An Important Public Service Announcement

[Lurker64]

Sorry Scott. I forgot that you had predicted TT would pick Harrell with the 16th pick. Of course I don't speak for everyone here...but alot of us are puzzled.....dick.

Can we keep the name calling in some of the other draft threads instead of this one? I mean, whether or not any of us thought we were getting Harrell or wanted him on Friday, the fact of the matter is that he's one of our guys now we should be happy to have him. He has the potential to be an all-pro, and might have been a top 10 overall if circumstances were different.

Plus, we did need a DT. It's not a glitzy need that the media would notice, but it is a need.

[Brando19]

Sorry Scott. I forgot that you had predicted TT would pick Harrell with the 16th pick.

As a matter of fact, I was spot on through the 27th pick in the 3rd round.

LOL

[MJZiggy]

I also think we've overlooked one very important thing, that might really make the difference in this draft.

James Jones can longsnap!

We got a WR and a replacement for Rob Davis!

That might be a bigger deal than it appears. He's what - 38 now? What if he gets hurt?

38 and on a one-year contract.

[Packers4Ever]

Re: An Important Public Service Announcement

[quote="Lurker64"]

Whether or not you think they're good picks or not, one of the common threads of all of Thompson's picks so far is that they're all pretty likable guys. So rather than ripping them, how about we start liking them? After all, they're Packers now and so they're our guys.[/quote Lurker 64

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I just got in here, haven't read a thing yet, just want to say that I think Lurker probably has the best attitude about this that we'll see all day. I was angry and disappointed too, but what's done is done, we just have to trust that TT - and team and fans - will come out way ahead from this draft.

Now - on to the other news of the morning.....

[MJZiggy]

Re: An Important Public Service Announcement

Now - on to the other news of the morning.....

I wouldn't read that if I were you...

[MadtownPacker]

Lurker, I need a pep talk bad man. Tell me something good, anything. It doesnt even have to be about football...

[Badgerinmaine]

I need a pep talk bad man. Tell me something good, anything. It doesnt even have to be about football...

Life is good, burritos are still delicious and we're not Detroit Lions fans. How's that?

[Brando19]

I need a pep talk bad man. Tell me something good, anything. It doesnt even have to be about football...

Life is good, burritos are still delicious and we're not Detroit Lions fans. How's that?

Detroit has Calvin Johnson! Sorry...I'm not helping.
How about....we're all alive, it's almost summer, and Spiderman 3 comes out next weekend!

[MadtownPacker]

I need a pep talk bad man. Tell me something good, anything. It doesnt even have to be about football...

Life is good, burritos are still delicious and we're not Detroit Lions fans. How's that?

It helpsbut I'd like some more KoolAid please.

[Lurker64]

Here's the thing. We're fans, and fan is short for "fanatic". That means we're kind of fundamentally irrational about these sorts of things. We get emotionally invested in things like specific draft picks, specific trades, and specific signings. The guys in the war room aren't emotionally invested in this. It's their job to cold-heartedly do the things that they think will improve the team the most, whether or not it makes us feel good.

When we're picturing Larry Johnson taking the handoff from #4, or Moss catching a Favre bomb we get excited because those sorts of things are things that will make our team better, and they would. The problem is that we don't also picture what those sorts of things would cost us. Consider the following, how many teams in the NFL could use a running back as good as Larry Johnson or a Wide Receiver with the tools that Randy Moss has? All of them. How many teams are capable of trading for those players? All but those teams they're currently on. No matter how much we want a player for our team, there's something telling about the fact that there were only a couple of teams even interested in Moss.

The other thing is, when we're picturing draft picks coming in and making this team great, we tend to imagine them excelling at the skill positions because those are the positions whose impact is easiest to see on a down to down basis. We imagine Marshawn Lynch running for big yards, or Robert Meachem catching bombs. Those images have an exciting, visceral impact. We don't tend to imagine, as much, a LT holding a DE in check long enough for the quarterback to complete the pass for a first down, or a mammoth DT holding the point on 4th and inches, but those things win football games.

So it's understandable that people are upset, because we didn't pick up a lot of glamor this weekend. What we picked up is a lot of hard working, physical, and tough guys most of which are smart, mean, or both. The glam team is certainly looks good, but the fact of the matter is that when the glamorous team comes up against tough, physical, disciplined team the latter wins. We want to win football games, and I for one don't really care if we look good doing it (though it's a perk.)

So yeah, you might be upset, and that's reasonable. Because being a fan has nothing to do with being rational about anything, in fact quite the opposite. But keep as a thought in the back of your mind how exciting it will be when Aaron Rouse nearly takes somebody's head off when he makes the tackle on the opening kickoff, or when Harrell pancakes Adrian Peterson in the backfield. Keep in mind that the tough down the middle catches where you have to get up and muscle the DB out of position are just as important as the screaming down the sideline 60 yard bombs. Potentially more important, because McCarthy wants to run the west coast offense so the former kind of pass is our bread and butter. Keep in mind that we have a prototype ZBS back now, and that most of the other guys drafted ahead of them, though they might dance in the backfield in an aesthetically appealing fashion or run into the backs of their blockers really hard, weren't necessarily a better fit for the system.

So be upset now, if it makes you feel better (it won't), since that's part of being a fan. But remember that eventually cooler heads prevail, and you'll start to realize that some of these guys we have now are actually pretty exciting, in a quiet way.

[MadtownPacker]

Thats good stuff Lurk.

[MJZiggy]

Lurker are you a therapist in real life or do I need to check and make sure none of my valium's missing?

[Lurker64]

Also, keep the following in mind.

Day 1 is when you win the media coverage of the draft.
Day 2 is when actually win the draft.

Several of our best players were late round guys. The late round guys we take this year might not be our best players this year, but they might well be our best players years down the line. Remember, Kampman was a 5th round pick and Driver was a 7th.

[Badgerinmaine]

Nighty night

Great long post, Lurker...and soothing. In fact, I think I'm going to take a nap

[Tarlam!]

Great, Lurker! Top long post!!