Josh Sitton.

[pbmax]

What I loved about that article is that almost EVERY trend mentioned is due to the NFL trying to curb costs.

1. NCAA feeding ground - why have a minor league? **
2. Draft younger players - players want to enter League early to get to second contract exacerbated by very limited first contracts (that last a minimum of 4 years, if not five)
3. Cut expensive vets - while cap has gone up a lot in last two years, cap adjustments now trail actual revenues (and are based on lower percentages of revenues) by a significant margin, something that the last CBA changed.

https://theringer.com/the-nfl-has-an-age-problem-7068825845e4#.hy96hd42l

** I give the early NFL a pass because if they had tried to establish a minor league when college football was king the pros would have been made illegal

Some data and an argument that the League is getting younger, that it might have nothing to do with it being worse or better, and that the culprit looks like the 2007 CBA not the 2011 version.

http://www.footballperspective.com/yes-the-nfl-is-getting-younger/

[Guiness]

Wasn't Rivera the one they tried to keep, since they had to release Wahle anyway and Rivera would be more cost effective?

I thought he nearly doubled his GB offer with Dallas when a bidding war broke out? I think he is leaving a few key facts out. There is no way the Packers would bring him back on the contract he signed with Dallas.

That's my recollection as well - there was no chance of keeping Wahle, thinking was he was a guard only because of Clifton. Panthers gave him LT money, but I don't think he played there much. Packers thought they could hold onto Riviera, and offered him a good contract, but Jerah threw buckets of money at him. I don't think anyone expected that.

[Guiness]

Going into 2015 I wouldn't have predicted that Bakhtiari would get an elite LT type of contract. Decent, but not special. Now, I'm not sure. Apparently he was absolutely dominating in one on one drills in camp. I have also read that he has quietly overcome the two limitations he had coming out of college, size and strength. He was under 300 lbs at the combine, and even less than that in college. He is listed at 310 now, but I have read he is actually at closer to 320, with a lot of added muscle since his rookie year. One article mentioned he was ready for a breakout type of year last year, but he fought injuries all year right from training camp. He was even questionable for game one and never was that healthy at anytime in 2015.

This will be an interesting season for Bakhtiari.

I don't know. At the end of last year that he was struggling to stay healthy and for some reason I feel like this is going to continue. He's put on 20lbs since college, does he have the frame for it?

[call_me_ishmael]

Great read from McGinn on it. Sounds like the Packers just straight up blew it and there hand was forced. This jives with TT's comments earlier this week about Josh being a heck of a football player.

http://www.packersnews.com/story/sports/nfl/packers/mcginn/2016/09/10/mcginn-packers-blew-sitton-gambit/90149052/

[esoxx]

The article just confirms what most people already understand.

This was an unforced error that cost the Packers the services of one of their better players on the doorstep of a Super Bowl or bust season.

Inexcusable.

[wist43]

There's no putting lipstick on this pig...

Bacteria is a below average LT, now Lane is a well below average LG... what are the odds Rodgers survives the season?? He better have eyes in the back of his head.

And BTW - Sitton's comments about the Packers offense being predictable were entirely accurate.

[Harlan Huckleby]

This jives with TT's comments earlier this week about Josh being a heck of a football player.

TT said Sitton was a heck of a football player and a good teammate. He didn't have to praise Sitton's character. He went out of his way to correct the record. People need to STFU with the "something happened" innuendo.

[Pugger]

Did someone who wanted anonymity tell McGinn Ted and Mike screwed up or is Bob speculating along with the rest of us?

[pbmax]

Did someone who wanted anonymity tell McGinn Ted and Mike screwed up or is Bob speculating along with the rest of us?

He seems to have the fact that Sitton was alerted Saturday morning about trade or cut situation, which apparently was still while trade talks were in early stages.

The Packers, he reasons, expected a frenzy of interest in a good player during a short window. They talked to one team early (week before) and then the Saints were all they had to show for those expectations. But the Packers know the cut market well, they do a good job of both trading during it and getting their preferred players to the PS. Its hard to believe they misjudged this so bad.

So I would estimate he has half the story so far. Still no explanation about why you wait for so long except speculative concern about his attitude if Bach and Tretter each signed deals while he was on team.

Its happened before. Contract years drove Jennings and Finley insane, though somehow the Packers were able to play with them.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

The Great Bob McGinn: "The Packers are in the business of winning football games, and whatever they tried to do reeked of incompetence."

Could not agree more.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

Contract years drove Jennings and Finley insane...

Source?

Jennings apparently overestimated his worth, as Teddy reportedly offered Jennings $10 M/yr prior to the season of his contract year. But no fucking way Jennings went "insane." Jennings was extremely professional throughout the whole ordeal.

Ditto, J-Mike, who was resigned.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

Maybe he hit the team with a hold out threat a week before the season was to start, who knows.

Why would Sitton holdout? That would be stupid. Dude's in his 30's, has a family to feed and he was due $6.5 M, which is way more than I make in a year rocking on subway platforms for change.

[Bretsky]

Great read from McGinn on it. Sounds like the Packers just straight up blew it and there hand was forced. This jives with TT's comments earlier this week about Josh being a heck of a football player.

http://www.packersnews.com/story/spo...mbit/90149052/

THIS ARTICLES REALLY DESERVES ITS OWN THREAD

MOTHERLOAD OF F'CK UPS. We'll be fine


THANKSTED

[Harlan Huckleby]

McGinn certainly did a bitch-slap of Pete Dougherty. Dougherty had portrayed the Packer brain trust as cold, calm and cunning, decisively trimming the fat with Vince Lombardi leadership and vision. Dougherty also promoted the "something must have happened" baseless rumor as bonus oral servicing of his bosses, Ted & Mike.

I have come to see that Dougherty was partially right. Probably TT saw Sitton as a declining vet who was near the end in GB. And both McGinn & Dougherty agree that MM might have feared future tension in the locker room.

I think TT miscalculated on all counts. He didn't need to unload Sitton now.

[texaspackerbacker]

There's no putting lipstick on this pig...

Bacteria is a below average LT, now Lane is a well below average LG... what are the odds Rodgers survives the season?? He better have eyes in the back of his head.

And BTW - Sitton's comments about the Packers offense being predictable were entirely accurate.

All true, but carry that one step further: Sitton was overrated and pretty mediocre himself - the whole damn O Line was/is. The escapability and passing accuracy of Aaron Rodgers is what camouflages the line's mediocrity, that and the ability to run when defenses are loaded up to stop the pass. How often does the O Line form a decent pocket and keep the QB from having to run for his life? How often does the O Line just push the D back in clear running situations? Virtually never.

I don't know and still haven't heard a plausible explanation for not squeezing one more year of use out of Sitton, but I'm fairly sure life will go on pretty much as usual without him.