Off Season Decisions to be made for 2010.

[Patler]

Time to move on, today is the first day of preparations for the 2010 season.
Lots of decisions to be made:

For McCarthy:
Slocum?
Campen?

For Thompson:
Kampman-this is a big one. Tag and trade? Sign? Waive good-bye?
Clifton & Tauscher - How much should you pay to bring either back?
Pickett? - Probably quite doable.
Collins? - Not sure you can let him go, but how much will you pay?
The interior line situation. Do you pay any one of them?
Where does Lang fit, guard or tackle. Is he the RT of the future?
Jolly - seems easy. Make him play for the RFA contract until his legal woes are clarified.
Blackmon - bring him back at your price. Don't make a Bush-like mistake.
You have to find a punter.
What about Crosby? Send him to a kicking guru? Who competes with him?

[packers11]

Arod said today he wants both tackles back...

[Sparkey]

Time to move on, today is the first day of preparations for the 2010 season.
Lots of decisions to be made:

For McCarthy:
Slocum?
Campen?

For Thompson:
Kampman-this is a big one. Tag and trade? Sign? Waive good-bye?
Clifton & Tauscher - How much should you pay to bring either back?
Pickett? - Probably quite doable.
Collins? - Not sure you can let him go, but how much will you pay?
The interior line situation. Do you pay any one of them?
Where does Lang fit, guard or tackle. Is he the RT of the future?
Jolly - seems easy. Make him play for the RFA contract until his legal woes are clarified.
Blackmon - bring him back at your price. Don't make a Bush-like mistake.
You have to find a punter.
What about Crosby? Send him to a kicking guru? Who competes with him?

Bobby April anyone ?

[Smidgeon]

Time to move on, today is the first day of preparations for the 2010 season.
Lots of decisions to be made:

For McCarthy:
Slocum?
Campen?

For Thompson:
Kampman-this is a big one. Tag and trade? Sign? Waive good-bye?
Clifton & Tauscher - How much should you pay to bring either back?
Pickett? - Probably quite doable.
Collins? - Not sure you can let him go, but how much will you pay?
The interior line situation. Do you pay any one of them?
Where does Lang fit, guard or tackle. Is he the RT of the future?
Jolly - seems easy. Make him play for the RFA contract until his legal woes are clarified.
Blackmon - bring him back at your price. Don't make a Bush-like mistake.
You have to find a punter.
What about Crosby? Send him to a kicking guru? Who competes with him?

Bobby April anyone ?

Now that GB is out of the playoffs, the hiring game is open.

[green_bowl_packer]

Time to move on, today is the first day of preparations for the 2010 season.
Lots of decisions to be made:

For McCarthy:
Slocum?
Campen?

For Thompson:
Kampman-this is a big one. Tag and trade? Sign? Waive good-bye?
Clifton & Tauscher - How much should you pay to bring either back?
Pickett? - Probably quite doable.
Collins? - Not sure you can let him go, but how much will you pay?
The interior line situation. Do you pay any one of them?
Where does Lang fit, guard or tackle. Is he the RT of the future?
Jolly - seems easy. Make him play for the RFA contract until his legal woes are clarified.
Blackmon - bring him back at your price. Don't make a Bush-like mistake.
You have to find a punter.
What about Crosby? Send him to a kicking guru? Who competes with him?

Bobby April anyone ?



We'd better move quick, because I read Bobby April was already talking to Tomlin in Pittsburgh.
Now that GB is out of the playoffs, the hiring game is open.

[red]

Time to move on, today is the first day of preparations for the 2010 season.
Lots of decisions to be made:

For McCarthy:
Slocum?
Campen?

For Thompson:
Kampman-this is a big one. Tag and trade? Sign? Waive good-bye?
Clifton & Tauscher - How much should you pay to bring either back?
Pickett? - Probably quite doable.
Collins? - Not sure you can let him go, but how much will you pay?
The interior line situation. Do you pay any one of them?
Where does Lang fit, guard or tackle. Is he the RT of the future?
Jolly - seems easy. Make him play for the RFA contract until his legal woes are clarified.
Blackmon - bring him back at your price. Don't make a Bush-like mistake.
You have to find a punter.
What about Crosby? Send him to a kicking guru? Who competes with him?

get rid of both slocum and campen. campen should have been gone last year

i would tag and trade kampman in a perfect world, maybe get a second for him. but this isn't a perfect world, he has a torn acl. can we get anything in a trade for him. and i don't think you keep him, he just doesn't fit the system

pickett, jolly, and collins all need to be resigned imo

clifton and tausch maybe to two year deals. lang could be a replacement for one of them, but we can't let them both go. it would be nice to get a lt in the draft and let him sit for a year

[Freak Out]

How bad was Cliffy hurt? It looked bad with him on the wagon heading out but what the word from the bonesaw boys?

[Tony Oday]

Time to move on, today is the first day of preparations for the 2010 season.
Lots of decisions to be made:

For McCarthy:
Slocum?
Campen?

For Thompson:
Kampman-this is a big one. Tag and trade? Sign? Waive good-bye?
Clifton & Tauscher - How much should you pay to bring either back?
Pickett? - Probably quite doable.
Collins? - Not sure you can let him go, but how much will you pay?
The interior line situation. Do you pay any one of them?
Where does Lang fit, guard or tackle. Is he the RT of the future?
Jolly - seems easy. Make him play for the RFA contract until his legal woes are clarified.
Blackmon - bring him back at your price. Don't make a Bush-like mistake.
You have to find a punter.
What about Crosby? Send him to a kicking guru? Who competes with him?

Slocum and Campen gone...please

Kamp we NEED to tag him because I could see him going to Packers West (aka Viqueens)

Clifton and Taush if they can play need to be resigned

I still like Lang!

Jolly done for sure he is a beast

Blackmon for sure! When he is on the field he is explosive! however a new guy needs to be found.

I say we give Kapinos another year however bring in some competition

Crosby needs to be shown the door if he can't get out of his head, that being said I am not a fan of him at all but h has a monster leg and he can fix things....I hope...we need to bring another couple of kickers to compete and push him.

We need some more ABLE bodies in defensive secondary

Collins needs to be resigned

Finley would be nice to see him locked up

I think we need another year out of the O line and Lang NEEDS to have a monster offseason. Then we should be fine there.

I would like to see the Pack offer Kamp to Cleveland for Cribbs :)

[bobblehead]

I say bring back Kampman any way you can. If anyone thinks his pass rush wasn't sorely missed I'm not sure what games you watched.

[Smidgeon]

I say we give Kapinos another year however bring in some competition

Crosby needs to be shown the door if he can't get out of his head, that being said I am not a fan of him at all but h has a monster leg and he can fix things....I hope...we need to bring another couple of kickers to compete and push him.

This, to me, seems hypocritical. (Not calling you a hypocrite, it just seems like the statements are somewhat counterintuitive.) Crosby has way more talent respectively than Kapinos. Whereas Crosby has a correctable issue (since his misses are consistent), Kapinos appears to have hit his talent ceiling (being so inconsistent). So why give the inconsistent kicker with a low ceiling more time to iron out his issues and give an ultimatum on a talented kicker who has one wrinkle in his kicking this year?

[hoosier]

If the Packers tag Kampman they will be stuck with him for the year. Nobody in their right mind would take on that kind of contract for an over-30 player coming off a major knee injury, let alone give up a draft pick for one! That injury sucked for Kampman but it sucked for GB too because it means that they're going to have to let him go with no compensation...No way does Kampman re-sign with GB to play in the 3-4 again.

I would prioritize re-signing Pickett and Collins. It sounds like Pickett must be more signable than Collins; what is Collins's status: is he restricted or un? If restricted, hopefully he does not become a major problem if he only gets offered a one-year deal. My intuition tells me that Colledge is as good as gone. Somebody is going to overpay based on his supposedly high ceiling, and the Packers should know by now that he is both inconsistent and not an especially team oriented kind of guy. That means that OL continues to be a highly unsettled unit for GB.

[Tony Oday]

I say we give Kapinos another year however bring in some competition

Crosby needs to be shown the door if he can't get out of his head, that being said I am not a fan of him at all but h has a monster leg and he can fix things....I hope...we need to bring another couple of kickers to compete and push him.

This, to me, seems hypocritical. (Not calling you a hypocrite, it just seems like the statements are somewhat counterintuitive.) Crosby has way more talent respectively than Kapinos. Whereas Crosby has a correctable issue (since his misses are consistent), Kapinos appears to have hit his talent ceiling (being so inconsistent). So why give the inconsistent kicker with a low ceiling more time to iron out his issues and give an ultimatum on a talented kicker who has one wrinkle in his kicking this year?

basically I was saying that we did not lose one game because of Kapinos kicks. I think we need competition at BOTH kicking spots. Crosby may have more upside but being a kicker he may not be able to get out of his own head. (And I never take anything on a message board personal I knew what you were getting at)

[pbmax]

I say bring back Kampman any way you can. If anyone thinks his pass rush wasn't sorely missed I'm not sure what games you watched.
You do recall the Packers seemed to play better when AK was not in? At the start of the season, his pass rush was non-existent. They had to put his hand in the dirt to get him a rush and since he was still the LOLB, it put a crimp in the defenses ability to confuse.

He is missed currently for his ability to set an edge against the run. Jones couldn't do it yesterday.

Bring back Cliffy. Lang at RT. If there is no CBA, Colledge, Spitz and Collins are staying. If there is one, hang Colledge out to dry and if the offers trickle in, sign him cheap. Sign Spitz. Sign Collins if Capers thinks he can be a part of better middle of the defense pass defense.

Sign Pickett.

Campen has Sitton and Lang to his credit right now. The HC, Offensive Coordinator and T2 need to decide if Campen simply coaches the bigger bodies better, they just got lucky with those 2 picks, or it Colledge is simply as good as he can be. If they hash that out, they will have an answer. Which will be good because I sure as heck don't.

Slocum should be mulched like a Christmas tree.

Another coach to consider: Joe Whitt Jr. Holdover on McCarthy's choice. He was damned with faint praise by Perry and Capers earlier this season in an article on JSO. And the backup CBs looked confused yesterday by the bunch formations. Of course, he was working with Bush and a lot of youth: Bell, Underwood and ol' whathisface.

[bobblehead]

I say bring back Kampman any way you can. If anyone thinks his pass rush wasn't sorely missed I'm not sure what games you watched.
You do recall the Packers seemed to play better when AK was not in? At the start of the season, his pass rush was non-existent. They had to put his hand in the dirt to get him a rush and since he was still the LOLB, it put a crimp in the defenses ability to confuse.

He is missed currently for his ability to set an edge against the run. Jones couldn't do it yesterday.

Bring back Cliffy. Lang at RT. If there is no CBA, Colledge, Spitz and Collins are staying. If there is one, hang Colledge out to dry and if the offers trickle in, sign him cheap. Sign Spitz. Sign Collins if Capers thinks he can be a part of better middle of the defense pass defense.

Sign Pickett.

Campen has Sitton and Lang to his credit right now. The HC, Offensive Coordinator and T2 need to decide if Campen simply coaches the bigger bodies better, they just got lucky with those 2 picks, or it Colledge is simply as good as he can be. If they hash that out, they will have an answer. Which will be good because I sure as heck don't.

Slocum should be mulched like a Christmas tree.

Another coach to consider: Joe Whitt Jr. Holdover on McCarthy's choice. He was damned with faint praise by Perry and Capers earlier this season in an article on JSO. And the backup CBs looked confused yesterday by the bunch formations. Of course, he was working with Bush and a lot of youth: Bell, Underwood and ol' whathisface.

yea, i recall early on, but I think that the 3 weeks prior to, and in the dallas game he had kind of found his rythem and Capers had figured out how to use him. CM had his hand down at times, so I don't have a problem with Kamp doing it. I would probably rotate him into the DE position in the nickel and rest one of the beefy guys, while letting him play OLB in base. Just my opinion I think we need his rush badly enough to find a way to use it.

[Bossman641]

At what price though? I'm not sure you can run the risk of tagging AK and hoping you can find somebody willing to trade for him. I know there is slated to be no salary cap, but there's no way AK deserves to be paid like a top 5 OLB.

Is that still how it will work? Tagged players get paid the average of the top 5 players at that position?

[Smidgeon]

At what price though? I'm not sure you can run the risk of tagging AK and hoping you can find somebody willing to trade for him. I know there is slated to be no salary cap, but there's no way AK deserves to be paid like a top 5 OLB.

Is that still how it will work? Tagged players get paid the average of the top 5 players at that position?

Franchise Top 5
Transition Top 10
Plus, I think the no-salary cap has a third tag, but I don't know what the pay equates to.

[Packers4Ever]

I say bring back Kampman any way you can. If anyone thinks his pass rush wasn't sorely missed I'm not sure what games you watched.


We need Kampy back !

I hope this isn't going to be another year of letting the good guys get away and then there you sit - again - with empty spots to fill.
I am not a fan of waiting til the last minute either, hoping someone
will agree to bargain basement prices.

Not anything against TT at all, at the end of the day he's done a great job !
But neither do we need to suddenly find in December that we're short on
GOOD players who can fill the job.


Agree ?????

[Smidgeon]

I say bring back Kampman any way you can. If anyone thinks his pass rush wasn't sorely missed I'm not sure what games you watched.


We need Kampy back !

I hope this isn't going to be another year of letting the good guys get away and then there you sit - again - with empty spots to fill.
I am not a fan of waiting til the last minute either, hoping someone
will agree to bargain basement prices.

Not anything against TT at all, at the end of the day he's done a great job !
But neither do we need to suddenly find in December that we're short on
GOOD players who can fill the job.


Agree ?????

I guess the question nobody is asking is "Does Kampman want to come back to the 3-4?" My guess is not. I bet he doesn't sign with GB unless they offer him a better than value (for a 30+ ACL-recovering player) contract and no one in a 4-3 does.

[hoosier]

I say bring back Kampman any way you can. If anyone thinks his pass rush wasn't sorely missed I'm not sure what games you watched.


We need Kampy back !

Why? He was mediocre in the 3-4 even before he got hurt. What makes you think he would even be able to match this year's so-so performance when he is finally recovered next fall? What GB needs is a complement to Matthews, someone who can create pressure from the strong side while also holding the edge against the run and being able to drop back (credibly) into coverage. Kampman couldn't do the coverage thing and his pass rush showed a noticeable decline this year.

[Brandon494]

Time to move on, today is the first day of preparations for the 2010 season.
Lots of decisions to be made:

For McCarthy:
Slocum?-Needs to be replaced but won't
Campen?-Needs to be replaced but won't

For Thompson:
Kampman-this is a big one. Waive good-bye
Clifton & Tauscher - What ever it takes which I don't think is much
Pickett? - He'll be signed for sure
Collins? - Whatever it takes
The interior line situation. I believe Lang is the future RT. I think when Spitz comes back they should move him to LG and keep Wells at center. Colledge days in GB are over.
Jolly - Have to resign this guy
Blackmon - have to bring him back, was one of the best return men in the guy before his injury and yes we need to bring in another punter.
What about Crosby? Just bring someone to compete with him

[Patler]

I for one did not think Kampman was playing that badly while learning a new position on a defense still trying to find itself. But his status as a free agent, with a significant injury sure muddles things up. I would like to have seen him play the year as the defense improved, and more importantly as Mathews developed on the other side.

Makes for a difficult decision.

[hoosier]

I don't know that it will be that difficult. I think it is almost certain that some team that plays the 4-3 will offer Kampy an incentives based contract that makes it easy to cut him if he cannot return to form. The Packers won't have the option to match, and I really can't see Kampman voluntarily returning to the 3-4 based on what was written about him during the season. The Packers only hope of retaining him would be to tag him, which would be too dumb to even consider.

[denverYooper]

Kamp was very diplomatic in his response today but I got the sense that he would not mind coming back to play for this team next year.

We could have used him yesterday, IMHO.

[Joemailman]

I say bring back Kampman any way you can. If anyone thinks his pass rush wasn't sorely missed I'm not sure what games you watched.

Agree. Despite missing the last 6 games, he was 2nd on the team in quarterback hits. The leadership qualities of guys like Kampman shouldn't be overlooked either.

[GBRulz]

If I could have one wish for the offseason, it would be that Bush is shown the door.

[Patler]

If I could have one wish for the offseason, it would be that Bush is shown the door.

I want Bush to be able to play the position he was kept on the roster to be, the 4th safety and the 6th corner, the guy who should rarely see the field on defense. I don't pretend to know if he is any good on ST or not, most times TV does not allow you to really evaluate ST players performances. Those who should know, the coaches, seem to think that he is. If the last DB on your roster can contribute on ST, that is a plus, because most of them aren't any good on defense.

[Joemailman]

Right. It's fair to say the Packers didn't envision Bush being their nickel back (or dime, for that matter) the last 6 weeks of the season. The question is: Do they think that Underwood/Lee/Bell are good enough to assume those roles in the future, or do they need a major infusion of talent at this position?

[hoosier]

I think they think Underwood is good enough to play nickel (or dime if Al Harris is back) next year. But it sure would not hurt to have an infusion of talent as well, considering that guys in their mid 30s like Harris and Woodson tend to get hurt a lot. If you go with two long in the tooth guys like Al and Chuck as your starting corners, you had better have depth behind them.

[Patler]

Right. It's fair to say the Packers didn't envision Bush being their nickel back (or dime, for that matter) the last 6 weeks of the season. The question is: Do they think that Underwood/Lee/Bell are good enough to assume those roles in the future, or do they need a major infusion of talent at this position?

I think they need to throw Blackmon and Ford in that group too, pick two to keep and draft another one or two.

[sharpe1027]

For McCarthy:
Slocum?
- The question is really what is available? I really have no idea but would guess someone is.

Campen?
- Consistency may be more important than trying to hit a homerun on someone new.

For Thompson:
Kampman-this is a big one. Tag and trade? Sign? Waive good-bye?
- Tag will saddle him with a contract that nobody will pay. Probably gone.

Clifton & Tauscher - How much should you pay to bring either back?
- Pretty sure they can sign these guys for a reasonable amount. Either would make a great backup and they could probably get another 10 games out of them despite their age.

Pickett? - Probably quite doable.
- Value should be there, sign.

Collins? - Not sure you can let him go, but how much will you pay?
- It sucks, but he is probably worth the loads of cash he will command.

The interior line situation. Do you pay any one of them?
- Yes, pick the best of them. They do not want to start from scratch. How much value will other teams really see in them? Many of them are relatively undersized for most other teams.

Where does Lang fit, guard or tackle. Is he the RT of the future?
RT.

Jolly - seems easy. Make him play for the RFA contract until his legal woes are clarified.
-Yes, unless you want to roll the dice and lock him up for a few years now when his value is low.

Blackmon - bring him back at your price. Don't make a Bush-like mistake.
-I guess. I really hope they like some of the young guys and/or new pickups better. I think his time is about up.

You have to find a punter.
-I've seen much worse, and I doubt they go out and spend big bucks on a guy. We'll have to see if they can find someone.

What about Crosby? Send him to a kicking guru? Who competes with him?
- Reports of his demise are premature. He bet he bounces back next year.

[mission]

Can't they just throw us a friggin bone and fire Campen or Slocum??

One of those should have happened minutes after the game! For the fans!

:lol:

[Patler]

For McCarthy:

Campen?
- Consistency may be more important than trying to hit a homerun on someone new.

Actually, its the consistency that I am concerned with, but not the same way you are considering it.

Every year the line has performed poorly the first half of the season.
A raft of young players have been brought in, and seem to stay the same as when they arrive. Little development or improvement.

I don't like that type of consistency.

[CaliforniaCheez]

Kampmann is over 30 and a the compensation if he leaves is maxed at a 5th round pick. Preventing him from going to Vikings is worth the extra money.

The restricted free agents can wait as there is no warning about a CBA arriving anytime soon.

Kampmann and Pickett are the big contracts. Collins, Colledge, Jolly and the others are restricted free agents.

When it comes to the new free agency rules Thompson was wise to have a young team the can be retain inexpensively.

[Patler]

Kampmann is over 30 and a the compensation if he leaves is maxed at a 5th round pick. Preventing him from going to Vikings is worth the extra money.

The restricted free agents can wait as there is no warning about a CBA arriving anytime soon.

Kampmann and Pickett are the big contracts. Collins, Colledge, Jolly and the others are restricted free agents.

When it comes to the new free agency rules Thompson was wise to have a young team the can be retain inexpensively.

I don't think TT will make Collins play for the RFA contract, unless Collins' demands for a longer contract are exorbitant. He re-upped Jennings last year when he could have made him continue to play under his rookie contract, and then dealt with him as an RFA after this season.

TT has a history of trying to be fair with players who are underpaid relative to their performance. He has even redone a couple contracts without extending their term. I believe Tauscher's last one was that way, and perhaps Harris. That is somewhat unusual.

There were reasons not to redo Collins for this season, primarily to see if he fit in the new defense and because he got a very sizable increase under his existing contract anyway for having made the Pro Bowl last year. With that increase, Collins was not so very underpaid.

[MichiganPackerFan]

I think if Cliffy or Tausch wants serious money, TT will simply say thank you for your contributions to the organization and best of luck. Call me for a one-day contract when you are ready to hang 'em up, similar to Wahle & Rivera a couple seasons ago.

Bush must be trimmed.

Need serious depth/starter at CB and OL.

I'd be surprised if they don't have a third QB next year. I also think they will be down to two FB's.

Probably add another young WR too.

[Smidgeon]

I think if Cliffy or Tausch wants serious money, TT will simply say thank you for your contributions to the organization and best of luck. Call me for a one-day contract when you are ready to hang 'em up, similar to Wahle & Rivera a couple seasons ago.

Bush must be trimmed.

Need serious depth/starter at CB and OL.

I'd be surprised if they don't have a third QB next year. I also think they will be down to two FB's.

Probably add another young WR too.

http://www.packerrats.com/ratchat/viewtopic.php?p=490477#490477

[denverYooper]

We should offer our first rounder next year to Denver for Clady.

:lol:

If only...

[pbmax]

We should offer our first rounder next year to Denver for Clady.

:lol:

If only...
We may need a backup plan now that Mangini can't trade Joe Thomas anymore.

[denverYooper]

We should offer our first rounder next year to Denver for Clady.

:lol:

If only...
We may need a backup plan now that Mangini can't trade Joe Thomas anymore.

We were so close at the trade deadline, too.

[ThunderDan]

We should offer our first rounder next year to Denver for Clady.

:lol:

If only...
We may need a backup plan now that Mangini can't trade Joe Thomas anymore.

We were so close at the trade deadline, too.

I tell you my "scouts" and "insiders" told me it was almost a done deal! :lol: :lol:

[Tyrone Bigguns]

Bush must be trimmed.



Listen up lady rats!

[Packers4Ever]

If the Packers tag Kampman they will be stuck with him for the year. Nobody in their right mind would take on that kind of contract for an over-30 player coming off a major knee injury, let alone give up a draft pick for one! That injury sucked for Kampman but it sucked for GB too because it means that they're going to have to let him go with no compensation...No way does Kampman re-sign with GB to play in the 3-4 again.

I would prioritize re-signing Pickett and Collins. It sounds like Pickett must be more signable than Collins; what is Collins's status: is he restricted or un? If restricted, hopefully he does not become a major problem if he only gets offered a one-year deal. My intuition tells me that Colledge is as good as gone. Somebody is going to overpay based on his supposedly high ceiling, and the Packers should know by now that he is both inconsistent and not an especially team oriented kind of guy. That means that OL continues to be a highly unsettled unit for GB.


Your last line here confuses me, I understood last fall that O line was much better.... Rodgers more settled playing conditions, he had the protection he should have been enjoying, his Int. dropped way down, he was able to pass (given more time) also stay in pocket longer as well as drop sack count way down.

Now I'm reading that the O Line is in trouble, an "unsettled unit?" Are we going to be shuffling tackles, guards, etc....around again this year? I thought that had all been settled, no? ( see above)
Thanks!

[Smidgeon]

If the Packers tag Kampman they will be stuck with him for the year. Nobody in their right mind would take on that kind of contract for an over-30 player coming off a major knee injury, let alone give up a draft pick for one! That injury sucked for Kampman but it sucked for GB too because it means that they're going to have to let him go with no compensation...No way does Kampman re-sign with GB to play in the 3-4 again.

I would prioritize re-signing Pickett and Collins. It sounds like Pickett must be more signable than Collins; what is Collins's status: is he restricted or un? If restricted, hopefully he does not become a major problem if he only gets offered a one-year deal. My intuition tells me that Colledge is as good as gone. Somebody is going to overpay based on his supposedly high ceiling, and the Packers should know by now that he is both inconsistent and not an especially team oriented kind of guy. That means that OL continues to be a highly unsettled unit for GB.


Your last line here confuses me, I understood last fall that O line was much better.... Rodgers more settled playing conditions, he had the protection he should have been enjoying, his Int. dropped way down, he was able to pass (given more time) also stay in pocket longer as well as drop sack count way down.

Now I'm reading that the O Line is in trouble, an "unsettled unit?" Are we going to be shuffling tackles, guards, etc....around again this year? I thought that had all been settled, no? ( see above)
Thanks!

The only shuffling that will happen will be Clifton and Tauscher shuffling to the bathroom in a nursing home... :mrgreen:

In all seriousness, both have to prove they can even last an entire season. That alone will be enough to leave the line unsettled. At the very least viable back up options need to be found if the team decides to stick with those two as starters. College needs to be pushed, and Spitz needs to come back strong. Lang likely starts somewhere on the line next year depending on what GB can pick up in the offseason. I think he'll be LG or RT with a very outside shot at LT. Not a very settled line for next year. We'll see.

[3irty1]

Kampman has no trade value and might not be worth the tag for us either. Personally I don't think the 3-4 was the problem, I have a feeling he'd have had a disappointing year in any scheme. He's just not the guy he used to be. His presence handcuffs the defense since his actual pass rush isn't good enough to justify sending him instead of CM3 on 90% of plays.

[sharpe1027]

For McCarthy:

Campen?
- Consistency may be more important than trying to hit a homerun on someone new.

Actually, its the consistency that I am concerned with, but not the same way you are considering it.

Every year the line has performed poorly the first half of the season.
A raft of young players have been brought in, and seem to stay the same as when they arrive. Little development or improvement.

I don't like that type of consistency.

This year's struggles really seemed to be about Barbre, and quite frankly he did improve. Also, it's not fair to discount how well Lang developed/played.

IDK, the line held up well in the second half. Bringing in someone else has a risk of worsening the situation rather than improving it. In this particular case, I'm not sure you rock the boat.

Maybe they can bring in a relatively unproven coach with upside to work under Campen for a year and then make a decision.

[Smidgeon]

For McCarthy:

Campen?
- Consistency may be more important than trying to hit a homerun on someone new.

Actually, its the consistency that I am concerned with, but not the same way you are considering it.

Every year the line has performed poorly the first half of the season.
A raft of young players have been brought in, and seem to stay the same as when they arrive. Little development or improvement.

I don't like that type of consistency.

This year's struggles really seemed to be about Barbre, and quite frankly he did improve. Also, it's not fair to discount how well Lang developed/played.

IDK, the line held up well in the second half. Bringing in someone else has a risk of worsening the situation rather than improving it. In this particular case, I'm not sure you rock the boat.

Maybe they can bring in a relatively unproven coach with upside to work under Campen for a year and then make a decision.

Just Barbre at RT? Not LT where Clifton was rusty early in the season? Or LT when Clifton was hurt? Or LG when Clifton wasn't hurt? The whole O-line (except RG and maybe C) was very shaky early, and it wasn't just Barbre. He was the biggest aggrevient but certainly not the sole aggrevient.

[Bretsky]

Kampman has no trade value and might not be worth the tag for us either. Personally I don't think the 3-4 was the problem, I have a feeling he'd have had a disappointing year in any scheme. He's just not the guy he used to be. His presence handcuffs the defense since his actual pass rush isn't good enough to justify sending him instead of CM3 on 90% of plays.

I completely agree with this

I don't think we could get much more than a fourth or fifth round pick for Kampman. If he was healthy we'd do well.

His injury probably makes it more likely he'll be back in Green Bay. I hope TT treats him fairly and offers him a decent one year deal. He's a Packer person.

It seems like the right thing to do. He's done everything right for the Packers and he's coming back from an injury that damaged his hopes of breaking the bank.

[Fritz]

I must say that the Pittsburgh and Arizona playoff games really threw me for a loop regarding decisions to make.

How do you fix those performances - that is, was that a talent shortage and if so, where? This defense seems able to stop the run well, but in what is becoming a pass-crazy league, given the rules, it seems paramount to be able to play pass defense, specifically, pressuring the QB and keeping him in the pocket.

If you had an entire defensive backfield of Charles Woodsons, you'd still get burned by a good QB with good receivers and with time to throw.

But what does that mean for Green Bay? I thought the defensive line supposedly played well and was not responsible for the actual pass rush but for eating up blockers and pushing the pocket. But did they not have enough talent on the line?

Or is it the linebacking corps? I thought Matthews was quite good, Barnett seemed like a demon most of the season once he got his sea legs, Jones flashed at times, and Hawk was okay. So was there not enough talent there; if not, where? Inside or outside or both?

Like I said, those two games just confused me regarding what this team's defensive needs actually are.

Anybody?

[Bretsky]

I must say that the Pittsburgh and Arizona playoff games really threw me for a loop regarding decisions to make.

How do you fix those performances - that is, was that a talent shortage and if so, where? This defense seems able to stop the run well, but in what is becoming a pass-crazy league, given the rules, it seems paramount to be able to play pass defense, specifically, pressuring the QB and keeping him in the pocket.

If you had an entire defensive backfield of Charles Woodsons, you'd still get burned by a good QB with good receivers and with time to throw.

But what does that mean for Green Bay? I thought the defensive line supposedly played well and was not responsible for the actual pass rush but for eating up blockers and pushing the pocket. But did they not have enough talent on the line?

Or is it the linebacking corps? I thought Matthews was quite good, Barnett seemed like a demon most of the season once he got his sea legs, Jones flashed at times, and Hawk was okay. So was there not enough talent there; if not, where? Inside or outside or both?

Like I said, those two games just confused me regarding what this team's defensive needs actually are.

Anybody?


Taking a wist like approach, our secondary seems devoid of talent beyond our top four players.

Al Harris...he's part of the reason Woody was allowed to roam free and make some of those plays. We need him back and healthy
Woody....great player
Williams...Decent player...average starter...maybe a bit above average
Collins..... Very Solid....not superstar, but a soft pro bowler

IF the Cup is full where is the rest of the juice coming from ?

Partick Lee....developmental
Blackmond...is he really any more than a fifth/sixth DB who plays ST ?
Bush........... not even going there
Bigby...........average starter if you want to be generous; I'm not that generous
Derrick Martin..upgrade of Bush...fifth/sixth DB and ST demon
Bell................please
The Italian Stallion...never want to see him on the field

One could argue we have three ideal sixth DB's who play specials teams and we're trying to find a spot for all of them.

New Orleans took a different strategy in attacking the lack of depth in their secondary. Who knows if it will work or not; we will see. I think it's a necessity that we shore up the quality in that area via either FA, the draft, or both.

The AZ game is just a nightmare to watch; I watched it again last night on the NFL Network

Jenkins was invisible; Raji was mince meat. Pickett looked tired. Jolly sub par. I'm not sure we need another guy there but these guys played poorly. We definitely can't afford to lose one of them.

Hawk.........did I miss something or why was he a Pro Bowl Alternative ??
Perhaps he's a guy TTT tries to trade

I THINK WE NEED ANOTHER PASS RUSHER SOMEWHERE.......BUT BOY DID THAT SECONDARY MAKE IS EASY ON KURT WARNER

[arcilite]

I want a new punter.

I can't even stand Kapinos's posture...the way he stands. He just looks goofy and like he doesn't belong.

[sharpe1027]

Just Barbre at RT? Not LT where Clifton was rusty early in the season? Or LT when Clifton was hurt? Or LG when Clifton wasn't hurt? The whole O-line (except RG and maybe C) was very shaky early, and it wasn't just Barbre. He was the biggest aggrevient but certainly not the sole aggrevient.

No, not just Barbre at RT. He was not the sole aggrevient.

Have any insight on the decision regarding Campen?

[Smidgeon]

Just Barbre at RT? Not LT where Clifton was rusty early in the season? Or LT when Clifton was hurt? Or LG when Clifton wasn't hurt? The whole O-line (except RG and maybe C) was very shaky early, and it wasn't just Barbre. He was the biggest aggrevient but certainly not the sole aggrevient.

No, not just Barbre at RT. He was not the sole aggrevient.

Have any insight on the decision regarding Campen?

You mean the so far non-decision? Ugh. Wish they'd replace him. Where Beightol when you need him?