PACK and THEIR OWN--WHO WILL THEY TRY TO KEEP ????

[Smidgeon]

I'm assuming the Packers would attempt to find another safety if they don't try to keep Bigby.

Really going out on a limb there, huh Skin? Either they will keep their existing starter or try to get a new one?

I have a strong feeling that Mr. Bedard doesn't know much of anything more than the average fan does, and makes educated guesses from there. Why would the Packers NOT want Bigby back, when they have almost zero depth behind him? Even if they draft a safety, why would they want him to be backed up by only guys like Bush and Giacomini? I think the smart money says Bigby will be back.

Uhhhh...

That was kind of the point I was making in response to whoever it was who said Atari is the best SS we have and that we would have to wait until we got someone better before talking about replacing Bigby. I was pointing out that... ah fuck it. I haven't got the energy.

Maybe we don't want Bigby back because he sucks monkey cock, and worse, gets injured while doing it. Maybe. It's just one reason, but there are many to choose from. Hopefully we don't tender him and he goes to Minnesota. That would be the best contribution to the Packers he could probably make next year.

I've also checked my considerable sources and Giacomini has no intention of playing safety of any sort.

I didn't exactly see a lot of intention playing RT this last year either, so maybe it isn't that far fetched.

[red]

i guess i'm in the minority in thinking tauscher is a better keep then clifton.

chad is being held together by rubber bands and duct tape these days

if it was my choice and i only got to keep one of them, it would be tauscher

and i just don't understand resigning kampman, unless they're going to fatten him up to play back on the line. or to tag him and try and get something for him, even if its a 4th rounder at this point. i think they're best bet though might be to let him walk and try and pick up a 3rd round compensation pick for losing him in next years draft

[KYPack]

Thompson has not let the lack of an obvious backup get in his way before when moving forward without someone. But in Bigby's case, especially if he is an RFA, I can't see him getting expensive enough to cost more than his value.

But they need something back there beside the two putative starters and the current collection of backups.

That has been a disturbing tendency of his. And he has stayed pretty true to it. Get rid of the starter when we have no back-up sure seems like a flawed policy to me. Losing your starting RT? No problem, we'll just move our back-up guard over there.

Your punter giving you second thoughts? Cut him and put a waiver FA in there.
He's done the same thing with the guards, FB, and back-up QB. In some cases, it worked. I thought the Barbre to starting RT was really lunacy. He hasn't proven to be a capable NFL starter, let along a starting RT. The Tausch situation really saved our asses there.

I still think we should bring in a proven back-up QB, some OLineman. And oh yeah, a whole herd of punters. That and cut one of those FB's.

[get louder at lambeau]

And oh yeah, a whole herd of punters.

I don't think punters are beefy enough to have their grouping called a herd. Maybe a flock of punters? A gaggle?

[Lurker64]

Most of these guys are restricted.

With Kampmans age, injury and his not-so-great fit, I'm not too worried if we lose him.


Tausch and Clifton are guys that it would be nice to keep around one more year. I don't picture either of them getting even moderately big offers with their age and recent injury history. We should be able to keep one or both if we choose to.

Pickett seems like he has a good chance of coming back.


After that, they're all restricted. We're not going to lose much, if anything this year.




The most important part of this off season is going to be the draft (hopefully we can find a start OL and some other valuable parts). The next most important part is going to be keeping Pickett, then Tasuch and Clifton, but just one of them would probably be enough if we got a good one in the draft and Lang continued to develop.

Im worried about Kampman wearing purple....

Not going to happen. No way, no how.

Don't the Vikes have restrictions on who they can sign? I think they can only sign a big FA if they lose a big FA, right?

Yeah they do but at some point in time they should be free. Just don't know that exactly. But I think they will make a play for AK.

Actually, as I understand it, the following rule applies to the Vikings (and Saints, Colts, and Jets) in free agency this year:

The final four teams shall not be permitted to negotiate and sign any unrestricted free agent to a player contract except for players who acquired their status by being cut or were on the final four team when their contract expired.

So, since Kampman will become a free agent this year by having his contract expire with the Packers, the Vikings will be entirely barred from negotiating with him without a CBA extension before the league year starts in March.

If the Packers, for some reason, elected to cut Kampman before he became a free agent, the Vikings would be able to sign him.

[SkinBasket]

I'm assuming the Packers would attempt to find another safety if they don't try to keep Bigby.

Really going out on a limb there, huh Skin? Either they will keep their existing starter or try to get a new one?

I have a strong feeling that Mr. Bedard doesn't know much of anything more than the average fan does, and makes educated guesses from there. Why would the Packers NOT want Bigby back, when they have almost zero depth behind him? Even if they draft a safety, why would they want him to be backed up by only guys like Bush and Giacomini? I think the smart money says Bigby will be back.

Uhhhh...

That was kind of the point I was making in response to whoever it was who said Atari is the best SS we have and that we would have to wait until we got someone better before talking about replacing Bigby. I was pointing out that... ah fuck it. I haven't got the energy.

Maybe we don't want Bigby back because he sucks monkey cock, and worse, gets injured while doing it. Maybe. It's just one reason, but there are many to choose from. Hopefully we don't tender him and he goes to Minnesota. That would be the best contribution to the Packers he could probably make next year.

I've also checked my considerable sources and Giacomini has no intention of playing safety of any sort.

So you think we're better off starting from scratch at SS. I think it makes more sense to tender our current starter who is an RFA, and draft some competition for him. I like to try to think rationally that way. I know it's not for everyone.

And thanks for being the fourth person to correct my brain fart on the name of our 5th string Italian safety. It's always funniest the fourth time.

I don't know if we're better off starting entirely from scratch, but I certainly think it's a possibility that we would be. Clinging on to garbage in the hope that it suddenly turns into gold isn't always the most rational approach either. I would think tendering him would be more of a sure thing if he could contribute on special teams.

As far as Giacomini goes, I apologize. Next time I'll try to time my response to work around your mental limitations and spare your precious little feelings. That was mean of me not to read everyone's resposnes before composing my own.

[Smidgeon]

And oh yeah, a whole herd of punters.

I don't think punters are beefy enough to have their grouping called a herd. Maybe a flock of punters? A gaggle?

A "whiff" of punters?

[get louder at lambeau]

As far as Giacomini goes, I apologize. Next time I'll try to time my response to work around your mental limitations and spare your precious little feelings. That was mean of me not to read everyone's resposnes before composing my own.

Don't worry, my feelings aren't injured too badly. I'm sure they'll grow back. I've been accused of worse than switching the similar last names of two 3rd string Italian football players before, believe it or not. Thank you for your concern, though.

Back to the correct term for a group of punters- a "puff"?

[SkinBasket]

Bigby is replaceable by someone better no doubt. Your assumption as fact that the coaching staff doesn't want Bigby back based on this article is tenuous at best.

I assumed no such thing. Hope would be the more accurate descriptor. Articles like this give me hope. I have no idea what the organization plans to do with the RFAs.

[vince]

That was kind of the point I was making in response to whoever it was who said Atari is the best SS we have and that we would have to wait until we got someone better before talking about replacing Bigby.

Maybe we don't want Bigby back because he sucks monkey cock...

Appears to me that you're referring to "we" as the Packers and that you state "we" don't want Bigby as if it's fact.

Bedard has proven that his sources tend to have unreliable information when it comes to projecting Ted Thompson's thoughts and future moves.

And I'm betting Bigby is strictly an herbivore when it comes to sucking things by the way.

[KYPack]

I'll rip Sidgeon here.

I believe regarding Packer booters, it would be called a whole "stench" of punters.

[Smidgeon]

As far as Giacomini goes, I apologize. Next time I'll try to time my response to work around your mental limitations and spare your precious little feelings. That was mean of me not to read everyone's resposnes before composing my own.

Don't worry, my feelings aren't injured too badly. I'm sure they'll grow back. I've been accused of worse than switching the similar last names of two 3rd string Italian football players before, believe it or not. Thank you for your concern, though.

Back to the correct term for a group of punters- a "puff"?

On my lunch break the perfect name for a group of punters occured to me: a "shank" of punters.

[LP]

chad is being held together by rubber bands and duct tape these days

After all the knee problems and such, Chad might be ready to hang em up on his own. I seem to remember reading an article somewhere in the past couple years (JSO, GBG, here?) that had him saying he hoped to be able to play out his current contract. That would give him 10 years in the league and was all he ever expected or wanted to do.

[pbmax]

chad is being held together by rubber bands and duct tape these days

After all the knee problems and such, Chad might be ready to hang em up on his own. I seem to remember reading an article somewhere in the past couple years (JSO, GBG, here?) that had him saying he hoped to be able to play out his current contract. That would give him 10 years in the league and was all he ever expected or wanted to do.

Not yet. Prior to the 2009 season, perhaps after seeing his 401k take a dip and not recover completely, said he was looking forward to continue to play after the four surgeries had him feeling better in the preseason than he had in a long time.

[Bretsky]

Well, I guess we can drop Bigby right now if people would rather see Jarrett Bush starting there. Hopefully, an upgrade will come from the draft, but right now Bigby is as good as we've got at SS.

Can we have Frank Walker Back; who'd have ever thought he'd look good on paper in our secondary

He never looked good actually playing in our secondary, however. No thank you. At least Bigby will occasionally make that drive ending INT in the end zone to prevent sure points. From time to time Bigby has looked the part, which is much more than anybody can say for Walker.

I think Frank Walker was playing more CB for the Ravens, wasn't he ? I'd take him over Bush, Bell, and the rest of the B Team we had after our starters