End of Season Breakdown

[woodbuck27]

So this is what a Woody post would like like with a coherent point and no random quotes.

I'll make a coherant point Einstein. Maybe you could be less of what's reflected in a toilet bowl?


Deputy Nutz. Why? do I believe that you had that prepared before our game on Sunday. That you saw the writing on the wall. Great assessments and specifically:

I'm glad to see your confidence is still with Charles Woodson but he's not Superman and aging.
Yes the loss of Nick Collins may have been underestimated ... see Charles Woodson. One thing leads to another.
Yes we need a stronger DL and maybeto desert the 3-4 defense?
Yes and I'll add and just IMO, AJ Hawk is dancing with the stars and needs to earn his $BIG MONEY$.
Yes we saw isolation on our star defensive players (ie Clay Mathews) and the rest arn't effective enough to fill in the holes.
Yes on your critique of Jermicheal Finley. Does he have to cost so much? Nope.
Yes a gut wrenching and accurate assessment of Donald Driver. This watch makes me cringe.
Yes the James Jones situation is interesting. I believe he can still make the BIG play if he wasn't painted invisable.
Yes after much good service, we'll soon say goodbye to oft injured LT Chad Clifton. We don't have his replacement in an obvious sense as Newhouse need development.

Hey! Ted Thompson.

Yes a 'no brainer' pay Scott Wells.
Yes Ryan Grant is out as he cannot be relied on and he's playing delicate.
Yes go Green and I see potential as a 2-3 RB in Saine. Not bad for 'a white guy'.

GO PACKERS!

[Upnorth]

Nutz, you have had a tremendous season posting. This is one example, haters take is another. I vote you as MVP (most volitile poster) for teh season. Can you bring back the crazy looking guy in the bobby hat? It was like Patlers Snoopy, but insane.

[Ballboy]

I was thinking of the future and came up with the following.

As for the offense I think Grant is gone and Starks, Saine and Green will make up the backfield next year. I got a bad feeling when I saw DD on the sidelines yesterday, I think he realizes that in practice those WR's on the practice squad may have equalled him....but at a far less dollar. The couple catches and TD's he gave us could easily be done by one of those guys....it saddens me, but unless he takes a paycut I think DD is done in Green Bay. A few weeks ago I thought I would never see Clifton in a Packer uniform again...he proved me wrong on sunday again, returning from injury and playing a stellar LT. I think he will be back with Sherrod being the future, Lang-Wells-Sitton-Bulaga fill out the remainder of the line for the future(resigning Wells). I'm actually torn at TE....Finley shows everything someone could want in a TE, even things you dont want. I want him resigned, but feel we might regret doing so in the future with his mouth and actions.

Defense could/should be much different next year. The DL needs 2-3 players added, and ROLB needs attention high in the draft. The Collins situation is cause for great concern and would leave a huge gap if he never plays again. At first I thought Sheilds regressed this year, but came on late in the year. Maybe having no training camp hurt the second year players as they didnt know what to do when they were locked out, it players like him, Quarless, Starks to really round into shape this year.

Woodson falls into the same category as DD. His position on this team really doesnt have a name....he plays blitz well, knows how to figure out the offense and does support the run. Im not sold on him as a safety, but if Collins doesnt return, he might be stop gap for a few years.

I hope TT sees how good this team could be. He will need to spend a little in FA this year especially if he lets a player like DD go. Defense needs to be the way the draft goes, filling ROLB, DL and the backfield. He will also need a QB of the future as Flynn will be gone(hopefully he can pull a trade) and Harrell sucks.

[King Friday]

I think you might overvalue Starks a bit. To me, he's not very impressive. He is incredibly poor at picking up blitzes after spending over a year in the league, although perhaps the lockout contributed to his lack of improvement there. He seems average in terms of reading his running lanes. Sure, he runs hard...but that isn't enough. Samkon Gado ran hard too. Starks also doesn't possess breakaway speed, and isn't much of an upgrade to Grant as a receiver.

To me, Seine and Green both have more upside potential than Starks...although I can't say either will realize it. The most important attributes for a Packer RB in this offense are pass blocking skills and dynamic receiving ability out of the backfield. We don't need a guy to carry the ball 25 times a game. Rodgers is going to throw 35-40 passes a game...we'd be dumb not to have him do that. A RB who can chip a defender and still get into the flat as a safety valve is paramount in limiting hits to Rodgers. Starks doesn't fit that description to me.

I doubt Driver is back. He's a hell of a Packer, but at this point in his career he simply doesn't offer any upside. It's all downhill from here. The younger kids are bigger, faster and more hungry for success. Cobb deserves to have a larger role in the offense next year, and I don't think it is smart to keep an aging guy like Driver on as your #5 WR. That should be a spot for someone younger who is developing.

Woodson will be back, but it will be interesting to see how they use him next year. The guy is becoming a liability in pass coverage. He can still play mind games with average QBs, but the top 10-15 QBs in the league find ways to expose Woodson's eroding athletic ability. Woodson is best used near the LOS as a pass rusher and in run support.

It will be interesting to see what Thompson does with Finley. The guy is not worth a top 5 TE contract, although I'm sure he thinks that what he should get. His inconsistency is ridiculous. Someone with his raw athletic talent should not be struggling this much. I would think that one of the other TEs we have should pan out into a capable starter, but that is a risky proposition since none of them has really shown that ability yet.

On offense, we don't need too much. Resigning Wells is a priority. Clifton is done...the guy can't stay healthy for more than 6-8 games a year. Draft a OG and OT mid to late to help push the development of everyone else. I'd love to see Thompson go after an impact receiving threat at RB in the draft too.

Defensively, we have some real needs. Collins is the wild card. If he can return, it really helps every spot on the defensive roster. We can use more depth across the board, but DL and OLB should be priority. Getting pressure on the QB cures a lot of ills in the defensive backfield. Even if Collins doesn't return, with Williams, Shields, Burnett and Woodson you have players that are good enough to succeed back there if we can get more consistent pressure on the QB. Pickett, Raji, Bishop and Matthews are keepers...every other starting and reserve spot in the front 7 could be upgraded. OLB is probably most critical to improving our pass rush, but having depth on the DL is a priority as well. It served us well in 2010, and the lack of it hindered us this season.

The future is still very bright, but this is a critical offseason in terms of building a team capable of contending for the next decade. The defense needs a strong infusion of capable young talent, and I'm guessing we'll see a significant tilt toward the defense in the draft this year.

[Harlan Huckleby]

I think you might overvalue Starks a bit. To me, he's not very impressive. He is incredibly poor at picking up blitzes after spending over a year in the league, although perhaps the lockout contributed to his lack of improvement there. He seems average in terms of reading his running lanes. Sure, he runs hard...but that isn't enough. Samkon Gado ran hard too. Starks also doesn't possess breakaway speed, and isn't much of an upgrade to Grant as a receiver.

I agree with you that Starks has proven to be nothing special, but your assessment that Starks is incredibly poor at picking up blitzes is incredibly overblown.

[bobblehead]

Yep, well done deputy. I enjoy reading a knowledgeable fan over 90% of paid sports writers.