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

[PaCkFan_n_MD]

I like that we didn't offer him what he signed. I think Tretter will play great.

[Joemailman]

I love how some of you guys have no idea how difficult it is to start over with a new center all the time. If it means sticking up for the dumb ass TT you all would back anything. Granted EDS wasn't awesome, but he was solid.

Last year was EDS' first full year as starting Center. Rodgers didn't seem to have much trouble adjusting.

[Rutnstrut]

Last year was EDS' first full year as starting Center. Rodgers didn't seem to have much trouble adjusting.

Yeah, because that experience he gained after they benched Saturday probably didn't help at all.

[Carolina_Packer]

I like that we didn't offer him what he signed. I think Tretter will play great.

I don't know about the second part, but I agree with the first part. What I do like about TT is that he will not hurt the cap to bid on someone he may already have a replacement for on his own roster.

There are nothing but what ifs...none of us know. EDS may be at his absolute ceiling talent/production-wise. Tretter may become our next Jim Ringo (albeit a bit bigger , who knows? Overpay for the special players, not guys that can be more easily replaced. Don't panic because you have a guy who has a little bit of experience, but is worth more to another team. They don't typically let the really important ones walk away. We'll see how it pans out for them.

[bobblehead]

I'll be a contrarion on this point. I wish we had EDS for that contract. I think he would be great backup G/C. I just think you aquire football players for good prices because you don't know what will happen. Same reason I want James Jones back for 4.5million a year.

That being said, i want Tretter to be better than him, and I would want that contract on the bench, and I think EDS is aware of that, and he likely wouldn't have signed that same deal for GB without being assured he is the starting center.

[Brandon494]

I don't know about the second part, but I agree with the first part. What I do like about TT is that he will not hurt the cap to bid on someone he may already have a replacement for on his own roster.

There are nothing but what ifs...none of us know. EDS may be at his absolute ceiling talent/production-wise. Tretter may become our next Jim Ringo (albeit a bit bigger , who knows? Overpay for the special players, not guys that can be more easily replaced. Don't panic because you have a guy who has a little bit of experience, but is worth more to another team. They don't typically let the really important ones walk away. We'll see how it pans out for them.

Exactly, EDS is JAG who can be easily replaced. Tretter played TE his first two seasons at Cornell so that tells you how much more athletic we'll be at that position next season. After seeing Bakhtiari step in as a rookie last season I don't see why Tretter won't be able to have the same success playing a easier position.

[Bretsky]

I'll be a contrarion on this point. I wish we had EDS for that contract. I think he would be great backup G/C. I just think you aquire football players for good prices because you don't know what will happen. Same reason I want James Jones back for 4.5million a year.

That being said, i want Tretter to be better than him, and I would want that contract on the bench, and I think EDS is aware of that, and he likely wouldn't have signed that same deal for GB without being assured he is the starting center.

IMO if we were willing to pay Jones that he'd have already signed; I doubt he gets that

[PlantPage55]

Well, I'm torn on this one and to tell you the truth, the difference lies entirely in the fact that Tretter didn't make it through the first week of anything. Not his fault, but it tells us nothing beyond what his draft scouting report and tape told us. Overall, I'm a TT fan, and also believe in young talent being given opportunities - I just don't like when you allow your hand to be forced like this. It was a bad time for EDS' contract to be up. Never let it be said that TT isn't a risk-taker. I'm just not sure they're the fun, sexy kinds of risks.

On the other hand, everyone here is absolutely right - we should aim a lot higher than what EDS gave us. He got bullied out there more than you'd like. I sometimes wondered whether we'd overuse that stupid toss, because EDS couldn't make hay for our RBs often enough. I don't think he had a great attitude. So why does a team like Tampa sign him if we don't think he's that good? Well, he's battle-tested and proven - and to teams that are just starting out with new coaches and a lot of holes that IS something.

I guess what I'll say is I'm very cautiously optimistic that Tretter can't be much worse than Saturday was, and we muddled through with him for a while. What's the worst that could happen? He physically can't snap a football or something?

Yeah, it sucks. I know it sucks. But at the end of the day, I'll bet we'll look at a stat line and still see couple TDs from Rodg, 70-80 yards at least from Lacy, and happy WRs. Tretter may lose some battles, but I'm not sure the final offensive product will look worse.

[Guiness]

Well, I just hope Tretter works out, and sticks for a while.

This will be the 4th center (Wells, Saturday, EDS, Tretter?) in four years. That can't be good, for Rodgers or the rest of the line (thinking calls at the LOS)

[Brandon494]

We get Bulaga back so even if Tretter fails, which I highly doubt, we can still have a starting line of Bulaga, Sitton, Lang, Barc, Bakh or Bulaga, Sitton, Lang, Bakh, Sherrod. I believe in the end it will be Bulaga, Sitton, Tretter, Lang, Bakh and that has the potential to be a damn good line.

[Carolina_Packer]

I think the front office knew what they had in EDS, and they still let him walk. Had he not received that kind of offer, I wonder if they would have asked him back at a more reasonable, cap-friendly price, and if he would have accepted. If he would have gotten to that point, all things being equal, he may have decided to stay in Green Bay, because of familiarity and confidence that he would have solidified the starting job. But he did get his money and good for him. I hope he does well in Tampa.

In this case, it was not only the giving of the contract, which Green Bay could have afforded, but having a guy on the roster who was OK, not special, who would have been earning more than a guy who if given a shot may be a better long-term option. It was worth the dice roll to find out.

[woodbuck27]

I think the front office knew what they had in EDS, and they still let him walk. Had he not received that kind of offer, I wonder if they would have asked him back at a more reasonable, cap-friendly price, and if he would have accepted. If he would have gotten to that point, all things being equal, he may have decided to stay in Green Bay, because of familiarity and confidence that he would have solidified the starting job. But he did get his money and good for him. I hope he does well in Tampa.

In this case, it was not only the giving of the contract, which Green Bay could have afforded, but having a guy on the roster who was OK, not special, who would have been earning more than a guy who if given a shot may be a better long-term option. It was worth the dice roll to find out.

I think that TT's position in this Off Season and FA was/is to let the cards fall as they may. If a Packer UFA can get more elsewhere that TT feels he doesn't want or need to match then so be it.

This may very well be a season to simply take stock in and a start to a brand new 3 and 5 year plan. It's like life and living correctly. You allow the past to be just that and assess that in terms of trial and error or success. It really must come down to what are you going to do this day (TODAY) to achieve a certain goal (purpose) tomorrow.

One thing is possible going to be a for sure if Ted thompson actually delivers and that's to get WR's Jordy Nelson and/or Randall Cobb resigned in this Off Season for 3-4 more seasons. TT needs and will have a nucleus of talent on 'O' that he can rely on. That HC Mike Mccarthy can rely on for his teams offense.

If TT can ink Nelson and/or Cobb and Jarrett Boykin is for real (see UFA and Packer vet WR James Jones on his way elsewhere). With Eddie Lacy at RB and right now DuJuan Harris and Johnathan Franklin (see UFA James Starks looking for an offer elsewhere); and TE Andrew Quarless resigned. That's a lot done. After all the Packers don't dip much into the FA pool of castoff's; even though real talent is there at a higher cost than Ted Thompson's style can deal with.

Right now TT doesn't have a FB and John Kuhn has been reliable. He was on my personal wish list along with Sam Shields, **Mike Neal, **James Jones and ** C.J. Wilson.

** Unsigned as of last night or Friday 14 march,2014.

By the way... ALL YOU Packerrats that are of Irish heritage ... HAPPY ST. Patrick's Weekend and St. PATTY's DAY on Monday 17 March, '14.




GO PACKERS ! GO PACK GO !

[run pMc]

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.

[Patler]

I love how some of you guys have no idea how difficult it is to start over with a new center all the time. If it means sticking up for the dumb ass TT you all would back anything. Granted EDS wasn't awesome, but he was solid.

The one thing NO ONE takes into account, is the center/QB comfort with each other. You don't replicate that in practice, also the calls an experienced center makes saves the QB's ass. TT signs Raji who isn't worth two shits, and lets a solid player walk. You guys stay on the TT ball sack fest, I'll continue to call it like it is, he isn't that great of a GM.

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.

[Patler]

I don't know about the second part, but I agree with the first part. What I do like about TT is that he will not hurt the cap to bid on someone he may already have a replacement for on his own roster.

There are nothing but what ifs...none of us know. EDS may be at his absolute ceiling talent/production-wise. Tretter may become our next Jim Ringo (albeit a bit bigger , who knows? Overpay for the special players, not guys that can be more easily replaced. Don't panic because you have a guy who has a little bit of experience, but is worth more to another team. They don't typically let the really important ones walk away. We'll see how it pans out for them.

Interesting that you bring up Jim Ringo. Many thought Lombardi was out of his mind when he traded the guy who had been 1st team All-Pro for the last umpteen years. A guy who went on to play four more seasons in Philadelphia, with more all-pro seasons there. Ringo had been the only center Bart Starr had played with. Yet, they made it work by using a tackle (Bob Skoronski) and two rookies in Bill Curry and Ken Bowman.