motife
12-05-2007, 05:24 PM
Q: Nick of Milwaukee - Hey Tom, after the Defensive display against Dallas, it seems we kinda fell off the radar a tad. Do you think we have the secondary to make it to a Super Bowl? Oh and WHY is Rouse not starting? I think that is a question many want intelligently answered by the coaching staff and TT. Wouldn't you think?
A: Tom Silverstein - Good afternoon everybody. I'll try to get to as many questions as I can in my hour. So let's get started. Nick -- I think the secondary is something to be concerned about. The game against the Cowboys reminded me a lot of the games the Packers had last year when they were blowing coverages all over the place. Maybe it's a one-game thing or maybe Dallas just did a better job than anyone else identifying the weak spots. Getting Woodson back will help a lot, but the safety position is a problem.
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Q: kwed of dubuque - Tom, At a neutral site, would you rather play the cowboys in warm/dry weather or cold weather. Also, if we had champ bailey at one corner, who would start at the other corner--woodson or harris?
A: Tom Silverstein - You always want to play a team in good conditions. Then it takes the intangibles out of the game, some of which can go against you. The Packers haven't been a good cold weather team in a long time. They're not built that way like they were in the '90s. They're a passing team and their defense is predicated on the speed of their ends and linebackers. They'd be better off playing on turf, I think. As far as the other question, you could never afford all three, but if I had to choose I would go with Woodson because of the interceptions
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Q: Joe Darrow of Chicago - A big topic of discussion following the poor performance by Brett Favre in Dallas last week was the notion that Favre is no longer a reliable quarterback in big games. Sad to say, I tend to agree. How would you rate his performance in big games in the last 6 years and how much was that perfomance influenced by his supporting cast?
A: Tom Silverstein - Favre hasn't been great in big games lately, but big games mean you're playing against top-notch opponents and the Packers haven't been close to the best team in the NFC in quite some time. Even in '03, they were very good offensively, but mostly they were riding a wave of emotion following the death of Irvin Favre. Until he threw his horrible interception, Favre had played well against Philadelphia. I would also characterize games at Minnesota, at Detroit and at Chicago as big games. Favre has played well in those. Usually, when you get to games against playoff caliber teams one guy can't make you better if you're not better already.
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Q: Kimberly of Sheboygan, Wi - How do the Packers matchup against the Raiders?
A: Tom Silverstein - The Raiders play outstanding pass defense and will play the Packers' receivers man-to-man all day long. It will be a real test for Green Bay's passing game. Oakland has been running the ball better with Justin Fargas, but their passing game is terrible and they're going to struggle in the cold. I think this will be a low-scoring game.
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Q: Jeff of Mercer, Wi - Tom, is it just me, or is Thompson getting too much credit for this season and maybe McCarthy not enough?..there are several weak areas on the team, offensive line, safety positions, running back for part of the season...while TT has turned over the roster and upgraded talent from the Sherman days, don't you think McCarthy has done a great job coming up with a winning combination with the youngest team in the league and some obvious personnel weaknesses?
A: Tom Silverstein - I sense you haven't gotten over the Dallas loss yet. Before that game, the Packers could do no wrong. Any way you slice it, Thompson has done a great job building this team. They weren't supposed to be 10-2 this year. They weren't even supposed to win the division. He's only had three off-seasons to rebuild and one of those was tearing the team up so he could start over. There are weaknesses on this team, there's no question. He failed to get Randy Moss, but he was right about James Jones and Greg Jennings. McCarthy and his staff have done a remarkable job fitting players into spots and getting the most out of them. But you can't do that unless the players are good. Thompson has given him a lot of young talent to work with.
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Q: george of san diego - cliff used to say that you don't pay any money for guards, and good guards are easy to find. well as good as thompson has been finding talent and not over paying for any free agents, i bet if he knew this team was going to 10-2 and be a few players short of the superbowl he would have spend a few million on a couple of good guards.
A: Tom Silverstein - Excellent point. I think that philosophy is changing. Look how much Minnesota paid for Steve Hutchinson and Dallas paid for Leonard Davis. People laughed at the Davis signing and he's a huge part of the success of the Cowboys. I think that axiom doesn't apply anymore because all of the best defensive players are in the middle. They used to be all ends, which is why you didn't care about the guards, you only cared about the tackles. Plus, Cliff's an old goat who still has a black and white TV.
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Q: Jay of Connecticut - Tom, Favre started the Dallas game playing like he was 10 points down at the opening kickoff. Do you think that the injuries on defense affected his approach to the game?
A: Tom Silverstein - No, the gameplan and his recent success going deep bit him. McCarthy wanted to soften up the Cowboys by going deep early and Favre had that on his brain when he started chucking the ball up. As he said today, he didn't have to go long. It wasn't required of him. But when the coaches started talking about testing the Cowboys deep, I'm sure it had an impact on his thinking. He carried it too far and made some really horrible decisions. He had underneath players open - especially on that flea-flicker - and ignored them.
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Q: Pete From Yooperland of Negaunee, MI - Do you think that the Packers will eventually lose Aaron Rodgers to free agency ?
A: Tom Silverstein - Probably not. Rodgers has two more years left on his contract. I think Favre will play one or two more years after this and then turn over the ball to Rodgers. The Packers will have to pony up to make up for all the money he's lost as a backup, but I see a scenario where Thompson and McCarthy make it known that Rodgers will be their guy in 2010.
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Q: Paul of Eau Claire - I hardly heard Justin Harrell's name Thursday. Did you see any flashes of good play? Secondly, this is obviously premature but what are the Packer's most glaring needs? Lastly why isnt Donald Lee used more?
A: Tom Silverstein - Harrell played OK from what the coaches have said. I saw him get pushed around once, but he looked like he held his own. He just didn't do anything special. He needs to play a lot in the next four weeks. As for future needs, they must address cornerback to prepare for the decline of Woodson and Harris. That's primary. A left tackle would be key given Clifton's bad knees and another running back to compete with Grant and Wynn will be needed. That's just off the top of my head. Lee was used a lot before the two Thursday games. I think the Packers are using more five-receiver sets, which limits his play time. But I don't see him being ignored.
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Q: Kevin of Chippewa Falls - Tom - in analyzing the Packers defense this year I would say it has been good but not great and I get the sense that they are not quite fullfilling their potential. Is that because they are relatively young yet? (Hawk, Poppinga, Bigby,etc), the d-coordinator is not getting the most out of what he has or am I just being too harsh? At the start of the season I think alot of us worried about the team scoring points but that hasn't been the problem. If anything their are times when you wish the defense was just a little bit better. Your thoughts Tom?
A: Tom Silverstein - I'm not sure what their potential is. I've never thought they had the makings of a great defense. They don't have a dominant player. They have legitimate Pro Bowl players in Kampman, Barnett and maybe Harris or Woodson, but they're a defense that is better because of the sum of their parts. To be great you've got to have great players. I don't think there's a Ray Lewis, Champ Bailey, Michael Strahan, Brian Urlacher, Brian Dawkins or Richard Seymour on the roster.
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Q: Cheezehead 4 Life of Milwaukee of thee Wisconsin - Tom, being the NFL's youngest team, isn't it beneficial for to the Packers to have big losses in relation to big wins? To me, success always masks your problems in life. So when you do fail, your character and resolve is tested and the truth is exposed. Winning teams find ways to recover and losing teams do not. I think we'll learn more about this team losing against Dallas in the manner we did then if we would've won.
A: Tom Silverstein - You might be right. If anything, it should have knocked the Packers off their high horse and let them know they're probably not as good as their record. It also gives them a baseline to work with in understanding what they have to do to get to the top. I think McCarthy is counting on them continuing to get better as the season goes on, which is why he didn't risk playing Woodson and KGB. Everyone loses in the NFL - except maybe the Patriots - and you better figure out how to deal with it.
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Q: Alex Scribner of Vancouver, WA - Tom, Last year, we kept hearing the Packers coaching staff saying that they were satisfied with Manuel at Safety, even though he continually hurt the team and it seemed obvious to everyone else that he should have been replaced. It seemed like the Packers hoped the problems he continually suffered through would just go away if they denied there was any problem with him. This year, it seems like the same situation is happening with Collins and Bibgy. Neither of these guys has played very well and yet Aaron Rouse still appears to be stuck behind them despite being healthy again. Are we seeing a repeat of history that the Packers will regret? Do you think the coaches will wake up and put Rouse in there for at least one of the two clueless others before it costs the Packers their season in the playoffs?
A: Tom Silverstein - I think you raise an excellent point. They were in complete denial about Manuel last year. And even though they didn't have much to replace him with, they were kidding themselves that he was the answer. I think they're doing that again with Collins and Bigby. Rouse isn't an all-pro and he hasn't seen everything the other two have, but his instincts are 100 times better and you might as well find out now whether he can help you. You have four weeks to get your best players on the field for the playoffs.
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Q: Jesse of Atlanta - Tom, Is the Packers inability to blitz effectively due to a lack of emphasis in practice, or the personnel? And how much do you think this will hurt them when they get into the playoffs.
A: Tom Silverstein - I think it's not part of their personality. If you're going to be successful blitzing, you have to blitz. It's like playing man-to-man. You can't play zone all year and then think for one game you're going to play man. I still think Hawk has the ability to be an outstanding blitzer, but you can't just bring him behind Barnett every time. You have to come up with third down packages in which he's coming off the edge or has has hand down. You have to do a better job disguising the blitzes. They've kind of gotten away from Woodson blitzing, too. I thought he was fairly effective last year. But the bottom line is that's not what they do, so they're not going to all of a sudden be great at it.
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Q: Tom Hofmann of Fort Myers - Hi Tom, Watching the Pack in Dallas gave me that old 1990's feeling, that we're good but Dallas will get ahead and run the ball down our throats in the 4th Quarter. What do we need to do to have a chance if Dallas is our opponent in the playoffs? Rouse at safety seems like one step to me maybe? Woodson back, of course. A solidified OL with the same starters for a few games? Thanks!
A: Tom Silverstein - When the Packers played the Cowboys in the '90s, they had little or no chance of winning. They had holes on the defensive line, at receiver / tight end and at cornerback. The Cowboys had no holes -- anywhere. This Cowboys team is nowhere near as dominant. They're good and they've got four great players in Owens, Romo, Witten and Ware, but they've got serious holes in the secondary and some concerns on special teams. The Packers just need to play better. They got outcoached and outplayed. The Cowboys are a better team on paper, but the Packers nearly came back with their backup quarterback under center and two key defensive players out. The old Cowboys wouldn't have let that happen.
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Q: J Custer of Washington, DC - As illustrated in Lori Nickels' story, Daryn Colledge has been up-and-down so far in his career. I remember a bit of optimism about him when he was drafted. It seems some offensive linemen are just late bloomers. From what you have seen, do you think that may be the case with Colledge? or is he going to be average at best?
A: Tom Silverstein - It's really hard to tell. He could wind up being like Mike Wahle, who was terrible his first two years and then took off. Colledge looks to me like he's not handling his added bulk well and needs to be playing tackle. It's different playing inside and some guys are just better working in space. On the other hand, he just might not be any good. He's physically gifted and isn't a dummy, so you don't give up on him this early. But in the off-season they have to reassess where he should be playing and what his body should look like.
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Q: Tim of Batavia - Tom, It certainly seems logical that a GM would want to hand pick his coach and the two of them present a united front in building a team. Do you think the same logic applies in the Team President-GM relationship?
A: Tom Silverstein - Absolutely. But Murphy is walking into a position where things look pretty good on the football side. Thompson and McCarthy appear to be the right men for the job. Murphy's job will be to keep the ship running. But I agree that personalities play a part in every working relationship and if there is friction between Murphy and Thompson there will be serious trouble in the future. Murphy will never feel the bond with Thompson that he would with someone who was his own hire. It's the same way Thompson felt with Mike Sherman. They never got along and Sherman had to go.
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Q: John Henry of Neillsville - I saw in the JS on Tuesday that there were 21 mental breakdowns against the Cowboys whereas the average has been 9. What do you see as the cause and what is the cure? Is this just partly the youth of the team and the fact GB hasn't been playing Big games lately? Or, did the coaching staff get caught in the glare of the headlights?
A: Tom Silverstein - To me, it's a coaching failure. I know that players are responsible for carrying out assignments, but if they're not communicating and unsure who's covering whom, the coaches failed at getting their game plan across. I think the coaches have to look in the mirror and ask themselves what they did wrong. How did they fail to communicate with the players what they wanted to get done and did they not get them mentally prepared. Someone needed to calm Al Harris down and drill it into Nick Collins and Atari Bigby not to bite on play action. It just wasn't done.
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Q: JK of Madison, Wi - Sylvester Croom had a terrific season as coach of Ms. State. As a former well respected coach for the Packers, have any of our players been complimenting him or commenting on his recent success?
A: Tom Silverstein - There isn't a single running back on the roster who was here when Croom was the running backs coach. Probably the guy who knows him the best is Edgar Bennett, but I haven't had a chance to speak to him about it. Bennett was an assistant running backs coach under Croom. I am not surprised that he has turned things around there. He's a good coach and a terrific human being.
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Q: Johnny of Milwaukee - Hi Tom. I've always thought that lack of depth in the defensive backfield was the Packers biggest single weakness. What do the Packers see in Jarrett Bush that fans don't? Also, do Atari Bigby's maturity and field smarts remind you of Ahmad Carrol?
A: Tom Silverstein - I think they see size and toughness in Bush. He's the kind of guy who isn't afraid to tackle and won't back down to receivers. But he's very raw as a corner. He made two inexcusable errors peaking into the backfield on the two touchdowns he gave up. I don't think it's worth giving up on him totally. But if the Packers aren't opening his job up to competition then they're making a big mistake because Tramon Williams and Will Blackmon deserve a look.
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Q: Tommy Tank of Brooklyn, USA - Tom, Playing the conspiracy theory here. Do you think Herm Edwards famouse line "YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME" may not have completely applied to MM's philosophy against Dallas? If you looked at the game plan while Favre was in the game- what happened to all the slants and short passes that have been the mainstay of the offense this year? Were Woodson and KGB held out so that if we lose we have an excuse and get young guys experience in a play-off like atmosphere? Plus we don't show our hand thinking we'll see the Cowboys again in January. I don't mean to say we didn't want to win, but.......
A: Tom Silverstein - I've thought of that as well, Tommy. It sure comes off that way. I think in the case of Woodson though, he wasn't ready to play. I'm not sure he'll be ready this week. It's the kind of injury that can get worse and if you don't have him in the playoffs you probably don't have a chance to go very far. So I can't blame them on that one. KGB, I think they were being overly cautious.
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Q: robert trefny of london,uk - Does the round-robin at guard suggest that none of the guardds are playing up to the level needed and that TT will have to go searching for guards in the draft/free agency again?
A: Tom Silverstein - It's too early to say that, but until that position is solidified he has to consider adding players. He has two younger guys in Allen Barbre and Tony Palmer who could be prospects. Palmer is coming off a serious neck injury and Barbre has a lot to learn. But if he can find a big-time guard in free agency or the draft, he should get him.
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Q: gene of chicago - Thanks for taking my question, Tom. One of Bob's stories quoted Bob Harlan to the effect that he did not want the new CEO to be any sort of threat to Ted Thompson--not a "general Manager " type. Do you see this as a valid rationale? Do you feel that Murphy has what it takes to compete in the NFL executive jungle?
A: Tom Silverstein - I think adding a football-only general manager type would have been a problem. Thompson doesn't need a guy who will second-guess him all the time. He needs someone who will support him and look after the long-term interests of the organization. I think Murphy's football background will allow him to make assessments and share with Thompson some of his thoughts. I don't know how Murphy is going to handle being an NFL exec. That's the gamble the Packers are taking with him.
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Q: Jim of Minneapolis - Hi Tom - What was the knock on Ryan Grant when he came out of Notre Dame? He looks too good to not have warranted even a low draft choice from any team.
A: Tom Silverstein - Mostly, he lost his job twice at Notre Dame, once when Julius Jones came back from a year off due to academic reasons, and then again when Darius Walker emerged. So all scouts had was his solid sophomore year when he rushed for 1,000 yards. He got hurt his senior year and didn't rush for that many yards. He kind of got lost in the shuffle.
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Q: Jay of Seattle - When a player gets fined by the league (like Frank Walker was this week) - is there any appeal process? Does the team manage the fine, or does the player just write a check (with a nasty memo entry)??
A: Tom Silverstein - The player can appeal the fine and usually does. Most of the time it's denied. I believe the fine comes from the player's weekly check.
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Q: Joseph of Wauwatosa - Any word on John Jolly, who was supposed to have tests today, as to whether he might be headed to injured reserve? Who are getting the most reps at defensive tackle this week in practice?
A: Tom Silverstein - It appears he's going to be out for the season. McCarthy wouldn't say what exactly was wrong, but it could be a rotator cuff or something of that nature. Justin Harrell will get the majority of reps, although they seem to have it split to where Harrell plays on running downs and Daniel Muir plays on passing downs. Well, folks, that's it. I've got to get back to work and crank out a couple stories. Thanks for checking in and I'll see you next time.
A: Tom Silverstein - Good afternoon everybody. I'll try to get to as many questions as I can in my hour. So let's get started. Nick -- I think the secondary is something to be concerned about. The game against the Cowboys reminded me a lot of the games the Packers had last year when they were blowing coverages all over the place. Maybe it's a one-game thing or maybe Dallas just did a better job than anyone else identifying the weak spots. Getting Woodson back will help a lot, but the safety position is a problem.
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Q: kwed of dubuque - Tom, At a neutral site, would you rather play the cowboys in warm/dry weather or cold weather. Also, if we had champ bailey at one corner, who would start at the other corner--woodson or harris?
A: Tom Silverstein - You always want to play a team in good conditions. Then it takes the intangibles out of the game, some of which can go against you. The Packers haven't been a good cold weather team in a long time. They're not built that way like they were in the '90s. They're a passing team and their defense is predicated on the speed of their ends and linebackers. They'd be better off playing on turf, I think. As far as the other question, you could never afford all three, but if I had to choose I would go with Woodson because of the interceptions
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Q: Joe Darrow of Chicago - A big topic of discussion following the poor performance by Brett Favre in Dallas last week was the notion that Favre is no longer a reliable quarterback in big games. Sad to say, I tend to agree. How would you rate his performance in big games in the last 6 years and how much was that perfomance influenced by his supporting cast?
A: Tom Silverstein - Favre hasn't been great in big games lately, but big games mean you're playing against top-notch opponents and the Packers haven't been close to the best team in the NFC in quite some time. Even in '03, they were very good offensively, but mostly they were riding a wave of emotion following the death of Irvin Favre. Until he threw his horrible interception, Favre had played well against Philadelphia. I would also characterize games at Minnesota, at Detroit and at Chicago as big games. Favre has played well in those. Usually, when you get to games against playoff caliber teams one guy can't make you better if you're not better already.
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Q: Kimberly of Sheboygan, Wi - How do the Packers matchup against the Raiders?
A: Tom Silverstein - The Raiders play outstanding pass defense and will play the Packers' receivers man-to-man all day long. It will be a real test for Green Bay's passing game. Oakland has been running the ball better with Justin Fargas, but their passing game is terrible and they're going to struggle in the cold. I think this will be a low-scoring game.
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Q: Jeff of Mercer, Wi - Tom, is it just me, or is Thompson getting too much credit for this season and maybe McCarthy not enough?..there are several weak areas on the team, offensive line, safety positions, running back for part of the season...while TT has turned over the roster and upgraded talent from the Sherman days, don't you think McCarthy has done a great job coming up with a winning combination with the youngest team in the league and some obvious personnel weaknesses?
A: Tom Silverstein - I sense you haven't gotten over the Dallas loss yet. Before that game, the Packers could do no wrong. Any way you slice it, Thompson has done a great job building this team. They weren't supposed to be 10-2 this year. They weren't even supposed to win the division. He's only had three off-seasons to rebuild and one of those was tearing the team up so he could start over. There are weaknesses on this team, there's no question. He failed to get Randy Moss, but he was right about James Jones and Greg Jennings. McCarthy and his staff have done a remarkable job fitting players into spots and getting the most out of them. But you can't do that unless the players are good. Thompson has given him a lot of young talent to work with.
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Q: george of san diego - cliff used to say that you don't pay any money for guards, and good guards are easy to find. well as good as thompson has been finding talent and not over paying for any free agents, i bet if he knew this team was going to 10-2 and be a few players short of the superbowl he would have spend a few million on a couple of good guards.
A: Tom Silverstein - Excellent point. I think that philosophy is changing. Look how much Minnesota paid for Steve Hutchinson and Dallas paid for Leonard Davis. People laughed at the Davis signing and he's a huge part of the success of the Cowboys. I think that axiom doesn't apply anymore because all of the best defensive players are in the middle. They used to be all ends, which is why you didn't care about the guards, you only cared about the tackles. Plus, Cliff's an old goat who still has a black and white TV.
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Q: Jay of Connecticut - Tom, Favre started the Dallas game playing like he was 10 points down at the opening kickoff. Do you think that the injuries on defense affected his approach to the game?
A: Tom Silverstein - No, the gameplan and his recent success going deep bit him. McCarthy wanted to soften up the Cowboys by going deep early and Favre had that on his brain when he started chucking the ball up. As he said today, he didn't have to go long. It wasn't required of him. But when the coaches started talking about testing the Cowboys deep, I'm sure it had an impact on his thinking. He carried it too far and made some really horrible decisions. He had underneath players open - especially on that flea-flicker - and ignored them.
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Q: Pete From Yooperland of Negaunee, MI - Do you think that the Packers will eventually lose Aaron Rodgers to free agency ?
A: Tom Silverstein - Probably not. Rodgers has two more years left on his contract. I think Favre will play one or two more years after this and then turn over the ball to Rodgers. The Packers will have to pony up to make up for all the money he's lost as a backup, but I see a scenario where Thompson and McCarthy make it known that Rodgers will be their guy in 2010.
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Q: Paul of Eau Claire - I hardly heard Justin Harrell's name Thursday. Did you see any flashes of good play? Secondly, this is obviously premature but what are the Packer's most glaring needs? Lastly why isnt Donald Lee used more?
A: Tom Silverstein - Harrell played OK from what the coaches have said. I saw him get pushed around once, but he looked like he held his own. He just didn't do anything special. He needs to play a lot in the next four weeks. As for future needs, they must address cornerback to prepare for the decline of Woodson and Harris. That's primary. A left tackle would be key given Clifton's bad knees and another running back to compete with Grant and Wynn will be needed. That's just off the top of my head. Lee was used a lot before the two Thursday games. I think the Packers are using more five-receiver sets, which limits his play time. But I don't see him being ignored.
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Q: Kevin of Chippewa Falls - Tom - in analyzing the Packers defense this year I would say it has been good but not great and I get the sense that they are not quite fullfilling their potential. Is that because they are relatively young yet? (Hawk, Poppinga, Bigby,etc), the d-coordinator is not getting the most out of what he has or am I just being too harsh? At the start of the season I think alot of us worried about the team scoring points but that hasn't been the problem. If anything their are times when you wish the defense was just a little bit better. Your thoughts Tom?
A: Tom Silverstein - I'm not sure what their potential is. I've never thought they had the makings of a great defense. They don't have a dominant player. They have legitimate Pro Bowl players in Kampman, Barnett and maybe Harris or Woodson, but they're a defense that is better because of the sum of their parts. To be great you've got to have great players. I don't think there's a Ray Lewis, Champ Bailey, Michael Strahan, Brian Urlacher, Brian Dawkins or Richard Seymour on the roster.
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Q: Cheezehead 4 Life of Milwaukee of thee Wisconsin - Tom, being the NFL's youngest team, isn't it beneficial for to the Packers to have big losses in relation to big wins? To me, success always masks your problems in life. So when you do fail, your character and resolve is tested and the truth is exposed. Winning teams find ways to recover and losing teams do not. I think we'll learn more about this team losing against Dallas in the manner we did then if we would've won.
A: Tom Silverstein - You might be right. If anything, it should have knocked the Packers off their high horse and let them know they're probably not as good as their record. It also gives them a baseline to work with in understanding what they have to do to get to the top. I think McCarthy is counting on them continuing to get better as the season goes on, which is why he didn't risk playing Woodson and KGB. Everyone loses in the NFL - except maybe the Patriots - and you better figure out how to deal with it.
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Q: Alex Scribner of Vancouver, WA - Tom, Last year, we kept hearing the Packers coaching staff saying that they were satisfied with Manuel at Safety, even though he continually hurt the team and it seemed obvious to everyone else that he should have been replaced. It seemed like the Packers hoped the problems he continually suffered through would just go away if they denied there was any problem with him. This year, it seems like the same situation is happening with Collins and Bibgy. Neither of these guys has played very well and yet Aaron Rouse still appears to be stuck behind them despite being healthy again. Are we seeing a repeat of history that the Packers will regret? Do you think the coaches will wake up and put Rouse in there for at least one of the two clueless others before it costs the Packers their season in the playoffs?
A: Tom Silverstein - I think you raise an excellent point. They were in complete denial about Manuel last year. And even though they didn't have much to replace him with, they were kidding themselves that he was the answer. I think they're doing that again with Collins and Bigby. Rouse isn't an all-pro and he hasn't seen everything the other two have, but his instincts are 100 times better and you might as well find out now whether he can help you. You have four weeks to get your best players on the field for the playoffs.
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Q: Jesse of Atlanta - Tom, Is the Packers inability to blitz effectively due to a lack of emphasis in practice, or the personnel? And how much do you think this will hurt them when they get into the playoffs.
A: Tom Silverstein - I think it's not part of their personality. If you're going to be successful blitzing, you have to blitz. It's like playing man-to-man. You can't play zone all year and then think for one game you're going to play man. I still think Hawk has the ability to be an outstanding blitzer, but you can't just bring him behind Barnett every time. You have to come up with third down packages in which he's coming off the edge or has has hand down. You have to do a better job disguising the blitzes. They've kind of gotten away from Woodson blitzing, too. I thought he was fairly effective last year. But the bottom line is that's not what they do, so they're not going to all of a sudden be great at it.
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Q: Tom Hofmann of Fort Myers - Hi Tom, Watching the Pack in Dallas gave me that old 1990's feeling, that we're good but Dallas will get ahead and run the ball down our throats in the 4th Quarter. What do we need to do to have a chance if Dallas is our opponent in the playoffs? Rouse at safety seems like one step to me maybe? Woodson back, of course. A solidified OL with the same starters for a few games? Thanks!
A: Tom Silverstein - When the Packers played the Cowboys in the '90s, they had little or no chance of winning. They had holes on the defensive line, at receiver / tight end and at cornerback. The Cowboys had no holes -- anywhere. This Cowboys team is nowhere near as dominant. They're good and they've got four great players in Owens, Romo, Witten and Ware, but they've got serious holes in the secondary and some concerns on special teams. The Packers just need to play better. They got outcoached and outplayed. The Cowboys are a better team on paper, but the Packers nearly came back with their backup quarterback under center and two key defensive players out. The old Cowboys wouldn't have let that happen.
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Q: J Custer of Washington, DC - As illustrated in Lori Nickels' story, Daryn Colledge has been up-and-down so far in his career. I remember a bit of optimism about him when he was drafted. It seems some offensive linemen are just late bloomers. From what you have seen, do you think that may be the case with Colledge? or is he going to be average at best?
A: Tom Silverstein - It's really hard to tell. He could wind up being like Mike Wahle, who was terrible his first two years and then took off. Colledge looks to me like he's not handling his added bulk well and needs to be playing tackle. It's different playing inside and some guys are just better working in space. On the other hand, he just might not be any good. He's physically gifted and isn't a dummy, so you don't give up on him this early. But in the off-season they have to reassess where he should be playing and what his body should look like.
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Q: Tim of Batavia - Tom, It certainly seems logical that a GM would want to hand pick his coach and the two of them present a united front in building a team. Do you think the same logic applies in the Team President-GM relationship?
A: Tom Silverstein - Absolutely. But Murphy is walking into a position where things look pretty good on the football side. Thompson and McCarthy appear to be the right men for the job. Murphy's job will be to keep the ship running. But I agree that personalities play a part in every working relationship and if there is friction between Murphy and Thompson there will be serious trouble in the future. Murphy will never feel the bond with Thompson that he would with someone who was his own hire. It's the same way Thompson felt with Mike Sherman. They never got along and Sherman had to go.
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Q: John Henry of Neillsville - I saw in the JS on Tuesday that there were 21 mental breakdowns against the Cowboys whereas the average has been 9. What do you see as the cause and what is the cure? Is this just partly the youth of the team and the fact GB hasn't been playing Big games lately? Or, did the coaching staff get caught in the glare of the headlights?
A: Tom Silverstein - To me, it's a coaching failure. I know that players are responsible for carrying out assignments, but if they're not communicating and unsure who's covering whom, the coaches failed at getting their game plan across. I think the coaches have to look in the mirror and ask themselves what they did wrong. How did they fail to communicate with the players what they wanted to get done and did they not get them mentally prepared. Someone needed to calm Al Harris down and drill it into Nick Collins and Atari Bigby not to bite on play action. It just wasn't done.
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Q: JK of Madison, Wi - Sylvester Croom had a terrific season as coach of Ms. State. As a former well respected coach for the Packers, have any of our players been complimenting him or commenting on his recent success?
A: Tom Silverstein - There isn't a single running back on the roster who was here when Croom was the running backs coach. Probably the guy who knows him the best is Edgar Bennett, but I haven't had a chance to speak to him about it. Bennett was an assistant running backs coach under Croom. I am not surprised that he has turned things around there. He's a good coach and a terrific human being.
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Q: Johnny of Milwaukee - Hi Tom. I've always thought that lack of depth in the defensive backfield was the Packers biggest single weakness. What do the Packers see in Jarrett Bush that fans don't? Also, do Atari Bigby's maturity and field smarts remind you of Ahmad Carrol?
A: Tom Silverstein - I think they see size and toughness in Bush. He's the kind of guy who isn't afraid to tackle and won't back down to receivers. But he's very raw as a corner. He made two inexcusable errors peaking into the backfield on the two touchdowns he gave up. I don't think it's worth giving up on him totally. But if the Packers aren't opening his job up to competition then they're making a big mistake because Tramon Williams and Will Blackmon deserve a look.
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Q: Tommy Tank of Brooklyn, USA - Tom, Playing the conspiracy theory here. Do you think Herm Edwards famouse line "YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME" may not have completely applied to MM's philosophy against Dallas? If you looked at the game plan while Favre was in the game- what happened to all the slants and short passes that have been the mainstay of the offense this year? Were Woodson and KGB held out so that if we lose we have an excuse and get young guys experience in a play-off like atmosphere? Plus we don't show our hand thinking we'll see the Cowboys again in January. I don't mean to say we didn't want to win, but.......
A: Tom Silverstein - I've thought of that as well, Tommy. It sure comes off that way. I think in the case of Woodson though, he wasn't ready to play. I'm not sure he'll be ready this week. It's the kind of injury that can get worse and if you don't have him in the playoffs you probably don't have a chance to go very far. So I can't blame them on that one. KGB, I think they were being overly cautious.
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Q: robert trefny of london,uk - Does the round-robin at guard suggest that none of the guardds are playing up to the level needed and that TT will have to go searching for guards in the draft/free agency again?
A: Tom Silverstein - It's too early to say that, but until that position is solidified he has to consider adding players. He has two younger guys in Allen Barbre and Tony Palmer who could be prospects. Palmer is coming off a serious neck injury and Barbre has a lot to learn. But if he can find a big-time guard in free agency or the draft, he should get him.
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Q: gene of chicago - Thanks for taking my question, Tom. One of Bob's stories quoted Bob Harlan to the effect that he did not want the new CEO to be any sort of threat to Ted Thompson--not a "general Manager " type. Do you see this as a valid rationale? Do you feel that Murphy has what it takes to compete in the NFL executive jungle?
A: Tom Silverstein - I think adding a football-only general manager type would have been a problem. Thompson doesn't need a guy who will second-guess him all the time. He needs someone who will support him and look after the long-term interests of the organization. I think Murphy's football background will allow him to make assessments and share with Thompson some of his thoughts. I don't know how Murphy is going to handle being an NFL exec. That's the gamble the Packers are taking with him.
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Q: Jim of Minneapolis - Hi Tom - What was the knock on Ryan Grant when he came out of Notre Dame? He looks too good to not have warranted even a low draft choice from any team.
A: Tom Silverstein - Mostly, he lost his job twice at Notre Dame, once when Julius Jones came back from a year off due to academic reasons, and then again when Darius Walker emerged. So all scouts had was his solid sophomore year when he rushed for 1,000 yards. He got hurt his senior year and didn't rush for that many yards. He kind of got lost in the shuffle.
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Q: Jay of Seattle - When a player gets fined by the league (like Frank Walker was this week) - is there any appeal process? Does the team manage the fine, or does the player just write a check (with a nasty memo entry)??
A: Tom Silverstein - The player can appeal the fine and usually does. Most of the time it's denied. I believe the fine comes from the player's weekly check.
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Q: Joseph of Wauwatosa - Any word on John Jolly, who was supposed to have tests today, as to whether he might be headed to injured reserve? Who are getting the most reps at defensive tackle this week in practice?
A: Tom Silverstein - It appears he's going to be out for the season. McCarthy wouldn't say what exactly was wrong, but it could be a rotator cuff or something of that nature. Justin Harrell will get the majority of reps, although they seem to have it split to where Harrell plays on running downs and Daniel Muir plays on passing downs. Well, folks, that's it. I've got to get back to work and crank out a couple stories. Thanks for checking in and I'll see you next time.