DID DONALD DRIVER SIGN AN EXTENSION? RUMOR

[wist43]

Just a curious thing to ponder, but I wonder how Walker would have fared had t been Driver who went down and it was Walker facing all the double and triple teams...interesting.

Walker was facing double teams the year before when he and Driver were both healthy and on the field... opposing defenses certainly understood who the real threat was - it wasn't Driver.

Like someone said earlier, "without Walker, nobody is afraid of any of the Packers WR's"... Sorry, but that's just the reality of it.

[The Leaper]

Unlike most, I think Driver is a legit #1 receiver and I feel he's in the same league as Javon. Very underrated. He's had huge seasons as the #1 with Schroeder or Ferguson on the other side and as the #2 with Javon on the other side. Not only that, Driver has shown that his professionalism will not wane after getting the big contract.

I agree with most of this. The main difference between Javon and Driver IMO is that Walker is much more of a playmaker. Driver doesn't possess the size to be a major factor in the redzone like Walker is. That is why Javon will typically put more points on the board, and why he generally is considered more valuable. Everyone knew Walker was going deep the majority of the time...and they still couldn't stop him from scoring. That is impressive...and something Driver can't accomplish nearly as well. They were excellent complimentary receivers...which is why I'm surprised Thompson didn't try harder to make Javon happy in Green Bay.

[Badgepack]

Didn't Favre's production improve alot when Sharpe retired(not that Jwalk is a Sharpe) and he had numerous good receivers and not 1 go to guy?

[pbmax]

I"m sick of hearing the whines and cries about Walker getting a raw deal. I heard LeRoy Butler whining on TMJ this morning about how the Packers now can be seen to have had a double-standard and how that's what Walker had been pointing out the whole time.

I don't see Butler's point here. Walker was arguing that the Packers didn't pay their top players and they had to leave or hold out to get money. His point was they are cheapskates, not hypocritical. They have redone very few deals with two years left to go.

Signing Driver sends the message that Walker's full of bologna. That there may be a right way and a wrong way to ask for a renegotiation.

wist's point about losing the more talented player by standing on this principle is valid. But we don't know what Walker was offered or told, and only Walker is talking about it.

Wolf never commented on this, but I know some consider WR a position where you can find talent more easily than some others. Maybe Walker fell victim to the same philosophy that let Wahle go: Your replacement will be a lot cheaper and at your position, easy to find.

[Sparkey]

Walker is a physically gifted athlete who poses excellent hand strength and great leaping abilities, BUT he still ran routes incorrectly and has never been considered a great route runner, yet he wanted to get paid like the greats.

[The Leaper]

Didn't Favre's production improve alot when Sharpe retired(not that Jwalk is a Sharpe) and he had numerous good receivers and not 1 go to guy?

That had more to do with Favre's progression as a young QB than anything else. Favre was going to improve whether or not Sharpe was still around. If Sharpe hadn't been forced to retire early, I think Green Bay would've challenged for the NFL title a year or two sooner.

[wist43]

Over the course of his career, the Packers failed miserably when it came to providing Favre with weapons at the WR position. In fact, prior to drafting Walker, I would argue that they couldn't care less about providing him with weapons. Wolfe actually cites this as one of his regrets during his tenure as GM.

During his career, Favre has thrown to one elite receiver (Walker), two very good receivers (Sharpe and Rison), one good receiver (Driver), and one slightly above average receiver (Freeman) - and that's it - all the rest are junk.

That's probably one of the principle reasons that I'm furious with TT and the Packers and how they bungled the Walker situation.

With a HOF QB like Favre, we should have had at least 2-3 SB titles. Now his run is over, and it may be another 30 years before the Packers have another shot at a SB.

[gureski]

During his career, Favre has thrown to one elite receiver (Walker), two very good receivers (Sharpe and Rison), one good receiver (Driver), and one slightly above average receiver (Freeman) - and that's it - all the rest are junk.

That's probably one of the principle reasons that I'm furious with TT and the Packers and how they bungled the Walker situation.

How does one single year of pro-bowl calibur play make Javon Walker an 'elite wr'?

Is A.Boldin of Arizona an ELITE WR?

Is Reggie Wayne an ELITE WR?

Is Andre Johnson of Houston an ELITE WR?

Is Michael Clayton of Tampa Bay an ELITE WR?

All these guys had at least one really really good Pro-Bowl calibur season and all are talented. Maybe you can tell me how you can call Walker ELITE but these guys regular when they, statistically, had similar starts to their careers?

I'll tell you that each of these guys are really good but none of them are ELITE. That category is reserved for the very very best WR's in the NFL. Owens, Moss, Harrison... Chad Johnson may be joining that club. Torry Holt. There aren't many ELITE players in any category for any position. DOn't throw that label around loosely. Walker has done NOTHING to earn the label of ELITE. That's the biggest p roblem with the Pro-Walker crowd right now. You're all buying into the fact that he's the real deal before he's proven anything. He had one Pro-Bowl season. That's a fact, not a myth. One good season doesn't carry anyone to the Hall of Fame.

[gureski]

And I'll tell you another thing.... for you to say that Walker is/was better then Sterling Sharpe shows that you didn't watch Sterling Sharpe play. Sharpe was one of the ELITE WR's in the NFL and he did it on crappy teams. In case you didn't know, Sharpe set the single season reception record at something like 106 or 108 catches. He may have set it and then broken it the following year. I do'nt recall all the details but he was an incredible talent at the WR Position that was on track for a Hall of Fame career when injury robbed him of that honor.

it's not even close when comparing Walker and Sharpe. it's actually offensive to compare a one year wonder who has a double surgery-gimpy knee to one of the top offensive playmakers the Packers ever had at WR. If I'm not mistaken, Sharpe set some records as a WR for the packers in certain receiving categories that were held by Don Hutson! Not too shabby to break records set by Don Hutson!

You're way overstating Walker's value. You couldn't have watched Sharpe play much at all to be talking like this! I was in Detroit at the Wildcard playoff game in 1994 when Sterling Sharpe managed to haul in 3 TD's including the game winner! He threw that team on his back that day and it wasn't the first time! When did Walker every pull the Packers on his back?

[The Leaper]

Wist...you are insane.

Sharpe wasn't an elite WR? Go back and look at the stats this guy put up over 7 years.

Sharpe 595-8134 13.7 65td

Sterling Sharpe was easily a better receiver than Javon Walker. He led the LEAGUE (not team, not conference...LEAGUE) in receptions 3 times in his 7 seasons...led the LEAGUE in TDs twice and yardage once. Was statistically a top 5 NFL receiver 4 of his 7 years in the league. He only played SEVEN YEARS and is one of the top 40 WRs all time in yardage and TDs. Mind you, Sharpe accomplished all of this during the prime of the NFL's greatest WR...Jerry Rice.

[gureski]

Wist...you are insane.

Sharpe wasn't an elite WR? Go back and look at the stats this guy put up over 7 years.

Sharpe 595-8134 13.7 65td

Sterling Sharpe was easily a better receiver than Javon Walker. He led the LEAGUE (not team, not conference...LEAGUE) in receptions 3 times in his 7 seasons...led the LEAGUE in TDs twice and yardage once. Was statistically a top 5 NFL receiver 4 of his 7 years in the league. He only played SEVEN YEARS and is one of the top 40 WRs all time in yardage and TDs. Mind you, Sharpe accomplished all of this during the prime of the NFL's greatest WR...Jerry Rice.

Absolutely! This guy never saw Sharpe play to be saying Sharpe wasn't ELITE but Walker is. No doubt about it.

[The Leaper]

It's not even close when comparing Walker and Sharpe. it's actually offensive to compare a one year wonder who has a double surgery-gimpy knee to one of the top offensive playmakers the Packers ever had at WR. If I'm not mistaken, Sharpe set some records as a WR for the packers in certain receiving categories that were held by Don Hutson! Not too shabby to break records set by Don Hutson!

I agree 100%. Wist shows a real lack of knowledge by labelling Sharpe as a "good" WR. The guy would've been one of the 5 best all-time EASY had he been able to continue playing, especially with Favre as his QB. Even after only playing seven years, he still is statistically one of the 40 or 50 best of all-time.

[Harlan Huckleby]

FRI., MAY 12, 2006
What we've got here is failure to communicate
TOM OATES, WSJ

Now that wide receiver Javon Walker has landed safely in Denver, the real reason for his discontent with the Green Bay Packers has come out.

It was - what else? - money that caused Walker to become so disenchanted with the Packers that he forced a draft-day trade to the Broncos.

It certainly wasn't quarterback Brett Favre, even after Favre took Walker to task over a threatened holdout last year.

"I would play with Favre if he went to another team," Walker told Denver reporters after signing a five-year contract extension worth about $40 million that will kick in after this season.

So Favre's off the hook. Don't worry, though, there is plenty of blame to go around.

Walker and general manager Ted Thompson must share responsibility for the failed relationship that has left the Packers without their No. 1 offensive threat. Walker's comments Wednesday and Thompson's decision to add two years to the remaining two on wide receiver Donald Driver's contract Thursday showed that all of this could have been avoided with better communication and more flexibility last year.

Walker clearly has an inflated sense of his football worth after just one good season, but what ticked him off was Thompson's refusal to even discuss a renegotiation of his contract when it had two years to go last summer.

"I said, 'Let's just talk about it,' " Walker said. "It was just a flat-out, disrespectful 'No.' "

Driver's extension shows Thompson learned from that. Good. But Thompson might have been able to save the marriage had he told Walker last summer that they would talk about a new contract during the season if Walker was performing at his Pro Bowl level of 2004. That became a moot point after Walker suffered a serious knee injury in the opener, but Walker's statements in Denver indicate Thompson never told him any such thing.

Thompson probably still could have placated Walker if he had approached him about a new contract while Walker was rehabilitating from knee surgery during the season. There is precedent for this, too.

After offensive tackle Mark Tauscher suffered a serious knee injury early in the 2002 season, the Packers gave him a six-year, $17.4 million contract extension that November. Tauscher got a $1.5 million signing bonus, but most of the bonuses and salary were backloaded in the contract, a compromise that protected the team in case Tauscher didn't return to form and gave Tauscher a chance to earn good money if he did.

Couldn't Thompson have approached Walker last season with a similar, though larger, deal in mind?

It's not far-fetched when you consider the contract extension Walker accepted with Denver, which is structured much like Tauscher's. The Broncos will be on the hook for only $2.15 million this season and the bulk of the $15 million in bonuses will be paid in 2007 and '08. That protects the Broncos in case Walker doesn't return to form.

"I'm not worried about that," Walker said.

If he's not worried about that now, he probably wouldn't have been worried about it in November. And he might still be in Green Bay.

[The Leaper]

Thompson was a flat out IDIOT for not being willing to at least step up to the table and try to hammer out a renegotiation. If Walker wasn't willing to give up his outrageous salary demands, then Ted would be welcome to walk away and wash his hands of the situation.

However, there is NO EXCUSE for ignoring Walker. None.

[RashanGary]

I think Walker was demanding more up front from GB. When GB flat out refused to deal with his demands he was shipped off. I think it is very possible that after his experience in GB that he was humbled a bit and was willing to take a deal from Denver that was not all up front.

I could be wrong but after he left GB I'm pretty certain he was less confident in his negotiating tactics as he originally was with us. Anything written is all speculation and is only taking into account the statements of a player who got a 6 on the Wonderlic. I don't know if Walker even understands what happened with him.