Positions upgraded/Positions downgraded

[Patler]

Jones won't score 14 TDs, but he should still get around 700 yards receiving, which is decent

No, probably not 14 TDs again, just like Nelson didn't repeat the 15 he had in 2011. Doesn't matter who catches the TDs, just so together they are getting 40 or so. Might be Finley's turn to lead in TD catches this year, or Cobb's turn.

[Freak Out]

I think the RBs get a bunch more this year....air and ground.

[red]

i think the WR position should stay about the same this year, as long as the big 3 stay healthy

i'm expecting a big jump in production from cobb, it seemed at times that he was already becoming the go-to-guy last year

i'm thinking cobb takes over the #1 this year

[Bretsky]

i think the WR position should stay about the same this year, as long as the big 3 stay healthy

i'm expecting a big jump in production from cobb, it seemed at times that he was already becoming the go-to-guy last year

i'm thinking cobb takes over the #1 this year

And our WR's staying healthy is a big if; last year we were good enough there to withstand in injury. Are we this year ?

To me that is why you clearly have to say we have downgraded at WR

[Joemailman]

On paper, WR is a downgrade. However, if they have a little more luck on the injury front than last year, you may not notice much. I think Boykin has a chance to be a pretty good possession receiver. Huge hands and runs pretty good routes.

[red]

And our WR's staying healthy is a big if; last year we were good enough there to withstand in injury. Are we this year ?

To me that is why you clearly have to say we have downgraded at WR

yeah, not as deep for sure our #1-4 this year as not as good as last years #1-4

but i do think our #1-3 can be just as good as last years 1-3

know what i mean?

and yeah, that 4th guy is a huge change this year, but keep in mind, he's our #4 wr

[hoosier]

For all practical purposes, they didn't have Jennings last year.
If Bishop were traded, would linebackers be weaker than in 2012? No, because Bishop wasn't there in 2012.

Almost the same with Jennings. They played without him a good portion of the season, and with him at reduced effectiveness for most if not all of the games he did play. Losing him entirely is not a huge change from what he provided in 2012.

Correct, Jennings was mostly absent last year, and what happened was that the offense struggled for much of the year. The most noticeable difference was the inability to consistently generate big plays. Jennings's injuries probably were not the only reason, but I think the offense did struggle to adjust after having relied for so long on Jennings to make big plays and create better match ups for the other receivers. Maybe Finley will step up and start to realize some of his potential, but even if he does he is not going to stretch the field the way Jennings did before last year.

Maybe the emergence of a legitimate running game will now play that role of opening things up for guys like Nelson and Cobb to make explosive plays. But it may also take Lacy and Franklyn time to learn the system, and running backs--even good ones--often aren't ready to contribute regularly from the start of their first season.

[call_me_ishmael]

I agree with basically everything Patler said. I think they will be better this year. I'm really, really, really hoping Jolly has something left in the tank and can stay clean. He was a very solid 3-4 end.

[Patler]

yeah, not as deep for sure our #1-4 this year as not as good as last years #1-4

Actually, their 1-4 at WR might be the same as it was for much of last year when Jennings was out and Driver was the #5.

[Bretsky]

Actually, their 1-4 at WR might be the same as it was for much of last year when Jennings was out and Driver was the #5.

If they lose their top WR for an extended period of time next year....that is when we find out there is quite a difference at the position between this yr and last

If they all stay healthy...we r fine

Of course one can make the argument the improvement at RB should make up for the above weakness at WR if say, Cobb goes down for 10 games. That would be a viable argument

[Patler]

If they lose their top WR for an extended period of time next year....that is when we find out there is quite a difference at the position between this yr and last

How will it be any different than if they had sustained that injury during the 8 games that Jennings didn't play in last year, or the several others during which he was very limited? For much of last season their top four actually available for the games were Nelson, Jones, Cobb and Boykin. Could be the same in 2013, or better if Boykin is beaten out by someone better, or Boykin himself improves.

For all practical purposes, the Packers only had Jennings for about three or four weeks last year.

[RashanGary]

How will it be any different than if they had sustained that injury during the 8 games that Jennings didn't play in last year, or the several others during which he was very limited? For much of last season their top four actually available for the games were Nelson, Jones, Cobb and Boykin. Could be the same in 2013, or better if Boykin is beaten out by someone better, or Boykin himself improves.

For all practical purposes, the Packers only had Jennings for about three or four weeks last year.

The odds of Boykin not being better in year 2 are slim. He has no character problems to speak of. By all accounts, he's a hard worker. He's a natural, savvy player. He has ideal size/strength. Him not being better would be a big surprise. He'd have to go outside his character or outside of the common sense, expected career trend to not be better. He was the 6th WR kept last year. He wasn't kept just to fill a number. They like him. And, like you said, they played him over Driver. Even more proof they liked him (even if it was in part ST's)

[wist43]

We're going to be better thru maturation, flipping the line, adding Jones, and the RB's should be an upgrade. On the downside we did lose two very good players - starters. I think Cobb will cover the Jennings loss, but Woodson will be sorely missed. He was a leader, and an excellent football player. He may have been hurt last year, and we didn't have him on the field, but his presence was felt in the locker room.

The loss of Woodson and the defense is where the trouble lies. Capers is still our DC, and on any given week he is entirely capable of throwing a turd out there like the one that completely stunk up our season last year. Communication in the back end improved, but that's not saying much; we went from routine catastrophies, with receivers running wide open through our secondary, to only occasional breakdowns. Overall coverage was average, and with little pressure up front our young secondary could be had.

We didn't address our problem on the nose. Pickett can't take every snap, and Raji is miscast there... add to that Capers lust to jump into a nickel on 2nd and 5 or 6. He can get away with shit like that when Blaine Gabbert is the opposing QB (although I think Jax torched us thru the air last year, didn't they??)... but, Kapnaerwurst is another deal. There's no excuse for what Capers allowed to happen against SF, or the dismal results he's been producing for 2 years now.

We needed more front seven help overall... Perry coming back help's, and I'm hoping he takes a big step. To me, Perry is the key. If he can step up and become a legit 10-15 sack guy, then we're on to something. I hate our ILB's... I wanted to get more size, speed, and athleticism there - 1 more year with Hawk.

[packrulz]

I agree, not much was done for depth on defense. Pickett is getting old, Woodson is gone, Neal, Perry, Worthy, Bishop, & Tyrone Williams have all been hurt, so the defense is a huge question mark. However, if M3 is serious about running the ball and eating up the clock, our defense will get off the field more and be more rested.

[Iron Mike]

i think the WR position should stay about the same this year, as long as the big 3 stay healthy

i'm expecting a big jump in production from cobb, it seemed at times that he was already becoming the go-to-guy last year

i'm thinking cobb takes over the #1 this year

http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-1/Randall-Cobb-pushes-toward-boiling-point/a66abc38-169b-4ec6-b235-aa7ba9fa3b62