Is Gutekunst betting the farm? Putting all his eggs in this year's basket?

[bobblehead]

[QUOTE=Patler;1005590]

Patler, I came to the same conclusion. Rare it is for a Packer GM not named Sherman to back-load contracts and hope you or someone else can clean up the mess down the road.

However, the article also mentions what would seem to be the reason for this: an aging Aaron Rodgers. This is a short-term strategy, which was the opposite of Thompson's way of working.

Let's hope it results in a Super Bowl championship in the next two to three years, cuz if it doesn't, it looks like we're going back to the days of dead money and no talent.

I can see why Gutekunst would do it. It's Rodgers or bust, at this point.[/QUOT

Agreed, much similarity to Sherman, even the reasons for doing it. Favre was at the same stage of his career, and Sherman was trying to make the most of it. Hopefully, Smith I & II and Amos don't turn out to be 2019 versions of Joe Johnson, Hardy Nickerson, Mark Roman or John Thierry.

Those were old guys, these are young ascending guys.

I only mind spending money when it will cost you some of your own (or you overpaid for guys). I don't see this costing us Clark or anyone I really want to keep because we simply are devoid of talent atm. I think we overpaid a bit for these guys, and I prefer TT's approach, but TT also depended on drafting really well....something he did other than 2015. 16/17 were decent, but not stellar. That meant we had a big hole in the "re sign" of the 2015 class. We filled it...probably over filled it, but since 16/17 were merely ok we shouldn't end up losing anyone I really value.

Now we need 2 good drafts and we can get back in the Owl.

[bobblehead]

I don't think it had much to do with Rodgers. It had more to do with Gutey realizing that the terrible 2014 and 2015 drafts had simply left too many holes in this roster. No longer being constrained by the Matthews and Cobb contracts gave him the room to maneuver.

2 10yr starters who are borderline all pro doesn't make a terrible draft.

Look at it this way. 2015 was a lost draft. What if we had drafted both smiths and amos in 2015. We would be giving them pretty close to what they just got.

[bobblehead]

I pretty much align with everyone else. I don’t see an alternative that isn’t for sure wasting at least 2019-2020 for Rodgers. They needed talent badly. My gut feeling is only one of the two will see the end of the contract and they still pick a pass rusher of some sort at #12. I don’t mind the signings at all, but the guard did have me raise an eye brow at the cost for a no name back up player. I hope the theme of the team is build the trenches this year because that is a bad contract it appears and paying Bulaga again seems dicey

He is no name to you. To people who like to watch the OL he is a good fit and a player that continually escalated his play. He is a perfect ZBS guard. I think we overpaid, but I don't know what anyone else was offering so.....

[bobblehead]

That's sort of like saying "Hey, we broke into your house and stole all your shit, so now you have all of this room (empty space) and this great insurance money to replace it all". Sounds horrible.

TT left a HOF QB, an all pro LT a pro bowl WR and ascending RB and C. Those are the cornerstone of a good offense. TT wasn't the same drafting D in recent years, this is true, but he was hardly the buccaneers.

[bobblehead]

Basically this is the money they would have spent on their own players if Randall, Rollins, Montgomery and Ryan were good players that they wanted to keep. This is what Gute had to do in order to have a chance to field a competitive football team this year. If he hits, the Packers are in very good shape for the next 2-3 years. If he totally whiffs, next year and the year after will probably be a struggle.

And then you trade ARod for a mountain of draft capital and begin the rebuild.

[bobblehead]

Its good that Micah Hyde's money was spent on a Packer somewhere.

That and Heyward were my 2 biggest gripes. Good solid football players that weren't paid good solid money. At the time I didn't realize how bad the cobb contract was. Perry was a lucky victim of circumstances. He would have gotten as much on the open market that year.

I still blame MM for losing Hyde instead of making him our safety.

[bobblehead]

i don't have the numbers in front of me, but TT went into every offseason with lots of free cap, and never used it for help

he mostly used that money to re sign his own shitty players that he drafted

so i wouldn't say TT planned this all out to leave the team with a decent cap situation

it was just a byproduct of they way he worked

We won an Owl, made the NFCC game 4? times from his shitty drafts. He signed Woodson and Peppers. I just can't say he drafted shitty players the whole time. Admitted he had a couple stinkers when he attempted to draft for need (probably because MM kept whining til he caved).

Sorry, I can't stand MM. If TT had cut ties with him after the Seattle debacle we might have 2 more Owls.

[bobblehead]

Hate on me all you want, but it seems to me that Jason Spriggs might fit this system perfectly. Dude could flourish in this kind of blocking scheme.

20 pounds ago...man is this guy unlucky with the way his career arc is playing out. MM "put some lead in those pants, I need an anchor dammit" M4 "dude, you gotta slim out and gain some mobility. We can wear down the DL so they can't overpower you."

[bobblehead]

Funny how these conversations always regurgitate after 5 or 6 years. We are back to what linemen fit the zone blocking scheme better. If you watch college football the majority of teams all run zbs. The Badgers have made their name on the ZBS and none of their offensive linemen are speed demons. Speed has nothing to do with it. It is all technique and every linemen needs to watch film and understand their opponents front seven. Most linemen understand the concepts more than one would think.

Thank you. If you are quick to a spot and can't lock onto a guy in space you have an issue. Technique trumps athlete. Ideally you get athletes with great technique. Bobbleheads rule when he gets an NFL GM job....ignore the 40!

[Fritz]

The same thought occurred to me about Spriggs. The hate is another story. :P
As for Badger or other OL, 40 time is not as important as the agility measurements (3c, ss), which in turn aren't as important as the film IMO. I don't think having Taylor as a starter is going to prevent them from seeing what he can do best, but the ability to hit on the move and keep balance will be important.
I think they'll draft 2 OL even with signing Turner to provide depth and competition. Turner feels like the penciled starter at RG and emergency RT, and they're probably going to look at upgrading LG & RT. Makes sense to keep Bulaga: he's cheaper than Turner, and even if you can only count on him for 12 games, that buys them time to coach up a rookie to replace him.

Knowing how these things go, Spriggs probably has a monster year and we all gnash teeth over contracts and whether to keep him.

Or, scenario two, the Packers finally, finally cut Spriggs, but then the Patriots pick him up and we all freak out about how Belichik is going to turn him into an All-Pro.

Like Breno Giacomini with the Seahawks.

[Deputy Nutz]

Its not speed but they do have to move, hit and then for one or two of them, move/disengage, locate and hit again.

But the 40 times probably aren't the measure we are looking for.

If you draft a lineman that can't get to the next level than I don't care what system you run that was a terrible draft pick

[call_me_ishmael]

[QUOTE=bobblehead;1005702]

Those were old guys, these are young ascending guys.

I only mind spending money when it will cost you some of your own (or you overpaid for guys). I don't see this costing us Clark or anyone I really want to keep because we simply are devoid of talent atm. I think we overpaid a bit for these guys, and I prefer TT's approach, but TT also depended on drafting really well....something he did other than 2015. 16/17 were decent, but not stellar. That meant we had a big hole in the "re sign" of the 2015 class. We filled it...probably over filled it, but since 16/17 were merely ok we shouldn't end up losing anyone I really value.

Now we need 2 good drafts and we can get back in the Owl.

I agree with this post aside from the commenting on drafting. TT was complete and total ass at drafting since 2012.

[call_me_ishmael]

TT left a HOF QB, an all pro LT a pro bowl WR and ascending RB and C. Those are the cornerstone of a good offense. TT wasn't the same drafting D in recent years, this is true, but he was hardly the buccaneers.

Yep, I don't disagree. One could even argue the RT is very, very good. It does beg the question. Is the cupboard bare, or was coaching just a major problem the past 3 years?

[3irty1]

Seems to me the spending spree the Packers just went on was more the consequence of sucking than part of some window-closing strategy. We had a lot of bad money tied up in the top of our roster and had to turn it over. FA is really the only way to do that. The hope is Gute can avoid being stuck in the bad team pattern of throwing good money after bad every few years because the homegrown talent never pans out.

As for blame games, be easy on Ted. It's not clear he was mentally fit enough to be culpable for the last few years of drafts, departures, and moves. I get the sense he was trusted to such a degree by Murphy and board that it was possible for him to just rot on the vine without any oversight. So no I wouldn't give him much credit for success going forward either. Maybe Russ Ball. As for Ted's drafts, I think they were generally well evaluated, well executed, but not very lucky. The 2013 draft is the epitome of Ted's work. Two years out that draft looked like an out-of-the-park home run: Jones, Lacy, Bakhitiari, Tretter, Hyde, Franklin, Barrington, even Charles Johnson. Two years later and Bakhtiari was last man standing. It was a comedy of stupid circumstances that ruined that class.

The drafting hasn't been great for a while, and there is absolutely no substitutes for good drafting, but we're in the situation we're in because we resigned the wrong guys too. Arguably we had all our eggs in the Clay Matthews, Nick Perry, and Cobb basket and Gute is just changing out the eggs.

[pbmax]

TT left a HOF QB, an all pro LT a pro bowl WR and ascending RB and C. Those are the cornerstone of a good offense. TT wasn't the same drafting D in recent years, this is true, but he was hardly the buccaneers.

Damn. Forgot about the running backs.