2016-2017 Green Bay Packers Thread

[MrTPlush]

Personally won't miss Hyde. He was overrated being somewhat competent in a horrible secondary. Sure he is versatile which was huge for the injury riddled team last year, but outside of that he really isn't all that good.

 

Have no problem giving money to Perry he was a dang good player last year. Being worried about it being a contract year is a bit silly. Sure you run that risk, but I don't see how you avoid a deal over that. He makes a heck of a lot more money if he plays well and stays the entire contract.

 

Julius Peppers is a tough loss, but he is so old. Depending on him to keep being a factor and stay healthy is a prayer. Unfortunately letting him go means we have to keep Matthews and his steep salary.

 

Jared Cook leaving would be a bummer, but I don't know how one can judge it not knowing what he is seeking. Thompson might think he could easily get a similar player elsewhere and not pay a boatload of cash.

 

 

 

Really at this point it is pretty dissapointing we haven't found some veteran secondary help. Was really hoping we would at least solidfy a spot or two and hope one of the other guys already here can rebound.

[NeedMoreFans]

I wonder if Lance Kendricks is on the Packers radar instead of signing Cook.

 

I'm actually (and seriously) wondering if Martellus Bennett is on their radar. The Patriots traded for Dwayne Allen, which makes it very unlikely Bennett will be back with them.

[sauveb]

Martellus Bennett just posted a picture of himself wearing a Packers hat.

 

And it is now official. Bennett to Green Bay.

[TheEndless7]

I would have to say that Martellus Bennett is definitely on their radar right now.

[pacopete4]

Good signing. Very good.

[MrTPlush]

I wonder if Lance Kendricks is on the Packers radar instead of signing Cook.

 

I'm actually (and seriously) wondering if Martellus Bennett is on their radar. The Patriots traded for Dwayne Allen, which makes it very unlikely Bennett will be back with them.

 

Bennett signed with the Packers about 5 minutes before you posted that.

[MrTPlush]

[nate82]

Better hope the Packers have a good record or Bennett will quit on the team.

[LouisEly]

That's what Cook gets for screwing around trying to squeeze more money out of the Packers. Free agency risk is a two-way street and Cook may have just cost himself a shot a playing for a Super Bowl contender. You try for too much and you can be replaced.

 

I think that Lang - and the general idea of keeping Rodgers upright - is their highest priority and what they are waiting on. That being said, and I've said this several times, my biggest criticism of TT is not using late round draft picks - that rarely amount to anything more than a backup - to fill holes. You can't tell me that last year the Colts wouldn't have parted with Vontae Davis for a conditional 6th or 7th round pick to shore up the Packers hole at CB.

 

Re: Patriots - I'm not sure what they've done is really better. Giving up a 1st and 3rd for a WR? Giving $40M guaranteed to Gilmore when Janoris Jenkins got $28.5M last year and one of the best CB draft classes of all time approaching? Not sure about that.

 

If the Packers can use the remaining cap space to bring Lang back and secure a mid-level CB, ILB, or DT I think they'll have done fairly well for only $30M in cap space. Lots of teams had more than that to work with.

[Thurston Fluff]

Perry departing would have been a loss. Hyde departing is far from one. It amazes me that people whine about not paying for one guy then cry about paying too much for another. They paid what the market dictated to keep Perry. Again what matters is keeping the one who made a positive impact. Perry defends the run well and adds a pass rush threat. That's a rare combo. Hyde meanwhile is one of the slowest defenders on a defense that sorely lacks speed and gave up a Pro Bowl passer rating. Hyde got paid starter money and will have a difficult time living up to it. He's best suited for a utility role.

 

 

All this is fine and dandy and I think most would agree with you but also most would agree that there are more creative ways to improve this team. Signing Perry again doesn't jump this team up a notch. Might help keep it where it's at but it doesn't make that defense much better if any. The previous post to yours laid out what the Patriots have done so far and that's a team fresh off the Super Bowl. Why can't we use other avenues to improve this team? If TT is not creative enough, time to move on to someone else.

 

OK, so would have letting Perry walk been better? And did I miss something? Is the offseason done?

 

Btw, the Patriots history with big ticket FAs isn't that pretty. The Gilmore signing is a treadmill move if they trade Butler, arguably the better player. And they just lost another starting CB in Logan Ryan. Packers fans love to add up gains and departures then point only to other teams signings while ignoring their losses.

 

It's been shown countless times that the best use of free agency is 2nd and 3rd tier hole pluggers, something GB uses it for all the damn time. The big contracts go to guys who get paid like 1st tier players in price only. True blue chippers and difference makers don't make it to free agency. They're extended and franchised.

 

Green Bay always uses the cap money somehow, some way. They've got more than usual and I'm actually encouraged their letting some guys walk like Hyde (overrated) and hopefully Lang who will be overpaid unless he takes a discount to stay. So unless they sit on $20 million in cap space, I think it's a good bet we see some vets signed at low level deals.

 

Just to expand on this a little the Patriots only have 2 players in the top of the pay scale at their position in Gronk and now Gilmore. That would not be the case if they did a lot of top tier free agent signings. This season they did at corner and it seems like a pretty big overpay. The other being Gronk. They usually do what the Packers do and wait for the crazy period to end and find bargains who fit what they do. Granted they have been more active on the next level of free agents than the Packers but they also don't draft as well so they kind of had to.

[GAME05]

Sounding like TE Kendricks is coming to Green Bay. An upgrade as the #2 TE, but an odd signing.

[pacopete4]

Chewy and Jackson reborn

[GAME05]

From an offensive perspective, that all should make for one heck of a dynamic, unstoppable offense, especially if we re-sign Lacy or draft a power running back. If you're a defense, who do you put out there if GB runs a 4WR set but Lacy is in the backfield? Or GB runs 2TE but Montgomery is there to split out wide and outrun everyone?

 

But for the defense, all I wonder is that with so much cap money going toward Bennett and Kendricks and maybe Lacy, will the defense really be upgraded? I get that there's always the draft, but typically rookie DBs aren't that productive, especially drafting so late in the round.

[jerichoholicninja]

Expecting anything from Lacey is a fool's errand - too out of shape, too injury prone. Hard pass on him. Use Rip as the power back, use Montgomery as the "feature" back, draft an actual running back to split with Montgomery this year and take over in 2018, and throw the ball 75% of the time.

[nodakfan17]

I would love to know what transpired between Cook and the Packers in the last 48 hours. Of all the things to happen in free agency, I would never have guessed they would add 2 tight ends in 2 days. Now, I'm just hoping Cook gets a big contract and makes the All Pro team so that he can offset the Bennett signing in the comp formula.

[brewcrewdue80]

Via WalterFootball's top 100 ranked FAs

TJ Lang was #7 to start and now is 1st remaining.

Nick Mangold #21 an old Center is #2

Jonathon Hankins #24 a NT is #3

Dontari Poe #25 a NT is 4.

Morris Claiborne #29 CB is 5.

 

The Titans swiped the next 2 S/CB combo in John Cyprien and Logan Ryan...who the Patriots didn't resign and went with Gilmore.

 

Last remaining top 50 S/CB besides Claiborne is T.J. McDonald who has a sidenote of

T.J. McDonald had a rough offseason leading into 2016, coming off shoulder surgery and then being arrested for a DUI. However, none of this affected his play this season, as McDonald put together another decent campaign

Not a Packer type with the DUI.

 

Bennett was #51 and Kendriks was #11 ranked of TEs. Cook was #2 and only other ranked in 100 with Bennett.

 

With the two TE signings, I'm expecting a first 4 or 5 draft selection all on defense. Probably a RB would be the breakup of the first 5 picks.

 

Walter Football's mock by a Walt lists TJ Watt as the Packers pick. I sure hope we find some help for the secondary and pick a LB/Special Teams player in a later pick.

[LouisEly]

Welp, Lang to the Lions. Not entirely surprised as he is from suburban Detroit and had a bit of a bad taste in his mouth after the Packers cut Sitton last year. The plan at this point must be Bulaga to RG and Spriggs to RT.

 

The one guy not being talked about that would make for a good sign is Dontari Poe. With Guion suspended for the first four games he loses a lot of value. A DL of Poe, Clark, and Daniels would be pretty darned good and help shore up the run defense.

[Point Beer Is Best]

nobody is doubting that Perry had a great season, the concern is that he played really hard to get a contract and will now coast, since he did nothing for the first 4 years in the league.

 

After the 2014 season ended, they declined the 5th year option on Perry's rookie contract. So the 2015 season was also a contract year. What was different about 2016 than 2015? It certainly can't be effort, which you are implying. He had just as much financial incentive to "turn it on" in 2015 than he did in 2016. My belief is his production went up as he gained more opportunity with Matthews being hurt and limiting Peppers' snap count. In 2014 & 2015, Perry played on about 33% of the defensive plays. In 2016, that number jumped up to about 60% (first among Packers OLB and second behind Joe Thomas for players in the front 7), and his production increased.

 

It's fair to say that his bad injury luck has hampered his production, especially the first two years he was here. But he's never struck me as a guy in the Cletidus Hunt mold (ugh, darn me for making everyone even remember that guy) who just fell apart after getting paid.

[monkeyman343434]

Lacy to the Seahawks on a 1yr $5.55M deal.

 

Hoping they can get Foreman in the 2nd Round.

[patrickgpe]

nobody is doubting that Perry had a great season, the concern is that he played really hard to get a contract and will now coast, since he did nothing for the first 4 years in the league.

 

After the 2014 season ended, they declined the 5th year option on Perry's rookie contract. So the 2015 season was also a contract year. What was different about 2016 than 2015? It certainly can't be effort, which you are implying. He had just as much financial incentive to "turn it on" in 2015 than he did in 2016. My belief is his production went up as he gained more opportunity with Matthews being hurt and limiting Peppers' snap count. In 2014 & 2015, Perry played on about 33% of the defensive plays. In 2016, that number jumped up to about 60% (first among Packers OLB and second behind Joe Thomas for players in the front 7), and his production increased.

 

It's fair to say that his bad injury luck has hampered his production, especially the first two years he was here. But he's never struck me as a guy in the Cletidus Hunt mold (ugh, darn me for making everyone even remember that guy) who just fell apart after getting paid.

I wasn't implying specifically anything on Perry because nobody knows what is in his heart. Maybe he just figured things out and will have a big 2017, i was saying that it does happen that players have big contract years and get that big Free Agent contract and then do nothing once they sign. I site Larry Sanders as an example, but Hunt is a good one too.

[patrickgpe]

Packers sign Davon House 1 yr / 3.5MM. i do like that signing for that price.

[patrickgpe]

Lacy to the Seahawks on a 1yr $5.55M deal.

 

Hoping they can get Foreman in the 2nd Round.

according to Bob McGinn he weighed in at 267 for one of the 3 teams he interviewed for, which is why i am glad he is gone.

[pacopete4]

Lacy, if he gets himself right, could have a monster year over there in Seattle. Lacy was never really used to full capacity in GB and rightfully so with the QB we have. Seattle wants to pound the ball. What an opportunity he has their for a rebirth of his career.

[fondybrewfan]

Seattle has a pretty terrible offensive line. If he weighs 267 he is only about 20 pounds away from being an o-lineman himself.

 

I wouldn't mind if the Packers gave Charles, Murray, or Peterson a one year deal. It would be worth it IMO and it removes a need from the upcoming draft.

[FVBrewerFan]

They don't need to draft a RB. Montgomery is better than people think, Rip can handle some carries, and they can use Michaels or some other FA RB they come across. Then there's always guys who are cut. RB is the only position I'm fine throwing some bodies at it and let it sort out.

 

CB on the other hand, I sure hope they don't think House and a bottom of the 1st or 2nd round CB will solve the problem. I'm fine with House, he can battle for a backup position with Randall, Rollins, Gunter, etc. But by my count, they still need two starting CBs. I don't see how they do that without trading up in the 1st, and/or trading for another CB somehow.