Josh Sitton.

[pbmax]

Sure. All you suggest is possible.

But in all the scenarios where someone wants to confront the other, there is a time element that is longer than heat of the moment. And that suggests that others would know one was seeking the other out. Even in limited number, I would expect such a confrontation to elicit no comments or avoidance on the next media day. Not denials.

They probably didn't interview everyone. But I suspect the odds are against it.

That said, Wilde did say he couldn't get a response from Barrington after Sitton denied it.

[run pMc]

I don't think there's a Barrington-Sitton conflict; it's not like Barrington couldn't spout off now that he's with KC and Sitton's in CHI...plus I'm sure there are other military family guys in the locker room. Also, Kaepernick may be a dumbass, but he's stated he's not against America or the military. If he's gonna put up $1million to back it up, I'm willing to believe him.

I think the contract situation and the fact they think Taylor is at least as good a run blocker but not as good pass blocking have to do with it. Sitton finds out his extension is a lower priority, maybe his agent decides to make some noise or talk to some other teams, and they work to get his release so he can get an early start on that next contract. He's 30 with a bad back; no way TT is gonna give Sitton 3y/$21M with the other players up for free agency (Lacy, Lang, Tretter, etc.) . Getting the cap space NOW gives them more flexibility in signing some of these guys. GB has a LOT of players on their last contract years; I'm confident this has a lot to do with this move.

The other thing is, while Sitton is still a very good player, he's not going to get any better, and he plays LG. It's not like he plays a skill position. (I think they can probably "get by" with having Taylor and Barclay can play there until Linsley gets back and they either slide Tretter over or put Linsley there.)
Anyway, generally I'd think you'd want to acquire and keep as much talent as you can, and by letting Sitton go I would say they DON'T do that in the short term, his cap space helps TT do that long-term.

I wouldn't be shocked if TT drafts a couple more OL next spring either.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Good post, run, the voice of reason.

[George Cumby]

Not a reach. TT almost always drafts a left tackle or two who then get turned into guards much to the fans bemusement.

[Patler]

Drafting OL next year is a safe bet, he has every year except 2015. Often he drafts two.

[Fritz]

Many reason, at least 6,850,000 of which were very tangible reasons. I doubt that the Packer brain trust thinks that the net result of this decision negatively impacts their SB aspirations significantly, or they wouldn't have done it. They have too long of a history of letting players play out their contracts. While they may have accepted decreased performance at LG to be one result, in their minds there are perhaps intangible benefits to offset it, and they are willing to accept the decrease in performance at LG as a result.

I have said before that usually I'm in the camp that appreciates Thompson looking after the long-term cap health of the team. However, in this case I disagree with moving on from Sitton - even if there are other reasons as well, such as the supposed disgruntled attitude.

You're weakening yourself at a position. I don't think many people disagree with this. And this year, as much or more than many, is a year in which your team appears to have a very real shot at getting to the NFCCG and perhaps to the SB. The team's health heading in is pretty good, you're getting an important defensive lineman back after four games, and you have your #1 WR back with what seems a very deep group. Your inside linebackers look moderately better than what you've had before (minus Clay), the secondary is deep, the running back looks better.

And the offensive line is key to any success. You have a line that's played together and has the opportunity to provide one of the league's best QB's the time to make plays, and the opportunity to open holes for what looks like an improved running back.

Now is not the time to look at next year and wonder how to spend an extra six mill. Now is the time to think about now, and use the comp pick you'll get next year to replace the player you won't be able to re-sign because you paid Sitton his six mill this year.

[esoxx]

^^^^this

[Patler]

Maybe they didn't think it was as simple as "which player is better?" even for having the best team this year. Per Silverstein:

GREEN BAY - Josh Sitton had a big presence in the offensive line meeting room and it may be part of the reason the Green Bay Packers let him go Saturday.

The Packers had to estimate how the environment would change should left tackle David Bakhtiari and center JC Tretter become higher-paid players than Sitton this season and whether there was a big enough drop-off in Sitton’s play to justify releasing him.

Ultimately, they decided a change was needed, leaving a big hole in their offensive line that fourth-year pro Lane Taylor is going to have to fill.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/sports...tton/89985418/

[Fritz]

Maybe they didn't think it was as simple as "which player is better?" even for having the best team this year. Per Silverstein:

Admittedly, I don't know as much as they do about the dynamics of that room or what Sitton is like. All I can go by is what I've read, which over the years has suggested Sitton is a powerful personality but not a locker room cancer or a poor teammate.

[Patler]

Admittedly, I don't know as much as they do about the dynamics of that room or what Sitton is like. All I can go by is what I've read, which over the years has suggested Sitton is a powerful personality but not a locker room cancer or a poor teammate.

I don't think anyone has said that he has been a locker room cancer or a poor teammate. Just very dominant and outspoken. The concern expressed by Silverstein seems to be about how he might react if suddenly he was #3 on the pay scale, with the team not interested in negotiating with him. If he became sullen and uncommunicative, it wouldn't necessarily make him a cancer, but it could have an increasingly negative impact among the OL as the season went on.

[red]

I have said before that usually I'm in the camp that appreciates Thompson looking after the long-term cap health of the team. However, in this case I disagree with moving on from Sitton - even if there are other reasons as well, such as the supposed disgruntled attitude.

You're weakening yourself at a position. I don't think many people disagree with this. And this year, as much or more than many, is a year in which your team appears to have a very real shot at getting to the NFCCG and perhaps to the SB. The team's health heading in is pretty good, you're getting an important defensive lineman back after four games, and you have your #1 WR back with what seems a very deep group. Your inside linebackers look moderately better than what you've had before (minus Clay), the secondary is deep, the running back looks better.

And the offensive line is key to any success. You have a line that's played together and has the opportunity to provide one of the league's best QB's the time to make plays, and the opportunity to open holes for what looks like an improved running back.

Now is not the time to look at next year and wonder how to spend an extra six mill. Now is the time to think about now, and use the comp pick you'll get next year to replace the player you won't be able to re-sign because you paid Sitton his six mill this year.

Absolutely fritz

Spot on

[Fritz]

I don't think anyone has said that he has been a locker room cancer or a poor teammate. Just very dominant and outspoken. The concern expressed by Silverstein seems to be about how he might react if suddenly he was #3 on the pay scale, with the team not interested in negotiating with him. If he became sullen and uncommunicative, it wouldn't necessarily make him a cancer, but it could have an increasingly negative impact among the OL as the season went on.

I think "sullen and uncommunicative" would translate into a cancer, as cancer grows insidiously and affects the entire organism. So maybe that's why they did it. But I think - or at least I thought - Sitton was more professional than that. But again, I'm not there so I don't really know.

[texaspackerbacker]

Wow, 21 pages, over 400 posts on this topic!

As I wrote earlier, I read that McCarthy said some positions - like O Line - are just not as high priority or as important as others. That is apparently a justification for not paying Sitton or O Linemen big money. I tend to think that's what this is all about. Somebody said no way Ted pays even a quality player like Sitton $21 million for 3 years or anything similar. I'm thinking either that is true at face value or it is the Packers line for deciding not to pay him market value.

[hoosier]

I cannot see how a projected "sullen and uncommunicative" makes a player who is probably your best lineman suddenly become expendable. Are the rest of the OL really that susceptible to the mood swings of Josh Sitton? Cutting Sitton makes no sense from a purely football perspective. And unless there is a big skeleton in the lockerrom that nobody has managed to unearth yet, it doesn't make sense to me from a personnel perspective either. I agree with Fritz. However, I have also learned over the years that TT does a lot of things that don't make sense to the outside observer, and that they usually end up working out. Trust in TT, because the alternative is deciding that he has lost his mind!

[Bretsky]

lots of chatter today about how Land and Sitton are incredibly close and Sitton was the OL leader and Backy gives him a ton of credit for his development as well. All of the OL loved the guy.

Sounds more and more that while certainly there were a few factors, the biggest one as they didn't view Sitton as a 6.5 Million dollar player and the money plays a huge impact on TW TEd's call

To that I say bullshit; we're trying to win a Super Bowl this year; not look toward the future. I wish Ted had a little more Elway like sense of urgency in him.

I don't want to be a fart in the wind with AROD as our QB too