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Stupid article. Packers aren't a winner in the 1st month of the offseason? No shit. Are the Packers EVER a winner in the 1st month of the offseason? Yet almost every year they're among the league's elite. The Packers don't sign a free agent for every free agent lost. They don't expect several rookies to come in and replace veterans. They develop players. That's what they do. That's why they can release an aging Josh Sitton and still have a good offensive line. History would suggest they'll also be able to replace Lang. I don't know by who. Training camp will determine that. They haven't adequately replaced Sam Shields and Eddie Lacy? When they made their playoff run last year, they didn't HAVE Sam Shields and Eddie Lacy. They don't need to replace them. They were already gone.
I don't have a crystal ball. I don't know who exactly who will step up. I would say though that that Ty Montgomery, Randall, Rollins, Clark, Fackrell, Kyle Murphy and Trevor Davis are good candidates. And they might even get contributions from a rookie or 2. History is on the Packers side, no matter what the writer of this article thinks.
Preach it Joe! That's how draft and develop systems are supposed to work. They aren't without faults though. But no system is.Quote:
Originally Posted by Joemailman
Draft and Develop will be tested like never before this year. What many called at the start of last season "one of the best offensive lines in the NFL" lost two Pro-Bowl guards. Our offense also lost its best RB. Our defense lost its top CB and a proven playmaker in Peppers. Some would argue our leaky secondary cost us a trip to the Super Bowl.
We're counting on an untested Practice Squad guy to replace Lang, a converted WR (who has lost many games to injuries) to replace Lacy, an iffy House to replace Shields, a dramatic off-season improvement in Randall and Rollins to save our secondary and a 2nd year skinny guy to replace Peppers.
The good news is, if TT is smart about the draft, help is there to be found.
But it isn't a sure bet by any means.
I woulda guessed McGinn. Oates isn't usually a negativist, is he?
I like Joe's "article" a lot more than Oates's.
Oates says RB is a gaping hole after losing Lacy? No way. I will stop short (just barely short) of saying it was addition by subtraction losing Lacy, but Montgomery, Michael, Ripkowski, and Crockett are plenty even if we don't get draft help. I like Ripkowski as a change of pace power runner actually better than Lacy.
True, Guard is sorta a gaping hole, but it takes a year or two usually to have an O Lineman develop. Spriggs at RT and Bulaga for Lang would seem to be adequate at least, maybe even an upgrade. Anyway, our O Line benefits greatly from the mobility of Aaron Rodgers, and I predict whoever we use, they will thrive for that reason - just look at Lane Taylor.
Corner may be a gaping hole, but that was already true last season, and the team wasn't too far from the top. As has been said many times, the draft is strong in that area, and there is at least some chance Randall - who I'm negative on - as well as Gunter - who I like better than most people - and Rollins - who may or may not have more potential than any of the others - will come through. Remember a year ago? Everybody was saying Corner was a Packer strength.
And Edge Rusher a gaping hole because of losing Peppers and Datone? Losing Datone definitely will be addition by subtraction. My guy, Jayrone Elliot, is much better, and Fackrell just might be also. Peppers still had his moments, but they were so spotty that no way it's a gaping hole with him gone.
i think it's right on point. i don't think he's being negative either. right now the team isn't better than last year. more players will be released with the june 1st date coming so there might be a pick up available there. another corner was released by someone the other day (forget who) so add another team into the mix, before the Packers pick, looking for a corner. tt's going to have to move up if that's what he's looking for...or he can make a trade for a cb and go edge in the draft. the Packers need more than one impact starter and the draft is only likely to provide one...maybe.
With just average health the Packers will probably improve over last year. But that doesn't mean much considering how much they underperformed last year.
We're in the same boat as everyone else though. Whoever wins the SB will have some pleasant surprises emerge from their 2016 and 2015 classes. This "one overpaid guy away" narrative in the heads of fans is baloney. That said, Ted please sign AP.
RE teh draft and develop plan ,
http://www.espn.com/blog/minnesota-v...t-drafted-them
While ted has not had many stellar drafts when keeping them for the second contract, that seems to be the new norm.
Consistent increases in the Salary Cap make FA even more expensive in years than when it was flatter. Encourages more players to forgo signing a deal early.
Well put Joe. Covered everything I was thinking when I read the article. I'll add one caveat. We start the season with fuckdoggle at guard, but around halftime of game 3 or 4 we end up with spriggs in the game. My gut reaction is that he plays RT and Bulaga moves in, but he might just end up playing G the rest of the way. Not his position, but it can work for a season.Quote:
Originally Posted by Joemailman
At RB we are going to draft someone withing 3 rounds. He will be stellar. Paired with Monty we will all be hailing Teddy Genius for not signing Fat Eddie. Everyone will forget that we called RB a hole.
At CB we will also draft someone. My gut tells me a healthy Randall really steps up in season 3. By not requiring Gunther to mirror Juilo Jones the entire secondary will look much better. In a deep CB draft we will be better, but still wanting for a Shields type #1 CB.
Pass Rush is my fear. I'm not sold on anyone on the Roster other than Perry. Its also low % to think you can draft for that and be successful. I'm praying that TT either trades up or catches lightning and someone slips. We need more pressure on the passer and I don't have a guess where its coming from.
This take is wrong. It was wrong when we discussed it in the other thread, and its wrong in its own thread. You want proof?
Every Packer beat writer is making it. This is the 2017 version of some veteran must be released due to high cap numbers despite there being no cap concerns.
The Packers did not have Eddie Lacy or Sam Shields for Run The Table or the playoffs yet still got to the Championship. One was replaced completely by Monty. The other was replaced by a gaping hole.
But House has already stepped into the gaping hole and will make the backend better. Ted will draft someone because 2016 scared him about all 3 of the young guys and talented depth is a must.
Edge rusher is a concern, mainly because of the injury history of the two starters. but between Fackrell and Elliot, someone will step up and Ted will draft someone here. But its not a gaping hole, its a depth and future talent problem.
Jones IS NOT AN ISSUE, because the one spot he provided some production from was interior rush. Otherwise he was mediocre depth at OLB. And his interior rush snaps will go to Clark, a better player.
Like McGinn who cannot remember all the successful Packer Decembers without a big running back, everyone has forgotten that Guard is the RB of the offensive line. Lang's replacement is on the roster. Only if a talent like Sitton is drafted in Round 4 will there be a rookie there.
We've gone 11 posts on this page, not to mention that article, many of them discussing edge rushers, and not one mention of Clay Matthews. He still is the best we've got when healthy, better than Perry, better than the two we lost, better than the two young replacements. I say that to point out that we don't really have a gaping hole at edge rusher. Of course it also demonstrates the fact that it's been a long time since we picked up a real difference maker - at all on defense, at all on the team.
we have 2 edge rushersQuote:
Originally Posted by texaspackerbacker
both have been extremely injury prone over their entire careers
add to that the idea that injuries, age, or just being off the juice has caught up with clay, and he's a fraction of the player he was early in his career
also
clay played 46% of the defensive snaps
perry played 58.6
datone played 53.26
and peppers played 56.75
we basically had 4 starters splitting time at OLB last year
it was a clear rotation of players that we no longer have anymore. any clay standing on the sideline late in big games for years now should be enough proof that he can't play anywhere close to a full game
as PB pointed out in another thread somewhere on here, we had average health last yearQuote:
Originally Posted by 3irty1
and probably the year before that and the year before that. its time to stop using the injury excuse every year, it happens to everyone every year. sometimes you just have to cover your ass better then "undrafted rookie #1-10" for depth
house will fight it out with the others for one starting spot. we need to draft a real starter at the other cb spot.Quote:
Originally Posted by pbmax
House is outside at one CB spot. Gunter or Randall will be at the other currently. Rollins/Randall will be in the slot.Quote:
Originally Posted by gbgary
Plus the even younger guys in the mix: Dorleant, Goodson, Hawkins, Waters and draft pick.
i was editing as you were posting. sorry.
None of those guys is an impact player... or even potentially an impact player - that's the problem.Quote:
Originally Posted by Joemailman
I like Monty as a roll player, but all the rest of those guys are JAGS.
Rodgers carries the whole team... tough to win championships with just one legit star player. We're good enough offensively with Rodgers and the supporting cast, but the defense has no identity, and a sub-par coordinator. Ted, and the Packers as an organization, simply don't get "it" when it comes to defense. Unfortunately, that isn't going to change for the foreseeable future.
Last year was an odd year. Although the total number of injuries wasn't severe, The Packers were hit at certain positions very hard. They played several games minus their top 3 CB's (Shields, Randall, Rollins). Clay got moved inside when their 2 starting ILB's were hurt at the same time. Montgomery became the starting RB because Lacy, Starks and Don Jackson were all hurt at the same time. No team has the depth to deal with those types of situations. I think it was bad luck that won't likely be repeated. If they can keep the total injuries at a reasonable level, I think they'll fare better in 2017.Quote:
Originally Posted by red