If you watch Cliff Avril and you only see those numbers, you are missing most of his game.
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Easy for me...Cobb. I'm not saying I don't want Bulaga, I just think Cobb is more rare at his position than Bulaga is at his. I hope they are both signed.
You have Aaron Rodgers.
That makes the choice easy. You keep Bulaga and ensure having a deep, talented OL to protect him.
While Cobb is a fabulous talent, a QB like Rodgers can make average talents look pretty damn good if he has an OL to protect him.
That said...with $30M+ available to spend if Thompson does the right thing and takes an axe to the deadwood on the roster...there is no need to have to make the choice. You keep both.
I choose Cobbulaga!
It's going to be tough to shoehorn those contracts in our salary structure. Bulaga was at 4 mil last season. What kind of deal will he get on the market that we will have to match?
+ Bulaga was a 1st round pick, Cobb a 2. TT likes to roll his own and keep his roster intact. At least one of his high draft choices will walk. That's gotta be a tough call for Thompson.
My gut says Cobb, but man, it's right down the middle on this one.
yep, tough call. Cobb is everything you want in a player in GB. He's passionate and dedicated. Does everything they ask, from anywhere on the field. Makes plays. Is in tune with Rodgers. Bulaga has just made strides where he is no longer troubled all that much by speed rushers. Good anchor on the right side. Willing blocker. Bulaga is a good not great tackle. Cobb is a good, instinctual WR, but is not a guy who gets separation all on his own. Both are security blankets on the O for their own different reasons.
Usually by this time TT would have them signed up. It sounded like for sure they were negotiating with Cobb. I'm betting other teams see Bulaga as a bigger need and Cobb as a fit for the GB offense, and not necessarily the guy for their offense. But there are offenses like Denver and NE who love a guy like Cobb.
I gotta do with Dyoop: Keep Cobbulaga!!!
I actually don't think declining on Cobb would be the worst thing if.... We used the money to completely shore up ILB and a TE to help our Red Zone offense... Keep Bulaga and Raji. Keep Peppers at more of an incentive laden contract and then take a WR early....
The semi-scary part of this is those deals are now over. Usually, TT announces a contract extension or new deal before that happens. When our players hit FA, they are pretty much gone. Some guys make it to contract end and resign (Hawk? Neal?), but not many.
That may not hold in these cases, these are big multi-year deals which impact a big part of our salary make-up.
I really think we can only do one of these "big boys". One major deal and we will barely have room to address other players, the rooks (less of a problem now) and Peppers. The "we've got 35 million in room" is more of a phantom than people think.
Technically, Hawk, Bulaga, Jones and Shields have gotten to FA but re-signed. So its possible at that late date. Bulaga is the concern there. He might be the highest rated tackle and might attract very early, very dumb money. Cobb has more competition.
A lot might depend on what Peppers is willing to do to lower that number. You know Capers and M3 want the big guy back.
It would be unheard of for TT to let Cobb or Bulaga go. When TT drafts players who turn out to be really good, they always get a 2nd contract. They might not get a 3rd, but they always get a 2nd. I'd be shocked if he lets Cobb get away. I'd be slightly less surprised if he let Bulaga go. TT can save about 18 million by letting Tramon, Hawk, B. Jones and Bush go.
Each man in that latter group has lost physicality, quickness, and overall speed. I'd take Bush and Tramon (At a smaller, shorter contract).
AJ & Jones?
Hawk should retire and Jonesy should move on to a team where he can play effectively. I have no idea where that team is.
No contest - Cobb.
Buluga is just another 1st round JAG. Not a bust, but not a great player either - average.
JAG?? Some would disagree with you on that. From the JSO article I linked:
Quote:
According to Pro Football Focus, the only right tackles to have better overall years than Bulaga were New England's Sebastian Vollmer, Philadelphia's Lane Johnson and Baltimore's Ricky Wagner. And Wagner was the only right tackle with a higher pass blocking grade than Bulaga.
Most would disagree on wist's viewpoint of Bulaga.
Bulaga is certainly not JAG. I can agree with the sentiment that he isn't great, simply because he hasn't been been able to play consistently like he did in 2014. Whether it is injury or changing position or whatever...he's had periods of mediocrity that count against him. However, I believe his play in 2014 proves that he has settled in at RT and can play at a very high level if he can stay on the field.
Someone who is JAG does not play at a high level for any noteworthy period of time.
I vote for Cobb.
I like Bulaga, but his injury history is the determining factor for me.