Josh Sitton.

[red]

I have said before that usually I'm in the camp that appreciates Thompson looking after the long-term cap health of the team. However, in this case I disagree with moving on from Sitton - even if there are other reasons as well, such as the supposed disgruntled attitude.

You're weakening yourself at a position. I don't think many people disagree with this. And this year, as much or more than many, is a year in which your team appears to have a very real shot at getting to the NFCCG and perhaps to the SB. The team's health heading in is pretty good, you're getting an important defensive lineman back after four games, and you have your #1 WR back with what seems a very deep group. Your inside linebackers look moderately better than what you've had before (minus Clay), the secondary is deep, the running back looks better.

And the offensive line is key to any success. You have a line that's played together and has the opportunity to provide one of the league's best QB's the time to make plays, and the opportunity to open holes for what looks like an improved running back.

Now is not the time to look at next year and wonder how to spend an extra six mill. Now is the time to think about now, and use the comp pick you'll get next year to replace the player you won't be able to re-sign because you paid Sitton his six mill this year.

Absolutely fritz

Spot on

[Fritz]

I don't think anyone has said that he has been a locker room cancer or a poor teammate. Just very dominant and outspoken. The concern expressed by Silverstein seems to be about how he might react if suddenly he was #3 on the pay scale, with the team not interested in negotiating with him. If he became sullen and uncommunicative, it wouldn't necessarily make him a cancer, but it could have an increasingly negative impact among the OL as the season went on.

I think "sullen and uncommunicative" would translate into a cancer, as cancer grows insidiously and affects the entire organism. So maybe that's why they did it. But I think - or at least I thought - Sitton was more professional than that. But again, I'm not there so I don't really know.

[texaspackerbacker]

Wow, 21 pages, over 400 posts on this topic!

As I wrote earlier, I read that McCarthy said some positions - like O Line - are just not as high priority or as important as others. That is apparently a justification for not paying Sitton or O Linemen big money. I tend to think that's what this is all about. Somebody said no way Ted pays even a quality player like Sitton $21 million for 3 years or anything similar. I'm thinking either that is true at face value or it is the Packers line for deciding not to pay him market value.

[hoosier]

I cannot see how a projected "sullen and uncommunicative" makes a player who is probably your best lineman suddenly become expendable. Are the rest of the OL really that susceptible to the mood swings of Josh Sitton? Cutting Sitton makes no sense from a purely football perspective. And unless there is a big skeleton in the lockerrom that nobody has managed to unearth yet, it doesn't make sense to me from a personnel perspective either. I agree with Fritz. However, I have also learned over the years that TT does a lot of things that don't make sense to the outside observer, and that they usually end up working out. Trust in TT, because the alternative is deciding that he has lost his mind!

[Bretsky]

lots of chatter today about how Land and Sitton are incredibly close and Sitton was the OL leader and Backy gives him a ton of credit for his development as well. All of the OL loved the guy.

Sounds more and more that while certainly there were a few factors, the biggest one as they didn't view Sitton as a 6.5 Million dollar player and the money plays a huge impact on TW TEd's call

To that I say bullshit; we're trying to win a Super Bowl this year; not look toward the future. I wish Ted had a little more Elway like sense of urgency in him.

I don't want to be a fart in the wind with AROD as our QB too

[Fritz]

I'm with you on this one, Bretsky. I haven't seen enough evidence over the years to suggest Sitton's presence would cause problems in the lockerroom if he was paid less than the young bucks. I just don't see it. He might not like it, he might grump about it, but I don't see anything to suggest he'd wreck the lockerroom.

I just don't get it.

Actually, from Sitton's perspective as someone trying to make money at his profession, this was probably as good or maybe better than playing out the year and going into FA in the offseason. His back isn't going to magically get better; it's only going to deteriorate. He might've gotten a bigger payday from da Bears (how much is guaranteed?) than he would've gotten at the end of the year, one year older and one year more used up.

[Patler]

lots of chatter today about how Land and Sitton are incredibly close and Sitton was the OL leader and Backy gives him a ton of credit for his development as well. All of the OL loved the guy.

Sounds more and more that while certainly there were a few factors, the biggest one as they didn't view Sitton as a 6.5 Million dollar player and the money plays a huge impact on TW TEd's call

To that I say bullshit; we're trying to win a Super Bowl this year; not look toward the future. I wish Ted had a little more Elway like sense of urgency in him.

I don't want to be a fart in the wind with AROD as our QB too

Heck, TT continued paying starter's money to used up has beens, one even when he deteriorated to being a healthy scratch now and then. Why would money all of a sudden be the all-important deciding factor with Sitton, who would clearly still be a productive starter? They had to have some concern other than the money being paid to him. That might have been a factor, but there had to be something more.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Why would money all of a sudden be the all-important deciding factor with Sitton, who would clearly still be a productive starter?

Perhaps TT thinks Sitton is no longer much better than Tretter. TT wants to build experience and chemistry with younger players.

[Patler]

Perhaps TT thinks Sitton is no longer much better than Tretter. TT wants to build experience and chemistry with younger players.

That could be one of the additional factors, I agree. As Tauscher said, this might all be part of a plan to get both Linsley and Tretter in the fold for years to come.

[Bretsky]

Heck, TT continued paying starter's money to used up has beens, one even when he deteriorated to being a healthy scratch now and then. Why would money all of a sudden be the all-important deciding factor with Sitton, who would clearly still be a productive starter? They had to have some concern other than the money being paid to him. That might have been a factor, but there had to be something more.

TT has a lot of guys needing to be upped, perhaps ? Maybe he thinks fricking Lane Taylor can do the job ? Maybe he has a hard time valuing Sitton where he gets paid ? I don't think there is any terrible reason from what I can see other than Tighty Ted not thinking he was worth the ching.

The press is pretty convincing inside the room the OL is heartbroken and very disappointed on this call as they lost a brother

Of course, on the record they say the standard crap....it's a business decision and we just have to move on.

If Ted's history has a say Sitton will probably get a severe injury that will make TWT smell like a rose. If Sitton stays healthy, Taylor struggles, anything less than a Super Bowl Win will be a year of failure and Ted will have added to it by this move

[Patler]

TT has a lot of guys needing to be upped, perhaps ? Maybe he thinks fricking Lane Taylor can do the job ? Maybe he has a hard time valuing Sitton where he gets paid ? I don't think there is any terrible reason from what I can see other than Tighty Ted not thinking he was worth the ching.

The press is pretty convincing inside the room the OL is heartbroken and very disappointed on this call as they lost a brother

Of course, on the record they say the standard crap....it's a business decision and we just have to move on.

If Ted's history has a say Sitton will probably get a severe injury that will make TWT smell like a rose. If Sitton stays healthy, Taylor struggles, anything less than a Super Bowl Win will be a year of failure and Ted will have added to it by this move

I don't think there has to be a terrible reason, but there has to be more reasons than just what he would be paid this year.

Heart Broken? Give me a break. These are professional athletes, not love-struck teenagers. The guy didn't die.

They might also say the "standard crap" rather than to suggest Sitton might have gone ballistic if Tretter or Bakhtiari got huge contracts. It can work both ways on their diplomacy.

[hoosier]

If cutting Sitton was part of the long-term plan to develop and retain Tretter and Linsley, then why didn't they cut Sitton in May? There can only be one answer: they didn't want to give teams like Seattle time to fit him into their picture.

[pbmax]

Wow, 21 pages, over 400 posts on this topic!

As I wrote earlier, I read that McCarthy said some positions - like O Line - are just not as high priority or as important as others. That is apparently a justification for not paying Sitton or O Linemen big money. I tend to think that's what this is all about. Somebody said no way Ted pays even a quality player like Sitton $21 million for 3 years or anything similar. I'm thinking either that is true at face value or it is the Packers line for deciding not to pay him market value.

He paid both Sitton and Lang pretty big money for guards just a couple of years ago. So while Guard is not LT, CB or QB, they have spent some serious coin there. But probably not another deal at age 31.

[Rutnstrut]

Really the weak link in the line is bacteria. Cutting Sitton was a dumb fucking move.

[call_me_ishmael]

I think some here dramatically underestimate how good Bacteria is. He's gonna get paid big bucks. I would guess at least 10M per year. It will be interesting to see what happens with Tretter. He is too small to play guard. So is Linsley. So, one of those two needs to fatten up a bit to play guard. Beat writers have made it clear Bacteria and Tretter will be extended this year.

[RashanGary]

If you like Taylor
If you don't like sittons back
If you know players over 30 always get worse not better
If there is money saved
If you have an extra roster spot to keep a guy like Murphy on ol or Callahan at qb
If you have a lot of contracts coming up

Then there are a lot of reasons why moving on a year early makes sense. Let's see how it pans out. I have a feeling it was an good move.

[red]

Really the weak link in the line is bacteria. Cutting Sitton was a dumb fucking move.

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[red]

If you know players over 30 always get worse not better

only for running backs, not any other position

around 35 is when most players drop off, NOT 30

a 30 year old guard is right in the middle of his prime

[Freak Out]

Sitton is gone. These guys are getting paid to do a job just like TT is.....if its a major fuckup he will have to answer for it....along with AROD The OL needs to stop talking about it and go out and do their jobs.

[ThunderDan]

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/8...oo-long-o-line

Interesting article from a few years ago. Seems like 30 or so is the starting of the end for OL also.