Bye Bye Dietrich-Smith...signs with TB.

[Fritz]

Ken Bowman turned out to be a pretty good player. But what did the Pack get for Ringo?

As for EDS, whoever said he'd be the Hawk/Jones of the offensive line is correct. So again, why overpay for someone who is "meh"?

My guess is TT drafts another project-type guy somewhere in the middle of this draft to play center and compete for a backup spot as a center/guard.

I do think it was Barclay whose shotgun snaps where awful.

[Joemailman]

Ken Bowman turned out to be a pretty good player. But what did the Pack get for Ringo?

As for EDS, whoever said he'd be the Hawk/Jones of the offensive line is correct. So again, why overpay for someone who is "meh"?

My guess is TT drafts another project-type guy somewhere in the middle of this draft to play center and compete for a backup spot as a center/guard.

I do think it was Barclay whose shotgun snaps where awful.

That's right, but only for really the first week of training camp. Once Bulaga got hurt on Family Night, Barclay spent most of his time at RT. They might not be done experimenting with him at Center.

[Fritz]

We can rebuild him. We can make him better, stronger, faster. We can make him snap the ball better.

[Patler]

Ken Bowman turned out to be a pretty good player. But what did the Pack get for Ringo?

LeRoy Caffey, as I recall. Big part of their defense after that.

[Patler]

The packers got more than just Caffey, but gave up more than just Ringo:

In the deal with the Eagles, the Packers gave up fullback Earl Gros along with Ringo and acquired young linebacker Lee Roy Caffey, who would go on to be an All-Pro himself and a first round draft choice that eventually became fullback Donny Anderson, who made a Pro Bowl as a Packer. Caffey and Anderson are both in the Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame. - See more at: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/spor....zYeYIPWe.dpuf

[Bossman641]

4 years, 14.5M for EDS is too much. Good for him for getting paid, especially since he was a UDFA that bounced around (GB, SEA, someplace else IIRC), but he's not worth that money when you have a guy (Tretter) already on the roster who you are excited about. I worry about the 1st day of camp injury thing, but the coaches talked the guy up and he had several weeks to play scout against the #1 D, so they must've seen something in Tretter. EDS wasn't bad at C, but he wasn't great either. Signing him to a matching contract would've made him the Hawk/B.Jones of the OL. You think he's ok, but you're always wanting to replace him. So save the money and replace him already.

As for Bulaga, I thought M3 already said (post-combine) that he was keeping Bahktiari at LT and moving Bulaga back to RT. I personally like that move; Bulaga has struggled with speed and he'd probably see a lot more of that at LT than RT. M3 also was possessed by the spirit of McGinn's journalistic talents and mentioned they want Bahktiari to get bigger and stronger this year, which should help him at LT.

So this makes your starting OL heading into TC Bahktiari Sitton Tretter Lang Bulaga
which should be good enough to get Lacy 1200 yards.

The backup plan behind Tretter will be interesting to watch...I think they'll give Barclay every chance to solidify there since APRH he won't be at RT anymore and they like him. He's limited, and maybe moving inside will mask that. I have no idea if he can do it though -- I thought I read somewhere that his shotgun snaps were scary dreadful.

Dead on. Barclay will be trained as the utility lineman. Bulaga is returning to rt and sherrod will hopefully push bakh.

[Patler]

He wasn't coming back to a team and GM that doesn't even offer him the respect of some decency and an offer.

Woodbuck;

I have to disagree with what seems to be the implication in your post that in some way the Packers were not fair to EDS. First, it is not at all clear to me that they did not make him an offer. Several articles said the team was trying hard to keep him. That would seem to suggest that they were in contract discussions. Beside that, we know the following:

- The Packers gave him his first opportunity when they signed him as an undrafted rookie and kept him around for a year.
- They gave him his third opportunity when they brought him back to GB after he had been cut from Seattle's practice squad.
- They gave him opportunities to be a back up.
- They turned over the starting center job to him during the season and benched a proud, long time pro-bowl player to do it.
- They gave him the chance to prove himself as a regular starter, and to thereby secure a lucrative contract.

It seems to me EDS should appreciate all the chances GB gave him. That doesn't mean that he should have given in to whatever they offered him, but it doesn't seem to me that he should have any animosity toward them either.

Teams have to decide how to spend a limited pool of money, and a player has to decide if he wants to stay somewhere for perhaps less money, or go to where he gets more. It's neither the players fault nor the teams fault when it doesn't work out.

[mraynrand]

The packers got more than just Caffey, but gave up more than just Ringo:

Caffey played a whale of a game in the Ice Bowl.

[smuggler]

I agree with the school of thought that puts Bulaga back at starting right tackle. Barclay can probablg backup four of the five oline spots. If Sherrod truly is done, leave Bakhtiari over on the left and Bulaga can swing over if needed.

[KYPack]

Caffey played a whale of a game in the Ice Bowl.

Caffey and Donny Anderson never get the credit they deserve for the great games they played in the Ice Bowl.

[mraynrand]

Caffey and Donny Anderson never get the credit they deserve for the great games they played in the Ice Bowl.

Caffey passed away before he could milk it like, say, Jerry Kramer. But he endorsed vitamins for a a few greenbacks, so he did alright for a while...

[Guiness]

Thing is, Rodgers experience with EDS as his center is basically 10 regular season games and 3 playoff games.

Overall, EDS is not an experienced center either. He was a tackle in college, with some play at guard. Until he took over for Saturday at the end of 2012, he had more playing time at guard in the NFL than at center. Last year at this time the Packers openly expressed doubts about whether or not EDS could handle the starting job full-time. He seemed to do OK last year, but if they weren't convinced he was the center for their future, I can understand their willingness to move on now and try to find the guy who is, rather than using more money on a guy who isn't what they want.

I don't know if it will be right or wrong, but a fact of the NFL today is that the better teams continually lose starters and have to compensate for it.

It seems that the talking heads, and as it turns out, at least one GM, valued him a fair amount higher than the Pack did. Most of us scoffed when he seemed to be consistenly ranked as a top 10, or even top 5 center. But he got money commensurate with that, $3.5M is good coin for a center.

Damn well done for a former UDFA - he spent a year on the Packers ps, but was cut during TC by both the Packers and Seahawks the next year. He got picked up as a late season injury replacement with the Pack in 2010, just in time to get a ring - and now he gets a solid contract.

[smuggler]

He's a decent player, and not a liability or anything. That's worth it for a lot of teams. The Packers have a huge boner for Tretter at center it seems.

[woodbuck27]

The packers got more than just Caffey, but gave up more than just Ringo:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Ringo#Philadelphia_Eagles

Jim Ringo (traded by Vince Lombardi 1963, along with " FB Earl Gros " to the Philadelphia Eagles after 126 consecutive games as a Green Bay Packer (1954-63 ). In return the Packers got LB Lee Roy Caffey and a 1965 1st Rd. draft pick (7th overall) that became FB Donny Anderson.

Ringo finished out his career with the Philadelphia Eagles, attending three more Pro Bowls before retiring after the 1967 season.

Jim Ringo Career Highlights:

10× Pro Bowl selection (1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961,
1962, 1963, ( ** 1964, 1965, 1967 ) ** Philadelphia Eagles

2× NFL champion (1961, 1962)

6× AP First-Team All-Pro (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963)

3× AP Second-Team All-Pro (1958 green bay Packers) and (1964, 1966 Eagles)


NFL 1960s All-Decade Team

Pro Football HOF inductee (1981)

Eagles HOF inductee (1987)

Coaching career: Chicago Bears, Off. Line, (1969-1971)
Buffalo Bills, Off. Line, (1972-1976); Buffalo Bills, Head Coach (1976-1977)
New England Patriots, Off. Line, (1978); New England Patriots, Off. Coordinator/Off. Line, (1979-1981)

Los Angeles Rams, Off. Line, (1982); New York Jets, Off. Line, (1983-1984)
Buffalo Bills, Off. Coordinator, (1985-1988)

Career NFL statistics: Games played 187

Coaching record: 3-20


[B]Lee Roy Caffey Green Bay Packers 1964-1969:

Green Bay Packers 1965 NFL Champions

Green Bay Packers Super Bowl I Champions

Green Bay Packers Super Bowl II Champions

Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame Inductees

1970 Chicago Bears

1971 Dallas cowboys...Super Bowl VI Champions ( January 16, 1972 ... Dallas 24 - Miami 3 )

1972 San Diego Chargers


Donnie Anderson as a Green Bay Packer:

Donnie Anderson drafted in 1965 Rd. 1 Pick #7 overall by the World Champion Green Bay Packers.[B] and fellow All-American Jim Grabowski, FB, Illinois; the Packers' first pick in the 1966 NFL Draft, and ninth overall.

** Donnie Anderson and jim Grabowski were dubbed the "Gold Dust Twins" being projected as the successors of HOFers Paul Hornung and Jim Taylor.

** In Super Bowl I, Anderson's knee knocked out Chiefs defensive back Fred "The Hammer" Williamson, who had been boastful in pre-game interviews.

** Donnie Anderson originated the concept of hang time in punting. In 1967, the left-footed Anderson punted 66 times and 63 of them by Anderson and he averaged only 36.6 yards/punt that year. Opponents were able to return only 13 of them for a total of 22 yards, or about 1/3 yard per punt. Other NFL Punters followed Donnie Anderson's style of extended hang time punting. Eventually the NFL changed its rules governing punt coverage, to restore the ability to return punts.

** In February 1972, Anderson was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for RB MacArthur Lane

After retirement from the NFL Donnie Anderson spent nearly two decades on the celebrity golf tour.

Donnie Anderson's achievements as a Green Bay Packer:

1× Pro Bowl selection; 2× NFL Champion (1966, 1967); 2× Super Bowl Champion (I, II)

PACKERS HOF


FB Earl Gros: I can't find much on this former Green Bay Packer.

[Carolina_Packer]

Woody, here's an article from Packer Plus from April 2013. Earl Gros passed in July 2013, notable because he he declined contribution to the article...probably just wanted to be left in peace. RIP former Packer. He was a big back coming out of LSU in 1962, and had a solid, if not unspectacular NFL career, but as mentioned in the article, a 9 year career is nothing to sneeze at. EDS would probably be happy for a 9 year career. Here's the article: http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packe...204402271.html