's inability to block the 3-technique D-tackle in the run game. That deficiency was an important reason why the Packers passed on re-signing him for more than two years and, ultimately, forced themselves to improve...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 23, 2011, 06:35:23 pm
Green Bay - How frustrated is Green Bay Packers defensive end Mike Neal?

"I can't even answer that question, that's how (ticked) I am," Neal said.

For the third time in his 18-month career with the Packers, he's sidelined with an injury. This time around, he lucked out because the left knee injury that looked so bad when he hurt it in practice Aug. 16 turned out not to be significant.

Neal said there's still swelling in it, but tests showed no tears.

Coach Mike McCarthy did not rule out the possibility that Neal would play Friday night against Indianapolis, but he said it was unlikely Neal would practice the rest of the week. Neal said he'd be ready whenever the medical staff gives him the go-ahead...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2011, 10:41:04 am
Another undrafted rookie will probably make th roster this season - a big one.
 
Thumbs up

There’s no substitute for size, and among the group of inexperienced receivers trying to make the Packers’ roster, Tori Gurley has more of it than anyone else.

It was on display during Tuesday’s practice inside The Don Hutson Center.


At 6-foot-4, Gurley can make plays that guys like Chastin West (6-1), Diondre Borel (6-0), Kerry Taylor (6-0) and Antonio Robinson (6-1) cannot.


His height allowed him to make a spectacular catch against cornerback Tramon Williams during a team period. It was a back-shoulder throw along the right sideline that Matt Flynn sailed a little. Gurley jumped, extended his arms and caught it just out of Williams’ reach. It’s doubtful any of those other young receivers would have gotten to that ball.


West’s five-catch, 134-yard performance in Friday’s preseason game against Arizona seemingly has given him the best shot to make it as the sixth receiver. West got increased work with the starting offense the last two days in practice. But Gurley, too, got some reps with starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who hit him on a deep route during a blitz period.


An undrafted rookie from South Carolina, Gurley is the second-tallest skill-position player on the Packers’ offensive roster. Only tight end Jermichael Finley, at 6-5, is taller. The tallest receiver among the Packers’ returning group is the 6-3 Jordy Nelson.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2011, 10:44:55 am
Bulaga on Sherrod's struggles:

http://packersnews.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20110823/PKR01/308230088/-1/NLETTER1101/Video--Bulaga-on-rookie-Sherrod-s-struggles?source=nletter-sports
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2011, 10:49:31 am


Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy said today he would like his starters to play around two quarters in Friday’s road preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts.

The third preseason game generally is the one in which the No. 1 units see the most work, and that won’t change in McCarthy’s plan.


Other highlights from McCarthy’s post-practice presser:


*Graham Harrell has put together good training camp. We’ve been very fortunate to give Graham number of snaps he has gotten. Has definitely improved from Cleveland to Arizona.


*Young outside linebackers are getting better (Lattimore, So’oto). This is not a normal training camp. It’s a different year.


*Evaluation process doesn’t change despite shortened training camp.


*Our tempo today was excellent, but way too many penalties. This is kind of where we are...


*-- Mike Vandermause, mvandermause@greenbaypressgazette.com
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on August 24, 2011, 04:38:45 pm
Ted Thompson showing that "busted up veteran" Ryan Grant who's boss:

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/08/24/ryan-grant-took-1-million-pay-cut-earlier-this-month/

Our old friend Logic would be proud...  ;D
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 25, 2011, 09:35:35 am
Packer roster prediction.  Another good draft will likely chase some more veterans off the roster.

http://packersnews.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20110824/PKR01/110824173/-1/NLETTER1101/Who-s-a-lock?-Who-s-a-long-shot?-Breaking-down-the-Packers-roster&source=nletter-sports
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 26, 2011, 11:14:30 am
y Bob Wolfley of the Journal Sentinel


Aug. 24, 2011 |(7) Comments
 
Some nuggets, shaded in green and gold, from the 2011 National Football League Information Guide:
 
- Green Bay has the fourth-best record in the NFC in kickoff weekend games 51-36-3 (.583). Dallas is best in the conference at 34-16-1 (.677). The Packers have won their opening week game the last four times.
 
- The Packers, who play at Carolina in Week 2, have the most victories in road openers in league history (52). Green Bay is 52-36-2 (.591) in road openers, third-best in the NFL. The Packers have won five consecutive road openers, the longest active streak in the league.
 
- Packers opponents were 130-126 last season (.508). Green Bay is playing nine games against teams with .500 or better records and five games against playoff teams.
 
- The last time an NFL quarterback passed for 500 yards or more in a game was Dec. 20, 2009, when Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger did it against the Packers.
 
- The last time an NFL running back rushed 40 times or more in a game was Nov. 27, 2006, when Shaun Alexander of Seattle had 40 rushing attempts against Green Bay.
 
- Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is 27-20-0 (.574) as a starter, ranking him 16th in the league among quarterbacks with a minimum of 10 starts. Tom Brady of New England is at the top with a 111-32-0 record (.776).
 
- Green Bay will travel a mere 10,510 miles for their road games this season, 27th in the league. San Francisco will get the most frequent-flier miles with 29,196.
 
- The Christmas night game between the Packers and Bears in Week 16 will not be flexed. Flex scheduling will be used for weeks 10-15 and 17. In flex scheduling, some Sunday afternoon games in those weeks can be moved to Sunday nights on NBC.
 
- A total of 13 teams, including the 10-6 Packers, won at least 10 games last season, tying a record set in 2003 and 2005.
 
- Rodgers’ jersey was the top-selling one among all NFL players between April 1 and June 20, 2011 at nflshop.com. The top five: 1, Rodgers; 2, Troy Palamalu, Pittsburgh; 3, Tony Romo, Dallas; 4, Clay Mathews, Green Bay and 5, Brady, New England.
 
- On average, 43.5 million women watched Super Bowl XLV, more than double the number of women who watched the Academy Awards show a month later (21.4 million).
 
- Alex McCarthy, daughter of Packers coach Mike McCarthy, and Anna, Emily and Katie Murphy, daughters of Packers president Mark Murphy, plan to participate in the campaign for NFL Women’s Apparel, a business launched last year.
 
- David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox remains a Packers fan.
 
- Green Bay’s regular-season record of 96-64-0 (.600) in the last 10 years ranks fifth in the NFL. New England is tops at 121-39-0 (.756).
 
- Green Bay needs seven victories to become the only other NFL team besides the Chicago Bears to have 700 total victories.
 
- Last season the Packers attempted nine times to convert on fourth-and-one, tied for fourth in the league behind Jacksonville (16). Green Bay converted thee times for a .333 success percentage. The most efficient fourth-and-one team in the league was St. Louis (6 for 6).
 
- Charles Woodson needs three interception-return touchdowns. Woodson has 10, Darren Sharper 11 and Rod Woodson 12 for the most all-time.
 
- Greg Jennings had 21 catches of 20 yards or more, fourth among all receivers in the league. Mike Wallace of Pittsburgh had the most (26).
 
- Super Bowl teams that return an interception for a touchdown are now 11-0, including the Packers, who were helped by a 37-yard interception-return touchdown by Nick Collins.
 
- Rodgers is number one among top active passers with at least 1,000 attempts. His quarterback rating is 98.4, ahead of Philip Rivers (97.2), Tony Romo (95.5), Brady (95.2) and Peyton Manning (94.9).
 

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 08, 2011, 07:18:22 pm
Could Rodgers look any gayer with that stupid hat and his gigantic bug eyes?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 08, 2011, 07:39:24 pm
GO SAINTS!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 08, 2011, 07:48:01 pm
Packers drive right down the field for 7 but Rodgers is taking some big hits. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on September 08, 2011, 10:30:19 pm
Does New Orleans even have a defense?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on September 08, 2011, 10:37:19 pm
Hows that sloppy play from the Packers peke?

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 09, 2011, 11:35:54 am
The Packers defense is bad.  The Saints is worse.

The Packers offense looked real good except for the O-line.  Good defenses are going to be blowing up Rodgers. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2011, 03:47:41 pm
What a specatcular start for the 2011 season.


Rookie Randall  Cobb scores two TDs his first  game in the NFL.  This is the guy that I predicted would be GB's best shot as NFL Rookie of the Year.  This guy is a natural  football player in the mold of Charles Woodson,

Speaking of Woodson, he may be slipping a bit this season.


When I first saw the name Vic So ' Oto I thoight he would be an early cut but this undrafted rookie has played so well and come on so fast that he not only made rhe roster but may beat out the other candidates for the OLB pairing up with Matthews. 

Thompson did it again.   Another jackpot draft.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 10, 2011, 11:37:59 pm
http://boards.chicagobears.com/forums/2/2764294/ShowThread.aspx

Look at this thread and the pictures in particular.  Then tell me Matthews is not using HGH.  Apparently the League and players have recently agreed to not test this year.  Which means Matthews probably quit for awhile when it was thought to be coming but will start up again.

My guess is he starts slow this year then gets better as it moves along as the HGH works it's magic.  He will be done next year though when the testing kicks in.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on September 11, 2011, 07:20:40 am
That's what I have been saying also, Matthews is on HGH, everyone knows it.  Until they test for it, he will stay on it.  Look at the change in all of the baseball players as soon as there was more testing for performance enhancing drugs.  Home Runs have dropped significantly, remember Pudge Rodriguez became Ping Rodriguez.  Matthews will become a non player if the league has an effective plan.

Hopefully this will be the only time I give a Packer credit this season except for being humble in defeat.  The interview with Rodgers was great.  He attributed the explosiveness of the Packers offense to the lack of getting his team together.  He said it twice during the press conference and the reporters could do nothing but swallow their pens.  He absolutely nailed them.  Apparently, he has been raked over the coals for not organizing team workouts like Brees and others in the league.  Definitely the last and loudest laugh.  He made his point.

And after watching the Packers/Saints game, I have to agree with the players that all of the training camps and offseason work appear to be overpreparation.  They may help the young players or the free agents to a degree, but the offenses in that game looked to be in midseason form.  I was happy not to see Fabio flex his muscles...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Bears4Ever on September 11, 2011, 07:51:17 am
Packers are tough, indeed.

The offense is good, but was made to look even better by the truly woeful Saints D.

If I were a Packer fan, I'd be more worried about the Packer's D- almost 500 yards offense given up. Again, the Saints O is good, but I don't think they are THAT good....

Maybe with the short offseason the Offense's are ahead of the Defenses instead of the usual other way around ?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 11, 2011, 10:07:49 am
If that would have been Cutler in that interview the reporters would have ripped him to shreds.  But because it is Rodgers he is just confident and great.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 12, 2011, 07:43:33 pm

Green Bay - Cullen Jenkins is gone and not soon forgotten.

But if you thought the Green Bay Packers were not going to be able to replace his pass rush ability, say hello to Vic So'oto.

The undrafted free agent will be part of a group that includes defensive end Mike Neal and nose tackle B.J. Raji and will be obliged to fill the void Jenkins left when he took his services to Philadelphia.

Based on the Packers' final two preseason games, So'oto is going to be a player who can help their pass rush right away.

In the final two games, he notched 2½ sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception returned for a touchdown, sealing his place on the 53-man roster and marking him as a candidate to play against New Orleans in the season opener. The fact much of So'oto's work came against the opponents' starters says a lot about his legitimacy.

"He's a beast, a young beast," veteran nose tackle Howard Green said. "That's what I call him, 'Young Beast.' He's just a stud. He's strong and he's talented and he's coachable."

And he's also a member of the 2011 Packers, although that won't be official until Saturday when final cuts are made.

So'oto would have to go out and rob a bank to blow his shot at making the 53-man roster and even that probably wouldn't lead the Packers to release him. There's more than a dozen and a half teams who are kicking themselves that they didn't project So'oto to make the adjustment from 4-3 defensive end at Brigham Young to 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL.

All it cost the Packers was a signing bonus of $8,500 to attract So'oto to Green Bay.

After they watch film of the Packers' 20-19 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night at Lambeau Field, the others will see that So'oto dominated the game, personally snuffing out the Chiefs' first two drives and then later adding the game-winning points with a 33-yard interception return for a touchdown.

His initial thoughts after the game was that he could have done more and that outside linebackers coach Kevin Greene was going to chew him out for the mistakes he made, including a technical error on the scoring play.

But there's no way Greene or anyone else could have ignored the production the rookie had against a Chiefs team trying to get its No. 1 offense quality work.

"I could have had a couple more sacks if I had gone inside instead of outside," So'oto said when asked what he could have done better. "KG is going to be very disappointed."

Maybe in the short term he will, but in the long term Greene and the rest of the defensive coaches had to be elated that they had found a pass-rushing source they never envisioned when they allowed Jenkins to leave. So'oto might be able to be used right away in passing situations to complement Matthews, Raji and a healthy Neal, thereby softening the loss of the team's second-best pass rusher.

"We just have to play good football and just carry out the game plan," Raji said. "You don't expect to replace Cullen Jenkins with one player, but as long as guys are playing hard and not hurting us (we'll be all right)."

On Thursday, So'oto hit the trifecta with his big plays, sacking the quarterback on third down, stripping a running back of the ball and returning the interception for a touchdown. If he had been wearing jersey No. 52, no one would have known it wasn't Matthews inside the helmet.

On the very first series of the game, he drove right tackle Barry Richardson backward and sacked quarterback Matt Cassel for a 4-yard loss. On the very next series, he showed up again, this time stripping the ball from 1,400-yard rusher Jamaal Charles at the Packers 19, snuffing out another drive.

"I tackled him from behind and when I reached around I could feel the ball," So'oto said. "I just pulled it out."

Before finishing off the game with his interception, he shared a sack with linebacker D.J. Smith that destroyed yet another drive by the Chiefs' No. 1 offense, which played into the third quarter.

Then, with the Packers trailing, 16-13, with 4½ minutes to go in the third, So'oto jumped quarterback Tyler Palko's pass in the flat to receiver Dexter McCluster and raced 33 yards to the end zone.

So'oto somewhat sheepishly described the play.

"I actually messed up," he said of allowing the tight end to get outside of him. "Coach is going to yell at me. In practice I messed that up, too. But I knew he was going to throw the ball to McCluster. I was hoping he would."

The emergence of So'oto means the Packers have four quality outside linebackers they can use interchangeably: Matthews, Erik Walden, Frank Zombo and So'oto. Walden is still the starter because he's more versatile and less prone to mistakes, but you can bet defensive coordinator Dom Capers will find a way to use So'oto opening day against New Orleans.

"So'oto's a big-time player," Raji said. "He's exactly what you're looking for."
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on September 14, 2011, 03:38:28 pm
Man what is with the Packers not being able to keep their D-Linemen healthy?

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/09/14/packers-mike-neal-has-knee-surgery/

One less defender for the Bears to worry about in a couple of weeks, anyway.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 15, 2011, 06:07:09 pm
As advertised.

Cobb Plays, Acts Beyond His Years 
 
WR Randall Cobb (Tom Hauck/Getty)  By Chris Jenkins
The Associated Press
Posted Sep 14, 2011

Randall Cobb made quite a splash with two touchdowns in his NFL debut. Don't expect Cobb to get a big head about his big night. "From the moment he got here, he had a different air about him," Aaron Rodgers said. "It was like Greg Jennings when Greg came in in 2006." 

Although it's rare for a rookie to carry himself with the quiet brand of confidence Randall Cobb has shown in his short time with Green Bay Packers, Aaron Rodgers has seen it before.
From the first days of training camp, Rodgers says Cobb has reminded him of another young wide receiver who made an immediate impact — Greg Jennings.

With that in mind, Rodgers isn't concerned that Cobb will let a two-touchdown debut on opening night go to his head.

"From the moment he got here, he had a different air about him," Rodgers said. "It was like Greg Jennings when Greg came in in 2006. There was just something different about him. He was a rookie, he was respectful, but he kind of walked around and carried himself like a veteran without being the kind of rookie that you think needs to grow up a little bit. He just had that class about him, that maturity."

Cobb, a second-round draft pick out of Kentucky, caught his first career touchdown pass in the first quarter of Thursday's opener, a spectacular 32-yard catch-and-run that ended with a dive into the end zone. He added another score in the third quarter, taking a kickoff back 108 yards for a touchdown. That tied an NFL record, and was the Packers' first touchdown on a kickoff return since 2000.

Cobb's big night is a continuation of the success he had early in training camp and the preseason, before he missed some time with knee bruises. He's trying to stay humble — and yes, he realizes humility is not a trait found in many elite wide receivers.

"Yeah, that's how a lot of guys are," Cobb said Wednesday. "But like I said, I'm different. I try to be my own person."

Along those lines, Cobb acknowledged immediately after Thursday's game that both his scoring plays were the result of mistakes: He ran the wrong route on his touchdown catch and should have taken a touchback on his kickoff return.

Cobb expected to hear it from his coaches.

"I didn't get that bad of comments," Cobb said, smiling. "But at the same time, I know that I made mistakes. At a crucial time in the game if I make those mistakes and I get covered, I bust the whole play and I mess up a whole play. So it's very important that I continue to work to get better and keep learning."

Asked earlier this week about Cobb's decision to return a kick eight yards deep in the end zone, Packers coach Mike McCarthy noted that players are graded on their assignments, decisions and techniques.

The decision? A minus. The assignment? Also a minus.

And the technique?

"That's a hell of a technique," McCarthy said.

Packers coaches generally want returners to take a touchback if the ball is more than 5 yards deep in the end zone. Cobb raised a few eyebrows last Thursday night when he was asked what went into his decision to run the kick back.

"Just trust in God," Cobb said that night. "He told me to bring it out."

Asked about that comment Wednesday, Cobb reiterated that his split-second decision was a function of his faith.

"A lot of things aren't logical that He takes care of," Cobb said. "That wasn't a great decision to bring it out. But obviously I trusted in Him enough to where He still put me in a good position, gave me an opportunity to make a play."

Will Cobb have any trouble balancing moments of religious inspiration with the wishes of his coaches?

"My No. 1 priority is my faith," Cobb said. "I mean, that's always going to go above anything. But at the same time, I've got to stay in tune with the game plan and be smart about the decisions I make."

Packers special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum doesn't foresee any problems.

"That's a pretty good mind-set," Slocum said. "That's a pretty powerful factor."

And Slocum joked that he has no illusions about where his coaching authority ends and a higher authority begins.

"I think there's an obvious answer to that question," Slocum said.

Although his mistakes led to brilliant results Thursday, Cobb knows he needs to firm up his grasp of the game to earn more playing time.

"I'm still making mistakes," Cobb said. "Yeah, I want to be on the field, but the coaches aren't going to put me on the field if I don't know what I'm doing. As far as getting snaps, I'm a competitor, I want to be on the field. I want to have the opportunity to make plays. But that's on myself, and I've got to make sure I handle my business so I can have the opportunity to stay on the field."

Mistakes and all, Cobb already has earned Rodgers' respect.

"For a young kid — he just turned 21 recently — he really understands his place on the team and how to be a professional," Rodgers said. "We're not worried about him. We've just got to get him more touches."




Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 19, 2011, 06:45:26 pm
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In Charles Woodson’s eyes, he lost his individual matchup on Sunday with Carolina Panthers receiver Steve Smith.

Smith caught six passes for 156 yards, many of them against the Green Bay Packers star cornerbacck...


:-(
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 21, 2011, 03:46:49 pm
Cutler's going fo 500 yards againt that shitty Peckers pass D.

Nicks neck....so sad.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest77 on September 21, 2011, 10:05:37 pm
Because pi$$ and puke is a ridiculous color combination.
 
 Because they are named after the act of stuffing dead animal meat into sausage skins.
 
 Because "The Acme Meat Packing Plant" sounds like something out of a Roadrunner cartoon.
 
 Because Majkowski was over the !@#$in' line.

Because of that punk Charles Martin.
 
 Because Wanny went for two.
 
 Because Brett Favrerreaauahh knows his pharmaceuticals.
 
 Because Mark Chmurra is good with children.
 
 Because Nietzchke couldn't hold Butkus' jock.
 
 Because of the Lambeau leap.
 
 Because of the so-called frozen tundra.
 
 Because Desmond Howard won a Superbowl MVP.
 
 Because Al Michaels has become a caricature of himself due in large part to his man-love of Aaron Rodgersssssss.  On second thought, calling Michael's feelings man-love gives man-love a bad name.  Let's call it blatant homo-eroticism.
 
 Because there would be no Green Bay Packers today had Papa Bear not intervened.  (This may have been one of his few mistakes.)
 
 Because they had the greatest Quartertack in NFL history start for them for 17 consecutive years, and only managed one title during that span.
 
 Because they threw said quarterback out like yesterday's trash.

And then they luck into another franchise QB right after that.
 
 Because we have more wins, more Hall of Famers, and a better head-to-head record.
 
 Because the Lombardi Trophy should have been named after George Halas.

Because they are the Packers and we are the Bears ... it's what we do!
 
 And, the best reason of all, because they're the Packers.
 
 Puck the Fackers!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 21, 2011, 10:47:33 pm
Because the Lombardi Trophy should have been named after George Halas.

This and the Charles Martin body slam on McMahon after the play was dead costing us a second SuperBowl and maybe many more is why I hate them.  That and I have met many, many obnoxious **** Packer fans.  I have met a few that are good guys but they are outnumbered.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on September 22, 2011, 08:37:42 am
How is the Lambeau leap allowed and not flagged for excessive celebration?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 22, 2011, 08:49:40 am
Good question. Far less has been flagged for excessive celebration.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest77 on September 22, 2011, 11:06:35 am
How is the Lambeau leap allowed and not flagged for excessive celebration?
Good question. Far less has been flagged for excessive celebration.

Another reason to hate 'em  >:(   Just sayin.... ;D
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 22, 2011, 05:12:11 pm
Culter going for 500 yards on that leaky Pecker D.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on September 25, 2011, 11:32:41 pm
Or not.

Face it bearbelly the Packers are a superior team.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on September 25, 2011, 11:34:47 pm
The Packers held the bears to their fewest rushing yards since 1952.

Packer fans already have their christmas gift under the tree...  
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on September 25, 2011, 11:59:07 pm
Culter going for 500 yards on that leaky Pecker D.

NOT.

I humbly stand-in for packrat.


Character ... resilience ... depth ... (not-without-any-concessions) flags.

"Victory is such (only) with a worthy opponent"

No Xmas present awaits.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 26, 2011, 07:13:47 pm
Interviews with Fintley, Raji and Grant:

http://packersnews.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20110925/PKR01/110925060/-1/NLETTER1101/Video--Finley--Grant--Raji-postgame-interviews?source=nletter-sports
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 02, 2011, 05:08:10 pm
No team in the NFL gets more calls go their way then the Green Bay Packers except maybe the Patriots.

No way, no how should that have been over turned.  His knee was clearly down before the ball made it to the front of the line.  The call on the field was correct and to over turn that is ridiculous.  Terrible, terrible officiating.

There was also a pass interference call on the Broncos that was not a pass interference.  Game changing bad officiating.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on October 02, 2011, 05:50:19 pm
I was watching in a sports bar and couldn't hear the announcers. Was the penalty on Hesters TD for excesive celebration for his somersalts? If so, you don't have to look any farther than that for your proof of packer friendly officiating. That's excessive and a penalty yet the pack  players can go and jump into the stands?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 02, 2011, 05:56:48 pm
I said the same thing to my wife.

Hester can't do somersaults with out getting a penalty yet Rodgers can do champinship belt thing then jump into the stands?  BS!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 02, 2011, 07:01:50 pm
Players from many teams leap into the stands after a TD play.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 02, 2011, 07:24:19 pm
Then they should all be penalized.  Or they should change the rules.  Hester did somersaults in the endzone and was flagged after scoring a PR TD and breaking the NFL record.  If he can't do that then no one can jump in the stands.  Personally I think the "excessivbe celebration" rules are stupid.  But if they are going to call them they need to call them all the way around.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on October 02, 2011, 07:28:15 pm
one or two somersaults I can see but I knew when he did the 3rd one they would throw the flag.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on October 03, 2011, 04:58:53 am
Men should not do somersaults or backflips unless they are gymnasts (or ghey)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on October 03, 2011, 08:32:09 am
I hope Barber is fined by the Bears for that stupid backflip. You miss the first 3 games due to a hamstring injury and then you do an unnecessary backflip. Brilliant.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 03, 2011, 12:44:46 pm
Aaron Rodgers Is the Best Quarterback in the NFL

Sorry Tom Brady, but it is officially time to move over.

Anyone who still thinks that Brady is a better quarterback right now than Aaron Rodgers is living in a delusional world. With each game that Rodgers plays, he distances himself more and more from all other quarterbacks.

His first-quarter touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson was a beautiful throw that few other quarterbacks could throw as far and as perfect as he did. His quarterback sneak for a touchdown was a play that you will never see Tom Brady make. Shall I keep going?

There isn't a throw that Rodgers can't make, and today we saw his arm strength and touch at its best.

By the end of the year, Rodgers will be light-years ahead of the other quarterbacks in the NFL.

He Will Also Win MVP
Streeter Lecka/Getty Images We'll continue to talk about Aaron Rodgers for another second as he is also clearly the front runner to win Most Valuable Player this year.
Not only is he so valuable to this team, but he is playing the best football of his career right now. He has been nearly unstoppable this year, and he doesn't appear to have any intentions of slowing down.
His career-high 408 passing yards, four touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns this game only add to his already impressive statistics on the season.
Week 4 is a little early to hand out the MVP award, but it's Rodgers' award to lose right now.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 03, 2011, 06:33:37 pm
Double-teaming Finley didn't work oo well for Denver.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: stelz on October 03, 2011, 07:05:02 pm
I can't remember better qb play ever. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 04, 2011, 10:04:58 am
Come on stelz...haven't you been watching j. cut and the backfoot throw?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on October 05, 2011, 01:53:01 pm
Remember Pack fans: he was "your guy" for oh so many years. Now?

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/brett-favre-aaron-rodgers-comments-out-of-line-100511
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on October 05, 2011, 03:32:13 pm
Rogers > Favre and I think Favre was one of the best ever.

There might be 3 plays a game that Favre could make that Rogers can't.
There are also about 3 negative plays a game that Rogers won't.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 05, 2011, 06:27:32 pm
Typical Favre lack of graciousness.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 06, 2011, 06:41:53 pm
By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel

Oct. 5, 2011 |(10) Comments

Green Bay - There were times his left shoulder blade stung. Some normal, everyday functions were unavoidable. But for this broken scapula to heal - and heal fast - Green Bay Packers linebacker Frank Zombo knew he'd need to grit his teeth and deal with it.

"I didn't want to baby it," he said.

Now, earlier than expected, Zombo is back. The timetable for his return was originally eight to 12 weeks. But six weeks after suffering the injury, Zombo returned to practice Wednesday.

There's a chance Zombo will play Sunday night in Atlanta. He expected to participate on a limited basis in Thursday's full-pads practice.

Good news for an on-again, off-again pass rush.

"The doctors and trainers believed that the more I use it, the more it stresses the area and my body will realize it's weak and send more resources to the area," Zombo said.

It was a freak injury. Before the Packers' preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals on Aug. 19, Zombo collided with fullback John Kuhn. Initially, Zombo believed he suffered just a bruise. He played in the game and played well. All of his grades from coaches the next day were high.

"But toward the end of the game, it was throbbing a little bit," Zombo said. "It was inflamed but I could still use it. I didn't know it was broke."

Soon he realized the shoulder blade was indeed broken. A positive attitude was important, but to get back on the field he needed to act fast.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 07, 2011, 06:48:02 pm
Injuries plague pack again this season.

Clay Matthews (quad) and Charles Woodson (foot, knee) both sat out practice early in the week, but they will start. The Packers will be without tackle Bryan Bulaga (knee) and linebacker Frank Zombo (shoulder) once again.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 08, 2011, 01:04:02 pm
Injury list: Linebacker Frank Zombo (shoulder) and tackle Bryan Bulaga (knee) were declared out for Sunday night against Atlanta. McCarthy expressed confidence that both would be ready next week against St. Louis.

Linebacker Clay Matthews (thigh) missed his third practice of the week but will start.

Cornerback Charles Woodson, who turned 35 on Friday, returned on a limited basis and will start. He is probable with foot and knee injuries.

Packers need to get their starters healthy for once.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 08, 2011, 01:12:11 pm
GO FALCONS!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pistol on October 08, 2011, 05:55:15 pm
I get to cheer with the locals this weekend.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 09, 2011, 07:18:59 pm
I really thought the Falcons were going to win tonight.  Well I just heard John Abraham is out.  The Packers just got lucky cause he would have destroyed Rodgers.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 09, 2011, 07:41:40 pm
Just like he didn't in the Playoffs from our SB run...Not.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 09, 2011, 07:45:32 pm
Yeah but then you actually had a defense.

A 13 play opening drive?  LOL!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 09, 2011, 07:47:54 pm
Atlanta scored first in the Playoff game too. If held a 14-7 lead in the first...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 09, 2011, 08:08:08 pm
14-0

GO FALCONS!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 09, 2011, 08:29:09 pm
14-3 Falcons.

Clifton is done for several weeks.

How confident are you now Otto?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 09, 2011, 08:36:58 pm
Packers got a gift on the holding call.

Peppers is held worse then that every single play.

Hell the Packers had two guys holding worse then that during the same play and it was not called THIS game.

I guess the refs think Matthews is a stud and can't be blocked but don't realize he ain't **** with out the HGH.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 09, 2011, 09:05:08 pm
Wow.  Packers offense looks pedestrian now that Clifton is out.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 09, 2011, 09:13:04 pm
Another gift call against the Falcon blocking Matthews.  That was not hands to the face.  Terrible officiating.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pistol on October 09, 2011, 09:14:28 pm
Falcons Rise up!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 09, 2011, 09:21:47 pm
Need some cheese peke?

It must suck watching an OL hit by injury not collapsing like yours.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 09, 2011, 09:22:38 pm
Now the Packers O-line hits a Falcon in the face blocking so bad his head goes flying back and no call.  The Packers and Patriots get more favors from the refs...

Falcons are going to get 7 here.

Good thing Abraham didn't play or Rodgers would have been killed by now.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 09, 2011, 09:24:04 pm
Otto that O-line sucks and is going to get owned from here on out.  The Falcons have one good pass rusher and he is not playing.  Good luck the next couple of weeks and hope and pray Rodgers survives until Cifton comes back.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 09, 2011, 09:28:52 pm
Falcons fans are morons!  They are making tons of noise when their offense is on the field.  Idiots.

BOOM!  Great hit on the punt returner.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 09, 2011, 09:32:45 pm
Yea, their getting owned...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 09, 2011, 09:33:58 pm
Uh hands to the face again.

Not called against the Packers when they do it but called against the Falcons when they don't so it.  amazing how that works.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 09, 2011, 09:38:23 pm
So the Refs do not call the Packers for pounding a QB sliding as yard short of the first down but call the Falcons for something we never saw on Roddy White. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 09, 2011, 09:41:14 pm
One, two, three...FIRST DOWN!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 09, 2011, 09:45:26 pm
Thats what you get for leading with the head...stinger land.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 09, 2011, 09:46:59 pm
One, two, three...FIRST DOWN!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 09, 2011, 09:48:26 pm
Packers might win this game against the worst pass rushers in the NFL with no Abraham but they are going to get owned going forward.  Losing Clifton was the beginning of the end.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 09, 2011, 09:50:00 pm
Jennings is on my FF team.  Woot!  I needed that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 09, 2011, 09:50:15 pm
TOUCHDOWN!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 09, 2011, 09:55:33 pm
What about maintaining control do the refs not understand...4TH Down!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 09, 2011, 09:58:43 pm
That was a catch.

He put it away then went down then lost it out of bounds.  Terrible call.  The refs are calling everything for the Packers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 09, 2011, 10:01:28 pm
Yea, the refs hurt Julio Jones hammy too.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 09, 2011, 10:10:57 pm
Soccer flop, what a ****.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 09, 2011, 10:12:12 pm
No one can watch this game and not see the Packers have been given more gift calls then any team deserves.  I suspect even sane Packers fans will be saying they got away with a win when they shouldn't have.

If Abraham is in this game the Falcons win and it wouldn't have been close.  If the calls were fair the Falcons win. 

The Packer will probabaly win this game but they are in trouble going forward if Clifton is done. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 09, 2011, 10:14:54 pm
What anyone can see is the defending Super Bowl Champions playing football.

They also can see sour grapes by bear fans.

I think our defensive will be just fine this year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 09, 2011, 10:15:15 pm
Hell of a play by Peprah.  When a guy makes the hit/tip and makes the INT you got to give them props.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 09, 2011, 10:15:55 pm
The Bears stomped this team. The Packers are holding on barely.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 09, 2011, 10:20:09 pm
The bears didn't play them at home where they play much better. Beat them at Atlanta bear fan and you have an arguement.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 09, 2011, 10:26:24 pm
BTW bear fan in your blowout win Atlanta out gained you and out first downed you and you won 30-12 at home.

Matt Ryan threw for 316 yards. Michael Turner rushed for 100. See any of that tonight?

The Pack kicks a FG here and it's 25-14 on the road.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 09, 2011, 10:27:53 pm
The refs gave you this game and you know it.

There were several blown calls that turned the game.  I know it and you know it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 09, 2011, 10:32:53 pm
peke

The refs didn't affect this game tonight. The Packers are just a better team. Atlanta came out with emotion and got up early, then talent set in.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 09, 2011, 10:34:41 pm
Ball game!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 09, 2011, 10:35:54 pm
Rams....Your next.  
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 09, 2011, 10:36:58 pm
I know the Packers are a  good team but they got very lucky with the calls at crucial moments tonight.  The Pack were lucky to get a win. 

For you to claim the refs did not affect the game is delusional but then you usually are. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on October 10, 2011, 06:35:35 am
Fight the good fight, Peke!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 13, 2011, 11:30:13 am
Packers promote Dominguez from practice squad


By Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel

Green Bay - There are two things you can count on with the Green Bay Packers as long as Ted Thompson is the general manager and Mike McCarthy the head coach.

They will always build from within.

They will always demand versatility from their offensive linemen.

The Packers are three days removed from losing their starting left tackle, Chad Clifton, to a career-threatening hamstring injury, and 2½ weeks from losing starting right tackle Bryan Bulaga to a sprained knee, and how many veteran players did they have in this week for tryouts?

Zero.

Instead of inviting available veterans like Reggie Wells, Max Jean-Gilles, Shawn Andrews, Rich Seubert and Mark Tauscher in for a look-see, they went immediately to practice-squad rookie Ray Dominguez to fill a hole.

With Clifton out and Bulaga's status still up in the air, the Packers signed Dominguez to the 53-man roster. The 6-foot-4, 334-pound Dominguez was signed as an undrafted rookie out of Arkansas just before training camp began and made terrific strides in six weeks.

He wasn't good enough to survive the final cut, but he was signed to the practice squad soon after and has been playing both tackle and guard for the scout team. That is, until Wednesday, when he spent time at guard with the offense.

"I think Ray's done a good job," McCarthy said Wednesday. "I think he's more natural inside, so that's where we're working him this week."

Bulaga took part in practice for the first time since injuring his left knee against Chicago on Sept. 25. He wore a metal brace around his knee, but in individual drills he looked to be moving around fine.

He was listed as a limited participant in practice and still isn't a lock to start against St. Louis at Lambeau Field on Sunday.

"I think the biggest thing is to watch the tape and see how he feels tomorrow," McCarthy said. "But he looked like he's moving fine, but the progression is to take him limited and see how he is tomorrow."

McCarthy would not reveal where Bulaga would line up if he were able to play. Bulaga played the tougher left tackle position in college and in practice parts of last season, so he could fill in for Clifton and allow Marshall Newhouse to play on the right side.

But the odds are that Newhouse will be the left tackle after performing well in place of Clifton against the Falcons. He started the game at right tackle but was moved over when Clifton got hurt.

"I think he's playing really well," quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. "It's exciting to see. In training camp, I thought he made some strides but maybe didn't expect him to be playing this well."

Meanwhile Dominguez, who received $8,500 to sign back in August and was making $5,700 per week while on the practice squad, played both tackle and guard in training camp after spending four years at left tackle at Arkansas.

One of two offensive linemen on the practice squad, Dominguez got the call because of potential. There's a chance he'll be active Sunday because rookie Derek Sherrod is focusing strictly on tackle this week in case he has to start for Bulaga.

He's been waiting for this opportunity since camp ended.

"Training camp went pretty well," Dominguez said. "The offense started clicking in, and I had pretty good preseason games except for that Kansas City game. But for the most part, I feel really comfortable in this offense.

"I'm just glad I had a chance to be on the practice squad, and now you fast forward a couple of weeks and I'm active."

Like Sherrod, Bulaga, Newhouse, T.J. Lang and Josh Sitton before him, Dominguez is a left tackle who has been told to line up at guard. Lang and Sitton made the transition well enough to become starters, while Bulaga and Sherrod got valuable playtime as rookies because of it.

Sherrod did not make the transition very well - to be fair he had six weeks to do it with no off-season training at all - and now he's needed more at tackle where he'll either start for Bulaga or serve as a backup at both tackle positions.

The advantage of bringing up Dominguez is that Sherrod can practice at tackle until a final determination is made with Clifton. Evan Dietrich-Smith and Dominguez will compete each week for the top backup guard position.

"I think Ray is definitely a deserving guy," Lang said of being moved up to the 53-man roster. "He's a guy who kind of stuck out in camp. He has a lot of potential. I'm really proud that he's getting a chance now.

"As a player, it's awesome how they do that. It gives you a chance to come along and learn, and when your time does come, you feel comfortable bumping up."
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 13, 2011, 11:33:21 am
Injury report: Linebacker Clay Matthews (thigh) did not practice again and continues to nurse a nagging injury.

"Clay Matthews is feeling better than he did this time last week," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "So he will not practice today, will not practice tomorrow. We'll see what happens on the Friday exam whether he'll go on Friday.

"I would say he's further ahead this Wednesday than he was last Wednesday."

McCarthy said the medical staff is trying a new treatment on the injury.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on October 13, 2011, 12:59:11 pm
$5700 per week to be on the practice squad?

I gotta get one of those jobs...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 14, 2011, 10:40:12 am
...Return game

If everything continues the way it has, there's a good chance the Packers will have two of their injured players back for the St. Louis game Sunday.

Right tackle Bryan Bulaga practiced - albeit with a brace on his left knee - for the second straight day and said he is improving daily. His performance will be evaluated after Friday's practice to see if he's ready to return to the starting lineup, but he said he's optimistic.

"I got out there in practice yesterday and went out and took more reps today." he said. "I'll get out and take more reps tomorrow. From the standpoint of getting work done and getting back and kicking off three weeks of rust, it feels good to get back out there so we'll see.

"If the coaches and medical staff think I'm ready to go, I should be OK. We'll see. I don't make the final call."

No one is saying for sure where Bulaga would play if he returns, but it would be a shock to see him anywhere but his normal right tackle position. Marshall Newhouse handled left tackle well after Chad Clifton (hamstring) went down against Atlanta.

In addition to Bulaga, linebacker Frank Zombo appears ready to return. He practiced all last week, but a decision was made to wait so he could get back in football shape following six weeks off with a broken scapula.

"I feel 100% physically, strength-wise, conditioning-wise,"...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 14, 2011, 06:40:13 pm


Sherrod looked pretty good at RT, with Bulaga out.

Green Bay Packers first-round draft pick Derek Sherrod has experienced several facets of NFL life in a short period of time.

Many slotted him as a top-20 selection, but he slipped to the final pick of the round. Sherrod was touted as the left tackle of the future, then was beat out for the starting job at left guard. He was inactive for the first three games, then received extended playing time when left tackle Chad Clifton sustained a hamstring injury in the second quarter against the Falcons. Sherrod gave up a sack that first series, but held up nicely the rest of the game.


The Press-Gazette caught up with Sherrod this week to discuss life inside and outside of football.
 
Now that you’ve had a couple days to reflect, thoughts on your first extended action in the NFL?


It was pretty exciting. Just going out there and trying to make every single play my best. Trying to help the team out as much as possible and just getting a ‘W’ for us.

Pretty special with mom, dad other family in attendance?


I definitely had fun seeing the parents a little bit after the game and just enjoying them being in the crowd to be there for that moment.
 
Now that you’ve seen the tape, how would you evaluate yourself?


I thought I did pretty good. There’s always things you can improve upon. Little things like fundamentals and technique, just things you can grind on each and every single day at practice.
 
Is it one of those things where you get the first one out of the way and then you can start rolling?


Definitely. Just going in there and working hard, that’s just like at practice, every single day it gets a little bit easier. Just working to make the most out of every single opportunity.
 
What has it been like getting acclimated to life away from the football field?


It hasn’t been too bad. I was pretty lucky to have my parents stay up here a little bit longer from their first visit to help me get situated. That helped me out a lot. I give a lot of props to them. That just took a lot off my plate because it’s sometimes tough being a rookie, coming into a new city, new surroundings and trying to pick up and go as quick as possible. That helped out a lot. I’m just getting used to things. It’s a great city and I love living here.
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 14, 2011, 06:50:46 pm
Surprisingly, Newhouse played well at LT with Clifton injured.  The Tackle position is looking much brighter.

The Packers needed second-year offensive lineman Newhouse to deliver. Thanks to his football smarts, Newhouse hasn't slowed the Packers' offense.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on October 15, 2011, 06:47:20 am
New way to treat Matthews injury?  Must have found the HGH...er, Preperation H.  Yah, that's it...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on October 15, 2011, 07:12:27 am
I guess now they will have to wait a week since they are testing this coming week.  Watch Matthews miraculously recover starting about week 8.  Nothing to see here folks, move along...

Found this article from last year on a Packer website of all things.

http://www.totalpackers.com/2010/05/07/clay-matthews-and-the-white-elephant-in-the-room/

Wow, gained 80 pounds in 4 years?  Nothing to see here, completely normal in my book.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 15, 2011, 09:08:44 am
All you can do is hope and pray grizz...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on October 16, 2011, 08:06:23 am
Ots - How much weight did you gain in college?  Not talking belly weight either...  So do you think Matthews is an HGH user or not?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 16, 2011, 09:00:23 am
Grizz

I went into college at about 172lbs and without even trying gained about 30 lbs. Without any evidence other than that he gained 80lbs. playing at a major college USC, he had to take HGH. Seems pretty thin.

No I don't think that he has taken HGH.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 16, 2011, 09:32:56 am
He took HGH.  He went from being skinny and small to being huge and ripped in a very short period of time.  Players at his school were busted for it so it was being used by guys he knew.

Would it hold up in a court of law?  No.  We all know he used it.   Hell have you seen him miked up for a game last year.  He was acting like a madman.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 16, 2011, 09:37:27 am
Seriously? Getting hyped up for NFL Football is proof of HGH use? Well, it now seems all of the 85' bears were on HGH.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 16, 2011, 10:11:23 am
Dude, He was screaming like an idiot after every single play.  The dud is was juicing.  I suspect he quit because he knew they were going to start testing for it.  Which is why he has sucked this year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 16, 2011, 07:27:44 pm
He is injured.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on October 16, 2011, 08:59:20 pm
Dudes definitely been on the juice...of course so was Urlacher at one time.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 16, 2011, 09:08:33 pm
I suspect Urlacher was at one point also.  But not anymore.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 17, 2011, 09:54:13 am
It’s the Packers, a gap, and everyone else.
 
One thing we know through six weeks of the season is that the Packers are, without question, the best team in the league.  They continue to look like the team that found its groove in the 2010 postseason, and it now seems highly likely that, barring an injury to Aaron Rodgers, they’ll be the top seed in the NFC.
 
Which mean that the road to Indy will wind through Lambeau Field.
 
Which means that the Packers could end up doing what no Packers team has done since the first two Super Bowls — winning back-to-back titles.
 
Given the way this team is playing, it’s not too early to start wondering whether the Packers could be the first team to win three straight Super Bowls.
 
I can picture Favre seethingdown in Kiln, Miss.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on October 17, 2011, 11:15:01 am
they are playing at a really high level but maybe they are peaking too early, we can hope :-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on October 17, 2011, 11:57:13 am
I thought the Patriots were unbeatable the last few years too
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 17, 2011, 01:45:23 pm
Ts' true that what counts is how you finish  the season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 17, 2011, 01:46:18 pm

Marshall Newhouse Deserves Some Type of Award

When Bryan Bulaga went down with an injury, Marshall Newhouse was put in a difficult position. He performed very well for two games while Bulaga recovered.

Now with Chad Clifton struggling with a knee injury, Newhouse has been forced to play left tackle and did a fantastic job this game against the St. Louis Rams. The Rams only sacked Aaron Rodgers once during the game. A large part of the success of the offensive line was due to Newhouse's outstanding play.

If there was a Replacement Player of the Year award, Newhouse would be that player for the Green Bay Packers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 17, 2011, 02:01:16 pm
shhhhhh, Peke has predicted that the Packer line would fall closer to the bear one in terms of performance.

Peke I'm not seeing the drop off yet...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 17, 2011, 02:12:26 pm
You played one of the worst teams in the league.  Let's see how they do when they face a decent pass rushing team.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on October 17, 2011, 05:24:27 pm
Rodgers is definitely best player in NFL right now.  However you have to remember that he is always one play away from being out and Packers would not be same team without him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on October 17, 2011, 06:46:26 pm
As with every team
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 17, 2011, 06:53:27 pm
No team would go from being so good to so bad by losing one player the way the Packers would.  Rodgers is probably the best QB in the league right now.

Their defense is really not that good.  They are able to gamble and not worry about the big play because they know Rodgers can go score for them.  Sure Flynn could come in and be competent but he is no Rodgers.

The Packers were really lucky to have Favre then get a guy who is actually better then Favre.  Franchise QB's do not grow on trees.  Well apparently in Green Bay they do.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on October 17, 2011, 09:12:33 pm
I don't think they would sink to the Colts level without Rogers but it wouldn't be too good.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 17, 2011, 09:56:45 pm
Good point.  I forgot about the Colts.  Man that was a drastic fall.

I think the two teams are comparable.  But yeah they dropped off worse then the Packers would.  I suppose you could make the argument the Saints would drop off pretty badly as well with out Brees.  The Pack and Saints are probabably neck and neck there.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 18, 2011, 02:47:44 pm
Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel


Oct. 17, 2011 |(95) Comments





Related Coverage

Undefeated Packers have imperfections to fix
Notes: Shields, Zombo ailing
Good recap of Packers status:

McGinn (Insider): Rating the Packers vs. R
 PACKER INSIDER
 Bob McGinn, beat writer

 Green Bay - The Green Bay Packers are 6-0, but as anybody with a basic knowledge of football can see, they are far from perfect.

Ask any coach in the National Football League and he would love to be standing in coach Mike McCarthy's shoes. An undefeated team, the hottest quarterback in the game, a defense that ranks tied for seventh for fewest points allowed.

What's not to like?

Well, at first glance everything looks pretty clean, but underneath the surface there are underperforming areas easy to overlook when a team is beating the likes of the Denver Broncos (1-4) and St. Louis Rams (0-5) with the Minnesota Vikings (1-5) on deck.

"There's some things we're doing extremely well and (we) will continue to build off it. That's why we're winning football games," McCarthy said Monday, a day after the Packers soundly but unimpressively beat the St. Louis Rams, 24-3. "But there's a number of fundamental things we need to improve on."

In describing one of those areas - the running game - McCarthy stated that it's not exactly the way it's supposed to look right now. That is the case in a number of areas on offense, defense and special teams.

Here's where things aren't looking like they're supposed to:
 
OFFENSE

The running game has been the soft spot in an offense that throws the ball as efficiently as any in the NFL, protects its star quarterback, is tied for the league lead in receptions of 40 or more yards and ranks first in scoring.

The victory over the Rams begged for the Packers to come out in the second half and dominate the game with their running attack. Ahead, 24-3, at halftime, the Packers should have been able to pound away on first and second down against a defense ranked dead last in the NFL in rushing yards allowed.

Instead, their backs gained just 43 yards and three first downs on 14 carries. From his standpoint, offensive coordinator Joe Philbin didn't see his offensive line sustaining blocks and giving Ryan Grant and James Starks much room to run.

"You have to block and break tackles," offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said. "I don't want to say it's all on the offensive linemen and that they're not blocking worth a lick. It's certainly more than that. The run game productivity overall has to get better."

Saying the cause was right tackle Bryan Bulaga playing in his first game back from a knee injury or Marshall Newhouse starting his first game at left tackle would be an excuse because there were breakdowns all over the line.

Philbin also identified receiver drops as an issue. By the Packers' count, there have been 10 in the past two games.
 
DEFENSE

The Packers give away 400 yards like banks give away pens.

They've done it three times this season, which is one more than they did all of last season. Most of the yardage is coming through the air and other than inside their own 20-yard line, there doesn't seem to be much of an answer for it.

Defensive coordinator Dom Capers is playing a lot of zone to protect cornerback Tramon Williams' sore shoulder, Charles Woodson's bad knee and foot and Morgan Burnett's broken hand, but it still shouldn't be that easy for teams to throw the ball against Capers' defense.

Right now, the defense is protecting its end zone with a vengeance, holding its opponents out of it for six straight quarters. Atlanta scored touchdowns twice in the first half when it got into the red zone, but St. Louis managed a field goal in three attempts.

For the season, the Packers rank tied for fourth in the NFL in touchdown percentage inside the 20-yard line at 38.1. They rank tied for seventh in points allowed per game (19).

"I think you don't want to put people down in there too many times where (they have) more opportunities," Capers said of the red zone. "The positive part of it yesterday was getting off the field on third and fourth down. We've had a few of those long drives against us.

"At times, we've been able to take the ball away, which is kind of the next phase."

Capers was not happy with the number of yards the defense gave up on first down, which makes calling plays a lot harder for him. He and McCarthy would both like to see better tackling.

The variable that could change things is the health of Williams, who is limited in the amount of bump-and-run coverage he can play. When Williams is healthy, Capers can go back to having him lock down the opponent's top receiver and letting Woodson do his thing.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS

It's pretty easy to pinpoint the problems with Shawn Slocum's unit. It's punt coverage.

The Packers rank 31st , allowing opponents an unsightly 21.3-yard average. They have allowed returns of 17, 20, 21, 39 and 72 yards, resulting in punter Tim Masthay ranking second to last in net average.

Some of the blame belongs to Masthay for hanging punts too close to the middle of the field, but Sunday against the Rams, when returns of 17 and 39 yards were allowed, Slocum was not happy with the coverage units.

"In terms of where we are in kickoff coverage, I feel like we've got the guys in the right spots," Slocum said. "I think we've had pretty good production there. From a punt standpoint, I was disappointed yesterday that we let two of those returns out of the bag. In terms of where our personnel's lined up, I think we're fine there."

Another concern of Slocum's is that opponents are doing a much better job against Randall Cobb on kickoff returns. After getting the ball beyond the 20 on every ball he returned the first four games, Cobb has been held behind the 20 four straight times in the last two games.

"We've got consecutive games getting tackled inside the 20," Slocum said. "We're going to change that. We need to do a better job blocking."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 18, 2011, 02:54:02 pm
Still more injuries :-(

Packers' Shields, Zombo ailing

By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel

Oct. 17, 2011 |(15) Comments





Related Coverage

Undefeated Packers have imperfections to fix
Notes: Shields, Zombo ailing
McGinn (Insider): Rating the Packers vs. Rams



Chat


10 a.m. Wednesday
 PACKER INSIDER
 Bob McGinn, beat writer
Submit Questions
 
Green Bay - This isn't good timing for either player. One was just getting his groove back, the other had just returned from a broken scapula.

Now, cornerback Sam Shields and outside linebacker Frank Zombo - two undrafted heroes a year ago - both have injuries to deal with. In the Green Bay Packers' 24-3 win over St. Louis Sunday, Shields suffered a concussion and Zombo hyperextended his knee.

Zombo played through the injury, while Shields' injury was painfully obvious. After picking off Sam Bradford's underthrown fade, Shields shifted into freelance mode. The corner attempted to take the ball out of the end zone and was lit up by receiver Brandon Gibson.

Coach Mike McCarthy said Shields will go through mandated concussion testing. He then must be cleared by a neutral neurologist. After a rough start to the season, Shields has strung together three straight games of big plays. Losing him this week could be a blow to a secondary dependent on interceptions.

McCarthy and Shields chatted about the interception return after Sunday's win.

"I think he learned a lesson yesterday on the field," McCarthy said. "You don't want to take away the aggressiveness of your players, particularly defensive players, and our ability to score or make big returns. You can't have it both ways . . . Anytime you handle the football you're a primary decision maker, whether you're a quarterback, the running back, receiver, the ball in your hands, you have to make good decisions."

As for Zombo, McCarthy will know more Wednesday. Considering he played through the injury Sunday, his chances this weekend in Minnesota would seem to be good. Zombo rotated with Erik Walden during the Rams game - Zombo's first appearance since breaking his scapula on Aug. 19 against the Arizona Cardinals.

Zombo didn't record any sacks or hits on Bradford but did finish with four tackles.

"Our main emphasis on defense is red-zone defense," Zombo said. "It's been like that since I've been here. It's bend but don't break. When we get in that red zone, we really hunker down and don't let teams score."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on October 18, 2011, 06:34:02 pm
good luck this weekend Packrat, I hope you only lose by 14 points :-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 19, 2011, 12:09:03 pm
Ouch.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 22, 2011, 10:26:47 am
Three Packer players fined last week               !
                                                                !!!!

 










Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 25, 2011, 06:59:30 pm


Green Bay - The temptation was overwhelming. Tramon Williams couldn't help himself. He wanted to make a rookie pay - on the first play from scrimmage.

His defense in zone, Williams bit. And bit hard.

"It was a double move," the Green Bay Packers cornerback said. "It's one of those plays that'll wake you up. You want to get that first pick off the rookie quarterback."

No pick here. Rookie Christian Ponder hit a wide-open Michael Jenkins for 72 yards. For Green Bay's secondary, this was the fifth pass play of 40 yards or more. The Packers recouped and recovered. They won, 33-27. But these first seven games have been a slog for Green Bay's pass defense to say the least.

Injury has fed ineffectiveness. This isn't the same group that befuddled Michael Vick, Matt Ryan, Jay Cutler and Ben Roethlisberger in suffocating succession en route to a Super Bowl win. All five of the Packers' top defensive backs have been victimized to some degree.

Nick Collins' season ended in Week 2 with a neck injury. Morgan Burnett has played the last two games with a bulging black club on his broken right hand. A shoulder injury suffered in the opener has dumbed down Williams' tenacity. Nickel corner Sam Shields missed Sunday with a concussion. And Charles Woodson? He's been battling through foot and knee pain, wear and tear from 14 NFL seasons.

So the yards continue to pile up. Pedestrian quarterbacks, at times, continue to be disguised as Pro Bowlers. Green Bay is giving up 289 passing yards per game, second-worst in the NFL. To compensate, the Packers are forcing turnovers. Their 13 interceptions rank first in the league.

So one week from now - when work resumes after the bye - regaining some semblance of normalcy in the secondary is paramount.

"The first half of the season here, we've gone through our share of mixing and matching from one week to the next," defensive coordinator Dom Capers said. "So hopefully we can get everybody healthy and working together and get off to a good start once we get back and go to San Diego."

There's reason for optimism.

Shields was cleared and will return for Green Bay's next game in San Diego Nov. 6. After his two picks on Ponder, it's safe to say Woodson won't be holding a cane any time soon. Maybe most important, Capers sees positive signs in Williams. Most of the season, the coach has been forced to camouflage the hurting corner with zone coverage. Often, Williams has lined up 10-12 yards off the ball.

Against the Vikings, he welcomed contact. In the third quarter, Williams lassoed Adrian Peterson to the turf for a 1-yard loss.

The healthier Williams gets, the more flexible Green Bay's defense is.

Inside the visitor's locker room Sunday, Williams ducked his head and smiled. After that first-play mistake, he was back in his element - man-to-man coverage.

"Pretty much the whole game," Williams said. "Pretty much the whole game, we played man. We did a good job. We stuck tight to receivers and that's why we were able to get our hands on a lot of balls."

Through a mash-up of scrambles and bullets on the run, Ponder did not disappoint in his starting debut. The Vikings, for once, have long-term hope under center. But Ponder also only completed 41% of his passes. In addition to Woodson's two picks, the defense totaled six pass breakups.

One player who didn't get his hands - or, um, hand - on a ball was Burnett. Again, he played with a cast over the right hand he broke in practice two weeks ago. He isn't sure if he'll need to keep wearing it after the bye week. Over the bye week, the free safety will keep a brace on his hand and ice it.

Away from trainers, he's on his own. Burnett hasn't bumped his hand into any doors or walls.

"Oh, nooo, nooo," said a frightful Burnett. "That would be terrible. I've been real cautious with it. I haven't bumped it or anything. That would be painful."

Burnett says his game hasn't changed at all with the club on. Since whiffing on a tackle in the first quarter against St. Louis, he has been serviceable if not the game-changer he was in September. Burnett hasn't been exposed in coverage, yet he also hasn't broken up any passes or caught an interception with the club on.

Somehow, none of these injuries have cost the Packers. They're 7-0. All those yards - in this bottom-line league - are irrelevant so far. As Williams, Burnett, Shields and Woodson heal, however, one player is done for good. And he could be found on the sideline at the Metrodome.

Sporting a black neck brace that he'll have removed Friday, Nick Collins was back. He's staying optimistic. Collins is still aiming to return next season. Until decision day arrives, he's helping out behind the scenes. Collins aspires to be a coach someday, so this is a start.

After reminding everyone - again - that "there's only one Nick Collins," Burnett said his job is simple. Be accountable, stay in position. He's gaining a comfort level with Charlie Peprah.

Of course, that's different rhetoric from what some defensive backs said through camp. They wanted to be in the conversation with the best defenses in the league. They felt underappreciated.

The case cannot be made right now. Check back in a month or two. Slowly but surely, players are getting healthier.

"Everybody has their nicks and bruises," Burnett said. "It's just part of it. You have to keep pushing to get the body right and get back out there."
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 25, 2011, 07:03:32 pm
Green done: Rookie Alex Green suffered a left knee injury on a first-quarter kickoff and will require surgery, McCarthy said Monday. Green will be placed on injured reserve and will miss the rest of the season.

"Very unfortunate for Alex. He was really coming on; we were looking for him to make an impact this year," said McCarthy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 26, 2011, 02:51:14 pm

Green Bay - Sometimes, the challenge isn't just to win.

It's maintaining a championship level of play even when the opponent isn't.

The Packers take this bye week off not only with the comfort of being 7-0 but also knowing they didn't lose a game they were supposed to win.

In those seven victories, the Packers haven't always been able to rely on their opponents to push them - not when four sit with losing records. So, the team has turned inward and made life tough with a meticulous and sometimes harsh grading system in which there is no such thing as an A for excellence or a C for average.

It's either pass or fail.

"We have a different grading system obviously than the people outside of our meeting room," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "It's based on the performance of every individual. Based on the level and the standard that we can play this game, we're playing above average right now. And I think that's very exciting because we feel strongly as a football team our best football is in front of us. It's clearly evident when we go through the grades and corrections."

The Packers' show-no-mercy grading system takes form soon after the game, usually on Sundays. Position coaches break down game film and grade every player on every play. The player is awarded a positive or a negative mark on every snap.

A "plus" means the player did everything right; a "minus" means they messed something up. Wrong technique, wrong gap, wrong route - any of these can earn a player a strike.

The overall objective, the Packers say, is to be on the plus side at least 80% of the time - and in some cases, as high as 90%.

"Anything less than 90, that's bad," defensive end Jarius Wynn said.

Where the Packers distinguish themselves is the ruthless nature of the grading. A Packer can earn a minus on a play even if the outcome was good.

Drop the running back for a loss? It could be a negative.

"If you're out of your gap, yeah!" end Ryan Pickett said. "They'll tell you, 'good job' - but you'll still get a minus. Oh, yeah."

The touchdown tight end Jermichael Finley scored at Chicago in Week 3 - despite running the wrong play - went through major scrutiny in the grading process.

"I can't remember if he had a minus or not. He might have had both," tight end Andrew Quarless said. "He scored, but it was a miscommunication - and the quarterback is always right.

"They're real, extra critical. The grades are based on a number of things. Technique. What did you accomplish? Your goal on the play. Did you make the play? As little as a fourth-step backward on a blocking play - that could be a minus."

The grades for receivers take it a step further with two marks: one plus or minus for running the right route or following the assignment; another plus or minus for the technique or the finish.

"If I'm supposed to run a three-step slant, I get a plus for running my assignment. I did my right thing," receiver Jordy Nelson said. "Now, if I did a three-step slant, which is correct, but he pushes me or I take a bad angle or have a bad catch, I might get a minus."

It depends on the position coach, but touchdowns or big catches often earn receivers a break and a favorable grade even if there was an imperfection. But the mistake is still acknowledged.

It's been said that quarterbacks coach Tom Clements is a tough grader of Aaron Rodgers, but many Packers say that's typical of all the assistants.

So much for resting on Super Bowl accomplishments. But it was that championship Feb. 6 that might have made the grading even tougher on the 2011 Packers. A few veterans dispute this and say the grading has been consistent during McCarthy's tenure.

But others swear it's gotten tougher.

"They're going to critique you more because you won," defensive end C.J. Wilson said. "They grade you really hard because we have a chance to be great."

"Whenever you have success, you raise the bar even that much more, and I think that's what has been going on here," fullback John Kuhn said. "Even though we might be doing well and getting victories, we raise the bar and try to do even better."

Of course, the coach and player don't always see eye to eye. The coach thinks a player should have been able to get lower, stretch farther, wrap up better. The player wonders whether the coach has forgotten how tough it is to bleed and sweat down after down. And so, debates rage over grades.

"Sometimes you might make a good play in the backfield, but you got reached. And you back-doored it," Pickett said. "You make a tackle for a loss and they'll be like, 'Great job! Again!' But . . . you got a minus on that play. Because you did the wrong thing."

Pickett, an 11-year veteran, shakes his head in awe of the tough grading. "You can't argue it. 'Come on, Coach?' No. You let it go," he said.

Defensive line coach Mike Trgovac isn't one for giving guys anything in grading.

"I got a negative, and I did pretty good on one play," Wilson said. "I had an assisted tackle, but because I didn't have my hands right, I got a negative. But I like that in a coach because he's trying to make me do better. He never lets off you."

Center Scott Wells hasn't always accepted a tough grade from line coach James Campen, but he speaks up only because he wants to get better.

"That's how we're able to all get on the same page," Wells said. "We're expected to execute as close to perfect as you can. We know that perfection is difficult, but that's what we're chasing.

"The expectations are high, as they should be. And they're high from the players. The expectations are high from the top down."

McCarthy oversees all of the grading and pushes for consistency throughout his staff as a way to get the players sharp.

"You can't let emotion play into it," McCarthy said. "It happens sometimes. A guy plays 99 plays in a row at a high level, and then he has one mistake and it's a critical mistake and, 'Oh, it's a losing performance.' That's why we watch it together, and everybody grades it. Then we go back to the team meetings, and everybody presents their grades."

That might be the best attribute of this team after all - the players generally welcome the high standards.

"It's hard to be perfect, but you want to be perfect every single play. That's the only way you can get better," rookie tackle Derek Sherrod said.

"It's tough when you have a team that does well; it's hard to stay on the ball," guard Josh Sitton said. "But the coaches do a good job of keeping things the same every week. The schedule is the exact same. We're going to walk through X amount of plays every week no matter who we're playing.

"They grade pretty tough every play. And I don't think we'd want it any other way. Most of the time we're our toughest critics. But when we need a little kick in the (expletive), they're there."
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 27, 2011, 06:50:11 pm
Checking in on Flynn's progress

 
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By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel

Oct. 26, 2011 |(75) Comments
 
Green Bay -- The sweepstakes is underway, off to a sizzling start in Indianapolis. “Suck for Luck” is all the rage. Next April, some team will land Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck. And USC’s Matt Barkley. And Oklahoma’s Landry Jones. Let the losing commence!
 
But don’t forget about that guy behind Aaron Rodgers, either.
 
Come March, backup quarterback Matt Flynn may finally get his shot at starting somewhere. The looming free agent has spent three years in possibly the best farm system a quarterback could ask for. Until then, he waits.

“Matt’s doing well,” quarterbacks coach Tom Clements said. “He’s in a good situation. I’m sure he wants to play but he understands that Aaron is a great player and ahead of him. But Matt has gotten better every year that he’s been here. When gets his opportunities, he does a very good job for us. He’s a very solid quarterback.”

It’s only October, of course. But a year ago, several teams (think: Carolina, Minnesota, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Cincinnati, San Francisco) invested in young quarterbacks. The market dwindled. For now, it's speculation. But check out the standings. Indianapolis, Miami, Seattle, Washington and Denver could be the only teams quarterback hunting. And in Denver, who knows? Maybe Tim Tebow’s magic carpet ride never ends.
 
Not that Flynn should be worried. Rodgers’ from-another-planet level of play lately can only help his cause. Flynn has gotten the same tutelage under the same people with the same waiting period. That’ll carry weight. From day one, the Packers refused to sign a veteran quarterback to back up Rodgers.
 
Confidence in the former seventh-rounder has paid off. In his last two preseasons, Flynn has thrown for 894 yards with four touchdowns and three picks. Always difficult to judge. He's playing against backups, with backups. Green Bay's second-string line this past August collapsed often. Flynn's Patriots game — not unlike Rodgers’ ’07 performance in Dallas — was a truer litmus test. Green Bay lost, of course, but the Packers’ inspired effort helped trigger a Super Bowl run.
 
Flynn went 24 of 37 for 251 yards with three scores and a pick. A far, far cry from his rookie spot duty in Tampa Bay.
 
The key to continued progression, Clements says, has been preparation. Each week, all three Packers quarterbacks must perfect specific types of throws they’ll need to make against that opponent. And while he threw an interception in his only appearance this season, Clements says Flynn has made strides this season.
 
“As the backup quarterback, you have to prepare each week as if you’re going to play because you’re one play away from playing,” Clements said. “Matt does a good job of that. He studies the plan and knows it.
 
“It’s obviously harder to get ready as if you were the starter because you don’t really see a light at the end of that tunnel. You just have to assume that maybe it’ll come sometime. He does a good job with it and when he’s called upon, he’s ready to play…Some guys are more diligent than others. Matt’s a diligent guy. I can’t speak for other quarterbacks but we’re
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 27, 2011, 06:57:35 pm
It’s not how you start, but how you finish.

Let’s remember those words as we listen to the pundits rave about the 7-0 Green Bay Packers, who are off to their best start in 49 years.


The compliments are nice and the praise from near and far makes Packers fans swell up with pride over their beloved team that sits atop the pro football world.


But they don’t crown the team with the best first-half record. In three months, when the snow is flying and the winter winds are howling, no one will care who was looking spiffy in late October.


This is not meant to diminish the Packers’ impressive start. Any achievement that comes around once every half-century or so cannot be easily dismissed.


The Packers have won a remarkable 13 consecutive games including last season’s playoff run to the Super Bowl championship. It’s been 10½ months since their last loss, and if you include games in which Aaron Rodgers was healthy, the unbeaten streak stretches almost an entire year.


Winning is extremely difficult in the NFL, yet the Packers are making it look easy.


Rodgers has emerged as the best quarterback in the league, and if he continues on his current career arc will threaten to become the greatest in history.


The Packers are averaging 33 points per game and their explosive offense is feared around the league.


With apologies to the New England Patriots, who haven’t won a championship in seven years, the Packers have become the NFL’s model franchise.


Yet for all the bouquets being tossed the Packers’ way, history tells us nothing is guaranteed this season. The past is littered with NFL teams, including defending champions, that sprinted out of the starting gate but stumbled down the stretch.


The 2007 Patriots will be remembered most not for their 16-0 regular-season record, but for losing in the Super Bowl and blowing the chance to be the first 19-0 team in NFL history.


That same year, the Indianapolis Colts were the reigning champions, started 7-0 and seemed invincible, yet couldn’t sustain their success and didn’t win a playoff game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on October 28, 2011, 06:17:39 am
That has been my thought also.  Green Bay is clearly the top team in the NFL - for now.  They have to tighten up that defense at some point or they will be on the losing end.  Rodgers has played extremely well, but he also has a suck game or two in him per season.  I don't recall a real hard shot on him yet either, but it will come and then you can trot out the greatness that is Matt Flynn.

But for the first two months on the season, the crown has to be worn by Green Bay.  But as other successful teams has shown, it is a 5 month season and not 2.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 29, 2011, 06:09:48 pm
True.  All true.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 01, 2011, 11:15:59 am
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on November 1, 2011, 10:48 AM EDT
 
Getty Images
Packers tight end Jermichael Finley is hoping to get a contract extension by the end of this season.
 
If that doesn’t happen, Finley is cool with the Packers placing the franchise tag on him next February.
 
“If they do that, I’m down with that,” Finley told Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “I ain’t going to be [ticked] off. I just love the game, and I was just blessed to be making money. I’m just taking it all in.”
 
Finley is saying all the right things in his contract year. More importantly, he’s stayed healthy after missing most of last season following knee surgery.
 
“You can’t ask for a better city just because there’s nothing to do, for one thing,” Finley said. “I’m going to be real with you, there’s less trouble you can get into. It’s first class in everything they do — contracts, around the building — everything’s first class.”
 
His numbers (25 catches, 334 yards, four touchdowns) aren’t quite as big as expected, but that’s largely because the Packers have so many other weapons. <font color=red>Plus he is drawing double-coverage.</font>It’s also possible Finley hasn’t completely regained his pre-surgery explosiveness.
 
The team has already signed guard Josh Sitton and wideout Jordy Nelson long-term this season. Finley’s deal always figured to be more complicated.
 
Retaining Finley at a big salary for 2012 via the franchise tag makes a lot of sense for the Packers, especially since Finley doesn’t have a problem with it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 01, 2011, 11:35:08 am
...The Packers have a much more difficult stretch to finish the season if first-half records are considered. The first seven opponents hold a 18-29 record with a .382 winning percentage, and include four teams (Panthers, Broncos, Rams, Vikings) with losing records. The final nine opponents have a 34-26 record with a .567 winning percentage, and just one (Vikings) has a losing record...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 02, 2011, 06:26:18 pm
Rodgers not worried about new deal
Nov 01, 2011 -- 10:10pm


GREEN BAY – While the Green Bay Packers have more immediate free-agency decisions to make – tight end Jermichael Finley, for example, spoke about his desire to be a “Packer for life” earlier this week – at some point, the team will have to address the fact that quarterback Aaron Rodgers has outperformed the contract he signed in 2008 that runs through 2014.

Speaking three years and one day after signing that deal – a six-year, $65 million contract that he signed after making just seven NFL starts – Rodgers said Tuesday on his weekly radio show on ESPNMilwaukee and ESPNMadison that he’s not thinking about when the team might tear up the remaining three years of his deal and sign him to a new extension.

“It’s not something I think about,” said Rodgers, who is represented by David Dunn, who handles many of the top quarterbacks’ contracts. “We were so blessed to be able to have that contract done in 2008. We knew at the time that was more money than I ever could have imagined signing for, and it was a no brainer for me. But we knew if I performed the way I felt I was capable of performing, that by league standards that by the time I got into my third or fourth or fifth season, that I’d be underpaid by league standards.

“But I don’t look at it that way. I look at it as I’m fortunate to make the kind of money I make and be in the situation I’m in and be with the Packers’ organization. I want to retire as a Packer. They know that, the fans know that, my teammates know that, and this is where I want to be. I’m not worried about (a new contract). We’re still a few years away from me completing this deal, and whenever it comes time to make a new deal, I’m looking forward to maybe signing my last deal, playing it out, and retiring.”

While the Packers have already signed wide receiver Jordy Nelson and right guard Josh Sitton to contract extensions, Finley, center Scott Wells, running back Ryan Grant and backup quarterback Matt Flynn are all set to be free agents after the season.

Rodgers, who turns 28 on Dec. 2, said he doesn’t plan on playing more than another 10 years.

“I like to focus on the here and now. I think that’s important to stay in the present,” Rodgers said. “You’ve also got to think about your end-of-your career and post career goals. I don’t really see myself 10 years from now still playing ball. I don’t. I’m in my seventh season. When you come in the league you want to get to five, and feel like that will be an accomplishment. When you get to five, you kind of want to get to eight. You get to eight, you get to 10, you think, ‘Man, that’s a decade of playing football.’ And anything after that is an added bonus.

“I just don’t see myself being 37 and still playing. Not that I wouldn’t enjoy it if I’m still healthy and playing the way I want to play, but I just see 12, 15 years, something in there, and it being quite an accomplishment, and something that I can be proud of.”

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 02, 2011, 07:02:30 pm
Green Bay Packers WR James Jones: Packers receiver James Jones talks about his new son named Lightning and getting ready for the Chargers after the bye week.

Baby named "Lightnng"  That sex must have been great.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on November 02, 2011, 10:11:45 pm
Heh.

If only he could "appear" as lightning on the grass. Jones relies on his stature and (sometimes suspect hands) rather than his speed - father projection onto the son?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on November 03, 2011, 11:25:35 am
Quote
Rodgers, who turns 28 on Dec. 2, said he doesn’t plan on playing more than another 10 years.

“I like to focus on the here and now. I think that’s important to stay in the present,” Rodgers said. “You’ve also got to think about your end-of-your career and post career goals. I don’t really see myself 10 years from now still playing ball. I don’t. I’m in my seventh season. When you come in the league you want to get to five, and feel like that will be an accomplishment. When you get to five, you kind of want to get to eight. You get to eight, you get to 10, you think, ‘Man, that’s a decade of playing football.’ And anything after that is an added bonus.

“I just don’t see myself being 37 and still playing. Not that I wouldn’t enjoy it if I’m still healthy and playing the way I want to play, but I just see 12, 15 years, something in there, and it being quite an accomplishment, and something that I can be proud of.”

OMG!  I am starting to have Farve flashbacks when Rodgers is already starting to talk about retirement!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on November 03, 2011, 12:06:43 pm
Swing and a miss.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 03, 2011, 06:59:53 pm
OMG!  I am starting to have Farve flashbacks when Rodgers is already starting to talk about retirement!

LMAO.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 04, 2011, 10:27:39 am
Rodgers honored: Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was named NFC offensive player of the month for October. He was 97 of 136 for 1,455 yards with 12 touchdowns, two interceptions and a 129.4 passer rating during October. He also won the award in September.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on November 07, 2011, 08:34:20 am
Good start to November as well...

I love having him back on my fantasy team.  And to think I picked him up off the waiver wire when Favre was still around....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 07, 2011, 11:56:36 am
Wise move, wml.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 07, 2011, 11:56:48 am

By Mike Spofford, packers.com staff writer

Posted 11 hours ago




Read
Discuss

Comments:

 
SAN DIEGO – Of the 68,908 fans in attendance at Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday, there’s no telling for sure how many were Packers fans, but there were plenty.
 
One-third might be a ballpark guess. Half would be an overestimation, but there were enough that at times it didn’t exactly feel like a road game to the Green Bay players.
 
“We definitely heard them,” linebacker A.J. Hawk said. “We heard the crowd. They were awesome. We could feel that yesterday when we got to town, that we had a lot of fans here.
 
“I don’t know if they came from all over if there were a lot of California Packers fans. It was a fun atmosphere to play in, and I’m sure our fans got pretty nervous there toward the end.”
 
Nervous yes, but they hung in there. When Charlie Peprah intercepted a pass in the final minute to seal the 45-38 victory, the cheer bordered on a full-throated roar.
 
“It was remarkable, the fan support that we get whenever we go on the road, and especially here,” said linebacker Clay Matthews, a southern California native. “There’s something about the Packers contingency out here. It was amazing.
 
“We were hearing the ‘Go Pack Go’ chants, they were cheering for their players. That’s what makes this organization, this team and these players so unique.”
 
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers put it best: “When you’re on the road, up by seven and they have to go to a silent count, that says something about your fans.”
 
Nifty feet: Rodgers’ 247 passing yards were a season low for 2011, but his 52 rushing yards were a season high and tied his career high.
 
Rodgers also had 52 rushing yards at home against Minnesota in 2009. On Sunday, he got almost half of his 52 on a 25-yard scramble to convert a third-and-9 late in the first half. The conversion helped lead to a touchdown with 18 seconds left in the half that gave the Packers a 28-17 lead at intermission.
 
The 25-yard run was by far Rodgers’ longest of the season. His previous best this year was an 11-yard touchdown run against Denver in Week 4.
 
Rodgers also had scrambles of 9, 11 and 4 yards in the first quarter on Sunday. He actually had a career-high 53 rushing yards until he took a knee following Peprah’s interception for a loss of one on the final play of the game.
 
New leader: The Packers’ struggles with rushing the passer are perhaps best illustrated by the fact that an unlikely candidate is now the team leader in sacks.
 
Inside linebacker Desmond Bishop got one of the Packers’ two sacks on Sunday and now has four on the season, tops on the team and a new personal career-high.
 
Because of the position Bishop plays, he’s not an every-down rusher and only comes after the quarterback when a blitz is called. Two defensive linemen and two outside linebackers are the standard four rushers when the Packers are in their usual nickel defense.
 
“Guys up front are getting double-teamed and I’m sure they’re double-teaming Clay,” Bishop said of the reason for the more frequent blitz calls. “It’s hard to get pressure when the quarterback is on time with everything.”
 
Bishop had three sacks last season and added another in the playoffs, giving him four in 20 games. His four in eight games this year speaks to his efficiency when he’s asked to rush.
 
“I think it’s been pretty effective,” he said.
 
Another hundred: Receiver Jordy Nelson led the Packers in receiving yards on Sunday with 105, his second 100-yard game in the last three contests.
 
Through his first three seasons in the league, Nelson had just two 100-yard games and the first one didn’t come until Week 16 against the Giants last season, when he had 124 yards. He added 140 in the Super Bowl.
 
Nelson now has four 100-yard games during the Packers’ current 14-game winning streak. That’s second on the team over that span, behind only Greg Jennings’ six.
 
Injury update: Linebacker Frank Zombo left the game in the second half with a hamstring injury. That’s Zombo’s third injury this season, following a broken shoulder blade and a hyperextended knee.
 
It was the only Packers reported injury.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on November 07, 2011, 07:30:14 pm
Well, its all well and nice to be 8-0 but nothing is won in November. I know everybody won't cry for me - I can't shake the feeling that there is no repeat if the defence doesn't tighten up between now and January.

One cannot expect the lights-out offence to bail them out every game, especially in pressure-packed playoff games in lousy weather. I wonder how Dom Capers sleeps well at night.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on November 07, 2011, 09:09:43 pm
Lack of communication cause of breakdowns

By Mike Spofford

The issue of defensive communication hasn’t come up much since Head Coach Mike McCarthy switched schemes and coordinators heading into 2009, but McCarthy pointed to that as the defensive downfall on Sunday in San Diego.

In compiling 460 total yards, the Chargers several times had receivers running free in the secondary, particularly in the fourth quarter when receiver Vincent Jackson caught two touchdown passes with hardly a defender around him.

“We had a number of communication errors that resulted in players put in bad positions, bad situations, and the Chargers took advantage of it,” McCarthy said on Monday, emphasizing that communication would be the “No. 1 topic of conversation” when the players return to work on Tuesday.

San Diego recorded seven “explosive” plays of 20-plus yards, a disturbing trend for Green Bay’s defense this season, and McCarthy said the team’s overall game operation, from substitutions to getting plays in from the sidelines, wasn’t “clean.”

“We’ve been talking about communication too much the last couple weeks and we have to do a better job,” he said. “It starts with the coaches, and it starts with me.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 08, 2011, 06:04:40 pm
AMEN!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 09, 2011, 07:38:00 pm
GREEN BAY, Calif. -- This was a football game that raced away from hackneyed film school melodrama to Hitchcockian thriller. It suddenly went from predictable to goosebump in a most unlikely theater.

Hercules would have gone all Barney Fife over this one. He would have wimped out, traded his loin cloth for a salt-and-pepper suit, retreated and called in sick from this labor the Chargers were assigned by the football Gods.


 They had to try and beat the Packers in the hostile, rainy environment of Qualcomm Stadium, with Green Bay players urging the thousands in their wandering flock to make noise when the visiting team that happened to be playing at home was on the field.


 It wasn’t bad enough the Chargers had to meet the World Champions on Sunday coming off two straight defeats. Battered, they had to play the unbeaten Packers, fresh off a bye, in one of their 30 homes away from home.


 And the local kids tried, they tried like hell, but they just weren’t up to it, doing their best to hold onto the rope before letting go at the end and losing 45-38.


 It was a terribly entertaining football game, fun to watch, full of the unusual and the usual -- one of the latter being the Chargers’ inability to win a big game against a good team.


 But they played their 4-4 butts off, tell you that, and the loss kept them in a three-way tie for first place in the AFC West with Oakland and Kansas City, also Sunday losers. This division has taken on the look of 2010 NFC West, which is not a sunrise by Maxfield Parrish.


 They proved they can play with the best team in the NFL, for what that’s worth. But another poor first quarter by quarterback Philip Rivers, which saw him toss two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns -- by DBs Charlie Peprah and Tramon Williams -- helped create a 21-7 Green Bay mountain, and the Chargers didn’t quite have enough gear to get to the top.


 Rivers settled down. He would complete 26 of 48 passes for 385 yards and four scores -- three to Vincent Jackson and another to tight end Antonio Gates -- but most of it came too late. For the first time in his career, he threw three picks, the third coming in the final, desperate moments when San Diego had turned a 45-24 yawner with 10:27 to play into a thriller. He also made a terrible decision on the penultimate drive, throwing to nobody while in the pocket and picking up a deserved intentional grounding penalty.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 11, 2011, 11:15:26 am

Comment From Bill
Mike, do you believe the party line that “poor communication” is the reason for the Packers defensive issues? I would suggest that the fact that the Packers lead the league in interceptions and rank 31st in passing yards are two sides of the same coin: they take risks to offset their physical weaknesses (Woodson’s age, Burnett’s hand, Williams’ shoulder, and who knows what about Shields). So far, this risk-taking has worked – the Packers are undefeated. Injuries will get better (but Woodson will get older and slower). Do you think this ends well?

11:06
 
Mike Vandermause:
Poor communication is just a buzz phrase for "we screwed up." You have a pretty good handle on the state of the secondary. Woodson isn't as good as he used to be -- age catches up with all of us. Tramon Williams has struggled with an injury during the first half of the season. Sam Shields is not what he was last year. Burnett is playing with a club on his arm and is essentially a "rookie" still learning the ropes. And clearly the Packers miss Pro Bowler Nick Collins. All of those factors, plus the lack of an adequate pass rush, have contributed to some of the defensive woes. But having said all that, this defense still makes plays when it has to. Thus, I think the Packers could win the Super Bowl, as is. I think this could end well, as long as the offense continues to carry a heavy load for this team and the defense continues to force turnovers.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 14, 2011, 07:13:59 pm
I see the ESPN Rodgers slurpfest is in overdrive tonight.  Makes me sick!

I hope the Vikings hit him and hit him often. 

GO VIKINGS!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 14, 2011, 07:42:44 pm
Patented Packer PI yet the refs keep the flags in their pocket.

Then there goes Cobb.  The route is on.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 14, 2011, 08:12:23 pm
They call it incomplete, then realize the Packers came up with it then say it is an interception.  Noi team gets more calls then the Packers.

They had it right the first time it is an incomplete pass it touched the ground twice before Woodson got control.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 14, 2011, 09:22:40 pm
OH SHIIIT!

Rodgers has a tramp stamp!  WTF?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Chris27 on November 14, 2011, 10:11:30 pm
Rogers is putting together the greatest season by a QB in NFL history. Only thing that could stop him is if he sits down the stretch.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 15, 2011, 06:47:10 pm
Have the Packers DBs gotten into rhythm.  They looked better last night. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 15, 2011, 06:54:20 pm
Defense also played better against the run,.  Peterson had 51 yards, compared with 175 in the first game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 15, 2011, 06:58:26 pm
After watching Rodgers he puts Favre in proper perspective. He was not that great overall.  He resembles Barry Sanders to me: made spectacular plays but couldn't make the big play many times under pressure.  Both were undisciplined.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on November 16, 2011, 01:04:30 pm
Read where Forrest Gregg has been diagnosed with Parkinsons.  Terrible afflicton and I only wish him the best.  He and Dika's mutual loathing made for some classic games.  I hope he's able to contain it a bit.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 16, 2011, 06:46:17 pm
Green Bay - He's not a savior. Coaches realize one player can't swoop in, cure the Green Bay Packers' pass-protection problems, keep Aaron Rodgers upright and fix unemployment all at once.

But one day after his quarterback absorbed some painful shots from the Minnesota Vikings, coach Mike McCarthy provided a nugget of optimism. Left tackle Chad Clifton, who has been out since suffering a severe hamstring injury Oct. 9 at Atlanta, may now have a rough timetable.

"I would have to say he's not going to make it this week, Detroit would be a push and the Giants would probably be realistic if he stays on schedule," McCarthy said.

That date would be Dec. 4, as in three weeks from now. Until then, Marshall Newhouse remains the starter. And against Minnesota's Jared Allen, the NFL's sacks leader, the second-year pro never found a groove.

Newhouse is confident and relies on quick feet to make adjustments on the fly, but any background noise that he had overtaken Clifton's job for good may have been squashed in Green Bay's 45-7 win Monday night.

As sharp as Green Bay's offense has been through nine games - rolling to a league-high 320 points in a perfect season - this leaky offensive line is becoming troublesome. Rodgers has been sacked 16 times in the last five games. Offensive coordinator Joe Philbin isn't thrilled.

"I probably stood here July 28 and told you that's one of the things we looked at in the off-season that we've got to do a better job at. I probably said it Oct. 5 and it's Nov. 15 and I'm still saying it," Philbin said. "That's a big thorn in our side right now. We've got to do a better job there, because that stuff catches up to you. You can't overcome that stuff. The more negative plays that you have, the tougher it becomes."

There isn't one specific culprit, Philbin said. Monday night's loose pocket was not all on Newhouse. And really, that's part of the problem. One common denominator hasn't been identified.

"If it was one person or one guy or one problem that continually manifested itself, I think we would have been smart enough to figure that out and eliminate it by now," Philbin said. "But it hasn't been. So it's been something we've got to work on. We've got to get it right. I think our guys are committed to doing that."
 
Saine watch

The last three weeks, running back James Starks has averaged 5.2 yards per carry. He's playing with more patience, more decisiveness and quickly resembling a bona fide No. 1 back.

Teammate Ryan Grant? Not so much. Since a breakout, 92-yard game in Week 3 at Chicago, the 28-year-old back is averaging a paltry 2.5 yards.

Yet, do not expect the pendulum to swing Starks' direction too much in the coming weeks. He won't be toting the ball 20, 25 times per game any time soon.

As McCarthy reminded everyone Tuesday, he isn't in the business of having one running back shoulder the load. He doesn't seek a "1,700-yard back."

The coach did hint at one possible tweak, however. With Grant stuck in neutral, maybe rookie Brandon Saine gets his chance soon.

"It's important to have a tandem of running backs," McCarthy said. "It's a long year, that's a very physically demanding position, and even adding to that, you have Ryan and James, but I really like the way Brandon's come on. I mean, he's been very impressive in practice and we're going to start using him some, hopefully as we move forward. So it's important to have all those guys ready."

Saine played three offensive snaps in Monday's win but didn't carry the ball. Promoted to the 53-man roster after rookie Alex Green suffered a season-ending torn anterior cruciate ligament, the rookie from Ohio State impressed coaches with his one-cut style and sure hands out of the backfield. Maybe soon, he gets a shot in the offense.

Rendered to special teams for now, his missed block at San Diego nearly spelled disaster on one of Tim Masthay's punts. Other than that, special teams coach Shawn Slocum said he's been solid.

"He's learning," Slocum said. "Just because of pure reps and missed off-season obviously. But, boy, he's playing combative and did some real nice things last night and I think he'll help us as we move forward."...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 16, 2011, 06:50:27 pm
Johnny Jolly: what addiction can do to a very good football player.

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/133905368.html
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 16, 2011, 07:01:52 pm
Green Bay - Every year since Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers has been here, there has been a signature game for his unit, a performance that smoothed out the rough spots and laid the foundation for a strong finish.

It happened with a victory over Dallas in Game 9 of the 2009 season.

It happened with a victory over the New York Jets in Game 8 of the 2010 season.

And so, after the Packers' 45-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night, did it happen again?

Time will tell whether holding the Vikings to a single touchdown was a seminal moment in the Packers' season or just an expected outcome when an 8-0 team goes against a 2-6 team with a rookie starting quarterback.

"I thought it was a real positive step in the right direction," Capers said. "I thought we played more like we're capable of playing last night. I think it started right from the beginning.

"It's nice when Mike (McCarthy) has confidence to defer and put you out on the field first, and you go out and respond. I thought our guys did that. We started much faster than we did in the past, and then we played a more consistent game."

In '09, the defense was coming off back-to-back games in which it had given up 38 points - one of them against the Brett Favre-quarterbacked Vikings - when it held the Cowboys to a single touchdown. The team went on to win five straight and by Week 12 ranked No. 1 in the league in defense.

Injuries in the secondary ultimately sank that team, but the turnaround helped vault the Packers into the playoffs.

Last year, the Packers lost back-to-back games against Washington and Miami and gave up 402 yards in a four-point victory at Minnesota. The next week, the Packers went on the road and shut out the New York Jets, kicking off a stretch in which they held their opponent under 21 points in eight of nine games.

They wound up riding that defense to a Super Bowl XLV victory.

On Monday night, the defense went into the game having allowed more than 400 yards in three straight games, including 460 at San Diego the week after the bye.

It responded by holding the Vikings to 266 yards, the second-fewest of its eight previous games, and not giving up a passing touchdown for only the second time this season. Even running back Adrian Peterson, who had 175 yards rushing in the first meeting, was held to 51 on 14 carries.

"We gave up too many points against San Diego," Capers said of the 45-38 victory. "But the last nine games last year I think we gave up 10.6 points a game or something like that. We kind of found our niche.

"I think that happens with teams. You've got to modify and adjust what you're doing to (opponents with what) you've got to do it out there. That's what coaching's all about."

Applying that to Monday night, the difference between the Vikings performance and others wasn't just that Capers blitzed a lot; it was that he got a lot of players involved blitzing. The season-ending loss of safety Nick Collins and nagging injuries to cornerbacks Charles Woodson (knee) and Tramon Williams (shoulder) as well as safety Morgan Burnett (broken hand) may have affected Capers' willingness to get creative the first half of the season.

But after the Chargers game, Woodson let him know it was time to get back to doing what got the Packers to the Super Bowl last year and that's what Capers did.

He blitzed the more athletic Burnett more than fellow safety Charlie Peprah. He brought Woodson from many directions, including a stand-up position right over the center that helped linebacker Clay Matthews get one-on-one blocks.

And he blitzed Williams, who had not been sent on a blitz a single time in the four games preceding the bye.

It might have been the first time Capers felt he had no restrictions on the way he could use his starters.

"As you go along and get a feel for what you're doing well and what you're not doing well, you try to improve the things that you're not doing well and you go with what's working well for you," Capers said. "Some games it works a little bit better than others. Last night it worked.

"Now the challenge is can we go out and make it work this week and make it work better. It's nice to see the guys go out and play more like we want to play on defense."

This week against Tampa Bay there wouldn't seem to be any reason not to be aggressive again. The Buccaneers rank 25th in scoring offense and interceptions and 30th in completions of 20 or more yards.

The following week when the Packers play at Detroit on Thanksgiving Day, it should present a clearer picture of how confident Capers is in his defense and whether his defense gives him anything to be confident about. The Lions threw the ball 63 times against Chicago on Sunday and won't be afraid to test Green Bay's pass rush and secondary inside Ford Field.

"If you go out and things aren't working so well, you try to seek answers elsewhere," Capers said. "I don't think you just continue to beat your head against the wall when what you're doing isn't working. What we did worked better last night.

"We played more consistent last night. We played more like we like to play as a Packer defense."

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 16, 2011, 07:37:35 pm

..."He's big," wide receiver Jordy Nelson said of Cobb. "We know he's a playmaker. Apparently we need to play in prime-time games more often for him. But we know he can do. He just has to keep doing it and stay consistent. That's the expectation now."

Offensively, the apprenticeship continues. No, Donald Driver isn't fading away by any means, as evident by his 22-yard back-shoulder reception. But Cobb has been taking more snaps from the veteran. On Monday, he caught all three passes thrown his way for 36 yards. Nelson calls Cobb a "grinder," a smart kid that's staying quiet and fitting in.

And Cobb says he knows his place. At this moment, the return game is where he's most dangerous.

Especially when he's angry.

"That's my job right now," he said. "Playing on a team like this with this caliber, you have to know your role. You have to know what your job is and what everybody's looking for you to do. Right now, my job is the return game."...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on November 17, 2011, 06:04:43 am
I am pretty impressed with what I have seen of Cobb as a returner.  He has a nice burst and good finishing speed.  I hope he never pans out as a receiver!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 17, 2011, 02:49:46 pm
IMHO, if he stays healthy Cobb will become a #1/#2 WR.  He could also be a fit as a "wildcat" type player.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on November 17, 2011, 05:21:23 pm

Cobb has to be more consistent catching those punts.

Pack's defense Monday night looked like a chinese fire drill - unpredictable - guys running all over the place. 

Contrast that to the Bears whose idea of an exotic defense is to blitz DJ Moore.  But the Packers have the DBs that can compensate for the exotic blitzes...Bears don't.

We really can't complain - the Bears D has been pretty solid the last few weeks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 17, 2011, 05:35:22 pm
The Bears' defense has been great last seaon and this.  Statistics show that.

Woodson asked Capers to go back to the old blitzing and unpredictable schemes.  Capers said he would do so if they would start being accountable for their assignments.  He did so on Monday and I think the players  fulfilled their promise.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 17, 2011, 07:38:26 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUGq8hIBuhQ&feature=channel_video_title

I don't know why but this makes me smile!

Stupid Packers making little girls cry! 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on November 18, 2011, 08:42:15 am
That, make me smile too.

Bet she cried after those mean old bear beat the vikes too.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 18, 2011, 04:05:21 pm
Johnny Jolly.
 
What a shameful waste of a great talent to drug addiction.

(http://cmsimg.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=U0&Date=20100716&Category=PKR01&ArtNo=7160809&Ref=PH&Item=1&Maxw=620&Maxh=465&q=60)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on November 18, 2011, 08:47:28 pm
what is worse about Jolly is the real criminals, the dealers will go free.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 19, 2011, 06:57:36 pm
Yep 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 19, 2011, 07:11:32 pm
By Bob Wolfley of the Journal Sentinel


Nov. 19, 2011 11:44 a.m. |(0) Comments
 
Scouts Inc. at its ESPN Insider site recently posted some interesting takes on the Packers.
 
The service ranked the top 50 players in the National Football League and selected four Packers players for that list.
 
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was ranked No. 1 one in the league halfway through this season.
 
Linebacker Clay Matthews was chosen No. 18. Wide receiver Greg Jennings was ranked No. 21. Tight end Jermichael Finley was ranked No. 30.
 
Just missing the list was cornerback Charles Woodson.
 
No Packers made the top five emerging cornerbacks list, but Sam Shields was one of three getting honorable mention in this category.
 
Finally, scout Gary Horton took a look at the tape of the Packers’ defense against the Vikings last week and pronounced: "If they stay aggressive, this defense is going to be just fine."
 
Horton said Green Bay’s defense this season has been "puzzling" because it has been near the bottom in pass defense, yet their takeaway total is near the top.
 
"They still show us all the pre-snap movement and exotic fronts that we are used to seeing, but they have not been a good sack defense and opposing quarterbacks have too much time to throw. That leads to a lot of completions, but also a lot of interceptions.
 
"Cornerback Charles Woodson is great off the edge or from the slot, and he does not give away the blitz until the last second, which helps him come free a lot of the time," Horton said. "Also, linebackers Clay Matthews and Desmond Bishop work well together on double blitzes."
 

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 20, 2011, 12:54:41 pm
Packers need to learn how to tackle.  Damn Blount ran them over, ran through them and punished them on the way to 7.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 20, 2011, 01:08:52 pm
14-10 Packers.

Blount is having a good day.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 20, 2011, 01:12:56 pm
OOH!  That is close.  I think they have to stay with the call on the field.  The replay is not conclusive.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 20, 2011, 01:19:32 pm
And the Pcckers catch a break as usual...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 20, 2011, 02:07:41 pm
So the Packers DB's can challenge receivers but if the receiver pushes back it is pass interference on the offense?  Got it!

The Packers get more gift calls than any team in the league.

It is the opposite of what happens to the Raiders.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 20, 2011, 02:28:26 pm
How does Winslow drop that?

Two point game now.

GO BUCS!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 20, 2011, 02:32:41 pm
Refs save the Packers again.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 20, 2011, 02:36:32 pm
Another phantom call.

Bucs can't beat the Packers and the refs.  The Packers will not lose a game ever again if the refs are going to call games like this for them every week.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 20, 2011, 02:38:58 pm
Third one this drive.  In that one Driver hooked the defenders arm and they called it on the Bucs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 20, 2011, 02:40:07 pm
Three automatic first downs given to the Packers that drive.  Unreal.

Every single one of them was questionable at best.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 20, 2011, 02:56:33 pm
Bucs intercept Rodgers when they should have been running the ball then drive down the field for 7.

2 point game again 4:25 left.

28-26 Packers.

The Bucs kicked an onside kick again?  Why?  They were obviously defending against it.  That was dumb ass coaching.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 20, 2011, 07:04:15 pm
Yep.  Thanks to TB for those two onside kicks.

...On any given Sunday....

Good thing that the Pack was not playing a good team.  The defense was poor, again.  Rogers was off on several passes and the WRs dropped too many passes.

A real squeaker. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 20, 2011, 07:05:13 pm
Maybe a loss wold be a good thing.  Might wake up the defense.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 20, 2011, 07:12:52 pm
Packrat the Packers keep having everything go their way.  The calls, the wierd bounces of the ball.  You may be right.  Hard for a Packer fan to root for a loss but that is what they need. 

If they do not lose a regular season game I would bet money on them to not win the Superbowl.   
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 20, 2011, 07:36:36 pm
I agree.  It would be better to lose one.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 20, 2011, 07:36:43 pm
All at once, Packers rookie Randall Cobb is returning kicks, punts and learning all the wide receiver positions. He says he does not feel overwhelmed. The key right now is balancing it all and finding his place on a Super Bowl contender
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 20, 2011, 07:39:39 pm


If you don’t have doubts at this point, then you’d better have your significant other check your pulse.

The issue at hand is not whether or not the Green Bay Packers can run the table. That’s merely feather in the cap stuff, entirely secondary to the main objective.


On Sunday, you witnessed exactly how this seemingly dream season could go up in smoke in a three-hour span.


When quarterback Aaron Rodgers is downgraded from otherwordly to merely human, when the defense shows it can’t cover a cough or tackle a turtle, when your punter has to channel his inner Ahman Green to avoid disaster, the Packers are in trouble.


The Buccaneers had the Packers in big trouble in their own back yard, but Green Bay made just enough plays, got just enough stops and benefitted from an abundance of good fortune to walk out with a 35-26 victory and move to an imperfect 10-0.


This epic struggle, mind you, came against a sub-.500 outfit with a history of freezing up in cold weather.


OK, we understood there was a clunker out there and it showed up Sunday. That the Packers still won says something. We’re just not sure what.


On Monday night, cornerback Charles Woodson, after holding the Vikings to 266 total yards in a 45-7 rout that represented a suspect defense’s first solid effort of the season, said in order for it to mean something the Packers had to build on that effort against the Bucs.


Didn’t happen. The Packers defense gave up 455 yards, the sixth time in 10 games they have surrendered at least 400 yards. It allowed a pedestrian Buccaneers offense to pile up 455 yards, just 11 fewer than their season-high of 466 that came against the winless Colts.


That’s the most disconcerting development. They couldn’t even hold their own against Tampa Bay. They went backward.


Woodson was nowhere to be found Sunday, so the question was put to defensive tackle Ryan Pickett. Is this a championship defense, or not?


“I don’t know. We are going to get better,’’ Pickett said. “This is the same defense we had, we’re going to get better. Yes, you ask me if I think we have a championship defense? Yes, I do.’’

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 21, 2011, 12:56:21 pm
With Jennings and Nelson you might say that GB has two #1 WRs.  OTOH, Finley has been disappointing.

Green Bay - They pause, stutter and brainstorm. Throughout the locker room, teammates take their best swing. Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson has to remind them of someone.

Randall Cobb is thinking grit. "Remember Ricky Proehl from the Carolina Panthers? That's who he reminds me of."

Andrew Quarless is thinking power. "He's a beast. I don't know. He plays really physical. He's hard to really bring down."

A few feet away from Nelson, Jermichael Finley shakes his head. "Jordy, man, he's an awesome receiver. He's going to work hard and do whatever he can to catch the ball."

OK, Charlie Peprah, give it your best shot.

"A better Ed McCaffrey, maybe?" the safety said. "I don't know. I think Ed McCaffrey might have been a little longer, but I don't know. He's faster than Ed McCaffrey."

Maybe there is no comparison. Nelson's morph from supplementary receiver into go-to star took another leap Sunday. There were lulls. For stretches, the Packers' offense was lethargic. A double-digit lead vanished. But through an uncharacteristic haze of miscues was Nelson leading Green Bay to a 35-26 win. He continues to burn cornerbacks with his speed, his strength, his smarts.

Sunday was a culmination of Nelson's complete repertoire. The fourth-year receiver finished with 123 yards on six receptions. He caught two touchdowns, including the game-clincher with 3 minutes left.

Truth be told, Nelson hates the spotlight. When his game was debated nationally last week - race serving as the central topic - he cringed. The attention made him "uncomfortable."

"I don't like being in the media," Nelson said. "Good, bad or indifferent."

That beam isn't going anywhere. Nelson's demoralizing, fourth-quarter catches continue. Against Tampa Bay, Greg Jennings and Jermichael Finley were mostly decoys. The two combined for only three receptions. And after Aaron Rodgers threw just his fourth interception of the season, the Buccaneers threatened to hand Green Bay its first loss.

On the sideline, Rodgers smacked his helmet against the steel bench, and Tampa Bay cut Green Bay's lead to 28-26.

On the ensuing drive, the Packers drove to the Buccaneers' 40-yard line and faced a third and 4. A red-hot Josh Freeman (342 yards, two touchdowns) was ready to get the ball back.

And then, Nelson's body of work this season paid off. All year, he has victimized defenses with back-shoulder receptions. That is, Rodgers zips a pass to Nelson's outside shoulder with the cornerback's back turned in mid-stride. With Tampa Bay's Myron Lewis in Velcro-tight coverage, Nelson took off.

He wasn't trying to sell the back-shoulder throw on this play. It just looked that way.

"The way it looked like he was going to throw the ball, it looked like it was going to be a jump ball," Nelson said. "So I slowed down a little bit to gather myself and get ready to jump. And then it came out of his hands and I took off. That little hesitation did help myself."

The hesitation froze Lewis long enough for Nelson to get separation, and he hauled in the touchdown to seal the win.

All game, Tampa Bay played aggressive, bump-and-run coverage. This game, the "power" that Quarless lauds was Nelson's best asset. On one third-and-9 conversion, Nelson beat E.J. Biggers' jam, raced up the left sideline and - with the corner executing a Gary Payton-like mugging - hauled in a sliding 26-yarder.

"He's definitely bigger and stronger than you realize," Peprah said. "I keep forgetting how big he is when I stand up next to him. You can play one-on-one out there and you can be faster than him, but he's going to outmuscle you. If you're stronger than him, he'll run by you. It's kind of a mismatch anytime."

And to think, Nelson's price tag could be rising daily. Scheduled to be a free agent after this season, he opted to ink a four-year, $14 million deal in early October. No regrets, he said. The offense suits him. More specifically, playing with Aaron Rodgers suits him.

Their growing rapport has often been the offense's greatest weapon.

"A lot of people believe getting in here that the hard part is the playbook," Nelson said. "The playbook's the easy thing. It's being on the same page with your quarterback. There are so many different things he wants in a route versus different coverages, you have to learn. So we'll continue to grow."

One thing. No more talk about race.

In talking to four Buccaneers players, Nelson learned Tampa Bay used last week's hoopla as a motivational ploy. Stories about his skin color sneaking up on opponents were posted in a Buccaneer meeting room, he said. Former Big 12 college foe, cornerback Aqib Talib, assured Nelson that he isn't sneaking up on anybody anymore.

Good try. He may be white. He may appear different from most Pro Bowl-level receivers. But with 40 catches for 756 yards and nine touchdowns, the talent is indisputable.

Nelson never compared himself to any other wide receivers. Growing up, he didn't play the position. He was a quarterback. A track star. A basketball star. He's just now personalizing his game as one of the NFL's best wide receivers.

To left guard T.J. Lang, that's the scary part.

"He's just getting started," Lang said. "I think people are just starting to realize who he is and how dangerous he can be."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 21, 2011, 07:13:14 pm
Defensive end Mike Neal made his season debut, playing a limited number of snaps, primarily as an inside rusher on third downs in the nickel package.
 
Neal said his knee, which he injured during training camp, feels fine and he expects to be able to play again on Thursday in Detroit.
 
He wasn’t credited with any defensive statistics from the press box crew, but Neal’s defensive mates were glad to see him back out on the field. Neal missed all but two games last season as a rookie due to various injuries.
 
“I saw one of the snapshots from the game, and the pressure he was bringing from the opposite edge was fantastic,” outside linebacker Clay Matthews said. “A guy of his caliber, his strength and overall build is only going to help us out getting pressure on the quarterback and collapsing the pocket
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 21, 2011, 07:14:27 pm
The Freezer:

 
B.J. Raji lined up in the offensive backfield on the goal line twice in the playoffs last season.
 
The first time, he was lead blocker for John Kuhn on a TD plunge. The second, he was a decoy as quarterback Aaron Rodgers ran a naked bootleg for a score.
 
On Sunday, it was his turn to get the ball.
 
Raji, who nicknamed himself “The Freezer” in the playoffs last year as a second act behind Chicago’s William “The Refrigerator” Perry in the 1980s, capped the Packers’ first scoring drive on Sunday with a 1-yard dive.
 
It took a while for the officials to get into the pile and make sure Raji had, in fact, scored, but he never had any doubts.
 
“Just the way I was facing and laying on top of bodies, I saw the line and knew I was across it,” Raji said.
 
The play was simple but deceptive. After Rodgers handed off quickly to Raji, he reached out with his other arm to run a fake to Kuhn, who was lined up deeper.
 
Tampa Bay linebacker Quincy Black had keyed on Kuhn and clocked him with a big hit, but he wasn’t the only one fooled.
 
“I think it even got the refs a little bit, because I think the side judge thought I had the ball and was coming to spot me,” Kuhn said. “It wasn’t until I got up without the ball that he saw B.J. had it.”
 
It’s the second touchdown of Raji’s career and first in the regular season. He scored on an interception return in the NFC Championship at Chicago last January.
 
Does that mean fantasy football players around the country should pick him up now?
 
“I think it would be in their best interests to,” Raji joked. “I’m just kidding. I don’t know when’s the next time I’ll get the ball, so I wouldn’t bet on that.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 24, 2011, 12:03:10 pm
Rodgers is playing scared.  He has had very little pressure on him but he is rushing his throws.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Chris27 on November 24, 2011, 02:35:12 pm
22-32, 307 yards, 2 TD's, 120 QB rating

I wish Cutler always played that scared.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 24, 2011, 02:45:36 pm
He didn't start playing well until Suh was ejected.  That turned the game right there.

That first half was the worst half of football I have seen from Rodgers in a long time.  He still played fairly well but he was not as accuarate as he usually is.  He did play pretty well in the second half when there was less of a pass rush since Suh was gone.

The Lions are a dirty undisciplined team.  Too bad they couldn't have taken the dirty shots on Rodgers the way they did Cutler.  The one Vandenbosch got called for was a 100% legal hit.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 27, 2011, 06:55:41 pm
Rodgrs: Future HC?:


Green Bay - Donald Driver was getting dressed for the game at St. Louis two years ago when Aaron Rodgers came over and handed him the game program.

"Read this," Rodgers said.

The article referred to Green Bay's veteran receiver being past his prime and too old to make any impact.

Driver, who has made a 13-year NFL career out of proving his detractors wrong, felt his blood boil. And then he caught four passes for 95 yards and a touchdown.

"That's something that I love about Aaron - he knows how much I love criticism," Driver said. "People tell me I can't do it; I prove them wrong. Soon after that at Detroit, I ended up winning the Gobbler. Pam Oliver said after the game something like, 'The old man does it again.'

"That was very, very motivating for Aaron to walk up to me and show me that. It was motivation to go out there and play at a high level. And he continues to push me now."

The Packers' elite quarterback is familiar with the power of motivation.

From the kids on the high school bus who said he'd never make it to the colleges and their rejection letters to the teams that passed on draft day to the boo-birds on Family Night. People said he couldn't run, was made of glass, couldn't rally in the fourth quarter and couldn't live up to the legacy of you-know-who.

He's used every one.

And now he finds ways to motivate his teammates.

With a look, or a word or a simple show of support, Rodgers prods his teammates to give more. There is no one formula for reaching 52 other guys. And that's the secret. Rodgers studies his teammates to come up with the best method to push them.

"That's why he has so much success," backup quarterback Graham Harrell said. "It's not just how well he plays but how he can get other guys to play around him."
 
The Look

Rodgers is playful with the defensive linemen in practice, but if you play with him on offense, you do not want The Look.

It's practice, and tight end Tom Crabtree makes a rare mistake. He looks up. Rodgers has zeroed in.

"It's a pretty good look. It's pretty constructive," Crabtree said. "But it's good to make those (mistakes) in practice, because then you definitely don't make it in a game."

A drop in practice. A mental error. A half-effort. Those will get the icy cobalt blue stare just long enough to make the receiver feel a little guilty, but most important - aware.

"We can't run a route at 75% in practice because we're not feeling it," receiver Jordy Nelson said. "Then the timing is all off and then he looks bad and he gets mad at us - and that will keep me moving forward.

"You don't want to get on the bad side."

The Look is much better than more demonstrative signs of disapproval. Rodgers keeps it low-key with The Look while still conveying his message: You can do better.

"Sometimes you can see it on his face, you know: 'Hey, come on, guys,' " right guard Josh Sitton said. "He's not the type of guy that's going to yell at you or put you down. He's a real positive guy. Everybody respects him.

"But when things are happening wrong, he kind of gives you that look, and when he gives you that look, you know."
 
Lessons learned

But The Look is nothing compared to being called out by Rodgers.

Rodgers motivates tight end Jermichael Finley by asking him to do everything the right way instead of just relying on his elite talent.

"He did jump me a couple of times, but nothing too brutal. Nothing I can't handle," Finley said. "Like if you didn't get your depth on running a route, he'll jump you for that.

"He's the quarterback, and if you want to get the ball, you've got to do it right."

But then as quickly as Rodgers pushes Finley, he praises him with something he noticed.

"He does a good job adapting to each guy, like someone like Jermichael, who is a little more wired than most guys, or Jordy and Greg Jennings, who are more laid-back," Harrell said. "He knows how to get to each one of them personally."

But Rodgers' attempts at motivation don't always work. Last year, when rookie running back James Starks came off the physically unable to perform list, Rodgers nudged him to work harder in practice.

Well, it was more like a scolding.

And Rodgers now believes he was wrong.

"He is probably the nicest guy in the locker room. And I felt bad because I kind of ripped him a couple of times," Rodgers said. "So I had to go to him and apologize. It took me a little to figure out he was out for nine weeks and kind of how he's best motivated.

"He just needs that constant encouragement. Reminders - but in a way that's uplifting."
 
The history behind it

Rodgers realized 10 years ago at Butte College that it helped to understand his teammates in order to ask them to play their best.

"I was 18, just out of high school," Rodgers said. "Our center was 25 from Canada, our left tackle had been in the Army, one of my best friends on the team had been in prison - he was our free safety. I really learned the difference between leading a bunch of high schoolers - you're all about the same age - and leading guys who come from all different backgrounds."

Rodgers takes the time to educate himself on his teammates by being observant and making the effort to get to know them.

Tim Masthay had been in Green Bay less than 48 hours. He was thrown immediately in to a two-man fight for the punting job. He was a number. Totally anonymous.

And yet someone kept messing with him.

Masthay was working out with the special-teams unit. The quarterbacks were in the middle of a March practice. Masthay did a triple-take to realize it was Rodgers, whom he had never met, joking around with him. Still feeling like a guest, Masthay was floored.

"He called me by my first name," Masthay said. "Me - a rookie free agent, new off the street, a punter, frankly bottom of the totem pole. Yet he immediately made me feel welcome and a part of the team."

Rodgers does his research: Where is the player from, his college and what other parts of his background are relatable or interesting.

"I wanted to talk to Diyral Briggs right away and get his story, to Erik Walden and Howard Green and get his story, because that can only make us better," Rodgers said. "The chemistry of the team is often under-appreciated or overlooked when you talk about success. When you know the guy next to you - when you can count on him, you've hung out with him, you know what kind of person he is, know how he's motivated - then you can figure out the buttons to push."

A year and a half later, Masthay wants to perform his best, naturally, but part of that is because he doesn't want to let anyone down, most of all Rodgers.

"We were playing Detroit at home. The week before I hit the ball pretty decent, but Devin Hester had returned one," Masthay said. "There was all this pressure on the punting and on me. I started out the Detroit game with a bad punt; I just kind of shanked one out of bounds. The crowd is booing here at home.

"I come to the sideline and a couple of teammates talk to me, but he pulled me off to the side - and he's getting ready to start an offensive series - and just settled me down. 'Just do your stuff.' "
 
A calming presence

For all the competitive nature of Rodgers, his calming effect on the team can be seen most often in his receivers.

"You know what he does that other quarterbacks don't? It's in the huddle: 'Let's just take one throw at a time,' " Driver said. "That motivates everyone in the huddle - even if you are nervous, like, 'Man, I've got to make every play count. This may be my one opportunity.' He makes you forget that.

"He motivates the guys to say, 'Let's not worry about how many balls we've got. Let's just play.' Because when it's all said and done, no one is going to care about you having a 1,000-yard season - everyone is going to care about us winning the whole thing."

That's an entirely different kind of motivation, unique to a 2011 Packers squad that is so deep at receiver and tight end. Rodgers has to find a way to keep everyone content when things can't always be fair.

The Packers won the season opener against New Orleans, but not everyone was happy. James Jones had one reception. This was not what he had hoped. Though Jones knew the Packers had depth at receiver, he had waited for his time. He had signed a new contract. His moment was now.

Rodgers didn't want to let that issue fester, so he talked with Jones right away.

"I wanted him to know - one, I have confidence in him," Rodgers said. "Two, I agree with him. He should get more opportunities. And three, when he's in there, to run every route as if he's going to get the ball.

"I don't think that's going to directly correlate to him playing well the next couple of weeks or anything. But I just hope he understood that I had confidence in him and I was agreeing with him."

Jennings, Nelson, Finley and even Starks have had more catches than Jones, who had a surreal performance at Detroit on Thursday with three catches including a 65-yard touchdown. He's shown he could be a starter. It's got to be a challenge for the 27-year-old in his prime, but he hasn't vented since.

One mission, one heartbeat, one team. Case closed.

Rodgers seems to enjoy being around his teammates and figuring out what makes them tick for the fulfillment of being a part of something bigger than himself - a team. A good team. And though he's about to turn 28 years old, and perhaps win his first Most Valuable Player award, he's still reading his teammates, listening and watching them, pushing them and encouraging them.

"When you think you've got it figured out, you stop being attentive to what your teammates need, because we're a locker room that's changing," Rodgers said. "Guys change. Their priorities change. Their off-the-field lives change. Guys have kids, get married, guys may have something in their life that's happened that is traumatic.

"You can't talk to a guy the same when he's had those experiences. You have to be sensitive to them and their needs and maybe their situation."
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: AmazinGrace on November 28, 2011, 10:25:10 pm
I'd love to see the Packers stay undefeated........right up until hopefully playing the Bears in the playoffs with Cutler back. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 29, 2011, 12:38:31 pm
That would be a good game.  I don't think McCarthy would take the pedal off the metal.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 29, 2011, 12:38:41 pm
With a four-game lead and just five games to play, the Packers are on the verge of clinching the NFC North Division title.
 
 As for the homefield advantage in the playoffs, the Packers (11-0) have a two-game lead over the 49ers (9-2), who have the easiest remaining schedule among NFC playoff contenders.
 
 Four of the Packers’ final five opponents have winning records, while four of the 49ers’ final five opponents have losing records.
 
 The Packers aren’t the only hot team in the NFC. The five teams ranking below them in the NFC playoff race — the 49ers, Saints, Cowboys, Bears and Falcons — have each won four of their last five games.
 
If the playoffs ended today, the Lions and Giants would be out, while the Bears and Falcons would secure the two NFC wild-card playoff berths.
 
The Packers and 49ers would earn first-round byes, while based on the current NFC seedings, first-round playoff pairings would include the No. 6 Falcons at No. 3 New Orleans, and No. 5 Chicago at No. 4 Dallas.
 
If the higher seeds won those games, No. 4 Dallas would play at No. 1 Green Bay in the divisional round, while No. 3 New Orleans would play at No. 2 San Francisco.
 
But there’s a lot of football left to be played over the final five weeks of the regular season, so those scenarios are far from set in stone. 
 
 Here is a look at the NFC playoff race, including the remaining schedules:
 
1. PACKERS 11-0
 
 At Giants (6-5)
 
 Raiders (7-4)
 
 At Chiefs (4-7)
 
 Bears (7-4)
 
 Lions (7-4)
 
 Opponent record: 31-24
 
 2. 49ERS 9-2
 
Rams (2-9)
 
At Cardinals (4-7)
 
Steelers (8-3)
 
At Seahawks (4-7)
 
At Rams (2-9)
 
Opp. record: 20-35
 
3. SAINTS 8-3
 
Lions (7-4)
 
At Titans (6-5)
 
At Vikings (2-9)
 
Falcons (7-4)
 
Panthers (3-8)
 
Opp. record: 25-30
 
4. COWBOYS 7-4
 
At Cardinals (4-7)
 
Giants (6-5)
 
At Bucs (4-7)
 
Eagles (4-7)
 
At Giants (6-5)
 
Opp. record: 24-31
 
5. BEARS 7-4
 
Chiefs (4-7)
 
At Broncos (6-5)
 
Seahawks (4-7)
 
At Packers (11-0)
 
At Vikings (2-9)
 
Opp. record: 27-28
 
6. FALCONS 7-4
 
At Texans (8-3)
 
At Panthers (3-8)
 
Jaguars (3-8)
 
At Saints (8-3)
 
Buccaneers (4-7)
 
Opp. record: 26-29
 
7. LIONS 7-4
 
At Saints (8-3)
 
Vikings (2-9)
 
At Oakland (7-4)
 
Chargers (4-7)
 
At Packers (11-0)
 
Opp. record: 32-23
 
8. GIANTS 6-5
 
Packers (11-0)
 
At Cowboys (7-4)
 
Redskins (4-7)
 
At Jets (6-5)
 
Cowboys (7-4)
 
Opp. record: 35-20
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on December 01, 2011, 05:03:27 pm
So Pack fans.....buying shares? $250 a pop.  As with putting cheese on my head, I think (as a non packer fan) I'll pass.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 03, 2011, 11:24:01 am
GREEN BAY — Most people figured that if the Green Bay Packers’ perfect season was going to end, it would happen at Detroit on Thanksgiving Day.

Not me.


I had Sunday’s road game against the New York Giants in the office pool.


Despite a three-game losing streak that has dropped the Giants’ record to 6-5, I haven’t changed my mind, either. As talk of a 16-0 regular season mounts for the 11-0 Packers, I think their toughest remaining opponent will be the short-handed, staggering Giants at MetLife Stadium.


There are several reasons for that, some the Packers have control over, some they don’t.


First, talk of an undefeated season, a nuisance for weeks, was upgraded to a possible distraction for the Packers after their victory over the Lions. Second, the Giants, when they’re healthy anyway, have what it takes to give the Packers fits, which is a good running game and a strong pass rush. Finally, the Giants under coach Tom Couglin have been the NFL’s ultimate hot-and-cold team, talented enough to beat anyone but prone to inexplicable losing streaks.


Ironically, the Packers’ 17-game winning streak, including playoff games, began with a rout of the Giants at Lambeau Field last December. One more victory would tie the Packers with the 1997-98 Denver Broncos for second-best streak of all-time, three behind the New England Patriots, who won 21 in a row in 2003 and ‘04
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 03, 2011, 06:37:12 pm


Written by

Mike Vandermause
Filed Under



  Ted Thompson’s very first draft choice as general manager of the Packers was Aaron Rodgers.
 
  The date was April 23, 2005, and the story is well known about how Rodgers fell from being a potential top-10 pick all the way to the Packers at No. 24 in the first round.
 
  Rodgers is now in his fourth year as a starter and is considered by many to be the best quarterback in the NFL. He is having not just an MVP season, but a year that could go down as the greatest for any quarterback in NFL history.
 
  Thompson’s selection of Rodgers is looking better and better all the time.
 
  In my interview with Thompson this week, he reflected back on what he was thinking regarding Rodgers six years ago in preparation for the draft.
 
  “With about a week or 10 days before the draft, we kept seeing things where he might be falling down to like 10th,” recalled Thompson. “First he was going to be first or second, then maybe down to eighth, then maybe 10th and you hear even more things. We really got busy on him probably a week or 10 days before the draft.
 
  “We’d done the work, we’d been to the pro days, we’d done all that, but in terms of zeroing in and saying OK what are we talking about here? And at some point in that time I watched a USC game where he completed like 22 or 23 passes in a row against a really good defense and we got comfortable.
 
  “We said, ‘we need a lot of things but if this kid comes to us, we’re going to take the best player available.’”
 
  Think of all the teams that are kicking themselves now for not recognizing Rodgers’ vast potential. The Minnesota Vikings passed on Rodgers not once but twice in the first round, in favor of receiver Troy Williamson (No. 7) and defensive lineman Erasmus James (No. 18).
 
   Thompson couldn’t believe his good fortune when Rodgers was still available at No. 24. Even though the Packers had Brett Favre and didn’t have a pressing need for a quarterback, Thompson couldn’t pass up the chance to take his signal caller of the future.
 
  “Coach (Mike) Sherman and I talked about it and he was on board with it, and it was time,” said Thompson. “Back in the ‘90s Ron (Wolf) always liked to take a quarterback, whether it was in the second round or the seventh round, he liked having another quarterback. That’s kind of the way that was. It was a little earlier than the ones that Ron took but it was time.”
 
   When asked if the drafting of Rodgers was proof that his system of taking the best player available works best, Thompson replied: “You could use that as an argument and say this is the reason you do this. But I could come up with other things and show you, and it wouldn’t look as good. But in this particular case it helped us out. I think the good Lord was looking down on us.”
 
  Here is another look at the teams that passed up the chance to draft Rodgers in the first round of the 2005 draft:
 
1. 49ers, QB Alex Smith
 
2. Dolphins, RB Ronnie Brown
 
3. Browns, WR Braylon Edwards
 
4. Bears, RB Cedric Benson
 
5. Bucs, RB Cadillac Williams
 
6. Titans, CB Pacman Jones
 
7. Vikings, WR Troy Williamson
 
8. Cardinals, DB Antrel Rolle
 
9. Redskins, DB Carlos Rogers
 
10. Lions, WR Mike Williams
 
11. Cowboys, OLB DeMarcus Ware
 
12. Chargers, OLB Shawne Merriman
 
13. Saints, T Jammal Brown
 
14. Panthers, DB Thomas Davis
 
15. Chiefs, OLB Derrick Johnson
 
16. Texans, DT Travis Johnson
 
17. Bengals, LB David Poliack
 
18. Vikings, DE Erasmus James
 
19. Rams, T Alex Barron
 
20. Cowboys, DE Marcus Spears
 
21. Jaguars, WR Matt Jones
 
22. Ravens, WR Mark Clayton
 
23. Raiders, CB Fabian Washington
 
24. Packers, QB Aaron Rodgers
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 04, 2011, 07:50:03 pm
Packers 12-0 and Badgers going to the Rose Bowl.  Good year for Wisconsinites.

Packers had 7 dropped passes.  Rodgers just kept throwing darts.

Giants played a good game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 04, 2011, 08:01:28 pm
Driver still doing it.  The old geezer had two TDs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on December 06, 2011, 01:38:27 pm
Rodgers is a funny guy...

http://www.rodgersphotobomb.com/tagged/2011

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on December 06, 2011, 02:29:32 pm
What is this guy thinking?

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/12/06/packers-quarterbacks-coach-tom-clements-wants-penn-state-job/

- Option A, stay in Green Bay, keep working with the best QB in the game today (and potentially, the best of all time), win multiple SuperBowls, eventually write your own ticket as either an OC or a freelance NFL QB consultant,

OR

- Option B, take HC gig in a disgraced Big 10 college in godforsaken Western P.A., trying to fill the shoes of a living legend at a school that will be hit with the mother of all NCAA probations before it's all said and done.

I just don't get how people think sometimes. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on December 06, 2011, 02:44:57 pm
The money for the inevitable laws suits will drain alot of the atheltic dept., don't think for one minute everbody at Penn State won't remember which department caused all this. I bet behind closed doors the football dept. will be the punching bag for all other departments for all time. Including the English and art departments.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on December 06, 2011, 02:51:22 pm
I suspect Penn State's FB program will be hit with a minimum 5-year ban on bowl appearances and will have their scholarships dramatically reduced for the same period of time.

Combine that with what is yet to come to light in the numerous legal investigations and no high school player of any caliber will want to go there.  Nor will any of their parents want them to go there.  Which means that once the current talent graduates there are going to be some horrifically bad Penn State teams absorbing a barrage of Big Ten beatdowns for years to come. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on December 06, 2011, 03:15:43 pm
He is probably just sick of looking at Erin "bug eyes" Rodgers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on December 06, 2011, 04:48:16 pm
Says a lot about how miserable it must be to have to live in Green Bay
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 06, 2011, 06:23:27 pm
He is probably just sick of looking at Erin "bug eyes" Rodgers.

Thanks, bug-eyes, you is my ticket to the big time.   ;-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 06, 2011, 06:34:23 pm
FA Saine signed with GB because they "promote from within".
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 07, 2011, 06:38:04 pm
By Bob Wolfley of the Journal Sentinel


Dec. 3, 2011 |(9) Comments
 
Former Miami Dolphins Don Shula, whose 1972 team (17-0) was the only in National Football League history to go through a season undefeated, was asked in an interview how he and his ’72 players would react if the Packers went 19-0.
 
Shula, 81, made his remarks Friday on a Miami-area radio station, WBGG-FM (105.9).
 
"If somebody does it I’m going to be the first guy to call their coach and congratulate them," Shula said. "And I think their players will call their players and congratulate them. But until that happens, we are still very proud of what we did, the fact that nobody did it before us and nobody has done it since.
 
"But the Packers really look good," Shula said. "Aaron Rodgers is making all the plays. They are well-coached. They’ve got great fans. So you never know. It’s almost happened a couple of times."
 
Meanwhile, the studio analysts on the NFL Network discussed the prospects of the Packers going undefeated in the regular season.
 
"I think they will go 16-0, but the tough one will be the last one against Detroit," said Steve Mariucci.
 
Deion Sanders was asked if he thought the Packers will lose.
 
"When they play an intrasquad game," Sanders said.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 07, 2011, 06:49:04 pm
I could never picture Martz using Finley in this way.  I think that McCarthey is a very under-rated HC/Play caller.,
 
Green Bay - There are parts of tight end Jermichael Finley's game you can identify with no difficulty at all.

There are the catches (42), the yards (600) and the touchdowns (six). There are the drops (nine), the false-starts (four) and the lapses in blocking (occasional). There are the complaints to the officials (a few too many) and the brash statements (fewer than in previous years).

There are all those things that make Finley as recognizable on the field as any member of the Green Bay Packers.

Then there are the things you probably don't see at all.

Like the incredibly long list of plays he has to run from one of five positions he plays for the NFL's fourth-leading offense. Like the attention Finley draws from opponents on almost every passing play. Like the role he plays in helping quarterback Aaron Rodgers identify coverage before the ball is snapped.

Finley might frustrate the button-down fan who would prefer he be less demonstrative on the field, be a little more humble and care at little bit less about his next contract. From an opponent's perspective, however, he is a respected if not feared force.

"You have to deal with him," said Tampa Bay Buccaneers pro personnel director Shelton Quarles, whose team held Finley to one catch for 30 yards. "You can't cover him with a linebacker. He's too quick. It's tough to do it with a safety, too.

"You can try to cover him with a corner. But you have to put someone over the top against him. But then there's Jordy (Nelson). He can hurt you, too. It's sort of like pick your poison."

Based on the way teams have played the Packers this season, opponents have chosen not to let Finley bring them to their knees. There is rarely an occasion where Finley gets to run a route with only one defender to worry about.

"Usually, it's an inside linebacker underneath and a safety over the top," Finley said. "Sometimes it's a corner and sometimes it's a safety. But there's usually someone over the top. I don't know if everybody sees that."

Finley's value to the 2011 Packers is best quantified in team production.

Many fans argue that Finley's value isn't that great because the team won a Super Bowl last year when he missed all but five games with a knee injury. But the 12-0 record and offensive dominance this season suggest otherwise.

You have to factor in the flawless play of Rodgers, but it would be hard not to acknowledge Finley has played a large part in the offense seeing its numbers increase from 358.1 yards, 24.2 points and two passing touchdowns per game last year to 405, 35 and three this year.

And with the pressure on the offense greater because of the defense playing at a far poorer level than a year ago, those improved numbers have been vital to the team's success.

"I think he is critical," said an NFC personnel executive who asked not to be identified. "Look at the Packers and those receivers and think about that. I'm sure he's helping out Jordy. Jordy is playing his (butt) off from what I've seen. But (Finley) has a lot to prove."

What makes Finley especially valuable is the multiple positions he can play. Listed at 6 feet 5 inches and 247 pounds, he is as fast as many receivers in the NFL and quicker than a lot of them.

His big soft hands have deserted him at times this season, but that probably has more to do with him pressing a little bit - his coaches say he's taking his eye off the ball because of his desire to get yards after the catch. When it counted in a 38-35 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday, he plucked a Rodgers dart from the air and outran a linebacker for a 24-yard gain to start the game-winning drive.

During a game, he'll line up in as many as five positions: in-line tight end, slot and flex receiver, outside receiver and fullback. Often, he lines up wide by himself to draw a safety so a receiver on the other side can get one-on-one coverage.

Because Greg Jennings often gets the other double-team, Nelson, Donald Driver and James Jones get most of the one-on-ones.

"They move him a ton, too," the personnel executive said. "The backfield, they flex him out, they use him to see how a team is going to defend him so Aaron knows what kind of coverage he's going to get. He (Rodgers) has got this guy that can move around and see how the defense shifts.

"He's so fast and quick in and out of his breaks, just like a big receiver. A linebacker can't play him. You go straight man, you have to put a cover safety or a big corner on him and then put a safety over him. We don't have one of those. I really want Santa to bring us one of those for Christmas."

A perfect example of Finley's impact came on Nelson's 21-yard catch in the fourth quarter that set up the Packers' last touchdown against the Giants. Finley lined up in the left slot and motioned all the way to the other side of the field.

The safety who was covering him followed and Rodgers understood he had man-to-man coverage on Nelson. He threw the ball up and Nelson made a terrific catch over a cornerback who had no safety help.

Another time, Finley not only drew a linebacker in coverage, but the Giants removed defensive lineman Justin Tuck from their pass rush so he could jam Finley at the line and tie him up. The Giants sacrificed pass rush to neutralize the tight end.

Finally, on Driver's first touchdown, the Giants blew coverage and left the Packers receiver wide open. Two defenders went after Finley and a third seemed occupied by him.

"That's my thing right now, remembering we have a great receiving corps," Finley said. "I like being part of it. That's what I wish for and dream about. But I have to be patient. Sometimes you're opening things up for other guys."

This season Finley has played split end roughly 25% of the time, slot or flex receiver 28% of the time, tight end 43% of the time and fullback 4% of the time. In order to do that, he has to study the assignments of each position, be prepared to execute them from different spots in the formation and read the way the opposition is playing him.

The closest thing might be the receiver position, where wideouts must learn split end, flanker and slot.

"I don't think it's even close," tight ends coach Ben McAdoo said. "He has stuff from the backfield and stuff from the in-line position. It's like playing receiver, slot receiver, split end, tight end, tackle, fullback - you have to be able to do it all.

"You try to hone it in what you have for that particular week. But usually at some point in time he'll have something from every area."

Finley said remembering all the assignments is harder than actually executing, but he said while his grades might not have been the best at the University of Texas, his football knowledge is top-shelf.

McAdoo wouldn't dispute that.

"You can't be a (dummy), no," McAdoo said. "You have to be able to think quick. A lot of time book smarts may help, may not help. Usually they help you in the classroom.

"When you're on the field you have to think quickly. You have to be able to react quickly in space and naturally in space. That's something he does well. He's got a lot on his plate. We ask a lot of him."

Finley, it seems, delivers in more ways than one.
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on December 09, 2011, 01:44:06 pm
Why is this thread called what it is?

We own you and the NFL now!!!!

Bow to the North serfs...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on December 09, 2011, 05:21:30 pm

If you don't like the name of the thread - leave.

I'm sure there is a place you could go where your comments would be appreciated...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 09, 2011, 06:31:09 pm
There is, but it's unprintable.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 09, 2011, 06:42:22 pm
Is there no end?

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on December 9, 2011, 2:05 PM EST
 
AP
It’s not like Mike McCarthy needs an excuse to throw the ball in almost any situation. He was one anyhow this week with James Starks officially out with an ankle injury.
 
Ryan Grant figures to get early down work, while rookie Brandon Saine picks up passing down duties. Grant just hasn’t returned the same player after his injury last year.
 
It will be tougher for the Packers to run because their best lineman Josh Sitton is out. Linebacker Desmond Bishop is also out of the mix.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on December 10, 2011, 11:26:39 pm
Ewww, bitter bear fan face...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 12, 2011, 06:14:26 pm
Jennings out "couple of weeks"

By Mike Spofford, packers.com staff writer

Posted 1 hour ago
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 12, 2011, 06:40:26 pm

Game notes: Packers pad interceptions lead

By Mike Spofford, packers.com staff writer

The Packers came into Sunday’s game with six more interceptions than any other team in the league, and there’s even less chance anyone will catch them now.
 
Green Bay intercepted Oakland quarterback Carson Palmer four times in the 46-16 victory, giving the Packers a league-best 27 interceptions with three regular-season games remaining.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 13, 2011, 06:35:37 pm


The play-offs are a comin'.


By Mike Spofford, packers.com staff writer

The Packers came into Sunday’s game with six more interceptions than any other team in the league, and there’s even less chance anyone will catch them now.
 
Green Bay intercepted Oakland quarterback Carson Palmer four times in the 46-16 victory, giving the Packers a league-best 27 interceptions with three regular-season games remaining.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 16, 2011, 11:33:48 am
Posted by Michael David Smith on December 16, 2011, 12:24 PM EST
 
Getty Images
Joe Montana might be the best quarterback in NFL history, but he thinks Aaron Rodgers is having a better season than he ever had — or that anyone ever had.
 
Asked on the Dan Patrick Show whether his best season was as good as Rodgers’ 2011 season, Montana said he didn’t think it was.
 
“The one he’s having right now is pretty phenomenal,” Montana said of Rodgers’ season. “I’m not sure I had one like that.”
 
Asked if any quarterback has had a season like Rodgers, Montana said he couldn’t think of one.
 
“I don’t think so,” Montana said. “From my understanding, the way the numbers are going, I don’t think anyone has.”
 
With a passer rating of 123.3 this year, Rodgers has a good chance of breaking Peyton Manning’s single-season passer rating record, which he set in 2004 with a rating of 121.1. If, in the next three games, Rodgers wraps up both the passer rating record and an undefeated season, it would be hard to argue with the idea that Rodgers has had the best year of any quarterback ever to play the game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 16, 2011, 11:44:29 am
Tori Gurley decided his prospects were better staying where he is, so rather than take the Minnesota Vikings’ offer for a spot on their 53-man roster this week, he accepted a pay raise to remain on the Green Bay Packers’ practice squad the rest of the season.

Gurley, a rookie receiver from South Carolina, has been on the Packers’ practice squad all season after making a good showing in training camp. He didn’t make the Packers’ 53-man roster because they had six receivers ahead of him, but this year appears likely to be Donald Driver’s last with the Packers, so Gurley will have a much better chance of making the team next year.


“I’m learning from some of the best receivers in the game right now,” Gurley said. “Our offense, the way it’s clicking, the green isn’t going to be greener on the other side, so I’m just learning and taking it one day at a time, and my opportunity is going to come.”


Gurley said the Packers gave him a raise from his practice squad salary — the minimum for the practice squad is $5,700 a week, which is $96,900 for the season. The minimum salary for a rookie on the 53-man roster is about $22,000 a week, or $375,000 for the season. Gurley didn’t say how much the raise was, but chances are it’s comparable to the $22,000 a week he would have earned with the Vikings for the final three games.


Gurley and the rest of the practice-squad players also get at least a partial share of the Packers’ playoffs money...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Phill23 on December 20, 2011, 07:01:46 pm
Report: Woman arrested for choking daughter over Packers’ loss

Chicago Sun-Times
December 20, 2011 3:30PM


A drunken Wisconsin woman reportedly took out her frustration over the Packers’ first loss of the season on her daughter and husband.

Police say the 36-year-old Grand Chute woman choked her 11-year-old daughter and attempted to punch her husband in the face when she became angered with the Packers’ 19-14 loss to the Chiefs, the Appleton Post Crescent reports.

The woman was charged with felony child abuse and misdemeanor counts of bail jumping and disorderly conduct, the report stated.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 21, 2011, 07:47:07 pm
...He {McCarthy}has been pleased with the play of rookie Randall Cobb, who he termed mature. Has handled everything we have thrown at him, according to McCarthy, and has been asked to do a lot of different things. He isn’t worried about Cobb hitting a rookie wall.
 
* He wouldn’t comment on whether the Packers considered signing tackle Mark Tauscher.
 
*He said Aaron Rodgers has been the best player in the NFL and deserves the MVP award.
 
*Desmond Bishop looked good at practice and has a chance to play Sunday if he continues to go the way he did today.
 
*Bears quarterback Josh McCown is an exceptional athlete, makes plays with his feet and has a good arm.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 22, 2011, 10:56:55 am

A new national survey released Wednesday has found what Green Bay Packers fans have been saying for years: The Pack is "America's Team."

Public Policy Polling, which normally conducts surveys on politicians and issues, sometimes throws in a few questions about sports.

In its most recent survey, conducted Friday through last Sunday, survey respondents nationwide were asked to name their most favorite team in the National Football League.

A total of 22% said the Green Bay Packers, far outdistancing the second most favorite team, the Dallas Cowboys, which got 11%.

After the Cowboys, 8% each named the Chicago Bears, the New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

A total of 7% said their favorite team was the New Orleans Saints, with 6% for the New England Patriots, 4% for the Washington Redskins and 2% for the New York Jets.

Tom Jensen, a Public Policy Polling spokesman, said nine teams were picked for the question because earlier polls conducted by the Harris Poll found those teams ranked as the most popular.

A total of 24% of those surveyed in the Public Policy Polling survey said their favorite NFL team was either some other team not in the question or they weren't sure.

Jensen said a different poll conducted in Montana found that residents there ranked the Packers as their favorite team.

"We figured that if Montana likes the Packers, we should check around the country," Jensen said.

As pro football's only publicly owned franchise that has already sold at least 185,000 shares at $250 a pop to help finance a Lambeau Field expansion project and as football's defending Super Bowl champion, the Packers would seem to be a popular choice.

The survey certainly backs that up. According to the survey, the Packers were seen positively by 57% of voters in the country compared with only 13% who had a negative opinion and 30% who were not sure. According to those who took the survey, every subgroup that was looked at - ideology, gender, party, race and age - had a strong favorable opinion of the Packers.

Those are numbers any politician would love to have.

Mark Murphy, the team's president and CEO, said the team appreciates the support it gets nationwide.

"It's nice to see these types of responses in surveys that show the broad appeal the Packers have nationally," Murphy said. "The success of the team certainly helps. We've felt for some time that if the Packers aren't a fan's favorite team, we're the fan's second favorite team. Football fans like the Packers' story as well as our strong history and tradition."

Interestingly, one-third of the survey respondents were not called until after Sunday's game between the Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Packers lost, 19-14, ending what so far had been a perfect season. So, even as the Packers laid an egg in Kansas City, fans across the country still viewed them as their favorite team.

The Cowboys, often called "America's Team," were viewed more negatively. A total of 41% of those surveyed had a negative opinion of the Cowboys. In fact, twice as many people surveyed (22%) said Dallas was their least favorite team as those who said the Cowboys were their favorite team (11%).

In a one-to-one matchup, Public Policy Polling pitted the Packers vs. the Cowboys in a separate question: Which team do you like better, the Packers or the Cowboys?

The answer: the Packers, 49% to 28%.

Broken down by party, Democrats like the Packers better than the Cowboys, 44-26. And Republicans really like the Packers better: 60-29. Independents also like the Packers vs. the Cowboys: 44-30.

Public Policy Polling surveyed 700 voters nationwide. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

The same survey also took stock of the star NFL quarterbacks, including Aaron Rodgers. According to the survey, Rodgers, the Super Bowl MVP, did not move the needle much in terms of exposure. A total of 53% of those surveyed nationally said they had no opinion of him, while 39% said they had a favorable view of him, and 8% said they had an unfavorable view of him.

Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts, who has not played this season, had the highest favorability rating of the quarterbacks surveyed: 51%.

The survey also found that Tim Tebow of the Denver Broncos is America's favorite right now (15%), followed by Eli Manning (14%); Peyton (12%); and Drew Brees, Rodgers and Tom Brady (10% each).

The Packers also are a draw nationally on television. The NFL reported Wednesday that of the most-watched shows during the fall TV season, the three Packers games ranked in the top 10. The games were, in order, Packers vs. the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day (second with 30.2 million viewers); Packers vs. Giants, Dec. 11 (third with 29.8 million viewers); and Packers vs. Saints (eighth with 27.1 million viewers).
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 22, 2011, 11:54:28 am
Green Bay - Green Bay Packers end Mike Neal said he has to face facts.

He is not going to be the player he wants or expects to be this season because of the knee injury he suffered during training camp.

Neal, who played in his fifth game of the year Sunday against Kansas City, saw his snaps drop to a dozen because of a lack of production. Since returning from surgery to repair cartilage in his left knee Sept. 14, he has been a shell of the player the Packers saw briefly in 2010...  UGH!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 26, 2011, 08:56:18 am
The Packers sure miss defensive lineman Ryan Pickett, who was inactive for the second straight game because of the concussion he sustained on Dec. 11 against Oakland. Without Pickett last week at Kansas City, the Packers gave up 139 yards rushing. They almost gave up that much in the first half against the Bears. It didn’t matter that Chicago was missing its top two running backs, Matt Forte and Marion Barber. Backups Kahlil Bell and Armando Allen did just fine. In the first half alone, the Bears rushed 25 times for 126 yards. Bell surpassed 100 yards in the third quarter. Defensive coordinator Dom Capers tried just about everything in his playbook to slow down the Bears’ running game, but almost nothing worked. To try to make up for losing Pickett’s size inside, Capers employed his seldom-used, four-linemen package in addition to playing a mix of base, nickel and dime. And it shouldn’t have been a surprise the Bears would use a run-heavy game plan considering they were playing a quarterback, Josh McCown, who was making his first start since 2007.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on December 26, 2011, 02:29:08 pm
... and they miss Cullen Jenkins as sacks are down from 47 to 27 after 14 games this season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 26, 2011, 05:10:25 pm
True, Fearless.  Clearly McCarthty and Thompson were counting on Mike Neal to come back and play the way he did before his injury.  Another DL bust?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 26, 2011, 05:14:09 pm
<b<Film clip,  Rodgers talks about the game.  He said he thought that on his run between Urlacher and the other LB he was afraid he was overmatched.  Lucky that he didn't bet hit by either or there might have been some lamenting in GB.

http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Rodgers-O-Linemen-are-the-MVPs-tonight/9997e92f-7ee4-46b2-abd4-d89d86ca207a?campaign=e111226
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 26, 2011, 05:16:08 pm
Rodgers probably has a problem tryhing to find a starlet fiance'.  She probably says "you want me to live where"?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on December 26, 2011, 06:03:31 pm
I always assumed he was gay. Not that there is anything wrong with that.  Probably has a poofy pirate shirt too.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on December 26, 2011, 11:38:10 pm
True, Fearless.  Clearly McCarthty and Thompson were counting on Mike Neal to come back and play the way he did before his injury.  Another DL bust?

Bust in not becoming what he could (still?) have, although the injury is why more than any faulty with him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on December 28, 2011, 11:35:12 pm
The Green Bay Packers may be selling stock through February.

The team is selling 30,000 additional shares because the initial offering of 250,000 shares is within a couple thousand of being sold out, the organization said Tuesday. The Packers reported selling 185,000 shares in the first 48 hours of the sale, which began Dec. 6.


If the Packers sell 280,000 shares, they will gross $70 million in sales. That money, minus expenses, will be used for the Packers’ $143 million expansion of Lambeau Field, the team said.

An expansion to Lambeau Field in which the Packer team will ask for NO public funds like other greedy arse teams.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 29, 2011, 10:15:41 am

Green Bay - When Green Bay Packers linebacker Erik Walden was pulled at the end of the game against Kansas City, it was because he was playing poorly.

Walden acknowledged as much after the game.

When he was pulled out of the game Sunday night against Chicago, it was because he had lost seven pounds overnight fighting off a stomach virus and wasn't playing as robustly as he usually does, especially against the run.

"It's not an excuse," Walden said Wednesday. "But I wasn't able to eat and I didn't have any strength. I didn't eat from Saturday morning until about 4 (p.m.) the next day. I couldn't eat. I was like drinking this Pedialyte to try to stay hydrated."

Walden gave way to Brad Jones in the second quarter and played sparingly after that. Jones eventually gave way to rookie Vic So'oto, who got more playing time than he has all season.

The other outside linebacker, Frank Zombo, was inactive.

Heading into the last week of the regular season, Walden has left the door open for the competition at the right outside linebacker position. Since end Cullen Jenkins left, Pro Bowl linebacker Clay Matthews has not really had a partner rushing from an opposite side.

Defensive coordinator Dom Capers said Monday he played So'oto and fellow rookie Jamari Lattimore to see whether they might be able to add something as the team hits the postseason. It shows that he's still not satisfied with what he's getting on the right side.

Until Thanksgiving night in Detroit, Walden looked to have a strong hold on the position. The week before he had 11 tackles and a sack against Tampa Bay, and against the Lions he had 10 tackles and three quarterback knockdowns.

After returning home from the Lions game, Walden was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic abuse.

The Packers have played four games since the incident, and Walden has had no more than six tackles in any one of them, no sacks and three quarterback knockdowns. Against Kansas City, he was pulled late in the game after his play nose-dived.

"Not at all have I been distracted," insisted Walden, who on Tuesday found out he was scheduled for trial in mid-February to face charges, which the Green Bay district attorney dropped from felony to misdemeanor.

Whatever the case, his play has allowed others to show they would be better options come playoff time. In practice, Zombo and Jones got snaps with the No. 1 defense.

None of the three has been told who will start Sunday against the Lions at Lambeau Field.

Fan favorite So'oto said he doubted he was in the mix after getting his shot against the Bears. While he thought he did some good things, he said he had a couple of missed assignments, which are quick tickets to the bench when you play for defensive coordinator Dom Capers.

Capers referred to So'oto as "very raw."

While he was pleased with his effort, So'oto said the transition from college defensive end has taken longer than he hoped and in comparing himself to someone like Matthews he could see he wasn't playing with an economy of movement.

"Looking at the film, I see the difference between a young guy like me and a seasoned veteran," So'oto said. "He's more efficient with his movements. He uses his body to the best of his ability all the time.

"I definitely have to learn to do things like I do when I'm not exerting that much energy, using up all my energy. Clay knows how to push and pull and use his body the right way."

An option Capers will consider is Zombo, who was inactive last week. He said that was because an extra defensive lineman was needed and he wasn't in that week's special teams plan. Zombo has been inactive 11 weeks, nine of which were while he recovered from a broken scapula and then a hamstring pull.

The starter at right outside linebacker in Super Bowl XLV, Zombo hasn't had the second season he had envisioned. When he was finally active against Kansas City and replaced Walden, Zombo was guilty of poor run play on the Chiefs' final series.
 
Hoping for a chance

Zombo said he didn't know whether he was going to start, but he sensed that he was going to be given a chance to prove himself against the Lions. This is in all probability his last chance this season, so he has to tighten up his run-playing skills and find a way to get to the quarterback.

"I'd love the opportunity," said Zombo, who had five sacks last year in a part-time role. "I don't know how we're going to do it. It's been a tough year. I had a good start and then the injuries set me back.

"I'm still trying to kind of knock off the rust a little bit."

Jones has been mostly a special teams player, although he started five games last year. He's assignment-sound and decent against the run, but he doesn't have the natural pass rush ability of Zombo.

Walden, meanwhile, said he's feeling much better physically and expects to be full strength on Sunday, but his hold on the position has been compromised with two subpar performances.

"The last two weeks I haven't played at a high level, and it happened at a point in time when we really need to get to that level we were at last year," Walden said. "So it's really important we get back to that point."
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 29, 2011, 10:17:48 am
Lost season for Zombo due to injuries.  I'm anxious to see him back next season  -- along with a healthy Nick Collins.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 29, 2011, 10:24:40 am


 
Green Bay - Greg Jennings is out, Ryan Pickett is back, Randall Cobb is iffy, Bryan Bulaga is close and Jermichael Finley is a bit of a sore subject.

That, in a nutshell, is the Green Bay Packers' injury situation heading into their game against the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Coach Mike McCarthy said Wednesday that Jennings was a no-go even though the injured receiver ran vigorously along the sideline during practice. He did not do any cutting or full-out sprints, so it's clear he's still in the process of building strength in his sprained left knee.

Pickett returned to practice for the first time since suffering a concussion against Oakland on Dec. 11 and is cleared to play. Cobb, who has an injured groin, and Bulaga, who is nursing a knee injury, both have some tests to pass before being cleared.

Finley is another story.

When asked why Finley was on the injury report with a knee injury, McCarthy said: "I really don't have a whole lot of information on Jermichael. It was last minute, I didn't find out about it until right before practice, so I have no feeling for Jermichael Finley right now."

McCarthy seemed a little miffed over Finley's absence from practice, probably because he had no idea he would be without him. It doesn't appear that Finley's injury is serious, but rather a case of his legs being worn down.

Finley said he aggravated a sore left knee against Kansas City but didn't say anything about it until he came back from the players' off day.

"I came in this morning and just felt that my legs were beat up," Finley said. "I thought it was a day where I could get my legs back under me (by resting). Sunday is what counts. That was my thought.

"My legs really weren't feeling right today and my left knee, where in Kansas City I was banging on it and falling on it several times . . . it's not ligament damage, it's just been banged so many times. It's the knee, but besides that I'm good."

Finley said he thought McCarthy knew about him feeling less than 100% but said he planned on having a discussion with him later to clarify the situation. The knee that Finley is having trouble with is not the one that required surgery last year.

As for Cobb playing Sunday, McCarthy said he will not practice in pads Thursday and then will visit with the doctor to see whether he can go Friday. If he's hurting in any way, it's hard to imagine them risking Cobb aggravating it further given the Lions game is meaningless to the Packers.

Bulaga, McCarthy said, was rounding into shape.

"He's getting close, too," McCarthy said.

"He will not practice until probably Friday would be his first chance. He'll see the doctor again Friday morning."

Clifton's return nears: The plan for Chad Clifton is clear. McCarthy wants the veteran left tackle to play Sunday. For how long? We'll see. The left tackle hasn't played since suffering a hamstring injury in Week 5, but there may be a chance he starts this weekend.

On Wednesday, Clifton took part in all team activities. During a screen drill, he worked with the No. 1 offense. While it's unlikely Clifton would play a full game, the team wants to see how he handles game reps after missing nearly three months of action. McCarthy wouldn't commit to Clifton as the starter quite yet.

"We'll see how he gets through practice, and really I feel like I'm going to say that probably 10 times today, that's why you practice," McCarthy said.

No hard feelings: Don't count on any bulletin-board material from Evan Dietrich-Smith this week. The Packers guard said he has moved on from Ndamukong Suh's Thanksgiving Day stomp on his biceps. Dietrich-Smith said the Lions defensive tackle called him a couple days after the Packers' 27-15 win to apologize for his antics.

"We talked, he said 'sorry' and I said 'no big deal,' " Dietrich-Smith said Wednesday. "That was about it. . . . I think we've all moved past it. It's a big learning experience for everybody. I think everyone in the league can take note of everything. I think every player is going to take a step forward to move past that kind of stuff."

Finley's contract year and he is not meeting performance expectations.  No Pro-Bowl and he is definitely losing bargaining power.
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 29, 2011, 10:54:37 am
There were big expectations for Mike Neal entering the 2011 season.

He has hardly lived up to half those expectations following a preseason injury and pedestrian play upon his return. Since returning against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Neal has struggled to record just three tackles.

With Cullen Jenkins out, the Packers needed a player to replicate Jenkins's success in 2010 in order to get pressure on the quarterback. The inability to stay healthy and Neal's new-found invisibility cloak on the field have put him on this list.

Whether it's a matter of Neal not being fully healthy or not remains to be seen and may not be discovered until the next offseason. 
 
Beginning to look like another Harrel.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 31, 2011, 12:59:05 pm

Green Bay - It remains to be seen what this rookie class will offer the Green Bay Packers over the long haul.

In the short term, the group has done its job.

What was the worst area of the Super Bowl-winning team a year ago? That would be special teams, and it wasn't even close.

The selection of Randall Cobb with the final draft pick of the second round basically took care of that. As the heretofore impotent return game prospered with the fearless Cobb at the rudder, the performance of the special teams as a whole has taken a dramatic swing upward.

"Solved is a strong word in the NFL because you live day to day," general manager Ted Thompson said this week. "You always think about different aspects of your team. Randall was somebody we certainly felt like we could add another link to this chain."

In April, Thompson traded down three times, turning nine draft choices into 10. Of those 10 picks, seven made the 53-man opening roster, defensive end Lawrence Guy was placed on injured reserve, guard Caleb Schlauderaff was traded and outside linebacker Ricky Elmore was cut.

At the same time, three rookie free agents made the team.

Since then, two of the top three choices, tackle Derek Sherrod and running back Alex Green, suffered season-ending injuries. Guard Ray Dominguez and running back Brandon Saine, two more rookie free agents that were cut Sept. 3 and signed immediately to the practice squad, were promoted to the roster.

Add it up and the Packers (14-1), despite coming off a championship season with 15 players on injured reserve, presently have 10 rookies on the 53 and four more on injured reserve.

Three teams - New England, New Orleans and San Francisco - are next in the standings at 12-3. The current rookie totals are 13 for the 49ers (11 on the 53, two on IR), 11 for the Patriots (seven on the 53, four on IR) and eight for the Saints (six on the 53, two on IR).

Trending young always has been Thompson's M.O. In his seven seasons calling the shots, the Packers have had 71 rookies on their opening-day roster. In the seven seasons before Thompson, the Packers kept 53.

The Packers' brethren in the NFC North Division didn't have nearly as many rookies to start the last seven seasons. The numbers were 47 for Minnesota, 45 for Chicago and 44 for Detroit.

"The practical matter of the NFL is time marches on so you have to add youth as you go along," said Thompson. "You don't want to add youth for the sake of adding youth. But if you can get good people, guys that have potential to be good players, along with that youth it adds some enthusiasm and a little juice to the entire team."

Last year, the Packers had the fourth-worst return game in the NFL, ranking 22nd in punt-return average (7.9) and 26th on kickoff returns (20.1). The four-game averages (4.4, 15.5) in the postseason were even worse.

Today, the Packers are tied for the third-best return game thanks mainly to Cobb, who ranks eighth on punt returns (11.3) and tied for second on kickoff returns (27.7).

Cobb could be considered the first player chosen by Green Bay in the first two rounds since Terrell Buckley in 1992 with his ability to return kicks having played a key part in the selection.

Moreover, the selection of tight end Ryan Taylor in the seventh round brought a so-called "special-teams ace" to Green Bay for the first time in ages.

Taylor ranks fourth in special-teams tackles with 10, just ahead of linebacker D.J. Smith (nine) and safety M.D. Jennings (seven).

After a 29th-place finish in special-teams rankings a year ago, the Packers are primed for a top-10 finish. They also have merely 10 penalties, which would stand as the lowest for the Packers in 20 years.

"I think our special teams have played well this year," Thompson said. "My guess is most of those ratings would be up from previous years."

As for the draft class, the results can't begin to compare with a team such as the Cleveland Browns, who found five starters (and three situational subs) in its eight-man group. The Browns' draft picks collectively have 61 starts compared to three for the Packers, but not having a rookie starter also could be construed as the mark of a powerful team.

"I hope it is," said Thompson. "In all seriousness, our guys are doing OK. We have had a couple injuries that were disappointing. You have to give it a little bit more time to truly judge a good draft class."

Cobb, an alternate to the Pro Bowl as a returner, has averaged 15 snaps a game as the No. 5 wide receiver. He has 25 receptions for 375 yards, eighth among rookie wideouts.

Sherrod was just starting to play on a rotating basis when he suffered a broken tibia and fibula. He finished with 73 snaps at right tackle and 39 more at left tackle.

Green played just seven snaps from scrimmage before blowing out his knee Oct. 23.

After Cobb, the most productive player has been Smith, who played 3½ games for injured Desmond Bishop at weak inside linebacker. He ranks fifth among rookie inside linebackers in tackles with 41.

The rookie class figures to be augmented when wide receivers Tori Gurley and Diondre Borel, cornerback Brandian Ross and center Sampson Genus are re-signed early in 2012. Cut at the end of camp, they've been on the practice squad all season.

Of the 68 players that Thompson has drafted, 12 presently are starters, 14 are backups, five are on IR and Mason Crosby is the kicker.

Of the other 36 players, 28 spent at least some time on Green Bay's 53-man roster.

Currently, 16 of those 36 are on NFL rosters: wide receiver Brett Swain (49ers); tackles Allen Barbre (Seahawks), Breno Giacomini (Seahawks) and Jamon Meredith (Steelers); guards Daryn Colledge (Cardinals), Tony Moll (Chargers), Jason Spitz (Jaguars) and Schlauderaff (Jets); running back Brandon Jackson (Browns); fullbacks Korey Hall (Saints) and Quinn Johnson (Titans).

Defensive end Dave Tollefson (Giants); linebacker Brady Poppinga (Rams); cornerback Will Blackmon (Giants); safety Tyrone Culver (Dolphins); and long snapper Clark Harris (Bengals).

Of the 20 that are out of football, two (wide receiver Terrence Murphy, linebacker Jeremy Thompson) were forced to retire prematurely with spinal injuries and one (Johnny Jolly) is suspended.

Fourteen others signed contracts with other clubs after leaving Green Bay, including 11 by more than one team. Cornerback Mike Hawkins spent time with five other clubs.

Just three of Thompson's selections have not been signed by another team: defensive end Justin Harrell, cornerback Brandon Underwood and Elmore.

"You'd like to have all of them work out here," Thompson said. "Obviously, in the real life world of the NFL, that doesn't work out.

"I think for the most part our scouts do a good job finding guys that can play. Whether it works out here or maybe it works out somewhere else, I guess that's good."
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 31, 2011, 07:02:42 pm
(http://media.jsonline.com/images/mjs-packers26_-spt_-lynn_-4-packers26(4).jpg)

Randall Cobb.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 01, 2012, 07:04:26 pm


Lowdown: Quickly, Sunday blurred into a quarterback clinic between Matthew Stafford and Matt Flynn. With the Packers resting Aaron Rodgers, Flynn started and shined. He’ll be a very rich man very soon. And Stafford? Fresh off his Pro Bowl snub, he torched Green Bay’s secondary. The two combined for 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Lions had everything to play for — a win would have secured the No. 5 seed. The Packers simply needed to escape healthy. And behind Flynn’s career game, Green Bay finished the regular season 15-1.

The difference-maker: Flynn was sensational. There was no drop-off at all in Green Bay's offense as the back-up finished with one of the greatest games ever for a Packers quarterback. His six touchdowns and 480 yards were both franchise records. When Stafford punched, he punched back all game. After Stafford hit Tony Scheffler for a score with 2:44 to go, Flynn answered with a signature drive.

Big number: 15 — receiving touchdowns for Jordy Nelson. That ranks third all-time on the Packers behind Sterling Sharpe (18, 1994) and Don Hutson (17, 1942).

Turning point: On third and 4, Flynn lofted a 40-yard rainbow to James Jones up the right sideline over Chris Houston to set up Jermichael Finley's game-winning four-yard score. The ball was on the money, hitting Jones in stride with the game on the line.

What went right: Offensively, the Rodgers-less Packers stayed sharp through the wind, cold, snow — a good omen moving forward. The road to the Indianapolis goes through frigid Wisconsin and it appears the passing game will not be overly affected by weather. Nelson finished his breakout regular season with a bang. On one of his three scores, he split the safeties for a 58-yard, play-action touchdown. On another, he stiff-armed a defensive back to the turf. He’s playing as well as any receiver in the game and soon, he gets Greg Jennings back. Green Bay’s offense has retained its momentum into 2012. And, oh yeah, it was with Flynn at quarterback. He had a game to remember.

What went wrong: Again, the secondary was gashed for big plays. The Packers probably do not want to see Stafford and this offense again. The Lions’ quarterback sliced and diced the Packers all day. Wide receiver Calvin Johnson dominated Tramon Williams for 244 yards on 11 receptions with a touchdown. Nothing new here. Beyond the stats in this one, the Packers also suffered from several mental lapses. On one Lions touchdown drive, Erik Walden smashed into Stafford on the ground after Vic So’oto’s sack and Desmond Bishop took a personal-foul penalty on a false start. Early in the game, Pat Lee inexplicably caught a kickoff out the end zone and then backed up to a take a knee in it. For a team that’s been so disciplined all season, Sunday had its gaffes. In the secondary, Sam Shields iced the win with a pick but major questions still remain.

(http://media.jsonline.com/images/flynn10112b.jpg)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on January 02, 2012, 11:28:42 am
The Packers have the two best 1 and 2 QBs this season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on January 02, 2012, 05:18:26 pm
What's the name of the trophy for that?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 02, 2012, 06:55:22 pm
Whew!

Green Bay -- Coach Mike McCarthy saw enough in the regular-season finale. Veteran Chad Clifton will start at left tackle for the Packers over Marshall Newhouse.

"Chad Clifton is the starter," McCarthy said. "There's no gray area for that. In the same breath, Chad still has more work to do...I'm encouraged by the progress he's made and I want to see if he can stay healthy these next couple weeks.

"Experience and he's a good player. Chad Clifton is a damn good player."

In the Packers' thrilling 45-41 win, Clifton played 25 snaps. He was rusty, getting shoved back by Detroit's Kyle Vanden Bosch at times. But overall, the Packers are confident these two weeks before the divisional round will provide more valuable recovery time for Clifton, who had missed nearly three months of action with hamstring and back injuries.

"He's going to be happy with the film but there are some things he needs to work on," McCarthy said. "Some specifics as far as footwork and you can see the injury, the effects of what he still has to work on. Having two full weeks of preparation, I'm confident he'll get where he needs to be."

Filling in for the 35-year-old Clifton on the blind side, the 23-year-old Newhouse gave up nine sacks but played well overall. Losing Clifton could have been a much bigger problem. Instead, Green Bay's offense continued to roll along. The Packers scored 560 points this season -- the second-highest total in NFL history. With right tackle Bryan Bulaga expected back for the postseason, Newhouse returns to his backup role.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 02, 2012, 06:58:56 pm
..."That was stressed a lot," said receiver Jordy Nelson. "That was the first thing (coach Mike McCarthy) said when we came in here on Wednesday. He said, 'There's one goal left, something the Packers have never done, and that's sweep the division.' And we were able to accomplish it."

The Packers reached those milestones behind a dynamic offense that put up yards and scored points at a pace matched by few teams in NFL history.

Green Bay led the league in scoring for the first time since 1996 with 560 points, the second-highest total in league history behind only the 589 scored by the 2007 New England Patriots.

The Packers scored 42 or more points six times, the most by a team since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. The '71 Dallas Cowboys scored 42 or more five times.

With 70 touchdowns, the Packers tied the 1984 Miami Dolphins for the second-most in NFL history; the Patriots scored 75 in '07...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 02, 2012, 07:03:17 pm
...And here is one issue I still don't get:
The Lions' 502 net passing yards pushed the Packers' defense into the record books. They allowed more passing yards — 4,796 — than any team in NFL history this season. That fact will dominate whatever level of public hand-wringing that occurs during the next few weeks. But rarely do you hear this second part, and I'm not sure why. The Packers led the NFL with 31 interceptions, eight more than the next-best team, and opponents had an 80.6 passer rating against them. At some point, like it or not, people need to accept that the Packers give up a lot of passing yards and have won 15 games by making up for it via turnovers. It's not a fool-proof formula. If a team plays a near-perfect game, like the Kansas City Chiefs did in Week 15, the Packers can be beat. But what NFL team has every possible vulnerability locked down?..
 
Vince Lombardi said that an interception is worth -40 yards.
 
For the Packers subtract 40 X 31 = 1,240 yards from 4,796 yards and you get a more meaningful 3,556 yards given up by the GB defense.>
;
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 02, 2012, 10:12:24 pm
Ducks beat the Badgers!!!

YES!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 03, 2012, 04:06:59 pm
:-(
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on January 03, 2012, 07:01:19 pm
Green Bay 2012 schedule:

HOME: Bears, Lions, Vikings, Cardinals, 49ers, Saints, Jaguars, Titans

AWAY: Bears, Lions, Vikings, Rams, Seahawks, Giants, Texans, Colts

Nice. Big break getting the Saints and 'Niners at home.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 03, 2012, 07:19:17 pm
Ducks beat the Badgers!!!

YES!!!

Pekin Ducks?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 03, 2012, 07:27:12 pm
Oregon but you knew that...

But yes Pekin (Peking) why do you think JJ calls me duck?



Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 03, 2012, 07:29:59 pm
Sorry about the spelling.  I guess Peking would be correct.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on January 06, 2012, 08:04:35 am
Green Bay 2012 schedule:

HOME: Bears, Lions, Vikings, Cardinals, 49ers, Saints, Jaguars, Titans

AWAY: Bears, Lions, Vikings, Rams, Seahawks, Giants, Texans, Colts

Nice. Big break getting the Saints and 'Niners at home.

Thought that 2.  I wonder how that is determined?  Is that a rotational thing?  It sure fell well for the Pack in that regard.  I am looking forward to seeing the 49ers.  I admittedly haven't watched a lot of them, so to give my opinion on them would be whatever.  I just wonder if Alex Smith is someone that is your QB on a Superbowl winning team.  ala Trent Dilfer
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on January 06, 2012, 10:28:50 pm
The Raven won in 2000 (2001 SB) because of a +5 turnover ratio in the SB and 27/112yds Jamal Lewis, a pick 6 and a KO return. Serendipity.

They can't dictate like NO can.

That being said, I still fear them, but not like NO; I am grateful that if the faves advance, NO goes there instead of vice-versa.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on January 08, 2012, 10:15:09 am
"In addition to possessing one of the top defenses in the NFL, the 49ers (http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d825cfbfc/article/with-trip-to-sf-looming-saints-dismiss-dometeam-label?module=HP11_headline_stack) could have something in their arsenal that could be the closest thing to Saints kryptonite: a windy, outdoor stadium with a grass track."

THIS (http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2012010701/2011/POST18/lions@saints) is why I fear the Saints way more - their offence can easily match the Packers score for score as shown on openning night. And the NO defence is probably good enough to make the key stop to make the difference. Go 'Niners!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on January 09, 2012, 08:09:55 am
The Pack can score with anyone and their D is opportunisitic.
I think you guys can beat NO.
SF has a better D and isn't a dome team. I think they would give you a tougher run.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 09, 2012, 01:51:35 pm
Encouraging thoughts, Navigator.  I hope that you are correct but I'm very worried.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on January 09, 2012, 02:07:41 pm
nothing against you Packrat but I hope you guys lose :-)
When we are talking about the greatest teams of all times I want us to have several more trophies than GB!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on January 09, 2012, 02:27:44 pm
Nothing good will come of this. Hope it turns out I'm wrong.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/green-bay-packers-offensive-coordinator-joe-philbin-son-michael-philbin-reported-missing-010912?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 09, 2012, 02:41:02 pm
Quote
A Brown County judge sentenced Michael Philbin to six months in jail in 2009 after he was convicted of sexually assaulting two young girls and two counts of battery.
Sounds like a loser....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 09, 2012, 04:50:39 pm
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/09/mccarthy-packers-family-holding-out-hope-for-michael-philbin/

Wow...  talk about a "black swan" event.  I can't think of much that could potentially derail the Packers on their way to a repeat championship, but the presumed death of the OC's son certainly has that potential.

OTOH if there is any team with the talent and coaching to overcome even something like this, it's the Pack.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on January 09, 2012, 05:01:21 pm
Damn. You don't wish this on anyone. Losing a child is horrible.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/green-bay-packers-coach-joe-philbin-son-missing-michael-philbin-unknown-body-found-in-river-010912
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on January 09, 2012, 06:49:38 pm
man, I hate that stuff.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 09, 2012, 07:37:08 pm
Sounds like he was pretty troubled...wonder if he did himself in....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 10, 2012, 07:56:18 am
Not to speculate, but it's very possible he fell through the ice on that river.

This winter in the Northern tier of the U.S. has been historically warm.  Ice has been slow to form and is signifcantly less solid on the rivers right now than it usually would be this time of year.  My brother up in the Twin Cities was just able to go ice fishing for the first time a few weekends ago and he said even then they were advising caution.   
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on January 10, 2012, 09:16:27 am
Whereas this kid had no ice for an excuse...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2084290/Promising-university-American-football-player-drowns-creek-smoking-synthetic-marijuana-product-K2.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 10, 2012, 03:27:26 pm
It's been warm up nord here this winter...no way I'd venture onto ANY "frozen" anything....heck it's 55 here today-unreal for Jan.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 10, 2012, 10:21:31 pm
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/10/packers-stock-sale-features-typo-delivery-glitches/

Green Boy Packers on their worthless pieces of paper they sell.  LOL!

Was Otto working in prepress at their printer?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on January 11, 2012, 04:40:21 am
With his mittens on...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 13, 2012, 08:08:11 pm


Green Bay - This was supposed to be fun and games. A chance to give back. A chance to relax.

On a 2008 off-season visit to an Alaska military base, Aaron Rodgers and other Green Bay Packers players stopped at a basketball gym on the base. Inside were a group of kids. Former teammate Ruvell Martin estimates they were 15, maybe 16 years old. The players asked if they could shoot around. The kids obliged. Hilarity ensued.

Down low, Rodgers went up for a shot, and one of those 15-year-olds swatted it away. The quarterback got his own rebound, pump-faked and rose again.

"And the kid swats him again," said Martin, who played with Rodgers in Green Bay from 2006-'08. "We're like, 'Ohhhhh!' and thinking it's hilarious. Aaron gets the rebound again, and you can tell he's starting to get frustrated now."

He couldn't laugh it off, couldn't let it go. This time, Rodgers jabbed the kid. He "pushed him away," Martin said, and shot again.

"And the kid swats his shot again," Martin said. "It happened like three or four times in a row, and I don't think Aaron even ended up getting a shot off."

Martin and teammates coiled in laughter. That's just Aaron, they say. Ultracompetitive, Aaron. He couldn't shrug off the embarrassment. He needed to fight back. This is what separates the greats. A 24 / 7 hatred for losing. Maybe it's a card game. Maybe it's the New York Giants' pass rush. Behind those quirky State Farm commercials is a ruthless competitor.

Everyone knows Rodgers' story. He was undersized and hardly recruited. He waited in the green room at the NFL draft for 4 hours and 35 minutes. He lived in Brett Favre's Ashwaubenon-sized shadow for three excruciating years. Motivation has never been a problem.

At the core, he's competitive.

"It really doesn't matter," Martin said. "He wants to win. He's very competitive. It would have been different if he just got his shot blocked and let it be, but the fact that he was actually trying after that was kind of funny."

Before Aaron Rodgers was Aaron Rodgers, he was a forgotten man at Pleasant Valley High School in Chico, Calif. He received zero Division I scholarship offers. His senior year, he decided to play baseball. Rodgers hadn't even played the sport in five years.

And baseball coach Ron Souza remembers one game vividly, one game that revealed what all of those colleges missed while analyzing this productive yet undersized quarterback prospect: His "never forget" attitude.

Against Foothill High School, Rodgers faced a hulking 6-foot-3, 220-pound pitcher who could throw 93, 94 mph. And midway through the game, he fired a fastball toward Rodgers' ribs. Rodgers sprawled to the ground to avoid the missile.

"And just to look at Aaron's face," Souza said. "He climbs out of the box, gets up and takes a step at the guy."

Only, Rodgers hit the brakes. He didn't charge the mound. Instead, he internalized his rage. He archived that pitch. He didn't say anything to Souza in the dugout. But two innings later, something was said "in about 2.2 seconds," Souza laughed.

This time, the Foothill pitcher was batting and Rodgers gunned a pitch over the brim of his helmet. The batter didn't rush the mound. Instead, Rodgers walked toward him. He made it halfway before the two were split up.

"That kid wasn't expecting it," Souza said. "He backed down. He stepped out and looked around like 'What the hell?' He never had somebody, I'm sure, come back at him.

"Aaron is a very, very driven guy that's extremely competitive. He doesn't let go of things. He uses self-motivation. If you don't respect him as a player, he's going to store that away and two or three years later you'll pay for it."

Immediately - seconds into their first sit-down introduction - Butte College's Craig Rigsbee noticed this quality. Mom was there. Dad was there. Rodgers' little brother was there. And Rigsbee made his pitch.

Before he even mentioned the names of the quarterbacks returning, Rodgers cut him short.

"Coach, not to be rude, but I'll stop you," Rigsbee recalled Rodgers telling him. "I don't care who you have coming back. The only question I have is will I have a legitimate chance to play if I earn it?"

Rigsbee said "absolutely," and within two weeks Rodgers had the job. All other coaches were skeptical. They wanted Rigsbee to start the incumbent. The head coach told them Rodgers would be 10 times better in two days. He was right.

Rodgers' competitive nature galvanized Butte. Surrounded by teammates from Canada and the military who were six or seven years older, Rodgers commanded respect.

"They were following him and doing whatever he told them to do," Rigsbee said, "and he couldn't even buy a beer yet."

One catch: The demeanor can never waver. There cannot be an on/off switch. Rodgers is a competitor at everything.

At the University of California, Rodgers and teammates played poker once a week. Wide receiver Vincent Strang said Rodgers used a "stone cold" demeanor to win 75% of the time. He rarely lost, because you never knew when he was bluffing. Rodgers competes at one, unwavering level.

"We have a nice barbecue for the Fourth of July in San Diego every year," Strang said, "and it doesn't matter if we're horseshoes or pingpong or whatever, he's going to win it. If he doesn't, he calls 'next.' "

This edgy approach helped Rodgers get through those first three seasons in the NFL. On the scout team, he tried to burn the No. 1 defense daily. Former Packers receiver Terrence Murphy, who came into the league with Rodgers in 2005, still remembers linebacker Nick Barnett barking, "Hey, man, don't you know this is practice?!" Martin? He overheard assistant coaches muttering, "This is supposed to be a defensive period."

Rodgers and the backups ignored such pleas.

"We weren't having any of that," said Martin, who now plays for the Buffalo Bills. "It was all led by Aaron. It was definitely led by him and his demeanor. You're talking about a guy who's a first-round draft pick, a rookie, and he's as serious as can be. He says, 'We're going to go out there and beat these guys.' "

Back in 2005, Murphy and Rodgers called each other "Sidekick." They were roommates at St. Norbert College during training camp and competed at everything. The duo never joined forces on the field. Three games into his career, Murphy suffered a career-ending neck injury. But three years later, there they were in the Virgin Islands.

Murphy invited Rodgers to his wedding, and the two teamed up to take on locals in beach volleyball.

It got ugly, Murphy said. A brawl nearly broke out.

"We were out to kill 'em," Murphy said. "We were spiking it on their heads and getting pissed. We were serious. It wasn't some sand-and-water leisure. That's why I love that guy. I always knew he'd be great. He's a great guy, he's competitive."

When Rodgers and the Packers won the Super Bowl last year, part of Murphy was bitter. That was his guy hoisting the championship belt. They dreamed of those moments as rookies. As the confetti fell at Cowboys Stadium, he snapped out of it.

Now, Murphy is a real estate agent in College Station, Texas. His goal - his Super Bowl - is to be named one of the nation's "30 under 30" real estate agents.

"I'm not going to lie," Murphy said. "He motivated me from a million miles away."

Today, as the face of the franchise, Rodgers is the same way. Only now, it permeates throughout the roster. Now, his influence is more presidential than congressional.

"He doesn't want to lose at anything, and that's important," rookie tight end Ryan Taylor said. "You can't just be great sometimes. You have to do it all the time. It's definitely something he instills in our team."

He's still on the verge of returning a 92-mph heater. Usually, Rodgers internalizes. His arch-nemesis in cards these days is fullback John Kuhn. Backup quarterback Matt Flynn has spotted the two throwing cards at each other. Rodgers and Kuhn will go full days without talking to each other. They'll "crawl into a shell all angry about it," Flynn said.

Still, that's a Jordan trait, a Kobe trait, a Manning trait.

"With all the great players, you hear how competitive they were in small things off the field," safety Charlie Peprah said. "You hear how Michael Jordan cheated somebody's mom out of a card game. That's how competitive he was. That's a sign of greatness, of a true competitor."

After that 15-year-old in Alaska embarrassed Rodgers on the basketball court, Martin - still catching his breath from laughing so hard - asked him if he knew who Rodgers was. He didn't. He had no clue.

Chances are, he does today.

Rodgers is aiming for his first MVP award and second Super Bowl ring. He's only 28 years old, too. This run could last a while. And Peprah knows why.

"True competitors don't like to lose," Peprah said. "That's what makes him great."

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 13, 2012, 08:15:52 pm
He has bug eyes and I am pretty sure he is gay. 

Plus I just don't like him.  He can internalize that.

Plus hate his "championship belt thing".
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 13, 2012, 08:18:19 pm
Peke, lol....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on January 14, 2012, 12:14:27 am
Packrat:

Please give me the URL to that latest story - inspirational beyond football.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on January 14, 2012, 06:27:57 am
The discount double check commercials are pretty funny though...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9Rv7czl9cU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxYJb2ScuXM
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 14, 2012, 08:57:20 am
http://specials.msn.com/a-list/news/brandi-favre-sued-psp

Damn Favre's sister is one "HUGE ****"!  And apparently runs a meth lab in her home.  Nice...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on January 14, 2012, 09:02:51 am
Did.  Did run a meth lab. Idiots like her are turning most of rural Ms/Ala into an even worse hazmat site than it already was.  Not to mention the hardwired Zombies it creates.  Whole place is turning into a bad Sam Remy movie.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 14, 2012, 12:25:11 pm
Favre had a brother who was out of jail on probation.  He violated probation and had to go to jail for a long time.  It upset the concentration of Favre and the team.  That whole family is pretty rowdy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 14, 2012, 12:27:14 pm
Here ya go, Fearless:

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/competitiveness-pushes-rodgers-to-the-top-b63pbrr-137231488.html (http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/competitiveness-pushes-rodgers-to-the-top-b63pbrr-137231488.html)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on January 14, 2012, 10:17:44 pm
Thanks Packy - my boys will eat it up.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 14, 2012, 10:26:02 pm
http://boards.chicagobears.com/forums/thread/2997545.aspx

This thread is hilarious.

Seriously do Wisconsin people not know how to park correctly?  Or were they all drinking?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 15, 2012, 04:20:30 pm
The Giants just got robbed.  That was  a fumble.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: stelz on January 15, 2012, 04:29:28 pm
Agree.  Complete BS.  Let's just give them the SB today...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on January 15, 2012, 04:32:34 pm
That was real home field advantage...the fix is in
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 15, 2012, 04:49:17 pm
How in the hell was that not roughing the QB?  The ball was long gone and then he put his helmet right into Mannings chest.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 15, 2012, 04:52:10 pm
And their O-line is holding like crazy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 15, 2012, 04:53:27 pm
They can't call that one a non-fumble!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on January 15, 2012, 05:02:00 pm
I can't believe the muggings they are allowing. horrible
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on January 15, 2012, 05:11:00 pm
ooh.  That isn't in the script!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: stelz on January 15, 2012, 05:11:57 pm
Awesome pack allows a hail mary TD...

:   )
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: stelz on January 15, 2012, 05:15:57 pm
The score should be 23-3, if not for that rediculous non fumble.  Can't remember a worse call ever...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 15, 2012, 05:32:10 pm
Can't believe all the holding they are letting the Packers get a way with.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 15, 2012, 05:32:45 pm
Peckers going down!!! No running game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on January 15, 2012, 05:32:51 pm
If ol bug eyes keeps going down head first on his scrambles he needs to get hit.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 15, 2012, 05:34:41 pm
Fumble!!! Bug eyes going on vacation!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: stelz on January 15, 2012, 05:35:29 pm
Giants get another fumble!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on January 15, 2012, 05:41:55 pm
love the spot. Man, they're doing everything to get gb in the sb.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: stelz on January 15, 2012, 05:44:54 pm
It sure feels that way
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: stelz on January 15, 2012, 06:08:52 pm
Sacked Rodgers on 4th down!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: stelz on January 15, 2012, 06:25:49 pm
Awesome another Pack TO, and a Giants TD.  See ya!!!!

:   )
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on January 15, 2012, 06:27:30 pm
Wow. That's going to leave a mark.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 15, 2012, 06:28:28 pm
Hey hey hey GOOD-RIDDANCE! apologies to our GB friends here but I hate your team....that's a given as a Bears fan....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 15, 2012, 06:31:58 pm
Looks like the moto is holding true...DEFENSE wins championships. Saints and their crazy good offense,stymied by the 9ers and their top D.....Packers and their TOP ranked O, whipped by the Giants with their stout D....so I'd say we get a couple wideouts and linemen and the REST DEFENSE!.....sounds good to me....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 15, 2012, 06:32:16 pm
How in the **** can they call that helmet to helmet?

The refs doing every thing they can to help the Packers and they are still getting their asses kicked!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on January 15, 2012, 06:33:12 pm
well....yes it is.  looks like they're going home. ah well.  Lesseee..... Bears won zero playoff games, Greenbay?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: stelz on January 15, 2012, 06:37:59 pm
Both packers tds due to horrible calls...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 15, 2012, 06:43:16 pm
Peckers over rated. very lucky this year.

Good teams shouldn't have to on-sides kick twice n a game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on January 15, 2012, 06:43:25 pm
Hey Rodgers...DISCOUNT DOUBLE CHECK THIS
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 15, 2012, 06:55:00 pm
Pack done gone DOWN! WOOT! So much for "No.1 seed" ehh.....15-1 don't mean JACKson.....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 15, 2012, 07:02:50 pm
I kept waiting for the Packers team to show up and they never did.  I can,t remember when they played that poorly.  Best WR corps in the NFL and they drop one pass after another.  You lose one game during during the season  and you can be 15-1.  Lose one in the play-offs and you go home.

My son and  I had the same bad feekings about this game.  The nigfhtmare came true.

The weak point of the Packers is supposed to be the O-Line but they protected Rodgers pretty well.  On Offense the only players showed uip were the nonpareil QB Rodgers and Driver.

Some of the happiest people in the world are the 49ers and their fans who play at home instead of at Lambeau Field.

If you handed the SB trophy to a Packers WR he would probably drop it.

Seeing the results maybe they should  have all of the division winners play a post-season game.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 15, 2012, 07:05:49 pm
well....yes it is.  looks like they're going home. ah well.  Lesseee..... Bears won zero playoff games, Greenbay?

True  and besides that they didn't lose any.

I still call this a good season to watch for Packer fans.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 15, 2012, 07:08:32 pm
Here is where I'm FonCused.....last season GB's D was a whole lot better than this season. They were terrible. BUT....same players and DC.....so? What gives? Why the huge difference betwixt this season and last? Teams figuring out their D???
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: chifaninva on January 15, 2012, 07:11:57 pm
Yep, Pack's D wasn't hitting on much..
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: stelz on January 15, 2012, 07:33:35 pm
The Packers receivers never drop balls and Rodgers never misses on throws.  It was weird seeing them all look human.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 15, 2012, 07:36:00 pm
They looked like the Bears.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: stelz on January 15, 2012, 07:54:15 pm
On the Trib, several Bears fans were referring to the Pack's "Discount Double Choke"

:  )
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 15, 2012, 07:56:33 pm
LOL!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: AmazinGrace on January 15, 2012, 10:51:01 pm
The Packers and Tebow both get stomped within a 24 hour period........this is the happiest football weekend I've had since Cutler's thumb was intact. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 15, 2012, 11:20:31 pm
(http://i39.tinypic.com/5oikwn.jpg)    (http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/406391_2546886312806_1273230042_32168769_1353044918_n.jpg)  (https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTYszXAJzTqCGKEzhN63-nM4iGC_nS2Yzr7IwdkR1T4vFgBC9i5bw)
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1_dKaOsOwug/SIUKpvyofdI/AAAAAAAAAbY/zbx0rP1AXTM/s400/choke.jpg)  (http://ts1.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=1582531033744&id=c270dc34a09f525223f1ccbec475a078)  (http://ts4.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=1580724919419&id=a71b3997ab411fad3df714ec699cd4c9)(http://ts3.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=1547640908586&id=4ea5bebc51cb113c9bf9f29a7ce30bb4)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on January 16, 2012, 06:42:57 am
I've thought about changing insurance companies from State Farm to someone else because of them getting Rogers to be their point man.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: WshflThinking on January 16, 2012, 08:11:03 am
LOL
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on January 16, 2012, 09:01:09 am
State Farm really tried skrewing policy holders on the Gulf Coast after Katrina and Rita
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on January 16, 2012, 09:11:15 am
I've been with them for about 15 years and I haven't been able to beat their prices when shopping around.
When I buy a used car I call them with the VIN and stop by and pick up a temporary insurance card on the way to the DMV.
I've had a couple of minor accidents (my fault) and I call them and they take care of it and I never hear from the other party again.


The only complaints I have with them are that my agent recently retired and evidently the office closed and the number has been disconnected but all my mail regarding it still has the old number. Outside of that I've had no issues.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 16, 2012, 09:15:22 am
The Giants are what the Bears would/could be if we had better coaches, better WRs and better players on both lines. 

Eli Manning is not as talented as Cutler but Eli has a much better people around him (and on the sidelines), and that makes all the difference.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 16, 2012, 09:25:29 am
The Packers lost 2 games in the last 400+ days.  Any fan who is not satisfied with that is not a true fan.

Who beat the Green Bay Packers?  The Green Bay Packers.  These WRs are sure-handed and yet, yesterday they dropped 8 passes and numerous fumbles.  It just wasn't their day.  You need a lot of luck in addition to a great team to win a SB.  To win twice in a row is lightning in a bottle.

Even with the  great 2010 and 2011 NFL seasons I count 2011 as the worst year of my life because of numerous of life's problems.  Remember, my friends, football is  just a game; that's all.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on January 16, 2012, 09:35:25 am
Absolutely.  Rooting for laundry, nothing more. If you had fun/were distracted for awhile it was a good year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 16, 2012, 09:41:20 am
There has been some talk about why GB's defense looked so bad.  I offer an explanation (not an excuse).  When Pro-Bowl Safety Nick Collins went down before the season it was a bigger blow than most people expected,  He was the glue that ehld the defnsive backfield together. They never recovered from that.

The other big loss was allowing 30 year old Cullen Jenkins go under the aasumption that Mike Neal would be healthy this season and one or one of the other DEs would step up.

You can understand Thompson's philosophy in that move.  His goal is to play for the SB competitively year after year.  You do that by not overpaying for old players.  Instead, you move on draft well to keep a yong team growing. 

The money that would have been spent for Jenkins will be needed (and available) when other key players like Rodgers, Matthews, Raji, Cobb, Burnett, etc are up for contract renewal.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on January 16, 2012, 09:43:02 am
I've thought about changing insurance companies from State Farm to someone else because of them getting Rogers to be their point man.

Stay away from Geico...that bug-eyed lizard reminds me of Rodgers as well
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 16, 2012, 09:49:24 am
Stay with State Farm.  They are the most reliable of all the companies, I believe.  I've been with them for over 50 years for cars,  house,  and liability.

They have given me a non-cancellable insurance for my car for my faithful alliance.

There are two sides to every coin:  what you pay and how well they treat you in a claim.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on January 16, 2012, 10:05:33 am
All insurance companies treat you well if you pay them and never ask them to pay you...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 16, 2012, 10:16:11 am
When Pro-Bowl Safety Nick Collins went down before the season it was a bigger blow than most people expected,  He was the glue that ehld the defnsive backfield together. They never recovered from that.

See also, Mike Brown.

That being said...  the consistently shaky performance of the Packers D-Backfield has surprised me this season.  It seemed like last year they were loaded with depth back there. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on January 16, 2012, 10:33:44 am
The Giants are what the Bears would/could be if we had better coaches, better WRs and better players on both lines.

Eli Manning is not as talented as Cutler but Eli has a much better people around him (and on the sidelines), and that makes all the difference.


During the game I kept comparing the Giants against the Bears.  Offensively, I don't think Eli is any better than Cutler.  He has a better pass blocking unit.  With the return of Carimi and an upgrade at LT I think the Bears would be much closer to the Giants' front five.  Bears are already a better at run blocking.

Forte is easily better than Jacobs and Bradshaw, even though they form a nice 1 - 2 punch.  I still like Barber and if Bell can hold on to the ball - we're pretty good at HB.

WR is the real talent gap with Nicks, Cruz and Manningham.  They get more production out of their TE but I don't see why Kellen Davis couldn't put up Jake Ballard numbers in an offense that doesn't utilize TEs as offensive tackles.

Defensively, the Bears were a better defense during the year than the Giants statistically (yards and points) but the Giants had a huge edge in sacks and picks.   But you could see the Giants' pressure AND coverage gave Rodgers problems Sunday.  We don't have a back 4 that can cover like the Giants can and we don't have nearly the talent and depth on their front 4.

Ok, so we need an upgrade at LT, a big play WR, a couple of DBs, and a couple pass rushers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on January 16, 2012, 10:45:19 am

I'll take that GB secondary without Nick Collins any day:  Sam Shields, Tramon Williams, Morgan Burnett, Charles Woodson and Charlie Peprah.

GB's real problem was their pass rush.   A point that I alluded to around this time last year when the Packers were going to let Cullen Jenkins go.  Not saying that they should have overpaid for Jenkins, but without him teams could concentrate on Matthews and who else would they have to worry about?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 16, 2012, 10:53:03 am
Agreed with Dallas...

I have been a big Kellen Davis fan from Day One and I think he can be a good (not great, but good enough) receiving TE. His massive size alone presents mismatch problems and we know he can put the hurt on DBs when it comes to yards after contact. Unfortunately his development as a receiver was greatly retarded by these last two years in the Martz system, where he was primarily a blocker and not very good at it.

The other issue with Kellen is that I believe he is at the end of his contract. Spaeth is signed to a three-year deal and we've also got the undrafted kid from Purdue that was on IR this year.  So unless Tice is madly in love with Kellen, he may be the odd man out at the TE position in 2012.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: WshflThinking on January 16, 2012, 11:01:04 am
I got away from State Farm years ago when they tried to cheat me on a claim. I had to turn them into the state board of insurance. Once they paid the claim I then found other insurance.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on January 16, 2012, 11:04:12 am
Kellen Davis came to the Bears out of college as a receiving TE with limited blocking skills but like you say he has been underutilized in our offense.  Now some of that is because he had Olsen ahead of him and of course because of Martz' offense.  The other thing he had going for him out of college was he that he had some experience as a DE - so you figured he wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty as a blocker.  He just needed to work on his technique.

Bears would be foolish in letting him walk in free agency.  And I really, really like Matt Spaeth, he's an exceptional pass blocker, probably equivalent to some tackles, but as a TE I think he's a great #2 guy.

Yes, they'll have Kyle Adams returning next year along with the other rookie from VT Andre Smith.  I think we have other needs in the draft than TE.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 16, 2012, 11:57:42 am
I think we have other needs in the draft than TE.

Agreed again.  That ship sailed the day we traded Greg Olsen.  Drafting a TE this spring would just be trying to fill a hole that shouldn't have been created in the first place, and most folks on this board know how I feel about that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 16, 2012, 01:37:29 pm
Some guy on another board had said they moved BJ Raji to end at some point? If that's so,they deserve to lose. How dumb would that be? He is a monster in the middle and that would be like us moving guards to tackle and vice versa....er...umm..

I think teams also were accounting for Woodsons blitzing alot better. He wasn't the disruptive force he's been. You cannot pin this loss directly on GB foibles alone...Giants flat out beat them. Even other GB fans on another board were saying that. Missed passes,drops,timing issues come from pressures, sacks, hits, ints, rushing the pass due to being pressured. GB had the home field and plenty of rest and time for the Giants. They failed. This was NOT a close score,Giants winning by three scores and GB never led...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 16, 2012, 01:41:01 pm
Maybe Father Time is catching up with Woodson at last?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on January 16, 2012, 02:26:41 pm
Giants are peaking at the right tiime. GB peaked too soon.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 16, 2012, 02:44:30 pm
In the old days, the formula for success was stop the run, and run the ball.  Both of those things the Bears did pretty well this year.

Unfortunately, the new formula is pass the ball, and stop the pass.  The Bears have a lot of work to do on both of those fronts.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on January 16, 2012, 02:55:21 pm
the rules favor passing O's so much you have to be able to stop the pass or score 40 pts to win.
NE showed how to beat a good running team, get ahead and let them try to catch up. It didn't hurt that their D played lights out.

If Denver could have stopped NE the first couple of drives and been able to run the ball they could have won.
If Tebow can improve his throwing motion and mature as a QB they could be downright tough.
His delivery is so slow a WR has to be pretty open in order for him to complete a pass.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 16, 2012, 03:13:31 pm
the rules favor passing O's so much you have to be able to stop the pass or score 40 pts to win.

And what that means in terms of personnel is that pass rushing DL, shutdown CBs, premier WRs, pass catching TEs, pass-blocking O-Linemen and world-class QBs will continue appreciating in value.  Teams that can draft, develop and deploy good players at those positions will have the inside track.

Whereas the arrow is pointing down on pretty much all the other positions, i.e., RBs, blocking TEs, run-blocking OL, run-stuffing DTs, pretty much all LBs and in-the-box Safeties, and KRs.  Those are the positions that are "nice to have" but in and of themselves are no longer sufficient to ensure a lot of wins.

Now when you look at the Bears and realize we are pretty well stocked at the positions on the second list...  and very poorly stocked in the positions on the first list outside QB...  you can see the challenge our next GM has in front of him.  In terms of the talent needed to compete and win consistently in today's NFL we are simply not in a very good position at this point.  The support players are in place, but blue-chip guys at the positions of primary impact are lacking.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on January 16, 2012, 04:05:54 pm
Giants are peaking at the right tiime. GB peaked too soon.

The Packers were the undisputed NFL champions of September, October and November.  Co-champs of December.   

Nobody cares about that in January.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 16, 2012, 04:13:08 pm
That NFC Championship is gonna be fun.  Especially if they get the rain and wind that is being forecast.

Candlestick is a tough place to play -- especially in crappy weather -- and nobody's got their coaching on like Harbaugh and his staff do right now.

The Giants have the clear advantage at QB, but the teams stack up evenly at just about every other position... and if the weather at the Stick is nasty then some of those other players may have a lot more to do with the outcome of the game than the QBs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 16, 2012, 06:06:31 pm
Some guy on another board had said they moved BJ Raji to end at some point? If that's so,they deserve to lose. How dumb would that be? He is a monster in the middle and that would be like us moving guards to tackle and vice versa....er...umm..

I think teams also were accounting for Woodsons blitzing alot better. He wasn't the disruptive force he's been. You cannot pin this loss directly on GB foibles alone...Giants flat out beat them. Even other GB fans on another board were saying that. Missed passes,drops,timing issues come from pressures, sacks, hits, ints, rushing the pass due to being pressured. GB had the home field and plenty of rest and time for the Giants. They failed. This was NOT a close score,Giants winning by three scores and GB never led...

Raji was moved to DE in order to put Ryan Pickett at NT.  Pickett has played very well this season.  Raji seems to have slipped some from his first two seasons for some unknown reason.

As far as never being in the game, 8 passes  dropped and three fumbles will do that.  The dropped passes had little to do  with pressure on the QB.  Most all of the passes were just plain old drops.  They may not have all been perfectly on target but should have been caught by good WRs.
 
 Nobody could win a game like that; not even Rodgers, who was GB's leading RB in addition to his on-target passes.  Incidentally, Manning had very little pressure but still had an interception, for anyone who might heap praise on him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 16, 2012, 06:17:49 pm
Maybe Father Time is catching up with Woodson at last?

I think that you are right about that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on January 16, 2012, 06:18:24 pm
Raji looks fatter than ever, might be part of the problem.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 16, 2012, 06:19:01 pm
I dunno.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 16, 2012, 06:26:26 pm
You can bet that LB, DE and Safety will be high on Thompson's shopping list this draft.

The failure of Neal and Harrel to produce really hurt.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 16, 2012, 06:30:18 pm
Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel notes that Woodson is due a $4 million roster bonus within the first month of the new league year.
 
On the surface, it’s a no-brainer to keep Woodson. He’s a team leader, a starter, and provides a lot of intangible. Still, Woodson is due over $11 million in total pay in 2012, which is a high number for a player coming off two good-but-not great years.
 
We suspect Woodson will be retained because of what he means to the Packers. But it’s not necessarily a simple decision and Thompson’s track record is to skew young. It wouldn’t shock us if he considered not picking up the bonus.


Hmmmm.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 16, 2012, 06:34:14 pm
BTW, that officiating crew stunk.  That's not the first time they have had a bad outing.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: stelz on January 16, 2012, 07:24:48 pm
Yapper,

Liked your post about the two lists of players, and how the Bears are stocked with players on the second list.  The new GM will have Lovie in his ear wanting to fill out that second list...

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: chifaninva on January 17, 2012, 05:07:30 am
How about the fumble that was called not a fumble, even after review..
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on January 17, 2012, 05:30:00 am
BLATANTLY obvious - might as well get rid of Instant Replay if they are going to cheat like that...

When Mike Pereira says they got it wrong... somebody did it on purpose
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on January 17, 2012, 06:01:09 am
I read Florio on PFT and he was commenting on changing the replay rule which I liked his thinking.  Take the field ref out of the equation.  No running to the sideline to view the play, the decision is made by either the league (similar to the NHL) or by another faceless, nameless official in the booth.

And is it just me, or does the NCAA replay seemingly get it right most of the time, in half the time a review takes in the NFL? 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on January 17, 2012, 08:51:05 am
It has been two day's since the big choke and no sight of otter on this thread to comment on the first ever 15-1 one and done team in NFL history.

He was posting and boasting quite a bit before Sunday wasn't he? 

He didn't even come here to at least give the obligitory, "at least we were in the playoffs and won the Super Bowl last year post!"
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on January 17, 2012, 09:22:42 am
That's not how he rolls. He'll be back when GB does something good, or the Bears bad. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Bears4Ever on January 17, 2012, 09:28:25 am
Liberals tend to be cowards and bullies... at heart :D

Still, this loss has to sting for GB. 15 wins and lose in the 1st round of the playoffs. That hurts as bad as when the Bears kept losing in the NFC Championship games at home in the 80s to the next SB winner.....

They still are the best team in the NFC North, unfortunately.....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 17, 2012, 10:03:28 am
'''Driver is due a roster bonus of $2.2 million in March. Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, James Jones and Jordy Nelson aren't going anywhere. With young wide receivers Tori Gurley, Diondre Borel and Shaky Smithson in the system, the Packers may cut ties with Driver.

This season, teams tried to lure both Gurley and Borel away from Green Bay's practice squad. The Minnesota Vikings wanted Gurley. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wanted Borel. To keep both, management bumped up each receiver's pay to $25,059 per week.

"Forty" has been Driver's magic number. He turns 37 years old next month but hopes to keep playing for multiple seasons. This season, he caught 37 passes for 445 yards with six touchdowns...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 17, 2012, 10:06:35 am
BLATANTLY obvious - might as well get rid of Instant Replay if they are going to cheat like that...

When Mike Pereira says they got it wrong... somebody did it on purpose

I believe that it;s more incompetence tha cheating.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on January 17, 2012, 10:25:07 am
Incompetence? Not interpreting the rules correctly?

Even with one eye shut you could see it was a fumble
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: stelz on January 17, 2012, 10:53:02 am
That was one of the worst calls ever.  No hairs to split.  Clearly the ball is coming out before the knee is down. Just a horrible call.  Glad it didn't matter in the final result.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 17, 2012, 11:08:34 am
And that wasn't the only call they blew in that game.  In fact that particular crew has a history of making epic bad calls in games of huge importance.

It's time for them to turn in their stripes.  Enough is enough.

I would also launch an intensive background check on every member of that officiating crew... with a special focus on gambling activities.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on January 17, 2012, 12:07:54 pm
Your fishing in dirty water.  That could get real ugly real quick.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 17, 2012, 12:19:27 pm
I've even seen Packer fans on the chat boards saying the officiating in that game blew...  and on calls that wound up favoring the Pack.  So it must have been pretty bad.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 17, 2012, 03:01:09 pm
The knee doesn't need to be down.  Any part of  the body except feet or hands touch the ground you are down.  The official <incorrectly) claimed the his waist touched the ground before the loss of the ball.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 17, 2012, 03:14:43 pm


Green Bay - They framed it in all different kinds of ways, but in dissecting the failure of the Green Bay Packers defense this season, its players and coaches kept coming back to the same thing.

No pass rush.

They may not admit to it, but behind their words the message for general manager Ted Thompson was to find help this off-season. Departed end Cullen Jenkins' name was brought up so many times Monday that you would have thought he was still playing for the team.

Thompson let the team's best pass-rushing defensive lineman go last year despite his cost dropping dramatically in the free-agent market to a very affordable $5 million a year, which is what the Philadelphia Eagles paid to sign him.

Playing all 16 games for just the second time in four years, Jenkins had 51/2 sacks for the Eagles, exactly one-half sack fewer than the total of the entire Packers defensive line. From inside the locker room and out, the absence of a pass rush was on everybody's mind when it came to analyzing the NFL's 32nd-ranked defense.

"It's been evident pretty much all season," inside linebacker Desmond Bishop said a day after the Packers' crushing 37-20 loss to the New York Giants in a divisional playoff game at Lambeau Field. "Pressure on the quarterback is probably the biggest stat that's not written down, but is up there with turnovers on reasons for winning and losing.

"You can tell whenever you can rush four and get to the quarterback, and drop seven, you're going to win the game for the most part."

The way the Packers' 3-4 defense is set up, it's hard to find players capable of rushing the passer the way Jenkins did because most 3-4 ends are there to stop the run. The linebackers are the designated sack men most of the time, but occasionally a player like Jenkins is found who can rush and play the run.

Thompson's priority might be to find a defensive lineman like that in the draft, but he'll have a hard time doing it selecting 28th in the first round. With the exception of Clay Matthews, he has used late-round picks or rookie free agency to find outside pass rushers, but this year his strategy might have to change.

There will be a number of college end / outside linebackers from whom to choose in the first two rounds, but as many know Thompson doesn't like to force things and won't chase a position even if it is a need.

In free agency, there are some pass rushing ends who may be available like Indianapolis' Robert Mathis, Detroit's Cliff Avril , Atlanta's John Abraham and Arizona's Calais Campbell. Only Campbell fits the mold of a 3-4 end, and the Cardinals are working hard to re-sign him.

At outside linebacker Houston's Mario Williams is the prized catch if the Texans don't put the franchise tag on him. Dallas' Anthony Spencer is an option, and San Francisco's Ahmad Brooks could be available among others.

But expecting Thompson to pursue pricey free agents is like facing the west and expecting to see the sun rise.

"Obviously our first objective is to look at what we have and find ways to get more pressure with the guys that we have," defensive coordinator Dom Capers said. "When the time comes in terms of adding people, we'll certainly address that.

"But when we come back in a couple weeks we're going to evaluate everything from top to bottom in terms of what we think it's going to take to getting back to playing defense the way we did the first two years around here."

However it's done, it's pretty clear to all involved that something has to be done because not having a pass rush affected all areas of the defense. Whether it was the linemen trying to be something they're not, the linebackers having to hold coverage too long or the secondary playing a style it would prefer not to, the effect was pretty damaging.

Perhaps most affected was the secondary, where cornerback Tramon Williams had his worst season as a pro, safety Charlie Peprah didn't have the athletic ability to get to places injured Nick Collins normally did and nickel back Sam Shields played too soft.

"From a different perspective, a coaches perspective, you lose a guy like Collins, obviously, Jenkins, you lose a caliber of player (like that) your defense probably will probably take a hit," Williams said. "The way it was done the past year, the next guy stepped in and got the job done.

"But the defense just performed the way it did. (He) Capers could have been calling the game different for those reasons."

Williams and Shields wanted to play bump-and-run coverage, which is their strength, but Capers was unsure his pass rush could get to the quarterback and was concerned about having Peprah and inexperienced safety Morgan Burnett being pressed into man coverage.

So Capers had the secondary play a lot more zone than it had in the past to try to avoid big plays. It resulted in yards allowed by the bushel during the regular season and the only saving grace was the defense's league-leading 31 interceptions.

It also made Shields have to come up and tackle more, which proved to be a huge weakness, and kept Williams from shadowing the other team's best receiver and wearing him down with constant shoves at the line of scrimmage. Without a pass rush, Capers did not feel comfortable having those corners go one-on-one with receivers when the quarterback had so much time to get rid of the ball.

"Pass defense is a marriage between rush and coverage, and we had issues with that," cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt said.

Up front, defensive line coach Mike Trgovac fought to get the most out of non-pass rushers like C.J. Wilson, Ryan Pickett and Howard Green. And he never got a pass rush from 2010 second-round pick Mike Neal, the heir apparent to Jenkins.

Neal tore cartilage in his knee at the end of training camp and was never the same. Trgovac thinks a full off-season of healing and working with the coaches will allow Neal to fulfill the potential they saw in him.

But counting on Neal to come back strong after an injury-filled season would be making the same mistake twice. Thompson thought Neal would step into Jenkins' shoes after missing most of '10 with a torn rotator cuff.

Trgovac plans to stress the transition from playing run first to rushing the passer that 3-4 linemen must do to be effective. He said younger players have a much harder time understanding how to do that.

"We have to go way beyond our maturity level," Trgovac said of players like Wilson, Neal and Jarius Wynn. "That's where Cullen, who has seven or eight years in the league, can do that. These guys are younger guys. That's what we need to work on most."
 
Very good anaysis of the Packers' problem on defense.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: chifaninva on January 17, 2012, 04:27:16 pm
I'll admit, when Capers went to Green Bay, I figured they'd have a helluva D for some time..
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 17, 2012, 04:40:28 pm
The Packers D always played well enough against the Bears, it seems.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 17, 2012, 07:20:32 pm
Given some tools he can get the job done.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 17, 2012, 07:23:59 pm
Posted by Michael David Smith on January 17, 2012, 4:08 PM EST
 
Getty Images
The Packers turned in their worst performance of the season at the worst possible time on Sunday, and that has lots of people asking whether the combination of resting some key players in Week 17 and getting a first-round playoff bye made the Packers rusty at playoff time.
 
But Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers doesn’t buy it.
 
“That had nothing to do with us playing,” Rodgers said on 540 ESPN Milwaukee. “To say that we were rusty is disrespectful to the Giants and their defense and the effort they put out. They played a game. They beat us. You know, we beat ourselves enough with the turnovers and the mistakes and the drops and the poor plays, but they beat us. They played better on Sunday than we did. They executed better. I don’t think rust played any part in it.”
 
Those comments echo what Rodgers said immediately following the game, that the Giants won because the Giants were the better team on Sunday. Rodgers clearly thinks this game was more about what the Giants did well than about what the Packers did poorly.
 
But while Rodgers might not have felt rusty, he did look rusty on Sunday, and it’s easy to see how he could get rusty when he didn’t play at all between the Packers’ December 25 game against the Bears and their January 15 game against the Giants. That’s a long time off that, in hindsight, Rodgers may have been better off not having.
 

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 17, 2012, 07:34:41 pm
Yea, usually it's a good thing to get homefield throughout but for some, both of our clubs really this season and last, it's not been working out. It should....

And man I'm sad we're done playing. The only thing now is summer to look forward to, which is a good something,lol, really...but like the guy in Gladiators said over and over 'not yet....not yet'....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on January 17, 2012, 09:31:57 pm
Well theres alway next season...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on January 18, 2012, 10:35:18 am

The Bears season ended after the San Diego game...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on January 18, 2012, 11:08:38 am
am I wrong or in a 3-4 D isn't most of the pass rush supposed to come from the LBers?
I thought you usually have a huge DT in the middle that can get good push and your outside ends were basically there to tie up blockers for the LB'ers to clean up.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 18, 2012, 11:46:28 am
am I wrong or in a 3-4 D isn't most of the pass rush supposed to come from the LBers?
I thought you usually have a huge DT in the middle that can get good push and your outside ends were basically there to tie up blockers for the LB'ers to clean up.


Correct, and the way you beat the 3-4 is with short drops and quick throws to big pass catchers running intermediate routes... especially to your TEs...  in other words, the routes the LBs would normally be covering if they weren't rushing the passer. 

It's a huge reason Martz could never solve 3-4 defenses while he was with us...  the receiving TE was just never part of his world view.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 18, 2012, 06:57:38 pm
Green Bay -- The Packers' 2011 season is officially in the books. They broke records, chased history and were one and done in the postseason. So...what's next? Here are five things Green Bay must address in the off-season. Put your G.M. hat on and map out a plan of attack in the comments section below:
 
1. Find a 3-4 end. As many of you tweeted during the Wild Card weekend, as he rumbled into the end zone, J.J. Watt sure could have helped out his home-state team. Unfortunately for the Packers, the Houston Texans drafted Watt long before they ever had a shot at him. This off-season, Green Bay needs to find a prototypical 3-4 end in the draft or free agency. The team could never replace Cullen Jenkins. Jarius Wynn and C.J. Wilson were role players forced into larger roles. Instead of banking on Mike Neal as the 2012 starter -- or rolling the dice on another high pick -- maybe Ted Thompson should pay up for someone on the defensive line. The New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers are full proof that defenses must generate pressure without blitzing. Green Bay could not do that this season.
 
2. Invest at OLB. Other than Clay Matthews, the Packers have relied on a '10 waiver pick-up, a '10 undrafted free agent, two '11 undrafted free agents and a '09 seventh-rounder at outside linebacker during Dom Capers' three years as defensive coordinator. It's time for Green Bay to spend another high pick at the position. They can't go through another season throwing darts here. Another pass-rushing threat is needed.
 
3. Decisions on Finley, Wells... Thompson isn't one to dole out contracts to 31-year-olds. Still, it's surprising no agreement was reached with center Scott Wells during the season. Centers are not disposable here. Jason Spitz could never hang onto the job over Wells and Nick McDonald -- a potential heir apparent -- crashed and burned during the preseason. Wells is a Pro Bowler that deserves a big deal. If Green Bay won't give him one, someone else will. With Finley, expect the franchise tag. Yes, we know. Green Bay won a Super Bowl without him. But he's only 24 years old and this offense has proven to be much more explosive with him. It's worth giving Finley another season.
 
4. ...and Matt Flynn. Read Tom Silverstein's earlier blog post today for more on this. It's hard to see Green Bay risking the tag on Flynn. Management would need to have a deal in place. With a full off-season, and his first quarterbacks school, Graham Harrell will likely get his crack at the No. 2 job.
 
5. Is Nick Collins ready? He's staying optimistic. In March, Collins will undergo tests on his neck, meet with his doctor and make a decision. To help the Packers' brass, Collins said he doesn't plan on waiting too long. If he is forced to retire, Green Bay can't lean on Morgan Burnett, Charlie Peprah and M.D. Jennings at the position again. Peprah had a rough game Sunday. Burnett has long-term potential but remains young and raw at times. Don't be surprised if Thompson drafts a safety in the first three rounds to pair with Burnett down the road.
 
Have at it...


State of the Pack for the draft.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 18, 2012, 06:59:32 pm
am I wrong or in a 3-4 D isn't most of the pass rush supposed to come from the LBers?
I thought you usually have a huge DT in the middle that can get good push and your outside ends were basically there to tie up blockers for the LB'ers to clean up.



True, but you also need SOME rush ability from somebody in the D-Line
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 18, 2012, 07:20:30 pm
From a Tyler  Dunn "Packer Insider"  chat:

Q: sohnx01, Delaware - What do you think we coukd get in a trade for Rodgers if we decided to go with Flynn? Rodgers is already showing decline with 3 bad games in the last 4.
A: Tyler Dunne - Please see a doctor.

Some fans.  :-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on January 18, 2012, 07:26:35 pm
Lose two games all year and some fans want to dump you. Man that's cold.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: chifaninva on January 19, 2012, 11:42:02 am
LOL!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 19, 2012, 03:44:26 pm
Here's a vid of a chick crying her eyes out over the loss complaining to a friend it was because she told her not to use sparkles or some nonsense and not to put her Rodgers Jersey on, lol. Drunk as a skunk...

.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yufgJPRSBQ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yufgJPRSBQ)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 19, 2012, 03:59:09 pm
That chick better sober up, or no Discount Double Check for her. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on January 19, 2012, 05:38:14 pm
Dude...

That video has to be a spoof.  No one is that retarded now matter how hammered they are.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Phill23 on January 19, 2012, 07:23:35 pm
That chick better sober up, or no Discount Double Check for her. 

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on January 20, 2012, 07:02:57 am
There's something else humming around in that bloodstream besides booze. Appears as though they figured out how to cook up batches of meth in Wisconsin.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 20, 2012, 10:12:38 am
Does the Pack need a strong draft or are the replacements already on the roster?

41 players on roster are 25 years old or younger

Packers Forum: Where Do They Go From Here
 
Green Bay - The cold reminder waited for him at his locker. Vic So'oto thought he might be a healthy scratch for the Green Bay Packers' playoff game. Then, there it was. The inactive slip.

So'oto was not in uniform for Green Bay's 37-20 loss to the New York Giants. The undrafted outside linebacker isn't arguing, either.

"I don't know," So'oto said. "We were 15-1. I came into this game and had a great game plan. I just missed the opportunity so I don't know if I would have done any better than what the guys did."

That slip was a message. So'oto isn't ready for Showtime. But now, he can do something about it. Coach Mike McCarthy sent a clear message Wednesday. While the Packers probably won't splurge on high-priced free agents, they fully expect several players to make a jump this off-season.

Green Bay's roster is infused with youth. Including the eight practice squad players signed to futures contracts and those on injured reserve, the Packers have 41 players who are 25 years old or younger. The thinking is that players like So'oto, running back Brandon Saine, quarterback Graham Harrell, defensive end Mike Neal and others will mature this off-season.

"We have depth on our football team," McCarthy said. "We will always try to create as much competition as possible. The philosophy of drafting and developing, the philosophy of taking the best football player available. With that, that breeds competition in your program."

So'oto could be one wild card at arguably the team's worst position - right outside linebacker. A tight end-turned-defensive end at Brigham Young, the 6-3, 263-pounder appeared in only six games this season. He couldn't gain the coaches' trust. Even as the pass rush squandered, So'oto wasn't considered a serious option. In the regular-season finale, he got his shot and sacked Matthew Stafford.

Not much was expected out of Green Bay's two undrafted outside linebackers - So'oto and Jamari Lattimore. Rather than sneak a couple of veterans onto the roster who could've helped in the short term, the Packers went young. The payoff presumably begins next season.

This off-season, So'oto said he isn't out to lose weight but plans to work out with a lower center of gravity.

"I have to train to play with a lower pad level," So'oto said. "It'll feel more natural than reminding myself that 'I have to play lower, I have to play lower' instead of being instinctively low just because you've done it over and over. That's what I'll be doing - staying low all off-season."

This is only So'oto's third year playing defense, period. At BYU, he was a 3-4 defensive end in a role similar to what Ryan Pickett fills in Green Bay, he said. All year, So'oto trained not knowing exactly how he'd be used in the NFL. Those long days in the weight room had a vague purpose. This off-season So'oto is training specifically as a 3-4 outside linebacker.

There's youth everywhere. At cornerback, 2011 fourth-rounder Davon House played zero snaps on defense. Considering Jarrett Bush and/or Pat Lee could leave in free agency, House needs a strong off-season. Neal, hounded by injuries his first two NFL seasons, will enter the 2012 season with (welcomed) lower expectations. After having loose cartilage removed from his knee, he was never 100% in eight games.

"It's been an uphill battle," Neal said. "I've been at my lowest. I'm pretty sure that I'll climb out of it. I'm not down about it. I'm not frustrated about it any more. I understand that everything happens for a reason. I'll be better next year."

On offense - where Matt Flynn is likely to leave in free agency - Graham Harrell may become the new one-snap-away quarterback. While the new collective bargaining agreement zapped McCarthy's off-season flexibility, Harrell will experience his first quarterback school in some form.

Quarterbacks coach Tom Clements said this week that the school should help Harrell become a "master of the system."

"We start from the basics, we start to learn the system, learn everything about the system," Clements said. "Even things we might not utilize that much. You have to come away with a very good understanding of the offense. . . . The physical aspect, we just try to improve the fundamentals that they have to utilize during the course of a game or a season."

And this is also a critical off-season for Green Bay's running backs. There are no guarantees with this group.

The Packers planned to work third-rounder Alex Green into the offense by midseason and in Week 7 he tore his ACL. Undrafted Brandon Saine (138 total yards) got a chance and exceeded expectations. James Starks, dripping with potential, had trouble staying healthy a second straight season. And Ryan Grant, a late bloomer, could leave in free agency.

All this uncertainty gives Saine a chance to build on his momentum. The former Ohio State back didn't botch assignments, earned more snaps and could be counted on more next year.

"He's a kid that's got good hands, can catch the ball out of the backfield," running backs coach Jerry Fontenot said. "He's got good speed when he breaks loose (and) he can make guys miss in the open field. He's a very smart kid. The scheme and just understanding what's going on and what's expected of him within our offense, I think he picked it up very quickly. Whenever his number was called, he was ready."

The sentiment to add players from the outside may be strong this off-season. This 32nd-ranked defense needs help. Before adding anyone, however, the Packers are aiming to improve from within. It may not earn Thompson any electorate votes, but that's what he believes in.

Come next season, the coaches might be more confident in using So'oto, House, Saine or others.

So'oto got a 46-snap taste in Week 17 - just enough to keep him wanting more.

"When you do get a lot of playing time and you do get the feel of game tempo - live bullets, so to speak - then you can really gauge how much better you've gotten from previous games and the preseason games themselves," So'oto said. "I feel I've gotten a lot better and there's a lot of improvement
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 22, 2012, 01:51:07 pm
The Packers aren’t involved in the NFC title game Sunday, and that’s causing some soul searching in Green Bay.
 
Where did this season go wrong? What happened to the Packers defense during the season?
 
There are a lot of directions you can go with the answer, but Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel starts with one decision: Re-signing A.J. Hawk to a monster contract and letting Nick Barnett walk away.
 
Some highlights from McGinn’s article: “He’s just a guy. His contract is by far the worst contract that Thompson has ever enacted.”
 
And: “It’s beyond me how [G.M. Ted] Thompson can come back with Hawk as the starter next season. There even have been whispers among Hawk’s teammates. They know better than anyone else how little his game has to offer,” McGinn wrote.
 
Ouch. These words are so striking because McGinn is among the most knowledgeable, measured writers in the country. He believes the Packers need to trade or release Hawk in the offseason, which would mean D.J. Smith would take over for Hawk in 2012.
 
It’s hard to imagine that happening, but Hawk’s 2011 season has raised that kind of doubt in Green Bay.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 27, 2012, 01:42:28 pm
By Kevin SeifertWe have no evidence that Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson plans to veer from his recent offseason policy of building exclusively through the draft. The last significant veteran free agent the Packers signed was linebacker Brandon Chillar in 2008, and in the past two seasons the Packers have won 29 of 37 games without tapping the quick fixes available in the free agent market.

All the same, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is already laying the groundwork in the event of an exception to that approach. Speaking Wednesday on his ESPN 540 radio show, Rodgers said he plans to spend some time at the Pro Bowl this week talking up the advantages of playing in Green Bay. Rodgers referenced a 2009 episode when defensive lineman Chris Canty turned down a visit and said he is trying to get "in some of these guys' ears about how we got it in Green Bay."

"Green Bay is becoming a more desirable place, I've got to think," Rodgers said. "It's not the same place that Chris Canty refused to take a trip to unless there was a contract in place. … We haven't really been a big free agent team. That being said, I think there's a good possibility that we might go out and get somebody on the defensive side of the ball, or as we've done in the past, use one of our top draft picks to pick maybe an outside rusher or maybe a defensive back."

The Packers certainly have a need for either a pass-rushing defensive end or linebacker. Typically, teams lock up established pass-rushers with long-term contracts before free agency, but the projected $120 million salary cap could flood the market with more credible players than normal. If, for example, the Detroit Lions can't keep defensive end Cliff Avril, you wonder if the Packers would considering him as a 3-4 linebacker. Stay tuned.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 27, 2012, 07:05:18 pm
Possible candidate for Packers draft at LB?

One scout described Curry as having to play standing up as a linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. “He doesn’t get off blocks but has tremendous explosion,” the scout said.
 
The Packers, of course, use a 3-4 defensive scheme and are in need of a pass rusher on the right side to complement Clay Matthews on the other side of the formation.
 
How high will Curry climb in the draft rankings? That would seem to be the big question after Wednesday’s practice.
 
He was quick, elusive, forceful and disruptive. He looked every part of a playmaker. Curry was the best of the tweeners in a Senior Bowl that is loaded with tweeners on both teams’ rosters.
 
SI.com draft analyst Tony Pauline offered this evaluation of Curry to packers.com: “Very athletic, very quick, natural pass rusher. Quick change of direction. Has all the attributes to make the change to outside linebacker in a 3-4.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 27, 2012, 07:40:32 pm
That's a lot of needs for an  15-1 team. 


Green Bay - In a utopian world, the Green Bay Packers would find new starters this off-season at right defensive end, right outside linebacker, one inside linebacker spot, and perhaps safety and cornerback.

With a general manager that typically shuns free agency, though, a salary cap and only so many draft picks, that laundry list of needs won't be entirely met.

But when the 2012-'13 season kicks off, the Packers' dismal defense figures to have several new starters.

"That's the way the NFL works," said inside linebacker Desmond Bishop, one of the few defensive players to have a solid season. "If they don't think you're getting the job done, they'll find someone else."

Free agency begins March 13. The NFL draft runs April 26-28.

Packer general manager Ted Thompson has to find a way to take the worst defense in team history and make it respectable.

Green Bay allowed more passing yards than any team in NFL history (299.8 per game). It ranked 27th in sacks with 29. It finished 26th in yards per carry allowed rushing (4.7). And it was 32nd in total defense (411.6).

The Packers allowed 34 or more points in five of their 17 games. That hadn't happened since 1983, when the Packers allowed a franchise-worst 439 points.

Green Bay's offense had to be borderline perfect to win shootouts against New Orleans, San Diego, the New York Giants in Week 13 and Detroit in Week 17. When the offense struggled in the divisional playoffs against the Giants, the defense couldn't compensate.

"We can't have another year like this one," defensive end Ryan Pickett said. "Nobody wants that."

So that means change - and lots of it.

The Packers' first order of business is adding pass rushers. Green Bay foolishly let Cullen Jenkins leave in free agency, and Thompson has never found a respectable outside linebacker to team with Clay Matthews.

This season, teams slid protection schemes toward Matthews more than ever, and the Packers didn't have an adequate counterpunch.

Matthews still led the Packers in pressures for a third straight year (53½), but when he was neutralized, the pass rush was virtually nonexistent.

"I think every year, as people become more familiar with Clay and what you're doing with him, there's only so many things that you can do with him," Packer defensive coordinator Dom Capers said.

"I still think Clay might have had his best year. Maybe it didn't show up in the stats with sacks (6.0), but he does so many other things. . . . We've just got to get a few more guys trying to play at that level."

The first obvious spot would be right outside linebacker, where the trio of Erik Walden, Frank Zombo and Brad Jones just isn't good enough.

Thompson hasn't been a real player in free agency since 2006, when he signed both cornerback Charles Woodson and Pickett. But he needs to get Capers and Matthews some help.

Houston's Mario Williams and Dallas' Anthony Spencer headline the list of potential free agents. If Thompson ignores free agency again, he has to be aggressive on draft day, as he was in acquiring Matthews back in 2009.

"It's kind of the premise of the 3-4 defense," Capers said of having two solid pass rushing outside linebackers. "Those two guys outside set the tone and you see us do some of the inside rush stuff.

"The effectiveness of those two outside guys makes the inside rush game much more effective because they have to account for those two guys."

Green Bay gambled - and lost - that Mike Neal was ready to replace Jenkins. Neal suffered a knee injury midway through training camp, didn't make it back until Week 10, was never healthy and produced next to nothing.

Jenkins had another solid year in Philadelphia, while Green Bay's collection of Howard Green, C.J. Wilson, Jarius Wynn and Neal offered no pass rush whatsoever.

It's not a great year for 3-4 defensive ends in free agency, and the draft is always risky. Neal also figures to get one more shot.

"Obviously our first objective is to look at what we have and find ways to get more pressure with the guys that we have," Capers said. "When the time comes in terms of adding people, we'll certainly address that."

If Capers was entirely forthright, he'd tell you the Packers need an inside linebacker to replace A.J. Hawk. After six years of mediocre play, Hawk is a subpar starter.

Thompson has always been married to Hawk and used the No. 5 overall pick in the 2006 draft on him. Hawk can't cover, lacks instincts, is almost always a step slow and has been involved in just six turnover plays in his last 68 games.

Rookie D.J. Smith started three games this season and proved he has a future. It's a so-so year in the draft and the free agent field is mediocre. In the end, that's all irrelevant if Thompson elects to bring Hawk back.

Green Bay's secondary was an enormous disappointment, as well, allowing a remarkable 73 plays of 20 yards or more. The first move to reshaping that unit is determining the future of Nick Collins.

Collins, a three-time Pro Bowl free safety, missed the final 15 games of the season after suffering a neck injury in Week 2. He'll have a clearer view of his future in March after meeting with surgeons and specialists.

"We need him," cornerback Tramon Williams said. "You don't replace guys like Nick."

Even if Collins is cleared, the Packers will likely draft his long-term replacement. Charlie Peprah, who started the final 15 games when Collins went down, is best suited to be a backup. And Morgan Burnett took far too many chances in back.

Cornerback Charles Woodson, who had his ups and downs this season, could move to safety, but he's never been enamored of that idea.

Even if Woodson stays put, the Packers need another corner due to Woodson's age (35) and the uneven play of Williams and Sam Shields.

Green Bay did tie for the NFL lead with 38 takeaways. It also ranked a mediocre 19th in scoring defense.

But the Packers crashed to last in total defense after ranking fifth in 2010 and second in 2009. The question now is what will Thompson & Co. do to fix things?

"We're going to evaluate everything from top to bottom in terms of what we think it's going to take to getting back to playing defense the way we did the first two years around here," said Capers, who just wrapped up his third year as Green Bay's coordinator.

A satisfactory answer is mandatory if the Packers are to return to Super Bowl glory.
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 28, 2012, 06:57:54 pm

The Maxwell Club, the oldest football club in America, announced on Thursday that Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy and QB Aaron Rodgers are two of their award winners for the 2011 season.
 
McCarthy has been named the winner of the 24th annual Earle “Greasy” Neale Award as the NFL’s most outstanding coach, while Rodgers is the winner of the 53rd annual Bert Bell Award as the most outstanding professional football player.
 
Rodgers becomes the first Packers player to win the Bell Award since 1996, when Brett Favre did.
 
McCarthy and Rodgers will be honored on Friday, March 2, at the 75th Maxwell Club National Awards Gala at the Harrah’s Atlantic City Resort.
 
Among others receiving awards that night will be Stanford QB Andrew Luck (Maxwell Award), LSU CB Tyrann Mathieu (Chuck Bednarik Award) and ESPN Monday Night Football announcer Mike Tirico (Harrah’s Broadcaster Award).
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 31, 2012, 09:50:57 am
Thompson named Sporting News Executive of the Year

 
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By Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel

Jan. 30, 2012 |(58) Comments
 
Indianapolis - The Sporting News has named Packers GM Ted Thompson its executive of the year for the second time in five years.
 
A panel of 32 coaches and executives chose Thompson for the award this season. Thompson, with 14 votes, finished ahead of 49ers G.M. Trent Baalke (7), Texans G.M. Rick Smith (5) and Bengals president Mike Brown (3).
 
Thompson also won the award in 2007 after the Packers went to the NFC Championship game. Both years he won the award, the Packers were eliminated by the New York Giants in the playoffs.
 
If the Giants win Sunday, it will mean both times they were eliminated by the eventual Super Bowl champion.
 
Here's an excerpt from TSN writer Clifton Brown's story:
 
It seems the Packers are always stocked with young talent. In 2011, they drafted Randall Cobb in the second round (No. 64 overall), and as a rookie he showed he is a promising wide receiver and explosive return man.
 
In 2010, they hit on offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga in the first round (No. 23) and found running back James Starks in the sixth; their rookie year, Bulaga started and Starks was a postseason star. With a couple of first-round picks in 2009, the Packers added two Pro Bowl players in defensive tackle B.J. Raji (No. 9) and linebacker Clay Matthews (No. 26).
 
The 2008 draft brought wideout Jordy Nelson (second round, No. 36) and tight end Jermichael Finley (third round, No. 91). Both have been key members of the receiving corps. Of course, Green Bay’s most important pick in recent years came in 2005, when it took quarterback Aaron Rodgers with the 24th overall selection.
 
The person responsible for keeping the Packers stockpiled is general manager Ted Thompson, who is SN's executive of the year for the second time.
 
Though the Packers didn't repeat as Super Bowl champs, they are in position to remain contenders for years to come, thanks largely to Thompson’s front office acumen.
 
What’s his secret? Thompson says he doesn’t have one. He works hard and trusts what a prospect does on the field more than his measurements.
 
“I look for good players,” Thompson said at last year’s NFL Scouting Combine. “There are probably ideal heights and lengths and stuff like that in terms of body makeup that you look for, but it doesn’t necessarily translate into the best 3-4 outside linebacker. James Harrison of Pittsburgh does not fit those height-length requirements, but he’s a marvelous player. As much as we can, we try to stick with guys that have proven they can play the game.”
 
Of the 22 players who started for Green Bay in Super Bowl XLV, 15 were drafted by Thompson. The Packers are one of the league’s most talented teams but also one of the youngest. That’s a great combination—one Thompson is responsible for.
 
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers and cornerback Charles Woodson were the only Packers on TSN's all-pro team.
 
Rodgers was also the offensive player of the year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on February 01, 2012, 05:02:45 am
Packy - Has Erik Walden already fallen out of favor up your way?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 01, 2012, 09:04:46 pm
 I doubt that he will be around in 2012.  Marginal players don't last long in Thompson's realm.From what i have read the team is not happy with him.  He did not equal his 2010 performance.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on February 02, 2012, 07:07:27 am
Ya gotta respect what Thompson has done with that club. They are so talented and just stocked with players and like you said, PR, they don't tolerate mediocrity with AJ Hawk being a good example. A decent LB that they're looking to eject for better. But they do need to do something with that defense, wow. Worst ever? How can you have one of the best offenses ever coupled with one of the worst D's ever? This reminds me SO much of when Ditka was here, his last few years. Same thing....opposite sides of the ball but he had a top ranked D followed by crap on O.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 02, 2012, 09:52:31 am
If S Nick Collins can return it will help a lot.  He was the glue thast held it all together.  If not, Thompson will need to scramble to revitalize the DB.
Part of the problem last year, though, was the complete failure of s pass rush.  A CB can't cover a WR forever.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 09, 2012, 06:45:21 pm
Spring of Flynn to begin soon

 
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By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel

Updated: 3:34 p.m. |(4) Comments
 
Green Bay -- The quarterback hunting begins in March. Washington, Miami, Seattle, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Arizona and possibly others will all be searching for answers. Will they jump at someone in free agency or wait until the draft? Peyton Manning may tip the first domino.
 
Either way, expect Packers free agent Matt Flynn to cash in. Kyle Orton may have earned himself a gig with his win over Green Bay but he is, well, Kyle Orton. Teams know what they're getting.
 
Flynn is an intriguing unknown. In the regular season finale, he was nearly perfect. Flynn shattered Green Bay's single-game passing yards and touchdown records. Now teams are wondering if he can succeed without Mike McCarthy, Aaron Rodgers and all of those receivers around him. And if 'yes,' at what price?
 
As Tom Silverstein noted last week, the possibility of the Packers tagging and trading Flynn is unlikely. But look for him to get a big deal somewhere. The gut feeling here is that Kevin Kolb's forgetful season doesn't deter teams. It's hard to see Tarvaris Jackson or Chad Henne ever winning a Super Bowl. General managers will roll the dice. Flynn could be Rodgers Lite.
 
And just as they repeated all season, Flynn's teammates in Green Bay believe he's ready. There was never much apprehension before his start against the Lions in Week 17 and there isn't now. Tight end Tom Crabtree says Flynn can lead a franchise.

“I think he’s definitely ready to take that next step and be a starter somewhere," Crabtree said. "He has all the qualities you look for in a great quarterback as far as leadership skills and his talent on the field, too. It’s something we saw every day in practice."
 
Granted, Detroit's secondary was one of the worst in the NFL last season. A week after Flynn's big day, Drew Brees stun-gunned the Lions for 466 yards on 33-of-43 passing with three touchdowns. Still, in the Lambeau cold and snow, Flynn made several NFL throws that defied his experience.
 
-- Trailing 9-3 in the first quarter, at the 7-yard line, Flynn noticed Detroit cornerback Alphonso Smith was playing eight yards off Jordy Nelson and changed the play at the line. He quickly zipped the ball to Nelson and the receiver stiff-armed his way into the end zone.
 
-- Flynn has picked up a lot from Rodgers in his four years as a back-up and Rodgers is one of the league's best at connecting deep on free plays. When the Lions jumped offsides, Flynn lofted a perfect throw up the left sideline to Nelson for a touchdown while getting hit.
 
-- So often, inexperienced quarterbacks are too quick to check down, to play it safe. Ultra-conservative decisions become the norm. Maybe this was the biggest improvement Flynn made from his 2010 start at New England to his 2011 start. Against the Lions, Flynn averaged 15.5 yards per completion. At New England -- sans one 66-yard pass to Jones -- Flynn averaged 8 yards per completion. On his New Year's Eve, facing a third and 4 with 1:27 to go, he stepped into the pocket and delivered a 40-yarder to James Jones over a lagging Chris Houston.
 
Crabtree, like others during the season, say Flynn's best attribute is a calming demeanor.
 
"He’s really laidback," Crabtree said. "That’s probably the main thing. When you’re with him in the huddle, you’d think he has been playing for 10 years with his demeanor and how calm he is.
 
“It was no secret. We saw it every day in practice, whether we were on scout team or actually running our offense, he’d always have some things to add as far as helping guys out on routes or whatever it may be. He definitely wasn’t afraid to help guys out and take on that leadership role when he was in there.”
 
The question remains. Can Flynn adapt? Can he operate with Brandon Marshall, Davone Bess and Brian Hartline around him instead of Nelson, Jones and Jermichael Finley?
 
Crabtree doesn't see Green Bay as a "system" that inflated Flynn's numbers.
 
"There’s no denying the talent that he has," he said. "No matter what system he’s in, I think he’ll do a great job. There are things — no matter what system you’re in — that some guys have some guys don’t. I think he has those extra qualities, especially the leadership and calming demeanor that comes with that position.”


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 15, 2012, 07:01:20 pm
By Bob McGinn of the Journal Sentinel
Feb. 1NFL 3, 2012 |(3) Comments

 




This is how McCarthy operates.  Everything is planned out long range.



wasn't sure if Joe Philbin or Tom Clements would be hired away from the Green Bay Packers, but he wanted to be well-prepared if they were.

So McCarthy instructed tight ends coach Ben McAdoo to observe the so-called "quarterback school" during its two-month run in 2010. It wasn't held in 2011 because of the lockout.

When Philbin was named head coach of the Miami Dolphins on Jan. 20, McCarthy already had decided how to replace his offensive coordinator.

All McCarthy had to do was make sure that Clements, his quarterbacks coach, didn't get the head-coaching post at Tampa Bay.

When Greg Schiano got that job, McCarthy was able to promote Clements to coordinator and then move McAdoo to quarterbacks.

"It was something that was very natural," McCarthy said Monday. "This is something we've anticipated for a few years."

McAdoo, who didn't play college football, worked in quality control under McCarthy at New Orleans in 2004 and at San Francisco in 2005.

"We were planning for the day this might happen," said Clements. "Either I would move on or Joe would move on and I would move up."

For almost eight weeks in 2010, McAdoo sat in the off-season quarterback sessions with Clements in which every element of the offense was broken down.

"Ben was involved in all the meetings and all the drills out on the field," Clements said. "We wanted someone who had been in the room and familiar with what we do and be able to talk the same language."

Said McCarthy: "Ben knows this offense as well as anybody. He's been in it since 2004. He will do a great job with the opportunity."

Of the five previous tight ends coaches in Packers' history, four became head coaches: Andy Reid (Philadelphia), Mike Sherman (Green Bay, Texas A&M), Jeff Jagodzinski (Boston College) and Philbin.

A native of Homer City, Pa., McAdoo compared his meteoric rise in coaching to landing on the moon. His pupil now will be Aaron Rodgers.

"First thing, I'm not going to come out and say he's peaked," said McAdoo. "He's probably at the peak of his career when you take a look at his age. But I think he's a guy that wants to get better and wants to put more rings on his finger just like the rest of us."

Business as usual: Just because Clements has become coordinator doesn't mean he'll be scarce around the quarterbacks.

"Mike has spent a lot of time in quarterback meetings and I would anticipate that I will as well," he said. "I have other duties that I have to take care of, but it's not as if I'm going to be in Siberia."

McCarthy said Philbin spent considerable time in the QB room, too.

Clements was a play-calling coordinator in Buffalo under coach Mike Mularkey in 2004 and through the first four games of '05 before Mularkey decided to call the plays instead. The quarterbacks were Drew Bledsoe, Kelly Holcomb and J.P. Losman.

“I would have loved to have all these players we have here with the Packers with the Bills,” Clements said.

Last month, Clements interviewed for the head-coaching position in Tampa Bay, his first in the NFL. He also interviewed for the Penn State job.

“It was nice to get recognized but, as I said, this would be a very tough place to leave,” he said. “Especially considering the success we had in the past and we think we’re positioned to continue to have. It was nice ... but I’m happy to be here.”

Moving again: Jerry Fontenot was all smiles after McCarthy handed him another assignment. The offensive line assistant from 2007-'10, Fontenot will coach tight ends after handling running backs last season.

"I'm right where I want to be," said Fontenot. "I'm getting an education that I didn't get as a player or as an offensive line coach. I get to be part of the passing game. To do it with this offense, career-wise, for me it's huge."

Fontenot, 45, played center for Chicago, Cincinnati and New Orleans.

With Alex Van Pelt being named to coach running backs, it's a position that will have its third coach in three years. Will that be tough on the backs?

"No, because I think all the pieces of our coaching staff are interchangeable," said Fontenot. “I think it’s going to be a great relationship between Alex and the players. It’s a great group.”

Odds and ends: Van Pelt served as analyst on the Bills’ radio network in 2004-’05 before deciding that he wanted to coach. . . . McCarthy and Clements say the game-day responsibilities for the offensive coaches will be determined later. . . . Van Pelt got to know Clements in 2005 when he served as a volunteer assistant on Mularkey’s staff. . . . Although denied the chance to interview for coordinator jobs in Tampa Bay and Miami, McAdoo said he “couldn’t think of any other place I’d rather be” than Green Bay. . . . Clements, who doesn’t think it’s necessary for an assistant to have played the same position that he’s coaching: “I was with an old coach at Notre Dame that said, ‘Show me a film of alligator wrestling and I can coach that as well.’ Coaching is being prepared and being able to communicate with your player. “Having played the position gives you a better sense as to what’s going on. It’s not a requirement to be a successful coach.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 19, 2012, 07:42:46 pm

Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel

Green Bay - Whenever possible, Bruce Irvin watches film of 3-4 defenses. Orlando is his training site. Notebook in hand, the West Virginia defensive end molds himself into an outside linebacker.

This day, Irvin is stalking Clay Matthews in the Green Bay Packers game against the Denver Broncos. He notes Matthews' every move. His jolt off the edge. His relentlessness. His fly-swatter sudden impact.

Beyond all this, Irvin appreciates where Matthews came from.

"As a person, he had to walk on to USC and work his way up," Irvin said. "We had, almost, similar situations."

Emphasis on "almost." The 6-2, 245-pounder is sure to catch himself. He knows better. He knows he can't skim over one minor detail here. Irvin, who grew up in Atlanta, was a high-school dropout. He ditched school for an abyss of drug dealing and robbery, a world that could've devoured him forever.

On the field, Irvin is the first to say he's a work in progress. Sure, he tore through the Big East. In two seasons, Irvin finished with 29 tackles for loss and 22.5 sacks. But that was with his hand in the dirt. To catch the Packers' eye - and prove himself as a 3-4 OLB - next week's NFL Combine is crucial.

At Lucas Oil Stadium, Irvin's 4.4 speed will take center stage. After three years of street pickups and low draft picks, the pass rush-needy Packers may pick a new running mate for Matthews early in the draft and Irvin is a possibility. He doesn't hide from his past. It made him. And Irvin doesn't think he should slip past Green Bay.

"To be honest with you," Irvin said, "I don't think there are 32 players in the country who are better than me."

Irvin's decision to drop out of high school - at 18 years old - was easy. He didn't like the classes, for one. But he also was tired of seeing his mother, Bessie Lee, crying every night after working two jobs.

He'd quit school and sell drugs.

"You get tired of seeing that," Irvin said. "You want to make quick money and just try to help her. You don't care where it is. Being that I was young and dumb, I made mistakes."

So he dropped out and ran the streets. Every day, Irvin was on guard. Every day was "a question mark."

"You never know what tomorrow's going to hold," Irvin said. "You don't know if you're going to be locked up, if someone's going to rob you or if someone's going to get you back for stuff you did to them. There's a lot of confusion."

In short, there was no school, no football and barely flickering hope in Irvin's life.

Even after Irvin's mother moved in with his stepfather, he didn't change. "Ignorance," he said. In May 2007, Irvin spent three weeks in jail as a juvenile. When he came out, there was no welcome-home party. His mother and stepfather kicked him out of the house. For at least two months, Irvin bummed off friends.

A couch here for two weeks. A floor there for three weeks. A basement for a while.

"It made me a better person," Irvin said. "It made me realize to take life a little more serious. Life was way more important than getting quick cash and having fun."

And there is one distinct turning point. For some reason, Irvin had the sudden urge to take his General Education Development (GED) test and reboot a once-promising football career in November 2007. He moved out of one friend's house for good, the same house that harbored drugs.

Literally one day later, that house was raided by police. Irvin's friend was caught. He was free. On Nov. 14, 2007 - a day Irvin recites instantly - that friend called Irvin from jail.

"He said, 'Go to school. God got you out of that house for a reason. Go to school and don't look back,' " Irvin said. "I've never looked back since then."

In December, the GED results came in and he was off to junior college. Irvin first tried Butler Community College, transferred to Mt. San Antonio College and became one of the top out-of-nowhere recruits in the nation.

At West Virginia, he flourished.

The Mountaineers ran a 3-3-5 stack defense, he said, an alignment that doesn't necessarily highlight undersized defensive ends. Usually facing offensive linemen who were 20, 30, 40 pounds heavier, Irvin played the three-technique. Still, he found ways to wreak havoc. Irvin ran a 4.37 in the 40-yard dash at his junior college combine, a full second faster than some linemen. His 14 sacks as a junior led the Big East.

Such speed and athleticism have eased Irvin's DE-to-LB transition. He's comfortable covering tight ends in the open field. But Irvin also says he has never been taught the nuances of pass rushing. His sacks were a product of natural ability, of hustle. The Mountaineers focused on stopping the run.

So that's the question. Can Irvin mold himself into a pro threat off the edge?

In Orlando, at ESPN's Wide World of Sports at Disney, he's speeding up the learning process. Several players - such as former DT Brentson Buckner and free agent DE Travis Johnson - are teaching Irvin proper technique. In the pros, they tell him, pure speed isn't enough.

The old lifestyle never seduced Irvin back. Upon going to college, Irvin completely changed his phone number three times and made all new friends. He swears he's a "homebody" now. One brother lived with him at West Virginia and still lives with him. Whenever the two get bored, they review more film.

"I never have an urge to go back to that old lifestyle," he said. "Never."

Still, many nights, Irvin lies in bed at night and visualizes his life at 18. The people he ran with. The drug dealing. The thin line between life and death. He's not trying to stir up bad memories. He's maintaining context, perspective.

Nobody in Indy, he's certain, went through what he did.

And watching Matthews in this Packers game, Irvin visualized one more scenario.

"I simulate my game a lot to Clay Matthews," Irvin said. "I wouldn't mind playing on the other side of him to be honest with you."
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 21, 2012, 07:26:04 pm
Sounds like good news for the Pack.  They could go for a OLB and a DE early.

http://bleacherreport.com/tb/bf91V?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=nfl-draft
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on February 22, 2012, 09:09:33 pm
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/02/22/packers-finley-work-out-two-year-contract/
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 22, 2012, 09:33:34 pm
Thanks, Peke.  I hadn't seen that, yet.  Good deal all around.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on February 22, 2012, 09:44:07 pm
Yes it is.  Good deal for Finley and the Packers.  That is the way it should be.

I was hoping he would become a Bear.  Now I am hoping he keeps dropping easily catchable footballs!  :)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 23, 2012, 08:52:53 am
Said like a true Bear fan.  ;-) 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 23, 2012, 09:41:26 am

By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel
 
Green Bay - For Zach Brown, football was always Plan A. The North Carolina outside linebacker is expected to go in the first two rounds of April's draft. He's not second-guessing himself.

But there's also Zach Brown, the wrestler. And then there's Zach Brown, the track sprinter. His old high school football coach, Doug DuVall, said there's "no question" that Brown could have been an Olympian.

"If things didn't work out for Zach in football," Wilde Lake (Md.) High School's DuVall said, "he could have been a decathlete."

Instead, Brown will be at Indianapolis for the NFL scouting combine this week. The event was created for big (6-2, 238 pounds), fast (set UNC record in the 60-meter dash) athletes like Brown. He may be the most athletic defensive player at Lucas Oil Stadium. Where will he play? That's up for debate. Brown says he is open to playing any linebacker spot in a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme. Former coaches do believe Brown can be an edge rusher.

His senior year at Chapel Hill, Brown had a team-high 105 tackles, 5.5 sacks, three interceptions and 13.5 tackles for loss.

For so long, he was a three-sport athlete. In high school, Brown played running back in the fall, went 29-0 as a wrestler in the winter and won Maryland state titles in the 100- and 200-meter dash in the spring.

Brown hopes this all sets him apart from other linebackers.

"That allowed me to do a little bit more on the field," Brown said. "I'm not using straight power all the time. When I rush the passer, I try to get my hands on them first. And my speed, I have a quick first step. I can be explosive."

DuVall points to one day in a ninth-grade physical education class. The high school senior Brown was one of his aides. For a physical fitness test, DuVall rolled out a long black rubber strip to measure the standing broad jump. As he remembers, it stretched 9 feet long.

Brown helped set up and recorded lengths. If students jumped one foot beyond their height, DuVall said that was "exceptional." A foot beyond that, "nobody's done it." And midway through, a student challenged Brown.

"Zach's there in his street clothes and one of the kids said, 'Zach, can you jump?' " said DuVall, the 2009 national coach of the year. "He said, 'I think I can jump to the end of the thing.' And dang, he did. He just leaped in the air and went. He can do anything.

"He's got great old-time strength from wrestling and running track and all that stuff."

Whether it's good or bad, Brown was never a one-dimensional pass rusher. Coming in, his technique may be raw. And while he added at least five pounds of muscle, Brown is still 15 pounds lighter than Packers outside linebackers Erik Walden and Frank Zombo.

During Senior Bowl week, Brown talked to the Packers and said he got a "good vibe." Green Bay will likely exhaust all possible options at the position of need. Brown is a different breed.

Each game at Wilde Lake, DuVall ran Brown on a student-body sweep directly at the defense's best cornerback. He assigned blockers to everybody except for that cornerback, whom Brown faced one on one. That season, he rushed for 1,537 yards and 20 touchdowns. As a wrestler in some open tournaments Brown took down guys who were 50-60 pounds heavier. DuVall once asked Olympic wrestler Dan Gable how he was so effective in not letting others get their hands on him.

There had to be a wrestling/football parallel. Gable simply said, "Nobody puts their hands on me." DuVall relayed the message to Brown and saw results.

"It really helped keep me in shape," Brown said. "When I did track, it was for my speed. When I did wrestling, it was for my endurance."

Brown claims he was the fastest player on the entire North Carolina team. During off-season races, including one in which players lugged a blocking sled, Brown usually finished ahead of the pack. His former defensive coordinator, Art Kaufman, said Brown was certainly the second or third fastest. The breakthrough came in the classroom.

"He understands how to rush and studies it," said Kaufman, who's now at Texas Tech. "He's got athletic skills but he also has intelligence. That's why he was such a good player this year. Not because of his athletic ability. That had something to do with it, but the improvement of his football intelligence over a three-year period is why he did so well this year.

"He learned how to study opponents and understand what they're doing week to week."

This week, Brown's athleticism takes center stage. He's not quite Jason Pierre-Paul. There is no YouTube clip of Brown completing 13 back flips in a row. But Brown is likely to be drafted for his supreme athleticism, his eclectic background.

DuVall has one idea for a video.

"If they had a track meet for the NFL stars, Zach would be in it and wouldn't be embarrassed," DuVall said. "I don't know if he'd win it or not, but he'd be right there with all the guys who can fly."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 24, 2012, 06:34:25 pm
Posted by Michael David Smith on February 24, 2012, 4:47 PM EST
 
AP
The Packers have different plans for a pair of players who have been offensive starters for more than a decade: Chad Clifton appears to be on the way out, while Donald Driver appears to be staying put.
 
Jason Cole of Yahoo Sports reports that the Packers are likely to cut Clifton and restructure Driver’s contract.
 
Clifton, who has been with the Packers since 2000, started the first five games of last season, then missed 10 before returning to the starting lineup for Week 17 and the playoff loss to the Giants. At age 35, Clifton isn’t quite the stalwart offensive tackle he once was.
 
Driver, who has been with the Packers since 1999, played in all 16 games and started 15 for the Packers last season. At age 37 Driver isn’t nearly as important to the Packers’ passing game as he used to be, but he’s already made clear that he’s willing to take a pay cut to stay in Green Bay. It appears that that’s exactly what he’ll do.


Driver is an unselfish player who loves playing football and playing in GB.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on February 25, 2012, 07:33:43 am
I'd say Driver is pretty smart also.  At age 37, who else is going to pursue him?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 25, 2012, 10:35:32 am
Editor's note: 'Seasons of Greatness' is a series ranking the best of the best in Wisconsin sports history, the top 10 yearlong performances of individual athletes since World War II. Read more about this series and chat with Gary D'Amato at 1 p.m. Tuesday.

Aaron Rodgers, 28 years old and a starter for just four seasons, probably will continue to improve at all the little nuances of playing quarterback in the National Football League.

No matter how much film he studies and how much better he gets at baiting and reading defenses, however, he will be hard-pressed to top the video-game numbers he put up in 2011.

Despite sitting out the final regular-season game, he threw 45 touchdown passes, a Green Bay Packers record, and just six interceptions. He averaged 9.25 yards per attempt, fourth-best since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. He set team marks for passing yards (4,653) and completion percentage (68.3).

And, of course, his 122.5 passer rating broke Peyton Manning's NFL record of 121.1.

Earlier this month, in what came as a surprise to no one, Rodgers was announced as a landslide winner of the league's most valuable player award. He became the fifth Packer so honored, joining Paul Hornung, Jim Taylor, Bart Starr and three-time winner Brett Favre.

Rodgers' 2011 season was voted the fifth-greatest single season by an athlete in Wisconsin history (post-World War II) by a panel of eight sports experts commissioned by the Journal Sentinel...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on February 27, 2012, 07:38:26 am
Packrat, the scary thing is if your defense improves then Rodgers gets his hands on the ball more often.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 27, 2012, 10:33:35 am
Yeah.  Hadn;t looked at it that  way.  Mostly I had been thinking about stopping the giveaway of all those cheap tds.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 29, 2012, 08:23:05 pm
Green Bay - Charles Woodson probably will play a few snaps at safety next season, just as he did in his first six seasons with the Green Bay Packers.

Just don't expect Woodson to become a full-time safety even if Nick Collins is forced to retire because of a neck injury.

Coach Mike McCarthy made it clear that he sees little to be gained from having Woodson lined up at safety 10 to 15 yards or more from the line of scrimmage either in one- or two-shell looks.

"I think the closer Charles is to the ball the more dangerous he is and more impact he has to the offense," McCarthy said at the NFL combine. "He's the most instinctive defensive player I've ever been around."

Last season, Woodson participated in 988 regular-season plays, or 90.1% of the snaps. He probably played slot corner 70% to 75% of the time, outside corner 20% to 25% and safety for the rest.

Some opposing coaches and personnel men say the time is drawing near when the 35-year-old Woodson won't be able to hold up covering wide receivers outside the numbers. But when matched against tight ends and wide receivers in the slot, Woodson covered so well in the final eight games that he didn't allow a single completion for more than 20 yards.

In breaking down the unit with his defensive staff, McCarthy said the group spent a lot of time on why the Packers played almost 70% nickel defense compared with about 50% for Pittsburgh and San Francisco, two other playoff teams that employ the 3-4 as a base front.

"It's something that got away from us, really," said McCarthy. "That's why it's important to go through every call and grade everything win or loss as opposed to how many yards you're giving up.

"What we're talking about now is how we're building the (personnel) packages."

After Collins suffered a season-ending herniated cervical disc on his 132nd snap of the season, the Packers played Morgan Burnett (1,081), Charlie Peprah (933) and M.D. Jennings (10) at the safety positions.

Another safety, Anthony Levine, spent the last 11 weeks on the practice squad. In January, he signed a three-year contract to return.

"I like our safeties," said McCarthy. "I think Morgan is better than people think he is down in the box and he has great hands in the back end. Jennings really came on, too.

"Don't forget about Anthony Levine. He's very much improved. Hey, once in a while when a guy gets cut and comes back, he's a different guy than he was before. He can play. I was really impressed with him on the practice squad."

Levine, 5 feet 11 and 199 pounds, lost the final safety job to Derrick Martin in 2010 as a rookie free agent from Tennessee State. Last summer, he was competing well against Jennings when set back in mid-August by a concussion.

McCarthy has also given extensive thought to Tramon Williams (994 snaps), Sam Shields (735) and Jarrett Bush (289), the veterans who played most of the time at outside positions on a defense that shattered the National Football League record for most passing yards allowed.

Williams, whose average salary of $8.25 million ranked fourth on the team and second on the defense behind Woodson's $10 million, went from playing as well as any NFL cornerback in 2010 to being the weak link in '11.

McCarthy seems willing to give Williams something of a pass because of the right shoulder injury he suffered in Game 1. He sat out the next game and played the next 15, but his coach says the shoulder wasn't ever right.

"Tramon was a really good press player with long arms and his length," said McCarthy. "He never felt like he got that back because of his shoulder.

"I think he's going to be a different guy next year. I'll be disappointed. He's a guy who fought through an injury the whole year. He was never right. The strength of his game is being up on a receiver, not off a receiver."

Shields regressed in his second season.

“Sam has to play it better,” McCarthy said. “Not making excuses, but that’s what the off-season is for.”

Why did Shields constantly lose contact with the receiver by peeking into the backfield and failing to utilize the techniques that McCarthy indicated had been taught well by position coach Joe Whitt?

"He's young," said McCarthy. "A lot of those issues are confidence."

The majority of Bush's playing time in the first 16 games came when coordinator Dom Capers used a sixth defensive back.

In the playoff game, coordinator Dom Capers split the right cornerback duties in the nickel defense. He used Bush on first and second downs because of his better tackling and superior aggressiveness, then inserted Shields on third downs.

"Frankly, I should have used 'JB' (Bush) more," McCarthy said. "We talked about it, we talked about it, we talked about it. Then we did it at the end of the year."

Despite having played six seasons, Bush won't be 28 until May. The three-year, $4.5 million contract he signed in March 2009 has expired and he could get ample action in unrestricted free agency.

McCarthy made it clear that he really wants Bush to return.

"He's one of my guys," he said. "I kind of screwed him up a couple years ago. I tried to get him to play safety, to play multiple positions. That's not what he is.

"He's a football player. He was voted captain of special teams (for the playoffs). He brings a whole lot of juice."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 01, 2012, 03:37:09 pm
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on March 1, 2012, 3:27 PM EST
 
AP
The unremarkable transaction came across the NFL wire on March 27, 2009: Packers signed center/guard Duke Preston. The Packers haven’t signed an unrestricted free agent since.
 
Preston didn’t exactly work out; he was released during training camp.
 
Almost four years later, it sounds like the Packers may be willing to tip their toe in free agency. We heard the ever-unreliable Combine buzz that the Packers were interested in a few noteworthy free agents.
 
Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel noted that G.M. Ted Thompson and the Packers have interest in Texans center Chris Myers. McGinn also implies that the Packers won’t necessarily sit out this free agent session.
 
Until the Packers do jump back into the free agent market, Duke Preston will remain their latest, greatest free agent signing.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 10, 2012, 01:58:37 pm
Raji last in PFF run-stop rankings


 By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel

March 9, 2012
 





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Green Bay -- The Packers' defense didn't take a step back solely due to the loss of Cullen Jenkins and Nick Collins. Some of their best players didn't play at their 2010 form. In a recent study by ProFootballFocus.com, B.J. Raji ranked 46th of 46 interior defensive linemen who played at least 200 snaps in run defense. Raji played plenty of end, as the article notes, but had a run-stop percentage of 2.4%.
 
There are several factors. Raji, as much as any player, was affected by Cullen Jenkins leaving in free agency. He played nearly 80% of the defensive snaps in 2011. Maybe moving back and forth at the nose and the 3-technique affected his play. Looking back, Raji was more effective outside than inside. Too often at the nose, he was stood up. Whatever the case, the Packers probably have bigger concerns to worry about on defense than Raji, who did make the Pro Bowl.
 
Denver's Brodrick Bunkley (11.3%) and the New York Jets' Sione Pouha (10.2%) led the interior linemen on PFF's rankings. The former Packer Jenkins finished fourth (9.1%).
 
Meanwhile, amongst the 3-4 defensive ends, Ryan Pickett finished 13th of 23 players at 6.3% in PFF's run-stop percentage.Kansas City's Tyson Jackson took top honors for 3-4 DE's (10.6%) with Houston's J.J. Watt (10.2%) not far behind.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 10, 2012, 02:14:31 pm


Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy must be breathing a huge sigh of relief.

What would have happened if Gregg Williams had accepted McCarthy’s offer to become the Packers’ defensive coordinator three years ago?


It could be the Packers, and not the New Orleans Saints, that would be awaiting potential suspensions, fines and the loss of draft picks.


McCarthy fired Bob Sanders as defensive coordinator following the 2008 season and replaced him with Dom Capers, but not before taking a run at Williams, whose controversial bounty system has landed him in deep trouble.


Williams orchestrated a reward program in which Saints defensive players received money for injuring opponents, and reports suggest he did the same thing in other NFL cities where he coached.


There can be little doubt Williams would have brought bounties to Green Bay. The Packers can thank Saints coach Sean Payton for ensuring that didn’t happen.


In his search for a new defensive coordinator in January 2009, it’s believed that after McCarthy failed to land Mike Nolan, who went to Denver, he set his sights on Williams.


There are indications it was a tough decision for Williams between New Orleans and Green Bay. The deciding factor reportedly came when Payton offered Williams an extra $250,000 out of his own pocket.


It was a calculated gamble that paid off almost immediately when the Saints won the Super Bowl in February 2010. The Saints eventually reimbursed Payton the quarter-million dollars, and his hiring of Williams was hailed as shrewd.


But it didn’t take long for that move to blow up in Payton’s face, and it hasn’t helped that Payton and Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis knew about the bounties and did nothing to stop them.


It seems unlikely Packers General Manager Ted Thompson and McCarthy would have bought into the bounty system like Loomis and Payton did. But Williams reportedly promoted bounties in other places he worked without telling his superiors, meaning the Packers still could have had a big mess on their hands.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on March 14, 2012, 03:50:50 pm
....and Capers has been a great D coordinator IMO.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 14, 2012, 07:17:49 pm
Amen, BF.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 14, 2012, 07:29:11 pm


Available Cap Space (estimated): $8.8 million

Only signing one of their potential free agents will leave the Green Bay Packers with a decent chunk of money for free agency and rookie contracts. Of the estimated $125 million salary cap for 2012, Green Bay will only have spent about $117 million of that.

Now, there is still the situation of Chad Clifton and Donald Driver that will need to be dealt with. Clifton is set to make $5.7 million in 2012 and Driver will pull in another $5.6 million. Both of those figures would be grossly overpaying for their services.

One option would be to offer Clifton and Driver to take significant pay cuts to remain on the team for another year or two. However, the most likely scenario involves Clifton retiring and Driver either retiring or being released.

That would add roughly $11.3 million to Green Bay's salary cap and give them right around $20 million of cap space to work with. That type of money could help in landing a rather high-profile free agent on the defensive side of
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 14, 2012, 07:36:49 pm


As we get closer to the draft, here are a few names to keep an eye on who the Green Bay Packers could end up drafting:

 

Outside Linebacker

The three big names here are Nick Perry of USC, Melvin Ingram of South Carolina and Courtney Upshaw of Alabama. Either one of these three players would be a fantastic fit for Green Bay.

Unfortunately, the Packers would likely have to trade up to snag one of them, and they simply don't have the firepower to currently do that.

More likely, they would go after Bruce Irvin from West Virginia. Irvin is a raw, but natural athlete. He excels at rushing the passer and is the type of player that Green Bay could put in the lineup and let loose.

In the mid-to-late rounds, look for Green Bay to target guys like Kyle Wilber of Wake Forest and Brett Roy of Nevada.

 

Defensive Line

Quinton Coples of UNC is the crowned jewel of the draft at defensive end, and there is no way that the Packers will get him. He also wouldn't be a good fit, so it's a win-win situation.

A player that skyrocketed up draft boards after the NFL Combine is Fletcher Cox from Mississippi State. Cox is athletic for a player his size and has a non-stop motor. He possesses great instincts and could play a few different positions across the line for Green Bay.

Andre Branch of Clemson and Chandler Jones of Syracuse could also end up with Green Bay as second or third-round picks.

 

Secondary

Two players that could drop to the later rounds where Green Bay would actually be looking to take a cornerback or safety are Josh Robinson of Central Florida and Aaron Henry of Wisconsin.

Both of these players would need time to develop, but both have great upside and could eventually turn into quite the players.

Since Green Bay doesn't have a desperate need here yet, they will simply be looking for the players available with the most upside.

 

Offensive Line

If Green Bay strikes out with Scott Wells and in free agency, they could address this need in the first round with a player like Peter Konz out of Wisconsin. Konz is the best center available and looks like a player ready to come in right away and make an impact.

Other than Konz, an experience center like Mike Brewster from Ohio State or a developmental player like Nate Potter of Boise State would be a nice fit.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 16, 2012, 12:35:51 pm
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1107158-green-bay-packers-5-reasons-oc-tom-clements-will-keep-pack-on-the-attack?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=green-bay-packers
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on March 21, 2012, 02:13:41 pm
Packers will draft Konz if he's there.  Local kid, position of need and fair value at the spot the Pack will be picking.

It makes all the sense in the world.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on March 21, 2012, 02:19:15 pm
nah, they'll get someone like Hill to go with their already awesome core of WR and get a C in the 5th round that will come in and blow our DL guys up for the next 10 years.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 21, 2012, 02:38:26 pm
DE or OLB.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on March 21, 2012, 02:42:41 pm
Didn't the Packers lose Wells to FA?  I thought he went to the Rams.

Seems like that would be kind of an important position to replace.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 22, 2012, 07:14:27 pm
They will replace him with FA, present roster player but not a first rounder.  Wells is too small to be a factor in the run game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on March 23, 2012, 05:33:42 pm
Jeff Saturday in...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 25, 2012, 08:37:44 pm
Thompson adds another FA: DL Daniel Muir


 By Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel

March 23, 2012
 





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Packers GM Ted Thompson has added another free agent to his team, signing DL Daniel Muir, a player he signed as an undrafted free agent in 2007, but let go a year later.
 
Muir wound up playing four seasons in Indianapolis and won a Super Bowl with the Colts. He started 24 games over 2009-'10, but played in just four games last year with two starts.
 
He spent training camp with the St. Louis Rams, was cut, then signed by the Colts and cut four games later.
 
The 6-2, 312-pound Muir played defensive tackle in the Colts' 4-3 defense, but projects as a nose tackle with the Packers. It's possible he could fill in at end also, similar to how the Packers use NT B.J. Raji.
 
But more than likely Muir was brought in to help add depth at nose tackle where the Packers probably want to lessen Raji's snaps. The Colts did not seek to re-sign Muir after last season and it's likely he signed a minimum-wage deal.
 
Muir had 11 tackles in his four games last year. In his four seasons with the Colts, he had just a half sack.
 

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 25, 2012, 08:38:48 pm
Saturday agrees to terms with Packers


 By Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel

March 23, 2012
 





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The Green Bay Packers have found their replacement for C Scott Wells.
 
In a huge upset, Jeff Saturday, the 36-year-old veteran free agent center, chose the Packers over the Denver Broncos and Tennessee Titans and has agreed to terms on a contract, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.
 
Update: Agent Ralph Cindrich has confirmed the deal and reported it was two years in length.
 
ESPN first reported the news.
 
Most people assumed that Saturday would sign with the Broncos so he could be reunited with QB Peyton Manning, the Broncos' new $96 million man. Saturday joined the Colts in Manning's second season, then spent the next 11 as his eyes and ears along the offensive line.
 
Saturday played all 16 games for the Colts last year while Manning sat out the year with a neck injury.
 
But the Packers, according to a source, had an outstanding visit with Saturday, who dined with coach Mike McCarthy on Monday night and met with others on Tuesday. The Packers reportedly made a much better offer than the Broncos and Saturday felt compelled to take it.
 
The addition of Saturday eases the loss of Wells, who signed a free agent contract with the St. Louis Rams last week worth $26 million over four years, including $13 million guaranteed. The Packers were kicking the tires on a couple of veteran centers, but they were able to get Saturday to agree to a visit Monday and Tuesday and stayed in the hunt for his services.
 
Tennessee did not stay in the running very long and it came down to the Packers and Broncos.
 
The signing of Saturday gives the Packers a veteran every bit as capable of Wells of being on the same page with QB Aaron Rodgers and making all the proper line calls. In Indianapolis, most of the plays were called at the line of scrimmage and given how often the Packers run no-huddle, Saturday should be an asset to that kind of offensive attack.
 
The five-time Pro Bowl selection turns 37 in June. He has played in all 16 regular-season games six of the past seven seasons, missing four in 2008 with a leg injury.
 
As for salary, 36-year-old Matt Birk signed a three-year, $8.525 million deal with Baltimore that included a $2.1 million signing bonus. It wouldn't be surprising if Saturday's contract were similar.
 
In addition to giving the Packers someone who can fill in right away, it removes a lot of pressure off GM Ted Thompson in the draft. He now can use his top couple of picks on defensive players and draft a center whenever he feels like it.
 
At 36, Saturday might only have a year left in him, so Thompson will have to address the position in the draft. There are several centers beyond top-rated Peter Konz of Wisconsin who should be available in the middle rounds. Thompson needs to add depth on the interior line after drafting mostly tackles the last couple of years.
 

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 26, 2012, 06:41:46 pm
Jeff Saturday delivered the news to Peyton Manning as soon as a deal was done because he felt he owed it to the guy he played in front of for the better part of a dozen seasons.

"Peyton is a close friend and I loved playing with him," Saturday said. "I loved the time we spent together. It was the most difficult call I've ever made. I told him before anyone else that I was going to Green Bay.

"I told him I don't think the Broncos wanted me as much as he did. They've got things going on that they're happy with and are moving forward with and I didn't think it was an exact fit. I always felt like in Green Bay I was their very first choice."

The Packers put on a full-court press with Saturday, the 13-year Indianapolis Colts center who agreed to a two-year free agent deal Friday. When they got together with him early last week, they sold him not only on what he could do for them, but what they could do for him.

Saturday had dinner with coach Mike McCarthy at the Republic Chop House in Green Bay, where the two were able to form a solid bond. Then, offensive line coach James Campen took over in the film room with Saturday and the two went at it like they were preparing for a playoff game.

"I had a great meeting with Coach Campen and Coach McCarthy," Saturday said via phone from Florida, where he was attending NFL Players Association meetings. "I felt like they really wanted me.

"We watched film, Campy and I, specifically about what they do different than what we did (with the Colts) and what would be different. Then we watched film of me playing and we talked about how I would fit into it."

Saturday said he was extremely impressed with the way Campen described the way the two would be able to help each other be better and that became a huge selling point for him. That, and the fact he and his family felt very comfortable with the Green Bay community and its proximity to his current home in Indianapolis.

He said after 13 years, he's excited to be working with a new offense and was open to learning new ways of doing the same things.

"I told him (Campen), I want to be coached," Saturday said. "There isn't a point where you have everything figured out and you can't do things better. The things I saw, I'm very excited about.

"They have a great offensive line and some really good, young players. They won 15 games last year; it's not like I have to add a lot to it. But I think I can offer leadership, and being a veteran I can help the offensive line blossom into players they want to be."

Saturday, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, wound up visiting Tennessee and Denver after meeting with the Packers, but he practically had his mind made up after the visit. He did his homework on Green Bay and said he read that Wisconsin ranks in the top five in the nation in schools and was excited to keep his middle-school age children in the Midwest.

Colts owner Jim Irsay had offered Saturday a job in the team's front office with an opportunity to continue playing, but without saying it aloud it was obvious Saturday recognized the Colts as rebuilding and the Packers as a team positioned for another Super Bowl run.

Saturday's two-year deal is believed to be worth several million dollars per year less than the four-year, $26 million contract that free agent Scott Wells signed with the St. Louis Rams. At 36, Saturday isn't a spring chicken, but he said his body felt great and he knows he has at least one more good year in him.

What the Packers really like about the 6-foot-2, 295-pound Saturday is it won't take him any time to understand the intricacies of setting up the protections, which is something Wells did very well. Saturday has been doing it for one of the best quarterbacks of all time while still managing to hold his own.

He's not the player he was five years ago, but the Packers don't need him to be Superman. They just need him to be consistent and healthy.

He said he would go year-to-year and couldn't say for sure he would play the second year of the contract. But that's likely how the Packers see it because they will be drafting a center of the future that Saturday will help groom.

As far as running the Packers' offense, which features a lot of no-huddle, Saturday said he felt he would fit right in.

"I've played that the majority of my career," Saturday said. "I know how to play with increased tempo and getting people to the line of scrimmage and getting the offensive line at the right tempo if we decide to go that way.

"I'll let Coach McCarthy decide that. He doesn't need my input. He'll do whatever it takes to score points."

Saturday said he has not had a chance to talk to quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but a number of the Packers' offensive linemen have been texting him to welcome him to their huddle.

He said in watching the film with Campen he was very impressed with the players the Packers have on the offensive line and was excited to get to work with them.

"My body feels great and I'm really excited about joining them," Saturday said. "It's a great group of guys. I'm really happy. I saw those two guys beside me (guards T.J. Lang and Josh Sitton) and they're a pair of studs. And the way the tackles have played speaks for themselves.

"I think I'm going to have a ton of fun with those guys."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 26, 2012, 07:19:17 pm
Palm Beach, Fla. - Despite the loss of backup QB Matt Flynn, coach Mike McCarthy said he's not in a hurry to add veteran competition for Graham Harrell, he's No. 3 behind Flynn last year.
 
McCarthy always keeps his eye out for quarterbacks and while the free agent list has been mostly picked through, there are likely to be some veterans available after the draft when teams add to their rosters. The group now consists of players like Vince Young, A.J. Feeley, Matt Leinart and Curtis Painter.
 
Besides starter Aaron Rodgers and Harrell, the Packers have Nick Hill, a 6-3, 215-pounder out of the Arena League. Hill came out of Southern Illinois in 2008, but wasn't able to make a roster after signing with the Bears as an undrafted rookie.
 
Hill played for the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League in 2010-'11 and completed 387 of 578 passes for 4,758 yards and 97 TDs in 16 games. He also ran for nine touchdowns.
 
"We'll see," McCarthy said of adding a veteran. "Not being able to get my hands on them until April 15, I'd kind of like to see Nick go. I've heard a lot of positive things about him. I feel good about him.
 
"I definitely see us having a fourth guy in camp. I think it's always important to have four. it's the most important posiiton on the field. from my experience as a quarterbacks coach, you can't have enough of them."
 
It's very possible GM Ted Thompson will add a quarterback in the draft to fill out hte roster. McCarthy said he had no plans as of yet to go out on the road and attend some pro day workouts.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 29, 2012, 09:01:08 pm
Green Bay - Whitney Mercilus didn't think. He acted on impulse.

Last summer, he noticed Illinois teammate DeJazz Woods squatting 405 pounds across the weight room. Woods crouched down and couldn't get up. Woods had a spotter but needed more help.

Mercilus sprinted over and threw his hand into the fray. "To catch something," he said.

And in an instant, Mercilus' left index fingertip was severed between the barbell and the safety rack. Sliced off. There was a moment of shock, of horror, of disbelief - and then Mercilus moved on. A trainer later retrieved the fingertip. It was still stuck to the barbell.

No big deal.

"He just shook it off and said, 'Time to get back on the field,' " Mercilus' younger brother, Donald, said.

"We talked on the phone and he just said, 'I lost a finger today,' " his older sister, Glory, said. "I was like, 'What do you mean?' I didn't think anything of it until my parents told me he literally lost half of his finger."

Mercilus didn't make a fuss out of it because he remembers where he's from, why he's here.

Mercilus' parents, Wilner and Yvrose, are Haitian immigrants. Both worked multiple jobs to pay off bills, pay off home mortgages and put food on the table. The experience sticks to Mercilus. For two years at Illinois, the defensive end was invisible, a non-event. And as a junior - after that "Saw VII" scene in the weight room - Mercilus was a human wrecking ball. He led the nation with 16 sacks and nine forced fumbles.

So now teams constantly ask the same question: "Where did you come from?"

Mercilus, one of the top pass rushers available in this year's draft, points to his childhood in Akron, Ohio.

"It's something that was definitely passed down to me, my brother and my sister," Mercilus said. "It's a matter of never giving up and working hard. Everything pays off."

Glory, 27, earned her master's degree at Boston University's School of Medicine. She studied breast cancer extensively and wants to help those suffering in Haiti. Donald, 19, is a freshman at Mount Union College. He's a free safety on the Division III football power and a double major. As for Whitney, he'll be a first-round pick in April.

When Mercilus' parents first came to the United States, this is what they envisioned. They lived in New York first with Wilner serving as a city cab driver. In 1991, the family moved to Akron and Donald was born. Wilner would need to work three jobs - at GOJO Industries (a skin health company), a nursing home and some bus driving on the side. Mom? She was also busy with multiple jobs.

Saturday nights were the only time Whitney ever saw his father. He stayed awake until 1 o'clock for a few minutes of family time.

"I could see he was tired. I could see the fatigue in him," Mercilus said. "But he just kept on pushing through."

Even then, the Mercilus kids didn't have enough food some nights. During summer football practices, Mercilus remembers empty cabinets. To get something in his stomach, Mercilus would sell trading cards and candy to other kids for money he'd use for food.

So what's a lost finger? He has nine others. Mercilus inserted a splint in his glove and made national noise last year.

"He knew he had to make something happen now. Now or never," Donald said. "He just went out and played with a little anger, a little drive in his system. I think he's going to keep that going. The way he played, it was do or die."

Last season, Mercilus' go-to move became the "double spike." Or, as one coach labeled, the "wax on, wax off" maneuver. He'd get a first step on offensive tackles and time precisely when they lost leverage backpedaling.

"Then as soon as I see his hands shoot at me," he said, "I just take both my hands, swipe them, knock both of his hands away, bend my shoulder and turn the corner."

Defensive line coach Keith Gilmore and the Illinois staff searched for advantageous matchups, too. At times, they'd shift Mercilus inside on a guard. Gilmore says Mercilus has a rare "speed-to-power" game. Above all, his upbringing stood out.

"His work ethic and his approach to the game," Gilmore said. "He's got some good football skills but just the way he loves the game, his approach in practice and the way he works is the thing that separates him."

Since the season ended, the 261-pound Mercilus has trained as both a 4-3 defensive end and 3-4 outside linebacker. His 4.68-second time in the 40-yard dash ranked 11th-best among defensive linemen and linebackers at the scouting combine. And at Illinois' pro day, Mercilus reportedly impressed scouts in individual OLB drills. He moved naturally in open space...
....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on March 29, 2012, 09:08:29 pm
The guy is a beast.  I watched a few Illinois games this year and he stood out in all of them.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 29, 2012, 09:10:48 pm
Palm Beach, Fla. - In a little more than two years, Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson has lost 32 years of experience from his personnel department.

And it wasn't just scouting experience; it was a pair of confidants who grew up with him under former general manager Ron Wolf, the man responsible for hiring one of the most successful and longest-tenured group of talent evaluators in the National Football League.

But success breeds interest. So on Jan. 19, 2010, the Seattle Seahawks hired personnel analyst John Schneider to be their general manager. Schneider started with the Packers as an intern, joining the team the same year Thompson did, and eventually served 14 years in the organization.

Then Jan. 5 of this year, the Oakland Raiders tabbed director of football operations Reggie McKenzie as their general manager, ending an 18-year run with the Packers in which he had gone from pro personnel assistant to trusted confidant of Wolf and Thompson.

As he stood in a hallway of the The Breakers resort during a break in the NFL owners meetings this week, Thompson acknowledged that in the next two or three months he is going to have to make some changes to make up for the loss of two such trusted employees...
..
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 29, 2012, 09:12:52 pm
I think Thompson will try for Mercilus for a RLB.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 29, 2012, 09:15:24 pm

By Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel

March 28, 2012
 





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Palm Beach, Fla. - The way coach Mike McCarthy was talking Wednesday, the chances of S Nick Collins having a positive result to his neck exam this week are good.
 
All along, the indications that Collins and the doctors have given the Packers is that the fusion on two of his neck vertebrae have healed nicely and may be no hindrance to his return to football.
 
But a positive test from Collins' neck surgeon isn't all that will go into the decision on whether he returns.
 
McCarthy said that everyone - himself, GM Ted Thompson, Dr. Pat McKenzie, Collins, Collins' agent, Alan Herman -- all must be on board with Collins returning to the game. If there's some doubt among any of them, then the Packers may not clear Collins.
 
"It’s a healthy situation," McCarthy said. "To have Nick back would be huge just from a player personnel standpoint because anytime someone suffers an injury like that it’s not hard to think that he’s going to come back. If Nick’s able to come back, that’s a great boost for us, but the personal side of it is the concern.
 
"It’s an injury that hopefully the surgery has worked and everything’s back in place. But once again you’re talking about a risk assessment, that makes me a little a nervous."
 
McCarthy said there will be heartfelt discussions about whether his return is the right thing to do.
 
"Well, I think everybody needs to sit down and make sure we move forward together," McCarthy said. "To have Nick Collins back on the practice field and playing games would be huge, but this is more than football. Nick’s a family man, he’s a father, that’s no fun standing over someone like that. I don’t think any coach wants to see one of their players go through that."
 
The report from the surgeon will certainly weigh heavily on any decision, but McKenzie will have to agree with the assessment and McCarthy and Thompson will have to feel comfortable with the odds of Collins playing without risk of paralysis.
 
"I think that’s a starting point," McCarthy said. "I would think the doctors are going to say, I anticipate that he’s going to say it’s a very positive report because I know they felt good about the surgery. To me, that’s really the first step. Then our doctors have to get involved and we’ll all sit down and talk to Nick and see where Nick is, so it will be a process that we’ll go through."

(Fingers crossed).

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 29, 2012, 09:19:28 pm


Palm Beach, Fla. - As long as general manager Ted Thompson keeps drafting them, others will keep signing them and the NFL will keep compensating the Green Bay Packers.

That is the circle of life that Thompson's talents have created.

On Monday, the league awarded the Packers four compensatory picks - the maximum a team can receive in a given year - for its free agent losses in 2011. The Packers were awarded two fourth-round and two seventh-round picks in the April draft, raising their overall total to 12.

They now have three picks in the fourth round, four in the seventh and one in each of the other five rounds.

"They're opportunities," the even-tempered Thompson said during a break in the NFL owners meetings at The Breakers resort. "It's incumbent on us to do a good job with the extra picks."

Thompson said the picks are about what he and his staff expected from the NFL. They are the 37th and 38th picks in the fourth round (Nos. 132 and 133 overall) and the 34th and 36th picks in the seventh round (Nos. 241 and 243).

The Packers received the fifth and sixth of eight compensatory picks awarded in the fourth round and the second and fourth of 14 picks awarded in the seventh.

All compensatory picks come at the end of the round and cannot be traded.

Nevertheless, the additional choices now give Thompson some flexibility to move up in the draft with the eight picks he had entering the day, including an extra seventh-rounder from the New York Jets. He can deal away a pick or two knowing it won't be long before he'll have a compensatory pick coming up.

"Having extra picks, you might (have more flexibility)," Thompson said. "More is always better."

The compensatory system was set up to help teams that suffered a net loss in free agency the previous year. However, there is a formula to which only the NFL is privy that determines the number of picks handed out and the round they'll be in.

People who have studied the results over the years insist it is almost entirely based on the contracts the free agents signed with their new team. Contracts worth around $7 million a year generally garner third-round picks, contracts around $5 million a year garner fourth-round picks and so on.

The value of the picks can be diminished if the team signed a free agent from another team to offset its own loss. The Packers did not sign a single free agent last year.

According to the NFL, the losses for which the Packers were compensated were:

OG Daryn Colledge (Arizona Cardinals, five years, $27.5 million).

DL Cullen Jenkins (Philadelphia Eagles, five years, $25 million).

RB Brandon Jackson (Cleveland Browns, two years, $4.5 million).

OG Jason Spitz (Jacksonville Jaguars, three years, $5.25 million).

FB Korey Hall (New Orleans Saints, two years, $2 million).

Colledge and Jenkins likely drew the two fourth-rounders and Jackson and Spitz the seventh-rounders. Hall's deal probably didn't factor in at all because it was worth so little.

Of those five players, Thompson drafted four of them and so with the four new selections he'll start the cycle over again.

Because younger players are cheaper, the better he does in the draft, the better he can manage his salary cap and re-sign some of the players who are set to become free agents.

Having 12 picks certainly allows more margin for error, but based on his previous drafts that hasn't been a huge problem.

"Our personnel guys work very hard to try to identify people we would take at selected times in the draft and I think it's a credit to the work they do," Thompson said. "We're trying to put together as good a team as we can."

Since the system began in 1994, the Baltimore Ravens have received the most compensatory picks of any team in the NFL with 33. The Packers and Dallas Cowboys rank second with 30.

All told, the NFL handed out 32 picks to 15 teams, including bonus picks to St. Louis and Indianapolis to bring the total to the mandated 32. In the NFC North, only the Packers and Minnesota Vikings (two fourth-rounders) received picks.
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 31, 2012, 07:14:07 pm

Comment From tod
After hearing that Jennings is also looking to paid like a Fitzgerald do you see him as a player the pack can do without? They still have to sign Rodgers, Matthews, Raji, and to a lesser extent Lang. Which of the big 4 Rodgers, Mathews, Jennings, and Raji do you see being the most expendable?










2:33
 






Rob Demovsky:
Tod: Wow tough question. I don't see how you could let any of them go. That said, gun to the head, I'd go with Jennings only because it would appear that there's depth at receiver with Nelson, Cobb and Jones. And maybe Gurley or Borel develops into something.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 31, 2012, 07:16:21 pm

Comment From John
Packers greatest need is still OLB. with that being said, Thompson doesn't draft for need, but drafts for the best player available. In that situation we don't know who will be there at 28 and we don't know according to their board who will be the best player available. checking out various mock drafts pretty much everyone has them taking a DE or OLB. I have a feeling they will go another way. It seems to happen that way every year. I can see them taking just about anyone but a QB, WR, and TE with their first pick. I have a feeling they will suprise everyone and take either a CB or RB. Something that not many people are talking about for a need.










2:36
 






Rob Demovsky:
John: The thing about mock drafts is, almost every pick is assigned by need. And you're right, not all teams draft that way. What if a guy like Richardson, the RB from Alabama slipped all the way to the end of the round? Sure it's unlikely, but if he was there, you'd have to take him, right? That's why mock drafts are inherently flawed because they almost always are based on needs.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 02, 2012, 10:39:37 pm


Green Bay - The annual splurge of extravagant contracts has come to a halt. Free agency has become more flea market than auction.

And that's Ted Thompson cue.

With free agency into its third week, the Green Bay Packers general manager has begun some subtle spring cleaning on defense. At some point - before the NFL draft - Thompson likely needed to find reinforcements. Green Bay could have three new starters on defense. So on Thursday, the Packers made their first move to improve the league's 32nd-ranked unit.

Defensive end Anthony Hargrove officially signed with the Packers, his agent Phil Williams confirmed. Terms of the contract were not disclosed. In addition to this, Green Bay had defensive end Dave Tollefson in on a visit Thursday and he'll stay in town Friday.

Green Bay only had 29 sacks in 2011, as the loss of Cullen Jenkins lingered all year. The 6-foot-3½, 272-pound Hargrove probably isn't a savior. This will be his fifth team in eight seasons. The 28-year-old has played for the St. Louis Rams (2004-'06), Buffalo Bills (2006-'07), New Orleans Saints (2009-'10) and Seattle Seahawks (2011). But he should offer the Packers' defensive front something it sorely lacks - speed.

Defensive tackle Red Bryant, one of Hargrove's teammates in Seattle last year, says he'll miss playing with the defensive end.

"He's definitely a high-energy guy," Bryant said. "His motor is always running. He's definitely going to be a guy you can count on to make a big play throughout the course of the game and throughout the course of the season. He has a high energy, a high motor. Put in the right situation, it's definitely going to pay off."

At his peak with the New Orleans Saints in 2009, Hargrove was the top interior rusher on a Super Bowl champion. That season he finished with 42 tackles, five sacks and three fumble recoveries. Hargrove should help Green Bay as one of the two down linemen in Dom Capers' nickel package. And, as of now, Hargrove is probably the defense's best option to start in base. Mike Neal is suspended the first four games for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs and faced an uphill climb anyways. Both Jarius Wynn and C.J. Wilson are best suited as rotational players. Howard Green is an unrestricted free agent.

A year ago, Wynn, Wilson and Neal produced only three sacks, one quarterback hit and 19 pressures combined. Hargrove gives the defense a new element.

Bryant was one of those first-week bank-breakers. The 323-pound defensive plug re-signed with the Seahawks for five years, $35 million. A big reason for that payday was Hargrove, he said.

"He was a phenomenal teammate, a great guy," Bryant said. "He's definitely a team-oriented guy and a great leader. He did a great job for us last year. We're definitely going to miss him around the locker room. We truly did enjoy him last year, especially myself."

Hargrove's career nearly caved. He violated the league's substance abuse policy twice, leading to a season-long suspension in 2008.

Then, in 2009, he experienced a renaissance of sorts. Hargrove was an integral part of a Saints defense that forced 47 turnovers (including playoffs) en route to a Super Bowl triumph over Indianapolis, albeit controversial. Hargrove is one player in the thick of the Saints' bounty scandal. It's unknown whether he'll be suspended.

He may thrive in a specific, pass-rushing role. In 2009, Hargrove played 56.9% of the snaps in New Orleans. In 2010, that figure dipped to 44.4%. And in Seattle last season, he played only 27.1% of the snaps. Hargrove finished with 18 tackles and three sacks with the Seahawks.

Thompson did explore tier-one options the first week of free agency. The Packers flirted with Kendall Langford before the former Miami Dolphin signed a four-year, $24 million contract with the St. Louis Rams. Hargrove comes much cheaper. This is how Thompson has always done business. While not splashy, this signing should improve a defense that allowed a NFL-record 4,796 passing yards in 2011.

The Packers need pressure.

"I grew as a football player from the meeting room with just the way he studied film and broke down our opponent," Bryant said. "From a work-ethic standpoint, he's going to be a guy who's the first person in and the last person to leave. He's definitely a pro's pro."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 06, 2012, 07:38:01 pm


Green Bay - The biggest day of Shea McClellin's life is in three weeks. He's training. He's visiting with teams. His stock is rising. Soon, the Boise State outside linebacker will be drafted.

But through the madness, one chore cannot be forgotten. Whenever McClellin gets a breather, he'll head back to the family farm in Marsing, Idaho, where a new fence must be put in. The posts on the old one are beat up.

So no memorizing stump speeches for NFL teams. His grandparents need a hand.

"They understand right now," McClellin said, "but they want me to come up there whenever I get a couple days."

He's worked on the farm since he was 6 or 7 years old. Milking goats. Taking care of at-risk wild animals.

This was McClellin's world in obscure Marsing, where a sign on Main Street welcomes guests by proclaiming, "The Home of Boise State's Shea McClellin #92" to the town of 1,000 residents.

His play reflects his upbringing - he doesn't ask questions. As a kid, McClellin nursed baby skunks back to the wild. At Boise State, he was Mr. Versatility. McClellin saw snaps at defensive end, outside linebacker, some inside linebacker and even a pinch of nickel.

Of course, most of McClellin's damage came as a violent pass rusher off the edge. Of late, McClellin has snuck into the first round of some national mock drafts.

Dating back to the Senior Bowl, the Green Bay Packers have shown "significant interest" in McClellin, per a league source.

Those 6 a.m. wake-up calls are to thank.

"I really do think it's a huge product of where I'm from," McClellin said. "Growing up on a farm definitely helped out and helped me transition into college, working hard."

McClellin's home dips beneath a valley in a hidden crevice of Idaho where cell phone reception is scant. He was raised by grandparents. Mom was in and out of his life. Dad was never around.

Typically, McClellin would head to the farm as soon as he woke up, go to school, go to practice and then re-direct back to the farm.

Terry McClellin, Shea's grandmother, never remembers him complaining. Shea mostly helped out with the wild animals. Their town is surrounded by hills, which can lead many baby squirrels and skunks toward traffic.

"People would find them or they'd get hit by a car and people would find their babies," Terry said. "And then they'd take them to people like us who could take care of them and we'd release them back into the wild."

The McClellins also raised hundreds of wild ducks and geese. They have four ponds and a stream on their 20-acre plot of land off Chicken Dinner Road. Shea helped feed ducks, clean cages and move baby animals around. No, he was never sprayed by a skunk.

Somehow, he was discovered. When McClellin decided to attend his first summer football camp before his senior year, Chris Peterson couldn't miss him.

After all, Shea has Scottish lineage on both sides of his family. His grandmother believes this blond, burly 6-foot-3, 260-pounder has "Viking" descent because, well, the Vikings raided Scotland.

So this kid who graduated with 37 kids in high school fit right into Boise State.

The Broncos have built a micro powerhouse behind overlooked, hungry, prospects like him. As quarterback Kellen Moore powered the offense, McClellin anchored the defense. In 2010 and 2011, he had 80 total tackles (26 for loss) and 16 1/2 sacks.

"The word that comes to my mind is 'versatile,' '' said McClellin's former teammate Brandyn Thompson, now a cornerback for the Washington Redskins. "He played three or four different positions for us whether it be defensive end, standing up D-end, linebacker, a hybrid guy, he pretty much can do it all.

"He has a knack for getting to the quarterback. He's very crafty. He's crafty with his hands, with his moves, really subtle stuff that helps him get to the quarterback."

McClellin is lean and powerful. At the NFL scouting combine, his 4.63 in the 40 ranked second-best among defensive linemen.

In college, he tried to mold himself after New England linebacker Mike Vrabel.

"That type of guy just because of his versatility and what he did," McClellin said. "I think just the way he moved and the way he did everything was kind of old school and that's how I like to do it. . . . I would say it's the same mindset as if I was in a 4-3. I'll attack the edge and get after the quarterback any way I can."

After Shea interviewed with about 15 teams at the combine, he brought home various sets of NFL gear. To grandma, the Packers hat and skull cap stood out immediately. That's where Terry hopes he goes. She remembers watching Lombardi's teams growing up and says her grandson would fit right in.

To the tradition. To the current team.

"If they get him, I'll be running up and down Chicken Dinner Road just screaming," she said. "I could see him there with Clay Matthews. My clean-cut kid with his really, really short hair and Clay with his really, really long hair."

One problem. He'd be 1,800 miles from Chicken Dinner Road.
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on April 07, 2012, 05:27:02 am
He would look really good in a Bears uniform.  DE in passing situations, next to Urlachar and Briggs on 1st and 2nd down.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 09, 2012, 06:11:52 pm
by Brandon on Mar 15, 2012 10:00 AM CDT in Green Bay Packers Draft

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Jerel Worthy impresses at Michigan State Pro Day | ProFootballTalk. I don't know who exactly was in attendance for the Green Bay Packers at Michigan State's Pro Day, but Rob Rang said every team was there.

Jerel Worthy is a 6-2, 308 lb. defensive tackle who's coming out early. Mike Mayock said he's got a first round "body type and skill set" but there are some stamina and conditioning concerns that might hold him back.

He really needed a solid pro day because he "looked out of sorts" at the NFL combine. He did more workouts at his pro day, including 28 reps of 225 pounds, and he's moved himself back into the first round. Arguably, he's the best defensive tackle available.
 
His size is similar to Cullen Jenkins, but his play might be more similar to former DT Johnny Jolly. He's solid against the run, and he can get after the quarterback though he isn't an elite pass rusher. He'd certainly be a good choice at No. 28 for the Packers, but there's some question he'll stay
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on April 10, 2012, 04:49:17 am
Watched every MSU game the last few years - he made HUGE plays for that defense
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 10, 2012, 02:13:54 pm
Trade bait?

Having A.J. Hawk on this list is pure speculation on my part, but it just makes too much sense not to include.

Hawk struggled a great deal last season and was one of the weakest links on a disastrous defensive unit. In addition, the Packers appear to have a up-and-coming player in D.J. Smith who looked much better than the veteran linebacker in limited playing time last season.

You also have to take into account the market for Hawk right now. Multiple teams that run a 4-3 scheme would be interested in acquiring him if the price were right.

Stay tuned because this could be one of the real under-the-radar stories heading
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on April 11, 2012, 06:04:08 am
Didn't they just extend Hawk last season?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 11, 2012, 06:02:37 pm
Yep.  Last season or the season before.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 11, 2012, 06:05:14 pm
Tim Fugger, DE/OLB, Vanderbilt—With so many picks, the Packers can afford to create competition at key positions. Fugger had a terrific pro day after being snubbed by the Combine.

Good draftee?  Always wanted a big fugger  DE.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on April 11, 2012, 06:20:51 pm
If Angelo was still here he would be a Bear.  Vanderbilt, Angelo loved him some Vandy players.   
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 14, 2012, 11:08:41 am


Written by

Pete Dougherty
Filed Under



The Packers haven’t drafted a quarterback since they took Brian Brohm in the second round and Matt Flynn in the seventh round in 2008. It’s a good bet they end that streak this year.
 
They’re looking for a developmental player to compete for the backup job to Aaron Rodgers, so  chances also are strong they won’t be looking at taking a quarterback until at least the fourth round and possibly not until the fifth round or later. That probably removes six quarterbacks who figure to go higher than that: Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Ryan Tannehill, Brandon Weeden, Kirk Cousins and Brock Osweiler.
 
I’ve talked to several scouts about the later-round quarterbacks, and opinions of course vary. I’ll get into these players in far more detail in the Press-Gazette’s position-by-position draft series that starts April 19, but here’s a quick distillation of several prospects based on what I’ve heard so far:
 
Arizona’s Nick Foles: Great size (6-5, 243) and good arm strength but doesn’t play fast. The NFL puts a premium on quick decisions and then quick reactions to execute those decisions.
 
San Diego State’s Ryan Lindley: Also has good size (6-3 3/4, 229) but not a particularly accurate thrower; some scouts thought he was plenty smart, others didn’t like his decision making and intangibles.
 
Wisconsin’s Russell Wilson: Everybody loved his leadership, intelligence and mobility, but most thought he was too short (5-10 5/8) and not strong-armed enough to do much in the NFL. One scout, thought, loves him and thinks everybody is missing on a future NFL starter.
 
Boise State’s Kellen Moore: Consensus is a great football brain but too frail (6-0, 197) and weak armed even to be a No. 2.
 
Northern Illinois’ Chandler Harnish (6-1 5/8, 219): Interesting later-round type prospect who ran a lot in college but has a a good combination of mobility and arm talent to develop.
 
Tenneessee-Chattanooga’s B.J. Coleman (6-3, 233): Bigger and stronger-armed than Harnish but not as athletic, and a similar-level prospect with good intangibles.
 
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on April 15, 2012, 07:09:33 am
Talk about a waste of a draft pick, that always irked me in the past with the Bears.  We have Cutler and he is what, 26?  Why draft a developmental QB prospect every year late in the draft?  I would rather take a flyer on an top tier player that missed his last season becuase of reconstructive surgery that might have a chance again of making an impact versus a developmental propect at a position that never has a chance of seeing the field. 

Sure New England struck gold with Brady, but how often does that happen?  And how old was Bledsoe at the time?  When the Packers drafted Brohm and Flynn, Rodgers hadn't proved anything yet.  And they drafted Brohm in the 2nd round, and Flynn in the 7th.  Ted Thompson is a genius because he got lucky with the 225th pick of the draft?  No, he also drafted Brohm.  If the Bears draft a QB this year, that sound you hear will be my shreiks at the TV!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 15, 2012, 06:08:16 pm
Wolf also drafted a QB nearly every draft.  e traded several for more draft trades + had backup protection.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on April 18, 2012, 10:54:57 am
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/04/18/nick-collins-still-waiting-to-learn-if-he-can-keep-playing/

Big-time blow for the Pack if this guy is finished.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on April 18, 2012, 11:03:32 am

Didn't the same thing happen a few years ago to a Packer CB - Tim something?  Can't recall the last name.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on April 18, 2012, 11:16:25 am
You know the Doc isn't going to make him any guarantees (he was on vacation?)

Yeah - as his lawyer suggested
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 18, 2012, 07:37:19 pm
Thompson will not consider Collins until after the draft.  A concensus is building that He is as good as gone.  Thompsin and McCarthy don't want to risk his life.  He could play for another team in 2012.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 18, 2012, 07:37:31 pm


It looks like running back Ryan Grant won’t be back with the Packers.

His agent, Alan Herman, said Tuesday his client has drawn interest from at least one other team, although he declined to name the team.


“There’s some things actually going on with Ryan, but not with Green Bay,” Herman said.


Grant, who has played for the Packers since 2007, split time in the backfield last season with James Starks. A year after playing in only one game because of leg and ankle injuries, Grant averaged 4.2 yards per carry and rushed for 559 yards. He appeared to get stronger as the season went on, averaging 5.5 yards per carry over his final five games, including playoffs.


It’s unclear how interested — if at all — the Packers have been in re-signing Grant, but it’s starting to look like his best chance to play in 2012 will be with another team.


“That’s a strong possibility, more than a strong possibility,” Herman said. “It could be as early as next week.”


In addition to Starks, the Packers have Brandon Saine and Alex Green at the position. Green is coming off reconstructive knee surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Coach Mike McCarthy said last month that Green has made strong progress in his rehab, meaning he could be ready for the start of the season. The Packers also have used fullback John Kuhn as a ball carrier.

— rdemovsk@greenbaypressgazette.com and follow him on Twitter @RobDemovsky.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 18, 2012, 07:43:49 pm
Didn't the same thing happen a few years ago to a Packer CB - Tim something?  Can't recall the last name.

That's true.  I have forgotten his last name.  May have been Lewis.  He had stennosis (narrowing of the upper spine}.

The Packerd had a WR drafted by Thompson the year before drafting Jennings.  He had a spectacular rookie season like Jennings and they had high hopes for him but he also had a neck injurhy and was finished.  Sad.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 18, 2012, 08:09:04 pm
We're kinda sorta expecting to see the NFL schedule released sometime early next week, unless of course it isn't. It's probably a safe assumption, though. It will give the NFL a focal point next week before draft hysteria hits during the week of April 23.
 
We, of course, already know the opponents each team will face. Essentially, the NFC North will face the NFC West and AFC South, in addition to the division schedule. To that end, ESPN has put together a strength of schedule chart ordered by the combined records of each opponent in 2011.
 
The best way to view this chart is as a measure of a team's standing relative to the rest of its division. The Green Bay Packers have the second-"easiest" schedule in 2012 largely because they don't have to play themselves twice. The Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings' strength of schedules are determined in large part because the Packers represent a 30-2 hit on their opponents' combined record.
 
The Vikings, Packers and Bears will all play seven "quality opponents" in 2012, while the Lions have six on their schedule. A quality opponent is defined as one with at least nine victories the previous year...
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 20, 2012, 07:16:36 pm
Coach's Corner: Thomas on RB Polk


 By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel

April 20, 2012 2:06 p.m.
 





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Green Bay -- With six picks in the first four rounds, don't be surprised if the Packers draft a running back fairly early next week. How high? That's up for debate. The team showed interest in Washington's Chris Polk, for one, and Ted Thompson isn't afraid to take the best player on his board. Polk lost 10-plus pounds and improved his 40 time to 4.45-4.49 range. Last season, he rushed for 1,488 yards on 293 carries with 12 touchdowns and caught 31 passes for 332 yards with four scores. He has been the team's workhorse for three years, carrying the ball 799 times in his career.
 

Here's what Huskies associate head coach/running backs coach Joel Thomas had to say about Polk:
 
Q: Have you seen Chris Polk's physical transformation this off-season?
 
Thomas: "I saw him at his pro day up here and he's leaner. You usually notice that with big guys. They go training and come back for the NFL workout. He looks good and I know he's ready for the draft."
 
Q: What kind of running back was he at Washington and how do you see him projecting to the pros?
 
Thomas: "I'll go back to when I first got here and Chris was injured and he redshirted because of his injury. The whole knock on him was that he wasn't physical and he didn't take care of the ball. And to answer your question, he's the furthest thing from that. He never missed another game due to injury. He played through injuries -- the couple that he had. In this draft, he's the best back at taking care of the football. He's a physical runner. He understands the importance of moving the chains. But at the same time, he has some speed. This year he ripped off a bunch of long runs and they couldn't catch him. He's got that deceptive speed. Maybe it's because of his gait or maybe it's because of how big he looks when he runs. He's very quick and can get vertical."
 
Q: What types of injuries did he play through?
 
Thomas: "He had the shoulder injury our first year here. Then right before camp this last year, he had his knee scoped. We needed every yard in the first game out of him to help win the game. He ended up rushing for 120 or something like that. It was nice, hard day's work at the office."
 
Q: So he can get separation still? Has football speed?
 
Thomas: "Oh yeah. Watch that run he had against Cal, in a crucial part of the game. We ran the seam route and put him one-on-one with the linebacker and the guy was in cinder blocks. Chris puts his foot in the ground and goes. He's got the ability to burst away and do it every single play."
 
Q: A lot of teams may be looking for the next Darren Sproles. Does Polk have the ability to be that kind of player?

Thomas: "Darren Sproles is awesome. That's the best in the NFL at what he does, in my opinion. I don't know if Chris is that elusive, but he can run the routes. He can be a physical presence. Darren Sproles is the benchmark in my opinion. ...(Polk) understands the route concepts. With the pro-style scheme that we run here, I think he'll transition to understand pass protections, routes, hots, adjustments and all that stuff. I don't think he'll have much a transition with that at all."
 
Q: What is something he'll have to work on in the pros?
 
Thomas: "It's something that we preach here also, but you have to be able to protect the quarterback at all times. That's the guy who is making the big bucks. You have to develop the relationship that you can protect that quarterback. And I mean from a route-running standpoint, too. Being where you're supposed to be and doing what you're supposed to do. That will get you some longevity at the next level. If all you do is run the ball, and don't protect, then they'll find somebody else. I think that wherever he goes, he'll get better at all aspects of the game. I think he's going to be a really good pro."
 
Q: With the wear and tear on backs in the NFL, their careers haven't lasted as long. Should teams be concerned that Chris is coming into the league with so many carries under his belt already?
 
Thomas: "No, no. I think he's learned through those carries. He has learned how to protect himself a little bit with his pad leverage from his sophomore year to now. The durability (question), you're either broke or you're not in my opinion. I think he'll be perfectly fine from a durability standpoint. I don't know if he'll have that amount of carries at the next level. A lot of teams have a two-back system going on now."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 20, 2012, 07:22:54 pm
Will Thompson move up to draft Mclellin?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on April 23, 2012, 11:09:17 am
Ryan Grant will go to the Patriots and run for 900+ yards and double digit TDs...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on April 23, 2012, 12:36:28 pm
See where the Pack launched Clifton.  It is a business afterall, lose a step and.....BANG! Your a "color commentator". 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 23, 2012, 09:41:45 pm

By Kevin Seifert | ESPN.com
 
When we last checked in on Chad Clifton, it was clear the Green Bay Packers were hoping to find a way to get their veteran left tackle back for 2012. At the NFL owners meetings, coach Mike McCarthy termed Clifton's future "a medical decision" after his postseason back surgery.
 



CliftonThe Packers made that decision Monday, and it ended a 12-year run that included a Pro Bowl berth as recently as two years ago. Just as important, the move should save the Packers more than $5 million against the 2012 salary cap.
 
In truth, the Packers' pending release of Clifton -- as reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter -- has been building for years. The team essentially extended his career by limiting practice time to help manage knee, shoulder, back and hamstring ailments. But the back issue developed last season while rehabilitating a hamstring injury, and it was fair to question whether the Packers could rely on a left tackle in his condition who will turn 36 in June.
 
Knowing this moment was coming, the Packers have drafted possible replacements in recent years. Bryan Bulaga was initially a left tackle as a first-round pick in 2010, but he has moved to right tackle. Derek Sherrod, the Packers' top pick last season, played guard and tackle before suffering a season-ending broken leg in December.
 
But the likeliest replacement could be Marshall Newhouse, a fifth-round pick in 2010 who filled in admirably for Clifton last season. As the playoffs approached, quarterback Aaron Rodgers offered this ringing endorsement of Newhouse's performance:
 
"Starting the season out, I didn't look at Marshall the way I look at him now. I look at him now as a guy who really has a strong, legitimate chance to be the left tackle of the future. I think he has the personality makeup to do that, the athletic ability to do that, the feet and the smarts to be a very, very solid left tackle for us."
 
The Packers' depth chart at the position depends partially on this week's draft. But for now, we can at least say that the Packers will have a new left tackle this season for the first time since 2000. Recommend17
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 Comments
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on April 25, 2012, 02:18:06 pm
Between Clifton and Collins, that's a ton of veteran leadership the Packers lost this week.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on April 25, 2012, 02:42:34 pm

When will Charles Woodson join that club?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on April 26, 2012, 08:57:46 am

Heard its official - Packers have released Collins.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on April 26, 2012, 09:59:11 am
Wow....reminds me of Brownie. Man the guy had talent and a future written all over him...just couldn't stay healthy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on April 26, 2012, 10:02:45 am
Yeah but wasn't Collins able to play quite a bit longer than Brownie?

IIRC Brown only had about 3 really good years and it seems like Collins has been causing the Bears headaches for a lot longer than that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on April 26, 2012, 07:23:46 pm
Yap - Those are dog years for Collins...it just seems longer.

If I recall, Woodson was allowed to leave the Raiders because he was injured and not likely to return to his ability.  If I were Emery, I would have Collins on the line, I don't care about what he can tell us.  I would want to see if he heals...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on April 26, 2012, 08:15:28 pm
Floyd goes to the Cards I bet.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 27, 2012, 08:12:57 pm
They needed pass rushing? They got pass rushing in spades.

Russ Lande of Sporting News said this in his GMJR Draft Guide:

PASS RUSH ABILITY / VARIETY OF PASS RUSH MOVES / HAND-USE

SECTION GRADE: 8.0

When Worthy maintains good pad level and pass rushes aggressively he has the tools to be an outstanding pass rusher for a DT. He can jolt pass blocker backwards with explosive punch, drives him into pocket and frees up to pressure QB. He also has the quickness to beat pass blocker with a variety if quick handed pass rush moves. An issue is that once he clears pass blockers he does not consistently wrap up and finish the sack - Has a tendency to get upright and high while closing on QB and over-runs sack. Perhaps the biggest issue for Worthy as a pass rusher is his tendency to stop rushing and "Chicken Fight" with pass blocker if his initial pass rush attempt is stopped.

I love this pick. I can't lie, this Packers Draft is falling together perfectly and they have about 45 more picks to go.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 27, 2012, 08:14:00 pm
Heard its official - Packers have released Collins.

Yes.  He may play for someone who is not as concerned for his well-being, though.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 27, 2012, 08:16:03 pm
When will Charles Woodson join that club?

Some day but probably not yet.  Nickle Back sems a natural for him in the present defensive scheme.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 27, 2012, 08:17:36 pm
Yap - Those are dog years for Collins...it just seems longer.

If I recall, Woodson was allowed to leave the Raiders because he was injured and not likely to return to his ability.  If I were Emery, I would have Collins on the line, I don't care about what he can tell us.  I would want to see if he heals...

He is approved to play but Thompson felt there is too mush risk to his future health.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 27, 2012, 09:37:11 pm
 Green Bay Packers and Cleveland Browns are considering a deal for quarterback Colt McCoy, a source told Packer Report.
The Browns used a first-round pick on Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden on Thursday, making McCoy expendable. The Packers, who need a backup after losing Matt Flynn in free agency to Seattle, have a sixth-round pick and four seventh-round selections to use as bait.

"It's something we'll talk about tonight and tomorrow," Browns general manager Tom Heckert said on Thursday night, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy attended the pro days of Oklahoma's Sam Bradford and Texas' McCoy and came away impressed, saying McCoy answered "every" question.

"I liked this workout better. I thought Colt was challenged more in his workout as far as the types of throws," McCarthy said. "Sam was very accurate, but Sam's workout was very controlled. He didn't do as much movement."

McCoy (6-foot-2, 209 pounds) wound up being Cleveland’s third-round choice. With the Browns, he started eight games as a rookie and 13 games in 2011. In those 21 games, McCoy completed 58.4 percent of his passes for 4,309 yards, with 20 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. His passer rating is 74.5 and his record is 6-15.

His last action for Cleveland ended with a concussion on a helmet-to-helmet hit that resulted in James Harrison’s one-game suspension.

According to The Sports Xchange’s Len Pasquarelli, at least two franchises with some interest in McCoy are from the AFC North, the Browns' division, and officials from the two teams acknowledge that Cleveland likely won't do business with a division foe. It makes some sense that, despite the fact McCoy is 0-8 in starts against division rivals, the AFC North clubs would have some degree of interest.

Philadelphia makes some sense, not only because of need, but because Heckert used to work for the Eagles and retains strong ties to the Philly personnel department. Sources said that at least two other teams, one from each conference, have some interest.

Browns' officials emphasized to The Sports Xchange, as has been reported by some other media outlets, that McCoy has not requested a trade. In fact, McCoy has indicated to team officials his preference for remaining with the club and competing with Weeden for the starting job in training camp.

The 22nd overall choice on Thursday night, Weeden is 28 and will turn 29 in October. He is more than three years older than McCoy and, because of his advanced age, the perception is that the Browns will have to start him as a rookie. But first, though, the club has to decide what to do with McCoy.

At Texas, McCoy held the FBS all-time wins record with 45, a mark that was shattered by Boise State’s Kellen Moore (50-3 record). In 2008, he was the Big 12’s offensive player of the year and runner-up for the Heisman Trophy. In 2009, he led the Longhorns to an undefeated record and a berth in the BCS Championship Game against Alabama, but he was knocked out of the game with a shoulder injury. He swept the nation’s quarterback awards.

For his career, he passed for 112 touchdowns and rushed for 20 more while throwing for 13,253 yards.



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Bill Huber is publisher of Packer Report magazine and PackerReport.com and has written for Packer Report since 1997.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 28, 2012, 06:57:19 pm


Green Bay Packers assistant director of player personnel Eliot Wolf said it best on Twitter on Friday night when describing his boss.

“Ted Thompson killing it right now,” Wolf wrote in the middle of the NFL draft’s second round.


Casting caution to the wind, Thompson was a man on a mission as he boldly and swiftly took much-needed steps to fix the NFL's worst-ranked defense.


On Thursday, Thompson filled the Packers’ gaping hole at outside linebacker by drafting USC’s Nick Perry in the first round. But as it turned out, he was just getting started.


On Friday, Thompson traded up twice in the second round to land what he hopes are key pieces to the Packers’ defensive puzzle.


His solution for a sagging defensive line was to move up eight spots from No. 59 to No. 51 to draft Michigan State’s Jerel Worthy, who was given first-round value by some draft analysts.


Thompson’s answer for a beleaguered secondary was to package third- and fifth-round picks to acquire the No. 62 choice that he used to draft Vanderbilt cornerback Casey Hayward.


Just like that, a Packers defense that surrendered gobs of yardage and a boatload of big plays for much of last season has taken major strides toward respectability.


Of course, the low-key Thompson wasn’t buying into that notion. He wouldn’t even acknowledge that the Packers' defense needed fixing.


“I think we’re just trying to help the team,” Thompson said. “We also had a defense that helped us be 15-1 this season. I think sometimes that’s overlooked.”


The fact is, the Packers won 15 games last year in spite of their defensive shortcomings. The good news for the Packers is that by adding so many dynamic new elements via the draft, their potential is off the charts.


Defensive coordinator Dom Capers had to practically bite his tongue to hide his glee over the developments of the past two days. He looked like a little kid on Christmas morning with his arms full of shiny gifts.


It was a far cry from last year, when Capers received a lump of coal after Thompson drafted three offensive players with his first three picks.


“It just tells you, OK, that patience is a virtue,” Capers said. “Last year was a long draft so this year has been a good productive draft for us in terms of being able to get players at all three levels of our defense.”


Capers is a good soldier and would never complain publicly, but there is no doubt his hands were tied last season. He lost defensive end Cullen Jenkins to free agency and was given no adequate replacement. He was forced to cobble together defensive schemes with just one credible pass rusher. His secondary was at times shaky after injuries to safety Nick Collins and cornerback Tramon Williams.


But now, thanks to Thompson, Capers has more weapons in his arsenal and a greater chance to field a dangerous unit.


Or as Wolf might say, the Packers' defense could be killing it this fall.

-- mvandermause@greenbaypressgazette.com and follow him on Twitter @MikeVandermause.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 28, 2012, 07:00:08 pm
Written by

Mike Vandermause

The Packers said good-bye to veteran tackle Chad Clifton earlier this week and moved to add depth on their offensive line by drafting Florida State left tackle Andrew Datko with the first of two seventh-round picks, No. 241 overall.
 
Datko (6-6, 321) only started four games as a senior last season after injuring his shoulder and missed the final nine games.
 
The Packers will likely start Marshall Newhouse at left tackle and Bryan Bulaga at right  tackle this season, with 2011 first-round draft pick Derek Sherrod making a comeback after suffering a broken leg last season.
 
Datka had trouble with his left shoulder as a junior at Florida State and missed two games and eventually had offseason surgery.
 
Pro Football Weekly lists him as being quick on his feet and technically sound. His character is rated highly, according to PFW, and he has a reputation for being a hard-worker.
 
On the minus side, PFW says Datko lacks bulk, has limited power in his body, gets oumuscled at the point of attack and has average arm length
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 28, 2012, 07:02:33 pm
The Green Bay Packers have their new project at quarterback.
 
With their eighth and final pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Packers selected Tennesse-Chattanooga quarterback B.J. Coleman with the second of their two compensatory seventh-round picks (243rd overall).
 
The big framed (6-foot-3, 222-pounds) quarterback started all 29 of his career appearances at Chattanooga, completing 583-of-1,016 passes (57.4 percent) for 6,892 yards, 52 touchdowns and 32 interceptions with seven rushing touchdowns on 103 carries.
 
Coleman originally committed to Tennessee and redshirted his freshman year in 2007. He appeared in three games in 2008, completing 4-of-8 passes for 21 yards and an interception. He transferred to Chattanooga in 2009 after being demoted in favor of current-Washington quarterback Jonathan Crompton by new head coach Lane Kiffin.
 
Behind MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Coleman joins Graham Harrell and former Arena Football standout Nick Hill on the Packers depth chart.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 28, 2012, 07:17:38 pm
by texwestern on Apr 28, 2012 8:33 AM CDT in Green Bay Packers Dr
Much discussion has been made of Casey Hayward, the Packers third selection in the 2012 NFL Draft, especially about what position he will plan in Green Bay. Here's some of the skinny on Hayward.
 
Hayward is a former high school quarterback. A firsthand knowledge of running an offense gives him a tendency to know where a quarterback is likely to go with the ball, a skill which is reflected in his 13 interceptions over the past two years. At Packers.com, cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt had this to say about Heyward:
 

He’s extremely smart,. One thing I really liked about him when I talked to him at the combine, he understood what he was doing. He communicates at a high level on the field. He understands what the offense is trying to do to him at all times.
 
The NFL Network's Mike Mayock was a fan of the pick as well, calling Hayward "one of the most instinctive corners in this draft." Mayock was also very complimentary of Heyward's ball skills. He takes good routes to the ball and has played against top competition in the SEC, often being put in single coverage against an opponent's top receiver.
 
But while Hayward has an excellent feel in zone coverage, he has some limitations in pure man-to-man schemes, especially involving his average straight-line speed. He will have to make up for that with quickness, preparation, and instinct. Hayward put up the best time of the combine in the 20-yard shuttle and was in the top 10 corners in the 60-yard shuttle and the cone drill, a testament to his quickness and agility.



Hayward's size may prevent him from moving to safety, however. He stands 5'11" tall, and weighs between 185 and 190 pounds. He would almost certainly need to put on 15-20 pounds if a move to safety was in order. For comparison, Morgan Burnett is 6'1" and 210, while Nick Collins is 5'11", but also weighs 210 lbs. Heyward has been a solid defender in the run game though, and he is not afraid to make an open-field tackle. He recorded 18 tackles for loss in his three years, all against the run.
 
It's difficult to say how Hayward will be used in Dom Capers' scheme. If he stays at corner, his average speed and good agility probably will move him inside to cover slot receivers in four- or five-wide formations, especially in zone looks. If he's asked to play safety, he could be effective at the Free Safety spot where he could read the quarterback's eyes and track down deep balls, and his average speed (for a corner) probably puts him slightly above average at safety.
 
In either case, Hayward will likely be in the depth rotation on defense. I see him competing with Davon House for the fourth cornerback position behind Charles Woodson, Tramon Williams, and Sam Shields, and setting up mainly in the slot when he's on the field. He should also see immediate action on special teams. This looks like a very good pick to address the Packers' depth in the secondary. I doubt he'll be a starter immediately at any position, but he should help ensure that Jarrett Bush doesn't see the field much in the dime package.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 28, 2012, 07:40:13 pm

Green Bay Packers: A

Round 7, Pick 36: QB B.J. Coleman


The Packers finally get their backup for Aaron Rodgers here.

Grade: A





Round 7, Pick 34: OT Andrew Datko

 
Datko is a tackle who can play both sides and provides good depth.
 
Grade: A




Round 5, Pick 28: LB Terrell Manning


Manning is a good fit for the interior of the 3-4 and is a good value here.

Grade: A




Round 4, Pick 38: S Jerron McMillian

 
McMillian is an athletic freak and should be able to contribute as depth on defense and on special teams early on.
 
Grade: C




Round 4, Pick 37: DL Mike Daniels

 
Daniels is a better fit for the 4-3, but could contribute in sub packages for the Packers.
 
Grade: C





Green Bay trades second-round pick (No. 59 overall) and fourth-round pick (No. 123 overall) to Philadelphia for second-round pick (No. 51 overall)

The Packers trade up but get a first-round talent in Jerel Worthy. Great value on the trade.

Grade: A

 

Green Bay trades third-round pick (No. 90 overall) and fifth-round pick (No. 163 overall) to New England for second-round pick (No. 62 overall)

It's amazing how little New England got for Green Bay to move up 30 spots.

Grade: A+

 

Round 2, Pick 30: CB Casey Hayward

 
Hayward is a great fit for the defense that the Patriots run and should be able to win battles very easily. However, he would be their third-best corner behind Tramon Williams and future Hall of Famer Charles Woodson.
 
Grade: B




Round 2, Pick 19: DT Jerel Worthy

 
The Packers trade up here to get a guy who is another fringe first-round talent.

Worthy can play in either the defensive end or defensive tackle spot and should provide a lot of push for them when they go to their four-lineman sets in their sub package.
 
Grade: A+




Round 1, Pick 28: OLB Nick Perry
 
This is a great fit for the Packers and a true steal.

Perry is a guy who I had in the top 10 of my personal board. Nick Perry is a great fit for the 3-4 defense that Dom Capers runs and will be great in the pincer movement defense.

Also, the Packers have a locker room that will embrace him and truly turn him into a top defender.
 
Grade: A+
 
 
 
Overall Grade: A+
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: octagon on April 28, 2012, 07:44:47 pm
Is there any bigger homer in pro sports than a Packer fan?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 29, 2012, 08:01:38 pm
Address your post to Bleachers Report.  They also gave the  Bears a ridiculously high rating.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 04, 2012, 08:12:28 pm
If Nick Collins wants to continue his career, there might be some teams willing to take a chance on the former Green Bay Packers safety.

Collins agent, Alan Herman, said Thursday that he has fielded calls from several teams that wanted to know whether Collins is still interested in playing. The Packers cut him last week after they wouldn’t clear him following neck fusion surgery.


“Nick hasn’t made a decision yet,” Herman said. “But I’ve gotten calls from other teams seeing if he still wants to play.”


Collins, who herniated a disc in his neck in Week 2 last season, could walk away with his Super Bowl ring, his three Pro Bowl appearances, his health and another $1.5 million over the next two years in injury protection money, which is what Herman said he would recommend for his client.


If Collins expresses an interest in continuing his career, there’s no guarantee another team would clear him.


Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Saturday after the draft that Collins was on his way to a Hall of Fame career.


“You look at the beginning of his resume, he had a heck of a chance to go to Canton,” McCarthy said. “Just the way he was starting the first half of his career. But that was not the tough part at all because it wasn’t a professional decision. It was clearly a personal decision specifically with Nick Collins. Just based on the information, as an organization, Ted Thompson and I sat down and the final questions gets asked: If Nick was your son, would you let him play? So that’s why we made the decision we did.”


Interest in Grant: The Packers don’t appear interested in re-signing running back Ryan Grant, but one of their division rivals is.


Herman, who also represents Grant, said the Detroit Lions have offered Grant a contract.


He also said there’s interest from another team that “prefers to be silent,” Herman said.


“But it’s not the Packers,” Herman said.


Grant visited the New England Patriots last week.


Though the Packers didn’t draft a running back, they haven’t renewed interest in bringing back Grant. He rushed for 559 yards on 134 carries (a 4.2-yard average) and two touchdowns last season while splitting time with James Starks. Grant returned after missing all but the first game of the 2010 season because of an ankle injury.

(Page 2 of 2)

In addition to Starks, the Packers have Alex Green and Brandon Saine, both of whom were rookies. Green tore his anterior cruciate ligament in October but could be ready for the start of the season. The Packers also signed USC running back Marc Tyler as a rookie free agent following the draft.

Hargrove’s defense: One of the reasons former Saints defensive end Anthony Hargrove, who signed with the Packers in March, may have received such a harsh punishment (an eight-game suspension) from the NFL on Wednesday for his role in the Saints’ bounty program was that the league said Hargrove initially lied about it in a 2010 investigation.

If Hargrove has any defense in an appeal, it could be that he was told to lie, according to an attorney hired by the NFL as part of the investigation.

The lawyer, Mary Jo White, said on a conference call Thursday that Hargrove “was told to lie about it, and he did when he was asked about it in 2010 by NFL investigators.”

White wouldn’t reveal who told Hargrove to lie, although she said that information was conveyed to investigators.

Hargrove eventually cooperated with league investigators and according to the NFL signed “a declaration to the league that established not only the existence of the program, but also that he knew about and participated in it. The evidence showed that Hargrove told at least one player on another team that Vikings quarterback Brett Favre was a target of a large bounty during the NFC Championship Game in January of 2010. Hargrove also actively obstructed the league’s 2010 investigation into the program by being untruthful to investigators.”

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 04, 2012, 08:16:11 pm

A training camp surprise?
 
Bold Predictions for the Green Bay Packers' Rookies


Manning has all the makings of a star. Coming out of NC State early, Manning may have lost some quality learning time and another year of refining his skills, but he is already well on his way to being a compete ballplayer.

Manning has had some injury issues that he is hopefully over, and if he his, look out A.J. Hawk.

Manning is an incredible talent with the one thing that makes some people great—a chip on his shoulder. He claims to be the best linebacker in the draft, and if he truly believes that, his fifth-round draft status should make him want to prove himself.

Manning is not a one-trick pony. He can cover the new hybrid tight ends and also rush the passer, two things that A.J. Hawk cannot do.

If Manning adds some bulk, he could be a dangerous inside rusher in the 3-4, and he could spell the end to Hawk's career in Green Bay.

I expect Manning to gain more and more playing time as the season progresses before taking the starting spot later this year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 04, 2012, 08:20:12 pm
WOW!

Andrew Datko Is the Left Tackle by Week Four

The Packers addressed the offensive line in Round 7, and they got absolute value. Datko was an expected first-round pick prior to the 2011 college football season, but his shoulders shut him down just four games in.

Datko has the size, pass protection skills and quick enough feet to be a left tackle in the NFL.

With the Packers facing the 49ers, Bears and Saints in the first four weeks of the season, projected starter Marshall Newhouse is going to have his hands full.

If Newhouse doesn't perform well in those four games and Derek Sherrod isn't fully ready, I expect Datko to take over and never look back.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 04, 2012, 08:59:20 pm







From Packers chat:


Comment From Robert Poster 
Who's the best RB in the league today?

1:10
Desmond Bishop:
Robert, the most skilled is Adrian Peterson. The strongest is Marshawn Lynch. The most underrated is Matt Forte.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 05, 2012, 09:40:39 pm
One of the causes of GB's defensive lapse in 2011 was the loss of Nick Collins.  Hayward is kind of a clone of Collins.

 By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel

May 4, 2012
Green Bay - This spring, Casey Hayward hung around the Vanderbilt campus to help out with the younger defensive backs. During spring practice, he watched from the sideline. And at least twice, a quarterback's overthrow flew in his direction.
 
Each time, Hayward effortlessly plucked the ball out of the sky.
 
“It was so typical Casey," Vanderbilt defensive coordinator Bob Shoop said. "You kind of laugh at yourself and say, ‘God, the guy’s making plays even while he’s standing watching practice.’”
 
Hayward wasn't necessarily fast. And he's not an in-your-face cover corner like others in the draft. But he made plays. Shoop credits Hayward's football IQ, saying he is "weird smart." Hayward found himself in the right spot at the right time, again and again. In three years as a starter, the 5-foot-11, 192-pound cornerback had 15 interceptions and 31 pass break-ups. A week ago, the Packers dealt back into the second round to get Hayward - one of Ted Thompson's three trades up for a player last weekend.
 
Thompson doesn't do this often. From 2005-'11, he traded up three times total. Hayward's sixth sense was appealing. Shoop believes he has a lot of room to grow, too.
 
“It’s weird smart," Shoop said. "One of the things he’ll have to do at the next level — and I think he did a good job of this — as he becomes a professional football player, he’ll need to watch film. He’ll need to prepare like a pro. Not that he didn’t do that, but he has that weird kind of smart where he has that savvy and instinct where he can just see things as they develop on the football field and put himself in a position to be successful. That was really neat. Trust me when I tell you this, that wasn’t him being coached. That guy has the ‘it’ factor.”
 
So the Packers had to make a move. They're going to face plenty of multi-receiver sets. Sam Shields regressed in year two, and 2011 fourth-rounder Davon House never saw the field after a hamstring injury held him back in training camp. Hayward could see the field fairly soon.
 
Shoop had Hayward only one season at Vanderbilt, but has coached in college since 1991 at Northeastern, Yale, Villanova, Army, Boston College, Columbia, Massachusetts and William & Mary. Hayward is the best playmaker he ever had.
 
“Very rare. I can compare him to only one other guy I ever coached, and that guy ended up not making it for other reasons. I won’t say who it is," Shoop said. "But it’s little things. I’d say something to Casey like, ‘Well, this is your responsibility’ and he’d say, ‘Coach, I see him and he’s throwing the ball there.’ That’s what I’m saying about him being a zone player. He has good vision and a nice feel.”
 
Like the pick-six against Connecticut. Hayward knew Vanderbilt was blitzing the quarterback from the other side and that a quick pass could be coming his way. Fast. So he stepped into the pass, intercepted it and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown. Or like the two interceptions in Vanderbilt's bowl loss to Cincinnati. On one, he correctly anticipated a quick slant.
 
As a senior, Hayward was solid against NFL-bound receivers South Carolina's Alshon Jeffery (two receptions, 34 yards) and Wake Forest's Chris Givens (four receptions, 69 yards). Against Arkansas' pass-happy attack, Hayward broke up six passes. The stage was never too big, Shoop said. He believes Hayward fits well into a blitzing team because of his feel for all other players on the field and where a pass play may be heading.
 
Green Bay has 85 interceptions as a defense the last three years, though coaches often stress the importance of not jumping routes and taking too many chances. Shoop said Hayward didn't stray outside his scheme.
 
“Casey was never a guy who freelanced and took shots outside of the framework of the defense," he said. "He was never like that — not at all. But you don’t want to discourage the ability to make a play. The next level is the next level. So like anything else, there’s going to be some maturing and growing pains and learning the deal there. I saw the experienced Casey Hayward. I wasn’t here when he was a freshman, sophomore and junior. I can’t think of a situation where he hung someone else out to dry trying to make a play.”
 
Still, in the NFL, Hayward will face much bigger, stronger, faster wideouts. He'll need to be physical. Some scouts question how he'll perform in man coverage.
 
“He has exceptional hands and great ball skills," Shoop said. "He used his vision on the ball to make good breaks. I do think he needs to continue to work on his re-routing and being more physical — utilizing his hands a little bit more within the rules of the NFL."
 
Hayward is more "gym rat" than "filmaholic," Shoop says. And that combine-best short shuttle time of 3.90 seconds is an indicator of football speed. The Packers aggressively pursued Hayward one week ago. Dom Capers values turnovers as much as any defensive coordinator in the league.
 
If he's ready, there's a good chance Hayward finds a role soon.
 
“When the game starts, he plays as fast as any of those guys," Shoop said. "He has that unique ability to turn it on and be as fast as he needs to be in the framework of the moment.”
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 07, 2012, 07:12:33 pm

By
Bob Fox
 (Featured Columnist) on May 6, 2012

2,776reads

 4


Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse more storiesNext



 Mike McCarthy, John Dorsey and Eliot Wolf in the Packer war room. Evan Siegle/Press-Gazette


Rudyard Kipling once wrote, “For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.” A pretty apropos statement when it comes to talking about the Green Bay Packers, huh?
 
The Packers have seen their scouting department getting smaller the past three years with the departures of Lenny McGill to Denver (assistant college scouting director), John Schneider to Seattle (GM), Reggie McKenzie to Oakland (GM) and last week when Shaun Herock was appointed the Raiders' director of college scouting.
 
That means there were be added responsibility for Eliot Wolf in the front office of the Packers later this month. It is expected that Wolf will take over the role of McKenzie for the Packers, who was the team's director of football operations.
 
Last June, the Packers promoted Wolf to assistant director of player personnel. Wolf, as most of you know, is the son of Ron Wolf, the former GM of the Packers. Wolf, who is just 30, served the previous three years as assistant director of pro personnel, after spending his first four seasons working as a pro personnel assistant...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 07, 2012, 07:16:50 pm
I hope that he gets beaten out of his job at Safety.

Sam Shields of the Packers Sounds Like a Really, Really Nice Guy According to This Report
Jerks, NFL Jason McIntyre May 7th. 2012, 12:29pmSam Shields is an average defensive back in the NFL – in this photo, he’s getting toasted by Hakeen Nicks in the playoffs – but a big-time jerk off the field. According to Radar:

On Thursday, the 24-year-old football player unceremoniously threw his fiancée Melissa Lopez out of the home that they once shared, rendering her homeless … “He woke her up in the middle of the night, threw $300 at her and totally out of the blue ordered her to get out immediately,” the insider said. “He just told her he didn’t like her anymore.

“He told her that he had met someone else and she had to get out, right then and there. She gathered what she could and left and then lived out of her car for months and stayed on friends’ couches whenever she could.”

Shields apparently then had a change of heart back in January and told Lopez she could move back in and stay in the apartment until the lease expired in July while he went out of state.

But last week Shields told Lopez that he had changed his mind yet again and she was going to have to move out, immediately!

According to Radar, the pair had dated for three years. Radar also reports Shields, who went undrafted out of Miami – has three “maybe four” kids with other women. [Radar via Jason Wilde]
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on May 07, 2012, 09:42:26 pm
I hope that he gets beaten.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on May 07, 2012, 09:47:15 pm
I am watching the replay of the Broncos beat the Packers in the Superbowl on NFLN.  Good times.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 08, 2012, 06:40:01 pm
:-(
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on May 08, 2012, 08:52:41 pm
Oh Pack, yes it was a loss, but it wasn't like they were atomized. Take away one of those two penalties on the Broncos' last drive and it would have swung the other way. Winners making it back to the Big Show the year after isn't easy
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on May 08, 2012, 11:28:15 pm
Just GETTING there is a B!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 09, 2012, 07:32:23 pm
Wolf was really upset by the loss Fearless.  Remember how   Holmgren's head wasn't in the game and made a poor decision on the starting line-up.  Wolf sholld have let Holmgren go after the previous (SB) win.  Alas.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on May 10, 2012, 05:57:07 pm
Perhaps Pack, but its hard to justify releasing a Super Bowl winning coach, the only similar case I am aware of was when Al MacNeil  was released as Habs coach after winning the Stanley Cup in 1971; and that was a combpo of conflict with a star player (Henri Richard) and the usual language politics of Montreal / Quebec.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 10, 2012, 07:25:01 pm
Holmgren was very upset that he was not allowed to leave GB to get the big bucks and the big power in Seattle, though.  He seemed to lose interest in GB after Wolf's refusal.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 12, 2012, 11:29:32 am


Written by

Pete Dougherty
Filed Under



Nick Perry played left outside linebacker in his first rookie-orientation camp practice today, which raises at least the possibility the Packers plan to move Clay Matthews to the right side.
 
The Packers selected Perry in the first round of this year’s draft as a likely immediate starter at outside linebacker.
 
Coach Mike McCarthy gave no indication of the team’s plans, and there’s always the possibility the Packers will work Perry on the right side later in this camp. But considering they’re trying to get Perry ready to play as fast as possible, they’re also unlikely to give him many snaps on the side he’s not likely to play this season.
 
“It’s a starting point,” McCarthy said. “That’s — we played Nick Perry exclusively on the left side (today), so that will be the starting point for him.”
 
Matthews played on the right side his rookie year of 2009, then played left side the last two seasons. As a rule of thumb, teams that play 3-4 defenses generally play their bigger outside linebacker on the left side on the theory that offenses run more to their right (the defense’s left). Perry is about 270 pounds, which is 15 pounds more than Matthews’ listed playing weight last season.
 
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 12, 2012, 11:32:40 am
Rob Demovsky
Green Bay Press-Gazette
 
Jerel Worthy talks about joining the Packers: Rookie defensive lineman Jerel Worthy talks about joining the Green Bay PackersThe Green Bay Packers got so little out of their third defensive line spot last season that any contribution Jerel Worthy and Mike Daniels can provide should be an upgrade.

Defensive coordinator Dom Capers tried Howard Green, Jarius Wynn, C.J. Wilson and Mike Neal at that spot with little success, and he was forced to play workhorse B.J. Raji and Ryan Pickett more snaps than he would have liked.


The Packers didn’t bother to re-sign Green. Neal will have to serve a four-game suspension to start the season because he violated the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, and free-agent pickup Anthony Hargrove was suspended eight games for his role in the New Orleans Saints’ bounty scheme. The other offseason addition, Daniel Muir, had been out of football since midway through last season.


Enter Worthy and Daniels, taken in the second and fourth rounds, respectively, of last month’s draft.


If Worthy is everything the Packers hope, perhaps they finally will have a replacement for Cullen Jenkins, who left in free agency last summer.


From a height and weight standpoint, the 6-foot-2, 308-pound Worthy practically mirrors Jenkins (6-2, 305), who in the Packers’ 2010 Super Bowl season had seven sacks in just 11 games.


Worthy, who was picked 51st overall, got off to an impressive start Friday during the first practice of rookie orientation camp, which featured 59 rookies and first-year players.


“His first step is really something that we were excited about when we evaluated him in college,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said after Friday’s practice. “You could definitely see that. I don’t like to compare players, but he has a very explosive first step, even for a big guy. Whether he’s playing the three-technique (defensive tackle) or even the shade (defensive end), he’s definitely going to be a factor inside. That was evident through our drill work today. Very explosive for a big guy.”


Worthy, who lined up at right end in the base 3-4 defense and will play defensive tackle in the nickel package, comes to Green Bay with a chip on his shoulder. Some projections had him as a first-round pick, but perhaps his reputation for not playing hard all the time factored into him being picked in the second round. He turned pro after his redshirt junior season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 12, 2012, 11:38:49 am
B.J. Coleman may not have been up to speed on Green Bay Packers history when he was drafted two weeks ago, but the seventh-round pick from Tennessee-Chattanooga was a living, breathing Wikipedia page by the time he stepped on the practice field for the first time Friday.

“I did some research before I came up here and studied up on Curly Lambeau and how that all worked,” said Coleman, the latest in a long list of developmental quarterbacks for the Packers. “What an impressive organization.”


And what an impressive display of resourcefulness by Coleman. He even knows the franchise’s earliest name — the Indian Packing Co. — and the key dates — it was born in 1919 and joined the NFL in 1921 — right off the top of his head.


Think he was happy to be in the team’s rookie minicamp this weekend?


“What an awesome opportunity for all of us youngsters coming in here and being around these vets and seeing the Packer way and them showing you what the ‘G’ means on the helmet and represents on your chest,” Coleman said. “To be a part of it is great.”


Actually, Coleman revealed his feelings about coming to Green Bay on draft night. Every year at least one draft pick is so excited just to be drafted that his enthusiasm during the ritual teleconference with local reporters is over the top.


Coleman was that guy when the Packers selected him with the 243rd pick in the 253-pick draft on April 28. In his youthful exuberance, he raved at length about having worked out prior to the draft with longtime Packers quarterback Brett Favre. The two share an agent, Bus Cook, and a trainer, Sam Morris, in Hattiesburg, Miss., where Favre lives.


As Coleman gushed about training with Favre, some members of the state media chuckled given the strained relations between the future Hall of Famer, now retired, and the Packers organization. Coleman was blissfully unaware of that situation and probably was thinking Favre was his first connection to the organization that drafted him.


Coleman didn’t know about that piece of history, but really, it makes no difference. There wasn’t a quarterback in the draft class who wouldn’t have jumped at the chance to pick Favre’s brain before the draft process began.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 13, 2012, 06:24:47 pm


Green Bay - When the Green Bay Packers drafted Chad Clifton with the 44th pick in the 2000 NFL draft, they didn't really need an offensive tackle.

At least they didn't think they did.

Seven games into his rookie season, Clifton was starting at left tackle, a position he would anchor until his release this spring.

When the Packers drafted Andrew Datko with the 241st pick in the 2012 draft, they didn't really need an offensive tackle either.

What happens next won't necessarily be a repeat of the jackpot the Packers hit 12 years ago, but with the left tackle position wide open and Datko a premium selection until a torn labrum scared off most NFL teams, he is a player to be watched.

"I'm just trying to show them why they drafted me and show what I can bring," Datko said during the Packers' rookie orientation camp this weekend.

"I just want to learn from the other players how it's done around here because this is a championship team and a championship environment."

Where Clifton and Datko's early indicators cross is the experience they both had playing for two of the biggest college football programs around.

Whereas Clifton started for four seasons at Tennessee and played for two national championship teams, Datko started for four seasons at Florida State and played in three bowl victories.

Clifton played in front of 102,000 fans at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, while Datko played in front of 83,000 at Doak Campbell Stadium.

"Playing in the ACC, all the D-ends there are, it's ridiculous." Datko said of the competition he's faced. "Going against that talent prepares you to come here. Every defensive end that has played over me in practice has gone on to play in the NFL.

"And our next one is going to go in the first or second round. Practice always helped me out a lot."

The Packers feel pretty good about having 2010 fifth-round pick Marshall Newhouse and 2011 first-round pick Derek Sherrod, although Newhouse had his struggles filling in for Clifton, and Sherrod is coming off a complete fracture of the large bone in his lower leg.

But they also felt good in 2000 about having Mike Wahle and Ross Verba.

In Datko, coach Mike McCarthy might have a boom or bust player given his injury history. Had he not had three surgeries on his shoulder dating to high school, his combination of size (6 foot 6, 315 pounds), agility (4.54 seconds in the shuttle drill) and productivity (four sacks allowed in his final three seasons) would have made him a potential first-round pick.

Instead, he had to wait all the way until the seventh as 22 of the 24 offensive tackles drafted were picked ahead of him.

"Going into the draft I knew everything about the shoulder and what was going to happen and how teams would be afraid," Datko said.

"I knew that coming in. But all the teams know what I can bring, and I'm going to just bring that when I hit the practice fields and compete."

Datko first injured his shoulder playing for highly regarded St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He got hit from behind after the whistle and landed on his elbow, disabling his left arm.

He doesn't remember exactly what the injury was, but it required surgery and ultimately affected the attention he got from college recruiters.

But Florida State remained interested and Datko was so competitive the coaches were willing to let him protect quarterback Christian Ponder's blindside his true freshman season.

"I grew up playing basketball and footwork is key in basketball," Datko said. "I only started playing football in high school. I started as a freshman so I was real undersized and my coach just sat me down and said, 'Listen, you have to be a technician, you have to use footwork and get in good position.'

"I do that and now I've added size so it helps a lot."

Datko was cruising along until the summer of his junior year when he got hit from behind again, this time with his left arm extended and he wound up tearing his labrum.

He played with the injury the entire season but needed to get it fixed after the bowl game.

Datko's father was talking with Ponder's father, who suggested that Andrew go to see renowned orthopedic surgeon James Andrews, the same guy who operated on Drew Brees' shoulder and Brett Favre's ankle.

Datko was shocked when Andrews agreed to do the surgery for him.

"The first time I went there, he spent almost 45 minutes with me and my family and talking to us," Datko said. "It was really neat, that guy being so big time, just sitting down with us. It really helped me."

Things were progressing well, but Datko pushed too hard too fast and by the third game of the '12 season he had so much inflammation in the shoulder that Andrews had to go in and clean it out.

Andrews told him the original repair, as well as the one he had in high school, were still intact, which was a sign the shoulder was in good shape.

But he wound up missing his entire senior season and has been fighting to prove to scouts that he's back to being the big-time prospect he once appeared to be.

He is cleared to do everything at Packers camp and has regained most of his strength, although he thinks there's room for him to bulk up beyond the 40 pounds he gained in college.

"(He) would have had a lot higher grade if it wasn't for his shoulder," McCarthy said. "Smart. Tough. I know everybody's excited about him. You get into the draft process on when you're going to take your chance medically because that is part of your decision-making. I think he'll be an excellent fit in our offensive line."

If his shoulder holds up, Datko could be one of general manager Ted Thompson's best value picks. If it doesn't, it will have been a risk worth taking.
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 14, 2012, 09:04:39 pm
Packers' rookie camp in review


 By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel

May 14, 2012 11:39 a.m.
 





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Green Bay -- It's important to keep perspective with rookie orientation. The Don Hutson Center may have been full this weekend, but there are only eight draft picks, probably four or five realistic contributors and maybe three starters in the bunch. Coaches aren't going to draw any sweeping conclusions from these practices. More than anything, it's a brief first impression. Here's fast food for thought on the first practices of the 2012 season:
 
1. Nick Perry is starting his career on the left side, the position Clay Matthews has occupied the last two seasons. Mike McCarthy called this "the starting point" for Perry. Does this mean Matthews is migrating for sure? Too early to say. But don't be surprised if coaches are more willing to make changes like this on defense in 2012. Urgency is higher to find the right players in the right spots.
 
2. There was no contact this past weekend, of course. But Jerel Worthy did stand out. The Michigan State defensive tackle's quick first step out of his stance is evident. He moves his 305 pounds well, very important because he's about three inches shorter than the protypical 3-4 defensive end.

3. Who knows if he'll even has a shot in Green Bay with all of the receivers on the roster, but you can see why Michael Zweifel caught 140 passes last season at the University of Dubuque. He doesn't fight the ball. Zweifel is a natural pass-catcher.
 
4. Perry downplayed the idea that he was a "savior" for the Packers defense. “I can’t really say that I’m going to be the savior but I’m going to put my best foot forward to help the situation and just try to help the team any way I can," he said. "Just being here has been a blast and I’m going to continue to do what it takes to help the team.” While he is the team's best chance at ramping up the pass rush, it will take more than one player to improve the league's 32nd-ranked unit.
 
5. B.J. Coleman and Nick Hill are in ideal situations. McCarthy said four is "a healthy number" for quarterbacks in camp. After this fast-and-furious weekend, both Coleman and Hill now have something to chew on. Coleman is eager to study the practice film. As you'd expect, they were hot and cold in the practice open to the media. Some errant overthrows with no defenders. Some bobbled shotgun snaps. Graham Harrell's knowledge of the offense probably will stand out in OTAs and minicamp. He has a lot less thinking to do. But McCarthy also said that he likes Hill's instincts and improved ability to make throws out "in space" and that Coleman brought "command" to the huddle.
 
6. Terrell Manning said his weak-side linebacker position at N.C. State is very similar the position his inside linebacker position in Green Bay and that he is motivated by falling into the fifth round of the draft.
 
7. The element that Tori Gurley could potentially give the Packers' offense was magnified. Eligible to participate in rookie orientation because he was on the practice squad last season, the 6-foot-4 Gurley certainly stood out around all these first-year players. He's long and plays to his size. On paper, that's something the Packers' current wide receiver group lacks. Obviously Green Bay will have a decision to make on Donald Driver, a decision that may relate more to Randall Cobb's playing time and a roster spot to Gurley more than dollar signs. We'll have time to talk about this over the coming weeks, but it'll certainly be a tough call.

8. Speaking of 2011 practice-squad players, it appears Sampson Genus is being developed as a potential heir to Jeff Saturday at center. Nick McDonald didn't work out last year. Genus, a strong player built low to the ground, will get a shot.
 
9. Marshall Newhouse may be the favorite to win the left tackle job. But don't sleep on Andrew Datko. The seventh-rounder from Florida State would have been drafted much higher if he had stayed healthy.
 
10. Jon Hoese will gladly take this football career over the 100 hours/week he was spending on the family farm after Green Bay cut him a year ago. Life for fullbacks these days isn't easy. Hoese's hoping to follow John Kuhn's lead.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 17, 2012, 06:04:08 pm
Southern California running back Marc Tyler was looking for a good opportunity after going undrafted last month.

He might have found one with the Green Bay Packers.


Tyler, who was one of 14 undrafted free agents to take part in the Packers’ rookie orientation camp over the weekend, had several other teams interested in signing him, including the Oakland Raiders.


The Packers made the most sense for several reasons. Tyler’s agent, Sean Howard, was a player personnel executive for the Packers and recommended them.


“He said it was a good organization,” said Tyler, who received a $5,000 signing bonus. “When he told me the teams (that were interested), I think this situation is better. The team is better, and this franchise is better.”


The Packers have some question marks at running back that Tyler in part could help answer.


They have a somewhat unproven starter in James Starks and a backup coming off a torn anterior cruciate ligament in Alex Green. They also have Brandon Saine, who like Tyler was an undrafted free agent last season and spent the first half of 2011 on the practice squad before being promoted in Week 9 when Green was injured.


The Packers didn’t address the position during the draft last month, instead signing Tyler and University of Minnesota running back Duane Bennett as undrafted free agents.


There always is a possibility the Packers could re-sign veteran running back Ryan Grant, although coach Mike McCarthy didn’t have an update on Grant after practice on Friday and there has been no indication the team is interested in bringing him back.


“We are just getting started, but it’s exciting to have Marc here,” McCarthy said. “It’s an opportunity for all these young men. Like I told them, the drafted players may get the first rep in the first drill, but if you get the second, third and fourth, make sure you are taking full advantage of it.


“It’s very important to make a good first impression.”


Tyler could have a decent chance of making the team if he’s able to show enough over the next four months.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 22, 2012, 09:30:57 pm
Roster competition.

http://packersnews.greenbaypressgazette.com/section/PKR07
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 22, 2012, 09:36:50 pm
Draft class

http://packersnews.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20120522/PKR07/120522150/Tom-Oates-column-Draft-class-gets-players-attention
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 22, 2012, 09:40:51 pm
There will be some Packer vets out job hunting come June - maybe Hawk, probably Driver.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 28, 2012, 09:59:58 pm
Good news for defense from Packer OTAs:
 
http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/OTA-Practice-Review/b20e80eb-81a7-4ef3-a796-146b0b8e6839 (http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/OTA-Practice-Review/b20e80eb-81a7-4ef3-a796-146b0b8e6839)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 03, 2012, 07:53:55 pm
Posted by Mike Florio on June 3, 2012, 12:45 PM EDT
 
Reuters
Receiver Donald Driver recently has dubbed himself a “Packer for life.”  His quarterback has that same aspiration.
 
“I want to be a Packer for life and I don’t see myself going anywhere else,” Rodgers said in an interview with the Green Bay Press-Gazette.  (MDS previously noted Rodgers’ candid — but spot-on — comments on the Pro Bowl, from that same interview.)
 
Of course, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning likely would have said the same thing after seven NFL seasons.  Tom Brady likely would say the same thing now.
 
While it’s impossible to rule out the potential impact of an injury on the team’s desire to keep Rodgers around until he’s ready to retire, it’s clear that the Packers and their fans won’t have to deal (again) with the wishy-washiness that comes from a guy who is addicted to the spotlight, but who has lost his desire to do what he needs to do when no one is paying attention.
 
“[W]hen I’m not committed to being a 100 percent offseason guy, then that’s probably when I should step away from the game because these guys deserve 100 percent of my effort and time,” Rodgers said.
 
It’s the right attitude, and it flows from a Michael Jordan-style competitiveness that has Rodgers obsessed with winning, no matter the setting.
 

“You ask my friends, I’m not a lot of fun to be around when I’m not doing well at golf, or we played wiffle ball the other day and I was ticked we lost at that,” Rodgers said.  “I don’t like losing at video games.  I don’t like losing at card games.  That’s a strong driver.”
 

And that’s good news for Packers fans.  And bad news for the other teams in the NFC North.  And in the NFC.  And in the AFC.
 

At some point, the front office will need to ensure that Rodgers will be a Packer for life by giving him a lifetime deal.  Rodgers remains under contract for three more seasons, at base salaries of $8 million in 2012, $9.25 million in 2013, and $10.5 million in 2014.
 

With quarterbacks who weren’t the Super Bowl MVP in 2010 or the NFL MVP in 2011 making a lot more than that, it could be wise for the Packers to get Rodgers taken care of, sooner rather than later.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 08, 2012, 06:23:14 pm
OTA notes: WR Cobb looks sharp
By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel June 6, 2012 EmailPrint|(35) Comments Green Bay -- The return of Donald Driver puts Randall Cobb's immediate future into focus. Sixteen years younger, Cobb was a training camp darling a year ago and is making some noise this year already. His value as a returner cannot be underestimated, but coach Mike McCarthy must strongly consider using Cobb more on offense in 2012.

He moves in and out of cuts fast, displays reliable hands and has breakaway speed after the catch. As a rookie, return duties and a general lack of experience limited Cobb's offensive snaps. Of the Packers' five wideouts, he saw the least action -- and it really wasn't close. Per Pro Football Focus, Greg Jennings (713 snaps), Jordy Nelson (699), James Jones (555) and Driver (563) all played much more than Cobb (309).

But now he has a full off-season. With more practice reps and more time with Aaron Rodgers, Cobb's role could change.

On Tuesday, he had several catches. Graham Harrell connected with Cobb on a 20-yard dart across the middle. And Rodgers drilled two passes to Cobb in fairly tight windows. Gaining a rapport with Rodgers is most important for Cobb. Remember, his first receiving touchdown ever came on a wrong route. He needs more time in the offense, more reps to do less thinking. Whenever Nelson was asked a year ago what keyed his breakout a year ago, he repeated that it was his chemistry with Rodgers. A trust developed. They didn't always need to communicate before the snap.

If Cobb is a quick learner, the Packers will need to find ways to use him more.

Here are some other nuggets from the three organized team activities open to the media:

--- Wait on Perry. Have been getting plenty of tweets and emails asking for what kind of progress first-round pick Nick Perry has made. Hold on, gang. His position -- more than any other -- can't be gauged when players are in shorts and helmets. Let's see what kind of leverage he can maintain on the edge and how quick his burst is while standing up when the pads come on. It is telling that Perry was plugged into the first-team defense from day one. Erik Walden's goal is to start, but Perry will have every opportunity to win the job. As he said himself, he's not a savior. But he is Green Bay's best bet at improving the pass rush.

--- So far, so good for Harrell. The No. 2 job is his if he seizes it. Graham Harrell hopes he came into Green Bay a new man. He took all the right steps back in Tyler, Texas, adding muscle and arm strength. At OTAs, the Packers saw encouraging signs. Harrell threw with more confidence vertically and looked more comfortable outside the pocket -- two important points of growth for the former "system" quarterback. Green Bay took a big risk here, only adding seventh-rounder B.J. Coleman when Matt Flynn left in free agency. They'll need to see Harrell produce in the preseason.

--- Safety watch continues. Charlie Peprah sat out of OTAs after having his knee scoped this off-season. The resident whipping boy for fans remains confident. But he'll be pushed by M.D. Jennings and, maybe, Jerron McMillian come August. Jennings wasn't perfect. On Tuesday, tight end D.J. Williams made a one-handed catch over him up the right sideline. But he has added weight and is a smart player. Green Bay needs safeties they can trust next season. There were too many post-play looks of confusion from defensive backs in 2011.

--- Pressure on Hawk. Chances are, you've read my colleague's story on inside linebacker A.J. Hawk (and the defense in general) back in January. The former fifth overall pick did not live up to the five-year, $33.75 million contract he signed a year ago. Far from it. Urgency is higher across the board on defense this off-season. There's more pressure on the assistant coaches to get the six draft picks up to speed and there's pressure on the veterans to rebound. With Brad Jones and Jamari Lattimore both moving inside -- where there's already D.J. Smith and Robert Francois -- Hawk cannot play as poorly as he did in 2011. Dom Capers has other options to turn to.

--- Rodgers' drive. In the Journal Sentinel's exclusive interview with Aaron Rodgers Tuesday, the league MVP discussed his competitive fire in more detail and his desire to win "Super Bowls." Most know the storyline already. The college snubs. That long wait on draft day. The summer of 2008. But competitiveness is a part of Rodgers beyond football. Probably the most interesting part of our interview came when I asked Rodgers if he was "obsessed with the game." He quickly jumped in, saying he's "obessively competitive." Not just with the game. There's a distinction.

In January, former teammates/friends shared stories of Rodgers getting worked up over a pick-up basketball game against 15- and 16-year olds at a military base and one beach volleyball game that nearly turned into a brawl. On Tuesday, Harrell laughed about Rodgers cheating in a recent whiffle ball game. Surely, friends, like Harrell, have been occasionally irritated over the years (for what it's worth, Harrell's team still won). But there is some real, day-to-day substance here that's driving the Packers.

While Rodgers said he was able to move on from that playoff loss once he left Green Bay, Harrell believes that playoff game is still "eating away" at him.

--- After finishing up OTA's this week, the Packers will be back for minicamp next week -- June 12-14. All practices are open to the media and one is open to the public. That practice is Tuesday the 12th at 10:45 a.m.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 09, 2012, 03:35:36 pm

Written by

Weston Hodkiewicz

Green Bay Press-Gazette
 

The first official days of Davon House’s NFL career weren’t spent so much on the football field as they were alone in his room, paging through his playbook during late-night study sessions.

In the three weeks after the NFL lockout lifted last summer, House’s daily routine rarely broadened past working out, practicing and doing his best to memorize the job manual for playing cornerback for the Green Bay Packers.


The league’s work stoppage forced House, a fourth-round pick out of New Mexico State, and the rest of the incoming rookies to adapt to their new careers like college students cramming for a morning exam.


Although injuries and inexperience limited House to only two games and one tackle during his rookie season, he’s shown flashes of the athletic ability and size that made him the first Aggie to be drafted since 2003.


After being thrust into the NFL as a rookie, it’s safe to say House has enjoyed preparing for his second season a little more heading into next week’s minicamp.


“It really wasn’t fair for us,” House said. “It’s amazing how players like Cam Newton, Randall (Cobb) and Von Miller, how they picked up the defense and the offense so quick. It’s amazing those people are that gifted to pick up a playbook and within three weeks know the playbook by heart. This year’s rookies are lucky they didn’t have to go through what we had to go through last year.”


House is the first to admit his rookie season was a humbling experience. At New Mexico State, the 6-foot, 195-pound defensive back started 43 games after taking over midway through his true freshman year.


Even though House didn’t start playing football until his junior year at Palmdale (Calif.) High School, he finished as New Mexico State's all-time leader in interception-return yardage (319) and tied for sixth with 11 interceptions.


When he came to Green Bay, however, House spent most of last season as an observer. Accustomed to being the star, House had to become comfortable on the scout team, but it’s a role he learned to embrace after hamstring and ankle injuries kept him off the field for the early portion of last season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 13, 2012, 04:37:00 pm
Written by
Rob Demovsky
Filed Under
<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]-->

The Green Bay Packers guaranteed Donald Driver $1.2 million this season, making it highly unlikely they would release him.

According to a source with access to NFL Players Association contract information, Driver’s renegotiated contract, which was dated May 30, is worth $2.3 million. The base salary is $1.1 million, while the roster bonus is $1.2 million, the same as the guaranteed money. There are no additional bonuses or seasons added.

It’s unclear when the roster bonus was paid, but the fact that Driver is guaranteed $1.2 million almost certainly means there’s no chance the Packers would release him before the start of the season.

There were no additional seasons added to his contract.

The renegotiation cut Driver’s pay more than in half for this season, the final year of his contract. He was scheduled to make $5 million in the final year of a deal signed on Aug. 7, 2010. His base salary was cut from $2.6 million. He also had roster bonuses of $2.2 million. Of that, $1.5 million was to be paid on the first day of training camp. The rest was in per-game bonuses for being on the active, game-day roster. He also had a workout bonus of $200,000.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 13, 2012, 04:49:47 pm


By Kevin Seifert | ESPN.com
 
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- One of our most frequent offseason activities has been discussing whether Charles Woodson will line up at cornerback or safety in 2012. I'm starting to think we've been asking the wrong question.
 
What if it's neither?

That option seems a distinct possibility based on what I saw and heard on the opening day of the Green Bay Packers' three-day minicamp. Woodson worked only in the Packers' nickel package Tuesday, strictly covering the slot receiver. Tramon Williams, Jarrett Bush and Sam Shields handled the outside work at cornerback with the first team, and even with presumptive safeties Charlie Peprah and Morgan Burnett sidelined by minor injuries, Woodson did not take a single snap as a traditional safety that I saw

By all accounts, that arrangement did not signify the end of Woodson's time as a full-time player. Coach Mike McCarthy said he "absolutely" still views him as a starter, and Woodson said he was easing into football activities after training away from the team for a portion of the offseason.
 
What it does indicate, however, is a new level of positional line-blurring from Packers defensive wizard Dom Capers. If I had to guess, I would say a large portion of the season could go by without Woodson lining up as a traditional cornerback -- especially given the expected prevalence of three-receiver sets in the NFC North. That transition began years ago and might accelerate in 2012, but to say Woodson will be a safety in 2012 would oversimplify Capers' unconventional schemes.
 
McCarthy estimated that Woodson's role "may change somewhere between six and eight percent from what he's played in a past," a line I originally thought was sarcasm but now believe was an honest projection. McCarthy added: "We're not re-creating the wheel with him. I would define him as a playmaker in our defense and it's our responsibility to see him line up in positions where he can make plays."
 
Here's the way Woodson described his anticipated role: "I play a little bit here and a little bit there, where I'm needed each week," Woodson said.
 
Some of you might wonder why there has been so much teeth-gnashing and hand-wringing over this issue. To me, it's simple. Woodson is arguably the best cornerback of his generation and a seeming lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Any change in his skills, his role or performance is worthy of intense scrutiny.
 
At this point, at least, I like how the Packers are approaching the twilight of Woodson's career. They're looking for ways to maximize his unique skills, not just hide or protect him.
 
In 2012, Capers acknowledged, that could mean more use of what the Packers call "corner Okie," a version of their "Okie" base defense that in 2011 typically included Woodson, safety Morgan Burnett and cornerbacks Tramon Williams and Sam Shields.
 
You could call that a three-cornerback set. Or, as Capers said, "All 'corner Okie' is is [Woodson] going in and playing safety. And when you look at the different teams we played, 'corner Okie' took the place of 'Okie.'"
 
A lot of this is inside football, but the way I interpreted what everyone said Tuesday is that Woodson will play in a role similar to safety when the Packers are in their base defense. In Capers' tenure with the Packers, the use of base has been rare -- about 25 percent. In the nickel, dime and other looks, you can count on Woodson lining up across from an inside/slot receiver.
 
In reality, that's the way the Packers played both the Lions and Bears last season. Capers said "you can count on one hand" the times Woodson played outside as a cornerback in those games. Given the way most NFL teams are focusing on either three-receiver sets or using tight ends in the slot, there is every reason to believe Woodson will spend most of his time as an inside defender in 2012.
 
Woodson gamely addressed a large group of reporters who surrounded his locker after practice. He noted "I've played a great deal of safety already since I've been here" and predicted "I don't think it will be different than in the past."
 
What Woodson knows, and what you hopefully now realize also, is that we've been asking the wrong question. You can call him a safety if you want. If it makes you feel better to consider him a nickel cornerback, go ahead. The title means a lot more to us than it does to Woodson or the Packers.
 
In truth, Charles Woodson will be the Packers' weekly hired gun, a player experienced enough to shift through the various machinations of Capers' scheme based on where he can make the biggest impact against a given opponent. I guess that means he is now a hybrid player, which by definition means he has no position. Now wrap your mind around that one ...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on June 14, 2012, 08:33:25 am
Woodson is such a good blitzer I would want to keep him close to the line as well. Lining him up in the nickel keeps him close to the line.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 14, 2012, 04:45:59 pm
True, dat.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 15, 2012, 11:11:54 am
Did Thompson find anmother undrafted gem?

Green Bay - He knows proven veterans probably don't like this June aggression. But right now, Dezman Moses can't worry too much about their feelings. The undrafted outside linebacker has to win a job.

"Sometimes, the older guys, the vets, really don't like the bull (rush) and I understand," Moses said. "They've been doing this a really long time. But for me, I have to do it. If Coach tells me in a meeting to do it a certain way, I'm definitely going to do it."

Take the Green Bay Packers' organized team activities and minicamp for what they are - padless practices. Still, Moses probably made the biggest jump of any player this past month. By Thursday, with Clay Matthews resting, Moses was on the first-team defense at right outside linebacker opposite first-round pick Nick Perry.

The Packers drafted six straight defensive players in April. But this 6-foot-2, 249-pound pass rusher from Tulane could be a factor, too. His explosion and energy have stood out. At practice, Moses played ahead of last year's starter, Erik Walden.

He refused to dial it back and got noticed.

"Some guys, when they don't have pads on, try to make excuses (with) whether or not there's contact," Moses said. "I just try to play at the same speed, so once the pads do come on I pretty much have the tempo and don't have to turn it up or turn it down. The worst thing you want to do is have to turn it up and the game feels like it's going faster."..
.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 15, 2012, 03:18:34 pm

Vic Ketchmanpackers.com editor




Read
Discuss

Comments:15

 
The Packers defensive coaches spoke of increased competition on their side of the ball. One man, cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt, wanted to talk about tackling.
 
“We’re going to put our face in people. We will tackle,” Whitt said when asked if the Packers will actually practice the art of tackling each other in training camp. “We will get that solved. Guys who tackle will be out there. Guys who don’t won’t.”
 
Clearly, the Packers defense is dedicating itself to vast improvement in 2012, following a season at the bottom of the league’s rankings: Last in overall defense, last in pass defense, last in sacks per pass play. If, to a man, Packers defense coaches sound a bit terse in their comments, it’s understandable.
 
“We’re going to have good competition out there. We’ll have better competition on the defense since I’ve been here,” Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers said.
 
Capers, of course, arrived in Green Bay in 2009 and immediately transformed a bad defense into one of the league’s best. It stayed that way through the 2010 season, and then came last year’s fall.
 
A draft class heavy with defensive players has heightened the competition on that side of the ball: First-round pick Nick Perry is already a fixture at left outside linebacker. It’s the development of a couple of young holdovers, however, that might be offering the greatest hope for improvement.
 
Cornerbacks Sam Shields and Davon House are putting the finishing touches this week on very strong spring practice performances. They were featured in Tuesday’s minicamp opener.
 
“They’ve gotten an awful lot of work. Both of them have made progress, gotten a better feel for man and zone concepts,” Capers said.
 
Shields was a rookie sensation in 2010 who fell off his game in ’11. He had company, and that might’ve been a big part of the problem.
 
“He had to play a lot more on first and second down in run or pass situations. He was a little more of a specialist in 2010. Going into his third year, we hope he can become a little more of a complete corner,” Capers said of Shields.
 
Whitt blamed himself.
 
“Sam’s problem is me. I did a poor job with Sam. It was some of the run-pass things. I’m not going to make any excuses. I did a poor job with him,” Whitt said.
 
Improved tackling would seem to be at the core of Shields' to-do list, and Whitt said, “I’m going to give him every opportunity when we put pads on.”
 
Starting cornerback Tramon Williams intercepted an Aaron Rodgers pass in the end zone on Tuesday. It harkened memories of Williams’ big plays as the Packers charged toward the Super Bowl XLV title two years ago.
 
Williams spent most of last season, however, trying to steel himself against a significant shoulder injury. He lost strength and was unable to jam receivers. It was a problem.
 
“Tramon is an unselfish man. He put the football team above what he should do for his body. Guys don’t do that in this era,” Whitt said. “With a healthy Tramon Williams, the way he played in 2010 is what you’ll see in 2012.”
 
The Packers’ defensive coaches are dedicated to returning the Packers defense to that same level of play.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 15, 2012, 03:27:25 pm
http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Inside-Minicamp-Another-one-in-the-books/9455a048-16c2-4f06-8183-23c6f60a62ac?campaign=e120615 (http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Inside-Minicamp-Another-one-in-the-books/9455a048-16c2-4f06-8183-23c6f60a62ac?campaign=e120615)

Mini-camp wrap up.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 15, 2012, 03:37:02 pm

House one of stars of spring

Posted Jun 11, 2012

Vic Ketchmanpackers.com editor




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Comments:13



 

Never draw conclusions from OTAs or minicamp. Repeat that three times before continuing to read.
 
Now that proper perspective has been achieved, which is to say we will succumb to neither excitement nor worry as we head into this week’s spring-ending, three-day minicamp, let’s make some observations about the “Underwear League,” better known as the spring practice season.
 
If we were to name an MVP, second-year cornerback Davon House might be that player. House has flashed impressive coverage skills in each of the three OTAs practices that have been open to the media and fans.
 
A fourth-round pick a year ago, House came to the Packers following a college season that was dogged by a significant ankle injury that kept him in a protective boot each week until game day. Just as he appeared to be making gains in last summer’s training camp, House went down with a significant hamstring injury that pretty much ended whatever chance he had of making a move on playing time.
 
House dedicated himself to a disciplined conditioning regimen through the winter, and it’s already paying dividends. OTAs, as Mike McCarthy has said, are best for evaluating movement skills, and House’s movement skills are noticeably improved.
 
His play of the spring is a break-on-the-ball beauty in which he broke up a pass for wide receiver Diondre Borel as Borel worked back toward the quarterback. Forcing a receiver to come back for the ball is victory alone for a defensive back, but House was explosive enough to close on the ball and knock it from Borel’s grasp.
 
Another memorable play of the spring belongs to third-year cornerback Sam Shields, who ran step for step with Jordy Nelson on a deep ball, and then jumped to intercept the pass at the goal line. That kind of play-the-ball-in-the-air skill isn’t something you can teach. It’s a natural skill that cries out for playing time and continued development.
 
The defensive backs overall might have been the most impressive group in OTAs. Of course, the “Underwear League” is made for movement players, so it usually follows that the “Boys of Spring” are likely to be wide receivers and defensive backs. This column gives the nod to the DBs.
 
Second-year safety M.D. Jennings has put himself into position to contend for playing time. In fact, the young defensive backs as a whole have played impressively enough to demand every opportunity to compete for jobs in a secondary that was last in the league last season.
 
Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers is determined to fix a defensive ranking that is the only stain on his resume, and a decidedly more athletic group of defensive linemen and linebackers, combined with the young defensive backs, offer Capers hope.
 
Offensively, neither Aaron Rodgers nor his receivers have been at the test this spring. Rodgers and company are the heart and soul of this football team and need to prove nothing.
 
Graham Harrell has been under the microscope in his quest to establish himself as the Packers’ backup quarterback, and Harrell can take that distinction into training camp with a solid minicamp performance this week. Harrell’s passes have been as sharp as his command of the offense.
 
The “Underwear League” is not a stage on which linemen star, but the Packers’ cast of young offensive linemen is offering a strong sense of security at a place of traditional worry. You can never have enough big guys, the saying goes. The Packers, however, have several young big guys who have a down-the-road look to them.
 
Derek Sherrod might hold the key to feeling good about the offensive line. Sherrod was sidelined during OTAs as he continues his recovery from a late-season broken leg, but McCarthy maintains that Sherrod will be ready to go full tilt in training camp and, should that be the case and Sherrod makes a full recovery, depth concerns at tackle will be eased.
 
T.J. Lang has clearly established himself as a quality starting guard, along with Josh Sitton, and Evan Dietrich-Smith has the look of a guy who wants to push for playing time at one of the three inside spots.
 
What about running back? That appears to be the question on everybody’s lips. Are the Packers content with what they have, which is to say James Starks, Alex Green and Brandon Saine? McCarthy says he views running back as a position of depth.
 
Starks has shown flashes of brilliance through the first two years of his career. He needs to stay healthy and develop consistency. Green is recovering from a midseason ACL and hasn’t participated in practices. Will he make it all the way back in training camp? McCarthy referred to Saine as potentially the most consistent of the Packers’ backs. Might Saine, an undrafted player last year, come out of nowhere to seize the starting job?
 
Never draw conclusions from OTAs or minicamp. Take it all with the proverbial grain of salt.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 17, 2012, 10:12:33 pm

More praise for Moses
5:11 PM, Jun. 14, 2012
Written by

Rob Demovsky
 
Don’t want to say we told you so, but …
 
Earlier this month, we wrote about the rookie free agent that perhaps had the best chance of making the Packers. It was outside linebacker Dezman Moses of Tulane.
 
Since then, Moses has climbed the depth chart to the point where during Thursday’s final minicamp practice, Moses worked with the starters at right outside linebacker.
 
Now, Clay Matthews, the starting right outside linebacker, hasn’t been practicing. And neither has Frank Zombo, who has started on and off at that position. But the fact that Moses has been working ahead of veterans like Erik Walden speaks volumes.
 
Earlier this week, defensive coordinator Dom Capers offered some unprompted praise for Moses.
 
“I’ll tell you the guy that’s done an nice job for us picking things up and has some instinctive ability is Dezman Moses,” Capers said. “He’s done a nice job. He’ll be an interesting guy to follow how he does.”
 
In practice on Thursday, Moses appeared to have a sack of Aaron Rodgers, although defensive players aren’t allowed to hit quarterbacks in the drills.
 
Coach Mike McCarthy didn’t discuss Moses specifically but said a number of undrafted rookies have jumped out.
 
“I think a number of undrafted free agents, you have to be impressed with their athletic ability,” he said. “They definitely belong. I think that’s evident across the board. So I’m excited they’re here. But to sit here and single out players that have made huge strides would be very premature, especially since we’re not in pads.”

I'm beginningv to believe that Thompson had a good dreft this year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 17, 2012, 10:23:47 pm

Mike McCarthy press conference highlights

:13 PM, Jun. 14, 2012
Written by

Mike Vandermause

Highlights from Packers coach Mike McCarthy’s press conference this afternoon following the team’s final minicamp practice:
 
*He had no qualms about giving up a practice day for the team-building event, in which players went clay shooting in Little Suamico. It was an opportunity for guys to be in adifferent environment. It was very unique. Time and camaraderie made it a very positive day. It’s important. Any time you have opportunity to be together as team, it’s about building relationships.
 
*When asked if roster would remain the same between now and training camp, he said player acquisition and personnel evaluation never stops. It’s always a fluid situation.
 
* Linebacker D.J. Smith is very instinctive, looks a lot more comfortable. Probably one of most instinctive defensive players.
 
* This is going to be a damn competitive training camp, no doubt about it.
 
* Graham Harrell knows offense. He is getting better. Preseason games will be biggest challenge for him. He’s hitting targets in practice. B.J. Coleman has lots of questions, energy. He’s talented but has a lot to learn. Feel good about those 2 backups.
 
* We have flexibility in the secondary that we haven’t had in past.
 
* Aaron Rodgers has been a tremendous leader and role model. He does lot of little things.
 
* He singled out Davon House and Diondre Borel, who look like different players from last year.
 
* The competition has heightened on defense. Always excited about younger players.
 
* We haven’t had conditioning issues in the past. He’s confident it will be same when training camp opens. Strength coach Mark Lovat spoke to the team today and laid out plan for players during the next six weeks. The players walked out the door with something. In next six weeks, it’s everybody’s individual time to get ready for the season.
 
*The training camp schedule gives us chance to get ready for the start of the season.
 
He wanted to make sure players were challenged due to irregular schedule at start of season. That’s part of reason why he went with different start times. The initial plan for training camp was not quite what it ended up being.
 
* These last weeks have been a learning process for our team. The environment changes when we come back for training camp.
 
*Where we are today as team is different than where we were last year (due to the lockout).
 
* We spent more time on special teams during minicamp than OTAs. Otherwise, these three days of minicamp were really just an extension of the OTAs. Practices didn’t change much from OTAs to minicamp.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 17, 2012, 10:27:17 pm
Bring on the pre-season!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on June 17, 2012, 10:33:48 pm
Can't come soon enough.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 18, 2012, 05:33:02 am

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Packers minicamp practice: June 14, 2012


12:26 PM, Jun. 14, 2012




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Seen and heard by our reporters at today’s open Green Bay Packers practice at Ray Nitschke Field:
 
– Looks like Randall Cobb is a new add to the DNP list. He appeared to drop out of Tuesday’s practice.
 
– T.J. Lang isn’t practicing today either.
 
– Evan Dietrich-Smith is taking Lang’s spot at LG.
 
– Mason Crosby drills a 56 yard field goal in the game situation period. Even with wind at his back, it’s impressive. Mike Vandermause says Crosby is in mid season form.
 
– With Cobb out, Jordy Nelson, Tramon Williams, Diondre Borel and Shaky Smithson are getting the punt return work.
 
– At least 400 fans, maybe more, in attendance at Packers practice today.
 
– There was a noticeable emphasis on special teams today. Long period.
 
– Offensive linemen plow through dummies to get to ball. Very entertaining.
 
– Aaron Rodgers and Graham Harrell throw prettier passes (translation: tight spirals). Rookie B.J. Coleman a little wobbly.
 
– Most fans are watching defensive drills. Mike Vandermause comments that fans must be worried about defense and want to monitor that unit’s progress..
 
– There haven’t been many team periods this practice. Lots of individual and group sessions.
 
– It sure looks like Dezman Moses has moved up the Packers depth chart. He’s working with the ones at ROLB.
 
– Mike Neal also is teaming with Jerel Worthy as the two DT in nickel.
 
– Dezman Moses gets a sack in team drills.
 
– Graham Harrell and B.J. Coleman seem to be taking most of the QB snaps in current period of team drills. That’s rare, according to Pete Dougherty.
 
– A bit of fun at practice: Evan Dietrich-Smith has “Friday” on back of his jersey and Josh Sitton has “Sunday” on his. They play left and right of Jeff Saturday!
 
– RB Marc Tyler lets pass in flat slip thru his hands. He needs to catch those if he wants to earn roster spot, says Mike Vandermause.
 
– Tough catch by Diondre Borel at goal line with defender draped all over him.

– A Rodgers to Jennings slant for TD on third play has Rodgers doing a little excessive celebrating.
 
– No. 2 offense led by Graham Harrell stalls at 40 yard line in 2 minute drill. Fourth down pass not even close.
 
– And the last minicamp practice is over after 2 hours and 4 minutes. Fans give hearty applause as players depart. You won’t see them again until training camp begins July 26.
 
Reported by Rob Demovsky, Mike Vandermause and Pete Dougherty

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 18, 2012, 05:01:32 pm


Winner: Diondre Borel, WR


Jason Miller/Getty Images


During the first day of the Green Bay Packers' minicamp, the player that stood out the most might have been second-year receiver out of Utah State, Diondre Borel.

Borel was a member of the practice squad in 2011, but according to an interview with Aaron Rodgers from Packers.com, Borel has supposedly made a giant leap in his ability from his rookie season to this offseason.

The versatility that Borel brings to the field is extremely similar to what Randall Cobb did during his rookie season, and the potential of both of those players developing together makes the Packers' offense even more dangerous. If Borel can continue to play strong heading into the preseason, he may become a contributor during the 2012 season.

With such a deep receiving corps, getting any type of notice from Rodgers is quite the compliment for Borel.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 18, 2012, 05:03:45 pm


Loser: James Jones, WR


David Banks/Getty Images


With Diondre Borel being a winner in the offseason, and Donald Driver restructuring his contract with the team, the Green Bay Packers might not have room for James Jones. In fact, there have been reports from Lance Zierlein of Chron.com that Jones could be traded before the start of the season.

Considering that the Packers signed Jones to a new contract during the 2011 offseason, the news that the team is looking to move him can't be good for Jones. He has struggled to separate himself from the other talented receivers on the Packers' roster, and his hands continue to be a major issue.

While he is certainly a talented player that could improve a receiving corps instantly, with Borel, Randall Cobb and a load of other young receivers ready to get more playing time, it appears that Jones' time in Green Bay might simply be over.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 18, 2012, 05:06:17 pm


Winner: Dezman Moses, OLB


Photo courtesy of Packers.com



If you've never heard of Dezman Moses, it won't be long before you do. As an undrafted free agent from the University of Tulane, Moses has been a star at the Green Bay Packers' minicamp this past week.

With Clay Matthews resting during Thursday's practice, Moses got the opportunity to play opposite Nick Perry over Erik Walden and Frank Zombo. According to Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel, Moses has used his nonstop motor to impress the coaching staff.

Moses has the size, speed and athleticism to make an impact as a pass-rusher off the edge for Green Bay. However, coming from a smaller school means that Moses will likely need more time to understand the complexities of the NFL.

With that said, the fact that Moses is already playing ahead of veterans like Zombo and Walden means that he'll likely have a bright future in this league.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 18, 2012, 05:11:03 pm


Winner: M.D. Jennings, S


Handout/Getty Images


One of the biggest winners throughout the offseason has been M.D. Jennings, who has been overly impressive during OTAs.

He's received the majority of first-team snaps opposite Morgan Burnett at safety, and even intercepted Aaron Rodgers during one of the first practices. Jennings is only entering his second season, and despite the majority of his time on the field coming on special teams, he now looks ready to make a run at the starting spot left open by Nick Collins.

One of the biggest questions heading into the offseason was who would replace Collins at free safety, and getting so many first-team reps is a great sign for Jennings.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 19, 2012, 06:33:11 pm
Rodgers is currently playing under the six-year, $65 million deal he signed back in 2008 which is set to expire in 2014. The veteran quarterback recently said that he wanted to be a "Packer for life" and adding 5 years to his existing deal, if that is how it is structured, would certainly go a long way toward completing that goal. No word yet as to the structure or how much money would be guaranteed.
 
Obviously, this is very preliminary and based off a Tweet from a former player, but Butler has been accurate on team matters in the past.
 
If Butler's numbers are even close to right, this would be a great deal for the Packers and would speak extremely well of Rodgers and his desire to remain a Packer, echoing Tom Brady taking a below-market deal back in 2010.
 
It would also be a bit of an embarrassment to Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. The Saints inability to get Brees under contract has dragged on for months and played out largely in the press, while Rodgers and the Packers seem to have gotten things done quickly and quietly without animosity - and with two years remaining on Rodgers' deal.
 
Looking around the league, Brady signed a a five-year, $78.5 million deal in 2010, Ben Roethlisberger signed an eight-year, $102 million contract back in 2008, Philip Rivers signed a a seven-year, $98.25 million deal in 2009, and Michael Vick signed a six-year, $100 million deal in August of 2011.
 
Needless to say, this would be a great deal for the Packers.
 
UPDATE: ESPNMilwaukee's Jason Wilde throws some serious cold water on a possible Rodgers extension.
 

Checked in with someone who'd know if Aaron Rodgers was getting a contract extension. The reply? "100% false."
 
There's a very good chance Wilde's source is Rodgers himself. Of course, Rodgers or someone in his camp may just try to be clamping down on expectations before a deal is done. What can't be denied is that Rodgers is woefully underpaid (Mark Sanchez will make more than Rodgers in 2012) and the Packers will most likely have to address his contract sooner rather than later

Rodgers class act.  He signed a very team-friendly contact lasst time.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 19, 2012, 06:45:20 pm


The NFL has a sideline shot of our defense gathered around Joe Vitt discussing what we might should expect if the backup quarterback comes into the game. It shows me off to the side with some of our other defensive linemen on the bench with their backs to the camera. The final snippet has an arrow pointed at me with the caption indicating that I had said, "give me my money."
 
Here's the problem with that. It wasn't me. That's right. The NFL got their evidence all wrong. In their rush to convict me, they made a very serious error. Is it intentional? I don't know. But one thing I do know with absolute certainty...it...was...not...me!
 
If Hargrove's statement is true and the NFL cannot prove that the man saying "give me my money" on the tape they used as evidence was in fact Hargrove, there's going to be a serious hole in their case against him. Obviously, there are going to be more developments in the near future, but I wanted to pass along what we know at the moment. Hargrove is accusing the NFL of either lying or making a serious error, and we're all awaiting their response.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 23, 2012, 08:14:21 pm
I look for several Packer veterans to come flying off the roster after training camp.  I have a feellng that Thompson hit a good crop of rookies this draft.

By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel

June 22, 2012 


Green Bay -- Lots of talk on the inside linebackers lately so let's keep it going. Caught up with rookie Terrell Manning after Green Bay's final minicamp and the college outside linebacker said he feels perfectly fine inside in Green Bay's 3-4.
 
Through the wave of OTA's and minicamp, the position change hasn't been too daunting to him. Manning said his responsibilities at N.C. State weren't much different from what the inside linebackers do in Green Bay.
 
"Coming from N.C. State, it’s pretty much the same position," Manning said. "There are smaller guys inside, smaller linebackers running around making plays. That’s what this defense allows us to do.
 
"I’m just going to be me. Whatever being me brings, I’m pretty sure it’ll be positive. Just being me and go from there.”
 
Manning played on the weak side in the Wolfpack's 4-3 defense. His final year, Manning had 76 tackles (14.5 for loss), 5.5 sacks, three interceptions and five pass break-ups in 11 games. The knee injury that sidelined Manning for two games last season didn't seem to be much of an issue at Ray Nitschke Field. General manager Ted Thompson has effectively accumulated special teams talent in the fifth, sixth and seventh rounds before.

So most likely, that's where Manning is utilized initially. At the NFL scouting combine, Manning ran the 40-yard dash in 4.63 seconds and had 22 reps on the bench press.
 
As discussed, the ILB position in Green Bay is fairly deep. Dom Capers and Winston Moss could have more opportunities to mix it up in 2012.

The rookie expects training camp to be competitive.
 
“There are a lot of veterans here," he said. "I’m just trying to take a little bit from everybody and just sit back and learn from them. It’s very competitive. These guys know what they’re doing and I’m still learning. It’s a big learning curve out here. ...They’re all students of the game and teachers now and know the defense like the back of their hand. So it’s really cool to see how they handle the game and handle shifting formations that A-Rod comes out in. They keep their composure.”
 
And Manning praised the starters ahead of him, including A.J. Hawk.



“A.J. is a great guy. He’s one of those guys where a lot of people say whatever they want to about but he’s a great guy. He does a lot for this defense. Him and ‘Bish,’ they come into the game and make all the checks. It goes unnoticed. They’re the leaders of this defense. I take pride in being able to watch him.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 25, 2012, 07:03:05 pm


While the Green Bay Packers are not usually known for making much noise during the offseason, the 2012 offseason broke away from the norm. Not only did they sign some big-name free agents like Jeff Saturday and Anthony Hargrove, but they also made numerous surprising moves during the 2012 NFL draft.

They moved up twice during the second round of the draft, first to select defensive lineman Jerel Worthy and secondly to draft cornerback Casey Hayward. What made this draft all the more abnormal compared to recent seasons was the selection of six defensive players before one offensive player was selected.

The only question that remains for the load of newcomers that Green Bay has brought to town is what type of impact will each of these players will have. Today, we'll discuss which of these newcomers will have the biggest impact over the course of the 2012 season.

 

Jeff Saturday, C (Free Agent from Indianapolis Colts)

When it became clear early in the free-agent process that the Packers weren't going to be able to re-sign Scott Wells, doubt began to flow from the minds of many fans. How can Green Bay replace an All-Pro center without Aaron Rodgers suffering?

Well, the answer to that question came with the free-agent signing of Saturday, who had the huge responsibility of getting the ball to Peyton Manning on every single snap for over 10 seasons. Not only that, but Saturday was the anchor to one of the best offensive lines in the NFL during the mid-2000s.

The fact that Saturday should be able to step in on opening day is going to be huge, and the Packers shouldn't see a drop in production from one of the most important positions on the offensive side of the ball.

While Saturday may not find himself being invited to the Pro Bowl at the end of the season, the fact that he will provide stability to a position that had the potential of being extremely unstable is why he'll be such an impact player in 2012.

 

Nick Perry, OLB (First-Round Draft Pick)

The Packers are going to need Perry to become one of the biggest impact players this year, despite entering only his first year in the NFL.

The pass rush was so awful for Green Bay at times during the 2011 season that you almost wondered if the Packers simply dropped all 11 defenders into coverage. That is the reason that Green Bay used their first pick of the 2012 NFL draft on Perry.

He has the speed and athleticism to become a talented pass-rusher in the NFL. The fact that he has been starting with the first team during practices is a sign that he is more polished than most expect.

Look for Perry to have such an impact that the Packers' defense becomes one of the better units in the league.

 

Dezman Moses, OLB (Undrafted Free Agent)

It's not often that you see an undrafted free agent make much of an impact, especially during his rookie season, but there is something different about Moses.

Throughout OTAs and minicamp, Moses was one of the most impressive players according to coaches. He is making the change from inside linebacker to outside linebacker in the Packers' 3-4 defense, and so far, the transition as been as smooth as possible.

In fact, with Matthews sitting out some of minicamp, Moses took his starting position over veterans Erik Walden and Frank Zombo. While it is unlikely that Moses will be starting once the season begins, he should still be able to make an impact as a situational pass-rusher, which Green Bay can't get enough of.

Moses is a name that we'll continue to hear throughout training camp, the preseason and into the regular season.



Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 03, 2012, 07:57:41 pm
The Green Bay Packers are an organization who seem to only get better and offensive tackle Andrew Datko is a prime example why.

Datko was highly regarded as an NFL prospect before a nagging shoulder injury hurt his value, and now he's playing with nothing to lose. Taken in the last round of the draft, Datko isn't slated to start in 2012, but his opportunity isn't out of the question.

Anytime a team can draft a potential starting offensive lineman in the seventh round of the draft, it's a steal.

Whether you like the Packers or not, you can't help but root for Datko in his NFL endeavors. He's a smart kid who has a chance to play for one of the league's most revered teams.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 04, 2012, 07:35:16 pm
Will the Packers keep 7 WRs?

http://www.packersnews.com/article/20120703/PKR01/307030137/Video-Seriously-Demovsky-thinks-Packers-will-keep-7-receivers?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|PKR-News
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 07, 2012, 03:17:25 pm

have high hopes for this guy.
 
They say all the fun starts when the pads come on in training camp, but that day will provide a little extra excitement for Andrew Datko.
 
That’s because Datko, the offensive tackle whom the Packers drafted in the seventh round this year out of Florida State, has had a longer layoff without pads than most.
 
The last time he strapped them on was Sept. 24, 2011, in Clemson, S.C. That turned out to be his last collegiate game, as Datko’s troublesome shoulder, re-injured the previous week against Oklahoma, couldn’t hold up any longer.
 
So when the Packers put pads on for the first time this summer – currently scheduled to be Saturday, July 28, the third day of training camp – it will have been more than 10 months for Datko. Not that he’s counting.
 
“The OTAs and minicamps really helped me,” Datko said, as far as shaking the rust off. “Even though we weren’t hitting, I could get my footwork and technique back. It’s just combining the hitting with the technique. I’m really looking forward to getting back to it.”
 
It’s hard to blame Datko for that, considering how far back this shoulder problem goes. The shoulder initially popped out of place in high school and was surgically repaired. Then the same thing happened during training camp prior to his junior season at Florida State in 2010, but he played the entire year with it and had surgery again after the season.
 
Then last year, he admitted he tried to do too much, too soon. Inflammation began building up during camp, and over the season’s first four games, it only got worse and Datko had to be shut down. The surgical repair from the previous season was intact, but he had to have the shoulder cleaned out.
 
Given all that, it would be understandable if Datko were a little apprehensive about putting pads on and hitting again, but he insists he’s not. He feels better about the shoulder now than he has for at least a couple of years.
 
“Oh no, no, it will be good,” he said. “I’ll always have to wear my brace now, but that will protect it and it will be good to go.”
 
Datko realizes the opportunity he has to make a strong first impression with the Packers. Despite Chad Clifton’s release in the offseason, Datko was the only offensive lineman the Packers drafted. Undrafted rookies Shea Allard and Mike McCabe were also added at the tackle position, but third-year pros Marshall Newhouse and Bryan Bulaga are the only seasoned veterans at tackle, and 2011 first-round pick Derek Sherrod is coming back from a broken leg. The depth chart behind the starters is wide open.
 
A left tackle throughout his college career, Datko said he alternated on the right and left sides throughout OTAs and minicamp. He also got a taste of what he called “the big leagues,” working with the first unit for a brief stretch when Newhouse was out.
 
“Working with the ones, you get to see how the best offense in the league works and get a feel for it,” he said. “It was really awesome and the playbook is coming along really good.”
 
His focus then was simple, and it will remain so moving forward.
 
“No missed assignments,” he said. “The best quarterback in the league is sitting back there, and they have to trust you to protect him. You have to eliminate those mental breakdowns.”
 
Current depth-chart status aside, Datko said he’s approaching his rookie training camp with the idea of taking things one step at a time. The first is to make the 53-man roster. After that, making the gameday roster and becoming a starter are for down the road.
 
Very smartly, Datko also is not concerning himself with where he was drafted. His seventh-round tag probably means even less on him than others, because the general consensus was he’d have been drafted much higher if not for his injury history. Mike McCarthy said as much right after the Packers selected him.
 
“I know this team has a lot of late-round picks on their team and also (undrafted) free agents, so they look at those players,” Datko said. “That’s what builds the core of the team.
 
“You have to really work at it. You still have to go 100 percent, can’t take any breaks.”
 
If Datko can finally catch a break on the health front, he’ll be worth watching once those pads go on.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on July 10, 2012, 12:14:48 pm
http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/bears/post/_/id/4676442/the-definition-of-cuss-word-in-chicago

Great story about George Halas.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 10, 2012, 03:35:55 pm
I had seen that before, Peke.  Got a good laugh out of it.  That's George Halas and part of what made the Packers/Bears rivalry so great.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on July 11, 2012, 05:21:23 am
And here I was expecting to see another article on Datko... ;D

A few years back, I read the book on the early Bears seasons, too lazy to get up and see the title, but I believe it was titled "Halas".  Colorful - would be a pretty good description of Halas, the Bears and that period.  Halas was one of a kind...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 11, 2012, 01:22:57 pm
True.  He and Lambeau  were true pioneers in NFL. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on July 11, 2012, 07:56:35 pm
Papa Bear, The life and legacy of George Halas by Jeff Davis.  Great read if you want to know the history of the Bears, my opinion.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on July 13, 2012, 07:07:59 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuBk8hiLOFo

Aaraon Rodgers Kick 6.  This video makes me smile!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 13, 2012, 07:20:51 pm
I remember that play clearly.  They were just growing up, then.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on July 14, 2012, 06:44:06 am
I remember the missed facemask call, too.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 16, 2012, 07:57:57 pm
Posted by Michael David Smith on July 16, 2012, 6:32 PM EDT
 
AP
Packers fullback John Kuhn suffered a knee injury in Green Bay’s playoff loss to the Giants, and six months later he still isn’t 100 percent sure that he’ll be ready to go full speed at training camp.
 
Kuhn, who was ranked by his peers as the 92nd best player in the NFL, told FOXSportsWisconsin.com that he has been working hard to rehab his knee but isn’t sure if the team’s medical staff will clear him to be at full-go for the start of training camp in ten days.
 
“Those decisions aren’t up to myself,” Kuhn said in a phone interview. “I anticipate being able to do some work, but I’m not exactly sure what that’s going to be. It will be something on the field, but I’m just not sure how many active plays it will include. I feel healthy enough. But sometimes you feel healthy enough and coaches and doctors want to be cautious. We’ll see.”
 
Shortly after the Packers’ loss to the Giants, Kuhn’s injury was described as an MCL sprain that wasn’t too serious. But it was apparently serious enough that six months of rest and rehab wasn’t enough for his knee to completely heal.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on July 18, 2012, 06:19:23 am
Packy - I've heard they're trying Datko at fullback?   ;D
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 18, 2012, 01:54:03 pm
LOL.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 18, 2012, 01:54:13 pm
Green Bay - A.J. Hawk was one of the weakest links on Green Bay's 32nd-ranked defense last season. His six years with the Packers have been largely devoid of impact plays.

D.J. Smith is a second-year player with upside. His sample size is small, but relatively impressive.

As the Green Bay Packers get ready for training camp, the overwhelming majority of positions are set in stone. But one battle figures to come between Hawk and Smith at the inside linebacker position known as "Buck."

"Being a competitor, you want to play," Smith said during Green Bay's most recent minicamp. "But we're all a team, we're all one unit. So whoever's in there and coach thinks can get the job done, they'll be in there and we'll just go with that."

By now, Packer Nation understands what they are getting from Hawk. Coverage isn't a strength of the fifth overall pick in the 2006 draft, which forces the Packers to hide him or shift his responsibilities to someone like Desmond Bishop.

Hawk missed a career-high 15 tackles in 2011. And too often when Hawk made a tackle, it came five to seven yards downfield.

Hawk played in 15 games a year ago and didn't have a single interception, forced fumble or fumble recovery. In 102 career games with Green Bay, he has been part of just 14 turnover plays - or one every 7.3 games.

Hawk is extremely accountable, a consummate professional and works as hard as anyone on the roster. He makes the defensive calls, and the Packers continue to sing his praises when it comes to leadership, guidance and game management.

But it's a bottom-line business. And the Packers will have to decide if Hawk's intangibles outweigh the tangible results.

"I think A.J. did fine," defensive coordinator Dom Capers said. "Now he was a lot like some of the guys on our defense. We didn't have a lot of options last year.

"If you think about the first couple years, A.J. played a lot fewer plays than he did last year. He played every down last year.

"Ideally, you'd like to have certain roles for those guys where you don't wear them out. I think in our Okie and nickel package, A.J. will do a really fine job."

Back in the summer of 2010, Bishop was still behind Hawk at one of the inside linebacker positions. Bishop said then that the only reason he was a reserve was that Hawk was the fifth pick in a draft, and Bishop was a sixth-rounder.

"It's politics," Bishop said at the time. "It sucks. Oh man, it sucks."

Bishop got his chance later that season when a wrist injury ended Nick Barnett's season - and eventually his Green Bay career.

Bishop, of course, has made the most of that opportunity and was a Pro Bowl alternate last season after leading the Packers in tackles and notching five sacks.

Like Bishop, Smith is a former sixth-round draft choice that faced long odds. Now, Smith will try to break through and take Hawk's spot.

"I'm a lot more comfortable with the defense, just being able to play fast and make calls and see things before they happen," Smith said.

"Last year, I just learned the game and how to play fast and how to really look at film study. Then once you're in there, you feel ready and prepared for anything."

Smith doesn't look the part of an NFL linebacker.

He stands just 5-foot-11. He had 20% body fat when he arrived in Green Bay 12 months ago. His 40-yard dash time of 4.79 seconds is subpar. And his broad jump of 8 feet, 8 inches at the 2010 NFL combine was the worst among the linebackers group.

What can't be ignored, though, is that Smith has been productive at every level he's ever played.

Smith won four state championships in high school. He had 525 career tackles at Appalachian State, the second-most in school history.

And when Smith made three starts late last season due to an injury to Bishop, he had 30 tackles and an interception. Pro Football Weekly recently predicted Smith would be Green Bay's breakthrough player in 2012.

"Now he's a solid guy," Capers said. "When we asked him to play last year, he did a nice job. He had a good off-season. Very smart. Very instinctive player.

But the most important test for Smith - and Hawk - will come over the next six weeks.

"Competition at every position is always good for everybody," Hawk said.

Hawk is sure to have it. How it unfolds promises to be one of the most fascinating stories in Green Bay this summer.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 19, 2012, 06:11:31 pm
Still a little squrrely.

Posted by Michael David Smith on July 19, 2012, 5:36 PM EDT
 
Reuters
Packers officials have said this offseason that they believe Brett Favre should have his number retired some day, but that a little time may need to pass before everyone in Green Bay is ready for that. For his part, Favre doesn’t sound like he cares.
 
In an interview with Deion Sanders on NFL Network, Favre said he doesn’t see what the big deal is about having a ceremony at Lambeau Field and having his No. 4 jersey formally retired.
 
“Why?” Favre asked. “You know what, I don’t know what the future holds. But I do know this: Whether anything ever happens . . . people think I’m crazy, but I don’t need to have a day. I don’t need to have a retirement, retire your jersey, all that stuff, to solidify my career.”
 
Favre said he assumes he’ll some day return to Green Bay, where he played from 1992 to 2007 and was named NFL MVP three times. But he doesn’t know when that will be, and he doesn’t think he needs to see his jersey hung up to show what he accomplished.
 
“That day will come. I haven’t lost any sleep over it, nor have they, I think,” Favre said. “What I did speaks for itself. What I left behind speaks for itself.”
 
Most of the ill will toward Favre in Green Bay is a result of the way Favre conducted himself in his retirements and un-retirements, and so in that respect he has only himself to blame if he’s not quite the revered figure he once was among Packers fans. But what he did in Green Bay deserves to be honored, and eventually he should have his jersey retired. Even if that day won’t come for a few more years.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 19, 2012, 06:15:47 pm
Rodgers is a GM's dream come true.

Posted by Michael David Smith on July 19, 2012, 3:02 PM EDT
 
Reuters
Does Drew Brees, who came in second in MVP voting last year, signing the most lucrative contract in NFL history have the player who came in first in MVP voting last year thinking about re-doing his own deal?
 
Aaron Rodgers says no.
 
Although Rodgers is underpaid relative to the elite quarterbacks in the NFL — with a contract that pays him $8.5 million this year, $9.75 million next year and $11 million in 2014 — he told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network that he doesn’t think the Brees situation has any bearing on his situation with the Packers, and he’s not in any hurry to re-do his own contract.
 
“That stuff takes care of itself,” Rodgers said. “I still have a few years left on my deal, and we’ll talk about that when we get there.”
 
Rodgers’s six-year, $65 million contract has turned out to be a bargain for the Packers, but when he signed it in 2008 there were some who thought it was too big a financial investment for a player who had, to that point, started just seven games in his NFL career. The Packers’ decision to make a big investment in Rodgers at a time when he hadn’t proven himself yet may be why Rodgers feels enough loyalty to the team that he won’t complain about his contract.
 
Even though, compared to what other elite quarterbacks are making, Rodgers is underpaid.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 23, 2012, 02:06:44 pm
The Packers use of late picks in 2012 should be a model for all teams

The Packers had two of the last 13 picks in the draft, and both could end up being very valuable picks.

The 241st selection was used on Andrew Datko, a first- or second-round-level offensive tackle prospect before a rash of shoulder injuries. As reported on Packers.com, Datko is already drawing praise and could start for the Packers sooner than later.

The 243rd pick was used on B.J. Coleman, an upside quarterback prospect. This is important to note because the Packers successfully developed 2008 seventh-round pick Matt Flynn into a possible starter for the Seattle Seahawks.

Both Coleman and Datko came extremely cheap, but there's reason to believe that they could eventually start at very difficult positions to fill.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on July 23, 2012, 02:50:43 pm

And has Datko hit anybody yet?  Has he blocked anybody in pass rush drills?

Coleman won't ever start for the Packers if Rodgers is still around (and healthy) and if Coleman does start it will be for another team - what exactly did the Packers  get in return for Flynn?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on July 24, 2012, 06:07:09 am
Datko...  nice
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 24, 2012, 01:06:03 pm
LOL.  I thought that post would bring a rain of comments.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on July 24, 2012, 08:34:04 pm
Packy - Makin' it rain!  Datko has one thing going for him.  He's one letter short of being a Ditka.  But he is still a Datko.  Stash him on the practice squad so we can snatch him...  He sounds like the Bugs Bunny of football players.  Tackle, fullback, kicker.  You can field 30 players with him and give away free beer at the home games from the savings...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on July 24, 2012, 08:35:16 pm
So when does Rodgers get released to make room for Coleman?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 25, 2012, 10:34:16 am
Did  you hear runours of a trade, Griz?  A likely place for Colman is the Practice squad.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on July 26, 2012, 02:03:54 pm
Quote
Datko has one thing going for him.  He's one letter short of being a Ditka.

DAtkO
DItkA

ummmm....  Grizzz....  I know they are in different spots but shouldn't it still be counted as two?  Otherwise it would be Ditko or Datka.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 26, 2012, 07:39:26 pm
Ditto.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on July 26, 2012, 07:53:30 pm
I think Ditka has a DitCo. where he earns his millions.....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 27, 2012, 02:26:57 pm
(http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/002/445/091/144484067_display_image.jpg?1343259205)
 
;-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 27, 2012, 07:55:23 pm
Team Nickel Pass Rush A Beautiful Sight

by Kevin McCauley on Jul 27, 2012 9:39 AM CDT in Gr
Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE - PresswireMore photos ».

 1 day ago: July 26, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Jerel Worthy (99) during training camp practice at Ray Nitschke Field in Green Bay, WI. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

Nick Perry and Jerel Worthy just rookies, so don't go expecting too much out of them. It's detrimental to your health, as a fan of a football team, to jump to conclusions that rookies are going to perform spectacularly out of the box. Both players are going to have some serious ups and downs this season, like all uber-talented rookies do, and everyone needs to mentally prepare for that to avoid going crazy.
 
However, I'm excited. Really excited. Why? Because on the first day of training camp, the first team nickel defense was Dom Capers' signature 2-4-5, and it featured both Worthy and Perry. Clay Matthews lined up opposite Perry as a stand-up pass rusher, while Worthy played alongside B.J. Raji.
 
From a pure physical talent standpoint, this is an unbelievably massive improvement from Erik Walden and the rotation of players who occupied the other pass rushing position next to B.J. Raji. The team also has rookie Mike Daniels as a rotation defensive end/3rd down defensive tackle, and if Lawrence Guy is all the way back from his injury, he has a chance to help at this spot as well.

We don't know how good Perry and Worthy are going to be, but I'm already extremely encouraged by the fact that they're in the first team 2-4-5 nickel right away in training camp. The coaching staff isn't throwing Casey Hayward or Terrell Manning into the fire yet, but they're apparently confident in Perry and Worthy's abilities to rush the passer in the NFL right now. Considering how awful the Packers' pass rush was in 2011, that's spectacular news.
 
I'm not expecting Perry and Worthy to put up huge sack numbers in Year 1, but they should help right away and offer massive improvements over the guys who were there previously. Matthews and Raji are still young and due for extensions, and there's no way that Ted Thompson is going to let either of them leave.

I know it feels like jumping the gun, and I fully acknowledge the giddy gun-jumping nature of this post, but I'm so excited about the potential of these four forming a four-man pass rush unit for the next five-plus years. They won't be truly elite right away, but it's tough not to predict eventual great things for this group if they stay healthy, and if both Matthews and Raji get new contracts. As a four-man unit, they have the potential to develop into one of the elite pass rushing groups in the NFL.
 
The Packers have concerns at various points on the field, but my worries about the pass rush are fading without even seeing a game. Just hearing that Worthy and Perry are already on the first team nickel defense already has me excited.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on July 27, 2012, 08:28:39 pm
DAtkO
DItkA

ummmm....  Grizzz....  I know they are in different spots but shouldn't it still be counted as two?  Otherwise it would be Ditko or Datka.

 I did move the A... ;D

I think Datko is the new Packy Messiah....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 28, 2012, 12:33:00 pm
Just funnin'.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 28, 2012, 12:48:45 pm
The last two draft classes have been interesting, and it could be argued that they have been oddly symmetrical. In both years the Packers leaned towards one side of the ball, using six picks and the first three picks of the draft were all used to upgrade in the units in question. Granted, 2011 was a bit more balanced of a draft class than 2012 overall. In 2011 the Packers used 10 draft picks on players, six on offense and four on defense. In 2012 only eight picks were used with six being used to bolster the defense. Despite this difference, each draft used a significant amount of resources to reinforce on phase of the game. How will this play out throughout the Packers' training camp this year?
 
Before we start going down discussing this question I want to take a moment and admit that it might be better to discuss this topic next year. It's tough to place expectations too early on rookie players. There is a different mentality and culture to being a professional football player than being a college football player. The players are bigger, faster, and stronger. On top of that the game is more complex and requires a higher level of professionalism from its players in order to perform at a high level. It takes a rookie most of his rookie year in order to adjust to that reality and higher standard of competition, and so to compare a group of rookies against a group of second year players who are now theortically adjusted is slightly unfair.
 
Despite this fact I want to press on with the question because each class has members looking to make a significant contribution this year. So which class will have more members become key contributors this year? Which class will cause us to stand up and take notice this year?



Key Contributors for the 2011 Class:
 
Randall Cobb - Lots expected here with Cobb taking returner duties again, but also more of a role in the offense as well. Heck, I even saw him take a snap or two as the back up holder at practice on Thursday. It may not be as certain as some plays, but Cobb doing some holding could lead to some interesting fakes if you think about it.
 
Alex Green - I can't say enough about the hope I have for Green this coming year. I know knees take a full year to heal and get the guy back to 100%, but even in a limited role Green can be just what this offense is needing to make it a touch more balanced.
 
D.J. Williams - Andrew Quarless is going to be out for the foreseeable future and so a #2 TE needs to emerge. Tex did a great write up on the state of TE battle at the moment, but one guy who is turning heads early in camp is Williams. If he can continue to do so he might put together a special season.
 
D.J. Smith - Even though last year's draft is notable for its offensive talent, Smith could be a pleasant surprise. Right now Bishop has been out, but Smith has been in and it seems like the defense hasn't missed a beat. Having Smith continue to push for playing time should be an interesting development through camp.
 
Key Contributors for the 2012 Class:
 
Nick Perry - He's already playing with the ones and so far doing fine. That's all you need to know right now. Perry being a solid starter this year should take the pressure off Clay Matthews and help bring the pass rush that the defense sorely needed last year.
 
Jerel Worthy - If the pass rush is sorely needed much of that need is an interior pass rush. Worthy can bring that. So far Worthy has impressed with his energy and ability to get push. If that can translate then Packer fans may just have a dream situation with the 2-4-5 lineup this fall.
 
Mike Daniels - The lesson that the Giants seem to teach the NFL every time they win the Super Bowl is that the pass rush is best when you can do it in waives. Perry and Worthy are exciting prospects, but it's Daniels' presence that can give the team that deep reserve of fresh legs to chase the QB. So far Daniels has proved to be slippery and tenacious as advertised; hopefully he can keep that up.
 
Andrew Datko - Derek Sherrod is not sure when he is going to be able practice again. This means that Datko is going to be counted on earlier than we might of expected, at least the early part of camp. If Sherrod's injury lingers into the preseason, or even the regular season, then Datko may be the key to the Packers have depth at the important tackle position.
 
So which class do you think is going to rise to the occasion? The 2011 class has some big names and talented players, but the 2012 class has two key starters in an area the Packers sorely need. It will be interesting to watch as the pads come on and training camp continues.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 29, 2012, 10:11:52 pm
Posted by Michael David Smith on July 29, 2012, 3:23 PM EDT
 
AP
Packers receiver Randall Cobb burst onto the scene as a rookie last season, becoming the first person born in the 1990s to play in an NFL game and scoring two touchdowns in the season-opening win over the Saints. That ended up being Cobb’s biggest game of the season, but this year the Packers are making Cobb a high priority in their offense, and hoping for that kind of production all season long.
 
Cobb is expected to be the Packers’ top slot receiver this season, and he’s also been lining up in the backfield frequently in training camp. Packers coach Mike McCarthy says that when a player is as good as Cobb with the ball in his hands, it’s up to the coaches to make sure he has the ball in his hands regularly.
 
“He is a versatile player,” McCarthy said via the Green Bay Press-Gazette, “and it’s important to always try to create schemes where you’re giving people the opportunity to make plays.”
 
Cobb said he has made it a priority to improve his route running and understanding of the Packers’ offense this year (he admits that his one receiving touchdown last year came when he ran the wrong route), and that he’s expecting big things of himself.
 
“My coaches always said I had some kind of ‘it’ factor back in college and in high school,” Cobb said. “I just pick up stuff, and I hold onto it.”
 
For the rest of the NFC, it’s scary to consider that more production from Cobb could make the great Packers’ offense even better.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 29, 2012, 10:22:13 pm
Green Bay Packers Training Camp: Notes, Thoughts, and Observations Practice 3

by PackApologist on Jul 28, 2012 3:00 PM CDT in Green Bay Packers Training Camp

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Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE - PresswireMore photos ».
 a training camp session; when you sense a perfect storm brewing for attendance go early. In fact, pick out a time that you think you should be able to get a seat and then arrive at least 15 minutes before that. Seriously, follow that advice and then thank me later.
 
Overall it was a good practice today. Some interesting developments in the much vaunted CB battle as well as some answers as to what the Packers are going doing with Randall Cobb. Specific thoughts after the jump.



Biggest surprise of the day - The use of Randall Cobb. Today I saw Cobb line up at WR and RB. He was in the slot, he was out wide, he was returning kicks and punts, he was the single back in the short gun, he was the in the "I." They ran him up the middle, gave him a couple tosses, ran him on reverses, he caught screen passes (both out of the backfield and out wide) as well as the traditional down the field routes and receptions. Heck I even saw him as the backup holder on Thursday. If this continues in camp then we may be in store for a Percy Harvin or Darren Sproles type role for Cobb this coming year.
 
Pleasant surprise of the day - Tori Gurley getting reps with the first team punt squad. I know there are lots of people in Packer nation who are hopeful that Gurley can become a productive member of the team. He has the size and ability that not many of the WR's do, which makes him an interesting red zone threat as well as a guy who has a knack for blocking kicks and punts. Seeing him with the first team punt fielding squad is further evidence that Gurley is not just trying to shine in 7 on 7 drills. If he can become a core special teams player than that's not just a way to the final 53, but also the game day active 46....great news for all the Gurley-men out there (sorry couldn't help myself).
 
Disappointment of the day - Sam Shields. One of the reoccuring lines of camp thus far has been that Shields needs to step up after losing his starting spot to Jarrett Bush. Well, today that didn't happen. Shields was burnt by Gurley, Cobb, James Jones, Donald Driver, and Dale Moss today by my informal count. The Driver one was bad too, Shields was juked out of his jock by DD. Furthering the bad news for Shields is that it looks like Davon House has now passed him up for the Packers dimeback spot. Long story short, not a good day for Shields.
 
Defensive performance of the day - Casey Hayward gets a pick. Hayward is starting to show those ball skills that had some draft gurus so high on him. Today Hayward jumped a slant from Graham Harrell to Diondre Borel. He got it pretty well interrupted and was able to keep the ball alive and pull it in for the interception. It was a good play. Nice to see him and House showing some positive signs early in camp.
 
Offensive performance of the day - Gurley makes some tough grabs. The offense was not quite as sharp as it was on Thursday, but still looks mighty good considering it's the third practice. There were a few dropped balls, but also some nice deep passes. Really there was nothing super fantastic about the performances, but one play by Gurley gets the nod for this honor. Gurley made a tough catch over the middle which was followed up by a big hit from Tramon Williams. Gurley hung on though and completed the reception. It was good see that toughness from Gurley. It was better to see that toughness from Williams whose shoulder must be feeling much better than last year.
 
PA's controversial call - Get excited about D.J. Williams. There have been countless times where a guy starts camp hot but then it trails off as the grind goes on. Maybe that will happen here, and maybe it won't, but right now D.J. Williams is stringing together a fine set of practices. Today he was making good catches over the middle and getting down the field and making some receptions deep. That's a good sign with Jermichael Finley still out and Andrew Quarless sidelined for the indefinite future.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 30, 2012, 01:13:23 pm

 
 By Bob McGinn of the Journal Sen

Green Bay - Four years in the National Football League can be an eternity.

That's how long Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Donald Driver and James Jones have been together as the Green Bay Packers' top four wide receivers.

Eager Randall Cobb, even free agents Diondre Borel and Tori Gurley, undoubtedly will have a lot to say about the pecking order in 2012. Still, it wouldn't be surprising if the Big Four remains intact for an almost unheard of fifth straight season.

An ongoing story in training camp will be Driver's chances to play a 14th year in Green Bay. He's 37, and with such talent behind him there is reason to think he might not make the 53-man roster.

Tom Clements, the first-year offensive coordinator, was asked if he knew that Driver would be on the club.

"I don't make the roster moves," said Clements. "But based on history I would anticipate that. We expect him to play like he did last year."

On May 30, Driver signed a one-year, $2.3 million contract that represented a $2.7 million reduction from the last year on his deal. The team's all-time leading receiver now ranks merely 56th among wide receivers in average annual compensation.

A week later, the Packers paid him a roster bonus of $500,000, far less than the $1.5 million roster bonus that they would have been obligated to pay him on the first day of training camp.

At the same time Driver undoubtedly was making points with fans by accepting the pay cut, he also became a celebrity in the entertainment world by winning Season 14 on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars."

When Driver rejoined his teammates on the practice field, hundreds of fans at Ray Nitschke Field in June kept trying to draw his attention by cheering and screaming his name.

Perhaps the loudest roar from the crowd of 12,500 Tuesday morning at the corporation's stockholders meeting came at the end when Packers President Mark Murphy hoisted aloft Driver's Mirrorball Trophy that had been hidden behind the speaker's podium.

Money is hardly an issue. At $11.26 million, the Packers have more room beneath the salary cap than all but nine teams. Cutting Driver would save $1.8 million of cap space, which isn't much given the team's adjusted cap of $128.1 million.

Driver helped his cause by scoring five touchdowns in the last six games after scoring just two in the first 11.

"He got better as the year went along," Clements said. "At the end, I thought he played well. He's great for the room, great for the young guys."

Opposing personnel people have said Driver has lost speed and explosiveness from the slot. Assuming Driver makes the team, it's obvious he can't afford further slippage and still warrant playing time ahead of Cobb.

"Obviously, the biggest thing with (Cobb) is once he gets the ball in his hands he can see a hole and get through it," Clements said. "In the spring he was starting to develop good route-running ability utilizing the right techniques."

No matter who plays, the Packers are absolutely loaded with experienced, gifted players.

"It's the best group I've been around," said Clements, in his 16th year as an NFL assistant. "To have guys like that who have played with Aaron (Rodgers) the same four or five years, it's very beneficial. Because he can just give them little looks or signals and they know what he wants."

Since Rodgers took over in 2008, the Packers have played 70 games, counting playoffs. Each of the Big Four has played in at least 64 of those games.

Including playoffs, here are each player's statistics in the last four seasons (snap counts are for regular season only):

Jennings: 324 receptions for 5,092 yards (15.7), 37 touchdowns, 26 drops in 531 targeted passes (4.9%) and 3,187 snaps.

Driver: 253 for 3,340 (13.2), 22 TDs, 30 drops in 392 attempts (7.7%) and 2,835 snaps.

Nelson: 193 for 2,867 (14.9), 24 TDs, 19 drops in 275 attempts (6.9%) and 1,864 snaps.

Jones: 155 for 2,238 (14.4) and 21 TDs, 28 drops in 254 attempts (11%) and 1,802 snaps.

The five wide receivers that were on the roster for all 17 games last year did drop 23 passes, a total Clements deemed too high.

Other than Rodgers, Jennings and Nelson probably played their positions in 2011 as well if not better than anyone else on the roster.

The master of the double-move, Jennings is all about precision and fluidity. A power player with deceptive speed, Nelson emerged to give Green Bay what some scouts said was a second No. 1 receiver.

"Jordy has a lot of the same qualities as Greg," Clements said. "He's faster than people think he is, he catches the ball well and he's smart. It's kind of hard to duplicate the outstanding year that Jordy had, but we're hoping he can.

"Greg is a great route runner. He was very smooth from the beginning. He's always thinking about ways to get open."

Jones played the most snaps of his career (670) as a rookie in 2007 as a full-fledged No. 3 ahead of journeymen Koren Robinson and Ruvell Martin. Once strictly an outside receiver, he's now capable of playing anywhere in the formation.

"He and Jordy are the strongest players, with James maybe the stronger of the two," said Clements. "He's gotten better at run after the catch. He catches the ball generally well. He's big. . . and can catch in a crowd."

Even though this depth chart might be the hardest to crack in the league, neither Borel nor Gurley lacks confidence. In December, Borel declined an offer to join Tampa Bay's 53 just as Gurley turned down the same overture from Minnesota.

Both players were released at the end of camp after promising showings and immediately signed to the practice squad.

Borel, a quarterback at Utah State, is similar to Cobb in size and quickness.

"For never having played the position he improved tremendously during the year and he had a good spring," Clements said. "He has a chance."

Gurley isn't much further along, having given up his final two years at South Carolina. Last August, he carried 215 pounds on a 6-foot-4 frame. Today, he almost looks like a tight end at 232.

"I don't think he's too big," said Clements. "You like big receivers. He catches the ball well. He still needs to work on his route-running."
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 30, 2012, 01:29:55 pm

Green Bay - Casey Hayward has covered so well three days into training camp that it's entirely possible he could become just the Green Bay Packers' eighth cornerback in more than 50 years to start as a rookie.

The next-to-last choice in the second round, Hayward thus far has been exactly the ball-hawking type player that general manager Ted Thompson expected after trading up to get him in April.

After intercepting Graham Harrell in a team drill without pads Friday, Hayward picked him off again Saturday in pads and was sensational in his first two turns in the one-on-one coverage drill.

Lumped behind Tramon Williams, Jarrett Bush, Sam Shields and Davon House when training camp opened, Hayward has been the most impressive defensive back and overall rookie so far.

"Picking up the defense well and making plays," Williams said. "If he keeps making those plays he's definitely going to push."

There is still much for the Packers to learn about Hayward.

Described by many scouts as a zone corner with modest speed, it remains to be seen if Hayward has the pure talent to start outside.

Before the draft, some scouts had reservations about his tackling. The Packers won't know anything about that until the exhibition games.

At 5 feet 11½ inches, Hayward is well above the 5-10 standard the Packers adhere to at cornerback. But his arms were measured at just 30¼ inches at the combine (and 29¾ at Vanderbilt pro day), well below the cornerback combine average of 31 5/8.

Hayward's vertical jump of 34 inches was 3½ below the combine norm at the position. His short arms, small hands (9) and moderate explosiveness will be tested by Detroit's Calvin Johnson, Chicago's Brandon Marshall and the other big wide receivers in the National Football League.

Be that as it may, Hayward's ability to decipher routes, mirror receivers and attack the ball has been so acute early that, at this rate, the Packers will have to find somewhere to play him.

"Probably the best thing about him right now as a rookie is he understands the schemes and what people are trying to do to him," wide receiver James Jones said. "As a rookie, he's smart. He's going to be good."

Bush has been OK as the No. 1 right cornerback, both in base and nickel. Shields seems to be regressing. Though talented, House remains very rough around the edges.

When the Packers debuted their 4-1 dime defense Saturday, it was Williams and either Shields or House outside, Charles Woodson and Bush in the slot and Morgan Burnett and M.D. Jennings at safety.

About an hour later, the coaches gave Hayward his first promotion, inserting him as the slot and moving Bush outside with Williams.

"When you get better, you get closer to that (starting) level," Hayward said. "I'm ready for the opportunity. I'm just trying to learn from these guys and learn this playbook.

"I would say my style is more Asante Samuel. Instinctive guy. Or Brent Grimes. He's athletic but very instinctive."

If Hayward proves he can be more than the slot nickel back some teams pigeonholed him as, he certainly could beat out Bush.

Then he would join Ken Ellis (1970), Willie Buchanon ('72), Tim Lewis ('83), Terrell Buckley ('92), Craig Newsome ('95), Mike McKenzie ('99) and Ahmad Carroll ('04) as rookie starters at cornerback.

On Friday, Harrell threw outside during an end-of-game situation and Hayward intercepted.

"I was in the slot in nickel," said Hayward. "We were in some man concept. They either run vertical, the in or the out. I guessed the out because they were running 2-minute and was able to get a pick."

Hayward's interception Saturday came on a first-down slant in which he read the pattern and ripped the ball away from Diondre Borel.

Earlier, in the one-on-ones, Hayward lined up with inside leverage against Borel trying to deny the slant. Borel tried two or three moves but couldn't shake Hayward, who then broke on the 5-yard dig route and knocked the ball away.

"It actually was a real good route by Borel," said Jones. "He bobbed and weaved, then ran the cross. But (Hayward) just closed on it and broke it down. Good play."

A few minutes later, Hayward was matched against Jordy Nelson. It was hard to say if the pass was dropped or deflected, but either way Hayward had extremely tight coverage.

"He ran a slant on me," said Hayward, who was a prep quarterback in Perry, Ga. "He gave me an outside release and I took the inside away. He immediately came back inside. Instead of whipping deep, I whipped at an angle inside and was able to stay on his hip."

Minus pass rush and other players, the receiver has an enormous advantage in the drill. To see Hayward, in the first padded one-on-ones of his NFL career, smother his opponent both times was startling.

When Jones tried to test Hayward deep off play-action in 11-on-11s Friday, the rookie matched him stride for stride and the pass was overthrown.

"Playing in the SEC, I played against A.J. Green, Alshon Jeffery, all those guys," said Hayward. "I pressed those guys. Like today, I was pressing in the slot, especially in the one on ones, and I held my own.

"I've been holding my own since I've been playing this game."

Early in camp, Hayward has done far more than just hold his own.
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 30, 2012, 01:35:40 pm
"The crazy thing about football is you can have the greatest game in the world and make one bad throw and that’s what sticks with you for awhile," said Harrell. "I just try my best to shake it off. After practice, those are the ones you remember – the bad plays.
 
"We harp on not turning the ball over – but it is not something we think about and stress about. You just try to improve."
 
One teammate said he's already seen that improvement.
 
"I think the pressure is going to be really good for him, has been really good for him," said tight end Ryan Taylor. "You can tell he has a lot better grasp of the playbook than last year during camp. Last year in camp you’d kind of stumble over plays and this year he’s really taking command in the huddle. I think he’s doing a fantastic job."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 30, 2012, 01:57:44 pm
Too many gov't regulations:

http://radioviceonline.com/weekend-video-rep-kelly-on-the-house-floor-overwhelming-regulations/
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 30, 2012, 02:41:52 pm
(http://jewishworldreview.com/toons/foden/Foden_C20120724.jpg)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 30, 2012, 02:43:13 pm
(http://www.creators.com/editorial_cartoons/3/23797_image.gif)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 30, 2012, 02:44:12 pm
(http://www.gorrellart.com/archive/GorrellArt07.26.12.jpg)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 30, 2012, 02:49:38 pm
(http://www.creators.com/editorial_cartoons/21/23793_image.gif)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on July 30, 2012, 03:09:55 pm
Nothing could make the Green Bay sucks forum really live up to its name better than having to see stuff about Obama...even a cartoon Obama
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on July 30, 2012, 04:09:52 pm
Agreed ....... Obama sucks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on July 30, 2012, 04:14:38 pm
As a Green Bay Packer fan that enjoys the modern world, I will have to offer a sorry for the olde tacit racist known as packrat. While he loves the Green Bay Packers he loves the white culture of America of the 1920's even better.


I think he thinks the internet is a series of tubes.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 30, 2012, 07:43:20 pm
Sorry.  Got the wrong thread.  Senior moment.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 30, 2012, 08:11:57 pm
Offensive performance of the day - Randall Cobb continues to steal the show. Cobb might become my default answer for offensive performance of the day. He has a few drops here and there, but also seems to get a majority of targets and always had one or two great catches. Today's circus catch came while falling backwards on a back shoulder throw. The corner had good coverage, but it was just a great throw and catch in order to make the play. There always seems to be a handful of those types plays with Cobb on the field.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 01, 2012, 09:04:27 pm


I guess that's not a question, or maybe Harrell is a question himself.
 
There is plenty of debate as to whether heading into the season with Super Bowl aspirations and an unproven backup is wise, or even sane.
 
After all, the loss of Jay Cutler ended the Bears' season, and we've seen seasoned vets hold onto their team's hopes when the starter went down.
 
And for every TJ Yates (that would be Houston's third stringer last year) who succeeds, there are a billion Caleb Hanies who implode.

The Packers have done a good job the last few years of developing quarterbacks (Flynn in particular), but it's still a huge gamble in many ways.
 
Of course, the flip side is, you have Aaron Rodgers, one of the toughest, if not the toughest quarterbacks in the league. How often does he go down?
 
Harrell, so far, looks fine. We'll see how fine over the next few weeks and whether he will do enough to allay any concerns fans might have.
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 01, 2012, 09:11:44 pm
Nick Perry and Jerel Wothy 4/3 -> 3/4

(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/001/818/162/hi-res-6317824_crop_exact.jpg?w=650&h=440&q=75)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 04, 2012, 02:08:43 pm

Mike Spoffordpackers.com staff writer




Read
Discuss

Comments:9

 
Aaron Rodgers doesn’t envy the job his bosses, Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy, will have at the end of this month.
 
Whether the Packers quarterback looks around the practice field or the locker room, he sees good players who may not make the team. It’s a harsh reality, but a good reality for the Packers.
 
Rodgers has been throwing the ball to undrafted holdovers Tori Gurley, Diondre Borel and Shaky Smithson, but it’s highly unlikely they can all stay. Those receivers are being covered by cornerbacks Sam Shields, Davon House and Casey Hayward, who are leading an intense competition at their position. The pass rushers chasing Rodgers around Ray Nitschke Field are more numerous than in the past.
 
“This is going to be I think the most difficult cuts Ted and his staff and Mike have to do, because we’re deep,” Rodgers told reporters at his locker on Thursday, prior to the first night practice of training camp. “You look at that position over there to my left, the defensive line, there are a lot of guys in that group who are probably going to be playing big minutes for other teams, because we don’t have the room for them, but we’re so deep there.
 
“It’s tough, it’s frustrating, because you get to know guys, … but I’m excited about this team this year. We’ve got a lot of talent.”
 
Rodgers also has noticed, and likes, the energy and enthusiasm on display through the first week of practices. For that, he gives a lot of credit to the aforementioned defensive line group, which added veterans Daniel Muir (who played previously for the Packers in 2007) and Anthony Hargrove, plus second-round draft pick Jerel Worthy.
 
Their outgoing personalities have rubbed off on their linemates and other teammates, Rodgers said, and that has had a positive impact on both the camaraderie and intensity surrounding camp.
 
“It helped that we brought in guys who kind of have that hunger and that enthusiasm,” he said. “When you add guys to the mix like that, I think it just really amps up the practice and the energy level as a whole in the locker room.”
 
One of those defensive linemen, fourth-year veteran B.J. Raji, agrees. He feels this camp is the most competitive of his brief career so far, and that was exemplified on Wednesday night, when the players had a night off before transitioning to the new practice schedule that began on Thursday.
 
Raji said in past years with an evening to themselves, players might’ve stayed up until the wee hours in the dorms playing cards and “having a good time.”
 
“But come in last night and it was like a ghost town,” Raji said. “That means everyone is getting their rest because they know practice means a lot this year.”
 
Raji certainly has been practicing like he means it. In team drills he’s been quick and explosive off the ball, and in the one-on-one pass-rush drill he’s been difficult to block.
 
Two factors have played a role in his strong start, Raji said. The first is his attitude, which last year was focused too much on increasing the 7½ sacks he recorded in the 2010 regular season and playoffs, an impressive number for an interior lineman.
 
When the sacks didn’t come in 2011, “I kind of got down on myself,” he said. “Coming out of college a top-10 pick, you’re kind of looking for validation.” Making the NFC Pro Bowl roster despite a drop to three sacks helped provide that for Raji.
 
The second factor is a new offseason training regimen. At the Pro Bowl, Raji said Bears defensive end Julius Peppers introduced him to boxing workouts, which Raji tried prior to the start of the Packers offseason program and went back to afterward.
 
For about a month prior to training camp, Raji focused solely on boxing drills with an acquaintance and former Golden Gloves boxer back home in New Jersey. Teammates Charles Woodson and Jermichael Finley have dabbled in boxing, as well, and Raji believes the workouts have added “violence” to his game.
 
“It helped me a lot, with my wind, hand speed, punch velocity, footwork,” Raji said. “I can see it on the field.
 
“Offensive linemen are good. They tend to hold a lot, and if you’re not violent with your escapes, it’s going to be tough to get off those blocks.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on August 10, 2012, 08:01:48 pm
Chris Mortenson (@mortreport) has Cedric Benson already in GB, signing expected very shortly. I expect James Stark appreciates the Packers confidence in him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on August 10, 2012, 08:16:04 pm
Benson would be a solid pick up if his head is straight.  He can't get into much trouble in November on whatever lakes are up there - frozen solid.  Why aren't they giving Datko a chance after Starks fumbilitis?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on August 10, 2012, 08:28:43 pm
I don't know how much LT Datko can help RB Stark's wipe off his butter fingers, but whatever works.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on August 10, 2012, 08:30:36 pm
He can't get into much trouble in November on whatever lakes are up there - frozen solid.

Must resist global warming.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 10, 2012, 09:44:45 pm
Starks isn't doing much to encourage donfidence so far.

Sure looked like the first game of the pre-season last night.  Mostly looked like  hone-made horse manure on offfense.  New, young DBs looked good, though.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on August 11, 2012, 06:44:09 am
Freep - That was a joke.  During the summer we have seen many articles on the wonderkid that is Datko.  The GB writers seem to think he is already heading to Canton.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 15, 2012, 05:28:06 pm
Green Bay - The four-year contract extension OG T.J. Lang signed with the Green Bay Packers is worth $20.8 million in new money, according to a source with access to NFLPA salary information.

Lang will receive a $5.5 million signing bonus and his salary cap number for this year is $1.8 million. Lang's original base salary of $1.26 million is incorporated into the deal as well.

By comparison, OG Josh Sitton's five-year extension was worth $33.75 million or $6.75 million per year. Sitton received a $6 million signing bonus and $8.9 million total in guaranteed money.

Sitton's numbers reflect the fact he started 34 regular-season games before he signed his deal. Lang has started only 19.

Lang's $5.2 million average shows how much the Packers value him and expect him to be their starter for the next five seasons. He might have been able to make more on the free agent market after this season, but being able to pocket $5.5 million was undoubtedly too attractive to pass up.

In discussing the reasons for signing Lang, GM Ted Thompson said that normally the big money goes to left tackles, but "we feel that quality, big people across the whole offensive line are hard, hard to find."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 15, 2012, 05:41:28 pm
Cedric Benson said one of the reasons he joined the Green Bay Packers was he wanted a chance to win a Super Bowl.

Maybe he had to make some concessions in choosing the Packers. That is because Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports Benson accepted a one-year deal from the team for the minimum salary benefit. It’s also a split contract, meaning Benson will earn significantly less if he lands on injured reserve.

Per the report, the contract is for the veteran minimum of $825,000 and he will count only $540,000 against the salary cap because of the minimum salary benefit. More interesting is the split that would drop his contract to $393,000 if he lands on IR. Typically, teams only talk rookies and young unproven players into agreeing to splits. It could be the Packers made a hard stance.

McGinn notes the deal likely includes incentives for Benson, who is coming off three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, if he performs well.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 15, 2012, 05:58:20 pm
Benson is a head case.  He will probably have some very good games for the Packers but he will also have games where he fumbles.  Plus I don't think pass blocking or catching the ball out of the backfield are his strong suits.  That said I am guessing he will have good games against the Bears.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 15, 2012, 06:00:43 pm

Capers counting on young players

Posted Aug 14, 2012

Vic Ketchmanpackers.com editor
Discuss

Comments:5

 
A team with a patient draft-and-develop philosophy needs its young players on defense to develop at a quicker-than-usual pace. The improvement Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers has planned for his unit would seem to depend on it.
 
“We’re going to have to. You can count the numbers out there,” Capers said as he reviewed the progress of his defense one preseason game and 16 practices into training camp.
 
The numbers suggest that as many as four rookie or second-year players could be in the starting lineup on defense for the Packers this season, and the depth chart on that side of the ball is likely to include several other players with limited NFL experience.
 
“We got the young guys quite a few reps,” Capers said in reviewing the preseason loss in San Diego last Thursday. “It’ll be interesting to see how much progress they make this week.”
 
The Packers host the Cleveland Browns this Thursday, and young talent on defense, such as first-round draft pick Nick Perry, second-round picks Jerel Worthy and Casey Hayward, and 2011 sixth-round pick D.J. Smith are scheduled for significant playing time. Perry is the Packers’ starting left outside linebacker, Hayward has stepped into the right cornerback position on the No. 1 defense, Worthy fits prominently into the Packers’ plans at defensive end and in the team’s “nickel” package, and Smith has stepped in for the injured Desmond Bishop at inside linebacker.
 
“I was encouraged by a number of things. I like the way we played the run. I like the way we played on third down. We had the short-yardage stop,” Capers said of his unit’s play in San Diego. “The things I didn’t like are the big plays. That’s going to be a priority for us.”
 
The Packers have lost Bishop for an extended period of time, possibly for the season, and second-year cornerback Davon House, one of the stars of training camp, sustained a shoulder injury that clouds his future. Head Coach Mike McCarthy said House’s injury would likely require surgery if it doesn’t respond to treatment.
 
“I thought he was really off to a good start,” Capers said of House. “Casey Hayward ended up playing a lot of plays. We’ve got to get as much of a look at these young guys as possible, to see where we are.”
 
Perry’s performance in San Diego, which included a sack on the first pass play of the game, gave the Packers a snapshot of where they are with him.
 
“I think you saw his power. I think he’s a powerful man that can set the edge for you. I think he’s going to improve as we go along. I see two, three plays every day in practice that make you say that’s the way we want to see it right there,” Capers said of Perry.
 
Apparently, Capers has seen enough in his young players to increase his expectations for this season.
 
“I’m pretty confident this defense is going to improve as we go along, once guys settle in and get a feel for the speed of the game. The key is getting confidence. You need to know when you run through that tunnel what you’re going to do and that you’re going to do it a hundred miles an hour,” Capers said.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on August 15, 2012, 07:14:57 pm
  That said I am guessing [Benson] will have good games against the Bears.

So true .... except as as a fan FOR Benson's team, I am sure he will fumble vs da Bears.

Deep fans have deep fears.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 16, 2012, 03:25:36 pm
True dat.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 21, 2012, 10:13:25 pm
PA's controversial call: I think the Packers keep five WR's. This is a thought that has been brewing in my head for a while now, and it's one that will get a full post some time in the next few days. Coming into the year the Packers were expected to be loaded at WR with seven NFL quality receivers ready to go and maybe more if there was some surprises in camp. Diondre Borel and Gurley were expected to take a big step forward in their development. As camp has gone on though, Borel and Gurley aren't quite as wonderful as they were made out to be. Each one has their place and their role, but it's not a critical role and neither player has done much to show they are needed on the squad. I keep asking myself the question why should the Packers keep more receivers when these two are under performing and extra help could be used along the defensive line? Especially when the talents of the D-line range so dramatically.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 22, 2012, 03:18:56 pm
Green Bay - Immediately, Cedric Benson laughs. The memory resurfaces. Of course he remembers that summer night with the Chicago Bears. How could he forget? Everybody took their best shot.

No quick whistle could save the abuse. Play after play, defensive teammates punished the young running back. Maybe it was out of their loyalty to veteran Thomas Jones, maybe they didn't like Benson's attitude.

"It's weird," said Benson, smiling, "I haven't really thought about that stuff in a long time. But thinking back on it, maybe they were trying to send a message or toughen me up. I don't know what they were trying to do."

Since he entered the league in 2005, Benson's reputation has been stained. The former fourth overall pick endured an icy partnership with Jones. He was arrested four times in a span of three years. Twice, nobody wanted the guy. Benson spent 114 days without a team after the Bears cut him in June 2008. And this off-season, he lasted six months unsigned.

A 29-year-old with three straight 1,000-yard seasons was unwanted. Teams shied away.

So it begs the question - is Cedric Benson a good guy, a good teammate? Those who coached for and played with Benson insist he is. Benson says he is.

But he's also a soft-spoken, sincere individual. Benson dismisses the clichéd punk-to-pro narrative, that he evolved from self-entitled to selfless. Benson believes he has always been himself. The Packers will soon discover where this takes them.

"People want you to be a certain way," Benson said. "There's no handbook for how to act. But if people require that, then they should make one. I was just being myself. I don't know how I was perceived, but I was just working hard and trying to be the best player I could be."

When general manager Ted Thompson and the Packers reached out, it was Benson who brought up the arrests. Not Thompson, not coach Mike McCarthy.

In May 2008, he was arrested on charges of drunken boating and resisting arrest. One month later, he was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.

In June 2010, Benson was arrested for assault after allegedly punching an Austin, Texas, bartender in the face. And in July 2011 - gory photos revealing the bloody damage - Benson was charged with misdemeanor assault with injury. An altercation with a roommate turned violent.

The Packers didn't dwell on any of this, Benson said.

The Bears cut Benson in response to the alcohol-related incidents, but the running back said those arrests "don't even exist" to him because he wasn't convicted. He believes he was targeted.

As for the roommate, Benson said it was all about "one party trying to resolve things and the other party trying to create things" and that "it was over just him being lazy and needing to get up and make something of himself."

Benson does realize this baggage may have been one reason he was virtually ignored in free agency this off-season.

"It could have. It could have," Benson repeated. "But how foolish if it did? If it's worth anything, you have to look into the situation. They weren't harsh crimes."

So if the Packers aren't concerned about Benson's off-field issues, as Thompson echoed in a recent news conference, the question is how he'll adapt to the locker room and the scheme. In Chicago, his working relationship with Jones was septic at best.

Jones was the respected workout warrior, the son of coal-mining parents, a film-room junkie. Benson was the Texas wunderkind, an anointed face of the franchise who held out 36 days and proclaimed himself the starter.

At the time, Benson alleged teammates took shots at him during the aforementioned practice because of their loyalty to Jones. And another practice - irritated with the young back for whatever reason - Jones punched Benson.

"With the point he was at in Chicago and they drafted me in the first round, I think he may have took it really hard or the wrong way," Benson said. "So our relationship didn't get off to the best start. In time, things got better."

Ruben Brown, the left guard on those Bears teams, believes management put both running backs in an impossible situation. Roles weren't defined, he said. Jones' career was peaking, yet Benson was named the starter. Tension was inevitable.

As symbolic as the punch may appear - respected veteran smacking immature 23-year-old - Brown downplayed the incident.

"I've seen a lot of guys get punched, slapped, shoved to get points across or try to send a message," Brown said. "No time is it always acceptable, but in our environment it's not a normal work environment. It's almost understood. You wouldn't want that happening in the stock exchange or IBM."

Multiple times, Brown insisted Benson is a good guy. Brown was 11 years older than the young back, yet the two still hung out and ate dinner together often. Brown doesn't believe the laidback Benson was a locker-room cancer in any sense.

"He didn't have any influence on our locker room the way it was portrayed," he said. "Only his productivity was a factor for us. He was effective with his talent. His personality and how he carried himself and what he was like as a person, it had no bearing in our locker room at all. The offensive line enjoyed him."

In Cincinnati, Benson finally became the unquestioned No. 1 back. Running back Brian Leonard had preconceived notions about Benson. He heard the rumors, read the reports and half-braced for an arrogant teammate.

Instead, Leonard said, Benson was the exact opposite. Once, unprompted, Benson flew out to Leonard's charity event in New York City for three days.

On the field, Leonard called Benson one of the hardest workers on the team.

"He goes through a walkthrough like it's a game," Leonard said. "He goes at one speed - full-speed all the time. That's just his personality. Being a first-round pick with all the money he got, to go out and practice as hard as he did, that says a lot about a guy."

Meanwhile, running backs coach Jim Anderson said he didn't have a preconceived notion. He never called anybody in Chicago to investigate Benson's character. He wanted his relationship with Benson to develop organically.

Teammates, he said, respected Benson.

"When it came time to play the game - when the bell rang - he was ready to go," Anderson said. "We had a good relationship. We just said, 'Hey, listen, our job is prepare you to be the best that you can be. Let's do it.' "

Then again, maybe the state of affairs in Cincinnati was so rosy because Benson was fed a healthy dose of carries. Unlike his two years in Chicago - where he endured a tug-of-war for touches and respect with Jones - Benson received 1,109 carries in four seasons with the Bengals.

In Cincinnati, there was no reason for him to complain. In Green Bay, there might be.

This record-setting offense is built around quarterback Aaron Rodgers and a five-star menu of receivers. Benson looks explosive, fresh and ready to carve up his former team in Thursday's third exhibition game. But, no, McCarthy won't be grounding and pounding any time soon.

Whether Benson will accept a complementary role is the unknown. He said this was all discussed with the team before he signed and that a lesser role will "make me want to take advantage of every opportunity I get in the run game."

Still, Benson admitted his need for carries has backfired in the past.

"At times, I think it served against me - having that type of attitude toward the game," Benson said.

"Just the hunger for the football and wanting to be on the field, wanting to play, wanting the ball in my hands. Just being a competitor."

If there is a potential source of discontent in Green Bay, this would be it.

Leonard agreed that going to Green Bay's offense will be an adjustment.

"I think he'll have to learn to accept that role," Leonard said. "I know he's a guy that wants the ball all the time. He wants to be a starter and that's a good thing to want to be. I think that will be an adjustment at first because I know he wants to be a starter and in his mind he wants to get all the carries. There's nothing wrong with that.

"You have to want to ball. You have to want to carry it that many times. But I think he's at a time in his career where he might have to split carries and accept that role."

To Benson, the time in Chicago "doesn't exist anymore." The Bengals? They decided to move on with the younger, more versatile BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Benson points to a change in offensive philosophy.

Now, he's on his third fresh start. Benson doesn't worry about stigmas and reputations. That handbook for behavior still doesn't exist. He'll be himself.

And Benson maintained that he is a good guy who will help the Packers win.

"I just enjoy life," Benson said, "and try to be the best person I can be."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 23, 2012, 09:59:16 pm


Tweets







11mMike Vandermause‏@MikeVandermause

 Rodgers: Harrell will keep plugging away. next week will get another opportunity. Hopefully guys will give him chance to make some plays.



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12mMike Vandermause‏@MikeVandermause

 Rodgers: harrell is out there fighting, taking some flak from you guys. Frustating for him, for me, to see him not get same opportunities.



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12mMike Vandermause‏@MikeVandermause

 Rodgers: That was pass interference (against Jordy). Reluctance to throw flags at time. If we use replacement refs, they will get better.



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13mMike Vandermause‏@MikeVandermause

 Rodgers: Coaches treat you a little better when you win. Tomorrow will be tough. 15 guys will get cut.



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14mMike Vandermause‏@MikeVandermause

 Rodgers: Good to have Sam Shields back in mix. Nice interception tonight. Young guys did nice job finishing game out.



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15mMike Vandermause‏@MikeVandermause

 Rodgers: If defense in man coverage, I'm going to have to make some plays with my feet.



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15mMike Vandermause‏@MikeVandermause

 Rodgers: Benson made most of carries and his catch. I wanted to get him a rushing touchdown tonight.



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16mMike Vandermause‏@MikeVandermause

 Rodgers: Benson big name back. He has right mentality for our team right now. He's very hungry, eager to learn. He's excited.



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16mMike Vandermause‏@MikeVandermause

 Rodgers: Having Jennings and Jordy is fun. Continue to find ways to get them the football.



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16mMike Vandermause‏@MikeVandermause

 Rodgers: I think we're going to be ready for regular season. Did enough stuff to satisfy coach.



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17mMike Vandermause‏@MikeVandermause

 Rodgers: We got into good rhtym in first half. Moved ball effectively. Would have been nice to have Finley, but he had family celebration.



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17mMike Vandermause‏@MikeVandermause

 Rodgers: Benson knows game. Got a good running style. Hits hole quickly. Best is yet to come for him.



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18mMike Vandermause‏@MikeVandermause

 Rodgers: He was great. Made some runs out of nothing. Still learning offense. Did nice job on checkdown. We're excited about him.



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18mMike Vandermause‏@MikeVandermause

 Aaron Rodgers: Bad throw (on interception). quick snapped them. Defender had preseason Christmas present.



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24mMike Vandermause‏@MikeVandermause

 MM: Finley came to me this morning about his wife being in labor. We got him quickest flight home. He's where he should be right now.



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25mMike Vandermause‏@MikeVandermause

 MM: Harrell handled different play selections, getting guys lined up. Great experience for Harrell to learn from.



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26mMike Vandermause‏@MikeVandermause

 MM: We had lot of offense go out window because of our tight end situation. Harrell and second unit ran plays we didn't practice this week.



Expand









27mMike Vandermause‏@MikeVandermause

 MM: Harrell is in command of offense. Tape will tell true story.



Expand









27mMike Vandermause‏@MikeVandermause

 MM: I thought Graham Harrell improved tonight. He had some upfield situations. His scrambling was good, made them miss.



Expand










28mMike Vandermause‏@MikeVandermause

 MM: We got better today. We're a step closer to being ready for the start of the season.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 30, 2012, 06:16:36 pm
Packers D is terrible against the run.  They also just lost Rajiv to an ankle injury.  They are icing it but he is on the sideline.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 30, 2012, 06:16:59 pm
Benson fumbles on his first carry.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 30, 2012, 06:19:46 pm
Rodgers picked off but the Chiefs were offsides.  So it was a free play for Rodgers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 30, 2012, 10:05:33 pm
Last off-season the Pack payed Borel (6-0, 199) and Gurley (6-4, 214) starting NFL salaries to prevent losing them from the practice squad.  The first three games they looked very ordinary.  Tonight they looked very good.

Meanwhile Jarrett Boykin (6-2, 217) has looked good all pre-season and last night played lights out.  The Pack doesn't dare cut Boykin or he will never make it to the PS.

What to do?

It looks like another undrafted rookie could start on defense: Dez Moses (LB).  Other roolies, Worthy (DE), Nick Perry (LB) and Casey Hayward (Nickel Back) will likely start.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on August 30, 2012, 10:28:03 pm
Benson is one of the most fumble prone rb's in the league...we can make sure that streak continues....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 31, 2012, 08:09:59 am
If Green continues his progress Benson and Green will probably share carries - or, if Benson continues to fumble he may see reduced carries.  Green is good at pass receiving, picking up blitzes and has a lot of  speed.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 31, 2012, 08:30:26 am
Benson would be a solid pick up if his head is straight.  He can't get into much trouble in November on whatever lakes are up there - frozen solid.  Why aren't they giving Datko a chance after Starks fumbilitis?

:Plan s to have  Datko play RB thwarted when he became injured.  Looks like IR for him.    ;-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 31, 2012, 08:31:44 am
The first three games the Pack looked bad.  Last it all reversed.

They paid Borel and Gurley minimum rookie salary to keep them from leqaving.  For the first three games they looked very ordinary.  Then, last5 night they broke out.  Meanwhile, WR rookie Jarrett Boykin (6-2, 217) has looked good for the whole pre-season he looked good and last night really showed his talent.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 31, 2012, 05:16:46 pm


For nearly eight months Cedric Benson sat idly by, waiting for a phone call. 

Free agency began, the draft was completed, minicamps and OTAs came and went and, still, the phone never rang.  A 1,000-yard rusher for three years straight, it seemed strange that no team expressed any interest in the former first-round draft pick.

In August, though, that all changed.  Benson got a call from the unlikeliest of teams.  And as we all know, the Packers signed him to a one-year deal worth $825,000.  For Benson the deal isn't that big, but for the Packers, his addition couldn't be bigger.

With Benson as the primary ball carrier, the Packers offense is immediately transformed.  A big, bruising back who can pick up yards late in the game is exactly what the Packers offense has needed over the past several seasons.  No offense to James Starks or Ryan Grant, but their ability to run between the tackles and pick up first downs has left a lot to be desired.

Cedric Benson can do just that.

Let's face it, the Packers struggled mightily in short yardage situations—and in the run game overall—last year.  His signing will reverse this problem immediately.

His running ability isn't the only asset Benson brings to the table.  His pass-blocking is tops in the league.  When Aaron Rodgers is in shotgun with Benson to his right, a good blocker is only going to give Rodgers more time to convert.

How many times did fans see Rodgers play action and rainbow a ball downfield to receivers last year? Too many to count.  Play-action passes are the Packers bread and butter.  Rodgers faked out defenses left and right last season with play action.  And that was with Starks and Grant in the backfield.  With Benson, opposing defenses are going to have a much tougher time figuring out where the ball is going to go.



How many yards will Cedric Benson rush for this season?


>800801-10001001-12001201-14001400+Submit Votevote to see results







































On top of that, Benson allows the Packers to line up in more single back and I-formations—in essence, completely changing how the Packers attack opposing teams.  I'm OK with this.  Instead of lining up in the shotgun 60 percent of the time, they can utilize Benson's strengths and run a more traditional west coast offense.

I'm not saying Green Bay should limit Rodgers pass attempts; I'm suggesting Rodgers line up under center more often to keep defenses honest.  Having Benson in the backfield will stack more defenders in the box and allow Rodgers to throw downfield into less-crowded secondaries.

Benson's signing is significant.  He adds another dimension to this explosive offense and gives Aaron Rodgers another weapon with which to attack teams.

The Packers have finally gotten the running back they so dearly needed and, in doing so, have changed how they will run their offense. 



Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 31, 2012, 08:38:35 pm
(http://prod.static.packers.clubs.nfl.com//assets/images/imported/GB/photos/persons/player-headshots/Moses_Dezman-hs--nfl_thumb3_65_90.jpg)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 31, 2012, 08:41:54 pm
The Packers will be the same team as last year.  Last or close to it ranked defense that gets turnovers and a really good passing game with a weak running game.  Along with average at best special teams.

Benson will have a few big games but he will also fumble too much and he may end up hurting some of your O-lineman by running up their back.  That is if he can stay healthy.

As long as the Packers have Rodgers they will be a Super Bowl contender.  If he misses any games it will be very ugly for the Packers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 31, 2012, 08:59:36 pm
--- Again, the Packers hang onto 10 rookies. As forecasted this morning, undrafted rookies WR Jarrett Boykin, S Sean Richardson, G Don Barclay and OLB Dezman Moses all made the team. Give Ted Thompson credit here. He swallowed his pride at wide receiver. After giving Gurley and Borel pay raises to stick around on the practice squad last season, he wasn't afraid to go with the better wide receiver when push came to shove. Boykin simply outplayed both receivers all summer. Better hands. More consistent. Ran precise routes. So he might not block punts or contribute on special teams. OK. He earned a roster spot.
 
--- There are only two back-up offensive linemen on the roster --- G/C Evan Dietrich-Smith and Barclay. Expect Thompson to make another move. He needs a tackle with Sherrod on the PUP list. Somewhat surprised to see Wells cut. He wasn't great in the exhibition games but was the lone veteran back-up on the team.
 
--- The Packers did decide to stick with four running backs -- Cedric Benson, Alex Green, Brandon Saine and James Starks. Starks (turf toe) is still out and there is no clear timetable for his return. Despite yet another injury, he remains a very talented back that the Packers will keep. When healthy, he may still be the team's best back. In keeping Saine, there's no rush for Starks to come back. Expect the team to be cautious.
 
--- Marc Tyler likely did enough to earn a spot on the practice squad. He isn't fast or creative -- the undrafted back averaged 2.3 yards per carry in the preseason -- but he's durable and picked up the offense well.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on September 01, 2012, 07:47:51 am
Did Datko get IR'd or released?  No mention of him on Packer's website.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on September 02, 2012, 09:14:14 pm
The Packers will be the same team as last year.  Last or close to it ranked defense that gets turnovers and a really good passing game with a weak running game.  Along with average at best special teams.

Benson will have a few big games but he will also fumble too much and he may end up hurting some of your O-lineman by running up their back.  That is if he can stay healthy.

As long as the Packers have Rodgers they will be a Super Bowl contender.  If he misses any games it will be very ugly for the Packers.

Can't disagree. Until somebody can carry the ball with authority w/o dropping it. That said, a better defense would moot that, and with so much turnover/new faces/rookies, it is undiscovered country.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on September 03, 2012, 09:51:35 am
I'll take 15-1 again.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 06, 2012, 09:56:59 pm
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/09/06/greg-jennings-says-the-lambeau-leap-has-its-hazards/

I find this odd in more ways then one.  Is Jennings wanting out of Green Bay or is he ticked because he feels he is being pushed out by a white guy.  Are there tons of gay Packers fans grabbing his junk when he does the leap?  Or do straight Packer fans just like to grab another dudes junk for shitz and giggles?  If so why do the leap?

So many questions and I am not sure I want all of the answers...



Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on September 06, 2012, 11:44:27 pm
Wow, great miss read gay guy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on September 06, 2012, 11:45:09 pm
And peke, I'm referring to you.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 07, 2012, 10:30:08 am
Grizz - Datko is on PS for GB,  slightly injured.  GB has the attitude the PS players are almost as ueful as having them on the roster.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 07, 2012, 10:30:21 am

4:01 PM, Sep. 06, 2012
Written by
Pete Dougherty

Cedric Benson has gone to great lengths to learn the Packers’ offense as quickly as possible, but at least as important to him staying on the field is improving his ball-security habits.

The Packers signed Benson 3 ½ weeks ago, and he’s looked more than good enough to win their starting job at halfback. However, he also arrived with a reputation for fumbling – he fumbled 12 times in the last two years combined with Cincinnati.

After a strong performance in his first preseason game with the Packers, at Cincinnati, Benson fumbled on his first carry the following week against the Kansas City Chiefs. And even going back to the Cincinnati game, Benson appeared to carry the ball a little lower and more loosely than the Packers’ backs have been drilled to over the past few years.

“I’m trying to get him into those habits of carrying it high and tight,” said Alex Van Pelt, the Packers’ running backs coach. “He’s good in traffic, not worried about when he gets in traffic, it’s the ones you can’t see coming from the backside that scare you when you swing the ball like that. It’s just constant reminders, every time he does it we’re going to stay on him. Eventually it will become habit forming to carry it high and tight.”

Said Benson: “You’ve got hold it high and tight going through the holes, you have to train yourself to be explosive in your cuts while still keeping the ball tight to your body. You have to train yourself to control the football.”

Benson said the Packers do more ball-security drills than any team he’s been on – he played with Chicago from 2005 through ’07, and with the Bengals from ’09 through last  year. Last season, the Packers’ six lost fumbles was fourth-lowest in the league behind only San Francisco, New Orleans and New England, all of whom lost five fumbles.

“There’s three or four drills we do dedicated to ball security that I didn’t do in other places,” Benson said.

Said Van Pelt: “Every time he touches it, making sure it’s high and tight is the biggest thing. The big thing for him is it’s not natural for him to do that, naturally he carries it loose when he wiggles. We just have to break that habit. We have to get that (fumbling statistic) down really low. We don’t turn the ball over here, it’s one of the strengths of this team, so he’s got to buy in and get on board. I think he understands that it’s a concern of everybody’s.”

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 07, 2012, 10:40:13 am
The second of Green Bay's two seventh-round picks, Datko, like Coleman, winds up on the practice squad.

Datko had a brutal beginning to the offseason by turning in poor performances during OTAs and the beginning of training camp. However, he started to show something before suffering a concussion.

At 6'6", Datko certainly has the height, but he needs to add weight to his frame in order to stop getting pushed around.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: panthermark on September 07, 2012, 02:55:51 pm
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/09/06/greg-jennings-says-the-lambeau-leap-has-its-hazards/

I find this odd in more ways then one.  Is Jennings wanting out of Green Bay or is he ticked because he feels he is being pushed out by a white guy.  Are there tons of gay Packers fans grabbing his junk when he does the leap?  Or do straight Packer fans just like to grab another dudes junk for ****z and giggles?  If so why do the leap?

So many questions and I am not sure I want all of the answers...





The call it the Lambeau Reach....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on September 07, 2012, 02:57:05 pm
they are actually undercover Bear fans who are really dedicated and try to injure the Packer players by hitting them below the belt!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 07, 2012, 07:04:43 pm
I have read several responses by Jennings to questioners.

In essence, he is looking at the fate of other GB players who reach 30 years of age  Also, he is looking at the number of talented young WRs on the Packers' roster.  He knows  that Thompson is loath to sign big cntracts for players 30 and over.

His comment says he definitely wants the going rate for his talents and accepts that he might not get it in GB.  He and Rodgers get along very well. 
 
With Thompson, business is business.  Check out the list of new, young players added to the roster again this season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 07, 2012, 07:28:34 pm
I just plain don't like Jim Harbaugh.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 07, 2012, 07:48:05 pm
Packers in Uncharted Territory with Jennings

by Mike Conklin

 September 6, 2012

With the current contract situation of Greg Jennings, Ted Thompson and the Packers find themselves in an unfamiliar position. For the first time under the current regime, they are coming to the end of a second contract for one of Thompson's own drafted players.

To their credit, the Packers have become known as a team that "takes care of its own". In recent years they have given extensions or new contracts to an impressive number of their homegrown players, including Tramon Williams, Josh Sitton, John Kuhn, Jordy Nelson, Mason Crosby, James Jones, Jermichael Finley, Tim Masthay and T.J. Lang.

In each of those examples, the player was entering what should be the heart of their playing career when they were re-signed. To go a step further, a case could be made that each of them were still ascending players at the time the new contract was issued. And in each case, the player was signed to his second contract.

In general terms, the second contract may often be the most lucrative for the player and will probably last through their mid- to late-twenties, in terms of age. By the time the next contract comes around the player would be right around the age of 30, at which point the risk increases. At that age, the risk-reward ratio certainly comes into play more than ever before when it comes to signing a big money contract. It often becomes a headline-grabbing negotiation as well. If he is a good player, he will have served several years with the same team and will have the strong support of the fans. In many cases the player will have exorbitant contract demands, not only because he is an established veteran with fan support but also because it will likely be his last realistic chance to make huge dollars.

In his time in Green Bay, there have been several instances where Ted Thompson chose not to re-sign noteworthy players to a lucrative third contract, including Mike Wahle, Marco Rivera, Ahman Green and Cullen Jenkins. In most of those cases, public sentiment was clearly on the side of the players rather than the front office. Thompson took varying amounts of heat for those decisions, but in the end each of the players was allowed to leave and play elsewhere.

Jennings is approaching the end of his second contract, and will be 29 years old in two weeks. When he signed his second deal, it was only for three years. Obviously, Jennings and his agent knew what they were doing and wanted another shot at a big-money deal. The Packers certainly knew that this day would come as well, as long as Jennings remained healthy and continued to produce.

The only player Thompson drafted prior to Jennings that is still on the roster is Aaron Rodgers, who is still working under his second contract. If Jennings were any less of a player, it would probably be a no-brainer. He would be allowed to walk away, having kind words spoken about him in a press conference after the fact. The situation with Jennings is different. He is a core player. He is a leader. He is one of the faces of the franchise. And he is among the best wide receivers in the league. Having one of his own drafted players in this difficult position is something we have not seen before from Thompson, so we have not seen any examples of how he handles these types of situations.

The are parallels with what happened with Cullen Jenkins last year, of course. Jenkins had just finished his second contract, and was in line for a big money deal. At the age of 30, Jenkins was allowed to move on even though they did not have a proven replacement on the roster. It is difficult to know just how much we can glean from what happened in that situation, however. Despite the similarities of circumstance, Greg Jennings is simply a superior player to Cullen Jenkins.

Muddying the waters is what the Packers have done in the past with Donald Driver and Charles Woodson. Both of them were given extensions well past the age of 30, going against McCarthy's "it's a young man's league" mantra. Driver uncharacteristically didn't show up for the first week of OTA's in the summer of 2009, and was quietly given a restructured contract shortly thereafter. Woodson was issued a two-year extension in 2010, when he still had three years left on his deal. Both of these players still appeared to be close to top form when they signed those contracts, but they were both more than three years older than Jennings will be at the end of this season. Each of them were wildly popular, which likely worked to their advantage. Driver has always been a fan favorite, and Woodson was just coming off of being the AP Defensive Player of the Year.

Jennings is wildly popular himself, and if his winning smile and upbeat personality were to leave Green Bay it would be a very unpopular move. With new contracts for Rodgers, Clay Matthews, and others on the horizon, Thompson knows that he doesn't have the same luxury of being short-sighted as fans do. He finds himself in a very difficult situation.

For his part, Jennings is taking an approach similar to that of Driver earlier this year. After the Packers were eliminated from the playoffs in January, Driver let his position be known...that he loved playing for the Packers and wanted to play the rest of his days there, but if he had to he would finish his career somewhere else. Other than that comment, he remained positive and did everything he could to remain in the good graces of both the Packers and their fans. Jennings has taken a similar approach this week. He was booked for nine interviews with various major media outlets on Tuesday morning alone. His comments...repeated again and again...were eerily similar to those of Driver. He wants to remain a Packer, but the ball is in their court.

The strategy worked for Driver. We will find out soon how it will play out for Jennings.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 09, 2012, 11:37:10 pm
Pack is back!

Cedric Benson looked good! Hmmmm.....oh yeah...that's why no one signed him.

Peckers about to be 0 and 2.

Good luck with Marshall and Jeffries.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 10, 2012, 01:19:19 pm
Crickets.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 10, 2012, 08:36:40 pm
See my Game Day posts, BF2.  I have never hidden!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 11, 2012, 10:36:47 am
Peckers going down Thursday. Peckers secondary will be swiss cheese.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 12, 2012, 04:08:34 pm

I have never hidden!

Doesn't matter Packrat,  cuz if the Bears win we will find you!

Bear fan#2: I say we k*ll him!
Bears board: YEAH!
Bears fan #3: I say we hang him, then we k*ll him!
Bears Board: YEAH!
Bears fan #4: I say we stomp him!
Bears Board: YEAH!
Bears fan #4: Then we tattoo him!
Bears Board: YEAH!
Bears fan #4: Then we hang him!
Bears board: YEAH!!
Bears fan #4: And then we k*ll him!
Bears board: YEAH!!!
PACKRAT: [tries to throw his voice without moving his lips] I say we let him go.
Bears board: NO!!!


Just kidding - I don't think anyone here knows how to tattoo you.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 12, 2012, 10:12:35 pm
LOL.  Whew.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on September 13, 2012, 08:35:58 am
What's a legit block in the back? These replacement refs need to go.

http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/backyard/aaron_rodgers_rips_replacement_refs_says_packers_scored_on_block_in_the_back/11694694?refmod=backyard&refsrc=foxsports

“Anybody who watches the TV copy, I mean I saw it from the sidelines, but we scored a touchdown on a legit block in the back. I don’t know what happened on that. It has to hopefully get better.”

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 13, 2012, 11:59:19 am
He is just sayiong it to get favors back from the real refs when they come back.  He is probably pissed the Packers DB's are actually having pass intereference called on them.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on September 13, 2012, 02:41:06 pm
Actually he was doing it to try to get some calls TONIGHT...  not when if/when the real refs come back.

I have this bad feeling there's gonna be a lot of offensive PI called on the Bears WRs tonight.  Everyone (refs included) is so used to seeing Bears WRs beat up by Packers DBs that when our big WRs stand their ground and actually fight off contact it will be seen as aggression, and penalized.  The "bring it on" comments Cutler made a day or two ago aren't gonna help us in that regard either.

I also expect to see very little holding called on the Pack OL -- Peppers and McClellin getting tackled to the ground all night -- and even a finger laid on Rodgers to draw a 15-yd roughing flag.

Rodgers is no dummy...  he's been playing the psych game with the refs ever since he made that statement.  We'll see whether it pays off in some hometown calls tonight.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 13, 2012, 04:54:07 pm
That clip was amazing i nthe Pekers Vs. 49ers! How the hell they did not cal lthat is beyound me. Peckers were terrible in that game....refs stil ltried to give it to them.

I ove when the Peckers a do lambau leep when they're down 30 to 15. Have some class and concentrate on the game.


0 and 2 peckers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 13, 2012, 06:19:15 pm
Awwww.  Sorry about that, BF.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 13, 2012, 06:19:33 pm
3.If there was any doubt before, it's clear now: Veteran Donald Driver ranks no better than fifth on the Packers' receiver depth chart. He doesn't play on special teams, so the blunt truth was that he was active Sunday for insurance purposes. He didn't play until the final three snaps of the game, when starter Greg Jennings waved himself off the field. Before that, Driver did not get a snap. As we noted Sunday, second-year receiver Randall Cobb was a key part of the primary set the Packers used Sunday: Four receivers with Cobb lined up, initially, in the backfield. They used a variation of that formation on 31 of their 61 plays. Still, I actually think it makes sense to keep Driver on the roster as injury protection. If the Packers lose Jennings, Cobb, Jordy Nelson or James Jones, they could plug in Driver and not lose any formational versatility. Without him, they would be limited to three-receiver sets if someone were injured. It's worth a September roster spot
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on September 14, 2012, 05:53:27 pm
Somebody wake beerbelly 21 from the stupir and inform him of the Packer 5 GAME WINNING streak.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 14, 2012, 06:07:59 pm
Beerfan 21 -  Where  are you?  Helloooo.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 14, 2012, 07:33:53 pm
Charles Woodson on Cutler: 'Same old Jay'
By Gregg Rosenthal
Around The League editor
Published: Sept. 14, 2012 at 12:29 a.m. Updated: Sept. 14, 2012 at 12:21 p.m. Print     Friend(s) Email  Your Email Send Email By Gregg Rosenthal The root of CJ2K criticismTexans' Smith upset Incognito went unpunishedMore Columns >

Jay Cutler stepped into one last throw, took one last big hit, and threw one last interception. His final play Thursday night was a fitting end to one of his most miserable nights as a pro.

"It's the same old Jay," Charles Woodson told ESPN's Rachel Nichols after the game. "We just need to be in position. Jay will throw us the ball."

Jay threw them the ball. He held the ball in an 11-of-27 performance. In a sarcastic answer to a monumentally stupid question after the game, Cutler was asked if he envisioned a night this bad against the Packers.


Relive every game this season online and on-demand with enhanced viewing features, including the "All-22" coaches film. Get NFL Game Rewind. 

"Yeah, I dream of throwing four picks and getting sacked seven times," he said.

It was that kind of night. The Packers played two deep safeties all game and the Bears never made them pay by running the ball or throwing over the middle. Cutler failed to make quick decisions or get rid of the ball. His offensive line didn't play well, but Cutler doesn't seem to adjust like many of the great quarterbacks.

Cutler reminds us of Michael Vick with a different playing style. On many nights, Cutler is electric. He can do no wrong. He can throw passes that few others make. But his good streaks turn ice cold. He gets frustrated, and lets it snowball. (And we're not talking about yelling at his teammates.)

We still never know which Jay Cutler is going to show up on a given week. Bad Jay was in full effect at Lambeau Field Thursday night.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 14, 2012, 07:44:31 pm
Every Qb is bad when they are getting hit constantly.  Rodgers even wasn't himself after he got rocked.  But then the Packers got the running game going and he settled back in.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on September 14, 2012, 07:45:32 pm
Poor coaching.  Poor player performance by the Bears.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 14, 2012, 07:57:58 pm

When: Thursday, Sept. 13, 8 p.m. ET

Green Bay Press-Gazette columnist Pete Dougherty wrote the franchise tag should be considered.

Jennings is in line for a big-time deal in 2013, whether it's from the Packers or another team. He's averaged 73 catches, 1,155 yards and 8.5 touchdowns per season the past four years and is one of the NFL's best route-runners and playmakers. There's no question whether Jennings deserves, as the kids say, racks on racks on racks. The question is: Can the Packers afford to splurge at their deepest position?

In the next two years the Packers will have to pay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, linebacker Clay Matthews and nose tackle B.J. Raji. All three will command some of the highest dollar amounts of any player at their respective positions.

Wide receiver Vincent Jackson signed with the Buccaneers for five years and $55.55 million, with $26 million guaranteed, during the offseason. Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald has an eight-year, $120 million deal with $50 million guaranteed. The figures in Jennings' deal likely will fall between the numbers of those two.

McGinn argues the Packers could land a second-round, and maybe a first-round, draft pick and save money to spend on the aforementioned trio and other members of the roster. High picks are precious in a draft-and-develop program.

Dougherty approached it as a tag (probably $10 million in 2013) or walk decision.

Rapoport: Week 2 game rankings
Week 2 offers a bevy of highly enticing matchups, and Ian Rapoport is here to rank them. Which game claims No. 1? More ...

It all comes down to general manager Ted Thompson. Jennings isn't giving a hometown discount on what will likely be his last major contract considering he turns 29-years old next week. Can Thompson make the math work to sign Jennings, Rodgers, Matthews and Raji to long-term deals? (I'm no capologist...) The team cannot lose the latter three.

If it's impossible to keep all four, Jennings is the odd man out with Jordy Nelson, James Jones, Randall Cobb and Jermichael Finley as other pass-catching options. But the Packers are a Super Bowl contender right now. If that's the ultimate goal, can you trade your No. 1 receiver in the midst of this season? That's a future vs. present balancing act.

You hate to see a Pro Bowl selection leave via free agency, but it happens. Especially when a team has developed premier talent. Ask the New England Patriots. Ask the Indianapolis Colts. Can't always pay everyone.

I'd make one last run with Jennings in 2012, hopefully get a second ring in three years, make my best offer in the spring and live with the consequences. (Granted, I've yet to be offered a general manager position...)

Best case scenario, a fifth Lombardi Trophy eases the pain of seeing Jennings in a different jersey in 2013.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 14, 2012, 08:28:19 pm
Football is a funny sport, and more of a team game than just about any other major sport in America. It's a sport that features dynamic stars like baseball or basketball, but winning almost always comes down to nameless, faceless players making critical plays at critical moments....often not seen by the cameras or lauded by the announcers. These players can be offensive linemen who do their job and open holes in the running game, special team players making that critical stop or downing the ball in the right place, or defensive linemen who cause enough havoc up front to allow a linebacker to break free and make the tackle for a loss. In that spirit, I am going to start a new series after each Packer win to highlight one of those players who may not have made enough splashy plays to be the MVP, but had a key performance to allow the Packers to win.
 
This week's silent hero: John Kuhn.

Kuhn gets lots of attention for his similarities to Mike Alstott. He's a fullback who is able to make things happen when he gets the ball and gets some flashy runs where he trucks people left and right. That didn't happen on Thursday night. Instead, he did was fullbacks are supposed to do....block. Mike Mayock pointed out something interesting last night, specifically that Cedric Benson likes to run with a fullback leading him. With that in mind the Packers gave him that with lots of Tom Crabtree and Kuhn clearing the way for Benson. Kuhn made lots of a good blocks opening holes for Benson through out the night. This was especially important since the Packers needed a strong running game with the Bears all but shutting down the Packers high powered passing attack.
 
What really got my attention though was a great tackle Kuhn made on Devin Hester on special teams. Kuhn came in and flipped Hester over, stuffing him for little to no gain on punt return. This was just another example of Kuhn being a four down player and a key contributor in each phase of the game. When the Packers win tough defensive games like this one, it's guys like Kuhn that open the door for victory.



Honorable Mention: Jerron McMillian. McMillian didn't get much love on the box score with only two tackling assists. His impact on the game was much bigger than that. He had two near interceptions of Cutler showing a good presence breaking on the ball in coverage. Most important though is that he showed an ability to hold down the safety spot opposite Morgan Burnett competently and allow the corners to play man to man. The defense looked much better with McMillian in there, and hopefully McMillian can limit the amount of malpractice we get to see from M.D. Jennings for the rest of this season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 16, 2012, 03:07:46 pm
Football is a funny sport, and more of a team game than just about any other major sport in America. It's a sport that features dynamic stars like baseball or basketball, but winning almost always comes down to nameless, faceless players making critical plays at critical moments....often not seen by the cameras or lauded by the announcers. These players can be offensive linemen who do their job and open holes in the running game, special team players making that critical stop or downing the ball in the right place, or defensive linemen who cause enough havoc up front to allow a linebacker to break free and make the tackle for a loss. In that spirit, I am going to start a new series after each Packer win to highlight one of those players who may not have made enough splashy plays to be the MVP, but had a key performance to allow the Packers to win.
 
This week's silent hero: John Kuhn.

Kuhn gets lots of attention for his similarities to Mike Alstott. He's a fullback who is able to make things happen when he gets the ball and gets some flashy runs where he trucks people left and right. That didn't happen on Thursday night. Instead, he did was fullbacks are supposed to do....block. Mike Mayock pointed out something interesting last night, specifically that Cedric Benson likes to run with a fullback leading him. With that in mind the Packers gave him that with lots of Tom Crabtree and Kuhn clearing the way for Benson. Kuhn made lots of a good blocks opening holes for Benson through out the night. This was especially important since the Packers needed a strong running game with the Bears all but shutting down the Packers high powered passing attack.
 
What really got my attention though was a great tackle Kuhn made on Devin Hester on special teams. Kuhn came in and flipped Hester over, stuffing him for little to no gain on punt return. This was just another example of Kuhn being a four down player and a key contributor in each phase of the game. When the Packers win tough defensive games like this one, it's guys like Kuhn that open the door for victory.

John Kuhn was rated in the top 100 NFL players.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 16, 2012, 03:12:03 pm
I know that some didn't necessarily enjoy the concept of a dud of the week, but let's face it....no performance is perfect. Last week it seemed like everything went wrong, but there were still bright spots. This week everything seemed to go right, but there were a few warts that need to be addressed. Specifically there were a few players who just did not pull their weight and should be singled out and shamed here for all to see (by the way if you don't want NFL.com's shame report you are missing out on a nice way to kill a few minutes).
 
This week the offense is going to have a good number of players to choose from for the dud's. Last week I excused many of these same guys because the 49ers are just a different sort of defense. The Bears are also good as a defense, but there was no excuse for as many dropped passes and missed blocks as took place on Thursday. Realistically this game should of been a blow out and would have been if more guys actually catch the football.
 
So let's meet this week's nominations for "Dud of the Week":
 
Marshall Newhouse. This nearly was T.J. Lang, who was also terrible, but Lang made just enough blocks to avoid getting the blown aim of my angst. Newhouse didn't make any blocks it seemed like and so lands on the list. Newhouse struggled against Julius Peppers (not too surprising but not good). Newhouse struggled against Shea McCllellin (this is just straight up not good). Newhouse struggled in just about all facets of the game. I don't know if Derek Sherrod can be the answer when he gets healthy, but I'll feel better knowing there is at least another possible answer if Newhouse continues to struggle.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on September 16, 2012, 06:34:03 pm
I have J. Finney on my Fantasy team after his first two weeks...wish I didn't.  He has been horrible.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 16, 2012, 07:39:48 pm
I have had my fill of Finney's potential and his failoure to deliver on it.  He and Jones are very disappointing.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 17, 2012, 08:04:48 pm
Green Bay rookies beginning to take over:

Green Bay - Feeling the sting of an opening day loss in which his unit made too many mistakes to contend with a top-tier team like the San Francisco 49ers, Dom Capers had a choice to make.

The Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator could either stick with the veterans who had won their positions through training camp competition and underperformed against the 49ers, or he could roll the dice with a bunch of rookies.

He had roughly 24 hours to make a decision because the Packers played four days later against the Chicago Bears.

What Capers did is a testament to his ability to be honest with himself.

He very well could have convinced himself to give cornerback Jarrett Bush and safety M.D. Jennings one more chance before making a switch. He could have very well waited another week before crafting significant roles for rookies Casey Hayward, Jerron McMillian, Dezman Moses and Mike Daniels.

But he didn't.

And as a result, the Packers played their best defensive game since holding the Minnesota Vikings to 7 points and 266 yards in Week 10 of last season.

Capers' defense cut the Bears at the knees with seven sacks and four interceptions in a 23-10 victory at Lambeau Field Thursday night.

Six rookies - Hayward, McMillian, Moses, Daniels, Nick Perry and Jerel Worthy - played integral parts in a game the Packers couldn't afford to lose. It takes some guts to make that call.

"I just think that's where we are," Capers said. "The one thing I feel good about stating is I think we will get better.

"As long as we stay healthy, and we can keep these young guys coming along, we'll get better as a defense just because of game experience.

"When you take young guys and if you feel they have good ability, what they have to do is they have to gain that experience and start to play with more confidence."

Heading into the season, Capers and his assistants chose Bush to start at cornerback over third-year pro Sam Shields and Hayward. They also chose Jennings, in his second year, over McMillian as the nickel and dime safety.

Experience was a factor, but when both players blew coverages against the 49ers, it showed Capers had nothing to lose by using the rookies.

"Really, our biggest problem in the opener was we had two or three breakdowns to where we just kind of gave them some gifts," Capers said. "And you can't do that against any football team in the National Football League, let alone a team the caliber of the 49ers."

Perry and Worthy were already involved, but Hayward and Daniels had been inactive the first week. McMillian didn't play until Jennings was benched in Week 1, and Moses was used sparingly.

As Capers crafted his game plan for the Bears, he replaced Bush with Shields, Jennings with McMillian and inserted Hayward over Bush into the dime.

Capers had won games with Shields before, but just a week ago he didn't have the confidence to start him, McMillian or Hayward in his sub-packages.

"Well, when you're getting ready to play that first game, you've got to just see the consistency through the preseason," Capers said. "And with young guys, there's a lot to learn. So I guess there's more of a confidence level in a guy that's had more reps; you've seen him more on the practice field.

"I always feel, being accountable for your job and taking care of your responsibilities, that over a period of time, that's our job. We've got to evaluate those things, then you have to make a decision based off the body of work that you see. And it changes."

In just one week, McMillian went from playing 15 snaps to playing 44; Hayward from 0 to 23; Moses from 4 to 18; and Daniels from 0 to 14.

Perry played fewer snaps because of a sore wrist and the return of suspended linebacker Erik Walden, and Worthy played about the same he had the week before.

Pass rush was the biggest reason the Packers dominated the Bears, and Worthy, who had a sack, a quarterback hit and a tackle for loss, added more than he had the week before. He is now being used as the lone linemen in the "psycho" formation, a position that Cullen Jenkins used to hold.

"I liked the way he played," Capers said. "I thought he brought a lot of energy, quickness. You could see him push the pocket. He came off and made a sack. What Jerel gives us; he gives us another athletic guy with quickness.

"You see when we go to the one-down-lineman defense; he's the guy that's in there, which really puts our most athletic group out there. I think it puts the most speed and athletic ability out there that we have."

McMillian and Hayward, meanwhile, held up well in the secondary. McMillian had his first career interception and should have had a second. Hayward had three tackles and was even used as a blitzer while giving up a long reception of 14 yards.

Daniels had his first career sack and was active from an inside rushing position. Moses didn't show up on the stat sheet, but he played in the "psycho" package and subbed in relief of Clay Matthews.

All in all, Capers was rewarded for his commitment to the rookies with a top-notch defensive performance. But as Charles Woodson, noted, there are 14 games to go.

"We're very capable," Woodson said. "But you have to be consistent in this game. But we're going to have to do it for a lot more games. Is this the type of performance I'd love for us to continue to have?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 18, 2012, 08:05:26 pm

...That is why two plays during the Bears game may offer an encouraging sign for the future of the offense this season. Neither of the plays included the headline grabbing fake field goal that blew the game open, nor the 26-yard touchdown where Donald Driver found the open zone in between the two safeties. Not even Randall Cobb's nifty 28-yard run on a 3rd-and-3 made the cut.

The two plays in question actually seemed fairly innocuous during the course of the game, and took place late in the fourth quarter after the outcome already appeared to be well in hand. After intercepting Jay Cutler for the fourth time, the Packers had a first down with three minutes left in the game. The Packers held a comfortable lead, and all they needed to do to salt away the game was pick up just one first down.

The Bears understood the situation. They knew that the Packers would likely try to run the ball and run out the clock. They loaded up at the line of scrimmage. And sure enough, Cedric Benson was handed the ball.

In past seasons, it seemed like the Packers often had difficulty picking up first downs and winding down the clock in obvious rushing situations. When the other team was expecting a run, they were often able to stuff the play at the line of scrimmage. But this time it was different.

On first down, Benson cut back behind T.J. Lang and Jeff Saturday and sprang forward for six yards. On 2nd-and-4 Benson was given the ball on a play that was blocked to the right side, and ran for six more hard-fought yards behind blocks by Bryan Bulaga and John Kuhn. Just like that, the Packers had a first down and were able to kneel down and run out the clock. Game over.

Maybe the game was out of hand already. Maybe the Bears had already given up. Although it appeared unlikely that the Bears would mount any kind of comeback at that point, the fact of the matter is that the Packers were only ahead by less than two scores. It may have seemed like the Packers had the game in the bag at that point, but stranger things have happened in the NFL. The bottom line was the Bears knew the Packers were going to run the ball in that situation, yet the Packers were still able to impose their will on the defense and pick up the first down.

Perhaps it was just as telling that Cedric Benson received 20 carries over the course of the game. He was just signed off of the NFL scrap heap on August 12, and a month later he was being fed the ball almost like he was a premier player. After piecing together a running game the past few years with the combined efforts of James Starks, Ryan Grant, and Brandon Jackson, maybe Mike McCarthy forgot what a bell cow running back looked like.

"Cedric Benson is one of those men that was put on this earth to run the football," McCarthy said Thursday.

And he called the plays like he actually believed it.

It has been well documented that the last time a Packers running back had 20 or more carries was when Brandon Jackson had 22 against the Patriots when Aaron Rodgers was held out of the game for a concussion in December 2010. But it had actually been 37 games since the last time a running back had 20 carries in a regular season game that Aaron Rodgers started, when Ryan Grant carried the ball 20 times against (who else?) the Bears in 2009. Whether it was because of injury concerns or just the fact that they preferred to split carries between multiple backs, the Packers haven't had a player that they wanted to feed the ball the way it appears they are willing to do with Cedric Benson.

Make no mistake about it: with Aaron Rodgers at the helm the Packers are a passing team. But with a proven hard-nosed back that can move the pile forward like Benson, their offensive identity may have a slightly different look than what we have seen in years past.

If that is how the season plays out, the Packers might just look back on those two plays as a landmarks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on September 21, 2012, 12:40:22 pm
Did he bring his party boat up to Wisconsin?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 21, 2012, 06:24:57 pm
Want a ride?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 21, 2012, 06:36:59 pm
(http://cdn3.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/5689637/20120913_kkt_bs5_751_extra_large.jpg)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 21, 2012, 07:16:30 pm
Clay Bouché....mama says go plays that foosball!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 22, 2012, 07:03:59 pm
LOL.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 24, 2012, 08:35:51 pm
Rodgers is taking a beating.  If this keeps up he may not finish the game.  That is what 5 or 6 sacks and it is only half way through the 2nd quarter?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on September 24, 2012, 08:50:08 pm
Packers looking very ordinary. The GB o-line just may be worse than ours.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 24, 2012, 08:50:37 pm
Rodgers is getting killed.  Sack number 7.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 24, 2012, 08:51:23 pm
Sack 8...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 24, 2012, 08:53:30 pm
Pack's getting HAMMERED big time, LOL! Rodgers is gonna get knocked out of the game at this rate. I am LOVING watching this, heh heh....KILL EM HAWKS!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 24, 2012, 08:55:15 pm
The Seahawks had two sacks coming into this game.  They have sacked him 8 times and hit him numerous more times.

7-0 Hawks and they are getting about 4 yards per carry against an 8 man front.  That will open up in the second half.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on September 24, 2012, 10:01:20 pm
Looks like they've decided to let the Pack o-line hold in the second half
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 24, 2012, 10:08:22 pm
Yup.  And call everything close on the Seahawks.  That PI call to keep the drive alive was pretty bad. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on September 24, 2012, 10:13:38 pm
Whiners...

Seattle is earning the penalties.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 24, 2012, 10:14:32 pm
That PI was total bs, big time! That was nothing different that what GB has been doing. They'll probably give them the first here, too, even though his knee is clearly down before he reaches....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 24, 2012, 10:15:51 pm
B....S....the fix is in.....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on September 24, 2012, 10:19:04 pm
Your bling, Rogers reached before the knee touched down.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 24, 2012, 10:21:23 pm
Matthews was clearly offsides on that play.....he was over the line by a freaking mile!! NO call....total B   S
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on September 24, 2012, 10:23:47 pm
What a horsecrap call on the interception.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 24, 2012, 10:26:01 pm
Bout freaking time they call something on GB!!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on September 24, 2012, 10:28:08 pm
That was not a PI om GB. Your too dtupid to watch.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 24, 2012, 10:32:54 pm
Actually the DB had a fist full of jersey and was pulling the shirt so far away from the body that even the reg refs may have called that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on September 24, 2012, 10:35:51 pm
These refs have to be gone. Every game is horrible.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 24, 2012, 10:37:19 pm
LET'S GO HAWKS!!! LET'S GO HAWKS!!!!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 24, 2012, 10:39:21 pm
Benson's high.....dazed look on his face....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 24, 2012, 10:42:47 pm
BS!!! PI ON WOODSON!!! BUNCH OF TOTAL BS!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 24, 2012, 10:46:06 pm
What a mess.....tie goes to the reciever folks....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 24, 2012, 10:47:51 pm
This play alone will make sure the good refs come back, lol....that was such a cluster play.....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 24, 2012, 10:49:23 pm
LOL! Ya know what, though.....Woodson got away with a PI two,three plays earlier. So if the Hawks got one back, albeit in the endzone, then guess it evens out.....heh heh
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on September 24, 2012, 10:49:39 pm
Packers got screwed...and I'm loving it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 24, 2012, 10:50:39 pm
Gonna be a LOT of mean, angry, drunk Paker fans tonight, LOL
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 24, 2012, 10:52:13 pm
If they switch this after declaring TWICE the Hawks winners...there's gonna be a riot folks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 24, 2012, 10:52:25 pm
Packers LOSE!!!

That was close but the tie does go to the receiver and Tate had his arm inside between the chest of the DB and the ball. 

Also the review is made by the regular replay officials.

That said I would be so pissed if I was a Packer fan.   
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 24, 2012, 10:54:42 pm
It's not good to be a Pake fan tonight, L O L!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on September 24, 2012, 10:55:09 pm
Just crappy calls all game against both teams. This was an embarrassment for the NFL.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on September 24, 2012, 10:55:12 pm
Packer got jobbed.

**** this league as it is...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 24, 2012, 10:56:26 pm
The NFL deserves it, every bit, for screwing the regular refs.......every single bit of it. And it couldn't have happened to a better team LOL
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 24, 2012, 10:58:20 pm
Bears 2-1
Vikes 2-1
Loins 1-2
Pakey 1-2

L O L
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 24, 2012, 11:05:02 pm
Here's the deal....three plays earlier, Woodson was clearly a PI. That wasn't called. Earlier in that drive, Matthews was clearly offsides. THAT wasn't called. Now let's hear the Pake cry about the play in the endzone.....clearly had they made the RIGHT call on Woodson, this game may have turned out totally different, Hawks would have been closer with more time. So let's don't cry JUST about that last play, but look at the EARLIER plays that SHOULD have been called but weren't....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 24, 2012, 11:12:04 pm
Oh, and let's not forget the wrong call on the PI that wasn't that was called on the Hawks that kept the previous scoring drive alive for the Pake. And then when they show the replays overhead of the stretching Rodgers for the first down, he had not crossed the yellow line and his knee is clearly down.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on September 24, 2012, 11:37:22 pm
Most shamefull game in NFL history



Mark Hemingway@Heminator I hear Obama just called the Seahawks to congratulate them on their win. #SwingStateRumorsSpreadByTheGOP (https://twitter.com/search/?q=%23SwingStateRumorsSpreadByTheGOP&src=hash)

Kevin Watterson@kwatt BREAKING: Politifact rules Seattle touchdown "mostly accurate."

Packers RapidReports@CBSPackers Rule book: Simultaneous catch goes to passing team. But not simultaneous catch if 1 player catches it and another then tries to gain control

Green Bay is the first team in #NFL (https://twitter.com/search/?q=%23NFL&src=hash) history to start the season 1-1-WTF

@Alex_Flanagan Who out there thought it was a simultaneous catch, as Pete Carroll is saying it was in his press conference? Anyone?!

@TomKahlBDC Thank you, Roger Goodell, for that football re-enactment of the 1972 USA-USSR gold medal basketball game.

Peter King@SI_PeterKing One of the great disgraces in NFL history.

Dick Vitale@DickieV Officiating is pathetic -a wild victory by Seattle - NFL MUST DO SOMETHING NOW  #PATHETIC (https://twitter.com/search/?q=%23PATHETIC&src=hash)  The Commish better get the real refs on the field

 Reggie Bush@reggie_bus Refs single handedly blew this one...

@TroyAikman (https://twitter.com/TroyAikman): These games are a joke.

@RossTuckerNFL (https://twitter.com/RossTuckerNFL): lost in shuffle but worst call of all was QB roughing on Walden. He did nothing wrong to QB out of pocket."

@DownGoesBrown As of today, we should change the name of the Hail Mary to a "Screw You Roger".

@AdamSchefter Well, the officials decided a game.

@AdamSchefter (https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter) Maybe one of the refs had Golden Tate on his #fantasyfootball (https://twitter.com/search/?q=%23fantasyfootball&src=hash) team...


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on September 24, 2012, 11:45:20 pm
@JDowell (https://twitter.com/jdowell) I would like to congratulate Russell Wilson on throwing the first ever game winning interception tonight...

@_BWoodward (https://twitter.com/_BWoodward): Green Bay sports radio now handing out Goodell's email address on the air.

@stephenfhayes (https://twitter.com/stephenfhayes) twitter hasn't been in this kind unison since bin Laden got got. #ReplacementRefsBlow (https://twitter.com/search/?q=%23ReplacementRefsBlow&src=hash) #NFL (https://twitter.com/search/?q=%23NFL&src=hash)

@TJLang70 (https://twitter.com/TJLang70): F*ck it NFL.. Fine me and use the money to pay the regular refs.


 

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on September 24, 2012, 11:47:59 pm
@stephenfhayes   The decisive photo RT @jaycrawfordespn (https://twitter.com/jaycrawfordespn): this is what simultaneous possession looks like to the untrained eye.
(http://d3j5vwomefv46c.cloudfront.net/photos/full/661956126.jpg?key=456622&Expires=1348549360&Key-Pair-Id=APKAIYVGSUJFNRFZBBTA&Signature=tM9pvkFkKBsSQyh718ZkNoz1~NVx48soru7OPo9anjVMXpHjMGvHYaj8V3qx4o~P0A8cyEsnsFFTkXvgnq3aMRZjzrHMFZJyc2xg5eQqDXZcZKV9TuaeNktfQyBcMo9GvDabI3~31O4oDcbXFhsrGbxAXxysoIuV9VjsZZKSbBY_)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 24, 2012, 11:48:58 pm
Green Bay fans in full meltdown mode.....lol......where's my popcorn? Sorry Freep, heh.....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on September 24, 2012, 11:53:52 pm
Cool Sportster .... gotta get satisfaction where you can get it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on September 24, 2012, 11:58:19 pm
NFL.com - Seahawks' Hail Mary vs. Packers will live in infamy (http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000065969/article/seahawks-hail-mary-vs-packers-will-live-in-infamy?module=HP11_headline_stack)

The replacement official apocalypse arrived Monday night.

On the final play from scrimmage between the Green Bay Packers (http://www.nfl.com/teams/greenbaypackers/profile?team=GB) and Seattle Seahawks (http://www.nfl.com/teams/seattleseahawks/profile?team=SEA), a play that will live on low-light reels for years, Seahawks (http://www.nfl.com/teams/seattleseahawks/profile?team=SEA) quarterback Russell Wilson (http://www.nfl.com/player/russellwilson/2532975/profile) lofted a ball high into the Seattle night. Seahawks (http://www.nfl.com/teams/seattleseahawks/profile?team=SEA) receiver Golden Tate (http://www.nfl.com/player/goldentate/497326/profile) committed a blatant pass interference to push a Packers (http://www.nfl.com/teams/greenbaypackers/profile?team=GB) defender away. Packers (http://www.nfl.com/teams/greenbaypackers/profile?team=GB) cornerback M.D. Jennings (http://www.nfl.com/player/m.d.jennings/2530703/profile) lept high and appeared to come down with the ball. Tate tried to take the ball away after they hit the ground.

One official signaled interception. The other signaled a touchdown. The touchdown stood, and the Seahawks beat Green Bay 14-12 (http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2012092400/2012/REG3/packers@seahawks#menu=drivechart&tab=analyze&pbp=gc-pbp-cd). Cue bedlam.

Throughout this standoff between the league and its officials, we all wondered if a replacement official was going to cost a team a game. We found out Monday night. The last three weeks built to this moment.

Years from now, the final play of this game will stand as the symbol of the entire lockout. Golden Tate (http://www.nfl.com/player/goldentate/497326/profile)'s phantom catch guarantees the standoff won't be a moment of time lost to history. We'll talk about it all season while discussing Seattle and Green Bay's playoff chances.

Rule 8, Section 1, Article 3, Item 5 of the NFL rulebook discusses a simultaneous catch.

"If a pass is caught simultaneously by two eligible opponents, and both retain it, the ball belongs to the passers. It is not a simultaneous catch if a player gains control first and an opponent subsequently gains joint control," the rule states.

Jennings gained control first. That should have ended the game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 25, 2012, 12:00:26 am
I know the meltdown is still going but did ya read what I posted earlier about the other screwed up calls that HELPED the Pack? Or are we only gonna focus on the very last screw up?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on September 25, 2012, 12:11:08 am
Yes I did ... but between the blown(!) call on Walden's roughing-the-passer that negated sure points, and ...

"Golden Tate gets away with one of the most blatant offensive pass interference I've ever seen." Jon Gruden.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on September 25, 2012, 12:24:45 am
 Desmond bishop@Desbishop55 BREAKING -JaMarcus Russell eyeing return to NFL after discovering games can be won by throwing interceptions.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 25, 2012, 12:39:42 am
Mr. Spongebob @Squarepants NEWS FLASH: Pack doesn't get their usual 'ticky tack' calls they normally get with the reg Refs, sees how it feels to play against themselves when calls go against them = meltdown and a loss  #welcome to the reg ref bs call world
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on September 25, 2012, 05:36:14 am
I thought the call on Walden was tough.  He is chasing the little quick qB and dove to catch him.  How should he have tackled him.  That was a tough loss for the Pack, I would have hated to see this happen to the Bears.  But I thought it was a simultaneous catch...  Lots of calls that were questionable and calls that didn't get called that should have...  Wow
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on September 25, 2012, 06:46:52 am
One thing to remember is that lost in the flood of replacement mediocrity:

"@BobMcGinn Remember one thing: the replay official who in the end decided the game, Howard Slavin, is not a scab. He is fulltime NFL. "
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on September 25, 2012, 07:26:47 am
I just saw the replay and unless there is some funny rule like the tuck rule or something, GB got robbed.
The DB had the ball and then Tate reached up to get it. If it was even close I could see you giving it to SEA but it wasn't even close.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on September 25, 2012, 07:50:10 am
Yeah - not EVEN close!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: AZSteve on September 25, 2012, 07:52:15 am
no doubt that GB got jobbed...****-poor officiating continues to affect quality of the game...owners are killing the goose that laid the golden egg...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on September 25, 2012, 08:40:43 am
No question that the officials blew that final call. Also no question that only because of prior bad calls against the Seahawks was that final play even relevant. What's overlooked and what's more important to me as a Bear fan is that the Packers did not look very good last night. They are clearly not the juggernaught that they were a year ago. They are not going to run away with the division even if they had won last night.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on September 25, 2012, 08:41:56 am
wow! the whole world has blown up on twitter! GB got jobbed! GB got jobbed! Meh. Deal with it. Bears fans do.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 25, 2012, 08:54:53 am
Last place Peckers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 25, 2012, 08:56:24 am
One play does not make a game.

NINE Seahawks sacks in the first half didn't help.

And the fact that The Beaver McCarthy refused to run the ball in the first half.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 25, 2012, 08:57:07 am
"@BobMcGinn Remember one thing: the replay official who in the end decided the game, Howard Slavin, is not a scab. He is fulltime NFL. "
 


I don't think that kind of play is reviewable - it can be discussed amongst the refs but no video replay.

Does anyone know what sort of compensation the referees want from the NFL?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on September 25, 2012, 09:06:28 am
Honestly, from listening to sports radio, quite a bit compared to what they did make.  Most already have other careers. That said, the current feeling outside nfl offices is they are worth every nickel.  Plus, the increase compared to nfl total revenues (billions every year!) is a fleck of lint on the head of a pin. Nfl is being cheap and scrooge like. Goodell got them into this corner.  They are changing betting lines in Vegas now because of this, they'll settle soon.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 25, 2012, 10:06:23 am
Words fail me!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: panthermark on September 25, 2012, 10:09:17 am
Awful call.....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 25, 2012, 10:12:52 am
I'm disappointed that Bears fans, even though bittter rivsls could take any joy out of a game that  took a win away from an opponent.

After suffering 8 sacks  Rodgers picked himself off the ground and came back in the second half to turn the whole game around and beat Seattle.  Even a rival has to recognize that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 25, 2012, 10:26:44 am
No one here seems to recognize any of the miscalls against GB.  It's all given to GB.  Think about that.  Does  that make any sense?  Could there be a little bias there?

Lets look at the play generall discussed here.  The play was actually over before the catch.  Golden Tate pushed a Packer player several yards with both hands to get into positon in the EZ.  Offensive interference.  Game over.  Missed completely by officials.
 
Jennings caught the ball and brought it to his chest before Golden Tate even touched the ball.  Any fan from the stands could have recognized that.  Tate was behind Jennings and reached one arm around Jennings and over the top of the football.  Any fan could have known Jennings caught the ball.  Doubt it.  Watch the film again.

In the third quarter Shields made a perfect, clean break-up of  a pass.  Yellow flag comes out and Gruden says "Oh, I guess they are going to call offensive interference (and it was).  Nope.  Interference on Shields.  I thought Shields was going to have a fit.  Penalty cost about 30-40 yards.

It's customary for rivals to see plays differently than officials and the fans of the other team.  Trust me, there is no conspiracy among a hundred officials to favor some team from GB.  Why would any sane person believe that?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on September 25, 2012, 10:35:59 am
I for one said nothing about GB misery for getting screwed.  I did say deal with it, we all have to. I also said your team got hosed. It did. Leaves a bad taste. I know.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 25, 2012, 10:43:43 am
Sorry 46.  I apologize.  I shouldn't have made thqat sweeping statement.  Not all posters should be included in my commnet,
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 25, 2012, 10:50:01 am
One play does not make a game.

NINE Seahawks sacks in the first half didn't help.

And the fact that The Beaver McCarthy refused to run the ball in the first half.

McCarthy's handling of the second half remedied that.  He had Kuhn in at FB and used 3 TEs.  That moved tha ball.  Then he went back to some passing.  Anyone who doesn't realize that McCarthy is a very good HC is greatly mistaken.  The first half took him by surprise.

The Seahawks beat up Rodgers but that didn't stop him.  In the second half he clearly beat them after coming up off the canvas.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on September 25, 2012, 10:50:41 am
Don't worry about it. When in a drunken rage I spew venom with the best.  One of the reasons I watch.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 25, 2012, 10:53:08 am
Fourth week coming up and the Pack still won't have a noon game.  Crazy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 25, 2012, 11:00:26 am
After the game was over and I began digesting the significance of it I feel a lot of satisfaction about the Packers team overall.  They gave up 7 points to Seattle.

The defense looks altogether a lot better than last year's defense.  They played with 4 and 5 rookies on the field at the same time.  They will get still better as the season wears on.  This one fiasco will be forgotten as they improve and the offense plays up to its potential.

GB probably played three of the best defenses in the NFL the past three games.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 25, 2012, 11:35:49 am

I'm disappointed that Bears fans, even though bittter rivsls could take any joy out of a game that  took a win away from an opponent.

After suffering 8 sacks  Rodgers picked himself off the ground and came back in the second half to turn the whole game around and beat Seattle.  Even a rival has to recognize that.


Would any true Bears fan not be happy that the Packers lost a game - no matter the controversy?  We all know what happened with the officials.

And the Packers have the talent to overcome this defeat - and that's probably the nicest thing I'm going to say about the Pack today.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 25, 2012, 12:27:04 pm
If it makes you feel any better Packrat and Freep put an asterisk by the L.  That's what we did in Chicago when we got hosed by the refs.

I feel zero sympathy for Green Bay or their fans.  The Packers have had two HOF QB's in a row and the vast majority of the calls go their way.

The call in the endzone was the correct call.  The receiver had his hand between the defenders chest and the ball and the other on the outside of the ball.  That is simultaneous and he came down with the ball.  TD.

Now there was offensive pass interference which should have been called and the PI call against GB to get them down there was bogus.  It should have been called on both players and replay the down. 

We Bears fans are used to getting jobbed by the refs it happens twice a year when they play the Packers and they allow their DB's to mug our WR's and hold Peppers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 25, 2012, 12:28:09 pm
Also the play was reviewed and the replay official let the play stand as called on the field.  If there was clear evidence it would have been overturned.

Every scoring play is reviewed and it was announced after the review.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Phill23 on September 25, 2012, 12:52:37 pm
I'm disappointed that Bears fans, even though bittter rivsls could take any joy out of a game that  took a win away from an opponent.

After suffering 8 sacks  Rodgers picked himself off the ground and came back in the second half to turn the whole game around and beat Seattle.  Even a rival has to recognize that.


Would any true Bears fan not be happy that the Packers lost a game - no matter the controversy?  We all know what happened with the officials.

And the Packers have the talent to overcome this defeat - and that's probably the nicest thing I'm going to say about the Pack today.

Just like how horrid the officials were in the Thursday night game.  That "12 men on the field" call killed the Bears.  No sympathy from me.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: davep on September 25, 2012, 01:03:29 pm
Also the play was reviewed and the replay official let the play stand as called on the field.  If there was clear evidence it would have been overturned.

Every scoring play is reviewed and it was announced after the review.

According to the head ref in the game, the replay rules do not allow them to determine possession.  They can only determine whether or not the pass was incomplete.  Since the pass clearly never touched the ground, it could not be ruled incomplete, and replay rules did not allow them to call it an interception, the ruling on the field must stand.

Does anyone actually know what the replay rules in that situation are?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Bears4Ever on September 25, 2012, 01:45:38 pm
The Bears had the Makowski replay game....

The Packers have this one....

Put an asterix in the books and move on....

It WAS an intereception though, just like "Magic" Majkowski's throw was over the line.....

C'est le vie !
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 25, 2012, 03:52:12 pm
The last call was wrong. That being said, there were MANY bad calls this game. Anyone with eyes can see that. So it would be wrong to overturn that last bad call and leave ALL the others unchanged, so I'm glad they didn't overturn the outcome. The real refs need their jobs back; PAY those men you cheap NFL jerks! Of course I would be upset if it were my team that had this happen to them. I think we all would be here. But when it happens to a hated rival....well, can you say PARTY TIME! LOL! I mean this out of complete respect for the rivalry. News flash- I HATE the Pack. This doesn't change that one bit. So yea......PARTY TIME! lol! Better them than us and it could have been us! All this being said, I still like PR and Freep and this won't dent the rivalry fun one bit....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on September 25, 2012, 04:06:48 pm
I worry the Bear will get holed by the chump refs. on Monday night.  If so, Tues., will not be pleasant for the 46. And yes, it is better it happened to the Wisconsinites as opposed to the Bear. 2-1 right now looks a hell of alot better then 1-2.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 25, 2012, 04:49:50 pm
SEATTLE (CBS Seattle/AP) — This is what it has come down to with the NFL replacement referees: “F*** it NFL.”
 
Replacement ref rage peaked Monday night thanks to Seattle’s Golden Tate, and a bizarre touchdown call that will be debated, questioned and re-ignite frustrations over the locked-out officials.
 
Tate pushed a Green Bay defender out of the way, wrestled another for the ball and was awarded a touchdown on the final play to give the Seahawks a 14-12 victory over the Packers.
 
The game wasn’t over for another 10 minutes after both teams went to their locker rooms and were summoned back to the field for the extra point. But that was just the cap to one of the most bizarre finishes in recent memory.
 
Packers’ players took their anger out on Twitter following the game, especially offensive lineman T.J. Lang, who will most likely get fined by the NFL.
 
“Got f***** by the refs.. Embarrassing. Thanks nfl,” Lang tweeted, later adding, “Fine me and use the money to pay the regular refs.”
 
Teammate Greg Jennings can only laugh about what happened.

 

“#NFL C’MON MAN! Can’t even be upset anymore. All I can do is laugh,” Jennings said on Twitter. “Laugh at the #NFL for allowing America’s game to come this. WOW!”
 
Defensive end C.J. Wilson said: “Can’t believe this .. Never seen anything like it.”
 
San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore came to the defense of the Packers while calling out NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
 
“We need to start a fund for (Lang),” Gore said. “Dat dude gonna get fined to the moon! #RogerGoodellSucks.”
 
NBA superstar LeBron James even weighed in on the replacement ref matter over Twitter.
 
“These replacement refs gotta go man!! Packers just got game took from them,” James tweeted. “That’s clearly a (sic) interception.”
 
Golfer Bubba Watson used the Monday Night Football debacle to get football fans to watch the Ryder Cup this weekend.
 
“All (NFL) fans watch the Ryder Cup this week, we got no refs. #USA.”
 
The NFL Network is reporting the league will issue a statement regarding last night’s controversy
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 25, 2012, 04:58:55 pm
"The call in the endzone was the correct call.  The receiver had his hand between the defenders chest and the ball and the other on the outside of the ball.  That is simultaneous and he came down with the ball.  TD."

I don't often disagree with you, Peke, but will on this one.  When Jennings came down with the ball clutched to his chest Tate reached one hand around and him and on the ball.  When Jennings hit the ground the play was over and Tate still had only one hand on the ball, over the top of Jennings hands.  Interception.  This agrees with about 100% of comments by football people on TV.

That's without even dealing with the fflagrant  two-hand push of Shields by Tate.  Interference.  Game over.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 25, 2012, 05:00:08 pm
I still love this  board and the Bear fans here.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 25, 2012, 05:05:20 pm
Re-watch the video.  The hand was there right from the get go. 

The offensive pass interference should have been called and game over.  However Gruden who started the crying about the refs call even said refs never call interference on those type of passes.  Plus the Packer player took a flop.  If he hadn't and stood his ground maybe the Packers win.

But nothing to be done about it now but put an asterisk next to the loss and move on.  Complaining about it will not change a thing. 

Plus the NFL officiating department reviewed it and has said they agree with the replay officials decision not to overturn the call.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 25, 2012, 05:11:16 pm
MNF tweets:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1346860-twitter-explodes-after-controversial-finish-to-packers-vs-seahawks?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=nfl (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1346860-twitter-explodes-after-controversial-finish-to-packers-vs-seahawks?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=nfl)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 25, 2012, 05:14:04 pm
Definition of disarray:

(http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/002/622/747/hi-res-152732550_crop_650x440.jpg?1348566540)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 25, 2012, 05:34:47 pm
By the way Darren Sharper on NFLN just agreed with me.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 25, 2012, 05:51:47 pm
Excerpt from Bleacher Report:

...The NFL brought this on itself. If Roger Goodell has the power to suspend players he feels hurt the integrity of his league, he should look in the mirror and give himself a few days off to realize what this penny-pinching nonsense with the referees union has done to the game.
 
Oh, and let's not rule out one last point: We've established that most of these referees are working high school, semi-pro or low-level independent college games for little to no pay on a normal weekend. This year, they were put in a situation where they are paid a few thousand bucks a week by the NFL to call professional games until the well dries up when the regular officials return.
 
What's stopping a replacement referee from being on the take? Seriously, what's stopping a guy from making a lot more money for throwing an ill-timed pass interference flag or calling a play a touchdown when it was so clearly an interception?
 
Are we sure some of the replacement referees are just incompetent and not on the take? Is this what Roger Goodell wants us to be debating after three weeks? Are his referees incompetent, criminals or perhaps both?
 
This is what Goodell has done to his league. No Pete Carroll fist pump is going to change that for the rest of us.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 25, 2012, 05:53:54 pm
Mike Pereira: three NFL replacement refs were fired from Pac-12
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on September 25, 2012, 07:54:17 pm
With real refs the Pack would still have lost.  The Packer scoring plays earlier in the game were the result of bad calls against the Seahawks. That last play would hyave been irelevant.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on September 25, 2012, 08:38:12 pm
I actually saw it the same way Pekin did. They kept focusing on Tate's visible hand, while never mentioning the hand that was between the defender's chest and the ball. I thought it was close enough to dual possession to justify the call.

Pack fans should be pissed about the non-call on the offensive pass interference, though...that was as blatant as could be.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on September 25, 2012, 08:58:18 pm
If you listen to the call of the play by the announcer Mike Tirico actually says simultaneus in the call. It obviously looked like that in real time. Can't blam the ref on the field for making that call.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 25, 2012, 09:14:37 pm
Millions of other fans and players and coaches and sports writers didn't see it that way.  I  can't ever recall a situation where viewers were as united on their thinking about a call.
 
Fans would rather trust what they see with their eyes than the NFL owners or Mike Tirico may say.
 
C'mon, man.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 25, 2012, 09:22:41 pm
If there was any doubt before, the inaction by our commissioner clearly shows that he is powerless.  He is a tool of the owners who fianlly have complete control of all the league actions.  Jerry Jerk Jones is the power behind the throne whose greed and lust for power is at the bottom of this sad situation in the NFL.   
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 25, 2012, 09:26:43 pm
With real refs the Pack would still have lost.  The Packer scoring plays earlier in the

game were the result of bad calls against the Seahawks. That last play would hyave been irelevant.

Bullshit.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: stelz on September 26, 2012, 04:54:22 am
I'm hoping the Cowboys get hosed next Monday night, so Mr. Jones gets a taste of what Green Bay is going through right now.  This would of course benefit the Bears.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on September 26, 2012, 07:43:49 am
watching the play real time it looks pretty even but if you watch the replay slowly it looks to me like initially the GB guy has two hands on the ball and Tate might have one. As the GB guy comes down with the ball Tate puts the other hand on the ball.



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Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: davebear on September 26, 2012, 08:02:21 am
According to the NFL referee the Monday night broadcast had on when one player clearly has more clear possession of the ball the call goes to that player.
The ball would go to Green Bay

They also never call pass interference on jump balls.  It hasn't been called the last 87 times.

That said the DB should have knocked the ball down instead of trying for an interception.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on September 26, 2012, 08:22:17 am
Quote
Quote
Quote from: dallasbear on September 25, 2012, 12:35:49 pm
I'm disappointed that Bears fans, even though bittter rivsls could take any joy out of a game that  took a win away from an opponent.

After suffering 8 sacks  Rodgers picked himself off the ground and came back in the second half to turn the whole game around and beat Seattle.  Even a rival has to recognize that.


Would any true Bears fan not be happy that the Packers lost a game - no matter the controversy?  We all know what happened with the officials.

And the Packers have the talent to overcome this defeat - and that's probably the nicest thing I'm going to say about the Pack today.

Just like how horrid the officials were in the Thursday night game.  That "12 men on the field" call killed the Bears.  No sympathy from me.


Lets not forget the blatent block in the back on the fake kick that wasn't called allowing GB to score a TD on 4th and forever...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 26, 2012, 09:08:04 am

That said the DB should have knocked the ball down instead of trying for an interception.

I thought that too, but then I thought about all those plays where somebody knocks it down right into the hands of a trailing receiver as in the recent Detroit game and many others.

Lets not forget the blatent block in the back on the fake kick that wasn't called allowing GB to score a TD on 4th and forever...

I didn't see that.  Not saying it wasn't there because I was focusing on the end, Eric Weems who is being held as the runner goes right by him.  I know, there's holding on every play, but Weems was held so long he didn't even have a chance to pursue Crabtree who he most likely could have caught up to given the distance to the first down.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 26, 2012, 03:40:39 pm
Pete Carroll's version of "the catch".

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000066229/article/pete-carroll-on-controversy-we-all-gotta-move-on
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 26, 2012, 07:31:06 pm
Cornerback Charles Woodson was asked where this controversial ending ranks for him compared to the infamous “Tuck Rule” game in the 2001 AFC playoffs against New England.
 
Not even close, really.
 
“This is early in the season, so we still have a long road ahead,” Woodson said. “That was a playoff situation and we had to go home after that. I don’t want to compare the two.”
 
It was a similarly helpless feeling to Woodson, but all he could point to was that there’s more football ahead.
 
“What are you going to do?” he said. “We’ll go back to Green Bay and continue to get better as a team. That’s all I’ve got.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on September 26, 2012, 08:03:33 pm
Well hate to keep pouring it on Packy, but seems every year about week 13 or 14 you start looking back thinking crap if we had only have won that game we would be in such better position.  I truely believe this is going to bite the Pack in the butt later this year.  It may even prevent them from making the playoffs.  I mean it not only a loss but an in conference loss...not a good thing.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 26, 2012, 10:55:55 pm
Sporty - I agree with the union on this NFL management/officials issue.  The team owners are not nice people.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 26, 2012, 11:09:35 pm
They are holding the entire NFL, the fans and those Refs hostage over what amounts to a few peanuts on their side. It's really quite unbelievable...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: davebear on September 27, 2012, 08:13:46 am
One thing the league was wanting was to have 18 additional officials on stand by so they could temporarily bench poorly performing referees.

The union will now continue to guarantee as much mediocre performance as possible.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on September 27, 2012, 10:11:55 am
I kind of wish the replacement refs would have gotten one more weekend now....

Lang says Packers discussed extreme measures on flight home
Posted by Mike Florio on September 25, 2012, 8:40 PM EDT
 APThe Packers weren’t happy about the outcome of last night’s game against the Seahawks.  How happy weren’t they?

Offensive lineman T.J. Lang told 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit on Tuesday that, during the flight home from Seattle, the players discussed the possibility of going on strike — or simply taking a knee on every offensive snap — until the lockout of the officials ends.

“Whatever it takes, it’s just a total embarrassment to everybody watching the game, the players in the game, it’s not fun to be part of something like that,” Lang told the Valenti & Foster show.  “If it keeps going on, it’s going to get ugly. . . .  Going into a game worrying about the refs more than the other team, it’s a problem.  The NFL, the Commissioner, if they don’t take action after last night. . . .  That should be the last straw.”

Lang said he regrets using profanity to express himself on Twitter after the game, but that he believes more people should speak up.

“We were furious, man, as soon as we got into the locker room we turned the TVs on, it was just heartbreaking to have the game taken from us like that,” Lang said, confirming that roughly 20 players were throwing things at the monitor. “We put too much effort, blood, sweat and tears into this game to have it taken from us. . . .

“It was kind of embarrassing to be part of it, everybody was furious, a lot of guys are trying to take the high road, but it’s hard to do when there’s that much emotion into one game.  To have the win actually stolen from you?  It’s frustrating.”

With no indication that the league has any extra urgency to resolve the lockout, maybe the time for extreme measures from the players is coming.  Their union has done plenty of talking, but has taken no action.  If the time for action hasn’t arrived, it never will.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on September 27, 2012, 10:14:16 am
I kind of wish the replacement refs would have gotten one more weekend now....

Lang says Packers discussed extreme measures on flight home
Posted by Mike Florio on September 25, 2012, 8:40 PM EDT
 APThe Packers weren’t happy about the outcome of last night’s game against the Seahawks.  How happy weren’t they?

Offensive lineman T.J. Lang told 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit on Tuesday that, during the flight home from Seattle, the players discussed the possibility of going on strike — or simply taking a knee on every offensive snap — until the lockout of the officials ends.

“Whatever it takes, it’s just a total embarrassment to everybody watching the game, the players in the game, it’s not fun to be part of something like that,” Lang told the Valenti & Foster show.  “If it keeps going on, it’s going to get ugly. . . .  Going into a game worrying about the refs more than the other team, it’s a problem.  The NFL, the Commissioner, if they don’t take action after last night. . . .  That should be the last straw.”

Lang said he regrets using profanity to express himself on Twitter after the game, but that he believes more people should speak up.

“We were furious, man, as soon as we got into the locker room we turned the TVs on, it was just heartbreaking to have the game taken from us like that,” Lang said, confirming that roughly 20 players were throwing things at the monitor. “We put too much effort, blood, sweat and tears into this game to have it taken from us. . . .

“It was kind of embarrassing to be part of it, everybody was furious, a lot of guys are trying to take the high road, but it’s hard to do when there’s that much emotion into one game.  To have the win actually stolen from you?  It’s frustrating.”

With no indication that the league has any extra urgency to resolve the lockout, maybe the time for extreme measures from the players is coming.  Their union has done plenty of talking, but has taken no action.  If the time for action hasn’t arrived, it never will.



Proof that these players need to be grateful for their football talent because they are idiots that could never make it otherwise.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on September 27, 2012, 10:15:53 am
That would have been awesome to watch.  GB takes a knee on every offensive possession and doesn't do anything on defense to let N.O. score on every play.

Eventually N.O. would probably just start taking a knee as well just so the score isn't 5,000 to 0.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on September 27, 2012, 10:51:19 am
That would have been sooooooo much fun.  Waddya think the Packers would have done when the game check was withheld?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on September 27, 2012, 11:06:25 am
Yeah - that's BRILLIANT - bet the Seahawks weren't gonna take a knee in their next game
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 27, 2012, 03:04:02 pm
Last place Peckers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on September 27, 2012, 03:22:13 pm
Beerfan we have to gloat now cause I expect in about 2 more weeks we'll be looking up to them in the standings again.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 27, 2012, 04:01:13 pm

Well maybe not 2 weeks...we aren't favored against the Cowboys but we should be favored against the Jaguars in J'ville.  Actually, the first half of the schedule isn't too bad but the second half....yikes!

Oh yeah, one game at a time...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: davebear on September 27, 2012, 04:42:40 pm
The Packers taking a knee every play VS Tampa would be very interesting.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 27, 2012, 05:19:20 pm
Well hate to keep pouring it on Packy, but seems every year about week 13 or 14 you start looking back thinking crap if we had only have won that game we would be in such better position.  I truely believe this is going to bite the Pack in the butt later this year.  It may even prevent them from making the playoffs.  I mean it not only a loss but an in conference loss...not a good thing.



You must be thinking aqbout some other poster.  In all the years I have posted here I have never criticized  official calls or blamed a loss on one bad play.  I meticulously follow that rule and it saddens me if you (or anyone )  believes that claim. 

It's just a game, man.  I realized  that many years ago and treat it as such..  That includes  the year that you beat GB 14-2 to 13-3.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 27, 2012, 05:22:23 pm
I feel that the MNF game was just what it takes to give the Pack the kick in the butt they need to get the offense started.  Rodgers is like Favre in that you never want to insult him or anger him.  He will die to prove you wrong.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on September 27, 2012, 07:12:39 pm
Well, you're playing the Saints.  That is typically the magic elixir for struggling offenses this season...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on September 27, 2012, 08:11:49 pm
I think my post was poorly worded and you aren't getting the meaning of it.

I was trying to say, I think this loss is really going to hurt the Packs playoff chances.

I always look back around week 13 or 14 and think crap had the Bears only won that game in week 2,3,4 we would be in such better position.

Don't know what else you were referring to.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on September 28, 2012, 03:06:00 pm
Too bad...

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/09/28/nick-collins-career-is-likely-over/

This guy was arguably on a HOF track and probably had 3-4 more good years left in him easily if not for that neck injury.  He gave our Bears a lot of trouble during his career but still you hate to see any good player have his career cut short like this.

He did get a ring at least, though.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 28, 2012, 08:15:03 pm
I think my post was poorly worded and you aren't getting the meaning of it.

I was trying to say, I think this loss is really going to hurt the Packs playoff chances.

I always look back around week 13 or 14 and think crap had the Bears only won that game in week 2,3,4 we would be in such better position.

Don't know what else you were referring to.

Sorry, hibernnaion.  I completely misunderstood your post.  I apologize.  My bad.  Looked as bad as th Packers' OL.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 29, 2012, 05:42:58 pm
he Packers seem to have a youth movement going on the defensive side of the ball, but will those defensive rookies overshadow the improved play of some vets as well?


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Forgive me, but I keep flashing back to 2009. Much like the case with the offensive recap, the defensive recap just keeps me reminding me of that season. In 2009 the Packers were coming off a terrible year defensively and as a result drastic measures were taken. The defense had a pretty good year overall that year, being effective at stopping the run but struggling to stop higher end passing attacks. This past offseason drastic measure were taken once again, namely a large influx of talent from the draft, and those moves are paying early returns. The question is now whether the defense can hold up after facing the rather weak offenses of the San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears, and Seattle Seahawks.
 
The last two weeks Dom Capers has decided to roll the dice with rookie contributors after the failure of M.D. Jennings and Jarrett Bush to lock things down in week 1. Since then Jerron McMillian has taken the starting safety spot and Casey Hayward has gotten more reps at corner. In addition to those two Jerel Worthy has taken snaps from C.J. Wilson and Mike Daniels has gotten more rotational snaps as well in passing situations. The only rookie to decrease in snaps the past two weeks has been Nick Perry who has been dealing with a wrist injury. It should be noted though that Perry has still been able to play at a high level, pressure the passer, and register his first sack this past week.

All in all the rookie defenders have worked out very well. Worthy, Daniels, and Perry have all gotten their first sack under their belts, and more important their presence has opened up more one on one opportunities for Clay Matthews. Casey Hayward has held up well in coverage. He has not quite displayed his superior ball skills yet, with the exception of one close pick six week 1, but he has consistently shadowed his man and broken up the passes that have come his way. The most impressive rookie though has been McMillian. McMillian has shown a nose for the ball and ability to bring the wood when needed. All in all he has been a great addition at safety and his high level of play so far has helped Morgan Burnett step up his level of play too....or at least it does not expose Burnett in the same way Charlie Peprah or Jennings did when they were back there next to Burnett.
 
Now the rookie defenders have been fantastic, and are probably the main story of the defense putting together back to back impressive games, but I would be remiss without highlighting a couple of the veterans who have also stepped up their game. Earlier in the week I talked about the great game that A.J. Hawk played. I won't bore all of you again with singing his praises again, but I do want to highlight him so that his reputation around this site slowly changes. Hawk was critical to limiting the Seahawk offense for most of the game. He played with an attitude and ferocity that I have not seen out of Hawk in all his previous years in Green Bay. If he can keep that up he might even start to look like the player we all thought he would be after getting drafted so high in the draft.

Another vet to point out is Sam Shields. Again, Shields got pretty high praises in the MVP of the week post, but I would regret not pointing out what a turnaround he has had here as well. At the beginning of the year I had my doubts about what sort of player Shields would turn into. He was a player who didn't seem interested in tackling and was struggling in his man to man coverage. This all changed when he got back from injury late in the preseason, and this past week he put on an absolute show at what sort of corner he is becoming....and let me tell you it's a good one. He is tackling with attitude and shadowing his receiver.

The last vet to point out is one who is doing his job silently, but very well....it's also a player who so many seem to run out of town for reasons just beyond me. I'm talking about Ryan Pickett. Pickett is getting up there in age and as such seems to be falling into a specific role, namely stopping the run, but this is a role that he is doing very well. Picket is holding his point of attack and got his hands on Lynch more than once against the Seahawks. If he can keep this up then the Packers d-line will have a pretty good rotation with B.J. Raji, Pickett, Worthy, and Daniels.....Wilson and Philip Merling can also contribute when needed.
 
Special Teams Review
 
I miss Jon Ryan. For as much as people love to get angry about the cutting of Cullen Jenkins, the Jenkins cut I get and still get to this day...and as a result will never be my worst TT cut ever. No, that goes to Jon Ryan. Ryan was a great punter who was brought in without contest and then inexplicably cut right before the season. Do you know what Ryan did after that? He went to Seattle and was basically awesome for years (years people!) while the Packers struggled to find a punter. Now I love me some Tim Masthay, and he did a pretty good job last Monday, but Ryan was phenomenal. Whenever I watch him play great games against the Packers I always just wonder what could have been......
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 30, 2012, 03:18:56 pm
Nebraska beats UW.  Oy  veh.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 30, 2012, 04:05:21 pm
I see the regular refs are right back to allowing the Packer O-line to hold.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 30, 2012, 04:35:42 pm
Refs keep the Packers drive alive by spotting the ball a good yard closer to the first down marker then it should have been.

Saints should have challenged it.  They never would have faked the punt if they did not need only an inch but a yard and a half like it should have been.  Also the O-line holding continues to go uncalled.

This better be the refs make up game for last week.  I don't want to see this crap all year long.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: stelz on September 30, 2012, 05:16:51 pm
The Beaver couldn't believe he lost that challenge...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 30, 2012, 05:22:59 pm
That was close.  Can't blame the Packer fans for being upset about that.  However they have been getting all of the other calls.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 30, 2012, 05:26:20 pm
That was tipped!!!


That is not a penalty!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 30, 2012, 05:27:21 pm
Hands to the face?  My azz!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 30, 2012, 05:27:56 pm
Packers O-line holds like crazy and it is never called.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 30, 2012, 05:40:59 pm
YES!!! GEAUX SAINTS!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: stelz on September 30, 2012, 05:50:07 pm
Saints get 23 on 3rd and 17...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 30, 2012, 05:50:45 pm
Wow!  That was a heck of a throw by Brees!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 30, 2012, 06:15:57 pm
Saints goin brain dead. Can see why they're 0-3. The last offensive series was a total joke. Brees overthrew a guy WIDE open with no defenders around. Then he's off target the rest of the time. And they've got almost zero pass rush. Still hope they win, though....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 30, 2012, 06:22:17 pm
Oh man, here we go again, lol! This time with the REAL refs! This is too funny...where's my popcorn! LOL! Packer nation is going to have a total FIT!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 30, 2012, 06:22:29 pm
If the Packers lose this game there is going to be an epic meltdown in Green Bay.  That ball was out before he hit the ground.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: stelz on September 30, 2012, 06:23:25 pm
Green Bay out of challenges....

:  )

Come on Saints, accept these gifts!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 30, 2012, 06:23:26 pm
Woodson should be ejected he shoved a ref.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 30, 2012, 06:23:32 pm
Thug Woodson is losing his cool.....POPCORN!!!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 30, 2012, 06:24:04 pm
Woodson should be ejected!!!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: octagon on September 30, 2012, 06:25:01 pm
the mouthbreathers at Lambeau are ready to riot
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 30, 2012, 06:27:43 pm
That was pass interference.  They tackled Sproles before the ball was there.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 30, 2012, 06:28:51 pm
Yes it was, Peke. FIRST DOWN....GEAUX SAINTS!!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 30, 2012, 06:29:38 pm
Another PI not called!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 30, 2012, 06:30:15 pm
STAY IN BOUNDS, dang it!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 30, 2012, 06:35:44 pm
Refs just gave the Packers the game on that bogus holding call.  They do not call the Packers for holding all day then that?  Unreal!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on September 30, 2012, 06:39:41 pm
Of course reality shows it was a hold.


This game should be in the bag for GB right now if not for the idiot ref call on the clear fumble.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 30, 2012, 06:39:56 pm
Not that it wasn't holding but I have seen the Packers do worse then that at least three different times in the game that was not called.  Just call them the same for both teams.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 30, 2012, 06:40:24 pm
Otto, If they called holding on the PAckers O-line or PI they lose every game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 30, 2012, 06:42:23 pm
Pack got REAL lucky this game. But it proves they ain't crap this year and are definately beatable if they struggled this bad against a 0-3 team AT HOME. Upon further review
PACK STILL SUCKS.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on September 30, 2012, 06:43:57 pm
#85 on NO clearly held our player on the first FG attempt.

How do you not see that.

But of course, you will be beeching about holds for peppers tonight.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 30, 2012, 06:45:20 pm
Bears play Monday......and right now, everyone is looking up to the Queens....surprise surprise....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 30, 2012, 06:45:41 pm
Yet game after no matter the opponent Packer defenders are allowed to mug the oppossing WR's while no one can touch a Packer WR.  The Packers O-line holds every single play and it is rarely if ever called.  Yet if the oppossing team holds it is called.

The refs need to call it the same for both teams.

In this game alone I saw at least 6 different times the Packers DB hit the WR before the ball was there.  I saw holding on nearly every play.

When the DL is trying to run away from the O-linemen and they are not able to that is holding.  It needs to be called.  Holding with the hands inside is ok in this league as long as the guy is rushing straight ahead if he changes direction and the hold continues it needs to be called.  I see Packers O-line tackle defenders every game (many times from behind) and it rarely gets called.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on September 30, 2012, 06:46:30 pm
sport even better.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 30, 2012, 06:47:03 pm
Otto, learn to read.  I said it was a hold imo but they do not call the same against Green Bay.  They need to call it the same for both teams.

Regardless the Packers are a one trick pony.  They lose Rodgers they are done. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 30, 2012, 06:47:16 pm
Quote
In this game alone I saw at least 6 different times the Packers DB hit the WR before the ball was there.  I saw holding on nearly every play.
 
I didn't even see the whole game and I saw two times where you're right, there was a PI on the Pack that wasn't called. Even the announcers were mentioning it....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 30, 2012, 07:06:14 pm
Nothing to be proud of bu a win is a win.  I think the officials were no better in this game than the subs of the last three games.  I wondered how long this could go on.  I felt the officials really screwed the Packers over.  This is the first time that I have said that in all the years I have been posting here.  This was bad.

Even the former chief official that is present at the game said one of the NO receptions was no reception.

Unless Troy Aiken is also bought off by the imnaginary, phantom people he called a couple of plays bad calls against GB by the officials.

McCarthy was completely stunned by some of the calls. 

I guess this is spring triaing for the zebras.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 30, 2012, 07:11:11 pm
Anyone need a #2 QB cheap?

I believe that Greg Jennings is about finished.  Too many injuries.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 30, 2012, 07:14:47 pm
I agree the TE catch for a first down was not a catch and the Sproles fumble was a fumble. 

However that is two bad calls that went the Saints way.  There were so many Packer penalties that were not called.  How one team can get away with their DB's hitting receivers before the ball is therte over and over and is never called is mind boggling.  Then throw in the OL holding every play that is not called and no Packer fan should ever be able to cry about a bad call going against them ever!

Woodson should have been ejected and the personal foul on Picket? (number 90 not sure who it was) I think it was very well could have been an ejection as well.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on September 30, 2012, 07:28:12 pm
The Colston push off on first TD was a penalty that went the Saints way as well. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 30, 2012, 07:36:28 pm
Pretty hard to call offensive PI if you are not calling it on the DB's.  But yes it should have been called. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 01, 2012, 11:07:24 am
Thanks for the integrity.  We don't see all those penalties the same way but you are honest in your appraisal of the above plays.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 01, 2012, 11:09:45 am
No. 90 is Raji.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 01, 2012, 11:12:15 am
I agree the TE catch for a first down was not a catch and the Sproles fumble was a fumble. 

However that is two bad calls that went the Saints way.  There were so many Packer penalties that were not called.  How one team can get away with their DB's hitting receivers before the ball is therte over and over and is never called is mind boggling.  Then throw in the OL holding every play that is not called and no Packer fan should ever be able to cry about a bad call going against them ever!

Woodson should have been ejected and the personal foul on Picket? (number 90 not sure who it was) I think it was very well could have been an ejection as well.

I think the officials may have given some leeway after the hell that (all) players had gone through the past three weeks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 01, 2012, 06:53:13 pm
Saving a teammate: Speaking of goats, defensive lineman B.J. Raji’s personal foul penalty on a third-quarter field goal gave the Saints a first-and-goal at the 1-yard line.
 
“That was completely on me,” Raji said. “I lost my cool. I can’t do that being a leader of this defense. Things happen, and I didn’t agree with it, but there’s better ways to handle it than putting my team in jeopardy.”
 
Fortunately, the defense held and forced another field goal, as Burnett stopped Mark Ingram for a 1-yard loss on first down, Brees overthrew Marques Colston on a fade on second down, and Williams broke up a quick slant to tight end Jimmy Graham on third down.
 
Raji gave Williams a big bear hug as the defense left the field, and the four points lost for the Saints proved huge, obviously.
 
“I had to run and hug Tramon because he really saved me technically,” Raji said. “I put us in a bad position there getting that personal foul. It’s an emotional game, I have to learn to control my emotions, but that’s why it’s also a team game. My teammates stepped up for me, and I’ll do the same thing.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on October 04, 2012, 10:26:20 am
Peckers got lucky against a pretty bad Saints team.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 05, 2012, 06:02:55 pm
Green Bay - The Green Bay Packers may have no intention of putting defensive end Mike Neal on the field Sunday following his return from a four-game suspension.

But Neal seems determined to make them play him.

Neal, suspended for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, came back in outstanding physical condition, according to coach Mike McCarthy, and was able to take part fully in practice. The Packers have a weeklong roster exemption for Neal if they want it, so they have time to decide when to activate him.

"Had a chance to watch Mike Neal a lot today," McCarthy said after practice Wednesday. "He looks to be in great shape. He wasn't winded at all. Fresh legs. He had a good practice.

"I'd like to watch the tape with the coaches and then we'll watch him again tomorrow. I think tomorrow's padded practice will give us a better indication where he is."

Neal, who has said his use of the attention-deficit disorder drug Adderall without NFL clearance led to his suspension, spent most of his time in Tampa working out. One thing everyone around the Packers knew given Neal's workout fanaticism is that he would return in great shape.

The coaches didn't give him a lot of snaps in training camp knowing he'd be suspended, but toward the end he began to show up more and more. What Neal has to show Thursday to get a chance to play Sunday is that he's back to that form.

He said he feels like there's nothing holding him back.

"Let's put it this way, it's like letting somebody out of jail before they knew he was innocent," he said. "You can't help injury. It's part of the game you have to deal with. The suspension could have been helped. But it's just like being freed from jail.

"It's like, 'OK, now it's time for me to live my life and do what I do.' I'm going to do that."

Of course, Neal, who played in just nine games his first two years due to shoulder and knee injuries, has to prove he can stay healthy before the Packers can rely on him. There's no indication that they aren't going to put him on the 53-man roster by the deadline, so they're obviously willing to give him another chance.

Now, it's up to him.

"(It's) the best I've felt in three years," Neal said. "So I can say that without lying or trying to sugarcoat anything. So I'm going to let that carry out."

Dollars and cents: Nose tackle B.J. Raji was feeling kind of lucky Wednesday.

He received the dreaded FedEx envelope from the NFL - usually notice that you've been fined - and when he opened it up he found it wasn't as bad as he thought.

Raji said the NFL fined him $7,800 for throwing a punch in the New Orleans Saints game Sunday.

"It definitely could have been worse," Raji said. "I could have been ejected. The fine could have been higher."

Raji, who said after the game he was wrong to react the way he did, said he was upset that a Saints offensive lineman went after his knees on a field-goal attempt from the 3-yard line. After throwing the punch, he was penalized for a personal foul.

Crunch time: Since suffering a turf toe injury before the opener, running back James Starks has been on an uphill climb to get back on the field.

The play of Cedric Benson has made it so that the Packers haven't had to rush Starks back, but they do want him around given how many games are left and how much pounding Benson is likely to take if he gets all the carries.

This week is Starks' moment of truth.

"I had a chance to visit with James Starks after practice and really the conversation we had is I really want him to push it," McCarthy said. "He's been able to get through a couple weeks of practice.

"I don't know if he's going to be pain-free all year. But this is the week that we want him to try to really, really push through it and see if we can get him involved."

Another hurdle: For the first time since he injured his left shoulder in the exhibition opener, cornerback Davon House received some snaps with the defense during 11-on-11 drills.

House, who is wearing a harness that limits the movement of his shoulder, had previously been taking all of his snaps with the scout team. Getting him into the rotation is a pretty good sign the coaches want to see if he can help them, but he admitted it's going to be hard with Sam Shields and Casey Hayward playing well ahead of him.

"We'll have to see how it goes," House said.

Injury report: Quarterback Aaron Rodgers said that there is no residual effect of getting poked in the eye Sunday against New Orleans.

Rodgers, who said he would not wear a shield over his facemask, reported that his vision has been fine since shortly after he was poked.

"It's good," he said. "Everything is back to normal. It felt good after I got some drops in there on Sunday. Good to go."

Safety Sean Richardson (hamstring) is the only player other than receiver Greg Jennings (groin) who sat out practice.

Safety M.D. Jennings (neck), who was knocked out of the Saints game, returned to practice in full. End Ryan Pickett (shoulder) was limited.

Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this story.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 07, 2012, 01:02:17 pm
Great, now the refs trying to ref up Indy...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Phill23 on October 07, 2012, 03:02:18 pm
Colts are driving!!!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Phill23 on October 07, 2012, 03:42:17 pm
hahahahahahahahahaha!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Chris27 on October 07, 2012, 03:44:56 pm
And yes, Andrew Luck is impressive.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: stelz on October 07, 2012, 03:45:19 pm
LMFAO!!!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 07, 2012, 03:46:47 pm
Packers D is not very good.  If their DB's did not PI every passing play they would have no defense at all.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Phill23 on October 07, 2012, 03:47:42 pm
DISCOUNT DOUBLE CHECK!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on October 07, 2012, 03:50:04 pm
Wow.....Colts won,huh lol
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on October 07, 2012, 05:19:06 pm
Good comedy!!!

Lots of major problems with the Peckers.

Peckers DBs can no longer clutch, grab, and hold now the real refs are back.

Peckers should be 1 and 4.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 07, 2012, 07:26:59 pm
I went toa 60th anniversay party and missed the game.  Probably ust as well.  This season really confuses me. 

Comme se comme sa.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 07, 2012, 07:30:55 pm
Packers owned the first half and the Colts owned the second half.  So if you recorded just watch the first half...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 07, 2012, 07:32:20 pm
By the way 60 years is impressive.  Me and my wife just hit twenty on the 3rd.  Apparently the Obama's got married on the same day twenty years ago, frightening...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 07, 2012, 07:41:50 pm
We reached 59 years before my wife passed away, Peke.  When you live torgether for that long it's almost impossible to remember living alone.  Your love grows to the point that is unimaginable being apart.  It's like part of you died.  Love continues to grow.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 07, 2012, 07:53:36 pm
Sorry you lost her but glad you got to spend so many years together.  Once again you have my condolences.

What you say is true.  My wife is my best friend and we are much closer now then we were when we first married or were dating.

I have been truly blessed to have a partner that is beautiful, I love, respect and just enjoy being around.  I am glad you got to have the same experience for so long before it was taken away.  I hope your friends did as well.  Not everyone gets that lucky.

*I always forget the U in beautiful...       
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 07, 2012, 08:13:40 pm
You, too, are a lucky man, Peke.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 07, 2012, 08:19:28 pm
Career day for Luck:

http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2012/10/7/3470156/packers-colts-reggie-wayne-andrew-luck-career-day
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on October 07, 2012, 08:56:35 pm
My wife and I are celebrating 18 years today...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 07, 2012, 09:02:01 pm
Congrats Dave.  And give my condolences to your wife!  *wink*
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on October 07, 2012, 09:05:53 pm
Thanks, and same to ya!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 07, 2012, 09:13:06 pm
My wife knows when I wake up because I start farting in bed in the morning.  Yeah I definately got the better end of the deal...

Although she always has a fan blowing on her across the bed to blow the smell away and one night a spider came down from the ceiling and landed in my ear.  I told her if it were not for that fan blowing it onto my side of the bed it would have been her ear the spider landed in.  So we are even right?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on October 08, 2012, 06:20:00 am
Congrats, Dave!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 08, 2012, 10:10:42 pm
My wife and I are celebrating 18 years today...

Congratulations and best wishes for many more years together, Dave.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on October 08, 2012, 10:17:41 pm
Thanks to all of you!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 10, 2012, 08:53:10 pm
There's a prevailing 'the sky is falling' attitude around Packerland right now, and mostly for good reason. Losing to the Colts is bad. Giving up eight sacks in a half against the Seahawks is bad. The Green Bay Packers, if they were anywhere near as good as the 2010 or 2011 editions of the team, would be 4-1 and on top of the NFC North right now. This year's edition of the Packers simply isn't that good.
 
We can spend a lot of time and a lot of words discussing why that's the case, but there are a lot of things worth getting excited about in regards to the young players on the team. Even though the Packers as a whole -- coaching staff included -- aren't getting the job done at the moment, there's too much anger 'round these parts at the moment, and everyone needs to find something to be happy about.
 
In the Colts game, 22-year-old Randall Cobb had four receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown. 24-year-old Alex Green had a 41-yard rush. 23-year-old Casey Hayward contributed positively throughout the game and had an excellent interception. 23-year-old D.J. Smith was effective as a blitzer and probably had his best game of the year. 22-year-old Nick Perry racked up another sack and looks like a more complete player with each game.
 
Yes, Cedric Benson's injury is a huge blow. Yes, Aaron Rodgers needs to play better, and absolutely 100 percent yes, the offensive line needs to give him more time. But before you go on a tirade about how the Packers are in the toilet and need to be blown up in any way, shape or form, think about the performances that we've seen from the members of the team who aren't even 25 yet. There's plenty to be optimistic about.

Did we get past Mike Sherman's worst year? Mike McCarthy's losing season? The Ray Rhodes year? Yes? Then we'll get past this.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on October 11, 2012, 02:26:39 am

As long as Rodgers is standing the Packers will be in every game.   A lot of football yet to be played.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Chiman on October 11, 2012, 04:03:45 am
Late Congrats Dave.....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 11, 2012, 06:34:05 pm
Doom and gloom.

Green Bay - What's wrong with the Green Bay Packers - besides the drops, injuries, sacks, middle-of-the-pack offense and the lack of generating turnovers, that is?

Well, they're also leading the NFL in the wrong statistical category:

Penalty yards.

Green Bay has the most penalty yards in the league with 390 and the fourth-most penalties with 40 in five games.

After correcting this issue a year ago, it's back, and this is not a distinction the Packers really want to accompany their 2-3 record.

"I figured we were probably pretty close" to leading the NFL, fullback John Kuhn said. "It's unfortunate that our penalties are so high because we're trying to be more of a physical team. We just need to do that in a correct fashion.

"We just need to play more fundamentally sound. Obviously we're not doing that well enough. They always say, don't give the official the chance to make the call."

And yet, the Packers have been playing plenty of flag football. Half a dozen Packers in the locker room Monday said they weren't aware of their ranking in the penalty department, and all of them shook their heads at the numbers.

The current status stands in sharp contrast to Green Bay's record-breaking 2011 season, when the Packers had just 76 penalties in 16 games and were docked just 591 yards, tied for best in the league. So they are capable of avoiding the flag.

"At the end of the day, we just have to be professional and execute," tackle Marshall Newhouse said. "That's just what it comes down to."

Some penalties were inconsequential for the Packers - most on offense against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday were innocuous. Still, offensive coordinator Tom Clements said the Packers try to avoid lost-yardage plays however they occur, and offensive penalties are a part of that.

But the penalties that dogged the Packers in their loss to the Colts came on defense. Rookie outside linebacker Nick Perry's flag for roughing the passer negated his sack and forced fumble of Colts quarterback Andrew Luck that was recovered by D.J. Smith. The penalty was called because Luck was still in the pocket and ruled a defenseless player, and it appeared Perry hit with the crown of his helmet.

"That's a tough one," defensive coordinator Dom Capers said. "He came so clean. I don't think Perry was targeting up but he hit him with so much velocity. I'm sure what they're going to say is that he hit him with the crown of his helmet.

"So the only thing you can tell a guy is to try to turn his head and get his shoulder in there. It's just really too bad. You design things, they work the way you design them, and we were going to have the ball inside the 15-yard line."

And then Packers cornerback Sam Shields was flagged 25 yards for defensive pass interference on a drive that the Colts would eventually score.

"Really, Sam was doing what we coach him to do," Capers said. "That's to try to get a lead position, get his shoulders downfield, and then turn his head and look for the ball. He was in excellent position. I'd have to get an interpretation of what they called. But he was basically where we coach him to be on the route."

Shields was flagged again, later, for a face mask, although it looked like he might have grazed the face mask instead of grabbing and pulling on it. Consequently, the Colts scored on that drive as well, taking a 22-21 lead.

Those flags could make it hard for a defensive back to continue to play aggressively.

"If I was Sam I wouldn't do anything different," safety M.D. Jennings said. "He was in great position. He needed to keep doing what he did on those plays."

What's interesting is that it hasn't seemed to matter who is calling the Green Bay games - the replacement officials during the lockout for the first three weeks of the season or the regular officials who came back to work two games ago.

The Packers were flagged 24 times in the three games with the replacement refs: 10 times for 77 yards against San Francisco, 4 for 54 against Chicago and 10 for 127 in the debacle at Seattle.

And they've been flagged 16 times with the regular officials: 7 for 43 yards against the Saints and 9 for 89 against the Colts. And those are just the penalties that held; some were declined.

It does seem like the officiating has gotten the attention of the entire Packers team.

Monday night, Houston's Brian Cushing was hurt on a chop block and his former college teammate, Clay Matthews, tweeted: "If the NFL really wants to increase player safety, start protecting players on BOTH sides of the ball. . . . Where is the NFL's protection on blocks below the waist like that on Cushing. Double standard!"

Matthews could have been frustrated himself. On Sunday, Matthews clearly was undercut and upended by the Colts early in the game and could be seen talking about it on the field.

Ultimately, when it comes to penalties and the somewhat subjective nature of calling them, it's the job of the coaches to harp on the players and constantly remind them to be sharp. But it is ultimately up to the players to follow the rules.

"It's definitely on us as players," one Packer said Monday. "But I think the refs are out to get us this year."


 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 11, 2012, 06:40:49 pm
More gloom.

 Aaron Rodgers was a football god in 2011. He's showing a mortal side this season.
Andy Lyons/Getty Images

The statistics tell one part of the story. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is not playing at the blistering pace he set for himself last season.

Now, after the Packers limped to a 2-3 start, Rodgers is ready to admit the same. During his weekly radio show with Jason Wilde of 540 ESPN Milwaukee, Rodgers said his performance this season hasn't lived up to his own expectations or those set by others after 2011:


I haven't played as well as the expectations are, obviously. The ones I put on myself, I like to think are as high or higher than the ones people outside put on me. It's interesting to look at the stats for what they are and think I'm not playing my best football right now.

A year ago, Rodgers put together one of the best seasons ever by an NFL quarterback. In just 15 games, Rodgers threw for 4,653 yards, 45 touchdowns, six interceptions and an NFL-record passer rating of 122.5. He was awarded the NFL MVP award for his efforts.

Because of his historic season, the bar had been set, and set high. Rodgers instantly became the consensus No. 1 player in the game. The top of the quarterback hierarchy was all his. The NFL was supposed to be his for the taking over the next five to seven years.

Everything hasn't exactly gone according to the script this season.

By no means is Rodgers having a poor year in 2012, but compared to last season, his numbers seem mediocre at best: 1,307 yards (on pace for 4,182), 10 touchdowns (32), four interceptions (13) and a passer rating of 97.0.

Not exactly Mark Sanchez numbers, but each category is down considerably over the pace he set in 2011. The same goes for the rest of the offense.

The Packers, who averaged 35 points a season ago and finished with the second-highest scoring offense in NFL history, are scoring just over 22 this season.

Maybe regression was to be expected. Rodgers was about as perfect as a quarterback could be for an entire season in 2011, and beating that year would have taken another Herculean effort. When a player rises that high on the football peak, the only logical thing to do next is to take a slight slide downward.

But there are tangible factors we can find as to why Rodgers' numbers—and the general production of the Packers offense—are down.

Here's a breakdown of those factors:

 

Teams are getting pressure with four rushers

Late in 2011, two defenses were successfully able to contain Rodgers. The Kansas City Chiefs and New York Giants, both of which beat Rodgers and the Packers, found success with rushing just four players and dropping the rest into coverage.


 Rodgers has been sacked 21 times in 2012.
Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE


Take away the big play, focus as much defensive personnel into coverage and beat a five-man offensive line with four. It was the blueprint then, and it remains the blueprint now.

So far in 2012, that blueprint has continued working.

Rodgers has been sacked 21 times in five games, most of which have come against four- or five-man pressure schemes. The Packers are on pace for 67 sacks allowed, which would break the franchise record of 62 set in 1990.

Part of the problem has been the play of right tackle Bryan Bulaga, who has regressed severely in pass protection in 2012. According to Pro Football Focus, Bulaga has allowed 24 pressures (three sacks, three quarterback hits and 18 hurries) in five games in 2012 after allowing just 21 (one sack, two quarterback hits and 18 hurries) in 17 games last season.

Combined with the next couple of issues, Rodgers simply hasn't been as effective in handling pressure.

 

Packers receivers aren't beating seven-man coverages

Green Bay's receivers, billed as some of the best in football, simply haven't won as many one-on-one matchups this season. As a result, Rodgers has held the football far too long on far too many occasions.


 Coverages are beating the Packers receivers.
Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE


The deep posts and Cover 2 beaters along the sidelines haven't been as open in 2012 as in previous seasons. While Rodgers has waited for the big plays to finally show life, defensive lines have mostly had their way with finding the Packers quarterback in the pocket.

Part of that problem has been the absence of Greg Jennings, who hasn't played in two games and sat out the better part of the third. The Packers struggled in Kansas City in 2011 to get open without Jennings, and that problem has spilled over into 2012.

Whether it is better route concepts, beating press coverage at the line of scrimmage or finding weak points when the pocket breaks down, Green Bay's receivers haven't done a good enough job at getting open.

As Rodgers has shown throughout his career, he'll take a sack over throwing a dangerous ball into coverage almost every time.

 

Receivers aren't making as many plays in 2012

A year ago, the Packers receiving corps had a fantastic year. If there was a single knock, it was a few drops here and there. But overall, the receivers made brilliant play after brilliant play, helping both the quarterback and stat lines look historically good.


 Receivers haven't made as many 'wow' plays in 2012.
Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE


Those same plays have been strikingly absent in 2012.

Jordy Nelson has missed a few big plays. Donald Driver dropped a touchdown in Seattle. James Jones couldn't haul in a spinning catch in the end zone against Chicago. Jermichael Finley continues his frustrating career of mind-blowing potential but head-to-desk drops.

How many times last season did a receiver make an adjustment to a throw or beat good coverage with a fantastic catch? There's probably 25 or more if you went back and watched every Rodgers completion last season.

In 2012? There aren't many to count.

Rodgers had a historical year in 2011, but he didn't do it alone. The receivers haven't given him a big hand to start this season.

 

Accuracy has been a touch off

Finally, we get to an issue that incorporates a lot of the struggles: Rodgers has simply missed a bunch of throws he made in his sleep last season.

Sunday's first-possession miss to Jordy Nelson was the crowning jewel of Rodgers' inaccuracy issues this season. Nelson had the Indianapolis Colts cornerback beat silly, and Rodgers had a clear angle and trajectory to make the throw, which certainly would have gone for a long touchdown.


 Accuracy has been just a touch off for Rodgers this season.
Jeff Gross/Getty Images


Instead, Rodgers missed by a touch, overthrowing Nelson by a yard or two. Last season, that kind of play goes for a touchdown every time.

On his radio show with Wilde, Rodgers said he probably misses that throw five times out of 100. Rodgers could probably say the same thing about a number of throws he's misfired on this season.

Again, while the completion percentage (68.8 percent) for Rodgers is very good through five games, his subtle misses on maybe five to 10 throws this season have cost the Packers dearly.

 

Turning the football over

Rodgers hasn't lost a fumble in 2012, but that is to be expected. Few quarterbacks protect against lost fumbles better than Rodgers over the last three seasons.

What hasn't been expected is Rodgers' propensity to throw interceptions this season. He's thrown four—Rodgers had just six last season, three of which came off tipped or deflected passes—and could realistically have five if Lance Briggs would have held onto an easy pick in Week 2.


 Rodgers is on pace for 13 interceptions in 2012.
Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE


Thirteen interceptions, or his current pace in 2012, would tie a career high for Rodgers. He also threw 13 in 2008, his first season as a starting quarterback in Green Bay.

The four interceptions have also been uncommon with regard to the times in which they have occurred. According to PFF, all four of Rodgers' interceptions this season have come in the second half, and also when there has been zero to little pressure on the quarterback.

His picks against San Francisco and Indianapolis were game-changers. A rally killer and rally starter, respectively.

The interception against Chicago could have been a rally starter. And a terrible throw down the sideline resulted in the interception against New Orleans.

The turnover plays are the striking aspect of Rodgers' early struggles, and he's said as much.

Rodgers, again via Wilde:


Throwing the ball to the other team – I've done that four times already. I’m fortunate (linebacker Lance) Briggs dropped one against Chicago as well. Just uncharacteristic of the way I've played. (I’ve also) made some checks that have been unproductive, missed some throws I'm accustomed to hitting. Haven't played the way of the standard I've set.

Overall, both the stats and film agree. Rodgers simply hasn't played as well in 2012 as he did during a blistering 2011 season. The fans know it, and he knows it.

Regression was always to be expected, but maybe due to more natural causes. The number of tangible reasons for the slide are concerning.

Once a football god, now mortal, Rodgers has a hole to climb out of both statistically and record-wise. Expectations remain that he eventually will.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on October 12, 2012, 07:33:35 am
I was thinking last night....are the Packers missing Philbin?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on October 12, 2012, 08:43:55 am
Regis?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 13, 2012, 06:17:21 pm
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/10/13/dom-capers-packers-players-disagree-with-rodgers-about-practice-issues/

If Jay said this it would be because he is a selfish jerk who will not take blame for his own performance.  But Aaaron said it so it will be thought of as leadership and everything will be unicorns and rainbows in Green Bay land...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on October 13, 2012, 07:15:01 pm
If I were Packer practice teamer....I would plant his ass hard in the dirt...just to show him how professional I can be  :D
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 14, 2012, 10:37:01 pm
Ya, if I were a Packer teammate I'd be worried too...

NOT!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 14, 2012, 11:11:00 pm
The only time Green Bay wins is when they get all the calls from the refs.  The Packers were given two TD's in the beginning of the game on multiple penalties to keep their drives alive and several were bogus.

Take those away and either the Pack loses or it is a ball game.  I have no problem with the refs calling it tight on PI but call it both ways.  You can't let the Packers DB's mug the receivers but then call PI on every ticky tacky thing against the other team.  Call it both ways that is all I am asking for. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 16, 2012, 06:56:38 pm
Rookie CB Casey Hayward is about to beat out Sam Shields as starter.  He already has 3 interceptions playing part time.

Davon House (second year) had won the starting CB job until he had a shoulder separation.  He is ready to start playing with a shoulder harness, soon.

If Finley doesn't pick up his game soon he could lose his starting job.  I would bet that he won't be with the Pack next season.

I think  that Thompson hit gold in this year's draft.

Jennings should return to starter soon.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 17, 2012, 03:24:51 pm




Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE


Now that the New York Jets are 3-3 and are in a four-way tie for first (and last) place in the AFC East, they are very much alive in the playoff race.
 
Needless to say, New York is most lacking in the passing game, especially after losing top wide receiver Santonio Holmes for the year.
 
There has been a lot of hype surrounding the possibility of Greg Jennings, and I wrote earlier this year the Packers shouldn’t go through with it. But with the recent emergence of James Jones and Randall Cobb, I would feel a lot more confident trading away the two-time Pro Bowler.
 
The Jets might be a little hesitant with this trade since Jennings has missed six of his last nine regular-season games due to injury, but he’s a proven veteran that would greatly help their pass attack.
 
The Packers, meanwhile, would get at least a second-round or multiple third-round picks for the always pick-loving Ted Thompson.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 19, 2012, 02:54:54 pm
Posted by Josh Alper on October 19, 2012, 2:50 PM EDT
 

The Packers ruled out four players on Friday, including defensive tackle B.J. Raji.
 
Raji was able to return to practice in limited fashion on Thursday, but that now looks like laying groundwork for Week Eight against Jacksonville. He injured his ankle against the Colts and missed last week’s resounding victory over the Texans. He will be joined on the sideline by linebacker Nick Perry, who was hurt in that Texans game and missed practice all week as a result. Erik Walden’s playing time against the Rams will likely increase with Perry out of the lineup.
 
Wide receiver Greg Jennings is out as well, the fourth time he’s been on the sidelines out of seven games this season. While speaking to the media Friday, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said that Jennings was getting closer and that the team is holding out hope that he’ll be able to return from his groin injury for the game against the Jaguars.
 
Cornerback Sam Shields was also ruled out by the Packers. He was forced out of the Texans game with a shin injury — throw in linebacker D.J. Smith’s injury for a full sense of how bad an evening it was injury-wise for Green Bay — and was replaced by Jarrett Bush. That will likely be the Packers’ plan again this week against St. Louis.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on October 19, 2012, 03:46:55 pm

When Rodgers is out and maybe Matthews - then I'd be worried.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 20, 2012, 10:34:07 am
Yeah.  That's definitely true.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 23, 2012, 02:51:57 pm
Another week and another great performance by Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers offense. After slow starts the first three weeks of the year, the Packers have now consistently found a way to get points up in the first quarter and get out to fast starts. This is good. The last two weeks the Packers have found a way to do this through the entire game. This is better.
 
Once again I’m reminded of the 2010 season with how this team is playing and operating. In 2010 the offense got going slowly, relying on the deep play and not really finding a groove early in the season. Around midseason the Packers switched from looking for the big play every down to a quick strike passing game and letting the receivers do the rest. It worked and the offense slowly turned around. By the time the playoffs came around James Starks emerged with a running game and it was over for the rest of the NFL. This year the Packers have struggled the first month or so of the season, playing inconsistently and living and dying by the big play. Now they have switched to the quick strike passing game getting Randall Cobb the ball in space and Jordy Nelson for precision routes. Throw in some slants and huge catches from James Jones and this offense is clicking again. If Alex Green can come alive or Cedric Benson back from injury….well let’s say the offense could be something to behold again.
 
Review Of The Passing Game
 
Key performances
 
Aaron Rodgers – 30/37 342 YDS 3 TD 132.2 RTG
 
Jordy Nelson – 8 REC 9 TGTS 122 YDS 1 TD 52 LG
 
Randall Cobb – 8 REC 8 TGTS 89 YDS 2 TD 39 LG
 
It’s good to see the Packers’ passing game back in sync. Rodgers once again looks like a MVP candidate and simply the best player in the league. Hopefully the defense has improved where he doesn’t have to play at this super high level every week. An even bigger hope would be that a running attack can surface to take some pressure off of Rodgers. The good news is that Rodgers has the talent and ability to cover for these deficiencies for a long period of time.
 
Better news out of this is the receiving corp though. Last year these guys played small when Greg Jennings was out of the game and it looked like they needed Jennings there to help draw coverages and get favorable match ups. The last two weeks the Packer receivers have found a way to beat the opposing coverage and get open. In light of Jennings current contract situation with the Packers it’s critical to the long term health of the team for these receivers to be able to work without a Jennings safety net. So far they have shown the ability to do so…especially with the rise of Randall Cobb.
 
Review of the Running Game
 
Key Performances
 
Alex Green – 20 CAR 35 YDS 1.8 AVG 15 LG
 
Randall Cobb – 1 CAR 19 YDS
 
John Kuhn – 3 CAR 16 YDS 5.3 YDS 9 LG
 
Let’s face it, this is sad. I don’t care if you blame the line or Green, but this simply can’t happen. Frankly, neither looked very good out there on Sunday. Now I’m willing to stay patient with Green since he is still running a bit tentatively and I’m going to chalk that up to the knee injury (those things take about a year to recover from to get up to a true 100%)….that said my question is this: If Green is running that poorly and may still be injured where in the heck is James Starks? You all know I’m not a huge Starks guy, but how much faith as the coaching staff lost in him for him to just fall off the face of the earth like he has? Seriously, we can talk about turf toe and how it’s a nagging and chronic injury and the like, but he’s still has to be available and out there. Starks was healthy enough to be activated, why wasn’t he on the field? The more this crazy year unfolds the more I believe this is the last year for Starks in Green Bay.
 
Field Goal Kicking Review
 
Mason Crosby – 3/4 75% 48 LG
 
I’m already on the record saying I’m not going to dog Crosby for missing a 58 yard field goal. That’s the longest of his career and not an easy field goal for most of the kickers in this league. He was still came back and hit two more after that and nailed a 48 yarder. Crosby is fine.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on October 23, 2012, 03:33:15 pm
funny thing is I had Randall Cobb on my fantasy team and cut him.....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 24, 2012, 07:53:46 pm
As long as he is healthy he will be a factor.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 26, 2012, 05:51:44 pm
The Green Bay Packers have been down this road before. During the 2010 NFL season, the Packers were forced to put 15 players on injured reserve. Still, even with that, Green Bay made the NFC playoffs as a wild card, won three road games at difficult venues and then won it all in Super Bowl XLV.
 
Even at that Super Bowl, the Packers lost two of their best players, as both wide receiver Donald Driver and cornerback Charles Woodson were forced out of the game with injuries in the first half. But the Packers utilized the depth on their squad to overcome the loss of Driver and Woodson, beating the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25.
 
The Packers are facing similar obstacles in 2012. Even before the 2012 NFL draft began, the Packers released All-Pro safety Nick Collins due to a neck injury he suffered in the second game of the 2011 season.
 
Then, in the first preseason game, the Packers lost starting inside linebacker Desmond Bishop for the season with a knee injury. To add to that predicament, Bishop's replacement, D.J. Smith, was also lost for the season with a knee injury vs. the Houston Texans in Week 6.
 
The Packers also lost running back Brandon Saine for the season with yet another knee injury in that same game.
 
The loss of Saine meant that the depth chart at running back would be tested, as Cedric Benson had been placed on the injured-reserve/designated-to-return list after the game against the Indianapolis Colts. The designated-to-return option gives teams in the NFL a chance to place one player on that list who can return after eight weeks.


 Andy Lyons/Getty Images


The Packers also saw left outside linebacker Nick Perry go down with a knee injury in the Houston game, but his injury was more of a sprain, and Perry should be able to play at some point in the near future.
 
Cornerback Sam Shields also suffered a shin injury in that very same game, but should be ready to go soon.
 
Adding to the injury frustration, the Packers have also seen wide receiver Greg Jennings miss a number of games due to a lingering groin injury.
 
Finally, after the win against the St. Louis Rams in Week 7, it was learned that Woodson broke his collarbone and would be out about six weeks. It was the same collarbone that Woodson broke in Super Bowl XLV.
 
Woodson was not placed on injured reserve, and the Packers are hoping that he will be able to come back for the last three games of the regular season.
 
Meanwhile, it's a next-man-up mentality in Green Bay.
 
Packers general manager Ted Thompson has the roster to handle situations like this, based on the way he has built the team. For instance, Thompson's very first draft pick in 2005, Aaron Rodgers, was a pick that was based on looking ahead to the future.


 David Welker/Getty Images


When Thompson took over to head the Green Bay front office in 2005, the Packers were coming off three straight NFC North titles and were led by quarterback Brett Favre, who had been named to the Pro Bowl in two of those three years.

Yet Thompson never wavered in selecting Rodgers, and the pick has obviously paid off.
 
Thompson looks to the future when he selects players, either with the NFL draft, free agency or by trade. Thompson has a system he stays true to as he builds the roster of the Packers.
 
The draft has turned out to be Thompson's main building block in putting together the Green Bay organization—and Rodgers has been the foundation of that process.
 
Going into the 2012 season, the team had 30 players on their 53-man roster who were drafted by the Packers. That's almost 60 percent of the roster—almost unheard of in today's NFL.
 
Thompson has also drafted a number of players who have been either All-Pro or selected to a Pro Bowl team.
 
This list would include Rodgers, Collins, Jennings, outside linebacker Clay Matthews, nose tackle B.J. Raji and inside linebacker A.J. Hawk.


 Doug Pensinger/Getty Images


Every once in a while Thompson will have a hiccup in the draft, like when he selected defensive tackle Justin Harrell in the first round of the 2007 draft, but overall, Thompson has selected 75 players in his seven drafts with the Packers, with 63 of those 75 players making the roster.

In terms of pure free agency, Thompson does not dip his toes into that water too often, but when he does, he has hit gold at least once. That would be the signing of Woodson in 2006, who was signed along with DL Ryan Pickett that year. Both players are still with the team.

This year, Thompson brought in veteran center Jeff Saturday and Benson as free agents.
 
However, Thompson is better known for signing "street" or rookie free agents. Players like cornerback Tramon Williams, cornerback Sam Shields, quarterback Graham Harrell, tight end Tom Crabtree, linebacker Robert Francois, safety Sean Richardson, offensive lineman Don Barclay and wide receiver Jarrett Boykin fall into this category.
 
Thompson has always been known as someone who is considered pretty conservative in NFL circles.
 
But in 2012, starting with the NFL draft, Thompson has become much more of a gambler. Thompson traded up three times in the draft this year, equaling all the times he had traded up in his entire career in Green Bay.


 Andy Lyons/Getty Images


Two of three draft trades have paid off significantly.
 
The first was when the Packers traded up to select defensive end Jerel Worthy in the second round. Worthy has really come on as of late and plays a key role in the defensive line rotation of the Packers. Worthy also has two sacks so far this season.
 
The play of the defensive line so far has allowed Matthews to take advantage of matchup issues and have nine sacks already in 2012. In fact, the Packers lead the NFL with 24 sacks as a team.
 
The second trade also gave the Packers another selection in the second round when they picked cornerback Casey Hayward. Hayward has played very solidly for the Packers, and he already has four interceptions.
 
Bottom line: The Packers have seen players step up to the challenge when they have been given the opportunity.

Wide receiver Jordy Nelson has made the loss of Jennings seem somewhat insignificant with his play, as have the play of James Jones and Randall Cobb at the other wide receiver slots.
 
Brad Jones was the next man up at right inside linebacker after Bishop and Smith went down, and he has been fairly solid. It helps when the guy playing next to you, left inside linebacker Hawk, is having a stellar season and leads the team in tackles.


 Doug Pensinger/Getty Images


Second-year running back Alex Smith has received the bulk of the playing time at running back after Benson was injured, and he has been OK. Green has to improve his rushing average (3.1 yards per carry), but he has not put the ball on the ground yet, which is very important.

Erik Walden was getting a lot of playing time at left outside linebacker, even while Perry was healthy, and has played well so far in 2012. The Packers also use rookie Dezman Moses from time to time.
 
Now we will find out how the Packers will handle the loss of Woodson. Woodson played strong safety in the base defense of the Packers, and he then played the slot cornerback position in the nickel-and-dime schemes the Packers use.
 
Hayward will most likely take over at the slot position with either Davon House (who hurt his shoulder in the first preseason game) or Shields opposite left cornerback Williams. Based on Hayward's production so far, I believe he'll be fine in his new role.
 
Rookie safety Jerron McMillian and second-year safety M.D. Jennings will continue to battle each other for playing time as well, while Woodson is out. Both were getting a good amount of time on the field anyway (in the nickel-and-dime), even while Woodson was on the field.
 
The goal for the Packers is to get to the bye week with a 6-3 record and then try and get the troops as healthy as possible for the stretch run of the 2012 season. With home games looming against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Arizona Cardinals in the next two weeks, the chances of that happening are pretty good.
 
The solid depth on the roster certainly doesn't hurt.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 01, 2012, 05:37:49 pm


By Devin Shanley on Nov 1, 11:01a
 


Dilip Vishwanat



The long knock on Jones has been mental lapses and drops. This year Jones has a solution,,,telling himself to "Stay focused."


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One of the more unexpected stories of this past season has been the rise of James Jones. For the past month Jones has been one of the most consistent targets for Aaron Rodgers, and now that Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson are out with injuries for the time being he is essential to keeping the offense moving. He has come a long way from the unwanted free agent who took a discount deal with the Packers last year or the most rumored Packer to be on the trading block this past offseason.

If we were able to go back in time and ask all those Packer fans clamoring to trade Jones to any WR needy team you would get a list of a few reasons. Such lists would include: that Packers have younger and more talented players in Tori Gurley and Diondre Borel, that having Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, and Donald Driver is enough…especially with Jermichael Finley ready for a breakout season, and most importantly that Jones has mental lapses that stop him from tapping into his true potential.

This last reason seemed incurable to the average fan, and it was the most maddening. The best example of this sort of streaky presence for Jones would be the 2010 post season run for the Packers. Jones had some critical drops in Philadelphia…including one that would of helped put the game away early for the Packers. He followed this up with a command performance in Atlanta, making big catches and tip toeing along the sidelines for big games. Then he disappeared in Chicago and dropped important passes in the Super Bowl. Not good. This pattern followed him throughout 2011 and he seemed to slowly disappear from the Packers’ passing attack.
 
But now those troubles seem to be behind him. The solution? It seems that Jones talks to himself during the game, reminding him to stay focused. Although the image of Jones walking around the field saying "Focus" seems a bit too much like Bill Murray reminding himself to take baby steps or Dory telling us to just keep swimming…it’s hard to argue how effective this has been.
 
The Packers are going to need Jones to keep his focus up too. Right now it starting to look like Jordy Nelson may miss another game before the bye. If he does Jones becomes the best target for Aaron Rodgers to throw the ball downfield to on Sunday, and may be the Packers best hope to putting points on the board against a struggling Arizona Cardinal defense.

Glad no one picked him up when he was a UFA.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 02, 2012, 06:59:14 pm
Deja vu  2010.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 06, 2012, 02:43:04 pm


By Kevin McCauley on Nov 6, 11:57a

It's been a disappointing season thus far for Bryan Bulaga, between his play and his recent injury. The Packers don't have much offensive line depth, but his loss shouldn't hurt much.
We're unlikely to know very much about Bryan Bulaga's injury status until a week from Wednesday, but early speculation is that there's a very good chance he won't be ready to play after the bye week. The Packers do not have a lot of depth on the offensive line with Derek Sherrod still out, but that doesn't mean they're going to end up reeling from Bulaga's loss.
 
It's no secret that this season's version of Bulaga has been far inferior to last year's. During the 2011 season, Bulaga was a rock and arguably the line's most consistent player when healthy. He showed serious improvement from his rookie season, and appeared to be a lock to appear in multiple Pro Bowls throughout his career. For some reason unbeknownst to lowly bloggers, his play has dropped off considerably this season, and he's hardly played like an NFL-caliber right tackle, much less a Pro Bowl-caliber one.
 
In the second quarter of Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals, Bulaga went down with a hip injury. Left guard T.J. Lang, who has played tackle both for the Packers and in college, moved to right tackle while all-interior backup Evan Dietrich-Smith came in at left guard. The team saw absolutely no drop-off in run blocking or pass protection after making this change.
 
Based on Lang's previous cameos at tackle and Dietrich-Smith's preseason performances, it wasn't a surprising development. I actually said that I expected the line play to improve when Bulaga went out, and I think I was right. At the very least, there was no noticeable drop-off.
 
While Lang lacks the pure power of Bulaga in the run game, his feet appear to be much better when pass blocking. During all of his snaps at right tackle, I only caught one play in which he was beaten badly while pass protecting. I didn't catch Dietrich-Smith getting beat pass blocking at all, and he did an excellent job on the rare occasion that he was asked to deal with Darnell Dockett.
 
The only noticeable difference between Lang and Dietrich-Smith was in the running game, specifically on stretch and other zone-blocking plays where Dietrich-Smith is asked to make a decision. He's a bit slower than Lang to decide who to block, and on a couple of occasions, he made the wrong decision, allowing the player who he should have blocked to make a play.
 
In this case, I am nit-picking almost for the sake of nit-picking. Yes, Dietrich-Smith needs to get better as a run blocker, especially in space, and yes, Lang does not have the pure power of Bulaga, but there were less mistakes with them in the game. For some reason, Bulaga's feet have looked off all year and he's been very error-prone. There were a handful of plays where Lang or Dietrich-Smith should have done a bit better than they did, but they made no terrible glaring errors.
 
As long as there isn't another injury on the line, we have no evidence to indicate that the Green Bay Packers offensive line isn't going to perform at least as well as they did when Bulaga was playing. Lang isn't any worse at right tackle than he is at left guard, and Dietrich-Smith is a very capable, NFL-caliber lineman. Bulaga should take as much time as he needs to get completely healthy, because at this moment, the Packers have absolutely nothing to worry about.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 06, 2012, 03:04:16 pm


By Devin Shanley on Nov 5, 9:01a
 
Jonathan Daniel

It got rough at times, but this was a satisfying victory. Should the Packers have put the Cardinals away sooner? Probably, but they didn’t fold like they did in Indianapolis. Was a it a perfect performance? No, but it was not as ugly as last week’s game either. It’s a solid win from a team moving in the right direction.

Let’s meet this week’s nominations for MVP:
 
WR Randall Cobb – Cobb did not do much today really. He just scored two touchdowns and had 202 yards of total offense. It’s not like he ran the ball effectively, was one of the main weapons in the passing game, AND had quality returns in the kicking game and punt returns. Right? Oh wait, that’s exactly what he did. Dude is a beast...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 08, 2012, 02:33:00 pm
Derek Sherrod activated off the PUP (report from the GBPG part of story on Borel). This could be good news or ominous news…either way it’s a bit surprising. For a few weeks it has seemed that Sherrod was heading for IR. Not exactly surprising considering how bad his leg injury was, and hopefully it game him to come back next year at 100% and ready to push Bryan Bulaga and Marshall Newhouse for a starting tackle job.

Now suddenly Sherrod is activated off the PUP. This means that he has three weeks to practice with the team before the Packers either make room for him on the 53 man roster or send him to IR.

The next part is where things get murky. This could be good news. It could mean that Sherrod is nearly ready to play this year. Right now it seems like the Packers need him and another healthy lineman with some potential would be great to have around. This could be bad news. It could mean that the Packers are getting desperate for offensive line help with the injury to Bryan Bulaga looking very bad. It could mean nothing as well. It could be a shrewd way of putting off a decision on Sherrod for a couple more weeks to give him a bit more time to get right. Anyway you view it though it is going to be interesting to see how it turns out.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 09, 2012, 07:22:18 pm

By Rob Reischel, for the Journal Sentinel

Nov. 6, 2012

Mark Hoffman

Packers running back Alex Green rumbles for 21 yards before being shoved out of bounds by Arizona's Kerry Rhodes.


More Photos
 

Green Bay - Ryan Pickett isn't one to say he told you so. But the truth is, Pickett called this several months ago.

Back in August, when Pickett and the rest of Green Bay's defensive linemen were getting asked time and time again about their lack of a pass rush in 2011, Pickett held firm.

The sturdy defensive end insisted 2012 would be different. That it would be better.

"Do you remember what I said this summer?" Pickett said Sunday, after the Packers dismantled Arizona, 31-17. "I said we'd be a lot better, right?"

Right indeed.

One season after Green Bay plummeted to 27th in the NFL with just 29 sacks, the Packers' pass rush is back.

As Green Bay heads to its bye week, it ranks No. 1 in the NFL with 28 sacks - just one fewer than its 16-game total from 2011. The Packers are also seventh in sack percentage (8.0%), up from last season's average of 4.55%.

It's a remarkable turnaround from 12 months ago, when the Packers couldn't generate pressure and opposing offenses shredded Green Bay's secondary.

"We've got some good guys that can rush the passer, probably more than we've had in the past," Pickett said. "We've got a lot more people that can play and deserve snaps."

Inside linebacker A.J. Hawk seconded Pickett.

"I don't think it's any great secret. Guys are just winning one-on-one battles," Hawk said. "Obviously, you have to give a lot of credit to coach (Dom) Capers and the schemes he draws up.

"But it's not like we revamped everything this year and came up with 100 new blitzes. Guys are just winning their individual battles, and that's what all the great teams do."

In Green Bay's first two seasons with Capers leading the defense, the Packers were sack-happy. In the 2009-'10 campaigns, Pittsburgh led the NFL with 95 sacks, while Green Bay and Oakland were tied for second with 84.

During the Packers' Super Bowl championship season in 2010, Green Bay tied for second in the NFL with 47 sacks. And the Packers' sack percentage of 8.92% ranked third behind Oakland (10.0%) and San Diego (9.63%).

But when Cullen Jenkins left in free agency in the summer of 2011, he seemingly took the Packer pass rush with him.

Green Bay's 29 sacks a year ago were its second lowest since 1991. Green Bay ranked dead last in sacks among the 2011 playoff teams.

Green Bay's lack of pressure allowed quarterbacks to sit in the pocket for unacceptable lengths of time and carve up the secondary. The Packers finished the season allowing more passing yards than any team in NFL history (299.8 yards per game) and were last in total defense (411.6).

This season, Green Bay is 13th in total defense (341.9), 20th against the pass (243.6) and eighth in opposing passer rating (78.7). Much of that improvement can be attributed to a better pass rush.

"I think last year we had too many players trying to do too much," defensive end Mike Neal said. "We had guys trying to do their job and do somebody's else's job.

"And I think this year if you do your job, you can count on the man next to you to do his job. And that's just how it is and how it needs to be."

As always, outside linebacker Clay Matthews has been the key to Green Bay's pass rush. His nine sacks are tied for second in the NFL behind only Houston's J.J. Watt (10½), and Matthews' 32 quarterback hurries lead the team.

But Green Bay has better depth and more playmakers than a year ago. That's led to fewer snaps across the board and fresher legs for everyone in the front seven.

Outside linebacker Erik Walden has just one sack, but he's second on the team with 14 quarterback pressures. Defensive end C.J. Wilson is second on the team with 2½ sacks. Rookies Nick Perry, Jerel Worthy and Mike Daniels each have two sacks a piece.

Neal, who has played in just four games, and injured linebacker D.J. Smith both have two sacks, as well.

Six other players have at least one sack. So clearly, balance has been the key.

"I think we've made significant improvement," Capers said. "That was kind of the thing last year was we were having a hard time getting pressure on the quarterback.

"I think through the first half of the season, I think there's been a significant improvement. I mean, obviously, if we're No. 1 in the league in sacks."

Capers is blitzing roughly the same amount as last season. But two things are substantially different: A draft class dominated by defensive picks has provided an enormous boost and with more bodies available, snaps are down and production is up.

"This is my third year and I'd say it's a team effort every year," Wilson said. "But we've definitely had some new guys that have come forth this year."

Green Bay's win over Arizona was another example of that. The Packers had just two sacks, but had seven quarterback hurries despite Matthews missing most of the second half with a hamstring injury.

Until Matthews exited, the game was a perfect example of how the Packers can hurt teams with different players from different spots on the field.

On just the Cardinals' third play of the game, Green Bay rushed four and Arizona blocked with five. Neal got single blocked from ex-Packer Daryn Colledge, beat him with a power move and dumped Cardinals quarterback John Skelton in 2.92 seconds.

Late in the first half, the Packers again brought four and Daniels and Matthews ran a tackle-end stunt. When both of Arizona's blockers followed Matthews inside momentarily, Daniels came free on the outside and sacked Skelton in 3.12 seconds.

"I think we're just playing a lot better," Pickett said. "We're definitely deeper than last year, maybe deeper than any time I've been here. And that's huge."

Much like Pickett's prediction has been.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 10, 2012, 04:09:23 pm


By Kevin McCauley on May 1, 7:01p
 

You might see some of this in camp, but with Richardson wearing a number in the 50s or 90s.

In 2009 and 2010, the Vanderbilt Commodores football team finished 2-10. Since they play in the brutal SEC and they have higher academic standards than every other institution in their conference, no one blamed them. In 2011, new head coach James Franklin moved things in the right direction, guiding the team to an appearance in the Liberty Bowl.
 
Vanderbilt won six games while pushing Georgia, Arkansas, Florida and Tennessee to the brink in tough one-score games. Most of the improvements for Vanderbilt came on the offensive side of the ball, but they were much better in pass defense as well. According to CFBStats.com, their opposition passer rating went from 140.52 in 2010 to 110.73 in 2011. They improved their opposition passing accuracy from 63.3 percent to 54.2 percent and grabbed 19 interceptions in 2011 to 2010's nine picks.
 
The anchor of this pass defense was Casey Hayward, a 2nd round pick of the Green Bay Packers and the No. 3 ranked cornerback on some NFL Draft boards because of Janoris Jenkins' character concerns, but he wasn't the only star in that secondary. He was aided by safety Sean Richardson, who the Packers signed as an undrafted free agent. He's known more for his tackling than his coverage abilities, and the Packers plan on utilizing those skills.

As much as the Commodores' pass defense improved, their run defense improved more. They went from allowing 4.46 yards per attempt to 3.56 yards per attempt, and they cut rushing touchdowns from 25 to 12. A lot of that had to do with Richardson's play stepping up in support.
 
Richardson is a battering ram of a safety, listed at 6'2", 220 pounds on the Vanderbilt athletics website. In an attempt to get faster and show off his coverage skills, he dropped to 216 pounds for the combine and 214 pounds for his pro day. He ran a 4.50 40-yard dash at the combine while doing 22 bench press reps and recording a vertical jump of 38 1/2". At his pro day, he did a 20-yard shuttle in 4.19 seconds and the 3-cone drill in 6.90 seconds. He's a workout warrior.
 
He's also probably going to get a little bit slower -- but hopefully not too much slower -- in the short term. That's because the Packers reportedly have plans to convert Richardson to linebacker.
 
When more teams ran 4-3 defenses, it was common practice to convert slow, hard-hitting safeties who played in the 225 pound-range in college to outside linebackers. Now that more teams run 3-4 defenses, pass rushing defensive ends are filling outside linebacker voids, not safeties. The same applies for the Packers, who are going to use 270 pound 4-3 end Nick Perry as an outside linebacker. If Richardson is making the move to linebacker, he's going to play on the inside.
 
Small, quick inside linebackers can be successful in a 3-4 defense, given a few criteria. One, the nose tackle in front of them can eat up blockers. That's certainly the case with B.J. Raji. Two, they're excellent at tackling for their size. That's certainly the case for Sean Richardson.
 
In 2010, when running backs were regularly getting to the second level against the Commodores, Richardson led his team in solo tackles with 67 and total tackles with 98. In 2011, with Vanderbilt doing a better job in the trenches, he finished second on the team with 63 total tackles.
 
In the video below, you can see Richardson wearing both No. 38 and No. 21. His highlights from his early years feature mostly special teams plays, but the few clips of him making tackles in space on quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers are extremely impressive.
 
While other teams were overlooking Richardson because he doesn't have NFL-level coverage skills, Ted Thompson might have found a diamond in the rough at 3-4 inside linebacker. Can Richardson put the pressure on Terrell Manning and D.J. Smith?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wibearfan on November 13, 2012, 01:27:04 am
aidrian peterson seems to be having a good year so far.

yet the pack always matches up well against him. he seems to have quiet games against woodson and co.

do you guys see that continuing this season?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 13, 2012, 02:08:39 pm
I sure don't have any idea.  He is a beast.

The Paxk ususally had good luck against Barry Sanders, too.  One game they held him to -1 yard rushing.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wibearfan on November 14, 2012, 02:40:44 am
he sure looks like a beast this year. (which doesn't help bear fans who see him bounce back like this after knee surgery at the end of the season. meanwhile their franchise linebacker had the same opportunity to have surgery back then but waited until just before the start of the season...and has clearly been a step behind because of it.)

zout used to say, "horses for courses".

for whatever reason green bay has always had peterson's number.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 14, 2012, 05:38:08 pm
Bryan Bulaga is out for the year. Nelson returned. As for the status of the third player injured in Green Bay's last game, outside linebacker Clay Matthews remains unknown. Last week, McCarthy said Matthews would be out "a couple weeks" with a hamstring injury.

Matthews planned to go through more rigorous rehab Monday so McCarthy said he'd have a better idea Wednesday. He's confident in the team's depth at the position. In addition to Erik Walden, Dezman Moses and Frank Zombo, the team filled Bulaga's roster spot with a familiar face in Vic So'oto.

"I feel very good about it," McCarthy said. "It's the most depth we've had. I don't know exactly where Clay is, but we have four and when Clay comes back we'll have five. That's part of the reason why, with Vic being available, why we brought him back."

McCarthy wouldn't rule Matthews out for Sunday's game at Detroit, saying "we'll see what happens." If he is unable to play, it'd be a big loss for a defense ranked second in sacks.

Matthews has a team-high nine sacks and consistently created opportunities for others.

"Clay is a playmaker whether he's actually making a play or freeing someone else up to make a play," Moses said. "You can't really substitute that. We're going to miss him. I'm sure everybody else will step up and do what they have to do. That's what the team is about."

On the bright side, several Packers players returned to practice Monday. Cornerback Sam Shields (ankle), Jerel Worthy (concussion) and fullback John Kuhn (hamstring) all participated in the portion of practice open to the media. Tight end Andrew Quarless and tackle Derek Sherrod also practiced. The Packers have two weeks to activate Sherrod or place him on injured reserve. Also, defensive end Mike Neal did not practice Monday
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on November 15, 2012, 02:29:00 pm
Guess he can sit in his house and stare at his Fatheads...especially the cute one of him with his jeans rolled up and his hair down...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 15, 2012, 09:53:26 pm
LOL.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on November 16, 2012, 05:23:28 am
Guess he can sit in his house and stare at his Fatheads...especially the cute one of him with his jeans rolled up and his hair down...

Is it weird to believe that he is probably like that?  A little over the top (the commercial), but when he is taking the water bottle on the sidelines and dousing his hair the entire game, it sure gives the impression he is trying to keep it pretty...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on November 16, 2012, 06:42:25 am
NFL going to start HGH testing...whenever they do Matthews career will be over.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 18, 2012, 01:52:30 pm
Man I thoguht Fairley was going to give Rodgers the Charles Martin treatment.  Good thing for Rodgers and the Packers he thought better of it before finishing the act.  That would not have ended well.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on November 18, 2012, 03:16:25 pm
GB stole one today, with ALOT of help from the refs. They missed a very obvious PI in the endzone. It was about as obvious a PI as one could get and they did not call it, forcing Lions to kick a FG instead of having a fresh set of downs, then the Packers get a TD and win. Total BS, I swear.....seeing that makes me sick.....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 18, 2012, 09:23:35 pm
According to what I read on this board the officials gave the Pack every game all season.  I guess you see every play different from the officials and the announcers.  The only play the announcers commented on was the obvious non-cacth of the Det WR on the sidelines. Not called by the official, You guys just seem to see another game. 

Once the ball was in the air the Packers DB was watching the ball and had every right to go after it and he did - not the player. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on November 18, 2012, 09:30:32 pm
Bear fan is beecbing about reffing because they know that after tomorrow  they are in second  place.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on November 19, 2012, 02:30:00 am
Guys on NFL Gameday showing the play I'm talking about 'Ooooh, that's PI all day long...all day long.' Let's put it this way....that one play called wrong was the game. Had they called it right, it would have given the Lions a new set of downs near the endzone. They most likely would have gotten it in which makes the game 24-14 with about 3 mins left. Doubtful GB would have come back from it. It cost the Lions the game and gave GB a jump to one from us.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on November 19, 2012, 04:39:27 am
I told a Lion friend that whatever you do on that drive, do not kick the field goal.  That would only put you up by 6, so Rodgers knows you have to have a TD drive and go four downs each series.  The Lions should have went for it, and if they don't score they have the Pack backed up inside their 10.  Then, if the Pack gets into scoring position they have a different mind set and start thinking about if their kicker can make this, etc.

The Lions should have went for it and let the chips fall where they will...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on November 19, 2012, 11:16:07 am
I was simply furious. When that was such a obvious PI and it wasn't called, I knew right then that the NFL wants the Packers in it. It was a frickin mugging and it's biggest BS factor is that it brings them within one of us!!! We blow it tonight we're tied. Of course if we can't get our offense to even show up, it won't matter hereout anyway.....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 19, 2012, 11:50:54 am
If the Bears lose tonnight they are in second place and Green Bay is in first.  They have beat us and have a better division record.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on November 19, 2012, 12:35:53 pm
if the Bears lose tonight they deserve to be in 2nd place.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on November 19, 2012, 01:49:41 pm
PI may have been called on GB on that play, but the Green Bay DB had his head up and was making a play on the ball.

A mugging? Hardly.

Green Bay has been on the short end of many calls this year and stating that the NFL is rooting for one team over another is stupid.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 19, 2012, 06:23:02 pm

Mike Spoffordpackers.com staff writer

DETROIT—The Green Bay Packers said all week it would be a collective effort on defense to replace the injured Clay Matthews, and that’s what they got on Sunday in Detroit.
 
Name a big play on defense in the 24-20 victory at Ford Field and it was almost without fail made by a young defender on this ascending unit.
 
There was M.D. Jennings’ 72-yard interception return for a touchdown, the fifth interception of the season by Casey Hayward, a forced fumble by Dezman Moses, a fourth-down pass breakup by Jerron McMillian, and more.
 
You can count the years of NFL experience of those players on one hand.
 
“They’re some ballers,” said outside linebacker Erik Walden, an aged veteran by comparison who was credited with two of the defense’s five sacks. “Just give credit to them. The position coaches have them prepared to play. Any guy in our defensive room is expected to make plays when they’re called upon, and they’ve been able to do that all year.”
 
No play was bigger than Jennings’ game-changer midway through the third quarter. Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford’s deep ball over the middle was a little behind tight end Tony Scheffler, who reached back and deflected the ball. Jennings was right there to snag it and take off up the far sideline with a convoy of blockers.
 
“We always talk about tips and overthrows,” said Jennings, a second-year player who entered the league undrafted. “The ball was tipped and I was in the right position to make a play on it.
 
“I saw a bunch of offensive linemen and I said, ‘Man, I can’t let an offensive lineman tackle me.’ My guys did a great job blocking to get me to the end zone.”
 
The play was sweet redemption for Jennings, who was on the wrong end of the “Fail Mary” pass in Seattle in Week 3. He now has a different big play attached to his name, and it gave the Packers a 14-10 lead.
 
The defense came up big again late in the fourth quarter, with the Lions trying to punch in a touchdown that would have iced the game. Leading 17-14 with just over four minutes left, Detroit had third-and-goal from the 9 when Stafford tried to squeeze in a tight throw to receiver Titus Young at the goal line.
 
Hayward, a rookie second-round pick whose second-quarter interception unfortunately didn’t result in points, was all over Young to force the incompletion and subsequent field goal that kept the Packers in it. The Lions wanted a flag, and they may have had an argument, but a lot of pushing and grabbing occurred in both secondaries throughout the game.
 
Green Bay’s offense responded with the go-ahead touchdown, but several players said the message on the sideline continued to be “just keep playing.” That’s what the Packers did in this four-quarter fight, all the way to the end.
 
McMillian, a rookie fourth-round draft pick, got beat on a couple of pass plays but was there when he was needed most, a fourth-down heave by Stafford with the Packers trying to protect a 21-20 lead. He knocked it away from Scheffler, and the Packers tacked on a final field goal.
 
“Guys were just finishing,” said third-year safety Morgan Burnett, another “veteran” who had an earlier third-and-goal sack to force a Lions field goal. “That was our main focus going into the week, just keep playing no matter what happens. We had to finish all four quarters today.”
 
Without Matthews and Charles Woodson on defense, no less. This marked the first game Matthews missed due to injury since October of 2010, and it wasn’t flawless, but five sacks, a pick-six and a 54.0 passer rating for Stafford was a heck of an effort.
 
“It says a lot about the character of the team a lot of our best players aren’t playing, and still we’re finding ways to win games,” veteran defensive lineman Ryan Pickett said. “Guys are coming in and playing great football. Players are stepping up and proving themselves.”
 
Perhaps most important, they’re not done yet.
 
“We’re still improving,” Walden said. “The sky’s the limit.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 20, 2012, 07:03:21 pm


What Should Our Expectations For The Packers Be Now?

 4




By Devin Shanley on Nov 20, 5:01p
 



Matthew Stockman



There may not be many more expendable games for the Packers in 2012. But they are bigger, badder, and better than last year's team and still looking like a legit contender for the Super Bowl.


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The Packers are in an interesting situation right now. On one hand they are the hottest team in the league on a five game win streak and have reclaimed the top place in the NFC North – arguably the hardest division in football. On the other hand they are a beaten up team who has struggled their way through ugly victories of underperforming teams. What should we Packer fans take from these mixed messages? What should our realistic expectations be at this point in the season?
 
Are the Packers still Super Bowl contenders?
 
The optimists of the community will come forward with a resounding yes! The NFC still looks wide open, and there has yet to be a truly elite team to step forward in 2012. If it’s not the Packers then who is it?
 
Meanwhile the cynics will be quick to point out that the Packers don’t have much left in the tank. They are beaten up. The offensive line is bad, and boarders on dreadful. The run game is worse, with none of the backs truly stepping up. With a tough slate of games coming up, including a stretch of division games which always be tougher than expected, the Packers may not be in a great a spot as it seems on the surface.
 
As always, what is really happening with the team probably lies somewhere between these two points. The Packers are in a rough spot, there is no denying it....but there is still some light at the end of the tunnel. To understand it all we first must debunk a few myths about the Packers right now so we can get a sense of where they really at….
 
1. This team is ready to go on a run just like that 2010 team did.

The thing people need to appreciate about that 2010 team is they were equal parts lucky and good. If you watch interviews with some of the guys from that team they will tell you that they thought their season was over in New England after losing to the Patriots on Sunday Night Football. It wasn’t until after they got back to the locker room after the game that they saw that the Eagles had beaten the Giants and so were still alive for the playoffs. That team played well enough down the stretch, and had a few breaks go their way, in order to have their playoff hopes come alive. If this version of the Packers is going to go that same path it’s very likely that they will find themselves on the outside looking in at the end of the season.
 
2. This team is overcoming injuries just the same way as the 2010 team did.
 
It’s almost laughable to compare the injuries of 2010 to this year’s cluster of injuries. They just aren’t the same. In 2010 the Packers lost three…at most four…key players. The big losses came in the form of Nick Barnett, Ryan Grant, and Jermichael Finley. You may be able to argue that the loss of Mark Tauscher was a big loss as well…but this is doubtful considering where he was at in his career. After those four (really three) the rest of the injuries were to backups and role players. This year’s injuries are a totally different animal. Sure like 2010 the Packers have lost their top running back, Grant then Cedric Benson now, and sure they lost one of their starting middle linebackers, Barnett then and Desmond Bishop now. You may even argue that the top receiving target was lost too, Finley then (he was the center piece of that offense in 2010 remember) and Greg Jennings now. But this doesn't tell the whole story. The Packers have lost those key players plus a slew of other starters and key personnel such as Sam Shields, Charles Woodson, Jordy Nelson, D.J. Smith, Nick Perry and John Kuhn. Even the RT injuries aren’t the same. In 2010 Bryan Bulaga was ready to step up and start for the injured Tauscher and the rest of the line was able to stay in together. This year, Bulaga was replaced with the LG T.J. Lang and forced Evan Dietrich-Smith in the lineup….causing two positions to shift along the line. All in all this is a much more beat up team and more undermanned team than that 2010 team...and that's saying something.
 
3. The Packers can rely on the defense much like that 2010 team.
 
The Packers had the number two defense in the league in 2010. This year they are more of a middle of the road defense. Still better than last year’s defense to be sure, but still not quite as reliable as the 2010 team. Perhaps the biggest difference between the 2010 defense and this one is the fact that there is no secondary pass rusher to Clay Matthews. There are plenty of potentials, sure, but is there any guy as reliable as what Cullen Jenkins was that year? I don’t think so.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not pining for Jenkins. Letting him go was the right call….but is there any consistent force opposite Matthews? If Perry was going to come back I would buy into him being the answer, but he’s not coming back this year. Worthy, Neal, B.J. Raji, and even C.J. Wilson have shown some flashes that they can do that…but nothing consistent. Dezman Moses gives us some flashes too, but his play is still raw and a bit undisciplined. Erik Walden has shown time and time again that he’s not the answer. Frank Zombo was back last week but barely registered a tick on the stat sheet. So who is going to be that guy? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
 
So What Should We Expect Out Of This Team?
 
One of the most frustrating thing over the past few weeks for all of us fans is seeing how much this team has struggled to win against less talented teams. The word ugly has been used to describe the last three victories, and the teams beaten – the Jaguars, the Cardinals, and the Lions – aren't exactly playoff contenders. These are teams that the Packers should have buried….right? Well, probably not. The Packers have lost a third to half the starters on both sides of the ball. This is a team decimated by injury, but still finding a way to win….and winning isn't easy in the NFL (tired saying yes, but true nonetheless).

In fact, as the myths above point out, this hot streak that the Packers are on isn't even quite the same as the one run by the team at the end of 2010. In a way, it’s more impressive. The Packers are winning not with a backup ILB as a starter, but rather a third string ILB. The Packers aren't missing their top target, they are missing their top two targets. There are more rookies being counted on and more role players stepping up and expanding what their contributions. It’s beautiful to watch even though it’s not good for the blood pressure.
 
The Packers are still looking like a top team in the NFC and should still be considered a Super Bowl contender. All of the teams that could be considered threats have had games which make you wonder what the team has got going forward. The major difference between those teams and the Packers is that the Packers had those games early in the year while the others, the 49ers, the Bears, the Giants, and the Falcons, have all had those games in the last few weeks.

More important than what other teams are doing though is exactly what the Packers are doing…and that is learning to win at any cost. Last year the Packers won more games. Those wins were pretty and they were often blow outs. All of those games relied on a heavy dose of Aaron Rodgers being perfect and the offense just overwhelming the opponent. When Rodgers got cold and the offense languished the team folded in the playoffs. This Packer team has learned to scrap, claw, and fight their way to victories. They have had defensive battles and won. They have had shoot outs and won. They have played sloppy and found a way to win. They haven’t given up. If the Packers are to go on another great run it’s going to take that attitude and mind set to do it…..just don’t expect it to be pretty along the way.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 24, 2012, 05:53:46 pm
When the Packers face Detroit on December 9, Cory Uttech of Sheboygan will be the first non-player to perform the Lambeau Leap during a game.  (And then Ndamukong Suh will kick him in the crotch.)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 26, 2012, 07:18:58 pm
Receiver Greg Jennings, who has missed seven consecutive games because of an abdominal injury that required surgery, is expected to participate fully in practice Wednesday and play next Sunday against the Vikings, coach Mike McCarthy said.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 26, 2012, 07:21:48 pm
East Rutherford, N.J. - Sometimes, football is a complicated game. Sometimes, it's a game won with X's and O's and matchups.

Sunday night was not one of those games.

"We got our butts whupped," nose tackle B.J. Raji said. "There's no sugarcoating it. We got embarrassed tonight."

On national television, the Packers were bludgeoned by the New York Giants, 38-10. In the process, familiar concerns and questions resurfaced. Is this team physical enough, tough enough, to win a championship? In 2011, records fell on a week-to-week basis. Aaron Rodgers steers a must-see-TV offense. But the road to the Super Bowl goes through the Giants and the San Francisco 49ers, the two teams that staged a bloodbath of an NFC Championship Game last season.

To get to New Orleans, the Packers will need to win in a street fight. And at MetLife Stadium, the Giants inflicted four quarters of pain.

"There's no rhyme or reason about it," right guard Josh Sitton said. "They beat us up, man. They kicked our (expletive) today. Give them credit."

The harsh reality of it is that the Packers weren't taking down NFC contenders through their five-game winning streak.

After shellacking the Houston Texans - no doubt, an impressive performance - Green Bay beat St. Louis, Jacksonville, Arizona and Detroit. Their combined record? A subpar 14-29-1. Sunday was a test against a true NFC contender.

Facing the hardened Giants, in November, the Packers would find out if things have changed. Last season proved the Packers needed to be more physical. On offense, on defense. And this week, Raji admitted the film will be "tough to watch."

Offensive linemen were tossed aside for five sacks. The Giants gashed the Packers for 147 rushing yards on 31 attempts. And the missed tackles that haunted the 2011 season returned. On New York's first possession, Ahmad Bradshaw took a screen pass 59 yards, zipping past Erik Walden's wayward attempt.

No, Raji will not make any sweeping declarations on Green Bay's physicality and if this team is equipped to win down the road. He'll concede that for one game, the Giants were more physical.

"That's all that matters at this point," Raji said. "Anything in the future would be speculation at this point. Tonight, they were more physical in all aspects. The scoreboard was indicative of that."

The déjà vu had to be disheartening. For five games, a new-team, new-defense vibe seemed legitimate. Young blood had infused the secondary. The Packers have been playing with more violence as the flags and fines attest.

Yet here at MetLife Stadium, Bradshaw ran possessed with 119 total yards and Eli Manning (114.4 passer rating) had a field day. The Giants raced to a 31-10 halftime lead, deconstructing Green Bay in precisely the same fashion they did last season.

Defensive end Ryan Pickett dismissed any notion that nothing has changed.

"We're a different team - a much different team," Pickett said. "They just outplayed us. No excuses. There's nothing you can say. They outplayed us in all phases of the game. But do we think we can beat the team? Absolutely."

Pickett says such letdowns happen in the NFL, pointing to New York's 31-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals two weeks ago. But in the NFC, the 49ers and Giants are the standard. They're teams built from the inside out - on a running game, on harassing the passer, on grinding out games.

The Packers have five regular-season games left to find out who they are.

On offense, Sitton sees correctable mistakes. It's footwork, pad level, technique, "no crazy crap," he said. He believes it can be fixed.

Same for Raji, as disappointing as this was.

"Being a veteran team, I thought we'd be ready for this game, a prime-time game on Sunday night with all day to rest," Raji said. "But evidently, it wasn't good enough tonight and we have to move on."

For now, Sitton says he isn't worrying about San Francisco or New York. Four of the Packers' five remaining games are within the division. That's the focus, he said. Still, the question remains.

Is Green Bay physical enough?

Sitton paused and stared ahead.

"We weren't tonight," Sitton said, "So we have to improve."

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 26, 2012, 07:24:22 pm
McCarthy needs to bring back Clifton.  One more year?    ;-(
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on November 26, 2012, 08:40:47 pm
Isn't it funny how the Falcons are leading the NFC but everyone knows they aren't what they appear. Not NEARLY tough enough to beat either the Giants or the 9ers, much less the Pack. They may be in the lead, but they aren't even in it....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on November 27, 2012, 04:55:10 pm

Speaking of Clifton...didn't he get put on IR on a hit by Warren Sapp after an interception too.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 27, 2012, 06:59:40 pm
He is finally retired but he could prpobaby come back and outplay what the team has now.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on November 29, 2012, 04:50:37 pm
I really hate, despise the Packers but I also really respect them. They do football right and it ticks me off.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 29, 2012, 06:39:27 pm
Thanks Sporty.  I really appreciate that comment!

Bears fans are the greatest.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 29, 2012, 06:48:34 pm
The Packers will be fine on offense as long as they have Rodgers (they did not match up well with the Giants even when healthy).  On defense they are missing Clay Matthews badly.  It is going to be wonderful when the NFL starts testing for HGH and he becomes mortal again...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on November 30, 2012, 06:58:22 am
Just getting Matthews and Woodson back would change that team up dramatically towards the better. It's seriously hurting them especially with Matthews out. If there's ONE person on that D they could ill afford to have sitting,it's Matthews. It's absolutely killing them. Woodson is key as well but not quite so as Matthews. They may lose a game here, there with those two out but they'll come back strong when they return and Bears luck it'll be when they play us.....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 30, 2012, 02:10:01 pm
Green Bay Packers running back Cedric Benson will have all the time he needs to cultivate his alter-ego, DJ World Peace, for the rest of the year. He won't be playing football again this season.

Brooks: Bears or Packers?
Chicago and Green Bay both look like Super Bowl contenders. Which one will take the NFC North? Bucky Brooks examines. More ...
The Packers announced Thursday that Benson will remain on injured reserve for the rest of the season. He was "designated to return" on IR, but his foot injury was not healing as hoped.

As Marc Sessler pointed out, Green Bay's running game has been lacking all season. The Packers will have to lean heavily on James Starks to stay healthy. Alex Green has looked like a role player who can't be asked to do too much.

Green Bay could survive without a great running game or great pass protection, but it's hard to win if both areas are struggling badly. Aaron Rodgers has more responsibility to carry this roster than ever before.

Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
Previous Article Next Article

OH WOE!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 03, 2012, 04:35:05 pm
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- As the Green Bay Packers' injury list has grown this season, I've been saving the panic button for two occasions. The first is so obvious that I don't think I need to mention it. (Follow this link if you must.) The second was a little more subjective: If one more offensive lineman, regardless of his identity, limped off the field.
 
That moment came with 6 minutes, 42 seconds remaining in the second quarter Sunday at Lambeau Field. Right tackle T.J. Lang sprained his ankle, and the Packers were forced to break the emergency glass and insert one of the two undrafted rookies they are using as backup linemen these days. You would have been justified at that point to expect a jailbreak from the Minnesota Vikings' talented defensive line, but instead you saw one of the more impressive feats of the Packers' season.
 



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• Week 13 scoreboard | Photos
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The Packers secured their 23-14 victory over Minnesota largely by running the ball down the Vikings' throat behind an offensive line that was missing 40 percent of its Week 1 lineup. Rookie replacement Don Barclay was critical to that effort, and by the end of the game, the Packers were running at will, often behind Barclay and right guard Josh Sitton. It was a reminder of how resourceful the Packers have been in winning six of their past seven games, a topic we've discussed before, and it has the Packers once again atop the NFC North with four games left to play.
 
"We're dropping all over the place and every guy has to step up," defensive lineman Ryan Pickett said. "That's the kind of year it's been, and what that kid did for us today was big. I can't imagine what kind of team we would be if we get completely healthy."
 
The Packers might never find out. But if there has been a positive consequence to their spate of injuries, it has been the weekly adjustments they've been forced to make from their usual winning script.
 
Sunday, coach Mike McCarthy adjusted his play-calling noticeably at halftime after having quarterback Aaron Rodgers drop back 24 times in the first half amid only 12 running plays. McCarthy limited the opportunities Brian Robison had to rush against Barclay by calling 20 running plays against 17 dropbacks in the third and fourth quarters. Of those 20 running plays, eight were off right tackle behind Barclay and one resulted in a 22-yard touchdown run by tailback James Starks.
 
"I thought Don did a good job," McCarthy said. "Actually, I thought the confidence in the play-calling reflected that. … After halftime, we just really played a basic, clean football game. … It was nothing unusual. We took a couple shot plays, but it just came down to being balanced with the run and the pass."
 
Barclay got a decent, if technically imperfect, block on Vikings linebacker Erin Henderson on that Starks touchdown run. I don't know if he played well enough to give McCarthy reason to consider moving Lang back to left guard when he is healthy, but Sunday he performed a task every winning team needs. He answered the bell.
 



NFL Playoff Machine

 


Check current playoff seedings and figure scenarios through the end of the season. Playoff Machine

 "A couple of plays probably weren't as pretty," Barclay said, "but every play I was out there fighting my butt off and that's what it's all about."
 
The Packers finished with 152 rushing yards, their second-highest total of the season. Starks and Alex Green combined for 27 carries, the most by the Packers' primary ball carriers this season.
 
Given how they opened the game, dropping back on 24 of their first 36 plays, I'm guessing the Packers weren't originally planning to grind it out. But when it came time to protect a 20-14 lead at the start of the fourth quarter, they pulled off a remarkable 18-play drive that consumed 11 minutes and left the Vikings trailing by two scores with four minutes remaining.
 
On that drive, the Packers took one downfield shot -- a 33-yard pass to receiver Randall Cobb on third-and-12 -- but otherwise worked the ball downfield on runs and short three-step drops by Rodgers. You can't do that without an offensive line that is blocking well.
 
"That was great," Barclay said. "We were chipping them away and wearing them down."
 
This week, anyway. How will the Packers win next time? We'll all have to tune
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on December 13, 2012, 08:42:20 am
Loks like Matthews may get a reprieve...

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/12/13/lawmaker-nfl-players-trying-to-back-out-on-hgh/?test=latestnews


WASHINGTON –  Accusing the NFL players' union of "trying to back out" of an August 2011 agreement to start checking for human growth hormone, a congressman worried aloud Wednesday that the league will head into next season without a test for the banned drug.



Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wibearfan on December 14, 2012, 03:26:30 am
AP Newswire  Dec. 12, 2012

ASCHWAUBANON..amous, WI -- Mathews is sending a message. Clay's signature arms spread wide, muscle flexing pose is gaining notoriety. The (arguably) best player in the history of ever has been flashing new bicep tattoos recently. "The right bicep has a R and an O on it, while the left has a D and an S", Clay acknowledged this past week.

Asked about the meaning behind the new ink Mathews was coy saying, "its just something I felt would motivate the guys, like Aaron's unbuckling his pants touchdown celebration." "I mean, pants-off, dance-off is Packer lore that dates back to when Chewy was interviewing new babysitters."

But Clay wouldn't elaborate (translation: that's a big word that means he wouldn't say more if you're having someone read this for you in the fox river valley) about the secret behind the meaning of his tattoo.

At the conclusion of the interview Mathews changed out of his shirt and began to get ready for practice. He also sported a new chest tatto: the letter "I". Perhaps the "I" on his chest symbolizes what's really important to him.

Or perhaps, coupled with the other tattoos it spells out a secret to his amazing success: R O I D S.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on December 16, 2012, 06:23:04 am
There is no way that can be true....  is there???  He couldn't be that **** dumb...  could he???
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on December 16, 2012, 10:22:02 am
AP - Sportswire Dec 15, 2012


Chicago - The Chicago Bears will announce a new beer following Sunday's game against arch rival The Green Bay Packers. The new beer will be marketed under the name of 'Bears No-Cal Ale'. The product will be available only in 6-Packs and will consist of of six empty cans priced at about $70 each.

The bears feel that if the launch is successful they will offer an 8-Pack next year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wibearfan on December 17, 2012, 03:48:05 am
hmmm......

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/12/10/photo-did-aaron-rodgers-wear-a-thong/
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 19, 2012, 07:08:08 pm

Green Bay - When 12-year veteran Ryan Pickett lines up next to a rookie he doesn't ask, is he talented? Or what round was he drafted? Or from what school?

He asks, is he accountable?

"And these guys are. They're not making excuses," Pickett said. "They're figuring out what's wrong, they're film studying. We don't even call them rookies actually. They've earned our respect. They're teammates.

"Although we do still make 'em buy stuff."

The Green Bay Packers rookie class of 2012 is large and productive. So much so that during the 14th week of the season, defensive line coach Mike Trgovac felt it was time to address the rookies: Don't think about the fact this time a year ago you were home for Christmas break, he told them. It's a trap.

"And then Mike Daniels makes that play against the Lions," Trgovac said, referring to a fumble recovery for a touchdown, "and who's patting him on the butt to get him to go - Casey Hayward. And who comes running up from behind him - Dezman Moses. There's three rookies on our field on the biggest play of our season so far."

Trgovac reminded the rookies of the tradition and high expectations in Green Bay that don't allow for a late-season crash against the rookie wall.

"They feel a sense of pride knowing that," Trgovac said. "We need them."

Eight months ago the Packers proactively took six defensive players in the draft and the defense is better for it. But how does everyone feel about counting on rookies now? With the NFC North title claimed, the 10-4 Packers celebrated with championship hats and t-shirts in the locker room for 10 minutes. By Monday morning, they turned their focus to a playoff push.

Can the rookies be counted on to help get the Packers further along than their early exit a year ago?

"Yes. Those guys have really grown throughout the course of the season," safety Morgan Burnett said. "They carry themselves like professionals. You can't even tell that they're rookies, so I have all the confidence in them."

Leading the class is cornerback Casey Hayward. Against Chicago, Tramon Williams was locked up on Brandon Marshall and Sam Shields had Alshon Jeffery. Hayward was the help and he collected his sixth interception of the season - tying him for third most in the NFL.

Hayward has been assignment sure, smart and reliable at any assessment, much less for a 23-year-old rookie.

"You look at the intangibles of being a pro; some guys can handle it early on, some guys can't," safeties coach Darren Perry said.

The defensive line has been boosted by defensive ends Jerel Worthy and Mike Daniels. Veterans love Worthy's energy, which has helped him get 2½ sacks. Daniels recovered that fumble against Detroit because he was hustling to the ball, and he finished it with a touchdown because he's running on 23-year-old legs, said Trgovac. That play also helped cement Daniels' nickname: Little Scrappy.

"That was one of the funniest things I have ever seen," rookie linebacker Terrell Manning said. "Very happy for him; good things happen to good people. Yeah, we call him Little Scrappy. He's a big-time playmaker. He's got the heart of a lion. He's ready to battle."

With hybrid outside linebacker Nick Perry on injured reserve, Moses (three sacks) and Manning represent the rookies at linebacker. Moses is an up-and-coming pass rusher with three sacks while Manning is still a bit of an unknown. He was sidelined with a parasite in training camp that made him violently ill and caused him to lose a lot of weight.

"We don't even know where it came from," said Manning, who now totes a bottle of hand sanitizer everywhere he goes. "I am real careful of what I touch; it's hard for me to shake hands. During camp I ate a lot of tuna. Now I don't."

Manning feels it is only a matter of time before he can make an impression on the field.

"It's been slow. I'm still putting on the weight," Manning said. "Obviously I was slow coming up with the playbook because I was so focused on my health. I was just trying to get healthy."

Backup safety Jerron McMillian rounds out the rookies on defense.

"J. is more poised and smarter than you think," Darren Perry said. "He'll lead you to believe he doesn't know, but he's very intelligent. He understands the game, so you can play him. It's just a matter of the urgency that's required. You knew that he would be able to handle it; now he works on consistency of his focus. No plays off, where in college not maybe challenged play in and play out."

It doesn't seem the coaches have any concerns about the rookies grasping the plays or understanding their assignments. There's only one worry:

"They're all going to be fired up," Trgovac said. "They try to do too much. They play outside the framework. They want to make a play so bad, they don't understand that you just have to play a little bit harder, you have to go a bit harder - but if everybody does they're job, then we'll be OK."

The 2012 rookie class doesn't end on defense either, with offensive linemen Don Barclay and Greg Van Roten and wide receiver Jarrett Boykin, plus more rookies on the practice squad.

The debate already is starting. Could this be one of general manager Ted Thompson's best draft classes?

"I was just arguing with someone in the locker room and he compared the class with Clay," Manning said. "We have everyone all around the board. The only one who hasn't contributed - yet - is me. So I do feel like we have the best draft class and I'll go ahead and say that."

In 2009, Thompson took defensive lineman B.J. Raji and linebacker Clay Matthews in the first round and both men contributed a lot their first year, just as offensive lineman Bryan Bulaga and running back James Starks were contributing rookies in 2010 and wide receiver/returner Randall Cobb was in 2011. Other Packers still on the team from that 2009 class are offensive lineman T.J. Lang (fourth) and linebacker Brad Jones (seventh).

"This is a good draft class," Raji said. "Usually in the draft class there are one or two players who stand out and maybe one or two who are coming along. It seems like all of these guys are contributing in their own way.

"A big thing with this defense is understanding your role. Some roles are on third down in nickel coverage, or pass rush. Other guys are first or second down. It's really important for a guy to accept his role. If a guy doesn't buy in, it's hard for him to be really effective.

"These guys are mature enough to come in and understand their roles."
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 19, 2012, 07:12:54 pm
Jennings' 'educated guess' is he's not back with Packers


 By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel

Dec. 18, 2012
 





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Green Bay --- On a personal level, this has been a frustrating 2012 season for Greg Jennings. In the midst of a contract year -- likely his final shot at a big deal -- the Packers wide receiver has been sidelined with a core muscle injury. This month, he finally returned from surgery. In his third game back Sunday at Chicago, Jennings caught four passes for 50 yards.
 
His future in Green Bay, of course, has been cloudy at best. In September, Bob McGinn wrote that it'd be wise for the team to trade Jennings. The 29-year old will likely want a deal worth more than the $11.1 million average Tampa Bay's Vincent Jackson received last off-season. And aside from finances, the Packers continued to win with Randall Cobb (77 receptions, 892 yards, 7 touchdowns), James Jones (51-622-12) and Jordy Nelson (46-658-6) at wide receiver.
 
On Tuesday, Jennings admitted himself there might not be a place for him in Green Bay beyond this season. Joining the Double Coverage Podcast with Steve Wyche and Mark Kriegel, Jennings said his "educated guess" is that he will not be back with the Packers next year.
 
A lot of good stuff in this interview. Highly recommend listening to it all here.
 
A few highlights...
 
On being back: “It’s exciting to be jumping back in there. It’s interesting to see how you can go from just being ‘the guy’ to just kind of integrating yourself back into the offense. So it’s a unique situation. But it’s fun. It’s fun to be able to say I’m back out there and I’m excited to be back out there.”
 
On his role: “My role hasn’t changed. It’s just, you know, guys have been playing well and it’s a matter of getting your opportunities. Like you said, I’m coming in a little late to the party. So at some point here, I’ll make my presence felt.”
 
On how he feels physically: “I feel great physically. No pain at all physically. I’m able to do what I was before prior to the injury so I feel great. There’s been no setback other than the eight weeks that I missed.”
 
On the injury affecting his future: “I don’t worry about that. There have been several guys who have come off much worse injuries—ACL’s and different things like that—that’s far more difficult to come off and to perform after an injury like that.”
 
On his educated guess if he'll be back next year: “An educated guess? My educated guess, I’m going to lean to the ‘no’ side of it. That’s my educated guess, my personal educated guess.
 
“If I had a choice, if it was just my decision only, absolutely I would be here in a heartbeat. I wouldn’t want to leave at all. But obviously it’s two sides. So the Packers are going to do what’s best for them and hopefully I’m what’s best. But if not, I have 31 other teams that hopefully I can show them my resume, then walk into the door and start back over.”
 
On it being a case of money/others stepping up: “When it comes to myself, it’s definitely going to be a money issue and then at the same time you have a group of guys that are performing very well. The Packers have put themselves in a position where they can afford to kind of ruffle and shuffle things and roll the dice. But who knows? We’ll see what happens.”
 
On the franchise tag: “Yeah it’s never an attractive option for a player who’s trying to get a long-term deal, especially with this being potentially my last deal. No one wants to play under a one-year contract where anything can happen and now you’re in even a worse situation. No one wants to think that, no one wants to even talk about it. But that’s the way we play the game. That’s what’s out there. The franchise tag definitely favors the organization. It doesn’t favor the player at all.”
 
On the fact that several receivers have been successful in this offense: “Yeah, absolutely. I feel like that. They’ve done a great job drafting guys. Obviously Randall, I’m close to all the receivers on the football team, but Randall’s kind of like a little brother to me. And he has performed at such a high level and I hope he continues to perform at such a high level. It makes us better, quite honestly. He’ll tell you and everyone else will tell you, I’m one of the most unselfish players out there when it comes to a receiver. But at the same time, I’m not naïve to the fact that I need to make my share of plays too to make sure I’m holding up my end. This year, with the injury and everything, it’s given guys an opportunity to step up and make plays to show that they can be reliable.”
 
On balancing that friendship and individual financial interests: “At the end of the day, it’s a business. It’s not Randall’s fault, it’s not Jordy’s fault. We challenge on another, we compete. We set the bar high for one another and I feel like when I first started ‘Drive’ was the guy. He set the bar high and we all had to match it or exceed it. If you weren’t matching it then that’s when guys get let go. That’s been the case. Guys have set the bar high.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 19, 2012, 07:21:14 pm
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1450397-green-bay-packers-players-guaranteed-to-be-gone-after-the-2012-season?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=green-bay-packers#/articles/1450397-green-bay-packers-players-guaranteed-to-be-gone-after-the-2012-season/page/7 (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1450397-green-bay-packers-players-guaranteed-to-be-gone-after-the-2012-season?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=green-bay-packers#/articles/1450397-green-bay-packers-players-guaranteed-to-be-gone-after-the-2012-season/page/7)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on December 20, 2012, 06:12:21 am
I'd love to snbag Jennings but no way would we pay that price for a receiver who will likely start to decline. 

Buyers remorse, we should have gone after Steve Smith with the Panthers a few years ago when it appeared he could have been had...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on December 20, 2012, 10:08:04 am
Wouldn't Cutler have a huge chubby throwing to Marshall, Jefferies and Jennings if they could fix the line as well for next year!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on December 20, 2012, 03:38:45 pm

...and don't forget to add a TE to the wish list.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 20, 2012, 04:11:54 pm
Jones was available cheap as a UFA last season.  Leading the league is TD passes.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 21, 2012, 03:20:54 pm
Green Bay Packers: What Will Charles Woodson's Role Be When He Returns?By Marques Eversoll(Featured Columnist) on December 20, 2012 3,334 reads


Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse more storiesNext Charles Woodson hasn't played since October. How good will the Packers defense be when he's ready to return to the field?
Jeff Gross/Getty Images
Packers defensive back Charles Woodson hasn't played since the Oct. 21 game against the St. Louis Rams.

Woodson suffered a broken collarbone and was initially expected to be out about six weeks. In total, Woodson has missed eight weeks and seven games since his injury.

He's expected to be medically cleared to play either this week against the Tennessee Titans or next week for the Packers' game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Prior to getting hurt, Woodson had a complex role in Green Bay's defense. In the base 3-4 scheme, Woodson played strong safety alongside Morgan Burnett, and he bounced inside to play cornerback in the slot when the Packers were in their nickel package.

But since Woodson has been out, rookie cornerback Casey Hayward has emerged as one of the Packers' top playmakers in the secondary. Hayward leads the team with six interceptions, and according to Pro Football Focus, he's been the second-best cornerback in the league this season, trailing only Chicago's Charles Tillman.

There are 112 cornerbacks in the NFL that have played at least 25 percent of their team's defensive snaps. The PFF grading system has four Green Bay cornerbacks in the top 39—Hayward, Tramon Williams, Sam Shields and Davon House.


How far will the Packers go in the playoffs?
 1st Round
 Divisional Round
 Conference Championship
 Lose in Super Bowl
 Win Super Bowl
Submit Vote vote to see results   
How far will the Packers go in the playoffs?1st Round1.7%Divisional Round5.9%Conference Championship15.9%Lose in Super Bowl3.4%Win Super Bowl73.1%Total votes: 847

Williams is an every-game starter for the Packers, while Shields and House have taken turns in the starting lineup across from Williams. Hayward can line up either inside or outside, but he's currently one of the most effective slot cornerbacks in football, despite being only a rookie.

Woodson, 36, isn't the athlete that he once was. Prior to the season, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy acknowledged (via ESPN Wisconsin) that Woodson may not be capable of wearing as many hats, saying, "I don't think it's feasible to move Charles around as much as we have in the past."

Now, armed with perhaps the deepest set of cornerbacks in football without Woodson, the veteran defensive back may stick at safety and not move at all.

In the base defense, rookie Jerron McMillian and second-year player M.D. Jennings have filled Woodson's shoes at strong safety. McMillian has proved to be stout against the run, while Jennings has been slightly more reliable in the passing game. Neither has Woodson's play-making ability or veteran instincts.

Woodson's presence could take the Packers defense to the next level, as strong safety is currently the only true weak spot in Green Bay's secondary.

At free safety, third-year player Morgan Burnett has emerged as a reliable player in the middle of the Packers defense. After a poor performance in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers, Burnett has been steady throughout the season.

Pairing Burnett with a veteran like Woodson could be exactly what this defense needs to propel the Packers to a deep playoff run.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 22, 2012, 06:41:01 pm
Dom Capers' confidence grows as young defenders score more wins than losses

 
GREEN BAY—On the day last spring when Charles Woodson was “officially” moved to safety, the cornerback position “officially” became the pivot point of the Packers defense. Any chance Dom Capers’ unit had of improving depended on a young player emerging at cornerback.
 
“If you don’t have corners that can cover, you’re going to be playing a lot of ‘cover two.’ How much you do is going to be based on how well you cover,” Capers said on Friday, as he put the finishing touches to his unit’s preparation for Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans.
 
As the postseason nears, Capers’ defense is growing in scheme and is shooting up the rankings. A defense that was dead last in the league overall and the same in pass defense and in sacks per pass play last season is now 14th, 16th and sixth respectively.
 
How did it happen so quickly? You could certainly make a case for the emergence of rookie cornerback Casey Hayward and the re-emergence of third-year corner Sam Shields as being the catalysts to the defense’s rise.
 
Hayward leads the team with six interceptions and Shields is tied with cornerback Tramon Williams and safety Morgan Burnett with two picks each. Shields’ improved tackling is the real story, however, because it allows Capers to keep Shields on the field and not worry about teams running at him.
 
“I think we have the fewest missed tackles of any team in the league,” Cornerbacks Coach Joe Whitt said. “Sam Shields is the one I’m most pleased with. His physicality has totally changed. He was challenged in that area.”
 
Hayward is a strong candidate to win league rookie of the year honors. He’s been more than a contributor, he’s been a star, a player who has made game-winning types of plays.
 
“He does not miss assignments. He does not give up plays. I think he’s as good as any rookie playing,” Whitt said of Hayward.
 
With Williams playing at his expected high level at the other cornerback position, and with second-year man Davon House also an ascending player, it would appear the Packers are set at the position for a long time. More to the point, cornerback gives the Packers the look of a defense playing at peak performance heading into the postseason.
 
“One of the critical things is the kind of momentum you carry into the playoffs. How we play the next two weeks is critical. You want to be ascending going into the playoffs. You want to be playing your best football now in December,” Capers said.
 
Is the Packers defense playing its best football?
 
“I think so. We played our most complete game on Sunday. That’s how you gain confidence, being able to go out and do it on the field,” Capers said. “I grade every play as a win or a loss. My confidence is greatly increased when we have more wins than losses.”
 
The Packers defense will attempt to continue that trend two more times before the postseason begins.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on December 23, 2012, 12:32:17 pm
I see the refs continue to help the Packers.  First they called a deep pass incomplete that was caught then they call the Titans for intentional grounding when the receiver almost touched the ball.

No team gets more calls go their way then the Greenbay Packers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest77 on December 23, 2012, 01:51:43 pm
I see the refs continue to help the Packers.  First they called a deep pass incomplete that was caught then they call the Titans for intentional grounding when the receiver almost touched the ball.

No team gets more calls go their way then the Greenbay Packers.

Yup!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on December 23, 2012, 02:36:28 pm
41-0 and your beeching about reffing.

enjoy
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on December 23, 2012, 03:04:52 pm
Make that 55-0.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 25, 2012, 12:16:37 pm

Green Bay - Under the deliberative direction of Ted Thompson, the Green Bay Packers almost never make major decisions until deadlines near.

But barring a shocking turn of events in the next month or so, tight end Jermichael Finley is playing his fifth and final season for the team.

Sources familiar with the Packers' thinking say the club not only wants to get rid of Finley but has decided to do exactly that in the off-season.

It means that if the Packers cannot find a trade partner, they are prepared to release Finley because of financial, competitive and behavioral reasons.

There is no way the Packers will pick up the second half of the two-year, $14 million contract they gave Finley in late February, according to sources.

Finley hasn't performed anywhere near the sixth-best tight end in the National Football League, which is where he ranks in average salary per year at $7 million. An executive in personnel who conducted a full tape study of Finley last week rated him as the 22nd-best tight end.

Russ Ball, the Packers' vice president of football administration, hasn't signed many bad contracts since taking over the negotiating job in February 2008 and he surely didn't do one with Finley.

By insisting upon a short-term deal, it gave the organization another year to monitor their offense and their locker room with Finley in it. The Packers' concerns only grew stronger in the last 10 months.

The deadline on Finley is the 15th day of the league year, or mid-March. If he's on their roster at that time, the Packers must pay him a $3 million roster bonus.

No matter what happens, the Packers must count the prorated portion of his modest $1 million signing bonus against their 2013 salary cap, or $500,000. But when he leaves their roster via trade or waivers, his $4.45 million base salary, $500,000 roster bonus and $300,000 workout bonus all go away.

Neither the Packers nor some personnel people for opposing teams expect Finley to be much of a loss.

The Packers won a Super Bowl two years ago without Finley, and they went 3-1 this year without Clay Matthews. In an interview with Packer Plus last month, Finley categorized himself as the fourth option on offense, and fourth options normally don't rank fifth on a team's pay scale as Finley does in Green Bay.

Coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Aaron Rodgers seem to have lost some confidence in Finley and have moved toward a more wide receiver-driven attack. Next year, the Packers will return four veteran tight ends along with Brandon Bostick, a rookie free agent on the practice squad with exciting potential as a downfield receiver.

Besides, McCarthy's interest has been piqued by the prospect of fielding a legitimate rushing attack next season, and that would be hard to do given Finley's soft blocking.

Andrew Quarless, the team's best blocking tight end in 2011, will be back. So will D.J. Williams, who at merely 238 pounds is a more effective and willing blocker than the 248-pound Finley, one scout said.

The Packers also will return scrappy Tom Crabtree and Ryan Taylor, and have more than enough draft choices to add another tight end if he's the best player available.

Clearing $8.25 million off the books for Finley will give the front office flexibility in negotiations with Rodgers, Matthews and B.J. Raji, which are expected to commence shortly after the season.

It also might give the Packers the incentive to take another shot at re-signing wide receiver Greg Jennings, who was eyeing a deal averaging in the $16 million range before an abdominal injury cost him half a season. Unless a team such as Miami goes hard after Jennings, it's unlikely he can command anywhere near $16M.

Even if Jennings departs as an unrestricted free agent, the Packers would be good to go with Jordy Nelson and James Jones outside, Randall Cobb inside and youngsters Jeremy Ross and Jarrett Boykin entering their second seasons.

Donald Driver is expected to retire, and if Jennings leaves the Packers figure to draft another wide receiver, too.

Finley's contract for 2013 would be a deterrent for most teams interested in making a trade. In order to avoid having to cut Finley, the Packers no doubt would give agent Blake Baratz the chance to shop his client and try to land a long-term deal with a new team that would be more cap-friendly in 2013.

The Packers probably would be fortunate to obtain a draft choice because the entire league will know they're not keeping Finley past mid-March.

It just depends on whether a team such as Oakland, which needs a tight end and is led by general manager Reggie McKenzie, believes enough in Finley to make a deal.

The overriding reasons behind the Packers' decision to move on are Finley's contract and his disappointing performance in the last 1½ seasons. But certainly the way Finley has conducted himself over the five years enters the equation as well.

As one NFC personnel man said last week, "He seems to always say the wrong thing at the wrong time."

So did Baratz. The Packers were and remain livid about the agent's tweet saying Rodgers "isn't a great leader." No matter how Finley tried to disassociate himself from Baratz on the matter, the damage was done.

Still, Finley has said many things himself over the years that chapped this button-down organization. In some ways, he was just being honest, as happened Wednesday when he said Chicago linebacker Brian Urlacher had slowed down.

Every coach and scout in the industry knows that to be true, but there are certain things the Packers just don't want being said during Bears week.

In the end, they ran out of patience wondering what Finley or those close to him would say or do next.

There also were deep-rooted questions about the level of respect Finley still had among his teammates and coaches.

Finley's heyday was the final eight games of 2009 and the first four games of 2010. Over that 12-game stretch, he posted three of his four 100-yard games, catching 65 passes for 876 yards, a 13.5 average and five touchdowns. Lined up more wide than in a three-point stance, he was targeted 83 times.

After the 2010 playoff defeat in Arizona, veteran safety Adrian Wilson said Finley was "very comparable to Antonio Gates. Hell of a player."

On Oct. 8, 2010, two days before Finley suffered a season-ending knee injury in Washington, Redskins defensive coordinator Jim Haslett said, "He is probably one of the better (tight ends) in the league, if not the best."

After three seasons, Finley was so focused that he didn't have a single penalty and dropped a very manageable seven passes in 117 attempts.

At the combine in February 2011, McCarthy said, "I love that kid, man. He's so competitive and he loves to play football."

Since then, Finley has been penalized nine times and dropped 19 of 166 passes, a rate of 11.5% that almost doubles his mark from 2008-'10. According to STATS, no tight end has dropped more in the last 1½ seasons, and most of the leading tight ends have dropped fewer than 10.

Gates, by the way, has three drops in 157 targets during that span.

So when Finley, directly or indirectly, groused about lack of opportunities, his complaints fell on deaf ears. Not that Finley was being malicious, but the Packers finally reached the conclusion they couldn't trust him.

Finley entered the NFL in 2008 with 4.62-second speed in the 40-yard dash. Some faster, more talented tight ends are in the league, and while you no longer see Finley pull away from defenders and run through deep zones, scouts say his ability to stretch the field remains impressive.

Based on the scout's evaluation last week, Finley's ability to run is his most attractive asset.

"But I didn't see him like a couple years ago where you worried about him all the time," one personnel director said. "I don't see that mismatch ability like I used to. Drops. Inconsistent routes. Not disciplined."

Beyond the erratic hands, the scout said Finley stops playing hard if he isn't doesn't see the ball early in games.

"If he was into it, he could clear out zones and put pressure on the safeties," the scout said. "But if he's not involved you see three-quarter or halfhearted effort. I don't get the impression he's a team player. If he's not involved, his attitude is, 'I won't bust my butt.' "

At times, the scout said, Finley can be explosive out of a three-point stance. Other times, he said, Finley "falls off the face of the earth and it's like playing with 10 guys."

Scouts say they see lack of flexibility in Finley. One theorized that it was stiffness in his hips and knees that caused him to drop so many balls.

As a split receiver, Finley struggles to sink his hips and make sharp, wide-receiver type cuts to get open.

"His routes aren't polished to that level," one scout said. "If you run a great route, you get open, but that doesn't seem to matter to him. He's playing more like he's on the playground."

Finley has been more aggressive after the catch in the last month. Based on STATS data, he is tied for 11th among tight ends in average yards after the catch.

At midweek, Finley admitted that he should do a better job as a blocker. He already has allowed four "bad" runs this year, two more than his previous high for a full season.

"It's downright embarrassing at times," one scout said. "I've seen Finley just whiff. Not a lot of interest in pass pro, either. He lacks great strength and is not a physical guy."

On Tuesday, one scout was asked to compare Finley to 31 other prominent tight ends on the basis of winning a game now. He tabbed 14 over Finley while giving Finley the edge over 17.

But on Thursday, after reconsidering his choices following extensive tape work on Finley, he moved these seven tight ends from being worse than Finley to being better: Brent Celek, Brandon Pettigrew, Greg Olsen, Anthony Fasano, Ed Dickson, Heath Miller and Marcedes Lewis.

Thus, Finley finished as the No. 22 tight end on that scout's board.

"He's that type of athlete that will fool people," the scout said in summation. "Unless you really, really dig and do your homework, and just look superficially, you'll say all he needs is just a change of scenery. The ego of most coaches will be, 'I can fix this guy.' "

Youth remains one of Finley's greatest allies. He won't turn 26 until March.

Asked if he would be sad to leave Green Bay, Finley said, "If it is my time to go, I'd be disappointed.

"I've got some regrets. But I've done a great job and played to my ability and my opportunities."

Now it would be in Finley's best interests to help the Packers win another Super Bowl. He will need every résumé-builder that he can find come March.

Send email to bmcginn@journalsentinel.com




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Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 26, 2012, 07:24:42 pm
Receiver sets teamnet yardage mark
By Rob Reischel, for the Journal Sentinel Dec. 25, 2012 EmailPrint( 8) Comments Related Coverage

The city of Green Bay was about to be pounded last week. And Randall Cobb, a southern fellow through and through, wasn't doing backflips.

"I don't like cold weather," Cobb said. "I don't like snow."

That's about the only complaint Cobb has had in this record-setting season.

Receiving. Running. Returning. Cobb has redefined the three R's in Green Bay.

And when the second-year jack-of-all trades had another big day in Green Bay's 55-7 win over Tennessee on Sunday, Cobb placed his name in Packer history.

Cobb has 2,342 combined net yards this season. That broke Ahman Green's franchise mark of 2,250 set in 2003.

"He's a big-time player. He's fun to watch," Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. "Just trying to get him the ball in space. He makes some big plays.

"He's got incredible preparation habits. He's always ready to play, knows where he's supposed to be. He's like a seven- or eight-year veteran out there, it feels like at times. I feel like we've played together for a while. He understands the concepts we're running, where to get open.."

Packer fans held their collective breath for a few moments midway through the third quarter Sunday when Cobb went down with an ankle injury after a punt return. But coach Mike McCarthy said afterward he believed the injury was minor.

"I hope it's not serious," McCarthy said. "The training staff on the field did not give me anything to believe that it was very serious."

That would be terrific news for a Packer offense that has become remarkably centered on Cobb during his breakout season.

Last month, nose tackle B.J. Raji called Cobb Green Bay's second most important player, behind only Rodgers. While Clay Matthews might argue that point, Cobb is certainly in the discussion.

Cobb leads the Packers in receptions (80) and receiving yards (954) and ranks second in receiving touchdowns (eight). Cobb's 80 catches are the second-most ever by a Packers' second-year player, trailing only Sterling Sharpe's 90 receptions in 1989.

"There are so many great players who have come through here," Cobb said. "It's definitely an honor to be mentioned in those names, but I'm a championship guy. I'm worried about a championship. Records can be broken, but you can't take championships away."

Cobb has also been one of the NFL's more dynamic return men.

He has 964 yards on his 38 kickoff returns (25.4 average) and is also averaging 9.4 yards on his 31 punt returns (292 total yards).

In addition, Cobb has carried the ball 10 times and is averaging 13.2 yards per carry.

"He's really done it all for us," wideout James Jones said. "You name it, he's doing it. For a young guy like that, it's been extremely impressive."

With the post-season nearing, though, Cobb may be asked to do less.

The 5-foot-10, 192-pound Cobb has taken his share of punishing hits this year. So McCarthy may elect to ease Cobb's burden this post-season by asking someone else to handle kickoff and punt returns.

"Well, we'll see," McCarthy said after the rout of the Titans. "We'll see."

Cobb has no desire to scale back.

"Football wears on you regardless of what position you play," he said. "I've maintained my health for the most part throughout the season, so I'm just trying to finish strong and . . . a little relaxation after that. But right now it's time to grind.

"I think it would be hard for me, because I love being on the field. I love playing football. Yeah, I understand the reasoning and maybe at some point it will be the best thing for the team or me, but right now I feel like I can handle the duty. As long as coach thinks I can handle it, we'll be fine."

The Packers have been more than fine with Cobb since he arrived with the 64th overall pick in the 2011 draft. Six receivers went before Cobb that year, and only Cincinnati's A.J. Green (the No. 4 overall pick) and Atlanta's Julio Jones (No. 6) have had starts that rival Cobb's.

Kansas City's Jonathan Baldwin, the 26th overall pick, has 41 career receptions and two touchdowns. Detroit's Titus Young went 44th overall and may have already worn out his welcome with the Lions. Baltimore's Torrey Smith (No. 58) and Cleveland's Greg Little (No. 59) have been solid, but not as productive as Cobb.

"He's had an incredible start here," Jones said. "The sky is certainly the limit for him."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 28, 2012, 08:15:45 pm
Everyone knows about the power and ability of Adrian Peterson. He is the centerpiece of the Vikings’ offense and the main reason why the Vikings have a shot at the playoffs. As important as Peterson is to the Vikings though there is one other offensive threat that the Packers face on Sunday. The other player that can make the Packers pay is tight end Kyle Rudolph. Rudolph is not quite the impossible match up of some tight ends in the league, but he is a solid option for Christian Ponder to throw to and has displayed sure hands when needed. Perhaps most important, Rudolph is a great target in the red zone. With the Vikings lacking talent in the WR group right now it is going to be essential for them to get Rudolph involved early and often in the passing attack. If they can’t, then it will be nearly impossible for them to keep up with the Packers.
 
One of the problems of the Packers defense over the past few years is a difficulty covering tight ends. The inside linebackers are not quite good enough in coverage to be able to move with solid young TE and the safeties often have responsibilities elsewhere in the defense. Often this is where a healthy Charles Woodson comes in handy. He may not be able to run with wide receivers anymore, but he can handle most TE’s in the league. Alas, Woodson is out for the week though. As a result expect Morgan Burnett to be the main factor preventing Rudolph from having a big game.
 
Burnett has been the main force in helping the Packers get over the loss of Woodson in the secondary. He has been an effective leader, tackler, and playmaker. Currently Burnett is tied for the team lead in total tackles and leads the team in solo tackles. He also leads the team in forced fumbles. It has been this reliable play that has kept the Packers afloat on defense. The best example of this was in the previous meeting with the Vikings, there Burnett was able to get two interceptions at critical times. It is this cover ability and playmaking ability the Packers need on Sunday to help neutralize Rudolph.
 
If the Packers can manage Peterson and shut down Rudolph then the Vikings are finished….but doing so is easier said than done. Rudolph has very good hands is a reliable underneath target for the shaky Christian Ponder. It will take solid effort from the Packers’ inside linebackers, and especially Morgan Burnett, in order to shut Rudoloph down and put an end to the Vikings’ post-season hopes.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: VJ on December 31, 2012, 06:38:40 pm
(http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/article/media_slots/photos/000/666/045/JordyHidesFlag_original.gif?1356914396)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 01, 2013, 08:46:20 am
lol, that was hilarious when I saw that....boy he grabbed that flag up quick and hid it, lol....and man was that cameraman johnny on the spot! He picked up on that fast and got great vid of it. And watch as Rodgers comes flying past Nelson screaming at the HC, too funny....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 03, 2013, 03:58:57 pm
A look at the numbers shows one very clear trend in rematches from Week 17 to the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs.


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As soon as the Vikings clinched their win on Sunday and locked in a trip to Lambeau Field in the Wild-Card round of this year's NFL Playoffs, my mind immediately flashed back to the 2009 season. That year, Green Bay won handily in Arizona before playing there again the following week. We all remember the result of that game - Jermichael Finley's coming out party was combined with a miserable defensive effort in a heartbreaking 51-45 loss in overtime.
 
That then got me to thinking: how many of these playoff rematches have taken place under the current playoff format? Furthermore, are there any trends that can be observed from looking at the results of these games? Well thankfully, NFL blogger Scott Kacsmar (aka @CaptainComeback) saved me the trouble of looking back through all the playoff results from the past 20+ years. He tweeted this, which I discovered thanks to ESPN Wisconsin writer Jason Wilde's retweet:
 



Scott Kacsmar@CaptainComeback


@jasonjwilde @mattsonsalla This is what I have on Week 17 rematches: pic.twitter.com/hVpkJfSl



 30 Dec 12 Reply
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Parsing through that table, we have the following results, which I tweaked a bit to show up in a little more blog-friendly format. Note that all the home teams are shown in bold; obviously, the home team in the wild-card round is the team with the better seed.
 


Year
 
Week 17 Winner
 
Week 17 Loser
 
Score
 
WC Winner
 
WC Loser
 
Score
 


1991
 
Chiefs
 
Raiders
 
27-21
 
Chiefs
 
Raiders
 
10-6
 


1992
 
Oilers
 
Bills
 
27-3
 
Bills
 
Oilers
 
41-38 OT
 


1993
 
Raiders
 
Broncos
 
33-30 OT
 
Raiders
 
Broncos
 
42-24
 


1993
 
Lions
 
Packers
 
30-20
 
Packers
 
Lions
 
28-24
 


1997
 
Patriots
 
Dolphins
 
14-12
 
Patriots
 
Dolphins
 
17-3
 


2000
 
Rams
 
Saints
 
26-21
 
Saints
 
Rams
 
31-28
 


2001
 
Jets
 
Raiders
 
24-22
 
Raiders
 
Jets
 
38-24
 


2001
 
Eagles
 
Buccaneers
 
17-13
 
Eagles
 
Buccaneers
 
31-9
 


2004
 
Broncos
 
Colts
 
33-14
 
Colts
 
Broncos
 
49-24
 


2009
 
Cowboys
 
Eagles
 
24-0
 
Cowboys
 
Eagles
 
34-14
 


2009
 
Packers
 
Cardinals
 
33-7
 
Cardinals
 
Packers
 
51-45 OT
 


2009
 
Jets
 
Bengals
 
37-0
 
Jets
 
Bengals
 
24-14
 



Looking over this table, you can see a few trends take shape. The most obvious trend is that in the playoff game, the home team (and therefore the better team based on seeding) has gone 10-2, or a winning percentage of .833. What is fascinating is that by my count, home teams have a winning percentage of .659 (58-30) in the Wild-Card round since 1990. Part of that difference can be chalked up to the much smaller sample size of the rematches, but it's a little surprising that there is that large of a difference. Clearly, this bodes well for the Packers as the 3 seed with home-field advantage this week.
 
Another trend that you can see is that the team winning the Week 17 game is only 6-6 in the playoffs. However, when the team with the better seed loses in Week 17 , as the Packers did, they are 5-1 in the wild card round, with the only loss coming from the 2009 Bengals.
 
One factor in home teams winning so frequently in the playoffs overall is that home-field advantage obviously plays a big part in winning overall, and the home team is usually the better team anyway. One possible explanation for the bigger advantage for the home team in rematches is that the team with the worse seed may have expended more energy in the last game with a playoff spot on the line, while the better-seeded team would have locked up a playoff spot already and therefore had less to play for. They may be less likely to show their entire playbook in an effort to win that last game, and may instead be saving up some plays (or even players) for the assured playoff run.
 
Ultimately, history shows that the home team (and therefore the better team) has tended to prevail in playoff rematches, regardless of the result in the final regular season game. Hopefully for Packers fans, this trend will continue this season.

                                                                                                                                     
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 03, 2013, 04:05:55 pm
If the Bears make a WR play this offseason it will be for a reliable deep threat...  the guy Knox was supposed to be and Hester never was.

If Greg Jennings is that guy then great, but he's never struck me as as a real speed burner.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 03, 2013, 04:37:43 pm
Rumors are coming out that the Chiefs may be courting a guy from Green Bay's front office to be their new GM.

Another potential distraction on top of the Clements thing that I'm sure the Packers aren't appreciating right now.

I still think they'll off the Vikings outdoors in the cold... but it will be a tough one.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 04, 2013, 06:09:54 pm
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/04/clay-matthews-vows-that-adrian-peterson-wont-gain-200-yards/

That is really pathetic...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 05, 2013, 12:58:44 am
No, he'll have 199 like he did last time LOL!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 05, 2013, 02:33:07 pm
Peterson wil probably get his yardage but that won't beat the Packers alone. It all depends upon shutting down the passing game as the Pack did in the first game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on January 05, 2013, 05:32:57 pm
Ponder declared inactive after warmups - Webb hasn't thrown a professional pass .... does that let the GB defence really swallow up AP or does Webb's running ability leave GB grasping? This seems all so up-in-the-air now.

EDIT: Hasn't thrown a pass this season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 05, 2013, 05:36:31 pm
Actually I'd be nervous about this if I were a Packers fan.

Who knows how much (if any) their D prepared for Webb this week?

This reminds me a LOT of how the Bears got set up in San Fran when Kaepernick got the start over Smith.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on January 05, 2013, 05:40:59 pm
up-in-the-air = very nervous for yours truly.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on January 05, 2013, 06:48:45 pm
My prediction GB wins by more than eight points.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 05, 2013, 07:05:40 pm
Gotta think there are a lot of bookies out there not real happy about the late notice on the QB switch.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 05, 2013, 07:17:29 pm
So far the Packers are not handling the Vikings running game well at all.

I think AP is going to get his 200 today.  However if they can hold them to field goals and Rodgers can get on track they should be fine.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 05, 2013, 07:19:46 pm
Exactly. Vikings got to get more than FGs out of their possessions or it will get out of hand in a hurry.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 05, 2013, 07:25:26 pm
Vikings need a TD here. 

Also the Packers going no huddle may be bad for their defense.  With the Vikings running the ball so well it just tilts the T.O.P. to the Vikings even more.  Tough to play run defense when you are gassed.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 05, 2013, 07:29:41 pm
Packers lucky that wasn't called a horse collar.  Vikings lucky that dumb throw was not picked off.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 05, 2013, 07:40:30 pm
It looks to me like if the Vikings are gonna have to throw much at all, they're screwed.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 05, 2013, 07:40:47 pm
Hmmm...

Looks like McCarthy's decision to go no huddle is paying off by slowing down the Vikings pass rush.  Well between that and the screens.

Note to the new Bears coach, "The reason the Bears creen passes did not work is because there were so few receivers in patterns it did not draw the defense away from the LOS. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on January 05, 2013, 08:01:35 pm
Also note to Bear's coaches, Cutler seems to run the no huddle well and you don't need to wait for the 2 minute warning to run it...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 05, 2013, 08:12:59 pm
Not looking good for the Vikings.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 05, 2013, 08:16:26 pm
I think the Pack is blow this thing open in the 2nd half.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 05, 2013, 08:18:06 pm
"The reason the Bears creen passes did not work is because there were so few receivers in patterns it did not draw the defense away from the LOS.

And also cause all of our O-Lineman are too fat (Webb), old (Garza) and/or gimpy (Carimi) to get out and block it.  Except Louis.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 05, 2013, 08:22:15 pm
That is the ball game right there.  Congrats Pack fans!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 05, 2013, 08:23:04 pm
Well that TD should about do it.

Webb is a train wreck but honestly I'm not sure Ponder would be doing much better tonight.  The Vikings have nothing at WR and aren't pass protecting very well either.

Packers get the ball first in the 2nd half as well.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 05, 2013, 08:23:39 pm
I wonder if this means we have to wait another week to talk to Clements?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 05, 2013, 08:29:30 pm
I'm gonna take a wild guess here and predict the Vikings go WR with their 1st round pick.

Since Harvin went on IR they don't have a single guy that can get open.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 05, 2013, 08:33:24 pm
I am so glad we seem to be going with an offensive minded coach.  While I love good defense in todays NFL the rules are so stacked in favor of the offense you are stupid to not put most of your money there.

Special teams have also been screwed with rule changes.  Lovie is not a bad coach the rules changes have just made him irrelevant like all defensive minded HC's.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 05, 2013, 08:40:37 pm
I agree, Pekin.

This Packers offense we're seeing tonight is pretty much the gold standard and we have got to get some coaches and players in here who can get our own offense at least to within shouting distance of that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 05, 2013, 08:46:09 pm
How on PLANET EARTH was THAT not a hold?? Good god man, call something!! That was so incredibly obvious I was just laughing at the screen! And it went uncalled....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 05, 2013, 08:50:33 pm
I'm still so stunned at that GB right tackle holding the Vikes end. I've seen plays go uncalled but god they sat and replayed the thing and it was about 4 seconds long!!! I'm yelling HOLDING HOLDING who the hell are the blind refs in this game?!?!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 05, 2013, 08:55:33 pm
Jordy Nelson got away with a big-time pushoff on that catch down by the goal line as well.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 05, 2013, 08:57:08 pm
All I can say is I hope the Niners offer up a little better defense next week than we're seeing from the Vikings tonight.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 05, 2013, 08:57:44 pm
Is this game fixed? Vikes hold em, and then a pee wee league deal with 12 on the field gives them another chance and they score. Vikes are laying down and refs aren't calling anything on the Pack.....even the most incredibly glaring fouls. The announcers said nothing, even though it was so obvious. I don't care who wins here, would like to see the Quack get pounded, but at LEAST have a fair game! man....ridiculous!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 05, 2013, 09:18:13 pm
Think it hurt the Vikes losing Ponder. He wasn't a turnover machine anyway, lol....imploding badly. Embarrassing themselves on National TV....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 05, 2013, 10:15:34 pm
Pondersless Purple Pansies suck.

Dom Capers figures out Peterson - 99 yards.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 05, 2013, 10:17:27 pm
In retrospect, if the cheap NFL owners hadn't gone with peewee league officials the Pack would have been a #2 Seed.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 05, 2013, 10:19:10 pm
Every other NFL team should be grateful that they don't have a #2 QB named Webb.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on January 05, 2013, 10:23:59 pm
Pondersless Purple Pansies

[grin]
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest77 on January 06, 2013, 10:36:56 am
I'm still so stunned at that GB right tackle holding the Vikes end. I've seen plays go uncalled but god they sat and replayed the thing and it was about 4 seconds long!!! I'm yelling HOLDING HOLDING who the hell are the blind refs in this game?!?!!!

Not sure why you were so surprised.  GB gets away with that crap all. the. time.  Getting jobbed on a game earlier this year has given them an even greater pass.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: chifaninva on January 06, 2013, 12:44:50 pm
The Vikes sure embarrassed themselves last night. Webb is about the worst QB I've seen take the field in quite some time..
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 06, 2013, 01:26:40 pm
Webb was bad but I would have rather had him than Jason Campbell against the Niners this year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 06, 2013, 06:07:45 pm
Is this game fixed? Vikes hold em, and then a pee wee league deal with 12 on the field gives them another chance and they score. Vikes are laying down and refs aren't calling anything on the Pack.....even the most incredibly glaring fouls. The announcers said nothing, even though it was so obvious. I don't care who wins here, would like to see the Quack get pounded, but at LEAST have a fair game! man....ridiculous!

The Vikes suck because they feally wanted to lose and look bad.  Every official in the NFL is paid off to favor the Pack.  Fielding 12 players is OK

And do you believe that Tonto and the Lone Ranger were real?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 06, 2013, 06:12:12 pm
Yea, so explain the hold. That I'd LOVE to hear...how it was glaring, completely obvious, even replayed and not one announcer said a thing....I gotta find that play and show it. It was so ridiculously obvious....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 06, 2013, 06:14:58 pm
Crap! I erased that game....was going to go video the play and put it on here.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 06, 2013, 06:33:08 pm
I did not think the officiating was all the bad for the most part in that game.  Now I have watched many Packer games where they got many calls going their way.  They are generally allowed to hold on offense and defense while the other team is not.  However I did not see it that often this game.  Granted I was not paying much attnetion in the second half but by then the game was pretty much over anyway.

The Vikings lost because they had no QB not because of the refs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 06, 2013, 06:50:30 pm
 ut you never comment on the  bad calls against the Packers.  It's in the eye of the beholder.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 06, 2013, 06:53:07 pm
Let's see if this works. Have never done a vid before so here goes nothing. This is sideways but it shows the glaring holding play not called.

 https://www.dropbox.com/s/cwq4pntw9cullqd/2013-01-06_18-41-14_294.mp4  (https://www.dropbox.com/s/cwq4pntw9cullqd/2013-01-06_18-41-14_294.mp4)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 06, 2013, 07:19:18 pm
I am so used to the Packers holding like that and getting away with it I do not even get upset with it anymore except against the Bears.  They usually hold Peppers all day every play.  sometimes two guys are holding him at once and it does not get called.  I have actually seen them tackle the D-lineman from behind and it does not get called.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 06, 2013, 07:30:16 pm
What's utterly ridiculous about this one though, Peke, is that it was replayed and not one announcer said a thing about it!! I mean how much more obvious does it have to be???
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 07, 2013, 07:18:21 pm
So the officials missed a call.  Happens many times in every game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 07, 2013, 07:18:33 pm
GREEN BAY—If anything speaks to the way the Packers demand contributions from all, it could be this: One of the defensive standouts in Saturday night’s victory was playing in his 16th postseason game, most of any starter on the team, while one of the offensive stars was playing in his first.
 
Veteran defensive back Charles Woodson and first-year running back DuJuan Harris had an undeniable impact in the 24-10 triumph over Minnesota that has sent the Packers to San Francisco for the NFC divisional round of the playoffs.
 
Coming back from a broken collarbone that sidelined him for the final nine regular-season games, Woodson was a presence almost immediately. With the Vikings facing second-and-five from the Green Bay 13-yard line on their opening drive, Woodson knifed into the backfield to take down Adrian Peterson for a two-yard loss, helping hold Minnesota to a field goal.
 
“It was great to have him out there,” Coach Mike McCarthy said, barely 15 hours after the franchise’s first home playoff victory in five years was in the books. “He’s a fabulous football player.”
 
McCarthy credited Woodson, already a tireless student of game film, for all the extra effort he put in to be able to return for the playoffs. He has earned so much respect in the locker room that he was voted a playoff captain despite missing more than half of the season, and the early tackle for loss was just another example of how Woodson is always ready to play.
 
“He’s here around the clock,” McCarthy said. “He puts in a lot more time I think than people realize. There are not too many nights the coaching staff isn’t in the cafeteria for dinner and he’s still here. He’s put in a lot of work to get back on the field.”
 
Meanwhile, Harris’ workload just continues to increase. A castoff from Jacksonville who was originally signed to the practice squad at midseason, Harris got his first chance in Week 14 vs. Detroit. He responded with a TD run and his role has steadily expanded.
 
Learning the extensive pass protection responsibilities has allowed him to stay on the field more, and a combination of tough runs and check-down receptions produced 100 yards from scrimmage against the Vikings, including a hard-charging TD run.
 
Perhaps most impressive, Harris didn’t look like a 24-year-old back making his playoff debut. He dropped a dump-off pass on the offense’s first possession, but shook it off and made a huge contribution.
 
“He’s a pretty cool customer,” McCarthy said. “I don’t think a whole lot gets him excited.”
 
McCarthy proceeded to explain that last week, at the raucous, ear-splitting Metrodome, Harris happened to be standing near him and he heard his young back matter-of-factly say, “This is a pretty cool atmosphere. This is pretty neat.”
 
If that’s how Harris responds to a high-pressure environment, it should only serve the Packers well next week and, perhaps, beyond.
 
“He’s steady, a steady personality,” McCarthy said. “He does a lot of things naturally, and he’s doing a good job protecting the football.”
 
As Harris develops into the runner that complements the Packers’ wide-open passing attack, he’s becoming part of the Packers’ identity on offense, just as Woodson is on defense.
 
Rookie or veteran, it doesn’t matter. Just produce when it counts.
 
“We are who we are, we really like who we are as a football team, and that’s what we’re taking to San Francisco,” McCarthy said.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on January 08, 2013, 11:34:56 am
That video doesn't show holding, it shows whining.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on January 08, 2013, 11:38:21 am
Wow.  That's amazing.  Holding gets called so infrequently on the Packers that their fans don't even know what holding looks like anymore.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest77 on January 08, 2013, 11:43:51 am
Wow.  That's amazing.  Holding gets called so infrequently on the Packers that their fans don't even know what holding looks like anymore.

LOL!  Too true!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on January 08, 2013, 11:45:38 am
Did the GB Tackle grab the jersey? No

Did he drag down the defender? No

Your stupid point seems to be where his right hand was not what it was doing. Which was pushing the defender and legal.

Babies.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on January 08, 2013, 11:55:52 am
Use of Hands, Arms, and Body

No player on offense may assist a runner except by blocking for him. There shall be no interlocking interference.
A runner may ward off opponents with his hands and arms but no other player on offense may use hands or arms to obstruct an opponent by grasping with hands, pushing, or encircling any part of his body during a block. Hands (open or closed) can be thrust forward to initially contact an opponent on or outside the opponent’s frame, but the blocker immediately must work to bring his hands on or inside the frame.

Note: Pass blocking: Hand(s) thrust forward that slip outside the body of the defender will be legal if blocker immediately worked to bring them back inside. Hand(s) or arm(s) that encircle a defender—i.e., hook an opponent—are to be considered illegal and officials are to call a foul for holding.


Blocker cannot use his hands or arms to push from behind, hang onto, or encircle an opponent in a manner that restricts his movement as the play develops.

Hands cannot be thrust forward above the frame to contact an opponent on the neck, face or head.

Note: The frame is defined as the part of the opponent’s body below the neck that is presented to the blocker.
A defensive player may not tackle or hold an opponent other than a runner. Otherwise, he may use his hands, arms, or body only:

(a) To defend or protect himself against an obstructing opponent.

Exception: An eligible receiver is considered to be an obstructing opponent ONLY to a point five yards beyond the line of scrimmage unless the player who receives the snap clearly demonstrates no further intention to pass the ball. Within this five-yard zone, a defensive player may chuck an eligible player in front of him. A defensive player is allowed to maintain continuous and unbroken contact within the five-yard zone until a point when the receiver is even with the defender. The defensive player cannot use his hands or arms to push from behind, hang onto, or encircle an eligible receiver in a manner that restricts movement as the play develops. Beyond this five-yard limitation, a defender may use his hands or arms ONLY to defend or protect himself against impending contact caused by a receiver. In such reaction, the defender may not contact a receiver who attempts to take a path to evade him.

(b) To push or pull opponent out of the way on line of scrimmage.

(c) In actual attempt to get at or tackle runner.

(d) To push or pull opponent out of the way in a legal attempt to recover a loose ball.

(e) During a legal block on an opponent who is not an eligible pass receiver.

(f) When legally blocking an eligible pass receiver above the waist.

Exception: Eligible receivers lined up within two yards of the tackle, whether on or immediately behind the line, may be blocked below the waist at or behind the line of scrimmage. NO eligible receiver may be blocked below the waist after he goes beyond the line. (Illegal cut)

Note: Once the quarterback hands off or pitches the ball to a back, or if the quarterback leaves the pocket area, the restrictions (illegal chuck, illegal cut) on the defensive team relative to the offensive receivers will end, provided the ball is not in the air.
A defensive player may not contact an opponent above the shoulders with the palm of his hand except to ward him off on the line. This exception is permitted only if it is not a repeated act against the same opponent during any one contact. In all other cases the palms may be used on head, neck, or face only to ward off or push an opponent in legal attempt to get at the ball.
Any offensive player who pretends to possess the ball or to whom a teammate pretends to give the ball may be tackled provided he is crossing his scrimmage line between the ends of a normal tight offensive line.
An offensive player who lines up more than two yards outside his own tackle or a player who, at the snap, is in a backfield position and subsequently takes a position more than two yards outside a tackle may not clip an opponent anywhere nor may he contact an opponent below the waist if the blocker is moving toward the ball and if contact is made within an area five yards on either side of the line. (crackback)
A player of either team may block at any time provided it is not pass interference, fair catch interference, or unnecessary roughness.
A player may not bat or punch:

(a) A loose ball (in field of play) toward his opponent’s goal line or in any direction in either end zone.

(b) A ball in player possession.

Note: If there is any question as to whether a defender is stripping or batting a ball in player possession, the official(s) will rule the action as a legal act (stripping the ball).

Exception: A forward or backward pass may be batted, tipped, or deflected in any direction at any time by either the offense or the defense.

Note: A pass in flight that is controlled or caught may only be thrown backward, if it is thrown forward it is considered an illegal bat.
No player may deliberately kick any ball except as a punt, dropkick, or placekick.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on January 08, 2013, 11:59:22 am
Like my first post said.  It is called so infrequently on the Packers that their fans don't even know what it is when they see it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 08, 2013, 06:25:44 pm
All that for one bad call.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 08, 2013, 06:30:11 pm
No, all that for one very obvious bad call  ;D
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on January 08, 2013, 06:44:58 pm
First of your problems is that the Packer OT kept his arms straight and in a flexed position. He did not engulf the defender with a bear hug.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 11, 2013, 06:37:42 pm
(http://cdn3.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/6352935/20121102_kkt_sh5_619.0_standard_709.0.jpg)<

Casey Hayward - ROY?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on January 12, 2013, 07:29:28 pm
Very Nice!


Wonder where the whine about holding is....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 13, 2013, 12:27:57 am
Packers got beat down.  That was an azz kicking of epic proportions.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 13, 2013, 01:47:00 am
Quack got SPANKED live and in vivid color...made my day  ;D 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: chifaninva on January 13, 2013, 09:37:30 am
Thrashed!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Bears4Ever on January 13, 2013, 10:06:06 am
I lost my pick-em league (0-2 atm this week) but the Packers losing is fine by me... :D
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on January 13, 2013, 10:08:43 am
Sorry for Packrat but it sure is nice to shut Otto up.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 13, 2013, 05:14:26 pm
That was some good D by the Peckers and Capers.

Maybe they need to figure out Mathews can't rush the QB every play. Run right at Mathews.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 13, 2013, 06:17:02 pm
Not all bad - Broncos out, Cowboys out, Giants out, Seahawks out. 

I don't think that Atlanta can do it but they are my team from here on out.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 13, 2013, 06:17:53 pm
Thrashed!!

True.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 13, 2013, 07:51:38 pm
PR's a class act, but the team he roots for is another thing altogether ;) . I had one request for the remainder of the playoffs,..no Pack in it, lol....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on January 14, 2013, 08:42:36 am
at least they made the playoffs.........
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 14, 2013, 01:29:10 pm
at least I don't have to watch them in the Super Bowl....that would be the worst thing since...well there is nothing worse, lol
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 14, 2013, 07:43:37 pm
PR's a class act, but the team he roots for is another thing altogether ;) . I had one request for the remainder of the playoffs,..no Pack in it, lol....


Strange but since the Pack lost so decisively it didn't hurt as much as if they had lost a squeaker or lost on one bad play or call.
 
I appreciate that you Bear faans didn't really go nasty about the Pack disaster.  Class  act.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on January 14, 2013, 09:17:12 pm
Yeah we like ya Packy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on January 14, 2013, 09:23:00 pm
It wasn't a disaster, they lost, that's all. It's the air out there, I'm sure. Simply no defense being played by any of the teams, or the refs are letting the offense get away with murder. The CFL has moved south.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 16, 2013, 03:54:01 pm
McCarthy “very confident” Capers will be back as defensive coordinator
Posted by Mike Florio on January 15, 2013, 5:43 PM EST
 APThree days after a historically pathetic performance by the Packers’ defense, Packers coach Mike McCarthy says that the man who runs the defense will be back in 2013, possibly to have another historically pathetic performance in the postseason.

McCarthy told reporters on Tuesday that Capers will be back.  Sort of.

Via Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com, McCarthy said that he is “very confident” Capers will return in 2013, but that McCarthy plans to evaluate everyone.

Still, McCarthy bristled at the suggestion that Capers should be blamed.  Via Seifert, McCarthy called it “ridiculous” that he has to answer questions and that he’s “appalled” by the topic.

That’s fine, but plenty of Packers fans believe that the defensive performance on Saturday night was “ridiculous,” and that they too are “appalled.”

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on January 16, 2013, 09:42:30 pm
And they are short term thinkers without any redeeming qualities.


And we are still better than the bears in every way.




I rejoice.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 17, 2013, 03:28:35 am
Another Packer staff memeber leaves.

would like to thank John Dorsey for his 27 years of service to the Green Bay Packers. First as a player, and later as a member of the personnel department, John has been a loyal member of the Packers family and the Green Bay community for more than half of his life. The Chiefs have hired a good man and John has earned this opportunity. We wish John and his family all the best.”
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: KSbearsfan on January 18, 2013, 08:45:22 pm
And they are short term thinkers without any redeeming qualities.


And we are still better than the bears in every way.




I rejoice.

What, no more "bear'd"???? Or were you not the Otto from the Tribune/ChicagoSports.com days?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 18, 2013, 08:51:22 pm
Oh it's him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 20, 2013, 07:41:43 pm
Inside linebacker wishes he could have played against 49ers at Candlestick Park

 
GREEN BAY—There was perhaps no hungrier player on the Packers defense than Desmond Bishop for the three years he toiled as a backup linebacker and special-teamer.
 
After sitting out the entire 2012 season with a torn hamstring and then watching the Packers defense get shredded for 323 rushing yards in the playoff loss at San Francisco, Bishop’s hunger has returned to the level of his career’s early days, if not grown.
 
“There’s really no words that can describe it,” he said. “I think you’re just going to have to watch.”
 
A starting inside linebacker for the Packers’ 2010 Super Bowl run and subsequent 2011 season, Bishop’s 2012 campaign was over before it really started.
 
He tore his hamstring in the preseason opener in San Diego, a severe injury that required surgery and landed him on injured reserve. He has spent the past five months rehabbing and calls himself “somewhere between 60 and 80 percent” right now.
 
Bishop believes he’ll be full-go with no restrictions for OTAs and training camp this spring and summer. That remains to be seen, considering Mike McCarthy’s tendency to ease players back into the on-field drills when they’re coming off a major injury, but nonetheless, Bishop feels good about where he is on the road to recovery.
 
“Definitely on track for sure,” he said.
 
The Packers surely missed Bishop in the middle of the defense, particularly down the stretch in 2012 as Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson rushed for 409 yards in two regular-season games and then San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick ran wild in the playoffs.
 
That’s not to suggest replacement Brad Jones was a weak link in the defense, but amongst the inside linebackers, Bishop packs the biggest wallop and plays with a fire and intensity all his own.
 
Bishop wasn’t going to say he single-handedly could have prevented Kaepernick from gashing the Packers for a QB-record 181 yards rushing, but he would have liked to try. His explosive sack of Philadelphia’s Michael Vick on the very first snap of the 2010 NFC Wild Card game set the tone for a defense that had a memorable four-game postseason run.
 
“Of course, I believe I could have helped impact the team,” he said. “I always have thought that and always will.”
 
A 2007 draft choice out of Cal and a northern California native, Bishop will always regret missing the playoff clash at Candlestick Park. In his youth, he played there in Pop Warner at halftime of 49ers games.
 
His only other opportunity to play there as a pro came in the 2008 preseason, and he missed that due to injury, as well.
 
“Where I grew up, I could actually see Candlestick from my window,” he said. “I grew up a Niners fan. So it was really a homecoming. It would have definitely been fun to be out there.”
 
He sees quarterbacks like Kaepernick and Washington’s Robert Griffin III, as well as the read-option offense, as the latest league-wide challenges, and he can’t wait to get his chance against them all.
 
Bishop doesn’t believe the Packers need a complete overhaul on defense, but he spoke of needing a different “mindset” and better “discipline” and “technique” to stop the running QBs and the read-option.
 
The Packers are scheduled to face both quarterbacks next season, and when told the Packers would get their first look at Griffin – provided he’s healthy – in 2013, his eyes actually lit up.
 
It’s that hunger again.
 
“The league is always evolving,” Bishop said. “I think the new spread offense with a running quarterback is innovative and different, but defenses will evolve as well and figure out how to stop it, and then offenses are going to come up with something else. Just like a revolving door.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 20, 2013, 07:46:16 pm
Thompson/McCarthy are convince that they need to improve the RB posigtion in order to improve performancen 2013.  Look for a high draft choice this draft.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on January 21, 2013, 05:51:38 am
Not that big guy from Alabama please...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on January 21, 2013, 10:46:56 am
I appreciate that you Bear faans didn't really go nasty about the Pack disaster.  Class  act.

No need to get nasty.  But you gotta believe every Bear fan here were most likely rooting for the 49ers in their game against the Pack.

But I must admit I did root for the Packers against the Vikings - it felt kind of strange kind of like going on an all vegan diet.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 21, 2013, 10:52:49 am
I'm just hoping we can get the Bears turned around to where Bears/Packers is actually a legit rivalry again.

If Trestman can bring our offense into this century and Tucker can bring some new defensive wrinkles to flummox Rodgers & Co. I think it can happen.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 21, 2013, 03:42:56 pm
I understand.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on January 21, 2013, 10:41:29 pm
I'm just hoping we can get the Bears turned around to where Bears/Packers is actually a legit rivalry again.

Not that it ever wasn't .... Yet, I want a victory over the Bears to be everything short of a SB, and a loss to be ... au contraire. Chicago must be THE opponent; the Vikings always to be despised; the Lions to be overlooked.

Vive les Ours ... sorta.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on January 25, 2013, 12:26:27 pm
How much more GB can you get? It involves and errant RB, dogs, cattle, and Wisconsin.  No, I'm not making it up.
http://www.upi.com/Sports_News/2013/01/24/Benson-charged-in-traffic-animal-cases/UPI-53701359048414/?spt=mps&or=3
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 25, 2013, 01:44:58 pm
He'll probably have to run his dogs elsewhere next season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 25, 2013, 01:49:49 pm
By Bill Flick in the Boomin gton, IL P:antagraph:

Flick: Uh, is that Aaron Rodgers at next table?

Aaron Rodgers, breakfasting in Bloomington ...


2013-01-25T06:00:00Z2013-01-23T16:31:37ZFlick:

 Uh, is that Aaron Rodgers at next table?pantagraph.com
7 hours ago(0) Comments• No err’n, it was him: Aaron Rodgers is not only star quarterback for the Green Bay Packers — a favorite of many in Central Illinois — but also appears non-stop in TV commercials for Bloomington-based State Farm Insurance Cos.

Still, you just don’t expect to see him next to you at Cracker Barrel.

“I happened to turn my head,” says Barry Reilly, superintendent of Bloomington’s District 87 school district, breakfasting one morn last week with Brad Hutchison, superintendent at nearby Olympia, “and I quietly said to Brad, ‘Uh, OK, that guy looks exactly like Aaron Rodgers.’”

There weren’t many in the restaurant at the time, says Reilly, and he says he “absolutely knew” it was Rodgers, from voice recognition, when a waiter walked past and said — “Excuse me, but you look like Aaron Rodgers” — to which Rodgers let out a little laugh and said, “That’s one I haven’t heard before.”

The superintendents, says Reilly, left Rodgers and his table mate, Packers center Brett Goode, to eat their eggs and bacon.

But on the way out, they did stop by the table where Reilly, a Chicago Bears devotee, said to Rodgers, “Tough loss you guys had to San Francisco (in the playoffs). And, even if a Bears fan, I do want you to know I totally respect your game.”

Rodgers said, “Why, thank you.”

Hutchison then said, “Nice to see you guys. Welcome to Bloomington.”

Unknown to Rodgers and Goode, just for fun, Reilly then picked up their tab at the register, a kind, sincere and also funny gesture when you consider Rodgers makes $9.25 million a year.

Later, through a friend of a friend via Facebook, it was learned the two Packers were on their way to Arkansas on a hunting trip when they encountered “two ‘suits’ who were nice enough to buy us breakfast.”

“It was a thrill, a one-shot deal,” says Reilly, “You just don’t expect to see Aaron Rodgers at Cracker Barrel. We also wanted to leave them feeling good about Bloomington.”

For laughs, considering his TV commercials, you also wonder: Would Rodgers have qualified for one of those State Farm employee discounts here?


Bill Flick is at flick@pantagraph.com
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 25, 2013, 04:52:36 pm
Hunters...nice to hear! My first thought was 'why buy a multi-millionaire a breakfast???'. Second thought was 'maybe if you're nice enough to the guy, he'll consider investing in the area sometime.'
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 26, 2013, 01:19:04 pm
2013 outlook for Jerel Worthy murky after knee reconstruction

 Posted by Josh Alper on January 26, 2013, 10:07 AM EST
 
AP
When Packers defensive end Jerel Worthy was shut down because of a knee injury at the end of the regular season, the diagnosis was that he had a bone bruise.
 
It turned out to be a more serious injury. Worthy tore his ACL and had reconstructive surgery performed by Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Florida last week. Worthy was injured in the fourth quarter of Week 17, timing that could wind up seriously impacting his chances of being ready for the 2013 season.
 
Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel gives Worthy “long odds” of playing next season as a result of the surgery. While Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was able to make a quick return to the field this season, he remains an exception to the normally long rehabilitation process that players face after tearing their ACLs. At the very least, starting the year on the PUP list seems like a real possibility for Worthy so the Packers will likely have to make offseason plans as if he won’t be in the picture.
 
Worthy, the 51st overall pick in the 2012 draft, finished his rookie year with 2.5 sacks in 443 sacks as part of Green Bay’s rotation on the defensive line.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 26, 2013, 05:43:52 pm
Surprisingly Packers are looking over WRs.  Jennings and Finley gone for sure?

Mobile, Ala. - At Louisiana Tech, he always targeted the "money games." The concept of big schools doling out large sums of money to small schools - to play them, to obliterate them - fascinated Quinton Patton.

Each time, the Louisiana Tech wide receiver wanted to make opponents regret their decision.

"If they pay to play us," Patton said, "they're really going to hate it."

So without hesitation, he lists off the games. Lost to Mississippi State in overtime. Beat Ole Miss, 27-7. "Whupped" Illinois, 52-24. Knocked off Virginia, 44-38. And the best of the best was a near upset of Texas A&M. Louisiana Tech overcame a 21-0 deficit before falling, 59-57.

That game, Patton erupted for 233 yards on 21 receptions with four touchdowns.

Thus, it should come as no surprise that the 6-foot, 202-pounder was one of the Senior Bowl standouts this week in Mobile. With the expected departure of Greg Jennings and Donald Driver - and an outside chance Jermichael Finley is gone, too - the Packers are likely on the hunt for a receiver.

It's a position general manager Ted Thompson valued to build a winner. Taking only one wideout the last four drafts, he may be due. Oregon State's Markus Wheaton, Kansas State's Chris Harper and Patton are a few receivers who stood out this week.

"Everyone's at an even level," Patton said. "But me, and I'm confident in my game, I want to be the best receiver out here."

The Packers did meet with Patton this week. And he believes he fits the team's small-school, overlooked mold.

None of Green Bay's receivers come from powerhouses. James Jones (San Jose State), Jennings (Western Michigan) and Driver (Alcorn State) have all been adamant. Humble college roots - being a score on the bottom-line ticker - helped spark their emergence in the pros. Same for Randall Cobb at basketball-craved Kentucky.

Patton actually remembers watching Cobb's high school state championship game. He grew up in Nashville, about three hours away from Cobb's high school. This mind-set that the Packers' receivers often talk about is something Patton can relate to.

"You get overlooked and you have to grind every day," Patton said. "You never take anything for granted. When you get a chance to go against a big school, you want to show out. Every time. You feel like you can play any time against anybody and compete at a high level."

This week in Mobile, Patton looked like a complete receiver. His routes were crisp and he got separation. Patton was also a willing blocker in the run game and made difficult catches across the middle.

In this Senior Bowl practice setting, you could see why Patton compares himself to Anquan Boldin.

"He can get in the middle of the field and mix it up with anybody," Patton said. "He can get behind you at times. A big, strong, physical receiver. I won't go down easy."

In those five games against better competition, Patton had 614 receiving yards on 49 catches with seven touchdowns. The main question the receiver has been getting this week from teams is why he attended junior college initially. To which, Patton admits he wasn't focused enough on grades in high school.

His marks improved and he erupted in Louisiana Tech's spread offense. Patton believes that system has prepared him for the pass-first NFL.

"Throw it all over the field. Get the ball to the perimeter and watch us run," he said. "In a spread offense, sometimes you know you're not getting the ball but you're pulling somebody away for someone else."

He's not alone. This week featured a handful of wide receivers with experience from NFL-ready offenses.

The 5-foot-11, 183-pound Wheaton led Oregon State with 91 receptions for 1,244 yards and 11 scores but also had 83 carries in four seasons. He could serve a multi-dimensional role. On Wednesday, Wheaton arguably had the catch of the week. On a ball thrown to his opposite shoulder about 15-20 yards upfield, Wheaton quickly twisted his torso around for an acrobatic catch.

"Being able to get off the jam, run routes and catch the ball," Wheaton noted as his strengths. "Simple as that. Whatever it takes to finish the plays. I feel that I'm a competitor."

At Texas A&M, Ryan Swope said the Aggies wanted to waste only 10-12 seconds between plays. Practices were exhausting. The Johnny Football-powered offense moved fast this season. In the pros, speeding it up is in vogue.

Swope says this offense wears defenses down. Conditioning-wise and scheme-wise, defenses are forced out of their comfort zone.

"You do it all year," Swope said. "You get used to it. You adjust to it. The other team can't physically adjust to it in three or four days of practice. We're just so physically well-prepared from our strength coaches on down. We just try to wear down defenses."

It's on the Packers to make the feast-or-famine decisions on these receivers. Thompson has nailed these decisions before. Other teams in the NFC North, not so much. Two years ago, the Detroit Lions passed on Cobb for Titus Young in the second round. Today, the eccentric Young is a thorn - check that, harpoon - in the franchise's side.

The answer for Green Bay may be in-house. Jarrett Boykin and/or Jeremy Ross could vault into a bigger role next season. The NFL scouting combine next month, followed by pro days and interviews, will further sort out this year's receiving class.

And if the Packers do pick Patton, maybe he'll bring his "grillz" with him.

At this week's media dinner, the receiver's bottom teeth were encased with a gold-colored grill. The fun-loving Patton enjoyed this week as much as anyone. At one point Monday, he slowly crept behind a reporter interviewing Kenjon Barner and coldly stared at the running back for 10 seconds to make the Oregon running back laugh.

Patton tried to poke fun at players from power conferences when he could. After all, those are the guys who have been motivating him the last two years.

"Everything happens for a reason," Patton said. "I have no regrets. But I did like playing against them."
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 28, 2013, 07:51:21 pm
With Barclay looking like a decent OL player and Bulaga returning from injury the OL doesn't look so bad.

NFL Draft 2013 Point / Counterpoint: What Is The Packers Biggest Need? Part 1

By Devin Shanley on Jan 28, 3:03p 15
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Packers have a few areas that need upgrading this year. In the first part of a continuing series this week, Devin argues that the biggest need facing the Packers is an upgrade to the defensive line.


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After this week offseason talk is going to kick into high gear for 31 teams in the league, with the one hold out savoring a championship year for most of the long offseason. For us Packer fans, we know that this mainly revolves around the draft and what areas of the Packers need to address in this upcoming draft. As a way to warm up for this conversation a few of us on staff have decided to put together a series of articles breaking down the big needs for the Packers and make an argument that the need we are each covering is the most pressing need for the team.
 
At the end of the season when I form my opinion of the biggest need for the Packers I typically start with the last few games of the season and look at how the year unraveled. If the team gets to the playoffs then that last playoff game is typically telling. What went wrong? How was the team that eliminated us built differently than the Packers? How do the Packers compare with the teams playing in the Super Bowl? This year’s game with the San Francisco 49ers was especially telling in the way that they are built and how the team was able to beat us. It showed us that there are clear areas that the Packers need to grow in order to continue to compete for the ultimate prize…..especially considering that the ways in which the Packers struggled in that game were unique to that game alone. These were areas in which the Packers struggled most of the year. The Packers were dominated up front in the game against the 49ers and that game showed that the Packers are going to need to get bigger and stronger up front if they are going to take that next step. Specifically, the Packers are going to need to continue to upgrade along their defensive line and continue to upgrade their run defense.
 
There are three basic reasons why I highlight the defensive line as the most pressing need for the Packers right now: the clear need for a long term answer at nose tackle, the lack of talented run stuffers along the defensive line, and the high cost of finding quality defensive linemen in general. The first reason, the need for another nose tackle, may be the most pressing short term and long term deficiency on the team right now. Currently, the Packers have three players on the active roster listed as a defensive tackle: Ryan Pickett, B.J. Raji, and Jordan Miller. Pickett had a very good year this year but is entering a contract year and is getting up there in age. He is not a long term answer. Raji had a good year at NT in 2010, but a forgettable NT in 2011. He was also having a rather forgettable year in 2012 until moving to DE in November. After the move his play picked up considerably. It’s reasonable to conclude that NT is not his best position and he probably should not the long term plan for center of the defense. Jordan Miller is a player the Packers picked up off the Chicago Bears’ practice squad. He played one game with the Packers in 2012 and did not register a single statistic with the team. It’s doubtful that he is going to be the long term solution for a starting nose tackle either. This need is pressing in the short term as well since it means the Packers don’t have an adequate backup to Pickett. The nose tackle is a critical position for the 3-4 defenses. If the Packers don’t have a capable NT anchoring the line they are going to be susceptible to the run, especially up the middle. The nose tackle sets the tone for the defense and frees up the linebackers to make plays.
 
Beyond just the inadequate plan currently in place for nose tackle, the Packers need big bodies along the defensive line capable of stopping the run in general. I blame this need on the Packers being too effective at addressing last year’s pressing need for the defense….fixing the pass rush. Last year the Packers were hell bent on finding more pass rush and getting players who could penetrate the pocket. On the defensive line this meant finding and keeping players who could push the pocket and provide that much coveted inside pass rush. The team was pretty successful at this in acquiring Jerel Worthy and Mike Daniels in the draft (both providing a decent interior push at times in 2012) as well as holding on to Mike Neal after his suspension was finished. This also meant trying out guys like Phillip Merling and Anthony Hargrove through training camp. All of this came at the expense of talented run stuffers. There was no Grady Jackson or Howard Green type guy along the defensive line in 2012. The best answers the Packers had for stuffing the running game upfront were Pickett, Raji, and C.J. Wilson. Pickett was good, but only one man. Raji was talented, but inconsistent. Wilson was decent enough, but not very talented. Considering this, is it any wonder why the running game struggled at times this year? Another young, wide-bodied defensive lineman is just want the Packers need in order to shut down running lanes and counter the growing high powered running attacks in the NFL. This need becomes even more pressing when you consider that the knee injury to Jerel Worthy is worse than originally expected and may limit his 2013 season.
 
The last point, the high cost of quality defensive linemen, starts with a bit of realism. God only makes so many men who are 6-2 and 300 LBS. Guys who have this body type and possess the athleticism the Packers need are snatched up quickly in the draft. This leads to over drafting and reaching for the potential a player may bring rather than what the tape often shows, case in point Dontari Poe. I’m not saying the Packers need to reach to find their guy, but in order to get a player like the one they need to be prepared to invest another first or second round pick in order to find him. To make this investment wisely the Packers are going to need a plan for acquiring a defensive lineman, and make that plan part of the core of this year’s offseason ….just like upgrading the pass rush was a core of the offseason last year.
 
The Packers have a few key needs this year and will be pressed to make a few key upgrades in their personnel. To separate out the single biggest need we need to look at the talent the Packers currently have against the types of opponents they will be seeing in the future. The NFL is a copy cat league, and with the Vikings making it to the playoffs on a running game alone and the 49ers making the Super Bowl on a high powered multi-pronged running attack, the team is going to face more ground first offenses in the future. Combine this with a defensive line already hurting with the potential loss of Jerel Worthy and needing more quality run stuffers as it is paints a desperate need along the defensive line. This need has to be addressed and should be the Packers biggest priority going into the 2013 offseason.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 28, 2013, 07:55:32 pm
he Green Bay Packers focused on the defensive side of the ball early and often with their picks in the 2012 NFL Draft, as the first six draftees played on that side of the ball. However, several of the rookies who played key roles on this year's team were undrafted free agents, picked off the heap of players who got little attention on draft weekend.
 
This award would more often than not have several candidates, but with injuries and inconsistent play by several of this year's rookies, there is only one legitimate choice for the top rookie: Cornerback Casey Hayward. The second-round pick from Vanderbilt grew up quickly after starting out as a fourth-stringer, taking over dime duties when Jarrett Bush was removed from the starting lineup. Then, when Sam Shields was injured, Hayward moved to the outside and started seven games in Shields' place. Hayward racked up an impressive six interceptions to go along with another 12 or more pass breakups (depending on who's counting).
 
Equally impressive as his ball skills was Hayward's coverage ability without being penalized. Hayward didn't take a penalty during the entire regular season, nor did he allow a touchdown pass. As Pro Football Focus found out, he gave up less than a 50% completion rate into his coverage and allowed a miniscule 1.05 yards per coverage snap on the way to being named PFF's Defensive Rookie of the Year. Hayward very well could earn that award from the Associated Press as well when it is announced on Saturday. That makes the race for team rookie of the year a landslide.
 
Instead of voting on the top honor, let's instead turn our attention to the other rookies on the team to find out who the APC community feels would be worthy of second place. A large portion of these rookies received playing time due to injured starters.
 
Nick Perry
 
He only played in six games before going on injured reserve, but Perry helped bring some pass rush opposite Clay Matthews. He didn't record a lot in terms of sacks (only had two) but he opened up the rush for Matthews, who racked up eight of his 13 sacks in games that Perry also played.
 
Jerel Worthy
 
The Packers' second pick dealt with a variety of injuries this season, but started a few games at defensive end. He produced 2.5 sacks in 13 games (four starts) along with a forced fumble. Unfortunately for Worthy, he didn't seem to be a real force rushing the passer, which was thought to be one of his strengths, so the Packers will undoubtedly want to see him improve in that capacity next season.
 
Mike Daniels
 
Daniels is on the list for one reason alone: his scoop-and-score of a Matthew Stafford fumble in the game against the Detroit Lions in Green Bay. That play completely changed the momentum of the game, and helped the Packers continue their decades-long winning streak at home against Detroit. Otherwise, Daniels had a solid but unspectacular year rotating in on the defensive line and helping out on special teams. He had a total of two sacks and two fumble recoveries on the season.
 
Dezman Moses
 
Another training-camp wonder, Moses stuck around and earned far more playing time than Vic So'oto a year ago, starting five games while Clay Matthews was banged up. He put up four sacks and a forced fumble in his limited playing time, and was a contributor on special teams as well.
 
Don Barclay
 
Barclay took over for the injured Bryan Bulaga and an ineffective T.J. Lang at right tackle, starting the last four games of the season after being signed as an undrafted free agent out of West Virginia. Barclay brought some stability to the running game and was a key component of the offensive line's improved play late in the season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 30, 2013, 03:30:57 pm
Green Bay - Desmond Bishop has always felt slighted and snubbed. He's taken those frustrations out on foes across the National Football League.

Next season, those feelings could be at a fever pitch. And that's terrific news for the Green Bay Packers.

"I have a lot of pent-up anger," said Bishop, an inside linebacker.

Bishop spent the first three years of his career waiting and watching. When he finally got the chance to play, Bishop delivered in a big way.

First, Bishop moved into the starting lineup in 2010 for an injured Nick Barnett, then arguably upgraded the position and helped Green Bay win Super Bowl XLV. In 2011, Bishop led the Packers in tackles, posted five sacks and was a Pro Bowl alternate.

But on just the eighth defensive play of Green Bay's preseason opener in San Diego on Aug. 9, Bishop suffered a torn hamstring that ended his season.

Bishop was a bit ornery early in his career when he rode the bench behind A.J. Hawk and Barnett, but losing a year to injury made him even more irritable.

"For sure," Bishop said. "This time, you know it's 100% certain that you're not going to play. That's the worst."

Bishop is one of Green Bay's most physical defensive players. If there's someone opposing offensive players try avoiding across the middle of the field, it's Bishop.

With Bishop sidelined, Green Bay's lack of physicality was even more evident. Both D.J. Smith and later Brad Jones filled in adequately for Bishop, but neither player packs the pop of Bishop.

"Desmond just brings a toughness that you love to have on defense," Packer defensive end Ryan Pickett said. "We had guys step up that played really well. But Desmond's a tough guy to replace. There's no doubt about that."

That was most evident in Green Bay's rushing defense.

In 2011, the Packers allowed 110.8 rushing yards per game and gave up 4.60 yards per rushing attempt. This season, the Packers allowed 132.6 rushing yards per game and 4.87 yards per attempt.

The inside linebacker trio of Hawk, Smith and Jones combined for just one turnover play. That came in Week 8, when Jones forced a fumble of Jacksonville running back Rashad Jennings.

In 2011, Bishop had two forced fumbles and five sacks.

Bishop was asked how much he would have helped the defense in 2012.

"That's a question you can't really answer; it's hypothetical," he said. "Of course I believe I could help. I've always believed that, since the first day I came here. Nothing has changed, nothing ever will change."

Bishop is on track to return in 2013, and that would be a huge boost for a unit facing several questions this off-season.

Left outside linebacker Clay Matthews is an elite defender. But after him, there's tremendous uncertainty.

Hawk is one of the league's highest-paid inside linebackers and will count $7.05 million against the salary cap in 2013. Hawk hasn't forced a turnover since the 15th game of the 2010 regular season. Is this the season the Packers finally cut ties with the No. 5 pick in the 2006 draft?

Both Jones and outside linebacker Erik Walden are unrestricted free agents. At this point, it seems both could be elsewhere unless they're ignored in free agency and eventually return at the Packers' price.

Smith blew out his knee in Week 6 in Houston and his readiness for the start of 2013 is up in the air. Rookie outside linebacker Nick Perry will try returning from a torn ligament in his wrist that ended his season in early November.

With the possibility of so many moving parts, the Packers will be banking on Bishop more than ever.

"No doubt in my mind at all. I'm going to be ready to go," Bishop said. "I don't know, whatever you want to call it. I'm going to be ready, for sure."

Green Bay's defense came under fire after it allowed 45 points and a whopping 579 total yards in a playoff loss to San Francisco. The Packers also allowed a ridiculous 323 rushing yards - including 181 by quarterback Colin Kaepernick - in that defeat.

It pained Bishop to stand idly by as Kaepernick and the 49ers destroyed Green Bay that night. But Bishop fully believes 2013 will be different - for him and Green Bay's defense.

"I'm just going to take it how it comes," he said. "Next year is next year and I'm going to hit it full stride.

"We just need a better mind-set as a defense. You see it in a few people, but you need an entire team in order to be successful. I think that's what we need to change the most."

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 04, 2013, 07:06:24 pm
Packers deny assistants permission to interview for jobs.

By BOB MCGINN Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Green Bay Packers have been tough on preventing their assistant coaches from departing before the expiration of their contracts.
Sources told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that at least six current assistants - Edgar Bennett, James Campen, Tom Clements, Ben McAdoo, Darren Perry and Joe Whitt - have been denied permission to interview with other National Football League teams in the last few years.
Some of those coaches have been denied more than once.

Now, by rule, the Packers cannot prevent Clements, their offensive coordinator, from interviewing to become the next head coach of the archrival Chicago Bears.
A source said Clements was among five coaches who will be interviewed by the Bears. An earlier report Tuesday in the Chicago Tribune said the Bears planned to seek the Packers' permission to talk with Clements.
NFL rules allow teams to block assistants under contract from even interviewing for a job. However, when that job is head coach, permission must be granted.
A few years ago, coach Mike McCarthy denied Chicago the chance to interview Clements for offensive coordinator. In February, McCarthy promoted Clements from quarterbacks coach to coordinator.
Besides Clements, Phil Emery, the Bears' first-year general manager, will interview special teams coach Keith Armstrong of Atlanta, special teams coach Joe DeCamillis of Dallas, offensive coordinator Mike McCoy of Denver and offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan of Tampa Bay.
The interviews with Armstrong and McCoy can be done this week because their teams have a first-round bye in the playoffs. Ditto for DeCamillis and Sullivan, whose teams failed to qualify.
McCarthy apparently is under no obligation to let the Bears interview Clements until after the Packers are eliminated, although the NFL would strongly encourage it. Last year, he did allow inside linebackers coach Winston Moss to interview with former Green Bay executive Reggie McKenzie of the Oakland Raiders the day before the divisional playoff game.
NFL rules also state that assistants for winning wild-card teams can be interviewed in the days leading up to the divisional game.
If the Packers advance to the Super Bowl, it's probable Clements would interview with Emery during the open week or, if applicable, could have a second interview at that time.
The Bears might interview 10-12 candidates, according to a source. Clements shares the same agent with McCarthy in Trace Armstrong, who is close friends with Bears president Ted Phillips.
If the Packers had gained the No. 2 seed, Clements could have met with the Bears this week.
Until about five years ago, the NFL permitted position coaches to interview for jobs short of head coach that represented clear-cut promotions even if they had time remaining on their contracts.
But after teams started to invent all kinds of titles to make their assistants immune from raids, the NFL decided on a blanket rule for coaches under contract.
Last year, the Packers denied requests by Miami and Tampa Bay to interview Ben McAdoo, at the time their tight ends coach, to be coordinator. Shortly thereafter, McCarthy promoted McAdoo, 35, to quarterbacks coach.
When the Buccaneers tried to interview Perry, the safeties coach, for defensive coordinator in January, McCarthy said no.
McKenzie got the same answer last winter when he wanted to interview Whitt, the cornerbacks coach, to be coordinator.
Campen, the offensive line coach, was prevented several years ago from interviewing with Kansas City for an undisclosed post.
Bennett, who coaches wide receivers, wasn't allowed to interview with two teams last winter regarding coordinator and quarterbacks jobs.
As you can imagine, wholesale denials can ruffle feathers within a coaching staff. McCarthy is reluctant to discuss the issue, but has insisted in the past that the organization treats its employees well.
Almost every assistant in the NFL has at least a two-year contract. It provides a measure of security in that most coaches must be paid for the second year if they're fired. It's entirely possible the Packers' staff for 2013 will look very much as it was in 2012.
Clements Packers often deny assistants permission to interview with other teamsSources told the Journal Sentinel that at least six current Packers assistants - Edgar Bennett, James Campen, Tom Clements, Ben McAdoo, Darren Perry and Joe Whitt - have been denied permission to interview with other National Football League teams in the last few years.
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Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/02/02/2650366/packers-deny-assistants-permission.html#storylink=cpy
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on February 05, 2013, 05:34:15 am
It's funny, when Gruden was coach of the Bucs and denied permission to coaches he was quite the villian...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 05, 2013, 07:25:58 pm
My perspective is that one or two losses may be OK but when teams end up asking to interview 5-6 of your assistant coaches that may be too many to lose.  A GM needs to balance that so he doesn't create an imprssion that he is unfair to his staff.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 06, 2013, 09:18:23 pm

Aaron Rodgers cleans up for Packers, Favre

 February, 5, 2013
Feb 5
 
3:59
 
PM ET
 
By Kevin Seifert | ESPN.com
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Five years have passed since the Green Bay Packers divorced Brett Favre. During that time, we've waited for someone to step toward reconciliation. As it turns out, the most qualified candidate was a third party with a vested interest in making amends for both sides.
 
Speaking Tuesday on his ESPN 540 radio show, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers confirmed his role in arranging a joint appearance with Favre at the NFL Honors show Saturday night in New Orleans. Rodgers made clear that he wants to see Favre re-enter the Packers family and hopes the reunion is part of his own legacy in Green Bay.
 



Jordan Strauss/Invision/APAaron Rodgers, left, and Brett Favre were together Saturday night at the NFL Honors show in New Orleans.
"As the face of the franchise now," Rodgers said, "[it's] a role that I take very seriously. I have the responsibility and enjoy having the opportunity to represent my team. I think it's important to realize that it is probably time to move forward."
 
It was hard to envision this day coming during the summer of 2008, when Favre attempted to force his way back onto the team -- and reclaim the job Rodgers had inherited -- after announcing his retirement. The ensuing chaos scuttled the Packers' season, and in 2009, Favre beat the Packers twice as a member of the Minnesota Vikings.
 
But the Packers' Super Bowl XLV championship in 2010, coinciding with Favre's retirement, began a healing process for both sides. Rodgers said producers from the NFL Honors show pitched the idea of making a joint presentation and, after thinking it over, he decided it could serve as a springboard for more important things.
 
Rodgers said he talked on the phone with Favre before the event. They also spent a "good amount of time" backstage arranging the routine that Rodgers claimed was entirely comfortable and devoid of the awkwardness it portrayed.
 
("That was the joke," Rodgers said, who added that the original plan was for the pair to start hugging but then back away and say, "Too soon?" Apparently the plan was better than the execution.)
 
Prior to that phone conversation, Rodgers and Favre hadn't spoken much since 2008 -- a distance I've always attributed to their distinctly different personalities as well as the inherent tension of a Hall of Fame succession. In the end, however, it was probably on Rodgers -- for lack of a better phrase -- to be the grown-up here. Favre wasn't likely to beg the Packers for forgiveness, and if Packers president Mark Murphy or general manager Ted Thompson have reached out to Favre, it has not been reported publicly.
 
"It didn't take a lot of coaxing for me to do it," Rodgers said. "I did want to sit and think about whether it was the right thing to do. I really feel very secure in my position with the team and feel good about the things that we've been able to accomplish in my five years as the starter, and feel good about the direction the organization is going in.
 
"Brett is two years removed from the game. He's going to obviously be in the Packers Hall of Fame. He'll get his number retired, and he'll be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the next few years. It's important, I think, to make sure that he's recognized for all the accomplishments that he's achieved in our organization especially. He's still very dear to many of our fans for the things that he's done for the Packers on the field. You can never take that away.
 
"As the face of the franchise, I felt like it was important that I took a leadership role in that. Not that one was needed now, but I thought it was good timing to just let the fans know, let Brett know, let's move forward. Let's heal things up and let's move forward."
 
I do think that it would help for Favre and Thompson to clear the air between them before the Packers schedule a Brett Favre Day at Lambeau Field. But the first step is always the most important one, and Rodgers deserves credit for making it happen. As is often the case for children caught in the middle of a divorce, he was the most clear-thinking person in the group and thus served in the unifier role.
 
I'm sure some of you will think Rodgers is taking himself too seriously as the "face of franchise" and doubt the reach he can have in such a multilayered issue. You're certainly entitled to that opinion, but to me, it's a much more preferable approach than the alternative. I like that Rodgers will use the power inherent in being a team's franchise quarterback to effect greater good for the franchise. And pulling Favre back into the Packers family is without question good for everyone.
 
"… You think about what you want your legacy to be and how you want to be remembered," Rodgers said. "As I move forward … I think about how I want to be remembered, and this is one thing that I really want to move forward with."
 
Rodgers has long since escaped the shadow of Favre as a player. But the debacle of his unusual departure? In the end, Rodgers had to clean that up, too.

Kevin Seifert
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 18, 2013, 03:11:30 pm
The Green Bay Packers have decided to part ways (via ESPN) with Charles Woodson, the 2009 NFL defensive player of the year, leaving a big hole in the secondary. Woodson gave the Packers seven solid seasons and, though he will turn 37 years old next October, should have no trouble finding a new team.

Several tough decisions lie ahead for Green Bay concerning the salary cap, but the release of Woodson may show their confidence in their young secondary.

Sam Shields, Tramon Williams and Casey Hayward make up one of the best young trios at cornerback in the league—Woodson's former position. He moved to safety this past season and with his departure Morgan Burnett and M.D. Jennings will have to step up.

Undrafted out of Arkansas State, Jennings started 10 games in 2012 and showed glimpses of a strong future. He had 52 tackles to go along with one interception which he returned 72 yards for a touchdown against Detroit. He is the player that the Packers will need to pick up the slack the most with Woodson gone. Can he cover tight ends up and down the field? Will he be burned by a guy like Percy Harvin lined up as a slot receiver? These are questions Jennings will have to answer with his play.

Jennings had his struggles during the season. A prime example would be the 21-yard touchdown run by Frank Gore in the season opener against San Francisco. Jennings looked foolish trying to make the tackle and earned himself a place on the bench in favor of rookie Jerron McMillan.

Burnett, who will be going into his fourth season out of Georgia Tech, is quietly blossoming into one of the game's most promising young defensive players. He has started every game the past two seasons, and last year he recorded 123 tackles, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. He has a nose for the ball and will be a force in the Packers secondary for years to come.

It will be extremely difficult to replace everything Woodson brings to a defense. Whether it be his exceptional tackling, his ability to play tight ends or slot receivers in coverage or his veteran leadership. In his time in Green Bay, Woodson had 38 interceptions, returning nine of those for touchdowns. You won't see those kind of numbers very often.

Are you confident in the Green Bay Packers' secondary without Charles Woodson?

Yes, Woodson was great, but the team will be fine.No, the secondary is too young and Woodson should have been retained.Submit Votevote to see results

So while watching Woodson go will be tough, the organization felt very confident in their young nucleus of players in the secondary—as well they should. Jennings will be the wild card, but if he can be even half the player Woodson was for Green Bay, the team will be fine.

Finally, when the Packers are able to offer contract extensions to guys like B.J. Raji, James Jones and maybe even A.J. Hawk, fans can look back to this difficult roster decision as one of the main reasons why.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 22, 2013, 03:37:01 pm
Packers personnel staff - drafting talent:

http://bleacherreport.com/tb/d9M0A?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=green-bay-packers
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 22, 2013, 05:55:18 pm
James Jones: Packers can have three 1,000-yard WRs
By Dan Hanzus Around the League Writer
Published: Feb. 19, 2013 at 06:18 p.m. Updated: Feb. 20, 2013 at 09:50 a.m.     Friend(s) Email  Your Email Send Email By Dan Hanzus JaMarcus getting a little help from friendsJim Harbaugh says Niners 'unlikely' to cut QB SmithMore Columns >
CULVER CITY, Calif. -- Last spring, James Jones felt like an afterthought in the Green Bay Packers' offense. Playing with a host of impact wide receivers, Jones felt like he didn't get any "respect" in Green Bay.


Following a season in which he set a career high with 14 touchdowns, Jones can't say that anymore. Around The League spoke with Jones on Tuesday at NFL Network studios, where we reminded him of his comments from last April. With Donald Driver retired and Greg Jennings likely a goner in free agency, we asked about his more central role in the offense.

"It's exciting because it means more opportunities," Jones said. "As long as we can stay healthy, it means more opportunities for me, Randall (Cobb) and Jordy (Nelson). When you lose playmakers like Donald and if Greg doesn't sign back, that's two less guys we gotta give the ball to which means you're going to get a lot more action."

Offseason Forecast: Packers
With the offseason under way, Around The League examines what's next for all 32 teams. Gregg Rosenthal covers the Packers. More ...

Could Jones register 100 catches in 2013?

"I think a 100-catch receiver is gone out of our offense just because Aaron (Rodgers) spreads the ball around so much," he said. "If anybody had a shot to get 100 catches, I'd probably say Randall because he's in the slot and he'll probably get a lot more targets.

"I can see me, Jordy and Randall getting about 80 catches a piece. I can see us all having over 1,000 yards."

Entering his own contract year, Jones can make himself a lot of money if he can prove to be a consistent player in the Packers' attack. We know he's going to get his opportunities, something that couldn't be guaranteed in the past.

Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 03, 2013, 07:49:03 pm



Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE



It’s clear that the Packers need to work on their offensive line this offseason. What is not clear is where those fixes need to happen. Should the team trust the recovery of Derek Sherrod and Bryan Bulaga? Should they find an upgrade for Evan Dietrich-Smith? Are only backups needed? These are mysteries without easy answers until workouts begin in the late spring.


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So far the elephants in the room that we have rounded up have been clear issue without simple solutions. For example, Jerel Worthy has a knee injury so more defensive linemen are needed, but who do you get? But what happens when figuring out the right question is harder than coming up with an answer? The Packers face this problem with their offensive line, but where exactly the problem lies is more difficult to track down. Should the team focus on tackle, center, or guard? Is it better to find a guy who may be able to play all five positions or a truly dominant force that specializes in one? With the offensive line depth in both the draft and free agency what is the best way to go? How much should the guys in house be trusted to get healthy or grow into their roles more? Another year of the line being one of the worst in the league is not an option, but a solution is tough to find until the right question can be found.
 
What Is The Problem?
 

Long story short, the offensive line was terrible last year. Now the line was not worst in the league –nor was it the worst in the division – but these things are a cold comfort when the line was just generally not good enough in either the running game or the passing game. This cannot continue and upgrades in personnel are clearly needed.
 
How Did We Get Here?
 

The cause of this problem can be broken down into three categories: 1) injuries, 2) poor planning, and 3) arrested development (cue the Tobias or Gob quotes).
 
Injures – The Packers have been quite serious in their efforts to improve the offensive line by drafting an offensive tackle in the first round two out of the past three years. The good news is that each of these players has not been a spectacular bust as we have seen with other teams around the league and in our division. The problem is that both players are also coming back from injuries which throw their reliability into question. If Bryan Bulaga and Derek Sherrod can come back healthy this spring (or at least by this summer) then the Packers should be in great shape at tackle. If both injuries end up being serious then it may be time to panic.

Poor Planning – The Packers started off the year with a couple large gambles along the offensive line. The first was not carrying a legitimate backup for either tackle spot, betting that Sherrod would be healthy enough to return half way through the season. The next was that Jeff Saturday could continue his high level of play. The failsafe was T.J. Lang, who could move outside to tackle should an injury arise and then allow Evan Dietrich-Smith to play his left guard spot. All three of these bets failed. Sherrod never came back. Saturday struggled all year and was eventually benched. Lang could not adequately play right tackle, nor could EDS adequately play left guard. The line quickly became a mess. The only saving grace was the unexpected play of rookie Don Barclay. Barclay holding down the right tackle spot allowed Lang to move back to left guard and EDS to replace Saturday at center.

Arrested Development – The great hope of 2012 not only rested on health, but also the continued growth of T.J. Lang and Marshall Newhouse. Lang received a nice extension in the offseason after a solid 2011 campaign. Newhouse had some experience in 2011 and seemed to be able to take the next step and be a starting caliber offensive tackle. To say that these two failed to deliver on their expectations would be kind. Newhouse continues to be who he always was…average. Newhouse can hold his own against most of the pass rushers of the league, but when he would come across those with an elite skill set he is lost from the word go. He just cannot keep up with Jason Pierre-Paul, Julius Peppers, and the other freakishly athletic pass rushers of this league. Lang had a sharp regression. He looked lost more than once and often struggled at both guard and tackle.

The other player who is languishing in a state of arrested development is Sherrod. Sherrod has had a tough hand dealt to him so far in his career. He was drafted during the player lockout and so was robbed of a chance to be part of OTA’s and rookie minicamps. When he did arrive in training camp he was moved to a completely unfamiliar position and struggled as a result. He then suffered a freak injury that not only stole his first real offseason, but also an entire year of competing and training. It’s not that he’s been an outright bust, but rather he has been denied a chance to even get started competing for the position he was actually drafted for in the first place…left tackle. When a player loses a year like that it’s understandable to expect some rust, but in Sherrod’s case it may cause serious damage to his development.
 
How Are The Packers Reacting?
 

In some ways the Packers seem to be sticking to business as usual with the offensive line. McCarthy has been giving his normal sorts of offseason quotes supporting players many are questioning. He has said that he is comfortable heading into 2013 with EDS as the starting center, and that EDS is a more natural center than guard. McCarthy stated that Lang’s struggles were due to nagging injuries to his shoulder and elbow. He also praised Greg Van Rotten and thinks he can develop into a solid backup option.

McCarthy supporting embattled players is nothing new, as well as the concept of the Packers betting on the development of players rather than radical personnel moves in order to improve their team. What is different though is the notion that change may be coming. Or as McCarthy put it: "We will be a better offensive line next year. You can write that down."

One idea that is surfacing on how to improve the line is to move Bulaga from right tackle to left tackle. Last year around this time this thought was flat denied by the Packers. It was the belief that Sherrod and Newhouse would be good enough and Bulaga could turn into one of the better right tackles in the game. If a switch does happen for Bulaga the question becomes what has changed? Has the coaching staff lost faith in Sherrod and/or Newhouse? Has the rise of Don Barclay been so significant that they believe he could be a legitimate starter? Is the injury to Sherrod really that bad?

Then again, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk threw out a more nontraditional reason for this consideration. He stated that the Packers may be doing this as a smoke screen leading up to free agency. The idea is that this would distract teams away from the need the Packers have at tackle and allow the team to swoop in and nab one of the bigger name free agents. It’s an interesting idea, but I would be shocked if that were to happen. It seems like the complete opposite of the way the Packers normally do business.
 
So do the Packers need help more on the outside of the line or the inside of the line? How bad is the need at center? Do the Packers need more credible depth or so they need a starter or two to reinforce the line? These are the questions that Packers seem to be struggling with this offseason. Unfortunately there will not be good answers until after the draft when OTA’s start up. Until then the Packers will have to do their due diligence on the rich draft and free agent class and possibly make a move that will surprise us all.
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on March 05, 2013, 06:37:07 pm
http://www.chicagobears.com/news/article-1/Bears-crushed-Packers-in-memorable-1980-meeting/5e35bf1d-9cc8-447c-b6a4-01b64ffb8480

Do you remember this game packrat?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 05, 2013, 07:28:59 pm
Don't remember that one, Peke.  I guess there is good reason.  ;-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on March 06, 2013, 09:29:57 am

I do - can't believe we let the Packers score a TD.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 13, 2013, 06:56:58 pm


Steven Jackson to the Packers? Maybe, but Adam Schefter misfired - UPDATED




By Kevin McCauleyon Mar 13 2013, 2:23p@kevinmccauley115

Stay connectedfor news and updates




USA TODAY Sports



Even the best make mistakes. Steven Jackson isn't a member of the Green Bay Packers quite y
Oops! Adam Schefter tweeted that the Green Bay Packers had agreed to a three-year deal with free agent running back Steven Jackson, then promptly deleted it. This is fun.

Whoopsies! I feel bad for Schefter, as I've definitely misfired on a tweet before. My guess: He's got some decent information that the Packers will sign Jackson, but isn't supposed to tweet it until he's given the okay. He probably tweeted before he was given the okay.
 
Anyway, Schefter's human and this stinks for him. Hopefully my theory's right and Jackson actually signs with the team later today.
 
UPDATE: There was something to that misfire, it appears.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 13, 2013, 07:04:35 pm
ro Football Talk just had an interesting tweet about the market for slot receivers, referencing Danny Amendola. This might have some ramifications for Greg Jennings and the Green Bay Packers, and explains the grumblings we heard last night that 85 could return.
 


Jennings isn't a 'true' slot receiver, but he's fairly similar to Amendola and Wes Welker, who has the Patriots and Broncos in a reported bidding war, in that he is a starting wide receiver who can play on the outside, but regularly becomes a slot receiver when his team goes to three-plus wide receiver formations. If the market for Welker's services is just two teams and Amendola can't find a better offer than he's getting from the Rams, it wouldn't be surprising if similar circumstances applied to Jennings.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 16, 2013, 02:40:29 pm
t is no secret that the Green Bay Packers had been home to one of the most productive receiving corps in the NFL over the better half of this millennium. The organization has done a excellent job of dealing with the turnover in the group as well. When Javon Walker left for Denver, Donald Driver stepped up and then Greg Jennings emerged. It's like the circle of life in Green Bay at the position.
 
With Greg Jennings taking that leap across the Mississippi River to Minnesota, the circle of life continues on. Like Jennings said, the Packers are going to do whats best for the Packers, regardless of the number on the jersey. With that said, the Packers are once again in a position where some uncertainty, if not a lot, lies regarding the team's receiving group. The Packers lost one of its proverbial home-run hitters to their sworn enemies... again.
 
Jennings is leaving behind a Packer receiving corp that is still in excellent. With younger players like James Jones, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Jermichael Finley (probably) still in the green and gold, there shouldn't be too many problems here when it comes down to catching balls. Oh, and the drops... Always with the drops.
 
Randall Cobb was targeted with 104 of Aaron Rodgers' best and wound up with 954 yards receiving to lead the team during his breakout season last year. James Jones followed Cobb with 784 yards and led the NFL 14 touchdown receptions in 2012. Jordy Nelson came on strong during the 2010 postseason and was a significant component of that Super Bowl glory. He then followed that with a breakout 1,263 yard year during the 2011 campaign where the Pack went 15-1. Nelson missed four games last season but there shouldn't be a reason why he can't come back healthy and duplicate his 2011 numbers at his age.
 
Tom Crabtree -- who is in my opinion the Packers' Twitter MVP -- would've probably been more of a factor in the 'Bay this season with Jennings out but instead he chose to head to another Bay down in Florida. The Packers have now lost Jennings, Crabtree and Donald Driver in case you haven't been keeping track on our Free Agency Tracker.
 
Personally, I think that the Packers will be all right without Jennings. Fans have had more than enough time to mourn and move on I hope. If not, I may or may not be hosting a series of "Greg Jennings to Minnesota" support groups across the state of Wisconsin. Come.
 
In all seriousness, I think that the wide receivers and tight ends that the Packers still have are more than capable, one of them MUST emerge as an near-elite home run hitter. I suspect that either James Jones or Randall Cobb will step into that role, between the players currently on the roster. If Jones' hands get a bit better, he could be the guy. He pulled down some nasty grabs last year and seems to be growing into a bit of a "monster" that Jennings eventually became. Cobb on the other hand, is pure speed. Like Jordy Nelson, I think Cobb will be great for the immortal Packer slant routes and the screen shots out of the gun.
 
Jordy Nelson, is a lot like Cobb and has a ton of speed getting off the line of scrimmage. As Nelson comes back for another full season hopefully, I could see him being what Wes Welker was to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. That is a player who nickles and dimes his way up the field and racks up a ton of short yards on a lot of catches.
 
Who becomes what isn't the issue. The issue is that this offense has lost their home run hitter. In Minnesota, there is AP and now Jennings. In Detroit, there is Calvin Johnson and in Chicago there is Brandon Marshall. Just about any successful NFL offense has a home run hitter at either running back or in their receiving corp. The Packers need one or they need one to emerge.
 
With Steven Jackson juking titletown for Atlanta, another potential home run hitter is out of the Packers' seemingly frail grip. How much he was in that grip in the first place is a question that we may never know. What I DO know is that the Packers need a big hitter.
 
A home run hitter is important for any reasons. They demand attention and coverage. They demand double teams. They demand extra hours of video and game planning time that should have went to the other guy that is going to surprise the opponent now. Greg Jennings was that guy. AP is that guy. Calvin Johnson is that guy. Steven Jackson is that guy.
 
The Packers have a lot of good guys but they need THAT GUY. Perhaps he is already there. Until then, only time will tell if "that guy" is in Green Bay.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 17, 2013, 06:44:55 pm
Patience  is Thompson's middle name.

In all of the craziness over the first few days of free agency, one of the biggest targets for the Green Bay Packers was free agent running back Steven Jackson. Amid reports of Jackson being interested in Green Bay, signing a contract with the Packers, and everything in between, he ended up in Atlanta leaving Ted Thompson and company in the same place they were a week ago. But wait! There is a free agent running back who we've all forgotten about, and who just might be on the Packers' radar:
 


That's right, former Giant Ahmad Bradshaw is a potential target for the Packers in free agency. Think about it - this has been Ted's M.O. The few times he has made a splash in free agency (Charles Woodson and Ryan Pickett) have gone similarly to this. Let the other teams fight over free agents and drive prices up over the initial few days and weeks, then sneak in with a signing of a big name player who fits a need and whose contract is much more in line with his value than if he had signed early.
 
There's no question that Bradshaw has durability concerns, but the fact remains that over his six-year career he has played on average 14 games per season. Furthermore, he has taken a fraction of the workload that Jackson has, with only 921 career carries going back to his rookie year of 2007, compared to 1,667 rushes for Jackson over the same time period. And if you're concerned about him helping out in the passing game? He's averaged 30 receptions and over 250 receiving yards over the past four years. Oh, and he'll be 27 in 2013, compared to Jackson who turns 30 this summer.
 
If Ted can sign Bradshaw for a relatively small contract with little money guaranteed, I'll count that as a win. Time will tell how serious this reported interest is, but I for one am encouraged and hope to see Bradshaw in Green and Gold on the cheap soon.
 


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 17, 2013, 06:49:13 pm
arch really is one of the toughest months to be a Packer fan isn’t it? This is the time of year where we sit back and watch while it often feels every other fan base celebrates some signing which improves their team. We are left to simply wait and wonder when it is the Packers’ turn.
 
It’s also this time of year where frustrations with Ted Thompson come to a boiling point. It’s fair to say that Thompson is conservative when it comes to free agency. Some will argue that Thompson is too conservative in free agency, passing up viable free agent candidates because of his bias towards players he has drafted. Ultimately this viewpoint often comes down to the question of "how is this team going to improve if it is not going to sign any new players?"
 
The answer stays the same each time….from within. The Packers are a draft and develop organization like many of the better run teams in the league. It’s not the only way to run a successful team, but it seems to be one of the better ways to ensure long term success in the NFL. There are three parts to this strategy: 1) draft well, 2) develop the players you have, and 3) be shrewd about who you keep to the long term. In theory if a team can do all three of these steps effectively then there is little need for free agency. If a team can’t do each of these three things then the system breaks down and they will b forced to spend money on the free agent market to compete. The Packers have done a good job of drafting and have become one of the best teams at developing talent. It seems like every year there is a player who makes a large jump in their game. Last year it was Brad Jones who stepped up and became one of the better LB’s in the league after spending his first few years in obscurity. M.D. Jennings went from special teams player to being a solid option as a starting safety. Sam Shields improved his cover abilities and became a much better tackler as well. Time and time again the Packers mold the players they have into the contributors they need.
 
This offseason is no different. The Packers had a very good draft class last year, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The team leaned on those young defenders more than they expected and the defense improved from its woefully bad 2011 form. Now is the time that those players should take a large step forward in their game and help the Packers fill in holes from last season. Similarly the offense should improve with Don Barclay and Andrew Datko getting more time to develop and learn how to be NFL players.
 
The Packers are getting better and will be better in 2013. The problem for us fans is that the ways the Packers are improving can’t be seen until May or August when OTAs and training camp pick up. Until then we are going to have to be patient and keep a level head. Rome wasn’t built n a day and the Packers have survived worse free agent hits than the ones we have taken this year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 19, 2013, 07:40:31 pm


PHOENIX -- The Packers cut linebacker A.J. Hawk’s 2013 pay by nearly $2 million when he agreed to renegotiate his contract last week.

In all, Hawk’s pay was reduced by $7.25 million over the remaining three years of the deal.


According to a source with access to NFL Players Association salary information, Hawk will make a total of $3.6 million this season. He was scheduled to make $5.45 million in salary ($4.9 million) and bonuses ($550,00). Instead, he agreed to reduce his base salary to $840,000 and will get a roster bonus of $2.21 million, which was guaranteed. He also can receive up to $300,000 in per-game roster bonuses, getting $18,750 for each game in which he’s active. It also contains a $250,000 workout bonus.


All told, it reduced Hawk’s salary-cap charge from $7.05 million to $5.2 million.


In the remaining two years of his deal, he will have base salaries of $2.45 million in both 2014 and 2015 plus roster bonuses of $500,000 and workout bonuses of $250,000 in addition to $300,000 in per-game roster bonuses in each season. Meaning he would make $3.5 million in each of those seasons. He had been scheduled to make $5.95 million in 2014 and $6.45 million in 2015.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 21, 2013, 07:54:40 pm
Packer roster breakdown,  possible draftees
 

http://www.acmepackingcompany.com/2013/3/21/4132026/brad-jones-visits-packers-whats-going-on (http://www.acmepackingcompany.com/2013/3/21/4132026/brad-jones-visits-packers-whats-going-on)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on March 22, 2013, 10:46:17 am

On Monday March 25th I am becoming a Packer fan.

I am going out today at lunch to look for a Packer's jersey.

A co-worker of mine, John, went on a ski trip to Colorado last week with his wife and 3 kids in their early teens.  He liked skiing and did it about every spring break.  Apparently he was up on the mountain and had a heart attack while skiing with his daughter.  He ended up getting airlifted to a hospital.  That was on Thursday and on Saturday he passed.   He was 49.

John was a huge Packer fan.  Every Monday during football season he'd wear that stupid old Brett Favre Jersey.  His truck had a Packer license plate frame.  He had 2 Packer window flags.  His work ID badge had Packers on the lanyard.  His office looked like a Green Bay Packer shrine with Packer bobbleheads, bumper stickers, and posters.  If I had to talk with him I would never actually go inside but talk to him from the hallway.

On Mondays during football season we'd often talk about the Sunday games unless the Bears played the Packers and then based on the Bears' recent performances, I'd pretty much try to avoid him.   

His memorial service is Monday and his family has asked that instead of wearing black that everybody wear a Packers jersey or t-shirt or at least something with green or gold.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on March 22, 2013, 11:47:10 am
sorry for your loss DB, just make sure to drape that jersey respectfully over his casket as you leave!

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 22, 2013, 06:22:04 pm
Sorry ab out your loss, Dallas.  He sounds like a lot if Packer fans I have known.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 22, 2013, 06:23:19 pm
(http://espnwisconsin.com/upload/DuJuanHarrisTD.jpg)

Will Harris start this season?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 22, 2013, 06:43:25 pm

Greg Jennings, Wide Receiver, Minnesota Vikings


Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images


Contract: five years, $45 million ($17.8 guaranteed)

Nearly $18 million guaranteed is a lot to pay for a wide receiver that is about to turn 30 and hasn't put up a 1,000 yards in a season since 2010. In addition, an argument could be made that Greg Jennings rode Aaron Rodgers' coattails to success in Green Bay prior to a down 2011 season and injury-plagued 2012 campaign.

Do you expect Jennings to put up over 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns in any of the next three seasons? That is the question you should be asking yourself if you were all for Minnesota going out there and acquiring Jennings.

It doesn't take a quarterback expert to come to the conclusion that Christian Ponder is nowhere near the quarterback that Rodgers is. In addition, Jennings will not have the ability to see single coverage in Minnesota like he did in Green Bay with all the weapons the Packers had during his tenure there. 

As it is, Jennings' average salary of $9 million ranks him in the top 10 among NFL wide receivers. Do you see him performing like a top-of-the-line pass-catcher over the next three seasons? I don't.

I fully understand that Minnesota needed to replace Percy Harvin in the passing game, but doling out this type of money for a player who seems to be regressing was a bit foolhardy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 22, 2013, 06:47:03 pm


Erik Walden, Linebacker, Indianapolis Colts


Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images


Contract: four years, $16 million ($4 guaranteed)

The last time we saw Erik Walden on the football field for the Green Bay Packers he was getting both ankles broken by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. While I am willing to give Walden a pass because of who did the ankle-breaking, he just isn't a standout performer as a 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL.

Our very own Aaron Nagler was uncompromising in his take on the Walden signing:


So Sporting News' Executive of the Year just handed Erik Walden $16 million over 4 years. Got it.

I really am trying to find a reason to support Indianapolis Colts general manager Ryan Grigson on this one, but I'm having an incredibly hard time doing so.

After all, Walden has recorded just six sacks in 25 starts as a 3-4 outside linebacker for Green Bay over the last two seasons. Is he really worth $4 million a year, let alone that amount guaranteed?

Considering that Indianapolis runs the same defensive scheme and will be asking Walden to get to the quarterback, this makes even less sense.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on March 24, 2013, 08:07:13 am
Boy that's sad, DB. Man...he was one year older than me! Stuff like that gets me all concerned. I need to get to the Dr and get a checkup....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on April 01, 2013, 09:36:31 am
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/01/packers-rodgers-2-million-a-year-apart-as-contract-talks-continue/

Rapoport reports that the Packers are currently offering more than $21 million a year, and that Rodgers will end up with a better deal than Flacco got. The Packers would need to pay Rodgers an additional $106 million over four more years to get to an average of $21 million over the next six years. If they’re $2 million apart and Rodgers wants to average $23 million a year for the next six years, the Packers would need to pay him an additional $118 million on a four-year extension.

Welcome to cap hell Green bay.  If a QB in this league is worth it is Rodgers but what happened to the home town discount he was going to give the Packers that all their fans kept telling me about?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on April 01, 2013, 09:51:36 am
He did a discount double-check
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on April 01, 2013, 02:33:41 pm
as long as it doesn't affect Jay's contract, I hope they pay him $30M per year :-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 01, 2013, 05:06:44 pm
Loyce Means opened eyes with a sub-4.4 40


By Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel   

March 29, 2013
     



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It's not the big splash some might have been hoping for, but the Green Bay Packers are about to add a free agent.

Loyce Means, a former University of Houston cornerback, will fly to Green Bay on Monday and sign a contract provided he passes a physical, an NFL source said Friday.

The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Means was out of football in 2012, but at a recent workout, he caught the Packers' eye by running under 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash. That was apparently enough for the club to give him a shot at a roster spot.

Means was not drafted coming out of Houston in 2011 and signed a free-agent contract with the Buffalo Bills. He made it through training camp but was released and caught on with the Hamilton Tiger Cats of the Canadian Football League.

Means became a starter within a week and played in the last four games of the season for the Tiger Cats.

Hamilton chose not to bring him back in the spring, and Means has been working out in the Houston area.

Means played in 38 games at Houston and had eight interceptions and 13 passes broken up. He scored two defensive touchdowns.

In the Eastham Energy All-Star Game in Tempe, Ariz., after his senior year, he scored three touchdowns, one off an interception, one off a blocked field goal and one off a fumble. Means was just 177 pounds at his pro day workout, which is part of the reason he wasn't rated highly by pro scouts.

As a "street" free agent, Means won't cost the Packers anything if he doesn't make the team. The Packers discovered cornerback Tramon Williams in a similar way after Houston cut him
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 01, 2013, 05:27:07 pm

s I was walking in to work this morning, I was stunned to read a tweet from Green Bay Packers guard Josh Sitton. Apparently, Ted Thompson has been wheeling and dealing this weekend, and not just with Aaron Rodgers:



Then, about a half hour later, fellow starting guard T.J. Lang confirmed the news with this tweet:

Holy crap. I sure hope that Ted got a nice haul of draft picks in this trade, because offensive guard suddenly became the biggest need on the team. This is reminiscent of the departure of Mike Wahle and Marco Rivera before the 2005 off-season, when the Packers replaced those two veterans in the same season. This may open up an opportunity for Derek Sherrod at left guard and Don Barclay on the right side, and in that case tackle would also become a need.

We'll have more on this developing story as details come out, but April 1, 2013 may go down as the day that the Packers got rid of their best offensive lineman and two of their most entertaining characters.

UPDATE: NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO, TED, WHY?!



As you have no doubt realized, this was a ridiculous April Fool's joke played by Sitton and Lang, and we were more than happy to pick up on it and have a little fun along with them. Ted Thompson has not traded the Packers' two starting guards to a rival for a 7th-round draft pick, as far as we know.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 02, 2013, 07:07:27 pm
nfortunately for Green Bay Packers inside linebacker Desmond Bishop, his 2012 season was quite literally over before it began. Bishop suffered a torn hamstring in the first preseason game of the year, and was placed on injured reserve a few weeks later. Bishop was expected to be the enforcer in the middle, contributing both against the run and in the pass rush.

2011 Season

Bishop had a very good season in most respects two years ago, recording over 120 total tackles and five sacks despite the Packers' defense struggling as a whole to keep opposing offenses from moving up and down the field.. Bishop did give up over 500 passing yards in coverage, however, and will surely look to be better in coverage in 2013.

2012 Replacements

Bishop's injury left the right inside linebacker job to second-year pro D.J. Smith, who had filled in admirably for Bishop for a few games as a rookie in 2011. Smith didn't seem comfortable in 2012 though, and appeared to struggle before an injury of his own sent him to injured reserve after the week 6 game in Houston. Former outside linebacker Brad Jones started the final twelve games of the year (including playoffs) and helped stabilize the interior of the defense next to 16-game starter A.J. Hawk.

2013 Roster Outlook

With Brad Jones returning to Green Bay, the Packers have four inside linebackers with substantial starting experience: Bishop, Jones, Smith, and A.J. Hawk. Only Hawk has played the left inside position in the Packers' 3-4, however, but all four appear likely to see the field at various times. As such, regaining the starting job by default does not seem like a sure thing for Bishop, and there will likely be some competition in training camp between all four players to see which players are best suited in which situations.

Residual Injury Impact

There will appear to be little impact to Bishop's preparation for the 2013 season, likely due in part to the fact that his injury took place so early in 2012. Before the playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers, Bishop was quoted as saying he was "somewhere between 60 and 80 percent". Then in late February, Bishop's agent had this to say about the linebacker: "He’s getting there. I think he’ll be fully cleared for all of the off-season stuff." With lots of competition likely at inside linebacker, Bishop will need to take advantage of any and every opportunity to make it clear that he's the best option at his position.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 02, 2013, 07:29:03 pm

Like Van Roten, Tretter Looking to Become Next Ivy League Lineman in NFL

By Brian Carriveau on Apr 01, 2013 with  1 Comments



Cornell offensive lineman J.C. Tretter. Photo by Brian Carriveau of CheeseheadTV.com.

The similarities are almost errie.

In 2012, Greg Van Roten was signed by the Green Bay Packers out of the Ivy League, a 6-3, 303 lb. offensive lineman out of Penn.

Fast forward to 2013, and the next Ivy Leaguer to join the ranks of the NFL looks to become J.C. Tretter, a 6-4, 307 lb. offensive lineman from Cornell.

“There’s plenty of Ivy Leaguers out there that have been producing at the next level,” said Tretter at the NFL Combine. “It’s something that it’s not crazy to think about.”

When the Packers signed Van Roten as an undrafted free agent, they got a player who started his 30 final games in college at left tackle. But his 6-3 frame just didn’t translate well to tackle in the NFL.

After being elevated from the practice squad to the 53-man roster at midseason, Van Roten took a handful of snaps as an extra blocking tight end, but his future lies on the interior of the offensive line with the Packers going so far as to converting him into a center.

The same thing appears to be happening to Tretter who spent his first two season at Cornell as a tight end but spent his last two as a left tackle. Standing just fractions short of 6-4, however, he also figures to make a position switch at the pro level.

“I guess what people are seeing is, most of them see me as an interior lineman with my height and my arm length, which is all I’ve been working on now,” said Tretter. “I’ve got the tackle down from my two seasons playing, now I’m working on guard and center.”

Working in favor for both Tretter and Van Roten is their high-profile educational background, something that seems to translate well to offensive linemen in general and centers specifically in the NFL.

In the days leading up to Super Bowl XLVII, recently retired Baltimore Ravens center Matt Birk––a Harvard graduate––expressed his conviction to Cheesehead TV that understanding the Xs and Os of the game are even more important than the physical aspect for manning the pivot position.

“I think to be a center, I think the most important thing is you have to like to study,” said Birk. “You have to enjoy the game and the strategies and the nuances, because it’s my responsibility as the center as far as the game plan goes from week to week, and making calls and getting everybody lined up and going in the right direction. You have to be willing to study the playbook all the time.”

In addition to calling out blocking assignments, being able to direct a no-huddle offense is also part of the job description, and having an Ivy League education like Birk’s certainly doesn’t hurt. But at the same time, going to a university known more for its academics is a two-way street, according to Tretter.

“I think there’s a positive and a negative stigma,” said Tretter. “You have the regular small-school stigma, and then you have the intelligence stigma, which isn’t a bad one. The smarter you are in this game, the better you understand, the better you’re going to be able to play. So really, I don’t let it affect me. You do what you can.”

Tretter performed well enough at Cornell to be invited to the Senior Bowl in January, the premiere all-star game in college football. Unfortunately, however, he was never able to participate.

One day before he was set to fly out to Mobile, Ala. Tretter broke his nose at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. during a pass protection drill while training for the NFL Draft.

He had surgery immediately, and he doesn’t expect it to cause any long-term problems, but Tretter was disappointed that he wasn’t able to take advantage of an opportunity like a Senior Bowl invite that doesn’t come along very often for non-FBS players. Outside of interviewing with NFL teams in Mobile, he wasn’t able to impress anyone with his on-field acumen.

Fortunately for Tretter, he’s got versatility on his side. The best athletes on the offensive line frequently play left tackle, protecting the quarterback’s blind side.

The Packers, for example, have made a habit of taking college left tackles and finding out where they fit in the NFL after they arrive in Green Bay. Whether they have to flip to right tackle or slide inside to guard or center, the Packers aren’t afraid of the development it takes to make them comfortable.

Tretter would appear to have that adaptability the Packers like in their offensive lineman.

“How I’ve gone into it is wanting to be as versatile as possible,” said Tretter. “When you get to the next level, you need to do whatever the team can ask of you. So I want to be able to play all five positions extremely well.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 05, 2013, 12:40:13 pm
From a Packers blog site:

14. When the Packers lost in Seattle last year, did you act in a manner you regret?

John from Highlands Ranch, CO

Of course not. I’m a grown man. I’m fine with the neighbors seeing me run around in my underwear with a bucket over my head screaming, “I’m a replacement ref with a replacement brain.” It’s expected during the season, isn’t it?

Luis from San Angelo, TX

No, in fact, I should have broken more things.

Jeff from Port Orange, FL

No, all my anger was with Roger Goodell and the owners, so I wrote him an email about it.

Owen from Los Angeles, CA

I regret being upset with Coach McCarthy after the Seattle loss. Having the team come back out to defend the extra point was the right thing to do. He is a class act and I learned a bit about sportsmanship that horrible night.

Corey from Ottawa, Ontario

When the Packers lost to Seattle I was reading the play-by-play on my ipad in McDonalds at 8 a.m. in Indonesia on my honeymoon. When I finally figured out what happened, everyone stared at me.

Chris from Wauwatosa, WI

What I did that I regret after the Seattle loss was not an action but an attitude, more a sad realization than a regret. Instant replay has not helped the game because with the plain facts before the judges, blindness prevailed. Something permanent about my faith in the game was lost that day. I have never been one to blame the refs, but that was the most regretful play I’ve ever seen in 50 years.

E.J. from Virginia Beach, VA

I was working overnight and luckily nobody was around, so, yes.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on April 05, 2013, 08:18:52 pm
"Of course not. I’m a grown man. I’m fine with the neighbors seeing me run around in my underwear with a bucket over my head screaming, “I’m a replacement ref with a replacement brain.” It’s expected during the season, isn’t it?"

LOL.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 05, 2013, 08:23:18 pm
Under Ted Thompson (right), the Packers are among the lowest in the NFL in the amount of dead money currently on their ledgers.
 
By Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel   

April 3, 2013

There is any number of ways to judge a National Football League general manager.

How has he drafted? How has he used free agency? How has his head coach performed? How has he managed the salary cap? Has he secured a franchise quarterback? Has he succeeded in retaining his best players?

Another way to measure his performance is to look at the amount of "dead money" that appears on his salary cap ledger.

In some ways, "dead money," or the salary cap charges that count for players no longer on the team, answer many of those aforementioned questions. The more dead money you have, the worse job you've done making good personnel, financial and planning decisions.

As of Tuesday morning, the Green Bay Packers ranked sixth in the NFL with $17.799 million in salary cap space and among the lowest in the amount of dead money on their ledgers.

It is both a testament to general manager Ted Thompson's success building his football team and his distaste for free agency, where it seems most of the big, salary cap-gutting mistakes occur. Thompson doesn't like other teams' talent and spends most of his salary cap money re-signing his own players.

"I think winning a world championship is a very difficult thing to do," Thompson once said in describing his philosophy. "They've been attained through different mechanisms. I think the way we do it, which is to try to do solid personnel work and grow within the organization and try to make people better as they move forward in their life, is a good recipe."

Consider the dead money on the Packers' 2013 adjusted salary cap of $131,325,731: A total of 15 players account for $959,236.

That money represents a portion of a player's signing bonus or salary guarantee that was pro-rated over the length of the player's contract. If the player doesn't fulfill all the years on the contract, the remaining pro-rated portion of the signing bonus accelerates onto the team's salary cap either that year or the following year, depending on when the player was released.

The majority of the Packers' dead money this year belongs to center Jeff Saturday, who was given a guaranteed $1.65 million roster bonus when he signed a two-year deal in 2012. He was released in January - and later retired - but $825,000 of that bonus will count against the Packers' cap this year.

Some of the others on that list are: Lawrence Guy ($22,950), Tommie Draheim ($5,667), Vic So'oto ($2,834) and Shaky Smithson ($334). All were released last year during or around training camp.

Now compare that to the Baltimore Ravens, for instance.

Among the dead money they'll carry this year is: $2.95 million for linebacker Ray Lewis, $1.8 million for kicker Billy Cundiff, $1.531 million for receiver Anquan Boldin and $1.4 million for center Matt Birk. That's more than $7.5 million of cap room that won't be applied to the active roster.

In the Ravens' case, that's not necessarily bad cap management. It so happens veterans Lewis and Birk retired after winning the Super Bowl and didn't finish out the length of their contracts.

But it's an example of how delicate a process it is to keep your cap clean.

The Oakland Raiders are the extreme. Through a series of absurd moves before former Packers personnel director Reggie McKenzie became general manager, the Raiders are carrying nearly $40 million of dead money, including $9.34 million alone from quarterback Carson Palmer, who was traded Tuesday to the Arizona Cardinals.

Their adjusted salary cap is $127.2 million, so one-third of their cap will be devoted to players who aren't there. The Raiders' troubles were the result of a poor decision in acquiring Palmer and writing huge contracts to players who couldn't live up to them.

The Packers have had some of those problems, but by and large, Thompson has avoided the kind of hits that devastate a team's cap.

Among those he's had to shoulder since becoming general manager in '05 due to bad draft picks, poor free agent decisions and injury are: quarterback Brian Brohm ($1.33 million), safety Marquand Manuel ($900,000), defensive lineman Justin Harrell ($530,000) and safety Nick Collins ($2 million).

But for a large part, Thompson benefits from rarely taking any chances on the free agent market.

He has been doubly cautious this year because he is about to knock off two-thirds of that available cap space with mega-deals to quarterback Aaron Rodgers and linebacker Clay Matthews.

He'll be making a huge investment in both players, and if one of them were to get hurt or suddenly flame out, the dead money he'd be facing would be enormous.

It is one reason Thompson will try to use as much cap space as possible this year on the two deals.

If he wanted, he could push a good deal of the cap charges into the future, thus giving him room to spend in free agency this year. But the risk is that should one or both player not fulfill all the years of his deal, there would be a huge amount of pro-rated signing bonus money ready to accelerate into one year.

It happened to the Dallas Cowboys with receiver Terrell Owens, who was let go after signing a huge deal and represented $9.675 million of dead money on the Cowboys' cap in 2009.

Thompson could have fallen into that trap with safety Charles Woodson, but his assessment about how many years he had left and how to structure his contract worked out perfectly. When Woodson was cut, he had no pro-rated money left to accelerate.

While Thompson leaves the salary cap planning mostly to vice president of player finance Russ Ball, he makes the call on who to sign and who to let go. He jokes that he doesn't even like to think about the cap, but like any good general manager, he has to every time he makes a move.

"I think I have a self, built-in rule that I never talk about the salary cap," Thompson said last month. "I don't think I ever use the term S.C. But what I'm talking about, pieces of the puzzle and things fitting in the budget and that sort of thing, it all gets to something.

"Whether it's the cap or dollars or whatever it is, that's part of the NFL game. That's part of the rules that we all play under, so we all have to manage it the best we can."

And avoid as much dead money as possible.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 05, 2013, 08:27:29 pm
"Of course not. I’m a grown man. I’m fine with the neighbors seeing me run around in my underwear with a bucket over my head screaming, “I’m a replacement ref with a replacement brain.” It’s expected during the season, isn’t it?"

LOL.

Vic said this was his favorite.  Fans don't often admit their errors.:

Owen from Los Angeles, CA

I regret being upset with Coach McCarthy after the Seattle loss. Having the team come back out to defend the extra point was the right thing to do. He is a class act and I learned a bit about sportsmanship that horrible night.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 05, 2013, 08:41:38 pm
Making Sense of Thompson’s Free-Agent Frugality

By Zach Kruse on Apr 05, 2013 with  31 Comments



Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson. Photo by Brian Carriveau of Cheesehead TV.

Despite his roster entering the 2013 offseason in possession of a number of positional needs, Ted Thompson has once again remained especially frugal in free agency.

The reasons why the Packers general manager has so far left a Goodwill market of free agents empty-handed have always been readily available, but are just now coming to be respected. The money needed to retain his two best players—quarterback Aaron Rodgers and linebacker Clay Matthews—is going to be astronomical.

And with those looming millions in mind, Thompson has sat idly by as veterans at positions of need have signed cost-efficient deals elsewhere.

Steven Jackson, a jackhammer at 6-2 and 240 lbs who fits exactly what the Packers should want at running back, flirted with Thompson briefly before signing a three-year, $12 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons that included just $4 million in guaranteed money.

Chris Canty and Cullen Jenkins, both of whom could have added much-needed depth along a thin defensive line, signed dirt-cheap deals in Baltimore and New York, respectively. Canty received just $8 million over three years and $2.8 million guaranteed, while Jenkins signed essentially the same deal with $3 million guaranteed.

Michael Huff, an athletic, versatile safety who reportedly drew interest the Packers, bluffed a visit to Green Bay before inking a three-year deal worth just $6 million with the Ravens.

Even receiver Greg Jennings, one of Thompson’s own draft picks, eventually signed a deal worth $9 million annually in Minnesota after the Packers were reportedly still in the running.

The reasons for passing on such available players hasn’t been a matter of current cap space. As of Thursday, the Packers have the NFL’s sixth-most cap room at $17.8 million, per the NFLPA’s salary numbers.

Soon enough, however, that available money is going to transition from the Packers’ vault to the wallets of Rodgers and Matthews.

Rodgers, already complete with a regular season and Super Bowl MVP at the ripe age of 29, will eventually become the highest paid player in the history of the NFL. Not even the recent mega-check signings at the quarterback position can prevent that eventual reality.

Fresh off his own Super Bowl win and without a contract in 2013, Joe Flacco held as much negotiation leverage as the NFL has seen in recent history, and he used it to secure $120.6 million over six years from the Ravens last month. The deal also included $52 million in guaranteed money.

Tony Romo, possessing his own abundance of leverage against the cash-strapped Cowboys, swindled Dallas into giving him a six-year extension worth $108 million, plus a ridiculous $55 million in guaranteed money. Romo will be 33 later this month, is four games under .500 the past three seasons and has just one playoff win.

A year earlier, Drew Brees fought through a growingly public dispute with the New Orleans Saints and still wound up with $100 million over five years and a record $60 million in guarantees. Like Flacco and Romo, most of the leverage was solely in Brees’ corner.

For now, Flacco—a fellow Super Bowl MVP— holds the title of the game’s highest paid player.

But not for long. In the case of Rodgers, who still has two years left on the $65 million deal he signed just seven starts into his reign, one-sided leverage isn’t the driving factor for a mega deal.

Various reports peg Rodgers’ extension—which is almost certain to be completed this offseason—at a value at or richer than $25 million per season. Flacco’s deal averages $20.1 million.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter speculated that four years and over $100 million is a very likely scenario for Rodgers’ new money, and his guaranteed money should also set a new bench mark, likely meaning a number in the $60-70 million range.

Even the most savvy cap manager—in this case, Russ Ball—would struggle to lessen the impact such a deal will have on the Packers cap. Unless the cap suddenly balloons, Rodgers will cost the Packers nearly a sixth of their total salary cap over the next few season. It’s certainly a worthwhile investment, as players of Rodgers’ caliber at the game’s most important position don’t just grow on trees, but Ball’s job over the next few years will grow infinitely more challenging once the ink dries on Rodgers’ contract.

The offseason checklist for Thompson and Ball doesn’t end with Rodgers, however. While one history-making extension would be difficult enough for most franchises, the Packers have the luxury of negotiating two.

Matthews, who turns just 27 in May, would enter 2013 on the final year of his rookie contract if the two sides somehow failed to agree on an extension. Escalators in his original deal bumped Matthews’ salary next season to $3.73 million, but he’s still woefully underpaid. The Packers will remedy that situation, likely sooner rather than later. It’s in their best interest to do so.

In fact, Matthews’ new deal could come down the wire before the Packers put the finishing touches on Rodgers’ history-making extension.

Both Tom Silverstein and Schefter have reported over the last 10 days that Green Bay is close to agreeing on an extension for Matthews. Schefter, who is clearly one of the few in contact with Matthews’ agent, David Dunn, reported earlier this week that the extension is likely to cost the Packers $13 million or more per year in new money.

If correct, Matthews would trampoline from one of the game’s most underpaid defenders to one of its highest.

An annual compensation of $13 million or more would grant Matthews the title of the NFL’s highest paid linebacker, well ahead of DeMarcus Ware and his $11.14 million average. Buffalo Bills defensive end Mario Williams makes $16 million a season and is the game’s richest defensive player.

Like Rodgers, Matthews has earned his looming extension. Over four years in Green Bay, Matthews has 42.5 sacks in 58 regular season games. He’s missed just six total games, with four coming in 2013. By all accounts, Matthews has been one of the NFL’s most disruptive defensive players since the Packers drafted him 26th overall in 2009.

The impact of the two extensions will be significant.

When each deal is finalized this offseason—and chances that both aren’t before the start of 2013 are growing increasingly more slim—Green Bay’s nearly $18 million in cap room will likely be reduced by at least two-thirds.

Rodgers’ cap number in 2013 should inflate from $9.75 million to around $15-17 million, while Matthews’ number of $4.9 million should increase into the $9-10 million range. The resulting cap space will be left primarily for the incoming class of drafted and undrafted rookies.

These contract realities for Rodgers and Matthews are not breaking news. The need for both to receive monster extensions has been well-documented for months now, but the enormity of the numbers needed to secure both long term have made it crystal clear why Thompson was so willing to let even cost-efficient free agents sign elsewhere over the last month.

Call him unnecessarily frugal at your own peril. While Jackson, Canty, Jenkins and Huff each made varying amounts of sense, Thompson obviously had a prophetic understanding of what locking up his two superstars would ultimately cost.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 05, 2013, 08:50:11 pm
...So with over $30 million potentially being tied up into two players, B.J. Raji could find himself in an interesting position.

After being selected with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, Raji has been moved around the team’s defensive line. He enjoyed perhaps his best season in 2010, racking up 6.5 sacks before being named to his first Pro Bowl a year later.

But Rodgers and Matthews are clearly the Packers’ top two long-term priorities, leaving Raji’s future in question.

Rodgers, Matthews and Raji are each represented by David Dunn. Having the same agent could make it easier to fit all three players’ new contracts in the payroll.

And Hodkiewicz expects the team to reach an agreement with Raji as well.

“Ryan Pickett was one of their top guys in salary, and he’s going to come off the books next season,” Hodkiewicz said. “With Pickett coming off the books, that opens some cap space to invest into Raji.”

Just how much money Raji will get in his extension is up for debate. Teams that run a 4-3 defensive scheme may be willing to pay Raji more, as 4-3 defensive tackles are generally counted on to make more “impact plays” than linemen in a 3-4.

“There’s a good chance that all three of those guys are locked up going into next year.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 07, 2013, 10:54:42 pm

By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel   

April 5, 2013
Not an impossible dream.

Green Bay --- In retrospect, Ryan Otten probably could have sat out a day or two. Probably should have. During Senior Bowl week -- his first NFL job interview -- the San Jose State tight end caught the flu. But whereas others dropped out with the bug, Otten kept practicing.

Midway through the week, a small cut on his middle finger became infected. His finger ballooned, darkened.

"Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to practice," Otten said, "but I wanted to."

A doctor actually needed to drain his finger during the Senior Bowl game that Saturday. And now, after a long, frustrating ordeal, Otten is back on track.

This month, he'll be one mid-round option for the Packers at tight end. If general manager Ted Thompson decides to wait through the early rounds but still wants to add to a position that lost Tom Crabtree, Otten will be one possibility. He talked to the Packers at the Senior Bowl and the NFL scouting combine. At San Jose State, Otten had 99 receptions for 1,481 yards and nine touchdowns his last two seasons.

The concern was if Otten had enough bulk, a concern that magnified during a Senior Bowl week from hell.

Otten spent two nights at the hospital after the game and that cut turned out to be a staph infection. Back in Irvine, Calif, he subsequently took antibiotics for two weeks and his weight plummeted to 220 pounds. By now, teams probably know what Otten was going through in Mobile.

"It was frustrating at that time but I had to keep pushing to get through it," Otten said. "I kept practicing through it because I wanted to show that I can play through things like that."

Once he was off the antibiotics, Otten quickly put on weight. He worked out "two, three times a day" and "ate like a mad man." Meats, pasta, vegetables, all day. By the Combine, Otten weighed 230 pounds. At his pro day two weeks later, he was 242 pounds. Adding mass was essential. Teams know Otten is a fluid receiver who can make difficult catches in traffic.

By adding weight in a hurry -- and planning to add more -- Otten hopes to be a reliable blocker. He's currently 245 pounds.

"I’m the biggest I’ve ever been, the strongest I’ve ever been," he said. "I’m going to continue to get a little bit stronger and a little bigger as I get older. Technique-wise and will-wise, I feel good about my blocking. I was just always a little too light. Now that I’m bigger and I’m going to get even a little more bigger, I have confidence.”

He will offer versatility. Otten is what NFL offenses hunt for today -- a 6-foot-5 tight end who can line up tight, in the slot and split out.

“I feel I can play a number of different roles," he said, "and line up in different spots and create mismatches in the running game and the passing game.”

The Packers made the decision to keep Jermichael Finley for the 2013 season by paying the tight end's roster bonus, but they'll take a close look at a strong tight end class headlined by Notre Dame's Tyler Eifert and Stanford's Zach Ertz. If Green Bay decides to address other positions such as safety or defensive end early on, Otten, Rice's Vance McDonald and Colorado's Nick Kasa are a few options.

After talking to tight ends coach Jerry Fontenot at the Combine and seeing the Packers more on film, Otten wouldn't mind joining fellow San Jose State alum James Jones in Green Bay. He sees it as a good match.

“Absolutely. I feel the Green Bay offense is perfect for my game,” he said. “I just feel with the way they like to spread people out and attack them, they line their tight ends up in a lot of different places, do a lot of different things and throw the ball a lot with Aaron Rodgers. I feel I could help that team a lot.

“Green Bay would probably be one of my top choices if I could pick anywhere.”
 

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on April 08, 2013, 10:41:58 am
If Rogers still has 2 more years left, the smart money might be to let him play this year and negotiate a new deal next year. They can use the tag as leverage. He takes a lot of hits, it just seems risky to me.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 08, 2013, 07:50:32 pm
I don't understand the comment about Rodgers having two more years to play.  Rodgers expects to play for 6-7 more years.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on April 09, 2013, 08:56:47 am
I think he has 2 more years on his current contract.
With his tendency to get hit so much, I would wait until closer to his contract is up.
The Packers would actually be better of from a financial stand point to let Rogers play out his contract and then tag him.
That would give them 3 more years below market value.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 09, 2013, 07:40:03 pm
From a monetary standpoint that might make sense but from a team standpoint it makes more sense to be fair with the guy.  He has ridiculously underpaid for several years with not a complaint from Rodgers.  I think every player on the eam would regard this ad fair play to pay him now.

Also, they will not have to pay as much per year now as if they wait two years.  You certainly don't want to get to the point where you need to franchise your best player who is the face of the club.  That leads to rancor and a poor image for the team.  I'm very content that they will finally pay him what he has earned.
 
Finally, it will be easier to fit him in the cap this year than the next two years when several other core players will stretch the cap to keep  then.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 09, 2013, 07:56:47 pm
asey Hayward was an excellent corner during his rookie year of 2012. He played well in the slot to start, then seamlessly transitioned to the outside where he recorded four of his six interceptions on the year. With the news that there will likely be an open competition at cornerback in training camp814/open-competition-at-corner-casey-hayward-shields-wililams-house, Hayward will likely take snaps at every corner position while the team tries to find the most effective use of all of the talent at the position.

One factor which will be taken into account is tackling. Tramon Williams struggled with his tackling in 2012, perhaps due to lasting effects of his shoulder injury from early 2011. Sam Shields developed a good nose for bringing offensive players down, after appearing tentative a season earlier. But surprise, surprise - the best-tackling Packers cornerback in 2012 (at least by one measure) was none other than the rookie Hayward.

Could Tramon Williams lose his starting CB job this season?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 10, 2013, 06:58:37 pm
http://bleacherreport.com/tb/da8wZ?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=green-bay-packers
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on April 12, 2013, 05:55:44 pm
My wifes vacuum cleaner quit working.  I put a Green Bay Packers sticker on it and it started sucking again!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 12, 2013, 07:20:25 pm
http://bleacherreport.com/tb/da9qz?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=green-bay-packers
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on April 14, 2013, 06:16:40 am
Zing!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 14, 2013, 07:03:42 pm
What zong do you want zung?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 15, 2013, 12:58:12 pm
Jermichael Finley        ✔  @JermichaelF88 
 

Back in Green Bay for the beginning of our season! We're coming 4 that trophy. Who's with me?@AaronRodgers12 you ready? Lets get this!

11:05 AM - 15 Apr 13 

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Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 15, 2013, 01:06:31 pm
One extra selection was awarded to Green Bay in the fifth round, No. 167 overall, this year


 
A compensatory draft choice in 2010, Marshall Newhouse was the No. 169 overall pick. The Packers have a compensatory pick at No. 167 this year.

GREEN BAY—It was a brief news item a few weeks ago that received little notice, but it could play a more significant role in the Packers’ future than many realize.

Green Bay was awarded one compensatory draft choice in this month’s draft, a fifth-rounder, No. 167 overall. That gives the Packers eight picks in the upcoming draft, including the club’s regular selection in each of the seven rounds.

Compensatory choices are awarded based on an undisclosed formula that calculates a team’s net loss in free agency from the previous year. It’s not particularly exciting news or entirely understood, but it’s worth noting the players the Packers have acquired over the years with these extra choices.

On the current team, two-fifths of the starting offensive line in right guard Josh Sitton (fourth round, 2008) and left tackle Marshall Newhouse (fifth round, 2010) were selected with compensatory picks, plus a potential starting cornerback in Davon House (fourth round, 2011). Additional defensive prospects were added last year in lineman Mike Daniels and safety Jerron McMillian (both fourth round)...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 15, 2013, 01:24:49 pm

Worst Packer draft debacles:


http://www.foxsportswisconsin.com/list-gallery?gid=27789&gf=542
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on April 15, 2013, 04:34:33 pm
Those were nothing compared to the Bears.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 15, 2013, 10:44:19 pm
Happens to everybody, I guess.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 15, 2013, 10:45:29 pm
Thompson hits on WRs, misses on RBs.

http://bleacherreport.com/tb/daapG?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=green-bay-packers
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 17, 2013, 03:05:19 pm

Clay Matthews Signs Long
Mike Chiari
  (Featured Columnist)  on April 17, 2013

It appears as though All-Pro linebacker Clay Matthews is going to remain a Green Bay Packer for the foreseeable future as he signed a long-term extension today, according to the Packers' official Twitter feed.



It's official: #Packers have signed LB Clay Matthews to a contract extension: pckrs.com/5d45
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) April 17, 2013

According to NFL insider Jay Glazer, Matthews' extension is for five years and it will pay him $13 million per season, although it is not yet known how much guaranteed money the contract entails.



New 5 year extension for @claymatthews52 for a bit north of $13 million per.Nice
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) April 17, 2013

Matthews tweeted a photo of himself signing the contract today as well.



Trivial amongst the recent tragic news, but happy to continue my career in Green Bay! twitter.com/ClayMatthews52…
— Clay Matthews III (@ClayMatthews52) April 17, 2013

The Packers' defensive leader was scheduled to become a free agent following the 2013 season, but that is obviously no longer the case. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is likely next on the agenda as he will reach free agency following the 2014 season.

Matthews' yearly salary of $13.2 million puts him just ahead of Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware, who earns $13 million flat, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.



Source said that @claymatthews52 has a yearly average salary of $13.2 million, which puts him slightly over DeMarcus Ware's $13M average.
— tom silverstein (@TomSilverstein) April 17, 2013

Much of the praise heaped on the Packers over the past few years has been directed toward Rodgers and the offense. That is certainly understandable as Green Bay has boasted one of the most potent offenses in the league over that time.


With that said, the Packers' defense was a huge reason why they won Super Bowl XLV, and its decline is a huge reason why Green Bay hasn't made it back to the Super Bowl since. Matthews has done his part, though, and it was extremely important for the Packers to lock him up.

Is this a good deal for the Packers?


 Yes, it was necessary for Green Bay to lock Matthews up  No, they could have worked out a more beneficial contract Submit V
 
Matthews has racked up double-digit sacks in three of his four NFL seasons, including 13 in just 12 games last season. The Packers don't have much aside from Matthews when it comes to players who can get to the quarterback, so re-signing him was obviously a top priority.

The offense is going to be key for the Packers in their pursuit of another Super Bowl this year and in the future, but Matthews will spearhead a defensive unit that needs to get better as a whole.

Green Bay will have plenty of tough competition in the NFC over the next few years as the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings and Washington Redskins all have a great mix of young talent and established veterans.

Most of them also have fantastic quarterbacks, which is where Matthews will come into play. Defensive shortcomings can be compensated for with a ferocious pass rush, and Matthews is arguably the best rush linebacker in the game right now.

He is set to be paid accordingly, but the Packers and their fans have to be happy that "The Predator" will remain in the fold for years to come regardless of the price.

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 18, 2013, 05:30:26 pm
South Carolina strongman Byron Jerideau visits Packers


By Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel   

April 18, 2013 3:26 p.m.
     



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If the Packers are looking for strength on their defensive line, one option might be South Carolina DT Byron Jerideau.

The 6-1 1/2, 316-pound Jerideau made a pre-draft visit with the Packers this week.

He's an intriguing prospect because of his strength. According to the school, he has squatted 670 pounds and benched 500 pounds. Not surprisingly, he was presented with an Outstanding Weight Room award last spring.

As a fifth-year senior, Jerideau started all 13 games and made 40 tackles. He had 2 1/2 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss. He played tackle and was required to take on double teams quite a bit even with star end Jadeveon Clowney drawing a ton of attention.

He started lifting weights when he was in sixth grade and may be the strongest player ever to play at South Carolina.

Jerideau will have to explain to the Packers an incident in 2012 in which he was arrested  for Traffic / Pedestrian on a controlled access highway and Disorderly / Public disorderly conduct. Jerideau allegedly used profanity "in a loud manner" at oncoming traffic while attempting to cross a street.

After the incident he was suspended from the team for three weeks. He said that reports of what happened that night were not accurate.

“When it happened, a lot of people, going by the police report, were thinking and talking badly about me, but they didn’t know what really happened,” Jerideau said “That’s not me.”

Jerideau graduated in December with a degree in criminal justice.

At his pro day, he weighed in at 6-0 7/8 and 334 pounds. He ran the 40-yard dash in 5.16 seconds, had a 25-inch vertical and benched 225 pounds 37 times

(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/002/266/887/hi-res-7201514_crop_exact.jpg?w=650&h=440&q=75)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 18, 2013, 05:39:19 pm
FA time for Ted Thompson:

Our friends at Behind the Steel Curtain brought this bit of news to our attention this evening - apparently the Packers have been kicking the tires on a restricted free agent from Pittsburgh, bringing in nose tackle Steve McLendon for a visit this week. As a name that is probably unfamiliar to most Packers fans, it's time to take a brief look at McLendon to figure out who he is and whether he could be a potential asset in Green Bay.

McLendon came into the NFL in 2009 out of Troy University and bounced around the practice squad before playing seven games in 2010 across the defensive line. He has played 14 and 16 games in the 2011 and 2012 seasons respectively, recording a total of three sacks and a forced fumble in those two years.

McLendon's fit in Green Bay could be at a few different positions. He is viewed by many as the prospective starting nose tackle in Pittsburgh with Casey Hampton departing. However, he is listed at 6'4" and 280 pounds, and players that size tend to play the 5-technique end position in Green Bay. With that said, McLendon graded out highly by Pro Football Focus at tackle in a limited number of snaps, putting up a +7.0 grade that was good for the 7th-highest grade among free agent interior linemen.

I talked to Neal Coolong of Behind the Steel Curtain, who eased some of my concerns about McLendon playing nose tackle:


I think he's more of the angular, quick kind of tackle - definitely not (like B.J.) Raji. But he's very strong, and showed he's tough to block. The Steelers and Packers play the same base D though, and while he didn't log significant snaps in 2012, it's really kind of a mystery as to why ... He's not 280. He said during camp last year he was 325. He's very solid, but he's heavier than what they list him as.

That's encouraging about his weight, because I have a hard time imagining a player listed at 280 playing nose tackle in any 3-4 defense. The real interesting part about McLendon, though, is that he received the lowest tender in restricted free agency, and since he was an undrafted free agent the Packers would not owe Pittsburgh any compensation if he were to sign with the Packers. If he could be pried away from the Steelers with a reasonable contract offer, he could be a solid low-cost addition to the Packers' defensive line rotation.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 19, 2013, 03:53:08 pm
http://bleacherreport.com/tb/dacb2?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=green-bay-packers
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 19, 2013, 04:01:48 pm
Ted Thompson's drafting philosophy:

http://bleacherreport.com/tb/dacg4?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=green-bay-packers
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 19, 2013, 04:20:00 pm
 
Michael Dulka, (Featured Columnist)  ranks GB schedule difficulty in 1013:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1610127-power-ranking-green-bay-packers-2013-schedule-from-easiest-to-hardest-games?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=green-bay-packers (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1610127-power-ranking-green-bay-packers-2013-schedule-from-easiest-to-hardest-games?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=green-bay-packers)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 19, 2013, 04:34:11 pm



GREEN BAY—The expansion of Lambeau Field’s south end zone is in the finishing stages.

Plenty of work remains between now and the project’s conclusion in mid to late July, but with 6,662 yards of concrete and 5,500 tons of steel now in place – the first of which were laid 15 months ago – the finish line is definitely within sight.

“I’m excited for our fans,” Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy said. “You plan it for so long, and you see sketches and you go back and forth with different concepts and ideas, and to see it now, where it’s almost in its final form, it is exciting.”

Most of the seating areas are ready for their final three elements – the seats, railings and “traffic coating” of the concrete, which provides for the abrasive, non-slip surface to help keep walkways and stairways safe.

Various “inside” spaces – including club-seat areas on multiple levels, the two dozen new concession stands and the many bathrooms housing nearly 200 new toilets – still require some drywall, paint, and tile, plus electrical and plumbing work. But progress is visible literally daily, with at times more than 300 on-site workers putting the finishing touches on the most significant changes to Lambeau Field since its redevelopment in 2003.

The entire project will feature approximately 7,000 new seats, all theater-style chairs with backs, with many providing a stunning aerial view of the venerable stadium.

“The sightlines are great,” Murphy said. “High end-zone seats are where coaches watch game film from.

“It’s offering completely different seating options than we have available now. It really is going to give the stadium a lot of diversity in terms of seating options and fan experiences.”

 
Lambeau Field's south end zone expansion is nearing the finish line. VIEW PHOTO GALLERY

Roughly 5,400 of the 7,000 seats are considered general seating, with the other 1,600 in the premium category as club seats or terrace suites, as well as sponsor and partner areas. Most of those seats are outdoors but covered, including those in the Miller Lite End Zone, which is moving from the north end to the new south end. Roughly 1,000 bench seats will now occupy the previous Miller Lite End Zone on the north side.

The premium areas have dedicated space for their requisite amenities, while a new outdoor concourse, with numerous concession and souvenir stands and bathrooms, runs the full length of the largest block of general seating – 1,100 linear feet from one end to the other near the top of the expansion, just below the video board that was added prior to the 2012 season.

That concourse also includes multiple viewing platforms between the seating sections, a trend in stadium development in the NFL.

“You go around the league, and stadiums now have designed and built places where people can stand and watch the game,” Murphy said. “People like to congregate, and we saw that last year with the North Loft. That was really popular.”

From a ground-level entrance at the new Shopko gate, the new areas will be accessed via two escalators, three stairways and four elevators.

The size and scope of the project is noteworthy. The expansion adds 336,000 square feet to Lambeau’s previous size of 1.7 million square feet. Sprinkled throughout the indoor club/suite and outdoor concourse areas will be 325 new flat-screen televisions, once all the electrical work is finalized. That electrical work has required 140 miles of wire.

Murphy said more season-ticket holders than expected chose to move from the bowl to the new south end zone, and he believes the theater-style seats with backs and the opportunity to consolidate previously scattered pairs of seats were the primary driving forces.

That migration to the south end zone opened up numerous seats in the stadium bowl for new season-ticket holders who have been on the waiting list for decades.

“It’s really exciting to hear from our fans who have been on the waiting list for over 30 years,” Murphy said. “They now have season tickets.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 20, 2013, 08:21:13 pm
ell, that was short-lived optimism. After reports surfaced Wednesday evening that the Green Bay Packers had met with restricted free agent nose tackle Steve McLendon, the Pittsburgh Steelers today announced that they have re-signed him to a three-year contract extension.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 23, 2013, 12:49:57 pm
(http://cdn3.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/12007195/20120803_mje_sh5_761.0_standard_730.0.jpg)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 24, 2013, 06:28:01 pm
BP versus Need:

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- At least Ted Thompson is consistent. The Green Bay Packers' secretive general manager insists every year that he's simply drafting the best player available, even when the evidence suggests a much more calculated approach.

Last year, upon using the Packers' first six draft picks to select defensive players for a team that sorely needed help on that side of the ball, Thompson claimed it was "just the way it worked out." It's difficult to tell whether Thompson actually thinks anyone is buying it or if he just knows it's what he's supposed to say, but don't believe it for a moment.

Thompson has drafted -- and will continue to draft -- players at a position of great need. That is the way Green Bay actually conducts its business during the draft. That was proven again in 2012 when Thompson selected outside linebacker Nick Perry in the first round and followed that up with two defensive linemen (Jerel Worthy and Mike Daniels), cornerback Casey Hayward, safety Jerron McMillian and inside linebacker Terrell Manning.

Ten months removed from making those picks, Thompson was asked to finally admit that it wasn't pure coincidence that he stocked up on defensive players. But, Thompson still wouldn't budge.

"We drafted guys that we thought were good players and would come in and make an impact for us," Thompson said at the Scouting Combine. "And that's what we hope to do this year."

That's the company line. It's not the complete and honest truth, but Thompson clearly isn't going to be changing the way he conducts himself publicly in interviews any time soon.

Sifting through that and into reality, though, the Packers will once again be targeting several key areas this year to help shore up the weaknesses on the roster.

Six top draft picks on defense a year ago hasn't fixed everything. The loss of safety Nick Collins to a career-ending neck injury in 2011 still looms large. Thompson thought he had the safety position set for years to come with Collins and Morgan Burnett. If Collins' injury had just been minor, he and Burnett would be one of the NFL's best duos. But, with Collins' career ending far too soon, Thompson is fortunate to be in need of a safety in a draft class that features several great prospects at that position. Kenny Vaccaro of Texas is the top safety, but Matt Elam (Florida), Jonathan Cyprien (Florida International) and Eric Reid (LSU) all appear to be capable of becoming immediate starters as rookies.

Thompson, of course, said again last week that positional need isn't much of a factor when drafting players.

"We try not to," he said. "We certainly have those conversations, in terms of how does a particular player fit in our scheme, or whether it be offense, defense, special teams, whatever, but at the end of the day I do separate it. You know, when we make that call we're trying our best to draft the best player."

Defensive line is another area of need for Green Bay. Ryan Pickett, 33, is the oldest player on the roster and maybe has one good year left in him. Worthy, a second-round pick last year, will be out a significant amount of time after undergoing offseason knee surgery. C.J. Wilson is a relatively one-dimensional run stopper, much like Mike Neal is a relatively one-dimensional pass rusher. Thompson could address this position given the deep group of players in this year's draft, with names such as UCLA's Datone Jones, Southern Methodist University's Margus Hunt and Texas A&M's Damontre Moore.

Thompson could trade up in the first round, as he did in 2009 to select Clay Matthews, but it's only in unique circumstances that he's willing to do so.

"I think it's when you think you see value," he said. "And that's the reason sometimes we'll go backwards, when we see value later in the draft, at positions where we think there's value. And it's a tradeoff. You know you're giving up something if you trade up, and you know that you're giving up something in terms of an opportunity to maybe take a particular player, if you go backwards."

Thompson, as his history has shown in Green Bay, much prefers trading back in the draft to acquire additional picks to trading up and surrendering picks.

"I think it's kind of like baseball; you're not going to get a hit every time you go to the plate, but if you have more swings you have a better chance of getting a hit," Thompson said. "So, I think, in general philosophy, I'd rather have more than less. But, at the end of the day, I'd rather have more quality than any value."

Thompson's draft strategy has been not to pick running backs high very often. However, this may be the year Thompson has little choice but to go against that philosophy. Brandon Jackson was a second-round pick in 2007 and Alex Green was a third-round selection in 2010, but the Packers are in need of a star running back to help balance the offense. Though this draft class lacks a top-10 star, there are several players who could be in play for Green Bay late in the first or second round. Alabama's Eddie Lacy will likely be the first running back selected, but he could still be on the board when it's the Packers' turn at No. 26. Wisconsin's Montee Ball profiles as the best every-down running back, which is a quality coach Mike McCarthy has said he desires. Giovani Bernard (North Carolina) and UCLA's Johnathan Franklin would also be quality options.

Green Bay also needs help on the offensive line, but it's a tricky spot for multiple reasons. First, Thompson recently spent consecutive first-round picks on offensive tackles Bryan Bulaga (2010) and Derek Sherrod (2011). Sherrod's broken leg from his rookie season kept him out all of last year, but his health status -- whether good or bad – will drastically change how much the Packers need another offensive tackle in the early rounds. At center, deciding whether Evan Dietrich-Smith is a long-term answer will determine if Green Bay targets Wisconsin's Travis Frederick in the first round.

Green Bay could also use a wide receiver to replace Greg Jennings. That's a position at which Thompson has proven very capable of finding very good players. Following the departure of Erik Walden and Frank Zombo in free agency, the Packers need depth at outside linebacker behind Perry and Dezman Moses. Though inside linebacker isn't an area of strength for Green Bay right now, there are so many bodies at that position (seven) that it complicates the matter.

Thompson has the difficult task of making sure he finds players in the draft who can contribute early in their careers, especially considering his stance against spending money on veteran free agents. With quarterback Aaron Rodgers in his prime, the Packers need to get back to the Super Bowl in the next year or two.

While Thompson continues his quest to convince the team's fans he'll draft the best player available regardless of position, Green Bay will be a better team by this weekend after the Packers address their areas of need.

Follow Paul Imig on Twitter.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on April 25, 2013, 09:32:11 am

If Geno Smith drops to 26 and the Pack takes him then I'll believe Thompson's fairy tale about drafting the BPA.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 25, 2013, 02:06:25 pm
I seriously doubt that Thompson (or anyone) thinks Geno Smith is the BPA.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 28, 2013, 02:52:13 pm
Datone Jones is a Dom Capers type of player:

http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-1/Packers-first-round-pick-speaks-of-Reggie-White/5c7a0aa6-895e-4afe-9009-ad2f788e6e3d?campaign=email_april2013
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 28, 2013, 03:19:02 pm
Eddie Lacy.  I think I'm falling in love.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1602657-eddie-lacy-5-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-alabama-rb/page/3
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on April 28, 2013, 07:10:06 pm
Lacy was a great pick for G.B.   Aaron Rodgers with a real legitimate bruiser RB is going to be a great combination.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 28, 2013, 09:32:20 pm
(Page 3 of 3)

...“I’m really counting on Derek Sherrod to be a factor,” McCarthy said. “He’s a different man since the second surgery after the season. So he’s making progress. I don’t have a timeline for you, but he’s definitely a lot better than he was during the season.”


The outlook for right tackle Bulaga and his season-ending hip injury also appears to be good, according to McCarthy. Like Sherrod, he’s remained in Green Bay throughout the offseason.


The team doesn’t have a timetable for last year’s first-round pick, outside linebacker Nick Perry, but McCarthy said he’s also close to returning from wrist surgery that ended his rookie season after six games.


The Packers will be counting on Perry after losing top reserve Erik Walden to Indianapolis shortly after the start of free agency.

Class reunion

Micah Hyde still has a special place in his heart for his freshman year at the University of Iowa and Mike Daniels’ role in it.


When the Packers drafted the Iowa cornerback in the fifth round Saturday, it reunited him with one of his favorite college teammates in Daniels, a second-year defensive tackle who was the Packers’ fourth-round pick a year ago.


Coming into his freshman year, Hyde stayed at the 6-foot, 294-pound defensive tackle’s house during a hot summer in Iowa City and memories ensued.


“Oh, Mike D, that’s my man,” Hyde said. “He was the big man on campus — well, he wasn’t the big man on campus yet, but he was a big guy and he would never turn the air conditioning on in the house. It was 95 degrees out and he would never turn on the AC.


“All the freshmen were downstairs just sweating, so yeah, I love Mike to death and can’t wait to give him a call.”


Hyde and Daniels weren’t the only teammates reunited Saturday as the Packers traded up to take UCLA running back Johnathan Franklin in the fourth round — two days after taking his Bruins teammate, defensive end Datone Jones, with their 26th overall pick.


During the draft, Franklin and Jones texted a little and even tossed around the idea of being teammates in the pros.


“I’m so excited to be up there with Datone. He’s a great player,” said Franklin, who also mentioned his aspirations to be the mayor of Los Angeles during his introductary conference call. “It all worked out. I will see him next week and when I do, I am sure we will go crazy.”

Light Pickett

Packers defensive line coach Mike Trgovac indicated veteran defensive lineman Ryan Pickett returned for the team’s offseason conditioning program at the lightest he’s been during his seven years in Green Bay.


Following the retirement of Donald Driver and release of Charles Woodson, Pickett is the oldest member of the roster. He will turn 34 in October but is coming off perhaps his best year in a Packers uniform after registering 51 tackles in 16 games.


Pickett and fellow defensive tackle B.J. Raji will be unrestricted free agents after next season. Trgovac said Raji came into the offseason workouts around the same weight he finished last season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 28, 2013, 09:34:44 pm
The Packers will sign 3 players from Illinois State. ?????
 
Here’s a running list of undrafted rookies the Packers have signed.

The signings are based on information from agents, colleges, media reports and individual players’ Twitter accounts. Keep in mind that sometimes players signed to tryout deals are sometimes misreported as actual signings.


Lane Taylor, OL, Oklahoma State
Angelo Pease, RB, Kansas State
Matt Brown, QB, Illinois State
Ben Ericksen, S, Illinois State
Gilbert Pena, DT, Mississippi
Jake Stoneburner, TE, Ohio State
Patrick Lewis, C, Texas A&M
Miles White, WR, Louisiana Tech
Andy Mulumba, OLB/DE, Eastern Michigan
Jeremy Vujnovich, T, Louisiana College (this may be a tryout)


UPDATED (Sunday, 2 p.m.): According to a source, the only other undrafted rookie to have signed with the Packers is fullback Ryan Roberson of Texas.


The team is expected to continue inviting players the May 10-12 rookie orientation camp.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 28, 2013, 09:48:54 pm

Good wrap-up of the present state of the Packers team.

http://www.packersnews.com/article/20130427/PKR0101/130427036/-1/nletter1101/McCarthy-reacts-to-Packers--draft?source=nletter-sports
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 28, 2013, 09:56:47 pm
Lacy was a great pick for G.B.   Aaron Rodgers with a real legitimate bruiser RB is going to be a great combination.

They are pretty happy to get RB Jonathon Franklin, too.  They  thought he was BPA when they drafted him..  They were high  on  him before the draft.  Lacy has had some injury problems so it will be good insurance to have him on board.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 28, 2013, 10:00:07 pm
Feel good about safety position?
Absolutely, we’ve got some young guys, I think we can’t forget how many of our young players, our rookies, played on defense last year. Frankly, for as excited as we are about the 2013 draft class, the most improvement of our football team will come from the men that are already in the building. So our young players on defense will be a year better. I feel we’ll have an opportunity to definitely improve from what they bring to the table and that’s no different at the safety position.


Datone Jones as a three-down d-lineman?
I definitely feel he has that ability. I think he’ll have that opportunity. Whether we’re talking about base and sub and how that all sorts out, and how people are going to play us, and our offense dictates some of that too so I think he has that ability.


Derek Sherrod update?
Derek, I’m really counting on Derek Sherrod to be a factor. He’s a different man since the second surgery after the season. So he’s making progress. I don’t have a timeline for you but he’s definitely a lot better than he was during the season. So he’s someone we have to get healthy, get him in there and get him ready...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on April 29, 2013, 12:19:09 am
Viewed as a Jerome Bettis-type battering ram, former Alabama standout Eddie Lacy popularly was connected to the Pittsburgh Steelers in mock drafts. As it turns out, the team took the physical tailback off their draft board.

The Steelers' front office "would not touch" Lacy because his big toe had been fused last offseason, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Sunday.

The injury originally was reported as a turf toe, but it turned out to be a more serious concern for NFL teams.

Lacy was the consensus No. 1 running back throughout the pre-draft process. He saw three backs go off the board before his name finally was called by the Green Bay Packers at the end of the second round with the 61st overall pick
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 29, 2013, 12:02:08 pm
By structuring QB Aaron Rodgers' five-year, $110 million extension the way they did, the Packers have left themselves a lot of flexibility to extend other players or carryover a large amount of cap space into 2014.

The official numbers for Rodgers' deal reached the NFLPA and, according to a source, the data shows that Rodgers received a $35 million signing bonus that is spread over the first five years of the contract. They lowered his base salary from $9.75 million to $4.5 million (plus $500,000 workout), so his cap number for 20
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 29, 2013, 12:03:30 pm
Viewed as a Jerome Bettis-type battering ram, former Alabama standout Eddie Lacy popularly was connected to the Pittsburgh Steelers in mock drafts. As it turns out, the team took the physical tailback off their draft board.

The Steelers' front office "would not touch" Lacy because his big toe had been fused last offseason, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Sunday.

The injury originally was reported as a turf toe, but it turned out to be a more serious concern for NFL teams.

Lacy was the consensus No. 1 running back throughout the pre-draft process. He saw three backs go off the board before his name finally was called by the Green Bay Packers at the end of the second round with the 61st overall pick

No doubt that is a concern.  Probably why TT drafted two RBs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 30, 2013, 04:30:45 pm
GREEN BAY—As it often is in Green Bay, the competition for the final wide receiver spots on the 2013 roster promises to be worth watching.

The Packers added two receiving prospects in the seventh round on Saturday, selecting Charles Johnson from Division II Grand Valley State and Kevin Dorsey from Maryland just eight picks apart, in the 216th and 224th spots.

With Randall Cobb, Jordy Nelson and James Jones entrenched as the top three receivers, Johnson (6-2, 215) and Dorsey (6-1, 207) will be among those competing with holdovers Jarrett Boykin and Jeremy Ross for a role in Green Bay’s high-powered passing game.

“Outside of the first three, the one thing that’s consistent is they’re all good-sized men and physical receivers,” Head Coach Mike McCarthy said. “The two young men we’ve added both have excellent physical ability, with speed. I really like the competition there.”

 Statistically, Johnson is the more impressive of the two, though he doesn’t come from the Division I ranks. After going from Eastern Kentucky to a community college and then to Grand Valley State, Johnson caught 128 passes for 2,229 yards and 31 TDs over the last two years, averaging 101 yards receiving per game.

ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper said after the Packers selected Johnson that he had Johnson graded as high as the fourth round.

“He can run,” Packers GM Ted Thompson said. “He’s got really good flexibility in and out of his cuts. He catches the ball well. We think he’s a really good receiver, obviously.”

Johnson had a dynamite pro day workout, during which he reportedly ran the 40-yard dash in the 4.3s, but he said the Packers had their eye on him before that.

“I took a visit there and spoke to the coaches and they expressed their interest,” Johnson said. “They said, ‘We liked you before you ran a 4.3. We liked you based off your film.’”

Johnson also likes the Packers, admitting that every time he plays the Madden video game he chooses Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback and runs a lot of deep routes.

Dorsey developed an affinity for Green Bay, too, after a pre-draft visit. Then he studied the Packers and saw the opportunity he may have here, with Greg Jennings (free agency) and Donald Driver (retirement) leaving the receiving corps.

“It’s a win-win for myself,” he said.

Dorsey was most productive in 2011, when he had 45 catches for 573 yards and three TDs, but last year his production dropped to just 18 catches for 311 yards and four TDs as the Terrapins had all kinds of injuries at quarterback.

“It was pretty tough,” Dorsey said. “Having a new guy in there every week or every two weeks, it was just something you have to fight through.”

The pedestrian statistics motivated Dorsey to work out that much harder during the pre-draft process. He considers himself a big-play receiver, but he also focused on running all the short routes well so he wouldn’t get labeled one-dimensional.

In the end, he was counting on pro scouts to recognize his ability and see that his statistics weren’t a true reflection of it.

“It was quite a chore being a receiver (for that Maryland team),” Thompson said. “The numbers won’t look that impressive, but when you watch him work, see his build and strength, he’s impressive.”

Consider Johnson and Dorsey entered as competitors.

“They both look like what you’re supposed to look like,” Thompson said.

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 01, 2013, 07:15:51 pm
GREEN BAY—As it often is in Green Bay, the competition for the final wide receiver spots on the 2013 roster promises to be worth watching.

The Packers added two receiving prospects in the seventh round on Saturday, selecting Charles Johnson from Division II Grand Valley State and Kevin Dorsey from Maryland just eight picks apart, in the 216th and 224th spots.

With Randall Cobb, Jordy Nelson and James Jones entrenched as the top three receivers, Johnson (6-2, 215) and Dorsey (6-1, 207) will be among those competing with holdovers Jarrett Boykin and Jeremy Ross for a role in Green Bay’s high-powered passing game.

“Outside of the first three, the one thing that’s consistent is they’re all good-sized men and physical receivers,” Head Coach Mike McCarthy said. “The two young men we’ve added both have excellent physical ability, with speed. I really like the competition there.”

 Statistically, Johnson is the more impressive of the two, though he doesn’t come from the Division I ranks. After going from Eastern Kentucky to a community college and then to Grand Valley State, Johnson caught 128 passes for 2,229 yards and 31 TDs over the last two years, averaging 101 yards receiving per game.

ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper said after the Packers selected Johnson that he had Johnson graded as high as the fourth round.

“He can run,” Packers GM Ted Thompson said. “He’s got really good flexibility in and out of his cuts. He catches the ball well. We think he’s a really good receiver, obviously.”

Johnson had a dynamite pro day workout, during which he reportedly ran the 40-yard dash in the 4.3s, but he said the Packers had their eye on him before that.

“I took a visit there and spoke to the coaches and they expressed their interest,” Johnson said. “They said, ‘We liked you before you ran a 4.3. We liked you based off your film.’”

Johnson also likes the Packers, admitting that every time he plays the Madden video game he chooses Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback and runs a lot of deep routes.

Dorsey developed an affinity for Green Bay, too, after a pre-draft visit. Then he studied the Packers and saw the opportunity he may have here, with Greg Jennings (free agency) and Donald Driver (retirement) leaving the receiving corps.

“It’s a win-win for myself,” he said.

Dorsey was most productive in 2011, when he had 45 catches for 573 yards and three TDs, but last year his production dropped to just 18 catches for 311 yards and four TDs as the Terrapins had all kinds of injuries at quarterback.

“It was pretty tough,” Dorsey said. “Having a new guy in there every week or every two weeks, it was just something you have to fight through.”

The pedestrian statistics motivated Dorsey to work out that much harder during the pre-draft process. He considers himself a big-play receiver, but he also focused on running all the short routes well so he wouldn’t get labeled one-dimensional.

In the end, he was counting on pro scouts to recognize his ability and see that his statistics weren’t a true reflection of it.

“It was quite a chore being a receiver (for that Maryland team),” Thompson said. “The numbers won’t look that impressive, but when you watch him work, see his build and strength, he’s impressive.”

Consider Johnson and Dorsey entered as competitors.

“They both look like what you’re supposed to look like,” Thompson said.

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on May 01, 2013, 08:30:09 pm
Lacy benefited greatly from having the best Oline in college ball. Lets' see how he does when that's not the case and the competition is much much tougher....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on May 01, 2013, 08:46:56 pm
Absolutely .... time to step up.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 02, 2013, 03:41:02 pm
Lacy benefited greatly from having the best Oline in college ball. Lets' see how he does when that's not the case and the competition is much much tougher....

True, dat.

I'm glad that TT drafted Jonathon Franklin.  He nay be a better fir for the GB offensive scheme.  It should be an interesting battle.  I will guarantee that both will due a heck of a lot better at RB than Starks or Green, though.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on May 02, 2013, 04:29:35 pm
Yea, they were smart drafting both guys....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 02, 2013, 09:48:28 pm
Sherrod had a miserable start as a rookie LT and then was injured and went to IR.  After his surgery McCarthy is optimistic about him and says he looks like a different player.  If he plays like a #1 LT the Packers' OL should look much better this season.

McCarthy seems happy a bout Johnny Jolly and says he looks like he is on the road back to the NFL.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 03, 2013, 06:53:11 pm
Green Bay - The Green Bay Packers love versatility in their defensive backs.

Players like Charles Woodson, Tramon Williams and Casey Hayward have been used all over the field - and thrived along the way.

Only time will tell, but the Packers hope they found a similar player with Iowa cornerback Micah Hyde. Green Bay used the first of its two fifth-round selections on Hyde, and his flexibility was a big reason why.

"He can play a number of different positions," Packer cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt said. "He's a smart kid, a tough kid, a willing tackler. He'll be able to go in and play the nickel, play outside at the corner."

Hyde is 6 foot, 197 pounds and has the kind of size the Packers want from their corners. He ran the 40-yard dash in a methodical 4.56 seconds, though, which could make him a candidate to move to safety someday.

Cornerback is one of the deeper positions on the Packer roster, while their safety situation remains muddied. For now, Green Bay has no plans to move Hyde from cornerback, where he started for three seasons at Iowa.

"I've been playing corner the past couple years in Iowa City, and that's what I'm used to," Hyde said. "I played a couple games at safety, but I didn't play my best, so I went back to corner. And that's the position I've been playing at. I'm 100% comfortable with playing at corner."

Hyde was a first-team all-Big Ten selection and was named the conference's defensive back of the year. He started the final 38 games of his career and had eight interceptions and 27 passes defensed.

He also was arrested for public intoxication and interference with official acts in October 2012. Hyde pleaded guilty to the interference charge and paid $397.50 in fines and surcharges. He entered a not-guilty plea on the public intoxication charge and has a court date approaching.

"It's not an excuse, but I just made a horrible decision that night," Hyde said. "And I'm going to learn from it and move on."

In addition, he was charged with disorderly conduct in December for playing music too loud at his Iowa City apartment.

"We do like for our guys to be of a certain character and that sort of thing," Packers general manager Ted Thompson said. "And we try our best to make sure that's the case."
 
He could be new SS.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 04, 2013, 06:43:07 pm
A Packer rookie to keep an eye on.

Green Bay - The Green Bay Packers got around to beefing up just about every one of their weaker positions with 11 selections in the National Football League draft.

Safety was the glaring exception, and that's where Greendale's Ben Ericksen comes in.

A two-year starter at Illinois State, Ericksen and his agent fielded offers from about 10 teams Saturday night before making what for him was an easy decision.

"To be honest, it was probably the Ravens, the Packers or the Jaguars," Ericksen said. "But I was really focused on the Packers. I like being in my home state, you know?"

Ericksen, 6 feet ½ inch and 197 pounds, was well aware that the departure of Charles Woodson created an opening on the Packers' safety depth chart that includes holdovers Morgan Burnett, M.D. Jennings, Jerron McMillian and Sean Richardson.

Jennings, in 2011, and Richardson last summer traveled the undrafted free-agent route that Ericksen plans to navigate this year.

If Ericksen fails to forge a respectable career in pro football, he would be disappointed.

"I'd be surprised," he said. "Just because I put so much hard work into it, and that's my personality. I feel like I'm better than a lot of people. I'm always going to be like that.

"I always believed in myself when no one believed in me. I came from Greendale High School. I'm from Wisconsin. I was 155 pounds coming out of high school. I don't worry about getting cut."

Milwaukee area football fans will remember Ericksen as a unanimous all-state wide receiver for the Panthers in 2008. Despite his size, he averaged 20.1 yards per catch (66 receptions, 1,323 yards) and scored 20 touchdowns.

Before his senior season, Erickson said he ran the fastest 40 at the Wisconsin football camp. The Badgers came to Greendale but offered him preferred walk-on status, not a scholarship.

"It was kind of like a slap to the face," Ericksen said. "I love the state to death, and I just wish they would have believed in me. Because clearly, these coaches at this school believed in me and look where I'm at now.

"Just imagine if I would have had the meal plan they would have put me on. How much bigger I would have been. I have so much up side to me. A lot of potential left."

His only Division I offer came from Buffalo. He chose Illinois State over seven other Football Championship Subdivision teams and several Big Ten walk-on chances.

Ericksen caught 21 passes in his first two seasons before requesting a move to safety. Reluctantly, the Redbirds staff agreed but only if Ericksen could add 20 to 25 pounds.

He started 11 games in 2011 and all 13 last season, when his seven interceptions led the Missouri Valley Conference.

In all, Ericksen started 25 of 38 games for a program that posted four straight winning seasons for the first time since the late 1940s.

"When I first got here I was like, 'What is this? Division III? Division II?' " Ericksen said. "I didn't like it. But they did an 180-degree change here at Illinois State University."

After leapfrogging to the head of the Redbirds' safeties in 2011, Ericksen played just so-so in his first season on defense and was lightly regarded as an NFL prospect entering his senior year. Then he showed more promise in 2012.

It's inexperience at the position combined with outstanding speed that make Ericksen appealing. On March 5, he ran the second-fastest 40-yard dash among 45 athletes at Northwestern pro day with a 4.44-second clocking.

That 4.44 was faster than every one of the 23 safeties drafted other than Syracuse's Shamarko Thomas (4.40).

"I can play the whole field with my speed," Ericksen said. "I like playing free safety, reading a quarterback's eyes. What I bring to the NFL is being a great special-teams guy and being a deep-field guy."

In 2008, Greendale's third straight season in the WIAA playoffs, Ericksen averaged 15.2 yards on punt returns.

The Redbirds never used him on punts, but he was a dynamic kickoff returner in 2009-'10, averaging 26.7 in 42 attempts.

"Kick return is my thing," Ericksen said. "I grew up doing that. I love people just running full steam at you trying to knock you out. I hope to get a starting spot on kick return in Green Bay."

Ericksen also appealed to Green Bay because the worst injury of his career was nothing more than a pulled hamstring.

"I mean, the Packers was the best situation for me," he said. "I'm going to work my butt off, and hopefully it's all uphill from there."
     

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 06, 2013, 07:37:35 pm
GREEN BAY—On the first day of training camp last summer, the first time the rookie tight end tried to catch a pass from Aaron Rodgers, Brandon Bostick dislocated the pinky finger on his left hand.

He taped it up and didn’t miss any practice time, but it was one of many reminders that Bostick wasn’t at tiny Newberry College anymore.

Now in his second year in the NFL, after spending all of 2012 in obscurity on the Packers’ practice squad, Bostick believes it’s time to emerge. He says he’s better prepared for everything the Packers will throw his way – the thick playbook, the intense workouts and, of course, Rodgers’ rocket arm.

“I know the offense. I’ve been in the offense for a year now,” Bostick said following one of his recent offseason workouts. “I’ve gotten stronger. My blocking has improved, and I’m still working daily on that. I’m ready to make the leap to the 53 this year.”

Bostick is soft-spoken, but there’s nothing shy about that statement, and it’s reason enough to watch him in training camp this summer. It’s also testament to how far he’s come in 12 months.

A year ago at this time, Bostick had just finished watching the entire draft without receiving a single phone call. He got a chance to try out for the Jets during their rookie camp, but he returned home to Columbia, S.C., without a contract.

The following week, he came on a tryout basis to Green Bay’s rookie orientation and again left empty-handed. He admittedly began second-guessing “this football thing.”

“Everyone has hopes of getting drafted, so I was that guy waiting at home,” he said. “It’s tough, not being drafted, not being anything. Football is all you know for the last four years, but I just kept believing in myself and kept training, and it worked out.”

It worked out because three weeks after the rookie camp in Green Bay, the Packers called with a contract offer. They wanted the 6-3, 245-pound Division II receiver to convert to a West Coast-offense tight end.

Bostick certainly looks the part. He’s tall and lean, with a build and speed similar to Jermichael Finley. But he also came as a project.

The biggest initial challenge for Bostick was learning the offense. In Mike McCarthy’s system, tight ends can line up next to the tackle, in the slot, split wide or even at fullback. It’s an extensive list of possibilities and responsibilities.

“At Newberry, we had a pretty basic offense,” Bostick said. “I was always the back-side receiver, so I didn’t have to learn that much.”

He also didn’t have to block much, and that duty remains a constant work in progress. It helps that he’s now up to 260 pounds, and while getting bigger he doesn’t believe he lost any agility. On the practice squad last season, he was awarded scout team player of the week multiple times by the coaching staff, emulating the likes of San Francisco’s Vernon Davis and New Orleans’ Jimmy Graham.

As year two begins, Bostick hears opportunity knocking. The Packers didn’t draft a tight end last weekend, and the only free-agent addition to the position thus far is Matthew Mulligan, who was used much more as a blocker than pass-catcher in his four years with the Jets and Rams.

Behind Finley, Andrew Quarless is coming back from injury, while 2011 draft picks D.J. Williams and Ryan Taylor are entering their third seasons. There isn’t room for everyone, but it isn’t an overcrowded position, either.

When his second go-round at OTAs and training camp begins soon, Bostick believes he’ll look like a different player, and not just because he’ll be wearing a different jersey. He was given No. 86 at the start of offseason workouts last month after wearing No. 48 as a rookie.

With the additional 15 pounds, he plans to bring more physicality to his game, and with a better understanding of the offense, he hopes to be able to think less and react quicker.

He’ll be ready for Rodgers’ fastball this time.

“I think they’re looking for me to do big things on offense and special teams,” Bostick said. “This is the time for me to make that leap.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 07, 2013, 07:27:58 pm
On if his process of developing QB's is what gave him confidence in Harrell: “I believe in the process, no doubt about it. But the credit ultimately goes to the quarterback. I’m not ignorant enough to think that the quarterbacks are all good players because they all worked in my program. That’s not the message. I feel that we give our quarterbacks the right environment, training, answers, instruction, to be the best that they can. I do believe in that. But ultimately, Aaron Rodgers is a great player because of what he brings to the table.

"I think Graham is going to be as good as he can be because I think this environment with this structure gives him the chance to be the best he can be. With that, I do believe in the progression of it. You have a job to do. You’re making your comments and opinions based on your access and your views of that — and I get that — but I also know you guys respect the fact that we’re with these guys 20 hours a day. Graham has done a lot of good things in practice in different circumstances. So we’ll just stay true to the evaluation process, the thought process. There’s a way to go about it. Be detailed. And trust it. I don’t get too far away from that.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on May 07, 2013, 11:54:38 pm

There is no team in the NFL with a greater drop in talent from #1 QB to #2 QB than the Packers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 08, 2013, 06:55:48 pm
Interesting comment.  It could be true but we really don't know how far the Packers backups have progressed this past season.  Only the coaching staff knows.  McCarthy and TT are not fools so their not drafting a QB this year would indicate that they are satisfied with how they are  developing.

There were a lot of "experts" questioned why GB didn't draft a Safety higher this year.  They have 3 backup Safeties and I think they are confident of what another year will do for them.  No need drafting at a position where you have better backups than available at their draft position.

There were also questions about not drafting a WR.  Fans forget that the Pack has two back younf players from last season that they are high on (Jarrett Boykin and Jeremy Ross - especially Boykin - 6-2, 218)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 08, 2013, 07:58:51 pm

Charles Johnson's feel-good story:


http://bleacherreport.com/tb/dalXJ?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=green-bay-packers
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 09, 2013, 10:03:39 pm
GREEN BAY—What David Bakhtiari would seem to lack in height, he makes up for in attitude.

“I’m a nuisance. I’m a little brother so I can be really annoying. I’m a finesse player but I will throw cheap shots,” Bakhtiari told packers.com as he and the rest of the Packers rookie crop prepared for this weekend’s rookie camp.

The Packers selected Bakhtiari in the fourth round of the NFL draft. Where will they play him? That would seem to be the intrigue in Bakhtiari’s selection.

He was a left tackle at Colorado and he has all of the classic movement skills of a blindside pass-blocker. On a team with an unsettled left tackle position, some are wondering if Bakhtiari might not be the future at the position.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that I can compete, it’s just a matter of where do the Packers want me to play. Wherever they want me to play, I’m going to compete right away. I don’t want a job given to me. That’s not going to happen. Competition brings out the best in everyone,” Bakhtiari said.

“I think he’s a guard unless you don’t mind your left tackle being 6-4 and change. If you don’t mind that, then I think he has a shot to play left tackle in the NFL. He has a lot of the skills, he just doesn’t have the height,” draft guru Tony Pauline said.

Bakhtiari made 33 starts at Colorado. He elected to leave the program with a year of eligibility remaining, which means he comes to the Packers young and with room to grow.

“The Colorado program is in such shambles. Considering the condition of the program, I understand why he left,” Pauline said.

“That played a role; my team not competing. A lot of my family said I’m mature for my age, and I wanted to work with adults instead of 18-year-olds. I’ve always wanted to play in the league,” Bakhtiari said.

Depending on Bakhtiari’s play through OTAs and training camp, and the development of young offensive linemen such as Don Barclay, the Packers offensive line could take on a very different look this year. Already, it’s been written that tackle Bryan Bulaga and guard Josh Sitton, the right side of the Packers offensive line last year, will be moved to the left side. Coach Mike McCarthy has said he was disappointed by the play of his line’s left side last season, and change would seem to be in the wind.

The Packers liked Bakhtiari enough to interview him at the combine, where Bakhtiari posted very impressive numbers, including 28 reps on the weight bench.

“We started watching a little film with Coach Campen. I explained what I did wrong. On the same play two plays later I corrected myself,” Bakhtiari recalled.

The Packers drafted two running backs and two offensive linemen within their first five picks. The thinking is that the Packers want to upgrade their running game and play with more force up front.

“I know they had been a pass-first team. They like to use the run to play off the pass. I’m a pass protector but I can get after it in the run,” Bakhtiari said.

“The biggest thing is I have to understand the playbook. They’re not going to put me out there if I don’t know who to block. If Aaron Rodgers gets blown up; that’s never going to happen. The second thing is grow up. Show I can compete at a high level against these guys. At left tackle, you need to be consistent,” he added.

How quickly he can learn the playbook and condition himself to the pro game will likely determine to what degree he will be a contributor in his rookie season.

“He’s got the movement skills to be a starting lineman in the NFL,” Pauline said.

Yeah, but at what position?

“I think if I was 6-6, 6-5 I would’ve been a top 25 pick. Everybody gets hyped up on height. You want a guy who’s long but not tall. I have 34-inch arms. I think (Eric) Fisher has 34-inch arms. We were in the same group at the combine,” Bakhtiari said of the Central Michigan tackle that is the first pick of the draft.

“I would love to say I’d like to be the best left tackle ever, but those types of goals are light years ahead of me. Right now, I want to come in and get one of the five starting jobs,” he said. “I think I’m nimble and quick on my feet. I play with a high motor. I’m just annoying.”


I like these responses.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: davebear on May 09, 2013, 11:25:06 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzJ_Z-koP3M

Pack Bears 1969
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 10, 2013, 06:39:11 pm

Datone Jones (DE/DT Green Bay Packers)
 
Hi-res-153102933_display_image
Doug Pensinger/Getty Images


The Packers draft had impact written all over it, and their first-round pick should be able to create plenty of havoc. That's especially the case in an NFC North where the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions have big question marks all along their offensive lines.

Datone Jones can pass rush and play the run, and he will open a lot of opportunities for the Packers linebackers.

Perhaps most importantly, Jones is a fantastic athlete with good speed, great flexibility and agility in space. After getting blown up by the read-option last season, the Packers knew they needed someone who could help put some pressure on guys like Colin Kaepernick.

With the Packers primed for a playoff run, Jones is set to be a big part of their improving defense.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 10, 2013, 06:50:05 pm
Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images


Maybe I'm showing my hand a little bit here by including Johnathan Franklin and not Eddie Lacy. I think both can be fantastic backs in the NFL, and I had first-round grades on both.

The difference, however, is that Lacy is a bit more of a grinder tha
Johnathan Franklin (RB Green Bay Packers)
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 12, 2013, 11:07:47 pm
GREEN BAY—Clearly, the competition for starting jobs on the right side of the Packers offensive line is going to be intense this summer.

Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy concluded the team’s rookie camp weekend by talking about his decision to move Bryan Bulaga and Josh Sitton from right tackle and right guard respectively, to the two positions on the left side of the Packers offensive line.

“We felt Bryan and Josh were our two best answers for the left side,” McCarthy said. “You put those two guys on the left side. It creates more competition and reps with everybody on the right side. You’re trying to create as much competition as possible.”

Obviously, last season’s starting left tackle, Marshall Newhouse, and starting left guard, T.J. Lang, are being forced to win the tackle and guard spots Bulaga and Sitton are vacating, but they’ll be facing competition.

Don Barclay, an undrafted free agent in 2012, filled in capably at right tackle in the second half of last season, after Bulaga was lost for the year to a hip injury. Derek Sherrod, a first-round pick in 2011, is attempting a two-year comeback from a broken leg. Seventh-round draft pick Andrew Datko and undrafted free agent Greg Van Roten are holdovers from the 2012 rookie class, and this year’s draft class includes two more offensive linemen, fourth-round tackles David Bakhtiari and JC Tretter, whose future is thought by some to involve a move to center.

“The offensive line is your biggest position group every year. We still don’t have a feel for how we’re going rep these guys. We’re committed to give every player a chance to win a job,” McCarthy said.

Having drafted two running backs within the team’s first five picks in this year’s draft, it’s also thought the Packers are committed to improving a running game that was 20th in the league last season, struggled to convert third-and-one plays and hasn’t had a thousand-yard rusher since 2009. Second-round pick Eddie Lacy and fourth-rounder Johnathan Franklin are being counted on to improve the Packers running game.

“They’re two different types of backs. Lacy is a bigger back. We look for them to definitely help us and contribute,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy also singled out undrafted Kansas State running back Angelo Pease, 5-10, 211, for his work this weekend.

Second-year quarterback B.J. Coleman got high marks for showing significant improvement in the year he’s spent with the team since being a seventh-round pick last year.

“He looked like he had been here a year. That was evident. He’s got some ability. There are some ways he’s played the position in the past that are totally opposite from what he’s being taught. There’s a lot of retraining,” McCarthy said of Coleman.

McCarthy said this year’s crop of drafted and undrafted free agents will join the veterans in the team’s conditioning program on Monday. He offered no information on the tryout players that participated in practices this weekend, other than to say there was “meeting being conducted now.”

When asked about the status of former Packers defensive tackle Johnny Jolly, who’s attempting to reenter the league following a couple of troubled years, McCarthy said: “Johnny is not here currently. He’s still going through the process. When he is here, I’ll speak on it more.”

The Packers coach pronounced the weekend to have been “one of our better rookie camps, if not the best. The work was very good. We definitely feel good about the quality of men.”

OTAs are next. McCarthy said they “will be different this year, though “they won’t look much different to the media. We have a different emphasis. We changed some things in phase three.

“The real football doesn’t start until training camp. We all know that,” McCarthy said.
 
The O-Line should play better next season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 12, 2013, 11:35:35 pm



Green Bay -- Eddie Lacy dropped a pass and tripped over a tight end. Johnathan Franklin didn't do anything out of the ordinary.

Now, Angelo Pease, that's another story.

If you had said ahead of time that Pease, an undrafted free agent from Kansas State, would be the running back who would stand out during the Green Bay Packers' rookie orientation this weekend, no one would have believed you.

Lacy might be a BCS title game hero and Franklin is UCLA's all-time leading rusher, but the 5-foot-10, 215-pound Pease had the run of the day during the two-hour workout Friday inside the Don Hutson Center.

Running up the middle, Pease made a hard cut right into a developing hole and burst up the field for a big gain.

"That's a big time cut," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said after practice. "Frankly, I thought it was Eddie Lacy, the way he dropped his weight and hit the hole. Those are things we're looking for."

It was just one run during one practice on a day when barely anyone knew what plays they were running, but little things like that stand out, and Pease definitely drew some attention with that run.

He didn't carry the ball that much in Kansas State's spread offense, so it's possible he's more capable than some scouts thought.

Nevertheless, the spotlight remains on Lacy and Franklin, who some media has speculated will lift the Packers offense to new heights. It's fitting that they are rooming together in the team hotel this weekend because their paths will be interwoven as the season moves forward.

"It's great," Franklin said inside the Packers' locker room before practice. "Competition is going to bring out the best in you. We're definitely going to find out what kind of men we are and what kind of athletes we are.

"So I'm excited to compete with Eddie and learn from Eddie and get better with him as well."

Lacy, the higher of the two draft picks, arrives with a lot of fanfare given his big year at Alabama. But he also faces questions about his durability and conditioning, two issues that might have resulted in him lasting until the 61st pick in the draft.

At first sight, the 5-11, 229-pound Lacy looks like a fullback, but the Packers liked him because he's quick and agile and has showed he can be an effective receiver. It almost certainly isn't worth evaluating him until he puts the pads on and has a chance to run through some tackles.

McCarthy wasn't concerned as much about the stumble and drop on a swing pass or the tumble to the ground on an off-tackle run as he was getting a live look at Lacy's talents.

"He definitely is very smooth," McCarthy said. "You can see the things particularly in the run game that he did at Alabama. He was obviously very well coached there and his comfort in the inside-, outside-zone footwork, I think that was my first impression watching him in the team run and in the running back ball-handling drills. I'm glad he's here."

As for Franklin, McCarthy wasn't making any spot evaluations other than to say the UCLA back looked to be the same guy he showed on film.

"I'm excited to watch him catch some punts tomorrow," McCarthy said. "Just because of the way the practice was structured today he did not have any opportunity to catch punts. But I think he's an excellent fit for us."

Now, he just needs to find out a little bit more about Pease.

Signed up: For the second year in a row, the Packers made a huge dent in signing their draft choices before the rookies even stepped out on the field.

By the afternoon, nine of the 11 draft picks had signed contracts.

The only two who had yet to sign were first-round pick Datone Jones and Lacy, a second-round selection. Typically, the contracts of the highest picks take the longest because the Packers may want them structured one way and the agent another.

Jones and Lacy were able to practice without risk because of injury protection agreements.

Ever since the NFL instituted a rookie wage scale, getting rookie contracts done has been a breeze for most clubs. There is very little wiggle room in how much increase there is from one year to another, so the two sides don't spend months waiting for one side to break.

All contracts are four years except that a club-option fifth year can be added onto a first-round pick's deal.

Terms of each contract weren't available, but Franklin's deal was worth a little more than $2.5 million, according to a source.

Second thoughts: Illinois State and Greendale native Ben Ericksen had agreed to sign with the Packers as an undrafted free agent, but it appears a medical issue resulted in the team not signing him.

A source familiar with the situation said Ericksen did not pass the physical but did not give specifics. A phone message left for Ericksen was not returned.

Old college try: The odds of making it are tough enough for an undrafted free agent lucky enough to sign a deal with a club, but when you're among 27 players invited to a three-day camp on a tryout basis, the degree of difficulty increases immensely.

However, it's not impossible.

Receiver Jarrett Boykin got an invitation last year, was signed to the 90-man off-season roster and then consistently stood out in training camp, forcing his way onto the team.

The Packers have 84 players on their roster, so they have room to add six from the tryout list if they choose.

Among the tryout players who stood out was receiver Tyrone Walker of Illinois State, who made a very difficult catch during an individual drill and then showed the best hands of the dozen or more players who were given shots at fielding punts.

The 5-11, 200-pound Walker led the Redbirds with 90 receptions for 1,319 yards and nine touchdowns last season.

He was one of three Illinois State players inside the Don Hutson Center, joining sixth-round linebacker Nate Palmer and undrafted free agent quarterback Matt Brown. Ericksen would have been the fourth from that program.

Lost in the woods: Cornerback Micah Hyde was on the golf course when the Packers called to tell him they had drafted him in the fifth round.

He was so excited that when he got off the phone with the Packers, he started throwing things.

"I just threw my phone up in the air, threw my clubs, threw the balls in the water, and just started going through everybody's fairway back to the clubhouse," he said. "If anyone wants some golf clubs, there's probably a whole bunch out there."

Cap and gown: Nose tackle Gilbert Pena, an undrafted free agent from Mississippi, took part in the initial segments of the rookie orientation but not the practice.

It turns out he had a pretty meaningful event to attend: his graduation. Pena was excused to attend and is expected back for the start of off-season training on Monday or pos       
 ]
   .
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 13, 2013, 07:07:49 pm
Confirms earlier comment by McCarthy that he was impressed with Pease:


The Green Bay Packers selected two of the draft's most highly rated running backs in Eddie Lacy and Johnathan Franklin, but it was an undrafted free agent who drew the most praise from Packers coach Mike McCarthy during rookie camp.

Kansas State running back Angelo Pease was not even on the radar to be drafted. He was a backup running back for the Wildcats who finished his collegiate career with just 96 carries for 477 yards and two touchdowns.

McCarthy said Pease "had a very good weekend" at minicamp, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He also said Pease is with the Packers "for a reason."

It is highly unlikely that Pease will beat out second-round pick Lacy, fourth-round pick Franklin or returning veteran DuJuan Harris on the Packers depth chart. However, his surprising emergence puts the roster spots of fellow running backs Alex Green and James Starks in serious jeopardy.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 16, 2013, 10:12:19 am
Nine Packers poised for break-out season:,

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1637838-9-players-poised-for-a-breakout-campaign-in-2013?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=green-bay-packers
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on May 16, 2013, 01:38:22 pm

How can a rookie be poised for a breakout season?  Breakout from what?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 16, 2013, 07:04:55 pm
That's a good question, dallas.  Maybe from college?   ;-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 16, 2013, 07:41:08 pm


Packing the Stats: Defense Tackling Improve


Packing the StatsIn my recent perusal of the internet for some Green Bay Packers news in the offseason, I came across an article at Football Outsiders by editor-in-chief Aaron Schatz. “Broken Tackles 2012: Defense” focuses on the best and worst defensive players when it came to broken tackles last season. Those of us who regularly follow the Packers know that tackling was a big point of interest after an abysmal 2011 season when, according to ProFootballFocus.com, they missed a whopping 109 tackles.

Naturally, I was intrigued to see how the Packers and some of their individual players ranked among the rest of the league for 2012. I braced for the worst, knowing the defense was lacking against opposing rushing attacks. (They gave up 132.6 yards per game, for 25th in the NFL.) And then, of course, were the games against Adrian Peterson.

Imagine my surprise when I found out the Packers were in the top three best teams when it came to missed tackles.

Now, let’s clear something up first. Football Outsiders clearly defined their criteria for a “broken tackle,” which should not be confused with the PFF “missed tackle” statistic. (Though for comparison’s sake, the 109 missed tackles from 2011 dropped down to just 81 in 2012 as charted by PFF.) That aside, here is how FO defines a “broken tackle”:


We define a “broken tackle” as one of two events: either the ballcarrier escapes from the grasp of the defender, or the defender is in good position for a tackle but the ballcarrier jukes him out of his shoes. If the ballcarrier sped by a slow defender who dived and missed, that didn’t count as a broken tackle.

Before we get to the team’s overall numbers, I want to highlight the two Packers players that made “best” and “worst” lists. First, take comfort in the fact that no player from Green Bay recorded 10 or more broken tackles. None of the defensive backs made the bottom ten in broken tackle rate; of course, none of them made the top ten either.

No, our two players in question were linebackers.

Inside linebacker Brad Jones made the “naughty” list as one of the twelve worst linebackers when it came to broken tackles in 2012. For his 61 solo tackles on the season, he had 7 broken tackles, for a rate of 10.3%. That put him seventh from the bottom.

There was, however, another Packers inside linebacker to make the “nice” list. You get one guess as to who it is . . . Yes, the infamous A.J. Hawk. For his 90 solo tackles, he had just two broken tackles, for a 2.2% rate. That made him the NFL’s eighth best linebacker in this statistic, and he showed some improvement from 2011, when he had six broken tackles.

If you haven’t suffered a heart attack from that news, then just keep the ambulance on hold until after you read the next part.

The Green Bay Packers were the second best team in the NFL when it came to their percentage of plays with a broken tackle in 2012. They ranked just behind the Buffalo Bills and just ahead of . . . wait for it . . . the San Francisco 49ers. Of their 1026 plays, the Packers had broken tackles on 35 of them for a rate of 3.4%.

Football Outsiders: 2012 Broken Tackles by Team
Football Outsiders: 2012 Broken Tackles by Team

Now, you might notice that their total number of broken tackles was a bit higher at 45. That means that on 10 plays at most, they suffered more than one broken tackle. In this case, it is higher than San Francisco’s total number of broken tackles – the only NFL team to not have more than one in a single play. However, if you calculate the Total BT as a percentage of Total Plays, then the Packers still rank third, just eking out the Denver Broncos at 4.39%.

This should be good news for the Green Bay Packers. For a team that emphasized tackling technique this past year, their efforts have seemingly paid off.

Just be careful, you do have to take this information at face value to know what it really means. The Packers were very good at taking their guy down once they made contact. Note those key words: “once they made contact.” This statistic reflects nothing in regard to the defensive players getting in position to actually get their hands on the ball carrier.

And really, that is one of the biggest issues coming out of last season, especially in regard to defending the run. According to FO’s unique statistical analysis, the Packers ranked 14th in Rush Defense DVOA at -6.4%. Not horrible, but leaving a lot to be desired.

Whether it’s the players getting off of blocks to make the tackle, or closing up gaps and forcing ball carriers into defenders, or just simply taking good angles, the Packers defense still has some improvements to make. Just because the players are making their tackles doesn’t necessarily mean that they were at a beneficial location in reference to the chains.

But it is a comforting step in the right direction. We should all be thankful to see some much-needed improvement in this aspect of the defense’s play. Again, fans did do a lot of fist shaking at poor tackling just a year ago, and we got what we asked for. Now it’s time to take the next step in 2013 and make those tackles really count.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on May 17, 2013, 05:08:44 am
of the closet?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 17, 2013, 07:56:57 pm
Posted by Mike Wilkening on May 17, 2013, 7:50 PM EDT

Joseph Randle, Lane TaylorAP
One major reason why the competition for undrafted free agents is so fascinating: every team gets the same amount of money to use for bonuses on undrafted rookies, and it is not much. Per the CBA, the bonus pool was $75,00o in 2011, and it has grown at the same rate of the salary cap since.

Thanks to a report from Weston Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, we have a sense of how one team allocated their undrafted rookie bonus dollars this spring. According to Hodkiewicz, the Packers gave Oklahoma State offensive guard Lane Taylor $7,000 to sign. Five other players, per the Press-Gazette, received $5,000 bonuses. However, at least two players didn’t receive a bonus whatsoever, according to the report.

The job opportunity itself is what matters for undrafted players. The upfront money, if you can get it, is nice, but it’s really not much. Every undrafted player signs a non-guaranteed three-year deal and works to make it into something more.

And something more isn’t that far outside of the realm of possibility. An undrafted free agent can sign a new contact after his second season, per league rules. Even if that doesn’t happen, the player will likely be an unrestricted free agent no later than after his fourth NFL season — right in the player’s prime earning years.

For most rookies, the bonus money is tantamount to a comped meal at a casino. It is nothing to sniff at, but the real shot at riches is out on the floor with all the bright lights.

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 17, 2013, 08:26:22 pm
Richard from Farmington Hills, MI

A question I have always had regards your response to why we drafted Johnson in the seventh round. You said because we could. I understand the drafting for value in the right slot, but how did Ted Thompson know another team hadn’t evaluated Johnson similarly and wouldn’t draft him in the sixth round?

This is why the grades that are assigned the prospects are so important. You have to get those grades right because they determine a player’s value line. If you have a seventh-round grade on a guy and another team picks him in the sixth, then so be it because that’s not where his value line is and you don’t pick players contrary to their value line. You have to be that disciplined in your approach. Thompson’s genius isn’t in his picking, it’s in his disciplined approach to his process.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 17, 2013, 08:27:42 pm
Allen from Prestonsburg, KY

Hey, Vic, love the column. It’s a very rare and valuable reality check for us fans. Who do you think will end the season with more all-purpose yards, Lacy or Franklin?

I’d put my money on Johnathan Franklin. I think he can become the other Randall Cobb. You don’t measure Eddie Lacy’s worth in yards, you measure it in impact. Defenses fear power. Can he make defenses fear him enough to drag that eighth defender up into the box? If he can do that, he’ll send this offense into orbit.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 17, 2013, 08:30:01 pm
Lukas from Toronto, Ontario

Who do you think will be the most improved player from the Packers this coming season, and why?

I’m going with Nick Perry. I think the “new game” is perfectly suited for him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 17, 2013, 08:38:15 pm
Vic, what brought about the demise of the two-back system, a la Taylor and Hornung? Does it have any place in the game today?

Specialization ended the days of split backs. Runners run and blockers block. Here’s a favorite story of mine that illustrates this point. It’s from 1992. Merrill Hoge went to his offensive coordinator, Ron Erhardt, to complain about not getting more carries. Hoge was a former feature-type back who was being cast as a blocking fullback. He was averaging 3.3 yards a carry. His backfield mate, Barry Foster, was leading the AFC in rushing with a 4.8 yards-per-carry average. After Erhardt finished listening to Hoge’s complaints, Erhardt said, “Here’s what I’ll do. When I wanna gain 3.3 yards, I’ll give you the ball. When I wanna gain 4.8 yards, I’ll give Barry the ball.” Get it?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 17, 2013, 08:45:19 pm
Dain from Columbus, WI

What do you think the chances are for B.J. Coleman to take over the backup quarterback position this year?

This, too, is an awfully lofty goal for a seventh-round draft pick in only his second season and without any regular-season experience. On his first pass of his rookie training camp last season, B.J. hit the tire on the net contraption with the red, white and blue targets on it that gets pulled across the field. I couldn’t help but laugh. In Friday’s rookie-camp practice, I didn’t see Coleman throw anything that wasn’t crisp and on target. He’s on the rise. Enjoy the climb.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 17, 2013, 08:48:04 pm
Matt from Aiea, HI

Vic, I’m sick of people crediting the quarterback for wins instead of the team. I hear all too often phrases like, “Flacco beat Brady.” Really? How about giving some credit to the defense or the other playmakers on offense? I know quarterbacks have the largest role on their team, but I think they get way too much credit for wins and too much blame for losses. Thoughts?

I don’t agree. They’re the difference makers. I can’t imagine what it must be like to have to play that position. I can’t imagine processing all of that information and standing there as a target while the biggest guys on the defense bear down on you. Aaron Rodgers does things that leave me speechless. The courage quarterbacks must have is beyond my comprehension. There are only a few of these men in the world, and not every team has one. If you’re one of the lucky ones, enjoy it. They’re the reason you win, and they are often the reason you lose, too. The game belongs to them. Everybody else is replaceable.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 17, 2013, 09:26:11 pm
David from New Auburn, WI

I know only time will tell, but judging from what you have seen, and the information you have gone over, what side of the team is going to be more positively impacted by the draft, offense or defense?

Offense is the easy call. The two running backs offer the potential to change the face of the Packers offense, and the two tackles and the two seventh-round receivers are really intriguing, but I can’t help but think Datone Jones could singlehandedly have that same impact on the defense. If all of the other pieces fit into place, Jones could be a difference maker. I think he’s going to give the defensive line an athleticism it hasn’t had since I’ve covered the Packers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 17, 2013, 09:42:40 pm
Casey from Baltimore, MD

I am a bit nervous about our situation at the left outside linebacker position, however, I have noticed that you seem to have a relatively positive outlook on Nick Perry and his ability to play opposite Clay Matthews. I was wondering what it was about him that brought on such optimism?

It’s his athletic ability. I’ve said it more than a couple of times that I consider Perry to be perfect for the “new game,” if that’s what the read-option is going to produce. Matthews is a rush backer. I see Perry fitting a new role: spy backer. I see Perry as the kind of athletic linebacker that can play in space and run down Russell Wilson, as he did last year in Seattle. If this is the way the game is heading, spy backer is going to become a very important player in the game. How important was that player in the loss in San Francisco? It’s a role for which I think Perry is perfectly suited.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on May 17, 2013, 09:56:46 pm
I don't think the Packers problem is lack of talent at RB.  I think it is their O-line.  They are pass blockers first and not even very good ones at that.   
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on May 18, 2013, 11:41:57 am
Cruise for Cancer (http://www.cruiseforcancer.org/)

Great cause and it helps me remember a great guy again: ACL.

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/944113_10151486363330073_221562468_n.jpg)


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on May 18, 2013, 11:42:33 am
No, that's not him but he would approve.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on May 18, 2013, 04:32:54 pm
He certainly would except for the no helmet thing.  Pretty sure the cheese head is not going to save that guys brains from being scrambled.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 18, 2013, 06:32:34 pm
Nice pic and nice bike, Fearless.  Thanks for se sending.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 18, 2013, 06:56:51 pm
I don't think the Packers problem is lack of talent at RB.  I think it is their O-line.  They are pass blockers first and not even very good ones at that.   



I have hopes for Dietrich Smith at C.  It's his natural position and he looked pretty good playing there.  Rookie Barclay was a pleasant surprise.  He stepped right in and played RT well in the emergency at the end of the season.  He should make a good leap in his second year.  That allowed Bulaga to move to LT and he will be improvement over Newhouse, no doubt. 

OG Van Roten was a rookie last season ans played some later in the season.  He could be a contender of RG if he continues his  development. 

LT Sherrod is finally healthy, now.  McCarthy says he looks like a different player since he has shaken the injury and is beginning to look like they thought they were drafting as a #!.

LT Datko is finally fully healed.  TT drafted him because he had such talent but was injured.  After spending his rookie season on the PS he is also finally healthy.

I have no worries about the OL this season.  GB remains a very young team and they have a lot of young talent backed up.  There will be a battle royal for the OL this season and I'm pretty  confident they will fill the right side of the OL well.
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on May 19, 2013, 12:37:18 pm
He certainly would except for the no helmet thing.  Pretty sure the cheese head is not going to save that guys brains from being scrambled.

I believe he rode a BMW. Not sure he would be on a Harley. Harleys are not really made for the long road trips he used to take.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on May 20, 2013, 07:54:16 am
Still think of the guy from time to time, especially when we go to Chicago. What was it he did? The burger joint run or something? And forgot what it was for. But he sure could get the bikers for it! It was his heart for sure as he always talked about it. Ya know...why is it the good guys go first? That bugs me.....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on May 20, 2013, 08:03:48 am
MOON Burgers
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on May 21, 2013, 01:03:07 pm
Moonshine run to Moonshine IL.

http://moonshine-run.com/Moonshine/Terry.asp
http://moonshine-run.com/Moonshine/History.asp
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on May 21, 2013, 03:45:17 pm
Packers are already down one of their rookie O-Linemen:

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/05/21/packers-rookie-j-c-tretter-suffers-broken-ankle/

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 22, 2013, 02:04:53 pm
s Tex reported yesterday, the offensive line that received the most reps during OTAs thus far has been the combination of Bryan Bulaga at left tackle, Josh Sitton at left guard, Evan Dietrich-Smith at center, T.J. Lang at right guard, and Marshall Newhouse at right tackle. However, Don Barclay also rotated in at a regular basis with Newhouse at right tackle.

I don't expect the first four positions to change much between now and the start of pre-season, but the fact that Barclay seems to be getting the same amount of reps as Newhouse at right tackle is a little surprising. Obviously, the fact that Newhouse was moved to the opposite end of the line was reason enough to believe that he was not a lock at the position, but for Barclay to already be in position to overtake Newhouse at that spot must mean that either Barclay is performing well, or Newhouse is still struggling.



This will be a position battle that will likely continue throughout the preseason, and the competition will likely bring out the best in both competitors. According to Wes Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, Newhouse wasn't exactly thrilled about the move, but the experience has motivated him to not be the weak link in the offensive line.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 22, 2013, 02:08:27 pm
It's no surprise that the Packers are a relatively young team; however, the way they have constructed their young lineup may be a bit different from what you'd expect.

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I have shocking news for you, Green Bay Packers fans: your team will again be among the youngest in the NFL this season. The latest analysis of the roster comes to you courtesy of ESPN's Mike Sando, their NFC West blogger, who looked at just the 22 projected starters for each team to get an idea of the youth of the most important players on each team. Most of the Packers' starters are fairly well set, but Sando did need to make a few assumptions about the roster and how training camp battles will end in order to go through this estimate.

Even so, the Packers' offense ranked as the fourth-youngest unit in the NFL. That was assuming that Eddie Lacy is the starter at running back and Randall Cobb is defined as the starter ahead of James Jones. Even if Alex Green and Jones get the nod, the offense would still be relatively young compared to other teams around the league.

The defense is a bit of a different story, however, and based on Sando's projection of the starting lineup it ranks as the 17th-youngest defensive unit in the league. This surprised me a bit, however. Ryan Pickett is of course the oldest player on the team at 33 (turning 34 in October), but he's the only starter who's older than 30. I thought a little harder though and realized that only three projected starters have two or fewer years of NFL experience: Nick Perry, Datone Jones, and whoever wins the strong safety job between M.D. Jennings and Jerron McMillian. With the bulk of the starters on the unit having between four and seven years of experience, a ranking in the middle of the league actually seems about right.

Overall, the youth of the offense still makes the Packers' full crop of starters the sixth-youngest group in the league, which is in keeping with the team's draft and develop strategy and reluctance to sign veteran free agents from other teams. With a few starting jobs still up for grabs, this may of course adjust the numbers, but it gives a good idea of where the units sit in relation to the rest of the league.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 22, 2013, 02:11:41 pm


A former Packer is going back to where he started.

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I guess you really can go home again. After spending eight years in Oakland, cornerback Charles Woodson signed with the Green Bay Packers. Now, after seven seasons in Green Bay including a Defensive Player of the Year award in 2009, Woodson is apparently returning to the place where his NFL career began:



I for one am happy that Charles has found a job for this season, and as a Packers fan I am pleased that it is outside the NFC North. He may not be the elite, game-changing cornerback that he was for several years in Green Bay, but he's still a veteran defensive back with a great deal of experience and intelligence and I would not be happy seeing him in a divisional opponent's backfield twice a year.

In his seven years with the Packers, Woodson played in 100 games and posted 38 interceptions, 15 forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, 11.5 sacks, and ten combined return touchdowns. He won that aforementioned Defensive Player of the Year award, and earned his only Super Bowl ring from the Packers' victory in Super Bowl XLV.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 22, 2013, 02:15:22 pm
Green Bay --- In year four, Mike Neal may be in the midst of a major position change.

Or not. It's May.

Nonetheless, the Packers are experimenting. At Tuesday's organized team activity practice, Neal worked at outside linebacker. The move back seemed to surprise Neal himself. He said he has not talked to coach Mike McCarthy about it at all and spoke only briefly to Dom Capers and the assistants. Long term, he's not sure what to make of it.

"There is no long term," Neal said. "This is OTA’s and it’s just them getting a feel for something. If I knew I would tell you. I have no clue."

For now, anyways, he's learning a new position.

Dogged by injuries through 2010 and 2011, and a frustrating suspension last year, Neal finally stayed healthy toward the end of last season. On the defensive line, he did manage to pressure the quarterback into December. In 11 games, he finished with 11 tackles and 4.5 sacks. With the addition of first-round pick Datone Jones, however, the Packers appear to be open to trying Neal at a new spot. Green Bay is very young at outside linebacker beyond Clay Matthews, and Capers does prefer to rotate players on the edge to rush the passer.

With Erik Walden and Frank Zombo gone at the position, Green Bay is keeping its options open.

"From my standpoint, I’m a football player," Neal said. "Coaches ask me to do one thing and that’s what I do. I don’t ask any questions. I just go along with the role they present. So as of right now, if that’s what it is, that’s what it is. I don’t know plans going down the future. I don't know what’s going on tomorrow. I just know this is where I lined up today. I’m just lining up where they tell me to."

Without disclosing his weight, Neal believes he is light enough to play outside linebacker and big enough to play inside.

He has not had to cover as an outside linebacker before.

"No, but I’m comfortable with my athletic ability," Neal said. "I do believe our defensive linemen, not only do I have defensive linemen skills, but as far as being athletic, I can do that. Even if it’s dropping into coverage, I’ve never doubted my athletic abilities. I feel a lot more agile than I have in the past, a lot more confident in myself."

So now, he's learning a new position with outside linebackers coach Kevin Greene.

With Jones around, this may be a way for Neal to get onto the field. It likely depends how comfortable he looks at outside linebacker through OTA's, minicamp and, potentially, training camp.

For now, Neal is as surprised as anyone.

"We’ll see what Datone can do," Neal said. "He’s going to be a good player obviously. They drafted him in the first round. I don’t know. I’m just as clueless as you are honestly. When I got here, it was, ‘Hey, go upstairs. We’ve got to talk to you about something. ...We’re going to try and move you around a little bit. We’re going to try and expand your role. We want to get familiar with all facets of the game and we’ll take it from there.' And that’s pretty much it."
 

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 22, 2013, 04:06:30 pm
(http://media.jrn.com/images/660*590/b9914366z.1_20130520233030_000_g4ipoan.1-0.jpg)

Kevin Dorsey, WR, 6-2, 210  I like his prospects.
 
Could compete with Jarett Boykin, 6-2, 218 for #4 WR.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 22, 2013, 04:12:59 pm
(http://cmsimg.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=U0&Date=20130520&Category=PKR01&ArtNo=305200441&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0&Ross-Nixon-among-potential-options-replace-Cobb-return-game)

Jeremy Ross, 5-11, 213 could also be in competition for #3 WR, plus KR/PR.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 24, 2013, 07:07:12 pm
Ted Thompson Back to Collecting Wide Receivers

Posted in 2012 - 2013 Season,2012 OTAs / Mini-camp,2013 - 2014 Season,2013 OffSeason,2013 OTAs / Mini-camp,Authors,James Jones,Jarret Boykin,Jeremy Ross,Jersey Al Bracco,Offense,Offensive Players,Ted Thompson,Wide Receivers by Jersey Al


Ted Thompson looking for wide receivers
Wait, is that a wide receiver over there?

Shhhhhh… be vewy, vewy qwiet… It’s wabbit wide receiver season…

Trapper Ted is up to his old tricks., i.e.,  his normal off-season compulsive collecting of no-name wide receivers. On Wednesday, the Packers signed Alex Gillett, a 6’1″, 214lb former QB turned receiver from Eastern Michigan.

That brings the number of wide receivers currently on the Packers roster to eleven. That may seem like a lot at first glance, but it’s actually fairly normal for the Packers. I know this because I remember calling a few years in a row for the Packers to carry one less wide receiver on the camp roster so that they could bring in a second placekicker to make Mason Crosby actually, you know, earn his spot.

But no, we can’t waste a precious roster spot on a second kicker, I kept hearing. Well lo and behold, look what the Packers have done this season. Hey, they even went out and got an Italian kicker – Mama mia!

But before this veers off into another epic Crosby rant (I’m kind of due, aren’t I), let’s get back to the subject at hand.

The argument in favor of bringing so many receivers to camp has always been that they need camp bodies to run routes during practices so the main receivers don’t get worn out. I totally bought into that theory, but still felt it was a waste with the Packers only keeping five wide receivers – until last year.

Last season, the Packers actually brought 12 receivers into camp. (Borel, Boykin, Brewer, Cobb, Driver, Curenski, Gurley, Jennings, Jones, Moss, Nelson, Smithson). Many speculated they could keep seven. I expected them to keep six, what with Donald Driver being given a mercy roster spot after his fan popularity shot through the roof thanks to his Dancing with the Stars win. But seven?

The two players most assumed had the best chances of being #6 and #7  (Diondre Borel and Tori Gurley) were sent packing, while relative unknown Jarret Boykin (a rookie camp tryout invitee) was the surprise choice as the #6 receiver. In October, the Packers signed Jeremy Ross to the practice squad and signed him to the active roster on Dec 1. So the Packers did end up with seven wide receivers after all.

What will happen this year? Of the current eleven wide receivers on the roster, only Cobb, Nelson and Jones have more than one year of NFL experience. Scary, if you think about it too much. That basically means there’s a wide open 8-man competition for 2-3 spots. Household names like Sederrik Cunningham, Kevin Dorsey, Charles Johnson, Tyrone Walker, Miles White and the newly signed Gilettt will be battling Boykin and Ross to be part of this Packers receiver corps. Warm and fuzzy?

Think about that for awhile and it will become even more clear why the Packers drafted two running backs…

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 30, 2013, 06:41:12 pm


Everybody is talking about how the Green Bay Packers will have a much better running game because of their draft additions of Eddie Lacy and Johnathan Franklin.

However, undrafted free agent Angelo Pease continues to catch the eye of head coach Mike McCarthy.

McCarthy had this to say regarding Pease’s performance:


I'm going to do it to him again, I thought Pease of Kansas State had a very good weekend. He had another run today. I think he's a good young back. ...He’s here for a reason. So that’s a credit to the player and that’s a credit to our personnel department.

You’re also practicing in helmets and shorts and that’s why you have to be practical about what you saw today. It really confirms movement ability, athletic ability. Are they systematic? Do they fit what you’re looking for? So that’s really what this weekend’s for. The real football doesn’t start until training camp and we all realize that.

Lacy and Franklin are virtual locks to make the roster, so Pease still has his work cut out for him to make it as well. He needs to continue his strong play through the rest of OTAs and into training camp.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 30, 2013, 06:47:55 pm


When the Packers showed their new look along the offensive line last week at OTAs, the position at right tackle was manned initially by Marshall Newhouse. Newhouse has been a two-year starter at left tackle the past two years, and has been inconsistent both in pass-blocking and run-blocking. In fact, Newhouse allowed 24.5 sacks over the past two seasons.

That is why the Packers will give a number of other players every opportunity to win that right tackle job. The list includes players like Don Barclay, Derek Sherrod, Andrew Datko and rookie David Bakhtiari.

The competition will be fierce, but I expect Bakhtiari to definitely be in the mix.

The former Colorado Buffalo has played both right and left tackle in college. When he started at right tackle in 2010 for Colorado, he had 59 knockdown blocks.

Bakhtiari can be effective both in pass-blocking and run-blocking as he is very good in getting to the next level.

When it's all said and done going into the 2013 season after training camp, don't be surprised if Bakhtiari is the starter at right tackle.

That woldbe great news.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 30, 2013, 06:51:40 pm


Rookie offensive lineman J.C. Tretter unfortunately suffered a broken ankle last week at OTAs. Tretter was expected to play a number of positions across the line, but was counted on to be a factor on the inside at both guard and center.

Tretter's injury opens the door for someone else to fill that role. That someone could be Lane Taylor.

Taylor received the biggest signing bonus at $7,000 among all the Packers’ undrafted rookies this year.

Taylor was a four-year starter at right guard for Oklahoma State, and was named 2012 First-Team All-Big 12 by both the coaches and the media.

Some scouts also think Taylor has the capability to play center as well.

The 6'3", 324-pound Taylor is a punishing run-blocker, and did not allow a sack last season.

Expect the Packers to take a long look at Taylor this summer.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 30, 2013, 07:54:04 pm
Packers Curious Love Affair with Nate Palmer

Posted in 2013 - 2014 Season,2013 NFL Draft,2013 OffSeason,2013 OTAs / Mini-camp,Authors,Defense,Film Study,Jersey Al Bracco,Linebackers,NFL Draft,Ted Thompson by Jersey Al


Packers sixth round pick in the 2013 NFL draft, Nate Palmer, OLB, Illinois St.
Nate Palmer, OLB, Illinois St.

Ted Thompson didn’t have to do it. Nate Palmer was not going to be drafted. You would be hard pressed to find him breaking the top 400 in anyone’s big board or player rankings.

Yet, when the Packers’ turn came up in the sixth round, they made Palmer the 193rd player drafted. This despite the fact they were holding three seventh round picks, and could have surely taken him with their last pick at # 232. Even better, as the only team that had him in for a tryout, the Packers would have been frontrunners to sign him as an Undrafted Free Agent (UDFA), although I can understand not wanting to risk that.

But why jump the gun and take him in the sixth? This is a question that’s been bugging me for the last month. In a draft where the Packers got fantastic value by not jumping the gun on Eddie Lacy or Johnathan Franklin, why not let Palmer fall to them in the 7th? That’s what Ted does.

Now, I can hear you all out there saying, “Hey Al – that’s speculation, some other team could have taken him.” Of course that’s a possibility, but pretty remote, as neither Palmer or his coach expected him to be drafted at all. He wasn’t even listed as a Free Agent signee on most draft boards, meaning he was expected to be a tryout invite guy. He was shocked when he got the call from Green Bay.

The Packers have had some measure of success in bringing in DE to OLB conversion projects from small schools (Zombo, Lattimore, Moses), but all were free agents. So does drafting Palmer mean they think he is a better prospect than the rest?

By now, you probably know the story of how Packers OLB coach Kevin Greene and Illinois State coach Spence Nowinsky spent a day together exchanging pass-rushing knowledge and watching tape of Clay Matthews (if not, read about it here). As he watched the Packers defense and how they used Matthews, Nowinsky kept thinking to himself how well Palmer would fit in the Packers’ defense. “As I’m watching that, I’m thinking Nate has a great opportunity with the Packers because his skill, his athleticism, his work ethic, he fits in really good,” Nowinsky said.

He must have convinced Greene, because the Packers had him up to Green Bay for a visit, the only NFL team to do so. Palmer impressed the Packers not only with his athletic ability, but with his football intelligence. He was able to get up on the white board and hold his own with the Xs and Os when analyzing Packers’ defensive schemes.

When Palmer met up with Greene, he got a bit of a rah-rah speech from Greene after they watched some tape of Clay Matthews: “‘I can get you there, if you want it. If you want to go there, I got what it takes to get you to that next level. All you have to do is be a hard worker like him. I think that’s the kind of person you are. Let’s go. Let’s go to that next level,” he was told by Greene.

So here’s Kevin Greene talking to some no-name linebacker that’s barely a blip on the radar screen of the NFL draft and he’s telling him I can get you to where Clay Matthews is. Huh?

Perhaps that’s what Greene says to all prospects, but if it’s not, and he really believes it, I guess that explains the Packers surreptitious love affair with Palmer and their unwillingness to wait.

Color me intrigued…
——————
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 30, 2013, 08:14:07 pm
(http://cdn2.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/13891811/gyi0063285311.0_standard_730.0.jpg)

BJ wants to remain a Packer.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 31, 2013, 07:56:06 pm
Predicting Packers Butt Height

“There’s two main components that a center needs to have, and it’s not quickness or agility or snapping or anything. It’s two things: One, he has to have a good height, and I’m talking about where his butt rests. It can’t be too low because I don’t wanna get deep in that stance and it can’t be too high so I feel like I’m standing up. It’s gotta be just right. He’s got that.  It’s a feel. My center in college was about my height and he’s real low in his stance. So it made me have to kinda duck down a little bit. It’s hard to get out of center. Scott Wells — my previous center — [and] Jeff Saturday: great height. Great butt height.  And the second is most important, and that’s sweating. How much do they sweat? The worst thing that you can have is third, fourth quarter on an October day where it’s 65, 70 degrees and he’s sweating through his pants. Because that is not a situation you wanna be in. You gotta change pants at halftime. Our backup center — great guy — Evan Dietrich-Smith, he has major sweat issues. And when you get that ball snapped up and there’s a lot of sweat that just splashes all over you and on your hands and the ball — it’s not a good situation. So he actually has changed at halftime before. So those are the two things you look for: butt height and sweating. Jeff’s doing really well in both categories. … Low sweat ratio and solid butt height.” – Aaron Rodgers

Ah, classic Aaron Rodgers; but ironically Rodgers’ observations about centers is one of the more in-depth analysis on what it really takes to be a center in the NFL out there right now.  Fans and the media typically don’t pay much attention to offensive linemen in general, but when they do they gravitate towards the all important left tackle position.  Right tackle and guard are gaining a little steam in terms of importance (just look at how many of them were drafted this year in the 1st round), but center still remains the forgotten position.  Outside of being able to snap a ball, what makes a good center?

This question suddenly became more important for the Packers with Jeff Saturday retiring and backup Evan Dietrich-Smith moving up to starting center (which was a forgone conclusion considering Saturday was benched mid-season for Dietrich-Smith last year).  The backup center (who will likely be the “swing” interior linemen as well) previous manned by Dietrich-Smith is now open with rookie JC Tretter presumably being the preferred player to take over the position after being drafted in the 4th round.  Unfortunately Tretter is out for the year after breaking his ankle during OTAs, leaving a rag tag group of undrafted rookies and unknown 1st year players to battle it out for the last roster spot.  The Packers are notorious for trying to fit round pegs into square holes when it comes to offensive linemen so I wanted to see if there were any physical characteristics that previous Packers centers shared.

 

Screen Shot 2013-05-30 at 3.24.43 PM (2)

I won’t pretend to know really what the Packers are looking for in centers, overall centers are definitely the smallest linemen of the group.   Aaron Rodgers has been criticized for being short for a quarterback, but most of his centers have been the same height as him and offensive linemen on average are way taller than quarterbacks.  The second interesting point is that every Packers’ center has T-Rex arms.  Bryan Bulaga fell in the draft because his arm length was only 33.5”, but the average arm length for a Packers center was a miniscule 31.5”.  Now arguably with players in the trenches, a shorter, squattier player may actually perform better in a “phone booth” than a longer lineman but even guards TJ Lang (32.5”) and Josh Sitton (33.625”) have considerably longer arms.

But the most important question (at least for Aaron Rodgers) to answer is what sort of “butt height potential” each center has.  Obviously butt height doesn’t apply to shotgun snaps so for direct snaps presuming that a center has his hands on the ball (which is resting on the ground) and that he bends predominantly from his waist, leg length should be the biggest determinant of butt height.  Of course, centers also bend their knees, and therefore can change their butt height, but most centers appear to bend then knees at roughly the same angle so we can assume it’s about the same for all centers.

To figure out leg length, I extrapolated leg length from arm length, which are commonly recorded for linemen during combines and pro-days and multiplied by 1.2, which is a commonly accepted ratio between the length of a person’s arm and their legs.  Then I took the predicted leg length of the centers who had started for the Packers with Aaron Rodgers under center and averaged it to see what sort of “butt height” range was “acceptable” for Rodgers, which turns out to be about 37.5 inches.

Screen Shot 2013-05-30 at 3.24.43 PM (2) copy

After all that, it appears none of the current possible backup centers really have the right butt height.  Greg Van Roten is probably the closest candidate to what the Packers typically have at center, with undrafted rookie guard Lane Taylor as a close 2nd.  Don Barclay, who in OTAs looked like he was being groomed to be the interior swing man is probably 3rd on the list considering his height and weight but has a considerably higher butt height than either Van Roten and Taylor.  David Bakhtiari, who was rumored to be a potential center during the draft is probably the furthest away in terms of predicted butt height with his long 34” arms.

So in conclusion, in terms of butt height, the Packers have a major issue with as no one on the roster really fits what the Packers and Aaron Rodgers typically like.   How big of a deal is this?  Probably not a big one, but a small change like Rodgers having to duck a little more means a longer time getting out of his drop back and getting the ball out of his hands, which might (theoretically) increase the amount of sacks.  However, if you’ve gotten this far in the article, you’ve just read about a 1,000+ words on the butt height of Packers’ centers, so congratulations you are a true cheesehead.

Now if anyone wants to go to training camp and stare at centers’ butts and record the average butt sweat area and number of pants changes that would further the butt height analysis to new heights.  Do it for science!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 04, 2013, 11:55:29 am
Defensive tackle Johnny Jolly is expecting to make his long-awaited return to the Green Bay Packers after being out of football for three seasons. He was suspended indefinitely by the NFL in 2010.

Jolly tweeted Monday that he will attend the team's minicamp when it kicks off Tuesday. It is unclear if the 30-year-old will actually see the field, but after  restructuring his contract in March, any step forward is a positive note for the troubled player.



 
 

Last week, coach Mike McCarthy said Jolly deserved a second chance.

"I think our society is built on second chances," McCarthy said Monday, via ESPNWisconsin.com. "Think how many times you look through the history of successful individuals that probably or maybe wouldn't have happened without a second chance. Every case is different. There's no absolute right way and wrong way when you evaluate every situation. I'm glad to see Johnny Jolly going through the process that he's going through. (I'm) very proud of where he is to this point. But he still has a lot in front of him."

Jolly was one of the Packers' best defensive linemen before being suspended indefinitely during the 2010 offseason for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. In 2011, he was sentenced to six years in jail for violating his probation following multiple arrests for felony possession of codeine. He was released in May 2012, after just six months in jail and put on "shock probation" for 10 years.

How much he brings to the playing field at this point is superfluous. The Packers' willingness to give him that second chance speaks volumes of the franchise's character. How Jolly handles the chance will show his.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 04, 2013, 12:10:08 pm
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1658020-how-randall-cobb-will-become-a-top-10-wr-in-2013?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=nfl
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 04, 2013, 07:15:44 pm
Dam injuries, injuries, injuries.

Based upon reports from any number of team beat writers, the following list of players have not participated in either some or part of the Packers’ Organized Team Activities (OTAs) this offseason.

I’ll attempt to go through the details of each player’s injury, as information allows. Please note that unless each player makes themselves available to the media to willingly talk about their injury, full details may not be available. Head coach Mike McCarthy’s stance is that since OTAs are technically voluntary workouts, he will not talk about injuries.

After describing each injury, I’ll speculate about each player’s chances of contributing to the team this season. I’m not a doctor, but I play one on this blog.

Desmond Bishop

The injury: Bishop tore his right hamstring in the Packers’ first exhibition game of the 2012 season. He was placed on injured reserve and missed the entire year. His hamstring continues to prevent him from taking part in the team’s offseason program thus far.

The prognosis: When healthy, Bishop has been the team’s best all-around inside linebacker from the 2010 season forward. Whether he’s able to return from his hamstring injury to play at the same high level he’s played in the past remains to be seen. Nobody’s counting out Bishop yet, but the possibility exists that he’s never able to get back to the 2010 and 2011 version of himself. Based upon the size of the contract the Packers gave Brad Jones in the offseason, one might conclude the Packers have some reservations about Bishop as well.

ETA: In a recent interview published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Bishop said he’ll be ready for training camp, but it’s not uncommon for a player to have a more optimistic timetable for return than the team. By the time training camp rolls around Bishop will be about 11 months removed from his injury, so there’s a chance he’ll be ready to return. But don’t be surprised if the Packers play it safe with a veteran already well-versed in the Packers defensive schemes. It wouldn’t be unprecedented if the Packers held Bishop out for the first couple weeks of training camp.

Derek Sherrod

The injury: Just when it seemed like Sherrod was starting to make some strides in an otherwise nondescript rookie season in the NFL, he broke both the right tibia and fibula in a gruesome incident against the Kansas City Chiefs in December of 2011. He spent the entire 2012 season on the PUP list as well. You might think almost 18 months removed from his injury, Sherrod would be ready to return, but head coach Mike McCarthy only recently divulged that Sherrod underwent a second surgery on his leg, which is preventing him from participating in OTAs.

The prognosis: It’s not helping that Sherrod hasn’t been able to participate in a second straight offseason program, but the good news is that he was young when his injury occurred. Lessons can be learned from former Packers center Mike Flanagan who suffered almost the exact same injury as Sherrod back in 1996, sat out for multiple seasons, but eventually came back to become a Pro Bowl caliber player. He has a chance to win the Packers’ starting right tackle job if he’s healthy and capable.

ETA: The Packers aren’t going to take chances in rushing Sherrod back, but forced to guess, he’ll be ready to come back at some point during the 2013 season. It’s not out of the question that he begins the season on the PUP list, but without more information, it’s difficult to tell exactly how he’s progressing.

Jerel Worthy

The injury: The timing of Worthy’s injury wasn’t good. He tore the ACL in his left leg during the regular-season finale against the Minnesota Vikings last season. Just days before he underwent reconstructive knee surgery, Worthy confusingly described the injury as a bruise, but reports later confirmed the torn ACL. He now faces long odds in coming back from injury to be factor in 2013.

The prognosis: Worthy recently proclaimed that he’s going to play again this season, and said so with relative certainty. But he wouldn’t be the first athlete to overestimate his timetable for return from injury. It’s not a good thing when big men like Worthy tear ligaments, but like Sherrod, at least it happened when he’s young.

ETA: The best-case scenario for Worthy is that he starts training camp on the PUP list and comes back sometime around midseason. The more-likely scenario, however, is that Worthy misses the entire year––not unlike Sherrod and Andrew Quarless a season ago.

Davon House

The injury: After sustaining a subluxation to his left shoulder in the 2012 preseason, House came back to play in nine games with a brace. He then re-aggravated his shoulder in December, was inactive the rest of the way, and underwent offseason surgery. He hasn’t taken part in the team’s offseason program.

The prognosis: Unless there are aspects of House’s injury that have not been made public, he has not broken any bones or torn any muscles or ligaments. There’s no reason to think he’ll lose any speed or mobility, and that bodes well for a full recovery. The recent shoulder injury to fellow cornerback Tramon Williams may serve as a cautionary tale, however.

ETA: Until told otherwise, I’m working under the assumption that House will be available for the start of training camp. Of course, it’s always dangerous to make assumptions.

Sean Richardson

The injury: In November of 2012, Richardson suffered a herniated disc in his neck and was placed on injured reserve, missing the rest of the season. He underwent a single neck-fusion surgery in the offseason, which is no small deal, especially for a person who makes his living in a contact-driven sport like football. According to an interview published in several local media outlets, Richardson says he’s on Step 4 of a five-step process in his return to the football field.

The prognosis: Even if Richardson seems to be making progress and is on four of five steps toward his return, seeing him play on a football field once again is no given. Look no further than former Packers safety Nick Collins who underwent spinal-fusion surgery and then retired from the sport before the 2012 season. But the Packers are giving Richardson every opportunity to make a return, and the fact that he’s still on their roster is a positive sign. I’d say it’s roughly 60%/40% that he returns at all, giving him a slight edge at a more optimistic outcome.

ETA: It might be overly optimistic to say that Richardson will clear all his hurdles by the start of training camp in late July. Expect the Packers to play it safe and see a comeback midway through training camp, if at all.

J.C. Tretter

The injury: On the very first day of OTAs in Green Bay, Tretter reportedly broke his ankle during a drill. According to a report at JSOnline, “He suffered a fracture at the lower end of his fibula and torn ligaments in his ankle.”

The prognosis: It’s too early to assume Tretter will be lost for all of 2013. As the article at JSOnline points out, Bengals center Kyle Cook sustained a similar injury in August of last year and came back to play late in the season. It might be wishful thinking for Tretter to make the same recovery.

ETA: The best-case scenario might be for Tretter to be placed on the PUP list or on injured reserve with the “designated for return” label, meaning he could return at some point midseason. There more-likely scenario probably has him being lost for the year.

Dezman Moses

The injury: All that’s known at this point is Moses has yet to practice since sessions started to be open to the public in May. He hasn’t talked to the media since OTAs began, so his injury is a mystery.

The prognosis: Whether or not the move has been made due to the lack of depth at outside linebacker, the Packers are experimenting Mike Neal at the position this offseason. Whatever the case, it only adds extra competition for Moses. But as McCarthy would say, jobs are not won and lost in the offseason.

ETA: For all we know, Moses may be ready to return in time for minicamp on Tuesday. Without more information, we just don’t know.

DuJuan Harris

The injury: There was no known injury to Harris coming into the offseason, so like Moses, his situation is unclear. He also hasn’t spoken to the media to set the record straight.

The prognosis: Despite taking both Eddie Lacy and Johnathan Franklin during the NFL Draft, Alex Green has been acting as the Packers’ starter at running back since the offseason began. Those are reps Harris could be taking and benefitting from. Assuming he returns in time for training camp, however, the time he’s missed shouldn’t cost him greatly.

ETA: There’s no reason to think Harris’ injury, or whatever is keeping him from practicing, is serious. So it’s possible he’ll be able to return before the offseason program ends.

Charles Johnson

The injury: After taking part in the team’s rookie orientation camp, Johnson hasn’t practiced since OTAs started. No specifics have been made public.

The prognosis: Missing practice time isn’t good for any player, but it’s especially costly for a rookie. The more time he misses, the further he falls behind. Jarrett Boykin has the inside track on the fourth wide receiver job on the depth chart, and isn’t being pushed by Johnson this offseason.

ETA: If the Packers are mum on Johnson’s injury, it probably isn’t serious. He could return any day, but that’s merely an assumption.

Kevin Dorsey

The injury: Dorsey is in the same boat as Johnson. He took part in rookie orientation camp, but hasn’t practiced since OTAs began. If a reason has been given, I haven’t seen it.

The prognosis: Just based upon Johnson being taken ahead of Dorsey in the NFL Draft, it would appear as if Johnson would be given preference over Dorsey, all other things being equal. Dorsey needs to return to the football field ASAP to prevent falling further behind.

ETA: Like several others on this list, information on Dorsey is incomplete. He might return tomorrow, but we just don’t know for sure.

Brian Carriveau is the author of “It’s Just a Game: Big League Drama in Small Town America,” and editor of Cheesehead TV’s “Pro Football Draft Preview.” To contact Brian, email carriveau@uwalumni.com
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 14, 2013, 12:56:39 pm


Green Bay Packers: OLB Nate Palmer


For a sixth-round pick out of Illinois State, Nate Palmer has a very good opportunity to come in and contend for immediate playing time with the Green Bay Packers.

The Packers have very little depth behind starting outside linebackers Clay Matthews and Nick Perry, which opens up an opportunity for Palmer to make an immediate impact as a rotational player at the position.

Palmer was a very productive pass-rusher at Illinois State, and he is well-suited to play the hybrid outside linebacker role in the Packers' 3-4 defense. He is a good athlete who can get into the backfield quickly off the edge.

Palmer needs to make a tough transition from the FCS level to the NFL, and he probably won't be great as a rookie. The opportunity is certainly there for him, however, as his top competition behind the starters will come from Dezman Moses and converted defensive end Mike Neal.

With his combination of size, athleticism and tackling ability, Palmer should make an immediate impact for the Packers on special teams.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 14, 2013, 01:05:03 pm
Brett Favre on Rodgers.

http://bleacherreport.com/tb/daBzs?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=nfl
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 14, 2013, 09:57:00 pm
BJ Coleman - what a difference a year makes.

http://bleacherreport.com/tb/daBMm?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=green-bay-packers
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 18, 2013, 06:00:54 pm


Adios and good luck Desmond.

http://cmsimg.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=U0&Date=20130617&Category=PKR01&ArtNo=306170342&Ref=AR&MaxW=300&Border=0&Numbers-claim-Bishop-Hawk-Jones-make-him-expendable
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 20, 2013, 03:32:41 pm
Packer players seem to understand this philosophy.

  Kevin Seifert | ESPN.com

In April, we discussed the folly of a so-called "hometown discount" with respect to the Green Bay Packers' negotiations with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. My point was that the Packers wouldn't change their operating policies whether Rodgers signed a below- or above-market deal, and I think the events of this week have borne out that theory.

The release of linebacker Desmond Bishop separated the Packers from a luxury that, quite frankly, they could easily have afforded. Even with Bishop on the roster, the Packers had $13.1 million in available cap space for 2013. After releasing him, they have $16.3 million and only one draft choice -- first-rounder Datone Jones -- left to sign.

I don't necessarily think that Rodgers' contract extension was a hometown discount, not after it added $110 million to his compensation. But the unique situation -- Rodgers had two years remaining on his current deal -- allowed the Packers to spread that money over a seven-year period and keep his annual cap figures quite manageable. (We discussed those terms in detail in this post.)

The Packers could have capitalized on the certainty provided by both Rodgers and linebacker Clay Matthews to shift philosophical gears. They could have kept Bishop on the roster despite the presence of two other players with starting-level salaries (Brad Jones and A.J. Hawk), a move that would have provided expensive but impressive depth at a position that for various reasons has been fluid for years.

That is not how the Packers operate, however, and nothing about the value of Rodgers' deal would have changed that. No one who has watched them in the Ted Thompson era would expect them to employ a highly-paid veteran backup. If they have an injury or poor performance at inside linebacker this season, the Packers will turn to a young player or moderately-paid veteran -- possibly Terrell Manning -- for help. After all, that's how Bishop, Jones, D.J. Smith and others found their way to the field in recent years.

Some of you are asking what the Packers will do with the $16.3 million in cap space they have remaining in 2013. Some of that total will be used to sign Datone Jones, but the NFL also allows cap surplus to be pushed into the following year as long as proper notification is given to the league and NFL Players Association. That space could be targeted for nose tackle B.J. Raji, cornerback Sam Shields, tight end Jermichael Finley or perhaps another player who emerges this season.

It won't, however, fund a luxury item -- whether or not the Packers can afford it.Recommend3
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 20, 2013, 03:38:14 pm
Another victim of the injury curse that seems to follow the Packers.

The Green Bay Packers know what kind of safety Sean Richardson can be when healthy.

They just aren’t sure when they’ll be able to see it again.


One of four undrafted free agents to make the Packers’ 53-man roster last season, the 6-foot-2, 216-pound safety sat out all of the past month’s organized team activities and minicamp practices after undergoing surgery in January for a cervical disc herniation.


The injury, which occurred during a Nov. 25 game against the New York Giants, landed him on injured reserve on Dec. 1, ending his season after only four tackles in five games and 110 snaps (15 on defense, 95 on special teams).


At the time of the injury, Richardson appeared to be turning a corner after being limited the first month of the season by a strained hamstring.


Richardson didn’t have a timeline for his return, but was optimistic his situation wasn't as dire as former Packers safety Nick Collins, whose career was halted by a serious neck injury in Week 2 of the 2011 season.


The same goes for the Packers, who are thin at the position with only Morgan Burnett, M.D. Jennings, Jerron McMillian, practice-squad member Chaz Powell and undrafted rookie David Fulton on the roster...


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 20, 2013, 08:21:35 pm
Rodgers on new Packer  WRs:

Q: You have a pretty good track record of picking out guys early that you liked. Who’s made an impression on you? Are there some guys that have caught your eye?

Rodgers:  I think two guys who have benefitted maybe the most from this spring are (undrafted rookie wide receivers) Myles White and Tyrone Walker. I think both those guys have made a lot of plays for us. And with our two seventh-round picks at wide receiver (Kevin Dorsey and Charles Johnson) missing most of the OTAs, those guys have stepped up and done some great things. Tyrone reminds me of Antonio Chatman, who not many people know I actually played with. But Deuce had very similar size and agility but he was a good route runner, very good in and out of his breaks. And I see that with Walker. I think he has very good hands, he’s a good route runner and I think he has a chance to be a good player in this league. Myles is very shifty, he has very good releases, and mentally, he’s getting closer. He has a strong hunger to be good in this league and he’s very self-motivated, and that’s very important. Those guys benefit from an incredible position coach in Edgar Bennett, who harps on them about fundamentals and details and he’s got three of the best examples of what it looks like every day in that room in Cobby, Jones and Nelson. I tell those young guys all the time, “Watch the older guy in your group and see how he does things. That’s what I did when I was a young player. Watch the older guy in your group, and pick out the things that he does well that you don’t do yet and try to incorporate those in your game. And look at the things that maybe you don’t like or you don’t understand and question those and figure out why they’re doing them. And then either incorporate that in your game or do it a little differently.” But when you’ve got really good examples like Myles and Tyrone do in their room, there’s no reason they shouldn’t make big leaps this fall and have a chance to make the team.

 

Q: Do you like those unheralded wide receivers? You’ve got some guys with draft pedigrees in Jordy, who’s a second-round pick, Randall, who’s a second-round pick, and James, who’s a third-round pick. But you’ve always liked these young guys – Chastin West, Diondre Borel, Jarrett Boykin, now White and Walker. You like Boykin, you like Jeremy Ross.

Rodgers: Don’t forget Ruvell (Martin).

 

 

Q: Is there something about those guys that you like?

Rodgers: All those guys you mentioned loved football and really wanted to get better. And that’s what it takes in this league. You have to be self-motivated and have a strong desire to improve, and you have to love what you’re doing. Because this is our job. It’s a full-time job if you want to be a great player. And Ruvell was incredibly motivated and desperately wanted to see the game through the quarterback’s eyes and improve and know how he could run his routes better and get the ball. And he had some great production for us here. Jeremy Ross and Jarrett Boykin, both game in last year – Jarrett was obviously with us earlier than Jeremy – and really wanted to get better. They wanted to know what I was thinking, wanted to know why I did this or why I threw that route or wanted a guy to run it this way or that way. You can’t have enough guys like that. It’s impressive when you see guys who really care about it enough to spend the time on it, because what else are you going to do right now in the offseason? If you want to make this team and you’re a free-agent guy and you have to make it, you have to show up. And those guys have so far and put themselves in a position to make a run in training camp.

 

Q: One last thing on the passing game. Greg Jennings is in Minnesota, Donald Driver has been turned into a statue by the Titletown Brewing Co. How do you feel about the weapons you have left – Jordy Nelson, James Jones, Randall Cobb, Jermichael Finley – and what they can do?

Rodgers:  I love ‘em. I love our weapons. We have a lot of guys who can do a lot of different things for you. We have two of the top outside receivers in the league in Jordy and James. Look at the catches James made last year – incredible. Look at the production Jordy’s had here for us, his ability to make second-reaction plays, his ability to go up and get the ball, his ability to hardly ever – other than last year in Minnesota – get caught from behind. Those are talented, talented football players. And then Randall in the slot, I think he’s really refined his craft and become a very good slot receiver, and I think the best is yet to come with him. And Jermichael last year made some big strides for us down the stretch. You look at the year he put up last year, when he was at the top of a lot of statistical categories for Green Bay tight ends, and I think the best is still yet to come from him. I think he can do even more. And he feels that way. For him, it’s always been about making the plays your own and doing it with confidence. And I think he gained a lot of confidence last year, how he finished the season. I’m excited and I know he’s excited about what this year could hold for him.

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 21, 2013, 03:18:20 pm
(http://cdn1.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15090907/20130611_jel_bs6_219.0_standard_730.0.jpg)

Rookie Davon House won starting job at CB as a rookie until he injured his shoulder.   When Shields was injured  House played well with a shoulder harness..  He is healthy, now.  Keep an eye on this guy.  The Pack is loaded at the CB position.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 21, 2013, 03:25:40 pm
(http://media.jrn.com/images/660*620/b9934999z.1_20130619225443_000_gln16sb3.1-1.jpg)

Bakhtiari.

Played LT in college.  Came in highly regarded.  Trying out at RT.  Haven't heard much about him in practices.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 21, 2013, 03:42:38 pm
Terrell Manning, LB.

Mornings always were the most difficult part of Terrell Manning’s day during training camp last summer.

The constant aches, churning stomach and bouts with insomnia all paled in comparison to when the Green Bay Packers’ rookie inside linebacker needed to pry himself out of bed each day and back onto the practice field.

For months an undiagnosed parasite wreaked havoc on Manning’s body, robbing him of his energy and nearly 20 pounds from his 6-foot-2, 235-pound frame.

Often undernourished and deprived of sleep, Manning didn’t say a word all while skeptics pondered if he had a future with the Packers after the team surrendered three picks to take him in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL draft.

It finally got to a point Manning couldn’t take anymore. Early one morning last August, he finally admitted himself to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with colitis, an inflammation of his colon due to the parasite.

With the regular season drawing near, the damage to his chances of being a significant contributor was largely done. But the Packers stuck by him and eventually his potential began to show...

Pack very optimistic about him and Barrington.  Hence the release of Bishop.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 21, 2013, 03:44:57 pm
There will be a whole slew of players who were on IR last season and seriously dinged up players who will be healthy this season and should give a  big boost to the team.
The list includes Perry and Bulaga.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 23, 2013, 06:06:19 pm
ESPN tries to liven up the NFL’s dead period by looking into the future. In their estimation, the Green Bay Packers will continue the winning ways.

If there is such a thing as a low point in the NFL year, it's late June. OTAs and minicamp have concluded, training camp doesn't start for another month, and player movement has effectively concluded for the time being.

To keep their NFL page views up, ESPN has once again chosen this period to release its annual NFL Future Power Rankings. It's behind the paywall, so we'll provide only short snippets of the article.

ESPN's panel of analysts rated each team according to 5 criteria: the roster (minus the QB) as it projects in 2016 with emphasis placed on players under 28, the quarterback as he projects in 2016, the value of a team's 2013 draft picks and their available picks in upcoming drafts, the quality of the team's front office, and the quality and stability of the team's coaching staff. Each category is assigned a grade 1-10.

A few thoughts:
● As we remind readers every year, it's impossible to adequately grade a draft until several years after the fact. It's highly unlikely that any player has already validated their selection during OTAs or minicamp. Finally, as we've seen from years of Ted Thompson drafts, you shouldn't judge if the picks filled immediate holes. Rather, it's important to see if those players are contributors a few years out.
● The front office and coaching staff should really be one category. If the staff is lackluster, the general manager is responsible. Similarly, if the coaching staff may not be around a few years from now, that too falls on the GM. Furthermore, if the coaching staff is strong, the assistants are likely to be hired away. It's impossible to know how the staff will be rebuilt.

With that said, here's a little of what ESPN's analysis think about the Packers' future.


(On the roster) "When you can lose Greg Jennings in free agency and still possess one of the best receiving corps in football, your roster is in good shape. The Packers also added two potential starting running backs in this draft."

(On the quarterback) "The Packers ranked No. 1 at quarterback because of Rodgers, period. He might be wise to cut down the number of hits he takes as his career progresses, as Rodgers ranks 23rd out of 28 qualifying quarterbacks in sacks taken per drop-back over the past five seasons."

(On the draft) "They consistently find value down the board -- consider Heyward (sic) and Randall Cobb at picks No. 62 and 64 over the last couple of years -- and that matters because the Packers simply won't be drafting high as long as Rodgers is healthy."

(On the front office) "Thompson and Mike McCarthy have built a longstanding winner. This is the hardest thing to do in the National Football League. And they do it as well as anyone ever has. Others get the headlines, the Pack keeps cashing playoff checks."

(On the coaching staff) "A players' coach, McCarthy has had a great run in Green Bay. Expectations are always high with Rodgers and such a storied franchise, but he's made the playoffs in five of his seven seasons there and has a Super Bowl title to his name."

The Packers finished second in the future power rankings with an overall score of 83.63. This is slight decline from 2012 in which Green Bay, fresh off a 15-1 season, topped the list. This year, the San Francisco 49ers led the way with an overall score of 87.50.

 


ESPN Future Top 5
 1: SF - 87.50
2: GB - 83.63
3 - SEA: 82.58
4: BAL - 82.42
5: NE - 76.83



There's not much there that Packers fans haven't already heard. The Packers have the best quarterback in the league today, and barring injury, Aaron Rodgers should still be in that conversation three years from now. The front office and coaching staff have performed well, though the yearly defections in the front office could hurt future performance. Overall, little has changed for Green Bay since last year's future power rankings.

So what do you think about ESPN's future power rankings? Do you think they got it right with the Packers, or do you question their judgment? More importantly, do you even care for such rankings? Cast your vote in our poll and voice your opinions in the comments.

Jason Hirschhorn covers the Green Bay Packers for Acme Packing Co. He has previously written for Lombardi Ave, College Hoops Net, LiveBall Sports, and the List Universe. He is also currently a senior writer for Beats Per Minute, an indie-music webzine. Follow him on Twitter: @JBHirschhorn
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 24, 2013, 06:00:03 pm
I had another opportunity to talk with scout Chris Landry, as I chatted with him on the Steve Duemig Show on Friday.

I asked Landry about the inside linebacker position for the Packers, especially after the release of Desmond Bishop.

Landry commented as to why the Packers released Bishop:


When you see a guy like Bishop (get released), when they are OK cap-wise, when you see that move being made at this time, it tells you right there that they view this as a medical situation. I mean, he's a good player, and he would have certainly helped them if healthy. That decision doesn't get made right now unless it's health related. At least in their eyes.

Bishop has told reporters like Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he is healthy, however:


How a player views himself, and when I say health, it's how they (the team) feels he can hold up and how effective he can be. Obviously there's a difference internally about how they see him versus how he sees himself health-wise.

Landry went on to say that the Packers will definitely miss a player like Bishop down the road:


I think it hurts (the Packers). What they miss with him, and I do think he will end up somewhere else, as somebody will at least kick the tires with him, is he's an instinctive guy, who plays at an ultimately instinctive position defensively. That's what they'll miss most from him.

Chris also talked about linebackers like Brad Jones, Terrell Manning and rookie Sam Barrington, and how they will fill the void at inside linebacker after the release of Bishop:


Jones, Manning and Barrington, all those guys for different reasons are athletic and are capable. Barrington can really help on (special) teams if he can do enough early. Manning is another guy who is a good teams player. He (Manning) is an effective blitz guy, but making the calls and checks, and having the natural instincts is something that Bishop has that these guys haven't really shown that they can play at a high level from that standpoint. But that's what they are going to have to turn to at this point.

Landry then talked about what the Packers might do at the position now that Bishop is indeed gone:


They'll look to the waiver wire, as guys get cut. They'll look at young guys, but they'll see if maybe there's a veteran guy who has a little more experience and has instincts that might be able to come in and help. It's not a dire problem, it's just a feeling that they have that they can't really rely on him (Bishop) and they wanted to kind of move on. To get more reps for the aforementioned guys to see if they can get by with them. That's a tough position, because instincts and toughness are the two most important things you look for at that position. Athletic ability, while great, takes a back seat to the instincts and toughness.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 24, 2013, 06:31:31 pm
John from Whitelaw, WI

Mike, I’ve been wondering for a long time now and nobody has been able to say anything. If you could pick one guy to say he was the sleeper, the guy who was a steal and will be here for years to come – I guess the Donald Driver-esque player for this year – who would it be and based on what?

It’s fitting that in the first season since 1999 without Driver the Packers drafted two receivers in the seventh round. Charles Johnson and Kevin Dorsey were injured during OTAs and I was disappointed not to get a preview of them prior to training camp. I’m not going to anoint anybody the next Driver, but when I hear Wide Receivers Coach Edgar Bennett speak as highly of these draft picks as he does, I’m intrigued. They both lasted until the seventh round for a reason – Johnson came from Division II, and Dorsey saw his numbers plummet last season due to Maryland’s injury problems at QB. Johnson looks the part of the big, strong, pluck-the-ball receiver, while Dorsey reportedly has speed to burn. Let’s see what happens.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 26, 2013, 07:43:13 pm
Gilbert Pena, NT:

(http://media.jrn.com/images/660*591/b9941706z.1_20130625233657_000_grc1b9ur.1-0.jpg)
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/resilient-gilbert-pea-thankful-for-nfl-chance-b9941706z1-213082011.html (http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/resilient-gilbert-pea-thankful-for-nfl-chance-b9941706z1-213082011.html)
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 28, 2013, 08:21:51 pm
(http://bcdownload.gannett.edgesuite.net/greenbay/41823006001/41823006001_2510615637001_GPG-Stadium-Board-Tour102.jpg?pubId=41823006001)

5,000 seats added to Lambeau.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 29, 2013, 02:05:21 pm


New Lambeau Field seats claimed, near completion | Packersnews | packersnews.com
"Aaron Popkey, the Packers’ director of public affairs, said that of the 5,000-plus offered tickets, about 77 percent bought them." Wait...so 23% of people who were offered Packers season tickets TURNED THEM DOWN? WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on June 29, 2013, 02:15:16 pm
They have probably been on the waiting list a very long time and can either no longer afford them, the man died and the wife is not interested or they have moved to far away.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on June 29, 2013, 02:16:09 pm
Either that or they are now Bears fans because they hate the stupid double discount check thing "bug eyed" Rodgers does.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 29, 2013, 02:24:01 pm
Rodgers on --- everything.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mrloganrhoades/aaron-rodgers-makes-it-really-hard-for-rival-fans-to-hate-aa
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on June 29, 2013, 02:57:01 pm
Not me.  Everytime I see his stupid bug eyed face I get angry!  :)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 29, 2013, 06:52:27 pm
LOL.  Sorry you feel that way.  ;-) 
Another 8 years or so and he will probably be gone.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on June 29, 2013, 07:18:37 pm
And then the Packers will somehow find another franchise QB that is the best ever to take his place.  Fricking Packers!

I will hate the new guy even more.  Unless he sux then it is all good.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on June 29, 2013, 10:22:56 pm
What is it about Wisconsin athletes and the bug eyes? Ryan Braun has them too. Isn't that a side effect of steroids?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 30, 2013, 07:53:05 pm
I don't think the bug eyes bother nearly so much as his right arm does.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on June 30, 2013, 09:17:38 pm
Nah Packrat it is an unfair competitive advantage due to him being able to see the whole field at all times!   ;D
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on July 01, 2013, 01:50:48 pm
Wouldn't bug eyes increase your peripheral vision?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 01, 2013, 03:07:56 pm


Predicting the Top Rookie Performer at Every Position for 2013

By
Ryan McCrystal
  (Featured Columnist)  on June 30, 2013

Running Back: Eddie Lacy, Packers
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 05, 2013, 08:31:31 pm
High Praise for Packers 7th Round Pick Sam Barrington from NFL Analyst Greg Cosell

Posted in 2013 - 2014 Season,2013 NFL Combine,2013 NFL Draft,2013 OffSeason,2013 Regular Season,2013 Training camp,Adam Czech,Coach/GM,Defense,Linebackers,Media,NFL Combine,Podcasts,Sam Barrington,Special Teams,Ted Thompson by Adam Czech



Is Packers LB Sam Barrington the latest draft steal for GM Ted Thompson?

NFL analyst and NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell had high praise for Packers seventh-round draft pick Sam Barrington on Tuesday.

Speaking with with Doug Farrar of Yahoo Sports on the Shutdown Corner podcast, Cosell called the 6-foot-1, 235-pound linebacker from South Florida an “athletic kid,” whose “athletic ability was a second- or third-round pick.”

“I think this kid has a chance, and certainly to stick on special teams because of his athleticism,” the highly respected Cosell said. “But I thought he was far more athletic than a lot of linebackers I watched and I was surprised he was not talked about.”

Cosell also said he did some additional research on Barrington and found out that he may have dropped in the draft because of issues diagnosing plays and learning on defense, but that’s impossible to know for sure.

Barrington was also arrested four times at South Florida — all for driving with a revoked or suspended license. Getting arrested four times generally doesn’t help one’s draft stock, either.

Barrington’s numbers improved every season at South Florida, culminating with 80 tackles, two forced fumbles and 3.5 sacks in 11 games as a senior.

His 40-yard-dash time at the NFL combine was a ho-hum 4.89 seconds, but improved to 4.69 seconds on South Florida’s pro day.

After Packers GM Ted Thompson picked Barrington, he called him a “good value.” That’s about as boastful as you’ll hear the tight-lipped Thompson get about a pick he’s made.

The Packers have had success with seventh-round draft picks in the past. Is Barrington the latest steal for Thompson?

“I was really surprised that he was not drafted until the seventh round,” Cosell said. “The more I watched him the more I liked his game. I wouldn’t call him explosive, but he was athletic with really good movement. I always defer to film as opposed to 40 times, and I thought he played as an athlete.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 06, 2013, 01:17:15 pm
Franklin, football is just the start of big things - JSOnline
Presented with no need for comment: "I saw a moose head in a room the other day and I went crazy. I ain't seen none of this. I said, 'Is that real? Did you really kill a moose?' It's so different here. I saw a porcupine the other day, I mean it's crazy."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 06, 2013, 02:00:01 pm
Secret Superstar: Brad Jones

Nathan Jahnke |   May 24, 2013 






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When you play for one of the best teams in the league, it becomes harder to do well and have no one notice. However, when you start the season as the backup to the backup at a position, and you are replacing a superstar, it’s much easier for you to remain a secret. That was the case for the Green Bay Packers’ Brad Jones in the 2012 season.

After switching from outside linebacker to inside, where the Packers had a lot of depth at the position, it looked like it was time to write Jones off. It wasn’t until injuries to both Desmond Bishop and D.J. Smith that Jones could see the field, and once he did he became an every-down player — and a good one at that.

While there is a chance Jones might just be a one-year wonder, there are plenty of signs that point to him having a big role with the Packers in the future. He signed a three-year deal to return to Green Bay for reportedly $11.75m. D.J. Smith was released, A.J. Hawk was forced to take a pay cut, and during the draft Desmond Bishop was on the trade block. Jones is here to stay and should be a name to remember on Green Bay’s defense.

Playing Opposite Matthews

In the 2008 college season, Jones had a breakout year for Colorado where he led the team in sacks, at six, and tackles for a loss, 11.5. In the 2009 draft, Green Bay added Clay Matthews in the first round and Jones in the seventh. Both were drafted to play outside linebacker to help in the Packers’ transition from the 4-3 defense to the 3-4. An injury to Aaron Kampman mid-season led to Jones landing the starting job and splitting playing time with Brady Poppinga. He managed an impressive four sacks in the second half of the season.

This landed him the starting job in 2010, while the Packers opted to not re-sign Kampman, but in his 116 pass rushes on the season he couldn’t manage a sack and had only nine pressures. Undrafted rookie Frank Zombo started taking some of Jones’ playing time by Week 3, and in Week 7 Jones suffered a shoulder injury that landed him on injured reserve.

For the 2011 season there was a three-way battle between Jones, Zombo and Erik Walden, which Walden ended up winning. There would be few snaps each week for Jones, but it wasn’t until Week 17 that he saw significant playing time. In both the Week 17 matchup as well as the divisional playoff game against the Giants, Jones was able to pick up a sack, but his 7.9 Pass Rushing Productivity on the season was still below where you would like it to be.

The following draft the Packers added Nick Perry in the first round to be their new outside linebacker across from Matthews, and Jones was moved to inside linebacker.

Moving to the Top of the Depth Chart

At the start of the season, Jones was used as a special teams player. Starter Desmond Bishop was hurt in the preseason, and his replacement D.J. Smith was hurt in the Week 6 game against Houston, which inserted Jones into the starting role. From that point on he was an every-down player while teammate A.J. Hawk played only in the base and nickel defense.

What made him impressive is that he could play all aspects of the game at a decent level. His presence in the run game was felt right away, with a tackle for a loss in his first quarter of action and a forced fumble just two weeks later. He managed four more tackles for losses over the following three games. What was possibly his most impressive game against the run was in Week 15 against Chicago where he had four tackles for no gain over the course of 20 carries. While the entire team struggled to stop the quarterback from running in the playoffs, Jones did have two quarterback tackles that made the offense fail to convert on third down.

While run defense is key for an inside linebacker, their coverage is also important and Jones was one of the best in 2012. He had a Pass Defensed on 6.8% of his targets, which was tied for seventh at the position. While he allowed a high catch rate, he could frequently make the tackle soon after the completion to make it a successful play for the defense. The best example of this is the Week 16 game against Tennessee where he allowed four catches, but all four came on third down where the receiver was stopped short of the first down. His +4.6 coverage grade was fourth-highest for all middle/inside linebackers in 2012.

2013 Starter?

There should certainly be an interesting battle at the inside linebacker position in Green Bay in 2013. In 2010 Desmond Bishop was one of the best inside linebackers in the game, but he regressed some in 2011 and missed all of 2012. The Packers have seemed content leaving A.J. Hawk in the starting lineup, and to their defense Hawk had by far his best season in the pros in 2012, even if it wasn’t as good as Jones. All three have their own weaknesses, with Jones’ being that he missed too many tackles. If he can cut down on those he could put himself among the best inside linebackers in the league.

All three players are getting paid starting money, but unless the Packers get creative only one or two will be on the field at a time. If it were my decision, Jones would be a starter.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 06, 2013, 02:49:06 pm
Julian from Cali, South America

Vic, welcome back. How much has the defense improved with the rookie class? Are we going to experience better numbers than last season?

I think the defense’s numbers will improve this season for two reasons: 1.) The defense has accumulated young talent in recent years and that young talent is beginning to come into its prime years. 2.) Mike McCarthy appears to be committed to an improved running game, and an improved running game will almost always result in an improvement on defense. Time of possession and field-position football should improve, and those are a defensive coordinator’s dream come true.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 07, 2013, 05:56:01 pm
Woodson II?

After a breakout year in 2012, in which Casey Hayward lead the Packers defense in both interceptions (6) and pass breakups (21), the second-year cornerback looks poised to improve on his rookie numbers.

Cornerback coach Joe Whitt Jr. made quite a comparison when talking about him in a press conference earlier this off-season:


This guy has a skill set that is very similar to Woodson, and that's rare. He can smell routes, see things, and do things that not many people can do. Now, what he has to learn how to do is catch the flash of the ball. That's one thing 'Wood' can do better than anybody, and Casey needs to continue to improve on that.

While it might seem unfair to compare a second-year player to a Heisman Trophy-winning cornerback and former NFL Defensive Player of the Year, it appears the coaching staff and organization believe the Vanderbilt stand-out can achieve similar successes while with the Green and Gold.

The Packers felt comfortable enough in their situation in the defensive backfield that they were willing to part ways with Woodson this past off-season, and didn't appear overly concerned when cornerback Sam Shields decided to skip a few OTAs due to contract negotiations. Hayward's breakout season in 2012 had a lot to do with both of these situations playing out the way they did.

Hayward has been getting rave reviews this off-season, and head coach Mike McCarthy believes Hayward's natural abilities will propel him to more production in 2013.


You can just see he's very comfortable out there (with) his instincts and his route recognition. He had a couple routes he jumped today. I look for him to be a much better player in year two.

Casey Hayward is just a natural football player. He is exceptional in that it comes very natural to him. He's very fluid in everything he does, hand-eye coordination, and excellent hands.

If the Packers defense can produce an improved pass rush in front of Hayward with the addition of a healthy Nick Perry and rookie defensive end Datone Jones, and combine that with improved play from the young safety group behind him, I wouldn't be surprised if Hayward threatens to record double digit interceptions this fall.

It's a lofty goal, but I believe Hayward has shown enough natural ability as a ball-hawking defensive back in his rookie season that he will only improve after a full off-season of drills and film study. Much like the coaching staff, I expect big things from #29 this season. He finished with 53 tackles, 21 pass breakups, six interceptions, and one forced fumble last season.

I expect him to be more of a play-maker this fall, and finish with something along the lines of 70 tackles, 20 pass breakups, nine interceptions, and four forced fumbles. I'm not sure he'll reach double digit picks (something that hasn't been done since Antonio Cromartie in 2007), but I think he'll come close.

With experience comes confidence, and I believe Hayward will flourish within the Dom Capers system in year two of his career.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 07, 2013, 06:04:12 pm
http://www.packersnews.com/article/20130706/PKR01/307060334?nclick_check=1
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 08, 2013, 05:31:52 pm

If House can win a starting job the Packers will have 4 starting caliber CBs.

When will Davon House crack the starting lineup?

Posted in 2013 - 2014 Season,2013 OffSeason,Casey Hayward,Davon House,Defense,Defensive Backs,Dom Capers,JSOnline.com,Marques Eversoll,Sam Shields,Seasons,Tramon Williams by Marques Eversoll


Packers CB Davon House
Packers CB Davon House

For the first time in a while, cornerback may be the deepest position on the Green Bay Packers roster.

Tramon Williams is entering his eighth season with the Packers, Sam Shields is coming off his second impressive season in three years and Casey Hayward is fresh off a six-interception campaign in which he finished third in the voting for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Last season, the Packers have led the NFL in dime and nickel packages, so Williams, Shields and Hayward each played a considerable amount. But all three will face stiff competition this summer from third-year cornerback Davon House.

House suffered a left shoulder subluxation in the first week of the preseason, forcing him to play with a harness for the nine games he was able to suit up for. But prior to the injury, House looked like he was on his way to earning a starting job.

“It was mine to lose and I lost it because of injuries to me,” House said, per the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. “But later on in the season, Shields got hurt and it gave me an opportunity to step in there. I think it showed the coaches that I can play.”

House played 318 snaps in his second season, highlighted by a blocked punt in Week 8 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. But for House, 2013 is a new opportunity and another chance at earning (and keeping) a starting job.

“House is back here; he looks great,” McCarthy told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel‘s Tom Silverstein. “He had his surgery and I thought he had an excellent training camp. He’ll definitely be someone who’ll push for a starting position or definitely a big role in our defense.”

House will have his sights set on an expanded role with the base defense, but it won’t be easy. Williams, 30, has been a mainstay in the starting lineup for five years, while Shields and Hayward did nothing but impressive last season.

Opposing quarterbacks throwing in Hayward’s direction had a combined passer rating of 31.1 last season, and when Charles Woodson went down, Hayward’s role as the nickelback became increasingly important. The rookie proved capable of playing on the perimeter as well, but he enters training camp as the odds-on favorite to be (at the very least) the slot man in the nickel package.

The coaching staff has made it abundantly clear that all four players will compete for playing time throughout training camp. And according to House, each cornerback is a starting-caliber player.

“The best man is going to play day in and day out,” House said. “If it’s right corner, left corner, we all feel like we should all be on the field … We know for a fact that anyone from our cornerback group can go play on any other team and start. That’s the way we feel.”

But when House will crack his team’s starting lineup remains to be seen because, this season, playing time will come at a premium for the Packers’ cornerbacks. Whether it’s due to an impressive training camp or the result of an in-season injury, at some point, House will likely make himself at home in a starting spot.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 08, 2013, 06:47:33 pm
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1696017-5-dark-horse-candidates-to-make-the-packers-final-53-man-roster?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=green-bay-packers<


Sentimental  favorite = Pena.</b
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 08, 2013, 06:51:10 pm
(http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/article/media_slots/photos/000/957/323/ScreenShot2013-07-07at4.47.15PM_original.png?1373241787)

Golden Tate and his "failed mary" buddy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 10, 2013, 07:22:06 pm
.
 
(http://cdn3.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/16185461/20130611_jla_bs6_382.0_standard_783.0.jpg)
arlier this afternoon we broke down the wide receiver position in Green Bay. Next up is a prediction of which players will make the roster and which players will be looking for a new home when the season rolls around.

In case you forgot the voting process, we had five writers submit their full roster predictions, complete with projected starters and backups. We took the number of players at each position that were chosen most frequently, and the individual players who were put on the roster most often. All writers agreed on the "big 3", as well as the fourth receiver. However, after that, no other vote was unanimous.

Wide Receivers on 53-Man Roster: SIX

Projected Starters: Jordy Nelson, James Jones and Randall Cobb

No surprise here. Jones and Cobb carried the Packers' wide receiver core a season ago with Nelson missing four games, Jennings missing nearly half the season, and tight end Jermichael Finley's early-season production problems.

The Packers will get a 100 percent healthy Jordy Nelson to start the season which is bad news for any defense in the NFL — we look for Nelson to take the next step in his career and be a possible Pro-Bowler. Cobb wants to catch 100 balls this season and that is a strong possibility. Round out the starters with James Jones (who led the NFL in touchdown receptions a year ago) and the Packers once again have three legitimate "go-to" receivers.

Projected Backups: Jarrett Boykin, Myles White and Jeremy Ross

Although Boykin played sparingly last season, he still showed some signs of a productive wide receiver. He was able to take snaps away from Donald Driver towards the end of the season and took advantage of his time. As the only remaining player outside of the big three with any substantial experience in the Packers' offense, he seems like a logical choice to make the team as the #4 receiver, and appeared on every writer's ballot.

In his rookie season Jeremy Ross played in a special teams role only. It is tough to project how he will do in the NFL because he hasn't taken a snap in a meaningful game at wide receiver in the NFL. If he can forget about the debacle in the playoff game against San Francisco last season, Ross is the favorite to be the punt and kick returner (although Jonathan Franklin may have something to say about that). Ross has a lot of speed as seen in his few punt returns a season ago. He makes the team based on those special teams considerations, with the hope that he can contribute in some small way on offense as well.

The surprise vote comes in the form of Myles White, the rookie free agent who has been receiving praise this off-season from multiple sources in the organization. While the voting was split closely between White and another rookie wideout, the fact that he has been on the field for the full off-season program gives him an edge over the two receivers drafted in the 7th round.

Left Off The Roster: Charles Johnson, Kevin Dorsey, Terrell Sinkfield, Alex Gillett, Tyrone Walker, Sederrik Cunningham

As mentioned above, we projected the two draft picks to miss out on the opening-week roster. However, you can count on at least one of the rookie draftees to make the practice squad, and we'll let you know which one of them (or both) we project there when we recap the full 53-man roster in two weeks.

The other young receivers all have extremely long odds to make the team. Boykin overcame similar odds last season, but we see White as being the only undrafted free agent with a great shot at it at this point.

Josh will be up next, covering the tight end position on Thursday.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 15, 2013, 06:41:50 pm
Big signing.

Posted by Michael David Smith on July 15, 2013, 7:02 PM EDT

Green Bay Packers' Burnett reacts after getting interception against Minnesota Vikings during their NFL football game in Green BayReuters
The Packers and safety Morgan Burnett have a new deal.

Burnett has signed a four-year contract extension worth $24.75 million, with $8.25 million guaranteed, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

A 2010 third-round pick, Burnett had been negotiating a new deal with the Packers in recent weeks. He was heading into the final season of his rookie contract and could have entered free agency in March, but now the Packers have locked him up.

Burnett became a starter at the beginning of his rookie season, which was cut short by a torn ACL. He has started all 16 games in each of the last two seasons.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 23, 2013, 09:36:31 pm
http://www.packersnews.com/article/20130721/PKR01/307210320/Training-camp-preview-Cobb-Finley-essential-passing-game-success
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 23, 2013, 09:46:56 pm
http://www.acmepackingcompany.com/2013/7/22/4544530/packers-roster-predictions-cornerbacks-hayward-edges-shields
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 24, 2013, 06:03:36 pm
John (my son) said that GB Packer rookie LB, Nate Palmer, drafted from Illinois Sate University (located here in Bloomington), was visiting in the hospital where John works.  Palmer happened to walk past John’s work area and noticed the Packer emblem John had on his desk and, then, noticed a Packer sign the gal in the next cubicle had posted.  He did a double-take and said “I certainly like this area”.
 
Lots of Packer fans in this area.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 24, 2013, 06:05:14 pm
Green Bay - The Green Bay Packers will open training camp Friday with three quarterbacks after making the announcement that rookie Matt Brown has been waived.

Brown, a free agent from Illinois State, received a $5,000 signing bonus in the hours after the draft to sign with the Packers. He visited with the team in Green Bay a few weeks before the draft.

A four-year starter, Brown compiled an NFL passer rating of 93.1 for the Redbirds.

The release of Brown leaves the Packers with Aaron Rodgers, Graham Harrell and B.J. Coleman at the position.
 

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 24, 2013, 06:46:51 pm
Just because today's the Packers' shareholders meeting doesn't mean Ted Thompson is excused from work.

Tweet (8)  Share   +  Comments 


Packers officials might have been busy today with the team's annual shareholders meeting, but that didn't stop Ted Thompson from performing his job.

As first reported by Bill Huber of Packer Report, the team is in the process of signing safety Ryan McMahon, an undrafted rookie out of Sacramento State.



McMahon began his collegiate career at USC, but transferred following his sophomore year in pursuit of more playing time. At Sacramento State, he earned an All-Big Sky honorable mention following a senior season in which he led the Hornets in solo tackles (50) and finished second in total tackles (97). At his pro day, McMahon ran a 4.44 40-yard dash, posted a 38-inch vertical leap, and completed 14 reps on the 225 pound bench press.

The Packers first got a look at McMahon during their rookie tryouts in May but declined to sign him at that time. Assuming Bill Huber's report is accurate and McMahon passes his team physical, he'll compete for a roster spot with Sean Richardson, Chaz Powell, and David Fulton. The addition of McMahon leaves the Packers with two open spots on their 90-man roster.

Jason Hirschhorn covers the Green Bay Packers for Acme Packing Co. He has previously written for Lombardi Ave, College Hoops Net, LiveBall Sports, and the List Universe. He is also currently a senior writer for Beats Per Minute, an indie-music webzine. Follow him on Twitter: @JBHirschhorn
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 25, 2013, 04:24:27 pm
As players battle for positions, we examine five players who could unexpectedly make the Packers roster and quite possibly, make an impact when they do.


NFL training camps are just around the corner. For most players, this means putting the wraps on off-season, um, activities and preparing themselves for the ensuing meat grinder of the next four weeks. For me though, it means yet another season of what's become one of the most compelling reality shows on television: HBO's Hard Knocks.

Even if you're not a Bengals fan (and if you are, sorry) the reasons for watching Hard Knocks are numerous. What other show can you get a glimpse of the inner workings of an NFL front office one minute, and see a 6'2, 225 lb. safety locker room twerking the next? But what I enjoy most about Hard Knocks isn't the voyeuristic nature of Coaches' meetings or even the absurdity of watching two overgrown men forced to share a bunk bed, but rather, the underdog stories.

Where today's most well-known athletes are their own brand and have their own shoe deals and commercials and small countries just off the coast of Malaysia named after them, we tend to forget about these underdogs. The grinders. Most of them come from small schools and even smaller towns. Despite often having the largest amount of sheer will and determination among the camp bodies, the sobering reality for many of these players is that their odds of making it in the NFL might be the smallest thing they've known yet.

But that's just what makes watching these stories unfold so fascinating. These aren't players battling for their next big contract. They're fighting to not go back to stocking shelves or laying bricks. Plenty of people work everyday in jobs even less glamorous, but the willingness these players show in throwing themselves into the perpetual ice tub of training camp abuse despite the odds makes it, well, pretty great to see when they do make it.

So who are some of the Packers underdog players? Let's take a look:

Charles Johnson - WR

Admittedly, this is somewhat driven my giant mancrush on him, but Johnson's measurables (6'2 215, 4.3 speed) are arguably as good, if not better, than any other receiver on the Packers roster. The uphill battle he faces however, is that the Packers are already decently loaded at the position with proven players like Jordy, Jones and Cobb. If Johnson can stay healthy, show good hands and prove he's more polished than his small school experience would suggest, there's no reason to think Johnson can't make the roster.

Terell Manning - ILB

In our season preview we have Manning making the team so maybe he's not that much of an underdog. But for me, there's no other linebacker I'm more intrigued to see. Ted Thompson has an impressive draft history with players he's traded up to get (Clay Matthews, Casey Hayward, Morgan Burnett for example) and although he was just a fifth round pick last year, Manning was off to a solid start when he ended up starring in a real life version of ‘Contagion' by contracting a terrible stomach virus that threw virtually his entire year off track. Now healthy, Manning should push Brad Jones and Robert Francois for playing time opposite the blocking dummy they call A.J. Hawk.

Myles White - WR

The Packers seem to be doing something that should probably scare the crap out of the rest of the teams in the league - adding even more speed. The crazy thing about that notion is even with just one true burner on the team (Cobb) last year, the Packers offense was among the league's best. With White, they can add another missile to an already potent arsenal. The Louisiana Tech product torched the surface at his pro day with a 4.42 40-yard dash. And with Aaron Rodgers already liking what he sees, White could be well on his way from undrafted underdog to a regular target on gameday.

Gilbert Pena - DT

Pena is the epitome of the underdog guys you root for in camp. He's already 26 years old, but a couple of things help his case. First, he's freaking huge (and named Gilbert!) at 330+ lbs. Given the way the Packers line seemed to be pushed around with relative ease last year, any big, strong bodies in the middle will help. Second, the reason he's 26 is because he delayed going to school to care for his ailing Mother who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer when Pena was a senior in high school. Said Pena in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "I watched her work three jobs just to support me and my two sisters," said Peña. "In my heart that was the best thing for me to do, the right thing to do. The least I could do." Yeah, I'm pulling for Gilbert Pena.

Brandon Bostick - TE

Can I just give him the nickname ‘Boom Bostick' right now and get it out of the way? Okay, then. Besides owning one of those seemingly made-for-football names, Brandon Bostick enters his second year with the Packers as an underdog once again. The good thing is, he's already been there, fighting from walk-on to the Packers practice squad last season. This year, he's up to 260 lbs. that should help him endure the rigors of the NFL a bit more, not to mention the Packers tight end situation isn't exactly the picture of clarity. Andrew Quarless is coming off injury, their best blocking tight end (Tom Crabtree) is gone, and Jermichael Finley may just decide he wants to quit football and try out for broadway one of these days. With Bostick winning scout player of the week honors several times last year, this training camp could be his opportunity to take another step forward--this time, to the 53-man roster.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 25, 2013, 04:59:18 pm
Woo hoo.  It's here.

(http://cdn0.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15070163/20120728_pjc_sh5_391.0_standard_783.0.jpg)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 26, 2013, 05:01:13 pm
http://www.acmepackingcompany.com/packers-training-camp-2013/2013/7/26/4559332/packers-training-camp-practice-july-26-micah-hyde-impresses
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 27, 2013, 07:00:46 pm

Packers cornerback makes big play of his new career

Surprise.

Posted Jul 26, 2013

  Vic Ketchman packers.com editorAsk Vic a question

Brandon Smith seized the moment in opening practice of training camp


GREEN BAY—He had never previously played the position in a game or even in a training camp practice, but something inside Brandon Smith told him to break on the ball and now he found himself running down the sideline with the ball in his hand, his once seemingly dead football career revived.

Smith is one of the desperate dreamers, most of whom never have a moment as Smith did in the Packers’ opening practice of training camp. If he never does another thing, he’ll remember what he did on this day.

“It was an awesome feeling. I felt like I was running pretty fast, but he was running right with me and down there giving me a high five,” Smith said, referring to his coach, Joe Whitt.

Let’s start at the beginning, 2011, when Smith was a wide receiver who failed to stick following tries with the Panthers and the Seahawks. Football, it appeared, was in his rearview mirror.

He spent the next two seasons out of the game, but it stayed in his heart. He wasn’t ready to quit on it. He decided to reinvent himself as a cornerback.

“What made me make the switch was the market in the NFL. They’re looking for big, strong, physical corners. I said that fits my description,” Smith said.

At 6-1, 205, Smith has the kind of size and speed that are rare to the cornerback position. It’s also important to note that Sam Shields was a wide receiver who converted to cornerback in college at Miami.

“Coach told me he had a couple of guys that turned over from wide receiver,” Smith said.

Smith credits Whitt with providing the confidence Smith has needed in making the move to cornerback. It’s support that couldn’t have come at a better time, as Smith lost his mother this past May, the Mother’s Day month.

“We kind of connected and he saw my talent right off the bat. He’s been my confidence. His confidence in me is carrying me through this,” Smith said.

It was Smith’s dogged determination, however, that got the ball rolling. He worked his way into a super regional combine in Dallas, a platform for second-chance athletes, this past April. His performance there earned him a look as a tryout player in the Packers’ rookie camp in May, from which the Packers signed Smith to a contract.

His football odyssey, however, reached its zenith on Friday. He left Packers fans that jammed Ray Nitschke Field to watch Aaron Rodgers throw passes, to ask each other, “Who’s the guy that intercepted that pass?”

“It was cover zero and I was manned up with my guy. Don’t get beat cause there’s no help over the top,” Smith recalled. “He had high shoulders and gave a slight look back to the quarterback. I looked back to the quarterback and saw he was getting ready to throw the ball.”

Smith stepped in front of the receiver, intercepted the pass and was down the sideline, his coach in tow.

“As long as I can put plays together like that, talent wise I feel like I can play with the best,” he said.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 27, 2013, 07:10:43 pm
Big BJ.

http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2013/07-July/temp130727-practice-010--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.JPG?width=960&height=720
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 28, 2013, 06:33:54 pm
Saturday's training camp practice for the Green Bay Packers saw a chilly day - the temperature was about 51 degrees when they kicked off. The team went through their usual slate of positional and team drills, with several players getting repetitions divided up differently from yesterday's practice. Here are the big stories from Saturday.


•The same players were sitting out practice today as yesterday - Casey Hayward, Davon House, and Jamari Lattimore, in addition to the players on the PUP list. There was one addition: wide receiver Sederrik Cunningham, who was not present at all at practice (TS).
•On defense, Jerron McMillian took the top set of reps at safety ahead of M.D. Jennings (PD). Likewise, Graham Harrell took over snaps with the second-team offense instead of B.J. Coleman, who had those reps on Friday (RD). UDFA linebacker Andy Mulumba worked with the second-team defense on the left side, opposite Dezman Moses (WH). Finally, James Starks got the first carry with the starting offense (WH).
•Myles White has had a rough start to camp. He dropped an easy pass in position drills with no coverage around him (RD). He did make a nice jumping catch down the sideline at one point.
•Rookie WR Charles Johnson went down with a leg injury early in practice (TD), but walked off the sideline under his own power and came back to the sidelines later on. Kevin Dorsey then followed him with an apparent leg injury of his own in a later period.
•Datone Jones was taking the top reps in the nickel package, but C.J. Wilson was playing ahead of him in the base defense (TS).
•Don Barclay took a number of snaps at center today, but he and Aaron Rodgers fumbled two straight snaps at one point and were taken out.

•The running backs had a pretty good day. Alex Green made a nice run up the middle and bounced it to the outside for good yardage, and both Eddie Lacy and Franklin made big runs up the middle with nice cuts (TD).
•Mulumba made a nice play in coverage on Ryan Taylor to break up a pass.
•Tyrone Walker was the rookie wideout who made the most waves today, at one point catching passes on three out of four plays in the team period.
•Terrell Manning was noticed on a blitz from the inside today. TS commented that it "looked like he was shot out of a cannon." The Packers will need some help in the pass rush from Manning, since that is an area of A.J. Hawk's and Brad Jones' games that is not a strength.
•In punt drills, Franklin took a large number of the returns, including every one in the final special teams period with no drops (MV).
•The no-huddle drill to end practice was dominated early by the defense, with Johnny Jolly and McMillian putting pressure on Aaron Rodgers. He eventually found Jarrett Boykin for a touchdown though to finish practice.
•The musical timeouts included Pearl Jam's "Evenflow", Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire", and Bob Marley's "Jammin'". I'm curious to know who's picking out the music for each day of practice, as it was a big departure from yesterday.


Rookies to watch: Mulumba, Johnson, White and Manning.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 28, 2013, 06:36:30 pm
(http://cdn2.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/16870429/20120726_kdl_sh5_045.0_cinema_1050.0.jpg)

Thrill of a lifetime for a kid like #52.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 28, 2013, 06:45:06 pm
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BQGf4IACcAAVx86.jpg)

Kooooon and a buddy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 29, 2013, 07:52:18 pm
http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2013/07-July/temp130728-trainingcamp-day3-8--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.JPG?width=960&height=720

MULUMBA.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 29, 2013, 08:26:04 pm

'Trying to do the right thing'

By JASON WILDE

jwilde@espnwisconsin.com

GREEN BAY – Johnny Jolly does not believe his sobriety is dependent on football. But he’s definitely glad to have the game in his life again.

“I wouldn’t say that I need it, but I love the sport, so I want to play,” the Green Bay Packers defensive lineman said Sunday, following the first in-pads practice of training camp. “I’ve been through so much stuff, it’s made me a better person, a wiser person. There are things in life you just have to go through and learn from and I’m a better man from it now. I’m just going to keep rolling with it.”

Jolly, who missed the past three NFL seasons while suspended for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy, is trying to become the same player and a different person all at the same time. Each is a day-in, day-out challenge that he believes he’ll be able to overcome, and as he seeks balance off the field life and shakes off the rust on it, Jolly believes he’s getting better at both.

“I let my team down before, I let my family down before, I let myself down before, and I’m just trying not to go back down that road,” Jolly said. “I’m just going to keep doing what I do. Practice hard, work hard. I’m one of 90 men (on the roster). I’m going to keep pushing to be here for the season.”...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 31, 2013, 07:05:17 pm


...Davon House and David Bakhtiari drew praise from McCarthy today. House apparently has a different edge to him in training camp this year - perhaps because of how close he appeared to earning a starting job last year. Bakhtiari, on the other hand, has impressed McCarthy from day one and will be getting additional chances to prove his ability moving forward.

Possibly the most concerning issue at this point in training camp is the lack of a defined returner on special teams. McCarthy clearly has not been impressed to this point, going so far as to say that if the season started tomorrow he would put Randall Cobb back out as the team's primary return man.

The inside linebackers also drew praise, as McCarthy complimented the depth and competition of the group. Rookie Sam Barrington was acknowledged for a "reckless" streak, which McCarthy said he likes. He also said that the younger players were "pushing" the established starters; whether anything substantial comes of that come week 1 we will have to wait and see.

All in all, it sounds like the lack of a standout on returns is the biggest issue weighing on McCarthy's mind at this time. Otherwise, he appears to be in good spirits and is not disappointed with the team's performance so far.

The Packers will take the field once again Thursday morning for another practice in full pads.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 31, 2013, 07:09:30 pm
The Packers wore full pads for the second time in as many days Wednesday. After a practice in which Mike McCarthy felt the defense dominated, the offense failed to bounce back as strongly as the Packers had hoped. Here are the significant developments of Wednesday's practice:
• Today was M.D. Jennings' turn with the starting defense (TD). Both he and Jerron McMillian have switched off playing with the starters throughout camp, and as of yet there's no indication who's taken the lead. McMillian has practiced well, though. If Jennings can't keep up, he risks losing snaps.
•Morgan Burnett played ferociously throughout practice today. In 7-on-7, Burnett laid a punishing hit on tight end Jake Stoneburner (TD). Over the course of the day, Burnett compiled an interception, several pass break ups, and multiple big hits (RD). This is the type of play the Packers had in mind when they extended him earlier this month.
• The running backs collectively looked strong today (TS). Angelo Pease continues to surprise, this time with his hesitation move waiting for his block and then shooting up the middle (TS). Eddie Lacy had a nice blitz pick up on Robert Francois (TS) while also knocking down Datone Jones to finish off one of his runs (TD).
• Following a series of nondescript practices, Graham Harrell threw some of his finest passes today. He connected with James Jones in 7-on-7 to burn rookie corner Micah Hyde for a would-be touchdown (WH). As we noted in yesterday's coverage of McCarthy's press conference, the Packers' two reserve quarterbacks are going to compete into the preseason for the backup job. Practices like this won't win it for Harrell, but it puts him in a better position come the preseason games.
•Davon House is proving once again this year that he's Green Bay's most physical corner. After Jarrett Boykin caught an Aaron Rodgers pass over the middle, House punched the ball out to force a fumble (TD). While he missed some time earlier in camp with food poisoning, House has played well since returning. If House continues to capitalize on the extra reps he's receiving due to Tramon Williams' and Casey Hayward's injuries, someone is going to become expendable.
•Don Barclay took the right tackle snaps with the starters during the final period of practice (RD). For the most part, those reps had been going to Marshall Newhouse. That doesn't mean Barclay has suddenly become the frontrunner for the job. Rather, the coaches still want to see all their options.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 31, 2013, 07:20:29 pm
Great wealth of CBs.   

http://www.packersnews.com/article/20130730/PKR01/307300375/Injuries-show-Packers-cornerback-depth-may-even-greater-than-expected
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 31, 2013, 07:25:21 pm
Speaking of the running backs, James Starks and Alex Green came to play. The rookies will generate the early headlines. They're new, they're the ones branded saviors. But the incumbents — Starks and Green — have been more impressive in Week One. Starks ran with violence through the first inside-running drill of camp, a flashback to his 2010 postseason. Green? He's cutting like he never cut last year, a full year removed from the torn ACL. Camp has just begun. We have weeks to go here. But two players cast aside by many outsiders are rising above the rest.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 31, 2013, 07:26:14 pm
You may see David Bakhtiari sooner, rather than later. The fourth-round pick didn't back down the first day in pads. He ousted Clay Matthews during the always-entertaining one-on-one segment and was surprisingly scrappy throughout practice. Probably too soon to say he's a candidate for the right tackle job, but Bakhtiari has silenced any perceived "finesse" labels so far. He might be a steal.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 31, 2013, 07:28:16 pm
The defensive line will be improved. Green Bay believed it solved its deficiencies up front last year, drafting two players early (Jerel Worthy, Mike Daniels) and adding three more veterans (Anthony Hargrove, Daniel Muir, Phillip Merling). This summer, expect to see Mike Trgovac's group to take a genuine step toward preventing another "579," the yards amassed by the 49ers in the playoffs. The rugged, yet athletic, Datone Jones stood out the first day in pads. And arguably no player brings more energy than Daniels. The guy can yap and back it up.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 31, 2013, 07:29:26 pm
It will be a surprise if B.J. Coleman is not the Packers' No. 2 quarterback. During organized team activities, McCarthy praised Graham Harrell's development and noted that while Coleman was progressing, he still needed work. That could be Coach Motivating Player 101. Coleman's superior arm is evident. In one blitz drill, he completed a pair of difficult, tight-window throws on the run.

Bye bye, Harrell?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on August 01, 2013, 09:56:54 pm
Great wealth of CBs.   

http://www.packersnews.com/article/20130730/PKR01/307300375/Injuries-show-Packers-cornerback-depth-may-even-greater-than-expected (http://www.packersnews.com/article/20130730/PKR01/307300375/Injuries-show-Packers-cornerback-depth-may-even-greater-than-expected)

Starting to be uneasy about Tramon Williams knee problems - an extended absence would force a quicker learning curve for the young 'uns than envisaged - with uneven results.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 02, 2013, 04:32:29 pm
I share that same concern for Williams, Freep.   After two consecutive bad seasons it does make one wonder.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 02, 2013, 04:32:45 pm
Neil from Milwaukee, WI

You said you expect the inside linebackers position would be open for competition, but with the release of Bishop, it seemed pretty clear cut that Jones and Hawk would be the starters? Who of the young guys behind those two do you think could surprise and challenge for playing time?

Terrell Manning had a good spring. Jamari Lattimore is an exceptional athlete. Robert Francois has been a dependable backup for three years. Sam Barrington was thought to be an underrated player at South Florida. “There’s a mindset that you need to stay on that field because if you come off that field, you might not have a job waiting for you when you come back,” Inside Linebackers Coach Winston Moss said. When a coach makes that kind of a statement, it sends a very clear message about competition at the position.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 02, 2013, 04:57:24 pm
Mike from Dallas, TX

I’ve learned from reading this column to trust your gut. You’re the last of a dying breed. You make predictions without outright saying them. The whole community here knew your 2011 Packers-Giants pick without you saying it. In the same way, I can tell your gut tells you this team has every chance of going all the way this year.

You see right through me. If this team gets its running game cranked up, look out.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 02, 2013, 06:37:11 pm
Jerry from Des Moines, IA

Vic, do you have a sense for how the offensive line is doing? Is the right to left switch going smoothly? Is there any real competition for Evan Dietrich-Smith? Do you have a front-runner for right tackle?

Bryan Bulaga is playing the best left tackle I’ve seen in the three Packers training camps I’ve covered. He’s been dominant so far in this camp. I see nothing about the flip-flop that isn’t positive. The center job belongs to Dietrich-Smith. The issue at center is the backup job. Don Barclay has struggled with the snaps. I like what I see in Greg Van Roten. The right tackle job is Marshall Newhouse’s to hold, but Barclay and David Bakhtiari are strong competitors for that spot
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 04, 2013, 07:36:55 pm
While the first week of training camp seemed like manna from the heavens, those practices are a far cry from real football. Thankfully, we observed something a little closer to the genuine article Saturday night when the Packers staged their annual Family Night scrimmage. Being the first real-ish football in exactly six months, there's much to dissect. Here are my five biggest takeaways from yesterday:

1. David Bakhtiari has entered the competition for starting right tackle

When the offense first took the field, the starters across the line were Bryan Bulaga, Josh Sitton, Evan Dietrich-Smith, T.J. Lang, and Marshall Newhouse. Halfway through the opening series, Bakhtiari was substituted in for Newhouse. While not the only tackle due praise, the rookie fourth-round pick looked solid in pass protection and shut down Nick Perry for the night.

There's still a ways to go before anyone can be viewed as the front runner at right tackle, but in just a week Bakhtiari has gone from 7th or 8th lineman to bona fide contender for the starting job. At a minimum, he's the backup plan to Bulaga at left tackle, an impressive feat for a mid-round rookie.

2. Eddie Lacy looks like a game changer

Count this as the takeaway most likely to look hyperbolic come the regular season, but after Lacy put his size and power on display to startling effect, it's hard not to buy into him as Green Bay's lead back. By unofficial count, Lacy ran for 65 yards on eight carries, good for an 8.1 average. The former Crimson Tide tailback looked strong this past week in practice, but this was his first exposure to live tackling in the pros.

Lacy doesn't have to be nearly as efficient as he was Saturday night to make the Packers more dangerous offensively. If he can set up play action and convert short yardage situations, Green Bay might put up its best third down conversion numbers since 2011.

3. Graham Harrell has an easy path to the 53

Even before camp started, Harrell sat in the driver's seat for backup quarterback. The Packers need to keep three quarterbacks in total between the roster and the practice squad. Because he was active for every game last season, Harrell has lost his practice squad eligibility. Unless the team plans to burn three roster spots for the position, tabbing second-year player B.J. Coleman as Aaron Rodgers' backup means letting Harrell leave for good. Consequently, Harrell only needs to match Coleman to keep his job as the latter can still be stashed on the practice squad.

Well, after a two interception debacle last night, Coleman has ceded considerable ground to Harrell for the backup job. Granted, one of those interceptions came on a spectacular play in the end zone by cornerback Brandon Smith. However, the pick six Coleman threw to James Nixon would have been intercepted regardless of whether Jeremy Ross fell down on the route. That's not to say Coleman should be counted out of the race, but given that Coleman needs to significantly outperform Harrell to win the job, his chances aren't looking great right now.

4. Johnathan Franklin needs a lot of work on special teams

A few days ago, Mike McCarthy stated that if the season was starting, Cobb would once again be the team's returner. While it may have just been a smokescreen, it's going to take more from the rest of the returners to keep him off special teams.

Saturday was a mixed bag; Jeremy Ross returned a kick for 49 yards, while Johnathan Franklin muffed a kickoff. Ross has long been our presumptive returner for 2013, but we'd like to see another returner step up to keep Cobb off the field on special teams. Franklin has been talked about as that guy, but his struggles in practice and Saturday's scrimmage suggest otherwise. This bears more attention going forward.

5. Mason Crosby is unlikely to ever regain his composure

The trials and tribulations of Crosby's regrettable 2012 have been well documented on this site. While many like myself defended the team's decision to stick with him last year, this offseason's kicking competition should be fully open.

After Saturday's scrimmage, Crosby has fallen behind first-year kicker Giorgio Tavecchio.

Crosby converted a dreadful 2-6 during the kicking period at the end of the night. Counting his attempts from the scrimmage, he went a paltry 3-8. Compared against Tavecchio performance (5-6 during the kicking period, 6-7 overall), it's looking like Crosby is still haunted by demons that sank his 2012 season. If he can't handle the pressure of Family Night, what hope does he have of keeping it together during the regular season?

What will keep Crosby in the race is his leg as Tavecchio struggles with distances beyond 45 yards. While a strong leg is valuable for those deep attempts, I'd rather the Packers go for it on 4th and less than five yards in enemy territory anyway.

Jason Hirschhorn covers the Green Bay Packers for Acme Packing Co. He has previously written for Lombardi Ave, College Hoops Net, LiveBall Sports, and the List Universe. He is also currently a senior writer for Beats Per Minute, an indie-music webzine. Follow
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 04, 2013, 11:16:20 pm
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/08/04/source-bulaga-has-torn-acl/

Looks like the Packers are in deepsheet at LT.  Sorry Packrat.  I do not wish injuries on any team or player. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on August 05, 2013, 05:41:12 am
Very deep it is.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on August 05, 2013, 07:49:03 am
I also see the Packers are bringing in Vince Young for a workout today.

I have to think the two are linked.  With the Packers current situation at LT, a big strong guy who can run like a scalded dog might not be a bad player to have as your backup QB.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on August 05, 2013, 09:47:26 am
You know, I never figured out why he got bounced from the Titans.  Had a winning recored as a starter after all.  His downfall evidently was he couldn't get along with Fisher, and he didn't toe the line
in certain areas. I didn't know not getting along with the coach was a reason to get bounced. He sure can use the dough. btw, I hate to see any kid blow out his knee. All these kids will be paying
for it in their late 50's and 60's.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on August 05, 2013, 11:15:07 am
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/08/05/packers-cancel-practice-media-availability/

Cancelling a practice?  Seriously?  The week before the first preseason game?

What the hell is going on up there?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 05, 2013, 07:11:33 pm
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/08/04/source-bulaga-has-torn-acl/

Looks like the Packers are in deepsheet at LT.  Sorry Packrat.  I do not wish injuries on any team or player. 

First Tretter and now, Bulaga.  Last year the #1 and #2 MLB.  Hard to build any continuity when injuries strike like that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 05, 2013, 07:58:29 pm
Brian Carriveau  @BrianCarriveau 
 
According to @BobMcGinn, the #Packers will replace an injured Bryan Bulaga at left tackle with rookie David Bakhtiari.

Camp reports say he was closing in on the starting RT job.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 05, 2013, 08:07:32 pm
This is Bulaga's contract year.  If Bakhtiari continues to grow Bulaga may be gone next season.  Fortunately, Thompson held off on a new contract for Bulaga since he has not continued to improve.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 05, 2013, 08:11:45 pm
Tom Silverstein  @TomSilverstein 
 
Regarding Bulaga, source said that he is waiting for results from a second opinion on the injury. #Packers

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 05, 2013, 08:15:10 pm
...Rookie David Bakhtiari gained plenty of experience while he was at Colorado and seems like another viable candidate. Bakhtiari had some potential to go higher in the 2013 NFL Draft and is proving in Packers’ camp that he could have. Bakhtiari was already battling for the chance to start at right tackle but the door of opportunity has opened even more with Bulaga’s injury. The big question? Will Bakhtiari be able to take advantage of this opportunity?...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 05, 2013, 08:19:58 pm
Green Bay — Running back Eddie Lacy showed the Green Bay Packers everything they hoped to see and more Saturday night at Lambeau Field.

The muscular big back from Alabama was the standout in the annual intrasquad scrimmage before a record crowd of 63,047 at the expanded 80,750-seat venue on a perfect night for football.

Lacy, a second-round draft choice, had been impressive in the first week of training camp but that was in "thud" situations, not live tackling.

He's the kind of ball carrier who should look much better with full contact, and he certainly didn't disappoint.

"He's going to be a huge weapon for us," quarterback B.J. Coleman said after watching Lacy carry eight times for 65 yards (8.1 average). "First time out. Environment like that. I thought he did a great job.

"It's nice to have him back there with you. He runs the ball hard. He's a very strong man."...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 05, 2013, 08:21:14 pm
 McCarthy: Crosby's Performance 'Not Gonna Cut It'
Packers.com 
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 05, 2013, 08:21:56 pm
TE Finley Struggling So Far in Camp
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on August 05, 2013, 08:26:29 pm
Signed VY. Lets see if he sticks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 07, 2013, 03:53:47 pm
The Green Bay Packers are hoping that a second chance at reviving Vince Young's NFL career will help turn the former Pro Bowl quarterback into their answer as Aaron Rodgers' backup in 2013.

For such a scenario to unfold, head coach Mike McCarthy, offensive coordinator Tom Clements and quarterbacks coach Ben McAdoo will have to use roughly 13 practices, four preseason games and less than a month on the calendar to refine the former No. 3 overall pick as a quarterback and get him up to speed with the Packers offense.



While that task might be difficult for Young, who hasn't played since August of 2012 and also missed Green Bay's first eight training camp practices, the Packers do represent one of the franchises that can get the most out of the former No. 3 overall pick as an NFL quarterback.

Few in the game are more respected at teaching and developing the quarterback position than McCarthy, who has worked with the likes of Joe Montana, Rich Gannon, Aaron Brooks, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers over a 20-year NFL coaching career.

His annual "Quarterback School," which preaches fundamentals and aims to raise the awareness and understanding of the position, has become a fixture of the Packers' offseason. Young won't get the chance to sit back and learn from McCarthy in the relatively stress-free environment of a short spring minicamp; instead, he'll be asked to take a crash course in everything quarterbacks during the dog days of summer.



Hi-res-78753111_crop_exact Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

Like McCarthy, Clements (left) has worked with great quarterbacks in the past.


However, Young will also have the benefit of learning under the likes of Clements and McAdoo.

The quarterback of a Notre Dame championship team and a Grey Cup winner while in the CFL, Clements brings a lifetime of experience at the position to the table, including 15 years as an NFL quarterback coach. His role has since expanded from one of the game's top positional coaches to offensive coordinator, but he'll still be a vital part of getting Young up to speed on what the Packers demand at the quarterback position.

And anywhere Clements or McCarthy can't be, McAdoo will be able to fill in the gaps.

Now in his second year as the team's quarterbacks coach after six seasons teaching tight ends, McAdoo brings a more versatile look at the offense to the quarterback room. He also helped keep Rodgers on a blistering two-year pace in 2012, his first season after taking over the quarterbacks job from Clements. His main objective will be guiding Young along as he re-assimilates into an NFL quarterback room.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 07, 2013, 05:15:12 pm
Van Roten has continued his development very well.

The head coach singled out interior offensive lineman Greg Van Roten for praise. Van Roten continues to flip between guard and center, and apparently he has outperformed the other options in those roles. As we predicted in our 53-man roster forecast, Van Roten is likely to make the team as their interior swing guy, much like Evan Dietrich-Smith was before becoming a starter. With Don Barclay continuing to struggle with snapping the ball, Van Roten may be running away with this job.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 08, 2013, 07:24:37 pm
(http://media.jrn.com/images/660*395/b9970736z.1_20130807235450_000_ghc1uc8v.1-0.jpg)

Packers' Jermichael Finley shows up as improved run blocker
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 08, 2013, 07:40:01 pm
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1732399-aaron-rodgers-nails-a-target-from-50-yards-out-celebrates-in-signature-fashion (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1732399-aaron-rodgers-nails-a-target-from-50-yards-out-celebrates-in-signature-fashion)
 
How does he do that?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 10, 2013, 12:45:29 pm
Despite loss, LT David Bakhtiari and WR Tyrone Walker impressive in pro debut.

Illinois State?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 10, 2013, 12:52:09 pm
(http://nflcompackers.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/130809-jolly-300.jpg?w=300&h=300)

Johnny Jolly almost got a sack here,  Looked pretty good for being away 3 years,
 
I have hopes that he can help the DL this hear.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 10, 2013, 01:07:59 pm
PACKERS TACKLE DAVID BAKHTIARI:
 (on his personal performance) “It was a good first game-like scenario. I’m happy where I was, but there’s room to improve. I didn’t feel overwhelmed, that’s probably the best way to put it. ”

(on the biggest difference between practice and the game) “I think the tempo – there’s not a selected number of plays. It can go anywhere from three plays to I think on the first drive we had 12 plays, so that was probably the biggest thing. Then, obviously being in the stadium in front of 80,000 fans and not hitting our teammates is different.”

(on battling any pregame jitters) “To be honest, I think I probably had more jitters in college than I did for this game. Like I’ve been preaching earlier this week, I’ve just kind of been trying to keep a level head and keep a calm mind about it – just playing my game and just playing left tackle. I felt good out there, so I’m going to continue to keep that kind of mindset going forward.”

(on if tonight’s game was a confidence booster for him) “Of course. It definitely makes me feel more comfortable and definitely makes me believe more in myself, but it’s only one half of one preseason game. I still need to get a full game in and see how I can do through four quarters.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 10, 2013, 01:38:22 pm
IMO Young will be #2 this season and Harrell will hit the pavement.  Enough!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 11, 2013, 03:04:27 pm
Landon from Coeur d’Alene, ID

Tell us more about David Bakhtiari.

He was one of the stars of the first week of training camp. I loved everything I saw in him. He held his own against Clay Matthews. He moved back and forth from right tackle to left tackle. He’s athletic and energetic and I see no reason for any concern that he’s too small to play tackle. I also like Don Barclay a lot and at one point last week I thought to myself, “How are they going to get both of these guys on the field?” You’d think by now I’d be smart enough not to ask that question, especially as it pertains to offensive linemen.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 11, 2013, 03:10:25 pm
Bill from Lakeland, MN

Interesting to hear Aaron Rodgers praise Tyrone Walker after Saturday night’s festivities. Walker isn’t that big and isn’t that fast. Could he become Green Bay’s version of Wes Welker?

I praised him last week. It’s not that I saw any special skill in Walker. It’s just that he has the look of a guy for whom football is an easy thing. No drill is too big for him and he never shies away from contact. I’ve seen him get pinballed on at least two occasions, and he reacted as though nothing had happened. That kind of ease through contact really resonates with me and, yes, that’s exactly what you’re looking for in a slot receiver. It gets crowded inside.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 11, 2013, 03:12:55 pm
Jeremy from Saint Paul, MN

How do you think it will affect our third-down percentage having a big back like Lacy as an option?

If Eddie Lacy does nothing more this season than convert third-and-one plays, he will have been worth a second-round pick. I think he’s going to convert those third-and-ones and a whole lot more.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 11, 2013, 04:09:32 pm
Steve from Ithaca, NY

Everyone seems to be very impressed with Bakhtiari. Can you remind us why he fell to the fourth round?

At 6-4, 300, he’s considered to be a little on the small side. After he plays in the league 10 years, remind me why he was drafted in the fourth round.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 12, 2013, 08:07:48 pm

Rookie receiver Walker shines for Packers

August, 10, 2013
Aug 10

9:00

AM ET

By  Rob Demovsky | ESPN.com
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – On at least two occasions, Aaron Rodgers has gone out of his way to publicly praise rookie receiver Tyrone Walker. The Green Bay Packers quarterback did it during the offseason and again after the team’s scrimmage on Aug. 3.

So when Walker lined up in the slot to the right on third-and-goal from the 2-yard line with the first-team offense in Friday’s preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals, it would not have been a surprise to see Rodgers look the rookie’s way.

Instead, Rodgers threw to tight end Jermichael Finley, and the pass was knocked away by Cardinals safety Rashad Johnson. In fact, Rodgers didn’t even realize Walker had come in for his first NFL preseason snaps.

When Walker told Rodgers he was open, Walker said Rodgers responded by saying, “You were in?”

“And I was open,” Walker said. “My first-ever snap. My eyes got big.”...

Next man up for GB WR?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 12, 2013, 08:11:00 pm
If A.J. Jenkins is missing his chance to vault atop the depth chart due to injury, David Bakhtiari is doing the polar opposite. He's taken that chance, pancake-blocked it into the frozen tundra of Green Bay, kicked dirt in its eye and flexed over the twitching form below.

What I guess I'm trying to say is, he's having a good camp.

Bryan Bulaga was supposed to move to left tackle this season, but he tore his ACL. So, as everyone assumed the line would get shuffled around and maybe Bakhtiari might have a chance on the right side, he just stepped up and took the most important spot on the line—as a rookie. He was also one of the lone bright spots in the Packers' preseason opener.

Next man uo at GB O-Line?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 12, 2013, 08:13:23 pm
GREEN BAY—Offensive lineman Don Barclay ended his rookie season last year in the Packers’ starting lineup, and he’s pushing to get back there in year two.

After an otherwise rough night for the offense in getting blanked by Arizona, Mike McCarthy on Saturday singled out Barclay for his solid performance at right tackle. Barclay alternated series at that spot with Marshall Newhouse into the third quarter of Friday’s game in an ongoing competition for the starting role.

“I thought Barclay was clearly one of the top performers of the game for us,” McCarthy said. “When we went through the grading, we didn’t grade out very well as a football team. We graded out poorly as an offense, but I thought Don Barclay’s performance was clearly one of the brighter spots in last night’s game.”...

Improving each game,
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 14, 2013, 07:24:30 pm
Walker showing he belongs

By ALEX PETAKAS

apetakas@espnmilwaukee.com

GREEN BAY –- The conversation not only showed the kind of connection Tyrone Walker has made with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but just how far the Green Bay Packers rookie wide receiver has come.

He certainly didn’t sound like a kid who had to earn a spot on the 90-man roster as an undrafted free agent tryout player at the annual post-draft rookie orientation camp.

Rather than basking in the glow of being the team’s leading receiver (five receptions for 41 yards on six targets) in the team’s preseason-opening loss to Arizona on Friday night, Walker was thinking about what might have been: A 2-yard touchdown on third-and-goal on Rodgers’ one and only series of the game.

Walker lined up to Rodgers’ right and, in his opinion, was open in the right flat. Rodgers went instead to tight end Jermichael Finley across the middle, and the pass was broken up.

“I already talked to 12 about it,” Walker said with a smile. “I was open on the one he threw to Jermichael. I was open. I was hungry for that one. It was a slant, my eyes got big. The moment might have been too big for me.”

Then again, it might not have been. If Walker has shown anything in training camp, it’s that he’s unfazed by playing in the NFL or afraid to compete with what Rodgers says is the deepest receiving corps from top to bottom that the Packers have had in a camp. While the 1-5 spots might not be as deep after the free-agent departure Greg Jennings and retirement of franchise all-time receiving leader Donald Driver, Rodgers believes the youth behind Randall Cobb, Jordy Nelson and James Jones is unprecedented since he arrived in 2005.

“I think this receiving corps is the deepest I’ve seen in nine years in a training camp,” Rodgers said during an interview on SiriusXM’s NFL Radio last week. “I mean, it has to be exciting knowing you are going to be throwing to these kind of guys. Jarrett Boykin and Jeremy Ross have been very solid in camp for us. And then we got a number of guys who are fighting for one or two spots, probably.”

While Ross and Boykin have the inside track for the fourth and fifth receiver spots, Walker has been the more impressive in a group that includes three other undrafted players (Myles White, Alex Gillett, Omarius Hines) and a pair of seventh-round picks (Kevin Dorsey and Charles Johnson) who’ve been sidelined by injuries almost nonstop since being drafted.

 “Tyrone Walker obviously had a productive night,” McCarthy said Friday night’s game. “I think he’s an excellent example of that whole young receiver group. They’ve gone out competitively every day and performed and I thought he definitely took a step tonight from what I saw.”

Walker played the majority of the game, taking snaps with the first team offense on the opening series of the ballgame, all the way up to the Packers final offensive possession in the fourth quarter, when he made his fifth catch of the game.

“I couldn’t have dreamed it up that way,” Walker said of his night. “I got kind of emotional on my first snap because I never expected to be playing as much as I did.”

His biggest reception was a 22-yard catch and run in the first quarter on a pass from Graham Harrell. It was the second-longest offensive play of the night for the Packers, but he was not necessarily thrilled with the final outcome.

“I was kind of upset I didn’t score on that one,” Walker said.

Despite playing in front of the biggest crowd of his life – the game drew a Lambeau Field-record 73,738  -- the 22-year old from Illinois State should have been in awe. But he wasn’t.

 “It’s Lambeau Field and Bloomington-Normal,” Walker said. “Most people don’t even know what Bloomington-Normal is. They couldn’t even tell you what school plays in Bloomington-Normal.”

Perhaps not, but during his time there, Walker became the school’s all-time leader in receptions (250), receiving yards (3,565), receiving touchdowns (32) and 100-yard receiving games (16).  Just as Boykin, who left Virginia Tech as the school’s all-time receiving leader but went undrafted, made the 53-man roster coming out of camp last year as the sixth wide receiver, Walker has a chance to do the same this year if the team keeps six.

“I think I’m in the right spot. I think this is where God wanted me to be so I’m going to make the most of it. He put me here for a reason,” Walker said.

The 5-foot-10, 191-pound Walker’s chances of sticking with the club continue to increase with his solid play, but also with the attrition rate that at the position. Johnson (knee) and Dorsey (hamstring) missed almost all of organized team activity practices and have been sidelined since the opening days of camp with their injuries. Another rookie undrafted free agent, Sederrick Cunningham, is on injured reserve after dislocating his wrist.

Add the time that Nelson (knee) and Cobb (biceps) have missed – Cobb is expected back at practice this week, but Nelson won’t practice the remainder of camp in hopes of being ready for the Sept. 8 regular-season opener at San Francisco – there will be more snaps in practice and games for Walker to impress.

 “It hurts, because I've got a relationship with those guys. As a group, we're close-knit,” Walker said.  “But it's good to get a shot, you know? I feel like I was going to get a shot regardless, whether they went down or not, just being here with the Green Bay Packers, they give everyone a fair chance.”

He’s made the most of his chance with Rodgers, who said after the Family Night Scrimmage that he was “very proud of Tyrone Walker. I think he’s really made some great strides. He’s a guy who’s been showing up in practice.”

While it will take more than just kind words from Rodgers to be on the Packers’ roster when they open the regular season on Sept. 8, Walker is encouraged about the possibility of his NFL future.

“Honestly, I see that the sky is the limit,” Walker said. “I mean, if Aaron Rodgers trusts me, I’m sure that the Packers fan base will trust me. If I can keep getting him to have faith in me to go out there, then I think I’ll be fine.”

Alex Petakas is the host of “The Ticket” on 540 ESPN and covers the Packers for ESPNWisconsin.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/AlexPetakas.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 15, 2013, 03:36:34 pm
In the right direction

By JASON WILDE

jwilde@espnwisconsin.com

 

GREEN BAY –Although wasn’t a full-fledged admission, there was an acknowledgement. When Ted Thompson was asked Wednesday morning if he wished he’d signed quarterback Vince Young in the spring instead of waiting until Aug. 5, the Green Bay Packers general manager didn’t say no.

“Oh, I suppose,” Thompson replied during his weekly press briefing at Lambeau Field. “But we don’t really lament about certain things. We had sort of an idea how we wanted the quarterback group to look going into training camp, and we got a little light there. Like I said when we first signed him on, it was something we wanted to take a look at.”

The Packers carried four quarterbacks throughout the offseason – starter Aaron Rodgers, incumbent backup Graham Harrell, third-stringer B.J. Coleman and undrafted rookie free-agent signee Matt Brown – but Brown suffered an injury shortly before training camp and was released.

The Packers had expressed an interest in Young in the spring, and Thompson was intrigued by him coming out of the University of Texas in 2006. Even after watching Young at the Longhorns’ college pro day in March, the Packers took a wait-and-see approach with him.

The good news is that after looking horribly overwhelmed in his first three practices, Young has looked better this week. In fact, his practice Wednesday was probably the best he’s had since his arrival – a good sign that he might fare better on Saturday night in the Packers’ second preseason game, against the St. Louis Rams, than he did in the opener against Arizona.

The bad news? He still has a long way to go.

At this point, the Packers are basically splitting the offensive snaps evenly between Harrell and Young, while relegating Coleman to purely scout-team reps.

“Vince Young is clearly different today than he was this time last week. He’s progressing,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “We’ve been able to spend some extra time with him. It’s been beneficial. Hopefully we can give him some more reps than he had against Arizona. We’ll have a bigger play selection for him.”

Because the Packers waited to sign him, Young missed seven of the eight offensive installations the Packers did with their playbook. Since it’s impossible to play catch-up, Young is being taught plays gameplan-by-gameplan, and coaches are accommodating him by letting him pick a menu of plays that he likes. Against the Cardinals, Young wore a wristband that contained the plays he liked to help him tell the players in the huddle the play.

“Getting out of the huddle and just being comfortable with where to go with the football, things like that … he’s getting better,” McCarthy said.

One thing Young hasn’t done much of throughout camp is throw the ball downfield, although he did uncork a semi-deep throw to Myles White Wednesday. The other problem with Young coming in so late is that McCarthy, offensive coordinator Tom Clements and quarterbacks coach Ben McAdoo couldn’t work with him on his fundamentals.

“I think he’s thinking less,” McAdoo said. “There was a lot of thinking early on and even earlier this week. Especially in individual drills with the fundamentals, I think he looked faster, I think he looked more explosive, more fluid. There’s less thinking going on there.”

As an example, McCarthy explained how he has his quarterbacks set their feet while waiting for a shotgun snap. Young, in his time in Tennessee, Philadelphia and Buffalo, never did it the Packers’ way.

“We kind of said, ‘Hey this is the way we do it.’ Just going through the individual drills and the footwork drills, we don’t want to change a whole lot to Vince right now mechanically because the emphasis on getting ready to play in a game from a scheme standpoint,” McCarthy explained. “But we turn on the game tape after the Arizona game, and here he is using our footwork in the gun. He’s played a lot of football. He’s adjusting and really trying to get in-tune with the timing and the footwork and how it fits our passing game.”


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 15, 2013, 03:58:14 pm
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/08/15/aaron-rodgers-negative-comments-wash-over-me-without-a-reaction/

So perhaps Rodgers isn't the greeat guy the Packers PR machine makes him out to be. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 15, 2013, 04:01:46 pm
I saw nothing negative there, Peke.  What was the negative/
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 15, 2013, 04:33:15 pm
Jennings has been ripping him.

Driver is a good guy and was being diplomatic about it but is basicly saying he sees where Jennings may be coming from.  You do not tell a guy, ‘Don’t forget where you come from because the people are the ones who put you on that pedestal. You didn’t put yourself there.’” Unless he is acting in a way to make you think he needs to be told that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 15, 2013, 07:50:17 pm
Good point but I think that may just be from players who have been cut.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 16, 2013, 12:16:47 pm
Bill from Phillips, WI

What was the atmosphere like after Friday’s game? I would think it would be very tense and most would not want to look a reporter in the eyes.

It’s not about looking reporters in the eyes. It’s about young players having to face their position coaches in the individual meeting rooms. Those coaches are going to announce the individual failings in that game. Remember, these are young men pursuing a dream to make it onto an NFL roster. They’re not worried about that 17-0 score, they’re worried about their score, which is to say how they graded out in their performance. That’s what the preseason is all about. It’s about evaluating young talent and I have a feeling the grades weren’t very good from Friday’s game. If you’re David Bakhtiari or Don Barclay, however, you’re feeling pretty good about Friday’s game because you did your job. Let’s remember what this is. It’s the preseason, and we use a different scoreboard in the preseason.

Aaron from Wilkinson, IN

I was really impressed with Tyrone Walker’s ability to run after the catch on Friday. Were there any particular players that stood out to you?

Walker is another young player that should feel good about Friday’s game. He played in the game exactly as he practiced. He moved about the field naturally, fearlessly. What I keep seeing from Tyrone Walker is evidence the game isn’t too big for him. He appears to me to be a natural football player.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 16, 2013, 12:19:02 pm
Tyrone Walker’s strong tackle after Harrell’s interception definitely caught my eye. In your many years covering the sport, is there an offensive player who stood out as being a great tackler?

Tony Dorsett immediately comes to mind. Dorsett, a cousin to Ty Law, was a sensational defensive back in high school, which might explain his tackling ability. His son played in the league as a defensive back. Dorsett was also a natural football player, which is my view of Walker.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 16, 2013, 12:24:26 pm
Josh from Cincinnati, OH

Vic, while watching the game against the Cardinals, I tried to focus attention on Bakhtiari. He seemed to offer good blindside protection and I caught him helping on some decent run lanes. How much stock can we put into this first showing, and do you still see the same draft steal from camp?



 
LT David Bakhtiari

We should couch our optimism. After all, it’s only one preseason game, much of that game was spent blocking guys that won’t see much playing time in the regular season. By the same token, what’s not to like? Bakhtiari was challenged and he responded. If you’re looking for some real hope from Friday’s game, find it in the fact that first-year and second-year tackles (Bakhtiari and Barclay) were two of the Packers’ best performers. There might only be one position more important than left tackle. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say Bakhtiari might determine how far the Packers go this season, because you have to keep your quarterback healthy and doing that requires a team to protect his blind side. If Bakhtiari turns out to be a dependable blindside protector for Aaron Rodgers this season, he will have been the steal of the draft. Now, let’s go back to where we are, three days removed from the first preseason game of the year. It’s a long road ahead of us and Bakhtiari is going to face on a weekly basis the best pass rushers in the NFL, and he’s also going to face defensive coordinators that are going to empty their bag on him. He’s facing a huge challenge in just his rookie season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 16, 2013, 12:28:17 pm
Just checking in:
 
(http://www.packers.com/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/article_images/2013/08-august/130813-lombardi-300.jpg)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 16, 2013, 09:37:59 pm
Right tackle takes center stage in game against Rams


GREEN BAY—Wide receivers Jeremy Ross and Tyrone Walker are expected to be under the “microscope” when the Packers play the Rams on Saturday night in St. Louis.

For Walker, it’ll be a chance to strengthen his pursuit of a roster spot. For Ross, the opportunity on Saturday will likely include a chance to become the Packers’ lead return man.

“With everything we do in practice, we’ll have plenty of information on the ability of our returners to catch the ball and secure the ball after the catch,” Special Teams Coordinator Shawn Slocum said of a door to the kick-return position that might’ve swung open recently when Randall Cobb sustained a bicep injury. Cobb has battled the painful injury during practice and Head Coach Mike McCarthy said that will likely be a long-term proposition for the Packers’ star return man and wide receiver.

Ross flashed his return ability late last season. It won McCarthy’s trust, but then Ross betrayed that trust by committing a costly fumble deep in Packers territory in the playoff loss in San Francisco.

Which player is he, the one that makes plays, or the one that commits head-scratching mistakes? Ross can help deepen his coach’s trust with an error-free performance in St. Louis.

“He has to get to the point that you can count on him every single down,” McCarthy said.

Walker is the latest in a seemingly endless list of Packers undrafted wide receivers that leap to prominence in training camp every summer. Two years ago, it was Diondre Borel and Tori Gurley. Last year, it was Jarrett Boykin. This year, the 5-10, 191-pound Walker, from Illinois State, is threatening to come out of nowhere and win a roster spot...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 16, 2013, 09:46:59 pm
Finley finally "getting on board" with Rodgers:

Seeing a different game

By JASON WILDE

jwilde@espnwisconsin.com

GREEN BAY – Midway through practice one day earlier this week, Jermichael Finley found himself wide open across the middle. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers delivered the ball to him in stride and, as has happened before, the Green Bay Packers tight end dropped it.

The ball fell to the turf not far from the Ray Nitschke Field stands, and the collective same-ol’-Finley groan from the fans could be heard clear across the field.

But this is not the same ol’ Finley.

A few plays later, Finley found himself wide open again, this time to Rodgers’ right. Having gotten himself so open that there wasn’t a defender within 10 yards of him, Finley caught the ball and took off upfield, put a stiffarm on one would-be tackler and finished off a 25-yard gain. Two plays after that, he was open yet again, making a nifty sliding catch across the middle to pick up a first down.

And when the first-string offense took on the first-string defense in a now-rare competitive 11-on-11 no-huddle period to end the practice, Rodgers’ first two completions – an 18-yarder and a 12-yarder on back-to-back plays – went to Finley, who again was wide open.

The moral of the story? Finley may still drop an occasional pass or two this season. But the fact that he was so open on so many plays – against both scout-team defenders and would-be starters – was striking. And it wasn’t because coach Mike McCarthy was drawing up ingenious, exotic plays to get him the ball.

Rather, the sixth-year tight end is seeing a different game this summer, and it could mean big things for him and his quarterback when the games start to count, starting with the regular-season opener at San Francisco on Sept. 8.

Unprompted during his press briefing at his locker after that practice, Rodgers singled out Finley – in an answer to an unrelated question – as having “an excellent camp.” It was at least the third time he’d spoken publicly about his tight end's improved play. Then, Rodgers explained why.

“It’s fun to watch him make some of the plays that he wasn’t making three or four years ago as far as being able to read a defense quickly and diagnosis it and get into his route,” Rodgers said.

Told of Rodgers’ comment, Finley began nodding in the affirmative before the full quote had even been read to him. It was as if he couldn’t wait to agree.

For all the talk over the past few years about the now 26-year-old Finley needing to mature, the focus always seemed to be on the need for off-the-field growing up. Maybe he has grown there, too; maybe he hasn’t. But based on early returns this summer, he’s definitely maturing in his approach to the game, and that’s apparently what has Rodgers so excited.

“It’s not that (I’m older),” Finley explained. “I’m watching film more, and when I’m taking reps off I’m looking at how the defense is playing the tight end, how the linebackers are playing. And just getting off on the snap count. The key is listening to the snap count and getting off and running with my head up. That’s what I’m doing better this year.”

Although Finley acknowledged that something simple like keeping one’s head up to improve vision of the entire field seems obvious, he said he didn’t always do it before and it’s been as if a light bulb went on when he made it a priority.

“(I’m) running with my head up, realizing what the D is trying to do – not only to the actual offense, but how they’re trying to interrupt my route,” Finley said. “I try to read the defenses better and make the best choice.”

If Finley and Rodgers can develop something like the unspoken telepathy Brett Favre and tight end Mark Chmura once had, things could get interesting.

The 6-foot-5, 247-pound Finley was inconsistent at the beginning of last season, dropping seven passes in the first eight games. But he finished strong and set a team single-season reception record for tight ends with 61, and he didn’t drop a single pass over the final six games (including playoffs).

Not coincidentally, Finley’s relationship with Rodgers was improving during that time, as the pair began spending the night before each game talking about the game plan, how he should run his routes and life in general.

The connection seemed to make a big difference, as Finley caught 26 passes in the final five regular-season games and also had a breakthrough day in Detroit on Nov. 18, when his three receptions included a touchdown and a critical 40-yard catch-and-run to set up the game-winning score.

Finley said it was during that time that he recognized how much more he could grow as a player with improved preparation. With so much God-given athletic talent, he admitted that he might not have always appreciated how the mental part of the game could bring out even more of his physical talent.

“That’s what I did, I feel like,” Finley said of relying solely on his natural ability. “This is where I want to take this second half of my career. I feel like I have a ton of years left, and this last half of my career I want to take it to another level. You do it the right way and see where it takes you. I used to just sort of let my athletic ability take over. But everyone has talent. It’s about doing it right.

“All guys that move forward as they get older, you think about what you should have done two years ago. But you can’t get those years back. I’m just trying to move forward and just do things right and see how the outcome is. If I do everything right, my athletic ability will take care of the rest. And we’ll see where it takes me.”

As for his rapport with Rodgers, Finley says he and his quarterback are in a great place. They’re communicating more, and while their night-before-the-game hotel visits haven’t started yet, those will be “on top” of the increased time they’re spending with each other at Lambeau Field during the week.

“We’re on board,” Finley said. “Both of us are competitive as all get out, so sometimes that takes over. But I feel like we’re in a great position right now. I mean, I feel great about it – the best I’ve ever felt with him in my career. I feel awesome. He’s putting it in, and I’m putting it in.”

Listen to Jason Wilde every weekday from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on “Green & Gold Today” on 540 ESPN, and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/jasonjwilde.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 18, 2013, 06:40:07 pm
Michael Finley -- WOW!  Four catches before you could get settled down for the game.

Lacy was an absolute horse.

Johnny Jolly is baaaack.  He deflected one pass for a GB interception and intercepted one of his own.  I don't know how he does that so often.

Rookie CB Micah Hyde had a great game.  He looks like another  of those "next guy up" players for the Pack.

LB Andy Mulumba looked like he has won a roster spot with some nice penetration plaays.

Ill. State WR Ty Walker had a very good game, again.

Second year WR Boykin had a good game.  Looks like the string of good GB WRs continues.

The OL looked pretty solid.




Posted by Mike Spofford on  August 18, 2013 – 12:55 am 


ST. LOUIS – For detailed recaps of the Packers’ victory, check out both the game story and locker room report. Other news & notes from preseason game No. 2:

–Jolly building stamina, coming on strong: DE Johnny Jolly continued his bid for a roster spot, after a three-year absence from the game, with a high-impact performance.

Jolly was involved in two interceptions. On the first, he reached up and deflected the pass at the line of scrimmage, and CB Jarrett Bush snagged the pick. In Jolly’s last season, 2009, he set a team record for batting passes at the line and it appears the knack hasn’t left him.

“It’s basically getting as much push as you can on a play, because every time you aren’t going to be able to get a sack,” Jolly said. “Then you just watch the quarterback and get as much push as you can.”

The second interception was actually Jolly’s. Dropping off the line into zone coverage, he picked off a pass at the goal line that was deflected by CB Loyce Means, who had good coverage on a slant route.

Jolly also appeared to get some decent pressure up the middle on a couple of snaps, and he said his conditioning is starting to come around. Combine that with his instincts, and he seems to be returning to his prior form on the field, slowly but surely. The press box statistics credited Jolly with two tackles.

“My legs are getting back up under me a little bit,” he said. “I watched a lot of film on which way they were sliding, who was getting the one-on-one, who was getting the doubles.

“I’ve got a ways to go. I’ve just got to keep working hard. I’m just doing what the coaches put me out there to do.”

–Hyde bounces back: Rookie CB Micah Hyde has been a daily playmaker in training camp, but he showed another trait that isn’t always automatic with rookies – the ability to recover.

On the first play of the Rams’ second possession, Hyde was beaten deep by WR Chris Givens and gave up a 57-yard reception, setting up first-and-goal on the 4. But he shook off the early miscue and came back to put together a strong game that included a team-high five tackles, two of them behind the line (including one sack), plus two passes defensed and even a 13-yard punt return in his first crack at that duty.

“Corners have to have a short memory,” Hyde said. “My defense did a good job of keeping my head in the game. After that play, they said forget about it. Now you have to come back. We lost that play, keep going, and we got the stop, which was real good as a defense.”

Hyde played a big part in getting that goal-line stop, as he tackled WR Tavon Austin at the 2-yard line after just a 1-yard reception on second-and-goal. Hyde was the only one in position to stop Austin short of the goal line, and he stood up the small wideout and didn’t let him get away.

In the second half, Hyde – who started the game and may have played more snaps on defense than any other player – was turned loose on a couple of corner blitzes and made the Rams pay. He got one sack and had another big hit just as the ball was released.

“It’s awesome. We never blitzed that much in college,” he said. “This is fantasy.”

–Undrafted rookies, big moments: Like Hyde, OLB Andy Mulumba posted two tackles for loss, one on a running play late in the second quarter and another on a sack in the third quarter.

An undrafted rookie from Eastern Michigan, Mulumba not only is putting himself in position to make the final roster, he could end up the No. 3 outside linebacker – behind starters Clay Matthews and Nick Perry – by the time the preseason is over.

Another undrafted rookie, TE Jake Stoneburner turned in a couple of memorable moments. He made a nifty grab for a 9-yard TD from QB B.J. Coleman in the fourth quarter, coming back to the ball as Coleman scrambled to get the catch. He also recovered the Rams’ onside kick in the final minute of the game after St. Louis had finally scored.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 18, 2013, 08:58:18 pm

 
Vince Young makes 3 in a row into the netting on a QB drill rolling to the left. Young was the #Packers' most accurate QB in the drill.


12:10 PM - 14 Aug 2013


 
Nice pass from Young on goal line touchdown pass to Mulligan. Kept his throwing motion higher it seemed


1:37 PM - 14 Aug 2013   (?????)


 
Mile Neal having good day at OLB, blew up run in half-run drill, just tackled Gillett short of first down on 3rd down pass drop


1:03 PM - 14 Aug 2013

Rob Demovsky  @RobDemovsky 
 
Micah Hyde with an acrobatic INT of a corner route intended for White from Coleman. Hyde was falling down and tipped it to himself.


1:38 PM - 14 Aug 2013
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 19, 2013, 08:17:05 pm
Tou from Eau Claire, WI

I like that we are getting a lot of information on the right tackle position battle, but why don’t we hear anything about the other offensive line positions? Has the rookie David Bakhtiari really been so good to have locked up the second most important position on the team? Are there really no other options (like Marshall Newhouse or Andrew Datko) in the mix for the starting center or right guard positions? I just don’t want the starting job given to someone, like how I felt the starting center position was given to Jeff Saturday last year.

Yes, Bakhtiari has been that good. Sept. 8 is fast approaching. The Packers need to settle on a starting five as soon as possible because those guys need to work together. Line play isn’t all about beat your man. It involves a lot of tandem blocks. The Packers offensive linemen practice those tandem blocks every day – I think it’s one of the most entertaining drills in training camp – but nothing beats doing it in live action. Nothing is being given away. When it’s decided that one guy is better than another guy, the switch will be made. I think we saw hard evidence of that when Saturday was benched in favor of Evan Dietrich-Smith late last season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 20, 2013, 07:36:16 pm
Green Bay's jj.

(http://cdn0.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/18156265/20130611_jla_bs6_389.0_standard_783.0.jpg)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 21, 2013, 07:05:31 pm
If Bakhtiari can win the starting LT job  as a rookie and Barclay can win at RT it will be reminiscent of the year Clifton started at LT as a rookie and Tauscher won the RT job as a rookie.  The only difference: Barclay is a second year player.

Once again, I will predict that if those two guys win their competition and play well, it will be "bye, bye" for Bulaga, who is in his contract year.


Green Bay — Don Barclay loves the hit television show "King of Queens" largely because he sees a lot of himself in the central character, Doug Heffernan.

Funny. Plump. Loveable. Barclay and Heffernan have a lot in common.

There's one major difference, though. While Heffernan was extremely content with his lot in life, Barclay won't settle.

Green Bay's second-year offensive lineman is a grinder, willing to sacrifice and fight for everything. That approach has Barclay thisclose to being the starting right tackle...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 21, 2013, 07:18:29 pm
GB's Bostick.

Play of the day: TE Brandon Bostick made the play of the day, leaping between two defenders in the end zone with one arm reaching straight up, tipping the ball to himself and then hauling it in as he fell to the ground.

“He’s come a long way and I’m proud of him,” said fellow TE Jermichael Finley, who spent time working out with Bostick in the offseason. “I call him ‘Little Finley.’”

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 21, 2013, 07:28:09 pm
True contender: Mike McCarthy said earlier this week that rookie CB Micah Hyde would get an opportunity to return punts, and he was the returner taking the first rep on Tuesday. Hyde had a 13-yard punt return last week in St. Louis and could make a strong bid for the job with a good showing against Seattle.

If the young CBs continue their growth this will be Tramon Williams' last season with the Pack.  Mark it on the wall.
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 21, 2013, 07:29:22 pm
 TE Jermichael Finley makes a big play or two in practice every day, and Tuesday was no exception. Finley continues to beat defenders down the middle of the field and on crossing routes, providing a steady target for whichever Packers QB is throwing the ball.

“This is the Jermichael Finley I work with every day,” McCarthy said. “This man approaches football the same way every day. He’s a joy to coach. Physically he’s in a place he wants to be and he’s clearly having his finest training camp. It’s clear-cut.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 21, 2013, 07:42:05 pm
If Hyde wins the returner job it will, no doubt be sayonara for WR Jeremy Ross who returned kicks last season and opens a place for another position player.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on August 23, 2013, 02:26:59 pm
Quote
Green Bay's jj.


(http://cdn0.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/18156265/20130611_jla_bs6_389.0_standard_783.0.jpg)

Seriously?  Does he have STD? tatooed on his arm?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 23, 2013, 05:26:06 pm
Gloom in GB after bad practice before tonight's game against Seattle.

http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-1/Packers-end-practice-week-on-sour-note/594f2b8a-1a6c-4f9d-a7d0-fc44de29e72b?campaign=email_august2013_130823
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 23, 2013, 05:45:47 pm
How does he do that so often?

http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/2013_NFL_Stadium_Safety_Enhancements/e34ad425-afa0-4227-b0e1-0cf66c2a54c7
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 23, 2013, 05:55:52 pm
Jake from Hyde Park, UT

Vic, everyone is talking about how well Eddie Lacy ran the ball against the Rams, and rightfully so. When I went back and re-watched the game, however, his work in pass-protection seemed equally as impressive. I saw him picking up free rushers as well as chipping on the defensive end to help Don Barclay. I liked his physicality.

My inbox from the weekend is an Eddie Lacy love fest. He’s king of Packers nation today, mostly because he ran through half the Rams defense on that 15-yard gain in the first quarter of Saturday’s game. That run gives the Packers offense a dimension it didn’t enjoy last season; it gives the Packers offense the dimension of power. Soft? Not now. You’ve made another worthy observation, that Lacy is a roadblock in pass protection. Yes, he’s good in blitz pick up because he has the ability to drop anchor and absorb the contact from an onrushing linebacker. Scatbacks can’t do that; only power backs have the anchor to do that. Power comes in many forms. It can be expressed every bit as much in blitz pick up as it can in a pads-down run. Maurice Jones-Drew will be forever famous for his blitz pickup on Shawne Merriman. He flattened him. That kind of thing gets around the league and people stop calling you soft.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 23, 2013, 06:01:00 pm
Chris from Kenosha, WI

I like the energy the team brought on Saturday; they seemed a ton better than last week. Do you think they might move Hyde to safety? House look like he stepped up and Hyde looks like he might be the kind of hard hitting but a little slow player the secondary needs.

First of all, yours is the only question that even mentioned Davon House, and I thought he turned in a much-improved performance on Saturday. When Casey Hayward and Tramon Williams return from their injuries, the Packers are going to be loaded at cornerback, and that’s something every team in the league wishes it could say. After seeing Micah Hyde tackle, and observing his instincts and ball skills, there’s no doubt in my mind he could play safety, but cornerback is the more important position and when you have a guy who looks like he might be a big-time player for you at cornerback, you keep him there until you don’t need him. In today’s game, it’s difficult to imagine not needing a talented cornerback.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 23, 2013, 06:02:32 pm
Peter from Ames, IA

Hey Vic, I’m sure you noticed this but the Rams linebackers were biting hard on the Packers play action after Lacy was bruising his way through their defense. Sign of things to come?

If he continues to run as he did on Saturday, yeah, it’s a sign of what’s ahead. Defenses fear, truly fear, power backs and speed receivers. That’s the combination you want on offense: a power back and a speed receiver. One complements the other.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 23, 2013, 06:04:06 pm
Matt from Omaha, NE

Vic, why are there two cut days? Why have a cut day four days prior to having another one? Why not just have one cut day?

It’s provided for in the CBA. The players association wants two cut days because it provides for two markets for acquiring players. Teams are less likely to claim or sign a player that’s been released in final cuts; they have their own players they want to keep, and they would’ve had no time to work with a new player before the season begins. With a cut prior to the last preseason game, teams interested in a player that might address a position at which a team has need would be more likely to claim or sign a player that addressed that need.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 23, 2013, 06:05:48 pm
Mark from Phoenix, AZ

Do you really think Vince Young will bring a new dimension to the Packers offense and, if so, why?

Mostly, Young brings a dimension of experience to the backup quarterback position, and it breeds a degree of confidence in the head coach that he’s got a guy on the field that’s been there before.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 23, 2013, 06:19:03 pm
Carl from Mansfield, OH

Vic, in watching Saturday night’s game against the Rams, I was very impressed with David Bakhtiari and Don Barclay. They are both big and powerful men and play with an attitude. They remind me of the early days of Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher. I know Bulaga will be back next season, but I like what I see out of both of these men. Your thoughts?

Having settled tackle positions is a luxury every coach in the league covets. In this case, we’re talking about guys in the infancy of their careers. Their arrows are pointing straight up and it’s likely to be that way for a long time. It’s rare to have two young guys like this. The Steelers were devastated at the tackles last night. They have two young guys and they are struggling mightily. As a result, everything on offense is in turmoil. Passes are being intercepted by defensive ends and returned for touchdowns. Holding penalties are killing big plays. Running backs can’t get out of their tracks. If you can’t block the ends, you can’t play offense. Don Barclay and David Bakhtiari might be the best things to happen to the Packers in the last two years, and I honestly believe that is not an exaggeration. If you doubt that, ask yourself where this team would be without them.

WOW!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 23, 2013, 06:23:13 pm
John from East Meadow, NY

With Williams, Hayward and Shields presumably being the top three cornerbacks on the team, are House, Hyde and Bush fighting for two spots, or will the Packers keep six cornerbacks?

I posed that question to Mike Spofford at practice on Monday. He said six and I tend to agree with him. You don’t cut good corners. I’m sure of that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 23, 2013, 06:29:43 pm
Larry from Chubbuck, ID

How does Eddie Lacy compare to Jerome Bettis? They seem to be the same type of back.



 
RB Eddie Lacy

They are the same type of back; they’re pounders. The question you asked is the question I’ve been wanting to answer since Lacy didn’t work out at the combine. I was looking forward to seeing him do the agility drills at the combine because I wanted to see if Lacy had Bettis’ feet, but then Lacy had the hamstring and nothing was answered. I think that hamstring hurt his draft stock. What most people don’t appreciate about Bettis is that he had some of the best feet to ever play the position. T.J. Duckett looked like the second coming of Bettis, but Duckett didn’t have Bettis’ feet and that’s why Duckett wasn’t as successful. Lacy appears to have Bettis’ light and quick feet. I wouldn’t have been able to say that in the first week of training camp. I was having doubts. Since then, I’ve seen evidence of a guy who can be more than a straight-line runner. That was always the question I had about Lacy because he played in a drive-blocking scheme at Alabama that was so overpowering he didn’t have to move off a straight path. He’s got feet. I think the Packers have just what they need.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 23, 2013, 06:31:22 pm
Marcus from Pleasant View, UT

Micah Hyde looked good on his one punt return in St. Louis. What are the chances of him winning the punt-return job?

I was watching him fielding punts in practice on Monday and he was catching the ball effortlessly. He looks like a guy who was a star shortstop or centerfielder. He’s one of those guys who was born to play with a ball. He’s got sensational eye-to-hand coordination and the thing that really hit me as I watched him field punts on Monday is that his head didn’t bob as he moved to catch the ball. If the head doesn’t bob, neither does the ball. That’s the sign of a natural outfielder, which is what a punt-returner is. I think there’s a very strong chance he could field punts for the Packers this year. I don’t know if he has the burst to be a big-play returner, but there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Coach McCarthy can put Hyde back there and be confident the ball will be caught cleanly. That’s big.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 23, 2013, 06:44:32 pm
Chase from Morton, IL

When Greg Jennings was on “First Take” a month or so ago, he mentioned that people were going to know about Jarrett Boykin very soon. How has he been doing in camp?

Boykin impresses me as a guy who’s at his best when he’s working the sideline.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2013, 06:17:06 pm
Loved the play of Johnny Jolly.  Looked a lot like the Jolly of 2009.  Things happen when he is at the D-Line.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2013, 06:18:12 pm
Bye bye Graham Harrell.  Don't let the door bang you on the arse when you leave.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2013, 06:33:21 pm
PACKERS TIGHT END JERMICHAEL FINLEY:
 (on his personal performance) “I came out feeling fresh. (Aaron Rodgers) and I had a talk earlier in the day about me touching the ball early. When a guy like that comes up to you and tells you you’re going to get the ball early, you get jittery.”

(on if he’s worried about the first-team offense only getting limited opportunities) “Not at all. I know when the games count we’re going to get six (points) on the board for sure and practice makes perfect. We get tons of reps in practice and I think that’s enough.”

(on quarterback Vince Young’s performance) “That’s my Texas boy so I’m not going to say anything bad about him, but I thought he looked great tonight. He got his feet wet and I can’t wait to see what he does next week.”


Rodgers abd Finley seem to be much closer this season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 24, 2013, 06:35:11 pm
packrat, your running game still sucks.  That was an abysmal performance.

I believe pass blocking more often then not tends to make an O-line soft.  They get used to stepping back and reacting to the defense instead of forcing their will. 

The Bears O-line needs to learn how to pass block better and the Packers O-line needs to learn how to run block better.  The Bears will be forced to set up the pass with the run and the Packers to set up the run with the pass until either of their lines step up in the area where they are deficient.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2013, 06:35:14 pm
PACKERS QUARTERBACK VINCE YOUNG:
 (on his personal performance) “I felt all right. It’s still a learning process right now. I’m getting there – more reps, more practice, a lot of film work, studying … picking Aaron (Rodgers), Graham (Harrell) and BJ’s (Coleman) heads is definitely helping me out a lot.”...

Young seems quite comfortable and content in his situation.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2013, 06:36:30 pm
LINEBACKER NICK PERRY
 (on the defense’s performance overall in the first half) “We’re just doing our job out there. We’re just playing football. We’re doing a pretty good job of containing him (Russell Wilson) and we’ve just got to continue to focus on that and make plays.”

(on his tipped pass) “I knew he was coming to my side to throw the ball. My reaction was to just throw my hands up and keep him contained. It played out well. I was able to get my hand on it and we got the interception.”

Perry getting into his groove.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2013, 06:38:09 pm
Mike Neal's work at LB/DE seems to be yielding some good results.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2013, 06:41:08 pm
packrat, your running game still sucks.  That was an abysmal performance.

I believe pass blocking more often then not tends to make an O-line soft.  They get used to stepping back and reacting to the defense instead of forcing their will. 

The Bears O-line needs to learn how to pass block better and the Packers O-line needs to learn how to run block better.  The Bears will be forced to set up the pass with the run and the Packers to set up the run with the pass until either of their lines step up in the area where they are deficient.

Pretty insightful on your point, Peke.  I was surprised in the running game against Seattle, too.  You might say it was worse than abysmal.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 24, 2013, 06:51:38 pm
I took Lacy in the late rounds of my fantasy draft due to the hype on him.  After that game I am thinking even that late of a pick was a mistake.

Though he should get the goal line carrys and the Packers offense does score a lot.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2013, 06:55:00 pm
I wouldn't give up on him.  I think this game was kind of an aberration.  He has been looking good in previous games.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 25, 2013, 07:48:11 pm
Banjo making roster bid: Rookie S Chris Banjo, who went undrafted out of SMU, is making a bid for the No. 4 safety spot on the roster with his heads-up play on both defense and special teams.

In last Friday’s game in Seattle, Banjo made an impressive tackle of TE Luke Willson just shy of the first-down marker on third-and-5, forcing the Seahawks to punt. Later, he brought down former Packer Will Blackmon on a punt return.

“Chris Banjo has been making plays since he arrived,” Mike McCarthy said. “Very pleased what he has shown so far. This will be a big game for all the young guys, and definitely for Chris.”

There’s no guarantee the Packers will keep four safeties, but starter Morgan Burnett sustained a hamstring injury last Friday, which could force the Packers to go deeper at the position, increasing Banjo’s chances.

Banjo has been working against the odds from the start, arriving four days into camp after being released July 25 by Jacksonville.

“It was definitely tough, I can’t lie, especially on the defensive side of the ball, so much new terminology and all the adjustments,” Banjo said. “Trying to get all that put together and looking like I belong on the field, not looking lost, that was definitely a tough curve. But day by day I’m getting better at it, and I’m trying to put it all together.”


Well, it would be nice to have a Banjo on the team.     
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 25, 2013, 07:49:04 pm
Posted by Mike Spofford on  August 25, 2013 – 5:39 pm 


On Sunday, Head Coach Mike McCarthy explained the team’s decision to release QB Graham Harrell, which can be found here. A third kicker was also added to the competition, and you can read about his strong first impression here.

Other news & notes from the day…

–Nelson, Cobb back to work: WRs Jordy Nelson (knee) and Randall Cobb (bicep) were back on the practice field on Sunday, a good sign that the Packers WR corps could be at full strength for the season opener in San Francisco. Both players ran routes during a lengthy jog-thru period and did some conditioning work after.





Neither receiver has played in a preseason game yet, so Thursday in Kansas City would be the last opportunity, but that isn’t taking paramount importance.

“I don’t think it’s going to matter, because if I do play, it’s not going to be much,” Nelson said. “I think that little bit of work is not going to make a difference if I get it or not, but we’ll see.

“I feel good. If it was a regular-season game, we could definitely be going. But we still have to be smart, see what happens, and take it day by day.”

Cobb is taking the same approach. Wearing a compression sleeve on his injured right bicep, Cobb said he will play “free-minded” and not have any worries about the injury when he’s out there full time.

“I can play. If it’s up to me, I’d be on the field (Thursday), but we’re going to be smart about the situation,” he said. “We know what we’re dealing with and we know what we’ve got going forward, so we’re going to be smart about it.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 25, 2013, 07:50:44 pm
GREEN BAY—Kicker Zach Ramirez felt every week the phone was going to ring, even when it hadn’t for more than three months.

When it finally did, last Thursday morning, Ramirez was sleeping, but since then he’s had no time to rest. Roughly 72 hours after the Packers called, he earned a contract in a pre-practice workout Sunday morning and was thrust into a three-headed competition with Mason Crosby and Giorgio Tavecchio for a full-time NFL gig.

“That’s all I wanted,” Ramirez said. “All I wanted is basically another opportunity.”

His first was in May for Seattle, at a rookie tryout camp, but back then Ramirez still hadn’t fully recovered from a knee injury sustained last fall. On the first extra point of the first game of his senior season at Portland State, a defender crashed into the outside of his leg, which ultimately ruined his chances of getting drafted.

After missing a couple of months, he was healthy enough to finish his senior season, but through the pre-draft process and into the spring, his leg strength “wasn’t up to par,” he said. Continuing to kick on his own – sometimes for 2 ½ hours a day, when he was bored – and then attending one of Chris Sailer’s kicking camps recently, he started feeling like his old self, when he made 24 of 27 field goal attempts (88.9 percent) in 2011 at Portland State, with one of the misses coming up a yard short from 65...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 25, 2013, 07:51:55 pm
Punter Tim Masthay remains an option on kickoffs. He boomed a touchback in Friday’s game.

“It’s something you feel good about as a coach having in your back pocket,” McCarthy added.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 26, 2013, 11:44:35 am
The Bears and Packers have had similar problems with injuries to highly drafted OL players; especially LTs.
 
GREEN BAY - It is not easy for Derek Sherrod to get lost in a crowd. At six feet five inches tall and weighing in over 320 pounds, he stands out wherever he goes.

 In many ways, Sherrod is a physical marvel. At the Packers Hall of Fame, there was an exhibit last year that highlighted the player on the team with the biggest feet, hands, and wingspan. In each case, that player was Sherrod.

 There were examples of his footprints and handprints for people to compare with their own, and inevitably visitors would marvel at how theirs were dwarfed by Sherrod's gargantuan features. His nearly seven-foot wingspan was outlined on the wall as well, leaving many fans shaking their heads in disbelief.

 But as big of a man as Derek Sherrod may be, he has almost been lost in the shuffle this offseason due to circumstances largely out of his control.

 Late in the right tackle’s rookie season in 2011, Chiefs linebacker Tamba Hali fell on Sherrod's leg. The bone snapped instantly.

 It was the kind of injury that was hard to watch, and for many it was difficult not to wonder if Sherrod would ever be the same player again. Former Packers quarterback Lynn Dickey watched the replay of the gruesome injury, and he knew right away exactly what had happened.

“(Hali’s) legs just whipped around and hit him,” Dickey told the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “It’s got to be a perfect angle, and all things just need to be perfect in all the horrible ways for it to happen, and it did. I could tell it immediately.”

Dickey would know. He suffered an identical injury in 1977, and ended up missing nearly two years. When he came back, he could still pass the ball with the best of them, but his mobility would never be the same.

“It was definitely a setback,” Dickey said. “If I’d played any other position, I probably couldn’t have played.”

Sherrod should be thankful that it is 35 years later, and that medical treatments for these types of injuries have improved dramatically. The Packers prefer not to disclose information about injuries, and other than the occasional statement that Sherrod is making progress there has not been much news on his recovery over the past nineteen months.

 Training camp will give the public their first look at whether or not the former first round pick can resume his career where he left off.

 Rehabilitation from such a severe injury that required multiple surgeries is a grueling process, but Sherrod is no stranger to hard work. Having grown up in a military family (his father was in the Navy for 21 years), discipline and dedication are things that had been instilled in him since childhood.

“Derek spent more time preparing than anyone, working on his technique, always trying to get better,” said Mississippi State Coach Dan Mullen, who coached Sherrod in college. Mullen was quoted in an article on the Packers team website shortly after Sherrod was drafted.

“He had such a pro attitude. Everyone wants to play on Saturday. If you don’t want to play in the games then there’s something wrong. But on Thursdays, in practice in just helmets, no one worked like he did. In those terms, he’s the best I’ve ever seen.”

That sense of pride was instilled in him chiefly by his mother. Harriet Sherrod is a strong woman with strong opinions, and she raised her four kids with a strong hand.

 All of her children have already achieved a measure of success. With his siblings having completed a combined three tours of duty in Iraq to go along with an MBA and two more Masters degrees in the works, Derek might be the least accomplished of them all.

 He likely heard his mother's voice in his head as he did countless repetitions during his rehab workouts.

 "Nothing is given in life," she told him. "You have to work for it. You have to earn it."

 The Packers will find out within the coming weeks how much Sherrod's work has paid off, and whether or not he will have an impact in training camp after this long layoff. Can he recapture the promise that led him to be drafted in the first round?

 The competition at right tackle is wide open, and on a team that features arguably the best quarterback in the league Sherrod knows what he has to do. He actually knew before he even set foot in Green Bay for the first time.

 "I'm basically there to protect (Aaron Rodgers)," said Sherrod during his media teleconference just after being drafted two years ago.

 "That's what I do. I go in and work hard and make sure that nobody hits the quarterback. I don't give up sacks, I take pride in not letting anybody even touch my quarterback (or) get near my quarterback."

 Coach Mullen thinks that Sherrod has the talent to back up those words. Having served as offensive coordinator under Urban Meyer at Florida, Mullen has been around plenty of talented offensive linemen that have gone on to professional careers. He thinks Sherrod is as good as any of them.

“I’d be shocked if he doesn’t play in the NFL for a long time,” Mullen said back in 2011. “Let’s put it this way. He’s the best tackle I’ve ever coached. Maurkice Pouncey is the best center I’ve ever been around. Chris Kemoeatu is the best guard I’ve ever been around. Derek is the best tackle. I might lose some friends saying that.”

If Sherrod is able to put his injury behind him and he can start playing like the player his college coach used to rave about, then the competition at right tackle during training camp may end up being one of the better battles of the summer.

Read more from Mike Conklin (@Packerpedia) on packerpedia.com, for which he is the founder and editor.  He also co-hosts a weekly podcast on packerstalk.com.
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 26, 2013, 08:34:00 pm
B.J. Coleman finished two for seven for eight yards (39.6 passer rating). Coleman wasn't exactly working with a great offensive line group, but should have compensated for that, but getting the ball out quicker. Mike McCarthy has made it known he wants Coleman to play faster, and get the ball out quicker, and I didn't see either from Coleman on Friday. I wouldn't assume Coleman gets a spot on the practice squad, his job is still very much in the air. If he doesn't have a good showing against the Chiefs in the preseason finale, he may be on his way out of Green Bay as well.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 26, 2013, 08:36:06 pm
DuJuan Harris missed two cutback lanes on the Packers opening drive of the game. On the first one, David Bahktiari created a nice lane by blocking his man away from the play, but Harris hesitated and then ran to the opposite side. The other play was on a delay draw on the same drive. Harris had plenty of room to the outside after both tackles pushed their defenders up the field, but Harris ran right into traffic for a short gain. Harris finished with two yards on three carries, but also had an 11-yard gain on a screen pass. Harris is a playmaker, but missed a couple of opportunities on Friday. Hopefully he will be able to return from his knee injury quickly, and provide a one-two punch with Eddie Lacy.

Speaking of Lacy, the rookie running back was unable to get anything going. His only splash play of the game was called back on a David Bahktiari holding penalty. I'm convinced Lacy would have performed better had he been running with the first-team offense, because the Seahawks loaded the box on the Packers when Graham Harrell was at quarterback. Lacy finished with -5 yards on eight carries.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 26, 2013, 08:53:12 pm
Tom Silverstein  @TomSilverstein 
 
On scout team, Rodgers hits Nelson deep over Means and Jennings. Nelson running full speed.


12:49 PM - 26 Aug 2013

<b<Ahhhh.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 27, 2013, 05:06:56 pm
Rob Demovsky  @RobDemovsky 
 
McCarthy: DuJuan Harris will go on IR today. It's a tough one. Definitely a young player I felt would be impactful for us on offense.

Shiiiit!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 27, 2013, 05:08:25 pm

Peterson Answers Who's the Best Rookie RB Prospect in the NFL

⚙   39 
 
posted by Evan "Tex" Western on Aug 20, 2013


eddie lacy, but he's on a passing team. but that was a real good pickup... that i didnt like
- Adrian Peterson's AMA on Reddit
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 28, 2013, 03:12:29 pm
http://bleacherreport.com/tb/db78y?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=green-bay-packers (http://bleacherreport.com/tb/db78y?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=green-bay-packers)

I gotta root for this guy, Banjo.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 28, 2013, 04:55:18 pm
Stay connected   Follow @acmepackingco   

The Packers travel to the land of barbecue to get this preseason thing over with. Several roster spots are still up in the air so we examine five things to keep an eye on.

Tweet (7)  Share   10  Comments 


Tomorrow's game between the Packers and the Chiefs marks the final preseason game and I think I speak for everyone who's attempted to write something interesting about preseason football when I say, it's about freaking time. That said, the fourth preseason game does have some meaning as players on the bubble will use this game to either make the final 53-man roster, or become the next Packers castoff signed by the Vikings. Aside from that, this game promises to be a battle of who can get hurt the least. So if you truly have nothing else better to do this Thursday, here are five things to watch for:

Mason Crosby

It probably speaks volumes about the importance of this game when the kicker is the main attraction, but as we've seen over the last week or so, the Packers kicking game is about as stable as Andy Reid walking a tightrope. First they brought in Giorgio Tavecchio presumably to, ‘push' Mason Crosby or something. Then some guy named Zach Ramirez showed up and was sent packing before his bags got off the luggage carousel. Now? Hey, it's Mason Crosby! The guy who single handedly caused more remote controls to be thrown across living rooms in Green Bay since Brett Favre left town. Bottom line is, this game could go a long way in deciding whether or not Ted Thompson looks at the waiver wire this weekend.

Wide Receiver Competition

This has actually been one of the fun battles to watch over the last month. Say what you want about Ted Thompson, the guy is a damn oracle when it comes to WR's. Tyrone Walker and Jarrett Boykin look like the leaders for the 4th and 5th spots, but it's hard to say anything's been completely firmed up yet. Charles Johnson has only been back at practice for a little over a week, but his athleticism alone may make him worth keeping. Myles White and Jeremy Ross are also still in the hunt if anything, for special teams consideration. Expect all of them to get significant playing time tomorrow as they compete for the honor of catching perfectly-thrown passes from Aaron Rodgers.

Players on the Bubble

I've now used the word ‘bubble' twice in this article. I think that's probably enough, don't you? Regardless of what you call it, the Packers depth and Thompson's ability to draft always creates tough competition that goes down to the wire. This game could be the difference for a lot of players hoping to not sell insurance for a living. Of the more interesting players on the bubble (sorry) three stand out. Brandon Bostick, Andy Mulumba and Chris Banjo. While none are starter material quite yet, each offers intriguing potential despite some weaknesses or inconsistency. At 6'3 and a sculpted 260 lbs., Mulumba looks the part of OLB more than any other player not named Clay Matthews. Both him and Bostick are lean, athletic players who, while still raw, make at least one ‘holy crap' play per practice. Another guy who's making it difficult to ignore him is Banjo. While not the most athletic, Banjo plays with a fire inspired by one of the more heartfelt stories to come from training camp. So far, that motivation has propelled him to second on the team in solo tackles. With another good game, he could propel himself to the 53-man roster.

Vince Young

With the release of Graham Harrell the other day, it would seem that Vince Young would be partying like it's 2008. Not so fast there, longhorn. While most assumed Young is now the de facto backup quarterback, the reality is that according to Jason Wilde, Young is still "competing with every backup who may be released in the next five days." Since a semi-competent showing against Seattle last week, Young has been less than impressive in practice, throwing two ugly picks this past Monday and struggling to fully grasp Mike McCarthy's playbook. Since Young has only been in town three weeks the latter part is somewhat excusable. But with the Packers, bad decision making isn't. Young will need to prove that he's a better quarterback than the one who couldn't make the Bills (the Bills!) roster to secure a spot in Green Bay.

McCarthy vs. Reid

Of all the hard-fought battles that will take place during this game, none will be more intense than Mike McCarthy vs. Andy Reid in what promises to be a good ol' fashioned bad-challenge-off. Who will throw the red flag at the most inopportune time? Who will look the most bewildered when they do? Who will have their players explain to them that no, you cannot challenge the length of halftime? So many possibilities. If this were a regular season game, Mike Pereira would be working overtime during this one.

Enjoy the game everyone.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 29, 2013, 01:35:24 pm
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 29, 2013, 01:38:59 pm
Rookie Walker and last year's rookie Boykin will very likely be WR 4 and 5 this season. 

Next men up.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 31, 2013, 05:48:24 pm
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000236947/article/atls-rookie-of-the-year-predictions
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 31, 2013, 06:01:39 pm
It's preseason predictions time. The Around The League crew has been rolling through our division previews, and now it's time to break out some awards. We already picked MVPs and DPOYs, and discussed our choices on "The Around The League Podcast." Next up: Final Four and Super Bowl picks.

Gregg Rosenthal's pick: Packers over Patriots


I've made this pick before. There's a lot of ways to outsmart yourself when making preseason predictions, but I always take it back to the quarterbacks. Aaron Rodgers, Mike McCarthy and general manager Ted Thompson always have Green Bay in contention. The defense and running game should be vastly improved to put the Packers over the top in the NFC Championship Game over the Seattle Seahawks.

Choosing my AFC team was much tougher. It came down to New England and the Pittsburgh Steelers in my AFC Championship Game, with Tom Brady ultimately getting tormented in New York instead of tormented by New York in another Super Bowl letdown.

Dan Hanzus' pick: Seahawks over Broncos


Peyton Manning now is 37 years old. How many elite years does he have left? I think it's only one, and he'll make the most of it. The schedule is soft enough early for Denver to survive Von Miller's six-game absence, and Manning will have weapons all over the field. Come the AFC title game, Peyton will best his old nemesis, Tom, in Manning-Brady Bowl IV.



Silver: My Super Bowl pick

In his debut column for NFL.com, Michael Silver immediately gets down to business, picking a Super 
Bowl XLVIII winner. More ...


But the NFL's last team standing will be Seattle. Top to bottom, this is the best roster in football, led by a quarterback in Russell Wilson with playoff-hero DNA just beneath the surface. This is a defense that will bully teams, and Percy Harvin looms as a Rivera-like closer if he can get healthy come December. The Washington Redskins will make a surprise run to the NFC title game, but the Seahawks will be too good at home.

Then they'll be too good at MetLife Stadium. Pete Carroll will go crazy.

Marc Sessler's pick: Patriots over Seahawks


I've picked the Patriots to win the AFC East and Tom Brady to earn MVP honors in a season I believe will end with New England being crowned king.

It won't be easy. The Patriots will battle growing pains, but Bill Belichick will have his team ready for January. Along the way, we'll be treated to one last high-stakes duel between Brady and Peyton Manning in an AFC title game for the ages.

In the NFC, I expect Seattle to bloom into a superpower, winning the NFC West by a wider margin than many expect. In the NFC Championship Game, the Seahawks will host a balanced Chicago Bears squad that isn't the equal of the 49ers but will stun San Francisco in the divisional round. Seattle's feel-good journey will end in The Big Apple. After two heartbreaking Super Bowl losses to the Giants, it's New England's turn to dial up the upset.

Kevin Patra's pick: Packers over Broncos


The Packers' offensive line is the only thing potentially slowing them down in 2013. And if their general manager isn't worried about the group, I won't fret either.



Schein: Super Bowl XLVIII forecast

 Adam Schein predicts each conference's rep in New Jersey -- and picks a winner. (Popular opinion need not apply.) More ...


In a star-studded New York Super Bowl, during what could be a snowstorm, I'll take the team with the younger all-world quarterback who regularly plays in the frozen tundra over the aging future Hall of Famer who historically struggles in the elements.

I do see Peyton Manning leading the Broncos to the AFC title with a road win over the New England Patriots. After the Patriots come up just short once again, we will be able to recycle the same questions about Tom Brady/Bill Belichick we've used the past three years. The Packers will march to the Super Bowl after Aaron Rodgers carves up the Seattle Seahawks' secondary in the Fail Mary rematch that actually counts.

Chris Wesseling's pick: Packers over Broncos


I have the Packers knocking off the Seattle Seahawks to earn a trip to New York. While the Seahawks boast the strongest and deepest roster in the NFL, Green Bay has the game's best player. Aaron Rodgers still has plenty of weapons and will benefit from an improved running game and an upgraded defense.

With Von Miller back in the lineup and wreaking havoc down the stretch, the Broncos will squeak past the Houston Texans in the AFC Championship Game. Peyton Manning picks defenses apart all season, exploiting mismatches with Wes Welker and Julius Thomas and taking chances down the field with Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker. But Green Bay's suddenly stout front seven will force Manning into too many errors in the Super Bowl.

The "Around The League Podcast" is now available on iTunes! Click here to listen and
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 31, 2013, 06:34:19 pm
Packers' roster  as of today.

With the announcement of the roster cuts on Saturday evening, here’s the Packers’ 53-man roster, position by position, as it currently stands.

There’s always a possibility more roster moves will be made in the coming hours or days. The Packers can begin establishing their practice squad on Sunday, and GM Ted Thompson is scheduled to speak to the media at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Quarterbacks (2) — Aaron Rodgers, B.J. Coleman

Running backs (4) — Eddie Lacy, John Kuhn, James Starks, Johnathan Franklin

Wide receivers (5) — Randall Cobb, Jordy Nelson, James Jones, Jarrett Boykin, Jeremy Ross

Tight ends (4) — Jermichael Finley, Ryan Taylor, Andrew Quarless, Brandon Bostick

Offensive linemen (8) — Evan Dietrich-Smith, T.J. Lang, Josh Sitton, David Bakhtiari, Don Barclay, Marshall Newhouse, Greg Van Roten, Lane Taylor

Defensive linemen (8) — Datone Jones, B.J. Raji, C.J. Wilson, Ryan Pickett, Mike Daniels, Mike Neal, Johnny Jolly, Josh Boyd

Inside linebackers (5) — A.J. Hawk, Brad Jones, Robert Francois, Jamari Lattimore, Sam Barrington

Outside linebackers (4) — Clay Matthews, Nick Perry, Andy Mulumba, Nate Palmer

Cornerbacks (6) — Tramon Williams, Sam Shields, Casey Hayward, Davon House, Micah Hyde, Jarrett Bush

Safeties (4) — Morgan Burnett, M.D. Jennings, Jerron McMillian, Chris Banjo

Specialists (3) — Mason Crosby, Tim Masthay, Brett Goode
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 01, 2013, 08:30:17 pm
The Packers were lucky to retain the two WRs and the TE Stoneburner for their Practice Squad.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 02, 2013, 02:20:16 pm
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/09/02/packers-sign-seneca-wallace-to-back-up-aaron-rodgers/

Nope no team ever signs players just to get information from them on another teams offense.  It just doesn't happen in the NFL...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 02, 2013, 04:58:46 pm
I believe that is still true, unless you are a lowly bedraggled team that can afford to cut a sad-sack #53 player in hopes of some slight edge.  Not in this case.  Thompson originally drafted him and still believes in him as a fill-in QB
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 02, 2013, 04:58:53 pm
Wallace, a 5-foot-11, 205-pound 10th-year player out of Iowa State, was drafted by Seattle in the fourth round (No. 110 overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played for the Seahawks for seven seasons (2003-09) and the Cleveland Browns for two seasons (2010-11). Wallace has played in 62 career games with 21 starts and has completed 452 of 764 passes (59.2 percent) for 4,808 yards and 31 TDs with and 18 INTs for a 81.3 passer rating. He was with the Browns during the 2012 preseason and spent time with New Orleans and San Francisco during the 2013 preseason. Wallace will wear No. 9 for the Packers.

Signed to the practice squad were G Bryan Collins, WR Charles Johnson, CB James Nixon, TE Jake Stoneburner, QB Scott Tolzien and WR Myles White.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 02, 2013, 05:00:31 pm
Have to feel good about Johnny Jolly straightening out after some bad decisions in the past.  Other players love him and he is 100% into every game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 02, 2013, 07:46:36 pm
Packers aren’t the only team that releases good players


Derik from Mesa, AZ

What do you think about Wallace over Young?

Seneca Wallace was originally drafted by Ted Thompson in Seattle. Thompson knows Wallace as well as anybody, therefore, he’s likely comfortable with Wallace’s talent and his ability to learn the offense quickly and fit into the backup role. This just didn’t pop up. Personnel departments keep a close watch on other teams’ rosters and likely cuts. I have to believe the Packers had Wallace on their watch list. It would seem the Packers hit a point of not being able to live with their quarterback situation the way it was. They made a bold decision to rebuild it. Wallace gives the Packers a veteran backup, as Young did.


Nathan from Nashville, TN

It appears Ted Thompson knew what he was doing at backup QB. Apparently he knows more than the fans. What do you think he has in mind for RB?

The Packers aren’t the only team in the league that releases good players. The Steelers released their leading rusher of a year ago, Jonathan Dwyer. All teams have needs. Even the best teams have a position of depth weakness and they need to find a short-term patch or one-year fix. That’s where your pro personnel department enters the picture. It’s their job to find discarded players that could become role players on a new team. DuJuan Harris that kind of player for the Packers last season. He was released by Jacksonville. There aren’t enough rounds of the draft to solve all of a team’s needs, but if you address those needs in March free agency, you’re going to damage your salary cap. The situation requires patience. You do what you can with the young players you have, as you wait for players to come free that might become temporary patches for places where you have holes. Build your team through the draft, patch in free agency.

Dan from Sao Paulo, Brazil

Vic, this whole backup QB musical chairs game so close to the start of the season unsettles me no matter how strongly I trust the Packers front office. I mean, what else can we do as a fan but to worry? What I want to know is does it affect the mood in the locker room in any way? Do the players and staff also feel unsettled by these kinds of things?

Players don’t think as fans do. Players think about one thing and one thing only: doing their job. That’s all.

Bill from Coral Springs, FL

Vic, just looked at the depth chart and noticed there are eight defensive linemen there. Why so many?

Go heavy at a position and keep a good player, or allow predetermined numbers cause you to go light and lose a good player? In my opinion, you have to do everything in your power to shape your roster so you keep the best 53 players on your team, and I think that’s especially true when it comes to big guys. You release a good big guy and you’ll regret it for a long time.

Chris from Green Bay, WI

What are the chances the Packers added Tolzien to get information on the 49ers? I’m sure they like him as a player, too, but are their ethics when it comes to players, especially quarterbacks joining opponents? Do the 49ers need to assume Tolzien spills as much as he can in a week?

Of course the 49ers assume information will be provided. “They can definitely give you insight,” Mike McCarthy said on Monday. Once upon a time, it was an unwritten rule that teams shouldn’t do these types of things, but that day has long since passed with the arrival of free agency and the rapid turnover of rosters. The real question here is what does Jim Harbaugh think of it? That question will be posed to him on Wednesday when we do the conference call with him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 03, 2013, 07:43:03 pm
Biggest disappointment of the Packer's draft at this point is Jonathon Franklin.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 04, 2013, 12:37:54 am
Seneca Wallace was originally drafted by Ted Thompson in Seattle. Thompson knows Wallace as well as anybody, therefore, he’s likely comfortable with Wallace’s talent and his ability to learn the offense quickly and fit into the backup role. This just didn’t pop up. Personnel departments keep a close watch on other teams’ rosters and likely cuts. I have to believe the Packers had Wallace on their watch list. It would seem the Packers hit a point of not being able to live with their quarterback situation the way it was. They made a bold decision to rebuild it. Wallace gives the Packers a veteran backup, as Young did.

Interesting.  I found it odd that Thompson blamed himself for signing Vince Young so late in the season that he struggled in picking up their system.  But they sign Wallace with a week before the regular season and hand him the backup QB job.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 04, 2013, 06:52:38 pm
Wallace  is very familiar with the WC offense after all those years in SF.  The Packer offense was a complete mystery to Young.

Thompson has a great deal of respect for NFL players.  He is a guy who would not throw one of his own  under the bus. 

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 04, 2013, 06:59:53 pm
However, OTOH:

After a series of failed experiments, the Packers' backup quarterback situation looks dire.

31 completions on 44 attempts for 480 yards and six touchdowns.

That's the stat line of the last Packers backup quarterback to start a game.

That player of course was Matt Flynn, a former 7th-round pick who developed into one of the most respected backups in the game. At the time, Flynn was viewed as the latest addition to an expanding series of quarterback success stories developed under head coach Mike McCarthy.

 

Under McCarthy's tutelage, Aaron Brooks became a Pro-Bowl caliber quarterback and lead the Saints to their first playoff berth since 1992.
 
McCarthy made his reputation grooming quarterbacks for several teams prior to becoming Green Bay's head man in 2006. In Kansas City, he took Rich Gannon, a castoff on his third NFL team, and helped him turn the corner. Gannon would go on to win an MVP in 2002. McCarthy's work earned him a new job in New Orleans, where he mentored a raw and athletic quarterback named Aaron Brooks. Under McCarthy's tutelage, Brooks became a Pro-Bowl caliber quarterback and lead the Saints to their first playoff berth since 1992.

In his time as a head coach, McCarthy coaxed Brett Favre into his most accurate season as a Packer, groomed Aaron Rodgers into the league's best quarterback, and built the aforementioned Flynn into a record-setting passer and prized free agent.

Yet, despite this track record, the Packers have devoted time the past two offseasons working to transform Graham Harrell, Vince Young, and B.J. Coleman into quality backups and undeniably failed in this task.

No team enters the 2013 regular season having played fewer combined preseason snaps with its quarterbacks than the Packers. Rodgers, who's 45 snaps under center leads the team, will be backed up by journeyman Seneca Wallace and untested third-year veteran Scott Tolzien, both signed after Saturday's cut down. They'll have only four practices and a walkthrough to prepare for the Packers' week 1 opponent. If an injury knocks Rodgers out of the 49ers game, nobody on the roster will be prepared to take his place.

Such a lack of preparation is unheard of during the McCarthy era as never before have his quarterback projects fallen so short of expectations. The team invested three years and two trips to McCarthy's quarterback school in Harrell, who despite improvements to his arm strength was never able to regularly make NFL throws. Coleman, drafted in the same round as Flynn, was expected to make a big leap in his second year yet completed fewer than 50% of his passes this preseason. Their combined struggles forced the Packers to uncharacteristically sign a veteran quarterback, Young, one game into the preseason. With only three and a half weeks to learn the Packers' offense, Young's chances were doomed before he laced up his cleats.

For most regimes, a series of blown quarterback decisions similar to the Packers' would lead to nationwide ridicule. Yet, for the most part, McCarthy's reputation for quarterback development and Ted Thompson's track record shield the team from criticism. Unless Rodgers indeed misses time early in the year before Wallace and Tolzien are up to speed, the story of the Packers misfires will go ignored.

 

No team in recent memory has voluntarily put themselves in a worse situation at backup quarterback.
 
While McCarthy and Thompson are rightfully held as among the best at their respective positions, the sheer absurdity that has resulted from the failures of Harrell, Coleman, and Young is a black eye for the organization. No team in recent memory has voluntarily put themselves in a worse situation at backup quarterback. Only the Bills, who lost their top two options to injury and are set to start undrafted rookie Jeff Tuel, appear to be in a less desirable position should their starter go down.

The Packers need to treat this as a referendum on their strategy going forward. With Rodgers turning 30 this season and becoming more susceptible to injury, no longer can the team afford to roll the dice at backup quarterback. The Packers can continue to take quarterbacks in the later rounds, but that should be to supplement, not substitute for, an established veteran backup. In today's NFL, no team can count on 16 games from their starting quarterback.

It's also time for the team to acknowledge that McCarthy's quarterback school isn't foolproof. Certainly, the Packers' head coach can develop talented prospects like Rodgers into superior football players. However, not every late round flier will turn into Matt Flynn, and the team needs to plan accordingly.

With any luck, the Packers won't be ruined by their poor decisions. Rodgers has only missed one game due to injury since becoming the starter, surviving an average of more than 40 sacks per season during that time. Perhaps he'll once again avoid a major injury and take all the snaps this season. But if something does happen to Rodgers this Sunday and a backup with under a week of preparation is forced into action, the Packers will have no one to blame but themselves.

Jason Hirschhorn covers the Green Bay Packers for Acme Packing Co. He has previously written for Lombardi Ave, College Hoops Net, LiveBall Sports, and the List Universe. He is also currently a senior writer for Beats Per Minute, an indie-music webzine. Follow him on Twitter: @JBHirschhorn
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 04, 2013, 07:02:55 pm
Packers' CB Casey Hayward has been battling a hamstring injury all training camp and throughout the preseason, and has been officially ruled out for Sunday's game at San Francisco.

The Green Bay Packers were dealt a reasonably large blow this afternoon as head coach Mike McCarthy confirmed in his Wednesday press conference that cornerback Casey Hayward will miss the season opener with a nagging hamstring injury.

Hayward suffered the injury back in July during a work out pre-training camp. It was classified as just a pulled hamstring, but it took Hayward over a month to get back to practice. Hayward re-aggravated the injury in the third preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks and hasn't practiced since.

Hayward was a finalist for the rookie defensive player of the year award after racking up 53 tackles and an impressive six interceptions, which was fifth in the NFL last year. Hayward played predominately in the nickel as the slot corner last year, however, the Packers had high hopes for Hayward this season and expected him to compete for the CB2 position behind Tramon Williams...

Darn.   This will hurt, I fear.
 
According to Pro Football Focus, Hayward finished the 2012 season as the Packers highest-rated cornerback with an overall rating of +21.2. Not only will he be missed when it comes time to matchup with 49ers (http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/san-francisco-49ers) stud tight end Vernon Davis (http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2076/vernon-davis), he will also be missed in run defense, especially against the 49ers' brutal attack. A season ago Hayward earned a +2.2 rating against the run and was solid in the two match ups against the 49ers in 2012, according to PFF.
 
If I were betting real money I would bet on SF this week.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 04, 2013, 07:09:43 pm
(http://cdn2.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/18954881/20130112_kkt_usa_140.0_standard_783.0.jpg)

Big day.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 04, 2013, 07:13:54 pm
By the numbers

• The Packers have the sixth-toughest schedule based on their opponents’ combined 2012 record of 136-119-1 (.533 winning percentage). Carolina has the toughest at .543 and NFC North-rival Detroit is No. 2 at .539. The Packers play a league-high 12 games against teams that finished .500 or better in 2012 and a league-high seven games against 2012 playoff teams.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 04, 2013, 07:15:38 pm


• The Packers need 10 regular-season victories to become the second team in NFL history with 700. The Packers (690-530-36) would join Chicago (722-526-42) as the only teams to accomplish the feat. The 49ers need five regular-season victories to reach 500.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 04, 2013, 07:29:42 pm
(http://media.jrn.com/images/660*413/b9987134z.1_20130903205513_000_gt02a6lc.1-1.jpg)

Morgan Burnett.  The Packers" next Nick Collins?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 04, 2013, 07:34:20 pm
“One of the things that the referees have told us is that when these quarterbacks carry out the fakes, they lose their right as a quarterback, a pocket-passing quarterback, the protection of a quarterback,” Matthews said on Mike & Mike. “So with that, you do have to take your shots on the quarterback, and obviously they’re too important to their offense. If that means they pull them out of that type of offense and make them run a traditional, drop-back, pocket-style offense, I think that’s exactly what we’re going for. So you want to put hits as early and often on the quarterback and make them uncomfortable.”

As has been discussed at length, the Packers are expecting to see a heavy dose of read-option offense the first two weeks of the season with Kaepernick this week and Washington’s Robert Griffin III in Week 2.

See Kaepernick, hit him as hard as you can as often as you can.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 04, 2013, 07:36:45 pm
he Green Bay Packers announced their final two practice squad signings for opening week of the 2013 season today. Those players are offensive tackle Aaron Adams and running back Michael Hill. Both players are undrafted free agents and come from small schools, with Adams hailing from FCS Eastern Kentucky and Hill from Division II Missouri Western.

Adams spent training camp with the Cleveland Browns this season, playing both guard and tackle.

Hill was a member of the San Diego Chargers in camp, and he recorded 60 rushing yards on 21 attempts along with two catches for 15 yards on seven targeted passes.

With these additions, the Packers' practice squad is set with the following eight:

QB Scott Tolzien
RB Michael Hill
T Aaron Adams
G Bryan Collins
TE Jake Stoneburner
WR Charles Johnson
WR Myles White
CB James Nixon
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 04, 2013, 07:49:35 pm
As a rookie in 2012, Hayward intercepted a team-high six passes and finished the season with the lowest passer rating against (31.1) of any cornerback who played more than 25 percent of his team's defensive snaps, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He also didn't allow a touchdown pass over 703 snaps and 74 targeted passes or commit a defensive penalty.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on September 05, 2013, 05:47:11 am
I've been saying this all along.  Take a lot of hard shots at the QB regardless if he has the ball...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 07, 2013, 04:48:10 pm
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- If Jim Harbaugh was trying to scare the Green Bay Packers into staying away from his quarterback, it doesn’t sound like it worked.

A day after the San Francisco 49ers coach said he planned speak to the officials before the game about what he calls a “gray area” in the rules governing read-option plays, the Packers gave no indication that they have concerns about the legality of their plan to defend the offense that 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick ran so effectively against them in last season’s playoff game.




AP Photo/Paul SpinelliThe Packers know they'll have to hit the 49ers' Colin Kaepernick to slow him down in Week 1.
Much of this stems from comments made by Packers outside linebacker Clay Matthews on ESPN Radio’s "Mike & Mike in the Morning" on Tuesday, when Matthews said the best way to slow down read-option quarterbacks like Kaepernick was to hit them.

“I’m not really focused on anyone else’s comments,” Matthews said Thursday. “I’m really focused on what this locker room has to say, as well as the men in here. I think we’re just ready to play the game.”

Both Matthews and Packers coach Mike McCarthy indicated on Thursday that they have a complete understanding of the rules as they pertain to quarterbacks who run the read-option.

“The reality is, the quarterback is part of the option,” McCarthy said. “There’s three options obviously: the quarterback, the dive and the pitch. The ability to go tackle that player is obviously within the rules.”

Those rules were spelled out in the NFL’s weekly officiating video that was sent to reporters on Thursday. NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino spent about half of the nine-minute and 41-second video reviewing several read-option plays, including one from the 49ers’ 45-31 win against the Packers in January’s NFC divisional playoff game.

The rules essentially come down to one thing when a quarterback is in a read-option situation.

“The quarterback can be hit like a runner until he’s clearly out of the play,” Blandino said on the video.

However, Blandino noted, once a quarterback hands the ball off he is protected from unnecessary hits if he is “backing up, fading backward or standing still.”

After watching the video, it's safe to say that if there is any gray area, perhaps it is in that final point.

The referee has the discretion to make that determination, Blandino said.

“I think the NFL does an excellent job, even more so this year (than) in prior years,” McCarthy said when asked if he has an understanding of the read-option rules. “There’s continuous education and updates starting in the spring with the visitations of the referees to our facility. That was no different this year. Any emphasis that is going to be for the upcoming season, those types of things are talked about, whether it was the crown-of-the-helmet (rule), the read-option as far as the protection of the quarterback and so forth.

“As far as what other people’s opinions are of that, we feel we have a strong understanding of how we’re going to approach the game, and our game plan will reflect that.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 07, 2013, 05:57:33 pm
James from Oro Valley, AZ

Vic, if Ted Thompson knows all about Wallace, was Vince Young just a practical joke to keep us all entertained while he hired someone for real? I’m confused.

Wallace was on the 49ers’ roster when the Packers signed Young. Personnel departments plan for every occurrence. The Packers’ pro personnel department knew where Wallace was. They no doubt had him high in a mythical if-they-come-free rankings. Here’s a story that might give you a feel for the Wallace signing: I was covering the Steelers in 1982 when they had a significant problem at kicker during the preseason. I asked the personnel director if he thought he could stick with the situation the way it was, and he told me they had their eye on a guy on another roster. The Steelers were waiting for Buffalo to cut Gary Anderson, who the Steelers liked coming out of Syracuse but Buffalo drafted him in the seventh round. The Steelers expected Anderson to be waived in final cuts and he was. They signed him and he became one of the greatest kickers of all time. If you knew the depth of scouting and planning that’s executed by personnel departments, you wouldn’t question what they do.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 07, 2013, 06:01:30 pm
Sam from Sparta, NJ

Vic, I can’t wait until Sunday. I want to see the Packers get in the Niners’ face and beat them at their own game. I want to pound the ball up the middle, draw that eighth defender in the box and then hit them with the play action. I want to see the defense make them pass and play with a chip on their shoulder. Am I expecting too much?

That’s not an expectation, that’s a game plan. It’s how you score a meaningful win against the 49ers. You can beat them the soft way, by throwing the ball 50 times on a day when your quarterback is on fire, but that’s not what the 49ers respect. You beat the 49ers in a meaningful way, in a manner that might impact their planning for a return match in the postseason, by proving you can play big-boy football.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 07, 2013, 06:03:46 pm
Louis from Coral Springs, FL

Vic, realistically, how many teams who have “The Man” at quarterback also have a backup good enough to easily fill in with no problem? Also, what are some of the best QB combos of all time? I would think Griese/Morrall would top the list.

That was a good one. Earl Morrall wins comeback player of the year and then gets benched in the playoffs. Four years earlier, he was the league’s MVP but was benched in the Super Bowl, replaced by Johnny Unitas. I guess that would have to rank as a pretty good 1-2 punch at quarterback. How about Starr and Bratkowski? Unitas and Cuozzo? A rookie named Mike Kruczek was 7-0 in 1976 when Terry Bradshaw was injured, but Kruczek was helped by a defense that only allowed 28 points in those seven games. Of course, Simms/Hostetler is an all-timer. If you research this subject deeply, I think what you’ll find is that the gap in talent between the starter and the backup widened greatly as we moved deeper into the salary cap era. If you lose “The Man” for the season, you’re probably cooked. What you want at the backup position is a guy who can hold forth for a game or two. Seneca Wallace can do that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 07, 2013, 06:06:33 pm
Robert from Coupeville, WA

The Jets need 1.5 days to realize Harrell does not possess the qualities to be an NFL player. We needed three years and almost half of this preseason, thus depriving someone who will play with the team the opportunity to get some game time in before they are needed to fill in?

Yeah, the Jets have done a masterful job of managing the quarterback position. By all means, we should use their judgment as the standard of measure at the position.


LOL.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 07, 2013, 06:08:37 pm
Andrew from Jacksonville, FL

Two of the high priorities for the SF game are stopping Colin Kaepernick and Frank Gore. Which is more important to the Packers’ success?

Chuck Noll was fond of answering that type of question by saying, “How do you wish to die?” His point was that you have to do both. Atlanta focused on Kaepernick, and Gore beat them. I think it starts with stopping Gore but, if you do, you’ll have to stop Kaepernick, too, because the whole idea of the read option is to provide the running game with an option, and the 49ers will exercise it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 07, 2013, 06:15:23 pm
 



Latest News
42
Hayward Expected to be Out Through Bye Week 

by Evan "Tex" Western,  Acme Packing Company,   Sep 7 2013, 11:12a 

The Packers' breakout star on defense from 2012 will miss the next few games with his hamstring injury.


;-(
 
Good thing that Micah Hyde has  been such a pleasant surprise as a rookie.  Next man up.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 07, 2013, 06:56:09 pm
Ray from Antigo, WI

Vic, I just read your response to Alan’s question regarding our offensive line. By you saying “help is not on the way,” does this mean you agree that our offensive line isn’t where it needs to be in order to create those running lanes for our backs, and can they really keep our $130 million QB safe?

It means I went out back and looked at the quality offensive linemen tree and they were all gone. It means it is what it is and the solution to the problem Alan perceives isn’t replacement, it’s improvement. We are past the replacement part of the year; that’s mostly a function of the offseason. This is the season now, and it’s about taking what you have and making it work. I like this offensive line. It has two young tackles that are going to grow into the demands they face, and I believe that by late in the season we’re going to be praising the play of the offensive line.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 07, 2013, 06:59:13 pm
Jamie from Butte, MT

Heisenberg was all about electrons and not atoms and, yes, you should want to care because it’s the electrons that give you electricity and the ability to send e-mails, heat your home, etc. Don’t take those things for granted like a lot of America has. This country was built on electrons.

There are reports of electrons having helped Jim Thorpe catch is own punt and run with it for a touchdown.

 
;-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 07, 2013, 07:12:01 pm
Roger from Providence, RI

What do you think Micah Hyde can do if he starts for the Packers?

Micah Hyde will be one of the most important players in this Sunday’s game because I think it’s a lock that Coach Harbaugh will target the rookie in his first-ever game, just as the 49ers targeted Nick Perry in his first-ever game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 07, 2013, 07:14:00 pm
Paul from De Pere, WI

I just listened to the conference calls with Harbaugh and Kaepernick; neither sounded particularly enthused to spend time with the opposing team’s media. Is that standard?

Yes, that’s standard operating procedure. I’ve largely spent conference-call day for most of my life being treated as an abysmal thing, a foul villain to be shunned. Bill Belichick was the worst. He’d make you repeat the question because he wasn’t paying attention. You’d hear him shuffling papers as he was doing the call. One of the highlights of my career was, in the middle of one of those calls, saying, “We’re done, coach,” and then hanging up. It really felt good to do that. My all-time favorite conference call was with Don Coryell when he was the Chargers’ coach. Coryell had a wonderfully dry personality that was grossly under-appreciated. We were having a rather productive conference call with him, which was atypical for Coryell, and he was enjoying the banter. We exhausted our questions and said thanks, and then he said: “That’s all? My conference calls usually don’t last very long. This is fun.” So we asked some more questions
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 08, 2013, 06:45:34 pm
That's some quality defense by the Peckers.

Mathews is the biggest punk in the NFL. Dirty play - punch - face mask. Should have been kicked out of the game.

Randall Cobb is punk as well. Bad sportsmanship.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 08, 2013, 06:54:06 pm
Niners win!  Matthews is a roid raging D bag and the Bears and Lions are in first place.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 08, 2013, 08:14:48 pm
I was anxious to watch this game against the Niners to see whether or not the Packers had resolved their lack of run defense.  After the game I was quite pleased.  Who won the game was not important.  It's a long season.  How these teams played was the important thing.  I think we saw two teams that will go to the play-offs, assuming neither QB is injured.

The Packers showed a much improved defense that nearly shut down the Niners' running game.  Although the Packers running game didn't produce much yardage the threat of Lacy forced SF to honor the run.  That opened up the passing game and allowed the Packers to take advantage of the long passes again.

Having Perry back health and playing again took enough pressure off Matthews to do his thing again with w3 sacks and intimidation of the running game and QB.  What a stud.  That's how LB is supposed to be played.
 
Starting rookie LT, Bakhtiari played a very good game against a pass rusher who is among the league's best.  Second year RT Barclay played well at RT.  Rodgers was pretty well protected from one of the best defenses in the league.  The O-Line looks set for the next ten years with 5 young guys.

The Packers' best safety and CB Hayward were out with injuries.
The two Packer turnovers really hurt them  That won't happen every game.s hard to beat a team like SF with a negative two turnovers.
I  believe that part of the Packer's defensive performance was due to old Johnny Jolly back with the team in the D-Line.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 08, 2013, 08:18:05 pm
But got it done by saying they would hit Kap every time he handed off wether he had the ball or not.  Then did hit him out of bounds.  Cheap and classless imo. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 08, 2013, 08:35:52 pm
But got it done by saying they would hit Kap every time he handed off wether he had the ball or not.  Then did hit him out of bounds.  Cheap and classless imo. 

It's legal to hit a QB every time he is considered a runner.  No question about that by any authority.

It's unfortunate that Matthews hit the QB out of bounds.  That is NOT his style of play.  The announcer felt that happened when Matthews was watching the QBs feet and misjudged when he was out of bounds.  I dunno.  Matthews is not a dirty player, though.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 08, 2013, 08:40:37 pm
Said he was going to hit Kap wether had the ball or not (which is legal in the read option thing) then hit him way out of bounds. 

The out of bounds thing was way dirty.  Ridiculous.  He is a roid raged idiot.  His career will end as soon as they crack down on the HGH.     
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 08, 2013, 08:42:23 pm
GB punter has been kicking off recently.  What a helluva leg.  He kicked over the endzone about every kick.

The retired former official explained two errors by the officials on the penalties near the GB end zone.  He claims SF should have ended up with a FG instead of a TD because they misinterpreted the decision on a play where both teams are penalized.  Wouldn't have mattered.  SF would have won, anyway.

Great game between two really good teams.

I still loathe the whiny-ass SF HC.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 08, 2013, 08:45:53 pm
But got it done by saying they would hit Kap every time he handed off wether he had the ball or not.  Then did hit him out of bounds.  Cheap and classless imo. 

I believe that is true of any team.  I have even heard Bear players agree to that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on September 08, 2013, 08:47:56 pm
It's legal to hit a QB every time he is considered a runner.  No question about that by any authority.

It's unfortunate that Matthews hit the QB out of bounds.  That is NOT his style of play.  The announcer felt that happened when Matthews was watching the QBs feet and misjudged when he was out of bounds.  I dunno.  Matthews is not a dirty player, though.

That announcer is an idiot then. It's clear on the video. If he was looking at his feet he would have clearly seen the white turf and knew they were out of bounds.


http://msn.foxsports.com/video?videoid=ca466442-aa6e-45e3-871c-a8a3786cb374&src=v5:share:sharep
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 08, 2013, 09:04:21 pm
Yes, it was an illegal hit.  I never questioned that.    I was merely stating why Aikman thought that Matthews made the error and that it was not intentional.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 08, 2013, 09:08:16 pm
A SF player hit Rodgers right in the back after he released the ball and was penalized.  No one bitched about that guy.  Maybe because he just didn't talk about it before the game.  Every NFL defensive player is going to hit the QB any time it is legal.  Some even when it is illegal.  So.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on September 08, 2013, 09:17:17 pm
Yes, it was an illegal hit.  I never questioned that.    I was merely stating why Aikman thought that Matthews made the error and that it was not intentional.

And I was merely pointing out that the anouncer (Aikman) is an idiot.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 08, 2013, 09:17:57 pm
But Matthews is a roid raged idiot so we hate him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on September 08, 2013, 10:25:37 pm
Awwwww, peke you want a tissue?

One thing is very clear from this weekend. The Packers are clearly the class of the division.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 08, 2013, 10:42:49 pm
Uh the Bears beat a very good Bengals team that will win their division and might even be the AFC representitive in the SB and the Packers lost and lost their composure in SF.

No crying here.  My tissues are dry but I can pass you one if you want.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 08, 2013, 11:56:27 pm
Yes Packrat...an how is the peckers pass defense?????

Atrocious.

Peckers D good? No. 500 yeards and 34 points. Yuck.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 09, 2013, 12:54:12 am
Packrat here is what the49ers think of you D an mathews:

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Colin Kaepernick rarely utters anything pointed or emotionally charged.

He offered a clear message to Clay Matthews and the Packers' defense after delivering Green Bay another beating: ''If intimidation is your game plan, I hope you have a better one.''

Your D stinks. 500 yards.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 09, 2013, 06:48:43 am
What I find funny is the Packers spent considerable time in the offseason learning how to defend the read option only to have Kaepernick and Co. not bother with it and whip them in the air this time. That's delicious, lol.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on September 09, 2013, 09:58:56 am
I think otto just spelled 'ass' wrong...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 09, 2013, 11:43:20 am
I still don't unerstand why Mathews wasn't kicked out of the game. Steriod boy had a VERY late hit out of bounds to K's neck. Then grabed a guys face mask and punched him.

There will be a nice fine though.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 09, 2013, 12:08:11 pm
NFL now says Packers, not 49ers, benefitted from officials’ mistake

 Posted by Michael David Smith on September 9, 2013, 11:45 AM EDT
 
Getty Images
Referee Bill Leavy admitted after Sunday’s Packers-49ers game that his crew botched a call after Green Bay’s Clay Matthews and San Francisco’s Joe Staley both drew personal fouls, and that the officials’ mistake benefitted the 49ers.
 
But that’s not quite right.
 
The NFL now says it was the Packers, not the 49ers, who benefitted from the officials’ mistake on the play, because Staley shouldn’t have been flagged in the first place. The league office reviewed the play and determined that while Matthews was rightly called for a late hit on 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, the official who threw the flag on Staley for getting in Matthews’ face after running over to protect Kaepernick should not have done so.
 
In other words, if the entire play had been properly called, it would have been first-and-goal for the 49ers at the 3-yard line on the next play. Instead, the officials made it tougher for the 49ers by making them re-play third down after the offsetting penalties. The officials erred in their enforcement of the offsetting penalties, which appeared to benefit the 49ers, but in reality there never should have been offsetting penalties to enforce in the first place. Only the Packers should have been penalized.
 
Some may say it’s a moot point because the 49ers scored a touchdown on that third-down play anyway. But either way, the league has confirmed that this play was botched, in more ways than one. And because the 49ers scored a touchdown, the two wrongs equaled a right for San Francisco.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 09, 2013, 12:32:16 pm
The NFL now says it was the Packers, not the 49ers, who benefitted from the officials’ mistake on the play, because Staley shouldn’t have been flagged in the first place.

Totally agree.  Staley was certainly in the middle of the melee that ensued.  But I didn't see him put his hands on Matthews - just got into his face.

I think the refs just wanted to get control of the situation.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on September 09, 2013, 12:36:43 pm
yeah, the flag on Staley was bogus.
If they had just flagged Matthews then it would have been fine.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2013, 02:21:17 pm
Merriman calls Matthews his NFL MVP.

http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Merriman-sees-Clay-Matthews-as-defensive-MVP/b1a6f616-ef71-4d0e-b240-0adf8d8dfba9
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2013, 02:32:53 pm
Packers defense?  Looked pretty good to me considering they had two of their  5 starting DBs out of the lineup.  Considering they gave SF good field position twice with turnovers.  You can't keep giving a team like SF the ball twice. 

I am quite happy with the Packers playu yesterday and am anxious to play them again in the NFC Championship game.

I don't know yet just how good Cincinnati is but I will say this:  they are not in SF's league.  SF played in the SB last year and they are the team to beat this year if you want to go to the SB.

Don't get carried away on your comments after one game.  Chi is vastly improved and will be a challenge with the new leadership but I wouldn't demean the Packers yet.  Sounds too much like trolling.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2013, 02:35:45 pm
I have never reads a post here after a Packers game where the officials weren't favoring the Packers. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 09, 2013, 02:38:21 pm
Rodgers could win offensive MVP and Matthew could very well win defensive MVP.

But today...the Chicago Bears are in first place and the Packers in last place and the sun is shining on Beardom.

Nobody cares if you lose an NFL game with backups...there is no * next to the game...just a big L.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2013, 02:42:47 pm
I don't begrudge the Bear fans their happiness in beating Cincinnati.  They played a good game. But, remember this is just one game.  You guys are too savvy to get carried away this early in the season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 09, 2013, 02:53:42 pm
I love the Milwaukee papers - "If Anquan Boldin didn't play" ....yes and IF Aaron Rogers doesn't play the peckers are 0 and 16.

Boldin....decent receiver....900 yards last year.....last 1,000 yard season was 2009. Boldin already has more than 20% of his receiving yards from last year.

Peckers secondary is toast. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 09, 2013, 02:57:31 pm

I don't begrudge the Bear fans their happiness in beating Cincinnati.  They played a good game. But, remember this is just one game.  You guys are too savvy to get carried away this early in the season.

3 more wins and we are NFL champions of September! 

It's not that we are just happy about the Bears winning - but also that Packers lost.  The only thing better than that is if it all happened in one game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2013, 03:03:34 pm
I was happy when, after the game, Jimmy Johnson raved about how the Packers improved and how good they looked.  He is a football expert whom I respect.

Too many "drive-by" reporters read the statistics, watch a few film clips and write an analysis.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 09, 2013, 03:22:55 pm

Yes, the packers are a good team and I'm not even a football expert.

I still hate the team, their coach, but I'll admit I did like that Aaron Rodgers commercial with the Da Bears fans.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 09, 2013, 03:27:25 pm
That commercial is hilarious!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2013, 03:40:02 pm
Yes, the packers are a good team and I'm not even a football expert.

I still hate the team, their coach, but I'll admit I did like that Aaron Rodgers commercial with the Da Bears fans.

Thanks for a very sensible post, dallas.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2013, 03:40:39 pm

The Run Defense Is Going to Be Good

The last time the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers played, the 49ers had a field day running all over the Packers defense. San Francisco gained over 300 yards on the ground and added four rushing touchdowns.

That certainly wasn't the case in this meeting. The Packers held the 49ers to only 90 rushing yards and a touchdown in Week 1. Even better is the fact that it took San Francisco a whopping 34 carries to get those 90 yards.

It seems that defensive end Johnny Jolly's return had a bigger impact than anyone could have imagined. The last time Jolly was on the Packers roster was back in 2009 when they fielded one of the best run defenses in the league.

After Week 1, it seems like that could be the case again.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2013, 03:47:43 pm
There is no doubt that the biggest area of concern heading into Week 1 for the Green Bay Packers was the offensive line.

However, the unit put some of those concerns to rest with a rather solid performance against a very good San Francisco 49ers defense. Sure, they gave up two sacks and a handful of pressures, but it could have been much worse than it was.

The only real concern was with how they struggled opening up running lanes for the Packers running backs. Overall, the offensive line didn't do anything to keep the Packers from winning, which is all Green Bay can ask for at this point in the season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2013, 03:49:22 pm
Clay Matthews Is a Wrecking ball

Here's the thing about wrecking balls: sometimes they can get carried away. That's what happened to outside linebacker Clay Matthews when he nearly ripped Colin Kaepernick's head off on a late hit in the second quarter.

Matthews finished the game with eight total tackles, one sack and one near decapitation. He was flying all over the field, making numerous big plays in both the run and pass game.

If Matthews can continue to play at this level for the entire season, the Packers should be just fine defensively.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2013, 03:50:46 pm
Wide receiver Anquan Boldin and tight end Vernon Davis combined for 19 receptions, 306 yards and three touchdowns. They absolutely abused the Packers secondary.

However, Green Bay was without starting safety Morgan Burnett and cornerback Casey Hayward in this game due to injuries. Their absence obviously won't fix all the issues, but there is no doubt that their presence on the field would have helped.

Until Hayward and Burnett return, the Packers will continue to struggle with their pass defense.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2013, 03:52:15 pm
It's easy to get carried away and consider the 2013 season a complete loss due to a single loss. However, fans of the Green Bay Packers need to slow down and take a few deep breaths.

It's only Week 1, and it was only a six-point loss. Furthermore, it was a loss on the road against one of the best teams in the NFL.

It isn't time to throw in the towel and write off this year for the Packers. There were plenty of good takeaways from this game, and the Packers will only get better from this close loss.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2013, 03:59:00 pm
San Francisco — Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy didn't think his second-quarter decision down near the goal line had anything to do with his team's 34-28 loss Sunday at Candlestick Park.

Maybe it didn't, maybe it did.

Either way, McCarthy defended his decision to eschew a fourth-and-one situation for his defense and accept a 5-yard penalty that gave the San Francisco 49ers another couple of tries at the end zone. The illegal formation penalty on the 49ers came on the same play the Packers stuffed running back Frank Gore on third and 1 at the 5-yard line.

Who knows if San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh might have gone for it anyway with the game tied 7-7 and more than 9 minutes left in the half? But McCarthy decided to play the odds and move the 49ers back five yards and give them another chance to get a first down.

"We went for a third and six," McCarthy said. "Obviously, the play went into another sequence of plays where there were two fouls called. I don't really think that factored in the game. So if that's the criticism, that's fine."

What happened after the penalty was accepted is also a touchy subject.

Linebacker Clay Matthews was flagged for a late hit out of bounds on 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, which caused a fracas on the sideline. During the melee, Matthews threw a punch at Staley and the officials felt Staley retaliated, so they flagged him for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Referee Bill Leavy  ruled they were offsetting penalties and returned the ball to the 10-yard line where it was third and 6 again. But because both penalties occurred after Kaepernick had been run out of bounds at the 7 — short of the first down — it should have been fourth down.

Leavy admitted the mistake in a pool report after the game.

"On the play where the quarterback went out of bounds and was hit late out of bounds, and then there was a subsequent hit by a San Francisco player, the down should have counted," he said. "The penalties were both dead ball, and they should have offset at the spot where the runner went out of bounds. And it would have been fourth down."

McCarthy wasn't upset about it afterward.

"That's part of the game," he said. "The ball doesn't always bounce your way."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2013, 04:04:22 pm
Staley  admits he deserved a penalty for hitting Matthews.  This resolves the issue of the penalty on Staley:

San Francisco --- The play was a direct reflection of the chatter leading up to Sunday's game.

Green Bay planned to hit Colin Kaepernick. The 49ers weren't too thrilled about those plans.

So in the second quarter of Sunday's 34-28 San Francisco win, Kaepernick scrambled left and a diving, airborne, hell bent-for-election Clay Matthews slammed him to the turf well out of bounds. The late hit drew a flag. And during a mini melee on the sideline, San Francisco's Joe Staley drew an unsportsmanlike penalty.

There was punching, lots of shoving, the two teams clearly do not like each other.

Both players were penalized, which should have led to fourth down as stated by former NFL officiating executive Mike Pereira during the broadcast. Instead, San Francisco had another chance at the end zone and scored a touchdown.

After the game, Matthews admitted he went too far.

“First off, it wasn’t a very smart play," Matthews said. "I had already committed to hitting the quarterback. I guess I should have figured he was going to step out of bounds. It’s nothing personal. I went up to him later and was joking around with him. But not a very smart play.”

Asked if he believes he'll be fined, Matthews said, "I'm not worried about it. ...We'll see."

In the home locker room nearby, Staley also expressed regret.

"I have to do a better job of keeping my cool," Staley said. "I went over there and instinct took over. I let emotions get the best of me. There wasn't any ill will on either side. It was an instinct thing."

During the week, players said they planned to hit Kaepernick. Once Matthews saw the quarterback take off, that mind-set took over...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 09, 2013, 04:26:55 pm

No one doubts that Staley accosted Matthews.  You see shoving all the time after the play.  But I didn't see a a punch or anything like that.  Of course I only saw what the cameras saw and maybe the referees saw more.

If the NFL hands out fines I'd bet Matthews gets one and Staley does not.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2013, 08:04:47 pm
I agree, dallas. That's probably the way it should go.  Bad move by Matthews.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 09, 2013, 08:52:32 pm
Staley did kind of grab the front of his jersey and jaw at him but Roid boy smacked Staley in the head twice.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on September 09, 2013, 09:23:44 pm
NFL has already said that it should not have been offsetting. Should have been 15 yard against Mathews with  a SF fist and goal from the 3.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 10, 2013, 11:26:10 am
keep trying the spin Patrat....peckers gave up 500 yards and 34 points...NOT a good D.

Your secondary is the weak link and the 49ers attached that. Boldin is a nice receiver....but not a 208 yard receiver against a "good D".

Try again.

mathews  looks good when no one blocks him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 10, 2013, 05:30:46 pm
Staley did kind of grab the front of his jersey and jaw at him but Roid boy smacked Staley in the head twice.

Wrong.  Staley admitted that he hit Matthews, and it was a stupid play and he should not have done it.  What does it take to convince you that he deserved the penalty.  Do you need a notarized, signed statement from Staley?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 10, 2013, 05:41:58 pm


keep trying the spin Patrat....peckers gave up 500 yards and 34 points...NOT a good D.

Your secondary is the weak link and the 49ers attached that. Boldin is a nice receiver....but not a 208 yard receiver against a "good D".

Try again.

mathews  looks good when no one blocks him.

Matthews not blocked?  Now that is blindness.  He is consistently double and triple teamed.  He was the LEAGUE MVP a couple of years ago and is considered by most as a great LB.  Why is it so hard to concede that?

I do not deny that the pass defense looked bad.  One day, one game.  Let's see how they look when the injured players get back and the young players get a little more experience.  Don't make too many claims from this game that you wish you hadn't claimed later in the season.

Oh, I just noticed that the post was from Beerfan 21.  Understandable.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 10, 2013, 05:48:54 pm
Wrong, Packrat.  The league has already said Staley should not have been penalized.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 10, 2013, 05:58:27 pm
The Packers have only 8 significant players with over 5 years experience: Rodgers (9),Williams (7), Hawk (8), Sitton (6), Pickett (13), Nelson (6), Finley (6), Jones (7).   The roster has 11 rookies.  Very young team let them develop this season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 10, 2013, 06:00:27 pm
Wrong, Packrat.  The league has already said Staley should not have been penalized.

Why did Staley admit hitting Matthews and say he made a stupid play.  Who at "the league" made the statement?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on September 10, 2013, 06:15:09 pm
  What does it take to convince you that he deserved the penalty.  Do you need a notarized, signed statement from Staley?

How about just a retraction from the NFL who has already said it shouldn't have been offsetting penalties.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 10, 2013, 06:26:15 pm

PF description of GB/SF game:

 Every game. Every player. Every play. That's the motto of Pro Football Focus, and they sure deliver on their promise. After every NFL game the team at Pro Football Focus breaks down each play of the game and each player. Their grading scale can be a little difficult to comprehend at times, but if you take the time to read their guidelines you will quickly understand.

After the San Francisco 49ers were able to beat the Green Bay Packers, 34-28 on Sunday afternoon, the team at Pro Football Focus quickly broke down the tape and gave their complete grades for the game. Let's start with a look at the offensive winners and losers:

Winners:

Jordy Nelson

Nelson finished with the best grade overall of any Packer (+3.7) and played a very solid game overall. Nelson made the play of the game mid-way through the fourth quarter when he made a spectacular diving catch on his toes falling out of bounds for a 37-yard reception. The Packers would finish the drive off with an Eddie Lacy touchdown run and take their first lead of the game, 28-24.

Nelson finished the game with seven catches for 130 yards and a touchdown.

Randall Cobb

Cobb looked every bit of the dynamic slot wide receiver the Packers were hoping for in 2013 — he picked up right where he left off in 2012. Cobb made a number of solid catches over the middle, including one in the red zone that he nicely extended for a few extra yards to break the plane of the end zone for a touchdown.

Cobb earned a final grade of (+1.3) as he caught seven passes for 108 yards and the aforementioned touchdown.

Don Barclay

In what was overall a weak performance from the Packers' offense line, Barclay turned in a respectable performance. Barclay finished the game with the Packers' second best offensive grade (+1. 8) behind Nelson. The most impressive part of Barclay's performance was the way he graded out in the run blocking game (+1.1).

The Packers as a team graded out at (-5.3) in run blocking and were unable to open up holes for the running game all afternoon. Barclay also graded out solidly with a (+0.3) in pass blocking. He did give up 2 quarterback hurries and one quarterback hit, but all in all, it was a solid performance by Barclay.

Losers:

The Guards (Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang)

It was not the best performance for the Packers' guard duo. The Packers had hoped that flip-flopping Sitton to the left side would help sure up the left side protection woes that plagued the Packers last season, however, after losing Bryan Bulaga for the season with torn ACL and Sitton's performance Sunday, Green Bay must be concerned.

In Sitton's defense he was taking on one the NFL's best interior defensive linemen Justin Smith and it was his first start at left guard, he is a Pro-Bowl player and has plenty of time to improve.

For grading purposes both Sitton and Lang finished the game with a dreadful (-4.0) including a combined (-5.3) in the run blocking game.

Lets shift gears and take a look at the defensive side of the ball. While the defense appeared to be much better in this game against the 49ers than they were in the playoffs a season ago, they still have some issues on defense. The Packers again gave up nearly 500 yards of offense to the 49ers.

Now let's take a look at some of the winners and losers on defense:

Winners

Tramon Williams

Williams finished the game with the second highest grade of any Packers' player on Sunday (+2.4) and played well for most of the game.

In coverage, Williams was solid earning a coverage grade of (+1.4). In the game, Williams gave up just two catches for 37 yards and 49ers' quarterback Colin Kaepernick had a quarterback rating of just 66.3 when throwing in Williams' direction. Unfortunately, one of these completions was the last third down conversion to Anquan Boldin, but all in all Tramon played a pretty good game.

Williams was also solid in the run game unlike last year when he was torched by the Minnesota Vikings and 49ers in the last three games of the season, including the two playoff games. He finished this game with a (+0.7) grade, cementing an overall solid performance by Williams.

Brad Jones

In the running game Jones, along with his defensive line, dominated the 49ers' front five. Jones finished the game with a (+3.0) grade against the run. Jones didn't have is usual success in pass coverage, though, as he finished with a coverage grade of (-1. 8) .

Overall, Jones was solid earning an overall grade of (+1.5) — he raked up eight tackles and four stops (solo tackles).

Losers

The secondary

Aside from Williams' solid game, the secondary graded out very poorly.

Leading the way with the overall worst grade of the game was second year safety Jerron McMillian (-5.7). McMillian struggled all game long in both the run game and pass coverage. McMillian struggled the most in pass coverage (-5. 8) . PFF credited receivers covered by McMillian with six targets by Kaepernick and six receptions for 57 yards, a quarterback rating of 145.8. He also missed four tackles, and one went for an Anquan Boldin touchdown. In McMillian's defense, he was thrown into the starters' role on Friday when the team learned that Morgan Burnett would miss the game with a hamstring injury. Without enough time to prepare, McMillian looked lost on the field.

Another poor performance in the secondary came from Sam Shields. Shields made a few plays in the game, however, his (-2.0) grade was the second worst grade on defense behind McMillian. The usually sound coverage man struggled in pass coverage (-2.6) giving up five receptions for 116 yards on 10 targets, which was good enough for a quarterback rating of 92.1 for Kaepernick

The Packers overall received an offensive grade of (-1.1) and a defensive grade of (-7.4). While the grades were a bit harsh the Packers certainly have many positives to take away from Sunday's loss. The Packers will look to improve as the return to Lambeau Field Sunday for their home opener against the Washington Redskins.
 
Packers lose by 2 FGs late in the game.  That's terrible play?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 10, 2013, 06:28:07 pm
NFL now says Packers, not 49ers, benefitted from officials’ mistake

 Posted by Michael David Smith on September 9, 2013, 11:45 AM EDT
 
Getty Images
Referee Bill Leavy admitted after Sunday’s Packers-49ers game that his crew botched a call after Green Bay’s Clay Matthews and San Francisco’s Joe Staley both drew personal fouls, and that the officials’ mistake benefitted the 49ers.
 
But that’s not quite right.
 
The NFL now says it was the Packers, not the 49ers, who benefitted from the officials’ mistake on the play, because Staley shouldn’t have been flagged in the first place. The league office reviewed the play and determined that while Matthews was rightly called for a late hit on 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, the official who threw the flag on Staley for getting in Matthews’ face after running over to protect Kaepernick should not have done so.
 
In other words, if the entire play had been properly called, it would have been first-and-goal for the 49ers at the 3-yard line on the next play. Instead, the officials made it tougher for the 49ers by making them re-play third down after the offsetting penalties. The officials erred in their enforcement of the offsetting penalties, which appeared to benefit the 49ers, but in reality there never should have been offsetting penalties to enforce in the first place. Only the Packers should have been penalized.
 
Some may say it’s a moot point because the 49ers scored a touchdown on that third-down play anyway. But either way, the league has confirmed that this play was botched, in more ways than one. And because the 49ers scored a touchdown, the two wrongs equaled a right for San Francisco.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 10, 2013, 06:31:28 pm
That's still the same old slant on the SF penalty/or not.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 10, 2013, 06:38:00 pm
 League states that incorrect call in 49ers/Packers game actually favored Packers 

topic by ThiZZ - Yesterday, 10:47 PM - Boxden > BX SportsCenter

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The NFL admitted yet another mistake in the aftermath of the most emotional moment in Sunday's Green Bay Packers-San Francisco 49ers showdown.


NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday that Dean Blandino, NFL vice president of officiating, reviewed the fracas between the teams following Clay Matthews' late hit and determined that 49ers left tackle Joe Staley shouldn't have been penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct. In other words, there never should have been offsetting penalties on Matthews and Staley in the first place. It should have been first-and-goal for the 49ers at the 3-yard line.

Head referee Bill Leavy also admitted after the game that he made a mistake in applying the offsetting penalties, which gave the 49ers an extra down. Blandino said Monday on NFL Network's "NFL AM" that a mistake like that will not happen again. And now Blandino is saying Staley's penalty never should have been called.

49ers coach Jim Harbaugh agrees.

"Joe did exactly what we coach him to do," Harbaugh said Sunday. "When somebody's taking a cheap shot or trying to do something after the whistle, we teach them just to lock up. He did that, and then Matthews throws two punches at him."


We agree with Harbaugh. Staley didn't appear to do anything wrong. So even though the 49ers were lucky to get an extra down after the offsetting penalties, they never should have been put in that spot.

Blandino can only hope that his officials' mistakes won't become a weekly Monday morning talking point.

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 10, 2013, 06:38:18 pm
Take it up with Blandino...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 10, 2013, 06:39:22 pm
From packers news source"
 
Has another 24 hours helped to calm everybody down about the Packers loss to the 49ers yet? Yes? Good, because Jim Harbaugh will help you get that rage back, as he often does, this time by calling out Clay Matthews for "slapping" Joe Staley instead of punching him. Right, Jim, because using a closed fist to punch a guy in the head when he's wearing a helmet is a brilliant idea. You're not trolling at all. Sarcasm complete...on to the links.

I guess most of my anger over the SF game is the obnoxious attitude of that ****-ant, Harbaugh.  I really dislike that turd.  It began with his behavior after last year's  win over Detroit and has greatly intensified since.  He epitomizes what I dislike about some personalities. The NFL would be better off without self-serving arses like him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 10, 2013, 06:44:40 pm
N.B.:

An NFL source said that Matthews' hit on Colin Kaepernick is being reviewed for potential discipline and if he is fined it will be announced later in the week. The possibility of suspension is almost nil because Matthews has never been fined for an illegal hit before.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 10, 2013, 07:08:29 pm
Well, the Packers were particularly victimized in the secondary by Boldin and Kaepernick, but Green Bay was also down their best safety and cornerback in Morgan Burnett and Casey Hayward, respectively.  Jerron McMillian, taking Burnett’s place, looked lost and was getting beat consistently.  Rookie Micah Hyde struggled at times, but that was to be expected.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 10, 2013, 07:31:34 pm
I feel about Matthews the way you do about Harbaugh.  IMO he is an obvious juicer and an arrogant ass.

Since the players union keeps dragging their feet on HGH testing he might be able to finish out his career with out us ever knowing for sure.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 10, 2013, 07:34:42 pm
Vic, I just read Spofford’s article on the rivalry not cooling down. He states the NFL admitted the error, which doesn’t overly upset me; errors happen. What does bother me is why does it seem when the NFL admits a mistake they always add a “yeah, but,” in this case saying the penalty against Staley should not have been assessed?

I agree the penalty against Joe Staley was unwarranted. The NFL has literally invented another game day with all of this second-guessing of the officials calls. You get the game on Sunday, and then you get the review of the controversial calls a day or two later, which means the games can be played out in fantasy from the point of the controversial call, often resulting in a new outcome. It’s genius. Nothing sells like controversy.

OK.  I give up.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 10, 2013, 07:40:24 pm
Eric from Tenvik, Norge

Vic, you’ve stated that it appeared to you teams were not ready to begin the season. Week 1 is now officially in the books and there were 742 total points scored, at an average of 46-plus points per game. It seems to me like the offensive side of the game held up pretty well. What was your meaning, and how do you envision things changing as the season progresses?

I didn’t think the quality of football in Week 1 was regular-season like. I thought the Packers-49ers game was one of the few games that had a regular-season look to it. Not every team has accomplished veterans in their prime years at the critical positions. If you’re plugging in young players, you need more practices and more playing time for those players in the preseason games to have them ready for the season opener. The new CBA made it doubly difficult for coaches to prepare those young players in a system that forbids two-a-day practices, but the fear of injury that has caused such a reduction in playing time during the preseason games has really worsened the problem. This is the new normal. Parts of your team will begin the season underdeveloped and teams will have to find a way to deal with that. As fans, I think we have to find a way to deal with it, too. That’s just my opinion.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 10, 2013, 07:42:20 pm
Matt from Kula, HI

The running game continues to sputter, in large part due to the offensive line. Which offensive linemen do you see as the weak link in the running game?

Are you sure it was the offensive line’s fault? You have a trained eye for making that kind of judgment? How about the 49ers running game? It sputtered? Which one of those Pro Bowlers do you see as the weak link? Be patient. I’ll say it every week because it’s no less the truth that the development of a consistently strong running game requires patience, and every week there will be a lack of patience, but if this all comes together late in the season when the weather turns cold, yinz’ll be giggling right
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 11, 2013, 11:23:44 am
The Packers didn't lose any more players to injury in their loss to the 49ers in Week 1, which is good news.  The bad news, however, is that both Morgan Burnett and Casey Hayward could miss extended time because of their hamstring injuries.

In fact, Hayward will likely miss the first month of the season, according to Bob McGinn and Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel. As for Burnett, head coach Mike McCarthy is staying quiet on his status, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 11, 2013, 11:27:29 am
“Clay Matthews is not a dirty player, by no means,” McCarthy said. “I addressed Harbaugh’s comments in the team meeting, and as always, we’ll stay above it.”

By vowing to stay above Harbaugh’s comments, McCarthy is suggesting that Harbaugh’s comments are beneath him. Which is a nice way to take a shot at Harbaugh while declaring that he won’t stoop to Harbaugh’s level.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 11, 2013, 11:36:29 am
Keep trying McCarthy....every one saw the hit. Mathews is a HGH abuser, but that will catch up with him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on September 11, 2013, 11:54:28 am
Waaa, Waaa, Waaaa.....


Clay Matthews this, Clay Matthews that.


Get over the Green Envy fellas.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 11, 2013, 03:53:23 pm
He also felt rookie running back Eddie Lacy was a little slow in getting going, though he felt Lacy got more comfortable in the second half, after sitting out the last 11 minutes in the second quarter following a costly fumble.

“Eddie needs to detail his work, whether it’s the runs, the protection,” McCarthy said. “Our young guys, it was their first game, and he was one of them. I don’t want to say he was nervous, but he just needs to clean some things up.”

Lacy had five carries for four yards at the time of the fumble before adding nine carries for 37 yards and a 2-yard TD in the second half. He ran five times for 26 yards on the scoring drive.

Building a running game takes patience.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 11, 2013, 03:56:59 pm
Joel from Hebron, KY

I’m glad you bit. Can you take a bigger bite and explain why Hayward and Burnett would have been the difference?

Casey Hayward was the Packers’ interceptions leader last season. He’s the guy in their secondary that would seem to have the best nose for the ball, and the Packers missed having his nose in the game on Sunday. Morgan Burnett is the defense’s quarterback. He’s the player that communicates the coverage calls. I don’t know this to be a fact, but I have a feeling the Packers missed Burnett’s voice in the secondary on Sunday.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 11, 2013, 04:03:15 pm
Jake from Phoenix, AZ

Will the outside pass rush be more aggressive against the Redskins? Against the 49ers, it was pretty clear containing the QB was the No. 1 priority.

RG3 is a running quarterback. He did a lot of damage outside the pocket last season. I thought the Packers’ rush scheme on Sunday was brilliant. It’s unrealistic to expect a big sack day against Kaepernick. All you end up doing is forcing him to run, and we know how that can end. What the Packers did is to have moved Kaepernick off the spot. They made him move right or left and when that happened, the Packers had somebody there to contain him. That scheme also accomplished something else: It cut the field in half. When you force a quarterback right or left, he’s pretty much relegated to throwing the ball to that side of the field. It should’ve helped the Packers secondary hold its coverage. I can’t fault the Packers’ rush scheme, only applaud it. The Packers’ problems on defense were in coverage. I think we need to give credit to where credit is due. I also think a lot of future 49ers opponents are going to look at the tape of Sunday’s game and rush Kaepernick with the same scheme the Packers did.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 11, 2013, 04:08:06 pm
George from Hutchinson, MN

Although the Packers lost, I think there were enough wins in that game to give the team a feeling of good upside down the road. Many fans are expressing that in your column. I can’t quite put my finger on it. Is the conscience of the optimistic fan base tapping into a kind of precognitive intuition, a futuristic glimpse of greatness about to evolve into its own entity, or is this just an up-and-down phase of a winsome lot?

The fan base is relieved; that’s all it is. It was fearful it would experience a repeat of last January. What it witnessed on Sunday was a Packers team that had erased that gap. It knows its team can play and beat the 49ers, and that sure beats the alternative.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 11, 2013, 04:31:09 pm
Got love a good moral victory.

AND 500 yards against.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 11, 2013, 04:43:21 pm
According to ESPN.com news services, Harbaugh said of Clay Matthews, "I think that young man works very hard on being a tough guy. He’ll have some repairing to do to his image after the slap.” The out-spoken coach of the 49ers followed-up saying, “If you’re going to go to the face, come with some knuckles, not an open slap.”

Interesting that a guy who calls the league in order to check on the safe-passage of his quarterback would then try to question the toughness of anyone else. 

Jim Harbaugh is apparently so obsessed with lobbying for any and all advantages that he can simultaneously paint himself and his team as both defenseless victims and unsurpassed warriors.

The main takeaway from these contradictory comments by Harbaugh is that the Packers' message about fielding a more physical team in 2013 was received loud and clear.

The 49ers are a popular favorite to go deep in the playoffs this year and given how close the Packers played them in their house, it looks like Packers fans have a lot to look forward to as well. 

A team with an already potent offense looks to have gained an inspired leader on defense in the form of Clay Matthews, and if his motivation and passion rubs off on the other defenders even a little bit then the team should be much improved in 2013. 

And after such an impressive display by Clay Matthews in San Francisco, it's no wonder that Jim Harbaugh and Colin Kaepernick can think of little else.

A lot of Packers fans are probably in the exact same position.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 11, 2013, 05:20:44 pm
I’m glad you bit. Can you take a bigger bite and explain why Hayward and Burnett would have been the difference?

Casey Hayward was the Packers’ interceptions leader last season. He’s the guy in their secondary that would seem to have the best nose for the ball, and the Packers missed having his nose in the game on Sunday. Morgan Burnett is the defense’s quarterback. He’s the player that communicates the coverage calls. I don’t know this to be a fact, but I have a feeling the Packers missed Burnett’s voice in the secondary on Sunday.


Maybe you will get a chance to play the 49ers at the end of the season and Hayward and Burnett could be back.   But someone else might be missing and if you lose, what will the excuse be then?

Bottom line, nobody else cares about your injuries - everyone has 48 guys on Sunday.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 12, 2013, 06:58:25 am
412 Yards passing and 3 TD's is definately not in the 'had a good day on defense' category. Can't paint a pig to resemble your pet cat....still a pig.... Don't think any defensive coach is going to say 'hey, let's do what the Packers did and get 400 yards passing against us!'.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 12, 2013, 02:08:18 pm
But it was moral victory. Peckers are first in moral victories. "our backups suc-k so much that it was a moral victory"

Still no #1 runningback for the Peckers...big problem. Enjoy!

Mathews isn't adirty player except for the fact hit went for the QBs head 5 yards out of bounds.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 12, 2013, 02:10:49 pm
Harabaugh OWNS Green Bay.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 12, 2013, 07:26:07 pm
True but you don't win the SB with a string of injured players (unless you are the GB Packers in 2011).  Injuries are not an excuse for losing but can definitely be the reason. Is that not so?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 12, 2013, 08:10:31 pm
Player Injury Wednesday Practice Status
Morgan Burnett Hamstring Limited
Jermichael Finley Toe Did not practice
Casey Hayward Hamstring Out
Nick Perry Neck Full participation
Josh Sitton Back Did not practice
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 12, 2013, 08:11:46 pm
Awesome. McCarthy said that Sitton's back flared up on the flight from Green Bay to San Francisco - knowing that, it's hard to avoid wondering if it affected him during the game and caused him to play with poor technique and draw three penalties. However, the coach did say that Sitton had made progress since Tuesday. Hopefully a day or two off from practice will get him back on the field and effective.

The interesting factor about Sitton's injury was that McCarthy said Marshall Newhouse would slide into the starting lineup if Sitton were inactive. It is a logical leap that this means Newhouse would be playing right tackle while Don Barclay would move to fill in for Sitton at left guard; however, the coach did not expand on who would play where.

Finley's toe injury is a little more concerning, however. McCarthy said that he did not expect Finley to practice on Thursday and that he would be evaluated before Friday's practice. If Finley can't go on Sunday, that takes away a big weapon for Aaron Rodgers over the middle of the field and would force Andrew Quarless and Brandon Bostick into playing much bigger roles in the offense.

Perry's injury must be minimal, since he was a full participant in practice and his neck was not brought up during McCarthy's press conference.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 13, 2013, 07:28:52 pm
Andrew from Peoria, IL

Keeping positive, it was a loss, but I did see some good things. Our run defense was quite good. Our pass defense was bad, but I suppose that’s due to giving Kaepernick having plenty of time to throw. What say you?

The run defense was better than good, it was outstanding. After being gashed by Gore and Colin Kaepernick last season, the Packers held the 49ers to 90 yards rushing on Sunday, and 23 of those yards came on one run by Kendall Hunter late in the game. The Packers defensive line won the battle of the line of scrimmage against arguably the best offensive line in the game. If you want to feel good about one thing, feel good about that. The Packers were every bit as physical as the 49ers, and that’s where it has to start to have any hope of beating the 49ers in the postseason.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 13, 2013, 07:36:03 pm
Jack from Madison, WI

I know your inbox is going to be filled with doom and gloom, but I liked what I saw. The team played well and physical. Disappointed in the coverage, but the Niners had to be perfect to beat the Packers. Your thoughts?

My inbox is not filled with doom and gloom. I began picking questions for today’s column on the plane ride home last night, and I couldn’t have been more surprised if somebody had opened the door and pushed me out. The tone of my inbox, and this was the first wave of questions following a loss, which are usually the harshest, was measured and hopeful. Ninety percent of the questions were of that nature. The reason for it? Obviously, the expectations of Packers fans were low for this one. Those two losses to the 49ers last season had scarred this fan base. Yesterday’s loss will embolden it. Why? Because the Packers stood toe to toe with the 49ers in the physical game. It always starts with that. Now, there is real reason for hope.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 13, 2013, 07:38:34 pm
Nancy from Saginaw, MI

I don’t know about you, Vic, but this is the best I’ve felt after a Packers loss in quite a while. I actually think we defeated the 49ers – at least in our minds – and that’s where the battle begins. Next meeting, look out SF.

Let’s not feel too good, OK? This is starting to get a little weird.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 13, 2013, 07:51:53 pm
Joe from Saint Paul, MN

How much of the secondary woes do you think can be attributed to the absence of Hayward and Burnett?

The Packers missed them, a lot.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 13, 2013, 07:52:06 pm
Hermes from Richmond, CA

We lost. That’s the bottom line, but I am happy with the edge we carried into this game. The defenders who played in this game put it out there. We gave up too many big plays, but I feel good about where we’re going and our mentality. After this loss, I’m not sad and I’m not mad. I like the attitude Clay Matthews has. I don’t think it’s much of a long shot to say you do as well.

Matthews had a sack, three tackles for loss, two quarterback hurries and seven tackles. He led the charge. What I like most about the way he played on Sunday is that I get the feeling he felt the need to redeem himself after a game in January that was beneath his high standard of play. This was more than a game for Matthews. This was redemption, and I think that was largely the Packers’ attitude. They had an edge for this game. That says a lot about the state of this team’s focus.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 13, 2013, 07:57:04 pm
Nick from Hornback, MO

Vic, despite the loss, there should be no room for panic among Packers fans. What three positives did you take away from the game yesterday?

1.) The Packers front seven on defense won the battle of the line of scrimmage. 2.) Eddie Lacy is a runner defenses will fear. 3.) The Packers are blessed with two talented young tackles.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 13, 2013, 07:58:47 pm
Aaron from Eau Claire, WI

I don’t think I heard Micah Hyde’s name at all yesterday. Is that a good thing?

I had trouble finding him in coverage, and that says a lot for the coaches moving him around and making it difficult for the 49ers to target him. You don’t hang out to dry a guy making his pro debut.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 13, 2013, 08:05:18 pm
George from Scranton, PA

If Casey Hayward and Morgan Burnett had played, do the Packers beat the 49ers?

OK, I’ll bite: Yes.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 13, 2013, 08:07:42 pm
Bob from Orange City, IA

Is it just me or has Clay Matthews gotten into Jim Harbaugh’s head?

You don’t want in that head.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 13, 2013, 08:15:36 pm
John from Somis, CA

Vic, you keep saying “look out.” Just what are we looking out for?

The day when the Packers have a running game their opponents have to concentrate their efforts to stop. When that happens, look out.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on September 13, 2013, 08:41:31 pm
Bob from Orange City, IA

Is it just me or has Clay Matthews gotten into Jim Harbaugh’s head?

You don’t want in that head.


Not likely
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 13, 2013, 08:49:37 pm
Bart from Sanibel, FL

I’ve never been the nerdy type, but I am, in fact, going to take the play-calling test for the Green Bay-Washington game this weekend. Game on, Vic Ketchman.

Go for it. So there’s no confusion, this is a test for predicting the type of play that’s run, not for predicting the result of the play. This is for people who think the play-calling is predictable. If you say run middle and the play, in fact, is run middle, you score 100 percent for that play. If you say run right and it’s run middle, you score 50 percent for that play. By the way, run middle is between the tackles. Run right and run left are outside the tackles. I’ll trust you. Enjoy the game, everyone.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 13, 2013, 09:00:54 pm
SANTA CLARA – Coach Jim Harbaugh had nothing more to say about Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Clay Matthews, who was fined $15,000 for his late hit on 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

But 49ers right guard Alex Boone answered Friday when asked what kind of fine he would give Matthews.

“Probably punch him in the face,” Boone said. “I don’t want his money.”

Boone’s response is consistent with what Harbaugh said Monday about Matthews, who scuffled with 49ers left tackle Joe Staley after the late hit on Kaepernick.

Careful, there Boone.  Matthews just might whip your ass.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on September 13, 2013, 09:03:17 pm
That Fabio girly man?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 15, 2013, 06:10:09 pm
Posted by Mike Wilkening on September 15, 2013, 4:46 PM EDT

...On the other hand, the Redskins have looked vulnerable on their way to an 0-2 start.

The Packers rolled up 580 yards in a 38-20 victory against Washington on Sunday. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 480 yards and four touchdowns, completing 34-of-42 passes in the process. Receivers James Jones and Randall Cobb both exceeded 100 yards receiving, and Jordy Nelson caught a pair of TD passes.

Washington also struggled with Green Bay’s running game. James Starks gained 132 yards on 20 carries, becoming the first Packers runner to exceed 100 yards on the ground in nearly three years.

Hey, 480 yards passing.  Over 100 yard rushing.  Packers afre getting there.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 16, 2013, 03:45:07 pm
Wow that a godawful Redskins team. I can't name one othe player other than RGIII. Yet they racked up almost 500 yeards against the brillant Peckers D.

49ers get destroyed by the Seahawks....and the Peckers lost to the 49ers.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on September 16, 2013, 03:57:44 pm
Since when does 422 yards (300+ which came after they were down 0-31) be almost 500?

Still stupid I see.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on September 16, 2013, 04:03:34 pm
godawful will be decided on Oct 20th.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 16, 2013, 08:51:53 pm
Wow that a godawful Redskins team. I can't name one othe player other than RGIII. Yet they racked up almost 500 yeards against the brillant Peckers D.

49ers get destroyed by the Seahawks....and the Peckers lost to the 49ers.



You realize that when Capers saw the 30+ point lead he went to a prevent defense and put some backups into the lineup the last 1/3 of the game.  Good strategy but the fans don't like it.  Then, McCarthy used run, run, run to just kill the clock and end the massacre of the Redskins.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 16, 2013, 09:04:51 pm
Goldson wasn’t the only safety with a track record of disregard for the league’s rules about hitting players high guilty of such an infraction on Sunday and, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post, he’s not the only one who could be facing discipline from the league. Jones reports that Redskins safety Brandon Meriweather has come under scrutiny for twice using the crown of his helmet to deliver blows to Packers running backs Eddie Lacy (who suffered a concussion) and James Starks (on a hit that left Meriweather with his own concussion).

If Starks (132 yards running) can stay healthy this season the Packers don't even need Lacey.  He played very well in the Packers' SB season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 17, 2013, 10:46:47 am
one sports writers take on the Peckers:

"Aaron Rodgers covers up a lot of problems."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 17, 2013, 08:57:02 pm
True, dat.  QB rating for the game 146.  Unreal.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 17, 2013, 08:57:46 pm
Banjo played.  Sounded pretty good.

With Burnett out again and reserve dime back Jarrett Bush out with a hamstring also, defensive coordinator Dom Capers handled things differently from the 49ers game a week ago. This time, he used Chris Banjo at safety in the dime and moved starting safety Jerron McMillian near the line of scrimmage.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 17, 2013, 09:12:09 pm
On the Packers' first series, quarterback Aaron Rodgers was sacked three times, twice by Washington linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, who got him on back-to-back plays after the Packers made it to the 9-yard line.

Rodgers was sacked on the first play of the next drive, but after that, the Packers seemed to clean up their act.

"We had some issues early with some pressure, but I think we settled down and just started turning into Aaron doing what he wanted to do back there," center Evan Dietrich-Smith said. "We had a couple of things that bit us in the ass. We regrouped. Once we got that first score, it was all day for us."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 17, 2013, 09:14:23 pm
"In the fourth quarter, they had a lot of passing yards, but we feel like we did extremely well," House said of the overall performance. "We've just got to clean up some technique stuff and go back at it next week. We played solid the first three quarters; we've just got to finish better in the fourth quarter."

Said Williams: "We all consider it garbage yards. But you have to give the other team credit, because you know they're going to come out fighting. Washington is a playoff team and came out fighting in the second half. They were able to put up some points. We were able to hold our composure."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 17, 2013, 09:26:04 pm
Green Bay — James Starks didn't know it was Brandon Meriweather angling toward him. He had no clue.

All he saw was fresh meat.

"I mean, I'm running," Starks said. "You're supposed to be physical on the boundary, and I'm not running out of bounds for many people. I'm trying to be physical each and every play I can be. I'm never going to run out."

Meriweather led with his helmet. Starks dropped a shoulder.

Kaboom.

On the sideline, Jerron McMillian screamed and pointed. Jermichael Finley chest-bumped Starks. The back himself turned and signaled a death stare toward Meriweather, who was on the ground for several minutes after the collision...

Meriweather.  One very dirty football player.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 18, 2013, 04:49:49 pm
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Greg Jennings has been taking shots at his former team, the Green Bay Packers, and his quarterback Aaron Rodgers all summer long. At one point his head coach asked him to stop talking about them,  but he didn’t, and he hasn’t.

A picture popped up on Instagram of a Vikings helmet signed by former Packers receiver Jennings with the message “Packers Suck.”

What a shame.  Jealousy is a terrible thing.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 18, 2013, 04:52:39 pm

Yeah, heard it was Favre's old helmet...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 18, 2013, 07:34:34 pm
Bakhtiari and Barclay are quickly discrediting critics

It wasn't long after Mike McCarthy stated his preference for a David Bakhtiari/Don Barclay tackle pairing that several critics cited the offensive tackles as the Packers' Achilles' heel. Through two weeks, including the aforementioned grueling matchup with San Francisco, Green Bay's bookends have held up surprisingly well. Heading into camp, Bakhtiari was viewed as a fringe contender at right tackle while Barclay was expecting to cross-train along the line in order to secure a roster spot. Yet both took advantage of injuries and ineffectiveness from the players ahead of them.

The biggest surprise has been Barclay's pass protection, which a season ago was unacceptably horrendous. He still has a ways to go, but Barclay will now usually win his battles without tight end or running back assistance, allowing Rodgers enough time to make a play. If both tackles continue to improve, the offensive line could be league average or better come the playoffs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 18, 2013, 07:43:34 pm
Jermichael Finley had one of his most consistent performances as a Packer, catching six passes for 65 yards and one touchdown. Finley even added some nice seal blocks on some stretch runs. Hopefully his nagging toe injury will heal soon, and it doesn't present a long-term problem. Much like the running attack, if Finley can make himself a pass-catching threat across the middle of the field and in the seams, this offense will be hard to stop.

The only downgrade for the position was due to Andrew Quarless' miscommunication with David Bahktiari on a chip-block that resulted in a sack on Aaron Rodgers. That is something that will get fixed over repetitions in practice, which is something Quarless missed out on while sitting out for most of training camp. It seem a little harsh, but it was a glaring error that makes it hard to hand out an A-grade for the position.

I hope that Quarless can continue to improve making it unnecessary to re-sign Finley after this season.  Finley will be wanting a wad of money.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 18, 2013, 07:46:49 pm
Johnny Jolly and Ryan Pickett.

(http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1810307/packfat_medium.gif)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 18, 2013, 07:49:40 pm

Sam Shields continues to be the most consistent defensive back on the roster, and lead the team in both pass break-ups (3) and tackles (8). Davon House took advantage of his opportunities on Sunday, recording four tackles, including one sack.

Tramon Williams added five tackles and a pass break-up. Micah Hyde didn't record a tackle in 24 total snaps, and continued to struggle somewhat in coverage.

Sunday felt a lot like 2011, where the defense was playing prevent in the second half with a big lead. It's hard to be angry with garbage time touchdowns, and I thought the secondary bounced back well after a poor performance last week.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 18, 2013, 07:58:39 pm
....against the Redskins.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 18, 2013, 08:07:32 pm
(http://cdn1.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/19756333/129357520.0_standard_783.0.jpg)

October 20 unis against Cleveland.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on September 19, 2013, 05:03:13 am
But they will have to wear the modern day helmets
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on September 19, 2013, 06:56:46 am
Quote
But they will have to wear the modern day helmets

Why is that?  What is wrong with that brown helmet?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on September 19, 2013, 07:02:16 am
Packrat, I think Jennings is just jealous that he doesn't get to play for the Packers and is stuck on the Vikings. Unsure if Jennings could have stuck with GB for less money but I think if I am a 30yo WR I take less coin to play for a team that could go all the way.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on September 19, 2013, 07:19:05 am
Throwback helmets not safe?

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/09/17/nfl-safety-committees-told-teams-not-to-wear-throwback-helmets/

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on September 19, 2013, 07:37:44 am
if they wen't back to leather helmets they might be safer.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 19, 2013, 11:09:43 am

As we've all said before Rodgers hides a lot of issues on your offense, namely the O-line.  The O-line is giving up 3 sacks a game so far, but when Rodgers is clipping along with a 127 QB rating, who cares?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on September 19, 2013, 11:19:13 am
Bet Rodgers does... those will break him down eventually
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 19, 2013, 11:24:45 am

I am really looking forward to seeing what Seneca Wallace can do...not that I want Rodgers to miss any time or anything...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on September 19, 2013, 11:51:12 am
Seneca will be the one buying rolexes for the OL this year?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on September 19, 2013, 02:36:08 pm
Wow, it really bothers you guys that Green Bay for the last 21years has had two HOF quarterbacks...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 19, 2013, 02:37:59 pm
if they wen't back to leather helmets they might be safer.

I firmly agree!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 19, 2013, 02:42:08 pm
As we've all said before Rodgers hides a lot of issues on your offense, namely the O-line.  The O-line is giving up 3 sacks a game so far, but when Rodgers is clipping along with a 127 QB rating, who cares?

That's true, but I think it is a result of the new alignment and the young OTs who should improve as the season goes on.  The first two sacks were caused by missed coordination.
 
Except for EDS the O-Line should be set for the long run.
 
Also, Thompson MUST draft a good Safety next year.

Once again, the Pack has a very young team, especially in the O-Line.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 19, 2013, 02:54:13 pm
Disappointing players from last draft are RB Franklin and DE Datone Jones (so far).  I thought they would be two sure-fire stars.  It's too early to call them a flop, though.  Jones is still suffering from an injury.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 19, 2013, 03:04:16 pm
Fortunately for the Pack FA 3rd rounder, Micah Hyde, FA Mulumba, FA SS  Chris Banjo, 4th rounder LT Bakhtiari   and oldster Johnny Jolly  are outplaying any expectations.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 19, 2013, 08:14:54 pm
As soon as safety Morgan Burnett suffered a hamstring injury, Capers had to move players around and it affected the pass defense. With Burnett probably out again this week, there may be some more tweaks to the lineup, including a possible switch from Jerron McMillian to Chris Banjo at one of the starting safety positions.

House, the biggest of the team's corners, may also see increased playing time, especially if Capers decides he wants to match up Williams with Green the entire game or on third downs only.

Banjo tuning up to start this Sunday?  Good to see House getting healthy.  He has a bight future.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 19, 2013, 08:24:02 pm
In his first two regular-season games, Bakhtiari faced two of the NFC’s best outside pass rushers in San Francisco’s Aldon Smith and Washington’s Brian Orakpo, and he was mostly invisible, in a good way. He was fully responsible for one sack to Smith, only peripherally responsible for another sack by Smith, and shut out Orakpo from any sacks or quarterback hits.

“He’s just out here playing football like he was in sixth grade playing with his friends,” left guard Josh Sitton said of Bakhtiari. “That’s how I kind of feel with him. He’s very mature for his age and he’s done well. I’m pleased with it for sure.”

Bakhtiari’s performance to date has to be a surprise around the league. He was, after all, a fourth-round pick, and many teams considered him a better prospect at guard because at 6-feet-4½ and 304 pounds he didn’t have quite the length and ballast they prefer at left tackle...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 19, 2013, 08:27:11 pm
Jennings saga is what sucks - ESPN Wisconsin
"With the stroke of a Sharpie, Vikings wide receiver Greg Jennings is back in the news. Either he's done a "heel" turn or we never really knew him at all." All I'm saying is you don't hear Desmond Bishop talking. That says something, right?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 20, 2013, 09:48:19 am

Packers have quite the machine cranking out young defensive backs...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 20, 2013, 06:48:34 pm
Packers have quite the machine cranking out young defensive backs...

Yeah, a wealth of CBs, old and young but very thin at Safety.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 20, 2013, 06:50:36 pm
GREEN BAY—Clay Matthews wasn’t about to knock Andy Dalton, but he confessed it’s a welcome change of pace to face a traditional pocket passer this week.

“It allows us to be pass rushers a little bit more,” said Matthews, comparing the approach against Dalton, the Cincinnati quarterback, versus San Francisco’s Colin Kaepernick and Washington’s Robert Griffin III the first two games.

“We can’t ever get too crazy out there and lose our distribution in regards to our rush lanes, but it brings a smile to my face.”...

I look for better pass rush  without a running opponents QB this game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 20, 2013, 07:40:44 pm
Two weeks ago during their regular-season opener against San Francisco, the Packers brought forth the shortest (6-feet-3¼ average) and fifth-lightest (309.8 pounds) starting offensive line in the league.

The group — David Bakhtiari, Josh Sitton, Evan Dietrich-Smith, T.J. Lang and Don Barclay — represent three fourth-round picks and two undrafted free agents and made the Packers one of only four teams to start the regular season with five homegrown starters.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 20, 2013, 07:45:17 pm


While organizations like Kansas City and Jacksonville invested millions into starting right tackles with the first two picks of April’s NFL draft, the Packers have found solace in Barclay, an undrafted second-year player out of West Virginia who has yet to miss an NFL practice after signing for a paltry $2,500 bonus shortly after the 2012 NFL draft.

At center, the Packers finally passed the torch to Dietrich-Smith, the only college free agent to make the Packers’ roster in 2009 who usurped six-time Pro Bowler Jeff Saturday in the final month of the 2012 season.

No, this offensive line won’t win many beauty pageants, but maybe there’s something to be said for that.

“Coach (McCarthy) always says it, ‘Hey, the best guys are going to play,’ ” Packers offensive line coach James Campen said. “You’re going to play your best people, and it’s our job to put them in positions to win. It’s our job as coaches to teach and demand it from them and it’s their job to prepare and perform whether it’s a free agent or first-round draft pick. That’s the requirement.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 22, 2013, 12:15:51 pm
14-0 Bengals!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on September 22, 2013, 01:55:54 pm
23-14 Pack

Feel any different?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 22, 2013, 02:04:58 pm
Game is not over yet.  Bengals still got a pretty good shot to win if they stop stepping on their own dicks. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on September 22, 2013, 02:16:05 pm
30-14 Pack.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 22, 2013, 02:18:26 pm
30-21.  That was quick...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 22, 2013, 02:41:39 pm
30-27...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 22, 2013, 02:43:24 pm
Will Rodgers throw another pick or take them on the long drive to seal the win?  My money would usually be on Rodgers but the hits are starting to wear on him I think.  He has taken a beating this game.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 22, 2013, 02:47:58 pm
Two plays in a row and two blatant holds by the Packers not called...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 22, 2013, 02:55:40 pm
Refs try and give GB the game with a bad spot.  Luckily Bengals challenged it. 

4th down coming up...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 22, 2013, 02:56:49 pm
Should be 4th and 1.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 22, 2013, 02:59:16 pm
TD BENGALS!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 22, 2013, 03:00:55 pm
May bring it back because can't advance your own fumble.  The old raider rule.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 22, 2013, 03:02:38 pm
Nope.  it is a TD!

34-30 Bengals.

Feel a little different Otto?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 22, 2013, 03:10:21 pm
Where's otto'd??????? HAHAHAHAAHAHA!!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 22, 2013, 03:12:39 pm
Refs give him a first down even though he stepped out before the marker...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 22, 2013, 03:18:17 pm
Bengals ball!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 22, 2013, 03:19:56 pm
Good Comedy!!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 22, 2013, 03:20:25 pm
The 1-2 Green Bay Packers limp into their bye week...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 22, 2013, 03:24:49 pm
Very sloppy teamthese Peckers are. Even Rogers sucked.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 22, 2013, 03:25:46 pm
LET THE EXCUSES FLOW!!!!!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: chifaninva on September 22, 2013, 03:30:57 pm
Maybe we can go a week now without hearing how great the Packers are..
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on September 22, 2013, 03:42:29 pm
23-14 Pack

Feel any different?

Feel great...love that 64.5 QB rating for Rodgers too.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 22, 2013, 03:48:36 pm
Rodgers took an absolute beating today.  I don't see how he can last many games getting hit like that over and over.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 22, 2013, 03:53:54 pm
That offensive line is pretty bad. Peckers RBs very sloppy.

Peckers D sucks.....must hurt losing to the Bungels and giving up 34 points to the Bungels. Peckers trouble in the secondary...linebackers (except Mathews).....Peckers D line sucks as well.

Like I said last week...Rodgers makes up for a lot holes....but not today.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 22, 2013, 04:00:16 pm
They also lost Matthews to a hamstring injury.  He could be back after the bye week or it could hamper him for weeks.  You just never know.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 22, 2013, 04:28:47 pm
When you take to much HGH that happens...Mathews will continue to have injuries....he is Jucie Boy. Roid rage.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: chifaninva on September 22, 2013, 04:36:16 pm
I believe I could run faster than A J Hawk..
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 22, 2013, 05:19:22 pm
With a beer inyour hand.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 22, 2013, 05:22:05 pm
After one drive stalled, Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy had a heated exchange on the sideline. Another batch of players suffered injuries --- Jermichael Finley (concussion), Clay Matthews (hamstring) and James Starks (knee) all left the game. The offense sputtered. And one costly fumble on fourth and 1 proved to be the difference as the Cincinnati Bengals defeated Green Bay, 34-30.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 22, 2013, 05:24:40 pm
It wasn't pretty. And now, heading into the bye week, the Packers are 1-2.

Rodgers finished with 26 of 43 for 244 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Franklin, in relief of Starks, had 103 rushing yards with the fourth-down fumble.

Turning point: On fourth and 1, leading 30-27, the Packers went for it with 4 minutes left. Franklin leapt airborne, fumbled, Reggie Nelson scooped it up, fumbled and then Terence Newman took the loose ball 58 yards to the end zone for a go-ahead touchdown.

Player of the game: Let's go with a coach. Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer stayed one step ahead of Green Bay. Defensive end Michael Johnson hit Rodgers four times with 1 1/2 sacks and had the deciding deflection. The secondary closed fast on the Packers' receivers.

Big number: 2 — interceptions by Rodgers, his first multi-interception game in the regular season since Oct. 24, 2010.

The Bengals easily could have raced ahead by two, three touchdowns in the first half if not for the Packers’ defense forcing turnovers on four straight possessions. Sam Shields had an interception, Brad Jones forced a fumble that was recovered by A.J. Hawk, M.D. Jennings scooped up a fumble for a touchdown on a third-and-1 big hit by Matthews and then Matthews forced a Dalton fumble recovered by Jones. This rapid-fire sequence allowed Green Bay to even stay in the game.

What went wrong: This wasn’t the Aaron Rodgers of last week. His second interception came when the Packers had a chance to take a 37-21 lead as the quarterback’s pass up the right sideline was swiped by Leon Hall. He finished with a passer rating of 64.5.

Elsewhere, the offensive line struggled protecting. Cincinnati caught Green Bay on stunts early with Johnson and the front four applying constant pressure. The Bengals finished with eight quarterback hits and four sacks. Defensively, the Packers silenced A.J. Green early, but eventually had trouble keeping tabs on all of Cincinnati’s weapons. Matthews didn’t play in the second half with a hamstring injury and his absence was felt. Giovani Bernard had 99 total yards and a touchdown. Green and Marvin Jones caught the Packers on a pair of touchdowns to close the 30-14 deficit.

There were questionable decisions from the sideline as well. Deep in Cincinnati territory in the first half, the Packers were not able to capitalize.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 22, 2013, 05:28:24 pm
If that was Cutler getting into it with a coach the reporters would be all over it.  It was Rodgers their golden boy so it was oh this happens all the time no big deal...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 22, 2013, 05:39:33 pm
Cobb looked sh-tty as well...11 passes thrown to. 5 catches.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 22, 2013, 08:09:53 pm
Peckers 2 games out of first already.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on September 22, 2013, 08:13:11 pm
Catching up on this thread.  Gotta say Otto pretty chicken **** to come here and smack talk while winning the game and totally disappear with the loss. 

Packers are in trouble this year.  I think it is the year of the BEAR!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on September 22, 2013, 08:56:36 pm
You expect something else from Otto?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 22, 2013, 09:28:06 pm
I can't believe what I saw.  I'm not worried yet, but after the bye week and their players get healthy, if they play like that I will worry.  Just too many injuries. 

I don't usually like a bye week early but with all the Packer injuries this should help get some of their players back. 

I hope GB gets to play Cin again, later on.

Officiating was atrocious.  They screwed the Pack on several plays including a hit of Rodgers' knees that they just couldn't seem to see.  I never complain about officiating but his game looked like they were "OUI" (officiating under the influence).

This was one of those games where the football gods just say "you are not going to win today".

The Pack had to use their kick returner as RB for a few plays  You can stand only so many injuries..
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 22, 2013, 09:31:23 pm
A fumble by GB at their own 2 yard line and a fumble while they were going for the TD to wrap up the game  was returned for a TD by Cin were the killing blows.  A 14 point swing.  Better days are coming.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 22, 2013, 09:34:11 pm
Packrat the hit at the knees was not a penalty.  Rodgers was outside of the box.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 22, 2013, 09:43:13 pm
Among the Packers suffering injuries today were Jermichael Finley (concussion), James Starks (knee) and Clay Matthews (hamstring, dammit). Thankfully, a bye week next Sunday means that they'll have a full week off to recover.

Added to injured Lacy, Hayward Casey and Morgan Burnett.  Take 6 of the best players out of any lineup and you will see what happened to GB in the second half.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 22, 2013, 10:37:42 pm
Quit blaming the refs....your team stinks....you're O line and d-line are horrendous....you have TWO decent players D and one is hurt.

ALL we hear about is how great the Peckers are...which they are NOT, And how great the thier ups.

Your GM has not drafted well recently.

Pckers are a mess.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 23, 2013, 06:02:47 pm
I have been wondering how you are enjoying like recently, beerbelly.  You were predicting disaster when Favre left.  How is that working out for you?

Since the Packers were missing 7 starting players to injury, how do you think your team would do missing 7 starters.  I'll even let you pick them.  Include your two best RBs to start.  Be sure you include your best CB and best Safety.   Include your LT.  Include your best LB.

Let me know whom you pick and we'll talk some more.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 23, 2013, 06:09:05 pm
Catching up on this thread.  Gotta say Otto pretty chicken **** to come here and smack talk while winning the game and totally disappear with the loss. 

Packers are in trouble this year.  I think it is the year of the BEAR!

If the injured players return,, if the Packers don't improve you may be right.

I remember 2010 SB year with  all the injuries and it looked kind of like this year, with a 10-6 record.  I also remember the next year at 15-1.  Not much correlation to season records.  The Giants were 10-6 and beat the Pack.
 
Agree about otto.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 23, 2013, 06:37:56 pm
CINCINNATI—With four minutes left on Sunday, all signs pointed to rookie running back Johnathan Franklin as the hero for the Packers.

One play changed that. Dramatically and definitively.

Franklin fumbled on fourth-and-1 at the Cincinnati 30-yard line and two Bengals combined to race the other way for the game-deciding score with 3:47 left, sending the Packers to a mind-numbing 34-30 loss at Paul Brown Stadium.




“I’ve got to hold it high and tight,” said Franklin, who lost control of the ball trying to jump over the pile for the first down. “I was trying to make a play and everything, and I know the game was on the line right there. I’ve got to get better. I can’t do that.”

The crucial turnover – the eighth for both teams combined in a topsy-turvy, unpredictable game – put a stain on Franklin’s day that essentially blotted out an otherwise impressive performance that no one could have seen coming, given his struggles in training camp and the preseason.

Having never taken a snap on offense heading into Sunday, Franklin had to take over for running back James Starks in the second half after Starks departed with a knee injury.

All the fourth-round draft pick from UCLA did was dart and dodge his way to 103 yards and a TD on 13 carries, including a 51-yard run that set up a score giving Green Bay a 30-14 lead. Franklin also added three receptions for 23 yards, with one a diving catch in the red zone on which he got up, raced 7 yards to the 2-yard line and then ran it in himself on the next play.

On the pivotal fourth down, the Packers were leading 30-27 and driving for a potential game-clinching score. Mike McCarthy decided to eschew a 48-yard field goal, which would have kept the Bengals within a touchdown, and gave the ball to the hot hand.

Only that hand suddenly got slippery...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 23, 2013, 06:43:49 pm
Rodgers followed McCarthy to the podium and he bared his soul to the media. Rodgers stood tall and pointed the finger right at himself. He left no doubt as to whom he assigns blame for this loss.

“We didn’t throw it as well as we had,” Rodgers said.

He said he “played poorly” and blamed himself for not making the tackle on the Johnathan Franklin fumble the Bengals returned for a touchdown and, ultimately, the win.

Class!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 23, 2013, 06:52:32 pm
James Starks was on his way to another 100-yard rushing game before getting knocked out of the game with a knee injury. He had 14 carries for 55 yards in the first half alone.

When Starks left, the only running back left on the roster was Johnathan Franklin. He hadn't played a single snap in the first two games, so no one really knew what he'd bring to the field.

To say his performance was shocking would be quite the understatement. Franklin was brilliant, for the most part, gaining 126 total yards and a touchdown. Of course, Franklin also lost a fumble that resulted in the game-winning touchdown for the Cincinnati Bengals.

However, the overall performance from Franklin has to be very encouraging for the Green Bay Packers moving forward. Combining his breakout game with the play of Starks and Eddie Lacy, the Packers now have a three-headed monster in the ground game.

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 23, 2013, 06:55:35 pm
Key Players: B.J. Raji, Ryan Pickett, Mike Daniels, Datone Jones, Johnny Jolly

The defensive line of the Green Bay Packers had one of the better days compared to the rest of the units.

They only gave up 82 rushing yards on 24 carries from the Cincinnati Bengals. While they were impressive against the run, they were even better a getting pressure on the quarterback. Mike Daniels is the only defensive lineman with a sack credited to his name, but the entire unit did a great job in this aspect of the game.

They were also key contributors in creating some of the Bengals' three lost fumbles in the game. This unit has played well in each of the weeks, and they continued that streak in Week 3.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 23, 2013, 06:59:43 pm
Key Players: Mason Crosby, Tim Masthay, Jeremy Ross

Let's just get Jeremy Ross out of the way before we move onto Mason Crosby and Tim Masthay. The first kickoff that Ross touched he fumbled, giving the ball to the Cincinnati Bengals inside the 5-yard line of the Green Bay Packers.

This isn't the first time that Ross has made a horrible play on special teams. While he hasn't had a turnover like this one, he has made numerous poor decisions regarding returns. It'd be a surprise if he remained the main kick and punt returner for the rest of the season.

Outside of Ross, the rest of the Packers special teams had a great game. Crosby hit all three of his field-goal attempts, and Masthay didn't make any major mistakes. In fact, all three of Masthay's punts put the Bengals inside their own 20-yard line.

Had Ross not made such a monstrous mistake, this unit would have had a much better grade.

 

And ---Ross is gone.  Enough is enough.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 23, 2013, 07:05:44 pm
The Packers rattled Dalton for much of the first 30 minutes, but the pressure mostly dried up without Matthews in the game. A more comfortable Bengals quarterback then went to work. Overall, 168 of Dalton's 235 passing yards came after Matthews exited.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 23, 2013, 07:08:29 pm
In fact, the bye should give a majority of the currently injured Packers a legitimate chance to play in Week 5 against Detroit.

Burnett has been close to returning, and Hayward has always recovered from his hamstring injury within three to four weeks. They could be expected to make their 2013 debuts versus the Lions.

Lacy and Kuhn were long shots to play Sunday, and eventually, both were deemed inactive. But neither should miss time moving forward.

The timeline for Finley's recovery will be hard to nail down until more details are known, and Starks' knee issue is still mostly a mystery. Finley would seem to have a good chance to get ready for a game 14 days down the road.

Just as importantly, the Packers will be allowed two weeks to heal mentally.

The early scheduled pitted Green Bay against three 2012 playoff teams, and the scar from Sunday's loss should permeate through the much-needed break. This should be a fresh and motivated football team after the bye.

The Packers certainly didn't bank on opening 2013 with two losses. But this team still hung tough with two heavyweights on the road (49ers, Bengals) and obliterated the Washington Redskins at home.

Maybe a healthy Packers team beats San Francisco and Cincinnati. Maybe not.

Regardless, the laundry list of injuries—which has had a major factor in each game—will finally be given a chance to heal up over the bye. The Packers will need to be at full strength to once again qualify for the postseason after their disheartening start to the season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 23, 2013, 07:15:29 pm
What happens when you and your coach get into a disagreement? How do you get past it for the day?
“We are both passionate about the game and competitive. We want to win very badly. I went over and talked to him after that and we got on the same page. We needed to talk, we did and we moved on.”

(Rodgers.)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 23, 2013, 07:17:33 pm
How did you come out of this physically? It looked like Michael Johnson got your knee one time. Did you make amends afterwards?
“Yeah, we made amends. He said he didn’t mean anything by it and I trust him. We have a week off and we have to get some guys healthy. We have to get Morgan (Burnett) back, John (Kuhn) if we can, Jermichael (Finley) hopefully he will be back. And James (Starks) and Eddie (Lacy), hopefully they will be back. We have some injuries, we need to get guys back and see what we can do at full strength.”

When the schedule came out and you saw you had a week four bye, you probably weren’t real happy. Has your opinion changed after what happened here?

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 24, 2013, 01:26:34 am
Love the excuses....you're 1 and 2 and Rodgers wil lnot last the season with that O-line.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on September 24, 2013, 05:52:32 am
I didn't tune to the game until near the end.  I was ecstatic when in was 14-0 Bengals, and dumbfounded when the next time I saw the score it was 30-14 Pack.  I figured game over.  Then I saw the Bengals had the lead again.  That had to be a sucky loss.  One thing that I did notice when I tuned in, was that the Bengal's defense was that they batted several balls at the line.  May be a way to slow down Rodgers??
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on September 24, 2013, 09:54:00 am
Heard a stat yesterday on the radio...Aaron Rodgers is 5-17 in games decided by 4 points or less.

Not exactly Mr. Clutch...definitely dont want him directing your 4th quarter 2-minute offense...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 24, 2013, 10:08:09 am
One thing that I did notice when I tuned in, was that the Bengal's defense was that they batted several balls at the line.  May be a way to slow down Rodgers??


At the end Rodgers was almost exclusively throwing to the sidelines - nothing down the middle.  The Bengals picked up on this and had both ends Dunlap and Johnson getting into his throwing lane.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 24, 2013, 10:47:51 am
Love the excuses....you're 1 and 2 and Rodgers wil lnot last the season with that O-line.

Truly you are the Bears' version of the Packers' otto.  Rant on dummy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 24, 2013, 10:50:21 am
One thing that I did notice when I tuned in, was that the Bengal's defense was that they batted several balls at the line.  May be a way to slow down Rodgers??


At the end Rodgers was almost exclusively throwing to the sidelines - nothing down the middle.  The Bengals picked up on this and had both ends Dunlap and Johnson getting into his throwing lane.

You have to do this needing a TD with about 2 minutes left.  Then, sidelines are your friend.  The Cinn guys were really good at blocking passes.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 24, 2013, 10:53:17 am
Heard a stat yesterday on the radio...Aaron Rodgers is 5-17 in games decided by 4 points or less.

Not exactly Mr. Clutch...definitely dont want him directing your 4th quarter 2-minute offense...

When you are pitching at a 134 rating it's hard to do much more.  You shouldn't need to rally when you play QB like that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 24, 2013, 11:15:37 am
It's pretty clear why we had two different games.  The Pack is running away with the game with the 30 unanswered points.  Take away Starks (#3 RB), Matthews (MVP LB), Finley (#1 blocking and receiving TE) after they were already missing Bulaga (#1 LT), Casey (starting CB who had 6 ints last year),  Burnett (#1 Safety and brains of the DB) and it became too much to handle.  The fumble by a rookie RB on the drive to ice the game that ended up as a TD return for Cinn with only a few minutes left was just too much to overcome.

Shall we blame that failure to rally back on Rodgers?

So many times near the end of games Rodgers scores a go ahead TD to win the game with only minutes left, only to  have the defense crumble and give up the losing score.  Blame Rodgers?  If the Pack had the Bears defense in some of those games they would have been in the Pack's win column instead of a loss.

The defense is beginning to come back.  If we just had those 8 guys playing instead of injured --- oh, well --- you don't want to hear that.

Those injured players will be back and there are 13 season games still to play.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 24, 2013, 12:04:38 pm
Packers vs. Andy Dalton, With and Without Clay Matthews

 Passing Yards TDs
With Matthews 67 0
Without Matthews 168 2

Source: ESPN
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on September 24, 2013, 12:54:12 pm
Bears game was similar - 1st 2 1/2 quarters dominated by Bengals - Last 1 1/2 quarter dominated by Bears
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 24, 2013, 05:19:13 pm
Green Bay start of 2012.  Looks kinda familiar:

1 Sep 9 LOSS   49ers 30 Packers 22 GAME DAY

2 Sep 13 WIN   Bears 10 Packers 23 GAME DAY

3 Sep 24 LOSS AT   Packers 12 Seahawks 14
 
Game number 3 was kind of freaky like this year's number 3.  That's the game with the hail mary interception.  I felt about as bad after that loss. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 24, 2013, 05:25:02 pm

You got to expect that the Bear fans here are going to take every chance they can to kick the Packers when they are down.

We all know by the end of the season the Packers will be preparing for the playoffs...I dunno...maybe they'll get the 2nd wild card spot or something.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 24, 2013, 05:49:06 pm
I think Bears fans on this board have been fair in these discussions.  It IS a very big rivalry.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 24, 2013, 06:28:58 pm
(http://www.packers.com/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/article_images/2013/09-september/130923-ross-300.jpg)

Bye, bye, Jeremy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 25, 2013, 10:26:24 am
Kaepernick and the 49ers have done nothing since shredding the Peckers D.

Peckers stink because of the O line....and the defense.

Defense has given up 29.3 points a game....ouch. 404 total yards a game. Peckers turn the ball over a lot as well.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on September 25, 2013, 02:46:40 pm
Then why is it that The Green Bay Packers are better than the bears?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 25, 2013, 05:32:45 pm
From B/R:

You are what your record says you are, and Green Bay shouldn't feel entitled to any sympathy points. Every team deals with injuries of a certain magnitude on a week-to-week basis, but it's entirely possible the Packers would be sitting pretty at 3-0 without a number of untimely absences.

Morgan Burnett and Casey Hayward, two of the most important cogs in the Packers secondary, have missed three weeks because of hamstring injuries. Green Bay was torched for 404 passing yards in its Week 1 loss and has now allowed the fifth-most yards through the air this season.

Just how important are Burnett and Hayward? In 2012, when both players appeared in 16 games, the Packers allowed a 76.4 passer rating to opposing quarterbacks (fourth in NFL). With the pair out this season, Green Bay's defense is 29th in the NFL at 113.7. The absence of the two playmakers has certainly been a big reason for the 37.3-point drop off...


Somewhat lost in Green Bay's 1-2 start has been the lack of production from starting outside linebacker Nick Perry.

According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Perry has been given a team-high 82 pass-rushing snaps this season. However, those opportunities have resulted in just four quarterback hurries, and he's currently dead last among 3-4 outside linebackers in PFF's pass-rushing productivity stat...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 25, 2013, 05:42:39 pm
Otto'd how is 3rd place looking? We BEAT Cincinnati.

You will be 2 1/2 games out of first after Sunday.

I love the excuse from a team that gives up 29.3 points a game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 25, 2013, 06:01:13 pm
Per a league source, Iloka was fined $15,000 for the hit applied to the head of Packers tight end Jermichael Finley when Finley was in a defenseless posture.  Finley suffered a concussion on the play; no flag was thrown.

More about the lousy officiating last game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 25, 2013, 06:14:40 pm
According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Perry has been given a team-high 82 pass-rushing snaps this season. However, those opportunities have resulted in just four quarterback hurries, and he's currently dead last among 3-4 outside linebackers in PFF's pass-rushing productivity stat...

And some of us preferred Perry over McClellin...maybe both of our teams should have taken the other guy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 25, 2013, 07:05:50 pm
I truly believe you are right.  I thought Thompson would have drafted  McClellin if he had been available.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 26, 2013, 02:41:12 pm
McClellin doens't appear to have the drive or mottor to suceed. My guess is in two years he's pumping gas somewhere. NFL = not for long....you can only go so long on potential.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 26, 2013, 02:59:30 pm
He showed talent as LB in college.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 26, 2013, 03:21:36 pm
McClellin doens't appear to have the drive or mottor to suceed. My guess is in two years he's pumping gas somewhere. NFL = not for long....you can only go so long on potential.

I think its more that he's over-matched physically.

And did you notice our DEs continuously try to go through the offensive tackle rather than outside or inside.  Come on guys - mix it up.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 26, 2013, 03:44:45 pm
The Packers try out B.J. Hill and Orwin Smith for the vacancy at kick returner.


Well this is hardly surprising.

Two days after cutting ties with receiver/kick returner Jeremy Ross, the Packers have brought in two potential replacements for workouts. Those players, defensive back B.J. Hill of the Green Bay Blizzard and former Georgia Tech running back Orwin Smith, each possess substantial kick return experience.

Hill's workout is perhaps the most interesting as it demonstrates GM Ted Thompson's willingness to look in unconventional places for football players. Hill is a four year veteran of the Indoor Football League, playing his college ball at Ball State. In 13 games, he amassed four return touchdowns and 695 return yards at a 23.2 clip.

While Smith hasn't been quite as prolific, he's produced fairly well in college. At Georgia Tech, he averaged 21.2 yards per return for a career total of 1613 yards. Additionally, Smith can double as a reserve running back in case some or all of Eddie Lacy, James Starks, and Johnathan Franklin are unable to play in future weeks.

At press, it does not appear that the Packers have signed either player. Regardless, this is the strongest indication yet that come week 5, the Packers' kick returner will be someone not currently on the roster.

Jason Hirschhorn covers the Green Bay Packers for Acme Packing Co. He has previously written for Lombardi Ave, College Hoops Net, LiveBall Sports, and the List Universe. He is also currently a senior writer for Beats Per Minute, an indie-music webzine. Follow him on Twitter: @JBHirschhorn
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 26, 2013, 04:14:01 pm
Green Bay — Back in his college days at Colorado, David Bakhtiari's coaches had a saying called FIDO. And it had nothing to do with dogs.

"My coaches had the same saying," said Bakhtiari, the Green Bay Packers rookie left tackle. "It was 'FIDO,' which was '(Bleep) It, Drive On.' Just forget about it and make sure you move on. Don't let the previous play affect the next series."

That will be the challenge Bakhtiari and the Packers face following a stunning 34-30 loss to Cincinnati. Green Bay led, 30-14, late in the third quarter, only to see the Bengals finish the game with 20 consecutive points.

Bakhtiari has certainly showed through the first three games that he can be a quality player.

Bakhtiari, a fourth-round draft choice in April, became the starting left tackle when Bryan Bulaga suffered a torn ACL in early August. But Green Bay hasn't missed a beat with Bakhtiari, who won't turn 22 until next week.

Bakhtiari had the ultimate baptism by fire in Week 1, when San Francisco sent defensive end Justin Smith and outside linebacker Aldon Smith his way. Bakhtiari allowed 1½ sacks and five pressures but battled throughout and didn't force the Packers to adjust their offensive game plan.

Then in Week 2, Bakhtiari was terrific against Washington. Bakhtiari was fluid in space, strong against the run and did his part as the Packers accumulated 580 total yards.

"I like the way David Bakhtiari is playing," coach Mike McCarthy said last week. "I never really put him on a schedule. It's great he's been able to step in and take advantage of his opportunity. I think when his opportunity came it really helped him because he was able to get a full training camp to prepare. He's off to a good start."...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 27, 2013, 11:54:41 am
Love it "Terrific against Washington" hahahaha! who isn't!

Ohio State can beat Washington.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 27, 2013, 08:53:38 pm
Michael from Milwaukee, WI

What did you think of Troy Aikman’s and Joe Buck’s call of the game on Sunday?

I watched the tape of it yesterday and found nothing in it that so much as hinted at bias for or against either team. In the old days, you could sense a little favoritism in an interconference game for the visiting team, which represented the conference of the televising network. I didn’t even sense that. I found their call to be by the book and right down the middle. I prefer a little more edge, which is why I like Cris Collinsworth. Buck and Aikman were very solid, but tame.

I agree.  I like them.</b
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 27, 2013, 09:04:17 pm
Jason from Syracuse, NY

Vic, I just read Gil Brandt’s rant on the possibility of the Packers being paper tigers. Maybe he isn’t seeing the same games I’ve been seeing. Unreliable running game?

I would call it an emerging running game. I see the Packers as a team in transition. I see them building a strong running game and defense. Change doesn’t happen overnight, and it can be awkward. If this all comes together later in the season, as I envision it happening, look out.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 27, 2013, 09:06:00 pm
Jacob from Eau Claire, WI
If the NFL is worried about player safety, then why is it that in the past two games we have lost players due to injury from head-to-head hits, and there have been zero penalties given on either one of those hits?

It’s because the officials can’t see everything. The official nearest to the Jermichael Finley play has to determine if Finley maintained control of the ball through contact with the ground. How can he watch for something else, too? What have I been saying for three years in this column? The rulebook is too thick. This week, Mike Pereira said it. Our expectations of the officials are unfair and unrealistic
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 27, 2013, 09:16:49 pm
Adam from Wausau, WI

If you were to take a survey of every NFL fan for every NFL team and asked them if they would rather have Aaron Rodgers as their starting QB or keep their current QB, how many teams do you believe would take Aaron?

I don’t know what the fans would say, but I think every team in the league but one would trade their guy for Aaron Rodgers. The lone exception would be the Colts, because Andrew Luck appears to be headed for the same level of play and he’s six
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 27, 2013, 09:20:12 pm
Elliot from Chicago, IL

In the one-on-one with Bakhtiari, he quotes Orakpo saying during the Redskins game, “I like you. You keep battling. I like this battle.” Having played football, I enjoyed the battle as well and often wonder if the fans that aren’t as attuned to this confrontation have never played before. Thoughts?

Football isn’t for everyone, and that’s a shame because it’s difficult to understand and fully appreciate the real charm of the game if you haven’t played it and experienced the human confrontation. The feeling that goes with leaving the huddle knowing you’re going to get the ball, or the ball will be thrown to you, or you have to make the block on fourth-and-goal to win the game, is like no other feeling I’ve ever experienced. You don’t have to play the game at the professional or collegiate level to appreciate it. To play it at any level is to have played it at all levels, because it is that human confrontation that is the foundation on which the game is built. Beat your man! Nothing, in my opinion, represents that confrontation more dramatically than runner vs. tackler.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 27, 2013, 09:23:00 pm
Duane from Newnan, GA

Just finished reading your interview with David Bakhtiari. He seems like a very level-headed and motivated young man. Do you see him being the man that protects the blindside for years to come?

He has the kind of quirky, edgy personality you want in an offensive lineman, and he has the feet to be a left tackle. He can become one of Ted Thompson’s best-ever draft picks. We’ll see.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 27, 2013, 09:28:07 pm
Craig from Vancouver, WA

The Packers have been inconsistent, at best, running with zone blocking. Why don’t more teams, including the Packers, go back to power-blocking schemes where there are designed holes?

It’s because there aren’t a lot of John Hannahs and Anthony Munozes in the draft. Lineman that have the power to drive block and the feet to pass block are rare. Protecting your quarterback is a line’s top priority, so teams tend to draft more for movement than power. The zone-blocking scheme favors linemen built for movement. In time, I believe the league will ban cut blocking. When that happens, the zone-blocking scheme of today will have to evolve into something else.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 27, 2013, 09:31:50 pm
Rick from Kenosha, WI

Vic, just wanted to thank you for the answer you gave on Thursday. It was the one about human confrontation and playing the game of football. I enjoyed your answer so much it inspired me to send it to my son. He’s a freshman running back at Concordia College.

Nothing is more exhilarating than hearing in the huddle a play called that will put the ball in your hands. The field is full of players and the stands are full of fans, but there is only one ball and it’s going to be placed into your hands, and for the few seconds you’re carrying that ball, you’re the most important person in the place. That’s the human drama that makes football the great game it is.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 30, 2013, 07:00:39 pm
When Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy exchanged heated words on the sideline during a loss on Sunday to the Cincinnati Bengals, it made former Packers center and current ESPN analyst Jeff Saturday almost prophetic.

In an interview with The Herd’s Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio shortly before the start of the NFL season back on Aug. 26, Saturday explained the difference between elite NFL quarterbacks Rodgers and Peyton Manning, both of whom Saturday played with.

“Playing with both Payton and Aaron, I think the situation is, with McCarthy he still kind of holds the keys to the offense a little bit more there in Green Bay,” said Saturday.

Cowherd followed up by asking, “Does (Rodgers) resent that?”

“I think as he progresses, he will begin to,” said Saturday. “If he doesn’t right now, he will begin to.”

What we know about the situation on Sunday is that the spat occurred at about 6:36 left in the second quarter. The Packers had just been held to a field goal, despite driving to the Bengals’ one-yard line, still trailing Cincinnati 14-13.

The drive began deep in enemy territory at the Bengals’ 21-yard line, following a fumble forced by Clay Matthews and recovered by Brad Jones.

In a matter of plays, the Packers faced first-and-goal from the five-yard line. After an incomplete pass and a two-yard run by James Starks, they faced third-and-goal from the three.

The call was a play-action fake to Starks while Rodgers rolled out toward the right sideline. He looked for recently-cut receiver Jeremy Ross, who was covered, and Rodgers was forced to scramble on his own.

The Packers quarterback was hit on the helmet by a Bengals defender as he was pushed out of bounds a yard short of the end zone.

When asked after the game what the argument with McCarthy was about, Rodgers declined to answer, but McCarthy shed some light into the disagreement.

“I think any time you get into a situation where there’s a change in rhythm and personnel and play calls, things like that, it’s frustrating,” said McCarthy in his post-game press conference. “I had called a play in a certain situation and he was frustrated by it. I feel good. One every three weeks would be awesome.”

The Packers came into the Sunday’s contest short-handed in the backfield with Eddie Lacy and John Kuhn both inactive due to injury. And earlier in the game, tight end Jermichael Finley was forced to exit because of a concussion.

It almost goes without saying that the Packers offense sputtered on Sunday. As pointed out by Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Packers’ average starting position on six first-half drives was the 50-yard line, and they came away with only three field goals.

During his weekly radio show on Monday on ESPN Radio affiliates in Wisconsin, Rodgers chalked up the confrontation to competitiveness.

“Yeah, that was definitely over and done with after we talked on the sideline,” Rodgers said on his Tuesdays with Aaron show. “Mike and I have been together for a long time and had a lot of success together, a lot of big wins, a lot of fun on the field, in the meeting room, conversing during the weeks, and there’s a lot of mutual respect there and a lot of competitiveness and passion on both sides, and every now and then that passion collides and it’s something we talked about later and move forward together.”

Frustration was a common theme on Rodgers’ radio show, something Saturday alluded to even before the season started.

“I think at times you get frustrated,” said Saturday. “When you’re in that role, you have a lot of other people chiming in, whether it be other players or other coaches that you have to manage when you’re the quarterback.”

Added Saturday, “Once you’re the caliber player that Aaron is, you want full command of the system. And you want to do it, and you feel you know what’s going to be best for your team.”

Brian Carriveau is the author of the book “It’s Just a Game: Big League Drama in Small Town America,” and editor of Cheesehead TV’s “Pro Football Draft Preview.” To contact Brian, email carriveau@uwalumni.com.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on September 30, 2013, 08:27:08 pm
I suppose getting torched for 40 is a great thing....right beerbelly.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on October 01, 2013, 01:49:36 pm
otto'd - how is last place looking? You'll get tourched by the Lions in Detoilet as well.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 02, 2013, 02:52:06 pm
You mean the lions team that has NOT won a game in Green Bay since 1991?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on October 02, 2013, 03:13:14 pm
nobody beats GB in January nobody!
I'm beginning to think the Lions are finally for real.
The really bad part is much of their talent is pretty young.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on October 03, 2013, 06:14:56 am
Until anyone beats Green Bay, they are the team to beat in the division
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on October 03, 2013, 09:10:39 am
Grizz, I agree. It seems they can start slow but by playoff time they are in the hunt and will give anyone a run for their money.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on October 03, 2013, 11:55:45 am

I was hoping that I wouldn't have to be rooting for Green Bay this weekend...arguments can be made on either side.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 03, 2013, 07:17:23 pm
Coming from Ian Rapaport via Twitter this weekend, Silver cites several General Managers whom he spoke with, as saying the Packers - a team with their own backup quarterback issues in the preseason - could be an "intriguing option" for Freeman.

Obviously, Silver isn't actually reporting anything here, but it does pose an interesting scenario. On one hand, Freeman could likely be had dirt cheap and at one time he was a pretty decent quarterback. On the other, doing so would likely mean trading a draft pick, and frankly, I think the odds of finding photos online of Ted Thompson passed out next to a bottle of Jack are better than him giving up a pick.

That said, it's at least fun to think about Freeman in McCarthy's quarterback school for a year. And if it's one thing Thompson does extraordinarily well, it's finding value. If it only takes a 6th-round pick to acquire Freeman and you think you can turn him into a 2nd-round pick later on, then who knows. The biggest hurdle however, would be that Freeman's in a contract year, meaning a team trading for him would have to sign him beyond this year, or risk losing a draft pick for a short-term rental of Freeman. The trade deadline is October 29th, so there's still plenty of time for teams to consider if that risk is worth it. For the Packers though, I think we can safely file this one under "an interesting idea, but yeah, it'll never happen."

Probably not?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 03, 2013, 07:20:11 pm
 


Week 2 Inactives

⚙  + 
 
posted by Michael Herndon on Sep 15, 2013
LINK
 nfl.com


Sadly, Burnett is out again. Also according to NFL.com: Josh Boyd Lane Taylor C.J. Wilson Casey Hayward Nate Palmer Oh and brace yourselves: Fan favorite Jarrett Bush!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 03, 2013, 07:24:21 pm
Packers assistant raves about Josh Freeman

Posted by Darin Gantt on October 3, 2013, 6:01 PM EDT

Josh Freeman, Robert HughesAP
The Packers might not necessarily be interested in former Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman, though they have shuffled through backup quarterbacks all offseason.

But one of their assistants is convinced Freeman is going to be effective again, wherever he lands.

Packers running backs coach Alex Van Pelt was Freeman’s position coach in Tampa Bay in 2010 and 2011, and said “No doubt” when asked whether Freeman could still be an NFL starter.

“I loved Josh,” Van Pelt said, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. “Josh and I had a good working relationship. He was nothing but a pro when I was there with him. He was never late for meetings. We actually had 6:30 [a.m.] quarterback meetings; we were an hour before anybody else, and I never had an issue or anything like that. He did everything that I asked him to do.

“He was a great teammate, watched him work around the other guys and had a lot of respect for him. I don’t know what happened, but I know the guy that I was there with I really enjoyed being with.”

That’s a far different narrative than is being advanced in Tampa right now, and indicative of the fact the guy’s going to get another shot. Regardless his poor play this year, he’s been productive before. And given the scarcity at the position, guys who were first round picks and have been productive before get many, many chances to fail.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 04, 2013, 07:47:31 pm


Posted Oct 3, 2013

  Mike Spofford packers.com staff writer

GREEN BAY—Clay Matthews is good to go.

“Yes, I plan to play,” Matthews said on Thursday, after being a full participant in the Packers’ padded practice. “I’ll be out there this Sunday. It’s feeling good.”

“It,” of course, is Matthews’ hamstring, which has been strained to one degree or another in each of his five seasons in the NFL. The latest recurrence came in the second quarter in Cincinnati two weeks ago, forcing Matthews to sit out the second half.

Unlike last year, however, when the injury was much worse and kept Matthews out of four games, it appears he won’t miss a full game this time. Head Coach Mike McCarthy said he’s “optimistic” Matthews can play as he follows the plan the medical staff set up for him.

Matthews said that pulling himself off the field and talking to the doctors immediately when he didn’t feel right in Cincinnati was key, along with what he termed a “fortuitous” bye week.

“I’ve become a lot smarter,” Matthews said. “Obviously, a younger Clay might have pressed the issue and hurt himself even more.”

Unfortunately, his absence against the Bengals likely cost the Packers a victory. Matthews forced two of four straight turnovers in the first half that helped the Packers climb out of a 14-0 hole, but the takeaways dried up in the second half and Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton caught fire without Matthews’ steady pressure.

With Matthews out, Dalton completed 13 of 15 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns – a 152.9 passer rating – in the second half as the Bengals rallied from a 30-14 deficit...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 04, 2013, 08:07:04 pm
Imagine what happens when he stops using HGH?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 07, 2013, 07:31:41 pm
Injury update: Brad Jones left the game with a hamstring injury, and he was replaced by Robert Francois, who later tore his Achilles tendon. Jamari Lattimore then replaced Francois.

Matthews also left with a thumb injury, sustained on his sack on the final play of the third quarter.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 07, 2013, 08:16:45 pm
The Packers coaching staff on Monday awarded five games balls to players for their performances in the 22-9 victory over the Lions at Lambeau Field.

On offense, guards T.J. Lang and Josh Sitton were awarded game balls for their blocking against Detroit DTs Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley.

On defense, outside linebackers Nick Perry and Mike Neal were the recipients. Perry had the first two-sack game of his career, while Neal added a sack and two other tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

On special teams, kicker Mason Crosby was awarded a game ball for his 5-for-5 effort on field goals. Crosby made kicks from 26, 52, 31, 42 and 45 yards, tying the franchise record for made field goals in a game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 07, 2013, 08:17:49 pm
LB  Neal: next man up.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 07, 2013, 08:24:33 pm

- Today’s paid attendance was 78,200. It was the 313th consecutive sellout (295 regular season, 18 playoffs) at Lambeau Field and the largest crowd in stadium history.

- The Packers posted 449 yards of total offense, their seventh consecutive game with at least 385 yards of offense. That is the longest since a seven-game stretch in 2011 (Weeks 1-7).

- Green Bay’s yardage output on Sunday brought its season total to 1,813 yards, a franchise record for the first four games of the season (previous high was 1,717 yards in 2011).

- The Packers registered 180 rushing yards as a team, their third straight game with at least 135 rushing yards. That is the first time Green Bay has accomplished that feat since Weeks 13-15 of 2006.

- It also marked the first time Green Bay posted back-to-back 180-yard rushing games since it posted four consecutive games with 180-plus rushing yards in 2003 (Weeks 9-12).

- With 275 passing yards today, QB Aaron Rodgers brought his season total to 1,331 passing yards. That is the most by a Green Bay QB in the first four games of the season, with Rodgers holding the previous mark (1,325 in 2011).

- WR Randall Cobb’s 67-yard run in the third quarter was the longest run by a Packer since RB Brandon Jackson’s 71-yarder at Washington on Oct. 10, 2010. It was the longest by a Green Bay wide receiver since James Lofton’s 83-yard TD run at the N.Y. Giants on Sept. 20, 1982.

- WR James Jones’ 83-yard TD catch in the third quarter was the longest reception of his career. His previous career long was a 79-yard TD grab at Denver on Oct. 29, 2007.

- With Cobb’s 67-yard run and Jones’ 83-yard catch, the Packers became the first NFL team to register a 65-yard run and an 80-yard pass in the same game since the Los Angeles Raiders did so vs. Cincinnati on Nov. 5, 1989 (Bo Jackson, 92-yard run; Willie Gault, 82-yard catch).

- LB Clay Matthews registered a 12-yard sack of QB Matthew Stafford in the third quarter. He has recorded at least one sack in five of six career games against the Lions.

- K Mason Crosby tied the single-game franchise record with five field goals. Chris Jacke did so twice (at L.A. Raiders, Nov, 11, 1990; vs. San Francisco, Oct. 14, 1996) and Ryan Longwell did so once (at Arizona, Sept. 24, 2000).

- Crosby has made all nine field goal attempts this season and has made 13 straight in the regular season dating back to 2012. His streak of 13 consecutive field goals made is tied for the sixth-longest streak in franchise history.
dummy calls all the time and you’ve got Donny (Barclay) and David (Bakhtiari) who have been really consistent.”

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 07, 2013, 08:30:43 pm
(http://www.packers.com/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/article_images/2013/10-october/131007-nixon-300.jpg)



The Green Bay Packers have signed CB James Nixon to the active roster from the practice squad and placed LB Robert Francois (Achilles) on injured reserve. The transactions were announced Monday by Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations Ted Thompson.

Nixon, a 6-foot, 186-pound first-year player out of California University (Pa.), has been a member of the Packers’ practice squad for all four games this season and was also on Green Bay’s practice squad for the final 14 regular-season games and both playoff contests in 2012. He originally entered the NFL as a non-drafted free agent with the Arizona Cardinals in May 2012.

ANOTHER CB. Where do they all come from?
 

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 07, 2013, 08:31:43 pm
TDpack
• 4 hours ago  △ ▽

I hope the young guy makes an impact on our punt and/or kickoff return team.He runs a 4.3 40 time, so speed isn't an issue. Go Pack!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 07, 2013, 08:48:28 pm
(http://media.jrn.com/images/660*491/b99114191z.1_20131006235816_000_g8d2rcs5.1-1.jpg)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on October 08, 2013, 05:18:03 am
I wonder if Matthews has a similar injury to Urlacher?  I know a thumb is different than a wrist, but perhaps the bone is critical in having life time use of the thumb.  I seem to remember Bryan Cox breaking a thumb and missing the last 12 games of the season, and I was like, "a thumb"?

We shall see...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on October 08, 2013, 02:53:12 pm
NFL network on sirius radio is saying Mathews out 8 weeks
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on October 08, 2013, 03:31:20 pm
The ONE guy kills the Bears OUT!!!! Poor Mathews....get hair cut and take more roids.

Peckers beat the Detoilet team minus Megatron....kinda like if the Peckers lost Aaron Rodgers. Peckers still suck.

And Suh is held in the photo above....of course no call in GB.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on October 08, 2013, 03:35:21 pm
8 Weeks?  Yesterday they were saying a month.

Well that definitely puts him out for the Bears game at Lambeau.  If it had only been a month it would have been close and depending on the divisional standings at the time they probably would have done everything possible to have him ready to go for that one.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 08, 2013, 08:11:40 pm
The ONE guy kills the Bears OUT!!!! Poor Mathews....get hair cut and take more roids.

Peckers beat the Detoilet team minus Megatron....kinda like if the Peckers lost Aaron Rodgers. Peckers still suck.

And Suh is held in the photo above....of course no call in GB.


Not a hold, based on that photo.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 08, 2013, 08:23:07 pm
In the next set of game grades, APC takes a look at how Pro Football Focus graded the Packers victory over the Lions


The Green Bay Packers got a much-needed, in-division victory Sunday over the Detroit Lions, 22-9.

The win turned out to be a costly one for the Packers as they lost back-up inside linebacker and special teams stud Robert Francois for the season to a ruptured achilles. Francois came in for the injured starter, Brad Jones, who left the game after tweaking is already tender hamstring. It's unknown if Jones will miss any time with the injury.

The worst injury news came from star outside linebacker Clay Matthews. Matthews broke his thumb on Lions' quarterback Matthew Stafford's arm as he hit the quarterback late in the third quarter. Matthews had surgery on this thumb earlier this morning and is expected to miss at least a month, possibly more.

Aside from more injuries, the Packers performed well on Sunday, in particular, the defense stymied the Lions all day.

Lets take a look at how Pro Football Focus graded the Packers' win.

Offensive Winners

Aaron Rodgers

Rodgers finished with the best grade of any Packers' player Sunday (+ 4.1) and had a nice bounce-back performance following arguably his worst performance as a pro against the Cincinnati Bengals in week three.

Although the numbers weren't there for the Rodgers, 20-30 for 274 yards and a touchdown, he made enough plays for the Packers to cement the victory late in the second half. Rodgers is No. 5 in the NFL in quarterback rating at 105.5 and with nine touchdowns to just three interceptions, Rodgers is on pace for another big season.

Josh Sitton

Left guard Josh Sitton put together his third straight solid performance grading out as the second highest player on the offensive side of the ball (+ 2.4). Besides a hiccup against the San Francisco 49ers, Sitton has made the transition to left guard from right guard seamlessly.

Sitton didn't allow a single sack, quarterback hurry or pressure the entire game Sunday — his pass blocking performance against the very stout Lions' front four was very impressive. As long as Rodgers is the quarterback in Green Bay, keeping him upright is the offensive line's No. 1 job and Sitton has done a great job of that early in the season.

Jordy Nelson

Nearly every week Jordy Nelson has made a catch that leaves us in awe of his ballerina-like foot work on the sidelines — he did it again Sunday.

Nelson finished the game tied with Sitton for the second-highest offensive grade given out (+2.4). He caught five passes for 82 yards in the victory Sunday.

It appears Nelson is back to his 2011 form, which is bad news for any defense in the NFL. In 2011 he caught 63 passes for 1,263 yards and seven touchdowns, he is on pace to match those numbers in 2013.

Offensive Losers

Don Barclay

Barclay has been solid for the Packers thus far in 2013, but he continues to struggle in the run game. Barclay's overall grade of (-2.5) was the worst offensive grade given out to the Packers against the Lions and his (-2.4) grade in the running game was one of the worst in that category all season.

To his defense, Barclay did a good job in pass protection giving up only three quarterback hurries on the day and he didn't allow Rodgers to be touched all game long.

With Rodgers at quarterback you'd rather have your linemen be stout in the pass blocking game opposed to the run game. Barclay is still a very young right tackle and will improve in the running game, given time to develop, Barclay could be a very good right tackle in the NFL.

Johnathan Franklin

After an exciting pro debut against the Bengals in week three where he rushed for 103 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown to go along with three catches for 23 yards — Franklin regressed considerably this week.

He carried just three times for one yard Sunday, and once again fumbled, thankfully for Franklin, Rodgers was able to fall on the ball to keep possession.

It appears early in his career that Franklin has a bit of problem with ball protection. Nothing will get you in the dog house of Mike McCarthy quicker than not protecting the football. Franklin's grade of (-2.2) was the second worst grade on the offensive side of the ball given out Sunday.

Defensive Winners

Mike Neal

Mike Neal continues to be a pleasant surprise for the Packers' defense in 2013. His move to outside linebacker at first was laughable, but now it's appears to be plain genius by the coaching staff. Neal has been a terror on defense and is finally living up to all hype that surrounded him when he was drafted.

Neal graded out the highest of any Packers' player on either side of the ball with a grade of (+4.6). Neal's play count has continued to grow as his performance has continued to improve on a week-to-week basis — this week he played 46 downs.

Neal finished the game with one sack, five quarterback hurries, three solo tackles and an assisted tackle.

Nick Perry

I've been waiting along time to put Perry on this list. Perry played the best game of his professional career on Sunday and was very fun to watch while doing so. He finished the game with a grade of (+3.2) the second highest defensive grade given out.

Perry has underperformed for much of his career and a performance like this may get him on the right track. He finished the game with two sacks and four solo tackles. With Matthews out for at least a month, Perry will need to play more consistently for the Packers to the weather storm without Matthews.

Defensive Losers

A.J. Hawk

While there weren't many defensive losers for the Packers Sunday after a very good defensive performance, one that stood out was A.J. Hawk. Hawk continues to prove why he wasn't worthy of a top-five draft choice back in 2006. Hawk is an average, at best, middle/inside linebacker in the NFL. In eight NFL seasons Hawk has been a relative non-factor for any Packers' defense.

Sunday, Hawk had his worst performance of the season grading out as the worst Packers' defensive player with a grade of (- 2.6). Hawk was bad in run defense (-1.2) although he had seven tackles, he got locked up with Lions' blockers on numerous occasions and failed to make a play.

In pass coverage he was targeted seven times and allowed six catches for 68 yards — Stafford had a quarterback rating of 107.1 when targeting Hawk on Sunday.

There you have it, the final grades from the bible of statistical analysis, Pro Football Focus. Keep it here at APC as we break down the big Packers' win further and preview their non-conference showdown with the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

With Neal and Perry stepping up the loss of Matthews may be tolerable at the LB position.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 08, 2013, 08:24:56 pm
I'm still waiting for the highly touted Datone Jones to make a move up.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 08, 2013, 08:28:49 pm
Raiders Cut Matt Flynn - Should Packers Bring Him Back to Green Bay?

Thompson says "no".
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on October 09, 2013, 07:57:13 am
I feel like if Flynn had anything that Philbin would have tried hard to get him in Miami.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on October 09, 2013, 03:08:22 pm
Flynn looked good with the Peckers that one game because of the peckers WRs and TE + who they were playing. Most backup QBs get exposed once they're starters.....little bit different boots to fill. Most popular guy in Chicago every year is the backup QB until he has to actually lead the team.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 09, 2013, 03:48:34 pm
Mat Flynn threw for 480 yards and four Touchdowns at New England against Tom Brady. Plus almost winning the game...


I'd be more worried about the bears lousy defense and bad QB with a head case WR.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on October 09, 2013, 03:53:14 pm
I don't remember Tom Brady playing defense.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 09, 2013, 04:07:25 pm
Isn't the best defense a good offense....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 09, 2013, 06:54:07 pm
Mat Flynn threw for 480 yards and four Touchdowns at New England against Tom Brady. Plus almost winning the game...


I'd be more worried about the bears lousy defense and bad QB with a head case WR.

Six TDs.
 
On January 1, 2012, Matt Flynn started the final game of the season. He threw for 480 yards and 6 touchdowns against the Detroit Lions,  The six TDs and 480 yards are a GB record.
 
Brady was not playing defense nor offense.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 09, 2013, 06:55:03 pm
ICYM last night. Clay matthews injury Called a Bennett fracture. Thumb needed to be stabilized w pins as it ... http://m.tmi.me/1ajDIZ

Probably 4 weeks+.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 09, 2013, 07:20:53 pm
Just last week, Packers quarterbacks coach Ben McAdoo said Wallace’s 10 years in the NFL and his experience in a similar offense during his time with the Seattle Seahawks have made him a good fit.

“He’s been around the block,” McAdoo said. “This isn’t his first rodeo. He’s an experienced guy; he’s a smart guy. He knows his role, and he’s a good team player.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 09, 2013, 07:29:37 pm
Color Confusion Forces NFL to Say Goodbye to Pink Flags
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 09, 2013, 07:57:25 pm
Posted by Josh Alper on October 9, 2013, 3:49 PM EDT

Brad JonesAP
Clay Matthews won’t be the only member of the Packers linebacking corps on the sideline for Sunday’s game against the Ravens.

Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that coach Mike McCarthy said that the team has ruled out linebacker Brad Jones as well. Jones is suffering from a hamstring injury and McCarthy said there was no reason to think that he’d be out of the lineup for an extended period of time. Jones has started all four games for the Packers this year and has recorded 29 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble.


Crap!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on October 09, 2013, 10:03:57 pm
Color Confusion Forces NFL to Say Goodbye to Pink Flags

Good...I have no problem with pink (although I think they have gone WAY overboard) but not for essential parts of the game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on October 10, 2013, 06:01:14 am
Packy - Similar fracture to Bryan Cox many moons ago...

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1683&dat=19961105&id=ZzUqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AC4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=1894,9016952

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1996-10-30/sports/9610300019_1_thumb-bears-middle-linebacker-bryan-cox

I think it depends on what they find once they are in there.  Hard to believe a thumb can knock you out for the season, but it might...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 10, 2013, 07:20:13 pm
MM says when he returns he will need to wear a cast for awhile. ??  Still out 4 weeks or so.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 11, 2013, 07:23:41 pm

Most Disappointing Player: Datone Jones, DE

Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports 

We briefly touched on rookie Datone Jones earlier, but now let's break down why he's been the most disappointing player for the Green Bay Packers this year.

For starters, Jones has only played 73-of-266 possible snaps through four games. During those snaps, Jones has been unable to make much of an impact. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) currently gives him a grade of negative-5.6. If Jones played enough snaps to qualify, he'd currently be graded out as the second-worst 3-4 defensive end with his grade.

That's simply not a good sign for a first-round pick. Many expected Jones to compete for Defensive Rookie of the Year, and he isn't even close to doing that.

This is why he's been the most disappointing player of the season so far.

I never would have guessed this.  Good thing that Thompson made some good seledctions in the later rounds. 















G


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 11, 2013, 08:11:15 pm
McCarthy talks Hayward, Sherrod, other injuries
 Posted by Mike Spofford on  October 10, 2013 – 4:48 pm 


Packers CB Casey Hayward, who has yet to play this season due to a hamstring injury, was back on the practice field on Thursday in full pads for the second straight week. He was a limited participant.

After returning to practice last Thursday, Hayward experienced soreness and was held out of practice for a full week, and Mike McCarthy was pleased with the progress he saw.

“I thought he looked good today. He was bouncing around, had a smile on his face,” McCarthy said. “I think he’s getting close. His exam tomorrow will be important. Last week, he was very sore, so he wasn’t ready. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.”

This is the first week that Hayward hasn’t been ruled “out” for the game on the injury report. That doesn’t mean he’ll play this week, but it’s a sign he’s on track to return soon, barring any setbacks...

Finally, T Derek Sherrod is getting ready to come off the PUP list. McCarthy didn’t confirm that he will come off the list next week, when he and the rest of the PUP players are first eligible, but he does expect Sherrod to be able to play this season.

Sherrod, the Packers’ 2011 first-round draft pick, broke multiple bones in his lower leg in Week 15 of 2011 at Kansas City and missed all of last season, plus all of training camp this past summer. McCarthy felt that when the regular season started, he could see Sherrod getting closer to returning to the field.

“I really felt at the end of training camp his workouts went to a different level,” McCarthy said. “He’s in excellent shape. He’s obviously a lot stronger than he was this time last year. As I’ve stated, it was a very, very serious injury. He needed the extra time. He looks good. He’s champing at the bit.

“The next hurdle is he needs to get in pads, and once he gets over that hurdle, I think he’ll be ready to go.”

Man, I hope that Hayward is finally ready.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 11, 2013, 08:15:54 pm
Mason Crosby named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week
 Posted by Mike Spofford on  October 9, 2013 – 9:54 am 

Packers K Mason Crosby has been named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week following his 5-for-5 day on field goals last Sunday vs. Detroit.

Hardly any Packer fans expected Crosby to survive 2013.  That's why MM is HC and not the fans.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on October 12, 2013, 06:16:07 am
It's nice that Crosby got the honor, but do you feel 100% confident that he makes those kicks with the game on the line?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 12, 2013, 05:43:57 pm
Not 100% but quite confident this season.  He is on a streak.

I have always admired Gould as one of the best kickers in the league and dread to see him on the field against the Pack.  I hope that you, as a Bears fan, appreciate his consistency.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 12, 2013, 05:44:16 pm
Adam from Long Beach, CA

Has it been your experience that a team that suffers multiple minor injuries at the beginning of the season ends up mostly healthy by the end, or do those injuries tend to emerge again come Week 14?

It’s been my experience that teams that can weather the storm of injuries early get healthy late and that makes them a hot team for the playoffs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 12, 2013, 06:02:14 pm
Packers Injury Report: Hayward Ruled Out Yet Again for Ravens

Crap!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 12, 2013, 06:02:59 pm
Player Position Injury Status
Andy Mulumba Outside Linebacker Ankle Probable
Ryan Pickett Defensive Tackle Hand Probable
Jarrett Bush Cornerback Hamstring Questionable
Casey Hayward Cornerback Hamstring Out
Brad Jones Inside Linebacker Hamstring Out
Clay Matthews Outside Linebacker Thumb Out
James Starks Running Back Knee Out
Greg Van Roten Offensive Lineman Foot Out
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on October 13, 2013, 06:31:50 am
Not 100% but quite confident this season.  He is on a streak.

I have always admired Gould as one of the best kickers in the league and dread to see him on the field against the Pack.  I hope that you, as a Bears fan, appreciate his consistency.

Absolutely!  It is one of the few edges we have had against most teams, including the Pack. 

Now don't get me started on your quarterback string, let's see, since 1992 you have had Favre and Rodgers.  Quarterback position, check   >:( :'(
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on October 13, 2013, 07:19:06 am
on your rookie DE PR, how many 3-4 DE's are impact players? They aren't ones that usually fill up the stat sheets.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 13, 2013, 07:21:59 pm
The ideal design is for the 3 man line to clog up everything and keep the 4 LBs free to make a play.  It's a thankless job and it takes a tough selfless player to fill that role, especially the NT.  They are a difficult commodity to obtain.  If they can't make a play, knock the pass down.

I think that after adding Jolly they have an accomplished group with adequate rotational players.  Det and Balt, with good RBs, were very frustrated.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 13, 2013, 07:42:09 pm
The Packers lost a promising wide receiver prospect today, as he was signed by another team.

Hey everybody: do you remember how excited we all were about the Green Bay Packers drafting wide receiver Charles Johnson in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL Draft? Johnson was raw, but we were all convinced that he had the size and speed to turn into a good receiver for the Packers in time.

Unfortunately, it appears that those hopes need to be put to rest, as Johnson is now a member of the Cleveland Browns.

Crap.  Wish we had him, now.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 13, 2013, 07:52:20 pm
The Green Bay Packers have been ravaged by injuries this year, but none may be as big as the injury to Randall Cobb in Week 6 against the Baltimore Ravens.

Cobb eventually made his way back to the field, but it was in the worst possible way as Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com reported:



With James Jones already out earlier in the game to a leg injury, Cobb's injury put the Packers in an extremely difficult position. While the severity of Cobb's injury is still unknown, it was easy to see from the play that this wasn't an injury that would keep Cobb out for only a few days.

Again, crap.  A winning game but still sad day.  Continuing losses to offense and defense.  These losses are becoming a lead anchor for the team.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 13, 2013, 07:57:30 pm
To succeed you need to win the ugly games when everything is going against you, and I guess the Packers did, but it's a very uncomfortable feeling.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 13, 2013, 08:01:56 pm
As the defense continued losing players to injury during the game it became "next man up" like 2010 and, fortunately the next men up played pretty well.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 13, 2013, 09:38:07 pm
Two games and a total of 2 TDs.  What in hell is happening?

Ten FG attempts and 9 completions.  That's OK.

Thanks for the Defense. and Lacey's running and Crosby's kicking.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 13, 2013, 09:44:00 pm
   
The biggest takeaway from Green Bay's game on Sunday was that the Packers can't stay healthy.
 Patrick McDermott/Getty Images 

A 19-17 win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 6 now gives the Green Bay Packers a two-game winning streak. The Packers won an ugly game for the second straight week, but even the ugliest of wins are still wins.

The Packers now have a winning record for the first time this year with a record of 3-2. While they're certainly excited about this, there wasn't much else to be excited about from this game.

From injuries to mental mistakes and everything in between, there were plenty of negative takeaways from this game to go along with the obvious positive ones.

*All statistics courtesy of NFL.com.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 13, 2013, 09:49:29 pm
Final analysis for the Green Bay Packers

Pass Offense: After struggling in the first half, despite losing Randall Cobb and James Jones, Aaron Rodgers found his groove through the air. Hitting wide receiver Jordy Nelson for a huge 64-yard touchdown reception opened things up for Green Bay's passing game.

Run Offense: With injuries to wide receivers Randall Cobb and James Jones, the Packers relied on Eddie Lacy to run the football. Racking up 120 yards on 23 carries, Lacy's work on the ground was a huge reason why Green Bay defeated Baltimore.

Pass Defense: Although Joe Flacco’s stats looked good on paper, Green Bay’s pass defense had a good day in Baltimore. Allowing star wide receiver Torrey Smith to haul in just a single reception, the Packers were able to slow down this Ravens offense enough to win the game.

Run Defense: It was one heck of a performance from this Green Bay run defense. Holding the Ravens to just 50 yards on the ground, the Packers controlled the line of scrimmage from the opening whistle.

Special Teams: It wasn't a good day for Green Bay's special teams unit. Highlighted by fullback John Kuhn mishandling a blocked punt, special teams looks like it’s going to be an area of concern for this Packers team.

Coaching: With Aaron Rodgers under constant pressure, Mike McCarthy made some great second-half adjustments, giving his quarterback more time in the pocket. Rodgers responded with a strong second half that included a 64-yard touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 13, 2013, 09:49:49 pm
Packrat I am going to say right now as a Bears fan who despises the Packers that if they keep on winning even after losing the guys they lost today I have nothing but respect for them.

They took over that game after being down to two receivers.  That is good coaching and deep talent.

Losing Cobb and James Jones is huge.  Now Rodgers only has Finley and Nelson which is still better then what half the league has on offense.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on October 13, 2013, 09:51:30 pm

They took over that game after being down to two receivers.  That is good coaching and deep talent.


Horrible defensive back play on that Nelson TD helped as well
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 13, 2013, 09:54:21 pm

There Were Plenty of Mistakes, Too
 
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports


Injuries were a big part of the Green Bay Packers struggles, but there were also a handful of mistakes that had a negative impact on this game.

For starters, there were too many drops from the Packers receivers this week. It wasn't just the usual suspects either; all the Packers receivers had difficulties this week. Jordy Nelson, Jarrett Boykin and James Jones all had drops in this game.

Then there was the bonehead play from John Kuhn in the first half. On a blocked punt by the Packers, Kuhn went to pick up the ball to run instead of leaving it alone. He failed to pick it up, the Baltimore Ravens recovered and since Kuhn touched the ball, the Ravens got possession back.

Finally, Jermichael Finley made a mistake by going out of bounds late in the fourth quarter after a huge gain. While it ultimately didn't matter by the end of the game, it was still a mental mistake that shouldn't have been made.

These types of mistakes simply can't continue to happen if the Packers want to be successful for the rest of the year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 13, 2013, 10:08:13 pm
Early reports indicate that Packers' wide receiver Randall Cobb might have avoided a major injury.

Keep in mind that nothing's official. The Packers aren't likely to an indication one way or the other until mid-week at the earliest.

However, perhaps Packers fans can breathe a sigh of relief.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Randall Cobb's injury isn't believed to be as bad as originally feared.



This development meshes with the postgame comments made by Jordy Nelson.


"We're always worried when someone goes out. As far as I know, it's not possibly as bad as it could have been. So, hopefully that stays the course. We'll find out more this week and hopefully it's a quick recovery."

Even if Cobb avoided a major injury, it's still unlikely he'll be ready to suit up for next week's game against the Browns. The Packers have probably already contacted Myles White, the Packers' lone practice squad receiver. The team might have also been interested in Charles Johnson, but the Browns signed him earlier this week.

Regardless, hopefully the MRI reveals that Cobb's injury is minor and he'll be healthy again soon.

Jason Hirschhorn covers the Green Bay Packers for Acme Packing Co.

Whew!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 14, 2013, 01:32:06 pm
beerbelly overheard at the bar.

Quote
Love it "Terrific against Washington" hahahaha! who isn't!

Ohio State can beat Washington.



Ya, but can a defenseless Chicago?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on October 14, 2013, 07:00:48 pm
Chicago Tribune reporting Cobb out 6-8 weeks w/ broken fibula
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 14, 2013, 07:59:18 pm
Notebook: Hawk shines with Matthews, Jones sidelined

Charged to direct a defense and pass rush playing without Clay Matthews (thumb), Hawk led the unit to five sacks, 10 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and one recovery. The Ravens’ running back combination of Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce managed only 43 yards on 20 carries.

“A.J. made us right. That’s the best way to put it,” Packers defensive lineman Mike Daniels said. “He showed why he is A.J. Hawk. It’s an honor to play with him.”

Hawk often has been criticized for not making enough plays during his time in Green Bay, but his calling card has been durability. He’s missed only two games over 115 regular-season contests.

On Sunday, he was the play-maker the defense needed, matching his sack output for the entire 2012 season in four quarters.

The seas parted on the first two, both in the first half, with some of the credit going to Ryan Pickett, B.J. Raji and a Packers defensive front that enabled him a clear look at Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, who steered the Ravens to only two third-down conversions on 14 attempts.

The way Hawk played rubbed off on his teammates. Lattimore filled Jones’ void nicely after playing eight defensive snaps all last season.

Pack needed  him to play at a high level Sunday and he really showed up.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 14, 2013, 08:03:52 pm
Thumbs up

The Packers have a bona fide, legitimate running game for the first time in the better part of a decade. Eddie Lacy set the tone against a rugged Ravens defensive front by gaining 10 and 37 yards on the first two plays of the game. He finished with 23 rushes for 120 yards (5.2-yard average). The Packers have produced an individual who has rushed for 99 yards or more in four consecutive games. “We’re making ourselves two-dimensional,” said Lacy of the offense. “To come in and run the ball as good as we did against such a physical defense, it goes a long way.” Lacy was quick to credit his blockers for his success. “The offensive line had a great game today,” he said. “It was a grind — both blocking and running the football, but we kept the same mindset, just kept pushing and pushing.”...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on October 15, 2013, 11:01:48 am
AJ Hawk blows and everyone knows it.

You knew John Harabaugh not kicking the field goal on 4th and 1 would blow up in his face and it did. Cost him the game.

Ravens O decided not to play for three quarters.....pass on Peckers D....look what happens!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 15, 2013, 04:40:37 pm
AJ Hawk would be the best LB on the bears and is playing now at a Pro-Bowl level.

But you have your crappy team to defend...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on October 15, 2013, 06:59:51 pm
The only way AJ Hawk gets to a Pro Bowl is if he buys a ticket
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 15, 2013, 07:23:58 pm
LOL! Keys, that is 100% correct.  The guy had one good game and Otto thinks he is better then every Bears LBer?

He just doubled up on the Roids and took Matthews share that week.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 15, 2013, 07:48:59 pm
AJ Hawk blows and everyone knows it.

You knew John Harabaugh not kicking the field goal on 4th and 1 would blow up in his face and it did. Cost him the game.

Ravens O decided not to play for three quarters.....pass on Peckers D....look what happens!

Did not.  GB took a knee at the end and could have kicked a FG to win, anyway.  Can't spin this one, Beer belly.  No how, now way.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 15, 2013, 07:51:16 pm
The only way AJ Hawk gets to a Pro Bowl is if he buys a ticket

I have to agree, Keys.  GB really needed that great game from him to win Sunday, though.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 15, 2013, 08:04:08 pm
Rumor now is that Nick  Perry is injured.  Is there no end to the football gods' wrath?

Also a rumor that TE Jake Stoneburner has been elevated from PS to the roster.  If so, is that the answer to replacing Cobb?

Cobb is on IR - return list.

Betcha if Finley dosen't play better he will be gone in 2014.  He was mostly absent Sunday.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 15, 2013, 08:16:29 pm
For those in need of a quick refresher, Perry has enjoyed his two greatest games as a pro these past two weeks against Detroit and Baltimore. Not only that, but he's the Packers' fill-in for Clay Matthews who's recovering from thumb surgery.

Accounting for these injuries plus those to Brad Jones and Robert Francois, the Packers will be without four of the linebackers they starting the season with when they play the Browns this Sunday.

Needless to say, there isn't much depth left for Green Bay at linebacker. The Packers will lean heavily on Mike Neal while giving an increased workload for rookies Andy Mulumba and Nate Palmer. Barring an acquisition, the Packers cannot afford an injury to another pass rusher, and it's not as though Neal has been the picture of health during his career...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 15, 2013, 08:34:42 pm
The Packers appear to be ready to bolster their receiving corps from within by adding a second practice squad player to the 53-man roster.

In one afternoon, we are seeing reports about two practice squad players being promoted onto the Green Bay Packers' active roster. First, we learned about tight end Jake Stoneburner's promotion from his own twitter account, and now we finally have word on wide receiver Myles White being the second.

Leslie Spoon of WFRV (CBS 5) in Green Bay just tweeted this report:

As with Stoneburner, we do not have any more information on which player will be released in White's place, so we'll have to speculate in the short term. It seems feasible to that one of the moves would be to place Randall Cobb on the Injured Reserve/Designated for Return list, which would keep him out for a minimum of eight weeks. The other roster spot could then come from the release of a recently-added player like running back Michael Hill or cornerback James Nixon, or by placing offensive lineman Greg Van Roten on injured reserve as well.

With White, Jordy Nelson, and Jarrett Boykin, the Packers have three healthy receivers ready to go for Sunday with James Jones still a possibility to play. They would also likely go into the game with five tight ends thanks to Stoneburner's addition.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 15, 2013, 08:43:45 pm
Stoneburner has also retweeted several of his former Ohio State teammates congratulating him on his promotion. So while no news has been announced by the Packers as yet, it seems clear that Stoneburner is getting called up.

It is important to note, however, that Stoneburner played wide receiver for his final year at Ohio State, and was most definitely looked at as a receiving tight end rather than a blocker. He could be split out wide in multiple-receiver formations, and has a big frame that will be a challenge for smaller cornerbacks to defend.

When there is a corresponding move to open up a spot on the 53-man roster, we will bring it to you as soon as possible.

UPDATE: We have confirmation from ESPN's Rob Demovsky that Stoneburner has indeed been promoted.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 15, 2013, 08:49:10 pm
The Packers also placed guard Greg Van Roten on season-ending injured reserve.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 15, 2013, 08:52:27 pm
Posted by Darin Gantt on October 15, 2013, 5:01 PM EDT

Daryl Washington, Tavarres KingAP
Tavarres King was going to be on a 53-man roster with one of the best quarterbacks in the league this week, one way or another.

He decided staying put was worth it.

According to Mike Klis of the Denver Post, the Broncos will waive linebacker Adrian Robinson to clear a roster spot to promote King from the practice squad.

The Packers, running short on wideouts at the moment because of Randall Cobb’s injury, were trying to sign King and that forced the Broncos hand.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on October 16, 2013, 02:51:08 pm
Boykin was great comedy on Sunday....what the hell is that guy doing in the NFL? Not an NFL receiver....good comedy havig him on the Peckers.

AJ Hawk will be invisible the rest of the year....much like his career.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 16, 2013, 04:05:33 pm
When the Browns put quarterback Brian Hoyer on injured reserve with a torn ACL, they replaced him on the roster by signing wide receiver Charles Johnson off the Packers practice squad.
 
But because Browns, it couldn’t be that simple.
 
According to Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram, the Browns discovered Johnson had a torn ACL when they gave him a physical, so they’re now placing him on the non-football injury list. He was signed last Saturday, but was inactive for Sunday’s game with the Lions.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on October 16, 2013, 05:09:09 pm
More injured Peckers? hahaahahaha...eve the practice squad guys.

That Boykin guy cracks me up....stone hands.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 16, 2013, 09:53:05 pm
When the Browns put quarterback Brian Hoyer on injured reserve with a torn ACL, they replaced him on the roster by signing wide receiver Charles Johnson off the Packers practice squad.
 
But because Browns, it couldn’t be that simple.
 
According to Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram, the Browns discovered Johnson had a torn ACL when they gave him a physical, so they’re now placing him on the non-football injury list. He was signed last Saturday, but was inactive for Sunday’s game with the Lions.


Good catch, Peke.  I hadn't heard that. 

In actuality, I think the Pack had really liked Myles White ( the player they finally signed from the PS), anyway.  At least he was more highly praised during pre-season.

I'm sure they wish they hadn't lost Johnson, though.

Also, Stoneburner (6-3, 249) had been  a WR at OSU his first 3 years and was only converted to TE when OSU had an incompetent QB Stoneburner's senior season.  McCarthy will certainly be working on his blocking, etc before next season.

He was drafted as receiving type of TE and would fit the same style as Finley.  Look for Finley to be gone next season.  Too inconsistent in his play.  Here today, absent tomorrow.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 17, 2013, 01:05:10 pm
Finley
isn't going anywhere next year. They just signed him to a multi-year deal.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on October 17, 2013, 01:56:18 pm
Finley
isn't going anywhere next year. They just signed him to a multi-year deal.

Wow.  You are soo missinformed...

Unless he just signed an extension today...


Fast start key for Finley’s contract status

 September, 13, 2013
Sep 13
 
5:45
 
PM ET
 
By Rob Demovsky | ESPN.com
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GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Green Bay Packers don’t have to make decisions on any of their free agents for months, but general manager Ted Thompson likely has begun prioritizing the players he plans to re-sign.
 



Finley That’s why in tight end Jermichael Finley’s mind, he knows he needs a fast start.
 
In the final year of the two-year, $14 million deal that will pay him $8.25 million this season -- the fourth-highest 2013 cash total on the team -- Finley probably can’t afford the kind of start to a season he had last year if he wants a contract extension before he hits free agency.
 
It wasn’t until the second half of last season that Finley even convinced the Packers to pay his $3 million roster bonus this past March and bring him back for the final year of his deal. After sputtering through the first nine games of 2012, Finley caught 32 passes for 396 yards over the final seven games of the regular season to set a franchise record for tight ends with 61 receptions.
 
The 26-year-old, sixth-year veteran is off to a much better start this year with five catches for 56 yards and a touchdown in the season opener at San Francisco last Sunday. However, it was his dropped pass that led to Aaron Rodgers’ lone interception in the 34-28 loss to the 49ers.
 
“A good start is important,” Finley said. “It’s a business, and it’s strictly business at that. Ted takes no prisoners, and I’m going to go out and earn every bit of my money, and that’s what I want to do now. I don’t want anything given.”
 
The Packers almost always do a couple of contract extensions during the season. They didn’t do any during training camp, and their last one was the four-year, $24.75 million contract signed by safety Morgan Burnett in mid-July.
 
Finley said on Friday that the Packers have not initiated any contract talks with him.
 
“You’ve been here long enough, you know they try not to let you finish off the last season [of your contract],” Finley said. “But other than that, I’m not worried about it. If that foundation is set early in the year, and I start building on top of that, everything else will take care of itself.”
 
The Packers have a long list of players who will be free agents after the season. Among those in the final year of their contract include the following starters: receiver James Jones, center Evan Dietrich-Smith, fullback John Kuhn, cornerback Sam Shields and their entire starting defensive line in Week 1 -- B.J. Raji, Ryan Pickett and Johnny Jolly.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on October 17, 2013, 01:57:27 pm
2 hours ago in a sit down one on one the question was asked:

Q. Do you want to stay with the Packers?

http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-1/One-on-One-with-Jermichael-Finley/abe75ed4-96d2-4439-8300-31366de338a1?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=one-on-one-with-jermichael-finley
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 17, 2013, 07:38:35 pm
Finley
isn't going anywhere next year. They just signed him to a multi-year deal.

Not only are you politics ignorant you don't even know your own team.  This is his contract year.    He will likely be gone in 2014.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on October 17, 2013, 08:55:11 pm
You don't think Otto actually puts any thought into any of his posts on any topic do you?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 18, 2013, 04:13:45 pm
No more than he does in his spelling and grammar.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 18, 2013, 04:28:09 pm
Posted by Darin Gantt on October 18, 2013, 4:39 PM EDT

Chris HarperAP
If you’re going to get fired by a pair of teams and play for a third in the first two months of your pro career, you could do a lot worse than following the Chris Harper plan.

According to Bill Williamson of ESPN.com, the rookie wide receiver was claimed off waivers by the Packers today.

That gives the Packers some reinforcement at a thin position, with Randall Cobb and James Jones injured (Jones is questionable, Cobb’s on injured reserve/designated for return). They were down to three healthy wideouts before Harper’s addition: Jordy Nelson, Jarrett Boykin and Myles White.

For Harper, it keeps him playing for good teams. He was a fourth-round pick of the Seahawks before being released in final cuts and claimed by the 49ers. But he was inactive for all six games with San Francisco.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 18, 2013, 04:31:41 pm
James Jones, Mike Neal, Casey Hayward all questionable for Sunday

3/4 of the starting LB corps.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 18, 2013, 08:08:48 pm

Punt returns now belong to Micah Hyde

Posted Oct 17, 2013

  Mike Spofford packers.com staff writer




Mike McCarthy compares the Iowa rookie’s natural ball-handling skills to Charles Woodson’s


GREEN BAY—For all the talk in training camp about replacing Randall Cobb on punt returns, the Packers have found their man at the same time it became a necessity.

Cobb’s injury aside, rookie Micah Hyde may have locked down the job on his own this past week in Baltimore.
What a relief.  Next man up.  Great bargain in the draft.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 18, 2013, 08:28:23 pm
Derek Sherrod, Casey Hayward both practicing
Posted by Mike Spofford on  October 16, 2013 – 5:29 pm 


T Derek Sherrod participated in practice for the first time this season on Wednesday, which begins a three-week window during which he can practice without being on the 53-man roster.

T Derek Sherrod
T Derek Sherrod

Sherrod was placed on reserve/physically unable to perform toward the end of training camp, the second straight camp he missed while rehabbing a leg in which he broke multiple bones back in Week 15 of 2011in Kansas City.

That’s the last time Sherrod was in pads, and he’ll put the pads back on Thursday for the first time in 22 months as he continues what has been a long road back.

“It will be great to see that,” Head Coach Mike McCarthy said.

The process will remain gradual, however.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 18, 2013, 08:40:58 pm
Posted by Darin Gantt on October 18, 2013, 5:25 PM EDT

Miami Dolphins v Cleveland BrownsGetty Images
The Browns appear ready to give Tori Gurley a chance to play one of his many former teams.

According to the league’s transaction wire, the Browns have promoted Gurley and cornerback Julian Posey from the practice squad, and waived running back Bobby Rainey.

Browns sign still another former Packer.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 18, 2013, 08:43:36 pm
Packers claim Chris Harper off waivers from 49ers

Posted by Darin Gantt on October 18, 2013, 4:39 PM EDT

Chris HarperAP
If you’re going to get fired by a pair of teams and play for a third in the first two months of your pro career, you could do a lot worse than following the Chris Harper plan.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 18, 2013, 09:01:38 pm
The Packers depth chart says that Mike Neal and Andy Mulumba will take over the two vacated starting spots. Neal has been a pleasant surprise following his position switch from 3-4 defensive end to outside linebacker, and Mulumba has held his own over a handful of snaps despite entering the NFL as an undrafted rookie. 

However, Capers likely can't count on the duo to generate consistent edge pressure without the aid of blitzes.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 18, 2013, 09:53:25 pm
Tom from Konigs Wusterhausen, Germany

I believe David Bakhtiari is the real deal. Do you?

He’s the best rookie left tackle I’ve covered since Tony Boselli, who is the best tackle I’ve ever covered.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 18, 2013, 09:53:43 pm
Dan from Houston, TX

Vic, do you think Boykin will get a lot of opportunities this weekend?

I think Jarrett Boykin’s role and prominence on this team are about to increase dramatically.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 19, 2013, 07:35:53 pm
e thought that with the additions of Myles White and Jake Stoneburner to the active roster from the practice squad earlier this week, the Green Bay Packers would likely be done adding receivers for the time being. Nonetheless, on Thursday we suggested a few options for the Packers to consider if they were to continue looking for help at receiver. Well, the Packers have apparently added another player, but one who was off our radar because he was on an active roster until just recently.

Bill Williamson of ESPN brings us this news:

 
#49ers According to source WR Chris Harper claimed by #Packers
— Bill Williamson (@BWilliamsonESPN) October 18, 2013


Well that's interesting. Harper is a very interesting speed/size prospect at the receiver position. He is listed at 6'1" and 229 pounds, so he has the body type of a receiver/tight end hybrid. The thing that sets that apart, though, is that he ran a 4.50 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine and a 4.45 at his Pro Day.

Harper was waived by the 49ers yesterday in a move that many speculate is a space-clearing move for a defensive lineman. He was a 4th-round draft pick this spring by the Seattle Seahawks, but he was released on the final cut-down day and San Francisco signed him to the active roster immediately thereafter, reportedly with the intent of making him into a tight end.

Harper started his collegiate career at Oregon playing quarterback, but he was more of an all-purpose weapon during his freshman year in 2008 - he completed 4 of 9 passes for 40 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions, but he also ran the ball 35 times for 137 yards and two scores as well as caught 9 balls for 122 yards and two more touchdowns.

After his freshman season, Harper transferred to Kansas State, where he redshirted in 2009 and was converted to receiver. In three years at K-State, Harper racked up 122 catches for 1,725 yards and 12 touchdowns, with his best season coming as a senior. He was not active for the 49ers for any game in 2013.

Harper will almost certainly be inactive for Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns, but is an intriguing physical specimen for the Packers moving forward. Considering that the Packers typically like their tight ends 6'3" or taller, it seems likely that he will be in the team's plans at wideout instead.

UPDATE: It is probably no surprise, but the Packers have waived rookie running back Michael Hill to make room for Harper. Hill is still eligible for the practice squad if he clears waivers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 19, 2013, 07:39:22 pm
t this point it is no guarantee that the Green Bay Packers will be able to field 46 players for Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns, but there's a chance that they could end up with a full roster. After today's practice, we learned more about the status of several key Packers.

By now, we all know that starting outside linebackers Clay Matthews and Nick Perry are out, as is wide receiver Randall Cobb. We now also know that inside linebacker Brad Jones, who did not practice this week, has been ruled out as well. Jamari Lattimore will start in his place.

Unfortunately, another veteran linebacker, Mike Neal, has been held out of practice all week with a shoulder injury, and he was not practicing on Friday. Unlike Jones, however, the team has ruled him questionable for Sunday's game.

James Jones is in a similar situation to Neal's, as the receiver did not see the practice field this week but is questionable. Mike McCarthy said of both Jones and Neal that they are "ready to go mentally" and that the team will take another look at them on Sunday morning to decide whether they can play.

Cornerback Casey Hayward is also questionable for Sunday, but he was limited in practice all week. Hayward's return would certainly open up more options for the Packers in their defensive sub packages, but even if he does play it seems likely that he would be on a limited snap count to ease him back in.

Helping the odds that the questionable Packers will play is the fact that Sunday's game is a 3:25 PM Central kickoff. That means that they will get more time on Sunday morning to work with the trainers than they would for a noon kickoff. Hopefully that extra rehab and preparation time will be enough to get them ready to play in the afternoon.

The full Packers' injury report is here:

Player Position Injury Game Status
Jarrett Bush CB Hamstring Questionable
Casey Hayward CB Hamstring Questionable
James Jones WR Knee Questionable
Mike Neal OLB Shoulder Questionable
Brad Jones ILB Hamstring Out
Clay Matthews OLB Thumb Out
Nick Perry OLB Foot Out
James Starks RB Knee Out
Ryan Taylor TE Knee Out

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 19, 2013, 07:46:42 pm
his Sunday, the depleted Packers hope to survive a visit from the 3-3 Cleveland Browns. Chris Pokorny of Dawgs By Nature was kind enough to answer some questions about the Browns and provide some insight into their strengths and weaknesses.

APC: The Browns have a young roster with a lot of players that are unfamiliar to many fans. Is there a player on Cleveland that Packers fans might not know but who could play an important role this Sunday?


I'll go with starting cornerback Buster Skrine. Joe Haden gets all of the attention in Cleveland (and rightly so), but Skrine has been very good the past several weeks in coverage. Skrine was thought of as a poor starting cornerback because he struggled in that role last year, but defensive coordinator Ray Horton has him playing at a high level. Skrine has been a sound tackler and has batted away a lot of passes without drawing all of the pass interference calls that he had a year ago.
 

Jason Answers Browns Bloggers' Questions
  Check out Dawgs By Nature, the SBNation Browns blog, and see Jason's responses to their questions about the Packers.
APC: Every national pundit declared the Browns' season over and the team in tank mode after the September trade of Trent Richardson to the Colts. Since then, the Browns have won three of their last four games while Richardson has struggled to find his footing with Indianapolis. Are the playoffs a realistic expectation for the Browns, and what do you think of the trade a month later?


When the news first came out, I never thought the Browns were giving up on the season. In fact, I stated that I felt Willis McGahee could perform better (or at the very least, just as well) in the offense in 2013. To this point, I've been right, so I am thrilled that the organization was able to get a "mulligan" of sorts for spending a first round pick on Richardson in 2012.

I would call the playoffs a realistic possibility for the Browns this season, but not an "expectation." The key will be whether Cleveland can win their division games. They played the Ravens close, but defeated the Bengals. The defense is talented and deep enough to beat anyone in the AFC North on any given Sunday, so it will come down to whether Brandon Weeden can make the big throws late in a game. So far, he is basically 0-3 in that department.

APC: Brandon Weeden seemed to have lost the starting QB job to Brian Hoyer during the Browns three game winning streak. That changed when Hoyer tore his ACL against the Bills. How has Weeden played since then, and should he still be viewed as the quarterback of the future for Cleveland?


The thought of Brandon Weeden being the quarterback of the future for Cleveland has pretty much completely evaporated. I don't know if you can find a fan who doesn't think we'll draft a first-round quarterback in 2014.

As far as how Weeden has played, let me add one disclaimer to my assessment: let's remove that ridiculous "flip pass interception" from the equation, so I can describe how he's played besides that play.

Weeden has been the same player he was last year: a guy with a strong arm who can make some great throws if he has time to throw. When teams get any form of pressure, the play is basically a wash, which has particularly hurt the Browns on third down. In other words, Weeden certainly has the ability to make defenses pay; he's not worthless in the least. He just hasn't shown that "it" factor in the fourth quarter, whereas a guy like Brian Hoyer had two fourth quarter moments in his two starts with the team.

APC: The Browns' offense features two dynamic playmakers in Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron. What are the strengths for these players and how can the Packers defend them?


Honestly, Josh Gordon might be one of the top three receivers in the AFC. There really aren't many limitations to the routes he can run - he can stretch the field deep, do post-flags, out routes, dig routes, quick slants, screens, etc, and do it all effectively. He has a good combination of speed, strength, and quickness to go along with good hands.

Jordan Cameron is more of a guy who just makes athletic catches at will, and I don't know if he's dropped a pass all season. I will say this about both players (although it applies to everybody in our offense) - nobody seems to make adjustments to their route if a heavy blitz comes. In other words, if a streak route is called, they will continue with that even if they really should break off their route.

The best way to defend either player is to double team one of them, and then find a way to get pressure in Weeden's face.

APC: This offseason, the Browns added Paul Kruger in free agency and Barkevious Mingo in the draft. Through six weeks, who's contributed more to the defense's success and which should the Packers be more concerned about this Sunday?


It's hard to mention those two without bringing up Jabaal Sheard, who was our best outside linebacker the first couple of games before suffering a knee injury. Sheard was a defensive end in the 4-3 defense last year, and made the transition to a 3-4 outside linebacker this year. The transition went far better than expected, and he looked dominant against both the run and the pass. He is supposed to return to the lineup this week.

While he has been out, Barkevious Mingo has filled in and done an "ok" job. His speed has allowed him to make a lot of high-impact plays. When he isn't making those high-impact plays, though, I think it goes under the radar that he struggles against the run. It'll be nice to see him back in a backup role this week so he can be used more exclusively as a pass rusher.

Kruger started off the season on fire, but seemed to slow down a bit once Sheard went down. Last year, Kruger had the reputation of thriving when Terrell Suggs was opposite him, but struggling when Suggs was injured. I have to wonder if the same situation happened with Sheard this year. In conclusion, I'd be more concerned with Sheard out of the three, but Kruger out of the two new additions.

We'd like to thank Chris and Dawgs By Nature for answering our questions. Be sure to check out our Q&A session over there as well as their fantastic coverage of all things Browns. As always, keep your internet machines tuned to Acme Packing Company this Sunday for our comprehensive game day coverage of Browns vs. Packers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on October 19, 2013, 07:55:08 pm
Packers Suck!  Just needed to remind all this is a Bears board.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 20, 2013, 03:33:19 pm
Finley just signed another long term deal...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 20, 2013, 08:19:49 pm
Great comedy indeed...

beerbelly posts after last weeks GB game...
Quote
Boykin was great comedy on Sunday....what the hell is that guy doing in the NFL? Not an NFL receiver....good comedy havig him on the Peckers.


Boykin was targetted 10 times today and had the following stat line.

J. Boykin   8 rec  103 yards  12.9 ave  1TD  39 long rec
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 20, 2013, 08:25:16 pm
Beerbelly - How did you enjoy Jarrett Boykin's performance today?  Tell us all about it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 20, 2013, 08:30:06 pm
Finley just signed another long term deal...

What else was in your dream?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 20, 2013, 08:32:25 pm
Packrat is it just me or have there been a ridiculous amount of injurys this year across the NFL?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 20, 2013, 08:38:37 pm
Not just you, Peke, and  the Bears and Packers have been hit unusually hard. 

I also agree with you on officiating.  This year has seen some horrific calls.

I remember some of the Bear-Packers blood baths in the old days and the injuries weren't this bad.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 20, 2013, 08:42:30 pm
All over the league teams are losing guys left and right.  It is unreal.

You have to wonder if the new "safety" rules are causing more injurys.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 20, 2013, 08:46:02 pm
The Packers' rookie LBs, Mulumba, Palmer (Illinois State), and Lattimore played very well replacing Matthews, Brad Jones and Perry.  Next man up.

House played a great game.

Packers kept shooting themselves in the foot but still got by.

The offense is the troubling thing. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 20, 2013, 08:46:48 pm
All over the league teams are losing guys left and right.  It is unreal.

You have to wonder if the new "safety" rules are causing more injurys.

I think you may have a point, there.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 20, 2013, 08:59:57 pm
During the fourth quarter of Sunday's game between the Browns and the Packers, Jermichael Finley injured his head or neck on a ten yard catch and run. He looked to have dropped his head to protect himself from an impending hit by Tashaun Gipson, but he took Gipson's shoulder to the top of his helmet and dropped to the turf instantly. Gipson was flagged on the play, and Finley was attended to by the medical staff. He was ultimately carted off the field with his facemask removed.

From the looks of the hit, the exact nature of the injury is unclear. CBS commentator Kevin Harlan noted later in the game that Finley had feeling in all his extremities, so hopefully this means that there will be no long-term damage. Given the Packers' guarded nature when it comes to player injuries, it probably won't be until Monday or Tuesday that the team updates the media on his condition.

Regardless, Finley's injury is another scary reminder of the violent nature of football. Keep your internet machines tuned to Acme Packing Company for the latest news on Finley.

Didn't look intentional to me.  Sad accident.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on October 20, 2013, 09:16:22 pm
Good thing he just got that new long-term deal, right Otto?

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 21, 2013, 02:36:02 pm
dave23

Do you really think the Packers would let him go like packie rat posted a while back?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on October 21, 2013, 05:04:16 pm
From the sound of it, he could be gone permanently anyway. Bad injury.....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 21, 2013, 07:46:18 pm

Quarterback
 

Hi-res-7770030_crop_650
Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports 

Key Player: Aaron Rodgers

Everyone has wanted to talk about how Tom Brady has no receivers this year but has still looked good. Well, Rodgers just went out there and made Jarrett Boykin look like an All-Pro receiver.

To put it as simply as possible, Rodgers is brilliant. His accuracy, arm strength and elite vision were all on display against the Cleveland Browns. He finished the game with 260 yards and three touchdowns and made it look easy.

When Rodgers plays like he did on Sunday, the Green Bay Packers become a nearly unbeatable team.

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 21, 2013, 07:49:48 pm
Finley, Kuhn, Tramon Williams, Pickett and Bulaga are all candidates to be cut after this season.  Move on.  Next man up.
The money will be available to re-sign a big list of players in their contract years.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 21, 2013, 07:53:41 pm
Key Players: Eddie Lacy, Johnathan Franklin

With the Green Bay Packers short on receivers, everyone knew that the ground game would be a big part of the offensive game plan against the Cleveland Browns.

Lacy finished the game with 22 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown. Franklin added another two carries and eight yards. Overall, the ground game did a fantastic job of taking pressure off Aaron Rodgers and the passing game.

Lacy also was a factor as a receiver, finishing the game with five receptions and 26 receiving yards. With a reinvigorated ground game, the Packers truly do have one of the most complete offenses in the league.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 21, 2013, 07:55:08 pm
Key Players: Jordy Nelson, Jarrett Boykin, Myles White

With Randall Cobb and James Jones sidelined for the game, the Green Bay Packers had to rely heavily on previously unused receivers for this game. The result was a solid overall game from No. 1 receiver Nelson and a breakout game for Boykin.

While Nelson only had five catches for 46 yards, he did it against a very talented Joe Haden and also added a touchdown in the game. The big winner in today's game was Boykin. His eight receptions and 103 yards were both good enough to lead the Packers statistically.

If Boykin continues to play like he did this week, the Packers might not even feel the loss of Cobb.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 21, 2013, 07:56:51 pm
Key Players: Don Barclay, David Bakhtiari, Josh Sitton, T.J. Lang, Evan Dietrich-Smith

While the Cleveland Browns don't have the best pass rush in the league, they do have a handful of talented players who can get after the quarterback. However, the Green Bay Packers offensive line held that unit to just one sack for the entire game.

Aaron Rodgers had a clean pocket to throw from for the majority of the game, which is a credit to the offensive line. This unit also was dominant in the ground game, consistently opening up holes for Eddie Lacy.

This unit was supposed to be one of the weakest spots for the Packers this year. That hasn't been the case, and the Packers are winning football games because of it.

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 21, 2013, 08:01:19 pm
Finley's future uncertain.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 21, 2013, 08:14:44 pm
All Mike Daniels does for the Green Bay Packers is make plays.

He was at it again on Sunday with a sack and a number of other big plays. Heading into Sunday's game, Daniels had been graded as the 11th-best 3-4 defensive end in the league, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Unfortunately, Daniels has only played in 144 snaps through Week 6. That simply isn't enough playing time for a player who is clearly making a positive impact every time he is on the field.

Daniels needs more playing time, starting in Week 8.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 21, 2013, 08:19:30 pm
Sorry for not posting this earlier but I am sincerely sorry about Cutler's injury.  The Bears have certainly been cursed by the injury devil.  Cutler is a tough guy who plays with heart and takes a beating without complaining.  Hats off to him and to the Bears fans who are suffering through this brutal season of injuries.  I hate to see it.  Better days are coming and the coaching staff is proving that the future looks bright.  It WILL happen.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 23, 2013, 05:58:56 pm

Says Report

By Evan "Tex" Western  @TexWestern  on Oct 23 2013, 3:25p  6 


 
Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

Sometime in the next few weeks, it looks like the Packers could be getting back a talented, physical player who will immediately contribute on special teams.

Straight from the "great news" file is a story about a Green Bay Packers safety who had neck surgery and is planning to return to football soon. Sean Richardson, who made the team in 2012 as an undrafted free agent out of Vanderbilt University, had a herniated disc in his spine that sidelined him in November of last year.

After having fusion surgery on two vertebrae, Richardson has been trying to return to football all offseason, but has been on the Physically Unable to Perform list so far this regular season. Finally, it looks like that wait may be coming to an end soon, as the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Tom Silverstein reports.
 
This is terrific news for Richardson. He is the Packers' biggest safety and probably their most physical. If he can return to the active roster, he would certainly be able to help out on special teams and might be able to rotate in on defense on occasion as well. With the players at the second safety position being inconsistent alongside Morgan Burnett (http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/108651/morgan-burnett), getting back another capable body to rotate in and out would be a great mid-season addition to the roster.

Been waiting a long time for this talented young Safety ( 6-2, 216> to get back on the roster.  Safety is the Packers' Achilles heel.  If he picks up the system quickly he might be able to replace the much maligned MD Jennings or McMillian as a starter.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 23, 2013, 06:02:52 pm
I believe the scenario is playing out in a way that looks like the injured players will all be back about the time the Pack starts the stretch drive for the play-offs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 23, 2013, 06:06:49 pm
Mike McCarthy addressed the Packers' injuries and the young replacement players in his Wednesday press conference.


Tweet  (6)  Share     Share    25  Comments   


Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy addressed the media on Wednesday afternoon to discuss yet again the team's injury status and the upcoming game against the Minnesota Vikings. Included with his availability was the team's early injury report from Wednesday's practice.

In the preliminary injury update, the Packers spokesperson announced that running back James Starks and inside linebacker Brad Jones returned to practice and were full participants, while Casey Hayward continued to practice fully. Only Clay Matthews has been ruled out for this week's game, however, so several other injured Packers might be able to make it back on the field on Sunday.

Wow.  Casey finally ready to return.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 23, 2013, 06:32:00 pm
Green Bay — Don't be surprised if you see more of Green Bay Packers rookies Chris Banjo and Micah Hyde in the coming weeks.

Defensive coordinator Dom Capers has become a big fan of both and used them considerably in the 31-13 victory over the Cleveland Browns Sunday.

The two rookies got their feet wet filling in for injured players early in the season, but now Capers is carving out time for them because of the advancements they have made both in practice and special teams.

Banjo, who arrived July 29 as a late addition to the training-camp roster, played roughly one-third of the snaps at free safety in place of M.D. Jennings against the Browns. It was his first action since starting in place of injured Morgan Burnett against Cincinnati Sept. 22.


Read more from Journal Sentinel: http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/micah-hyde-chris-banjo-set-for-more-playing-time-b99124920z1-228719141.html#ixzz2iahsQKgl
Follow us: @NewsHub on Twitter
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on October 25, 2013, 07:40:46 am
looks like Favre changed his mind and will be traveling to St. Louis for a workout....


"....after much thought and contemplation, I can't resist the chance to get back out there and compete again...."


http://sports.yahoo.com/news/fisher-wont-discuss-favre-rumors-215641581--nfl.html







j/k, I couldn't resist.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 25, 2013, 11:34:33 am
Changed his mind though, I guess.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 25, 2013, 11:35:23 am
(http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/51/files/2013/10/7697792.jpg)

Jamari Lattimore? From unknown to standout
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 25, 2013, 05:56:23 pm
Ben from Fox Point, WI

How many future head coaches do you think are currently on McCarthy’s coaching staff?

The staff is loaded with future head coaches, but there’s one in particular I’ll mention: Tom Clements. He was in the hunt for two high-profile jobs, Notre Dame and Penn State. Clements fits my ideal of a head coach. He has CEO qualities, and that’s what I think works best, especially in today’s game, which makes so many demands on coaches beyond teaching on the field. Clements has the kind of controlled personality and measured intellect to run a program. Being a head coach is all about guiding a team or a program through stormy seas, because that’s when a coach really defines himself. Coach McCarthy is doing that right now. I think Clements has that same kind of ability. When Notre Dame hired Charlie Weis, they hired a play-caller. Had Notre Dame hired Clements, I think he’d still be their coach today. Hire leaders. They’ll hire the play-callers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 25, 2013, 06:26:37 pm
Frank from Superior, WI

Spinal stenosis is serious business, Vic. My twin brother and I were born with it. Too many stinger-like injuries helped us finally get diagnosed. If I were in Finley’s shoes, I’d be thinking long and hard about what’s important in life. What do you think?

I underwent neck-fusion surgery several years ago, and I’m reminded of it every time I try to eat too quickly. What I’d like readers to know is that these types of injuries usually require time to diagnose because they involve the onset of changes as a result of the injury. A decision on Finley’s future is probably far down the road.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on October 28, 2013, 10:48:54 am
Peckers get to play the Lions without Megatron....and Queens with Ponder in there....what a joke.

I thought Leslie Frazier was Defensive coach....his team is a mess on D. His D constantly let the Peckers receivers catch the ball instead of making a defensivepaly.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 28, 2013, 02:46:23 pm
Andrew from Hickory, NC

How did the Packers do in regards to your five key matchups?

The Packers won four of the five. The defense held Adrian Peterson to 60 yards, David Bakhtiari shut out Jared Allen, Aaron Rodgers torched the Vikings secondary and Packers fans were more enthusiastic and supportive than Vikings fans were. The loss was the Packers kick coverage vs. Cordarrelle Patterson.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 28, 2013, 02:48:31 pm
Mark from Stewartville, MN
Vic, how did the Packers play so well on offense with three of their top receivers out? How can they continue to be that productive?

It’s Rodgers. He fixes everything. He tilts the field. This is one of the most extraordinary seasons I’ve ever covered. I’ve never covered a team that has been as resilient to injury, and I’ve never covered a team that underwent as dramatic and successful an image change as this one has since the end of last season. This is a coaching job for the ages, but it doesn’t happen if Rodgers isn’t the Packers’ quarterback.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 28, 2013, 02:51:05 pm
Lucas from Westboro, WI

Get ready, everyone, it’s close.

Wait for it. You can’t have look out without Clay Matthews and Randall Cobb in the lineup. When they return, look out.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 28, 2013, 03:09:27 pm
Nelson said he isn’t putting any extra pressure on himself to carry the load with so many other receivers down, as Jarrett Boykin and Myles White continue to get more comfortable with more playing time. Boykin and White each had five receptions in the game, for 89 and 35 yards, respectively...

Any comments on Boykin, Beerbelly?  How about White?  Next man up?    Boykin for 89 yards.  Oh, my.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 28, 2013, 03:30:40 pm

Nick Perry returns to practice, has chance to play

Posted Oct 25, 2013

  Mike Spofford packers.com staff writer



Perry is close.  I wonder if he can win his job back.


GREEN BAY—Nick Perry returned to practice on Friday less than two full weeks after injuring his foot in Baltimore, and the outside linebacker has a chance to play on Sunday night in Minnesota.

“Nick was in a very limited role today,” Head Coach Mike McCarthy said. “Didn’t want to overdo it. We’ll see how he feels and hopefully get him ready for Sunday night.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 28, 2013, 03:55:52 pm
At various points in the near future, Green Bay will start adding key pieces back to the winning puzzle.

Cornerback Casey Hayward was active for the first time this season Sunday night. He intercepted a team-high six passes and proved to be one of the game's better slot cornerbacks during his rookie season. He'll now return to a cornerback group that is blessed with three or four starting-caliber cover players plus a promising rookie in Micah Hyde who has played big snaps in his absence.

While Cobb is on short-term injured reserve and not eligible to return for at least six more weeks, Jones is a good bet to play next week when the Chicago Bears visit Lambeau Field. Without either, Jordy Nelson has embraced the challenge of being a true No. 1 receiver. And when combined with the emergence of Boykin, who has 13 catches and 192 receiving yards over the last two weeks, the Packers receiving core can feel relatively confident in surviving until the versatile Cobb returns.

The Packers defense is also close to getting Matthews, Jones and Perry back. Matthews is probably two weeks away, while Jones and Perry might have a chance to play against the Bears.

In their absence, Green Bay has been able to give important starting reps to young linebackers such as Nate Palmer, Jamari Lattimore and Andy Mulumba. While Dom Capers has needed to get more creative in his blitz calls to create pressure, the Packers defense hasn't taken a step back, despite three starters being robbed from the linebacker group...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 28, 2013, 09:24:37 pm
(http://cmsimg.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=U0&Date=20131016&Category=PKR0101&ArtNo=131016022&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0&Packers-add-familiar-face-practice-squad)

The Green Bay Packers signed wide receiver Tyrone Walker to their practice squad, the team announced today.

Walker is a 5-foot-10, 191-pound rookie out of Illinois State who signed with Green Bay as an undrafted free agent in May. He spent training camp with the Packers, catching 11 passes for 86 yards in four preseason games, before being cut.


Walker, who was on the Seattle Seahawks’ practice squad for one game this season, was Illinois State’s all-time leader in receptions (250), receiving yards (3,565) and receiving touchdowns (32).


He will wear No. 83 for the Packers.


Another Ill St Player
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on October 29, 2013, 07:57:31 am
call us Packrat when you can bring in your backup QB and score over 40pts...
do the Packers even carry a backup QB?

just razzing you man, not looking forward to Rogers shredding our D this weekend.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 29, 2013, 11:15:24 am
Backup QBs is one thing I certainly can't boast about.  The Pack would  have trouble winning any game without Rodgers.

I am pretty satisfied with Seneca Wallace as back-up but don't know what he could actually do at this stage.  Thompson says he has always liked Wallace.  Maybe the QB coaches can coach him up to play decently.  He wasn't too bad as a starter.

Scott Tolzien is #3 and resides on the Practice squad.  He is a former U Wis QB and is developmental.  I guess they see something worthwhile in him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 29, 2013, 11:20:17 am

Clay Matthews of Green Bay Packers to have pins removed from thumb in a week - ESPN
In other words, he's out for the Bears game a week from tonight, but could be back for the Eagles game the following Sunday.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 29, 2013, 11:34:32 am
As for the players on the field, there is one in particular who has struggled mightily of late and whose starting job is in jeopardy. Some of the drills that were open to the media only added fuel to the fire burning under right tackle Don Barclay, as it sounds like his primary competition, Marshall Newhouse and Derek Sherrod, are getting a shot to take the job away.
 
Finally we can see Sherrod in practice.  I don't  have much confidence in him, though.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 29, 2013, 11:50:04 am
Rookie left tackle David Bakhtiari said he wasn’t worried about the atmosphere at the Metrodome, and his play lived up to his confidence.

Playing on an offensive line that didn’t have a false start in the noisy venue, the 22-year-old held allowed only one hurry while shutting out Vikings All-Pro defensive end Jared Allen, who didn’t have a recordable stat on 61 defensive snaps.

“He’s doing a very good job for a first-year player. He’s doing a very good job for a left tackle, period,” McCarthy said. “I continue to be impressed with his professionalism, his approach and his ability to be consistent throughout the week, and it’s definitely carried over to Sundays.”

Packers' best draft pick of 2013 - Bakhtiari  - #4 --Starting LT?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 29, 2013, 12:01:25 pm
Green Bay — It's three games and counting that Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews has been out of action.

It could easily be three more before he returns from a broken thumb.

It would be logical to think the Packers desperately need Matthews' pass-rushing ability to build on their 5-2 record, but the truth is that despite his absence they are producing sacks at a rate that would top the highest season total in defensive coordinator Dom Capers' previous four years.

Matthews, the team's sack leader each of his four seasons, has contributed just three sacks this season, yet the Packers rank fifth in the NFL in sacks per pass play and tied for eighth overall with 23. They have 16 sacks in their last four games, only one of which came from their Pro Bowl linebacker.

And it isn't just Matthews they're missing.

Linebacker Nick Perry, who lost his starting job to Mike Neal four games into the season and then went on a three-sack tear, broke his foot against Baltimore and has missed two games. Inside linebacker Brad Jones has missed two games with a hamstring pull and Neal has been dealing with a bum shoulder since the Ravens game.

Instead of the defense falling apart, however, Capers has mixed and matched probably the most athletic and deepest roster he has had during his tenure here and manufactured sacks from every source possible.

A total of 12 players have sacks and by position they break down this way: defensive linemen, five; outside linebackers, seven; inside linebackers, six; and defensive backs, five. Defensive tackle Mike Daniels leads the team with four, and Matthews, Perry and A.J. Hawk are second with three apiece.

"If you go back and look over the last five years, the sacks get distributed over a lot of different people because we bring a lot of different people from a lot of different looks," Capers said. "That's one of the advantages of the 3-4 as opposed to having four down guys and those four down guys are the primary rushers."

The three sacks against Minnesota on Sunday night could be attributed to facing a bad quarterback, but 16 of the 23 sacks this season have come against San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick, Cincinnati's Andy Dalton, Detroit's Matthew Stafford and Baltimore's Joe Flacco, all of whom are established quarterbacks.

A huge factor in the increased production from players not named Matthews is the maturation and improved health of the people picking up the slack.

Daniels, who played with a bad shoulder all through his rookie season last year, is healthy and has found his niche as an inside rusher in the sub packages. Neal, who was moved to outside linebacker in the off-season after three injury-filled years on the defensive line, hasn't missed a game and has blossomed into a pass-rush threat.

Inside, Hawk has responded to the loss of Matthews with a fury and chalked up all three of his sacks this season against the Ravens. Third-year pro Jamari Lattimore has matured into a physical presence in the middle and has sacks in each of the last two games.

Finally, rookie cornerback Micah Hyde has provided a Charles Woodson-type presence from the slot position in the nickel defense, teaming with veteran Tramon Williams for three sacks.

"We have tried to adapt," Capers said. "We'll bring different combinations of people. We might drop a lineman out and bring in a couple of backers from the same side. That's part of the deception of what we try to do."

Capers hasn't gone hog wild with his blitzes, but he has gotten creative given all the options available to him. He has longed for a pass rusher opposite Matthews so that he can deceive teams into thinking one is going to blitz when it's actually the other.

Neal has proved to be twice the rusher either Erik Walden or Dezman Moses was last year and was just starting to fill that opposite role when Matthews went down. Matthews' injury allowed Perry to move to the right side, where he appeared much more comfortable rushing the passer and Capers had his two-sided threat back.

When Perry got hurt, Neal lost a complement and when he banged up his shoulder, rookies Andy Mulumba and Nate Palmer, two athletic but raw talents filled in, stepped in and added what they could. Mulumba and Palmer don't have any sacks, but Capers figures they have gained invaluable experience and could be factors later in the season.

The most disappointing part of the first seven games is the lack of production from rookie defensive end Datone Jones, who was drafted because of his pass rush potential. So far, he has no sacks and just six tackles...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 31, 2013, 06:28:34 pm
(http://cdn2.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/22136483/20130208_mjr_su5_112.0_standard_709.0.jpg)

In order to keep Scott Tolzien from signing with the Browns, Packers management decided to open up the  wallet.

It's still too early to know whether former Wisconsin Badger Scott Tolzien might be the backup quarterback of the future in Green Bay. However, it appears the Packers want to give him a chance, and they're saying it with their wallet.

According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the team has raised Tolzien's salary to $544,999.

Tolzien has spent the entire regular season on the Packers' practice squad after competing for a backup spot on the 49ers 53 in the preseason. According to Silverstein's report, the reason for the extra money was to retain Tolzien's services after the Browns made a push to sign him.

This is a typical practice for NFL teams hoping to develop young prospects. Back in 2011, the Packers gave significant raises to practice squad players Tori Gurley and Diondre Borel to keep them from leaving for a spot on a 53. These pay increases brought the players in line with what they would have made with their suitors.

Prior to his pay bump, Tolzien earned only $6,000 per week, typical for the practice squad. While many of us would gladly accept that paycheck, it placed him far below the league minimum for players on the 53. Once offered the extra cash, those in Tolzien's position have to decide which team offers the better long term opportunity. In this case, Tolzien decided that he was better off in the long term in Green Bay than in Cleveland.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 31, 2013, 07:15:41 pm
Daniel from Miami, FL

Vic, can you tell me who is going to be the NFL offensive rookie of the year?

The Packers have two outstanding candidates: David Bakhtiari and Eddie Lacy. One protects the best quarterback in the game, and the other has changed the face of the team. This is not an especially strong rookie class leaguewide, but it sure is in Green Bay.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 31, 2013, 07:19:18 pm
Dan from Teaneck, NJ

When is Edgar Bennett going to get the credit he deserves for the work he’s done with the likes of Boykin, White and the veteran guys? The receivers are really prepared each week.

When are readers going to stop asking me why a former running back is coaching wide receivers? I still get that question, even though I’ve answered it repeatedly: Good coaches can coach any position, and the more they learn about the game, the more prepared they are to become coordinators and head coaches. Edgar Bennett is a top-tier wide receivers coach who’s on his way to becoming a coordinator, which is the next step to becoming a head coach, and Bennett has Mike McCarthy to thank. This is, yet, another bold move by a bold head coach. Alex Van Pelt is a former quarterback who’s coaching running backs; he’s on his way to becoming a coordinator and a head coach. Ben McAdoo is a former tight ends coach who’s coaching quarterbacks; he’s on his way to becoming a coordinator and a head coach. McCarthy is doing for these men what was done for him to advance his career. I’m delighted you’ve complimented Bennett on the job he’s doing. It wasn’t too long ago that he was feeling a lot of despair for the play of his guys in the playoff loss to the Giants. Look at them now.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 31, 2013, 07:21:16 pm
Dan from Aspers, PA

Why do so many of today’s quarterbacks point out the middle linebacker? Is it really that important?

Look through the middle linebacker to the strong safety and you should know where every other defender on the field is. That’s old-school football and, to a large degree, it still works. By identifying the middle linebacker, you define the front. By identifying the strong safety, you define the coverage.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 31, 2013, 07:23:40 pm
Michael from Fort Lewis, WA

Vic, can we all just take a moment to recognize how great David Bakhtiari is playing? Jared Allen, one of the premier pass rushers and one of the few players on the Vikings teams have to game plan for, had no sacks or tackles Sunday night. I didn’t see Bakhtiari getting any help, either.

He’s playing great; I think that’s been duly noted. What you’re sensing is a reluctance to say too much. I felt Mike McCarthy holding back a little on Sunday and Monday when answering questions about Bakhtiari. Nobody wants to curse this thing. In a speaking engagement in Milwaukee at the start of the season, I said the Packers would go as far as Bakhtiari would take them. He’s the left tackle. He’s the blindside pass protector for the player who’s the heart and soul of the team. Next Monday, Bakhtiari gets Julius Peppers. The pass rushers just keep on coming. Let’s not forget, Bakhtiari will face Allen one more time this season. It’s probably best to not say too much.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 31, 2013, 07:28:13 pm
Steve from Lake Stevens, WA

Vic, as you see it, what is the Packers’ biggest concern against the Bears, minus Cutler and Briggs?

It’s Matt Forte and Brandon Marshall. They’re big-play guys. They can carry a team.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 01, 2013, 01:53:51 pm
Packers RB Eddie Lacy has been named the NFC Offensive Rookie of the Month for October, while K Mason Crosby has been named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month.

In four games in October — all Green Bay wins — Lacy had 97 carries for 395 yards and two TDs. He averaged 4.1 yards per carry. He also added 11 receptions out of the backfield for 47 yards, giving him 442 yards from scrimmage in four games. That’s an average of 110.5 yards from scrimmage per game.

Crosby made 13 of 15 field goal attempts in the month and all 11 of his extra points for a total of 50 points. He tied a franchise record with five field goals against Detroit in Week 5 and then added four more field goals the following week at Baltimore.

Five of Crosby’s field goals in the month were from 45 yards or longer, with his two misses coming from 44 and 52 yards. He also added three touchbacks on kickoffs this past week at Minnesota when he took over kickoff duties against dangerous Vikings returner Cordarrelle Patterson.

This is the second time in his career that Crosby has been named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month. He also won the award in November of his rookie year in 2007.

Before the season I would have never guessed this.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 01, 2013, 02:03:06 pm
Here ya go.  I know that you have been waiting for this:

(http://mettachronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/temp121121-team-photo-7-nfl_mezz_1280_1024-470x260.jpg)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 01, 2013, 02:06:26 pm
Thinking about the end of the season.

 
<img src=http://api.viglink.com/api/click?format=go&key=c7a018f99a67aaac33a35421e795cdf3&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fbbf.createaforum.com%2Fchicago-bears-forum%2Fgreen-bay-sucks%2Fmsg154685%2F%23msg154685&v=1&libId=d5e8e237-fd53-4815-8053-305b673fe775&out=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportsgrid.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F08%2Fjackcheeselarge.jpg&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fbbf.createaforum.com%2Findex.php%3Faction%3Dpost%3Bmsg%3D154685%3Btopic%3D44.1875&title=Green%20Bay%20sucks&txt=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportsgrid.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F08%2Fjackcheeselarge.jpg&jsonp=vglnk_jsonp_13833330271107 (http://api.viglink.com/api/click?format=go&key=c7a018f99a67aaac33a35421e795cdf3&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fbbf.createaforum.com%2Fchicago-bears-forum%2Fgreen-bay-sucks%2Fmsg154685%2F%23msg154685&v=1&libId=d5e8e237-fd53-4815-8053-305b673fe775&out=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportsgrid.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F08%2Fjackcheeselarge.jpg&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fbbf.createaforum.com%2Findex.php%3Faction%3Dpost%3Bmsg%3D154685%3Btopic%3D44.1875&title=Green%20Bay%20sucks&txt=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportsgrid.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F08%2Fjackcheeselarge.jpg&jsonp=vglnk_jsonp_13833330271107)>
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 02, 2013, 07:05:40 pm
The Packers-Giants game in Week 11 on Sunday, Nov. 17, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey has been flexed out of NBC’s prime-time Sunday Night Football slot and is moving to a 3:25 p.m. CT kickoff on FOX.

The prime-time game on NBC will be Chiefs-Broncos on that date instead. Also, the Chargers-Dolphins game that day is moving from a noon kickoff to 3:05 p.m. CT on CBS.
Good.  I hate those night games.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 04, 2013, 05:54:37 pm
Green Bay — Receivers in general, they say, get away with too much. That's football in 2013.

But the Chicago Bears' wide receivers — those two large, physical ones on the perimeter? They truly know how to push the envelope.

"Some of it is really, really blatant that you wonder, 'How do they get away with this?'" Green Bay Packers cornerback Tramon Williams said. "But you have to adjust to some of the tactics and figure out ways to get it done on your own."

This will be the game within the game Monday night at Lambeau Field.

Brandon Marshall is 6 feet 4 inches tall and 230 pounds. Alshon Jeffery is 6-3, 216. And combined they already have 1,101 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Watching film, the Packers corners see a key reason why. Both use their hands. Both are more aggressive than your average wide receiver.

To counterpunch, the Packers plan to stick to their game. Williams doesn't want the two pass-interference calls on him from last week — one very suspect — to dull his approach. If the tone of the game forces his hand, so be it.

"You just have to keep playing your game," Williams said. "Obviously, if they keep calling those things then you have to make adjustments. In the process, you hope you don't hurt your team that much. But you just have to keep playing your game."

Officiating crews call games differently. Williams tries to speak to officials beforehand to see how they're going to call holding and pass interference.

"And I say, 'OK, Mr. Referee, game after game I've heard this same thing from you before and it goes the opposite direction mostly all the time,'" Williams said. "So you have to have a backup plan. It's just the game."

A year ago, there was no leeway for Jeffery. He was flagged for three costly offensive pass-interference calls the final 16 minutes of the game at Soldier Field, and the Packers clinched the NFC North with a 21-13 win.

Cornerback Davon House's mind-set is that it's not a penalty if the officials don't call it. Period. He'll return the aggression.

"I guess you could say they get away with some stuff," House said. "It's part of football. In the interior, they hold all the time. Receivers push off all the time. And if you're a smart DB, you're going to grab all the time until they warn you and tell you not to do it anymore.

"There's some stuff that's blatant that they just don't call. I guess that comes with the territory of a big receiver. I don't know what the refs see for them not to call it."

House continued, "They're going to push, I'm going to hold."

It's on the officials to call what they see. A long, aggressive corner himself, House doesn't want to think too much.

"When you start worrying about it," House said, "it's going to slow you down and you can't play fast like that, which is not good, because that's when you start getting beat deep."

Added rookie cornerback Micah Hyde, "That's today's game, so you just have to go with it and try to play to the best of your abilities. We know that going into the game."

Not taking bait: For Williams, specifically, this week has been déjà vu. Again Marshall challenged him to match up in single coverage. Late last season, the Bears receiver took shots at "Tray-mon" and Green Bay's coverage plan.

Williams didn't take the bait in 2012. He's not in 2013.

"I've been through this last year with him," Williams said. "I'm not going there with him this season with the same foolishness. The thing is, we're going to do what we do. We're going to play what we play. He's not going to dictate what we do. Our coach is going to dictate what we do and that's the bottom line."

And that's typically tilting some help over the top on Marshall. The plan worked to a "T" last season. As Williams said, too, the Packers have played Marshall one on one.

Whatever Green Bay did last season, it worked. Two of Marshall's four worst statistical games came against the Packers.

"Frustration talks," Williams said "When you're frustrated, it tends to bring out a little extra in you. I guess we're doing something right."

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 04, 2013, 06:02:52 pm
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Cut off the dreadlocks and put a No. 55 jersey on his back, and Jamari Lattimore might look a lot like a former Green Bay Packers linebacker.

The way the third-year pro has played the past three games, he’s playing the way Desmond Bishop did in that spot in 2010 and 2011 before injuries set him back.

“He was always so active; he had an attitude playing,” Lattimore said of Bishop, who was released by the Packers and signed with the Minnesota Vikings in the offseason before a knee injury ended his season. “He’s got all the skills. He’ll hit you, and he can cover. What more can you want out of a guy?”




Bruce Kluckhohn/USA TODAY SportsGreen Bay LB Jamari Lattimore has made an impression with his production -- not just his hair -- as a starter.
The same could be said of Lattimore in his first three NFL starts. Since taking over for the injured Brad Jones (hamstring) on Oct. 13 against the Baltimore Ravens, Lattimore has combined for 24 tackles (based on the Packers coaches’ film review) and two sacks.

“I spent a lot of time watching Desmond; He always used to tell me that I remind him of him,” Lattimore said. “We talk a lot; we just recently spoke a couple of days ago, and he was very positive about the way [Lattimore has] played.”

At 6-foot-2 and 237 pounds, Lattimore is the same height and just one pound lighter than Bishop.

With Jones set to return for Monday night’s game against the Chicago Bears, defensive coordinator Dom Capers will have to decide whether to use both players plus veteran A.J. Hawk in some kind of rotation. Before his injury, Jones was the every-down inside linebacker who called the defensive signals. Hawk took over in that role, and Lattimore has played along side of Hawk in the base and nickel – but not the dime – packages.

“I think we’ll take the approach that Brad is healthy now, and we’ll insert Brad in and if there’s going to be a change from there, then those decisions will be collectively discussed with Coach Dom and Coach McCarthy and so forth and we’ll make decisions then,” inside linebackers coach Winston Moss said. “But right now, Brad seems to be practicing well, looks healthy and we’ll go from there.” ...

Doesn't even matter whether or not Brad Jones is back.  Lattimore is "next man up".
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 04, 2013, 08:39:57 pm
Oddo peeing in his pants.

Mccarthy not so smart without Rodgers. Especially without a real backup.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 04, 2013, 11:00:04 pm
oddo wetting himself right now.

How in the hell does McCarthy give Lacey the ball only 22 times? Starks only 6 rushes and 40 yards. terrible coaching.

McCarthy is a ****tttty coach without Rodger's pin-point throws, stepping up in the pocket, avoiding the rush.

oddo - Boykin - 1 catch and 15 yards quality.


BEAT GREEN BAY!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 04, 2013, 11:01:14 pm
Also - how in the hell do you go into a season with Seneca Wallace as your backup?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on November 04, 2013, 11:05:39 pm
Oooh, let's not go there...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 04, 2013, 11:08:13 pm
Rodgers....fractured collar bone.

Had the same injury playing hockey. Out 6 weeks.....the problem is if it does not heal properly you can make 10 times worse.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 05, 2013, 12:18:25 am
How long does it take to recover from a collarbone fracture? Clavicle fractures should heal completely within 12 weeks, but the pain usually subsides within a few weeks.

I am guessing hero Ridgers comes back too soon.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on November 05, 2013, 07:58:42 am
Wher did you hear fractured collarbone? I heard it speculated last night but nothing confirmed.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on November 05, 2013, 08:03:56 am
I think these are Adam Schefter tweets.

Adam Schefter        ✔ @AdamSchefter
More definitive scans today but initial tests showed small fracture in Aaron Rodgers' collarbone that could sideline him about three weeks.
Adam Schefter        ✔ @AdamSchefter
But Packers do not want to make any determination until Aaron Rodgers undergoes more testing today.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 05, 2013, 11:11:23 am
They were saying fracture. 3 weeks at the earliest. He better makes sure it heals properly or he will break it next time.

Great comdy last night on the SCORE 670....all the Pecker fans calling in and crying in their beer. "Ya, if Rodgers hadn't gotten hurt der", "Ya it's too bad Rodgers git hurt der we would have killed da Bearsa der".

It's called football and guys get hurt all the time. We din't have Cutler, Briggs, Melton, Nate Collins, DJ Williams, etc. - that's FIVE starters.

The puzzling part is Seneca Wallace was the best you could do? Seneca Wallace?

How about Brett Favre.....I can just hear Favre now...."Come on Ted, just apologize Ted....you know you were wrong....then I wil lcome back"

Peckers WRs not so good without Rodgers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 05, 2013, 02:28:25 pm

Why not claim Flynn?  Here's why.

As @Edwerderespn has said before, was told today that the Packers have concerns Matt Flynn has some arm issues. A waiver claim unlikely.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 05, 2013, 02:32:55 pm
The Packers could move Tolzien up from the PS.

The bad thing is having to cut a player from the roster to do so.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 05, 2013, 02:41:41 pm
Pack why on earth did stop running (when they had a chance). Although there was a MAJOR hold on Lacey's long run - the Tight end grab his man and threw himto the ground - if that's not holding, nothing is.

Peckers O line is horrific at best. It was only a matter of time when Rodgers WOULD get hurt. McClellin knew he woudl roll out to buy time because the O line sucks so bad.

Seneca Wallace should be selling used cars.

I think we saw the real McCarthy - he imploded as a coach. The on-sides kick was desperation. + not having a quality backup???? Amazing. With O line Rodgers was going to hurt.





Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on November 05, 2013, 03:39:27 pm
I think McCarthy is a good coach.
With a crappy D, a suspect OL and a crappy backup QB they gave the Bears all they could handle.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 05, 2013, 05:11:50 pm
Thanks to a poorly blocked - blocked punt & an on-sides kick.....a major hold on a long TD run.

If we have any but Conte in there the Peckers have far less success on the run...against a Bears D without 4 starters.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on November 05, 2013, 05:27:54 pm
Thanks to a poorly blocked - blocked punt & an on-sides kick.....a major hold on a long TD run.

If we have any but Conte in there the Peckers have far less success on the run...against a Bears D without 4 starters.

Major Wright was almost as bad as Conte. Sure would have liked to pry Jarious Byrd away from Buffalo. He would have been worth a second or third. Too bad he never would have fit under the cap.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 05, 2013, 06:12:07 pm
On his weekly radio program, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said he suffered a fractured collarbone. While repeating multiple times there is no timetable for his return, he called it a "significant injury."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 05, 2013, 06:20:03 pm
While Conte has never been a great safety his terrible play lately is so damn bad he sticks out like a sore thumb.  He seems to always take a bad angle.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on November 05, 2013, 08:05:10 pm
I wish we had pursued Byrd as well.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on November 06, 2013, 08:50:37 am
Wright's play has been only marginally better than Conte's. Neither player is worth squat presently. Our Safety play has gone downhill dramatically this season after improving last. That's pretty bizarre. But I think once the line starts collapsing, they are left open and are not making plays. The weakness on our line has exposed the dramatic weakness in our backfield.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on November 06, 2013, 09:29:01 am
I wonder did we lose our DB coach?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on November 06, 2013, 10:28:09 am
Is it a contract year for Conte?

He's avoiding contact like Neon Deion used to
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 06, 2013, 10:31:16 am
I've never seen an NFL safety take worse lines/routes to go make a tackle/to the ball than Conte has. He runs to where the ball was, not to where the ball is going to be.

Wright is in position, but he has missed so many tackles.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on November 06, 2013, 10:33:14 am

I think Conte has another year its Wright who is in his final year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 06, 2013, 10:33:27 am
Oddo must be still wetting himself.

I am guessing going forward Rodgers it hurt a lot. Injuries just catch up with most NFL players....except Favre.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 06, 2013, 10:35:03 am
I have never seen a team with such a long streak of bad safties. Since Mike Brown left we have had terrible safety pay for the most part. Then Pro-bowl corner - go figure?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on November 06, 2013, 10:55:31 am
I am guessing going forward Rodgers it hurt a lot. Injuries just catch up with most NFL players....except Favre.

I'm not a betting man but I would guess those Mississippi boys are tougher than them California boys ;-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 06, 2013, 03:21:28 pm
Correct.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 06, 2013, 03:33:08 pm
I think McCarthy is a good coach.
With a crappy D, a suspect OL and a crappy backup QB they gave the Bears all they could handle.


The Packers D-Line is #2 in the league on run defense.  If the Packers could ever get all of their defensive players together at one time (especially Matthews) they would not be crappy.  This was not a good game to judge the quality of either team with both teams suffering so many injuries.  It was a poorly played game in some areas because of missing starters on both teams.  The Bears WRs and the Packers' Lacy were eye-popping.

The O-Line?  Did you watch the holes for the RBs?  The QBs had time to throw the ball.  How do you judge that as "suspect O-Line"?

It was a close game with spirited play by both teams and clean play, in general.  The Bears clearly won.  That's the bottom line.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on November 06, 2013, 03:42:00 pm

Packers are 5th against the run and 15th overall. 

Forte putting on 125 yards on the 5th ranked run defense was more impressive than what Lacy did to our run defense...which is ranked 29th.

And did you know the Bears are 10th in offense but 2nd in points scored in the NFL.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on November 06, 2013, 03:46:40 pm
PR, by suspect OL, you have a couple of young tackles and we had 5 sacks. Our DL only has like 9 sacks all year. I'm thinking your OL didn't play that well.  Rodgers makes them look better than they are. Our D has been gashed by the run all year. Running on the Bears is not tough to do.  I'm also thinking you have one of the top offenses in the league. When you score that many points teams aren't going to run as much.

I guess I am saying a beat up Packers team with their crappy backup QB gave us all we could handle.
I'll take the win though.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on November 06, 2013, 03:56:21 pm
The Packers aren't any more beat up than we are.  Cutler, Briggs, Williams, Melton, Collins, Hayden. Getting  a bit tired tired of the woe is me mantra about the Packers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on November 06, 2013, 04:38:45 pm

I've said this a 1000 times - the Packers can have half their team on IR and as long as Rodgers is good to go they have a chance.

I don't know who the Pack is playing next week, but I can imagine their opponent's DC is sleeping well this week having to come up with a game plan to stop Seneca Wallace and the Packer offense.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 06, 2013, 09:18:18 pm
The Packers aren't any more beat up than we are.  Cutler, Briggs, Williams, Melton, Collins, Hayden. Getting  a bit tired tired of the woe is me mantra about the Packers.

Keys, I clearly stated that both teams have serious injuries and it was not fair to judge either of them on this performance.  Please don't put those words in my mouth.  I try not to be a whiner.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on November 06, 2013, 09:23:40 pm
Packy,

Your a true gentlemen.  I don't think that anyone on this board thinks differently.  Packers without Rodgers are a different team.  Glad he didn't play.

PS your offensive line does hold every play  ;D
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 06, 2013, 09:36:31 pm
PR, by suspect OL, you have a couple of young tackles and we had 5 sacks. Our DL only has like 9 sacks all year. I'm thinking your OL didn't play that well.  Rodgers makes them look better than they are. Our D has been gashed by the run all year. Running on the Bears is not tough to do.  I'm also thinking you have one of the top offenses in the league. When you score that many points teams aren't going to run as much.

I guess I am saying a beat up Packers team with their crappy backup QB gave us all we could handle.
I'll take the win though.

Once again, let me say it is unfair to compare results of this game for either team because of the circumstances.  I am judging the GB OL by how they have performed this season and their improvement the first 7 games.  To count sacks in a game with Seneca Wallace at QB is not very meaningful. Sacks against GB have been decreasing during the season.   Also, GB lost a starting OL player during the game.  I'm not trying to  make excuses but I am trying to compare apples to apples.  I have been trying point out that looking at the performances during this game are not very meaningful.

I wish the game could nave been played with both Cutler and Rodgers.  Then we could draw more valid conclusions.

BTW, one of  those rookie O-Linemen (T Bakhtiari) is ranked second best  only to Pro-Bowler Josh Sitton on the Packers roster.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 06, 2013, 09:40:39 pm
Packy,

Your a true gentlemen.  I don't think that anyone on this board thinks differently.  Packers without Rodgers are a different team.  Glad he didn't play.

PS your offensive line does hold every play  ;D

Thank  you Hiber.  I really appreciate that comment greatly.  It means a lot to me.

We may disagree on Pack-O-Line holding and Chicago WRs interfering but that is only natural.

Though we may disagree I respect the posters here.  After all, it IS a big rivalry.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 06, 2013, 09:43:08 pm
I've said this a 1000 times - the Packers can have half their team on IR and as long as Rodgers is good to go they have a chance.

I don't know who the Pack is playing next week, but I can imagine their opponent's DC is sleeping well this week having to come up with a game plan to stop Seneca Wallace and the Packer offense.

I have always respected your opinions, including this one.  Thanks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on November 07, 2013, 07:31:01 am
Keys, I clearly stated that both teams have serious injuries and it was not fair to judge either of them on this performance.  Please don't put those words in my mouth.  I try not to be a whiner.

Didn't mean you specifically Packy. There are a number of Bear fans here and on other boards saying we only won because of Packer injuries.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on November 07, 2013, 08:25:16 am
Every team has injuries - whoever is healthy - and in the hunt in December - can call their season a success
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on November 07, 2013, 09:05:01 am

We may disagree on Pack-O-Line holding and Chicago WRs interfering but that is only natural.


Our WRs have been getting manhandled by Packers DBs for years.  And then last year our rookie gets a little physical and gets hit with THREE pass interference penalties.





Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on November 07, 2013, 09:10:38 am
our WRs are gaining a little respect and are able to push a little bit.
I don't mind them letting the kids play as long as they are fair.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on November 07, 2013, 09:58:44 am
That holding call on Martellus was very uncharacteristic to the theme of "letting them play" Monday night... that ref should be fined
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 07, 2013, 07:47:44 pm
If you find even one other fan, besides a Bear fan, who thinks the Packers get the breaks by officials over the Bears I will agree with you.  Fact is that the only fans I hear **** about this point is Bear fans.  It must go with the territory.

I don't recall ever  hearing any sports commentator or other fan even imply that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 07, 2013, 07:49:24 pm
You don't talk to many Vikings or Lions fans do you?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 08, 2013, 11:35:15 am
"The Packers D-Line is #2 in the league on run defense"

Forte put 125 on that D line.

Rodgers out a lot longer than 3 weeks now. The problem is if a fracture is not fully healed ----SNAP on the first big hit!!! Then surgery.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 08, 2013, 11:43:17 am
Here is what the experts think of the Peckers defense.....not so great....


Packers defense grasps for its identity


Cornerback Tramon Williams (38) said Monday was a bump in the road for the Packers defense as it works to be a consistent force.

By Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel Nov. 7, 2013



Green Bay — During a four-game winning streak that began with a 22-9 decision over the Detroit Lions, the Green Bay Packers' defense climbed up the charts, going from 28th in the NFL in yards allowed all the way up to 11th.

In those four games, it allowed 15 points per game and let only one team to top the 100-yard rushing mark.

It seemed like the defense had come out of its journey into the abyss, a two-year dark period for coordinator Dom Capers in which his unit ranked 22nd last season and 32nd in 2011. There was even lots of talk about how much more physical the defense was even with key members such as linebackers Clay Matthews and Nick Perry laid up with injuries.

Then came the Chicago Bears bombshell Monday night.

Playing against backup quarterback Josh McCown, the defense crumbled, wilting under the force of big receiving targets Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery and Martellus Bennett. The defense allowed the most yards in a game (442) since the season opener against San Francisco (494) and was of no help to an offense that badly needed it.

Maybe it was an aberration or maybe the onion was being peeled back.

"It was just one of those days," defensive tackle Mike Daniels said. "I think I would just describe it as one big, giant bad day, collectively, as a whole."

Possibly, but consider the Packers' opponents through the four-game span.

Detroit without receiver Calvin Johnson, Baltimore with a horrible offensive line, Cleveland with now benched quarterback Brandon Weeden and Minnesota with quarterback Christian Ponder at the lowest point of his career.


It's true the defense did what it needed to do in those games, but the Bears game conjured up many of the misdeeds that had afflicted it over the past two years: no pass rush, poor pass coverage and shoddy tackling. Yes, the unit's best player was absent, but if it was ever going to overcome his absence it would be at home against the rival Bears.

"After watching the film we have a lot to build off of," rookie corner Micah Hyde said. "At the same time, some of the mistakes we made are easy to fix. Minor things. We were in the right defense, it was just matching up with the receivers a little tighter.

"We know that. That's what this week is about, challenging the receivers and quarterbacks a little bit more. Try to mess up the timing. I think we understand what we did."

On Sunday, the Packers will be facing the fast-break offense of the Philadelphia Eagles, who are in the middle of the pack in average plays per game but rank dead last in time of possession because of how quickly they run plays. The Eagles rank fourth in offense and average 33.8 points per game on the road.

Matthews will be back, albeit with a large club on his right hand to protect his broken thumb, and Perry has a chance to play also. But psychologically this defense took a big hit against the Bears and with quarterback Aaron Rodgers sidelined for a month or so, there's tremendous pressure on it to carry the team.

"As sick as it was, I think it was a good wake-up call in a sense and it's like we got sat down, we didn't get knocked down, so that's good," Daniels said. "Sat down to see ourselves, re-evaluate some things and just get ready for the rest of the season because we know what we're capable of. That's evident.

"Maybe we were getting a little ahead of ourselves, but all I know is that you can definitely tell the focus is back this week."

Really good defenses can take the body blows the Bears were throwing and still emerge the winner, but it requires a game-changing play or two.

The offense contributed Eddie Lacy's 56-yard run and James Starks' 32-yard touchdown run, and the special teams contributed a blocked punt and a successful onside kick. But the defense had one sack, no forced turnovers and no goal-line stands.

Only three teams have fewer takeaways than the seven the Packers have this season.

"You sit down and watch the film, a lot of times people might not see it from your perspective, but I'm like, 'How did we lose that game?'" cornerback Tramon Williams said. "Sometimes guys just make good plays."

And sometimes guys don't.

On Marshall's 23-yard touchdown over Williams, linebacker Mike Neal had two hands on McCown and had a chance to sack him, but McCown got his arm free and tossed a perfect pass into the corner of the end zone.

In the fourth quarter, with the Bears at their own 26, McCown threw over the middle to Bennett and Williams dived in front for the interception, but the ball went right through his arms. If he makes that play, the Packers would have had the ball at the Chicago 35, trailing, 24-20.

"Agh, right here," Williams said, recounting the play. "You're not going to catch everything, but at times like that, after a loss, you're thinking, 'Man, if I would have made that play ...' But I'll make plays."

Williams hasn't had an interception in 24 straight games, including playoffs, and the defense has just three all year, one in the last five games. Since recovering three fumbles against Cincinnati — two caused by Matthews — the Packers have recovered just one in the last five games.

It's possible the return to health of cornerback Casey Hayward, the leader in interceptions last year, as well as Matthews and Perry, who have a combined six sacks and four forced fumbles, will be all the defense needs to turn things around.

But expecting instant impact is asking a lot. Someone is going to have to chip in because Matthews has missed four games and one half of another and Perry has only played in 11 of a possible 24 regular-season games in his two seasons with the Packers. Their presence isn't a given.

"We need to get more takeaways," coach Mike McCarthy said. "We talked about it as a football team. I mean, it's a daily emphasis."

Getting back to doing what it did during the four-game winning streak is another emphasis because with each performance like the one Monday, the probability of this defense being significantly better than last year or the year before probably diminishes.

Good defenses don't suffer many blips.

"That's what we were working toward and are still working toward it," Williams said of being a top defense. "We put together a good string of games and we had a bump in the road. There are going to be bumps in the road, you just have to keep going. So we're still working; hopefully, we bounce back."

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on November 08, 2013, 12:20:42 pm

In the fourth quarter, with the Bears at their own 26, McCown threw over the middle to Bennett and Williams dived in front for the interception, but the ball went right through his arms. If he makes that play, the Packers would have had the ball at the Chicago 35, trailing, 24-20.

And how about that ball that went right through James Anderson's hands in the 4th quarter setting up a Packer score...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 08, 2013, 12:24:42 pm
Dallas...not much reality up in Green Bay.

The team stinks without Rodgers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 08, 2013, 02:46:55 pm
I like that Pecker write above - Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel. he speaks in reality.

Pecker fans think every player on their team should be All-Pro. When in reality you take away a player like Rodgers and the team falls apart.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 08, 2013, 03:33:03 pm
Eddie Lacy voted Rookie of the Week
 Posted by Mike Spofford on  November 8, 2013 – 1:20 pm 


Packers RB Eddie Lacy was voted the league’s Rookie of the Week for Week 9. Lacy rushed for 150 yards and a TD on 22 carries against the Bears on Monday Night Football.

Lacy has been nominated for the weekly award, which is chosen by fans in an online vote, a number of times already this season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 08, 2013, 03:34:25 pm
You don't talk to many Vikings or Lions fans do you?

I don't understand the significance of this question.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 08, 2013, 03:35:39 pm
Clay Matthews probable, Nick Perry questionable for Sunday
 Posted by Mike Spofford on  November 8, 2013 – 1:25 pm 


:-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 08, 2013, 03:37:03 pm
T.J. Lang questionable for Packers-Eagles matchup

(1:00) Posted 40 minutes ago
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 08, 2013, 03:53:27 pm
Tolzien's Skill Set

Coming out of college, Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net had this to say about Tolzien:


Productive college quarterback who is best in a timing offense. Patient in the pocket, buys time for receivers, and displays field awareness. Finds the open target, goes to check down receivers if nothing is available downfield, and makes good decisions. Relatively accurate and puts the ball in front of receivers, allowing them to run to the pass. Shows a lot of moxie in his game and does the little things well, making positive plays.

He went on to say:


Tolzien has been a solid college quarterback the past two years and is a game manager for the next level who could make it as a clipboard holder in a West Coast offense.

The difference between Tolzien and Wallace is in the ability to be a game-managing quarterback. Tolzien's got a strong enough arm to go along with the good ball placement. His ability to hit receivers in stride is ideal in an offense that features a weapon like wide receiver Jordy Nelson.

As long as Tolzien's skills haven't digressed, and there is no reason to believe that they have, he's a more talented quarterback than Wallace.

 
The Packers need a quarterback who can push the ball down the field and hit receivers in stride. It'd also be ideal to have a quarterback who can move outside of the pocket and limit mistakes.

Wallace, unfortunately, cannot do that for the Packers. As of right now, the only signal-caller on the roster who can do those things is Tolzien, which is exactly why he should start while Rodgers heals.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 08, 2013, 04:00:21 pm
The Packers plan to bring Flynn in for a workout, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

That indicates some level of interest in Flynn from the Packers’ brass, but the reality is if they thought he could step in immediately and play better than Seneca Wallace, Flynn would already be a Packer. Flynn passed through waivers unclaimed on Tuesday, the day after Rodgers broke his collarbone, so the Packers (and 31 other teams) have already passed on the opportunity to bring him in.

There have been reports that the Packers think Flynn may have some injury to his throwing arm, and it’s possible that they’ll sign him if he can show in a workout that there are no injury concerns. Still, the Packers say they have confidence in Wallace as the starter and Scott Tolzien as the backup until Rodgers can return. A workout is probably all Flynn is going to get in Green Bay.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 08, 2013, 04:02:17 pm
The Packers plan to bring Flynn in for a workout, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

That indicates some level of interest in Flynn from the Packers’ brass, but the reality is if they thought he could step in immediately and play better than Seneca Wallace, Flynn would already be a Packer. Flynn passed through waivers unclaimed on Tuesday, the day after Rodgers broke his collarbone, so the Packers (and 31 other teams) have already passed on the opportunity to bring him in.

There have been reports that the Packers think Flynn may have some injury to his throwing arm, and it’s possible that they’ll sign him if he can show in a workout that there are no injury concerns. Still, the Packers say they have confidence in Wallace as the starter and Scott Tolzien as the backup until Rodgers can return. A workout is probably all Flynn is going to get in Green Bay.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 08, 2013, 04:03:22 pm
1. Bears took away Aaron Rodgers’ primary read on the sack/injury

The “nod” route versus Cover 2. That’s where Rodgers wanted to go with the ball in the red zone on the play where Shea McClellin knocked him out of the game with a broken collarbone.

With Jordy Nelson aligned at No. 3 (speed inside to put stress on the Mike 'backer in two-deep), the Packers want to run the “nod” (quick double-move) to split the safeties. However, with Chris Conte playing over the top of Nelson, the Bears took away Rodgers’ primary read. And that allowed McClellin to come back downhill to make the hit that put Rodgers on the shelf.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on November 08, 2013, 04:25:19 pm
Strange the guy GB wanted puts a dagger in the heart of GB fans, huh.....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 09, 2013, 07:44:41 pm
Strange world.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 09, 2013, 08:40:48 pm
Travis from Chicago, IL

What is your honest opinion on how the NFC North will pan out at the end of the season? Do you think there will be a lot riding on the Dec. 29th game?

I hope it’s for the NFC North title. I’ll take it right now. A healthy Rodgers with Clay Matthews and Randall Cobb back in the lineup playing for the NFC North title against the Bears at Soldier Field? I wouldn’t want it any other way. Hey, yinze were all telling me last week about how great the Packers-Bears rivalry is, so let’s do it on the final day of the season. That’ll make a believer out of me. I can’t wait.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 09, 2013, 08:42:58 pm
Alex from Eagan, MN

Vic, on my way to work each morning I listen to “Mike and Mike.” They said that because of (the Rodgers injury) the Packers will not win the NFC North and will probably miss the playoffs. I still think we have a great shot at the playoffs and a good shot at taking the NFC North. What are your thoughts?

The Lions have games remaining at the Bears, Steelers, Eagles and Vikings, and at home against the Bucs, Packers, Ravens and Giants. The Bears have games remaining at the Rams, Vikings, Browns and Eagles, and at home against the Lions, Ravens, Cowboys and Packers. I don’t see a schedule advantage for any of the three teams. I think the Packers are the best team in the NFC North so, therefore, the question continues to be: How long? I’m talking about Aaron Rodgers’ recovery period, of course. If he makes it back for December, I say the Packers win the division. If his recovery is to take longer than that, I can understand why someone would turn their attention to the Bears and Lions, who play against each other in Chicago this Sunday. We all know what Rodgers means to this team. It would be disingenuous of me to begin denying his worth now that he’s out of the lineup. How long? It’s all about the answer to that question.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 09, 2013, 08:50:22 pm
Greg from Naperville, IL

I am feeling very remorseful after Monday night. I did not act in a very winsome manner. I was so bummed out after Aaron got hurt that I did not act in a way I should. I was angry. I am sorry to the Bears fan in the men’s room after the game was over that I wasn’t very nice to. I used some language I shouldn’t have and I am sorry. Now, that being said, I need Sunday to get here so I can get this nervousness out of me.

These things happen. He’s probably forgotten all about it. If he hasn’t, then he probably deserves what you said to him. I mean, wadda you gonna do, apologize and shake on it in the men’s room? Oh, no. Never shake hands in the men’s room. I’m sure he understands.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 09, 2013, 11:58:19 pm
The Packers have been the best team in the division but only because of Rodgers.  Now I am not saying the Packers do not have a good team or that they do not have a good players besides Rodgers.  However the fact is Rodgers covers up all of their problems.  With out them they are an 8-8 team.

I suspect that is about how their record will go with out him until he returns.  The Packers season is not over but it is a lot less certain they will make the play offs now then it was before McClellin sacked Rodgers.
     
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 10, 2013, 03:21:46 pm
Eagles trieded to play dead and they still won.

Ted Thompson too arogant to have a backup QB. Good comedy.

The California boys are not as tough as the Mississippi boys...major misque by Ted.



Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on November 10, 2013, 03:35:37 pm
Boy, the Pack at times looks like the Keystone Kops out there without Rodgers. Amazing what ONE fricking guy can do to a entire team. Lose him and they become a group of clowns on parade.....wow....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 10, 2013, 07:11:03 pm
Part of those posts are true, Sportster,  but you are comparing a #1 NFL QB to a raw rookie and a washed up back-up.  It would be more accurate to compare GB with Rodgers at QB to a GB team with a 15th ranked QB.  What I am saying is that no team, even a healthy one could play well with a rookie trainee like Tolzien at QB.

I was a bit surprised that the Packers did as well as they did with Tolzien at the helm.  They made quite a few plays and ran up quite a bit of yardage.  I didn't see Keystone Kops but I did see some serious harm done on a few plays by Tolzien.

In total I am impressed by Tolzien and see why the McCarthy and Thompson like him.  He has a strong arm and is pretty accurate.  He didn't make any dumb plays.What he needs is reps and experience.  I feel that he will become a starting NFL QB with the training he will receive in the GB QB school.  I feel  that is the reason that he remained on the GB PS instead of going to Cleveland to join their roster.

Take away the slightly inaccurate throw into the endzone and you switch it to a TD and you add 7 points to the GB score.  Put the two missed FG tries in through  the uprights and you have  6 more points.

This game was closer in performance than it looks on the scoreboard.  After having the #2 QB go down near the start of the game and replace him with the #3 who has not had the benefit of any reps or preparation for the game against a team GB is not familiar with and what can you expect?

What happens now.  Does Tolzien go down at the start of the next game and another, #4, inexperience QB have to play?  How far can this team be decimated in one season?
 
I might add that I also saw a team with a powerful running game (even with another OL player injured).  I saw some nice catches and runs by receivers, including some you probably never heard of before.
 
The O-Line played quite well and STs were OK.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 10, 2013, 07:22:23 pm
Peckers D get lit up again.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 10, 2013, 07:25:01 pm
Sorry about you post, beerfan.  I have you blocked and couldn't read it but I'm quite certain it was some more ignorant jabbering.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 10, 2013, 08:08:35 pm
After relieving an injured Seneca Wallace, Packers quarterback Scott Tolzien has earned the starting nod for next week's matchup with the Giants.

In nearly a full game of work, Scott Tolzien apparently showed enough to convince Packers' head coach Mike McCarthy that he should start next week in New York.

After Seneca Wallace exited the game with a groin injury following Green Bay's first drive, Tolzien completed 24 of 39 passes for 280 yards, a touchdown, and two picks. That's not a fantastic stat line by any means, but Tolzien demonstrated command of the offense and seemed to make the plays that Wallace could not.

In particular, Tolzien progressed quickly through his reads against the Eagles defense, hooking up with ten different receivers over the course of the game. That typically isn't the case with young signal callers who are prone to lock onto targets early and often. If Tolzien continues to go through his progressions next week, it'll make things harder for the Giants defense.

Perhaps the more interesting question is what happens to Wallace. If he's too injured to suit up next week, do the Packers sign yet another quarterback to the 53, or will they place him on injured reserve or waivers? If the latter, do the Packers look to sign Matt Flynn or a different reserve passer? It's unlikely we'll know anything more before Monday.

Regardless, the Packers have placed their faith in a former undrafted quarterback to guide the ship until Aaron Rodgers can return. While on paper that doesn't inspire a lot of confidence, Green Bay's upcoming opponents aren't world beaters. A properly prepared Tolzien could be just enough for the Packers to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 10, 2013, 08:15:00 pm
After taking over for Wallace early on in the first quarter, Tolzien completed 24 of 39 passes for 280 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. The former undrafted free agent made mistakes—including a bad decision in the end zone that cost the Packers points—but he rarely looked rattled or played scared.

More importantly, Tolzien's performance was a far cry from Wallace's last Monday night, when the veteran backup took over for Rodgers and finished with just 114 passing yards over 11 drives. The Packers were at least competitive on offense with Tolzien under center.

Still, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy could have been faced with a decision at quarterback if Wallace's groin healed in time for next week. Instead of waiting, McCarthy made the correct decision immediately after Sunday's 27-13 loss.   

According to Kevin Seifert of ESPN, McCarthy announced post game that Tolzien, and not Wallace, would be Green Bay's starting quarterback when the Packers take on the New York Giants next Sunday:
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 10, 2013, 08:22:26 pm


Harry How/Getty Images


Can you guess which wide receiver led the Green Bay Packers in receptions and yards this week? No, it wasn't Jordy Nelson but Jarrett Boykin.

Boykin finished Sunday's game with eight receptions for a whopping 112 yards. Sure, his 36-yard reception shouldn't have counted, but Boykin was still fantastic in this game.

He's quickly becoming another dangerous weapon for the Packers offense. If he continues to play at this level, he should have no trouble securing a long-term deal with the Packers once the season is over.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 10, 2013, 08:24:06 pm
With the majority of the defense struggling against the Philadelphia Eagles, inside linebacker A.J. Hawk continued his impressive play.

Hawk has been fantastic for the majority of the season, and it continued here in Week 10. He finished the game with seven total tackles, including a handful of key tackles for negative yards.

While Hawk has been widely viewed as a disappointment in his career with the Green Bay Packers, that is changing this year. Hawk has been the best defensive player on the team this year, and he shows no signs of slowing down.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 10, 2013, 08:29:54 pm
Green Bay Packers Grades

Position Unit First-Half Grade Final Grade
Pass Offense C+ C
Run Offense B B-
Run Defense C- F
Pass Defense C C-
Special Teams F F
Coaching A- B

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 11, 2013, 10:36:22 am
The Packers will work out quarterback Matt Flynn today, according to ESPN. Flynn, who served as Aaron Rodgers’ backup from 2008 to 2011, was recently cut by the Buffalo Bills.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 11, 2013, 12:53:16 pm
Boykin dangerous??? hahahah hehehehe hhohohohohoho

Tolzien sucks azzz. I saw him a lot in college.

It's a lot easier coming off the bench.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 11, 2013, 03:26:51 pm
Two-sack day: Rookie first-round draft pick Datone Jones got his first NFL sack last Monday against the Bears, and he added two more on Sunday against the Eagles, both in the first quarter.

His first sack was similar to the one against Chicago, where he dropped off the line of scrimmage into zone coverage and then chased down the scrambling quarterback behind the line. His second came on a more traditional rush upfield late in the first period.

“I think Datone is getting better and we need him. He needs to get a lot better, too. He’s got ability, he does some things well, but he needs to be more consistent Monday through Saturday and I think it will help him on Sunday. I was very proud of some of the things he did today, but we need more,” Mike McCarthy said.

Datone is beginning to come around.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 11, 2013, 03:29:27 pm
For the second straight game, the Packers had to shuffle their offensive line due to injuries, and on Sunday they had to do it twice.

When center Evan Dietrich-Smith left with a knee injury in the second quarter, right guard T.J. Lang moved over to center, with right tackle Don Barclay moving to right guard and Marshall Newhouse coming off the bench to play right tackle.

Then, when Barclay injured a knee on Crosby’s 35-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, undrafted rookie Lane Taylor – the last active offensive lineman – replaced him.

“It’s a little ridiculous, how many injuries we have,” left guard Josh Sitton said. “If anybody, we know how to deal with injuries, but this is for sure the most I’ve seen around here. We’re used to playing with a different rotation, and it was no different today.”

How severe the injuries are isn’t known, but depending how the next week goes, the Packers may need to activate former first-round draft pick Derek Sherrod for the first time since December of 2011. Sherrod was put on the active roster from the PUP list this past week but was inactive for the game.

“We just have to keep playing,” said Lang, who missed the second half of last week’s game with a concussion but was cleared to play. “We’re not going to sit there and pout about somebody getting hurt. There’s still a lot of football left.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 11, 2013, 09:10:24 pm
Two more Packers to IR, including Jermichael Finley.  We have likely seen Finley's last play as a Packer.

The Green Bay Packers announced a trio of roster transactions today, while reports are surfacing about a fourth.

First, the team placed tight end Jermichael Finley on injured reserve. Finley suffered a bruised spinal cord during the Packers' week 7 game against the Cleveland Browns and spent some time in the Intensive Care Unit of a local hospital. Finley said he hopes to play again, but with the Packers' roster in its current state (and with the need to bring another quarterback onto the active 53), the team needed to make a decision sooner rather than later with Finley. Unfortunately, he will have to wait until next season (and his next contract) to play football again.

The Packers also placed rookie inside linebacker Sam Barrington on injured reserve today. Barrington went down in Monday's game against Chicago with a hamstring injury. The Packers have shut Barrington down for the season as well, leaving the Packers with three healthy inside linebackers: A.J. Hawk, Brad Jones, and Jamari Lattimore.

Occupying one of the roster spots will be Derek Sherrod, who was activated off the Physically Unable to Perform list. Sherrod began practicing three weeks ago, on the first day he was eligible to do so. Sherrod gives the Packers better depth at the tackle position, which they will need in the immediate future. With T.J. Lang suffering a concussion, Don Barclay moved to right guard which forced backup tackle Marshall Newhouse in at right tackle. Sherrod will likely back up Newhouse (and David Bakhtiari at left tackle).

The other transaction was not officially announced yet by the Packers, but news of the move comes courtesy of Ian Rapoport of NFL.com:
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 11, 2013, 10:36:18 pm
Packers whom I expect to see gone in 2014 (along with 2013 salaries):

Finley 8.75 M

Williams 8.5 M

Pickett 6.75M

Kuhn  2.54M

Should provide plenty of bucks for new salaries for:

B.J Raji

James Jones

Sam Shields

Johnny Jolly

James Starks








Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 12, 2013, 10:41:31 pm
With quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Seneca Wallace unavailable for at least this weekend, the Packers were forced to make a roster move. Fortunately for Green Bay, a familiar face was available in free agency.

According to multiple reports, the Packers have re-signed quarterback Matt Flynn.

Flynn's return to Green Bay comes nearly two years after he last appeared in a green and gold uniform. Many fans remember fondly his 480-yard, six-touchdown performance against the Lions during the final week of the 2011 season. It was largely that game that catapulted Flynn into a free agency bidding war that culminated in a three-year $26 million contract with the Seahawks.

Shortly thereafter, Flynn lost a preseason position battle with soon-to-be superstar Russell Wilson, and his troubles snowballed from there. Flynn's spent part of this season in Oakland and Buffalo, and there's been growing concerns about his elbow.

Apparently the performance and medical concerns weren't enough to deter the Packers, who certainly value Flynn's familiarity with their offensive scheme. Flynn will likely go into this weekend's game as the number two quarterback to Scott Tolzien.

The only question left is what corresponding roster move the Packers will make to create a spot for Flynn. The most obvious choice would be to place Wallace on the injured reserve, as not only is he unlikely to play this week, but keeping him would give the Packers four quarterbacks on the 53. Another possibility assuming their injuries are serious enough would be to place Evan Dietrich-Smith or Don Barclay on IR.

In any event, the Packers will have their new backup quarterback when they travel to New York this Sunday. Needless to say, a Rodgers-Flynn photobombing is imminent.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 12, 2013, 10:44:36 pm
Hey, Beerfan:

Jarrett Boykin

Boykin's 8-catch, 112-yard game shows that he is continuing to develop into a trustworthy receiver for the Packers. He showed good chemistry with Scott Tolzien and continues his recent streak of games with big numbers. What's most impressive about Boykin is how he overcomes a lack of speed - he is surprisingly shifty for a receiver his size (6'2", 218) and did a good job of forcing missed tackles or evading defenders. His one highlight reel catch probably should have been challenged by Chip Kelly, but he nonetheless brought in a well thrown ball from Tolzien with a full extension and got enough of his feet in bounds for the referee nearby to rule it a catch. At this rate, the Packers will have developed a legitimate fourth receiver for next year and might allow them the leeway and depth to avoid overpaying James Jones to keep him in Green Bay.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 12, 2013, 10:46:17 pm
Honorable mention: Scott Tolzien

Tolzien doesn't quite earn a game ball from me for one reason: that interception in the end zone. That said, the best qualities he showed at Wisconsin were on display yesterday, as he showed excellent poise, leadership, and command of the offense. He also appears to have addressed the arm strength questions that followed him out of college, and though he did have a few errant throws, there are plenty of positive signs for the Packers' new starting QB.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 12, 2013, 10:48:21 pm
Earned his draft rating as a "receiving Tight End"

Honorable mention: Brandon Bostick

The young tight end got extended playing time on Sunday and responded with his first touchdown and easily the best game of his young career. His score was a thing of beauty, as he extended fully to bring in a catch in the flat before eluding a few tacklers on his way to the pylon. Bostick finished with 3 catches for 42 yards on the day - that's not an exceptional day by any stretch, but it should be a sign that Bostick could be turning into a bigger factor in the offense.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 12, 2013, 10:49:31 pm
DEFENSE

Datone Jones

Jones is starting to show the ability that the Packers saw when they drafted him in the first round this spring. He recorded two first half sacks, one by tracking down Nick Foles out of the pocket and the other on an interior rush where he beat his blocker soundly. He was a lone bright spot for a defense that struggled mightily once again, as the rest of the defense recorded only a single sack (split between Mike Daniels and Tramon Williams).

That is all you get for the defense. The rest of the squad was a mess. Anyone care to disagree? Let us know about it in the comments and vote below for your choice for player of the game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 12, 2013, 10:54:04 pm
BJ Raji is in his contract year.  If he doesn't improve his consistency he may also be a candidate for a new team after this season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 12, 2013, 10:58:26 pm

Scott Tolzien could be the answer at backup quarterback

The stat line isn't impressive: 24 of 39 for 280 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Each of those picks was the type of mistake that accompanies lack of preparation, which was surely the case with Scott Tolzien this week. After nearly leaving Green Bay for a spot on the Browns' 53-man roster, Tolzien was promoted midweek as part of the fallout from Aaron Rodgers' broken collarbone. While he got plenty of mental reps in the position meetings and ran the scout team, there is no substitute for first team snaps.

It's within that context that Tolzien's performance holds promise for the future. Despite being given little time to prepare for the Philadelphia defense, Tolzien managed to complete over 60% of his passes with an average of over seven yards per attempt. Those are telling statistics, as it shows that the Packers do not have to limit the offense to short passes with him under center. Tolzien demonstrated a surprising amount of arm strength as well as solid ball placement. He won't be confused for Rodgers, but he can operate in this offense.

But what was most impressive about Tolzien's debut was his patience when progressing through his reads. Young quarterbacks -- especially those seeing their first NFL action -- tend to lock onto a particular receiver and struggle when that target isn't open (Case Keenum being a prime example). Tolzien avoided such pitfalls, connecting with 10 different receivers over the course of the game.

With a full week to prepare as the starter, Tolzien will give the Packers a fighting chance against the Giants.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 12, 2013, 11:03:59 pm
The long-awaited return of Derek Sherrod could happen this week

Since his gruesome leg injury back in December 2011 and the rollercoaster recovery that followed, Derek Sherrod's return to the playing field has been the subject of countless articles and speculation. The wait may come to an end this Sunday in New York...

OK, Sherrod.  Time to do or die.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 13, 2013, 04:06:40 pm
Before the game against the Chicago Bears on November 4, the Green Bay Packers were 5-2 and had a lot of momentum, as the team had won four straight games.

Then, in the very first offensive series of the game, quarterback Aaron Rodgers fractured his clavicle on a tackle by defensive end Shea McClellin. That was a huge loss for the Packers, but the team still did enough offensively the rest of the night to be able to win the game.

Unfortunately, the defense took a major step back that night—and they are still backpedaling, especially after the loss last week to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Before the game with the Bears, the defense of the Packers was ranked 11th in the NFL and had given up an average of just over 331 yards a game.

The team was also ranked fourth in rushing defense, as the team had allowed an average of 83.6 yards a game.

That all changed after the performances by the defense in both the Chicago and Philadelphia games.

After those two games, the Packers have dropped seven spots in total defense in the NFL, the team is now ranked 18th in that category and are now allowing an average of 352.8 yards a game.

The biggest situation that has changed over the past two games is the run defense of the Packers. Green Bay is now ranked 13th in stopping the run and are giving up an average of 106.7 rushing yards a game.

The Packers have seen their run-defense average go up by 23 yards a game in just two games.

That's what happens when you allow Matt Forte of the Bears to rush for 125 yards and LeSean McCoy of the Eagles to rush for 155 yards.

But the things that really illustrate how bad the defense has been the last two games are the drives they have allowed in crunch time (crunch time being the fourth quarter).

The Bears went on a drive that lasted 8:58 late in the fourth quarter. That allowed the Packers less than a minute to score, as they were down by a touchdown.

The Eagles had the ball with 9:32 left in the game with a two-touchdown lead over Green Bay. The Packers never got the ball back.

Both drives were done via the run for the most part.

So, why is this happening?

For one, the outside linebackers and defensive ends aren't setting the edge outside in the run-game. Also, the secondary is whiffing on tackle attempts near the line of scrimmage. Finally, and most importantly, the tackling overall the past two games has been atrocious.

Yes, I know there have been injuries. Especially at outside linebacker. But that is no excuse.



 Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images


Now to add insult to injury, the secondary is also allowing big plays to occur via the pass—on plays that should definitely be made by someone in the secondary. Everyone is a culprit here. But the guy who sticks out like a sore thumb is safety M.D. Jennings.

Jennings is almost always a second or more too late to react on any pass thrown in his direction.

Bottom line, changes need to be made. C.J. Wilson needs to be activated to play, as he is one of the best run-stuffers on the team at defensive end.

The outside linebackers need to hold the edge in the run-game.

The secondary has to start making tackles, especially when defending the run.

Jennings needs to be replaced. But by whom? There are a number of candidates. Obviously Jerron McMillian couldn't beat out Jennings, so he's probably not the answer. The Packers could use Chris Banjo perhaps, or even put cornerback Micah Hyde at safety.

Whoever the new player is, they can't play any worse than Jennings has played.

Or why not work out veteran Ed Reed, who was just released by the Houston Texans? Reed is reportedly over his hip injury, and he brings a ton of experience, even if he is 35 years old.

Reed has played almost his entire career in the 3-4 defensive scheme and has 61 career interceptions, with seven of them being returned for touchdowns.

Bringing in a guy like Reed would basically be a half-year rental. General manager Ted Thompson is not prone to do this, at least in his current position, but he has done it in the past when he was pro personnel director for the Packers under Ron Wolf.

In 1996, the Packers signed wide receiver Andre Rison in the middle of the season, when the team was decimated by injuries at the position. Rison ended up playing a key role for the Packers as the team won Super Bowl XXXI.

The Packers are now at a crossroads. They are 5-4 and have to stop the bleeding, at least until Rodgers can come back.

It comes down to the fundamentals of tackling angles and tackling technique, at least for the defense.



 Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images


It also comes down to having instinctive people in the secondary. Jennings is not instinctive—at least he hasn't shown that attribute up to this point.

The Packers are dead-last in the NFL in creating turnovers. The team has just eight turnovers in nine games with just three interceptions and five fumble recoveries.

That isn't going to change with Jennings playing a prominent role in the secondary. Ironically, Jennings has scored the only touchdown via a turnover by the defense this season, as he recovered a fumble and scored in the game against the Bengals.

But plays like that have been few and far between.

I'm sure most of you have heard the classic quote regarding the definition of insanity, which is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Something has to change this week defensively versus the Giants if the Packers expect to win.

A game in which Scott Tolzien will be making his first-ever start in the NFL at quarterback, just a couple of weeks after being called up from the practice squad.

Everyone has to do a better job if the Packers are going to get out of this two-game funk—the front office, the coaches and of course the players.

For that to happen, something has to change.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 14, 2013, 12:18:31 pm
Another loss for the Peckers.

Tolzien is worse than Flynn. I remeber Flynn had one really good game....and since? Nothing.

I saw Tolzien in college is and he wasn't an NFL QB quality.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 14, 2013, 06:54:33 pm
Just as you think that injuries couldn't get any worse for the Packers, they get worse.

Casey Hayward will miss multiple weeks for Packers

Posted by Josh Alper on November 14, 2013, 3:51 PM EST

It’s looking more and more like 2013 is going to be a lost season for Packers cornerback Casey Hayward.

Hayward missed the first six games of the season with a hamstring injury and then suffered an aggravation of the injury during the Week 10 loss to the Eagles. On Thursday, coach Mike McCarthy said, via Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, that Hayward will miss multiple weeks as a result.

That leaves Sam Shields, Tramon Williams, Davon House and Micah Hyde at corner for the Packers for this weekend’s date with the Giants. They’ll be trying to do a better job of getting the Packers defense off the field late in games while also trying to exploit Eli Manning’s penchant for turning the ball over.

McCarthy also said tackle Don Barclay isn’t feeling as good as the team hoped he’d feel after suffering a knee injury last weekend. Center Evan Dietrich-Smith has been practicing after his own knee injury, so any shuffling up front will likely be more limited than it was last weekend.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 14, 2013, 07:07:21 pm
Did Not Practice: OL Don Barclay, CB Casey Hayward, DL Johnny Jolly, OLB Mike Neal, OLB Nick Perry, QB Aaron Rodgers

Limited participation: C Evan Dietrich-Smith, DT Ryan Pickett

Full Participation: OLB Clay Matthews
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 14, 2013, 07:10:01 pm
Game Tex Jason Josh Tony Dan Eric Consensus
IND @ TEN IND IND IND IND IND IND IND
NYJ @ BUF BUF NYJ NYJ BUF BUF BUF BUF
BAL @ CHI CHI CHI CHI CHI CHI CHI CHI
CLE @ CIN CIN CIN CIN CIN CIN CIN CIN
DET @ PIT DET DET DET DET DET DET DET
OAK @ HOU HOU HOU HOU HOU HOU HOU HOU
ARI @ JAX ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI
WAS @ PHI PHI PHI PHI PHI PHI PHI PHI
ATL @ TB ATL ATL ATL ATL ATL ATL ATL
SD @ MIA SD SD SD SD SD SD SD
GB @ NYG NYG NYG GB NYG NYG NYG NYG
MIN @ SEA SEA SEA SEA SEA SEA SEA SEA
SF @ NO NO NO NO SF NO NO NO
KC @ DEN DEN DEN DEN DEN DEN DEN DEN
NE @ CAR NE CAR CAR NE CAR CAR TIE
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 14, 2013, 07:38:21 pm
(http://cdn1.sbnation.com/assets/3559905/hammerhands.jpg)

Is this next?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 15, 2013, 01:49:42 pm

Mike Spofford packers.com staff writer




With only a fiberglass cast, Packers defensive star hoping to be more like himself


GREEN BAY—Clay Matthews may already have torn that bulky club off his right hand for the last time.

Matthews has practiced this week with his right wrist in a cast that keeps his fingers exposed, a dramatic change from a week ago. He said on Thursday that if things continue to go well in practice, he should get the OK to use the new device in the Packers’ game Sunday against the Giants.

“Yes, that will leave my fingers free, which means more sacks and more tackles,” the smiling Matthews said.

Matthews’ limitations in last week’s game were no joke
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 15, 2013, 09:48:42 pm
Bob from Washington, DC

Vic, I think you are a great reporter, but I also think you are a little caught up in the scheme and players vs. plays stuff. Much of what’s happened the last two weeks is about luck (bad luck in this case). My favorite plays of all time (Immaculate Reception, Tyree helmet catch, Rodgers tackling Urlacher) all had elements of luck, of chance, that are undeniable. What we need for the next few weeks is a little bit of luck.

Runner at second base with two out. The batter bloops a hit between the second baseman and right fielder and the runner scores because there are two out, so he’s running with contact. If there’s one out, he has to hold. It’s just luck that there are two out. Games include huge elements of chance, for which we can neither plan nor strategize, only accept as rub of the green.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on November 16, 2013, 04:39:46 am
I think there is undeniable truth in that post, Packy...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 17, 2013, 05:26:07 pm
Peckers.....pretty bad without Rodgers...

5 and 5....going no where.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 17, 2013, 06:03:10 pm
Packers going down.

Rodgers is a stud.  Be glad he is coming back but it might be to late.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 17, 2013, 09:13:21 pm
Tolzien with 3 picks. That's what you will always get from him. It's a lot different satrting games - the is D prepared for you.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on November 18, 2013, 01:38:32 pm
They really are not a good team without Rodgers. I thought they'd do alright at least but man.....that secondary is really bad!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 18, 2013, 05:47:25 pm
Packers going down.

Rodgers is a stud.  Be glad he is coming back but it might be to late.

I'm afraid you are right, Peke.  Chances of repairing the damage done by injuries up to this point look pretty slim.  Rodgers really should be out for at least another week and if the Pack loses to any NFCC team pack it in.

You guys better play well.  I would hate to see Detroit win the Division.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on November 18, 2013, 05:55:47 pm
No way Detroit wins. History says they will choke and Schwartz will continue to make boneheaded decisions.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 18, 2013, 05:57:41 pm
This year seems to be defying all the traditions, though.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 18, 2013, 06:33:59 pm
Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy took the podium to discuss the team's loss to the New York Giants on Sunday and to look ahead to the next game against the Minnesota Vikings. Before saying anything else, McCarthy made it clear that Scott Tolzien will remain the starting quarterback this week.

******Though he did throw three interceptions, Tolzien had good numbers otherwise - he went 24/34 for 70.6% completions, and racked up 339 yards for just under 10 yards per attempt. Furthermore, he was not sacked the whole game long. McCarthy said he was impressed by Tolzien's play on the long passes, and that he had never seen a game where a quarterback was able to complete every long throw that they called from the sideline.*******

McCarthy then said that he has no news on Aaron Rodgers' injury, and that he has not yet talked to the medical staff about Rodgers' collarbone or his potential availability for the Vikings game.

Speaking of that game, McCarthy referred to it as an "extremely important football game", which cannot be overstated.

He sounded positive when discussing Derek Sherrod's progress in practice this week as well, saying that the young tackle made a big step in Thursday's session. With Marshall Newhouse's continued struggles and Don Barclay's injury keeping him out on Sunday, it would be great if Sherrod could step in and contribute at right tackle in the next few weeks.

As usual, practice on Wednesday will go a long way towards determining the active roster for Sunday's Vikings game.

I sure hope that Sherrod can finally do  something to help out the team.  putting Newhouse and Barclay on the bench could help the offense.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 18, 2013, 07:03:06 pm

The Best Rookie This Week Was Datone Jones
 
Hi-res-7877388_display_image
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports


There is no doubt that running back Eddie Lacy has been the top rookie for the Green Bay Packers this year.

However, rookie defensive end Datone Jones has made the most noise for the Packers the past two weeks.

After recording two sacks last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, Jones was once again wreaking havoc on quarterback Eli Manning this week. While he didn't finish the game with a tackle or a sack, he was still instrumental in a number of quarterback hurries and the sack by outside linebacker Clay Matthews.

Jones was originally looking like a bust for the first half of the season, but he has come on strong in recent weeks. He's finally looking like the player that the Packers drafted in the first round, which is exactly what this struggling defense needs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 19, 2013, 08:11:46 pm
From "Ask Vic":

Do you think it’s time to dump the coaching staff and start over?

No, I don’t think it’s time to do that, Justin. At the risk of being accused of toeing the company line – you accept that criticism when you take this job – I think this is a very good coaching staff that has amazed me with its ability to teach the game of football. Allow me, please, to paint a picture for you: Aaron Rodgers is out. Randall Cobb is out. Jermichael Finley is out. Casey Hayward has been out nearly all year. Bryan Bulaga has never been in. Rodgers’ backup is out. Sam Shields is out. Nick Perry is out. Don Barclay is out. Clay Matthews is just back. Did I miss anyone? We’re talking about star players missing long stretches of the season. I know of no coaching staff that could endure this kind of attrition. That next-man-up stuff sounds nice, but that’s coachspeak and I’m a reporter/marketing copywriter, and I deal in plain talk. Add up the cap hits those players represent, and then subtract that from the team’s cap and ask yourself if it would be your expectation that the team should win playing with that kind of cap disadvantage. Packers fans have wonderful energy and enthusiasm, but I would prescribe a dose of reality right now.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 19, 2013, 09:45:59 pm
The BEars only lost to detoilet....TWICE....because of bone head plays - CUTLER...Cutler cost us BOTH Detoilet games....the first one with 4 turnovers....the second one because he played when he wasn't healthy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on November 20, 2013, 10:53:09 am
it is bad when you score over 30 points in two games and lose them.
It is almost sacrilege for a BEARS team to score over 30 pts and lose.
We've lost several games I felt like we should have won. I think we have also won a couple that we should have lost.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on November 20, 2013, 11:36:02 am

The difference between winning and losing isn't always who makes the great plays to win it but who doesn't make the bad plays that can lose it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 20, 2013, 03:49:19 pm
The difference between winning and losing isn't always who makes the great plays to win it but who doesn't make the bad plays that can lose it.

Absolutely.  The last two games you had a QB who did not make those bad plays.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on November 20, 2013, 04:13:04 pm

Actually, he's done both.  Like his pass to Bennett that was the difference maker last week.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 20, 2013, 04:49:39 pm
Vic, I’m glad you pointed out Lacy on the Pierre-Paul interception. Quarless was open, too, but not like Lacy was. What does a coaching staff say after that? Do they just show him a picture with Lacy circled in red?

It’s a learning experience. Playing quarterback isn’t like playing a video game. There are 70,000 people howling at you. The defense is barking out its own instructions. The quarterback has to see everything. Fans would be stunned at what the demands are for a quarterback in that situation, and the clock is ticking, and someone is talking into your helmet. Scott Tolzien is a keeper. The Packers appear to have found something in Tolzien.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on November 20, 2013, 05:17:22 pm

I think we all here agree that Tolzien is a keeper - please keep playing him through the remainder of the season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 21, 2013, 08:03:09 pm
I think we all here agree that Tolzien is a keeper - please keep playing him through the remainder of the season.

Can't.  He'll probably be injured before then.  Everyone else has been. 
Seneca Wallace was our #2. QB  Can't play him.  He is already on IR.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 21, 2013, 09:28:09 pm
Kalib from Wichita, KS

I get the feeling most Packers fans don’t fully understand how much the pass game works with the run game. Educate the people?

They get it. These are savvy fans that understand that balance between run and pass requires that the defense either balance its focus on run and pass, or guess and run the risk of guessing incorrectly. What I think a lot of fans fail to consider is that it decreases the number of times your quarterback is exposed to the potential for injury. A possession passing game that’s used to move the sticks exposes its quarterback to a lot of hits, hurries and sacks. I ascribe to the philosophy of “You throw to score, you run to win.” I want a pounder to take the pounding, not my quarterback. When my quarterback drops back to throw, I want him looking downfield. I want him making big plays. I want there to be a good reason for my quarterback being exposed to the pass rush. The Packers achieved that kind of complement between run and pass this year. This was becoming a scary offense. Even still, Rodgers got hurt. It’s the worst thing that can happen to a team. The Packers have enjoyed a lot of durability at the quarterback position for a long time. Maybe it just caught up to them.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 21, 2013, 09:51:00 pm

Packers searching for healthy cornerbacks

Posted 4 hours ago

  Mike Spofford packers.com staff writer

Clay Matthews: “It starts this week; we need this one”

GREEN BAY—The cornerback position is more banged up than it’s been all year for the Packers, and not exactly at a good time.

The Packers got through practice on Thursday with just four healthy corners, as Micah Hyde (groin) was added to an injury list that already included Sam Shields (hamstring), Casey Hayward (hamstring), and James Nixon (knee).

Hyde said he plans to return to practice on Friday, but the defense will have to prepare to adjust in any case.

That’s what happened last Sunday, when Shields was a surprise pre-game scratch for the Giants game. His absence created a trickle-down effect that put Davon House into the starting lineup opposite Tramon Williams, moved Hyde into the full-time nickel role and brought veteran Jarrett Bush into the dime spot.

Shields hasn’t practiced yet this week and Head Coach Mike McCarthy called him “50-50.” The Packers clearly missed their top cover corner against the Giants, surrendering four pass completions of between 25 and 35 yards. Three different New York receivers made those four catches, and each big gain led to a score (two TDs, two FGs).

As long as Hyde can play, the rotation can stay the same this week. If he can’t, a young safety – likely either Chris Banjo or Jerron McMillian – would have to be the dime back if that package is needed.

“We just have to figure out how we have to do it, whether it’s some guys come in and get extra film study in, maybe a guy gives a little extra effort, if he’s not giving it already,” Williams said. “Whatever it is, we have to give it now.”..

Injuries, injuries, those damn injuries.  When you are continually trying to find enough healthy players to even field a full team it gets old.  It will be a relief to have the season over and hope the team can field enough players next season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 21, 2013, 10:07:00 pm
Posted by Darin Gantt on November 21, 2013, 4:43 PM EST

Green Bay Packers Clay Matthews commits a late hit on San Francisco 49ers Colin Kaepernick during their NFL season home opener football game in San FranciscoReuters
Clay Matthews apparently isn’t as dirty a player as some believed.

He’s also $23,250 richer, by virtue.

Matthews told Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com that he’s saved a lot of money on fines, with one rescinded and one cut in half.

Matthews said his Week One launch into 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, which initially cost him a $15,000 fine, was cut in half to $7,500.

He also said he won the appeal of his Week 10 fine for hitting Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, with appeals officer Matt Birk wiping out a $15,750 fine which he had only asked to be reduced.

“It was funny because he said I think you’re underselling yourself as far as my appeal,” Matthews said. “He’s like, ‘I don’t think you hit him with your head at all.’ I thought I hit him legally, so $15,000 was way too much. And he said, ‘Well, I don’t think you really did anything, so we’re going to take that away.’ So that was a good day.”

Those two were the only two fines Matthews has incurred this season, which is good news for players, who too often have misguided beliefs about the way the fine system actually works.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 22, 2013, 07:48:26 pm
According to Packers.com's Mike Spofford, Rodgers added on Wednesday that he would have to return to practice by Friday in order to suit up in Week 12 and by Tuesday if he's to be ready for Week 13's Thanksgiving matchup at Detroit.

Neither seems likely at this point, but a date to keep in mind is Dec. 8, when Green Bay is scheduled to host the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football. By Week 14, Rodgers will have had nearly five full weeks to recover. Not to mention the Packers could still be sitting on just five wins and in desperate need of that "jolt" Rodgers talked about.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 22, 2013, 08:16:08 pm

Mike Spofford packers.com staff writer




Clay Matthews: “It starts this week; we need this one”


 
CB Tramon Williams got his first INT of the season last week vs. the Giants.

GREEN BAY—The cornerback position is more banged up than it’s been all year for the Packers, and not exactly at a good time.

The Packers got through practice on Thursday with just four healthy corners, as Micah Hyde (groin) was added to an injury list that already included Sam Shields (hamstring), Casey Hayward (hamstring), and James Nixon (knee).

Hyde said he plans to return to practice on Friday, but the defense will have to prepare to adjust in any case.

Hope we have enough  healthy players to field a team Sunday.  Never seen an NFL team who had to sacrifice a game for lack of enough players. to field a team.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 22, 2013, 08:25:14 pm
Brian from Waxahachie, TX

I have noticed over this skid that our defense has given up too manybig plays. Do you think the defense is this badly affected by Aaron Rodgers’ absence that they are allowing a lot of big plays?

Rodgers’ injury traumatized this team. I can’t explain it but neither can I deny it. The facts are undeniable. This team was on a roll when he got hurt. They’ve only had the lead in a game twice since, 10-7 and 20-17 over the Bears. Should it have had this effect on the defense? No, but it has, and it has to stop this week. There can be no more of this. The Packers have to get over it, deal with it and win the game.

A different view from a  veteran football guru.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 22, 2013, 08:27:30 pm
Matt from Dyersville, IA

I heard a rumor that you and Mike would be playing cornerback for the Packers this Sunday. Is that true?

Sam Shields missed the Giants game due to a hamstring injury and didn’t participate in practice on Thursday, and now Micah Hyde has a groin injury and didn’t practice on Thursday. This is a major problem and it would be a huge problem next Thursday in Detroit, against an explosive passing attack, if the Packers are depleted at cornerback. The problem with next man up is he keeps going down.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 23, 2013, 08:15:16 pm
The truth is, however, Bostick could very well be the team's future at tight end given the likelihood that Finley will not return to the team next season. Finley suffered a herniated disc in his neck and is recovering from single-level fusion surgery, according to a report.

The Packers would not clear safety Nick Collins after he had vertebrae fused at the C-3, C-4 level, which is reportedly the same area where Finley had his. The spinal surgeon the Packers trust the most, Los Angeles-based Robert Watkins, has told other surgeons he won't clear players to return to the field when one of the fused discs is C-3 or higher.

It doesn't mean Finley, a free agent after this season, can't resume his career. There are doctors — including Joseph Maroon, who performed the surgery on Finley — who believe it's perfectly safe to return from single-level fusion surgery at C-3, C-4 if a number of criteria are met.

But the chances of the Packers clearing Finley seem very low...

Looking more and more like Finley's days with the Packers are done.  What a shame.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 23, 2013, 08:17:13 pm
"I think there's a lot of potential there," receiver James Jones said. "No. 1, he's extremely fast for his position. He has great hands and if he can just get it in his mind that nobody can stop him, and go out there and play the way he plays at practice, he's going to become a great player because he has all the tools."

The Packers have seen glimpses of it.

They saw it Sunday against the New York Giants when Bostick beat safety Ryan Mundy off the line of scrimmage, caught a deep crossing route from quarterback Scott Tolzien, absorbed a shot to the ribs from 207-pound safety Will Hill, and then stiff-armed linebacker Jon Beason on his way to the sideline.

"My lower body is stronger than my upper body," Bostick said Thursday. "I definitely have strong legs. I know I had more yards to get, but he (Hill) knocked the wind out of me so I just ran out of bounds. I definitely could have gotten more yards."

It was a very Finley-esque move — at least Finley 2013. Had Bostick gone down on Hill's hit it would have been a 20-yard gain. Instead, it was a 26-yard gain...
 
The Packers future at TE?

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 23, 2013, 08:29:00 pm
Another LT rookie who was injured in training camp and ended up on PUP.

GREEN BAY – College football coaches often talk about the fringe benefit of their teams making postseason bowl games being the additional practice time for young players.

That might be the kind of experience the Green Bay Packers are hoping to give rookie offensive lineman JC Tretter, the fourth-round pick from Cornell who suffered a broken ankle in the first organized team activity practice in May and started practicing Wednesday while remaining on the physically unable to perform list.

While tackle Derek Sherrod has been moved from the PUP list to the 53-man roster, defensive end Jerel Worthy (knee) and safety Sean Richardson (neck) are practicing in hopes of being activated as well. Tretter, though, may have missed too much time to contribute this season and may just be getting much-needed practice time. That’s what happened with Sherrod last year, as the team opened his PUP practice window for three weeks but never moved him to the 53-man roster.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 23, 2013, 08:31:49 pm
By Brian Carriveau on Nov 21, 2013


It’s difficult to assess how well an offensive line is playing. You can’t look at the number of touchdowns they scored, receptions they grabbed, passes they completed, tackles they made or interceptions they picked.

Judging the effectiveness of an offensive line is more art than science, seeing how five men play together in tandem, individuals working toward a common goal.

Indeed, analyzing an offensive line is probably more qualitative than quantitative. But of the few measuring sticks available, the Packers offensive line would appear to be having its best performance in years, perhaps in the Mike McCarthy era.

Sacks are down. Rushing yards are up. And the play of the offensive line is a major factor why the Packers offense is ranked No. 3 in the NFL, racking up an average of 417.4 yards per game despite the injuries that have plagued the team.

The offense has been without big-time playmakers Aaron Rodgers, Randall Cobb and Jermichael Finley for long stretches this season, but maybe most impressive for the offensive line, they’ve been getting the job done without Bryan Bulaga...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the last two games that Rodgers has not started, however, opposing teams have geared up against the run, stuffing the box with extra defenders. Because of this, the Packers haven’t exceeded 100 rushing yards against either the Eagles or the Giants.
With the running game unable to find traction, the pass protection has elevated its level of play, trying to assist Scott Tolzien as much as possible.
It’s as if the offensive line has recognized they need to give an inexperienced quarterback every advantage possible. Scott Tolzien is never going to be Aaron Rodgers, but by giving him time to operate, the Packers will have a better chance to experience success.
In this past Sunday’s loss to the Giants, the Packers didn’t allow a single sack for the first time since Week 4 of last season. Combined with the one sack allowed the previous game against the Eagles, it’s the lowest two-game sack total allowed since the Super Bowl season of 2010 in Weeks 2 and 3...
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After giving up 10 sacks in the first three games of the season, the Packers were tied for sixth-most in the NFL. Since that time, they’ve allowed 13 sacks in the past seven games, and their average of 1.86 sacks per game over that span ranks No. 5 in the NFL.
Keep in mind, this is a unit that ranked dead last in the league, No. 32, under McCarthy with an astronomical 73 sacks allowed in 2009. Things weren’t much better last season, ranking No. 31 with 51 sacks given up.
But with 23 sacks allowed this season, the Packers are making progress, tied for No. 9 in the NFL in that category...

____________________________________________________________________-
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 23, 2013, 08:45:24 pm
In addition to Bakhtiari, Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang join forces to make arguably the best pair of guards in the NFL and another big reason for an improved offensive line performance this season.

According to ProFootballFocus.com, Sitton ranks third in the league in their rating system in 2013 while Lang ranks 12th, combining for the highest rated guard duo in the NFL.

Center Evan Dietrich-Smith has been solid in his own right, capably filling the shoes of Scott Wells and Jeff Saturday after their departures the past two seasons. Dietrich-Smith ranks 11th among centers, per ProFootballFocus.com...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 23, 2013, 08:47:28 pm
And they are ALL young.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on November 23, 2013, 09:21:23 pm
Scrolled...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 25, 2013, 12:14:30 am
OMG...too funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Funny......Peckers TIE the 2 and 8 Queens...

Funnier.......Peckers were too STUPID to know after 15 minutes of OT...the game ENDS in a TIE.

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!

You mean the "GREAT" Peckers....according to Oddo and Packrat...aren't smart enough to realize 1 OT...let alone TIE the 2 and 8 Queens.

Fitting....Mikey McCarthy...IDIOT with best playerin the league.

Good comedy for YERARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on November 25, 2013, 12:46:33 pm
Actually beerbelly, good comedy is letting St. Louis run for 258 yards against your defense in a blowout loss.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on November 25, 2013, 12:55:03 pm

Otto...I don't recall seeing any of your posts after the Bears beat the Packers...f*** off loser.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on November 25, 2013, 03:52:08 pm
No clue what Otts thinks he has to crow about. The lowly Queens put up 232 on his POS team.....news flash: Rams are better than the Queens this year, pal.....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on November 25, 2013, 06:01:00 pm
Is this the same Otto that went MIA after the Bears beat down the Packers earlier this year??

TROLL
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 25, 2013, 06:43:22 pm
HAHAHAAHA Oddo...Same Bears team that beat the Peckers and nocked out Rodgers. Enjoy! Sucker!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 25, 2013, 09:30:44 pm
McCarthy also took time to comment Eddie Lacy's most recent strong performance and the concerns regarding his asthma. Lacy rushed for 110 yards on 25 carries this past weekend, but was mostly unavailable in overtime due to an asthma attack. According to McCarthy, the Packers coaches were aware of the issue and aren't overly concerned. While asthma can be exacerbated by cold weather, Lacy isn't expected to have much trouble controlling the issue in the coming months...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 26, 2013, 03:07:12 pm
Matt Flynn practices with Packers’ starters

Posted by Michael David Smith on November 26, 2013, 2:15 PM EST

Green Bay Packers quarterback Flynn passes against the Detroit Lions during the second half of their NFL football game in Green BayReuters
The last time he started a game for the Packers, quarterback Matt Flynn racked up huge numbers against the Lions and parlayed it into a huge contract from the Seahawks. Now Flynn appears set to start another game for the Packers against the Lions.

Although Packers coach Mike McCarthy has not yet named a starter for Thanksgiving in Detroit, he confirmed today that Flynn did the work with the first-string offense in practice.

“Matt Flynn took the starter reps today. That’s where we are,” McCarthy said.

It sounds like Flynn will start, Scott Tolzien will be the No. 2 and Aaron Rodgers will be inactive...

Not surprising. Thanks for cutting him Buffalo..
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 26, 2013, 06:46:47 pm
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/11/26/packers-sitton-lions-are-scum-who-would-try-to-injure-rodgers/

I agree with Sitton 100%!

Lions are dirty cheap shot artists! 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 26, 2013, 08:44:59 pm
I agree, Peke.  Their weakness is lack of discipline.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 26, 2013, 08:45:27 pm
Barclay, Shields, Perry Return to Practice Tuesday

;-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 26, 2013, 09:00:38 pm
GREEN BAY – The Green Bay Packers’ overtime timing sure is impeccable, isn’t it?

Of all the weeks an NFL team would want to play an extra full quarter – as the Packers did in their 26-26 tie with the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at Lambeau Field – the week before their designated Thursday game is the worst possible time.

“I know that it’s a short week, and that opens up a whole new can of challenges in getting ready – especially after playing five quarters [against Minnesota],” quarterback Matt Flynn said Monday. “There’s a lot of guys who are going to be extra tired, extra sore after all the football they played. So we’ve got to do a good job of making sure we get our bodies right.”

Every team in the NFL, thanks to the NFL Network’s Thursday night package, has to play one game on such a short week. This week, the Packers get theirs, with a Thanksgiving Day date with the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Thursday.

It irks me that the home team has such a  big advantage when a Thursday night game is involved and Detroit gets to be home team for the Thursday game every year because of the Thanksgiving game.  Same for Dallas.  The league should change this.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 26, 2013, 09:19:40 pm
http://gamedayr.com/lifestyle/fans/photo-green-bay-packers-bikini-girls-89974/ (http://gamedayr.com/lifestyle/fans/photo-green-bay-packers-bikini-girls-89974/)

Love those Packers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 27, 2013, 10:32:30 am
I don'tr understand why the NFL doesn't do more to enforece the rules on cheap shots against the Lions. They're dirty team and someone will get hurt bad before they do anything. Suh should have been suspeneded for 1/2 aseason.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on November 27, 2013, 10:50:35 am
"It irks me that the home team has such a  big advantage when a Thursday night game is involved and Detroit gets to be home team for the Thursday game every year because of the Thanksgiving game.  Same for Dallas.  The league should change this."

Pack lost Thanksgiving Thursday in DET in 2010 .... part of the road.

PS. However strip the cowpansies.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 27, 2013, 03:57:47 pm
 Shields, Perry, Jolly, Barclay all probable for Thursday
Posted by Mike Spofford on  November 27, 2013 – 12:52 pm 


The Packers appear to be getting some of their injured players back for the Thanksgiving showdown with the Lions.

CB Sam Shields (hamstring), LB Nick Perry (foot/ankle), DE Johnny Jolly (groin) and OT Don Barclay (knee) — all of whom have missed at least the last two games, except Jolly, who sat out only last Sunday vs. Minnesota — are all listed as probable on the injury report for Thursday’s game following their participation on practices on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“As far as the amount of work we were able to get done the last two days on the field, it has been in a limited fashion as far as the workload,” Mike McCarthy said. “I’m encouraged. I trust they feel good and they’re ready to go. Hopefully nothing changes between now and tomorrow.”

The return of Shields is particularly timely, with the defense going up against the league’s most explosive receiver in Calvin Johnson, who missed the first meeting with the Packers back on Oct. 6 due to a knee injury.

McCarthy wasn’t going to reveal the game plan against Johnson, but it’s a safe bet Shields will get a fair share of time against him.

“I’m just happy to have Sam Shields back on the field,” McCarthy said. “Obviously he was playing very well for us. Calvin Johnson is obviously a dynamic player and he’s a real focus for us defensively.

It seems when Rodgers was injured it also affected the defense.  They seemed to lose their enthusiasm.  After the decent performance by Flynn maybe the Defense can regain its aggressiveness and play better.  If not it may be a long day for GB.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 27, 2013, 03:59:01 pm
Posted by Mike Spofford on  November 27, 2013 – 12:43 pm 


Head Coach Mike McCarthy officially ruled out QB Aaron Rodgers on the injury report for Thursday’s game in Detroit and declared Matt Flynn the starting QB.

“Matt Flynn will be the starter tomorrow,” McCarthy said following the team’s practice on Wednesday. “He’s taken all the starter reps this week, and he’s ready to go.

“We’re ready. We’ve got a full game plan in.”

As for G Josh Sitton’s disparaging comments about Detroit’s defensive line and coaching staff, which he made on a radio show Tuesday, McCarthy addressed them briefly.

“I’ll say this about Josh Sitton’s comments. They definitely don’t reflect how we go about our business here,” McCarthy said. “It was discussed with the football team.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 27, 2013, 04:05:24 pm
Rodgers will a almost certainly be ready to play against Atlanta.  GB can only hope that there is something left to play for, then.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 27, 2013, 04:08:05 pm
The Packers released the first injury report for the week on Monday, and some new players are on it while some others may be getting back on the practice field this week.

Practice designations are an approximation because the team didn’t actually practice, but had there been a workout, TE Brandon Bostick (concussion), LB Jamari Lattimore (quad) and G Josh Sitton (back) would all have sat out. Also listed as “did not participate,” along with QB Aaron Rodgers (collarbone), were RB Johnathan Franklin (concussion) and DE C.J. Wilson (ankle) whose injuries were reported after the game. Wilson’s was first reported as a knee injury but is now an ankle.

Also new to the injury report is T Marshall Newhouse (shoulder) though he was listed as “limited” as a practice approximation.

The good news is some of the players who have been out for the Packers were also listed as limited, meaning there’s a chance they could return to the practice field for real on Tuesday.

T/G Don Barclay (knee), DE Johnny Jolly (groin), LB Nick Perry (foot/ankle) and CB Sam Shields (hamstring), who all missed Sunday’s game vs. Minnesota, are in that category.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 27, 2013, 08:26:42 pm
Marcio from Porto Alegre, Brazil

Vic, thank you for your work. Is it my impression that everyone in the locker room feels lighter to see Aaron in pads? Even if he doesn’t play, it looks like morale is up. Thoughts?

Vic
His limited participation in practice yesterday sent a message to his teammates: The quarterback is back; it’s up to you to make his return meaningful. In my opinion, if the Packers win in Detroit on Thursday, they will win the division. I believe that with all my heart. That is not the opinion of someone attempting to favor his employer, that is the opinion of someone who has covered football for a long time and has covered this team long enough now to have a feel for what it can do when Aaron Rodgers is under center. I can’t remember the last time I’ve covered a game with as much edge to it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 27, 2013, 08:35:38 pm
Jerome from Dixon, IL

Vic, I must say, I felt you may have been a little swift and reckless with your answer to the guy from Minnesota about his concerns for using Lacy too much. I must agree with him. It seems to me the style of runner Lacy is lends him to a shorter career when used 30-40 carries. After all, we are not even to the playoffs, yet. Please reconsider your response.

 Vic

OK, I’ve reconsidered it. Here’s a new response: If Eddie Lacy is gashing the Lions on Thursday, pounding them for drive-sustaining yardage that is eating up clock, keeping Calvin Johnson on the bench and allowing the Packers to protect a slim lead, Lacy should be benched when he reaches 22 carries because we want to make sure he’s ready for the playoffs. How’s that?
Fans sometimes don't think things through too clearly.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 27, 2013, 08:44:30 pm
Owen from Milwaukee, WI

The Packers struggled to stop Adrian Peterson and the Vikings passing game. How do you think they will deal with Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush?

Vic

I’m hopeful, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t fearful. This defense is in a bad way right now. It has to play to a higher level of performance on Thursday for the Packers to have any chance of winning.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 27, 2013, 08:49:54 pm
Michael from Madison, WI

Where do you stand on Sitton running his mouth? I don’t mind.

Vic

He raised the bar of expectation for himself and his teammates. He sharpened the focus for tomorrow’s game. He intensified the hype. We are at DEFCON 1 now. The Packers aren’t going to sneak into Detroit and steal a win. They better be ready to play because you can bet the Lions will be ready. This is THE game in the Jim Schwartz era. If the Lions lose this one, it could get real testy in the Motor City. Josh Sitton just ratcheted up the pressure, on everyone. Why not?

(Sitton accused the Lions of dirty play.)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 27, 2013, 08:52:21 pm
My boss once told me you are in trouble when confidence turns to hope.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 27, 2013, 09:00:08 pm
Posted by Darin Gantt on November 27, 2013, 4:53 PM EST

Rookie running back Johnathan Franklin didn’t make much of an impact for the Packers this year. And now he won’t do anything else.

According to Tom Pelissero of USA Today, the Packers put the rookie running back on injured reserve Wednesday. They filled the roster spot by promoting linebacker Victor Aiyewa from the practice squad.

Well, there goes another one.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on November 27, 2013, 10:20:26 pm
Bill from Spotsylvania,  VA

Why the **** does packrat think I care what Owen from Milwaukee, WI wants to ask?

Vic

Leave him alone.  He's old and getting senile.  It is his only form of entertainment in the nursing home he lives in.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on November 28, 2013, 02:16:46 am
Brutal.....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on November 28, 2013, 09:50:30 am
ummmm...this IS the Green Bay thread isn't it?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on November 28, 2013, 01:56:57 pm
It's the Green Bay SUCKS thread, to be precise...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on November 28, 2013, 02:08:27 pm
Then I guess it's safe to talk about the O-line. Detroit is destroying them. Pack better hold off on bringing Rodgers back until they are sure he is completely healed. This line will get him killed.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 28, 2013, 02:10:45 pm
The Packers are done after losing this game anyway.  They might as well let Rodgers heal up and get ready for next year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 28, 2013, 04:03:47 pm
Few REAL WORLD thoughts (not pecker fans hoped up on old Milwaukee)....

Where is this "great" Pecker defense I keep hearing about here...this is NO PECKER DEFENSE...NONE..Hello??? Where's Oddo???

Eddie Lacey SUCKS and he proved it TODAY. He had yardage because 1. Everyone at one point feared the Peckers passing game - BUT when the "savior" Matt "I have NO BUSINESS being in the NFL" FLynn plays QB...there is no running game. 2. Lacey only got yards BECAUSE every team at one time feared the Peckers running game.

CLUE to the Peckers front office....what EVERY other GM knew.....MATT FLYNN SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is NOT an NFL QB.

40 points to the Moter City Kitties???? HAAAHAHAHAHHHAHAAH HOHOHOHO

Did I say Eddie Lacey SUCKS?????

There is no Peckers D.

I am also guessing going forward Rodgers WILL Be a gimp. Break a shoulder...uou're NEVER the same. Emjoy!!


God bless Ted Thompson...he is a genius!!! HAHHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAH

Pack is back!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 28, 2013, 04:07:09 pm
BTW....I've ad the same injury as Rodgers...he wil NEVER want to land on that shoulder again. EVER.  Good luck buddy. It will NEVER heal properly.

Eddie Lacey SUCKS.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 28, 2013, 04:11:45 pm
Lions score 37 straight, rout Pack 40-10....37 - great D by the Peckers....LONG drives the Kitties.

Stafford tried to help you.

117 for Bush.....Bell 94 yards,

Dominated.

Peckers O under the "great' Flynn....3 points.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 28, 2013, 09:22:18 pm
I am ashamed of the GB team that was on the field today.  They can play much better.  I have seen this same team slip from 5-3 and playing very well to this disgrace.  It was not the QB who gave up 40 points.  Some of the players seemed to just go through the motions.

DETROIT — This will go down as the worst Green Bay Packers performance in coach Mike McCarthy’s eight-year head coaching tenure.

There is no way to put a positive spin on the Packers’ 40-10 abomination against the Detroit Lions on Thursday at Ford Field.

It’s one thing to lose, it’s another to not come close to being competitive.

The Packers’ pathetic attempt to play the game of football was embarrassing, and no one in the gloomy locker room afterward was about to argue.

“Everything right there, national TV, Thanksgiving Day, an opportunity to get back into first place in the division, and we came out and did that,” said receiver Jordy Nelson. “It’s embarrassing.”

What the Packers did was lay a giant egg for the entire football world to see. Their offense struggled to pick up first downs, let alone score points, and their defense offered little resistance to a Lions attack that rolled up 30 first downs and 561 yards.

“It’s embarrassing,” said Packers guard Josh Sitton. “We got our (expletive) beat. Plain and simple. They smacked us today. There’s no doubt about it. I’ve been playing this game a long time. This is one of the worst beats I’ve ever been a part of.”

The Packers finished the miserable month of November with an 0-4-1 record since Aaron Rodgers suffered a broken collarbone.

When the month started, the Packers were battling for the best record in the NFC. Now they look like one of the worst teams in the league and are on the brink of playoff elimination.

Sure, Rodgers could return next week and provide a much-needed spark. But it might be too little, too late for a team that has gone in the tank since its star player went down.

The next-man-up theory clearly doesn’t work when it comes to the quarterback position, as Seneca Wallace, Scott Tolzien and Matt Flynn have proven.

Flynn had that deer-in-the-headlights look against the Lions. When he wasn’t taking a safety, fumbling or throwing an interception, he was running for his life and getting crushed by the Lions’ fierce pass rush in what became the Packers’ most inept offensive display under McCarthy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 28, 2013, 09:35:03 pm
Bill from Spotsylvania,  VA

Why the **** does packrat think I care what Owen from Milwaukee, WI wants to ask?

Vic

Leave him alone.  He's old and getting senile.  It is his only form of entertainment in the nursing home he lives in.

Have you been waiting for 4 years to post that comment?

If you aren't interested in the Packer comments why in hell do you come over here like a punk little troll?  I may be an old geezer but you are acting like a three year old spoiled brat.

I hope  that you will go back to your little hole for another four years until you have something  else to be nasty about.  Have you been consulting with beerfan and oddo?
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on November 28, 2013, 10:01:25 pm
I am ashamed of the GB team that was on the field today.  They can play much better.  I have seen this same team slip from 5-3 and playing very well to this disgrace.  It was not the QB who gave up 40 points.  Some of the players seemed to just go through the motions.

DETROIT — This will go down as the worst Green Bay Packers performance in coach Mike McCarthy’s eight-year head coaching tenure.

There is no way to put a positive spin on the Packers’ 40-10 abomination against the Detroit Lions on Thursday at Ford Field.

It’s one thing to lose, it’s another to not come close to jes is a tool.

The Packers’ pathetic attempt to play the game of football was embarrassing, and no one in the gloomy locker room afterward was about to argue.

“Everything right there, national TV, Thanksgiving Day, an opportunity to get back into first place in the division, and we came out and did that,” said receiver Jordy Nelson. “It’s embarrassing.”

What the Packers did was lay a giant egg for the entire football world to see. Their offense struggled to pick up first downs, let alone score points, and their defense offered little resistance to a Lions attack that rolled up 30 first downs and 561 yards.

“It’s embarrassing,” said Packers guard Josh Sitton. “We got our (expletive) beat. Plain and simple. They smacked us today. There’s no doubt about it. I’ve been playing this game a long time. This is one of the worst beats I’ve ever been a part of.”

The Packers finished the miserable month of November with an 0-4-1 record since Aaron Rodgers suffered a broken collarbone.

When the month started, the Packers were battling for the best record in the NFC. Now they look like one of the worst teams in the league and are on the brink of playoff elimination.

Sure, Rodgers could return next week and provide a much-needed spark. But it might be too little, too late for a team that has gone in the tank since its star player went down.

The next-man-up theory clearly doesn’t work when it comes to the quarterback position, as Seneca Wallace, Scott Tolzien and Matt Flynn have proven.

Flynn had that deer-in-the-headlights look against the Lions. When he wasn’t taking a safety, fumbling or throwing an interception, he was running for his life and getting crushed by the Lions’ fierce pass rush in what became the Packers’ most inept offensive display under McCarthy.


"It’s one thing to lose, it’s another to not come close to jes is a tool."

Huh?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on November 29, 2013, 05:23:53 am
I think looking at that game, Rodgers would have been done for a long time had he played and it was smart of McCarthy not to risk him.  On a second thought, anyone think that Suh would have piled driven Cutler on that same type of sack where he kept Flynn off the carpet?  I do... and Rodgers for that matter
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 29, 2013, 10:00:50 am
Yep only reason he didn't is because the QB sucked. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 29, 2013, 05:41:35 pm
Yep only reason he didn't is because the QB sucked. 


True.  Along with most of the other players.  There is something going on, psychologically  that turned a team from playing good defense to a hopeless pack of defeatist players going through the motions.  A few of the players tried.  The rest would have been cut if they had played like this before the season.

Something happen with the coaching?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 29, 2013, 05:44:30 pm
I will root for Chi against Det but it will be  a tough go for the Bears, though.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on November 30, 2013, 11:07:00 am
Quote
Have you been waiting for 4 years to post that comment?

If you aren't interested in the Packer comments why in hell do you come over here like a punk little troll?  I may be an old geezer but you are acting like a three year old spoiled brat.

I hope  that you will go back to your little hole for another four years until you have something  else to be nasty about.  Have you been consulting with beerfan and oddo?

Wohhh.  Easy buddy.  I love you packy.  That was posted tongue in cheek.  I was messing with you.  I guess it didn't come over in black and white.  Sorry you got offended but even if you did, to compare me to otter was over the line.  Even for an old senile bastard.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 30, 2013, 06:19:34 pm
Wohhh.  Easy buddy.  I love you packy.  That was posted tongue in cheek.  I was messing with you.  I guess it didn't come over in black and white.  Sorry you got offended but even if you did, to compare me to otter was over the line.  Even for an old senile bastard.

I went overboard on that WML.  Charge it to my mood after the loss.  I feel a whole lot better after this post by you.  I should have known you had too much class to mean that.  I apologize for the brashness and my obtuseness.  Vic says Go Bears!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 02, 2013, 04:23:19 pm
Shaun from Lexington, VA

Vic, despite our best efforts, it seems as though our rivals are allowing us to stay alive. With the Bears loss and the Lions upcoming schedule, can a fire still be lit under our team, or have we already used up our second, third and fourth chances?

Vic

Just win one game. That’s all. Just beat the Falcons. Put everything into beating the Falcons. If the Packers get lucky and the Eagles beat the Lions, you won’t have to wonder about lighting a fire under the team. The Packers would be a half game behind the Lions, who would still have games left against the Ravens and Giants and at the Vikings. I’m not saying it’s likely the Packers will get the help they need, I’m just saying all the help in the world is meaningless if you don’t do what you have to do to make it into the playoffs. Win the game. It starts with that. I am not afraid of losing. I have long accepted that the risk of losing is the cost of wanting to see victory. This is a classic example, folks, of why we need to keep football in perspective. When the fear of defeat becomes so overwhelming that it makes us want to quit, we have lost perspective and it’s hurting us.

This could also apply to Bears fans.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 03, 2013, 03:20:46 pm
Packers sign RB Kahlil Bell, release S Jerron McMillian
 
Finally McMillian is gone.  Packers will never miss him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 03, 2013, 03:24:07 pm
Brooks from Oklahoma City, OK

I think the last four weeks have proven this defense is still soft. Your thoughts?

Vic

It’s not the same defense I saw during the Packers’ four-game winning streak. I saw a defense that stood toe to toe with the Ravens. I saw a defense against the Lions that was more physical than the Lions were. I saw a defense shut down Adrian Peterson. Where did that defense go? It’s a question that will be answered by how the Packers defense plays down the stretch. Which is the real Packers defense? We’re going to find out in December.

Why the loss of motivation?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 03, 2013, 03:31:46 pm

Quarterback

Key Player: Matt Flynn

Well, it's hard to know where to start with Mr. Flynn after Thursday's performance. To call it an awful game just wouldn't do it justice.

Flynn only completed 50 percent of his passes for 139 yards. Had he not completed a 56-yard reception to wide receiver James Jones in garbage time, his yardage would have been even worse.

Flynn also threw one interception and zero touchdowns against the Detroit Lions. Oh, and we can't forget about the safety Flynn took or the two fumbles he had in the game.

Despite having short fields to start the game, Flynn just couldn't get anything going against the Lions defense. The Packers only managed seven first downs in the game, which tells you just how poorly Flynn managed the offense.

This was one of the worst performances from a quarterback of the Green Bay Packers in recent memory.

 

Final Grade: F-
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 03, 2013, 03:33:26 pm

Running Backs

Key Players: Eddie Lacy, James Starks, John Kuhn

As bad as quarterback Matt Flynn was on Thursday, the ground game was even worse for the Green Bay Packers.

Lacy finished the game with 10 carries for 16 yards, and Starks added two yards on two rushes. That's a total of only 18 yards for the top two running backs of the Green Bay Packers.

Sure, the Detroit Lions have a great run defense, but those numbers are just ridiculously poor. As a team, the Packers only gained 24 total rushing yards while averaging 1.6 yards per carry. They also didn't get a single first down via a run play.

It was just a terrible overall performance from this group this week.

 

Final Grade: F----
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 03, 2013, 03:35:05 pm

Offensive Line

Key Players: David Bakhtiari, Josh Sitton, Evan Dietrich-Smith, T.J. Lang, Don Barclay, Marshall Newhouse, Lane Taylor, Derek Sherrod

It's hard to know where to even begin with the offensive line this week. Whatever the worst performance from an offensive line has been in the NFL this season, this unit just topped it.

When Dietrich-Smith left the game with a knee injury is when it all went downhill for the Green Bay Packers offensive line. First Newhouse came in, but he played absolutely terrible. Then the Packers went to Taylor and finally Sherrod to finish the game.

This group gave up seven sacks to the Detroit Lions and didn't block anyone when quarterback Matt Flynn was tackled in his own end zone in the third quarter. If the Packers are going to win any games for the rest of the season, the offensive line cannot play as poorly as they did in this game.

 

Final Grade: F--
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 03, 2013, 03:38:10 pm

Special Teams

Key Players: Mason Crosby, Tim Masthay, Micah Hyde

The Lions had a certain Jeremy Ross returning kicks and punts for them this week. In case you don't remember the name Ross, he's the player the Packers released because he was terrible as a return man.

Well, Ross looked like Devin Hester in this game due to the absolute failure that was the special teams coverage unit. Ross finished the game with a 30-yard kick return and a 35-yard punt return under his belt when the buzzer sounded.

The coverage team has allowed big returns all year, but letting a player your team released earlier in the year completely dominate you is a new low. That's why this unit ultimately failed on Thursday.

 

Final Grade: F
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 03, 2013, 03:41:08 pm
I have seen F ratings before but never F-- and F--- before.  That's  how bad it was.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 03, 2013, 03:44:34 pm

@TomSilverstein Matt Flynn will take the starter reps in practice tomorrow for #Packers.

20 minutes ago
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on December 03, 2013, 07:59:46 pm
You guys got our bad Oline disease we've had the last few season apparently....it's going around...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 04, 2013, 03:45:07 pm
Exactly right, Sportster.  It just must have to do with motivation or, you might call it on-field leadership.  Even the best players won't perform well without the right chemistry.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 04, 2013, 04:30:53 pm
By Brian Carriveau on Dec 03, 2013 with  52 Comments


I found a few comments from fullback John Kuhn last night to be enlightening, made on his weekly Packers talk show Clubhouse Live that airs on Mondays during the season.

Asked a question from a viewer about what the team was doing to right the ship, so to speak, Kuhn responded, “We’ve been down the player-only meetings already this year. That one didn’t work, so we’ll have to throw that one out the door.”

In the midst of a five-game winless streak, the Packers have gone from division leaders to being on the outside of the playoffs looking in, going from 5-2 to 5-6-1.

Kuhn didn’t indicate when the players-only meeting took place, but it’s probably safe to assume it took place at some point over the course of the past month, sometime after the loss to the Bears in Week 9 and before the loss to the Lions in Week 13.

Still mathematically alive for a playoff spot, there’s still time for the Packers to turn their season around, but time is running out. Anything less than a four-game winning streak to end the season will probably have the team sitting at home for the playoffs, and even then, they need help. The Lions need to lose at least twice if the Packers are going to win the NFC North division.

Kuhn was also asked about the most-vocal players on the team, and it was interesting to hear that neither of the team’s highest-profile players––quarterback Aaron Rodgers and linebacker Clay Matthews––were included in his answer:


I would say probably a toss-up between T.J. Lang and Randall Cobb. When Randall’s out there playing, he plays with a lot of passion. He lets guys know when they’re not playing up to his and our Green Bay Packers standards. And T.J.’s pretty much the same way too. He’s a great guy to give a pre-game speech, to give a sideline talk, to get up in some guys’ faces and to let them know, ‘Hey, we need to turn it on now.’

Leadership takes many forms, and it doesn’t always need to be vocal. But it’s an interesting debate whether Rodgers and Matthews should be included on the most-vocal players on the team.

After offseason extensions made them the highest-paid players on team, as well as the highest-paid quarterback and linebacker in professional football, should they be more vocal?

A discussion can be framed in many ways. Is there a lack of leadership from Rodgers and Matthews? Is there a lack of respect for Rodgers, as insinuated by Greg Jennings, Donald Driver and Shannon Sharpe in interviews.

Does Rodgers lead in the wrong way? Analysts have been critical of how he points out mistakes of his teammates while on the field in season’s past.

There was also the instance of the disagreement between Rodgers and McCarthy on the sideline during Week 3 in a loss to the Bengals at Cincinnati.

And perhaps it was all just an oversight on Kuhn’s part. Maybe it’s just assumed Rodgers is a vocal leader, just not the brash, rah-rah type like Lang. And maybe he’s speaking only for the offense, unintentionally leaving Matthews out.

Any way it’s construed, it’s worth analyzing, especially for a team that’s bottoming out, following a 30-point loss in embarrassing fashion on national television.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 07, 2013, 03:51:59 pm
Mike from West Bend, WI

Packers fans have short-term memory problems. They ran a 4-3 for many years. That caused a problem finding enough quality big men to make it truly effective. Leaguewide, finding quality, big defensive linemen is still a problem. These same fans cried and cried to switch to a 3-4. Mike McCarthy eventually did make the switch and it helped win a Super Bowl. Fast, speedy, play-in-space guys are easier to draft and develop than finding enough defensive linemen for an effective rotation in today’s NFL. Vic, please bring them back to sanity.

Vic
What you’re describing is the battle cry of proponents of the 3-4, and I am one of them. It’s not just about finding big defensive linemen for the 4-3, it’s finding big defensive linemen that can rush the passer. That’s where it gets really difficult because big guys that can rush the passer are few and far between. In the 3-4, defensive linemen are two-gappers. They’re hold-the-point guys, and those types are plentiful. By and large, their ranks are swelled by the defensive linemen the 4-3 teams leave behind. Joel Steed is the best nose tackle I’ve ever covered, but he wouldn’t have been nearly as effective in a 4-3 because he wasn’t a pass rusher, he was a mauler. The pool of players that relate to the 3-4 is larger than the pool of players for a 4-3, both on the line and at linebacker, where undersized college defensive ends become perfect fits as rush backers. It’s even true at cornerback because 3-4 teams tend to play more zone than 4-3 teams do. All of the squat corners that aren’t good enough for the 4-3 are long-term solutions in a 3-4. The downside of the 3-4 is that it’s light in the pants up front, and if you don’t have tough guys willing to get chopped at the knees to keep blockers off the linebackers, or if you don’t have linebackers that can run and hit, you’re gonna get gashed with the run.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 07, 2013, 03:55:55 pm
Steve from Imperial, MO

The Lions had an extra three days to prepare for this Sunday’s game against the Eagles. Do you think that offsets the disadvantages they have, traveling to Philly and being a dome team playing outdoors?

Vic

My guess is the Lions celebrated their victory by taking the weekend off, and time off heals hurts and renews the spirit, and that’ll give the Lions a little edge against the Eagles, but the weather and the Eagles are going to be a stiff challenge for the Lions on Sunday. Chip Kelly has the Eagles on the rise.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on December 07, 2013, 07:01:26 pm
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/12/07/packers-tickets-available-for-sunday-cheap/

Wow what a bunch of bandwagons fans...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 08, 2013, 07:02:35 pm
Peke - Wouldn't you?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 08, 2013, 07:05:44 pm
It seems as though the Packers finally woke up in the second half of the game.  It's just the Falcons, but still---

Rodgers must play next week.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on December 08, 2013, 07:12:43 pm
Wouldn't I what?  Sell my tickets for less then I paid?  Hell no!

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 08, 2013, 07:17:22 pm
Some people everywhere  will.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on December 08, 2013, 08:26:05 pm
They were selling them for 30 bucks.  That is like half price and more then likely a 3rd of the price or worse.  Yes everywhere folks sell tickets.  I know a few Bears season ticket holders that sell their tickets to a few games a year and it pays for their season tickets.  I don't know anyone who sells them for less then what they paid unless they are doing someone a favor.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on December 09, 2013, 05:53:16 am
When the Bucs stink, you can walk up and pick them up off of the sidewalk.  No lie
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on December 09, 2013, 08:25:06 am
Interesting contrast looking at ticket availability when it gets close to kickoff - showing the different prices of remaining available tickets for each home team:

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/schedules

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 09, 2013, 03:12:54 pm
They were selling them for 30 bucks.  That is like half price and more then likely a 3rd of the price or worse.  Yes everywhere folks sell tickets.  I know a few Bears season ticket holders that sell their tickets to a few games a year and it pays for their season tickets.  I don't know anyone who sells them for less then what they paid unless they are doing someone a favor.

In stadiums of other teams in the rebroadcasts you will see a whole lot of  them part-filled.  I guess some teams' fans can't even give away their tickets.

 I imagine most of those who sold their tickets sold them to other Packer fans.  When the weather turns bad some fans just stay home and watch on TV to root for their team.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 09, 2013, 03:15:13 pm
Defense rises to the occasion with second-half shutout.  I guess the team finally woke up.
 
I hope that the Bears wake up and blast the Cowboys tonight.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 09, 2013, 03:34:56 pm
GB will definitely be battling Chi for Safeties in the 2014 draft.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on December 09, 2013, 05:10:04 pm

You already have Morgan Burnett right?  So you ONLY may need one.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 10, 2013, 06:59:09 pm
You ought to at least have three competent starters IMO.  Other than Burnett the cupboard is pretty bare.  Burnett gas not equaled his previous play this year,  but when a DB has a serious injury it's usually a full year to recover.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 10, 2013, 07:00:04 pm
Rodgers seems to have come to the realization that a four-week recovery from an injury that most had pegged taking at least six to eight weeks was unrealistic. And with three to play, and the Packers clinging to just the thinnest, most mathematical playoff hope, you understand why he’s hanging on.

But it also appears less and less likely that he’s going to get the news he’s hoping for.

:-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 10, 2013, 07:13:42 pm
Tight Ends: A-

Andrew Quarless was clearly not on the Falcons' radar heading into Sunday's game, and Quarless made them pay with the best performance of his career. He caught six passes for 66 yards, including the game-winning two-yard touchdown with 12:01 left to play. Quarless still wasn't a difference maker as a run blocker, but he was noticeably more effective than he was against the Lions.

Brandon Bostick caught two passes for 28 yards, while Ryan Taylor added two for seven yards. Bostick might be the biggest beneficiary when Rodgers returns, because he is an athletic wide out/tight end combo, and if he can get a step on a linebacker in the seam, Rodgers will find him. Flynn tends to lock in on one receiver and use tight ends as a safety valve, so Bostick's athleticism is usually not rewarded in the current offense
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 10, 2013, 07:17:49 pm
Sad.  He really hurt GB Sunday.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 11, 2013, 10:02:38 pm
The biggest question injury-wise on defense is at inside linebacker, where both Brad Jones (ankle) and Jamari Lattimore (knee) missed practice on Wednesday. That leaves Victor Aiyewa, recently brought up from the practice squad, as the only healthy inside linebacker alongside A.J. Hawk.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 12, 2013, 07:07:56 pm
...“He’s getting better,” Head Coach Mike McCarthy said. “He’s Aaron Rodgers. The thing you appreciate is the man can throw the football. He throws the heck out of it. It’s good to have him out there.”

Practicing, though still on a limited basis, has brightened Rodgers’ spirits as well. He recalled how difficult it was to be on injured reserve during the final six weeks of the 2006 season, not feeling like a part of the team.

He felt the effects of this layoff when he took his initial first-team snaps on Wednesday, but progress was evident on Thursday.

“I felt a little bit rusty yesterday,” he said. “Took a little bit more as far as reps today and felt better. I felt I was moving well. I felt rested, my legs do. I’ve been able to do more in the weight room.

“But I felt better out there. Throwing it well, but there’s a lot that goes into it, from the ground up – legs, being in the right position, footwork and stuff. Today was a better day.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 12, 2013, 07:14:16 pm

Mike Spofford packers.com staff writer

In Week 14 vs. Atlanta, Packers DE Johnny Jolly was the defense's recipient of a game ball from the coaching staff for what Mike McCarthy called his best performance of the season...

A real "feel good" story.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 13, 2013, 03:15:12 pm
Richardson hoping to prove he's a complete safety

By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel   

Dec. 12, 2013
Green Bay --- It's all coming back to Sean Richardson. After one full year away from the game with a neck injury, the Green Bay Packers safety says he's "getting the feeling back," he's "getting my feet back."

In Green Bay's 22-21 win over Atlanta, Richardson replaced M.D. Jennings at safety. Morgan Burnett moved to free safety and the 6-foot-2, 216-pound Richardson moved close to the line of scrimmage.

He's not sure if this move will stick at Dallas.

“No one has said anything about it," Richardson said on Wednesday. "Whatever their decision is, they’ll make their decision. Starting or not, I’ll prepare myself to play. When my name is called, I’ll be ready...”

Good news.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 13, 2013, 03:47:59 pm

Zach Kruse
  (Featured Columnist)  on December 12, 2013

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports 

For a stretch last season, Green Bay Packers defensive lineman B.J. Raji looked like the kind of player NFL teams would be willing to pay bags full of money for.

From around Week 11 on into the NFC Divisional Round, the Packers received arguably the most effective string of performances put forth by the 2009 first-round pick. Impossible to block against the run and surprisingly slippery and explosive as a pass-rusher, Raji was providing all the evidence necessary for the Packers to eventually sign him long-term.

Fast forward a full year and it stands to wonder whether or not the Packers will have their 337-pound lineman back in 2014.

While Raji should be a perfect player for Green Bay's 3-4 defense, his lack of production over the course of his contract season—combined with a potential desire to play in a more friendly defensive system—has opened up the distinct possibility of Raji bolting town as an unrestricted free agent this coming spring.

Look no further than the $8 million a year deal he has turned down on more than one occasion, per Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, for confirmation of that last part.

Several scouts and personnel people told McGinn that Raji would be crazy not to take such an offer. Certainly, the deal would represent a significant pay raise while also bumping Raji into the top percentage of player salaries in Green Bay and also among other defenders at his position.

USA TODAY Sports

For comparison's sake, consider that New England Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork is making $8 million per season on his current five-year, $40 million deal.

Staying savvy in contract negotiations demands leverage, and it's certainly reasonable to believe Raji balked at any initial offer—no matter how substantial—in hopes of raising his price as the threat of unrestricted free agency crept closer.

But it's also just as reasonable to think Raji, who was blossoming into an NFL star in 2010, wants a situation where he has more of a chance to stand out, especially on the stat sheet.

In Green Bay, Raji isn't asked to make every run stop or provide 10 or more sacks a season. Instead, defensive coordinator Dom Capers uses Raji's massive frame and the inherent respect given to such a large, explosive individual to keep his linebackers clean in the 3-4 set.

It's tough but necessary work, and it rarely lends itself to making the kind of splash plays that big-name defensive players live for.

The Packers have also consistently limited Raji's pass-rushing opportunities in hopes that keeping the big man fresh will mean a greater impact when he is on the field.

In 2010 and 2011, Raji's two most productive pass-rushing seasons, the Packers rushed him on an average of 528 snaps per season. That number dropped to just 366 in 2012, and he's on pace for just 289 this season.

Pass-Rushing Snaps for B.J. Raji, 2010-2013

 Pass-Rush Snaps Total Snaps
2010 507 884
2011 548 885
2012 366 658
2013 (pace) 289 630

Source: Pro Football Focus


On obvious passing downs such as 3rd-and-long, No. 90 is usually on the sidelines.

Asked to do yeoman's work along the defensive line and then pulled off the field in favor of Mike Daniels, Datone Jones and Jerel Worthy in passing situations, Raji isn't exactly requested to do the things that make defensive players household names.

Maybe that fact doesn't bother Raji.

“The older I get, the more I understand that it’s really all about team,” Raji said, via Jason Wilde of ESPN Wisconsin.

For now, his perspective remains a mature one. It's team-centered and positive. But will that change once the chance to be a free man on the open market develops?

“When I was younger, I would look at guys on TV and say, ‘If I was in that system, I would be doing this, this and this,'" Raji said. "Now, the older I get, I just appreciate the game, I have the utmost confidence in my ability."

The system. It's a factor in this saga that can't be ignored.
 
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

There are simply not many defensive linemen who have Raji's combination of size and ability to move. These attributes make him ideal to play in the 3-4, as offensive lines typically need two blockers on Raji every snap.

But instead of taking on double-teams every other play, could Raji make a bigger impact in a system that allows him more freedom to attack? He has the skill set to not only clean up a defensive line, but also to be a difference-maker. There are big, explosive defensive tackles causing havoc all over the NFL in 4-3 alignments.

Isn't it possible that Raji turned down a very fair and qualifying offer from the Packers before this season because he's ready to play in a more big-man-friendly defense? Certainly, Raji can see how players such as Geno Atkins and Ndamukong Suh are used in four-man fronts.

McGinn reported that the Packers offered the $8 million a year deal "several months ago." It'd be interesting to learn if such a deal is still on the table for Raji and agent David Dunn.

An inconsistent career has spawned a familiar inconsistent season for Raji, despite the fact that he's in a contract year and in need of a splash to earn a big paycheck.

His dominant stretch in 2012 now seems like a distant memory.

According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Raji is currently ranked 44th out of 45 qualified 3-4 defensive ends. And no player at his position has graded out worse over the last five weeks, as Raji has provided a total of just three pressures and one "stop," which PFF considers a tackle constituting a negative play for the offense.

In terms of run-stop percentage, Raji is 24th out of 28 qualifying defensive ends. His pressure created per snap comes in 37th out of 42.

Overall, Raji has created just 11 pressures over 225 pass-rushing snaps, or only one pressure for every 20.5 snaps. His 11 pressures include zero sacks; in fact, Raji hasn't recorded a quarterback sack since November of 2011.

B.J. Raji through 13 Games in 2013

 Tackles Sacks* Pressures Stops TFL PD
2013 14 0.0 11 12 3 0

*Raji hasn't recorded a sack since Nov. 2011

Line up Raji next to Johnny Jolly, who had been out of the league for three years and is now making just $715,000 this season, and you get a better sense of how disappointing Raji has been in 2013.

Raji has played 512 snaps this season, which is the most among the Packers defensive linemen. Through 13 games, he has recorded 14 tackles (11 solo), three tackles for loss and zero sacks, fumbles forced or recovered and passes defensed.

Jolly has been on the field for 288 snaps, or just more than half as many as Raji. But Jolly already has 21 tackles, one sack, five tackles for losses, one pass defensed and one fumble recovered. He trumps Raji in every category.

Even Ryan Pickett, who plays a similar role as Raji on a snap-to-snap basis, has more tackles, stops and passes defensed, despite playing more than 100 fewer snaps.

Raji insists that he's now asked to do more in keeping his linebackers clean, per McGinn. During his earlier days, the Packers set him loose as an attacking nose guard.

But keep in mind, during a seven-game stretch to end last season, Raji put together 20 pressures and 13 stops. Where did that player go?

His 2013 numbers make it difficult to dismiss Raji's statistics as a product of position or scheme. Others playing similar roles in the same system are outperforming the former first-round pick. And Raji has produced in the role in the recent past.

Will B.J. Raji be back with the Green Bay Packers in 2014?

For $8 million a year, Raji better be making more big plays than—at the very least—his peers along the same defensive line.

Scouts that McGinn talked with seem to be split on Raji as a player.

"I just don't see him making plays," one personnel man told McGinn. "Daniels makes more plays than Raji even comes close to making."

This season, Daniels has 30 pressures and 18 stops—both tops among the Green Bay defensive line. His four tackles for losses are second to Jolly.

Back in October, Packers defensive line coach Mike Trgovac categorized Raji's 2013 season as "excellent."

He might be singing a different tune now in December, as the Packers have dropped to 25th in stopping the run since Raji and the rest of the defensive line have been mostly manhandled at the line of scrimmage. Since the start of November, Raji has just four hurries and four stops. He's been a non-factor.

It's now possible that only three games separate the Packers and the end of their season. At some point in the coming months, both sides will need to make a decision on whether Raji will be back in Green Bay next season.

Raji might have already made his intentions clear. And his play this season might just persuade the Packers to let him follow those intentions.

Will Raji be back in GB next season?  I doubt it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on December 13, 2013, 08:19:15 pm
Rodgers it out.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on December 15, 2013, 04:53:30 pm
Peckers looking good this week.

Peckers only won last week because the played a dome team.

Best peckers can do is 8 wins. Bears already have 8 wins.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on December 15, 2013, 06:44:57 pm
Dallas is one sorry team!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 15, 2013, 08:42:29 pm
What a game.  WHAT A GAME!  No QUIT in this team.  Go Flynn.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on December 15, 2013, 08:52:05 pm
I was rooting for the Cowboys but a good win for the Packers.  Congrats PR.

All the idiots had to do was run the ball.  Then again that is all the Bears opponents had to do a few times this year and didn't as well.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on December 15, 2013, 08:53:01 pm
Another Romo choke in December.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 15, 2013, 09:07:02 pm
I was rooting for the Cowboys but a good win for the Packers.  Congrats PR.

All the idiots had to do was run the ball.  Then again that is all the Bears opponents had to do a few times this year and didn't as well.

Thanks, Peke.  Everyone deserves a break once in awhile.

Lets root real hard for a Detroit loss!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 15, 2013, 09:11:29 pm
Posted by Mike Florio on December 15, 2013, 8:23 PM EST

Romo
Getty Images

Tony Romo, meet the undercarriage of Jerry Jones’ $2 million bus.

With the Cowboys facing second and six and nursing a five-point lead with roughly three minutes to play, Romo threw a pass that was intercepted.  The blame instantly went to the Cowboys’ coaching staff for calling a pass play.

The only problem?  The coaching staff didn’t call the play.

As explained by NBC’s Alex Flanagan from AT&T Stadium during Football Night in America, Garrett told reporters after the loss that Romo changed the play.

While Romo may have indeed changed the play, Garrett shouldn’t be calling him out publicly.  By not handling it in house, Garrett may have invited a new level of dysfunction to Dallas.

Two big tops of turmoil will converge in Maryland next Sunday, when the Cowboys play the Redskins at FedEx Field.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on December 15, 2013, 09:44:22 pm

Geesh, I really wished the Cowboys could have won that one.  Not only because it would have helped the Bears' chances of winning the division and the fact that I can't stand Packers, but now I've got to listen and read all the media all week about the Cowboys choke job.

The Cowboys were in trouble when Sean Lee was ruled out.  They only have maybe 4 or 5 legitimate NFL starters on defense. 

Even though I was not impressed with the Packers offense I thought their defense really played with some energy in the 4Q.

And now here comes Aaron Rodgers...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on December 15, 2013, 10:33:43 pm
The Steelers are still alive so at least they have something to play for next week.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on December 16, 2013, 07:29:10 am
the little bit I saw last night, the Steelers looked legit again.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: davebear on December 16, 2013, 08:44:06 am
Steelers got their passing offense back.  The Bengals couldn't stop then.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on December 16, 2013, 01:20:04 pm
It is not surprising that beerbelly doesn't know how to add up 16 games.

Do tell how the Packers can "only" win 8 games.

Better yet bellyache, do tell how if the lions lose tonight and the PACKERS win out...how your team is still in the playoffs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on December 16, 2013, 03:14:24 pm
Pakers got very very VERY lucky yesterday....nothing to crow about there, otty....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 16, 2013, 07:50:36 pm
Randall Cobb could be returning this week as well

In the wake of Aaron Rodgers' fractured collarbone, wide receiver Randal Cobb has been almost forgotten. For those who've forgotten, Cobb was breaking out in a big way this season. At the time of his injury, he was on pace for 93 receptions and 1210 receiving yards with around 250 rushing yards to boot. Unfortunately, a hit to the leg from Ravens safety Matt Elam sent Cobb to the injured reserve. The Packers decided to use their IR return designation on Cobb, opening up the possibility for a late season return.

It appears that Cobb's return could happen in time for this weekend's game against Pittsburgh.

While still officially on the IR, Cobb was cleared last week to run and spent much of the pregame period in Dallas running routes and catching passes from Scott Tolzien. Several reports confirmed...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on December 16, 2013, 10:50:05 pm
 Kick heard around the world (http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2013121600/2013/REG15/ravens@lions#tab=track&menu=drivechart)

A 61-yard field goal by Justin Tucker, and a late interception pushed the Ravens to victory over the Detroit Lions.

BABY!!!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on December 17, 2013, 03:26:54 am

Packers host the Steelers and despite Steelers 6-8 record they are still in the hunt for an AFC wildcard spot...barely.

They play a late afternoon game on Sunday.  Steelers are eliminated no matter what if Ravens win Sunday.

Fortunately, the Ravens play at the same time Sunday otherwise if Ravens won early the Steelers would have no real motivation to beat the Packers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on December 17, 2013, 07:25:14 am
Pitt played well this weekend. The Packers will need a good game to win.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on December 17, 2013, 09:13:09 am

If Rodgers plays it will be difficult, but the Steelers are pretty good against the pass.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on December 17, 2013, 09:52:54 am
Even if Rodgers plays he is still human and may have some rust.  He isn't so great that it is a given that he will jump right back in where he left off.  He could come back rusty and off target.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on December 17, 2013, 09:59:05 am
He'll look like a pro-bowler, at least until the first hit.
Honestly it worries me for him the first time he gets driven into the turf.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on December 17, 2013, 10:26:19 am

What if he doesn't play against the Steelers and targets his return game against the Bears?

And suppose that game would be for the NFC North championship.

The media and fans would be in a frenzy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on December 17, 2013, 11:15:45 am
What if McClellin takes him out again in the 1st quarter?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on December 17, 2013, 11:19:19 am

Doubtful.  Has McClellin even touched a ball carrier since that Green Bay game?

I'm serious.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on December 17, 2013, 01:00:24 pm
He's a professional hit-man
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on December 17, 2013, 06:22:10 pm
If that idiot wants to play this year that's fine with me. IF you re-injure a fractured collarbone the bone WILL SNAP!!! Thus ending his career. This why he has not played yet. Be a hero and SNAP your bone!!! Can't wait.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on December 17, 2013, 06:23:18 pm
Enjoy

[attachment deleted by admin]
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 17, 2013, 09:14:10 pm
Eddie Lacy, Andrew Quarless among many who made big plays for Matt Flynn

GREEN BAY—The Packers offense went from borderline dysfunctional in the first half to practically unstoppable in the second half in Dallas on Sunday, but there was no wave of a magic wand or deep dive into the playbook to get things turned around.

“We just played clean football in the second half,” Head Coach Mike McCarthy said on Monday. “I didn’t run any trick plays, didn’t run any deceptives, we didn’t do anything exotic. We just wanted to get after them fundamentally, and that’s what we did.”

The Packers had less than 100 yards of offense before running back Eddie Lacy’s 34-yard catch and run against a prevent defense on the final play of the first half.

In the first quarter alone, there were five negative plays, plus a penalty. Dropped passes, off-target throws and an interception didn’t help matters in the second period.

In the Packers’ mind, it wasn’t the Cowboys’ defense bogging them down, it was their own execution. Offensive Coordinator Tom Clements said there was no discussion of replacing Matt Flynn at quarterback, though...

Tight end Andrew Quarless also came up big with a trio of third-down grabs to move the chains. Quarless has six catches for 66 yards and a TD in each of his last two games and is becoming something of a go-to guy for Flynn.

Mike McCarthy is game planning for Matt Flynn“The last two weeks, he’s starting to look like that guy we all felt was going to be a dynamite player,” McCarthy said. “He’s getting back. When you overcome a major injury, some guys don’t ever get back to the way they were moving or feeling prior to that injury. A lot of it’s confidence, a lot of it’s opportunities. Matt did a great job attacking the middle of the field with Andrew.”...

“Hopefully, I’m talking about this a month from now or so, but I think these types of games and these types of experiences that we’ve been through over the last five or six weeks are something you can definitely benefit from as a football team,” McCarthy said.

“Our guys just kept battling.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 17, 2013, 09:22:06 pm
Quarless had over 60 yards receiving in each of  the last two games.  If he keeps playing that well there is no need for Jermichael Finley and he is as good as gone.

TE(receiver) Jake Stoneburner has started making some plays, too.  MM has great  expectations for him in the future.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 17, 2013, 09:25:05 pm
Even if Rodgers plays he is still human and may have some rust.  He isn't so great that it is a given that he will jump right back in where he left off.  He could come back rusty and off target.

I  agree, WML.  That has me worried, too.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 17, 2013, 09:30:31 pm
What if he doesn't play against the Steelers and targets his return game against the Bears?

And suppose that game would be for the NFC North championship.

The media and fans would be in a frenzy.

That could happen.  It would be fantastic!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 17, 2013, 09:49:50 pm
Q. Is Sunday’s win the biggest comeback with which you’ve ever been associated?

McCarthy:
Clearly. It was the greatest comeback victory on the road in the history of the Packers, and not only because of the deficit. We faced adversity throughout the game and in every way imaginable. Tramon’s first interception being overturned, in my opinion, was not the right call. If that call stands, we have the ball first-and-goal at the 7 with 11 minutes to go. Instead, Dallas responded with the penalty-aided drive to score and take more time off the clock. We went from potentially having the ball on the 7-yard line with a chance to take the lead to being down two scores, and we still responded. There was so much back and forth and the team kept fighting. The sideline was incredible and I can’t say enough about our football team. It’s exactly what you look for in adverse situations. When people say define adversity, you just need to look at the fourth quarter in Dallas.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 17, 2013, 10:05:01 pm
Colton from Green Bay, WI

Vic, how do you explain our first-half slow starts?

Vic
I have no explanation for them. Why does everything have to be explained? I had no explanation for the fourth-quarter collapses. Now they’ve stopped and the collapses are in the first half. Falls down a well, eyes go cross. Gets kicked by a mule, they go back. I don’t know.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 17, 2013, 10:42:55 pm
The Packers coaching staff awarded game balls to five players for their performances against the Cowboys on Sunday.

On offense, QB Matt Flynn and RB Eddie Lacy were the recipients. Flynn completed 26 of 39 passes for 299 yards with four TDs and one INT for a 113.1 passer rating. He led the offense to five consecutive touchdown drives in the second half.

Lacy rushed 21 times for 141 yards and a TD and added 30 yards on four receptions. He went over 1,000 rushing yards for the season, and at 1,028 he’s closing in on John Brockington’s franchise rookie record of 1,105 yards set in 1971. The rushing TD was also Lacy’s eighth of the season, already a team rookie record.

On defense, CBs Sam Shields and Tramon Williams were awarded game balls. The duo combined for 14 tackles, and they each had an interception of Dallas QB Tony Romo in the last three minutes of the game.

Shields’ pick, his third of the season, gave the Packers the ball at midfield, down 36-31 with 2:46 left, and set up the go-ahead TD drive. Williams’ interception, also his third of the season, came with 1:22 left and ended any comeback hopes for the Cowboys after they had fallen behind, 37-36.

K Mason Crosby was the game-ball recipient on special teams. Crosby kicked five touchbacks on seven kickoffs and was good on a 57-yard FG, his fifth FG of 50-plus yards this season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on December 17, 2013, 10:47:24 pm
The Packers coaching staff awarded game balls to five players for their performances against the Cowboys on Sunday.


Did they give one to Romo?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on December 17, 2013, 11:20:57 pm
Did they give one to Romo?

He gave it back (twice) before he ever got it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on December 18, 2013, 11:30:16 am
Quote
Quarless had over 60 yards receiving in each of  the last two games.  If he keeps playing that well there is no need for Jermichael Finley and he is as good as gone.

TE(receiver) Jake Stoneburner has started making some plays, too.  MM has great  expectations for him in the future.

This can't be true. Otter said Finley is signed long term.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on December 18, 2013, 11:30:37 am
Quote
He gave it back (twice) before he ever got it.

That is just wrong on so many levels.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 18, 2013, 04:18:58 pm
Did they give one to Romo?


They were afraid he would drop it.  ;-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 18, 2013, 04:23:05 pm
“We’re going to take a similar process to last week,” McCarthy said of Rodgers, which would likely mean a decision on Rodgers’ availability will be announced on Friday.

Randall Cobb?

“Randall Cobb looked good. It was good to have him out there,” McCarthy said.

Packers.com will provide a full report.

Hope that he can help out Sunday.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 18, 2013, 09:21:28 pm
Guilhem from Bordeaux, France
If this game, if this season makes me learn something, it is that I am too young for Y2 banana or for 4-3 or 3-4. From now on, I’m gonna wait for game time, sit my butt on the couch and enjoy my Green Bay Packers as hard as I can.

Vic

After I got home last night, I sat down and watched some TV to wind down before I went to bed. I was watching a review of the day’s games and they went into a deep analysis of the Packers-Cowboys game. Michael Irvin went right to the audible Tony Romo called that resulted in Sam Shields’ interception. The analysis got very technical and then they brought in Kurt Warner to provide an even deeper technical interpretation of what happened, and they showed the play to support the analysis. I started to laugh. Hey, guys, it’s not that difficult to see what happened. Romo threw a bad pass. He threw it behind the receiver. If he throws the ball accurately, it’s a touchdown, but he threw it behind the receiver and it became a game-winning interception. That’s football. That’s crunch time. The game and the season were on the line and Romo failed. This isn’t something new for him. It’s amazing how the same guys repeatedly fail in big games late in the season. It’s what they do. No schematic analysis needed. It’s about the human confrontation.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 18, 2013, 09:23:14 pm
Jason from Hutchinson, KS

Eddie Lacy deserves rookie of the year.

Vic

He’s the guy. There’s no question in my mind.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 18, 2013, 09:24:35 pm
Raphaël from Paris, France

Did you see something change as far as play-calling on the defensive side after halftime? Or was it more about concentration and desperation (and the Cowboys stopping to run the football)?

Vic

I saw one team impose its will and another team lose its will. I saw one team win the battle of the human confrontation. Play calling? That game wasn’t about play calling, it was about making plays. Romo had a chance to make a game-winning play. Instead, Shields did. The Packers were sold out to stop what they expected would be a run. They were in absolutely the wrong defense for the audible Romo called, yet, they made it work.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 18, 2013, 09:25:45 pm
Dan from Houston, TX

Vic, is this real life?
Vic

Yes, this is real life. December football is real life. September and October are practice for December. The first half of the season isn’t real, it’s practice for what’s real. This is when you find out what your team has under the hood.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 18, 2013, 09:26:52 pm
Sean from Des Moines, IA

That was an amazing game. I don’t even know what happened at halftime. Do you think people will stop asking for people to be fired after a rally by the whole team?

Vic

Demanding that everyone be fired is a crutch we use when we’re hurting too much to stand on our own two feet.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 18, 2013, 09:28:57 pm
Quinn from Georgetown, TX

Vic, I had the pleasure of watching the magic unfold in Dallas on Sunday. The atmosphere was amazing and as the final seconds counted down, I couldn’t help but feel like this is the kind of win that can really get a team going and maybe spark them to do something remarkable. Is it crazy for me to be thinking about Super Bowl arrangements?

Vic

It’s the kind of win that can make a team feel as though it’s a team of destiny, and that’s a powerful emotion that has carried a lot of teams to improbable playoff runs. The 2010 Packers immediately come to mind. What the Packers need right now is help. They need someone to beat the Lions. If the Ravens do that tonight, the run might be on. At that point, it’s just win, baby.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 18, 2013, 09:33:27 pm
Eddie Lacy named NFC Offensive Player of the Week
 Posted by Mike Spofford on  December 18, 2013 – 10:28 am
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 18, 2013, 09:35:27 pm
This writer, Vic, has changed my view of NFL football after watching for 55 years.  His view of football is how a true fan should see it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 18, 2013, 09:43:46 pm


Matt Flynn's mind set to start, talks team destiny

Green Bay Packers quarterback Matt Flynn met with reporters at his locker following Wednesday's practice. Flynn talked about preparing to start in the event QB Aaron Rodgers isn't cleared, his second half performance in Dallas, and facing adversity.

We'll see in two weeks.

How could have three other teams have given up on this guy?  Coaching?

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on December 19, 2013, 09:06:00 am

Flynn wasn't playing against the Dallas Cowboys defense or the Vikings or the Falcons with those other teams.

Flynn is serviceable - he's no McCown.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 19, 2013, 05:40:37 pm
We'll see when he has had more than 3-4 games to get into the system.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on December 19, 2013, 05:55:38 pm

Wasn't he with the "system" before when he was with the Packers?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 19, 2013, 08:02:00 pm
Yes, but being away for a year plus changes to the system were not very conducive to a smooth transition.  Also, the GB defense really sagged when Rodgers went down.  I think that I see some return of emotion and motivation coming back in the end of the Cowboy's game. 

GB had five TDs on five possessions in the second half of that game, including four TD passes by Flynn.

If you look at Flynn's QB rating, even including the bad first half of that game they look pretty good.  The Defense has been the big problem but improved a lot in the second half of the Cowboys game.

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 19, 2013, 08:14:07 pm
  Passing Rushing
  COMP ATT YDS TD INT ATT YDS TD
2013 Season 81 127 914 6 3 15 53 0
2013 Season 103 161 1160 7 4 18 57 0
On Pace 44 68 492 2 2 6 8 0
On Pace 122 191 1371 9 5 23 80 0
On Pace 137 215 1547 9 5 24 76 0
Career 190 302 2243 16 9 53 71 1



QB Comparisons

QB RatingTouchdownsYards



Flynn 
89.6
League Average 
80.5
League Leader 
140.2
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on December 20, 2013, 09:24:18 am

But the coaches handed the backup job to Seneca Wallace cuz he was familiar with they system even though I don't know how long he last played with the Pack.

Don't let one game against the 32nd ranked defense go to your head.  Atlanta and Minnesota are near the bottom too.  Pittsburgh will be a better test.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 20, 2013, 07:44:03 pm
But the coaches handed the backup job to Seneca Wallace cuz he was familiar with they system even though I don't know how long he last played with the Pack.

Don't let one game against the 32nd ranked defense go to your head.  Atlanta and Minnesota are near the bottom too.  Pittsburgh will be a better test.

Read the article again.  Those statistics are for his for his full series of games., not just the Cowboys.  It includes his first game when he had to suddenly jump in with no pre-game snaps.  It also includes his second game disaster against Det.  His last games, with pre-game practice, looked quite good (wins).

Actually, Mike McCarthy said he wanted a veteran QB who had played in the same style of offense that GB play (WC).   Wallace had never played with GB previously.  It would be interesting to see how the picture would have looked if he hadn't gone IR after one game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 20, 2013, 08:00:28 pm
Brandon Bostick to IR.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 21, 2013, 06:43:26 pm
Adam from San Jose, CA

Have you ever tried Googling your name? There is some funny stuff. Did you know a Jaguars fan created a blog for people to talk smack about you? I have been reading your “Ask Vic” column since you came to Green Bay and truly enjoy your work. Why did you choose to write for the Green Bay Packers?

Vic
Among other things, I wanted to cover big games one more time. I’m going to cover a very big game this Sunday and, hopefully, I’m going to cover a huge game the following week. I’m tingling with excitement for what this season can become.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 23, 2013, 08:06:50 pm
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BcH6dc2CcAA2Hga.jpg)

Aaron Rodger's' latest photo-bomb.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 25, 2013, 07:24:36 pm

 Rob Demovsky | ESPN.com

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Green Bay Packers still have a chance to make the playoffs.

Win Sunday’s game at the Chicago Bears, and they win the NFC North and get the home playoff game that goes with it.

But do they really have a chance at Soldier Field if they have to play without some of their key playmakers?

Here are the key injuries to watch this week:

Lacy
RB Eddie Lacy: The Packers’ all-time rookie rushing leader -- he set that mark on Sunday with 84 yards to give him 1,112 for the season -- failed to finish Sunday's 38-31 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He missed the entire fourth quarter after he hobbled off the field, favoring his sprained right ankle. He first injured it on Dec. 8 against the Atlanta Falcons. Although he has not missed a start, he has spent most of the past two weeks wearing a walking boot while practicing only the last two Fridays. “It’s the same thing, reaggravated it,” Lacy said. Backup James Starks was effective in place of Lacy, rushing for 47 yards on 10 carries and catching one pass for 23 yards against the Steelers. Fullback John Kuhn also scored a fourth-quarter touchdown. The only other back on the roster is Kahlil Bell, who was signed on Dec. 3.

Matthews
 OLB Clay Matthews: It would seem unlikely the Packers would have Matthews this week and perhaps beyond if they make the playoffs. Matthews reinjured his broken right thumb on his second-quarter sack of Ben Roethlisberger. Matthews knew it was bad as soon as it happened. He ran off the field with his right arm hanging limp at his side. Just like when he broke it on Oct. 6, he couldn’t even use his right hand to unbuckle his chin strap. Matthews needed surgery to fix it the first time and missed four games. “I couldn’t give you a timeline but I think based off the history of what happened the first time, I’m told it’s similar to the [previous] injury," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Sunday after the game. Adding to the concern is the fact fellow outside linebackers Nick Perry (foot) and Mike Neal (abdomen) are banged up. Neal came out for a portion of Sunday’s game but managed to return.

QB Aaron Rodgers: Need we say anything more about Rodgers? As of last Friday, he had not been cleared to return from his Nov. 4 broken collarbone, which means it will be another week of speculation about his status unless McCarthy says something definitive during his news conference Monday afternoon.

Other injuries to watch: LB Brad Jones (ankle), CB/KR Micah Hyde (shoulder), TE Ryan Taylor (ankle).
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on December 26, 2013, 05:22:02 am
That is a similar type of injury to what Bryan Cox suffered years ago, and then Urlacher had a wrist injury.  Continuing to play with it broken could lead to using the use of your thumb for the rest of your life.  Incredible these tiny bones have so much to do with movement...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 26, 2013, 03:23:05 pm
True, dat.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 26, 2013, 03:23:56 pm
Posted by Vic Ketchman, packers.com editor on  December 26, 2013 – 1:41 pm 

GREEN BAY–Aaron Rodgers will be the Packers’ starting quarterback on Sunday when the Packers play against the Bears at Soldier Field.

“We’re preparing for the Chicago Bears with Aaron Rodgers as our starting quarterback,” Coach Mike McCarthy said. “I would say he’s ready to play.”

Rodgers was listed by the Packers as a full participant in Thursday’s practice.

“We feel it’s time for Aaron to play,” McCarthy said. “We need to go down there and win this game as a team. This is a decision everyone was waiting for. We wanted to get this done on Tuesday.”

Randall Cobb?

“I felt very good about Randall today,” McCarthy said, fueling optimism that Cobb will play for the first time since sustaining a leg injury in Baltimore on October 13.

The winner of Sunday’s game in Chicago between the Packers and the Bears will claim the NFC North title. Rodgers hasn’t played since sustaining a broken collarbone on Nov. 4 in a loss to the Bears at Lambeau Field.

“We’re talking about the best player in football. I feel good about it,” McCarthy said of Rodgers’ return.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 26, 2013, 03:29:11 pm
The first Lambeau leap - Leroy Butler.

http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/The-first-Lambeau-Leap/699633a1-344f-4a01-9fb1-d0b86ddcf761
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on December 26, 2013, 08:29:49 pm
He's fool to play. Has to be the hero. (like Clay Mathews) That's 2 to 3 month heal on a broken collar bone. Foolish. Yes, he will be rusty. He shouldn't be playing - how do you go from not being cleared on Tuesday, to limited practice on Wednesday, to playing on Thursday? Foolish.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on December 26, 2013, 10:00:59 pm
On verra
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 27, 2013, 08:21:19 pm
Vic, let’s say the Packers-Bears game this Sunday is going to be turned into a Hollywood movie. How would you write the script?

On the final play of the game, with the Bears leading by four points and Rodgers favoring his left shoulder, he tells Mike McCarthy, “Pick me out a good one, Mike.” Coach McCarthy tells Rodgers to run “Spider Y2 Banana,” which is that trick play I’ve been telling you about. Rodgers drops back to pass and then launches a pass high into the air. It floats through the night, spiraling back toward Earth, where it falls softly into Randall Cobb’s waiting hands as he crosses the goal line. The columns at Soldier Field fall and the stadium lights explode, and there is great joy in Packerland and despair in Bearsville, but back up the field a yellow flag rests on the brown, frozen ground. All eyes look at it, and a great silence comes over the land. You’ll have to go see the movie to find out how it ends.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 27, 2013, 08:33:43 pm
(http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2013/12-December/temp24---AP110123044692--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720)

MEMORIES.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 27, 2013, 08:36:50 pm
(http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2013/12-December/temp2---AP0909030133330--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720)

Clark Hinkle vs Mampton Pool.  Chi won 30-27.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 27, 2013, 08:46:07 pm
(http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2013/12-December/temp4---AP411214190--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720)


Dec. 14, 1941 - Bears Hall of Fame G Danny Fortmann (21) and Bears TE John Siegel (6) react to a loose ball during a 33-14 Packers loss to the Bears in the 1941 Western Division playoff game played at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 27, 2013, 08:48:51 pm
(http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2013/12-December/temp12---AP761114055--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720)


Nov. 14, 1976 - Hall of Fame RB Walter Payton (34) runs into the tackle of DB Perry Smith (45) during the first quarter in Chicago. Other Packers visible are DT Mike McCoy (76), DE Alden Roche (87) and DL Dave Pureifory (75).
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 27, 2013, 08:51:11 pm
(http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2013/12-December/temp9---AP6711270121--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720)

Nov. 27, 1967 - Bears LB Dick Butkus shakes hands with Packers RB Jim Grabowski after their game in Chicago. Butkus and Grabowski were teammates at the University of Illinois. Green Bay beat Chicago that game, 17-13.

Grabowski from U of Ill.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 27, 2013, 08:55:41 pm
(http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2013/12-December/temp8---AP544456235947--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720)


Halas and  Lombardi in Soldier Field.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 27, 2013, 08:55:59 pm
Good old days.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: davebear on December 27, 2013, 09:09:49 pm
Ahhh memories of a simpler time with out all the drama of today.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on December 27, 2013, 10:40:18 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tj5aW0tj3mE&feature=player_detailpage (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tj5aW0tj3mE&feature=player_detailpage)

Ya, the good days...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on December 28, 2013, 07:43:47 am
Halas and Lombardi look alike, like they could be brothers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Fearless Freep on December 28, 2013, 10:24:13 pm
Wonderful pics, PackRat.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 30, 2013, 02:51:31 pm
(http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2013/12-December/temp6---AP601204018--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720)

Dec. 4, 1960 - Packers HB Paul Hornung (5) finds running room for a six-yard gain against the Bears during the third quarter in Chicago. Packers G Fred "Fuzzy" Thurston (36) can be seen blocking Bears T Earl Leggett (71). The Packers won, 41-13. Other Packers visible are E Gary Knaflec and WR Boyd Dowler.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 30, 2013, 02:57:08 pm
(http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2013/12-December/temp5---AP927417233908--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?)


Dec. 14, 1941 - Hugh Gallarneau (8) of the Bears stumbles as Packers' defenders try to take him down during a game in Chicago, Dec. 14, 1941. The Bears won, 33-14.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 30, 2013, 03:05:20 pm
(http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2013/12-December/temp10---AP7010140221--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?)

Dec. 14, 1970 - Packers CB Al Matthews and Bears WR George Farmer battle for the football in mid-air from a pass by Bears QB Jack Concannon.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on December 30, 2013, 04:31:41 pm
How come the Bears never where the white C for the alternate uniform helmet?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on December 30, 2013, 07:35:26 pm
Packers friend of mine posted this on Facebook:

https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/p480x480/1488861_650294595017232_66625150_n.jpg


Gotta admit I laughed out loud.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 30, 2013, 10:52:50 pm
Outstanding, Hibernation.  I hope that you don't mid if I forward this.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on December 31, 2013, 10:07:55 am
That is funny....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on December 31, 2013, 11:49:33 am
I thought Packers tickets were hard to get?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/chi-packers-tickets-20131231,0,891200.story

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports: The Packers announced that approximately 15,000 tickets remain for sale for Sunday's Packers-49ers game.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on December 31, 2013, 12:07:33 pm
Would you want to go watch your team be murdered at home? lol....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on December 31, 2013, 05:28:29 pm
Gotta say…that is pathetic.  Playoff home game and still tickets.  Kinda bad on both teams.  SF fans don't want to head to GB.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on December 31, 2013, 06:35:00 pm
It is supposed to be like 6 degrees and the average price is over $300.  The NFL has lost its way if it expects fans to buy their product at the field.

I've thought about this.  I wonder if it would be better to lower the ticket prices (also talking regular season) significantly so that the average joe could attend.  I still think back about 15 years ago, I had 4 season tickets to the Bucs (so I could see the Bears in person of course!) for $600 for all 4.  $150 for 8 regular season games and 2 preseason games... $15/ticket.  Yes, there were drunks and idiots, but not over the top.  And these tickets were on the 5 yard line about 30 rows from the field. Those tickets are probably now 10 times the cost.

Meanwhile, you now have the NFL Ticket, HDTV that gets better and better each year, and fortunately beer hasn't gone to $60/ 6 pack in the store,,, oh wait, that is what it also costs in the stadium. 

Pretty soon, you are going to have half full stadiums be the norm and it is making the Bears brass look like geniuses not building a megalopagus of a stadium.  Drop the prices of tickets, concessions, and parking.  Fill the stadium, while the rest of us watch from our comfy mancaves with toilet, beer, beets, and other.  Toilet not in mancave, but you get the idea. And yes... beets.

I love watching a sporting event with a full stadium of fans cheering, and I don't mind going to the games occasionally.  But it has gotten out of hand. 

Sunday, 6 degrees, 630pm, two hours to get out of the parking lot and all for the bargain price of $300/seat.  Hell-o-no!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on December 31, 2013, 07:42:47 pm
How funny would it be if a Packer was...well...a Packer. Not that there's anything wrong with it.....LOL

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/packers-quarterback-aaron-rodgers-says-not-gay-really-231000585--nfl.html
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 31, 2013, 10:53:41 pm
Let's wait until Sunday and see if any seats are left unsold.  The game is Sunday, isn't it?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on December 31, 2013, 11:05:28 pm
Don't they have to be sold by Friday to avoid a blackout?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 31, 2013, 11:07:45 pm
I dunno.  I doubt that there will be any left,  though.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 01, 2014, 02:04:59 am
Think it's a afternoon game on Sunday. I know Colts play early Sat and that's my team hereout.....cause, ya know, I AM from Indiana....so I gotta root for the locals...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on January 01, 2014, 05:17:49 pm
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/nfl-alarmed-three-four-playoff-games-including-green-213137570--nfl.html

Green Bay has perhaps the best fans in the NFL ... which is why the league should be very worried that the Packers and two other teams are still struggling to sell out their playoff games.

Green Bay, as of Wednesday morning, was about 8,500 tickets short of a sellout, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Tom Silverstein. If the Packers don't sell out by 3:40 p.m. Thursday, the game will be blacked out on local TV from Green Bay to Milwaukee. That's almost inconceivable. The Press-Gazette said the Packers have sold out every regular-season game since 1959 (a playoff game in January of 1983, at the end of the strike-shortened season, did not). And yet they are having troubles selling out a playoff game a week after Aaron Rodgers returned from injury to beat the Bears for the NFC North title.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 01, 2014, 07:21:56 pm
Posted by Michael David Smith on January 1, 2014, 7:14 PM EST

seangilbert
AP

When the 49ers beat the Packers in the playoffs last year, it was in the comfortable confines of the Bay Area. If the 49ers are going to beat the Packers again this year, they’ll have to brave bitter cold.

The Weather Channel’s forecast for Sunday in Green Bay calls for a high of 4 degrees and a low of 15 below.

Of the two quarterbacks in Sunday’s game, Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers sounded a little more comfortable with the forecast than San Francisco’s Colin Kaepernick. Rodgers said his method of getting ready for the game is, “Eat a lot of chicken noodle soup.” Kaepernick admitted that, “I don’t think my dream was to play in freezing weather.”

But that’s what Kaepernick will be playing in on Sunday. That may provide a home-field advantage for the Packers, even if Green Bay fan’s haven’t been particularly eager to buy tickets for the privilege of spending a few hours in the bitter cold on Sunday.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 01, 2014, 07:24:32 pm
Posted by Darin Gantt on January 1, 2014, 2:37 PM EST

Aaron Rodgers, Randall Cobb
AP

For all the worrying and all the attention paid to their injured stars the last month or so, the Packers suddenly have no issues whatsoever.

According to Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin.com, neither quarterback Aaron Rodgers nor wide receiver Randall Cobb are listed on this week’s injury report.

“They look great, feel great. I have no worries about those two,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said.

That’s great news for a pair of players coming off long layoffs, Rodgers with a broken collarbone and Cobb with a broken leg.

Of course, they both looked pretty sharp last Sunday, connecting twice for touchdowns, including the game-winner which sent them to the postseason.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 01, 2014, 07:28:10 pm
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/01/01/packers-have-8500-tickets-left-optimistic-theyll-avoid-blackout/

Still haven't sold them.  Greatest fan base my azz!

I guarantee if Chicago had not gotten robbed by the refs that Soldier Field would have been sold out immediately.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 01, 2014, 07:30:06 pm
Practice schedule reflects team's journey to the playoffs


By Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel   

Dec. 30, 2013
   
Green Bay – Playoff football is a great thing. Too much of it can cause a problem, however.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy is happy to be in the playoffs, but concerned that his team has been in a win-or-go-home mode for so long that he needs to get them some reliefs.

So he is adjusting the weekly schedule so that the coaches have extra time to study the San Francisco 49ers, the Packers' wild-card round opponent, and the players extra time to rest their bodies and minds.

“I think you have to be cognizant of what we’ve gone through the last four weeks,” McCarthy said. “We’ve played four playoff-type football games in cold weather. That’s part of training and being on top of where your team is. Our schedule this week will reflect that.”

The players are off Monday and Tuesday and when they return on Wednesday, there is no scheduled practice. It appears most everything else will be the same except that McCarthy is going to keep the players off their feet for the usual 90-minute practice that takes place every Wednesday.

Typically, the Wednesday practice is conducted without pads and emphasizes a lot of fundamental drills, although there is team work that takes place. Thursday is the big workday and is often conducted in pads.

 By rule, McCarthy is allowed one padded practice for each week the Packers are in the post-season. He did not say whether he would use it this week.

McCarthy said the tradeoff in being taxed physically the past month is that his team is used to playing inside a pressure cooker since the 40-10 loss to Detroit. Scoring comeback victories over Atlanta, Dallas and Chicago and winding up on the 1-yard line with a chance to tie in the final seconds against Pittsburgh have given his team a taste of what the post-season can be all about.

“I don’t know how we could be better prepared for playoff football than what we’ve been through the last four weeks,” McCarthy said. “I’d take our four-week experience over everything. So we’ll see what happens.

“We’ve got a heck of football team coming in here playing very well. Their videotape up to this point that I’ve been able to get through looks very good. I think they’re playing very well, so we’ve got a big challenge, but we know how we’re going to go about it and we expect to win the game.”

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 01, 2014, 07:32:45 pm
Posted by Mike Florio on December 31, 2013, 11:35 PM EST

EddieLacy
Getty Images

In a year that featured few rookie quarterbacks who played much and even fewer who had much of an impact, the primary candidates for the first of the annual PFT postseason awards come from the crop of guys to whom the quarterbacks handed or threw the ball.

The invisible PFT trophy for offensive rookie of the year goes to Packers running back Eddie Lacy.

A second-rounder from Alabama who plunged in the draft due to concerns regarding his ability to stay healthy and his passion for the game, Lacy piled up 1,178 yards and 11 touchdowns for the NFC North champions.  Add 257 yards receiving, and Lacy gained more than 1,400 yards from scrimmage in his first NFL season.

With only 51 yards rushing in all of September, Lacy did the bulk of his damage in three months, with four 100-yard games and a season-high 141 on 21 carries in that epic come-from-way-behind win in Dallas.

Now that the Packers have been reminded after years of a healthy Brett Favre and a mostly healthy Aaron Rodgers that quarterbacks can indeed become injured and miss multiple games in a row, they finally have a consistent threat in the running game, who could help the team grind out tough yardage in the looming postseason tournament.

Other finalists for the award were Chargers receiver Keenan Allen (1,046 receiving yards and eight touchdowns), Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell (860 rushing yards, 1,259 yards from scrimmage, eight touchdowns), Bengals running back Giovani Bernard (1,209 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns), Lions offensive lineman Larry Warford, and Vikings receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (2,020 total yards and nine total touchdowns).
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 01, 2014, 07:51:22 pm
onventional wisdom suggests that a team which has sold out its last 319 games wouldn't encounter much resistance finding takers for playoff tickets. However, that's exactly where the Green Bay Packers find themselves less than a week away from their wildcard round showdown with the 49ers.

Some reports place the number of unsold tickets at around 11,000 while other sources estimate the figure at closer to 15,000. In all pro sports in North America, teams begin selling their postseason tickets weeks or even months ahead of time. This occurs regardless of the likelihood of that squad making the playoffs. If a team is knocked out of playoff contention, those tickets are refunded. However, this practice has come under fire in recent years due to the zero-interest loan nature of these deals.

For the Packers, playoff tickets went on sale directly following the massacre to the Lions on Thanksgiving. It's easy to understand how many season ticket-holders decided to without their funds and wait it out rather than procure tickets for a game that appeared unlikely to transpire.

If Green Bay's sellout streak falls, it'll be the latest salvo in the battle between television broadcasting and live experience. To it's credit, the NFL has considered all sorts of ideas to make coming to a game the preferable choice for fans. None of the league's proposed solutions has stemmed the tide change, though, and fans continue to make the decision to stay at home. A blow like this could finally push the NFL to seriously consider adding high-quality wi-fi to their stadiums, but some owners will still balk at the multi-million dollar cost.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: VJ on January 01, 2014, 09:45:52 pm
According to Football Outsiders (http://www.footballoutsiders.com/clutch-encounters/2013/clutch-encounters-week-17), Aaron Rodgers was 0-20 at fourth-quarter comeback opportunities against teams with at least a .500 record.  He was also 0-18 when trailing by more than six points in the fourth quarter.

Of course, that was all before this happened.

(http://www.footballoutsiders.com/images/Clutch/conte.JPG)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on January 02, 2014, 07:12:50 am
I don't know much about NFL defense but I would expect that if there are 3 guys running deep and one CB and S are following guys, the other safety should give up his underneath play to cover the deep guy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 02, 2014, 07:34:06 am
It's sooo fricking ridiculous. You do NOT let guys get deeper than you, especially in a situation like that....that frickin Conte better be gone today or else!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on January 02, 2014, 07:51:02 am
Under normal situations if you are in C3 or C1, I can see the SS sitting down in the Zone and letting the FS cover the middle.
Late in the game when the other team needs to score fast though, you have to know not to let anyone get behind you, especially when 3 guys are running deep with only 2 guys covering.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 02, 2014, 12:14:49 pm
Thats some sweet officating....

(https://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/q71/1499519_10201520309309681_1595098255_n.jpg)


The play clock reads ZERO. Not mention ALL of the holdings by the Peckers O line....and ALL of the defensive holdings by the Peckers DBs. How in the hell do the Peckers on get 1 penalty?

Apparently the NFL wanted the peckers to advance in the worst way.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on January 02, 2014, 12:55:16 pm
Crybelly...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 02, 2014, 03:21:54 pm
Derek from South Point, OH

Do you have any explanation or theories as to why a few of the games are slow in selling out?

Vic

This isn’t new stuff. It’s a result of uncertainty. In many cases, heading into the final week of the season we’re not sure who the teams will be and where and when the games will be played. The league can’t commit to a schedule, for obvious reasons, and it’s difficult for fans to commit to uncertainty. Hey, fans need to have schedules, too. They’ve got families and budgets that need to be considered. So, all of a sudden their favorite team scores a dramatic touchdown with 38 seconds to play in the final game of the season, and their team is hosting a playoff game seven days later and it has 40,000 tickets to sell. That’s a lot of tickets to move in the four days to the TV blackout deadline. Again, this is nothing new, it’s just become especially prominent this year because it involves the Packers, whose fans have long trumpeted their passion for the game and the team’s bulging waiting list for tickets. If the league considers this situation to be an embarrassment, then it needs to do something about it because as long as procedures are as they are, it’s going to happen again and again.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on January 02, 2014, 03:29:22 pm
Vic,

OK that might explain why GB might have the problem (I don't buy it) but what about Cin and Ind?  Their fans knew long before last weekend they were in.  The NFL has a problem with gouging their fans.

The GB fans knew if they win their in a week before they played the Bears.  If the Fans wanted to go they knew it would be a home playoff game.  That is more than 4 days to decide if you want to go to a playoff game or not.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 02, 2014, 03:45:05 pm
http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-1/What-You-Mightve-Missed-Big-play-from-Cobb-was-coming/d70fde23-7bdc-434f-968d-cb5c212c6009
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 02, 2014, 07:50:28 pm
Posted by Josh Alper on January 2, 2014, 5:30 PM EST

Curly Lambeau
Getty Images

Three teams started Thursday needing to sell enough tickets to avoid a blackout and all three have gotten extensions until Friday afternoon to finish the job.

The Packers announced that they are joining the Colts and Bengals in the extension club. There are about 3,000 tickets left to sell, according to the team, which is down from 40,000 on Monday.

Given the long history of sellout crowds at Lambeau Field and a lengthy waiting list for season tickets to the Packers, it’s been surprising to see Green Bay find themselves in this position for a playoff game. Don Walker of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that some Packers fans are pointing to a new policy regarding playoff tickets for contributing to the issue.

The Packers required season ticket holders to pay up front in November for two playoff games in order to secure their allotment of tickets and the Packers were anything but a sure thing to make the playoffs at that point. Any money not used for tickets would be applied toward next season’s tickets, but it seems a good number of ticketholders decided the money would be better off in their pockets than in the Packers’ coffers. In the past, per Walker, fans could choose whether to apply the money toward the next year or not.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 02, 2014, 07:53:23 pm
Pathetic! 

All Packers fans should be ashamed.  I have no doubt if the Bears had won the game would be sold out in les then a day.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 02, 2014, 07:55:08 pm
Maybe the NFL will re-think always giving the Packers a helping hand with the refs in the future.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 02, 2014, 07:59:05 pm
With the temp near zero, chances of GB winning, Packers playing in nearly every season play-offs and HD TV I would certainly save the big bucks, too.

They are not the only team not sold out, yet.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 02, 2014, 08:03:41 pm
But they are supposed to be the greatest fan base in the league.  My ass!

If you can't sell out a play off game at home you do not deserve to go.  Move it to SF.  Or better yet the NFL should not have had the refs steal the game from the Bears.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 02, 2014, 08:36:08 pm
I saw a whole lot of GB fans at the game in Chi last Sunday.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on January 02, 2014, 09:59:11 pm
I saw a whole lot of GB fans at the game in Chi last Sunday.

Well people going from Green Bay to Chicago for a game is kind of like Andy and Barney leaving Mayberry to go to Mount Pilot....it's a big damn deal.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on January 03, 2014, 05:38:53 am
lol!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 03, 2014, 11:16:31 am
You mean those "great pecker fans can't sell out a playoff game before blackout.

AND there were a whole lot of Bears fans in green Bay when the Bears played the Peckers. I went ot the game and saw about 15 friends that had no idea were at the game. pecker fans sold a lot oftickets to Bears fans.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 03, 2014, 11:36:13 am
"The franchise announced Friday morning that fewer than 1,000 tickets are available. The Packers have until 4 p.m. Friday to avoid an NFL-imposed TV blackout in Milwaukee, Green Bay and Wausau."

1,000 to go!

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on January 03, 2014, 11:43:19 am
They will get them sold and there won't be a blackout.  I doubt that the cameras pan the crowd much though as I expect a lot of people there dressed as empty seats
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Bears4Ever on January 03, 2014, 12:15:54 pm
Just to chide my GB friends over this weekend (watching the games) I'll keep them on chiding them (on a quarter by quarter basis Sunday night)

"Aaron Rodgers: Still Not Gay"  :D

That said, revenge is a dish best served cold- considering the 49ers have had the Packers number of late it may be time to pay them back.....

Hope its as entertaining as the Bears/Packers game was (result notwithstanding which flat out SUCKED :) )

Getting depressed that the offseason is almost already here....

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on January 03, 2014, 12:19:37 pm
With 1,000 or less I am sure some company will come to the rescue.

Can't the network just buy them so there is no blackout?  I assume it wouldn't matter to them if there was no game or not because the advertising money is already in the bank.  Why can't the team just buy them as a loss and give them to charity?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on January 03, 2014, 12:36:44 pm
The offseason started last Sunday for the also ran bears.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on January 03, 2014, 12:39:48 pm
With 1,000 or less I am sure some company will come to the rescue.

Can't the network just buy them so there is no blackout?  I assume it wouldn't matter to them if there was no game or not because the advertising money is already in the bank.  Why can't the team just buy them as a loss and give them to charity?

I read somewhere that during the regular season the team can sell the tickets at 34 cents on the dollar but playoff games have to be bought at full price.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Bears4Ever on January 03, 2014, 12:42:03 pm
Aaron Rodgers: "Still Not Gay" :D
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: yapper on January 03, 2014, 01:45:18 pm
Well the fact that the Packers/Niners game is going to played in a wind chill factor of somewhere around -30, might have something to do with slow ticket sales as well.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 03, 2014, 02:51:39 pm
Well people going from Green Bay to Chicago for a game is kind of like Andy and Barney leaving Mayberry to go to Mount Pilot....it's a big damn deal.

LOL!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 03, 2014, 02:55:32 pm
With 1,000 or less I am sure some company will come to the rescue.

Can't the network just buy them so there is no blackout?  I assume it wouldn't matter to them if there was no game or not because the advertising money is already in the bank.  Why can't the team just buy them as a loss and give them to charity?

Good point.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 03, 2014, 06:31:54 pm
Dan from Milwaukee, WI

This morning on NFL Network, they were bashing Packers fans for not selling out their playoff tickets. They were claiming we gave up on the season and we’d prefer to grab a beer from our fridge and enjoy the couch. This was extremely insulting! Calm me down, Vic.

Vic
Shut down Rodgers and play for the higher draft pick. Remember that? Weren’t the ex-jockos at NFL Network promoting that insanity? Let’s play.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 03, 2014, 06:40:03 pm
49ers are going to destroy the Packers and if Rodgers shoulder is not really healed they may very well end his career. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on January 03, 2014, 08:24:38 pm
I hope Patrick Willis knocks Rodgers straight.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 03, 2014, 08:29:29 pm
The Packers are not a very good team and got real lucky in many, many ways to beat the Bears. 

I like to think it was fate and it is going to make the Bears a better team and they are going to win the division for many years to come due to that loss.     
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 03, 2014, 09:58:37 pm
If you look at the last few games they played, they were EXTREMELY lucky to even be where they are right now....that's going to end this weekend.....luck had run out.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on January 04, 2014, 06:19:59 am
Win or lose, I would think Rodgers is going to be hit by a much better defense than ours.  I wonder what that feels like at -6 degrees?  He appeared to wince on the Peppers sack that McClellin roll over last week, the left arm just goes limp.  Probably protecting it, but he didn't take a serious shot that whole game, and if the field has some traction it could be a different day for number 12.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on January 04, 2014, 05:14:49 pm
SF is a more balanced team but in GB in January with what I heard this morning might be a -30 windchill, I wouldn't count the Packers out.
Give them a few breaks by the refs  :-) and they might surprise a few people.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 04, 2014, 06:16:51 pm
(https://scontent-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1003172_10151806470070976_1303400982_n.jpg)

What Packer girls think of big bad 49ers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on January 04, 2014, 06:54:00 pm
PR, I think 2 of those are guys, they have no boobs at all ;-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 04, 2014, 06:59:37 pm
The Packers have 8  players over age 28 on their entire roster.

Crosby - 29

Rodgers - 30

Bush - 29

Kuhn - 31

T. Willliams - 30

Hawk - 30

Goode - 29

J. Jones - 29


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on January 05, 2014, 06:55:28 am
So let's put the injury discussion to rest... from this morning's Tribune

Emery took responsibility for not providing more quality depth to withstand the injury tsunami, with five opening day starters missing a combined 43 games and the Bears using 15 different starting lineup combinations. Of the 12 playoff teams, only the Patriots had opening day starters miss more than 30 with 42.

The NFC North champion Packers' defense saw six opening day starters miss 23 games with the Lions (28) and Vikings (34) behind them, all games lost mostly to injuries.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 05, 2014, 03:27:42 pm
PR, I think 2 of those are guys, they have no boobs at all ;-)

Anything more than a handful is wasted.  ;-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 05, 2014, 03:30:49 pm
You must have really small hands...

 ;D
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on January 05, 2014, 03:31:58 pm
You must have really small hands...

 ;D

Hands of a hobbit
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 05, 2014, 03:33:35 pm
BRRRRRR.

Honestly, would you guys all go to the game today if it were played in Chicago?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 05, 2014, 03:35:18 pm
Hell yeah!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on January 05, 2014, 03:37:07 pm
BRRRRRR.

Honestly, would you guys all go to the game today if it were played in Chicago?

Quiet Froto...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 05, 2014, 03:38:51 pm
I wouldn't at your age PR.  Nor would I drive 4 hours in this crap.  But I would have planned accordingly and gotten a room in Chicago for  a few nights.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 05, 2014, 03:43:05 pm
The PAckers O-line picks up holding where they left off last week.  Not called of course..
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 05, 2014, 03:52:42 pm
Packers just interfered but it was not called. Niner caught it anyway but damn how does that not get called?  You could see the receivers whole body get tugged before the ball got there.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 05, 2014, 04:13:23 pm
It's the Peckers staple - Cappers teaches his DBs to hold on every play.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 05, 2014, 04:17:55 pm
Just got away with another one in the end zone.  That is three now that have not been called and should have.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 05, 2014, 04:18:08 pm
Brutal Officiating....MORE holds by the DBs (#31) in the endzone.....no call.

Peckers DBs hold all day long....nothing....as the rest of the NFL gets called every time.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 05, 2014, 04:22:45 pm
Peckers O line can not handle 49ers line what so ever. Rogers will get hurt this game.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 05, 2014, 04:28:52 pm
Hey 50 should have been flagged for jumping over Kapernick on that slide.   I mean McClellin was flagged for doing that to Rodgers last Sunday...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 05, 2014, 04:31:01 pm
Dumb throw by Kapernick
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 05, 2014, 04:32:14 pm
Didn't Williams just lead with the crown of his helmet into Kapernick?  I think it is the worlds stupidest rule but thought a runner couldn't do that this year?

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 05, 2014, 04:42:59 pm
As Jordy Nelson pushes off of the DB - but I guess that's legal in GB.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 05, 2014, 06:12:30 pm
Another pass interference on #31.

Multiple MASSIVe amounts of holds on the Pekers on that Pass to Cobb. Nothing called.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 05, 2014, 07:41:40 pm
No crocodile tears here.  GB played a helluva game.  MM did a great job of coaching.

Watching for all of those imaginary penalties on the Packers you probably didn't notice that GB had three more defensive players injured and out of the game.  Rookies Mulumba and Nate Palmer had to play because of all the other injuries and, then, Mulumba was injured.  LT  Bakhtieri also injured. 

Cobb, Rodgers, Nelson and Lacy - unstoppable.  Too bad that Cobb was out most of the season.

Talking about WRs, no other team in the NFL comes close to having FOUR
 #1 WRs like Nelson, Jones, Boykin and Cobb.

I hate the 49ers, especially their obnoxious HC.  Kick the **** out of them, Carolina.

Nobody saw a SINGLE SF penalty missed by the officials?  Incredible.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on January 05, 2014, 07:50:18 pm
Watching for all of those imaginary penalties on the Packers you probably didn't notice that GB had three more defensive players injured and out of the game.

Wish I had a screen shot of that "imaginary" holding call when Rodgers supposedly "escaped" on 4th and 2. I would love to see you explain how that was "imaginary". The D was literally dragged off of Rodgers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 05, 2014, 07:52:34 pm
The other 5 on that drive weren't much better.  No team other then the Patriots get calls the way the Packers do.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 05, 2014, 07:52:43 pm
Hatred for the Pack blurs your vision.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 05, 2014, 07:54:52 pm
No.  It really doesn't. 

You can not allow the Packers O-line to hold like that and the Packers DB's to hold receivers like that and not call penalties.  It ruins the integrity of the game. 

It is that bad and that blatant.  Only folks who can't see it are Packer fans. 

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on January 05, 2014, 07:56:28 pm
Hatred for the Pack blurs your vision.

When Rodgers fellow rump ranger Aikman  comments it must be pretty obvious.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: VJ on January 05, 2014, 07:57:27 pm
(http://usatftw.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/photo-1.jpg?w=640&h=481)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on January 05, 2014, 07:58:38 pm
That's it....imaginary holding.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 05, 2014, 08:06:53 pm
I have never heard another team fan claim that.  Bias?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: VJ on January 05, 2014, 08:07:00 pm
Same patented bear hug that "blocked" Wooten on the Cobb play

(http://cdn2.mocksession.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/HOLDING.gif)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: VJ on January 05, 2014, 08:07:23 pm
(http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/19bnicuw7wk7xgif/ku-xlarge.gif)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 05, 2014, 08:08:55 pm
Both teams had violations that could bed called but the officials "let them play".  Aikman said it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 05, 2014, 08:30:40 pm
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/01/05/house-nearly-blocked-kick-but-he-was-offside/

Read the comments Packrat.  NFL fans of all teams can see the bias.  It is only Packer fans that can't.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on January 05, 2014, 08:39:09 pm
I don't give a damn what troy akman said.  I got eyes.  somebody better f ucking be calling the league office about this.  that switch had better be shut off next year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on January 05, 2014, 09:03:57 pm
Whiners
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on January 05, 2014, 10:46:55 pm
****
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on January 05, 2014, 10:49:27 pm
Still waiting on an explanation of why the play VJ posted in post number 2251 is not holding.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on January 06, 2014, 06:36:41 am
I watched the game through the biased eyes of a Chicago Bear's fan and was rooting for the 49ers.  The mugging and holding of receivers was much more pronounced to the Packer's advantage, but there were some non calls on the 49ers as well.  My problem with this is that it is called a lot more closely during the season, why change how it is called in the playoffs?  Let them play is bs, I don't want every little ticky tack thing called, but when you are grabbing the receiver all the way down the field like House did and it is not called, that's not just letting them play.  It seemed like the 49ers did it less because they were coached not to do it, I can only assume the Packers coach it to continue until they call it.

The offensive holding non call above was the worst non-call that also led to a completion to Cobb and later a touchdown.  That could have been a difference maker.  When I originally watched the play, I was like how did Rodgers get out of that?  Then I was like, oh yeah, there it is.  The lineman was peeled off of Rodgers and no call.  Not blocked, just pulled off.  Let them play?  BS.  That is not the game and not how it is supposed to be officiated.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on January 06, 2014, 06:40:35 am
So looking ahead, both Green Bay and Chicago have very good offenses.  As does Detroit, but I place them a slight rung down.  The difference in the division will come to who improves on defense the most.  Can Detroit get a coach to take the idiot out of the performance?  Should be a heck of a race.

If I were Minnesota, I would dangle Peterson out there and see what you could get for a multitude of picks.  They are markedly below and without a QB. 

For the NFC North to be relevant, we all need to step up our defenses...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on January 06, 2014, 06:41:02 am
Packy - Nick Perry was back in the game later...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest77 on January 06, 2014, 11:27:51 am
Not sorry that GB lost.  Sorry to Packy that your team lost.   :-\   
 
Better luck to us all next year, but just mostly to the Bears!  ;D
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Bears4Ever on January 06, 2014, 11:55:46 am
On the bright side:

Aarron Rodgers: Still Not Gay..... :D

That said, the Packers did a better job at making a game of this than the Bears would've. It does feel strange that the officials really let the teams (both sides) get away with mauling each other and held onto their flags (maybe they were just frozen to their pockets).

Appears that both the Bears and the Packers have some interesting "decisions" regarding their Defenses this season.....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 06, 2014, 01:40:47 pm
Honestly I wasn't that impressed with the 9ers. Some of their playcalls were just brainless. And that first timeout in the second half was related to Kapernick forgetting his wrist notes. He came out and seemed lost without it, then he called a TO and the next series, he has it on his wrist. Funny that the announcers didn't pick up on that....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on January 06, 2014, 07:00:33 pm
Honestly I wasn't that impressed with the 9ers. Some of their playcalls were just brainless. And that first timeout in the second half was related to Kapernick forgetting his wrist notes. He came out and seemed lost without it, then he called a TO and the next series, he has it on his wrist. Funny that the announcers didn't pick up on that....

Good catch Sporty, I didn't catch that.  I was like, how are you calling a timeout on the first play after the opening kickoff?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 07, 2014, 03:15:01 pm
The main thing I don't like about the 49ers is they rely too much on Kapernick running...thta will bite them against better teams.

The #31 on the Peckers is STILL holding!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 07, 2014, 03:16:53 pm
Peckers DBs and O-line hold ALL day long. BS.

Love that holding video.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on January 08, 2014, 12:46:58 pm
Whiner.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 08, 2014, 07:27:40 pm
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/01/05/house-nearly-blocked-kick-but-he-was-offside/

Read the comments Packrat.  NFL fans of all teams can see the bias.  It is only Packer fans that can't.

Probably mostly Bears fans getting a shot at the Packers.  When a team is as successful as the Pack has been there are going to be detractors, Peke.

Did you catch these quotes?

elliottcovert says:
Jan 5, 2014 8:31 PM


Aaron Rodgers only home playoff win so far has come against a Joe Webb led Vikings team.

‘Nuff said.

Quantcast     
 

snoqualmieterry says:
Jan 5, 2014 8:31 PM


I don’t know who has the meanest fans, the Raiders or the Niners. The Bay Area must be a scary place.

Green Bay won four straight playoff games AWAY from home in 2011and this guy tries to make some point about GB not winning at home.  WTH.   Don't pay too much attention to  those ignorami who try to make nasty points about anyone who loses a game.  If the Bears had played in this game - and lost - you would have seen the same stupid comments about them.  I remember back in  the days when the 49ers were hot and I saw the same crazy fans posting the same crap.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 08, 2014, 07:35:56 pm
When Rodgers fellow rump ranger Aikman  comments it must be pretty obvious.

Didn't you hear Aikman trying to explain why he was not anti-Packers as many fans say he is?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 08, 2014, 07:52:15 pm
Regarding Bear comments about favorable treatment by the officials, I'll pay attention to them AFTER  the Packers LOSE a game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 08, 2014, 07:56:11 pm
They are Packer fans Packrat. Packer fans have this delusion that they do not get preferential treatment from the refs.  I am sure Patriot fans have the same problem.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 08, 2014, 07:59:16 pm
It is a star QB thing that somehow gets applied to the whole team.  The Packers have had it longer then anyone due to Favre then Rodgers.  Peyton Manning's ref aura followed him from the Colts to the Broncos.  Brady may get more calls then any QB that has ever lived. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 08, 2014, 08:00:40 pm
If Marshal and Jeffreys can keep this type of production up they will get free PI calls.  Although the irrational hatred for Cutler may undo it somewhat.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 08, 2014, 08:11:37 pm
You make some valid comments there, Peke.  There can be a tendency to give the benefit of the doubt to a Favre or Rodgers or Manning, etc. but I doubt that it applies to the other players on then team.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 08, 2014, 08:35:09 pm
20013 wrap-up:

Packers Coach Mike McCarthy Recaps Season, Discusses Personnel and Disappointment.

By Evan "Tex" Western  @TexWestern  on Jan 8 2014, 12:00p

Ronald Martinez

The Packers' head coach met with the media for the last time in the 2013 season on Wednesday and discussed a wide variety of topics.


Tweet  (4)  Share     Share    103  Comments   


Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy took the podium for the final time to discuss the team's 2013 football season on Wednesday. As can be expected from the coach of a team that recently lost a playoff game, he was disappointed and, at times, agitated in his press conference, but ultimately showed a lot of optimism in his team moving forward.

McCarthy opened by addressing the season as a whole and the disappointing end in the playoff loss to the 49ers:


First and foremost, the fact that i'm standing here on a Wednesday during a playoff week isn't where I want to be...Frankly when I look back at this season, the tough times, the losing streak, a lot of information about your program (and) the people really comes out during that time.


I think when adversity hits, people go through it one way or the other. Some good, some not so good. Everybody has to buy into the program, when you do that you're able to get through things that we got through this year...people say it felt like 2010, it didn't feel like 2010 at all, it was totally different circumstances...I was really impressed with our young players...just the way they've grown, the things they've seen.

McCarthy then discussed the process of evaluating the players and coaches over the next few weeks:


We're in day three of our evaluation process. I've spent Monday and Tuesday going through exit interviews with every player on our football team, today we'll actually start with the coaching staff and we'll get back to evaluating the game...then we'll get into staff evaluations and things like that.

When asked about whether Dom Capers would be the defensive coordinator moving forward, McCarthy was firm in his response.


Once again, we're not even 72 hours from the game. Dom Capers is an outstanding football coach. Nobody will be evaluated today...I'm not going into this thing looking to make big changes...there's things that you like about your program...there's things you don't like or need to get better. With those areas we will change and adjust.

On Ben McAdoo interviewing for a head coaching job, McCarthy said "I think the world of Ben, I've been with Ben a long time. Whatever opportunities come by Ben, I think he'll do a good job." Whether or not McAdoo gets the head coaching job in Cleveland, it sounds like McCarthy is accepting the idea that he will get a job with a different NFL team for 2014.

McCarthy was then asked if the team was too reliant on Aaron Rodgers being healthy and productive or if they lost confidence when the backup QBs were playing, and he defended his team:


Aaron Rodgers is arguably the best player in the NFL, so if you say 'are we too reliant'? Clearly he makes a difference...how many teams play four quarterbacks and win a division championship? I think we were the fourth...Who stepped up when other guys were in there? You have to make sure that's part of your evaluation.

When asked about the number of injuries that befell the Packers this year, he also expressed disappointment with how the season unfolded.


Injuries are a moving target. We'll look at facilities, the way players are cared for, nutrition, We’ve made a number of adjustments in favor of making us a healthier football team and we didn't get that done...we have to find a way to keep guys healthy...I'm not going to place blame. I'm not a fan of the offseason program (under the new CBA)...it's not good for young players...it's not going to change and we need to find a better training schedule and regimen and a little bit of luck.

He was then asked to discuss difference between the Packers and 49ers, since they have knocked Green Bay out of the playoffs each of the last two years:


I'm clearly aware that we've lost the last four in a row, and the two playoff games are the most important. You look at what those games come down to, you look at this last one and we have to be better. We haven't stopped their quarterback...that's the one common thread that jumps out at you. We had a lot of opportunities on offense, defense, and special teams, and we didn't get it done.

The next topic was the poor play of the Packers' safeties, but McCarthy was more inclined to discuss the defense as a whole:


Frankly, talking with the players, some of them have an opinion about that. We need more players making plays on defense, I think that's stating the obvious. I feel that those guys are here, are we going to bring in more, yeah, that's what the off-season is for...I'm not going to give a personal evaluation on (Morgan Burnett)...he definitely has room to improve.

When asked for an evaluation of his own coaching job this season:


That's probably a question for Ted (Thompson). I didn't win the last game, so I didn't do a good enough job.

As for whether David Bakhtiari's strong play could potentially lead to shifting other tackles to the right side:


We told Bryan Bulaga and Derek Sherrod, as soon as we decide how we're going to set reps as far as positions, we'd let them know as soon as possible.

Finally, McCarthy discussed the play-call on first and goal from the nine-yard line against the 49ers:


Randall (Cobb) runs that run concept the best of our guys, we got the defense we wanted...there was obviously a mistake by the run block unit. I have no problem with that call.

There's a lot to absorb here, but from McCarthy's comments, I interpret these things to be the case this off-season:


•It's likely that Dom Capers will return as defensive coordinator.
•There will be substantial turnover in personnel on defense.
•McCarthy wants Bakhtiari to be the left tackle moving into the future, but is unwilling or unable to commit to that at this point.

We'll see how this off-season turns out. For now, it's safe to say that McCarthy and the coaching staff is unhappy with the team's 2013 result, but saw many positive signs that can be expanded upon moving into 2014.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 08, 2014, 08:37:47 pm
As for the defense the Patriots and Packers get it.  I am not sure if it works for any other teams.

Probably did for the 85 Bears defense.  But sure hasn't for any other Bears team. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 08, 2014, 08:47:35 pm
More wrap-up:


by Tracker J Dunn on Jan 8, 2014 | 7:02 PM ⬆up ↩reply 

 Maybe it's the stubborn optimist in me 


But I feel like this team comes back with a vengeance next year.

I don’t think it’s necessarily going to be the offensive onslaught that 2011 was, but a more balanced attack (provided AR, Lacy, Starks, the line, etc. stay healthy) that not only can put points on the board but close out teams with physical running at the end of games. Draftwise, I’m hoping that the offensive line is addressed somewhere (IMO center – I’m not sold on EDS, although Tretter is coming back). Lang and Sitton are both coming off tremendous seasons, and I was impressed by Bakh who I believe will only get better. I hope Bulaga/Sherrod come back strong and I hope that tackle depth is addressed so that Marshall Newhouse can no longer be on this team. Receiving corps wise, I hope we can retain JJ but I’m pretty sold on Boykin who should develop into a nice weapon. Jordy is continuing to evolve into one of the best receivers in the league and Randall Cobb is the NOS to the Packers’ Fast and the Furious offense (RIP Paul Walker). I’m not high on Quarless or Bostick but I hope one of them can become a solid receiver and a decent blocker. Lacy, Starks and Franklin is a pretty good set of RBs to have, all having their unique skill sets. I think retaining Flynn is important since we saw how the wheels could fall off without AR. I like Tolzien and hope he can develop mentally to the point where Flynn can be let go after next season.

Defensively, I think a combination of health and personnel changes can get this unit back in the right direction. I don’t know what should be done with Capers (I’m not high on firing him) but having CM3, Perry, Hayward, Shields, Brad Jones among others back and healthy should make a world of difference. ILB should definitely be addressed in the draft because AJ Hawk, while showing some flashes of playmaking ability this year, is getting older and slower than he already was. I like Mulumba and I like Lattimore; hopefully they can learn more and provide solid depth at both ILB and OLB. CM3 and Perry (if healthy) can become one of the best 3-4 pass-rushing tandems in the league, and I really liked Mike Neal’s development towards the end of the season. The D-line showed a lot of flashes from young players like Daniels, Datone Jones, Josh Boyd and I hope Jerel Worthy can come back and make an impact. Johnny Jolly and Ryan Pickett are running on fumes and their time may be running out. I believe Raji is all but gone. In the secondary, Hayward’s return should improve the corner play drastically. Tramon returned to prime form in the second half of the season and Sam Shields made some great plays. I hope we can retain Shields. Hyde and House should provide depth and I think TT should draft a corner (or two) somewhere in the middle of the draft. Jarrett Bush should be off this team. For every good play he makes, he makes an absolutely backbreaking boneheaded one. Safety-wise, we need a starting safety within the first two rounds of the draft. I’m a fan of Morgan Burnett but he needs to get his head out of his butt sometimes. I don’t ride very high on MD Jennings and he should be a backup or he should be gone. I like Sean Richardson and believe he would make for good depth.

On special teams, the resurgence of Crosby and continued excellence from Masthay were key and hopefully will continue into next season. Micah Hyde is a weapon on PR and combining that with Cobb on KR, we have a set of returners that is comparable skill-set wise to Hester.

All in all with a solid draft and minimal injuries, I think this team bounces back next year and wins the North handily. Considering we get the NFC South and AFC East as well as the Seahawks and Eagles, I can see 13-3 (Saints, Pats, Seahawks) happening.


"Don't talk the talk if you can't walk the walk, phony n***as are outlined in chalk." Wu-Tang Clan.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 08, 2014, 08:59:16 pm
Dude is delusional.  The Packers are going to be good on offense of this there is not doubt.  However so are the Bears and Lions.

The team that can be real good on offense and have a decent defense will take it.  Roll the dice for that answer.

Viking and Lions have new coaches so who knows.  My guess is once again it will come down to the Bears and Packers fighting for the division as it often does.

Thinking it is the Bears turn.  Trestman learned a lot this year and seems to be the type of guy who learns from his mistakes.  Plus he and Emery know how to work with one another better now.

 

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 08, 2014, 09:18:53 pm

Tweet  (28)  Share  (65)   Share    18  Comments   


James Jones is a warrior. We've known this since he returned early from the knee-ligament sprain that knocked him out of the Ravens game. What we didn't know is he played through an even more painful injury late in the year.

According to Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Jones played through broken ribs for the final three games of the year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 08, 2014, 09:20:24 pm
t doesn't hold the cachet of the Associated Press or other awards, but SBNation gives out NFL awards just the same. They were announced this morning, and a Green Bay Packer earned one of them, as the network's NFL editors named running back Eddie Lacy as the league's Rookie of the Year
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 08, 2014, 09:22:29 pm
Packers QB Coach Ben McAdoo To Interview For Cleveland Browns Head Coach Job
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 08, 2014, 09:23:56 pm
Player Position Years with GB Games Started in 2013 Free Agent Status
Chris Banjo S 1 1 Exclusive rights
Kahlil Bell RB 1 0 Unrestricted FA
Evan Dietrich-Smith C 4 16 Unrestricted FA
Jermichael Finley TE 6 5 Unrestricted FA
Matt Flynn QB 1 4 Unrestricted FA
Robert Francois ILB 4 0 Unrestricted FA
M.D. Jennings S 3 16 Restricted FA
Johnny Jolly DE 5 8 Unrestricted FA
James Jones WR 7 14 Unrestricted FA
John Kuhn FB 7 6 Unrestricted FA
Jamari Lattimore ILB 3 4 Restricted FA
Mike Neal OLB/DE 4 10 Unrestricted FA
Marshall Newhouse T 4 2 Unrestricted FA
Ryan Pickett NT 8 16 Unrestricted FA
Andrew Quarless TE 4 10 Unrestricted FA
B.J. Raji DE/DT 5 16 Unrestricted FA
Sam Shields CB 4 14 Unrestricted FA
James Starks RB 4 1 Unrestricted FA
Seneca Wallace QB 1 1 Unrestricted FA
C.J. Wilson DE 4 0 Unrestricted FA
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 08, 2014, 09:27:11 pm
I would not say they 'won' the Division as much as the Bears 'gave' them the Division. The difference in that game was that ridiculous loose ball TD.....Bears play smarter, they take that game....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 08, 2014, 09:37:14 pm
 have a sheet of about 10-15 statistics. We improved in about 10 categories. We weren’t as good in the red zone, but we improved in a lot of areas. I think the guys should feel good about it,” Clements said.

The No. 1 area of improvement is the running game, which rookie Eddie Lacy helped take from No. 20 in 2012 to No. 7 in ’13. Despite Rodgers missing nearly half the season, the Packers finished with the No. 6 passing attack and the No. 3 overall offense
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 08, 2014, 09:38:27 pm
There’s reason to believe the offense will even improve in 2014 on its production in ’13. Tackles Bryan Bulaga and Derek Sherrod are expected to return to give the Packers amazing depth on their offensive line.

“It was great for Derek after his long rehab to be on the roster for a bit. Bryan got hurt early so his rehab, I’m sure, is on schedule. They’re both good players and they’ll add to the depth of the position,” Clements said.

The focus this offseason will, again, be on the defensive side of the ball, where change and how the Packers react to it may again determine the team’s fate.

“We’ll see how things play themselves out,” Capers said.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on January 09, 2014, 09:26:23 am
I wonder if the refs actually give preferential treatment to the elite QBs or if they are so busy watching them they don't see all the holding.

Kromer is likely telling his guys, "if we can string a few more good games together you can drag your guy to the ground like we did in NO and they won't call holding!" :-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 09, 2014, 10:10:28 pm
Ralph from Bridgeport, CT

So, from what I’m sensing, the Packers are considering switching to a 4-3.

Vic

I, too, am intrigued by Dom Capers’ answer to the question I asked him about what needs to be done in the offseason. “We have to figure out what our group’s going to be and we’ll design what we’ll do off what our group is going to be,” Capers said. Wow! That answer gives rise to a lot of speculation. Obviously, Coach Capers is referring to the potential for significant losses on defense in free agency. He’s going to lose his nose tackle tomorrow, and nose tackles are at the heart of a 3-4 defense. Coach Capers is telling us he’ll design a scheme for whatever talent is available to him. He’s not picking the scheme and then fitting the players into it, he’s going to let the talent available to him “pick” the scheme. Why do it that way? Because it’s players, not plays. Coach Capers isn’t married to the 3-4. I’ve written that repeatedly. He coached a 4-3 in Jacksonville in 1999 and it was No. 1 in points allowed and sacks, and No. 4 in yards. Moving Mike Neal to linebacker is an example of Coach Capers’ ability to utilize personnel. I remember seeing Neal at linebacker in OTAs last spring and imagining Neal being used 5-10 plays a game as a rusher. As it turned out, he played more downs at outside linebacker than any other outside linebacker on the team. How’s that for utilization
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 09, 2014, 10:15:21 pm
Daniel from Fond du Lac, WI

How many defensive coordinators in the league have the confidence to say no matter the personnel we have, we will find a game plan they can execute well enough to win football games? I wish every coordinator felt this way.
Vic
Believe it or not, most coaches that have reached the rank of coordinator have the confidence and the ability to tailor their scheme to the talent available to them. In Jacksonville, Coach Capers incorporated 3-4 concepts into a 4-3 alignment. We get all caught up in terminology. The “Tampa Two” thing always made me laugh. It was little more than Bud Carson’s “Cover Two” with a deep drop by the middle linebacker, which is something you can do when you have Warren Sapp up front; Tony Dungy said as much over and over. Everybody’s trying to find the next great scheme. Find the next great players; they’ll design your scheme
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 09, 2014, 10:19:29 pm
Anthony from Vero Beach, FL

You said our defense wasn’t in any position to step up at crunch time. Well, we weren’t in any better position in the games against Atlanta and Dallas, but we still rallied for a couple of epic wins. What made the playoff game an exception?

Vic
You’re comparing the Cowboys and Falcons to the 49ers? Are you serious? All last week my inbox was full of doom and gloom. I even wrote that Packers fans had a bad case of “49ers on the brain.” Now, after a three-point loss, the 49ers have fallen to the level of a nonplayoff-caliber team? In 1983, I was covering the Steelers when they got clobbered by the Raiders in a playoff game. There was outrage. The Raiders then went on to win the AFC title and the Super Bowl by scores of 30-14 and 38-9. All of a sudden, there was less outrage; the Raiders blew out everybody, including the defending Super Bowl champions. Sometimes, the other guys are just real good, and that’s the answer to all of the questions.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 09, 2014, 10:22:21 pm
Mike from Janesville, WI

Vic, do you believe that (as the cap currently stands), that GMs have to decide between paying “The Man” and paying for an elite defense?

Vic
There is no decision. If you have “The Man,” you have to do what it takes to keep “The Man” because “The Man” is more important than defense. This is a quarterback-driven game and league. Denver has “The Man” and the Broncos are No. 1 in the AFC; they have the No. 19 defense. New England has “The Man” and they are No. 2 in the AFC; they have the No. 26 defense. It is what it is. You have to find ways to get it done. You can’t be No. 1 in everything. Every team in the league has a ranking it would like to change, but it can’t. It has to find a way to play around that ranking.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 09, 2014, 10:23:21 pm
Monty from San Diego, CA

“Statistics are for losers.” I do believe Mr. McCarthy is a man after your heart.

Vic
Statistics can be indicators of truth and evidence of truth, but they can also be used to tell lies and too often they are used to make feeling bad feel good. What Coach McCarthy is saying is that losing to the 49ers hurts, and no stat is going to make that hurt go away.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 10, 2014, 01:07:02 pm


11:37
 
 
Comment From Gina
Mike, Any Super Bowl predictions? 



 




11:38
 


 Mike Spofford: I said around midseason that the AFC was headed for Brady vs. Manning for the conference title, so no reason to change that thought now. I also think SF will go to Seattle for the NFC championship, and whoever wins that game will win the Super Bowl in my opinion, no matter who wins in the AFC, Gina.
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 10, 2014, 01:44:59 pm


Former Louisiana College offensive tackle Jeremy Vujnovich has a second chance to play for the Green Bay Packers.

Vujnovich, from Belle Chasse, went to the Packers’ rookie camp last year as an undrafted free agent but turned down Green Bay’s offer to sign a contract after the camp, deciding instead to work for one of the Halliburton plants in South Louisiana.

After a year away from the game, he signed as a free agent with the Packers on Wednesday.

“They wanted to sign him last year but he decided he wasn’t going to play,” said LC football coach Dennis Dunn. “He’s since decided he wants to play. He got himself in shape and went to a few tryouts, including the Texans and Kansas City.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 10, 2014, 03:15:39 pm
Posted by Mike Spofford on  January 6, 2014 – 5:05 pm 


Sunday’s Packers-49ers NFC Wild Card playoff game drew 47.1 million TV viewers, making it the most-watched Wild Card game on record, according to a press release issued by the NFL.

It topped the previous Wild Card leader — the 2011 AFC matchup between the Steelers and Broncos — by nearly 5 million viewers (42.4 million). Previously No. 2 on the list and now No. 3 was Packers-Eagles in 2010 (39.3 million).
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 10, 2014, 07:34:52 pm
Vic, I know you won’t agree and you’ll say it’s an excuse, but yesterday’s officiating when it mattered was awful: the hands-to-the-face call on (David Bakhtiari) and then the holding call on (Davon House) that set up the TD pass for the 49ers. Officiating is so inconsistent that it puts a sour taste in one’s mouth.

Ed Hochuli’s crew only called five penalties for 30 yards in the game. You’re right, I won’t agree.

Officiating complaints go both ways.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 10, 2014, 07:36:54 pm
Charles from Statham, GA

Win QB rating? Check. Win turnover battle? Check. Win time of possession? Check. Win the points battle? Nope. We needed one more check. Many thanks to the Packers for the exciting ride that was this season.

Vic
They needed the ball one more time. Had that happened, we’d all be talking about what a great victory this was.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 10, 2014, 07:45:15 pm
Nikhil from New Delhi, India

Vic, I didn’t care for the offseason last year. I’m giving it another try to get into it. What is the schedule of the lesser-known events, like the Senior Bowl, that I should be watching out for?

Vic
I’ll be at the Senior Bowl in two weeks. The key days are Monday-Wednesday, Jan. 20-22. Those are the practices the entire NFL scouting world attends and values the most from the Senior Bowl week. Feb. 17 is the first day for designating franchise and transition players. Feb. 19-25 is the scouting combine in Indianapolis. March 3 is the last day for designating franchise and transition players. March 11 is the day all teams must be under the 2014 salary cap, all 2013 contracts expire, trading and 2014 free agency begin. March 23-26 is the owners meetings in Orlando, at which I expect there will be a few rules changes. April 21 is the day offseason conditioning may begin for teams with returning head coaches. May 8-10 is the 2014 NFL draft.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on January 11, 2014, 06:22:27 am
Whatever happened to Datko?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 11, 2014, 01:31:53 pm
Who?     ;-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 11, 2014, 01:35:19 pm
•T Andrew Datko (seventh round, No. 241 overall): Released in the final cuts at the end of training camp this year. Spent his rookie season on the practice squad and was never on the active roster.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 11, 2014, 01:37:29 pm
DT Mike Daniels (fourth round, No. 132 overall): Perhaps the best player from this draft class. Daniels has become a force as a pass rusher with 5.5 sacks this season, which is second on the team to Clay Matthews.

Under the radar.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 14, 2014, 04:26:34 pm
Vic, Rob from Colorado asked about picking up a defensive player in free agency, instead of the draft-and-develop plan. Have you forgotten Reggie White? What a pick up and worth every penny.

Vic
I hadn’t forgotten, Lee, but that was nearly 20 years ago. Free agency was in its infancy back then and teams were struggling to understand how to deal with it. The Eagles were in denial; they didn’t think White would leave. Much has changed since then. Teams are much better at keeping their core players now. White would’ve never gotten out of Philadelphia today. What we’re going to see, again, is that the list of free agents is going to dwindle dramatically once teams are permitted to start passing out the tags. The Whites and Charles Woodsons won’t be there. Those kinds of mistakes are much fewer and farther between now. In my opinion, the challenge teams tight against the cap face is finding the bargains in free agency. Find the guys that can patch a hole in your roster without creating one in your cap
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 14, 2014, 04:31:19 pm
Eric from Columbus, OH

Even considering the uncertainty about who will play center, the Packers offensive line looks like it could be a real strength next year.

Vic
Just about everything on the Packers offense appears as though it could be a real strength next season. Offense isn’t the concern; defense is the concern.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 14, 2014, 04:33:26 pm
Matthew from Maffra, Australia

Is it just me or are the Packers loaded at offensive tackle?

Vic
If Derek Sherrod and Bryan Bulaga make full recoveries, yes, the Packers will be loaded at tackle, and that is a luxury of luxuries in this league.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 14, 2014, 04:34:41 pm
Bernardo from Mexico

Vic, if the 49ers win the Super Bowl and the overall value of their roster raises considerably, do you foresee them having to let go of many key players?
Vic
Kaepernick was a $1.4 million cap hit in 2013. His cap number next season is $1.6 million. That’s when you know what hits the fan because Kaepernick is scheduled to be a UFA in 2015, and that means it’s negotiations time in San Francisco, and that means the 49ers are going to have to start letting guys go or push money out and begin mortgaging the future. You know the drill. Anybody that doesn’t know the drill really doesn’t know the NFL. The cap runs your team.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 15, 2014, 08:10:27 pm

Tom Oates

One of the cornerstones of the draft-and-develop strategy employed by Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson is retaining the players you have developed.

But what if there are too many to keep?

The Packers have 20 players who will hit free agency this offseason, including 17 unrestricted free agents. Due to age, injury, performance and salary-cap considerations, not all of them will be back, leaving Thompson with some tough decisions.

Restricted free agents Jamari Lattimore and M.D. Jennings and exclusive rights free agent Chris Banjo remain under the Packers’ control, so here is a case-by-case look at the unrestricted free agents and their chances of wearing green and gold next season.

QB Matt Flynn: If he accepts a backup’s salary, Flynn could be back after saving the Packers’ season. If he still hopes to be a starter after striking out in Seattle and Oakland, he’ll sign elsewhere, though for a lot less money than he received the past two seasons. Likelihood of return: 50-50.

QB Seneca Wallace: The Packers are intrigued by a young, inexpensive Scott Tolzien and want to work with him for an offseason, which makes the position too crowded to keep a journeyman like Wallace who doesn’t fit the offense anyway. Likelihood of return: None.

RB James Starks: Starks is a valuable performer when healthy, but the Packers can’t afford to break the bank for Eddie Lacy’s backup. The return of DuJuan Harris and Johnathan Franklin from injury probably means Starks will get a better offer elsewhere. Likelihood of return: Slim.

RB Kahlil Bell: If Lacy, Harris and Franklin are healthy, there’s no room at running back. Likelihood of return: None.

FB John Kuhn: The Packers value Kuhn’s intelligence, versatility and blocking. After averaging $2.5 million per year on a three-year deal, however, he will have to take a sizable pay cut to stay. He’ll be 32 in September, so his options may be limited. Likelihood of return: Good.

WR James Jones: Jones is tough, strong and reliable, but the development of Jarrett Boykin might make him expendable despite his red zone prowess and the Packers’ need for multiple wide receivers. The fact that Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb are entering contract years in 2014 could also be a factor. You can’t pay them all, and Jones probably will get a decent offer from some other team. Likelihood of return: Slim.

TE Jermichael Finley: The Packers need a tight end with Finley’s considerable ability, but he underwent spinal-fusion surgery in November and will be looking to strike it rich in free agency. The Packers’ cautious medical staff wouldn’t clear Nick Collins to play after similar surgery and, even if Finley is cleared, the team probably wouldn’t pay big bucks to such a medical risk. Likelihood of return: Slim.

TE Andrew Quarless: He was a solid pass-catcher down the stretch after finally recovering from a devastating 2011 knee injury. Quarless isn’t a big-time receiving threat, especially in the red zone, but the uncertainty surrounding Finley might enhance his bargaining power. Likelihood of return: Good.

C Evan Dietrich-Smith: He was a huge upgrade over Jeff Saturday and has an endorsement from quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but the Packers might think they can do better. Dietrich-Smith’s $1.323 million salary was a bargain and he’ll want a large raise. The Packers are high on JC Tretter, an Ivy Leaguer who missed his rookie season with a broken ankle, and might consider him a viable lower-priced option. Likelihood of return: 50-50.

OT Marshall Newhouse: After losing his starting job, Newhouse lost his edge in 2013. With Bryan Bulaga returning from injury and Derek Sherrod poised for one final push, Newhouse has little future in Green Bay. Likelihood of returning: None.

NT Ryan Pickett: Though his range has diminished with age (he’ll be 35 next season), Pickett is adept at occupying double teams, an important role in the Packers’ defense. He’s also a team leader on and off the field. If he’s willing to take a significant pay cut, he’ll probably be welcomed back. Likelihood of return: Good.

DE B.J. Raji: Raji had a poor contract year statistically after turning down an $8 million-per-year offer from the Packers. Still, he’s a talented lineman in his prime. Raji seemed unhappy this season and might want to go to a team where he can use his quickness instead of being a two-gapper. There’s a decent chance some team will make him a sizable offer to do just that. One option might be for the Packers to let Pickett walk and move Raji to nose tackle, where he was more productive earlier in his career. Likelihood of return: Slim.

DE Johnny Jolly: It is unlikely the Packers would let Pickett, Raji and Jolly all walk. If Jolly’s neck injury isn’t career-threatening (reports say it isn’t), his size, enthusiasm and leadership could be things the Packers want to keep. Likelihood of return: Good.

DE C.J. Wilson: Primarily a run-stuffer, he was the odd-man out this season. Depending on what happens on a line with four free agents, an affordable wide body might be needed next season. Likelihood of return: 50-50.

ILB Robert Francois: After rupturing his Achilles tendon and with Sam Barrington coming off IR, Francois’ special teams abilities might not be enough to keep him around.

Likelihood of return: Slim.

OLB Mike Neal: While the injury-plagued Neal successfully made the switch from end to outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme, he would probably be best off as an end in a 4-3. Expect him to seek — and find — such an opportunity elsewhere. Likelihood of return: Slim.

CB Sam Shields: The Packers have been trying to sign their top cover corner for months, but he will be seeking a megacontract in a year in which few top free agent cornerbacks are available. The franchise tag is a possibility, though at a projected $11.256 million it is probably too rich for the Packers’ blood, especially since all of it would count against the cap. Of all the players hitting free agency, re-signing Shields should be the Packers’ top priority. Likelihood of return: 50-50.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 15, 2014, 08:16:26 pm
2013 USA Football All-Fundamentals Team

Offense
 QB: Peyton Manning, Broncos
 RB: Frank Gore, 49ers
 FB: John Kuhn, Packers
 WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals; A.J. Green, Bengals
 TE: Jason Witten, Cowboys
 T: Jermon Bushrod, Bears; Tyron Smith, Cowboys
 G: Jahri Evans, Saints; Andy Levitre, Titans
 C: Nick Hardwick, Chargers

Defense
 DE: Chris Long, Rams; Muhammad Wilkerson, Jets
 DT: B.J. Raji, Packers; Kyle Williams, Bills
 LB: D’Qwell Jackson, Browns; Luke Kuechly, Panthers; Robert Mathis, Colts
 CB: Brent Grimes, Dolphins; Richard Sherman, Seahawks
 S: Eric Berry, Chiefs; Earl Thomas, Seahawks

Special Teams
 Ret: Cordarrelle Patterson, Vikings
 K: Stephen Gostkowski, Patriots
 P: Dustin Colquitt, Chiefs
 LS: Jon Dorenbos, Eagles
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 15, 2014, 08:34:59 pm
Thankfully, the Packers appear to have an in-house replacement ready for Ben McAdoo, as Alex Van Pelt appears to be the logical choice to take over as QB coach. We'll see about that for sure soon, but Mike McCarthy will need to hire at least one new coach sometime in the next few weeks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 16, 2014, 08:27:33 pm

Aaron Rodgers wins 2014 Bart Starr Award

Posted Jan 15, 2014












Voted on by NFL peers, award recognizes one player for outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field and in the community


Athletes in Action has announced that Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be honored with the 2014 Bart Starr Award, which recognizes one NFL player for outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field and in the community.

Rodgers will be honored during the 27th annual NFL-sanctioned Super Bowl Breakfast, presented by Companies with a Mission, on Friday, Jan. 31, 2014, at 8 a.m. EST at the Marriot Marquis New York (1535 Broadway).

Other finalists for the award were Ryan Clark, safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jared Allen, defensive end for the Minnesota Vikings...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 17, 2014, 09:28:01 pm
Bulaga  (LT/RT) is a pro-bowl caliber  player who missed the last 7 games of 2012 and all of 2013 on IR.  He is already way ahead of schedule for 2014.  Derek Sherrod (LT) missed all of 2012 and 2013 with an injury and is ahead of  schedule to play in 2014.  The Pack should have  no need to draft any O-Line players this year.  The 2014 O-Line definitely should be much better than the past two years.  Van Roten is also due to play in 2014.

Lane Taylor , G, (6-3, 224) is also developing nicely.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 17, 2014, 09:47:48 pm
During an offseason that's already seen the Packers weather the loss of their quarterbacks coach, it appears another assistant is on the way out.

Linebackers coach Kevin Greene announced today that he's stepping down from his position to spend more time with his young family.


I am stepping away from the NFL at this time in order to spend more time with my wife, Tara, and our children Gavin and Gabrielle. I will miss coaching and will try to return after our kids move on to college if a team will have me.

There's little doubt another team will hire Greene if and when he decides to return to coaching. In five years with Green Bay, Greene developed Clay Matthews into one of the elite pass rushing linebackers. He's also managed to extract decent play at times from the likes of Frank Zombo, Vic So'oto, Erik Walden, Nick Perry, and Mike Neal. Greene was viewed as one of the rising stars of the Packers' defensive staff and perhaps a future defensive coordinator...

****!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on January 18, 2014, 06:23:30 am
That could be a significant hit losing Greene.  Apart from Matthews, your linebackers have been a stream of who, whatzit, etc and they always play pretty well,,,  Maybe you'll find another good coach, I wish he had waited until the Bears had made their choice, lol
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 18, 2014, 02:36:14 pm
I agree with you, Grizz.  I liked his enthusiasm.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 18, 2014, 02:36:25 pm
Dorsey wins award

Former Packers scout John Dorsey was named NFL executive of the year by the the Pro Football Writers of America for the 2013 season.

In his first year as general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs, Dorsey helped turn around a team that went 2-12 in 2012 to an 11-5 record and playoff berth this season.

Dorsey worked in the Packers’ scouting department from 1991 through 2012 except for spending the 1999 season with the Seattle Seahawks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 21, 2014, 09:49:26 pm
I really like this guy.  The Packers could have used him this hear if he hadn't been on IR.

The original script never called for Eddie Lacy to be a solo act in the Green Bay Packers’ backfield.

The overlooked second-rounder certainly was going to play a role in the revitalization of the NFL’s 20th-ranked rushing attack, but first-year scatback DuJuan Harris also was part of the blueprint.

The possibility of pairing the backs together was the linchpin of Packers coach Mike McCarthy’s plans for the offense, though the implementation was never fully realized.

Battling a persistent knee issue throughout the offseason, Harris’ season ended before it began when he reinjured the patellar tendon in his right knee during a 17-10 preseason loss to Seattle on Aug. 23.

Harris, 25, was placed on injured reserve days later and underwent surgery Sept. 5. Meanwhile, Lacy earned the Packers’ lone Pro Bowl nod after rushing for 1,178 yards and 11 touchdowns...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 23, 2014, 08:38:07 pm
Posted by Josh Alper on January 23, 2014, 4:26 PM EST

nfl_a_alexvanpelt_cmg_600_300x300
AP

There have been reports that the Browns would be interested in hiring Packers running backs coach Alex Van Pelt as their offensive coordinator if they hired Mike Pettine as their head coach.

Pettine was named the new head coach of the Browns on Thursday, but it doesn’t look like Van Pelt will be making the move from Wisconsin to Ohio. Jason LaCanfora of CBS Sports reports that Van Pelt will remain in Green Bay and take over for Ben McAdoo, who is now the Giants’ offensive coordinator, as the team’s quarterbacks coach...

:-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 25, 2014, 04:14:27 pm
Chris from Appleton, WI

How detailed do teams get in their evaluation process of a potential draft pick? I suppose each team does things a little different. I like Chris Borland because he's a football player and he makes plays. If the Packers have him on the draft board somewhere, do they break down film on every play over the course of his career or is it not quite that detailed?

Vic
It’s pretty detailed. Teams have their security departments look deep into a player’s background. They’ll have psychologists examine transcripts of interviews. At the Senior Bowl, I’ve stood next to prospects as scouts interviewed them, and they asked questions that would’ve gotten me punched in the nose if I asked them. They asked about their mothers and brothers. They asked if they had a brother in jail. Are they close to their father? A scout asked Jordan Zumwalt to describe all of the things he could do with a brick. I gained a lot of respect for the way Keith McGill answered a question about off-the-field problems. He told the scout, “Yes, sir, I’ve had a lot of them.” I would say this to fans: The next time you think you know who the Packers should draft, ask yourself how much you know about the guy. The teams know a lot.

I like the last 2 sentences of that quote.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 25, 2014, 04:20:23 pm
Chase from Morton, IL

Vic, yes or no, are we going to win a Super Bowl in the next three years?

 Vic
I’ll say yes. I think the Packers offense is going to take its game to an even higher level.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 25, 2014, 04:23:30 pm

Noel from Hensley, AR

What can we expect for Johnathan Franklin next season? How do you see him developing?

Vic
Bigger, stronger, tougher.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 25, 2014, 04:25:05 pm
Jesse from Grinnell, IA

Vic, what are your thoughts on Fiedorowicz from Iowa? Is he the type of tight end the Packers need in the red zone?
Vic
He’s a powerful in-line blocker who will improve as a receiver, but I don’t see him as a deep-seam receiver. At 6-7, he’s too big of a target and a little on the upright and stiff side; safeties will cut him in half. I do see him, however, as a touchdown catcher; his size is perfect for it. A powerful blocker in the run game who catches touchdown passes in the tight red zone? What’s not to like?

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 26, 2014, 07:24:27 pm
 from Luxemburg, WI

Vic, who are some players you think the Packers should target in the draft and in free agency? I think Ha Ha Clinton-Dix from Alabama and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie from the Broncos are two guys they should take a look at.

Vic
How about Olivia Newton-John, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Maurice Jones-Drew, Yo-Yo Ma and Chief Noc-A-Homa?

Sometimes Vic is incorrigibe.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 26, 2014, 08:01:05 pm
Chris from Washington, DC

Vic, how much do teams consider the other teams when creating their draft board? I know you don’t want to waste an early pick on a guy you could get later, but it only takes one other team to see what you see and snatch him up early.

Vic
You don’t consider other teams when you do your board, but you consider other teams’ needs when you target the guy you want. Teams do mock drafts repeatedly, trying to get a bead on what other teams will do with their picks. You want to get a feel for what might be available when it’s your turn to pick, or to where you might have to move to get the guy you’ve targeted.

Good thought.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 27, 2014, 07:30:18 pm
Ray from La Crescent, MN

Vic, as a University of Minnesota alum, I have closely followed Ra’Shede Hageman throughout his college career. How did he look during the Senior Bowl week and what, if anything, did Tony have to say about him?

Vic
Tony said Hageman is inconsistent; that’s the knock on him. Hageman was sensational on Monday, and then he disappeared the next two days, except for a play here and there. His size alone will make him a first-round pick, and because of his size, he’ll zip up boards if he tests well at the combine, as Dontari Poe did.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 27, 2014, 07:34:45 pm
Dan from Milwaukee, WI

Would Dee Ford be a perfect complement to Clay Matthews?

Vic
Another pass rusher? Sure, but that’s not the issue. Ford wowed me at the Senior Bowl. He has an explosive first step. I fell in love with him, but Tony Pauline cautioned me in the video we did. Tony was spot on when he said Ford is a one-trick pony. He’s a speed rusher; that’s it. Remember Vinny Curry? I fell in love with him, too. How about Courtney Upshaw? These are forward-only players and we tend to fall in love with them for their pass-rush potential. The problem with those types of players is that their bust potential is very high because they can only do one thing. I wish Ford had been used as a linebacker at the Senior Bowl; I would’ve liked to have seen him drop into coverage and move laterally. If he tests well at the combine, as Ziggy Ansah did, Ford will move up boards. A lot of risk will be attached to Ford because I suspect he’ll be overdrafted. I’ve learned to trust Tony’s instincts more than my own.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 27, 2014, 08:27:31 pm
. Chicago Bears - Kony Ealy, Defensive End, Missouri

The Bears could be toying with a move to a 3-4 defense, but at the very least it seems Chicago is exploring the idea of playing a variety of fronts. Chicago needs to add some talent on the defensive line regardless, and Missouri's Kony Ealy is the type of player who could fill multiple roles in a variety of defenses. The Tigers used a few different packages this season, giving Ealy a chance to play end in both a three-man and four-man front, and tackle in a four-man front. He even has the ability to stand up and play in space. After the NFL Scouting Combine, Ealy should cement his status as a top-20 pick.

15. TRADE Tampa Bay Buccaneers (via Pittsburgh Steelers) - Eric Ebron, Tight End, North Carolina

The Buccaneers would likely entertain the idea of drafting North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron at No. 7 overall. In this mock, they're able to trade down and still land the most dynamic receiving tight end in the draft. Unless the Buccaneers go after a quarterback early, surrounding Mike Glennon with weapons should be a priority this offseason.

16. Baltimore Ravens - Mike Evans, Wide Receiver, Texas A&M

Mike Evans makes too much sense for the Ravens. Joe Flacco missed having Anquan Boldin to win one-on-one battles on the outside this season. Torrey Smith has developed into a dangerous vertical threat on the outside, and a physical wideout like Evans would complement him well. Maybe if he gets some more weapons, Flacco can stop beating himself up.

Flaccohair_medium

17. TRADE - New England Patriots (via Dallas Cowboys) - Jace Amaro, Tight End, Texas Tech

Bill Belichick has been known to trade down in the NFL Draft, but when he sees value he's never been afraid to pull the trigger. The Patriots should have enough ammunition to move up a few spots to get in front of the Jets and draft a tight end. Jace Amaro may be the best all-around tight end in this class. With the issues New England has had at the position in the last 12 months, Amaro would be a welcome addition to the offense.

18. New York Jets - Marqise Lee, Wide Receiver, USC

Whatever the Jets do this offseason, they can't enter 2014 with the same group of wide receivers that made Geno Smith's rookie season a struggle. If Smith is going to take a step forward, he needs more playmakers to work with. Injuries slowed down Marqise Lee throughout his junior season. He also has questionable catching technique and needs to work on beating press coverage. But Lee's speed allows him to get behind the defense with ease, and he's dangerous with the ball in his hands. Smith could use the help. After all, he can't play wide receiver for himself. Or can he ...

Genowr_medium

19. Miami Dolphins - Cyrus Kouandjio, Offensive Tackle, Alabama

The Dolphins just hired a new general manager, so it's tough to gauge what type of drafter he could be. However, it's plainly obvious that the Dolphins need to find an offensive tackle to help protect Ryan Tannehill. Cyrus Kouandjio was exposed a bit in the Sugar Bowl, but he's still growing as a player. Miami should be willing to take a chance on him at pick No. 19.

20. Arizona Cardinals - Derek Carr, Quarterback, Fresno State

After a strong showing at the Senior Bowl, Derek Carr will begin to pop up in the top 10 of mock drafts again. He's still a flawed prospect, and it's tough to see him as more than a late first-round player. The Cardinals would be a perfect fit for him. Carr would be able to sit behind Carson Palmer for a while, and his arm strength is exactly what Bruce Arians looks for in his vertical passing offense.

21. Green Bay Packers - Jimmie Ward, Safety, Northern Illinois

Northern Illinois safety Jimmie Ward made a name for himself at the 2014 Senior Bowl. Not only did he flash his instincts in safety drills, but he was able to show off his coverage ability in one-on-one drills. The Packers would be able to move Ward around the secondary and get the most out of his talents. He may be a bit undersized, but Ward should be an impact player in the NFL. Green Bay could use some of that MACtion magic in its secondary.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 29, 2014, 07:35:08 pm
Dustin from Dell Rapids, SD

Vic, you said a while back the 49ers got their quarterback a couple of years too late, and I’m starting to see what you meant. Eight starters on offense and five on defense will be hitting free agency this year and next, and many of them will get offered a lot of money to play elsewhere.

Vic
The 49ers are about to go into subtraction. Even if they begin restructuring contracts and pushing money out, they’re going to start losing players. I’m not going to say they missed their turn, but they missed a big opportunity. Colin Kaepernick has to make up the difference. Can he? Expectations will increase for him now that he’s getting a new contract.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 29, 2014, 07:37:03 pm
John from Saint Augustine, FL

So the Broncos swung for the fence with Manning and it worked. I remember when the Jaguars did it with Mark Brunell and it didn’t work. It took us years and quite a bit of luck to recover from that episode and I’m not sure we’ve ever been the same since. Give me draft-and-develop every time.

Vic
It left a mark on me. How would the Jaguars franchise be different today had it not swung for the fence in 1999 and signed three expensive free agents (Carnell Lake, Gary Walker and Kyle Brady), pushed money out and so damaged the team’s salary-cap future that it had to leave its heritage player, Tony Boselli, and several other top players unprotected in the 2002 expansion draft and go into a massive rebuilding project? What if they hadn’t swung for the fence, which caused a long dry spell? Would Wayne Weaver still own the team? Would Tom Coughlin still be its coach? Would the roots of professional football in Jacksonville be deeper today? Free agency devastated that franchise. By the way, the Broncos have to win on Sunday, or it won’t have worked for them, either.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 29, 2014, 07:38:14 pm
Zack from Tallahassee, FL

Vic, Tony Dungy recently said that as a society we need to spend more time away from football. I’m inclined to agree with him. Do you think America needs to scale back its worship of football?

Vic
I think fans need to achieve proper perspective. We need to learn to watch and enjoy, not scream and anguish. American sports fans are out of control and football fans are the worst. This fire-everybody baloney is embarrassing. Here’s my advice to fans: Learn to lose, because you’re going to do a lot of it and you might as well learn to do it well.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 30, 2014, 02:10:10 pm
GREEN BAY—When Aaron Rodgers got a phone call earlier this month from Bart Starr’s office in Alabama, he wasn’t sure what Starr wanted to talk about.

Upon learning that Rodgers had been voted the winner of the 2014 Bart Starr Award and that Starr wanted to present him with the honor at the annual Super Bowl Breakfast on Friday of this week, Rodgers was instantly humbled, but he didn’t think twice about finding the time to get to New York City.

“He wanted to make sure I was going to be there, which to me is a no-brainer,” Rodgers said, “because it’s Bart.”

Rodgers has never shied away from expressing the respect and admiration he has for Starr, the five-time championship quarterback and Pro Football Hall of Famer.

That’s what makes this award special to the quarterback at the top of the league now who has won plenty of other awards and honors over his nine-year career.

Around for roughly a quarter century, the Bart Starr Award annually recognizes one NFL player for outstanding character and leadership on the field and in the community. Rodgers was flattered just to see his name on the ballot when players across the league voted on the award in December.

Rodgers isn’t even sure how he got on the ballot for the first time, but the award generally goes to a veteran player who has been in the league eight years or more, so he may have finally had the longevity for consideration.

Rodgers isn’t naïve to the fact that dealing with the first major injury of his pro career in 2013 may have factored into the voting, but he hopes there was more weight given to his charitable endeavors, two of the more prominent being Raise Hope for Congo and the Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer, commonly known as the MACC Fund.

For his part, Starr is just as honored to present Rodgers with the award as Rodgers is to receive it.

“When they have someone like an Aaron Rodgers representing them and presenting something to somebody,” Starr said, speaking specifically of the MACC Fund, “it says it all.”

The list of winners of the Bart Starr Award says plenty as well. Steve Largent was the first recipient, in 1989, followed by Anthony Munoz, Mike Singletary and Reggie White. Other eventual Hall of Famers to have received it include Jackie Slater, Darrell Green, Cris Carter, Warren Moon and Bruce Matthews...

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 30, 2014, 02:11:45 pm
Packers linebacker Brad Jones has been nominated by the Packers for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. The award is the greatest distinction an NFL player can achieve for community service.

Jones, who just completed his fifth season in the NFL and with the Packers, heavily invests his time in community improvement efforts in Green Bay and other Wisconsin communities. He has given a great amount of support to the Brown County Human Services Department Pals Program, Families of Children with Cancer, the Boys and Girls Club of the Fox Valley and the Sister Bay Lions Club.

He was also involved with the WPS Health Insurance Pro vs. G.I. Joe program, in which NFL players play Call of Duty against United States soldiers overseas; the Campbell’s Chunky Soup Click for Cans competition, which donated food to Wisconsin food pantries; the Mike and Jessica McCarthy Golf Invitational, which donates proceeds to the American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison; Packers’ Draft Day parties; and the Green Bay Packers Golf Invitational...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 30, 2014, 02:15:08 pm

Mike Spofford

packers.com staff writer
 








Packers RB one of only four rookies at NFL’s annual all-star game


GREEN BAY—Many first-time Pro Bowlers upon arrival in Hawaii are inclined to explore the crashing waves of the Pacific, either via a boat excursion or surfboard.

 Not Packers running back Eddie Lacy.

“Oh, no. I’m not messing with that ocean,” Lacy said in a brief phone interview this week with packers.com. “I like the view from my balcony. That’s as close as I need to get to that.

“I’ll get in the pool … if it’s under six feet.”...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 03, 2014, 05:01:27 pm
Eddie Lacy Wins Offensive Rookie of the Year

Eddie Lacy capped off a memorable rookie campaign last night by taking home the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Award at the NFL Honors Ceremony. A potential first round selection coming out of Alabama, Lacy fell all…
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 03, 2014, 07:58:17 pm
 




 Rodgers-to-Cobb wins Never Say Never Moment of Year
 Posted by Mike Spofford on  February 1, 2014 – 6:33 pm 


140201-never-say-never-600

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers’ 48-yard TD pass to WR Randall Cobb on fourth-and-8 in the final minute of the Week 17 showdown at Soldier Field won the online voting for the NFL’s Never Say Never Moment of the Year.

The award was announced on Saturday night at the third annual “NFL Honors” show in New York City.





The touchdown, with 38 seconds left in the game, gave the Packers a 33-28 victory over the Bears for their third straight NFC North title. The division crown and an NFC playoff spot were on the line in the game.

The Packers trailed, 28-27, when they took possession on their own 13-yard line with 6:24 left. Converting a pair of fourth downs on a short run by FB John Kuhn and a pass to WR Jordy Nelson, the Packers faced another fourth down at the Chicago 48-yard line.

Rodgers, playing in his first game back from a broken collarbone that sidelined him for seven contests, and Cobb, also in his first game back from a leg injury that cost him 10 games, hooked up for the game-winner.

The Bears brought a blitz, Kuhn threw a key block on Chicago DE Julius Peppers that allowed Rodgers to get out of the pocket, and Cobb was running free down the field waving his hand. Rodgers’ pass settled into his arms at the 10-yard line and he dove over the goal line, setting off a wild celebration on the field and on the Packers sideline.

Wait 'til next year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on February 04, 2014, 09:48:43 am
Did they give an assist to the ref that missed the delay of game earlier in that series?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 04, 2014, 07:01:04 pm
Never say die Bear fan seeing penalties every play.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on February 04, 2014, 07:33:50 pm
It was delay of game.  Video proves it.  Not even close.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on February 04, 2014, 09:28:37 pm
Never say die Bear fan seeing penalties every play.

The camera doesn't lie...the screen shot clearly showed the clock at zero and the ball not yet snapped.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 05, 2014, 04:46:30 pm
Penalties occur on most plays.  The officials don't catch most of them.  It's part of the game.  Some penalties are killers but the result of this play would have been the same with or without the late snap. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 05, 2014, 04:47:06 pm
Denis from Philadelphia, PA

Vic, since John Schneider had his fingerprints on the Packers Super Bowl, how much of the way Seattle has built its team resembled Green Bay's process, how much is different?

Schneider has made a number of solid to home-run picks in the draft, made trades that required subsequent big-money deals for Lynch and Harvin, and added free-agent signings like Avril and Bennett on the defensive line. As has been mentioned several times, without having to pay QB Russell Wilson just yet, the free-agency budget was there. As a number of Schneider’s astute 2010 and 2011 draft picks head toward free agency this year and next, and with Wilson likely due an extension after next season (before he hits the final year of his rookie deal in 2015), it will be interesting to see which core players he’s able to keep and which ones he’ll have to let go.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 05, 2014, 05:02:44 pm
John from Casselberry, FL

Hi Mike. As Vic says, it all starts during the playoffs. Talking about "greatest defenses ever," the '85 Bears gave up 12.375 points per game in regular-season play and 3.33 points per game in the postseason. The Bears pitched back-to-back shutouts against the league’s top contenders before winning the Super Bowl by 36 points in a blowout, 46-10. Which team has the greatest D ever?

I’ve always been partial to that ’85 Bears defense because at the time I was growing up in Platteville, where the Bears held their training camp, and I was a young teen starting to really get into football. But that’s an admitted bias. Based on defenses I’ve seen play (I was too young to appreciate Vic’s ’70s Steelers and their Steel Curtain), I’ve always thought the greatest was between the ’85 Bears and the 2000 Ravens. The Ravens gave up less than 11 points per game in the regular season, and then surrendered just 23 total points in four postseason games. Flip a coin. As for Paul from Farnborough, UK, asking about the greatest defenses of more longevity rather than one season, in this day and age of the salary cap, free agency and roster turnover, I think you’re forced to look at individual seasons because each one can be so different personnel-wise, even on one team.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 05, 2014, 05:07:17 pm
Chance from Las Vegas, NV

Mike, during the NFC Championship, San Francisco and Seattle played a brand of smash-mouth, violent football we rarely see anymore. Seattle managed a win due mostly to a last-minute San Francisco turnover. Seattle went on to absolutely dominate in the Super Bowl. With how closely the two teams played in the finals, it begs the question: how good, really, were the 49ers? With that said, the Packers – with a huge injury list and a rusty Rodgers – matched the 49ers well, too. With a healthy Packers, how good could they have been? I guess that's two questions.

This is one of the most common questions I’ve received all week. Regarding the Packers, we’ll never know. The team had won four straight and appeared to be hitting its stride, even with the injuries to Cobb and Finley, when Rodgers went down. As many readers have pointed out, the defense was playing well at that time. Then it all changed, a win was not to be found in five November games and it was a mad dash just to get a shot in the playoffs, which the Packers entered with a banged-up defense that only got more depleted when Shields and Neal went down in the first quarter, and their availability would have factored into Green Bay’s chances going forward had the wild-card game gone the other way. As for the 49ers, I think if you look at the last three years collectively, they’ve been the best team in football, yet they don’t have a league title to show for it. As a fan, that to me would be harder to swallow than all the what ifs with the Packers, but it should make everyone appreciate the championship from three years ago even more. A lot has to go right to win it all.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on February 06, 2014, 10:03:52 am
Penalties occur on most plays.  The officials don't catch most of them.  It's part of the game.  Some penalties are killers but the result of this play would have been the same with or without the late snap. 

Not exactly...4th and 7 is a big difference from 4th and 2.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on February 06, 2014, 11:31:24 am
In the bears case it would have to have been 4th and 49.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 06, 2014, 06:50:37 pm
You are missing the  point.  The late snap did not in crease the likelihood of the receiver catching the ball.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on February 06, 2014, 07:07:07 pm
You are missing the point.  The refs gave the Packers that game.  One penalty on the first play of the game against the Packers and that was it.   ONE, the entire game!!!


How many Packer drives were kept alive by the refs?  I remember several.  That play was just one of many that the refs ruled the Packers way.  Worst one sided officiating I have ever seen in my life and it held up all game long.   
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 06, 2014, 08:07:18 pm
<sigh>
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on February 06, 2014, 09:08:36 pm
You are missing the  point.  The late snap did not in crease the likelihood of the receiver catching the ball.
No, I think you are missing the point. What team plays the same defense on 4th and 2 as on 4th and 7?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on February 07, 2014, 09:47:42 am
Arguing with a Packer fan is like talking politics with otto...they're never wrong, and their ignorance makes you feel dumber as a result.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 07, 2014, 08:56:01 pm
First argument I recall having here, Dave.  I hope that I am not restricted from ever complaining.  My logic is correct.

Keys:  My point was that all penalties are not going to be seen and called.  If the penalty had caused a reason for the Bears defender  to get beaten I would see a reason for a real complaint but complaining about every single missed penalty call is going to continually make you an unhappy fan.   Penalties on both teams are missed.  It's part  of the game.  Don't keep Whining about them.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 07, 2014, 09:13:25 pm
Gonzalez doesn’t rule out a 2014 return

Posted by Mike Florio on February 7, 2014, 5:17 PM EST

Gonzalez
AP

In a new ESPN the Magazine article, retired (for now) Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez muses about a possible return for 2014.

“Maybe, if the team is hot in November, 9–2 or something, I could come back for the last two months,” Gonzalez said...

I'd like to see GB trade for him for one or two years.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 07, 2014, 09:26:02 pm
(http://media.jrn.com/images/660*415/b99199932z.1_20140206225711_000_gal4nm4r.1-1.jpg)

Could TE Fiedorowicz join 3 ex-Hawkeyes in Green Bay?


By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel   

Feb. 6, 2014

A lumberjack-built, tattooed, throwback of a tight end repeatedly slammed into bodies all week at the Senior Bowl. A stoic, lips-sealed general manager watched from the sideline.

All along, you couldn't help but wonder if C.J. Fiedorowicz was next.

Ted Thompson refuses to discuss a position group before the NFL draft — let alone prospects themselves — so decoding a single page of his game plan is next to impossible. But we can study history, habits. Of late, one pipeline has developed. The Green Bay Packers general manager is increasingly showing an interest in players from Iowa...

I'll betcha if he is there in the second round Thompson will pick him and bid adieu to Finley.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 07, 2014, 09:31:47 pm
Antrel Rolle of the New York Giants is hoping to convince tight end Jermichael Finley to come to New York as a free agent.

With former Green Bay Packers' assistant Ben McAdoo now offensive coordinator for the New York Giants, Packers' free-agent tight end Jermichael Finley said recently that he would "go running" if the tight end-needy Giants called this offseason.

Giants' safety Antrel Rolle is apparently putting on the full-court press to get Finley to do just that. Rolle told reporters that he and Finley watched the Super Bowl together...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on February 10, 2014, 10:00:16 pm
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/02/10/packers-eagles-say-they-have-no-problem-with-michael-sam/

Of course the Packers have no problem with it.  Rodgers really, really likes women though...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on February 10, 2014, 10:07:55 pm
Really sad and pathetic...even for a bear fan.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 11, 2014, 02:32:46 pm
Kirk from Madison, WI

I know the Lions have the better roster and if any team would be more dangerous with better coaching, it's Detroit, but ... I look at Caldwell and I look at Zimmer and who Zimmer has installed already and the seriousness Minnesota has shown in choosing this head coach, all I can say is between the Lions and the Vikings, I'm now most worried about Minnesota in the NFC North in 2014 and beyond. C'mon, I bet you agree.

As soon as the Vikings fix their quarterback situation, they are poised to take off. The Lions need Caldwell to refine Stafford a bit and keep working on their secondary, and they’re right there, too. The Bears must rebuild their defense but have an offense more explosive than they’ve had in long, long time. Nobody
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 11, 2014, 06:46:24 pm
Miriam from Butte, MT

We are looking good. One play away from beating San Francisco, who was one play away from beating Seattle, who won it all. Avoid the injury bug and we will win it all!

That’s without a doubt the most positive spin I’ve seen yet on how the 2013 season ended. Steve from Alexandria, VA, is inclined to agree. Avoiding the injury bug would help, but more important, you have to make that one play. The Packers made all those plays in 2010, from Nick Collins’ interception against the Bears in Week 17 to Aaron Rodgers’ third-and-10 laser in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl. The Packers must find and/or develop more players who can make those plays, particularly on defense. To dovetail off a question from Terry from Fond du Lac, WI, it can be those one or two key defensive stops that make the difference.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 11, 2014, 06:56:25 pm
Denis from Philadelphia, PA

Vic, since John Schneider had his fingerprints on the Packers Super Bowl, how much of the way Seattle has built its team resembled Green Bay's process, how much is different?

Schneider has made a number of solid to home-run picks in the draft, made trades that required subsequent big-money deals for Lynch and Harvin, and added free-agent signings like Avril and Bennett on the defensive line. As has been mentioned several times, without having to pay QB Russell Wilson just yet, the free-agency budget was there. As a number of Schneider’s astute 2010 and 2011 draft picks head toward free agency this year and next, and with Wilson likely due an extension after next season (before he hits the final year of his rookie deal in 2015), it will be interesting to see which core players he’s able to keep and which ones he’ll have to let go.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on February 12, 2014, 04:35:48 am
... and we were one play away from beating the Pack...  lol
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 12, 2014, 09:44:10 pm
True dat!  Gotta admit it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 12, 2014, 09:44:33 pm
Michael from Elizabethtown, KY

I thought it was interesting to find out that inside and outside linebackers went to separate meetings. That seems a bit ridiculous to me. Why would a team do this? Who am I to say Capers is wrong, but I just don’t understand.

Vic
It’s been that way all over the league for years. The Lombardi-era coaching staffs had 7-8 guys on them. If you count quality-control guys, we’re into the 20s now. When I was covering the Jaguars, they had a strong side linebackers coach named Lucious Selmon, and at one point in one season the Jaguars only had one strong side linebacker, Kevin Hardy, which meant Selmon only had one guy to coach. Mike McCarthy is the best and most innovative staff manager of any head coach I’ve covered.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 12, 2014, 09:49:24 pm
Andy from Tokyo, Japan

Vic, what do you make of the coaching staff changes?


Vic
Winston Moss

Ron Zook is a motivator. He’s a great hands-on, one-on-one type of guy who can help set the personality for the team, and Zook has a McCarthy-like bold personality. Alex Van Pelt was a home run as a running backs coach and now he returns to his natural place as quarterbacks coach; he’s on the fast track now. Scott McCurley was a no-brainer. He had long been groomed for this move and it immediately reminded me of Billy Davis, who I remember being groomed by Dom Capers when Davis was a quality control guy. I’m not familiar with Sam Gash but I know Coach McCarthy wanted a running backs coach with juice and Gash is a guy with juice. Winston Moss takes on a greater presence, and Moss’ presence is his strong suit. He’s one of those coaches that when he walks into a room, everybody sits up straight. To really appreciate what Coach McCarthy did in restructuring his staff, you have to appreciate the vision he had when he reassigned coaches such as Edgar Bennett and Jerry Fontenot, and hired Van Pelt to coach a position he hadn’t previously coached. As a result of all of that, Coach McCarthy achieved maneuverability and continuity.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 12, 2014, 10:12:58 pm
 

•Packers' 2014 Schedule is 13th-Toughest in NFL
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on February 13, 2014, 05:32:12 am
Vic….not everything the Packers do is a home run….your friend Hiber.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on February 13, 2014, 11:21:04 am
LOL!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 13, 2014, 07:51:26 pm
What we are after here is TDs, not HRs.    ;)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 13, 2014, 09:16:23 pm

 Nielsen: Packers have top local fan base in NFL
 Posted by Duke Bobber on  February 13, 2014 – 10:05 am 


Nielsen rankingsNielsen recently released its “State of the Media: 2013 in Sports Media” report, providing insights into how sports fans engaged with their favorite teams last year.

According to the rankings, the Packers finished first in the NFL in the “Local Fan Bases” category. Defined as the “percent of population that has watched, attended or listened to the team in the past 12 months,” Green Bay led the way with 88%, followed by the New Orleans Saints (81%) and Pittsburgh Steelers (78%).

Green Bay’s Wild Card Playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers was mentioned as a highlight of the NFL season, pulling in an average of 47.1M TV viewers. Super Bowl XLVIII led the charge with 108.7M viewers.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 13, 2014, 09:20:14 pm
The Packers have squirreled away enough cap space from previous seasons to be a player in free agency this season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 15, 2014, 04:52:19 pm
Vandermaus says reports of GB FA spending is BS

http://www.packersnews.com/article/20140214/PKR07/302140326/Mike-Vandermause-column-Thompson-s-free-agent-philosophy-not-likely-change
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 15, 2014, 05:06:06 pm

uring the first several of the 2014 offseason, we at Acme Packing Company are looking at the Green Bay Packers' roster position-by-position to try to analyze just where the greatest needs are on the team. We are doing this by looking at each position four ways:
1.Grading the 2013 performance of the players at the position
2.Identifying which players from the 2013 are free agents this off-season
3.Finding some potential Packers' targets in the draft or free agency
4.Assessing the need for improvement at the position on a 1 (least urgent) to 10 (most urgent) scale

Use the table below to follow along with our entire roster analysis and check back each day to see our latest analysis. Click on the appropriate section in the table to link out the particular article on that subject. We will update the links regularly as articles are published.

Date Position 2013 Grade Impending Free Agents Possible Targets Need Grade (1-10)1/20 QB B- Matt Flynn, Seneca Wallace Josh McCown, Michael Vick; Zach Mettenberger, Logan Thomas 2/10


 RB/FB B+ Kahlil Bell, John Kuhn, James Starks Michael Robinson; James Wilder, Joe Don Duncan, J.C. Copeland 2/10

 WR B James Jones Jacoby Jones; Kelvin Benjamin, Jared Abbrederis, Cody Hoffman 5/10
Thursday, 1/23 TE C- Jermichael Finley, Andrew Quarless Dennis Pitta, Scott Chandler; Eric Ebron, Austin Saferian-Jenkins, C.J. Fiedorowicz 9/10

T C- Marshall Newhouse Eben Britton, Jason Fox; Billy Turner, Ja'Wuan James, Justin Britt 1/10
 
G A- None Jamon Meredith, Paul McQuistan, Chris Watt, Russell Bodine 1/10

C C- Evan Dietrich-Smith  Alex Mack, Brian de la Puente; Travis Swanson 8/10

 DL D Johnny Jolly, Ryan Pickett, B.J. Raji, C.J. Wilson Jay Ratliff, Aubrayo Franklin; Louis Nix, RaShede Hageman, Stephon Tuitt, Justin Ellis 7/10

OLB D Mike Neal Jason Worilds; Dee Ford, Kyle Van Noy, Trent Murphy, Adrian Hubbard 7/10

ILB C- Robert Francois, Jamari Lattimore (RFA) Jon Beason, Karlos Dansby, Brandon Spikes; C.J. Mosley, Shayne Skov, Chris Borland, Max Bullough 5/10

 CB C- Sam Shields Will Blackmon, Walter Thurmond; Pierre Desir, Justin Gilbert, Keith McGill 6/10

 S F M.D. Jennings (RFA), Chris Banjo (Exclusive rights)  Jairus Byrd, T.J. Ward, Chris Clemons; Haha Clinton-Dix, Calvin Pryor, Craig Loston 10/10

 ST A- None None 0/10
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 18, 2014, 08:06:14 pm
Mike from Mukwonago, WI

There is another reason to like Calvin Pryor besides his sure tackling (violence). At 6-2, he would be one of the taller prospects, and speed just can’t be taught. Do you think he is a potential first-rounder if he is fast at the combine?

Pryor is thought to be an in-the-box type of defender. If he works out well at the combine and shows the speed and athleticism to be a game-changing pass defender, Pryor will shoot up boards, especially among teams needing help at safety and in a year when safeties are in short supply.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 18, 2014, 08:07:08 pm
Will from Oswego, IL

If we wait to sign one of our own players with an expiring contract until after the free agency period has begun, does that count as an addition when the league is assigning compensatory picks?

Yes, it counts toward a team’s net gain or loss in free agency.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 18, 2014, 08:17:28 pm
Joel from Hebron, KY

If the Packers are willing to spend in free agency, what is the one position you feel they should focus on?

I think linebacker is a position of need and a position that produces some of the best bargain shopping in free agency, if that’s possible.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 18, 2014, 08:23:24 pm
Vic, I was looking at the page on packers.com called how the Packers were built. I noticed that most of our star players were acquired in the draft. I also noticed a column entitled waivers. What is a waiver?

It describes a player who was acquired from a team that cut, waived, released that player. They’re all the same thing. Kody, most of the star players on every team in the league were acquired in the draft. For every Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, there’s an Aaron Rodgers, Eli Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady, Philip Rivers, Russell Wilson, Andy Dalton, Colin Kaepernick, Joe Flacco, Andrew Luck, Matt Stafford, Matt Ryan, RG3, Cam Newton that was drafted and developed to be that team’s long-term franchise quarterback. I say this because we tend to focus on the exceptions, such as Brees, instead of on the players in whom a franchise’s financial future was invested as a free agent that became a bust. That kind of player can devastate a franchise. It’ll likely result in the coach and general manager being fired. The team might have to go into a self-imposed roster-rebuilding and cap-repair effort that’ll render the team a non-playoff contender. Is it worth the risk? I say no because I don’t think the reward justifies the risk. I believe you can find that player in the draft for a lot less risk and, possibly, for even greater reward. Build through the draft, patch in affordable free agency. That’s my motto. That’s what the good teams do.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 19, 2014, 08:54:08 pm
Andrew from Boston, MA

Vic, I was wondering what you think the value of a nose tackle is to a 3-4 defense?

You can’t stop the run without a good one. If you don’t have a nose that can absorb double-team blocks and hold the point of attack, your inside linebackers are going to bear a greater burden in the run game, and that’ll make your defense vulnerable to the play-action pass, especially as it pertains to the tight end down the seam. In the 3-4, it all starts with the nose.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 19, 2014, 09:21:12 pm
Tony Pauline previews scouting combine, looks ahead to draft


GREEN BAY—The strength of this year’s draft class doesn’t appear to dovetail with the Packers’ needs, but packers.com draft contributor Tony Pauline says the Packers can find value in the middle rounds at positions of concern.

Pauline is specifically referring to the safety and cornerback positions, thought to be areas of distinct need for the Packers.

“They’re kind of in no-man’s land,” Pauline said of the Packers’ position at No. 21 overall. “If there’s a player they like, they might have to trade up. If there’s nobody they like, they might have to move down a few spots. There’s nothing wrong with working the draft. (Ted Thompson has) had success doing it in the past. If you want a safety, you can get value in the middle rounds. If you want a cornerback, you can get value in the middle rounds.”

Cornerback Sam Shields could leave the Packers in free agency, which could create a distinct need at that position heading into the May 8-10 draft. What the Packers do at cornerback could directly impact the safety position, as cornerback Micah Hyde could be a candidate to move there.

Pauline referred to the safety talent in the draft as “marginal at best.” It will have a chance to improve its stock this weekend at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, which kicks off on Thursday.

“You may be able to get a good (safety) in the third-round area. That’s the history of safety. You don’t have to get one in round one; you can get one later on,” Pauline said.

Who does he like at safety?

“Keith McGill of Utah; he’s an imposing looking figure. He’s a great athlete and he’s going to put up some big numbers at the combine. Will he stay at cornerback or be moved to safety?” Pauline said.

“Jimmy Ward of Northern Illinois is sort of the opposite of McGill. Not really big, not really fast, just a smart, instinctive, tough football player. He doesn’t make mental mistakes. You know what you’re getting with him.

“Ahmad Dixon of Baylor in the fourth-round area. Good against the run, good against the pass, very aggressive. He plays lights out football, but he has average size/speed numbers,” Pauline said.

First-round safeties?

“The only guy would be Calvin Pryor. I still think 21 is a bit early for him. I have him as a second-rounder,” Pauline said.

Alabama’s Ha’Sean “Ha Ha” Clinton-Dix?

“He’s solid, not great. The history of safeties coming out of Alabama has not been that great. I would not take him in the first round,” Pauline said.

Want a linebacker? Alabama’s C.J. Mosley would seem to be on the No. 21 bubble.

“He could be there at 21. If he has a great workout, probably not. How many people thought Lacy would be there for them in round two?” Pauline said.

Value picks at linebacker?

“You’ve got Chris Borland of Wisconsin, but he’s under six foot. Yawin Smallwood of UConn is a thinking man’s inside linebacker, but not a great athlete. He’s going to go in the third-round area, Borland in the second, third-round area, if he passes the medical,” Pauline said, referring to concerns about a 2010 shoulder injury Borland sustained.

“You’ve got a lot of small college defensive ends that project to 3-4 outside linebacker at the next level,” Pauline added.

Notre Dame defensive lineman Louis Nix is a player Pauline continues to favor as a potential value prospect for the Packers at pick 21. Pauline says Nix would’ve been a top 12 pick had he declared eligibility for the 2013 draft. Instead, he remained in college and his stock has fallen following a disappointing season in which Nix’s weight ballooned.

Overall, Pauline considers this to be a draft class of average talent and depth.

“It’s not bad. It’s good at offensive tackle, good at pass rusher, a pretty good quarterback class. I think it’s really lacking in the secondary. There are no elite cornerbacks,” he said.

Prospects that could surprise with lights-out workouts this weekend?

“I’ll give you three names. We already talked about McGill; I hear he’s going to knock it out of the park. A sleeper is a receiver from Clemson named Martavis Bryant. He’s tall and I’m hearing he’s going to run in the low 4.3’s. (Defensive lineman) Brent Urban from Virginia has been struggling with an ankle injury. If he’s ready to go, he’ll put up some huge numbers. Jadeveon Clowney’s not going to surprise anybody,” Pauline said.

How much will the events of this weekend change opinions of this draft class? That’s the major question heading into an event that has dramatically risen in importance in recent years.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 21, 2014, 09:09:58 pm
Posted by Vic Ketchman, packers.com editor on  February 20, 2014 – 1:32 pm 


Kevin ColbertINDIANAPOLIS–Steelers personnel boss Kevin Colbert has certainly raised expectations.

“I’ve said it, this is the best draft – I’ve been doing this for 30 years, and this is the deepest draft I’ve ever seen. We felt that way even before – I wouldn’t say the deepest draft before the underclassmen came in, but even during the fall our scouts were talking that the senior class was a pretty good class. You don’t know what the junior class will be, so you anticipate and try to predict what that will be until you know for sure. The juniors added into it make it a very talented group,” Colbert said during his media interview at the scouting combine on Thursday.

Colbert added one disclaimer.

“But the one thing that we talk about with these juniors, or any of the underclassmen, the redshirt sophomores, we are very cautiously optimistic about their emotional and physical readiness for this. This is a huge jump. Even though it’s a more talented group, or the most talented group that I have seen, I am also worried that it’s probably the most immature group. We have to be prepared for more player-development type of programs, or maybe enhancing your player development to get the most out of these younger players.

“You can look across the board. I can’t see a position where there isn’t more depth than there has ever been. It’s exciting when you are picking players out of this group,” Colbert added.

He also made interesting remarks about the Seahawks’ model for winning a championship. Is it something Colbert tries to model?

“I don’t. My hat is off to John Schneider and Coach Pete Carroll. They put together a great program. That’s a program that is unique to them. We have 32 teams. We are all different. We are made up differently. We all have different philosophies. Their philosophy was the one that won the Super Bowl this year. Again, congratulations to them. Their makeup is different than our makeup. It’s different than New England’s. It’s different than everybody’s,” Colbert said.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 21, 2014, 09:23:08 pm
Brad from Lynxville, WI

If you were to start a team with a blank slate, like a sort of fantasy draft, would your preference be the 3-4 or 4-3? Would you have a plan in mind for one or the other or just see how your draft played out to decide? I think I can guess your answer but I figured we should keep the scheme debate going.

I was reminded yesterday of a Don Shula quote, that when you have a lot of red paint, you paint your barn red.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 21, 2014, 09:28:23 pm
If he is there I expect the Packers will draft him.

The Packers, it would seem, need a tight end, what with Jermichael Finley’s status uncertain and his replacement, Andrew Quarless, headed for free agency.

Ebron, 6-4, 245, is a catch-a-lot, block-a-little tight end perfectly suited for Packers Coach Mike McCarthy’s tight end-friendly pass offense. Ebron said he didn’t have a team preference, but he’s clearly headed to a team that wants to feature him in its passing attack.

“I played at 245. This is where I want to stay. This is where I feel fast and most comfortable,” he said, letting it be known he doesn’t favor requests to bulk up and become an in-line blocker.

“A lot of teams don’t press me because they can’t. I will not be pressed at the line of scrimmage,” he said.

Ebron caught 62 passes for 973 yards and three touchdowns last season, in a sketchy North Carolina offense that caught fire in a late-season winning streak. Ebron is considered by most draftniks to be the top tight end prospect in this draft class, and his stock could rise sharply with an impressive combine workout...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 21, 2014, 09:41:30 pm
Pauline's comments on the draft.

Vic Ketchman

Tony Pauline previews scouting combine, looks ahead to draft


GREEN BAY—The strength of this year’s draft class doesn’t appear to dovetail with the Packers’ needs, but packers.com draft contributor Tony Pauline says the Packers can find value in the middle rounds at positions of concern.

Pauline is specifically referring to the safety and cornerback positions, thought to be areas of distinct need for the Packers.

“They’re kind of in no-man’s land,” Pauline said of the Packers’ position at No. 21 overall. “If there’s a player they like, they might have to trade up. If there’s nobody they like, they might have to move down a few spots. There’s nothing wrong with working the draft. (Ted Thompson has) had success doing it in the past. If you want a safety, you can get value in the middle rounds. If you want a cornerback, you can get value in the middle rounds.”

Cornerback Sam Shields could leave the Packers in free agency, which could create a distinct need at that position heading into the May 8-10 draft. What the Packers do at cornerback could directly impact the safety position, as cornerback Micah Hyde could be a candidate to move there.

Pauline referred to the safety talent in the draft as “marginal at best.” It will have a chance to improve its stock this weekend at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, which kicks off on Thursday.

“You may be able to get a good (safety) in the third-round area. That’s the history of safety. You don’t have to get one in round one; you can get one later on,” Pauline said.

Who does he like at safety?

“Keith McGill of Utah; he’s an imposing looking figure. He’s a great athlete and he’s going to put up some big numbers at the combine. Will he stay at cornerback or be moved to safety?” Pauline said.

“Jimmy Ward of Northern Illinois is sort of the opposite of McGill. Not really big, not really fast, just a smart, instinctive, tough football player. He doesn’t make mental mistakes. You know what you’re getting with him.

“Ahmad Dixon of Baylor in the fourth-round area. Good against the run, good against the pass, very aggressive. He plays lights out football, but he has average size/speed numbers,” Pauline said.

First-round safeties?

“The only guy would be Calvin Pryor. I still think 21 is a bit early for him. I have him as a second-rounder,” Pauline said.

Alabama’s Ha’Sean “Ha Ha” Clinton-Dix?

“He’s solid, not great. The history of safeties coming out of Alabama has not been that great. I would not take him in the first round,” Pauline said.

Want a linebacker? Alabama’s C.J. Mosley would seem to be on the No. 21 bubble.

“He could be there at 21. If he has a great workout, probably not. How many people thought Lacy would be there for them in round two?” Pauline said.

Value picks at linebacker?

“You’ve got Chris Borland of Wisconsin, but he’s under six foot. Yawin Smallwood of UConn is a thinking man’s inside linebacker, but not a great athlete. He’s going to go in the third-round area, Borland in the second, third-round area, if he passes the medical,” Pauline said, referring to concerns about a 2010 shoulder injury Borland sustained.

“You’ve got a lot of small college defensive ends that project to 3-4 outside linebacker at the next level,” Pauline added.

Notre Dame defensive lineman Louis Nix is a player Pauline continues to favor as a potential value prospect for the Packers at pick 21. Pauline says Nix would’ve been a top 12 pick had he declared eligibility for the 2013 draft. Instead, he remained in college and his stock has fallen following a disappointing season in which Nix’s weight ballooned.

Overall, Pauline considers this to be a draft class of average talent and depth.

“It’s not bad. It’s good at offensive tackle, good at pass rusher, a pretty good quarterback class. I think it’s really lacking in the secondary. There are no elite cornerbacks,” he said.

Prospects that could surprise with lights-out workouts this weekend?

“I’ll give you three names. We already talked about McGill; I hear he’s going to knock it out of the park. A sleeper is a receiver from Clemson named Martavis Bryant. He’s tall and I’m hearing he’s going to run in the low 4.3’s. (Defensive lineman) Brent Urban from Virginia has been struggling with an ankle injury. If he’s ready to go, he’ll put up some huge numbers. Jadeveon Clowney’s not going to surprise anybody,” Pauline said.

How much will the events of this weekend change opinions of this draft class? That’s the major question heading into an event that has dramatically risen in importance in recent years.
 
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 21, 2014, 09:52:04 pm
Frank from San Diego, CA

I was wondering if any cap money not spent one year can be used the following year, or is it use it or lose it?

It used to be use it or lose it, but not anymore. You can move cap space from one year into the next.

That's how the Packers accumulated so much cap space.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 21, 2014, 09:54:08 pm
Dave from Sauk City, WI

Vic, I haven’t heard much about prospects for a good nose for the defensive line. What do you know about a good nose guy in the draft so far?

We talked about Nix. Here’s another guy I like, and he won’t cost you a high pick: Caraun Reid of Princeton. He was impressive at the Senior Bowl and seemed to get better as the week wore on. Level of competition is a concern and, for that reason, you might get him in the fourth round. He’s short and squatty and has the pad level of a nose tackle, but he also displayed the quickness of a three-technique tackle at the Senior Bowl.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 21, 2014, 10:01:39 pm
Mathew from Amsterdam, NY

Let’s keep it football only, Mr. Ketchman. If you had a fantasy scout, would it be Kiper or Pauline?

I’ll take Tony over anybody. I can’t wait to hear about Yankey.

I think Kiper is over-rated.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 23, 2014, 05:33:18 pm
Nielsen: Packers have top local fan base in NFL
 Posted by Duke Bobber on  February 13, 2014 – 10:05 am 


Nielsen rankingsNielsen recently released its “State of the Media: 2013 in Sports Media” report, providing insights into how sports fans engaged with their favorite teams last year.

According to the rankings, the Packers finished first in the NFL in the “Local Fan Bases” category. Defined as the “percent of population that has watched, attended or listened to the team in the past 12 months,” Green Bay led the way with 88%, followed by the New Orleans Saints (81%) and Pittsburgh Steelers (78%).

Green Bay’s Wild Card Playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers was mentioned as a highlight of the NFL season, pulling in an average of 47.1M TV viewers. Super Bowl XLVIII led the charge with 108.7M viewers.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 24, 2014, 08:52:09 pm
OverTheCap.com is currently projecting the Packers with just under $28.5 million in cap space, taking into account the rollover from the 2013 season and dead money from the contracts of players who were cut in 2013. That site projected that the Packers' rookies would take up $1.724 million in cap space, but they did not account for any compensatory picks.

A team's placement in the first round holds a great deal of weight in how much cap space their rookie class takes up. The Texans' #1 overall pick, for example, will carry a cap hit of $4.05 million, compared to the hit of $1.516 million for the 21st pick.

Using our rookie pool projection of $1.875 million, we find that the Packers should have no less than $26.623 million to spend under the 2014 cap. In fact, it's likely that the number is closer to $27 million due to the conservative assumptions above.

With decisions to be made on a number of key free agents like cornerback Sam Shields and Evan Dietrich-Smith along with potential extensions for wide receivers Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson, it's nice to know just how much cap room will be taken up by the 2014 rookie class. That will also come in handy to calculate effective cap space if the Packers do elect to use a Franchise Tag or Transition Tag on someone over the next two weeks.

Fans of the Green and Gold should be pleased to know that signing Ted Thompson's draft picks should add less than $2 million to the team's cap hit. Thus, the team will have plenty of resources (about 27 million of them) to make appealing offers to the players they wish to sign or extend for 2014.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 24, 2014, 09:11:50 pm
(http://msn.foxsports.com/content/dam/fsdigital/RSN/Wisconsin/2014/02/05/PI-NFL-Jarrett-Boykin-020514.vadapt.955.medium.7.jpg)

Beerfan 's buddy, Boykin.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 24, 2014, 09:13:57 pm
Jarrett Boykin, wide receiver

Season stats: 17 games (701 snaps -- 61.4 percent of total offensive snaps); 49 catches, 681 yards, three touchdowns, five dropped passes, forced 12 missed tackles

ProFootballFocus.com season rating: 5.1 (ranked No. 10 out of 23 Packers offensive players; ranked No. 3 out of Packers' five qualifying wide receivers)

Best game: Week 10 loss vs. Philadelphia (48 snaps; eight catches, 112 yards, zero touchdowns, one dropped pass, forced one missed tackle; 1.3 PFF rating)

Worst game: Playoff loss vs. San Francisco (28 snaps; zero catches, one target; minus-0.5 PFF rating)

Expectations at the start of the season: Low

Expectations were ... Exceeded
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 26, 2014, 04:08:56 pm
Packers coach Mike McCarthy declared over the weekend that Bakhtiari would remain at left tackle, where he started his entire rookie season in 2013 and did a decent job protecting the quarterback’s blind side. Bakhtiari replaced Bulaga, who was lost for the season with a knee injury in early August. The presumption is Bulaga, who had been shifted from right tackle to left tackle a year ago, will move back to right tackle, where he has spent the majority of his career. The Packers appear set at the guard positions with Sitton on the left side and Lang on the right. That leaves the center and right tackle starting positions up for grabs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 26, 2014, 06:34:43 pm
(http://cdn1.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/29063565/454302145.0_standard_783.0.jpg)

Long-gone Jones?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on February 27, 2014, 06:49:39 am
Hey Packy,

Whats latest word on BJ Raji? Is he leaving as FA?  That's one guy I would be interested in if I am Bears.  How much is he looking for?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on February 27, 2014, 09:26:02 am
I'm really stunned that Raji hasn't done that well. When they first got him, I thought man he's gonna be one big problem for us. Is he one of those talented but underperforming types? Why isn't he making the impact he can??
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on February 27, 2014, 06:46:05 pm
Darren Sharper accused of two more ****, arrest warrant issued

Posted by Michael David Smith on February 27, 2014, 6:24 PM EST

New Orleans Saints Sharper celebrates after recovering fumble by Pittsburgh Steelers Miller in New Orleans
Reuters

The appalling case of Darren Sharper, the former NFL player accused of raping several women, continues to grow.

The New Orleans Police Department announced today that it has issued an arrest warrant for Sharper, who stands accused of raping two women in New Orleans on September 23. He faces two charges of aggravated ****, as does an acquaintance of Sharper’s, Erik Nunez.

One of the women said she met Sharper at an event for Saints players, and that Sharper gave her a drink. She says that after she drank it there is a gap in her memory of several hours, and that the next morning she woke up with Sharper on top of her, sexually assaulting her.

In a separate case, authorities say that after a woman accused Sharper of drugging her, the glass she said Sharper gave her was analyzed and found to contain a prescription sleep medication.

Sharper was arrested in January in Los Angeles and accused of raping two women in two separate incidents. He has also been investigated, but not charged, in **** complaints in Miami, Las Vegas, and Tempe. A court filing in the Los Angeles case says that Sharper has been suspected of raping at least seven women.

The 38-year-old Sharper is currently free after posting $200,000 bail in the Los Angeles case. In Louisiana, an aggravated **** conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 27, 2014, 10:06:18 pm
Pat from Altoona, WI

Do you think there will be a lot of QB overdrafting early this year?

This could turn out to be one of the greatest drafts for overdrafting quarterbacks in draft history. I saw yesterday that somebody said there isn’t a franchise quarterback in this draft. If that’s true, any quarterback selected in the first round will have been overdrafted. The Packers would greatly benefit from teams overdrafting quarterbacks because it would push better players lower in the order.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 27, 2014, 10:15:48 pm
Hey Packy,

Whats latest word on BJ Raji? Is he leaving as FA?  That's one guy I would be interested in if I am Bears.  How much is he looking for?

Hiber - The Packers offered him a contract fo $8 last season and he refused to sign it.  They have taken the offer off the table.  I doubt they will offer him anything like that, now.  He started put great as a rookie,  as Sporty says,  but in the past TWO seasons he has zero sacks and seems to have lost the fire.  It may be that he doesn't like the 3-4 scheme calling for mostly just soaking up to blockers.    He may be more valuable in s 4-3 system but if he won't go for less than $8m I hope the Pack dumps him, and they probably will.  I even like Johnny Jolly better than Raji in the D-Line.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 27, 2014, 10:24:52 pm
Rod from Watertown, SD

Vic, is a nose tackle more than just a big guy who eats up blocks? What makes that position worth spending a first or second-round pick on?

If he’s a two-down player, I don’t think he is worth a first-round pick in a draft that’s considered to be deep with talent. I think Louis Nix is a guy that can hold the point against the run and provide some pass rush, too. That’s a combination that makes him worthy of a first-round pick.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 27, 2014, 10:26:30 pm
Pete from Chanhassen, MN

Vic, Mike McCarthy emphasizes year one to year two improvement. What player do you think will make the biggest jump this year?

In 2012, I said it would be Randall Cobb, which was an easy pick. In 2013, I said it would be Nick Perry. I think it was Mike Daniels. This year, I’m going to say it’ll be Datone Jones, and my guess is that most fans would agree with that expectation for Jones.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 27, 2014, 10:26:59 pm
Andrew from Sioux Falls, SD

Why does a 3-4 defense have hold-the-point-of-attack defensive linemen? I think if you have a front three of Daniels, Jones and Aaron Donald it would be scary. Yes, they are three undersized defensive linemen, but they all possess the ability to penetrate and disrupt a play.

You can play gap control in a 3-4; it’s done. Everybody is assigned a gap and they’re responsible for the integrity of that gap. The problem with making that your base scheme in a 3-4 is that you now have big offensive linemen blocking on 3-4, run-around type linebackers, which is a mismatch that favors the offense in the running game. The idea of absorbing blocks in a 3-4 is that it keeps those linemen off the linebackers and allows them to run to the ball, which is what 3-4 linebackers do best. The middle linebacker in a 4-3 tends to be a thumper, which gives you that heavy-in-the-pants, five-on-five you need to be able to play gap control and stop the run. Linebackers in a 3-4 are usually selected for their ability to run. You don’t want them playing grunt ball.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 27, 2014, 10:27:55 pm
Matt from Fayetteville, NC

Can you imagine Eric Ebron lining up with Nelson, Cobb, Lacy and Rodgers? Who wouldn’t want that? But I think C.J. Mosley in the first round and Kyle Van Noy in the second round would be the way to go if they are available.

I participated in a mock draft on Wednesday. When it was my turn to pick at 21, I asked if Ebron, Mosley and Louis Nix were available. I was told Ebron was gone but Mosley and Nix were available. I picked Mosley.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 27, 2014, 10:28:49 pm
Nathan from Milwaukee, WI

Vic, what do you think about the comments Jerry Jones made about the cap and contracts inhibiting his ability to rebuild his team?

He didn’t hear the train whistle in Dallas last year when he restructured all of those contracts? I heard it all the way in Green Bay. It’s too late now. They didn’t get off the tracks in time.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 27, 2014, 10:29:18 pm
Pat from Altoona, WI

Do you think there will be a lot of QB overdrafting early this year?

This could turn out to be one of the greatest drafts for overdrafting quarterbacks in draft history. I saw yesterday that somebody said there isn’t a franchise quarterback in this draft. If that’s true, any quarterback selected in the first round will have been overdrafted. The Packers would greatly benefit from teams overdrafting quarterbacks because it would push better players lower in the order
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 27, 2014, 11:07:00 pm

By Jason Hirschhorn  @JBHirschhorn  on Feb 27 2014, 2:30p  18 

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Spor

Packers defensive lineman Johnny Jolly expects to receive medical clearance on his surgically repaired neck, perhaps before the start of fre
The Packers infamously poor fortune with neck injuries appears to changing.

Less than a week after head coach Mike McCarthy expressed optimism for Jermichael Finley's return, it appears that defensive lineman Johnny Jolly expects similarly good news.

ESPN's Rob Demovsky reports that Jolly underwent single fusion neck surgery on January 10, and his agent Jack Bechta believes his client could be cleared by the time free agency kicks off on March 11.

While that's certainly good news for Jolly, it doesn't necessarily mean the market will warm up to him. Jolly missed three seasons to drug-related legal troubles, and just celebrated his 31st birthday. Moreover, the 2014 free agent class is filled with younger, more productive options at his position. That could be good news for the Packers, who would re-sign Jolly for around the veteran minimum.

Other factors that will determine Jolly's fate in Green Bay are the contract situations with fellow defensive linemen B.J. Raji and Ryan Pickett. After turning down a multi-year deal worth around $8 million annually, Raji's market is one of the most hotly debated topics of the offseason. Pickett isn't expected to draw nearly as much attention, but even at 34 he remains a viable nose tackle. If the Packers reach extensions with Raji and Pickett, there may not be room left on the roster for Jolly.

  But this speculation is premature. Jolly needs to receive medical clearance before he can sign with Packers or anyone else.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 28, 2014, 07:46:38 pm
Peter from Toledo, OH

Vic, with whom did we trade back to get Lacy and Bakhtiari and how did they live up to their draft value/grade? I think people need to know this as they evaluate Thompson's philosophy.

Obviously, Eddie Lacy and David Bakhtiari played above their value lines. Ted Thompson traded with the 49ers to move back and select Lacy. It was a trade that began a domino effect. Thompson then traded to the Dolphins one of the picks he got from the 49ers to move back and select Bakhtiari. Then Thompson traded to the Broncos one of the picks he got from the Dolphins to move up and select Jonathan Franklin. What it all means is that Thompson got Lacy and Bakhtiari where they fit, effectively lowering their cost, and in my mind Thompson got Franklin for “free.” It’s called working the draft. It’s called being true to your value line, and the example above is why you do it. If Thompson just picks Lacy and Bakhtiari without moving in the order to do it, he would’ve lost value and he would’ve paid more money to do it. If the needs people can’t understand and appreciate that example of value picking, then there’s nothing more I can or should say about it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 01, 2014, 02:55:33 pm

More stability on Packers' offensive line
By  Rob Demovsky | ESPN.com

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- No matter where Bryan Bulaga plays, regardless of whether David Bakhtiari remains at left tackle and whoever ends up playing center, the Green Bay Packers have more stability on their offensive line than they did last offseason.

It was nearly a year ago that coach Mike McCarthy and offensive line coach James Campen revamped the line by changing positions for four of the five starters. Bulaga and Josh Sitton switched from right tackle and right guard, respectively, to the left side. Left tackle Marshall Newhouse was moved to the right side (where he failed to beat out Don Barclay), and left guard T.J. Lang moved to right guard.

Only center Evan Dietrich-Smith remained in his regular spot.

This season, perhaps only the center position is up in the air with Dietrich-Smith scheduled to be a free agent next month.

It all depends on where the Packers decide to play Bulaga, who missed all of last season after he sustained a knee injury last August in training camp.

Although McCarthy said last week at the NFL scouting combine that he had not finalized his plans for Bulaga, he later told the Green Bay Press-Gazette that Bakhtiari performed well enough last season as a rookie that the Packers appear to be set to keep him at left tackle.

“If you look at our depth chart right now this is the best group of offensive linemen from a depth standpoint that we’ve had in my time in Green Bay,” said McCarthy, who is entering his ninth season as head coach. “There’s a lot of good things to build off of with our offense.”

Moving Bulaga back to the right side would not be a major adjustment. He excelled at right tackle from 2010-12 and never even made it to his first preseason game as a left tackle. Bulaga spent most of the season rehabbing his knee in Florida but is expected to return to Green Bay for the offseason program in April.

“He’s on time and he’s hit his targets,” McCarthy said of Bulaga’s rehab. “But as I’ve told Bryan when he left in the exit interview [after the season], I’ll be in touch with him to let him know what our plan is whether it’s the left side or the right side.”

A potential change at center would not impact any of the other projected offensive line starters. Lang is not a candidate to move to center even though he filled in there for Dietrich-Smith for parts of two games last season.

The only other possible starting center on the Packers’ roster is JC Tretter, a fourth-round pick last year who did not play at all as a rookie after sustaining an ankle injury in the offseason.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 01, 2014, 03:19:22 pm
After reports of progress during the NFL Scouting Combine and in recent days, it seems like talks have stalled out at this point and Shields appears poised to see what his market value is. The Packers of course have one way of preventing him from doing so, and that would be to use the Franchise or Transition tag on him.

At this point, Shields looks like the only Packer who could conceivably be given a tag. The team sounds ready to allow B.J. Raji to hit free agency, and since they took an $8 million per year deal off the table in 2013, they aren't likely to pay him Franchise money in the amount of nearly $10 million. Before the season, tight end Jermichael Finley was considered a possible Franchise tag target, but his neck injury and subsequent surgery has taken that option off the table.

Thus, Shields has no viable competition for a tag from Ted Thompson and company, as the team can only use one tag each year. According to Overthecap.com, the franchise tag number for a cornerback will be $11,834,000, a slight increase from the previous estimate when the cap was expected to be around $126 million. If the Packers were to use the Transition Tag instead, that would pay Shields $10.08 million instead. Remember that in 2013, Shields played under a Restricted Free Agent offer sheet that paid him just over $2 million, so receiving either tag would increase his compensation by $8 million or more.

With the $133 million cap, the Packers have an estimated $35 million in cap room, so using a Franchise Tag on Shields would leave them with just over $23 million left. Adding in the rookie draft picks, whom we estimated would add an extra $2 million or so, giving the team about $21 million to work with. That money would obviously go to re-signing a few free agents and extending Randall Cobb, Jordy Nelson, and others. Naturally, the Transition Tag would leave the team with an additional $1.75 million in cap room compared to the Franchise Tag, giving the team almost $23 million to work with.

The question then becomes which tag would be ideal, and the Transition Tag has had major issues in the past. Other teams could offer Shields a contract, and the Packers would have the right to match, but would get no compensation if they chose not to. That opens the door for a variety of issues, namely language in the contract which would discourage the Packers from matching it. This was seen most clearly in the Steve Hutchinson deal in 2006, when the Vikings made an offer to Hutchinson (who had been Transition Tagged by the Seahawks) which effectively would have forced Seattle to make his entire contract guaranteed. Another NFL team could do something similar if Shields got the Transition Tag, and it is a major reason why NFL teams rarely use that tag in recent years.

Thus, it seems likely that if Shields were to get tagged at all, it would be with the Franchise Tag.

A long-term contract is of course the ideal situation for the Packers, as it would give the team more cap flexibility by lowering Shields' annual cap number while also giving the player the added stability of a long-term deal. However, the team would still have over $21 million in usable 2014 cap room even if they use the Franchise Tag on Shields.

Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel does not think the Packers will tag Shields, though:
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 02, 2014, 07:31:38 pm
That's why I wanted to get Landry's take on comparing Clinton-Dix to Pryor.


I think the difference between Clinton-Dix and Calvin Pryor, I think both are outstanding. Both will be really good players. I think Clinton-Dix is a little more rangy in coverage and Pryor is a little more physical coming down the hill in defending the run. The both can play free (safety), but I think Clinton-Dix has a little bit more range. It's really what you are looking for. Pryor does a good job of playing deep, but coming down hill a little bit better than Clinton-Dix defending the run. Both can latch-on to cover or slide-cover the tight end. They can stay on the field in the nickel. Both are very good. I expect them to go high (in the 2014 NFL draft), but I think Clinton-Dix's range is a little bit better. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 03, 2014, 10:35:42 pm
Greg from Westerville, OH

Vic, I just read on a weather website that this was the harshest winter in Green Bay history. You experienced 49 days of subzero temperatures which beat the old record through February 28. Congratulations on setting a new record.

We’re gonna push that record so far out of sight that not even Al Gore can see it. It was -3 as I wrote this column this morning, and it’s going down to -13 tonight. Sunday was really relaxing. The most exciting thing I did all day was watch the Honda Classic. Next year, I’m gonna get a roof rake, and then I’ll really have some fun.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 03, 2014, 10:36:54 pm
Brian from Kingsford, MI

Really, bud? No Jack Vainisi in your list of best talent evaluators?

I was nine years old when he died, bud.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 03, 2014, 10:56:29 pm
With a week and a half to go before the start of free agency, a few dominos have begun to fall. The Philadelphia Eagles, in particular, inked wide receiver Riley Cooper to a new five-year, $25 million deal, the first major contract to a big free agent-to-be. Other teams are cutting players for salary cap purposes, and the Browns releasing linebacker D'Qwell Jackson is one example.

Thus, with free agnecy nearly upon us, one of the popular things to do is rank the free agents to see who teams' top priorities should be. Another popular type of article is speculation on where players could end up when all is said and done.

Greg Bedard of Sports Illustrated and theMMQB.com did both in one, ranking his top 100 NFL free agents in order (splitting it up between players 1-50 and 51-100), and providing his "ideal" landing spot for each. Let's take a look at how the Packers' free agents landed on his board and where he believes their best fit would be.

Rank Player Position "Best fit"
33 Sam Shields CB Chargers
53 James Jones WR Raiders
59 B.J. Raji DT Bears
65 Jermichael Finley TE Seahawks
74 James Starks RB Giants
86 John Kuhn FB Packers
95 Mike Neal OLB/DE Cardinals
100 M.D. Jennings S Eagles

I won't get into the "best fit" options too much, mainly because it's all speculation. A few of them make sense due to coaching or GM connections (Ben McAdoo in New York, John Schneider in Seattle, and Reggie McKenzie in Oakland). What surprised me is that of all 100 players, only John Kuhn was chosen as having his best fit be in Green Bay. I was especially surprised at Sam Shields not being considered best to stay with the Packers, especially with the reports recently that his agent and the team were actively working on a new contract.

The other interesting thing to look at here is how the Packers' players are ranked relative to other players. Take James Jones, for example. He slotted in at 53rd, two spots ahead of the aforementioned Cooper (55) and another three ahead of the Patriots' Julian Edelman (58). Ahead of Jones were (top to bottom) Hakeem Nicks, Eric Decker, Anquan Boldin, Emmanuel Sanders, and Golden Tate. Judge that list how you will, but putting Jones near Cooper and Tate makes sense to me - he has a longer track record than either of those two, but they had better 2013 seasons than Jones.

Jennings being on the list at all is laughable, though, especially when Evan Dietrich-Smith is nowhere to be seen. As was reported recently, the Packers have no intent to give Jennings even the lowest Restricted Free Agent tender, whereas Dietrich-Smith got that a year ago and looks to be a much more desirable free agent. His play in 2013 was certainly far better than Jennings, and I would argue that he should also be higher in the ranking than Kuhn and Neal, and probably above Starks as well.

There you have my analysis of this list as it relates to the Packers. How would you reorder this list, if you were looking purely at each player's value and appeal on the free agent market as a whole (not just to the Packers)?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 03, 2014, 11:02:03 pm
The Green Bay Packers have made their first decision (indecision?) of the 2014 Free Agency period. They have elected not to use the Franchise or Transition Tag on any player, meaning that cornerback Sam Shields will indeed be poised to fully test the free agent market.

The Packers' decision not to tag Shields was not the only important tag decision today, however. A pair of premier safeties were not tagged today, opening up the free agent market to their services as well. The Buffalo Bills chose not to tag Jairus Byrd, who will likely enter the market as the top safety on everyone's board. The Cleveland Browns also elected not to tag their free agent safety, T.J. Ward, instead placing the Transition Tag on center Alex Mack.

Mack's tag by the Browns all but ensures his return to Cleveland, which means that an external free agent center is probably off the table. The Packers' best bet at the center position now is to re-sign Evan Dietrich-Smith to compete with JC Tretter.

Byrd and Ward will bolster the safety market in free agency, and with many teams looking for quality safeties this offseason, the bidding to sign those two to new contracts will likely be fast and furious. Typically, that in and of itself would eliminate the Packers from consideration, but if Shields departs in free agency, that (and the higher-than-expected salary cap in 2014) could convince Ted Thompson to spend some of that money on a veteran safety. Don't bet on that happening, though.
 

Full List of Monday's Tags
 
Saints: TE Jimmy Graham (Franchise, non-exclusive)
Panthers: DE Greg Hardy (Franchise, exclusive)
Jets: K Nick Folk (Franchise, exclusive)
Redskins: OLB Brian Orakpo (Franchise, exclusive)
Browns: C Alex Mack (Transition)
Steelers: OLB Jason Worilds (Transition)
 
Also tagged today were a pair of high-profile outside linebackers. The Washington Redskins used the Franchise Tag on three-time Pro Bowler Brian Orakpo, while the Pittsburgh Steelers chose to use the Transition Tag on up-and-comer Jason Worilds. Either one would have commanded a substantial salary on the open market, and Worilds still might since the Steelers are in a tough salary cap position - they are, in fact, $15 million over the cap according to Overthecap.com and will be making some big cuts over the next week, with Lamarr Woodley being a likely casualty. Pittsburgh may not be able to afford to hold on to Worilds if he is given a tempting - and lucrative - contract by another team.

To make a long story short, Sam Shields will likely be hitting the free agent market, and at this point his return to Green Bay is questionable at best. His departure would likely free up some money to be used elsewhere, but despite Jairus Byrd and T.J. Ward hitting the market, they are highly unlikely to become Packers in the next few weeks.

Stay tuned.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 03, 2014, 11:15:39 pm
Packers' Brandon Bostick readies for larger role
 
“He is more confident. Athletically, he’s got it now. He’s a gifted young man,” said coach Mike McCarthy about Brandon Bostick.

Rick Wood
By Bob McGinn of the Journal Sentinel   

Feb. 28, 2014
Green Bay — As it stands, Brandon Bostick is the most talented tight end on the Green Bay Packers' roster.

The 24-year-old Bostick has made substantial strides in two seasons making the conversion from wide receiver and basketball player at Newberry College.

Depending on contractual developments with Jermichael Finley and Andrew Quarless, Bostick could be in line for a more substantial role in 2014.

"I thought he was really coming on last year," said coach Mike McCarthy. "He is more confident. Athletically, he's got it now. He's a gifted young man."

McCarthy was asked if there was a chance neither Finley, who hopes to resume his career following a cervical fusion Nov. 14, nor Quarless, whose contract also is expiring, would return.

"I hope not," McCarthy replied. "Because I'd really like to have Jermichael back. We'll see what happens with Jermichael medically."

The Packers have been trying to re-sign Quarless, who took over in Game 6 after Finley suffered his season-ending injury. Counting playoffs, Quarless played 738 snaps compared to 252 for Finley, 167 for Ryan Taylor, 142 for Bostick and 10 for Jake Stoneburner.

Bostick, who spent his rookie season of 2012 on the practice squad, hardly played at all until Finley went down. He caught seven passes for 120 yards and one touchdown behind Quarless before undergoing surgery in mid-December for a broken foot.

In his second season, Bostick gained about 12 pounds to 257 and was more willing to mix it up. His new-found aggressiveness was most apparent to McCarthy in the 166 snaps he played on special teams.

"When I see that it gives me hope because special teams is such a huge indicator on offense and defense," he said. "And he showed toughness blocking, too. Not consistently. His consistency on offense needs to be where it was on special teams."

The 6-foot-3 Bostick has run 40 yards in 4.61 seconds and bears striking resemblance to Finley in mannerisms and route-running. In fact, he was even more fluid in and out of his cuts than Finley.

Jerry Fontenot, the tight ends coach, said during the season that Bostick needed to become more assignment-sure and fundamentally sound to warrant additionally playing time.

For his part, McCarthy said Bostick learns well.

"Oh, yeah, he gets it," said McCarthy. "It isn't like we line him up and ask him to play (one position). He plays all the positions, too, because when you're not the starter you have to be multiple."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 04, 2014, 07:31:32 pm

GREEN BAY – James Jones hasn't entirely given up hope of returning to the Green Bay Packers, but the soon-to-be unrestricted free-agent wide receiver clearly understands his predicament.

Speaking on NFL Network’s NFL Total Access Monday, Jones came off as honest but realistic about his chances of coming back to the Packers after a report in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel during the NFL Scouting Combine that the club hasn't made him any sort of contract offer in advance of free agency opening on March 11.

“It’s an exciting time for me and my family. I would love to go back to Green Bay and play ball there; I love a lot of my teammates there and [love] playing with one of the best quarterbacks in the game," Jones said. "But we all know this is a business; this is the part that we all hate but you have to deal with it.”

The last time Jones was an unrestricted free agent, in 2011 after the Packers' Super Bowl XLV-winning season, a lockout wiped out the offseason and free agency opened just before training camp. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers went to bat for him -- both publicly and privately -- in an effort to get the club to re-sign Jones, and he wound up returning for a three-year deal worth $9.6 million.

With the emergence of Jarrett Boykin when injuries struck Jones and Randall Cobb last season, and the team's desire to extend Cobb's and Jordy Nelson's deals, it appears the Packers only want Jones back if they can re-sign him at their price. Jones has spent all seven of his NFL seasons with the Packers after they took him in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft out of San Jose State.

Last season, he caught 59 passes for 817 yards, setting a career high for receiving yards, despite missing two-plus games with a knee injury suffered at Baltimoreon Oct. 13. Although he wasn’t the touchdown machine he was the previous year (NFL-high 15 TD catches), he still showed at age 29 that he has plenty of football in front of him.

A veteran leader who is admired in locker room and active in the community, Jones finished last year having played 925 snaps despite the knee injury, which he came back from before he should have. He also played final weeks of season with broken ribs, which may explain in part the two drops that he had on tough but catchable balls in the playoff loss to San Francisco.

“Priority No. 1 is taking care of my family. Priority No. 2 is if I’m not able to go back to Green Bayto find a good fit with a good quarterback with people that are trying to win," Jones said. "[I want] to be a part of that and help them win some ballgames.”

Asked if there are any quarterbacks in the NFL he would like to play with, Jones said he'd prefer to stay with Rodgers but suggested Indianapolisor Seattlemight be fun to join.

“Yeah there are a couple of quarterbacks out there. Not saying they’re better than the guy that I’m playing with now, but there are a couple of guys out there," Jones said. "I wouldn’t mind playing with some of the young guys – Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson. I wouldn’t mind playing with those guys but I would love to stay put and play with A-Rod though."

Jones is one of those really good guys whom you hate to lose.  Someone will get a really great team player.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 04, 2014, 07:51:53 pm
Perhaps Ted Thompson's best skill as a general manager is his ability to identify a position of need a year ahead of time. Nowhere has this strategy been better implemented than the wide receiver position.

In 2011, Green Bay selected Kentucky's Randall Cobb in the second round despite returning 1,200-yard wideout Greg Jennings and three 500+ yard receivers. One season later, Cobb lead the Packers in catches and receiving yards while Jennings and his contract demands were shown the door.

Similarly in 2008, Jordy Nelson was drafted into a passing attack led by Donald Driver in his prime and a young but productive Jennings. By the 2010 championship run, Nelson had supplanted the aging Driver as the team's top deep threat, leading the Packers in receptions and yards in the Super Bowl.

Now in 2014, starting wideout James Jones enters free agency while Nelson and Cobb each begin the final year of their current deals. While Thompson may sign each to a new contract, it's highly possible one or more depart from Green Bay by this time next year. It appears that once again, Thompson could look to draft another receiver a year before he's needed.

Enter Vanderbilt wideout Jordan Matthews. The two-time All-SEC, 2013 First-Team All-American receiver certainly looks the part. At the NFL Scouting Combine, Matthews measured in at 6-3, 212 with massive 10 3/8" mitts. Wide receivers won't workout until Sunday, but Matthews is expected to run between 4.45 and 4.55 in the 40-yard dash. If those measurements sound familiar, it's because they align perfectly with those of current Packers receiver Jordy Nelson.

That's no coincidence either, at least according to NFL scouts.

Acme Packing Company asked three team scouts to pick the best NFL comp for Jordan Matthews. Two named Jordy Nelson, citing similar size, smooth stride, and advanced route running as chief reasons for the comparison. Like Nelson, Matthews projects as a prototypical outside receiver who can also move into the slot to create matchup problems.

But it's not the shared physical and football traits alone that tie Matthews to Green Bay.

James Franklin, Matthews' head coach for most of his career at Vanderbilt, served as the Packers' wide receivers coach during Thompson's first year as general manager. Thompson highly values Franklin's opinion when it comes to receivers. It was largely due to their relationship that the Packers selected Kevin Dorsey, another Franklin disciple from his time at Maryland.

The track record dates even further back, however. In his final season as Kansas State's offensive coordinator, Franklin tipped off his old employer to one of his receivers who blew up his senior year but had yet to generate much draft buzz. The Packers selected that player, Jordy Nelson, with their top pick in 2008.

History would suggest that if Thompson picks another receiver early in this year's draft, it would be Franklin's latest pupil.

But Matthews' Green Bay connections extend beyond his college head coach.

From 2011-2012, Matthews was on the receiving end of pass thrown by Jordon Rodgers, the younger brother of Packers superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The elder Rodgers regularly mentioned on his radio show that he spent his Saturdays watching Vanderbilt football. During the Packers' 2012 bye week, he made the trek down to Mississippi to watch the Commodores in person. On that day, Jordan Matthews led all receivers with nine catches and 153 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown catch and run. While Rodgers doesn't possess decision-making power in Green Bay, it can't hurt Matthews to have the quarterback in his back pocket.

 

Matthews' ties to the Packers don't guarantee that he'll end up in Green Bay. Certainly, his standout SEC career has attracted the attention of other NFL teams. However, Matthews' projected draft range aligns with where the Packers are selecting. Given the depth of his connections with Green Bay, it wouldn't surprise anyone to see Thompson tab Matthews as his next potential star receiver.

That would bring a big   ;-) 6-3, 212
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on March 05, 2014, 01:06:40 pm
ughhhh Replay of SB 31 GB vs NE is on NFLN right now for the 1 packer fan on the board :-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 05, 2014, 10:43:57 pm
Thanks, Navigator.  You're A-1.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 06, 2014, 09:02:34 pm
Dan from Marshfield, WI

Vic, I am a lifelong Packers fan and understand how teams continually change their roster to avoid hearing the train whistle. Why can’t other teams (Pittsburgh and Dallas come to mind) hear the whistle, instead of re-signing players that have seen their better days? I love loyalty, but is this too much?

The two teams you’ve mentioned are different trains headed in different directions. The Steelers are using re-structuring to repair their salary cap. They can’t cut and gut because in many cases the amortization would accelerate into the current year and worsen their cap. They held that team together and it won two Super Bowls and played in a third, but the bill has come due. What they’re doing now is slowly, procedurally cutting a few older players every year, replacing them with young talent that’s emerging, and then re-structuring older players that still have something left, with the idea they’ll be next to go. It’s a plan for repair with the hope of remaining a playoff contender (dirty little secret), which the Steelers did last season despite an 0-4 start. Their train is headed back to the station. The Cowboys are still chasing the carrot, so to speak. Their train is screaming down the tracks away from the station, and no one’s driving it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 06, 2014, 09:07:07 pm
Matt from Madison, WI

I was following the Woodley/Worilds scenario closely to see how the Steelers kept from getting hit by the train this year. Do you think Woodley, given his age (29) and injury history, is worth an incentive-laden contract at a mid-level price? Yes, I know he is an old 29, but if the Packers got lucky and he and Matthews stayed healthy, it would be a nice season.

Ah, yes, the almighty if. If you can dream, but not make dreams your master. LaMarr Woodley is the next one to go. He’s being replaced by Jason Worilds and Woodley will likely be cut to make cap room, which his release will do because this is the year his salary spikes. It appears to be part of a plan. In my mind, the Packers already have a player similar to Woodley. Nick Perry is the same kind of big-bottomed pass rusher that Woodley has been, and from the same side of the field. Perry can be Woodley, if he can stay
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 06, 2014, 09:08:34 pm
Kevin from Rice Lake, WI

Vic, how does your inbox look in the offseason vs. the regular season?

I can hear it screaming as I’m coming down the hallway in the morning. Fans are absolutely gaga about free agency. I’ll never understand it. Free agency is nothing more than a high-priced waiver wire, but fans revere it as though every player in free agency is a difference maker. Free agency is a trap for fools, and everyone wants to be a fool. “Ask Vic” is on fire, even though this is probably the worst column on the face of the Earth for fans of free agency. I see that Peter King also trashed free agency. I don’t get it. What’s to like?



Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 07, 2014, 06:59:59 pm

Pete Dougherty        ✔   @PeteDougherty 

Source updated on OLB Mike Neal talks said Packers made meaningful offer but not enough to keep Neal from testing market.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 07, 2014, 07:03:48 pm
Packers' Contract with Raji "Not Imminent", Says Report

By Evan "Tex" Western  @TexWestern  on Mar 7 2014, 8:26a  23 

The hype about B.J. Raji being "close" to signing a one-year deal appears to be premature.


The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has reported today that talks between B.J. Raji and the Green Bay Packers are not progressing substantially and that the two sides may not come to an agreement on the one-year contract offer that the Packers reportedly offered Raji.

Yesterday, Bob McGinn reported that the Packers put one- and two-year deals on the table worth around $4 million per year, but he and Tom Silverstein have reported today that there is no reason to expect Raji to sign it immediately and call into question whether he will sign it at all:


Sources told the Journal Sentinel the deal is not imminent and there are indications Raji isn't interested in the Packers' offer.

With the NFL's "legal tampering" period beginning on Saturday, it makes sense for Raji to hold off on signing anything until he and his agent can actually talk to other teams about the kinds of contracts they would be willing to offer him. Whether or not those deals would be more appealing than the Packers' offer remains to be seen, and it is entirely possible that the results may not be fruitful for Raji. If that were the case, Raji could still sign the Packers' offer before the opening of free agency on Tuesday with no harm done...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 07, 2014, 07:19:20 pm
Brian Carriveau on Mar 06, 2014 with  93 Comments



Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson at the NFL Combine. Photo by Brian Carriveau of CheeseheadTV.com.

It’s a shame I don’t get to eat good, fresh crab very often. It’s not like Wisconsin is on the ocean, and even if it were, crab isn’t exactly cheap.

Just because I don’t eat it very often, however, doesn’t mean I don’t like crab. I love it actually. I wish I had the opportunity and the cash to splurge on it more often.

Packers general manager Ted Thompson is in much the same boat in free agency. I constantly see and hear how he rarely went after big-name, highly-priced free agents in years past, ergo he won’t in 2014.

I don’t necessarily buy that theory. Maybe it’s a cosmic aligning of the stars, but you know what? Jairus Byrd just makes sense for the Packers to pursue in free agency.

Of course Byrd isn’t going to come cheap, but more on the financial angle a little bit later.

In simplest terms, Byrd is the right player at the right time. Perhaps only in 2014 would a confluence of factors converge to make such a deal a bonafide, legitimate possibility.

For one, the Packers have a need at safety, and “need” is putting it mildly. Green Bay has a Grand Canyon sized void to fill at safety, and maybe Black Hole would be more apropos after getting zero interceptions from the position in 2013.

Morgan Burnett didn’t play up to expectations last season, but he’s not the biggest problem. At worst, he’s the lesser of two evils. At best, he’s a factor on a defense when paired next to good safety next to him. And most likely, he probably falls somewhere in between, a nice complementary player.

The burden is on the Packers to replace M.D. Jennings, a Canadian Football League talent masquerading as an NFL safety.

Byrd could be that guy. Is he Hall of Fame caliber? The jury is still out on that, but in five seasons, he’s proved himself to be a perennial Pro Bowler, forcing an average of 6.6 turnovers per year. He’s a rangy safety whose calling card is his coverage in an increasingly pass-happy NFL but also the type that doesn’t embarrass himself as a tackler and run defender.

On top of his ample talents, Byrd has stayed largely healthy and hasn’t hinted that he could be a character question mark. If the Packers are going to make such a gigantic investment, they can at least rest easy knowing Byrd isn’t likely to get arrested or be suspended.

And whereas several free agents might dismiss Green Bay as a free-agent destination because of its small-market location and cold climate, Byrd is more likely to embrace the Frozen Tundra than the average Joe.

In a piece of trivia that’s practically become common knowledge in these parts, Byrd played his high school football in nearby Pulaski when his father, Gill, was the Packers’ director of player programs in the late nineties and early part of the new century.

Now we get to the tricky part: the price tag.

It’s no secret Byrd wants to become the highest-paid safety in the league, and any team that wants to sign him is going to have to meet his demands.

Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry is currently the highest-paid safety, in terms of average annual salary, earning $8.34 million per season. Logic would say a deal averaging $8.5 million per season would make Byrd the new highest-paid player, but it’s not that easy.

When the NFL announced a 7.5 percent raise in the salary cap from $123 million to $133 million in 2014, players entering free agency will want to see that 7.5 percent raise in their earnings as well.

Byrd has reportedly declined an offer of three years and $30 million dollars from the Buffalo Bills, but that hardly comes as a surprise as three years just isn’t going to cut it.

Whether it takes a four-year, five-year, maybe even a six-year deal to secure Byrd remains to be seen, but the amount of guaranteed money will also factor into Byrd’s decision. For example, Byrd might be willing to sacrifice one less year on his deal or a slightly lower annual salary in exchange for a higher amount of guaranteed money.

With the sixth-most salary cap space in the NFL and roughly $35 million available, the Packers have the funds available to be active in free agency, if they so choose. And maybe, just maybe they could get Byrd for something south of $10 million a year.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle to signing Byrd is the “it only takes one” mantra. Theoretically, the Packers could out-bid 30 other NFL teams for the safety’s services only to see the Oakland Raiders and their $64 million in available cap space offer Byrd ridiculous, can’t-refuse type of money.

Granted, there are drawbacks to signing a player like Byrd. Re-signing Sam Shields flies out the window, as does any chance of re-upping players like James Jones, Mike Neal and James Starks. But on the flip side of the coin, an elite safety helps to cover up other deficiencies like cornerback and pass rush.

And by addressing safety in free agency, the Packers can instead focus on other positions of need in the first two days of the NFL Draft like tight end and linebacker.

It’s also generally accepted that the Packers will look to offer contract extensions to wide receivers Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb before the 2014 season is over, locking them up before they reach free agency.

And by signing Byrd, the task of extending both Nelson and Cobb becomes increasingly more difficult, although maybe not impossible. The tradeoff, however, is that the Packers would be adding another impact player, albeit at a different position.

Signing Byrd doesn’t fix every problem area on the Packers roster, but for once the Packers can afford a high-priced free agent, and he’d instantly help a team whose Super Bowl window is currently open as long as Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews are in the prime of their careers.

Other holes would have to be patched by an incoming rookie class, but that’s not much different than not signing Byrd and hoping a rookie safety pans out.

Anyway, here’s to wishful thinking. I think I’ll go make reservations at a seafood restaurant. Ted, if you’re reading this, you’re invited. I fancy Ted as a crab type of guy too.

Brian Carriveau is the author of the book “It’s Just a Game: Big League Drama in Small Town America,” and editor of Cheesehead TV’s “Pro Football Draft Preview.” To contact Brian, email carriveau@uwalumni.com.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on March 08, 2014, 06:47:53 pm
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/03/08/sam-shields-packers-agree-on-four-year-39-million-deal/
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on March 08, 2014, 06:48:44 pm
That is a heck of a lot of money for a corner.  He is a good player but not sure he is worth that much.  Time will tell.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 08, 2014, 06:53:10 pm
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/03/08/sam-shields-packers-agree-on-four-year-39-million-deal/

;-)

We'll forget about Jairus Bird.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 08, 2014, 07:08:22 pm
Report: Packers Extend "Meaningful Offer" to Mike Neal

This is a guy I hope returns in 2014.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 08, 2014, 07:33:30 pm
I'm sure Raji and Dunn regret not taking the earlier $8 million offer from the Packers. But last year Raji said that he loves playing in Green Bay, according to Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Dunn obviously has a very good relationship with the Packers, and this new deal could be a win-win for all parties involved.

Raji would get a chance to have a better season in 2014, where he would play primarily the nose tackle position. That is the position in which he has had his best success with the Packers.

If Raji does have a good year next season, then Dunn can negotiate with the Packers on a long-term deal for No. 90.

The Packers would be happy as well, because they would able to keep Raji at a much lower cost in 2014 than they had imagined prior to last season—plus they can keep a big body at the center of their defensive line who can tie up multiple blockers...

Dumm agent.  They had an $8m offer earlier and turned it down.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on March 08, 2014, 07:42:33 pm
I could see the Bears making a run at Rajiv if they do not bring Melton back.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on March 09, 2014, 05:02:23 pm
Packrat if you have NFLN they have been playing Packer crap all weekend and it continues today.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: davebear on March 09, 2014, 06:04:16 pm
Pack rat,

In watching all the Packer stuff on NFL channel this week, I never realized that by 1966 Jim Taylor was on his way out the door.

I though all the Pack dynasty years had Paul Hornung and Jim Taylor. 

NFL channel special looked like 1966 was Donnie Anderson and Jim Grabowski.  Taylor wasn't getting the carries.

They said Anderson was a hailed rookie who got a big rookie paycheck.   I always though he was a third stringer.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 10, 2014, 08:06:15 pm
uesday marks the official opening of the free agent signing period, and with the Packers recent contract moves, the list of possible free agent options has shrunk considerably. As you probably already know, the Packers resigned Sam Shields to four-year, $39 million contract, making him one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the league. While I think it was a good investment in the future, I'm not sure Shields has proven himself to be a Pro-Bowl talent just yet.

As Tex described in a recent article, the Shields contract is backloaded which takes some pressure off the cap hit, and makes it manageable for the team to dump the contract in two seasons if Shields doesn't reach his potential. B.J. Raji is also rumored to have a deal on the table (one-year, $4 million), but is testing the market first. If Raji doesn't resign, that would open up more cap space to possibly sign some free agents on the defensive side of the ball.

Let's take a look at some potential targets.

Defensive Line

Lamaar Houston (Raiders)

At 6-foot-3, 300 pounds, and only 26-years-old, Houston appears to just be entering his prime. He has shown the versatility to play three-technique defensive tackle, defensive end, and even outside linebacker in his time with the Raiders, which makes him an ideal fit if the Packers are unable to resign DE/OLB Mike Neal in the coming weeks. Houston finished with 69 tackles and six sacks in 2013, and is rumored to be on the Packers radar. However, Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports that no contact between the two parties has taken place yet.

Arthur Jones (Ravens)

The 27-year-old defensive lineman is rumored to be a top target for the Packers, according to Aaron Wilson of National Football Post. The athletic defensive lineman finished with 52 tackles and four sacks in 2013, and at 6-foot-3, 315 pounds, Jones would be a sizeable improvement to a defensive line that is aging rapidly and lacking in young, athletic bodies.

Tyson Jackson (Chiefs)

A big reason for the Chiefs resurgence this past season was due to its defense, and Jackson was a critical part of one of the league's best defenses. Jackson fits the bill of an athletic defensive lineman (6-foot-4, 296 pounds) and is just hitting his prime at 27 years old. The Chiefs are trying to re-sign Jackson, but it appears they may have started the negotiation process too late. If the Packers aren't able to sign Jones or Houston, Jackson would be a great option, depending on the price tag.

Paul Soliai (Dolphins)

Soliai (6-foot-4, 340 pounds) was a key cog in the Dolphins run defense in 2013, and would be a great option to replace B.J. Raji if Raji decides to take a different offer in free agency. At 30 years old, Soliai appears to have 3 to 4 years left in his prime and could help be a space-eater in the 3-4 scheme for years to come.

Jared Allen (Vikings)

This one is a bit of stretch, but at 31-years-old and a proven track record of being an impact pass rusher off the edge, Allen would fill a role that has been missing on the Packers defense for years. Allen isn't a great fit in a 3-4 scheme at only 270 pounds, and his price tag might end up being too lofty, but if Allen is still around in the second week of free agency, he might be worth a shot. Ted Thompson is known for taking the discount deal, and Allen has made it known he wants to play for a contender. It would take a domino-effect situation, but Allen still has some gas left in the tank.

Robert Ayers (Broncos)

The Broncos will likely try to resign Ayers (28 years old) before they resign fellow defensive lineman Shaun Phillips (33), but if Ayers hits the free agent market, who knows what will happen. Ayers finished with 5.5 sacks in 2013, and would be a welcomed pass-rush specialist if Ted Thompson can get him a discounted price.

Linebackers

Brandon Spikes (Patriots)

The 26-year-old linebacker appears to be on his way out of New England, and should be a top option for the Packers this off-season. As I mentioned during our off-season review, I do not think Brad Jones is a long-term answer at inside linebacker, and the the upcoming draft class at inside linebacker lacks difference makers. If the Packers are going to seriously consider fixing its defensive deficiencies, they should start by signing a legitimate inside linebacker who is just entering his prime.

LaMarr Woodley (Steelers)

Woodley was officially notified today that he will be cut tomorrow by the Steelers, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.



At 29 years old, Woodley still has plenty to give, and at 6-foot-2, 265 pounds. The big question is what Woodley will be looking to get in terms of contract numbers. His last contract is going to pin a lot of dead money to the Steelers salary cap, and the last thing Ted Thompson is going to do is overpay a free agent, so this may only happen if Woodley is still around in week 2 of free agency. That said, he would be a capable veteran presence with extensive experience in a 3-4, and he would significantly help with the rotation at outside linebacker.

Mike Neal (Packers)

The Packers have reportedly offered Neal a deal that wasn't enough to keep Neal from testing the free agent market. Neal is gathering interest from the Cardinals and Eagles thus far, and at only 26 years old and with quite a bit of versatility, Neal appears to be a hot-ticket item in this year's free agency. If Neal is looking for a top-dollar deal, don't expect him to be back in Green Bay in 2014.

Safeties

T.J. Ward/Jairus Byrd

Anyone expecting the Packers to sign one of the two big name safeties in free agency should probably let that dream go after the signing of Sam Shields. Despite having an estimated $29 million in cap space, the Packers simply won't have the room to dish out the kind of money that the two Pro Bowl-quality safeties will be demanding on the open market if they hope to extend players like Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson. I fully expect the Packers to let M.D. Jennings walk in free agency, and draft a quality safety early in the draft.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 11, 2014, 10:44:06 pm
Eric from Parker, AZ

So, I watched a bunch of the programs this weekend, which focused on the Packers in dynasty week. I find it funny that I was raised on stories of the ’60s Packers and, yet, I was never told Jerry Kramer kicked field goals. I was casually watching the 1962 NFL championship game while also reading a book and I heard, “And Jerry Kramer kicks it through for three points.” It took me a second to process what I heard.

Sammy Baugh was a great punter, Bobby Layne was a kicker and Lou Groza played offensive tackle. This was before the age of specialization changed nearly everything about the game. Groza is largely attributed to launching the era of kicking specialists. He was such a proficient kicker that he caused an awareness for the importance of field goals. If there is one undeniable tribute that can be paid to players of the old era, it’s that they were true football players. They weren’t just cornerbacks or just running backs. They could do it all. I think that gets lost in the bigger, stronger, faster talk.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 11, 2014, 10:47:52 pm


Owen from Tampa, FL

Now that you know who’s available in free agency, are there any safeties that look like a good fit for the Packers and might not come at too high of a cost for your liking?

Yes, Micah Hyde.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 11, 2014, 10:49:35 pm
Jim from Arlington, VA

With all the money the Miami Dolphins have been spending, could it be possible Stephen Ross is trying to field the most competitive team possibly to sell it in the near future?

No, he just bought it. Rich, successful people tend to be impatient. They became rich and successful by being aggressive, but the ones that buy a football team quickly find out this is a very different business from selling shoes, bumpers, real estate, chicken, cars, etc. In those businesses, you don’t have to wait in line to acquire the people you need to run those businesses. You don’t have a cap on how much you can spend to fund your business. You don’t have to share your revenue with your competitors, nor do you have to share the burden of your competitors’ payroll costs. What you learn over time in this business (some never do), is that throwing money at your team won’t necessarily make it successful. It’s the ones that get the most out of the money they spend that are successful.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on March 12, 2014, 02:41:38 pm
M.D. Jennings anyone? Seems like a Dog...backup....but anyone is better than Conte. Sounds like Jennings is TERRIBLE against the pass.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 12, 2014, 08:44:17 pm
Signing away talent from a division rival is a tradition as old as free agency itself. So it's not surprising that the Chicago Bears picked up a former Packer off the open market this year. What is surprising is the player Chicago chose.

According to multiple reports, the Bears have signed safety M.D. Jennings to a one-year deal. Financial terms were not disclosed, but Jennings will likely make around the veteran minimum.

Rarely does a player entering restricted free agency fail to be tendered after starting all 16 games of the prior year, yet that is exactly what happened with the Packers and Jennings. While it's unclear whether Green Bay intended to retain him, the fact they declined to commit even $1.431 million (the price of the lowest tender) reveals how little the team thought of the safety.

Maybe the Bears will have success with "the doctor" but I sincerely doubt it.
 

For Chicago, Jennings will compete for a backup role behind Major Wright and the newly signed Ryan Mundy. Should Jennings fail to beat out the likes of Chris Conte, Anthony Walters, or Sean Cattouse, the Bears could walk away with little to no penalty.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 12, 2014, 08:49:04 pm
When a player signs a new contract, the team or the agent usually makes the announcement. Apparently, Mike Neal didn't care to wait that long.

Neal's two-year deal amounts to something of a "prove it" contract. After spending his first three years as a defensive lineman, Neal transitioned to outside linebacker where he experienced moderate success. However, he's far from a proven commodity, and the Packers wanted to protect themselves accordingly. A short deal does exactly that.

Neal's athleticism and strength were thought to make him a hot commodity on the open market. Apparently, he didn't find an offer more appealing than this one with Green Bay. While the financial information isn't yet available, it's unlikely Neal will "break the bank" on this deal. He'll have to play well these next two seasons and try again as a 28-year-old free agent.

I'm delighted with this signing!  His arrow is pointed upward and he had expressed his hope to return to GB.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 12, 2014, 08:56:29 pm
One of the focal points of the Packers' offseason is the tight end position. Both of the team's top two tight ends from 2013, Jermichael Finley and Andrew Quarless, could depart for bigger money elsewhere. Green Bay had previously been connected with multiple tight ends, including Vikings' John Carlson and the Texans' Garrett Graham. However, it appears a different Houston tight end interests the Packers.

According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal, free agent Owen Daniels has a sit down with Packers brass in the near future.

Should the Packers sign Daniels, it would mark a return to the state where his rise to national prominence began. Daniels was recruited to Wisconsin by then head coach Barry Alvarez as a quarterback. After redshirting his freshman year, Daniels moved into the starting lineup as a receiver, eventually transitioning to tight end his final two seasons. The Texans selected Daniels 98th overall in the 2006 NFL Draft, developing him into one of the league's better receiving tight ends.

Love it.  Hope he signs with GB and see how he does with Rodgers pitching to him.  I firmly believe (and hope) that Finley is a gone gosling.

 

Injuries derailed Daniels last season, limiting him to only five games. With limited cap space and several big extensions on the horizon, the Texans released Daniels earlier this month.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 12, 2014, 09:00:13 pm
In a somewhat surprising move, the Green Bay Packers have elected to tender one of their two restricted free agents this afternoon. Most reports indicated that they would not be tendering either inside linebacker Jamari Lattimore or safety M.D. Jennings, but the team evidently decided that Lattimore was too valuable to chance him signing with another team in free agency:



The low tender comes with no draft-pick compensation if Lattimore is signed by another team. However, it does allow the Packers to match another team's contract offer sheet, if Lattimore were to receive one.

The Packers used this same tender on center Evan Dietrich-Smith a year ago, and he signed the tender and now is hitting unrestricted free agency this year. Lattimore clearly has been judged as a capable backup inside linebacker and a critical part of the Packers' special teams, and the team values his contributions enough that the difference of around $750,000 between the tender and the fourth-year minimum salary is worth paying in

I really like this guy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 12, 2014, 09:20:22 pm
After coming to terms with cornerback Sam Shields, the Packers can turn their attention to their other high priority free agent, Evan Dietrich-Smith.

The Packers began each of the last three seasons with a different guy starting at center. After Pro Bowler Scott Wells left for St. Louis following the 2011 season, the Packers signed veteran Jeff Saturday to ease the transition to a younger, long-term answer at the position. That change came sooner than expected, as Saturday was benched midway through his lone year in Green Bay for Evan Dietrich-Smith. Dietrich-Smith returned under a one-year deal this past season and performed admirably. Once again, the Packers find themselves tasked with re-signing their starting center or beginning yet another project at the offensive line's most cerebral position.

The question of whether Ted Thompson can retain Dietrich-Smith should be settled over the next few days. In the event that the two sides fail to reach an agreement, the Packers will be forced to move on to Plan B.

But what is Plan B? There aren't many clues as to what the Packers would ultimately settle on, but here are the possibilities.

Tretter moves into the starting lineup

Overview: With the second of their three fourth-round picks, the Packers selected offensive lineman J.C. Tretter out of Cornell. Despite playing most of his college career at left tackle, Tretter's size (6-4, 307 lbs.) projected better at an interior line position. An ankle injury sidelined the rookie lineman for most of 2013, but Tretter did practice at center during the final weeks of the season. That appears to be where the Packers plan to develop him moving forward.

Pros: Now equipped with a snowplow for a running back, the Packers want to get bigger and stronger along the offensive line. Tretter's physical stature far exceeds Dietrich-Smith's, and in theory would allow Green Bay to run more effectively through the A gaps.

Cons: The drawback of Tretter is his inexperience. The Packers have taken painstaking measures to prevent an unproven player from starting at center. While Tretter's Ivy League background would suggest he can handle the mental aspects of the position, he's yet to demonstrate it on the field. Ideally, Tretter would backup at center for another few years before moving into the starting lineup.

Lang slides over to center

Overview: While Dietrich-Smith never missed a start in 2013, injuries forced him out early in week 10 and 13. In his absence, the Packers shifted T.J. Lang from right guard to center. Despite not practicing at the position, Lang was steady snapping the ball.

Pros: As with Tretter, Lang's size (6-4, 307 lbs.) would add considerable beef along the middle of the offensive line. Lang's intelligence and experience also lend themselves to successful center play. Additionally, Josh Sitton may benefit from playing alongside his best friend on the team.

Cons: Despite being a plus run blocker at guard, two of Lang's worst performances in that arena came in relief of Dietrich-Smith. While that doesn't necessarily mean Lang couldn't run block well consistently if he practiced at center fulltime, he might not play up to his size at the position. It's also unclear who would fill the guard vacancy in this scenario. Tretter, Lane Taylor, and even David Bakhtiari would have to be considered.

Bakhtiari moves from left tackle to center

Overview: It's easy to forget that before Bryan Bulaga's ACL tear opened the door for David Bakhtiari to take over the blindside, the Packers and most of the league viewed the rookie as an interior lineman prospect. Indeed, the Packers' west coast scouts suggested Bakhtiari as a potential guard or center to backup Sitton, Dietrich-Smith, and Lang. Bakhtiari endured an up-and-down first year in the NFL, but performed well consistently in pass protection.

Pros: While Bakhtiari is still incredibly young -- he won't turn 23 until after the start of the season -- the experience he gained as a rookie would be invaluable should the Packers move him to center. Like most first year offensive linemen, Bakhtiari stands to take a big leap in year two. Despite the position switch Bakhtiari would still line up next to Sitton. Such continuity would make the transition smoother.

Cons: If Bakhtiari doesn't line up at one of the tackle positions next season, it means that two of Bryan Bulaga, Derek Sherrod, and Don Barclay are starting there instead. Bulaga should be fine wherever the Packers put him, but Barclay struggled through most of last season and Sherrod remains an unknown.

The Packers welcome back a familiar face

Overview: While he's yet to receive a pink slip, there's reason to believe the Rams will part with Scott Wells after two seasons. Cutting Wells would save St. Louis $4.5 million on this year's cap. It would also allow the team the opportunity to find out what it has in 2013 fourth-round pick Barrett Jones.

Wells' performance the past two seasons hasn't come close to matching his play in Green Bay, but much of that can be attributed to injuries. Now healthy, Wells could perhaps start another year or two alongside Sitton and Lang.

Pros: Wells played in the Packers' offense for many years and wouldn't require much time to reacclimate. Furthermore, he had a great relationship with quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the offensive linemen. At 33, Wells wouldn't cost too much to sign.

 

Cons: Playing along the offensive line takes a considerable toll on the body. That's even truer for undersized linemen such as Scott Wells. As he enters his mid-30s, staying healthy becomes a more monumental task. Even if he stays on the field, it's been over two years since Wells last played at a high level.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 12, 2014, 09:23:58 pm

Ian Rapoport        ✔   @RapSheet 
Follow
#Packers are letting BJ Raji & Ryan Pickett walk. So, if McCarthy says they are not getting smaller, who will they find bigger than those 2?


9:29 AM - 21 Feb 2014


I believe GB will draft a NT.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on March 13, 2014, 02:37:57 pm
Packrat...really? Picket and RaJi? I thought those were main guys on the DL? Who are they going to get to replace?

I am not excited about Jennings on the bears either.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 13, 2014, 07:13:42 pm
Josh from Fargo, ND

Is the Ted Thompson way (draft and develop) the only way to go, or is it just one way of running a team?

Every team is a draft-and-develop team. You can’t SUSTAIN winning without committing to drafting and developing talent; free currency is too expensive of a platform for player acquisition to use it for roster building. Having to participate in free currency is an admission that you made a mistake in the draft. All teams make mistakes in the draft. The good ones make the fewest mistakes.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 13, 2014, 07:21:18 pm
Jason from Green Bay, WI

I know Ted doesn’t want to overpay players, but is there not someone we can bring in? Veteran guys? I am sure guys like Peppers and Allen would take less money to play in Green Bay.

I called Julius and Jared and asked them if they’d take less money to play in Green Bay. They started laughing and then hung up. Jared said something about going out back and picking a veteran pass rusher off the veteran pass rusher tree. Jason, you sound desperate. It’s March, Jason.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 13, 2014, 07:37:08 pm
Following Jermichael Finley's neck injury against the Browns, Quarless moved into the starting lineup and gradually became a reliable pass catcher in the Packers offense. His consecutive games of six catch, 66 receiving yard, and one touchdown against Atlanta and Dallas played a large part in Green Bay sealing those wins. The Packers expect even more production in 2014.

 

With Quarless now in the fold, the Packers have now retained three of their free agents with Mike Neal and Sam Shields re-signing.

Update #1: Quarless' contract is worth $3 million ($350,000 guaranteed) for two years.

Update #2: According to Tom Pelissero of USA Today, the deal is broken down into the following:

Signing Bonus: $350,000
2014: $800,000 base salary, $200,000 roster bonus, $75,000 workout bonus ($1.25 million salary cap hit)
2015: $1.3 M base, $200,000 roster bonus, $75,000 workout bonus ($1.75 million cap hit)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 13, 2014, 07:43:48 pm
Jermichael Finley is leaving Seattle today & there is mutual interest in him signing with #Seahawks, per source. Waiting for clearance tho
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 13, 2014, 07:46:45 pm
Packers: Signed DE/OLB Mike Neal to a 2-year contract
Neal comes back on a two-year deal, which we now have learned is worth $8 million total with a $2.5 million signing bonus.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 13, 2014, 07:47:35 pm
Bears: signed S M.D. Jennings to one-year contract
LOL, at any price.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 13, 2014, 07:49:05 pm


Lions: signed WR Golden Tate to 5-year, $31 million contract
Gross. Now we have to deal with that guy twice a year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 13, 2014, 07:52:40 pm


#Texans TE Owen Daniels, a former UW product, is making a visit to Green Bay to meet with the #Packers, according to an NFL source.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on March 14, 2014, 09:18:48 am
to me FA is kind of like credit card debt. Sometimes you might get in a bind but if you use it too often it will bite you in the rear.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on March 14, 2014, 12:28:49 pm
We had that problem in the Wannsteadt ERA. Too many broken down FAs.

And kind of with Angelo because Angelo couldn't draft in the first 3 rounds.

I'd rather have Finley or Quarles.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on March 14, 2014, 12:34:30 pm
Oh no...no more dancing Raji State Farm discount double check commercials?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 14, 2014, 03:27:32 pm
With the premium free agency dollars now spent, the Packers hunt for potential bargains with defensive linemen Vance Walker and Letroy Guion.

With the most of the free agency riches now in the pockets of the Jairus Byrds of the NFL, the focus shifts to value signings. In that spirit, the Packers reportedly plan to meet with several free agent defensive linemen.

Reports surfaced yesterday that Packers brass scheduled a meeting with former-Raider defensive tackle Vance Walker. A six-year veteran, Walker has steadily improved as both a pass rusher and run defender during his time in Oakland. Over the past two seasons, he became the Raiders' most reliable defensive lineman after Lamarr Houston.

The Packers aren't Walker's only suitors, however. The Chiefs, led by former-Green Bay Director of Football Operations John Dorsey, visited with the free agent on Thursday. It's no surprise that the teams expressing interest in Walker all derive from the Ron Wolf's front office.

The interest in Walker doesn't come at the expense of other free agents, though. A report from St. Paul Pioneer Press' Chris Tomasson (since confirmed by ESPN's Rob Demovsky) indicates that Green Bay is also pursuing former-Viking Letroy Guion. Guion is another young defensive lineman fresh off his rookie contract. However, unlike Walker, Guion hasn't developed into a reliable pass rusher. Rather, he may simply be a block eater who can free up the linebackers to make plays.

With C.J. Wilson, Johnny Jolly, and Ryan Pickett still unsigned, the Packers need to find alternatives to fill out depth behind the starters. This assumes that B.J. Raji, who has still yet to find a deal with another team, is returning for 2014. Neither Walker or Guion appear capable of starting at nose tackle, the position Raji would fill should the Packers retain him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 14, 2014, 03:30:46 pm

Jaguars: signed DE Chris Clemons
This is Chris Clemons the defensive end who played for Seattle, not the safety from Miami. That Chris Clemons is still on the market, and we think he would be a good add for the Packers
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on March 14, 2014, 03:33:44 pm
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/03/14/b-j-raji-remains-in-green-bay/
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 14, 2014, 03:36:51 pm

Buccaneers sign Packers lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith

Posted by Darin Gantt on March 14, 2014, 4:16 PM EDT

The Buccaneers continued their onslaught on the free agent market, as they try to rebuild an offensive line taken apart piece by piece.

The latest addition was Packers free agent offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith, the team announced Friday afternoon

****.   >:(
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 14, 2014, 03:39:55 pm

B.J. Raji remains in Green Bay

Posted by Michael David Smith on March 14, 2014, 3:32 PM

B.J. Raji will remain with the only team he’s ever played for.

Raji, the free agent defensive lineman who has spent his entire five-year career in Green Bay, has agreed to a new contract with the Packers. It’s a one-year deal for $4 million, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Last year Raji started all 16 games for the Packers, and he’s started all but two over the last four years. The Packers took Raji with the ninth overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft.

Raji was the No. 26 player in our Free Agent Hot 100, and as of early this afternoon he was the fourth-best player available among those who hadn’t signed. Now he’s not available any longer, and he’ll return to Green Bay.

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 14, 2014, 03:43:43 pm
Posted by Mike Florio on March 13, 2014, 9:35 PM EDT

Green Bay Packers' tight end Jermichael Finley celebrates his touchdown against the Chicago Bears during the third quarter of their NFL football game in Chicago...

Packers tight end Jermichael Finley told PFT Live during Super Bowl week that he’d be ready to hop a flight to Seattle if he made it to free agency.

He did.  And now he’s hopped a flight out of Seattle.

Per multiple league sources, Finley’s visit to Seattle ended on Thursday.  It’s unclear whether an agreement will be reached.  The primary purpose of the visit, we’re told, was to allow the Seahawks assess his current health.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 14, 2014, 04:12:28 pm
PackersNews.com MT @adbrandt: Sense BJ Raji went to market, saw what was behind Door #2, came back to #Packers and said "Let's make a deal."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on March 15, 2014, 03:42:28 pm
Strange signing by the Peckers. Peppers? really? Didn't they play against him last year? Peppers is toast.

I can't wait for the Bears to run the ball right at Peppers. + Peppers is NOT a 3-4 DE. Peppers can't stop the run in 4-3...he's old and not capable of 3-4 DE.

Strange signing. He was terrible against thePeckers last year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 15, 2014, 03:48:30 pm
NFL Network: Packers sign DE Julius Peppers

NFL Network's Will Selva brings you the latest news from around the league, including defensive end Julius Peppers signing a three-year deal with the Green Bay Packers.

??I don't understand this.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 15, 2014, 06:50:49 pm
Posted by Mike Florio on March 15, 2014, 5:49 PM EDT

Peppers
AP

For 12 years, Julius Peppers has played defensive end in a 4-3 front.  He’s now shifting to a 3-4 in Green Bay, prompting speculation over whether he’ll move to outside linebacker (as plenty of successful 4-3 defensive ends have done) or stay at defensive end.

Whatever he ends up playing, change seems to be coming.

“I’m going to let Coach McCarthy deal with questions about the position and the scheme. I’m not really sure. We haven’t talked in detail about what the plan is going to be for me, but I can say it’s going to be something different,” Peppers told the team’s official website on Saturday.

Officially, Peppers has been listed as a defensive end by the Packers.  But that label isn’t binding.  It actually could be part of an intentional misdirection, aimed at keeping teams guessing about how he’ll actually be used.

Regardless of how he’s used, Peppers says he has plenty to give.

“I have a lot left in the tank,” Peppers said.  “I have a lot left to give, a lot left to offer.  I want to show people I can still play the game at a high level. . . .  My goal is to play football at a high level.  I’m a pass rusher, so that’s going to be a big part of what I can do.  Play hard and have an impact in every game.”

Peppers admits that his performance in 2013 was “not up to my personal standards.”  His standard for 2014 is to pursue what has eluded him throughout his career — a Super Bowl win.

“That’s the most important thing,” Peppers said.  “I haven’t won a championship.  That’s where my focus is.  I feel like the team is set up to make a run and I feel I can help get it there.”

The Packers have gone one and out in the playoffs for three straight seasons since winning the Super Bowl.  The team’s struggles have arisen in large part from defensive lapses, especially in the postseason.  The fact that a 34-year-old pass rusher whose skills seem to be declining is regarded as an upgrade shows how much help the team’s defense needs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 15, 2014, 07:38:52 pm


Defensive Ends


Defensive Ends

Elsa/Getty Images



1. Michael Johnson (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)—Signed a five-year deal (via Josina Anderson on Twitter)


Under 30 (27) and with all the tools of an elite pass-rusher with an ability to play the run at a very high level as well? He and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy are going to be awfully fun to watch together—just, maybe not for the NFC South quarterbacks.

 

2. Michael Bennett (Seattle Seahawks)—Re-signed a four-year deal (via Ian Rapoport on Twitter)

One of the best free agents on the market for a second year in a row, Bennett now finds a better market for his services and got locked up for a longer period with the Super Bowl champs.

 

3. Everson Griffin (Minnesota Vikings)—Re-signed a five-year deal (via Ian Rapoport on Twitter)


Griffin is 26 and has had fantastic production in a reserve role behind Jared Allen and Brian Roberson. He was always going to get rewarded this offseason, but the Vikings were shrewd to keep him around, even if it meant opening up the checkbook pretty far.

 

4. Julius Peppers (Green Bay Peppers)—Signed a three-year deal (via Josina Anderson on Twitter)

The Bears didn't want to keep this productive player, so he heads to Green Bay where he should be a situational rusher and look awfully imposing across from Clay Matthews... 

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on March 15, 2014, 08:49:13 pm
LOL
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on March 16, 2014, 10:03:09 am
Productive player?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on March 16, 2014, 11:11:05 am
$14 million worth of production?

Sorry
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 16, 2014, 07:20:55 pm
$14 million worth of production?

Sorry

We'll have to wait and see.  He wasn't playing that well in the Bears' system but McCarthy and Thompson are not fools. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on March 16, 2014, 07:28:41 pm
"My goal is to play football at a high level. " why didn't he do that last year? He was horrenodus against the run.

As Stve Rosebloom i nTribune today said....at least the Bears know they will only need a single blocker against Packers DE.

Teams ran right at Peppers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 18, 2014, 08:50:23 pm
Jeff from Loves Park, IL

Vic, the signing of Peppers takes playing time away from?

I don’t know. That’s what we’re going to find out in the spring and in training camp. Will the addition of Julius Peppers allow Datone Jones to move to the left side, the run-stuffing side? Or will Peppers be moved around so that everybody will get a few plays off? When I think of Peppers being used in multiple, creative, imaginative ways, I think not only of Tony Brackens, but also of Jevon Kearse. Chad Brown is another guy that comes to mind. I have a feeling Peppers is really going to enjoy playing for his new team and Coach Capers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 18, 2014, 08:52:08 pm
Todd from Jefferson, WI

Vic, how do you deal with the irrational ranting of supposed fans? Who questions their doctor about how to perform surgery? Yet, we have the top GM and coach and everyone plays armchair free agent and draft expert in running our team.

The fans just want the team to sign somebody, anybody. They especially want the team to sign somebody from another team. Why do they feel this way? It’s because they see the other teams signing guys and they’re afraid their favorite team is getting left out and falling behind the competition. The salary cap just doesn’t resonate with the fan as much as the acquisition of personnel does. The average fan doesn’t fully understand the cap, therefore, he or she elects to ignore it. Talking about the cap isn’t nearly as much fun as talking about players. I get it, but it’s no less a fact that the cap runs your team and if you damage your cap, your team is at some point going to pay a harsh and hopeless price. Those words don’t resonate, but they give me satisfaction knowing that I have given my readers trustworthy information.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 18, 2014, 08:53:34 pm
Jeff from Washington, DC

If Peppers puts his hand on the ground but plays like a linebacker, how does that affect the rest of the defensive line?

Maybe they’ll play a typical 4-3 gap-control scheme, or maybe the other three guys will two-gap, as they would in a conventional 3-4 scheme. You’re disguising your scheme. You’re giving the offense a 4-3 look with a 3-4 scheme. Finding ways to stay fresh is a good thing, but you still have to execute whatever scheme it is you’re playing.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 18, 2014, 09:00:43 pm
Garrett from Baltimore, MD

Can you give us your take on Letroy Guion? I remember him being an up-and-coming defensive lineman, and then cooled off the last few years.

When I saw him play in 2011, I remember thinking to myself that Kevin Williams isn’t the only Vikings defensive tackle that can play. I was impressed, so when Guion was cut by the Vikings, I became interested in him. Can his arrow be turned up again? If anybody can do it, Mike Trgovac can. Guion is another one of those one-year-contract free agents that seem to have become a trend in this year’s free agency period. Teams are hard-capping themselves and it’s a smart thing to do. Instead of pushing money out on long deals that mortgage a team’s future, teams are doing one-year, front-loaded contracts, or deals that spike in salary in year two that protect the cap beyond the current year. If it turns out to be a bad signing, then at least it won’t damage any year other than the current year. That’s hard capping. Instead of purchasing players, teams are effectively renting players for a year. That’s how I’ll remember this year’s free agency
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 18, 2014, 09:02:51 pm
Tudor from Saint Augustine, FL

Premier free agent signing? He’s a 34-year-old defensive end in decline. Seems to go against everything you preach and everything Thompson stands for.

The manner in which the contract is structured eliminates any risk to future caps. That’s why it doesn’t violate everything about which I preach and everything for which Ted Thompson stands. It doesn’t mortgage the team’s future. If it’s a bad deal, it’ll only hurt the team in the current year. That protection was achieved by spiking Peppers’ salary in 2015 to $8.5 million. If the Packers want out of the contract after this year, Peppers’ $5 million remaining bonus proration would accelerate into the current year and the $8.5 million would go away, which means Peppers would be a $3.5 million cap savings released. Spiking the salary in ’15 is a means of prepaying on the cap. The cap is your friend. Take care of the cap and the cap will take care of you. I have no doubt you have read those words before.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 18, 2014, 09:08:54 pm
Graham from Dartford, UK

So the signing of Peppers will bring a lot of joy to some, if not all Packers fans. I am not so sure, especially in regards to the price we paid for his services at his age, but I get the feeling there is a lot more to this signing than meets the eye. Do you agree?

It’s all about the role in which he will be cast. He is not a conventional, two-gapping, 3-4 defensive end.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 18, 2014, 09:10:44 pm
Kyle from Black Earth, WI

In what way will Julius Peppers fit into our defensive scheme and how big of an impact do you think he will make?

Maybe it was fate that I continued to write about the way Dom Capers used Tony Brackens in Jacksonville. Well, here it is. My expectation is that Peppers will be Brackens, which is to say the equivalent of a 3-4 linebacker with his hand on the ground. Capers coached the Jaguars in 1999 to the No. 1 rankings in points allowed and sacks. He did it in a 4-3 alignment, which has been the point of my having mentioned it so many times. Again, alignment isn’t scheme. It’s what you do in that alignment that is your scheme. Capers incorporated a lot of 3-4 principles into the 4-3 alignment the Jaguars used in 1999. I’m expecting something similar for the Packers next season. I see Peppers being moved around. I see him dropping into coverage, just as Brackens did. Peppers is a great athlete; he played basketball at North Carolina. I see Peppers being used in space as a playmaker, just as Brackens was. I see Peppers being used in a lot of stunts and twists. I see him rushing the quarterback and I see him intercepting the pass of a quarterback that didn’t expect Peppers to drop into coverage. That’s the kind of versatility Peppers offers Capers, just as Brackens did.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 18, 2014, 09:11:24 pm
Josh from Seoul, South Korea

Vic, the Peppers signing gave me, as a fan, something of a thirst quencher. Offseasons for Packers fans are a bit dull. I feel like this gave us a bit of excitement to hold us over.

I’m starting to get it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 18, 2014, 09:13:33 pm
Claus from Honefoss, Norway

Vic, I was hoping you could confirm one detail of the signing of Julius Peppers. Given that the Bears released him and he was not an unrestricted free agent per se, is it correct to assume he will not play a role in the compensatory pick formula?

He will not figure into the formula for compensatory pick consideration. It’s the advantage to signing guys that were cut prior to the start of free agency. Baltimore consistently does this so they can get comp picks: Elvis Dumervil last year, Steve Smith this year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 18, 2014, 09:14:43 pm
Jerry from Des Moines, Iowa

Vic, is Julius Peppers a good value for the price? Would you have done that deal?

It’s all about the role for which he was acquired. This isn’t a best-available-athlete signing. Peppers was signed with a specific role in mind and his ability to execute that role will determine the return on his value. Would I have done the deal? If my defensive coordinator had come to me and said I can use this guy in a role that will make us a more multiple and formidable defense, and given the way the deal is structured, and given a thumbs-up on Peppers from my personnel department, I would’ve done the deal. Without that specific role in mind, I would not have done the deal. Coach Capers is bearing a lot of pressure to fix the Packers defense. You have to give him the players he needs to do that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 18, 2014, 09:16:27 pm
Jered from Baton Rouge, LA

Vic, it would appear as though Ted listened to Jared and did go back to the veteran pass rusher tree. Ted began to shake that tree vehemently, and out of it fell Peppers, right into his lap.

Whoa! Get that notion out of your head. “Veteran pass rusher tree” is a metaphor for leftover, minimum-wage pass rushers. Peppers is not a leftover, minimum-wage pass rusher. This is a premier free-agent signing. This is the one you all wanted. This is the one you bashed Ted Thompson for not making. He didn’t go out back and pick Peppers off a tree. Thompson went to the head of the class and signed a big-name guy for a sizable guaranteed-money commitment. Be happy. Giggle, chortle. The day for which you have longed has finally arrived. Knock yourself out.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 18, 2014, 09:18:22 pm
Tom from Yorktown, NY

Vic, explain to me the upside of signing Peppers. Then explain to me the downside.

The upside is the Packers have acquired a player that’ll allow Coach Capers to wear out a lot of chalk. Remember that interception by B.J. Raji in the NFC title game? You’re gonna see more of that, but with Peppers dropping. I remember seeing the Lions use Ziggy Ansah in a very creative pass-rush stunt last season. It’s the kind of stunt that’s perfect for Peppers. Remember how Coach Capers talked about needing length and athletic ability in space against quarterbacks such as Colin Kaepernick? Peppers is that kind of player. I think we’re going to see the depth of Coach Capers’ playbook now. Most of last year, with Clay Matthews out of action, the Packers were vanilla. They couldn’t do much because they didn’t have much available to them. Matthews was out, then Nick Perry was out, and Datone Jones had yet to develop into the space player he was drafted to be. I envision those players meshing with Peppers into something creative and exciting. That’s the upside. The downside is that Peppers is 34.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 18, 2014, 09:19:15 pm
Vic, I know signing Peppers was a cheap deal relative to NFL standards …

It is not a cheap deal. Just because the deal is structured to protect the Packers’ salary cap doesn’t mean it’s cheap. If he plays out the deal to its fullest, Peppers would currently be the third-highest average-salary player on the team. It’s the lack of a lot of guaranteed money that makes the deal favorable for the Packers because it protects the team against Peppers’ age. That doesn’t mean it’s cheap. It just means it’s smart.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 18, 2014, 09:28:35 pm
Clips and comments on Peppers:

http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Top-100-Players-of-2013-Julius-Peppers/e8573725-bbdb-4fd6-a085-ff577bf10228
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 18, 2014, 09:31:39 pm
ocial media has changed the way athletes interact with the media. Instead availability being limited to mostly team-orchestrated events, players now possess the ability to voice opinions and make statements outside of the traditional confines of their teams and representatives.

Such was the case this afternoon with Packers free agent tight end Jermichael Finley. In a now deleted tweet, Finley rebutted the suggestion that the Seattle Seahawks chose not to offer him a contract during his visit last week.

Given that Finley has since deleted the tweet, it suggests that either the Seahawks offer fell below the tight end's expectations or he believes a greater offer is still out there. As free agency is over a week old and most of the crazy spending has subsided, the former is the more likely scenario.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 18, 2014, 09:34:10 pm
It's not a big name, but the Green Bay Packers are apparently continuing to add new pieces to their defensive line. Last Friday, we learned that former Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Letroy Guion was in Green Bay for a visit. Apparently, that visit was positive, as Guion is going to be a Packer:



Unlike Julius Peppers, Guion is not a player who brings much of value as a pass-rusher. Instead, he projects to a similar role that C.J. Wilson had in Green Bay over the past few years: he can substitute in and out of the base defense and eat up some blockers, hopefully allowing the Packers' linebackers to roam free.

In 2013, Guion played and started 13 games for the Vikings at defensive tackle. He recorded one sack, one pass breakup, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery, as well as 21 total tackles. Guion's contract will likely be a bargain, as the six-year veteran's production does not warrant a big-money deal. Not surprisingly, it looks like Guion's contract will be a one-year deal, allowing him to hit free agency once again in 2015.

Like Peppers, Guion was released by his old team. Therefore, he will not affect the Packers' possible compensatory picks in 2015.

With the addition of Guion, the Packers have seven players under contract who project to play meaningful snaps on the defensive line: Josh Boyd, Mike Daniels, Datone Jones, Mike Neal, Julius Peppers, B.J. Raji, and Jerel Worthy. The odds of Ryan Pickett or Johnny Jolly returning to Green Bay for the 2014 season appear to be dwindling quickly.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 18, 2014, 09:36:35 pm
Less than a year ago, B.J. Raji and agent David Dunn turned down a deal that reportedly would have paid the defensive lineman an average of $8 million annually. Today, we're reminded yet again how ruinous that decision turned out to be.

According to multiple media outlets, only $500,000 of Raji's one-year, $4 million contract is guaranteed signing bonus. While that figure is high enough to ensure Raji a spot on the final 53-man roster, it's a precipitous drop from what surely would have been multiple millions of guaranteed dollars in the deal rejected last offseason. At a minimum, Raji's new contract contains over $17 million less in guaranteed money than his rookie contract.

The contract also contains $300,000 in roster bonuses paid out in $18,750 increments for each game Raji is active. He'll also earn $100,000 in a workout bonus. The remaining $3.1 million is standard base salary.

 

All of which is to say that if there was ever a financial incentive to motivate Raji towards a big year, this is it. If he fails to deliver for the second consecutive contract year, he'll spend the remainder of his NFL career going year to year rather than landing the long-term deal he desires.

Dumm.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on March 19, 2014, 06:35:57 am
Ryan from Mount Dora, FL

Vic, Is Peppers going to lead us to the Super Bowl?

Well of course.  Even though Peppers is 34 and has multiple nagging injuries.  He will be good for 22 sacks, 52 defensive pressures, 5 interceptions.  I mean Capers is even considering signing Pepper Johnson to a deal, as he feels the aging LBer "still has a bit left in the tank".  I really think the Pack go 16-0 with Peppers with his hand in the dirt on multiple 3-4 fronts.  The beautiful thing is that even if Aaron Rogers goes down, Peppers can fill in at back up QB and still lead us to the promise land. 

Ryan from Mount Dora, FL

Vic did you watch Peppers play at all last year?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 19, 2014, 09:01:33 pm

Packers re-sign RB James Starks

Posted 4 hours ago













The Green Bay Packers have re-signed RB James Starks. The signing was announced Wednesday by Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations Ted Thompson.

Starks played in 13 games with one start in 2013 and rushed for 493 yards and a career-high three TDs on 89 carries. His average of 5.54 yards per carry this past season ranked No. 1 in the league among running backs with 80-plus attempts. Starks was also tied for No. 2 in the NFL with three TD runs of 20-plus yards.

Drafted by the Packers in the sixth round (No. 193 overall) in 2010 out of the University at Buffalo, Starks has played in 35 games during his career with five starts and has rushed for 1,427 yards and five TDs on 322 carries (4.4 avg.). He has also caught 45 passes for 351 yards (7.8 avg.) and a TD.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 19, 2014, 09:18:03 pm

View image on Twitter 


 Green Bay Packers        ✔   @packers 
Follow
#Packers have re-signed James Starks. His 5.54 avg. in 2013 was #1 among RBs with 80+ carries: http://oak.ctx.ly/r/thy6 

 
4:39 PM - 19 Mar 2014
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on March 20, 2014, 02:12:04 pm
Now that's a good player. Starks is a great complement at RB. I am surprised other teams did not go after him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on March 20, 2014, 02:18:57 pm
HAHAHA. Peppers is no longer a premier pass rusher.....and is ANOTHER season older. He is NOT as mobile as he once was and certainly not able to cover a TE.

Maybe 4 years ago Peppers would be a good signing.....but he is going get nothing but worse.

I am guessing there is a good chance the Peckers release him in the middle of the season...especially with the way he played last year

They're smoking a lot of dope up in GB over the Pepper signing.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 20, 2014, 08:29:18 pm

GREEN BAY – At least twice during his time as the Green Bay Packers’ defensive line coach, Mike Trgovac has used Julius Peppers to illustrate a point about another player. In those conversations, Trgovac spoke very glowingly of his former pupil

Peppers, who signed a three-year deal with the Packers on Saturday, played for Trgovac for seven seasons with the Carolina Panthers, from 2002 through 2008. Trgovac was the Panthers’ defensive line coach for Peppers’ rookie season, when he had 12 sacks in 12 games while also forcing five fumbles. From 2003 through 2008, Trgovac served as the Panthers’ defensive coordinator, but parted ways with the Panthers and then-head coach John Fox after the 2008 season. He joined the Packers when head coach Mike McCarthy switched to the 3-4 defense and hired Dom Capers as defensive coordinator.

Last summer, after the Packers drafted defensive end Datone Jones with their first-round pick, Trgovac was asked if Jones bore any resemblance to the 6-foot-7, 287-pound Peppers, an athletic freak who played football and basketball in college at North Carolina.

“One thing Julius did, Julius detailed his game and every year I think he got better and better and better,” Trgovac said. “One of the things I concentrated with on Julius when he was a rookie was not giving him 50 million things to think about so he’s out there rushing the passer thinking about this, thinking about that. He had 12 sacks his rookie year and I think he only played 12 games. Then the next year I added more to his instruction.

“You wanted his natural ability to take over. That’s exactly what we’re trying to do with Datone. You try to make sure you don’t overload the guy because he is a good athlete.”

Two years earlier, Trgovac was asked about a player whom some perceived wasn’t playing hard all the time. There have been times during Peppers’ career when his effort level has been questioned, but Trgovac insisted that Peppers was never lazy during his time coaching him.

“Everybody said that about Julius, and the more we researched it, the more it wasn't true,” Trgovac said. “You've got to be careful sometimes. Sometimes somebody will give a guy a label and it'll get spread around like it did with Julius, and it wasn't true. Julius works his ass off and has been a great player. So you have to be careful. Sometimes a bad rumor gets started about a kid and it just keeps going and multiplying. So you have to make the decision for yourself.”

Following the 2008 season, Peppers asid he wanted out of Carolina, adding that he wanted to play in a 3-4 scheme where he could be a stand-up outside linebacker. The Panthers kept him by placing the franchise tag on him, despite his protestations, but he remained steadfast in wanting to leave the team even after Trgovac's departure. It's unclear whether the two were on good terms or not at the time of Trgovac's departure.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 21, 2014, 08:23:25 pm


With two of their other receivers in line for contract extensions this year, the Green Bay Packers were unwilling to pay receiver James Jones a contract similar to or slightly better than the one he just finished with them.

Jones’ three-year contract with the Oakland Raiders signed Monday averages $3.33 million and includes $3.8 million in first-year pay, according to a source with access to NFL salary information. The deal he just completed with the Packers also was for three years, averaged $3.2 million a season and paid $3.75 million in the first year.

A report on NFL.com Monday did not list the Packers among the teams in the final running for Jones, which presumably means their interest in re-signing him did not include an offer in the ballpark of what he signed for with the Raiders. All signs suggest the Packers have made a much higher priority the signing of Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb to contract extensions now that they’re in the final year of their deals.

Jones, who turns 30 later this month, is the oldest of the three — Nelson will be 29 in May, and Cobb will be 24 in August.

Jones’ contract with the Raiders is worth $10 million over the three seasons and includes a guaranteed roster bonus this year of $2 million plus a guaranteed base salary this season of $1.65 million, for $3.65 million in guaranteed pay.

With his $150,000 workout bonus, he will make $3.8 million in the first year.

In 2015 and ’16, Jones will make $3.1 million ($2.95 million base salary and a $150,000 workout bonus).

He also has incentives of up to $433,333 each season.

Raji's contract

Defensive lineman B.J. Raji’s one-year contract with the Packers is worth $4 million and includes only $500,000 guaranteed.

According to a source with access to NFL salary information, Raji’s guaranteed money was a $500,000 signing bonus. Because his chances of getting cut are close to nil, he’ll likely make all $4 million.

He’ll receive a base salary of $3.1 million; a per-game bonus of $18,750 for each week he’s on the 46-man game-day roster, for $300,000 maximum; and a workout bonus of $100,000.

Raji, who turns 28 in July, is going into his sixth NFL season.

Guion's deal

Defensive lineman Letroy Guion’s one-year contract with the Packers will pay him $985,000, according to a report by USA Today.

Guion received a $100,000 signing bonus and will make a base salary of $730,000. He also will make per-game roster bonuses of up to $105,000 and a workout bonus of $50,000.

— pdougher@pressgazettemedia.com and follow him on Twitter @Pet


 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 22, 2014, 07:05:53 pm
(http://cmsimg.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=U0&Date=20140321&Category=PKR0101&ArtNo=140321025&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0&Packers-about-14M-under-salar)

Two uses for remaining 18m salary cap money.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 22, 2014, 07:46:11 pm

Julius Peppers and what exactly we mean by "multiple"

By Johnny Blood McNally on Mar 15 2014, 2:48p  41   

 So, Ted Thompson signed someone. Someone famous. While it's something of a joke how often we mock TT for inactivity, the name value of Peppers makes this a change from recent offseasons. Having spent the requisite time gloating in the comments section and taking a quick gander at Windy City Gridiron to see how they're reacting, I can now seriously think about a question that's come up plenty; namely, where is Peppers going to play? (Yes, this is just speculation. Speculation is fun. I have a highly active account on a Green Bay Packers blog site in mid-March. $#@% you. Etc.)

Paraphrasing the general zeitgeist: "He's 34 and not a traditional 3-4 end or outside linebacker. He's been a freakish enough athlete to learn either. If he plays OLB, he won't really have to worry about coverage. He'll be a pass rush specialist and be used on obvious passing downs, moving to an end position in nickel/dime."

All of that sounds delightful to me, but what if the comments about being "more multiple" on defense over the offseason suggest that we might actually try to play a 4-3 at various points? Not necessarily as a base, but just to mix things up? Raji supposedly wants to play more of a penetrating tackle spot, and our 3-4 ends could shift inside on such a package, with Neal or Daniels playing end, or, to go the other way, Matthews or Perry. What we would be missing if we wanted to do this was a traditional 4-3 defensive end. Peppers may not be the missing link to carry us from mediocre defense back to 2010 levels, but I do think the options for scheming just expanded.
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on March 24, 2014, 12:57:03 pm
Unfortunately for the Peckers.....that's not the same Peppers....Peppers took GAMES off....this year Peppers could NOT handle a single man block...this year Pepper was non-existent onrun plays.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on March 24, 2014, 01:25:30 pm
and likely Peppers will look like his former self this year and help the Packers get to the SB :-(
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on March 24, 2014, 03:29:48 pm
I doubt, I think he's toast.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 24, 2014, 08:21:22 pm
hortly after the Super Bowl, projections for the NFL's compensatory draft pick awards began to surface. Compensatory selections are awarded to teams that lost players in free agency the previous year and did not sign outside free agents of commensurate value. As the Packers allowed Greg Jennings and Erik Walden to walk for big paydays elsewhere, some projections had them receiving as much as a third and sixth round pick.

Back then, we cautioned that because of the convoluted nature of the compensatory system, no projection can be truly dependable.


Before anyone gets too excited, remember that these projections are inexact, especially when it comes to third-round picks. As Kempski explains, "[t]hird round picks are fairly rare, therefore the cut-off point for them is not easily decipherable. There is a possibility Green Bay's comp pick for losing Greg Jennings will be a 4th rounder.

As it turns out, our concern over the projections was justified, albeit not for the reasons we expected. As the NFL revealed today, the Packers were awarded compensatory picks in the third and fifth round...

;-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 24, 2014, 08:24:22 pm
(http://cdn3.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/30611369/451779183.0_standard_783.0.jpg)

While the NFL has yet to reveal this year's compensatory draft selections (of which the Packers could earn as high as a third rounder), the league did announce performance-based pay for each team.

The performance-based pay system is designed to compensate players -- usually those still signed to their rookie contracts -- who play significantly more snaps than their salary contemplates. This generally benefits late-round picks and undrafted players who become starters the most.

As for the Packers, 2013 fourth-round pick David Bakhtiari earned the most performance-based pay on the team with $256,882.22. Fellow offensive lineman Don Barclay followed close behind with $236,693.64.

 

The full list of performance-based compensation for each team can be found here. It's interesting to note that even Aaron Rodgers, the Packers $110 million quarterback, apparently didn't earn enough this past season, netting an additional $5,391.36.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 24, 2014, 08:26:30 pm
Allen: Jones brings more than just veteran presence to Raiders - ESPN Wisconsin

When you're saddled with a team like the Raiders, obtaining veteran leadership and savvy may seem considerably valuable. While that's true, it means little to your locker room if those veterans can't meaningfully contribute to the team's success. James Jones isn't the type of player that turns around an offense, but he's highly productive and has been a part of multiple deep playoff runs. That carries a lot of water in a locker room, especially to the young players at his position.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 24, 2014, 08:27:48 pm
Julius Peppers' 'different' role for Green Bay Packers may look familiar to NFL fans - Sports Illustrated

The short version of Chris Burke's excellent explanation of the elephant role is this: Julius Peppers (or any Packers defender playing the position) will essentially line up in a two-point stance right on the line of scrimmage. The location is well beyond the offensive tackle. Basically, it's a 4-3 under formation heavily utilized by teams like the Seahawks.

http://nfl.si.com/2014/03/21/julius-peppers-green-bay-packers-elephant-position/
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 24, 2014, 08:41:28 pm
We’re still hanging tight with free agency as the Green Bay Packers have nearly 10 players still on the market, but we’ve also witnessed the bulk of GM Ted Thompson’s work in this player securement avenue and it’s time we refocus on the NFL Draft.

Sure, TT will probably re-sign a few of his own still out there: John Kuhn? Johnny Jolly? Ryan Pickett? Robert Francois? If he can get them with value deals, expect Thompson to close a few more deals in free agency.

But now the real work starts.

Thompson is well known across the NFL landscape as the draft and development guru – doing some of his best work with not only his draft choices, but the undrafted free agent diamonds he tends to unearth every spring.

Sam Shields, Don Barclay, Sean Richardson, Jamari Lattimore and Tramon Williams (though originally signed by the Texans) come to mind, but just last year, here’s a list of undrafted players who made the roster last season: Andy Mulumba, Lane Taylor, Myles White, and Jake Stoneburner,

Thompson, who was signed back in the day himself as an undrafted free agent, will be looking to improve his defense through the draft and will most likely be focusing on the safety position, as well as linebacker and possibly cornerback.

With his work in free agency, it looks like defensive line has been addressed, but that doesn’t mean Thompson won’t expend a high draft pick on the D-line if the right player is available. Same goes for offensive line (center) and tight end.

However, with the loss of wide receiver James Jones to the Oakland Raiders, the need at the position becomes a bit more important. Yes, Jarrett Boykin is in line to take over and, in my mind, could be the team’s next superstar, but the position is also primed to add another receiver through the draft. And with this being one of the deepest drafts in memory at the position, Thompson could probably look to the third, even fourth rounds to find a quality player.

Beyond first-rounders Sammy Watkins, Mike Evans, Marquise Lee and Kelvin Benjamin, there are many receivers in the round 2-4 range and beyond who might fit well into the Packers’ hi-octane offense. Thompson could be eyeing guys like LSU’s Jarvis Landry, Fresno State’s Davante Adams, Penn State’s Allen Robinson, Vanderbilt’s Jordan Matthews, or possibly even Wisconsin’s Jared Abbrederis.

There are plenty of other wide receivers who might fit into a later round draft by the Packers, but we all know that Thompson likes the early- to mid-round skill players -


 
if he doesn’t unearth an undrafted receiver.

With both Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb scheduled for big paydays and Boykin with at least another couple seasons under contract, the Packers will need to find some young legs that might add competition for those other receivers already on the team’s roster: Myles White, Sedderik Cunningham, Kevin Dorsey, Alex Gillett, and Chris Harper.

Maybe Thompson believes he already has a corps of receivers in-house he can work with, but I can’t believe that with the depth of talent in this year’s draft that he won’t take a shot on at least one of those players to improve the position.

But let’s be straight – Thompson needs to continue to work to improve the team’s defense, first and foremost. Once he gets that done, expect him to turn to the offense and expect him to continue to look for players who will help Aaron Rodgers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 25, 2014, 08:12:59 pm
Speaking the media during the NFL owners meetings, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy discussed the team's plans for Julius Peppers, B.J. Raji, and a host of other players.

While the primary purpose of the annual NFL owners meeting is to vote on new rules and count everyone's bounty, coaches and team personnel also talk with the media. It provides a little insight into a given team's planning in the lead up to the draft and after free agency has reshaped their roster.

Packers head coach Mike McCarthy didn't reveal much about the team's plans for the center position, but he went on record regarding just about every other major offseason question.

Perhaps the biggest question now that the offensive tackle situation has been sorted out concerns the role free agent signee Julius Peppers will undertake in the Packers' defense. McCarthy revealed that Peppers will practice with the linebackers and position coach Winston Moss. Don't take that to mean that the team expects him to play at outside linebacker, however. As discussed in yesterday's Curds, the Packers are likely to utilize Peppers and other defenders as elephant ends in a 4-3 under alignment. Peppers may indeed play some linebacker, but he's probably going to be at the line of scrimmage most of the time. McCarthy also noted that the team plans to restrict his playing time to fewer than 800 snaps. Such confirms the widely held suspicion that Peppers will be more of a situational pass rusher than every-down defender.

Sticking with the defensive line, McCarthy confirmed that B.J. Raji will play at nose tackle in the upcoming season.

Near the start of free agency, Green Bay's one-year, $4 million offer to B.J. Raji was reportedly contingent upon a return to the nose tackle position. McCarthy confirmed as much, remarking that the Packers will "cut him loose" and "need to get him over the center" again. Based on those comments, the team obviously believes that Raji can be a field tilter again if used in this role.

McCarthy reiterated his comments from last month that Micah Hyde will see his role increase in 2014. "[Hyde] deserves the opportunity to be an every-down player. He was standing on the sideline too much (in 2013)." Hyde is expected to play both safety and slot corner this upcoming season with some speculating he could compete for the full-time safety job vacated by M.D. Jennings. However, McCarthy isn't worried about the position, stating, "We've got a lot of time."

Another popular topic has become the Packers' thinking at backup quarterback. McCarthy confirmed that Matt Flynn remains in the team's plans and may still re-sign. As we speculated earlier this week, the team wants to retain three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster in 2014.

McCarthy also discussed some of his injured players. When asked about the severity of the ankle sprain defensive end Datone Jones suffered late year, McCarthy acknowledged that it was "worse than we probably thought." That at least partially explains why Jones' playing time was heavily curbed near the end of the season. As for running back Johnathan Franklin, McCarthy revealed that he did not have neck surgery as previously speculated. That's a good break for Franklin, who demonstrated fantastic running ability during his lone extended opportunity in week 3.

  That's all from McCarthy. Keep your internet machines tuned to Acme Packing Company for the latest Packers news and developments.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 25, 2014, 08:16:07 pm
Chris Roth   @rothchris 
Follow
Mike McCarthy tells me @BBulaga will play Right Tackle, they talked a few weeks ago. @DBak69 stays at Left Tackle.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 25, 2014, 08:21:07 pm
The smallest distribution to a Packers' player went to backup tackle Derek Sherrod, who will receive $2,154.55. He was active for seven games but only took six snaps on offense all season.

Here’s a list of the top-10 and bottom-10 performance-based bonuses on the Packers’ roster:

Top 10
•T David Bakhtiari: $255,882.22
•T Don Barclay: $236,693.64
•S M.D. Jennings: $201,938.58
•WR Jarrett Boykin: $172,727.89
•CB Micah Hyde: $169,675
•CB Davon House: $145,556.19
•OLB Andy Mulumba: $145,179.21
•DE Mike Daniels: $138,212.73
•S Chris Banjo: $131,400.05
•RB Eddie Lacy: $122,371.61
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 25, 2014, 08:24:31 pm
Film clip - draft silliness.  Rodgers versus Brohm?

http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2014/3/24/5521760/sb-nation-selects-brian-brohm-franchise-quarterback
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 26, 2014, 02:35:34 pm
Josh from Milwaukee, WI

A third-round and a fifth-round compensatory pick? That makes me so happy to be a fan of the way the Packers do free agency. I can’t wait to see the players we get as free picks, all for being willing to let expensive players go.

It’s a reward for commitment. It’s a reward for patience. Would you have traded Greg Jennings for a third-round pick? Erik Walden for a fifth-round pick? You betcha.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 26, 2014, 02:38:43 pm
Tim from Rosario, Argentina

Vic, the Packers stand at 33 total compensatory picks since comp picks began in 1994. That is the second-most behind Baltimore at 41. Seeing those additional 33 comp picks makes me like draft-and-develop even more.

It’s the best way and every team in the league knows it. Enforcing it is the issue. Do you have the resolve to discipline yourself and your program to resist the temptation of the quick fix in free agency? Does your ownership have the patience to commit the time it takes to make draft-and-develop work? Can you keep the wolves away from your door? If you can answer yes to those questions, you will one day be very happy you did.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 26, 2014, 02:41:20 pm
Robb from Juneau, AK

Do I have this right? Part of Ted Thompson’s draft strategy, in particular collecting compensatory picks, may be why he lets some quality players leave in free agency, especially since losing players calculates into determining how many extra picks the teams gets.

You got it. The salary cap/free agency system is sheer genius. It is an amazing combination of concepts that massage each other to create a strategy for sound football management. If you use that combination efficiently and effectively, it’ll reward you. It’ll keep your roster young and affordable. You don’t have to be a genius. The system is the genius. Just execute the system. That’s what Ted Thompson does. He executes the system by maximizing its rewards. To do that, however, you have to be willing to let players leave, and you have to be confident in your ability to replace them
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 26, 2014, 02:46:47 pm
Nick from White Bear Township, MN

Why do you think the Packers felt Peppers would be a better fit than Jared Allen?

I think the answer is obvious: The Packers believed Julius Peppers was a better acquisition for their needs. Why did they feel that way? I think one of the reasons is that Peppers allows Dom Capers a lot of creativity. I think Peppers offers the potential to be a better player in space. I see Peppers dropping into coverage; I don’t see Allen in that role. I think Peppers is going to resurrect the zone blitz for which Capers is famous. I think that in his many roles, Peppers is going to be fun to watch. Coach McCarthy gave us a preview on Tuesday of what we might see next fall.

Matthews and Peppers - Sic 'em.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on March 26, 2014, 03:00:21 pm
LOL
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 26, 2014, 03:14:47 pm
Peppers will enjoy playing beside another real pass rushing threat.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on March 26, 2014, 04:42:19 pm
Peppers is done. 34 years old. Takes entire games off the last 2 years.

He had 7 sacks last year with 3 in one game....so 4 sacks in 15 games - brilliant!! By the end of the year he was single blocked.

Peppers isn't the physical specimen he once was....and how many DEs drop into coverage. WHY would you want ypour passing rushing DE to drop into coverage? LOL If I am playing the Packers I want the right DE to drop into coverage....but he has to because all your right side LB does is rush the passer.

Peckers signed the wrong DE.

Mathews has injury issues.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on March 27, 2014, 08:25:44 am
I think at one time (if healthy) Peppers dropping into a zone coverage could be pretty disruptive. With his height and wingspan can occupy a lot of passing lanes.

I'm unsure if he can still do that or not, we'll see.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on March 27, 2014, 10:48:04 am
He can't cover a TE or RB today. 4 or 5 years ago maybe. Peppers can't handle most OT's these days.

It's sounds like the Peckers think they have 26 year old Peppers. Peppers covering Matt Forte or Matilus Bennett?? I will take that any day if I am the Bears...who is Pepper going to cover? Marshall?

Put the bong down.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 27, 2014, 01:57:10 pm
I think at one time (if healthy) Peppers dropping into a zone coverage could be pretty disruptive. With his height and wingspan can occupy a lot of passing lanes.

I'm unsure if he can still do that or not, we'll see.

Very good points.  On target, Navigator (hey, I made a pun.)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 27, 2014, 02:16:19 pm
McCarthy: "Running the ball against eight-man fronts is something you have to do in this league." His point is that learning to do that will pay dividends in the long run.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 27, 2014, 02:26:53 pm
Ross Cockrell is FAST



How fast? Duke is officially reporting that Cockrell ran sub-4.4 in the 40-yard dash and had a 39" vertical jump. Along with 12 reps of 225 reps in the bench press, Cockrell's numbers could push him into the fourth round of the draft.

Notable prospects:

DE Kenny Anunike (projected late-round pick)
CB Ross Cockrell (projected fifth-rounder)

Indiana

Cody Latimer wows scouts

Cody Latimer hadn't been a much-discussed name amongst a talented wide receiver class heading into the 2014 NFL Draft. That should change following a very impressive pro day performance. Standing 6'2, 215 pounds, Latimer posted an unofficial 4.39 in the 40-yard dash and a 39" vertical leap, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Those numbers coupled with an excellent last season at Indiana could be enough to push him to the top of the second day of the draft.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on March 27, 2014, 02:27:50 pm
If dropping a large man back into coverage worked it would been done a long time ago. Peppers best asset was rushing the QB...something he is not very good at anymore.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on March 29, 2014, 09:24:27 am
If dropping a large man back into coverage worked it would been done a long time ago...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=8dO828YUmlg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=8dO828YUmlg)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on March 29, 2014, 09:32:12 am
Packer Football is Awesome.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=BpGFZ-yKX6g (https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=BpGFZ-yKX6g)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on March 29, 2014, 10:33:08 am
Yeah, there's your QB skipping into the end zone...awesome...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on March 29, 2014, 01:54:47 pm
Good luck with Peepers he is 34 years old. Good comedy. If he was a top DE he would still be with the Bears.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 29, 2014, 08:07:55 pm
JC Tretter to get first stab at Packers' center job | JSOnline

Cornell player.  Should be good at calling OL plays.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 29, 2014, 08:13:12 pm
McCarthy's trust in Capers carries on

March, 26, 2014

By  Rob Demovsky | ESPN.com

Mike McCarthy thinks Dom Capers has the hardest job on his coaching staff.

Not because a segment -- even if it's a small but vocal one -- of Green Bay Packers' fans love to gripe about the veteran defensive coordinator's scheme and play calling.

Packers head coach Mike McCarthy insists defensive coordinator Dom Capers has the hardest job on the staff."Well, I'm really not aware [of that] at the level obviously that you are," McCarthy told reporters Wednesday during the NFC coaches breakfast at the NFL annual meetings in Orlando, Fla.

No, the Packers coach thinks Capers' job is difficult for other reasons.

"Dom Capers has the toughest job on our staff; I can tell you that from experience," McCarthy said. "Anytime you're a coordinator for a head coach that is predominantly on the other side of the ball, there's a lot of responsibility there. His responsibility with his assistant coaches is a lot higher than with the offensive coordinator, and obviously his background of being a head coach was a big part of why we went that direction. You know, he has a lot of responsibility, and I'm very in tune with the way he goes about it."

Questioning Capers' future in Green Bay has become something of an annual rite ever since his defense finished last in the NFL in 2011, the season after the Packers won Super Bowl XLV. But McCarthy's support of the 63-year-old Capers, who is believed to be one of the highest-paid defensive coordinators in the NFL with an annual salary of around $2 million, has never wavered.

"He's definitely the right man for the job," McCarthy said...

Second the motion.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 30, 2014, 10:48:52 pm
http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Rodgers-celebrates-with-Badgers-mens-basketball/1d3b2de1-f662-4e8e-b965-81828c2e891f

Rodgers celebrates with Badgers' basket ball players.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 30, 2014, 11:00:52 pm
A detailed look at the GB-Peppers deal.

Posted by Mike Florio on March 30, 2014, 6:22 PM EDT

As we break down more deals that were advertised to be something more than they really are, more and more league insiders are pointing out other deals that have had puffed values.

The most common deal mentioned is the contract signed by Packers defensive lineman Julius Peppers.  But there really wasn’t any puffing by Peppers’ agent, Carl Carey.

Carey accurately described the contract as having a mere $7.5 million in guaranteed money and being worth up to $30 million over three years.  However, many have glossed over the “up to,” assuming it’s a straight $10 million per year contract.

Here are the actual numbers.  As Carey initially said, there’s only $7.5 million in guaranteed money, and all of it was earned on the sixth day of the 2014 league year — two days after the contract was signed.  Another $1 million (which isn’t actually guaranteed but as a practical matter is) will be paid in 2014 base salary.

If the Packers decide to keep Peppers for 2015, he’ll earn a base salary of $8.5 million, a workout bonus of $500,000, and per-game roster bonuses that max out at $500,000, if he suits up for every game.

For 2016, the base salary is $7 million with another $500,000 workout bonus and another set of per-game roster bonuses maxing out at $500,000.

That’s a three-year haul of $25 million with another $1 million based on how many games he plays in 2015 and 2016.  Escalators can push another $2 million into 2015 and into 2016.

In an era where fewer and fewer multi-year deals are honored by the teams that sign them, Peppers’ deal really could be only a one-year arrangement, worth $8.5 million.  Whether Peppers is a Packer in 2015 will depend largely on how he plays in 2014
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on March 31, 2014, 12:13:12 pm
He will be with the Peckers one year. I am guessing 4 or 5 sacks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 01, 2014, 08:06:37 pm
Opponents will face a new-look offensive line in 2014.


In a surprise move today, Packers coach Mike McCarthy told reporters that the offensive line will get a major overhaul next season. Citing a need to maximize player versatility in case, "everyone gets friggin' injured again", McCarthy said the offensive line players will be moving one spot over because, "that seems to make sense when you think about it."

That new alignment will feature David Bakhtiari at left guard after a stellar rookie season, while Josh Sitton will play center in the absence of the recently-departed Evan Dietrich-Smith. This comes after McCarthy hinted that Sitton could be a candidate for the center job last week. Rounding out the line, T.J. Lang will be moved to right tackle (a position he has played sporadically in the past) while Bryan Bulaga will take reps back at left tackle as was initially planned for the 2013 season.

In referring to right guard, offensive line coach James Campen was quoted as saying, "We did one of those online surveys among the coaches and concluded that the best way to fill that position is to rotate players in based on matchup." When asked to clarify, Campen simply said, "You'll just have to see" before holding up a Packers jersey with a giant question mark on the back. JC Tretter, Derek Sherrod, and Don Barclay will likely be among the candidates to start at right guard.

GM Ted Thompson made a brief media appearance, saying the following:


You never want to show all your cards to your opponent. We're firmly committed toward making our offensive line a unit no one can really game plan for, including ourselves.

Fans will be able to get a look at the new-look offensive line when training camp kicks off later this summer.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 01, 2014, 08:13:28 pm
Betting on Julius Peppers' production - ESPN
The over/under on sacks for Peppers in 2014 is nine. I'd take the under, but not because I don't think he'll be effective; on the contrary, I think his presence will allow other players to get to the quarterback more often.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 01, 2014, 08:14:50 pm
Top 5 NFL free agents remaining: DeSean Jackson likely to sign soon, but others still available - SBNation.com
The SB Nation staff slots Jermichael Finley in at 3rd place on this list. Also out there is Champ Bailey, who would make a very appealing option at safety if he would sign for the veteran minimum. (Plus he was released by Denver so he wouldn't count against the compensatory picks!)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 04, 2014, 07:20:00 pm
Ethan from Grand Forks, ND

I think I’m more excited about John Kuhn being re-signed than the acquisition of Julius Peppers. What’s the most exciting offseason move the Packers have made, in your opinion?

It’s the acquisition of Julius Peppers. I think I’m finally going to see the Dom Capers I had always known. By that I mean I think I’m going to see the Packers do some Capers-like things on defense, most notably the zone blitz for which Capers’ defenses are famous. Remember the B.J. Raji interception in the 2010 NFC title game? Where has that been since then? Well, in 2011 the defense struggled with the basics, which kept them from delving deeper into the playbook. In ’12, Capers was plugging in a lot of rookies, which meant having to stick to the basics. In ’13, injuries left the defense hanging on for dear life. My hope is the acquisition of Peppers, the continued development of young talent and the return to health of players such as Clay Matthews will allow Capers to empty his bag on opponents. First, you have to know you have players that can execute those schemes. Maybe now they do.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 04, 2014, 07:26:55 pm
Al from Covina, CA

Don’t you recall that when Rodgers was injured last year he was caught from behind?

I was providing a figurative example. Please, allow me some wiggle room. Let’s not make this an exercise in finding the hole in every opinion or the exception to every rule. It has long been accepted that first a quarterback’s legs go, then his arm goes, and that he can play without his legs, but he can’t play without his arm. That’s what I was figuratively attempting to express. The careers of Unitas, Montana and Marino were ended by declining skills. They lost something off their fastball, so to speak. It appears that’s how Peyton Manning’s career will end. I see some of it in Tom Brady now. John Elway lost his legs and got out before he lost his arm. Terry Bradshaw’s career was ended by arm surgery. Others felt the onset of age and retired. Rodgers has been relatively injury free; the collarbone injury was to his left collarbone. He’s years from the decline stage.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 05, 2014, 07:09:14 pm
Daniels says returning players will spark defense, 49ers loss should sting


By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel   

Updated: 6:56 p.m.

Green Bay --- Again, the Green Bay Packers didn't dive into free agency. But in addition to Julius Peppers, they will be getting multiple starters back from injuries.

Echoing Casey Hayward, defensive lineman Mike Daniels believes these players returning can key a turnaround defensively. Hayward (hamstring), Clay Matthews (thumb), Nick Perry (foot) and co. should make a big difference, he said.

"Casey made a good point," said Daniels during the "Big Event for Little Kids" at Shopko Hall Saturday. "We get highly criticized on defense. That doesn’t rub us the right way by any means. But you have to understand a lot of us are always getting hurt. We have a lot of injuries we’re dealing with. So let us all play together for once. I feel as if this season you can see a lot of guys taking precaution to being healthy and making sure they can play all 16 games.

"We can all play together. Let us all play together on the field for once. We have a lot of really good players at all the positions. Let us all on the field for once.”

Talking to teammates on the phone, Daniels added that "the whole mentality in the building" will change.

He described the start to last season as a step.

“Last year, we were kind of getting there a little bit," Daniels said, "whereas now I feel like from top to bottom we’re going to go in a different direction.”

After a promising start to the 2013 season, Green Bay's defense -- particularly the run defense -- regressed sharply down the stretch.

The Packers defense as a whole finished 25th in total yardage, 25th in opposing passer rating and had only 11 interceptions in addition to opposing backs running free through November and December.

Rewatching his team's playoff loss to San Francisco, Daniels did see positives. Down to players the Packers never expected to play at certain spots, they nearly won at Lambeau Field. But he also says that 23-20 loss should sting all off-season. Allowing that sting to set in is only way to eventually overtake the 49ers.

"That’s something we can definitely learn from because there’s a lot of things where maybe a guy was a half-step off or maybe a guy might have lost concentration for a split second," Daniels said. "I know, me personally, I left a couple sacks out there. I know when we watch that tape, we need to let it bother us. We were focused on the number of yards they got on us two years ago.

"I think we need to actually let it bother us. When something bothers you, you don’t return to it.”


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 05, 2014, 07:16:47 pm

A Scout's Take on How C.J. Mosley or Ryan Shazier Could Help the Packers

 By Bob Fox , Featured Columnist  Apr 5, 2014

A Scout's Take on How C.J. Mosley or Ryan Shazier Could Help the Packers

I had another opportunity to talk with scout Chris Landry on Friday on Steve Duemig's radio show, which was guest-hosted by Tom Krasniqi.

I wanted to get Landry's opinion about two linebackers who the Green Bay Packers may have an opportunity to select in the first round with pick No. 21 in the 2014 NFL draft.

The linebackers are C.J. Mosley from Alabama and Ryan Shazier from Ohio State.

Landry gave his take on both of them:

"Both are outstanding and are a little bit different."

I had written about both of these linebackers in a recent story about the best-case scenarios for the Packers in the upcoming draft which takes place starting on May 8.

Shazier had a very nice three-year career at Ohio State, where he had 317 tackles, 45.5 tackles for a loss, 15 sacks, one interception for a touchdown, 16 passes defended and nine forced fumbles.

The draft stock of Shazier is also on the rise due to his showing at the NFL Scouting Combine and also because of the blazing 4.36 (unofficial) 40-yard dash he ran at his pro day.




Jay LaPrete 

First, Chris gave his take on Shazier:

"Shazier is a guy who is going to go in the first round, I agree with you. I think he's an athletic guy who can play over a tight end. He can find his landmarks in coverage. I think he's got some good rush ability. I think he represents a really good value, anywhere from the mid-to-late first round. I think he's a guy who can play Sam-backer. He can play inside and I think he can play a couple of positions."

Mosley also had a very nice career at Alabama, where he had 319 tackles, 23 tackles for a loss, 6.5 sacks, five interceptions (three for touchdowns), 24 passes defended, one fumble recovery and two forced fumbles.

Mosley was also part of two Alabama teams which won the BCS National Championship.

Landry had some glowing words as he talked about Mosley:

"C.J. Mosley is even more versatile. To me, he's kind of the new-age of linebackers, in that he can stay on the field for three downs. He's outstanding in coverage. He's got great pursuit speed. He's got really good instincts. He's a good tackler. I mean he can play the run and he can play the pass with equal effectiveness. Not any issues there. Doesn't play over a tight end as well. More of a weak-side guy. But he is someone who when you go up against spread offenses and some up tempo stuff, he's a guy who you don't have to worry about substituting for because he can run like a deer."

Chris then talked about the value of the Packers taking either Shazier or Mosley with the 21st pick in the first round.

"It would represent good value for either one. We have talked about safety and if (Calvin) Pryor is there. I would expect that Hasean, better known as Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, will be gone. I think those are some ideas for the Packers at No. 21. But I think it represents good value for Mosley and Shazier if they were there."



Stats via Sports-Reference unless otherwise.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 05, 2014, 07:30:48 pm
The Need for a Tight End

One of the biggest reasons Amaro is such a perfect fit is the fact that the Packers have such a desperate need for a tight end. Yes, they have Andrew Quarless, Ryan Taylor and Brandon Bostick on the roster, but do any of those tight ends currently look like a No. 1?

Amaro has the potential to be a top tight end in the league from day one. In the video below, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller compares Amaro's game to Cleveland Browns' tight end Jordan

That's the same Cameron that broke out in a major way to the tune of 80 receptions, 917 yards and seven touchdowns. Oh yeah, and that was with Brandon Weeden throwing him the football. Imagine what he could have done with a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers.

The reality in Green Bay is that this team still needs a top tight end target. It may not be as big of a need as safety, but it's a need nonetheless.

And if a player like Amaro is available for the Packers in the earlier rounds, it'd absolutely be wise to select him

A Perfect Fit in the Offense

When you think about Jermichael Finley, he was really the perfect tight end for the Packers offense if he were to have ever reached his potential. Unfortunately, he never did and now a neck injury will likely keep him from doing so in Green Bay.

Amaro is an extremely similar prospect to Finley, except he's a bit more polished. As you can see from Matt Miller, he's an extremely athletic tight end:



What ultimately makes Amaro a perfect fit for the Packers offense is his ability to do so many things.

When Finley was on the field last year, he played just over 31 percent of his snaps from the slot, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Amaro was made to play from the slot.

The biggest knock on Finley was his struggles with blocking. While many don't believe Amaro can block, he doesn't see it the same way. In an interview with Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, Amaro had this to say about his ability to block:


It’s kind of hard to see what I can do from the television set. I think when (Tommy) Tuberville was there, I did a much better job of blocking. That was my role in the offense was to be more of a blocker and catch the balls. So I think that when (Kliff) Kingsbury came in, he told me I’m going to need you to catch 10-plus balls every single game for us to be successful. I did what he asked me to do and we threw the ball 50, 60 times, but that was our game plan

Amaro is a complete prospect who can do everything that the Packers offense could ever ask him to do.

Conclusion

Not only would Amaro fill a need for the Packers, but he'd be the ideal tight end in the offense that the Packers run. He'd be a major upgrade over any tight end currently on the Packers roster and would almost certainly make an impact from day one.

With Amaro in the lineup, the Packers offense would instantly become even more dangerous that it already is. If Amaro is available to the Packers in the early rounds of the draft, there is simply no reason for them to not select him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 05, 2014, 07:35:11 pm


Tyler Dunne
‏@TyDunne   Caught up with #Packers Mike Daniels today at the "Big Event for Little Kids." Says Peppers "definitely brings a presence." More coming.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 05, 2014, 07:42:27 pm
The "root tree".

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2016841-nfl-101-breaking-down-the-basics-of-the-route-tree
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 07, 2014, 07:14:52 pm
Neal from Hayes, VA

Are we going to address the defense problem in the secondary?

Mike McCarthy has already said Micah Hyde deserves an opportunity to be an every-down player, which I take to mean he’ll be given a chance to start at safety in the base defense. He already played plenty of nickel and dime and likely will have a role there regardless. Casey Hayward is expected back from injury after a lost second season. And with nine draft picks, I would imagine at least one if not two will be defensive backs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 07, 2014, 07:43:15 pm

Kiper: Peppers gives Pack draft flexibility

April, 7, 2014
Apr 7

8:00

AM ET


By  Rob Demovsky | ESPN.com

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The addition of the 34-year-old Julius Peppers might be a short-term fix for the Green Bay Packers' defense.

Peppers
But when it comes to next month's NFL draft, the Packers' most significant free-agent signing since Charles Woodson in 2006 allows general manager Ted Thompson more flexibility with his early-round selections.

So says ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr.

"I think it does," Kiper said. "It gives them that hole filler and that pass-rusher that you need."

Even if Peppers is only a one- or two-year player, it gives the Packers the ability to address other areas of need, especially on defense.

"I think safety, tight end, inside linebacker are positions they could address and could end up falling their way and could fill those major needs," Kiper said.

Let's start with safety, a position the Packers have largely ignored over the past year. They're looking for a playmaker to fill a crater-sized hole at free safety. Two players who started at safety last season, M.D. Jennings and Jerron McMillian, aren't even on the roster anymore. The Packers let Jennings walk as a restricted free agent and cut McMillian before last season ended.

Kiper believes one of the consensus top-two safeties in the draft could be available to Thompson when the Packers pick at No. 21.

"You look at Calvin Pryor from Louisville; I don't think [Alabama’s Ha Ha] Clinton-Dix will be there, but Calvin Pryor could and he's a heck of a football player," Kiper said.

While Kiper said he doesn't think the top tight end, Eric Ebron of North Carolina, will be there when the Packers pick, it's possible the top inside linebacker, C.J. Mosley of Alabama, will be there.

"You can make an argument he'll go a little earlier," Kiper said of Mosley. "If Mosley and Pryor are there, those would be two guys that fill areas of need and are good football players."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 07, 2014, 07:56:36 pm
he Green Bay Packers signed running back James Starks and defensive tackle Letroy Guion to contracts over the past week, and we have been patiently waiting to hear the terms of the two players' contracts. We now know what kind of compensation they will be receiving, thanks to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Bob McGinn.

McGinn also breaks down the bonus structure of the contract in his post on the Journal-Sentinel's website.

So here's your overall breakdown of the deal, which has a few screwy numbers in it due to per-game roster bonuses:

Year Salary/Bonuses Signing Bonus Deferral Other Bonuses Approx. Cap Number
2014 $750,000 $362,500 $257,813 $1.37 M
2015 $1,175,000 $362,500 $257,813 $1.795 M

All told, that looks like one heck of a bargain for a running back who proved a year ago that he was a terrific complementary back. If Starks can stay healthy, it is easy to imagine him having a similar impact to the one he had a year ago. He also provides valuable insurance for Eddie Lacy, should the defending Offensive Rookie of the Year go through troubles with injuries.

Defensive tackle Letroy Guion's contract was also released today, and it is also a bargain. Guion will make just under $1 million in 2014, which is less than a quarter of what he would have made in Minnesota had the Vikings not released him:
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 08, 2014, 02:39:45 pm




 
CB Tramon Williams

Jeremy from Appleton, WI

Vic, I think one thing the Packers defense is lacking is a solid leader. Aaron is clearly the leader on offense but do you see a leader on defense? Or is the Pack still in need of someone to step up and take that role?

I think the leader on defense is clearly Clay Matthews, but when he missed half the season last year, there was a void in more ways than one. That said, Tramon Williams and A.J. Hawk are bigger leaders on this defense than many realize by the example they set. They aren’t rah-rah guys but they are highly respected in that locker room, and for good reason. Williams getting back to his top-notch form in the second half of last season made a huge difference in his presence. The guy who appears to be an emerging leader on the defensive line is Mike Daniels. He’s not afraid to speak his mind, and the more his game develops, the louder his voice might become. And then there’s Julius Peppers, whom you could call a wild-card in the leadership category.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on April 08, 2014, 02:47:44 pm
Why bother playing next year.  After reading the Pecker thread and listening to Washington D.C. radio it's already been decided.

Green Bay got Peppers and the Skins got DeShaun.  They are the two best teams now and will face each other in the Super Bowl.

Might as well just skip straight there right now.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on April 08, 2014, 03:11:17 pm
For some reason Wash doesn't scare me.
I mean we can lose to anyone, we lost to the Lions last year but Wash doesn't scare me.
The Packers however usually have our number.
I don't wish injury on anyone but I would love for Jared Allen and company make Rodgers really, really sore for a few days :-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 08, 2014, 03:13:14 pm
Vic's draft chat:

http://www.packers.com/index-chat.html
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 08, 2014, 03:32:13 pm
Brandin Cooks: More Than Just a Slot Receiver

By Brian Carriveau on Apr 07, 2014 with 56 Comments

Give Brandin Cooks the eyeball test and you might see another NFL slot receiver. The Oregon State product looks like the type that will set up a pace off the line of scrimmage close to the middle of the field and use his quickness to expose slower defenders.

In size and stature, Cooks is practically a Randall Cobb clone. Whereas Cobb stands 5’ 10” and 192 lbs., Cooks measured in at 5’ 10” and 189 at the NFL Combine.

Looks can be deceiving, however. Cooks might appear to the prototypical slot receiver but has plenty of experience lining up on the perimeter of the football field.

“I was on the outside, playing the flanker, playing on the outside my whole career in college, so I saw a lot of that,” said Cooks at the Combine.

Cooks might be small, but he’s got speed to burn. Compared to Cobb coming out of college, Cooks was the faster of the two, running a 4.33 40-yard dash. Cobb ran a 4.46.

It’s speed that allowed Cooks to not only be effective from the perimeter but be downright lethal.

Opposing defensive coordinators might as well have slapped a government warning on their scouting reports when playing Oregon State: Warning: Allowing Brandin Cooks to catch the football may be hazardous to your health.

“For me, I’m a playmaker,” said Cooks. “I’m able to create plays from nothing. Be able to catch a three-yard ball, I’ll take it the distance. Those RAC yards, yards after the catch. Speed kills and I feel like that’s what I’m going to bring to the game.”

Now that James Jones has moved on in free agency, the Packers will have to decide when to add more weapons at Aaron Rodgers’ disposal in the upcoming NFL Draft. And if they decide to do so in the first round, Cooks may be the best receiver available.

Prior to the NFL Combine, opinions on Cooks and where he could be selected were mixed.

“The only reason he's not in my Top 5 is because it's such a deep wide receiver class,” said NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock back in February. “He's a heck of a football player, and I have him as my eighth-graded receiver, second-round grade and if he went at the end of round one, wouldn't surprise me at all.  He can play inside at slot.  He is tremendous at making people miss, tremendous run and catch.  He's a guy I really like.”

After witnessing Cook’s blazing speed at the Combine first hand, Mayock has since moved Cooks up the board to his fourth-rated receiver. That 4.33-second 40 was the fastest among any wide receiver at the NFL Combine and second-fastest overall among all players, regardless of position.

After Sammy Watkins of Clemson and Mike Evans of Texas A&M are selected early in Round 1—a scenario very likely to happen—Cooks is very much in the running to become the third receiver off the board, probably somewhere around the 21st overall selection where the Packers currently sit.

Should Cooks be available, the Packers will have to give him serious consideration despite other needs on the defensive side of the football.

Here is a player that proved to be very worthy of winning the Biletnikoff Awards as the nation’s top wide receiver in 2013 after catching 128 passes for 1,730 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Cooks averaged 9.8 receptions per game during his junior season at Oregon State but also rushed for 217 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries (6.8 ypc) and has experience as a punt returner to boot.

The proven depth at wide receiver in Green Bay is lacking beyond Cobb, Jordy Nelson and Jarrett Boykin, and Cooks could arguably be an upgrade over Jones. Considering the injuries the Packers have had at the wide receiver position the past couple seasons, going after Cooks could make sense.

Some might argue that it would vw superflous to add another threat in the same mold as Cobb, but Cooks has shown to be both versatile and productive, something any team in the NFL could use.

“Numbers don’t lie,” said Cooks, “and what I bring to the game and my confidence with the way I work, my work ethic, I feel like no one is out there working harder than me. I have a lot to prove. I have a chip on my shoulder.

“They say I’m not the tallest, but I feel like there’s so many guys in this game today that are potential Hall of Famers like Steve Smith, who’s killing the game right now. DeSean Jackson. I can go down the list, and there’s (guys) under 5-10 that are definitely great receivers in this game.”

Brian Carriveau is the author of the book "It's Just a Game: Big League Drama in Small Town America," and editor
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on April 08, 2014, 04:04:23 pm
Julius Peppers was not a leader on the Bears D. Especially last year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 09, 2014, 07:24:28 pm
Bryan from Madison, WI

Vic, both Ebron and Mosley are available at 21. Who do you pick?

I participated in another mock draft yesterday. I asked if Ebron was available. He wasn’t. I asked if Mosley was available. He was. I picked Mosley. Had Ebron been available, I would’ve picked him.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 09, 2014, 07:30:28 pm
According to reports, Packers tight end Jermichael Finley will undergo an X-ray on his surgically repaired neck this Thursday followed by an MRI in the next two weeks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 09, 2014, 07:37:33 pm
When the Green Bay Packers signed Julius Peppers to a three-year, $26 million contract that included a $7.5 million signing bonus, they allowed themselves to get out of the contract after just one season should Peppers prove to be over the hill at 34 years of age.

If the Packers release Peppers in 2015, it won't come cheap. He would cost $5 million in dead money against the salary cap next season, but that's the price of adding a potential difference maker to a unit that's underachieved ever since winning the Super Bowl following the 2010 season.

In the event that the Packers want to find the next "Elephant" end in this year's NFL Draft and a potential successor to Peppers, they might look in the direction of Missouri's Kony Ealy.

At 6' 4" and 273 lbs., some people think Ealy is a 4-3 defensive end, some think he's a 3-4 end, and some think he could even be a 3-4 outside linebacker. Ealy calls himself, "a hybrid."

"I'm an athlete," said Ealy at the NFL Combine. "I've been able to move around. Fortunately Coach Stec (Dave Steckel) at Missouri, the defensive coordinator, put me in good positions to do so, and I think I did a good job of showing my athleticism."

To say Ealy is an athletic is an understatement. At the NFL Combine, he did the three-cone drill in 6.83 seconds, the best among all defensive linemen, one of only two under seven seconds and .14 of a second better than the next-closest player.

If there's a player Ealy compares to at the NFL level, it's probably another former Missouri product, Aldon Smith of the San Francisco 49ers. Smith was a player thought to be an ideal fit as an end in a 4-3 defense but has succeeded as a linebacker in the 49ers' 3-4 defensive system, utilized primarily as an edge pass rusher.

"I compare myself to Aldon," said Ealy. "He's a freak athlete. He gets off the ball. He probably had a little more sacks than me in college in my career. And J.J. Watt when it comes to pass deflections."

During his junior season in 2013, Ealy had 42 tackles, 14 for a loss, eight sacks, three forced fumbles and six passes broken up in helping to lead Missouri to the SEC East title and being named first-team All-Conference. In three total college seasons, Ealy accumulated 27 total tackles for a loss and 12.5 sacks.

Considering he faced left tackles the likes of Jake Matthews of Texas A&M, Greg Robinson of Auburn and Antonio Richardson week in and week out in the SEC, Ealy's statistics come as all the more impressive.

Not everyone thinks Ealy can be an outside linebacker in a 3-4 system, however.

"As far as Ealy is concerned, ended up liking him more than I expected to, and I think he's a 4-3 defensive end," said Mike Mayock of the NFL Network. "I don't really think he's an outside linebacker.

"I think to compare him to, say, Smith who came out a couple years ago. He's not quite as athletic as Aldon Smith, but he's a little more physical, a little better against the run. So I think he's probably a base 4-3 end, and I think he'll go somewhere in that 20, 23 range in the first round."

The Packers fall in that 20 to 23 range with the 21st overall selection in May's Draft, but they'll have to decide whether they want to invest another first round draft choice in an "Elephant" type of defensive end with players like Peppers, Nick Perry and Mike Neal all under contract for at least the next two seasons.

Perry and Neal both have a lengthy injury history, but both have also shown to be effective when healthy, and that's where issues may arise. NFL teams can never have enough good pass rushers, but if players like Ealy, Peppers, Perry, Neal, Mike Daniels and Datone Jones are all healthy, the Packers may find it difficult to find room to put them all on the field at the same time.

Even if the Packers feel as if Ealy is the best player available at No. 21, they might feel an obligation to fill a position of greater need such as safety, inside linebacker or a big receiver target.

Presuming they couldn't pass up Ealy, however, the Packers would be getting a player ready for the challenges of transitioning from college football to the NFL.

"Just being more serious about about the job and knowing that you don't have any instructions, there's no class, there's no friends, it's strictly business, just everyday grind," said Ealy. "You get in, you work on getting in your playbook. Knowing your plays is really key and also working on technique."

Brian Carriveau is the author of the book "It's Just a Game: Big League Drama in Small Town America," and editor of Cheesehead TV's "Pro Football Draft Preview." To contact Brian, email carriveau@uwalumni.com.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on April 10, 2014, 11:42:41 am
They Peckers will be out of the Peppers contract just like the Bears. he WAS a great player for a long time....his time is up...he even showed that 2 years ago.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 10, 2014, 02:56:41 pm
Jordan from Hartford, WI

You think Packers fans shouldn’t fixate on the safety position? With the disaster we have at the position now, I think fans should fixate all they want.




That’ll help? I think safety is a heavily-baited position in this draft. I think our obsession for finding a safety has created a cast of characters that aren’t nearly as good as the renown we’ve also created for them by repeating their names day after day. I’ll tell you this, in the days before I headed to Mobile for the Senior Bowl, I asked Tony about this year’s safety class and he told me it’s one of the worst in recent history. I found other draftniks to agree with that opinion. Then I went to the Senior Bowl, and I’m looking at my Senior Bowl roster right now and Terence Brooks, Kenny Ladler, Craig Loston, Deone Bucannon, Ahmad Dixon, Dez Southward and Jimmie Ward are the safeties on it. Loston is the only guy out of that bunch I can remember having noticed. When you see a crop of wide receivers as there is in this draft, there’s reason to fixate. When you see an Aaron Donald and a Chris Borland perform as they did at the Senior Bowl, it’s understandable why you might fixate. But I’m not seeing anything at safety to cause me to obsess. Calvin Pryor went to the combine and shrunk three inches and then ran a 4.6. They say he plays faster than his time, and I’m sure he does, but do you understand what I’m getting at? Maybe Tony had it right in the first place and we’re fixating on prospects that can’t fix the problem. Maybe Micah Hyde is the guy on whom we should be fixating.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 10, 2014, 03:00:22 pm
Keith from Lake Forest, IL

Vic, looking at the Packers roster as it exists now, is there a guy after B.J. Raji that can hold down the double teams at nose tackle?

I love the Letroy Guion signing.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 10, 2014, 03:04:34 pm
Jack from Madison, WI

They say it is one of the deepest drafts this year. Let’s trade down. What say you?

I just texted Tony, asking him about safeties. “Is one worthy of a first-round pick?” “Not until late 20s on my board with Pryor slightly ahead of Clinton-Dix,” he texted back. OK, we’re inside a month until the draft, so let’s get serious about this. “Give me half a dozen guys that fit at 21,” I texted to Tony. “BAP?” he wrote back. “BAP,” I countered. “Louis Nix, Darqueze Dennard, Odell Beckham Jr., Kelvin Benjamin, Timmy Jernigan, Derek Carr,” Tony answered. So, according to Tony’s board, would you rather pick one of those six guys, or trade down and pick a safety?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 10, 2014, 03:06:46 pm
Paul from Zanesville, IN

Vic, I took your advice and found a website that lists players’ salaries and their cap numbers. I was shocked. The top 10 capped Packers account for 56 percent of the team’s overall cap number. I can see why you always say a team is looking to stay young. Young equals faster, healthier and (most importantly) cheaper. Everyone should take a peek at the cap situation from time to time and maybe your inbox would be a happier place.

If you don’t know the cap, you don’t know football. I don’t mean that in an unkind way, I mean to encourage fans to learn about the cap. It will explain so much about why teams do what they do, and it will increase your enjoyment of the game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 10, 2014, 03:13:38 pm
LB Jordan Zumwalt:

http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-1/Prospect-Primer-LB-Jordan-Zumwalt-UCLA/b98b0710-8807-436b-b29c-34ea5f00ce63
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 11, 2014, 02:53:52 pm
John from Manitowoc, WI

All the media draftniks are very quick to assign grades to each team’s draft, before any of the draft choices have even played a down in the NFL. Does anyone ever go back and give a grade years later, when the real results of a draft are apparent? Or does anyone ever grade the draftniks for accuracy? It allows us to separate the good draftniks from the bad ones.

Do it on your own. Decide for yourself who you can trust. I went back and watched the videos we did from the most recent Senior Bowl and my opinion of my man Tony Pauline was reinforced. He nailed it over and over. It was as though he was predicting how we’d feel about these guys two months later. I think Kiper, McShay and Mayock do excellent work. Mayock was on the money with Luke Kuechly, for example, and you remember something like that. Will they miss on a guy? Of course they will. The best GMs in history missed on guys. It’s impossible to hit on everyone. It’s a crystal ball business with hits and misses. Your opinion of the draftniks has to be based solely on your opinion of their presentation and track record. I like Tony because he has never held back his opinion and his track record is solid. Remember last year? He said Datone Jones would take time and he predicted that Eddie Lacy was just what the Packers needed.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 11, 2014, 02:59:24 pm
Paul from Beaver Dam, WI

Vic, do you believe the answer to safety is already on the roster?

Yes, I do, but that doesn’t mean you can’t draft one.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 11, 2014, 03:00:57 pm
Charles from Omaha, NE

Vic, I’ve been a fan of the Packers since before I moved to the United States in 1999, but I have to admit I did not develop an actual appreciation for the game itself until I began reading your column. This year feels like a rebuilding year. Do you think the team feels the same?




This is absolutely not a rebuilding year, but it’s a year of change, especially on defense, and most people would view that as a good thing. At the NFL annual meeting two weeks ago, I asked Mike McCarthy if he thought his team was better on paper now than it was at this time last year, and he said it is. The Packers are loaded on offense. They need to fix their defense and I believe that can be done. There is every reason to believe the Packers will be a playoff contender in 2014, which means they’ll be a championship contender.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 11, 2014, 03:22:57 pm

By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel   

Updated: 12:41 p.m.

Green Bay --- The New York Giants have reached out to free agent quarterback Matt Flynn, the New York Daily News reports.

The fit makes sense on multiple levels. The Giants may be without Eli Manning for all of spring workouts and new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo worked with Flynn in Green Bay. New York has a workout for Josh Freeman scheduled with one possibly in the works for Flynn as well, per the report.

New York has indicated that Manning's left ankle surgery was a minor procedure and that he'll be running by late May and ready for training camp in late July. But with the first day of Giants organized team activities set for May 28, they're sifting through what's become a weak lot of free agent quarterbacks.

Flynn could be the best available at this point.

When Aaron Rodgers suffered a fractured collarbone last season, the Packers eventually brought back Flynn and the veteran helped keep the team's playoff hopes alive with comeback wins over Atlanta, Dallas and a tie against Minnesota. He completed 61.4% of his passes for 1,146 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions.

If Flynn does sign with the Giants, they'd be his fifth team in seven seasons. After inking a three-year, $26 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks following the 2011 season, Flynn hasn't been able to latch on as a starter anywhere but did prove, at least in Green Bay, that he can be a capable back-up.

Coach Mike McCarthy has expressed interest in bringing Flynn back and having four quarterbacks in camp.

With a full off-season, Scott Tolzien may get a chance to be the team's No. 2 quarterback. And possibly, Green Bay is waiting to see what happens in the NFL draft before acting on Flynn.
 

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 11, 2014, 08:30:33 pm
Why don't statistics tell the whole story of a player's value?

http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Video_Ask_Vic_Peppers_Doesnt_Need_Great_Stats/5738c515-96dc-48ea-9502-11ba271128ae
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on April 11, 2014, 09:46:08 pm
Here is the question you have to ask yourself….If Peppers is truly that great, why did the Bears CUT him?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on April 12, 2014, 11:59:24 am
Peppers took GAMES off....teams ran right at him. Teams STOPPED double teaming him....Peppers had 7 sacks last year, with THREE in one game - what happened in the other 11??? 34 year old DEs are usually done.

Keep hopping 26 year old Peppers shows up. Todays Peppers is just looking for a pay day - suckers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 12, 2014, 03:58:17 pm
An overly expensive contract brought about by the previous deal arranged by the previous GM.

Also, I guess they liked the new guy they signed better.  It depends a lot on how Peppers will be used  in GB. 

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 12, 2014, 03:58:26 pm
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- There are several ways to judge an offseason.

The ESPN Insider team took one approach late last month, when it assigned grades to every team’s free-agent moves Insider. In that project, it gave the Green Bay Packers a C-plus.

Here's another way to do it -- by the Las Vegas odds.

In that regard, the Packers fared even better.

Two months after the LVH SuperBook listed the Packers' odds to win Super Bowl XLIX at 16-1, those odds have improved. In its latest figures released this week, the LVH SuperBook listed the Packers as 12-1 to win the Super Bowl.

Only four teams were listed ahead of the Packers -- the defending champion Seattle Seahawks (4-1), the runner-up Denver Broncos (5-1), the San Francisco 49ers (6-1) and the New England Patriots (8-1).

Vegas apparently likes the direction general manager Ted Thompson has gone this offseason, signing pass-rusher Julius Peppers to bolster the defense and retaining some of his own key free agents such as cornerback Sam Shields, nose tackle B.J. Raji, outside linebacker/defensive end Mike Neal, fullback John Kuhn, tight end Andrew Quarless and running back James Starks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 12, 2014, 04:05:50 pm
Carl Bradford experienced a breakout season as a redshirt sophomore at Arizona State in 2012. With 80 tackles, 21.5 for a loss, 11.5 sacks and three forced fumbles, the world was his oyster.

He could have declared for the NFL Draft after that season, but Bradford didn't give it much thought.

"No, not at all," said Bradford back during the NFL Combine. "I was focused on graduating. I was focused on earning my degree first."

Everything was falling into place for Bradford heading into his 2013 junior season, one in which he could build upon that successful sophomore campaign.

And then in March of 2013, Bradford's father had a heart attack and died in his son's arms. For the ASU linebacker, it was a memory that didn't easily go away.

Thoughts of his father weighed heavily on Bradford as the 2013 season opened, and the Sun Devils got off to a slow start. Arizona State would suffer two losses in the season's first five games.

"Honestly, it was pretty hard at the beginning of the season," said Bradford. "It kind of did affect my play a little bit. But then I began to find Christ again and the Lord and kind of come to a peace in that in a sense and think happy thoughts about him. And that kind of rejuvenated me and started to get me back in this league. He played a key part in it, a real big part."

Following a heart-breaking, three-point, neutral-site loss to Notre Dame in early October, Bradford and the rest of his team rebounded to go on a seven-game win streak to close out the regular season and win the Pac-12 South title.

Despite experiencing far more double teams than he did as a sophomore, Bradford still managed to make 61 tackles, 19 for a loss, 8.5 sacks and three forced fumbles by season's end.

Of utmost importance to Bradford, he also graduated. And with that goal accomplished, he felt as if he could declare for the NFL even though he had a year of eligibility remaining.

Bradford received a third-round grade from the NFL's advisory committee and is now charting his course to professional football by continuing his training, making sure he's healthy and prepared for what lies ahead.

One obstacle facing Bradford, however, is that he doesn't know which position he'll play in the pros. To his credit, he's versatile. During his career at Arizona State, he's lined up at defensive end, outside linebacker and inside linebacker.

"I have experience on the outside, and I can put my hand in the dirt or standing up, so I think that helps a lot," said Bradford.

More often than not, Bradford set up on the line of scrimmage on the outside shoulder of the offensive tackle during his time at ASU. But in certain packages, primarily on third downs, he'd shift to inside linebacker.

Some analysts feels as if he's better suited as an inside linebacker at 6' 1" and 250 lbs. Others feel he's better coming off the edge.

If drafted into a 3-4 defensive front like the Green Bay Packers play, Bradford doesn't know where he'll play.

"No idea," said Bradford, "but I had a couple (meetings with) teams with inside and outside, so I can play either or."

For a team like the Packers that are stressing versatility heading into 2014, maybe having a player like Bradford fits in exactly with what they're trying to do.

Julius Peppers is traditionally a defensive end but will be practicing with the outside linebackers. Micah Hyde is being considered at both cornerback and safety. Mike Neal can rush from both the interior and off the edge. B.J. Raji is expected to move to nose tackle but has experience playing end.

Whatever position he plays, whenever he's selected, whoever he's drafted by, Bradford will always remember the lessons passed along to him by his father and take them with him.

"Keep working hard and always be a giver," said Bradford. "Give somebody your last five cents if you have it. Always make another person smile and have a good day. That's kind of what he left on me."

Brian Carriveau is the author of the book "It's Just a Game: Big League Drama in Small Town America," and editor of Cheesehead TV's "Pro Football Draft Preview." To contact Brian, email carriveau@uwalumni.com.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 12, 2014, 04:09:39 pm

Gil Brandt   @Gil_Brandt 
Follow
Kelvin Benjamin 30th in my new rankings. Was told KB recently blew off workout w NFL coach who had made special trip, said he was too tired


2:37 PM - 10 Apr 2014
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on April 13, 2014, 07:56:34 am
One  thing is for sure, Peppers will have his best games when he plays the bears.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 13, 2014, 08:03:27 pm
One  thing is for sure, Peppers will have his best games when he plays the bears.

Some times it does work out that way.  I ha e seen it happen to some former Packer players when they came back to play the Pack
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 13, 2014, 08:03:53 pm

...
Going hybrid

The details of the Packers’ defensive changes aren’t clear, but the consensus is they want to be more multiple in their schemes and less predictable.

That was a problem during an injury-scarred 2013 when the defense became increasingly vanilla with the amount of new personnel being incorporated. This offseason, McCarthy handed down a mandate to emphasize versatility and creativity in the team’s defenders.

Instead of labeling players as one thing or another, the Packers plan to vary their fronts through the use of hybrid defenders such as Mike Neal, Nick Perry and Julius Peppers. It also could mean someone like Hyde not being strictly classified as a safety or cornerback.

One thing McCarthy has made clear is he wants Hyde playing more than the 40 percent of snaps he saw in 2013. With the re-signing of Sam Shields and Hayward’s return, the easiest way to get Hyde on the field might be through the vacant spot next to fifth-year safety Morgan Burnett.

The Packers could use their 21st pick in next month’s draft on highly touted safeties Ha Ha Clinton-Dix or Calvin Pryor, but there is an in-house candidate who has earned the respect of his peers in the locker room.

“He doesn’t miss many tackles, and that’s what you need as a safety,” Hayward said. “He can also get the ball. People say that’s what we lacked on the back end this past year, so hopefully with this scheme and what we have going on, he has the opportunity where he can help our defense.”

Right now, Hyde is just working on what he can improve in Year 2. He took a few weeks off after the season to allow some lingering nicks and bruises to heal but has been training in Cleveland for most of the offseason.

Hyde knows the defense’s 25th ranking in 2013 isn’t something to aspire to. Neither is a secondary that totaled just 11 interceptions, but there’s “dangerous” potential there if he, Shields, Tramon Williams, Hayward and Burnett can stay healthy.

It goes back to how his rookie season ended and the one memory that’s stuck with him through the offseason — his near-interception of San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick late in the Packers’ 23-20 loss to the 49ers in the wild-card playoffs.

It was a difficult play, but it had pick-6 potential if he was able to pull it down. Next time, Hyde vows it will be a different result regardless of where he’s lining up.

“It was one of those plays that if it happened again, I’d catch it,” Hyde said. “It’s like someone misses a free throw at the end of the game and they went 99 out of a 100 before that. They just missed that one free throw and if you put them back on that line, they’re going to make it.

“It’s one of those things that you wish you were perfect, but God put you on this earth and you’re not perfect. Next time it comes around, I’m going to make that catch.”

— whodkiew@pressgazette media.com and follow him on Twitter @WesHod.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 13, 2014, 08:18:00 pm


Aaron Kampman feels nostaglic in Green Bay

Packers.com editor Vic Ketchman sat down with former Packer Aaron Kampman who talked about his time with the Packers, how he lasted until the 5th round of the NFL Draft, switching defensive schemes, and comparing his time with the Packers and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

I really liked this guy but unfortunately, switching to the 3-4 and injuries did him in.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 13, 2014, 08:19:33 pm


Clifton: Fond memories of being a Packer

Packers.com editor Vic Ketchman sat down with former Packers offensive lineman Chad Clifton who talked about his time with the Packers, Super Bowl XLV, coming back from injury, and his post-career time with family.

Another old favorite.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 13, 2014, 08:23:25 pm
With the 21st pick, we on behalf of the Green Bay Packers selected:

Player: Ryan Shazier

Brian Galliford •SBNation.com

Shazier's speed and athleticism gives him the ability to cover tight ends and slot receivers, which is a critical factor for the Packers as they like to keep their inside linebackers on the field in sub packages. Though his size is frequently cited as a concern, Shazier bulked up from around 228 to 237 pounds in the offseason and showed no loss of athleticism or speed at the Combine or his Pro Day.

Admittedly, Shazier struggles to disengage from blockers, so the Packers' defensive line will need to occupy the opposing linemen; if they can do so and keep the guards off of Shazier, his ability to find the ball carrier and close quickly will be a big boost for the Packers' run defense.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on April 14, 2014, 10:46:27 am
"One  thing is for sure, Peppers will have his best games when he plays the bears."

Or not. The Peppers I saw the last 2 years really didn't give crap about anything. he had few tackles and sacks in 5 games last year. He took games off - Iam guessing because he is OLD in football years. OLD.

Jared Allen is two younger and his agw worries me - but he will not be a Bear by age 34.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 14, 2014, 03:32:59 pm


Packers release WR Sederrick Cunningham


By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel   

April 11, 201

Green Bay --- Coaches will be counting on one, maybe two, new faces at wide receiver stepping up. Sederrick Cunningham won't be one of them.

The team released the wide receiver on Friday. Last summer, Cunningham was placed on injured reserve with a broken wrist suffered the first day of training camp practice. Undrafted out of Furman in 2012, the 5-foot-11, 192-pounder would have been a long shot to make the team this season. With the NFL draft around the corner, Green Bay is letting him go.

Last summer, Cunningham needed immediate surgery, within four hours, of landing funny on a deep ball in practice.

In four seasons at Furman, Cunningham caught 95 passes for 1,196 yards and seven touchdowns. He also averaged 23.5 yards per kick return.

At wide receiver, the Packers currently have Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Jarrett Boykin, Myles White, Chris Harper, Kevin Dorsey and Alex Gillett. This year's draft class is being touted as one of the best in recent memory.
 

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 15, 2014, 06:22:26 pm
Anthony from Saint Francis, WI

Vic, I love football. I love watching it, reading about it, analyzing it, looking at salary caps, statistics, drafts; everything about it, I love. The only thing I don’t love is every day I look up football news and read that somebody got arrested, and I feel as if it’s getting worse. Do you see this being an area that the NFL plans on focusing its attention? This culture needs to change as much as the safety culture is changing.

This game is loaded with good men. Loaded with them! But it’s always had an element that will be linked to nefarious behavior and that won’t change because football is part of the fabric of our culture and our culture will always have an element that will be linked to nefarious behavior. I don’t seek goodness in football. I seek hard-edged competitiveness and I understand that hard-edged people often live on the edge. I covered a cornerback, Deon Figures, who was from Compton, Calif., and who lost six family members and friends to violence in a one-year period. Imagine growing up in that environment, but it was Deon who took Tim McKyer home and sat up with him all night when there was concern for McKyer’s safety. I covered a wide receiver who slept in a box in the street. His mother stole his money to buy drugs, but that player might be the kindest, most polite player I’ve ever covered. I remember a player who was cut from training camp but didn’t leave. He found ways to avoid detection and continued to live there and eat in the cafeteria. When he was finally found out and asked why he hadn’t left, he said he had nowhere to go. A lot of the guys for whom you cheer on Sunday come from backgrounds you can’t imagine. To expect them to be just like us is ridiculous.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 15, 2014, 06:24:22 pm
Derek from Woodbury, MN

Vic, I remember before the 2013 season you were not a believer in Russell Wilson because of his limited size. Then you got lucky and were on vacation the week after the Super Bowl so you didn’t have to eat crow in this column. How has your opinion of him changed, if at all?

It hasn’t changed. He’s a winner. He’s proven that to be true at every one of his stops. I still believe he is limited physically, and when the day comes that he’s a $12 million cap hit instead of a $681,000 cap hit, the Seahawks will not be able to support him with the defense they’ve put around him, and he’ll have to carry a larger load. Can he? The Seahawks were No. 26 in passing last year, but they were No. 1 in total defense and pass defense.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 15, 2014, 06:28:43 pm
Dan from Chippewa Falls, WI



 
 Julius Peppers

I think we just found out how Peppers is going to be used with the release of his jersey number. Does the Mike Neal project ring a bell? Capers got a new toy to play with when Peppers signed.

Mike McCarthy made it abundantly clear a couple of weeks ago at the NFL Annual Meeting that Julius Peppers would be used as a linebacker at the “Elephant” position. He’s also going to be used with his hand on the ground. He’ll be up, he’ll be down and I suspect there will be times when his hand is down that he’ll drop into coverage in Coach Capers’ zone-blitz scheme. That’s where I think Peppers is going to be especially effective.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 15, 2014, 06:31:08 pm
Nick from Ottawa, Ontario

Vic, I am curious what you think about Austin Seferian-Jenkins. At 6-5, 262, he could be a great addition to the offense. I wouldn’t mind seeing the Packers target him in the second or third round, rather than trading picks to move up for Ebron in the first.

Seferian-Jenkins is a real wild card in this draft. No one’s quite sure where he fits because he comes with a lot of issues. Tony Pauline told me this morning, “Second round. Great physical beast but was called out by his coach for crappy practice habits, has a prior DUI and has not run prior to the draft due to a stress fracture in his foot.” So, Nick, do you feel lucky? Would you stake your career to those circumstances? It’s not as much fun when you have to put your name on it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 15, 2014, 06:33:15 pm
Andrew from Bowling Green, OH

Vic, are you as excited for the FIFA World Cup as I am? Great teams competing to be the true world champions of a sport.

I saw that the Pope is a big soccer fan, which only goes to prove that even the Pope can make a mistake.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 15, 2014, 06:38:14 pm
Bob from Birchwood, WI

Who has the tools to be a better pro: Dezmen Southward, Jared Abbrederis or Chris Borland?




Based on the strength of his pro-day workout, it would seem that Southward has the best tools, but where do you find a better football player than Borland?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 15, 2014, 06:51:14 pm
Paul from Folkestone, UK

Because of the Packers’ perceived need at safety, and because of the common opinion that Clinton-Dix will be off the board by pick 21, I took a look at some highlight footage of Calvin Pryor. What struck me is that he seems to lead with his helmet a great deal, as well as hitting receivers with his shoulder rather than tackling. It looks to me that Pryor is more of a Brandon Meriweather than a Troy Polamalu. What is Tony Pauline’s opinion of him?

Tony doesn’t believe there’s a safety in this draft class that fits as high as No. 21. He has Pryor rated slightly ahead of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. We need to move on from this.

Wow. No S in round one.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 15, 2014, 06:52:14 pm
Vic, can you give some examples of players drafted 21st overall who have turned out to be outstanding pros?

Alex Mack is the best No. 21 pick since Vince Wilfork in 2004, and he was the best one since Randy Moss in 1998. Looking through my handy-dandy, homemade, all-time draft book, the No. 21 spot has been a real dog over the last 25 years. I mean, there have been a lot of embarrassing picks at that spot. I’ve just decided the Packers should trade out of 21.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 15, 2014, 06:55:53 pm
Chris from Fond du Lac, WI

Vic, last week you said Craig Loston was the only safety at the Senior Bowl who stood out to you, however, I read that Jimmie Ward was named the Most Outstanding Defensive Back of Senior Bowl week. Why the discrepancy?



 
Phil Savage

Senior Bowl Director Phil Savage announces his position rankings during the Senior Bowl and he put Ward at the top of the defensive back rankings. It’s important to note Savage is a former NFL GM and that he and Ward are natives of Mobile. Here’s what I can tell you about Ward and the Senior Bowl. During practice, a bunch of school kids began chanting, “Jimmie Ward, Jimmie Ward.” I said to Tony, “Have you seen him do anything this week?” Tony said he hadn’t. Other than the first day, I hadn’t seen much of anything from the defensive backs or the wide receivers. The other two days were very windy and the deep ball was missing from practice. I can remember a lot of deep balls thrown the previous year, and that’s what you want because you find out who can flip their hips, close on the ball and play it in the air. Dwayne Gratz, Blidi Wreh-Wilson and Desmond Trufant stood out in those drills last year, but I can’t remember a defensive back jumping out at me this year. I’m giving you a reporter’s opinion. Savage studies the tapes. He’s taking a harder look and he obviously liked what he saw in Ward. Mel Kiper loves Ward. I would definitely put more stock in Savage’s and Kiper’s reviews of Ward than mine, but I’m not going to lie to you and tell you I saw Ward making plays all over the place. I didn’t see him make one.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 15, 2014, 06:59:21 pm
Chris from Savage, MN

Vic, who are three players that could be drafted later than they are projected?

I still think Aaron Donald’s smallishness will cause him to fall on draft day. Teddy Bridgewater has been disappointing in workouts; he could be this year’s Geno Smith. Allen Robinson turned in a terrible workout at the combine. He was too heavy and too slow, and even though he dropped weight and bettered his 40 time at his pro day, I think a deep crop of wide receivers and the lack of deep speed are going to drop Robinson farther than a player of his talent should fall.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 15, 2014, 07:02:12 pm
Mark from Matawan, NJ

I would like to see the Packers draft a tall WR. I see what a Calvin Johnson has done when smaller men try to defend him. What are the chances the Packers will find someone like that in this year’s draft?

There are plenty of tall wide receivers in this draft. Mike Evans and Kelvin Benjamin are 6-5. Martavis Bryant is 6-4 and can fly. Brandon Coleman is a late-round guy who’s 6-6. This draft is loaded with any kind of receiver you want.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 15, 2014, 07:03:05 pm
With no Jermichael Finley for next season, what are the odds of trading up for Eric Ebron?

It’s the one trade-up scenario that makes sense. The Packers wouldn’t have to go up far for him. Do they like him enough to do that? I don’t know. What I do know is the Packers have need at tight end and Ebron is one of those mismatch tight ends Mike McCarthy loves.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on April 15, 2014, 07:44:24 pm
Ok Packy...I've been reading your posts for awhile and I need to ask just one thing. Who the hell is Vic?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 15, 2014, 07:56:03 pm
"Vic" is Vic Ketchman and is an employee of the Packers.  He is Packers.com chief editor.

I have changed my mind a lot about the NFL and the Packers from his articles.  Definitely "old school".

I try to include content that might be of interest to some Bears fans.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on April 15, 2014, 08:02:29 pm
ok...just didn't know who he was or what his credentials were.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on April 16, 2014, 12:11:55 pm
Vic...the guy who writes about the 15 straigh Super Bowl wins....and that EVERY Packer is a Hall of Famer.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 16, 2014, 02:54:40 pm
Dan from Onalaska, WI

Vic, after reading your blog, I’ve decided that many of your followers don’t understand that we can pick a quality safety in rounds 2-5. Who do you think would be the best fit at safety in these rounds for the Packers?

I honestly don’t know, Dan, but if I were a GM in need of a safety, in a year that is said to be weak at safety, I’d be looking at the cornerback crop for my guy. Keith McGill of Utah, Jaylen Watkins of Florida and Dontae Johnson of North Carolina State are three cornerbacks who offer the potential to play safety. This is a new game. The days of the midfield enforcer are over. We’re looking for guys that can cover. We’re looking for safeties that can cover slot receivers. If you can find that kind of player, you have a huge advantage because you don’t have to bring a nickel back onto the field. You can play with your base personnel, should the offense go no-huddle. I think Packers fans have gone Ha Ha crazy. Hey, he may be the Packers’ guy. Tony Pauline said he fits at the bottom of round one and that means he fits in the vicinity of the Packers’ pick. What I’m trying to get across is that we need to think out of the box a little more, instead of obsessing on one or two guys.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 16, 2014, 02:59:19 pm
Aaron from Seymour, IN

I think society is partly to blame for the rise in arrests in pro sports. I agree you have bad seeds everywhere but when they know they’ll only get a slap on the wrist, it makes them worse. What say you?

I leave enforcement of the law to the law. When it comes to football and the law, I have a very simple philosophy: If they’re not in jail, put on the pads.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 16, 2014, 03:01:31 pm
Keith from Lake Forest, IL

Vic, we saw Nick Perry have far more success rushing the passer from the right side last year. How about Peppers, Clay Matthews and Mike Neal, do they have a stronger side as a pass rusher?

Here’s an idea: Rush them all from the right side at the same time.

Needling a fan.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 16, 2014, 03:06:59 pm
Clark from Kansas City, KS

What do you think about Donald Trump being interested in acquiring the Bills? If he did, what would be the chances they stay in Buffalo? Does he have what it takes to be a good owner?

Once upon a time, he had zero chance of approval, but the NFL is far removed from the USFL days, and if Trump can convince the NFL that he’ll keep the team in Buffalo, I think he has a chance of being approved. I’m convinced the NFL has a plan for Los Angeles, and it undoubtedly involves a big franchise fee, and they don’t want another Al Davis moving his team there unapproved and challenging the league in court.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 16, 2014, 03:09:30 pm
Luke from East Dubuque, IL

Vic, I am delighted to hear the Packers re-signed Matt Flynn. He’s a solid backup and I just feel he belongs in Green Bay. It is where he has had his greatest success. Any thoughts?


Yeah, I have one thought: Can we please not panic about every little thing? Can we please just trust that the man who runs this team’s personnel department knows what he’s doing? Let’s look back on the Matt Flynn saga. Ted Thompson allowed him to escape into free agency, despite the manic protestations of fans that wanted to franchise Flynn so the team could trade him. He was gone from the Packers in 2012, when Aaron Rodgers only missed one snap due to injury in the whole season. Last year, Flynn rejoined the Packers after having been released by the Bills and eight days after Rodgers was injured against the Bears. Flynn then rallied the Packers to a tie vs. the Vikings and wins over the Falcons and Cowboys that set the stage for Rodgers’ dramatic return. Would you agree that Thompson played his hand very well?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 16, 2014, 03:11:19 pm
Luke from Galena, IL

Vic, is the “Elephant” position a new wrinkle in Dom Capers’ 3-4 defense? I’ve never heard of it before this year and was curious as to why they didn’t try and push Aaron Kampman into that role. He seems to fit the prototype relatively well.

First of all, Coach Capers only had Kampman for one season, and it ended with Kampman blowing out an ACL late in the year. He then became an unrestricted free agent and signed with the Jaguars, so Coach Capers didn’t have much time to apply Kampman to the Packers’ 3-4. The “Elephant” position was created to accommodate talent. Coach Capers wanted to find a way to use Mike Neal. The “Leo” position in Seattle’s defense is similar. If Coach Capers had a smallish linebacker with a great first step, he might’ve created a “Mouse” position for that guy on the defensive line. You use personnel in whatever ways you might; that’s what coaches do. If you look back through Coach Capers’ history, you’ll see that history is repeating itself, but the current mania for scheme is shining more light on these schemes now. Peppers is going to be used as Tony Brackens was used, and I can remember a defensive end named Kevin Henry being used some that way during Coach Capers’ days with the Steelers. The difference is we didn’t have a name for how Brackens and Henry were used; now we do.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 16, 2014, 04:03:58 pm
http://www.acmepackingcompany.com/2014/4/3/5579386/nfl-draft-2014-kyle-fuller-scouting-report/in/5345851

DB Kyle Fuller.  Looks good.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 17, 2014, 03:20:06 pm
Rod from Peoria, IL

Vic, I’m still struggling to understand the BAP approach to the draft. It seems that value must be relative to the team’s needs. If that is true, then does BAP mean the best available at the position of need, or the best available period, with all players ranked against each other?

Stop! You have no chance of ever understanding this. If you continue to try, you’ll hurt yourself.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 17, 2014, 03:21:09 pm
Matthew from Tamuning, Guam

On packers.com, the poll is “Which NFC North opponent is the biggest threat to the Packers?” The poll results are 51 percent Bears, 46 percent Lions and three percent Vikings. Do you think there’s a chance the Vikings could be the biggest threat?

My vote would go to the Lions. Anything can happen, but Mike Zimmer’s got some rebuilding to do with the Vikings. I like the way they drafted last year and I like the way they’re positioned to draft this year. My expectation is that Zimmer will fix that defense pretty quickly, but there’s work to be done at the quarterback position and that usually requires some development time.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 17, 2014, 03:22:37 pm
Matt from Florence, SC

Vic, this is related to the question by D.J. from Denver and about who you would select in the draft. If the following players were on the board, who would you take: Calvin Pryor, C.J. Mosley, Louis Nix or Justin Gilbert?

Gilbert; he’s a game-impacting return man, which increases his worth.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 17, 2014, 03:24:17 pm
Tim from Normal, IL

Vic, what makes you believe Julius Peppers will be effective in a new role after 12 years as a standout DE?

Peppers is one of the most athletic defensive linemen to have ever played the game. I saw Tony Brackens used as I believe Peppers will be used, and Brackens had the same kind of athletic ability Peppers has.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 17, 2014, 03:26:52 pm
Brian from Portland, OR

Some in my family say Montana was going to be the first pick for Green Bay when he came out, but Starr vetoed it, claiming he would never be a good NFL QB. Is any of that true?

The Packers used a vertical passing game in 1979, when Joe Montana was drafted by the 49ers in the third round. Lynn Dickey was a strong-armed quarterback who was beginning to emerge in an offense that featured one of the most feared deep receivers in the game, James Lofton. There were questions about Montana’s arm strength. He wasn’t a good fit for what the Packers were doing. I doubt Montana would’ve ever achieved the fame he did had he not played for Bill Walsh in an offense that was tailor-made for him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 17, 2014, 03:40:37 pm

Packers 'stoked' about defensive potential with Peppers

Apr. 17, 2014
The Packers hope adding defensive end Julius Peppers will be a significant upgrade for their defense.

The Packers hope adding defensive end Julius Peppers will be a significant upgrade for their d
Weston Hodkiewicz

It didn’t take long for Jarrett Bush to notice Julius Peppers when the future Green Bay Packers cornerback first arrived at training camp with the Carolina Panthers in 2006.

The 6-foot-7, 290-pound frame was unmistakable. The strength and quickness was unparalleled. Whether it was in practice or a game, Peppers was unlike any football player Bush had ever seen.

As an undrafted rookie trying to earn a paycheck, Bush knew he wasn’t just witnessing one of the NFL’s premier defensive linemen — this was one of the best players in the entire league.

Bush didn’t make the cut in Carolina, but soon latched on with the Packers and carved out a nice career for himself as a reserve defender and reliable special-teams tactician.

Now Peppers, after eight Pro Bowls and six All-Pro selections, has joined Bush with the Packers. At 34 years old, this could be Peppers’ final rodeo or the beginning of a whole new chapter.

Bush is betting on the latter.

“I think JP pound-for-pound is one of the most athletic athletes in the league right now,” Bush said before the start of the Packers’ ninth-annual Tailgate Tour on Tuesday. “I think he’s going to give teams a lot of trouble, especially with Clay (Matthews), Nick Perry, Mike Neal and Mike Daniels. … They can’t just double Clay anymore, He’s going to wreak havoc over there.

“He’s definitely a force to be reckoned with. I think with Clay and the whole gang, I think we’ll be a championship-caliber team.”

A shortage of playmakers on the league’s 25th-ranked defense spurred Ted Thompson into action this offseason.

The Packers didn’t go on a shopping spree like Tampa Bay or Oakland, but the additions of Peppers and former Minnesota defensive lineman Letroy Guion are more attractive than last April’s signing of journeyman tight end Matthew Mulligan.

The benefit of bringing in Peppers, the second overall pick in the 2002 draft, is two-fold. Even in a down year with Chicago last season, Peppers’ seven sacks last season would have led Green Bay’s defensive line. His 118½ career sacks are the third-most among active players.

Peppers’ unique skill set also lends itself to working as an “elephant” defender in the Packers’ remade hybrid defense, meaning he will line up both as a defensive lineman and outside linebacker.

The Packers hope to get the same out of 2012 first-round pick Nick Perry and fifth-year veteran Mike Neal, who re-signed with the team last month after converting from defensive line to outside linebacker last season.

Kevin Greene’s resignation means associate head coach Winston Moss will be coaching the entire linebackers room next season with help from assistant Scott McCurley. At last month’s owners meetings, coach Mike McCarthy said that room also will include Peppers.

“I think with Coach Moss coaching the whole pack there, I think it will be some good stuff honestly,” inside linebacker Brad Jones said. “I think some new wrinkles and some good changes will come. Honestly, I don’t know the exact changes, but I’m excited. I’m definitely excited.”

There will be pressure on defensive coordinator Dom Capers to make it all work. The defense showed promise during the early part of 2013, but injuries quickly wore it down.

Two of their top difference-makers, Casey Hayward (hamstring) and Clay Matthews (thumb), missed a total of 18 games. Without them, the secondary had its fewest interceptions (11) during Capers’ tenure and the pass-rush struggled to generate consistent pressure.

Most of the locker room has stood by Capers, though cornerback Tramon Williams spoke up at the end of the season about how the defense could use more veterans.

Peppers is a few years older than Reggie White was when the Packers signed him in 1992, but Peppers is unquestionably the biggest free-agent signing Thompson has made since Charles Woodson in 2006.

“I have nothing but confidence in Dom Capers,” said Jones, who also missed four games last year due to lower-body injuries. “I think Dom’s schemes will hold up, and I think they’re amazing. I think Dom is really cerebral, and I think he does a really good job of analyzing, not only other teams, but going back over his old stuff himself. I got absolute confidence.”

Peppers still hasn’t been made available to reporters since signing a three-year deal last month, but said on the team’s website last month that he feels he still has something “left in the tank.” As for the defensive changes, he expects “something different” than what they’ve shown the past few years.

The Packers are counting on it, too. After issuing him a $7.5 million signing bonus, they’ll give him another $500,000 should he report next week for the start of the team’s offseason program. It’s the highest on the team outside of Rodgers and Matthews.

There still are plenty of questions about the new defensive philosophy, but the Packers are hoping it translates to a better blitz.

“It’s dangerous as a defense to have everyone moving around because you don’t know exactly what positions they’re going to be at and where they’re coming from,” second-year cornerback Micah Hyde said recently. “I think that our defense just after last year with the injuries and stuff like that, guys had to move to different positions.

“(Now), it makes it dangerous for an offense and I’m stoked. I can’t wait to see what our defense has lined up for us. We have a lot of guys who are versatile on our defense.”

— whodkiew@pressgazettemedia.com and follow him on Twitter @WesHod.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on April 17, 2014, 04:17:31 pm
Tim from Normal, IL

Vic, what makes you believe Julius Peppers will be effective in a new role after 12 years as a standout DE?

Peppers is one of the most athletic defensive linemen to have ever played the game. I saw Tony Brackens used as I believe Peppers will be used, and Brackens had the same kind of athletic ability Peppers has.


athletic ability Peppers HAD....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on April 17, 2014, 05:18:20 pm
There's some seriously spiked koolaid in Green Bay...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 17, 2014, 07:58:37 pm
Defensive tackle Letroy Guion's contract was also released today, and it is also a bargain. Guion will make just under $1 million in 2014, which is less than a quarter of what he would have made in Minnesota had the Vikings not released him:
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 17, 2014, 08:22:16 pm
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2030100-packers-2014-mock-draft-7-round-predictions-for-green-bay/page/2
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 18, 2014, 07:54:29 pm
Following a season where opponents regularly burnt Green Bay over the middle and in the deep passing game, two of the Packers' biggest needs are inside linebacker and defensive back.

The front office certainly noticed, and some potential solutions have already been scouted.

Multiple sources tell Acme Packing Company that Green Bay's scouting department has looked at Lindenwood defensive back Pierre Desir on several occasions, including sending three scouts to watch him in person on November 19th against Pittsburg State. While teams will sometimes take multiple looks at a player they aren't interested in, rarely will they send a large percentage of their staff in order to do so.

Perhaps the reason for Green Bay's interest is Desir's ability to play safety. While he's spent most of his time at corner during practices for the East-West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl, many believe the 6-1, 206 pound defensive back might fit better at free safety.

Desir wouldn't be the first small school defensive back the Packers have shown interest in. Green Bay spent a second-round pick on All-Pro safety Nick Collins, a product of Bethune-Cookman. After strong performances in the Shrine Game and Senior Bowl, Desir is believed to be a day-two pick.

Another source informed Acme Packing Company that the Packers have shown interest in Hawaii middle linebacker Brenden Daley. According to the source, the Packers watched Daley in person during Hawaii's matchups with USC, UNLV, and Navy. Daley certainly fits the mold of a Green Bay inside linebacker.

 

The same source reported that Daley currently runs the 40 in the low 4.7 range and expects to get down into the mid-4.6s by Hawaii's Pro Day. That, combined with his size (6-3, 255) could also allow Daley to play at outside linebacker in the Packers' 3-4 scheme.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 18, 2014, 08:07:32 pm
http://www.acmepackingcompany.com/2014/4/18/5628586/2014-nfl-draft-brock-jensen-scouting-report-ndsu-quarterback


Brock Jensen.  Like him.  Already wears green and yellow.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 19, 2014, 02:37:22 pm


Owen from Tampa, FL

What are your thoughts on Jordan Matthews? You got to see him up close at the Senior Bowl.

He’s Jordy Nelson but without Nelson’s speed.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 19, 2014, 02:40:29 pm
Matt from Denver, CO

Vic, do you think we need another cornerback?

Yes, I believe the Packers need another cornerback. That position is absolutely vital to a team’s success; you can never have enough cornerbacks. For starters, another cornerback would allow Micah Hyde to make a full move to safety. Until you can flood the field in dime with six guys that you can say are all legitimate shut-down type cornerbacks, you don’t have enough cornerbacks. Tony Pauline believes Darqueze Dennard could be available at pick 21. I would consider him a prospect for the Packers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 19, 2014, 02:41:49 pm
Chris from San Francisco, CA
Adding your love of Motown to your feeling that people need to better appreciate the great moments of the game, here’s Bill Withers: “One of the things I always tell my kids is that it’s OK to head out for wonderful, but on your way to wonderful, you’re gonna have to pass through all right. When you get to all right, take a good look around and get used to it, because that may be as far as you’re gonna go.”

And on your way to all right, you might spend a lot of time at stinks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 19, 2014, 02:49:16 pm
Ben from Madison, WI

Vic, now SI is running a story saying this is one of the deepest safety classes in years. Who do I believe?

I put my faith in Tony Pauline and he says it’s a weak safety class. The crazy thing about this draft class is that I hadn’t heard or read anybody praise it until Kevin Colbert exploded with his evaluation at the combine. I was stunned by what Colbert said, but he seemed to trigger an avalanche because since then everyone is saying this is an all-timer. Hey, I’m not a scout nor am I a draftnik, so take this with a large grain of salt: I thought the talent at the Senior Bowl was a definite step down from the previous year. I didn’t see a lot of first-round type of talent at the Senior Bowl. Is there any chance this draft class is being overrated? Is the long wait possibly causing that? Are we trying to entertain ourselves?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 19, 2014, 02:53:36 pm
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2031281-seth-rogen-has-no-idea-aaron-rodgers-is-a-quarterback-in-new-commercial
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: davebear on April 19, 2014, 03:07:34 pm
Bears showing interest in Desir as well
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 19, 2014, 03:15:23 pm
http://nflcompackers.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/140419-easter-bunny-300.jpg?w=300&h=288

James Lofton and the Easter Bunny.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 19, 2014, 03:19:18 pm

By  Rob Demovsky | ESPN.com

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Since 2010, when Julius Peppers arrived in Chicago, only two NFC North players have more sacks than him.

 One of them is now his teammate.

That means the Green Bay Packers -- with the addition of Peppers -- have two of the top-three pass rushers in the division. Since Peppers' first season in the division, only Jared Allen, who left the Minnesota Vikings to sign with the Chicago Bears in free agency this offseason, has more sacks among NFC North players than Clay Matthews and his new teammate, Peppers (see accompanying chart).

The partnership between Matthews and Peppers should be mutually beneficial...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on April 20, 2014, 04:47:06 pm
Only if Matthews shares his "supplements" with Peppers...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 21, 2014, 02:56:00 pm
David from Risdon Park, South Australia

Vic, you said “I don’t care what your need is, you don’t build a winner by drafting players that are less talented than the players your competition is drafting.” But isn’t that exactly what we do every time we trade back in the draft?

No. We don’t know what the Packers’ board looks like. They could be trading back for a guy they have ranked higher than the pick from which they're trading back. It’s called working the draft. You don’t pick a guy higher than you have to pick him. If you believe you can move back a few spots and still get him, then do it. You add value and you save cap space. Is it possible the Packers did that with Jordy Nelson? We don’t know where they had him on their board. There is no uniboard. Mel Kiper’s board isn’t every team’s board. There are huge differences in teams’ opinions of players. I sense that you want one board and for the draft to be a science. You’re looking for truth but you’re not going to find it because the draft is all about stealth. We don’t know what the truth is because teams aren’t going to tell us. It’s the mystery of the draft and it’s what makes it so interesting.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 21, 2014, 03:01:26 pm
B.T. from Ripon, WI

Do you think Aaron Donald will fall far enough for the Packers to get him at 21?

He’s projected to be gone by then, but I’m not so sure. I still think teams will struggle with Donald’s lack of size and it could make him fall. I don’t believe he would be a good fit in the Packers’ 3-4. That’s my opinion. I believe scheme should be considered when grading a player. In my opinion, you should grade prospects according to specific criteria and that criteria is determined by what you’re going to ask them to do. That’s why I don’t favor changing schemes every year. I think it’s important to have a profile for what you want in a player and to stay within that profile. If he’s a tweener type that would translate to another position, fine, but I don’t think Donald’s that kind of player. I think he’s a penetrate-and-disrupt, three-technique tackle, and in my opinion he needs to be used that way for his talents to be fully utilized. Again, that’s just my opinion.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 21, 2014, 03:05:12 pm
Jeff from Ogden, UT

The Lions are 30-to-1 to win the Super Bowl. It seems like they should be around 12-to-1. What do you think?

Yeah, 30-to-1 seems high. It’s critically important that we get this right.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on April 22, 2014, 05:41:02 pm
Gary from kokomo, IN

'ya hey der Vic, I feel da Pack have a pro-bowler at evey position, you betcha'

I agree, we don't real have to draft anyone as we have the greatest talent in thel league.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 22, 2014, 07:21:39 pm
Jordan from Dallas, TX

You have been saying over and over again, players, not plays. Fit the scheme around your players, yet, you just said in this last “Ask Vic” that Aaron Donald should be graded lower because of the Packers’ scheme. Isn’t that fitting the players into the scheme?




I guess it is to a degree, but I think there has to be reasonability in the process. There’s a big difference between creating ways to use what you have, as opposed to drafting players you have to create ways to use. Yes, you have to be able to fit your scheme to your talent, as Dom Capers did last season in tweaking the scheme to fit Mike Neal into it as a linebacker. It allowed for expanded use of a player that was drafted solely to play defensive end. I’m all for finding imaginative ways to use the talent available to you, but you can’t get wild with it. I believe players should be evaluated according to what you’re going to ask them to do. That’s my opinion. I think every team needs an identity. If you’re constantly changing your scheme, you have no identity. This, in my opinion, is where scheme is truly important. Players need to know what’s expected of them and they need to believe they can fulfill that expectation. Their talents have to blend with the talents of the players around them. One makes the other a better player. Scheme defines you when your players can execute it. Aaron Donald can two-gap; I saw him hold the point against double-team blocks at the Senior Bowl. It’s his ability to penetrate and disrupt, however, that is his greatest strength. I haven’t read a draftnik that doesn’t agree with me that Donald fits best as a three-technique tackle in a 4-3 scheme.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 22, 2014, 07:50:12 pm
Louis Riddick        ✔  @LRiddickESPN 

MT:@RVacchianoNYDN: More from CB Walt Thurmond: "I'm the best slot corner in the league." >>>He's right. He is.





 Casey Hayward        ✔   @show_case29 
Follow
“@LRiddickESPN: MT:@RVacchianoNYDN: More from CB Walt Thurmond: "I'm the best slot corner in the league." >>>He's right. He is.”ummmm



Thurman says he is the best slot corner in the NFL.  Casey begs to disagree.
By any statistical measure, Hayward's rookie season in 2012 was superior to Thurmond's 2013 campaign. Let's break down the regular season stats:

Player Games Starts INT Passes Defended FF FR Total Tackles PFF Grade
Thurmond - 2013 12 3 1 7 1 1 37 +4.8
Hayward - 2012 16 7 6 21 1 0 48 +23.2

I'll go with Casey any day.



Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 22, 2014, 07:54:58 pm

 
by Evan "Tex" Western, Acme Packing Company Apr 22 2014, 3:20p

Brandon Boykin fires shots at Walter Thurmond
 
by Brandon Lee Gowton, Bleeding Green Nation Apr 22 2014, 2:50p

New York Giants cornerback Walter Thurmond called himself the best slot cornerback in the NFL. Eagles slot CB Brandon Boykin says he doesn't know who Thurmond is.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 22, 2014, 08:09:19 pm
Let's be charitable, to the extent possible: some of what makes ESPN's Merril Hoge such a clownish figure is Merril Hoge, but a lot of it is Merril Hoge's job. There is even a sense in which Merril Hoge -- the barking anthropomorphized Slim Jim and former NFL fullback filling the role of Designated NFL Draft Heel at ESPN, and devoted anti-apostle of Johnny Manziel and Jadeveon Clowney -- is good at this terrible job.

 NFL Draft Dada-Speak 

Jon Bois
We are edging out into some meta-performative territory, here, which is maybe not a good idea given that we're talking about a man with a perfectly rectangular head, a tie knot the size and thickness of a regulation volleyball, and some extremely overstated and contrarian opinions about various famous young football players. But if Merril Hoge is not necessarily good at assessing the qualities of NFL Draft prospects, or even appreciably more thoughtful about it than the doofs engaging in grump-o Scott Pioli Cosplay in various comment sections, we should at least consider the possibility that it is actually Merril Hoge's job to be wrong, in the most strident possible way.

And while Hoge is not quite as virtuosic at this dubiously necessary gig as Skip Bayless, the leatherette lava god of molten-hot takes, we might as well give credit where it's due. Dude is not just ready but eager to stake out unpopular positions, and then just continue to stake them out. The facts will shift, he will be exposed, but Hoge will still drive those stakes further and further down into the earth. Down and down he drives them, until Hoge is staring the devil himself in the face, squinting out something about how Johnny Manziel is definitely, definitely going to be a bust.

Listening to some of these NFL draft shows is a pain in the arse.

(http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/31948451/merril_doge.0_standard_783.0.png)

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 26, 2014, 02:06:04 pm
Jim from Fairview Heights, IL

Great call on the Seahawks game! This might be the best time to play them. They may be suffering from a Super Bowl hangover. Any thoughts?

Forget about that hangover stuff. The kickoff opener will be a Super Bowl championship celebration and the Packers have been invited to the party. The Seahawks and their fans will be on fire for this one, and so will the Packers. This is the best time to play the Seahawks because the Packers are going to find out in the first game of the season what they have under the hood. It’s not a game that can hurt the Packers. It’s a game that’s going to challenge and test the Packers. I see that as a good thing.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 26, 2014, 02:14:09 pm
Matthew from Maffra, Australia

How easy is it to trade up or down in the draft? You seem to be saying just move to where the player fits a lot, but is it really that easy?

It’s a lot easier than it once was. There were 24 trades in the first 62 picks last year. Why? Because every team wants to fit itself to its pick. It’s important in the salary cap era to do that so you don’t overpay for a guy. Teams are trying to help each other move to where their pick fits because if you want to get help, you need to give help. They want to develop trade relations.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 26, 2014, 02:21:13 pm
Jeremiah from South Bend, IN

Vic, you have mentioned in the past that teams that sustain success eventually run into a problem with talent due to always picking near the bottom of the draft order. What do you think a team can do to sustain success, given this problem?

Draft a great quarterback and keep him healthy for a long time. It’s the only way to beat the system, but even at that, the system will eventually win. He who is first shall be last, and he who is last shall be first. Just don’t be 8-8 because it keeps being 8-8.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 26, 2014, 02:27:23 pm
Spencer from Elgin, IL

Vic, the schedule for next season has officially been released, as have predictions for the season. Is it safe to say those predictions will change a thousand times before the season starts and that they’re quite likely to be inaccurate?

Welcome to the prediction season. It officially began last night and it continues right up to kickoff weekend. Yes, there will be many inaccurate predictions because the predictions won’t include injury predictions, but with the exception of the collapse by the Falcons and Giants, last season went pretty much as expected. Some would include the rise of the Chiefs, but I thought that was easy to see. The Seahawks and 49ers were the teams to beat in the NFC, and they played for the conference title. The Broncos and the Patriots were the teams to beat in the AFC, and they played for the conference title. I don’t think it’s that clear this year. I think age could start to take a toll on the Broncos and Patriots, and I think the 49ers have some issues. The Seahawks are the class of the league and poised for a repeat. Opening day will be a blast.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 26, 2014, 02:30:33 pm
Anton from Ann Arbor, MI

Vic, I love the column and the unique insight it consistently provides. I wonder if you could discuss the Packers’ salary cap situation for 2015 and how Ted Thompson has handled this offseason with that in mind. The $15 million in excess space will carry over, as I understand it, but Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Bryan Bulaga need new contracts. Rodgers, Matthews, Shields and Peppers will eat a good chunk of the cap, and unless a young defensive lineman emerges this year, not even Peppers will be expendable. Thoughts?

I haven’t looked that far ahead, and maybe one of the reasons I haven’t done it is because I am absolutely sure there is no need to do so. There’s no need to ever worry about this team’s salary cap. Ted Thompson’s father was, indeed, a frugal man. “Ask Vic” was created 14 years ago as a means for answering cap questions for a fan base that needed to know why the Jaguars were dead team walking. I answered so many cap questions that I began to feel like an accountant. It’s refreshing not having to do that here. I can tell you the Packers have a plan for their future caps and if I studied it, I’m absolutely sure the structures of the preponderance of the team’s contracts would be flat and would allow the team a way out without killing the cap. Never worry about the Packers’ future.

The Packrs are continually a young team, seaon after season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 26, 2014, 02:32:15 pm
Seth from Philadelphia, PA

Well, Vic, I’m starting to think you have your own crystal ball. Seahawks and Packers to open the season. How do you do it?

The issue was decided in the Super Bowl. Why would the league want to kick off the season with a rematch of that game? A 49ers-Seahawks opener would be good, but the NFL likes to cross division lines for its kickoff openers. Packers-Seahawks is perfect. The hype will be all about revenge of an injustice. In Pete Rozelle’s words, that’s good theater. It’s High Noon, Walking Tall and The Karate Kid all rolled into one. I just hope the Crummy Management System works.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 26, 2014, 02:35:01 pm
Ted from DeForest, WI

Vic, who are the most important players to make that year-two jump?

Datone Jones is the obvious answer. He’s a first-round pick, which means much is expected of him. Johnathan Franklin is the guy I think could be the surprise of training camp. I think he struggled with the transition from college football to the NFL in last summer’s camp. They are very different games. What he showed in Cincinnati is that he has talent. This summer, I think he’s going to show us that he’s learned how to fit that talent into a specific role on this team. I want him to be James Brooks
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 27, 2014, 07:37:18 pm
ESPN Wisconsin's Jason Wilde suggests that when Ted Thompson eventually retires, it may be current Seahawks GM John Schneider replacing him in Green Bay.

Few general managers in the NFL garner as much respect and admiration as the Packers Ted Thompson. Not only has Thompson built a perennial playoff team and title contender in Green Bay, but he also successfully navigated the Packers into the post-Brett Favre era when many decried moving on as impertinent and dangerous. Green Bay's Super Bowl XLV victory and subsequent 15-1 campaign cemented Thompson's legacy as one of the best talent evaluators in the league.

But at age 61, Thompson won't be around forever. While he hasn't commented on how long he plans to remain general manager, retirement may come sooner than many expect. Unfortunately for the Packers, most of the obvious successor candidates have departed for bigger opportunities over the past five seasons. In January 2013, the Chiefs hired away Director of College Scouting John Dorsey. A year before that Reggie McKenzie left his post as Director of Player Personnel to become GM of the Raiders. Perhaps the biggest blow came during the offseason leading up to the Packers' eventual title year when the Seahawks brought over Director of Football Operations John Schneider to rebuild their franchise.

While the Packers continue to develop young talent evaluators such as Eliot Wolf, Brian Gutekunst, and Alonzo Highsmith, they're still many years away from being considered for a GM position. Russ Ball is perhaps Thompson's most trusted executive, but like Andrew Brandt before him, he may be better off in a negotiator role. Accordingly, if Thompson steps away in the next few years, the team may be forced to look outside to replace him.

Could the Packers go after one of their former executives like John Schneider?

That's exactly what ESPN Wisconsin's Jason Wilde suggested on Friday's edition of Green and Gold Today.


"If you were asking who the heir apparent (to Ted Thompson) is on staff, I would say [Russ Ball]. If you're asking me who I think the next GM of the Green Bay Packers will be, I would say John Schneider, and they someday have to give a draft pick to the Seahawks to get him to do it."

For those unfamiliar with Jason Wilde, he's one of the Packers' best-connected beat writers. He's good friends with John Schneider, which is why the Seahawks GM made an appearance on Green and Gold Today the Friday before his team defeated the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII. While it's hard to envision anyone stepping away from one of the youngest world champions in NFL history, it's equally difficult to see Wilde bringing up Schneider without ample reason to believe a return to the Packers is possible.

Part of Wilde's rationale may be that Schneider bolted Seattle for the Packers once already. When Mike Holmgren left Green Bay to become the Head Coach and overlord of the Seahawks, he hired Schneider as his Director of Player Personnel. After one year, Schneider voluntarily left for a lesser position in Green Bay where Ron Wolf, his old mentor, was still working as General Manager. As a native of Wisconsin, Schneider also has family ties to the area.

It's important to remember that before the Packers can hire anyone as their next general manager, Ted Thompson must first retire. With the success he's brought to Green Bay, there's every reason to think he'll remain in the big chair as long as he sees fit. While Schneider would be an excellent choice to succeed him, Thompson could very well remain in his position for another decade.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 29, 2014, 07:47:17 pm
Jeremy from New Holstein, WI

Vic, have you ever spoken to players about crossing enemy lines? Do you really think (Peppers) can shrug it off as a business decision, and when do you think it really hits home that this decision they made is the real deal?

Fans will really struggle with this kind of stuff and it’s because what they feel is forever. Players are professionals. They switch their allegiances when they switch jobs. When Peppers left Carolina for Chicago, he left his emotions for the Panthers behind and committed fully to the Bears. Now he’ll do the same in leaving behind the Bears and embracing the Packers. How can they do it? They can do it because their greatest emotion is for their careers. They’re football players, willing to play the game for whatever team values their skills the most. Reggie White did it. It’s what pros do.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 29, 2014, 07:49:53 pm
Tanner from Chicago, IL

Vic, what day-two wide receiver has caught your eye?

Allen Robinson is one of many.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 29, 2014, 07:50:56 pm
Brian from Kansas City, MO

Vic, if you were Nostradamus, in which round do the Packers take the most picks?

The fourth.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 29, 2014, 07:52:06 pm
Vic, do you and Tony have any sleepers you’d like to see the Packers take a shot at in the later rounds?

My sleeper is Boston College defensive lineman Kaleb Ramsey. Tony’s sleeper is Ronald Powell of Florida. “Good athlete and terrific pass rusher. College defensive end that projects to outside linebacker. Injury history but a steal in later rounds,” Tony said. He also likes Anthony Larry of Eastern Washington. “Natural pass rusher. Academically ineligible for 2012 but played well last year,” Tony said. Larry is another tweener that would play outside linebacker in a 3-4.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 29, 2014, 07:52:37 pm
Kim from Austin, TX

Vic, can media (draftniks and such) influence the draft? Or do the GMs not pay attention to the noise?

No self-respecting GM would ever allow the media or the draftniks to influence his opinion.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 29, 2014, 07:54:00 pm
Thomas from Milwaukee, WI

Was Julius Peppers a lot like Clowney when he was coming out of North Carolina?

Peppers was a more productive player in college than Clowney was. I’ll never forget watching a game Peppers so thoroughly dominated that there was literally no chance of the opponent scoring. He couldn’t be blocked. Coming out of college, I saw no flaw in Peppers’ game. Clowney has the same kind of Peppers-like talent. The only question is about his lack of production last season. Why did it happen?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 29, 2014, 08:09:08 pm
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2043939-realistic-draft-day-trade-possibilities-for-the-green-bay-packers


Like!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 29, 2014, 08:12:34 pm
Green Bay Packers Draft Countdown: Making the Case for Jimmie Ward

 By Michelle Noyer-Granacki , Featured Columnist  Apr 27, 2014

Like!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 29, 2014, 08:17:35 pm
Safety Calvin Pryor could be what Packers defense needs.

Like him, too but the Pack has a greater need for a Free Safety than Strong Safety.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 29, 2014, 08:19:40 pm
By Bob McGinn of the Journal Sentinel   

April 29, 2014 2:56 p.m.
   
Green Bay - Inside linebacker Chris Borland of Wisconsin is off the draft board of one National Football League team because its doctors say his left shoulder would require additional surgery.

Borland was categorized as having flunked his physical, an executive in personnel for the team involved told the Journal Sentinel.

;-(

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 29, 2014, 08:22:03 pm
Packers Reportedly Express Interest in Kansas WR Josh Ford http://bit.ly/1lvvB7U  #packers


5:06 PM - 29 Apr 2014
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 29, 2014, 08:54:48 pm
Pep in their step

With the arrival of Julius Peppers at the team’s offseason program last week, there was a palpable buzz to what would otherwise be mundane workouts, coach Mike McCarthy says.

By JASON WILDE

jwilde@espnwisconsin.com

GREEN BAY – Mike McCarthy wanted to watch. He had a feeling what might happen, but he wanted to see it for himself.

So when Julius Peppers walked into a meeting last week at Lambeau Field as the Green Bay Packers kicked off their offseason program, the Packers ninth-year coach surveyed the scene. Never before in his tenure had the team acquired such a big-name player during an offseason and then had him show up on the first day of workouts.

He saw the smiles, the wide eyes. He felt the excitement.

“When a guy [like Peppers] walks into the room, you see the reaction,” McCarthy told a group of reporters after walking the Robert W. Baird blue carpet at last week’s Wisconsin Sports Awards in Milwaukee. “It’s a great fit. We’re glad he’s there. He seems to be comfortable. He’s off to a good start.”

The last time the Packers added someone with Peppers’ gravitas (eight Pro Bowl selections, three-time Associated Press first-team All-Pro) was in 2006, when McCarthy was in his first year and the team signed ex-Oakland Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson, the 1997 Heisman Trophy winner and a four-time Pro Bowler at the time, to a seven-year, $39 million deal.

But Woodson, who’d eventually mature into an elder statesman and leader of the Packers defense en route to the 2009 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award and the team’s Super Bowl XLV championship after the 2010 season, didn’t sign until late April, well into the offseason program.

Not only that, but having developed a reputation as a malcontent in Oakland – and not exactly thrilled to be playing in the league’s tiniest outpost – Woodson showed up for the team’s mandatory minicamp in May but skipped everything else, choosing to work out at home in Houston rather than attend even one of the team’s 14 organized team activity practices or the voluntary extra minicamp the Packers had under their rookie head coach.

At the start of training camp, Woodson was unapologetic about the time he missed (“I just feel like being down there in Houston I'm getting ready for football but I'm away from football”) and even acknowledged that McCarthy was ticked off about him not even trying to assimilate into the team (“I don't think any coach would have been OK with it, but we just had to accept what it is on both our parts”). Years later, given the kind of unquestioned leader Woodson became, those quotes are downright bizarre to read.

It’s unclear if Peppers intends to be at every offseason workout, participate in all OTA practices and be at the mandatory mid-June minicamp – the Packers’ prized offseason addition still hasn’t been made available to the Wisconsin media after signing with the club on March 15 – but it’s clear that his teammates expect him to take on the kind of leadership role Woodson held before being released in February 2013.

In fact, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said that’s exactly why it’s important to have Peppers in Green Bay and working out with his new team.

“It's fun to see Julius,” said Rodgers, who called the 6-foot-7, 287-pound Peppers “a specimen” and said he “looks great” during strength and conditioning drills. “It'll be fun to get him really into the fold and get him feeling like he's part of the team, encouraging him to be a leader for us. I think he brings a lot to the table -- on the field and in the locker room.

“I'm just excited about not having to run away from him anymore.”

Peppers, who entered the NFL as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2002 draft out of North Carolina, has registered the second-most sacks (118.5) in the NFL and forced the fifth-most fumbles (39) since entering the league. He also leads all NFL defensive linemen with nine interceptions over that span. He’s also been extremely durable, playing in 186 of a possible 192 games.

“He’s someone we have such great respect for, competing against him the last four years down there in Chicago,” said McCarthy, who revealed at the NFL Meetings last month that Peppers will play a hybrid outside linebacker/defensive end role in the Packers’ defense. “We’re glad he’s a Packer.”

Of course, he won’t really be a Packer until he and fullback John Kuhn talk about “The Play.” It was Peppers, of course, who was closing in on Rodgers in the final minute of the Packers-Bears regular-season finale when a diving Kuhn got just enough of Peppers to allow Rodgers to escape to throw the game-winning, playoff-clinching touchdown pass to Randall Cobb. Kuhn said at the Wisconsin Sports Awards that the play hasn’t been discussed – yet.

“We haven’t gotten into the details or the nitty-gritty yet. That might come up later when we’re better acquainted,” Kuhn said with a laugh. “[But] it’s exciting. We’re all happy. I think we’ve all gotten up and said something to him at some point and introduced ourselves and said, ‘We’re really glad you’re on our side now.’”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 30, 2014, 09:07:22 pm
Hugo from Ben Lomond, CA
For a receiver, what type of skill set will the Packers target in this draft, given the playing styles of Cobb and Nelson?

I don’t know what the Packers will target. Nobody except the Packers knows what or who the Packers will target. What I can tell you is this draft would seem to offer a couple of diverse prospects late in the first round. Kelvin Benjamin is a 6-5, 240 guy that offers some mismatch potential, a la Jermichael Finley. Odell Beckham is a 5-11 speedster with home run potential. So, do you go for the big guy with whom you could go no-huddle and create a drive-long size mismatch, or do you go with the big-play guy? These are the types of decisions that define a team’s draft
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 30, 2014, 09:08:31 pm
Nick from Oakland, CA

So what does Vic think of all of this pre-draft speculative nonsense?

I think it’s like those poker machines that bear the disclaimer “for entertainment only.” The pre-draft hype is all about entertainment. I like a little bit of nonsense, but I know when to turn it off.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 30, 2014, 09:22:49 pm
Andy from Fort Mill, SC

Vic, you were right on last year with the Chiefs being the surprise team in the NFL. Who in your mind is the team to look out for this year?

The Jaguars.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on May 01, 2014, 10:30:35 am
lol
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on May 01, 2014, 11:07:06 am
Did they sign TEBOW?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 01, 2014, 08:20:28 pm
Posted by Darin Gantt on May 1, 2014, 2:56 PM EDT

Super Bowl XLV
Getty Images

Packers General Manager Ted Thompson took exception to the notion that he’s not an active participant in free agency.

He’s just a ninja about it, that’s all.

Thompson said more about veteran pass-rusher Julius Peppers than anything during his pre-draft press conference, and seemed as proud of adding such a productive player quietly as he did the act of adding him.

“People who say we don’t use free agency are wrong,” Thompson said, via Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We’ve always dabbled in free agency. Sometimes you can spend a lot of time and effort recruiting a guy, which we’ve done in the past, and nothing comes of it, and nothing comes out publicly and people assume we didn’t try to do something. We almost always, almost every offseason, try to do something in free agency, certainly with our own guys but also with guys around the league.

“This happened fast. It happened very quietly. It was one of those rare things where the thing was put to bed and everybody was back home before anybody knew about it. Quite frankly, it was kind of refreshing to do it that way. We obviously followed him throughout his career, and we look forward to seeing him in a Packers uniform.”

Thompson was clearly excited about adding a player with 119 sacks and 40 forced fumbles to a defense that needed some pop opposite Clay Matthews.

“There’s no evidence of any decline in his play, in our opinion,” Thompson said of Peppers. “He still has the same athletic traits that he had coming out. He’s had a remarkable history in the NFL in terms of durability. We’re looking forward to it. I think he is, too.”

And the fact that business was conducted out of the spotlight suits Peppers as well, as the 34-year-old has never enjoyed the spotlight, except when it finds him on the field.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 01, 2014, 08:21:44 pm
Be careful with all the sarcasm.  You may trip over it this season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 01, 2014, 08:40:02 pm
GM Ted Thompson comments on Julius Peppers and upcoming draft


GREEN BAY—There’s a school of thought in some NFL circles that certain positions on a football team are not worth a first-round draft pick.

Running back has definitely become one, which recent draft statistics show. Safety, tight end and center might be others.

Packers GM Ted Thompson doesn’t attend that school, however, and on Thursday – one week before the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft – Thompson essentially said that any and all positions are fair game for Green Bay’s first pick.

Recalling the start of free agency in the mid-1990s, Thompson said conventional wisdom directed the most money toward quarterbacks, pass rushers and pass protectors. But that doesn’t mean other players aren’t valuable enough to be picked in the first round and given the contract that goes with it.

“Certainly if you find a player with skill and the ability to make a statement at a position, whether it be one of those spots or not, you take the best player,” Thompson said.

As usual, Thompson repeated the “best player” mantra often during his annual pre-draft press conference, and the Packers have a prime opportunity to match value and need come next Thursday if positions like safety, tight end and center are indeed in play in the first round.

No need has been discussed externally more than safety, after the Packers got no interceptions from the position in 2013 and the two players who got the most playing time alongside Morgan Burnett (M.D. Jennings and Jerron McMillian) are no longer here. Promising second-year pro Micah Hyde could move to safety, but that alone won’t solve things.




Also, with Jermichael Finley’s uncertain future and Evan Dietrich-Smith’s departure in free agency, tight end and center have roster holes as well. Veteran Andrew Quarless was re-signed as the No. 1 tight end for now, and JC Tretter, a fourth-round pick last year, is an obvious candidate to start at center, but neither position is close to set.

With the 21st overall pick, the Packers might find the top player in the draft at any one of those three positions there for the taking. Safeties Ha Ha Clinton-Dix of Alabama and Calvin Pryor of Louisville could be gone, but might not be. Same goes for North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron or Colorado State center Weston Richburg.

But Thompson stressed that whomever the Packers select in that spot, it won’t be because of the position he plays.

“We feel like the draft is a long-term investment, and we don’t get too carried away with what our perceived needs are at the moment,” he said. “We think that’s poor business. If you can marry those things up, that’s fine, but if you stretch to try to fill a quote-unquote need somewhere, then you wind up messing up a couple spots.

“When you’re picking in the 20s, you kind of let it come to you.”

The Packers addressed one significant need during free agency this year, signing Julius Peppers as a pass-rushing complement to Clay Matthews. The move was a surprise, not only because the Packers had added only one unrestricted free agent of note in the past four years (center Jeff Saturday in 2012), but also because no news of the Packers’ interest in Peppers had leaked in advance of the signing.

“This happened fast. It happened very quietly,” Thompson said, explaining that the Packers have often “dabbled” in free agency, whether or not signings result or the activity is publicized.

“There’s no evidence of any decline in his play, in our opinion. He still has the same athletic traits he had coming out. He’s had a remarkable history in the NFL in terms of durability, so we’re looking forward to it. I think he is, too.”

The acquisition of Peppers won’t preclude the Packers from adding more pass rushers in the draft, and with nine picks in all – one in each of the seven rounds, plus compensatory picks at the end of the third and fifth rounds – Green Bay will have ample opportunity to fortify multiple spots.

Last year, Thompson went in armed with eight picks and, via a number of trades, turned them into 11 selections.

The three-day draft will finish with rounds 4-7 on Saturday, May 10, and Thompson has regularly found key contributors on that final day. In 2013, two of the three most productive rookies on the Packers’ roster in left tackle David Bakhtiari and Hyde were drafted on the third day.

“If you keep your eye on the ball, there are players to be had,” Thompson said. “There are always college free agents that make teams and wind up being good players. Nobody drafts those guys.”

And therein lies part of the beauty of the draft, that it’s inexact and unpredictable. In recent years, the Packers have traded both up and down, working their board and adjusting on the fly to whatever the other 31 teams might do.

Thompson calls it “fun,” but it’s fun with a great deal of responsibility.

“You have to understand the chair you sit in,” he said. “In terms of my chair, I’m the leader in there. I have to project a certain confidence, a certain understanding, and a certain amount of wisdom to try to do the right thing, and I pray every day that I have that wisdom.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 01, 2014, 08:47:52 pm
Did they sign TEBOW?
Uriah from Marysville, OH

Vic, why do you think the Jags will be the surprise team of the year?

They had a lot of cap room and they used it with a minimum of exposure to acquire a lot of players that represent upgrades at each of their positions. We saw what Toby Gerhart could do in last year’s game against the Vikings at Lambeau Field. I think Ziggy Hood was miscast in Pittsburgh; his talents will be a much better fit in the Jaguars’ 4-3. The Jaguars are beautifully positioned high in the order and with a lot of picks. I also think they have an underrated quarterback. If they hit on their picks, look out.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 01, 2014, 08:50:19 pm
Leonardo from Las Vegas, NV

You’ve been high on C.J. Mosley throughout most of the offseason, but Tony Pauline said there are medical red flags on him. Does that concern you enough to take some of his appeal away, even if he’s available at 21? Would Louis Nix or someone else move up ahead of Mosley in your eyes one week before the draft?

I like Nix but I like Mosley more. In my opinion, Mosley is the latest victim of the prejudice that exists against Alabama players. Eddie Lacy was last year’s victim and we saw how that turned out. There’s a feeling in the scouting and draftnik community that Alabama players take too much pounding. There’s a fear that they’re older than their years. I say baloney to that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 01, 2014, 08:52:41 pm
Timmy from Chicago, IL

I remember a time when Terry Bradshaw would interview NFL players before kickoff. One time, Favre was on the show and was given a chance to ask Bradshaw the questions. He said, “Four Super Bowls or four wives?” Bradshaw responded, “If I didn't have the rings, what would I have given the women?” We all had a good laugh.

Why did we stop having fun?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 01, 2014, 09:01:54 pm
Acme Packing Company draft:

#51: Chicago Bears (Dan)

Kelcy Quarles, defensive tackle, South Carolina


After going CB in the first round instead of the popular projection of DT, the Chicago Bears must take a DT in round two — enter Quarles. Quarles will be nice depth player for the Bears and could potentially be a stud in a few years. Quarles will be effective at the three-techinique spot, but could also play the NT and the five-techinique if the Bears were to add more hybrid fronts, something they've discussed internally. At 6-foot-4, 297 pounds, Quarles is a load and was often times overshaddowed by his teamate at SC, Clowney. Quarles can play ball just as good as Clowney, and the Bears would be getting a bargain at pick No. 54.

Previous selection:
1.14 Darqueze Dennard, cornerback, Michigan State

#52: Arizona Cardinals (Aron)

Zach Mettenberger, quarterback, LSU


Carson Palmer isn't going to last much longer, and getting Mettenberger here gives them a quarterback option they can groom for the future.

Previous selection:
1.20 Dee Ford, outside linebacker, Auburn

#53: Green Bay Packers (Tex)

Stephon Tuitt, defensive end, Notre Dame


Who's better at grabbing slipping players than Ted Thompson? Tuitt's injury concerns drove him down the board here, but the 6'5", 305 Tuitt would make a great addition to the Packers' defensive line as a 5-technique end to rotate with Datone Jones and rush from the inside on passing downs. The value for Tuitt here would be too good to pass up, and as we've seen in past years, you can never have enough healthy bodies along the defensive line. Green Bay should still be able to find quality players at safety and either wide receiver or tight e.nd
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 01, 2014, 09:09:00 pm
By Brian Carriveau on Apr 28, 2014 with 9 Comments

In an NFL Draft featuring a deep class of wide receivers in 2014, Jordan Matthews is near the top.

Considered to have an outside chance at being selected late in Round 1, the Vanderbilt receiver credits facing several former teammates in practice—and one in particular—for making him the player he is today.

“The matchup with Casey Hayward I definitely believe help shape the wide receiver I am right now," said Matthews at the NFL Combine. "Working with guys like him, Sean Richardson, Andre Hall, Kenny Ladler … competing against those guys.

"Casey, I feel like hands down was the best corner that I’ve ever got against since I have been playing football. Real competitive, and I think everybody saw that his rookie year when he had six interceptions for the Packers. I feel like it helped my mentality as far as competing in practice each day. It helped me become a better player.”

It was 2011 when Matthews and Hayward last played together but those battles on the practice field helped set the stage for what would be a record-setting career for Matthews, who holds the all-time marks in the vaunted SEC conference for receptions and receiving yards...

Can't wait to get Casey Hayward and Bryan Bulaga back from IR this season.  They are a better pair of players anything I could  imagine from this year's draft.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 02, 2014, 06:42:17 pm
Chris from Wolcott, CT

Vic, OK, I’ll bite. Where’s the best place to get shrimp?

Wintzell’s in Mobile.

E.J. from Long Island, NY

So where’s the best shrimp near Green Bay?

Wintzell’s in Mobile.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 02, 2014, 06:48:12 pm
Zach from Billings, MT

Bradshaw also had a stout defense for his four titles. Score one for Rodgers.

That’s not entirely true. The “Steel Curtain” peaked in ’76. After that, even though the rankings stayed high, it started to show signs of rust. By ’78 and ’79, the last two Super Bowl years, Bradshaw was carrying that team on his back. Compare the scores and yardage totals of Super Bowls XIII and XIV to IX and X. People that don’t completely know the facts use that argument against him, and it’s unfair. If you want to fully appreciate what the rules changes of 1978 did to professional football, study the differences between those four Super Bowls. The switch was flipped in ’78. Prior to that season, football was in the equivalent of its dead-ball era, and Vince Lombardi is largely responsible for that dead-ball era. First and foremost, football was a running game. Quarterbacks didn’t concern themselves with stats. They judged themselves and were judged by others on their ability to win. Now, 50 years later, we’re judging them on their stats. That’s not fair. In 1974, for example, when the ball was snapped an offensive lineman would grab his shirt with his hands. At the same time, he was being hit on the side of the head. If the offensive lineman got his hands the least little bit away from his body, it was holding, and holding was 15 yards back then, not 10. Drive over! Defensive backs jammed receivers all over the field. Five wide? That’s funny. Two wide receivers and a tight end. There was no such thing as a three-step drop and get the ball out early. It was all seven-step and nine-step drops and wait for your receivers to get off the jam and come open. Yards came grudgingly and painfully. There were no protections for the quarterback. He was live to the ground. “We’re the trophy,” Joe Namath said. “The quarterback must go down and the quarterback must go down hard,” Al Davis said. A 200-yard passing game was rare. Bob Griese’s Super Bowl VIII stat line was six of seven for 73 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions. Quarterbacks didn’t nibble. When teams threw the ball, it was usually downfield to make a play. The rules changes of ’78 changed everything, and quarterbacks prior to ’78 can’t accurately be compared to quarterbacks after ’78. Bradshaw is one of those rare quarterbacks whose career was divided by the rules changes. It’s accurate to say he could play in any era because he did. Look at him before and look at him after and you will understand the divide between the two eras. Johnny Unitas invented the modern game. Bradshaw, the MVP for the first two Super Bowls of the post-’78 rules changes, invented the rules-changes game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 02, 2014, 06:52:09 pm
Elliot from Eugene, OR

Pauline ranks Pryor as the 20th-best player in the draft and Clinton-Dix as the No. 24 overall prospect. You’ve said Tony didn’t have first-round grades for either. How is being ranked as a top 32 player not make you a first-round talent? Or what has changed his opinion of both players?

I think he explained both pretty well in the story I wrote. First of all, he’s moved Pryor and Clinton-Dix up because he’s moved several guys down. Teddy Bridgewater, for example, is in free fall. I didn’t get the sense that Tony’s opinion of the two safeties has changed much; it’s just that he’s downgraded several players that previously fit above the two safeties. Tony doesn’t think this is an especially good draft class for first-round picks. He grades on talent and he said he believes there are only 20-21 players worthy of first-round grades. It’s after the first round that Tony believes this draft gets good. According to Tony’s opinion, the good news would seem to be that the Packers are going to get the last first-round pick.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 02, 2014, 07:12:06 pm
Beaumont from Milwaukee, WI



Vic, the Packers defense is thin on mean men. I wish they had a mean man. Are there any mean men in this draft? I mean it, man!

Jordan Zumwalt is mean. I got a warm feeling interviewing him at the Senior Bowl, as we walked off the field and blood trickled down his forehead. It made me feel young again.

He has been reported as being mean.  Maybe a good candidate for the Packers who don't have enough mean streak.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 02, 2014, 07:22:22 pm

Vic Ketchman
packers.com editor

GREEN BAY—Draft analyst Tony Pauline says the Packers are in a perfect spot at pick No. 21 to select the best available player.

“If I’m the Packers I grab the best available player with that pick because where they’re drafting the best available player should fit their need,” Pauline told packers.com.

Pauline said he has recently updated his value board, moving safeties Calvin Pryor and “Ha Ha” Clinton-Dix so they sandwich the Packers’ pick. Pauline ranks Pryor as the 20th-best player in the draft and Clinton-Dix as the No. 24 overall prospect. Defensive tackle Louis Nix is at No. 21 and linebacker Ryan Shazier is at No. 22 on Pauline’s board.

“I’ve moved things around slightly. Several guys have moved down,” Pauline said in explaining his decision to move the two safeties up his board. Early in the evaluation period, Pauline didn’t include a safety among the top 32 picks of the draft. He’s also moved Shazier up the board in recent updates.

Who has Pauline moved down? “Teddy Bridgewater, Timmy Jernigan, Bradley Roby, RaShede Hageman,” he said.

“I’m hearing there are medical red flags on C.J. Mosley. It’s the M.O. of Alabama players,” Pauline added. He continues to rank Mosley high, No. 15 overall.

“Mike Evans is flying up draft boards. A lot of teams didn’t see a big separation between Evans and Sammy Watkins. I’m hearing he could go before Watkins. If he doesn’t go to the Browns at four, the Raiders could take him,” Pauline said of a player who could have a major impact on how the early picks fall.

The most important strategic pick of the draft?

“Right now, it’s Houston. They’d be apt to make a trade down and take (quarterback) Blake Bortles later on,” Pauline said, referring to a possible trade by the Falcons into the top spot to select defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. The asking price will likely decide that issue.

“I don’t know that Clowney takes that team over the top,” Pauline said.

“There are a lot of people who think there are 42 first-round talents in this draft. I think there are only 20-21 first-round players, but I believe there are 45-50 players that have second-round grades. People keep talking about how deep the draft is. That’s why it’s so deep,” Pauline added.

Where is it deepest?

“It’s great at receiver. You don’t have any Calvin Johnsons but you have tremendous depth. You’re going to get receivers on the last day of the draft that can help as rookies,” Pauline said.

Tight end?

“The second round might be (the Packers’) area, and there are some projects later in the draft. A.C. Leonard, 6-2, 252, ran a 4.53 at the combine. He looks and plays like a possession receiver in a tight end body. He’s a talent. Richard Rodgers is another guy.”

Developmental quarterback?

“Logan Thomas, Jeff Matthews (6-4, 223) of Cornell has a big-time arm. Tajh Boyd has tremendous physical skills but he needs work from the ground up. I hear Rex Ryan loves him,” Pauline added.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 04, 2014, 09:34:06 pm
By Phil Watson - May 2nd, 2014 at 3:28
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers apparently moonlights as a scout.

According to a report from Eric Adelson of Yahoo Sports, Rodgers apparently looked at a 6-foot-9, 260-pound forward Tarik Black of the Kansas Jayhawks and saw a tight end.

So the story goes, Rodgers bumped into Kansas coach Bill Self at an airport. That led to him being invited to Lawrence in January to speak to the Jayhawks. That led to him meeting Black, who told him the Packers were his favorite team.

That led to Rodgers wanting to throw some passes to Black, a player described in the Kansas basketball media guide as a “bruising forward.” In 33 games last season for the Jayhawks, Black—who transferred from Memphis for his final year of eligibility—averaged 13.5 minutes a game, scoring 5.5 points … and averaging 2.8 fouls.

“Bruising,” indeed.

The upshot of the tale is that Black, prodded by his roommate, finally used the cell phone number Rodgers left him.

Black has since been in contact with an actual scout from the Packers and his agent, Chad Wiestling, told Yahoo that three NFL teams have shown interest.

Given the success of basketball players-turned-tight ends Antonio Gates, Jimmy Graham and Julius Thomas, it makes sense, but Black has never played football.

Not in high school, not in junior high. A little bit on the playgrounds perhaps, but never in pads.

Moral of the story appears to be that when quarterbacks say they like big targets, they really aren’t kidding around.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 05, 2014, 06:52:15 pm
Second-year linebacker lost half his rookie season to hamstring injury

(http://www.packers.com/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/article_images/2014/05-may/140505-barrington-600.jpg)

Another rookie who was coming on before his injury last season. Worth keeping an eye on. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 05, 2014, 06:55:31 pm
Scott from Saint Augustine, FL

Yesterday was the anniversary of the Kent State shootings of 1970. Would you mind sharing again your thoughts and memories of this event in history.

I remember the sound of the ambulances; they were coming from all directions. That’s my most enduring memory. I remember the campus being evacuated and unable to call out. I remember going to my neighborhood barber shop at home, and the barber asking me what happened? I began to tell the story and at some point an older gentleman said, “They should’ve killed more.” The barber squeezed my ear, tightly, which I knew was a signal to say nothing. When the barber finished cutting my hair, I got up and reached into my pocket. He said, “This one’s on the house.” I thanked him and then the older gentleman got up and started walking toward the barber chair. “We’re closed,” the barber said. “Since when?” the older gentleman said. “Since now,” the barber said. You don’t forget those kinds of moments in your life.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 05, 2014, 06:57:51 pm
Paul from Green Bay, WI

Vic, please explain the trade value chart Jimmie Johnson came up with. What was the impact upon pro football, and how often is it used today?

It’s a numeric table that assigns a value to every pick. The idea is that if you’re going to trade down, for example, the point values of the positions to which you are moving have to at least equal the point value of the position you are leaving. I think it’s an outdated concept. Moving to where the player you’ve targeted fits is more important than balancing point totals. GMs know a fair trade when they see one. They don’t need to adhere to point totals that have been subjectively assigned and don’t apply to all drafts equally. Tony Pauline doesn’t like the value at the bottom of the first round this year, so he would tell you the point totals for those picks are too high. Everybody wants to make the draft a science. It is not a science. Football is not a science. How does any team know what its needs might be? If you have the best quarterback in the league and he gets hurt, do you have need at quarterback? Take good players and let fate decide the rest.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 05, 2014, 07:01:52 pm
David from Chuluota, FL

So Phil Emery says, based on recent history, it’s pointless to try to develop a QB after the third round. Russell Wilson and Nick Foles in 2012 was a blip on the radar, and Tom Brady was one in a million. How do you respond to him?

I wouldn’t go so far as to call it pointless. The Patriots didn’t draft Brady to be their franchise quarterback; it just happened. So you draft guys where they fall and you allow fate to decide the rest. The Bears have a kind of scientific mindset toward football. Marc Trestman is almost professorial in the way he answers questions. The odds say you can’t get a quarterback late, but I don’t want the odds drafting for my football team. I think it’s important to defy the odds. Rank ’em, pick ’em. You won’t regret it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 05, 2014, 07:03:34 pm
Anthony from Baraboo, WI

Vic, how many players that aren’t worth the 21st pick do you think will be selected before the Packers get on the clock? If none of the quarterbacks are worth a first-round pick, yet, one or two of the teams with a top 10 pick selects one, could this start an early run on quarterbacks?

I’ll be shocked if there isn’t a run on quarterbacks, and that would push everyone down the board. Kelly Stouffer came out of nowhere in 1987 to be selected sixth overall, and that pushed Rod Woodson down. Quarterback is the most overdrafted position in football. Be patient. Lots of teams are working hard right now to make a mistake on Thursday.

LOL.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 05, 2014, 07:19:25 pm
(http://prod.static.packers.clubs.nfl.com//assets/images/imported/GB/videos/2014/05-may/04-ma/140504-davenport-najeh-640--nfl_medium_540_360.jpg)

Remember this guy, Najeh Davenport?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on May 05, 2014, 09:04:12 pm
Wasn't he the closet shitter?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on May 06, 2014, 10:30:54 am
Yeah.  I think so.  Who could forget that?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 06, 2014, 07:57:36 pm
Bingo, 23.  You got it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 06, 2014, 07:58:12 pm
Mavis from Ann Arbor, MI

Vic, I’m standing fifth in line at a donut shop. The chances of the last marble-frosted falling to me at five are slim. Trade up to get the donut I’ve targeted, or trade back and stock up on serviceable jelly-filled? Rank ’em, pick ’em, right?

Be patient. There are a lot of donuts in the donut shop. Never fall in love with a donut.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 06, 2014, 07:59:28 pm
Vic, in Cliff Cristl’s story about the Packers’ all-time top five draft picks, he wrote that the Packers picked Paul Hornung as the top overall selection in 1957, but at the same time passed on Jim Brown, who was picked sixth that year. Should the Packers have picked Brown?

The Packers passed twice on Brown. If I was a GM, I would have a sign on my draft room wall: “Never pass on Jim Brown.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 06, 2014, 08:01:28 pm
Jeff from La Crosse, WI

Where do you see the run on quarterbacks happening?

I think Clowney is too good for any team to overdraft a quarterback ahead of Clowney. I’m hearing the same about Mack. So, the decision would seem to begin at No. 3. Will the Jaguars overdraft a quarterback? If it doesn’t happen there, then the Browns at No. 4 are the next likely team to do it. If they do, the run is on. I was talking to Mike Spofford about this a few weeks ago in my office. I said “four quarterbacks will be taken in the top 10,” and he wrote it on my chalkboard, grease board, whatever the thing is called. It’s still on there. When the quarterbacks started to fall, I thought to myself, “Uh, oh.” Well, maybe not. It’s quarterback. It’s the most overdrafted position in the draft. Five in the top 15, anybody?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 06, 2014, 08:05:59 pm
David from Chuluota, FL

Who’s the one player you never covered but wish you could have?

I’ll take Alex Karras in a good mood or Mike Ditka in a bad mood.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 06, 2014, 08:06:40 pm
Nick from Blaine, MN

What do you think of Kelvin Benjamin?

I look at Benjamin and I see Jermichael Finley.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 06, 2014, 08:10:18 pm
Matthew from Little Chute, WI

That Bradshaw line about the rings was hilarious. I agree with the image issue, but sometimes when people show their true colors, it can ruin them.

I prefer the truth. Do you want to live by the lie? I don’t. The truth is more fun, more honorable. It’s real. Not everybody succeeds in marriage, and it’s not a crime to fail. There’s no shame in it. The thing I always loved about Terry Bradshaw is that he never took himself too seriously. I was walking across the Steelers locker room one day when Brad called out, “Hey, Vic.” He motioned me over to his locker and then took out his wallet and showed me a picture of his new dog. I complimented him on his new family member, but I feared his wiener dog, the one we always took back to Pittsburgh with us following the last preseason game in Dallas every year, had died. “What happened to the old dog?” Bradshaw had been going through a divorce from skater Jo Jo Starbuck. He paused, and then said, “She even took the dog,” and I sensed genuine hurt in his voice. You want spin? I don’t. I like the players best when they’re real,
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 06, 2014, 08:11:45 pm
Joel from New York City, NY

Just read an article on Pierre Desir. Your thoughts on him?

Desir is proof that you find football players where you find football players. I saw him at the Senior Bowl but, again, the wind didn’t allow for players in the passing game to make a big impact. The book on Desir is that he’s raw and that gives him a lot of upside for a patient, draft-and-develop team. Desir’s size and athletic ability are extremely attractive – he doesn’t have shutdown-corner speed and might be a better fit as a zone corner – and he’s a high-character guy any team would love to have in its locker room.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 06, 2014, 09:06:40 pm
Critical calls for this year's Safetys.

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/257889391.html
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on May 08, 2014, 01:41:52 pm
(http://prod.static.packers.clubs.nfl.com//assets/images/imported/GB/videos/2014/05-may/04-ma/140504-davenport-najeh-640--nfl_medium_540_360.jpg)

Remember this guy, Najeh Davenport?

Did he move to Texas?

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2014/05/08/houston-authorities-searching-for-serial-defecator/
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on May 08, 2014, 02:21:36 pm
LOL!  Wiki....

I didn't know he did this outside the courtrooms...

Legal troubles[edit]
 
Burglary and criminal mischief charge[edit]
 
Prior to entering the NFL, Davenport allegedly broke into the dorm room of a Barry University woman and defecated in a laundry basket on April 1, 2002.[6] A woman sleeping in the room told police she was startled by a strange grunting sound and saw Davenport squatting in her closet.[7] In a plea bargain, his felony charge of second-degree burglary and misdemeanor count of criminal mischief were dropped in exchange for his completing 100 hours of community service.[8] Davenport maintained his innocence after the hearing, and began yelling outside of the courthouse, "Where's the evidence? Where's the manure? I know I didn't do it – I just wanted to get it over with."[9]
 
During his career, Davenport was given the nicknames "Dookie"[10] and "The Dump Truck."[11] While playing for the Packers, a letter writing campaign to the team equipment manager jokingly asked that he be issued jersey number 2 for practice,[12] which is still referenced during the opening of the "D-List" show on WAUK ESPN 540 in Milwaukee.[13] All are plays on the incident.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on May 08, 2014, 02:24:44 pm
Quote
Did he move to Texas?

Damn.  We couldn't be so lucky.  But there is this....

Ex-UM, NFL player Najeh Davenport briefly mistaken for Broward burglary suspect

By MIAMI HERALD STAFF

Ex-University of Miami running back Najeh Davenport on Thursday was briefly mistaken for a burglary suspect who led police on a chase that ended at the emergency entrance of Jackson Memorial Hospital.

The incident began when detectives tried to stop a stolen car in Broward driven by the suspect. The car matched the description of one used in a robbery, but the suspect fled to Miami-Dade.

Police finally cornered the suspect at the JMH complex at lunchtime as patients, employees and doctor watched the dramatic take-down by officers from several departments.

The burley suspect was taken down by several officers as scores of witnesses captured the scene on their cell phones.

When arrested, the suspect carried a driver’s license that identified him as Najeh Davenport, 34, the South Florida native who played for the UM in 2001 and eight seasons in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts.

News spread that Davenport had been arrested. Davenport notified police to say his wallet had recently been stolen and he was not the man arrested. Police quickly confirmed Davenport’s story.

They said the real suspect was Damian Coleman. Coleman, 36, was taken to the county jail, where he faces several charges.

Davenport was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 2002. He retired in 2008 and lives in South Florida. During his NFL career, Davenport rushed for 1,819 yards and 17 touchdowns

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/04/11/3339138/ex-um-nfl-player-najeh-davenport.html#storylink=cpy
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on May 08, 2014, 02:46:19 pm
HAHAHA...wlmhn...I was going to bring up the dump in the laundry basket.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on May 08, 2014, 04:42:10 pm
Or the fact your team still sucks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 08, 2014, 09:55:45 pm
HA-HA.  What else can I say?

I winced every time I watched another good player being drafted.  I thought that TT might draft CB Darques Dennard.  I'm glad that they got HaHa instead of Calvin Pryor.  Clinton is more of a free safety than Pryor is.  That's what GB needed most.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on May 08, 2014, 10:00:11 pm
 
 Packy,
 
 A deal is being worked to send Conte and a seconder rounder in 2015 for
 
 Dix after the draft.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on May 09, 2014, 02:33:28 pm
Oddo...then your team ust really suck becuase you lost to the Bears last year at Lamblow.

Maybe Nobama will lie to you about that loss.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 09, 2014, 07:58:32 pm

He may be the first Bay Area player chosen in this week's NFL draft, but Fresno State wide receiver Davante Adams didn't even take up the sport seriously until his junior season at Palo Alto High.

"I broke my arm in Pop Warner and just gave it some time to heal," Adams said this week.

Instead, he played basketball for a few years.

There was another reason he stayed away from football.

"My mom was pretty scared by it," Adams said. "She didn't want me to play from the start. She was afraid something would happen to me."

Something did. Adams became a star during his redshirt freshman season at Fresno State, evolving quickly into quarterback Derek Carr's favorite target and a possible first-round pick in the NFL draft that runs Thursday through Saturday.

"We're expecting Thursday," said Adams, who decided to leave Fresno State despite having two more years of eligibility. "If Friday happens, we'll go from there."

The 6-foot-1, 212-pounder caught 102 passes for 1,312 yards and 14 touchdowns as a freshman in 2012. That was just a start. Last fall, he led the NCAA with 131 receptions for 1,718 yards and 24 TDs.

Adams was twice named to the All-Mountain West Conference first team after scoring at least one touchdown in 22 of his 26 career games. His 38 touchdowns set a MWC career record, even though he only played two seasons.

Asked what he expected to achieve in college, Adams said he wasn't at all surprised.

"I knew I'd be good enough," he said. "I didn't know exactly what numbers I'd be putting up, but I always knew if I put enough work into and stayed true to my dream of playing professional ball I'd make it to this point. I kept that vision on the back of my mind."

A James Jones look-alike.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 09, 2014, 09:52:36 pm
Khyri Thornton, DT, Southern Miss

Thornton played all over the defensive line for the Golden Eagles and was a three-year starter. He will likely be a depth piece on the Packers' line at one of the end positions and potentially as an interior rusher in substitution packages.

The Packers picked Thornton over fellow defensive line prospect Brent Urban of Virginia and defensive back Pierre Desir.

The Packers will be up next in Round 3 with the 98th overall pick, a compensatory selection.

Here are his numbers from the Scouting Combine:

Height: 6-3
Weight: 304
Bench reps: 28
40 time: 5.03
Vertical: 29.0
Broad jump: 112.0
3-cone: 7.83
20-yard shuttle: 4.76
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 09, 2014, 09:57:59 pm
USA TODAY Sports



Khyri Thornton, Southern Mississippi

Khyri Thornton (pictured) gets overlooked in part because he played on one of the worst teams in the nation at Southern Mississippi. The Eagles have lost 22 of 23 games over the last two years, but it's not Thornton's fault.

He's a very powerful interior lineman with a great burst off the snap. Kyle Posey from Bolts From the Blue nicely breaks down his explosion and power in his scouting profile.

When watching Thornton, imagine him in the role Nick Fairley plays in Detroit's 4-3 scheme. In fact, Fairley is a very apt comparison for Thornton. Like the rotund Lion, Thornton doesn't always find the ball well or play in concert with his linemates all the time.

Put him in the middle of a more talented group, and Thornton could quickly emerge as a middle-round gem.

As for a player more suited to play the 3-technique in a 4-3 or even a 3-4 end, don't sleep on Purdue's Bruce Gaston.

TT Might have found a real sleeper, here.




Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 09, 2014, 10:34:17 pm
Packers invest in Cal tight end Richard Rodgers
 Posted by Vic Ketchman, packers.com editor on  May 9, 2014 – 10:16 pm 


GREEN BAY–Richard Rodgers is a tight end loaded with upside, and he’ll have a chance to develop his talents in an offense famous for developing tight ends.

Rodgers, 6-4, 257, made a position switch from tight end to wide receiver while at California. He made the move seamlessly enough to vault into the third round of the NFL draft, but as a tight end. Rodgers was selected by the Packers on Thursday night with the 98th overall pick, the Packers’ second of two third-round picks and the team’s final pick of the second day of the draft.

“His father is the special teams coach of the Carolina Panthers. Played wide receiver at 245 pounds last season. Was a 270-pound blocking tight end the year before. Shows flashes but he’s green as grass. Has skill but needs time,” packers.com draft analyst Tony Pauline said of Rodgers.

Packers.com will update this story following completion of the third round.

Apparently TT sees something.

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 09, 2014, 10:37:28 pm
Packers selected California TE Richard Rodgers with the No. 98 overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft.
Rodgers (6-foot-3 3/4, 257) made only 11 starts at Cal, managing 59 career catches for 896 yards (15.2 YPR) and two touchdowns. He ran 4.87 at the Combine with a 31 1/2-inch vertical and 9-foot-8 broad jump. Rodgers missed time in college with ankle, foot, shoulder, and thumb injuries, undergoing surgery on each of the latter three body parts. Rodgers has big hands (10 1/4") and possession receiver skills, but is both speed and size deficient. He might develop into a useful pass-catching No. 2 tight end, though we expect Brandon Bostick to continue to get opportunities in the "move" tight end role for the Packers, with Andrew Quarless as the in-line starter. May. 9 - 11:16 pm
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 10, 2014, 12:51:44 pm
Packers take LB Carl Bradford from ASU

By Lori Nickel of the Journal Sentinel   

May 10, 2014 12:10 p.m. 


Green Bay - The Packers have selected linebacker Carl Bradford from Arizona State in the fourth round with the 121st pick overall in the NFL draft on Saturday. He is 6-feet tall and 250 pounds.

This is his bio from the school:

"Appeared in 39 games and made 28 career starts, including every game in 2012 and 2013…two-time All-Pac-12 player, including First Team in 2013...Finished career with 40.5 tackles for loss in past two seasons, tied for the fourth most in the nation in that span...Added 21.5 sacks, 10 pass deflections, six forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a pair of interceptions...Named Curley Culp Outstanding Defensive Lineman at 2013 team banquet…Graduated with a BS degree in Criminal Justice in Fall 2014."

In a conference call with reporters Saturday afternoon, Bradford said:

Said he talked to the Packers at the Combine. He didn't know if they were that interested. "It was random to me."

He said he sees himself playing outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense. The most of his college playing was with his hand in the dirt. He's open minded though to play where needed in Green Bay.

He was thinking of his father. He broke down in tears thinking of him. He lost his Dad a year ago; his father Roy dies in his arms when there were out together. "I play for him, I play through him. He's here in my heart and my spirit."

He thinks he might prefer playing standing up. "I'm very comfortable with that." He will be able to see more. "It gives me a better jump on the game. Now I'm able to see everything. I'm going to enjoy playing that position." He doesn't have a ton of experience in dropping back in coverage, although he did try to demonstrate that at his pro day.

He thinks his speed around the edge is his strength at pass rushing. He is also very powerful in his lower body.

Play inside OK though too? "I could still be effective. I believe I am a versatile player and a smart player."

He said the refs made the right call at the end of the ASU-Wisconsin game...

He visited a lot of teams, including the San Diego Chargers and the Steelers.

This is from his diary on USA Today in terms of where he would play at linebacker:

"Where would I actually feel comfortable playing? That's one question I still get asked a lot. A lot of teams don't know where I would play. Some say middle linebacker. Some say outside linebacker or end.

 "My freshman year of high school, I played running back. I was a bigger back, so I just looked to run over people. I wasn't really trying to juke or anything. Just from having that mindset where you always want to hit and attack people, it developed well on defense, and my mentality of how I play is physical. It mixes perfectly."

He wrote about losing his father, likely to a heart attack, a year ago.

From Tyler Dunne on the live NFL draft blog:

Bradford was originally listed as the fifth-best fullback in the country by ESPN out of high school. As a senior in HS, he rushed for 884 yards on 136 attempts with 14 touchdowns. Transitioned to LB in college.

Described as a "hybrid rush/end/OLB." Was the "Devil backer" in Sun Devils' scheme.
 --- Stood up and had his hand down. In 27 starts, Bradford had 142 tackles (103 solo), 19 sacks, 39.5 TFL, 6 FF, 2 int, 6 PB
 --- Can squat 545 pounds
 -- All Pac 12 honorable mention
 --- 4.72 in the 40; 37 1/2-inch vertical
 --- Benched 225 23 times

Bradford sounds like a real workout warrior. Can power clean 400 pounds.

He's 6-1, 250 with 4.76 speed. The Packers probably view him as a guy who moves around. Pass rushing still matters, though. He could provide something as a blitzer probably."

From Packers director of college scouting Brian Gutekunst:

This blog post is being written live; please check back for updates; sorry for any early typos.

(https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSxqBswaWxUlYNueLYBVhUy2ytiiFZDgxtq2G11EVh7sVSYHtK8)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 10, 2014, 01:02:10 pm
Arizona State's Carl Bradford has gone a bit under-the-radar during the draft process but is still projected as a Day 2 pick. He sat down with BGN's Head NFL Draft writer Mike Kaye to discuss his college career and his future in the league.

While the likes of Anthony Barr, Dee Ford, Marcus Smith and Jeremiah Attaochu remain on the minds of most Eagles fans, one likely-second round pick has gone a bit under-the-radar in the linebacker discussion. Arizona State's Carl Bradford is currently projected as a Day 2 pick, but has yet receive the same hype as his peers. The lack of noise is unfamiliar to a talent like Bradford, who starred on a Sun Devils defense that was known for exciting its home crowd and making plenty of plays.

Despite the lack of media awareness, the underrated prospect has been drawing attention from several teams in the league. A tweener in any scheme, Bradford can play every linebacker position on any defense. While he is only 6-foot-1 and 250 pounds, Bradford stood out as a defensive end as well as an inside and outside linebacker at Arizona State. He had 152 tackles, 21.5 sacks, two interceptions and eight pass breakups in just three seasons as ASU's "Devilbacker."

The talented native of Norco, California is ready to make his mark in the NFL and he recently sat down with BGN's Mike Kaye to discuss his college career, his preparation for offseason workouts and his future in the league...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 10, 2014, 01:13:47 pm
fter shoring up the receiving corps for the foreseeable future, Packers GM Ted Thompson turned his attention to finding a pass catching tight end. With most of the "name" tight ends had already come off the board, Thompson turned to Cal's productive Richard Rodgers.

Rodgers, a former wide receiver, certainly fits the bill of an athletic pass catcher. Few tight ends averaged more yards per catch (15.6) than he did in 2013. At 6-4, 257 pounds, Rodgers can create matchup nightmares for linebackers over the middle. He also projects as a fine red zone target even though he only caught one touchdown last season.

With Andrew Quarless currently atop the Packers' depth chart at tight end, adding Rodgers can be seen as picking for need. Certainly, few expected to hear his name come off the board before Day 3 of the 2014 NFL Draft. However, Thompson has a proven his acumen for finding quality tight ends in the past, with Jermichael Finley coming off the board in the same range back in 2008.

Speaking of Finley, this selection would seem to signal the end of his tenure in Green Bay. While optimism grew over the past few months that Finley could return due to the lack of interest elsewhere, it's hard to see Thompson bringing him back with Rodgers, Quarless, Brandon Bostick, Ryan Taylor, and Jake Stoneburner already on the roster.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 10, 2014, 01:16:44 pm
nce again, Packers GM Ted Thompson grabbed a wide receiver a year before he needed him. In the same way that Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb weren't "need" picks in their respective drafts, Davante Adams comes in to learn for a year and step into a bigger role down the road.

It was a foregone conclusion that the Packers would take a receiver early in the 2014 NFL Draft once James Jones departed for Oakland. Green Bay could have gone into the year with Nelson, Cobb, and third-year wideout Jarrett Boykin and still produced in the passing game, but with all three on expiring deals and little depth behind them Thompson adding the ultra-productive Adams to avoid a drop off.

At 6-1 212 lbs., Adams compares favorably to Michael Crabtree. Like the 49ers' top receiver, Adams doesn't have elite timed speed (4.56 at the combine, 4.51 at his pro day). However, Adams excels in winning jump balls as indicated by his 39.5" vertical.

 

Despite being one of the youngest players in the draft, Adams caught more passes (131) and touchdowns (24) than any other receiver in the nation last season. Most of that production came off fades and quick hitches, so refining his route running will be crucial to winning playing time in Green Bay.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 10, 2014, 01:50:54 pm
Packers first-round draft pick Ha Ha Clinton-Dix shared his thoughts with the Wisconsin media after getting drafted in the first round.

On being pictured wearing a Packers jersey prior to the draft: “Well I had been talking to Eddie for a minute and I was looking through my bag and I was like, ‘Well, I guess I’ll throw this on,’ and it looked pretty good on me, so I decided to put it on. So, I was just hanging in my room thinking and I decided to take a picture on Instagram and I put it up and it kind of blew up.”

On his role in the Packers defense: “You know what? I’ll find out when I get there. I’m a great player. I play fast, I’m a great tackler. And it’s like anything, once I learn the system, learn the entire defense and get comfortable, I think I’ll be fine.”

On being used differently in 2013 compared to the year before in college: “As a sophomore, I was a young’un, we had won the championship the year before, so he wanted to put me in a place where I was comfortable at. He thought I was comfortable at and he could sleep at night with me there. So my sophomore year he had me just playing a lot of the deep middle, covering a lot in the slot and boundary, stuff like that. So that's what I did my sophomore year. And then going into my junior year, he felt real comfortable with me, he wanted me to run all the plays, all the calls, all the checks, and be able to play fast and still do my job, so he felt comfortable (putting me) anywhere, lined up anywhere, left and right, put me in the box, and shoved me around a lot, used me a lot my junior year.”

On talking to former Alabama teammate Eddie Lacy prior to the draft: “After I took that picture, he called me about it and said, ‘All right, keep playing, you’re going to be up here with me,’ and we both laughed about it. But me and him are pretty good, pretty close. Going up against him every day in practice kind of made me upset because he’d give me a little spin move every now and then, but … I'll be glad to be back with him in Green Bay.”

On waiting to get drafted: “As far as tonight, this afternoon I had called Dee Milliner and Dee Milliner was just telling me, ‘You know, it's a gamble, so keep your head held high, be patient, just have high energy that whole time in that green room,’ and that’s what I did. As everyone’s names (were) being called, I knew I was going to be called, too, and I just kept praying about it and I’m a Packer.”

On meeting with Packers at the NFL combine: “It was very relaxed, very chill. I talked with a lot of coaches, it felt like a very together team as far as being with each other and being a family. That 15-minute meeting went very fast, it was quick and I felt relaxed.”

On his unusual name: “Actually, my grandmother gave me that name when I was three or four years old. She got tired of pronouncing my name, which is Ha-SEEN, but it’s spelled Ha-SHAWN. So about age 3 or 4, she started calling me Ha Ha, and it just went from there.”

On whether he looked at teams prior to the draft that needed a safety: “To be honest, I didn't. Like I was telling you, it’s a gamble. So those opinions on who needs safeties or where I was going in the draft, I didn't look at it at all. But as I said, when I posted that picture on Instagram and I got 300, 400 comments and quotes from Twitter about the picture, I kind of went back and looked at Green Bay. And [thought], ‘You know, they could use some help [at safety and] on the defensive side of the ball, period, with the great offense they already have. So I looked there, and I was like, ‘Well, everybody might be right. I might end up in Green Bay. Seriously.’ Everything happens for a reason. I put that picture up with that Green Bay shirt two, three weeks before the draft, and here I am a Packer.”

Ono facing big receivers in the NFC North: “I’m very good on the post. I’m very good covering, helping out and double-teaming. Whatever it takes, I’m good at doing it. I’ve got to make sure I learn that playbook and get comfortable and right to be myself and I think I’ll do fine helping the Green Bay Packers win.”
Odd sidelight taken BEFORE the draft.

http://cmsimg.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=U0&Date=20140508&Category=PKR0101&ArtNo=140508038&Ref=AR&MaxW=300&Border=0&Ha-Ha-Clinton-Dix-glad-Packer


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 10, 2014, 03:04:20 pm
Jarred Abrederis, WR

(http://static.nfl.com/static/content/static/img/combine/headshots/2543774.jpg)

Like this guy from U Wis.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 10, 2014, 03:12:30 pm
Jared Abbrederis (WR), Wisconsin

6'1" | 195 lbs.

2013 stats:

78 receptions, 1,081 yards, 7 TD, 6 carries, 119 yards, 2 TD, 11 punt returns, 94 yards

Selection:

5th Round, 176th pick (Green Bay Packers)

What the scouts are saying:

"A former walk-on, Abbrederis went from afterthought to scholarship player to No. 1 receiver. While the blue-collar overachiever lacks exceptional athletic traits for the NFL, he's a steady 'X' receiver whose hands and smarts could enable him to work his way into a No. 3 or No. 4 receiver role." (Nolan Nawrocki, NFL.com)

"Abbrederis is a former walk-on who has been extremely productive since he arrived in Madison. Overall, he won't appeal to every NFL team due to his average size, speed and overall athleticism, but Abbrederis is a balanced pass-catcher with gliding speed who has been very productive. ... Just like when he was forced to walk on, Abbrederis will likely be undervalued as a pro prospect. Abbrederis doesn't scream NFL prospect, but he is extremely detailed and will make a NFL team look smart for drafting him in May." (CBSSports.com)

"In any other receiver class, Abbrederis would be chosen in the top 75. That is still a possibility, but he will likely fall because of the depth at wide receiver. Someone will get a good player late in the third round." (Josh Collacchi, eDraft.com)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 10, 2014, 05:32:19 pm


Jeff Janis, WR, Saginaw Valley State (HT: 6'2⅞" WT: 219 lbs.)

Green Bay Packers

Seventh Round: 236th Pick



Combine Weigh In

Height Weight Arms Hands
6027 219 32 1/2" 9"

NFL.com


Combine Workout

40-Yd Dash 10-Yd Split Vertical Broad Jump Three-Cone Drill Shuttle
4.42 1.47 37.5" 10'3" 6.64 3.98

NFL.com

Positives
•Prototypical height and overall size for the position.
•Blend of size and speed ranks among the best in this draft class.
•Workout numbers at the combine were among the top at his position across the board.
•Does a nice job working against the zone and finding the soft spot to show himself to his quarterback.
•Shows great body control when adjusting to poorly placed balls and has shown a knack for coming down with the acrobatic catch.
•Extremely productive college career—over 3,000 receiving yards and 31 touchdowns in his junior and senior years.
•Three-year starter who has remained durable throughout his career.
•Has a reputation as a hard worker and was respected by coaches and teammates.

Negatives
•More track fast than game fast.
•Tested well at the combine in terms of speed and acceleration, but it doesn't show up on the field.
•Despite his speed, he plays more like a possession receiver due to his struggles to separate, which really showed at the Senior Bowl.
•More fast than he is quick, and he doesn't move in and out of his breaks as well as you'd expect from a receiver with his speed.
•Didn't face a ton of press coverage against lower-level competition and struggled to disengage and fight through it during Senior Bowl practices.
•Nine-inch hands are on the small side, especially for a receiver with his height.
•Makes the difficult catches but will let some easy ones bounce of his hands.
•Wasn't forced to make a ton of contested catches in college.
•Didn't faced many defensive backs capable of challenging him on 50/50 balls, and he'll need to learn how to position himself and use his size against cornerbacks and safeties who can match his physical play and leaping ability.
•Suffered an ankle injury during the Senior Bowl.

(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/002/811/570/hi-res-d6c5ecc50825bf746f323f1ff09a1795_crop_north.jpg?w=630&h=420&q=75)

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 10, 2014, 07:37:28 pm

Mike Spofford

Badgers wide receiver drafted in fifth round


GREEN BAY—Considering the fact he began his college career as a walk-on, it would have been natural for Wisconsin wide receiver Jared Abbrederis to begin his NFL career as an undrafted rookie.

But Abbrederis became too good for that.

It only adds to the story of how far Abbrederis has come now that the Wautoma, Wis., native has been drafted by the Green Bay Packers with the 176th overall pick, a compensatory selection at the end of the fifth round.

“It’s crazy right now,” Abbrederis said moments after the Packers drafted him on Saturday. “There’s a lot going through my head. Being a walk-on at Wisconsin, and being able to have my dream to play in the NFL and on the Packers, my team, that’s the team I rooted for. I’m just excited to be a part of the organization.”

The Packers are excited to have another productive receiver joining the roster, along with second-round pick Davante Adams from Fresno State, who was drafted on Friday night. Abbrederis caught 202 passes for 3,140 yards and 23 TDs in his Badger career, ranking first in school history in receptions and second in the other two categories.

Abbrederis said it was in his sophomore year, when he earned his scholarship and played with quarterback Russell Wilson and receiver Nick Toon, both future NFL draft picks, that he realized he might have a chance in the pros.

He cemented that in his own and most scouts’ minds when he dominated Ohio State cornerback Bradley Roby last season, catching 10 passes for 207 yards and a TD. Roby was drafted in the first round on Thursday night by the AFC champion Broncos with the 31st overall pick.

“That was definitely a big game for me, confidence-wise,” Abbrederis said. “That gave me the confidence I can play at this level. I have to go out and prove it, but I’m excited about the opportunity.”

Joining a receiving corps that features Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Jarrett Boykin and now Adams leaves Abbrederis with his work cut out for him, but that’s nothing new for the former prep quarterback.

“It speaks to his mindset when he entered college. He walked on,” Packers wide receivers coach Edgar Bennett said. “We want all our guys to have that same mindset and that competitive spirit, where you want to prove it over and over again. You love those qualities about him.”

Bennett also spoke highly of Abbrederis’ route-running and his football smarts, two things that stood out on film, particularly in the big game against Roby.

“I love Jared’s versatility,” Bennett said. “He can play inside and outside. He can also jump in and do returns. He’ll have a great opportunity to come in and earn it. He’s coming from a great program right down the road, so we’re excited about that.”

Abbrederis is the first former Badger to be drafted by the Packers since offensive lineman Bill Ferrario back in the fourth round in 2001. He surprised some by running a 4.5-second 40-yard dash at the combine, but was downgraded for only bench-pressing four reps at 225 pounds. He said he’ll spend time in the weight room, the film room, wherever the Packers want him to be.

In typical Wisconsinite fashion, Abbrederis was watching the draft at the family cabin, knowing he has only a few more days to relax before his NFL adventure – and the work – truly begins.

“I’m ready to get back at it,” he said. “Obviously you have to work for everything that’s in front of you, but I’m excited for the opportunity.

“They have a lot of great wide receivers there now, and I’m excited to be part of that group. They do a really good job building up wide receivers.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 11, 2014, 06:40:54 pm
With the conclusion of the 2014 NFL Draft, those players who were not drafted are now signing with teams across the league as undrafted free agents (UDFA), including the Green Bay Packers.

The names of these players are being reported via Twitter as they come in. We’ve selected Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel who is keeping a close eye on those players signing with Green Bay.

Below are the tweets announced by Silverstein.

Here is a full list (as of 8:15 p.m.) of all those signed by Green Bay in a future post:

RB James Sims, RB, Kansas (6-0, 200)
OL John Fullington, Washington State (6-5, 301)
RB Rajon Neal, Tennessee (5-11, 212)
LB Jake Doughty, Utah State (6-0, 234)
QB Chase Rettig, Boston College (6-3, 206)
CB Ryan White, Auburn (5-11, 196)
LB Jayrone Elliott, Toledo (6-3, 240)
DL Mike Pennel, Colorado State-Pueblo (6-5, 363)
DL Carlos Gray, North Carolina State (6-3, 296)
LB Joe Thomas, South Carolina State (6-0, 230)
OL Jordan McCray, Central Florida (6-3, 310)
*Heights and weights are based on school biography

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 11, 2014, 09:23:00 pm
Mel Kiper - Grade Need/Value: B-/B+

No one gets more flack for draft misevaluation than Mel Kiper. Some of that is fair (Jimmy Clausen anyone?), however he's not really much different than the other pundits. He grades the Packers' 2014 draft class as a B- in terms of addressing needs and a B+ in terms of value. He spotlights Ted Thompson's three wide receiver selections and Arizona State's Carl Bradford as reasons for his grades.

Todd McShay - Best Pick: Davante Adams

Todd McShay didn't grade the Packers' draft class, but he did nominate Davante Adams as the team's best draft pick. For a player viewed as a potential first rounder, acquiring him in the late second round is obvious value. The more interesting tidbit though is McShay's line about almost picking Khyri Thornton, "I almost went with third-round D-tackle Khyri Thornton for this one, as he has a quick first step and explosive power as a one-gap disruptor, and he helps Green Bay achieve its goal of getting more athletic along the defensive front."

Doug Farrar - Grade: A

Doug Farrar couldn't be more optimistic about the Packers' 2014 draft class. He calls all three receivers the team selected "underrated" and even praised the team's selection of Cal tight end Richard Rodgers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 11, 2014, 09:40:29 pm
Round 6 (197) - Demetri Goodson - CB - Baylor


"Goodson's size (5-11) and speed (4.52 40 time) don't jump off the page, but his 6.80 3-cone time suggest great agility and the ability to quickly correct mistakes. Those measurements mirror Hayward's combine figures almost perfectly. This is the type of corner Dom Capers has been successful with.

That said, there are always huge question marks with players taken this late. Goodson's endured several injuries during his college career and may not be able to stay on the field. This will be Goodson's biggest impediment to establishing a professional career."

Could move to SS.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 11, 2014, 10:19:19 pm

Paul Imig   @Paulimig 
Follow
McCarthy: Jared Abbrederis will "definitely have an opportunity" as a returner. #Packers


6:46 PM - 10 May 2014
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 11, 2014, 10:42:18 pm
Felipe from Edinburg, TX

Do the Packers need a big receiver such as Calvin Johnson or Brandon Marshall? If so, who are some draft prospects that fit that description?

Mike Evans, Kelvin Benjamin, Allen Robinson, Martavis Bryant, Jordan Matthews, Devin Street, Cody Latimer, Jeff Janis, Brandon Coleman, Cody Hoffman, Marcus Lucas, Alex Neutz, Chris Boyd, Je’Ron Hamm, Corey Washington, D.J. Coles, Quinton Payton, Ryan Culbreath, Seantavious Jones, Spencer Harris, Geraldo Boldewijn, Gerald Ford (no relation to the former president), Aaron Burks, Deon Miller, Malik Generett, Daryle Hawkins, Jaleel Clark. Dime a dozen.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 11, 2014, 10:46:04 pm
Anthony from Saint Francis, WI

Vic, you said the only thing worse than drafting a bad player is failure to admit he’s a bad player and keeping him on the team. Do you think they hold onto players longer than they should?

I didn’t say that; Ron Wolf did. It was a popular opinion back then. Get ’em good or get ’em gone. That was a different time. Rosters were built differently and the game presented different demands. I’ve always been a jars-on-the-shelf guy. I believe in being patient with young players. If you’re not committed to young talent, then you’ll likely waste the time you’ve put into them by finding yourself having to play against them. I can provide several examples. Dan Connolly is a player on whom the Jaguars quit too quickly. He was an outstanding find as an undrafted free agent. Two years later, he was gone and since then he has been in the starting lineup for the Patriots for seven years. That was a critical mistake and it was the result of impatience. Wolf didn’t make many of those mistakes. He had a pretty good crystal ball.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 11, 2014, 10:48:08 pm
Jay from Fairport, NY

You said that if one team picks a quarterback early, that could have a domino effect that starts a run on quarterbacks. If each team has its own draft board, why would other teams reaching for quarterbacks suddenly force them to overdraft as well?

Every board is different. There is no uni-board, and that’s the mystery of the draft that creates the anxiety and intrigue that makes this so much fun. Bill Belichick had Kyle Brady all lined up for pick No. 10 in the 1995 draft. What Belichick didn’t know is that the Jets had Brady all lined up for pick No. 9. Belichick violated one of the cardinal rules of drafting: Never fall in love with a guy. Belichick fell so deeply in love with Brady that when the Jets picked Brady, Belichick went dead. He ended up trading out of the spot and wildly moving down to pick No. 30, where he made a curious selection that turned out to be a bust. Composure is critical to sound drafting. Never fall so deeply in love with one guy that you’re not prepared to pick someone else. Expect runs. Plan for everything. Be surprised by nothing. Most of all, be true to your board. Not every team is. The good ones are.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 11, 2014, 11:36:21 pm
GB draftee CB Demetri Goodson - here is a guy who has a shot at being an NFL SS.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 12, 2014, 03:36:57 pm
Here’s the complete list of divisional odds from the LVH:

AFC East
Patriots: 4-to-13.
 Dolphins: 9-to-2.
 Jets: 8-to-1.
 Bills: 10-to-1.

AFC North
 Bengals: 8-to-5.
 Ravens: 9-to-4.
 Steelers: 9-to-4.
 Browns: 6-to-1.

AFC South
 Colts 4-to-5.
 Texans: 13-to-5.
 Titans: 13-to-5.
 Jaguars: 30-to-1.

AFC West
 Broncos: 2-to-7.
 Chargers: 5-to-1.
 Chiefs: 5-to-1.
 Raiders: 30-to-1.

NFC East
 Eagles: 8-to-5.
 Cowboys: 9-to-4.
 Giants: 9-to-4.
 Redskins: 9-to-2.

NFC North
 Packers: 5-to-8.
 Lions: 3-to-1.
 Bears: 7-to-2.
 Vikings: 18-to-1.

NFC South
 Saints: 5-to-4.
 Panthers: 5-to-2.
 Falcons: 3-to-1.
 Buccaneers: 5-to-1.

NFC West
 Seahawks: 10-to-11.
 49ers: 6-to-5.
 Cardinals: 10-to-1.
 Rams: 12-to-1.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 12, 2014, 06:47:42 pm

2014 NFL Draft Analysis: Classifying the Packers' Draft Picks

By Jason Hirschhorn  @JBHirschhorn  on May 12 2014, 10:00a  34 

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

We take a look at which of the Packers' 2014 draft picks represent the best value, biggest ceiling/floor differential, biggest gamble, and lowest risk.

With the NFL Draft finally in the books, it's time to start evaluating the Packers' 2014 draft class. Obviously, no one really knows how the careers of these players will unravel, but that doesn't mean we can't break down the class in terms of perceived value, risk, and other criteria.

Best Value: Jared Abbrederis

Entering the draft, plenty of people believed Wisconsin's Jared Abbrederis might slip into the end of the second day of the draft. What hurt Abbrederis was two fold; he entered the NFL in the same year that college football produced the most talented and deep wide receiver class in well over a decade, and he endured multiple concussions while in school. The combined effect of those factors outweighed Abbrederis' positive traits: his route running, his production, and his work ethic.

However, to land Abbrederis near the end of the fifth round constitutes considerable value for Packers GM Ted Thompson. He can step right into the slot role should Randall Cobb incur another injury, and he strengthens what is now top to bottom perhaps the best receiving corps in the NFL. Abbrederis' production may not wow onlookers in 2014, but down the line he can develop into a key contributor on offense.

Biggest Ceiling/Floor Differential: Jeff Janis

Jeff Janis may have been a seventh-round pick of the weekend, but he's part of the defining narrative of the Packers' latest draft class. Since returning to Green Bay in 2005, Thompson has never taken more than two receivers in a draft. Janis became the third in the 2014 class after earlier selections of Davante Adams and the aforementioned Abbrederis.

Don't mistake his draft spot for a lack of athleticism, though. The 6-3 219 lbs. Janis ran a 4.42 40 at the combine to go along with his 20 reps on the bench, 37.5 inch vertical and blazing 6.64 3-cone time. If he marshals his athleticism and refine his pass catching, nothing can prevent him from becoming a starting receiver in this league. However, his lack of refinement could also land him a pink slip before the preseason ends.

Biggest Gamble: Khyri Thornton

Prior to the draft you were just as likely to find someone who rated Khyri Thornton as a mid-round pick as you were to stumble upon a scouting report with a late round to undrafted grade. Thornton enjoyed a productive career at Southern Miss, but his motor remains a question mark to NFL scouts. The Packers obviously thought enough of him to pull the trigger with a premium draft pick, but that doesn't mean Thornton represents little risk. If he plays like he did during the NFLPA Bowl practices and game, Green Bay will have landed another quality rotational defensive end and potential starter. It'll be up to defensive line coach Mike Trgovac to keep him motivated.

Lowest Risk: Davante Adams

For this superlative, a strong argument can be made for Jared Abbrederis. However, the edge here goes to Fresno State's Davante Adams.

Adams compares favorably to the 49ers Michael Crabtree in size (6-1, 212 lbs.), ability to high point and attack the football (39.5 inch vertical), and production (233 receptions, 3031 receiving yards, and 38 touchdowns over just two seasons). What's more, he can step into James Jones' old role immediately and work the quick hitches and fades to perfection. The rest of his route tree is a little raw, but at only 21 Adams has plenty of time to iron out the kinks and become the latest Packers second-round receiver success story.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 12, 2014, 07:27:36 pm
Blake from Phoenix, AZ

Vic, no more chortling over how right the fans were, no more judgments of whether the third-round picks were reaches. I happen to think, as a whole, this draft was pretty solid. Even though Ha Ha Clinton-Dix may not become a star, I believe he will be a solid starter for the next five years and, hopefully, more. I love the Bradford pick, as I was able to watch a good amount of his games here in Phoenix. He’s a high-motor pass rusher. Please give us your honest thoughts of the potential for the players in our draft class.




Darn it, I wanted to give my dishonest thoughts. OK, here are my honest thoughts: Ha Ha fixes safety. Done! I don’t want to hear any more about it. I think Davante Adams will become the star of this draft class, not only because he’s an undervalued talent, but because he’ll be playing with the best quarterback in the game. Khyri Thornton is a tough-guy two-gapper, and they’re always underrated and underappreciated. Joel Steed is the best defensive lineman I’ve ever covered that nobody remembers; all he did was eat blocks. Richard Rodgers is a project. If he was, in fact, a reach, why did the Packers reach for him? It’s probably because they had information that another team liked him and was ready to pick him. Again, team boards are different from the draftniks’ boards. I don’t know much about Carl Bradford; our paths didn’t cross during the postseason process. Tony Pauline says Bradford plays like his hair is on fire. I like that. The lack of length doesn’t bother me. A lot of great linebackers lacked length. When they lack length and play well, everybody says their lack of length allows them to play with leverage. Whatever! Corey Linsley is a true center. The rap on him is that he’s not real athletic. I don’t remember describing Mike Webster as a great athlete. I can only remember one center I’ve ever covered that was a great athlete, Dermontti Dawson. Center is about being smart and tough. They say Linsley is smart and tough. I interviewed Abbrederis at the Senior Bowl. I thought he was the best receiver there. I professed my love for him long ago. I think I’ve already written that he reminds me of Wes Welker. I don’t know much about Demetri Goodson. Why not? Because Baylor and defense don’t go together. Goodson would seem to be a talented player hidden on a team that gave up points as though it was playing basketball. Janis and Abbrederis were on my planes to and from the Senior Bowl and coming back from the combine. I was stunned at how much bigger Janis is than Abbrederis. Janis really looks the part and he runs 4.4. Why was he available? Probably because he’s coming out of a small school in one of the deepest wide receiver drafts ever.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 12, 2014, 07:32:16 pm
Aaron from Las Vegas, NV

Vic, I’m on to you. You are letting us bask in glory for being right about Ha Ha because you know there’s a decent chance he could not turn out to be the savior we think, at least not right away. Then you’re going to remind us of it and it’s going to hurt.

That’s not it. I’m allowing you to bask in the glory so you might accept responsibility and ownership for this pick, because with responsibility and ownership comes anxiety. How’s it feel to be the guy making the pick, huh? Little nervous?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 12, 2014, 07:39:45 pm
Angel from Selma, CA

I like the Packers picks overall, but do not like that we did not draft an inside linebacker. Do you think that will come back to bite us?

What good does it do to say you drafted an inside linebacker if the guy isn’t good enough to make your team? Do you remember what Tony said about inside linebacker? He said it was very weak and if you wanted one you had to get your guy early. You can’t draft everybody. You do what you can do in the draft and then you turn to other platforms to patch perceived needs. Undrafted free agency is one of those platforms. So is what’s left of veteran free agency. Or maybe the Packers have plans for addressing that position within their existing roster or within their scheme. Relax and trust that there’s a plan.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 12, 2014, 07:41:20 pm
James from Ilkley, UK

No run on quarterbacks? It seems to me like teams have finally learned not to overvalue quarterbacks.

NFL.com’s “draft tracker” offers numerical grades for each player selected in the draft. I couldn’t help but notice that those grades, with a few exceptions, fell in a tightly descending order as the draft proceeded, which made it very clear teams were drafting from the top of their boards. Address needs? Every team is addressing needs with every pick because in the salary cap era every team has a need at every position. Where don’t the Packers have a need? Would you turn your nose up at another left tackle? Even when you’ve got a couple of left tackles, every team needs a left tackle; it’s that important of a position and it translates to nearly every position on the offensive line. BAP vs. needs drafting is no longer an issue and we need to let it go. Everybody is drafting for need and they’re doing it without leaving the top of their board.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 12, 2014, 07:42:59 pm
Dean from Frisco, TX

Vic, I saw the Packers signed OLB Hubbard from Alabama. What do you and Tony know about him? His ratings look like he should have been drafted in the middle rounds.

Adrian Hubbard was the subject of debate between Tony and me at the Senior Bowl. Hubbard passes the eye test. He’s got the body of a first-round pick. If you like length, Hubbard is your guy. Tony loved him at the Senior Bowl. He kept going on and on about Hubbard looking like a power forward. I was more reserved in my judgment and I reminded Tony that we were looking at prospects to play football, not basketball. As I watched Hubbard, I didn’t see a power forward. I saw Kevin Hardy, and he was a pretty good linebacker.

I believe this guy is a pretty good football player.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 12, 2014, 07:46:40 pm
Scott from Bloomington, IL

Do I feel better? Yes, and your article was very helpful with giving me a better perspective. I especially appreciate your sentence, “Somewhere between fan perception and Thompson’s rigid adherence to drafting the best available player lies the truth.” With that statement, I can better reconcile what I saw with statements made by Mr. Thompson. In the end, I do like the players we drafted and hope to someday feel better about the tight end Rodgers.

There will be hits, and there will be misses. Relax with that inevitability.

Those same comments can apply to the Bears' staff.  I believe they did a good job of drafting from what was available.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 12, 2014, 07:50:04 pm
It was fun going to Draftbreakdown.com and watch film on the players whom the Packers drafted and I hadn't ever seen before.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 12, 2014, 07:56:12 pm
(http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS//assets/images/imported/GB/videos/2014/05-may/10-ma/140510-janis-jeff-640--nfl_thumb_270_152.jpg?height=70)

Level II WR Jeff Janis.  Played well in Sr. Bowl.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 13, 2014, 01:33:27 pm
William from Newark, NY

Do you think Carl Bradford will get a shot at both the ILB and OLB positions?

No, I don’t. Ted Thompson, Mike McCarthy and Brian Gutekunst each made it perfectly clear this past weekend that Bradford is a pass-rushing outside linebacker. I expected a we’ll-see answer to the question about where Bradford would play, so when you get something as definitive as we did on Saturday, I think it’s obvious the Packers have a particular role in mind for Bradford. I don’t know what the Packers’ plan is for their linebacking corps, but I think it deeply involves Julius Peppers and Dom Capers’ plans for using him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 13, 2014, 01:36:41 pm
Dmutri from Knoxville, TN

Hey, Vic, I enjoy reading your comments. I know C.J. Mosley would have been the ultimate prize at inside linebacker, but what do you think about the Adrian Hubbard signing?

You’ll never see an undrafted free agent that passes the eye test better than Hubbard do

I have high hopes for Hubbard.  He was highly sought by several teams as a UFA.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 13, 2014, 01:46:26 pm
Joe from West Bend, WI

SB Nation gives the Packers an A. The only other team they have equaling that mark is the Houston Texans. The other 30 teams are all given draft grades less than that mark.

I am so relieved.

LMAO.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 13, 2014, 02:07:47 pm
Ben from Dallas, TX

I suspect there’s less chortling in your inbox today. What do you think of the Packers’ day-two picks?

Adams has the best numbers of any receiver in the draft, except for one number, 4.56, which is his combine 40 time. If he had run a 4.4, he wouldn’t have been available to the Packers in round two. The Packers are very good at identifying wide receiver talent. Adams is high value, and Tony agrees. Thornton is all effort. He never takes a down off. He’s the classic tough-guy two-gapper. He’s Mike Daniels. Thornton will step into the defensive line rotation immediately. Richard Rodgers is developmental, but I get the feeling he greatly impressed the Packers with his ability to make the move from tight end to wide receiver. Isn’t that the definition of the modern tight end/H-back? The difference is Rodgers offers true tight end inline ability. He can block and he can catch. That’s what the Packers’ crystal ball says about Rodgers, and it’s not about what he was in college, it’s about what he’ll become in the NFL. I sat in on Rodgers’ media interview at the combine and I remember thinking to myself, “The Packers are going to draft this guy,” but I decided I had that feeling because his name is Rodgers and he played at Cal.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on May 13, 2014, 02:40:33 pm
Ben from Dallas, TX

I suspect there’s less chortling in your inbox today. What do you think of the Packers’ day-two picks?


Are you kidding? They are ALL future hall of famers of course.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 13, 2014, 03:31:35 pm
(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/article/media_slots/photos/001/537/669/hi-res-57ee15e6f8ef1a82b8bb5ff115a33d3e_crop_exact.jpg?w=650&h=433&q=85)

Next GB kick returner, Abrederis?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 13, 2014, 03:43:23 pm

(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/002/891/219/hi-res-8e7864f6c59cc189ddcf27e908cbc4ea_crop_north.jpg?w=630&h=420&q=75)

GB's next star WR, Davante Adams.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 13, 2014, 07:13:47 pm

Boards are scored by the number of top 100 prospects actually picked in the first 100 picks of Draft

   
 











RANK 5 YEAR AVERAGE 5yr Avg 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010   RANK 2014 SCORE
1 BOB McGINN -  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel  84.2 77 87 85 87 85 1 DRAFT BOARD GURU 81
2 DRAFT BOARD GURU 82.2 81 85 82 81 82 THE HUDDLE REPORT 81
3 NFL DRAFT SCOUT / CBS 82.0 80 85 81 82 82 3 DRAFT BROWNS 80
4 DRAFT ACE 82.0 77 85 82 83 83 DRAFT DAY.DK 80
5 DRAFT COUNTDOWN 81.6 79 83 82 81 83 GREAT BLUE NORTH 80
6 THE HUDDLE REPORT 81.4 81 82 79 80 85 MIKE MAYOCK 80
7 NFL ROUGH DRAFT 81.2 79 81 83 83 80 NE PATRIOTS DRAFT 80
8 TODD McSHAY 81.0 80 82 82 81 80 NFL DRAFT SCOUT / CBS 80
9 NE PATRIOTS DRAFT 80.8 80 83 82 84 75 PAUL EMERY - HUDDLE NOTES 80
10 GREAT BLUE NORTH 80.8 80 83 79 80 82 TFY DRAFT INSIDER 80
11 MIKE MAYOCK 80.8 80 82 81 80 81 TODD McSHAY 80
12 NFL FANS.com 80.2 79 81 78 81 82 WALT DEPTULA WCCP-FM 80
13 THE SIDELINE VIEW 80.0 77 84 76 81 82 13 DRAFT COUNTDOWN 79
14 GIL BRANDT NFL.COM 79.8 77 80 79 81 82 NEW ENGLAND SPORTS NETWORK 79
15 SCOUTS NOTEBOOK 79.6 78 79 84 78 79 NFL DRAFT DAYS 79
16 DRAFT DADDY 79.4 77 82 77 81 80 NFL FANS.com 79
17 EAST COAST SPORTS NEWS 79.0 78 83 73 83 78 NFL ROUGH DRAFT 79
18 TFY DRAFT INSIDER 78.8 80 81 79 77 77 NFL'S FUTURE 79
19 PALMER HUGHES 78.8 79 81 77 80 77 PALMER HUGHES 79
20 DRAFT TEK 78.4 77 80 78 78 79 THE NFL DRAFT GURU 79
21 MEL KIPER jr  ESPN 78.2 78 77 77 79 80 21 DEEP FRIED DRAFT 78
22 PIGSKIN PAUL'S PLACE 78.0 77 78 76 83 76 DETROIT LIONS DRAFT 78
23 NFL DRAFT GEEK 77.2 78 79 77 79 73 DRAFT PANTHERS 78
24 NFL.COM  DRAFT TRACKER GRADES 74.8 73 74 77 76 74 EAST COAST SPORTS NEWS 78
25 OPTIMUM SCOUTING 74.6 76 81 74 75 67 FF CRYSTAL BALL 78
26 NFL DRAFT PROS 74.0 75 76 66 73 80 MEL KIPER jr  ESPN 78
27 DRAFT FALCONS 73.6 67 78 74 77 72 NFL DRAFT GEEK 78
28 COUCH SCOUT 71.2 69 69 74 71 73 PRO FOOTBALL SPOT 78
- NFL'S FUTURE - 79 82 80 79 - ROB RANG - CBS 78
- ROB RANG - CBS - 78 80 79 79 - SCOUTS NOTEBOOK 78
- DRAFT MAVEN - 77 82 76 77 - 31 10 JARDAS.COM 77
- NATIONAL FOOTBALL POST - 77 70 69 73 - BOB McGINN . Milwaukee Journal Sentine  77
- DRAFT DAY.DK - 80 82 80 - - DRAFT ACE 77
- DEEP FRIED DRAFT - 78 82 75 - - DRAFT DADDY 77
- NFL DRAFT BLITZ - 74 74 74 - - DRAFT MAVEN 77
- BUFFALO BILLS DRAFT - 75 71 68 - - DRAFT PREVIEW 77
- COLLEGE SPORTS MADNESS - 68 73 69 - - DRAFT TEK 77
- WALT DEPTULA WCCP-FM - 80 81 - - - DRAFT TV 77
- DRAFT BROWNS - 80 79 - - - GIL BRANDT NFL.COM 77
- NEW ENGLAND SPORTS NETWORK - 79 80 - - - NATIONAL FOOTBALL POST 77
- DRAFT PANTHERS - 78 80 - - - PIGSKIN PAUL'S PLACE 77
- DRAFT TV - 77 80 - - - ROTOWIRE 77
- 10 JARDAS.COM - 77 79 - - - THE NET RAT 77
- THE NET RAT - 77 79 - - - THE SIDELINE VIEW 77
- DETROIT LIONS DRAFT - 78 76 - - - 45 DRAFT EXAMINER 76
- PRO FOOTBALL SPOT - 78 75 - - - FOOTBALL NATIONAL SCOUTING 76
- ROTOWIRE - 77 76 - - - OPTIMUM SCOUTING 76
- SCOUT.COM - 75 78 - - - THE FOOTBALL EXPERT 76
- NFL DRAFT CENTRAL - 74 79 - - - 49 BREAKING FOOTBALL 75
- Paul Emery - One:Convo - 80 - - - - BUFFALO BILLS DRAFT 75
- NFL DRAFT DAYS - 79 - - - - NEW NFL DRAFT 75
- THE NFL DRAFT GURU - 79 - - - - NFL DRAFT PROS 75
- FF CRYSTAL BALL - 78 - - - - SCOUT.COM 75
- DRAFT PREVIEW - 77 - - - - SI.COM 75
- DRAFT EXAMINER - 76 - - - - 55 NFL DRAFT BLITZ 74
- FOOTBALL NATIONAL SCOUTING - 76 - - - - NFL DRAFT CENTRAL 74
- THE FOOTBALL EXPERT - 76 - - - - 57 NFL.COM  DRAFT TRACKER GRADES 73
- BREAKING FOOTBALL - 75 - - - - 58 COUCH SCOUT 69
- NEW NFL DRAFT - 75 - - - - ROW 12 69
- SI.COM - 75 - - - - 60 COLLEGE SPORTS MADNESS 68
- ROW 12 - 69 - - - - 61 DRAFT FALCONS 67

Mel Kiper is "just another guy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on May 14, 2014, 12:06:40 pm

Dallas Morning News' Rich Gosselin used to consistently kick a$$ in this category -  now he just writes a few draft related articles and doesn't participate in mocks or top 100.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 14, 2014, 06:21:34 pm

Packers Get a Steal in Undrafted Free Agent Adrian Hubbard

 by Dan Dahlke 1d ago

The Green Bay Packers signed 12 undrafted free agents over the weekend, and added a new crop of young players to an already talented 2014 rookie class. The most notable name on the UFA list is Alabama outside linebacker Adrian Hubbard.

At 6-foot-6 and 257 pounds, Hubbard certainly has the ideal size to be an effective edge rusher in a 3-4 system. His long arms (34.5”) and frame allow him to hold the point of attack and shed blockers off the edge.

With a 4.69 forty time and 38.5-inch vertical, Hubbard also has the speed and athleticism to play well in space.

Hubbard was productive at linebacker in Alabama’s 3-4 defense. As a first-year starter in 2012, Hubbard recorded 41 tackles, 11 TFL, and seven sacks, demonstrating his ability to get after the passer.

Hubbard’s production dipped a bit in 2013 (33 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 3 sacks), which hurt his draft stock this spring, but an impressive showing at the NFL Combine still verified his natural ability to play linebacker at the next level.

Heading into the draft, many gave Hubbard a mid-round grade and believed the Alabama prospect was one of the better 3-4 outside linebackers in this class and possessed a ton of upside.

So why did teams pass on him when it came time to call his name?

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, teams were concerned about the condition of Hubbard’s heart after medical examinations at the combine showed a possible abnormality.

Prior to the draft, Hubbard got his heart checked out and was cleared medically by Doctor Charles Brown of the Piedmont Heart Institute in Atlanta. However, Hubbard told the press they had some issues notifying teams he was medically cleared before the draft.

“I think the big problem was somehow, some way the papers didn’t get to all the teams. But, oh well.”

Perhaps, teams weren’t willing to take the risk on a player with a possible serious medical condition.

“Situations happen. I wasn’t drafted. I’ll have to go a different route. Teams don’t want to take risks. They don’t want to write off on people.”

As an undrafted free agent, Hubbard posed less of a risk. Teams could bring him in and have their own physicians clear him to play. This way they could be certain of his playing condition and not risk using a draft pick on a player who may never see the field.

It makes you wonder where Hubbard would have been drafted if it weren’t for the concerns about his heart?

In the very least, the Packers have added a mid-round talent without spending pick, and may have even made the best roster move in the league since the draft came to a close on Saturday.

Virtually, the Packers got another fourth-round pick, and Hubbard has all of the measurables and talent to excel at outside linebacker in their system.

Many reliable scouts, like Tony Pauline of draftinsider.net, say Hubbard has tremendous upside and could develop into an excellent edge rusher in a 3-4 system, but the Alabama linebacker’s game remains rough around the edges and he’ll need time to develop in the NFL.

Hubbard brings size and athleticism to the Packers linebacking corps and may be the next example of the Packers finding terrific value in undrafted free agency.

Tags: Adrian Hubbard Green Bay Packers NFL Draft Undrafted Free Agency
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 14, 2014, 07:16:05 pm
Ryan from Platteville, WI

I think Joe from West Bend, WI, is going to be disappointed. The NFL Total Access crew gave the Packers a B-minus on their draft. The rest of the NFC North got B’s or B-plusses. Whatever are we going to do?

These grades are meaningless because seldom does a team get graded lower than a C. You know why? Because the draftniks seldom trash a prospect as Polian trashed Borland. Go back and look at the list of first-round picks through the years. It’s loaded with busts. So when David Carr and Akili Smith, for example, were drafted, did Mel Kiper or any of the draftniks say “these guys stink and they will be terrible pro quarterbacks”? No, all you heard was how great they were going to be. So how can you give any team a bad grade when all of the guys they’ve drafted are players you praised? I give Kiper credit for having created the show that is producing eye-popping TV ratings, but until I hear one of these TV draftniks say “this guy stinks,” I won’t take any of them seriously.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 15, 2014, 07:14:35 pm
e-mail from "Fanside Daily""

Chicago Bears:  Brock Vereen vs. Chris Conte

Clearly there was a reason the Chicago Bears drafted Minnesota safety Brock Vereen, otherwise they wouldn’t have traded back up for him.  Lauded for his athleticism, speed and leadership he is expected to contribute right away.  In simpler terms it means taking every opportunity to push or replace current starter Chris Conte who is rehabbing a bum shoulder.  The competition is wide open.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 15, 2014, 08:37:04 pm
William from Carthage, MO

I saw a question that said the guy was an American football fan and also a futbol fan. Your response was simply, “There’s the problem.” What exactly do you mean by that? To me it sounded rude. So you tell me what you meant.

I apologize for being vague. What I meant by that is I hate soccer. I despise soccer. If they were playing the World Cup in my backyard, I’d close the blinds, and then I’d call the police. If Pele called me on the phone, I’d hang up. I heard the Pope likes soccer, which only proves that when it comes to sports, the Pope is not infallible. I especially hate driving behind a van that has a soccer ball sticker on the back window. I have never hated anything more than I hate soccer. I hope that explains what I meant.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on May 15, 2014, 08:44:05 pm
I agree.  Hockey is a small step above soccer.  I like playing baseball and basketball but watching them is boring as hell.

Football is the only sport that has enough violence, skill and strategy to keep my attention when I or someone I know and care about personally is not playing it.

Female gymnastics can be entertaining to watch but I don't care who wins.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 15, 2014, 09:10:10 pm
The, there is golf.  Watching grass grow is more exciting.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on May 15, 2014, 09:11:42 pm
I don't even enjoy playing golf.  I can drink outside with out chasing a ball around and getting pissed off.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 15, 2014, 09:14:41 pm
Ditto.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on May 16, 2014, 07:53:58 am
I agree.  Hockey is a small step above soccer.  I like playing baseball and basketball but watching them is boring as hell.

Football is the only sport that has enough violence, skill and strategy to keep my attention when I or someone I know and care about personally is not playing it.

Female gymnastics can be entertaining to watch but I don't care who wins.

Now them's fight'n words!!!!  Hockey is fantastic. Nothing including the NFL is better than the Stanley Cup Playoffs for intensity.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on May 16, 2014, 12:41:22 pm

Well yeah, since the Blackhawks are going for their 2nd Stanley Cup.

But if the Bears are in the playoffs...no contest.  Shoot even if the Cubs were in the playoffs (yeah, right) ...the Blackhawks would be on page 2.

But that's just my opinion...I certainly know its not yours!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on May 16, 2014, 01:16:19 pm
No doubt that a Bears SuperBowl or Cubs World Series would take center stage. There are simply more Football and baseball fans than Hockey fans but that wasn't the point. Pekin was seeking "violence, skill and strategy". Stanley Cup Playoffs win hands down in 2 out of 3 of those areas. Baseball probably has more strategy but not by much if you truly understand Hockey.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on May 16, 2014, 01:40:31 pm

Football is the only sport that has enough violence, skill and strategy to keep my attention when I or someone I know and care about personally is not playing it.

I agree with this statement. 

Would I watch a football game if the Bears are not playing.  Yeah.  How about baseball and basketball without Chicago teams?  Maybe, if its a playoff or a championship game.  Hockey without the Blackhawks?  No chance.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on May 16, 2014, 01:46:44 pm
You don't know what you're missing. Always get the Center Ice Package and have seen a lot of great hockey this year not involving the Blackhawks. You have a good team there in Dallas. Tyler Seguin is going to be a star. The Bruins got owned in that trade.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on May 16, 2014, 04:35:03 pm
I think you are all nuts for not being into any of them.

Give me what ever sport is in season and I love it.  Playoffs are even more enjoyable.  I will watch HS football on friday nights still.  I still watch LL baseball games even if I don't know the kids.  Sports is just enjoyable.  My daughter is an All Star Cheerleader and I have grown to love that competition as well.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on May 16, 2014, 06:14:32 pm
 
 Texas hold em Poker ... the loser gets beheaded ... awsome LIVE !!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on May 17, 2014, 05:09:15 am
Actually, they are going for number 3... Stanley Cups that is.

Crawford doesn't get the appreciation on a line up full of stars, but that is starting to change
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 17, 2014, 07:15:56 pm

It almost seems like a surprise to see Scott Tolzien on the roster for the Green Bay Packers.

More changes will be coming in Green Bay with the quarterbacks after watching Tolzien last season, seemingly not knowing the system very well. Against Minnesota last season, his last start, he had difficult time against the Vikings’ dismal rush and was replaced by Matt Flynn who led a comeback but still couldn’t get a victory. The next week Flynn lit up the skies with a real good passing day, holding onto the job until Aaron Rodgers came back to start.

Not to be down on Tolzien for his attempts in Green Bay, but in my opinion, I’d have to say it’s a big surprise to see him on the roster yet. After four years experience and a few games for a couple other teams, Tolzien should be ready to make it “Rock N Roll” when he takes the helm.

But it seemed he didn’t know the system very well. He just seemed like he needed to learn a lot, and had a long way to go. I’d like to wish him the best of luck, but it will be hard to stick with a very talented rookie bidding for a spot. If the team decides to keep three quarterbacks, one will have to go, and in fairness, an unsigned rookie deserves at least two to three years to learn the system well enough to handle the starting job.


Green Bay Packers quarterback Scott Tolzien prepares to throw the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lambeau Field. Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports photograph

With Aaron Rodgers being a league and Super Bowl MVP with giant contract, this position seems to be a shoe-in, but in the NFL things can change in a blink of an eye at any time. The way the new young quarterbacks were nurtured made good sense and made Mike McCarthy a quarterback-making machine, along with his quarterback coach(es).

I speculate that the team will drop Tolzien in favor of Chase Rettig, the 6-2, 214-pounder who was brought in as an undrafted free agent. Rettig, who won 20 of 30 games for Boston College, started through several coaches who changed systems each time, making him a study that might actually help him in Green Bay, making it easier for him to adapt. I wish the young quarterback all the luck in the world, and hope we see his name in the Packers yearbook for 2014,

Tolzien got the nod last season after Rodgers went down with a fractured collarbone and backup Seneca Wallace also went down with injury. Against the Minnesota Vikings, he was 7-for-17 with no interceptions or touchdowns before being replaced by Matt Flynn early in the third quarter. Flynn brought the team back, but it wasn’t enough to win against a poor Minnesota defense. After seeing both of these quarterbacks in game situations, it seems even when Tolzien is going good, he is not putting up the type of numbers Flynn can post. The same goes for Flynn, who cannot put up game stats as can Rodgers. This should make that change a no-brainer. Flynn gets the number two spot as quarterback, followed by rookie Rettig.

Rettig is an undrafted free agent in which Packers scouts saw something. These intuitions seem to be on par with the hierarchy’s former team holdings on players. While some teams carry four quarterbacks, they would do well to keep three and have a hook in the water for a fourth player if needed later on. As an undrafted free agent, Rettig will have a difficult job proving what he can do for the Packers.

But here’s to a new season with new players proving their worth.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 17, 2014, 07:19:07 pm

NFL Rumors: Green Bay Packers haven’t given away Jermichael Finley’s locker

 by Bryan Rose 7h

When it comes to a professional athletes locker, that small vertical cube is their lifeblood to their organization. When a player does something to draw the ire of the franchise, the first thing they do (and they have no problem making it public) is remove the players nameplate off the locker.

It’s something we recently saw with the Jacksonville Jaguars and oft-troubled wide receiver Justin Blackmon.

But when a player doesn’t have his name removed from a locker, it sends just as strong a statement and that’s something the Green Bay Packers may be hoping will reach former tight end Jermichael Finley.

A free agent, Finley is coming off what many worried could be a career ending injury but the Pro Bowl talent says he’s ready to play again and the Packers haven’t seemingly shut the door on a possible return.


The Green Bay Packers have given away the lockers that formerly belonged to defensive linemen Johnny Jolly and Ryan Pickett, but another one of their unsigned free agents, tight end Jermichael Finley, still has his place in the team’s locker room at Lambeau Field.

It’s not known if the two sides will be able to find middle ground on a new deal, but it certainly seems as if the Packers would be more than open to a reunion.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 17, 2014, 07:37:22 pm
Weird watching the Packers scrimmage with all those white WRs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 17, 2014, 08:01:02 pm
Packers giving Colt Lyerla a tryout this weekend

Posted by Darin Gantt on May 16, 2014, 12:26 PM EDT

coltlyerla
AP

One of the more talented players eligible for the NFL Draft wasn’t even drafted.

But for the weekend at least, the Packers are willing to give tight end Colt Lyerla a chance.

Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweeted out a picture of the Packers rookie minicamp roster, which listed Lyerla among the tryout players.

Lyerla had a load of off-field issues at Oregon, and a drug arrest shortly after leaving school last fall, which made him radioactive during the draft.

He also fell victim to the modern plague of saying stupid things on Twitter, which some people take more seriously than drugs.

There’s no doubt Lyerla can play, but the fact he’s singing for his supper in Green Bay this weekend shows how nervous teams are about guys with character concerns.

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 20, 2014, 06:07:06 pm
@LongLiveLyerla 
Follow
I am honored to be a part of such a legendary organization. Proud to be a Green Bay Packer ! #GoPackGo


5:35 PM - 19 May 2014

A free #3 (if he behaves himself).
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 20, 2014, 06:56:14 pm
Freddy from Salt Lake City, UT

Vic, during Green Bay winters, do you ever feel like Jack from “The Shining”?




There was one day this past winter that I felt that way. It was a day or two after the playoff game against the 49ers. It was 400 below zero or something like that. I got in my car in the morning and realized I was getting low on gas. On my way to work I noticed that nobody was buying gas at the gas stations. At first, I feared it was a gas station holiday, but then I saw they were open, just nobody was buying gas. That’s odd, I thought to myself. So I pulled into one and started to fill the tank. Then the wind began to blow and my eyes began to tear so badly that I couldn’t see the pump or find the gas cap to put back on. I was having difficulty breathing – this is a true story, folks – and I was becoming disoriented. I was having difficulty finding the door handle. I just wanted to get back into the car to safety so I could recover my equilibrium. I came close to waving my arm and yelling for help. I prevailed, but not without an experience I’ll never forget. Now I know why nobody was buying gas. I also know where I’ll be next winter. I ain’t doin’ this again.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 20, 2014, 06:58:03 pm
Bruce from Fremont, CA

It looks like the Lions and Bears are starting to close the gap in the NFC North, where the Packers have dominated since 2011. No team has won the NFC North more than three consecutive seasons since Chicago did it from 1984-88. Do you think the Packers have what it takes to break that trend? If you had to bet your money on it today, would you take Green Bay to win the NFC North this year?




I don’t bet money on sporting events. I see no reason why the Packers can’t win the division title a fourth consecutive year, but I would not bet money on it. As I’ve written previously, the Lions are the team I believe is the greatest threat to the Packers’ dominance. The Bears don’t have my attention as they appear to have yours, but they have weapons with Forte and those two big receivers, and if they get a fix on defense, I acknowledge they could make a push.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 20, 2014, 06:59:42 pm
Mitchell from Celina, OH

Vic, how did we get so lucky? We have the defending rookie of the year (Lacy) and now we have the rookie who will win it this year (Lyerla).

Folks, my inbox is jammed with enthusiasm for the addition of Colt Lyerla to the Packers’ roster. Once again, Packers fans prove they are, indeed, winsome, but if you really want to help this young man, then dial it back a little bit. Wild expectations aren’t going to help him focus on the challenge he’s facing.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 20, 2014, 07:01:15 pm
Margo from Bloomington, IL

Come on, Vic. Last week I asked why you called OTAs the Underwear League. Your answer of “I don’t know” is mighty weak. You keep telling us you’re just a reporter. So find out!

OK, Margo.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 20, 2014, 07:02:17 pm
Tim from Milwaukee, WI

In what role do you see the Packers using Johnathan Franklin this year?

I see something creative for Franklin. He’s not a pounder. He’s an open-spaces player, a complementary back, and I can see him being used in a role that’s one part Darren Sproles and two parts James Brooks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 20, 2014, 07:03:09 pm
Vic, you said you wouldn’t lose sleep over the inside linebacker issue. Have you honestly ever lost sleep over an issue on any team?

No. I’ve lost sleep over a story I’ve written, but not because the team I was covering lost a game or didn’t satisfactorily address a need in the draft. If you’re losing sleep over a game, you need to check yourself. You need to come to balance, as Frank Gansz would say.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 20, 2014, 07:04:39 pm
Larry from Neenah, WI

With all of the rookie player salaries slotted, why does a player need an agent? Couldn’t most of the lower-round players save the agent fee?

Agents are part of the machinery. They’re important for a lot of reasons, especially for low-round players because those are the players that need agents most of all. Why? Because low-round players tend to bounce around the league, and their agents find them work. Cap men want to deal with agents, not players. Cap men need to work with an agent that understands the team’s cap needs for structuring contracts. A bond of trust is built between the cap man and the agent, and when an agent has a player out of work and the agent sees a particular team is in need of a player, the agent uses the relationship he’s built with the team to pitch his player to the team.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 20, 2014, 07:06:54 pm
Bob from Rochester, NY

Vic, do you see any potential from the new recruits to be return men, or is your prediction they will still use Cobb?

Jared Abbrederis catches punts like Lynn Swann.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 20, 2014, 07:08:39 pm
Chris from Minneapolis, MN

Vic, with all the big-letter talk for the Packers, I’m wondering if you have any big-letter promises for “Ask Vic” this year?

Write it down, in big letters: We will set records.


??????
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 21, 2014, 08:20:26 pm
Thomas from Park Falls, WI

Vic, to what do you credit Seattle’s defensive success? I look at their front seven and I’m not blown away. Is it their coaching, scheme or top-notch secondary?

When you can win on the back end, you can do things up front and not worry about giving up big plays. The Seahawks might have taught us something: Defense has become a back end game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 21, 2014, 08:23:40 pm
Mychal from Woodbridge, VA

If you made a team for each division consisting of the best players, who do you think would be the best team and why?

I think the NFC West has the best players right now, but the West doesn’t have what I consider to be an elite quarterback. That’s my opinion and I know it’s not a popular one. I have tremendous respect for Russell Wilson as a crunch-time player. He gets it done at crunch time, but his stats say he’s more of a game manager than a carry-the-team quarterback. I think the same is true of Colin Kaepernick. Combined, they only attempted 50 more passes than Peyton Manning did last season. Seattle had the league’s No. 1 defense and San Francisco was No. 5. It makes me wonder what would happen if those teams experienced some decline on defense. Could their quarterbacks pick up the slack?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 21, 2014, 08:24:20 pm
Eric from Mequon, WI

With the rookie salaries set prior to the draft, why are they not signed immediately? Many of the first-rounders aren’t signed yet. What’s the holdup?

What’s the rush? I just don’t get this mania for signing everybody. If I’m the owner of a team, how does it benefit me to hurry up and give my money away, instead of investing it for a few more months? Please, give me one good thing about rushing to get everybody signed. Where are they going to go, the Arena League?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 21, 2014, 08:36:41 pm
GB veterans "on notice":

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2067797-green-bay-packers-veterans-who-have-been-put-on-notice-this-offseason/page/4
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 21, 2014, 08:58:36 pm
(http://cmsimg.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=U0&Date=20140519&Category=PKR01&ArtNo=305190426&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0&Packers-give-talented-troubled-TE-Lyerla-chance-redeem-himself)

Lyerla (left) given a second chance by TT.  He had a potential first round draft rating without the activities outside of football. 

Lyerla is a gifted and explosive athlete who at the scouting combine had the third-fastest 40-yard dash (4.61 seconds), the best vertical jump (39 inches) and tied for the best broad jump (10-8).
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 21, 2014, 09:41:09 pm
receiver sets in the NFL.

Green Bay Packers - WR Davante Adams, TE Colt Lyerla

After selecting safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, the Packers went offense in the second round, grabbing prolific Fresno State pass catcher Davante Adams. As Jason Hirschhorn of Acme Packing Company told me, he's already making a lot of noise in Packers camp even after arriving late due to his school schedule. Adams' skill set would likely work in any NFL offense, but the prospect of pairing his superb box-out and jump-ball skills with a fearless and absurdly accurate Aaron Rodgers makes this one of the more intriguing picks of the Draft's first two days.

Not even a pick like Adams could overshadow the Packers' decision to try out and eventually sign tight end Colt Lyerla. He was once thought to be a first-round talent, but fell off of teams' radars when he abruptly quit at Oregon and accumulated a series of troubling off-field incidents. Despite his amazing talent, Lyerla went undrafted and even went unsigned as a UDFA, only to earn a tryout spot in Green Bay. He's apparently made an impression there in Green Bay, whose coaching staff and front office decided to give him a shot. It'll be something to watch as the offseason goes on.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 22, 2014, 08:17:07 pm
(http://media.jrn.com/images/185*367/37305685-mjs_packers17_45_of_hoffman.jpg_packers17.jpg)

Is this guy stupid?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on May 22, 2014, 10:57:33 pm

We hope so.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 24, 2014, 08:08:03 pm
LOL.  Stupid is OK if he stays clean and can play TE.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 25, 2014, 07:06:32 pm
Bob from Minneapolis, MN

Hey, Vic, would you like to come write for a quality NFL team that will be hosting a Super Bowl? We have heat, unlike the high school stadium you’re at now. Can Packers fans even think of a Super Bowl in Green Bay? No! I’ll send towels for all of your fans to cry on! The cream rises to the top, again.

Hey, that sounds great. Will the press box in your new stadium have a rest room with more than one toilet in it? You guys sure have come a long way.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 25, 2014, 07:18:05 pm
Sean from Chicago, IL

Vic, Wonderful Terrific Monds is indeed a great name, but the all-time No. 1 for me, and I believe you covered him for a year in Jacksonville, is Harry Colon. I mean, seriously, what were his parents thinking?

I made Harry my defensive player of the year for the Jaguars in their inaugural season, and I was criticized for my selection. “Give me someone better,” I would say, but they couldn’t. The 1995 Jaguars were formidable on offense, but bad on defense and Harry played as well as anyone. Plus, I would say, if I name Harry defensive player of the year, someone might remember it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 25, 2014, 08:44:56 pm

Green Bay Packers: Can they afford both Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb?

Wide receiver was a position the Green Bay Packers needed to address in the NFL Draft … and boy, did they ever. Drafting three wideouts came as a surprise to nearly everyone on the planet – I mean, they already had Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Jarrett Boykins in the house.

But we all know that Nelson and Cobb are both entering the final year of their current contracts and both have earned huge paydays.

The question is whether the Packers will reward two of their most productive players with new long-term contracts or whether they might string things along, sign one of them and see where the chips fall with the other.

Nelson, who is just on this side of the age of 30, has established himself as the team’s number one receiver, with Cobb on his heels. One of the upsides for Cobb is that he is just 24 years old and seemingly poised for an incredible run in this league. Should it be with the Packers?

Who can forget some of those sideline catches by Nelson or his chemistry with quarterback Aaron Rodgers on those back shoulder throws?

Who can forget the image of a wide open Randall Cobb with less than a minute to go against the Bears last December?

General manager Ted Thompson surely has seen these players work and has to come up with an answer on how to proceed and do it soon.

Every Packers fan wants the team to re-sign both of these players and to do it now. After all, the Packers still have around $15 million in salary cap room.

Even after the team signs all of its draft choices and free agents, there will still be around $12 million in the kitty.

But in this day and age of huge salaries and signing bonuses, that could be sucked up quickly. And don’t think that the agents for both Nelson and Cobb didn’t watch closely as Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall re-signed for around $10 million per year. He set the bar pretty high.

So, does TT go the route of re-signing one of these guys and let the other’s contract run its course? Does he let both play through the 2014 season and then address the issue on the other end when they head toward free agency?

Should they let both of these guys play in 2014 without  renewal they run the risk of one or both of them bolstering their stock with breakout seasons. TT has always been known for re-signing players before they hit the market with contracts that don’t break the bank but keep them happy and in Green Bay. One only needs to look at Jordy Nelson’s first re-signing a few years ago. The Packers got a number one wide receiver at a bargain basement price.

Don’t expect that to happen again with Nelson.

On the flip side of that, one can look at Greg Jennings and B.J. Raji – both were offered generous contracts before they reached free agency and ended up settling for less – far less – than the Packers had originally offered. Jennings ended up taking a couple of million less per year to sign with the Vikings two years ago and Raji ended up with a single-year “prove it” contract from the Packers this spring after being offered $8 million to sign last fall.

No doubt Nelson and Cobb watched those situations unfold.

How will they proceed?

Carefully.

I’m sure they also watched as the Packers filled their receiver depth chart with quality players through the draft. Competition is always good and will surely abound when the team hits the practice field in a few weeks.

Second round choice Davante Adams is expected to push Boykins for the number three spot, while Jared Abbrederis and Jeff Janis provide the team with depth

So, let’s play general manager for a minute – what would you do? Do you re-sign Nelson and Cobb immediately, expending all resources to do so? Or do you play the free agent system, let them continue through 2014 without new contracts and address the situation when free agency rolls around in 2015?

If you let them ride it out, it gives the team time to continue to develop the young guys and start a new era. If you sign them, the team is committed to the current regime – which wouldn’t be a bad thing.

There has been a lot of talk over the last few months about the need to re-sign Nelson and Cobb. That need was lessened after the team stocked up on wide receivers in the draft.

It will be interesting, to say the least, to see how this all plays out.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 26, 2014, 07:32:54 pm

Packers News        ✔   @PGPackersNews 
Follow
"He was the second-rated athlete according to his testing." Janis' numbers too good for #Packers to pass up. http://pck.rs/1mhzRpB

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 26, 2014, 07:34:57 pm

Will Corey Linsley Push for Starting Center?

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

The Packers drafted center Corey Linsley in the fifth round of this year's draft. They selected JC Tretter in the fourth round last year. Neither player has NFL experience at the center position.

While the starting job is basically Tretter's to lose, Linsley could give the Packers a reason to rethink their decision. Linsley stood out in rookie camp, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.

It's certainly early, but whenever a rookie catches the coaches' attention, it's a very good thing. Don't be surprised if the center position becomes one of the most heated battles on the roster throughout OTAs and training camp.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 26, 2014, 07:40:27 pm
There's no doubt that the Packers took a potentially huge risk in signing tight end Colt Lyerla as an undrafted free agent. His off-field issues are well-noted. The Packers generally stay away from players with a past like Lyerla.

However, Lyerla is not only a member of the Packers, but he also has a good chance of becoming a contributor as a rookie. This is mostly due to general manager Ted Thompson's trust in Lyerla being a changed man.

Thompson had this to say about Lylera, per Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel:


I’ve always believed there are certain things that people can atone for, acknowledge their mistakes and get on with their lives. I’m a proponent of those kinds of people that try to do that. That’s where we’re at with Colt.

As long as Lyerla can continue
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 26, 2014, 07:58:54 pm

After leaving Alabama early, linebacker Adrian Hubbard went undrafted before signing with the

Written by

Weston Hodkiewicz

Green Bay Packers tight end Colt Lyerla (49), left, and linebacker Adrian Hubbard (49) runs drills during rookie orientation camp inside the Don Hutson Center. / Evan Siegle/Press-Gazett

The auxiliary wing of the Green Bay Packers’ locker room wasn’t exactly where Adrian Hubbard thought his NFL career would start.

But then again, it’s not about where you start …

“It’s about where you finish,” said Hubbard, completing the phrase midstream.

Four months ago, the 6-foot-6, 257-pound outside linebacker decided to forgo his senior year at Alabama to enter the 2014 NFL draft. Hubbard was told by the advisory committee he could go anywhere between the second and fourth round.

Instead, he was one of 38 underclassmen to not be selected.

Hubbard still says he doesn’t have any regrets. He’d won two national titles at Alabama and graduated in December with his degree in business finance. In his mind, the logical next step was the pros.

As he learned, few punches are pulled during the draft process and criticism often takes on a life of its own. At best, experts questioned Hubbard’s quickness and ability as a pass rusher. At worst, they took aim at his personality, attitude and willingness to take direction.

Many have speculated the latter played a role in not being drafted, but Hubbard believes it had more to do with a minor heart abnormality discovered at the NFL scouting combine in February.

“I’m not worried about it,” Hubbard said. “(It had) a little bit to do with it, but at the end of the day I come here to compete just like everyone else here.”

The Packers tend to be cautious with a player’s medical history. They failed one undrafted prospect, Denico Autry, on his physical before he signed with Oakland this week.

Hubbard said he was cleared by Atlanta-based Dr. Charles Brown, who’s served as the Falcons’ cardiologist since 1992. Packers’ team doctor Patrick McKenzie obviously agreed, clearing Hubbard upon arrival in Green Bay.

Hubbard was one of four undrafted players to get the Packers’ highest signing bonus this year of $5,000, which is still a far cry from the six-figure bonus he would have earned as a mid-round selection.

Sitting inside his locker in “The Green Mile,” reserved for undrafted players and late-round projects, Hubbard isn’t thinking about money. Rather, he’s focused on taking advantage of the opportunity so many other undrafted outside linebackers have done before him.

Since 2010, at least one undrafted outside linebacker has made the team’s 53-man roster and played a significant amount of defensive snaps. His former Alabama teammate, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, wonders why Hubbard couldn’t be the next?

“They definitely got a steal in that guy,” said Clinton-Dix, the Packers’ first-round pick two weeks ago. “He plays fast and he’s a very smart guy. He knows the defense probably already here coming out of the system we came out of. He’s ahead of a lot of people, so I think they got a steal. He’s going to work hard and do whatever it takes.”

Hubbard has critics to silence. Respected draft expert Nolan Nawrocki came with the most harsh remarks, saying Hubbard: “has a quirky personality, inflated opinion of his ability and carries a sense of entitlement that could be difficult to manage and require a patient positional coach.”

One NFL scout added: “He beats to his own drum.”

Hubbard has routinely been asked about the criticisms, but said he believes his track record speaks for itself. He was a two-year starting “Sam” linebacker at Alabama who produced 84 tackles (16½ for a loss) and 10 sacks in 27 games.

What is tangible is his arm length (34½ inches), which was the longest of any outside linebacker measured at the NFL combine. Hubbard also must show he has enough speed and burst to generate a consistent pass rush off the edge.

“Length and athleticism doesn’t go too far if you don’t have any technique,” Hubbard said. “So you have to have all that and then you can use the length and what not.”

Upon signing with the Packers, Hubbard immediately talked with another former Alabama teammate, running back Eddie Lacy, who fell into the second round of last year’s draft before earning NFL offensive rookie of the year honors.

One thing that stuck out to both players was the situation in Green Bay and the appreciation for football. Alabama-like? “Better than Alabama,” Hubbard responds. “The tradition here is just (second) to none. It’s crazy here. People around here take you like you’re one of theirs.”

What’s helped Hubbard is some carryover in the playbook from the 3-4 scheme the Crimson Tide run. There’s some new terminology to learn, but the core principles are similar.

Next week, the competition starts inside a suddenly crowded outside linebacker room with the addition of hybrid defender Julius Peppers, fourth-round pick Carl Bradford and another big undrafted prospect in Toledo’s 6-foot-3, 250-pound Jay Elliott.

Regardless of how one enters the league, though, he knows the “Hubbard 49” placard hanging over his locker is all that’s guaranteed.

“I was motivated whether I got drafted in the first (round) — it didn’t matter,” Hubbard said. “At the end of the day, I still have to come here to compete.

“Statistics are what you make it. If you want to fall into a bad statistic, you’re going to fall into that. If you want to fall into a good one, you’re going to fall into a good statistic.”

— whodkiew@pressgazettemedia.com and follow him on Twitter @Wes
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 26, 2014, 08:02:15 pm
Projected on Final Roster: Jordy Nelson (Starter), Randall Cobb (Starter), Davante Adams (Starter/Rookie), Jarrett Boykin, Jared Abbrederis (R), Jeff Janis (R)

There are a handful of new names on the projected group of receivers. Some of this is due to the loss of Jones, but most of it is due to the Packers drafting three receivers in this year's draft.

Both Adams and Abbrederis should have no difficulty making the Packers' final roster. The wild card will be Janis, but his upside will ultimately force receivers like Myles White, Kevin Dorsey and Chris Harper to either find new teams or spend time on the practice squad.

The other surprise is that we're expecting Adams to start over Boykin. While Boykin was impressive last year, he started to fade down the stretch. Boykin also lacks the overall potential of a player like Adams.

Even with all the new faces in Green Bay, this position should still be one of the most productive on the roster.

Six WRs?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 28, 2014, 09:25:22 pm
Ted Thompson also spoke about the team's interest in Finley (via Tom Silverstein of the Journal-Sentinel):


Thompson would not rule out the return of tight end Jermichael Finley to the Packers despite the selection of Cal tight end Richard Rodgers in the third round.

Finley is still recovering from neck fusion surgery and has not gotten clearance from doctors to resume his career. To return to the Packers, he would have to clear their medical exam, which might be difficult to do given the caution they take with such injuries.

"I don't necessarily think the two are tied at all," Thompson said.

"We were just trying to pick a good player."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 28, 2014, 09:29:02 pm
Big things were expected of defensive end Datone Jones when he was selected with the 26th pick in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft.

Jones was coming off a great senior season at UCLA, where he had 62 tackles, 19 tackles for a loss, 6.5 sacks, one forced fumble and two blocked kicks.

Jones had a promising start to life as a Packer, but then he suffered an ankle sprain that hindered his development in training camp.

Head coach Mike McCarthy talked about that situation at the NFL Scouting Combine, via Packers.com:


Datone, very talented young man. His injury at the end of training camp set him back. There's a number of packages that he was a big part of, a primary part of, and frankly we really didn't get to a lot of them just because of the way the season went with our injuries. Getting him back in the offseason, I feel he's one of those second year players who take a huge jump. That will be my expectations for him.

Jones played in all 16 games last season for the Packers but only had 10 tackles, 3.5 sacks and one fumble recovery.

Expect to see Jones have a much better season in 2014, especially with the addition of Julius Peppers to the defensive front.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 28, 2014, 09:37:24 pm

Bleacher Report

In the 2012 NFL draft, the Packers selected Nick Perry of USC in the first round with the 28th pick. After the selection of Perry, Ted Thompson said this about No. 53, via Packers.com:


Tremendous physical specimen. He's 270 pounds and runs 4.5. At the end of the day, we felt this would be a very good addition. He's a physical guy, can set the edge and can rush the passer.

In his last year at USC, Perry had 54 total tackles, 13 tackles for a loss and 9.5 sacks, plus he forced three fumbles. The only problem was that Perry played defensive end with the Trojans, where as he would be playing outside linebacker with the Packers.

Outside linebackers coach Kevin Greene worked hard with Perry, but injuries to his knee and wrist hampered his progress. When it was all said and done, Perry was placed on injured reserve after playing in six games, in which he had 18 tackles and two sacks.

But in 2013, it looked like Perry had definitely turned the corner with his progress until he broke his foot in Week 6. Perry still had 28 tackles, four sacks and three forced fumbles for the season.

Perry has only played in 17 games in two seasons. If he can remain healthy, Perry could really have a big year in 2014.

One big reason is that the Packers are going to be a lot more creative with their defensive schemes, which will allow Perry to rush from the "elephant" defensive end position at times like he did at USC.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 28, 2014, 09:41:33 pm
But the Packers saw enough of Boyd last season to know that he has some real upside. Head coach Mike McCarthy talked about Boyd at the NFL Scouting Combine in February, via Packers.com:


I don't want Josh to bulk up. He's a big man. Josh did some good things. I think Josh has a flexibility. He's shown he can play the nose and he can play the three-technique. So I really like what Josh gave us as a rookie, but he needs to take a huge step, a big step. And I think he'll be one of those players that does that in his second year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 28, 2014, 09:43:13 pm
JC Tretter was one of two offensive linemen whom the Packers selected in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL draft. The other lineman, David Bakhtiari, ended up starting at left tackle for the Packers last season.

Tretter wasn't as fortunate, as he broke an ankle during an early OTA for the Packers. No. 73 ended up on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list before joining the roster later in the season.

Tretter never played in a game for the Packers last season, but he has impressed the coaching staff with his quickness. In college at Cornell, Tretter had played both right and left tackle, but he looks like a better fit on the inside in the pros, especially at center.

With Evan Dietrich-Smith leaving the team via free agency, it leaves the starting center job available for the taking.

Because he has been in the program for a year now, Tretter appears to have a clear leg up on Corey Linsley, whom the Packers selected in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 28, 2014, 09:46:06 pm
In the 2011 NFL draft, the Packers selected offensive tackle Derek Sherrod of Mississippi State with the 32nd pick of the first round. Sherrod struggled somewhat in training camp that year, as the Packers gave him some reps at guard as well as tackle.

As it was, Sherrod only played in five games his rookie season before he suffered a horrific leg injury late in the season in which he broke his leg in two places.

Sherrod missed all of the 2012 season and worked extremely hard in rehab to get back on the field for the Packers again in 2013, where he did appear in seven games.

The 2014 season will be a big one for Sherrod as well as another former first-round pick of the Packers, Bryan Bulaga, who is slated to start at right tackle this year for Green Bay.

Bulaga has missed the past one-and-a-half seasons due to hip and knee injuries. If both Bulaga and Sherrod are healthy and play up to their potential this season, the depth at the tackle position will be quite solid.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 29, 2014, 07:57:06 pm
Posted by Darin Gantt on May 29, 2014, 6:19 PM EDT

NFC Championship Football


The Packers are used to seeing Julius Peppers twice a year.

Their first workout with him on their side had them excited about the possibility of 16.

Teammates were impressed by Peppers’ first OTA workout, and are already thinking about what he’s capable of.

“You obviously notice his athletic ability right off the bat,” linebacker A.J. Hawk said, via Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “He’s 34 and runs like he’s 18. If ever there was a genetic freak put on this planet, it is Julius. He’s just a specimen. I have a ton of respect for how he works, too. What a great teammate just from Day 1. He’s a quiet guy that already knows what he is doing, so it is fun to be around a guy like him.

“Him being in Chicago all these years, and getting to see him up close and personal two games a year, is always something I’ve been impressed by. Now, to have him on our side, to see how good of a guy he is, how good of a teammate he is, he’s already lived up to — and exceeded — my expectations.”

Peppers has created a high bar for himself because of his natural gifts. While it’s easy for someone so large and so graceful to appear effortless and thus draw criticism, he’s compiled 118.5 sacks and ranks in the top 20 all-time in that category.

They’ve all come from a 4-3 defensive end spot with the Bears and Panthers, and the Packers are using him as a hybrid outside linebacker (hence the unfamiliar number 56).

But so far, they’re excited about what they’ve seen, and what he might add as a pass-rusher opposite Clay Matthews.

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 29, 2014, 08:05:27 pm
Michael from Racine, WI

Vic, do you see the Packers holding onto six receivers if Jeff Janis works out?

Six is a lot of wide receivers on the active roster, unless two or three of them are special teams stars. If you like a wide receiver and want to retain him for developmental purposes, you can usually use the practice squad to do that. Today is the first day media is permitted to watch OTAs. I’ve only had one exposure to Janis. It was in rookie camp and two undrafted quarterbacks were throwing the ball. Let’s not rush this. Let’s get a look at Janis with Aaron Rodgers or Matt Flynn or Scott Tolzien throwing the ball, and with Sam Shields or Tramon Williams, etc., in coverage. If Janis can beat that coverage and catch the ball, the Packers will find a way to keep him. Don’t worry about the depth chart in the spring.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 29, 2014, 08:06:51 pm
Nathan from Lacey, WA

On ESPN, John Clayton answered a fan question about what free-agent signing would have the most impact this coming year and he answered Julius Peppers. Would you agree?

I won’t argue with the prediction; it’s sensible. Again, today is the first day the media will get a look at how Peppers might be used by Dom Capers. I think that’s likely the story of the day today. As I’ve written, I suspect Coach Capers will use Peppers much as Coach Capers used Tony Brackens in 1999. I think Peppers will be used in a multitude of ways. I think he’ll line up as a down end and rush, as a down end and drop into coverage, as an outside linebacker and maybe even as an inside linebacker in a stunt or twist type of rush scheme. I suspect Peppers will be featured, much as Brackens was. If that expectation is accurate, Peppers could very well make John’s prediction come true.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 29, 2014, 08:10:49 pm
Alan from Hernando, MS

I am a diehard fan of the Packers, but I am really worried about their first game. In your opinion, do you think the Packers can match up with Seattle? I mean, they made mincemeat of Denver.




You beat tough, physical defenses such as the Seahawks’ by running the ball. That’s the one that gets to them. It eats at their very core. The idea of being pushed around is too much for them to digest. They lose sense of themselves. Their testosterone level dips and they become mortal. In my opinion, the Packers have the running game to beat the Seahawks, and we all know what Aaron Rodgers can do when given the time to do it. I think the Packers match up very well against the Seahawks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 29, 2014, 08:12:39 pm
Jacques from Horicon, WI

They are finding that soccer causes just as much if not more brain damage long term than football. Each head bump is the equivalent to a 30 mph car crash.

The idea of hitting the ball with your head just never sat right with me. The perfect soccer player would have no arms and a gigantic head. That’s just too weird for me.

From a true soccer hater.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 29, 2014, 08:14:04 pm
Steve from Roselle, IL

Haven’t heard much hype surrounding Randall Cobb this offseason. What can we expect from him this year?

This is year four in Cobb’s career, which means he’s entering the prime years of his career. I think he can become one of the premier offensive players in the league. My expectations – I hate that word but I can’t think of another one to use – are without ceiling.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 29, 2014, 08:18:19 pm
Ben from Milwaukee, WI

Vic, I used to be an avid reader of yours. I read your column literally every day for close to a year, but lost interest over time due to the fact that you continue to belittle fans for simple questions. I’ve been reading again for the last week and I’m ready to stop reading completely. A perfect example is your answer about Clay moving to the inside. For the record, I do agree with you. I consider myself a very educated football fan and agree it sounds absolutely silly to move him to the inside for obvious reasons. I’m all for making sarcastic comments and, trust me, I am. But not at the expense of your readers. These people are the reason you have a job. Just something to think about. Not everyone knows everything about football like you do.

Was that a shot, Ben? I gotta tell you, I think that was a shot.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 29, 2014, 08:28:00 pm
...The quarterback sees the same thing in his new-look receiving corps that added three new draft picks behind the top returning trio of Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Jarrett Boykin. Only two of those selections – Jared Abbrederis and Jeff Janis – were at Thursday’s practice, as Davante Adams attended a players’ union rookie event along with defensive lineman Khyri Thornton.

In addition, 2013 seventh-round pick Kevin Dorsey was back on the practice field after spending his entire rookie season on injured reserve, while Rodgers pointed out the improvements he’s seen already in Myles White and Chris Harper, two who played bit parts last season but have received little to no mention since the draft-day bonanza.

“There’s going to be a lot of competition and I would think some strong consideration about keeping an extra guy there as opposed to years past,” Rodgers said.

With all the hold-over PS players from last year plus three promising draftees the battle at WR should be ferocious this year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 29, 2014, 08:55:37 pm
Report: Jermichael Finley to Undergo Medical Tests on Wednesday

By Jason Hirschhorn  @JBHirschhorn  on May 27 2014, 10:53p  88 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 30, 2014, 08:59:35 pm
Alex from London, England

Jairus Byrd has undergone back surgery. It’s a young man’s game.

It’s not just about age, it’s also about price. An old dinner plate falls and breaks, you sweep it up and throw it away. No big deal; you’ve got lots of them. A piece of your mother’s fine China falls and breaks, she cries. Its value makes it irreplaceable. Byrd is fine China. The money spent on him
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 30, 2014, 09:03:37 pm
Greg from La Crosse, WI

Vic, what were your impressions after watching Thursday’s practice? Anything catch your eye or surprise you?

Nothing caught my eye or surprised me, but something felt different. I felt a sense of relaxed confidence. Maybe I was sensing my own comfort for having covered this team long enough to really know it, but I experienced an undeniable feeling yesterday that I was watching a very good team that knows it’s very good and is in the prime of its current playoff run. Now is the time.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 30, 2014, 09:16:17 pm
Justin from Palatine, IL

Who do you think will be the biggest playmaker on the Packers defense this year, or from what position? I think it will be Casey Hayward. What do you think?

I think Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers will compete for the honor. Competition is good.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 30, 2014, 09:53:06 pm
RELATED:  Raji expected better offers in free agency

The Packers ended the season with 15 players on injured reserve last season, but were perhaps hit the hardest at outside linebacker with preferred starters Matthews (thumb) and Nick Perry (foot) combining to miss 10 games.

It led to Neal playing almost exclusively at outside linebacker, which Capers has repeatedly said wasn’t the plan when they first converted him from the defensive line.

The Packers are hoping the insertion of the “elephant” position could help feed into their defensive overhaul with tweeners like Neal, Peppers and Perry being able to both rush from the outside and occasionally put their hand in the dirt, as well.

It starts with Peppers, who had seven sacks last season with Chicago in what was considered a down year. In Green Bay, the 6-foot-7, 290-pound veteran would’ve led the defensive line and been a ½ sack behind Matthews for the team lead.

“I was a little shocked,” said Matthews of his reaction to Peppers’ signing. “I know we don't make too many off-season acquisitions, especially with such a big name. But obviously I'm happy to have him on this side of the ball. He's a tremendous threat. Tackles know what he possesses as well as offensive coordinators, so I think it's just going to present a new element to this defense that we've been looking for.”...

“I haven’t really played with a guy like Clay my whole career,” said Peppers, who signed a three-year, $30 million deal in March. “Early in my career, I played with a guy in Mike Rucker who was a threat on the other side. But a really dominant player on the other side, I really haven’t had that, ever. So I’m excited.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on May 30, 2014, 10:06:48 pm
I think the Packer nation is going to be sorely disappointed in Peppers.  He will have a few multiple sack games and he will make a big play here and there.  However he is not going to be the game changing addition you think he will be.  He is just not that good anymore. 

I would make the swap of Jared for Julius 10 times out of 10.   
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 30, 2014, 10:20:42 pm
The problem with that analogy is inaccurate.  We are not looking at a mere swap of Jared for Julius.  The Bears gave up Peppers to get Jared.  Now the Packers have Peppers to team up with Matthews.  With Peppers gone the  Bears  don't have a Matthews to match up with Jared.  Peppers is a kind of player that the Packers have wanted to match up with Matthews.

Peppers said it in his interview:  he has never had a  player to match up with like  Matthews, before. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on May 30, 2014, 10:27:56 pm
Bears added to their D-line also.  Much younger talent.

By the way Peppers at one time was playing with Tommie Harris in his prime.  I am not bashing Peppers he is a talent but he is an old faded one that is not as good as he used to be.  Either that or he has had some major injuries the last two years that were never reported and now he is fully healed from them.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 31, 2014, 04:24:57 pm
I very much respect your comments about Peppers, Peke.  I suspect you are correct about Peppers being past his peak but I think that he will be better than any other players that the Packers have had to assist Matthews in his pass rush.  That's all that I could hope for.

Peppers had more sacks than any GB player last season without Matthews.

Big season coming up for NFLN.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 31, 2014, 05:54:51 pm
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bo0Q7zMCAAAEb5Y.jpg)

Peppers home in GB.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 31, 2014, 06:01:24 pm
Peppers worth the hype, teammates tell @MikeVandermause. http://pck.rs/1rvhQeo  #packers
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on May 31, 2014, 06:12:57 pm
I think you and the other Packer fans are going to be very disappointed in his play.  Like I said he will make some big plays and help you win a few games.  However he will disappear for long stretches at a time.  But for what the Packers have invested in him it is worth the shot. 

Regardless the Packers hopes all come down to Rodgers staying healthy as always.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 31, 2014, 06:41:16 pm
True, dat.  And Matthews.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 02, 2014, 08:13:44 pm
Jermichael Finley could get $10 million if he retires from neck injury

 by Josh Hill 1d ago
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 02, 2014, 09:15:56 pm
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2082188-green-bay-packers-7-players-whose-stock-is-on-the-rise-after-otas/page/5

Derreck Sherrod.  Drafted 2011 and injured 2012 and2013.  (Just like a new 2014 draftee)

You can't have a conversation about injuries and offensive linemen without mentioning Derek Sherrod. He was the first-round pick for Green Bay back in the 2011 NFL draft, but he has yet to make any impact due to a broken leg suffered as a rookie.

Sherrod was back on the field during OTAs this past week. This will be the first time in his four-year career that he'll take part in an entire offseason program with the Packers, granted he stays injury-free.

The Packers would love to have Sherrod fully healthy. In fact, the team already had him playing as the No. 2 left tackle, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.

With a healthy Sherrod, Green Bay could have an extremely deep and talented offensive line this year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 02, 2014, 09:19:16 pm
If there is one current starter that the Packers would surely love to get beat out in training camp, it'd have to be inside linebacker Brad Jones. Instead of progressing last year into a quality starter, Jones took a major step backward.

Well, it looks like the Packers' wishes may becoming true thanks to Jamari Lattimore.

Lattimore struggled at times last year when he was on the field, but it was easy to see the potential he had as an overall player. The Packers are obviously interested in getting him on the field more this year because he's been playing a variety of roles in OTAs, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.

As long as one of those roles ultimately becomes starting inside linebacker, the Packers should be just fine. Look for Lattimore to continue to impress throughout the offseason and for him to become a major part of the defense moving forward
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on June 02, 2014, 10:56:54 pm
I wouldn't exactly say Allen doesn't have a Matthews to team up with. McClellin 'could' possibly be that Matthews type player. Depends on how he takes to the position....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 03, 2014, 07:02:04 pm
You may be correct on that.  It hasn't been proven, though.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 03, 2014, 08:21:37 pm
Posted by Vic Ketchman, packers.com editor on  May 29, 2014 – 12:43 pm 


LB/DE Julius PeppersGREEN BAY–Julius Peppers worked at both the left and right outside linebackers positions in practice at Ray Nitschke Field on Thursday. Peppers, signed in free agency in March, wore No. 56 and began practice as Nick Perry’s apparent replacement at left outside linebacker.

Perry was present at practice but did not participate, nor did starting right outside linebacker Clay Matthews. Mike Neal was Matthews’ apparent replacement.

Practice was open to the public and fans enjoyed a warm and sunny day. They cheered nearly every catch, most enthusiastically a reception by rookie tight end Colt Lyerla.

Micah Hyde was at safety along with Morgan Burnett in the No. 1 defensive backfield. Bryan Bulaga, who missed all of last season due to a knee injury, lined up at right tackle and David Bakhtiari remained at left tackle. Bakhtiari replaced Bulaga at left tackle last season. JC Tretter, a fourth-round draft pick in 2013, was the center.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 03, 2014, 08:33:31 pm

By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel   

Green Bay --- Running highlights of coach Mike McCarthy's Tuesday news conference...


On DuJuan Harris... "DuJuan Harris looks like he's back to full strength. Last week, he knocked the rust off of a few things. He's competing to play, like a lot of guys. The RB position is a very challenging position to go through the season. Eddie and James did a great job with their opportunities. DuJuan has to fight for his opportunity."

On players returning from injuries... "We have a lot of guys back, a lot of guys who feel like they have something to prove. ...A little disappointed with today's practice. Sloppy. Presnap penalties high. Great to have those guys back. A healthy football team is a good football team."

On Bulaga... "This is a process. He's making progress. A CBA practice is a little different than the ones you need to have to move forward."

On injuries... "We're doing everything we possibly can. We have great resources."

On Tolzien... "Scott has gotten a lot better. Comfortable with the language. Changed some things with his footwork. A tireless worker. I don't know if there's anyone in the program who spends as much time as Scott does."

On Bakhtiari/Sitton on the left side... "Josh Sitton has established himself as the left guard. David has established himself at left tackle. David is a lot stronger than he was. We talk repeatedly about what we want in our second-year players. David taking that step."

On Barclay... "Don Barclay to me is a starting football player. He has earned the opportunity to compete for a starting position. We have to make sure we have as much competition as we possibly can. Don could play all five positions on the offensive line. ...Right now at center, we have two who have played center before. Important for us to let them compete. Guards, with the core there, important. You can't get enough reps."

On if Derek Sherrod is back to 100%... "Derek Sherrod looks good. This is as strong as I've ever seen him. He has definitely done a great job in the strength and conditioning. It's the padded work he needs. He'll continue to compete for opportunities."

On Tretter's strides... "JC Tretter made an impression on everyone. Powerful young man. Extremely intelligent. I don't know if there's a day you do not see him here. I think he's progressing very nicely."

On Davante Adams... "Looks good. Looks comfortable. He's definitely what we thought out of Fresno. ...An excellent route runner at the top of his routes."

On Colt Lyerla's status (not at practice) ... "We had a couple guys who missed today. Obviously, these are voluntary practices. Know where he is. Expect him back tomorrow."

On Clay Matthews... "Week to week. Doing a lot of rehab, conditioning. He's progressing."

On Chris Harper... "Ran a great post. That's the kind of explosiveness he has. Very talented, powerful young player. He's getting more and more comfortable with what we're asking him to do. Very good off-season."

On who needs to step up on DL... "The biggest thing on the defensive line is rotation. The ability to play as many defensive players as possible is a focus for us ... Getting a rotation, a combination, with injuries, we didn't hit the target last year. Make sure the rotation with those guys is something we could do a better job with."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 04, 2014, 07:04:19 pm
Vic, I don’t understand the angst some fans have toward the thought of Julius Peppers dropping back into coverage. The voices in my head say if a linebacker is going to drop back, it might as well be the one that’s 6-7 and runs like a gazelle. What do the voices in your head say?

Love is the answer.


;-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 04, 2014, 07:05:32 pm
Thomas from Park Falls, WI

Vic, what if you eliminated the predetermined role of having two safety players on the field and instead drafted and placed true cornerbacks on the field, wouldn’t it make things much tougher on the offense to identify people and find mismatches?

That’s the trend. A lot of safeties are slow corners. You need guys that can stay on the field and cover the slot receiver when an offense gets a defense in no-huddle. You need safeties nowadays that can flip their hips and cover because today’s game is a passing game. The days of the stiff-hipped, knockout hitter in the middle of the field, the Jack Tatums, are over.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 04, 2014, 07:08:32 pm
Andy from Tokyo, Japan

I think I read somewhere that there might be packages or situations where the Packers might use three safeties. Is that something teams really do?

It’s what a team would do when it plays nickel or dime and three safeties are part of the team’s five best or six best defensive backs. Three, four or five wide receivers will cause defenses to go nickel or dime. Don’t think in terms of the depth chart. The depth chart refers to the Packers’ 3-4 base defense, which they use less and less every season. The depth chart is just a means for identifying the pecking order of players. Casey Hayward became a star as a rookie nickel defender. There will be plenty of opportunity for Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to show what he can do.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 04, 2014, 07:10:20 pm
Vic, when I think about the excitement I get from watching a Packers game and how much I’m missing it in the offseason, I immediately thought about you in the press box staying composed. It made me think, is there a team you’re a fan of that makes you excited like a fan? Or are you a bigger fan of the journalism aspect of it?

It’s the Steelers. Last December, when they played in Lambeau Field, I went nuts in the press box and started cheering for them. I couldn’t restrain myself any longer. I started taunting Spofford. “There’s your payback for XLV, Spofford.” He didn’t like it. Then the PA guy read the no-cheering-in-the-press-box warning and I let out with a “Here we go Steelers, here we go.” That’s when they threw me out, but I didn’t care. I needed to show my love.

;-(
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 04, 2014, 07:29:13 pm
Jeffrey from Seattle, WA

Vic, how important was the re-signing of Sam Shields to this defense and do you think his quality of play will continue to improve?

Cornerback is such a premium position in today’s game and this team is really stocked with young cornerback talent, provided they can stay healthy. Davon House is making another run at Underwear League MVP. He was the defensive star of yesterday’s practice, intercepting a back-shoulder throw and nearly making a diving interception. I really hope he can put it all together this year because he is a talent. Hayward is healthy – knock on wood – and we know what he can do when he’s healthy. You want a corner that can get up in the air and defend against the tall receivers? Demetri Goodson can do it. Tramon Williams was the Packers’ best corner when last season ended, but Shields is the future at the position. His contract says that. Will he continue to improve? He must, or the contract was a mistake.

<I>A lot of young talent if the GB DB area.  Tramon Williams will probably
be gone next season.  Need that money for Jordy Nelson and Cobb next season.</I>
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 04, 2014, 07:35:35 pm
Devin from Anaheim, CA

Vic, I’m going to have to disagree with you and it’s your fault that I do. I haven’t been greedy with expectations. I have only found myself seriously angry a few times. My thinking has caused me to hurt my hand after said games and destroy walls. But now I don’t get so angry and don’t wish doom on other teams. I thank you for that.

I’m very glad for you. Please don’t hurt your hand, damage walls or wish doom on others. It’s just a game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 04, 2014, 07:37:21 pm
Davon House making run at Underwear League MVP.

Happy news.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on June 04, 2014, 08:48:44 pm
So Vic is a Steelers fan and he covers the Packers.  So in other words he is a bandwagon guy.  No wonder he is so obnoxious.  Every Steeler fan I know is obnoxious as hell when it comes to football.  When the Bears beat them they start talking about Super Bowl wins or Bettis running over Urlacher.

For him to do that in the Packers press box is classless especially since he is there to cover the Packers. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 05, 2014, 08:14:24 pm
Paul from Wauwatosa, WI

With what you have taught all of us about salary cap ramifications of big signings, how does the big, new contract of Colin Kaepernick, combined with the re-signing of Boldin and the deal given to Bethea affect the 49ers’ future?

All aboard!

Headed for cap hell?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 05, 2014, 08:19:50 pm
Mike from Huntersville, NC

Isn’t Wilson and his low salary cap more of a trend for recent Super Bowl winners?

If three of the last four years is a trend, then the answer is yes. It sure helps to have money to spend on the other positions, but you can’t win it all without “The Man.” Seattle will have to pay “The Man.” The 49ers just paid “The Man” and it might be a little early to proclaim him “The Man.” The Ravens rode Joe Flacco’s contract as long as they could, and then they paid “The Man,” which forced them to gut their team. How you manage that position largely determines your franchise’s fate.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 06, 2014, 08:29:04 pm
...Anyway, in recent years the Packers’ defense has taken some hits from the media and the fans but Rodgers explained that the defense is primed and ready for the 2014 season. Rodgers talked about Mike Daniels stepping up this year into a bigger role and the versatility that Julius Peppers will bring to the defense.

He also touched on the depth Mike Neal and Nick Perry bring to the defense as well as the importance of a healthy Clay Matthews.

Aaron Rodgers ended his thoughts about the defense by acknowledging the young talent and the anticipation of watching the defense come together and play at a high level.

Rodgers thought the defense was excited about the opportunity to be viewed as equals to the offense. Wouldn’t that be something? In recent years that thought seems like something from another planet.

Could that change this year?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on June 06, 2014, 08:48:19 pm
nope...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 06, 2014, 09:52:41 pm

 
Just what color are 24 Green Bay Packers players listed on the recently released Pro Football Focus (PFF) ranking of individual players across the league and in this case, specifically the Packers?

Color is important in this listing as PFF ranks them accordingly … starting with blue (elite) to red ( poor starter), and purple (rookie).

And without looking, you can probably guess who finished as the three elite players on the Packers roster – a roster that PFF coincidentally ranks as eighth best in the league.

Aaron Rodgers Raymond T. Rivard photograph
Aaron Rodgers
Raymond T. Rivard photograph

In all, there are 24 Packers who are rated – 12 on defense and 12 on offense.

One can argue about the pros and cons of every ranking – this one included. However, there are reasons for the rankings and they are explained clearly by PFF’s Sam Monson, the ranking’s author.

Here’s what he had to say:


“The team has almost as many projected blue-chip starters (three, 12.5 percent) as it does below average (four, 16.7 percent), but it is the average players who may dictate the ceiling for this team. Seven projected starters (29.2 percent) grade out as average at this time, and whether those players outperform or underperform that designation will likely determine how good this team becomes.”

Here is the complete list:

Blue (elite)
Aaron Rodgers
Josh Sitton
Clay Matthews

Green (high quality)
Eddie Lacy
Jordy Nelson

Light green (good starter)


Green Bay Packers fullback John Kuhn.
 Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports photograph

John Kuhn
Randall Cobb
T.J. Lang
Mike Daniels
Sam Shields
Casey Hayward

Yellow (average starter)
Jarrett Boykin
Bryan Bulaga
Julius Peppers
Nick Perry
Brad Jones
Tramon Williams
Morgan Burnett

Orange
Andrew Quarless
David Bakhtiari
B.J. Raji
A.J. Hawk

Red (poor starter)
None

Gray (not enough information)
JC Tretter

Purple (rookie)
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix

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Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com provided this breakdown based on salary information:


From a salary standpoint, the Packers are paying Peppers ($8.5 million this season), Williams ($7.5 million), Burnett ($3.25 million this season after $9.573 million last season) and Jones ($3 million) to perform better than their “yellow” designation. Likewise, the Packers surely consider Raji ($4 million) and Hawk ($3.5 million) to be better than “orange” players.

On the other hand, Lacy ($559,201) should be considered a steal as a “green” player just as Cobb ($812,648), Daniels ($570,000) and Hayward ($690,901) are relative bargains as “light green” players because they still are playing under their rookie contracts
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 06, 2014, 10:13:10 pm
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Colt Lyerla wasn't sure if he'd ever get a chance to play football again. The life of the 21-year-old talented but troubled tight end had deviated away from the game, first by choice and then by necessity.

Lyerla was suspended by the University of Oregon early in the 2013 season before eventually parting ways on a permanent basis. Football clearly wasn't at the top of his priority list then. Being arrested for possession of **** soon after certainly didn't help his situation, either.

All of those factors forced him to put football on the backburner. Lyerla wasn't practicing catching passes, he wasn't working out and he wasn't studying playbooks. Instead, he was dealing with the challenges that came about as a result of his recent mistakes.

"I was trying not to get evicted at that time," Lyerla said. "A lot more important things to think about than football at that time."

Lyerla wouldn't divulge details about whether he was working part-time jobs or what it was he did to try to avoid eviction, simply calling it "a really complicated situation." What is clear, however, is that Lyerla had found himself with few options

Jordy Nelson hopes desire to stay with Packers doesn't hurt contract talk   
Randall Cobb: No updates on contract extension   
Packers officially sign first-round pick Clinton-Dix   

"That was a pretty low point time of my life," he said. "I didn't have any resources, I didn't have any support. I was stuck in Eugene (Oregon) because of things that had happened. Thankfully when I was able to get out of there I took advantage of every opportunity I could and made the most of it."

Still, despite being invited to the NFL Scouting Combine and putting up very impressive athletic testing numbers, Lyerla's past issues were too much for any team to consider using a draft pick on him. Even with the on-field talent of an early-to-mid-round selection, Lyerla also wasn't signed by any team immediately following the draft.

Lyerla settled on a tryout offer from the Green Bay Packers. It was a bit of a surprise considering that the Packers often talk about bringing the right type of people ("Packer people," as they're sometimes called) into the organization. Lyerla's track record was far from that of a player who typically qualifies under the "Packer people" guideline.

Head coach Mike McCarthy admitted that the Packers "haven't really participated in this type of situation in the past." But there was something about Lyerla -- with talent, of course, playing a major role -- that made Green Bay decide to see what he can do.

"Everybody is excited about helping a young man that's been through what he's been through," McCarthy said. "We're excited to impact this young man's life. Everything else will take care of itself professionally. I think this is a real credit to our program. I think this will be a real credit to the resources that we have, and this is what you're supposed to do."

Understandably, Lyerla was very grateful that the Packers took an interest in him, both as a football player looking to get comfortable again on the field and as a human being looking for a better path to take.

"I've spent the last six, seven months doing hard thinking and making changes and doing the right things," Lyerla said. "I think me being here today shows that I am moving in the right direction."

Lyerla doesn't believe that his conversations with Green Bay's front office and coaching staff were any different from the rest of the Packers rookie class. That seems hard to believe, though. Lyerla isn't your normal rookie. His life experiences (self-inflicted and otherwise) make Lyerla the type of rookie who needs guidance if he's ever going to become the player that his skill set could allow him to be.

"I think they (the Packers) believe in second chances," Lyerla said. "Maybe they didn't read into some of the things that were said and decided to give a kid a chance, and that's what's happening."

Though Lyerla missed a recent voluntary practice during offseason training activities, McCarthy was "fully aware" of his whereabouts and didn't expect the absence to extend any further.

Training camp is still more than seven weeks away, but Lyerla has already progressed from tryout player to a player who's signed to a contract. An established organization with a stable support system in the NFL's smallest city might have been the perfect situation for him

"I feel like I have a new home," Lyerla said. "I was kind of lost for a little while, but being here and being accepted here is truly great."

Fans have helped Lyerla make the transition, too. When the 6-foot-4, 242-pound tight end made a leaping grab during the first OTA practice that was open to the public, the crowd quickly noticed who it was and gave him the loudest ovation of the day.

"It's kind of weird," Lyerla said of the applause. "It's my first day, the fans are out there and saying my name. It made me happy, made me feel good, so I can't complain."

This is the same group of fans who made Johnny Jolly one of the most popular Packers last season as the defensive lineman made his NFL return after being away three years (with some of that time being spent in prison).

"I couldn't ask for a warmer welcome," Lyerla said.

Lyerla is still a long ways away from making Green Bay's active roster. He claims achieving that is where his focus is now.

"Whether that be on special teams or tight end or water boy," he said. "Whatever it is, whatever I've got to do."

It should help that eviction notices won't be popping up and that he's more than 2,000 miles away from Oregon, where he was "stuck" for too long.

Lyerla won't have the leeway that his teammates do, so one slip-up could put an end to the progress he's making. But having a team that's giving him a chance and showing a belief in him is a positive first chapter in a story that Lyerla hopes will continue on an upward trend.

"Once you've been to the bottom, you see what you need to do as a person and the changes you need to make," Lyerla said. "I think that's going to help me become a better person in the locker room."

Follow Paul Imig on Twitter
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 06, 2014, 10:14:50 pm
(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/002/924/114/hi-res-3f6e8bb0525cb8f222e9828c408fb94c_crop_north.jpg?w=630&h=420&q=75)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 07, 2014, 05:17:36 pm
Alex from Hillsboro, KS

Do you think this 2014 Packers team could be the most talented team McCarthy’s ever coached here, if we can stay healthy?

What we’re looking at over the next couple of years is the peak of this current playoff run. Rodgers is in the prime of his career and he’s surrounded by players in the primes of their careers, too. Now is the time. Yes, I think this could be the most talented team in Mike McCarthy’s years as coach of the Packers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 07, 2014, 05:18:44 pm
James from Greensboro, NC

This question is concerning Datone Jones. I wasn’t very impressed with his rookie year. He was almost non-existent. I kept looking for him to be a huge force to reckon with. I think his second year will be better; at least I hope so. What do you think about this?

Tony Pauline called it. He said Jones would require time to be remolded into an Okie end. It didn’t help that Jones’ development was halted by an ankle injury that turned out to be more severe than originally thought, but he also needed time to develop his talents in a new scheme that required learning new technique. You assigned unrealistic expectations to his rookie year, and that’s what’s caused your disappointment. That’s why I have a dislike for expectations.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 07, 2014, 05:52:24 pm
Using some fancy maths, the Spotrac guys project that Jordy's new deal will add 4 years about about $44 million, with just under half of that money guaranteed.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 07, 2014, 06:11:35 pm

Casey Hayward went from finishing third in the NFL defensive rookie of the year voting in 2012 to persona non grata in 2013. While he tried to contribute in other ways last season, he wants to be an on-the-field factor this year.

By JASON WILDE

jwilde@espnwisconsin.com

GREEN BAY – Joe Whitt could’ve simply stopped with his initial reaction. That said plenty.

The Green Bay Packers cornerbacks coach had just been asked how Casey Hayward had looked so far this offseason – through individual position workouts and only a couple of organized team activity practices – and the first word out of his mouth wasn’t really a word.

“Ooooooooh,” Whitt replied.

To understand Whitt’s reaction, you must rewind to this time last year, when Hayward was coming off a rookie season in which he’d intercepted six passes and finished third in the NFL defensive rookie of the year balloting. Coaches love to talk about the importance of young players making a significant jump from Year 1 to Year 2, and based on what he’d seen from the second-round pick from Vanderbilt, Whitt was expecting even bigger and better things from Hayward.

Instead, what he got was a lost season from his prized pupil.

Perhaps that’s why Whitt was only getting started with his reply.

“Casey has looked really nice,” Whitt continued. “We’ve worked some new stuff. With the new stuff, I really didn’t think he’d be a guy who’d benefit from it. But he really has and he’s looked really nice.”

Asked how his hamstring has felt so far this offseason, Hayward replied, “It feels good. I haven’t been able to run in a while. So just getting back, coming back (for) OTAs, I was like, ‘If I can just get out there and be 90 percent, I’ll be happy.’ Which, I’m feeling great out there right now. If I can get to training camp and be 100 percent, I’ll be fine. I’ll be ready to go.”

The Packers’ defense would be significantly better if he is.

During his rookie season, Hayward played primarily inside as the nickel back covering slot receivers. But the coaches have always felt he could play outside, too, and during the first two open oTA practices, he has worked both inside and outside. While the Sept. 4 opener is still three months away, the Packers are excited about a dime package that would feature Tramon Williams and Sam Shields as the outside corners and Hayward and Micah Hyde, who took Hayward’s place last season, as the nickel and dime guys.

Hayward’s ability to move outside, which he did while Shields was sidelined with a sprained ankle in 2012, gives defensive coordinator Dom Capers greater flexibility, which fits the Packers’ mantra this offseason on defense. As coach Mike McCarthy said again earlier this week, “The ability to play as many defensive players as possible is a primary focus for us.”

Hayward’s problems began when he initially pulled his hamstring just before reporting to training camp last July. He missed the first few weeks of camp and the first two preseason games before debuting against Seattle at Lambeau Field on Aug. 23 and even had an interception in that game – only to re-pull the hamstring after about a dozen snaps.

Hayward sat out the first six regular-season games, then played 23 snaps at Minnesota on Oct. 27, played 42 snaps the following week against Chicago and then re-injured the hamstring yet again against Philadelphia on Nov. 10. He was inactive the next week against the New York Giants before the coaching and medical staffs shut him down for the year, placing him on injured reserve.

“He looks like he’s back and healthy, and he’s out there working,” Capers said. “It’s nice to see him back out there because this is a guy who intercepted six passes the year before.”

For a team that had only 22 takeaways last year, getting a playmaker like Hayward back would be a huge lift. But to his credit, while sidelined last year, Hayward didn’t spend all his time in the training room or disappear by heading home. Rather, he was in every cornerbacks meeting and defensive meeting, working on learning the defense better and helping his teammates any way he could.

“Mentally, the young man has been really sharp in the classroom and even when he wasn’t [playing], he was very, very active in the classroom,” Whitt said. “[He’d say], ‘Guys this is what I see – this is how I would play it. This is how they run this combination. When they get in this formation …’ He was very active in that way.

“Mentally, he’s right where he should be as a third-year player. Now we just have to get those reps back and get the body moving that way. Hopefully, his ham(string) and everything, that’s an issue in the past.”

Hayward certainly believes that, and believes he’s more than ready to have an even greater impact than he had as a rookie.

“I’m going on Year 3. I know the defense, I know the players around me and the players know me,” Hayward said. “It’s hard to just judge what you did before; you just try to get better than what you were. Sometimes the picks don’t matter, but I would love to get 6-plus again, but if I’m shutting down my man and not giving up a lot of completions, not giving up a lot of touchdowns, tackling well, I think that’ll show good on this defense and good on this team.”

Listen to Jason Wilde every weekday from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on “Green & Gold Today,” and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/jasonjwilde.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 07, 2014, 06:14:51 pm
full productive season could sway the Steelers to give Worilds a long-term deal.

Tramon Williams, Green Bay Packers (2014 contract: $9.5 million)

Williams was signed to a big extension in 2010, and played up to his deal initially, but has since been much less effective. He has to prove himself this season, and seemingly knows it, too, or else be shooed away from the Packers if he doesn't take a paycut.

The good news for the 31-year-old cornerback is that he is versatile. He played at nickelback often last season, which suggests that coaches like his ability in run support as well as coverage. Williams isn't the Packers' top cover guy any more, however. That's Sam Shields. The Packers may not be able to afford paying two players as if they are top lockdown corners.

Betcha he's gone after this season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 07, 2014, 06:26:42 pm
Please welcome Ted Glover from the Daily Norseman to APC to discuss the Packers' draft from a Vikings writer's viewpoint.

Hi there, Acme Packing Company.  How's it going?  Has Aaron Rodgers retired yet? No?

Damn.

Oh well, I'm not here to talk about that, anyway. I'm Ted Glover, Daily Norseman blogger, Ohio State fan, international bon vivant, and self-proclaimed Vikings fan expert on the Packers draft.

Yes yes yes, I know you've talked about it ad nauseum on here already, but let me offer you my opinion, as a fan of an arch rival, the Minnesota Vikings. Your esteemed leader, Tex Western, is doing the same thing to the Vikings draft class over at The Daily Norseman, so go over there and check it out when you get a chance.

Quick ground rules here: We have a Packers fan - I hate the word ‘hostage' - that's such an ugly word, so let's go with ‘playing cards'. Yeah. Playing cards in a safe house just outside of Thief River Falls, and the APC staff has a Vikings fan playing cards at one of their safe houses just outside of Sheboygan.  Let's just say our card playing hostages are safe, and as long as I leave APC unharmed at the end of this article, your card player leaves unharmed.

Same for Tex over at DN.

Overall, I thought it was a pretty decent job by Ted Thompson and company.  I'm not a guy that likes to give grades-I get that people like them, but this soon after the draft they seem about as accurate as a Jay Cutler pass AMIRITE?  So I'm going to just kind of give you my general impressions, and I won't go into detail about every pick.

When I'm done, feel free to throw rotten cheese at me in the comments section.  I'll be at the b
Tex's Take on the Vikings' Draft

Ted Glover •Daily Norseman
 





 
Round 1: Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix, S, Alabama

I thought Dix was the only no brainer pick here for Green Bay, with maaaaybe the exception of Darqueze Dennard.  But safety was a bigger need for the secondary than cornerback, and Dix is a phenomenal get for you guys that far down in the draft, almost a borderline steal. Damn it.

Round 2: Davante Adams, WR, Fresno State

I get the idea of wanting a WR here. Green Bay has three pretty good top shelf guys, but there's some depth issues there. It's not that Adams is bad, it's just that I liked Cody Latimer, Jarvis Landry, or even maybe Allen Robinson there over Adams (I am a biased Big Ten guy, so take that for what it's worth).  But then you watch tape of Adams catching damn near everything that David (Ed: I'm pretty sure he means Derek) Carr threw his way, and you understand the pick.

--

Okay, confession time here.  I'm not Dan Kadar, so to sit here and give you insightful analysis on every pick just isn't happening.  I'll be honest, I haven't heard of any of the guys Green Bay drafted in the third and fourth round.

"Oh, typical ignorant ass Vikings fan youbetcha', you're thinking.  I'm just being honest here, and just so we're clear-I am not bagging on these guys at all.  I just don't know who they are.  I follow the Big Ten pretty closely, but outside of that, and most of the potential first round guys or guys that might be positions of need the Vikings might look at in the early rounds...I just don't care.

I do know Green Bay's defense was pretty bad, and they need to find a potential replacement for Jermichael Finley, and you answered those needs here.  These picks should provide depth and competition right away, and say what you want about Ted Thompson, he's good at using the draft for roster replenishment. So if you think these guys are great picks, they are. If you think they're terrible picks, they are. I can't help you here, as my limited talents can only go so far.

But now, let's talk about a couple guys you picked late in the draft that really kind of pissed me off, if we're being honest with each other.

Round 5: Cory Linsley, C, Ohio State

I am a huge Ohio State fan, so C'MON MAN REALLY? My nightmare scenario here was that Ryan Shazier would be available and you'd take him, and then I would have been on the verge of quitting sports.  Seriously quit picking Ohio State guys.  It sucks cheering against guys like Linsley, Jake Stoneburner, AJ Hawk, Ryan Pickett MY GOD YOUR WHOLE TEAM IS EX-BUCKEYES. Seriously, Linsley was the anchor of a dramatically improving Ohio State o-line these last two years, and was largely responsible for creating the holes that Carlos Hyde ran through between the tackles. He might need a year or two to bulk up for the NFL, but I think you have a diamond in the rough here.

You bastards.

Round 5: Jared Abbrederis, WR, Wisconsin

If you ask me to list the biggest steal of the entire draft, for any team,  it might be Abbrederis late in the fifth round.  He's a very good route runner with great hands and screams Jordy Nelson Redux, but I don't think he has the straightline speed Nelson has. I also think he'll have a chance to contribute right away, and I can see him having success early on as a 4th wideout, going up against guys he should beat like a wet dog. I still wake up in a cold sweat replaying the Wisconsin OSU game, where JA made first round pick Bradley Roby look like he was in high school. Great for you guys, sucks for the rest of the NFC North.  I would have loved to have seen either Linsley or Abbrederis picked by the Vikings in the fifth round.

--

So there you go. Good picks at the top, some nice value picks in the middle, and an absolute steal or two towards the back.

Nice draft, guys. We'll see you this fall.

Hope you go 0-16!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 08, 2014, 06:40:08 pm
(http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/51/files/2014/06/DSC0325.jpg)

Bakhtiari.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on June 09, 2014, 10:28:17 am
HOLY GIANT PICTURE BATMAN!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 09, 2014, 07:04:42 pm
;-)

Oops.  Meant to delete that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 09, 2014, 08:34:59 pm
Joe from Camp Pendleton, CA

When other coaches plan against the Packers, what are they telling their players to watch out for?

Before Eddie Lacy arrived, opposing teams focused on denying the big play. I suspect the plan was to make the Packers drive the ball. Last year, Lacy made that plan change. All of a sudden, defenses had to get that eighth defender up to the line of scrimmage to stop Lacy, and that brought back the big play.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 09, 2014, 08:45:18 pm
Joel from Cleveland, WI

If the injury that ended Gale Sayers’ career happened today, would he have continued his career?

We lost a lot of great careers in the ’60s to knee injuries that medicine didn’t know how to fix. Sayers and Joe Namath are the two that immediately come to mind. Medicine didn’t know in those days that MCL tears didn’t require surgery, just rest. They cut up Namath’s knees like fish.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 09, 2014, 08:47:19 pm
Marvin from Barron, WI

Me and the commissioner? You’re a professional writer with a grammar problem. How can this be?

It’s called literary license. Its intent is to allow writers to bring flavor to their work by introducing a personality or style that isn’t grammatically proper. We really do need to lighten up. I am officially designating this “Lighten Up and Have Some Fun Week.” Give it a try, Marvin.

Tell 'im, Vic.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 10, 2014, 08:02:41 pm
Packers sign LB Shaun Lewis

Posted by Mike Wilkening on June 10, 2014, 8:24 PM EDT

TCU v Oklahoma State
Getty Images

The Packers, who had an open roster spot, have added a player who tried out for them at their May rookie minicamp, signing linebacker Shaun Lewis, the club announced Tuesday.

An Oklahoma State product, the 5-foot-11, 226-pound Lewis recorded 73 tackles (eight for loss) as a senior in 2013. He earned second-team All-Big 12 honors from The Associated Press in 2012 and 2013. Lewis likely projects inside in the Packers’ 3-4 scheme and could be asked to chip in on special teams.

With Lewis’ addition, 30 percent of the Packers’ roster spots belong to rookies (27-of-90), with two-thirds of the rookies added after the draft in free agency.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 10, 2014, 08:15:34 pm
Veteran QB says expectation is to win and win now


GREEN BAY—Aaron Rodgers repeated on Tuesday a phrase he used as OTAs began two weeks ago, that this Packers team has a “different feel” to it.

Rodgers also expounded on that thought in a way that should pump up the fan base.

“You sense the hunger that we have, which is exciting,” Rodgers said following a workout at a breezy Ray Nitschke Field.

“I’m probably more excited for this season than I’ve been in a long time because of the attitude I see from this team and just the young talent that we have. If we can put it all together, it could be pretty exciting around here.”

For Rodgers, that excitement in part is generated by seeing the mix of young draft picks with veteran acquisitions like Julius Peppers on the field together. More specific to the offense he runs, Rodgers is also fired up about his receiving corps.

Beyond the top three of Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Jarrett Boykin, Rodgers has seen second-round pick Davante Adams make his share of plays this spring. He also mentioned the strong start from Chris Harper, until a tweaked hamstring forced Harper to sit out on Tuesday.

The competition shaping up amongst them, rookie draft picks Jared Abbrederis and Jeff Janis, plus holdovers Myles White, Kevin Dorsey and Alex Gillett will be one of the top storylines of training camp.

“It might not be the big names we’ve had in the past when we had the whole stable of guys,” Rodgers said, referring to the two years that Nelson and Cobb played alongside Greg Jennings, Donald Driver and James Jones. “But I think you can definitely see us keeping six guys in that position because we are a pretty deep group.

“Really spots four through six, potentially, it’s pretty wide open.”

Unspoken there is that Boykin will be difficult to unseat for that third spot, which he assumed for 10 games last season when Cobb was injured.

“No pressure at all,” Boykin said of the increased expectations. “I’ve been playing football for 24 years. This is what I love to do. I’m going to do whatever I can to excel. I’ll just keep working, and nothing’s different.

“Don’t get complacent, don’t get content, keep pushing.”

The push is coming from all directions. Cobb said his long absence last season “re-lit a fire” in him, while the rookies have shown a dedication to the playbook that has prompted Head Coach Mike McCarthy to comment on the “maturity” of this team and how much farther along it is at this stage.

Rodgers has played a part in that, picking his spots to educate the young route-runners on the finer points of the offense.

Packers participate in third week of OTAs
“He helps everyone,” rookie tight end Richard Rodgers said. “He’ll really quiz you on little things. He puts his trust in us to run the right routes and make the right reads and blocks, so when he talks to us, it’s about little stuff and what we need to be alert for on certain plays.”

The pass-catching Rodgers continued to catch on Tuesday, hauling in one quick throw from Rodgers and another from Scott Tolzien with a nifty adjustment along the sideline on a ball that fluttered a bit in the wind.

Plays like that have led the starting quarterback to term “laughable” that draft experts graded the Cal tight end a late sixth-round pick, given the talent he’s displayed thus far.

“It’s helmets and shorts, but you have to be excited about his body type and the hands,” Rodgers the QB said of the 6-4, 257-pound tight end the Packers selected in the third round. “He’s made some incredible catches, makes it look easy. I think he’s really going to push for playing time if he can transfer what he’s done in the spring now into the fall.”

Therein lies the rub, with pads yet to go on and the regular-season opener nearly three full months away.

The veteran team leader and former league MVP is fully in tune with that, but if he ratcheted up the hype for the 2014 Packers on Tuesday and created a Super-Bowl-or-bust mentality, so be it.

“That’s how we like it,” he said. “This is Titletown. This is why they pay us the way they pay us. There’s expectation to win and win now. We feel it. As an older player, you feel it even more.

“This is a great opportunity for us. It’s a combination of team chemistry and staying healthy, and then playing the right way at the right time. That’s what we did in 2010, and we’ve got to get back
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 10, 2014, 08:21:05 pm
...Harris wasn’t the only player to catch a pass and race down the sideline on Tuesday. Rookie tight end Richard Rodgers made the catch of the day, one-handing a reception as he was working across the field. He made the catch in stride and flashed down the right sideline.

“Big-time catch today. I think he’s a natural in space. I’m excited to see him in the inline work when we get to camp,” McCarthy said of his third-round draft pick.

Rodgers dropped weight and moved to wide receiver last season at Cal, where he was forced to fit himself into a new spread offense. McCarthy believes the move advanced Rodgers’ career as a pass catcher.

“Anytime you play in displacement formation, it’s definitely a learning opportunity,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy also singled out safety Sean Richardson, who intercepted a pass early in practice. Richardson would seem to have joined the competition at a safety position that might not have been as great a need as it was thought to be.

“Sean’s looked great. He made a nice play out there today. He’ll show up in pads. That’s his world. He’s a big, physical guy,” McCarthy said.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 10, 2014, 08:34:37 pm
Mike from Chicago, IL

Vic, what do you think B.J. Raji needs to do this coming season to get a contract offer by the Packers?

He needs to do what a nose tackle must do; that’s all. He needs to hold the point. He needs to refuse to be moved and to occupy blockers. In my opinion, that pick-six interception in the 2010 NFC title game is one of the worst things to happen in Raji’s career because it created an expectation for him to make plays. Nose tackles aren’t supposed to make plays. They’re supposed to do the grunt work so the linebackers can make plays.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 10, 2014, 08:52:32 pm

By Lori Nickel of the Journal Sentinel   

June 10, 2014 1:35 p.m.
   
Green Bay - Packers coach Mike McCarthy talked about the last open organized team activities of the summer Tuesday in Lambeau.

• Look at what James Starks did last year - his most productive - as an ideal example of what McCarthy looks for in a backup.

• RB Eddie Lacy takes on the beating, and not the other way around.

• "My depth chart looks nothing like your depth chart."

• T Bryan Bulaga has looked good in drill work and individual work. "He's stronger, he weighs a little more than in the past."

• TE Richard Rodgers made a big time catch today. A real natural in space. "Off to a very good start."

• "There won't be any jobs won in June." This is about agility, OTAs.

• McCarthy considers JC Tretter a second year guy even though his whole rookie year was lost to the broken leg. "I really look for him to take a big jump." Impressed everyone in practice at the end of last year". McCarthy got good feedback from the Packers defensive players.

• Sam Shields, happy to see him and what he's achieved. "But the reality is Sam is looked as one of our core players."

• Little scuffles are natural. It still is football, even when safety issues are heightened.

• Micah Hyde's move to safety has been good. He is versatile to move in and out of packages.

• This is McCarthy's most mature team. "The work ethic has always been very high." This is the furthest ahead they have ever been at this time of year "and that brings more confidence." "You can sense the energy. I always play close attention to that." Veterans are doing a good job with the young guys, there is more self correcting, more interaction overall.

• Big contracts, it can effect how others view players. "You're concerned about everything. The biggest challenge is... handling success." Has confidence that Shields will handle that success. "He's earned this opportunity, he clearly understands." There's still more he wants to accomplish.

• Sean Richardson had a nice play - the interception of Aaron Rodgers. He will really show up in pads because he is such a physical player.
 

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 10, 2014, 09:09:23 pm
Rookie WR Janis 'Looks Like Jordy Nelson' at Packers OTAs, TE Rodgers Impressing
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 10, 2014, 09:13:13 pm
I don't see any way at Finley can return to GB.  TE Rodgers is beginning to make some noise in practices.

The Packers signed him to a two year "show me" contract in 2012.  After his injury we would be right back to another "shown me" contract or a reduced contract.  I feel some team will overpay him and it will be bye, bye Jermichael..
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on June 11, 2014, 09:20:55 am

Read that Finley has an insurance policy that he should be probably retire and cash in at this point.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 11, 2014, 07:13:22 pm
That would be wise but I have a feeling that he loves football so much that he will foolishly continue playing.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 11, 2014, 07:13:29 pm
by Bryan Rose 1d ago 
 
No, Julius Peppers isn’t the player he once was, but now playing alongside dominate defenders like Clay Matthews, the former Pro Bowl talent can’t contain his excitement.

More From NFL6/11 - 2015 NFL Draft: Mel Kiper’s top wide receiver prospects

Peppers, who previously played for the divisional rival Chicago Bears had his choice of suitors this offseason, but opted to remain in the division so he had a chance to play with players like Matthews.

“I haven’t really played with a guy like Clay, really, my whole career,” Peppers said, via ESPN Wisconsin’s Jason Wilde. “Early in my career I played with a guy, Mike Rucker, who was a threat on the other side. But like, a really dominant player on the outside? I really haven’t had that — ever. I’m excited to get out there with him and see what he can do.”

It’s an understandable sentiment for Peppers who hasn’t been fortunate enough to play alongside fellow premier defenders for the vast majority of his career. He certainly would have been something to see had he had a player talented as he coming from the other side.

Of course, Peppers will need a career resurgence if he’s to return to his former glory but playing alongside such talent will only help make that lofty goal somewhat of a possibility.

As for Matthews, who is recovering from offseason surgery, he seems quite excited about his role this year too, suggesting the addition of the new talent will give the Packers a much needed shot in the arm.

“With the plans they see me having this year and the type of player they see me becoming, I think it’s great the changes that we’re putting in — not only with the personnel, (but also) the scheme,” Matthews explained. “I’m really looking forward to it. I think it’s a shot in the arm and will provide kind of a little rejuvenation to this team, especially to the defensive side of this locker room.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 11, 2014, 07:38:01 pm
Vic, we have heard of the following Underwear League top performers thus far: Carlos Gray, Chris Harper, Richard Rodgers and Sean Richardson. Which do you feel has the best chance to contribute early on in the year?

Rodgers made the play of the spring yesterday, a one-handed catch that caught the head coach’s attention. He has a unique opportunity to be the pass-catching tight end the Packers lost last season. As I watched Rodgers pull that pass down with one hand, turn up field and thunder down the sideline, I experienced a “who dat?” moment. It was as though a voice from above said, “Did you see that?” Another one of those and Rodgers has a chance to win Underwear League MVP.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 11, 2014, 07:46:56 pm
Ryan from Platteville, WI

What can you tell me about Letroy Guion? I haven’t heard much about him.

I found myself staring at him yesterday. He has one of the thickest-looking bodies I have ever seen. Everything about him screams defensive tackle. I liked him a couple of years ago with the Vikings. I wrote about him as one of my value targets in free agency. I’m looking forward to seeing how Coach Capers uses Guion in a 3-4. He reminds me of a couple of other guys Coach Capers coached, Brentson Buckner and Gary Walker.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 11, 2014, 07:49:54 pm
Casey from Menasha, WI

“My depth chart looks nothing like your depth chart.” Love it. How’s your depth chart looking, Vic? Primed and itching to go?

What I think Coach McCarthy might’ve been saying is that his depth chart includes a lot of positions our depth chart doesn’t. Coaches envision players in specific roles. Eddie Lacy is the Packers’ feature back. James Starks is their complementary back. DuJuan Harris might be viewed as a change-of-pace back. Johnathan Franklin might be viewed as an open-spaces back. Those might all be positions on a coach’s depth chart, and that’s why I say we spend way too much time worrying about the team’s official depth chart. Everybody has a role or they wouldn’t be on the team. That role is a position on the depth chart.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 11, 2014, 07:51:50 pm
King Sal from Chandler, AZ

Vic, all hail the king. Thank you for responding to my most recent comments. I appreciate it. Now I have an actual football question for you. Between the hamstring and the thumb surgeries, do you think Clay Matthews will be able to stay healthy this year? I think our defense really depends on its playmakers staying healthy.

You nailed it, Sal.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 11, 2014, 07:57:11 pm
Packers CB Sam Shields, who signed a multi-year contract extension just before the start of free agency, says his newfound financial security won’t change the way he approaches his craft.

“It won’t. I tell everybody, it’s just the beginning,” Shields said after Tuesday’s OTA practice. “I’m going to keep continuing to work my butt off, make plays and hopefully down the line get another one. It’s just the beginning.”

As free agency approached in early March, Shields said he wanted to remain in Green Bay but admitted he got “scared” the Packers might not come through with a contract offer to his liking and he’d be shopping elsewhere. He said playing with CB Tramon Williams, S Morgan Burnett and others is “like a family” and he wanted to stay.

“Because I’ve been here, I’ve been established since Day 1,” he said. “The coaches trust me.”

Shields credited CB coach Joe Whitt Jr. with getting him to this point. Coming from the University of Miami (Fla.), Shields switched from receiver to defensive back for his final year with the Hurricanes and came to the Packers as an undrafted rookie. He had so much trouble learning the defense that Whitt devised flash cards to quiz him on packages and assignments, and he got it down well enough to be the Packers’ nickel corner as a rookie on the 2010 Super Bowl team.

Last season was almost assuredly his best, as he posted a career-high 64 tackles and tied his career best with four interceptions, including three in the final five regular-season games. He also has four postseason interceptions in his career, tied for the franchise playoff record with Williams and a handful of others, but he lost a chance to grab solo possession of that record when he left last January’s playoff game against the 49ers in the first quarter with a leg injury.

That injury, originally thought to be a knee problem, ended up not being anything serious — Shields called it a high ankle sprain on Tuesday — and had no impact on his pending free-agent status.

“When I sit back and think about what I went through when I first started, switched to DB, it still amazes me that I’m in this position,” Shields said. “It’s a blessing.”

Not bad for an undrafted college WR/DB.  It's a young man's game and talent is where you find it (and develop it).
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 11, 2014, 08:12:56 pm
...Much like Finley, there are questions about Rodgers' blocking that he hopes to answer when the pads go on in training camp.

But so far, it appears those who thought the Packers reached for Rodgers at No. 98 overall might have been wrong.

"He's made a lot of plays," Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said after Tuesday's practice. "Matt [Flynn] and I were just talking about it, how when we made the pick some of the so-called experts on the draft channel said he was a late sixth-round pick, [where] they had him as far as a grade, which is pretty laughable when you watch the talent he's got and the ability, especially some of the plays he made today.

“Again, it's helmet and shorts, but you have to be excited about his body type and the hands. He's made some incredible catches, makes it look easy. I think he's going to push for some playing time if he can transfer what he's done in the spring now to the fall and have the potential to be an impact player.”

Whether it’s Rodgers or another tight end (perhaps Andrew Quarless, Brandon Bostick or rookie Colt Lyerla) the Packers need more from the position than what they got after Finley's injury.

When asked whether he can give the Packers that, young Rodgers said: "I hope so."

Rookie  TE's Lyerla and Rodgers.  Comfortable feeling.  Bye, bye Finley.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 11, 2014, 08:15:18 pm
(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/002/932/536/hi-res-d91ce58ab379b4a80380cccff7b74801_crop_north.jpg?w=630&h=420&q=75)

Rookie Rodgers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 11, 2014, 08:23:46 pm
Rookie WR Janis 'Looks Like Jordy Nelson' at Packers OTAs, TE Rodgers Impressing
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 11, 2014, 09:07:22 pm
I said this many times today: DuJuan Harris looked really good. I mean it. He caught a few screen passes and looked shifty, quick, and explosive with the ball in his hands. He also broke a nice run up the middle at one point during practice. The highlight of all players in my opinion today.
• Richard Rodgers caught the ball very well all day in practice. Great hands.
•Once again, Colt Lyerla was the last man to walk off the field today. He worked the ball machine and ran routes on the field by himself. A great sign to see once again. He’s working his butt off.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 12, 2014, 06:49:55 pm
(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/002/934/201/hi-res-775abe7982bf0378cd74cf364c264e75_crop_north.jpg?w=630&h=420&q=75)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 13, 2014, 08:25:34 pm
Dustin from Salt Lake City, UT

How about a bold prediction for the fans? What are the top three things we will see that are different to this team this year than in previous years?

No. 1, the defense will be improved. Mike McCarthy said write it down in big letters. No. 2, Randall Cobb will lead the league in receptions. I’ll announce my third prediction on Sept. 5.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 13, 2014, 09:04:20 pm
...That was his style. He listened. He was, as Sherman said, "always learning." And this is the temperament Boykin used to elevate from undrafted rookie banished by the Jacksonville Jaguars to starting wide receiver on the Green Bay Packers...

So, is Jacksonville stupid or do the  Packers have a better coaching staff?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 13, 2014, 09:15:22 pm
...So, the real question for Rodgers is whether or not he can legitimately become Finley 2.0 in Green Bay. While we've only seen Rodgers in light practices, all signs point to him having a very good chance at not only becoming the new Finley, but surpassing him.

The funny thing about Finley is that he was always more potential than actual player. People loved him for the thought of what he could become, not for what he actually was on the field...


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on June 14, 2014, 06:55:08 am
Yeap there is a phrase for that…over-rated….I think Finley was.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 14, 2014, 07:01:33 pm
I am inclined to agree somewhat.  The big thing was, though, that he altered the opponent's offense somewhat because of what he MIGHT do each play.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 14, 2014, 07:02:16 pm
The Green Bay Packers still managed to finish third in the league in total offense and sixth in passing in 2013 despite being without their star quarterback Aaron Rodgers for nearly half the season.

The Packers’ offensive productivity was definitely hindered with Rodgers sidelined for eight games with a broken collarbone.

However, there isn’t any reason to believe the former MVP and the Packers offense can’t fire on all cylinders when they take the field in 2014.

The Packers are simply blessed to have one of the best players in the NFL at the most key position.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 14, 2014, 07:14:37 pm
(http://assets-s3.usmagazine.com/uploads/assets/articles/74357-olivia-munns-boyfriend-aaron-rodgers-talks-dating-fame/1402697188_aaron-rodgers-olivia-munn-article.jpg)

How about that?  Good enough?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 14, 2014, 07:17:23 pm
Posted by Darin Gantt on June 14, 2014, 10:34 AM EDT

Tramon+Williams+Detroit+Lions+v+Green+Bay+SQA7vQrx8xCl
Getty Images

Traditonally, the Packers are more Nitschke than namaste, but an increasing number of players are turning to yoga to help curb injuries.

According to Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, about 15 Packers players have become regulars at a small yoga studio in nearby De Pere, where insturctor Ryanne Cunningham is trying to teach them the value of staying flexible.

“I’m not the savior,” Cunningham said. “But I care. I care about these guys and I want these guys to perform their utmost best on the field. That’s my goal for them, is to take their performance to the next level up. If I can. That’s what I can do with yoga.”

Cornerback Tramon Williams was the first regular at the studio, seeking out Cunningham after longtime wide receiver Terrell Owens swore by the value of yoga.

A growing number of Packers players are believers now, especially after a rash of hamstring injuries hurt the team in recent years.

Williams credits the program for his breakout season and his newfound resilience. But there’s still a stigma that yoga is for soccer moms in minivans, which keeps many players from embracing it.

“But it’s hard. It’s hard. That’s the thing guys realize,” Williams says. “They come in thinking it’s going to be an easy day. And guys are sweating like they had a whole day of practice.”

Players should seek out any avenue to keep their bodies strong, and keeping it flexible seems like a reasonable first step, since they can’t make plays or money if they’re standing on the sidelines.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on June 15, 2014, 06:14:49 am
No, she is wearing too much... haha
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on June 15, 2014, 08:30:45 pm
Nice looking beard...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 16, 2014, 06:56:30 pm
Danijel from Stolac, Bosnia and Herzegovina

“And I don’t think kids can get those lessons from soccer.” From my personal experience, I can tell you that you are wrong.

I’ve never played soccer, but I doubt seriously it can replicate the confrontation football offers. I know of no other sport I could’ve played that gives you the feeling of hearing your number called in the huddle for a goal line play, and then coming out of the huddle to see all 11 guys on defense looking right at you. The ball is on the one and everybody in the stadium knows who’s getting it. You’re getting it. You’re the man. Victory or defeat rests with you. Soccer? Baloney.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 16, 2014, 06:57:25 pm
Brian from Albertville, AL

If we beat Seattle, we’ll go 16-0. We are better than the rest of them. If you had an opinion, what would you say about that?

I want to be careful how I express my opinion because I want to make sure nobody takes great offense, so I’ll tell this story. When I was a kid, Jackie Robinson did a commercial for “Chock full o'Nuts” coffee. When Robinson expressed an opinion on a controversial issue and Casey Stengel was asked what he thought of Robinson’s opinion, Stengel said he thought Robinson was chock full of nuts. Please don’t take great offense. Maybe we should make this “Don’t Take Great Offense Week.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 16, 2014, 07:10:21 pm
(http://www.packers.com/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/article_images/2014/06-june/140616-tretter-300.jpg)

J.C.Tretter drafted pretty high in 2013.  College LT and intended for new GB Center.  Ankle injury wiped out almost all of rookie season.  Even better than another 2014 draft choice.  Expect him to start at Center and play well.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 16, 2014, 07:38:26 pm
Cornerback Tramon Williams is set to make a cool $9.5 million this year. That happens to be the sixth-biggest cap hit for a cornerback in the league, according to Spotrac.com.

Just to give you perspective on that number for Williams, he's set to make more this year than Darrelle Revis, Leon Hall and Patrick Peterson. That's simply crazy.

There's no way that Williams' salary matches the talent he brings to the field or the impact he has for the Packers. He's definitely no longer the top cornerback on the team (that honor goes to Sam Shields), and he might not even be the second best if Casey Hayward is healthy.

With the Packers trying to work out long-term deals for wide receivers Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb, they could use all the cap room they can get. One way to get that cap room would be to restructure Williams' contract and force him to take a pay cut.

Bet he is gone in 2014.  Lots of good young CBs and several core players need a new contract (including Jordy Nelson and Cobb and, maybe, Raji.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 16, 2014, 07:54:52 pm
Jeff Janis was an incredible value pick in Round 7. He was projected to go as high as Rounds 3 or 4 by NFL.com.

Janis has a real chance of making the 53-man roster over Chris Harper, Myles White, Alex Gillett and Kevin Dorsey due to his incredible upside; at the very least, he could be placed on the practice squad if one of those four beats him out for a potential No. 6 spot.

At 6'3" and 219 pounds, Janis would be Green Bay's biggest and most physical receiver. Jordy Nelson is 6'3", 216 pounds and plays with more finesse. Nelson is lighter on his feet than Janis.

Though he played in a Division II conference, Janis was a college standout. During his time at Saginaw Valley State, he had 4,305 yards and 46 touchdowns. Over just 19 games in 2012 and 2013, he amassed 3,207 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Janis' route-running would be the least developed of these six players if they all made the final roster, but with his exceptional size and measurables, his upside is hard to discount.

Though his snaps may not be significant in 2014, Janis could be an excellent option for Rodgers split out wide and could be brought in to block on five-wide sets. He's incredibly strong, having benched 20 reps at the combine.

One way to get Janis involved in a limited role would be on red-zone plays in which the Packers go all-in on passing; having someone with Janis' size and leaping ability there creates just one more coverage mismatch on which to potentially score.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 16, 2014, 07:57:38 pm
Jared Abbrederis, projected as the Packers' fifth receiver on the depth chart, may play most of his time on special teams in 2014, but he shouldn't go without opportunities to prove himself split out wide.

Though a broken femur suffered when he was a sophomore at Wautoma High School threatened to end any college football career he could have had, Abbrederis walked on at Wisconsin and proceeded to leave as one of the school's most prolific receivers in its history.

Abbrederis finished his career as a Badger tied for the school record in receptions (202) and No. 2 all time in receiving yards (3,140) and touchdown receptions (23), per Rob Reischel of the Journal Sentinel.

Slightly smaller than most of the Packers' outside receivers at 6'1" and 195 pounds, Thompson drafted Abbrederis in part for his return skills. In his career at Wisconsin, Abbrederis returned 55 punts for 587 yards and a score, per Sports-Reference.com.

He averaged 10.7 yards per return, which was better than 75 percent of NFL returners in 2013, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

But don't discount what he can do on the outside. He hasn't yet earned the chance to catch a lot of balls from Aaron Rodgers in 2014, but Mike McCarthy wants to see what he can do.

"He's definitely a very good athlete, good body control," McCarthy said of Abbrederis, per Reischel. "But he's like the rest of them, he needs to get orientated and get accustomed to what's being asked of him. Strength and conditioning, he can make some gains there.

"I'm very pleased he's here," McCarthy said.

All 3 rookie WRs over 6 ft.

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 16, 2014, 07:58:32 pm
Expect Davante Adams to be fourth on the Packers' depth chart, receiving the majority of snaps among the rookie wide receivers the Packers run four-wide sets.

Adams is a highly productive player who ran the full route tree at Fresno State per Rob Reischel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, not something many rookies have done in college, which makes him an ideal fit in Green Bay's versatile receiving corps.

According to Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel, Thompson was "enamored with" Adams' ball skills. In just two seasons at Fresno State, Adams totaled 233 receptions and 3,030 yards.

He also had a total of 38 touchdowns, 24 of which he scored last season.

Adams displays terrific leaping ability (he was a top performer in the vertical jump at the combine, with 39.5 inches) which will help Rodgers fit the ball in tight spots. He'll be able to win jumping contests in the end zone against some of the NFL's taller cornerbacks, even though he himself is only 6'1".

With Adams' superb hands and ability not only to leap for the ball but to time such leaps perfectly, expect to see him make a few Nelson-esque back-shoulder sideline catches next season on snaps where the Packers rotate him in.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 16, 2014, 08:29:53 pm
http://www.acmepackingcompany.com/2014/6/16/5814098/packers-rookie-tape-watch-saginaw-valley-state-wr-jeff-janis

Jeff Janis.  18 catches one game.  Spectacular.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 16, 2014, 09:22:37 pm
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/packers-players-stretch-their-potential-with-yoga-b99290693z1-263048921.html

Some Packer players have started working with a Yoga instructor - 15 so far.  They say it has improved their physical ability.  Goal:  Get rid of the rash of injuries.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on June 17, 2014, 09:24:00 am
I did some yoga on the Wii before, that stuff is hard ;-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 17, 2014, 08:58:33 pm
Jimmy Graham's Twitter bio could cost him $5 million - SBNation.com
Someone pointed out a while back that Jimmy Graham's official bio on Twitter listed himself as a Tight End. Goodbye wide receiver designation!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 17, 2014, 09:03:13 pm
The non-participants were the following: Clay Matthews, Nick Perry, Jerel Worthy, Jumal Rolle, Andrew Quarless, Josh Sitton, Johnathan Franklin, and Chris Harper (WH). However, Matthews did join the pass-rushing drills late in practice (RD).
•Don Barclay filled in for Sitton at left guard with the starters (JW). It appears he is currently the primary backup at both guard positions as well as right tackle. Speculation is that Sitton is just resting his back, which has been an issue and kept him out of OTA practice at least once during an open session over the past few weeks.
•In a bit of a surprise, Jamari Lattimore was lining up with the first-team defense instead of Brad Jones (PI). They began the session in the nickel package with Casey Hayward in the slot and Micah Hyde at free safety (WH).
•Hayward made a splash play early on with an interception off a Matt Flynn pass intended for Richard Rodgers (TD).
•At one point in team drills, Colt Lyerla was interfered with by Jarrett Bush on a deep pass after Aaron Rodgers got a free play on an offsides call (JW).
•DuJuan Harris was the first player to return kickoffs today (RD).
•It was a good day for the receivers overall, as each of Randall Cobb, Myles White, Jared Abbrederis, Jeff Janis, and even tight end Justin Perillo had notable catches during the session.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 18, 2014, 07:47:43 pm
Peter from Fayetteville, NC

Vic, I have had a long debate with a co-worker regarding Aaron Rodgers, and I was hoping you could shed some light on the topic for me. I made the statement that with Rodgers the Jaguars would be a playoff contender. My co-worker says it’s a ridiculous statement because the Jaguars need more help than just one player.

Rodgers would make any team a playoff contender, including the ’62 Mets.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 18, 2014, 07:49:13 pm
Jim from Fairview Heights, IL

I’ve heard the phrase, “You can’t make the club in the tub.” I’m wondering if you think Coach McCarthy kind of, sort of said the same thing to Nick Perry on Tuesday?

The coach answered the question directly. When a coach does that, he usually wants to make sure his message is clear. Coach Noll had an interesting way of answering questions about lingering injuries. “Coach, what about Swann’s hamstring? When will he return?” a reporter would ask. “Nobody knows,” Noll would say with a hint of bewilderment in his voice. Those two words possessed miraculous healing powers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 18, 2014, 08:00:09 pm
Deepak from Chicago, IL

Vic, why specifically do you think the Packers match up well against the Seahawks?

The Packers have the offensive firepower to go toe-to-toe with the Seahawks defense. As prolific as the Broncos were on offense last season, they were more of a finesse offense than a power offense, and you don’t beat the Seahawks with finesse. You beat the Seahawks with power and balance, and the Packers are a power-and-balance offense. They can run it and they can throw it, and they can beat you deep with the pass. The Broncos couldn’t beat the Seahawks deep and the Seahawks knew it, and that’s why the Seahawks came up to the line of scrimmage and dared the Broncos to beat them deep. That’s why the Seahawks attacked defensively. I don’t think they can do that against the Packers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 18, 2014, 08:10:56 pm
he Green Bay Packers have kept several players out of Organized Team Activities and minicamp practices over the past four weeks, including veterans Clay Matthews and Andrew Quarless and young outside linebacker Nick Perry. Another player who has yet to participate in practice is running back Johnathan Franklin.

After suffering a neck injury last season, Franklin was placed on injured reserve and was shut down for the season. Now, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN, we are learning that Franklin's injury may be more serious than initially thought:

The Packers are worried that Franklin's neck injury might be career-threatening. According to two people with knowledge of his situation, the Packers are putting Franklin through more tests to determine whether it's safe for him to continue playing.

Neck injuries are a scary proposition for Packers fans of this generation. We have seen wide receiver Terrence Murphy and Pro Bowl safety Nick Collins suffer neck injuries which ended their football careers. Tight end Jermichael Finley's injury is putting his football future very much in question, while safety Sean Richardson appears to have been lucky and was back on the field late last season after missing much of the year recovering from an injury late in 2012.

Franklin of course burst onto the scene last season against the Bengals, when he rushed for over 100 yards in place of a hobbled James Starks (who in turn was starting for Eddie Lacy, who was out with a concussion). However, Franklin made little impact in any other game, partially due to some struggles in pass protection.

Hopefully the tests that the Packers are running will eventually clear Franklin to play. Until there is a decision, however, Packers coaches, players, and fans will sit and wait to find out more.

If for some reason Franklin cannot play in 2014, the Packers should still have a talented stable of running backs. Lacy earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2013, Starks averaged a remarkable 5.5 yards per carry, and DuJuan Harris has been one of the most impressive players in the 2014 offseason after missing all of last year.

****.  Not another one!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 18, 2014, 08:15:20 pm
Tex - Jamari Lattimore

The young inside linebacker showed some signs of potential to fill in for Brad Jones last season, and showed good ability to stop the run and shoot gaps in the pass-rush. With the team locking him up for this season on a Restricted Free Agent tender, they clearly feel that he has value on more than just special teams. Desmond Bishop had a similar career trajectory before becoming a full-time starter (though he was a 6th-round draft pick instead of an undrafted free agent), but the fact that it's happened before in Green Bay makes it easy to imagine another young linebacker stepping in successfully as an injury replacement.

Jason - James Starks

While the Packers plan to ride Eddie Lacy for the majority of runs, his injury history suggests that at some point Green Bay will need to turn to this backup. James Starks led the NFL in yards per rushing attempt in 2013, and for a few games can carry the load as the Packers' lead back.

Josh - Colt Lyerla

Imagine that the lack of depth at TE leaves an athlete like Lyerla a chance for immediate playing time. Andrew Quarless, Brandon Bostick, and Richard Rodgers all struggle early, and Lyerla has a break out game mid-season and ends up leading the team in touchdowns.

Josh - Adrian Hubbard

In this scenario, Nick Perry, Julius Peppers, and Carl Bradford all struggle with injuries and Hubbard records a multi-sack game in his first career start at OLB.

Aron - Casey Hayward

I'll go with Casey Hayward. Even though he's a backup right now, Hayward has shown the ability to make plays at the next level after a stellar rookie season. If he can regain that form this year, he certainly is a player the Packers defensive secondary will have stashed for critical moments and times on the field when they need it.

Brendan - Sam Barrington

There's already some buzz about the coaches being impressed with what they've seen from him. And with A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones as the only two guys really solidified ahead of him, he could see some action. Jones is already one injury away from having a hospital wing named after him and with Hawk set to turn 31 by the playoffs, an infusion of youth and speed might be necessary.

--
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 18, 2014, 08:45:09 pm

June 18, 2014 Nick Underhill

Colt Lyerla is fixated on the truth. His truth, even after going through a very public, prolonged fall from grace, has not been revealed.

It didn't come out after he left the Oregon football program last fall. It wasn't revealed after he was arrested for using **** in the view of a police officer. And it still remains hidden after going through the pre-draft process, not being selected during the draft, and then signing with the Green Bay Packers.

The fact that it remains hidden is something that gnaws at Lyerla. There is a part of him that wants it come out. He wants to tell someone who will listen and change the way the public perceives him. It bothers him that people speak of him as if he is a degenerate who doesn't care about football. That isn't how he sees himself.

How do I know this? Because he reached out to me during the draft after coming across an article I wrote about him.

"I definitely made my own mistakes. But there were a lot of things that led up to me leaving Oregon. Someday that will all come out," he wrote. "But I can't thank you enough for not just assuming I'm a bad person. You wrote it fair."

Someday is not today. I attempted to contact Lyerla twice about this article, and I also reached out to his representatives to see if he wanted to share his version of the truth for this story. Lyerla did not respond and his reps never got back to me.

“I definitely made my own mistakes. But there were a lot of things that led up to me leaving Oregon. Someday that will all come out.”

It's the right choice. There is really no need for Lyerla to relive those moments. By speaking he will only draw attention to something that is probably better off being buried. The best way for him to atone to the public and himself is by cashing in on his immense talents and becoming a success in the NFL. There's no question he has the talent to do so. The only question now is if he can stay out of his own way long enough to make it happen.

Push aside everything you know about Lyerla and turn on his video from his days at Oregon. His talent is stunning. He lines up all over the field; runs good routes, and is an adequate blocker. At the risk of dropping his name with another talented, but troubled tight end, his versatility and skillset is very similar to that of Aaron Hernandez. The only difference is that he has also the strength to drag people for a few extra yards like another Patriots' tight end, Rob Gronkowski.

In a draft class that also featured North Carolina's Eric Ebron, who went 10th overall to the Detroit Lions, a case could be made that Lyerla was the most talented tight end available. If nothing else, he's certainly the most athletic, as he proved by finishing third in the 40-yard dash (4.61 seconds), and leading all tight ends in the broad (128 inches) and vertical jumps (39 inches) at the combine. And he did that after only training for a week since legal issues prevented him from leaving Eugene, Oregon.

After his performance at the combine, it seemed that Lyerla would seduce some team with talent and get them to gamble on him in the draft. It didn't happen. The reason for that, besides the obvious baggage, might be due to what happened behind the scenes. According to one league source, Lyerla apparently bombed in some of his interviews, leaving teams turned off.

Following the draft, as teams were scooping up undrafted players not named Lyerla left and right, another person familiar with the process believed the tight end might not get a shot at all. "He's **** out of luck," the source said.

Lyerla, however, is not **** out of luck. He eventually received a tryout with the Green Bay Packers, and performed well enough to warrant a contract. So he will now have the opportunity to re-write his truth, while serving as one of the NFL's most interesting rookies this side of Cleveland's Johnny Manziel.

Entering training camp, early projections have Andrew Quarless and third-round pick Richard Rodgers at the top of Green Bay's depth chart. But there is room for Lyerla to carve out a role similar to the one Jermichael Finley once filled before suffering a spinal injury last season. If it works out, and Lyerla becomes a versatile threat, Green Bay might end up with the biggest steal of the offseason.

Of course, for that to come true, Lyerla will need to stay out of trouble. But as far as that situation goes, he couldn't have landed in a better spot. The Packers have a reputation for developing players, and a strong, structured culture that should help him stay on the right path. The only place that might have been better is New England, but the Patriots' car wash for troubled players went out of business once Hernandez allegedly picked up a glock and starting shooting people.

Whether Green Bay has given Lyerla some type of rules or regulations to which he must adhere is not known. The tight end skirted the question in a recent meeting with the media, and head coach Mike McCarthy has also been mum on the topic. However, the coach told longtime NFL scribe Dan Pompei that Lyerla should take a broader view of his life.

"Colt needs to live for today and tomorrow," McCarthy said. "Everybody wants to keep digging up the past. It will always be there. I just want him to focus on today and tomorrow, make sure we have success each and every day on and off the field."

Lyerla still has a lot of work to do to make good on his talent and put his demons behind him. First off, he still needs to make the team and find a way to shake off the rust that has accumulated while sitting on the sidelines and in courtrooms for the last year. Secondly, he needs to make sure that the poor decisions he's made are truly a thing of the past and not the result of being in the honeymoon phase with a new chapter of his life.

For his part, Lyerla seems to realize the mistakes he's made, and believes that escaping Eugene, Oregon, the site of many of the horrors that have become part of his story, will make a major difference in his life.

“It's my first day, the fans are out there and saying my name. It made me happy, made me feel good.”

"That was a pretty low point time of my life," Lyerla recently told reporters. "I didn't have any resources. I didn't have any support. I was stuck in Eugene because of things that had happened. Thankfully when I was able to get out of there I took advantage of every opportunity I could and made the most of it."

There's a lot of work to be done, but for now the cheers that he once enjoyed while at Oregon have returned. According to reports out of Green Bay, Packers fans have already embraced Lyerla and cheered loudest for him at a recent organized team activity. That's an abrupt departure from the sounds heard in courtrooms or that of a jail door slamming shut behind him.

It's the soundtrack for football players who choose to venture down the right path and not waste their talents.

"It's kind of weird," Lyerla said. "It's my first day, the fans are out there and saying my name. It made me happy, made me feel good, so I can't complain."

If Lyerla can make good on this golden opportunity those cheers will become his only truth, and he will no longer have to worry about setting the record straight.

His actions will do it for him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 18, 2014, 08:58:17 pm

Weston Hodkiewicz

This offseason, Mike McCarthy and Dom Capers vowed to look for ways to improve the NFL’s 25th-ranked defense, and one of their answers was to add the “elephant” position to their scheme.

The notion is nothing new. Elephants and hybrids have been utilized in some form or fashion for more than 20 years under various monikers. Seattle and Jacksonville refer to them as “Leo” defenders.

Still, it’s a relatively new term under McCarthy. Since the Packers’ ninth-year coach first spoke publicly of the change in February, it’s been unclear exactly how the defense will change under Capers, the sixth-year coordinator.

In short, it tries to exploit unpredictability. The experimentation began last summer when the Packers converted Mike Neal from a defensive lineman to outside linebacker. Recurring injuries and a lack of flexibility resulted in Neal playing more defensive snaps (730) than any other Packers outside linebacker.

GALLERY: Packers minicamp practice

The Packers’ response has been to recognize their abundance of tweeners such as Neal, who is oversized for a traditional 3-4 outside rusher and also capable of rushing from a three-point stance. Besides Neal, the Packers have other potential elephants in 2012 first-round pick Nick Perry, free-agent addition Julius Peppers and fourth-round pick Carl Bradford.

“An elephant for us could maybe be in certain schemes an outside backer,” Capers said. “He could be a defensive end in other schemes. You’ll see an elephant align in a lot of different spots (along the line). When you have a number of different schemes, you could see a number of different elephants on the field in different spots based off what those schemes are. I just think in this day and age, with the injury factor and that type of thing, you’ve got to have a lot of flexibility because what you play one week you might not be able to play the next week because you have a couple of guys banged up.”

The elephant position seems to be tailor-made for Peppers, whom the Packers signed in March after they committed to adding the new position...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 19, 2014, 06:28:58 pm
Garrett from Remigny, Quebec

Vic, I thought you would be happy to hear I am safe in the woods and bagged a large bruin. What is your view on hunting my friend?

You should not hunt your friend.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 19, 2014, 06:30:45 pm
Don from Roscoe, IL

Rabbit update: You and my wife convinced me. I put away the pellet gun and bought a humane trap. Monday night, a storm knocked down the fence, blew off some shingles, ripped up the garage door and blew away the trap. I’ll not risk another frontal assault.

Meanwhile, the rabbits were in the woodpile laughing at you. Love is the answer.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 19, 2014, 06:33:45 pm
Colin from Lansdale, PA

Vic, can you shed some light on DuJuan Harris’ role this year?

I’ve seen him catch quite a few passes in the flat during spring practices. It was the role I envisioned for Johnathan Franklin.

Maybe this opens a spot for DuJjan.  Of, conversely, maybe DuJuan helps to cover the loss of Jonathan.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 19, 2014, 07:44:14 pm
By  Rob Demovsky | ESPN.com
 -- It's one thing for a proven player like Clay Matthews to miss the entire offseason program while recovering from his twice broken thumb.

Matthews has turned in Pro Bowl seasons before while missing major parts of the offseason and training camp because of hamstring injury.

But for a player like Nick Perry, the Green Bay Packers outside linebacker who has yet to perform like the first-round pick that he was in 2012, the fact that he has been unable to participate in any on-field activities this offseason could prove to be another detriment to his development.

"I don't think it helps any player to miss a whole offseason," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Tuesday following the first practice of minicamp. "I talked about it last week with the staff. I told the team about it today. Our coaching staff took a different approach. You're accustomed to being a 15-week program. Obviously we're in a nine-week program going on here in Year 4 [of the new CBA]. To get all that work done, nothing changes. You have a season to get ready for. You have this much work. And to do it all in a nine-week period, and for a player to miss all of it, obviously it's not a good situation to be in.

"I think any of the players who did not take advantage of this nine-week opportunity or due to injury is definitely something they're going to have to work harder to catch up once training camp starts."

McCarthy would not specify the reason for Perry’s absence, but Perry missed five games last season because of foot and ankle injuries.

"I mean, he's injured, so. ..." McCarthy said.

There is frustration throughout the organization about Perry's inability to get on the field. He missed nearly half (15) of the 32 regular-season games in his two NFL seasons.

When asked what Perry is missing by being unable to practice, linebackers coach Winston Moss said: "Everything. Everything."

"It's unfortunate," Moss said. "It's disappointing."

In addition to Matthews and Perry, three other former draft picks have been unable to participate this offseason: defensive end Jerel Worthy, tight end Andrew Quarless and running back Johnathan Franklin.

Perhaps the biggest concern is about Franklin, the fourth-round pick from UCLA who finished his rookie season last year on injured reserve following a neck injury. The Packers are worried that Franklin's neck injury might be career-threatening. According to two people with knowledge of his situation, the Packers are putting Franklin through more tests to determine whether it's safe for him to continue playing.

Worthy, who last season played in only two games after coming off a torn ACL in the 2012 regular-season finale, missed the first two weeks of OTAs following the accidental shooting death of his grandmother in Ohio, but he also is dealing with an unspecified injury that is not believed to be related to his knee.

Quarless, who signed a two-year, $3 million contract to return to the Packers, also has not practiced. He missed all of the 2012 season because of a knee injury in 2011 but returned to play in every game last season, including 10 starts.

Perry looked like such  a good prospect when he was drafted but... poof.  What happened?  OTOH, I thought Worthy was going to be a flop.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 19, 2014, 07:47:22 pm
Casey Hayward's return a boost to defense - Madison.com

Speaking of players who spent time on IR in 2013, Casey Hayward's back and moving well in practice. If he's fully recovered from the hamstring injury that effectively cost him all of last season, Hayward can once again become the Packers' top playmaker in the secondary.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 20, 2014, 03:10:30 pm
by Jamie Wright 1d ago

There hasn’t been MUCH news out of the Green Bay Packers camp, regarding OTAs … and we are rolling right into the season of minicamps and training camp, followed closely by preseason. The time is now for players to start stepping up and proving themselves worthy of making the final roster.

However, what news we have heard has been promising.

Rookies Richard Rodgers, Jared Abbrederis and Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix have received praise from head coach Mike McCarthy and position coaches, alike. Guys like J.C. Tretter and Sean Richardson have been stood out, and are garnishing favor among coaches and teammates.

Position battles are forming and that is a very good thing. Competition keeps things interesting, keeps players on their toes and keeps everyone moving forward. Word on the street is there are some very intense position battles heating up, moving through minicamps and into training camp.

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on June 20, 2014, 04:37:30 pm

Really?  Intense position battles heating up...in June?...without pads?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 20, 2014, 10:01:17 pm
Yep.  Starting to pick the favorites already.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on June 21, 2014, 06:36:17 am
Where is Datko these days?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 21, 2014, 06:57:35 pm
Free Agent, presently.  ;-)

Injuries are killing the Packers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 21, 2014, 06:57:43 pm
Jordan from Salt Lake City, UT

What position battles are you looking forward to in training camp?

Tight end, safety, center, No. 3 wide receiver. I think those are the headliners. Tight end is the one that interests me the most. Andrew Quarless missed spring drills. I don’t know what his injury is because the Packers don’t provide offseason injury information. Will he be back for training camp? What if he isn’t all the way back? The door is open at tight end, and Richard Rodgers stuck his foot in this spring.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 21, 2014, 07:52:23 pm
Tolzien shines: With Aaron Rodgers and Matt Flynn among those excused from practice, it gave young quarterbacks Scott Tolzien and Chase Rettig the chance to run the offense. For Tolzien, it was his first time getting starter reps since the weeks leading up to his two starts last season against the Giants and Vikings. Tolzien looked especially sharp in the red zone. On consecutive plays, he threw short touchdowns to his former University Wisconsin teammate Jared Abbrederis and tight end Brandon Bostick. The throw to Bostick was a perfectly thrown fade in the left corner of the end zone.

"I think any time that guys are relying on you and you're the first guy in the huddle, that's a big chance for you," Tolzien said. "But at the same time it shouldn't really change how you are. You should prepare like a starter every day."

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 21, 2014, 07:53:55 pm
Changing of the guard: With starting guards T.J. Lang and Josh Sitton among the veterans excused from practice, Don Barclay and Lane Taylor worked with the No. 1 offensive line. Barclay played left guard, while Taylor lined up on the right side. It showed how committed the Packers are to leaving Derek Sherrod at left tackle. As a rookie in 2011, Sherrod battled Lang for a starting job at guard. Instead, he remained as the backup left tackle.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 21, 2014, 08:02:13 pm
(http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/34462237/491402811.0_standard_783.0.jpg)

Ahhhhhh!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 21, 2014, 08:03:38 pm
On how rookie wide receiver Jeff Janis has looked thus far this spring:


"Jeff Janis, big athlete, did a heck of a job on kick off return today. Very explosive. It's a new system for him and a very competitive group. Young man getting better and better each day."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 21, 2014, 08:05:02 pm
On Nick Perry's lack of participation in practice:


"Talked to the staff and team about it. Accustomed to 15-week offseason. Now nine weeks. For a player to miss all of it is not good. Any of the players who did not take advantage of this nine-week opportunity will have to work hard to catch up."

Doesn't sound good for Perry.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 21, 2014, 08:06:00 pm
When how well Richard Rodgers specifically has performed:


"Very good spring. Not many days when we haven't watched film and felt good about him. Very pleased so far. The game is very natural to him. He's learning to do some new things with the responsibilities at tight end."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 21, 2014, 08:07:03 pm
On Casey Hayward's progress recovering from a hamstring injury:


"Casey's made plays all spring. He's very competitive, very instinctive, exceptional ball skills. Anytime Hayward is on the field you feel his presence. Made a lot of players the last two weeks."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 22, 2014, 11:08:46 pm

Written by

Mike Vandermause

The Packers' JC Tretter could wind up being an upgrade over Evan Dietrich-Smith at center.

The Packers' JC Tretter could wind up being an upgrade over Evan Dietrich-Smith at center. / H. Marc Larson/Press-Gazette Media

On paper, the Green Bay Packers should be an improved team in 2014.

They look to get better at several positions after failing to advance beyond the first round of the playoffs in January.

'Elephant' position gives Packers defense flexibility, unpredictability

It’s too soon to make any Super Bowl proclamations, but the Packers have the look of a team that must be reckoned with this season.

As the Packers participate in their final minicamp practice Thursday before taking a five-week break in preparation for training camp, here’s where they stand at each position:

Quarterback

It would be inaccurate to say the Packers are miles ahead of last year, because it’s more like light years. They have replaced inadequate backups Graham Harrell and B.J. Coleman with the much more reliable Matt Flynn and Scott Tolzien. Flynn proved capable of winning games last season, which is all you can ask of a reserve quarterback. Aaron Rodgers is in his prime and as hungry as ever to succeed. Few NFL teams have a better quarterback room than the Packers.

McCarthy: Rodgers' offseason his best yet

Running backs

Call me old school, but I loved when the Packers boasted a backfield consisting of Jim Taylor, Paul Hornung, Elijah Pitts, Jim Grabowski and Donny Anderson in 1966. That might go down as the greatest collection of backs during a single season in team history. Then again, this year’s crop of Eddie Lacy, James Starks, DuJuan Harris, John Kuhn and Johnathan Franklin is also pretty impressive, assuming Lacy and Starks perform like they did in 2013, and Harris and Franklin are healthy. The Packers feature a pass-heavy attack, but defenses can’t sleep on the ground game with this group of backs.

Receivers

Before the draft, the Packers were one injury away from being forced to use Myles White, with nine career catches, as their No. 3 receiver. After the draft, White will be hard-pressed to make the team. The Packers loaded up at an important position by drafting three receivers. Davante Adams (second round), Jared Abbrederis (fifth round) and Jeff Janis (seventh round) don’t have to make big splashes as rookies, but they might prove effective in spot duty and take some pressure off big guns Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. Rodgers is secretly grinning from ear to ear with the weapons at his disposal.

Tight ends

The more I see rookie third-round pick Richard Rodgers in practice, the more I think the Packers might be just fine at a supposed position of weakness. The expected loss of Jermichael Finley hurt, but let’s face it, Finley rarely lived up to his lofty expectations. With Rodgers and Andrew Quarless, the Packers could have a serviceable duo. If either Brandon Bostick or Colt Lyerla realize their potential, this could emerge as a talent-laden group and Finley might be forgotten quickly.

Offensive line

Take this with a grain of salt because it’s June, but I’m going out on a limb and predicting that JC Tretter wins the starting center job and winds up being an upgrade over Evan Dietrich-Smith. I like Tretter’s temperament. I like how coaches try but fail to hold back praise for Tretter. If not for a freak ankle injury last season as a rookie, Tretter might very well have beaten out Dietrich-Smith for the starting job. Adding a healthy Bryan Bulaga to a group that includes Pro Bowl-caliber guard Josh Sitton, up-and-coming left tackle David Bakhtiari and old standby guard T.J. Lang could make for a rock-solid line.

Defensive line

Mike Daniels talks a good game in the locker room, but better yet for the Packers, he goes out on the field and backs it up. After an impressive 2013 season, Daniels promises to be meaner and tougher this year. Perhaps the same will be said about the entire unit. Likely gone for good are veterans Ryan Pickett and Johnny Jolly, but helping to fill the void on the roster are Julius Peppers, who also will play linebacker, and Letroy Guion, signed away from the Minnesota Vikings. There’s also a strong likelihood B.J. Raji and Datone Jones will improve after less-than-stellar seasons, while Josh Boyd should continue his upward arc.

Daniels wants defense to get nasty

Linebackers

Peppers, Clay Matthews and Mike Neal form a solid nucleus on the outside, and Nick Perry could add something if he ever gets healthy. The potential exists for a strong pass rush to emerge. On the inside, things don’t look nearly as rosy. The Packers stood pat and likely will take their lumps. A.J. Hawk, Brad Jones and Jamari Lattimore aren’t close to Pro Bowl status and could be the weak link on an otherwise improved defensive unit.

Defensive backs

You could do a lot worse than Sam Shields, Tramon Williams and Casey Hayward as your top three cornerbacks. They have just one Pro Bowl appearance among them (Williams in 2010), but they are more than capable. Micah Hyde will provide depth, although he could just as easily wind up at safety, and Davon House can be effective in spot duty. At safety, it would be disappointing if first-round draft pick Ha Ha Clinton-Dix doesn’t win the starting job opposite Morgan Burnett. Whether it’s Hyde or Clinton-Dix in the starting lineup, the Packers will be significantly better than a year ago, when M.D. Jennings and Jerron McMillian played badly enough to not get invited back. Burnett didn’t live up to his new contract and has something to prove, even if he was dragged down by poor safety play around him last season.

Specialists

Kicker Mason Crosby, punter Tim Masthay and long snapper Brett Goode give the Packers experience and peace of mind.

— mvandermause@greenbaypressgazette.com and follow him on Twitter @MikeVandermause.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on June 23, 2014, 12:38:58 pm
LOL...sounds like 16-0 to me...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 23, 2014, 08:24:48 pm
19-0 is the goal.   ;-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 25, 2014, 06:47:18 pm
Will from Oswego, IL

Five players from last year’s draft are likely going to be key contributors to our team this year, one of which was the rookie of the year. That’s looking like a pretty good draft, huh? Do you think this year’s class can be as impactful?

I can see each of the Packers’ first five picks being major contributors this season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 25, 2014, 06:59:58 pm
Posted by Michael David Smith on June 2, 2013, 12:52 PM EDT

New Orleans Saints v Green Bay Packers
Getty Images

Randall Cobb had an excellent 2012 season in Green Bay, totaling 2,342 all-purpose yards. But Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers thinks Cobb will be even better this year.

Rodgers told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he thinks Cobb is ready to emerge as one of the NFL’s truly elite players in 2013.

“I think he can be a 100-catch guy,” Rodgers said. “We haven’t had that here in a while. But I think he can. I think he’s a special player. As long as he can stay healthy, I think he’s going to be a big-time star for us.”

Last year Cobb totaled 80 catches for 954 yards, 10 carries for 132 yards, 38 kickoff returns for 964 yards and 31 punt returns for 292 yards. If the departure of Greg Jennings makes Cobb an even bigger part of the offense, and if Cobb remains the Packers’ top kick returner, he’ll have a chance of breaking Darren Sproles‘ record of 2,696 all-purpose yards in a season.

Cobb has a natural gift for making plays with the ball in his hands, but Rodgers says what really sets Cobb apart is the way he works.

“He puts a lot of extra time in,” Rodgers said. “He watches a ton of film. He spent an offseason watching various slot guys that he admired and tried to pick things up.”

Cobb, who’s only 22 years old, has a very bright future in Green Bay.

Article from one year ago.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 25, 2014, 07:12:22 pm

Vic Ketchman packers.com editor

Training camp will feature competition at several positions

GREEN BAY—Tom Clements’ spring-ending comments could’ve been applied to his offense with a broad brush.

“There’s a lot of competition there. We’re excited and we’ll see what happens when we get the pads on,” Clements said.

About what position was he speaking? Center? Tight end? Tackle? Wide receiver?

He might as well have been speaking about all of them.

The Packers are a month away from the start of a training camp and a season that could produce the most prolific and balanced offense in Packers history. Turn in any direction and you’ll see quality and depth.

Start with tackle. Bryan Bulaga is back on the right side following a season in which David Bakhtiari established himself as the best new blindside pass protector in the game. Depth? Former first-round pick Derek Sherrod appears to be finally recovered from his broken leg, and if that’s not depth enough, how about Don Barclay, who’s been a fixture at right tackle since the midway through the 2012 season?

Guard? Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang are the modern-day version of Kramer and Thurston. Second-year man Lane Taylor is depth.

Center? Evan Dietrich-Smith left in free agency, but the Packers have drafted each of the last two years for the position. JC Tretter, a fourth-round pick in 2013, appears to have the lead over this year’s fifth-round pick, Corey Linsley, and holdover Garth Gerhart.

How about that receiving corps?

“The wide receiver group is the deepest I can recall, and the same thing at tight end,” Clements said.

Second-round pick Davante Adams is just one of many challengers to Jarrett Boykin’s hold on the No. 3 wide receiver spot. Draft picks Jared Abbrederis and Jeff Janis had their moments in the spring, and making it as a wide receiver on this team might be more difficult than it is anywhere else in the league.

Andrew Quarless is the Packers’ No. 1 tight end, but he was sidelined by injury during the spring and third-round pick Richard Rodgers seized the opportunity to make a strong bid to be written deeply into the passing game script.

How about running back?

Eddie Lacy is one of the game’s top feature backs and James Starks is one of the game’s best complementary backs. Can DuJuan Harris seize the role of utility back? That would seem to be the only question at running back this summer. Johnathan Franklin has been lost to injury, so Harris would seem to inherit the role.

“It’s a deep group at running back and it’ll be fun to see them compete in training camp,” Clements said. “Eddie was a workhorse last year. James, when he got in there, ran hard and that was a great 1-2 punch.”

How about quarterback?

Again, the key word is competition. Matt Flynn and Scott Tolzien will be battling for the No. 2 spot, and they each got quality reps at crunch time last year.

“We’ll have enough weapons to do what we want to do,” Clements
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 25, 2014, 08:26:50 pm
Power Ranking the Green Bay Packers' 10 Best Moves of 2014 Offseaso

The biggest eyesore for anyone watching the Packers last season was the play of the safeties. Morgan Burnett did not have a good year at one safety spot, but to me, M.D. Jennings was even worse at the other safety position.

For one thing, not one of the safeties had an interception, and that hasn't happened for the team in over 60 years.

Both Burnett and Jennings missed a number of tackles, plus were involved in communication issues within the secondary which caused a number of big passing plays to occur.

Jennings also allowed a team-high 4.5 touchdown passes last season, plus he always seemed to be late in coverage.

That's why it was refreshing for the team to not tender a contract offer to Jennings this offseason, as he was a restricted free agent. Because of that decision by the Packers, Jennings was allowed to look for work elsewhere, and he ended signing with the Bears.

I believe with Jennings now gone, it's basically a case of addition by subtraction for the team's depth chart, especially after drafting Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in Round 1 of the 2014 NFL draft. The Packers also plan to utilize Micah Hyde at safety as well.

Bye, bye to the doctor.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 25, 2014, 08:40:29 pm
By  Rob Demovsky | ESPN.com

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Remember last week when Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Mike Daniels said it was time for the defense to get mean?

Count quarterback Aaron Rodgers among those who think they have the personnel to do so.

 

Rodgers

Rodgers
In our continuing series based on Rodgers' lengthy interview with ESPN.com last week, I asked what he liked about this year's team that perhaps he has not seen from other recent Packers' squads.

His answer seemed to fit perfectly with what Daniels was talking about.

"I think we're a bigger, more physically intimidating team," Rodgers said. "We haven't had the kind of physical talent as far as size here in a while. I think there's been times -- I think back to playing Jacksonville in '08 in Jacksonville [a 20-16 Packers' loss], some of the battles we've had with our division teams at times -- where you walk on the field and feel like you're kind of a JV team."

"We've still won a lot of games looking like that, but it's fun when you walk around the locker room and you've got guys like [Julius] Peppers, [Adrian] Hubbard, Datone Jones and then with Derek [Sherrod] back with his size, adding size at receiver, tight end with Richard Rodgers. We just haven't had guys in some of these positions with those body types, and that's exciting."

Rodgers said he believes building a team with bigger players was by design.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 25, 2014, 08:58:18 pm
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bq-naULCcAEnT58.jpg)

Ha ha at HOF in Canton.

The Packers, of course, have more than their fair share of players in the Hall of Fame, as their 22 claimed players leaves the team second only to the Chicago Bears (don't worry, though, because 13 is still greater than 9).

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 26, 2014, 08:17:50 pm
(http://www.packers.com/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/article_images/2014/06-june/140626-hagemeister-top-600.jpg)

Old Hagemeister Park.  Those were the days.  Seats?  Who needs seats?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 26, 2014, 08:19:47 pm
Jason from Dillsburg, PA

Vic, I love football, but I worry. How much higher can salaries drive the cost of the game, before fans are priced out of stadiums and commercials during games become problematic for the sport?

Salaries are attached to the salary cap, which is attached to revenue. If fans get priced out of the stadium, revenues will decline, the cap will recede and so must salaries. The fans are in control.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 27, 2014, 07:10:35 pm
Jerry from Kent, WA

I am a little sad and nostalgic about the change of the running back position. I don’t think he is the best all time, but my favorite is Marcus Allen. Are there any running backs from NFL yesteryear that you would love to see run the football one more time?

There are lots of them. I loved to watch Earl Campbell run with the ball. I loved Jim Taylor’s pads-down, high-knees style. Gale Sayers and Tony Dorsett were the same guy; they were electric in how they could split a defense and be gone. Hugh McElhenny was magnificent. I could go on and on. Marcus Allen might be the best goal-line runner I’ve ever seen. At the peak of his career, he had it all. He could pound, he broke long runs and he could catch. This is not the golden age of running backs. Adrian Peterson could play in any era, and so could Eddie Lacy, but most of today’s backs not only wouldn’t have fit during the golden age of running backs, they’re just not good enough to have played back then. I’m a devotee of running backs. I miss the great ones terribly, and that’s why I love Peterson and Lacy so much. I get to see one twice a year and the other one all year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 27, 2014, 07:14:42 pm
Brian from Chetek, WI

What player currently on the Packers roster do you feel best mirrors your personality?

I definitely see some Vic in Aaron Rodgers. I got a strong whiff of Vic in the first game I covered after joining packers.com. I’m talking about Rodgers’ press conference following the win over the Saints in 2011. He nailed the ex-jockos that had been pounding on that voluntary workouts theme throughout the lockout. It was ridiculous for the ex-jockos to advance that opinion. They were being egregiously disingenuous. They knew nothing could be gained without the coaches being present, and Rodgers called them on it in his press conference. I remember thinking to myself, “I like this guy.” I would’ve been waiting all summer to say what Rodgers did.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 27, 2014, 07:17:22 pm
Scott from Fitchburg, WI

Vic, how do you coach a player with seemingly no weakness in his game?

You ask him what play he wants to run.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 27, 2014, 07:21:58 pm
Mike from Seattle, WA

Why do so many of the so-called NFL experts refer to Peyton Manning as arguably the best QB ever?

His body of work is sensational. No quarterback has ever made moving the football look easier. Here’s how I evaluate quarterbacks. First, I separate them into two categories: 1) the Jim Hart types that don’t have a lot of postseason performances to define them; 2) the Tom Brady types that have a lot of postseason performances to define them. Quarterbacks such as Brady and Manning have played enough postseason games for them to represent a full season or more. So, how would their playoff stats compare to their regular season stats? In Brady’s case, his 43 postseason touchdown passes are significantly better than every regular season of his career except one. Joe Montana’s, Bart Starr’s and Terry Bradshaw’s postseason stats would represent the best season of their careers. That’s what resonates with me: When the competition and the pressure were the greatest, they played their best. In Manning’s case, he played his worst.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 27, 2014, 07:23:07 pm
Chris from Veghel, The Netherlands

In Mike Daniels’ interview, he definitely wants to bring to a nastiness to the defensive mindset. In his words, it’s a violent sport and someone may need to get smacked in the mouth. In your opinion, is this what the defense has been lacking all this time?

Swagger is the result, not the cause. We’ll see.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 30, 2014, 08:06:49 pm
Kylon from Talofofo, Guam

Vic, when watching some older interviews of players, they would say they hate this team or that. Did the free-agent era change football so much that it went from it’s personal to it’s business?

In all of the years I’ve covered the NFL, it’s always been about business. The players always wanted free agency because they wanted to max out their financial reward. Having said that, I will also say free agency has changed the game. Julius Peppers said it best this past spring when he was asked about going from the Bears’ locker room to the Packers’. He said it wasn’t a big deal because the NFL is a “family.” That’s what free agency has produced. It’s produced a feeling among players that they’re all members of the same team, the NFL. There is a feeling among players that they play for
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 30, 2014, 08:23:52 pm


Overrated: Julius Peppers, Outside Linebacker


Overrated: Julius Peppers, Outside Linebacker


First, let's establish that overrated doesn't mean terrible. What it means for a player like outside linebacker Julius Peppers is that expectations have simply gotten too high for the former member of the Chicago Bears.

People hear Peppers called a "genetic freak" by teammates and instantly think he's going to solve all the issues for the Packers defense. However, they forget that he just turned 34 years old and is coming off one of the worst years of his career.

In fact, Peppers finished last year graded as the No. 40 4-3 defensive end in the league, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Sure, a change of scenery can often re-energize a player's career, but those expectations need to be kept in check.

Peppers isn't going to be a major free-agent bust, but he also isn't going to be the next coming of Reggie White. He'll definitely improve the Packers defense as a whole, but picturing him as the savior in Green Bay is what makes him overrated.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 01, 2014, 07:54:10 pm
Gene from Midland, GA

Vic, I was looking back at Tony Pauline’s tweets from May and came across his scouting report for Richard Rodgers, which simply ended with the statement that Rodgers may be a better pro than college player. Are we to interpret that as Rodgers is still developing or that the pro game better fits his skills?

He was playing out of position at Cal last season. Tony was saying Rodgers will be a better tight end than a wide receiver. Drafting Rodgers required a crystal ball. You had to have the vision to evaluate him as a tight end. I’m looking forward to seeing him block. It’ll determine whether or not he can become a true, inline tight end. If he can block, then I think the Packers might have something special in Rodgers. If he has to play in space, then he’s another wide receiver.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 01, 2014, 07:58:32 pm
Brian from Costa Mesa, CA

Vic, can you please stop answering questions about what you care about as a reporter or fan or whatever and stick to questions about the Packers? I can’t be the only one who could care less. You are coming off as a little bit narcissistic at this point. Anyway, I’m sure you won’t post this, but I do hope you read it and maybe stop with the mind-numbing, self-reflection answers. Don’t mean to be rude, as I do love “Ask Vic,” just a little conductive criticism.

Brian, please don’t take offense to this; I just want to make sure there’s no misunderstanding. I will continue to answer questions about what I care about as a reporter or fan or whatever, instead of sticking to questions about the Packers. At the risk of being a little bit narcissistic, that’s the way it is and that’s the way it will continue to be. Your request is denied.

Loved this!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 01, 2014, 08:01:52 pm
Terrance from Indianola, MS

With the improvement in the running game and the offensive line, do you think the Packers put up numbers similar or better than they did in the 2011 season?

The Packers offense was No. 3 in the league in 2011. It set team records and for much of the season it was unstoppable. The problem with the Packers offense in 2011 was that it was one-dimensional; it was No. 3 in passing and No. 27 in rushing. It posed little threat of run and the lack of a running game, in my opinion, caught up with the Packers in the postseason. The Giants ignored the run; they rushed four and dropped seven. I don’t know if this year’s offense is going to set records, as the 2011 offense did, but I fully expect better balance between run and pass, and that should make the Packers offense better overall than the one-dimensional unit of 2011. I think the Packers could have the best offense in the league in 2014.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 01, 2014, 08:17:05 pm


12:10
 
 
Comment From Guest
What is your opinion of Jolly's medical clearance of C5/C6 fusion? I ask because I know you've had fusion done & are sensitive to the issue/ 



 




12:11
 


 Vic Ketchman: The 3-4 level seems to be the Rubicon. I think Jolly will play again.

;-)
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 01, 2014, 08:21:58 pm


12:28
 
 
Comment From Mez
Speaking of coaches, could you tell us a little about MM? He often appears so serious but gives a glimpse of quick wit and light heart. So off camera is he more laid back and funny? 



 




12:29
 


 Vic Ketchman: If I could pick one coach in the NFL to go on a road trip with, it would be Coach McCarthy. They don't come any more fun than him. He's as natural a coaching talent as I've ever covered or known. He does things that amaze me. He's going to become the winningest coach in Packers history. That's when people will really begin appreciating him.
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 03, 2014, 08:32:21 pm
When people think of the Green Bay Packers, the offensive line is usually the last thing they'll think about. That seems to happen when your quarterback is Aaron Rodgers, your best defensive player looks like Thor and you have the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year.

However, the Packers have quietly put together one of the most underrated, and one of the best, offensive lines in the league. They may not have All-Pro linemen, although they should, but few offensive lines play as well together as the one in Green Bay does.

The scary part is that the group is only going to get better. With the oldest starting offensive lineman only 28 years old and the rest of the group 26 years old or younger, some of these players haven't even gotten close to reaching their potential yet.

While most teams take pride in their offensive tackles being the best linemen on the team, the Packers have gone a different route. Their best offensive linemen reside at the guard position, and it isn't even close.

Both Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang are two of the best guards in the league. Just take a look at their grades from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) from last year:



Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang Grades

Player Pass Block Run Block Overall Grade NFL Rank

Josh Sitton 21.3 12.9 34.7 2nd
T.J. Lang 6.2 5.8 12.5 15th

Via Pro Football Focus


Sitton was the No. 2 overall guard, but his grade in pass protection was the best in the league. Lang used more of an all-around approach to land at the No. 15 spot on the list. Both players combined, however, form an extremely dominant duo.

Once you get past the guards for the Packers, it's all about potential. Rounding out the starting line is David Bakhtiari, JC Tretter and Bryan Bulaga.

Will Bulaga have a bounce-back year?

Bulaga is only 25 years old and is coming back from a knee injury that kept him out all of last season. However, when Bulaga was truly healthy, which was back in 2011, he was one of the better offensive tackles in the league. In fact, he finished that 2011 season as the No. 7 offensive tackle per Pro Football Focus.

As for Bakhtiari and Tretter, they have the ability to take the Packers offensive line to a whole other level.

Bakhtiari will only be 23 years old when the 2014 season is in full swing. While he struggled at times last year, he was also thrown into the fire from Week 1. Offensive line coach James Campen said Bakhtiari had a "very good season for a rookie," per Jason Wilde of ESPN Wisconsin.

Many expect him to take that leap, including Bakhtiari. He had this to say about his second year, per Wilde:


I had a great rookie year. That’s how I look at it. I had a great rookie year; I had an OK year as a player. But I don’t have that tag this year. I want people to be like, ‘He had a good year as a football player.’ Not rookie, not second-year, any of that. Throw all that out. He was a good player. He’s a guy we want on our team. I want the organization to want me here – want me at left tackle.

The final piece of the Packers offensive line also happens to be the biggest question mark. Tretter, the likely starting center, has never played center during any point in his football career. He's a high school tight end who played offensive tackle in college.

The good news is that Tretter seems to be picking up the position rather quickly. In fact, he's even earning high remarks from head coach Mike McCarthy:

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 04, 2014, 08:04:10 pm
Micah from Lincoln City, OR

Vic, I'm 15, and today I saw the Charles Martin cheap shot on Jim McMahon. Why would someone ever take a blatant cheap shot like that? I guess I just grew up thinking there never were Packers that played dirty. Anyway, in your career as a columnist, who are the dirtiest players you've seen?

I was just shy of 15 when on live TV I watched Martin body-slam McMahon to the turf on his already injured shoulder. Martin had a towel hanging from his pants with McMahon’s No. 9 on it, and other Packers had similar towels with other numbers, like “hit lists.” Those were the Gregg v. Ditka days in the rivalry. Your question immediately made me pull out Cliff’s book “Mudbaths & Bloodbaths” to rehash all the details. Martin was immediately ejected and Pete Rozelle suspended him for two games, the largest penalty for an on-field infraction in a quarter century. I would imagine the suspension now would be at least twice as long. Dirtiest players is tough to answer, but that was the dirtiest play I’ve ever seen.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 07, 2014, 08:11:32 pm


Green Bay Packers not sticking their necks out

 What the heck is up with these two terms in the same sentence: Green Bay Packers and necks?

If you know the answer to that question, you’re way ahead of the rest of the world.

That’s because it seems the Packers and neck injuries are synonymous in their usage these days.

Consider Nick Collins, Johnny Jolly, Jermichael Finley, Johnathan Franklin, Terrence Murphy,  Jeremy Thompson, Sterling Sharpe, and Johnny Holland. And there are others I can’t think of right at this moment whose careers have either been threatened or cut short because of neck injuries.

And while we’re at it, we also have to consider Sean Richardson – he’s the lucky one. As of today, he is the only player in recent memory who has suffered a neck injury playing football for the Green Bay Packers who has made it all the way back onto the field.

Sean Richardson - he’s the lucky one.

Just yesterday, Weston Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press Gazette put together an interesting look at the preponderance of neck injuries in Green Bay – pointing out the differences between the various injuries and locations of those injuries to specific players.

The cervical neck injuries are serious matters, don’t get me wrong. No employer would ever want to put an employee at risk of a lifelong debilitating injury, especially when it comes to football players who make millions of dollars over the course of their playing days.

But the question being raised across the state and country is why the injury has been so prevalent in Green Bay and why only Richardson has been cleared to play again.


Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Johnny Jolly may have played his final game with the team. Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports photograph

Though both Jermichael Finley and Johnny Jolly have been cleared by their own doctors, it’s the team physicians for each franchise that has to make the final determination – and it’s the team officials themselves who have to decide to bring in a player who might be at risk.

That, in itself, is risky business.

Clearly, it’s not something teams want to make a habit of doing.

Investing in damaged goods is not how to win Super Bowls.

But let’s get back to Richardson, the only Packer cleared to play.

According the Hodkiewicz’s story, it seems Richardson did what others had not been able to do – clear all measurable tests to allow him to play again.

“It was very hard, frustrating at times, because I felt great but the MRIs and CAT scans, they didn’t look as well as I felt,” Richardson told Hodkiewicz. “I took a lot of time off, just to gather myself and continue to stay positive and work hard in rehab. There were times when I was like, ‘Maybe they won’t clear me.’ But I knew if it was in my hands, God’s hands, everything would be all right.”

However, what it came down to was that the god with the most control over Richardson’s specific situation was Dr. Patrick McKenzie, the team doctor.

It seems the severity of the injury involves location of the herniated disc and the resulting fused discs. For Richardson, his surgery involved the fusing of the C5/c6 discs – the same location as Jolly’s most recent surgery. Finley’s injury involved the c3/c4 level – the same location as that suffered by Nick Collins.

The crucial point here is that the c3/c4 level is closer to the brain with greater implications if another injury were to occur. In other words, the likelihood of partial or complete paralysis is higher with the location of the herniated discs suffered by Collins and Finley. The closer to the brain, the greater the risk of lifelong injury.

While we hear that the surgery that’s completed on these players is a “success,” that doesn’t mean that it’s a success so that they can play football again – it’s a success so that they can move on with their lives without the potential of taking football-level jolts to their nervous system. You see, it really comes down to the damage of the nerves. If they don’t heal to a sufficient level, regardless of the success of a spinal fusion, they can’t play football.

And if the doctor says their nerves haven’t healed, then the player hasn’t healed sufficiently either.

So, in the end, the team officials aren’t going to go against the recommendations of doctors and risk own necks out to get a player back onto the field.

Richardson is the lucky one, but given the Packers’ past history in erring on the side of caution, we shouldn’t be expecting any of these other players to be hitting the field for the team – or any other team – any time soon.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 07, 2014, 08:31:14 pm
Benny from Madison, WI

Vic, do you think the Packers hold the best RB/QB duo in the NFL with Rodgers healthy and Lacy heading into his second season? Who do opposing D-coordinators focus on when developing their gameplan?

You know, I hadn’t thought of Rodgers and Lacy being the best such duo until you put it that way. The other combos in the discussion would have to be Philadelphia’s Foles-McCoy, Chicago’s Cutler-Forte, Kansas City’s Smith-Charles, Washington’s RGIII-Morris, Seattle’s Wilson-Lynch and San Francisco’s Kaepernick-Gore. Maybe I’m missing one or two others worth mentioning, but I’d take Rodgers-Lacy right now, wouldn’t you? The fun part is the duo is still in its infancy. With the early-season concussion, Lacy didn’t really get going until Week 5, and then Rodgers got hurt in Week 9. In that context, the pair everyone will hope to see in 2014 has had only six games together, and the only loss in those six was the playoff game against the 49ers. Stephen from Cedar Falls wondered if Lacy could have a 2,000-yard season. I don’t see it, primarily because of who his QB is.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 07, 2014, 09:14:39 pm
GB dark horses.  None of these guys looks like an NFL player:

(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/slides/photos/003/709/007/hi-res-bbc4ce80c6201aa803efdc7de8f8a3ea_crop_north.jpg?w=630&h=420&q=75)

Justin Perillo  TE

(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/slides/photos/003/709/009/hi-res-4c7fb3137836e2a29743bddbe31b37f0_crop_north.jpg?w=630&h=420&q=75)

Jake Doughty   LB  FS

(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/slides/photos/003/710/767/hi-res-35aa17232b261b48cc9a1afee24c1aa4_crop_north.jpg?w=630&h=420&q=75)

Tanner Miller 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 08, 2014, 08:00:31 pm
Ben from Green Bay, WI

Mike, do you think we will see many defensive snaps this year where Micah Hyde, Morgan Burnett, and HaHa are all on the field together?

Definitely. Aside from potential injury adjustments, I envision a dime package with Williams and Shields outside, Hayward and Hyde in the slots, and Burnett and Clinton-Dix at safety. That’s why I answered the previous question the way I did, because that’s four quality, experienced corners on the field if you need them, with Davon House still at the ready, and your rookie draft pick, Demetri Goodson, watching and learning.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 08, 2014, 08:23:10 pm
Jared Abbrederis, Jeff Janis now primed for training camp

GREEN BAY—If the progress they made from the start of OTAs to the end of the June minicamp is any indication, late-round rookie receivers Jared Abbrederis and Jeff Janis are primed to make an impression in their first NFL training camp.

Almost invisible in the first couple of OTAs open to reporters, Abbrederis and Janis began showing up a lot more often in the 11-on-11 work and modified seven-on-seven drills during the offseason-concluding minicamp.

Snagging passes mostly from backup quarterbacks Matt Flynn, Scott Tolzien and Chase Rettig, the two late-round draft picks – Abbrederis was chosen in the fifth round, Janis in the seventh – appeared to be coming out of their rookie shell.

Abbrederis’ leaping sideline catch of a Tolzien pass in the first minicamp practice, and then a TD grab on a quick out from Tolzien two days later were particular highlights. Janis snared a pinpoint sideline throw from Flynn between a cornerback and safety before the veteran QB took the last day off, and then Rettig found Janis on a pair of crossing routes in the final workout.

Their steady progression is normal for rookies learning Mike McCarthy’s offense. As receivers become more comfortable with the playbook, pre-snap reads and route adjustments, the quarterbacks start finding them more.

“It’s not second nature to me yet, but you keep going through it,” Abbrederis said of the playbook. “It’s more knowing all the calls, when to break off a route, things like that. You can get a check at any time. If you get a check at the line, you need to know what that check is.”

The real question is, can they keep it going in training camp, when the pads go on and the defensive backs do more jamming at the line?

That’s a major element thrown into the mix for receivers, in addition to the pace of playbook installation picking up and not slowing down.

“Obviously there’s going to be more contact,” Janis said. “The physicality is going to get bumped up a little bit, so it’s going to be tougher to make some plays. I’ll just have to step up.”

Both rookies will get a look in the return game, too. Abbrederis took his share of punt-return reps during OTAs, while Janis was working as a kickoff returner.

The two got to know each other through the pre-draft process, working out together in San Diego and then rooming together at the Senior Bowl. But their credentials differ.

Abbrederis is smaller in stature (6-1, 195) and doesn’t have the size typical of recent Packers draftees at the position, such as Charles Johnson in 2013 or Davante Adams in the second round this year. He’s an accomplished Big Ten receiver, though, who took on some of the top cornerbacks in this draft while at Wisconsin (Ohio State’s Bradley Roby, Michigan State’s Darqueze Dennard) and produced.

Janis, on the other hand, is bigger (6-3, 219) and tested off the charts physically as far as speed and strength, but he comes from Division II Saginaw Valley State and faces a monumental jump in the level of competition.

McCarthy said as minicamp concluded that Janis was “everything we thought coming out of the draft.” His impressive physical tools don’t separate him as much as they did in college, but they’ll be key to the transition, as long as he maximizes on them.

“Everybody is fast at this level, so it’s not as noticeable, but it definitely helps when you’re out there going against some good guys,” Janis said. “Once you get out there and start playing, it’s something you pick up on and start playing at that higher level.”

The Packers offense hopes to reach a level all its own in 2014, and where Abbrederis and Janis fit into the picture remains to be seen. The competition for roster spots at receiver promises to be fierce.

Barring injury, the quartet of Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Jarrett Boykin and Adams will hold four spots. That leaves a slew of players fighting for what likely will be two additional spots. Abbrederis and Janis are in that mix along with a late-round pick from last year, Kevin Dorsey, plus holdovers Chris Harper, Myles White and Alex Gillett.

To survive and succeed will be everyone’s objective, but not everyone’s destiny.

“Once camp comes, we have to start prepping to win a Super Bowl,” Abbrederis said. “That’s the team goal. If you can’t get the playbook, if you can’t make plays, there’s no room for you.”

I sure hope the Packers can keep all six of these WRs on their roster.

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 08, 2014, 08:29:11 pm
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BsDfo85CIAAYQdz.jpg:large)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 10, 2014, 07:17:34 pm

Jun 10, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) speaks to the media following mini camp drills at the Broncos practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

NF 2014 NFL MVP – Opening Odds to Win

The oddsmakers in Las Vegas have released their odds on who will win the NFL MVP this season. Here are the odds courtesy of Bovada, (www.Bovada.lv, Twitter: @BovadaLV).

2014 NFL MVP – Odds to Win
 Peyton Manning 3/1
 Drew Brees 11/2
 Aaron Rodgers 15/2
 Tom Brady 9/1
 Andrew Luck 16/1
 Jay Cutler 20/1
 Matthew Stafford 20/1
 Colin Kaepernick 25/1
 Cam Newton 25/1
 Russell Wilson 25/1
 Robert Griffin III 25/1
 LeSean McCoy 25/1
 Adrian Peterson 25/1
 Calvin Johnson 25/1
 Matt Ryan 33/1
 Nick Foles 40/1
 Ben Roethlisberger 50/1
 Eli Manning 50/1
 Philip Rivers 50/1
 Tony Romo 50/1
 Marshawn Lynch 50/1
 Demaryius Thomas 66/1
 Matt Forte 66/1
 Jamaal Charles 66/1
 Dez Bryant 66/1
 Brandon Marshall 66/1
 Julio Jones 66/1
 Jimmy Graham 66/1
 Joe Flacco 100/1
 Johnny Manziel 100/1
 Andy Dalton 100/1
 Eddie Lacy 100/1
 Arian Foster 100/1
 Rob Gronkowski 100/1
 Alex Smith 150/1
 Alfred Morris 150/1
 C.J. Spiller 150/1
 Antonio Brown 150/1
 DeMarco Murray 200/1
 Frank Gore 200/1

Peyton Manning is at the top of the list and there should be no surprise there. Everyone expects the Broncos to have another exceptional year with the moves that they have made in the offseason. If they are able to run through the regular season again, then Peyton will have a solid shot at winning the MVP. The AFC West does have to face the NFC West this season though, so it could be a more difficult run.

The other quarterbacks at the top of the list all make sense. They are the top quarterbacks in the league: Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Andrew Luck. Can’t go wrong in thinking that one of them will win the award.

One quarterback that is a little surprising is Jay Cutler. Cutler is 20/1 odds to win the MVP, placing him right after Andrew Luck. The people in Vegas must be expecting great things from the Chicago Bears and Jay Cutler.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 10, 2014, 07:48:25 pm

Finley, who is currently a free agent, is working towards a return. According to Jason Wilde of ESPN Wisconsin, Finley wants to make that return with the Packers.


Finley received medical clearance from his surgeon, Dr. Joseph Maroon, in late May, but despite visits to the New England Patriots and New York Giants, and a check-in with the Packers’ medical staff, he remains unsigned.

As he worked out Wednesday, though, Finley was in good spirits. He didn’t sound discouraged by the waiting game and said he continues to be in great shape physically.

“This is the best I’ve felt in this entire crazy process,” he said.

While Finley didn’t discuss other potential suitors and didn’t say whether the Packers have reached out to him recently, he made it clear that coming back to Green Bay is his preference.

“Tell everybody I’m working as hard as I can to get back to Packer Nation,” he said.

Of course, if signed, Finley would have to also be cleared by the Packers’ doctors and battle a tight end group of Brandon Bostick, Andrew Quarless, Richard Rodgers and Ryan Taylor to earn a roster spot.

The New England Patriots have had Finley in for a visit and are interested in signing either Finley or former New York Jets’ and Miami Dolphins’ tight end Dustin Keller. He also took a visit to check out the New York Giants. The Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers have also shown interest in bringing Finley in.

Finley had 25 receptions for 300 yards and three touchdowns before suffering he was injured. He has 223 catches for 2,785 yards and 20 touchdowns in his career.

I don't see how the Pack can afford to bring him back.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 10, 2014, 08:04:03 pm

 by Henry McKenna

 Is Mike Daniels going to have to smack a teammate? Is he?

Because if the Packer defense doesn’t start playing with some fire, some punch, some barbarism, then Mike Daniels is going to start pushing his teammates around — just like all the opposing running backs did last season.

“So I’m personally going to really get the best out of everybody. I don’t care if I have to hit somebody before we get on the field,” Daniels said to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel after a minicamp practice. ” … It’s a barbaric sport. So that’s how you’re going to have to approach it. I’m tired of getting our face punched in by other teams. I’m not used to that.”

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writer Tyler Dunn seemed thrilled about Daniels’ comments:


Which is precisely what we didn’t hear from players when LeSean McCoy, Matt Forte, Adrian Peterson/Toby Gerhart, Reggie Bush/Joique Bell, DeMarco Murray and Le’Veon Bell gashed Green Bay for 1,096 yards on 194 attempts in seven games down the stretch.

It’s OK to criticize, to publicly let loose, to turn nuclear. Anger can become contagious, and anger was absent when the Packers defense crumbled through November.

The rest of the team recognizes the issue. It’s just that no one has really spoken about it openly. The team is filled with talented players that are conscious, perhaps too much so. Clay Matthews, A.J. Hawk and new addition Julius Peppers are quiet and lead by example. So Daniel has decided not only to acknowledge the elephant in the room, but to be the elephant in the room — stampeding and screaming.

Sic 'em Mike.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 10, 2014, 08:49:11 pm
Eric from Monroe, OH

Mike, can you explain how a silent count works for an offense in a loud stadium? I don't get how all of the offensive players get off the line at the same time without the QB's vocal signals, especially the players who are on the ends of the line.

It’s all timing, which is why it has to be practiced regularly. There are variations, but the basics are triggered by the quarterback and the center. If the QB is under center, he taps the center on the butt, or if he’s in the shotgun, he lifts his leg. At some point after that, the center will lift his head into a ready position, which begins the silent count, normally one beat or two (think “One Mississippi …”). All the linemen know the mental count, so they don’t have to watch the ball, and their movement and the snap are simultaneous. Last fall, Sports Illustrated had a great feature story about how longtime offensive line coach Howard Mudd invented the silent count in the mid-1980s with the Browns and then perfected it beginning in the late ’90s with the Colts and Peyton Manning. It changed the game without changing any rules.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 10, 2014, 08:49:36 pm
Chad from Rhinelander, WI

Assuming you have acquired a few autographs over the years. Do you have any unique autograph stories to share?

When the Bears began holding their training camp in my hometown when I was 11, I was all about the autographs. I once chased down Mike Ditka in a golf cart and he actually stopped to sign and ask how I was doing. I also cornered Jim McMahon on his motor scooter (the players rode those all over town) and he pretended to fall off and injure his hand so that he couldn’t sign. When he saw that I didn’t buy it, he pulled down his shades, smiled and signed.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 10, 2014, 09:11:52 pm
Hey, Mike, I’ve asked Vic this question a couple of times and it hasn’t made the cut. I’m hoping it’ll have more luck with you. To help with concussions, instead of changing up the helmets, how about modifying the players’ cleats so they can’t quite get the same amount of pop at the point of impact? Hockey players get nailed but don’t have as many injuries, and I think it’s because their footing isn’t as good.

What you’re suggesting is nuts.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 10, 2014, 09:14:48 pm
(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/002/972/533/hi-res-3b298a101ac0f139247fd4d941493323_crop_north.jpg?w=610&h=410&q=75)

Old geezer from Mississippi
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on July 11, 2014, 05:18:25 am
Looks like Kenny Stabler...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on July 11, 2014, 07:05:07 am
That dude Tanner Miller's head is too small for his neck.

And is it a good thing that a 34 year old is outrunning everyone in practice?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on July 11, 2014, 10:42:53 am
Everyone at practice includes Bobby Bouchard and the towel boy....and some donkey named Phil....

Favruhh is younger than me and looks ten older......
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 11, 2014, 08:24:15 pm
That dude Tanner Miller's head is too small for his neck.

And is it a good thing that a 34 year old is outrunning everyone in practice?

Maybe he is rejuvenated drinking some of that Leinenkugel's beer.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 13, 2014, 07:41:23 pm


Eagles’ Josh Huff thinks Colt Lyerla better than Jimmy Graham

 When the NFL Draft concluded last May, former Oregon Duck tight end Colt Lyerla remained without a team going un-drafted. In part due to comments he made on Twitter.

report to training camp at some point

In March of 2013, Lyerla took to Twitter and called the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting “a government conspiracy to support gun control.” He later apologized and would quit the team later that year in October for personal reasons.

Lyerla was signed as an un-drafted free agent on May 19th by the Green Bay Packers. If he can keep his head together, he possesses a world of talent according to Philadelphia Eagles wide-receiver and former Lyerla teammate, Josh Huff.

According to the Milwuakee Journal-Sentinel, Huff thinks that Lyerla can ben better than Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski. That would be quite the steal for Green Bay. It would be a steal if Lyerla could be half of what those two are.

Huff isn’t the only former Duck talking up Lyerla. Cornerback Terrance Mitchell called Lyerla a “beast”.


“Colt is a beast. I don’t know how to explain it. A monster, a beast. … He could be anything he wants to be. He could be a top tight end in the NFL for sure.”

The Packers need a big strong seam splitting tight end but the question remains as to whether or not Lyerla’s inner demons will hold him back. Making the jump to the NFL is not an easy one for any footballer and the rookie season rarely goes well for most incoming collegiate players. Lyerla will at least have a strong supporting cast in Green Bay and one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, Aaron Rodgers. All he has to do is keep his head straight and who knows, maybe Josh Huff might be right.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 13, 2014, 08:43:59 pm
Best of the Rest: Updates From Around the NFC North for July 13

By Harsha Sridhar on Jul 13 2014, 12:00p  11

The Team That Just Subscribed To Six More Years of Jay Cutler

Looking back at my Top 10 Most Important Chicago Bears of 2013 - Windy City Gridiron

This article is particularly interesting because the author acknowledged at the beginning of last season that Julius Peppers had very little help around him in Chicago. Corey Wootton was supposed to built on an impressive 2012, but his measly 3 sacks certainly didn't help matters for Peppers. (Wootton, by the way, was signed by the Vikings, while the Bears opted to sign free agents Lamarr Houston, Willie Young and Jared Allen to create a pass rush. In my conversations with fans over at Windy City Gridiron, I often hear that Peppers played unmotivated in 2013, looking like he was 'giving up' on the team. I am prone to believe that having no one around him capable of generating heat on the quarterback didn't help. Peppers' days of serving as a highly effective primary pass rusher are over, and we can't delude ourselves. Perhaps the money that the team is paying to the guy is out of line for his anticipated role. It's definitely possible that the position change and another year of age will have slowed him down further. With guys like Clay Matthews and Mike Daniels around him, however, it's also possible that he becomes a valuable cog, perhaps notching five or six sacks and, more importantly, keeping Clay Matthews from facing eternal double- and triple-teams.

How primed are the Chicago Bears for the future? - Windy City Gridiron

The really interesting part here isn't the article, but the comments section. Bears fans took offense to the Packers being ranked second, and a fellow Packers fan and I responded. The result was a 500-plus comments section and an entertaining read in retrospect. (For best effect, read the threads in order.)

Are the Chicago Bears A Dark Horse Threat to Seattle? - NFL Mocks

There are definitely aspects of the Bears that work favorably. The team has two big, physical receivers who will likely match up positively against Sherman/Maxwell. I'm not sure that increasing their girth on the defensive line is necessarily a sign that they're ready to match up against Seattle, though. In fact, the Packers have seemed to make a conscious effort to trim down the front, moving Raji back to the center and using Datone Jones and Mike Daniels on either side. The comments section is again an interesting one.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 13, 2014, 09:09:53 pm
(http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/imported_assets/2283766/455193472_medium.gif)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 13, 2014, 09:13:41 pm
(http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/35426398/20140617_jla_bs6_662.jpg.0_standard_305.0.jpg)

KUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHN
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 14, 2014, 07:51:47 pm
Ken from Iowa City, IA

In Friday’s “Ask Vic,” you said: “I would also say that as critical to a team’s success as the offensive line is, the best teams have the best combination of quarterback, left tackle, pass rusher and shut-down corner.” Do we have this?

The Packers certainly have the quarterback. Based on the way David Bakhtiari played last season, and based on the depth the Packers have at tackle, I would give them a check at left tackle. Pass rusher? Clay Matthews is a star, but he’s facing what has been a daunting recovery from a thumb injury. Sam Shields, of course, was signed to be that shut-down corner. In my opinion, the Packers have one of the league’s best combinations at the four premium positions.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 15, 2014, 09:37:21 pm

Fantasy Football 2014: Could Your Feelings Toward Jay Cutler Cost You a Championship?
 by J.P. Scott 1d ago  If you are like me, you don’t like Jay Cutler. If you are like me, one of your favorite websites is Smokin’ Jay Cutler. In fact, I’d be willing to bet the vast majority of football fans who don’t root for the Chicago Bears don’t even like saying the words ‘Jay’ and ‘Cutler’ back-to-back.

If you care about winning your fantasy league, you need to get over it.

Jay Cutler is currently being drafted 13th among all quarterbacks in ten-team traditional leagues and 99th overall. Guys like Colin Kaepernick and Cam Newton are being drafted ahead of him, despite the fact that if you would have combined Cutler and Josh McCown’s stats in 2013, they were basically a top-five fantasy quarterback. Newton barely made it into the top ten in most leagues while Kaepernick hovered around the middle of the pack. Even with the upgrades to the Carolina and San Francisco receiving corps, it would be hard to argue that they have more weapons at their disposal than Cutler heading into 2014.

Year-two of the Marc Trestman era in Chicago is looking promising. Some consider the tandom of Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery to be the best receiving duo in the NFL, while Trestman’s offense has proved to be a perfect fit for Matt Forte’s skillset. When you factor in that there isn’t really a dominant secondary in the NFC North, all signs point to Jay Cutler — if he can stay healthy — having a monster year.

This doesn’t even consider the offensive shootouts sure to take place in what used to be a defense-heavy division. Cutler will go head-to-head, as always, with Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford. He’ll also have to match whatever numbers the Vikings are able to put up in new offensive coordinator Norv Turner’s offense — regardless of who is under center in Minnesota.

Given the spotty or rather short bodies of work of some of the quarterbacks being drafted ahead of Cutler, I feel like landing him anywhere after No. 10 as far as quarterbacks go would be a steal. The only quarterbacks I’d be willing to bet put up better fantasy numbers in 2014 are Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Matthew Stafford and Andrew Luck. There are simply too many other question marks to feel good about drafting anyone else before Cutler.

If you happen to be in an auction league, you should be able to use the negative public perception of Cutler to your advantage. Most of you are in what I’d call “casual-but-competitive” leagues, meaning many of the other owners you face are going to allow their hearts to get in the way of winning. There are going to be guys who, out of pure dislike, will go out of their way to make sure Cutler isn’t on their roster. Because he isn’t going to be one of the top five or six quarterbacks people are gunning for, he likely won’t spark a huge bidding war and you’ll be able to land him at near rock-bottom prices.

While the other owners in your league laugh and hate, you’ll have a solid starter at QB for likely half of what somebody will pay for Aaron Rodgers. You can then take that extra cash and build a contender.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 15, 2014, 09:53:32 pm
Gavin from Penns Grove, NJ

Vic, as of right now, besides quarterback, what positions would you say are the Packers’ strongest and weakest?

In terms of depth, I think the offensive line is the strongest unit on this team. I think linebacker can become an area of strength, but until Clay Matthews and Nick Perry are fully recovered from their injuries, I’m going to maintain a degree of concern.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 15, 2014, 09:56:30 pm
Judson from Nashville, TN

If Rodgers goes No. 1 in an NFL players draft, who goes 2-5?

I feel pretty certain Andrew Luck would be the consensus No. 2 pick. After that, I’d start picking left tackles, pass rushers and cornerbacks. I like young guys, so I’ll go with Matt Kalil at left tackle. I think Richard Sherman is a no-brainer at cornerback. Here’s my shock pick: Jadeveon Clowney
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 16, 2014, 08:32:13 pm
Jeffrey from West Allis, WI

Vic, you’ve voiced concern on several occasions regarding Clay Matthews’ recovery from his thumb injury. Do you know something we don’t know?

When I interviewed Matthews at his locker stall at the start of spring practices, he spoke of his continued rehab and of not practicing in the spring. He spoke of “being smart” about the injury and of hoping he’ll be ready to go at the start of training camp. I sensed concern and a degree of uncertainty in his voice. All of that, in my opinion, is a big-letters invitation to read between the lines, and when I read between the lines I see the word caution. In my opinion, it would be careless reporting for me not to convey concern for Matthews’ recovery.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 17, 2014, 07:08:57 pm
Rory from Rapid City, SD

I have been a Vikings fan my entire life. I am giving up and want to become a Green Bay Packers fan. Where do I start? I am serious. The office is all Packers fans and I want to be like them.

You start by sitting down and having a talk with your heart. It doesn’t like to do what it doesn’t want to do.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on July 17, 2014, 07:12:39 pm
Rory needs to put her big girl panties on and suck it up.  Every team goes through good times and bad.  Fair weather fans are the worst.  They can not possibly get as much enjoyment from winning as the diehards do.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on July 17, 2014, 11:19:23 pm
 
 Its every NFC team fans duty to adopt an AFC team.
 
 I already have Da Raiduhs.
 
 Dont pick the easy ones ... do what JJ does ... pick the hard ones.
 
 Clevland Browns ... Buffalo Bills ... etc.
 
 ADOPT an AFC team ! The money you give ...
 
  will feed untold masses in Jacksonville.
 
 PLEASE GIVE, and adopt ! ... your conscience requires it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on July 17, 2014, 11:26:36 pm
 
 Ya know I never come on this thread unless its importent.
 
 Lets think of the AFC fans ... those without plasma TV ...
 
 they need our help. Wont you contribute ?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 21, 2014, 08:51:47 pm
Jim from Pall Mall, TN

Will the old Packers sweep ever be executed the way it was with Taylor and Hornung, now that we have Lacy and other backs?

The sweep wasn’t about Taylor and Hornung as much as it was about Kramer and Thurston. You have to have guards that can get out in front of the backs. Kramer was 6-3, 245, and Thurston was 6-1, 247. Those guys could move and they were small enough to maneuver in traffic. Today’s guards are 70 pounds heavier and much higher cut than the pulling guards of yesteryear. It’s a different game. The guards of yesteryear had to be able to move because they couldn’t use their hands. They had to get guys out in space and cut them. Today’s guards are bigger and stronger and have a rules advantage Kramer and Thurston didn’t enjoy. Everything about today’s guards favors walling off instead of pulling out. It can be done once in a while, but not as a staple, as it was in the Lombardi era. As big as today’s guards are, their tongues would be hanging out of their mouths if they were made to run like that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 21, 2014, 08:53:12 pm
Mark from Cherry Valley, IL

Now that the defense is trying to be more physical, don’t you think it’s time for the offense to play with the same attitude and physicality, like the Seahawks and 49ers?

Where were you last season? That switch has been flipped. It’s time for the defense to do the same.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 21, 2014, 09:47:01 pm
Packers go young on defensive line

They're paying Peppers $8.5 million this season as part of a three-year contract because they think he still has the talent to draw occasional double teams so Matthews is single blocked, or to make teams pay for double-teaming Matthews.

"I'm glad (Peppers) is here, I know that," said Dom Capers, the Packers' defensive coordinator, this offseason. "He's a rare guy in terms of his ability."

The question is, does Peppers, who ranks No. 17 on the NFL all-time sacks list with 118½, still have a difference-maker-type season in him? Or was his seven-sack 2013 a sign that he will no longer be that kind of player?

Peppers definitely isn't the typical 34-year-old. He stood out to even casual observers of the Packers' offseason practices because of his freakish size — at 6-foot-7 he's the tallest player on the roster, and at 287 pounds he's about 20 pounds heavier than a typical outside linebacker in the team's 3-4 defensive scheme.

But even with the size and athletic ability that made him the No. 2 pick overall in the 2002 draft, he's old for a pass rusher and coming off a season in which he played all 16 games but had 4½ fewer sacks than in 2012.

So Capers and coach Mike McCarthy have to decide how to get the most out of him. Part of the equation will be determining where to play Peppers — with the addition of the "elephant" position, which is a hybrid defensive lineman and outside linebacker, they're going to use him in multiple spots. Though his primary position will be as a standing outside rusher, he could line up outside but with his hand on the ground, or as an inside rusher as we

But just as important is how much they play him.

Last year, Peppers played 865 defensive snaps (81.7 percent of the Chicago Bears' defensive total), up from 797 snaps the previous season (74.7 percent).

The Packers no doubt have been considering this offseason whether less will mean more from Peppers as a pass rusher, and if so, how much less? They'll be looking for him to be at his best late in games and especially in December and January, and for a player of his age, that likely means limiting his playing time. Whether that's in the range of 50 percent of the defensive snaps, 60 percent or 70 percent remains to be seen.

"We'll have to find the happy medium there," Capers said. "He does have the ability to make difference-maker-type plays, and that's a big part of the game nowadays. We'll have to find what we think is the right number of plays. But he can certainly do all the things we're asking him to do. We'll just have to get a feel for that as we make our way closer to the opener."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on July 21, 2014, 10:02:01 pm
Peppers was not drawing double teams last year with a JV D-line.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on July 22, 2014, 09:42:35 am

Agreed.

Also means he won't be drawing doubles with Matthews in their lineup.

Peppers will help the Pack - heck he could have helped us this year.  Numerous times last season and previous seasons - he was the only guy applying any sort of pressure on the QB.

Sad to see him go, but it all comes down to finances. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on July 22, 2014, 04:08:56 pm
If you cut down the amount of plays Peppers gets, and he is healthier than he was last year, he might be pretty good opposite Matthews for another year or so. He might make an impact.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 22, 2014, 06:36:27 pm
Agreed.

Also means he won't be drawing doubles with Matthews in their lineup.

Peppers will help the Pack - heck he could have helped us this year.  Numerous times last season and previous seasons - he was the only guy applying any sort of pressure on the QB.

Sad to see him go, but it all comes down to finances. 

I don't k now.  Just guessing but I think that the Packers' coaching  staff feels that limiting Peppers' plays and using him in certain sets like the Elephant will make him more effective.  I kind of feel that he got bored running the same offense over and over reached a point where he wasn't putting out 100%.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on July 22, 2014, 07:41:01 pm
I agree if Pack can keep his snaps low, he will be effective.  If injuries occur and he is force to play a lot, he will be a liability.  We shall see how it plays out.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on July 23, 2014, 02:23:34 pm
I saw one stat that he played 85% of our plays this year.
The year prior it was %75.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 23, 2014, 08:26:22 pm
That sounds familiar, Navigator.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 23, 2014, 08:26:42 pm
img src=http://www.acmepackingcompany.com/2014/7/23/5930719/packers-sign-korey-jones-linebacker-fills-90-man-roster.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 24, 2014, 06:23:12 pm
At least one Las Vegas sports book is bullish on the Green Bay Packers in 2014.

Bovada released its updated team prop bet lines this week and put the over/under on the Pack’s win total this season at 10½.

The Packers focused on retooling the defense after winning the NFC North last season with an 8-7-1 record despite being without quarterback Aaron Rodgers for seven games because of a broken collarbone.

LIVE Feed Green Bay PackersIs Jordy Nelson worth $10 million per year?Lombardi Ave
Packers WR Jordy Nelson seeking $10 million a yearFanSided
FanSided's All-NFC South Division Team: Round 2 (The NFC North)Who Dat Dish
UPDATE: Lombardiave.com's Krejci reports on Packers' brass commentsLombardi Ave
42 days to Packers football: John BrockingtonLombardi Ave

But the San Francisco 49ers and their running attack have ended Green Bay’s playoff runs each of the last two seasons.

The Packers drafted Alabama safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in the first round and signed former Chicago Bears defensive end Julius Peppers to play a position defensive coordinator Dom Capers is calling “the elephant.”


“An elephant for us could maybe be in certain schemes an outside backer,” Capers told the Associated Press. “He could be a defensive end in other schemes. When you have a number of different schemes, you could see a number of different elephants on the field in different spots based off what those schemes are.”

Most Packer fans won’t care where the elephant plays, just so long as opposing ball carriers get tackled before they are 20 yards down field.

Former All-Pro linebacker Clay Matthews is hoping for a return to form, still rehabilitating after having surgery on an injured thumb that bothered him for much of last season.

Bovada pegged the rest of the NFC North this way: Chicago Bears over/under 8½, Detroit Lions over/under 8½, Minnesota Vikings over/under 6.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 24, 2014, 07:26:55 pm
Jeremy from Johnson City, TN

With the Packers being in such demand for tickets … why doesn’t the franchise add more seats?

Mark Murphy informed us last night that the downsizing of FedEx Field makes Lambeau Field the second-largest stadium in the league, behind MetLife Stadium. Green Bay, by far the smallest market in the league, has the second-largest stadium in the league, behind New York. Think about that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 24, 2014, 07:30:43 pm
Mike from Elm Grove, WI

Can the rest of this week before training camp be appreciate what we have week? Our biggest offseason concern as fans has been when we’re going to retire our (future) Hall of Fame QB’s number.

The rest of this week is officially it’s here, just watch week. Stop worrying about where Ha Ha might fit and how Julius Peppers will be used and whether or not the Packers are strong enough at inside linebacker. All we have to do is watch and we’ll have our answers. It’s go time.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 24, 2014, 07:33:14 pm
Gary from Kingsburg, CA

Do you sense the same quiet confidence I sense in this team, its draft, coaches and starters?

I don’t have a sense about this team, yet. I’ll get that over the next several weeks. What I do have is a sense for what its fans are feeling, and I sense anxiety. I sense this fan base has fingered this season as a win-it-all season. I think they have an expectation that can only be satisfied by winning the Super Bowl, and I think they know what a daunting task that is and that’s why they’re anxious. Am I right?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 24, 2014, 07:45:11 pm


We all know what Clay Matthews brings to the field, and we also all know how much the outside linebacker that's played opposite him has struggled the past few years.

Whether it's been Perry, Neal or any other number of linebackers, they've all failed to make any type of impact on defense. The Packers knew this was an issue and addressed it in free agency by signing Peppers.

Peppers will be an upgrade at the position simply due to what he's done in the past. However, he also looks ready to make an impact this year. He's constantly impressed teammates throughout OTAs and minicamp with his athleticism and motor.

With Peppers lining up next to Matthews, the Packers should get a huge boost in production from their outside linebackers this year.


 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 24, 2014, 07:47:02 pm
Ha Ha will wear Woodson's #21.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 25, 2014, 08:11:51 pm
Grant from Dubuque, IA

I recently read a win-loss prediction projecting the Packers to go 9-7 in 2014. I know I shouldn’t let this bother me, but Rodgers back for a full season is only a one-game improvement over Flynn and Tolzien?

You’ve failed to achieve perspective. All you’ve achieved is anxiety. It’ll rob you of your enjoyment.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 25, 2014, 08:15:47 pm
Paul from Salem, OR

Vic, when the Denver Broncos, a team with unlimited pockets, hoist the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the upcoming season, won’t all of the draft-and-develop dinosaurs, including our Packers, be left with egg on their collective faces?

If the Packers should hoist that trophy, and should the “train” run over the Broncos and leave them a twisted wreck at the salary cap crossroads, will you return so we might scrape the egg off your face?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 25, 2014, 08:18:14 pm
McCarthy Says He Doesn't Know If Matthews Has Been Cleared to Practice: JSOnline
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on July 27, 2014, 01:50:14 am
 
 Packy,
 
 Get BOOMER back on the board.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 27, 2014, 08:11:10 pm


Takeaways from the First Day of Packers Training Camp

 by Dan Dahlke 1d ago 
 The Green Bay Packers 2014 training camp is officially underway, which marks the beginning of a new season.

It’s easy to overreact to reports out of camp, especially so early on, but there are still plenty of things we can take as hints or clues as to what the Packers think about their players and position depth chart.

Here are some of the top things we took away from day one of training camp.

Packers Front Seven Already Hit Hard by Injuries

The Packers already have several players on the injury list to start camp.

Outside linebackers Mike Neal and Nick Perry were both placed on the Packers P.U.P. list yesterday because they failed their physicals due to injury. To make things even more complicated at outside linebacker, Clay Matthews is still dealing with a thumb injury he sustained last year and will wear a brace throughout camp.

Matthews still practiced and lined up opposite Julius Peppers as the starting outside linebackers.

Letroy Guion and Jerel Worthy’s injuries were unexpected and could hurt their chances of making the roster. With both veterans out, it will give a second-year man Datone Jones a chances to start at end and may allow rookie third-round pick Khyri Thornton to move up the depth chart and see more playing time in camp.

It’s unclear when Guion and Worthy will return, but with Worthy spending the majority of the last two years injured, he needs to get healthy and be back on the field.

 

Peppers and Matthews Used Creatively on Defense

The Packers have made it clear on day one of camp that they will use Peppers and Matthews in various ways to throw offenses off guard.

Coach McCarthy believes the combination of both players will bring a unique dynamic to their defense and make it difficult for an offense to know exactly where either Clay or Peppers are rushing from on any given play.

The versatility of both Matthews and Peppers give the Packers a lot of options on defense. I get the feeling the 2014 Packers defense will have a very different look than in years past. This will definitely be something to track closer as camp progresses.

 

Bostick Will Get a Chance to Start at Tight End

The Packers starting tight end is far from decided, but in an interesting development, Brandon Bostick took the first reps with the first team on Saturday.

Bostick might be the guy for the position. He brings an interesting dynamic to tight end, especially as a big target over the middle of the field. His athleticism also gives him an edge over the other guys at the position.

Quarless did get some reps with the first team later in practice, but it’s interesting to hear that Bostick played with the first team to start practice. It’s too early to know what to make of this for sure, but it will be a position battle we’ll continue to track throughout camp.

 

Nelson is Earning His Money

The big news of the day was Jordy Nelson’s contract extension.

It’s great news for the Packers that they locked up their star receiver for the next four years. And all early reports from camp, it appears the money will not change how Nelson goes about his game. He was one of the few standouts on day one of camp.



Nelson and Aaron Rodgers have a good thing going. Let’s hope this continues and the Packers can get Randall Cobb locked up for the next few years as well.

You have to like what the Packers have at the receiver position.

 

Hayward Ready for a Big Comeback

Besides Nelson, the other standout player for the day was cornerback Casey Hayward.

Hayward also intercepted a deep pass downfield intended for Nelson and appears to be back to top playing form. He was a stud for the Packers defense as a rookie in 2012, but hamstring injuries derailed his 2013 season.

Hopefully, the third-year pro out of Vanderbilt is back to playing form. At least, Coach McCarthy thinks so.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 27, 2014, 09:18:39 pm
(http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2014/07-July/temp140727-tc2-39--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 27, 2014, 09:24:20 pm
GREEN BAY—It was just the first day of training camp, but it was the kind of play Packers fans can expect to see over and over again for years to come, now that Jordy Nelson has signed a multi-year contract extension.

Bracketed in coverage by Sam Shields in front and Micah Hyde over the top, Nelson reached up along the sideline, snared a pinpoint throw from quarterback Aaron Rodgers – who had been rolling to his left, no less – and toe-tapped in bounds for a completion that left Hyde simply chuckling and shaking his head.

“You just laugh and go on to the next play,” said Hyde, who began camp where he was in the spring, as a safety with the No. 1 defense.

The completion showcased Rodgers’ deadly accuracy but also the connection and trust Rodgers and Nelson have developed over the previous six seasons. With Nelson once again in the fold long term, the connection might only grow more dangerous.

“I think he’s got the best instincts in any receiver I’ve ever played with,” Rodgers said. “He has incredible reactions, second and third reactions. He knows where he needs to get to, what spot on the field, to make the proper play...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 27, 2014, 09:55:02 pm
Another class act.

With Jordy Nelson’s contract out of the way, the Packers can focus on a new deal for fellow receiver
By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel
   
Green Bay — The Green Bay Packers prioritized Jordy Nelson over Randall Cobb, inking the veteran to a four-year contract extension Saturday.

Cobb would presumably be next. At some point.

He knows he has to prove himself a bit more.

“I don’t believe I’ve done enough,” Cobb said after Sunday's practice. “And I think that’s on me. I can’t really take last year. I missed 10 weeks. I got injured in a way where there was nothing I could do about it. I think my job is to come out here every day, do what I’m supposed to, work hard and hopefully my time will come.

“I feel I have a lot to prove. I know the type of player I’m capable of being. And it’s just going out and showing it on a day-to-day basis.”

Cobb busted out in 2012 with 80 receptions for 954 yards and eight touchdowns and was on pace for a monster 2013 season before breaking his lower leg at Baltimore in the fifth game. Cobb did return in time to catch the game-winning touchdown at Chicago in Week 17, but the Packers remain in wait-and-see mode.

The Packers would obviously like to see Cobb stay healthy and produce more before making another investment. With Nelson locked up, they may not be a rush, either. Theoretically, the team could wait until November, December or even after the season with the franchise tag. Though they were at different points of their careers, the Packers have let past receivers Greg Jennings and James Jones hit the open market.

For now, Cobb says he only wants to focus on football. There doesn't appear to be serious talks between the two sides at the moment.

“There’s nothing been said that I know of,” Cobb said. “And I’ve told my agent don’t even come to me until he feels that we’re at a good spot. I’m not going to worry about it. I’m not going to stress over it. Like I said, day to day is what I’m worried about. If the time’s supposed to come, it’ll come when it does.”

Cobb brought up Donald Driver, Jennings and Jones. He’s seen the business side of the game in his own position room.

Three years into his career, the soon-to-be 24-year-old realizes there’s still much he must prove — even he can’t control a broken leg.

“Woulda, coulda, shoulda,” Cobb said. “Regardless of what it may be, what my injury was, there was nothing I could do about it.

“I’m going to carry myself in a way, I don’t believe anything is deserving. I don’t believe any of us are deserving of anything. So I’m going to continue to be the person I am, do what I’m supposed to do and when that time comes — if it comes — it’ll be a blessing.” 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 28, 2014, 08:24:28 pm
(http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/51/files/2014/07/29packers-850x560.jpg)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 28, 2014, 08:26:03 pm
(http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/51/files/2013/10/7527262.jpg)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 28, 2014, 08:27:59 pm
(http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/51/files/2012/10/casey101912-300x207.jpg)

Welcome back, Casey.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 28, 2014, 08:30:19 pm
2013 season.

Randall Cobb has been reported as saying he doesn’t believe he has earned a contract extension and would like to use the 2014 season to earn one. I’m sure Ted Thompson will evaluate Cobb week-to-week and if he remains healthy I am confident his play will warrant an extension by the end of the 2014 season.

Something that may intrigue fans is that early-on it appears the second-string quarterback duties is an open battle. Reports are day one was all Matt Flynn with the second team offense, but day two saw Scott Tolzien take a vast amount of reps with the second-team offense.

Early reports also indicate Micah Hyde is relishing in his new role at safety while taking first-team reps over first-round pick from Alabama Ha Ha Clinton Dix.

The tight end position also seems to be an early pleasant surprise as rookie Richard Rodgers and Brandon Bostick are reportedly having great starts to camp.

While only two days into training camp there has been a lot of news out of Packers’ Camp.

There is plenty of optimism and buzz flying around the 2014 Green Bay Packers. Questions will arise and questions will be answered over the next several weeks leading up to the regular season opener as the Pack takes on the 12th man and the Seattle Seahawks as they raise their first championship banner.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 28, 2014, 09:13:31 pm
New scheme meant to create confusion, mismatches


GREEN BAY—Julius Peppers is out to win a ring. He made that clear on Monday.

Of all the things that attracted Peppers to Green Bay in free agency – the challenge of playing outside linebacker as opposed to defensive end, the chance to refute the naysayers who believe at 34 years old he can’t make an impact anymore, the opportunity to be paired with a pass-rush partner as talented as Clay Matthews – it’s the pursuit of a title that trumps them all.

“It’s not about really proving anybody wrong. It’s about accomplishing some personal goals, one of which being winning a world championship,” Peppers said after the first full-pads practice of training camp. “That’s the main motivation. All that other stuff, it’s there, but it’s not as big as coming in here and helping this team hoist that trophy at the end of the season.”

Peppers reached the Super Bowl in his second year with Carolina back in 2003, but the Panthers lost to the Patriots on a late field goal, and he hasn’t returned to the big game since. Carolina reached the NFC title game again in 2005 but lost to Seattle. Then while with Chicago, Peppers got another crack at an NFC championship in 2010, losing to the Packers.

“That’s what everybody tells you – once you get there, you have to win it, because you never know when you’re going to get back,” he said. “Hopefully, this is the season and, hopefully, we can get it done.”

If Green Bay can, Peppers almost certainly will play a key role. The Packers have been searching indefinitely for a proven pass-rush complement to Matthews and decided to make their biggest free-agent splash in eight years to find one. Peppers, with 118½ career sacks, is Green Bay’s most significant offseason acquisition since Charles Woodson in 2006, and he has immediately commanded a similar level of respect on and off the field.

Quiet by nature, Peppers exhibits leadership by being a true pro. During practice, he can be seen occasionally talking to younger teammates, even offensive players, to offer advice without making a big show of it.

“It’s great to have that veteran presence to share that experience,” Head Coach Mike McCarthy said.

“At the end of the day, in an NFL locker room, what you do on the field is what really speaks volumes, and that’s what everybody wants. It’s great to have the vocal leader and so forth, but the performance is the key. When you have someone that performs like Charles Woodson performs, that carries immediate respect and credibility, and that’s the same with Julius.”

On the field, Peppers is learning something that’s a bit new, dropping off the line and into coverage on some snaps. McCarthy noted how that can be an effective change of pace – “He’s here to go towards the quarterback, we all understand that,” McCarthy said – because it makes a quick slant or hook route to his side a “different throw” for the quarterback.

While Peppers relishes the challenge of mastering additional duties, he sees it working to his advantage, too. Offenses won’t always know when he’s rushing the quarterback and when he’s not.

“I think the scheme is set up to create some confusion and get the perfect mismatches on the edge,” Peppers said. “So to be able to stand up and bluff and disguise a little bit is going to help the defense.”

The defense had its moments the first day in pads, particularly in the blitz drill. Safety Sean Richardson notched the first interception in camp when he broke on Jordy Nelson’s crossing route and Aaron Rodgers’ pass met both players over the middle. Richardson quickly snagged the deflection. A few snaps later, cornerback Davon House stripped quarterback Matt Flynn of the ball when he came free on the rush.

Monday also featured the first one-on-one pass-rush/pass-protection reps, with notable matchups such as Bryan Bulaga against Peppers and new center JC Tretter against B.J. Raji. The half-line run drill also returned, with rookie outside linebacker Carl Bradford showing some power by effectively setting the edge a couple of times.

On the perimeter, rookie receiver Davante Adams made a couple of nice grabs once again – one a toe-tap move along the sideline on a Flynn throw – but as soon as it appears he’s mounting a charge at Jarrett Boykin for the No. 3 receiver spot, Boykin responds. With Rodgers running the no-huddle drill late in practice, Boykin caught a bullet on a crossing pattern and then hauled in a go route down the sideline, evidence that duo’s chemistry continues to grow.

“I would think it’s there,” McCarthy said. “Boykin had a tremendous year last year for what he was asked to do, the opportunities he was given and how he performed. I know Aaron feels very good about him.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 28, 2014, 09:18:30 pm
Mitchell from Saint Johns, MI

I have a good number of friends who prefer college football over professional. I prefer professional. Which do you prefer? Why?

I prefer the NFL to college football, by far. Once upon a time, I loved the two equally. What happened? In my opinion, the quality of the college product has declined dramatically in recent years. The games are seldom competitive. I see point spreads of 30 or more points all over the top 20. I have loved college football for all of my life, but I’m losing my fondness for it and that makes me sad. Saturdays aren’t the same anymore.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 28, 2014, 09:21:15 pm
Chad from Tarpon Springs, FL

What is the greatest game you have ever seen? Mine is the 2009 playoff game between the Packers and Cardinals when the Packers lost, 51-45.

That’s one of my all-time least favorite playoff games. I’m just not a 96-point kind of guy. I prefer a hard-hitting, 24-21 type of game, with as many big hits and big stops on defense as there are big plays and touchdowns on offense. I thought the game in Chicago last season was sensational. That’s my kind of game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 28, 2014, 09:28:21 pm
Gladdys from Rolling Meadows, IL

Vic, what’s the difference between practicing in pads and practicing in shells?

In the old days, when players wore hip pads and sizable knee pads and thigh pads, and significantly larger shoulder pads, the difference between shells and full pads was the difference between pajamas and a tuxedo. These days, the size and number of pads have been greatly reduced. It’s the difference between a pair of shorts and a pair of pants.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 28, 2014, 11:02:24 pm
As noted in APC's practice notebook, Monday was a big day for the Aaron-Rodgers-to-Jarrett-Boykin connection. McCarthy spoke glowingly about Boykin, stating, "He had a tremendous year last year. I know Aaron feels good about him." While no conclusions can be reached after a single padded practice, it seems Boykin will be difficult to unseat as the third starting receiver.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 29, 2014, 08:50:08 pm
Candido from Tehuacan, Puebla

Vic, we have heard all about the best games and seasons you have covered. How about the opposite? Do you have any season you would like to take off the book of memories?

The 2008 season was awful. Why? Because expectations made it awful. The team I was covering ate the pizza. It signed a couple of free agents and immediately proclaimed them to be the missing links. It literally helped convince the media to make that team the AFC favorite. So how did that turn out? It began with 0-2 and by Thanksgiving they were on their way to losing six of their final seven games of the season en route to a 5-11 record. The expectations were unrealistic. That team fell into the one-player-away trap. When the season ended, it was blow-it-up time. Expectations are very dangerous. They can become a contagion that spreads wildly through the locker room and the fan base. Perspective is critical. Coaches are vigilant in providing perspective for their teams. That team wanted to be something more than it was. It felt good to be something more than it was and I think it felt a need to try to sell that to its fans. The season was over before it began.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 29, 2014, 09:46:19 pm
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BtpW14WCcAAbUq1.jpg:large)

RB Du Juan Harris and the little friend who contributed her trike.  Good thing that he carried it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 29, 2014, 09:50:59 pm
(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/002/994/815/46c0fcad50ccc1b89353f7a75b207128_crop_north.jpg?w=610&h=410&q=75)

Rookie TE Lyerla.   Off to a weak  start.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 30, 2014, 08:55:00 pm
GREEN BAY—Ted Thompson, the architect of the Packers’ current five-year playoff run, will remain the team’s executive vice president and general manager for the long-term future.

Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy, who recently said signing Thompson to a new contract was a priority, announced on Wednesday that Thompson has signed a new, multi-year contract with the team.

“I’m pleased that we were able to enter into this contract extension with Ted,” Murphy said. “His outstanding work has been the key factor in the success that we’ve enjoyed in recent years. I have tremendous respect for Ted, and am confident that we will continue to contend for championships under his leadership.”

Thompson is beginning his 10th season as the team’s football operations boss. Under his and Head Coach Mike McCarthy’s leadership, the Packers won a Super Bowl in the 2010 season and are currently on a three-year run as NFC North Division champions.

“Mark Murphy and I have had ongoing conversations. I felt very appreciated by the organization and honored to work with such fine people. The more you think about it the more you wonder how nuts are you to walk away from something like this? After you put all of the chips on the table, there’s very little choice,” Thompson told reporters during his 1 p.m. press conference on Wednesday.





“I was asked that question a lot, how long are you going to go? I think I’ll just let it play itself out. It seems to me a lot of people can be very productive late in life. I feel pretty energized to keep going,” he said. “I feel great. This place means a lot to me.”

Was his decision influenced by the Packers’ current run of success?

“I think we have a chance to be a pretty good team if we play well, but the answer is no,” Thompson said.

Extending Head Coach Mike McCarthy’s contract?

“It’s a big priority. It’s always been the way it’s been done here; the general manager gets done (first),” Thompson said.

:-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 30, 2014, 09:09:05 pm
Davon House clearly having his best year

Hear from Green Bay Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy and cornerback Davon House as they talk about House's progression over his 2012 injury and look ahead to the 2014 season.

High praise for the rookie who was the star of the "underwear league" in 2012.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 30, 2014, 09:16:22 pm


Don from Peoria, IL

Do we have a strong enough defense to take us to the Super Bowl?

That’s the $64,000 question, Don. I wish I had the answer for you. I think the answer is going to be yes, but we can’t know that much before midway through the season. Julius Peppers’ new role must be defined and he must achieve comfort in it. Clay Matthews is still playing with a wrap on that right thumb. There’s a competition at safety. Datone Jones is trying to win a starting defensive end job. Nick Perry is trying to recover from knee and foot injuries that linger from last season. I see talent and depth. Can it stay healthy? Can the rush complement the coverage, and vice versa? Is this the year the rebuild on defense comes to maturity? I think the answer is going to be yes, but there are no guarantees. What I will guarantee is that the defense must get stronger for this team to go all the way.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 30, 2014, 09:40:56 pm
The Green Bay Packers took the field for the first time on Saturday for the start of training camp. It usually takes a few practices for things to really get going, but there were still plenty of first impressions to take away.

The biggest winner from practice this weekend was cornerback Casey Hayward, while undrafted free-agent tight end Colt Lyerla was the biggest loser. There's still plenty of time for things to change, but first impressions usually stick around the longest.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 30, 2014, 10:20:35 pm
To fill the final vacant spot on their 90-man roster, the Packers have added wide receiver Gerrard Sheppard. Sheppard was claimed off of waivers from the Baltimore Ravens.

With the addition, Green Bay now has a total of 11 wide receivers. It's unclear whether Sheppard was claimed to account for Jeff Janis' absence, which head coach Mike McCarthy described as "a little different" in Wednesday's press conference.


 

At 6-2 and 211 lbs., Sheppard possesses a similar build to many of his new receiver teammates. He entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2013, spending the year on the Ravens' practice squad. Prior to that, he played two years at Towson, a Division I FCS program. Sheppard has been issued jersey no. 9.

 

On the surface, the move would seem to extinguish whatever hope Jermichael Finley still had for a return with the Packers. The team removed his nameplate from the locker room earlier this week

Bye bye, Finley?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 03, 2014, 06:42:51 pm
Colt Lyerla injury: Packers TE carted off practice field.

Another one?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 03, 2014, 07:50:57 pm


Vic Ketchman

packers.com editor

Ask Vic a question
 








Competition across the board; tight end is spotlight position


GREEN BAY—The Packers’ three coordinators each gave their approval of their units’ progress through the first week of training camp.

“It’s been a very good camp,” Offensive Coordinator Tom Clements said on Friday. “We did a lot of good work in the spring. The veterans are playing very well. The younger guys are flashing. It’s very competitive and that’s good because it’ll make us better.”

As the Packers head into tonight’s “Family Night” practice, the spotlight is shining brightest on the offense’s tight end position, where Andrew Quarless is trying to hold off rookie Richard Rodgers and young veteran Brandon Bostick. Tight end is the position on offense that seems to be the least settled.

“We’re still in our installation phase. We’re still in the process of putting the offense in. On Monday, we’ll have all of the offense in and then we’ll get into the preseason games,” Clements said.

Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers has a difficult task ahead of him. Capers has to hide from media and fans what he doesn’t want them to see, yet, find enough time before the regular season begins to install the expected new schemes that’ll accommodate Julius Peppers’ arrival in Green Bay.

“You limit those things,” Capers said. “You put it on tape and everybody in the league is going to see it.”

The problem is “practices are cut by more than a third,” Capers said. “We’ve got a couple of installs left; different personnel groups you might use on third down. These next two installs are specialty things.

“Julius and Clay (Matthews) have been able to stay together every practice out there, which is excellent.”

The “Family Night” practice, of course, will not feature Peppers and Matthews.

“We’ve got some young, ascending players the arrow is pointing up on and we need to get them some work,” Capers said.

Special Teams Coordinator Shawn Slocum is experimenting with a lot of different returners. Early indications are running back DuJuan Harris is the leader for the kickoff return job.

“He’s a quick, powerful little guy. He’s got good top end speed. I’m anxious to see him get tackled and play,” Slocum said.

Punt returners?

“From Randall (Cobb) to Micah (Hyde) to 3-4 other guys,” Slocum said.

Coverage players?

“That whole group of young linebackers look pretty good to me. The safeties look pretty good, too. I like this roster,” Slocum added.

A large crowd is expected at Lambeau Field to take their own look at the Packers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 04, 2014, 07:30:44 pm

Tyler Dunne   @TyDunne 
Follow
Just heard from source that #Packers TE Colt Lyerla is having MRI done today. As you'd expect, sounds like this may be serious.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 04, 2014, 08:20:37 pm
Ryan from Toledo, OH

Vic, I don’t understand how teams that have been consistently bad teams for years just stay bad. With their records, they are always drafting near the top so, over the years, shouldn’t they be getting enough young talent to be more competitive?

Miss on the quarterback; that’s all it takes.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 04, 2014, 09:02:36 pm
When the Packers drafted Davante Adams in the second round, everyone, including myself, instantly slotted him into the No. 3 receiver spot on the depth chart. However, Adams has been relatively quiet throughout the offseason.

He hasn't necessarily been bad, he just hasn't stood out, either. Well, that was until a few days ago when Adams' talents were on full display. During Family Night, Adams had the catch of the night, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.

When you combine Adams' hands with his unique blend of size and athleticism, you have the potential for a dangerous weapon. Look for Adams to continue to make noise as the Packers head into Week 2 of training camp, and to really push for that No. 3 receiver

He still has beat out a very good number 3, Jarrett Boykin.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 04, 2014, 09:27:00 pm
Packers tight end Jermichael Finley may no longer be entitled to the $10 million from his disability insurance policy after receiving full medical clearance from his doctor.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 04, 2014, 10:45:08 pm
Lyerla, who went undrafted in May after a series of off-the-field incidents, was off to a slow start in training camp, but had two touchdown catches during a red-zone period on Friday. Although coach Mike McCarthy said practice wasn't the correct time to hurdle a defender, Lyerla showed his natural athleticism in vaulting the nearly 6-foot Rolle.

After leaving the University of Oregon football team in October, Lyerla admitted on Saturday walking into Lambeau Field with a record 67,336 in attendance for Family Night was awe-inspiring.

"It was pretty amazing for me because there was a point in time where I didn't know if I'd ever be able to do that again," Lyerla said. "I could have been the happiest person out there just being able to play in front of a crowd that big."

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 05, 2014, 09:57:29 pm
The defensive penetration came against reserves, though, and McCarthy had nothing but praise for his No. 1 offensive line through the first week-plus.

“If I was going to jump out there for one position group that’s probably had the most consistent work from practice one through eight, I’d have to say that’s the group,” McCarthy said. “I think they’ve consistently given the running backs pretty good looks in the run game. The protection part of it, we’re further ahead than we were last year
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 05, 2014, 10:02:49 pm
(http://prod.static.packers.clubs.nfl.com//assets/images/imported/GB/photos/centerpiece/2014/08-august/140805-qbs-vic-650.jpg)>
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 05, 2014, 10:22:40 pm

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- When general manager Ted Thompson drafted Fresno State receiver Davante Adams in the second round this year, there were instant comparisons to former Green Bay Packers wide receiver James Jones -- another California kid with similar size and physical attributes.

Adams and Jones even worked out together before the draft this spring.

Davante Adams

Mike McGinnis/Getty Images
Second-round pick Davante Adams is making strides at wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers.A little more than a week into training camp, however, the 6-foot-1 and 215-pound Adams has looked more like another, more productive former Packers' receiver.

The way Adams cuts in and out of his breaks with ease has reminded the Packers of a young Greg Jennings, who was perhaps the best route runner this team has had in the last decade or more. Because of that, Adams is making a strong push for the No. 3 receiver spot behind Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb.

"We noticed that the first day he got here," Cobb said after Tuesday's practice. "He's really smooth."

That was on display in Saturday's Family Night practice at Lambeau Field. With 67,336 people looking on, Adams made the best catch of the night on an out route from backup quarterback Matt Flynn. Adams had to extend to haul in the pass toward the left sideline against tight coverage.

Adams got off to a slow start in the offseason practices, making Jarrett Boykin look like a lock for the No. 3 spot. But with every training camp practice, it looks more like Adams will push and perhaps overtake Boykin, who has had an ordinary camp...

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 05, 2014, 10:41:24 pm
Favre to Enter Packers HOF: 'I Was Always a Packer'
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 05, 2014, 10:49:37 pm
(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/slides/photos/003/739/551/hi-res-aa9eb3164075bf307650044045535995_crop_north.jpg?w=630&h=420&q=75)

Justin Perillo.

If Perillo continues to shine, it'll be hard for the Packers to cut him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 05, 2014, 10:57:11 pm
 Lattimore worked extensively at Brad Jones' inside linebacker position. Jones did not take any team snaps during the second half of practice but did take part in the final period of practice. Coach Mike McCarthy said he did not have any injury information on Jones, so it was unclear whether Lattimore's playing time was earned or the result of something wrong with Jones. Safety Morgan Burnett also followed the same pattern as Jones, but McCarthy did not have any injury information about him, either.

Looks like Jones and Burnett have lost their jobs unless they sharpen up.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 05, 2014, 11:04:17 pm
(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/003/005/623/hi-res-4578e728fc9bac22b331443b64f683b5_crop_north.jpg?w=630&h=420&q=75)

JC Tretter and a kid sitting on  a fence.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 06, 2014, 07:32:27 pm
Emmett from Monahans, TX




Going into the first preseason game, how is the whole safety situation looking? Who seems to be the front runner?

Micah Hyde and Morgan Burnett are the Packers’ starting safeties. Sean Richardson is one of the stars of this camp, Chris Banjo looked like Ronnie Lott in Tuesday’s practice, and Ha Ha is a first-round pick. I don’t see a weakness. I see depth.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 06, 2014, 07:36:39 pm
Vic, my dad used to say, “You’d complain if they hung you with a new rope.” I can’t help but think of that when I see Packers fans complain about rules benefiting the quarterback. We have the best quarterback in his prime with a solid line and a powerhouse running back. We should be giddy.

I completely agree. This new major emphasis is tailor made for the Packers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 06, 2014, 08:22:09 pm


Tom SilversteinVerified account
‏@TomSilverstein   When the ball is in his vicinity TE Richard Rodgers catches it. Hands like vices. Now, can he block?

Apparently hye has beaten out Quarless an d Bostick at TE.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 06, 2014, 08:27:24 pm

Rodgers doesn't expect to play much Saturday http://pck.rs/1lBThoo

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 06, 2014, 08:31:19 pm
There were several dropped passes in Wednesday's practice, but there also were two spectacular one-handed catches. And they occurred on back-to-back plays courtesy of a pair of rookie receivers, second-round pick Davante Adams and seventh-rounder Jeff Janis. First, Janis pulled down his one-handed, 16-yard touchdown from Scott Tolzien on a fade route over Sam Shields in the left corner of the end zone. It was only Janis' third day of practice after missing the first week of camp because of shingles. It showed the kind of athleticism the Packers liked when they drafted the 6-foot-3, 219-pounder out of Saginaw Valley State. On the next play, Adams snagged an 11-yard touchdown from Matt Flynn over Casey Hayward in the right corner of the end zone. For Adams, perhaps it made up for two drops during the two-hour, 12-minute practice. Rookie tight end Richard Rodgers and receiver Randall Cobb also had drops.

I hope this guy makes the roster.  I certainly want some other team snatching him off the PS.>
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 07, 2014, 07:46:53 pm
Green Bay Packers General Manager Ted Thompson, somewhat with tongue-in-cheek, took the media to task this morning during his press conference.

His biggest beef was with the media’s penchant for putting together stories about who is expected to make the team, saying that the media is “almost always wrong,” and going on to say that he’s seen players depressed because of stories they have read in the newspapers or online.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 07, 2014, 08:23:31 pm
Drew from Gilbert, AZ

So with all this talk about Seattle’s defense being an exception to the rule, can I assume you would take an elite offense over an elite defense?

Considering the new major point of emphasis that’s going to be enforced this season, I absolutely would take an elite offense over an elite defense. Can a defense achieve elite status in this rules climate? I don’t think you can win a championship without scoring a lot of points. The 2004 season was a major-point-of-emphasis year and Peyton Manning set a record for touchdown passes. I expect records for offense to fall this season. The league is bound and determined to make this a game of offense. I genuinely believe three- and four-point stances will be outlawed at some point in the future.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 07, 2014, 08:24:39 pm
Michael from Breckenridge, CO

Vic, you were saying ACL injuries were a death knell back in the day. What guys were knelled back in the day that today would come back the following year sometimes stronger than ever?

Gale Sayers is the perfect example. Here’s a quote from Dr. James Andrews: “In those days our ability to fix an ACL, MCL, PCL was in the dark ages. We didn’t know how to fix the ACL, so we left it alone and operated on the peripheral tendons to make up for the ACL. That didn’t work. With the cartilage, we would do a total menisectomy, just take it all out. That was a mistake too.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 07, 2014, 08:29:33 pm
Ed from Paradise, CA

Vic, you mentioned looking at potential changes that would make the game smaller. A good start would be examining what changes contributed to making the game bigger. Allowing 350-pound offensive tackles to hold on every play helps. The old chicken wing blocking didn’t lend itself to offensive linemen that couldn’t run.

You’re right, the rules changes of 1978 that allowed offensive linemen to use their hands in blocking made the game bigger. What followed was an explosion of 300-pound offensive linemen. Movement wasn’t as critical to blocking because you could lock up defenders with your hands. You didn’t have to get out in front of the ball and block in space. Pulling and trapping became pushing and shoving, and bigger is better when you want to push and shove. That Rubicon has been crossed and there’s no going back. If all of a sudden the NFL passed a rule that forbid offensive linemen to use their hands to block, the quarterback would get sacked on every play.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 07, 2014, 08:31:12 pm
Josh from Brookfield, WI

Do yourself a favor and do not watch footage of why Martellus Bennett got suspended. If that piddly scuffle was worth a team suspension and fine nowadays, then I don’t know how long I’m going to be a football fan. What a joke. If you have any legit training camp fight stories, we’d love to hear them.

Jon Kolb and Ernie “Fats” Holmes are my all-time favorite fighters. They fought all the time, but it’s how they fought that I’ll never forget. They fought quietly and everybody just stood around and watched. All of a sudden, you would hear some grunting and thumping, and then you’d see Kolb and Holmes hitting each other in the head. No words, just grunting and thumping. Practice would stop. Coach Noll would get a disgusted look on his face, but he’d say nothing. The grunting and thumping would go on for a while, and then Kolb and Holmes would get tired and stop. Often, after a few seconds of rest, the grunting and thumping would start again, and that’s when Coach Noll would say, “OK, that’s enough. George (Perles), step in there.” Then there would be chuckles. Everything is such a major ordeal nowadays.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 07, 2014, 08:37:41 pm
orange paint. Memories make us rich.

Ben from Wauwatosa, WI

Be honest, Vic, you do not actually read all the questions e-mailed to you. You recently claimed you do, but I know the truth. Great column, though.

Send me a question and I’ll promise not to read it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 07, 2014, 08:38:15 pm
Aaron from Ashland, WI

How has David Bakhtiari looked so far this camp?

Like a franchise left tackle.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 07, 2014, 08:39:28 pm
David from Honolulu, HI

Vic, you probably already answered this, but when the conversation continues about who is the best QB of all time, Brett Favre’s toughness factor is in line with what you’re always talking about, right?

Great quarterbacks are tough, and they don’t come any tougher than Favre. Johnny Unitas’ toughness left him with a crippled arm later in life. Joe Montana played with a back that was so painful most people wouldn’t have been able to get out of bed with it, let alone get knocked into tomorrow by Leonard Marshall. Terry Bradshaw played with a cast on his broken left wrist. Favre set endurance records. Where’s the stat for toughness? I feel sorry for fans that don’t appreciate toughness. It’s the No. 1 “stat” in my book.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 10, 2014, 05:14:07 pm
...It didn’t hold up, as the Packers’ No. 3 defense couldn’t make it three stops in a row, but some key objectives were reached as everybody who dressed, played, and did so in adverse conditions.

“It stinks that you lose, but it’s the first preseason game, so you have to build on it,” Tolzien said.

The Packers will try to do that next Saturday in, thankfully, a climate-controlled dome in St. Louis.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 10, 2014, 05:14:31 pm
line and the Titans held on for the win.




Matt Flynn was the Packers’ starting quarterback and he quickly and efficiently moved the Packers 64 yards in eight plays on their opening possession. Running back James Starks scored on a 20-yard run to give the Packers a 7-0 lead.

“He picked up where he left off (last season). I thought James looked like he was in midseason form. James was excellent,” McCarthy said.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 10, 2014, 05:16:18 pm
The Packers’ No. 1 defense was suffocating against quarterback Jake Locker and the Titans No. 1 offense. The Titans’ only touchdown in the first half was largely the result of rookie Davante Adams’ fumble of a punt. The Titans recovered at the Packers’ 13-yard line and running Shonn Greene scored on the next play. The PAT kick failed...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 10, 2014, 05:18:25 pm

Scott Tolzien replaced Flynn and Tolzien was sharp in completing eight of 12 passes for 124 yards. He led the Packers on a seven-play, 79-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter. Rookie running back Rajion Neal scored on a 12-yard run to give the Packers a 13-6 lead...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 10, 2014, 10:48:09 pm
Two years ago, you could see in the Green Bay Packers' Family Night scrimmage and first preseason game that free-agent center Jeff Saturday was hitting the wall.

Saturday was 37 at the time and got pushed around too much. It was an early sign of issues to come, and by the end of the year he'd lost his starting job.

Now, I'm not saying that about Julius Peppers, the 34-year-old outside linebacker who this offseason was general manager Ted Thompson's big free-agent signing. But I have to say, I expected a lot more from Peppers in the Packers' preseason opener at Tennessee on Saturday night.

What's holding me back from getting off the Peppers bus early are his ungodly physical skills. He's still 6-feet-7. He's still 290 pounds, and you can't pinch him with pliers. He's Julius Peppers, he's still going to get attention from offenses, especially early in the season. But maybe expectations are too high. Either way, I thought he looked uninterested Saturday night in the 10 snaps he played in the pouring rain.

For instance, he was a big reason Titans running back Shonn Greene scored so easily on a 13-yard touchdown run that was the final play of the No. 1 defense's night. Peppers got too far up field and turned his back to the sideline, which opened a huge hole for Greene to cut inside and go for the score. There might have been a defensive mix-up, because defensive lineman Mike Daniels barreled too far inside also. But Peppers looked like, "Eh, it's preseason."...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 10, 2014, 10:57:56 pm
The Green Bay Packers' decision to sit Aaron Rodgers during Saturday night's preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans provided a chance for the club to take a long look at its backup quarterback competition.

One quarterback took advantage of the opportunity; one did not.

Scott Tolzien threw for 124 yards on just 12 attempts for a passer rating of 100.7, while veteran Matt Flynn struggled mightily over almost a full half of action as the Titans eventually beat the Packers, 20-16...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on August 11, 2014, 09:15:11 am
Peppers is just saving it for the regular season, you'll see...just wait for it...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on August 11, 2014, 08:06:29 pm
Peppers is just saving it for the regular season, you'll see...just wait for it...

 Just like he did last year.  ;)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 11, 2014, 09:31:57 pm
Peppers is just saving it for the regular season, you'll see...just wait for it...

Hope you are right.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 11, 2014, 09:32:06 pm
Courtney from Butte, MT

Couldn’t watch the game because I had a date with my wife. Read the news and seems our defense played well. What’s your perspective on Peppers’ debut?

That wasn’t his debut. That was a preseason game. Julius Peppers’ debut is set for Sept. 4 in Seattle
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 11, 2014, 09:38:44 pm
Ray from Hoffman Estates, IL

Vic, the success of the Packers defense greatly depends on our ability to rush the passer. The Packers obtained Julius Peppers for that reason. You have barely mentioned Peppers so far, which leads me to believe he’s not having a great training camp. Can you tell us what he’s shown and if there should be concern that his skill level has diminished?

You don’t evaluate players of his esteem and years in the league on how he performs in training camp. Peppers is beyond having to prove himself in training camp. His test will come in the regular season. He’s using training camp and the preseason to prepare himself to be the impact player we expect him to be when the games count. Then, we evaluate.

Hmmm.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 11, 2014, 09:46:17 pm
Vic, what was the biggest question answered in Saturday night’s game?

Clay Matthews was able to use his hands, both of them, to ward off blockers. I saw him do it. At that point, Saturday’s game was a win.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 12, 2014, 07:08:58 pm
Jake from Franklin, WI

Vic, I was just a kid when Favre left and, as a huge Packers fan, it hurt. Now, I can’t wait for his jersey retiring. I’ve come to balance. I hope they pick a Packers-Bears game.

They won’t be retiring his No. 4 then; that’ll happen next July at the Hall of Fame banquet. The game ceremony will be about his return to the field and the unveiling of his name to live in immortality on the north façade of Lambeau Field. What game? Well, Mark Murphy recently remarked that it would likely be for a game against a division opponent, and I think we can rule out the Vikings game, which leaves games against the Lions and Bears. I think it’ll be the Bears game and I also think it’ll likely be a nationally televised game. Think about it: Packers-Bears, Brett Favre returns to Lambeau Field, Bart Starr, Aaron Rodgers. The networks will fight over that one. The NFL is all about creating good theater, and that’s great theater. I don’t think Packers-Lions would have the same punch. I think it’ll be Packers-Bears and I’ll be very disappointed in the Bears if they don’t come bearing gifts.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 12, 2014, 07:09:52 pm
I keep hearing Sean Richardson’s name come up. How is his camp going thus far? Do you think he could fight for some playing time this year?

If I had to pick an MVP of training camp to date, he’d be it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 12, 2014, 07:10:54 pm
Alan from Patch Grove, WI

During OTAs, you had mentioned Khyri Thornton might start to shine when the pads were put on. Has he shined?

He did last night. He made at least one big bang in half-lines. He has compact quickness. He reminds me of Aaron Donald.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 12, 2014, 07:12:21 pm
Chris from Mancos, CO

Vic, with the refs’ new calls this year, will we see a different Seattle team?

I hope the Seahawks aren’t forced to change their style of play. I don’t think it would be fair. I didn’t think it was fair that Mel Blount was targeted by the rules committee. If flags fly in the season opener, the word “conspiracy” will be the buzz word in the media.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 12, 2014, 07:38:26 pm
I am happy with the conditional trade of Worthy to the Patriots.  I was not impressed with his selection from the start.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 12, 2014, 07:40:24 pm
(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/003/015/255/hi-res-a372a5f30a38080d0785fdd282bfc6c1_crop_north.jpg?w=610&h=410&q=7)

Happy Jordy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 13, 2014, 08:17:57 pm
On paper, they should kill us, you know?” Sitton said.

Quipped Bakhtiari: “Our joke is they have first-rounders all across the board, so Bryan should be the only one able to block them.”

...They were referring to the fact the Rams’ front four of ends Chris Long and Robert Quinn plus tackles Michael Brockers and Aaron Donald were all first-round draft picks, while Packers right tackle Bryan Bulaga will be Green Bay’s only first-rounder across from them. The rest of the Packers’ starting line – Bakhtiari, Sitton, right guard T.J. Lang and center JC Tretter – were all fourth-round selections...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 13, 2014, 09:02:12 pm
Latest on Datko: :-(

T Andrew Datko (seventh round, No. 241 overall): Released in the final cuts at the end of training camp last year. Spent his rookie season on the practice squad and was never on the active roster. He's currently out of the NFL.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 13, 2014, 09:04:10 pm

Packers News        ✔   @PGPackersNews 
Follow
RT @WesHod: New at #Packers Insiders Blog: Worthy passes physical, completes trade to #Patriots http://pck.rs/VncJhE


7:25 PM - 13 Aug 2014
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on August 14, 2014, 01:10:24 am
 
 Packy,
 
 You and your boys are going down dude ...
 
 because you dont give us any ...
 
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FOUqQt3Kg0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FOUqQt3Kg0)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 14, 2014, 11:16:05 am
Oh, you are wrong there, jj.  I realize the Bears are for real and have them rated higher than many Bear fans.  I think they will be in the play-offs.  I still like the Pack, though.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 14, 2014, 11:27:32 am
Jeff Janis had another splash play.  He seems to have one every day and is following fans to have big hopes for him to make the team roster.   He is 6-3 and 219 lbs,  He runs under a 4.4 forty.  He has dropped only one pass during pre-season.

I would love to see him on the roster.  Leaving him on the PS leaves him open for some other team to steal,  There will be several WRs that I predict the Pack will lose if they don't trade before the cut-day.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on August 14, 2014, 11:48:42 am

After Jared Abbrederis went down with the ACL you don't think Janis makes the team?

With his size he's a better fit in Chicago anyway.

Come on down!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 14, 2014, 12:16:48 pm
That's my feeling but, unfortunately, some Packer fans have doubts.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 14, 2014, 08:45:26 pm
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Julius Peppers' new coaches say they have seen more than enough on the practice field and in their meeting rooms to believe the 34-year-old former All-Pro pass-rusher will be the major contributor that Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson banked on when he signed him as a $26 million free agent in March.

Continue Reading on ESPN.com »
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 14, 2014, 08:56:02 pm
Rookie free agent Colt Lyerla, who is out indefinitely with a torn medial collateral ligament and a torn posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, was asked if he'd like to return as a fullback rather than a tight end.

"I wouldn't want to be, but I think I could be," replied Lyerla. "I guess it would depend on the offense."

(...)

After thinking it over for a few minutes, he said, "I guess I want to retract my initial statement. That wouldn't be such a bad idea."

Probably IR this season. ??
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 14, 2014, 09:43:51 pm
To start with Hyde, his athleticism leapt off the film as a limited-role player. He strikes me as someone who can be incredibly useful attacking the line of scrimmage and in coverage, while being a liability when run straight at. That's a compromise teams will live with if their safety is both generating sacks and covering fast tight ends and slot receivers.

Jennings was a mess last year. I did not see a lot of McMillian, but I assume he was a similar problem. Safety is the hardest position on the field to isolate and evaluate: when other players look bad, it automatically makes the safety look worse, because he is either trying to save the play or stuck trying to tackle a ballcarrier in wide-open field. So I don't want to bury Burnett. I think Hyde, Burnett, and Clinton-Dix will allow Capers to put together a lot of different packages, perhaps play 3-safety heavy nickel in a 2-4-5 look. That is obviously much more than the team had last year...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 15, 2014, 07:50:48 pm
Roderick from Gelnhausen, Germany

Vic, I know it’s the preseason and the schemes are vanilla, and little game planning on the opponent is done. That said, I was surprised at the ease with which Chad Henne moved the ball up and down the field against the Bears’ No. 1 defense. I know the Bears will make adjustments and look better when the season starts. Still, they did not impress at all. Thoughts?

Don’t evaluate teams based on how they play in the preseason. Evaluate individuals based on how they play in the preseason. I saw some scheme last night.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 15, 2014, 08:39:00 pm
 may seem crazy to think that quarterback Matt Flynn is on the roster bubble. However, Scott Tolzien has been quickly gaining ground on Flynn for the backup quarterback job.

In fact, quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt called the competition "up in the air," according to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. This was after Tolzien greatly outperformed Flynn in the Packers' first preseason game against the Tennessee Titans.

If the Packers end up feeling good enough about Tolzien throughout training camp, it's definitely possible they give him the No. 2 job and cut ties with Flynn.

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 15, 2014, 08:44:11 pm
One way to find your way onto the roster bubble is by having a a difficult offseason. Even though outside linebacker Nick Perry has no reason for being on the bubble, he finds himself there because he's having a horrid offseason.

It began with him being injured to start training camp. That instantly forced him to play catch-up once he got back on the field. Unfortunately, he hasn't excelled during camp now that he's healthy.

When Perry finally got on the field in the first preseason game, he was kept in check by rookie offensive tackle Taylor Lewan. Overall, it has been far from an ideal offseason for Perry, and it's put him squarely on the roster bubble in Green Bay.

 
Uh, oh.  What disappointment he has been
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 15, 2014, 08:45:47 pm
No position has been more surprising than the safeties for the Packers during training camp and the first preseason game.

This was supposed to be one of the weaker positions on the roster, but it's quickly turning into one of the strongest positions. This is due to the drafting of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, the switching of positions by Micah Hyde and the development of Sean Richardson.

Those three above players have all been solid during camp, which is leaving Chris Banjo on the outside looking in. At this point, even if Banjo begins to play at a high level, it might be too little, too late
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 15, 2014, 09:18:55 pm
http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2014/8/14/6004821/meet-quarterback-ref-who-has-an-absolute-cannon
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 16, 2014, 07:03:41 pm
Howard from Sarasota, FL
 It doesn’t get much better than that.

What you saw in the first quarter is what this team can be. Be happy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 16, 2014, 07:04:51 pm
Morgan from Fort Collins, CO
 Vic, I’m annoyed NFL Network is airing the game through the Rams Broadcasting Network. Are they doing it because it’s preseason and they don’t want to expend more resources?

Yes. This place is three-quarters empty. It’s the preseason. Be happy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 16, 2014, 07:06:44 pm
Reiss from Virginia Beach, VA
 Vic, you were right about our offense. Besides the penalty, they were close to unstoppable. What did you see from your view in the press box?

I saw the Colts of their Peyton Manning glory years.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 16, 2014, 07:08:39 pm
C.J. from Edinboro, PA
 If anybody is still worrying about the offense, they should be banned.

I agree.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 16, 2014, 08:22:34 pm
(http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/658056/janis.0.gif)

Jeff Janis (23) is very fast
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 18, 2014, 02:16:30 pm
In the third quarter, quarterback Matt Flynn dropped back and found his first option covered. He looked to Janis, who was running a simple drag route across the middle.

Flynn flipped Janis the ball and Janis flipped on the jets. Two defenders for the Rams looked like they had solid angles on Janis.

He outran both of them, turning a simple safety-valve pass into a 34-yard touchdown.


“Probably right now they’re not going to realize how fast I am, so I think that’s going to work out in my favor,” Janis said. “Hopefully it takes them a little while to realize that.”

Second-round pick Davonte Adams put it differently when referring to Janis’ speed.


“V12, like the engine,” Adams said. “You’ve got the V6, the Honda Accord. You’ve got the V8 Porsche. And then you’ve got the V12 (Lamborghini) and that’s him.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 18, 2014, 08:57:15 pm
Nial from Jacksonville, FL

Thanks to you, I notice the battle in the trenches more than ever before. JC Tretter held his own against Aaron Donald. What was your opinion of Tretter’s second game? Did Aaron Donald impress you?

On the plays that I focused on Donald, he was working against a guard. On one play, I saw him shoot past the guard and into the backfield, just as he did at the Senior Bowl so many times, but the ball was out before Donald could get close to the quarterback. I turned to Mike Spofford and said something to the effect that defensive linemen won’t have time to get to the quarterback if defensive backs can’t hold their coverage. I think that’s going to be one of the major impacts of the new major point of emphasis. Defensive backs are going to be forced to back off their coverage, and that’s going to allow quarterbacks to get rid of the ball more quickly. I think sacks per pass play are going to decline leaguewide
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 18, 2014, 09:12:06 pm
After a mostly invisible preseason debut in rain-drenched Tennessee, Julius Peppers rebounded against the St. Louis Rams Saturday to look more like the active, disruptive edge player the Green Bay Packers need this season.

The 34-year-old Peppers played into the second quarter, seeing 22 snaps over two series with the rest of the first-team defense. While his 10 soggy snaps against the Titans in monsoon-like conditions a week ago were underwhelming, Peppers gave the Packers defense seven positive plays and at least two pass disruptions in St. Louis, based off my own film study of the contest.

Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded Peppers at plus-1.8, good for the fourth-best grade on the Green Bay defense against the Rams. He was credited with one quarterback hit and one "stop," which PFF considers a tackle constituting an offensive failure.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 19, 2014, 07:46:23 pm
Peppers is just saving it for the regular season, you'll see...just wait for it...

GREEN BAY–In what might’ve been a farewell performance of the ever-popular training camp half-line drill, Julius Peppers punctuated the moment with one of the most resonant thumps of the summer. For good measure, he did it again.

Peppers’ pop earned a smack on the back of his helmet from his position coach, Winston Moss. Peppers’ for-good-measure encore had Moss hopping with excitement.

You may be right, Dave.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 19, 2014, 07:49:38 pm
Thaddeus from Chattanooga, TN

What did you see from the Seahawks on Friday? The offense looked pretty good.

They’re powerful. That’s still plain to see. They have not gotten fat celebrating their Super Bowl win. I saw a team that continues to play with great energy. I saw a team that still wants to hit you. You gotta buckle up if you’re going to Seattle.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 19, 2014, 07:53:00 pm
Ryan from La Crosse, WI

Is this actually the best offensive line we have had since Aaron Rodgers has been our quarterback?

It probably is and there’s a reason for it: The Packers have accumulated a lot of offensive linemen in the draft. Here’s the conundrum general managers face: There aren’t enough rounds of the draft to build quickly through the draft, but patience is not one of the trademarks of owners and fans in today’s game. You can use free agency to fill in the gaps, but then you run the risk of damaging your salary cap. Patience is the key. You need an owner with the patience to remain committed to his coach and general manager. That’s where a waiting list for tickets really helps. It tends to promote patience.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 19, 2014, 07:53:57 pm
Jon from Bath, England

Vic, a couple of years back you selected Aaron Rodgers, Jason Pierre-Paul and Darrelle Revis as the three players to build a new franchise around. Which three current players would you pick now?

Andrew Luck, Patrick Peterson and Matt Kalil.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 19, 2014, 07:58:47 pm
Ryan from Hustisford, WI

How do the Packers keep from having smart quarterbacks from constantly audibling into a play that forces Julius Peppers into coverage, instead of rushing the passer?

Pre-snap for defense is all about disguising coverage and rush schemes. You beat audibles by successfully disguising what you want to do.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 19, 2014, 08:18:17 pm
Packers Release Tight End Colt Lyerla with Injury Designation
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 19, 2014, 08:28:27 pm
The Packers' GM made it clear that there would be essentially no advantage given to drafted players over undrafted rookies or veterans in terms of making the roster out of training camp.

Surprise!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 19, 2014, 08:54:56 pm
(http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/37142338/flck_1.0.0_standard_783.0.jpg)

Thank you, Johnny Manziel, for being as Johnny Manziel as you can possibly be.

Johnny Manziel has had a rough night in the Browns' second preseason game against Washington. First he got sacked, and Brian Orakpo made fun of his hand sign. Then he, uh, didn't play football well.

So, yes, when some players on Washington did something he didn't like, he flipped them the bird
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 20, 2014, 07:44:13 pm
Augustus from Eureka, CA

Doesn’t zone defense invite the big hits the league was trying so hard to tone down last year?

In the deep middle of the field, yes. Underneath, no, and that’s where I believe offenses will attack as the flags fly and defensive coordinators back off their cornerbacks. That’s what I see in my crystal ball. Come back later in the season and tell me I was wrong, if I was, but I see a whole lot of wide receiver screens coming this season, and that’s one of the reasons I think Randall Cobb is going to have a big year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on August 21, 2014, 05:06:36 pm

The Packers' GM made it clear that there would be essentially no advantage given to drafted players over undrafted rookies or veterans in terms of making the roster out of training camp.

I don't buy it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 21, 2014, 10:17:54 pm
Later he commented, in another article, that maybe just a smidgen.  I think he is pretty much on target.  The Packers have a whole gob of new rookies every year.  They  have released some veey good players.

This season should tell the whole story.  There are a couple of players who should be released, like Nick Perry.  We'll see.  They have a couple of this year's mid-round draftees who may get the hatchet.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 22, 2014, 02:52:51 pm
Alex from Eau Claire, WI

As one of the old school/diehard fans of the Packers and the game, all I have to say is goodbye. This new NFL isn’t football and isn’t for me.

You’ll be back, tonight.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 22, 2014, 02:56:26 pm
Jerry from Wilmington, NC

Vic, how does someone who lives outside of the Green Bay area win a gift such as a Cenex gas card?

Cenex doesn’t sell gas where you live. You’ll have to find other means for getting gas. Beans usually work.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 22, 2014, 06:30:15 pm
(http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/37308206/20131222_sal_sh5_021.0_standard_783.0.jpg)

Jarrett Boykin
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 23, 2014, 01:36:35 pm
Report: B.J. Raji has torn bicep

Posted by Mike Wilkening on August 23, 2014, 1:52 PM EDT

Green Bay Packers v Detroit Lions
Getty Images

The Packers’ defensive line has suffered a setback.

Nose tackle B.J. Raji suffered a torn bicep in Friday’s exhibition vs. Oakland, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.  The injury is thought to be potentially “season-ending,” Silverstein reported Saturday.

The Packers’ first-round pick in 2009, the 28-year-old Raji has been a starter along the Green Bay defensive line the last five seasons. Veteran Letroy Guion and rookie Mike Pennel are listed as the top backups at nose tackle.

Earlier Saturday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported it was suspected Raji had suffered a biceps tear. And now, it appears those concerns were well-placed. The focus now turns to the severity of Raji’s injury. If there’s a chance he could again play this season, placing him on injured reserve with a designation to return would be a possibility.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on August 23, 2014, 09:24:49 pm
Yes saw B.J. is out for the season.  Bad break for the Pack.  He was counted on for 35 plays as there run defender.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2014, 06:20:08 pm

Torn biceps puts Raji's future with Packers in doubt


Weston Hodkiewicz, Press-Gazette Media 9:25 p.m. EDT August

B.J. Raji's season is over and his future with the Green Bay Packers in doubt.

Further testing performed on the sixth-year defensive lineman's arm Saturday revealed Raji tore his right biceps in Friday night's 31-21 preseason win over Oakland. The Packers haven't commented publicly, but a league source told Press-Gazette Media he'll miss the 2014 season.

Coming off a disappointing 2013 campaign, Raji returned to Green Bay on a one-year deal worth $4 million with a $500,000 signing bonus with the understanding he'd switch back to nose tackle in the Packers' 3-4 defense...

CRAP.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2014, 06:21:08 pm
Like the rest of the NFL, the Packers also are slowly deviating from the 3-4 as their base defense. According to ESPN Stats and Information, the Packers deployed the alignment on only 252 of 1,015 snaps (24.8 percent) last season.

Raji also works in nickel on obvious running downs, but Jones and Daniels are the primary rushers in the popular subpackage.

"We're obviously not as big as we've been in the past," defensive line Mike Trgovac said last week. "So, we'll have to hit and get-off as opposed to some of those guys were able to hit and hold on a little bit longer like Johnny and Pickett. We'll have enough size with Josh and hopefully when we get Letroy back."...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2014, 06:22:27 pm
The Green Bay Packers announced the release of seven players today, the most notable being wide receiver Chris Harper.

Also released were wide receiver Gerrard Sheppard, quarterback Chase Rettig, safety Charles Clay, cornerback Antonio Dennard, fullback Ina Liaina and linebacker Korey Jones. All seven players are eligible for the practice squad.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2014, 06:25:15 pm

Pete Dougherty, Press-Gazette Media 2:07 a.m. EDT August 23, 201

Keeping three quarterbacks on their final roster still might be a luxury the Green Bay Packers can't afford.

Scott Tolzien tightened his battle with Matt Flynn for the No. 2 job with his play in the Packers' preseason game against the Oakland Raiders on Friday night at Lambeau Field. But unless injuries thin out one or two of the Packers' deepest positions, it still looks like they'll be best off picking between the two, finding a young developmental quarterback after final cuts for their practice squad, and keeping an extra position player at outside linebacker, safety, tight end or receiver...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2014, 06:31:33 pm


No-huddle delivers in Packers' win over Raiders


Tolzien, though, had the better night Friday playing third in the quarterback rotation. He had a 133.5 rating (8-for-11 passing, 107 yards, one touchdown), whereas Flynn had an 11.2 rating (4-for-10 for 37 yards) and threw an interception after taking over after Rodgers' six series. Flynn didn't put up any points in his four possessions, whereas Tolzien put up a touchdown in his three complete series (he also had a one-snap kneel-down series to end the game).

In a nutshell, Flynn (age 29) has worked much longer and done more in McCarthy's offense; Tolzien is younger (26), has the stronger arm and works as hard as anyone on the team. Rodgers probably won't play next week, so the backups will get extensive time to make their final arguments against Kansas City.

By the time the cut down to 53 hits in a little more than week, maybe injuries will make the decisions for Thompson and make it easy to keep Flynn and Tolzien. But if not, he should pick one or the other, and use that player at the 53rd position...
— pdougher@pressgazettemedia.com and follow him on Twitter @PeteDougherty
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2014, 06:58:39 pm
When Peppers sees the film, it'll show his best preseason performance of the season. Which, of course, is a good sign for a 34-year-old transitioning from defensive end to outside linebacker.

Peppers has gotten better with each preseason game. There were underwhelming reviews in his opener two weekends ago against the Tennessee Titans. Last week in St. Louis, he recorded his first tackle for loss in a Packers uniform.

On Friday, Peppers led the first-team defense with three tackles, including two for loss. He also had his not-so-long-awaited first sack as a Packer. It's the kind of consistent improvement expected from an eight-time Pro Bowler. At this stage in his career, no challenge should be too daunting...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2014, 07:08:35 pm


The Green Bay Packers will start the 2014 regular season without starting center JC Tretter, who sustained what coach Mike McCarthy termed "a significant knee injury" in Friday's 31-21 preseason win over the Oakland Raiders.

Tretter, 23, didn't play at all during his rookie season because of a broken ankle suffered on the first day of organized team activities. Since Evan Dietrich-Smith departure to Tampa Bay in free agency, he's worked as the starting center throughout the offseason program and in camp.

damn.  Here we go again!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2014, 09:16:37 pm
Losing Tretter hurts Packers more than Raji

August, 24, 2014

Tretter
 The news that Tretter sustained a knee injury in Friday's preseason game against the Oakland Raiders and will miss up to six weeks struck a bigger blow than the loss of nose tackle B.J. Raji, who sustained a season-ending torn biceps in the game.

Raji is the bigger, more recognizable name, but Tretter is the greater loss...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on August 25, 2014, 01:49:33 pm
http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/sorry-it-seems-nfl-players-don-t-want-to-play-for-the-raiders-082514

Packers 6th on the list of places players don't want be?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on August 25, 2014, 02:03:33 pm
They don't want to play for for OAK, JAX, CLE, BUFF because they never win...
They don't want to go to GB because they wouldn't play unless someone was injured ;-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 25, 2014, 09:02:53 pm
Nick from Cedar Rapids, IA

The injuries are a shame, but 12 is still upright. Enough said.

The Packers won a Super Bowl with a significant chunk of the team on injured reserve, but couldn’t win a game last November without Aaron Rodgers. There are those that believe you’re not hurt until your quarterback is hurt. I tend to be one of those.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 25, 2014, 09:49:29 pm
Packers finally get Letroy Guion in the mix

August, 25, 2014
Aug 25

By  Rob Demovsky | ESPN.com
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Green Bay Packers signed Letroy Guion this offseason because they liked what he showed during his six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.

If they're going to keep him on their roster, it might have to be for the same reason.

The 6-foot-4, 315-pound defensive tackle finally made his practice debut on Monday after missing nearly the entire training camp because of a hamstring injury he sustained the week before camp opened. His return coincided with the final full-pads practice of camp, and it's not a given he will play in Thursday's preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs. Between now and then, the Packers will hold only one more practice -- Wednesday's light, day-before-the-game session.

"We'll take another step further at Wednesday's practice in getting some more reps and keep progressing," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Monday. "It'd be foolish to throw him out there and give him a full load."

The Packers don't have much invested in the 27-year-old, who was a backup in his first four seasons before starting 28 games combined in 2012 and 2013. The only guaranteed money they gave him came in the form of a $100,000 signing bonus.

But with the season-ending injury to nose tackle B.J. Raji, Guion suddenly became a much more important player...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 26, 2014, 07:04:13 pm
by Raymond Rivard 1d ago 

 Will there ever be a season when we don’t see Green Bay Packers inside linebacker Brad Jones on an injury report?

It seems like if someone passes gas on the guy he goes down …

That said, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy said today after practice that Jones will be out for Thursday night’s final preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Lambeau Field with a quadriceps injury.

In addition, McCarthy doesn’t seem too concerned with the temporary loss of center J.C. Tretter and his replacement, rookie Corey Linsley. In fact, it seems that McCarthy is fully confident that Linsley’s play will be solid when the first team takes the field against the World Champion Seattle Seahawks in the NFL Season Opener Thursday, Sept. 4...

Passes gas?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 27, 2014, 04:51:33 pm
Susan from Saratoga, CA

My husband just walked into the room, and I moaned, “I keep asking him questions, but he never answers.” “You mean God?” he asked. “No, Vic,” I answered.

Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. Eight for everyone who asks receives.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 27, 2014, 04:52:43 pm
Phil from Plymouth, MN

Vic, just wondering, if someone writes in with a question and it’s not in the next day’s “Ask Vic,” does it go to the trash bin or could it be answered days or weeks later?

All questions go to “Ask Vic” heaven, where they live with each other in eternal love of the game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 27, 2014, 04:53:38 pm
Todd from Ankeny, IA

What can we expect from Capers with the addition of Peppers?

Nobody knows.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 27, 2014, 04:54:43 pm
Russ from Dubuque, IA

I love to start the game with the defense on the field. If they make a stop, it’s a huge lift. If not, you just get started on the offensive game plan. Do you have a preference of who you like on the field first?

In my perfect world, I would start the game on defense, sack the quarterback and put the long coat on him. I’m trying to change my culture, but it’s not cooperating. I don’t think I’m gonna make it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 27, 2014, 04:56:05 pm
Michael from Alameda, CA

Vic, I love watching young players in preseason games to see if anyone makes an impact. My problem is that many of them on the Packers defense have hair that covers their names. In this situation, I think the names should be put below the numbers. What say you?

What if they put the names even a little lower? You know what I mean? Imagine seeing all of the names of the offensive linemen when they get into their stances. Talk about a teaching device. You’re looking at Bakhtiari, Sitton, Linsley, Lang, Bulaga and R. Rodgers. You know where everybody is. As crazy as this idea sounds, it would sure help offensive linemen come out of anonymity, and it would help fans identify formations, running lanes, etc.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 27, 2014, 04:58:28 pm
Kirk from Maineville, OH

Where were you when the “Fail Mary” happened, and what did you do in the first 10 minutes afterward ?

I was sitting at my press box seat in Centurylink Field. I had my bulletin game story written and my finger on the “publish” button as the ball was falling toward Earth. I nearly pushed the button as the ball was falling, so I could get a head start to the elevator; thank heavens I didn’t do that. In all of my career, that would’ve been the greatest of all gaffes. So, I’m thankful I didn’t make that mistake, but what followed were a lot of tense moments. First of all, I had to rewrite the story. We’re talking about one of the biggest stories in football history. You can’t brush it off in a couple of paragraphs. Then another problem arose. The officials didn’t know the extra point had to be kicked. I knew it. So I waited for them to get everybody back out onto the field for the PAT kick, which meant I still couldn’t hit the “publish” button because I didn’t have a final score. I didn’t dare miss any part of Coach McCarthy’s postgame interview. I got there in time and that’s when I began to feel at ease. All of that is why I can’t be like you. You sat and suffered that the Packers had been robbed of a win. I was consumed with worry about doing my job.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 27, 2014, 05:00:23 pm
Paul from Green Bay, WI

Vic, can you please explain the IR process? I know all teams stash players on IR, but it seems like a loophole. Are there no regulations to this?

A player must have a six-week injury to be placed on IR all year. If you place a player on IR with a five-week injury, the club must release him when he is healthy (regardless of whether or not the injury takes six or more weeks to heal). When placing a player on IR, the club must include the prognosis for how long the injury will last. The NFL may have a neutral doctor evaluate the player to verify the length of the injury.

I didn't know that detail.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 27, 2014, 05:04:24 pm
Andrew from Jacksonville, FL

Vic, in other NFL news, Brandon Meriweather was suspended for an illegal hit to the head and Ndamukong Suh takes a late cheap shot on the Jags QB. A tiger doesn’t change its stripes, right?

If you want to change the culture, change the helmet. The helmet is the problem. The league continues to pursue bigger and more protective helmets, and it’s only exacerbating the problem. The helmet is the problem in every way, not just as it affects head-to-head hits. The helmet provides such a feeling of protection that it allows players to throw their heads into knees. It promotes excessively aggressive behavior. The helmet has turned reckless abandon into dangerous abandon. The more the league tries to protect players with bigger helmets and more rules, the worse the situation gets. Reduce the helmet’s protection; that’s how you make the game safer. Take off that facemask and you won’t have to worry about making more rules. I think the league will begin coming to that conclusion within the next 10 years. I think we’ll begin to see mandatory reductions of the facemask. That’s how it’ll begin. The young readers of this column will one day see the facemask go away and the helmet get smaller. At that point, players will stop playing the game with dangerous abandon and begin playing it with measured caution, and that’s what the
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 29, 2014, 07:15:14 pm
The star of training camp, Jayrone Elliott, likely cemented his bid for a roster spot Thursday night with another standout performance in the Green Bay Packers' final preseason game.

The undrafted rookie outside linebacker out of Toledo picked up his fifth sack of the preseason in a first-quarter series against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Playing left outside linebacker, Elliott stuffed running back Knile Davis after a 2-yard gain on first down. Two plays later, Elliott got past Kansas City's starting right tackle, Donald Stephenson, and forced a holding penalty. That penalty, on third-and-4 from the Chiefs' 16-yard line, wiped out a first-down conversion.

Count Elliott "in the 53.</
>
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 29, 2014, 07:22:36 pm
With reporters swarmed at his locker, their TV cameras and digital recorders documenting every word, Jeff Janis reached back and let out his deepest fear.

Yes, the seventh-round rookie receiver from Saginaw Valley State was scared he might miss his chance. Sidelined with a case of shingles that forced him out of training camp's opening week, Janis let his mind wander to the worst-case scenario.

Was he going to get cut?

"For a while, when I was out, I started to think a little bit that way," Janis said. "I tried to just remain positive."

By Thursday night, those fears were almost gone.

It will be an anxious, nervous weekend for the rookie. Janis joked that he may hide in a movie theater the next couple days, trying to distract his mind while NFL rosters are cut to 53 players.

Count him "in" the 53.  What a surprise.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 29, 2014, 08:30:05 pm
Can't make stop printing "bold".  Why?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on August 30, 2014, 07:02:59 am
Because you really mean what you say...  ?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 30, 2014, 05:32:46 pm
LOL.  OK.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 30, 2014, 05:36:25 pm
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- When the New England Patriots waived defensive end Jerel Worthy on Saturday, it meant they will owe the Green Bay Packers nothing in return for acquiring him in a trade on Aug. 12.

The trade had two conditions in order for the Packers to receive compensation, believed to be a seventh-round pick: •1. Worthy had to pass his physical, which he did despite missing the entire offseason in Green Bay because of a back injury.
•2. He had to make the Patriots' final cuts.

The Packers selected Worthy in the second round (No. 51 overall) in the 2012 draft and actually traded up to do so. They gave up a fourth-round pick to move up eight spots.

I never liked this pick and am not surprised that he flushed out in the NFL.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 30, 2014, 05:51:09 pm
Demovsky: I've done seven roster projections since training camp opened, including the most recent one on Friday, and on every one I've had the Green Bay Packers keeping three quarterbacks. Now, as we get closer to Saturday's cut-down deadline, I'm starting to question that wisdom. If they keep two, then it's likely Scott Tolzien will be the backup. Perhaps their thinking, if they keep two, is that Matt Flynn might not get picked up by another team given that he has gone to Seattle, Oakland and Buffalo without any success, so they could bring him back at any time if they needed. On the flip side, if they cut Tolzien, someone might snag him.

Agree.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 30, 2014, 08:21:05 pm
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers started calling him "The Sackmaster" after his three-sack performance against the St. Louis Rams on Aug. 16.

The Green Bay Packers' trainers dubbed him "Shakespeare" because they said all he does is make plays.

And then in Friday night's preseason finale, Randall Cobb and Eddie Lacy dubbed him "LeBron" after he had to come out of the game because he started to cramp up.

By Saturday, you could just call Jayrone Elliott an NFL player, and that would be just fine with him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 30, 2014, 11:47:27 pm
Hey Otto!

LSU wins!!! 

What a choke job at home.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 30, 2014, 11:53:13 pm
Wisconsin loses!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on September 02, 2014, 07:54:15 am
How many Big 10 Teams lost this weekend?  oh.  Wispondscum and Northwestern.  BEERFAN and OTTER fighting it out in the basement.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 02, 2014, 07:40:04 pm
Eric from Sycamore, IL

Vic, who said gamesmanship isn’t around anymore? The Chicago Bears’ Week 1 opponent picked up and soon released Jordan Palmer. I think I have an idea why.

Vulcan mind meld?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 02, 2014, 07:42:40 pm
Derek from South Point, OH

You speak often about fan attitude and behavior, such as watching games, emotional response, video game/fantasy, winsomeness, etc. What would be your “Ten Commandments of Fan Behavior and Attitude?”

1. Thou shall not whine or cry.

2. Thou shall not yell or scream for no reason.

3. Thou shall not disturb others.

4. Thou shall understand that Vic will be on limited sleep on Friday morning and won’t be in the mood to play Dr. Phil.

5. Thou shall smile and enjoy the game regardless of the outcome, because watching football is always better than working in a sintering plant.

6. Thou shall not covet the guy-in-the-next-seat’s brat.

7. Thou shall not covet his wife, either, even if it’s a bad game.

8. Thou shall not act belligerently toward fans of the other team, especially if they are bigger, younger, meaner, tougher and drunker.

9. If watching the game on TV, thou shall not bear false witnesses by moving from chair to chair according to how moving from chair to chair corresponds with Packers touchdowns.

10. Thou shall be winsome.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 02, 2014, 07:44:14 pm
Ron from Roscoe, IL

I’ve known coaches that encourage overly aggressive behavior in their players. Their idea was it isn’t illegal if you aren’t caught. I never supported that philosophy but it made for some teams that intimidated their opponents. Do you think it’s the result of the coaching staff or the selection of certain types of players that give a team like the Seahawks their reputation for toughness?

I don’t like what you’re suggesting. I don’t see anything about the Seahawks that’s dirty or flagrant. They play the game the right way and I think it’s unfair the league has targeted them with these point-of-emphasis changes. Beyond that, I believe it’s important to find players that fit the style of football you want to play. Pete Carroll said that in his conference call on Sunday and I agree with him. We’ve been through this before. I think you grade prospects according to the skills required to play the style of football you employ. If you’re going to ask your offensive line to zone block, you don’t draft roadgraders. If you want to play sick-em football, and the Seahawks do, then you draft sick-em football players. I like those kinds of players. I would favor drafting them.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 02, 2014, 08:22:50 pm
Andrew from West Allis, WI

Richard Rodgers: I supported the pick; why am I getting giddy to see him in action?

The top 10 reasons you are getting giddy to see Richard Rodgers in action:

10. Your life is otherwise void of excitement.

9. You like the name Richard Rodgers.

8. Your wife/girlfriend ran off with your best friend and you miss him and you need something to make you feel good.

7. You’re one of those fans that are obsessed with throwing more to the tight end, even though every wide receiver on the team can run faster, jump higher, catch better and do more with the ball after he catches it.

6. He’s on your fantasy team.

5. He scored a touchdown for you in Madden.

4. Rodgers reminds you of Marv Fleming.

3. You like the way Rodgers blocks.

2. You didn’t know who Rodgers was when the Packers drafted him but you supported the pick because everybody else criticized it and you wanted to tell everybody I told you so.

And the No. 1 reason you are getting giddy to see Richard Rodgers in action is because you love cheese curds and your mother said she’s going to make cheese curds for you to watch the game on Thursday night.

Andrew, I wanted to give you a Cenex gas card but you don’t have a gas station near you so I’m going to give the gas card to Tim from Clear Lake, WI. Tim, thank Andrew for giving you gas
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 02, 2014, 08:23:05 pm
Here are 10 things the Packers have to do to beat the Seahawks.

1. Win outside—Packers wide receivers must win their one-on-ones against Richard Sherman and Byron Maxwell. That’s how you beat the Seahawks.

2. Achieve balance—The game in 2012 is evidence of the importance of balance between run and pass. It wasn’t until the Packers began to run the ball in the second half that Aaron Rodgers had enough time to throw.

3. Do what you did then—Whatever it was that Dom Capers and the defense did against Russell Wilson in 2012, it worked. Wilson was largely ineffective in that game.

4. Avoid the middle of the field—That’s where Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor live, and it’s a nasty neighborhood.

5. Stop the run—It begins with that on defense. If you can’t stop the run, the Seahawks’ play-action game becomes especially effective.

6. Imagine you’re at practice—How can it get any noisier than it was at training camp?

7. Show ’em what you got—OK, we’ve been waiting since March to find out how Julius Peppers is going to be used. It’s time.

8. Keep Wilson in the pocket—It’s when he gets outside the pocket that he becomes a threat.

9. Be physical—That’s the real test in this game. The Seahawks are the most physical team in the league. The Packers must be the Seahawks’ equal.

10. Make the big play—It’s how you win in this league.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 03, 2014, 08:14:52 pm
I'm not optimistic about tomorrow's game.  GB has, once again, a lot of young players and players returning from injuries.  I look for better play later in the season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 04, 2014, 03:33:12 pm

The rest of the NFL will be watching how close the refs call the defensive holding tonight.   Tonight you've got one of the most accurate QBs in Rodgers going against the most physical defensive backfield - should be interesting.

And oh yeah, hope you lose (nothing personal).
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 04, 2014, 07:28:24 pm
Here we go!!!  Finally NFL football!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 04, 2014, 07:57:26 pm
3-0 Seahawks.

Peppers looking not so good...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on September 04, 2014, 08:01:18 pm
I think peppers is still looking for the running back.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 04, 2014, 08:11:18 pm
Packers get a gift on the fumble and take the lead 7-3. 

Peppers is done.  Even Matthews pushed him down to get pass him one time.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 04, 2014, 08:17:31 pm
That was a bogus holding call on the seahawks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on September 04, 2014, 08:25:07 pm
Clinton Dix played that tackle at the as if the Bears did draft him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on September 04, 2014, 08:26:08 pm
clinton-dix with a big arm flail.  swing and miss kid, it doesn't get any better.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on September 04, 2014, 08:27:11 pm
by gar wml your right.  kid watched to much conte tape.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on September 04, 2014, 08:38:53 pm
Tie game. I need a TD or two from Rodgers so Seattle needs to get scoring.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on September 04, 2014, 08:43:56 pm
Oh ****. Peppers finally made a play!  Too bad it was an off sides call that he made.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on September 04, 2014, 08:45:53 pm
And Dix with another missed tackle.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 04, 2014, 08:47:07 pm
WML, how many Packer fans also about **** their pants when they said Rodgers and Baluga were down. 

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 04, 2014, 08:47:36 pm
Peppers is done.  He is worse in this scheme then he was in ours.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on September 04, 2014, 08:48:00 pm
if anything, Peppers appears slower. Not to mention soft. gag.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on September 04, 2014, 08:54:34 pm
wrong forum I know, but tonight I saw, damion woody, scott mitchell and icky woods. my god  between the three that's a solid ton and a quarter.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on September 04, 2014, 08:55:46 pm
I mentioned the Rodgers hurt thing in the FF topic. I hope he tosses a long one here to tie it up. I need points!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 04, 2014, 09:50:29 pm
Have to say I'm really enjoying this game lol
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 04, 2014, 09:54:43 pm
Yes.  Me too!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on September 04, 2014, 09:58:29 pm
This is offically a curb stomping. Maybe now they'll play soft so Rodgers will ring up some points for wml.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 04, 2014, 10:00:37 pm
Carroll never lets up.  If the Packers try and pass Rodgers may end up on IR.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 04, 2014, 10:06:35 pm
Finally a holding call on Pakers sheesh.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 04, 2014, 10:39:26 pm
That was a flat out beat down
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on September 05, 2014, 09:25:54 am
Cue the complaining about the ineligible man down field missed call  on the TD pass to Lockette.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 05, 2014, 12:49:45 pm
Good to see Peppers standing around most of the game. Eddie Lacey looked uninterested.

Rogers needs another receiver to throw to.

Ha Ha had a sweet open filed wiff....reminded me of Conte.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest77 on September 05, 2014, 03:11:11 pm
I actually thought Pukers were close until Bulaga went down.  After that, whew, reminded me of the whoopin' the Bears took in pre-season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on September 05, 2014, 03:35:31 pm
I wouldn't say Eddie Lacey looked uninterested. he was running hard against a tough D. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on September 05, 2014, 04:48:50 pm
Probably seeing stars...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 05, 2014, 08:10:42 pm

 Weston Hodkiewicz, Press-Gazette Media 7:15 p.m. EDT September 5, 201

Packers coach Mike McCarthy spoke to the media on Friday following Packers' 36-16 loss to Seattle. Here are some highlights:

Opening statement:

Overview of the football game, just got done completing the evaluation of the football game. The two biggest things that stand out for us is the fundmentals in operation to start the game. We didn't handle the environment as a coaching staff. We stretched our defense out. That falls under coaching. The second place is the fundamentals of football. Tackling, we had way too many missed tackles and the fundamnetals of footwork in practice every day didn't carry onto the field. The turnover and safety obviously factored in. We didn't play very well against a good football team in a tough environment. There are things that are correctable. We can look at the preseason, play style and areas of emphasis were evident, but not last night. We're 0-1 and we're excited about our opener against the New York Jets.

On Bryan Bulaga:

Wednesday's practice will give us a better indication of Bryan Bulaga. I know he'd like to try to go on Wednesday but we have to see how he reacts. It's not a major injury. We're relieved by that.

On Eddie Lacy:

I was told Eddie Lacy feels very good today. He's already started the concussion protocol and cleared the first step. The biggest thing is anybody, particularly Eddie Lacy we were always going to go through the process. We don't take unnecessary risk for the players.

On Corey Linsley:

Corey did a lot of good things. I thought he did well. I was happy with his performance and stepped up to the plate. I thought he did a good job.

On tackling:

Reality of tackling, I know everyone has an opinion of it, the footwork is a key component of all your fundamentals whether it's blocking, getting off blocks, sustaining blocks. It's no different than ball security. In regards to tackling, frankly the biggest thing that jumps out on film is we didn't run through the tackle. If you start leaving your feet to tackle people, the biggest part of our tackling is our footwork and running through the near hip. We didn't do a very good job of it.

On defense schematically:

We were not sharp. I think some of it clearing started with our communication from the boundary. They make late substitutions, which creates later communication in the defense. I think our players were unsettled and frankly I didn't feel we got into the flow we needed to.

On having wrong personnel:

It wasn't the wrong personnel – it was getting the call in. As far as them catching us and what we were trying to do with personnel, that wasn't a huge issue.

On going away from 3-4 Okie for more 4-3:

We're an Okie defense. Just because you play a four man look, it's still Okie personnel. It's really in line with what we talked about in the spring, we're utilizing our players. We're doing things that are best suited for our players. It's one game. We have a big commitment. That's what coaching is.

On not throwing toward Richard Sherman:

It was more of a decision to put Jordy Nelson the left and see if he was going to come over to play him. No-huddle, it's easier for receivers to stay on one side of the line. We wanted to run our stuff and line up as quickly as we could. I thought Aaron Rodgers did a good job working through communication problems.

On Sherrod playing if Bulaga is out:

If Bryan Bulaga doesn't go, Derek Sherrod will handle right tackle. I think Derek will play better than this week. There were some things weren't in tune with.

On Brad Jones:

Brad Jones didn't have his best game as far as we call things.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 05, 2014, 08:12:18 pm
I know that a lot of Bear fans enjoyed this game but if you have any dreams of a SB appearance check out how Seattle played and picture the Bears playing them.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 05, 2014, 08:19:24 pm
I had a bad feeling about this game and am not that surprised to lose, but if I had known that the Packers would lose three more starters  would have been even more pessimistic.  With Lacy, Bulaga and Rodgers added to their injury list the cause was pretty hopeless.

If the Packers keep losing players to injury they will never be able to catch up to Seattle.  Will these injuries never cease?

The Pack  needs to get in playoffs and have another shot at Seattle in December.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 05, 2014, 08:21:40 pm
We got blown out by them in pre-season.  We have already seen it. 

However the Bears kept everything back.  Your team was caught unprepared to the new wrinkles Carroll put in.  Teams will catch up to them.

They are a very good team no doubt about it.  Losing that game does not mean the Packers are a bad team.  It just means they were out coached game one.  Oh and your defense still is not all that good.  Peppers is a has been.

Your offense will light up most teams including the Bears.   
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 05, 2014, 08:22:46 pm
How can those Seattle fans enjoy a game where they need to continue screaming for three hours?  The Vikings Alp Horn isn't that bad.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 05, 2014, 08:25:19 pm
Rodgers turns in rare season-opening dud
Aaron Rodgers passed for only 189 yards and one touchdown with an interception Thursday, a rare poor showing in Week 1
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 05, 2014, 08:30:28 pm
Darrell Bevell is going to be a head coach in 2015

Russell Wilson gets a lot of credit, as does Pete Carroll for the success of the Seahawks but they both would tell anybody that the amazing efficiency and inventiveness of the Seattle offense that makes them so hard to stop is the brainchild of offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.  That was on display in the game as he had the Packers going the wrong way most of the night.  The veteran coach has had success for a long time and many thought he was a shoe-in for a head coaching vacancy in 2013.  Unfortunately for him the Seahawks Super Bowl run got in the way.  Don’t expect that to happen again.  Bevell is going to be running his own team next year.  Count on it.

I agree with this analysis.  I have admired him ever since he won some Rose Bowl games for the Badgers.  And, of course Wilson was a Badger QB.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 05, 2014, 08:43:23 pm
Derek Sherrod, playing in just his second regular-season game from scrimmage since December 2011, replaced Bulaga and gave up two sacks. He is the only other tackle on the 53-man roster. The season-ending knee injury suffered by Don Barclay last month looms large.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on September 05, 2014, 09:03:14 pm
What was Peppers stat line for game one?

Seriously...  Want to know.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 05, 2014, 09:07:42 pm
3 tackles one assist I believe I heard today.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on September 06, 2014, 11:57:32 am
(http://i710.photobucket.com/albums/ww101/kwwrg/YyAGDH9_zps18e0ea91.jpg) (http://s710.photobucket.com/user/kwwrg/media/YyAGDH9_zps18e0ea91.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 06, 2014, 06:25:41 pm
The Green Bay Packers, already short-handed on the offensive line, got some good news in the long run when it was learned that right tackle Bryan Bulaga sprained his left MCL.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter, citing a source, reported that Bulaga did not tear any ligaments in his knee. It’s not been determined how long he will be out, but the injury is not considered serious.

Still, the Packers didn’t need any more injury problems along the offensive line. Center J.C. Tretter is already on injured reserve, designated for return, with a knee injury and top backup Don Barclay is out for the year with a torn ACL.

For Bulaga, it’s his fourth knee injury in the last four seasons. He missed all of last season with a torn ACL and has only played all 16 games in a season once in his career—as a rookie in 2010.

He missed four games in 2011 and was out for seven games in 2012.

Bulaga was a first-round pick out of Iowa in 2010.

It did not help the Packers’ cause that Bulaga’s replacement, Derek Sherrod, grades out as Green Bay’s worst offensive lineman Thursday night, according to Pro Football Focus.

Sherrod surrendered two sacks and was given a negative grade by PFF for both run and pass blocking.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 06, 2014, 07:20:18 pm
Kyle from Kilauea, Atooi

Vic, love your service to the organization. I’m glad this game is over; too many loose cannons making too much from it. I do feel this will light a fire under every man on the roster, which I thank Seattle for. Arrow can only go up. Do you feel a loss, with so much hype, can be more beneficial and motivating later on down the road in crunch time when somebody has to swallow a tooth to win?

The first question in the inaugural “Ask Vic Saturday” comes from the Polynesian Kingdom of Atooi, where it might still be Friday as I pen this column. Kyle, you learn more from losing than you do from winning. The Packers learned something of critical importance on Thursday. They learned there’s a gap between them and the Super Bowl champions, and they learned exactly what that gap is. They have 15 games to close that gap, and this team will be defined by those 15 games, or it’ll be defined by the first game. We’ll see which it is.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 06, 2014, 07:24:55 pm
Paul from De Pere, WI

Is tackling about technique or want to? Seattle has the same restrictions but is a sure-tackling team. Maybe we need to borrow from their practice book, or is it players, not practice methods? Either way, the Packers have a problem that has been an issue for years, and they have not corrected it.

It’s players; it’s always players. Tacking is all about that tackling dummy hanging from the rope that’s fed through a pulley and connected to a bucket of cement. The goal was to pull that bucket of cement to the top at the pulley. To do it, you had to run through the dummy. If you lunged at the dummy and lost your feet, you’d only move the bucket of cement a few feet off the ground. Want good tacklers? Find the guys that run through the dummy and pull the bucket of cement to the top. In a league that almost forbids teams to practice tackling, it’s more important than ever to find players that are natural tacklers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 06, 2014, 07:30:45 pm
Zach from Evansville, IN

Vic, Rodgers started the fourth quarter hot, the kind of elite-caliber run that can put up points in bunches. He marches down the field, Packers score and it looks like they’re going to get the ball back in both excellent field and clock position, but then comes the Brad Jones penalty. Let’s play a hypothetical and say that penalty doesn’t exist. Let’s say Rodgers gets the ball back. He drives, he’s hot, he scores. I’m not saying the Packers win, but it’s very possible that penalty is the deciding factor between a close game and the rout we saw.

Let’s say the Packers rally and win. What’s it like in this column? My guess is everybody would be happy. There would be much feel good and chortling, but other than for the win in the win column, would much have changed? There’s a gap the Packers have to close. The loss doesn’t concern me. The gap is what concerns me.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 06, 2014, 07:45:04 pm
At least the Packers did better than Denver against Seattle.    ;-(
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 08, 2014, 01:42:55 pm
Well...Peppers stas were better than Briggs and Tillmans and Allens.....All 3 of those guys looked OLD!!!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 08, 2014, 08:51:25 pm
Dairyland Express
Former Green Bay Packers TE Colt Lyerla arrested in Oregon
Colt Lyerla, whose college career at the University of Oregon was cut short because of repeated run-ins with law enforcement, added another charge to...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2014, 06:24:22 pm
Adam from Fargo, ND

I’m a big believer in all of our coaches, however, one thing that’s been bugging me that goes back to last season is we seem to over-scheme. I agree with making subtle adjustments depending on our opponent, but we don’t seem to try and dictate the games, rather play the games the other teams want us to. Thoughts?

Mike McCarthy addressed that issue early in the offseason. He said he wanted less scheme and more creative use of personnel. I like that philosophy because I’ve long been a believer in scheming personnel, not scheming schemes. Well, the Packers got caught in substitution problems in the first half of last Thursday’s game. In my opinion, that’s likely the result of doing something for the first time in a game, and that’s the result of not doing in the preseason what you’re going to do in the regular season because you want to hide it. In a sense, that made last Thursday’s game a preseason game, and I think that’s somewhat of a leaguewide issue. Teams ran out of gas in Week 1 because their players weren’t accustomed to playing a whole game. The Patriots were shut out in the second half in Miami. The Steelers blew a 27-3 lead and had to score on their final drive of the game to win. The Panthers nearly blew a 17-0 lead. I think the lack of playing time for frontline players in the preseason has effectively made September an extension of the preseason. The Seahawks play it straight on defense; they win the one-on-ones, and that’s the best scheme of all. How many teams can play that scheme? You might only need two fingers to count them.

Amen.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2014, 06:25:16 pm
Jeff from Las Vegas, NM

I’ve been in the process of a personal revitalization, and that just became my new war cry: Help is not on the way.

You like that, huh? OK, here’s another one for you. I call it “Ketchman’s Law,” and it goes like this: “If you want it, you can’t have it. The moment you don’t want it, it’s yours.” I don’t know why that is, it just is. The key is never want.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2014, 06:26:58 pm
Ross from Ankeny, IA

When will you be writing your memoirs? You deliver the truth as you see it through your eyes and make no apologies. Keep giving people the truth and keep allowing me to continue to enjoy the game for what it is, theater.

You want the truth? OK, here’s the truth. On Sept. 4, the Seahawks were a better football team than the Packers, and no change in scheme, game plan or preparation was going to change that. The Packers now have four months to close the gap between themselves and the Seahawks, or any other team in the league that might be of the Seahawks’ quality. September isn’t the deciding month. December and January are. That’s when you must be the better football team or your season will end. As it stands right now, the season is just beginning. That’s the truth.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2014, 06:33:53 pm
Grant from Richmond, VA

Vic, my perpetually pessimistic father has just predicted our beloved Packers would finish third in the division behind Detroit and Minnesota. Any words of advice for him?

That’s not a prediction, that’s an expression of fear. My inbox is full of that expression.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2014, 07:01:22 pm
One bright light for the Packers:  rookie Corey Linsley had an excellent game to start his career.  Tretter may not get his job back after he leaves IR.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2014, 07:10:53 pm
In a bit of a fascinating move, Pro Football Talk actually moved the Packers UP a notch from 4th to 3rd, saying, "They lost to the Seahawks by 20. Every other team ranked below them on this list would have lost in Seattle by more than 30."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on September 10, 2014, 12:39:03 pm
Quote
Grant from Richmond, VA

WTF?!  Fredericksburg now Richmond?  Can't these **** packer fans stay in Wispondscum!

We need to rid Virginia of this scourage.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on September 10, 2014, 01:22:47 pm
Don't send them to Tn, we already have enough.  One is too much. Its the stupid Limberger cheese stench from the wedgie hat , you know.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 10, 2014, 04:47:31 pm
Jeff from Brooklyn, WI

I’m looking forward to seeing if the Packers have worked out their communication issues they had last week. Hopefully, the run game will be better. Run the ball, stop the run. While this is a passing league these days, those words stand true for any team that wants to be a winner this year, I think. So what will you be looking for as to improvements this week?

I want to see a lights-out, dominant performance by the defense. I think this defense has it in them to do that, and I think it would sure help quiet everybody down, re-instill confidence in this team’s direction and set the bar for an early-season showdown in Detroit against one of the league’s most explosive offenses
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 10, 2014, 04:50:56 pm
WTF?!  Fredericksburg now Richmond?  Can't these **** packer fans stay in Wispondscum!

We need to rid Virginia of this scourage.

They are all over.  A lot of those fans and their families started their fandom during the Lombardi days.  Some fans switched to GB during the Favre years.  Some may have been attracted to the name "Title Town".
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 10, 2014, 04:55:08 pm
Brent from Chippewa Falls, WI

Vic, you’re a writer and, perhaps, you can answer a question about irony. I read your article every day and hear the fans wanting a 4-3. Now we find out we used a 4-3 against the Seahawks and still lost. I guess it highlights your point about players not scheme. Does this meet the definition of irony?

I opened my inbox the morning after the game and fans were demanding the Packers switch to a 4-3. I was exasperated. It took several minutes and sips of coffee before I could begin. What do you say to someone who says the Packers should’ve been playing something they, in fact, played? They don’t even know what it looks like but they’re absolutely sure it’s the solution to the problem. This is why I have such a problem with this whole bash-the-scheme thing.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 10, 2014, 04:58:51 pm
Jeff from Oshkosh, WI

I have seen the light and it is glorious. I was a big believer in the pass, but now I realize pounding down the defense and preventing the pass is the only real way to stay successful.

Run the ball and stop the pass? That’s a rare but wonderful combination because it almost certainly means you’ve also stopped the run, or you wouldn’t have had the chance to stop the pass. Run the ball and stop everything is a winning formula.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 14, 2014, 06:47:33 pm
**** THE PACKERS!!!!

And the league for allowing the refs to hand them games!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on September 14, 2014, 06:55:36 pm
Stop being a crybaby.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 14, 2014, 07:02:48 pm
Have you ever seen a TD taken off the board due to a time out that was not called by anyone who can legally call one?  As well as no whistle being blown and the play was not stopped?  Everyone on the field was going full force.

Total and utter BS.  The Packers are the anti-Raiders.

Raiders get flagged for phantom stuff and teams playing the Packers get flagged for phantom stuff.  How is it a Packer pulls the helmet off a Jet yet no penalty?

It should have been offsetting penalties and the Jet and the Packer player should have been ejected.  Rodgers throws a pick flag on the Jets to negate it.

Your team sucks but you don't have to be good if you got a good QB and the refs on your side...

     

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 14, 2014, 08:47:37 pm
Pekin typical Peckers game at Lamblow.

But, Geno Smith can not throw and that us why the Jets lost. He had guys wide open and he could not hit them.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 14, 2014, 08:49:13 pm
Incredible game.

The Packers FINALLY woke up after getting behind 21-3.  I  hope they stay awake for the rest of the season.

Maybe Seattle shot their wad against the Pack by getting overly high against  them.  SD certainly exposed Sherman.

It appears that Davante Adams has made his move to be #3 WR. 

Jordy Nelson had over 200 yards receiving. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 14, 2014, 09:29:51 pm
rushing yards and 400-plus total yards of 10 days ago.

Then, it all changed. Mike Daniels said the defense “just played football.” Mike Neal chalked it up to “getting the tempo down,” with the Jets not as effective when they weren’t “pressing the pedal.” Julius Peppers liked the way the unit “fought through adversity” and “the highs and lows of a game.”...

Peppers played well.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 14, 2014, 09:32:09 pm
I watched the game Peppers didn't play for ****!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 14, 2014, 09:32:23 pm
Matthews and your DB's played well.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: octagon on September 14, 2014, 09:33:35 pm
Peppers was pretending to play.  He was the last guy on every pile up. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 14, 2014, 09:45:58 pm
Peppers career is over. He looked good on one pass play because Smith can not throw. The play was a miss match and Smith could not get the ball to the RB.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 14, 2014, 09:53:02 pm
Now, now, now.  Be honest.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 14, 2014, 10:00:11 pm
We are.  Rodgers was awesome today.  As was Jordy. 

Matthews played well and your DB's played real well.

Peppers did absolutely nothing special. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 14, 2014, 10:12:11 pm
We may have to disagree on this one, Peke.  For  his second game as a LB I though that he made some nice plays.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 14, 2014, 10:14:42 pm
I am OK with that.  He is not on my team anymore eating cap space.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 14, 2014, 10:20:27 pm
Your problem is Peppers is not a LB.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 14, 2014, 10:23:29 pm
Your problem is Peppers is not a LB.

Wake up, numbskull..  He is a LB in GB.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 14, 2014, 11:01:50 pm
Good comedy. He's not a LB...he may wear 56, but not an LB.

Bears beat the 49ers...how did the Peckers do the 9ers?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 15, 2014, 04:31:05 pm
How is it that a defender gets blocked into Rodgers and ends up with a roughing the passer call? How's that work??
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 15, 2014, 05:30:53 pm
The phantom time out...only in Green Bay. The refs know who the Jets head coach - especially when it's Rex Ryan.

Green Bay player rips off the helmet of a Jets and does not get thrown out? Only in Green Bay.

Lets not mention the Green Bay banged up offensive line holding every play.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 15, 2014, 07:41:12 pm
C.J. from New Hampton, IA

I was pretty impressed with the comeback the Packers pulled off in the second half. I think the Detroit game will be a good measure of what this team really has.

I think we need to stop measuring. The season will be the measure of the Packers; it’ll do the work for us. All we have to do is sit back and watch. We measured them in Seattle and we got a false read. What’s the measure of their performance in yesterday’s game? Can we trust it? Can we trust anything in September? December measures teams. It defines who they are.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 15, 2014, 07:42:18 pm
Jon from Warsaw, Poland

Two taunting penalties? Kaepernick gets a foul-language penalty? The next thing you know, the league will make them wear a tutu.

These are big, tough guys and the league is protecting them as though they’ve never heard bad words before, yet, the league allows Muhammad Wilkerson to taunt the crowd, the ticket-buying customer, as Wilkerson leaves the field following his ejection. I want professional behavior. It doesn’t bother me to know the players call each other bad names. It bothers me when players don’t know how to be a pro.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 15, 2014, 07:44:56 pm
(http://www.packers.com/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/article_images/2014/09-september/140915-rodgers-nelson-vic-300.jpg)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 15, 2014, 07:57:25 pm
Your problem is Peppers is not a LB.
The tide turned defensively for the Packers when they begin winning up front and stuffing the Jets’ running game.

“Much better job,” Capers said of the Packers’ performance against the run. “Those are the (stats) you want against a team that ran the ball for over 200 yards the week before. We have to be able to play the whole game like that.”

Capers praised the play of defensive lineman Mike Daniels (one sack, two tackles for loss and two quarterback hurries), and credited Clay Matthews (one sack, one tackle for loss, two hurries, one pass-defensed), Julius Peppers (one hurry, two passes-defensed) and Mike Neal (one tackle for loss, one hurry) with strong performances.

LBs are pass defenders..

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 15, 2014, 08:03:36 pm
“I thought Davante really stepped up,” Head Coach Mike McCarthy said on Monday in his day-after press conference. “You talk about a young man taking advantage of his opportunities — he made clutch catches, was strong after the catch. I thought he had a good day.”

Adams moved into the No. 3 receiver spot against the Jets after Jarrett Boykin dropped a pass over the middle in the red zone. Adams was a second-round draft pick out of Fresno State, and McCarthy said it didn’t take long to realize he has a potentially bright NFL future
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 15, 2014, 08:11:47 pm
Ron from Versailles, KY

Vic, I know I should root for division rivals to lose, but I took strange delight in watching the Bears come back and stun the Niners.

I’m inclined to believe most Packers fans would agree with you, which only goes to prove I’m correct when I say the 49ers are a bigger rival for the Packers right now than the Bears are.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 16, 2014, 09:37:33 am

And that is why packrat speaks so encouragingly about our beloved Bears.  No fear just pity.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on September 16, 2014, 09:50:07 am
That would be like saying that the Dodgers are a bigger rival for the Cubs right now than the Cardinals.

Dumb...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 16, 2014, 10:21:30 am
Probably one of the dumbest things I've heard in my life. yes, your biggest rival - a team you might play once every other year.....and lost to....actually took a good beating by the 49ers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 16, 2014, 11:10:41 am

That would be like saying that the Dodgers are a bigger rival for the Cubs right now than the Cardinals.

Maybe rival isn't the correct word.  But right now the Packers and the Cardinals are not threatened by the Bears and Cubs.  The Packers and Cardinals are looking ahead to the playoffs where they know they'll be facing tougher teams than their geographic rivals.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on September 16, 2014, 12:19:18 pm
So use competition.  Not rival.  A rival has little to nothing to do with competition.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on September 16, 2014, 02:52:08 pm
Why would the Packers not be threatened by the Bears?

Did we not beat them in GB last season, and had them beat until a fluke final play at home?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 16, 2014, 04:40:09 pm
They consider them the biggest rival because they cannot get past them.....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 16, 2014, 07:32:03 pm
I agree with all of your comments.  I feel the same way.


Rival is not the right word to use here.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 16, 2014, 07:32:12 pm
Noble from Washburn, WI

Hey, Vic, love the column. It is truly a special place and I am honored to be a member of your fraternity. My question is this: Did the Chargers really play that well, or were the Seahawks not ready for the 100-plus degree weather?

It’s probably a combination of both, but there’s no way a team from Seattle can prepare for that kind of heat. I know this because I saw good teams come to Jacksonville early in the season and just flat stop playing. Seattle did it in the season opener in 2005, a season in which they won the NFC. They couldn’t answer the bell to start the second half. That was literally a scheduled loss. The Packers have to go to Miami in mid-October. It’ll still be hot down there. It’ll be a challenge.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 16, 2014, 07:38:50 pm
Kevin from Chicago, IL

Is there really a difference between a 3-4 with an OLB rushing and a 4-3?

The difference is the offense has to identify the fourth rusher in a 3-4. The 3-4 naturally provides more rush and cover disguise. It’s one of two main reasons I prefer the 3-4 to the 4-3. The other main reason is that it allows teams to draft from a larger and more affordable pool.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 16, 2014, 07:42:19 pm
Chad from Tarpon Springs, FL

You’ve said we can learn from playing football, but what can we learn from watching it?

That’s a wonderful question, Chad. There’s much to be learned from watching football. Football truly is a microcosm of life because we can apply its circumstances to the circumstances of our lives. Sunday’s game, for example, taught us the value of self-control. It taught us the value of not panicking. Were you able to deal with the 21-3 deficit calmly and maintain your focus? If you weren’t, you should take steps toward fixing your behavior or you didn’t learn from the experience. How about after rallying for the win? Were you humble, thankful? Coaches like to say it’s a lot easier making corrections after a win than it is after a loss. Use this experience to make corrections in a happy mood.

Both Packer fans and Bears fans over-reacted in their games Sunday.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 16, 2014, 07:43:16 pm
Theologos from Athens, Greece

Vic, which win impressed you more on Sunday, the Chargers over Seattle or the Bears in San Francisco? I have to admit, Chicago scared me a little.

The Bears’ win is more impressive because it was on the road and required a rally from being down 17-0. That kind of come-from-behind win can galvanize a team.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 16, 2014, 08:17:10 pm

Green Bay's Transition to a 4-3 and What It Means for 2014

 By Justis Mosqueda , Featured Columnist  Sep 16, 2014


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Green Bay's Transition to a 4-3 and What It Means for 2014

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

Two weeks into the NFL season, there's a very obvious difference between the Dom Capers led Green Bay Packers defenses of the past and the current reincarnation. In 1992, Capers received his first job as a defensive coordinator in the NFL. With it, he installed a 3-4 defense with a "fire zone" concept that generated pressure while dropping more players back into coverage than a typical blitz.

In 2013, surprisingly, he began to use defenses that looked more like 4-3 under throughout the season. In 2014, though, the team has full-blown gone into the direction of a 4-3 front through two games...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 16, 2014, 08:27:33 pm
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bxr-4x7CQAE0VZE.jpg:large)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 16, 2014, 09:02:14 pm
Sheldon Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson lost their cool after the Packers took a three-point lead in the third quarter, starting a fight that resulted in Wilkerson punching Green Bay offensive lineman David Bakhtiari.

Wilkerson was hit with a penalty and ejected for his behavior. Then, the former first-round pick taunted the crowd on his way to the locker room.

Wilkerson is the Jets' best player, and he needs to act like it. His immature behavior cost New York big-time, as the Jets played the rest of a very winnable game without their star.

The defensive line is elite on the field, but it needs to be elite in its behavior as well.

Grade: C+
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 16, 2014, 09:29:21 pm
Capers praised the play of defensive lineman Mike Daniels (one sack, two tackles for loss and two quarterback hurries), and credited Clay Matthews (one sack, one tackle for loss, two hurries, one pass-defensed), Julius Peppers (one hurry, two passes-defensed) and Mike Neal (one tackle for loss, one hurry) with strong performances.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 17, 2014, 11:22:23 am
How about most delusional fans as well.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on September 17, 2014, 12:57:29 pm
I vote Redskins fans the most delusional.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 17, 2014, 08:36:12 pm
Paul from De Pere, WI

Execution. Vic, will we ever see a return to fewer rules in football? Can we achieve greater player safety with fewer rules? Can the NFL get more offense with fewer rules?

It can’t continue this way. Not only don’t I know what a catch is, after 43 years of covering football I no longer even know what a tackle is. Eventually, the game will have to go into a simplification campaign or it will estrange itself from its fans. It’s become too technical. Change is a fact of life, but the game is changing too much too quickly.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 17, 2014, 08:38:21 pm
Michael from Abu Dhabi, UAE

Execution. Vic, I loved seeing Peppers almost get a pick in coverage on Sunday. His size makes him pretty decent for dropping into coverage after lining up in the box. Do you think we will see more interception opportunities for him?

That’s the plan. I think you’re going to see Julius Peppers become more comfortable with his role as time goes on. This is new for him. Come midseason, I think we’re going to see Peppers take his game to a higher level, just when you want your team to take its game to a higher level. The growth potential on defense gives this team peaking power late in the season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 17, 2014, 08:41:42 pm

Gareth from Bangalore, India

Execution. Vic, could you explain exactly what is meant by scheme? Obviously, it makes sense to be in dime or nickel in passing situations. Are those considered schemes?

Sure they are. Everything you do is scheme. If you open in one defense and play it the entire game without playing anything else, that’s your scheme. You can scheme to win with variety, or scheme to win with simplicity. Either way, the scheme has to be executed to win the game. The more varied the scheme is, the more difficult it is to execute the scheme. That’s the slide-rule effect. As you increase the effectiveness of one, you might be decreasing the effectiveness of the other. Only play what you can execute. If you can’t do it, don’t try it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 17, 2014, 08:49:34 pm
Eddie from Alger, MI

Execution. With half of the Packers’ regular-season divisional games coming in the next three weeks, which defensive player do you think will step up his game during this important stretch?

I think Clay Matthews is on the verge of something big.

Jon from Camp Arifjan, Kuwait

Execution. Vic, how might Dom Capers scheme to isolate Calvin Johnson and take away his physical advantages? Or is it all about execution by our secondary?

It’s rush or cover; it’s not play higher. I say rush.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on September 17, 2014, 08:50:39 pm
I vote Redskins fans the most delusional.

 You are not allowed to say Redskins anymore.
 
 You have just been fined $150.00.
 
 Use Paypal to pay it.
 
 I will push political correctness down your throat until you realize you are no longer a man,
 
 but a woman.
 
 You are growing ovaries as an American MAN (?) even as I post.
 
 I wonder what U.S. MARINES are going to look like in the future ?
 
 **** and Dicks in one uniform ?
 
 Oh well ...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 18, 2014, 08:13:46 pm

Green Bay Packers midweek: LB Andy Mulumba done for season

 by Phil Watson 17h ag
 
The news on Green Bay Packers linebacker and special teams ace Andy Mulumba was as bad as feared as Mulumba confirmed he tore an ACL in Sunday’s win over the New York Jets.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 18, 2014, 08:20:49 pm
Sam Shields planning to challenge 'Megatron' Calvin Johnson
 When the Green Bay Packers decided to pay premium dollar to keep Sam Shields - $39 million over four years - this is the kind of matchup they had in mind. Calvin Johnson at Ford Field.
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 18, 2014, 08:34:31 pm
Clay Matthews has always claimed that he's more than just a pass rusher. This year, he has numbers to prove it, including nine tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, a pass broken up and a forced fumble.

Influence of Peppers?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 18, 2014, 08:49:28 pm
Marcio from Porto Alegre, Brazil

Vic, everyone is complaining about three divisional games in a row. I’m excited. No more of this September is a preseason that counts baloney. Every game counts, every tackle counts, every yard counts. Do you believe these big games so early will make the Packers tougher or do you believe it will take too big of a toll on their energy?

I think these next three games will make the Packers better faster. Maybe that’s why the league scheduled games of such importance to be played so early in the season. It’s a way of creating a sense of urgency. I can tell you this, these next three games “officially” end the preseason. I don’t like half of the division schedule gone by the first week of October, but it is what it is and should the Packers get hot right now, look out.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 18, 2014, 08:58:09 pm
Jon from Bath, England

Vic, which of the next three NFC games are you looking forward to most of all, and which do you think will be most important with regards to the postseason.

The way last season’s game in Chicago ended, the one coming up in Chicago figures to be a headline event, but I don’t think you have to look any farther than this Sunday’s game in Detroit to get excited. If this was Thanksgiving week, the hype would be fantastic.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 18, 2014, 09:02:51 pm


McCarthy: NFC North is a "heavyweight division"

Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy was available to the media on Thursday, September 18th, in the Lambeau Field media auditorium.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 19, 2014, 09:21:59 pm
Ryan from Fredericton, New Brunswick

As it stands now, does Devin Hester eventually make it into the Hall of Fame?

I’m opposed to putting specialists in the Hall of Fame. We have too many great full-time players not in the Hall of Fame.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 19, 2014, 09:26:57 pm
Brett from Green Bay, WI

Vic, what do you think of the Super Bowl rematch on Sunday?

That’s not a Super Bowl rematch. When they’re in the Super Bowl again, that’ll be a Super Bowl rematch. This is just another regular-season game, not a loser’s-done, postseason game. The pressure’s off. The Broncos will probably win.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 19, 2014, 09:37:15 pm
Andrew from Fullerton, CA

Vic, I found something in life that works. When you have a bad day, read “Ask Vic,” put your life in perspective.

It works for me. I achieve a lot of perspective from reading the questions I receive and then sorting through my thoughts to find the answers. Always see the big picture. I got that piece of advice form a wise football man a long time ago, and it’s advice that has always served me well. The little picture changes too quickly for us to spend time dwelling on it. The big picture changes less dramatically. It allows for more thorough contemplation, direction and perspective. The big picture is the Packers have another good team that is likely to be a playoff contender. That’s all I want, for now.

Pure Vic.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 19, 2014, 09:40:33 pm
GREEN BAY—Sam Shields knows he has no place to hide on Sunday, not with Calvin Johnson lined up across from him.

The fifth-year Packers cornerback also knows it’s his chance to continue his emergence as a big-name cover man, facing a four-time All-Pro receiver currently regarded as the best in the game. That’s the mentality he’ll take into Sunday’s game at Detroit, as the competitor about to compete to the max.

“You have to give it your all, your best, going against a guy like this, because if you don’t, he’ll torch you,” Shields said on Thursday. “He’ll embarrass you. Nobody wants to get embarrassed.”...

He is putting himself in a very dangerous place, "right under the spotlight".
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 19, 2014, 09:48:54 pm
http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-cliffs-notes/article-1/Who-shot-Dan-Devines-dog/d0538c15-d0d0-4378-8e2f-e132208264d8

Who shot Dan Devine's dog?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 19, 2014, 10:02:59 pm

Packers TE Andrew Quarless Reportedly Fined by NFL 

Green Bay Packers tight end has reportedly been fined $8,268 for his role in a end-zone scuffle this past Sunday against the New York Jets, according to Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com.
Cheesehead TV @cheeseheadtv 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 19, 2014, 10:15:19 pm
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Josh Sitton's feelings about the Detroit Lions probably have not changed in the past 10 months, but this time he's keeping them to himself.

 Last November, the Green Bay Packers left guard ripped the Lions defense and then-coach Jim Schwartz by calling them “a bunch of dirtbags or scumbags” before the Thanksgiving game at Ford Field.

With a return trip to Detroit this weekend, all Sitton would say about the Lions' defense is "it’s pretty much the same defense; it’s very similar" under new coach Jim Caldwell.


(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/003/071/181/hi-res-6a20f55c157b8e79b9d3938a2243d90c_crop_north.jpg?w=630&h=420&q=75)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 19, 2014, 10:32:02 pm
Return of Bostick

Based on last week's performance I can't be totally sure, but assuming Jordy Nelson wasn't abducted by aliens in the off-season and injected with space serum that gives him otherworldly physical powers (Editor's note: this did actually happen, but Jordy's body rejected the serum because it already had those abilities), it stands to reason the Packers are going to need their tight ends at some point this season. Fortunately, they stand to get one of their more physically gifted ones back this week in Brandon Bostick. It's hard to say at this point what Bostick is likely to give considering his overall playing time has been so limited, but his mere presence might be enough to open things up for the offense. And given that he's such a mismatch with linebackers and safeties, I wouldn't put catching a few passes out of the question either.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 21, 2014, 01:43:01 pm
Peckers losing to the Motor City Kities...Go Kities!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 21, 2014, 02:08:45 pm
End of the third quarter and still only 7 points for that "mighty" Peckers team.

Detoilet keeping the Peckers in the game...3 times in the red zone and no points.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 21, 2014, 02:18:11 pm
Mathews hurt again.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 21, 2014, 02:25:51 pm
19 to 7 Kitties.

You gotta love peckers secondary high fiving after a 7 yard completion on 1st down. Someone needs to tel lthem that's not good.

Detroit needs more Reggie Bush.

Peckers should be 0 and 3...BS officiating in the Jets game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 21, 2014, 02:43:46 pm
TWO offensive line holds on the Peckers O line on the last drive - no calls. WHY? Peckers right tackle practically ripped the shirt off #93 - no call - 93 still made a 5 yard loss.

Peckers going down.

Peckers missing top notch receivers - all the current receivers (except Nelson) - no Jones, Jennings, Driver, Finley etc....Tep Thompson for got to replenish and keeps drafting DBs.

Peckers O-line blows dobkey dicks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 21, 2014, 02:46:04 pm
Peckers D can't stop the Lions......as the clock runs out.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 21, 2014, 02:57:00 pm
Peckers O line is just plain terrible. WR corps are way down. Past Nelson there isn't much. Eddie Lacey 11 rushes and 36 yards.

Peckers D not very good when Mathews is out.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 21, 2014, 03:06:06 pm
ButtPacker Bob calling in fram Racine, WI.....

"yeah hey der, da Packers are still da best team in da NFL der" "does 2 loses don't count der" "no one can stop Eddie Lacey der, he is da best in da NFL" "if we had 2 more more minutes we woudl have scored 21 points"
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 21, 2014, 03:07:31 pm
Their D isn't very good with Matthews.  With out him it will be a lot worse.

Peppers had a good game though.  It helps they didn't seem to even bother trying to block him.  They were just letting him run free most of the time.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 21, 2014, 03:36:01 pm
Peckers O-line is terrible, after Nelson the WRs are weak, The D looks weak - espcially against a bad O-Line like Detroit.

Ted Thompson has done a terrrible job recently.

Rodgers seems ot have taken a step back...is scared to get hurt? I didn't see him run at all.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 21, 2014, 04:28:45 pm
Rodgers is fine.  It is his supporting cast that is not doing their jobs.  He makes them all look better then they are but even he can only do so much.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 21, 2014, 10:07:26 pm
Fox studio analyst Jimmy Johnson mentioned it in the “Fox NFL Sunday” pregame show and he mentioned it again after the Lions had beaten the Packers, 19-7.

“Where are the receivers for Aaron Rodgers?” Johnson said. “He had 160 yards passing. Ah.”

Fox game analyst John Lynch noted in the third quarter that Packers receiver Jordy Nelson had only three catches.

“The Detroit Lions are making a concerted effort to take him out of the game,” Lynch said. “Guys like Randall Cobb, Davante Adams, Andrew Quarless, they are going to have to step up.”

Lynch also noted that effective defensive front can make good quarterback look awfully ordinary.

“They are out of sync,” Lynch said about the Packers’ offense. “They look disjointed. That’s what happens. I played behind a great defensive line in my career in Tampa Bay. It can do crazy things to even the best of the quarterbacks. You get constant pressure on quarterbacks, they don’t look so good any more. That’s what’s happened to Aaron Rodgers.”

Lynch passed the credit around in the fourth quarter, when the Lions had the game in hand.

“Just a masterful job by Teryl Austin, defensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions, that group up front and a secondary that’s banged up and they are playing without their middle linebacker,” Lynch said. “An incredible effort.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 21, 2014, 10:09:33 pm
If it was Cutler they would say he was locking onto Marshall.  Not that the other receivers did not step up.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 21, 2014, 10:09:46 pm
Q: Bob, Minnetonka - Hi Tyler -- thanks for the chat! Thank you for your article saying the packers played scared at Seattle! How can the best quarterback in the league (a lot of people say) and an offensive genius for head coach only come up with 7 points against a depleted secondary? What will be the excuse this time--it's Detroit who just won the super bowl last year?

A: Tyler Dunne - Bobby: It is hard to fathom that in 20 possessions at Detroit these last two years, the Packers offense has produced 10 points. There's plenty of blame to go around but Aaron Rodgers indicated afterward that Green Bay did not "properly adjust" offensively. Mike McCarthy said he didn't stay committed to the run early on and admitted that maybe he could have given Rodgers the ball, and let him call plays, earlier in the game. Either way, the Packers couldn't defeat a team down to its fourth (and then fifth) nickel cornerback.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 21, 2014, 10:12:06 pm
Q: Kimberly, Wi - Tyler in Aaron's press conference after the game he said the Lions where in a 2 high safety what did he mean by that?

A: Tyler Dunne - Kimberly: It's the look that gave the Packers problems through the 2012 season and parts of 2011. Defenses decide to keep both of their safeties far off the line, back defending the pass, instead of dropping one into the box to stop the run.

WAKE UP MEL TUCKER!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 21, 2014, 10:14:11 pm
Q: JR, Marquette - Hey Tyler, It seems Cobb has had difficulty getting separation this year. Do you think it has anything to do with his injury last year? Play calling? Or is he just a bit overhyped?

A: Tyler Dunne - JR: This isn't the same Randall Cobb we saw before the injury. He has said he's recovered, and it's been nearly a full year since the leg injury in Baltimore. The drops are puzzling. But it's hard to fathom that a player with his speed and agility is averaging only 9.0 yards per catch this season. Somehow, the Packers need to get Cobb going. Maybe that's usage, but Cobb should be burning the Lions' fifth nickel cornerback play after play after play...

BASICALLY HE IS SCARED OF GETTING HURT!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 21, 2014, 10:15:17 pm
I SAID THIS EARLIER TODAY....

Q: Dave K - Isn't the real problem in Green Bay that there's only one weapon left for Rodgers? You can't lose Driver, Jennings, Jones and Finley in a two year period and expect to stay productive.

A: Tyler Dunne - Dave: Good point. Just was talking to my colleague Tom Silverstein here in the press box about this. In the past, defenses might have used two safeties deep but they rolled one of them toward Green Bay's top receivers...and something else always stepped up. Think back to 2011. The ball was thrown all over the yard to many, many different weapons. Jordy Nelson caught 68 passes, Greg Jennings 67, Jermichael Finley 55, James Jones 38 (for 16.7 per catch), Donald Driver 37, Randall Cobb 25. Now, two of those five remain. Jarrett Boykin, the guy Green Bay expected to supplant Jones, is off to a choppy start. Davante Adams has shown promise but is young. The Packers need one or two non-Nelson receivers to step up and/or rely on the run game even more in 2014.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 21, 2014, 10:18:03 pm
GOOD COMEDY from a delusional coach...

"If nothing else, this offensive line isn't living up to Mike McCarthy's comments in the summer that it could be the best O-Line he's ever had in Green Bay."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on September 22, 2014, 10:50:40 am
Best low-light of the game

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/24719479/look-lions-lb-stephen-tulloch-injures-himself-during-sack-celebration

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 22, 2014, 01:11:48 pm
Too funny....only the Loins...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 22, 2014, 08:38:53 pm


Green Bay Packers: A team disconnected
These are my comments for the Packers game.
I really hope I’ve seen the worst from the Green Bay Packers because I can’t take much more of the same.


The Green Bay Packers must run on diesel fuel because it sure is taking them a long time to get started.

As for me, wake me up when September ends please.

It’s a short season so every time you lose, you are just that much closer to booking your tickets home in January. Further, if I were to sum up the Packers in one word thus far it would be ‘disconnected’.

There are only a handful of guys on this team that look in sync with what is going on. After all, it was the lowest-scoring output by the Packers in a game that Aaron Rodgers started and also finished since he became the starter in 2008.

I wish I knew what the source of this disconnect was, but it ‘ain’t’ pretty.

At this point, Eddie Lacy has run for 77 total yards.  That’s about the equivalent of a walk through the park. A very small park.  He’s currently projected for 616 yards this season.

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In a game where the Packers defense forced three turnovers one could only believe that they could put the Lions away. But, without offensive production, that just couldn’t happen. The Packers had only 21 minutes of possession, 4 third down conversions, and only 223 total yards.

As hard as it is to see the good things in this loss, there were a couple positives that came from this game.  Haha Clinton-Dix intercepted Matt Stafford ending the Packer’s streak of 25 games (including playoffs) without an interception from a safety.

In addition Julius Peppers was able to blow past the Lions offensive line to force a fumble. We can only hope we see more of these good things while everyone else gets there poop in a group.

With the Packers visiting the Chicago Bears next week, we can only hope we see more of these good things from the defense while everyone else gets there poop in a group.

As for me, wake me up when September ends please.

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 22, 2014, 08:41:24 pm
Beerfan 21 -  Sorry but I didn't read any of your post.  I have you and oddo on permanent BLOCK.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 22, 2014, 08:48:25 pm
Good....Peppers only made that play because no one blocked him.

Peckers runing prblems are due to a horrendous O line.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 22, 2014, 08:52:28 pm
McCarthy is nearing the end of his contract.  Many fans have been wondering when he will be extended.  He has been there for 9 years.   Many have been questioning his play-calling.

It wouldn't surprise me if Thompson decided to changed head coaches.  Thompson is a no-nonsense GM. and McCarthy seems to have slipped each of his last 3 years.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 22, 2014, 11:39:15 pm
Peckers problem is they never replaced a great offensive line and no more...Driver, Jones, Finley, Jennings. After Nelson it'ss a big drop off.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on September 23, 2014, 10:07:40 am
Quote
Too funny....only the Loins...

Not only the Lions.  The Bucs laid claim to that move first.  :)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 23, 2014, 07:44:18 pm
I can’t say I blame him, but this was a very George W. Bush move from Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy.

The Green Bay Packers coach vowed not to criticize players during news conferences- yet, as with so many blanket promises, Mike McCarthy found this one impossible to keep.

Just three games into the regular season, Eddie Lacy’s play has been nothing short of dismal.

Coming off of a 2013 season that saw him named Rookie of the Year, Lacy has failed to average more than 3.1 yards per carry. He actually saw “five carries in the past game that netted either zero or negative yardage” in their loss to the Detroit Lions, according to the Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal-Sentinel.

As a goalie who once figured out that I average about a .200 save percentage, I have very little room to talk. As a player who many expected to follow up a fantastic rookie campaign with an even better sophomore season, though, things just haven’t gone the way they should for Eddie Lacy. The coach insisted that Lacy needs to play better, and fans wholeheartedly agree.


“Eddie needs to play better,” McCarthy said. “I’m not going to do this anymore. I don’t correct individuals in the media.”

Of course, he followed up his promise that he doesn’t correct individuals in the media by suggesting that the players made mistakes that players learned to avoid in “elementary school football”. Maybe I’m overly sensitive, but that sounds like criticism to me?

The coach did admit that the team’s running game wasn’t completely down the drain, adding that Lacy’s fellow running back James Starks had some nice runs. Overall, though, the conference didn’t sound particularly optimistic for a front office determined not to harp on the negative.


WOW.!!!!!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 23, 2014, 08:11:49 pm
Packers' Mike McCarthy, Aaron Rodgers have offensive differences
 Aaron Rodgers was talking adjustments Sunday, but his coach was talking about something completely different Monday. Rodgers referenced a failure to adjust better to the defense in Sunday's loss, Mike McCarthy wanted no part of any discussion that didn't involve player performance.

 Differences?  Remember what I said about McCarthy's future if GB keeps playing like this.
 
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 23, 2014, 08:30:30 pm
Nick from Green Bay, WI

I am not freaking out like some, but why is it McCarthy is anti-screen lately? If you are not running effectively, then why not try a screen?

I’m not big on talking scheme because it becomes endless; somebody always has a better scheme. I can tell you screen passes aren’t the solution to all issues. A screen pass is generally used against loaded fronts. The Packers were not facing a loaded front on Sunday. Mike McCarthy said something in his press conference yesterday that is as profound as anything I have ever heard a coach say about scheme. “Scheme is not a crutch.” Bingo! That’s exactly what scheme has become, a crutch for fans to explain all losses. Nobody gets physically whipped anymore, they just get out-schemed. Baloney! The Packers got whipped on Sunday and good teams look in the mirror and acknowledge to themselves they lost the physical battle, not the coaching battle. There isn’t a coach in the league that wouldn’t have attacked the Lions the way the Packers did. You want the truth? There’s the truth. So what was the fan reaction to the Packers’ game plan? They should’ve found a way to pass. That’s baloney, too. They should’ve found a way to shove it down the Lions’ throat. That’s what a power football team does. That’s what the Seahawks would’ve done.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 23, 2014, 08:38:35 pm
Shalom from Austin, TX

What do we have to do to beat the Bears?

Win the one-on-ones. It always begins with that. Forget about winning the battle of the scheming. I can tell you right now what the Bears’ scheme is going to be: Invite the run to protect against the pass. It’s time to win the battle of the playing. Most of all, it’s time to win the battle of the hitting.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 23, 2014, 08:55:33 pm
Grant from New Liskeard, ON

This team seems to have the talent, yet, Coach McCarthy seems perplexed as to why the team is struggling to get going. Is it a lack of hunger?

It’s not a lack of hunger, and Coach McCarthy isn’t perplexed as to why the team is struggling. Read the stories I did from yesterday’s game here and here. Coach McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers stood in front of the media after the game and told you exactly what the problem is: The Lions invited the run and the Packers couldn’t run it. What do you think my buddy Mel Tucker is going to do next week at Soldier Field? Do you think he’s going to play some “Cover Two” and dare the Packers to run the ball? He absolutely will. The Packers know it and they know they have to fix their running game or suffer the same consequences. There was nothing genius about the Lions’ defensive game plan. They saw the Packers struggling to run the ball, so they made the Packers run the ball. My inbox is full of fans that want to pass, pass, pass. The pass is always the solution. Why? It’s because watching quarterbacks such as Rodgers and Brett Favre for the last 22 years has made throwing the football look easy. Wanna throw it? Then run it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 23, 2014, 08:59:43 pm
Chris from Upland, CA

Vic, my positive take on yesterday’s game: Packers defense looked stellar.

If before kickoff I had said to you the Packers would hold Calvin Johnson to 82 yards receiving, Reggie Bush to 61 yards rushing and Matt Stafford to no touchdown passes and a 61.6 passer rating, and would intercept Stafford twice, would you have been confident in a Packers victory?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 24, 2014, 08:34:40 pm

(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/003/078/631/ff7d6d4b272e1a7fb245eb1ed2441d0d_crop_north.jpg?w=630&h=420&q=75)


After three games, Green Bay is sitting with a less-than-sterling 1-2 record, and the masses are restless.

Who is to blame for losses to the Detroit Lions and Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks? Which person must atone for Rodgers' dipping completion rate? Who is responsible for the Packers dropping to 28th in the league in total offense?

These are questions many a cheesehead continues to mull after Sunday's loss at Ford Field, and a few have seemingly found the answer: Olivia Munn.

Deftly applying the sharpest edge of Occam's razor, a cross section of Packers fans have bypassed all on-field possibilities and come to the conclusion that Rodgers' celebrity girlfriend is at the root of Green Bay's offensive issues...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 24, 2014, 09:18:34 pm
You mean his beard?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 25, 2014, 12:32:54 am
She's fairly hot....I'd be distracted, too....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on September 25, 2014, 09:42:21 am
That picture sucks.  She plays on newsroom right?  I think she is pretty damn hot on there.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 25, 2014, 04:28:57 pm
Rodgers play has been very uninterested. The peckers O Line SUCKS!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: chifaninva on September 25, 2014, 04:30:54 pm
Let's hope they suck this weekend..
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 25, 2014, 07:08:57 pm
If fourth-and-8 at Soldier Field goes differently, Peppers might still be with Bears


GREEN BAY—Apparently, Packers fans can thank fullback John Kuhn for the addition of Julius Peppers to the Green Bay defense in 2014.

“He actually cost me my job,” Peppers said on Thursday, joking about Kuhn’s block on the famous fourth-and-8, division-winning touchdown pass fromAaron Rodgers to Randall Cobb in the final minute at Soldier Field last December. “He got me released, but I guess it turned out pretty good.”...


Peppers didn’t want to discuss his individual performance against the Lions, but it was clearly his best as a Packer to date. He came unblocked for a tackle for loss of Detroit running back Reggie Bush, and he registered three QB hits on Matthew Stafford, none bigger than a strip-sack in the red zone in the third quarter. Peppers recovered the fumble himself, preventing the Lions from extending a 12-7 lead.

The previous week, he showed his skill dropping into coverage, picking up Jets running back Chris Houston out of the backfield on a wheel route and nearly intercepting Geno Smith’s pass.

While Peppers still gets to put his hand on the ground when the Packers employ their new 4-3 front, his transition to 3-4 outside linebacker appears to have become old news.

“He’s definitely been everything I thought he would be,” Mike McCarthy said. “You see him getting more and more comfortable.”

That goes for his new off-the-field surroundings as well. Rodgers said on Wednesday that two weeks ago they were joking about the personal fouls Peppers has been flagged for against Rodgers, namely a late hit out of bounds when Carolina visited Lambeau Field in 2008 and a roughing-the-passer call in the 2010 NFC Championship that Rodgers said “made my lip a little bloody.”

“He still believes that wasn’t a personal foul,” Rodgers said. “He’s on our team, so we tell him what he needs to hear about that.

“It’s great having him. He’s a talented guy. He played well last week and he’s just going to keep getting better for us.”


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 25, 2014, 07:26:20 pm
http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Tramon-Williams-We-respect-Cutler-well-be-ready/f48718d1-45aa-45aa-bb98-4c92f16321d8

Tramon Williams on Jay Cutler.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 25, 2014, 07:33:07 pm
A Packers win would erase the bitter memory of last Sunday’s loss in Detroit. With a Packers win, all would be right in Packernation. I don’t have to describe the flip side other than to say your life would be beyond miserable.

Yeah, it’s a rivalry again.

Here are 10 things the Packers have to do to beat the Bears.

1. Stop the run – It would make the Bears one-dimensional and allow the Packers to tee off on Jay Cutler, and that’s largely been the Packers’ formula for beating the Bears in recent years.

2. Run the ball – That’s how you open the passing lanes.

3. Beat the coverage – Good receivers beat double coverage.

4. Buy in – Whatever the game plan or the play call is, commit totally to it and make it work.

5. Do it again – The Packers secondary was outstanding last week in limiting Calvin Johnson’s effectiveness. This week, Brandon Marshall is the challenge.

6. Two hands on the ball – Charles Tillman won’t play, but his “Peanut Punch” lives on. Receivers beware.

7. Make Rodgers the star – He’s “The Man.” Everything is built around him. Aaron Rodgers must be this team’s star for it to be the best it can be. Whatever it takes, do it.

8. Block Jared Allen – Making Rodgers the star begins with blocking Allen.

9. Test Fuller with Nelson – Kyle Fuller is a sensational talent, but he’s still a rookie. Jordy Nelson is the best Fuller will have faced.

10. Feel the moment – It’s only Week 4, but this is big.


From Vic.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 25, 2014, 08:11:11 pm

Aaron Rodgers Is Root Cause of Packers Offensive Struggles

 By Cian Fahey , Featured Columnist  Sep 25, 2014
Rodgers' mechanics and accuracy are a concern but not a major one. He was able to be effective last year while still ignoring some of those issues. Now, those issues become greater when paired with another flaw. A flaw that a fellow NFC North quarterback is routinely scrutinized for:

Much like Matthew Stafford often does with Calvin Johnson, Rodgers has become too fond of forcing the play to Nelson.

This is likely a result of playing with a relatively new group of supporting options behind Nelson, but it's not a good excuse for poor quarterback play. It's especially not a good excuse when Rodgers is turning down opportunities to throw to Randall Cobb.

This writer says the current problem with the Packers offense is he has developed some bad mechanics (which began last season and has increased this season) and has begun throwing the ball too Jordy Nelson to often while not paying enough attention to Randall Cobb.  He shows film clips to demonstrate that.  Question:  When will he correct these problems.  Unless be does so before this Sunday I predict the Bears will win.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 25, 2014, 08:39:30 pm



USA TODAY Sports



Rodgers has a healthy track record versus the Lions, he thrives in a dome and Detroit's secondary is littered with backups and no-names whom you couldn't pick out of a lineup. All those factors should have added up to a banner day for the 2011 league MVP.

Such was not the case.

Rodgers struggled to find a rhythm with his receivers. He missed Jordy Nelson on a fourth-down throw to the end zone that he absolutely had to make. He used his escapability to make a few throws out of the pocket, but he was unable to scramble for any positive yardage.

In all, Rodgers managed just 162 yards and one touchdown after posting gaudy numbers in Week 2's win over the Jets. His 6.0 yards per attempt contrasts starkly with a 8.2 YPA career average, as the Lions' defensive backs held him squarely in check.

Rodgers and Packers fans alike surely expect more from arguably the best player in the league.

Grade: C
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 26, 2014, 12:02:08 am
You're right about the pic sucking.....how bout this one? Lord help me....whew.....
ok that's enough for me......


(http://m.blog.hu/te/teddike/image/201009/olivia-munn-fhm-05.jpg)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: chifaninva on September 26, 2014, 04:58:04 am
OK, she'll work..
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on September 26, 2014, 04:59:24 am
Too skinny - she'll never fit in up there in the dairyland
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on September 26, 2014, 09:54:33 am
She could hoist my chain any time she wanted.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 26, 2014, 01:28:42 pm
I think she looks like dude. Which isfitting.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 26, 2014, 01:30:55 pm
(https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=334391360055255&set=a.161495740678152.1073741825.100004531809245&type=1)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on September 26, 2014, 01:38:33 pm
She looks like a red x to me..
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 26, 2014, 03:28:12 pm
Alright, I saw some other shots of her and she is hot.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 26, 2014, 04:54:07 pm

agreed - that's not a good pic of her (from the neck up, that is)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 26, 2014, 07:55:29 pm
Dom Capers was the head coach of the Texans when Peppers was draft eligible in 2002. Capers wanted to pick Peppers first overall. Charley Casserly was the Texans’ GM and he picked David Carr. Capers’ vision was he would make Peppers the featured player in the Texans defense, which meant using him as a linebacker. As a linebacker, Peppers could’ve been moved around more freely. He could’ve been used to rush or cover. He could’ve been used to literally direct the ball. The athletic ability that allowed Peppers to be used in so many roles would’ve created an overload of preparation for opposing offenses. Coach Capers had done that successfully with Kevin Greene, Greg Lloyd, Chad Brown, LeVon Kirkland, Lamar Lathon and, especially, with Tony Brackens out of a 4-3 look. Coach Capers has always needed that kind of player to define his defense, and I don’t think it was any coincidence the Packers drafted Clay Matthews when Coach Capers took over the Packers defense.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 26, 2014, 08:01:00 pm
Brendan from New York, NY

Vic, how do you square your praise of winsome fans with your love of rivalries that generate anger and spark fights in the stands? I lived in Chicago when the Packers played the Bears for the NFC Championship at Soldier Field. I wore my cheesehead to the game, including when I took the El to and from, and had mostly fun and playful interaction with Bears fans, like the guy with a cheese grater on his head who ran over to try to grate my hat. I appreciated their winsomeness, and at the same time I wanted to beat the Bears in that game even more than I wanted to win the Super Bowl. To me, that’s a great rivalry.

I’m not well adjusted. Maybe that’s why I’m here. Maybe fate brought me here to heal my damaged soul.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 27, 2014, 05:29:51 pm
Good comedy. Peppers career is basically over. Keep hoping. Peppers took pratically every play off last year and continues to do that this year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on September 28, 2014, 06:25:52 am
You can bet he wont take today off, of all games
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 28, 2014, 11:35:29 am
I don't know. He was so uninterested in playing last year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 29, 2014, 12:47:18 pm
julius peppers - 1 solo tackle. I do not remmeber hsi name called. Career almost over.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 29, 2014, 03:28:12 pm


PACKERSNEWS

Williams says 'small, minor detail' tipped him off on Matthews INT


Aaron Rodgers didn't believe him.

The Packers quarterback might not know what it's like to face a former team, but he imagined the emotions are a little extra. Asked if Peppers ever shared the importance of this game, how special it would be to enter Soldier Field wearing green and gold and walk out with a win, Rodgers didn't hesitate.

"He did with his body language," Rodgers said. "If you know Pep, he's not a big talker. I think we all knew it meant something to him to come back. Now, he actually talked a little this week when I talked to him about going back to Carolina. He spent more time in Carolina than he did here in Chicago. But no, it meant something.

"We all wanted to put a good effort forward."

After his first tackle, Peppers didn't do much on the stat sheet. Just two stops, far from the numbers he produced the past two weeks. Still, his presence was felt.

On the field, defensive end Datone Jones said Peppers "got us really hyped" a few times. His inspiration helped turn a sluggish, confused first-half defense into a second-half shutout.

How much did this mean to Peppers?

"Oh, I know it meant a lot," Jones said. "He's done a lot for the Chicago Bears. He's done a lot for this city. I'm very excited for him to be able to come back and just play hard again. I'm very excited that we got the win."

Peppers' new teammates heard the boos, too. On Sunday, they had his back. Cornerback Sam Shields called Peppers a "brother." Cornerback Tramon Williams said the whole team wanted to win for him.

After Peppers left the locker room, Jones was asked about the boos and showed his disgust.

"I feel really bad, because at the end of the day, fans have to remember that this is a business," Jones said. "We don't choose the teams. They choose us. It's a business. They've got to understand he has a family.

"I'm pretty sure he'd want to finish here. You can't get mad when a player leaves. You don't boo people when they get cut. So if they go to a different team, don't boo them. It's kind of wrong."

Instead, Peppers likely will finish his career in Green Bay. His new teammates — and new fans — don't mind at all.

Last week, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Peppers has been everything he hoped. He's a leader on the field, a veteran voice in the locker room. In the pass rush, he's provided plenty of punch.

Now, Peppers also is 4-0 playing against former teams.

It's a quick trip back to Green Bay. With the Minnesota Vikings coming to town Thursday, it'll feel like an even quicker week. Peppers stressed the importance of moving on. There's no time for a celebration, but would Peppers take a few moments on the flight home to appreciate what happened Sunday?

His face lit up.

"Yeah, yeah," Peppers said, flashing a rare smile. "(Expletive), I might just lay back. I'm going to enjoy this one."

— rwood@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @ByRyanWood
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 29, 2014, 04:34:00 pm
Joshua from Mankato, MN

Now that the offense is fixed, I’m sure some fans will again be criticizing the defense for all the rushing yards they surrendered. Do you think it’s counterproductive to view a team in this bifurcated manner? Offensive and defensive performances are intertwined, are they not?

Yes, bifurcating is a problem. The bifurcating must stop, and it begins with stopping the bifurcaters. I am officially proclaiming this “Ban Bifurcating Week.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 29, 2014, 06:08:34 pm

The Peppers story is fluff...who cares.  I do think its classless though that he was booed.  He did not choose to leave..he was cut.

I was more interested in reading about the small minor detail on the tip.  Was Morgan tipping the slant?

We hardly ever run that and when we do Holmes is the guy....speaking of Holmes where was he?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: chifaninva on September 29, 2014, 07:04:16 pm
Invisible.. I wondered the same thing..
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 29, 2014, 07:09:10 pm
The Packers (AR) finally woke up.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 29, 2014, 09:32:30 pm
They will fold again when the defense can get a pass rush.

The Bears couldn't get any pressure on Rodgers and that was the game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 30, 2014, 11:48:35 am
No presure on Rodgers, but what about the two Phantom unecessary roughness penalties on that one drive - Mundy goes shoulder to should wit hJordy nelson - good clean hit and the **** NFL didn't like it. Then a Bears player falls on Lacey at the end of the play and he gets flagged - Lacey wasn't even down yet.

Cutler's 2 picks were devastating as they gave the Peckers great field postion. The on-sides kick hurt as well.

Has Mel Tucker been fired yet?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on September 30, 2014, 12:15:56 pm
No presure on Rodgers, but what about the two Phantom unecessary roughness penalties on that one drive - Mundy goes shoulder to should wit hJordy nelson - good clean hit and the **** NFL didn't like it. Then a Bears player falls on Lacey at the end of the play and he gets flagged - Lacey wasn't even down yet.


I was watching the game in a bar at a table next to Packer fans. Even they were shocked by those penalties
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on September 30, 2014, 12:36:02 pm
Quote
julius peppers - 1 solo tackle. I do not remmeber hsi name called. Career almost over.

I heard his number called when he was called for hands to the face on the first drive...   ???

There needs to be some kind of repremand for officials who screw games up as bad as they screwed this game up.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on September 30, 2014, 12:58:33 pm
There needs to be some kind of repremand for officials who screw games up as bad as they screwed this game up.

Agreed...and they were bad against the Packers too. The extra 15 yard penalty on the Cutler slide was wrong too. He was barely grazed by the hand to the helmet. These refs need to keep some perspective. There is a big difference between "targeting" the head and inadvertantly grazing the head. Seriously...the officiating has been poor in nearly every game I've watched regardless of the teams playing. It is almost becoming unwatchable.

Speaking of unwatchable , I am praying for Jon Gruden to take the Raiders coaching position. MNF might be bearable again if he leaves the booth. My ultimate wish for the improvement ofbroadcasts. Gruden takes Raiders job and Chris Berman retires.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 30, 2014, 01:07:02 pm
peckers O ine held all day long - no calls. I saw 3 seperate plays where hands were to the face by Peckers O line.

Those TWO phantom unecessary roughness penalties were atrocious and gave the Peckers a TD.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 30, 2014, 05:07:45 pm
It was a poorly officiated game - both ways.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 30, 2014, 05:12:32 pm
Offensive MVP: WR Jordy Nelson

Could this really be anyone else? Jordy has done it all for the Packers this season, and he leads the NFL in targets, receptions, and receiving yards, while trailing only DeMarco Murray and Le'Veon Bell in yards from scrimmage. Let's see, where else can we go here...he's third in the league in yards per route run (thanks, Pro Football Focus!) and is easily the top-graded wide receiver. He's making that big new contract look like a bargain.

Honorable Mention: QB Aaron Rodgers

The team typically goes as Rodgers goes, and he has been inconsistent to say the least early on. But when he's on, holy cow, there's still no better QB in the league than Aaron Rodgers at his peak, and he showed that against the Bears on Sunday and in the second half against the Jets.

Defensive MVP: DE Mike Daniels

Despite a rough game on Sunday against the Bears, Daniels has appeared to be the most consistent player on the defense against both the run and the pass. While Julius Peppers is still a menace to quarterbacks, he has struggled to defend the run somewhat. Daniels has not, recording 11 "stops" in the first quarter which ranks fourth in the league among 3-4 ends, while still recording seven quarterback pressures, including a sack.

Honorable Mention: OLB/DE Julius Peppers

See above. Peppers' transition to 3-4 outside linebacker has not affected his pass-rushing ability one bit - only five players at the position have more quarterback pressures, and he made one of the biggest plays of the entire season on his sack/forced fumble/recovery on Matthew Stafford in the red zone.

Best Rookie: S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix

A team's first-round draft pick probably should be their best rookie, but the Alabama product is certainly earning his way into this spot. Over the past few weeks, Ha Ha's playing time has steadily increased, a fact which our Kris Burke examined earlier today. He has also been involved in two turnover plays (a recovery of a fumbled punt against Seattle and an interception in Detroit) and has, for the most part, been a sure tackler in the secondary.

Honorable mention: C Corey Linsley

While Linsley's performance from game to game has been up and down, the fact that he has stabilized the interior of the Packers' offensive line while JC Tretter is out with an injury deserves recognition in and of itself. He has held his own in pass protection, and the growing pains he's experiencing in the run game are to be expected for a first-year player.

Agreed...and they were bad against the Packers too. The extra 15 yard penalty on the Cutler slide was wrong too. He was barely grazed by the hand to the helmet. These refs need to keep some perspective. There is a big difference between "targeting" the head and inadvertantly grazing the head. Seriously...the officiating has been poor in nearly every game I've watched regardless of the teams playing. It is almost becoming unwatchable.

Speaking of unwatchable , I am praying for Jon Gruden to take the Raiders coaching position. MNF might be bearable again if he leaves the booth. My ultimate wish for the improvement ofbroadcasts. Gruden takes Raiders job and Chris Berman retires.

Good points.  Very objective.

The other film clip  shown by the film crew showed big old  6-7 Julius isolated in the view clearly being held.  How could those officials miss that big guy in an isolated area?  Any Bear fans see that?  No?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 30, 2014, 05:15:10 pm
Definitely different views on the performance by Peppers.  The Packers are delighted.  Notice how Matthews performance has improved?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on October 01, 2014, 01:38:09 pm
Peppers has doen nothing - his one sack came when the Lions missed a blockign assignment and he was untouched - free pass to the QB. Iwudl make that sack.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on October 01, 2014, 02:06:26 pm
Matthews performance has improved? Really?

Thru 4 games:

2014 - 11 tackles - 2 assists - 1 sack - 1 forced fumble

2013 - 14 tackles - 4 assists - 3 sacks - 2 forced fumbles

So...where's the improvement?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 01, 2014, 07:18:45 pm
Brett from Green Bay, WI

Vic, how does the short week affect the big linemen that have to be very fiscal?

I guess they spend less money.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on October 01, 2014, 07:52:00 pm
Short week effects no one as both teams have to deal it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 02, 2014, 09:05:21 pm
Now, Latimore for pick six.  Becoming fiasco for Purple Pants.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 02, 2014, 09:07:31 pm
Quickly, first TD for Adams.  Oh, mercy me for the Queens.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 02, 2014, 09:12:40 pm
Fumble for Minn.  Oh that purple rain.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 02, 2014, 09:17:55 pm
First time O and D both playing well same game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 02, 2014, 09:31:35 pm
Julius sacks  Ponder.     
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 02, 2014, 09:35:19 pm
Cobb is greased lightning.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 02, 2014, 09:38:02 pm
Holding #3.  Packers don't have a #3.  How about that, Peke?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 02, 2014, 09:39:56 pm
Slow Lacey slogs around RE for TD.  One of those days for Purple People.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 02, 2014, 09:48:31 pm
It was #30.

Just now the Vikings got called for offensive holding when it wasn't.  The Packers do much worse every single play and do not get called for it.

That said back to back impressive performances by the Packers on both sides of the ball.

HoF QB's and their teams always get the calls.  Just sucks for the Bears the Packers have had two in a row.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 02, 2014, 09:50:09 pm
Oh and I got Cobb, Nelson and Lacey between a couple FF leagues so I am getting points even if I hate the Packers...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on October 02, 2014, 09:55:19 pm
Still don't understand why the Lambeau leap is not a penalty for a pre-planned or excessive celebration. I've seen flags for a lot less.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 02, 2014, 09:57:21 pm
Roadgrader # 27 strikes again.  106yds.  Finally.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 02, 2014, 09:59:56 pm
Cordarelle is a  very good kick returner.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 02, 2014, 10:04:49 pm
Delay of game.  Can the Vikings do anything else wrong.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 02, 2014, 10:06:46 pm
TD for Ponder.  Glad for at least a small amount of satisfaction for him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 02, 2014, 10:23:26 pm
Glad to see Janis make catches #1 and #2  in the NFL.  He definitely belongs in the NFL.  How well can he do? IMHO his future is unlimited if he can just have a healthy career.   He has not done a single thing that looks discouraging.  6-2, fastest WR, good hands, runs good routes, can defeat man (bump) coverage.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 02, 2014, 10:27:34 pm
Hayward almost intercepted Ponder.  Getting the rust off, now.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 02, 2014, 10:35:32 pm
Goodnight.  Ahhhh.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 02, 2014, 10:58:43 pm
Peke

BBBBBBWWWWWAAAAHHHHHHHHHJ!


Must have been because the refs wanted the Packers to win. Missing all those calls which would have kept the Queens in the game.....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on October 03, 2014, 12:32:29 am
Pretty easy to win in the NFL when the other team their 3rd string QB and no tailback. How is Ponder still in the NFL?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on October 03, 2014, 12:36:41 am



 **** IT. I love the rematch ... gotta lotta NFL to do before that.


  This ain't over ... in fact it hasn't begun.


  Its never over.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 03, 2014, 12:55:49 pm
(http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/305a9f2c60eb09a5e1d0f615301fd0912b3c7364/c=5-0-2560-1920&r=x513&c=680x510/local/-/media/WIGroup/None/2014/10/01/1412200412000-2014-09-14-121221.jpg)

Packers new tailgate area in Lot, next to the stadium.  This is part of the Packers property purchased for expansion.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 03, 2014, 12:59:24 pm
"This field, this game; it's a part of our past," James Earl Jones' character says in the 1989 film "Field of Dreams."

He's talking baseball to Ray Kinsella, the Iowa farmer. Then you look at Lot 10 and you imagine him talking football to Ray Nitschke.

"It reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again. Oh, people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come."

They have come, the Lot 10 parking attendants say, and they love it.

They have come to a place that is not paved, but grass, just like The Grove. Just as it was when new City Stadium opened in 1957.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on October 03, 2014, 01:02:12 pm
Where'd you go wrong, PR? What led you to the dark side? Did someone tempt you with a beer and brat? Was it a fine young cheese maker in pigtails and heels? What happened?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 03, 2014, 01:06:05 pm
The Packers, no strangers to sitting on a gold mine, are sitting on another. Their backyard.

It costs $40 to park in Lots 9 and 10, where there are 450 spaces. That seems a reasonable price to pay for such a wonderful experience.

"They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it," James Earl Jones says in that old movie, "for it is money they have and peace they lack."

(And, sure, get a sponsor for that tailgating space. Better that than the kids' bike ride at training camp. Some things shouldn't be for sale.)

You know the Packers are going to develop all that property they own west of Lambeau Field.

"Anything to the south would really be for stadium or football use, not for development," team president Mark Murphy said in July.

So you hope they leave Lots 9 and 10 alone.

You hope they realize they have something special there, just off Ridge and Valley View roads.

You hope they realize that green space can become to Green Bay what The Grove is to Oxford.

— jash@greenbaypressgazette.com or follow on Twitter @JeffAshPG
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 03, 2014, 01:11:21 pm
RANT: OK, call it petty, but backup quarterback Matt Flynn did not look good in his mop-up roll. The seventh-year veteran, entrusted with running the offense should misfortune strike again, threw an interception on his first play. He finished 3-of-5 for 22 yards and a 30.8 quarterback rating.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 03, 2014, 01:12:23 pm
RAVE: The Packers' defense held an opposing quarterback to a passer rating below 83.0 for the fourth straight game. In order: New York Jets' Geno Smith 64.1, Detroit's Matthew Stafford 61.6, Chicago's Jay Cutler 82.5 and Minnesota's Christian Ponder 45.8.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 03, 2014, 01:13:54 pm
THUMBS DOWN

Leading 42-10 and deep into garbage time, the Packers' defense included starters Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers, A.J. Hawk, Sam Shields and Tramon Williams. Surely, there were other, less-valuable — not to mention lesser-paid — players to put on the field for the Vikings' final possession.

Jayrone Elliott? Nick Perry? Jarrett Bush? Davon House? This game was over before the fourth quarter started. Why take an unnecessary risk, especially with Matthews, who has been battling a groin injury?

McCarthy has made some foolish decisions this season.  Is he slipping?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on October 03, 2014, 01:30:31 pm
Quote
McCarthy has made some foolish decisions this season.  Is he slipping?

One can certainly hope so....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on October 03, 2014, 01:49:22 pm
Watch Gameday on Saturday...you'll see what tailgating is all about...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 03, 2014, 08:02:38 pm
Zaquery from Lexington, KY

Just watched our coach deliver his speech. How do you not feel good about what he has to say and his plan for the future? As a Packers fan, you have to enjoy having a great quarterback right now.

These are some of the most treasured days in Packers history. Aaron Rodgers is a quarterback that tilts the field, and he plays for the most underrated coach in franchise history.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 03, 2014, 08:07:21 pm
Christopher from Hastings, New Zealand

Is the longer break before having to play in Miami helpful for the Packers, compared to playing Sunday to Sunday?

The extra days of rest will help bumps and bruises heal, but it won’t help the Packers prepare for the different weather conditions they’re going to face in Miami. The predicted high temperature for Miami today is 88 degrees, which means the heat index will be in the 100 range. I lived in Florida for 16 years. It’s all about the sun. If you’re not accustomed to the Florida heat, you have to find a way to get out of the sun.

We always think about the cold days of December as an advantage but the southern teams certainly have  an advantage the part of the season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 03, 2014, 09:32:47 pm
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BzDsXjLCcAEvRp9.jpg:large)

Julius and Jamari
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on October 03, 2014, 09:33:05 pm



 Weather is whether ... every team plays thru it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 03, 2014, 09:49:52 pm
(http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/55c6ffa90d96577a897a6a52544fabae64d14036/c=0-0-383-510&r=537&c=0-0-534-712/local/-/media/WIGroup/PackersNews/2014/09/08/1410227233000-Van%20Dyk.jpg)

The Packers worked out former Portland State offensive lineman Mitchell Van Dyk on Monday, according to a league source.

A three-year starter at right tackle, Van Dyk (6-7, 299) was one of the St. Louis' four seventh-round picks in May's draft.

He played mostly on the interior line with the Rams and was among their final cuts.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 06, 2014, 09:04:14 pm
(http://www.packers.com/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/article_images/2014/10-october/141006-dorsey-300.jpg)


The Green Bay Packers have signed WR Kevin Dorsey to the active roster from the practice squad, signed CB Tay Glover-Wright to the practice squad and released TE Ryan Taylor. The transactions were announced Monday by Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations Ted Thompson.

Dorsey, a 6-foot-1, 207-pound second-year player out of the University of Maryland, was originally selected by Green Bay with the second of three seventh-round picks in the 2013 NFL Draft (No. 224 overall). He spent his entire rookie season on injured reserve due to a toe injury sustained during the preseason. Dorsey has spent the first five weeks of this season on Green Bay’s practice squad. He will wear No. 13 for the Packers
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 06, 2014, 09:07:39 pm

Biff Budd  • 4 hours ago 

Janis is gold in the waiting. Use him in the four wide set an run crossing routes and watch linebackers/safeties try to keep up. Hard route to cover, impossible with his speed. Then, turn him loose opposite Jordy. Let's be honest, white guys are not expecting to have size AND speed. Jordy is a potential HOF candidate, Janis just needs to see the field to be lethal.
 

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 06, 2014, 09:25:06 pm
Vic, September is over and yesterday’s games were exciting. Packers fans everywhere were smiling when the Lions lost to the Bills. What do you think about Kyle Orton in Buffalo? Does he give the team a legitimate chance to win the division?

The Bills have the goods. Do they have the quarterback? I think that’s the only question they have to answer to become a legitimate postseason contender. Maybe Orton will be the Bills’ Steve DeBerg. You might want to circle that game in Orchard Park in December. The Packers won’t have to worry about what color jersey they’ll wear in that one.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 08, 2014, 04:44:10 pm

Jamie Wright 19h ago

It’s not hard to see that Julius Peppers is enjoying his new role in the Green Bay Packers’ complex defense.

After last Thursday night’s blowout of the Minnesota Vikings, Peppers joined the NFL Network analysts at the media desk to discuss the game.

He was all smiles.

Peppers was just the additive that this Packers’ defensive front needed to invigorate it.

Peppers, a 34-year old veteran, is a humble guy who downplays his success and chalks it up to a team effort … which it is. But individual talents have a little something to do with it, as well.

Peppers jokes that John Kuhn and the final play against Chicago last year cost him his job in the Windy City. If that is true – way to go, Kuhn … as Peppers was just the additive that this Packers’ defensive front needed to invigorate it.

The Packers’ motives were questions when they signed Peppers to a 3-year deal this offseason.

Is he really worth that kind of money?

Does he still have what it takes to play in this league?

Green Bay Packers defensive end Julius Peppers. Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports photograph


These were the questions players and coaches fielded this offseason. He was even chastised after a slow preseason debut. Ever since, he has quieted the naysayers with his effort between the numbers.

As he sat with former players and coaches after the game, he talked about his feelings within his new defensive scheme. He said that he enjoys being “off-leash” and that his new “elephant” role as a linebacker has really revamped his game.

Peppers has never had a guy like Clay Matthews opposite him, so he isn’t used to not commanding the double team. With Matthews looming on the other side, Peppers gets more free releases than before. When he is challenged, it isn’t by much. He is still in top physical condition and his opponents have all spoken to it, as have his teammates.

On Thursday night, Peppers showed his versatility by rushing the passer and also dropping back into coverage from time to time. One of those times, he was in the right place and on the end of a tipped pass when he intercepted Christian Ponder and returned the pick for six, across the field. For the first time since becoming a member of the black and blue division (the NFC North), Peppers was able to actually enjoy a Lambeau Leap.

Through five games, Peppers has accumulated 1.5 sacks, 3 passes defensed, 15 tackles, a forced fumble and recovery and an interception returned for a touchdown.

He’s just getting started.

The Packers are using Peppers in a way that he has never been used before. He’s always been a hand-on-the-ground, 4-3 defensive lineman.

He’s rushed the passer but he has never really been free from his past schemes. In Dom Capers’ new 4-3 simulation scheme, Julius is one of 5 linebackers that move around to confuse the offense.

Julius Peppers. Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

 
He can put his hand in the dirt, he can stand up and rush, he can drop back into coverage … he can do it all. He doesn’t appear to have lost a step in his thirties – just ask Minnesota Vikings running back Jerrick McKinnon … who was trying to catch him. Instead,  Peppers outran him 49 yard to paydirt.

Peppers said that he chose Green Bay because he thought that he could learn some new things from Dom Capers and that he felt like he could come in and contribute to a team that was in a good position to win.

Well, with Peppers playing so well and the defensive line looking hungry and healthy – he could be exactly right.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 08, 2014, 07:17:01 pm
The work continues for rookie receiver Davante Adams as well. Jarrett Boykin (groin) didn’t practice on Wednesday and won’t on Thursday, according to McCarthy, making it highly unlikely he’ll play this week. Second-year pro Kevin Dorsey is now on the active roster, too, but Adams will continue to get snaps ahead of rookie Jeff Janis or Dorsey right now.

Stepping into the No. 3 receiver role in Boykin’s absence, Adams hasn’t matched his five-catch, 50-yard outing in Week 2 against the Jets, but he did make his one catch last Thursday count for an 11-yard TD.

It was Adams’ first NFL touchdown (as well as Aaron Rodgers’ 200th career TD toss), and the quarterback indicated there’s more to come.

“Davante, he’s open on film a lot,” Rodgers said. “He’s run a lot of good routes. He only had one catch last week, but if he stays confident and keeps making plays like he’s doing in practice, the ball is going to keep coming his way.”

Adams referred to earning the trust of Rodgers and the coaching staff as “a process” that is underway but by no means complete. He leans on fellow receivers Nelson and Randall Cobb in the film room and tries to emulate what he sees on the practice field as he strives to become a “more fluid” performer.

“It’s not going to happen over the course of five weeks,” he said. “The more comfortable you get out there, the more production you’re going to have, because you’re not thinking as much. You’re going full speed and knowing what to do all the time.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 08, 2014, 07:27:29 pm
Matt from Inver Grove Heights, MN

Just saw Spofford’s “What You Might Have Missed” on the play of Burnett in the Vikings game. I think we are starting to see what you had commented on during training camp as the strong point of this defense, the secondary. What is the next step the defense needs to take on their road back to respectability that they are on now?

Stop the run again. It’s the fundamental ingredient to defensive success.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 08, 2014, 07:32:14 pm
Scott from Lincoln City, OR

Vic, I was impartial to the Jairus Byrd craze until you posted that stupid music video and then I just wanted Byrd, Byrd, Byrd out of my head for good. A season-ending injury can happen to a drafted player just as easily as it can to a free agent. What matters is how much cap space you have invested in the player, and that’s typically going to be less for a drafted player. Am I learning something from you or what?

When you spend big for a player, an injury to that player becomes more severe. It’s all about the cap. Good franchises protect their future. They fear the consequences of reckless spending.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 08, 2014, 08:27:26 pm
Julius Peppers wins NFC defensive player of the week

Posted by Darin Gantt on October 8, 2014, 10:08 AM EDT

Julius Peppers
AP

The fact Julius Peppers is playing outside linebacker in Green Bay makes this different from his previous stops.

But he’s still producing at a high level.

Peppers was named the NFC defensive player of the week after last week’s outburst against the Vikings.

Peppers had a half a sack, but more impressive was his interception and 49-yard touchdown return, outrunning a Vikings running back in the process...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 08, 2014, 08:30:27 pm

Ryan Wood, Press-Gazette Media 5:44 p.m. EDT October 7, 2014






Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams

(Photo: Wm.Glasheen/Post-Crescent Media)

Over the years, Aaron Rodgers has seen receivers make the same progression.

Improvement comes in phases. Before there are highlights on Sundays, they must show they're ready from Monday to Saturday. The practice field is their proving grounds. It worked that way for Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb.

Now it's the same for Davante Adams, the Packers' latest second-round receiver.

"He's doing a really good job," Rodgers said on his weekly ESPN Milwaukee radio show Tuesday afternoon. "He's practicing better. The jumps that we've seen all of our receivers make around here coincide with playing better in practice. James Jones did it, Greg did it, (Jarrett) Boykin, Jordy, Randall. When those guys start making plays in practice, they start making plays in the games."

On the surface, it's been a slow start for Adams. The rookie had no catches – and no targets – in the Green Bay Packers opener last month against the Seattle Seahawks. Since then, he's only reached the 50-yard mark once, in the Packers home opener against the New York Jets.

Adams has 10 catches and 90 yards in his first five games. It might not seem like much, certainly far behind the pace Jennings set when he caught 20 passes for 364 yards and three touchdowns in the first five games of his 2006 rookie season.

Still, Adams' stats through his first five games are similar to the beginning of Cobb and Nelson's careers.

Cobb had nine catches in the first five games of his 2011 rookie season, while Nelson had 10 catches in the first five games of his 2008 rookie season. Both had more yards – 174 for Cobb, 116 for Nelson. Both also had one touchdown catch.

Adams caught his first score on an 11-yard pass from Rodgers during the Packers home win Thursday against the Minnesota Vikings.

"The more film you watch of us, the more times you're seeing No. 17 being open," Rodgers said of Adams. "He's doing a nice job of running his routes. He's just got to know that this might not be his year to catch 100 passes around here, but at some point he's going to be one of the top options and get some more balls coming his way.

"He's just got to continue running his routes to win, and he's going to be a contributor for a while."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 08, 2014, 08:34:03 pm
Ravens Claim TE Ryan Taylor off Waivers from Packers

Maybe they will have better luck than GB in his development.  Just a ST player.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 09, 2014, 07:24:12 pm
Peppers says the way to beat the heat in Florida is to get off the field on third down.    ;-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 10, 2014, 07:05:45 pm
Deni from Helmond, Netherlands

Vic, I almost changed the channel when the Colts were up by 24, but finally we had a close game on TNF. I was really impressed by Andrew Luck. Do you see him as being in the same category as Rodgers, Manning, Brady and Brees?

Yes, he’s in the group of elite quarterbacks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 10, 2014, 07:06:54 pm
unil from Hyderabad, India

Vic, I’m probably the first Indian Packers fan who follows your articles very religiously. Please pardon my football knowledge. We lost to two good teams this season. Most of the fans were concerned like I was. I have no doubt about us winning the division. Can you share your thoughts on the Packers winning games against teams like the Seahawks or San Francisco, who have good defense and mobile quarterbacks?

As I wrote, the opener in Seattle revealed the gap that exists between the Packers and the Super Bowl champions. The Packers, I believe, are in the process of closing that gap. They have between now and January to do it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 10, 2014, 07:23:47 pm
Mike McCarthy gives strong endorsement of rookie’s early play

GREEN BAY—Since taking over at center for the injured JC Tretter late in training camp, rookie Corey Linsley has looked at each week as nothing more than having “a game to win.”

Along the way, he may be winning a permanent starting job.

Head Coach Mike McCarthy didn’t come right out and say it on Friday, but he suggested Tretter will have a difficult time taking the center spot back from Linsley when Tretter is healthy enough to play.

Lucky draft choice by Thompson.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on October 12, 2014, 02:34:15 pm
Heat getting to the Peckers D. Clay Mathews constantly out of position. Peppers playinf good...but not worth the money, one big play a game aint worth it.

Momentum going to the Fish.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on October 12, 2014, 03:12:21 pm
Fish's CB falls down..pathetic. Luck of thePeckers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: stelz on October 12, 2014, 03:19:17 pm
Rodgers gets it done.  He just does.  The Bears would have not even made a first down on that last drive.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 12, 2014, 03:25:57 pm
Rodgers is very good but the Packers are the luckiest team in the league.  The ball just seems to always bounce their way.  One Packer and 4 Dolphin players and the Packer gets the fumble. 

Hell Cutler would be out for the season if he took the beating Rodgers took today.  Plus he would have turned the ball over several times before exiting with the injury...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on October 12, 2014, 03:31:56 pm
Miami playing not to lose on their last possession with the usual outcome when you do that....you lose
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on October 12, 2014, 03:57:40 pm
Exactly...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on October 12, 2014, 05:24:12 pm
Agreed - Miami playing not to lose. Miami is not good enough to stop Rodgers when he has 4 downs. prevent D prevents you from winning.

Both Pecjers CBs get hurt and the miami coach isn't smart enought to go after the backups.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 12, 2014, 09:09:44 pm
Don't ignore the Dolphins this year if you are playing them at home in the heat.

GB totwo  CBs went down on consecutive plays.  With that and the heat it took a real effort in the last two minutes.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on October 12, 2014, 10:12:29 pm
GB should have lost.

Phins come to nice cold Soldier Field.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 12, 2014, 10:19:49 pm
It won't be that cold and their defense is tough.  Hopefully the same defense that showed up today shows up against the Dolphins.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 12, 2014, 10:26:38 pm
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. –  Randall Cobb had to interject.

His rookie teammate was backed into a corner inside the Green Bay Packers' locker room. Answers were expected from Davante Adams. Demanded, really.

How did Adams know quarterback Aaron Rodgers would fake a clock-stopping spike on the Packers' game-winning touchdown drive? What tipped him off.  Adams paused.
Of course he wouldn't reveal his quarterback's signals to the outside world, the rest of the NFL included. Six games into a promising career, the Packers' second-round draft pick is learning the ropes. He flashed a veteran's maturity several times on the field Sunday — a third-down conversion here, a red zone completion there. Adams showed the same savvy at his locker after the game.

How did he know Rodgers was throwing him the football on the offense's second-to-last play?

"He does what he does," Adams said, carefully keeping his answer vague. "It's little, subtle signals and things like that. We have a million of them. You've just got to see the right thing."

Adams caught his quarterback's signal, and he interpreted it correctly.

With no timeouts and the clock ticking under 20 seconds, Rodgers motioned to kill the clock as he approached the line of scrimmage. Under 15 seconds, he took the snap. Somewhere in between, and ever so briefly, the MVP quarterback flashed another sign to his rookie receiver.

Instead of a spike, Rodgers was giving Adams the football.

Receiver Jordy Nelson, who never moved from his stance in the slot after the snap, said he had no idea a pass was coming.

"It's great to see Davante alert like that and being on the same page (with Rodgers) and making a play for us," Nelson said.

Adams said the situation never was discussed in practice. You don't plan for something as impromptu as a fake spike. It's a throwaway drill for players to run during the week. Usually, when game time comes, a fake spike is expected to be tucked quietly into the offense's back pocket.


It's just about time to declare that Davante Adams has become a #1 WR.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 12, 2014, 10:38:49 pm
It's one of those things that you don't really tell anybody what's going on," Rodgers said. "You're just yelling 'clock' and signaling 'clock,' and then right before I snapped it, I looked out to the right and they were way off outside. So I just kind of faked it and moved. Davante wasn't looking at me initially, but after he saw me, probably moving, he looked and I threw it.

"I was hoping that he knew to just get a couple (yards) and get out of bounds, but he almost ended up scoring."

The second part is harder — and more important — than it sounds.

Adams caught the ball at the 14-yard line, with just 11 seconds left. Dolphins cornerback Cortland Finnegan was 5 yards away. With open space, Adams faced a dilemma. He saw the end zone, knew he had a chance to score. The rookie also knew his team had no timeouts, and the sideline was a couple of steps to his right.

Here was the key. Adams could not be tackled inbounds. No exceptions. If the clock doesn't stop — either by touchdown or out of bounds — the Packers don't beat the Dolphins.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 12, 2014, 10:44:44 pm
"As soon as the ball was snapped and I caught it, I saw how far (Finnegan) was off, and I looked up at the clock for a second and ran and got as much as I could," Adams said. "I tried to stretch out, move the ball as close to the end zone as I could. I took what was available.

"You can't be greedy. You might get into the end zone, but if you don't, the game is over. So you have to make sure you can take what you can and get out of bounds."

It was the kind of smart play Adams made throughout Sunday's game.

He started with two catches on the Packers' first two plays. From there, the rookie was a consistent target on Rodgers' radar. The quarterback went to his young receiver time after time, never shying from critical moments.

Adams finished with a career-high six catches for 77 yards. He was targeted eight times. More and more, Adams is becoming a consistent weapon in the offense.

It seems he's earned Rodgers' trust.

"He's a talented guy," Rodgers said. "I told him this week it was going to be a big week for him, a week that I think he would start to really separate himself, and he had a number of important catches for us."

More important than the numbers, Adams avoided rookie mistakes.

Last month, Adams misread a hand signal from Rodgers in Detroit. It could've been a big play against the Lions. Instead, the football sailed past him, incomplete.

With more at stake Sunday, Adams made sure he didn't miss this sign. Cobb said the play didn't help Adams earn the trust of his veteran teammates. No, Cobb said, the rookie earned their trust long ago.

"I trusted him from the beginning," Cobb said. "He's been growing week in and week out. For him to make plays in those situations, that's what we expect. It doesn't matter how much time is on the clock or what the situation is, when a ball comes your way, we've got to make a play.

"He did a great job of that tonight. He got many opportunities, and he was able to seize all of them and make the plays."


Great QB, smart rookie.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on October 13, 2014, 04:13:01 pm

It was a great play but risky.  If Adams is tackled in bounds do the Packers even get another play off?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 13, 2014, 06:29:25 pm
 Nope.  It's true there is some risk but there is risk in almost any action, considering the hole that the Packers were in.

There is a second option for this play.  As Rodgers gets the snap a quick look at Adams to make sure he is still free.  If not, Rodgers throws the ball away, over Adams' head.  A dropped pass by Adams still stops the clock.  The Packers needed only about 2 yards.  A completion and quick step out of bounds yields that for sure.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 14, 2014, 12:10:47 pm
...In addition to the two cornerbacks, the Packers also lost inside linebacker Jamari Lattimore to a neck injury.

So in came Brad Jones, much to the chagrin of Packers fans everywhere.

Not only did Jones grade out after the game as the worst defender on the field (Pro Football Focus graded him at -1.8), but he also missed two tackles and picked up an illegal hands to the face during a sack of Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill. And that’s all in addition to the unfortunate situation when Williams was injured.

Now, I’m not going to sit here and say that Jones nearly lost this game single-handedly, but he always seems to show up when the Packers defense is failing. Is there a correlation here? Only the coaches are going to know for sure, but as a casual observer it sure seems that something’s going on – and it doesn’t appear to be a good thing for the Green Bay Packers defense.

If this continues, next season will be "Gone Jones".
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 15, 2014, 08:13:34 pm
Don from Torrington, CT

On Monday, you wrote “look out.” Are we really at “look out” already?

The Packers are playing at a very high level right now.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 15, 2014, 08:17:20 pm
Jeppe from Bramming, Denmark

Am I the only one who thinks Letroy Guion looks like a free-agent bargain? You called it, Vic. We wanted Byrd but you gave us Guion.

I like bargains in free agency. That’s where I think you can get something done in free agency and it won’t hurt your cap. I think there’s a chance Guion can become a huge free-agency win for the Packers
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 15, 2014, 08:26:55 pm
The Packers have nine interceptions (second in the NFL) and 13 total takeaways (third), eight of which have come in the last three games, all Green Bay victories. Meanwhile, no Packers defender has more than 2½ sacks this season, and the team total of 13 is tied for 15th in the league.

“I think what we’ve seen, especially these first six weeks, is teams so protection-oriented they’re trying their absolute best to slow us down,” Matthews said. “It’s created awesome opportunities for our DBs to come up and make plays, and that’s exactly what we’ve been doing, which is why we’re tied for No. 1 in the league in turnover (ratio).

“Provided we can do that and we can continue to win ballgames, I think that cures all.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 15, 2014, 08:37:03 pm
http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Julius_Peppers_misses_pocket_passers/4e1449c0-06af-4142-8008-64578ed3a57b

Julius.  Likeable guy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 15, 2014, 08:42:18 pm
http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/JC-Tretter-returns-to-practice/d5c423da-9280-4dbe-89f8-e388113912f6

J.C. Tretter returns to practice.  Tretter or Linsley?  Sherrod probably will be gone.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 15, 2014, 08:54:00 pm
http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Precisely_Played_Aaron_Rodgers_fake_spike/eec505f8-725a-4b84-ada7-91826dda2088

Watch McCarthy tell Rodgers "You f....." after the fake spike (end of clip). 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 15, 2014, 10:16:37 pm
Peppers is a likeable guy.  Good player as well.  I told you he would make a few plays here and there for the Pack.  He is just not he player he used to be and he was not worth the money the Bears were paying him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 15, 2014, 10:21:03 pm
I agree.  The Packers' contract is  more realistic.  This came about for Chi due to poor contract arranged by yourer form GM.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 15, 2014, 11:38:30 pm
I think Peppers earned his money early on.  But it was backloaded and he was no longer earning the money he was being payed.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: chifaninva on October 16, 2014, 04:57:29 am
Peppers has always been a guy that takes games off. That's been a knock on him for ever..
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on October 16, 2014, 11:49:28 am

I agree.  The Packers' contract is  more realistic.  This came about for Chi due to poor contract arranged by yourer form GM.

Not exactly.  Peppers adjusted his contract at least once to accommodate the salary cap to help us with other player's deals.  Peppers right now is out playing 2 out of our 3 FA DEs but not enough so to warrant what he was going to get in 2014 from the Bears.  He's not a bad player - just not the superstar that he was when with the Bears and Panthers.

We should have him off the books next year which bring more funds to the defensive side of the ball.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 16, 2014, 12:50:34 pm
I agree with all of those comments. 

Thanks for the info about readjusting salaries, dallas.  I wasn't aware of that. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 16, 2014, 08:36:45 pm
Posted by Vic Ketchman, packers.com editor on  October 16, 2014 – 1:59 pm 


141016-news-now-mccarthy-300GREEN BAY–The Packers could be without three starters on defense on Sunday, if Wednesday’s injury report is any indication.

“Datone did not practice today. He’s not recovering as fast as we thought. It’s not coming along. Tested it yesterday,” Coach Mike McCarthy said of defensive end Datone Jones following Wednesday’s practice. The defensive end did not participate in practice and appears likely to miss a second consecutive game due to an ankle injury...

AGAIN.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 16, 2014, 08:49:36 pm

Jordan from Yountville, CA

Vic, you’ve said several times Rodgers is the best in the game. I agree. Hypothetically, if you were forced to defend your opinion of Rodgers’ status as the best to Skip Bayless, what would you say? I saw Skip recently say he was zero impressed with Rodgers’ final drive vs. the Dolphins because he fumbled, Grimes fell down on the fourth-down play, and the fake spike was reckless and foolish, especially to a rookie. All true. I would say they won on the road in the heat against a good defense, and if not for Rodgers they wouldn’t have.

I wouldn’t feel compelled to debate this subject. Debating degrees of greatness is silly. Sometimes I succumb to it before I pinch myself and stop. What are we saying here? Aaron Rodgers isn’t a great quarterback? How ridiculous is that statement? Here’s my argument for what Rodgers did on Sunday in Miami: The moment I knew the Packers were getting the ball back, I knew they would win. In my mind, it was over. All I had to do was get the facts right in my story.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 16, 2014, 08:52:28 pm
Bill from Plover, WI

Vic, I heard two statements this weekend about how the Packers changed plays at the line of scrimmage. One said Aaron changed the play as many as five times before the snap. Another said most of the play changes are not made by voice but by gestures. Do these agree with what you know (or what you see) about Packers play calling?

I don’t know the Packers’ audible system, but I know from experience – as I’ve written – that when the other team knows your audible system, you have to dummy it up, and that means having to do a lot more work at the line of scrimmage. Maybe Skip Bayless should be reminded of that fact about Rodgers’ performance on Sunday.

I don't recall ever seeing as many play changes in a game as the GB-Miami game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 16, 2014, 08:53:18 pm
Brent from Chippewa Falls, WI

I just saw an article asking if Clay Mathews is starting his decline. Really? Is this sports media now, ripping apart great players for headlines? I don’t like it, Vic.

I know the reason for it, but I don’t like it either. The media need to be above the fans or the media become the fans.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 16, 2014, 08:59:37 pm
I can be better," Matthews said Wednesday.

Only two other times in Matthews' career (75 regular-season games) has he failed to record a tackle, and in one of those (2012 against the Cardinals), he left after 35 plays because of a hamstring injury.

"I think statistically, obviously, you'd love to have more stats in that regard, but I know the sacks will come and the numbers will always be there," Matthews said. "But at the same time, I think you have to look at the evolution of offenses that we continue to play, especially with the zone-read and them knowing the guys who we possess on this side of the ball about stopping that first line of defense, being us rushers. You saw that last week with having us kind of read and react in playing that offense."

New rules plus zone-read seems to have changed stats significantly.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 16, 2014, 09:37:59 pm
http://espn.go.com/blog/carolina-panthers/post/_/id/9592/in-hindsight-julius-peppers-would-have-been-a-good-replacement-for-greg-hardy?ex_cid=espnapi_public
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on October 17, 2014, 09:14:31 am

Peppers is doing OK but the guy has only one and half sacks. 

He's even behind last year's sack totals which was one of his worst years as a pro.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on October 17, 2014, 04:54:32 pm
Plus a int for a TD but hey who's counting....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on October 17, 2014, 05:37:31 pm
Peppers definitely is no Willie Young  ;)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 17, 2014, 07:04:21 pm



Chris from Rochester, MN

Vic, do you have any information in regard to the injuries of Sam Shields and Tramon Williams and the likelihood either will play on Sunday?

Mike McCarthy has mentioned on two occasions that Williams is ahead of Shields in each player’s recovery from injury. I get the sense Williams might be able to play on Sunday.

John from Bozeman, MT

What is the key to successfully defend Cam Newton?

I think the key to defending against any of these “New Age” guys is to make them be a passer. When they’re in the pocket, you can play defense according to the script. It’s when they get out of the pocket and start running around that assignment football becomes difficult to execute.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 17, 2014, 07:12:39 pm
Peppers is doing OK but the guy has only one and half sacks. 

He's even behind last year's sack totals which was one of his worst years as a pro.

I believe that as the season wears on those stats will rise. 

You need to look at the effect that he has had on the team defense.  I believe that he has helped by counseling a bunch of young rookies.  Compare the 2014 Packer defense with that of 2013.

I am most disappointed with Matthews.  He seemed to begin OK but is surprisingly weak recently.  Despite that slippage the overall Packers Defensive stats are up.  I  Matthew's stats will rise later, I think.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 17, 2014, 07:22:43 pm
I thought Matthews was going to be running rampant with the addition of Peppers.  Perhaps the HGH testing has something to do with his sudden lack of performance.  Seems the last time testing was supposed to start taking place he had a down year as well.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 17, 2014, 07:40:17 pm
I doubt that HGH testing has anything to do with it, since they haven't started it, yet.

It is part of a general slippage that began the very year after his big season in 2010.  It's a mystery to those involved.  Is it age related?  Hard to believe this early.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on October 17, 2014, 07:59:48 pm
They didn't start it last time either.  They just said they were going to.  Both years he had a down year.  Coincidence?  Maybe...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 18, 2014, 09:33:56 pm
That wouldn't be so bad if it is true.  I fear that Matthews may just have an unusually short career. Injuries?  Mental attitude?  I dunno. Not able to adapt to the new style of running backs?

The trend seems to be steadily downward.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 18, 2014, 09:38:34 pm
Ian from Mad City, WI

You are an employee of the Packers, so I don’t believe a word you say. You are not a Packers fan, so I don’t agree with anything you say. But I read you every day, even though you never write anything I like. So, please tell me, how will “cover two” affect the zone blocking of the Packers this weekend? Please answer in a nice, respectful manner.

I’ll let James Harrison do it: “Let’s be plain and honest. Let’s cut out all the (baloney). It’s about you dominating your man, period. That’s all there is to it.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 18, 2014, 09:50:18 pm
With Cam Newton at QB for Carolina this will be a good test for where Matthews is at, now.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 18, 2014, 10:10:52 pm

Tretter finishes first week back with no setbacks

 Weston Hodkiewicz, Press-Gazette Media 8:35 p.m.

The Green Bay Packers will practice again Saturday, but so far JC Tretter has made it through his first week back without any setbacks.

The second-year offensive lineman was slated to be the team's new starting center before a knee injury during the preseason landed him on temporary injured reserve. He's eligible to be activated following next week's game in New Orleans, but he passed his first test in practice.

Rookie Corey Linsley has made a convincing argument to remain in the starting lineup even after Tretter returns to full form. Based on his history as a two-year starting left tackle at Cornell, the Packers have confidence Tretter can play multiple spots on the line.

"I think JC has the ability to play multiple positions, no doubt about it," McCarthy said. "He actually took reps at multiple positions today in the opponent squad. We're trying to give JC as much work as we possibly can."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 19, 2014, 04:43:53 pm
Carolina had two players on the field, Greg Olsen and Cam Newton.  Newton's running was maddening and Olsen's pass-catching was nearly unstoppable.

Rodgers has 192 consecutive passes without an interception.  His QB rating was 158.3, which the announcer said was a perfect game.  He was 19 for 22.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 19, 2014, 04:48:45 pm
Former GB RB Edgar Bennet is the WR Coach.  He is doing one helluva job.  GB just brought up another WR (Dorsey) from the PS and he had a catch.  He is another one at 6-1 and 207.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 19, 2014, 07:31:03 pm
Casey Hayward is regaining his old form after the bad injury and the missed season.  First interception - five more to go.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 20, 2014, 07:47:53 pm
Beerbelly


How do the Packers look now......BBBBBBBBWWWWWAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 20, 2014, 08:03:55 pm
GREEN BAY—Dom Capers and his NASCAR defense are the toast of Packernation today, and indications are the acquisition of Julius Peppers in the offseason made it possible.

“He gives you great diversity. He can rush, he can drop. Clay (Matthews) has always been able to do that. Julius gives us another guy,” Capers said when asked on Monday if Peppers has been the difference maker on a defense that is showing more schematic creativity.

In Capers’ NASCAR defense, Matthews and Peppers are joined by Nick Perry and Mike Neal in a four-linebacker front. It’s a passing-downs defense meant to rush the passer and disguise coverage. It was one of the stars of yesterday’s 38-17 over the Carolina Panthers. Peppers was credited with 1½ sacks, a tackle for a lWhen did Capers get the idea for the NASCAR set?

“We had talked in the offseason about getting those four guys on the field. It worked well for us yesterday,” Capers said.

The name?

“You never know where these terms come from,” he added.

Peppers and Neal are former defensive ends, and Perry played defensive end at USC, so Capers’ creativity is likely the result of those three players’ versatility. Peppers, it would seem, was the missing link.

“I like the combination of those four guys. We think it puts our most athletic guys out there,” Capers said.

The NASCAR defense’s playing time was increased on Sunday because the Packers offense scored on each of its first three possessions, gave the defense a 21-0 lead to protect and put the Panthers in a must-pass situation.
oss and two quarterback hurries on Sunday...

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on October 20, 2014, 08:15:00 pm
Beerbelly


How do the Packers look now......BBBBBBBBWWWWWAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!


How do the Packers look?  They look like they will win the division because the Bears and Vikings are terrible and Detroit is....Detroit. Beyond that  anything more than a one and done playoffs is delusional. Of their 7 games they have only played 2 teams with a winning record and they lost both of them
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 20, 2014, 08:20:56 pm
http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Julius-Peppers-and-pass-rushers-got-after-Newton/a4da36cc-4457-44dc-88ea-65d2e6a57d06

Julius rushing the passer.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 20, 2014, 10:59:02 pm
Delusional?


 Has our QB ever won a super Bowl?


 Has your ever finished over .500?


Delusional.


 Seriously?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on October 21, 2014, 11:27:03 am
Yes
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on October 21, 2014, 12:02:46 pm
Delusional is Peckers fans who think they have a good team. Peckers have not played a good team yet...except maybe Seattle. Peckers defense is atrocious - look at the stats from Sundays game. Carolina actually had more first downas and led in time of posesion. The Panthers problem is Cam Newton sucks.

Peckers LOST to Detroit - actully DOMINATED by Detroit. Peckers should have lost to Miami.

Peckers HAVE NOT beaten a team with a winning record.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 21, 2014, 05:00:14 pm
BBBBBBBBBBBWWWWWWAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!


Suck it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on October 21, 2014, 05:02:05 pm
Enjoy the jerk face... you can't trade or lease him.



BBBBBBBWWWWWAAAAAHHHHHHHH!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 21, 2014, 07:43:54 pm
Dominick from Berwyn, IL

Vic, it would seem the Packers defense will be facing less mobile quarterbacks who don’t run the read option. With guys like Brees, Cutler, Foles, Brady and Ryan on the schedule, do you see the possibility for the NASCAR making some noise leaguewide?

It’s a change-of-pace defense that gives an opponent more for which it must prepare, and the more you throw at an opponent, the more you might create hesitation in its play. The NASCAR defense isn’t a staple; it’s a gimmick defense that must dovetail with down, distance and score. In my opinion, it’s a scheme that must be used conservatively. If you lean on it too hard, you open yourself to counter measures, and then all of a sudden you have more for which you must prepare.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 21, 2014, 07:56:16 pm
Dan from Schofield, WI

Vic, during the offseason you had mentioned that Letroy Guion could be a huge addition to the defense. I didn’t think anything of it since I never really heard a lot about him. Well, Ted Thompson brought him in and look at him go. He is starting to look like the DT the Packers need at the point of their defense. Good call!

I didn’t write that he could be a huge addition to the Packers defense. I merely included him in a list of five players I thought were free-agent bargains. For a team that doesn’t do a lot in free agency – other than signing its own players – the Packers have one of the best free-agent classes in the league this year. They hit home runs at both ends of the spectrum. Julius Peppers is worth the contract he got at the high end of free agency, and Guion is without a doubt a bargain.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 21, 2014, 07:59:15 pm
Ryan from Madisonville, LA

Vic, the Saints are going to be desperate coming into the Superdome on Sunday night. Are the Packers walking into a trap game?

Yeah, that’s a good way to put it. The Packers are going into a trap. The Saints are desperate. Their fans are desperate. It’s a prime-time game. All of the circumstances favor the Saints. Deal with it. The Packers will.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 21, 2014, 08:03:11 pm
http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-wymm/article-1/What-You-Mightve-Missed-Receivers-blocking--defenders-shifting/2ffc0a15-a57f-46be-a33e-2526c3e790e9

WR blocking.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 21, 2014, 08:12:29 pm
(http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2014/10-October/temp141019-SWYC-20--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?)

It's hard to beat a happy team.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 21, 2014, 08:14:44 pm
http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2014/10-October/temp141019-SWYC-21--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 21, 2014, 08:22:14 pm
(http://prod.static.packers.clubs.nfl.com//assets/images/imported/GB/videos/2014/10-october/19-oct/141020-team-photo-1080--nfl_medium_540_360.jpg)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 21, 2014, 09:33:55 pm
The Green Bay Packers' defense has demonstrated one great strength over the past few weeks - they make life for the opposing team's quarterback a living hell. In the team's four-game winning streak, they have recorded seven interceptions and 11 sacks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 21, 2014, 09:52:16 pm
Seattle’s stunning trade of Percy Harvin to the Jets on Friday brought a sudden end to what will go down as an ill-fated dalliance. Seattle’s fling with Harvin, which cost them $18.3 million, ended with the speedy wide receiver having played just eight games for the Seahawks, in which he caught 27 passes, produced 322 yards from scrimmage, and scored two touchdowns.

One of those touchdowns was his second-half kick return in the Super Bowl, which was his best game in a Seattle uniform, and even that just consisted of the kick return, two jet sweeps for 45 yards, and a 5-yard reception in a game that the Seahawks won by 35 points. Harvin played well, but the Seahawks would have won that game if Pete Carroll returned the second-half kickoff. Harvin’s run with Seattle, even given that Super Bowl performance, has to be considered a massive disappointment and a brutal mistake by often-excellent general manager John Schneider...

And so it goes often for expensive FAs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 21, 2014, 09:58:18 pm
(http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/2374162/pitpuke.0.gif)

Oops.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 21, 2014, 10:26:37 pm
The oddsmakers have an idea.

Here's a look at over/under totals for some of the Green Bay Packers' skill position players. They are courtesy of the online sportsbook Bovada.LV.

Aaron Rodgers
Passing yards: 4,400
Touchdown passes: 34.5
Interceptions: 9.5

Eddie Lacy
Rushing yards: 1,150.5
Total touchdowns: 10.5

Jordy Nelson
Receiving yards: 1,150.5
Touchdown catches: 9.5

Randall Cobb
Receiving yards: 1,050.5
Touchdown catches: 8.5

Julius Peppers
Sacks: 9.5

Clay Matthews
Sacks: 11.5
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 22, 2014, 04:35:55 pm
Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder informed Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers he needs to be traded to the Chicago Bears in exchange for Jay Culter.

Can you imagine Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers on the Chicago Bears? And what about Jay Cutler being the Green Bay Packers signal caller? Seems rather outlandish and hilarious, which is exactly why Rodgers laughed as such a notion which was brought up by Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder.

Vedder is of course a die-hard Chicago Bears fan and despite Jay Cutler having a career start to the season, Vedder has apparently tied of Cutler’s continued turnovers.

During a concert in Milwaukee recently, Vedder told the crowd that he’d like to see Aaron Rodgers in a Chicago Bears uniform, but that wasn’t it. He later suggested that Rodgers should make his way to the Windy City via trade for Jay Cutler.

Ironically, in attendance for the concert was Aaron Rodgers who couldn’t help but bust up laughing over the proposed ‘trade’.


Eddie Vedder said he asked Aaron Rodgers if he could be traded straight up for Jay Cutler. “I’ve never seen a grown man laugh so hard.”

— JJ Stankevitz (@JJStankevitz) October 21, 2014



Obviously Eddie Vedder knows a trade involving Jay Cutler and Aaron Rodgers isn’t going to go down and he was simply having fun, though Rodgers’ reaction might be the best part of the entire story...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 22, 2014, 07:13:18 pm
Dan from Milton, WI

During his postgame press conference, coach mentioned the great fan atmosphere at the start of the game. I saw video of the UW marching band performance. How much does a great band like that add to the gameday environment?

It brings a college atmosphere to pro football, which has a tendency to look like a stage production with so many singers providing so many different adaptations of the National Anthem. It was refreshing listening to the Wisconsin band play the national anthem, instead of wincing through a 10-second vibrato hold of the word “free.”

Amen!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 22, 2014, 07:15:39 pm
Daniel from Cary, IL

Vic, I was wondering, in a league with a hard salary cap, how do teams that are bad, like the Raiders, Jaguars, etc., manage to stay so bad despite having the same amount of money to spend as every other team?

For starters, the NFL doesn’t have a hard cap, it has a soft cap. A hard cap wouldn’t permit pushing money out of the year in which it’s spent. The soft cap has caused a lot of teams to hit bottom and struggle to recover. The Jaguars soft-capped themselves into what was the worst salary cap mess in cap history, and I’m not sure they’ve ever recovered from it. In most cases, however, you can trace extended losing to the quarterback position. If you miss on a guy there, it’s going to hurt you for multiple years.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 22, 2014, 07:55:45 pm
(http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2014/10-October/temp141021-gerhart-1--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720)

C Garth Gerhart
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 22, 2014, 08:05:59 pm

"I'm excited for what the future holds," House said. "Like I tell my wife, I don't want to play nowhere else. We don't want to live nowhere else. We don't really do nothing, so Green Bay is perfect for us. But it's an exciting time."

If he's able to continue to flash, the Packers should have no problem handing the keys of the starting role over to him. At this point, the Packers have nothing to complain about. According to ESPN's Ben Fennell, Green Bay has the best opposing-quarterback-rating mark in the league at 74.0.


Moving forward, House's contributions in 2014 are something to keep a close eye on. It could impact the future of the Packers' next three to four seasons.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 22, 2014, 08:25:08 pm
Offensive Line: A+

Part of the reason why the Panthers defense looked so bad on Sunday was that the front seven couldn't provide much (if any) pass rush. Bryan Bulaga (+3.5 overall, +1.9 pass block, +1.4 run block) shut down Charles Johnson, and David Bakhtiari (+2.3 overall, +1.8 pass block) controlled Mario Addison from start to finish.

Josh Sitton (+1.1 overall, +1.2 pass block) and T.J. Lang (+2.8 overall) didn't allow a single pressure up the middle, and Corey Linsley (+1.2 overall) continues to be the team's best run blocker. It will be interesting to see what happens once JC Tretter comes back from short-term Injured Reserve, because Linsley is playing like anything but a rookie right now.

O-Line players all in the plus territory foot the first time.  They are growing.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 22, 2014, 08:45:43 pm
The Kansas City Chiefs cut the most recognizable name on their practice squad, defensive tackle Jerel Worthy. This according to Tuesday's transactions report from the league.

Worthy was a former second round pick by the Green Bay Packers just two years ago. The Chiefs added him to their practice squad earlier this year but never made the jump up to the active roster.


 

It's an odd situation that a player can go from a big time school like Michigan State, get drafted in the second round and then be unable to hold onto a practice squad spot. (Well, it's also odd that the SEC defensive player of the year can't hang onto the practice squad but that's another topic for another day.)

Never liked this guy from the day he was drafted.  Looked like a loser.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 23, 2014, 12:38:53 pm
  Week 7 Odds                Current Odds 

Denver Broncos                        4/1                                3/1

Green Bay Packers                    11/1                              8/1

Dallas Cowboys                        12/1                              9/1

Seattle Seahawks                      6/1                                9/1

Indianapolis Colts                      16/1                              12/1

New England Patriots                11/1                              12/1

San Diego Chargers                  9/1                                12/1

San Francisco 49ers                  9/1                                14/1

Philadelphia Eagles                   16/1                              16/1

Baltimore Ravens                      25/1                              18/1

Arizona Cardinals                      25/1                              20/1

Detroit Lions                             33/1                              28/1

Cincinnati Bengals                     20/1                              33/1

New Orleans Saints                   28/1                              33/1

Kansas City Chiefs                    75/1                              50/1

Carolina Panthers                      40/1                              66/1

Pittsburgh Steelers                    66/1                              66/1

Buffalo Bills                              100/1                            75/1

Chicago Bears                          33/1                              75/1

Miami Dolphins                         100/1                            75/1

New York Giants                       50/1                              75/1

Cleveland Browns                      66/1                              100/1

Atlanta Falcons                         100/1                            150/1

Houston Texans                        100/1                            150/1

St. Louis Rams                         1000/1                          250/1

Washington Redskins                500/1                            300/1

Minnesota Vikings                     250/1                            500/1

Tennessee Titans                       500/1                            500/1

Jacksonville Jaguars                 3000/1                          1000/1

New York Jets                           750/1                            1000/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers             1000/1                          1000/1

Oakland Raiders                        3000/1                          3000
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 23, 2014, 01:27:46 pm
Ryan from Chicago, IL

Vic, excluding Rodgers, who do you believe is the midseason Packers MVP?

I think Julius Peppers gets votes for the change he’s helped create in the defense. Sam Shields has certainly played at an MVP level. Morgan Burnett deserves consideration. Corey Linsley is midseason rookie of the year. David Bakhtiari wins the most underrated player award. My midseason MVP is Jordy Nelson. He’s been the constant. He’s the guy to whom Aaron Rodgers has turned when the Packers have needed to make a play.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 23, 2014, 01:35:27 pm
Scott from Lincoln City, OR

Vic, there are no football gods. Just to prove it, I’m going to chortle away and say we’re going to destroy the Saints just like we did the Panthers.

Was that thunder I just heard?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 23, 2014, 01:35:35 pm
Pablo from Oak Creek, WI

Vic, I think we’re going to get another taste of look out this Sunday. I like Mike McCarthy’s style. Something tells me he’s only given us a taste of his arsenal. Just a thought. Yours?

I think the Packers are playing at a look-out level. I think they might be playing the best overall football in the four years I’ve covered them, and I think they’re playing the best football in the NFC. I also think they have a higher gear to hit. I hope they hit that gear in December.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 23, 2014, 01:45:02 pm
Seth from Des Moines, IA

Vic, I want to agree with you but I can’t. You want the Packers to lean harder on the run game. As long as Aaron Rodgers is under center, this team does not need to lean any harder on the run. It isn’t and shouldn’t be their identity. We can control time of possession with pass completions, if TOP is your concern.

If you want to keep your quarterback healthy, run the ball. That’s always the No. 1 concern. I don’t want those big guys with the quick twitch teeing off on “The Man.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on October 23, 2014, 01:46:27 pm
The Peckers still have not beaten even a decent team.

AND Detroit destroyed the Peckers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 23, 2014, 01:48:23 pm
Eli from Boston, MA

Do bad teams hurt themselves further by drafting quarterbacks too early? Of the last 15 quarterbacks to start a Super Bowl, only seven were drafted in the first round.

Quarterback is an overdrafted position. The teams at the top of the draft are often there because they don’t have a quarterback, so they’re looking for a franchise quarterback and they often have to spend a high pick and overdraft one. That’s just the way it is. High picks can be a trap, or a way out of the trap you’re in.

True, true.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 23, 2014, 01:51:35 pm
Mike from Melbourne, FL

Vic, have you ever been around another player that has the guts to tell all the fans to relax and then come out and play to the level he has?

Terry Bradshaw allowed a mynah bird to be placed on his arm, boldly predicted he felt its power and then led two long touchdown drives with an arm so injured that he never played another down, but I’ve never covered a player that’s boldly told the fans to R-E-L-A-X. That one’s going to be in the book.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on October 23, 2014, 03:36:09 pm
Vic,

Do the Peckers realize they have not beaten an even mediocre team, let alone a team with a winning record?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 24, 2014, 09:22:50 pm
Robbie from Dublin, Ireland

What are your thoughts on the Texans? I think they’re a QB away from being serious playoff contenders.

Give that coach a premier quarterback and look out.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 24, 2014, 09:42:19 pm
Chris from Middletown, CT

Maybe growing up in New England as a Red Sox fan made me a little superstitious, but when I was young, it seemed like anytime they were doing well and I would start to chortle, the bottom would fall out. I since learned not to do that and they have enjoyed success (this season notwithstanding), as have the Packers.

I played a lot of baseball in my youth, and I remember having a manager that told me to be very protective of hot streaks. He said make them last as long as you can because hot streaks are followed by slumps, and batting slumps are like head colds: No matter what you do, they last two weeks. That’s why I don’t like chortling; I hate head colds.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 24, 2014, 09:42:53 pm
J.D. from Palm Bay, FL

When you looked it up, did you also notice Virginia has a Lick Skillet and Kentucky has a Lick Skillet? What’s the deal?

Alabama is also checking in with a Lick Skillet. I’d just like to know what was in that skillet.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 24, 2014, 09:58:29 pm
Randall Cobb has the 2nd-most slot yds of any NFL WR this season. Saints have allowed the 2nd-most slot yds of any defense.
— Pete Damilatis (@PFF_Pete) October 23, 2014
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 25, 2014, 09:49:27 pm
Lions suspend C.J. Mosley, send him home from London

Posted by Michael David Smith on October 25, 2014, 3:01 PM EDT

lionsmosley
AP

A day before the Lions play the Falcons in London, one player is being sent home.


Glad the Pack didn't draft him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 25, 2014, 10:04:10 pm
 What’s wrong with Brian Cushing?

The tape from Monday night’s loss to the Steelers shows a guy who can’t run.  And he can’t run because his surgically-repaired knee is still bothering him. So he’ll take at least a game off, maybe more.

Sure, coach Bill O’Brien denies that Cushing needs rest and lists him as questionable in order to keep the Titans guessing.

But no guesswork is needed; given Cushing’s ability to run on that balky knee, no benefit is derived from making the Titans think they may be facing him.


Glad that we didn't draft him, too.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on October 26, 2014, 10:16:31 pm
Where is Oddo? he was telling us how good the Peckers were.

Peckers will end up no better than 8 and 8 and that's because they have freaking easy schedule.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on October 27, 2014, 11:51:54 am
Good comedy....Peckers punt return team sat on the sidelines for 60 minutes.....what a defense the Peckers have!!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 27, 2014, 09:12:46 pm
Brett from Green Bay, WI

Do you think Rodgers’ injury changed the game? If so, how?

Sure it changed the game. He wasn’t Aaron Rodgers after he injured his hamstring. The Saints saw him limping and they turned up the heat on him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 27, 2014, 09:19:23 pm
William from Salt Lake City, UT

Gee, why do Packers fans not trust their defense?

The Colts shut out the Bengals a week ago; knocked them all over the building. Yesterday, the Colts gave up 51 points. Welcome to the new NFL.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 27, 2014, 09:22:12 pm
Brian from Kingston, NY

Vic, so much for special teams: no punts and every kickoff was a touchback. May as well just give the offense the ball at the 20 every time and skip the kickoff play. Seems like that’s where we are headed in today’s NFL. I don’t like it.

I have never covered a game, I’m sure, that didn’t include a yard of kick-return yardage. This is a first for me. This is the new NFL. It’s a unique combination of player safety and attack football.

I find myself losing interest in today's type of NFL football.  If it continues in this direction I will quit watching sometime down the line.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 28, 2014, 07:53:48 pm
Alex from Kaukauna, WI

Vic, I couldn’t sleep last night so I decided to go out back and take a look at the 3-4 nose tackle tree. I didn’t see any Wilforks, Hamptons or Atkins. Help is not on the way. I’ll check again in April.

If I was made the GM of an expansion franchise, I would hang two signs on my draft room walls. One sign would read, “No wide receivers.” The other sign would read, “Get the big guys.” Wide receivers are plentiful, but you can never seem to find enough big guys.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 28, 2014, 08:40:43 pm

Comment From Evan
Mike, how do you feel about Thanksgiving games? I for one am happy I can enjoy my turkey without stressing about a Packers game this year.

  Mike Spofford: I enjoy it when the Packers play on Thanksgiving because it usually means I get the rest of the weekend off. Be that as it may, the Thanksgiving football slate is fantastic this year -- Bears v. Lions, Eagles v. Cowboys, Seahawks v. 49ers. That's one heck of an NFC tripleheader
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 29, 2014, 07:31:53 pm
Luke from Minneapolis, MN

Vic, McCarthy and Capers keep talking about how the run-defense issues are correctable. At what point do they realize this team just doesn’t have the horses right now to “whip the man across from him” in run defense? I know we’ll just have to sit back and watch the rest of the season unfold to find out, but what does your gut tell you?

My gut tells me it’s illogical to expect the head coach and defensive coordinator of the team to say to the media that we just don’t have the horses to whip the man across from us, so we’re going to stop trying and accept the inevitability of our limits. Hey, aren’t we being a little naïve? You don’t stop the run with schemes. There are basically two things you can do: You can play gap control or you can two-gap. Just pick one and do it. If you can’t do one or the other, then you need more players. Between now and the end of the season, we’ll come to know what the truth is, but nobody is going to stop trying.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 29, 2014, 07:32:03 pm
Tony from Olathe, KS

You say every team from now on has to prepare for Peppers as a receiver. I think you are wrong. Why do they need to prepare for that? If they can cover Cobb, Nelson or Adams, why would they need to waste time thinking about covering a defensive player who is slower and doesn’t catch balls for a living? Seems to me teams would be excited when Peppers comes in because they know it means a real receiver is on the sideline.

They have to prepare for it because the Packers absolutely pencil-whipped the Saints with that play. I mean, it was genius. You will never see a better example of plays, not players, than you saw on that play. By formation and personnel, the Packers completely compromised the Saints’ defensive look by isolating a very large player on a much smaller player. Everything was perfect according to design. It should’ve been an easy pitch-and-catch touchdown, except one thing went wrong: The pass was dropped. That’s why it’s always players, not plays.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 29, 2014, 07:33:45 pm
Ryan from Perth, WA

Vic, can you please elaborate more on your comments about the manufactured noise at the Superdome on Sunday? A friend of mine, who is a Saints fan, travelled from Perth to New Orleans a few weeks ago and denies your comments that any sort of artificial noise was being generated.

Recorded music played over a sound system isn’t artificial noise? The sound of a siren played over a sound system isn’t artificial noise? Tell your friend from Perth I don’t understand what he doesn’t understand. When I first started covering this league, the first loud sound you would hear was the cheer from the crowd as the home team came out onto the field. There was no announcement proclaiming their arrival. They just arrived and the fans cheered. Now, we have grand entrances. We have fire, and the Jaguars mascot got too close and his head caught on fire. I’m not sure if I’m watching the NFL or Ben Hur. I mean, I get the need for gameday presentation, but do we really need a siren? By the way, the siren sound exceeded its time limits several times, according to my ears.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 29, 2014, 07:40:48 pm


Has anyone commented about the third-and-inches that turned into a stop? That was a great defensive stand. Who knows where the game would have gone if we would’ve turned that into seven points.

I’ll comment on it: How does the league’s No. 32 run defense stone the Saints on consecutive short-yardage plays? Or maybe the question should be how does a defense that stoned the Saints on consecutive short-yardage plays give up 193 yards rushing? There’s a disconnect there I can’t explain.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 29, 2014, 08:15:18 pm
Offensive Rookie of the Year
Offensive Rookie of the Year USA TODAY Sports
Winner: Corey Linsley, C

Most fans probably expected to see Davante Adams here. When I thought “offensive rookie of the year,” I thought I was going to put Adams here, too.

But, can you think back to a time this season when you worried about the center position?

What a way to start your NFL career if you’re Linsley—at first, you’re fighting for a starting position in training camp, but the guy you’re competing with (J.C. Tretter) has a year of seasoning on you, and he’s all but won the job.

Then, Tretter goes down, and you’re the guy. First opponent? The defending Super Bowl champs in the most hostile environment in football.

And Linsley held his own. Maybe Bruce Irvin’s prayers helped.

In the seven games since, Linsley has been a rock. Per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Linsley has not allowed a sack this season. He’s PFF’s fourth-ranked center (6.9). Meanwhile, Green Bay’s 2013 center, Evan Dietrich-Smith, who signed a four-year, $14.25 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason, has PFF’s fourth-worst grade at center (minus-7.9), allowing one sack, one QB hit and seven QB hurries in 443 snaps.

Give me the fifth-round rookie six times a week and twice on Sunday.

Runner-up: Davante Adams, WR
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 30, 2014, 07:08:11 pm
John from Sykeston, ND

Vic, I, too, said during the winter that the Lions are going to be a team to be reckoned with. If we had some of their defensive linemen, one can only imagine how good our team could be.

Where did they get those defensive linemen? Ndamukong Suh was the second pick of his draft, Ziggy Ansah was the fifth pick of his draft and Nick Fairley was the 13th pick of his draft. It’s been a long time since the Packers drafted that high. The Lions started doing something right after years and years of having wide receiver fever: They got the big guys early. That’s why they’re winning.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 30, 2014, 07:13:11 pm
Caleb from Eau Claire, WI

Vic, to use sports talk parlance, which Packers rookie do you think has the highest ceiling in the second half of the season?

I think Ha Ha, Davante Adams and Richard Rodgers are each ready to take their game to a higher level. Corey Linsley has been amazingly steady throughout the season.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 30, 2014, 07:23:54 pm
The Green Bay Packers' 44-23 loss to the New Orleans Saints last Sunday night provided evidence for both the legitimacy of Ted Thompson's 2014 draft class and the growing pains of being a front-and-center rookie in the NFL.

Make no mistake about it. Thompson likely found three long-term starters for the Packers last May: first-round safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, second-round receiver Davante Adams and fifth-round center Corey Linsley. That trio has played meaningful snaps in almost every game this season (Adams was eased in early). And the Packers almost certainly like what they've seen from all three through eight games in 2014.

Clinton-Dix plays the game at a different speed. Adams looks like another second-round receiving gem for Thompson. Linsley, despite not expecting to play much in 2014, has handled his starting role like a seasoned veteran.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on October 31, 2014, 01:23:35 pm
Where's Oddo telling us how great the peckers?

Detroit 19 GB 7
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 31, 2014, 06:33:22 pm
Brian from Fond du Lac, WI

Vic, I recently read on Dom Capers that he is known to work long hours, many times sleeping on the couch at the office, getting four to five hours of sleep a night. If this is true, it is very telling. Not long ago an article was published that pointed to the evolutionary benefits of sleep. You see, when we sleep, the channels of the brain which allow spinal fluid to flow through it, flushing it of the byproducts of brain activity, expand to 10 times what they are when we are awake. This buildup of byproduct is why we need to sleep in the first place and why we feel groggy as we go without sleep. I can only imagine what 20, 30 or 40 years of not getting appropriate sleep will do to the effectiveness of one’s brain. Imagine all that plaque buildup and what it does to one’s synapses. Sleep, for the health of your brain, else you start lining cornerbacks 15 yards back from the line of scrimmage.

I think you need some sleep.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on October 31, 2014, 06:42:24 pm
Michael from Elizabethtown, KY

That’s just what I wanted to see when I get on the Packers website, a picture of Drew Brees. That just ruined my lunch.

I have some extra roses, rainbows and cute little puppy dogs if you want them.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on November 01, 2014, 08:46:39 am
Quote
I think you need some sleep. 
Lol!

Just what is it in the water in Wis that makes some of them (Otts) think they're smarter (Otts) than they are? (Otts)....strange....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 01, 2014, 08:10:15 pm
Vic calls 'em as he sees 'em.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 01, 2014, 08:13:13 pm
A.J. Hawk has again led the team in tackles with a total of 60. His play-making ability has also proven to be below standards as he has only a half sack combined with zero interceptions.

If you had to pick a defensive MVP you would have to give strong consideration to newcomer Julius Peppers. Peppers has 25 total tackles, 4 sacks, 1 interception and 1 touchdown on the season. His bookend, Clay Matthews, has only managed to compile 2.5 sacks through 8 games with one interception.

While Mike Daniels has shown flashes of dominance, Nick Perry has also shown small glimpses of his potential while recording 3 sacks on the year.

For the secondary both Casey Hayward and Sam Shields have 2 interceptions.

The second half of the season will all boil down to the defense.

Prediction:  Unless the GB defense wakes up soon the team will have a new DC next season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 01, 2014, 08:16:14 pm
t has been reported that no one in the Green Bay Packers organization is sweating the minor hamstring injury that Aaron Rodgers sustained on a scramble last Sunday night against the New Orleans Saints.

I’M MORE OR LESS WORRIED ABOUT WHAT IT WOULD MEAN IF THE INJURY ACTUALLY WERE SERIOUS.
The news has been good – crisis averted.

Well, as long as team management, doctors, coaches and teammates are unconcerned … I’ll just be over here, concerned enough for everyone.

Let me explain: I’m not really strung out (pun intended) on the hamstring, per se. I’m more or less worried about what it would mean if the injury actually were serious.

Usually, I don’t like to think about such things, but with Matt Flynn coming into the game in garbage time (again), I got the opportunity to see what the future would hold for my Green Bay Packers if Rodgers actually did sustain another injury.

I did NOT like what I saw.

Ditto.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 01, 2014, 08:21:21 pm
Brian from Albertville, AL

That was hilarious. Aaron keeps us from getting a stud player high in the draft. Aaron wasn’t high in the draft.

I like that irony, but if you’re trying to make a point with it, forget about it. The Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgerspicks are the exception, not the rule. Peyton Manning was a first pick. Eli Manning was a first pick. Terry Bradshaw was a first pick. Troy Aikman was a first pick. So were Jim Plunkett and John Elway. That’s 14 Super Bowl titles right there. Look at the quarterbacks in the league right now. Andrew Luck, Matt Stafford, Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers and on and on; they’re all high picks. You’re not going to make a living picking those kinds of players late in the first round because they’re not there. The Packers were blessed with an opportunity to acquire a talent-for-the-ages quarterback late in the first round and, to the Packers’ credit, they seized that opportunity. What if they hadn’t? Maybe it’s time we more fully appreciate the answer to that question.

To win you need "the man" to be a really good one.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 01, 2014, 08:31:05 pm
Vic, you seem to say our defense is good, but they just had a bad day at New Orleans. On the other hand, you seem to say we need better defensive players (we don’t get high enough draft choices for the big guys). Which is it?

I think you’re mixing apples with oranges. I wrote that the Packers were playing well on defense through their four-game winning streak, until they went to New Orleans, so I don’t want to trash what they had done to date because of one poor performance against what was the No. 2 offense in the league. As for being in the draft order, Chuck Noll was fond of saying, “We don’t always like the cards we’re dealt, but we never, ever complain about them.” It is what it is. The Packers would’ve picked Suh, but he wasn’t there. They would’ve picked Nick Fairley or Ziggy Ansah, but they weren’t there. Nobody is willing to lose to get high enough to pick those kinds of players, so stop complaining. You do the best you can do with the cards you’re dealt, and you never, ever complain about them.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 01, 2014, 08:45:11 pm
Reader response:

Ebb N Flow  Ken Kearns • 5 days ago
I've been a Packers fan since '47! I've seen highs and lows. Meet the Great Vince Lombardi and remember the '70's-'80's teams... yeck! This is nothing, the Packers today look like the 2010 Packers and I will tell all of yous, the Packers WILL win the Superbowl this season!!! I've foreseen this to be true. Mark my words, NFL yous just been put on notice.

Oddo's buddy?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 01, 2014, 09:47:08 pm
Rodgers could beat the Bears defense on one leg.

The only shot the Bears have of winning is the offense scoring every time they touch the ball.  I am not sure they have it in them.  Even against the Packers defense.  The Packers D is better then the Bears D.  Rodgers is better then Cutler and it is in Green Bay.

I think the Packers end the Bears season next week.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on November 01, 2014, 11:57:40 pm
Yep....sadly....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on November 02, 2014, 01:22:16 am



 Nobody's seen the game played.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on November 02, 2014, 06:43:24 am
We have in our nightmares....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 02, 2014, 01:57:56 pm
Peckers win the Super Bowl? Good comedy.

The Saints just scored again!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 03, 2014, 07:27:46 pm
Tretter (fourth round T drafted in 2014 back from IR.  Sherrod released from roster.

McCarthy re-signed.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 03, 2014, 07:38:49 pm
Dale from Madison, WI

I remember being told the Patriots, Steelers and Saints were finished, and that the Broncos and Seahawks could not be beaten. Where is my consistency? I need it to help me sleep at night.

Ebb and flow, ebb and flow. We try to anoint on a weekly basis, but the next week’s games cancel whatever proclamations we made the previous week. Just watch, baby.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 03, 2014, 07:39:40 pm
Derek from Los Angeles, CA

Vic, our schedule sets up nicely over the next five weeks. It seems like the perfect springboard to set up a playoff run, should we capitalize. If we can’t get it done, I’m not sure we deserve to keep the division title streak alive.

The Packers couldn’t ask for a better second-half schedule than the one they have. Four of the next five games are at home, December includes a go-south-and-get-warm game all players love when the weather turns icy up north, and the season concludes with a showdown game on Packers soil. September is a distant memory. The football season begins now.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 03, 2014, 07:43:14 pm
Michael from Madison, WI

Can you talk about the differences in how the Broncos and Patriots are each trying to win one last Super Bowl with an aging quarterback?

They’ve both shaped their salary caps as you would expect of a team trying to win one more title, but the Broncos have been a little more aggressive in taking money from their future caps. The Patriots won’t have to cut and gut, but the bottom line is that when any team has to move out of an era that was built on a quarterback as dominant as Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, it’s going to take a step back.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 04, 2014, 06:55:00 pm
Sergio from Pasadena, CA

Vic, how underrated as a coach is Mike McCarthy? He doesn’t seem to get the same praise as some other coaches in the league, some who have yet to win a championship.

He’s the most underrated coach in the league, and he might be destined to join his mentor, Marty Schottenheimer, as one of the most underrated coaches of all time. Why are some guys naturally underrated? I don’t know the answer to that question. If I owned a team and I was given my choice of any coach in the league, McCarthy would be my choice. He combines old-school fundamentals with a new-age approach; a team must employ both.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 04, 2014, 06:57:26 pm
Let's see him win with out Rodgers as his QB then we can talk.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 04, 2014, 07:19:07 pm
Nick from State College, PA

Looking at the scores this past weekend, the average difference was 13.5 points with only four games decided by fewer than 10 points. Should the lopsided scores concern the NFL? Do you think they’re a result of increasing offense?

I think they absolutely should concern the NFL. The league’s success is built on competition and I think competitiveness has declined this season. Something is wrong with the formula and I think the over-emphasis on offense is it. Not every team has a great quarterback and a great offense capable of taking advantage of the offense-friendly rules. In 2014, if you don’t have a franchise-caliber quarterback, you have no chance, and I think that’s a problem. The rules should allow for more than one way to win a game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 05, 2014, 05:33:43 pm
To date, Linsley is rated as the fourth best center in the entire league, according to profootballfocus.com (subscription required). Though his pass block rating (-2.1) needs improving, his overall rating (6.9) is impressive for a rookie and it’s his run blocking (7.2) that has stood out. He’s not given up a single sack, he’s given up one quarterback hit, but has been responsible for 9 quarterback hurries.

Not bad for a rookie … he needs to continue his consistency.

Not bad for a mid-round draft pick.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 05, 2014, 05:35:17 pm
Davante Adams
So far, Adams has caught 24 of the 32 passes thrown his way, for 273 yards – an 11 yard average per-catch.One-hundred-sixteen of those yards have come after the catch and he’s had just one dropped pass. In addition, he’s caught two touchdown passes.

Again, not bad for a rookie.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 05, 2014, 05:36:38 pm
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
Clinton-Dix’s overall rating of -1.1 may not look overly impressive, his reckless way of playing has left him compromised at times. But I would rather have aggressive mistakes than passive mistakes. The guy is making a name for himself and that should continue.

He hasn’t been spectacular, but or a rookie, he’s holding his own with 33 solo tackles and another 10 assists.

But what’s really impressive with Clinton-Dix is his defensive quarterback rating – that’s the rating quarterbacks have when thrown his way.

Clinton-Dix’s QBR is 34.6 … the fifth best in all the league.

And did I mention that he’s a rookie?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 05, 2014, 06:08:04 pm
Packers' Next Opponent: Bears
 Maybe a return to Lambeau Field on Sunday night will help defensive end Jared Allen find that elusive "half a step" he admitted to lacking in the first half of his first season for the Chicago Bears. Allen leads the Bears in pressures with 17 but has merely 1½ sacks.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on November 05, 2014, 07:13:36 pm



 Packy,


 We'll show up ... I hope we play.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 05, 2014, 08:48:45 pm
A source said agent David Dunn, who also represents Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews, received that offer from the Green Bay Packers several months ago.

Dunn, acting on behalf of Raji, has turned it down more than once in ongoing talks with team negotiator Russ Ball.

Raji wouldn't confirm or deny the $8 million offer.

"I'm not going to talk about contract," he said at midweek.

Really, really dumb move by Raji in 2013.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 06, 2014, 11:23:54 am
Mikey McCarthy without Rodgers is dead in the water. His defense is terrible.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 06, 2014, 08:35:18 pm
Jeff from Green Bay, WI

Vic, your team is only as good as your playoff record. Regular season is pointless to worry about. We are 1-3 since 2011 and three years establishes a trend. Common sense tells me that poor DL play will kill us again this year. We have no rotational players that are holding their gaps, so everyone else plays catch up, including the offense. If we don’t get an early lead to force a team into pass-only, we can’t win against good teams. We might win 12 or 13 games or only nine, but it doesn’t matter if you can’t beat the big boys at crunch time. We don’t have the young guns up front to get over the top.

Well, I guess that’s that. No reason to watch the rest of the season; it’s over. But what if you add a fourth season to that playoff record? What if we go back to 2010? The Packers are now 5-3 in the postseason. Does that change anything?

The Pack does look like the Pack of 2010.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 06, 2014, 08:36:15 pm
Greg from Conway, AR

Vic, why is there always A.J. Hawk bashing by Packers and non-Packers fans alike? I don’t get it. He’s a team leader, top-five tackler, field general, reliable, etc. Please explain?

There’s always bashing about everything and everyone. That’s what fans do. They bash, they gush, they bash. When Roethlisberger lost to the Ravens in Week 2, they bashed. Now that he’s on a 12-touchdown tear, they gush. Soon he will throw an interception and they will bash. Bash, gush, bash. It’s the game within the game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 06, 2014, 08:38:29 pm
Ben from Columbus, WI

Vic, you said for the Bears this is a must-win game and “they’ll play with that kind of desperation.” What do you mean by desperation? They’ll play tougher, riskier, better?

I expect them to play with greater focus and determination.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 06, 2014, 08:46:22 pm
http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-1/TV-will-play-to-last-years-meeting/3135d9fd-e1c9-4b7b-926d-7d14cbfc77df

What the Packers need to do to beat the Bears.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 06, 2014, 08:59:35 pm


http://www.packers.com/media-center/photo-gallery/Bridgestone-Perfomance-Moments-in-Time-Packers-vs-Bears-in-Wisconsin/775322b4-3b26-4cda-be3a-813c15fdf252?adbid=530540188905537536&adbpl=tw&adbpr=35865630&campaign=marketing_20141107_35172007#3fcd2926-dfe1-4eb2-9f4c-5d5f7fa2fb3f (http://www.packers.com/media-center/photo-gallery/Bridgestone-Perfomance-Moments-in-Time-Packers-vs-Bears-in-Wisconsin/775322b4-3b26-4cda-be3a-813c15fdf252?adbid=530540188905537536&adbpl=tw&adbpr=35865630&campaign=marketing_20141107_35172007#3fcd2926-dfe1-4eb2-9f4c-5d5f7fa2fb3f)

Packers-Bears games.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 07, 2014, 08:34:46 pm
Keith from Corona, CA

My wife, a newly converted Packers fan, said to me, “Without Aaron, I feel our team wouldn’t even be a spot on the radar of NFL elite teams.” Is she right?

Of course she’s right. What would the Patriots be without Tom Brady or the Broncos without Peyton Manning? Would the Steelers have beaten the Colts and Ravens in consecutive games if Ben Roethlisberger hadn’t thrown 12 touchdown passes? Where are you going to find another quarterback to come in and throw 12 touchdown passes? This is a quarterback-driven league. If you have “The Man,” you can be elite. If you don’t have “The Man,” you got no shot.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 07, 2014, 08:35:26 pm
Joel from Hebron, KY

What will the Packers have to do right on Sunday to win?

Stop the run or force turnovers or score a lot of points.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 07, 2014, 08:40:02 pm
Don from Torrington, CT

What did Coach McCarthy mean when he said Aaron Rodgers and the Packers strive to stay “ahead of the trends” in the league?

He was saying they try to push the envelope, create instead of copy. That’s where Coach McCarthy is most underrated. He’s possibly the most innovative coach I’ve ever covered. Of course, he has a quarterback that can execute more innovatively than any quarterback I’ve ever covered.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 07, 2014, 08:41:49 pm
James from Seneca, IL

Thanks for teaching more about the human confrontation of football. I never realized that part of it before. Secondly, I have watched the one-on-one matchups more closely since reading your column. You could not be more right that on defense in defending the run it’s about whooping the other man on the other side of the ball. McCarthy stated that in his Thursday afternoon press conference.

When did we start ignoring that fact? Is this the fallout from too many yards and points? Is it fallout from Madden? The old-time fans knew this about football. The Packers fans that cheered Lombardi’s teams knew football was a game of human confrontation. We dwell too much on strategy. We need to look deeper inside the men that play against each other.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 07, 2014, 08:43:11 pm
Travis from Fort Walton Beach, FL

Vic, we all have to admit, you were very right about not spending too heavy in free agency, most notably Byrd. I know you like the Guion and Peppers pickups. What other hits do you think teams made in free agency this year?

The Ravens are getting value out of Steve Smith. Kevin Williams was a nice signing by the Seahawks. Let’s go back to that Peppers signing. I presented the Packers’ side, especially the intelligent way Peppers’ contract was capped, and the potential ways Peppers might be used by Coach Capers. I never said I love this signing; don’t give me credit for that. I suffer from free agency phobia. I have difficulty signing off on any big free-agent acquisition. I think the Packers displayed a lot of courage with the Peppers acquisition, and it appears they got it right.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 07, 2014, 08:46:02 pm
If Lang and Sitton are both out Sunday it could be a bad day for GB.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 07, 2014, 09:00:29 pm
Only if Rodgers gets knocked out of the game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on November 07, 2014, 09:47:05 pm



 
Only if Rodgers gets knocked out of the game.


 You sell us short.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 07, 2014, 10:00:03 pm
I have learned to respect Peke's opinion.

I am still worried a out Sunday, though.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on November 07, 2014, 10:23:41 pm



 
I have learned to respect Peke's opinion.

I am still worried a out Sunday, though.


 Packy you know you are going to win ... but how much HEART from DAA BEARRSSE


 is what matters.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 07, 2014, 10:36:38 pm
Packrat, desperate teams, any given Sunday and all of that.  Of course the Bears could win but I don't see it as likely with Rodgers in the game.  He is that good.

The Bears O-line is a mess due to injuries as well.  Rodgers is better then Cutler under pressure.  I suspect both QB's will be under pressure.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 08, 2014, 09:37:48 pm
OK.  Good with me.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on November 09, 2014, 06:50:53 pm
Green Bay 31....Bears 17

I just do not see this messed up Bears team wining this in anyway shape or form.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on November 10, 2014, 01:16:33 am



 Win lose or draw we never forget.


 This is Packers year ... our year is coming up.


 It's always happened.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on November 10, 2014, 12:37:12 pm
Good luck with the Cub talk.


Man. I miss GreenEnvy. He would pounding you bear fans.


93-31in two games this year
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on November 10, 2014, 04:51:53 pm
I get a kick out the GB fans. They spend the entire week telling us how bad the Bears are (as if we didn't know) and then pound their chests over beating a horrible team. Either you beat a crappy team (yes) or the Bears are better than you give credit for(nope). I would save the chest beating for when you beat a good team.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on November 10, 2014, 05:01:52 pm



 
I get a kick out the GB fans. They spend the entire week telling us how bad the Bears are (as if we didn't know) and then pound their chests over beating a horrible team. Either you beat a crappy team (yes) or the Bears are better than you give credit for(nope). I would save the chest beating for when you beat a good team.


 Keys,


 We have the unique ability to bide our time out of hardship.


 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 10, 2014, 06:19:11 pm
I get a kick out the GB fans. They spend the entire week telling us how bad the Bears are (as if we didn't know) and then pound their chests over beating a horrible team. Either you beat a crappy team (yes) or the Bears are better than you give credit for(nope). I would save the chest beating for when you beat a good team.


When was that?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on November 10, 2014, 06:44:15 pm
Have you met Otto?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 10, 2014, 07:17:43 pm
Every GB fan I have ever talked to has been a total and complete ass hat other then Packrat and ACL. 

Now I believe this is because I live in Illinois and most Packer fans here are just the type of people that pick a winner and dig at other people.  I am sure there are tons of wonderful Packer fans in Wisconsin.  Just in general not ones who spend hours on Bears boards antagonizing or have no good reason to be Packer fans other then it is a way to be **** to other people and feel superior in some way. 

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 10, 2014, 08:36:57 pm
Thank you Peke.  I really appreciate that.  I will certainly admit that there are some bad Packer fans in addition to oddo.  I post here because I like the Bear posters here (except maybe one).  As you said some Packer fans are OK, too, like ACL.  The success of Favre and Rodgers has caused some Packer bigheads, unfortunately.

I can understand the Bears fans' feeling about the Packers.   I would probably feel the same.

I have never met oddo.  Since  have the same last name I e-mailed him once to see if we might be related.  He ignored me.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 10, 2014, 08:38:52 pm
Brett from Green Bay, WI

Vic, do you think moving Matthews inside had as big an impact as the announcers made it out to be?

Yes, I do. The Packers used their best defensive player to fortify the weakest part of their defense. That strategy will almost always work, as long as you have players to replace the player you moved. Nick Perry was a more than competent replacement. The issue now is how much will Dom Capers elect to use Clay Matthews as an inside linebacker in future games? That’s a lot of edge pass rusher you lose to stop the run, and it’s likely the Eagles’ response to that strategy will be to throw on run downs. Does that mean you’re calling the Eagles’ plays? This will be interesting to watch.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 10, 2014, 08:44:12 pm
ohn from San Francisco, CA

Do you think the Bears are that bad, or have the Packers turned the corner?

The Bears are struggling; there’s no doubt about it. The Packers, in my opinion, are showing the kind of growth you want to see in the second half of the season. Players are emerging. Perry is one of them. Davon House and Casey Hayward are two more. Brandon Bostick arrives. DuJuan Harris flashes. Jarrett Boykin blocks a punt. Contributions are coming from many sources. That’s a trademark of teams peaking for a late-season run.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 10, 2014, 08:49:28 pm
Alan from Fair Grove, MO

Vic, looks like some of those witless, rabid fans who know nothing and who you mercilessly mocked for suggesting Dom Capers should move Matthews inside might have been on to something. Well, I’m sure you know better; that it really comes down to players vs. plays and all that human confrontation jazz the rest of us don’t understand. Just giving you that edge you enjoy so much. Gotta have some of that after a 55-14 win.

I told Coach Capers to call you.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 10, 2014, 08:55:16 pm
...Peppers’ game reached a high level as well, with multiple tackles against the run, a strip-sack and fumble recovery, plus a batted pass. Defensive coordinator Dom Capers said he also thought with his outstretched arm that Peppers might have altered, if not slightly deflected, Jay Cutler’s throw that was intercepted by Micah Hyde in the first quarter.

Peppers did all that after delivering a pre-game speech in the locker room, which was part of his duty as a game captain. The Packers select three captains for every game – one each to represent the offense, defense and special teams – and McCarthy leaves it up to those three to decide which one is in charge of delivering the two-minute message to the team right before heading out of the tunnel for kickoff.

It naturally fell to Peppers, playing against his former team in a prime-time game. There was only one problem.

“We forgot to tell Julius it’s two minutes,” McCarthy joked. “That’s why we were a little late coming out for the game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 10, 2014, 09:04:50 pm
The Packers' position now reminds me of 2010, when they were seeded sixth.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 10, 2014, 09:12:23 pm
Clay Matthews is stepping into #Packers' dynamic playmaker role that Charles Woodson once dominated
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 10, 2014, 09:15:45 pm
Green Bay --- When surrounded by cameras and voice recorders at his locker, outside linebacker Julius Peppers is usually a man of few words. But, yes, he certainly wanted to prove this season that --- at 34 years old --- he still has plenty to give. On the eve of the regular season, he made this much clear.

So Peppers certainly wanted these two games against his former team, the Chicago Bears.

Before Green Bay's 55-14 win Sunday night, Peppers spoke to the team.

“Julius Peppers was one of our captains tonight," tight end Andrew Quarless said. "He spoke before the game and he was able to really pump us up, and really explain how meaningful this game is. The biggest rivalry. He brought up being on the other side of it. He really just gave us the confidence and we came out strong.”...


This season, in Green Bay, it's been a fit. Through nine games, Peppers has five sacks, two forced fumbles, five pass break-ups and an interception returned for a touchdown. Defensive coordinator [/size]Dom Capers [/color][/size]was hoping Peppers would be a player capable of changing the momentum of a game with one play...[/color]
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on November 11, 2014, 12:04:25 am



 I'll never understand why Peppers didn't perform like that last year with Chicago.


 That was the first thing I was thinking when he went to G.B. , now that he's there,


 move Matthews to ILB.


 That made sense day one.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: davebear on November 11, 2014, 08:30:05 am
Peppers proved last year he can't get away from blocks anymore.

The Packers simply moved him off the line where he can make a few plays in space with his athleticism.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 11, 2014, 08:40:29 pm
True dat.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 12, 2014, 10:16:26 pm
Aaron Rodgers gets NFL Spin Zone Player of the Week
 by Joe Soriano 1d ago

In just half a game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 12, 2014, 10:25:27 pm
Reliable backup James Starks takes pride in reserve role with team
 James Starks will not, ever, complain, whether he gets one carry or 10. He will not, ever, second-guess the game plan or his coaches and teammates. He will not, ever, be envious of others and their talents or opportunities.
»Read Full Article 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 12, 2014, 11:06:12 pm
Jeff from Andover, MN

Vic, the Jets benched Calvin Pryor for chronically being late to team meetings. One first-round safety is ascending while the other is descending. I’m glad we have Ha Ha.

Yeah, but Pryor will knock your face in.


LOL.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 12, 2014, 11:08:15 pm
Trevor from Wausau, WI

Coach McCarthy stated in his conference that the Packers were in a four-minute offense a lot during the Bears game. What exactly does he mean by that?

Kill the clock without going into a shell.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 12, 2014, 11:09:11 pm
Kevin from Natick, MA

I’ve turned more games off at halftime this one year than I have in my entire lifetime. The explosion in offense and the lack of the field-position game has made close finishes much rarer. How do we get teams to play the field-position game so we can watch some more classic finishes?

Make it more difficult to score points; it would make yards more valuable. Forget about it. The casual fan prefers an air assault over a ground war.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 12, 2014, 11:10:16 pm
Michael from Madison, WI

Vic, I am beginning to think Cobb is having too good of a season. At this rate, he may be able to command more in free agency than the Packers are willing to shell out. I know it’s a tough game for tough fans, but the thought of Cobb playing against the Packers is more than I can bear. Help me maintain perspective.

OK, here’s the perspective: Nothing is more important than the health of your salary cap, and maintaining a healthy salary cap often means having to make difficult decisions. I have no doubt the Packers have a plan for retaining Randall Cobb, but the risk he could leave in free agency is a risk conscientious cap managers know they must accept.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 12, 2014, 11:21:34 pm
Linsley deserves Pro Bowl consideration, Rodgers says
 Ryan Wood, Press-Gazette Media 5:58 p.m. EST November 11, 2014
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 13, 2014, 02:32:01 pm
On his radio show earlier this week, Rodgers threw Linsley’s name out there for Pro Bowl consideration, and he reiterated similar praise on Wednesday, describing the fifth-round draft pick with the words calm, bright, focused and determined.

“I’m really proud of him, the way he’s played, and I think he deserves more attention,” Rodgers said. “The respect that he’s getting from the guys that he’s blocking I think speaks for itself.”

For his part, Linsley feels he has steadily improved all season, and he may have taken another step forward in having to prepare all last week to play without veteran guards Josh Sitton and T.J. Langat his sides. Sitton and Lang ultimately did play, but Linsley used the week as “an opportunity to get better” and was ready to take charge without them.

As for Rodgers’ comments, the relatively quiet Linsley was humbled but vowed not to be distracted.

“For him to say that, that’s awesome, but for me to even think about that, I have to put that in the back of my mind,” Linsley said. “We’ve got seven weeks left to play, I’ve got seven weeks left to prove myself. I feel very honored that he would say that, but I just have to keep my head down and keep working.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 13, 2014, 02:39:10 pm
.J. from Minneapolis, MN

Vic, it’s been said that having three rookies contributing to your lineup constitutes a good draft year. It looks like the Packers have four rookies this season that are making an impact and are likely to be in the starting lineup into the future. What’s the most rookies on any one team you have seen make an impact on their team in that first year?

It was the Steelers in 1974, and for two obvious reasons: 1) They had a killer draft. 2) It was a strike year and veterans picketed training camp, which allowed rookies to take jobs from veterans that were absent from camp. Four of the Steelers’ first five picks are Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth and Mike Webster. Another draft pick, Jimmy Allen, was a contributor on that team, and undrafted free agency produced Donnie Shell and Randy Grossman, both of whom earned four Super Bowl rings. For the Packers to have produced four top rookie contributors in each of the last two drafts, and in an era of a seven-round draft and training camp roster limitations, is amazing. It’s even more amazing when you consider how low in the order this team is picking.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on November 13, 2014, 04:08:34 pm
I think it's going to have to come down to another change to get more teams competitive. Limiting draft picks, adding more for teams below .500, something.  Getting extremely tired of seeing the same teams in it year after year after year after year. Gets real old.....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 13, 2014, 06:53:00 pm
The HC is also important, though.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on November 13, 2014, 07:02:49 pm



 
The HC is also important, though.


 You think?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 14, 2014, 05:58:50 pm
LOL.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 14, 2014, 06:00:41 pm
Dan from Madison, WI

Corey Linsley is currently rated as the third-best center in the league. Is he the steal of the draft?

He’s this year’s David Bakhtiari. Talk about steal of the draft.


Two very good  draftees in the lower rounds started as rookies.  How do you top that?  Three in a row?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 16, 2014, 04:31:26 pm
Why do the Packers get all the calls?  So far they have hit Sanchez in the head twice with no flags.

I have seen the O-line holding multiple times with no flags either.  I get that good teams get the calls but the Eagles are pretty good as well.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 16, 2014, 09:10:00 pm
You just don't notice the Bears' holding and other penalties.  Sorry.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 16, 2014, 09:10:29 pm
Reggie from Jackson, NV

I want to know why most of your answers are sarcastic. Yeah, I understand fans have crazy questions but you are here to answer them and we, as fans, know you don’t know everything, but you can answer them better than what you have been doing, or if you’re tired of answering questions, just stop the blog all together cause you are here for the fan and that’s what the Packers pay you for, cause you are losing readers every day.

Wrong, Reggie, baby. Readership is exploding. Packers.com was No. 1 in the league last week for unique visitors. Just think what it would be if we had the Eagles’ cheerleaders.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 16, 2014, 09:22:24 pm
No Packrat.  I notice when the Bears get away with a call. 

There are two teams that seem to get a free pass from the officials that stand out to me.  Patriots and Packers.

Does the free pass help them win or does being good get them the free pass?  Also when they play each other what do the officials do?

Obviously when the Eagles play the Packers the Packers get the free pass.  Would that be the case if it was in Philly?  Probably.

My theory is the NFL loves great QB's.  It brings ratings and fans so they build them up.  Cutler is not fan friendly so he gets no love.

Rodgers and Brady are.  I think that is it in a nut shell. 

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 16, 2014, 09:29:11 pm
In fact when the Bears do not get called for something I see I am shocked it is not called.  This is because the refs seem to catch everything and then some that should in no way shape or form be a penalty.

I usually see one to two a game that should have been called against the Bears.  I can easily see 5 to 10 a game that should be called against the Packers no matter who they are playing.  I am not talking ticky tacky **** but blatant penalties. 

Like snapping the ball well after the 30 second clock expired.  An O-lineman tackling a D-lineman to keep them from hitting the QB.  A shot to the QB's head.  A CB hitting a WR before the ball is there.  So on and so forth.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 16, 2014, 09:37:02 pm
Reggie from Jackson, NV

I want to know why most of your answers are sarcastic. Yeah, I understand fans have crazy questions but you are here to answer them and we, as fans, know you don’t know everything, but you can answer them better than what you have been doing, or if you’re tired of answering questions, just stop the blog all together cause you are here for the fan and that’s what the Packers pay you for, cause you are losing readers every day.

Wrong, Reggie, baby. Readership is exploding. Packers.com was No. 1 in the league last week for unique visitors. Just think what it would be if we had the Eagles’ cheerleaders.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 16, 2014, 10:30:53 pm
Jeffrey from Alliance, OH

Is Clay Matthews playing a new position?

Welcome back. Did they treat you well?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 16, 2014, 10:32:06 pm
Mike from Des Moines, IA

On behalf of the fans, I’d like to apologize to Coach Capers.

Is that a permanent apology or just for this week?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 16, 2014, 10:34:34 pm
Eric from Keene, NH

This is unbelievable. At this moment, I am finding it difficult not to say things that will anger the football gods.

Our greatness is great.

Ben from La Crosse, WI

Vic, with the Packers firing on all cylinders with offense, defense and special teams, do you think there is any team right now that can beat the Packers?

He didn’t mean it, gods.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 16, 2014, 10:41:12 pm
 have to find new ways to compliment Aaron,” Packers Coach Mike McCarthy said, after he was informed that no less an authority on quarterback play than Eagles Coach Chip Kelly gushed at the mere mention of Rodgers’ name.




“He was as advertised. I think he is playing as good as anybody in the league. You look at some of the balls he throws: extremely accurate, on target. If you blitzed him, he got it out quick. If you didn’t, he held it until guys got open. He got it to everybody. Everybody contributed for him, but that all starts with the trigger man and he put on a show today. He is as good as they get,” Kelly said.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 17, 2014, 09:02:09 pm
Nick from Boston, MA

Vic, I know Lacy has not been getting the yards he got last year, but could you make an argument his impact on this offense has not dropped off?

The Eagles played single-high safety nearly the whole game. What’s that tell you?

Tim from Grand Rapids, MI

Do you feel Julius Peppers has always been a Green Bay Packer, he just hadn’t made it here until this year?

What I feel is that Peppers is fortunate that before his career came to an end, he was able to see what he could do in a role that wasn’t restricted to putting his hand on the ground on every play. Peppers is the perfect example of why the 3-4 is superior to the 4-3.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 17, 2014, 09:03:27 pm
Brian from Albertville, AL

Peppers didn’t look like a 13-year veteran running that interception back and doing the Lambeau Leap.

I thought he looked like a guy who had been out of position for 12 years.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 18, 2014, 05:24:08 pm
http://bbf.createaforum.com/chicago-bears-forum/green-bay-sucks/msg201225/#msg201225

Mike ain't happy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 19, 2014, 07:15:23 pm
(http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/51/files/2014/11/nfl-chicago-bears-green-bay-packers.jpg)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 19, 2014, 07:24:14 pm
Green Bay — Aaron Rodgers possesses NFL records, a Super Bowl ring and an MVP trophy. He's on fire this season, leading the Green Bay Packers to an NFL-best 33 points a game.

But he's always looking to evolve, as a person and as a quarterback, and by tweaking a few health and wellness habits in the last year, he said he feels so good he has convinced himself he can play well into his late 30s and even his 40s.

Hot yoga. Vitamins. Limits on caffeine. Sleep. Proper hydration and detoxifying juice cleanses. Living by the 80-20 rule — and cutting back on pizza. It all has helped Rodgers look ahead to his 31st birthday Dec. 2 feeling like he's in the best shape of his life with some of his best games ahead of him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 19, 2014, 07:31:20 pm
(http://media.jrn.com/images/660*413/b99390013z.1_20141119044320_000_gr48ofo0.1-1.jpg)

Packers WRs may break record.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 19, 2014, 07:32:15 pm
Tramon Williams has enjoyed an endless string of magical moments during his eight years in Green Bay. But Williams has never experienced anything like what's happening inside Lambeau Field right now.

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 19, 2014, 10:12:45 pm
Marcus from Breaux Bridge, LA

In your opinion, what percentages of Aaron’s success is attributed to how well he reads defenses and adjusts, vs. his athletic abilities?

He has the total game; he has no weakness. Yes, I am amazed at how quickly and accurately he processes information, but the thing about Rodgers that most amazes me is the calm with which he plays the game. Imagine what it must be like to stand in the pocket and have defenders running at you. Imagine the violent sounds filling your ears. What do those sounds do to you? Are you peeking at the rush coming at you? Rodgers isn’t. Rodgers’ eyes are fixed downfield and the sounds he’s hearing aren’t scaring him, they’re alerting him; there’s a difference. I don’t think we fully appreciate the courage with which great quarterbacks play the game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on November 20, 2014, 12:26:04 am



 Packy,


 If it gets to the playoffs and GB should end up in Arizona ...


 what do you give your odds?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on November 20, 2014, 05:37:45 am
The only thing that can stop them now is Brady and the Pats. Zona ain't crap. They'll steamroll them...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on November 20, 2014, 07:18:21 am



 
The only thing that can stop them now is Brady and the Pats. Zona ain't crap. They'll steamroll them...


 We'll see.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 20, 2014, 08:40:50 pm
I'm worried about Detroit more than anyone else, for now.  If we get to the goal, well, we'll see.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 20, 2014, 08:51:06 pm
(http://prod.static.packers.clubs.nfl.com//assets/images/imported/GB/photos/centerpiece/2014/11-november/141119-cliffs-notes-650.jpg)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 20, 2014, 09:02:55 pm

Green Bay Packers' Offensive Line At Heart Of Success

 by Megan Landvatter 1d ago 

The Green Bay Packers have been electric on offense in their last two games. Beating their opponents, the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles by more than 30 points, the 2014 Packers were the first team in franchise history to score more than 50 points in back-to-back games.

While Aaron Rodgers has received a lot of credit, and deservedly so, there is another part of this Green Bay offense that deserves some praise...

One rookie (center) drafted #4 and a LT drafted #4 last year.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 20, 2014, 09:10:49 pm
http://nflspinzone.com/2014/11/19/15-biggest-games-remaining-2014-nfl-season/7/


Biggest game left in the 2014 season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 20, 2014, 09:51:46 pm
Charlie from Lubbock, TX

Vic, 10 games in, what differences do you see between this Packers team and the 2011 team?

The 2011 team was a one-trick pony. This team can do it all.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 20, 2014, 09:53:45 pm
Jeff from Loves Park, IL

Vic, hypothetically speaking, of course, if the Packers replayed the Seahawks this weekend, what do you believe the outcome would be?

Where would the game be played?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 20, 2014, 09:55:22 pm
Bob from DeMotte, IN

Sometimes I wonder where you get your answers to some questions. As far as this game is big, all games are big. Any team can beat you on any given Sunday. Play each game as if the title is at stake.

You’re right, Coach Bob, but I would add that this Sunday’s game in Minnesota is critically more important than the game against New England that has everyone gaga. Other than for the common games element, the New England game won’t have much tiebreaker importance, and I think the Packers will win the common games tiebreaker without needing a win over the Patriots. The Vikings game is about division record, and that’s the No. 2 tiebreaker, one ahead of common games. Don’t go to sleep on this one, coach.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 20, 2014, 10:09:44 pm

Five Packers hit the Hollywood big time in ‘Pitch Perfect 2’

Posted 5 hours ago


 
Mike Spofford

Clay Matthews, David Bakhtiari, Josh Sitton, T.J. Lang and Don Barclay have scene in upcoming sequel, whose trailer was released Thursday
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 20, 2014, 10:14:38 pm
Kevin from Chicago, IL

Is Kurt Warner a Hall of Famer, in your opinion?

I think he’s marginal. I like his story and the fact he played in three Super Bowls and won one of them, but the Hall of Fame is a place for dominant players, and it bothers me that Warner spent a large portion of his career as a backup. Dominant players don’t do that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 20, 2014, 10:15:46 pm
Dan from Herriman, UT

Vic, if you were the opposing defensive coordinator, would you employ single-high safety against Rodgers?

No, never, ever. Maybe that’s why Rodgers was smiling so much during the Eagles game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on November 20, 2014, 10:26:18 pm
Dave from Collierville, TN

Kurt Warner played in 124 career games in the NFL, and started 116 of them. You are officially stupid. Steve Young was a backup for at least 4 seasons...I guess he's not a HOFer either? Idiot.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on November 20, 2014, 11:41:40 pm
If Adrian Peterson was playing, they'd have a chance. As it is, this is one horrid club! Their QB is young and lost without recievers and their D is terrible. Pakers should steamroll them. The Pats game is another story but you're D@%@# lucky it's being played in GB. Otherwise, in Patsyland, you'd lose.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on November 21, 2014, 10:20:02 pm
Moron, are you saying that Kurt Warner and Steve Young had the same careers?

Kurt Warner had about four good years in the NFL, hardly HoF material.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on November 21, 2014, 10:34:51 pm
Anyone who thinks Kurt Warner is not going to be in the HoF is the moron.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 21, 2014, 10:44:16 pm
Mark from Stewartville, MN

Vic, here’s a Thanksgiving question: For what are you most grateful?

Happiness. It’s the result of everything else in our lives. If you have happiness, your life is good
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 21, 2014, 11:01:32 pm
Nik from Eagan, MN

I’m not sure if Packers fans are the classiest, most polite or most winsome in the league, but I do know they can handle the cold as well as any other fans in the league. I think we have more of an advantage playing at TCF Bank Stadium vs. the Metrodome. At the very least, I don’t expect pumped-in stadium noise to be an issue for this game, and based on the number of tickets I am seeing for sale, there may be more green and gold in the crowd than usual.

The last time I covered a game outdoors in Minnesota, it was at old Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington. It’s possibly the worst stadium in which I’ve covered an NFL game. It was truly awful in every way, even in the 1970s. The Metrodome was state of the art for a dome when it was first opened, but it got old in a hurry because dome design evolved rapidly. The Vikings franchise has never had the advantage of calling a great stadium home. When the new one opens, they will. I’m going to be very interested to see how that changes the landscape of professional football in Minnesota.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on November 21, 2014, 11:06:12 pm
Again, Kurt Warner will not ever be in the HoF, unless he buys a ticket.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 21, 2014, 11:08:47 pm
Craig from Temperance, MI

With some money left over this year, it’s time to lock in Cobb before the year is up. Your thoughts?

I never concern myself about this stuff because I know the Packers have a plan and whatever that plan is, it will have been the right thing to do. Look at recent decisions: Greg Jennings, Evan Dietrich-Smith, Scott Wells, to name a few. My inbox was in a state of panic to re-sign those guys. Where would the Packers’ cap be today if they had re-signed all of them? Part of keeping your cap healthy is making difficult decisions. Whatever they decide on Randall Cobb, it’ll likely be the right thing to do because it will dovetail with other decisions to create an overall state of roster and salary cap health.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 21, 2014, 11:18:04 pm
(http://prod.static.packers.clubs.nfl.com//assets/images/news-and-events/stories/2014/141120-movie-400.gif)

Packer players in "pitch perfect two".
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 21, 2014, 11:20:32 pm
(http://wbay.images.worldnow.com/images/5909541_G.jpg)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 21, 2014, 11:39:05 pm


I was never more proud and happy to be an American than in that era.


https://www.youtube.com/embed/TnQDW-NMaRs?rel=0
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on November 22, 2014, 01:04:53 am
That new Minny stadium is unreal. Definately wanna go see a game there sometime....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 22, 2014, 08:21:35 pm
James from Pottstown, PA

I think Peppers really wants that elusive Super Bowl ring. How much impact will he have on the young players coming down the home stretch?

Julius Peppers leads by example. He prepares as a professional prepares. He makes plays. He’s not a rah-rah guy. He’s a pro. That’s what young players see and want to imitate. No words are necessary.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 22, 2014, 08:24:55 pm
Matthew from Racine, WI

I figured Ha Ha would have more interceptions by now, but he must be doing a good job in coverage because I don’t hear his name called for being out of place or getting burnt. What’s your evaluation of Ha Ha’s performance so far?

He’s played to the level of the position in which he was selected. He’s been a solid contributor and his ceiling is high.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on November 24, 2014, 05:09:09 am
No matter who is coaching the Bears next year, I think you need to look at the tape of the Minnesota game to see how they defended them.  24 points is a reasonable amount to allow, and then you count on your offense to do its job.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 24, 2014, 07:59:19 pm
Good point.  I am still trying to figure exactly what happened.  First thing, I guess, was concentrating on the passing game.  The result was a big game for Lacy.  The score was not as big as it would be for a high-powered passing game but it allowed GB to possess the ball long enough to keep the Minn scoring low.

One final point, this game Rodgers' passing game was just a little off.  Good enough for a normal passer but not up to Rodgers' normal game.  A couple of times a year he will have a game where he is a few inches off target.  No interceptions but somwhat off target.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 24, 2014, 08:06:17 pm
Also, GB played a pretty sloppy game with a lot of penalties; some of the at very inopportune times.  At least they have that one out of the way.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 24, 2014, 08:17:56 pm
Trent from Orlando, FL

One of the things I have grown to love about the Packers is their patience. They never panic no matter what situation they find themselves in. I noticed that same kind of poise from the Vikings yesterday. I think they are a young team with a good coach and their arrow is pointing north. They are a team we are going to have to watch out for in the next couple of years. Your thoughts?

Mike Zimmer knows defense and has an impressive calm about him. I like a calm sideline. I watched the Vikings’ sideline and it was calm and focused. If Teddy Bridgewater is “The Man,” the Vikings’ arrow is absolutely pointing straight up. I like their secondary a lot. It moved up from No. 8 against the pass to No. 7. What team improves its pass-defense ranking in a game against the Packers?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 24, 2014, 08:19:39 pm
Jason from Wausau, WI

Vic, it was great to see Green Bay rely on the run game yesterday, which I believe bolsters the confidence of the offensive line. I realized Minnesota altered their coverage to protect against big pass plays, but do you think it’s possible the Packers used a vanilla game plan to forgo giving the Patriots much for scouting purposes?

The Packers didn’t go vanilla. They went power. Just because you lean on the run doesn’t mean you're vanilla. There’s nothing vanilla about Eddie Lacy sticking his foot down your throat. The Patriots know all they need to know about the Packers, and now they have confirmation that if they don’t get enough guys up into the box, Lacy’s going to snowplow them.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 24, 2014, 08:22:01 pm
Brian from Trinity, FL

The “Tampa Two” defense with two safeties high has been around for over 20 years. Most of the league, including the Packers, has figured out how to beat it. Now, suddenly, the defense seems to be the Packers’ Kryptonite. Against the Vikings, they won by running against it. Against good teams, that won’t be enough. It seems our problems against this defense started with the loss of Finley. What’s your take?

First of all, the “Tampa Two” involves a little linebacker wrinkle Tony Dungy put into “Cover Two,” which Bud Carson invented 40 years ago. Dungy was a safety in Carson’s “Cover Two.” So, it’s been around a long time and it is every team’s Kryptonite if it doesn’t have a running game to drag one of those safeties up into the box. The Packers didn’t have a back that could do that until Lacy came along. If you’re going to play “Cover Two,” you better have a lot of talent up front that can stop the run undermanned. The Patriots are No. 14 against the run and No. 17 against the pass. That’s pretty good balance and I think it also demands a balanced offensive approach. If Bill Belichick can load up to stop something, you’re dead.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 24, 2014, 08:24:51 pm
Steve from Three Lakes, WI

I find it interesting how the Patriots are using Revis. He is shutting down the second-best WR himself and then they are doubling the No. 1 WR with safety help. This allows them to put an extra man in the box. What is the best way to attack them?

I wasn’t aware they were doing that, but it sure sounds creative. The best way to attack the Patriots is to pull Belichick’s hoodie down over his eyes so he can’t see what’s going on. He’s a defensive genius. He can look at you on tape and say, “We’ll do this, this and this.” This game on Sunday is about more than Brady vs. Rodgers. It’s also Belichick, the defensive genius, vs. McCarthy, one of the most underrated offensive minds in the game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 24, 2014, 08:30:57 pm
Kai from Columbia, SC

I can’t believe it, but you’re right. The Pats are underdog to the Packers. The Lions took the run game and Gronk away from Pats, yet, they still gave up 34 points. How can the Packers stop New England?

When you scheme to take something away, you open yourself to something else. Nobody outschemes Bill Belichick. The best scheme is to play it straight and win the one-on-ones.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 24, 2014, 08:32:08 pm
Andy from Dortmund, Germany

The defense, especially the secondary, needs to do a better job next week or it’s going to be a long day against Brady. I think we were fortunate Bridgewater missed some open guys or the receiver didn’t make the play. What do you think about that?

I think the defense played well, but not at its highest level. I think the defense will have to play at its highest level to be able to stop Tom Brady.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 24, 2014, 08:33:32 pm
Shaun from Milwaukee, WI

We won, have sole possession of first place in the NFC North, and for the people too busy complaining, Arizona also lost, putting us one step closer to gaining homefield advantage in the playoffs.

You couldn’t have scripted the day any better for the Packers. Every goal this team had going into the season is in front of it and attainable.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 24, 2014, 08:34:57 pm
Jonah from Tel Aviv, Israel

Vic, what about the Vikings caused the Packers to huddle up and use the full play clock?

If I’m reading the situation correctly, the Packers accurately expected the Vikings to invite the run and try to deny the pass, and that’s exactly what they did. The Packers turned to the run game. When you have that kind of balance, you’re not taking what they give you, you’re taking what you want. Yesterday, the Packers wanted to play old-fashioned football: Run the ball and bleed the clock. It’s good to know they can play that kind of game. Go back to Week 3 in Detroit. The Lions invited the run and the Packers couldn’t take it. Good teams can do it all.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 24, 2014, 08:39:26 pm
Randall from Sun Prairie, WI

How did Bridgewater grab you? Do the Vikings finally have something to build around?

I was impressed by his willingness to stand in the pocket and look downfield. I was also impressed by his ability to find open receivers. Accuracy is his issue. Some of the same throws from his personal workout that dropped his draft stock were evident yesterday. I suspect the Vikings will try to smooth out his throwing motion. In all other ways, he’s got the goods.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 24, 2014, 08:40:24 pm
Katrina from Salem, OR

Sunday will be the first time Aaron Rodgers starts a game against Tom Brady and the Patriots. In light of the upcoming game, can you remember any truly great games in NFL history between two elite quarterbacks?

There have been so many classic matchups between great quarterbacks I don’t know where to start. Marino and Montana in Super Bowl XIX. Bradshaw and Staubach in Super Bowls X and XIII. Peyton Manning and Brees a few years ago. How about Rodgers and Roethlisberger? How about all of the Brady and Manning classics? Layne and Graham? Starr and Unitas? This Sunday’s game might become the most hyped game of the season, but let’s not completely lose our minds. It’s just one game. Frankly, yesterday’s game was more important.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 24, 2014, 08:45:25 pm
Jeff from Winnebago, IL

Given the critical role of center, and the level of performance of Corey Linsley since he was abruptly thrust into the starting lineup, is it too early to consider candidates for top rookie honors?

The thought of a center winning rookie of the year brings a smile to my face. You figure a rookie receiver or running back will make a big splash, and touchdown-scorers are the guys that win awards, but what rookie has played to the level Linsley has? He’s been nothing short of amazing. I can think of a bad snap in the Eagles game; that’s all. I think he should be the leader for offensive rookie of the year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 24, 2014, 09:23:30 pm
Oddsmakers make Patriots underdogs at Green Bay

Posted by Mike Wilkening on November 23, 2014, 11:48 PM EST

Tom Brady
AP

During their seven-game winning streak, the AFC-leading Patriots have won outright as underdogs on several occasions.

Huh?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on November 24, 2014, 09:37:57 pm
Linsley over Mike Evans? Hilarious!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on November 25, 2014, 05:31:06 am
One thing that the Vikings did to defend the Packers... so I have heard, is they played man instead of zone.  Rodgers absolutely shredded our zone, so I don't understand why we would have called it that way again.  I have scratched my head a lot about our coaches decisions.  Death be 1000 cuts?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on November 25, 2014, 09:25:30 am

Most accurate QBs will shread a zone.  Not saying we should only play man to man but against guys like Rodgers you have to reduce the zone calls.

And I know this isn't the draft topic but I'm  hoping the Bears draft 2 maybe 3 cover type DBs next year.  They don't have to be the #1 pick but we need to get guys that can stick with receivers and not give them 10 yard cushions and hope the QB miss throws.

BTW, I'm still going DE in round 1.  I don't think Jared Allen and Houston are going to get radically better next year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on November 25, 2014, 10:21:46 am
Agreed - pressure on the QB makes the secondary better by itself
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 25, 2014, 03:49:37 pm
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B3NyC4yCMAIL83A.jpg:large)

Aaron with his grape crush.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 25, 2014, 07:34:33 pm
One thing that the Vikings did to defend the Packers... so I have heard, is they played man instead of zone.  Rodgers absolutely shredded our zone, so I don't understand why we would have called it that way again.  I have scratched my head a lot about our coaches decisions.  Death be 1000 cuts?

Man is ok, IF you have two guys who are really good in man coverage.  Not too many are.  Also, in man coverage you open the way for Rodgers to have a big running day, as he did against Minn.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 25, 2014, 07:36:29 pm
Linsley over Mike Evans? Hilarious!

In a year or  two.  He is a rookie, now.  Rodgers always commends his linemen.

He allowed one sack so far, and one high snap.  Otherwise he is very reliable on making calls and working with Guards.  Surprising rookie.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 25, 2014, 07:44:04 pm
Posted by Darin Gantt on November 25, 2014, 4:39 PM EST

grape_crush_2


In these cynical and sarcastic times we live in, many folks saw Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers drinking a Grape Crush soda after beating the Vikings and thought there was a message.

As it turns out, he just really likes grape soda.

Rodgers cleared up the social media-generated flap during his weekly radio show with Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin.com, insisting he wasn’t trolling the Vikings.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 25, 2014, 07:55:51 pm
Tom from Plymouth, MN

What is your impression of the Odell Beckham catch? Do you think it is getting a little overhyped? It is now ranked as the greatest catch of all time on NFL Network. The only catch from before 2000 on their top 10 list is a grab by Lynn Swann. Do you think the media is just being biased towards the recent NFL?

It’s always been that way. Old is bad, new is good. Once upon a time, Swann’s catch was new. One day, Beckham’s catch will be old. The whole rating thing is ridiculous. It’s what people who are bored do to occupy their time. They’re being played by the media.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 25, 2014, 07:57:09 pm
Josh from Dekalb, IL

Vic, one thing I have noticed lately is that it seems Eddie Lacy is good for one or two screen passes a game for big yards. Do you attribute that more to teams focusing more on the wide receivers, or that Lacy is just too big for people in the secondary to take down?

It’s what happens when defensive ends get caught up the field. If you rush too hard and too often, you’ll find your little defensive backs having to tackle a runaway train in the open field. The screens to Lacy are a great device for softening the rush.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 25, 2014, 08:09:04 pm

Todd from Saint Paul, MN

Vic, congrats. You have transformed your readers into a bunch of mini-Vics, claiming they have gained perspective, must stop the run, and to be leery of free agency. What will you tell your lemmings next?

Lemmings, unite.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 25, 2014, 08:30:55 pm
QB Aaron Rodgers now has 30 TDs & 3 INTs this year, marking the 4th 30+ TD season of his career.

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on November 25, 2014, 08:47:14 pm



 
QB Aaron Rodgers now has 30 TDs & 3 INTs this year, marking the 4th 30+ TD season of his career.

 


 When he gets to 49 TD's let me know.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 26, 2014, 09:36:41 pm
Ben from Hudson, WI

Do you think Linsley’s performance has been underrated or do people see how well he’s playing? Would you compare his situation to Bakhtiari’s last season?

It’s almost identical to what David Bakhtiari did in 2013. An injury to Bryan Bulaga pushed Bakhtiari into the starting lineup as a rookie, fourth-round pick and he proceeded to play as you would expect a franchise left tackle to play. Corey Linsley was pushed into the starting lineup by an injury to JC Tretter and Linsley has played as a rookie, fifth-round pick as you would expect a veteran starting center to play. Do fans fully appreciate the quality of those draft picks and the coaching those players received?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 26, 2014, 09:37:14 pm


 

 When he gets to 49 TD's let me know.

I shall, if he does.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 26, 2014, 09:39:06 pm
Bill from Wisconsin Rapids, WI

Do you think Beckham makes the catch without the super sticky gloves?

I don’t know what he had on his hands, but I’ll tell you this: I don’t have big hands, and I feel like I could palm O.J.’s head when I put on a pair of those gloves players wear today.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 26, 2014, 09:55:41 pm
Bill from Raleigh, NC

Vic, I love your mantra about competing; something like do everything possible to win, except cheating. Since it’s Patriots week, I have a cheating question. Have you ever heard rumor of a team sneaking a secret transmitter into a QB’s helmet so the QB could hear coach’s comments all the time? Statements like, “Deep right is open,” or “Delayed blitz coming.”

Yeah, I heard that rumor.

Will from Whitewater, WI

I was wondering, do you ever think to yourself what if Aaron Rodgers wasn’t playing for the Packers, would they still be as good as they are today?

Of course they wouldn’t be as good as they are today. The Patriots wouldn’t be as good without Tom Brady. They were 5-13 until he became the starter, and then they won three Super Bowls. Anybody that doesn’t think this game is a showcase for these two great quarterbacks is intentionally trying to avoid the obvious. This one might be for the MVP.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 26, 2014, 10:12:07 pm
GREEN BAY—The expiration of Randall Cobb's contract with the Green Bay Packers is coming at the end of the 2014 season.

But even though the up-and-coming wide receiver has the opportunity to test free agency in just a few months time, he isn't playing hard ball with the Packers.

Cobb told Cheesehead TV that he and his agent are not necessarily waiting until after the season to negotiate parameters of a contract extension.

"I think that they could have conversations right now," said Cobb. "That's on them. That's the business side. He can handle all that.

"I've told him, hopefully things work out for the best, and I would love to stay here next year and be a part of this organization. But it's a business, and I understand that, and it works both ways. At the end of the day, (I) just have to make the decision that I feel is best for me, and the team is going make the decision that they feel is best for the team..."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 26, 2014, 10:26:57 pm
https://vine.co/v/O10xuZre6IY/embed/simple

That laugh is the difference between today’s Belichick and earlier iterations. He knows when he’s giving a Belichick answer, and he revels in it a bit. When the Patriots are winning, he lets himself slip into the role of the jolly curmudgeon, as opposed to the one who slips out the back door and skips the presser altogether.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 26, 2014, 11:22:51 pm
Linsley is Pro Football Focus’ 3rd ranked center behind perennial All-Pro Nick Mangold of the Jets and the Seahawks’ Max Unger.  Unger has only participated in 6 of Seattle’s games so of centers who’ve taken at least 50% of their team’s snaps Linsley is 2nd and tops in the NFC.  His run blocking grade of +6.8 resides in the top 5 of the NFL and his penalty rating of +1.1 is tied for first.  A young center who can get the protections called, move people in the run game and not make mental mistakes is very useful.  One who is yet to allow a sack of QB Aaron Rodgers just might be priceless.

Speaking of prices, Linsley is set to make an average of $601,250 a year between now and 2017.  His predecessors, Evan Dietrich Smith and Scott Wells are making $3.56 and $3.63 million per season, respectively.  Instead of tying himself to those players, Thompson stuck to his strategy and netted himself an elite center at a younger age and a better price.  I don’t know how much stock you put into Pro Football Focus’ ratings system but as far as I’m concerned i’m not qualified to judge offensive line play, so they are my bible.  As of right now if you look at the center rankings, Evan Dietrich Smith checks in at #31, with a grade of -7.7.  Wells is playing much worse.  His -15.9 grade for the rams is good for 40th of the 42 NFL centers that have played at least 25% of their teams snaps.

Pro-bowl next year?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 27, 2014, 09:10:31 pm
John from Port Edwards, WI

Have you ever checked for wet carpets at your house over the holidays?

I don’t know, Margo.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 27, 2014, 09:13:31 pm
Paul from Tampa, FL

Vic, why do the Packers struggle on offense against teams that play a two-high shell? This defense has been around for years. Why hasn’t McCarthy found an effective way to attack it?

He has. You run the ball. Didn’t you watch last week’s game?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 27, 2014, 09:17:01 pm
Makes sense to me.




Daniel from Sugar Land, TX

Vic, I know you’ve said it before, but can you explain how to attack cover two, aside from running them out of it? Which routes can be successful against this defense?

If you have a strong-armed quarterback, the honey hole is a good place to attack cover two. The honey hole is that spot along the sideline behind the cornerback and outside the safety to that side of the field. Aaron Rodgers is one of the best honey-hole passers I’ve ever seen. His throws beat the safety to the sideline every time. Deep-seam throws are also effective if you can drag that safety over to the honey hole. A combination of the two can create a lot of confusion. The route tree is what creates openings; it’s how one route impac
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 27, 2014, 09:19:52 pm
Maximillian from Sydney, Australia

Vic, do you honestly believe the players and coaches are treating this game as any other? The fans and the media are going crazy for this matchup. I, for one, cannot wait. I find it hard to believe players and staff on both sides would not be more pumped up for this than other games.

I think they feel the hype, but this is just another game for the men who have to coach it and play it. The one in Minnesota was much more important.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 27, 2014, 09:51:01 pm
(http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2014/11-November/temp141127-turkey-day-7--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 27, 2014, 10:10:40 pm
New from JS:Neal, Elliott next men up on Packers defense http://ift.tt/1yiHQtJ


9:20 PM - 27 Nov 2014



 Notes - Neal, Elliott next men up on Packers defense 

Another day and another missed practice for Green Bay Packers linebacker Nick Perry means the combination of Mike Neal and Jayrone Elliott may have to slug it out against a New England Patriots power...

Nick Perry = injuries.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on November 28, 2014, 08:14:41 pm

Linsley shines in Packers' final drive


By Eric Baranczyk and Pete Dougherty, Press-Gazette Media 10:23 p.m. EST November 24, 2014

Aaron Rodgers, Corey Linsley,

Last spring the Minnesota Vikings signed defensive tackle Linval Joseph from the New York Giants for a five-year contract that averages $6.25 million a year and included $12.5 million guaranteed.

That's big money, and even though Joseph isn't a Pro Bowl-level interior defensive lineman, he's a good player and huge man (6-feet-4, 323 pounds) signed to anchor the middle of the Vikings' defensive line.

So what does it tell you that with the game on the line, the Green Bay Packers ran the ball right up the middle five straight times, picked up two first downs and ran out the final 3 minutes, 23 seconds of their 24-21 win over the Vikings?

It tells you that Corey Linsley, the Packers' rookie center, deserves all the good publicity he's been getting the last few weeks.

That final series Sunday was a crowning moment for the Packers' offensive line, because it helped run out the clock even though the Vikings knew halfback Eddie Lacy was getting the ball. The interior of the Packers' line was especially good on that series, which says a lot for guards Josh Sitton (torn ligament in big toe) and T.J. Lang (sprained ankle), who are playing through lower-leg injuries that are visibly hindering them.

Try pushing a truck with either of those injuries and you'll get an idea of what they're going through on the field.

But while the Packers' line as a whole did the tough job that final series, in reviewing the video it's difficult to overlook Linsley's blocking against Joseph. Overall, the Packers had a non-descript day offensively, and Joseph won plenty of his battles – he slipped Linsley's blocks several times on the way to making four tackles. But with the game on the line, Linsley won decisively.

On four of the five runs to end the game, Linsley moved Joseph anywhere from two to five yards, even though Linsley (301 pounds) was giving up more than 20 pounds. He could do it because he has excellent upper-body strength and as a rookie is showing attention to detail in his techniques..

.Linsley, again.  He'll be around for quite a while.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 01, 2014, 07:59:10 pm
(http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2014/11-November/temp141130-packers-patriots-3-007--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720)

30
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 01, 2014, 08:03:55 pm
(http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2014/11-November/temp141130-biever-182--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720)

Goodnight, Brady.  Game over.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 01, 2014, 08:09:31 pm
(http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2014/11-November/temp141130-biever-177--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720)

Rodgers' injured left hand.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 01, 2014, 08:20:07 pm
NFL Power Rankings: Packers Take Over No. 1 Spot Entering Week 14

 by Josh Sanchez 21h ago
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 01, 2014, 08:43:48 pm
On second down, QB Tom Brady challenged rookie safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix with a throw into the end zone for monstrous tight end Rob Gronkowski. As the two players dove parallel to the ground and one another, Clinton-Dix got a hand in there to disrupt Gronkowski enough and get the ball out as both players lay prone on the turf.

Then, on the next snap, outside linebacker Mike Neal flew around the edge to pressure Brady, and Neal combined with Mike Daniels for the Packers’ only sack of the game, at the most opportune time.

On the resulting fourth-and-long with 2:40 to go, the Patriots missed a field goal, and the Packers defense didn’t have to take the field again.




“‘Pep’ always talks about in meetings before practice, he said he wants the defense to go out and close a game for once,” Clinton-Dix said, referring to veteran Julius Peppers. “I think we did that tonight...”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 01, 2014, 08:49:25 pm
Gene from Los Angeles, CA

Vic, seems A-Rod is high on all of his throws. Your analysis?

He needs to throw lower. R-E-L-A-X, he will.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 01, 2014, 09:27:18 pm
J.D. from Palm Bay, FL

With the production from Adams and the TD catch by Richard Rodgers, would you say McCarthy won the (strategy) duel? I really thought Mike schemed well with the players with which he has to work.

Coach McCarthy put his players in position to win. He schemed personnel, not schemes, as evidenced by Davante Adams’ breakout performance
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 01, 2014, 09:35:43 pm
Adam from Superior, WI

Vic, I am sick to death of the Super Bowl talk. We have to win the division first. With only one game up on the Lions, I still think it’s going to take a win in Week 17. Your thoughts?

One game up, one game down or tied, it would take a win over the Lions to win the division title. It appears we’re headed for a showdown. The Lions have the Bucs and Vikings at home, and then go to Chicago. They’ll be favored in all of those games.

Interesting  fact.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 01, 2014, 09:41:13 pm
Ezra from Frederick, MD

Vic, I absolutely despise the Patriots, so this win feels very good, but let’s hope this is not Green Bay’s best moment of the season.

Despise a football team? I don’t get that. If the two teams had switched uniforms, now who do you despise? This will not have been the Packers’ best moment of the season. I feel strongly that moment has yet to come.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 01, 2014, 09:42:12 pm
Dave from Des Moines, IA

I noticed Bill Belichick purposefully made his way across the field after the game to share some words with Aaron. He also talked with McCarthy longer than I’ve seen him talk to other coaches after a game. For a guy who is dry and often unemotional in interviews, it was nice to see his human side.

He was impressed. Coach Belichick is a football devotee, and he saw something yesterday that earned his respect. For all of you that think Coach McCarthy is just another coach, think again.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on December 01, 2014, 09:58:04 pm
Think a hall of fame QB might have a bit to do with McCarthy's success?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 01, 2014, 10:09:44 pm
Patriots-Packers earns highest ratings on CBS in three years
 Posted by Mike Spofford on  December 1, 2014 – 1:00 pm 


GREEN BAY — Sunday’s Packers-Patriots game on CBS earned the network’s highest ratings for a regular-season game in three years, CBS announced in a news release on Monday.

The game’s rating of 19.2 and share of 34 was the network’s best in the regular season since New England and Denver garnered a 19.5/36 back on Dec. 28, 2011.

The Patriots-Packers ratings also matched the highest-rated game of the 2014 season on any network, which was Dallas vs. Seattle on FOX on Oct. 12.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 01, 2014, 10:26:21 pm
(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/slides/photos/003/843/742/hi-res-7a773a5c89550b434b719a1c2742c16b_crop_north.jpg?w=630&h=420&q=75)

Poor Brady.  sniff, sniff.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 01, 2014, 10:41:10 pm
(http://i.imgur.com/nlhaNjJ.gif)

Sometimes I see parents riding the subway with kids on leashes. I guess it's so the kids don't run away and get lost. And I guess the Patriots are worried Tom Brady will run away and get lost.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: AZSteve on December 02, 2014, 08:40:52 am
Lol
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 02, 2014, 12:07:53 pm
Hawk played less than half of the snaps against NE.  It appears that they have good enough young players to replace him, now. 

I look for him to be dumped next season, along with LB Jones and CB Tramon Williams.  You might also see B. J. Raji dropped.  He had a one year show-me contract and was injured all season.

The team will need to come up with money to sign the good upcoming players like Cobb.

Although money is not the factor, QB Matt Flynn could be cut for lack of adequate performance, making stronger armed Scott Tolzien the #2 QB.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 02, 2014, 01:36:35 pm
1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay:

The matchup between the Patriots and Packers was almost a passing of the torch type of contest as far as top quarterback in the league goes. Rodgers pulled out the dramatic victory and stamped his claim as the league’s top leader in 2014. He’s thrown for an amazing 32 TDs and only 3 INTs this season and has his Packers in position to win the one-seed in the NFC playoff race.

No one commands their team quite like Rodgers does and it was obvious on Sunday against the Patriots. He is simply at the top of his game and it seems as though he’s not going to come down for quite some time. I mean, a hand gushing with blood didn’t even come close to slowing him down on Sunday. Can anything? The way he’s leading right now it certainly doesn’t seem like it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on December 02, 2014, 02:23:18 pm
R E L A X
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 02, 2014, 06:18:02 pm
L O L.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 02, 2014, 06:40:21 pm
I believe that Devante Adams is beginning to demonstrate that he will be GB's third #1 WR.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 02, 2014, 06:43:43 pm
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2287092-brees-aaron-rodgers-has-best-arm-talent-in-the-league-and-its-not-even-close

Brees praises Rodgers.  Brady is in a snit.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on December 03, 2014, 02:26:30 am



 
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2287092-brees-aaron-rodgers-has-best-arm-talent-in-the-league-and-its-not-even-close (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2287092-brees-aaron-rodgers-has-best-arm-talent-in-the-league-and-its-not-even-close)

Brees praises Rodgers.  Brady is in a snit.


 Go play at New England. You know damn good and well the stats will be reversed.


 And so will the score. You didn't win by all that much at home.


 Gostkowski missed a F.G.  Think about it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on December 03, 2014, 06:28:31 am
Exactly, JJ. Whoever has home field wins that contest. This is nothing against PR, but I am so completely sick of GB. It makes me want to hurl. Those suckers are the luckiest team in the league. Go from one HOF QB to the next? It's BS! Only the 9ers have been able to do that in the recent past, from Montana to Young. The Colts may be doing it now but it still remains to be seen. Without Rodgers, this team goes back to .500 like everyone else in this **** league......
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on December 03, 2014, 10:02:45 am
Quote
Without Rodgers, this team goes back to .500 like everyone else in this **** league......

It was supposed to be that way after Favre.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on December 03, 2014, 10:27:40 am
It's what having a good GM can do for you. We could have had Rodgers as could about 20 other teams. Angelo passed. I had high hopes for Emery but that is fading fast.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on December 03, 2014, 11:41:03 am
Not a good record by Emery so far. Only two impact players out of three draft classes; Long and Jeffery. Fuller may turn out to be No.3, time will tell.

Chicago Bears
Year    No.     Round      Pick         Name        Position      College
2014 
  1       1           14         14        Kyle Fuller      DB           Virginia Tech
  2       2           19         51     Ego Ferguson     DT           Louisiana State
  3       3           18         82       Will Sutton       DT           Arizona State
  4       4           17        117    Ka'Deem Carey   RB           Arizona
  5       4           31        131     Brock Vereen    DB           Minnesota
  6       6            7         183     David Fales      QB           San Jose State
  7       6           15        191     Pat O'Donnell     P             Miami (FL)
  8       7           31        246    Charles Leno Jr.  T             Boise State

2013
  1       1           20        20         Kyle Long        G              Oregon
  2       2           18        50        Jon Bostic        LB             Florida
  3       4           20        117   Khaseem Greene LB             Rutgers
  4       5           30        163     Jordan Mills        T               Louisiana Tech
  5       6           20        188 Cornelius Washington LB         Georgia
  6       7           30        236  Marquess Wilson   WR           Washington State

2012
  1       1          19         19     Shea McClellin      DE          Boise State
  2       2         13          45      Alshon Jeffery      WR          South Carolina
  3       3         16          79      Brandon Hardin    DB          Oregon State
  4       4         16          111     Evan Rodriguez    TE         Temple
  5       6         14          184       Isaiah Frey        DB         Nevada
  6       7         13           220      Greg McCoy       DB        Texas Christian
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 03, 2014, 07:39:21 pm

You saw one of the biggest plays of the game was when Ha Ha got the ball out there in the end zone,” defensive coordinator Dom Capers told the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “That was just a great finish on his part. If he didn’t give extra effort finishing that play, it probably would have been a touchdown.

“When you’re in a game like this, those are the kind of plays that make a difference.”

Gronkowski credited the rookie for making a play.


“Tom just threw it up,” Gronkowski said. “It was a fade route. I tried to go up and make a play. I went under it. I am pretty sure I caught it, but at the last second (Clinton-Dix) made a nice play and hit it out of my hands.

“It was a good play by him.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 03, 2014, 08:31:10 pm
Imera from McCalla, AL

Vic, you mentioned after we played Seattle in Week 1 that it showed the gap between the champs and the Packers. How fitting and exciting would it be to meet them again for the NFC championship?

I think that’s what we all want, a rematch with the Seahawks, but this one in Lambeau Field.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 03, 2014, 08:40:44 pm


 

 Go play at New England. You know damn good and well the stats will be reversed.


 And so will the score. You didn't win by all that much at home.


 Gostkowski missed a F.G.  Think about it.

You are so right, jj.  The really big thing here, though, was for a traditionally young GB team with rookies and second year players sprinkled in to match up with a very much hyped team that has traditionally played well in the play-offs to go in and show themselves they could beat these guys.  A rematch, on a neutral field, will not intimidate them, now.

Both teams had the usual list of missed opportunities like missed FGs, dropped passes, etc.  I keep thinking of the dropped easy TD pass to Davante Adams with about 3 minutes left in the game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 03, 2014, 09:06:00 pm
Rob from Moline, IL

I’ve read a couple of your columns in which you’ve made mention you feel Coach McCarthy is underrated. I was just wondering what you were basing your opinion on?

I’m basing it on three consecutive division titles, going on six consecutive playoff years, a Super Bowl title and a run of success that rivals the great eras in Packers history. I’m basing it on an acumen for offense that is now, finally, being recognized. I’m basing it on his ability to be a leader of men, which he expresses over and over. I’m basing it on his ability to develop talent, and plug that talent in as rookies and get reliable production. I’m basing it on his ability to build one of the best coaching staffs in the game, and on his ability to develop young coaches and promote their careers. If you can’t see all of that, then you’re probably just judging him on his play-calling and, of course, the fans always have a better play that should’ve been called.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on December 03, 2014, 10:59:57 pm



 
You are so right, jj.  The really big thing here, though, was for a traditionally young GB team with rookies and second year players sprinkled in to match up with a very much hyped team that has traditionally played well in the play-offs to go in and show themselves they could beat these guys.  A rematch, on a neutral field, will not intimidate them, now.

Both teams had the usual list of missed opportunities like missed FGs, dropped passes, etc.  I keep thinking of the dropped easy TD pass to Davante Adams with about 3 minutes left in the game.


 Packy here's the thing about Belichick ... I don't know whats coming up next.


 I don't know who he is going to start or play for that matter.


 i know whats coming up next with G.B.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 04, 2014, 05:13:49 pm
What, jj?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 04, 2014, 05:20:06 pm
'60s Packers struggle against their final
 
 foe
 Once
 powerful champions losing a goal-line
 stand against Father Time
 By Gary
 D'Amato of
 the Journal Sentinel
 staff
 
 
 
 
 Dec. 03, 2014 12:00
 a.m.
 Like most of us,
 Jerry Kramer sometimes
 forgets where he put his cellphone. He misplaces his car
 keys. He runs into an
 old acquaintance and draws a blank on the name.
 
 Minor memory lapses
 are the norm for people
 of all ages, researchers say.
 Each time it happens
 to the 78-year-old
 Kramer, however, a chill goes down his spine.
 "I go, 'Is
 this it?'" he says. "'Is it
 here?'"
 Alzheimer's
 disease runs in his family. His
 mother had it. An uncle. His brother.
 It runs in his other
 family, too. Nobody
 likes to talk about it, but many members of the 1960s Green
 Bay Packers teams
 are struggling with various stages of dementia.
 Willie Wood lives
 with the ever-thickening
 fog of Alzheimer's in an assisted living facility in
 Washington, D.C. Bob
 Skoronski candidly admits he is having "memory
 problems." Teammates acknowledge
 that Bart Starr, recovering from a pair of strokes and a
 heart attack, is
 dealing with cognitive issues. They whisper that Paul
 Hornung has become
 forgetful, too.
 "Doug Hart has
 it now," says Kramer, Vince
 Lombardi's exceptional right guard and still a
 loquacious spokesman for those
 iconic Packers teams. "He's been diagnosed with
 early stage Alzheimer's. And
 goddamnit. We used to fish and hunt and golf. We had some
 great times. It's just
 painful to see it come.

 "If I get a
 chance to talk to the big fella
 upstairs I'm going to tell him, 'This is a
 (expletive) way to run
 things.'"
 They were the Glory
 Years Packers, perhaps
 the greatest collection of talent in football history. They
 won five National
 Football League titles in a seven-year span, the first two
 Super Bowls, the
 hearts of millions of fans. They were larger-than-life
 figures, athletes who
 transcended a game and an era.
 Their names would
 become synonymous with
 excellence. Starr. Hornung. Willie Davis. Forrest Gregg. Jim
 Taylor. Ray
 Nitschke.
 "We have 11
 players in the Hall of Fame,"
 says Bob Long, a Packers receiver from 1964 to '67.
 "That's half the starting
 team."
 Fifty years later,
 however, those towering
 pillars of strength, those nimble and skilled players who
 graced gridirons past,
 are ... old men. They limp on bad knees and hips, take
 medications for bad
 hearts and shudder with dread when they walk into a room and
 momentarily forget
 why they're there.
 "All this
 stuff, it's very discouraging,"
 says Long, who suffered a debilitating stroke in the 1990s
 that affected his
 speech and balance. "It's kind of disheartening
 watching guys get sick, and you
 can't do a thing about it."

 Associated Press
 With the 50th anniversary
 of Super Bowl I approaching,
 members of the championship Packers teams of the 1960s are
 dwindling as age and
 health issues take their toll. 
 
 In our mind's
 eye, we see the Packers sweep,
 that perfect combination of power and precision. We see the
 iconic black and
 white photos of purpose-driven men whose lives intersected
 in the perfect place,
 at the perfect time. That's how we want to remember
 them. Frozen in
 time.
 Forever young.
 Forever strong. Forever
 invincible.
 But at some point,
 while we weren't paying
 attention, while we were watching Don Majkowski and then
 Brett Favre and then
 Aaron Rodgers, the men who built Titletown grew old and
 stooped and gray. The
 Glory Years became the Golden Years.
 "These players
 are held on such a high
 pedestal as legends," says Rick Moncher, a sports
 memorabilia dealer who
 specializes in 1960s-era Packers and has exclusive signing
 rights with Starr and
 Taylor. "They're thought of so highly that people
 forget they are mere
 mortals.
 "They may have
 won five championships, but
 Father Time is undefeated."
 
 
 File photo
 Engaged in a cribbage game
 during training camp in 1964 were

 Of the 37 men who
 played in at least one
 game on Lombardi's first team in 1959, 19 — more than
 half — are dead. The
 youngest living member of that team is 77 and the average
 age is
 79.8.
 Of the 43 men who
 played on Lombardi's last
 team in 1967, 14 are dead (33%). The average age of those
 still alive is
 72.2.
 "I was a rookie
 in 1964 but most of the guys
 who played on those first two Super Bowl teams came to the
 Packers in '56, '57
 and '58," Long says. "I am 72 now, so most of
 those great players are turning
 80.
 "And once you
 get to 80, all bets are
 off."
 Some died young.
 Emlen Tunnell in 1975.
 Henry Jordan in 1977. Travis Williams in 1991. Ron Kostelnik
 in 1993. Nitschke,
 Elijah Pitts and Lionel Aldridge, all in 1998. Max McGee
 died in
 2007.
 Just in the last
 four years, Packer Nation
 has lost Ron Kramer, Jim Temp, Jesse Whittenton, Gale
 Gillingham, Claudis James,
 Lew Carpenter, Joe Francis and Norm Masters.
 "Our
 numbers," says Zeke Bratkowski, "are
 diminishing."
 In 2016, the NFL
 will celebrate the 50th
 anniversary of Super Bowl I. Some of the Packers have heard
 rumors that the
 league plans to honor the '66 team in some fashion,
 perhaps by flying the
 players — and the widows of those who have died — to San
 Francisco for a
 reunion.
 "It's going
 to be interesting," Long says,
 "to see how many players from our Super Bowl I team
 will still be
 alive."
 ••
 Fuzzy Thurston, who played
 left guard on the offensive line for
 Lombardi's '60s Packers, signs photo prints of a
 classic Packers power sweep for
 memorabilia collectors.
 Fuzzy Thurston is
 seated at a desk in a
 motel room just north of Green Bay. He is staring at a
 blown-up photograph of
 the Packers sweep. In it, he and Kramer, the pulling guards,
 are turning the
 corner, looking downfield, on a search-and-destroy mission.
 Hornung is behind
 them, running to daylight.
 It's impossible
 to know what Thurston, 81,
 is thinking. Alzheimer's has claimed much of his memory.
 He stares at the photo,
 impassively, for 30 seconds.
 Moncher and Mike
 McNeese, who has known
 Thurston for years, have brought him to the motel from his
 assisted living
 facility in Howard. The plan is for him to sign a few dozen
 photographs and
 canvases, if he is up to it.
 "Some people
 might look at this and think
 Fuzzy is being taken advantage of," Moncher says.
 "The truth is, he enjoys this.
 He likes just getting out. Sometimes Mike picks him up and
 they go sit in a bar
 and have a beer and meet Packer fans."
 There is money to be
 made, too.
 The '60s Packers
 have become a cottage
 industry of sorts. They are the subjects of dozens of books
 and are sought-after
 speakers and much in demand on the autograph circuit, even
 today, decades after
 they played.
 "Lombardi is
 the most popular question I
 get, and he's been dead almost 45 years," Hornung
 says. "It really is amazing
 how popular he was and the imprint he made on pro football.
 It's very rewarding
 for us. For everybody who has made a name in Green Bay, it
 has been rewarding
 all their lives being part of the Packers."
 Kramer, who still
 makes many appearances and
 was in Milwaukee and La Crosse recently, shakes his head in
 awe at the
 fascination people have for that long-ago dynasty in a tiny
 frozen
 outpost.

 "I thought that
 after I retired I would be
 remembered in Green Bay for a couple years and then I'd
 drift off into the mists
 of time and go back to Idaho and god knows what,"
 Kramer says. "Being a lineman,
 with very limited expectations, I didn't even know if I
 could get in a game if I
 came back to Green Bay. I didn't know if I'd have a
 ticket.
 "And then this
 explosion hit, and
 (expletive), we've never really understood
 that."
 Moncher, of Santa
 Monica, Calif., sells
 high-end Packers pieces on his web site (www.packergreats.com).
 A full-size helmet signed by all five Packers players who
 have been named NFL
 Most Valuable Player — Hornung, Taylor, Starr, Favre and
 Rodgers — goes for
 $2,399.
 On this day, though,
 Thurston is having
 problems concentrating. In addition to dealing with
 Alzheimer's, he has terminal
 cancer. Moncher and McNeese have to remind him where to sign
 each photograph,
 and to include his jersey number.
 "Don't
 forget to add No. 63, Fuzz," McNeese
 says softly.
 Thurston stares at
 the spot where he has
 just signed his name and starts to write it again. Moncher
 just shrugs; he has
 brought extra prints.
 After 30 minutes of
 this, the photographs
 are signed and Moncher tells Thurston a story about visiting
 a business in Elm
 Grove, Annex Wealth Management, which occupies one of
 Fuzzy's old Left Guard
 restaurants. The company has kept the Left Guard phone
 number, which ends
 6363.
 A flicker of
 recognition.
 Thurston beams, his
 smile lighting up the
 room.
 •••
 In the two weeks
 since that signing,
 Thurston has taken a turn for the worse. He's in hospice
 care and has been given
 just days to live.
 "They said
 he's in the transition period,"
 says Tori Burton, Thurston's daughter. "He's
 physically here but his spirit has
 crossed over."
 In the late 1970s
 and early '80s, cancer
 claimed Thurston's larynx. Three years ago, he was
 diagnosed with colon cancer
 and this time, it metastasized in his liver.
 "You think you
 can prepare for something
 like this," Burton says, "but you
 can't."
 Fuzzy's old
 teammates knew this day was
 coming. That doesn't make the blow any easier to
 take.
 "It was a
 brotherhood," Kramer says. "It was
 a big family and a love affair. You were so fortunate to be
 a part of it, to
 have that many guys you felt strongly about. Now it's
 like losing a big family.
 You're losing a brother, a sister, your
 parents.
 "Every bit of
 it hurts."

 In Colorado, Gregg,
 81, the Hall of Fame
 right tackle who played in a then-league record 188
 consecutive games, is
 fighting Parkinson's
 disease. In
 Alabama, Starr, 80, is finally home after a
 two-month hospitalization. He suffered what was described as
 a mild ischemic
 stroke on Sept. 2 and a hemorrhagic stroke and mild heart
 attack five days
 later.
 "We're
 worried about Bart right now,"
 Hornung says. "He's in my prayers."
 Starr faces a long
 and difficult recovery.
 His teammates know the periodic updates on his health
 released through the
 Packers are sanitized.
 "Bart has had
 his rough times here with this
 thing in the hospital for two or three months," Taylor
 says. "I talked to Cherry
 (Starr's wife) a week or so ago. I hope he can weather
 this and
 recover."
 Kramer says he gave
 Starr a Lombardi-esque
 pep talk.
 "Bart
 couldn't talk the first couple times I
 called him," Kramer says. "But Cherry told me he
 could hear me, so I told him to
 get off his ass, two-a-days are coming and we've got a
 lot of damn work to get
 done up here. We need you, so get off your ass, get out of
 that bed and get back
 to work."
 Bratkowski,
 Starr's former backup and one of
 his closest friends, has stayed in close contact with the
 family.
 "He's had a
 tough time," Bratkowski says.
 "I've had the chance to talk to him. He hears my
 voice, I know. I treat him like
 there's nothing wrong with him. Usually, he answers my
 first question pretty
 well but after that it's a little hard for him to come
 out quickly with an
 answer.
 "He's got a
 lot of pride and a lot of
 different things are happening to him physically that
 I'm sure he doesn't
 understand, and he fights that a little
 bit."
 Bratkowski, 83, is
 one of the lucky
 ones.
 "I feel
 great," he says. "I had a little
 problem with getting a new pacemaker, but I have more energy
 now than I've ever
 had. It just seems like the days go by fast because
 there's so many things to
 do."
 Kramer probably
 should have had a hip
 replaced years ago and limps around like an old cowboy, but
 otherwise is in good
 health. Taylor, 79, had open-heart surgery more than a
 decade ago and underwent
 another heart procedure in April, but says he is feeling
 fine.

 Hornung, who will
 turn 79 on Dec. 23, is
 still the fun-loving Golden Boy, only a lot older and with
 bad knees.
 "I can't
 stuff a basketball anymore," he
 says with a laugh.
 There are little
 signs, too, that he is
 struggling with his memory. During a private signing in
 Milwaukee, he holds up a
 large photograph of himself, Kramer and Thurston walking off
 the field, caked in
 mud from head to toe, after the 1965 NFL Championship
 Game against
 Cleveland.
 "I don't
 remember this," he says.
 Told that the photo
 was taken during the '65
 title game against the Browns, Hornung says, "Did Jim
 Brown play?"
 But pity not the
 Glory Years
 Packers.
 They were ordinary
 men who together
 accomplished extraordinary feats. They experienced something
 few others ever
 have, or ever will. Nearly all of them were successful after
 their football
 careers ended, in business and in life.
 "You realize
 you've influenced a lot of
 people along the way," Long says. "You've made
 a lot of people happy. You've
 done the best you can and lived a pretty clean life. The
 thing is, these guys
 were great, great players but they were the nicest guys.
 They were squeaky
 clean."
 And now, one by one,
 they are leaving
 us.
 "I remember
 that old line: 'Ask not for whom
 the bell tolls. The bell tolls for thee. And every death
 diminishes me,'" Kramer
 says. "And it does. It's painful as
 hell."
 twitter.com/garydamatogolf gdamato@journalsentinel.com
 
 
 From the Archives
 
 Forrest Gregg calls the shots. Forrest
 

I posted this because it had such an effect on me.  I will bet that if you think back to the great Bear teams you will have similar feelings about them.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 04, 2014, 06:57:06 pm
David from Arequipa, Peru

It seemed that early in the season the Packers weren’t getting their sea legs. Do you think there was a specific turning point in the season, or a gradual improvement?

I think the Week 4 game in Chicago was a turning point.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 05, 2014, 08:02:31 pm
Nate from Minneapolis, MN

What would you say the theme of the season has been?

I would say it’s extreme unpredictability.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 05, 2014, 08:03:59 pm
Steve from Lake Stevens, WA

How close do you think the Packers are to being the kind of team that takes what it wants, or is that even possible in today’s NFL?

I think the Packers have that ability. They can run it when they want to run it, and they can certainly pass it when they want to pass it. Taking what you want means you have a balanced offense.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 05, 2014, 08:04:40 pm
Nick from Oakland, CA

What does an ugly locker room look and feel like?

You can see and feel apathy. Players leave early to avoid media interviews. There’s a lack of interaction. The locker room feels lifeless.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 05, 2014, 08:07:14 pm
Brad from Gallatin, TN

I’ve read a couple of things this week referring to the veterans’ presence in the locker room holding everyone accountable to their jobs. Has Coach McCarthy handed this season over to his team?

Bill Walsh said that at some point in the season, the coach has to turn the team over to the team.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 05, 2014, 08:30:42 pm
Erik from Lake Mary, FL

Watching Aaron in the locker room interviews, I noticed he can remember games that happened four years ago as if they happened yesterday, going though it play by play. How is that possible? I can’t remember what I ate for lunch yesterday. Is this a characteristic of elite quarterbacks, or is it just him?

It’s a characteristic of all quarterbacks, some more than others. I’ve never known a quarterback with greater recall than Byron Leftwich. I guess it’s why they’re quarterbacks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 05, 2014, 08:31:15 pm
Jon from Cheyenne, WY

What games interest you on Sunday?

The Seattle at Philadelphia game is the headliner. That’s a beauty. The other games pale by comparison.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 05, 2014, 08:42:33 pm

December is a fickle month NewsForget the numbers; December is a fickle month

"Fickle".  That's the word Brady was trying to say at the end of the GB game., Fickle.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 05, 2014, 09:00:07 pm
Julius Peppers hopes Packers bring him back next season

December, 5, 2
By  Rob Demovsky | ESPN.com

Just make the numbers low enough, Julius.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 05, 2014, 09:05:03 pm
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B4IrZo4CcAI4l4U.jpg:large)

R Rodgers ready to step up as GB's #1 TE.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 05, 2014, 09:09:27 pm
09 PM - 5 Dec 2014



 Packers have another date with Hester - JSOnline 

Green Bay - Green Bay Packers special teams coach Shawn Slocum knows exactly how many times he has had to game plan against returner Devin Hester.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 05, 2014, 09:45:20 pm
Thompson has done a great job of stocking the team with rookie talent this offseason. He brought in Adams on offense and also drafted Corey Linsley on offense. Linsley has played so well that he is getting consideration for the Pro Bowl. On the defense the team added Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in the first round. There is some nice young talent on the roster for the future. Adams is one of the rising stars from this good looking crop.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 06, 2014, 06:22:54 pm
It's time for Packers to bench A.J. Hawk | Packersnews.com
One Packers beat writer takes the stand that many here at APC have been advocating - that Hawk needs to be relegated to strictly a backup role...

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on December 06, 2014, 07:41:14 pm



 
It's time for Packers to bench A.J. Hawk | Packersnews.com
One Packers beat writer takes the stand that many here at APC have been advocating - that Hawk needs to be relegated to strictly a backup role...

 Hey Packy send him over to us ... we need half assed LB's too.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 07, 2014, 10:04:00 pm
LOL.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 08, 2014, 06:42:24 pm
Packers' Ha Ha Clinton-Dix earns praise from teammates, coaches
 Rookie safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix has done a remarkable job of making the transition from college to the NFL.
»Read Full Article
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 09, 2014, 08:23:44 pm
by Phil Watson 9h ago 


The Green Bay Packers beat the Atlanta Falcons 43-37 on Monday night football, a game in which the Pack led 31-7 at halftime before giving up more than 300 yards of offense and 30 points to the Falcons in the second half.

Julio Jones went wild before leaving with a hip injury, catching 11 passes for 259 yards—breaking Calvin Johnson’s record of 244 in the 2011 regular-season finale (heretofore known as the Matty Flynn Gots Paid-d-d-d Game).

The Pack couldn’t stop Jones. Hell, they couldn’t find Jones.

Safety Micah Hyde had a simple assessment he shared with ESPN.com, prefaced with the caveat that he won’t be sure until he sees the film:


“I just think we did everything on the back end wrong. … They were just getting him the ball and I don’t think that we did anything right in the second half.”

Let’s put it this way; if they did anything right in the second half defensively, I’m not sure I remember it.

So as the Packers were playing their own 7-on-7 drill in the second quarter, with Aaron Rodgers having ridiculous amount of time to throw the ball against a Falcons pass rush that “ineffective” would be a kind adjective, it turns out Green Bay needed every one of those 24 unanswered points in the period.

Defensive coordinator Dom Capers used a lot of zone coverage against Atlanta and Jones varied between three different stages—open, wide open and “they are aware this guy is an eligible receiver, right?”

Linebacker Julius Peppers summed it up nicely:


“We won.”

He later elaborated about the defense’s need to play an entire game and finish games.

So now all of the questions we thought were answered a week ago will be back—does Green Bay have the defense necessary to help its high-octane offense win a title?

Because there is no question that the Packers have the offense to get it done.

Even as the defense was spinning like a turnstile in the second half, Green Bay still outgained the Falcons, ringing up 502 yards of total offense and Rodgers set some of those arbitrary records the stats guys make up by throwing for more yards and having the best touchdown-to-interception ratio through 100 starts than any quarterback before him.

James Starks and Eddie Lacy helped the Packers to a season-high 179 yards on the ground—Starks finishing with 75 yards and a touchdown and Lacy turning in 73 yards and scores rushing and receiving.

And the Packers offense was able to get two big first downs, including a 41-yard run by Starks, to run out the clock on the Falcons at the end.

The Packers have two straight road games coming up—at Buffalo this Sunday and at Tampa Bay on the 21st—before what could be a showdown for the NFC North with the Detroit Lions at Lambeau on the Sunday after Christmas.

It’s probably worth pointing out that Buffalo quarterback Kyle Orton is 4-2 in six career starts against the Packers, including 3-1 when he was a division rival with the Chicago Bears and helped deal Green Bay its only loss in 2011 when he threw for 299 yards for the Kansas City Chiefs to beat the 13-0 Pack.

Just sayin’.

This is laughable but ,then again, it really isn't meant to br funny.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 09, 2014, 09:03:40 pm
“Ten victories has always been a benchmark for us. It’s tough to get to that. Eleven wins will probably be the benchmark this year. Defensively, it was a tale of two halves. You have to give Atlanta’s offense credit. Our communication wasn’t what it’s supposed to be. We have plenty to clean up,” McCarthy said as he reviewed the win...

Reminds me of Lombardi's  favorite kind of win: a win despite some bad plays.  He had the win and a good excuse for browbeating the players during following scrimmages.

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 09, 2014, 09:59:30 pm
Balint from Budapest, Hungary

Vic, do you think Aaron Rodgers is ever going to throw another interception?

Et tu, Balint? You’re banned.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 09, 2014, 10:06:54 pm
the tank. You know what I mean?

Paul from De Pere, WI

For me, the poor defensive effort in the second half overshadowed everything. Feels like a victory in name only. The Falcons simply ran out of time. Am I losing perspective?

I think the Packers were playing the clock, not the Falcons, in the second half. That’s my perspective.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 09, 2014, 10:09:22 pm

Red from Murrieta, CA

From one week to the next, I never know which Packers defense will show up. I know everyone is supposed to R-E-L-A-X, but with our porous pass defense, do you think we have a legitimate shot to make it through the playoffs to the big game?

I don’t know. I’ll wait to find out and I’ll enjoy the process that’ll provide the answer. I have a homework assignment for everyone. I want everyone to sit back and survey the situation. The Packers are 10-3 and I believe they will win the No. 1 seed for the NFC playoffs should they win their final three games, which they will be favored to win. Think about that, and feel free to share your thoughts.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 09, 2014, 10:56:51 pm
One more play I loved. A more notable one. A touchdown, late in the second quarter that gave Green Bay a 31-7 lead going into halftime. The Falcons had pass-rusher Kroy Biermann spying Rodgers on this particular play, with Green Bay at the Atlanta 10 and 30 seconds left in the half. When Rodgers took the snap, Biermann flowed with him, and when Rodgers stepped away from slight pressure to his right, there was a large gap in his protection, where the right guard and tackle had been. Rodgers looked downfield, for any open receiver. Biermann pounced. There were nine yards between Biermann and Rodgers when Biermann began his run at Rodgers, and when he got closer, maybe four yards away, Rodgers noticed and instinctively juked left, slightly. Biermann fell and slid past him. Then Rodgers flowed right, not pressured, waited a split second and lasered a throw about 22 yards in the air to an open Nelson near the end line. Touchdown.

It looked so easy. With Rodgers, it always does. That’s the secret to Aaron Rodgers’ greatness: the simple things, the important things, done perfectly, over and over and over.

Rodgers: so easy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on December 09, 2014, 11:39:30 pm
Rodgers is playing about as perfect as a QB can right now.  The Packers D is not that good but they don't need to be because they can take chances because they know their offense is going to score every time they get the ball.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on December 10, 2014, 02:39:53 pm
Rodgers is playing about as perfect as a QB can right now.  The Packers D is not that good but they don't need to be because they can take chances because they know their offense is going to score every time they get the ball.

Not quite sure about that. Our D and Atlanta's D are not much of a challenge. Not sure that would be the case against someone like Seattle.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on December 10, 2014, 03:07:31 pm
Rodgers is definately playing perfect ball, no question. Cannot remember the last time the guy turned the ball over. He makes every throw and it's almost always on target, even the deep ones that Brady was missing last game. Pretty amazing to watch. And it's dang near impossible to take the guy down unless he's circled entirely. He pantsed a DL from the Birds this last game badly and then tossed a TD. The guy had him dead to rights and he just side stepped the guy and bam, TD. No one in the league is playing better than him. He honestly deserves MVP at this moment. I sound like a fricking Paker fan, I know, but this is a honest answer......
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on December 10, 2014, 03:32:56 pm
Or Detroit:
http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=400554244
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on December 10, 2014, 03:49:28 pm

The rematch is in Green Bay. 

It will take a team with a defense like Detroit's or Seattle's to beat the Pack.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on December 10, 2014, 08:22:05 pm
The announcers counted 12 seconds that Rodgers had in the pocket on one particular play last game...and that seemed about average...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on December 11, 2014, 12:49:09 am



 In the long run it's Belichick.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 11, 2014, 06:56:52 pm
Landon from Coeur d’Alene, ID

Peyton had his worst game of the season against Buffalo last weekend. What did they do defensively that caused one of the smartest to ever play the position to look so average?

They won the one-on-ones.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 11, 2014, 06:58:20 pm


 In the long run it's Belichick.

Is that anything like the "double check"?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 11, 2014, 07:49:53 pm

It was Week 15 in 2011 in Kansas City


GREEN BAY—Kyle Orton came into the NFL the same year Aaron Rodgers did. Though their careers haven’t followed the same path, Orton will always be remembered for the day in 2011 when he led the Chiefs to a dramatic upset of the then-undefeated Packers.

It was Week 15 of the season. The Packers were 13-0. They left Arrowhead Stadium with their only loss of the regular season...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 11, 2014, 08:02:26 pm
Raff from Wallingford, CT

Vic, do you feel the Packers learned a lesson from the Falcons?

As they saw themselves on tape from the second half of that game and got their grades, I’m sure they learned a lesson. I wonder if the fans have learned a lesson from that game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 11, 2014, 08:03:40 pm
Dave from King Ferry, NY

Vic, I am going to the Packers game in Buffalo. What should I look for in the way of matchups? What do the Packers need to do to win?

Protect Rodgers. This game is all about that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 12, 2014, 09:17:50 pm
Casey from Menasha, WI

Vic, a while back you mentioned how fans tend to feel that other teams are there simply to get beat by us. I’ve only been watching the game for a few years now, but I notice myself falling into that trend. Any advice on how to become a fan of the game over a fan of the team?

Study the league. Follow the full football cycle, from the Senior Bowl to the combine, owners meetings, free agency, draft and beyond.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 12, 2014, 09:21:10 pm
Rod from Marysville, MI

Do you honestly think the Packers are good enough defensively to win the Super Bowl? Do you really think the offense can carry the defense through the playoffs? How long is the window of opportunity open? Do you think sarcasm is a good tactic to use on passionate, concerned, lifelong Packers fans?

Yes, yes, at least five more years, yes.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 12, 2014, 09:24:26 pm
Steve from Beaver Dam, WI

This is obviously related to Gary Andersen’s decision to leave Wisconsin without notice and just a few months after signing a new contract with the Badgers. Do you see the NCAA ever imposing a rule similar to what you see in the NFL that restricts when coaches are allowed to interview for vacancies? It seems the biggest loser when it comes to a sudden coach departure at the college level are the kids on the team.

The NCAA is powerless to do anything. The big five conferences are in control and until they act as one body instead of five individual bodies, major college football will continue to decline. Recently I wrote that the eastern half of the Big Ten was going to seize control of the conference. I have a feeling Coach Andersen agrees.

Into the trash can with college football, where it belongs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 12, 2014, 09:28:21 pm
Gary from Marshalltown, IA

Vic, you started banning people again for one or two columns and then stopped. Is that your version of fire everyone?

You’re banned.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 12, 2014, 09:31:26 pm
Randy from Aurora, CO

With Buffalo’s strong pass rush, do you see the Packers using more screens, draws and short passes to cool the Bills’ jets?

Yes.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 12, 2014, 09:36:26 pm
Karl from Santa Fe, NM

Can you believe FOX putting so much of their national TV coverage into the Bengals/Browns game, where I believe the Bills/Packers game to be a far more competitive game?

It’s all about ratings and the casual fan, and the casual fan wants to see Johnny Football.

Bow to the masses.  One good thing came from this philosophy, though.  The NFL recognized that the Packers game is more popular in this area than the SL game and switched the #2 choice from SL to GB.  Of course, Chi holds down #1.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on December 14, 2014, 02:20:11 pm
Peckers WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY over rated and proving it today. Put some presure on Rodgers and they lose.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on December 14, 2014, 02:26:16 pm
You put presure on Rodgers and he is human.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on December 14, 2014, 02:31:52 pm
Jordy Nelson has a lot of cash on Buffalo.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on December 14, 2014, 02:40:43 pm
GO BILLS!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest77 on December 14, 2014, 02:53:43 pm
McCarthy about to stroke out on the sidelines.  Green Bay actually having some penalties called on them today.  R-E-L-A-X ... plenty of time for the zebras to give GB the game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest77 on December 14, 2014, 03:17:12 pm
That Bills D is for real.  Schwartz has them playing well. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on December 14, 2014, 03:21:20 pm
Well, looks like Kyle Orton led Buffalo Bills just defeated the Packers. Something Cutler hasn't done in forever.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on December 14, 2014, 03:24:01 pm
Jay Rodgers.

Peckers wayyyyyy over rated.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on December 14, 2014, 03:25:15 pm
Good to see the The Beaver McCarthy having a stroke on the sidelines. Peckers one of the luckiest teams in the NFL.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on December 14, 2014, 03:30:00 pm
Well, looks like Kyle Orton led Buffalo Bills just defeated the Packers. Something Cutler hasn't done in forever.

Yes...Orton was fantastic on that punt return TD....and that safety...wow.Those 12 points put up by the Orton led offense....awsome.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on December 14, 2014, 03:31:37 pm
Orton had a higher QB rating than Rodgers..... face it, Keys, your boy Cutty sucks....period! You can only cover for the guy for so long before it finally dawns on you he sucks. Ehh maybe you'll never figure it out.... the way you defend him you're probably related or something.. pretty ridiculous..
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on December 14, 2014, 03:33:55 pm
Orton had a higher QB rating than Rodgers..... face it, Keys, your boy Cutty sucks....period! You can only cover for the guy for so long before it finally dawns on you he sucks. Ehh maybe you'll never figure it out.... the way you defend him you're probably related or something.. pretty ridiculous..

Yeah... QB rating of 54 was incredible. If are impressed by that you are a fool. That has nothing to do with Cutler.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on December 14, 2014, 03:37:24 pm
The fact they beat the Packers with Orton has everything to do with it. Cutler would have had a negative QB rating....

Psst, Orton lead Bills beat the Packers......again, something the Cutler lead Bears have been unable to do. Yea, I'm rubbing this **** in, you bet.....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on December 14, 2014, 03:38:30 pm
I would say the more appropriate theme is Buffalo D holds Packers to 13....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on December 14, 2014, 03:40:10 pm
Orton was sacked more than Rodgers and pressured and still had a higher QB rating and his team won the game....amazing. When was the last time that happened with Cutty and his Bears, Keys? Surely you know! Had to be this season...or maybe it was last? No, that was McCown beating them, sorry. Hmmm....just can't remember when....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on December 14, 2014, 03:47:57 pm
Orton put up 12 points. If that's what you want it should be easy to find a replacement QB next year. Tebow time. Or lets hire Sporty as GM and just go get Orton.

http://www.sbnation.com/2014/12/14/7390961/packers-bills-final-score-results-recap-aaron-rodgers-kyle-orton-eddie-lacy

It was no show day for offense. Rodgers threw his first two interceptions since Oct. 26. Not to be outdone, Kyle Orton frequently missed receivers and threw an interception of his own.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on December 14, 2014, 06:30:59 pm
First place Lions.....Peckers are so good they're not even in first.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on December 14, 2014, 07:51:48 pm

If the Bills make the playoffs I'll be rooting for them.  What a defense!   Great pass rush and defenders that we're all over the Packer wideouts...can't recall any passive cover 2 formations.

And Fred Jackson was a total stud out there.

Orton was along for the ride...no pocket presence.  But he didn't lose the game for the Bills...that much I'll give him credit for.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 14, 2014, 09:25:39 pm
Watch out for Buffalo in 2015. 

Worst officiating of the season.  McCarthy almost had a heart attack after several of those blown calls.

No SB for GB this season, I guess.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on December 14, 2014, 09:29:18 pm



 
Watch out for Buffalo in 2015. 

Worst officiating of the season.  McCarthy almost had a heart attack after several of those blown calls.

No SB for GB this season, I guess.


 Packy everyone just noticed that Buffalo has a defense. But that's all they have.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 14, 2014, 09:32:02 pm
If it's good enough that may be all you need.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 14, 2014, 09:43:42 pm
No doubt about it,” Williams said. “There were a lot of things that happened today that are probably never going to happen again, once in a lifetime. When things like that happen, it makes you wonder, is it for you, or is it not?”

It was a tough day for the Packers defense to leave the field on the losing end. Bouncing back from a horrible second half Monday night against Atlanta, the Packers defense did not allow a touchdown all game.

Buffalo’s only TD came on a punt return, and its offense gained just 253 yards and was 4-of-16 on third downs.

The Bills offense produced only four field goals, a couple of them when Buffalo had favorable field position, and the Packers defense even pushed the Bills out of field-goal range with one of three sacks of QB Kyle Orton. Clay Matthews was credited with two of the sacks.

“But we gave up field goals, and we can’t give up anything,” defensive lineman Mike Daniels said. “That’s just the mentality. There’s a lot of tape to correct.”..
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on December 14, 2014, 09:45:58 pm



 
If it's good enough that may be all you need.


 Oh hell it's good alright as you just discovered, but without a Tom Brady,


 Buffalo is nothing as New England's defense is just as good.


 With an offense.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 14, 2014, 09:54:13 pm
The once white-hot offense of the Green Bay Packers couldn't have put together a more lousy all-around performance than the one delivered during Sunday's 21-13 defeat against the Buffalo Bills.

Dropped passes, poor quarterback play, questionable play-calling and a late safety with the game still in the balance ultimately resulted in a potentially significant Week 15 loss in terms of future playoff positioning.

Yet more concerning than laying an egg on the road were the Packers' continued struggles against another one of the league's top defenses, a now fully developed trend that should be obvious cause for concern regarding any postseason run Green Bay plans to embark on next month.

Could there possibly a more accurate, telling write-up than this?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 14, 2014, 09:57:38 pm
(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/003/196/093/d383a08afdbc8effd8420df2803fb59f_crop_north.jpg?w=630&h=420&q=75)

Potential 94 yard wide-open touch down dropped.  Today's awful play balanced a season's worth of great plays.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on December 14, 2014, 10:06:03 pm



 Packy,


 What is G.B.'s record at Buffalo ? Maybe it's just in the cards.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 14, 2014, 10:29:18 pm
Frame that Aaron Rodgers stat line if you’re not a Packers fan, because you’ll never see it again, courtesy of radio host Mike Clemens and ESPN Stats & Info:

#PACKERS Aaron Rodgers 17/42 for 185 yards, 2 INT. QB rating 34.3. Will today's performance cost Rodgers the MVP award?


4:06 PM - 14 Dec 2014
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 14, 2014, 10:30:13 pm
ESPN Stats & Info        ✔   @ESPNStatsInfo 
Follow
Summarizing Aaron Rodgers' day
- 1st career game with 0 TD/multiple INT
- career-worst 40.5% completion pct
- career-high 28 incompletions

Do ya think he might have had a bad day?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 14, 2014, 10:38:50 pm
Packers had 7 drops Sunday by 7 different receivers after entering the game with just 13 drops this season
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 14, 2014, 10:47:57 pm
Positional Unit Overall Grade
Quarterback D
Running Back A
Wide Receiver and Tight End F
Offensive Line A
Defensive Line B
Linebacker B+ 
Secondary B 
Special Teams F- 
Coaching D+ 
Cumulative Grade D-

This stat shows you what kind of day it was for the Packers (via ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter):
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 14, 2014, 10:50:04 pm
Is there a grade worse than F?

What a disaster. Let’s start with Marcus Thigpen’s 75-yard punt-return touchdown. That’s the difference in the game. Safety Sean Richardson had a chance but was juked out of his cleats.

Mason Crosby had another field goal blocked, the sixth of the season, per Demovsky:

Tim Masthay punted three times in a row. On try No. 1, Richardson was called for a hold. On try No. 2, Brandon Bostick was flagged for illegal formation.

Special teams coach Shawn Slocum should have to walk back to Green Bay after that performance. 

Grade: F-
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on December 14, 2014, 11:12:20 pm



 Heh ! Packy you just found out your teams human.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 14, 2014, 11:13:59 pm
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B4YNHnTIIAACdJP.jpg)

Glad that I'm not Kyle Wetzel.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on December 14, 2014, 11:30:11 pm



 Imagine if you were Chewy ??


 Lotta closet and toilet antic's goin on back then.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on December 15, 2014, 07:59:08 am
They finally started to call Packers O-line for holds etc.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on December 15, 2014, 08:32:19 am
Positional Unit Overall Grade
Quarterback D
Running Back A
Wide Receiver and Tight End F
Offensive Line A
Defensive Line B
Linebacker B+ 
Secondary B 
Special Teams F- 
Coaching D+ 
Cumulative Grade D-

This stat shows you what kind of day it was for the Packers (via ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter):


Don't be silly. I have it on good authority that the reason the Packers lost was the outstanding leadership of Kyle Orton. Bears need to go get him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on December 15, 2014, 09:11:29 am
(good authority = one dumbass)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on December 15, 2014, 10:11:41 am

Packers had a tough game yet still they had a chance with the ball and a minute or so on the clock.  Packers better hope their RT Bulaga is OK.

Packers should beat Detroit at home.  But they don't want to go to Seattle.   That's a team with a defense like Buffalo but unlike Buffalo they can also throw the ball.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on December 15, 2014, 12:38:56 pm
Lets see.  Sporty praises Kyle Orton for his performance yesterday.  Let's compare his game to any of Cutlers worst this season...

Completions Orton (14) Cutlers worst game (17)
Completion % Orton (51.9%) Cutlers worst game (59.5%)
TD's Orton (0) Cutlers worst game (1)
QB Rating Orton (54.2) Cutlers worst game (68.8 )


Even at his worst Cutler is still better than Sporty's golden boy.  Just think of the bashing Sporty could do if Cutler put up those pathetic numbers.  Win or lose.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on December 15, 2014, 01:40:06 pm
Culter is loser and non-leader. Even his O-coordinator will tell you that.

Orton sinply is not a starting QB. YUCK - he reminds me of the Mike Phipps/Bob Avellini days with the Bears.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on December 15, 2014, 02:15:46 pm
No but if your defense and special teams are good - your QB doesn't have to be a pro-bowler - sound familiar?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on December 15, 2014, 02:49:03 pm

Yep, 2005.  Rookie Kyle Orton managed the Bears into the playoffs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on December 15, 2014, 03:40:52 pm
I do know there are about 12 teams that would take Cutler in a heart beat....Tampa, Buffalo, Jets, Cardinals, Raiders, Rams (Rams WOULD trade Bradford for Cutler) to name a few.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 15, 2014, 04:27:01 pm


"Playoffs aren't here, man," defensive end Datone Jones said. "We've got Tampa next week. I hate to say it, but we needed that reality check."

In truth, the Packers needed no such thing.

They needed to go on the road against a rugged team that already had lost three times at home and prove their worth. They might be unstoppable at home (7-0, plus-145 point differential) but they're just a bunch of guys on the road (3-4, minus-34).

The Packers still have never won in Buffalo. McCarthy has never won (0-2) in Tampa, either.

Egad!    :-(
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on December 15, 2014, 05:12:46 pm
I'd say the playoffs are here... Detroit just took over the NFCN lead?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on December 15, 2014, 05:58:15 pm
Davey1-11 spouting bs again I see. Keep your pal Cutty. Go fk yerself,pal...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on December 15, 2014, 08:48:31 pm
Tebow cries when you use foul language...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on December 15, 2014, 08:54:04 pm
It's official...Jay Cutler SUCKS!!!!!!!!

The annoucers are picking apart how bad Cutler....throwing off his back....**** poor reads.....not getting rid of the ball...not running....endless.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on December 15, 2014, 10:55:46 pm
Once again Cutty proves my point. How'd your boy do tonight, Davey 1-11?? You don't wanna know? Well here's the play by play....


-Jay Cutler's interception on the opening drive was his 22nd turnover this season, the most by any player in the league.


-Jay Cutler has thrown 3 interceptions tonight, giving him 18 this season. That moves him past rookie Blake Bortles for most in the NFL.

Hell, he's getting worse each game. But yea, keep wearing those Cutty PJ's to bed....maybe you can drown your sorrows in some milk....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on December 16, 2014, 09:48:05 am
I thought you were leaving, dumbass?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on December 16, 2014, 02:08:27 pm
I could have bet a weeks salary that would be your comeback. Don't address the post. Ignore ignore....don't see what's right in front of your face....you're becoming a master at it. It's why you tolerate crap play from your fav QB. You're as blind as he is bad...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 16, 2014, 03:08:01 pm
Maybe we are better off with a #6 seed.  That usually wins.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on December 16, 2014, 03:50:00 pm
You're dumber than he is bad...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on December 16, 2014, 05:37:48 pm
The worst part about Cutler is he looked very uninterested out there. Going thorugh the motions.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on December 16, 2014, 06:36:52 pm
The worst part about Cutler is he looked very uninterested out there. Going thorugh the motions.

Who besides Bennett didn't look the same way?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on December 16, 2014, 06:55:30 pm

The worst part about Cutler is he looked very uninterested out there. Going thorugh the motions.

I know what you are saying but in his defense he did get sacked SEVEN times.

Even if Marshall is in there I don't think teams play off our receivers.  I'd like to see the game from the QBs perspective and see if there are guys getting open.  Hard to tell from my living room.

Every play looks the same - Jay drops back...back...and waits and waits.  Hey Trestman how about a play with a 3 step drop and hit somebody in stride?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on December 16, 2014, 08:00:41 pm
A couple of those sacks he held the ball too long. Even Gruden mentioned that. But the entire team looked disinterested. They reminded me of those electronic football games from years ago. Turn it on, it vibrates and the guys go wherever. That's how they looked last night. There was one play they showed from behind Cutler...he drops back, the recievers go out but NEVER turn around! He's like 'where the hell do I go with the ball?'.  You could see it,lol. They just ran out, never turned around, he got sacked. Ya gotta help your QB out, too, lol...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on December 16, 2014, 08:10:21 pm

And there's another shot with Cutler looking at 3 guys standing like statues 5 to 10 yards downfield side by side about 15 yards between them and they are all just staring at Cutler and behind each of them is a defender ready to make a play on the ball.

Does Trestman do that so he knows those defenders can't be near the intended target?  You see that on every play...guys just standing there.  Maybe they take turns standing so they get a rest...I dunno.   
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on December 17, 2014, 01:13:37 am
those 5 and 10 yard passes every play were killing me. BUT, the deep ball just doesn't work. Cutler can not throw it accurately anymore.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 17, 2014, 03:37:54 pm
Ryan from Eau Claire, WI

Vic, I applaud your fearless answers in the face of undeserving ridicule. At least this season makes for some good writing, right?

Every season is a good writing year because every team has a story to tell. That’s the beautiful thing about my profession. Every story is another page in a chapter of a book that’ll be closed and put in the bookcase to be preserved by time. Consider the story of the 2014 Packers. Think of the highlights and lowlights. Think of the turning-point win in Chicago and the worrisome loss in Buffalo. Think of the demoralizing loss in Seattle and the exhilarating win over New England. Think of the ebb and flow of the season and how the emotions of the season have swung from side to side. How will it end? That’s what we’re about to write in what’s left of this season. We’re about to write the conclusion. I feel privileged to be able to observe and record.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 17, 2014, 03:40:41 pm
Robert from Fremont, CA

I have been playing around with the playoff machine on the ESPN website. One fact has been made clear. The playoffs have started for our Packers. We lose, we stay home. With that said, I love where this team is at.

The Packers can lose and still clinch a playoff berth, but even though that’s a fact, I’m not sure it’s the truth we want to embrace. I agree with you. It’s time to win because the time for losing is over.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 17, 2014, 03:42:42 pm
Dean from Des Moines, IA

Vic, I think the loss to the Bills is a perfect example of the ebb and flow of the season. I think we could be seeing another surge here soon.

That’s my expectation.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 17, 2014, 03:48:04 pm
Tom from Salt Lake City, UT

What do you think the Packers need to do to get back on track and back to their usual ways on offense?

Achieve balance between run and pass, and win the one-on-ones. That’s how you play winning offense
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 17, 2014, 04:08:42 pm
Al from Des Moines, IA

Vic, Ndamukong Suh hosted billionaire Warren Buffet at last week’s Lions game. What high-rollin’ buddy will you have at Lambeau for the final home game?

My attorney from South Carolina will be in attendance.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 17, 2014, 04:40:02 pm
In retrospect, Latroie Guyon has been a real asset for the Pack this season at NT.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on December 18, 2014, 05:24:02 am
Don't sleep on the Bucs this weekend Packy.  Several strip joints near the stadium, the players may be lloking ahead to Detroit.  Your one advantage besides the talent of your roster is you are going against Lovie, who struggled against the Pack and always makes one boneheaded challenge per game. The Bucs have Mike Evans tearing up the league as a rookie right now and the other receiver is not shabby.  And McCown played with enough confidence to beat the mighty pack at home last year.

Don't sleep on the Bucs or you could be watching the playoffs...  just saying
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on December 19, 2014, 02:21:51 pm
We don't have a shitty team you do. Stop with the any given Sunday crap and just except the Packer romp coming on Sunday.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on December 19, 2014, 03:05:54 pm
except what?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on December 19, 2014, 03:32:53 pm
You are forgetting that Otto has a backwoods Wisconsin education. How can you possibly expect him to know the difference between accept and except?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on December 19, 2014, 03:57:51 pm
Heh, I don't forget, I just enjoy calling him out on his stupidity...kinda like someone else here...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 19, 2014, 04:09:47 pm
Kelly from Las Vegas, NV

Vic, the last six quarters of football for the Packers have been pathetic on both sides of the ball. Rodgers clearly cannot do it alone. Once again, we’re calling on their porous defense to bend but not break, as they’ve been prone to do under Dom Capers. Have you jumped off the Capers bandwagon or are you still a believer in his schemes?

I’m still a believer. I thought the Packers defense played pretty well last Sunday. Of course, I’m a very positive person.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 19, 2014, 04:13:41 pm
John from Covington, WA

At the risk of being banned, I must ask, what are the odds of the Packers not making the playoffs? I hope they win it all, however, I’d think not making the dance would drive most every Packers fan to their doctor’s office requesting an anti-depressant.

You’re banned.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 19, 2014, 04:15:51 pm
Jake from Grand Marais, MN

Vic, do you think Marcus Mariota will be able translate his success to the NFL? He seems to have the passing abilities of Rodgers but he can run like Kaepernick.

Mariota’s stock is on the rise, and the rise began before he won the Heisman. A lot of draftniks think he can be a star quarterback in the NFL. He’s big, strong, fast and throws with pinpoint accuracy. He would seem to be the quintessential “New Age” quarterback, and the likely first pick of the draft. This is where it could become difficult for a team such as the Raiders, should they have the first pick. They picked Derek Carr last spring. Do they pick Mariota, or do they stick with Carr, trade the pick and run the risk of passing on the league’s next star quarterback?

Can the Bears possibly offer enough trade value to move up and draft him?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 19, 2014, 04:17:05 pm
Bridgette from St. Croix Falls, WI

You said you believe things are moving towards the “New Age” QB which, to my understanding, is more of a running QB. However, you’ve also discussed in length about how the league is courting the casual fan, and the casual fan likes the excitement the big passing game brings. These statements seem contradictory. Could you expound on them?

Listen to the crowd the next time Aaron Rodgers scrambles from the pocket. Fans love a running quarterback because it introduces the unexpected. I think if we took a fan poll and asked if fans prefer a quarterback that can run or one that stays in the pocket, the results would overwhelmingly favor the quarterback that can run.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 19, 2014, 04:18:39 pm
Vic, in my opinion, the drama leading to the NFL playoffs is the best in all of pro sports. Win your division and you are in. The fact that the Packers could miss the playoffs entirely, while the NFC South will still send someone, has me excited to see what happens. When I look at other leagues that have point systems to determine playoff seeds, I find there’s no drama to actually making the playoffs.

If the Packers missed the playoffs and the NFC South champion had a losing record, I’d have to call in sick for the offseason.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 19, 2014, 04:19:13 pm
Darin from Owensboro, KY

Vic, what are your thoughts about Aaron Rodgers’ comments and defense of Jay Cutler’s situation in Chicago?

Quarterbacks have a union. I come from a union town.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 19, 2014, 04:27:16 pm
http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-locker-room-report/article-1/Aaron-Rodgers-will-let-Julius-Peppers-do-the-talking/0444ac34-d2e3-4c2c-a90d-d01abe3d51e3?campaign=email_141219

Peppers should give pep talk for team.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 19, 2014, 08:20:53 pm
There's been a number of red flags for the Packers these past few weeks - losing to a team quarterbacked by this guy, allowing Julio Jones to run amok - but I'd argue the most disconcerting trend of all has been the pass rush. Or lack thereof. Clay Matthews still does Clay Matthews things and Letroy Guion has been a nice surprise, but there's been an alarming lack of pressure being forced by the defense lately. While not solely responsible, you have to wonder how much that can be chalked up to Julius Peppers. He's currently on a five-game sackless streak and while that statistic can obscure a pass rusher's actual value, consider this - his pass rush grade on Pro Football Focus has only been on the plus side (+1.1 versus New England) once in that same timeframe.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 19, 2014, 08:25:24 pm
The twin towers

 

I'll be honest - I have no idea who's starting at quarterback for the Buccaneers these days. Is it Josh McCown? Mike Glennon? If the two just switched jerseys at halftime would anyone even notice? Obviously, quarterback is a problem for the Bucs. But it's a problem somewhat mitigated by their two main receivers - Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson. At 6'5" each, the duo can practically grab any ball short of the luxury boxes, making it an especially tough challenge for opposing corners. Ted Thompson has long drafted corners with size to counter these types of receivers, but even the tallest members of the Packers secondary (Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Davon House, at 6'1") are still at a huge disadvantage. The Packers have fared well against big, physical receivers in the past (most recently, Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall) but Evans and Jackson might be their toughest matchup yet.

As for the final outcome, I'm calling this one Packers: 28, Bucs: 17
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on December 20, 2014, 06:35:34 am
except what?

HAHAHAHAHAHA... 

oh and... otto, probably time you found a razor
(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w37/Grizzlybear34/Worldcrossing/beardguy.jpg)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 20, 2014, 01:35:41 pm
Green Bay Packers: Green Bay Next Stop for Rex Ryan?

 by Tom Mrozla 19h ago
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 20, 2014, 02:05:53 pm
Green Bay — The players all know what to expect from Mike Evans on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 6-foot-5, 231-pound wide receiver has been dynamite, but there's another reason cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt Jr. calls Evans a "young Brandon Marshall."

You've heard this before.

"He's at the line of scrimmage, grab and pull, and gets away with it," Whitt said. "They never call that. He's at the top of the route, push, but consistently it hasn't been called. So I'm not looking for it to be called. We just have to play and play hard.

"We play within the rules and we haven't been penalized."

And the rookie of the year candidate is a timely preview of what's to come. For the Green Bay Packers to return to the Super Bowl, they'll need to overcome combative, elite wide receivers in a different NFL. The league emphasis on defensive holding/illegal contact — made clear by each Ed Hochuli flag thrown the first week at Packers training camp — is established. And the Packers cornerbacks have navigated this new terrain better than most..
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 20, 2014, 02:12:48 pm
Green Bay at Tampa Bay

Temperature: 74 degrees.

Wind: Six mph out of the south.

Precipitation chance at kickoff: Thirty percent
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 20, 2014, 02:35:21 pm
Hardy from New Richmond, WI

Which of the rookies do you think have had the biggest impact on the team?

There’s no denying Corey Linsley’s impact on the Packers this season. He’s more than picked up the slack, he’s played at a level you would expect of an established, veteran starting center. Linsley has done for the Packers at center what David Bakhtiari did for the Packers at left tackle last year. It’s truly remarkable what the Packers have gotten out of their last two draft classes.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 20, 2014, 02:39:29 pm
Ben from Hudson, WI

Let me help move the conversation. What do you see as Tampa’s greatest strength?

It’s Mike Evans and the feeling he’s creating among the other young players on the Bucs, that the team is building something for the future. Don’t give a young team a chance to grow up.

Looks like Lovie has found a base to begin his revitalization of the Bucs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 20, 2014, 02:40:36 pm
Kenneth from Madison, WI

Vic, I love your sarcasm and brutal honesty. If you could change one rule in the NFL, what would you change?

Offensive pass interference in the end zone would be the defense’s ball on its 20-yard line. Hey, if we’re gonna put the ball on the 1-yard line for defensive pass interference, then let’s also assume the pass would’ve been intercepted in the end zone, right?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 20, 2014, 02:46:15 pm
Andy from Milwaukee, WI

Vic, great point about the Raiders picking Mariota or not. What do you think the Raiders would do if they drafted Mariota? Play Carr and see what kind of year-two jump he can take? Start Mariota?

These are the kinds of delicate decisions that are made in the draft that not only affect one team’s future, but the future of the whole league. I was covering the Jaguars when they picked Byron Leftwich in the first round of the 2003 draft, and then passed on Ben Roethlisberger in 2004 and on Aaron Rodgers in 2005 because they had Leftwich. What if the Jaguars had selected Roethlisberger or Rodgers? That’s why the draft is so intriguing. It’s historical importance can’t be overstated.

Something for Bears' upper management to think about.  Get "the man".
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 20, 2014, 02:57:03 pm
(http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2014/12-December/temp141219-captains-patches-1--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720)

Packers' captains jerseys.  Note the RELAX sign.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 20, 2014, 03:03:17 pm

Eddie Lacy is blind as a bat, but he’ll be damned if he wears a pair of old fogey-looking goggles on the field.

The Green Bay Packers running back intimated to the press that eye problems have limited him in practice over the week
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 20, 2014, 03:10:05 pm
Less than 24 months ago, Colin Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers were just a play away from winning the Super Bowl. Less than 12 months ago, Kaepernick and the 49ers were just a play away from going to their second Super Bowl in a row.

After unprecedented team success and impressive play from the inexperienced quarterback, the 49ers decided to sign Kaepernick to a long-term contract potentially worth $126 million.

Even though Kaepernick's contract had get-out clauses for the team if it decided to move on from him after any given season, it was unfathomable to think that get-out clause would be used after just one season. However, now it appears to be a real possibility, looking more and more probable every week.

(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/003/203/921/394e8396c6d88a0a605e69790586e8ce_crop_north.jpg?w=630&h=420&q=75)


Who'da thunk it?

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on December 20, 2014, 04:31:42 pm
Who'd a thunk that the 9ers were smarter than the Bears about providing themselves a 'way out' clause to a high contract....we sure could use that right about now....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on December 21, 2014, 06:57:42 am
Philly just dropped a gift at your feet, losing to Washington...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on December 21, 2014, 12:18:12 pm
Rodgers fumbles on a sack. He has already taken 2 big hits and is moving gingerly
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on December 21, 2014, 12:20:25 pm
McCown sucking
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on December 21, 2014, 02:29:08 pm
Sun rose in the east this morning
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on December 21, 2014, 10:17:05 pm
The Seachickens are starting to look real tough again. Does not bode well for the future aspirations of a Super Bowl visit for Green Bay.....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 22, 2014, 09:05:32 pm
Brett from Green Bay, WI

The Packers are using the pistol. What are the advantages to using this formation?

You can use your power running plays and play-action out of it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 22, 2014, 09:07:11 pm
Dan from Madison, WI

As we all knew, the Packers are seeing rush four, drop seven. They are chipping away at the defense with some smaller pass completions. Outside of Eddie Lacy having a big game, is this the other way to beat it?

You can’t double-cover everyone. Somebody needs to beat their man and Rodgers has to find that guy and get him the ball. Davante Adams’ performance against the Patriots is the example. Rush four, drop seven isn’t genius. It’s as basic as it gets. Run at it and force the linebackers to support, and then play-action against it and find the open guy down the field. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking someone has reinvented the game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 22, 2014, 09:08:32 pm
Randy from Lakewood Ranch, FL

Vic, this team is regressing late in the year, not getting better. The offense is underwhelming for the second straight week, after a lackluster second half vs. Atlanta. Missed field goals, blocked extra points, sacks, fumbles, dropped passes and more. Why should we believe this team can go anywhere in the playoffs?

Because we know what it can be when it’s playing its best football. This isn’t it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 22, 2014, 09:27:51 pm
Since GB is seeing more "rush four - cover seven" we see more running the ball and shorter passes.  Choose your poison.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 22, 2014, 09:28:53 pm
Rodgers has taken some hellacious hits over the course of his career, but has been able to walk away unscathed.

Today he put a scare into Packers Nation when his calf took a hit and tightened up on him.

It was enough for backup quarterback Matt Flynn to start warming up … a sight that sends shivers through most of us'

Despite his illness and injury, Rodgers still completed 31-of-40 passes for 318 yards, a single touchdown and a 108.1 passer rating. Those are numbers that were a great improvement over the worst outing of his career last week when he completed just 17-of -42 attempts, threw a couple of picks and didn’t have a touchdown pass...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 22, 2014, 10:05:29 pm
Adam from Charlotte, NC

Aaron was hobbled early with a calf injury and had to deal with residual flu symptoms on Sunday. He still managed a solid performance with a rating over 100. Meanwhile, Stafford struggled against a mediocre Chicago team that’s been caught up in a comical QB quagmire. I feel pretty good about the Packers’ chances come Sunday. Don’t you?

At home, in the cold against a dome team the Packers know inside and out? Yes, I feel good about the Packers’ chances, but I don’t think we fully appreciate the transformation of the Lions that Coach Caldwell has executed. That’s a disciplined team. The days of wild offense and reckless defense are over. These days, the offense complements the defense, and vice versa. The Lions are playing as a team, not as separate units. Get ready for a slugfest. This one isn’t going to be that 2011 shootout. This one is going to more closely resemble the Week 3 game in Detroit. The Packers defense peaked just in time for the most important game of the season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 22, 2014, 10:07:35 pm
Robert from Madison, WI

Vic, could you explain the playoff picture for the Packers, knowing they and the Lions have both clinched? What is on the line this week?

The NFC North title and the No. 2 playoff seeding position are on the line. In my opinion, the No. 2 spot in the NFC is favorable. I like the Packers on a week of rest and at home against any of the possible round-two opponents. In contrast, as a wild card the Packers could find themselves going to Dallas for the first round of the playoffs, and possibly on a short week. Give me the bye.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 22, 2014, 10:30:07 pm
Josh from Cincinnati, OH

Last year, I don’t recall a single player from the 49ers really offering any concern about the cold before the game, but these Lions players sound scared. Johnson and Bush were both very vocal about not wanting to play in the cold. They’re missing that edge, Vic. It’s time for this team to play to its identity and win this one at home, outdoors in the cold.

The cold should be this team’s greatest ally. I consider the cold, the numbing Green Bay kind of cold, to be far more intimidating than noise.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 22, 2014, 10:36:51 pm
One final comment before the play-offs:  I hope that Peppers has a dominating performance that leads GB to the championship.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 23, 2014, 06:37:48 pm
Ryan from Brooklyn, NY

Vic, (although not preferable) is it possible that going into Week 17 the Packers’ strength is their defense?

You bet it’s possible. I happened to be watching a pregame show last night and Brian Billick praised the Packers defense and all but called it a game-changer for the Packers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 23, 2014, 06:41:25 pm
Eric from Monroe, OH

Outside of the Packers’ amazing on-the-road run to the Super Bowl in 2010, the Packers haven’t fared well in the playoffs on the road or at home. How would you compare this season’s team to previous Packers teams playing at home and/or on the road?

I didn’t like the 2011 season’s playoff matchup with the Giants. The Packers were a one-trick pony that season and I felt the Giants matched up well against that trick. In 2012, the Packers ran into an ambush in San Francisco; it would’ve been difficult for any team to beat the 49ers on that night. Last season, the defense was just too depleted by injury to beat a 49ers team that came one play away from the Super Bowl. This year’s team is healthy and balanced. It still has its signature passing attack, but it has a power running attack that’s every bit as threatening to opposing defenses, and the Packers have a defense that’s playing at a near-elite level right now. In my mind, of the four Packers teams I’ve covered, this one has the best mix of ingredients to go all the way.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 23, 2014, 06:43:37 pm
Nick from Springfield, VA

The game against the Lions has the feeling of a defensive battle. Seems like each team will have a tough time getting over 24 points or so. Clay Matthews and the rest of the defense are playing great right now.

I, too, am expecting a defensive battle on Sunday, but I was expecting an offensive showdown in Week 3 and I was wrong then.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 26, 2014, 09:36:32 pm

Robert from Fresno, OH

Vic, it was very kind of Aaron Rodgers to give Christmas gifts to his linemen, but I think he should have done it for the wide receivers, too, as we all know they are a big part of his success.

Or maybe they should all give him a gift for throwing the ball in places where they won’t get clobbered by a defensive back. Rodgers is the best at that I have ever covered.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 26, 2014, 09:46:54 pm
David from Sparta, WI

Vic, you responded to a reader here that the Bills are only an Aaron Rodgers away from being a serious playoff contender. My question is how hard is it to find an Aaron Rodgers type of QB?

I think each decade produces about 10 quarterbacks capable of leading a team to a title. A team’s hope of winning a Super Bowl rests with acquiring one of those quarterbacks.

!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 26, 2014, 10:08:29 pm
(http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2013/10-October/tempAP391022016-donhutson--9a--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720)

 


Posted Oct 3, 2013 

9 of 22

Green Bay Packers     
.


 

Oct. 22, 1939 - Don Hutson (14) goes up for the ball during the Packers-Lions game. Hutson caught the ball for a 40-yard touchdown. The Packers won, 26-7, and went on to win the 1939 NFL Championship vs. the New York Giants later that year.

How is that possible?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on December 27, 2014, 04:57:36 pm
Look at his eyes and realize the ball popped up and he finished the catch.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 27, 2014, 07:23:44 pm

Ryan from Freeport, IL

You’ve often said, and I agree, that the fire everyone mentality is shortsighted and often doesn’t provide the results the fans are seeking. Considering that NFL teams are coached by men with genius level football knowledge, is there a significant difference between them, or does luck and personnel make the biggest difference?

Coaches are defined by their ability to lead men. Assistant coaches coach; head coaches lead. That’s the difference in head coaches that win vs. head coaches that lose.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 27, 2014, 09:05:02 pm
Mark's Market Blog
12-28-14: Mark's Bold Predictions for 2015.
by Mark Lawrence
We had a short week because of Christmas; volume was low, momentum was uninspiring. None the less stocks went up and made new all-time highs in a continuation of the Santa Clause rally, and everyone expects they will continue to go up next week in a similar uninspiring fashion. It's noteworthy that although the DOW and S&P are making new highs, the VIX volatility index is not making new lows. If the market were your girlfriend this would be a disturbingly mixed message. We finished the week at S&P 2089 and it looks like we'll finish the year at about S&P 2100.
 
S&P 500 July 5 2014 to December 26 2014
A couple months ago a black guy in Ferguson robbed a liqueur store then attacked a policeman then got dead. A riot / shopping spree peaceful demonstration ensued. A couple weeks ago a black guy with a history of selling untaxed cigarettes was standing around in NYC and got jumped without cause or warning by a cop who put him in a choke hold; he wound up dead. More "peaceful demonstrations." A week ago a black guy posted a bunch of incoherent rantings on his facebook page, then went home and shot his wife. He then drove to Brooklyn and shot a couple policemen who were just sitting in their car eating donuts and drinking coffee. Then he shot himself. No one in the press took note, but there were a couple thousand police and firemen who attended his funeral. This week a black teenager in Ferguson pulled a gun on a cop; he got dead. The NYC gang Black Guerilla Family has threatened to storm NYPD precincts and "shoot it out" with them - showing clearly to my eyes that these guys don't read the news and have no clue how militarized the police are and how quickly they would lose. Here's what I think is the interesting part: for the first time I can remember, whites are now angry. Blacks, of course, have been angry for some time. I'm reading all over the internet things about how blacks should pull their pants up, learn english, finish high school, get a job, marry before having kids, and quit stealing and living on drugs and knocking out white pedestrians and pulling guns on people. I see blacks sick of living in a police state where seemingly everyone but them is safe and upwardly mobile and rich. For the first time since the '60s I see the faint wisps of smoke of a full on race wildfire. Meanwhile, our denier-in-chief was asked if the country is more racially divided now compared to when he took office six years ago. President Obama cluelessly answered. "No, I actually think that it's probably in its day-to-day interactions less racially divided."

Google is working on Android M, their operating system for cars. This should scare you. Android M will come with a bunch of Google's self- driving code, code which would take the auto manufacturers many years and a billion dollars to duplicate. Android M and your car will be internet connected 24/7. Android M is navigation, entertainment, information, search, phone calls, and Google's driving software - your car is the ultimate mobile phone. The price? Google gets the car data. GPS and cameras tell them where you are. Speedometer and accelerometer data tell them where you're going and how much of a hurry you're in. They know where you park and for how long. They know who's in the car with you (your car is a mobile hot spot, and of course all your friends and family have smart phones). They can deduce where you work, where you shop, what you eat for lunch, where you exercise, who you're having an affair with. And they will sell this data and customized ads that appear on your main dashboard screen ("Get your mistress Sandra that special diamond bracelet at Kay Jewelers up ahead on your right! Just found out Sandra has two other lovers, Michael on Mondays and Roger on Wednesdays? Dump the **** and find a new mistress at AshleyMadison.com! Touch here to activate your free trial account, we'll fill in your personal details for you.") If you ask for a local restaurant or movie times, it's Google who will get paid for feeding you the preferred answers. And I promise you it will be only a year or two before governments get a piece of this - they will first claim it's to find kidnapped kids, then it will be about finding armed criminals and deadbeat dads, but no matter the claim they'll have instant access to everything about everyone. And when you no longer own a car, when you just call on your smart phone for a driverless car to come pick you up and take you somewhere, now you really don't have any control over this information. Don't get confused about this: the car companies are putting up a real fight, but it's because they want to own the data and sell it to advertisers, they don't want to share this huge potential revenue stream with Google. "The data that we collect is our data and not Google's data," Audi CEO Rupert Stadler said, echoing comments from. Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn and Daimler-Benz CEO Dieter Zetsche. No one thinks you have any right to privacy, that's not even part of the discussion. Imagine the police come impound your car because, although they can't prove who was driving, someone went 108 mph. Imagine you get sued and your car gets subpoenaed - or Ford gets subpoenaed, you're not even part of the process of protecting your data. And next imagine your car getting hacked and the data being stolen by. . . I'm gonna stick with Harleys and folding maps. And even that will only last so long - soon enough there will be required retro fit data modules for motorcycles and old cars, "so the driverless cars and traffic management systems know you're there."

2000 years ago there was a senile old guy with vitamin deficiencies and sun stroke who wrote of the end of days. Rivers would run red as with blood, the sky will turn dark, there will be famine, plagues and earthquakes. And we would all wear the mark of the beast, without which we cannot participate in commerce. Thirty years ago I was told the mark of the beast would be a bar code tattoo we would all have to have. Ten years ago I was told the mark of the beast would be an RFID chip embedded under our skin. Now it turns out the mark of the beast is nearly here and it's voluntary: it's a smart phone running Apple Pay or Google Wallet. It's in our purse or back pocket. In a couple more years it will make Visa cards just as obsolete as checks and cash are now, and it will allow anyone to track us anywhere.


Japan is setting new records for printing money but is afraid no one will spend it. So this week the government announced a new stimulus package worth $30 billion, showering money on consumers and small businesses and funding lots of construction projects.

1998 was a rough year. Russia imploded and defaulted on their bonds. There was a US hedge fund, Long Term Capital Management, started by a couple guys with a Nobel prize in economics for figuring out the real value of a futures contract - presuming things didn't change much. With some manhattan sleezeballs experts they started up this fund, promised fantastic returns, and got lots of billions of dollars to play with. When Russia went down things changed, fast, and LTCM's calculations went out the window. Suddenly they looked bankrupt and it looked like ten or fifteen Wall Street banks would go down with them. Greenspan had been chairman of the Fed for about a year and suddenly he's faced with the potential end of life as we know it (EOLAWKI) - rich Wall Street guys might all go broke! He collected representatives from all the banks and LTCM and locked them in a room and told them "You're staying here until you figure out a way to solve this." Just over a year later Greenspan got the end of the internet bubble, another crash that looked like it might be the EOLAWKI. Greenspan decided on a new policy - print money without limit, without a view to inflating other bubbles, without any mitigation, until everyone seemed to feel better. This is believed to be a large component of the housing crash of 2007 which led to the financial crash of 2008 which led to Greenspan's successor, Bernanke, initiating a money printing program that made Greenspan look like an unschooled amateur. Did it all work?

Greenspan spoke to just this issue a couple weeks ago. He said his bond-buying program from 1987 to 2006 to was ultimately a mixed bag. He said that the purchases of Treasury and mortgage-backed securities did help lift asset prices and lower borrowing costs. But it didn't do much for the real economy. Effective demand is dead in the water and the effort to boost it via bond buying has not worked, said Mr. Greenspan. Boosting asset prices, however, has been a terrific success. Greenspan went on to say, "I don't think it’s possible for the Fed to end its easy-money policies in a trouble-free manner.... Recent episodes in which Fed officials hinted at a shift toward higher interest rates have unleashed significant volatility in markets, so there is no reason to suspect that the actual process of boosting rates would be any different. I think that real pressure is going to occur not by the initiation by the Federal Reserve, but by the markets themselves."

Spain is in trouble: high unemployment, shaky banks, empty houses, questionable government policies. So guess what they do? A new law with the Orwellian name the Law for Citizen Security. It outlaws virtually all forms of political protest including all non-violent forms. But not with penal charges: most criminal cases brought against non-violent political demonstrators are promptly thrown out of court. Instead it's civil administrative charges. That way, the government can circumvent the traditional checks and balances of the criminal justice system while pocketing millions in administrative fines. Here's a sample list of fines the government will impose for political protest or civil disobedience:

Surrounding a government building: €30,000
Criticizing or insulting the country, government or head of state during a protest or on social media: €30,000
Participating in a demonstration that does not have the government’s prior approval: €100 - €1,000
Organizing a demonstration that turns violent: €30,000
Participating non-violently in a demonstration that gets out of control: €1,000
Refusal to show personal documentation (I.D. card, passport) to the police: €1,000
Uploading images of riot police in action that the government considers against their honor, intimacy or the public image of the police force: €100 - €1,000.
Taking part in a demonstration outside a political party’s headquarters on election day: €30,000 - €600,000.
Trying to prevent the forced eviction of a local resident, something that has become common practice among communities in recent years: €1,000 - €30,000.
But this can't happen here, right?
Health stuff: The WHO just released a new guide line: 22g of sugar per day. What does this mean? The average american eats 156 pounds of sugar a year, about 200 grams of sugar a day. A teaspoon of sugar or a sugar cube is 4 grams, so those little packets in your coffee add up quick. What can you eat? Fruits come in surprisingly consistently at about 15g - 20g each, so you can have an apple or an orange or a grapefruit or a peach or pear or quarter pineapple. Canned fruit? Forget it - even in light syrup these guys are loaded down with 60g - 100g per can. There's new "no sugar added" canned fruits; they have 40g - 60g sugar plus some kind of artificial sweetener to help you develop cancer or something. Dried fruits are out too - raisins, dried cranberries or cherries, banana chips are all just flavored sugar. The little single serving size cups of fruit or applesauce for children's lunch boxes come in at about 20g - 25g, so they're ok. A can of coke is two days worth of sugar. A big gulp is about a weeks worth. Fruit juice is around 35g - 40g per cup; a large glass is holds nearly a week's worth of sugar. Basically all sweetened beverages are out - learn to like water or unsweetened tea or black coffee. Flavor your water or tea with a slice of lemon or lime or cucumber or a sprig of mint. Candy, pastries, donuts, cookies, pies, cakes are just over, they're not going to be part of your life anymore. Watch out for non-fat and low-fat foods: most of the molecules that we taste are fat soluble, so non-fat foods are typically loaded up with sugar and salt so that they taste like something. Several studies show the quickest way to lose weight is to eliminate sugar from your diet. And the quickest way to gain it back is to eat sugar.

Other people's S&P predictions for 2014 Other people's S&P predictions for 2015
David Bianco, Deutsche Bank: 1,850
Brian Belski, BMO: 1,900
Barry Knapp, Barclays: 1,900
David Kostin, Goldman Sachs: 1,900
Michael Kurtz, Nomura: 1,925
Sean Darby, Jefferies: 1,950
Jonathan Golub, RBC: 1,950
Julian Emanuel, UBS: 1,950
Andrew Garthwaite, Credit Suisse: 1,960
Tobias Levkovich, Citigroup: 1,975
Savita Subramanian, Bank of America: 2,000
Adam Parker, Morgan Stanley: 2,014
John Stoltzfus, Oppenheimer: 2,014
Tom Lee, JP Morgan: 2,075
 It looks like we'll wind up 2014 at about S&P 2,100.
Credit Suisse's Andrew Garthwaite: 2,100
Goldman Sachs' David Kostin: 2,100
Barclays' Jonathan Glionna: 2,100
Deutsche Bank's David Bianco: 2,150
BTIG's Dan Greenhaus: 2,200
Citi's Tobias Levkovich: 2,200
B of A Merrill Lynch's Savita Subramanian: 2,200
UBS' Julian Emanuel: 2,225
BMO's Brian Belski: 2,250
Morgan Stanley's Adam Parker: 2,275
Oppenheimer's John Stoltzfus: 2,311
RBC's Jonathan Golub: 2,325
Fundstrat Global Advisors' Tom Lee: 2,325
 

Notice that the 2014 predictions were all low by 100 - 250 points. My sense is most or all of the 2015 predictions will also prove to be low. I believe this boom / bust cycle has a couple years left to run. Mark Twain said, "History never repeats itself but it rhymes." I think we're rhyming with about 1998, looking forwards to an epic crash two or three years out. Must we crash? Currently it's believed that politicians can spend as much as they want, their central bank can print the money to support this, and the piper never need be paid. I'm not a member of that religion. In my beliefs choices have consequences. In this future poem Obama corresponds to Harding, famous if at all for his administration's corruption; the next president is Coolidge, witty but ineffective; and the next after that is Hoover, who will take the fall for the next Great Depression. In 1998 we had a collapse of Russia, which brought down LTCM, which almost brought down the US banking system. In 2015 perhaps we'll have a collapse of Russia due to falling oil prices; which will also bring down US frackers funded by junk bonds, which will rock the US banking system. Not to worry, 1998 was followed by a relatively uneventful 1999 as Greenspan rose to the occasion and started his epic money printing policy, and I suspect 2015 will be followed by a relatively uneventful 2016 as central banks the world over start a new round of money printing that will make Greenspan look like a piker.


Mark's Bold Predictions.
First, how did I do on my 2014 predictions?
The US economy will continue to grow for the first six to nine months of 2014, anemically. Implicitly I thought the 4th quarter would be bad. In fact we're picking up steam.


Europe will muddle through, deteriorating slightly. Yup.


China will somehow manage to not have a major banking crisis this year. Yup.


The US and Iran will move away from being enemies. Behind the scenes we're cooperating more and more on this ISIL stuff.


The correction that is majorly overdue in the stock market will happen. Nope.


Late in 2014 we will start our next recession, but it won't be recognized until 2015. Not even close, the economy is great.


In November republicans solidify their majority in the house and take the senate. Yup.

Mark's Predictions for 2015:
Absent external events like Russia starting a war or Europe going up in flames, the US and the US markets will do reasonably well in 2015. The S&P 500 will hit 2300. 2015 is the third year of the presidential cycle; markets have been up in such years for 76 straight years. 2015 is also a year ending in 5; such years have been up for 130 years. So you see the tea leaves and other portents are very positive. I'm on the bullish side of the table above, expecting a 10% gain in the S&P.


Inflation will stay low due to the rising dollar and cheap gas. The Fed will not raise rates until the fall. The first rate rise will not crash the markets.


Volatility will return to US markets. We will have at least a couple 10% corrections.


A fresh euro crisis will emerge. It will be handled, but we will all get the sense that the European Central Bank is running out of consensus and bullets.


In about May when Ukraine thaws the situation there will heat up again.


China will somehow manage to not have a major banking crisis this year. They're going to hold off on this until it's simply crushing.


China has already built more stuff in China than they can digest, so they'll start building things in surrounding countries - highways, train tracks, bridges and stations, dams - it's going to look like a Marshall plan run by China for Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Siberia. China needs to put people to work, they need to keep their iron and concrete factories open, and they need better access to raw materials and new customers.


Tensions between China and Japan will flare up and make the news a couple of times. Japan will quietly start to re-arm.


Things will start to happen to N.Korea. We will deny that we had anything to do with it.


Obama will make some sort of nuclear agreement with Iran. It won't be ratified by the republicans.


Much of Obama's amnesty for illegals will be blocked by the courts. He went too far too fast, it's not going to happen.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on December 28, 2014, 02:39:10 pm
Lets go LIONS!!!! Beat the Fudge Packers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on December 28, 2014, 04:34:38 pm
Peckers meal ticket looks dead. Peckers worthless with AR.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on December 28, 2014, 04:35:32 pm
Rodgers re-injures himself yet still throws a TD before he goes down.

I have to think that is a very big concern for the Packers.  They are screwed with out him in the play offs.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: JBN on December 28, 2014, 04:38:38 pm
Nothing wrong with him

He's a drama queen just like the idiot before him was.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on December 28, 2014, 04:46:52 pm
I don't know...the Beaver looks very worried. Detoilet is right back in it. Peckers are worthless without Rodgers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on December 28, 2014, 05:02:06 pm
And so go the posts of crybaby bear fans. 


Enjoy yourselves.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on December 28, 2014, 05:18:34 pm
And the drama queen comes back out....big surprise there....following the same bs of Favruh....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on December 28, 2014, 05:19:29 pm
otto'd...your 'great' Peckers about the be 0-2 against the Motor City Kitties....haahahahha

2nd Place...WildCard....6 loss season....Rodgers hurt...not so good.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on December 28, 2014, 05:29:29 pm
Pack 21-14!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on December 28, 2014, 05:36:32 pm
Sport

You got something about quality players? Oh, ya, their not on your team...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on December 28, 2014, 05:42:53 pm
Rodgers is a gimp...lets see him scramble and rip that hammy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on December 28, 2014, 05:45:00 pm
Its a calf muscle pull ****.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on December 28, 2014, 05:46:29 pm
And its 1....2....3....FIRST DOWN!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on December 28, 2014, 05:49:18 pm
They actuall called holding on the peckers o-line???? Miracle!!! They hold every play.

The gimp can't move!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on December 28, 2014, 05:51:23 pm
Hialrious!!! BLOCKED!!! WTF were they trying that field goal for any way. 51 yard field goal in th cold and wind?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on December 28, 2014, 05:53:13 pm
That must just kill you.

Something about a good football team.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on December 28, 2014, 05:58:37 pm
Yeah, the Rodgers guy even half strength ....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on December 28, 2014, 05:59:37 pm
Hey, beerbelly ... Come on Man....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on December 28, 2014, 06:03:35 pm
The injury is a fake.  You don't run a QB sneak if your QB has a bad leg. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on December 28, 2014, 06:04:15 pm
4 TIME DIVISION CHAMPIONS!!!

With home field advantage.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on December 28, 2014, 06:12:08 pm
PEPPPERS!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on December 28, 2014, 06:15:47 pm
Suh playing dancing with the stars on Rodgers ankle.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on December 28, 2014, 06:16:04 pm
It's officail!!! Rodgers is the biggest **** in the world (next to otto'd) - Lions player gets pushed in Rodgers and Rodgers is mad.

Gimp boy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on December 28, 2014, 06:16:16 pm
Come on beerbelly....keep the posting going...


Its football!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on December 28, 2014, 06:17:14 pm
Good comedy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on December 28, 2014, 06:17:37 pm
Lets see a 290 future Raider...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on December 28, 2014, 06:20:51 pm
I don't know that the first step was on purpose but the second was.  Suh is a dirty player.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on December 28, 2014, 06:20:55 pm
Lacy looks more and more like Vince Wilfolk each week. How long til he eats his way out of the league?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on December 28, 2014, 06:21:50 pm
4 TIME DIVISION CHAMPIONS.

CONGRATULATIONS GREEN BAY PACKERS!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on December 28, 2014, 06:26:20 pm
It's OOOOficial...Stafford sucks as much as Peckers do.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on December 28, 2014, 06:27:58 pm
No, officially the bears still suck.

5-11 and still in last place for the foreseeable future.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on December 28, 2014, 06:35:47 pm
Packers 147 rush yards!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on December 28, 2014, 06:38:17 pm
Isn't there a 2014 season playoff talk thread?


BBBWWWWWWAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on December 28, 2014, 06:41:55 pm
Peppers in the playoffs...Thank you Green Bay Packers and his agent for getting out of chicago.


beerbelly, how has that Jared Allen signing been?


BBBBWWWWAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on December 29, 2014, 05:45:35 am
One thing that I noticed watching Green Bay was the design of the runs with Lacy.  Most times when Lacy is run into the middle, Lang waits for Lacy to pass through and then gets behind him and pushes the pile another 2 yards.  Good design, tough to stop
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 29, 2014, 05:16:46 pm
http://fansided.com/2014/12/28/aaron-rodgers-tugs-guys-beard-good-luck-video/?utm_source=FanSided+Daily&utm_medium=email

Hey, mind if I tug your beard, pal?

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 29, 2014, 05:24:41 pm
 Pow! Slam! Bang! Those were the sounds of Eddie Lacy and the Green Bay Packers' rushing attack Sunday in the 30-20 victory over the Detroit Lions at Lambeau
One thing that I noticed watching Green Bay was the design of the runs with Lacy.  Most times when Lacy is run into the middle, Lang waits for Lacy to pass through and then gets behind him and pushes the pile another 2 yards.  Good design, tough to stop

After he passes the LOS he doesn't need Lang any longer.  Just get out of the way or suffer.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 29, 2014, 05:28:37 pm
Lacy looks more and more like Vince Wilfolk each week. How long til he eats his way out of the league?

Just keep eating.  Looks better every game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 29, 2014, 05:46:54 pm
(http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2014/12-December/temp141228-lions-packers-1-019--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 29, 2014, 07:06:03 pm





Warren from Lutz, FL

Vic, just wanted to give props to the offensive line and the defense. Aaron Rodgers would be the first to tell you they won the game.

Rodgers complimented his offensive line on another outstanding performance, noting that he wasn’t touched the whole game. The defense was strong, again. It’s a winning combination because you’re winning the battle of the hitting.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 29, 2014, 07:16:06 pm

Sean from Vermontville, MI

Did McCarthy call that quarterback sneak, or did Rodgers?

Rodgers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 29, 2014, 07:37:04 pm
Edwin from San Bernardino, CA

Vic, let the real NFL season begin. The way the offense and the defense are playing, with special teams starting to fix their mistakes, give me any team in the league, especially the Seahawks. By the way, could the team not peak at a better moment than now?

This team has been expertly managed and paced. It’s almost according to a script.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 29, 2014, 07:41:09 pm

Andrew from West Allis, WI

Vic, I’m chortling.

Oh, wonderful.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 29, 2014, 07:54:31 pm
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B6EEzu_CcAAaaHv.jpg:large)


Rodgers' red bearded good luck charm
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on December 30, 2014, 08:29:43 am
Quote
Hey, mind if I tug your beard, pal?

Saw that.  WTF?  I wonder if he is tugging anything else for that dude?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: JBN on December 30, 2014, 03:01:27 pm
LOL
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 30, 2014, 07:43:06 pm
You never heard old saying "pull on a red beard to change your luck"?

That's  at least better than some old suggestions about changing your luck.  ;-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 30, 2014, 08:03:50 pm
Posted by Mike Florio on December 30, 2014, 5:46 PM EST

Reed
Getty Images

Former NFL safety Ed Reed and current Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh have something in common; each has had a suspension imposed by the league and overturned by hearing officer Ted Cottrell.

But Reed and Suh have one major difference.  Reed thinks Suh should have been suspended multiple games for stepping on the leg of Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 30, 2014, 08:06:43 pm
Posted by Darin Gantt on December 30, 2014, 4:32 PM EST

Aaron Rodgers
AP

As it turns out, it was just a calf strain. But Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers thought last week’s injury against the Lions was much, much worse.

“My initial thought was I popped my Achilles,” Rodgers said Tuesday on his ESPN Milwaukee radio show with Jason Wilde, via ESPN.com. “That’s why I kind of stayed down. It was a very painful sensation...”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 30, 2014, 08:22:20 pm
Brian from Fond du Lac, WI

Vic, my theory is that Suh is really a nice guy, but the combination of green and gold simply triggers something in his brain that makes him go on a rampage.

If he’s your definition of a nice guy, I’d hate to meet your enemies. I don’t recall Jay Cutler wearing green and gold when he took that forearm shiver to the back of the helmet a few years ago.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on December 30, 2014, 08:23:04 pm
Our he is such a drama queen he knew he could be the big hero coming back in the second half just like Favre did all the time.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 30, 2014, 08:24:00 pm
Jonathan from Southern Pines, NC

Hey Vic, what are your thoughts on the rest of the playoffs? What matchups intrigue you? Who looks like they are peaking at the right time? Who has the look of one and done?

You have to love Steelers-Ravens in the wild-card round. If Pittsburgh wins that, the Steelers might be the biggest threat to the Patriots in the AFC, whom I believe are overwhelming favorites. In the NFC, hard to see the Super Bowl representative being someone other than the top three seeds. Dallas has won four straight, Seattle has won six straight and Green Bay has won seven of eight since the bye. The top teams aren’t coming in cold.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 30, 2014, 08:25:43 pm
Maxwell from Daytona Beach, FL

Now that the season is over, I'd like your thoughts on this year’s free-agent and draft class. Specifically Richard Rodgers and Julius Peppers. How much value did we get?

The season’s over? The Packers have gotten major contributions from four draft picks – Clinton-Dix, Adams, Rodgers and Linsley. In free agency, Peppers and Guion have been everything Green Bay could have hoped for. I don’t see how anyone would view this past offseason as anything but a home run.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 30, 2014, 08:27:01 pm
Greg from Spooner, WI

Time to give Capers some love. His defense has been lights out aside from the second half of the Falcons game. Lack of injuries has helped, but his schemes are making the difference in plugging the right guys in the right situations.

Lots of love for Dom Capers in the inbox today. The difference is he has more guys to plug in, which means he has more schemes to use. In the previous answer, I just listed three defensive players who weren’t on this team last year. Add in that a year ago at this time, Matthews and Hayward were out while Neal and Shields went down with injuries on the first series of the playoff game, and it’s clear Capers is shuffling a completely different deck.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 30, 2014, 08:29:20 pm
Paul from West Midlands, UK

Vic, which Packer would you award 'most improved player' to this season?

On offense, I’ll go with David Bakhtiari. He appears to have made the leap from a promising young left tackle to a franchise one. On defense, I’ll say Mike Daniels. He was a big contributor last year, but in more of a part-time role. He had to prove this year he’s an every-down player, and he has.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on December 30, 2014, 08:33:48 pm
Damn...what a circle jerk this whole Dear Vic thing is.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 30, 2014, 08:39:46 pm
(http://www.packers.com/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/article_images/2014/12-december/141230-dope-bye-950.jpg)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 30, 2014, 08:41:31 pm
DiVISIONAL PLAYOFF CONTEST AWAITS NO. 2 SEED PACKERS



 

This is an abbreviated version of the Dope Sheet. Read the full version here (PDF).
 

Coming off a franchise-record fourth consecutive division title, Green Bay will enjoy a bye this weekend before returning to Lambeau Field on Sunday, Jan. 11, at 12:05 p.m. (CST) to host either the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers or Dallas Cowboys in an NFC Divisional playoff game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 30, 2014, 08:43:39 pm
Green Bay and Seattle are the only teams to go 7-1 over the final eight games of the 2014 regular season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 30, 2014, 08:44:48 pm
Green Bay won 12 regular-season games for the 11th time in franchise history.
McCarthy recorded his third regular season with 12-plus wins (2007, 2011), passing Lambeau (1929, 1931), Vince Lombardi (1962, 1966), Mike Holmgren (1996-97) and Mike Sherman (2001-02) for the most by a coach in franchise history.
McCarthy has led the Packers to five seasons with 11-plus wins, passing Lombardi and Mike Holmgren (four each) for the most in team history.
The Packers join the Patriots as the only teams to make the playoffs each of the last six years.




Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 30, 2014, 09:17:39 pm

 (https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B6JoRtdIAAAbbr_.jpg:large)

 
Rodgers "just noticed this huge dude with a sweet, ginger beard." So naturally... http://pck.rs/1EGK7FB







⚑ 



Avatar

TDpack  • an hour ago 





Since Suh is allowed to play in SUCH an important game as a playoff game in Dallas (and it doesn't hurt TV ratings), does that mean that refs can make purposeful bad calls on a team so that the other team can win for TV ratings and important games?
It would be a lot more "entertaining".
 
 △  ▽   

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 30, 2014, 09:22:48 pm
Rodgers: The (offensive) line's been great. They've been the key to our success the last 8-10 weeks. #DETvsGB
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on December 31, 2014, 06:20:49 am
Capers should be gone by now. We had what, a couple decent years with Rivera at DC and he gets a HC job. Capers has been with GB years now and is still there. Why are they not losing coaches like other successful teams do? It's bs....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 31, 2014, 08:34:58 pm


Letroy Guion contract negotiations begin … goodbye B.J. Raji?

 by Raymond Rivard 1h ago 

 . When defensive lineman B.J. Raji went down with a a torn bicep just before the start of the NFL season, Packers Nation and the coaching staff of the Green Bay Packers were concerned.

Who would replace Raji, who was signed to a single-season, $4 million “prove it” contract?

After all, Letroy Guion, who was also signed to a single-season $1 million contract during the free agency period last spring, hadn’t played a down for the Packers in preseason and nobody knew what they had...

My hat is off to Guion.  I hope that he is well rewarded for his efforts.  Thanks to his efforts and the excellent performance by rookie Center Corey Linsley they saved the Packers' ass.  Raji could have been comfortable with  an $8M contract but held out and probably lost his job with the Packers after his failure in the "show me" contract.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 31, 2014, 08:44:18 pm
Capers should be gone by now. We had what, a couple decent years with Rivera at DC and he gets a HC job. Capers has been with GB years now and is still there. Why are they not losing coaches like other successful teams do? It's bs....

I don't blame Capers for problems on defense, sporty A bad situation at Safety and LB caused the poor performance.  With a new Safety and other additions by Thompson you can see their defense climb up in its performance.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 31, 2014, 09:06:23 pm
Tom from Neenah, WI

My belief is as long as Aaron Rodgers is the Packers quarterback, Coach Mike will never receive the credit he deserves from the national media, certainly not coach of the year. Happy New Year!

Chuck Noll has the most Super Bowls wins for a coach, but he never won coach of the year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 31, 2014, 09:09:06 pm
Matt from Scott AFB, IL

Vic, I’m glad you’re back so soon. What do you think is the most important thing for the Packers to do in order to win another Super Bowl this year? Which unit needs to shine?

The Packers need to play to their identity. They’ve developed a distinct identity late in the season for playing sound defense, running the ball and protecting their quarterback. The Packers are playing as a well-rounded team, as compared to the team in 2011 that relied almost exclusively on its passing game. If they continue to play as they have in recent weeks, the Packers can beat anyone anywhere.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on December 31, 2014, 09:19:58 pm
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers and DB Micah Hyde have been named NFC players of the week for Week 17.

Rodgers is the NFC Offensive Player of the Week while Hyde is the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for their performances in Green Bay's 30-20 victory oer Detroit last Sunday to clinch the NFC North title and a first-round playoff bye. They are the first Packers to win the offensive and special teams honors in the same week since 1996.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 01, 2015, 01:29:53 am
No, I mean he should be getting HC job offers like Rivera did.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on January 01, 2015, 09:17:58 am
2 issues with Capers, he has done the HC gig before (Car and Hou) and didn't meet expectations.
Likely the biggest reason is the Packers make the playoffs every year so he has a tight window for interviews.

It might also be that he just doesn't want another HC gig.
At 64 likely with a lot of money in the bank, I could see him not wanting the added stress of a HC gig.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 01, 2015, 11:14:48 am
Keep in mind this guy fell asleep during a game a few years ago.  His health may not be up to a HC jobs demands anymore.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 01, 2015, 06:29:17 pm
That is where New York Giants offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz comes into the fray. Today, on his official Twitter account, Schwartz tweeted the following statement. “Mr official, my hands were frozen, otherwise I wouldn’t have held that guy. Totally using that next season.” Ouch. I wonder who that was in response to? Knowing exactly what happened with Suh, would it really surprise anyone if this actually happened exactly as Mr. Schwartz typed?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 01, 2015, 07:23:10 pm
Michael from South Jordan, UT

Am I wrong to compare Suh with Jack Tatum of the ’70s?

Compared to Tatum, Ndamukong Suh is Shirley Temple.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 01, 2015, 07:26:39 pm
Pete from Oakham, England

Vic, as it is the new year, I thought I had best apologize for a couple of disrespectful questions I have sent in the past. I live in England, have never been to Green Bay, yet, I live for the Packers. I just wanted to say you are a legend in England, too. Happy new year. Hope your health keeps and I will try and send some nicer questions from now on.

No, don’t do that. I like the bad stuff. Happy new year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 01, 2015, 07:30:22 pm
Sean-Luc from Oceanside, CA

In your opinion, which team would be the most ideal competitor for the Packers to take on in their first playoff game: Cowboys, Cards or Panthers?

My expectation is that Dallas will be the Packers’ divisional round opponent.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 04, 2015, 01:24:49 am
http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-locker-room-report/article-1/Rested-Packers-work-to-stay-sharp/244e1766-ecdc-46cd-81fc-3a73b0b1084f

Peppers' interview.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 06, 2015, 08:09:07 pm
http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/11984391/green-bay-packers-qb-aaron-rodgers-talks-art-deep-ball?ex_cid=sportscenterTW

How to throw the deep ball, by Aaron Rodgers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 06, 2015, 08:29:42 pm
I am looking forward to the Packers/Cowboys game.  It should be competitive.  I suspect Murray is going to give the Packers fits.  Just as Rodgers passing will give the Cowboys problems.

Rodgers knows Marenelli';s defense and has made it look bad with much better talent.  As Dallas said should be a high scoring game. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 06, 2015, 08:30:00 pm
Packers' Defensive Improvement in 2014
                             First 8 Games     Last 8 Games
Yards allowed/game   379.2 (25th)   313.5 (7th)
Rush yards allowed   153.5 (32nd)   86.4 (5th)
Rush average allowed   4.8 (29th)   3.6 (6th)
Pass yards allowed   225.8 (9th)   227.1 (13th)
Sack percentage   6.5 (15th)   8.0 (T13th)
Points allowed   23.9 (19th)   19.6 (T10th)
Source: ESPN Stats & Information
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 06, 2015, 09:23:09 pm
As much as I'd like the Cowgirls to win this, they won't. Doubt it will even be close. My score prediction 30-13, but when the Packers have to go up to Seattle it'll be a different story altogether. Super Bowl Seattle vs Pats.....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 06, 2015, 09:42:49 pm
Difference Between Take-aways And Give-aways Leaders
    TAKEAWAY   GIVEAWAY   
RK   TEAM   INT   FUM   TOTAL   INT   FUM   TOTAL   
1   Green Bay   18   9   27   6   7   13   14
2   New England   16   9   25   9   4   13   
    Houston   20   14   34   13   9   22   12
4   Seattle   13   10   23   7   7   14   9
5   Arizona   18   7   25   12   5   17   8
6   Buffalo   19   11   30   13   10   23   7
    Detroit   20   7   27   12   8   20   7
    San Francisco   23   6   29   10   12   22   
9   Cleveland   21   8   29   16   7   23   6
    Dallas   18   13   31   11   14   25   6

Never forget the takeaway differential:

Dallas = +6     GB=+14

Very important but too often ignored.
   
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 06, 2015, 10:25:09 pm
2013   1 CB    3WRs

Round   Pick #   Overall   Selection
1   26   26   Datone Jones, DE, UCLA
2   29   61   Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama
4   12   109   David Bakhtiari, T, Colorado
4   25   122   J.C. Tretter, G/T, Cornell
4   28   125   Johnathan Franklin, RB, UCLA
5   26   159   Micah Hyde, DB, Iowa
5   34   167   Josh Boyd, DT, Mississippi State
6   25   193   Nate Palmer, OLB, Illinois State
7   10   216   Charles Johnson, WR, Grand Valley State
7   18   224   Kevin Dorsey, WR, Maryland
7   26   232   Sam Barrington, LB, South Florida

2014 draft

Rd   Pk   Pos   Player   College
(1)   21   S   Ha Ha Clinton-Dix   Alabama
(2)   53   WR   Davante Adams   Fresno State
(3)   85   DT   Khyri Thornton   Southern Miss
(3)   98   TE   Richard Rodgers   Cal
(4)   121   LB   Carl Bradford   Arizona State
(5)   161   C   Corey Linsley   Ohio State
(5)   176   WR   Jared Abbrederis   Wisconsin
(6)   197   CB   Demetri Goodson   Baylor
(7)   236   WR   Jeff Janis   Saginaw Valley (MI)

One CB & one Safety.  Nine choices - three WRs.  Draft'em
when they are available.  Go for talent.

Memory can play tricks on us, Peke.  I sure know that it does for me.  TT signs a LOT of FAs.  There are 26 FAs on the present roster.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 07, 2015, 08:58:56 pm
Jon from Bath, England

What’s more important, the relationship between the head coach and general manager, or the one between the head coach and quarterback?

They’re both pretty important. Is it necessary that we decide which is more important? Look at this way, without a winning relationship between the coach and general manager, the quarterback might not be on the roster. So, I would say that on draft day the relationship between the coach and GM is of greatest importance. On game day, no relationship is more important than that of the coach and quarterback.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 07, 2015, 09:00:30 pm
Walesh from Two Rivers, WI

Do you think the Packers will use the run game to set up the pass or the pass game to set up the run?

I think the Packers will use the run to create balance between run and pass and force the Cowboys to either play it straight or risk a guessing game that could result in a big play. If I was the Cowboys, I would fear Lacy as much as I would Aaron.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 07, 2015, 09:05:28 pm
Brad from Gallatin, TN

GM Ketchman, you have the first pick in this year’s draft and you are on the clock. You’re in need of a QB. Do you select an unproven QB? Or do you pick up the phone to call Indianapolis and offer them all seven picks for Andrew Luck?

I doubt the Colts would trade Luck for all of your picks in the next five drafts.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 07, 2015, 09:07:22 pm
Troy from Stevens Point, WI

I just read that Gene Steratore will be the referee for the game. I believe he is one of the best in the league. What do you know about his crew and him?

I think Gene Steratore is the best in the league. I can hear him now: “After further review, Ralphie.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on January 08, 2015, 10:21:07 am
I think the Packers will use the run to create balance between run and pass and force the Cowboys to either play it straight or risk a guessing game that could result in a big play. If I was the Cowboys, I would fear Lacy as much as I would Aaron.

Maybe, but somehow I don't think the Cowboys are going to be playing 8 in the box most of the game because they fear Lacy. 

I can't believe how utterly ignorant these Packer fans are in the value of what Rodgers brings to a game.  A large part of Lacy's production is that opposing team's are going to let him get his yards to keep Rodgers from killing them with big plays.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: chifaninva on January 08, 2015, 10:52:52 am
Exactly, that's a case of the pass setting up the run..
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 08, 2015, 08:29:38 pm
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000455400/article/president-obama-nonpi-call-was-a-little-suspect

Even our loopy president sees the bad PI call.

And so does Dean Blandino:

NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino admitted Monday that picking up a flag after officials called pass interference in the fourth quarter of Sunday's Lions-Cowboys game was "debatable." He would have preferred that the crew stuck with its initial call and admitted they missed a defensive holding call to boot.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 09, 2015, 05:11:54 pm
Chris from Burlington, ON

Vic, with Rodgers’ calf injury, do you see a lot more shotgun and pistol formations?

The Packers have been using the pistol formation during Rodgers’ bout with his calf injury. The pistol allows him to avoid having to use his bad leg to drop back into the pocket, but having the backs set behind him produces the same effect as Rodgers being under center. The pistol allows a team to run the ball with power.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 09, 2015, 05:16:43 pm
Connor from Thousand Oaks, CA

What’s the mood like, Vic? Is Packernation excited or nervous?

My inbox is jittery, but it’s a good kind of jittery because it’s a respectful jittery
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 09, 2015, 05:18:38 pm
Ken from Long Beach, CA

Vic, there is a lot of media hype claiming Dallas is a hot team coming off the Detroit win. Decades ago, I recall Tom Landry commenting about a team coming off the first-round bye with fresh legs. I am not a Cowboys fan but feel his statement has merit. Do you think the extra week’s rest significantly helps the Packers?

I’m only concerned about one leg, and I think the week off is going to make a big difference for that leg.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 09, 2015, 05:59:17 pm
http://www.rantsports.com/nfl/2014/12/02/ranking-every-nfl-head-coach-from-worst-to-best/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=Taboola&utm_term=Title1&&utm_content=jsonline#slide_65

Ranking the 32 NFL HCs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 09, 2015, 06:01:56 pm
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/joe-buck-and-troy-aikman-love-the-packers-really-b99422107z1-287946241.html

Joe Buck/Troy Aikman.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 09, 2015, 06:11:02 pm
hhttp://bbf.createaforum.com/Smileys/default/smiley.gifttp://www.sbnation.com/2015/1/8/7494163/breaking-madden-beeftank-cowboys-rushing-record

Beeftank demolishes Dallas.    ;)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on January 10, 2015, 07:34:43 am
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10906555_10203730583130431_6710197426022426731_n.jpg?oh=4f1d57ccded273220e88a05fc9b3429b&oe=556ADB0F&__gda__=1430252634_f3f70a604ec8ebfc00b3481577e12e10)

Stay warm Cheezers!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 11, 2015, 10:05:28 am
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/11/mike-mccarthy-surprised-packers-assistants-dont-get-head-coaching-looks/

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Bears4Ever on January 11, 2015, 10:09:05 am
I think its the "Rodgers" effect-  folks seem to feel that its all Aaron and the rest is window dressing.....

That's a BS excuse but perception is reality. At least GB can keep coaches around for an extended period of time (IMHO I still feel that Capers is past his due date tho)...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 11, 2015, 12:55:16 pm
Peckers going down today. Rodgers playing hurt and can not run. Peckers will win as many palyoff games this year as the Bears.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 11, 2015, 01:17:00 pm
Very quiet in cheeseland.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 11, 2015, 02:15:45 pm
Peckers going down....good comedy. Where's blotto's?

LET THE EXCUSES FLOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on January 11, 2015, 07:34:57 pm
The excuses dear beerbelly are all coming (like normal) from pitiful land known as bear country.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 11, 2015, 10:33:23 pm
http://lombardiave.com/2015/01/10/gene-steratore-will-referee-green-bay-packers-vs-dallas-cowboys/?utm_source=FanSided+Daily&utm_medium=email

Thank  goodness for some good officials.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on January 12, 2015, 08:24:21 am
I thought all the Refs had been directed to call everything for Jerrah's cowboys this post-season after the Detroit PI call
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 12, 2015, 04:35:04 pm
I, too,  was curious about how the officials would react, following the debacle with Detroit.  They certainly called this game very well.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 12, 2015, 04:35:29 pm
 
Julius Peppers turned back the hands of time today. He proved just why the team elected him a captain during the playoffs.

Peppers had six total tackles, one sack and two forced fumbles. The second forced fumble appeared on the replay to stop a 50+ yard touchdown run from DeMarco Murray. It was ultimately a game changer.

In a game that the refs played such a huge factor, it appeared that a Tony Romo pass grazed the palm of Pepper’s left hand on a crucial pass interference call. McCarthy was convinced also, but his challenge went unsuccessful. This made the Packers (at the time) one of three NFL teams to be unsuccessful on all challenges for the season.




Honorable Mention has to go to Eddie Lacy, Randall Cobb, the entire offensive line, Clay Matthews, Mike Daniels and Nick Perry as well. It took a team effort today. If you need a dark spot to focus on it has to be the play of Tramon Williams and the continuing existence of Brad Jones as a Green Bay Packer.

I wonder who Brad Jones will be playing for next season.   Without Peppers the Pack probably loses this game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 12, 2015, 04:41:55 pm
 
Paul Ryan @PRyan 
  ·   Jan 11   
.@GovChristie, do you need a hug now? #GoPackGo #WinninginWisco

The governor tweets Chris Christie.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 12, 2015, 11:06:09 pm
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B7KtAEwCQAAA-xC.jpg:large)

Here's approximately the window Aaron Rodgers had on the go-ahead touchdown. Just an absurd throw.

 
11:47 AM - 12 Jan 2015
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 12, 2015, 11:19:06 pm
Dom Capers' defense stopped the best offense it will face in the NFC playoffs

While the Cowboys were never thought of as the scariest team in the NFC playoff field, their offense rated as the best behind the Packers'. Tony Romo was once again healthy, Dez Bryant is in his prime, and the offensive line consistently carved out holes for DeMarco Murray on the ground. They represented a challenge for any defense, especially one like Green Bay's.

And for much of the game, it appeared that Dallas was going to have a big day on offense. Tony Romo played efficient football from the opening kick, helping the Cowboys to a 21-13 lead midway through the third quarter. The Packers, already without defensive end Josh Boyd and playing Jarrett Bush in place of the ineffective Brad Jones in coverage, appeared to have their backs against the wall.

But Dom Capers' crew stepped up at that point, and Dallas never scored again. Nick Perry sacked Romo on the last play of the third quarter and again on the first play of the fourth, forcing the Cowboys' first punt since the game's opening drive. The Packers forced another fourth down on Dallas' next possession setting up the aforementioned Bryant non-catch. Without those two defensive stops, Green Bay doesn't win Sunday's game.

 

To continue moving forward, the Packers will need a more complete effort on defense. Though not as explosive on offense, the Seattle Seahawks can exploit teams on the ground behind Marshawn Lynch. Still, this was the biggest test for Green Bay's defense since facing the New England back in Week 13. It should help prepare the unit for next weekend's NFC Championship game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 12, 2015, 11:22:13 pm
I think its the "Rodgers" effect-  folks seem to feel that its all Aaron and the rest is window dressing.....

That's a BS excuse but perception is reality. At least GB can keep coaches around for an extended period of time (IMHO I still feel that Capers is past his due date tho)...

I have been wondering about Capers, too, B4E.  But with the rookies gaining experience and most players healthy he has done better.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Rajiv on January 13, 2015, 11:51:26 am
I love my Packers!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on January 13, 2015, 11:59:04 am
If you wear that tie to work again im gonna fire your ass.

But since you are an NFL Owner I am sure you wont be hard up for money.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on January 13, 2015, 12:08:29 pm
heh
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 13, 2015, 09:20:43 pm

Oddsmaker: Packers-Patriots Super Bowl would be a pick ‘em

Posted by Mike Wilkening on January 13, 2015, 5:52 PM EST

New England Patriots v Green Bay Packers
How would you like a Super Bowl so closely matched it could have the feel of a coin flip?...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 13, 2015, 09:37:53 pm


Russ from Chicago, IL

It seemed pretty clear Aaron’s mobility was affected. Do you think that will be more of an issue against Seattle’s defense than it was against Dallas?

Seattle is No. 11 in sacks per pass play; Dallas is No. 28. I think it’s only logical to expect Aaron Rodgers’ lack of mobility will be more of an issue against the Seahawks than it was against the Cowboys, but only if Rodgers doesn’t get the same great pass protection he got against the Cowboys. I think we need to trust Mike McCarthy’s judgment of his football team. In 2013, he promised the running game would be improved, and it was, greatly. This year he promised the defense would be improved, and it is, greatly. He also said his offensive line is the best he’s ever had, and he was right, again.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 13, 2015, 09:39:06 pm
Nathan from Denver, CO

Did we just see a one-legged quarterback running a one-dimensional offense come from behind in the second half?

There’s a strong possibility Rodgers has a magic wand. Beware of magic-wand quarterbacks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 13, 2015, 09:40:07 pm
Greg from Melbourne, FL

Vic, how impressed are you with Aaron Rodgers’ performance?

It is one of the most memorable performances I’ve ever covered. Terry Bradshaw was famous for his rise-from-the-dead performances, and I saw Mark Brunell execute a jaw-dropping, one-legged performance on Monday Night Football, but Rodgers has done it three games in a row, and his passer rating during those games has been something that would make any great two-legged quarterback proud. We’re witnessing greatness.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 13, 2015, 09:46:42 pm
He is hurt but it is not that bad.

He is playing it up.  Notice how he can move just fine and throw off it when he needs to.  It is only after live action stops he makes a big play of limping or skipping down the field.  He learned from the master Favre how to do it.  It builds your legend.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 13, 2015, 09:50:43 pm
Brett from Rochester, MN

I’m surprised the Cowboys didn’t call many blitzes early on to test Rodgers and the offensive line. The few times they did call blitzes, however, I noticed the offensive line looked extremely strong. Did you notice this as well?

I noticed Eddie Lacy running the ball down the Cowboys’ throats early in the game. They didn’t have a chance to blitz. The offensive line was outstanding again.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 13, 2015, 09:51:33 pm
Hugh from London, UK

How is the ticker this morning, Vic?

Good thing I got that tuneup.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 13, 2015, 10:09:48 pm
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/24960505/fail-mary-ref-is-battling-depression-has-contemplated-suicide
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 13, 2015, 10:15:06 pm
(https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/449709783860248576/iFX5gLu4_reasonably_small.jpeg)

Poor Dallas.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 13, 2015, 10:38:36 pm
Packers' Corey Linsley and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix Named to 2014 PFWA All-Rookie Team

By Evan "Tex" Western  @TexWestern  on Jan 13 2015, 1:30p  22   
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 14, 2015, 05:55:17 pm
http://nflspinzone.com/2015/01/13/julius-peppers-must-continue-green-bay-packers-mvp-d/?utm_source=FanSided+Daily&utm_medium=email

120 more minutes, Julius.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 15, 2015, 01:53:58 pm
The catch by Cobb at the end of the game hit the ground. They didn't even review it. The Peckers would have had to punt. Apparently the NFL did not want the Cowgirls in the NFC Championship game. Here is the links:

https://vine.co/v/ODZBIg1dV9I

Cheaters.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on January 15, 2015, 03:39:16 pm
That's the way today's NFL is - even after review they can make any call their bookie recommends
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on January 15, 2015, 05:24:10 pm
Sorry bear losers


 It clearly shows his right hand under the ball.



Move on with the coach.......... delay talk.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 15, 2015, 07:01:39 pm
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/15/earl-thomas-doesnt-believe-aaron-rodgers-is-injured/

Oh look the rest of the world has caught on to his scam.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 15, 2015, 07:10:17 pm
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/15/earl-thomas-doesnt-believe-aaron-rodgers-is-injured/

Oh look the rest of the world has caught on to his scam.

Excuses already and they haven't even lost yet.  Afraid Aaron might actually not be injured enough.  You think Earl Thomas is the world? 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 15, 2015, 07:15:01 pm
No, we here did and the rest are catching on.  He only limps after he makes a play.

The comments below the article suggest others have noticed as well.

Makes no difference the Packers are not going to beat the Seahawks in Seattle.  Even with a 100% healthy Rodgers.



Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 15, 2015, 07:25:52 pm
Who are these "we" people?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 15, 2015, 07:34:43 pm
When it first happened JBN called it and said he was not injured just playing drama queen just like Favre.   Sure enough he comes back out in the second half and wins the game.

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 15, 2015, 10:41:34 pm
Yep. And all they're talking about on sports TV is how 'great' Rodgers was on one leg. What bs! The guy may have a hangnail on his big Toe but it hasn't hampered his play one bit. It's exactly the same nonsense they pulled with Favre, who was a expert at the feigning injury bs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on January 16, 2015, 09:08:35 am
I believe he has the injury - he is smart enough to treat it gingerly to make it worse

He was more aggressive with it in the 2nd half - because the 1st half performance wasn't strong enough to beat the Cowboys
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on January 16, 2015, 09:18:17 am

Injuries are part of the game - if the Packers lose...they lose as a team.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on January 16, 2015, 03:31:43 pm
That Cobb catch was ruled a catch on the field.  The replay clearly shows his right hand under the ball.  After that it appears as if it bounces up and off his chest then the back tip of the ball may have hit the ground...

For me I have to agree with the refs. That was not enough evidence to overturn the call on the field.  If it would have ruled incomplete initially then I believe it would have also stood.  Just wasn't enough evidence to prove one way or the other.

I think the refs got it right.  I also think they got the Dez Bryant call right as written in the rule book.  They really need to look at that rule closely this off-season.  I don't know what they can do to change it but it needs to be changed somehow.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on January 16, 2015, 03:51:22 pm

I don't remember but did the cowboys even have a timeout to challenge?    It looked incomplete especially from the rear angle that I hadn't seen before.

As for the Bryant catch, the guy catches the ball with 2 hands, puts it in one hand and lunges for the goal line.  It's not like he just fell down after the catch.  Oh well, it's a done deal.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 16, 2015, 09:03:33 pm
That Cobb catch was ruled a catch on the field.  The replay clearly shows his right hand under the ball.  After that it appears as if it bounces up and off his chest then the back tip of the ball may have hit the ground...

For me I have to agree with the refs. That was not enough evidence to overturn the call on the field.  If it would have ruled incomplete initially then I believe it would have also stood.  Just wasn't enough evidence to prove one way or the other.

I think the refs got it right.  I also think they got the Dez Bryant call right as written in the rule book.  They really need to look at that rule closely this off-season.  I don't know what they can do to change it but it needs to be changed somehow.

Thanks for the objectivity, wml.  I agree that the rule should be modified.

Most all comments by football commentators agree with the call, too.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 16, 2015, 09:07:18 pm
That Cobb catch was ruled a catch on the field.  The replay clearly shows his right hand under the ball.  After that it appears as if it bounces up and off his chest then the back tip of the ball may have hit the ground...

For me I have to agree with the refs. That was not enough evidence to overturn the call on the field.  If it would have ruled incomplete initially then I believe it would have also stood.  Just wasn't enough evidence to prove one way or the other.

I think the refs got it right.  I also think they got the Dez Bryant call right as written in the rule book.  They really need to look at that rule closely this off-season.  I don't know what they can do to change it but it needs to be changed somehow.

I think they were inside two minutes, where the sideline official makes the call, if justified  If, so he obviously didn't think a challenge was valid.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 16, 2015, 09:16:44 pm
I don't remember but did the cowboys even have a timeout to challenge?    It looked incomplete especially from the rear angle that I hadn't seen before.

As for the Bryant catch, the guy catches the ball with 2 hands, puts it in one hand and lunges for the goal line.  It's not like he just fell down after the catch.  Oh well, it's a done deal.

Between one hand and the other the ball came loose and touched the ground.  Let's include all of the facts.  I believe that the same play occurred in a Bears game a year or two back.  A lion player dropped the ball and, then, he went to the ground.  The play was called incomplete.

 There was no need for the incompletion if Bryant had just remembered  the rule.  He  should never have reached out with one hand to try for a TD.  Just hug the ball and drop.

I think that the "tuck rule" is an even worse rule.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on January 16, 2015, 09:48:09 pm
When a receiver can catch a pass and take 2 steps and fall with the ball coming out ruled as incomplete but the same player can make the same catch and take the same two steps but drop the ball and it's a fumble something is wrong with the rule.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 16, 2015, 09:52:59 pm
There was no video showing the ball touching the ground that I ever saw.  Perhaps the refs had some video that was not shown to the public.

The ball certainly moved as he hit the ground but was his hand under it?  No video I saw showed evidence to prove it either way.  Which is why I said if it had been called incomplete on the field it should have stood.  Just as it should have stood as a completed pass.

Bryant reached for the goal line which is a football move and has been ruled so in the past.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on January 16, 2015, 10:16:18 pm
When making a catch while going to the ground you must maintain control throughout the catch.  He was going to the ground.  He did not catch the ball and take two steps then lunge for the endzone.  He was falling to the ground as he was taking those steps therefore he must maintain control even when he reached out.

BTW I don't know what replays you are looking at but his hand was in no way underneath the ball.  Had that been the case then it would have been a completed pass because he rolled over and still caught it on his belly in the endzone.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap3000000456759/Did-Dez-catch-it

You need to watch these replays again.  Clearly his hand was on the side of the ball when the ball made contact with the ground.  He did not take two "steps" but did get two feet on the ground as he was falling to the ground.  He did not catch the ball, take two steps and lunge for the line.  There was no football move other then falling to the ground and lunging for the endzone at the same time.

I hate the Packers and wanted Dallas to win this but the refs applied the rule as written.  You can not ask for more.

And the Cobb catch was with under 2 minutes to play and had to be an official call to look at it.  I assume the guy in the booth who makes that call looked at it and assumed that there just wasn't enough question there to overturn the call.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on January 16, 2015, 10:19:51 pm
Dez's catch looks similar to Calvin Johnson's catch...

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d81a77070/Controversial-call-on-Megatron-non-TD
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 16, 2015, 10:24:56 pm
True.  It's a bad rule. No one is arguing that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 16, 2015, 10:25:07 pm

NFL: Super Bowl XLV-Green Bay Packers vs Pittsburgh

Lombardi Ave: Finally, >:( who will represent the NFC in Super Bowl XLIX? Give us your score prediction as well as the players who most influence that outcome.

 12th Man Rising: I think Seattle wins this one, mostly because they are playing at home and because Aaron Rodgers is hurt. Both teams will have some offensive success, but that doesn’t mean it’ll turn into a shootout.

 I suspect that the biggest difference in this game will be be Russell Wilson‘s legs. A 220 yards passing/80 yards rushing day isn’t out of the question by any means, especially given Dom Capers’ past-struggles to design a game plan to stop running QBs. If Wilson gets going on the ground, it could be a long day for the Packers’ defense.

 Seattle 32 – 23 Green Bay

A big thanks the 12th Man Rising and Keith Myers. One of our sites will be representing a Super Bowl team over the next two weeks, while one will be writing draft previews and hopes for 2015. It should be an “epic” NFC Championship Game.

Hard to pick GB over Seattle considering Rodgers' condition and the 12th Man in Seattle.  Never give up on Aaron, though.     >:(
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on January 16, 2015, 10:30:13 pm
Quote
True.  It's a bad rule.

I don't know if it is a bad rule or not.  You have to define what a catch is in order to complete it.  If not we are back at square one.  If the ball touched the ground no matter what it was incomplete.  People threw a fit over it because it would have been incomplete even if the ball didn't even nudge when it hit the ground.

Damned if you do damned if you don't.  I think people just need to get over it and accept what the rule is.

Unless they come up with a better definition of a completed pass.  Good luck with that task rules committee.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 16, 2015, 11:32:52 pm

Vic Ketchman

packers.com editor

Ask Vic a question
 
Packers defense up to No. 19 overall, No. 6 vs. the pass
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 16, 2015, 11:46:33 pm
Ross from Sudbury, Ontario

Is Eddie Lacy’s knee injury anything to be concerned about?

It gave me reason for pause. He’s a player of critical importance to this team, especially in this game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 16, 2015, 11:47:34 pm
Colton from Galesville, WI

Vic, who’s going to make the difference that won’t show up on the stat sheet?

That’s easy: the offensive linemen. The Packers must win up front.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 16, 2015, 11:57:08 pm
Jack from Wausau, WI

Why is the mainstream media writing off a potential Packers win?

The Seahawks are No. 1 in the NFC, they’re playing at home and the opposing quarterback has a leg injury. Why are Packers fans struggling with the role of underdog?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 17, 2015, 12:01:20 am



Laurel from Edinburg, VA

Vic, my husband says rain in Seattle is good for the Packers, because the receivers have the advantage of the cut. I think he’s full of bird droppings. That defense is too good.

I agree with your husband. I think a slower track would favor the Packers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on January 17, 2015, 08:31:24 am
Quote
I agree with your husband. I think a slower track would favor the Packers.

Vic,

You and her husband are dumb asses.  The seahawks play on fake grass.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on January 17, 2015, 09:37:32 am
Vic,

You and her husband are dumb asses.  The seahawks play on fake grass.

LOLOLOLOL!!!!

They're both full of bird droppings....  ;D  ;D
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 17, 2015, 08:30:38 pm
Rodgers response to false new comments:

As for comments from Seattle defenders on Thursday that they weren’t “buying” that Rodgers was actually hurt?

“Between them and (ESPN’s) Adam Schefter, I don’t know if I need to say anything about my calf,” Rodgers said. “Those are all the updates you need.”

LOL!

  Rodgers poking fun of one of the big-mouth Sea Hag CB  show-offs and one of the story-creating sports would-be journalists.

Think about this: This prima-donna CB thinks that he is so good that the Packers spend two weeks pretending Rodgers is injured so a Seahag CB will be fooled into being overconfident. 

Yeah, McCarthy has the Packers risk two critical games because that CB is so good the Packers need to risk their future in order to fool him.  Then, a Bear fan gobbles up this nonsense.  Way to lose your credibility.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 17, 2015, 08:38:11 pm
Sean-Luc from Oceanside, CA

Vic, how did you feel the Packers defense did against the Cowboys and how do you think it will translate to the Seahawks game this week?

I was OK with how the defense played, but I think it can play better. The need to stop the run will be the same, but Russell Wilson offers a very different challenge than Tony Romo did. This is the game for which the Packers drafted players such as Datone Jones and Nick Perry, and signed Julius Peppers. The Packers defense desperately needed to become more athletic, and it has. Wilson makes plays in space. Jones, Perry, Peppers and Clay Matthews must deny Wilson opportunities to make plays in space.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 17, 2015, 08:42:40 pm
Rich from Pueblo, CO

What does the offense need to do better than in Week 1, to gain an advantage and win?

The Packers need to run the ball. This will be an old-school football game. You throw to score, but you run to win.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 18, 2015, 05:36:00 pm
Peckers were lucky the whole game. Seattle gave them the game. 5 turnovers?

Shittty coaching by the Beaver. Kicking 5 field goals = loss.

Lucky season for the Peckers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: JBN on January 18, 2015, 05:37:27 pm
Poor Otto.  Serves the dick right.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 18, 2015, 05:42:45 pm
Otto's is crying passed out out on the floor of his barn.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 18, 2015, 05:56:38 pm
Biggest choke job in the histroy of sports. Up 19 to 7 late.....good job there Beaver.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: stelz on January 18, 2015, 05:58:00 pm
It was great!  Thank you football gods!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 18, 2015, 06:02:03 pm
Thank God no more stupid Rodgers superman bs!! Thank you Seachickens!!! What I'd love to know is how the heck Rodgers was able to draw Seattle AT HOME offsides several times? It should have been a heavy Seattle home advantage and yet he was able to nail them repeatedly. Regardless, Seattle put a end to the GB season....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest77 on January 18, 2015, 06:08:20 pm
Wow.  What a finish.  Feel bad for that Bostick kid who lost the onside kick.  Nice season for GB.  Tough way to go down.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on January 18, 2015, 06:45:36 pm
What?  Now more "dear Vic" circle jerk? Damn. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 18, 2015, 06:49:54 pm
Rodgers QB rating was 55.8....he alsmost played as bad as Wilson.

Wilson was way beyound terrible. he did not throw it away. Wilson made terrible decisions. Ran when he shouldn't. Did not run when it was wide open.

5 turnovers and only 6 points....nice coaching buddy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: VJ on January 18, 2015, 06:53:35 pm
Why didn't they go after a one armed Sherman?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 18, 2015, 07:02:05 pm
VJ, MORE bad coaching.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on January 18, 2015, 08:19:16 pm
Wow.  What a finish.  Feel bad for that Bostick kid who lost the onside kick.  Nice season for GB.  Tough way to go down.

Couldn't say it better.  As much as I want to rub it in, it is out of jealousy that I am sick of their 2 qbs (Favre and Rodgers) that have hardly missed games and performed at all pro level for over 20 years.  I just want them to know the Bears suffering so a loss like this grounds them a little and lets them feel our pain

Good season...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 18, 2015, 08:22:51 pm
I was telling my wife, "What a shitty football season.  Now the Packers are going to the Super Bowl on top of it all."  Then it all began to change.

GREAT GAME!!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on January 18, 2015, 08:24:40 pm
I think I'm most happy about not have to pull for the Patriots. I was dreading that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 18, 2015, 10:34:41 pm
BIGGEST COMBACK in Conference championship history!!!! Way to go Seahawks!!!!

Wahhhhhgers whinning after the game......."We were the better team" - good comedy.....you lost bozo.

Let the excuses flow.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on January 19, 2015, 12:31:27 am
After wondering where the predicted blowout was, I realized that we dominated the bears.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on January 19, 2015, 01:09:31 am

packrat

Tough loss.  I think the NFC would have been well represented by either the Seahawks, Packers and Cowboys.


otto

Which playoff loss was more painful for you?  The Vick playoff victory in the snow and cold at Lambeau?  the NY Giant OT loss?  Or today's OT loss?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 19, 2015, 01:27:35 am
All of them LOL!!!! This one stings especially for them since they 'thought' they had it. Epic collapse, just epic. Record setting epic.....oh yea, I'm enjoying it..... Rodgers was cocky after the game, Wilson...humble.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Coach on January 19, 2015, 01:36:10 am
For your schadenfreude reading pleasure:

http://www.acmepackingcompany.com/2015/1/18/7755163/packers-seahawks-nfc-championship-game-thread-4/in/7498106
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on January 19, 2015, 01:40:37 am
I thought the Packers defense, particularly the DBs had a very effective game against the Seahawks passing game.

I froze the screen on the last play and was telling my son that the Packers are expecting a Marshawn Lynch run on first down as I counted 9 in the box.  I said I hope the Seahawks throw on this down.  Little did I know that they would go for it all.  Great call.

Packers DBs didn't give up that play - their DC did.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on January 19, 2015, 07:26:42 am
After wondering where the predicted blowout was, I realized that we dominated the bears.

Other than that Mrs. Lincoln how did you enjoy the play?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on January 19, 2015, 08:40:19 am
Thank you, Coach...that's great reading!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on January 19, 2015, 09:38:16 am
LOL!  Some posts from coaches game thread on the Packers board...

Quote
GB WON THE GAME WITH THAT FG! 19-7! It's over Seattle isn't coming back to upset the Packers! Packers headed to SB XLIX!
by StormTrooperJedi on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:33 PM reply

Quote
I'm @#$%ing loving our defense today.
"F%$# you, Bill George. We're coming after you." -Bart Starr

by Johnny Blood McNally on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:37 PM reply

Quote
Packers headed to XLIX! Congrats : )
by StormTrooperJedi on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:37 PM reply

Quote
7 Minutes Left
The clock is ticking…

by JunkMasterFlex23 on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:41 PM reply

LOL!  They even had the game MVP picked out...

Quote
HHCD would've sealed MVP honors with that play.
by jkoper on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:41 PM reply
He might already have it with a Packers win
He’s been keeping us in the game.

by terminalmancer on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:42 PM up reply

Quote
wilson is getting punked in the ass
"And check this: the President don't wanna come watch us win the Super Bowl? Guess what? WE'LL GO SEE HIM!" - Charles Woodson

"You've been banned from Daily Norseman."

by vaultsuit on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:42 PM reply

Quote
Damn our D and secondary are playing like a superbowl team!!!!
Gimme another beer...the Packers..Brewers...Badgers are winning!...wait..wheres that salad again?

by wipackerfan on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:42 PM reply



LOL  Even a dear Vic fan on there...

Quote
There's Vic's inbox filled :D
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
"Pitchers have always cheated. They're crooks and scoundrels. I don't trust any of 'em." -Richie Ashburn
This carefully-considered opinion is brought to you by The Clutch16 Marketing Organization™

by Ryan W. Kasten on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:43 PM up reply

Quote
Even a field goal probably nets us the game here.
Man, I have to say, I was not optimistic enough to see this happening this morning.

One Hawks fan leaves the building...

Quote
well played guys
Gl in the Superbowl. Just an awful display from RW today.

by RoninX on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:45 PM reply

Quote
I just want to take a moment to point something out that I think we all realize:
Our defense and special teams are winning us a playoff game against the defending superbowl champions on the road.

If they finish off this last drive, that’s legendary.

EDIT: They just won us the thing. Wow.

After my stellar first grade academic achievements, I continued to perform well in the city primary schools - except for penmanship, which was not my forte. -Vernon L. Smith

by Vreeland2 on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:49 PM reply

And here is the pick and laydown reaction.

Quote
I'm out Packers Nation, Congrats on beating the defending Champs, you're headed to SB XLIX! Great Game!
by StormTrooperJedi on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:49 PM reply
hawks61
Thanks. Total class on your part.

Proud fan of the 2010 and 2013 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks, as well as, the 2010 Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers.

"You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself into one."

by hawks61 on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:50 PM up reply
Begemot9
Woooooot!

by Begemot9 on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:50 PM reply
Jrauch11
YESSSS!!!!!!!
by Jrauch11 on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:50 PM reply
JunkMasterFlex23
INTERCEPTION
THAT MIGHT JUST HAVE SEALED IT.

by JunkMasterFlex23 on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:50 PM reply
StormTrooperJedi
Might? It was over the 1st time I said Congrats! See , told ya!
by StormTrooperJedi on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:51 PM up reply
JunkMasterFlex23
Can Never Be Too Cautious
However, the clock keeps ticking and things are looking damn good for GB. If so, good prediction!

by JunkMasterFlex23 on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:52 PM up reply
YESSSSSSSS
"Don't talk the talk if you can't walk the walk, phony n***as are outlined in chalk." Wu-Tang Clan.

PACKERS | RUTGERS | GUNNERS | BOMBERS

by steviePOPO on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:50 PM reply
King Of Carrot Flowers
YES!! YES!! YES!!
I have a new philosophy. I'm only going to dread one day at a time. – Charles M. Schulz
Go Pack!

by King Of Carrot Flowers on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:50 PM reply
Gravity
PICK
Packers | Diamondbacks | Penguins | Kings

by Gravity on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:50 PM reply
Vreeland2
And they just won it for us, btw
After my stellar first grade academic achievements, I continued to perform well in the city primary schools - except for penmanship, which was not my forte. -Vernon L. Smith

by Vreeland2 on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:50 PM reply
FCPackers
LOLOLOLOL
"The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have."
Vince Lombardi

"Mais vale perder de vez em quando do que ganhar de vez em quando"
Pinto da Costa

by FCPackers on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:50 PM reply
YES
by terminalmancer on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:50 PM reply
Burnett, you're allowed to return that.
There are 5 minutes left, not 2.

by jkoper on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:50 PM reply

Quote
yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
"And check this: the President don't wanna come watch us win the Super Bowl? Guess what? WE'LL GO SEE HIM!" - Charles Woodson

"You've been banned from Daily Norseman."

by vaultsuit on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:50 PM reply
Ted Simmons Speed Camp
 I really almost can't believe it.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:50 PM reply
a3uge
LEGION OF CHHHHHHHEEEEEEESSSSSSSEEEEEEE
by a3uge on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:50 PM reply
wipackerfan
i just passed out omg
Gimme another beer...the Packers..Brewers...Badgers are winning!...wait..wheres that salad again?

by wipackerfan on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:50 PM reply
Ri0
That should do it!
Woooooooooo!

by Ri0 on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:50 PM reply

Another hawks fan bails and Packer fans celebrated their win...

Quote
Hawks fan here
Congrats. You guys were the better team today by far.

Good luck in the Superbowl.

by BlackSanta on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:52 PM reply
Quiter!
by nflfan12 on Jan 18, 2015 | 6:34 PM up reply
This hasn't been football, it's been freaking Blood Bowl.
by terminalmancer on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:52 PM reply

I smell some fear setting in....

Quote
Three straight runs. And that punt. Just bad, all around.
Sapere Aude

by Old English on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:55 PM reply
4 minutes left with 1 TO remaining
As long as our defense doesn’t **** the bed, we’re good.

by TarnsmanDW on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:55 PM reply

Quote
keep ticking clock, keep ticking.
All I ever wanted was to be loved.
Go Big Red
Proud member of Team Sunshine

by thehobodownthestreet on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:55 PM reply
JunkMasterFlex23
The Clock Is Ticking...
Three and a half minutes left.

by JunkMasterFlex23 on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:55 PM reply
Old English
At least a screen on third down.
Sapere Aude

by Old English on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:55 PM reply
Both impressed and perplexed that Seattle still running it
by wisky911 on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:55 PM reply

TD HAWKS...

Quote
I really don't get any of this after the int.
by jon6er on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:56 PM reply
Johnny Blood McNally
 **** **** ****
Seattle won’t die. Crazy resilient.

"F%$# you, Bill George. We're coming after you." -Bart Starr

by Johnny Blood McNally on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:56 PM reply
I certainly hope Burnett did not lose this with his "smart" play
by bpatrickJD on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:56 PM reply

Were they the only ones who saw OPI?

Quote
Should have been OPI.
Great coverage by Williams.

"To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." - Aristotle

by Dkscherer on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:56 PM reply
Uh offensive PI
by wisky911 on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:56 PM reply
No offensive PI there?
Sigh.

by terminalmancer on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:56 PM reply
Gravity
Well that was OPI
Packers | Diamondbacks | Penguins | Kings

by Gravity on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:57 PM reply
JunkMasterFlex23
****
Seahawks TD. They’re reviewing it…

by JunkMasterFlex23 on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:57 PM reply

Quote
leesandrew
 wow...
"Back off man I'm a scientist"

by leesandrew on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:57 PM reply
ThatOneGuy1337
The **** was that!?
by ThatOneGuy1337 on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:57 PM reply
vaultsuit
**** hell...
"And check this: the President don't wanna come watch us win the Super Bowl? Guess what? WE'LL GO SEE HIM!" - Charles Woodson

"You've been banned from Daily Norseman."

by vaultsuit on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:57 PM reply
hugged him all the way to the end zone
by Starquest on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:57 PM reply
thehobodownthestreet
****, ****, ****, ****, ****, ****, ****, ****.
All I ever wanted was to be loved.
Go Big Red
Proud member of Team Sunshine

by thehobodownthestreet on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:57 PM reply
lowandslow21
Oh for
crying out loud.

by lowandslow21 on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:57 PM reply
Old English
Terrible no-call.
Sapere Aude

by Old English on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:57 PM reply
So blatant
by wisky911 on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:58 PM up reply
thehobodownthestreet
He's out.
All I ever wanted was to be loved.
Go Big Red
Proud member of Team Sunshine

by thehobodownthestreet on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:57 PM reply
Apsylum75
stupid...just plain stupid
by Apsylum75 on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:57 PM reply
Well, ****.
Don’t let them back into the game, McCarthy!

by terminalmancer on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:57 PM reply

There is still hope in this one...

Quote
this D better not lax after 3 quarters of great play
by Apsylum75 on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:59 PM reply
Vreeland2
 At this point no matter what happens
We’re an onside recovery and a first down from victory formation.

I’m trying not to go too crazy yet.

After my stellar first grade academic achievements, I continued to perform well in the city primary schools - except for penmanship, which was not my forte. -Vernon L. Smith

by Vreeland2 on Jan 18, 2015 | 4:59 PM reply

LOL!  The reaction to the onside kick.  I also like the Canadian comment right before the kick.  That was funny.

Quote
We let a Canadian throw a td pass on us?
by CyberWolfe on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:03 PM reply
So tense!
by TarnsmanDW on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:04 PM reply
 I don't like the wet field on the onside kick
And that. God damn it.

by jkoper on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:04 PM reply
lowandslow21
Jesus
by lowandslow21 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:04 PM reply
JunkMasterFlex23
Onside Kick Recovered By Seattle
Holy **** holy **** holy ****.

by JunkMasterFlex23 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:04 PM reply
nononononono
by wisky911 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:04 PM reply
Wiedmann
Unbelievable
13.

Coming soon: Updated sig line.

by Wiedmann on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:04 PM reply
%UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK
BOSTICK

by CyberWolfe on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:04 PM reply
jesus christ
by Starquest on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:04 PM reply
Gravity
No
no no no no no

Packers | Diamondbacks | Penguins | Kings

by Gravity on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:04 PM reply
GOD DAMN IT
by terminalmancer on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:04 PM reply
Begemot9
Gah.

by Begemot9 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:04 PM reply
ThatOneGuy1337
Slowcum has to be fired!
by ThatOneGuy1337 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:04 PM reply
green and golden
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
by green and golden on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:04 PM reply
vaultsuit
cut bostick...
"And check this: the President don't wanna come watch us win the Super Bowl? Guess what? WE'LL GO SEE HIM!" - Charles Woodson

"You've been banned from Daily Norseman."

by vaultsuit on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:04 PM reply
leesandrew
just leave him in seattle?
"Back off man I'm a scientist"

by leesandrew on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:06 PM up reply
Johnny Blood McNally
Ugh.
"F%$# you, Bill George. We're coming after you." -Bart Starr

by Johnny Blood McNally on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:04 PM reply
Goddamit
"Don't talk the talk if you can't walk the walk, phony n***as are outlined in chalk." Wu-Tang Clan.

PACKERS | RUTGERS | GUNNERS | BOMBERS

by steviePOPO on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:04 PM reply
Andersac
Are you kidding me????
Its like we’re actively trying to throw this game away!

BECW S8 Champions - 50 Shades of Go **** Yourself
BECW S9 Champions - 50 Shades of Go **** Yourself Harder
BECW S10 Champions - 50 Shades of Go **** Yourself Harder & Harder
BECW S11 Favourites - 50 Shades of (insert variation of fuckery here)



by Andersac on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:04 PM reply
Bostick is on our hands team?
by bpatrickJD on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:04 PM reply
Apsylum75
you **** kidding me.
That lay down on the into….oh man

by Apsylum75 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:04 PM reply
jesus christ no
by randy77 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:04 PM reply
a3uge
Special teams
by a3uge on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:04 PM reply
OMG.
This is turning into a nightmare. Bostick wiffed! Are you kidding me?!? No way.

"To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." - Aristotle

by Dkscherer on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:05 PM reply

Then they score again...

Quote
JunkMasterFlex23
Make Stops
Jesus christ.

by JunkMasterFlex23 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:08 PM reply
green and golden
rise up, defense!!!!!!!!!
by green and golden on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:08 PM reply
The pulled him across the line
by CyberWolfe on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:09 PM reply
All of a sudden.
No defense.

"To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." - Aristotle

by Dkscherer on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:09 PM reply
JunkMasterFlex23
****
**** HELL ****.

by JunkMasterFlex23 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:09 PM reply
Have we run a single play action in the 2nd half?
by TarnsmanDW on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:09 PM reply
OMG!
by CyberWolfe on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:09 PM reply
mitraqa
Yup
by mitraqa on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:09 PM reply
Begemot9
FffffffffffS….

by Begemot9 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:09 PM reply
Gravity
NO
Packers | Diamondbacks | Penguins | Kings

by Gravity on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:09 PM reply
lowandslow21
Now it's on Rodgers
by lowandslow21 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:09 PM reply
For the love of god...
by terminalmancer on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:09 PM reply
ThatOneGuy1337
Damn it.
They just pissed this game away.

by ThatOneGuy1337 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:09 PM reply
ahtrap
scored too early....Packers are winning this game
Eat 'em up, Tigers! LGRW! #formafuckingwall @ahtrapsm

by ahtrap on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:09 PM reply
a3uge
This is dumb.
by a3uge on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:09 PM reply
Amazing
by bpatrickJD on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:09 PM reply
Lots of time left
Man, that sucks, but we still have a great shot here. What a disappointing end to a dominating defensive performance today.

by jkoper on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:09 PM reply
lol
so bad right at the end

by UK Packer on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:10 PM reply
Spartankid
This is why you don't go down when you get an INT with 5 **** MINUTES LEFT
"Let's look death in the face and say, "Whatever man." - Hurley



by Spartankid on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:10 PM reply
JunkMasterFlex23
Oh My God
Oh my god. What is this.

by JunkMasterFlex23 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:10 PM reply
this is really disheartening
by randy77 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:10 PM reply
mitraqa
I like Shields flaying at him at the end the best
by mitraqa on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:10 PM reply
Apsylum75
qfuck **** **** im sick.
**** mm thinking the game over at 6 min

by Apsylum75 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:10 PM reply
What a joke.
I feel sick to my stomach. I want to cry. I just can’t believe it even though I could sense something like this happening.

"To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." - Aristotle

by Dkscherer on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:10 PM reply
is this the biggest choke job in GB history?
i’m only 35, but its certainly the worst i’ve seen

by gangstaff on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:10 PM reply
lowandslow21
biggest I've ever seen
by lowandslow21 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:11 PM up reply
hawks61
One of the biggest collapses in the NFL history and now it’s time for heads to roll come the offseason.

Proud fan of the 2010 and 2013 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks, as well as, the 2010 Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers.

"You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself into one."

by hawks61 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:10 PM reply
Wiedmann
No
13.

Coming soon: Updated sig line.

by Wiedmann on Jan 18, 2015 | 7:04 PM up reply
leesandrew
some real bad voodoo in this city...
"Back off man I'm a scientist"

by leesandrew on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:10 PM reply
mitraqa
Might as well let them get that too.
by mitraqa on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:10 PM reply
Jesus
by bpatrickJD on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:10 PM reply
lowandslow21
Unbelievable
by lowandslow21 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:10 PM reply
JunkMasterFlex23
And Somehow...
They get the two-point conversion on a ridiculous throw.

by JunkMasterFlex23 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:10 PM reply

Quote
**** me
by Apsylum75 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:11 PM reply
JunkMasterFlex23
 What Is This
What is happening. What is happening.

by JunkMasterFlex23 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:11 PM reply
Just kill me right now
by TarnsmanDW on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:11 PM reply

15 points in 44 seconds...think about that
by bpatrickJD on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:12 PM reply

I guess when you got #12 there is hope...

Quote
Come On Rodgers
Bring this one back.

by JunkMasterFlex23 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:12 PM reply
And now the best QB in the league wins it.
by hijoknog on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:12 PM reply

Quote
FG IS GOOD
TIED GAME.

by JunkMasterFlex23 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:17 PM reply
Dirty Sanchez
Should have been for the win
I've got 8 slugs in me. One's lead, and the rest are bourbon.



by Dirty Sanchez on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:18 PM up reply
I can't believe this is happening
by CyberWolfe on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:17 PM reply
money
by randy77 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:17 PM reply
lowandslow21
 Now what?
by lowandslow21 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:17 PM reply
Ryan W. Kasten
OT, baby

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on January 19, 2015, 09:39:57 am
The next quote I am going to guess is going to be a long one of Packer pain...

LOL.  I thought the thread stopped but they have a thread for each quarter.  Had to go back and find a link.  OVERTIME THREAD
http://www.acmepackingcompany.com/2015/1/18/7774167/packers-seahawks-overtime-thread

Fist off some dummy doesn't know the rules changed...

Quote
"Both teams will have the chance to posess the ball once, unless the first posession scores a TD"
Da ****?

"You are banned from Windy City Gridiron" --- For doing nothing...dicks...

by MoMedic9019 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:25 PM up reply

wait, if they score we dont get a try!?
OMG

by CyberWolfe on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:27 PM reply
eddy.rodgerskubrick
If it's a TD no.
The new CBA de facto forbids coaches from teaching tackling! Get it straight.

Games gone to:
Lions@Packers 2012, W, Sunday Night
Packers@Cowboys 2013, W, greatest comeback in franchise history
Packers@Buccaneers 2014, W

by eddy.rodgerskubrick on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:28 PM up reply

I just copied the first 4 minutes after the TD.  It was all good comedy.

Quote
Packers have to be in shock.
Just like the rest of us. No way this should be happening.

"To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." - Aristotle

by Dkscherer on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:29 PM reply
JunkMasterFlex23
****
It’s done.

by JunkMasterFlex23 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:29 PM reply
Begemot9
That’s it.

by Begemot9 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:29 PM reply
haroldo
The **** worst. Ever.
I like geese.

by haroldo on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:30 PM up reply
Dirty Sanchez
**** conservative McCarthy
I've got 8 slugs in me. One's lead, and the rest are bourbon.



by Dirty Sanchez on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:29 PM reply
lowandslow21
****
Christ.

by lowandslow21 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:29 PM reply
ThatOneGuy1337
Fire Slocum, fire Capers, cut Hawk and Bostick.
by ThatOneGuy1337 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:29 PM reply
MoMedic9019
Yep.
"You are banned from Windy City Gridiron" --- For doing nothing...dicks...

by MoMedic9019 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:30 PM up reply
You can't really blame Capers the players just thought they had it won with to much time left.
Find it funny now people want Boystick gone when just the other day I said we should get a upgrade at TE and give up on him since it’s been years of waiting for him to turn into something.

Marsh

by marsh4455 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:39 PM up reply
ThatOneGuy1337
I can blame Capers for playing prevent
Which has rarely worked.

by ThatOneGuy1337 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:51 PM up reply
ilikeburritos
Defense does well in the beginning
And then completely **** their pants in the end. Smh.

Go ahead, make my day.

by ilikeburritos on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:30 PM reply
ahtrap
#15 strikes again
my sympathies, folks

Eat 'em up, Tigers! LGRW! #formafuckingwall @ahtrapsm

by ahtrap on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:30 PM reply
lowandslow21
That was on
Coaching. Offense, defense and ST

by lowandslow21 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:30 PM reply
vaultsuit
don't blame bostick...
offense left a lot points on the field today…. i’m shattered

"And check this: the President don't wanna come watch us win the Super Bowl? Guess what? WE'LL GO SEE HIM!" - Charles Woodson

"You've been banned from Daily Norseman."

by vaultsuit on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:30 PM reply
ThatOneGuy1337
I'm blaming Bostick
He **** up HUGE!

by ThatOneGuy1337 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:31 PM up reply
mitraqa
I'm pretty sure bostic still had something to do with it
Playing scared in the red zone and with a lead in the 4th killed them.

Embarrassing!

by mitraqa on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:33 PM up reply
hawks61
Well, Shawn Slocum. You’ve lost your’re job as well as Capers.

Proud fan of the 2010 and 2013 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks, as well as, the 2010 Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers.

"You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself into one."

by hawks61 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:30 PM reply
This hurts. Maybe more than any game ever.
I hope the Seahawks lose by 80. And I hate all those people who came in here to congratulate us. God damn it.

by jkoper on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:30 PM reply
JunkMasterFlex23
I'm In Schock
I’m just in shock.

by JunkMasterFlex23 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:30 PM reply
Same.
by demigod1987 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:30 PM up reply
FCPackers
Thank you all for the season on APC. You were all great!
Let´s move on. This is sad…

"The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have."
Vince Lombardi

"Mais vale perder de vez em quando do que ganhar de vez em quando"
Pinto da Costa

by FCPackers on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:30 PM reply
Apsylum75
**** Slocum **** bostickfuck Burnett sitting on the int with 6 min EFT. **** mm for stalling with6 min left
by Apsylum75 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:30 PM reply
Wow.
I can’t even say that was a good effort. It was a great first half. And then just no leadership. Have to think this falls on MM.

by wisky911 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:31 PM reply
Ted Simmons Speed Camp
 McCarthy got what he deserved.
I hope that one eats at him for years, because it damn well should. He called plays like a coward when that game was there to be won.

by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:31 PM reply
mitraqa
His derp fails in the red zone and with a lead in the second half are appalling
And all too consistent

by mitraqa on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:32 PM up reply
FCPackers
It will hurt him forever. Let´s give him some slack.
"The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have."
Vince Lombardi

"Mais vale perder de vez em quando do que ganhar de vez em quando"
Pinto da Costa

by FCPackers on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:32 PM up reply
Ted Simmons Speed Camp
No thanks.
Maybe tomorrow. Not today.

by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:32 PM up reply
FCPackers
Fair enough. I´m crushed too, as you can imagine.
"The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have."
Vince Lombardi

"Mais vale perder de vez em quando do que ganhar de vez em quando"
Pinto da Costa

by FCPackers on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:33 PM up reply
I don't wish a lifetime of misfortune on anyone
But those were dumb, and he called plays scared half the game.

by terminalmancer on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:32 PM up reply
The play calling was conservative and predictable.
Guys were shooting gaps right to our backs. Then the defense just caved in as if they had done enough to win when it wasn’t over. The Burnett pick should have been the nail in he coffin and it was more like Elmer’s glue. Very, very weak to say the least.

"To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." - Aristotle

by Dkscherer on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:47 PM up reply
JunkMasterFlex23
 And All Those People Were Cheering Our Victory By The Start Of The Fourth
This is what the **** happens when you get complacent.

by JunkMasterFlex23 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:31 PM reply
Begemot9
Yup.

by Begemot9 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:31 PM up reply
I don't think anyone from our site was doing that.
by jkoper on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:32 PM up reply
McGreggers
Shut up
Games are won on the field not the message board

Spill it Pickett!

by McGreggers on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:33 PM up reply
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on January 19, 2015, 09:40:16 am
Quote
JunkMasterFlex23
I'm Not Calling Out People On The Message Board
I’m saying "Look, the Packers thought they were going to win too. And they didn’t. They got complacent and they screwed up." It’s annoying to see people talk about forgone conclusions because nothing is forgone. The Packers choked. This is not a diss to people on ACP – not at all, on the contrary fans were great – but it’s a comment on complacency.

by JunkMasterFlex23 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:35 PM up reply
ahtrap
it was hawks fans and pats fans
Eat 'em up, Tigers! LGRW! #formafuckingwall @ahtrapsm

by ahtrap on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:34 PM up reply
JunkMasterFlex23
Was It?
If it was, I was not aware of that.

by JunkMasterFlex23 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:36 PM up reply
Rats
by Big10freak on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:31 PM reply
Epic choke job
I didn’t expect to win, or even be close…what a brutal collapse

by gangstaff on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:31 PM reply
Epic doesn't even get close.
by demigod1987 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:31 PM up reply
This is the most painful lose of all time.
by demigod1987 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:31 PM reply
Ri0
4 and 26
Still haunts me

by Ri0 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:32 PM up reply
this
this hurts but that one was a straight kick to the nuts

by Adin on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:34 PM up reply
I have no words. Crushed.
by Michael V Herndon on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:32 PM reply
Apsylum75
**** these guys
by Apsylum75 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:32 PM reply
They came out hungry in the first.
and went prevent in the second. Prevent only prevents you from winning the game. It was a hell of a season, and maybe we get them next year.

by hijoknog on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:32 PM reply
 Probably the most poorly coached and played 5 minutes of any game I can remember
by bpatrickJD on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:32 PM reply
MoMedic9019
Why the **** do we let up with a lead.
"You are banned from Windy City Gridiron" --- For doing nothing...dicks...

by MoMedic9019 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:32 PM up reply
Dirty Sanchez
It's what McCarthy does
**** McCarthy and his play calling

I've got 8 slugs in me. One's lead, and the rest are bourbon.



by Dirty Sanchez on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:34 PM up reply
SpaceGhost34
SLOCUM HAS TO GO
Packers over the Bears, Illini over the Badgers...

by SpaceGhost34 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:40 PM up reply
ThatOneGuy1337
McCarthy is timid.
And it killed him this time.

by ThatOneGuy1337 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:39 PM up reply
Agree it was totally **** stupid of him to try running the ball with 6 Min left
Why not just keep playing football instead of thinking you got the game in the **** bag

Marsh

by marsh4455 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:43 PM up reply
JunkMasterFlex23
I Don't Know What To Say
Really.

by JunkMasterFlex23 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:32 PM reply
Whoissantaclaus?
McCarthy should be fired. You cannot settle for two field goals on the 1 yard line two times in a row.

"We will not build our offensive game plans around our punter, I'll tell you that." - Rex Ryan

"Philly fans are great. Everybody complains about them being the meanest. That may be true. But, at the same time, they're great because it does get you into the game." - Michael Strahan

by Whoissantaclaus? on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:32 PM reply
That's not what did us in. It was the 2nd half.
by wisky911 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:33 PM up reply
eddy.rodgerskubrick
Yes
The new CBA de facto forbids coaches from teaching tackling! Get it straight.

Games gone to:
Lions@Packers 2012, W, Sunday Night
Packers@Cowboys 2013, W, greatest comeback in franchise history
Packers@Buccaneers 2014, W

by eddy.rodgerskubrick on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:33 PM up reply
No, it had a big impact.
Four points makes a difference. Make one and miss one and you’re still up 1 net.

That’s why it’s critical to actually make good down and distance decisions.

by terminalmancer on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:34 PM up reply
Whoissantaclaus?
Still
you figure that if you had scored one more TD instead of a FG, this never would have made it to OT.

"We will not build our offensive game plans around our punter, I'll tell you that." - Rex Ryan

"Philly fans are great. Everybody complains about them being the meanest. That may be true. But, at the same time, they're great because it does get you into the game." - Michael Strahan

by Whoissantaclaus? on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:35 PM up reply
Dirty Sanchez
exactly
I've got 8 slugs in me. One's lead, and the rest are bourbon.



by Dirty Sanchez on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:36 PM up reply
That isn't even the biggest thing that bothers me.
It’s the conservative ass play calling with 6 minutes left.

by DarkRogue on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:33 PM up reply
FCPackers
The 2 points conversion were really bad.
The rest was football.

"The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have."
Vince Lombardi

"Mais vale perder de vez em quando do que ganhar de vez em quando"
Pinto da Costa

by FCPackers on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:35 PM up reply
Ted Simmons Speed Camp
No he shouldn't be.
He’s still a very good or even a great coach. He choked, and he’s going to have to live with that, and I hope it hurts because it should. But he’s still a better coach than about 95% of the HCs in the league right now. He’s got flaws like veryone else, and it cost them today, but I’ll still take him over just about anybody.

by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:35 PM up reply
Whoissantaclaus?
Maybe
You have to wonder of how much of his success comes from having the greatest QB to play the game today on his team. A lot of his calls really do have my head scratching, sometimes.

"We will not build our offensive game plans around our punter, I'll tell you that." - Rex Ryan

"Philly fans are great. Everybody complains about them being the meanest. That may be true. But, at the same time, they're great because it does get you into the game." - Michael Strahan

by Whoissantaclaus? on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:37 PM up reply
Apsylum75
MM got what he deserved after giving up with 6 min left.
by Apsylum75 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:33 PM reply
Four INTs right?
When’s the last time a team lost after forcing four INTs? Our much-ballyhooed offense didn’t show up. Dropped passes.

by Starquest on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:33 PM reply
1961
I may be old but I got to see all the cool bands.

by itsfinnagain on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:36 PM up reply
Ben T
...and a fumble recovery.
by Ben T on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:40 PM up reply
smb282
Last year, week 16, Cardinals beat Seahawks in Seattle, Palmer threw four INTs
Beastmode.

by smb282 on Jan 19, 2015 | 3:02 AM up reply
JunkMasterFlex23
I'm An Oakland A's Fan As Well
After that Wild Card game against Kansas City last October and this game… I’m shattered.

by JunkMasterFlex23 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:33 PM reply
ThatOneGuy1337
You'd hate being a Brewers fan.
This is literally what they did. Pissed away the second half. Only in the Brewers case the second half of the season.

by ThatOneGuy1337 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:45 PM up reply
Ted Simmons Speed Camp
Could be worse. You could be a Viking fan.
They do this **** every other year, and in the off year they suck so much they don’t put themselves in a position to break their fans’ hearts.

I’m not even joking. That team has some serious bad mojo. I actually feel bad for Vikings fans. Most of them, anyway.

by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Jan 18, 2015 | 6:07 PM up reply
Dan Bernstein
Also an A's fan
I’m with you.

Formerly known as loyal2reds

by Dan Bernstein on Jan 18, 2015 | 6:57 PM up reply
MileHighMidwesterner
Well I'm a Cubs fan
The last half of the 4th quarter was as close to the 8th inning of Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS as you can get for football. OT was like Game 7…over before it began. God that still haunts me. I refuse to watch anything dealing with that and I refuse to watch anything related to this.

by MileHighMidwesterner on Jan 19, 2015 | 1:07 AM up reply
What a terrible, terrible way to lose a game.
How you put a guy like Bostick out there with the Super Bowl on the line when you have so many guys in the sideline who have caught the ball. OMG. What a horrible game for Packer fans.

"To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." - Aristotle

by Dkscherer on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:33 PM reply
Dirty Sanchez
He's a tight end. He should be able to catch the **** ball
I've got 8 slugs in me. One's lead, and the rest are bourbon.



by Dirty Sanchez on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:34 PM up reply
The worst is if he just got out of the **** way Nelson would of caught it easily
Marsh

by marsh4455 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:44 PM up reply
A tight end who blocks.
He is rarely targeted. How is Cobb or Adams or Boykin or Quarless or Rodgers not in that spot!

"To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." - Aristotle

by Dkscherer on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:50 PM up reply
Andersac
 Because he wasn't in there to catch
He was in there to block – Jordy Nelson was behind him for the catch. Bostick’s job was to block for Nelson to make the catch. Watch it again and watch Jordy’s reaction when the play is over – he’s absolutely raging with the bonehead play.

BECW S8 Champions - 50 Shades of Go **** Yourself
BECW S9 Champions - 50 Shades of Go **** Yourself Harder
BECW S10 Champions - 50 Shades of Go **** Yourself Harder & Harder
BECW S11 Favourites - 50 Shades of (insert variation of fuckery here)



by Andersac on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:52 PM up reply
Sudden
Condolences fellas
I’m a Chiefs fan. We had a similar thing happen to us against Indy last year. It’s the most deflating feeling ever.

It’s all fodder. And the faker the fodder is the more you love it because fake fodder’s the only thing that works anymore, fake fodder is all that we can stomach.

by Sudden on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:33 PM reply
lowandslow21
Worst of it is
This team will now be remembered as the biggest choke artists of all time.

by lowandslow21 on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:34 PM reply
Ted Simmons Speed Camp
People said the same thing after Favre threw that hairbrained pick in the NFC title game against the Giants.
But a year or two goes by and nobody even talks about that game anymore.

by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:37 PM up reply
ahtrap
this one will be different
especially if Seattle wins back to back in a couple of weeks

Eat 'em up, Tigers! LGRW! #formafuckingwall @ahtrapsm

by ahtrap on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:40 PM up reply
TheZLife
I mean...
the Giants did go one to win the Super Bowl after that game so I am not sure how different it is.

USERNAME FORMERLY CELTIN

by TheZLife on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:48 PM up reply
ahtrap
this it was sublimated by the Giants winning over the undefeated Patriots
bigger storyline there. Also overshadowed by the Favre soap opera shortly thereafter

Here, if Seattle wins, it’s a part of the legend, that will be brought up every time in a, "but before they won, they first had to pull off the most amazing comeback in the nfc championship game ever" blah blah blah

Eat 'em up, Tigers! LGRW! #formafuckingwall @ahtrapsm

by ahtrap on Jan 18, 2015 | 6:37 PM up reply
5 Minutes!
FIVE. MINUTES!

by TarnsmanDW on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:34 PM reply
From an outside perspective MM is just as accountable as Bostick.
He stopped playing to win with 6 minutes left in the game. Seattle knew he was just gonna make Lacy run right up the gut and try to kill the clock.

We came to kill and we destroyed - Jose Mourinho
You know nothing John Snow - Ygritte

by Rustin Cohle on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:34 PM reply
Dirty Sanchez
Yep.
I've got 8 slugs in me. One's lead, and the rest are bourbon.



by Dirty Sanchez on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:35 PM up reply
Vermont Cubs Fan
This is the worst Packers loss ever.
If not just for the end of the season, but also for what I’ve been going through this autumn. My personal life went up in the air in the worst possible way this year, and I grabbed onto the Packers very tightly. This blog and the Packers really helped me escape the pain I’ve been feeling all autumn.

Now there is no way to escape. No way to disappear from the pain.

I have no words other than this.

Author at Acme Packing Company, SB Nation's Green Bay Packers blog.

State high point count: 4/50

by Vermont Cubs Fan on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:34 PM reply
This one's going to hurt for a long time
Ever since the Fail Mary, I’ve hated Seattle. a smug **** city with smug **** fans and a smug **** head coach, who don’t deserve it, it gets handed to them.

However, we lost this game. We **** blew it. We blew it in ways big and little, but mostly through the chicken **** coaching in the 4th quarter. We **** deserve this (well, we the fans don’t, really just the coaching staff does).

I just can’t stand it.

GG Seattle the team, any Field Gulls folks reading this, gfy.

by xlordluckx on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:34 PM reply
 I feel you.
Guys were shooting the gap right to the back. The Packers never had a chance of getting first downs. Burnett should have tried to get more in the pick. The let up and then got killed. Utterly disgusting. I don’t thing I can watch anything associated with that ridiculous game.

"To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." - Aristotle

by Dkscherer on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:54 PM up reply
vaultsuit
fire everyone...
"And check this: the President don't wanna come watch us win the Super Bowl? Guess what? WE'LL GO SEE HIM!" - Charles Woodson

"You've been banned from Daily Norseman."

by vaultsuit on Jan 18, 2015 | 5:35 PM reply
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on January 19, 2015, 10:08:02 am
From the above I gather Packer fans weren't happy(snicker). ah well, just a game boyos, just a game. There will
be others in the coming days for you to choke away as well.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: VJ on January 19, 2015, 10:17:01 am
"legion of cheese"

I guess the only way to figure out how someone could come up with such a dumbass name is akin to understanding one of the universe's great mysteries of how a human being would be compelled to wear a foam cheese on their head.

This game has replaced 4th and 26 in my top great Packer moments.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on January 19, 2015, 11:07:45 am
......and a lot of the posters have those really cool thingies at the bottom of their posts to show how cool they are.
I don't have cool thingies at the bottom of my posts, making me uncool in the world of the Green Bay Packer fans.
Worse things can happen to the 46 for sure. Again, just a game. Obviously you didn't r-e-l-a-x.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: stelz on January 19, 2015, 12:01:33 pm
I read the posts from the  Packers message board from the middle of the 4th quarter on....very entertaining.  Thanks for posting that.  This takes a little of the sting out of the Bears being so horrible this year.  The Packers going to the SB or even winning it would have made it so much worse. 

Maybe I'm a small minded jerk, but to see them go down with it all but sewn-up in such a humiliating and memorable fashion was just what my poor Bears heart needed.

So thank you, football gods!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 19, 2015, 12:23:11 pm
Blow a 19 to 7 lead with 2 minutes left......PRICELESS!!!!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 19, 2015, 12:41:47 pm
Thanks for sharing BillJohn....from what I read - a lot of classless cheddar fools.

"otto

Which playoff loss was more painful for you?  The Vick playoff victory in the snow and cold at Lambeau?  the NY Giant OT loss?  Or today's OT loss?"

Calssic.

And with Russell Wilson really uninterested in winning until OT.

Rodgers and his NEW names........WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAdgers. and 55.8 QB rating. "We were the better team" - no you weren't bozo...YOU LOST. Out coached!!! Russell Wilson TRIED to give you a blow out and your stupid coach plays conservative ALL game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on January 19, 2015, 04:11:44 pm

You got really feel bad for Julius Peppers...NO NOT REALLY!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on January 19, 2015, 04:19:05 pm
Saw on video earlier that it was Peppers who told Burnett to take a knee after the pick, rather than return it.

I took pleasure in that knowledge.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: chifaninva on January 19, 2015, 04:45:26 pm
Did you guys see the after game presser with Rodgers.. Hilarious...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on January 19, 2015, 05:19:37 pm
Peppers is done. According to NFL network his cap hit for this year of 3 mil goes up to 12 mil next year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 19, 2015, 06:17:15 pm
Best game ever!

Loved it!

You have to think a game like this sets a franchise back.  They had that game won and absolutely double discount choked it away.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on January 19, 2015, 06:42:18 pm

Unfortunately, as long as they have Rodgers...they'll be back.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: chifaninva on January 19, 2015, 07:05:37 pm
agree, unfortunately..
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 19, 2015, 07:19:03 pm
Oh don't get me wrong.  As long as they have Rodgers they have a shot in any game.  However a collapse like that can certainly give a team a hang over for the next season.

Plus the loss of confidence.  I mean if they can lose that important of a game in two minutes after dominating for 58 minutes they can lose any game at any time.

I expect a hangover similar to a SB loss. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on January 19, 2015, 08:16:08 pm
They also have a lot of FA's to deal with next season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 19, 2015, 08:36:34 pm
+ we will not have Mel Tucker and his vanilla defense - plying guys 15 yards off the ball and no help deep.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 19, 2015, 11:43:30 pm
Listening to the Score and they were discussing the guy who had that pick and went down. Were like WTF was he thinking?!? Even on NFL network they mentioned it. Lots of stupid from Green Choke, er Bay that game. The onsides kick the guy who went for the ball was supposed to be blocking for the guys behind him. He instead went for it, with the hilarious results evident. Off his helmet, right to the Hawks. At the end the playcalling was braindead. They were happy to keep running when they should have been shooting for another score. They were railing on Ha Ha dicks for not going after that 2 point conversion that...they timed it, get this...4 whole seconds in the air, lol! This one, I must say, was extremely enjoyable. Left for work thinking the Pakers had it. Wife calls says 'did you know they tied it up?'. WHAT? lol...ok, so listened to it and then watched it later on recording. Just a unbelievable comeback for the Hawks and hilarious collapse from the Pakeys.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: VJ on January 20, 2015, 05:06:29 am
(http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/54bc50916bb3f78f38fa7c92-1200-900/packers-onside-kick-fumble.jpg)

(http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/54bc4ae5eab8eac05b50dd44/packers-slide.gif)

(http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/54bc4c3d6da811c4466393fd-1200-750/seahawks-open-field.jpg)

(http://video.businessinsider.com/5848b4df-754c-4e4c-946c-8ef2fb07bd35.mp4)

(http://video.businessinsider.com/5848b4df-754c-4e4c-946c-8ef2fb07bd35.mp4)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: VJ on January 20, 2015, 05:06:57 am
(http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/54bc4af26bb3f77b2bfa7c92/fumble-onside.gif)

(http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/54bc4aed6bb3f71a22fa7c91/marshawn.gif)

(https://v.cdn.vine.co/r/videos/969B1195831168736447747198976_37d67ee51a2.1.5.6798853977299220657.mp4?versionId=mH0aZCXt43nvqsOyqgxaXYI2Qw0M7NuV)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: VJ on January 20, 2015, 05:44:54 am
(https://usatthebiglead.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/seattle-converts-2pt-conversion-against-green-bay-nfc-championship.gif?w=3000)

(https://usatthebiglead.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/seattle-fake-field-goal-against-green-bay-nfc-championship.gif?w=3000)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on January 20, 2015, 07:50:41 am
I don't fault Burnett for taking a knee after the interception. He's not used to carrying the ball and why take a chance on something crazy happening and giving it back. They are up 2 scores with 5 minutes left. If I'm Burnett I'm thinking just give this ball back to Aaron Rodgers and the offense and let them run the clock down. Who would expect a quick 3 and out and a complete defensive meltdown after that?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on January 20, 2015, 08:05:31 am
And then Quarles dropped a certain 1st down catch that hit him in the numbers which could have sealedit
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on January 20, 2015, 08:27:22 am
Packrat, we are all just jealous we didn't make the playoffs, again. If we had made it, it wouldn't have been that close.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 20, 2015, 10:45:51 am
No, we're really really enjoying the collapse, lol.....absolutely hate the Packers.....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on January 20, 2015, 11:23:04 am
Yeah, I feel bad for the gang, especially the guy who had the ball clang off his helmet..... NO I DON'T!!! I NEARLY GAGGED ON MY COLA WHEN I SAW THAT!!! OH, HAHAHAHAHAH GARGLED I !!!! THEY'RE
STILL IN FREEFALL! Too bad.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: chifaninva on January 20, 2015, 12:06:56 pm
That is some funny ****!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Bears4Ever on January 20, 2015, 12:39:50 pm
I don't/won't revel in the GB loss (although it did give me a smile)....

I just hate the fact that the **** Seahawks are back in the big game. GB may be a rival but they don't come off that way in victory (or defeat).....

Here's to being 0-0 again and challenging for the NFC North (a.k.a. old NFC Central).......

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on January 20, 2015, 12:44:20 pm
I don't/won't revel in the GB loss (although it did give me a smile)....

I just hate the fact that the **** Seahawks are back in the big game. GB may be a rival but they don't come off that way in victory (or defeat).....

Here's to being 0-0 again and challenging for the NFC North (a.k.a. old NFC Central).......



The players themselves may not be douchbags but their fans sure are.  Have you met Otto?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on January 20, 2015, 12:47:57 pm
All those stupid **** hip,trendy GB puke and **** pullovers disappeared from work pretty damn quick, that alone was worth it .
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on January 20, 2015, 01:04:51 pm
Will we get to see Russell Wilson sobbing again after the Super Bowl?

CMON MANN - this is football!!

Was Joe Montana crying like a girl when he won the NFC championship?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: stelz on January 20, 2015, 01:58:55 pm
Those images are football poetry.  Thanks for posting them!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Bears4Ever on January 20, 2015, 02:25:07 pm
I'm pretty sure Otto does his thing just for the rise he gets in response. No one could be that obtuse.........

Almost (I said almost) all Packer's fans I met are nice folks and at knowledgeable about the Division (of course they are mostly old-ish folks who remember the terrible 70s (and 80's for Packers) like me......

Also, I don't live in Chicago so my perception may differ (kinda like ex-pats overseas tend to cling together :D)........
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: chifaninva on January 20, 2015, 02:33:33 pm
Most Packer fans (ones from cheeseland) I know are Bears fans second..
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 20, 2015, 02:46:28 pm
Feel for PR. Most Packer fans I know are decent folks. It's their TEAM I cannot stand, lol....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on January 20, 2015, 03:46:15 pm
Man...one thing I will never do is mock a football player for getting emotional in a big game like that.

I'll never forget watching Terrell Owens bawl his eyes out after making the catch (pt II) to beat GB back in the '09 playoffs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on January 20, 2015, 05:26:06 pm
I'm still waiting for the predicted blowout......
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 20, 2015, 05:27:36 pm
I am guessing most Packer fans feel a blow out would have been better.  That had to be the most painful way to lose a game ever!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: stelz on January 20, 2015, 05:34:10 pm
If that was the Bears I'd be inconsolable....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on January 20, 2015, 05:37:30 pm
How about 21-3 in about 5 minutes of game time.  Is that enough of a blowout for you?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: JBN on January 20, 2015, 06:17:57 pm
How about 21-3 in about 5 minutes of game time.  Is that enough of a blowout for you?

You just won post of the day.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on January 20, 2015, 06:24:43 pm
Most Packer fans (ones from cheeseland) I know are Bears fans second..
Every Packer fan I have ever met was classy to the likes of Packrat and ACL.
Packer fans first and Bear fans 2nd.

Maybe I should start pulling for the Packers..
All the teams I pull for wallow in mediocrity.....
If I pull for them, maybe the Bears will get better....
Take up a collection, if you get enough funds, I'll switch allegiances just so the Packers will suck again.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on January 20, 2015, 06:43:10 pm

otto

Would it have been better to not even make the playoffs or to lose like your team did last Sunday?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on January 20, 2015, 07:04:08 pm
(http://i710.photobucket.com/albums/ww101/kwwrg/10888364_752314944846655_5084026301395669827_n_zpsa978dc2c.jpg) (http://s710.photobucket.com/user/kwwrg/media/10888364_752314944846655_5084026301395669827_n_zpsa978dc2c.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 20, 2015, 08:01:23 pm
The game is on NFL replay right now!

Going to love watching it all over!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 20, 2015, 09:44:04 pm
I don't fault Burnett for taking a knee after the interception. He's not used to carrying the ball and why take a chance on something crazy happening and giving it back. They are up 2 scores with 5 minutes left. If I'm Burnett I'm thinking just give this ball back to Aaron Rodgers and the offense and let them run the clock down. Who would expect a quick 3 and out and a complete defensive meltdown after that?

Absolutely agree with you.  My first thought was go down and avoid a fumble with the game wrapped up.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 20, 2015, 09:47:02 pm
He had one guy to beat who Peppers should have blocked and he was home free for a TD.

But yeah no one would have guessed an epic meltdown choke job like that was coming.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 20, 2015, 09:51:36 pm
Packrat, we are all just jealous we didn't make the playoffs, again. If we had made it, it wouldn't have been that close.

Thanks a lot
I don't/won't revel in the GB loss (although it did give me a smile)....

I just hate the fact that the **** Seahawks are back in the big game. GB may be a rival but they don't come off that way in victory (or defeat).....

Here's to being 0-0 again and challenging for the NFC North (a.k.a. old NFC Central).......


Thanks, b4e.  back at it in 6 months.  ;-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 20, 2015, 10:03:32 pm
Unfortunately, as long as they have Rodgers...they'll be back.

I believe that you are right, dallas.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 20, 2015, 10:05:22 pm
Most Packer fans (ones from cheeseland) I know are Bears fans second..

Many of us are, Chif.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 20, 2015, 10:08:27 pm
Feel for PR. Most Packer fans I know are decent folks. It's their TEAM I cannot stand, lol....

Thanks, Sporty.  I  don't feel too badly about Bear fans reveling in the game.  This has been a bad year for some good Bear fans who deserve better.  I believe it will be coming with your new management crew.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 20, 2015, 10:22:38 pm
Sorry for the delay in posting. I had a nephew and niece visiting in Towanda after the game. 

I will not blame Rodgers for any part of this loss.  There were times where he clearly could have avoided a sack with a decent leg.  When he twisted his ankle I thought that he was out of the game but he hung in there and almost refused to let the team lose.

The team Defense and Special  Teams have steadily improved over the season and played very well against Seattle.  The three rookies and the second year players have really stepped up.

So then, why the loss?  Well Seattle really does have a great defense.  Then again, it seems (facetiously) like when the football gods say you are going to lose, you lose, regardless of what you do.

My feeling is that, although McCarthy is a good HC, his play-calling cost the team the game.  He needs to designate a new play-caller.  Rodgers didn't say it but it was certainly implicit in his words.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on January 20, 2015, 10:23:35 pm
Seattle is over, better win this one.

The Pack was the better team....at Seattle.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 20, 2015, 10:30:26 pm
Mike McCarthy should get plenty of blame for Packers loss

 
 While most people look at Brandon Bostick's bobbled onside kick as a major reason for Sunday's Packers loss at Seattle, coach Mike McCarthy should be vilified for his bland play calling.
»Read Full Article 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 20, 2015, 10:50:15 pm
By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel Jan. 19, 2015

Green Bay — On Sunday night, players were in a state of shock. Speechless. On Monday morning, the tenor veered to anger.

Instead of preparing to play in Super Bowl XLIX against the New England Patriots, the Green Bay Packers were emptying their lockers. Player...after player...after player insisted that they were the better team in Sunday's 28-22 overtime loss in Seattle.

This autopsy made no sense.

"We kicked their (expletive) up and down the field all day," left guard Josh Sitton said. "And there's no reason we shouldn't have won the game. Literally one of 10 plays you can pick that if we get it, we win the game. It's frustrating when you should have won the game, and you're the better team.

"I thought we were the better team all day except for three minutes."

Nearby, Randall Cobb is told of Sitton's comments. He agrees, chuckling in disbelief.

"I mean, look at the game," Cobb said. "Go back and watch the film. You look at those first 55 minutes and it speaks for itself."

Across the "G" carpet, cornerback Davon House is sold, too.

"You watch the film," House said, "there's no question we're better than them....Usually you say the better team wins. We were the better team. They won."

The plane ride back was miserable. Sitton tried to watch film and then shut it off. Once home, Cobb hardly slept. This all felt "like a nightmare." When he did sleep, he'd wake up and think the Packers actually won.

"It's kind of blindsiding," he said.

But the sun did rise Monday.

What's left is anguish and explanations.

Heads throbbing from arguably the worst hangover in team history, players discussed a few (of the many) plays that went very wrong.

The onside kick

Tight end Brandon Bostick didn't need to meet with reporters again. But he did. Bostick isn't sure how he'll get past his onside kick of infamy.

For those still in denial, Bostick leapt to retrieve Seattle's onside attempt with 2 minutes, 9 seconds left and the ball slipped through his hands.

His job was to block for receiver Jordy Nelson, lined up behind him.

"I'm human. I made a mistake," Bostick said. "But if I would've made the play, we wouldn't have been in this (position) or if I would've made the block, we wouldn't be talking about this. But it's over now, so I'll just try my best to get over it."...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 20, 2015, 10:53:43 pm
Rams show interest in hiring Packers QB coach Van Pelt
 Quarterback coach Alex Van Pelt is drawing interest from the St. Louis Rams as an offensive coordinator, but Packers coach Mike McCarthy is unlikely to grant the Rams permission to talk to Van Pelt.
»Read Full Article 

Another Packer coaching staff loss?


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on January 21, 2015, 12:29:53 am



 
Rams show interest in hiring Packers QB coach Van Pelt
 Quarterback coach Alex Van Pelt is drawing interest from the St. Louis Rams as an offensive coordinator, but Packers coach Mike McCarthy is unlikely to grant the Rams permission to talk to Van Pelt.
»Read Full Article 

Another Packer coaching staff loss?

 Don't feel bad if it happens Packy,


 CHICAGO BEARS have lost a great coaching and management staff this past season.


 BWAH HA HA HA HA HA !!!!!!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 21, 2015, 01:14:55 am
The stats do not prove Green Bay was the better team.....in fact, with all that Seattle overcame, the ridiculous turnovers, THEY were the better team.

(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jXkzqkI7mlQ/VL9RW8oT6rI/AAAAAAAAG68/HoaWviz3Bk8/w568-h777-no/Image1.jpg)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 21, 2015, 01:46:20 am
Here's a better pic on why it was completely stupid to fall down after the interception. The only Seahawks that could have caught him with that much open field ahead of him were the Olinemen and Wilson. He could have gotten 20-30 yards or more running down the sidelines. A lesson for any team stupid enough to do the same in the future....

(http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/54beca736bb3f74d7d44f8b5-1200-706/packers-open-field.jpg)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on January 21, 2015, 05:45:40 am
Yes, that was the picture I hoped to see.  Counting the players, you had 5 offensive lineman and Wilson to tackle a safety.  Wilson would have been the only threat.  I thought the same thing, why is he sliding with over 4 minutes left?

Julias paid us back...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on January 21, 2015, 06:05:50 am
You can see in that picture Peppers is already telling him to lay down.  You have 5 to block 6 on that.  He should have at least gotten as many yards as he could then slide when first contact was inevitable.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on January 21, 2015, 09:50:24 am
Unless Burnett has a birds eye view like that how is he to know that?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on January 21, 2015, 11:13:02 am

DeMarcus Lawrence of the Cowboys picked up a fumble late in their game and FUMBLED - turning over the ball back to the Lions.

Why risk a turn-over for 20 yards?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: chifaninva on January 21, 2015, 11:29:55 am
I think the guy thought it was a sealed deal at that point..
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on January 21, 2015, 11:47:15 am
I think the guy thought it was a sealed deal at that point..

It should have been.Burnett made the right move. Up by 2 scores  Who would figure that an Aaron Rodgers led offense would go 3 and out and basically take nothing off the clock?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on January 21, 2015, 12:27:30 pm
Quote
Unless Burnett has a birds eye view like that how is he to know that?

Look at the picture again.  He was running right towards Peppers.  Peppers has both hands out telling him to stop and get down.  Watch the shot and he still runs about 5 yards towards Peppers before he finally gets down.

FWIW I think he should have gotten as many yards as he could then gone down without a fight.  Like a QB on a scramble and slide or get out of bounds.

That being said this is not why they lost the game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on January 21, 2015, 12:33:47 pm
And I saw Rajiv this morning.  (I was off yesterday).

First thing I did was walk into his office and started the stop watch on my iPhone.  He had someone in there wanting to know what I was doing.  All I would say was wait...  wait... wait for it... wait for it...  He was quick to catch on and started getting frusterated.  The employee in his office didn't know what was going on.  I stopped it at 44 seconds and told her that is how long it took Rajiv's Packers to give up 2 TD's and a 2 point conversion to blow the NFC Championship game.

It was classic.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on January 21, 2015, 12:54:18 pm
Look at the picture again.  He was running right towards Peppers.  Peppers has both hands out telling him to stop and get down.  Watch the shot and he still runs about 5 yards towards Peppers before he finally gets down.

FWIW I think he should have gotten as many yards as he could then gone down without a fight.  Like a QB on a scramble and slide or get out of bounds.

That being said this is not why they lost the game.

I wasn't talking about Peppers. I was referring to people saying he had a clear field and were counting the number of packers and Seahawks. I'm sure he couldn't see that from ground level and did the right thing listening to Peppers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 21, 2015, 01:43:36 pm
Personally, he should have gotten as many yards as he could but I am glad he didn't even try, lol. This was one in a Keystone Kops collection of reasons why they lost that game. Yes, it definitely played a part. Had they gotten in FG range, it would have raised the score even further. Instead, they went 3 and out the next series and the rest is history, lol.....still enjoying it!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on January 21, 2015, 01:46:11 pm
That 44 seconds will live in infamy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: chifaninva on January 21, 2015, 03:15:55 pm
How about the 2 point conversion? WTF?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 21, 2015, 05:24:37 pm
LOL!  Wml.  I love it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: JBN on January 21, 2015, 06:59:51 pm
lol wml...classic
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 21, 2015, 09:54:41 pm
That 2 pt conversion was unreal. Wilson's scrambling ability with like 4 Pakers on him, he tosses up the shortest hail Mary, it's in the air 4 seconds, GB's safety is apparently star gazing and doesn't make a play on the ball, Seattle does and it's 2 more points, lol. I'm just loving this stuff......hahaha
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 21, 2015, 10:23:11 pm
(http://www.clker.com/cliparts/a/7/6/d/11970992782132448618johnny_automatic_Sad_mouse.svg.hi.png)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 21, 2015, 10:31:02 pm
Aaron Rodgers: 'We had a great opportunity to do something special'
 Mark Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers as one of those who left town agonizing over eight months of good work vanishing down the drain in a matter of minutes.
»Read Full Article 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 21, 2015, 10:35:14 pm
I don't care who your favorite team is, He’s a class act both on and off the field.......

 

"Save Me a Spot" - The Touching Story from Sports Hero Aaron Rodgers

I live just 30 minutes away from Green Bay, Wisconsin, a.k.a. the Center of the Football Universe. Though I'm not a huge football fan, it's a privilege to be in a region with such a great legacy of excellence. As dramatic as the Packers games can be, some of the most important drama occurs off the field. One touching example was shared by an observant reporter in Milwaukee who attended a charity event that Aaron Rodgers did for the MACC Fund (Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer).

"'Save me a spot': A side of Aaron Rodgers you may not know" by Jen Lada of WITI-TV in Milwaukee gives some great insights into Aaron. I was thrilled to see that Aaron's favorite book is the Bible. Wow. I was also thrilled to see that we share the same favorite movie, The Princess Bride. But I was caught by surprise and a bit of emotion with the dedication that he wrote that night on a father's football, something that wasn't done for show but was simply a reflection of the mindset and compassion of this real hero.

Rodgers' answers and poise on this night were certainly admirable. And I honestly didn't think I could respect Aaron more than I did when we wrapped our hour-long question and answer segment. But I was wrong.

My friend, the father of that young girl who passed, was there that night - enjoying the opportunity to reconnect with many of his MACC Fund family members and revel in the charity's big night. He was one of several attendees brought up on stage where he caught a football thrown by the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers. The evening was already a smashing success for him and his grateful family.

And then he asked Aaron to sign the football he'd caught. He wondered if he'd make it out to his daughter. It isn't shocking that Rodgers obliged. What caught me off guard was the dedication he made. It wasn't until after Aaron left that I first saw the autograph... and the simple yet sweet message that brought tears to this father's eyes: "To Cheri the angel. Save me a spot. - Aaron Rodgers"

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on January 21, 2015, 11:29:44 pm



 Packy,


 The above post was so telling and touching ...


 however Aaron Rodgers watches the Superbowl on TV !


 Maybe he can link up with JCut and party together on that day.  :D
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 21, 2015, 11:37:39 pm
Fabian from Munich, Germany

Which three free agents would GM Ketchman prioritize to re-sign during the offseason? I would pick Cobb, Bulaga and Williams.

You want to keep all of your people, but that’s not possible in the salary cap system, so who you keep depends on who you can’t replace. The big guys are usually the most difficult to replace.

Before the last shrill sound of game's end GB was contacting the surpise of their season, Letroy Guiaon.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 21, 2015, 11:40:08 pm
Lukas from Greven, Germany

Here come the “fire everyone” messages again.

It’s how many of us grieve. They transfer their pain to someone else.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 21, 2015, 11:40:51 pm
Bob from Universal, IN

I see this team going 14-2 next season on their schedule. Do you think that’s overly optimistic?

You’ve turned too many pages. Maybe that’s how you grieve. Whatever it takes.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 21, 2015, 11:41:45 pm
Jon from Bath, England

Was 2014 a successful season for the Packers?

Each fan must answer that question for themselves. Did the 2014 season provide you with more happiness than sadness? If the answer is yes, then it was a successful season. Those that require a Super Bowl title to achieve happiness are doomed to sadness. A season must be about more than the Super Bowl. Memories define my happiness. They make me rich.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 21, 2015, 11:43:28 pm
Owen from Portland, OR

You said it’s common for fans to blame losses on the strategy and not the playing. That may be true, but it’s hard to argue that the Seahawks played a better game than the Packers did, therefore, I think it’s difficult not to blame strategy. You can talk about crunch time all you want, but this game should not have come down to the end.

You’re wrong. You’re absolutely, flat out wrong and so are all of the people in my inbox that are trying to replay the game so the Packers could avoid the final 3:52 of regulation. You can’t do it because when you change one circumstance you must change all circumstances. Those blowout wins in the middle of the season were an aberration. That’s not NFL football. The NFL is about winning at crunch time. It’s about making the plays that decide the game when it’s now or never. In my mind, the goal of the first three quarters is to put yourself into position to win. The Packers did, and that’s why I have no problem with anything the Packers did for the first 56
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 21, 2015, 11:46:19 pm
Cameron from Fort Worth, TX

Vic, I know Coach McCarthy always says the past is the past and you’ve got to move on, especially when it comes to playoff loses, but I don’t see this one being easy to move past. It’s still hard for me to sleep knowing what opportunities were missed with this loss. Do you think the team is going to use this as motivation for next year, or are they going to keep up the demeanor that you have to move on?

Every year is a new year and every team is a new team. You can’t use what happened in 2014 as motivation in 2015. Was the “Fail Mary” motivation on Sunday? No! The Super Bowl was the motivation. Motivation comes from reaching ahead, not behind. This team will change in the offseason and, as it changes, the 2014 Packers will fade into the past and become a memory that’ll be replaced by new players, new schemes, a new schedule and new challenges. In time, we will all move on. The human spirit in all of us will so command us.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 21, 2015, 11:48:48 pm
Mic from Grenfield, CA

The NFL has found the Patriots used underinflated footballs during its game with the Colts. This is just the latest instance of the Patriots purposely violating NFL rules to gain an advantage over their opponent. If the NFL has any courage and integrity, it should declare the AFC championship game a forfeit, award the win to the Colts and send the Colts to the Super Bowl. Anything less is a disgrace to football and all who play by the rules.

I covered a Steelers-Raiders game in Oakland in 1973. We dubbed it the “Dirty Tricks Game” because the Raiders repeatedly sent “doctored” footballs into the game. On one occasion, Ray Mansfield leaned on the football and it went flat. On another occasion, the ball was covered in Vaseline. Other times, dirty words were written on the ball. In those days, the process for providing footballs was much different; it wasn’t nearly as secure. I remember how much fun we all had writing the story and finding ways to use the word expletive to hint at what was written on the balls. Times have changed. Football has become a witch hunt. It’s become crime and punishment, instead of mischief and laughter. I don’t know what the deal is with “Deflategate,” though I’m sure I won’t be spared the details over the next several days. What I will say about it is this: Let’s get the truth; let’s find out if this is the work of a serial cheater. I have no doubt the commissioner will take it from there.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 21, 2015, 11:49:36 pm
Robert from Madison, WI

Vic, have you gotten a chance to talk to Tony, yet, about the incoming linebacker class? I’m interested to get his take on this one.

Tony is going to focus on the linebackers in today’s practices.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 21, 2015, 11:51:33 pm
Sam from Golden, CO

Vic, I first started reading your column last summer during the preseason. I must say, I’ve felt more involved as a fan than I ever have reading all of the questions you get and answers you give. Ultimately, that made this loss hurt even worse, as I, too, firmly believed this was the year for a Super Bowl victory. The insight I’ve gained and the respect I’ve come to have for this fan base and for the team, though, are invaluable. I may feel terrible still, but the support of you and the fan base makes it a little more bearable, and for that I thank you.

The greatest loss would’ve been to not have the experience. That’s where I disagree with Josh Sitton. Hey, we all signed up for this, right? We knew there would be losses, and we knew they would hurt. We all accepted that risk, right? The NFL guarantees one thing: You will lose. There’s no guarantee that you’ll win, but you will lose. Something monumental happened on Sunday, and it will remain fresh in our minds for likely the rest of our lives. That’s a bad thing? It’s bad to have spent three hours of your life on something you’ll never forget? I wish the outcome had been different, but I have no regrets.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 22, 2015, 12:14:04 am


 Packy,


 The above post was so telling and touching ...


 however Aaron Rodgers watches the Superbowl on TV !


 Maybe he can link up with JCut and party together on that day.  :D 




I hate to say it but I may just skip the game.  Watching one team that was clearly outplayed by the Pack and a team from the den of thieves playing may just be too much.
























Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on January 22, 2015, 06:45:27 am
you have to really give the Seahawks D props, with 4 turnovers they kept GB in check long enough for their offense to wake up. With 4 turnovers GB only scored 22pts, that says a lot a bout the Seahawks defense. Most teams if they gave up 4 TOs Rodgers would have hung 50 on them.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: 46 on January 22, 2015, 09:07:41 am
They're still beating them up on the radio down here.  At town with a 2-14 team.  Enough.  Next time the Titans get that close call me. They might be the fudgepackers but they're the NFC north packers, all us bear fans have had fun, leave it. God knows I've watched enough Bear ball to see massive screw-ups.  That onside kick though, ouch.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on January 22, 2015, 09:57:04 am

Here come the “fire everyone” messages again.

It’s how many of us grieve. They transfer their pain to someone else.


Ain't that the truth...especially here after each Bears game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 22, 2015, 10:03:14 am
Sometimes it's warranted, though, lol.....like with us
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on January 22, 2015, 03:20:13 pm
Seahawks were the smarter team and that's all that matters.

Rodgers and 55.8 QB rating was pretty BAD.

With Wilson stinking up the joint and 4 picks............Seahawks D did a great job.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on January 22, 2015, 05:24:38 pm
Get team first blowhardbelly.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 22, 2015, 09:25:21 pm
Lombardi Ave
Joe McCarthy, Mike McCarthy's brother, dies
Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy lost a football game last Sunday, but lost much, much more today … his brother. McCarthy's loss…Read More
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 22, 2015, 09:42:58 pm
http://fansided.com/2015/01/22/conan-obrien-tackles-patriots-deflate-gate-video/?utm_source=FanSided&utm_medium=Network&utm_campaign=RecentPosts (http://fansided.com/2015/01/22/conan-obrien-tackles-patriots-deflate-gate-video/?utm_source=FanSided&utm_medium=Network&utm_campaign=RecentPosts)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 22, 2015, 10:00:31 pm
Mike McCarthy news conference canceled after his brother's death
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 22, 2015, 10:00:55 pm
Packers deny permission for teams to interview Alex Van Pelt
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 22, 2015, 10:35:10 pm
I don't agree with that crap. How can they tell other teams no they can't interview someone?? Do they have a contract? That's bs....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 22, 2015, 10:39:34 pm
That's the standard rule which applies to all teams.  The only exception is if the interview is for a HC job.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 22, 2015, 10:40:51 pm
Yep them are the rules.  However it is a bad look.  Coaches won't be flocking to the Packers knowing the boss won't let them advance to another team.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 23, 2015, 06:45:16 pm
Most teams hold their desirable coaches except for special situations.  The Packers have lost enough.  I don't think they will have any trouble.  Haven't in the past.  A contract with the Pack is a good recommendation for any coach.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 23, 2015, 07:15:24 pm
I think the Packers staff has been pretty steady under McCarthy not a lot of movement.  He has been there a long time and he has lost some coaches but not a lot.  Not as many as most NFL teams that are successful.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 23, 2015, 08:00:27 pm
You know, you could be right about that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 23, 2015, 08:02:05 pm
Andy from Davenport, IA

Vic, a true Packers fan is one through thick and thin, but how does the way in which the Packers lost to the Seahawks change the way the fans look at a game? In other words, should it be a gut check to the fan that perhaps we take this game too seriously?

There’s nothing wrong with having an insatiable appetite for football, but we can’t allow it to ruin our lives. Sports are meant to complement our life, enrich our life, not devastate it. I am a passionate football fan, but I achieve perspective by reminding myself that I have no impact on what happens, therefore, I am not accountable for what happens. All I can do is watch. I think it’s important for fans to maintain an element of detachment.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 23, 2015, 08:03:46 pm
Brett from Green Bay, WI

Vic, do you think New England cheated? Do you think it made that big of a difference in the game if they did?

Every time I covered a game in New England, the visiting team’s headphones went dead. It was like clockwork. In my mind, either the referee goofed or somebody doctored those balls. It doesn’t matter if it made a difference or not. What matters is the integrity of the game. The fan must know the game is clean. Deflategate challenges that belief. It’s a big problem, just as Spygate was and still is. How many of those Super Bowl wins are tainted?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 23, 2015, 08:05:33 pm
Bob from Melbourne, Australia

You wanted drama and, as sports lovers we can’t get enough of it, but as you frantically wrote and re-wrote your lede, did you secretly wish for slightly less drama?

I don’t know what I wanted. When I’m writing running – that’s what we call it – I become machine-like. I become consumed by down, distance and time remaining. To keep pace, I find myself writing what I think is going to happen, and then deleting it all and writing what did happen. My fingers never stop moving. As I mentioned earlier this week, when Morgan Burnett intercepted that pass late in the game, I wrote that it was the clincher. Shortly after that, I deleted those words. Writing running is the game we play. It’s our crunch time.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 23, 2015, 08:07:35 pm
Douglas from Binghamton, NY

What do you feel is the proper penalty for the deflation of the footballs?

It depends on what the investigation reveals. If it’s conclusively traced back to the coach, I would favor a lifetime suspension. The ball is the centerpiece of the game. The ball is sacrosanct.

Sounds like a good idea.  Cheaters shouldn't prosper.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 23, 2015, 08:11:26 pm
Joe from Sherman, IL

Vic, my dad called me and said he had recovered from the game on Sunday. He also said he may not get another chance since he is 84 and has some heart issues. I told him we’ll be there next year and he’s got it in him. I believe it.

When I’m done writing my stories from a road game and there’s time left in the flight home to relax, I push back in the seat and reflect on what I had seen and what its impact is. On the way back from Seattle, I asked myself, “Will I ever get back this far?”

Sometimes I have those thoughts.  Before Favre's SB win it satisfied a hope that I had been holding.  Then, surprise, I got another blessing when Rodgers did the good deed, again.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 23, 2015, 08:15:24 pm
Andy from Kalamazoo, MI

Vic, speaking of the promise of re-birth, how about Mason Crosby? If he can almost fall out of the league, his confidence pushed to the breaking point, and come back and send an NFC championship game into OT in the final minute from 48 yards out, then there’s hope for the whole team, right?

That was Crosby’s crunch time, and he made the play.

Maybe he should have been playing on the STs on the Seattle's final kick. :-(
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 23, 2015, 08:18:53 pm
Adam from Carbondale, IL

Vic, are the Packers faced with a decision to choose between bringing back Bulaga or Cobb, or can they afford both?

The Packers’ salary cap is healthy enough to allow the team to do anything it wants, but the Packers’ salary cap is healthy because the team refrains from doing anything it wants. The Packers are vigilant about maintaining salary cap health for the future. They make tough decisions and that’s why this team will remain a playoff contender for the long-term future. You won’t see this team have to cut and gut its roster to repair its salary cap. Whatever the Packers do, it will be the right thing to do. Their track record when it comes to these types of decisions is nearly perfect.

Maybe I can see  ONE more SB win for the Pack before I leave.
;
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 23, 2015, 08:26:50 pm
Vic Ketchman
packers.com editor
Ask Vic a question
One day of practice remaining

Two linebackers were among the standout performers at Senior Bowl practices on Wednesday.

Clemson’s Stephone Anthony and Georgia’s Amarlo Herrera helped their draft stock, with one day of practices remaining in Mobile, Ala. Anthony, 6-2, 245, was the best of the linebackers, according to packers.com draft analyst Tony Pauline...

I wonder if GB can reach one of them.  LBs badly needed.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on January 24, 2015, 05:56:26 am
Hey Packy - I actually even enjoy reading the opposing viewpoint and the Vic responses, as I used to scroll through this topic pretty fast before you started posting those.  It would be nice to have similar fans on here with Vikings and Lions viewpoints but they can't be more clowns like Otto...

I imagine you are up there is age and none of us know when our time will be up.  Here's to seeing you around for a long while on this board! 

I just hope the Packers suck it
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 24, 2015, 07:57:55 pm
ames from Carterville, IL

This seemed like a Cinderella year. Best and healthiest team in years with Rodgers at the helm. With staying healthy so vital and hard, are the odds of doing it again as impossible as it looks right now?

Nobody can predict health. What I can tell you is this: 1) I thought this was the year. I was absolutely sure this team was going to win in Seattle and would win in the Super Bowl. 2) I’m absolutely certain this team will be a Super Bowl contender next season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 24, 2015, 07:59:36 pm
Jonathan from La Paz, CA

Just wondering what your thoughts were on Rodgers’ first interception? It looked to me like the Seahawks were clearly offside and Rodgers took a shot.

Rodgers said he thought he had a free play. It probably caused him to take a shot he otherwise might not have taken. Think of all the times he took a free shot and connected deep. Hey, that was Richard Sherman he was throwing at. Know what I mean?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 24, 2015, 08:05:26 pm
Chris from Bury St. Edmunds, England

Vic, just wanted to express my sincere condolences to Coach McCarthy and his family. I think we all achieved perspective yesterday.

Sanity has returned to my inbox. It’s good to see.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 24, 2015, 08:06:57 pm
Keith from Yorktown, VA

What is your definition of crunch time? Is it only the late stages of a close game, or does it also include other key situations in the game, such as having the ball inside the opponent’s 5-yard line in the first quarter and scoring FGs instead of TDs?

Crunch time is crunch time. Your gut tells you when it’s crunch time. All of a sudden, you begin to tighten. When that happens, you are in crunch time. It is never, ever in the first quarter. That’s for the people who want to avoid crunch time because they fear it. I want the ones who love crunch time. I want the ones who play better when their gut tightens.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 24, 2015, 08:09:05 pm
Marc from Aachen, Germany

Vic, as a Packers fan, I’m disappointed we lost a game that was in our hands, but after I woke up the next morning, I’ve noticed I’m already excited about the draft and the new players that’ll be added to our roster, and also the next season.

The draft is re-birth. The Senior Bowl, the combine, pro days, etc., are the events that prepare us for our re-birth. Slowly but surely we turn the page to our re-birth. The NFL has done a sensational job of creating a full-year cycle that never allows us to stay in one place too long.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 24, 2015, 08:11:42 pm
Matt from Al Udeid AB, Qatar

Vic, it sounds like good news that defensive linemen were good at the Senior Bowl. With the viewpoint that the big guys are most important, it’s got to feel good to have a big-guy tree in bloom. Do you think the Packers have a shot at Carl Davis? He sounds like an ideal fit for our defense, and may fill a position of need, as Raji and Guion will be free agents.

Tony Pauline spoke of Davis as a 3-4 defensive end, and there is always a need for that player. Tony said Davis could push his way into the bottom of round one, and that’s where the Packers will be positioned. Let’s not forget that Aaron Donald was pushing his way into the bottom of round one at this time last year, and then he pushed his way all the way up to the 13th overall pick and had a rookie-of-the-year season. There’s a long way to go between now and the draft, but I would agree that nose tackle is a position that’ll need to be addressed in way or another.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 24, 2015, 08:13:01 pm
Mario from Monterrey, Mexico

Vic, what’s the point of a draft-and-develop approach if we are willing to let them walk away when they reach the superstar level, or when they are vital contributors for our team? I firmly believe Ted Thompson will find a way to retain both Bulaga and Cobb on our roster for the upcoming years. What are your thoughts on this?

How many players have the Packers allowed to leave that caused the team to regret those decisions? If there’s one thing this team does well, it’s evaluate and manage its roster. I am in awe of what this team has accomplished in retaining its players and finding new talent at the bottom of the draft.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 24, 2015, 08:15:49 pm
Ronald from Rapid City, SD

Why don’t reporters address Mike McCarthy’s bullheaded, stubborn refusal to admit he gets conservative when he has the lead?

The idea of going full throttle from your 13-yard line as you attempt to protect a 12-point lead late in the fourth quarter of a game in which your defense has yet to allow a point is so idiotic that I’m just going to assume your emotions have gotten the better of you. Imagine the reaction had Aaron Rodgers been sacked and stripped of the ball, as he was in Buffalo. What are you thinking?

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 24, 2015, 08:17:34 pm
Jon from Stillwater, MN

I agree with Brian. The overtime rule needs to be changed. Both teams need a chance with the ball. In this case, the league’s MVP did not even get on the field because his team lost the flip of a coin. Why should both teams not have an opportunity with the ball in overtime?

Because it’s just a game and fate is its greatest player.

Bingo!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 24, 2015, 10:28:22 pm
Hey Packy - I actually even enjoy reading the opposing viewpoint and the Vic responses, as I used to scroll through this topic pretty fast before you started posting those.  It would be nice to have similar fans on here with Vikings and Lions viewpoints but they can't be more clowns like Otto...

I imagine you are up there is age and none of us know when our time will be up.  Here's to seeing you around for a long while on this board! 

I just hope the Packers suck it

Thanks Grizz.  I regard every fan here as a friend and fellow football lover and I try to post stuff tthat a Bear fan would be interested in, too.  The Bears are #2 on my fan list.

I will be 87 in April so each new day is a treat and an adventure. 

I hope to see a day when the Bears and Packers will be fighting it out for the SB championship. A few years ago it got pretty close.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 24, 2015, 10:30:29 pm
PS - Finding a wise Vikings and Lions fan would be a challenge.   ;-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 25, 2015, 10:23:37 pm
Scott from Wausau, WI

Vic, if Tom Brady is found to have ordered the balls deflated, do you see him sitting out the Super Bowl? Will the NFL sacrifice the competitive balance of the Super Bowl to save the integrity of the game? I say they won’t, and that makes me worry about the future. This violation is bigger than Bountygate, in my opinion.

I don’t think anything is going to happen that quickly, but I agree that Deflategate has the potential to become a bigger media event than anything I’ve seen in a long time. What’s the truth and how far can it be traced back? Those are the questions that need to be answered.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 25, 2015, 10:26:12 pm
Ed from Tampa, FL

Is there anything to the statistical outlier that the Patriots have almost 45 percent fewer fumbles than the league average over the last five years?

Better grip on the ball?

How about dat?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 25, 2015, 10:28:50 pm
Ryan from Columbus, IN

Vic, you mentioned relaxing on the plane when you can to reflect on the game that just concluded. Was the plane dead silent on the way home after the NFC Championship game? Did you hear discussions of disappointment and anger from the players/coaches?

It was dark and quiet. Nowadays, everybody sits wearing earphones and watching something. I’m different. I don’t have that kind of equipment nor do I chose to fill my life with movies and music. I like quiet. I like having time to think, read. I spent much of the flight thinking about other flights after other games. I remembered a flight back from Houston on New Year’s Eve, and the pilot coming onto the PA at midnight and saying, “Happy New Year,” and I remember looking out the window and thinking to myself, “What am I doing with my life?” In the old days, before everyone put on their earphones and tuned out everybody else, the team plane was a flying social club. Players broke down the seats to accommodate a card game known as Boo-Ray. I can remember doing interviews on the plane. Those days are long gone. The team plane is now a place of retreat.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 25, 2015, 10:29:45 pm
Isaiah from Cedar Falls, IA

David Johnson of UNI was voted running back of the week by the pro scouts. Tony Pauline wasn’t impressed. Who do I believe?

Listen to everyone, believe no one.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 25, 2015, 10:30:56 pm
Rachna from Pottstown, PA

Vic, do you think the Packers can overcome the Seattle loss?

It’s a fair question because that kind of loss can carry with it a hangover. You get rid of the hangover by turning the page hard and completely. Don’t focus on getting back to the NFC title game and avenging that loss. Focus on a new season and a new team that carries with it no carryover from what happened the previous season. Everything must be new.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 25, 2015, 10:32:47 pm
Kevin from Plainview, TX

You wrote Friday about Jacksonville “in some ways” never recovering from its loss in the 1999 AFC title game. How do the Packers make sure that doesn’t happen to them?

I think the Jaguars made the mistake of trying to recreate the 1999 season in 2000. They kept the same cast of players by converting salary to signing bonus and pushing money out. They targeted need in the draft and overdrafted for those few positions. In other words, they became obsessed with winning the 1999 AFC title game in 2000, and you can’t do that; you can’t win last year’s game this year. What happened in Seattle must be left in Seattle. The Packers will stay true to their philosophy of drafting the best available player, they won’t mortgage their salary cap future, and they will boldly welcome a new season with change because Coach McCarthy knows that’s what has to happen for a team to grow from one season to the next.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 25, 2015, 10:51:28 pm
Jason La Canfora        ✔ @JasonLaCanfora

Alex Van Pelt was coveted coach this year - and will be again next year I figure. Packers blocked CHI, JAX and STL from interviewing for. OC
1:07 PM - 23 Jan 2015
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 25, 2015, 10:53:23 pm
More from Big Cat Country
NFL teams that have never won the Super Bowl: Jaguars among 13.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest77 on January 26, 2015, 11:37:08 am
It's an interesting list that never won a Super Bowl, lots of birds and cats:

Bengals       (Lost 2)
Bills            (Lost 4)
Browns        (Never Played)
Cardinals     (Lost 1)
Chargers     (Lost 1)
Falcons        (Lost 1)
Eagles         (Lost 2)
Jags            (Never Played)
Lions           (Never Played)
Panthers      (Lost 1)
Texans         (Never Played)
Titans/Oilers (Lost 1)
Vikings         (Lost 4)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 26, 2015, 07:13:41 pm
Posted by Mike Wilkening on January 26, 2015, 7:16 PM EST
Cody Mandell
AP
The Packers have added a punter to their offseason roster.

Green Bay has signed Cody Mandell, who appeared in one preseason game for Dallas in 2014.

An Alabama product, the 22-year-old Mandell signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in May. He posted a 47.1-yard gross average in his final season with the Crimson Tide in 2013...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 26, 2015, 07:18:11 pm
Jon from Bath, England

So, who is Vic rooting for next Sunday, Patriots or Seahawks? Why?

Vic doesn’t root, he just watches. I know there’s no chance that at any point in my life will I be able to convince the readers of this column of that fact, but I’ll continue to try. If the Patriots win, the game will forever be tainted by Deflategate. If the Seahawks win, the game will forever be tainted for Packers fans, for the obvious reason. If I rooted, I wouldn’t know for whom to root.

Amen.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 26, 2015, 07:21:09 pm
Matt from Bismarck, ND

A new goal for me is to get a question published. In your terms, what is the trajectory of our team? Arrow in what direction?

This team’s arrow has been pointing up since it turned the corner in its rebuilding effort following the 2008 season. It’ll stay that way for a long time because the roster is young and the cap is clean.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 26, 2015, 07:24:07 pm
Eric from Fennimore, WI

For the sake of turning the page, what do you see when you see the upcoming Packers season? Anything to prove, voids to fill, hurdles to jump or new approaches you predict? It’s a long offseason, but I’d like some idea of where we’re heading.

I think we’re going to see Coach McCarthy make a bold and definitive effort to turn the page. I don’t think it can be business as usual this spring. I think there has to be a distinct newness to 2015 so the team and all of us can distance ourselves from the way this season ended. I don’t know what that newness will be; I’m just acknowledging the need for it. There has to be a new, bold and intense commitment to 2015 and not to avenging the disappointment of 2014.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 26, 2015, 07:25:44 pm
Chris from Naples, FL

Vic, I know I’m probably thinking way ahead in the future, but the NFL released the opponent schedule last month and we play Seattle at home. As soon as the tickets are available, I’m getting my hands on some. I’m hungry for revenge and if it happens, I want to be there to see it myself.

That’s the attitude that won’t work. You can’t go back to that moment. It’s gone forever. Let it go.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 26, 2015, 07:30:03 pm
Tristan from Davenport, IA

When will it stop hurting?

When you accept that football is just a game. Don’t make it more important than it is.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 28, 2015, 08:42:06 pm
y Keegan Matheson 1d ago

The Green Bay Packers are about to point their ship forward into the 2015 offseason and for the first time in several years the wide receiver position could be a prominent area of need.

The fourth wide receiver spot on the roster is now wide open, perhaps even the third, and the Green Bay Packers could open up a competition between 2014 draft picks Jared Abbrederis and Jeff Janis.

Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams are currently the only certainties on the Packers wide receiving corps.  Randall Cobb is entering free agency this offseason, which should quickly become the lead storyline for Green Bay. Cobb caught 91 balls for 1,297 yards and 12 toucheowns in 2014, so at 25 years of age he will be one of the open market’s most sought-after commodities. Ted Thompson is known for drafting, developing and re-signing his own players, but Cobb’s price tag could prove difficult to manage.

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Past Cobb, the Packers have another impending free agent in Jarrett Boykin. After a tremendous 2013 campaign, he was non-existent last season, recording just three catches for 23 yards despite every opportunity to be the third option in an Aaron Rodgers offense. If Cobb and/or Boykin leave town, Abbrederis and Janis represent two very different, very intriguing options to slide in behind Davante Adams.

The Green Bay Packers were clearly preparing for this situation by adding three receivers in the 2014 draft. After grabbing Adams in the second round,  Thompson made Abbrederis the second of two fifth-round pick – the first University of Wisconsin player selected in his nine years as Green Bay’s general manager. Abbrederis was born in Wisconsin, won a high school state championship there, was a walk-on with the Badgers as a spread-option quarterback and developed into an intelligent and productive wide receiver.

You likely wouldn’t be able to pick  Abbrederis out of a crowd on the street. Standing 6’1″, 195 pounds, he is fairly weak, even by wide receiver standards. His 40-time screams pedestrian, which means he won’t be outrunning any NFL defenders, and his vertical jump was among the worst at the combine for his position. Still, Abbrederis was one of my favorite players in the entire draft class. He has reliable hands and a scrappy playing style that will immediately appeal to his hometown crowd, not to mention an elite football I.Q.

Abbrederis missed the entirety of his rookie season in 2014 after suffering a torn ACL in his right knee. Given the nature of his playing style, I expect that he’ll be able to return to normal. Packers fans know how greatly Rodgers values the element of trust in his receivers and Abbrederis embodies that. He will rarely be spectacular, but could offer great stability at the bottom of a depth chart and contribute on the return teams as need arises.

Two rounds after selecting Abbrederis, Green Bay went in a totally different direction and drafted the athletically-gifted Janis out of Saginaw Valley State. Standing at 6’3″, 220 pounds, with a 40-yard dash that flirts with sub-4.4, Janis was immediately tabbed as a “Jordy Nelson type.” Janis has great leaping ability on deeper throws, and possesses excellent small-area burst for his size, shown by his 3.98s time in the 20-yard shuttle drill which ranked him fourth in the draft class.

MORE FROM GREEN BAY PACKERS
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1/18 - 2015 NFL Playoffs: What Went Wrong For The Packers?
1/17 - Green Bay Packers Keys To Victory Against Seattle Seahawks
Janis flashed a high ceiling in training camp, and has the potential to be a great YAC (yards after catch) receiver in Green Bay, something that the Packers love. His challenge will be consistency, as he doesn’t have the largest hands and is not a fluid, natural catcher of the football. He’ll need to improve on catching contested balls and adjusting his body to get his hands on throws placed behind him if he hopes to gain the trust of Rodgers. If he does, Janis could be electric.

While the third receiver position didn’t produce much in 2014, it’s worth noting that there is room for big numbers deeper in this offensive scheme. Boykin’s 2013 season shows this, as he bounced between the third and fourth positions behind Nelson, James Jones and an injured Cobb. Boykin managed to put up 49 receptions for 681 yards and 3 scores.

This could be a strange time for the Packers offense, which has grown accompanied to having one of the league’s top wide receiving groups over the past 5-plus years. If the experience and past production isn’t there entering 2015 then someone will have to step up.

As it stands, Janis and Abbrederis will have the first shot.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 28, 2015, 08:46:44 pm
Joe Biden was very excited to meet Aaron Rodgers

 by Evan Massey 1d ago

Vice President Joe Biden was very excited to meet Green Bay Packers superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers when the two were on the Ellen show together.

I wonder if Joe wet his pants.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 28, 2015, 09:23:15 pm
Posted by Mike Florio on January 28, 2015, 8:00 PM EST
Chip Kelly
AP
The list of folks still in the running for the vacant personnel executive position in Philly could be a lot shorter than the list of men either who said “no thanks” or whose teams said “no touchy.”

Per a league source, the list of men who have declined interviews for the job includes Packers director of college scouting Brian Gutenkunst and Ravens director of college scouting Joe Hortiz.  Their teams either denied requests for permission or the candidates declined the opportunity...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 28, 2015, 09:25:21 pm
Eric from Ft. Worth, TX

From what I read and see I can understand why needing to upgrade ILB is important, but shouldn’t the Packers look to upgrade the DL first?

Never stop drafting big guys; that’s how important it is to upgrade the defensive line. It seems you can never have enough of those guys. Be that as it may, I think the Packers defensive line has undergone a dramatic upgrade over the last three drafts. Mike Daniels is a fixture. Datone Jones made strides in year two of his career. Josh Boyd is developing into a solid contributor. I’ll be interested to see what Mike Pennel does in next summer’s training camp. Sure, draft another one or two. I won’t complain.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 28, 2015, 09:26:44 pm
Ben from Hudson, WI

I spend way too much time thinking about salary cap now. This is your fault.

Now you know football.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 28, 2015, 09:28:04 pm
Eric from Runaway Bay, TX

It seems this year the Packers have no glaring needs as they have in years passed. I know Ted doesn’t pick for need, but he has to feel pretty good about going into this draft with a best available player approach.

Patience is the key to BAP drafting. Impatience is the motor that drives need drafting. The advantage of BAP drafting is that you’re picking from a bigger pool and that’ll likely give you a better batting average; the negative is that you might come out of the draft not having addressed your perceived needs. The advantage of need drafting is that you’ve addressed your perceived needs; the disadvantage is you might’ve reached for a guy that won’t address that need. I like BAP drafting. I think it’s the best way to get value out of the draft, and I think the draft is all about acquiring value.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 28, 2015, 09:29:28 pm
Bo from Helsingor, Denmark

You have always said football is a young man’s game, but what would GM Ketchman do at cornerback? Would you try to re-sign Tramon Williams or would you stay true to your identity and let the younger guys battle it out for the second starting position?

I would assign a dollar value to my free agents and then attempt to re-sign them, but I would not go above my value line. It’s about the cap. Good teams are vigilant in protecting their cap. You have to be willing to let players go in the salary cap era. It’s not a game of maintenance, it’s a game of replacement.

Amen.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 28, 2015, 09:30:15 pm
Andrew from Jacksonville, FL

We are days away from the Super Bowl and every media conversation is still being driven by Deflategate. I haven’t seen one piece about the actual football matchup. Roger Goodell created a culture of crime and punishment and it has taken center stage. This is embarrassing and boring.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the Goodell era, it’s that punishment doesn’t deter misconduct.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 28, 2015, 09:32:23 pm
Joseph from Raleigh, NC

Vic, this team had it all, and there’s no reason to believe next year will be any different. Ted Thompson will continue to make the right decisions and re-sign the players we need. The young guys will continue making great improvements. Aaron is still “The Man”. Most importantly, the Packers have the best GM/coach combo in the league, in my opinion, and they’ll continue adding young playmakers to a defense that has already proved it can be great. I can’t wait for another great year. Am I being too optimistic?

No, you’re not. Just make sure your expectations don’t set you up for disappointment. We’ve got a long way to go. Enjoy the ride. Take in the scenery mile by mile.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 28, 2015, 09:36:37 pm
Andy from LaSalle, IL

Vic, I hope fans are finding whatever it takes to turn the page on this season. What are you looking forward to next? Mine will be, of course, the draft, but also the reuniting with a memorable legend this summer. I believe it will be very special and I’m looking forward to trying to get up to Green Bay to see it in person.

Brett Favre’s return to Lambeau Field in July might be just what this team needs to kick off training camp.

I believe that La Salle is the strongest  in IL.  Walk the   Walk the mall and watch the Packer gear go by
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 28, 2015, 09:58:55 pm
“Excellent season for us; something we’re very proud of. Our fans, I understand your disappointment; I’m right there with you, but our home field advantage is second to none. My thoughts on the NFC championship game, a very disappointing loss. I felt we let it get away.  Special teams, definitely a tough performance by us. Defensively, we felt very confident we would be able to handle Seattle, hold them to 17 points. Running the football was a priority. Tough loss. The evaluation process starts now. We’ll start the process of change, adjustment and emphasize.”...

From MM's wrap up talk.  Watch for something serious to happen to STs.  Enough is enough.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 28, 2015, 10:04:53 pm
Pedro from Petropolis, Brazil

Vic, Seattle is on Green Bay’s schedule again next season and some fans are acting like it will be time for revenge. I read the answer you gave someone that asked you about that yesterday and I totally agree with what you said. I would love to win that game just like I would love to win any game. What happened can’t be changed. Winning a regular-season game against Seattle won’t make the Packers champions. Seeking revenge will not do any good to anybody; winning games will.

The worst thing you can do to a team is beat them.

So true.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 28, 2015, 10:07:03 pm
John from Farmington, MN

Vic, this quote from you about the team’s arrow gave me goose bumps. “It’ll stay that way for a long time because the roster is young and the cap is clean.” Thanks for helping me turn the corner.

Hope is what turns the page, or in your case, turns the corner. The Packers’ commitment to the future always gives us hope. Imagine how you would feel today if that was a built-for-now-team that lost in Seattle.

The best tonic is great hope for the next season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 28, 2015, 10:09:36 pm
Bob from Joint Base Lewis McChord, WA

Vic, Aaron Rodgers’ playoff record (6-5) is more akin to Peyton Manning’s (11-13) than it is to Tom Brady’s (20-8) or even Ben Roethlisberger’s (10-5). Is that possibly a reflection of a quarterback that has taken his team into the playoffs that would not have made it without him?

The Colts didn’t make it into the playoffs the year after Manning left. The Patriots didn’t make it into the playoffs the year Brady was out with an ACL. You have to have “The Man,” and the Packers have him. With a Super Bowl run next year, Rodgers’ record would go to 9-5 or 10-5. The disappointment from the Seattle game is so intense that we’re looking for somebody, anybody to blame. The quarterback and the coach are always the first guys to get the blame. Rodgers was playing on a bad leg against the No. 1 defense in the league and in a very difficult place to play. I didn’t read nearly as much reference to his bad leg after the loss in Seattle than I did after the win over the Cowboys. Did we forget, or were we just too angry to remember? I saw his right ankle turn on a screen pass; that told me all I needed to know about still playing on one leg. I get the fact that the quarterback makes a lot of money and he has to take more than his share of the blame, but I think he’s getting an unfair share of it. Go back to 3:52. He’s the guy that got them there.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 28, 2015, 10:12:30 pm
Connor from Islip, NY

Is the quest for “The Man” the only thing that’s keeping teams like the Raiders and your Jaguars in the doldrums?

It probably is. You can’t win without him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 28, 2015, 10:14:39 pm
on from Cedar Rapids, IA

Vic, thank you for sending Mark to the Hall of Fame for his comments on the deflated footballs. When I see how big of a deal people are making about this, I worry about the kind of world my kids will inherit. What is your personal take on this matter?

I think it’s a big deal only if it’s discovered that somebody intentionally deflated those balls. If that’s what happened, then it’s a huge deal because cheating threatens the integrity of the game if it’s allowed to continue. Where does it stop? I mentioned that I can’t remember the last time I covered a game in New England that the visiting team’s sideline communication equipment didn’t malfunction. It was a joke in Jacksonville. I can remember Jack Del Rio joking about it with me one day. We were “betting” on what quarter it would happen. I hope the league does its due diligence on this. I think we need to know the truth.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on January 28, 2015, 10:45:53 pm
Doesn't Vic ever take a vacation?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on January 29, 2015, 05:21:51 am
LOL!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on January 29, 2015, 06:21:31 am
What else is there to do in Green Bay but to eat cheese and dream of Bart Starr??
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on January 29, 2015, 05:36:18 pm
We enjoy our 4 Super Bowl titles since it was named after our legendary coach.


 You guys pimp one.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on January 29, 2015, 05:53:03 pm
BTW Sporty


The Green Bay Packets have had several good QB's since 5 time Championship winner Bart Starr.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on January 29, 2015, 08:03:00 pm



 
BTW Sporty


The Green Bay Packets have had several good QB's since 5 time Championship winner Bart Starr.


 Name two.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on January 30, 2015, 05:16:43 am
You all were meaningless for 20 years until you got Favre.  And then Rodgers/  The worm has to turn again in time...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on January 30, 2015, 08:18:31 am
We enjoy our 4 Super Bowl titles since it was named after our legendary coach.


 You guys pimp one.

Those first two against an expansion league were very impressive...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on January 30, 2015, 08:54:01 am
LOL
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: stelz on January 30, 2015, 10:29:16 am
Lynn Dickey was talented and reasonably effective..cant think of any others between Starr and Favre that were even above average....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on January 30, 2015, 11:16:39 am
Majkowski had one good year...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on January 30, 2015, 12:18:37 pm
Every rose has a thorn...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 30, 2015, 06:39:04 pm
James from Wausau, WI

BAP controversy is back again.

It’s the gift that keeps on giving all year long. It has brought great minds to frustration attempting to understand and embrace its simple logic.

V ic still on duty./b
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 30, 2015, 06:40:50 pm
Tom from Blaine, WA

Have you ever seen the movie Gettysburg? “To be a good soldier, you must love the army. To be a good commander, you must be willing to order the death of the thing you love.” The coach can’t care as deeply as the fans.

The coach must be committed solely to success. He can’t be thinking of avenging fourth-and-26 or any of that other emotional stuff that defines the fans’ experience. Most of all, he can’t act as a fan following defeat. When the game is over, the coach’s focus turns solely to what will help his team win the next game, and assigning blame usually doesn’t help teams win.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 30, 2015, 06:49:24 pm
Ndamukong Suh has denied that he intentionally stepped on Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the Detroit Lions' regular-season finale.

But the play, inadvertent or otherwise, apparently heightened tensions between Suh and Packers offensive lineman T.J. Lang.

That culminated with Suh challenging Lang to a fight...

"A couple plays (after the Rodgers incident) we got into it a little bit," Lang told 97.1 FM in Detroit. "He was challenging me to a fight ... It was all part of just the frustration.

"I think just a combination of things, he just kind of snapped ... started saying some things that we can't say on air."..
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 30, 2015, 07:35:41 pm
ilson backpedals toward the end zone, where Clinton-Dix comes up to meet him.

When the ball finally arrives from its high trajectory, the rookie safety from Alabama is seemingly trapped in a mental state that lasts only a split second, not knowing whether to leap for the ball or make the tackle. Luke Wilson actually has to exit the end zone to haul in the football at the one-yard line.

All Clinton-Dix can do, however, is make an awkward lunge and watch Wilson as he momentarily bobbles the football before wrapping his hands around it. It's puzzling. Baffling. Perplexing. Maybe even bewildering.

Luke Wilson attempted to get inside the mind of Clinton-Dix, the player that came up with two big-time interceptions earlier in the game.

"Some things you're not used to, like a guy throwing from over there and lob one up to the other side, you're not really used to defending that," said Wilson. "Again, it was just kind of a misjudged football."

Had Clinton-Dix somehow batted the ball away or hit Wilson short of the goal line, it might be the Packers that are preparting for the Super Bowl this week instead of the Seahawks.

Even former Packers executive and current Seahawks general manager John Schneider was at a loss for words on the two-point conversion and how the whole comeback transpired.

"The two-point conversion was unbelievable," said Schneider. "Russell Wilson and Luke made a heck of a play. When you go back and watch the game, it’s amazing how it went down. I’m not quite as positive as Pete (Carroll) is all the time. I was thinking to myself how I was going to address each player after the game, what I was going to say to the coaching staff.

"I was going to be like, ‘Hey, we had a great season. We’ll get them next year. Let’s have a great offseason.’ All those things are running through my mind, and then at the five-minute mark, things just started snowballing there. Anxiety, depression, you can throw it all in there. It was nuts.”

Even Seattle GM Schneider had given up.

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on January 30, 2015, 07:59:30 pm
Michael Mountford | January 21, 2015

2014-ALL-NFCNFor the second year in a row the Green Bay Packers had to win the NFC North on the last game of the season, this time against the Detroit Lions who looked like a threat to stick around. The two contenders logically send strong contingents to the All-Division team: the Packers dominated the offensive side, landing eight of the 12 spots, and the Lions’ impressive defensive unit is well represented as well. While they were head and shoulders above Minnesota and Chicago this season, the Vikings and Bears managed to crack the lineup with a few of their own.

2014′s best at each position from the NFC North:

OFFENSE

Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers (GB)

No surprises here as the best quarterback in the league is the NFC North division quarterback of the year.

Running back: Eddie Lacy (GB)

Lacy has become one of the best all-around running backs in the game; a threat in both the passing game and running game. The second-year player was the No. 2 graded running back in the passing game this season.

Fullback: Jerome Felton (MIN)

While the fullback position has been used less and less, Felton shows that there is still value when you have a dependable fullback leading the way.

Tight End: Martellus Bennett (CHI)

The Chicago Bears’ offense may have struggled last season, but that did not stop Bennett from showing well, logging the most catches and third-best yardage total for tight ends this season.

Wide Receiver: Jordy Nelson (GB) Calvin Johnson (DET)

The NFC North had three of the Top 10-graded wide receivers this season. Nelson broke the 1,500-yard barrier for the first time and Johnson graded at +16.5 despite dealing with an injury early in the season that caused him to miss three games.

Slot Receiver: Randall Cobb (GB)

Randall Cobb ran the most routes from the slot in the league, where he also led the league in catches, yards and touchdowns, posting a strong 2.13 Yards Per Pass Route Run along the way.

Tackles: Riley Reiff (DET) and Bryan Bulaga (GB)

In a year that most tackles struggled in the NFC North, both Reiff and Bulaga stood out. Reiff didn’t excel in any area, but put up a solid season in every facet of the game. Bulaga, on the other hand, was the second-best pass blocking right tackle in the game.

Guards: Josh Sitton (GB) and T.J. Lang (GB)

The Packers had one of the top two guard pairings (the other being the Ravens) in Sitton and Lang. Sitton was outstanding all season in the pass game, leading the league in Pass Blocking Efficiency at 98.7 (allowed 10 total pressures) while Lang shined in the running game.

Center: Corey Linsley (GB)

The fourth member of the Packer offensive line to make the team is Corey Linsley. The fifth-round rookie was meant to struggle this season stepping in for an injured J.C. Tretter, however, Linsley performed way above his draft status and ended the year as the fifth graded center and the anchor on our All-Rookie team.

DEFENSE

Edge Defenders: Julius Peppers (GB) and Ezekiel Ansah (DET)

The old and new to collide with Peppers and Ansah getting the nod on the edge. Peppers gave the Packers another edge rusher they where desperately needing, while Ansah made a second-year leap to the point where we can just wonder where his ceiling will be.

Defensive Interior – Ends: Mike Daniels (GB) and Ndamukong Suh (DET)

Ndamukong Suh has been one of the league’s best interior pass rushers, but this season he produced his best all-around performance. Daniels has pushed his way into the conversation as one of the better 3-4 ends in the league, his balanced play landing him in the Top 10 of the group for the second straight season.

Defensive Interior – Nose: Jay Ratliff (CHI)

After struggling to even get on the field for the last couple seasons, Ratliff showed when he is healthy he can still preform at a high level. His usual self as a force in the passing game, he had the third-best Pass Rush Productivity for defensive tackles at 9.5 (33 total pressures), but also produced his best work as a run defender.

Linebackers: DeAndre Levy (DET) and Anthony Barr (MIN)

DeAndre Levy had a great season in his role as a traditional 4-3 OLB, where he produced 49 stops in the run game and only missing seven tackles. With Barr still learning to become a 4-3 OLB, he was never a liability as a run defender or in coverage and when given the opportunity to rush the passer, he was able to show the athletic ability that got him drafted so high.

Cornerbacks: Rashean Mathis (DET) and Xavier Rhodes (MIN)

Since coming to the Lions, Mathis has shown he can still play, this season finishing as the 12th-highest-graded corner and giving up just 0.86 yards per cover snap. Rhodes’ excellent work in coverage (+7.3, 14th) made up for the work he needs against the run (-4.5, 107th).

Slot Cornerback: Casey Hayward (GB)

Casey Hayward has become one of the premier slot corners in the league. On 225 coverage snaps in the slot, Hayward allowed just 16 catches on 25 targets for 168 yards.

Safeties: Harrison Smith (MIN) and Glover Quin (DET)

The NFC North gives us two of the best safeties last season. Smith was excellent as a run defender, able to come up from his safety spot and act as an added linebacker in the box while Quin was one of the league’s best cover safeties, leading the NFL in interceptions.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker: Blair Walsh (MIN)

Blair Walsh was easily the best kicker in the NFC North thanks in part to his good work on kickoffs and connecting on five FGs from 50+ yards.

Punter: Sam Martin (DET)

The No. 3 punter last season, had no competition as the second-year pro is getting better and better, he is on his way to become one of the leagues best specialists.

Returner: Marcus Sherels (MIN)

Sherels only had four kickoff returns, but he led the division with 297 yards as a punt returner to get him on to the division team.

Special Teamer: Adam Thielen (MIN)

Adam Thielen made the PFF All-Pro Special Teams team thanks to his blocking on kickoffs and the 10 tackles he recorded.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on January 31, 2015, 09:53:54 am
I would be hard pressed not to swap Forte for Lacy and Long for one of the Guards.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on January 31, 2015, 06:04:10 pm



 Whats nice is the slate is wiped clean and all of us start over again.


 SEE : 2011 Seattle Sea-Hawks & San Francisco 49ers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: stelz on January 31, 2015, 09:54:25 pm
Rodgers 38 TD, 5 INT in 2014.  Your NFL MVP....wish the Bears could come up with a guy like this in my lifetime.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on January 31, 2015, 11:51:56 pm
As much as I hate the guy he deserves it.  He truly is the MVP.

With out him the Packers are just another team...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: chifaninva on February 01, 2015, 09:02:44 am
I would be hard pressed not to swap Forte for Lacy and Long for one of the Guards.

Forte yes... Long no..
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on February 01, 2015, 09:32:31 am
LOL, picking Lacy over Forte is nothing more than blatant home cooking...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on February 01, 2015, 09:33:02 am
Well, that or Packer fan stupidity...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 01, 2015, 05:54:19 pm
http://dairylandexpress.com/2015/02/01/ron-wolf-architect-modern-green-bay-packers-voted-hall-fame/?utm_source=FanSided+Daily&utm_medium=email (http://dairylandexpress.com/2015/02/01/ron-wolf-architect-modern-green-bay-packers-voted-hall-fame/?utm_source=FanSided+Daily&utm_medium=email)

When talking of the Packers' success don't forget this guy.

You just need the right man in full control to bring what you want.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 01, 2015, 06:02:20 pm
Olivia Munn Tries To Have As Much Sex With Aaron Rodgers As Possible
 by Mike Dyce 7w ago


If you thought Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was a lucky guy for being in a relationship with actress Olivia Munn, who is gorgeous, get ready to be even more jealous...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 01, 2015, 06:04:23 pm
Brett Favre's Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame induction sold out


  Lombardi Ave  [/color]Green Bay Packers would notch eighth team MVP with Aaron Rodgers win  (http://mandrillapp.com/track/click/10494007/lombardiave.com?p=eyJzIjoiOEtfYmYzSUJ1OEQ1TWF1MzBNQjZwWnpUOTRnIiwidiI6MSwicCI6IntcInVcIjoxMDQ5NDAwNyxcInZcIjoxLFwidXJsXCI6XCJodHRwOlxcXC9cXFwvbG9tYmFyZGlhdmUuY29tXFxcLzIwMTVcXFwvMDFcXFwvMzFcXFwvZ3JlZW4tYmF5LXBhY2tlcnMtbm90Y2gtZWlnaHRoLXRlYW0tbXZwLWFhcm9uLXJvZGdlcnMtd2luXFxcLz91dG1fc291cmNlPUZhblNpZGVkK0RhaWx5JnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWxcIixcImlkXCI6XCIzZjA2OGZjODIwYjU0ODkxYTcyYTFiMjFiNzM1MmRkMlwiLFwidXJsX2lkc1wiOltcImZiM2MxNThjZDViZGY0NjZjZWMxMDY1ODZjYzE5N2QzMDNmMjVhNGNcIl19In0) With a second MVP Award tonight, Aaron Rodgers would be the eighth Most Valuable Player selection all-time for the Green Bay Packers. [/t][/t][/color][/font][/size]
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 01, 2015, 06:08:18 pm
FanSided sat down with Cobb and touched on a bunch of topics. We asked Cobb if he could ask Roger Goodell any question, what would it be?:

“If he would ever change the hitting zone. A lot of guys are hitting a little bit lower and I think that is one of the reasons that caused my injury a couple of years ago, you look at Le’Veon Bell, you look at Gronkowski the hit he took last year. We are getting our knees blown out and that could be a career ending injury”

Should Marshawn Lynch or other athletes in the NFL should have to talk to the media:

“I don’t think they should be forced to. Freedom of speech. Just talking to talk. He doesn’t want to talk that’s on him. I think they are just looking for reasons to fine him now.”

As for the Seahawks loss in the NFC championship game:

“I don’t think I will ever get over it.”

Check out the entire podcas
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Keysbear on February 01, 2015, 07:13:44 pm
Olivia Munn Tries To Have As Much Sex With Aaron Rodgers As Possible
 by Mike Dyce 7w ago


If you thought Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was a lucky guy for being in a relationship with actress Olivia Munn, who is gorgeous, get ready to be even more jealous...

She's an actress all right. Her current role is beard.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 01, 2015, 07:27:30 pm
Ryan from Viroqua, WI

Vic, can you explain to me why it’s a problem to use revenge as a motivator?

Because you’re focusing on an emotion instead of on your job.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 01, 2015, 07:29:32 pm
Jon from Bath, England

What’s the narrative going to be for Sunday’s game?

It’s going to be a clash between a great defense and a great quarterback. I don’t think Russell Wilson will have the success against the Patriots secondary that he had against the Broncos last year. The Patriots have to stop the run and throw the ball to win. The Seahawks have to run the ball and stop Tom Brady to win.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 01, 2015, 08:00:08 pm
The Packers will carry over into 2015 nearly $8 million of salary cap room they saved from 2014, which will help matters. Soon the NFL Players Association plans on announcing its projections for how much the cap will rise: $133 million based on league revenues. If it's anything like last year, it could go up by as much as $10 million.

"The cap is projected to grow," Murphy said. "We have a pretty good idea of what it's going to be."

A $10 million increase would put the Packers around $20 million under the cap, and they can gain $7.25 million more by releasing linebackers A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones.

What is unpredictable is whether Cobb and/or Bulaga ask for more than what Thompson sees as their value. He has panicked and signed players like Hawk, Jones and Ryan Grant to above-market deals, but those mistakes are few and far between.

Thompson has a salary structure that could be affected if those two get blockbuster deals.

He probably doesn't want to pay Cobb more than the $9.95 million per year he gave the team's best receiver, Jordy Nelson, last season, and he probably would create a problem if he paid Bulaga significantly more than his best offensive lineman, Josh Sitton, who makes $6.75 million per year.

Either way, Murphy thinks the group Thompson has put together is built to last. The key may be how Murphy, Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy respond to the devastating loss. They are the leaders of the franchise and others follow their leads...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 02, 2015, 10:14:02 pm
Posted by Mike Wilkening on February 2, 2015, 5:37 PM EST
29th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner To Benefit The Buoniconti Fund To Cure Paralysis - Arrivals

A Monday morning arrest on assault and solicitation of **** charges has cost Warren Sapp his analyst’s role with the NFL’s television channel...

Good!!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 02, 2015, 10:23:57 pm
http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Aaron-Rodgers-makes-a-big-impact-off-the-field/0b3d1cc1-52d0-4a63-b008-c4e876f265ed

Touching story for a true MVP.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 02, 2015, 10:29:45 pm
http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Aaron_Rodgers_up_for_Walter_Payton_Man_of_the_Year/73abcb69-c0f6-43cf-aca8-ca8a8d4b7d3

It would be a true honor to win this award.  Good to have a guy like this acting as a good role model for young kids.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 02, 2015, 11:16:48 pm
http://www.foxsports.com/wisconsin/story/green-bay-packers-5-biggest-strengths-heading-into-2015-offseason-020215?cmpid=traffic:partner:bleacherreport

Reasons to be optimistic about a 2015 SB for the Pack.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 02, 2015, 11:26:48 pm
Packers react to Seahawks' Super Bowl loss
February, 1, 2015

By Rob Demovsky | ESPN.com
33410COMMENTS63EMAILPRINT
GREEN BAY, Wis. --

 Lest you had any doubt about which team the Green Bay Packers -- or at least a couple of their offensive linemen -- were rooting for in Super Bowl XLIX, David Bakhtiari and T.J. Lang cleared that up as the New England Patriots were putting the finishing touches on their improbable win against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night.


What a Seattle way to end the game.

— TJ Lang (@TJLang70) February 2, 2015



Sure, Bakhtiari and Lang were no doubt still bitter over the Packers' collapse against the Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game two weeks earlier, but there's been an unfriendly rivalry between the two teams ever since the Fail Mary game in 2012. The Packers weren't happy with how the Seahawks celebrated after a game in which they felt the replacement officials handed Seattle the win.

The next year, the Packers played the Seahawks in a preseason game that was chippy to say the least...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 02, 2015, 11:39:39 pm
http://www.acmepackingcompany.com/packers-2014-season-review/2015/1/26/7884115/green-bay-packers-2014-season-review-and-free-agency-preview

2014 FA review/2015 preview
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 02, 2015, 11:47:12 pm
Rodgers got emotional during speech when he saw McCarthy in the audience - JSOnline
Aaron Rodgers was touched to see his head coach there supporting him when accepting his MVP - so much so that he forgot the speech he was intending to give.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on February 04, 2015, 01:10:31 am



 SUPERBOWL 49 ...


 Sweet revenge ... sweet motherfuckin sweet revenge for the Packers ...


 a debt is owed to New England.


 WHO THE CHICAGO BEARS SLAUGHTERED IN A SUPERBOWL!


 Some punk teams get away with it for a while thinking they are something.


 But that's all they are ... punks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 04, 2015, 09:25:37 pm
http://lombardiave.com/2015/02/02/nfl-draft-prospect-qa-washington-nose-tackle-danny-shelton/3/

Danny Shelton, NT.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 04, 2015, 11:08:16 pm
Stephen from Bismarck, ND

Vic, I am a Vikings fan, but I really appreciate your fascinating and well-written perspective on a variety of NFL issues. I am, however, also a Peyton Manning fan, and I am a little bit puzzled by some of the things you’ve written about him. With all due respect to Tom Brady, who is an all-time great, I think the media as a whole is often quite unfair in their coverage of Manning. Where would you rank him personally amongst the greats?

He’s the greatest regular-season quarterback in history.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 04, 2015, 11:11:58 pm
Chris from Mancos, CO

Vic, is a nose tackle more important to stopping the run or a quality ILB?

What good is eating blocks if you don’t have someone to make the tackle?

Yeah, but what's the sense of trying to make a tackle if you're being blocked?</b.
>
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 04, 2015, 11:12:51 pm
Tom from West Bend, WI

What some call being an avid fan sometimes strikes me as mental illness.

I needed a laugh.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 04, 2015, 11:13:55 pm
Seth from Olathe, KS

Do you think Green Bay would have beaten New England?

That’s the what-if game I won’t play. I have too much respect for the teams that get to the big game to take anything away from them. The Patriots got it done at crunch time; I respect them for that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 04, 2015, 11:14:46 pm
Karl from Albuquerque, NM

How does Ted Thompson avoid all the personality issues that seem to be bringing down the likes of Cleveland right now?

The Packers work at it. They do their homework on the draft prospects. They don’t just time them, they interview them and they do background checks, and they hold to their values. Teams have a responsibility for the people they bring into their communities. The Packers are vigilant about their responsibility.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 04, 2015, 11:19:54 pm
Patrick from New York, NY

Let’s say we’re adding teams to the playoffs. Do you favor adding one team per conference and eliminating the first-round bye for the No. 2 seed, or adding two teams per conference and eliminating all byes, or something else?

I say add two teams per conference and get rid of the byes. The NFL’s postseason product is so good that more is better than less.

Sorry, but I'm absolutely against bringing one-half of the league into the play-off for a one-and-done series.  Why play 16 games to eliminate only half of the teams
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 04, 2015, 11:25:19 pm
Seth from Olathe, KS

Do you think Green Bay would have beaten New England?

That’s the what-if game I won’t play. I have too much respect for the teams that get to the big game to take anything away from them. The Patriots got it done at crunch time; I respect them for that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 04, 2015, 11:27:42 pm
Kevin from Asbury Park, NJ

So the Falcons are being investigated for pumping crowd noise into the stadium. I can’t remember which stadium you were in where you said the noise that was pumped into the stadium was killing you, but do you think there are a lot of stadiums in the NFL that pump in noise? And do you think they will investigate other stadiums for pumping in noise?

What are we going to call this, Noisegate? We’ve got too many investigations going on. The NFL is beginning to acquire an identity for misconduct and I don’t like it.

The teams are bringing this upon themselves by their cheating.  To use a popular post WWII expression, Tough ****.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 04, 2015, 11:28:49 pm
Luke from Toronto, Ontario

Vic, does a team’s perceived needs come into play when they create their big board?

It shouldn’t. A value board should be a ranking of players by talent only. Teams know what their needs are and they know to where they must move to address their needs without surrendering value.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 04, 2015, 11:36:32 pm
http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Video-Ask-Vic-Win-Division-Title/6af9c4d3-3cd3-4c32-8774-dd824515eb62
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 04, 2015, 11:48:25 pm
Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was arrested for felony possession of marijuana and felony possession of a firearm in his hometown of Starke, Florida, according to a police report.

 ESPN @espn
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 05, 2015, 08:51:52 pm
Dan from Grand Rapids, MI

Vic, do you see the franchise tag as a possibility for any of our free agents?

All offensive linemen get left tackle money when they’re franchised. Last year, that was $11.654 million. That’s a tough pill to swallow for a guy that isn’t a left tackle. The WR franchise tag paid $12.132 million and the CB franchise tag paid $11.834 million. That’s kind of pricey; it’s better to do a new deal.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 05, 2015, 08:53:00 pm
Mike from West Bend, WI

The offseason is three days old and there are three NFL teams under investigation, four player arrests, one full-season suspension, and Johnny Football is in treatment. Let’s not forget the murder trial and an indictment of a player feeding his dog to his alligator. But, hey, more people watched the Super Bowl than ever before. So when does training camp start?

You made your point well. All of that is troubling. What troubles me the most is that we haven’t come to understand that punishment is not a deterrent for misconduct. The key is to keep those people out of the league. The NFL shouldn’t be a reform school. America is full of football talent. Find the guys that won’t embarrass the league and the game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 05, 2015, 08:53:53 pm
Todd from Knoxville, TN

McCarthy gets blamed for losing the game to the Seahawks due to too-conservative play-calling. Carroll gets blamed for losing the game to the Patriots due to too-aggressive play-calling. Is the definition of a successful strategy in football one of hindsight, simply, did it work?

Yes, it is. Chuck Noll said when you win you’re great and when you lose you stink. There’s no middle ground.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 05, 2015, 08:55:19 pm
Saul from Los Angeles, CA

Vic, do you think if Packers get the No. 1 seed next year and get to the NFC title game they can beat anyone who goes into Lambeau Field?

The 2014 Packers could’ve beaten anyone anywhere. The noise at CenturyLink Field was no factor. The Packers played the Seahawks off their feet. They just didn’t close the deal. What a shame.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 05, 2015, 08:56:47 pm
Philip from Oklahoma City, OK

Vic, I love college football, but the way the media hypes national signing day and the demand adult fans have for it really bothers me for some reason. We’re talking about 18-year-olds who are promoted on respectable, big-name media sites and are then shown on TV putting on a hat, having stories written about them on how they are the saviors for their schools, and then grown adults get rabid based on the kids’ decisions. I guess I should have seen this coming with the way our society makes college athletes now into superstars; it just seems ridiculous.

It’s the media’s fault. The schools don’t want to pressure kids into committing to the school’s football program. The kids don’t want all that fame; they’re very level-headed. And the fans don’t want to know every little detail about every kid with a star attached to his name. What are we going to do about the stinking media? I’m disgusted. Nothing should be publicized until after it’s happened and it’s been proven to have been successful.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 05, 2015, 08:59:10 pm
Andy from Elkhart, IN

Vic, with all due respect, if we all take a deep breath and step away from football for a couple of weeks, wouldn’t that make your job a bit more difficult for a few weeks, or even a month, if there were absolutely no questions about football?

Sure it would, but that won’t happen. I left Green Bay for Edisto Beach, SC, at 11:30 a.m. CT on Wednesday. I drove straight through night, which included six hours of a snowstorm in Indiana, and arrived in Edisto at 8:30 a.m. ET today. I immediately sat down and penned this column. In the time it took me to get from Green Bay to Edisto, my inbox filled with 2,408 questions. That’s the number as I’m writing this column. I’m on no sleep. Please cut me a bre
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 05, 2015, 09:01:32 pm
Anthony from Gilbert, AZ

Why is it so hard for people to understand how Thompson uses the best available player approach to draft for need? It’s one of the two reasons he trades picks so often.

 That’s right. He moves to where need and value meet. He’s a master of it.

Exactly right.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 05, 2015, 09:02:29 pm
Al from Irondequoit, NY

What do you think of Seattle’s defense during their playoff run? They allowed 17, 22 and 28 points. Legion of boom or bust?

That’s a very good defense, but it’s not to be compared to the 1976 Steelers, 1985 Bears or 2000 Ravens. The ’76 Steelers allowed 29 points in nine games, including five shutouts in that stretch.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 05, 2015, 09:07:36 pm
http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Video-Ask-Vic-Win-Division-Title/6af9c4d3-3cd3-4c32-8774-dd824515eb62 (http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Video-Ask-Vic-Win-Division-Title/6af9c4d3-3cd3-4c32-8774-dd824515eb62)

What do the Packers need to win the 2015 SB, Vic?      Video.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 05, 2015, 09:25:37 pm
Another twist in the arrest of the Packers' defensive tackle.

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It remains unclear whether the Green Bay Packers will consider re-signing Letroy Guion after his arrest for marijuana and gun possession in his home state of Florida. However, new details have surfaced that suggest the situation isn't as dire as first reported.

According to ESPN's Adam Caplan, the firearm found in Guion's possession was unloaded and in a box that also contained a Minnesota carrying permit. Guion, of course, spent the first five years of his career with the Minnesota Vikings. As for the roughly $190,000 found in Guion's vehicle, it can be traced to paychecks from the Packers. The money was reportedly going to his family in Starke, Florida.

While those details may change the way Green Bay and the NFL consider those elements of the arrest, there's still the matter of the 357 grams of marijuana as well as the erratic driving that initially tipped off the police.

The only thing that seems clear at this point is the situation is far from settled.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 05, 2015, 10:16:06 pm
(http://www.espnwisconsin.com/media/Guion-Crowd.jpg)

What a shame.   good guy finally found himself and, then, screwed up.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on February 06, 2015, 09:36:24 am

Yeah, Packers better cut him...so the Bears can sign him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 06, 2015, 08:03:59 pm
BJ Raji is back and healthy this season after missing 2014.  Considering the salary cap concerns, would you give a big contract to a player, like Guion who will sit out four  penalty weeks and risks worse if he screws up again or would you sign Raji to another "prove it contract?"

Do the Bears want to pick up some excess baggage in these building years?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 06, 2015, 08:20:30 pm
Ryan from Platteville, WI

What team do you think could have the biggest improvement from 2014 to 2015?

The Vikings.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 06, 2015, 08:22:23 pm
Richard from Farmington Hills, MI

You said McCarthy is “the best play-caller I’ve ever covered.” I have no issue with his calls and believe the fans that fault them in the Seattle game need to focus on the many players that did not do their job in the last minutes. I’m wondering what the basis is for your opinion, since it seems to me it would be very hard to compare play callers.

Mike McCarthy is a master of using formations in one series or one play to set up what he might do in a future series or a future play. Good play-callers don’t just pick plays, they create a theme on which they call their game. In my mind, the best play-callers create their themes by scheming personnel, not schemes, and Coach McCarthy is also a master at scheming personnel. He knows where he wants to go with the ball. Davante Adams’ emergence in the win over the Patriots is a perfect example.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 06, 2015, 08:23:55 pm
Carl from Port Edwards, WI

How would you define the media these days?

It’s part of the show.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 06, 2015, 09:00:19 pm
(http://prod.static.packers.clubs.nfl.com//assets/images/imported/GB/photos/130822-suite650.jpg)

Wonder how much it costs for that seat.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 07, 2015, 10:02:39 pm
Posted: 02/06/2015, 03:54pm | David Just

 Lance Briggs against the Packers on Sept. 28, 2014. Briggs said Friday he'd never consider suiting up for the Bears' NFC North rival. (AP Photo)


Lance Briggs has been an institution with the Chicago Bears: seven Pro Bowls, three times All-Pro, and he helped the Bears reach the Super Bowl in 2007.

I don't remember him being asked.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 07, 2015, 10:21:39 pm
Jim from Dorr, MI

Do you think the Packers should bother playing next year? Jim Rome says they will never be able to recover from their loss. I’ll bet he doesn’t like khakis.

The Packers will recover from that loss because they have a coach who has the leadership skills to commit his team to a new season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 07, 2015, 10:22:23 pm
Ross from Hudson, WI

Football isn’t a goody goody sport. “When it’s third-and-10, you can take the milk drinkers, and I’ll take the whiskey drinkers every time.” – Max McGee

It’s a tough game for tough guys. McGee was one of the tough guys. He got it done at crunch time.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 07, 2015, 10:23:23 pm
Chase from Sunnyvale, CA

If the NFL were to penalize teams instead of players, you might want some leniency built in since many of the players live on the edge. Also, since monetary fines could be passed on to the player through an organizational fine, I think you’d have to threaten to take away draft picks. Let’s say two free strikes and then the league starts taking away draft picks starting with round seven. How does that sound?

I think it’s an idea worthy of consideration.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 07, 2015, 10:23:58 pm
Shawn from Troy, NY

Which play gets your vote for best pass play of the season?

I favor the Jordy Nelson, 80-yard touchdown reception vs. the Jets in Week 2.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 07, 2015, 10:26:24 pm
Jeremiah from South Bend, IN

Vic, do you think Green Bay’s small town atmosphere plays a significant role in player behavior? The town is certainly an outlier in the world of professional sports.

I do. There’s an underlying goodness in Green Bay. I think it’s infectious.

I do agree  but it also tends to bring conceit to the krauts.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 07, 2015, 10:41:31 pm
Height: 5'11"

Weight: 242 pounds

There is no question that the number one need of the Packers is getting help at inside linebacker. That situation will be even more apparent when the Packers release both A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones, which I believe will happen in the near future.

The Packers will save $7.25 million on their salary cap by jettisoning Hawk and Jones based on the information provided by spotrack.com.

Sam Barrington looks to be one starter at inside linebacker in 2015, as he really blossomed in the second half of the 2014 season. Like a lot of young players on the Packers have shown, Barrington really developed in his second year with the Packers.

Other players who will compete at inside linebacker next year include Carl Bradford and Joe Thomas. Jamari Lattimore is an unrestricted free agent and I'm not expecting the Packers to bring him back.
That takes us to the 2015 NFL draft. There are three players at inside linebacker who could all be there at pick No. 30 for the Packers in the first round. They are Benardrick McKinney of Mississippi State, Eric Kendricks of UCLA and Denzel Perryman of Miami. I wrote about those players last week.

Perryman played at the Senior Bowl and interviewed with the Packers, according to Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 07, 2015, 10:51:48 pm
With those situations in mind, I would expect the Packers to select a tight end in the draft. One interesting possibility is Jesse James of Penn State. James has a great name and also excellent size.

In his three years as a Nittany Lion, James had 76 catches for 995 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Besides being a large, inviting target in the red zone where he can "steal" a pass from defenders, James also has freakish athletic ability with his strength and speed, which was noted by Josh Moyer of ESPN.com.

James has bench pressed 225 pounds 27 times and has been timed at 4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 07, 2015, 10:57:18 pm

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 200 pounds

The cornerback position for the Packers was very deep in 2014. But that may change in 2015. Three players, Tramon Williams, Davon House and Jarrett Bush, are all unrestricted free agents.

I do expect the Packers to be able to re-sign either Williams or House plus bring back Bush, as he is an anchor on special teams.

The team will also still have Sam Shields, Casey Hayward and Demetri Goodson. Micah Hyde can also help out at corner.

One can never have enough quality depth at cornerback, and that is why I see the Packers selecting another one in the 2015 draft.

Round 5: Cornerback Ladarius Gunter (Miami)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 07, 2015, 11:00:30 pm


Height: 5'11"

Weight: 264 pounds

John Kuhn is one of the best fullbacks in the NFL. No. 30 went to his second Pro Bowl after the 2014 season as a matter of fact. Another fact is Kuhn will be 33 years old early in the 2015 season if he remains a member of the Packers.

The cult hero in Green Bay is an unrestricted free agent, but I believe the Packers will be bringing him back.

But Kuhn's age is why I believe the Packers will look to the future in the 2015 NFL draft at the fullback position. A player that they should look closely at is Jalston Fowler of Alabama.

Fowler has been the best blocking fullback in the country as a member of the Crimson Tide for a number of years now.

For instance, Fowler was the lead blocker for Eddie Lacy of the Packers and T.J. Yeldon in 2012, when they combined to rush for 2,490 yards and 29 touchdowns for Alabama.

In his career at Alabama, Fowler rushed for 738 yards and five touchdowns. He also had seven receiving touchdowns. But his main attribute was his blocking ability.

He showed off that ability at the Senior Bowl.

Kuhn is still a fine player in his role, but the time will be coming fairly soon when a new fullback will be needed.

Fowler would be a great replacement for Kuhn when the time comes. Plus he can learn from Kuhn about the nuances regarding the fullback position in the NFL and also how to contribute on special teams.

Fowler's experience with Lacy in college would be an added plus.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 07, 2015, 11:03:46 pm

Round 7: Quarterback Taylor Kelly (Arizona State)


Height: 6'2"

Weight: 205

Things are pretty good for the Packers at the quarterback position. In fact, Aaron Rodgers is coming off his second NFL MVP award.

While all that is true, the two backups for No. 12, Matt Flynn and Scott Tolzien, are both unrestricted free agents.

There is a chance both Flynn and Tolzien could re-sign with the Packers for the 2015 season, but as Ron Wolf proved in his time as general manager of the Packers, one should always look for a quarterback in the draft just in case.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 08, 2015, 10:27:47 pm
Posted by Josh Alper on February 8, 2015, 4:51 PM EST

NFC Championship - Green Bay Packers v Seattle Seahawks
Getty Images

After the Packers lost to the Seahawks in the NFC Championship game, head coach Mike McCarthy said he was unaware that linebacker Clay Matthews was dealing with an injury in the second half of the game because he was focused on calling the plays for the offense.

McCarthy may not have that issue to deal with again in 2015. Chris Havel of WDUZ in Green Bay is reporting that the Packers will promote offensive coordinator Tom Clements to associate head coach and give him the play calling responsibilities while also moving Edgar Bennett from wide receivers coach to offensive coordinator.

No other Packers reporters have confirmed that report, but Tyler Dunne and Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com and Jason Wilde of ESPN Wisconsin all report some variation on the theme of the Packers considering changes to the responsibilities of the offensive staff.

Silverstein reports the goal is greater “team oversight,” something that became a concern when the team “lost its way” in that title game loss to the Seahawks. In the past, McCarthy has said he’s willing to make a change with play calling “if I felt we would be better served to have someone else call the plays.”

The Packers haven’t reached that point in the past, but it sounds like 2015 could bring a new approach on the sideline in Green Bay.

I like this idea A LOT.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on February 08, 2015, 11:22:30 pm
While in theory it sounds good but McCarthy is a damn good play caller.  Will the new guy do as well?  It could go either way.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 09, 2015, 04:05:29 pm
The question about McCarthy's play calling has become an issue, especially in the Seattle game.  In all honesty, how would you rate that game, Peke?

One big issue is whether or not McCarthy has a complete of view all that is happening or does the play calling interfere with the overall game control.  Personally, I prefer a competent play caller taking that over while the HC has complete control of all phases of the game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 09, 2015, 04:57:06 pm
Paul from Wauwatosa, WI

Vic, how would the team’s cap be hit in this scenario: Randall Cobb gets tagged to be a franchise player (at around $12 million this upcoming year), but then signs a contract with the team for $8 million per year with a signing bonus. Would the 2015 cap number be the $12 million franchise number or would it be the $8 million and the bonus?

The franchise tag and its cap hit go away and the team’s cap is charged with the terms of the new contract. The 2015 cap wouldn’t house all of the signing bonus; it would be spread out evenly over the life of the contract. The franchise tag is a good device to facilitate contract  negotiations.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 09, 2015, 04:58:03 pm
Jon from Muenster, Germany

Vic, if a player enters the Hall of Fame, who determines which team he represents? Is it the player’s choice?

A player inducted into the Hall of Fame represents every team for whom he played. When Brett Favre goes into the Hall of Fame, he will represent the Falcons, Packers, Jets and Vikings. The fans decide with what team they will identify the player.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 09, 2015, 04:59:55 pm
John from Melton Mowbray, UK

The Packers have several young defensive linemen – Thornton, Gaston, Robinson and Pennel – under contract. Do you foresee any of them becoming significant contributors in 2015?

That’s the Packers way and I would be surprised if one or more of those players didn’t become a major contributor. For starters, I really liked what I saw in Mike Pennel last summer. I like to call them jars on the shelf. If you don’t have them, your cupboard’s bare and you’ve got big problems. Lots and lots of big guys; that’s what a team needs to have in its cupboard.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 09, 2015, 05:00:36 pm
Joseph from Raleigh, NC

Vic, what was your impression of Richard Rodgers in his first year?

I think he has major upside as a receiver. I think he has star potential as a receiver. I’d like to see him get stronger as a blocker.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 09, 2015, 05:01:32 pm
blocker.

Shaun from Phoenix, AZ

What is the benefit of promoting Tom Clements? I personally love McCarthy’s play calling.

I’m going to have to wait on this one, until Coach McCarthy conducts what has become his annual postseason press conference to announce staff changes. The only thing I can tell you right now is that this has no doubt been planned and strategized if it’s true. There’s a purpose for all of Coach McCarthy’s staff changes, just as there was when he moved Edgar Bennett from running backs coach to wide receivers coach.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 09, 2015, 05:10:06 pm
Adam from Charlotte, NC

You’ve said you hoped McCarthy wouldn’t give up his play-calling duties. Now he’s handed the responsibility to Tom Clements. How do you feel about this decision?

What I said is Coach McCarthy is the best play-caller I’ve ever covered. If, in fact, he’s handed the job over to Coach Clements, then it’s my hope Coach Clements becomes the best play-caller I’ve ever covered. Look, here’s the deal: Call any play you want; just make it work. I’m not a big play-call guy. I don’t believe you win games with plays. I believe you win games with players. That final 3:52 wasn’t about plays. It was about playing.

But,  while McCarthy was busy calling plays the team was melting away into over-early celebration.  McCarthy should have had his attention on controlling the sidelines behavior and intensity.  For all the good play calling the team lost the game in exuberant, unwarranted joy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 09, 2015, 05:10:58 pm
Kim from Austin, TX

Vic, I, too, have long wished receivers did not wear gloves. However, with the speed at which some quarterbacks throw, there would be a lot more dropped or intercepted balls, I would think. How do you think the game these days would change, if at all?

For starters, Odell Beckham would not have made that catch.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 09, 2015, 07:40:09 pm
Packers Essentially Get Second Rookie Class in 2015 http://bit.ly/1ux9CVm  #packers


5:22 PM - 9 Feb 2015



 Packers Essentially Get Second Rookie Class in 2015 

Quite a few members of the Packers rookie class of 2014 essentially redshirted during their first season in professional football.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 10, 2015, 09:57:20 pm


Clements to take over play-calling duties for the Packers

 by Tom Gorman 1d ago 

Ian Rapoport for NFL.com reported from sources that Mike McCarthy will be handing down the play-calling duties to now Assistant Head Coach Tom Clements. After the NFC championship, McCarthy wondered why his assistant coaches were not given many chances within the organization. While Clements has been promoted to assistant head coach, wide receivers coach Edgar Bennett was named the new offensive coordinator.

McCarthy was under a lot of fire following the NFC championship game because many thought that it was McCarthy’s play-calling that cost them the game. The Packers were on the goal line twice on 4th down and elected to kick both times. McCarthy may have realized his play-calling style was a bit too conservative and decided to pass on this extremely potent offense to someone

This year the Packers were 1st in scoring and had their QB take MVP honors. Many saw the Packers score so many first-half points, but let up in the 2nd half and sometimes let the other team get right back in the game. The Atlanta game comes to mind when thinking about that. Regardless, many think that McCarthy’s style was too conservative for their very up-tempo offense.

Tom Clements has been with the Packers since 2006 when he was named Quarterbacks coach. Clements was named offensive coordinator in 2012 after former OC Joe Philbin left for the vacant head coaching job in Miami. Since being named the OC of the Packers, the Packers have ranked 4th in scoring, 6th in total offense, tied for 4th in giveaways, and 5th in first downs.

The Packers still have a lot to do this offseason, but naming Clements as their play-caller is a step in the right direction.

About time.  This decreases the chance that someone will try to steal Clemens.  I think that he will do well.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on February 11, 2015, 12:39:06 am
Problem is Rodgers more than likely will not get close to MVP honors next season. Rare for someone to repeat that honor time and again. So they blew the chance they had this season and other teams will get stronger while they cannot help but begin to trend downward with lower drafting honors as other teams begin to catch up.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on February 11, 2015, 10:57:29 am

I wish I could agree with that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 11, 2015, 03:27:07 pm

2015 NFL Mock Draft: Jameis Winston to the Chicago Bears

 by Ryan Disdier 7w ago
Jameis Winston

Quaterback, FSU

Yup, I’ve officially gone insane. However, let’s take a moment and examine the situation. I think we can all agree Jay Cutler has played his last game in Chicago, right? So with that being said, the Bears need to move on, so why not nab the second-best quarterback in the draft? Although I have Winston falling, I don’t think he’ll make it out of the top 10. Why would Winston be a good fit in Chicago? Well, the kid hasn’t lost a game as a starting quarterback since high school, and the Bears have not done a lot of winning lately. Even if Winston’s struggles are a concern, one would think having Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery could help alleviate some of those struggles. I’m not saying it’s definitely going to happen, but you can’t deny it would be very, very interesting to see how Winston would fare in the Windy City.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 11, 2015, 03:40:06 pm
Green Bay Packers roster cut candidate: Tim Masthay

Still more free money for the cap?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on February 11, 2015, 05:33:14 pm



 Well Packy this is where the **** hits the fan ,


 neither the G.B. Packers OR THE CHICAGO BEARS ,


 know what THE CHICAGO BEARS are going to be.  ;D
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 11, 2015, 06:47:51 pm
http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Video-Ask-Vic-Defense-Still-Growing/b6c14ef5-7eac-4c66-8db1-2705e8886811

The Pack's future: Ask Vic.   (Video)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 11, 2015, 06:55:28 pm
Bill from Raleigh, NC

Vic, I’m not quite old enough to have watched Gale Sayers. What made him a great back? Is there anybody since then that reminds you of him?

Sayers could get through a hole faster than anybody I can remember, except for Tony Dorsett. Those two guys could go from zero to gone faster than any running backs I’ve had the pleasure of watching, and I am a connoisseur of fine running backs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 11, 2015, 06:56:14 pm
Ryan from Menomonie, WI

Is it possible to celebrate the player without celebrating the man?

If it’s plays, not players, yes, it’s possible to celebrate neither. That’s why, for the good of the game, it has to be players, not plays. The player and the man he is are at the epicenter of pro football’s success.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 11, 2015, 06:57:08 pm
Greyson from Peterson, MN

Vic, I just read the Seahawks are willing to pay Lynch upwards of $10 million if he plays next year. They have also said they will be making Russell Wilson the highest paid quarterback in the league next year. With the other contracts they have recently given out, especially in free agency, how are they able to do this?

You can push out a lot of money for a long time, but eventually the bill will come due. It’s all a matter of how deep you want to dig the hole and how long you want to stay in it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 11, 2015, 06:57:52 pm
James from New York, NY

I get the Packers, Steelers and Cowboys, but can you explain what puts the Giants on your Mt. Rushmore?

If Wellington Mara hadn’t campaigned to pool the revenue, there’d be no Packers, and the small-market franchises would be little more than punching bags for the big boys
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 11, 2015, 06:58:33 pm
Chris from Roswell, GA

At what point do additions to coaching staffs become excessive? Do the players really require so much specialization?

The explosion in the size of coaching staffs has made the game better. It is, yet, another reason the eras shouldn’t be compared. In the Lombardi era, most staffs had seven coaches. Now, we’re pushing toward 30. I would favor a cap on the size of coaching staffs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 11, 2015, 06:59:41 pm
Doug from Unity, NH

I’ll bet you get more than one “Who’s Raymond Berry?” in your inbox. Shameful.

Often, those that initiate the bigger, stronger, faster debate aren’t old enough to have witnessed the game that made today’s game popular. What those people fail to understand is the Packers Sweep, for example, is why defense has evolved the way it has. Gap-control technique was created to stop the Packers Sweep, Student Body Right, etc. Without the past, the present wouldn’t be what it is. Why can’t we leave it at that?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 11, 2015, 07:02:48 pm
Dick from Wascott, WI

You have said the draft is at the heart of the Packers’ success; that if they draft well, they’ll win; if they don’t draft well, they’ll lose; and that what does it tell you that the Packers are winning? This is what it tells me: If it were not for, first, Brett Favre and now Aaron Rodgers, the Packers would be nothing more than a middle of the road team. I don’t think you know very much about football after all these years.

You haven’t seen me write that you have to have “The Man”? Would the Patriots have won the Super Bowl without Tom Brady? It’s a quarterback-driven league. If you don’t have one, you’ve got no shot.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 11, 2015, 08:00:22 pm
NORMAN -- After announcing that he'd promoted Jerry Montgomery to co-defensive coordinator in early January, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops called him "a rising star in this profession."

Just five weeks later, Montgomery is headed to the NFL.

The 35 year old will leave Norman after two seasons coaching OU defensive linemen, the school announced Tuesday afternoon. Multiple sources confirmed to The Oklahoman that Montgomery has accepted a job with the Green Bay Packers.

"This is a rare opportunity for Jerry and his family to join one of the finest organizations in the National Football League," Stoops said in the news release, which did not specify which NFL team Montgomery will join. "I appreciate the positive impact that Jerry has made with our defensive line the past two seasons, as well as his many other contributions to Oklahoma Football.

"The NFL is getting a fine man and a very talented football coach. I support Jerry's decision to further his career goals working with one of the most stable and successful franchises in pro football."...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 11, 2015, 08:07:10 pm

By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel

Green Bay — One week from now, inside Lucas Oil Stadium, quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston will receive the rock-star treatment. They're the headliners at the 2015 NFL scouting combine. Their podiums will be crowded.

At some point, the name "Brandon Bridge" will be announced over the speakers and the South Alabama quarterback will take a seat at a table inside the media room. And few will notice. Hardly anyone beyond the Sun Belt Conference has even heard of this 6-foot-4, 226-pound quarterback.

So what does he do others don't?

"I can extend the play," Bridge said. "I have a very strong arm, if not the strongest arm in this draft. Those are my two strengths."

Come again? Does he have the strongest arm in the draft?

"I actually do think that," Bridge said, "Yes, sir."

For the Green Bay Packers, it's decision time behind Aaron Rodgers. Again. Holdovers Matt Flynn and Scott Tolzien are free agents. The Packers can stick with both or one or start over. Odds are, general manager Ted Thompson will draft a quarterback for only the second time in seven years. The position is top heavy — Mariota and Winston both could go in the top five — and then scattered with projects...

Tolzien, si.  Matt Flynn, non.  He be gone.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 11, 2015, 08:40:46 pm

Kiper published his second mock draft of the year on Wednesday (Insider subscription required), and his pick for the Packers at number 30 is almost certainly influenced by Letroy Guion's recent legal troubles. That's because he projects Ted Thompson to draft Oklahoma nose tackle Jordan Phillips, likely expecting the Packers to let Guion walk.

The 6'5", 334-pound redshirt sophomore could certainly make sense as a fit in Green Bay, and he would rejoin his former collegiate defensive line coach, Jerry Montgomery, who was just hired by the Packers this week.

Here's an excerpt of Kiper's breakdown of the pick:


It would be nice to add another pass-rusher at some point, but there isn't a great option on the board at this point. And it could be hard to pass on a player of Phillips' potential as a potential star along the defensive line ... this is a freak athlete in 6-foot-5, 330-pound package, a player who can control blocks with his strength-size combination and can pursue like a much lighter, faster player when he finds a lane.

Obviously, the Packers' run defense was a problem throughout the first half of the 2014 season, and they had their issues in the playoffs as well. While this pick would not solve the issues at linebacker, it would be a step towards building up the middle. It's not hard to imagine Phillips contributing on early downs as a true nose tackle in the base 3-4, then substituting out on passing downs when Dom Capers uses his pass-rushing packages.

Get those big guys  early.  It's hard to find them,
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on February 11, 2015, 10:48:44 pm
The Seahawks have been very lucky that they got some very good play out of a QB on a rookie deal that did not pay him much.  That is over with now.  They will still be a good team but not nearly as good as they were.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: chifaninva on February 12, 2015, 11:02:06 am
No way has Cutler played his last down as a Bear. The Bears may draft a QB, but you can bet your ass that Fox is wanting try his hand at the Cutler project. Cutler needs protection, and we need to do something about the run game.. Fix those two, then decide if Cutler is still not worthy of the QB position..
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: chifaninva on February 12, 2015, 11:04:04 am
I still contend that Cutler's confidence is shot. It's like a golf swing, hard to get it back..
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on February 12, 2015, 04:25:24 pm
I agree about his confidence.  By the end of last season, he was a beaten man.  Dr. Death sucked the life from him
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on February 12, 2015, 04:54:22 pm

It didn't help, but also not having Marshall out there affected his game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 12, 2015, 07:00:42 pm
The Seahawks have been very lucky that they got some very good play out of a QB on a rookie deal that did not pay him much.  That is over with now.  They will still be a good team but not nearly as good as they were.

True, dat.  It's good to allow a rookie quarterback a year or two of training before throwing him to the wolves, even if he is a first round choice.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 12, 2015, 09:04:20 pm
Jon from Bath, England

I seem to recall you were big on Jason Pierre-Paul a season or two ago. Now he’s a free agent. Would you take a punt on him?

I’d do my homework on him. He’s had health issues. Where is he with those issues? Has he recovered from them? Does he still have game or have his health issues taken his game from him? What will he cost? Do I believe he would be worth his cost and can I fit him into my salary cap without damaging it? Those are the questions I would have to answer favorably, and my guess is after I answered them all, I’d try to find the next Pierre-Paul in the draft. It’s a young man’s game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 12, 2015, 09:05:46 pm
Fourteen of the past 15 Super Bowl winners did not have any player that would be considered a top-tier wide receiver (the 2006 Colts being the lone exception). Explain to me again, Vic, why people are so fascinated with taking receivers in the first round of the draft?

It’s wide receiver fever and it’s a terrible disease. Ask Matt Millen about it. We see touchdowns, and they make our heart beat faster. We say to ourselves, “Oh, I’ll find that big guy in the later rounds,” but we don’t, and then we regret what we’ve done because the competition, the teams that are beating us, are beating us with the big guys we didn’t draft and with the wide receivers they found later in the draft. You gotta get the big guys early.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 12, 2015, 09:07:38 pm
Matthew from Brooklyn, NY

Realistically, who do you think the Packers should draft?

The combine is going to begin ordering guys. What I’m seeing right now where the Packers are picking in the first round are some cornerbacks. I’m not seeing linebackers, but that could change next week. Hold on another week, please.

Yep.   There are some good ones available.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 12, 2015, 09:14:08 pm
Jim from Arlington, VA

Vic, a friend and I discussed picking according to need or value in the draft. My friend argued that teams are not able to assign different values to similar players. In other words, he claims the best teams can do is to group players in similar categories, which in turn implies that you should pick the player from the group that fits your need best. How well can teams differentiate the value of two similar players?

I’ll agree with your friend to a degree. For example, if the next four players on your board are graded 6.54, 6.55, 6.56 and 6.57, I’ll lump them in a 6.5 group and pick one according to need. I don’t think you should get ridiculous about adhering to BAP, but you have to know where the cliff is and make sure you never go over it.

Precisely.  Group approximately equal players and pick the one in that group, of most need.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 12, 2015, 09:18:52 pm
Josh from Agawam, MA

Would you have made the trade for Favre in 1992?

Probably not. I doubt I would’ve been capable of the vision Ron Wolf demonstrated.

Always trust a GOOD GM.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 12, 2015, 09:22:17 pm
“Special teams need to improve,” McCarthy said. “It’s an area definitely of concern.”

In moves that weren’t a surprise, McCarthy announced Ron Zook would take over as special teams coordinator for the departed Shawn Slocum, and he promoted Jason Simmons to Zook’s former role as assistant special teams coach.

It was somewhat unexpected, though, to hear McCarthy announce his own day-to-day role in the rebuilding of his team’s third phase, which struggled with blocked kicks and kickoff returns, among other areas.

“I’m going to be the third guy in that room now,” McCarthy said. “That culture is going to change in there, I can promise you that.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 13, 2015, 10:24:04 pm
Mauricio from Chicago, IL

I know Ted Thompson is all about BAP, but does he go in with a position need ranking in mind? Does ILB, DT, CB, WR, RB sound about right?

He knows what his needs are and he knows the prospects he likes and where they fit in the draft. At that point, it’s all about moving to where those players fit. I would agree that linebacker, defensive line and cornerback are potential need areas. I don’t think wide receiver and running back are areas of need, but I would never hesitate drafting a good player at those positions because those positions make your roster more athletic. I think quarterback is a need position.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 13, 2015, 10:29:01 pm
John from Ash Grove, MO

About being personally involved in the coaching of special teams, Coach McCarthy said, “That culture is going to change in there, I can promise you that.” Does this mean there was a problem with the culture among the special teams players and coaches, or just that it will be different simply because McCarthy will be the third man in the room?

It sounds as though something within the special teams culture met with Coach McCarthy’s disapproval and he’s committed to fixing it. This is what a leader does. He identifies where improvement is needed, and he sets a course for repair. Coach McCarthy did that with the running game in 2013 and with the defense in 2014, and now he’s doing it with special teams for 2015. Football teams are either getting better or worse. If they stay the same, they’re getting worse because the competition is getting better. Coach McCarthy is acknowledging the challenge he faces in 2015.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 13, 2015, 10:33:38 pm
Ben from Indianapolis, IN

Vic, I read your column every day and thoroughly enjoy it, even if you aren’t a diehard Packers fan. What do you think of McCarthy spending more time with every aspect of the team and leaving his fingerprints on them?




What have I always said? Assistant coaches coach, head coaches lead. Coach McCarthy is a leader of men. When he took this job, he had an offensive system he wanted to install. He wanted to make it the team’s identity, and he has. It’s engrained within every player and coach on the team. Coach McCarthy can now step back from the play-calling and devote more of his time to other facets of the team, and know his wishes on offense will be carried out.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 13, 2015, 10:37:21 pm
Michael from Wauwatosa, WI

Vic, how upset do you think Packers fans will be because the new special teams coach was promoted from within and not someone new?

The grass is always greener? Not in this case. Ron Zook is one of the pioneers of special teams coaching. You won’t find a better special teams coach. He’s an innovator; he’s one of the reasons the league had to change the wedge rules.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 17, 2015, 08:17:15 pm
Ben from New York, NY

Any new insight on what elements of the season caused the last 3:52 to be what it was for the Packers, and what the Packers would need to do this year to succeed in a similar situation?

Elements of the season had nothing to do with what happened in the final 3:52. It just happened. A switch was flipped. I don’t know why.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 17, 2015, 08:18:26 pm
Eric from Rensselaer, IN

Does Coach Ketchman re-sign a 31-year-old Tramon Williams, who can still play, or does he seek a younger, cheaper option in the draft?

The position needs to be addressed yearly. You need an army of cover guys in today’s game, to be able to play the sub-package defenses four-wide and five-wide sets demand. You want to re-sign your guys, and Williams is an accomplished cornerback you’d love to keep, but it’s important to remember that in the salary cap era you can’t keep everyone. That’s a fact of life in today’s game. My inbox wants to re-sign all of the Packers’ players and sign all of the other teams’ players, too. That’s nonsensical. You have to draw the line somewhere and making the right moves in free agency is all about knowing where that line is.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 17, 2015, 08:21:04 pm
Anthony from Janesville, WI

What happens to the cap if a player does not hit his LTBE incentives?

The team receives a cap credit on its next year’s cap.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 17, 2015, 08:22:05 pm
Santiago from Bogota, Colombia

Vic, you have to draft between J.J. Watt, whom I believe is the best player in the league excluding QBs, and a franchise QB, who do you pick?

The franchise quarterback
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 17, 2015, 08:23:03 pm
Dan from New Berlin, WI

What is causing you to think so highly of the Vikings heading into 2015?

I liked what I saw late in the season. They played their best football late, which means Mike Zimmer was beginning to put his stamp on that team.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 17, 2015, 08:32:58 pm
Mike Spofford

Veteran offensive line coach has worked with the league’s best


GREEN BAY – It didn’t take him long. After more than a quarter century in the NFL, quality is quickly recognized.

New assistant offensive line coach Mike Solari had only begun his film study of the 2014 Packers’ unit when he met with the Green Bay media for the first time last week, but he already knew why Mike McCarthy called it his best offensive line in nine years as head coach.

“Working as one, they built that trust and accountability,” Solari said. “That’s where Coach (James) Campen did a great job last year. You saw that. As you’re watching the film – I haven’t seen all of it yet – you see how that group really came together and played as a unit. That’s so important.”

Solari knows of what he speaks. The upcoming season will be his 27th in the NFL, most of it coaching offensive lines. Most recently, he molded what was widely considered the league’s best offensive line in San Francisco.

Back in 2012, the 49ers had all five starters selected to the Pro Bowl as either a participant or an alternate. From 2011-13, the middle three years of Solari’s five-year tenure heading the unit, the 49ers offensive line set the standard across the league.

The Packers entered that discussion in 2014. Led by Pro Bowl left guard Josh Sitton, Green Bay protected Aaron Rodgers from some of the league’s most active defensive fronts while paving the way for Eddie Lacy’s second straight 1,100-yard rushing season.

The Packers’ group sports different roots than the 49ers’ line of a few years back, though. San Francisco’s 2012 unit had three first-round draft picks (Joe Staley, Mike Iupati and Anthony Davis) and a center with a decade of experience (Johathan Goodwin).

Green Bay in 2014 had three fourth-rounders (Sitton, T.J. Lang and David Bakhtiari) and a rookie fifth-rounder at center (Corey Linsley). Interestingly, the Packers’ lone first-round pick, Bryan Bulaga, is the only starter not currently under contract for 2015. Bulaga will become an unrestricted free agent in March if not re-signed...

Thanks to the fast development in Linsley and Bakhtiari.  So much for drafting OL players in the first round.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 17, 2015, 08:49:13 pm
There's no indication that Packers general manager Ted Thompson would resort to using the tag to keep Cobb. Thompson has until March 2, a week before free agency begins, to decide.

Indications are that Cobb is seeking a deal that averages in the $9 million per year range. That would come close to the four-year, $39 million contract extension the Packers gave receiver Jordy Nelson last summer...

Good deal.  Sign him now!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 17, 2015, 08:50:12 pm
Most yards after catch among WRs:
Golden Tate 709
Demaryius Thomas 672
Antonio Brown 615
Randall Cobb 603
Jordy Nelson 558
Julio Jones 552
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on February 17, 2015, 08:54:51 pm
packrat everything I have read is that Cobb is as good as gone from Green Bay.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 18, 2015, 06:51:27 pm
Contrariwise most sources that I have read assume that he will be back in GB, Peke.  Hmmm. ?????

The Pack has 23MM plus they will almost certainly cut Hawk and Jones to save 7MM more.  Peppers could go if there is no salary cut cut of another $7MM.  Money is not a factor and 9MM/year Is not a fortune.  Cobb starting with a request for $9MM seems to want to stay,  He brings a big variety of talents to the table.  It would be a smaller salary  than Nelson's, even if TT can't talk him down.
  Cobb does have some injury history.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 18, 2015, 07:18:11 pm
Posted by Darin Gantt on February 18, 2015, 5:03 PM EST

NFC Championship - Green Bay Packers v Seattle Seahawks
Getty Images

Packers tight end Brandon Bostick paid for his special teams gaffe with his job.

But he’s apparently found another one quickly.

Minneapolis-based agent Blake Baratz just tweeted out word that Bostick’s “coming to my hood,” and “Great landing spot, in my backyard, the best is yet to come my man!”

Bostick was waived yesterday, so it’s likely a waiver claim...

Good luck, Brandon.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 18, 2015, 08:25:32 pm
NFL notified teams today that it expects this year's salary cap to be between $140 and $143 million, at least $1.5M higher than projected.


12:26 PM - 18 Feb 2015

Well that's good news for teams with players looking to earn big contracts (cough, cough, Randall Cobb), as they'll have at least an extra $1.5 million in space to work with, and maybe as much as $4.5 million more.

Currently, the Packers are projected to have the 13th-most salary cap space in the NFL, according to Overthecap.com. Using the bottom end of the range listed in Schefter's report, they would have at least $23.8 million as the cap currently sits, though that does not account for any projected cuts coming between now and the start of free agency.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 19, 2015, 06:36:38 pm
Love the pass-catching talent of TE Maxx Williams o the U of Minn.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 19, 2015, 07:30:05 pm
Eric from Rensselaer, IN

Vic, what do you do about the quarterback situation if you are the Bears GM? I feel like sticking with Cutler may be their only option.

It might be. Quarterbacks are in short supply and this year’s draft class doesn’t appear to be deep at the quarterback position. Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota are the top guys, and there are major questions about them. After them, it’s difficult to find a prospect with starter potential. Packers fans need to cherish what they’ve enjoyed at the position for a long time.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 19, 2015, 07:31:29 pm
Andy from Tokyo, Japan

For the past few years, we’ve been able to identify a weakness and pretty successfully address making improvements. Yet, there’s always something new to correct by the end of the season. Are these new weaknesses or were they just not as glaring because we had bigger problems?

There will always be weaknesses. It’s that way because the salary cap demands it: You can’t fix everything. Fix the defense by signing an expensive free agent? OK, but that money you spent is money you don’t have to spend on the bottom of your roster where the special teams guys live. If you put the expensive free agent on special teams, the fans worry that he’ll get hurt. Now your special teams are struggling and the fans say fire the coach. Hey, sometimes you just have to live with your weaknesses and overcome them by playing to your strengths. The notion that everything can be a strength is ridiculous.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 19, 2015, 07:36:19 pm
Michael from Anchorage, AK

I read an article about how Arizona restructured Larry Fitzgerald’s contract to provide more cap space. The GM was quoted as saying they could then be “aggressive and proactive when free agency starts.” The owner, Bidwell, said he “hoped to acquire a high-profile free agent with the salary cap space freed up by reworking Fitzgerald’s deal.” I cringed.

It’s robbing Peter to pay Paul, and it can work if you keep those instances to a minimum and Peter and Paul each play well, but if you do enough of those, and if Peter gets hurt and Paul’s a bust, you’ll hear the train whistle in the distance.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 19, 2015, 07:37:45 pm
Richard from Saratoga Springs, NY

Vic, when a team is said to be targeting a draft prospect, what does that mean?

It means the team has fallen in love with a particular prospect, and needs to know where he fits and how they can get there.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 19, 2015, 07:41:23 pm
Curt from Oronoco, MN

Who is the fans’ Ha Ha for this year? Or is it too early to tell?

It’ll be someone at a need position. Inside linebacker, nose tackle and, possibly, tight end are the likely positions. I did a story yesterday on Maxx Williams. He could become the new Ha Ha. Fans always want to believe their team is one player away.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 19, 2015, 07:43:02 pm
Dan from Grand Island, NY

You’ve made me a BAP believer. I think I just realized why I have struggled with this concept in the past. I had a static view of the talent each draft provides. Over the five years after Rodgers was drafted, three quarterbacks went in the late first round like Rodgers did: Brady Quinn in 2007, Josh Freeman in 2009 and Tim Tebow in 2010. BAP makes sense in each individual draft, but maybe even more sense when considering a few years in a row and the changing talent levels at each position in each draft.

It makes sense because you can’t predict what your needs will be and if the draft will provide the players to address your needs in the years they surface.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 19, 2015, 09:39:52 pm
One big item regarding the Packers was news that Letroy Guion has returned to Green Bay while he waits out his legal issues, and that Mike McCarthy is hopeful that the team can bring him back. It appears that McCarthy at least does not perceive Guion's arrest to be a major issue, at least not nearly serious enough to make him reconsider whether he wants Guion on his team and in his locker room.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 20, 2015, 06:18:38 pm
Mark from Warrensburg, MO

I put some thought and effort into this, Vic. They’re likely not the fan consensus, but these are my picks for Green Bay’s draft. 1. Eddie Goldman, DT 2. Daryl Williams, OT 3. Henry Anderson, DE 4. Za’Darius Smith, OLB 5. Javorius Allen, RB 6. Jalston Fowler, FB 7. Nick Boyle, TE.

It bothers me that you know all of those names.

Typical over-hyped fan.  Good thing that he put SOME thought into this post.I doubt if even one of those players is drafted.  None at positions of need, either.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 20, 2015, 06:20:51 pm
Jeffrey from Newport, KY

Vic, you’ve said that in order to truly be a **** fan, you have to understand the salary cap. I consider myself a **** fan, so please explain the salary cap to me.

Each team’s cap is the league’s total football revenue divided by 32. Salary and roster bonus are declared in full in the year they’re paid; signing bonus is divided evenly over the life of the contract. Conscientious cap managers tend to keep their caps flat, meaning they average a player’s cap liability evenly over the life of his contract. Being creative is risky; I compare it trying to time the stock market. The most common means for cap creativity it to convert a portion of a player’s salary to signing bonus to create room on the current year’s cap by pushing that money onto future years’ caps. It’s a formula for creating dead money. There’s a lot more involved to managing a cap, but that’ll give you a start.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 20, 2015, 10:07:33 pm


Jeff Heuerman,  OSU TE     Injured in 2013 and lower stics in 2014.  Interviewed by GB.  Typical act by TT.



(https://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ORjvXH5hzPagLcHMjTjxTT2BtlY=/0x290:3020x2303/783x522/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/43036750/20141018_rnb_ad8_049.JPG.0.jpg)

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on February 23, 2015, 02:10:40 am



 

Jeff Heuerman,  OSU TE     Injured in 2013 and lower stics in 2014.  Interviewed by GB.  Typical act by TT.


 Packy blowing smoke up the rest of the Leagues asses is a serious art form.  :D
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 23, 2015, 07:05:43 pm


 

 Packy blowing smoke up the rest of the Leagues asses is a serious art form.  :D

Do I get a good grade or a  bad grade?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 23, 2015, 08:13:17 pm
Dan from Kelso, WA

Vic, one ILB I like in this draft is Stephone Anthony from Clemson. Has Tony Pauline given you any insight on Anthony as a prospect, or if he could be a fit in Green Bay? Thanks for your great work.

Tony likes Anthony. He thinks he’d be a good fit in Green Bay.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 23, 2015, 08:20:53 pm
Don from Albuquerque, NM

You missed something. “It’s not just a philosophy for shaping a roster, it’s a philosophy for creating a bond between team and player.” Also, keeping players creates a bond between fans and players.

You’re absolutely correct. Fans see drafted players as homegrown products. They identify with them. When a guy is drafted by a team and remains with that team his entire career, I don’t get questions asking me what team he’s going to represent in the Hall of Fame. Identifying with one team is a big part of establishing a link between fans and players, and free agency has damaged that bond.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 23, 2015, 08:23:14 pm
Tim from Huntsville, AL

Vic, still absolutely love your column. Would like to hear your take on Winston. He seems to say all the right things but doesn’t do the right things. That’s a sign of immaturity, and that smacks of being a bust. Your thoughts? Am I wrong?

I’m not sure what to think about him. He was forthcoming during his media interview. He was expressive, cooperative and contrite. Was it the new Jameis Winston, or was it just a tired, old act? The Bucs are facing a huge decision on this guy. If they draft him, he will immediately become the face of the franchise, regardless of whether it’s a good face or a bad face. I would have to dig real deep into Winston before draft day. I would have to talk to a lot of people that know him and know of him before I felt comfortable with the decision I would make, but I’m inclined to believe I would draft him. Why? Because he is an off-the-charts talent. You don’t often have the opportunity to draft someone of this caliber.


Like the fan I have the same doubts about this guy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 23, 2015, 08:24:13 pm
Joe from Bloomington, IN

At 4.53, Vic Beasley can both run down Russell Wilson and blanket Gronkowski. Does GM Vic move up in the draft to get him?

Beasley is the guy that interests me the most in this draft class. He has Aldon Smith length and pass-rush potential. Can he cover? If the answer is yes, Beasley will be a star in this league. Move up? Probably not. I don’t like giving away draft picks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 23, 2015, 08:26:16 pm
Matt from London, UK

After an underwhelming performance from the linebackers at the combine and Jones’ release, do you think you can find value targeting Brandon Spikes in free agency? He’s solid against the run and would provide a veteran presence despite only being 27.

Vontaze Burfict was underwhelming at the combine; how’d that turn out? I don’t get this thing every year about it being a bad class of inside linebackers. Of course, it is; that’s why they’re playing inside linebacker. If they tested well, they’d be playing outside linebacker. Inside linebackers are tough guys. They take on blocks. They make tackles. They play special teams. They’re not run and jump guys. They’re often guys with suspect measurables: too small, too slow, not athletic enough, etc. Yeah, but watch them hit. I don’t agree that it’s a bad class of inside linebackers. I think you can always find too-small, too-slow guys that want to it. Chris Borland?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 23, 2015, 08:29:52 pm
Lane from Calgary, Alberta

Vic, do you see the Packers taking an outside linebacker and a running back in this draft, with the perceived depth at those positions in the draft, even though they might not be current team needs?

I think outside linebacker is an annual need for any team that plays a 3-4. The running back class is so deep it’ll be nearly impossible for one not to be at the top of your board when you pick.

I think GB will draft a RB somewhere.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 23, 2015, 08:45:18 pm
Graham from Chicago, IL

Vic, I want an ILB that can make a Ha Ha Clinton-Dix level impact in year one just as much as the next guy, but it doesn’t seem like any is worthy of our first-round pick. Carl Davis, however, intrigues me at the 30th pick. Do you foresee him making the jump that Aaron Donald made last year?

Davis is on the move up following his Senior Bowl performance. He’s an example of one of the few players on whom Tony Pauline and I disagree. Tony likes him but often refers to inconsistency in Davis’ game. Tony says Davis has a tendency to disappear. My point of view is that in Iowa’s system defensive linemen are two-gappers, and two-gappers often disappear because they’re eating double-teams and holding the point of attack so the linebackers can make plays. That’s why Iowa defensive linemen tend to be underrated. I like Davis a lot.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 23, 2015, 08:49:57 pm
Cris from Sachse, TX

Vic, what’s the difference between a MLB in a 4-3 vs. an ILB in a 3-4?

Not much.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 23, 2015, 08:52:56 pm
Michael from Buckeye, AZ

Vic, have you heard anything on Jesse James? He seems to have a checkered past with bank/train robberies, but he tested well for a 6-7 man.

Yeah, but he’s got to take off the holster.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 23, 2015, 08:54:00 pm
Roland from Glen Cove, NY

Vic, Denzel Perryman seems to be a hard-nosed guy with good tackling technique. How do you feel about him at the bottom of the first round?

I think we’re beginning to identify who the prospects are for the Packers.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 23, 2015, 08:55:13 pm
Jake from Saint Paul, MN

We are sitting at our pick in the first round and Benardrick McKinney and Maxx Williams are available. Who do you choose?

There are two more.

Answer the question, Vic.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 23, 2015, 08:56:45 pm
Wallace from Jacksonville, FL

Vic, I just can’t get away from reading your column! We miss you in Jax. I chuckled when I read the questions related to fans thinking their team is a player away. Can’t say that about Jags fans lately. The roster has been so bad that most think the Jags are 10-15 players away from having a playoff-caliber team. Your adage, “You are what you draft,” certainly rings true today for Jags fans, but it’s a painful truth.

It all started with thinking they were one player away in 2008, when they drafted the same player in the first and second rounds.

Worse off than Chi.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 23, 2015, 09:07:22 pm
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2374709-5-hidden-gems-the-green-bay-packers-should-have-noticed-at-the-combine

Possible draftees to keep an eye on,
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 23, 2015, 09:21:17 pm
Seahawks general manager John Schneider has roots that run deep in Green Bay — so deep, he reportedly has a clause in his Seattle contract that could allow him to leave if he is ever offered the Packers’ GM job.

Thanks to rodman here on the blog for pointing this out today. It is a tidbit inside a big story from Pete Dougherty, long-time Packers writer for the Green Bay Press Gazette, on the legacy of former Packers GM Ron Wolf.

The personable Dougherty spent the days before the NFC title game last month writing advance stories from Seahawks headquarters in Renton. He was among the pack of Wisconsin writers and cameramen that followed Schneider from his podium talk with the league’s media at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis last week into a corridor of Lucas Oil Stadium. One unknown dude jumped in front of Schneider, shoved his recording iPhone into the startled Seahawks’ GM’s face and asked him what he thought of Wisconsin record-setting running back Melvin Gordon and his prospects for April’s draft.

(Schneider never talks publicly about individual prospects in advance of a draft, not wanting to tip Seattle’s draft hand in any way. He dutifully said what a great player the Badger is but politely declined to comment further to the ambush man).

The subject of last Thursday with the Wisconsin reporters in Indianapolis was Schneider picking up the phone just out of college in 1992 and basically talking his way into an assistant scouting job with Wolf’s Packers. Schneider had been an undersized, starring running back for Abbot Pennings High School in De Pere, Wisconsin, 15 minutes south of Green Bay.

He’d probably laugh about that “starring” description. But here’s what I found today when I was searching the internet to confirm the spelling of Schneider’s high school:

Schneiderhonmetown


Read more here: http://blog.thenewstribune.com/seahawks/2015/02/23/green-bay-report-gm-schneider-has-out-in-seattle-contract-should-he-someday-be-offered-same-job-with-packers/#storylink=cpy

WOW!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 23, 2015, 11:04:25 pm
Packers

We got a little bit of insight on Mike Solari, the Packers' new assistant offensive line coach, from San Francisco 49ers GM Trent Baalke. He was gushing over Solari:


A heck of a football coach. He's an awfully good football coach. Great technician, great relationship with the players, works hard. I can say enough about Coach Solari.

Great hire by GB.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Bears4Ever on February 24, 2015, 09:08:51 am
This from the same GM who fired his winning HC, passed over a respected DC (Fangio) and hired one of his assistants as the new HC. Not sure that's a ringing endorsement of his ability to evaluate people...  :D

This time of year its all smoke and mirrors anyway....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 24, 2015, 08:11:09 pm
This from the same GM who fired his winning HC, passed over a respected DC (Fangio) and hired one of his assistants as the new HC. Not sure that's a ringing endorsement of his ability to evaluate people...  :D

This time of year its all smoke and mirrors anyway....

I give up.  Who in the world are you talking about?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 24, 2015, 08:13:04 pm
(http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/51/files/2015/02/new-orleans-bowl-ragin-cajuns-cody-fajardo-ncaa-football-new-orleans-bowl-nevada-vs-ul-lafayette.jpg)

Green Bay Packers draft prospect:  QB Cody Fajardo

 by Josh McPeak 2d ago
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 24, 2015, 08:48:34 pm
Ted from Oshkosh, WI

Love reading your column, Vic. OLBs seem to be faster and more athletic generally than ILBs. Why not draft one and move him to ILB?

Outside linebackers, especially in a 3-4 scheme, tend to be taller, thinner athletes. That body type doesn’t often fit the task of dropping anchor and taking on blocks. You worry about blockers getting to the legs of tall guys. Inside guys tend to be fireplugs. They’re good at getting under blockers’ pads and they usually have a big anchor that helps them hold the point of attack.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 24, 2015, 08:51:13 pm
Harry from Houston, TX

Feb. 24th is the day teams must inform the NFL in writing how much of 2014’s cap room they want to carry over into 2015. It sounds very formal. Why isn’t it just an automatic transfer of last year’s unused cap?

Actually, teams had to inform the NFL in writing of the room they were carrying over by 4 p.m. on Saturday of the final weekend of the regular season (Dec. 27, 2014). The CBA allows for effective use of cap space; that’s why careful planning is important. Good salary cap teams have a long-term plan for using their cap space effectively and preventing imbalances from one year to the next.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 24, 2015, 08:53:12 pm
Pete from Prescott, WI

Vic, I envision the Packers taking a DT in the first round of the draft. Which of the likely candidates do you feel would be the best fit for the Packers’ defensive scheme?

Don’t we all agree Carl Davis would be a great fit? He comes out of a two-gapping scheme at Iowa, which is what a 3-4 defensive linemen does, and Davis is thought to be capable of playing end or nose tackle in a 3-4 scheme. He is said to fit late in the first round, but don’t count on that. Big guys have a way of shooting up the board as the draft nears. That’s what Aaron Donald did last year.

Good player for Chi, too.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 24, 2015, 08:55:14 pm
Brett from Green Bay, WI

Vic, how does the cornerback class look this year?

It’s not thought to be strong at the top or deep at the back, but there does seem to be some strength in the middle.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 24, 2015, 08:56:15 pm
Matt from Riverside, CA

What have you seen from Eric Kendricks? He is coming off winning the Dick Butkus Award and seems like he could fit in the end of the first round.

The best thing about the combine for fans is that it really helps define where players fit, and that helps focus fans on prospects for the fans’ favorite teams. Kendricks would seem to be a prospect for the Packers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 24, 2015, 08:57:44 pm
Dan from Ludington, MI

Vic, I think part of the genius that makes Ted Thompson is the players he signs in free agency do not factor into us receiving compensatory picks. More swings at the plate means more hits. Are any other GMs known for this strategy?

That’s what a team that’s committed to the draft does. The Packers didn’t invent it, they’ve just disciplined themselves to execute it. Julius Peppers and Letroy Guion were home run, free-agent acquisitions, but neither player will count against the Packers in compensatory picks consideration because they had been released prior to the start of free agency. I often wonder if Packers fans fully understand how good they have it. The people who run this franchise are caretakers, and they are taking very good of this team’s future. Take care of the future, and the future will take care of the present.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 24, 2015, 08:58:25 pm
William from Cedar Rapids, IA

With regards to teams digging deep into players’ off-the-field infractions, how can a team know they’re telling the truth rather than speaking highly of the player so he gets drafted higher?

Every team has a security division, and those security divisions know how to get the truth.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 24, 2015, 08:59:51 pm
Gregg from Durham, NC

Vic, as a longtime reader of almost everything on packers.com, I often feel I know a lot more about the Packers than the so-called analysts on other major sports sites. Do you think I’m justified in feeling this way?

Sure, but never close your mind. Read everything, but believe nothing. That’s the mindset that works best in gathering information about draft prospects. Chuck Noll liked to say, “Never fall in love with a guy.” In other words, don’t become a fan of a prospect. Regard them with equal interest and affection. If you fall in love with a prospect, two bad things could happen: 1) He could be selected one pick ahead of you; it happened to Bill Belichick in 1995 and Belichick had a meltdown. 2) You could overlook things you don’t want to know.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 24, 2015, 09:01:38 pm
Brandon from Morris, IL

Are you saying it could cost the Bucs GM his job if he passes on Winston, or drafts him?

If you don’t have a quarterback, you’re going to lose your job. Draft a bust, and you’re going to lose your job. Don’t draft one, and you’re going to lose your job. You have to draft one and hit on him to keep your job. In today’s game, it’s that simple.

Get "the man".
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 24, 2015, 09:06:29 pm
Kevin from Asbury Park, NJ

How hard of a transition would it be for a wide receiver to switch to a defensive back position? Wouldn’t it make sense to take a receiver who is really fast, but can’t necessarily catch that well, and switch him to a defensive back position?

If a wide receiver can back pedal and flip his hips, he can play defensive back. It would be nice if he could also tackle.

Sam Shields is an undrafted WR who was immediately converted to CB.  Last year he was signed long term as the Packers' #1 CB
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 24, 2015, 11:04:00 pm
http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2015/2/23/8089667/mmbm-why-is-no-one-talking-about-jameis-winstons-history-of-coke-abuse

A humorous jab at QB Winston.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on February 24, 2015, 11:35:42 pm



 Packy,


 What do you think the odds are of going 2-0 against DA BEARS ?


 And would you take it to Vegas?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 25, 2015, 03:02:06 pm


Green Bay Packers' Citizen GM to Minnesota Vikings: 'More Cuts Coming Soon
The Minnesota Vikings have made a habit of rummaging through the garbage bins of the Green Bay Packers, so to speak.

More from Lombardi Ave
Green Bay Packers Devil’s Advocate: Scott Tolzien6h ago

In fact, for the past decade, the most exciting time in the life of a Minnesota Vikings fan, coach, player or personnel guy is … offseason cuts! The “Purple People Eaters” love nothing more than gobbling up the Cheeseheads’ table scraps.

As a Packers fan, this is hilariously irritating.

Since 2000, the Packers have parted ways with several players who, whether by roster cuts, waivers, free agency or practice squad poaching, have coincidentally landed on the Vikings’ starting roster.

I pose the following names to you as Exhibit A:

Brett Favre leaves Lambeau Field after falling to the Packers in October 2010. Raymond T. Rivard photograph


•Brett Favre

•Greg Jennings
•Desmond Bishop
•Charles Johnson
•Ryan Longwell
•Javon Walker
•Darren Sharper

You may now add the name Brandon Bostick to that list, though it is far from comprehensive.

Logic tells us that the Packers organization and head-honchos know what they are doing.

They have exhausted all other possibilities for keeping, developing or managing the player in question. If there was a way that Brett Favre could have fit easily back into the fold – both sides would have made that happen...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 25, 2015, 07:43:19 pm
Adam from Columbia, MO

Vic, in a 3-4 there seems to be two kinds of inside linebackers. There are the more athletic types that can make plays, and the bigger guys that eat up blocks to free up others. What’s more important for the Packers moving forward?

I’d like this team to find a thumper – some scouts will also refer to that kind of player as a thug – a guy to complement what the nose tackle is sacrificing his knees to achieve. I’m talking about a tackling machine. I’m talking about a guy that’s hell for leather, to put it in old-school terms. This team needs a guy inside that’ll step up and rock someone. What team doesn’t need that guy?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 25, 2015, 07:49:35 pm
Mike from Jacksonville, NC

Vic, does Ted Thompson just get lucky by drafting all these great players that fall into later rounds, or does he have a natural eye for talent? He’s done a great job so far.

He absolutely has an eye for talent, but I also think he’d tell you credit for late-round picks should go to area scouts because those are the scouts that find these players. The early-round prospects are widely known. Picking them is a function of the GM’s overall acumen for working the draft. The Corey Linsleys of the world are the guys that put your draft over the top, and when a team finds a Linsley, my first thought is: Who’s the scout that liked him?

In addition to Corey Linsley, add David Bakhtiari.  A starting LT and a starting Center in round 4,  in consecutive years.  Plus at positions of need.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 25, 2015, 07:51:41 pm
Kenyon from Holenbeck, KS

With ILB not being the most in-depth in this year’s draft, but something the Packers need, do you think it would be better to sign a free agent or to develop already existing linebackers instead of a potential dull draft pick?

Once upon a time, those existing linebackers – Sam Barrington was a seventh-round pick – were dull draft picks or, even worse, undrafted free agents. Draft and develop works, but it requires patience, and patience is not my inbox’s for
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 25, 2015, 07:53:30 pm
Chris from Eau Claire, WI

Do you realize how good you have it, Vic?

I absolutely do. I’ll never forget the sintering plant.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 25, 2015, 07:55:00 pm
Kate from Bellevue, WI

Yes, we do know how good we have it. LA, no team. Green Bay, same team for nearly a hundred years – publicly owned team, no ostentatious owner to deal with. A board of directors whose main goal is success of a team to enhance the entire community. Over 70K on the waiting list for season tickets. Oh, yeah, we definitely know how good we have it. I wouldn’t change a thing. What would you change, Vic?

The final 3:52.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 25, 2015, 07:56:09 pm
Shawn from Troy, NY

I know Ted Thompson has a plan for ILB. He has a plan for everything. Do you believe that plan is already on the roster?

Sam Barrington? Jayrone Elliott? Nick Perry? Yeah, there’s a plan, and I’m sure part of that plan is to add more talent at the position in this year’s draft and in undrafted free agency, and maybe even in veteran free agency. You can never rest on what you have. The roster must be in a constant state of upgrade. If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse because your competition is getting better.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 25, 2015, 07:57:27 pm
Ryan from Kenosha, WI

Ameer Abdullah would be a good complement to Lacy and an asset on special teams. Any idea when he is projected to go off the board?

It’s thought his smallish size will drop him into the second round. If that happens, he could be a steal. His speed and pass-catching ability make him a perfect fit for today’s open-spaces game. He has star potential, plus, he has a complete game and he’s a high-character guy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 25, 2015, 07:59:26 pm
Scott from Cary, IL

When Clay Matthews was moved to the ILB position, our defense improved. Should we be looking for this athletic body type for this position vs. the traditional shorter, gap-filler type?

It’s much easier to find the thumpers. Find the next Bobby Wagner. He’s 6-0, 241. Why is everyone down on Denzel Perryman because he’s short? Wagner is short and he might be the best inside linebacker in the game. You want Clay Matthews using his extreme athletic ability out in space making plays where big plays happen. Find the grunt that’ll do the heavy lifting. They’re in much greater supply.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 25, 2015, 08:20:25 pm
Thompson hung on to Hawk too long, @PeteDougherty says. http://pck.rs/1BwGFfm 

 
7:28 PM - 25 Feb 2015
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 25, 2015, 08:27:53 pm
Packers general manager Ted Thompson spoke about the team's free agency, including talks regarding Randall Cobb. Thompson said the following, per Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel:


We’re working on several different levels with several different people. Like I say, it’s no secret. We say the same thing every year, we mean it. It’s not a secret that we try to keep and maintain our own guys as much as possible. We feel like that’s a good investment for the organization. We feel like, especially, if we have good people like we do, we’d like to do that. We’re trying to do that with Randall.


It's all about quality of life.  If Cobb leaves GB to earn an extra few million dollars he3will lose the relationship of Rodgers and playing with a losing team he will never be as happy again.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 25, 2015, 08:45:45 pm
http://www.acmepackingcompany.com/nfl-scouting-combine-2015-packers/2015/2/25/8091423/nfl-combine-results-winners-and-losers-packers-cb-ilb-dt

Acme Packing Company view of the draft.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 25, 2015, 09:10:46 pm
http://www.acmepackingcompany.com/nfl-scouting-combine-2015-packers/2015/2/24/8099585/nfl-draft-2015-green-bay-packers-draft-prospect-meetings-and-visits

Draftees interviewed by GB.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 26, 2015, 01:53:59 pm
Nick from Arvada, CO

Love your column but I need a little help. Would you please post video of a defensive back turning his hips so I know what to look for?

I think I can describe it. When a defensive back turns his hips so his lead hip is now his trail hip, he’s flipped his hips. A defensive back has to be able to flip his hips seamlessly and without losing speed or he’ll be unable to maintain coverage when a receiver changes direction.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 26, 2015, 01:57:36 pm
Tim from Grand Rapids, MI

Vic, it seems to me some teams do a great job at scouting and doing their homework to find the right players. These teams seem to be performing at a higher level year after year. Why would teams that seem to struggle every year not adopt this strategy? It seems so common sense.

Scouts, not scouting. It’s always about people. Get the right scouts and you’ll get the right players. The Packers have outstanding area scouts. Few fans know their names, but area scouts are the lifeblood of a football team’s talent acquisition.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 26, 2015, 01:59:03 pm
Patrick from Indianapolis, IN

If Dawson, McKinney, Perryman and Kendricks are all available at pick No. 30, who do you like best? Why?

I developed a fondness for Benardrick McKinney at the combine. I like his length, his ability to play inside or outside, and I liked what he said in his media interview about an inside linebacker needing to be a tough guy. He plays tough; I especially like that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 26, 2015, 02:00:33 pm
Phil from Red Bluff, CA

There was some positive talk of rookie LB Joe Thomas before he got hurt. Do you have any insight on him?

I liked him in training camp, but I confess to having a soft spot for South Carolina State players. They’re tough guys. Donnie Shell is the best of them I’ve covered. As soon as I saw a S.C. St. player on the Packers’ roster last spring, I circled the name in my mind. Thomas didn’t disappoint me. I want to see more.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on February 26, 2015, 10:48:12 pm



 Packy,


 You do know the worm has turned don't you ?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 27, 2015, 09:29:37 pm


 Packy,


 You do know the worm has turned don't you ?

I'm lost on that one, jj.  Just too old, I guess.  Does this involve SCS?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 27, 2015, 10:04:21 pm
CA

Vic, how many prospects does Tony Pauline have first-round grades on?

He’s got 23 players with solid first-round grades, and then he has seven players with grades on the bubble that could go either way before draft day.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 27, 2015, 10:05:17 pm
Michael from Toronto, Ontario

Vic, if Cobb walks in free agency, do you think Ted Thompson would head out back and shake the veteran WR tree? Who might fall out?

The Packers have their own wide receiver tree. What’s not to like about Davante Adams? What Packers fan isn’t gaga about Jeff Janis? I want the Packers to re-sign Randall Cobb. I think he’s a fantastic player and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching him play. Cap discipline, however, must be maintained. You put a dollar value on a guy and you don’t go above it. If you begin to chase, you’re letting your competition run your cap. That’s a big don’t do.

Amen.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 27, 2015, 10:08:02 pm
Ben from Baraboo, WI

Elliot, Thomas, Hubbard, Bradford: There are your ILBs. They’re already on the roster. Add in potential draft picks McKinney, Kendricks, Perryman, Dawson and Anthony and ILB should have a reasonable expectation of getting addressed/remedied.

When a team clears the deck at a position as the Packers have at inside linebacker, and focuses attention on that position as the Packers have at inside linebacker this year and at safety last year, you should expect the position will get fixed. You can’t do that at every squeaky-wheel position every season, but you can target one and fix it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 27, 2015, 10:11:24 pm
Matthew from Eau, WI

Do you think the Packers will try to aim to free more space up for the salary cap?

It’s not just about salary cap space, it’s also about a team’s payroll. One position can’t be allowed to dominate the payroll, unless it’s quarterback and you have a really good one. When you sign a player to a contract, you set the contract bar for the other players on your team at the position. A team’s payroll must make sense. It has to be part of a long-term strategy. You can’t throw money around because you like this guy or that guy. Your contracts have to complement each other.

I respect TT's evaluation of Cobb. If Cobb wants more money than TT feels is fair, I say "move on".
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 27, 2015, 10:14:03 pm
Jon from Fargo, ND

I believe in draft and develop, but what about a guy like Rolando McClain at ILB? He’s 25 and is an unrestricted free agent.

OK, here’s what you do. Set a value for him. Decide what you’ll pay him. When free agency begins, see where that value you’re willing to pay compares to what McClain is receiving in offers from other teams. If you’re low, will you chase? If you’re high, you’re overpaying.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 27, 2015, 10:17:40 pm
Jimm from Huntsville, AL

Vic, do you need two thumpers in the middle or just one?

Levon Kirkland is the best 3-4 inside linebacker I’ve covered. If you have a player of his ability, the other inside guy can be more of a chase-type defender.

Interesting.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 27, 2015, 10:33:53 pm

Bill Huber
packwriter2002@yahoo.com

According to a source, free-agent nose tackle B.J. Raji most likely will return for another season with the Packers. He dominated the start of training camp until sustaining a torn biceps tendon. (Benny Sieu/USA TODAY)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 27, 2015, 10:41:26 pm
Maualuga, UFA ILB from Cinn.?

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on February 28, 2015, 08:02:20 pm
Bears to change thei play style.

http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2015/2/25/8066629/2015-nfl-draft-scheme-changes-jets-falcons-bears-broncos
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 01, 2015, 06:06:54 pm
Here is the Street Corner named for me in Chicago.  It's 9602 Allen Ave. and 5326 Otto St, near Interstate 294.

Click on picture.

[attachment deleted by admin]
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 01, 2015, 10:20:13 pm
Vic, what are the chances of Aaron Rodgers winning a third MVP ring next year? Who would you say has the best chance in the NFL next season?

Andrew Luck, in my opinion, will become Rodgers’ competition. Luck plays in an offense that allows him to produce the kind of stats quarterbacks need to become an MVP.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 01, 2015, 10:21:49 pm
Peter from Mount Horeb, WI

Vic, aren’t you excited thinking about the next crop of Packers we’ll draft? They change the character and feel of the team so much, every year. Look at how much Eddie Lacy has added to our team’s identity in just two years.

You are what you draft. In my opinion, it’s the most important event in the league
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 01, 2015, 10:57:21 pm
Potential FA NT may be target of GB Packers:

Dan Williams

6'2", 327 pounds; 5 years experience
2014 team: Cardinals
2014 stats: 16 games played, 9 starts; 38 total tackles, 1.0 sack, 1 pass defended; +11.9 overall grade (PFF)

A former first-round pick back in 2010, Williams is hitting free agency for the first time after his five-year rookie deal expires next week. Manning the nose in Arizona's 3-4 defense, Williams has started in 40 games over the past four years and participated in all but nine games over that same span. He has also been a plus player each year of his career according to Pro Football Focus, with 2014 being his best season.

Last year, however, he was on the field for only about 40% of the Cardinals' defensive snaps, suggesting that he would be best used in a heavy rotation and in the base defense only. But then again, the Packers have several players who are able to contribute as interior rushers in sub packages, so a run stuffer might be just what the doctor ordered.

The problem with Williams is that he is likely to be one of the best, if not the top nose tackle on the free agent market this year, and will likely command a fairly high salary, quite possibly more than the Packers would be willing to pay.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 03, 2015, 07:41:12 pm
MLB Stephone Anthony:

http://lombardiave.com/2015/03/03/stephone-anthony-fit-green-bay-packers/5/
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 03, 2015, 07:54:07 pm
Report: Randall Cobb searching for $12 million per year

 by Evan Massey 1d ago

Twelve million.  That's crazy.  Would you pay him $12MM?  As # 1WR?   With a   mediocre QB?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 03, 2015, 08:56:42 pm
Bill from Altoona, PA

Vic, which is the correct answer? The Packers didn’t franchise Randall Cobb because they need enough cap room to sign: a) Ndamukong Suh, b) Justin Houston, c) both.

They didn’t franchise Cobb because they didn’t want to dump the wide receiver franchise tender on their cap. The one-year hit for a wide receiver is devastating.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 03, 2015, 09:02:08 pm
Ryan from Noblesville, IN

Can you give a scenario in which it is good to put the franchise tag on a player?

If I have a top-five quarterback who’s about to become a free agent, I’m putting the franchise tag on him. Why? Because you can’t ever allow that kind of player to escape in free agency. Hey, you’re gonna pay top-five money for him anyhow, so tag him, keep him and do a deal with him. A star quarterback is the very definition of a franchise player. He’s the guy for whom the tag was created.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 03, 2015, 09:03:13 pm
Alex from Orlando, FL

What is the likelihood of upgrading at tight end with a Julius Thomas in free agency?

He’ll be pricey, especially in a year in which the draft doesn’t appear to be loaded with tight ends. I happen to like what the Packers have at tight end. I think Richard Rodgers has huge upside as a receiver. In other words, it would not be my expectation for the Packers to sign Thomas, but I’ve been wrong.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 05, 2015, 08:09:40 pm
Lars from Skorping, Denmark

Vic, I’ve signed a contract with Team Vic for one year. No bonuses of any kind, just straight salary. If you cut me before the preseason games, have I worked for free? What about after pre-season Game 4?

You won’t see any of that salary, unless it’s guaranteed, and Vic doesn’t like guaranteeing salary.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 05, 2015, 08:10:59 pm
Todd from New Richmond, WI

If Greg Jennings gets released, do you see the Packers picking him up if the price is right?

I agree with Thomas Wolfe.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 05, 2015, 08:12:35 pm
Eugene from Seatac, WA

The downside risk of a highly recruited premier player not negotiating a long-term deal but instead accepting the franchise salary/cap hit is more than offset by the potential reward of two first-round picks. If the Packers lose Cobb to a bidding war, wouldn’t it have been sweeter to know we didn’t settle for one third-round pick?

Let me be blunt: You ain’t gonna get two first-round picks. No chance. No way. Forget about it! I can’t remember the last franchise player that returned two first-round picks. Was it Sean Gilbert?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 05, 2015, 08:14:57 pm
Matt from Sun Prairie, WI

Why would a team want to release their player before he becomes a free agent?

To get cap room, or to avoid paying a roster bonus due, say, on the first day of the league calendar year, which is also the start of free agency. It’s all about the cap, Matt. Know the cap and you know the biggest part of the game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 05, 2015, 08:16:59 pm
Ben from Fremont, NE

Vic, I’m freaking out about this Cobb situation.

I know.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 05, 2015, 08:18:02 pm
Dan from New York, NY

Do you see a possible way the Packers could re-sign Cobb and Bulaga?

I expect the Packers to re-sign them, but I acknowledge the possibility they might not be able to do it. I’m not freaking out on this. You have to be willing to allow players to leave in free agency. That’s one of the rules of the salary cap era. You set a price you’re willing to pay and you do everything you can to retain that player, but if you bend to pressure from other teams’ offers, then you’re allowing those teams to run your cap. You can’t do that. It’s a game of replacement.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 05, 2015, 08:23:09 pm
David from Minneapolis, MN

Vic, I hope your weekend will be relaxing. I have a feeling come Monday your inbox will be filled with anger and impatience. Lots of fans wondering why the Packers didn’t pay Cobb and wanting them to sign Suh, Houston, Thomas and Maxwell. I trust Mr. Thompson, but I know there will be some craziness come Monday. Good luck.

I was walking on the beach yesterday when I noticed a large family walking out of their beautiful home and onto the beach. I noticed them because it appeared they were gathered for a purpose. They walked hand-in-hand: mom, dad, kids, grandkids, even the family dog. They all walked to the edge of the surf, where they hugged. One by one they reached into a bag, took something into their hand and then tossed it into the air. It appeared to be dust, but I quickly understood it to be the remains of a loved one, and the wind carried the loved one away. It was a beautiful family and I thank them for helping me achieve perspective.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 05, 2015, 09:12:27 pm


Tramon Williams rejects two-year deal, per report

by Aron Yohannes

Bad news for GB?  Seattle may go a after him.




Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 05, 2015, 09:14:03 pm
http://www.acmepackingcompany.com/packers-free-agency-2015/2015/3/3/8143209/2015-free-agency-preview-tight-ends-packers-daniel-fells-virgil-green-owen-daniels

;-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 05, 2015, 09:16:57 pm
2015 Free Agency Preview: Could Packers be in the market for a veteran tight end?

By Evan "Tex" Western  @TexWestern  on Mar 3, 2015, 2:30p  167   

:-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 06, 2015, 02:21:02 pm
Eric from Gilbert, AZ

Vic, why do fans think players such as Cobb should give a hometown discount to stay with their current teams?

Because they’re fans of the hometown team and they’re so emotionally committed to the team they can’t imagine anyone wanting to play for any other team. It’s a good thing for fans to feel that way, but they must be able to separate themselves from their emotions and accept reality.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 06, 2015, 02:22:38 pm
Fred from Torrington, WY

You are making an impact on this Packers culture, Vic. I am impressed at how often I hear your words echoed in the comments of fans.

So why don’t I hear them echoed in my inbox? It’s screaming at me. Panic is everywhere. My inbox wants to sign guys whose best years were five years ago. My inbox just wants to buy; it doesn’t care what it buys, just buy something. Those are not my words I’m hearing echoed.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 06, 2015, 02:26:16 pm
Matt from Madison, WI

Am I the only Packers fan that thinks Cobb may not be worth the price? I’d rather keep our offensive line strong and keep building our defense. Our receiver tree is fine and I think Packers receivers get over-inflated due to Rodgers.

You’re not the only one, but y’all can ride to the game in the same car.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 06, 2015, 02:27:14 pm
Matthew from Kingsford, MI

Why wasn’t Sam Shields drafted?

He was transitioning from wide receiver to cornerback and there wasn’t enough information on him as a cornerback to warrant using a draft pick on him. Shields is an example of the kind of vision a team must have to maintain a healthy salary cap and compete for championships. It’s a game of replacement and you must find affordable players to replace unaffordable players.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on March 07, 2015, 08:07:03 am
Matt from Madison, WI

Am I the only Packers fan that thinks Cobb may not be worth the price? I’d rather keep our offensive line strong and keep building our defense. Our receiver tree is fine and I think Packers receivers get over-inflated due to Rodgers.

You’re not the only one, but y’all can ride to the game in the same car.

Love Vic's response on that one!

I think you are dreaming if you think that plugging in Jeff Janis or Jarrett Boykin is the solution.  But you should try it
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on March 07, 2015, 08:07:42 am
Fortunately, you have Ted Thompson running your show and not the owners, haha
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on March 07, 2015, 10:06:04 pm
Cobb back the Packers for 10 million per year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on March 07, 2015, 10:06:29 pm
Cobb made them blink.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 07, 2015, 10:13:25 pm
Cobb says don't believe the newspapers.  ;-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on March 07, 2015, 10:29:26 pm
10 million a year is more then your number 1 receiver.  The Packers were saying they weren't going to give him 9 million per year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 08, 2015, 07:34:02 pm
Do you believe any GM in their negotiations?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on March 08, 2015, 08:10:28 pm



 The best part to know is everybody is lying.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 09, 2015, 09:32:26 pm
Zack from Boca Raton, FL

Vic, it seems the turnover rate for not only coaches but GMs is at an all-time high. Is that a result of fan impatience or the owners?

It’s a result of importance. The game has never been more important. Fans are experiencing great angst in March about something that won’t happen until next September. The thought of not winning the Super Bowl is crippling. “This is the year” is every team’s motto and every fan’s belief. Losing cannot be tolerated, even when it’s a process toward winning. The bath water is full of good babies.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 09, 2015, 09:33:29 pm
Jason from Sobieski, WI

I look forward to reading your column and appreciate the perspective you give on the game. My question revolves around free agency. It seems (that) a lot of these GMs think they are playing with monopoly money. The contracts being tossed around so far are getting into the ridiculous area. Paying Suh better than a franchise QB is just not smart. As good as he is, he’s not throwing TDs and he won’t win you a game in the fourth quarter with under a minute to go. What is with all of these franchises forgetting about fiscal responsibility and the future?

It’s about importance. This is the year. Every team is going to win the Super Bowl this year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 09, 2015, 09:35:07 pm
A.J. from Alhambra, CA

Did fan outcry have anything to do with the Packers organization re-signing Cobb to such a lucrative deal?

I’m sorry, no.

It was all Cobb and his agent and their plan,
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 09, 2015, 09:40:10 pm
Josh from St. Petersburg, FL

Cleveland LT Joe Thomas, a Wisconsin native, has been selected to the Pro Bowl eight times, first-team All-Pro five times and second-team All-Pro twice, all in his eight seasons with Cleveland. Have you ever seen an athlete just come into the NFL and immediately dominate their position as much as Thomas has in the AFC North?

Tony Boselli is the most dominant left tackle I’ve ever covered, and he was dominant from his first pro start, which was against the Packers, by the way. Anthony Munoz is the most dominant left tackle to ever play the game.

Thomas's "take" on the draft was interesting.  On Draft Day he was on a lake fishing with  his Dad.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 09, 2015, 09:41:32 pm
Mark from Kingsford, MI

Do you think we can get Carter for ILB at a reasonable price?

Reasonable price in the first week of free agency? That would not be my expectation.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on March 10, 2015, 10:11:03 am

Cowboys have 3 starting linebackers who are now FAs.  I think they might try to re-sign one of them - either Bruce Carter or Rolando McClain or Justin Durant.

Carter led all linebackers in interceptions last season but McClain was a force in the middle.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 10, 2015, 08:10:33 pm
Jeffrey from Saint John, IN

Vic, so how are you doing before the craziness begins?

I’m ready for it. The good thing is it burns out quickly. Late next week, we’ll start talking about the bargains among the leftovers. That’s where you can get something done in free agency without damaging your cap.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 10, 2015, 08:15:35 pm
James from Slinger, WI

Do you see anyone potentially being this year’s Letroy Guion for us in free agency?

We’ll begin to identify those free agents late next week. They are the ones I like because my personnel philosophy is to build through the draft and patch in free agency. I’m looking for the one-year patch. The Patriots have done the best job of finding those players.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 10, 2015, 08:16:32 pm
Jesse from Wilmington, NC

Do you think there’s a middle linebacker in the draft that plays like Luke Kuechly? Do you think a player like him would fit our system?

Kuechly would fit into any system. He’s a rare player and there doesn’t appear to be an inside linebacker in this draft class that compares to him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 10, 2015, 08:17:39 pm
John from Camarillo, CA

Why not go after Patrick Willis? No way is he past his prime, right? New team, new circumstances, possible ring might be enough to entice him to play a few more years. Your thoughts?

You’re trying to recapture the past. Have you seen an MRI? Have you gotten an opinion from a doctor on Willis’ physical state? Have you watched tape from games in his prime vs. tape from games late in his career, to determine the level at which he’s playing now compared to then? The thing that drives me nuts about fans and free agency is fans wanna sign names. Hey, this is a young man’s game. You don’t get better by getting older.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 10, 2015, 08:20:33 pm
Paul from De Pere, WI

We were a draft-and-develop team you agreed to work for, or the other way around?

When I accepted my position with the Packers, I didn’t know what their personnel philosophy was. Immediately, I went to a general manager friend and asked him about the Packers. He assured me they were a draft-and-develop, BAP team. I felt relieved. My belief in draft-and-develop and BAP is ironclad. I would never lie about it. Doing this kind of column is much more enjoyable when your beliefs align with those of the team you’re covering.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 10, 2015, 08:24:17 pm
Conard from Morgantown, WV

Whenever you say yes to something, you say no to something else. With the cap preventing a team from keeping all the players it would like to keep, choices have to be made. Maybe the most valuable person in a football organization is not a franchise quarterback or a great coach, but a discerning GM that sets limits and will say no when those limits are reached.

It all begins in this organization with Ted Thompson. Before Aaron Rodgers was “The Man,” Thompson was “The Man”.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 10, 2015, 08:41:16 pm
(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/article/media_slots/photos/001/990/437/hi-res-ca224040389d49a173092c2fa6ee170d_crop_north.jpg?w=630&h=420&q=75)

Da Bulaga is baaaaaacck.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 10, 2015, 08:44:46 pm
By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel 
Green Bay — Five offers were on the table for Randall Cobb. And one more came in after he told his agent Jimmy Sexton he wanted to stay in Green Bay, too.

As free agency progressed, the wide receiver decided it was best to keep a good thing rolling.

He wasn’t sure how close he was to leaving Green Bay.

“I did know that it was a possibility,” Cobb said on a conference call Tuesday. “I knew my heart was in Green Bay and that’s where I really wanted to be, and I’m just glad we were able to get something done.”...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 10, 2015, 08:48:11 pm

Morry Gash/Associated PressMorry Gash/Associated Press


Agent: Bengals Sign Ex-Packers LB A.J. Hawk

Matt Fitzgerald

Back home to Ohio for Hawk
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 10, 2015, 08:52:26 pm
The Jacksonville Jaguars are taking advantage of all of that salary-cap space, as they are reportedly set to sign cornerback Davon House on a four-year contract.

The NFL Network's Ian Rapoport initially reported the deal, and Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports added that House's contract with the Jaguars will be for four years.

The 25-year-old House spent the first four years of his career playing with the Green Bay Packers. He was a fourth-round pick out of New Mexico State in 2011, appearing in 40 games with 14 starts.

Given House's lack of starting experience, the money Jacksonville is paying him is raising some eyebrows.   


Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith noted on Twitter that House didn't play a lot of snaps for the Packers:

Win some, lose, some.   ;-(
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 10, 2015, 08:54:01 pm
Seahawks acquire Jimmy Graham in stunning trade http://gbpg.net/1wX0fQd

GB did too well  training Schneider.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 10, 2015, 09:10:24 pm
Davon House, CB: "There will be a market but it won't be a strong market. I read the stuff where he said he's a starter, but every chance he's gotten to be a starter he hasn't really done a whole lot. But he's big and strong and can run, and he's young. Somebody's definitely going to want to take that chance and see if he should be on the field more. You see the athleticism but not him being able to put it all together. If you get a chance to start for three weeks you've got to be able to make some plays. I'd guess you're probably talking $2 to $4 million."..."Interesting ...

He actually got #6MM.  Crazy money from Jax.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 10, 2015, 09:18:57 pm

Jason Wilde        ✔   @jasonjwilde 

Fresh start? Guy was pretty impressive in 2013. RT @RapSheet: #Packers WR Jarrett Boykin visiting the #Panthers


7:12 PM - 10 Mar 2015 Green Bay, WI, United States
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 10, 2015, 09:20:26 pm

Packers were interested in cornerback Darrelle Revis before he signed with Jets

By Aron Yohannes and Evan "Tex" Western on Mar 10, 2015, 8:15p  74
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 11, 2015, 07:15:40 pm
Jeff from Chanhassen, MN

Vic, would GM Vic consider acquiring Brandon Browner if the Packers lose their UFA cornerbacks? I’m not sure I’ve heard what Browner’s asking price is, but could the Packers’ cap afford him? I think he’d be a good physical complement to the Packers’ improving defense.

My inbox is full of questions asking me what I think of this guy and that guy, and if I think the Packers should sign them if their price is right. The answer to all of those questions is: If you know the name, the price probably won’t be right. I don’t like first-week free agency. I’ve been up front about that opinion since the day I started penning this column. I think free agency is a wonderful forum for patching holes in your roster, but it’s also a trap for fools if your eyes are bigger than your stomach.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 11, 2015, 07:17:13 pm
Brett from Green Bay, WI

So Seattle trades Max Unger and their first-round pick to the Saints for Jimmy Graham and a fourth-round pick. I think the Saints won this trade. What do you think?

I love first-round picks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 11, 2015, 07:19:34 pm
Jared from San Antonio, TX

Vic, do you feel the Jaguars overpaid for House? I know they have a ton of cap room available but, seriously, what are they thinking?

Of course they overpaid. Once a player makes it into free agency and you sign him on the first day, you’re going to overpay. I’ll say this: I think the Jaguars got a good player. I’ve long been a Davon House fan. Can he stay healthy? That’s the only question.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 11, 2015, 07:20:19 pm
Kevin from Asbury Park, NJ

The Patriots appear to be targeting Percy Harvin. How do the Patriots always manage to sign big-time free agents and keep their cap healthy at the same time?

The Patriots made a big splash last year, but it’s not accurate to say “always.” In most years, the Patriots have been patchers. They’re the best in the league in taking another team’s junk and making it the Patriots’ treasure.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 11, 2015, 07:22:35 pm
Vic, while GM Vic was vacationing for the first week of free agency, the Packers were busy signing the big guy. In your opinion, was Bulaga not a bargain, since he was signed in the first week of free agency?

I don’t care if you sign your guys or some other teams’ guys, there are no bargains at this point in free agency. Bryan Bulaga and Randall Cobb each got fair but substantial contracts. If you’re looking for bargains, you’ve got to wait until the frenzy dies down. That’s when you find bargains, from the stockpile of leftovers. From that group, you identify role players.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 11, 2015, 07:23:48 pm
Tim from Fond du Lac, WI

The Seahawks got better. The Packers remain the same. While I believe the Packers were the best team in the league last year, I am not so sure about the upcoming year based solely on yesterday. Tell me I am wrong, Vic.

Based solely on yesterday? You are wrong.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 11, 2015, 07:25:17 pm
Curt from Portland, OR

Vic, I was busy and haven’t had a chance to check the news. Did anything happen in the NFL yesterday?

Yes, several teams found the player they need to win the Super Bowl next season.

LOL!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 11, 2015, 07:26:29 pm


Pat from Edinburg, VA

Vic, I did not think we would get Cobb and Bulaga. Honestly, Vic, did you think we would keep both? Don’t kid us.

I wrote it. I expected the Packers to retain both players. It’s what the Packers do. I didn’t understand why everyone was so worried last week.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 11, 2015, 08:01:34 pm

Rob Demovsky        ✔   @RobDemovsky 

Looks like the #Packers still have about $23 million in cap space after deals for Bulaga, Cobb and Tolzien. Will have exact number later

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on March 11, 2015, 10:28:53 pm
Quote
  The Seahawks got better. The Packers remain the same. While I believe the Packers were the best team in the league last year, I am not so sure about the upcoming year based solely on yesterday. Tell me I am wrong, Vic.

Based solely on yesterday? You are wrong.

As of right now, he is right. Graham is a difference maker at a important position. Post draft, who knows but as of right now-advantage, Seattle....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 12, 2015, 01:38:29 pm
I was not happy about that news, sporty.  The Seahawks have had a couple of losses also, though.  Their GM is definitely a good one.  I knew when Seattle signed him away from GB he would cause problems.  I have no idea about the player whom they traded away.  Also the loss of a high draft is a negative for Seattle, looking at the long range.

It depends upon the Packers acquisitions.  They may also try to pick up a FA TE; or, maybe a top-notch draftee.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 12, 2015, 02:24:25 pm
Brandon from Mililani, HI

Vic, we know Green Bay has to add at least somewhat of a veteran presence at inside linebacker, correct?

They’ve got veterans on each side in Julius Peppers and Clay Matthews. I’m not against adding a veteran inside linebacker in free agency, but I think the term veteran presence is overrated. The Packers need somebody that’ll step in at that position and hit somebody, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a veteran or a rookie.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 12, 2015, 02:25:14 pm
Mike from Shenzhen, Guangdong Province

Just letting you know there are Packers bars in China, too. I saw a Favre poster on a bar bathroom door in Sanya.

I’ve always wanted a reader in Guangdong Province.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 12, 2015, 02:26:37 pm
Keenan McCardell.

Matt from Champlin, MN

If the Texans had signed Suh, what would GM Vic say to a trade proposal of Watt, Suh and the next two years’ first-round picks for Aaron Rodgers?

Rodgers is untradeable, at any price.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 12, 2015, 02:27:18 pm
Roger from Auburn, CA

Vic, now that the mania of free agency is almost over, do teams reevaluate the market and adjust what they are willing to spend?

As players begin to come down closer to the price a team is willing to pay, the team might rethink its strategy or, at the least, pursue the player more intensely. We’re not at the point prices have begun to fall significantly, but by this time next week, bargain free agents will begin to emerge.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 12, 2015, 02:27:55 pm
Jared from San Antonio, TX

Is this the craziest first week of free agency you’ve ever witnessed?

Yes, it is; the trades made it that way. A swap of starting quarterbacks is rare. I’m not sure what triggered this mania, but I suspect it has to do with the win-now demands coaches and general managers are facing.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 12, 2015, 02:29:41 pm
Aric from Oshkosh, WI

Vic, what will teams make of the veteran combine? Will players who’ve already had a shot be given a meaningful chance, or is this the NFL just making another offseason event?

It’s another offseason event, and I have no doubt it will grow into something of significant popularity and marketability, but I think it’s a legitimate platform for acquiring talent. All teams need role players.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 12, 2015, 02:30:51 pm
Dave from Ft. Rucker, AL

Do you see anything in your crystal ball for the middle of our defense?

It doesn’t take a crystal ball to know the Packers are going to address the middle of their defense. I expect them to sign somebody in free agency and then spend multiple picks on that area of the team in the draft.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 12, 2015, 02:35:30 pm


GREEN BAY – The bottom line for Bryan Bulaga wasn’t about the bottom line.

Yes, more money was on the table elsewhere, but re-signing with Green Bay was about being able to enjoy coming to work every day – with the Packers coaches and teammates he knows and loves, and with the knowledge the team has a chance to win, every year.

“That makes this process all worth it,” Bulaga said in a conference call with local media on Thursday, discussing his new contract with the Packers. “Every day is fun. That’s what makes Sunday so much more worth it.

“I know year in and year out we’re going to be competing for a championship, and that’s fun. That’s what this game is all about, competing for championships and making runs like that.”

Green Bay’s starting offensive line – Bulaga and David Bakhtiari at the tackle spots, Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang at the guards, and Corey Linsley at center – will be together for the foreseeable future now.

It’s the best offensive line in Head Coach Mike McCarthy’s tenure, and Bulaga said the close-knit bunch hasn’t reached its peak yet.

“I think we can be better, we really can,” he said. “I think we started a little slow at the beginning of the year, so we can get better. Everyone will be a year older. Everyone will have another year under their belt.”

Personally, Bulaga is “thrilled to death” he’s under contract with the Packers for five more years, and he talked about how much he enjoyed a relatively healthy 2014 season.

While dealing with season-ending hip and knee injuries the previous two years, Bulaga said he didn’t even want to talk about football while he trudged through rehab.

In contrast, this past season was a rejuvenating experience. Week 1 marked his first game action since early November of 2012, and he ended up starting 15 regular-season games plus two playoff contests.

“To be able to come home and talk to my family and my wife about something you love and care about, which is football, that makes a big difference,” he said.

All that weighed into his decision as he pondered offers from four other teams his agent told him about. So did, partly, the disappointing finish in Seattle in the NFC title game, because the bulk of that contest proved how talented this Packers team is.

Bulaga said he and his teammates individually need to be “accountable” for how they let the game get away, but they can’t let that failure consume them and allow them to forget they’re “a veteran group of guys who have played good football.”

“Remember what happened, but you can’t harp on it,” he said. “You have to move on and get ready for a new year.

“It’ll be here before we know it.”

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 12, 2015, 02:41:58 pm
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Green Bay Packers are still trying to re-sign free-agent cornerback Tramon Williams, according to a source familiar with their thinking.

The Saints remain in play for Williams' services, according to Triplett's source, but they are also making a push to sign former New England Patriots cornerback Brandon Browner.

That could help push Williams back to the Packers...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on March 13, 2015, 06:05:16 pm



 History
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 13, 2015, 06:16:23 pm



Ben from Indianapolis, IN
Vic, how difficult is it for a GM to build a perennial contender and maintain cap discipline, a la Thompson or Belichick?

Having a quarterback the quality of Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady immediately makes a team a contender. The challenge is building a supporting cast within your cap structure. That’s where Ted Thompson and Bill Belichick have been masterful. Thompson has consistently found value in the late rounds and in college free agency. Belichick has consistently found one-year patches in bargain free agency.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 13, 2015, 06:19:42 pm
Darren from Barrow, AK

Vic, why do you think we, as fans, have such a hard time accepting the BAP philosophy, when the Packers have shown such consistency while using it?

Fans focus on need and today. The draft is about value and tomorrow. You hope you can address immediate need, but you commit to talent and the development of it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 13, 2015, 06:20:49 pm
Shaun from Phoenix, AZ

I used to be the guy demanding we spend money on big free agents. Since reading your column daily, I have gained perspective. I now find myself cringing at big contracts like Randall Cobb and Sam Shields. I now know what it takes to have a healthy cap and contending team for years to come. Byrd is not the word.

Being a contending team is the key. The Super Bowl should not be the goal at this time of the year. If it is, it’ll make you do things you regret. Focus on being a contender. It’s a conservative approach that’s more easily achieved.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 13, 2015, 06:22:54 pm
Bill from Morris, IL

I see the Colts released Trent Richardson. Is this a good example of why it isn’t a smart move to give up a first-round draft pick for a big name?

It’s a good example of a team willing to trade a player knowing more about that player than a team willing to trade for him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 13, 2015, 06:23:42 pm
Rick from Stockholm, Sweden

How would you feel about the Packers signing Vince Wilfork on the same kind of deal we did with Peppers last year?

Wilfork has become the most popular name in my inbox. Packers fans want to sign him. Why? Because he would address a perceived need. I wouldn’t be opposed to signing Wilfork, but not for Julius Peppers money.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 13, 2015, 06:24:46 pm
Mike from Hopkinsville, KY

With Hawk and Jones both gone, why not pick up a guy like Brandon Spikes in free agency and still draft a young inside linebacker as well? Do they really think they’ll find a day-one starter that late in the first round?

I’m not opposed to signing a free-agent linebacker, but what’s the rush? Let the market cool down. Let the bargains emerge. Free agency is a good forum for addressing needs. It’s panic buying that’s the problem.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 13, 2015, 06:26:01 pm
Ed from Henryville, IN

After listening to Cobb’s conference call and the fact he turned down more money from other teams from the business side of it, have you seen this happen much? Do a lot of players have that loyalty anymore?

No to both questions.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on March 13, 2015, 06:31:25 pm



 Packy,


 How are you going to deal with FoX ?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 13, 2015, 07:29:34 pm
(http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/51/files/2015/03/DSC_0098-590x900.jpg)

Jared Abbredaris.

If Abbrederis can turn some heads, not only for spectacular play, but for consistent excellence, the Packers will have another of Ted Thompson’s gems in the basket.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 13, 2015, 07:33:41 pm
(http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/51/files/2014/08/nfl-preseason-green-bay-packers-st.-louis-rams.jpg)


 there’s one Green Bay Packers player I am most excited about seeing on the gridiron in 2015, I point you toward wide receiver Jeff Janis.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 13, 2015, 07:40:04 pm

by Raymond Rivard 1d ago

Aug 16, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jeff Janis avoids a diving St. Louis Rams safety Christian Bryant (26) during the second half at Edward Jones Dome. Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports photograph

Janis provides a peek at his potential

Though he got off to a slow start in training camp after being diagnosed with shingles. it didn’t take him long to fit in and produce in games.

After missing the first seven camp practices, Janis started turning heads nearly immediately in practice – making difficult catches over the likes of Sam Shields and Tramon Williams.

Those practices transformed into strong game performances, too. He caught a slant in the Packers’ third preseason game at St. Louis and took it to the house. That performance was matched in the final preseason game last year when he went up and over a Kansas City defender to snare a TD at Lambeau Field.

The stage was set for his emergence.

But the Packers had a different plan; to let him develop and work his way toward a better understanding of the system.

He also had the likes of Cobb, Jordy Nelson, Davante Adams and Jarrett Boykin ahead of him on the depth charts, so he certainly had more work to do to prove himself.

Though he was active for only three games this season, he did get some snaps.

Where can they find enough footballs for the potential of these guys?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 13, 2015, 07:46:52 pm
Janis could be a diamond in Ted Thompson’s rough.

In all of his 15 snaps, he caught two passes for 16 yards and no touchdowns. Both of his catches came in the Week 5 blowout of the Minnesota Vikings.

With all that said, the Packers have a future contributor on their roster. Whether he has star quality depends on many factors, such as the ability to stay healthy, learn the system and be included in each week’s game plans. That’s a tall order, but if there’s one player who could make that all happen – it could be Janis.

Here’s what Ted Thompson said about Janis a year ago … we feel these thoughts are as fresh today as they were last spring:

“He’s a remarkably gifted athlete. He completely dominated his level of play. We do testing results of all the 40s and jumps and bench presses and shuttles and all that of every player in the draft that is eligible – it’s like 1,000 guys. Of all the receivers in that group, he was the second-rated athlete according to his testing. He’s a very gifted fellow.”

Janis, a Saginaw State alum, recorded a 4.42-second 40-yard dash, lifted to a 37.5-inch vertical jump and was one of the top competitors at the 2014  Combine in the bench press (with 20 repetitions) and the three-cone drill (6.64 seconds).

And when asked about Janis at this year’s Combine, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy seemed as high on him as ever. Here’s what he had to say:

“I think Jeff is going to take a big step. He’s got a big catching radius, and he needs to utilize it. Obviously, I think we all saw his vertical speed. He’s an extremely physical young man. He’s an Olympian in the weight room. He’s got a lot of raw skill, and I look for him to make that jump. He has to use that catching radius, and he has the type of body type you really like.”

In my estimation of seeing Janis only briefly last season, he’s a Jordy Nelson-type player who could make the necessary step heading into the 2015 season.

Whether it’s special teams or whether he somehow cracks the lineup for more snaps and opportunities with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers’ offense, I feel Janis could be one of those breakout players who not only make the jump, but have the ability to move by leaps and bounds.

He will certainly be a fun one to anticipate and watch in the spring workouts.

Stay tuned …


Amazing.  31 other teams didn't think that they had a use for  this guy.   With all these guys I would probably cut Boykin, too.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on March 14, 2015, 07:05:27 pm
 
Stay tuned ...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 17, 2015, 02:37:28 pm
Noah from Haddow, Australia

Vic, are you expecting a last-minute pick up in free agency by the Packers?

I expect the Packers to participate in free agency, but we’re hardly at the last-minute stage. Fans are too impatient to buy. They’re afraid of not getting that pair of pants they want so badly. Relax! There’ll be plenty of good khakis left when the buying spree is over.

Vic has been kidded for liking khakis instead of dressier attire.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 17, 2015, 02:42:46 pm
Brett from Green Bay, WI

Vic, the Dolphins have traded Mike Wallace to the Vikings for two late-round picks, and the Vikings then released Greg Jennings. Both WRs were signed to big contracts in 2013 FA. It’s good to be draft and develop.

The dead money those guys left behind is nearly $13 million combined. We’re talking about wide receivers, not quarterbacks or left tackles. How does this happen? What am I missing?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 17, 2015, 02:43:47 pm
Pete from Chapel Hill, NC

Vic, what does Tony Pauline think about Jamison Crowder, the WR/return man from Duke? He might be a late-round gem.

I’ll tell you what I think of Crowder. I think he’s a game-changing player. He’s one of those return men you fear. You expect him to do something big with every kick. He doesn’t have Rocket Ismail’s or Devin Hester’s explosiveness, but his silky smoothness reminds me of Lynn Swann, who was a lights-out punt returner early in his career.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 17, 2015, 02:44:41 pm
Kason from Loves Park, IL

Vic, how do you define the term “franchise quarterback”? So many people think differently of it and I wanted to know your opinion on it.

My opinion is that it has nothing to do with performance. A franchise quarterback is any quarterback in whom his team has invested its future at the position.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 17, 2015, 02:47:32 pm
Davy from Chetek, WI

What free agents would you consider looking at now?

I like Geno Hayes, but I don’t know what his price is.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 17, 2015, 02:50:03 pm
Sean from Saint Paul, MN

Who looks better in the late first round, corners or inside linebackers? I think I’d be happy with Kevin Johnson.

Both positions look good. Remember that name.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 17, 2015, 02:53:33 pm
James from Concord, CA

I read an article online last week about who really wins and who loses in free agency. It pointed out several negative aspects of taking players in free agency. At the end it simply stated, “The Packers win free agency every year by not participating.” Your thoughts?

It’s not true the Packers win by not participating. They participated last year. The Packers win by not being reckless in free agency. The free agents they signed will not count against them in compensatory picks consideration. The free agents they signed didn’t damage the team’s cap. Free agency is a good forum for addressing needs, but it can’t be used at the risk of damaging your team’s future, and a team’s future is all about its cap and the draft.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 17, 2015, 03:09:47 pm
...The numbers supported the argument that Williams got beat too often last season. According to ProFootballFocus.com, he allowed 10 touchdowns in 18 games, including the game-winner by Seattle's Jermaine Kearse in overtime of the NFC Championship Game. Opposing quarterbacks had a passer rating of 106.5 when targeting Williams last season, according to PFF. That number had never been higher than 85 in Williams' first seven seasons. He also allowed completions on 63.6 percent of the passes thrown his way, which also was the highest percentage of his career.

But after losing cornerback Davon House to the Jacksonville Jaguars last week, the Packers felt they could still win with Williams in the short term.

However, they also wanted all along to get Hayward on the field more...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 17, 2015, 03:12:32 pm
...But free agency is a gamble, and the Packers choose to re-sign their own players who have proven themselves able to produce in Green Bay's system.

In fact, Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com graded every team's free agency thus far, and only one team got an "A." Want to guess which one?

It's the only one that hasn't signed an outside player.

I've given the Packers' individual free-agency signings grades, as well. Unsurprisingly, they all come out on top.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 17, 2015, 03:22:35 pm
It's a sign of how desperate teams are to shore up their secondaries in a passing league. The New York Jets went out and signed three free agent corners at a hefty price to build up their defense and others have paid big money for help as well.

Here's a look at the top deals in the cornerback market:

Name Team Years Total Average Guarantee
Darrelle Revis    Jets 5 $70 million $14 million $39 million
Byron Maxwell     Eagles  6  $63 million       $10.5 million      $25 million
Brandon Flowers     Chargers   4 $36.4 million  $9.1 million  $20.5 million 
Chris Culliver  Washington   4  $32 million $8 million   $16 million
Antonio Cromartie    Jets   4 $32 million  $8 million NA
Tramon Williams Browns 3 $21 million $7 million NA
Buster Skrine  Jets  4 $25 million  $6.25 million   $13 million
Davon House   Jaguars 4 $24.5 million  $6.125 million   $10 million
Brandon Browner  Saints   3 $15 million   $5 million $7.75 million 
Perrish Cox Titans 3 $15 million $5 million NA
Walter Thurmond  Eagles   1  $3.25 million $3.25 million  $2 million 
Brice McCain  Dolphins  2 $5.5 million  $2.75 million  $2 million 
Jimmy Wilson  Chargers   2 $4.25 million  $2.125 million  $1.25 million 

Salaries are from sources with access to NFLPA salary data and news reports.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 17, 2015, 03:27:23 pm
Greg Jennings says he would 'definitely reconcile' with Packers

By Jason B. Hirschhorn  @by_JBH  on Mar 17, 2015, 1:15p  47   

I doubt that he could make the cut.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 17, 2015, 03:28:50 pm

Tony Cartagena   @TonyCartagena 

02/02. Greg Jennings added that he was disappointed on how he handled departure, and can admit that his ego was hurt. #Packers

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 18, 2015, 02:57:50 pm
to do to find a replacement.

According to ESPN Stats, he finished his eight years in Green Bay with 507 tackles, 129 pass defenses and 29 interceptions including the postseason. Of course, that is all topped off with a Super Bowl ring.

Williams has played 140 of a possible 141 games. Even with injuries to his shoulder, he’s fought through and continued to play at a high level. He’s taken care of his body with yoga and has kept himself in great shape.

Because of that, he is able to play at a higher level than many 32 year old cornerbacks, and Williams hasn’t seen a huge decline in his performances.

The Browns have found themselves a great player in Williams, and we wish him the best in Cleveland...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 18, 2015, 09:32:46 pm
http://www.acmepackingcompany.com/packers-free-agency-2015/2015/3/18/8244917/packers-free-agent-targets-inside-linebacker-and-defensive-tackle

ILB FAs with potential.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on March 18, 2015, 10:08:13 pm

Sure would be nice if the Bears could sign a couple of those guys.

Rolando McClain was a stud for the Cowboys last season.  I think the Cowboys are still in play, at least until a team offers him a deal that blows their cap.

He's got baggage - several suitcases.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on March 19, 2015, 02:40:46 am



 The usual sign one and draft one ?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 19, 2015, 05:37:22 pm
Posted by Mike Wilkening on March 19, 2015, 4:47 PM EDT

DuJuan Harris, Khalil Mack
AP

Running back DuJuan Harris has found a new home — and with one of Green Bay’s division rivals.

Harris, whom the Packers did not tender as an exclusive-rights free agent, has signed a one-year contract with the Vikings, agent Andy Simms announced on Twitter...

Glad that Harris got a job.  Good kid.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 19, 2015, 05:41:38 pm
Andy from Green Bay, WI

Between Tony and yourself, is either one of you big on Kevin Johnson out of Wake Forest? Looks like he has all the physical tools you’d want in a starting corner.

Tony likes him a lot.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 19, 2015, 05:42:29 pm
Roger from Auburn, CA

Vic, since you think it’s about players more than plays, do you see any possibility of the Packers switching to a 4-3 if the talent better fits that scheme?

You play what best suits your personnel, but switching to a 4-3 would probably require Julius Peppers to go back to defensive end, and I like him better at linebacker.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 19, 2015, 05:52:43 pm
http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/2015-prospect-primer.html?icampaign=spotlight_webcasts

Prospect primer.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 20, 2015, 05:55:03 pm
Robert from Green Bay, WI

Is there a lot of Brandon Spikes fever in your inbox lately? Four out of the top five ILBs are still sitting out there. I wouldn’t believe anybody that told me we aren’t going to sign one of them.

The fact inside linebackers aren’t flying off the shelves tells us inside linebacker isn’t a premier position. Why do you want to overpay for one? You can’t allow yourself to panic in March.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 20, 2015, 05:56:10 pm
Matt from Milwaukee, WI

Vic, I’ve tried to get into your posts but I feel a disconnect. No offense. I’m sure you’re a nice guy and been around the NFL a long time, but don’t Packers fans deserve someone with some Packers history to cover the team? We had to bring in a former Jag reporter? Are you that talented or does our state really lack the right person for your job?

You’re absolutely right, Matt. I’ll fire myself today.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 20, 2015, 05:57:22 pm
Roger from Auburn, CA

Vic, the Packers seem a lot more willing this year to let role players move on to other teams. Do you think this is being emphasized as part of a strategy that is determined to move on from last year’s tough finish?

That’s not it. Tom Crabtree was a role player. This isn’t new stuff. You can’t keep everybody; the cap won’t let you do it. You dig deep to keep your core players, and then you challenge yourself to replace the role players you can’t afford to keep because keeping them would mean paying them at a level that would demand they be something more than a role player.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 20, 2015, 06:00:04 pm
Angel from Mexico City, Mexico

In almost every article or football program I see, the media just keep coming after the Packers for not making any move on free agency. It doesn’t bother you?

No.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 20, 2015, 06:04:14 pm
Jason from Maumee, OH

Is it the fans that have wide receiver fever, or is it a case of the national sports media reporting unfounded and irresponsible rumors?

Free agency is all about drama. It’s for people that enjoy drama and are accepting of rumors for the sake of drama. If you’re someone that wants factual information, this isn’t a good time for you. This is absolutely the most ridiculous event on the NFL calendar. The money that’s being spent on players that, in many cases, were unwanted by their previous team, is insane. This year’s event was taken to an even higher level of insanity by the wild flurry of trading. My approach to free agency is that it’s a comedy being acted out for my enjoyment.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 20, 2015, 06:51:43 pm

McCarthy expects Janis to 'take a big step'

INDIANAPOLIS – There was good reason Green Bay Packers receiver Jeff Janis was rarely activated during his rookie season.

Janis, a seventh-round pick, impressed coaches enough in the preseason to make Green Bay's 53-man roster. His highlight catches and kickoff returns left an impression with fans, too. Each week, as the inactive streak piled up, his absence was impossible to ignore.

In hindsight, it shouldn't have been a surprise.

The Packers effectively used Janis' rookie season as a redshirt year, patiently allowing time to develop. Entering the NFL from Saginaw Valley State, he needed time to transition from Division II to professional football. Maybe the biggest adjustment, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said, was for the 6-foot-3, 219-pound Janis to learn how to play big.

"He's got a big catching radius," McCarthy said. "And he needs to utilize it."

McCarthy expects Janis to "take a big step" through the offseason. The young receiver has all the physical tools. If Janis puts everything together, his potential could turn into something special.

"Obviously, I think we all saw his vertical speed," McCarthy said. "He's an extremely physical young man. He's an Olympian in the weight room. He's got a lot of raw skill, and I look for him to make that jump. He has to use that catching radius, and he has the type of body type you really like."

McCarthy stopped short of saying Janis wasn't ready as a rookie. At times, McCarthy said he "toyed" with the idea of activating Janis as a kickoff returner. Ultimately, he said, Janis couldn't quite crack a 46-man active roster deep enough to present McCarthy weekly challenges.

Next season, McCarthy hopes Janis develops enough to produce on the field. He saw promising signs late in his rookie year.

"Probably after Thanksgiving, I thought Jeff really picked it up," McCarthy said. "He was more comfortable, and so I look for him to take a step. He's got to play with extension. That's the one thing he has to do a better job of, but you can see it on the scout team, and at the end of the year he was running some really good routes."

 -- rwood@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @ByRyanWood


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 20, 2015, 06:53:47 pm
Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Julius Peppers didn't reach any of the salary escalators in his contract from last season, so in 2015 he will make up to $9.5 million in salary and bonuses, as his contract signed last year originally called for.

Peppers had $2 million in escalators based on his performance in 2014, but didn't achieve any of them. According to a source with access to NFL salary information, Peppers would have added $750,000 if he'd had 12 sacks and the Packers had won the Super Bowl. He also would have picked up $250,000 if he'd made the Pro Bowl, and another $1 million if he'd been defensive player of the year...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on March 21, 2015, 06:06:44 pm

Peppers had the same number of sacks and tackles with the Pack in 2014 as he did with the Bears in 2013.  I must admit he had more bigger plays with the Pack this season.  He often seemed like he couldn't care less about making plays with the Bears in 2013 - that wasn't the case with the Packers who were in just about every game they played in 2014.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 21, 2015, 07:37:38 pm
Peppers is also mystery to me, dallas.  Thinking back over the season the impact didn't seem to be that much but there were a few key plays that saved a game.  His play reminds me somewhat of Reggie White in that respect.  As a teammate he helped a lot.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 21, 2015, 08:34:33 pm
Joseph from Raleigh, NC

Vic, why do any Packers fans want to sign Welker? We have, in my opinion, the best slot receiver in the game and a promising, young slot receiver in Abbrederis, so why would you want to spend valuable cap room on an aging guy with a history of injuries that would likely be a downgrade from the current players?

At the risk of the Packers signing Welker and causing my head to spin on my shoulders, I will tell you this might be the most imbecilic topic discussed in this forum’s 15-year history. This makes the invisible paint discussion appear scientific. The guy that started this insanity is likely reading this column and laughing uncontrollably.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 21, 2015, 08:35:36 pm
Del from Sterling, IL

Vic, is there any reason to believe Julius Peppers may not be as effective as he was in his first year with the Packers?

At some point age is going to get him, but if that doesn’t happen this year, what’s the chance Peppers will be even more effective than he was last season? He’s had a chance to settle in at his new position; maybe he’s got another gear left in him
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 21, 2015, 08:40:35 pm
Barton from Tulum, Quintana Roo

It really creeps me out to read the only Packers player to have played on another NFL team is Julius Peppers. I know Green Bay is a small town, but is this a team or a cult? A leader like Wes Welker, who has played in Miami, Boston and Denver, would go a long way in the leadership category. He has played with Brady and Manning. What do you think about this?

I think I’m losing my mind.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 21, 2015, 08:41:44 pm
Micah from Borden, Saskatchewan

I disagree with your opinion the proposed changes to overtime would be a sellout to the offensive side of the ball. If both teams have a possession, then both teams have to play defense as well. I think both sides having a possession would allow the more rounded team to win. Isn’t that a good thing?

Maybe we could get that bartender to flip a switch so the game can continue until we finish our beer.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 21, 2015, 09:11:36 pm
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2400222-packers-davante-adams-throws-down-sick-360-between-the-legs-dunk

Impressive dunk by Adams.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 23, 2015, 09:33:26 pm

...If the Packers do want to consider a quarterback to land in the draft, there are some mid-round options they could consider.

Guys like UCLA’s Brett Hundley, Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson and Baylor’s Bryce Petty.

Remember those names, because they just may be associated with the Green Bay Packers during the weekend of the NFL Draft starting April 30 in Chicago.

If the Packers are to consider a quarterback, we should take a look at these three guys …
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 23, 2015, 10:22:14 pm
Robert from Green Bay, WI

Is there a lot of Brandon Spikes fever in your inbox lately? Four out of the top five ILBs are still sitting out there. I wouldn’t believe anybody that told me we aren’t going to sign one of them.

The fact inside linebackers aren’t flying off the shelves tells us inside linebacker isn’t a premier position. Why do you want to overpay for one? You can’t allow yourself to panic in March.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 24, 2015, 08:29:11 pm
Letroy Guion reaches plea deal to end his criminal case

Posted by Darin Gantt on March 24, 2015, 5:03 PM EDT

letroyguion
AP

Letroy Guion didn’t help his case in free agency by getting busted a month before the market opened with a bunch of weed, and a gun and a pile of cash in his car.

I hope that GB signs him.  Good kid.<b/>;
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 24, 2015, 08:34:13 pm
Bob from Perth, Australia

Vic, if you could swap jobs with anyone at the Packers, who would it be?

Ted Thompson, right? Wouldn’t every Packers fan want to be Thompson? You’d be in complete control of the football team. You could sign any free agent you want; draft for need. The fact Thompson doesn’t act in that manner says everything about his beliefs and his discipline to do what is best for the franchise, not what’s best for Thompson’s popularity with the fans. Thompson knows what it takes to build a winning and lasting roster. Stay young and stay good. That’s how you do it and that’s what Thompson has done. He’s built a good, young roster with a dedication to acquiring talent in the draft, because that’s where you find young talent.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 24, 2015, 08:35:34 pm
Brett from Green Bay, WI

Vic, what do you think is the Packers’ No. 1 need in the draft?

I would say it’s for an impact inside linebacker.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 24, 2015, 08:38:58 pm
Vic, sobering data on concussion research from Stanford. They used sensors in their players’ upper mouth guards to record forces applied to the head in football impacts. For reference, a fighter pilot doing high-speed maneuvers experiences 4-6 g’s. The average of 500 football impacts was 30 g’s. One player was knocked out for two minutes after an impact of 106 g’s!

Gee!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 24, 2015, 08:41:48 pm
Andy from Fort Collins, CO

Two years ago, Aqib Talib’s contract with the Pats was up. Rather than break the bank to keep him, they let Denver sign him and replaced him for a year with Revis, who had been cut, so he didn’t factor into their compensatory selections. Now Revis is gone, but the Pats have a third-rounder for letting Talib walk and a Super Bowl ring Revis helped them earn. If that isn’t the right way to make free agency work for you, I don’t know what is.

The Patriots are astute managers of the game and the business of professional football.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 24, 2015, 09:27:23 pm
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B6cK1FrCQAASlSE.jpg:large)


BJ.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 24, 2015, 09:51:07 pm

Robert Zizzo, Press-Gazette Media 4:45 p.m. EDT March 24, 201
PHOENIX -- Four of the Green Bay Packers' nine draft picks from the 2014 class made major impacts last season.

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix eventually became a starter at safety, Davante Adams spent most of the season as the No. 3 wide receiver, Richard Rodgers was in the tight end rotation and center Corey Linsley was the starter the from the opener.


Wes Hodkiewicz and Robert Zizzo discuss the Packers' most pressing concerns Sunday at the NFL annual meeting in Phoenix. (March 22, 2015)

Third-round defensive tackle Khyri Thornton and fifth-round wide receiver Jared Abbrederis were placed on injured reserve during training camp, while fourth-round linebacker Carl Bradford, sixth-round cornerback Demetri Goodson and seventh-round wide receiver Jeff Janis made the 53-player roster but found themselves on the inactive list nearly every game day.

Speaking about Thornton (hamstring) and Abbrederis (ACL) at the NFL annual meeting, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said he doesn't think the season on injured reserve will impede their progress.

"I think Thornton has really turned the corner in the weight and conditioning part of it," he said. "And Jared is here every day. So, he just has to get stronger, a little bigger. Everybody felt great about the way he showed in spring and the training camp he was having. So, yeah, definitely. It won't be lack of work ethic, that's for sure.​"

Of the other three, only Janis took snaps from the line of scrimmage with 15 on offense. Goodson played strictly special teams and Bradford never suited up for a game.

In Bradford's case, he was drafted as an outside linebacker, but was shifted inside near the end of camp. McCarthy said Bradford will be inside from Day 1 this season.

"Yeah, I know (when) we drafted Carl, Ted felt pretty strongly that he was an outside linebacker," McCarthy said, "and it really helps in our scheme if you train them outside to inside just because the way everything fits together, then the learning is seamless jumping in and out of certain personnel groups. That was the thinking early with Brad (Jones). Brad, Jamari (Lattimore) and Carl."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 25, 2015, 09:16:49 pm


No.  62.63%  (4,014 votes)

From PFT: Should there be 14 playoff teams?

Yes.  33.64%  (2,156 votes)

 
Not sure.  3.73%  (239 votes)

 



 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 25, 2015, 09:28:25 pm
Adam from New Haven, CT

Vic, are fans in danger of losing perspective when they obsess over the accuracy of a call and the need for replay review?

As Mark Murphy said, replay review was initially instituted to correct the obviously incorrect call. It was meant to correct the Rob Lytle call, for example. Over time, we expanded replay review’s use to the point it was proposed this week that replay review be used on any play. Yes, we’ve obsessed about the reach of replay review, and it wasn’t just fans, it was also the league. We’ve been forcing the game to change, instead of allowing it to change. I applaud the rules committee for continuing to address player-safety issues, but also for putting the brakes on unnecessary change.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 25, 2015, 09:31:05 pm
Vic, I read your column daily and want to thank you for your insight. I still don’t understand cap moves fully, so I want to ask you to give me insight on the latest case: Watt agrees to restructure his contract from a $10 million roster bonus to signing bonus. How does this help and how is the hit for the future?

Either way, he gets his money in full now, but there’s a big difference in how the two designations hit the Texans’ cap. Roster bonus is declared in full in the year in which it’s paid; signing bonus is divided evenly over the life of the contract. So, what the Texans did was push a significant amount of money out of 2015 and into future years. All aboard!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 25, 2015, 09:36:02 pm
David from College Station, TX

Vic, if you could pick any player in this year’s draft for the Packers, who would it be?

I think Leonard Williams is the best player in this year’s draft, so I’d pick him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 25, 2015, 09:38:58 pm
Lorenz from Berlin, Germany

Vic, you have said many times you don’t think fans get what it means to be a reporter, but I don’t think you get what it means to be a fan. With regard to replay reviews, you don’t mind a team getting robbed of a win because of a bad call. As a reporter, you actually enjoy the controversy because it’s a good story. Fans don’t. We don’t see games in terms of stories, we see them in terms of wanting our teams to win. We agonize over our team losing because of a bad call. Replay review helps with that. It increases our enjoyment of the game because there are less bad calls.

What was your level of enjoyment following replay review of the “Fail Mary”?



Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 25, 2015, 10:00:59 pm

9:32 PM - 25 Mar 2015



 Mike McCarthy, coaches look at ways to improve defensive unit 

Now that he’s free from play-calling duties, Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy has been spending more time with his defensive coaches working to develop the long-term consistency his offense has...
Journal Sentinel @journalsentinel 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 26, 2015, 09:41:21 pm
Del from Sterling, IL

Vic, is this draft class lacking in stars?

It has stars at running back but, otherwise, I don’t regard it to be an especially exciting draft class.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 26, 2015, 09:45:48 pm
Bryan from Gladstone, MI

You have never responded to any of my questions and I wondered why. But now that you say L.T. is the best ever, I don’t feel bad at all. He was a one-dimensional player that could not play the run game, as Ken Ruettgers proved. In my book, he doesn’t qualify in the top 50.

That kind of comment is probably why I never responded to any of your questions.

Ouch!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 26, 2015, 09:48:25 pm
Khaled from Tampa Bay, FL

It’s obvious we are in need of a cornerback after losing Tramon Williams. Do you think the Packers would draft a cornerback in the first round, possibly Kevin Johnson out of Wake Forest?

I think Johnson is a logical prospect for the Packers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 26, 2015, 09:49:49 pm
Ralph from Goose Creek, SC

Do you think John Fox would consider Tim Tebow as the quarterback for the Bears? He would certainly fix the leadership issue at QB and give the Bears someone to rally around until they get their franchise QB.

I don’t see that happening, but I was sitting next to Coach Fox at Wednesday’s NFC coaches breakfast, and listened intently to everything Coach Fox said in answering questions, and I can tell you this: The Bears are about to undergo change, and it won’t happen slowly.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 26, 2015, 09:51:18 pm
Kane from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan

Why is it all Green Bay needs is depth at inside linebacker but Ted Thompson continues to avoid free agency, and you see guys like Casey Matthews sign with the Vikings for kicker money.

Maybe he thinks he has a better plan. The results suggest he usually does.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 26, 2015, 10:08:51 pm
(http://prod.static.packers.clubs.nfl.com//assets/club-images/ask-vic/2015/03-march/150326-cutler-vic-330.jpg)

Get ready for change in Chicago.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 26, 2015, 10:14:42 pm
(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/slides/photos/003/936/038/hi-res-a4dd30d0c9074006010ae73417768574_crop_north.jpg?w=630&h=420&q=75)


New Chicago Bears coach John Fox and general manager Ryan Pace are in a bit of a pickle at the quarterback position.

The incumbent starter, Jay Cutler, was benched at the end of last season and holds a $16.5 million cap hit for 2015. Cutler has been inconsistent and often displays atrocious body language, which has led many to question whether he's type of passer who can lead a team to a Super Bowl triumph.

Under this scenario, Fox and Pace decide he isn't and orchestrate a major draft-day trade to select Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston with the No. 1 overall pick. Former Bears and current Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith extracts multiple draft picks from his old team to move down to seventh overall, where the Bears had been sitting.

The Bears unload Cutler (eating an exorbitant sum of cash in the process) and move forward with Winston as their quarterback. The team shows marked improvement with Winston under center but falls short of qualifying for the NFC playoffs. But he improves over the course of the season and plays his best football in December—providing much optimism heading into 2016 and beyond
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on March 26, 2015, 10:41:11 pm

and often displays atrocious body language,

Will coach Fox put up with that?   We'll just have to see I guess.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on March 27, 2015, 04:38:54 pm



 Fantasy
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 27, 2015, 10:17:32 pm
Johan from Oslo, Norway

Vic, aren’t one-year deals a great way for teams to get value in free agency? The Patriots will receive a draft pick for leasing Revis for one year. Wouldn’t it be nice if the dirty little secret of winning in free agency is that it’s all about the draft?

I love one-year patches. They allow a team to use free agency to address immediate need without compromising the future with a bad contract. Build through the draft, patch in free agency; that’s long been my belief.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 27, 2015, 10:18:59 pm
Terry from New Auburn, WI

Vic, can you imagine a time when fans will be allowed to use an interactive device to influence a game? Maybe one fan challenge per half, or whether to go for two?

We already have that game; it’s called Madden. The problem is too many fans don’t know where Madden ends and real football begins.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 27, 2015, 10:20:50 pm
Pack from Boise, ID

I saw the highlights of Lorenzo Mauldin. What a beast! I then saw his life story. This guy needs to be a Packer. He is the fire this defense needs. Would the Packers trade up to get this young man? They should.

He’s largely considered to be a round three, round four guy; you shouldn’t have to trade up for him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 27, 2015, 10:27:16 pm
Isaac from Carrboro, NC

Rex says he wants to “build a bully” on the model of San Francisco and Seattle. Do you see a trend? Is it any easier to put together a world-class defense and punishing running game than it is to find “The Man”?

If you don’t have “The Man,” you better build a bully. Maybe Coach Ryan was telling us he doesn’t have “The Man”.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 27, 2015, 10:29:41 pm
Jake from Fargo, ND

What’s your honest opinion of Jay Cutler? Personally, I’m shocked he has been able to maintain a starting job for multiple teams.

I think he’s a very talented quarterback who will benefit from the challenge he’s facing to keep his job. I think Coach Fox knows what he’s doing.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 27, 2015, 10:32:51 pm
Tony from Burbank, CA

Vic, I think the solution to the inside linebacker position already exists and won’t impact the cap. The solution is Clay Matthews. We all like him on the outside, but I think he will be used more inside this season, allowing Ted to focus on other areas in the draft.

You might be right, but have you forgotten the late stages of the NFC title game? I don’t like the idea of my best defensive player unable to play at crunch time because he’s worn out. Matthews has the talent to play anywhere, but having to bang with the big boys inside and then move outside on third down to play in space can take its toll. Rush backer is a premier position and Matthews is a premier player. The Packers will fix the need inside. Be patient.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 27, 2015, 10:33:48 pm
Noah from Omaha, NE

First off, love the daily column you write here; I look forward to reading it daily. What are the most memorable moments in Packers history, good and then bad?

The Ice Bowl and the “Fail Mary”.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 27, 2015, 10:48:44 pm

(http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2015/03-March/temp150319-josh-sitton-003--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=620&height=465)


Big ole Pro-Bowl Guard.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 27, 2015, 11:14:11 pm

Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy may use the pistol formation

Phoenix — Before Aaron Rodgers suffered an injury to his left calf last year, the Green Bay Packers had experimented with the pistol formation.

But Rodgers' immobility necessitated its constant use, and now coach Mike McCarthy may be inventing ways to make it a regular option for his quarterback.

To take stress off of Rodgers' leg, McCarthy often had him lined up 3-5 yards behind the center with a running back behind him. Rodgers didn't have to drop back from under center to either hand off or get back into a passing position.

At about 5 yards, he could either stay in place and hand off or stride back a step or two and be in the same place he would be if he were in shotgun.

"I like the pistol," McCarthy said during a break at the NFL owners meetings this week. "I think there's a lot of value regardless of the injury to Aaron. I know he likes it. There's a place for it year-round in your offense."

The pistol became more prevalent in the NFL with the introduction of the read-option offense, but McCarthy has not used it for that purpose. There are play-action possibilities, but it's unlikely McCarthy would turn Rodgers into an option quarterback...


...Free and easy: The Packers are not rushing to sign fullback John Kuhn, but McCarthy said they still have an interest in bringing him back.

"Absolutely," McCarthy said when asked if he still has value.

"I've always looked at the fullback and tight end position as one. I feel you have to have flexibility and versatility within those two positions. It keeps you in and out of a number of different personnel groups."

Besides quarterback Matt Flynn, who has been told he won't be re-signed, McCarthy said there wasn't one of the team's unrestricted free agents he didn't want back.

Still unsigned are Kuhn, nose tackle B.J. Raji and Letroy Guion, cornerback Jarrett Bush and linebacker Jamari Lattimore...


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 27, 2015, 11:29:35 pm
Now that the Packers have allowed both Tramon Williams and Davon House to depart in free agency, it's entirely possible Ted Thompson could look to draft a cornerback in the first round for the first time in his tenure in Green Bay.

Drafting a corner in Round 1 is a huge gamble. It's one of the hardest positions to develop at the pro level, and there's no guarantee that a first-round prospect will be ready to start his rookie year.

However, if Wake Forest's Kevin Johnson is available at No. 30, it could be a twofold great opportunity for Green Bay. The first reason is the value of the pick; in his latest mock draft, NFL.com's Bucky Brooks thinks Johnson could come off the board as early as No. 16 to the Houston Texans, while CBSSports.com's Dane Brugler thinks the Philadelphia Eagles could go for him at No. 20....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 27, 2015, 11:30:28 pm
(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/003/335/544/hi-res-4c573832ef666c5af48910572bf211d6_crop_north.jpg?w=590&h=440&q=75)

All dressed up for Miss Munn.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 28, 2015, 12:24:59 am
Newly signed Safety, Sebetic:

...I had a lot of help from Antrel Rolle, who did a similar thing," Sebetic said. "He was a corner in college and got moved to safety when he made it to the pros, so he was able to help me out a lot with that. Quintin Demps, he kind of mentored me a little bit and looked out for me. So it was good to have guys help me out."

Now, he's in a new situation even though it's a somewhat familiar environment. Like most kids from Wisconsin, he grew up idolizing the Packers and has been to several games at Lambeau Field.

His grandparents even own shares of stock in the Packers.

"They’re losing their minds right now," he said.

Rob Demovsky
ESPN Green Bay Packers reporter
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 28, 2015, 02:45:05 pm
Paul from Kilrush, Ireland

Vic, before the influence of the television companies, how long would a game last?

In the run-the-ball era, two-and-a-half-hour games were common.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 28, 2015, 02:46:18 pm
Jeremy from Garden Prairie, IL

GM Vic has the 30th pick this year, but the second and third rounds hold the most value. How hard do you try to move back?

By the time draft day arrives, teams have targeted specific players they’d like to draft. They have a pretty good idea where those players fit and will try to move to those spots.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 28, 2015, 02:47:19 pm
Rick from Cedar Rapids, IA

Vic, since we need a tight end that can stretch the field, tell me what you think of Darren Waller, Georgia Tech, 6-6, 245, 4.45 at combine. Tight end or wide receiver?

This is a really interesting guy. He’s Jermichael Finley. Waller was largely hidden in Georgia Tech’s wishbone offense, but had a breakout season this past year. He plays to his length and he makes big plays. He’s more receiver than blocker, but I think he offers intriguing matchup potential as a tight end. Waller could become the steal of the draft.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 28, 2015, 02:48:59 pm
Steve from Fort Myers, FL

To what extent do you believe the Packers use the disabled list to stash players, particularly drafted rookies with relatively minor injuries, when they know the player isn’t ready to play at the next level but believe the player can make an impact in their second year with work on the playbook or in the weight room?

Every team does that. When a rookie sustains an injury in training camp and misses time that curtails his development, it often means he won’t be able to catch up quickly enough to compete for playing time. That’s when you put him on injured reserve. It’s using every means available to a team to retain and develop football talent.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 28, 2015, 02:50:04 pm
Michael from Burleigh Heads, Queensland

If you could cover any team other than the Packers this season, who would it be? I’m guessing Oakland, based on some of your recent comments.

I think covering the Raiders could be fun this season, but the Eagles are the team. That was obvious at the NFC coaches breakfast; Chip Kelly drew a huge crowd.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 28, 2015, 02:52:58 pm
Tyler from Madison, WI

Vic, I first want to say I love the picture of breakfast used for “Ask Vic Saturday”. After hearing about the medical timeout rule, I was thinking the doctor should be someone from another country who cares more about soccer and cricket than football, and would hopefully be totally unbiased. Is that even possible to demand and regulate?

I don’t know what that would accomplish. What I can tell you is I am absolutely sure this rule is going to lead to controversy. Faking a concussion will become a new talent.



Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 28, 2015, 02:56:40 pm
http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2015/03-March/temp150319-julius-peppers-006--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=620&height=465

Yep, that's Julius.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 28, 2015, 03:23:15 pm
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CBIv3pYUUAAqTr6.jpg:large)

Ja, by golly.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on March 29, 2015, 03:38:33 am



 Packy,


 What impact do you see Fangio having on BEARRSSE defense?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 30, 2015, 06:47:50 pm
I would bet that it will improve greatly; especially after some time passes and the roster improves, jj.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 30, 2015, 07:12:47 pm
Dario from Novi Marof, Croatia

Vic, not considering the quarterback position, which teams have the strongest rosters in the league? Where would the Packers be in that case?

I think the Cardinals have an especially strong roster; I’ve been of that opinion for more than a few years. The Packers have the kind of roster I love and respect because it favors youth.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 30, 2015, 07:15:46 pm
Roger from Auburn, CA

Vic, do you think the Packers intend to fill all of their defensive needs from the draft?

I think they intend to address their needs on defense, but I think they know it’s unrealistic to expect to fill them all. If they can find a rookie or two that can make an immediate impact, they’ll be ahead of the curve. It’s from the last few years’ rookie classes the Packers hope to address their needs on defense. We’re talking about players who’ve been in the system and have had a chance to develop their skills.

Many of the young players drafted last year are, in effect, second year red-shirts this season.  If they make the step up all will be well.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 30, 2015, 07:19:09 pm
Ross from Hudson, WI

Vic, during your career covering the NFL, which moments defined the turnover or transition to new eras of the game?

The first one was the weekend of Dec. 23, 1972. The playoff games that weekend included the “Immaculate Reception” and the Cowboys’ fourth-quarter rally in San Francisco. That weekend launched pro football to a higher level. In my opinion, that weekend made pro football America’s favorite sport. The games that weekend were blacked out in the markets in which they were played, and it created a furor that resulted in the 1973 Act of Congress by which the NFL still largely abides. The second major turning point was the rules changes of 1978. They gave us the game that’s played today. No. 3 is the advent of unrestricted free agency and the salary cap era in 1993, both of which worked in concert to change the game forever.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 30, 2015, 07:20:29 pm
Joe from Bloomington, IN

Vic, what does Tony Pauline think of Jaquiski Tartt?

Tony doesn’t like mixed drinks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 30, 2015, 07:21:05 pm
Jeremy from Garden Prairie, IL

What positions, besides QB, typically are drafted before BAP because of a team’s perceived need?

Pass rushers are probably the most over-drafted players.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 30, 2015, 07:22:24 pm
Alen from Tilburg, The Netherlands

Vic, what do you think about going for two from the one-and-a-half yard line?

If I was a coach, I would seriously consider creating a two-point package that would feature an option quarterback.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 30, 2015, 07:24:54 pm
Taylor from Temecula, CA

Vic, do you think Wisconsin can win it all? They look pretty impressive.

That is a wonderful, wonderful basketball team that is superbly coached. I marvel at that team’s ability to shoot the basketball. Bo Ryan built a team for how it plays and for where it plays. I think they can win. Kentucky is the ultimate challenge, but I think Wisconsin can beat anybody anywhere.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 30, 2015, 07:34:09 pm
(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/article/media_slots/photos/001/987/932/hi-res-b39e3bcd9971fc02694fb81e217e2cec_crop_north.jpg?w=630&h=420&q=75)

DJ $3.5MM.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 30, 2015, 07:38:06 pm
(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/003/338/678/hi-res-983a442f9bad7789cbd76e11477895e8_crop_north.jpg?w=630&h=420&q=75)

Letroy $1.3MM.

"I stand by what I said during the season, after the season," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said at the combine, per Demovsky. "I thought he was an impactful personality and played good football. I'm hopeful that we get past this, and the monitoring gives us the green light to go forward, but I'd love to have Letroy back."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 30, 2015, 07:38:47 pm
Two NTs greatly liked by team-mates.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 30, 2015, 07:42:16 pm
Packers trim list of needs with re-signings

March, 30, 2015
Mar 30

By  Rob Demovsky | ESPN.com


GREEN BAY, Wis. – Scratch defensive line off the list of immediate needs for the Green Bay Packers.

General manager Ted Thompson should be able to do that now defensive tackles Letroy Guion and B.J. Raji are coming back to the Packers on one-year deals that were finalized Monday.

Whew.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on March 31, 2015, 09:25:15 am

Good news for Bear fans - one less team looking for first round NTs.  Oh but wait, Packers don't draft for need - so they would have taken a guard or a tackle.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on March 31, 2015, 05:47:24 pm



 Packers are like BEARS ... the fans love the guy so you can't let him go.


 SEE : Urlacher - Raji.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 31, 2015, 10:03:27 pm

Aaron Rodgers        ✔   @AaronRodgers12 

To the biggest twitter crybaby of the night, I had a pass to be on the court. Send your complaints to the A.D.  #quitcrying #youreajoke


10:54 PM - 28 Mar 2015
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on March 31, 2015, 10:05:09 pm
Good news for Bear fans - one less team looking for first round NTs.  Oh but wait, Packers don't draft for need - so they would have taken a guard or a tackle.

You are twisting the facts, like oddo, dallas.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 01, 2015, 08:29:39 pm
Walter Cherepinsky of WalterFootball.com believes the physical tools are there, but he lacks the polish right now to be an early draft pick. Cherepinsky ranks Waller 28th among receivers in this year’s draft.

He added:


“Waller is a giant receiver who is a size mismatch, but he struggles to get separation. Waller doesn’t play as fast as his 40 time from the Combine. The senior had 26 receptions for 442 yards with six touchdowns in 2014. Waller had very little production as a junior (17-367-3) and sophomore (8-162). He had a quality week at the East-West Shrine. Sources say that Waller hasn’t shown enough as a blocker to be considered for a move to tight end.”

Cherepinsky believes there is work to do for Waller, however many people have sang the praises of the receiver on Twitt
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote that Waller is an ‘effortless strider with untapped vertical speed to go yard’, and believes he is ‘almost impossible to guard on back-shoulder throws’.

Back-shoulder throws, you say? It so happens the Packers have the master of the back-shoulder pass on their roster, and his name is Aaron Rodgers. Zierlein added:


“Late bloomer who is faster than quick and has coveted size-speed combination. Waller isn’t just a tall receiver, he has legitimate hands and body control and can impose his size on mismatched cornerbacks. Waller has a low floor, but with a little more competitive fire and technique work, he could become a legitimate touchdown maker in the league.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 01, 2015, 09:03:27 pm
Lattimore is the third Packers inside linebacker from last season to wind up with a new team this offseason. A.J. Hawk signed with the Bengals and Brad Jones landed in Philly after getting released by Green Bay.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 01, 2015, 09:27:02 pm
(http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2015/03-March/temp150319-julius-peppers-035--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720)

Jolly Green Giant.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 01, 2015, 09:46:18 pm

Jason Wilde        ✔   @jasonjwilde 
Follow
McCarthy must not be kidding about using more starters on special teams. Nearly every #Packers ST'er is gone. Will @Jarrettbush be back?

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 01, 2015, 09:50:52 pm
7. CHICAGO
Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson.

Bears would love White or Cooper. New GM Ryan Pace might trade up for one. But John Fox loves rushers, and even after spending $39 million in free agency on Pernell McPhee, Beasley is the best value for the rush-starved Bears.

19. CLEVELAND
 Danny Shelton, NT, Washington.

He’s getting dinged by a few scouts for his inconsistency recently, and he’s likely just a two-down player. But at his peak, he could be a Vince Wilfork, and the Browns need some defensive beef.


30. GREEN BAY
 Denzel Perryman, MLB/ILB, Miami (Fla.)

Could the Packers get their desperately needed plugger linebacker in the second round? To be sure. They might even be able to get the 5-11, 236-pound Perryman there. But the Pack loves Perryman, and Ted Thompson’s never been afraid to take a shot on a player others don’t value as highly.


*31. CHICAGO
 Byron Jones, CB, UConn.

*Trade: In exchange for the 31st pick, New Orleans gets the 39th, 106th and 192nd picks.

Shot in the dark. The clues: Bears were 30th in the NFL against the pass last year; Bear corners are ancient; new GM Ryan Pace comes from Mickey Loomis’ classroom in New Orleans. And Pace knows the Patriots love UConn players, and had a contingent Tuesday at Husky Pro Day, where Jones ran 4.38 and 4.44.


From Peter King
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on April 02, 2015, 07:31:43 pm
Heck no! Bears trading three picks to move up to 31?? Or two, however you look at it....definately don't see that one happening...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on April 02, 2015, 08:30:21 pm
Ya, bear fan is stuck with cheering girlfriend beating and sexual assault tackle ray macdonald.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 02, 2015, 08:39:30 pm
Good news for Bear fans - one less team looking for first round NTs.  Oh but wait, Packers don't draft for need - so they would have taken a guard or a tackle.


QB Bryce Petty to visit Packers before draft

Rob Demovsky, ESPN Green Bay Packers reporter 

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Green Bay Packers would like to get back into the business of developing quarterbacks, but even that can't fully explain why they are bringing in one of the top ones in this year's class for a pre-draft visit...

Do ya think GB needs a QB, dallas?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 02, 2015, 09:24:32 pm
hen B.J. Raji's new contract was announced earlier this week, many Packers fans were taken aback by the total value of the deal. It was reported that the contract was worth $3.5 million, with incentives potentially increasing the value to $4 million.

Similarly, Letroy Guion's deal was more lucrative than first imagined, being reported initially at $2.75 million in total.

Though these total numbers look high, it seems that the Packers ensured some further financial flexibility by adding substantial incentives into the deals that protect the team against injuries, suspensions, or both. As the Green Bay Press-Gazette's Wes Hodkiewicz reports, Raji has playing-time incentives that actually make up the bulk of his contract, while Guion has a large amount of money tied up in roster bonuses:
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on April 02, 2015, 09:31:27 pm
Do ya think GB needs a QB, dallas?

Maybe they do?  They aren't re-signing Flynn are they?  So that leaves them with Scott Tolzein as the only backup QB on the roster.

As for Petty, he's predicted to go 3rd or 4th round.  Let's see if the Pack nabs him in round 2 but they'll go defense in round 1 because they have needs.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 02, 2015, 10:07:19 pm
On the NFL Network's coverage of the Reese's Senior Bowl practices Wednesday, NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock spoke highly of Miami tight end Clive Walford (6-4 1/8, 254), calling him "the most explosive tight end in this year's draft."


 

College Football 24/7 Hot Topics:
» Mayock's draft prospect rankings
» Tracking 7 prospects' draft journeys
» Mock drafts: First-round projections
» Daniel Jeremiah's top 50 prospects

Mayock noted that Miami coaches lined up Walford in a variety of places -- in the slot, out wide and with his hand down as a "normal" tight end -- and said he expected Walford to run a 40-yard dash of around 4.65, which Mayock said would be "tremendous" for a player of his size.

Mayock also was impressed that Walford chose to compete this week when some other top-rated senior tight ends bypassed the week.

"All he does (this week) is enhance his draft value," Mayock said.

Fellow analyst Daniel Jeremiah also thinks Walford has shown well.

Yeah, GB could use a good TE.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 03, 2015, 07:42:41 pm
I would not be stunned if Thompson were to use an early pick on Petty; I’ve seen Thompson make too many moves that appeared to be head-scratchers at the time to be surprised by much of anything he does.

But I also wouldn’t be shocked if this was a ploy by Thompson to force Petty up the draft board a bit, thus moving the guys he really wants down at the same time...

I believed this is the reasoning.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 03, 2015, 08:07:07 pm
It’s also possible Thompson will identify a player who fulfils a need but could be available early in the second-round.

Wake Forest cornerback Kevin Johnson is an example of a player who could be selected early in the second, and would certainly fill a need for the Packers.

Thompson could trade out of the first-round and pickup a player such as Johnson.

The benefits here would be to avoid reaching for the player while also recouping value with additional draft picks...

Sounds like a TT strategy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 03, 2015, 09:12:42 pm
(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/article/media_slots/photos/002/029/444/hi-res-88f5ebb58369518dda6d56b6237e494e_crop_exact.jpg?w=650&h=434&q=85)

CB Rollins to GB in round 2?

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 03, 2015, 09:40:08 pm
Will Thompson take Kendricks a little higher than he probably has him on his draft board, knowing that the UCLA prospect satisfies the team's greatest need and an opening next to Sam Barrington?

Perhaps it makes more sense for Thompson to package the 30th pick into a trade, move into the top of the second and walk away from that round with two starting-caliber players at inside linebacker and cornerback at much better value.

Yep!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on April 03, 2015, 10:51:33 pm



 Packy,


 How do you cope with something new in CHICAGO?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 04, 2015, 01:41:10 pm


 Packy,


 How do you cope with something new in CHICAGO?

Learn to spell Republican?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 04, 2015, 02:15:26 pm
Jerry from Des Moines, IA

Vic, in the era of finding “The Man” at QB, do you think Rodgers would fall to 24 now? With all the hype of the position, it’s hard to imagine just 10 years ago he fell that far.

It was every bit the era of finding “The Man” back then as it is now. Rodgers is just one of those draft anomalies, just as Tom Brady is. It happens. In Rodgers’ case, he fell as the result of a combination of circumstances. Leading the way were the failures of Jeff Tedford quarterbacks Akili Smith, Kyle Boller and Joey Harrington. I had a GM tell me he had shoulder concerns about Rodgers. How about combine 40-time concerns for Brady? Sometimes the same process personnel people celebrate, makes them look foolish. Why would anyone care about the 40 time of a quarterback with Brady’s pocket awareness?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 04, 2015, 02:22:27 pm
Dave from Greenville, WI

Do you think the Packers are interested in Brandon Spikes?

I don’t know the answer to your question, but my first instinct is to ask myself these two questions: 1) Do the Packers have a player of Spikes’ talents on their roster? 2) Can they draft a player of Spikes’ ability? I think the answer to both questions is yes.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 04, 2015, 02:24:43 pm
Dale from Sheboygan, WI

Could a team trade cap space for a draft pick? Example: The Raiders had a lot of cap space. They sign Suh and give him a huge signing bonus, and then trade Suh to whatever team he wants. Raiders get a draft pick, and another team gets Suh on a cheap contract. Win, win.

I get it. The Raiders eat Suh’s bonus proration in exchange for the pick. I like the way you think, but I don’t think the commissioner would like it. What you’re proposing is interesting.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 04, 2015, 02:26:20 pm
Brian from Lorimor, IA

My questions keep being dodged. If this continues, I will stop following packers.com.

It could continue.

LOL
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 04, 2015, 02:30:43 pm
Christian from Copenhagen, Denmark

The Steelers are one of the teams in the league with one of the worst salary cap situations. How can this happen when they run by draft and develop? I don’t recall them making much of a splash in free agency over the last five years, and they do not appear to have many players with high cap numbers.

I haven’t studied their cap, but I know they did some restructuring to hold that team together following the 2010 season, and restructuring contracts has a lingering effect. I also know the Steelers have long been a team that pays high in salary, to avoid paying high in signing bonus. When you pay high in salary, you are always up against the cap because salary is declared in full in the year it’s paid. The good part is you can clear a lot of cap room by cutting a guy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 05, 2015, 02:10:29 pm
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CBxJC5lUIAAkrv3.jpg:large)


No guessing who Number 4 is backing for the #FinalFour 👐 #OnWisconsin


Brett wants to come in from the cold, get his number retired at Lambeau, have the moment of glory that was denied to him when the devil tempted him to **** off Ted Thompson and join the Vikings. Sipping his coffee Brett sits down to his computer, thinking You figured you had me devil. But this time I got you. Silly old devil.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on April 06, 2015, 04:05:49 pm



 Packy,


 I'd like to see Wisconsin win this because Duke is always there.


 For Wisconsin to win this would be great because whens the last time they won it ?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 06, 2015, 07:08:25 pm
1941.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 06, 2015, 07:24:12 pm
Andrew from Denver, CO

Vic, those sintering plants must keep you Pa. guys grounded. Like Mike McCarthy, Bo Ryan fits right in with that blue collar, fundamentals and no-nonsense approach.

He’s a heckuva coach.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 06, 2015, 07:28:37 pm
Doug from Union Grove, WI

As Wisconsinites, our sporting priorities for Monday night should turn to basketball. Agree?

Of course I agree. Tonight’s game is one of the great sporting events in this state’s history.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 06, 2015, 07:30:01 pm
Ken from Wolcott, CT

I always ask you good questions, like the other day. Instead, you answer dumb stuff. Who cares about gardens? It’s football we want.

As long as the roots are not severed, all is well. And all will be well in the garden.

Thank you, Mr .Gardener.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 06, 2015, 07:34:40 pm
Kelvin from Kenilworth, UK

Vic, as always, hope you are well and enjoying the draft hype. At what point do you think teams decide to trade up. Is it planned well in advance and then see if it pans out as expected, or do teams literally panic at the last minute, worried at the idea of their man not falling to them? I suspect both occur, but your insight would be great to get.

Teams target players. Randall Cobb is clearly an example of a player the Packers targeted. Mike McCarthy had a plan for him in his offense, and he loved Cobb’s interview at the combine. If a team thinks it can trade up for a player it wants without having to spend too much in trade value, it’ll make plans for moving up. Everything is strategized, but that strategy also includes contingency plans. The Packers loved both Le’Veon Bell and Eddie Lacy. One would require trading up, however, and that didn’t interest the Packers as much as trading down for Lacy. The draft is all about value.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 06, 2015, 07:42:47 pm
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CB8wjrAWYAEyn4l.jpg:large)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 06, 2015, 08:02:25 pm

Thompson bluffing or for real on Petty visit? | Packersnews.com
I've also heard GMs use their visits on one player to ask him about a college teammate. Maybe Thompson is interested in Baylor wideout Antwan Goodley or inside linebacker Bryce
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 07, 2015, 07:20:08 pm
Patrick from Los Angeles, CA

Do you think the Packers have the best offense in the last 10 years?

It’s the best offense I’ve covered since the 1978 Steelers, and it might be the best offense I’ve ever covered.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 07, 2015, 07:20:58 pm
Thomas from Park Falls, WI

Vic, ESPN recently did a 2013 re-draft and I believe Eddie Lacy was chosen with the fourth or fifth pick overall. That sounds like one amazing bargain, getting him at pick 61, doesn’t it?

Lacy is one of Ted Thompson’s best ever draft picks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 07, 2015, 07:22:37 pm
James from Wahiawa, HI

What is the difference between the Mike and Jack inside linebackers in the Packers defense?




I’ve grown up in the 3-4 hearing those players referred to as Mike and Mo, or Mike and Mack. Mike is generally considered to be the true middle linebacker. He’s the thumper. Mo or whatever he’s named is generally considered to be the chase guy, more of a weakside linebacker in a 4-3.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 07, 2015, 07:23:41 pm
Bob from Joint Base Lewis McChord, WA

Vic, what are your thoughts on shopping for bargain free agents after the draft? That would seem to be the best time to fix gaps not addressed in the draft at an acceptable price.

I like the words “bargain” and “acceptable price,” and I’m all for shopping for those free agents at any point in the process. We’re nearing that point.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 07, 2015, 07:26:00 pm
Tyler from Madison, WI

Vic, you have mentioned limiting the number of coaches before and I still don’t understand why. Why are you concerned with the size of a team’s coaching staff? What would be prevented by limiting the coaches? My only concern would be the increased cost being passed on to the fans.

Bingo! The bigger the game gets, the more expensive it gets. It’s about scope. That’s why we have roster limitations. I’m concerned about the game growing too much. Bigger isn’t better if bigger means more expensive.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 07, 2015, 07:51:22 pm
The Packers have given themselves some insurance at defensive tackle this season, re-signing both B.J. Raji and Letroy Guion to strengthen the defensive line.

However, don't underestimate Ted Thompson's proclivity to take the best available player on the board, even if it's not at a position of immediate need. If he decides to keep the Packers' pick at No. 30, that might be Florida State's Eddie Goldman, who could be a longtime starter at nose tackle long after Raji's and Guion's one-year deals have expired.

Drafting a solid defensive tackle this season gives the players a groomed and developed player to plug into nose down the line
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 08, 2015, 08:42:02 pm
Ryan from Highland, IN

It was all about Wisconsin basketball last time, so I want to try this again, because I really want to know the answer: When a team trades back to target a player later, how are they so sure another team won’t take him in the interim?

They’re not sure. That’s why teams are vigilant in guarding their draft thoughts. If it gets out that a team likes a certain player, then another team coveting that player knows where it has to move to be able to draft that guy. Darrelle Revis is a good example. Information leaked the morning of the 2007 draft that the Jaguars and Steelers had worked a trade in which the Jaguars would come up to the Steelers pick to select Revis. As the pick neared, the Jets traded up one pick ahead of the Steelers and selected Revis. Teams do homework on what other teams’ needs are and who they’ve invited for visits, etc. So, when a team considers trading down to select a player, it’s taking a calculated risk the player they want won’t be picked before it’s time to pick.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 08, 2015, 08:45:31 pm
Jerry from Wausau, WI

Vic, with the apparent depth at nearly all positions on the team, do the Packers have a real chance to sign the better college free agents after the draft, or do they tend to go to weaker teams where they have a better chance of playing?

The Packers give themselves an advantage in signing undrafted free agents by having so many of them make their roster. Agents will steer their undrafted players toward the Packers because the Packers have a history of favoring them. I think inside linebackers and cornerbacks in this year’s undrafted class will have a special interest in signing with the Packers, as a result of the need at those positions.

I am absolutely convinced of this.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 08, 2015, 08:48:09 pm
Travis from Blaine, MN

Vic, shame on you. You said if Mariota fell to the Packers they should effectively pass on him because it’s too early to invest in another franchise quarterback. But the Packers’ draft strategy insists you must draft Mariota if he falls that far because he’s likely the best player available and rated the highest on their board. Care to rebut?

Or you could trade the pick and recoup its value. How many times do we have to do this? Do I have to run some kind of disclaimer? Coach, if Marcus Mariota falls to you at 30, you don’t just pass on him. There’d be a line of teams willing to trade with you.

Simple.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 08, 2015, 08:49:42 pm
Vic, I have my eye on Byron Jones, the CB from UConn. I had seen a video stating he may be a late first, early second-round pick. Do you see him as a good fit for the Packers if he is available?




Tony said something about Jones that got my attention. He said it’s difficult to find tape of a team throwing at Jones. I was immediately reminded of Revis. Mike Smith was the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator in 2007, and he was in love with Revis but couldn’t find tape of a team throwing at him. Mike came to my office and asked me who I knew at Pitt that could tell him where to look at a team throwing at Revis. As it turned out, Mike was directed toward a deep sideline pass that sailed out of bounds in the second half of a blowout. I like cornerbacks that aren’t thrown at. Doesn’t that say it all?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 08, 2015, 08:52:17 pm
Chris from Jackson, MS

Can you elaborate on why you think replay has ruined sports? In my opinion, it has helped. Whether it goes against my team or for my team, it’s good to take time out and try to make the correct call. I think it has brought sports up to speed with the day and age we live in. Your thoughts?

It’s turned us into crybabies.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 08, 2015, 08:53:30 pm
Jon from Redding, CA

Vic, love the column, but time after time you say it’s just a game. I could not disagree more. To say that is to insult those who love sports with a passion. If it was just a game, you would have no job because people wouldn’t wish to discuss the Packers every morning of the year. Sports and football in particular are games, but they are so much more than that to so many people.

You have my permission to suffer.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 08, 2015, 08:56:22 pm
Rob from Webb City, MO

Thank you for posting the great article about potential draft picks at the ILB and CB positions. Are there any players Tony Pauline discussed you think provide great potential and value in the appropriate round of the draft?

Tony really likes Amarlo Herrera of Georgia as a late-round sleeper. I did some homework on Herrera. He’s impressive.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 08, 2015, 09:01:50 pm
At the scouting combine, General Manager Ted Thompson – an adherent to maximizing the value of each draft pick without undue regard for positional needs – said the lack of picks spent on quarterbacks in the last half dozen drafts has not been intentional.

“Not necessarily,” Thompson said. “We like dabbling in the quarterback business. It just hasn’t worked out that way.”

The Packers will need that to change as well, or at the very least convince a promising undrafted rookie his best opportunity in the NFL begins with learning from the same coaching staff that helped develop a two-time league MVP.

“I don’t think you ever pass on a quarterback,” McCarthy said. “It’s the most important position in the game, and if you have one at a value that you’re comfortable (with) and he’s in position to pick him, I think you pick him.”

Clear position for TT on drafting?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 08, 2015, 09:06:01 pm







Avatar

Lola > James50  • 4 hours ago 





Just took a look at the Prospect Primer on Halliday. The kid throws a nice ball and seems to have a good attitude . It's unfortunate about his injury. Hopefully, he can work out for teams before the draft.

Avatar

1265 Fan > Lola  • 4 hours ago 





If that's the kid that wasn't able to work out because of injury but showed up for interviews at the combine, IMO he'd be worth a late round pick.



"... an adherent to maximizing the value of each draft pick without undue regard for need.


Lola
That 40+ word sentence gave me pause as well.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 08, 2015, 09:17:36 pm
If there is one draft prediction that can be considered a stone-cold lock, it's that the NFL commissioner will be greeted by a crowd of jeers as he takes the stage for his opening address before the start of the event.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 08, 2015, 09:19:28 pm

4 of 52
Next »
Marcus Mariota Will Be a Top-Six Pick
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 08, 2015, 09:53:27 pm


Packers land ILB Eric Kendricks in latest mock draft

By Josh VanDyke  @JVanDyke24  on Apr 8, 2015, 12:00p  33   





   
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports


WalterFootball.com completed a new five-round mock draft update yesterday with the Packers landing an inside linebacker in round one.

Nope.  GB will move down.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 08, 2015, 10:01:15 pm

Packers release OT Aaron Adams
 
posted by Evan "Tex" Western on Apr 08, 2015


Quick, get the Vikings on the phone.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 08, 2015, 10:03:58 pm

Report: Jameis Winston expected to face second ****-related accusation

By Sander Philipse  @Sanderrp  on Apr 3, 2015, 4:19p  677   

The biggest story in Jameis Winston's career so far hasn't been his on-field prowess, but the fact that he was accused of ****. That accusation has played out publicly and as a result has garnered a lot of attention, although Winston was never found guilty in any of the investigations he went through.

One overlooked part of those investigations is the mention of a second woman who was troubled by her sexual encounter with Winston. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report now says that "multiple sources" expect a second accuser to come forward, either as part of the first accuser's civil suit, or as part of her own lawsuit.

"Jameis Winston is going to be subject to a civil lawsuit going forward," Jason Cole said. "Currently, the alleged [first] victim has already filed a lawsuit against Florida State, is expected to include Jameis Winston either as part of that lawsuit, or as part of a separate civil lawsuit somewhere down the line.

"And finally, there's a second woman who claims to have had an encounter with Jameis Winston in 2013. There's some expectation out there among multiple sources that she may come forward as part of that civli suit, and either file her own civil action, or at least testify on behalf of the first alleged victim."

Anyone need a two-time rapist for QB?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on April 09, 2015, 09:03:09 am

He would make a great Packer with their fine tradition of sexual assault.  Remember Mossy Cade, James Lofton and Eddie Lee Ivery.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on April 09, 2015, 09:07:43 am
Don't leave out the tight end and the teen.  What was his name?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on April 09, 2015, 09:19:51 am

Mark Chmura...who eventually was voted into the Packer hall of fame.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on April 09, 2015, 09:25:44 am

I wonder how long you have to be out of football before you can get into the Packers HOF.  Darren Sharper might be eligible too.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on April 09, 2015, 09:53:50 am
Don't forget the closet shitter...Najeh Davenport...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on April 09, 2015, 03:59:13 pm



 
Don't forget the closet shitter...Najeh Davenport...


 I thot it was Chewy.


 I need another Vicodin ... Thanx brett!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on April 09, 2015, 06:14:27 pm
While again, Ray Macdonald goes unmentioned.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on April 09, 2015, 06:22:12 pm



 
While again, Ray Macdonald goes unmentioned.


 Along with Charles "CHEAP SHOT" Martin.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 09, 2015, 08:08:10 pm
I'll gladly compare the Packers' morals record with any other team.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 09, 2015, 08:12:33 pm
Andrew from Maquoketa, IA

Is Paul Dawson worthy of a late first-round, early second-round draft pick, or can good inside linebackers be found in the middle rounds?

LeVon Kirkland and Jack Lambert are the best 3-4 inside linebacker and 4-3 middle linebacker I’ve ever covered, and they were each drafted in the second round, so I would say the second round is a good place to find an inside guy. You find them where you find them.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 09, 2015, 08:14:15 pm
Josh from New London, WI

So you’re staying in Green Bay for the draft to hang with Coach McCarthy and Ted Thompson. Who do the Packers send to Chicago and what do they do?




Teams send someone to the draft to turn in the piece of paper with the team’s pick on it; that’s it. In recent years, the Packers have sent Chris Kirby from the video department and Bryan Nehring from the equipment staff. Everybody else is back at the team’s facility. It’s been that way since I began doing this. What’s going to happen in Chicago is nothing more than a stage production.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 09, 2015, 08:14:52 pm
Tom from West Bend, WI

You’ve used a lot of my questions lately. What makes them so good?

You’re banned.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 09, 2015, 08:15:52 pm
Jason from Toronto, ON

Vic, I really don’t know how Ted did it. The Packers were listed as having the eighth-most salary cap space remaining, but he has the highest paid QB in the league, picked up a very expensive free agent last year in Peppers, has one of the highest-paid defensive players in Matthews, and has two of the highest-paid WRs in the league. It shouldn’t add up but somehow it does.

You really don’t know how he did it? It’s the draft. It’s how you keep a team young and a salary cap healthy. This is a game of replacement and the draft provides the youngest and most affordable replacements.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 09, 2015, 08:17:07 pm
Joe from Clio, MI

Only four teams have four or fewer players over age 30: the Packers, Rams, Bucs and Jags. This must make you happy.

It’s a young man’s game, and this information should make all Packers fans happy because two of those four teams are in rebuilding and the Rams are just coming out of rebuilding. Elite and young is a very good combination.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 09, 2015, 08:17:47 pm
Alexander from Byron, MN

Which type of inside linebacker do we need more, a thumper or a chaser?

If you’ve got the thumper, you won’t have any trouble finding a chaser.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 09, 2015, 08:18:37 pm
Mike from Jacksonville, NC

What’s more important, drafting the more talented player, or picking the player that’s not as talented but fits the team’s system a lot better?

I favor talent over fit.

Yep.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 09, 2015, 08:20:14 pm
Nathan from London, UK

Like all other NFL fans, I am currently doing my pre-draft research and, in my opinion, there is no standout player likely to be available at pick 30. What are the chances we trade down to acquire more picks in rounds two or three?

I don’t like trading back for the sole purpose of adding picks. I like trading back to draft a guy you’ve targeted, or trading back because there are several players at the same grade level and trading back will add value and produce a player at a lower pay grade. Maybe this draft class will produce a lot of players at the same grade level.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 09, 2015, 08:20:48 pm
Eric from Prosser, WA

How involved is Mike McCarthy on draft day? Is it purely Ted Thompson’s show?

I think Coach McCarthy would tell you it’s Thompson’s show.



Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 09, 2015, 08:24:26 pm
Travis from Blaine, MN

Vic, if Mariota fell to Green Bay, you could trade the pick, but only if you could find a trade partner that is going to give you appropriate compensation. Let’s say the unthinkable happens and Mariota somehow falls to the Packers and Green Bay is unable to find a trade partner. If Mariota is the highest-rated player on your board, you take him, right?

Yes, you take him. If Mariota is there – who is advancing this ridiculousness? – and he’s sitting at the top of your board and you can’t trade him, then pick him because his value is too great to pass. It continues to astound me how we struggle with the best available player philosophy.

Typical thought about drafting like dallas would come up with.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 09, 2015, 08:25:55 pm
Terry from Manistee, MI

How cool would it be to see teams’ draft boards 15 years later?

I think it’s cool to look back on drafts and see how they turned out. In 1990, Jeff George was the No. 1 overall pick and Emmitt Smith was the 17th overall pick. LeRoy Butler was picked 48th overall by the Packers, and John Randle was undrafted
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 09, 2015, 08:50:04 pm
So after giving up on Brandon Bostick, there's a chance the Packers gamble on speed/athleticism at tight end in this year's draft. At some point. And Minnesota's dynamic Maxx Williams could be one such gamble at No. 30 overall. He's raw. But this No. 88 often resembled a different No. 88 (Finley).

"As he gets into the right system," Minnesota tight ends coach Rob Reeves said, "they'll develop him a lot more because of how good of an athlete he is. He hasn't scratched the surface with how good he can be.

"He was born with some things that a lot of people aren't."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 09, 2015, 09:12:09 pm
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CCLfzsoWIAAfpB1.jpg:large)

Looks like Mike is about to plant a big one on Belichick.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 09, 2015, 09:27:48 pm
(http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/6c6bc15e43f3eee2f2d281d198017ae3ac6fd528/c=0-209-2476-3510&r=183&c=0-0-180-238/local/-/media/2015/04/08/WIGroup/PackersNews/635641047505701088-RickyCollinsfull.jpg)

TAM Commerce WR

Keep an eye on him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 09, 2015, 09:29:43 pm
The Packers have been busy setting up reported visits with Illinois tight end Matt LaCrosse, Maryland defensive tackle Darius Kilgo, Marshall defensive back Darryl Roberts and Texas Southern cornerback Tray Walker.

Watch 'em.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 09, 2015, 09:39:27 pm
Brett Hundley to the Bears

Ryan Pace and John Fox are trying to create a new culture in Chicago and, I would imagine, Jay Cutler might be an impediment to that goal. Getting some fresh faces in, rebuilding, and jettisoning some of the malignant personalities should be priority number one. Brandon Marshall, who reportedly caused some issues in the locker room last year, is already gone. Is Cutler next? Perhaps, if Chicago thinks a guy like Brett Hundley is the answer (note: I'm not saying he is; remember, this is just for fun).

Pace and Fox get a guy they believe they can mold and develop as the face of the franchise. They'll build an offense around him that can take the team to the next level. The mercurial and inconsistent Cutler, and the management issues he seems to bring with him each year, will be long gone.

Jay Cutler to the Jets

So, who might take Smokin' Jay off of the Bears' hands? Well, it just has to be New York. It just has to be. Brandon Marshall is already there. The Jets have crazy amounts of cash to blow and have no easily identifiable answer at the quarterback position. They've got Chan Gailey at offensive coordinator, and speed and talent at the receiver position. It could be an interesting fit. Most importantly, though, New York is the biggest, toughest media market in the entire world. It feels right.

Please, NFL, make this happen.

Colin Kaepernick to Washington

Not much has come from the report that the Niners were looking to deal their incumbent starter, but this is an article looking at potential landing spots for quarterbacks ... we have to include Kaepernick. Would Scot McCloughan try to do a deal with his old team to replace the embattled Robert Griffin III? Perhaps. Kap is on a team-friendly deal that can be terminated after this year with no dead money. After a tough year in 2014, perhaps a change of scenery would be good for the fifth-year pro. Kaepernick would get a fresh start with Sean McVay, an up-and-coming coordinator, and Washington could allow Griffin to move on after a tumultuous three years.

Robert Griffin III to the Bills

Why not? If Washington gets the guy it views as a sure-fire starter, Griffin becomes somewhat expendable. Meanwhile, the Bills have uncertainty at quarterback with Matt Cassel and EJ Manuel, and trading for Cassel isn't reason enough to ignore the opportunity in front of them.

It's an arms race in the AFC East. Greg Roman has his run-heavy, option offense to design. The Bills have tons of offensive weapons in Sammy Watkins, Harvin, Shady McCoy, Charles Clay and Robert Woods, who can take the pressure off of Griffin with the hope being he could get back to some of the things he did his rookie year. Perhaps the Buffalo brass and Rex Ryan see potential there? It would be fun, anyway.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on April 10, 2015, 06:01:23 am
I like the Brett Hundley kid...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on April 10, 2015, 10:09:52 am

Yeah, but where?  3rd round?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 10, 2015, 08:22:56 pm

Mike from Whitefish, MT

Vic, the Packers have mined considerable value from undrafted free agents. What most often causes these guys to be overlooked by all 32 teams?

Lack of size or speed is usually the reason for a prospect to go undrafted. For a quarterback, it’s usually an inability to make all of the throws. In other words, measurables are usually the reason.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 10, 2015, 08:24:02 pm
Ted from Pittsford, NY

“It continues to astound me how we struggle with the best available player philosophy." Me, too, Vic. How many teams do you think do BAP drafting?

The majority of teams work hard to stay true to their value line. Atlanta’s Thomas Dimitroff is an admitted needs picker, and I suspect other teams are closet needs pickers, but the prevailing philosophy trends toward value. It’s a matter of how firmly teams adhere to their board.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 10, 2015, 08:25:09 pm
Ryan from Noblesville, IN

In your article “Prospects emerging at CB and ILB”, Tony didn’t talk about Benardrick McKinney. Does he not think much of him or that he would be a good fit for the Packers?

Tony considers McKinney to be more of an outside linebacker
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 10, 2015, 08:26:39 pm
Mo from Omaha, NE

We know the Packers run out of a 3-4 defense, but why not experiment with the “46 defense”?

The 46 puts your cornerbacks on an island. It’s effectively cover zero, and that’s not something you want to do too often in a game whose rules favor the passing game. The game just won’t allow cornerbacks to jostle wide receivers as they need to do in the 46. You’re going to get beat deep.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 10, 2015, 08:28:33 pm
Ethan from Grand Forks, ND

I’ve read the Packers coaches want to remain mindful of not overworking Eddie Lacy. Do you see the Packers drafting a RB in the mid to late rounds, and are there any you or Tony like for the Packers in, say, rounds 4-7?

Tony likes Malcolm Brown of Texas, Michael Dyer of Louisville and Corey Grant of Auburn.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 10, 2015, 08:31:51 pm
Matt from Naperville, IL

Last year, I had a pretty fair guess the Packers were going to pick Ha Ha. Any ideas who their first pick will be this year?

We’ve floated a lot of names in this column: Eric Kendricks, Carl Davis, Jordan Phillips, Kevin Johnson, Byron Jones, Marcus Mariota. That’s the best I can do.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 10, 2015, 08:32:43 pm
Darren from Hull, UK

Vic, do all of the Packers coaching staff have input into the draft board and grades, and does Ted make sure there is full agreement with Mike McCarthy prior to the start, or is there any debate or disagreement during the actual draft process itself?

Debate and disagreement are healthy, but the draft is Ted Thompson’s baby. He accepts full responsibility for the decisions that are made. Thompson makes the picks; they’re his picks. I doubt there is much discord when he goes on the clock.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 10, 2015, 08:38:23 pm
Brett from Green Bay, WI

We’ve got some different opponents in our preseason schedule than in the past few years. How does the NFL choose who plays who in the preseason?

There’s no hard and fast formula, though the league has always tried to respect distance and conference affiliation. That’s why you’ve usually seen the Packers play a lot of nearby AFC teams. This preseason schedule is different. I don’t know what caused the change, but I love it because this is one of the most flavorful preseason schedules I will have ever covered.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on April 11, 2015, 05:21:40 am
Yeah, but where?  3rd round?

That sounds right
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 11, 2015, 03:13:06 pm
Nick from Dacula, GA

When will the regular season schedule be released?

I’m hearing late next week.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 11, 2015, 03:18:07 pm
Scott from Lincoln City, OR

Vic, does need ever factor into the draft board ranking of players?

If you change your board to accommodate need, you’re lying to yourself.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 11, 2015, 03:20:14 pm
Dustin from Indianapolis, IN

With their three best WRs locked up for the next three years, and Aaron Rodgers at the helm, how good can this offense be?

The best offense in the history of the world?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 11, 2015, 03:21:23 pm
Jon from Towanda, PA

In light of Bell’s recent suspension, thank God for Eddie Lacy and Green Bay’s scouting department. Tough guys, not high guys.

I don’t like those kinds of comments because every team has its players with issues, and comments such as yours invite embarrassment.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 12, 2015, 11:16:15 pm
30
Eric Kendricks

ILB, UCLA

The Green Bay Packers will jump at the chance to draft Eric Kendricks at No. 30. The Packers need to stop the run in 2015 and Kendricks along with nose tackle B.J. Raji coming back will help. Then Clay Matthews can go to playing on the edge.

Sounds like a good pick but TT may go CB.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 12, 2015, 11:21:11 pm
Yesterday the Green Bay Packers partnered with one of the worldwide leaders in providing digital video solutions, VITEC. They will be given the task of providing high-definition content to the large LCD TVs at Lambeau Field. The new partnership will allow fans throughout the arena to take in ultra-low latency IP streaming from over 600 different screens at the stadium.

In an attempt to improve the game day experience for fans, the Packers chose to work with VITEC’s technologies for their cost-efficient combination of low latency streaming video, and flexible customizable design. This unique one-two punch gives them the ability to support and further develop and enhance the EZ TV System, VITEC’s very own system, which allows the user to deliver game, event, informative and advertorial content thanks to the modules that each IPTV solution is equipped with...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 12, 2015, 11:23:28 pm
Packers still own plenty of cap room
 




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Even with the re-signings of Randall Cobb, Bryan Bulaga, B.J. Raji, Letroy Guion and Scott Tolzien, the Packers still have plenty of cap room left. Also from Rob Demovsky of ESPN, they rank eighth in amount of cap space in the NFL.


“Now that the contracts B.J. Raji and Letroy Guion signed last week have been factored in, we can update the Green Bay Packers’ salary-cap situation.

According to the latest figures, they still have $17.255 million in available space.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 12, 2015, 11:25:42 pm
LB Mike Hull to Packers?

We are three weeks away from the 2015 NFL Draft. On day two or three, could they find value in linebacker Mike Hull? Michelle Bruton of Bleacher Report makes a case:


“That level of energy was often lacking over the middle for the Packers in the last two years, and if Hull can be a rallying force for the defense in the locker room, we might see improvement from the unit in 2015, even if he’s not on the field.”

Don't know him.  Is he any good?  R2-3


(http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/psu/sports/m-footbl/auto_headshot/6723973.jpeg)

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 12, 2015, 11:29:06 pm
NFL Draft Prospect: Q&A with Stanford Defensive End Henry Anderson

 by Dan Dahlke 3d ago 



Opinions may vary on where Anderson will be selected this spring, but one thing is clear, many speak highly of the Pac-12 All American and see him as a player who can make an immediate impact on an NFL roster as a rookie.

As a versatile defensive lineman who can play defensive end in a 3-4 scheme or line up on the inside as an interior rusher in nickel looks, Anderson has tremendous value as a prospect, especially when it comes to 3-4 teams like the Packers.
Hmm.  I wonder.  R3?


(https://s.yimg.com/fz/api/res/1.2/9kmUrb26hTm6Sb6bYz44qg--/YXBwaWQ9c3JjaGRkO2g9NDUwO3E9OTU7dz02MDA-/http://media.philly.com/images/100913-Mike-Hull-600.jpg)

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 13, 2015, 12:06:03 am
In 2014, the Packers hosted South Carolina State linebacker Joe Thomas and Washington State offensive lineman John Fullington for pre-draft visits, then signed them as undrafted free agents.Other players reportedly lined up for visits are tight end Matt LaCrosse of Illinois, defensive tackle Darius Kilgo of Maryland, defensive back Darryl Roberts of Marshall and Texas Southern cornerback Tray Walker.


GB looking over post-draft free agents?  Like what I have heard about LaCosse.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 14, 2015, 08:30:32 pm
Duncan from Fort McMurray, AB

I know you want to fix September football, but how about we adapt to it. If the quality isn’t as good, let’s put the less important inter-conference games all in the first four weeks of the season.

I completely agree.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 14, 2015, 08:31:26 pm
Scott from Lincoln City, OR

Vic, any chance Barrington’s “it’s my defense” comment rubs Matthews the wrong way?

It’s an edge game. As Tom Coughlin once told me, “I don’t want guys walking around here with smiles on their faces.” Winsome is good for the fans, not for the players.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 14, 2015, 08:31:58 pm
Derek from Eau Claire, WI

What is the best cure for someone with wide receiver fever?

Take two aspirin and run the ball.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 14, 2015, 11:30:38 pm
...Abbrederis and Janis were drafted in the fifth and seventh rounds last year, respectively, and both had virtual redshirt seasons, but for different reasons.

Abbrederis sustained a season-ending knee injury during training camp and was placed on injured reserve. The Wisconsin native and former Badgers star is an option as a punt returner as well as an additional receiver, provided he’s fully healthy come the start of training camp this summer.

Janis, making the jump from Division II Saginaw Valley State to the NFL, had a pair of impressive TD receptions in the preseason on which he showed off his speed, but he was active for only three regular-season games and got most of his work in practice on the scout team.

Head Coach Mike McCarthy said at the scouting combine he felt Janis was coming on strong late in the season, so he’ll be looking to pick up where he left off in his bid for a roster spot and additional playing time.

White spent all of last season on the practice squad after being on the active roster for roughly half of his rookie year in 2013, when he caught nine passes for 66 yards. New practice-squad eligibility rules put in place last year allowed White to be signed to the practice squad as one of two veteran exemptions with two or fewer accrued
seasons.

Janis will become an absolute beast at WR.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on April 15, 2015, 09:57:15 am

Janis will become an absolute beast at WR.


...but maybe not with the Packers.

Lots of quality wideouts in the first round maybe the Packers have one as their BPA when their pick rolls around.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 15, 2015, 04:10:33 pm
He enters the league with exciting ball skills stemming back to his basketball days, and tested out very well at the 2014 Scouting Combine. Goodson ran a 4.52-second 40-yard dash that doesn’t truly represent his speed, while posting an impressive 37-inch vertical jump and a 10’3″ broad jump. Goodson was somewhat injury-prone at Baylor, however, missing the 2011 season with torn ankle ligaments and much of 2012 with two fractures in his right forearm.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 15, 2015, 04:19:09 pm
Jack from Chicago, IL

Vic, I think Ted Thompson made the right move by matching the Raiders’ offer to Richardson. Something I’ve noticed this offseason is most of the Packers’ free-agents draw a significant amount of interest. It’s a testament to how strong of a roster we have.

It says something about the depth of your roster that other teams are willing to pay significantly more money than you paid for the same players that backed up your big-money players.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 15, 2015, 08:13:25 pm


Less than four years after completing his undefeated college career at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, quarterback Matt Blanchard has signed with the Green Bay Packers.

Blanchard's agent, Paul Sheehy, announced the signing on Twitter.

The Packers announced the signing late Wednesday afternoon.

Blanchard, 26, spent parts of two seasons with the Chicago Bears in 2012 and 2013. He finished the 2013 season on Carolina's practice squad and was brought back to the Panthers the following year. Blanchard suffered a concussion during the 2014 preseason and was placed on injured reserve.

Whitewater went 45-0 and won three Division III national championships during Blanchard's time at the school. He completed 70.4 percent of his passes for 5,106 yards with 44 touchdowns and six interceptions.

In Green Bay, Blanchard becomes the No. 3 quarterback on the Packers depth chart behind Aaron Rodgers and Scott Tolzien. Blanchard should have a chance to work his way on to the practice squad.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 15, 2015, 08:16:08 pm


Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY SportsKevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports


Quarless Considers Himself in 'Top Echelon of TEs'

Nonsense.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 15, 2015, 08:17:51 pm
BYU wide receiver Jordan Leslie is scheduled to visit the Green Bay Packers prior to the NFL draft, according to a league source.

Leslie caught 55 passes for 779 yards and six touchdowns as a senior last season.

The 6-foot-2, 204-pounder has run the 40-yard dash in 4.44 seconds.

Leslie led UTEP with 44 catches for 612 yards and seven touchdowns and was named All-Conference USA honorable-mention in 2013 before transferring.

As a sophomore, Leslie caught 51 passes for 973 yards and six touchdowns.

As a freshman, Leslie caught 30 passes for 430 yards and two touchdowns.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 15, 2015, 08:58:39 pm
(https://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LagMAFC9Gig8kwMQBge6gGWEgyc=/0x160:1383x1082/783x522/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46130724/usa-today-8020861.0.jpg)

Packers sign Matt Blanchard, former UW-Whitewater QB, per reports

It seems that a former three-time national champion quarterback is coming back to Wisconsin to continue his NFL dream.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 15, 2015, 09:02:36 pm
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CCp9RgxUkAA0dLr.jpg:large)

Gilbert Brown, the old "Grave digger" touring Wis High Schools with the Packers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 16, 2015, 02:38:36 pm
(http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/136/files/2015/04/jordy-nelson-nfl-detroit-lions-green-bay-packers-590x900.jpg)

Jeff Janis - 6-3, 219, 4.42
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 16, 2015, 02:54:43 pm
4. Chicago Bears: 602 Points

Established 1920 – The Monsters of the Midway were the most dominant team in the NFL for it’s first 40 years; winning eight World Championships. They are the winningest franchise of all-time (in total wins) and have had some of the game’s most iconic figures come through — Sid Luckman, Gale Sayers, Harold “Red” Grange, Mike Singletary, Brian Urlacher, the list goes on and on.

In the Super Bowl era, they haven’t experienced the same level of success that they were accustomed to. Of course they did win the Super Bowl in 1985 and recorded the “Super Bowl Shuffle” for all of our viewing pleasure. They have been very competitive in many other recent seasons, too.

They’ve sent the most players in NFL history to the Hall of Fame (27) to go along with 25 postseason appearances. Their hopes have been resting in an inconsistent, but talented, offense led by their polarizing quarterback Jay Cutler. Will he be the man in Chicago moving forward? If the Bears don’t figure it out quick they’ll drop down this list — perhaps as soon as the conclusion of the 2015 season.

Points added in 2014 season: 0

Icons: George Halas, Walter Payton, Dick Butkus, Mike Ditka
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 16, 2015, 02:55:59 pm
1. Green Bay Packers: 738 Points

Established 1921 – There is something poetic about the team from the smallest market in the NFL being atop this list. It’s an ode of sorts to the founding of the NFL; which was comprised of numerous small market teams. Canton, OH., Muncie, IN., Duluth, MN., Rock Island, IL., Kenosha, WI., all had franchises early on, too. How did the Green Bay Packers, who are owned by the fans, not only remain but make it to the top of this list as, statistically, the greatest franchise in NFL history?

Well, they have had numerous periods of greatness (aka success), including their dynasty of the 1960s — which some consider the NFL’s first real dynasty. Prior to that they won a league-high nine World Championships and have won four total Super Bowl Trophies (a trophy named after their legendary coach Vince Lombardi).

Their 13 NFL Championships are the most all-time. They have the second-most Hall of Fame inductees (23) and have made the playoffs 30 times. A total of 17 times they’ve won their division. Their eight AP MVP awards do not hurt their point total either. Green Bay’s combination of ancient, modern, and current success has landed it atop this list. And they’re current roster, led by Aaron Rodgers (the league’s current MVP) shows no signs of slowing down. They were four minutes from making it to the Super Bowl in 2014 and 2015 promises to be just as exciting.

As everyone knows, the NFL starts and ends at the quarterback position. And the Packers’ collection of top-tier quarterbacks, namely Bart Starr, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, is second to none. They are, or should I say will be, the only franchise with three Hall of Fame, Super Bowl winning, AP MVP quarterbacks.

Don’t forget about Arnie Herber, a Packers quarterback from the 1930s who has a bust in Canton, too. Green Bay may not be your favorite franchise in the NFL, but there is no doubting it’s place among the NFL’s elite. Not to mention, it’s the oldest franchise to stay in one location. And that location is Titletown USA, home of Earl “Curly” Lambeau and the historic stadium built in his name. You hear that Titletown natives? It’s time to add another title to your resume as: The Greatest Franchise In NFL History…for now.

The Packers added a some breathing room between them and the franchises behind them thanks to their successful 2014 season.

Points added in 2014 season: 24

Icons: Vince Lombardi, Don Hutson, Bart Starr, Brett Favre

The question of “which is the greatest franchise in NFL history” has been statistically answered…but that’s not going to stop all of you from debating or arguing is it? I didn’t think so. Feel free to broadcast any opinions in the comment section.

Keep in mind, because of the nature of the NFL, this list is extremely fluid and it will change every year. As NFL history evolves, so does this list. That is what makes this ranking system so interesting, tangible, mindful of the past, and most importantly, current.

Thus, team’s immediate and future success will determine how different this list looks next year and in 10, 25, and even 50 years from now. This point system respects the past, as it should, but it accurately adjusts to weigh the Super Bowl era more (based on available points) than the era that preceded it. History is a combination of today and yesterday — that cannot, and must not, be forgotten.

For a more detailed and comprehensive explanation for the methodology regarding the points system and chosen categories for this piece shoot me an email at dannyzillmerandwords@gmail.com. I’d be more than glad to share my extensive rationale with you, and to hear your thoughts.



More from NFL Spin Zone
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 16, 2015, 04:00:23 pm
Kyle from Spooner, WI

That was quite a wistful story about Bradshaw’s last-ever pass. These guys dedicate the majority of their formative years to being football players. How do they cope with such intense sadness at the end of their careers?

If they’ve saved their money, they enjoy the fruits of it. In some cases, such as Terry Bradshaw’s, they go on to even more fulfilling careers. The ones that bother me are the ones that result in bankruptcy and regret. I read a stat recently that claims one out of every six NFL players is bankrupt 12 years after they’ve finished playing. That’s better than it was, but still a disappointment for men who were able to begin their adult lives with such earning power.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 16, 2015, 04:02:53 pm
Erik from River Falls, WI

Vic, you often talk about BAP vs. picking for need in the draft. I’ve heard many teams don’t use a strictly vertical draft board, but a combination of horizontal and vertical, meaning that when it’s their time to pick, they may have multiple players on their board with the same grade. Do the Packers use this type of philosophy?

You’re trying to turn this into a science. It’s not a science. Teams target players they want to draft. The Packers will have targets on draft day. Their value board will tell them where those targets fit with all of the other players that’ll be available, and that tells the Packers where they need to pick the player they’ve targeted to adhere to their value line. Nothing is exact. You have to allow for wiggle room, but every team, even the needs pickers, are trying to respect their board’s value line. Why? Because where you pick a player could determine how much you’re going to pay him over the length of his career. If you overpay once, you’ll likely overpay again.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 16, 2015, 04:03:49 pm
Justin from Dacula, GA

Vic, how are you? Would you mind sharing your opinion about the NBA and lack of interest thereof?

It doesn’t interest me. The players are too good and the game is too easy. There’s no struggle.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 16, 2015, 04:04:38 pm
Jim from Tucson, AZ

My hat is off to Mark Murphy. I just can’t imagine other owners/presidents going on a bus tour with current/past players just to meet/greet the fans. Vic, are we that special?

I know of no franchise in professional sports that regards its fans with the love and respect the Packers do theirs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 16, 2015, 04:06:33 pm
Curt from York, PA

Vic, please explain further why the old Packers sweep would not work today. If everybody blocks who they are supposed to block, why would it not work?

The three-technique defensive tackle would penetrate into the backfield, cut Kramer and Thurston would trip over Kramer and there would be no alley.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 16, 2015, 04:12:03 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9ZQGdtGKfU

Adam from Wausau, WI

I hope this brings back some memories.

The game was smaller back then, and so were we.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 16, 2015, 04:13:15 pm
Kevin from Asbury Park, NJ

Do you watch soccer at all, Vic? I have been searching for the competitiveness I regularly miss when football season is over. The MLS has begun to fill that void for me; it’s pretty fun to watch.

If men dressed in shorts and knee socks broke into my home, turned on my TV to one of those soccer channels, held my eyelids opened and forced me to watch, I’d hold my breath until I died.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 16, 2015, 04:16:09 pm
Willie from Hayward, WI

I think your story about Terry Bradshaw’s arm indicates how times have changed. First, in today’s environment, would you even be in a position to be on a bus next to the starting QB the day before the game? Secondly, would the player tell you the status of his arm if you were able to get close to him? Third, would the reporter keep his mouth shut or would he scoop the story through some online media source for the world to see? I would expect it was a lot more fun in the old days.

First of all, if I tried to get on a team bus today, men in dark suits would yell out, “Freeze, gopher.” Secondly, any player providing injury information to the media would be subject to fine or harsh rebuke or both from the head coach. Thirdly, this reporter didn’t quote Bradshaw as saying he couldn’t throw at all, but observed he didn’t throw at all and reported that fact. Today, Bradshaw’s quote would’ve instantly been published in social media, which would’ve resulted in further estrangement between the players and the media.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 16, 2015, 04:17:10 pm
Detmer from Berlin, WI

Phillip Rivers’ release looks, uh, weird. It’s like all forearm. It works, but how?

He rolls his shoulder. That’s where the power is. Nobody rolled their shoulder better than Dan Marino.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 16, 2015, 04:17:59 pm
Ashley from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Vic, I see all these questions from Packers fans from all over the world in your column, but no love for us Packers backers out here in Central Asia. My question is, apart from the Packers, Steelers and Jaguars, are there any other teams you find yourself rooting for?

I don’t root. I watch and enjoy. I don’t expect you to understand
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on April 16, 2015, 05:33:10 pm



 BORING ... Packy give us the inside news.


 You know we CHICAGO BEARS MOTHERFUCKERS are going to give you the news six different ways to Sunday don't you ?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on April 16, 2015, 05:57:42 pm

Be careful he could start posting pics of Aaron Rodgers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on April 16, 2015, 06:54:06 pm



 Lets get on to the Draft.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 17, 2015, 07:02:13 pm
Dillon from McCrory, AR

With Clay moving to inside linebacker, would Green Bay take an OLB like Eli Harold from Virginia, if he’s there, and would Michigan’s Devin Funchess be a good day-two pick to move to TE?

I don’t know.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 17, 2015, 07:04:42 pm


 BORING ... Packy give us the inside news.


 You know we CHICAGO BEARS MOTHERFUCKERS are going to give you the news six different ways to Sunday don't you ?

OK, I hear you, jj.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 17, 2015, 07:15:34 pm
Bob from Edgar, WI

Who are the big guys in the upcoming draft that have caught your eye?




This draft is loaded with defensive linemen, and I think a lot of really good ones are going to be available to the Packers in the first two rounds: Malcolm Brown, Eddie Goldman, Jordan Phillips and Carl Davis are guys who interest me.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on April 19, 2015, 06:14:44 pm



 
Bob from Edgar, WI

Who are the big guys in the upcoming draft that have caught your eye?


 Actually Packy I was expecting more from your point of view.  ;D   ::)




This draft is loaded with defensive linemen, and I think a lot of really good ones are going to be available to the Packers in the first two rounds: Malcolm Brown, Eddie Goldman, Jordan Phillips and Carl Davis are guys who interest me.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 20, 2015, 08:23:17 pm
Jimmy from Hankinson, ND

Vic, I have a Super Bowl championship poster from Super Bowl XLV hanging in my college dorm room. There are 10 players on the poster: Aaron Rodgers, Charles Woodson, Greg Jennings, Tramon Williams, James Starks, Nick Collins, Clay Matthews, James Jones, Donald Driver and A.J. Hawk. You talk about how teams have yearly turnover of their players. It is crazy to think just four years removed from the team’s Super Bowl run there are only three players left on the team from my poster. I am amazed at that fact.

It’s a game of replacement and the draft is where you find the most affordable and long-lasting replacements.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 20, 2015, 08:26:34 pm
Drew from Anaheim, CA

What would be the benefit of trading down with the first pick?

The benefit of trading down is you get more picks. The downside of trading down is you’re likely trading away from a better player than the one you’ll draft. The perfect scenario allows you to trade down for a player who’s at the top of your board and you believe he’ll still be available when you pick. In that scenario, you get the better player and the picks. Trading down merely for the extra picks isn’t something I would do unless my team was in rebuilding.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 21, 2015, 04:13:53 pm
The full details of the 2015 NFL regular season schedule won't be released until this evening. However, the first bit of Packers schedule news has surfaced, and it's a doozy. According to ESPN's Rob Demovsky, the Green Bay Packers will host the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving night.

Over the last few years, the NFL has scheduled three games on Thanksgiving: an early game hosted by the Detroit Lions, an afternoon game hosted by the Dallas Cowboys and a night game with no set location or matchup. While the Packers have participated in their fair share of Thanksgiving games, this would mark the first time one has been played at Lambeau Field.

As Demovsky speculated, the Thanksgiving game provides a prime opportunity for Green Bay to retire Brett Favre's jersey. Favre, of course, terrorized the Bears throughout his career, and the game will be played before a huge national audience.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 21, 2015, 04:16:33 pm
3:40 p.m. - Jeff Darlington of ESPN says that there's a "good chance" that the other Packers-Bears game, at Soldier Field, will be opening week.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 21, 2015, 10:24:36 pm
John from Ardglass, Northern Ireland

Vic, when a team is working on a draft, how much do they look at the next year’s possible draft class?

Zero.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 21, 2015, 10:25:51 pm
George from Atlanta, GA

You’ve often stated this is the age of specialization. Why then limit Tebow to the two-point play? If he’s good there, why not any short-yardage play? Are we headed toward the age of the two-QB system; a good runner/decent short passer and a great passer?

It’s possible. Bill Cowher brought Kordell Stewart into the game on short-yardage plays in Stewart’s rookie season. I’m not opposed to something like that, but I am opposed to alternating quarterbacks from series to series. I think a team needs to know who its real quarterback is.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 21, 2015, 10:28:50 pm
Gerald from Karlsruhe, Germany

Vic, I understand the struggle you have with soccer, but it has tension because anything can happen within a second, and hands are used to block and attack other players.

I don’t have a struggle with soccer. I hate it and would rather have a stomach virus than watch it. Case closed.

==rim shot==remember ACL?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 21, 2015, 10:30:43 pm
Chris from Marshall, WI

Every day after I come home, I sit down and read your column and munch on cheese curds. Have you developed any interesting habits while working on your column?

I giggle.

I  wouldn't want to be the giggleee
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 21, 2015, 10:31:31 pm
Jeff from Grass Valley, CA

Vince Lombardi said you need a bread-and-butter play, one the defense knows it has to stop. Do the Packers have a bread-and-butter play?

The back-shoulder pass. All great teams have a signature play. The Packers sweep. The Steelers’ inside trap. The 49ers’ sprint right option. The Cowboys’ lead draw with Emmitt. All great teams are predictable. They don’t take what you give them, they take what they want.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 21, 2015, 10:32:47 pm
Chris from Tomahawk, WI

Do you think the Chargers should trade Rivers to the Titans to get Mariota if he is available at No. 2? Rivers has made comments he just wants to play out the last year of his contract and doesn’t really wanna play in Los Angeles if the Chargers move to LA.

Yeah, I think I would. I love Philip Rivers, but it would be a way of getting young at the most important position in football.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 21, 2015, 10:33:28 pm
Stephen from Cedar Falls, IA

Do you think the 2015 season will be the most run-heavy year in the modern era of football?

I don’t have a feel for that question other than to say this: The best way to protect the quarterback is to run the ball, and the more important the quarterback becomes, the more important it is to run the ball.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 21, 2015, 10:35:36 pm
Russell from Shorewood, WI

What are your thoughts on Owamagbe Odighizuwa at 30?

If I can get Chris Fuamatu-Ma’afala’s name right, I can get Odighizuwa’s name right, too. Seriously, this is one of the most intriguing guys in the draft. You look at his size and speed and you figure he’s a pass-rush sensation, but he’s not. This guy passes the eye test like nobody else in this draft. His body screams athleticism, but he’s considered more of a run stuffer than a pass rusher. I’d like to see what Coach Capers could do with him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 21, 2015, 10:36:18 pm
Jay from Fairport, NY

I thought you were joking about selling our emails to funeral homes, but today I received an email about purchasing burial insurance for myself. I’m 20 years old. Coincidence? I think not.

Take care of the future and the future will take care of the present.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 21, 2015, 10:37:36 pm
Justin from Los Angeles, CA

So, prior to 1978, if you could check a guy all the way downfield, what was considered pass interference, tackling the guy?

No, tackling the guy is holding; it was then and it is today. Prior to ’78, a defensive back could jam a receiver until the ball was in the air; that’s when it became pass interference.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 21, 2015, 10:39:05 pm
Kevin from Minneapolis, MN

If someone like Mariota were to fall to the Packers in the first round, why not draft him and trade him for draft picks?

This just won’t go away. I’ve never seen anything like this. Kevin, if Marcus Mariota falls to the Packers at No. 30, it can only mean one thing: His right arm has fallen off.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 21, 2015, 10:51:38 pm
(https://o.twimg.com/2/proxy.jpg?t=HBi8AWh0dHA6Ly93d3cuZ2FubmV0dC1jZG4uY29tLy1tbS0vOTYyOGEyYWFiZDg5ZGFjZGE0NTczYjI4NzYzZDQ2ZGM3Yjc2OGIwMi9jPTAtNDQ0LTUzODItMzQ4NSZyPXg0NTMmYz04MDB4NDUwL2xvY2FsLy0vbWVkaWEvMjAxNS8wMS8zMC9XSUdyb3VwL0dyZWVuQmF5LzYzNTU4MjQxMzAzNzIwMTM5OS1HUEctS0ItQ0hJdkdCMDUuanBnFMAHFJwEABYAEgA&s=xVFKvo4mtkseQNSL0SlOSLWYYjeryv0wxyo3_VY3G0I)

Special treat Thanksgiving this year.


(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/003/367/640/hi-res-6a4355d00be8254e7fdd74e232a14960_crop_north.jpg?w=270&h=150&q=75)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 21, 2015, 11:03:00 pm
General Manager Ted Thompson has done exceptionally well at building an offensive line through the draft. Three starters in left guard Josh Sitton, right guard T.J. Lang and left tackle David Bakhtiari were all drafted in the fourth round. Center Corey Linsley was a fifth-round pick.

Only right tackle Bryan Bulaga, re-signed just as free agency opened in March, was a first-rounder.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on April 22, 2015, 09:09:04 pm



 
General Manager Ted Thompson has done exceptionally well at building an offensive line through the draft. Three starters in left guard Josh Sitton, right guard T.J. Lang and left tackle David Bakhtiari were all drafted in the fourth round. Center Corey Linsley was a fifth-round pick.

Only right tackle Bryan Bulaga, re-signed just as free agency opened in March, was a first-rounder.



 Good point. Build thru the draft. 1982 BEARS built on that.


 Nobody remembers JIM FINKS.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 22, 2015, 09:38:26 pm
He was a good one.  I think it was in football and baseball, wasn't it?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 22, 2015, 09:38:35 pm
Carl from Lexington, SC

Before the draft, you evaluate players and set your draft board. Now you get to pick No. 30 and you feel the player you really want will be available 10 or 15 picks later. There is a willing trade partner available that will bring more draft picks. To pull the trigger and make the deal, you would need to know a lot about the tendencies, needs and philosophies of the teams making all the picks in between. Do teams spend a lot of time and research preparing for this scenario?

A veteran GM instinctively knows all of that. A veteran GM has a feel for managing the draft. It’s not a science. It’s a crystal ball business.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 22, 2015, 09:39:54 pm
Luke from Winchester, CA

Do you think Aaron Rodgers will play into his 40s like Favre, Manning and probably Brady?

You can’t know the answer to that question until you know how a player feels when he reaches his mid-30s. One pass caused Terry Bradshaw an arm injury that ended his career. Rodgers has the look of a guy who knows how to stay young, but I still don’t see him sticking around until there’s nothing left in his arm. I see Rodgers as somebody who’ll have a career outside football beckoning him when the hurts begin to pile up late in his career. Rodgers has the look of a guy who’ll go out on top.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 22, 2015, 09:41:52 pm
Yancey from Richlands, VA

An important division game in Week 1. I don’t think they heard you.




They didn’t hear me at all. I don’t like that game. It’s a premier matchup and that’s too early in the season to play it. Oh, I know what the schedule-maker was thinking. He’s creating good theater. The Bears will claw their way into the game with new energy and enthusiasm under a new coach. The schedule-maker is thinking an upset in that game could launch one of the league’s premier franchises into better times. I just think it’s too early to play a game of that importance.

Wow
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 22, 2015, 09:49:24 pm
J.T. from Palm Bay, FL

Vic, I sure wish the Packers didn’t play the Bears in Week 1. Those games just feel like they should be played in frigid temperatures. Are there any matchups you like to see at a certain time of the year?

I like the Arizona game. I think it’s helpful for a cold-weather team to get into some warm weather late in the season. It’s rejuvenating. It’s good for sportswriters, too.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 22, 2015, 09:51:44 pm
Adam from Hillsboro, KS

What is the toughest stretch in the Packers’ schedule?

I think the at Minnesota, Chicago, at Detroit, Dallas stretch of schedule will define the Packers’ season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 22, 2015, 09:53:15 pm
Adam from Hudson, WI

Vic, I’m probably getting way ahead of myself already, but I’m pumped for Week 17 against the Vikings. I’m hoping for an epic battle to decide the NFC North.

You don’t have to wait that long. Get pumped for the opener. That one already has my full attention.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 22, 2015, 09:57:30 pm
http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Video-Ask-Vic-Give-me-more-of-it/a83cd91e-e54e-4326-aeb5-d27c42f277d3

Vic likes the playoffs- a lot.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 22, 2015, 10:13:40 pm
Thompson, on draft strategy:

On drafting for need: "You factor everything in. But that doesn't carry as much weight as it might with other organizations because they go about weighting those things differently than we do. There's a certain amount of weighing in terms of need, but I am adamant that that's not the way to draft. The way to draft is to take the best player. You don't know what you’re going to need. You think you need something, but this isn't play time or anything like that. This is real life. People get banged up, injuries happen. Life happens. What you think you're strong at you're not necessarily strong at. If you take good, solid players that you know can contribute, albeit at a position that's maybe a little bit heavier, as long as you're taking good, solid players you're getting some value there. If you reach and take something that's not quite as good, then you may not be getting the same value. I know you don't believe that, but it's true. That's what we do."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on April 22, 2015, 11:03:59 pm



 Packy,


 When it comes to G.B. it has worked so far.


 Interesting tidbit ... how many F.A.'s has G.B. signed ?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 23, 2015, 08:06:20 pm
 

DATE TRANSACTION
April 15, 2015 Signed QB Matt Blanchard.
April 13, 2015 Signed FB John Kuhn to a one-year contract. Matched Oakland's offer sheet to S Sean Richardson.
April 8, 2015 Released T Aaron Adams.



MARCH
DATE TRANSACTION
March 31, 2015 Re-signed DT Letroy Guion and DT B.J. Raji.
March 25, 2015 Signed DB Kyle Sebetic.
March 12, 2015 Re-signed OT Bryan Bulaga.
March 9, 2015 Re-signed WR Randall Cobb and QB Scott Tolzien.
March 5, 2015 Signed LB Josh Francis.

This is the list.  all of them are their own FAs except QB Blanchard, DB Skebetic and LB Francis.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 23, 2015, 08:32:58 pm
Scott from Wausau, WI

Vic, multiple mock drafts have the Packers selecting Eric Kendricks, LB from UCLA. How does his skill set fit the Packers and what can he do for us?

His skill set fits any team. He’s an attacking, sideline-to-sideline defender that piles up tackle numbers and always seems to be around the ball. He’s the kind of linebacker, in my opinion, you can’t go wrong drafting.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 23, 2015, 08:35:36 pm
Jack from Madison, WI

When you are the Packers and have a great roster, why not trade up a few times to add higher-caliber players, since we already have depth?




Because you’re not drafting for one year, you’re drafting for your long-term future. That great roster was built through the draft. You’re not going to maintain that great roster by giving away picks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 23, 2015, 08:36:36 pm
Kerel from Vancouver, BC

Who is the best No. 2 QB to ever play the sport, or are there too many?

That’s a cool question. Zeke Bratkowski was pretty good. Gary Cuozzo was hailed as the second-best quarterback in the game when he backed up Johnny Unitas. Then Cuozzo got traded and the truth was revealed. I would say Steve Young is the best backup quarterback to ever play the game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 23, 2015, 08:39:42 pm
Jeremy from Milwaukee, WI

Do you think McCarthy may play the starters more in the preseason to better prepare for the high-stakes opener against the Bears?

I think the days for thinking that way are over. That may be Bill Belichick’s greatest impact on the game. He taught everyone to not play your starters in the preseason. I think he singlehandedly ruined the preseason.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 23, 2015, 08:41:00 pm
Tim from Marshall, MI

I get tired of everyone trying to understand how each pick is decided and if it was correct. I’m starting to think that when draft day rolls around, it turns into a crap shoot real quick. Am I wrong?

Every team has a plan and contingency plans, but you better be able to think on your feet, too. Every scout in every draft room in the league is on the phone talking to scout friends on other teams, exploring trade possibilities. You can’t script all of that. You have to know what you want to accomplish in the draft and then be able to move quickly when an opportunity arises to move to where one of your targeted players fits.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 23, 2015, 08:42:20 pm
Gladdys from Rolling Meadows, IL

Vic, were you wearing a big smile as you wrote Wednesday’s story about Ted Thompson’s BAP draft philosophy?

The smile I wear is for covering a team whose draft philosophy is something I’ve embraced for a very long time. I was covering the Steelers in 1990 when they didn’t draft Emmitt Smith because they had drafted Tim Worley the previous year. They traded the pick to Dallas. Who doesn’t need Emmitt Smith? I was covering the Jaguars when they didn’t draft Jonathan Ogden because they had drafted Tony Boselli the previous year and signed Leon Searcy in free agency. Who doesn’t need Jonathan Ogden? Recently in this column, we discussed the Cowboys not picking Joe Montana because they had Roger Staubach and Danny White. Who doesn’t need Joe Montana? You’ll never regret picking a good football player. Why pick the player of lesser talent and leave the better player for your competition to pick?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 23, 2015, 08:44:20 pm
Ted from Pittsford, NY

In Ted Thompson’s press conference on Wednesday, he said something along the lines of “we are still working on our relationships with a couple of other teams in preparation for the draft.” Does this mean a possible trade in picks? If not, what does Ted mean?

It means every team in the league is trying to stay true to their value line, and they need each other to make trades that’ll allow them to move to where they can address need without surrendering value. GMs are confronted with two critical challenges in today’s game: 1) Fix it now. 2) Don’t overpay. To address both of those challenges, you have to draft players that address weak spots in your roster, and you have to pick those players where you judge them to fit in the order. Watch how many trades will be made next week. The number increases every year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 23, 2015, 09:20:47 pm
(http://media.jrn.com/images/200*307/b99486472z.1_20150422225344_000_gohar4os.1-0.jpg)

Wes Saxon TE  - good potential.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 23, 2015, 09:36:10 pm
Week 12 – Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers | Get-in: $393

The top-priced game of the year will be an NFC North battle between the Bears and Packers at Lambeau Field on Thanksgiving night. The Bears stumbled to the finish line last year and parted ways with star receiver Brandon Marshall in the offseason, though their rivalry with Green Bay will still elicit big secondary ticket prices in 2015. The cheapest available Packers vs Bears tickets are currently $393 on the secondary market. Besides being a holiday game between two of the oldest rivals in the NFL, the Packers will retire Brett Favre’s No. 4 at halftime.

The Bears lost both of their games against the Packers last season, seceding easily by 38-17 and 55-14 in Week 4 and 10 games, respectively. The Packers went on to the NFC Championship Game but would ultimately lose to the Seattle Seahawks in overtime, falling just shy of playing in their sixth Super Bowl appearance in franchise history
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 24, 2015, 07:59:52 pm

Posted by Josh Alper on April 24, 2015, 5:25 PM EDT

Philadelphia Eagles v New York Giants
Getty Images

Friday is the final day for restricted free agents to solicit offers from other teams, but that won’t stop running back Chris Polk from talking to teams other than the Eagles.

Polk was tendered at the original round level by the Eagles, which gave them the right to match any outside bid for Polk’s services. Polk didn’t sign his tender and didn’t sign an offer sheet with anyone else, but the league’s daily transaction report for Friday shows that the Eagles have withdrawn their $1.54 million tender offer for Polk’s services...

Oops.  Overplayed his hand.  Fire that agent.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 24, 2015, 08:00:40 pm
William from Jacksonville, FL

Would Rodgers be as good a QB today if he had been rushed into starting as a rookie?

Yes.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 24, 2015, 08:01:42 pm
Brett from Ionia, MI

Why is the Seattle game the best game of the season?

It’s the game with the best hype, but there’s no guarantee it’ll be the best game. I’m a late-season guy – everybody that reads this column knows that – and I see some real flavorful late-season games. The Dallas game looks delicious. How about Chicago on Thanksgiving night, and the festivities that are expected to accompany it? At Minnesota in midseason has my attention; I think something might be redeveloping in the Packers-Vikings rivalry. This fan base has Seattle on the brain, for the obvious reason, but I see other games I like more.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 24, 2015, 08:02:39 pm

Who is the better at evaluating talent, Mayock or Kiper?

I think Mike Mayock is outstanding. He’s so good it hurts. I think he needs to lighten up a little bit. I like Mel Kiper more because Kiper adds entertainment value, and I need the show when it comes to draft talk because draft talk is all baloney. That’s what makes it fun. I was watching Kiper on a show last night, and he had me laughing. He picked a tackle for the Jets in round one, and then Bill Polian ripped Kiper for the pick. Kiper’s reaction was hilarious. His Mel vs. the GM routine is age-old, but I love it. Bill Tobin picked Trev Alberts. Kiper said he should’ve picked Trent Dilfer. They were both wrong, but nobody remembers that; they just remember the show Kiper and Tobin put on. It was sensational. Who the hell is Mel Kiper? How

I'll pick Mayock every time.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 24, 2015, 08:05:41 pm

Jesus from El Paso, TX

Why do people like stats so much?

They like lies. It’s a way of telling a different story.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 24, 2015, 08:07:11 pm


Jeff from Farmington, NM

Vic, how much do you think upside should be considered in arranging someone’s draft board with BAP?

Upside is everything. If you don’t think a player has upside, he shouldn’t even be on your board because you can’t play in this league if you can’t take your game to a higher level. The jump from college football to the NFL.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on April 25, 2015, 06:23:55 pm



 Packy $393.00 for a game at Lambaugh between CHICAGO BEARRSE and Green Bay.


 You think you'll ever get a ticket to the game ?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 25, 2015, 10:10:16 pm
-;) I guess maybe not.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on April 27, 2015, 05:51:05 pm



 
-;) I guess maybe not.


 Packy I got to see SWEETNESS play in a game at The Los Angeles Coloseam ...


 we sat in the nosebleed section ... the Moon was actually closer ...


 paid $18.00 a ticket.  :D


 Compare that to ticket prices now.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 27, 2015, 07:57:16 pm
What was your salary, then, jj?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 27, 2015, 08:32:57 pm
Chris from Clam Lake, WI

Should Packers fans feel relieved if Ted Thompson picks an ILB in the first round, or worried he reached for a need?

He won’t reach. I think Stephone Anthony and Eric Kendricks fit where the Packers are. I don’t think they’d qualify as reaches.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 27, 2015, 08:33:35 pm
Justin from Titonka, IA

Who will be the top five picks of the draft?

Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, Leonard Williams, Vic Beasley, Amari Cooper.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 27, 2015, 08:37:22 pm
Rob from Webb City, MO

Vic, in researching the draft, it seems that at pick 30 we would be drafting what is thought of as second-round talent. Do you think it’s likely for Ted to trade down into the upper second round?

He did it with Jordy Nelson and he moved back to pick Eddie Lacy. I wouldn’t be surprised if he moves back to pick a player he’s targeted but fits a little lower than the Packers are slated to pick. Finding a trade partner is the issue, and Thompson alluded to as much in his presser last week. Trading back is one of Thompson’s signature moves. He’s been very successful at it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 27, 2015, 08:38:47 pm
Chase from Morton, IL

Vic, which fan base has the most to look forward to over the next five years? Cleveland, Tennessee, Oakland or Jacksonville?

It’ll be the fan base of the team that drafts or develops a star quarterback. Oakland and Jacksonville have their guy; for them, it’s about development. Cleveland and Tennessee need to find their guy.

Add Chicago  to that list.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 27, 2015, 08:40:13 pm
Gary from Warsaw, IN

Vic, after looking at the players in the draft, how many will be able to play this year? How do you compare this draft with the last couple of years?

It appears to have more soft spots in it than last year’s. I think that’s one of the reasons we’re going to see a lot of trading. Teams are going to try to trade out of the soft spots.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 27, 2015, 08:45:12 pm
Mike from Stillwater, MN

Vic, just watched your “Final Thoughts” video on the Packers 2015 schedule. I agree with your comment that you weren’t so sure about Jay Cutler being the QB for the Bears. How about a bold prediction here and saying John Fox either trades up in the draft or actually gets Marcus Mariota with the Bears’ first-round pick. Is that what you were thinking when you had that sly look on your face?




Coach Fox has been very noncommittal in his remarks about Cutler remaining the team’s starting quarterback. He might be challenging Cutler, or Fox might be tipping his hand that he wants to make a change at quarterback at the same time his broom sweeps clean at the other positions, too. The Bears have a new coach/GM regime, and new regimes like to move on at quarterback as soon as possible. That’s what I’m thinking.


IMHO that would be a good move, provided Fox has him rated as "the man"
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 27, 2015, 08:48:35 pm
 Share   
 Tweet   



Tony GutierrezTony Gutierrez


Report: Packers Unlikely to Exercise Perry's 2016 Option

ESPN.com
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 27, 2015, 08:56:03 pm
(http://image.cdnllnwnl.xosnetwork.com/pics33/200/TY/TYQPNEZMLRVEGPU.20140806153222.jpg)

NT  Jordan Phillips
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 27, 2015, 09:06:13 pm

Wes Saxton, TE

School: South Alabama  |  Conference: BELT
College Experience: Senior  |  Hometown: Hueytown, AL
Height/Weight: 6-3 / 248 lbs.


Projected Ranking
Overall Position Proj. Rnd.
190 10 5-6
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on April 27, 2015, 09:14:50 pm
Twins with different names? 

lol
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 27, 2015, 09:21:42 pm
LOL. You are too quick, Peke.  You caught it before I had a chance to correct the error.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 27, 2015, 09:34:41 pm
dallas,N.B.:

So although cornerback and inside linebacker are the positions at which the Packers need the most quality depth, Thompson may select the best player on his board at a different position.

Case in point—even though it's unlikely, what if running back Melvin Gordon is available at pick No. 30? And what if Gordon is the top-rated player on Thompson's board?

I could definitely see Thompson taking him. Yes, the Packers have Eddie Lacy, who is one of the best running backs in the NFL, but he plays a bruising style of football that gets him nicked up from time to time.

Adding to that, backup running back James Starks will be an unrestricted free agent in 2016.

Could you imagine a Lacy/Gordon combination to go along with the potent passing attack of the Packers?

In terms of the Packers' draft strategy in the first round, I wanted to get the take of NFL scout Chris Landry, who is one of the best in the business.

I had the opportunity to speak with Landry on 620 WDAE's Steve Duemig Show last Friday.

First, it's important to know the amount of first- and second-round grades Landry has on the various prospects in this draft. Landry has them listed on his horizontal draft board on LandryFootball.com.

Landry has 19 players who have first-round grades. He also has 45 players who have second-round grades. That means the Packers will most likely be selecting a player to whom Landry has assigned a second-round grade.

But not if Gordon falls to the Packers, as Landry has a first-round grade on the former Wisconsin Badger.

Getting back to the draft strategy of Thompson and the Packers, Landry talked about what they might do at No. 30.

"We'll see what they do with that first pick," Landry said. "It's going to be interesting at [No.] 30. You are getting second-round value there.

From Bleacher Report.



Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on April 28, 2015, 09:23:13 am

I would be stunned if the Packers take Gordon.  Most likely they'll draft a defensive player like they've done for the past 3 years.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 28, 2015, 09:19:06 pm
I agree with you.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 28, 2015, 09:20:10 pm
Our best guestimate …

Green Bay Packers: Ranking Ted Thompson’s Draft Picks

1. What are the team’s biggest needs heading into the draft and how might they address them?


Inside linebacker, cornerback and defensive line.
 Though the positions listed above aren’t necessarily in order of preference, Packers GM Ted Thompson is likely to address all three not only through the draft, but through the undrafted ranks. Thompson invariably finds diamonds from among those undrafted players they bring in shortly after the draft. However, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Thompson draft for these positions early in the 2015 draft.

2. What needs to happen for this draft to be considered a success?


To be successful, the Packers need to draft at least one, preferably two linebackers and a cornerback. If they also find a defensive lineman within the first three rounds, that will be a success … of course, these players must come in, make the team and contribute if it’s to be considered a success.

3. What in your mind would make this draft a failure?


If Ted Thompson fails to find a cornerback ad linebacker who contributes, this draft should be considered a huge failure. Those two positions have got to be high on the list of Thompson’s draft board. Last year the need was safety. This year it’s ILB and CB. They need to address those two positions, along with DL for this to be considered a success.

Feb 19, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson speaks at a press conference during the 2015 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports photograph


4. What is a bold prediction for your team this draft?


My feeling is that Ted Thompson trades back into the second round in an effort to garner more than 10 picks in this year’s draft. I feel he can still get the guy he wants in the second and third rounds. After all, what’s the difference between a player drafted at #30 or one drafted 10 or even 20 picks later? Not much, in my opinion.

5. What is a draft angle the general public might not be aware of for your team?


My feeling is that Ted Thompson trades back into the second round in an effort to garner more than 10 picks in this year’s draft. I feel he can still get the guy he wants in the second and third rounds. After all, what’s the difference between a player drafted at #30 or one drafted 10 or even 20 picks later? Not much, in my opinion.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 28, 2015, 09:41:10 pm
Packers' scouts:

Members of the scouting department include area scouts Lee Gissendaner (18th NFL season), Jon-Eric Sullivan (12th NFL season), John Wojciechowski (20th NFL season) and Richmond Williams (eighth NFL season), pro scouts Chad Brinker (sixth NFL season) and Glenn Cook (fifth NFL season), college scouts Mike Owen (fourth NFL season) and Alonzo Dotson (third NFL season), scouting assistant Charles Walls (third NFL season) and college scouting coordinator Danny Mock (28th NFL season).

I guess that Danny Mock must be the guy who makes up all those Mock drafts.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 28, 2015, 09:45:38 pm
Ken Page from Wolcott, CT

Some mock drafts say the Packers go for Eddie Goldman. What do you think of him?

You wanna stop the run? Here’s your guy. Goldman is a born two-gapper. He eats and defeats blocks. He’s a pure run-stuffer and he projects perfectly for a 3-4 team looking for its nose tackle of the future. I’ve always liked Florida State defensive linemen.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 28, 2015, 09:46:54 pm
Pat from Altoona, WI

Any names on your list of possible undrafted guys Ted may go after or that you like?

I have no idea who Ted Thompson might like among the undrafted guys. Thompson is Mr. Stealth when it comes to draft information. I’ll give you a guy who’s come to my attention: Tony Steward, LB, Clemson. Steward was one of the most celebrated recruits in the country coming out of high school. Injuries dogged his career at Clemson, but he came on late and developed into a special teams star. Steward can really run; he’s a top athlete.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 28, 2015, 09:48:36 pm
Geordie from Brantford, Ontario

Vic, what positional or depth needs do the Packers need to fill in the draft this year?

They need to address cornerback, inside linebacker and tight end. If they address those three positions, they’ll also address special teams because those positions traditionally produce special teams players.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 28, 2015, 09:50:19 pm
David from San Luis Obispo, CA

Have you ever covered a better sideline receiver than Jordy Nelson?

If I have, it’s Jimmy Smith. That’s pretty good company.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 28, 2015, 09:52:02 pm
Mark from New Brighton, MN

Your comment concerning Holmgren/Dilfer/Hasselbeck, Noll/Malone/Brister, Belichick/Testaverde/Bledsoe makes an important point. So how ought we evaluate Joe Gibbs, who won Super Bowls with Theismann, Williams and Rypien at the helm?

How do we evaluate him? He’s in the Hall of Fame. He won championships with multiple quarterbacks. Shula only won with Griese. Lombardi only with Starr. Noll only with Bradshaw. Landry only with Staubach, although Landry used Morton in a two-QB system for one of those titles. Ewbank won with Unitas and Namath, but those are two Hall of Famers. Gibbs won with three quarterbacks, none of whom are in the Hall of Fame. It’s an amazing feat.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 28, 2015, 09:53:26 pm
Josh from Burnham, PA

Vic, I agree 32 is a good number, but we all know the league wants to get bigger, so when do you think will be a good time to add expansion teams?

If the London experiment was to hit a home run, and if the NFL began to grow tentacles in Europe, then you might consider expansion. That’s way down the road. There is absolutely nothing right now that suggests or invites expansion.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 28, 2015, 09:56:10 pm
Tom from Riverside, CA

Vic, leading up to last year’s draft, you were craving Mosley. Any similar cravings this year?

I talked about Anthony. I think Kevin Johnson would be a great pick for the Packers, but I suspect he has risen above No. 30. I like Byron Jones. I don’t think you can go wrong with the defensive linemen that fit where the Packers are picking. Goldman, Malcom Brown, Jordan Phillips and Carl Davis are quality big guys.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 28, 2015, 10:00:44 pm
Jake from Madison, WI

Vic, what would you say is the most important position in football to have quality depth?

I’ll say it’s cornerback because today’s spread offenses test that depth. You can have two great corners, but the offense only has to find one weakness in your sub-package coverage and it’ll pound on it all day. That’s exactly what Mike McCarthy did against the Patriots with Davante Adams. Why throw at Revis and Browner when you can throw at a reserve?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 28, 2015, 10:06:22 pm
Omar from Morelia, Mexico

Tell us Otto Graham’s story.

Graham said he was having a bad game and Paul Brown benched him. Brown then walked down the sideline to where Graham was sitting and said loud enough to an assistant coach for Graham could hear, “At least now we have someone in there with the guts to stay in the pocket.” Graham said he became enraged, and was held back by a teammate. It’s an edge game.

Brown deserved that IMHO.  Brown had a terrible temper.  He became angry with the team and traded away 5 of his players to Lombardi in nowheresville as a penalty. .
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 28, 2015, 10:22:57 pm
Inside LBs.  Bad year. 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2446125-packers-must-sort-through-red-flags-at-ilb-position-in-2015-nfl-draft
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 28, 2015, 10:39:36 pm
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Report: Packers Unlikely to Exercise Perry's 2016 Option

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Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 28, 2015, 10:47:03 pm
https://t.co/TF3qpOCnq9
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 29, 2015, 08:51:51 pm
I had forgotten that Mike Mayock predicted that Aaron Rodgers would be selected at #24 in the draft.   I think that he is the best analyst.

Definitely NOT a draft for need.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 29, 2015, 08:56:18 pm
Brett from Green Bay, WI

Vic, what do you think of Carl Davis from Iowa? Do you think he’ll fit where the Packers pick?

He’s one of several quality defensive linemen that would seem to fit in the area in which the Packers are drafting. Within that group, I favor Eddie Goldman.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 29, 2015, 08:57:20 pm
Curt from New Ulm, MN

Since less than 25 percent of players make above-average salaries, doesn’t it make sense to concentrate the bulk of the draft effort on the later rounds, where most of the players on your team are going to be selected?

Let me put it this way: Those late-round picks are of critical importance because they protect your salary cap.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 29, 2015, 08:58:23 pm
Christopher from Kansas City, MO

Who do you think, among the cornerback prospects, best fits the Packers’ scheme and value at the end of the first round, or just in general?

It’s not about fit, it’s about talent. I like Byron Jones where the Packers are picking in the first round. I like Eric Rowe, too. Tony Pauline told me he thinks Rowe could be a fit for the Packers in the second round. I don’t think Kevin Johnson will be available to the Packers in the first round. If he was, pick him. The Packers need to address cornerback. You have to have quality depth at that position to avoid matchup problems in sub packages.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 29, 2015, 09:01:03 pm
Darren from Washington, DC

Of the projected needs (CB, ILB, TE) the Packers have for this draft, which position group do you believe would best weather not having a rookie this season?

The critical nature of the cornerback position makes that, in my opinion, the Packers’ No. 1 need. The other two positions should be easier to address.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 29, 2015, 09:01:45 pm
Matthew from Kingsford, MI

I keep thinking up truly insightful questions and wording them grammatically, only to finally realize I’m asking an idiot.

I think this is your best question, though it’s really not a question.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 29, 2015, 09:02:13 pm
Joshua from Los Angeles, CA

Which team will improve the most this season from last season?

The Raiders.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 29, 2015, 09:04:17 pm
Max from Green Bay, WI

In the first round, would you rather go with a guy who has a lower floor with higher upside, or a guy who has a higher floor but not as much potential? So a top-class athlete vs. a more well-rounded football player.

I want the guy that’ll reach a higher level of play. The draft is all about the future. If you’re drafting for now, you’ll be 8-8 every year.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 29, 2015, 09:06:19 pm
Patrick from Fort Dodge, IA

Do team owners or presidents have much say in draft picks? If so, what are the pros and cons of ownership having their hands in the mix?

When you’re talking about bringing a potentially troubled player into your community, the guy at the top has to get involved because this becomes more than a football issue. Lawrence Phillips is the perfect example.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on April 29, 2015, 09:10:54 pm



 Are ya ready for it Packy ?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 29, 2015, 09:19:14 pm
Thought on #1 draft choice for GB (or Chi):  if a top-notch NT is available he would automatically improve the ILBs' play.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 29, 2015, 09:42:53 pm

Tony Pauline of Draft Insider.net also said there is a big interest in Anthony from the Packers: "Staying with the Pack, I'm told they are very high on Stephone Anthony, who would fill a need at inside linebacker. Anthony had 16 official visits at the combine and the first team he met with was Green Bay. I was informed Anthony is a favorite of defensive coordinator Dom Capers."

Anthony thinks he will be an asset with the Packers, based on his comments to Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 29, 2015, 10:34:29 pm
The frustrating thing about the draft is that so many of the picks are in the lower rounds and the undrafted players who end up making the team roster.  It seems every year TT signs one or two players who are undrafted and completely unknown to us, the NFL fan.

Most fans know little about players below the 3rd or 4th round.  We hear their names called off, wonder who they really are and end up cheering them on as valuable team players in the season.

We can root for the high draft choices and just hold our breath while hoping the undrafted players turn out to be something worthwhile.

I think there might be value in a CB, a NT, a TE or maybe a MLB or two who are drafted and surprise the team fans.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 30, 2015, 10:28:17 pm
Arizona State safety Damarious Randall was one of the players whose stock rose the most during the period between the end of the college season to the draft and his upward momentum made him the first safety taken in the 2015 draft.

The Packers took Randall with the 30th pick of the first round with his skills in coverage likely playing a big role in why he wound up coming off the board before Alabama’s Landon Collins and everyone else at the position. It’s the second straight year that the Packers have taken a safety in the first round with Collins’s college teammate Ha Ha Clinton-Dix joining the club last season.

Randall had six interceptions, 15 tackles for losses and four forced fumbles over his two seasons with the Sun Devils and the Packers will be hoping he can be the same kind of playmaker at the professional level. Morgan Burnett, Sean Richardson and Micah Hyde round out the rest of the safety group in Green Bay.

With his coverage skills and junior college experience as a cornerback, Randall may be initially ticketed for a role in nickel and dime packages in Green Bay.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 30, 2015, 10:32:46 pm
The NFL really screwed up this draft, IMO.

Too much advertising and too many announcers bullshitting and bullshitting until they had completed finished the bullshitting.  The draft is over, people are going home and there are still four drafted players not announced.  Boo, Goodell.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on April 30, 2015, 10:53:22 pm
College Career: Randall was a high-volume producer for the Sun Devils out of the secondary, compiling 106 total tackles (87 solo) his redshirt senior year after racking up 71 his redshirt junior year, his first with ASU. Randall played at Mesa Community College before committing to the Sun Devils in 2011, and had been a baseball player coming out of high school. He earned all-Pac-12 First Team honors in 2014, was invited to the NFL Combine, as well as the Reese's Senior Bowl.


Strengths: Instincts. Randall was more than often left all alone in single-high coverage while head coach Todd Graham routinely dialed up five-, six-, and seven-man blitzes. Sharp instincts coupled with his dynamic athleticism allowed him to routinely find himself in opportune situations to come up with or force turnovers.

Randall is also a pretty reliable cover man when asked to stick players in man coverage. He also possesses great burst, and does a particularly good job of using it when called on to blitz out of the secondary. He's a natural center fielder in the defensive backfield

Sounds like an ideal Nickle Back, which the Pack definitely can use.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on May 01, 2015, 05:30:38 am
Safety was not a strong position of need for the Pack, so the whole BPA looks like it was followed.  I have to give you that.  While nickel back was a need, I don't see you drafting one in the first round.  This is likely a challenge to Morgan Burnett.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on May 01, 2015, 10:57:25 am

Round 2 grade - many have him projected to CB in the NFL cuz of his size...and didn't the Pack just lose their starting CB Tramon Williams in free agency.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 01, 2015, 10:33:33 pm
GREEN BAY–The Packers addressed their defensive backfield a second time in this draft, selecting Miami of Ohio defensive back Quinten Rollins with the 62nd overall pick of the draft on Friday night.

Rollins, 5-11, 195, played basketball at Miami for four years and didn’t give football a try until last season. Football came easy for him, winning MAC defensive player of the year. He intercepted seven passes.

He’s viewed as a safety by some teams, largely the result of a 4.57 40 time at the combine, but he has the athletic ability to play cornerback.

The Packers picked Damarious Randall in the first round on Thursday. He played safety at Arizona State but will play cornerback with the Packers.

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 01, 2015, 10:41:04 pm
Safety was not a strong position of need for the Pack, so the whole BPA looks like it was followed.  I have to give you that.  While nickel back was a need, I don't see you drafting one in the first round.  This is likely a challenge to Morgan Burnett.

He is the ideal nickel back.  He played Safety and  CB in college  but his performance as a CB was more typical for a CB than a Safety.  He will, undoubtedly be Nickle Back if his future performance resembles his history.  Pack needs him and is getting quality.

Losing two CBs in FA created a need. In todays's NFL you need at least 3 #1 CBs or you suffer the same problem that NE suffered when GB #3 WR Davante Adams had over 100 yards receiving.

I think that TT probably had some trouble trading down.  After the first 7 or  8 players there were mostly second rounders left.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 01, 2015, 10:56:38 pm
I was hoping like crazy for Eddie Goldman but Chi grabbed him  Good choice.  I think that #1 choice, Kevin White was also a wise one.

I also liked the draft ,so far, by the Colts, Baltimore, NE and  Seattle.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 01, 2015, 11:19:30 pm
Ty Montgomery will probably earn his salt as a kick returner first.  The Packers have had miserable performances by Special Teams for years now. He also has a shot at becoming a useful WR, but not much.

He was a teammate of Ha Ha Clinton in college.  They both played Safety.

I noticed that Seattle also drafted a good kick returner.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 02, 2015, 12:04:54 am


Vic Ketchman

packers.com editor

Ask Vic a question
 








New-breed defensive back offers versatility

GREEN BAY – The Packers addressed their need at cornerback by drafting a safety, sort of.
“We’ll probably line him up as a corner. In Dom’s system, those guys are all over the place,” Packers General Manager Ted Thompson said following the selection of Arizona State’s Damarious Randall with the 30th overall pick on Thursday night.

With that remark by Thompson, all of Packernation breathed a sigh of relief.

Randall played safety at Arizona State only because the position was too critical to the Sun Devils’ success to not play Randall there. He’s a natural corner whose talent for playing centerfield in baseball transitioned well to playing “centerfield” in Arizona State’s defense.

So, the Packers now have two such cornerback/safety players in their defense. Micah Hyde is the other one and, all of a sudden, the Packers’ great need at cornerback has been solved. Hyde and Randall effectively replace Tramon Williams and Davon House, both of whom left Green Bay in free agency...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 02, 2015, 12:07:09 am
“We think he’s a very versatile player,” Thompson said of Randall. “We took a good football player, in my opinion, and took him at a place very reasonable.”

Hyde and Randall are new-breed defensive backs. They’re cornerback/safety hybrids that give a defensive coordinator the security of knowing his defense won’t get trapped with the wrong personnel on the field. If football is all about matchups, and Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy says today’s game is, then Hyde and Randall are grand luxuries for Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers. Hyde and Randall can line up at safety, then move up into the slot against No. 3 and No. 4 wide receivers.

 “I think he’s a football player. He’s got good ball skills, a knack for catching the ball. He’s capable of punt returns,” Thompson said.




View Gallery | 24 Photos

Packers draft Damarious Randall
Utah cornerback Eric Rowe was on the board when the Packers selected Randall. So was highly rated defensive tackle Malcom Brown, a seemingly perfect fit at nose tackle in the Packers’ 3-4 defense. This was not a desperation pick. Randall is a player on whom the Packers had trained a lot of thought. This was a strategy pick. He was their guy all along.

“For some time now, we’ve had him pretty high up on our board. The more you go back and look, he’s a good football player. Never worry about stuff. We just want a good football player,” Thompson said.

So, the beat goes on in the Packers’ attempts to build a defense that has now acquired a first-round pick in eight of the last 10 drafts.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 02, 2015, 12:33:16 am
Ty Montgomery:

Third-round receiver could boost Packers’ return game

GREEN BAY – West Coast scout Sam Seale has a simple description of Stanford wide receiver Ty Montgomery that will make Packers fans smile.

“He’s a bigger Cobb,” Seale said after Green Bay drafted Montgomery in the third round on Friday night with the 94th overall selection. “I think he’s a bigger Randall. That’s what I see in the kid.”

At 6-0, 216, Montgomery has two inches and roughly 25 pounds on Cobb, who burst onto the NFL scene four years ago as an impact return man.

Montgomery could do the same to help the Packers’ struggling special teams. He returned three kickoffs and two punts for touchdowns in his career at Stanford. Both of the punt-return TDs came last season, and in 2013 he averaged 30.3 yards on 36 kickoff returns with two of his three career TDs.

“He can come in here and really elevate our special teams his first year, and push the people in front of him,” Seale said, noting he sees Montgomery as a coverage player as well.

General Manager Ted Thompson said upgrading the special teams wasn’t an “overriding factor” in the draft room decisions on Friday night, but it did play a role. He referred to Montgomery as having “return cred.”

“He’s a very strong runner, very instinctive, good quickness, all the things you look for,” Thompson said. “The key thing is his strength level is better than most.”

Montgomery joins a deep Packers receiving corps that already has two draft picks from a year ago – fifth-round selection Jared Abbrederis and seventh-rounder Jeff Janis – primed to battle for playing time behind the top three of Jordy Nelson, Cobb and Davante Adams.

Thompson never hesitates to keep the depth strong and competitive at that position, though. Montgomery is the sixth receiver the Packers have drafted in the last three years.

“The game is that sort of game,” Thompson said. “Since I’ve been here, we’ve had Brett Favre at quarterback or Aaron Rodgers. You get as many people to throw to as you can.”

Montgomery’s receiving production changed over his last two seasons at Stanford. He caught 61 passes each year, but his yardage dropped from 958 to 604, with his per-catch average falling accordingly from 15.7 to 9.9.

He did miss two games in 2014 due to a shoulder injury, and he said he was used differently in the offense, catching more passes at or behind the line of scrimmage rather than getting downfield. Seale attributed the drop-off to the injury and an off year for Stanford at quarterback.

Whatever the case, Seale liked the fact Montgomery “lined up all over the field” on offense and will bring a Stanford education to his film and playbook study in the NFL.

“I think I can do whatever is asked of me,” Montgomery said. “I do have the utmost confidence in myself. I’m going to work very hard, play confidently and make as many plays as I can.”

To do that, Montgomery plans to use his run-after-the-catch ability, which he feels is his best asset. That does indeed make him sound like a “bigger Cobb.”

“That is very flattering,” Montgomery said. “But I haven’t played a down in the NFL.”

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 02, 2015, 12:42:29 am
Ray from Los Angeles, CA

That was a pick I could not have seen coming. With Clinton-Dix and Randall drafted in the first rounds, do you see Randall sliding to corner to play immediately?

I see him becoming a corner immediately, but I think it’s unfair to expect him to play a prominent role at corner immediately. He has corner technique to learn. He adds depth at corner immediately, but I think his most immediate contribution will be on special teams. A player with Damarious Randall’s physical talent and aggressiveness can be a game-changer on special teams.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 02, 2015, 12:43:53 am
Nate from Minneapolis, MN

Vic, I am more than happy with our first-round pick. His flip-the-hips agility and acceleration in directional change is solid. How do you think the Packers will utilize him as a corner in certain packages?




He appears to be most comfortable as a centerfielder in single-high coverage, with the speed, quickness and instinct to play sideline to sideline. He’s especially skilled at playing the ball in the air, as you would expect of a centerfielder. As he settles back into the cornerback position, he’ll likely be used in the slot to cover No. 3 and No. 4 receivers in nickel and dime packages. The thing you like about him right away is that when he’s on the field, your defense becomes more athletic. Based on what Ted Thompson said, that’s what the Packers like about him the most.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 02, 2015, 12:44:55 am
Brian from Glendora, NJ

Feeling nervous about picking a short defensive back and Chicago’s pick of Kevin White. I am surprised Malcom Brown wasn’t the pick since he was there. My guess is they feel they can find a nose tackle later?

You’re feeling nervous about the pick because you didn’t know the name. I spent weeks telling you about Brown, Eddie Goldman, Byron Jones, Eric Rowe, Stephone Anthony, Eric Kendricks, Denzel Perryman, etc., and out of nowhere comes Damarious Randall. I feel as though I failed you.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 02, 2015, 12:48:54 am
Mike from Crystal Lake, IL

Vic, can Randall flip his hips?

From everything I’ve read, he has all of the physical talent you want in a cornerback. The issue is going to be learning coverage technique. When his technique equals his physical talent, look out. That’s what I’m getting from the draftniks. What if he’s unable to learn corner-coverage technique? Then you’ve got a ball-hawking, hard-hitting safety.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 02, 2015, 12:51:14 am
Jon from Sheboygan, WI

I think Ted is losing it. There is no way an undersized safety that struggles tackling was BAP, but I hope I’m wrong.

The Packers drafted Randall to be a cornerback, where his size is just fine. Everything I’ve read suggests he is a lights-out tackler. One draft report on Randall said he’s a punishing tackler.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 02, 2015, 12:51:55 am
Mac from Shorewood, WI

Looking back on previous “Ask Vic” articles, I see no mention of Randall. Was he even on your radar?

Not at all. Tony Pauline never mentioned Randall because I never asked Tony about safeties. This is an example of crystal ball scouting. Somebody saw something in Randall that made him a cornerback prospect. In my opinion, that’s the kind of confident, aggressive, out-of-the-box scouting that leaves no stone unturned in the search for talent.

Or, in other words, TT
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 02, 2015, 12:53:58 am
Kevin from Neptune, NJ

Randall looks like he will absolutely address a need on special teams, maybe even as a return man. Did the Packers select him to play at corner, or is that a decision not yet made?

He was picked to play corner, but I view him as a corner/safety hybrid. I can see him playing in a lot of different roles, which is the new-breed NFL defensive back. Spread offenses are requiring defenses to be multiple. It’s all about matchups, and the more your guys can do, the more you’ll be able to avoid bad matchups.

Staying on the cutting edge.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 02, 2015, 12:55:25 am
Matthew from Kingsford, MI

Is he a starter? Why would anyone pick a project with the first pick with starters still on the board? I can’t wait to see your snarky, sarcastic answer for this pick.

Randall was picked, in my opinion, because the Packers like his upside. They see talent they believe they can develop into something special.

Already I don't like Matthew.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 02, 2015, 12:56:52 am
Adam from Tampa, FL

One thing my fellow Packers fans might be missing is Randall has the potential to fill Charles Woodson’s old role in our defense. He has a unique skill set that allows him to play all over the field and to be utilized in blitz packages (I bet Dom is thrilled). Love to hear your thoughts on this.

First, he has to refine his corner-coverage technique. My expectation for Randall this season is for him to play a major role on special teams as he develops his coverage technique by playing inside in nickel and dime situations. Yes, he has the talent to be used in a lot of roles, and I have no doubt Coach Capers will create specific roles for Randall.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 02, 2015, 12:58:51 am
David from Tacoma, WA

Vic, Jon Gruden said he thought the Packers’ pick had suspect tackling. Would you as a GM pick someone that had a higher ceiling but not as good at tackling, or a lower ceiling but an excellent tackler?

Gruden was on a tackling crusade last night. He clobbered Vic Beasley and Trae Waynes for bad tackling. Nothing I have read about Randall spoke of him as a poor tackler. It’s just the opposite.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 02, 2015, 12:59:37 am
Harry from Rochester, NY

Vic, tell us your likes and dislikes about the Packers’ first-round pick, Damarious Randall?

I like his athletic ability. I like his versatility and his upside. I wish he was a plug-and-play kind of guy, but the Packers are committed to their draft-and-develop approach, and Randall will benefit from that kind of patience.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on May 04, 2015, 04:09:04 pm



 Packy,


 We haven't WON a SUPERBOWL in recent times and neither have you.


 Now doesint that just **** you off ?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 04, 2015, 09:17:05 pm
Yeah. It won't be long.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 04, 2015, 09:18:00 pm
http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-draft/article-1/Will-it-be-remembered-for-Ryan-or-Hundley/58ba687a-3db8-444a-a5bf-982c63f3f7c8?campaign=email_150504

MM's pre-season 2015 message
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 05, 2015, 10:17:53 pm

While the 49ers are the biggest price to win the NFC West, they are the shortest-priced longest shots in any division, with the Browns (10-to-1), Bears (12-to-1), Jets (12-to-1), Buccaneers (12-to-1), Washington (15-to-1), Jaguars (20-to-1), Titans (25-to-1) and Raiders (25-to-1) all having higher odds.

Here are the SuperBook’s division-winning odds for all 32 teams:

AFC East: Patriots 4-to-9; Dolphins 4-to-1; Bills 5-to-1; Jets 12-to-1.

AFC North: Ravens 8-to-5; Steelers 2-to-1; Bengals 2-to-1; Browns 10-to-1.

AFC South: Colts 1-to-5; Texans 7-to-2; Jaguars 20-to-1; Titans 25-to-1.

AFC West: Broncos 5-to-12; Chiefs 7-to-2; Chargers 9-to-2; Raiders 25-to-1.

NFC East: Cowboys 13-to-10; Eagles 3-to-2; Giants 3-to-1; Washington 15-to-1.

NFC North: Packers 2-to-7; Lions 9-to-2; Vikings 8-to-1; Bears 12-to-1.

NFC South: Panthers 9-to-5; Saints 9-to-5; Falcons 9-to-5; Buccaneers 12-to-1.

NFC West: Seahawks 2-to-7; Cardinals 13-to-2; Rams 13-to-2; 49ers 9-to-1.
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 05, 2015, 10:21:37 pm
Damarious Randall gives Packers versatility


Ray from Los Angeles, CA

That was a pick I could not have seen coming. With Clinton-Dix and Randall drafted in the first rounds, do you see Randall sliding to corner to play immediately?

I see him becoming a corner immediately, but I think it’s unfair to expect him to play a prominent role at corner immediately. He has corner technique to learn. He adds depth at corner immediately, but I think his most immediate contribution will be on special teams. A player with Damarious Randall’s physical talent and aggressiveness can be a game-changer on special teams.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 05, 2015, 10:23:21 pm
Nate from Minneapolis, MN

Vic, I am more than happy with our first-round pick. His flip-the-hips agility and acceleration in directional change is solid. How do you think the Packers will utilize him as a corner in certain packages?




He appears to be most comfortable as a centerfielder in single-high coverage, with the speed, quickness and instinct to play sideline to sideline. He’s especially skilled at playing the ball in the air, as you would expect of a centerfielder. As he settles back into the cornerback position, he’ll likely be used in the slot to cover No. 3 and No. 4 receivers in nickel and dime packages. The thing you like about him right away is that when he’s on the field, your defense becomes more athletic. Based on what Ted Thompson said, that’s what the Packers like about him the most.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 05, 2015, 10:26:33 pm
Mike from Crystal Lake, IL

Vic, can Randall flip his hips?

From everything I’ve read, he has all of the physical talent you want in a cornerback. The issue is going to be learning coverage technique. When his technique equals his physical talent, look out. That’s what I’m getting from the draftniks. What if he’s unable to learn corner-coverage technique? Then you’ve got a ball-hawking, hard-hitting safety.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 05, 2015, 10:28:49 pm
Mac from Shorewood, WI

Looking back on previous “Ask Vic” articles, I see no mention of Randall. Was he even on your radar?

Not at all. Tony Pauline never mentioned Randall because I never asked Tony about safeties. This is an example of crystal ball scouting. Somebody saw something in Randall that made him a cornerback prospect. In my opinion, that’s the kind of confident, aggressive, out-of-the-box scouting that leaves no stone unturned in the search for talent.I
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 05, 2015, 10:30:35 pm
Kevin from Neptune, NJ

Randall looks like he will absolutely address a need on special teams, maybe even as a return man. Did the Packers select him to play at corner, or is that a decision not yet made?

He was picked to play corner, but I view him as a corner/safety hybrid. I can see him playing in a lot of different roles, which is the new-breed NFL defensive back. Spread offenses are requiring defenses to be multiple. It’s all about matchups, and the more your guys can do, the more you’ll be able to avoid bad matchups.

N.B.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 05, 2015, 10:40:27 pm
Harry from Rochester, NY

Vic, tell us your likes and dislikes about the Packers’ first-round pick, Damarious Randall?

I like his athletic ability. I like his versatility and his upside. I wish he was a plug-and-play kind of guy, but the Packers are committed to their draft-and-develop approach, and Randall will benefit from that kind of patience.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 05, 2015, 10:42:08 pm
Bram from Colorado Springs, CO

Vic, can you give an example of a team that drafted a QB, developed him and never played for that team but went on to be a great QB for another?

Mark Brunell.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 05, 2015, 10:44:22 pm
Jim from Grafton, WI

In Monday’s column, you answered a question about safeties being centerfielders by saying a single-high safety “has the speed and instincts to cover.” What do you mean by instincts? I wrote about journalists’ use of instinct in 1989, and I am wondering how you’re using the concept.

A safety with instinct feels the play developing. He sees the quarterback look to his right and knows he’s being looked off. He pictures the route tree and understands where the ball is designed to go. He feels body language and knows how to interpret it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 05, 2015, 10:45:59 pm
Bob from Seattle, WA

Vic, first, I loved our draft, but how can anyone say we took the BAP? We needed corners, special teams and an ILB. QB was the only BAP.

We really need to let this go. I don’t understand what the big deal is. A man of integrity stands up in front of us and explains in great detail why he is committed to taking the best player available, and we respond with some obsessive need to prove he’s lying. It’s starting to chafe me.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 05, 2015, 10:47:10 pm
Max from Victor, ID

Vic, why does Ted Thompson always have to pick project players, players that will need to switch positions, or have played more basketball than football? Why can’t we pick a cornerback who is going to be a cornerback, or an inside linebacker who is going to be an inside linebacker?

You find football players where you find football players. How many teams in the league wouldn’t trade rosters with the Packers? Think about that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 05, 2015, 10:49:57 pm
Andy from Watertown, WI

James Jones back in green and gold. Could it happen?

The Packers have a lot of young receivers. They need playing time to develop. You don’t get better by retracing your steps. Developing young talent is how this team has stayed on top as long as it has. Once upon a time, Jones was one of those young players. When was the last time the Packers lost a player in free agency and it hurt them? Just draft, baby.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 05, 2015, 10:52:06 pm
Richard from Yankton, SD

Looking back, Vic, you now see who was left on the board. What are your first- and second-round picks?

I would’ve probably picked Malcom Brown and Paul Dawson. Why? Because those were players we knew and had discussed in the weeks leading up to the draft. They were on our radar. So what does it say that I knew nothing about Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins? It says I’m not qualified to make those picks. You have to know everybody. You can’t just focus on a few players.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 05, 2015, 11:00:26 pm
Dale from Kettering, OH

What does Tony Pauline think about the guys the Packers got as a group?




I asked my man Tony. Here’s what he said: “Some really good choices. I love Damarious Randall. I’m just surprised they took him off Ha Ha,” Tony said. I then informed him the Packers are going to play Randall at cornerback. “I’m glad to hear that. He can play. He can cover,” Tony said. About Rollins: “He’s got a high upside. Very athletic. Silky smooth. Did not look out of place last year. He’s got to polish his technique. He’s good with the potential to be outstanding.” Montgomery: “An enigma is the best way to describe him. Looks the part. Will flash. If he plays to his ability every down, you’re going to have an every-down No. 2 receiver and kick returner.” Ryan: “Terrific football player. Real mean, nasty, instinctive football player. Moved around so he never settled in at one position. You’ll have a starter on the inside.” Hundley: “Great physical skills but inconsistent mechanics. That’s the coach to go to. Perfect player for their system.” Ripkowski: “Terrific triple-threat fullback. Nasty blocker. Terrific out of the backfield and can also be used as a short-yardage runner.” Ringo: “Explosive short-area guy. I don’t know how he fits in a three-man front.” Backman: “Could be a sleeper. Terrific athletic that can get down the field.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 05, 2015, 11:01:27 pm
Adam from Green Bay, WI

We didn’t get any jars this draft. That is odd; what do you think about that?

I can’t remember covering a draft that didn’t include an offensive lineman. What does that say about the Packers’ opinion of the depth on their offensive line?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 05, 2015, 11:15:45 pm
Jared from Wichita, KS

Who is the Packers’ best steal of this draft?

Tony thinks it might be Kennard Backman. I didn’t even know he was in the draft.

TE


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 05, 2015, 11:20:52 pm
Key Acquisitions: safety Damarious Randall and cornerback Quinten Rollins

Key Departures: linebacker A.J. Hawk and cornerbacks Tramon Williams, Davon House

 

The Green Bay Packers were the only team not to sign an outside free agent this offseason. Yet general manager Ted Thompson executed one of the league's best offseason plans.

Thompson did so by retaining homegrown free agents who decided not to chase the money. Wide receiver Randall Cobb and right tackle Bryan Bulaga were key to the team's overall plan, and both were re-signed. Thus, all 11 starters will return to the NFL's sixth-ranked offense.

After quarterback Aaron Rodgers won the NFL's MVP award, it's only natural to make him happy by keeping one of his top targets and a starting lineman.

The Packers simply don't need to "win the offseason" to be anointed one of the league's best-run organizations. They already are.

As a result of strong drafting and consistent development of the talent on the roster, Green Bay is simply the best team in the NFC North. It's also one of the favorites to win Super Bowl 50.

Record Prediction: 13-3 (1st in NFC North)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on May 06, 2015, 12:48:45 am

Bow down to the 2015 NFL champions... of May.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on May 06, 2015, 05:48:16 am
I'm predicting the Bears won't finish in 4th and the Lions will finish 4th
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on May 06, 2015, 09:52:26 am

I'm hoping Adrian Petersen gets traded or sits out - Vikings will be a factor with him.  He makes everyone better.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 07, 2015, 10:26:30 pm
I'm predicting the Bears won't finish in 4th and the Lions will finish 4th

Hope you are right.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 07, 2015, 10:26:39 pm
I expect stiff “Deflategate” punishment for Patriots


Nate from Bloomington, MN

Vic, in light of the Wells report, what sort of punishment would you be in favor of regarding not only Tom Brady but the Patriots franchise?

I am beyond outraged. I expect punishment to be stiff, and I’ll comment further when the league announces the punishment. I think this is the most demanding challenge of the commissioner’s powers. He gave the Saints what I consider to have been a one-year death sentence for bounties. In this case, we’re talking about the ball, the centerpiece of the game. We’re talking about the integrity of the game and a franchise that had already compromised it. I think this is also a test of the media and football fans. How accepting are we of this?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 07, 2015, 10:30:27 pm
quote speaks volumes.

Ben from Hudson, WI

Why do people want to sign old receivers? I think the Packers will have the best trio in the league this year. Adams is a playmaker.

The natural attrition at the Packers wide receiver position is the best example of football being a game of replacement. It’s how you stay young forever. That’s the goal: eternal youth. Never get old.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 07, 2015, 10:35:21 pm
Scott from Greensburg, IN

Do you consider free agency to end with the draft and the subsequent undrafted signings, or are there still some hidden gems or potential bargains available?

There are probably some guys left that could help a team, but I try to ignore them. I have a very cavalier attitude toward free agency.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 07, 2015, 10:38:53 pm
Braden from Denver, CO

You seemed a little tense yesterday. Not to beat a dead horse, but can you explain why using BAP we wouldn’t draft a Malcom Brown, Randy Gregory, Eric Kendricks, Stephone Anthony or Rowe, instead of getting Randall, who wasn’t rated that high? I’m fine with the pick, but does that mean Ted knows another team has Randall high on their board as well? Or does it mean Ted had Randall as his highest rated player out of everyone left at pick 30?

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 07, 2015, 10:40:43 pm
Kim from Austin, TX

Vic, Elliot Harrison from nfl.com is going out on a limb and predicting a Packers-Colts Super Bowl. Would you add that as confidence in our draft and free agency choices?

I think he’s saying Aaron Rodgers and Andrew Luck are the best quarterbacks in their respective conferences.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 07, 2015, 10:41:50 pm
John from Athens, OH

Ted Thompson has not traded down to accumulate extra picks as much recently as he used to. Do you think his draft philosophy has shifted somewhat or is this just coincidence?

It likely means he didn’t have to move to pick one of the players he had targeted.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on May 08, 2015, 12:10:08 pm

Braden from Denver, CO

You seemed a little tense yesterday. Not to beat a dead horse, but can you explain why using BAP we wouldn’t draft a Malcom Brown, Randy Gregory, Eric Kendricks, Stephone Anthony or Rowe, instead of getting Randall, who wasn’t rated that high? I’m fine with the pick, but does that mean Ted knows another team has Randall high on their board as well? Or does it mean Ted had Randall as his highest rated player out of everyone left at pick 30?

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.


No, its because they are already 2 deep at NT and DB was the biggest need on the team...did the same thing in round 2.

BACB - Best Available Corner Back philosophy
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on May 08, 2015, 05:40:13 pm



 They saw we drafted Kevin White.


 Minnie did the same thing when they saw what we drafted.


 Minnie was going WR until they saw what we drafted.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 08, 2015, 07:48:53 pm
Scott from Wasilla, AK

“It is more probable than not that Tom Brady was at least generally aware of inappropriate activities involving the release of air from Patriots game balls.” That is not exactly convincing to me, and anyway, what competitive advantage is there to an under-inflated ball? Why is it such a big deal to you?

It’s a huge deal to me. It’s enormous. It’s the biggest deal in the history of the world. If you’re accepting of cheating, that’s your business. I am not accepting of cheating, especially when it becomes repetitive. I’m tired of covering games with the headsets going down. Jack Del Rio and I once joked about when each of us thought the headsets would go out. I picked third quarter, he picked second. They went out in both.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 08, 2015, 07:51:27 pm
Corey from Tulsa, OK

So the experts at NFL Network say a kicker was better than Randall Cobb last season? I understand their trying to get ratings but, come on. He should have **** the top 50 at least.

That stuff doesn’t mean anything to me.

All of those rating systems are just hooey, IMHO.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 08, 2015, 07:52:58 pm
Joseph from Sievers, SD

What’s the number one question you get that you are sick of seeing in your inbox?




It’s the BAP vs. need question. It’s become nauseating, mostly because too many readers want to deny any kind of wiggle room in their application of BAP. It’s as though they’re trying to prove all BAP people are liars, so they create unrealistic scenarios to pin BAP people against their own words. If I was a GM, I wouldn’t answer the question other than to say I’ll pick anybody I want because I’m the boss.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 08, 2015, 07:54:12 pm
Cheryl from Marathon, WI

I’ve been reading lots of articles from sports journalists about “Deflategate” and the report findings. I’m shocked to see so many people act like it’s not that big of a deal and say everyone is overreacting. Maybe the Patriots win regardless, but in my personal opinion, rules are in place for a reason. If you break them, you should be punished, end of story. Am I being too critical?

No. Spygate was bad enough. Harsh penalties were assigned, but apparently they weren’t harsh enough. There’s the base line for whatever the league decides in the way of punishment.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 08, 2015, 07:55:55 pm
Jonathan from Chiavenna, Italy

Vic, could you kindly explain the different attributes needed for a slot receiver vs. an outside receiver?

A slot receiver works the middle of the field. He needs the toughness and quickness to be able to play along the ground. An outside receiver works the boundary. He has to be able to play in the air.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 08, 2015, 07:57:49 pm
Kody from Layton, UT

What do you think about banning Tom Brady from the Hall of Fame? Too harsh of a punishment?

It’s too early to make that kind of call, but he hasn’t cooperated and because of that I think everything and anything has to be on the table.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 08, 2015, 09:29:32 pm
http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-player-feature/article-1/Packers’-top-two-picks-are-together-again/faf7992f-2984-4ae5-9e65-a0d1fa0eec62
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on May 09, 2015, 10:17:44 am

It’s the BAP vs. need question. It’s become nauseating, mostly because too many readers want to deny any kind of wiggle room in their application of BAP. It’s as though they’re trying to prove all BAP people are liars, so they create unrealistic scenarios to pin BAP people against their own words. If I was a GM, I wouldn’t answer the question other than to say I’ll pick anybody I want because I’m the boss.

OK, so its now BAPWWR

Best Available Player with Wiggle Room

Need plays a huge part in any draft and if you deny it you're living in a fantasy world.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 09, 2015, 11:25:27 am
 Vic keeps trying but you seem to misconstrue.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 09, 2015, 12:24:03 pm
Patrick from Tampa, FL

Did any of the rookies pop out at you on day one?

Ty Montgomery caught everyone’s eye. Just as Tony Pauline said, Montgomery looks the part. He’s got the upper body of a running back and the legs of a wide receiver. He’s quick and darting and he has a straight-line burst in the open field. Yesterday’s practice was all about movement, and nobody moved better than Montgomery. Tony predicted it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 09, 2015, 12:26:23 pm
Brandon from Des Moines, IA

Mike McCarthy told the rookies, “It’s time to throw the 40 times out the window.” I know speed matters, so what is he really saying?

He’s saying gym class is over; it’s time to play football.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 09, 2015, 12:31:16 pm
Matt from Madison, WI

Vic, this isn’t about Brady; it’s about the rate of fumbles the Patriots have avoided. That is why you will never convince me the coach is not involved. It’s the coach that set the above-the-law conniving that goes on every year. I also think the league loves controversy, which is why I think it will either be a ton of games for Brady, or it will be zero. Does the NFL take all summer on this one or make it quick?

I have a feeling this is going to be the No. 1 topic of the dead zone period. I think this is going to carry us through July. Why? Because I think there’s more work to do to get to the bottom of this.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 09, 2015, 12:34:12 pm
Brandon from Morris, IL

Do you think Quinten Rollins looks a bit like Darrelle Revis in that No. 24?

I thought the same thing. I even think he talks like Revis and has Revis’ calm demeanor. Wouldn’t that be nice? The next Revis?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 09, 2015, 12:53:03 pm
Pitch Perfect 2 debut:

http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Packers-make-their-big-screen-debut/c83f0087-4b94-4252-adfc-28942729d038
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 09, 2015, 01:22:39 pm
Ty Montgomery Stats

NFL
College


 
RECEIVING Stats
YEAR TEAM REC YDS AVG LNG TD
2011
STAN
 24 350 14.6 62 2
2012
STAN
 26 213 8.2 32 0
2013
STAN
 61 958 15.7 72 10
2014
STAN
 61 604 9.9 44 3



RETURN Stats PUNTS KICKOFFS
YEAR TEAM PR YDS TD FC LNG KR YDS TD LNG
2011
STAN
 0 0 0 0 0 27 680 1 96
2012
STAN
 0 0 0 0 0 11 293 0 64
2013
STAN
 0 0 0 0 0 36 1091 2 100
2014
STAN
 13 238 2 0 60 17 429 0 62



RUSHING Stats
YEAR TEAM ATT YDS AVG LNG TD
2011
STAN
 2 42 21.0 34 1
2012
STAN
 1 -11 -11.0 0 0
2013
STAN
 13 159 12.2 31 2
2014
STAN
 23 144 6.3 18 1



PASSING Stats
YEAR TEAM CMP ATT PCT YDS AVG TD LNG INT RAT
2011
STAN
 0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0
2012
STAN
 0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0
2013
STAN
 0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0
2014
STAN
 0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0



DEFENSE Stats
YEAR TEAM TOT SOLO AST PD SACK FF INT YDS TD
2011
STAN
 5 5 0 0 0.0 1 0 0 0
2012
STAN
 1 0 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2013
STAN
 1 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2014
STAN
 1 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0

*Defensive statistics are not considered official.



SCORING Stats
YEAR TEAM PassTD RushTD RecTD RetTD TotTD 2PT PAT FG TotPT
2011
STAN
 0 1 2 1 4 0 0 0 24
2013
STAN
 0 2 10 2 14 0 0 0 84
2014
STAN
 0 1 3 2 6 0 0 0 36


 <font color=red>Scored 14 TDs in 2014.<font/>
 

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on May 09, 2015, 07:16:32 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBdrCoLIJJU

I don't watch much college football these days, so I have to rely on highlights.  This guy looks studely, nice pick.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 09, 2015, 08:02:31 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBdrCoLIJJU

I don't watch much college football these days, so I have to rely on highlights.  This guy looks studely, nice pick.

Good eye, hibernation. Every season it seems one or two rookies are a surprise and jump out early.  Montgomery has  been a pleasant surprise.  He scored 14 TDs in 2014.  He was drafted as a kick returner but has looked really good all around.  What is it about TT and drafting WRs?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on May 09, 2015, 10:18:19 pm

NFL.com says he had 16 drops his last season with Stanford.  Also he averaged less than 10 yards a reception and 3 TDs for the season.  Some of that might be due to a shoulder injury.
NFL comparison:  Cordarrelle Patterson

It does say he could be pro-bowl returner.  So don't go thinking TT drafted another WR as the BAP.  He drafted this guy as a returner.  There will have to be a few key injuries on the Packers before this guy sees the field on offense.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 11, 2015, 09:08:16 pm
NFL.com says he had 16 drops his last season with Stanford.  Also he averaged less than 10 yards a reception and 3 TDs for the season.  Some of that might be due to a shoulder injury.
NFL comparison:  Cordarrelle Patterson

It does say he could be pro-bowl returner.  So don't go thinking TT drafted another WR as the BAP.  He drafted this guy as a returner.  There will have to be a few key injuries on the Packers before this guy sees the field on offense.

Who knows?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 11, 2015, 09:18:47 pm
Tom Brady suspended four games for his role in #DeflateGate

Posted by Darin Gantt on May 11, 2015, 5:41 PM EDT

Brady joins list of other big-sport cheaters.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 11, 2015, 09:24:45 pm
Maximillian from Sydney, Australia

Vic, do you think the Packers are the team to beat in the NFC this year?

The Seahawks are the team to beat.

Pete from Chapel Hill, NC

Vic, from what you have seen, what skills or physical attributes typically differentiate a good punt-return man from a good kickoff-return man?

Punt-returners have wiggle; kickoff-returners are straight-liners. Gale Sayers was both.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 11, 2015, 09:25:04 pm
Jim from Wilson, WI

Were there any surprises from this weekend’s workouts? Any player who really stood out?

There were only two practices and the media was only permitted to watch the first one, so there’s no way I can make any firm judgments based on just one practice. Ty Montgomery looks the part, Quinten Rollins is very smooth in coverage, Brett Hundley throws a spiral, and if they were making a movie about an inside linebacker, Jake Ryan would get the role.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 11, 2015, 09:27:24 pm
Steve from Birmingham, UK

Vic, should the Patriots’ successes under Belichick and Brady forever be viewed with a caveat?

Spygate had already determined it would; Deflategate will further taint the Patriots’ place in history.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 11, 2015, 09:28:40 pm
Alex from Centennial, CO

How far is too far a punishment for the Pats?

Anything beyond vacating the Super Bowl title is excessive. Know what I mean?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 11, 2015, 09:55:39 pm

Andy Phillips
‏@aphil66   After a great rookie camp in Green Bay, I am pleased to announce I am officially a Packer! https://instagram.com/p/2ggpS8NQz9/

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 11, 2015, 09:58:50 pm
Defensive back LaDarius Gunter, who signed with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent, has an uphill battle in his fight to make the 53-man roster.

However, it's no secret that undrafted free agents have experienced an abnormally high level of success in Green Bay. In 2014, Packers undrafted rookies played more than double the snaps of other teams' undrafted rookies, per a study the team conducted, via Paul Imig of FoxSports.com.

In each the last five seasons, Green Bay has signed at least three undrafted free agents to the roster.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 13, 2015, 08:29:14 pm
http://nflmocks.com/2015/05/13/nfl-power-rankings-top-5-wide-receiving-corps/?utm_source=FanSided+Daily&utm_medium=email

Top 5 receiving corps in the NFL.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 13, 2015, 09:00:54 pm
AR wins Celebrity Jeopardy.  Brady just in Real Jeopardy.

AR still MVP.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 13, 2015, 09:05:45 pm
Vic, Brady may be a great QB, but I say the league can’t tolerate cheating. To me, if more solid evidence comes out about Brady in Deflategate, you give him the old Pete Rose treatment. Thoughts?

I saw a story yesterday about the especially dark color of the footballs the Patriots use, and pictures from the Patriots-Packers game last season were offered as proof. What’s that all about? Was something applied to the ball to soften them or make them easier to grip? I wouldn’t be surprised if more evidence against Brady and the Patriots surfaces.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 13, 2015, 09:10:44 pm
Jon from Warsau, WI

Does an athlete, after having an ACL injury repaired, have a greater chance of having that injury again to the same knee, or is it as good as new?

Once upon a time, a torn ACL was a death knell. Nowadays, players recover from ACL surgery more fully than they do from hamstring tears.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 13, 2015, 09:13:18 pm
Bruce from Des Moines, IA

What did you like most about Tony Dorsett?

He’s the fastest running back through the hole I have ever seen, and that includes Gale Sayers. If Dorsett broke the line of scrimmage clean, he was gone.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 13, 2015, 09:15:22 pm
Emeric from Orangeville, PA

Wondering what you think might be some rule changes that will be put in place to Patriotproof the game in the future?

The first rule I would pass is to forbid the Patriots from making rules-change proposals at the owners meetings. If you’re going to make the rules, shouldn’t you have to know how to play by the rules?

No love lost by Vic for the Pat's.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 13, 2015, 09:22:36 pm
Chad from Tarpon Springs, FL

Do you like covering the game today more than when you started because of the unpredictability of teams rising and falling? What do you like about the game when you started compared to how it is now?

I like today’s game and I enjoy watching it and writing about it. If there’s one thing I miss about the old days, it’s the access we had to the players. If this was then, especially if it was during training camp, we’d be sitting in a player’s room talking about Deflategate, and the player would openly give his opinion on it. I miss that

Sad.  An other bad action by journalists. When the lucre increases the jackals come out to feed.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 13, 2015, 09:54:49 pm
Replies after article about  Jake Ryan.

OKGOPACK  • a day ago 

I don't know whether he can play or not, but he sure is cute. Isn't that what really counts??? : )

rssllue > OKGOPACK  • a day ago 
You mean I could have made the team way back when?! ;)
Oh, the pain of regret and missed opportunities.

pkrdug > OKGOPACK  • 13 hours ago 

Just another pretty face
PackerBilly > OKGOPACK  • 20 hours ago 

Of course, dear. It's ALL that matters, especially in the NFL. ~~

Dave > OKGOPACK  • a day ago 

With that mentality, we might end up getting Cutler on the team. Whenever he fails, which is very often, you get that pouty look which some gals seem to like. Any screening criteria which would allow Cutler on the team is inherently flawed - I'm sure all will agree.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 13, 2015, 10:05:17 pm

Which offensive draft pick will have the biggest impact as a rookie?




WR Ty Montgomery67%QB Brett Hundley3%FB Aaron Ripkowski12%TE Kennard Backman19%
1890 Total Votes

Thanks for voting in the Miller Lite Fan Poll.

GB fans not impressed with Hundley.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on May 14, 2015, 11:38:31 am

Maybe not.

What they are actually saying is Ty Montgomery has more of a chance to make an impact as a WR than Hundley overtaking Aaron Rogers' spot.

Assuming no serious injuries there's only one QB that will get the majority of snaps - a WR can always sub in and get some playing time, but with the Packers depth at WR that may be tough.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 14, 2015, 03:17:04 pm
A further sidelight comment on Ty Montgomery helps rationalize his selection in the draft.  TT has a lot of thoughts on drafting that don't occur to most.

•Ty Montgomery, WR and kick returner; compared to Randall Cobb; can play wildcat; work out of slot or split wide; provides lots of flexibility; led nation in kick return average in 2013; he is the guy they think will make an instant impact; fills biggest need on team
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 14, 2015, 03:19:28 pm
One more thought on drafting WRs.

•They offered a hypothetical question: When has Ted ever whiffed on wide receiver taken in first three rounds?  Answer: Never.  Also mentioned that Ron Wolf regretted that he never gave Brett Favre all the receiving weapons he could/should have.  [I still remember Jan. 9, 2005, playoff game with Vikings at Lambeau; my first-ever game at Lambeau; it was the infamous Randy Moss “moon” game; seemed like Brett Favre threw a dozen interceptions that game but due to injuries the Packers ended up playing WRs that were picked up off waivers the week before; guess I concur with Wolf’s regrets].
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on May 14, 2015, 03:49:19 pm
Ty Montgomery, WR and kick returner; compared to Randall Cobb; can play wildcat; work out of slot or split wide; provides lots of flexibility; led nation in kick return average in 2013; he is the guy they think will make an instant impact; fills biggest need on team


Biggest need on the team - a WR/kick returner?

Montgomery is hardly a polished receiver - read his scouting reports.  He's big and fast...but has suspect hands (16 drops last year).  His low yards/catch (9.9) tell me they throw him a lot of screens and short patterns and hope he can generate YAC.

They offered a hypothetical question: When has Ted ever whiffed on wide receiver taken in first three rounds?  Answer: Never.

It helps when Aaron Rodger is your QB.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 14, 2015, 03:52:35 pm
Maximillian from Sydney, Australia

Vic, what are your thoughts on the Packers’ current situation at the tight end position?

Andrew Quarless is the veteran, Richard Rodgers would seem to be Quarless’ eventual replacement, and Kennard Backman is a prospect for the future. Those three players are a perfect example of how the wheel turns.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 14, 2015, 03:53:29 pm
Ben from Indianapolis, IN

Vic, I have a hard time believing the Pats are the only team that cheats. Am I just skeptical in thinking every team tries to find ways to circumvent the rules?

Yes.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 14, 2015, 03:54:16 pm
Mark from Greendale, WI

Sean Payton was suspended a year for Bountygate, even though he didn’t have any knowledge, but because he should’ve known about it. Am I off-base thinking Bill Belichick should’ve received some punishment for the same reason?

No.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 14, 2015, 03:54:52 pm
Brett from Green Bay, WI

Vic, who will be the MVP of OTAs and mini-camp?

I’m gonna pick Casey Hayward.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 14, 2015, 03:55:34 pm
Coby from Brownwood, TX

In your opinion, which rookie on the Packers has the most potential for having a big first season?

I think all of the Packers’ first four picks will have a strong opportunity to be that guy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 14, 2015, 03:57:01 pm
Bailey from Henderson, NV

Vic, do you think the Packers should have drafted a defensive lineman or do you think the Packers defense needs work in the secondary?

They did draft a defensive lineman. His name is Christian Ringo and he’s a talented guy who lasted longer in the draft than his production should’ve allowed. He lasted until the sixth round because he’s undersized. The Packers drafted him because of his talent, knowing they would have to find a way to fit him into their scheme. Ringo was a penetrate-and-disrupt tackle at Louisiana-Lafayette. In the Packers’ 3-4 defense, he’ll have to learn to two-gap to play the Okie end position. I like the challenge the Packers have accepted. It’s why you hire coaches. You hire them to teach and Ringo is going to have one of the best teachers in the game, Mike Trgovac.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 14, 2015, 03:59:10 pm
Richard from Davis, CA

In the NFL, teams can remain dominant for years at a time (fortunately for us Packers fans), while in baseball the positions in the rankings are much more unstable. Why do you think this is? Do you think it’s because of or in spite of the salary cap, or does that have nothing to do with it?

It’s a fluke. It should be the reverse, but a few teams, such as the Patriots and Packers, are so good at finding and coaching talent, and at managing their salary cap, they have found a way to defeat the system.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 14, 2015, 04:00:38 pm
Nick from Chesapeake, VA

Vic, how does Brady’s suspension impact the Patriots’ salary cap?

The money he won’t be paid will be credited back to the Patriots’ cap.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 14, 2015, 04:03:05 pm
Kelly from Placerville, CA

Vic, I watched some footage from the 1978 World’s Strongest Man Competition the other day and saw Jon Kolb of the Steelers competing. Back then, it seems like the offensive line positions were purely about size and strength. How have the demands for the offensive line positions changed since then?

It’s just the opposite. Kolb was the best left tackle I ever covered until I covered Tony Boselli. Kolb played at 6-2, 260; Boselli at 6-7, 325. The difference is Kolb played most of his career prior to the rules changes of 1978; he played with his forearms. Offensive line play was a motion game back then. It was about pulling and trapping and getting out ahead of plays. The rules changes of ’78 allowed offensive line to use their hands to block, which promoted the passing game and put a premium on pass blocking, which became a get-your-hands-on-him-and-swallow-him-up game. In offensive line parlance, size defeats speed when size gets its hands on you.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 14, 2015, 04:03:48 pm
John from Ash Grove, MO

Vic, some Patriots fans started a fundraiser to help the Patriots pay their million-dollar fine. Do those fans lack perspective or do they lack a connection with reality altogether?

I propose we begin a fundraiser to get those fans a brain transplant.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on May 14, 2015, 04:06:10 pm



 Packy you do know we are burning your ass down.


 Let the games be played.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 14, 2015, 10:57:12 pm
The Packers shunned unrestricted free agency for the third consecutive year, opting to fill their needs again through the draft. Coming into the draft, the Packers had five cornerbacks on their depth chart with Casey Hayward, Hyde, Demetri Goodson and Tay Glover-Wright looking to compete for the starting cornerback job opposite Sam Shields.

The Packers had Randall high on their board for some time, according to Thompson. He was considered by many experts to be the top covering safety in the NFL draft, but most never connected the dots to Green Bay. After all, the Packers drafted Alabama safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in the first round last year.

During the scouting process, Thompson was told by Arizona State's coaching staff that Randall could've played cornerback, but the Sun Devils kept him at safety because they were deeper at cornerback and coaches felt he was the team's best defensive player.

"I was coming in as a corner," Randall said. "Me, coach (Todd) Graham and the coaching staff sat down and was like, 'We need you at safety because we have some corners that could hold their own out there and we just do not have a safety.' So they just asked me to play that role and I would do whatever I can to help the team win."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 14, 2015, 11:04:52 pm
Thompson's work isn't over. The Packers still need help at inside linebacker and possibly defensive line. All five of the top inside linebackers were on the board when the Packers selected at No. 30, along with top defensive linemen Malcom Brown and Eddie Goldman.

Thompson said he fielded some phone calls, but didn't want to take any chances moving back and losing out on Randall. In the end, he determined it was in the team's best interest to go with Randall, a move that instantly improves the cornerback room.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 14, 2015, 11:28:19 pm
Round Three, pick #94
Ty Montgomery, wide receiver, Stanford

At 6'0", 221 pounds, the Stanford product has a versatile body type. He possesses the strength and quickness to come out of the backfield as well as line up at multiple receiver spots on offense. Montgomery also projects as an NFL-caliber returner, averaging 27.4 yards per kickoff and 18.3 per punt during his college career.

At the same time, Montgomery is still developing as a receiver. He needs to learn how to set up defensive backs to create extra separation and fill out his route tree. Until he does, his contributions in Green Bay are likely to be limited to special teams.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 14, 2015, 11:42:25 pm
Prior to the draft, Pro Football Focus identified Ringo as one of their top sleepers on the interior of the defensive line. In fact, Ringo earned the #1 pass-rush grade among all draft-eligible defensive linemen (while still grading out positively against the run), and he had the top Pass Rushing Productivity score of any lineman or edge rusher in the draft as well. Dom Capers should have another player to add to his interior pass-rushing package if Ringo makes the team out of camp.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 14, 2015, 11:58:57 pm
The veteran of the group is Andrew Quarless. A sixth-year player, Quarless led all tight ends on the team in receptions (46) and receiving yards (323) a year ago. Right behind him is Richard Rodgers, a third-round pick a year ago who came on strong late in the season. While he has some of the most reliable hands on the team, his blocking remains suspect. Undrafted second-year player Justin Perillo has just 11 offensive snaps under his belt and no meaningful statistics. Green Bay also added UAB's Kennard Backman and Western Kentucky's Mitchell Henry this offseason.

If Rodgers continues to develop, perhaps he solidifies the Packers at tight end. If not, there isn't much hope for improved play elsewhere. It's probably not reasonable to expect Quarless to become a better player at this point in his career. As for Perillo, Backman and Henry, whoever makes the final roster likely provides little more than special teams service this season.   :-(
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 15, 2015, 08:22:43 pm
Bill from East Dubuque, IL

Why are the Pats and their fans in such denial of the facts? Shouldn’t Brady and Kraft man up and admit their offense and move on?

The league isn’t demanding a confession. I think it would be in the Patriots’ best interests to just accept the punishment and move on. Pursuing this is only going to increase its visibility in the news. At some point, they’ll run the risk of this becoming too much of a distraction to overcome. In my opinion, you shouldn’t want to take this issue to training camp.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 15, 2015, 08:23:45 pm
Scott from Lincoln City, OR

Vic, I know you’re not a fan but, having lived in Florida, are you interested in seeing how far the Tampa Bay Lightning can go?

No.

LOL.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 15, 2015, 08:27:32 pm
Brandon from Barrie, WI

I don’t understand why you are so opposed to teams being allowed to inflate their footballs to their quarterbacks’ liking. Doing so would not create an advantage for certain teams, it would do the opposite. Right now, there are some teams that are at a disadvantage because their QB doesn’t play as well with the level of inflation the footballs are at.

Draft a guy with little hands? No problem! Let him play with a Wilson Jr. You’re in the “Ask Vic” Hall of Fame, Brandon.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 15, 2015, 08:29:06 pm
Josh from San Diego, CA

Vic, there was a story about Karlos Dansby and his headset not working when he played in New England back in 2008. Is this the beginning of “Headsetgate”?

It was just a matter of time. Here we go.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 15, 2015, 08:31:23 pm
Larry from Bristol, TN

What is the opposite of draft and develop? Which teams do that? And why?

All teams draft and develop; it’s a matter of commitment. When you are completely committed to developing talent you’ve drafted, you express patience with that talent. You treat your practice squad as a place to develop young talent, instead of using it to address your weekly needs. When you are committed to developing the talent you’ve drafted, you don’t cut someone because he had a bad game or he isn’t developing as quickly as you’d like. As long as you continue to see in him the talent you saw when you drafted him, you give him time to refine that talent. Most of all, you hire coaches that are teachers, not just play-callers and strategists. I think I’m describing the Packers’ approach to draft and develop, and it’s kept this team on top for a long time.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 15, 2015, 09:27:26 pm
(http://a1.fssta.com/content/dam/fsdigital/RSN/Wisconsin/2015/05/15/PI-NFL-Matt-Rotherham-Green-Bay-Packers-051515.vadapt.955.high.0.jpg)

Packers could have steal in undrafted OL Rotheram
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 15, 2015, 09:29:23 pm
Green Bay might have come away with a steal in undrafted free agency.

Matt Rotheram has the talent to make the distinction of the Packers not drafting an offensive lineman nothing more than a technicality. With the amount of attention that the former University of Pittsburgh right guard was receiving, it's clear that Green Bay landed itself one of the draft's highest-priority free agents.

"A lot of teams were contacting me at the end of the draft," Rotheram said. "Your phone is going off so much, I was ignoring calls from teams just because I was already on the phone with two other teams and my agent was on the phone with two teams...

"I couldn't even pick up the phone for everybody. It's all coming so fast."

Rotheram had decided that if the Packers called, he would be answering no matter how tied up he was in a different conversation. The 6-foot-5, 325-pound lineman was brought into Green Bay for a pre-draft visit right after his Pro Day. Rotheram believes he was the first player to visit the Packers this year...

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 15, 2015, 09:48:00 pm
Opinions have been mixed regarding the NFL's decision to suspend New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady for his alleged role in the Deflategate scandal, and future Hall of Fame signal-caller Brett Favre is among those who are siding with the four-time Super Bowl champion.

I think that Favre has  become "loopy".
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 15, 2015, 10:43:28 pm
Demovsky: It sure seems like the Packers are counting on Casey Hayward to make the transition from the slot to the outside to replace Tramon Williams. With Sam Shields returning on the other side, that would leave Micah Hyde to compete with Rollins and first-round pick Damarious Randall for the nickel and dime spots. Hyde has played that spot -- and played it well -- the last two years. But both Rollins and Randall seem best suited to play inside based on their college experience. Of those three, one will be on the field in the nickel and another will join in the dime. How much of that could change as the season goes on? Well, cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt always says he will play the best guys and isn’t afraid to change that from week to week. Even though Shields makes $9.75 million a year, he will still have to perform to keep his spot.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 15, 2015, 10:56:27 pm
A good return man has speed, quickness, and a will to break tackles and find the end zone." Montgomery explained. "There's no second down on special teams, so you can't be complacent, and as a return man you have to be willing to fight."

Montgomery certainly has the chance to seize the job for the next several years as he sits behind starters Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb, along with last year's second-round pick Davante Adams.

There's no second down on Special Teams.  I like that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: astrotwin on May 16, 2015, 09:48:56 am
God bless Wallace.

http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/story/sports/local/2015/05/15/shelby-tops-ontario-sectional-softball-title/27414823/
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on May 16, 2015, 12:49:02 pm

Green Bay might have come away with a steal in undrafted free agency.

More Packer propaganda - the Cowboys came away with the steal of undrafted free agency.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on May 16, 2015, 06:34:43 pm



 
Green Bay might have come away with a steal in undrafted free agency.

More Packer propaganda - the Cowboys came away with the steal of undrafted free agency.


 We don't know that yet.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 16, 2015, 07:40:08 pm


 

 We don't know that yet.

Correct, jj.

Who is that mighty Ca'boy, dallas?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 16, 2015, 07:51:01 pm
http://www.packersnews.com/story/life/2015/05/15/packers-nelson-shows-diy-haircut-skills/27373449/


Pro-bowl barber,  Jordy Nelson.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on May 16, 2015, 08:05:07 pm



 
http://www.packersnews.com/story/life/2015/05/15/packers-nelson-shows-diy-haircut-skills/27373449/ (http://www.packersnews.com/story/life/2015/05/15/packers-nelson-shows-diy-haircut-skills/27373449/)


Pro-bowl barber,  Jordy Nelson.


 You know when you wasted the bottom of the barrel.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on May 17, 2015, 05:11:59 am
Datko
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on May 17, 2015, 02:15:28 pm

Correct, jj.

Who is that mighty Ca'boy, dallas?


Two clues.  He's bigger than a bread box and went to LSU.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 18, 2015, 07:32:23 pm
Datko

May he RIP.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 18, 2015, 07:32:57 pm
Correct, jj.

Who is that mighty Ca'boy, dallas?


Two clues.  He's bigger than a bread box and went to LSU.

Does he have a name?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 18, 2015, 08:51:41 pm
Yancey from Richlands, VA

Vic, the number of journalists defending the Patriots’ actions is troubling. You agree?

I’m disappointed with the lack of outrage in the media. If the media is our conscience, we’ve got a problem.

And the fans?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 18, 2015, 08:53:08 pm
Tim from Normal, IL

Vic, a couple of years ago you explained to us why it’s a big deal for an offensive lineman to move from one side of the line to the other. Can you explain why it’s a big deal for an OLB to move to ILB?

You can’t run around blocks on the inside. You have to take them on square and hold your ground, and that becomes a lot of pounding for guys that are built for speed.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 18, 2015, 08:55:27 pm
Tony from Los Alamos, NM

Vic, I’ve asked myself would I still be a fan of the Packers if they were embroiled in Deflategate, and other scandals like Spygate and malfunctioning headsets? I’m not entirely sure I could remain a fan. Do you think this might be the last straw for some Patriots fans and, if so, why aren’t we hearing more outrage from them?

Loyalty is without conscience.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 18, 2015, 08:56:10 pm
Scott from Milwaukee, WI

Did you have an inner-child moment during Harrison’s 102-yard touchdown?

My inner child has long since left my soul and is unlikely to return.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 18, 2015, 08:57:15 pm
Lisa from Bismarck, ND

Vic, I’m a single mom with an almost six-year-old little boy and we are both huge Packers fans. My question is how do I go about explaining the intricacies of the game to him? Is there a book you recommend?

Don’t worry about the intricacies. Let him find the charm in the game first. Take him to a high school game. His senses will be awakened by the sound of the crowd, the band, the PA. Let him feel the thrill when the players charge onto the field in their shiny uniforms. Let him bundle against the chill, smell wet grass in its final days of fall. There’ll be plenty of time for all that cover two nonsense when he gets older. Now, when he’s young, is when he learns to love the game for all of the right reasons, which is to say for how it stole his heart.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 18, 2015, 08:58:15 pm
Greg from Ripon, WI

Why are you such an idiot?

And they pay me, too.

Lori from Winona, MN

Thank you for your integrity.

I might be an idiot, but I’m a good idiot.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 18, 2015, 09:18:48 pm
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Eddie Lacy is more than just spin moves and power runs. The Green Bay Packers running back is the No. 1 fantasy football player.

That's what the ESPN fantasy football crew concluded last week at its annual summit to set the 2015 rankings.

Lacy didn't just top the running back position; he was No. 1 on the top-300 list.

Here's a look at which Packers' players made the list.

1. Lacy


16. Jordy Nelson (fifth among receivers)


20. Aaron Rodgers (first among quarterbacks)


22. Randall Cobb (10th among receivers)


109. Davante Adams (45th among receivers)


190. Mason Crosby (11th among kickers)


209. James Starks (79th among running backs)


297. Richard Rodgers (27th among tight ends)


Lacy is coming off his second straight 1,110-yard season. Last year, he also increased his production as a receiver, catching 42 passes for 427 yards and four touchdowns.

The Packers were the only team with four players in the top 25. In fact, no other team even placed three players in the top 25. The only ones with two were the Pittsburgh Steelers (RB Le’Veon Bell, No. 2 overall; WR Antonio Brown, No. 7), Denver Broncos (RB C.J. Anderson, No. 8; WR Demaryius Thomas, No. 11), Chicago Bears (RB Matt Forte, No. 9; WR Alshon Jeffery, No. 21) and Cincinnati Bengals (WR A.J. Green, No. 19; RB Jeremy Hill, No. 24).
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 18, 2015, 09:52:10 pm
Defensive back LaDarius Gunter, who signed with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent, has an uphill battle in his fight to make the 53-man roster.

Given this pattern, a few of the Packers' 17 undrafted free agents in 2015 can expect to make the final roster, or at the very least the practice squad, at the conclusion of training camp. And though his position has gotten crowded, Gunter is talented enough to be one of them.

Gunter played three seasons at the University of Miami, starting 30 games and playing in 37. He leaves Miami with 111 tackles, three tackles for loss, a forced fumble, 18 pass breakups and six interceptions.

Though Gunter's production seemed to dip in his final season, in which he had 26 tackles in 12 starts and two interceptions, this is largely attributable to the fact that opponents simply didn't want to throw to him.

"Having established himself as one of the better and more physically imposing corners in the ACC, opponents elected to largely ignore his side of the field in 2014," Rob Rang and Derek Stephens of CBSSports.com wrote.

Analysts were impressed by the 6'2", 202-pound prospect prior to the draft. NFL.com's Lance Zierlein had him ranked as a Round 4-5 talent.

"If he impresses in workouts and interviews, Gunter is likely to hear his name called on Day Two of the draft," Rang and Stephens projected.

So why did Gunter go undrafted? He certainly impressed at the Senior Bowl, where he had four tackles—the most of any cornerback—per Patrick Magee of the Biloxi (Miss.) Sun Herald via MiamiHerald.com.

He also had a flashy diving interception in the end zone for the South squad.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 18, 2015, 10:13:28 pm
Green Bay's five preferred starting offensive linemen have an average age of 25.6.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 18, 2015, 11:33:21 pm
https://www.facebook.com/HOT1037Seattle/photos/a.1410237029199964.1073741828.1405590792997921/1669102346646763/?type=1
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on May 19, 2015, 01:54:42 pm
La'el Collins would be my guess. I would have moved up to the bottom of the third round and drafted him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on May 19, 2015, 03:25:01 pm

It's amazing that no one did their homework and drafted this guy like you suggest.

This kid is the furthest thing from the typical troubled footballer with baggage... or he has everybody fooled.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on May 19, 2015, 04:37:59 pm



 Is Fangio building a credible DEFENSE ?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 19, 2015, 08:24:56 pm
Sara from Cincinnati, OH

I’m starting to lose interest in the NFL. I will still watch Packers games but I didn’t watch the Super Bowl or the draft this year. Ray Rice’s original suspension for abusing his fiancé was less than what Tom Brady got. Why hasn’t the league sent down a punishment to Goodell for his mishandling of the Ray Rice case?

I appreciate your position. Yes, the Ray Rice and Greg Hardy incidents are disturbing. It’s also become disturbing for me that this column is being dominated by these topics. I find myself having to comment on them daily, and punishing the commissioner for not handling them to our satisfaction isn’t the answer. If ever there’s an example of a culture in need of change, this is it. I think the commissioner has done a credible job of changing the culture of on-the-field behavior, now he needs to change the culture of off-the-field behavior, and punishment isn’t the solution. The solution is avoidance. We need to identify trouble before it comes into the league.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 19, 2015, 08:26:41 pm
Vic, what, if any, rules changes or upgrades would you like to see come out of the owners’ meetings this week?

What I’d like to see happen at the owners meetings is a wildcat movement to fix what’s really wrong in this league, instead of dedicating so much energy to silly stuff, such as what to do about the extra point. I’d like to see an owner stand up and challenge all of the owners to make sure we have no more Deflategates, Spygates, Bountygates, Noisegates and Headsetgates. Institutional control comes from the top. It begins in that room full of owners.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 19, 2015, 08:27:39 pm
Mitch from Braymer, MO

Do you think Aaron Rodgers is a Hall Of Fame quarterback?

He’s in. It’s now just a matter of how much more he puts in his bio.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 19, 2015, 08:29:30 pm
Mike from Plover, WI

Loved your answer to Lisa about teaching her six-year-old to love the game. Friday night high school football games, live and in person, are the best. The way you described it was perfect and made me remember what I love most about football. A true football fan will love the game at all levels.

I fell in love with the game wanting to be like the kids playing for my high school. I idolized them. They were stars in my hometown. It’s the little things I remember from then that give me my warmest feelings about the game. I lived for the day in August when the schedule went into the store-front windows. It meant football was back. I remember the first frosty Saturday morning, when I reached outside the door and brought the newspaper into the house so I could read about all of the games played on Friday night, when the glows in the sky defined where they were playing football up and down my river valley. I remember the unique smell of the newspaper on a cold morning. It smelled like football. We must never lose high school football. It’s football at its purest.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 19, 2015, 08:31:00 pm
Scott from Crystal Lake, IL

Vic, if you are familiar at all with Carl Jung and his theory of finding the inner child and the symbolism behind our dreams, I encourage you to try and find your inner child if you find something that is troubling you as you reach old age. Meditate, go as far back as you can, and try to imagine that child. Offer him your hand. Support him if he is struggling. You may not find a child, you may have to meet its guardian first, or you at an older age, somebody who developed a defense to protect the hurt child and ensure it wouldn’t happen again. Seeing your inner child and reconnecting with it is a beautiful, harmonious and insightful experience.

I see him. He’s crying out to me. “Vic, save me, Vic.” I have ignored him too long. I will help him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 19, 2015, 08:34:22 pm
Josh from Glendale, WI

What potential issues could evolve from allowing the referees to manage the entire ball condition throughout the game? Why allow any team any discretion? Just give them one more task.

Well, we’d need more officials. We’ll need a head ballsman on each side of the field. Their jobs would be to protect the balls.

When you are playing the Non-patriots always keep an eye on your balls.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 19, 2015, 08:35:44 pm
Eric from Ft. Worth, TX

I am very disappointed in the media coverage of Deflategate. I feel as if some reporters will always fall on the players’ side to ensure they get info or interviews from the players. Common sense tells us a deflated ball is easier to grip. So why do I have reporters trying to shove legalese down my throat and tell me it’s common sense?

Dan Shaughnessy of The Boston Globe penned what I consider to be the best piece on Deflategate. I’ve seen others I like, but I’m seeing way too many pieces that are rationalizing misbehavior. Maybe it’s a result of what our culture has become.

True, dat.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 19, 2015, 08:38:08 pm
Jordan from Ames, IA

Vic, your answer yesterday gave me chills. How can such a violent game be so beautiful?

Violence is noble when it is exchanged respectfully.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 19, 2015, 08:39:50 pm
Matt from Waunakee, WI

Have the new rules sped up baseball?

I watched the Pirates and Cubs on Sunday. It was a cleanly played game. It wasn’t real exciting, but it had its moments. Baseball needs a rule that forbids batters from taking two strikes down the middle before they begin swinging the bat. I’m being facetious, of course, but the amount of time spent on wasted pitches is killing the action. When the ball is in play, players do amazing things. I’m seeing diving catches and dramatic throws and slides. Running, catching, throwing are good; standing and watching is bad, and there’s far too much of it in a baseball game. Baseball has to do something to get these guys swinging and putting the ball in play more quickly and more often.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 19, 2015, 08:41:14 pm
Theo from Northfield, MN

Some people have already projected the Packers as Super Bowl favorites. Do you think it’s too early to predict the Super Bowl matchup?

I don’t do that stuff but I think it’s fine for fans to do it. It’s what the offseason is for, making predictions and acquiring hope for what’s ahead. The one thing I don’t like about writing for a team website is I have to be careful about predictions or someone will childishly attempt to use my words against the team I’m covering. If I was writing on my own personal site, nobody would care, but this is the Packers’ official site and that makes it a target of the media wanting to create a controversy for their gain. It happened to me with the asterisk. Here’s what I’ll say: I expect the Packers to be in the hunt. I have a high opinion of this football team.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on May 20, 2015, 01:31:07 am
Some people have already projected the Packers as Super Bowl favorites. Do you think it’s too early to predict the Super Bowl matchup?

I think we should just crown their asses right now in May!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on May 20, 2015, 02:15:57 pm



 I'm waiting for 16 games by 32 teams.  ;D
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on May 20, 2015, 02:52:09 pm

OK, so you want to make your predictions after all the games are played.    You live life on the edge don't you.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on May 20, 2015, 03:13:08 pm



 
OK, so you want to make your predictions after all the games are played.    You live life on the edge don't you.


 You want an opinion ? BEARRSSE win the SUPERBOWL ... played Da Raiduhs.


 I WANT TO SEE IT HAPPEN ! It's all i ever wanted.


 Now how can I get both teams to getting there ?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on May 20, 2015, 04:29:19 pm

Unfortunately, your best bet for that to happen would involve 30 terrorist activities.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 20, 2015, 05:47:57 pm
https://amp.twimg.com/amplify-web-player/prod/source.html?video_url=https%3A%2F%2Fvideo.twimg.com%2Fext_tw_video%2F599608860903518209%2Fpu%2Fvid%2F1280x720%2FN_LnDVXesg8y_j-5.mp4&content_type=video%2Fmp4&image_src=https%3A%2F%2Fpbs.twimg.com%2Fext_tw_video_thumb%2F599608860903518209%2Fpu%2Fimg%2Fkt0Z6-TGAcbGFB_h.jpg&video_owner_id=880439552&language_code=en&media_id=599608860903518209&json_rpc=1

Tricycle race between Eddie Lacy and some young combatants.  Congratulations to his little buddy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 20, 2015, 08:44:30 pm
Lambeau’s grandfather shot his wife, self


Monte from Pierre, SD

I heard that in 1926 the Packers were almost kicked out of the league because several of their players were playing under assumed names. Is this true and why?

The Packers were actually kicked out in January 1922 for using at least three players with college eligibility remaining under assumed names in a non-league game against Racine. The game was played Dec. 4, 1921, in Milwaukee and was billed as a battle for the state championship. It’s a long, involved story, but here’s a somewhat condensed version. By the time the Packers were admitted to the American Professional Football Association (now the NFL) on Aug. 27, 1921, they had already started practicing with many of the same local players they used in 1919 and ’20. Then they played four non-league games using several of those local players and some new recruits with state ties. But heading into their first APFA game on Oct. 23 against Minneapolis, the Packers added three players with pro experience within 48 hours of kickoff. Although the Packers were 4-0 in those non-league games, they may have had good reason for panic. The late Jack Rudolph, noted Green Bay historian, wrote years later the rumor was Green Bay had to beat Minneapolis to remain in the league. My suspicion is it wasn’t necessarily a win-or-else ultimatum, but Green Bay needed to win, or at least be competitive, to have any chance of scheduling future home games or attractive opponents. Whatever, the Packers beat the Marines and added two more experienced pros the next week. Of those five new players, four played at Notre Dame with Curly Lambeau in 1918 or the following year. Turnover of the roster continued and in late November the Chicago Cardinals and Chicago Staleys (now Bears) both agreed to play the Packers. At the time, many games were scheduled week to week. It was a big deal for the Packers to land the games in Chicago, but by then they didn’t have enough local players to even practice in Green Bay. Their players were scattered across the Midwest and met in Chicago to practice on Friday and Saturday before both games. According to The Milwaukee Journal, the Packers also practiced in Chicago before the Racine game. Meanwhile, rumors flew all week that Racine was loading up with ringers for the game. The result was a 3-3 tie. The next day, the Racine Journal-News reported, “Green Bay has (sic) several Notre Dame men from this year’s lineup with her.” The Journal-News listed them as Buck Shaw, Hunk Anderson and Fred Larson. What’s more, among the lineups that appeared in the Racine, Green Bay and two Milwaukee papers, there were three positions at which three different starters were listed for the Packers. In all, a total of six different names were listed that hadn’t previously played for them. News traveled slow in those days, and it wasn’t until eight days later that the South Bend Tribune reported Anderson, Larson and Arthur Garvey, all of whom had eligibility remaining, had played for the Packers in Milwaukee, and that Notre Dame had declared them ineligible and stripped them of their football letters. Pro football came under fire and Green Bay was forced from the league at the next APFA meeting in January. Six months later, the APFA changed its name to the National Football League and thanks to Lambeau’s persistence Green Bay was readmitted.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 20, 2015, 08:47:10 pm
Stephen from Chicago, IL

Great stuff you provide for Packers fans everywhere. My question is a simple one: With both the Bears and Packers tied for the Western Division lead at 10-1 during the 1941 season and both having lost only to each other, how was it determined to hold the play-in game at Wrigley instead of City Stadium?

I wish the answer was as simple. Representatives of the four NFL teams still in the running for the division titles met in Philadelphia on Dec. 1, 1941. Supposedly, the site was decided by a coin toss. But the Press-Gazette reported two days before the meeting the Packers weren’t likely to bid for the game. In Chicago, the playoff drew more than 43,000 fans and sold out in hours. Green Bay had a rickety 25,000-seat stadium. I’m guessing potential gate receipts determined the site, and the coin toss was a formality.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 20, 2015, 09:02:53 pm
Rookies backs Alonzo Harris, John Crockett in the running with Packers

Rob Demovsky, ESPN Staff Writer

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Alonzo Harris said he had offers from eight teams. John Crockett said he stopped counting at 20.

It's perhaps the only consolation for players who don't get drafted: They can pick their team rather than the team picking them, albeit for considerably less money. Crockett received a $5,000 signing bonus from the Green Bay Packers. Harris banked just $3,500.

Players drafted at the end of the seventh round took home $52,784 in signing bonus money and will always hold the distinction of being drafted, which can serve as a tiebreaker when roster cuts are made.

But one look at the Packers' depth chart shows why the two rookie running backs might have found an ideal situation in Green Bay. Behind Eddie Lacy and James Starks, there's not another halfback on the roster with a down of NFL regular-season experience. Rajion Neal, the No. 3 running back by default this offseason, spent the last half of last season on the practice squad after spending the first half out of football.

You better believe that depth-chart research was an important part of undrafted free agency.

"Of course, I'm not just going to go sign a contract blind," Harris said during last week's rookie minicamp. "Me and my agent and my high-school coach, we all did research. Teams my agent told me about, we wrote them down and did research on them. Other teams had several [running backs] in the mix. Dallas had about three or four as well as Green Bay. So that's what it really came down to. I really felt this was the best position."

The Packers also commissioned a study that they distributed to potential undrafted rookies and their agents in which they showed that since general manager Ted Thompson took over in 2005, the Packers used undrafted free agents on 77,079 total snaps. The next highest team was at 54,105 snaps, according to the study.

"Green Bay is one of the places that actually gives you a shot," Crockett said. "And that's all you can ask for."

The Packers are seeking a replacement for DuJuan Harris, who served last season as the No. 3 halfback (and kickoff returner). It's a role that could become critical -- although it wasn't last season -- if Lacy or Starks sustain an injury.

Coach Mike McCarthy typically likes Thompson to keep at least three halfbacks and a fullback. Perhaps they will consider keeping an extra fullback this season given that they drafted one, Oklahoma's Aaron Ripkowski, in the sixth round as a possible heir apparent to John Kuhn.

Both Harris and Crockett arrived with impressive resumes, even if they weren't household names in college football. At Louisiana-Lafayette, the 6-foot-1 and 237-pound Harris averaged 4.7 yards per carry, rushed for 3,330 career yards and scored 44 touchdowns. At North Dakota State, Crockett (6-0, 217) didn't become the starting running back until his final season. Still, he finished his career with three straight 1,000-yard seasons. He set school records for all-purpose yards (2,419) and rushing yards (1,994) as a senior.

It might have been hard for a guy like Crockett, who got little attention despite playing on three FCS national championship teams in his three seasons, to get to the NFL. But now that he's here, he's on a level playing field and in a place where he has a chance to make it.

"I think the notice part is over," McCarthy said. "Just as I've told everybody, Crockett included, 'You're here for a reason. You've earned a right to be in an NFL facility. You've earned the right to challenge for a roster spot for the 2015 Green Bay Packers.'"
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on May 20, 2015, 09:04:50 pm
So the Packers have been cheaters from way back!  Not a surprise.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 20, 2015, 10:39:45 pm
All of the teams cheated if you go back far enough in time.  We can only hope that the league has gained greatly in class since the roaring 20s. 

Comme se, comme sa.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on May 21, 2015, 10:03:15 am
Quote
All of the teams cheated if you go back far enough in time.

That would be for some interesting reading.  I wonder what the biggest scandal is for each team in their respective histories?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on May 21, 2015, 01:09:03 pm
Halas giving money to keep GB afloat! :-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on May 21, 2015, 01:12:37 pm
I don't know if I would consider that a scandal.

More like the Chicago Black Sox.  N.O. bounty gate.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 21, 2015, 06:54:12 pm
https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fnflspinzone.com%2F2015%2F05%2F17%2Fgreen-bay-packers-must-watch-prospect-john-crockett%2F&t=Green+Bay+Packers+must-watch+prospect%3A+John+Crockett

"The Tasmanian Devil".
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 21, 2015, 06:57:38 pm
Halas giving money to keep GB afloat! :-)

To a Packer fan this was the most important and wisest decision of all-time.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 21, 2015, 07:00:39 pm
I don't know if I would consider that a scandal.

More like the Chicago Black Sox.  N.O. bounty gate.

GB had some.  Hornung's gambling was a big one in the eyes of NFL brass but not sure it meant all that much to Joe fan.

The Forrest Gregg - Bear players ((especially Jim McMahon) taking names and hurting was bad.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 21, 2015, 07:20:21 pm
http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/51/files/2015/05/packeruniforms.png
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on May 21, 2015, 07:31:54 pm
Damn.  They were always butt ugly...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 21, 2015, 07:55:17 pm
Ryan from Fredericton, NB

NFL Network presented Robert Kraft’s decision not to appeal the Deflategate punishments as him being a team player and hoping other NFL franchises will follow his lead. A man who last week was disgusted and offended by the NFL’s decision can now be seen as a stand-up individual and trying to set precedent with other owners. This hypocrisy makes me sick. The Patriots are documented repeat cheaters, yet, they still have four championships in the last 15 years. What have the Patriots actually lost?

Their loss will mostly be the result of how history records them.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 21, 2015, 07:58:05 pm
Dan from Waupun, WI

Besides more profit, what other benefits would the Raiders receive by moving to LA?

A secure future. The NFL isn’t going to allow pro football to fail in Los Angeles this time.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 21, 2015, 08:05:28 pm
Jay from Arlington Heights, IL

To whom do you give more credit for successfully adapting to the rules changes of 1978, Bradshaw or Noll? Same question for the West Coast offense between Montana and Walsh.

Coach Noll gets the credit. He saw the impact of the rules before anyone else did. He took me and a few other reporters into his film room before the start of training camp in 1978, and showed us a video from the league on the rules changes. Don Shula was featured in the video, explaining the changes. Coach Noll told us the game was about to experience an explosion of passing yards and points. He knew what he had and he turned him loose. Bill Walsh was running the West Coast offense in Cincinnati before he became the 49ers’ head coach. That’s one of the reasons Ken Anderson was such an efficient quarterback. Joe Montana was the perfect fit for Walsh’s offense, and the name West Coast offense was a perfect fit for the 49ers’ success.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 21, 2015, 08:06:42 pm
Kent from Appleton, WI

How did Unitas develop the things you listed? Was he drawing up plays in the dirt? What did his coaches contribute?

I’m sure his coaches contributed plenty, but Johnny Unitas had an aptitude for the game and called his own plays. When Don Shula became the Colts coach, he sent a play into the game and Unitas called time out, went to the sideline and asked Shula if he wanted to play quarterback. It was Unitas’ huddle and his offense; he ran the show. Cliff Christl has told me the story of a time when Lombardi was coaching in the Pro Bowl, and Unitas made a suggestion on a play design. Lombardi complimented Unitas on the suggestion and then incorporated that suggestion into the Packers’ playbook. Lombardi loved Unitas.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 21, 2015, 08:07:45 pm
Ron from Lees Summit, MO

Vic, read your thoughts and the question about golf having integrity. Do you think it might be for two factors? It’s an individual sport, just you and your score, no one else to blame. Also, competitive golfers always play with others that know the rules and are watching.

I think the main reason is golf has done a great job of selling the value of being honorable. Getting caught cheating would be an embarrassment worse than losing. That’s the key. I’d like to see football sell that concept.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 21, 2015, 08:09:18 pm
Ryan from Milwaukee, WI

If I had a failed drug test or was caught with drugs or had a criminal background, I would never be admitted to the radiological technology program I’m applying to this fall. Why doesn’t the NFL have more stringent policies?

Football is a nasty game, often requiring nasty men to play it. The line is drawn more loosely for them than it is for radiological technologists, but there nonetheless has to be a line. I think we’re in the process of drawing that line.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 21, 2015, 08:11:18 pm
Willie from Hayward, WI

Don’t you think Weeb Ewbank deserves some of the credit for the offense the Colts ran back in the day? Or perhaps Paul Brown, because Weeb was a Browns assistant.

Ewbank gets credit for spoiling what might’ve become the greatest dynasty in football history. Because he was coaching under Brown, Ewbank knew Brown was about to sign Unitas to a contract when Unitas was playing sandlot football. Brown made the mistake of delaying. Also, Ewbank knew Brown wanted to draft Raymond Berry, and sent a message to the Colts to draft Berry before Brown did. Ewbank was about to become the Colts’ head coach, but Brown insisted Ewbank stay with the Browns through the draft. I might be a little fuzzy on the facts – I read about them a long time ago in a Brown biography – but what I remember most is that if not for Ewbank, the Browns would’ve had Unitas, Berry and Jim Brown in their offense.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 21, 2015, 08:42:59 pm
I don't know if I would consider that a scandal.

More like the Chicago Black Sox.  N.O. bounty gate.

Packers were kicked out of the league

Posted May 20, 2015

 Is this bad enough, wml?


Lambeau’s grandfather shot his wife, self

I heard that in 1926 the Packers were almost kicked out of the league because several of their players were playing under assumed names. Is this true and why?

The Packers were actually kicked out in January 1922 for using at least three players with college eligibility remaining under assumed names in a non-league game against Racine. The game was played Dec. 4, 1921, in Milwaukee and was billed as a battle for the state championship. It’s a long, involved story, but here’s a somewhat condensed version. By the time the Packers were admitted to the American Professional Football Association (now the NFL) on Aug. 27, 1921, they had already started practicing with many of the same local players they used in 1919 and ’20. Then they played four non-league games using several of those local players and some new recruits with state ties. But heading into their first APFA game on Oct. 23 against Minneapolis, the Packers added three players with pro experience within 48 hours of kickoff. Although the Packers were 4-0 in those non-league games, they may have had good reason for panic. The late Jack Rudolph, noted Green Bay historian, wrote years later the rumor was Green Bay had to beat Minneapolis to remain in the league. My suspicion is it wasn’t necessarily a win-or-else ultimatum, but Green Bay needed to win, or at least be competitive, to have any chance of scheduling future home games or attractive opponents. Whatever, the Packers beat the Marines and added two more experienced pros the next week. Of those five new players, four played at Notre Dame with Curly Lambeau in 1918 or the following year. Turnover of the roster continued and in late November the Chicago Cardinals and Chicago Staleys (now Bears) both agreed to play the Packers. At the time, many games were scheduled week to week. It was a big deal for the Packers to land the games in Chicago, but by then they didn’t have enough local players to even practice in Green Bay. Their players were scattered across the Midwest and met in Chicago to practice on Friday and Saturday before both games. According to The Milwaukee Journal, the Packers also practiced in Chicago before the Racine game. Meanwhile, rumors flew all week that Racine was loading up with ringers for the game. The result was a 3-3 tie. The next day, the Racine Journal-News reported, “Green Bay has (sic) several Notre Dame men from this year’s lineup with her.” The Journal-News listed them as Buck Shaw, Hunk Anderson and Fred Larson. What’s more, among the lineups that appeared in the Racine, Green Bay and two Milwaukee papers, there were three positions at which three different starters were listed for the Packers. In all, a total of six different names were listed that hadn’t previously played for them. News traveled slow in those days, and it wasn’t until eight days later that the South Bend Tribune reported Anderson, Larson and Arthur Garvey, all of whom had eligibility remaining, had played for the Packers in Milwaukee, and that Notre Dame had declared them ineligible and stripped them of their football letters. Pro football came under fire and Green Bay was forced from the league at the next APFA meeting in January. Six months later, the APFA changed its name to the National Football League and thanks to Lambeau’s persistence Green Bay was readmitted.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 21, 2015, 09:09:45 pm
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DAVE MARTINDAVE MARTIN


Lawsuit: Holmgren Threatened to Cut Players If They Didn't Take Painkillers

Mike Chiari
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on May 22, 2015, 07:40:00 pm



 IF YOU ARE SLICK ...


 you put MICROPHONES into the other teams locker rooms for home games ...


 AND ... you hire LIP READERS.


 Which is why HEAD COACHES cover their mouths to this day.


 THAT's OUR PAPPA BEAR!


 To quote NASCAR : If you ain't cheatin you ain't leadin !


 Ask the PATRIOTS.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 22, 2015, 07:53:57 pm
Bobby from Burleson, TX

It seems Jerry Jones, media and fans believe it’s the offensive line that makes the running back. Do you believe this or does it take a special back to make a good line great?

A great offensive line, and the Cowboys have one, can make an average back good. A great back can make an average line great.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 22, 2015, 07:54:41 pm
Mike from Fort Wayne, IN

What concerns you about the game’s future?

Youth participation is weak. I also worry the fundamental charm of the game, violent contact, is being legislated out of the game. Where do we draw the line in player safety? The answer to that question will determine the future of football.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 22, 2015, 07:58:21 pm
Andy from Waupaca, WI

Vic, how about a history lesson? How did the 1985 Bears defense dominate, since they were after the rules changes of ’78?

The way to beat the “46 Defense” is to attack it deep. The Bears’ pass rush was so fierce, it got to the quarterback before his receivers got deep.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 22, 2015, 07:59:12 pm
Jennifer from Milwaukee, WI

Vic, if the defense does return a two-point attempt for a score, does the clock run and which team gets the ball on the kickoff?

All PAT attempts remain an untimed down and the defense receives the kickoff.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 22, 2015, 08:00:34 pm
Adam from New Haven, CT




Which team in the NFC North would you guess will have the most two-point conversion attempts at the end of next season? Or will it still be a question of circumstances?

The team with the worst kicker will attempt the most two-point conversions. Once a team misses a kick, it’ll be likely to get into what I call the two-point death spiral; they’ll keep trying to make up for the lost point. Kicks will be missed; count on it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 22, 2015, 08:36:32 pm
Buffalo kicker Dan Carpenter echoed Feely's safety concerns. In an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio, Carpenter said (via the Buffalo News):


Being on field goal protection is probably the worst job in football. I know that. And I know all my linemen know that. Well now, they just went from a play where there weren't too many collisions to a play now where not only is the defense coming to take that one point off, but also to have a chance to add two more to their score. For a sport that was trying to cut down on collisions, I mean, I think that you're probably going to add a few more on those situations.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on May 22, 2015, 08:52:38 pm



 
Buffalo kicker Dan Carpenter echoed Feely's safety concerns. In an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio, Carpenter said (via the Buffalo News):


Being on field goal protection is probably the worst job in football. I know that. And I know all my linemen know that. Well now, they just went from a play where there weren't too many collisions to a play now where not only is the defense coming to take that one point off, but also to have a chance to add two more to their score. For a sport that was trying to cut down on collisions, I mean, I think that you're probably going to add a few more on those situations.

Kickers are such whiners.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 23, 2015, 08:24:47 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nnk9OvzSMYg&feature=player_embedded

Peppers' highlights
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 23, 2015, 09:14:20 pm
Brandon from Mililani, HI

Vic, reading a great book. In the book, they explain the sports fan mentality: “Whomever you root for represents you; and when they win, you win.” What do you think?

We identify. That’s why it’s so important for teams to create an identity and maintain it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 23, 2015, 09:23:40 pm
Vic, would you please tell me how Dave Robinson stacked up against the all-time best linebackers?

He was ahead of his time. I think his talents were perfect for today’s game. He was Lawrence Taylor before Taylor was Lawrence Taylor. If Robinson had played today, he might be the best linebacker in the game.

I had the opportunity to watch Robinson practicing on the field after he was drafted.  He was a great physical specimen at  6-4 and 240 pounds; no fat and all muscular frame.  His stature made him look bigger then is true size.  He looked as menacing as he  performed.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 23, 2015, 09:26:19 pm
Justin from Orlando, FL

With the receiver position as stacked as it is, why has there been no talk of moving Ty Montgomery to running back?

I would blame it on sanity.

Don't get nasty, now, Vic.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 23, 2015, 09:28:45 pm
Evan from Mahtomedi, MN

Do you believe we will see the swinging gate and other gimmicky two-point attempts in the NFL?

If I was a head coach, I’d focus my attention on PAT defense, especially on kick-block strategy. I think there’s an opportunity to steal some game-changing points. What about a track guy coming off the edge? What if you lined up two speedsters to the same side? What would that kind of speed do to blocking assignments? Could it cause gaps? I think there are unexplored strategies available on kick-block
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 23, 2015, 09:29:35 pm
Erik from Noblesville, IN

Any chance you will watch the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday? The history and tradition of the 500 is truly amazing.

I’m not a racing fan. The closest I ever got to a race track was in Daytona. I ate at a Denny’s across the street from the race track. They must’ve been practicing because the noise was deafening. I had trouble finishing my breakfast. So I got in my Versa and left.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 23, 2015, 10:06:42 pm


Packers' offense is 7th-youngest group in NFL

by Evan "Tex" Western


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 24, 2015, 11:14:36 pm
(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/slides/photos/003/973/747/hi-res-03e3c3352598c63f18d41e4780207242_crop_north.jpg?w=630&h=420&q=75)

Matt Rotheram  C, G, undrafted FA.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 24, 2015, 11:44:41 pm
Packers' offense is 7th-youngest group in NFL

by Evan "Tex" Western
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on May 25, 2015, 03:22:28 pm



 Packy,


 You seen whats going on with both teams ...


 you think we split it with you this year?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on May 25, 2015, 03:34:32 pm

I was wondering where the Packers' offense ranks age-wise in the NFL.

And why do their offensive lineman have a fear of their barber?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on May 25, 2015, 04:23:55 pm



 Looks like we just chucked the former and now former DE BEARS from Frisco.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 25, 2015, 09:28:28 pm
I was wondering where the Packers' offense ranks age-wise in the NFL.

And why do their offensive lineman have a fear of their barber?

You have read the story about Samson in the Bible, haven't you?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 25, 2015, 09:55:36 pm
Steve from Lubbock, TX

Should the NFL ban gloves for receivers?

I wouldn’t be opposed to it, because I think the gloves the players wear in today’s game provide more than warmth for the hands, they provide stickum, and I think that cheapens the catch. A one-handed catch isn’t all that great when you’re wearing those gloves. If you’re going to ban gloves for receivers, I think they have to be banned for all players, including quarterbacks. I wanna know who the natural stars are. Just as I don’t want to watch a bottle of pills play football, I don’t want to watch a pair of gloves play football. The stickum quality of those gloves is a definite aid in throwing, catching and holding onto the ball. Will the NFL ban gloves? No way. Throwing and catching ring the cash register.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 25, 2015, 10:00:12 pm
Alan from Aldershot, UK

Why are you always hating on soccer? It’s a man’s sport loved by real men.

I hate it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 25, 2015, 10:01:59 pm
Justin from Nashville, TN

Vic, my wife accidently broke my lucky gameday Packers mug last night. Does that mean Green Bay’s arrow is starting to point downward?

If you were using that mug during the conference title game in Seattle, then I’m glad it broke.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 25, 2015, 10:03:34 pm
Eivind from Nordfjordeid, Norway

Vic, I just re-watched the Monday night game vs the Falcons and I heard an interesting quote from Mr. Gruden: “This offensive line is the best kept secret in Wisconsin.” Do you have a similar feeling for a player or position group this year?

I think the Packers secondary has a chance to become the next best-kept secret.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 25, 2015, 10:05:33 pm
Zach from Delavan, WI

Since you’ve been watching football, which single player has had the greatest impact on changing the way the game is played and how?

It would be a tie between Mel Blount and Lawrence Taylor. Blount gave us the no-chuck rule that was part of the game-changing rules changes of 1978. L.T. made the left tackle the second-most important player on the offense.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 25, 2015, 11:10:04 pm
http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/05/pitch-perfect-2-kay-cannon?mbid=social_twitter
Kay Cannon, writer of Pitch Perfect 2  and Chicago Bears fan opposed GBP players in movie.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: navigator on May 26, 2015, 10:13:51 am
I lke reading the ask Vic posts, I wish the Bears had something like that.
That being said, I think Vic got something wrong.
He said the best way to beat the 46 was to attack it deep.
If that was the case then why was Walsh's west coast offense so good against it?
It spread the field out and emphasized more on quick accurate passes than deep passes.
If I recall correctly a big part of Walsh's offense was designed to stop the 46.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on May 26, 2015, 03:41:21 pm



 
I lke reading the ask Vic posts, I wish the Bears had something like that.
That being said, I think Vic got something wrong.
He said the best way to beat the 46 was to attack it deep.
If that was the case then why was Walsh's west coast offense so good against it?
It spread the field out and emphasized more on quick accurate passes than deep passes.
If I recall correctly a big part of Walsh's offense was designed to stop the 46.


 Walsh did it in 1984 ... he sure in the **** didn't do it in 1985.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 26, 2015, 07:46:06 pm
I lke reading the ask Vic posts, I wish the Bears had something like that.
That being said, I think Vic got something wrong.
He said the best way to beat the 46 was to attack it deep.
If that was the case then why was Walsh's west coast offense so good against it?
It spread the field out and emphasized more on quick accurate passes than deep passes.
If I recall correctly a big part of Walsh's offense was designed to stop the 46.

That's a good point.  The 46 was tough for everyone, though.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 26, 2015, 07:57:21 pm
Jon from Bath, England

Who’s the next QB to win their first Super Bowl?

My guess is Andrew Luck would be the popular answer.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 26, 2015, 07:57:58 pm
Drew from Anaheim, CA

Vic, what exactly is the “46 Defense” and what is your opinion of it?

It’s essentially “Cover Zero,” and for every sack you don’t get, you run a huge risk of getting beat deep.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 26, 2015, 08:00:40 pm
Hack from Columbia, SC

Tight end! Good Lord, people! It’s a tight end league now! Look what the Pats did without Gronk two years ago. Nothing! If Rodgers doesn’t emerge as the go-to guy at tight end in the red zone this year, we’re doomed. It’ll be field goal after field goal after field goal down there, just like last year. Get it together, people! Tight end!

Calm down, please. We’re just beginning OTAs.

Do you think that poor guy can make it through the season?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 26, 2015, 08:01:48 pm
Craig from Brookfield, WI

Vic, the other day you wrote that the Packers’ base uniform, and several other teams’ base uniforms, must never change. I couldn’t agree more. Can you give us your list of must-never-change teams?

Packers, Bears, Steelers, Cowboys, Giants immediately come to mind.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 26, 2015, 08:02:46 pm
Jered from Sparta, WI

Just became head football coach for Cashton High School. If you became the head coach, what would your first speech to the team be like?

It would be very calm and understated. My first practice would be intense, physical and demanding. The combined message would be “Deeds, not words.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 26, 2015, 08:04:06 pm
James from Beaver Dam, WI

The Packers’ policy is to keep the team young; better to cut them a year early than a year late. Why doesn’t this carry over to their reporters?

This is about soccer, isn’t it?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 26, 2015, 08:06:39 pm
Sam from Madison, WI

Would something like this make sense for players with past legal troubles? If you draft/sign a player with a prior charge and he has a repeat offense while under contract, the team loses a draft pick the following season? This needs to stop and I think you’re right on about the teams needing to be held accountable in order to keep the Ray McDonalds of the world out of the league.

I give the Bears credit for protecting themselves; there was no guaranteed money in McDonald’s contract, which had to have sent a powerful message to McDonald that if he got into trouble, he was gone. The new message is powerful messages don’t work.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 26, 2015, 08:08:44 pm
Joe from Kenosha, WI

If a team blocks a PAT kick, can they return it for two points or is it only if the offense goes for two?

The defense can score two points on either a kick or a two-point try.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 26, 2015, 09:08:47 pm
Watch the Packers WR cuts after training this season.  There will be a couple of them that will have to  go, with the glut of talent they have from this year's  draft and last year's PS players.  I would just about bet that at least a couple of them will depart and make some other team's rosters.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 27, 2015, 04:22:49 pm
(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/003/407/110/hi-res-9aff792b68109adff12b57a7ae22526b_crop_north.jpg?w=270&h=150&q=75)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 27, 2015, 04:37:42 pm
Eric from Runaway Bay, TX

Vic, some places around here have started replacing the ground-up tires with ground-up cork. This is supposed to reduce the heat coming up off the turf.

That’s a good idea, but does the cork get in your shoes as the rubber pellets did? When I came off the Field Turf field, I always had to empty the pellets from my shoes.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 27, 2015, 04:39:14 pm
Bob from Cortez, CO

When I was a kid in the sixties, at the end of the season we knew who the team would be next year. A team’s constant rollover of players benefits from having a column like yours. It helps us identify with each year’s new team. Thanks for the good work.

You’re right, times have changed dramatically. Free agency and the salary cap have done that. Chuck Noll saw it coming. He said one of the reasons he retired from coaching is because he didn’t want to work in a system that had a graduating class every year, meaning he didn’t want to train players only to lose them. This is why I refer to today’s game as a game of replacement. To truly know the team you follow, you must follow it through the offseason.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 27, 2015, 04:40:25 pm
Mark from Stewartville, MN

Vic, I understand why Lawrence Taylor made left tackle the second-most important player on offense, since it was the left tackle’s job to keep Taylor away from the quarterback, but considering the fact there are so few defensive players with Taylor’s talent, is left offensive tackle still as important as it was when Taylor played?

If you have a weak spot at left tackle, the defense will find a way to expose it. They’ll throw everything they have at it. Taylor put a target on the left tackle.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 27, 2015, 04:41:51 pm
Gan from New York, NY

Does a blocked field goal attempt returned for a touchdown give the defense two points under the new rules?

No, it’s still six.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 27, 2015, 04:44:20 pm
Jordan from Ames, IA

Yesterday you stated the Packers have the best roster and have said Aaron is the best quarterback. Am I overstating it when I say the Super Bowl is a sure thing?

Coach Noll had a wonderfully glib sense of humor. If a reporter began a question with the words “am I overstating it,” Coach Noll would quickly answer, “yes”. Think about it. Whenever somebody begins a question with the words “am I overstating it,” or “is it an exaggeration to say,” the answer is almost always yes.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 27, 2015, 04:45:33 pm
Douglas from Louisville, KY

You may have spoken on this before, but how do you feel about players like Marshawn Lynch not giving the media legitimate answers?

By not talking to reporters, a player gives you a legitimate look at his emotions and his unwillingness to communicate with the fans. I just want the truth. If you hate me, tell me.

Mark from Winfield, IL



Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 27, 2015, 04:49:02 pm
Luvas from Atlanta, GA

Vic, what is your proudest moment from the days when you played football?

It was the first time I ever played in a varsity game, and the film study that followed. The coach called my name and I thought somebody was playing a joke on me. I was supposed to replace the wingback and I was to be the target of a pass. When I ran onto the field, the left halfback thought I was to replace him and began running off the field, so I brought the play into the huddle and then played left halfback, which meant I had to pass-protect against the biggest, toughest player on the defense. He came at me unblocked, and the coward inside me knew immediately what I had to do, go low. In the Monday film session, when we got to that play, I was scared to watch, but there it was; I cut him like a tree. The room erupted and the coach said, “Welcome to the varsity, Ketchman.” That’s my proudest moment.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 27, 2015, 04:50:19 pm
Jon from Warsaw, WI

Vic, which would hurt less, a root canal or watching a two-hour soccer match?

I once fell asleep during a root canal. When I’m channel surfing and I get to the soccer stations, I close my eyes and hold down the button until I think I’m past them.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 27, 2015, 04:51:06 pm
Bob from Racine, WI

I see where Damarious Randall is not yet signed. Can he participate in OTAs without signing a contract?

Teams sign an agreement with unsigned draft choices, that the team will negotiate in good faith should the player become injured in OTAs while unsigned.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 27, 2015, 04:52:07 pm
Mark from Third Lake, IL

If the defense gains possession on a failed PAT and they advance the ball but then fumble and the original PAT team then recovers it, can they then advance it to score points? If so, is it always two points or is it based on the original try?

Again, I don’t know, and that’s why I’m posting these questions. My inbox is loaded with these hypotheticals, and I guarantee the coaches don’t know the answers either. That’s another reason I think this rule change is going to have impact.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 27, 2015, 04:53:17 pm
Dan from West Des Moines, IA

Hey, just wanted to say love the column. I read it every day when I’m on break/lunch. My question is that it seems more and more people from other countries are writing into the column. Is this because the NFL has started having games overseas, or are people all over the world football fans in general?

It’s because the Packers have international appeal. I’m blessed to be writing for a team with a fan base the size of the Packers’.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 27, 2015, 04:54:38 pm
Rusty from Lebanon, MO

You need to ban Hack from Columbia, SC. I have no idea why he’s getting all negative about Richard Rodgers not developing. Rodgers contributed to our offense a lot. He made big-time catches in big-time moments. He’s going to keep on improving and someone needs to tell Hack to relax and it’s going to be alright.

I haven’t banned anyone recently, so, he’s banned. I didn’t wanna do it. I felt I owed it to him.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on May 28, 2015, 04:05:27 pm



 Packy,


 All we want is green bay snot on our knuckles.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 28, 2015, 07:57:00 pm
Derk from Chippewa Falls, WI

If you could bring back any old-school offense, what would it be? I say bring back the Wing-T.

The Wing-T is my all-time favorite offense, but to bring it back you would also have to legalize the signature block in the Wing-T, the post and turn. It’s illegal because the post and turn is a two-man block in which the tackle stands up the end as the wingback crab-blocks the end’s knees and turns him.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 28, 2015, 07:58:30 pm
LuLu from North Hollywood, CA

Will the Packers ever be the team on HBO “Hard Knocks”?

There’s a better chance of the Packers putting a dome on Lambeau Field

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 28, 2015, 08:01:18 pm
Tim from Normal, IL

Vic, when Auburn ran back Alabama’s missed FG for a TD a couple of years ago, Alabama had all linemen on the field. Do you foresee NFL teams adding a speed player on extra points to help prevent run-backs?

I’m anticipating an explosion of special teams strategy. Think back to the NFC title game and that fake field goal play by the Seahawks. How big was that? I think head coaches throughout the league are viewing special teams as a new frontier, and the new PAT rule change is going to drive new strategies.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 28, 2015, 08:02:51 pm
Barry from Hayward, WI

Vic, is a team’s personality derived from the city they play in or from the owner?

If the owner is smart, he’ll let the spirit of place define his team. It lasts.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 28, 2015, 08:04:59 pm
Kevin from Vinton, IA

What made the 2011 Packers offense so special? With the balanced attack and offensive line, will this year’s offense be better?

It was the lack of a running game that made the 2011 offense so prolific. The Packers couldn’t run the ball so they just kept throwing it and piling up yards and points. The real question is why did it take opposing defenses so long to load up against the pass and flood the passing lanes? The arrival of Eddie Lacy in 2013 and the emergence of a powerful running game made the Packers offense much more balanced, and a balanced offense is always better than a one-trick attack.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 28, 2015, 08:07:22 pm
Maximillian from Sydney, Australia

Vic, do you think having the Seahawks so early in the season will be a distraction for our opening game against the Bears?

Nobody overlooks an opener, especially when it’s against a division rival.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 28, 2015, 08:08:42 pm
Justin from Lewistown, MT

I believe spread offense is destroying the basic reads and skills of the offensive line. Players are coming into the league having to be completely retrained by coaches immediately. Your thoughts?

A lot of good linemen are hidden in college spread offenses. I think that’s what happened with Don Barclay.



Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 29, 2015, 07:31:35 pm
Don from Torrington, CT

Who was your favorite pro football player when you were a kid? Mine was No. 66, Ray Nitschke.

Mine was No. 22, Bobby Layne. I loved the no-facemask, bloody-nose look. He was a swashbuckling guy. I never saw him run a two-minute drill with the game on the line when his nose wasn’t bleeding and the right sleeve of his white game shirt wasn’t stained with blood. Cliff Christl has told me Lombardi loved Layne, which only makes sense because Lombardi loved Paul Hornung. Lombardi was “Mr. Discipline,” but he was tolerant of outside-the-lines players that had the “it factor,” and Layne and Hornung had it.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 29, 2015, 07:35:56 pm
John from Chippewa Falls, WI

Vic, given how much you don’t like having to edit spelling in the questions people ask, I was surprised to see the word speficifically in your “News now!” article today. Or was that just a test to see who’s paying attention to detail?

You got me, John.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 29, 2015, 07:37:23 pm
Joe from Clio, MI

What do you think will happen concerning Tom Brady’s appeal?

It’ll result in Brady’s suspension being reduced to two games, and no one will be happy.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 29, 2015, 07:39:46 pm
Dave from Franklin, WI

Are Packers fans spoiled? Seems like anything but a Super Bowl win is treated like a wasted season.

I really dislike that attitude, but I don’t think it’s the result of being spoiled, I think it’s the result of mismanaged expectations. I’ve never enjoyed a season more than I enjoyed the 2013 season. December was special; it was my Super Bowl. I think we need to limit our expectations, and just enjoy the ride. Too many fans want the season to follow a script, but most seasons don’t. Did the 2010 season follow a script? Winning the Super Bowl is about getting hot at the right time. Did the Patriots look like a Super Bowl champion when they played at Lambeau Field late last season? I thought Tom Brady looked ordinary that night. I also thought the Packers were on their way to the big game last season and, with four minutes to play in Seattle if you had asked me who would win the Super Bowl, I would’ve said the Packers would. The twists and turns in a season are the drama. Just sit back and enjoy the drama. Find the joy in something other than winning it all.

IMO many Packer fans are spoiled.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 29, 2015, 07:43:08 pm
Brett from Green Bay, WI

Vic, what happened in 1996?

Fox News was born and the cable news rush was on to see who could make us the angriest.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 29, 2015, 07:44:43 pm
Easton from Milwaukee, WI

Can you tell us a great story from one of your general assignments?

I was fresh out of college when I was assigned to a magazine-type story on Amtrak, which was resurrecting its passenger service. My assignment included riding the Broadway Limited from Pittsburgh to Chicago to New York and back to Pittsburgh. I had never slept in a train, so I was unfamiliar with the accommodations. The train left Pittsburgh late at night. I jumped up on the bed and took off my shoes. I saw a little door marked “shoes”, so I put my shoes in the little compartment inside the little door. The next morning, I woke up, opened the little door and my shoes were gone. I didn’t know what to do. Somebody had come into the room during the night and stolen my shoes. They were the only shoes I had. I sat in my room in disbelief as we rolled toward Chicago. I looked all over the room; no shoes. Out of desperation, I opened the little door again, and my shoes had magically reappeared, freshly polished. Man, did I feel stupid.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on May 29, 2015, 07:53:08 pm



 Packy,


 We are here to play the game ... not shine your shoes.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 29, 2015, 09:17:50 pm
Prince Shembo charged in death of dog, then waived by Falcons

37m - NFL,  Prince Shembo  +1 more

Fitting retribution.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 29, 2015, 09:20:08 pm


 Packy,


 We are here to play the game ... not shine your shoes.

Then, we need not be embarrassed, jj.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 30, 2015, 06:51:43 pm
Julian from Bozeman, MT

Isn’t it good to sometimes put Clay at inside linebacker because, even though it’s harder to rush from there, it mixes it up so the defense never knows where he’s coming from?

It certainly puts a strain on the opposing quarterback. He has to find Matthews and adjust the play-call accordingly.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 30, 2015, 06:52:46 pm
Ken from Floyds Knobs, IN

What is a Golden Flash?

Nobody knows. When I was at Kent State, we had a mascot dressed as a Three Musketeer riding a horse. I never made the connection.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 30, 2015, 06:56:14 pm
Gary from Somerville, NJ

Vic, I just purchased game tickets and airfare for the Packers Sunday night tilt in Denver. What are the chances we get a “Packers Everywhere” function that weekend? Do you have that list in front of you?

No, I don’t, but I’d like to do a “Packers Everywhere” for every road game. The ones in Chicago, Tampa and Seattle last year were sensational. I see these “Packers Everywhere” events as added incentive for Packers fans to attend road games.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 30, 2015, 06:57:55 pm
Simon from Aalborg, Denmark

Loved Joe Whitt’s comment on the two new defensive backs and how it “wouldn’t be a nice place before they get to where I want ’em to”. This isn’t a comfort game.

It’s not a soft game so why coach them to be soft?


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 30, 2015, 06:59:03 pm
Del from Sterling, IL

Vic, what is your impression of Matt Rotheram?

He reminds me a little of Josh Sitton.

:-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 30, 2015, 07:00:55 pm
Chad from Tarpon Springs, FL

What makes Bill Belichick such a good coach when he is a known cheater and beguiles the media?

Start with Tom Brady; if Belichick had Brady in Cleveland, Belichick would’ve never been fired. The other thing that makes Belichick a great coach is his ability to patch holes in his roster with stop-gap players. He’s the best at it I’ve ever seen. Belichick is known as a great defensive strategist, but it’s his ability to evaluate personnel and how it might be used that makes him such a great strategist. He schemes personnel, not schemes.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 30, 2015, 07:02:09 pm
Greg from Perkasie, PA

Vic, if left tackle is a premium position, why not send your best pass rusher at the right tackle instead?

You can do that if you have a pass rusher that’s good at stopping the run, but there aren’t a lot of Reggie Whites out there. You don’t want your undersized, quick-twitch pass rusher holding the point of attack all day.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 30, 2015, 07:03:26 pm
Brian from Shadyside, OH

Loved the Beano Cook reference in “Video Ask Vic”. Any good stories about him?

When the Iran hostages were released, Major League Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn offered them lifetime passes to all games. Beano said, “Haven’t they suffered enough?” Beano loved football, especially college football. He was a treasure.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on May 30, 2015, 07:04:40 pm
Clark from Kansas City, KS

Vic, what would be the results if the Super Bowl became a three-game series and was played in three different stadiums over three weeks? I know it would be an enormous change and it would be bad for the players in some aspects, but it would generate a huge amount of revenue and give us more awesome games.

You’re banned, too.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 01, 2015, 09:45:40 pm
Rob from Webb City, MO

Vic, the one thing I took away from the past week’s OTAs was Mike McCarthy’s comment about the veteran players’ presence in camp. What are your thoughts on this team’s veterans and their ability to lead and mentor such a young roster?

I’m big on players leading, not on mentoring. I’m sorry, I know that’s not a popular opinion with fans, but I don’t like the idea of players coaching players. I want players competing with players. That’s how you lead. Deeds, not words.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 01, 2015, 09:47:15 pm
Chas from Rockford, IL

If you take the best defensive end in the league and put him against the best tackle in the league, who would win the matchup more consistently?

If the tackle doesn’t win nearly all of them, he’s not the best tackle in the league. I can’t remember seeing Tony Boselli genuinely beaten for a sack. Anthony Munoz? Never
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 01, 2015, 09:49:53 pm
Marc from Cumming, GA

Vic, I will be boycotting you for three days out of respect for Brett. He should not have been banned.

When your boycott ends, you’re banned.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 01, 2015, 09:56:22 pm
Dale from Richmond, VA

Now is the time all teams are optimistic, and certainly there’s reason to feel good about our upcoming season, but where is our Achilles heel?

The concern, in my opinion, is for depth at cornerback. It’s a critically important position and we won’t know if the Packers have the depth they’ll need to defend against spread offenses, until we see the Packers’ young cornerbacks in action.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on June 02, 2015, 08:56:32 am

In support of Marc from Cumming, GA I'm boycotting Green Bay Sucks for 3 days.

Now is the time all teams are optimistic, and certainly there’s reason to feel good about our upcoming season, but where is our Achilles heel?

The Packers have none - they are perfect.  Time to start making hotel reservations in San Francisco now.

OK, that's it I'm banning myself.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on June 02, 2015, 10:06:43 am
Ban me as well while you're at it...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 02, 2015, 10:11:30 pm
In support of Marc from Cumming, GA I'm boycotting Green Bay Sucks for 3 days.

Now is the time all teams are optimistic, and certainly there’s reason to feel good about our upcoming season, but where is our Achilles heel?

The Packers have none - they are perfect.  Time to start making hotel reservations in San Francisco now.

OK, that's it I'm banning myself.

OK, you're banned.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 02, 2015, 10:12:08 pm
Ban me as well while you're at it...

Ditto.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 02, 2015, 10:24:11 pm
Darren from Mackinaw, IL

What position do you believe will show the greatest improvement this year?

I think the obvious answer is inside linebacker. Two starters were released.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 02, 2015, 10:31:50 pm
Josip from Zagreb, Croatia

“We’re challenging the older guys to bring the younger guys up and then coach those younger guys in more of a one-on-one fashion. It’s just finding as many different ways as you possibly can to motivate and continue to grow as a program,” Mike McCarthy said. It looks like this claim is directly opposite to your opinion. Any comment?

I often have opinions that aren’t shared by others.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 02, 2015, 10:36:12 pm
Daniel from Fort Worth, TX

Vic, you usually have a very good feel for the direction of a team’s arrow. What is it about the Raiders that makes you believe they will make a big jump?

I think they have a young quarterback on the rise, and the arrow of the team’s quarterback largely determines the direction of the team’s arrow. The Raiders also have a coach who’s going to make them run the ball and play defense.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 02, 2015, 10:39:09 pm
Andy from Chengdu, China

“Vic, what has jumped out at you so far in OTAs? After just one day? This is the worst question in the history of the world. You’re banned.” Is this a Brett from Green Bay joke answer? I hope so because I see nothing slightly egregious in asking a media member their opinion of an event they are privileged to attend.

Find the humor in life, Andy. Go ahead, have some fun.

Fun?  In China?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 02, 2015, 10:40:21 pm
Travis from De Pere, WI

What is your favorite band from the 1970s?

Ohio State.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 02, 2015, 10:44:11 pm
Josh from Chicago, IL

My bold prediction for the season: In a tight NFC North race in Week 17, the game will be decided by an extra-point/two-point attempt.

I like that.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 02, 2015, 10:58:46 pm


Packers’ young receivers making things happen

  Mike Spofford  packers.com senior write
Davante Adams converts another fake-spike play; Jeff Janis scores the TD this time


GREEN BAY – As he begins his second season, Davante Adams is having no problems getting on the same page with Aaron Rodgers.

The two were as good as locked in during a two-minute drill at Tuesday’s OTA practice at Clarke Hinkle Field, so much so that they even succeeded with another fake-spike play to help set up a touchdown, this time to another second-year receiver in Jeff Janis.

Much like he did in Miami last season, Rodgers faked a clock-stopping spike in the red zone and whipped a pass outside to Adams, who picked up a few yards and got out of bounds.

The catch was the fourth for Adams during Rodgers’ six-completion streak that gained 58 yards in 55 seconds to make it first-and-goal. Adams’ four grabs picked up 41 of those yards, and he looked as though he could do no wrong.

“Once you know what to do and you’re on the same page with the quarterbacks, it makes it a lot easier, slows the game down a lot,” Cobb said of Adams, assessing the transition to his second year. “He’s a natural talent.”




View Gallery | 21 Photos

Second week of Packers OTAs underway
With Jordy Nelson still recovering from offseason hip surgery, Adams is taking advantage this spring of the chance to fill in as one of Rodgers’ top two targets.

The Fresno State product expressed little doubt his talent will flourish this season. Though he laughed at the suggestion he’s now a “seasoned vet,” his confidence is well-founded, given his biggest games as a rookie came in the biggest wins of the season, over New England and Dallas.

“It’s like from Fresno year one to year two,” Adams said. “I went out there and made a little noise, but then the next year after that, you feel like you can’t be stopped. You have to have that mindset.”

Rodgers and Adams couldn’t connect on third-and-goal to complete the two-minute drive, but that only created an opportunity for Janis to come through.

On the do-or-die fourth down, Rodgers found Janis sliding through the back of the end zone for the touchdown, setting off a mini-celebration amongst the first-string offense.

“Jeff Janis is definitely moving forward,” Head Coach Mike McCarthy said. “I thought he really came on at the end of last year. He was definitely ready to play at that point.”




Compared to Adams, Janis had the much quieter rookie season, playing in only three games as he made the climb from Division II to the NFL. Now, the Saginaw Valley State speedster is putting himself in good position to compete for a roster spot and playing time in what promises to be a competitive training camp amongst young prospects.

Nelson and Cobb are the only two of the 12 receivers on the roster who aren’t listed as either rookies or second-year players.

“He’s a big-bodied guy and he’s starting to understand how to use his body and use his feet,” Cobb said of the 6-3, 219-pound Janis. “That’s huge for receivers, understanding your body type and what you can do and can’t do, being able to create separation. He’s got tremendous speed.”

Cobb isn’t surprised in the slightest at the young receivers’ progress. Job one as a rookie is learning the offense, and that’s a huge chore in itself, but the work pays off down the road.

The dividends were on display Tuesday with Adams and Janis.

“It’s a very complex offense,” Cobb said. “It takes a little bit of time, takes some repetition. It takes doing the wrong thing to learn to do the right thing.

“There’s definitely that play, that moment in a game where it just clicks, and you know from that point on that you’re on the same page.”

With Janis making the predicted big step up  in year two (6-3, 218) what can the Packers do with 5 starting WRs?  Go to 5-wide passing formation?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 03, 2015, 07:25:44 pm

Discussion following article on young WRs.


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Join the discussion


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Still the Dan59  • a day ago 

Huge Smile Here on my face!

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rsmitty > Still the Dan59  • a day ago 

Going to be an exciting year

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KyPackerFan > Still the Dan59  • a day ago 

Not as big as mine Dan!

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Paul Eldred > KyPackerFan  • 18 hours ago 

Mine's bigger

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Packerhead99 > Paul Eldred  • 9 hours ago 

Are you still talking smiles here?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 03, 2015, 07:45:48 pm
Joseph from El Paso, TX

What era do you think will be next?

We are in the player safety era, and will likely remain in that era for a long time.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 03, 2015, 07:51:02 pm
Jerry from Kent, WA

What do you think of the NFC North competition this year?

The Vikings and Lions are in year two of buying into a new coach’s program, and the Bears are in year one of the same. I was impressed by what Mike Zimmer was able to accomplish in the second half of last season. It says something when a team out of realistic playoff contention plays its best football late in the season. It says the coach has his players’ respect and attention. The Lions have a lot of pieces in place on offense; defense will define their season. Nobody knows what to expect from the Bears. That’s the particular challenge for the Packers in their season opener at Chicago.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 03, 2015, 07:52:31 pm
Michael from West Allis, WI

What will be the biggest position battles to watch when training camp starts?

Cornerback and inside linebacker are the obvious choices. Nose tackle is another position of interest, and so are tight end, fullback, backup quarterback and No. 4 wide receiver on offense.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 03, 2015, 07:54:52 pm
Bill from Miami, FL

This Packers team just feels like it has all the pieces for a special season. They are deep, young and experienced. I just cannot believe the Seahawks can recover from the Super Bowl loss. What are your thoughts?

The Packers have all the pieces to have a special season, and the Seahawks will recover from their Super Bowl loss for the same reason the Packers will recover from their NFC title game loss to the Seahawks: Pete Carroll is a good coach, too.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 03, 2015, 07:56:34 pm
Rob from Webb City, MO

Vic, according to Mike Spofford, Davante Adams looked very impressive yesterday. Do you think there’s any chance we could have three wide receivers with 1,000 yards receiving at the end of the year?

I hope not because it would likely mean the Packers weren’t running the ball very well and weren’t getting much contribution from tight end and growth from other wide receivers. I want to see balance.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 03, 2015, 10:06:49 pm
GB's jj.

(http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/nfl/players/full/16960.png&w=65&h=90&scale=crop&background=0xcccccc&transparent=false)

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on June 03, 2015, 10:13:22 pm



 
GB's jj.

 ?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 04, 2015, 07:52:50 pm
Rookie Jeff Janis, 6-3, 215.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 04, 2015, 08:07:52 pm
Eric from Milwaukee, WI

Is America ready for a four-hour football game?

The NFL watches the time of game very closely, but at this point I think it’s more about fitting these games within TV schedules than it is about losing the fan. I think America would watch football 24 hours a day if the NFL would provide it. I really mean that.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 04, 2015, 08:10:51 pm
John from Union Grove, WI

In Cliff Christl’s latest article, he talks about three Packers running backs that began careers as fullbacks. In yesteryear, was this a common thing? Cut your teeth at fullback before getting to carry the ball?

In yesteryear, the fullback was often the featured ball-carrier. For example, in split backs formation, the fullback was the runner and the halfback was the blocker. Jim Taylor was a fullback, so were Jim Brown, Franco Harris and Larry Csonka.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 04, 2015, 08:14:14 pm
Trevor from Madison, WI

Brady, Manning, Rodgers, Brees, Rivers, Luck, Flacco, Roethlisberger and Wilson: In your opinion, has there ever been an era with as many great quarterbacks as the one we are currently witnessing?

Staubach, Bradshaw, Griese, Anderson, Jones, Stabler, Fouts, Tarkenton and Manning were pretty good. How about Marino, Montana, Elway, Kelly, Simms, Theismann, etc.? There have been a lot of good quarterback eras. It has to be that way for the game to be popular.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 04, 2015, 08:14:57 pm
Tom from Sacramento, CA

If Cam and Aaron were to switch teams, which team would be better?

Aaron Rodgers would immediately make every team in the league better. He’s the best.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 04, 2015, 09:06:23 pm
(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/article/media_slots/photos/002/106/113/hi-res-feb21de08560f2494d06c5b6c0bf88b5_crop_exact.jpg?w=650&h=433&q=85)

The exposure is undoubtedly helpful as the second-year player attempts to fight for what could be a fourth, fifth or sixth roster spot at wide receiver, alongside fellow 2014 rookie Jared Abbrederis and 2015 third-round pick Montgomery.

2014 rookie Davante Adams looks like a lock for the No. 3 receiver spot behind Nelson and Randall Cobb.

Is the Janis hype undeserved? Well, certainly when measured against his quantifiable NFL production. But the fans who are excited about Janis are picking up on the same qualities that caused the Packers to draft him in the first place, and if he can deliver on those, the snaps will follow.

To start, Janis' combination of size and speed is elite. At 6'3" and 219 pounds, with two pounds on Nelson, Janis is the largest receiver on Green Bay's roster.

He's also the fastest, despite his position as a seventh-round draft pick, per the table below (not including the 2015 undrafted rookies).



Packers WRs' 40-Yard Dash Times

Player Year Drafted 40 Time
Jordy Nelson 2008 4.51 seconds
Randall Cobb 2011 4.46 seconds
Myles White 2013 UDFA 4.42 seconds
Jeff Janis 2014 4.42 seconds
Jared Abbrederis 2014 4.50 seconds
Davante Adams 2014 4.56 seconds
Ty Montgomery 2015 4.55 seconds

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 04, 2015, 09:17:13 pm
The Green Bay Packers in 2014 got exactly the player they thought they were getting when they signed Julius Peppers as a free agent.

He was a difference maker, maybe the second-best player on their defense, behind Clay Matthews. Peppers' sacks total (seven) doesn't necessarily reflect that, but according to Pro Football Focus, his 50 combined sacks, hits and hurries did. That's the same number Matthews' put up as a pass rusher.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 05, 2015, 06:31:08 pm
Torin from Golden Bay, HI

If it was plays, not players, there would have been no need to move Matthews inside.

Beautiful!


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 05, 2015, 06:32:39 pm
Ray from Clark, NJ

Vic, you are trailing 21-16. You score a TD with one minute left to go up 22-21. Do you go for two to get a three-point lead and run the risk of a turnover and two points scored by the defense, kick the extra point or take a knee?

You go for two because the chance of the defense scoring is slim. Nevertheless, your point is well-taken. This is the kind of scenario the new rule has created, and it’s going to create a lot of postgame debate.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 05, 2015, 07:58:59 pm
Packer draft steals:

http://espn.go.com/blog/green-bay-packers/post/_/id/20906/packers-got-a-steal-with-davante-adams-in-second-round
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 05, 2015, 08:05:34 pm
REDICTIONS: AFC division winners | NFC division winners | Linemakers: Odds, favorites

Green Bay became the first dynasty of the Super Bowl era. The Packers won the first two NFL championships well before it became the most celebrated annual event in American team sports.

But it’s just not proverbial and poetic for the Packers to raise the trophy named for their late great coach again in 2015. It’s because once again, the NFL’s smallest market team is its best team.

Let’s start with the obvious. In a quarterback league, Aaron Rodgers is the best and most valuable player at any position. They made sure he didn’t lose any key receivers or offensive linemen in the offseason.

That means the defense doesn’t need to be dominant to put them over the top, but with Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers, it’s still got the right dose of prime-time playmakers.

Given the heartbreak the Packers faced in last year’s NFC title game at Seattle, you would think it’s a hangover from which they'd be challenged to recover. For many teams, blowing such a lead would linger forever. Not for one led by Rodgers. Instead, look at it from the perspective of how close they were to winning it all, and it will just drive him a little further.

The key this year is just getting back to that same point, with the home-field advantage tilting to the Frozen Tundra, far away from The 12th Man. With a favorable schedule, including a weakened NFC North, the best record in the league is attainable.

Getting to the Super Bowl means a happy homecoming for Rodgers, a Northern California kid. In Santa Clara, it won’t get better than another duel with that other elite No. 12, Tom Brady and the Super Bowl XLIX-winning Patriots.


Aaron Rodgers (Getty Images)

Beating the past two champs on the way to glory? The Packers shouldn’t want it any other way. Like Bart Starr well before him, it’s about time for Rodgers to take another leap into Lambeau lore by leading Green Bay to another heyday.

Getting five Lombardis in 50 years and sandwiching everyone else in NFL greatness? That has a good ring to it.

Super Bowl 50
 Green Bay over New England

AFC Championship
 New England over Baltimore

Divisional Games
 New England over Pittsburgh
 Baltimore over Indianapolis

Wild-Card Games
 Ravens over Dolphins
 Steelers over Broncos

NFC Championship
 Green Bay over Seattle
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on June 05, 2015, 10:15:28 pm
There's a little thing called 'play the games' before the crowning.....Green Bay could be sitting watching it all.....

And wasn't it Mr. Peppers that helped seal the fate of the 2014 Pakeys by preventing the interception return? Why, yes, I think it was!.....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on June 06, 2015, 05:08:52 pm



 
There's a little thing called 'play the games' before the crowning.....Green Bay could be sitting watching it all.....

And wasn't it Mr. Peppers that helped seal the fate of the 2014 Pakeys by preventing the interception return? Why, yes, I think it was!.....


 Sporty,


 We have the UNKNOWN ORGANIZATION from top to bottom.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on June 07, 2015, 08:01:55 pm
It's not all unknown....we know what we have with Cutler and Forte and a few others.....hopefully Cutler is 'new,improved' this year or we WILL be saying his spot is unknown next season....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on June 09, 2015, 03:43:03 pm
We have to make Cutler unknown or should I say less predictable.  Run the ball.

An improvement in the run game might be based on the progress of Kevin White.  Teams would often bring up a safety which made Trestman call a lot of pass plays.

If Kevin White can beat single coverage...and beat them deep...that might open up the run game.

Ok, I'm banning myself for another 3 days...that cheesey smell in here is unbearable.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 09, 2015, 08:40:57 pm
LOL.   You can't ban yourself, can you?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 09, 2015, 10:34:12 pm
http://www.ninersnation.com/2015/6/6/8740455/49ers-roster-turnover-since-2012-is-not-entirely-unprecedented?_ga=1.57599530.1882345806.1419733911

What happened to the 49ers?  Did loonies take over?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on June 09, 2015, 10:47:52 pm

LOL.   You can't ban yourself, can you?

No, not really, but maybe double secret probation.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 09, 2015, 10:56:11 pm

By Lauren Moranor

Aug 08, 2013 09:03 AM EDT

Wes Welker
Denver Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker participates in his first team training camp in Denver."

Wes Welker has remained relatively quiet about his former New England Patriots team. After a highly publicized contract battle throughout most of the offseason, Welker jumped over the Denver Broncos to begin a new era of his career. During most of the offseason workouts, Welker has stayed silent over his split with the Patriots, until now.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Welker admits that the main reason he opted to leave New England was because of head coach Bill Belichick. Denver was not coached by Belichick and that is what he loved about them. Welker told SI's Chris Ballard that Belichick "got on him in a way he never had before, admonishing him in front of the team."

"It was just kind of hard," Welker said via the Boston Globe. "One of those deals where you have to endure him, put up with him... But he does it to everybody, it's the way he is. He was very intense, wanted it done a certain way.

Knew there had to be a valid reason for leaving.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on June 10, 2015, 05:42:08 am
We have to make Cutler unknown or should I say less predictable.  Run the ball.

An improvement in the run game might be based on the progress of Kevin White.  Teams would often bring up a safety which made Trestman call a lot of pass plays.

If Kevin White can beat single coverage...and beat them deep...that might open up the run game.

Ok, I'm banning myself for another 3 days...that cheesey smell in here is unbearable.

You could block yourself from reading what you post?   ;D ;D
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on June 11, 2015, 12:17:20 am



 
LOL.   You can't ban yourself, can you?

No, not really, but maybe double secret probation.


 The worst probation of all. Bluto will get us out of this :


 HEY !!!! Whats this layin around **** ??


 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 11, 2015, 06:30:20 pm
Erik from Sanford, FL

Vic, didn’t you get the memo? Everything old is bad and everything new is good. How many times as a Packers fan have I heard that nine of our 13 championships we won don’t count because they didn’t call the game the Super Bowl prior to January 1967. It’s the same ridiculous historical bigotry that can make a man as great as Jim Brown nothing but your average running back today, in some folks’ minds. According to reports, Secretariat would have beaten American Pharoah at Belmont by two seconds. How can that be? Everything old is bad. Nobody that did anything a long time ago was any good, except Mark Twain.

He was bigger, stronger, faster.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 11, 2015, 06:33:04 pm
Matt from Verona, WI

What is the most memorable quote you ever received in an interview?

Following a game in the Astrodome late in the 1980 season, which eliminated the Steelers from playoff contention, Joe Greene said to me, “Tonight, they put the second number on the tombstone.” He knew that was the end of their Super Bowl run.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 11, 2015, 06:36:32 pm
Joe from Kenosha, WI

Talk of greatest QB can go on for hours. Who’s your most entertaining QB? Being an ’80’s baby, mine’s obviously Favre. Guessing yours is Tarkenton?

I would love to have covered Brett Favre. He had that free-wheeling personality I love to write. Bradshaw had it, too. I see Favre and Bradshaw as kindred spirits. I would also love to have covered Sammy Baugh. I covered a quarterback named Bubby Brister, who had Baugh’s personality but lacked Baugh’s talent. The Bubster was beautiful. A group of reporters were interviewing him at training camp, when he was competing with Todd Blackledge for the starting job, and Bubby pointed at our notebooks and said in his thick Louisiana accent, “Write it down. I’m the man.” That was one of the few times the Bubster didn’t include an expletive in something he said. He was great for print guys to cover because we could take his bombs out, but the TV guys couldn’t, so they stopped interviewing him and Bubby became the exclusive property of the print guys. I think he’s my all-time favorite quarterback to interview. After a loss in New York in which he played poorly, a bearded reporter asked him what he did on days like this. Bubby said he goes home and kicks the dog. The reporter asked him what kind of dog he has. Bubby said, “One with a beard.”


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 11, 2015, 06:42:29 pm
Mathew from Melbourne, Australia

Vic, the practice squad rules need amending. Would you be in favor of making it more difficult for teams to access other teams’ practice-squad players, or would you prefer a system that compensates the team that loses the player?

It bothers me that teams out of contention late in the season clear space on their rosters and then cherry-pick practice-squad players who’ve spent a season being developed by another team. It becomes a reward for losing, and I don’t like that. I would favor a system that protects practice-squad players as though they were on the regular roster, and would pay them minimum wage (nothing more or less), but it would not count against the cap. I would favor any system that would cause teams to use the practice squad in a dedicated developmental way, as opposed to an adjunct to the regular roster.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 11, 2015, 06:47:02 pm

Rick from Shawano, WI

“Training camp just isn’t the same for me.” Why? Lack of practices?

It’s lack of the grind. Two-a-days in full pads made training camp a proving ground for everyone. Veterans had to prove they still had the stamina to make it through training camp. Rookies had to prove they had the toughness to make it through training camp. It was a place where one man could physically defeat another man. Those days are largely gone and I miss them. I miss the Oklahoma drill and the endless nine-on-sevens. For me, the half-line drills are the best thing about training camp now, and I applaud Mike McCarthy for installing them. They made this team a running team.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 11, 2015, 08:48:08 pm
Rob Demovsky, ESPN

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- It was Week 6 of last season, and the Green Bay Packers were locked in a 10-10 game with the Miami Dolphins in the third quarter.

On third-and-goal from the 5-yard line, Aaron Rodgers had Jeff Janis open in the left slot. But instead of firing a pass to the rookie seventh-round draft pick, Rodgers waited for Randall Cobb to come free and went his way for the go-ahead touchdown.



Packers receiver Jeff Janis has taken steps to building a better rapport with QB Aaron Rodgers. Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY Sports

Next time, Rodgers might look to Janis. And if he does, it will be because of what has happened this offseason. With Jordy Nelson still limited while recovering from hip surgery, Janis has spent a good part of the organized team activities with the No. 1 offense. That means time to build chemistry with Rodgers and gain the quarterback's trust.

"I think the biggest thing with Aaron is he wants us to be mentally on the same page," Janis said after Wednesday's OTA practice. "He knows physical mistakes are going to happen, like dropped balls and things like that, but mental errors are unacceptable to him. So I think that's where I'm really trying to take a step."

For all Janis did last preseason to win over the fans who would love to see a small-college (Saginaw Valley State) player make it big, he did not do much of it with Rodgers. His 34-yard touchdown catch against the St. Louis Rams in his preseason debut came from Matt Flynn. His 33-yard touchdown catch in the preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs was from Scott Tolzien. Those were Janis' only two catches in the preseason.

Even when he flashed his 4.42 40-yard dash speed in training camp practices, it was often with the backup quarterbacks.

Come the regular season, Janis was active for only three games and played just 15 snaps on offense as a rookie.

That's why even though it's only OTAs, the reps he has taken over the past month could go a long way toward helping him get on the field this season.

"He's done a lot of good things going up the field, catching the ball better, obviously being in sync with Aaron has been a big help," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said after Wednesday's practice. "He had one out cut today that the timing of it was good, we completed it, but he can get better there fundamentally. I think Jeff's really improving, and he's gotten a lot of quality reps with Aaron."

Nelson remembers breaking in much the same way. In his early days, his first reps with Rodgers came during an OTA that Donald Driver and Greg Jennings missed.

"It allows you to be in a lot of situations," Nelson said. "I think there's some things you can go over in meeting rooms, but you can't predict situations. The more reps you get, the more situations you're in, the better you are of knowing what Aaron wants. If it's the routes versus coverages, if it's just checks, if it's his demeanor with his checks and how subtle he can be and making sure you're on the same page as him. The speed of the game is the same for you and him at the same time.

"The more you're out there, the more balls you catch and the more confidence he grows in you. I think that's the key, just continuing to get those reps. He's taking advantage of that, and I think it's big and I think you'll see a big step come training camp and preseason."

So there was Janis last week on fourth-and-goal from the 7-yard line in the final seconds of a two-minute drill in practice. Rodgers fired a pass to Janis, who caught it for the drill-winning score.

"It really helps my confidence just being on the same page with him," Janis said. “After the play, or something like that happens, and he comes over and says, 'Good job,' that's just a big confidence boost. So, yeah, I like it when plays like that happen."

Next man up.  Just like the 2010 season.  This time it's Janis.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 13, 2015, 07:56:20 pm
Nick from Prairie du Chien, WI

Vic, what exactly is it that brings a team from terrible to great? It happens almost every year with one team and it dumbfounds me.

It’s usually the result of dramatically improved play at the quarterback position.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 13, 2015, 07:58:44 pm
Ben from Eau Claire, WI

Can you give us an All-Vic Team, taking players from all eras?

WR – Jerry Rice and Don Hutson; TE – Mike Ditka; T – Anthony Munoz and Forrest Gregg; G – John Hannah and Gene Hickerson; C – Mike Webster; QB – Johnny Unitas; RB – Jim Brown and Earl Campbell. DE – Reggie White and Claude Humphrey; DT – Joe Greene and Bob Lilly; MLB – Dick Butkus; OLB – Lawrence Taylor and Dave Robinson; CB – Mel Blount and Darrelle Revis; S – Larry Wilson and Ronnie Lott.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 13, 2015, 08:01:25 pm
was arguably the best coaching job I’ve ever covered, and it got Coughlin fired.

Mark from New London, WI

Who had the best post-football TV/film career, Fred Dryer, Dick Butkus, Merlin Olsen or someone else?

Olsen or Alex Karras. How about Mike Henry as Tarzan?


R
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: hibernationsuxs on June 14, 2015, 07:08:20 am
Earl Campbell over Payton?  Really.  Come on Vic thought you where a football man.  Payton had no line for the first half of his career. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on June 14, 2015, 04:31:23 pm
LOL!

[attachment deleted by admin]
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on June 15, 2015, 08:10:16 pm
Earl Campbell over Payton?  Really.  Come on Vic thought you where a football man.  Payton had no line for the first half of his career.

Payton was the best complete back to ever play.  Run, block, receive, even pass and punt.  None better.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 15, 2015, 10:41:09 pm
(http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/325/files/2015/06/ladarius-gunter-ncaa-football-miami-louisville4.jpg)

Best bet DB UDFA  to make the Packers' roster. Gunter.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 15, 2015, 11:01:28 pm
Vince Lombardi … second place? Never

The following is a quote from Vince Lombardi on what he thinks about winning and, most importantly, what he thinks about second place …


Colts fans should pay attention …


“Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all the time thing. You don’t win once in a while; you don’t do things right once in a while; you do them right all of the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.

There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game, and that’s first place. I have finished second twice in my time at Green Bay, and I don’t ever want to finish second again. There is a second place bowl game, but it is a game for losers played by losers. It is and always has been an American zeal to be first in anything we do, and to win, and to win, and to win.

Every time a football player goes to ply his trade he’s got to play from the ground up – from the soles of his feet right up to his head. Every inch of him has to play. Some guys play with their heads. That’s O.K. You’ve got to be smart to be number one in any business. But more importantly, you’ve got to play with your heart, with every fiber of your body. If you’re lucky enough to find a guy with a lot of head and a lot of heart, he’s never going to come off the field second.

Running a football team is no different than running any other kind of organization – an army, a political party or a business. The principles are the same. The object is to win – to beat the other guy. Maybe that sounds hard or cruel. I don’t think it is.

It is a reality of life that men are competitive and the most competitive games draw the most competitive men. That’s why they are there – to compete. The object is to win fairly, squarely, by the rules – but to win.

And in truth, I’ve never known a man worth his salt who in the long run, deep down in his heart, didn’t appreciate the grind, the discipline. There is something in good men that really yearns for discipline and the harsh reality of head to head combat.

I don’t say these things because I believe in the ‘brute’ nature of men or that men must be brutalized to be combative. I believe in God, and I believe in human decency. But I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour — his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear — is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious.”


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 15, 2015, 11:34:53 pm
Justin from Titonka, IA

Who is the best quarterback, wide receiver, running back trio in the history of the NFL?

That’s an intriguing question; never got that one before. My first thought is the trio would all have to be in the Hall of Fame. Unitas/Moore/Berry, Bradshaw/Harris/Swann or Stallworth, and Aikman/Smith/Irvin immediately come to mind. Who’d I miss?


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 15, 2015, 11:41:35 pm
Grizzly:

Ted from Oshkosh, Wi

It’s hard to argue with the All-Vic team you assembled. Can you explain why you chose Earl Campbell over some of the other greats at the position?

I love power backs.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 15, 2015, 11:44:43 pm
Cliff from Denver, CO

Vic, I saw a story that said after signing Damarious Randall the Packers are expected to have $14.3 million in cap space. Why would a team want unused cap space? Is it in expectation of bigger contracts in coming years?

The Packers have a plan for it. They might want to use some of it to sign a current player to a long-term contract. At the least, they’re going to keep a chunk of that money in reserve for emergency moves during the season. Never worry about this team’s use of the salary cap.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 15, 2015, 11:47:05 pm
Dan from Pyongtaek, South Korea

Terry Bradshaw not mentioned in your answer in the discussion of greatest QB?

The peak years of his career are too few. Elbow surgery cost him some good years.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 15, 2015, 11:47:59 pm
John from Milwaukee, WI

What exactly is a defensive quality control coach?

He assists the defensive staff. He’ll break down film and provide statistical information and analysis that’ll assist the defensive staff in preparing for opponents. He’ll do other things, too. In the process, he’ll learn how to be a coach.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 15, 2015, 11:48:33 pm
Neil from Chippewa Falls, WI

Who would coach the All-Vic team?

Lombardi.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 15, 2015, 11:51:04 pm
Daniel from Copenhagen, Denmark

What are your thoughts on and expectations for our division rivals going into the next season?

Teddy Bridgewater’s development will define the Vikings’ hopes. If Bridgewater takes a big step, so will the Vikings. The Lions have the offensive firepower to compete with anybody; defense will define their season. John Fox is laying the groundwork to the future in Chicago. Nobody knows what to expect at quarterback, but you can expect the reconstruction of the Bears to be led by defense; that’s what Fox does.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 15, 2015, 11:53:16 pm
Dave from Loomis, CA

I don’t read your column every day. Could you let me know if you pick my question to answer? I don’t want to miss it.

I’m sorry, Dave, I can’t do that.

Dipshit, Dave.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 15, 2015, 11:55:47 pm
Chad from Fredericksburg, VA

Vic, I used to like your blog until it got extremely pretentious and irrelevant to the Packers. Fix it. You’re paid to be a writer and predict, not to tell us to wait for father time.

Chad, I’m sorry, but this is the way it is and this is the way it will continue to be. You’ve got a decision to make.


Get lost, Chad.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 15, 2015, 11:58:17 pm
Andrew from Wichita, KS

What would you think of the Packers offering a one-year contact to Reggie Wayne?

I think I would favor not doing that and, instead, continue to develop the young wide receivers the team has.


Are you crazy, Andrew?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: wmljohn on June 16, 2015, 08:47:40 pm
Quote
Chad from Fredericksburg, VA

LOL!  Wow.  He must be the packer fan I see on I95 and want to run off the road just about every morning.  I think that is two stupid packer fans that live by me that have sent this guy questions.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 16, 2015, 09:13:37 pm
Be nice, now.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 16, 2015, 09:13:58 pm

 News now! Davante Adams named MVP of spring practices
 Posted by Vic Ketchman, packers.com editor on  June 16, 2015 – 12:58 pm 


adams-blogGREEN BAY–Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy named second-year wide receiver Davante Adams as the star of spring practices.

“If you want a clear example of a first-year player taking a second-year jump, you just saw it the last few weeks. He’s been really good in practice. If you want me to pick an MVP or all-star, it’s Davante,” McCarthy said following minicamp practice on Tuesday.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 16, 2015, 09:20:53 pm
Gabriella from Bakersfield, CA

Why did Ted Thompson sign Julius Peppers last offseason when he isn’t known for signing big-name free agents?

The talent and the money matched. Peppers represented a chance for the Packers to acquire a game-changing defensive player for an affordable price. That’s a rare occurrence in free agency.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 16, 2015, 09:22:31 pm
Justin from Titonka, IA

Who’s your best trio in the NFL right now? I would pick Rodgers/Nelson/Lacy, but I’m biased.

They would be my pick, too, but the numbers Roethlisberger/Brown/Bell put up last year can’t be ignored.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 16, 2015, 09:23:41 pm
James from Lake Mary, FL

How to build a successful team: Find the man, keep cap space for all your defensive stars, and draft and let go of skill-position players on offense. What do you say, Vic?

It’s simpler than that: Identify and keep your core players, and be willing to replace everybody else.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 16, 2015, 09:25:30 pm
Gordon from Kent, OH

Bill Belichick has been known for cultivating relationships with specific college coaches or college programs. Do you see the Packers favoring players that come out of any specific school or from any specific coaching tree during the Thompson/McCarthy era, and do you think the Patriots’ method of favoring players from specific schools or coaches is a good talent evaluation policy?

Every team has a go-to school. Belichick didn’t invent this. Iowa has been a go-to school for the Packers. When I covered the Steelers, they always had a fondness for Michigan State players. It’s about relationships. You trust the coaches at a particular school to give you accurate information on prospects, and when they recommend a player, you draft him or you sign him. When a school gives you dedicated and self-motivated players such as Mike Daniels and Bryan Bulaga, you go back for more.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 16, 2015, 09:26:24 pm
Addie from Stevens Point, WI

Vic, why is Ty Montgomery projected to be the kick returner but not the punt returner? Are the two returns really that different?

They are dramatically different. Returning punts is about elusiveness. Returning kicks is about explosion and power. It’s the difference between running around a wall and running through the wall.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 16, 2015, 09:28:39 pm
Barry from Ashland, OR

How about Griese, Csonka and Warfield? All three are Hall of Famers.

They are certainly candidates for the top QB/RB/WR trio, but the problem is they are out of the 1970s, and the numbers just aren’t there. Bob Griese’s stat line for Super Bowl VIII is the example of that: six of seven for 73 yards.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 16, 2015, 09:28:52 pm
Dylan from Forty Fort, PA

Do you have a story or anecdote for Mike Webster? My teacher shed light on his sad story.

I was covering Super Bowl XIII and I was standing at a postgame interview platform under the grandstands in the Orange Bowl. There was a crowd of reporters around the platform and I was at the back of the crowd. All of a sudden, an arm hooked under mine and I was being carried to the front of the crowd. It was Webster


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 16, 2015, 09:30:46 pm
Roy from West Caldwell, NJ

I recall back in the ’60s it was routine for the backup QB to be the holder for placekicks. With the extra point moved back, do you see this as a possibility in 2015?

Anything is possible, but the problem with committing a quarterback to do the holding is he’d have to split his practice time between offense and special teams, and that means he wouldn’t be getting full development time as a quarterback. Football is a game of specialization now.


Maybe #2 QB.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 16, 2015, 09:32:10 pm
Jennifer from Kenosha, WI

Vic, what quarterback/coach combo had the best love/hate relationship in the good, old football days?

Graham/Brown, Staubach/Landry, Bradshaw/Noll and Elway/Reeves all had stormy relationships.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 16, 2015, 09:34:02 pm
Joe from Chetek, WI

I saw an article saying, contrary to popular belief, Bobby Layne was the original two-minute quarterback, not Johnny Unitas. I’ve learned a lot from this column about Unitas. What can you tell me about Layne?

He was my first football idol, and the reason I wore No. 22 in high school. I always wanted my nose to bleed like his did.

Bob from St. Charles, IA

I recall that Reggie Roby was a two-step punter. How significant of an advantage was this?

When you have a two-step punter, you tear the punt-block play out of your opponents’ playbook.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 16, 2015, 09:43:16 pm
Rookie receiver from Stanford just getting started


GREEN BAY – Ty Montgomery is doing his best to make up for lost time.

Until late last week, the third-round draft pick and receiver from Stanford hadn’t been able to practice with the Packers since rookie orientation in early May due to Stanford’s school calendar.

He was finally free to come to Green Bay for the final two OTA practices, and his third time on the field was for Tuesday’s first minicamp workout.

“I thought Ty looked excellent,” Head Coach Mike McCarthy said. “He had a very good practice Friday, and I thought he had another good practice today. He does some things very natural. He’s picked it up really quick, especially for someone that hasn’t been here.”...

While the Stanford education certainly helps Montgomery process the playbook in a hurry, his well-built frame (6-0, 216) makes him look like he belongs as well. McCarthy anticipates him getting opportunities on special teams, perhaps as a return man, as well as on offense.

“He seems to be a real good kid, other than his college choice,” joked Aaron Rodgers, a product of Stanford’s biggest rival, Cal. “He seems to be pretty intelligent. Obviously has the body type to do some things we like around here...

“It’s different when you study the playbook in your room, and then you get out there and there’s 10 other guys and you all have to be on the same page.”

It’ll be different come training camp, too, when errors aren’t as easily shrugged off, and the competition for the No. 4 and 5 receiver spots – behind the entrenched trio of Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Davante Adams – promises to be fierce.

“You see he has that confidence in him, and you see him carry it out on the field,” Cobb said. “He believes in himself, and once he gets this offense down, I think he’ll be pretty good.”


Montgomery was  drafted as a returner.   TT can't help it that he just happens to be a good WR and runner (same as Cobb).  Look for 6 WRs on the roster this season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 16, 2015, 10:21:53 pm

Jermichael Finley provided sometimes maddening potential and earned three seasons above the 650-yard plateau -- with eight touchdowns in 2011 -- during his six seasons before neck injures derailed his career in 2013.

The Packers haven't been able to replace his production or potential at the position. They currently sit with a depth chart of Andrew Quarless, Richard Rodgers, Justin Perillo and rookies Kennard Backman and Mitchell Henry.

In a Q&A with ESPN Wisconsin's Jason Wilde, Aaron Rodgers singled out Quarless as a player -- along with receiver Davante Adams -- who has "jumped out" at him during offseason workouts.

"Andrew Quarless has had a great offseason," the quarterback said. "I think he's really, something clicked in for him at the end of last year and he's been taking the jump." ...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 16, 2015, 10:44:19 pm



Rookie receiver Ty Montgomery impressed with his ability to retain the plays from rookie camp, but Montgomery said he still felt behind. AP Photo / Mike Roemer

Dueling quarterbacks: It may not matter even if it stays this way throughout training camp, but Matt Blanchard looks well ahead of Brett Hundley in the competition for the No. 3 quarterback (if the Packers even keep a third quarterback). Blanchard, who has spent time with both the Bears and Panthers, threw touchdown passes on consecutive plays -- one to Montgomery in the red zone and another on perfectly placed corner route to Randall Cobb. "Matt Blanchard had a heck of a day today," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "I'll just tell you what I told him when I met him in April [at his workout]. I said, 'Why the hell don't you have a job?'" However, Blanchard may be out of work again if the Packers feel compelled to keep Hundley on potential and because he was a fifth-round pick.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 18, 2015, 08:11:28 pm
Mathew from Melbourne, Australia

Bold prediction: Following his commitment to special teams, Coach McCarthy will be the first to fake the extra point.

The new extra-point rule is all about eliminate faking the extra point, right? That’s the one strategy that seems to have been lost as a result of the new extra-point rules.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 18, 2015, 08:21:44 pm
Gregg from Monument, CO

I just finished Jerry Kramer’s book “Instant Replay” for the third time. Never seem to tire of it. What’s your favorite book by former players or coaches?

I like “Instant Replay,” too. I also like “Even Big Guys Cry” by Alex Karras.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 18, 2015, 08:28:03 pm
Roger from Indianapolis, IN

You noted the “Packer Sweep” is extinct because the players (linemen) changed. What elements and types of players are essential for a good screen pass team?

Good screen games aren’t as much the result of what the offense does, as it is the result of what the defense does. You screen against defenses that get up the field. In other words, you screen against attack defenses, not read-and-react defenses.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 18, 2015, 08:29:06 pm
Jake from Fort Lauderdale, FL

Which team that did not make the playoffs last year do you think will this season?

The Bills jump out at me.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 18, 2015, 08:33:11 pm
Tom from Blacksburg, VA

Even as an old Packers fan, I might have to disagree on the best QB franchises. Maybe Unitas/Jones/Manning from the Colts or Brodie/Montana/Young from the 49ers. What do you say?

I like Starr/Favre/Rodgers better than those two. Bert Jones’ career was short and John Brodie failed to win a title in a long career. There’s no soft spot in Starr/Favre/Rodgers.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 18, 2015, 08:46:07 pm
They were telling me to make sure you know the playbook and make sure you’re in shape,” said cornerback and first-round draft pick Damarious Randall, who earlier this week was the last of the draft picks to officially sign his contract.

The mental and physical parts aren’t mutually exclusive, either.

“My main goal is to come back here in shape,” fellow corner and second-round pick Quinten Rollins said. “Because if you’re not in shape, that’s going to take away from your mental edge. You’re going to be focused on how tired you are, rather than what’s coming the next play.”...


“Just have to keep in that playbook and learn all the positions, not just one,” linebacker and fourth-round pick Jake Ryan said. “Training camp is where everything happens. This is just to prepare you.”...

Pretty good philosophy for 3 rookies.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 18, 2015, 09:11:06 pm
(http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2015/06-June/temp150617-shootingPMG_317032--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.JPG?width=960&height=720)

A day of team-building.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 18, 2015, 09:51:20 pm
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CH1AaS4UwAEJGzQ.jpg)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 19, 2015, 06:01:35 pm
Phil from Tampa, FL

Vic, I know you can’t make any sort of real assessment when they’re running around in shorts, but after Shields and Hayward, who flips their hips the best of the young crop of cornerbacks?

Quinten Rollins is a human ball bearing.


Unusual athlete.  After playing 4 years of college basketball as a starting Point Guard he was eligible for one more year on his athletic scholarship and decided to finish up playing ONE YEAR of college football.  After that one year he looks like a football star in the making in the NFL.   How rare.  TT was convinced by that one year.  I'm betting TT was right.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 19, 2015, 06:07:18 pm
Ethan from La Crosse, WI

You worked Brett’s ego up so high, he doesn’t know how to ask good questions anymore.

He hasn’t been the same since I banned him.

banning yourself is OK, though, I guess.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 19, 2015, 06:08:13 pm
Adam from Wausau, WI

Can a team line up like they’re going for two and then audible and kick the extra point from the original position?

I don’t know what you mean by original position. I think the bigger question is how many head coaches have a full understanding of the new extra-point rule? Why do I get the feeling somebody’s going to get embarrassed


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 19, 2015, 06:09:27 pm
Jim from Naugatuck, CT

With the long-term success of draft-and-develop teams like the Packers, why do so many teams fall into the free-agent trap?

It’s because they didn’t draft well or didn’t develop well or both. It’s not a successful strategy unless you execute it, and to execute it you must make an unwavering commitment to it. You can’t quit on a player because he had an unproductive rookie season.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 19, 2015, 06:12:57 pm
Ben from Columbus, WI

Vic, I’m not trying to sound petty but last year you claimed the Jaguars to be your surprise team on the rise. Tell me why your pick of Oakland this year is going to be any different?

Two years ago, the Chiefs were my pick. That was pretty good. Last year, I missed on the Jaguars. I gave too much respect to free agency; I hate when I do that. I’m picking the Raiders this year because I think they have a better roster than their record would suggest, and I think they’ll get better play at the quarterback position.

Also, they now have a former GB Packer staff member as their new GM.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 19, 2015, 06:14:21 pm
Vic, there are so many hypothetical questions on askvic.com. What facts can you tell us about the 2015 Packers?

I can tell you that as I stood on the field yesterday, it was easy to see this is an elite team with elite talent. I made the comment to a fellow reporter we are seeing the Packers at the peak of their current run, and I think that peak is going to last for as long as Aaron Rodgers can last. I think the Packers reached that peak last season. I think this is going to be a very good season.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 19, 2015, 06:16:37 pm
Vic, which player’s development will have the greatest impact on the 2015 season, Davante Adams, Richard Rodgers or Ha Ha Clinton-Dix?

We talked the other day about framing questions. In my opinion, you’ve framed your question in a manner that makes it difficult for me to answer it. Why? Because all of those players are expected to have a big impact on this season. I would suggest you frame your question this way: Vic, would you talk about the impact Davante Adams, Richard Rodgers and Ha Ha will have this season? Here’s my answer: Adams is going to give the Packers another weapon. Remember the New England game? Adams is going to be a matchup problem for opponents. Rodgers is the future at tight end. Last season, he gave us a glimpse of what he can do. This season, we’re going to get a long look. Ha Ha began making big plays late last season. I expect that trend to continue.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 19, 2015, 06:18:18 pm
Bryan from Madison, WI

Ham and cabbage? I love both, when properly prepared, but I’ve never really thought of them together. Is this a regional thing or just something your momma used to make?

I guess it’s regional because I’ve never known anybody to not know what it is. My mother made it with potatoes; it all simmered together so each ingredient shared the taste of the others. Don’t feel bad, I didn’t know what a curd was.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 19, 2015, 06:19:32 pm
spent some time yesterday trying to get a feel for the course. It’s different.

Gary from Wausau, WI

Your opinion on teams holding joint practices? Seems like more upside than downside?

I love joint practices. I think they’re more entertaining than preseason games. I also think you can learn more about your team in a combined practice than you can in a preseason game. There’s no wasted motion in a combined practice. You put your players into controlled, one-on-one situations that are designed for evaluation.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 22, 2015, 11:36:18 pm
Isaac from Carrboro, NC

Vic, you wrote recently the screen pass is intended to beat attacking defenses. Is that true of wide receiver screens on the boundary, as well, or do they have a different function?

Wide receiver screens are intended to tighten the coverage. Hit them short to bring them up, and then double-move them to hit them deep.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 22, 2015, 11:37:39 pm
Mark from Lafayette, CO

Vic, if you were going to use one word as a motto for this team in this season, what would it be? Mine is urgency.

Mine is now. I think we’re seeing the Packers at the peak of the Aaron Rodgers era. The time is now.

Better get going.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 22, 2015, 11:39:54 pm
Scott from Watertown, SD

Vic, I’ve always thought one of the best measures of a good roster is how many players you can’t keep make it with another team. Your thoughts?

I don’t think that’s true in today’s game. You start with 90 players and you finish with 53 on your final roster and eight on your practice squad. After you put a few players on injured reserve, you’ve pretty much kept the players you identified as keepers

Not sure this always true.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 22, 2015, 11:41:21 pm
Jeff from Superior, WI

Vic, do any of the players stay in Green Bay to work out during the six weeks off, or are the facilities closed to players?

The facilities are open, but most players go home during the “Dead Zone” period. Once upon a time, when draft picks didn’t sign contracts until right before the start of training camp, the rookies would stay at the facility right up to the start of training camp, largely because they got free food and lodging. Fans are manic about getting players signed, but I can remember asking, “What’s the rush?” You keep them at the facility working out and out of trouble.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 22, 2015, 11:42:21 pm
Matt from Dixon, IL

What is your opinion of Arena Football?

Football is more than a game, it’s an event, when played on a large stage. Arena Football is played on a small stage.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 22, 2015, 11:43:36 pm
Vic, I enjoy reading your column every day. You have experience, knowledge and you sprinkle in the appropriate amount of humor to help us fans maintain a proper perspective. The NFL is, after all, entertainment. It’ll be a long five weeks until camp, but I know your column will help the time pass.

I plan to be here every step of the way. Let’s have fun with the questions. Let’s push back a little bit and be creative.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 23, 2015, 12:00:01 am
Greg Jennings: "The Way I Exited Green Bay Was Very Unprofessional"

The former Packers receiver once again talked about his regrets over how he handled his exit from Green Bay. 

True.  He handled it poorly; unfortunately for him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 23, 2015, 12:05:06 am

By Adam Schein

Published:  June 22, 2015
When it comes to speaking Mike McCarthy's language, I consider myself fluent.

Having routinely chatted with Green Bay's head man on SiriusXM Radio since he took over the Packers in 2006, I feel pretty comfortable assessing his tone and reading between the lines.

When I talked to McCarthy on "Schein on Sports" last Thursday, the 10th-year head coach was in a good mood. And why wouldn't he be? With a successful minicamp winding down, it was crystal clear McCarthy loves the talent and the character of the 2015 Packers. And McCarthy is not one to be subject to hyperbole. Far from it.

Which leads me to make the following declaration: This year's offense will be, quite simply, the best that we've seen during McCarthy's prolific decade in Green Bay.

And I'm not exaggerating, either. I firmly believe this. I had this feeling before talking to the coach. Now? I'm fully convinced. I truly felt McCarthy's enthusiasm for the group during our live interview. Listening back to the segment twice more, the coach's exhilaration was omnipresent. I believe this Packers offense has the talent, balance and coaching to rule the NFL in 2015 -- and set new heights for one of the league's proudest franchises.

Like most great offenses, it starts up front...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 23, 2015, 07:46:12 pm
Sid from Kenosha, WI

Vic, what are your thoughts on this year’s schedule? I believe this is the toughest schedule in numerous years.

First of all, I think the opener in Chicago is a daunting challenge. The Packers will be facing their rival at the start of what Bears fans hope will become a new era. The Packers will be facing the challenge of a new energy that accompanies change. Forget about Seattle in Week 2. Focus on the Bears; it’s a division game. November will be a tough month, with three road games in four weeks. I think November will be the defining month of the season, because it’s a five-game month. Overall, it’s a challenging schedule with three long road trips, but the 2010 schedule is one of the most difficult I’ve ever seen, and the Packers won it all that year.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 23, 2015, 07:47:37 pm
Jim from Waupaca, WI

A young player in the secondary has to step up. I’m excited and the suspense is thrilling. Who?

In spring drills, Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins really looked like first- and second-round picks. I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do in pads.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 23, 2015, 07:48:44 pm
Jason from Racine, WI

You get to put an expansion team anywhere in the world. Where would it be and why?

Expansion doesn’t make sense for the league. A 33rd team? That doesn’t work in any model. Relocation of a team? I’d hate to see it but, clearly, as many as two teams are headed to Los Angeles. It’s going to happen. The NFL is going to return to Los Angeles. It’s not if, it’s who and when.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 23, 2015, 07:50:23 pm
Scott from Waukesha, WI

Vic, if you’re going out for a nice round of golf, which Packer would you take as your caddy?

Mike Daniels. There’s something about Daniels that endears me to him. He has that old-school feel I love. He says whatever he wants, and backs it up with his play. He fears no one, including the media. I love that attitude.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 23, 2015, 07:54:18 pm
Dennis from Wisconsin Rapids, WI

Vic, it seems to me the equipment designed to protect the players is also causing injuries. A helmet has padding on the inside that helps protect the player wearing it, but unless things have changed since my playing days, the outside is as hard as a rock. Players getting hit by the hard outer shell don’t have the benefit of the padding designed to protect the wearer. Wouldn’t it be better to go with padded protection that has no hard shell? What am I missing?

You’re missing the ice cream headache the old Ohio State padded helmet produced. It was the worst helmet ever made. I can’t imagine why Willie Lanier wore it for all the years he did. It had a thick pad down the middle of the top of the helmet. It was a nonsensical creation because the pad absorbed the contact and transferred it to the inside of the helmet. The hard outer shell of the new helmet is designed to deflect the contact.

I think that Vic missed the point.  The protection is needed for the player being hit, not the hitter.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 23, 2015, 07:56:18 pm
Joe from Whitefish Bay, WI

Vic, thanks for giving me a football fix during the “Dead Zone.” My question relates to the Immaculate Reception, which I believe you witnessed. If Jack Tatum tries to make a play on the ball rather than stone Frenchy Fuqua, chances are the ball never deflects all the way to Franco Harris and the game ends. Raiders fans don’t like to hear that, but I think that’s true. What do you think about that point?

If Tatum allows Fuqua to catch the ball, the Steelers might not have been able to line up fast enough to kick a field goal, because the Steelers were out of times out and there was no spike play back then. Truth be known, Harris should’ve stepped out of bounds as he was running down the sideline. He took a risk of being tackled in bounds and the clock expiring. The Steelers only needed a field goal to win.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 23, 2015, 07:59:23 pm
Eric from Rochester, MN

Last column, you wrote about how teams can retain talented players by placing them on injured reserve. How severe does an injury have to be for players to be eligible for injured reserve? Do teams fudge the severity of an injury to make extra space for developmental players?

A long time ago, I covered a young, developmental defensive tackle named Gary Dunn. He developed into an outstanding nose tackle. Early in his career, however, it was difficult for him to find a place on the final roster. Fortunately, he injured his knee late in training camp and was placed on injured reserve. But what knee was it? When a few of us interviewed Dunn, he clutched his left knee. “I thought it was your right knee,” I said. “Oh, yeah, my right knee,” Dunn said with a smile, clutching his right knee.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 23, 2015, 08:02:41 pm
Andrew from Sarasota, FL

Have you ever considered writing fiction? If so, what would you write about?

I wanna write romance novels. I’m serious. I’ve spent a lifetime writing about football. I wanna spend what’s left of my life writing about something of which I know absolutely nothing.


;-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 23, 2015, 08:07:27 pm
(http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2015/06-June/temp150516-minicampPMG_2883--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.JPG?width=960&height=720)

Check the house behind the paying field.  I wonder how much they would sell it for.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 23, 2015, 08:18:34 pm
Rating each teams' off-season performance:

Chicago Bears: Buy

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images



The Marc Trestman experiment has been put to rest, and the Chicago Bears have brought in former Denver Broncos head coach John Fox to lead the team.

Fox led his team to the playoffs in each of the past four seasons, so this alone feels like a notable improvement. However, offensive coordinator Adam Gase and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio also bring a wealth of knowledge and experience.

Chicago traded away starting receiver Brandon Marshall, but replaced him with seventh overall pick Kevin White out of West Virginia.

The Bears also strengthened the defense in free agency by adding guys like linebacker Pernell McPhee and safety Antrel Rolle. The team also used a second-round draft pick on talented defensive tackle Eddie Goldman.

Defensive additions will be critical, as the Bears ranked 31st in scoring defense (27.6 points per game allowed) a season ago.

Overall, things are looking up in Chicago from where they were at the end of the regular season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 23, 2015, 08:34:40 pm
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2503418-rounding-up-green-bay-packers-offseason-buzz-post-minicamps/page/6


Jeff Janis, again.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on June 24, 2015, 08:48:12 pm



 Packy,


 How are you going to deal with us ?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 24, 2015, 10:04:17 pm
No dealing from the bottom of the deck.  We ain't New England, jj.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 24, 2015, 10:13:01 pm
Nathan from Denver, CO

When did the spike play become a legal way to stop the clock, and what was it before?

I can’t find the exact year it began, but I believe it was in the ’80s. Prior to being able to stop the clock by spiking the ball, a quarterback had to throw an incomplete pass by making it appear as though he was attempting to complete a pass. The most common way to do that was by throwing the ball out of bounds over a receiver’s head. It would require a couple of more seconds to execute that play than it does to spike the ball.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 24, 2015, 10:15:49 pm
Jacob from Houston, TX

If you could change the outcome of one football game in history, which would it be?

The NFC title game in Seattle this past January.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 24, 2015, 10:16:52 pm
K.J. from Minneapolis, MN

Vic, which would you choose? 1) Being a playoff contender every year but never winning the Super Bowl. 2) Winning the Super Bowl once but most other years being outside of playoff contention.

Define most other years. If it means every year except the Super Bowl year, I don’t want it. The goal heading into every season is to be a playoff contender. Once you make it into the playoffs, the goal changes.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 24, 2015, 10:21:23 pm
Joseph from El Paso, TX

Vic, how good would Jimmy Garoppolo have to play in order to take Tom Brady’s job?

You’re banned.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 25, 2015, 10:01:36 pm

Ted Talks

The reclusive Ted Thompson opens up about his 10-year tenure as Green Bay's general manager, pulling back the curtain on why he drafted Aaron Rodgers, how he signed Julius Peppers and what he first saw in a Falcons third string quarterback.

GREEN BAY, Wis. — In 1992 the Green Bay Packers hired a former Houston Oilers linebacker, Ted Thompson, to be a scout. Thompson was working in Houston selling stocks and bonds for several years, hating it. Then a good friend and former teammate, Mike Reinfeldt, called with this chance to work in Green Bay grading film for new general manager Ron Wolf. Thompson really wanted to be a coach, but he figured he’d take this job, and maybe it would lead to coaching.

Wolf gave Thompson a job: evaluate all the Plan B free agents Green Bay had some interest in. At the time the league allowed each team to protect 37 players and expose the others to this so-called Plan B free agency. Thompson was two weeks into that when Wolf walked into his dark office one day at Lambeau Field, handed him a couple of tapes and said, “Tell me what you think about this guy by the end of the day.”

Thompson hadn’t heard of the guy, a third-string quarterback for Atlanta. His name was Brett Favre. But Thompson didn’t have his head in football before coming to Green Bay, so he didn’t know Brett Favre from Snidely Whiplash.

Thompson looked at the tapes, and near the end of the day Wolf came back and asked what he thought. Thompson asked Wolf what he thought. Wolf said, “I think he’s damn good.” Thompson said, “I do too.”

Back in his dark den the next day, Thompson heard the news: Wolf had traded a first-round pick to Atlanta for this wild-horse quarterback Thompson had never heard of. Thompson’s not the kind of guy to be taken aback by much, but this was a Whoa! moment. The GM who just made an incredibly bold trade had wanted his opinion on the player, and maybe he took that opinion and stirred it into the pot with his own and others and made the trade … but whatever the case, Thompson learned a lesson that day: You love a player, you pay the price for him.
Thompson worked in personnel for the Packers from 1992-99. He left to become the Seahawks' VP of football operations from 2000-04 before returning as Green Bay's GM in 2005. (Morry Gash/AP)
Thompson worked in personnel for the Packers from 1992-99. He left to become the Seahawks’ VP of football operations from 2000-04 before returning as Green Bay’s GM in 2005. (Morry Gash/AP)
 
He’s learned, and imparted, quite a few lessons in the 22 years since. Thompson, 61, a transplanted Texan (“a Texan, loyal to the death,’’ he says) enters his 10th season as Packers GM on Thursday night, when Green Bay opens against the Super Bowl champions in Seattle. I wanted to write about Thompson on the eve of the season for several reasons. He’s one of the most interesting people in football, and he’s monk-like, one of the most the most private men in this increasingly public business. These 2014 Packers have the fingerprints of Thompson all over them, and they wouldn’t be in the showcase game of the first week of the season without him.

The reason Thompson is a good modern GM—at least one of the reasons—is that he doesn’t care what other people think. Lots of football people say they don’t. Thompson truly doesn’t. When you’re the GM in Green Bay, the scrutiny is intense, maybe even more intense than in a big market, because it’s unrelenting. At least 364 days a year, the locals are telling you what they think of the job you’re doing, because your team is all they have. And the legacy of championships is there, with the expectation that any year could be the next one. And should be the next one.

It takes a man who, in his first year running the Packers’ draft, in 2005, doesn’t care about the outside voices—in the media, in the league, from the populace—when he picks a quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, in first round, knowing Rodgers would have to sit for three or four years, and maybe never play, behind the indestructible Brett Favre.

It takes a man who doesn’t care about the outside voices when he draws a line in the sand and tells a waffling Favre, who’d retired four months earlier, that he wasn’t going to get his starting job back if he stayed, and that the Packers wouldn’t release him; the team would trade him, and only to a team outside the division. Favre was furious at what he viewed as a lack of loyalty. Thompson didn’t budge...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 26, 2015, 01:22:21 pm
Ryan from Roselle, IL

Vic, what is the best team you have seen that did not have “The Man”?

The 2000 Ravens.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 26, 2015, 01:24:08 pm
Daniel from Pittsburgh, PA

At what point do the Packers need to stop saving all this cap space and use it to their advantage? Will it all just go to waste at some point?

What you don’t use carries over. No team manages its cap more effectively than the Packers do.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 26, 2015, 01:26:05 pm
Vic, if it’s players, not plays, how do you explain how Vince Lombardi took the 1959 team to a winning season after going 1-10-1 the season before. In fact, the Packers hadn’t seen a winning season since 1947, before Vince got there, and he did it with all the same players. He changed the way they looked, the way they played and thought. In this instance, you couldn’t be more wrong. It’s the plays that made them a winning team. First thing Vince did was install the “Packers Sweep.” We all know how effective it was.

I’m afraid Coach Lombardi might come out of his grave and yell at you for what you’re suggesting. Coach Lombardi a plays, not players guy? That’s sacrilege. Coach Lombardi was the ultimate in execution. He made his players better by demanding them to play better, and that began with conditioning and execution. Everybody had the “Packers Sweep” in their playbook, but nobody ran it as the Packers did. You play Madden, don’t you?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 26, 2015, 01:28:23 pm
Raphy from Santee, CA

Vic, I enjoy reading your columns each day, but when I searched your name online I found multiple sites dedicated towards getting you fired. Many said they couldn’t stand your smart remarks and that they should hire someone with more class. What would you say to these people?

Today's payday.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 26, 2015, 01:30:48 pm
Brendan from Omaha, NE

Vic, how did we lose to the Bills in Week 15? Granted, they were a good team, but not as good as we were, and we were playing some great football right around that time. What happened?

The Bills won the one-on-ones. It always comes down to that. Isn’t that what Coach Lombardi said about beating the man across from you?

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 26, 2015, 01:34:04 pm
Don from Weaverville, CA

The most important characteristic of successful quarterbacks is ego. To be the best, one has to believe they are the best.

You’re absolutely correct. Ego is defined as self-esteem, self-worth. It’s not swagger or bluster, as we’ve popularly come to define it. A quarterback must have a strong ego to be able to lead men, and the quarterback must be the leader of the offense for the offense to be successful. As quarterbacks, Bart Starr, Johnny Unitas, Roger Staubach, all of the great ones, were leaders of men. There have been quarterbacks with great measurables, but they weren’t successful because they lacked self-worth.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 26, 2015, 01:36:11 pm
Justin from Titonka, IA

What is Green Bay like during this time of the year?

We’re getting close to the end of the annual cottonwood event. Seriously, it’s like summer snow. When it ends, the weather is beautiful through training camp. It’s the best time of the year. It’s reason to live here. When it ends in early fall, we have the Packers to give us reason to live here. After the Packers season is over, a darkness falls over the Earth and we go into a kind of nuclear winter that challenges our resolve. That’s when I leave, because my resolve is weakening with age, plus, I don’t want my tombstone to read, “He was pumping gas.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 27, 2015, 06:42:56 pm
(http://s2.r29static.com//bin/entry/ba1/x,80/1411546/image.jpg)

AR and Olivia Munn
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on June 27, 2015, 07:01:10 pm
Good looking women.  To bad she is just a beard.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 30, 2015, 08:45:34 pm
Ron from Pekin, IL

How do the 2015 Packers compare at this point to the 2014 Packers?

The offense is largely the same, but the defense has new pieces to put into place. The defense’s ability to replace personnel could define this season
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 30, 2015, 08:48:49 pm
Ted from Oshkosh, WI

What kind of improvements do you expect to see on special teams this year for the Packers?

Dramatic.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 30, 2015, 08:50:17 pm
Adam from Elmgrove, WI

You stated you moved Green Bay to cover big games. Have you covered as many big games as you hoped?

I’ve covered almost nothing but big games. It’s been a delight.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 30, 2015, 08:51:54 pm
John from Ashburn, VA

Vic, you’ve just been named GM of an NFL expansion team. Who is your second-most important hire, after head coach?

If the head coach is a defensive guy, then it’s the offensive coordinator. If the head coach is an offensive guy, it’s probably the defensive coordinator. If you’re looking for a No. 3 guy, I think it’s the college scouting director

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 30, 2015, 08:56:02 pm
Paul from Green Bay, WI

Very disappointed in your selection of questions. You had the chance to share your knowledge about Joe Delaney on the anniversary of his death, but you chose a couple of inane questions so you could respond with what you think is a funny or witty answer. Maybe it’s time to stop thinking about yourself. How many younger people read your column who may not know about Joe or his ultimate sacrifice? You had the chance to share your insight and try to keep this man’s legacy alive. You have avoided my questions for some time now, but unless someone asks you about the Steelers or Jaguars, or you get a question to make you feel important or funny, you look right over it. I sent you this question specifically to get your insight, but it wasn’t self-serving enough for you. I guess we will continue to get gas-pumping questions. Keep up the great work, big man!

I’ll try.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 30, 2015, 08:58:26 pm
Mark from Chippewa Falls, WI

Years ago, there was a game played in Soldier Field that featured college players and pros. What was that about?

It was the College All-Star Game, and it pitted a team of college all-stars vs. the NFL/Super Bowl champion. The game became uncompetitive, which I always found amusing because, in effect, the best players in college football were being dominated by rookies and undrafted free agents on a team that picked last in the draft. I covered the last College All-Star Game. A lightning storm and driving rain caused everyone to run for cover in the third quarter. They never came back. What a way to go.

The Packers lost to the College All-stars one year.  Imagine Lombardi in the clubhouse after that game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 30, 2015, 08:59:39 pm
Mark from Pewaukee, WI

What coach brought the most innovation to the game?

Paul Brown. He also gave the game one of its greatest offensive innovators, Bill Walsh.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 30, 2015, 09:20:30 pm
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2510414-5-players-who-might-find-themselves-on-green-bay-packers-practice-squad-in-2015/page/2

Keep an eye on this guy if he gets cut,
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 30, 2015, 09:37:00 pm
Cory's Corner: Time is not on Casey Hayward's side

By Cory Jennerjohn on Jun 30, 2015 with 8 Comments

Everyone’s heard of the expression “Hit the ground running.”

That couldn’t be truer for Casey Hayward. Because of a nagging foot injury, he has missed OTAs and minicamp this year.

But yet, he expects to start at cornerback and fill in for Tramon Williams, who decided to see greener pastures in Cleveland.

Hayward didn’t waste time by raising eyebrows as a rookie in 2012. But the next year, injuries ruined his chances to follow up his breakout campaign. Then he bounced back last year with five takeaways to increase his value, which caused the Packers to say goodbye to Williams and Davon House.

But he can’t just do the job well. Hayward has to do the job well right away. The Packers cannot afford to have their former nickel and dime back struggle, which could cause Demetri Goodson to prove why everyone has been gushing over the second-year pro.

But even the Packers’ coaching staff is keeping its expectations tempered for a secondary that is going to have its growing pains this season. But you also have to remember that the Packers don’t face an elite passer until going to Denver on Nov. 1.

“If he’s healthy, he’s going to be really good,” Packers cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt said. “Casey Hayward is the last thing I’m worried about. Casey can be as good in this league as he wants to be, if he’s healthy.”

That’s the best way to say that, because Hayward is your prototypical nose-to-the-ball type guys that coaches love. However, if he cannot get and stay on the field, just how valuable is a guy that is in the final year of his four-year rookie deal?

Hayward is bound to get nicked up during the season. That’s why he has to come out from training camp very strong and play at Chicago like his hair is on fire. It will give the coaching staff some insurance to keep playing him when he gets healthy and more importantly, it will give him needed leverage in the upcoming contract negotiations.

Hayward can start slow, but he’s going to quickly find out that others don’t have the patience.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on June 30, 2015, 09:52:32 pm
http://twitter.com/dekker/status/614451299829026817/photo/1


Rodgers and Dekker. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on July 01, 2015, 09:13:15 pm



 Packy,


 You're seeing the new CHICAGO BEARS ...


 how do you play this angle ?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 01, 2015, 09:42:06 pm
Worry a lot.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on July 01, 2015, 09:53:46 pm



 
Worry a lot.


If I see any BEARRSSE Defensense that impresses me ... I'll let ya know.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 01, 2015, 10:21:03 pm
Quarterbacks

Aaron Rodgers, Scott Tolzien, Matt Blanchard. Cut: Brett Hundley.

I know what you’re thinking. Cutting a fifth-round pick before the beginning of the season? It’s not a possibility that hasn’t happened before. Just last season the Packers were on the chopping block with Jared Abbrederis and Jeff Janis had injuries not gotten in the way.

The way Matt Blanchard has performed during OTAs has shown that he is clearly ahead of Hundley in terms of being a refined quarterback. If Blanchard continues his streak of success, we could see the Packers decide that Blanchard might be the project they want to start, not Hundley...

Cut Hundley?????



Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 01, 2015, 10:52:20 pm
Maximillian from Sydney, Australia

Vic, do you expect opposing teams to pay special attention to Eddie Lacy this season?

That’s the idea. Coach McCarthy’s big-letters promise to improve the running game has added a weapon to the Packers’ offense, and it’s the best possible weapon for protecting a star quarterback and opening the field for him. Lacy is the best thing that’s happened to the Packers offense since Aaron Rodgers became the team’s quarterback.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 01, 2015, 10:53:31 pm
Brett from Green Bay, WI

Vic, why don't we see more combined practices?

Travel is the issue. Coaches don’t like the time that’s wasted on it. It’s time that could be spent teaching. In my opinion, it’s time well spent.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 01, 2015, 10:54:38 pm
Michael from Sandy Hook, VA

Your answer on Paul Brown piqued my interest. Which coaching tree is the most impressive in your opinion and why?

Brown’s is the best: Ewbank, Shula, Noll, Walsh, etc.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 01, 2015, 10:56:42 pm
Mike from Somerset, WI

Vic, the draft-and-develop system in Green Bay has the young players buying in and they seem to be performing at a higher level than players for another club. Help us understand what makes it so effective.

It begins with drafting good players. Before it can be about intangibles, such as team spirit and chemistry, etc., it has to be about talent. This organization finds it. If you’re going to rely on draft picks, you better not miss on them. The Packers don’t miss often.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 01, 2015, 10:58:16 pm
Jim from Green Bay, WI

Can you give us more insight on the Paul Brown and Bill Walsh relationship?

Walsh was Brown’s offensive coordinator with the Bengals. When Brown retired, he made a choice between Walsh and Tiger Johnson to coach the Bengals. Brown picked the wrong guy. If he had picked Walsh, the ’80s 49ers as we know them would’ve never existed. That’s how delicate the balance of power is in the NFL.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 01, 2015, 10:59:58 pm
Dave from Eau Claire, WI

With the advent of the free agency era, do you think it’s possible to see a dynasty like the ’60s Packers, ’70s Steelers or ’80s Niners again?

I think it’s possible for a dynasty to emerge, but not similar to the Packers, Steelers and 49ers. Prior to the free agency/salary cap era, football was a game of addition. Teams just kept adding to their rosters; age and injury were the only threats of subtraction. Today’s game is a game of replacement. The Patriots are the model for today’s game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 01, 2015, 11:04:35 pm
Matt from Winfield, IL

How much longer do you think we have of the McCarthy era?

Mike McCarthy is going to coach this team for a long, long time.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on July 01, 2015, 11:10:38 pm
McCarthy will coach the team until they have two losing seasons in a row.  So I am going to guess he will lose his job as soon as Rodgers is gone for more then a year or two.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 02, 2015, 07:16:49 pm
McCarthy will coach the team until they have two losing seasons in a row.  So I am going to guess he will lose his job as soon as Rodgers is gone for more then a year or two]


Jeremy from Sacramento, CA

What’s the minimum Mike McCarthy needs to do for serious Hall of Fame consideration when he retires?

One more Super Bowl win will do it.

And, then,  he will retire.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 02, 2015, 07:25:09 pm
Mike from Mount Prospect, IL

Who is the best coach never to win a championship? Best player?

I’ll say Marty Schottenheimer and Dan Marino.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 02, 2015, 07:26:40 pm
Vic, do you have any favorite football documentaries you can recommend?

It’s a 1996 production called “Football America.” There are several interesting stories within the full video. One story in particular features the Gallaudet University football team and its big drum. Gallaudet is a school for the deaf, and the vibration from the drum is its snap count. It’s an unforgettable story.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 02, 2015, 07:33:45 pm
Chadd from Antigo, WI

If Brown had correctly picked Walsh, how differently would we be viewing Joe Montana and his career?

Maybe the Packers would’ve drafted Montana a round later. What if John Clayton hadn’t written that story about the Steelers practicing in shoulder pads in minicamp? The Steelers wouldn’t have lost a third-round draft pick and maybe they would’ve drafted Montana. Montana following Terry Bradshaw? That’s why I love the draft because the draft is where the decisions teams make are felt the most. The draft is where fate is born.

What if Chicago had drafted Rodgers?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 02, 2015, 07:37:24 pm
Jeff from Elm Grove, WI

Trade a loss in Chicago last season for a win in Seattle and the Packers are the one seed. Seattle is a contender and Chicago is not. I say the Seattle game is more important.

So what do you think my inbox would look like the day after a loss to the Bears? Do you think a lot of fans would be saying no problem, Vic, we’ll beat the Seahawks and get the one seed? Write it down: On July 2, I am going on record as saying the single-most important game the Packers will play this season is the next game, and it’s in Chicago. That’s a healthy attitude.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 02, 2015, 07:38:57 pm
John from Peoria, IL

Vic, when was the play clock instituted? What was the game like before it was around?

I can’t remember when it was instituted; maybe someone can look it up. What I know is once upon a time all we could do was wait for the ball to be snapped before an official stopped the play due to delay of game. We had instincts back then. We knew when it was getting close to delay of game. I can remember hearing the crowd get nervous as the quarterback changed the play. Sometimes the suspense of not knowing is better than knowing. Do we know too much?

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 02, 2015, 07:40:28 pm
Rick from Stockholm, Sweden

Vic, what offensive and defensive player are you most excited to see play in the preseason games?

The two rookie corners (Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins) on defense and Ty Montgomery on offense and as a kick returner.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 02, 2015, 07:42:24 pm
Nick from Dacula, GA

If you could attend one game at Lambeau as a fan this year, what would it be? Now keep in mind, I live in Georgia and don’t want to be in the cold of November, December, etc.

Despite the cold, it would have to be the Thanksgiving game. It’s going to be more than a game, it’s going to be an event. Brett Favre’s return to Lambeau Field is going to put this game into the history book as one of the seminal moments in Packers history.

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 03, 2015, 08:04:05 pm
Dan from Kenosha, WI

Lombardi’s worst call was consistently refusing colonoscopies. He and his family paid the price in pain.

So did I, for the same reason. Be smart; drink the stuff.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 03, 2015, 08:05:43 pm
Steve from Racine, WI

Is there any rule, piece of equipment or penalty you’d like to see removed from the game?

I’d like to see the pass-interference rule changed so that offensive pass interference in the end zone would be the defense’s ball on the 20-yard line going out. The rule as it stands is tilted unfairly toward the offense.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 03, 2015, 08:07:48 pm
Will from Mt. Laurel, NJ

Do you have anything to say to the fans who constantly devalue your opinion because you are not a true Packers fan, then turn around and ridicule you for saying the game to win next year is the Bears?


Thank you for reading.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 03, 2015, 08:11:53 pm
Ben from Eau Claire, WI

Are there any Hall of Fame coaches that didn’t have the opportunity to coach “The Man”?

Did Joe Gibbs have “The Man”?

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 03, 2015, 08:13:17 pm
Andrew from Grayslake, IL

Vic, I’m 12 years old and I love your column and read it every day. My question to you is on game day at Lambeau, what is your go-to gameday snack or thing to eat?

I’m a popcorn junkie. It’s how I found out I had colon cancer. I ate too much popcorn covering a Redskins-Jaguars game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 03, 2015, 08:15:54 pm
Brent from Chippewa Falls, WI

Is it odd Coach McCarthy has never won coach of the year? Am I missing something or should I not care?

Coach Noll never won coach of the year, either. You should not care.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 03, 2015, 08:17:10 pm
Coach Noll never won coach of the year, either. You should not care.




David from Monticello, GA

Vic did you know the “G” on the Georgia Bulldogs helmet was originally leased from the Packers? I find this ironic since I am from Georgia but have been a Packers fan since 1965.

There’s a town in South Carolina named Greenwood. Did you know permission to use the “G” was given to Greenwood High School by Lombardi?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 03, 2015, 09:15:22 pm
Receivers (6)

Jordy Nelson


Randall Cobb


Davante Adams


Ty Montgomery


Jeff Janis


Jared Abbrederis


Noteworthy: The Packers sometimes keep just five receivers, and they could do the same again this year, especially if they want that third halfback. If that's the case, then Abbrederis could be in trouble. Janis is way ahead of him at this point.

Tough cut: The Packers love their rookie free-agent class of receivers, and Ricky Collins might be the best of the group.

Ricky Collins?  ANOTHER WR talent?  Well, I know that the Pack can't keep 7 WRs on the roster.  Somebody will pick him up.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 03, 2015, 09:29:52 pm
(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/slides/photos/004/002/748/hi-res-3d3783c82d7c88d7e7e5ec42a1358f3d_crop_north.jpg?w=630&h=420&q=75)

Ricky Collins, 6,0, 198.

He was expected to be drafted but when he wasn't, he picked GB, even with the boatload of talent at WR.  He will get noticed by another team and picked off the GB PS.  Watch him.

If Abrederis doesn't recover well from his injury, HE could be the one gone.

Of course, there could be a season ending injury to someone else, opening the door for Collins to make the roster.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 05, 2015, 09:06:42 pm
http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Anderson-Grabowski-thrilled-to-be-part-of-Packers/11b790fb-17be-4e31-bcaf-268f3b0f2a56

Grabowski and Anderson interview.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on July 06, 2015, 08:49:46 pm
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/07/06/report-packers-plan-to-keep-andrew-quarless/

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 07, 2015, 09:54:08 pm
Caleb from Eau Claire, WI

Vic, what changes can we expect to see in a John Fox-coached Bears team, and how long do you think it will take for him to place his stamp on the roster?

Coach Fox is a defensive coach. I expect defense to become the Bears’ calling card.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 07, 2015, 09:54:38 pm
Derek from Eau Claire, WI

I’m wondering if there could be an “Ask Vic” notification option through the Packers app that would alert you when “Ask Vic” has been posted each day.

What’s an app?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 07, 2015, 09:57:19 pm
David from Ringgold, GA

You sure do get a lot of unnecessary criticism. I thoroughly enjoy your column each day and love your dry sense of humor. Hopefully, my wife and I will get to meet you when we attend a home game soon.

You’ll be greatly disappointed.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 08, 2015, 08:50:28 pm
Caleb from San Diego, CA

Vic, I’m wondering how John Fox is considered a defensive coach in the league. I remember the 2013 Broncos were known for their record-breaking offense, and the Broncos defense seemed to crumble in the Super Bowl. Can you explain to me what makes John Fox a defense guy?

He’s been defensive coordinator at three stops in his career and a defensive assistant or head coach in a career that has spanned nearly 40 years. Eight college football programs and nine professional football teams thought enough of him to employ him. As head coach at Carolina, he inherited a 1-15 team and turned it into the No. 2 defense in the league in just his first season as head coach, and then took it to the Super Bowl a year later. So, you wanna throw out his body of work and judge Fox solely on what happened in Denver, where he was handed Peyton Manning and expected to score often?

Props for Fox.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on July 08, 2015, 08:55:00 pm
Caleb asked a dumb question.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 08, 2015, 08:55:22 pm
Bill from Orlando, FL

We are starting to see some distracting player issues. Any concerns?

First of all, and I’ve expressed this opinion several times, I have a tolerance for misconduct because I accept the fact that many of the men I’ve covered during my career as a reporter have come from hardscrabble backgrounds. If you’re looking for hard-edged guys, and this is a hard-edged game, you must accept that you’re not going to find them in charm school. So, there will be issues. I covered a player who lost six friends and family members to gunfire in a one-year period. I covered another player who grew up in a box on the street. There’s a line to draw, but it’s difficult to know where to draw it. I refuse to look down my nose at others’ problems. I’m absolutely sure the system will deal with these players and their issues properly. I refuse to use these players and their issues as entertainment or as a soap-box platform.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 08, 2015, 08:59:59 pm
Spencer from Rockford, IL

“On the outside, he has space to one side of him and he can use it to defeat blocks. On the inside, the blockers are coming at him from all directions and you can’t avoid them, only defeat them.” While I do agree with your argument for Matthews on the outside, especially since I played both outside and inside linebacker in high school, didn’t we see Matthews defeat those oncoming blockers from the inside? I remember seeing him all over the field from the inside.

Matthews is, and should be, a OLB.

Yeah, he did it. He also missed the critical final minutes of the NFC title game. Was that the result of having to take on blockers on the inside? Look, I surrender. All of Packernation wants Matthews to play inside linebacker. This is too big for me to combat, so I am officially proclaiming on this, the eighth day of July in the year 2015, that Clay Matthews is an inside linebacker and the Packers’ quest for a Super Bowl title rests solely on that fact.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 08, 2015, 09:03:47 pm
Derek from Milwaukee, WI

I went to the Seattle game to open last season. While there, I got a punch to the face from a Seahawks fan. While that was an isolated incident, which team do you think has the kindest, most generous fans, and which team’s fan base is most toxic?

I think we all know what fans are the kindest, and I think most people would agree Philadelphia is a good place to get your butt kicked, but your Seattle story surprises me. I wouldn’t expect that in Seattle. I would expect Seattle to be the most likely place to be handed a piece of sushi or a cup of coffee, but not a punch in the face. Seattle just isn’t a punch-in-the-face kind of town. Did you do something?


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 08, 2015, 10:07:15 pm
ANOTHER good WR prospect for GB.

Wide receiver is a crowded place for a player to try and hang his hat this offseason. If the Packers want to keep all their second-year players and their 2015 rookie, the position will include six players: Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Davante Adams, Ty Montgomery, Jeff Janis and Jared Abbrederis.

However, Green Bay also has practice-squad Myles White and a talented crop of undrafted rookies to consider at the position, including Adrian Coxson.

After one season at Maryland, Adrian Coxson played at Stony Brook for three years, seeing time in 35 games with 19 starts. He finished his career with 1,335 yards, 82 receptions and 10 touchdowns.

Coxson made a case to be drafted at his pro day, where he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.28 and 4.33 seconds, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun, but, of course, ultimately signed as an UDFA with Green Bay. Per Wilson, the Packers were in attendance at that workout.

At 6'1" and 209 pounds, Coxson is one of the bigger pass-catchers currently on Green Bay's roster. Former Packers wideout Qadry Ismail, who trained Coxson before the draft, said Coxson has the big-play capability of Terrell Owens and the catch radius of Anquan Boldin, per Tyler Dunne, formerly of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

That's no small praise for the undrafted rookie, who faces an uphill battle to make the roster at such a crowded position. But if the Packers see those Owens- or Boldin-like qualities during camp, perhaps Coxson will earn a spot on the practice squad.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on July 09, 2015, 02:35:19 pm

Not sure why those FA rookies gravitate towards Green Bay where the 2 starters are well entrenched.

Oh well, Packers just need to keep signing those future Bear WRs...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 09, 2015, 08:54:19 pm
Not sure why those FA rookies gravitate towards Green Bay where the 2 starters are well entrenched.

Oh well, Packers just need to keep signing those future Bear WRs...

They know that they will get a fair shot and good coaching.  Other teams watch film and many of the rookies get their shot with another team because of the publicity.

It starts with a sincere belief than any rookie is worth an honest try.

When you are rating the quality of a HC this all enters in.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 09, 2015, 09:20:05 pm
Leo from Modesto, CA

Personally, I got goosebumps coming to Lambeau as well, back in the 2013 season. Have you ever felt like that entering another sports venue or any building for that matter?

No.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 09, 2015, 09:21:11 pm
Ryan from Wheeling, IL

Do you think Aaron got snubbed for the No. 1 spot on the NFL Network’s Top 100?

In our production meeting on Tuesday, as we were discussing our plans for covering Wednesday’s announcement, I said I expected J.J. Watt to be named No. 1. Why? Because if there was ever a year a quarterback wouldn’t win the award, this was it. Watt had a season for the ages. He deserves the distinction. Now ask yourself would you trade Aaron Rodgers for Watt? That’s the question you ask when deciding true value. Rodgers is still No. 1 on the Vic Network
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 09, 2015, 09:24:07 pm
Kevin from Saint Michael, MN

I agree with your emphasis on players, not plays. How does coaching fit into this? How is it a coach can get credit for turning a defense around in a year if it is all about players, not plays?

He teaches better. He organizes better. He evaluates and utilizes talent better. He motivates better. Vince Lombardi did all of those things better. Cliff Christl’s piece on Pat Peppler gives us what I consider to be one of the defining works on Lombardi. First and foremost, Lombardi was about talent. All of that fire and brimstone came after talent. Lombardi knew even back then it was a young man’s game, and he was vigilant about replacing older players with younger players. I love the line about if a guy’s ever done it, I’ll get it out of him. If you really want to know the answer to your question, and if you really want to understand why Lombardi won, read this
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 09, 2015, 09:25:10 pm
Dave from Brookings, SD

You want to talk about goosebumps? When I drove over the Fox River a few weeks ago and could see Lambeau from a distance, I had (goosebumps) while I honked my car horn in salute.

I think I heard you.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 09, 2015, 09:27:20 pm
Bartib from Aurora, IL

How would Vince Lombardi deal with players who get arrested for criminal behavior or who violate NFL rules concerning substance abuse?

I don’t know because Lombardi coached in a very different era. Players running afoul of the law didn’t create the scrutiny or outrage they do today. I covered a player who tried to shoot down a police helicopter. It was front-page headlines, but there was no great outrage. It was understood the player had a nervous breakdown. He got help and recovered to become one of the best defensive tackles I’ve ever covered. Paul Hornung was suspended for gambling, yet, he remained one of Lombardi’s favorite players. To what degree would we vilify a player today for a gambling suspension? Lombardi wanted players of character. He also wanted tough guys. He knew where to draw the line. That’s the key. In today’s hypersensitive culture, that line is becoming very difficult to draw.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 09, 2015, 09:28:58 pm
Gary from Topeka, KS

Vic, I have looked at other NFL teams’ websites and I think the Packers’ is the best. Any idea where the Packers’ site ranks with other NFL teams on number of fans who read it?

Let me put it this way: The last time I looked at the numbers, I got goosebumps.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 10, 2015, 09:47:48 pm
A.J. from Carol Stream, IL

Vic, I have noticed a higher rate of people writing in and letting you know they are unhappy with the column due to history and off-topic questions. I want to let you know I actually like the offseason column better – the questions during the season are too focused on particular plays and fans spend too much time worrying. Don’t change the way you are doing things.

On my tombstone, it will be written: “He never changed.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 10, 2015, 09:49:12 pm
Jordan from Nevada, IA

I’m extremely curious to see Vic’s NFL top 100. Could you give me something like your top 10?

1) Aaron Rodgers, 2) Andrew Luck, 3) Tom Brady, 4) Ben Roethlisberger, 5) Russell Wilson, 6) Tony Romo, 7) Drew Brees, 8) Joe Flacco,  9) J.J. Watt, 10) Matt Ryan. The importance of the quarterback position is overwhelming.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 10, 2015, 09:51:08 pm
Justin from Los Angeles, CA

If you had to pick one game for the NFL Network to show in order to get across what the NFL was like before the 1978 rules changes, what game would you pick?

The 1975 AFC title game. I can’t believe I covered something that violent.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 10, 2015, 09:53:44 pm
James from Madison, WI

When did TV stations start putting the score constantly in the corner? And why didn’t they start it earlier? Was it the technology or did no one think of it?

It happened at some point between the creation of instant replay and the robot. Everything evolves, right? The TV product is sensational. In the days before color TV, you had to go to the game to really see it; that’s how bad the TV product was. Now, it’s becoming more difficult every year for teams to provide a viewing product the equal of what they can get at home on TV.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 10, 2015, 10:00:26 pm
Tony from Onalaska, WI

When my wife and I were dating while attending UWGB, we used to grab a snack and just sit on a bench outside the Atrium to watch the sunset. There was just something special about the summer sun fading on the faces of Curly and Vince. Lambeau Field has been a special place for many fond memories in my life. Is there a view at Lambeau you really like?

The sun setting on Curly and Vince, huh? I like the Atrium on a snowy night at the Christmas season. Everything seems to sparkle. I also like it because I’m inside instead of being outside in the miserable, stinking snow.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 11, 2015, 09:59:30 pm
Jerry from Des Moines, IA

Vic, any Kenny Stabler memories you’d like to share with us?

He threw the most beautiful sidearm pass I have ever seen. The ball came out of his hand with grace; it was a beautiful sight. Something that is seldom mentioned about Stabler is that he replaced Daryl Lamonica late in the Immaculate Reception game and led what should’ve been the game-winning touchdown drive. His scramble was the drive’s defining play. Had the Steelers not rallied to win, would Stabler have remained the Raiders’ quarterback for the AFC title game against the Dolphins? I think he might’ve and I think the Raiders would’ve won that game, which would’ve ended the Dolphins’ quest for a perfect season. I also believe the Raiders would’ve beaten the Redskins in the Super Bowl, and Stabler would be in the Hall of Fame today. That’s the fine line between winning and losing. One goofy play changed the course of history for at least three teams and one great player. I’ll also remember Stabler for the horribly violent games I saw him play against the Steelers. They were the real thing. They were real hate. You never see the men from those two teams hugging or clowning around with each other at NFL alumni events or the such. I was a radio partner of Pete Banaszak’s in Jacksonville. We talked often of this. All these years later, the bittnerness remains.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 11, 2015, 10:00:24 pm
Steven from Milwaukee, WI

If players were asked to play every position, who would be the greatest all-around football player of all time?

Bobby Douglass comes to mind.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 11, 2015, 10:02:17 pm
Joe from Dells, WI

I’ve been watching Ken Burns’ history of baseball and one reporter described Dizzy Dean’s fastball like this: “He threw so hard he could throw a lamb chop past a wolf.” Why don’t we see this type of creative writing anymore?

I prefer “He could throw a strawberry through a locomotive.” It’s a different age. We’re much more serious about sports today. Analysis is king.


Those were the (better) days.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 11, 2015, 10:05:51 pm
Joe from Waukesha, WI

Vic, what strikes you most about Coach McCarthy?



His creativity. You expect someone with his creativity to come from the West Coast wine country, not from a run-the-ball steel town. There’s a reason Bill Belichick ran across the field to congratulate Mike McCarthy. Belichick was respectful of the coaching job McCarthy did in that game.


Waukesha, my hometown. ;-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 11, 2015, 10:10:14 pm
Barry from Hayward, WI

Vic, when you’re watching the ball get hiked, are you focusing on a particular player or are you watching the play unfold? I ask because I sense I end up spending too much time watching the quarterback.

Once the ball is snapped, I have to watch it; that’s the nature of my job. I try to get a feel for where everybody is in pre-snap. Find the safeties and true middle linebacker; it always starts with that for me. The number of wide receivers in the huddle pretty much tells us what the offensive design will be. If you start with those basics, you can watch the ball and then get what else you need to understand the play from the replay of it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 11, 2015, 10:14:48 pm
Ray from Los Angeles, CA

My father has always been a Raiders fan and told me stories of them growing up. He glorified Jack Tatum; there is an excitement when he talks about Tatum. Is the only thing keeping Jack from the Hall of Fame the 1978 preseason event?

The Darryl Stingley hit? No, not the hit, the lack of remorse afterward; it didn’t help Tatum’s cause. I’m not a Jack Tatum fan. He was an ambush hitter, but so were most of the safeties back then. My regard for Tatum declined dramatically in the 1974 AFC title game. Find tape of Franco Harris’ touchdown run in the third quarter. Tatum rolled off his blocker away from Harris; he turned his back on him


I feel the same way about Sapp for his senseless  cheap shot on Bryan Bulaga.  It created and injury more severe than any previous football injury.  I imagine Bear fans feel the same way vis-à-vis GB's Martin and Jim McMahon.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 11, 2015, 10:23:57 pm
Jon from Algoma, WI

You know you are just a hack; get a real job. Who cares who the top 100 are? These polls are meaningless. And who cares that your boy A-Rod was No. 2? That’s what I think of your articles. They are No. 2.

OK.


Jon has the markings of a Viqueen fan
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 14, 2015, 09:36:21 pm
Tom from Neenah, WI

Vic, I watched the Ice Bowl recently (again) and noticed how the secondary usually stopped the runner with a hard tackle, using those gigantic shoulder pads as a weapon. Would a return to the league requiring all players to wear full pads slow down the game and decrease injuries while leaving the violence we love intact?

In other words, could the league mandate a return to the style of the 1960s? Sure, by changing the rules to favor that kind of game: offensive linemen can’t use their hands to block, holding is a 15-yard penalty and the quarterback is live to the ground. That’s not going to happen because the league doesn’t want to return to the game of the ’60s. The league wants a more wide open, higher-scoring game that features the passing game. It wants points.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 14, 2015, 09:38:02 pm
Vern from Sherwood, OR

Vic, I like Coach Belichick’s philosophy to take away what they do best. If you play to not give up the big play, aren’t you in a sense playing scared, if that’s what’s in the back of your mind? If you can’t take away what they do best, then you need to find someone that will since you have to beat the man in front of you.

Who doesn’t want to take away what the other team does best? Every defense tries to take away what the opponent does best. It’s a great philosophy, if you have the players to execute it. What opponent didn’t want to take away the Packers' sweep, the Steelers' inside trap, the 49ers’ sprint right option, the Cowboys’ lead draw with Emmitt? How many did take it away? Here’s another question: In how many games would that philosophy have succeeded without Tom Brady at quarterback? It didn’t work in Cleveland.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: otto105 on July 15, 2015, 07:22:35 pm
Green Bay.....still best in show.


Suck it jjj.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 15, 2015, 08:28:01 pm
Dianne from Hayden Lake, ID

Why were we blacked out from seeing the special? Green Bay has fans all over the country and North Idaho is full of them, myself included. We scream our hearts out when the Packers are near in Seattle and we don’t get to see the special. I think that was pretty short-sighted on the part of the powers that be.

It was a local production. It was only broadcast through the Packers’ statewide NBC markets. Hayden Lake isn’t part of the Packers’ statewide market.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 15, 2015, 08:29:37 pm
Matthew from Fayetteville, NC

Vic, are teams required to have a player at every position, such as fullback, on their roster?

No. There was no tight end on the roster of teams that ran the “Run and Shoot.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 15, 2015, 08:32:14 pm
Vic, who was Greg Cook and how did he influence the NFL?

Cook was an extremely talented quarterback who blew out his arm in his rookie season. He was rushed back too fast and that likely ended his career. His influence on the NFL is he taught teams to treat a great arm with great care.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 15, 2015, 08:48:18 pm
Chad from Noblesville, IN

Without our man, is this a playoff team?

Without Tom Brady, are the Patriots a playoff team? What playoff team is a playoff team without having “The Man”? Ravens without Flacco? Steelers without Roethlisberger? Broncos without Manning? Cowboys without Romo? You must have “The Man.” The Packers have him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 15, 2015, 08:59:45 pm
John Dorsey: We always wanted to keep Justin Houston in the organization

Posted by Josh Alper on July 15, 2015, 1:44 PM EDT

Houston
AP

The Chiefs have made their long-term agreement with linebacker Justin Houston official.

As a former GB GM it's hard to believe that Dorsey paid this much.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 15, 2015, 09:30:23 pm
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Jeff RobersonJeff Roberson


MMQB: Inside the Favre-GB Divorce; Brett Considered Bears

MMQB.SI.com


http://mmqb.si.com/2015/07/15/brett-favre-packers-divorce-number-retired-nfl/
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 17, 2015, 07:01:12 pm
Bob from Washington, DC

I left work for an Irish pub to watch Favre’s retirement speech, and I cried, called my daughter, and we cried together. I don’t know about others, but un-retiring made it hard to welcome him back much earlier.

I’m not big on crying about professional football. That might be your problem; you lost emotional control. It’s professional football. It’s a hard-edged game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 17, 2015, 07:05:02 pm
Andy from Colorado Springs, CO

Vic, I love the column and what it brings to packers.com. All of the buildup to Favre’s retirement has me thinking of what he helped build the Packers up to. It has made me look back at what he stepped into and all of the hard work he put into making the Packers great once again. When he left, we were in a much better place than when he got to Green Bay. Through it all, I guess all I want to say is thank you, Brett, for building the Packers into what I love today and what I can share with my kids because of it.

That’s half of the importance of this weekend. The other half is Favre thanking Packers fans for the support and appreciation he received while playing for this team. This will be a healing weekend. When it’s over, I think we’re all going to feel a lot better.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 17, 2015, 07:06:48 pm
Martina from Tremont, IL

Vic, why didn’t Brett Favre win more than one Super Bowl?

In my opinion, it’s because the team was largely built through free agency. It did two things: It caused the Packers to get too good too fast and too old too fast. The Packers went to the bottom of the draft order and likely didn’t get the lift out of the draft they would’ve gotten had they been drafting higher in the order. The other bad part about free agency is that when you acquire a free agent, usually he’s at the halfway point or beyond in his career.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 17, 2015, 07:11:36 pm
Sam from Utrecht, The Netherlands

Vic, I started taking an interest in football just as Brett Favre’s career took off. His performance at quarterback is one of the reasons I fell in love with the game. You couldn’t ask for a more exciting quarterback. But this week, I read a behind-the-scenes recount of his departure from Green Bay and his tenure in Minnesota. In my head, I get it. For a through-and-through competitor like that, of course he would want to keep playing. But in my heart I still feel some anger, some resentment, some bitterness toward him for that. I thought I was over it, but I guess I’m not. I want to look back on his time in Green Bay fondly, but right now I can’t help but feel a bad taste in my mouth about it all. Any advice for how to get over it?

This weekend will change that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 17, 2015, 07:17:24 pm


Vic, I remember being outraged the Packers traded a first-round draft pick for Brett Favre, a third-string QB and former second-round pick. Not considering the outcome, would you agree with that trade back then?

I have no doubt I would’ve had a negative reaction to that trade. Ron Wolf took a tremendous risk. So much of what the franchise is today is the result of that trade. It’s really a great story.


HOF GM, for sure.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on July 17, 2015, 07:31:17 pm



 Packy,


 Who loves ya baby ?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 17, 2015, 08:01:34 pm
Back in 2012, the Packers opened the season with a loss at home to the San Francisco 49ers. They would close the year with a loss to those same Niners in the NFC Divisional Playoffs.

One year later, Green Bay traveled to San Francisco for the season opener only to lose once again. Later that season, the 49ers bested the Packers at Lambeau Field in the 2013 NFC Wild Card Playoffs.

This past season, Mike McCarthy’s team made their way to Seattle for the NFL’s season opener and fell to the then-defending Super Bowl champions. Four months later, the Seahawks upended the Packers in overtime in the NFC Championship Game.

In 2015, the Packers travel to Soldier Field in Week 1 to face the Chicago Bears.

Well?
.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 18, 2015, 05:31:47 pm
Brett Favre saved the franchise


Steve from Ramsgate, England

Do you think Favre’s record of consecutive starts will ever be broken?

No. He is from the era of endurance. He’s from the era of playing hurt. We’re heading into a completely different era and mindset.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 18, 2015, 05:32:48 pm
Scotty from Chicago, IL

Vic, Brett was so much fun to watch. What other players for you have been as much fun to watch?

Lynn Swann and Fred Taylor are the most explosive offensive players I’ve covered. Defensively, there are too many players to name.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 18, 2015, 05:39:05 pm


When Favre was traded to the Jets, I believe the Packers got a fourth-round draft pick. Who was the pick and how did he turn out for the Packers?

The Packers ended up receiving a third-round pick from the Jets for Favre, and that pick was packaged with other picks to move up and pick Clay Matthews in the 2009 draft.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 18, 2015, 05:40:16 pm
Ryan from Roselle, IL

What is Brett Favre’s place in NFL history?

He saved the Packers franchise. That’s how he’ll be remembered. With that, folks, I will add this: The big day has arrived. If you’re one of those fans who were wounded in 2008, and your wounds still haven’t healed, I command you: “Heal! Heal!” If this doesn’t do it, you need to see a shrink.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 19, 2015, 10:47:47 pm
http://www.espnwisconsin.com/common/more.php?m=49&action=blog&r=40&post_id=53631

Hope so.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 20, 2015, 10:36:51 pm
https://nbcprofootballtalk.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/favre2.jpg?w=492
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 21, 2015, 09:46:48 pm
If Aaron Rodgers maintains his level of play and, fingers crossed, wins (another) Super Bowl before he retires, does he get the same pomp and circumstance Brett Favre received, or was this grand gesture to sooth the savage hearts and make peace?

The Favre celebration was about a man who touched the hearts of a fan base for resurrecting what they love and saving it from extinction. It wasn’t just about winning. It was about drama. It was about a fairy tale that came to life.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 21, 2015, 09:49:44 pm
Peggy from Bloomer, WI

Vic, I was lucky enough to be in the stadium Saturday for Brett Favre’s return to Green Bay. We were reminded more than once how Ron Wolf took a huge risk to get Brett. Can you think of a situation in football that produced the same legendary results?

I sure can: Drew Brees. He was a bigger risk. The Saints signed him to a big free-agent contract shortly after Brees had major shoulder surgery, and the Saints never even worked him out. He saved a franchise and a region of the country from the ravages of Hurricane Katrina.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 21, 2015, 09:52:21 pm
Chris from Veghel, The Netherlands

Vic, it would appear an opportunity for an expanded playoff schedule might come to fruition by slashing meaningless preseason games. The winds of change are in the air and this appears to be the perfect time to install it. Have you and Mark Murphy been talking?

The winds of change are not in the air. During the financial report press conference on Monday, Mark said the Packers were continuing to explore the concept of variable pricing. I asked him if it was meaningful for franchises that were sold out on a season-ticket basis, since the bottom line remains the same. His answer was that it might be meaningful for season ticket-holders because a more affordably priced preseason ticket would help ticket-holders sell their preseason tickets. I like that answer. Cutting preseason games isn’t the solution because too much revenue would be lost. Variable pricing might be the answer, especially for teams with waiting lists for season tickets. Preseason games could become an affordable way for fans on waiting lists to experience gameday.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 21, 2015, 09:54:41 pm
Kyle from Black Earth, WI

What do you make of the nfl.com report that the Packers are interested in Reggie Wayne?

Didn’t they say the Packers were interested in Wes Welker, too?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 21, 2015, 09:56:40 pm
Jeff from Bismarck, ND

Hey, Vikings, I don’t think your billion-dollar building will give anyone goosebumps. What say you, Vic?

No. 1, you’re banned for “What say you?” No. 2, I’m banning use of the word goosebumps. It’s wimpy and it’s really beginning to bother me.

LOL


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 21, 2015, 10:07:43 pm
http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-training-camp/article-1/Countdown-to-camp-Intense-competition-at-receiver/95dde98c-ec1f-43a2-b999-43e03e77bdf8
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 21, 2015, 10:37:46 pm
(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/slides/photos/004/011/239/hi-res-e88e99df02e459bfda0314a94e902e0a_crop_north.jpg?w=630&h=420&q=75)

Revelation: Willie Young will emerge as the standout at right outside linebacker.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 21, 2015, 10:39:56 pm

(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/slides/photos/004/011/245/hi-res-6c70777551a350560408ac976a1cb953_crop_north.jpg?w=630&h=420&q=75)

Revelation: TE Richard Rodgers will emerge as bigger factor in 2015.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on July 22, 2015, 02:36:52 pm



 
(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/slides/photos/004/011/239/hi-res-e88e99df02e459bfda0314a94e902e0a_crop_north.jpg?w=630&h=420&q=75)

Revelation: Willie Young will emerge as the standout at right outside linebacker.


 Sorry Packie as a BEARRSSE fan I don't believe anything until I see it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pistol on July 22, 2015, 02:57:20 pm
Green bay still sucks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on July 22, 2015, 03:32:52 pm



 
Green bay still sucks.


 Hey Pistol good to hear from you again now that you have Brandon Marshall!


 Keep us informed how he works out !
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 22, 2015, 08:32:19 pm
Jake from Bergland, MI

Vic, I just saw an interview with Morgan Burnett in which he mentioned the team cannot go off last year’s identity. How does a team create a new identity with so much positive from last year? Is it just fixing the small things, or a whole new attitude?

Create competition. It keeps everybody in the present.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 22, 2015, 08:34:23 pm
Don from Riverton, UT

Lambeau Field has the second-largest capacity in the NFL. It amazes me a small-market team has been run so efficiently to compete on that level. What do you think is the key?

The greatest fans in the history of the world.


You can join.  Doesn't cost a dime and you would be welcome.  ;-)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 22, 2015, 08:35:59 pm
Ryan from Waukee, IA

With regards to the Packers’ earnings report, where do the profits go?

They’re invested in the team.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 22, 2015, 08:40:50 pm
Randy from Des Moines, IA

Vic, I think you stink as a journalist and I resent the fact you aren’t a Packers fan. Why don't you go write for the Steelers?

I enjoy covering the Packers.


Randy must be an Obama backer.  A-hole.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 22, 2015, 08:43:23 pm
Danny from Billings, MT

What does it mean when the analysts say a receiver can run a route? Really? How hard is it to run a route?

Can you go into and out of your break without raising your head? Try it. You might be surprised how difficult it is to do.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 23, 2015, 08:36:49 pm
Jade from Denver, CO

What do you think are the most important trades in NFL history that changed the course of the game? Obviously, as a cheesehead, my No. 1 is Brett Favre. Second would have to be Elway. Any other big trades you can think of?

Bobby Layne never gets mentioned, but his route to the Lions is fascinating. The Steelers made him the third pick of the 1948 draft, but Layne didn’t want to play with them because they were still using the single wing, so the Steelers traded his rights to the Bears. A year on the bench behind Luckman and Lujack caused Layne to demand a trade – Layne wanted to be traded to the Packers – and the Bears traded him to the New York Bulldogs. After a year with the Bulldogs, Layne was traded to the Lions for wide receiver Bob Mann. Layne then won three league titles with the Lions.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 23, 2015, 08:38:18 pm
Alex from Seattle, WA

Vic, can you please let us know the story following “The guy was dying” lede? I’m dying to know.

George “Doc” Medich was a pitcher and a doctor. It was either during batting practice or during the game that a fan in the box seats appeared to be having a heart attack. Medich went into the seats and used CPR to save the guy’s life. A reporter witnessed what happened. The lede in his story was “The guy was dying.” I’ve always thought it was the best Steinbeck-like lede I’ve ever read.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 23, 2015, 08:44:47 pm
Emily from Reading, PA

Is it correct the Packers and Steelers are the only teams in the NFL to have an associative object with their team (cheesehead and towel respectively)? How did they become part of their team’s identity?

I don’t know the facts behind the cheesehead, but I know how the “Terrible Towel” was born. Myron Cope was a friend and he told me the story. Prior to the playoffs one season, his station manager demanded Cope come up with a gimmick the station could promote. The intent was obviously to promote the station and deepen its identity as the official station of the team. Cope hated gimmicks and was determined to give the station manager an idea so stupid the station manager would decline it. He came back to the station manager with the idea of asking fans on his nightly radio show to bring a towel to the game. The station manager asked Cope why a towel? Cope said, in dramatic and sarcastic voice, “Because it’s the fabric of Pittsburgh.” He thought that would kill the idea, but the station manager paused for thought and then said, “I love it.” That’s how the “Terrible Towel” was born. It was a bad idea that has since provided Myron’s favorite charity with millions of dollars of funding. Before he died, he granted the charity exclusive rights to the “Terrible Towel.”

The White Sox began the derogatory name "Cheeseheads" playing against the Brewers.  The Milwaukee fans liked the name and it carried over to GB.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 23, 2015, 08:48:31 pm
Cindy from Los Angeles, CA

Who’s the smartest player you’ve interviewed?

In terms of interview savvy, Tony Boselli and Aaron Rodgers immediately come to mind. You were not going to catch them off guard. Jack Ham always had a firm grip on what happened out on the field. Keenan McCardell had interview charm. One of my all-time favorite players to interview is Leon Searcy. He knew he was my go-to guy, and he’d be sitting at his locker stall waiting for me after a game. He’d see me coming and he’d smile. Leon has the deepest voice of any player I have ever covered. “What happened out there, Leon?” His answer usually involved somebody getting their butt kicked. Isn’t that what football is all about?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 25, 2015, 09:12:55 pm
Ethan from La Crosse, WI

When the big money is spent on the QB, RB and LB positions, how important (and difficult) is it to keep a consistent offensive line? If you don’t have a line to protect “The Man,” he might not be “The Man” for very long.

The big-money positions are generally considered to be quarterback, left tackle, premier pass rusher and shutdown corner. You don’t expect to find a franchise left tackle in the fourth round, as the Packers did with David Bakhtiari. His impact on the salary cap has been as profound as the protection he’s offered Aaron Rodgers. At this point, Bakhtiari has to rank as one of Ted Thompson’s best-ever draft picks.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 25, 2015, 09:18:11 pm
Darin from Toronto, ON

Vic, when you stated the other day your career would be incomplete if you hadn’t come to Green Bay, how much of that was genuine and sarcastic? There are several storied franchises.

It was completely genuine. The Packers are the first NFC team I’ve covered. Covering the Packers has taken me to a part of the country I otherwise would’ve never known. It’s introduced me to fans of a unique personality. It’s exposed me to a rich history I otherwise wouldn’t have learned. It’s reminded me how much I hate cold weather and snow. Most of all, coming here has allowed me to cover big games again, and that’s where the most lasting memories are created.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 25, 2015, 09:19:37 pm
Corbin from Freeport, IL

On what day did God create Packers fans?

On the morning of the seventh day – there were no Monday or Thursday night games back then – God created a special fan. He wanted this fan to be winsome, so He gave this fan a calm and gracious personality. Admiring His work, He stepped back and said, “I’ll call this one a Packers fan,” and then He said, “And I’ll give it extra-long arms,” and then He laughed.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on July 26, 2015, 12:22:27 am



 
Corbin from Freeport, IL

On what day did God create Packers fans?

On the morning of the seventh day – there were no Monday or Thursday night games back then – God created a special fan. He wanted this fan to be winsome, so He gave this fan a calm and gracious personality. Admiring His work, He stepped back and said, “I’ll call this one a Packers fan,” and then He said, “And I’ll give it extra-long arms,” and then He laughed.


 On the morning of the SIXTH day God created GEORGE HALAS who created the NFL.


 Everything else came about because of that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on July 26, 2015, 08:26:59 am
Extra long arms so they are more comfortable giving each other reach-arounds...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on July 27, 2015, 02:16:33 pm



 
Extra long arms so they are more comfortable giving each other reach-arounds...


 Lets hope they get back to playing FOOTBALL !


 The time of wiping cum off each other is OVER !
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 29, 2015, 08:33:04 pm
LOL.  Been having trouble with the computer sincde I moved to a different home.  I think it may be OK, now.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 29, 2015, 09:44:32 pm
Alex from Middletown, KY

Vic, my wife and I are planning our trip for “Family Night” and we have faced a dilemma; we cannot find any Green Bay Packers maternity apparel. I know this is quite an odd question, but being you are much closer to Lambeau Field than we are, do you know of any place we can find her a shirt?

Do they still sell the Gilbert Brown model?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 29, 2015, 09:55:51 pm
Tim from Normal, IL

Vic, how does a DL like Mike Pennel make his mark in camp when there are so few practices in pads with full contact hitting?

Half-line drills. That’s where a nose tackle defines himself. Can he hold the point? I live for the half-line days in training camp. It’s the drill that connects me to my past.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 29, 2015, 09:57:23 pm
Troy from McKinney, TX

Do all the players arrive in shape or has there been cases of Packers players showing up to training camp out of shape?

If you arrive at training camp out of shape in today’s game, you’re probably going on PUP.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 29, 2015, 09:58:34 pm
Ben from Milwaukee, WI

Vic, you say revenue sharing has helped make this game great. Maybe Wellington Mara should be on the NFL Mt. Rushmore. What do you think?

That’s why Pete Rozelle is on my Rushmore. He sold the idea to Mara. It’s probably the single-most important event in the history of the NFL.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 29, 2015, 10:30:42 pm
http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2015/07-July/temp150728-throwback-1994-GBP532--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=300

Packers new "third jersey" similar to the 1994 jersey.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 30, 2015, 10:52:27 am

Jesper from Oslo, Norway

You mentioned that merchandise bought at one location has its revenue shared between all teams and other locations not. I buy (way too much) merchandise and would like all revenue to go to the Packers. Where do I buy my next jersey? Packers Pro Shop?

Yes. Buy from the Packers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 30, 2015, 10:54:09 am
Brian from Mesa, AZ

When yur gowen to walk arahnd dahntahn, will ya stop at da Oyster House for a fish sammitch?

Don’t ever ask the waiter for a menu. After he rubs out his cigarette, this is what he’ll tell you: “We got fish, we got oysters. We ain’t got no (expletive) menus.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 30, 2015, 10:55:48 am
Donald from Wausau, WI

Vic, the Monongahela funicular on Mt. Washington will shut down Aug. 1 for three months for major renovations. You will have to walk. Can’t be worse than pumping gas in January.

Then I’ll take the Duquesne funicular.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 30, 2015, 10:59:44 am
Iain from Sydney, Australia

Vic, you mentioned in a question related to stadium naming rights: “Revenue is king and every team has an obligation to push the revenue envelope to the max, because the revenue is shared.” Does this mean stadium naming revenue is also shared? If so, is there pressure on teams that have not sold naming rights to do so for the benefit of all?

Yes, stadium naming rights money is equally shared by the league’s 32 teams and, yes, that puts pressure on teams to sell the naming rights to their stadiums. It goes to the heart of leaguethink, which is the philosophy that made this league great: What’s good for the league is good for each of its members. Having said that, I think the league understands Lambeau Field is an iconic name, and exceptions have to be made for something as valuable as the name Lambeau Field is to the history and tradition of the game. One of the things I don’t think Packers fans understand and appreciate as fully as they should is how this league has bent over backwards to favor this franchise. If they didn’t, this franchise would have gone away a long, long time ago.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 30, 2015, 11:04:11 am
Ed from Wisconsin Rapids, WI

Why is the left tackle position so important? My guess is it’s to protect the blind side of a right-handed QB. Love your column for the insights, football knowledge and occasional well-deserved sarcasm.

If I’m playing right defensive end, the left tackle position isn’t important at all. If Reggie White is playing there, it’s the most important position on the field. It’s always about players.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 30, 2015, 11:09:07 am
Alex from Brisbane, Australia

I feel sorry for Saints fans. Their franchise is going through a ruthless cut and gut. How much of it is a result of the Byrd deal?

Once the train leaves the station, it’s difficult to turn it around. In most cases, it’s best to ride it as far as you can.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 30, 2015, 11:12:29 am
Justin from Worcester, MA

Vic, how do you feel about the word very? I was told using very is lazy.

Be careful how you use it. For example, to say something is very unique is grammatically incorrect.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 30, 2015, 11:15:47 am
Joe from Clio, MI

You’ve written that the salary cap would have prevented the Packers dynasty of the ’60s. Why didn’t the presence of the AFL have the same effect?

It did. Half of the teams in the NFL were just trying to keep their head above water. Art Rooney couldn’t compete with Lamar Hunt and the rich owners in the AFL that were throwing big money around to sign the best players coming out of college. I remember the Steelers trading Buddy Dial to the Cowboys for the rights to Scott Appleton. They had no chance of signing Appleton; Bud Adams whisked him away before the Steelers got a sniff. Why did they trade Dial? Most figured it was a way to cut the payroll and save face. That’s what it was like for a lot of teams in the NFL during the war years with the AFL. It was about survival.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 30, 2015, 11:19:53 am
Kabir from Asheville, NC

Sintering is the process of compacting and forming a solid mass of material by heat and/or pressure, without melting it to the point of liquefaction. A metaphor for training camp?

Welcome to sintering camp.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 30, 2015, 11:53:31 am
Sam from Saratoga Springs, NY

Vic, how does a coach recognize a player might be a good fit at a different position? I was marveling at a highlight reel of Julius Peppers’ past season and couldn’t help but think it was a night-and-day difference to his performance as a DE in Chicago. It seems crazy to me to take such an established vet and put him in a new position. Who the heck thought to do that, and can we give him a medal or something?

Dom Capers gets the credit for that. I think Peppers was out of position for 12 years. It’s all about the skill set required to play a position. For example, pad level is important for a defensive lineman, quick feet are important for an offensive lineman. I can remember Carlton Haselrig dominating the Oklahoma drill as a rookie defensive lineman, but Chuck Noll saw something that told him Haselrig should be an offensive lineman. Chuck switched Haselrig and a few years later Haselrig was one of the best guards in the game. I remember asking Chuck what he saw. “His feet,” he said.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 30, 2015, 06:04:30 pm
http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/003/481/676/23cbae582736d77079b62ef7570ea9f5_crop_north.jpg?w=590&h=440&q=75

New #3 GB uni.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 31, 2015, 08:10:47 pm
Mark from Ann Arbor, MI

Vic, I can’t believe there are so many baseball teams willing to give up multiple promising prospects in a trade for a veteran who will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. Why are baseball teams so willing to give up young talent for short-term returns?

If they have a surplus of young hitters in their farm system, they can deal one or two for a pitcher. Football teams don’t have farm systems, and in the salary cap era, it’s difficult for any team to develop a stockpile of talent at any one position.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 31, 2015, 08:13:05 pm
Vishnu from Granite Bay, CA

Vic, has there ever been an ambidextrous quarterback at the college/NFL level?

George Mira was the closest thing I’ve seen to it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 31, 2015, 08:14:32 pm
Stephen from Chicago, IL

“I was wrong to put my faith in the league.” Not exactly leaguethink. Are you surprised by that comment from Robert Kraft?

Yes. He’ll regret those words and it wouldn’t surprise me if he offers an apology.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 31, 2015, 08:15:51 pm
Alen from Tilburg, The Netherlands

Vic, what are you expecting from the upcoming preseason games?

I’m expecting the Packers to use the preseason to prepare for the start of the regular season and to evaluate young talent for development. You have to do both and you need to have a plan that’ll allow you to do both. The Packers want to start faster than they have in recent years. That might require more playing time for the regulars, or maybe more playing time late in the preseason. We’ll find out what the plan is when we see it executed.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 31, 2015, 08:17:32 pm
Chadd from Antigo, WI

How different would the NFL be right now if guys like Mara couldn’t be sold on the leaguethink idea? We’ve talked about some teams not surviving, but how would the league have been impacted as a whole? Would any of the expansion teams from the past 30 years exist?

The Packers might not be here and I doubt Jacksonville would’ve gotten a team. All small-market teams would’ve been at risk.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 31, 2015, 08:18:59 pm
Mitch from Sheboygan Falls, WI

What is it about Coach McCarthy that makes him such an outstanding leader?

His commitment is total. His players can see he has no agenda other than winning. He is a man without pretense. He is exactly as he appears to be and he demands the same kind of transparency from his players. It’s innocence and innocence is pure. Coach McCarthy is pure football.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 31, 2015, 08:21:32 pm
Mark from Appleton, WI

Buddy Ryan’s 1985 Bears defense featured the blitz like no team before. How would his defense fare with today’s teams against QBs like Rodgers, who reads blitzes like a book?

Reading Buddy’s blitzes wasn’t the problem. He all but announced what was coming. The problem was finding enough time to allow the outside receivers to get off the jam and get downfield, which was the way you attacked the “46 defense”; you beat it deep. Buddy’s defense would’ve struggled in today’s game; the emphasis on the no-chuck rule wouldn’t have allowed Buddy’s cornerbacks to stay on their jams long enough to be effective.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 31, 2015, 08:23:51 pm
Rob from Webb City, MO

Vic, did any player’s performance stand out to you during yesterday’s practice?

LaDarius Gunter was the star of the first day.


That slow-footed DB ?  Sometimes stats don't mean a whole lot.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 31, 2015, 08:25:26 pm
Kyle from Osceola, WI

Vic, how much does last year’s team being relatively injury free help this year’s team at the starting gate?

Success provides a plan that can be repeated. You try it again. If it works again, you keep doing it. When it stops working, you try something else.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on July 31, 2015, 08:27:04 pm
Nick from Mauston, WI

This talk about Joe Greene got me to watch “A Football Life” featuring him. At one part, I noticed a familiar voice ask him a question after a game saying, “So where did all this dirt go that you kicked?” It’s cool see your humor hasn’t changed over the years.

When I heard that voice, it did something to me. I turned off the TV when the show was over and I spent the rest of the night sitting in the chair and thinking about the years I’ve spent asking questions about football games. I thought of Joe and all of the Joes since then, and what all of it has meant to me and my family. I love this game for reasons fans don’t understand. They love it for winning. I love it for my very existence. The sad fact of my life is that without football I’m nothing.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 01, 2015, 06:50:40 pm
Brett from Green Bay, WI

Vic, do you think the NFL will ever have a farm league like MLB does?

That’ll depend on college football. Will it contract? Will it soften or deemphasize? If it does, the NFL could find itself needing to develop talent that has always been developed for the NFL by college football. I’m not sold on the future of college football beyond the big five conferences, and there are rumblings that defections by Texas and Oklahoma could turn the big five into the big four. If the end game of major college football is a 64-school league, will it be able to produce enough talent to stock a pro game that is growing?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 01, 2015, 06:53:18 pm
Vic, when do you think the Seahawks will have to lose some key players to the cap?

There’s a difference between core players and key players. You must keep your core players, but you must be willing to lose key players every year or you’re headed for a cut and gut. The Seahawks are good cap managers. They’ll figure it out.

Their GM came from GB
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 01, 2015, 06:55:46 pm
Paul from Beaver Dam, WI

Vic, where is the line between confidence and arrogance? Do you detect any in this team?

Excuse is the line between confidence and arrogance, and Mike McCarthy won’t allow any excuses.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 01, 2015, 06:57:30 pm
Vic, you've mentioned several times you thought Julius Peppers had played most of his career out of position at defensive end, but isn’t a defensive end more valuable than an outside linebacker?

The outside linebackers are usually the stars of a 3-4 defense. A right defensive end in a 4-3 is a premier pass rusher and so is an outside linebacker in a 3-4. In my opinion, an outside linebacker in a 3-4 is a more valuable player than the right defensive end in a 4-3 because the linebacker is asked to do more and cover more ground.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 01, 2015, 07:00:27 pm
Rob from Webb City, MO

Vic, did the Seahawks get it right giving Russell Wilson Aaron Rodgers type money?

What could they do, not sign him? Success comes at a price.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 03, 2015, 08:12:30 pm
Art from Edwardsville, IL

As fans, should we root for the offense or defense when it comes to practice periods that pit the two sides against each other? If one side dominates, what does that say about the other side?

Don’t root; just watch. The coaches don’t root. The personnel people don’t root. Stop being a fan long enough to know what’s happening in training camp. It’ll open a whole new world for you. You’ll see what’s happening instead of seeing what you want to see happen. It’ll help you be a fan later, plus, it’ll help you understand the personnel decisions that have to be made.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 03, 2015, 08:14:06 pm
Scott from Delafield, WI

Vic, once you are fully retired, will you embrace any particular team and become a fan in the sense the rest of us are?

I’m not like you. I ask you to be respectful of that. I see the game differently because I’ve had to see it differently. When the day comes I’m no longer covering a team, I’ll get the TV thing that allows you to see all of the games so I can watch the Packers, Jaguars and Steelers games. Those are the teams for which I have the greatest interest, for the obvious reason. In terms you might understand, I am a fan of those three teams. I know their history and I covered big chunks of each. You can’t do that without investing your heart, but it’s in a way foreign to you.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 05, 2015, 06:57:53 pm
John from Aldie, VA

Vic, what team do you see in the NFC North this upcoming season that will be the most improved over last season, and why?

I think the Vikings are the candidate, and it’s because Teddy Bridgewater will be a second-year quarterback with a rookie season’s worth of experience behind him. I also think the Vikings showed signs in the second half of last season of buying into Coach Mike Zimmer’s system. I like their drafts of recent years and I think the Vikings are going to be a serious NFC North contender in the years to come.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 05, 2015, 06:58:33 pm
Ryan from Wisconsin Dells, WI

How would Gale Sayers fair in today’s game?

He’d be even better than he was. He’d be a combination of Adrian Peterson, LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 05, 2015, 07:05:10 pm
Caleb from Eau Claire, WI

Vic, can you tell by the cheering at practice and/or chatter in your inbox which new star fans think they’ve discovered?

Yes, and it would appear to be Jeff Janis. He could become the only No. 4 receiver in the league to have his own TV show.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on August 06, 2015, 09:04:22 am

Vic, what team do you see in the NFC North this upcoming season that will be the most improved over last season, and why?

I think the Vikings are the candidate, and it’s because Teddy Bridgewater will be a second-year quarterback with a rookie season’s worth of experience behind him. I also think the Vikings showed signs in the second half of last season of buying into Coach Mike Zimmer’s system. I like their drafts of recent years and I think the Vikings are going to be a serious NFC North contender in the years to come.


And what about #29?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 07, 2015, 03:37:50 pm
Chad from Minneapolis, MN

Ted Thompson may be the most underrated GM in football. The quality of our offensive line is a masterpiece of the draft-and-develop philosophy. Do you consider Thompson an elite GM?

He is absolutely an elite general manager, and it begins with having the most important ingredient, an elite quarterback. Would Ron Wolf be in Canton this weekend had he not traded for Brett Favre? Would Bill Polian be in Canton without having drafted Peyton Manning? An elite GM must have an elite quarterback as the team’s centerpiece player. It gives him the opportunity to build around that player, and that’s what Thompson, Wolf and Polian have done.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 07, 2015, 03:41:08 pm
Nick from Seattle, WA

Vic, will all this money talk and salary cap concerns surrounding the Seahawks be the start of their downfall?

No. Pete Carroll will have his team focused and ready to defend its NFC title. Packers fans are spending too much time trying to predict the Seahawks’ downfall. Don’t wish them ill, beat them.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 07, 2015, 03:42:21 pm
Nate from Pueblo, CO

One position, inside linebacker. We’re worried about one position! How many other teams and their fans can only dream about wanting to upgrade just one position?

In the salary cap era, no team is worry free. My greatest concern for the Packers is their defensive line going into the season. It’s absolutely imperative for the Packers’ young defensive linemen to develop quickly, because the Packers will be facing Matt Forte, Marshawn Lynch and Jamaal Charles in the first three weeks of the season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 09, 2015, 08:04:21 pm
(http://a1.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/photo/2015/0808/usatsi_8724591_r2086_1296x518_5-2.jpg&h=402&scale=crop&w=1006&location=origin)

Myles White (19) is on the GB PS for the 3rd year.  With the hot draftees again this season he probably won't make the roster (again) and will not be eligible for the PS this season.  Some team should grab him.  He should be on some team's roster.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 09, 2015, 08:14:28 pm

Rob Demovsky, ESPN Staff Writer

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Myles White's locker is in the auxiliary area of the Green Bay Packers' locker room, but you won't find him there often.

Like after Saturday's Family Night practice, there was White in the main locker room, hanging out where he thinks he belongs.

Based on his play so far during training camp, he might be right.

White accounted for two of the 10 completions during the team (11-on-11) portion of Saturday's practice and so far this summer has consistently reminded general manager Ted Thompson that he plans to be a tough cut come Sept. 5...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 09, 2015, 08:20:44 pm
Mulumba missed all but two games last season because of a torn ACL, but has been off to a strong start to camp. Despite not being 100 percent, the 6-foot-3, 260-pound outside linebacker looks more comfortable in defensive coordinator Dom Capers' scheme...

What a great football name... Muhloooombah.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 09, 2015, 08:32:51 pm
Ahead of Saturday's induction ceremony, the 2015 Hall of Fame inductees came together for a formal dinner Thursday night at which they received their gold jackets.

Former Green Bay Packers general manager Ron Wolf was among the inductees to accept his jacket and shake hands with Roger Goodell.

Cameras rolled as the two embraced, and Wolf offered the commissioner a parting message.

Vine user Sarah (h/t The Big Lead's Stephen Douglas) uploaded video of the moment. Goodell guffawed loudly after Wolf shook his hand and said, "Way to go on that Brady thing."
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 10, 2015, 07:59:16 pm
Aaron Rodgers Not Thinking Retirement, Says He Wants to Play for 8 More Years

 By Adam Wells , Featured Columnist  Aug 10, 2015

Aaron Rodgers Not Thinking Retirement, Says He Wants to Play for 8 More Years

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

The Green Bay Packers know all about having a quarterback uncertain with how long he wants to play, so hearing Aaron Rodgers provide a long-term outlook for his career is a welcome change of pace.   

Speaking to Peter King of TheMMQB.com (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk) Friday, Rodgers said that he plans to play for eight more years in the NFL...

Cheer  up, Bear fans.  Only 8 more years of Rodgers.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on August 11, 2015, 08:33:57 am
That is if Rodgers can keep up the pace or unless a Martin comes along and slams him shoulder first into the turf.....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on August 11, 2015, 10:04:08 am

I think Brady is 38 years old - entirely possible.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on August 11, 2015, 04:53:18 pm



 Packy,


 If we don't beat you then what the hell is the NFL around for?


 Go back and look at why the Clevland Browns are even in the NFL to begin with.


 They kept taking it all in the little league they were in before joining the NFL and that's what made their league boring.


 If there's only the same winner at the end of every season ... fans are gonna tune out.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 11, 2015, 05:55:44 pm
I wonder why I kept watching the Packers lose season after season during those down years  But I did. ???
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 12, 2015, 09:00:23 pm
Ian from Oak Ridge, NJ

Vic, what will be the identity of the 2015 Packers?

I expect offense to continue to be this team’s calling card, but whatever this team’s identity is, it’ll be determined in December and January. Those are the months that define a team’s season. If they don’t, then you’ve had a bad season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 12, 2015, 09:04:01 pm
Jon from Green Bay, WI

How are players paid their regular salary, 16 equal payments?

Seventeen.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: davebear on August 12, 2015, 09:05:13 pm
Rogers hasn't had many serious injuries.

I don't think he gets hit nearly as often as most QB's.

he didn't even start his first few year with Favre still there.

I would say he has good chance for longevity.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 12, 2015, 09:07:41 pm
Kellan from Madison, WI

Vic, can you tell us a little about your patented 0-0-11 defense?

It’s the ultimate prevent. Let the quarterback stand back there and pat the ball; the clock is running. If 11 can’t cover five, scheme isn’t the problem.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 12, 2015, 09:11:28 pm
Kyle from Virginia Beach, VA

Which young guys will you be watching closest throughout the preseason?

The young guys on defense. Dom Capers and his staff are facing a daunting task. They’ve got to get these kids ready to play, and that means being ready to stop Matt Forte, Marshawn Lynch and Jamaal Charles in the first three weeks of the season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 12, 2015, 09:25:44 pm

  Green Bay Packers
 ✔  ‎@packers 
Tomorrow's game features the only 2 teams to make the playoffs the last 6 years. #GBvsNE notes http://pack.rs/3ircy 


9:02 PM - 12 Aug 2015
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 12, 2015, 09:38:22 pm
Hundley attributes some of the success he’s already had to Rodgers, who has mentored him and fellow backups Matt Blanchard and No. 2 man Scott Tolzien throughout the offseason and camp.

For most, being drafted to a team with a potential Pro Football Hall of Famer in his prime – Rodgers is 31 – at your position would be a disappointment.

But to Hundley, who was the sixth quarterback taken after Florida State’s Jameis Winston (No. 1 to Tampa Bay), Oregon’s Marcus Mariota (No. 2 to Tennessee), Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson (No. 75 to New Orleans), Oregon State’s Sean Mannion (No. 89 to St. Louis), and Baylor’s Bryce Petty (No. 103 to the New York Jets), it’s turned out to be the perfect place for him because he shares Rodgers’ belief that playing quarterback is truly more about your brain than it is about your arm.

“I always had that positive mindset [about playing behind Rodgers] because … I guess the way to put it is, I like knowledge. I like learning,” Hundley said. “Sometimes I feel like quarterbacks, when they don’t have somebody to learn from, you don’t know what you don’t know. And that keeps you in your same ways until you’re around somebody who can teach you what you don’t know.

“Now, I think I’m in a situation where, I loved UCLA, but I’m happy to be here because Aaron is the greatest quarterback in the game right now. There’s a lot of stuff he does that I don’t know, and now I’m learning it. How can you beat that?”

He'll be available to other teams in 3 years.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on August 12, 2015, 10:01:07 pm

He'll be available to other teams in 3 years.

Or maybe less...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 12, 2015, 10:24:45 pm
(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/slides/photos/004/025/614/hi-res-36155b10183dea3a32fa075efcffc446_crop_north.jpg?w=630&h=420&q=75)

5. Larry Pinkard stands out among peers: Pinkard may have dropped what should have been a touchdown catch in the end zone at Family Night on Saturday, but he's apparently out to make up for it with a diving catch on Tuesday, reported by Wes Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

From what I've seen, Pinkard is the best of the six rookie free agent wide receivers on the Packers roster. And that might be easy to say with Ricky Collins on the PUP list and Adrian Coxson sidelined by a concussion, but Pinkard has stood out.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on August 12, 2015, 10:33:09 pm

So are the Packers going to keep a dozen WRs on the practice squad?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 13, 2015, 01:45:06 pm
Green Bay Packers: 22 years since LeRoy Butler made the 'Leap'

 by Raymond Rivard 1d ago
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 13, 2015, 02:19:28 pm
He'll be available to other teams in 3 years.

Or maybe less...

True, dat.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 13, 2015, 02:22:52 pm
http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/McCarren-Previews-Packers-Patriots/5076306b-3075-4f71-ac6a-d017f6bc6589
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 13, 2015, 02:34:59 pm
Mark from Stewartville, MN

Vic, what are your expectations for Ty Montgomery against the Patriots?

I wanna see him run through the smoke, as Ron Zook likes to say. I wanna see that burst that defines great kick returners. The great ones are fearless. They charge head-first into traffic. Montgomery has all of the physical skills to be a top kick-returner in this league. Will he pass the smoke test? I hope he gets some return opportunities tonight so we can begin answering that question.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 13, 2015, 02:36:00 pm
Sherman from Blue Lake, CA

If a Packers practice squad player gets a formal offer from another team, what options do the Packers and the player have?

The player has all of the options. He’s a free agent, free to sign with any team he pleases. If the Packers want to retain him, they have to compete for his services
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 13, 2015, 02:37:53 pm
Dave from Minocqua, WI

How would you change the taxi squad rules, numbers, etc.?

You mean the practice squad? I’d like its size to increase and I’d like to see teams rewarded for their investment by owning the rights to the players in some limited fashion. For example, once a practice squad member has spent eight consecutive weeks with a team, his rights are owned by that team. That’s just an example; higher minds can figure it out. This is something to which the players and owners would have to agree. I think there’s an even trade here: The union sees its membership increase, and teams are rewarded for their investment. I think this kind of system would encourage teams to commit to a player’s development, instead of using the practice squad as an emergency roster.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 13, 2015, 06:36:04 pm
Bad news Packrat.  NFL Network has a scroll saying they are not showing the Packers game but instead are showing "A Football Life". 

You may be in a different area so double check but just wanting to throw out the warning for you in case you need to go to the sports bar or something to see it.   
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 13, 2015, 09:01:26 pm
Barrington, meanwhile, has distinguished himself in going from a seventh-round draft pick who played just one snap in 2013, per Pro Football Focus, to helping the run defense find a resurgence in the latter half of 2014 and now looking to earn the most snaps of all Green Bay's inside linebackers in 2015.

That general manager Ted Thompson did not address inside linebacker until the fourth round of the 2015 NFL draft, when most projected immediate starters were already off the board, speaks volumes to the team's confidence in Barrington. He has the potential to be one of the biggest difference-makers for this team this season.

Projected 2015 Impact Meter: High
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on August 14, 2015, 02:30:39 pm



 Packy,


 You saw both the GREEN BAY & NEW ENGLAND games along with...


 CHICAGO & MIAMI games.


 Your opinions ?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on August 14, 2015, 04:21:45 pm

That general manager Ted Thompson did not address inside linebacker until the fourth round of the 2015 NFL draft, when most projected

But Thompson doesn't address needs in the draft - just drafts best player available.  Drafting 2 CBs in the first 2 rounds to address the team's biggest need...was just random.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 15, 2015, 03:35:51 am
No, jj.  I didn't get to see ANY game.  They listed GB-NE.  Then cancelled that game and showed NO GAME.  They showed an old SD game.  Incredible.  Hard to believe NFLN screwed up so badly.  Or was it Comcast?  Crapola.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 15, 2015, 03:52:22 am
Trev from Omaha, NE

The practice squad is likely to be increased in the near future. How about a rule in which you can place players your team has drafted on the practice squad without other teams being able to sign them?

I like that idea. How about increasing the size of the practice squad to 10 players, of which any five players may be protected, but they must be paid at the minimum-wage level. Development of talent is going to become more important in this league for at least two reasons: The emphasis on player safety and the contraction of college football are demanding it, and so would an increase in the number of games in an NFL season, should that happen in the future.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 15, 2015, 04:03:49 am
Wade from Maple Grove, MN

What position do you foresee changing the most in the next decade?

I see the fullback position changing from that of a blocker to that of a Paul Hornung type of player who can run and pass. Maybe they’ll call that player a passing back. It would be perfect for all of the college spread quarterbacks that don’t throw well enough to be pocket passers and aren’t big enough to be feature backs. Forget about formations; they’re meaningless. It’s all about function. That’s where the creativity is. Invent roles to utilize the talent that’s available, and I think spread-formation college quarterbacks represent the largest collection of untapped talent available to the NFL.

Jordan from Norfolk, VA
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 15, 2015, 04:11:55 am
Chadd from Antigo, WI

I don’t want to jump the gun after just one exhibition game, but if Rollins continues to grow, Randall is able to contribute to any extent, plus Hyde is still available, I think our perceived weakness in the secondary could actually turn into the strength of this defense.

Safety was already a position of strength. Cornerback was depleted by the loss of Tramon Williams and Davon House. Based on what I saw of Quinten Rollins and LaDarius Gunter last night, and what I’ve seen of Damarious Randall in training camp, I believe cornerback is on its way to becoming a position of intense strength. I don’t want to get a speeding ticket on Rollins, but I can’t imagine a rookie playing better in his preseason debut than Rollins did.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 15, 2015, 04:13:57 am
Tony from West Des Moines, IA

The first preseason game made me fearful for our red zone offense once again. What do the Packers need to do to overcome its 2014 slump?

Forget about that kind of stuff in the preseason. The preseason is about one thing: the evaluation of talent. You don’t evaluate talent by out-scheming your opponent. You evaluate talent by putting it in challenging one-on-one situations.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 15, 2015, 04:18:13 am
Larry from Chippewa Falls, WI

I thought Tolzien looked sharp and comfortable. I think we have a very capable backup if something should happen to Rodgers.

The Packers had a decision to make at backup quarterback when last season ended. They went with Scott Tolzien. I think they made the right call.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 15, 2015, 04:19:38 am
Eric from Fennimore, WI

I know it’s just preseason, but this new extra point rule may put quite a unique spin on scoring this season.

When the score was 9-8, I tried to remember the last time I covered a game with that score; I couldn’t. This could get wild.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on August 17, 2015, 05:44:51 pm



 Packy sorry you didn't get to see it. Decent at best.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 17, 2015, 11:13:19 pm
Yeah, I saw the re-run <finally> yesterday.  Starting team not so good.  Rookies were a pleasant showing.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 17, 2015, 11:42:17 pm
Nick from Seattle, WA

Vic, the first team red zone offense did not look good.

The first team red zone offense was throw the ball for Davante Adams. Nearly all of the first quarter offense was throw the ball for Adams. It appeared to me Adams was under the microscope, especially when Malcolm Butler was in the game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 17, 2015, 11:42:50 pm
Daryl from Springfield, MO

I really want to see the ball run in when we are close to the goal line.

You’re not getting it. It’s about evaluation.

Sean from Saint Paul, MN

I think I’d take an improved red zone offense against good defenses over improved special teams.

You’re not getting it either.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 17, 2015, 11:45:35 pm
Jacob from Green Bay, WI

Jayrone Elliott is again making a case for why he deserves to be on the roster. He’s picking up where he left off last August.

If Clay Matthews is going to play inside, there’s a big opportunity for somebody to get pass-rush time on the outside. If Elliott does in this preseason what he did last summer, he can become that pass rusher.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 17, 2015, 11:46:41 pm
Tom from Wauwatosa, WI

Nice to see Janis catch a touchdown pass. What caught your eye in the first half?

Quinten Rollins’ consecutive pass defenses. That’s exactly what I wanted to see in this game. I think Rollins is the real deal.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 18, 2015, 12:01:56 am
On the defensive line, the mountainous Mike Pennel continues to be a player to watch. Active in Thursday’s game with a tackle for loss to his credit, the 6-4, 332-pound Pennel appears to be expanding his game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 19, 2015, 09:07:16 pm
Nic from State College, PA

Do yinz have any extra tickets to the Steelers game? I’ve never been to a Packers game. Love the column!

Sorry, no. Hauscome don’t yinz go dahn to Jine Igl, buy some arn and hot dogs and have a good time watching da game on TV? By da way, wahever happened to Cahr pahr?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 19, 2015, 09:08:14 pm
Jimm from Huntsville, AL

Vic, when a team invests in a special teams player like we did with Sean Richardson, does that guarantee him a roster spot?

It all depends on how the contract is structured. If it has significant guaranteed money in it, that roster decision has likely already been made.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 19, 2015, 09:15:32 pm
Caleb from Valdosta, GA

The training camp and preseason excitement has not made an impact on my thoughts this year. Now more than ever, I have come to an understanding it all comes down to January.

Get there any way you can. Run, walk, crawl, fly; just get there. When you arrive, make sure you’re at your best. In my opinion, that’s the season in a nutshell. What’s happening now is all with January in mind.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 19, 2015, 09:17:27 pm
Bill from Sheboygan, WI

Why is it important for the quarterback to identify the middle linebacker before the ball is snapped?

It was once said of a quarterback he should look through the middle linebacker to the strong safety and he would know where everybody on the field is. Strategy is more sophisticated these days, but those are still the two most important players on the defense when it comes to identifying the front and the coverage. As it pertains to a 3-4 defense, identifying the “Mike” means identifying the true middle linebacker.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 19, 2015, 09:21:50 pm
Paul from De Pere, WI

Vic, is picking the final roster art or science?

It’s feel for what you need now vs. what you’ll need in the future.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 19, 2015, 09:23:10 pm
John from North Lake, WI

What would GM Vic look for in a third back who would complement Lacy and Starks?

GM Vic would look for upside, a player in whom development might be rewarded. He would also be a player who offers special teams potential.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 20, 2015, 09:02:09 pm
Brian from Spring Hill, TN

I believe there will be more two-point attempts than a lot of people think. I’m sure there are already a percentage of coaches who have decided they will be going for two points rather than the extra point throughout the season. This in a lot of games will force the opposing coach to do the same, in essence dictating the flow of part of the game. My question is would Coach Vic be one of those coaches?

I’m not as bold as Coach McCarthy; I tend to choose the more conservative route, mostly because I lean toward the defensive side of the ball. I agree with you, however, we’re going to see more two-point tries than we might think, but it’s not because coaches are going to choose the bold route, but because I think moving the kick back is going to have a negative effect on kickers in general. I see misses coming, and we all know what happens when kickers miss; they lose their confidence and it spills over into all of their kicks. I think moving the PAT kick back is going to pose a major challenge to kickers throughout the league. If they miss, their coaches will lose confidence in them, and that’s when we’ll see coaches start going for two points, and we might even see them go for it more on fourth down, instead of attempting field goals.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 20, 2015, 09:11:46 pm
Chris from Wyoming, OH

Vic, ESPN is running a SportsCenter piece on the Oklahoma drill today. Sadly, they are focusing on it as a threat to health, a sign of the times.

I see players not practicing because they’re injured, and they didn’t get hurt in the Oklahoma drill. Why is it OK to get injured catching a pass but it’s not OK to get injured in an Oklahoma drill? It’s because the Oklahoma drill is viewed as frivolous and unnecessary, and that’s wrong. The Oklahoma is not a punishment drill, it’s a teaching drill. It teaches players how to win their one-on-ones by featuring them in that one-on-one encounter. It’s at the heart of the game: Win your one-on-one. Here’s an example of something for which I believe the media bears.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 20, 2015, 09:21:05 pm
Brad from La Crosse, WI

The WIAA has decided to limit high school teams to 60 minutes per week of full-contact practice. The 60 minutes includes drills or game situations that occur at game speed when full tackles are made at a competitive pace and players are taken to the ground, and drills in which the tempo is competitive, with no pre-determined winner, and the players are not tackled to the ground. I understand the safety concerns, but I feel bad for the kids like me who were never stars. It didn’t bother me I wasn’t getting a ton of snaps on game day because I still got to play the game I love every day in practice. I think the safety emphasis could win over a handful of parents, but will turn off even more kids. Do you have any thoughts on this change?

The culture has to change or we’ll lose the game. When I played high school football, football was all about winning the physical battle. Practices were tests of courage and endurance. We had “Bloody Monday,” and “Pork Chop Hill,” and cage matches in which a backstop was turned upside down over two players who would confront each other until one succumbed. It was a king-of-the-hill game. It was savage. That game can’t survive in today’s world. We have to change and we have to find a way to make the change work. As a nation, I think we love football too much to fail. The most daunting challenge falls on dinosaurs such as me. We have to learn to adapt to the new conditions, or we will become extinct. I’m trying.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 20, 2015, 09:23:07 pm
Steven from Milwaukee, WI

Is there another Q&A column you can recommend that actually discusses Packers football? Or maybe Packers.com could start one.

Good one, Steven. That is unbelievably hilarious. You know what else is unbelievably hilarious? My numbers! They’re through the roof. And here’s the best part: Tomorrow is payday!

Stupid fan.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 20, 2015, 09:25:49 pm
Phil from Cimarron, KS

The last few columns I’ve read, you mention Mike Pennel pretty frequently. What about Mike do you like so much?

He has big-body quickness. I think it’s the No. 1 quality a defensive lineman can possess. I have very high expectations for Pennel. I really want to see him get some playing time against Maurkice Pouncey this Sunday.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 20, 2015, 09:38:05 pm
(http://www.packers.com/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/article_images/2015/08-August/150820-titletown-rendering-950.jpg)

10-acre public plaza to serve as centerpiece of district with Kohler Co., Bellin Health and Hinterland to be key tenants


The Green Bay Packers announced details Thursday for the master plan for the Titletown District, a destination area to be created on approximately 34 acres of land immediately west of Lambeau Field.

Building upon the success of Lambeau Field’s major redevelopment in 2003 and subsequent expansion and renovation completed in 2015, the planned Titletown District will maximize its unique location to attract more visitors to the area, spur additional regional economic growth, offer new amenities to residents and complement the greater Green Bay area’s draw as an excellent location to live, work and play.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 21, 2015, 05:24:41 pm
Christopher from Los Angeles, CA

Who is the bigger perennial disappointment, KC, Cleveland, Oakland or Buffalo?

The Cubs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 21, 2015, 05:26:03 pm
Michael from N. Richland Hills, TX

Do you think the two-point conversion will influence a team’s personnel? It would seem a very tall tight end or a very large running back could be a 2-yard specialist.

I’m not seeing evidence of that, but I think in time the answer to your question will be yes. In time, I think we’re going to see spread-type formations that are going to create open space for a two-point offense to out-athlete the defense, and that’s where the abundance of college run-around quarterbacks will find their way into the NFL.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 21, 2015, 05:27:05 pm
Bill from Manitowoc, WI

Is it too early to have a camp standout player? Previously, you have crowned a training camp MVP. Anybody in that category, yet?

It’s too early, but if I was going to crown one now, it would be Scott Tolzien. He’s had a strong camp and was impressive in last week’s win over New England. Ty Montgomery would certainly be a candidate. There are others.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 21, 2015, 05:32:26 pm
Dave from Madison, WI

In your years of covering the NFL, what preseason injury to a player had the most impact on a team?

It would be the knee injury Mark Brunell sustained in the 1997 preseason. He was coming off a Cinderella season in which he led the Jaguars to the AFC title game. He was the new Steve Young, but the knee injury robbed Brunell of his trademark mobility. He played well for several more years, but he was never the same again. He lost his suddenness.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 21, 2015, 05:34:31 pm
Nick from Long Beach, CA

Vic, which phase of the game takes the longest to get into its true form and why?

The running game was always the answer. There was always a coordination between the pulling and trapping guards and the backs that took time to develop, but zone blocking has eliminated that timing element. The line walls up and moves laterally, and the back simply finds a lane and cuts back into it. Zone blocking is probably the most significant scheme creation I’ve witnessed over the last 20 years. It’s changed how the game is played up front.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 21, 2015, 10:35:10 pm
(http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/003/504/128/hi-res-848dfa4c14b01484c8f6470d0ba83c33_crop_north.jpg?w=630&h=420&q=75)

The bottom fell out for Bush.

Former Green Bay Packers cornerback Jarrett Bush is slated to serve a four-game suspension to start the 2015 season, but according to ESPN.com's Field Yates, the veteran has been suspended another 10 games by the NFL.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 21, 2015, 10:46:24 pm

Packers’ rookie CBs push for playing time

It was expected the selection of Damarious Randall in the first round of the NFL draft and Quinten Rollins in the second would intensify the Green Bay Packers’ cornerback competition.

Throw in the emergence of undrafted rookie LaDarius Gunter and suddenly a position once considered thin after the departure of Tramon Williams and Davon House is now plush with prospects contending for playing time.

Only Sam Shields’ position on the boundary is secure. The rest are fighting for roles in the starting base, nickel and dime subpackages. The next three preseason games and three remaining public practices will go a long way in determining who plays and who sits in the Packers’ opener against Chicago on Sept. 13.

Casey Hayward and Micah Hyde have the best claim. The two veterans have seen a lot of action early in their careers, but Randall, Rollins and Gunter all possess talent that may be difficult to keep off the field.

Who makes the cut?  You be the GM with our Roster Builder

All three remain in the conversation going into Sunday’s second preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“I think they’re all good athletes,” defensive coordinator Dom Capers said. “I think they’ve been fairly consistent in their coverage through practice. … This week will be the biggest challenge we’ve had because this group of receivers we’re playing against. They’ve got a lot of speed, so it’ll be interesting to see how they do there.

“Every step, those guys have been working hard. There have been a lot of contested balls on the practice field. That’s always an encouraging sign.”

Cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt gave each rookie a chance to run with the starting defense this week in practice with Hayward (quad) sitting out of Monday’s practice and Hyde playing safety on Wednesday and Thursday with Morgan Burnett absent for personal reasons.

In a year or two I wouldn't be surprised if these guys all surpassed Shields and that he will be gone.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on August 22, 2015, 02:37:04 pm



 That's optimistic.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on August 23, 2015, 03:04:25 pm
Peckers season starts off poorly......

Green Bay Packers WR Jordy Nelson has torn ACL
By Frank Schwab
57 minutes ago

When Jordy Nelson went down without being touched after a short reception on Sunday afternoon, you knew it wasn't good.

And a report said the injury is as bad as the Green Bay Packers could have feared.

The initial diagnosis on Nelson is that he tore his ACL in this meaningless preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport first reported that news. If an MRI confirms the tear, the Packers will be without their No. 1 receiver for the entire season. That's a huge blow to a team that has legitimate Super Bowl hopes.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on August 23, 2015, 08:15:29 pm
That's a shame.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on August 23, 2015, 08:16:20 pm
Good thing the Packers have 8 other HOF WR's on their roster and practice squad...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 23, 2015, 08:29:35 pm
Next man up and all that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on August 23, 2015, 10:22:21 pm
Good thing the Packers have 8 other HOF WR's on their roster and practice squad...

I'm glad I hadn't taken a sip of my beer before I read that...   LOL  It's Janis time

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 23, 2015, 10:23:03 pm
Watch for a fast trip up for second year Jeff Janis and Ty Montgomery.  They are not Jordy Nelson but they will help, along with TE Rodgers.  Better have 3 good CBs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on August 23, 2015, 10:32:14 pm
Hahahaha...because those guys are hall of farmers. Good comedy. And the Peckers won the last 5 Super Bowls. Pansy boy at QB doesn't have Nelson to bail him out now.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 23, 2015, 10:37:23 pm
I do feel bad for Jordy Nelson.  He seems like a good guy.  I don't feel bad for Packer fans.

The Packers will be fine as long as Rodgers is the QB.  If he goes down early they would be lucky to finish anything but last in the division.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 23, 2015, 10:51:14 pm
...Green Bay’s other touchdown came on a 21-yard pass from backup QB Scott Tolzien to tight end Richard Rodgers, another pass-catcher who is primed for improvement in his second season, regardless of Nelson’s status.

Plays like Rodgers’, who darted across the middle and then split the secondary after the catch to dive across the goal line, are why the post-game concern in the locker room was more for Nelson personally than the team as a whole. There were no looks of despair or crises of confidence forthcoming.

“Depending on what the situation is, we’ll figure it out when the time comes,” Cobb said.

 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 23, 2015, 10:51:28 pm
John from Brazil

I thought we were supposed to have a great offensive line. How can that be when half of the Steelers defense is piling on Rodgers in the end zone for a safety? How does something like that get fixed?

Win your one-on-ones.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 23, 2015, 10:52:19 pm
Emmet from Naperville, IL

I think the Packers are going to keep two fullbacks on the roster. Ripkowski is looking like a special teams stud. Do you agree?

He’s made two tackles in the first half. That bodes well for him. You could also view John Kuhn as a running back.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 23, 2015, 10:53:56 pm
Tim from Ottawa, IL

I didn’t like the play calling on that sack series. Open it up and pass, baby.

Come on, we’re above that kind of thinking for a preseason game.

Some fans????
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 23, 2015, 10:55:31 pm
Mike from Windber, PA

I know Ty Montgomery hasn’t had many opportunities in the preseason, but he looks like a very patient runner. Would you say that is fairly accurate from what you’ve seen of him in camp?

He was patient on a kickoff return in the first half. I prefer impatience in the kickoff-return game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 23, 2015, 11:11:06 pm
Rob Demovsky, ESPN Staff Writer

It's a good thing the Green Bay Packers re-signed Randall Cobb this offseason. Can you imagine the trouble they'd be in right now had Cobb not taken their four-year, $40 million deal just as free-agency opened in March?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 23, 2015, 11:50:35 pm





From Pittsburg site:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000514968/article/what-we-learned-nelsons-injury-wont-ruin-packers
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on August 24, 2015, 09:05:23 am

The Packers could still lose Cobb and win the division.  If Rodgers can stay healthy and upright the Packers will make the playoffs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: BearHit on August 24, 2015, 09:41:27 am
Agreed
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: chifaninva on August 24, 2015, 11:17:17 am
Rodgers is the key..
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on August 24, 2015, 12:13:52 pm
That's good comedy. Nelson made Cobb. Every team had to worry about Nelson - Cobb is now the Primary receiver. Adams will not fill Nelson or Cobbs shoes.....keep dreaming.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2015, 04:14:42 pm
http://nflmocks.com/2015/08/24/gauging-brett-hundleys-disappointing-start-with-the-packers/
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 24, 2015, 05:22:21 pm
Rodgers is the only player they can't afford to lose.  They will be fine as long as they have him.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on August 24, 2015, 05:35:30 pm
Unless he has a down year. That is still very possible, even for him....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on August 24, 2015, 05:50:17 pm

Anything's possible but Rodgers just having a down year not due to him being injured is just not likely.

More likely causes of Rodgers having a down year would be significant injuries to his O-line or to more of his receivers, maybe the defense, but he's carried the team when the defense was bad too.  But guys at his talent level, like a Brady, rarely have a down year, plus he's still in his prime.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2015, 06:03:37 pm
Scott Tolzien

Scott Tolzien finished the game on the injury report with a concussion, but he turned in another impressive performance. Tolzien finished the game completing 11 passes out of 19 attempts for 102 yards and one touchdown. Tolzien keeps impressing every time he gets into the game.

It has to make the Packers, and his teammates, more confident if he has to come into a game during the regular season...

Surprise, surprise?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 24, 2015, 07:00:32 pm
No one is worried about Tolzien especially when he is playing against first teamers and down Nelson.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2015, 07:12:01 pm
I was merely comparing to his previous play.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2015, 07:35:39 pm
Martin from Tisovec, Slovakia

Jordy Nelson has been my favorite Packers player for several years. This NFL season has suddenly become less exciting. How do I achieve perspective on this?

The first thing you do is wait for official news on the injury. If the news is bad, you turn your attention to replacement, because this is a game of replacement. Fans don’t want to accept that fact, but nothing about football is truer. We spend all offseason trying to create a written-in-stone depth chart, and then one injury changes everything. How about Bryan Bulaga on Family Night in 2013? He was going to play left tackle. It was a devastating injury, right? My inbox was in a state of panic. Then he was replaced by a rookie who has since become the Packers’ long-term fix at the most important position on the offensive line. The perspective is this: Injuries are inevitable. You don’t know to whom or at what position they’ll happen, but you can count on them happening.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2015, 07:37:30 pm
Josip from Zagreb, Croatia

Vic, you said you will pay attention to Mike Pennel and how he will play against the Steelers’ front. I would like to know your opinion after the game.

I liked what I saw. He was active and forceful. I saw him hold the point. I saw him chase the ball. I also saw him tap out, which tells me it was a great experience for the Packers to have played a mid-day game on a hot day, because that’s likely what they’ll get in Chicago on opening day.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2015, 07:38:35 pm
Jon from Bath, England

Looking back, which preseason injury has been the most damaging to his team’s season?

The Rams suffered a devastating preseason injury in 1999 when they lost their starting quarterback, Trent Green, for the season to a knee injury. Oh, wait, they won the Super Bowl that year with Kurt Warner at quarterback. Never mind.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2015, 07:39:54 pm
Brett from Green Bay, WI

Gunter really stood out again to me yesterday. He looks like a veteran out there.

LaDarius Gunter is this year’s Jayrone Elliott. Now, in the final two preseason games, I’d like to see a young linebacker other than Elliott emerge.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2015, 07:41:20 pm
Tony from West Des Moines, IA

I didn’t get to watch the game. Did I miss anything?

Other than the obvious news, you missed an entertaining game. You missed a Packers No. 1 offense at peak performance on the opening drive of the game. You missed Rajion Neal joining the competition for the kickoff-return job. This was not a throwaway preseason game. The coaches have a lot of good tape to evaluate; it’s going to help them make decisions. Mike McCarthy referred to field position swinging on the Packers yesterday. He can use this tape to illustrate the importance of field position. He talked about restoring order there, and that means playing with field position in mind, as you would do in the regular season, as opposed to playing with evaluation only in mind. I think we’re going to see a more strategic performance against the Eagles on Saturday, with an eye on being opener ready.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2015, 07:43:38 pm
Jonathan from Darien, IL

Aaron Rodgers called Sunday’s contest a “meaningless game” and I think he feels responsible for Nelson’s injury since the throw was high and Nelson had to jump. Do you think the league would ever think about reducing preseason games? The season isn’t as entertaining with star players getting hurt before the season.

I hate the overreaction in my inbox today. We’re trying to blame everything. Reduce the number of preseason games? I’m all for it. I think two is plenty. Oh, wait, this was the second preseason game. Never mind. Jonathan, when is it a good time to get hurt? In the opener? Midseason? Right before the playoffs? With 3:52 to play in the NFC title game?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2015, 07:45:31 pm
Dayna from Jackson, NJ

Do we play our starters against the Eagles or play it safe after the Jordy incident?

Rodgers is ready to go. He doesn’t need more preseason playing time, but his young receivers need time with him. That’s the issue now. There are always issues and the only way you can address them is by playing through them.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2015, 07:47:44 pm
Zack from Miami, FL

Vic, I could remain positive, knowing that even with the injury Ted Thompson’s draft philosophy has prepared his team for injury losses as well as anyone in the league, but I will not. When will the preseason be shortened?

How many games is enough, one? All you’re doing is moving the preseason to the regular season. If a player is injured in a game that counts, is it less of an injury?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2015, 07:48:59 pm
Dustin from Independence, MO

Scott Tolzien had some zip on some of his throws, didn’t he?

The throw he made to Jeff Janis that was reversed by replay review is one of the best throws I’ve seen Tolzien make. He’s a young quarterback on the rise. That’s another takeaway from yesterday’s game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2015, 08:11:17 pm
(http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2015/08-August/temp50Kowalski_Vince--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 24, 2015, 08:19:39 pm
Most receiving yards since 2013 among WRs

Wide receiver Receptions Yards Touchdowns
Antonio Brown 239 3,197 21
Demaryius Thomas 203 3,049 25
Jordy Nelson 183 2,833 21
Calvin Johnson 155 2,569 20
Alshon Jeffery 174 2,554 17

Source: Pro-Football-Reference
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 25, 2015, 10:04:47 pm
Anthony from Milwaukee, WI

Given the rough day Don Barclay had, if next week was the regular season and David Bakhtiari was still out, would you be more comfortable moving Bryan Bulaga to LT and moving Barclay to RT where he has had success before, or would you hope Barclay can turn it around so you don’t have to worry about two positions?

I wouldn’t worry about either position, regardless of how I deployed Barclay and Bulaga. Barclay is in an ACL comeback season. If you felt Barclay needed help, you could chip with the tight end or the fullback. That’s the kind of stuff you do when winning the game is the only goal. Evaluation is the main goal in the preseason. You don’t chip with the tight end or the fullback because you want to put your left tackle on an island so you can expose where he is in his recovery. Again, please don’t make the mistake of using the preseason to predict the regular season. The goals are completely different.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 25, 2015, 10:07:03 pm
Patrick from Fort Dodge, IA

I am guessing you have been getting a lot of do-away-with-the-preseason questions in your inbox with the injury to Nelson. If that is the case, then how would coaches evaluate talent with an already limited practice schedule?

We get a few fights in combined practices, and the fans want to do away with combined practices. We get a few injuries in the preseason, and fans want to do away with the preseason. What if somebody gets hurt in a fight in practice? I mean, how much more can we soften the product without abandoning the game? If we reduce the preseason to two games, which two games do we eliminate, the first two or the last two? You know what I mean? How do you predict in which game an injury will occur?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 25, 2015, 10:08:38 pm
Kevin from Sun Prairie, WI

Vic, Richard Rodgers continues to impress me throughout preseason. Do you think he could grow to become an elite TE with Aaron Rodgers as his QB?

Yes, I do. Maybe he’ll effectively become the Packers’ No. 3 receiver. Injuries are part of the natural ordering of the game. With injuries, a team changes; it grows and evolves. Don’t fear change.

That would be like manna.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 25, 2015, 10:10:30 pm
Bob from Duluth, MN

Vic, my wife will experience her first Packers game at Lambeau Field this Saturday. What suggestions would you provide to make it an evening to remember?

I don’t have that list in front of me, Bob, if you know what I mean.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 25, 2015, 10:13:01 pm
Barry from Kenosha, WI

Instead of freaking out on the day after Jordy’s injury, I waited until day two to ask my question. Do you think the Packers should wait until rosters get down to 53 and then see who’s available at WR and bring them in? Or should they go with what they have to start the season and then pick someone up at midseason if needed?

They’re on it now. They’re evaluating what’s on the street vs. the development of the young receivers on their roster, and they’re creating a plan. It’s exactly what I would do. You bring in guys off the street and work them out, and then you compare them to what you already have and decide what to do. First and foremost, it’s about your evaluation of what you already have on the roster. You’ve drafted for this day. Are they ready to step up?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 25, 2015, 10:22:05 pm
http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-training-camp/article-1/Time-is-of-the-essence-for-Packers-receivers/d46f412e-b74e-4206-9fb9-45dc9e056b92


Good analysis of the WR situation by Cobb.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 25, 2015, 10:26:46 pm
The Pack was expecting improved ST play, better TE play, better DB play this season.  Now expectation must become reality in order to win it all.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 25, 2015, 10:28:45 pm
GREEN BAY — Rookie wide receiver Ty Montgomery was running with the first-team offense, which included wide receivers Randall Cobb and Davante Adams, on the first play of a team drill in Tuesday’s practice at Ray Nitschke Field. A few plays later, Montgomery caught a deep-out pass from quarterback Brett Hundley.

Montgomery, Jeff Janis and Myles White are thought to be the top contenders for the Packers’ No. 3 receiver role. It had previously belonged to Adams, but he has moved into one of the top two spots as a result of Jordy Nelson’s season-ending knee injury.

More coverage: Time is of the essence.

They could all be on the roster, now that Nelson is out.  To win, now, the Pack needs to reduce their ridiculously poor defense from the last couple of years.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 25, 2015, 10:39:45 pm




Sudsman > CaliPackerFan  • 7 hours ago 

I think it depends on formation, honestly. #3 is not technically a starter unless you pull the TE or FB from the base offense, but it goes beyond that. As the two starters go, Nelson is the X receiver (split end), while Cobb is the Z (flanker). (The tight end is the Y.)

Montgomery is primarily a slot receiver, lining up in the backfield like Cobb. Janis is a Nelson clone, typically up on the line and out on the perimeter. Now that Nelson is done, Adams is presumably the starter at X. If they come out in 3 wide with an X, a Z and a slot, which is typical, the third WR will likely be Montgomery. But you could easily see Janis being used as a second split end, with Cobb and a TE in the slots.

From a fan.  He must have been drinking som pretty good suds.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 25, 2015, 10:43:18 pm




Candid One > Sudsman  • 2 hours ago 

Montgomery was used in many receiver positions as Stanford's coaches tried to get the ball to him...when he wasn't dinged up. He was not really effective as a running back; he had trouble running out of a phone booth despite his decent size for college. Some GB scout saw something in him aside from his main splash as a kickoff returner of national merit. Stanford may not be a good offensive showcase for non-RBs and non-TEs, and maybe the pro scouts understand this. How else does GB use a 3rd-round pick on mostly unused college potential?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on August 26, 2015, 01:03:57 pm
Buttpacker Bob from Green Bay

Vic, Jordy Nelson's injury is a non-issue. Luckily we have 5 all-pro receivers sitting on the bench. Jordy didn't make anyone on the field better anyway. We should win our 10th Super Bowl in a row this year. Nothing to worry about.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 26, 2015, 07:49:50 pm
In 1996, Robert Brooks (#87, same as Jordy Nelson) was counted on to be the WR who would lead GB to a SB championship.  He broke his ACL (same as Jordy Nelson in 2015).  Without Brooks,  Freeman and Spiderman  filled in and GB won the SB, anyway.  Is it possible to repeat the similarity this season?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 26, 2015, 08:21:24 pm


Monday at 2:20 PM/ Originally published onScoutFantasy.com






The Fantasy World has been shaken with wide receiver Jordy Nelson's torn ACL. While many are clamoring for Davante Adams, Dr. Roto has two great Green Bay Packers sleepers you won't want to miss


The Green Bay Packers suffered a huge setback on Sunday after Jordy Nelson tore his ACL in a preseason game against the Steelers and will miss the entirety of the 2015 season. Davante Adams is expected to see an increased role in this offense as the new No. 2 WR on the depth chart, but Dr. Roto has a few more sleepers for Fantasy owners preparing for Draft Day.

Many people seem to forget that the Packers have a TE that goes by the name of Richard Rodgers. Although Rodgers caught just 20 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns last season, Dr. Roto expets him to see a huge uptick in targets with Nelson out. In the same game in which Nelson was hurt, Rodgers hauled in three receptions for 30 yards and a touchdown. Look for him to become one of Green Bay's primary targets in the red zone in 2015.

Another player that could be in for a huge year is rookie WR Ty Montgomery out of Stanford. The rookie looks like he will beat out second-year WR Jeff Janis for the No. 3 WR spot on the depth chart, meaning he should see plenty of snaps in three wide receiver sets. Montgomery has playmaking ability on offense and as a returner. He has a solid build (6 feet, 221 pounds) with enough speed and quickness to add depth to Green Bay’s offense this year. Listen to Dr. Roto's advice and keep an eye on Montgomery and Rodgers on Draft Day!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 26, 2015, 09:52:59 pm
Norma-Gene from Rolla, MO

The Pittsburgh announcer kept referring to a twist play on defense. What is it?

Twist is a pass-rush term. It refers to one pass rusher looping behind another one. The Steelers are famous for twisting their inside linebackers so their pass-rush paths form an X. It’s known as a cross blitz.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 26, 2015, 09:54:46 pm
Jon from Bath, England

So, would GM Vic rely on his roster or go shake the WR tree out back?

GM Vic always turns to his roster first. If the answer isn’t there, then he shakes the tree.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 26, 2015, 09:56:02 pm
Phil from Battle Mountain, NV

It seemed the quick slant pass was a staple of the Brett Favre Packers. I don’t seem to see it as much anymore. Have defenses neutralized that play?

The quick slant is a staple of every offense, but it needs to be used sparingly because it carries with it a high degree of interception. You’re throwing into traffic. It’s a pass that is often tipped at the line of scrimmage. It was a pass the Seahawks shouldn’t have thrown in the Super Bowl.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 26, 2015, 09:57:09 pm
Jerry from Wausau, WI

Vic, how is the salary cap affected when a player in the $10 million pay range is sidelined for the year? I believe we have some cap room, but do we get any break on the hit to our cap should we need to sign from outside the organization?

Nothing changes. Your cap bears a full hit and you don’t get any extra money to spend. The Packers provided for this emergency by keeping room on their cap. I got a lot of questions in the spring asking why the Packers didn’t spend all of their cap money. This is why. They might need to spend some of that money on a veteran replacement.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 26, 2015, 09:58:54 pm
Dave from Bryant, WI

Players’ 40 times are always used from the combine or other test when drafted. How much does player speed change up or down once they are pros and enhance their conditioning?

If a player went back and ran the 40 in Indy later in his career, he probably wouldn’t run as fast as he did at the combine. Why? Because he trained to run the 40 at the combine when he was a draft prospect. He practiced getting out of his stance. He practiced specifically for running a fast 40, as though he was practicing for a track event, instead of for football. Once he’s in the league, the track stuff stops. He’s judged by his playing speed.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 26, 2015, 10:00:22 pm
Dirk from Pleasanton, CA

With only a few weeks left of preseason, what do you think are the three most important evaluations remaining?

In terms of positions, I think it’s wide receiver, linebacker and No. 3 quarterback.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 26, 2015, 10:03:08 pm
Gus from Eau Claire, WI

If you were to eliminate two preseason games, you’d drop the first and last. The first game would be evaluation and the second game would be to get the starters rolling (just like the third game is now), with initial cuts after the first game and final cuts after the second. Is that enough time to properly evaluate your players before cuts?

So you create a four-game schedule and then you throw out the first and last games? I’m sorry, but this is all so silly. Let’s go back to the roots of what the preseason was all about and why we still have it. A long time ago, the NFL played six preseason games. Why so many? Because it was a wonderful way for owners to make money before the players began receiving their salaries. It wasn’t a problem when teams played a lot of neutral-site games, because those games weren’t part of a season-ticket package. It didn’t become a problem until the neutral-site games went away and fans began to complain about paying full price for preseason games. That’s when two preseason games were cut and two games were added to the regular season. The owners kept their revenue and the players began drawing their salaries two weeks earlier. All these years later, money is still the issue. The players don’t want an 18-game schedule, and the owners don’t want to lose two games worth of revenue. That’s the issue. Forget about all of that injury stuff. Injuries are going to happen, whether it’s the preseason or the regular season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 26, 2015, 10:06:41 pm
“It’s can you run the right route at the right time and understand what we’re trying to do in the progressions,” Rodgers said. “All those guys are coming along. We need to see more consistency. That’s what making the jump is all about.

“When you know what you’re doing, then you can play faster. We need them to play faster, and that will give them confidence and give the quarterback confidence to throw them the ball.”

So far this week, Montgomery has gotten the reps with the first unit as the No. 3 receiver. Rodgers is excited about the Stanford rookie but cautioned against loading him with too much, saying he needs to be allowed “to progress at a natural pace.”

Referring to Janis and the others, Rodgers says there are “great days” and “days with too many mistakes.”...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 27, 2015, 07:13:52 pm
Matt from Verona, WI

You’re watching an NFL game 10 years from now. What do you see?

Players wearing bigger helmets.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 27, 2015, 07:16:33 pm
Melissa from Green Bay, WI

What’s going on with Scott Tolzien? Will he play in this Saturday’s game?

He’s had a great camp and a solid preseason, and has nailed down the backup quarterback job. He was evaluated for concussion symptoms following the game in Pittsburgh and has not practiced this week. I don’t expect him to play on Saturday. In my opinion, Brett Hundley and Matt Blanchard are the feature attractions at quarterback on Saturday. They’re battling for a possible No. 3 spot.

I prefer the play of Blanchard, at this point.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 27, 2015, 07:18:22 pm
John from Allie, VA

Vic, I have heard you mention Mike Pennel a number of times. What are his position strengths and potential contribution if he makes the team?

I think he has big upside. He’s got the kind of size, strength and quickness you find in a first-round defensive lineman. He transferred from Arizona State to Colorado-Pueblo, and that might’ve set him back in his development. As he learns technique and develops feel for his talent and the pro game, I think he’s going to become the Packers’ next Mike Daniels.


Or NT.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 27, 2015, 07:26:16 pm
Shawn from Troy, NY

Do you believe the Packers will keep three quarterbacks on the roster this year?

That’ll be decided over the last two preseason games. Brett Hundley or Matt Blanchard will have to play awfully well for the Packers to keep a third quarterback on their roster, in my opinion.


If GB tries to get Hundley on the PS will some other team sign him?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 27, 2015, 07:29:08 pm
Tim from Reno, NV

The smell of musty autumn leaves always takes me right back to football practice. What smell takes you right to football?

The unmistakable scent of a high school locker room is what I remember. There was nobody to wash your sweaty socks, t-shirt, towel, etc. after practice. You took them home and washed them – nobody did that – or you hung them up and let them dry for tomorrow, and sometimes they didn’t dry fully. The blend that greeted you the next day when you entered the locker room had its own identity. It said, “This locker is mine.” You held your breath as you pulled your t-shirt over your head, but there was no escaping the delicious scent of your own half-dried sweat. That’s what you missed if you never played the game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 27, 2015, 07:31:24 pm
Eric from Skokie, IL

I know this may be premature to ask now but do you think Jordy Nelson will stay with Green Bay in 2016 or do you think they will let him go?

Congratulations, Eric, you are in the “Ask Vic Hall of Fame.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 27, 2015, 07:37:18 pm
http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Trick-Shot-Rodgers-skips-pass-off-grass-into-net/2915d4c6-5567-4371-a89a-de00926cd169
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on August 28, 2015, 09:20:38 am

And now for some real Packer news:

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Letroy Guion has lost his appeal and will serve the full three-game suspension he was given for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, the league announced Thursday.

The Green Bay Packers defensive tackle will be eligible to return to the team Sept. 29, one day after its Week 3 Monday Night Football game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Guion first received notification of the suspension in July, and his appeal was heard Monday.

Letroy Guion had 32 tackles and 3.5 sacks in his first season with the Packers in 2014. Andrew Weber/USA TODAY Sports
Guion's agent, Seth Katz, led the appeal but could not be reached for comment. The Packers said in a statement announcing the suspension that they had no further comment.

Although the suspension was for Guion's offseason arrest, it falls under the substance abuse policy because it was drug-related. Players can be entered into the substance abuse program for a either a positive test or a behavioral violation involving a substance.

Guion was arrested for felony possession of marijuana and a firearm in February. He paid a $5,000 fine in March in a plea deal to avoid prosecution.

Neither Guion nor defensive end Datone Jones, who is suspended for the regular-season opener, will count against the 53-man roster when final cuts are due on Sept. 5.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 28, 2015, 09:30:28 pm
Pete from Perham, MN

Preseason game three is typically a game in which the starters play the entire first half. There is also a very strong need for more playing time and cohesion between Aaron Rodgers and his receivers, with the only exception being Randall Cobb. Why, then, would Rodgers possibly not play this weekend? How does that help to grow a bond and trust between these receivers and their QB? I don’t buy into the notion he isn’t playing so he can avoid injury. It could just as easily happen in practice.

I don’t know if he’s going to play or not. What I know is this: Everybody in this league lives in mortal fear of preseason injuries. Here’s the part that really drives me nuts: It’s OK to get injured in practice, but not in a preseason game. Aren’t preseason games practice?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 28, 2015, 09:32:28 pm
Hank from Chula Vista, CA

“The delicious scent of your own half-dried sweat.” Priceless.

I’m a romantic.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 28, 2015, 09:34:24 pm
Warren from Charlotte, NC

Vic, what contractual responsibilities does a player have when he’s injured for the season? Is it a rehab/vacation, or does he still have team duties?

A player on injured reserve is still on a team’s roster, so a team can require him to stay with the team. The only real difference between an active player and an IR player is the IR player cannot participate in practices or games.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 28, 2015, 09:37:35 pm
Kevin from Glasgow, Scotland

Vic, I have read very little about B.J Raji’s comeback from injury during the preseason. Do you expect B.J. to be the starting nose tackle following Letroy Guion’s three-game suspension? Does Mike Pennel have a bigger role to play now?

I would expect Raji to be the Packers’ starting nose tackle on opening day, and I suspect Pennel and Josh Boyd will each have to play bigger roles in the Packers defense on opening day, what with Guion and Datone Jones each not available for the game in Chicago. This is not a little thing. Matt Forte awaits.
ore: http://www.packers.com/news-and-event
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 28, 2015, 09:41:20 pm
Brandon from Racine, WI

Vic, I couldn’t care less about the Atrium, the Packers Hall of Fame, the new district. What I care about is the product on the field. I understand a better infrastructure and brand means more revenue, but at what point do we say the Packers have enough money to start spending on free agency? This tight wallet approach is getting ridiculous. We have one of the best QBs ever and he’s in his prime and his number one receiver just went down for the year before a single meaningful game was played. It’s time we patch someone in and take a hit to the bank.

I want you to go out back to the veteran wide receiver tree and pick one. Tell me who you’ve picked. In fact, announce your selection in the comments section at the bottom of the column. Only give us one name; you can only sign one. We’ll follow his progress throughout the season. This is your chance to show the Packers how to do it.


Would-be GM would be disappointed.  Besides, he has confused team income with salary cap.  Dumb.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on August 29, 2015, 02:34:08 pm



 Packy,


 Your review of Packers without Jordey ?


 See it as a Kevin White cross-out.


 We don't get one you don't get one.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 29, 2015, 08:15:48 pm
Losing Jordy really hurt.  Losing White will weaken Chi but I doubt he is a factor keeping Chi out of the play-offs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 29, 2015, 08:25:31 pm
Les from Las Vegas, NV

Just tuned in. Did the world come to an end?

The world can’t end in the preseason.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 29, 2015, 08:26:48 pm
Tanner from Chicago, IL

Boy, am I glad we got this wakeup call in the preseason and not in Week 1. Philly can make you look silly, but does this performance from the defense concern you?

Yes.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 29, 2015, 08:27:19 pm
Evan from Green Bay, WI

Vic, I’m about to freak out. If Cobb is seriously hurt, we are in serious trouble.

It would be a harsh blow.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Bears4Ever on August 29, 2015, 08:27:34 pm
Its as expected....

Not too good (but not Wanny bad so its not all bad...) :D
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 29, 2015, 08:28:00 pm
Emily from Reading, PA

I keep telling myself preseason is about evaluation. What have we learned so far?

I’ll tell you what I’ve learned: Chip Kelly has introduced us to the future of professional football.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 29, 2015, 08:29:03 pm
Kevin from Rockton, IL

Here’s my solution to the preseason issue. Cut the number of preseason games to two, but remove them from the season ticket packages. Reduce the cost of the season ticket packages by an appropriate amount (say 10 percent), but allow the owners to sell the preseason tickets independently. This brings in new income to the owners to help offset the season ticket income reduction, while giving the opportunity to those without season tickets to see an improved preseason product. Thoughts?

Kevin, this is my 44th season covering the NFL. In that time, I have unfortunately witnessed 44 preseasons, and the same issues we’re trying to solve today are the same issues we were trying to solve 40 years ago, and nobody has solved them. It’s the preseason. The outcomes of the games are meaningless, but the games are meaningful as they pertain to preparation and evaluation. A coach has to decide whether he wants to risk injury, or risk not being prepared. It’s that simple, and it was that simple 40 years ago.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 29, 2015, 08:29:48 pm
Jon from Waukesha, WI

I get a feeling your inbox is going to be panic. This game plan was about as basic as it gets. I’m not super worried.

Here’s the good news: A week from now, nobody will care about the preseason. All of the focus will be on the season opener in Chicago and optimism will dominate.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 29, 2015, 08:37:42 pm
Allison from Sumter, SC

Vic, With all due respect to you and McCarthy, our entire defense can’t be bad players, so the obvious next look would be at the coach.

Allison, I want you to go outside into that sweet Carolina summer air, take a deep breath, blow it out and think sweet thoughts. You’re taking this much too seriously. Now, repeat after me, “It’s only the preseason, it’s only the preseason, it’s only the preseason.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on August 29, 2015, 08:38:04 pm
Optimism will skyrocket because the Bears fricking suck....I don't even want to watch that game. Seen enough fking blowouts vs.......done with that crap....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 29, 2015, 08:47:29 pm
So far, Rodgers out, Nelson out, Cobb out, three starting O-Linemen out, QB Scott Tolzien out, Abredderis still out.  Who's left?

Cosby had his first FG miss of the season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 29, 2015, 09:22:44 pm


Pete DoughertyVerified account
‏@PeteDougherty   Packers OL left to right to start 2nd half: vujnovich, Barclay, Tretter, Gerhart, Walker

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 29, 2015, 09:25:56 pm
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CNny8sgW8AEKEN5.jpg)
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 29, 2015, 09:27:08 pm
Richard Burk€ ‏@riichardburke  · 23m23 minutes ago 
@packers everyone is dead there is no point

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 29, 2015, 09:41:28 pm
It was initially easy to laugh at Russell Wilson's bubbles-cured-my-concussion claims. It was giggle fuel. He was also claiming the bubbles healed a teammate's knee injury. Silly stuff. No one would believe it, anyway, right?

Then, when Wilson later repeated the claim, still confident despite the silliness, this story became something else. This story became dangerous.

First, go back in time for a moment to last year's NFC title game. Wilson was hit hard in the head by Clay Matthews after throwing an interception. It was a nasty, brutal hit:

It seemed as if Wilson was concussed, but he stayed in the game and didn't miss practice time in the week leading up to the Super Bowl.

This week, Rolling Stone profiled Wilson, and in the story, Wilson claims the reason his head was fine was a product called Reliant Recovery Water—which, interestingly, costs $3 a damn bottle. The full passage:


Wilson is an investor in Reliant Recovery Water, a $3-per-bottle concoction with nanobubbles and electrolytes that purportedly helps people recover quickly from workouts and, according to Wilson, injury. He mentions a teammate whose knee healed miraculously, and then he shares his own testimonial.

"I banged my head during the Packers game in the playoffs, and the next day I was fine," says Wilson. "It was the water."

[Agent Mark] Rodgers offers a hasty interjection. "Well, we're not saying we have real medical proof."

But Wilson shakes his head, energized by the subject. He speaks with an evangelist's zeal.

"I know it works." His eyes brighten. "Soon you're going to be able to order it straight from Amazon."

So, water healed his brain. And his teammate's knee. OK. Got it.

Those nanobubbles are awesome!

Next up for Wilson: Bacon lowers cholesterol.

Part of this would have been chalked up to an overeager pitchman who isn't always the most sincere person to begin with. But then, incredibly, Wilson doubled down. Late Wednesday, he sent this tweet:Is it possible that water infused with bubbly thingies and oxygenized sexiness could help the brain heal? I can't even imagine, but for now, let's just say: Anything is possible. The key here is no proof exists of such a miracle. It says something that even Wilson's agent was trying to get him to slow down and admitted there is no proof bubble water cures concussions. (Well, yeah.)

Wilson, likely aware of the criticism, tried to walk back his words Thursday to reporters. But it only added to the confusion. It made things worse:


What I was trying to say was that I think it helped prevent it. I think your brain is consisted of like 75 to 80 percent water. I think that just being hydrated, drinking the Recovery Water really does help.

But no, I did not have a concussion. I was saying that I had been consistently drinking the water for a month, month-and-a-half, five to seven times a day, and I was like, "Man, maybe this stuff is helping me out." So it's one of those things that I truly do believe it helps with recovery.

So, after confirming twice that he suffered a head injury, he's saying the water kept that head injury from being a concussion. You can see why his agent was trying to slow him down.

The company seems to be pumping the brakes, too. I asked it about Wilson's words. Here's the first statement it sent me:


Developed as a result of more than a decade of scientific research, Reliant Recovery Water was created to provide a more functional hydration process. Reliant Recovery Water uses a unique electro-kinetic modification process that may help to accelerate your body's natural recovery. Reliant Recovery Water redefines hydration and, when paired with an active lifestyle, may aid in physical recovery from injury, helping people to feel their best. For more information, including published research, please reference www.recoverywater.com.

Later, it sent another statement, conspicuously losing the whole part about healing and aiding in injury-recovery:


Developed as a result of more than a decade of scientific research, Reliant Recovery Water was created to provide a more functional hydration process. Reliant Recovery Water uses a unique electro-kinetic modification process. For more information, including published research, please reference www.recoverywater.com.

Is this story really a major scandal? No, of course not. There are far worse things going on in the NFL and, unfortunately, our country. But it's a PR disaster for Wilson.

This is one of the most popular players in the sport using his fame to sell false hope. There is a charlatan aspect to all of this, unbecoming of Wilson's character.

There's a reason the FDA bans assertions from supplement companies not proved in clinical trials. Unless Wilson's water contains the sweat of unicorns and saliva from Rainbow Dash, there's no possible way what Wilson is claiming can be true. There's also no possible way someone as smart as Wilson believes what he said is even remotely accurate—and that, in and of itself, is a little scary.

(There is also this interesting little side issue: Wilson says he had a head injury. If he did, it was never listed on any Super Bowl injury report. And if he did, since he returned to the game so quickly after the initial hit, there was no time for the team to thoroughly run Wilson through the NFL's concussion protocols.)

LMAO.




Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on August 30, 2015, 04:38:37 pm
Cobb went for further tests on Sunday and Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that he has been diagnosed with a “minor” AC joint sprain.

It’s a better outcome than a broken collarbone, certainly, but Cobb probably can’t be assured of playing against the Bears in Week One. Players have missed good chunks of time with similar injuries — Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson hasn’t played at all in the preseason after spraining his AC joint early in training camp — and it will take some time before the Packers will have a clear idea about his status.

If Cobb can’t play, the Packers would start their season without both of their top wideouts since Jordy Nelson is out with a torn ACL. Barring any additions from outside the organization, Davante Adams, Jeff Janis and Ty Montgomery would likely be the top three receivers in their absence.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on August 30, 2015, 04:39:30 pm
Davante Adams, Jeff Janis and Ty Montgomery are all Super Star all-pros....and future HOFers.....nope.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on August 30, 2015, 04:55:16 pm
That "great" Pecker defense gave 39 first half points? Brilliant!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on August 30, 2015, 06:10:31 pm
This might have to be a game where the QB's just run the ball. We're both running out of wideouts.....crazy....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 30, 2015, 09:22:14 pm
http://lombardiave.com/2015/08/26/green-bay-packers-the-time-is-now-for-jeff-janis/?utm_campaign=FanSided+Daily&utm_source=FanSided+Daily&utm_medium=email

Is Janis ready to contribute replacing Nelson?  Next man up?  If he is, look out!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 30, 2015, 09:36:19 pm
Saturday nights game saw three key players for the Packers go down with injuries which left fans holding their breath. Randall Cobb sustained a shoulder injury while Bryan Bulaga experienced an apparent ankle injury. Micah Hyde also left the game being carted off the field with a neck injury.

An update on all the injuries concludes that each injury appeared to be minor. Head Coach Mike McCarthy seemed not to worried on Cobb’s injury while it has been reported that Bulaga suffered a sprained ankle and Hyde experienced a neck spasm. Cobb could still miss some time in the regular season but a broken collarbone appears to be out of the question.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 30, 2015, 09:40:09 pm
Infuriated with the Jordy Nelson‘s injury sustained last week, Aaron Rodgers has lobbied to be done for the 2015 preseason. Rodgers played in both of the first two preseason games this season before not dressing in last nights game.

Rodgers feels that he has had his fair share of work in the preseason and will save his efforts for the Packers first game of the regular season, September 13th in Chicago. In losing Nelson and hopefully avoiding a scare with Cobb, it would be surprising to see almost any starters on offense take the field Thursday night against New Orleans.

The Packers have had an unusual preseason considering that you normally see the starters towards the end of the preseason rather than the beginning. Regardless, the main focus in Thursday nights game is to keep players
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 30, 2015, 09:46:12 pm
Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb feared a broken collarbone when he was first injured in Saturday’s game against the Eagles, but they were able to rule out an injury of that severity before the night was over.

Cobb went for further tests on Sunday and Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that he has been diagnosed with a “minor” AC joint sprain.

It’s a better outcome than a broken collarbone, certainly, but Cobb probably can’t be assured of playing against the Bears in Week One. Players have missed good chunks of time with similar injuries — Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson hasn’t played at all in the preseason after spraining his AC joint early in training camp — and it will take some time before the Packers will have a clear idea about his status.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 30, 2015, 09:59:45 pm
In the battle for the No. 3 wide receiver job, Myles White might’ve taken the lead. He caught nine passes for 89 yards. Jeff Janis caught three passes for 72 yards and one touchdown, and rookie Ty Montgomery grabbed two throws for 71 yards.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 30, 2015, 10:13:21 pm
http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Packers-WR-Myles-White-makes-one-handed-grab/13f5bd37-4bc1-43e3-b9c6-6b876ecd04d2

Just like Jordy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 30, 2015, 10:18:17 pm
http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Packers-WR-Ty-Montgomery-hauls-in-52-yard-catch/d4778623-e9ce-4242-801f-3d01da7d3906

Ty Montgomery shows off.

Next guys "stepping up".
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 30, 2015, 10:30:23 pm

 Packer Report  ‎@PackerReport 

12-year study of AC injuries makes Cobb's Week 1 return realistic http://www.scout.com/nfl/packers/story/1580519-cobb-timeline-fits-history-of-injury … #Packers

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on August 31, 2015, 07:27:28 am



 Packy,


 The worm turns ...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on August 31, 2015, 04:50:48 pm
Bradford was flawless against Green Bay, literally and figuratively, completing all 10 of his attempts for 121 yards and three touchdowns.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 31, 2015, 07:02:30 pm
NFLNetwork is replaying the Eagles/Packers game.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on August 31, 2015, 07:06:14 pm
Either the Eagles O is really good or the Packers D is terrible.

We can't judge the Packers O since Rodgers isn't playing.  But St and D look pretty bad so far.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 31, 2015, 08:52:30 pm

 Bob Condotta  ‎@bcondotta 

Also cut today by Vikings was Brandon Bostick, who with Green Bay last year let the on-side kick at end of NFC title game go off his hands.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 31, 2015, 10:52:58 pm
http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Hundley-Awesome-experience-offense-helped-a-lot/fad039c8-fb26-44e3-856a-c5ce135a107e

Should the Bears have drafted Hundly to start in 2016?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 31, 2015, 10:56:51 pm
http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Packers-WR-Myles-White-makes-one-handed-grab/13f5bd37-4bc1-43e3-b9c6-6b876ecd04d2

Myles White.  Looking like Jordy on the sideline pass.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 31, 2015, 11:06:19 pm

Hundley to Janis.

http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Packers-WR-Jeff-Janis-catches-a-27-yard-TD-pass/35a65fbb-2a29-4bf0-8d02-a5256966561c
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on August 31, 2015, 11:15:16 pm
In the camp practices since Nelson's injury, Montgomery has been taking reps as the No. 3 wideout behind Cobb and Davante Adams, as ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky reported.

I've speculated this offseason that given how much depth and talent they have at the position, the Packers might choose to keep six wide receivers on the final roster, especially if they were worried they wouldn't be able to stash one of those players on the practice squad.

However, the top candidate for that sixth spot at the start of camp was second-year player Jared Abbrederis, who was eyeing a comeback year after missing his entire rookie season with a torn ACL. But Abbrederis did not dress for the preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles Saturday, as Brian Carriveau of 247Sports reported, and has yet to practice after suffering a concussion on July 30...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: davebear on September 01, 2015, 07:56:41 am
Packers really hurting on the OL

Baktari hasn't practiced much

onf guard with condussion the other out with ankle

Now Bulaga out with ankle.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 01, 2015, 09:14:47 am

Packers can probably survive losing a couple starting WRs but losing a couple starting OTs...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 01, 2015, 06:28:35 pm
They still have Rodgers.....they will be ok....we've got enough problems on our own team to worry about them....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 01, 2015, 06:49:47 pm

Rodgers could adapt to losing 2 OTs for sure, especially against the Bears DBs.  He'll just go with shorter drops and nickel and dime us to death.

But that won't work against good defenses. 

Anyway, I'm sure both will be fine by game time.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 02, 2015, 10:34:08 am
Vic, with the amount of injuries that happen in preseason and the amount of talent being generated from colleges, do you think the current 53-man roster needs to be bumped up a bit?

I don’t. I think 53 players are more than enough to play a football game. I’d like to see the practice squad expanded. I believe the league will need a developmental league as the game continues to contract and soften on the college level, and I consider the practice squad to be a developmental league. I had this conversation with Mark Murphy yesterday. He agrees.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 02, 2015, 10:38:03 am
Brian from Vancouver, WA

Do you think Scott Tolzien has what it takes to be a starting NFL quarterback? If he does, could we trade him and have Hundley as our backup quarterback?

Why would you trade Tolzien? You developed him to step into the role he now appears capable of fulfilling. If Aaron Rodgers needed to miss a game, Tolzien is the starting NFL quarterback you’d need. I don’t think Brett Hundley can be judged to be a starting NFL quarterback on the strength of one performance in a lopsided preseason game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 02, 2015, 10:42:47 am
Jeremy from Wausau, WI

Vic, I really liked Matt Blanchard in his limited action in the preseason. Do you think he will catch on with another team?

I think he’ll get another chance, and it might even be with the Packers. Everything a player does is on tape, and that tape sticks with him for as long as he attempts to play in the NFL. Blanchard is taking very good tape with him. I guarantee he values that tape and he’s appreciative of the chance the Packers gave him to make that tape.


if I were the Bears GM I would try to sign him off the Packers PS.  I know he was with the Bears before but he looked mighty good to me.  He was getting the ball out  in less than 2 seconds and read the defense very well.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 02, 2015, 10:46:51 am
Tom from Blaine, WA

Vic, I’m worried about a slow start to the season. Are your adjectives and adverbs really ready? Is it worth risking your best typing fingers during the last preseason game?

My fingerstrings were getting a little tight last Saturday, and I considered sitting out the second half, but I toughed it out and now I feel ready to go.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 02, 2015, 06:05:05 pm
Micah Hyde carted off at Lambeau Field

Posted by Mike Florio on August 29, 2015, 9:16 PM EDT

The decision to keep Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers out of Saturday night’s preseason game is looking better and better.

Green Bay cornerback Micah Hyde has been carted off at Lambeau Field during the second quarter of the preseason game against the Eagles.

The nature of the injury isn’t clear. Hyde was sitting upright as TV cameras spotted him being taken to the locker room.

Earlier in the game, receiver Randall Cobb exited with a shoulder injury.

A fifth-round pick in 2013, Hyde has appeared in all 32 career regular-season games. He started 12 games in 2014.

UPDATE 9:35 p.m. ET: The Packers say that Hyde has suffered a neck injury.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Grizzlybear34 on September 03, 2015, 06:02:34 am
May be a good idea to keep Rodgers out of the lineup for the month of September to protect him from injury...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 03, 2015, 10:47:28 am

No, he's too valuable to risk even during the regular season - save him for the playoffs.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 03, 2015, 11:10:58 am
Brett Hundley's performance so far rates among best

Mark Hoffman

Brett Hundley led touchdown drives of 74, 80 and 83 yards against the Eagles.

Green Bay — Not until his 20th and final possession did Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers produce a point in his first exhibition season.

Playing for the Atlanta Falcons in the summer of 1991, Brett Favre completed 41.1% of his passes.

Don Majkowski's passer rating as a rookie in 1987 was 39.6.

Fast forward to Brett Hundley, the Packers' fifth-round draft choice who is coming off one of the team's finest exhibition performances by a rookie quarterback...

Another good QB selection for TT?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 03, 2015, 04:18:22 pm
Ryan from Sycamore, IL

What is the feeling you get when the baloney finally stops?

You’re talking about that moment on opening day when the kicker raises his right arm before he begins his run up to the ball – do they still raise their right arms? You’re talking about that pregnant pause that asks the question: Is everybody ready? I’m at that point that I ask myself, “How many more, Vic?” I am truly blessed to have experienced so many of these moments. I want more.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 03, 2015, 04:20:20 pm
Jordan from Detroit, MI

Besides old age, why do you think players’ arrows start pointing down?

Their bodies wear out and begin breaking down. The prime years of a player’s career, other than for quarterbacks, are generally considered to be years 4-7. This is a young man’s game. If a player is still at the top of his game beyond the seventh year of his career, he’s special.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 03, 2015, 04:23:51 pm
Giorgio from Monza, Italy

You said Clay Matthews will stay at ILB because he can stuff and cover. I don’t think I got it. Is he the only one capable of that?

Once upon a time, the middle linebacker was the star of the defense. Ray Nitschke, Dick Butkus, Tommy Nobis, Willie Lanier, Sam Huff, Jack Lambert were all stars. Chuck Bednarik was the first pick of his draft. The list goes on and on. It goes all the way up to Ray Lewis, but the list began to thin as time went on. Why? Because specialization began to devalue the middle linebacker position. He became a two-down player. He became a run-stuffer only. On third down, he left the game and was replaced by the nickel back. What’s happened is the position has become targeted by offensive coordinators and play-callers. When the MLB is on the field, they throw at him. If you replace him with a nickel back, the offense runs at him. This isn’t something only the Packers are facing. Go back and look at what Tom Brady did in last season’s Super Bowl. The attack by offensive coordinators and play-callers on the inside linebacker position is giving the position new importance. Dom Capers saw that last season, and he addressed it by moving Matthews inside. Matthews is one of those rare talents that can do it all. It’s been common to reserve those players for the outside positions. I think that’s going to change. I think we’re going to see more star-quality players returning to the inside positions.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 04, 2015, 10:05:12 am
Mind if I move your bong......put the bong down!

Packers' Guion, Jones await substance abuse suspensions
AP - Sports

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- Packers defensive lineman Letroy Guion plans to stay in Green Bay during his three-game suspension to work out and get ready for the rest of the season.

Defensive lineman Datone Jones also will miss the Sept. 13 opener at Chicago after being suspended by the NFL for one game for a substance-abuse violation.

Thursday night's exhibition game against New Orleans was Guion's last action until Green Bay visits San Francisco on Oct. 4. Guion said he will be allowed to work out and attend team meetings but cannot practice.

''It is what it is. I take my punishment like a man, and I feel bad because I can't help my team out. But I'll be right here after three games,'' Guion said after the 38-10 victory over the Saints.

Signed by the Packers as a free agent last year after playing for the Minnesota Vikings, Guion started every game for the first time in his career. He had career highs of 62 tackles and 3 1/2 sacks.

Jones has also missed practice recently with a knee injury, though he said that he could have played against the Bears if eligible.

''But I have to do my part by staying in shape and being accountable while I'm away this week and keep my focus going,'' Jones said.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on September 04, 2015, 10:37:45 am
If I had to live in Green Bay, I'd probably stay smoked up, too...
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 04, 2015, 11:38:59 am
Correct.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 04, 2015, 11:40:45 am
Hundley played against the 3rd team. Hilarious. Much like Fales.....play him against any #1 D and he would do his best Flynn immatation.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 04, 2015, 07:14:37 pm
I really do believe that the Bears should have drafted Hundley in the 4th round.  Why not?  Cutler that good?  Of course some of

 http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/brett-hundleys-performance-so-far-rates-among-best-b99569296z1-324024251
.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 04, 2015, 07:29:44 pm
Versatile Mike Pennel keeps ascending along Packers' defensive line
 Mike Pennel might very well be the most improved player that the Packers have on defense.

Nose Tackle.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 04, 2015, 07:41:10 pm
http://cinesport.jsonline.com/milwaukee-sports/silverstein-hundley-impresses-again

Hundley film clip.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 04, 2015, 08:07:09 pm
To the relief of many, the NFL preseason has come to a close.  Now the work begins to prepare for real football.  Looking back over the past four weeks, fans got a good look at lots of rookie players.  Who among the masses stood out the most?

Brett Hundley (QB, Green Bay Packers)

Aaron Rodgers isn’t going anywhere but the Green Bay Packers are always a team that loves to keep collecting quarterbacks when they can.  It was a surprise that UCLA standout Brett Hundley lasted to the 5th round this past May and the Packers couldn’t afford to pass on him,

He’s rewarded their investment thus far by leading all rookie quarterbacks in the preseason with seven touchdown passes including four in the finale against New Orleans.  Nobody ever debated his physical talent.  What the Packers, and perhaps other teams will want to see is how he handles more diverse defenses and pressure.  So far, so good.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 04, 2015, 08:13:56 pm
http://nflmocks.com/2015/09/04/nfl-preseason-tyler-lockett-leads-rookie-mvps/5/

Fan Duel boosts Jeff Janis.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 04, 2015, 11:11:37 pm
http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-game-recap/article-1/Young-players-score-win-for-the-future/235a72c9-7a49-46fd-a437-5733a61ecbb5

Hundley to Pinkard.

Hundley to Janis.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 04, 2015, 11:18:03 pm
http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-game-recap/article-1/Young-players-score-win-for-the-future/235a72c9-7a49-46fd-a437-5733a61ecbb5

Hundley highlights.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 04, 2015, 11:25:15 pm
Lots of passes to RBs.  Need to compensate for the ;lost yardage of Jordy Nelson.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 04, 2015, 11:28:19 pm
"Next man up" time is here.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 05, 2015, 04:43:52 pm
Vic, at what point is a player considered a veteran?

When a player is credited with an accrued season, he becomes a second-year player and that’s when he becomes a veteran. Until then, he can be a rookie once, but a first-year player forever until he is credited with an accrued season.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 05, 2015, 04:45:47 pm
Mason from La Crosse, WI

Do you think it would be a smart move to add a veteran in Wes Welker?

Sometimes you have to bring in a patch, but I firmly believe this is a young man’s game and committing to the development of young players is a way to grow your roster and protect the future. I think the Packers have young receivers on the rise. I love an arrow pointing up.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 05, 2015, 04:46:59 pm
Pamela from Greensboro, NC

Does Coach Vic keep Brett Hundley as No. 3 QB, even though you don’t need a No. 3 QB, so GM Vic can have trade bait in a year or two?

You keep Hundley because he’s a young player on the rise, and that makes your roster better. There’s a wonderful feeling for a coach and a GM to know they have a young, ascending roster. It’s a feeling of security and accomplishment. As long as you have that kind of roster, everything is fine. You won’t win every game, and you won’t win the Super Bowl every year, but you’ll be a championship contender every year. Don’t try to predict who you’ll need and when you’ll need them. Just collect good football players. Fate will determine their roles.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 05, 2015, 04:52:58 pm
Kurt from Sheboygan, WI

Vic, if there were one player on offense and one on defense you think the Hall of Fame has overlooked, who would they be?

Alex Karras and Ricky Watters.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 05, 2015, 04:55:16 pm
Jeff from Fishers, IN

Who are your preseason offensive and defensive MVPs?

JC Tretter and Mike Pennel. Depth up front is of critical importance.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 05, 2015, 05:01:53 pm
John from Racine, WI

What do you think about Judge Berman ruling against the NFL in Deflategate?

Thanks, John. I was surprised and disappointed by the decision. Although the league did not handle this case perfectly, I didn’t expect the judge to insert himself into this dispute. Courts are normally very reluctant to overturn decisions rendered through collectively bargained procedures, as was the case here. The thought is it’s better for the parties to resolve their own disputes, rather than have courts deciding private disputes. Of particular concern here is the fact this dispute centers on the integrity of the game. For decades, in numerous collective bargaining agreements, the Commissioner has been responsible for issues involving the integrity of the game. This has served the NFL well over the years. I’m hopeful the decision will be reversed on appeal.

From GB CEO Mark Murphy.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 05, 2015, 05:20:20 pm


Rob Demovsky
ESPN Staff Writer

The Packers are releasing Rajion Neal, per a source. That's the biggest surprise so far. He had been the No. 3 running back all summer. No word yet on Alonzo Harris or John Crocke

Rob Demovsky
ESPN Staff Writer

The Packers are releasing TE Justin Perillo, per a source. Indications are they're only keeping three at the position.

Both surprises.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 05, 2015, 05:23:23 pm
Could the Packers bring back James Jones?


Green Bay's former wideout is on the bubble with the Giants, and the Packers could be looking for a veteran receiver. Might a reunion be in store? Saturday
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 06, 2015, 08:07:34 pm
Packers bring back James Jones

Posted by Josh Alper on September 6, 2015, 5:32 PM EDT

Provides protection in case  Cobb or Adams is seriously injured, especially short-term.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 06, 2015, 08:23:01 pm

Packers cut Jared Abbrederis.

Really?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 06, 2015, 08:31:40 pm
He has certainly been hit by a lot of bad luck.  Maybe PS (for some team).
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 07, 2015, 03:05:04 pm
James Jones could be major Super Bowl piece
 On Sunday, one day after James Jones was released by the New York Giants, the Packers added to their corps of wide receivers sans Jordy Nelson by signing him to a one-year contract, an NFL source said. 

Jones had 310 receptions for 4,305 yards and 37 touchdowns in seven seasons in Green Bay, including an NFL-best 14 touchdown catches in 2012, but left to sign a three-year, $10 million free-agent deal with the Oakland Raiders in March 2014.

Jones had a team-high 15 receptions for 187 yards for the Giants this preseason, but was let go in the final cut down on Saturday.

The Packers will have to release a player on Monday to add Jones to the 53-man roster.

 
Jared Abbrederis signed to practice squad
 The Green Bay Packers successfully signed wide receiver Jared Abbrederis and defensive tackle Christian Ringo to their practice squad Sunday but lost tight Mitchell Henry to the Denver Broncos.
 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 07, 2015, 03:22:02 pm
Appearing in all four games for the Packers throughout the preseason, Hundley compiled a 129.6 quarterback rating, leading the entire NFL.

He completed 69.2% of his passes while throwing for 630 yards, and seven touchdowns.

His more notable games included the team’s third and fourth game of the preseason, which saw Hundley develop into a better player and look much more confident under center.

The Packers third preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles saw Hundley throw for 315 yards and two touchdowns while starting under center. For the preseason finale against the New Orleans Saints, Hundley threw for 236 yards with four touchdowns, which included a 142.4 quarterback rating.

Hundley has given Packer fans a sense of confidence if something were to happen to Aaron Rodgers this season (knock on wood). Although Scott Tolzien will go into the season as the team’s backup to Rodgers, Hundley has shown more of a game changer ability which may propel him into the team’s permanent backup job.

It has been remarkable to watch Hundley excel in the Packers high powered offense, after being passed over by so many NFL teams in the 2015 draft.


“I’ll always remember that; I’ll always remember Pick 147,” Hundley said. “But at the same time I know that I can play and I have a lot of confidence in my ability. I know I can play with the best of them. Now, Aaron, he’s an awesome quarterback. I’ve got awhile to get to that.”
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 07, 2015, 03:41:05 pm
WR Myles White released to make room on active roster; nine players signed to practice squad

Poor Myles. After 3 years of trying, on the PS he made the roster and, almost immediately he is removed.  Surely some team will sign him, though.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 07, 2015, 03:43:33 pm
Signed to the practice squad were WR Jared Abbrederis, LB Carl Bradford, RB John Crockett, CB Robertson Daniel, TE Justin Perillo, DT Christian Ringo, G Matt Rotheram, LB James Vaughters and T Jeremy Vujnovich.

Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 07, 2015, 04:01:41 pm

So BOTH Myles White AND Jared Abbrederis are available for any NFL team?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Dave23 on September 07, 2015, 05:49:05 pm
James Jones was, too, but he could be a major Super Bowl piece!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Pekin on September 07, 2015, 06:23:34 pm
Yeah he was cut by how many teams since leaving GreenBay? 

Rodgers makes them look better then what they are. 
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 07, 2015, 06:59:28 pm
Mark from Dalton, GA

Vic, how did you enjoy the opening weekend of college football?

Most of the games I saw were sloppy, as I’ve come to expect of the opening weekend of college football; that’s the result of no preseason. I saw an avalanche of fumbled exchanges from center, and drop-back-and-run is not my idea of scheme or execution. Of the games I saw, I can’t think of one I’ll remember. I sincerely hope the NFL puts on a better show this weekend than college football did this past weekend.


Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 07, 2015, 07:00:59 pm
Bob from Titusville, FL

Your inbox must be overflowing with James Jones questions. I think it will help Rodgers and take pressure off the young receivers, eventually making them better. Agree?

I think that’s a reasonable analysis.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 07, 2015, 07:03:43 pm
Jeremy from Marietta, GA

Can you explain to me why the Eagles cut Tebow, who worked on learning their system for the entire preseason and did a respectable job in the opinion of most, just to sign another QB who didn’t practice or learn the system at all. In my opinion, QB is the hardest position to learn, especially in a Chip Kelly system. Wouldn’t it make more sense to keep a guy who spent weeks learning it?

Talent trumps everything.


Have we finally heard the last of Tebow?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 07, 2015, 07:06:41 pm
Nick from Bismarck, ND

I am excited for the opener in Chicago. What area are you most concerned about going into that game?

Winning that game begins with stopping the run.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 07, 2015, 08:02:17 pm
 Jason Wilde ‏@jasonjwilde  · 3h3 hours ago 
#Packers WR James Jones on No. 89: "I’d have put No. 11 on or something. It’s not that serious to me. I don't have it tattooed on my body.

 Jason Wilde ‏@jasonjwilde  · 3h3 hours ago 
#Packers WR James Jones said TE Richard Rodgers didn't ask for anything to give him No. 89, but Jones would've taken whatever number he got.

 Jason Wilde ‏@j1asonjwilde  · 5h5 hours ago 
McCarthy on #Packers WR James Jones: "You watch his tape in preseason, you watch his tape from last year, he looks like James Jones.

 Jason Wilde ‏@jasonjwilde  · 5h5 hours ago 
If you had a Richard Rodgers No. 89 jersey, you will now need to swap that out for No. 82. #Packers TE gave up 89 for Jones.


Teammates!
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 07, 2015, 09:48:23 pm
(http://a1.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/photo/2015/0901/jaredabbrederis_r5568_1296x518_5-2.jpg&h=402&scale=crop&w=1006&location=origin)

Abrederis
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: guest118 on September 08, 2015, 12:00:49 am
James Jones??? Hilarious. The savior....yet he couldn't quite make the Giants.

I thought the Peckers had all of the 'great' young wide receivers. James Jones? Hilarious.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Sportster on September 08, 2015, 06:40:28 am
Rodgers could make Bobby Boucher look like Jerry Rice. It ain't the receiver, it's who's throwing the ball....
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 08, 2015, 11:24:22 am
Rodgers has not been throwing the passes to these guys.  He's on the bench.  Are you referring to Hundley?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: dallasbear on September 08, 2015, 11:57:45 am

Peter Tom Willis had a great PS one year too. 

And has ANYBODY picked up Myles White yet?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 08, 2015, 12:26:42 pm
I hope it's the Bears. If GB could use him, why couldn't the Bears?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 08, 2015, 12:27:25 pm
Adam from Charlotte, NC

What does the acquisition of James Jones say about Ted Thompson’s confidence in our young wide receivers?

I don’t sense a statement in this signing, beyond the need for depth at wide receiver. Let’s not forget, Ty Montgomery missed the final preseason game due to hamstring soreness, and we’re still awaiting word on Randall Cobb’s shoulder injury and his status heading into Sunday’s game. We were all expecting this signing, going back to the day Jordy Nelson injured his knee, right? It was a matter of whether the Giants would release Jones. He gives the Packers immediate depth. He knows the offense and the quarterback knows him. This is a no-brainer signing. It doesn’t say anything about the young receivers, the cap, the future or anything else except what the Packers are facing right now. Sometimes you need to patch with a veteran player, but the commitment to the development of young talent never wavers. The young guys will play as their development demands it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 08, 2015, 12:34:35 pm
Dave from Lake Zurich, IL

Every year, some Packers fans think other teams will feast upon our released players. This year, as far as I know, only two (Thornton, Henry) have been claimed. Seattle has five claimed.

This is an outrage! When is the rest of the league going to realize we are better than everybody else?


LOL.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 08, 2015, 12:37:20 pm
Jake from Blue Springs, MO

Vic, with John Fox stepping in as the new head coach in Chicago, I was wondering what film the Packers are studying. Do they only study film from Denver last year or does film of the Bears from last year have some value in this situation as well?

You’d study tape of last year’s Bears team to get a feel for personnel you’ll be facing. You’d also study tape of the Bears from this preseason. As for Coach Fox, Peyton Manning was his quarterback in Denver, so I don’t know if there’s much value in doing a breakdown of the Broncos offense. You might have your quality control guys look for trick plays and down-and-distance tendencies, but with all of that Omaha going on in Denver, I don’t know what value information on the Broncos offense would be for the Packers. The Packers know Coach Fox’s base football personality. He wants to run the ball and play defense, which is the opposite of what he had in Denver. The Packers know Vic Fangio, the Bears’ defensive coordinator, and the Packers know Matt Forte, the Bears’ star running back. I don’t think the Packers are going to lack for knowledge or feel for what the Bears will try to do on Sunday.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 08, 2015, 12:42:08 pm
Gerald from Karlsruhe, Deutschland

How about a run set up with Ripkowski, Kuhn and Harris? If we are talking about imposing our will on the opponents’ defense, there might be no stronger way to do it.

That’s a powerful backfield, for sure. Your question reminds me of a favorite story. It involves the late Ron Erhardt, a legendary coach who possessed a great mind for offense. Merrill Hoge went to Erhardt to complain about not getting enough carries. Erhardt listened and then he said to Hoge: “I’ll tell you what I’ll do. When I want to get 3.3 yards, I’ll give you the ball. When I want to get 4.6 yards, I’ll give it to Barry Foster.” Gerald, Eddie Lacy’s pretty good, and he’s a big back.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 08, 2015, 12:57:50 pm

11:54
 
 
Comment From Daniel
Who is your pick to win the North? I obviously like the Packers, but I have to be honest that the Vikings are a scary team with Peterson back. Your thoughts?   

Mike Spofford: I think the Packers are the team to beat, Daniel, and the Vikings are the strongest challenger. It's tough to know about the Bears with a new coaching staff and the Lions without Suh, but the Vikings gave the Packers their toughest fight in the division games in the second half of last season, I thought.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 08, 2015, 01:02:55 pm

Comment From Bill
Hi Mike -- What's your general opinion on how our defense plays this year ? I still have my concerns with the middle 4.

 Mike Spofford: As mentioned, Bill, there's not enough to judge the defense on yet. We will certainly find out these first 3 weeks if they can stop the run, with Forte, Lynch and Charles coming at them. Bad 3 weeks for a guy like Guion to miss.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 08, 2015, 01:05:24 pm
 
Comment From Mark
Mike, when it comes to interceptions, the Packers seem to have Jay Cutler's number. Why do you think that is, and do you think the trend will continue this year?

Mike Spofford: Cutler has a tendency to get careless, Mark, and the Packers always seem to be there to take advantage. There also seems to be one play per game when Cutler and his WR are on different pages, and the Packers capitalize. It's been the formula for beating the Bears anytime the game is close -- take the ball away. I know that doesn't say much, but I think if there were a clear-cut explanation for Cutler's INTs vs. GB he'd have stopped throwing them by now.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 08, 2015, 01:10:00 pm

Comment From Snake Plissken
The Bears seem to have no one to throw to this week,… if we stop the run we win.

 Mike Spofford: I wouldn't count on Jeffery not playing unless/until he's on the inactive list 90 minutes before kickoff, Snake.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 08, 2015, 01:12:21 pm

Comment From Robert
Rodgers threw for 4 TDs and had a 151.2 QB rating at Chicago last year and the Packers easily won by 3 TDs, 38-17. Do you think this game will be more competitive?

 Mike Spofford: The Packers pulled away in the second half, Robert. In the first half, the Bears were trading scores with the Packers, and a questionable replay review kept the Packers ahead at the half. Then Cutler threw two INTs in the second half. I never expect a blowout on the road.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 08, 2015, 01:14:09 pm

Comment From Brandon
What are your thoughts on "bulletin-board" material? Do you think it has any effect on the field for players at the professional level?

 Mike Spofford: I can't imagine it does, Brandon, Like McCarthy said yesterday, it wouldn't fire him up. This isn't high school.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 08, 2015, 01:17:53 pm

Comment From Mark
Mike, what is it like for visiting reporters at Soldier Field? Is it a nice place to visit?

 Mike Spofford: The press box is one of my least favorite in the league, Mark. It's on the opposite side from the main TV view, and in the corner of the end zone, so every time you look at a TV replay, everything is reversed. My brain just doesn't do well with that.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 08, 2015, 02:18:46 pm
Q: Does James Jones still have enough game to be a factor in the Packers' high-tempo offensive attack?

Gray: I sure hope so, because we have not had a chance to see James (this preseason). I know it didn't work out for him at the Raiders and then recently with the New York Giants. ... I've always liked James. He's a physical receiver off the line of scrimmage. ... James is more of a physical presence on the line of scrimmage. When they come up in press coverage, he'll be able to get off the line of scrimmage a lot more efficiently if he still has something left as opposed to what (receiver) Myles White had.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: Jackiejokeman on September 08, 2015, 04:50:30 pm



 Packy,


 Against CHICAGO BEARS ... you got your work cut out for you ...


 this ain't the old beat up CHICAGO BEARS.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 08, 2015, 07:15:19 pm
What is it?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2015, 07:18:21 pm
Posted by Zac Jackson on September 9, 2015, 5:40 PM EDT

Tim Tebow
AP

Tim Tebow was playing football for the Philadelphia Eagles last week, but was released during last weekend’s final cutdowns.

This weekend, he’ll be back on TV talking about football. The ESPN-owned SEC Network announced Wednesday that Tebow will be back on SEC Nation, its traveling pregame show, this Saturday. Greg McElroy, another former NFL quarterback, had been holding Tebow’s seat while he gave the NFL what may be his last try...

Crap.  He's back.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2015, 07:29:43 pm
Graham from Green Bay, WI

What do you think the Packers’ identity will be for the first few games of the season?

It’ll be for stopping the run, or for not stopping the run.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2015, 07:31:11 pm
Raymond from Marquette, MI

I just finished reading some of the posts on the Bears webpage. Looks like someone is trying to make a big deal out of Mike McCarthy’s comments at the chamber of commerce dinner. Your thoughts?

It’s helping the fans get energized for this game, and that’s a good thing because I’m not getting a sense of Packers-Bears excitement this week. I feel as though we’re still stuck in the preseason, with all of this focus on the 53rd spot on the roster. Hey, everybody, it’s Bears week! This is the big rivalry game, right?
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2015, 07:37:05 pm
Ben from Northbrook, IL

Help me out, Vic. The Packers thought White was good enough to make the squad of 53, but when Jones was signed, he wasn’t even good enough to make the practice squad, the 10th spot going to Ed Williams. What do you think the reasoning was?

You’re assuming that’s what happened. We don’t know what happened, but it’s my strong belief that if it was explained to us, we’d all say, “Oh, I get it now.” A lot of factors are involved in personnel moves. Teams have a pretty good idea of who will and who won’t clear waivers. If they believe a player will clear waivers, then they can always re-sign that player. Do you remember what I said about teams having a “street free agent roster”? The goal is to protect your access to as many players as possible. I wish teams explained their personnel moves, but that’s never going to happen, so we have to trust the people making the moves have a plan and know what they’re doing, and I think we all have that trust in the Packers’ personnel department.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2015, 07:39:30 pm
Vic, from consistently reading your column, you have helped many Packers fans gain perspective … on how last season ended, free agency, the draft, the preseason, injuries, etc. But with the new season upon us, what many of us will still always struggle with is how much the results on Sunday impact our lives. You say to enjoy the drama as it unfolds, but most of us don’t want the drama, we just want a win. Can you bring us some perspective?

Ask yourself what’s more important, your health or a Packers win. As long as your health is the answer, everything is fine.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2015, 07:41:36 pm
Seth from Olathe, KS

The recently published ESPN article detailing the history of taping signals, etc., in New England is very disheartening. Will this turn off the casual fan?

It’s just the opposite. The casual fan loves this kind of intrigue. The casual fan only cares about his or her entertainment, and these accusations of cheating have become a dirty little soap opera. It’s the loyal, diehard football fan that gets turned off by these kinds of accusations. The diehard football fan loves and reveres the game, and it troubles him or her when the game’s honor is smudged. The league owes its diehard fans a full effort to protect the honor of the game.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2015, 07:44:36 pm
Craig from Brookfield, WI

Mike McCarthy suggested Packers-Bears may be the best rivalry in the NFL. What would you say is the best non-divisional rivalry in the NFL? There was a time when Raiders-Steelers was an epic run of football drama. More recently, my Packers fan goggles draw me to Packers-Seahawks, or Packers-Cowboys and Packers-49ers in the Favre era. Patriots-Colts? Giants-Jets? 49ers-Seahawks?

Raiders-Steelers is the most intense and violent rivalry I have ever seen. It got to the point Pete Rozelle sent each team a letter, admonishing them and referring to their games as pure violence. Raiders-Steelers stepped outside the lines of a football rivalry. It was pure hate. Sometimes I wonder how I’d be different if I hadn’t covered those games. They forced me to step back away from those games, for fear of getting too close and becoming too emotionally involved. I saw things that angered me. They took me places I didn’t want to go. Packers-Bears is a wonderful rivalry, built on a long history of big games. Raiders-Steelers was short-lived and built on big hits. I’ve never seen anything else like it, and I don’t want to ever see anything else like it.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2015, 07:46:33 pm
Carrie from San Jose, CA

What would Coach Vic’s priorities be in practice this week, in order to prepare to face the Bears?

Forget about Coach Vic. Editor Vic has some advice for Packers fans: Leave the preseason and final cuts behind, and come into the regular season and one of the biggest games of the year, the Packers vs. the Bears in Chicago.
Title: Re: Green Bay sucks (4.12.11 - 9.10.15)
Post by: packrat on September 09, 2015, 07:49:01 pm

Randall Cobb will play through the pain

Posted 2 hours ago

  Mike Spofford  packers.com senior writer   

Offensive line at full strength as Packers prepare for different Bears defense.