Bretsky
04-20-2006, 10:27 PM
Yes folks, the Packers are rebuilding
Posted: April 20, 2006
Rick Braun
E-MAIL
Green Bay - In Green Bay, it's the dreaded "R" word.
No, we're not talking about retirement and Brett Favre.
This is another "R" word that generally hasn't been used since Favre's arrival in Green Bay back in 1992.
That's "R" as in rebuilding.
The Packers aren't saying they're rebuilding.
Back at his introductory news conference, new coach Mike McCarthy said it pretty plainly: "This definitely is not a rebuilding process."
When Mike McCarthy took over as head coach of the Green Bay Packers he said: "This definitely is not a rebuilding process. There's a great foundation."
"There's a great foundation," McCarthy said back on Jan. 12. "We have a tradition, resources that are second to none in the National Football League and I think that obviously gives us a springboard to get ready to compete for the upcoming season."
McCarthy is in a tough spot as a first-year coach. He has to toe the company line while also not creating unrealistic expectations for the Packers in the fan base. If he comes out and says he expects the Packers to compete for a Super Bowl berth in 2006, what credibility will he have with the fans?
So he toes the line. It's not a "rebuilding process."
But the truth is, it is a "rebuilding process."
The problem with that term is what it used to mean.
Back in the 1970s and '80s, rebuilding meant years at the bottom while a team built - er, "REbuilt" - through the draft. It meant years of losing. It meant asking for the fans' patience. And there was no guarantee that five years later those draft picks from the previous years would bring a winning record, much less a title.
So teams shy away from the word. Name any team that pointed with pride to the fact that it was rebuilding.
In the NFL of today, that word doesn't have to carry such a negative connotation. With free agency, the hard salary cap and a second round of free agency caused by cap cuts after June 1, rebuilding can be done rather quickly by any team with some salary cap room.
In 1999, the St. Louis Rams won the Super Bowl coming off a 4-12 season. In 2000, the Baltimore Ravens won it coming off an 8-8 mark. Finally, in 2001 the New England Patriots came off a 5-11 record the year before to win it all.
So any team could point to that span in the league, admit that it's rebuilding and still offer hope to its fans.
And that's what the Packers could - and maybe should - do.
Why?
Because it's time to face the facts about the current Packer roster.
Football games are won by playmakers and football games are won in the trenches, and the Packers are not particularly suited in either instance.
On offense, Brett Favre, Javon Walker, Ahman Green and Donald Driver are the best hopes for playmakers. We don't know if Favre is coming back; we know Walker has said he's not coming back; and while we know that Green's best days are behind him, we don't know what he has ahead of him after coming off a serious injury.
Driver is the one offensive player the Packers can safely count on for 2006, and he's now 31.
We could throw Samkon Gado in as a wild card, but he will have to prove it all over again in 2006.
If the Packers are to win in the trenches on offense, they'll have to improve drastically from their line production in 2005.
On defense, again the playmakers aren't exactly overflowing from the mug. Second-year safety Nick Collins has the potential, but right now it's just potential. Nick Barnett is entering his fourth season and led the Packers in turnover plays in 2005. But other than those two - and they're both more potential than proven - name another big-play or potential big-play guy on the defense.
Cornerback Al Harris shuts down wide receivers, but he hasn't recorded more than three interceptions in a season since 1999 in Philadelphia when he was a nickel back.
On the line, Aaron Kampman had the best season of all the defensive linemen. But as well as he played, he was not a game-changer in 2005.
So it would appear right now that the Packers simply don't have enough good or great players. And that means they have to get more. And that means rebuilding.
In two weeks they'll have added a No. 5 overall pick and at least six other draft picks to their roster. And there still are some choice players out there in free agency.
Favre said two weeks ago he wanted a "statement" signing in free agency. In today's NFL, one or two of those can change a team drastically.
So, yes, the Packers really are rebuilding. But that no longer has to be a five-year process.
Posted: April 20, 2006
Rick Braun
Green Bay - In Green Bay, it's the dreaded "R" word.
No, we're not talking about retirement and Brett Favre.
This is another "R" word that generally hasn't been used since Favre's arrival in Green Bay back in 1992.
That's "R" as in rebuilding.
The Packers aren't saying they're rebuilding.
Back at his introductory news conference, new coach Mike McCarthy said it pretty plainly: "This definitely is not a rebuilding process."
When Mike McCarthy took over as head coach of the Green Bay Packers he said: "This definitely is not a rebuilding process. There's a great foundation."
"There's a great foundation," McCarthy said back on Jan. 12. "We have a tradition, resources that are second to none in the National Football League and I think that obviously gives us a springboard to get ready to compete for the upcoming season."
McCarthy is in a tough spot as a first-year coach. He has to toe the company line while also not creating unrealistic expectations for the Packers in the fan base. If he comes out and says he expects the Packers to compete for a Super Bowl berth in 2006, what credibility will he have with the fans?
So he toes the line. It's not a "rebuilding process."
But the truth is, it is a "rebuilding process."
The problem with that term is what it used to mean.
Back in the 1970s and '80s, rebuilding meant years at the bottom while a team built - er, "REbuilt" - through the draft. It meant years of losing. It meant asking for the fans' patience. And there was no guarantee that five years later those draft picks from the previous years would bring a winning record, much less a title.
So teams shy away from the word. Name any team that pointed with pride to the fact that it was rebuilding.
In the NFL of today, that word doesn't have to carry such a negative connotation. With free agency, the hard salary cap and a second round of free agency caused by cap cuts after June 1, rebuilding can be done rather quickly by any team with some salary cap room.
In 1999, the St. Louis Rams won the Super Bowl coming off a 4-12 season. In 2000, the Baltimore Ravens won it coming off an 8-8 mark. Finally, in 2001 the New England Patriots came off a 5-11 record the year before to win it all.
So any team could point to that span in the league, admit that it's rebuilding and still offer hope to its fans.
And that's what the Packers could - and maybe should - do.
Why?
Because it's time to face the facts about the current Packer roster.
Football games are won by playmakers and football games are won in the trenches, and the Packers are not particularly suited in either instance.
On offense, Brett Favre, Javon Walker, Ahman Green and Donald Driver are the best hopes for playmakers. We don't know if Favre is coming back; we know Walker has said he's not coming back; and while we know that Green's best days are behind him, we don't know what he has ahead of him after coming off a serious injury.
Driver is the one offensive player the Packers can safely count on for 2006, and he's now 31.
We could throw Samkon Gado in as a wild card, but he will have to prove it all over again in 2006.
If the Packers are to win in the trenches on offense, they'll have to improve drastically from their line production in 2005.
On defense, again the playmakers aren't exactly overflowing from the mug. Second-year safety Nick Collins has the potential, but right now it's just potential. Nick Barnett is entering his fourth season and led the Packers in turnover plays in 2005. But other than those two - and they're both more potential than proven - name another big-play or potential big-play guy on the defense.
Cornerback Al Harris shuts down wide receivers, but he hasn't recorded more than three interceptions in a season since 1999 in Philadelphia when he was a nickel back.
On the line, Aaron Kampman had the best season of all the defensive linemen. But as well as he played, he was not a game-changer in 2005.
So it would appear right now that the Packers simply don't have enough good or great players. And that means they have to get more. And that means rebuilding.
In two weeks they'll have added a No. 5 overall pick and at least six other draft picks to their roster. And there still are some choice players out there in free agency.
Favre said two weeks ago he wanted a "statement" signing in free agency. In today's NFL, one or two of those can change a team drastically.
So, yes, the Packers really are rebuilding. But that no longer has to be a five-year process.