2014 Free Agency Rumors and or Speculation

[red]

If Hyde is only ticketed for limited snaps as Safety, how does that work with MM's statement that Hyde needs to be an every down player if Hayward is healthy?

maybe he means that he thought hyde played better then tramon and that maybe hyde will take over the starter role from tramon?

maybe it was a shot at tramon to start playing every game, not just the last 3 of the season, or he will be replaced?

[mraynrand]

Red, you draft mostly for a year and two down the road. Most draft picks won't step in as starters; many struggle to get in as spot players.

[red]

Red, you draft mostly for a year and two down the road. Most draft picks won't step in as starters; many struggle to get in as spot players.

thats the problem with the draft only approach (or the draft only 95% of the time approach this year), you do need your rookies to start, and you usually need 2 or 3 of them to start each year

we don't have a starting quality TE- we need to get one in the draft

we don't have a starting safety- we need to draft one

we only have 1 starting quality ILB- we need to draft another one

we might need a new starting FB- that would be another rookie

yes, in theory, you'd like to draft guys to be starters a couple years down the road. the way we do things, we don't have that luxury imo

[mraynrand]

thats the problem with the draft only approach (or the draft only 95% of the time approach this year), you do need your rookies to start, and you usually need 2 or 3 of them to start each year

we don't have a starting quality TE- we need to get one in the draft

we don't have a starting safety- we need to draft one

we only have 1 starting quality ILB- we need to draft another one

we might need a new starting FB- that would be another rookie

yes, in theory, you'd like to draft guys to be starters a couple years down the road. the way we do things, we don't have that luxury imo

When the Packers had injuries, Bacteria and Franklin started. Lacy was a starter from day one, and D. Jones was essentially a starter in the 2-4 sub package. Packers make good use of their draft picks, more than other teams. Still, they have to draft for the future: You could argue that Bacteria (tackle to replace Barclay), Tretter (center), Hyde (corner), Barrington (LB), and Franklin (RB), were all picks for the future, but were pressed into more service due to injury. That's drafting for the future and depth.

Packers have starting safeties, you (and others) just don't like them very much.
Packers have starting TEs (Scoreless and they like Bostick)


Packers will draft receivers - maybe WR and TE, corner, safety and probably d lineman to do exactly what their 2013 class did: push the current group, challenge for starting position, provide depth, and prepare for the future. Given how thin they are a couple of spots, wouldn't be surprising to see a couple start and another 1 or 2 play significant snaps. Drafting for the future isn't a luxury, it's a necessity; and the future for the Packers is usually this year, when all their players get hurt!

[Rutnstrut]

thats the problem with the draft only approach (or the draft only 95% of the time approach this year), you do need your rookies to start, and you usually need 2 or 3 of them to start each year

we don't have a starting quality TE- we need to get one in the draft

we don't have a starting safety- we need to draft one

we only have 1 starting quality ILB- we need to draft another one

we might need a new starting FB- that would be another rookie

yes, in theory, you'd like to draft guys to be starters a couple years down the road. the way we do things, we don't have that luxury imo

Don't forget, they don't have a starting center either.

[Joemailman]

Don't forget, they don't have a starting center either.

I'm pretty sure when the season starts someone will be starting at Center.

[red]

Don't forget, they don't have a starting center either.

there was a story on PFT that the team said that tretter was going to be the center by default

they may draft competition for him, but unless he really fails badly, tretter will win the starting center job, even though he's never played a snap in the nfl, and has never taken a snap in his life at center

[pbmax]

If Hyde is only ticketed for limited snaps as Safety, how does that work with MM's statement that Hyde needs to be an every down player if Hayward is healthy?

http://www.espnwisconsin.com/common/...&post_id=36651

McCarthy reiterated that position Tuesday, which could mean that Hyde will be the answer at the position if the Packers don’t pick a safety high in the draft.

“I’m going to say it again, make sure we’re clear: Micah Hyde deserves the opportunity to be an every-down player on our defense,” McCarthy said. “As we go into 2014, that’s our responsibility as a coaching staff – to create those competitive opportunities for him to get that done.

“I got to a point in the season where Micah was standing on the sidelines too much. He’s a good football player and I thought he deserved the opportunity to compete to play. [So] we’re going to give Micah the opportunity to play on all three downs – whether that’s corner, nickel, dime, safety, that’s the versatility I think he brings to our football team.”

This is the time of year he builds up certain players which is what I think he is doing here. Nothing he has said so far sounds like a concrete position switch. However, he could just be sandbagging here.

[Joemailman]

Assuming they don't sign or draft a Center, Lang would probably be the backup. He moved over to Center a couple of times last year when EDS had to come out of games. They briefly tried Barclay there last year before Bulaga got hurt. They may give him another try. They also have Garth Gerhart on the roster who spent most of last year on the practice squad. They have options if Tretter isn't ready.

[mraynrand]

Don't forget, they don't have a starting center either.

BRING BLACK WELLS. USE MONEY SAVED ON FINLEY!

[red]

Assuming they don't sign or draft a Center, Lang would probably be the backup. He moved over to Center a couple of times last year when EDS had to come out of games. They briefly tried Barclay there last year before Bulaga got hurt. They may give him another try. They also have Garth Gerhart on the roster who spent most of last year on the practice squad. They have options if Tretter isn't ready.

i don't like that. i don't like a starter being the backup at another position

if tretter goes down, then both RG and center are going to be replaced by backups, both positions now become worse off.

we saw it some last year. 1 guy on the line got hurt and 3/5ths of the line got shuffled to replace that one guy, and it turned into a cluster fuck

[HarveyWallbangers]

there was a story on PFT that the team said that tretter was going to be the center by default

McCarthy's quotes didn't seem like they were saying Tretter was the starter by default (which has negative connatations to me). He seemed genuinely excited about him to me. I think he said that a healthy Tretter would have pushed EDS as the starting OC last year. I guess people read different things from the same quotes (below). As far as McCarthy not unequivocally naming Tretter the starter, I think that's pretty common among coaches. Don't want to just give the young buck the starting reins without earning it. Unless an OC falls to them near the top of the draft, I suspect you'll see Tretter starting week 1.

At the NFL owners meetings, coach Mike McCarthy wouldn't commit to Tretter as his starter, but he admitted that if Tretter hadn't suffered torn ankle ligaments doing a fumble drill in organized team activities in June, he would have given Dietrich-Smith a run for the starting job.

"Good question," McCarthy said when asked if Tretter might have been the starter last season if he had stayed healthy. "We obviously were very excited about him when we drafted him."

The thing the Packers really like about Tretter is that he's as athletic as Dietrich-Smith yet stands 1¼ inches taller, weighs about the same and tested slightly better in combine drills coming out of college. He would be quarterback Aaron Rodgers' fourth center in four years, but there doesn't seem to be any concern about the Ivy Leaguer's ability to handle the mental challenges of the job.

"Mentally, everything that he could possibly do to this standpoint based on the medical situation that he went through, you'd be very pleased with now," McCarthy said. "He hasn't played a snap in a game, and I get all the concerns and I understand that, but he's another young man that's in there early in the morning every day working out, voluntarily."

[HarveyWallbangers]

i don't like that. i don't like a starter being the backup at another position

if tretter goes down, then both RG and center are going to be replaced by backups, both positions now become worse off.

we saw it some last year. 1 guy on the line got hurt and 3/5ths of the line got shuffled to replace that one guy, and it turned into a cluster fuck

The offseason isn't over. The Packers have 9 draft picks and they also seem to have some interest in some veteran backups (McGlynn interest).

[smuggler]

They could draft a center, or (more likely) they could draft a guard or tackle and if Tretter tanks, they could slide TJ Lang to center and install Barclay at guard or install the rookie at center.

[mraynrand]

The offseason isn't over. The Packers have 9 draft picks and they also seem to have some interest in some veteran backups (McGlynn interest).

c'est la vie vis a vis TT

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...-mike-mcglynn/

[mraynrand]

Ryan Clark visiting Seachickens. Potluck dinner at Pete Carroll's house.

[bobblehead]

Do people think Micah Hyde can be a starting safety? I know there was a lot of sentiment on this board for the Packers to move him last year, but he's not getting much of a mention. I'm thinking Thompson doesn't reach at safety. If he can find value (e.g. safety is BPA), then he'll do it. Otherwise, I think they roll with Hyde. I was a proponent of the move when it was brought up during the season. Not necessarily during the year since I don't think he trained at safety much, but for this year.

I brought it up in training camp after seeing him in preseason games. He should have been moved then, but we still had hopes of the 2 muskateers working out.

[bobblehead]

Tramontana-Shields-Hayward(hammy)-House-Bush plus Jumal Rolle, James Nixon and Antonio Dennard is not exactly stacked unless Hayward is healthy AND House plays well. Hyde, as M3 seemed to indicate, seems ticketed for only limited snaps at safety.

And I don't assume Hyde can play safety. We speculate about this all the time and fondly remember Butler doing it, but more have failed trying to make this switch than have succeeded. McCarthy said the plan for him to play all 3 downs and one of the roles could be safety. They called Bulaga to tell him he was playing RT. This doesn't sound like a position change to me.

As for House, he needs to start, or at least play regularly before we'll know if all the variability in his play is technique/talent or just rust at this point. His play versus the 49ers wasn't terrible, he didn't blow any coverages I remember and generally was able to stay with Crabtree, but he made no plays on the ball. And that was what he used to do well. Problem is if Hayward is healthy, he isn't going to get regular snaps. And it will be at least one year before Williams is gone.

House absolutely mugged crabtree all game long. If the refs weren't sitting on flags he would have drawn about 7 of them.

[pbmax]

House absolutely mugged crabtree all game long. If the refs weren't sitting on flags he would have drawn about 7 of them.

I have no problem with this. Except that it didn't stop Crabtree in the first half.

[run pMc]

thats the problem with the draft only approach (or the draft only 95% of the time approach this year), you do need your rookies to start, and you usually need 2 or 3 of them to start each year

we don't have a starting quality TE- we need to get one in the draft

we don't have a starting safety- we need to draft one

we only have 1 starting quality ILB- we need to draft another one

we might need a new starting FB- that would be another rookie

yes, in theory, you'd like to draft guys to be starters a couple years down the road. the way we do things, we don't have that luxury imo

Quarless will be the starter at TE. He'll be JAG there, and TT will draft someone. Quarless is probably no worse than Pettigrew. I think what you mean is we don't have a playmaker at TE. GB isn't the only team in that situation, although I think TT will draft someone to address that. Not much different from when Finley was hurt, in Rodgers' doghouse, or trapped in his personal psychodrama.

FWIW I think Burnett is starter quality, I just think he needs someone else to quarterback the secondary and not be MD Jennings. That will free him up and he'll play better. I wonder if he came back from injury too soon because of the contract and it affected his play all year.

Am curious to know which ILB you think is starter quality and which isn't. I don't know if B.Jones' injury caused him to suck or if he just had a career contract year and actually sucks. Hawk would be a great backup ILB, he's smart, available, consistent, average. I'd like to see the ILBs upgraded with one who can blanket a TE in coverage and another who can hammer a RB and execute Capers' cross blitzes effectively.

TT will re-sign Kuhn. When Kuhn is washed up they'll find some other UDFA who's tough/dependable or draft a late-round H-back type and mold them. Korey Hall Spencer Havner types can be found without having to spend a lot.

Tretter gets first crack at starting C job. If they were worried about his ability to play C, they would know it by now (he was practicing at the spot once he came off the PUP list) and likely done more to keep EDS. I think they're working a couple of contigency scenarios now, looking at the draft, FA, and what they already have on the roster. These are smart guys -- you can't go into Week 1 without a backup plan at C. Injuries, etc., happen.

Agree with those who have said you draft for future. Red's right they have been pressed into more snaps than they are ready for, but I think that's more about injuries than starters' suckitude. If Hayward is healthy all year we probably don't know much about Hyde.

I've noticed that TT has drafted in pairs at spots -- last year it was RB (Lacy/Franklin), DL (Jones, Boyd), OL (Bahktiari/Tretter) and WR (Johnson/Dorsey). I look at that as him hedging his bets that at least one of them will pan out at a position. If he drafts that way again I think you'll see him double up at DL, WR, and S.