Packers to hire LaFleur (page 8), Hackett hired as OC (page 13)

[CheezWizHed]

I have unfortunately, made the poor, poor decision to move into the Minneapolis area (sacrificed football passions for family needs).

 

That means I unfortunately hear way too much about the Vikings. There was a LOT of discussion that Cousins couldn't handle Defillipo's offense nor the calls. In fact, there was a ton of grumbling that Defillipo should've stayed and Cousins went (among fans) and that he is overpaid. Who knows... maybe he wasn't the brain-child he was made to be, but I'd give him a mulligan for his time with the Vikings.

 

Also to consider that you merge a HC under pressure to win (contract year in 2019) with a new OC and a top-3 paid QB all trying to figure it out together. As it was just said, after Defillipo, the Vikings looked good against a few bad teams, but looked HORRID against the Bears to end thier season with Cousins and Theilen yelling at each other.

 

Plus Cousins still put up 4000+ yds mostly under Defillipo.

 

But it doesn't matter... We have Hackett now. And its probably more important that the team all form a great team to work together than being concerned about coach A vs coach B.

[Pugger]

It's a bit risky, but I wanted the Packers to take a swing and they did. With some of the "safer" options bandied about, my general impression was you might as well have just kept McCarthy.

 

Except MM stopped being creative and lost his team (or at least the QB).

 

I like the hire personally. I had him or McDaniels as my top favorite, but McD had me worried for some reason (probably a combo of Denver and Indy issues). I'm also happy to see Pettine retained. I think there is a better chance to bounce back next year with an established D concept.

 

I have a feeling MM lost more than his QB last season. I too like the hire. Something had to be done.

[Pugger]

HaHa and Randall are good players in my opinion and dumping them left us very thin and that lack of depth contributed to the defensive collapse this year. I don't know how bad a cancer they were, like I say I blamed MM for being thin skinned but that article seems to indicate it was more the org. Maybe we would have been even worse with them on the team this year but I find that hard to believe. I thought I saw Randall even stood up for MM after his firing.

 

Was Ha Ha that great? He wasn't all that wonderful in Washington either.

[Pugger]

Re: Titletown District

Maybe a dumb question, but with the massive amount of revenue sharing in the NFL, why would a team invest it's money in anything? Whether you generate the most revenue in the league or the least, isn't everyone coming out the same after revenue sharing?

 

Everyone gets the same amount from the TV contracts but any monies we get with the Titletown District is just for the Pack. We copied what NE did. They have Patriot Place with restaurants, shops, a Bass Pro Shop, a skating rink, a hotel and now a cinema.

[Pugger]

And now the Browns have hired away James Campen, who had one year left on his deal so they could have blocked him if they so chose. Pretty bummed out by that. He’s developed several starters out of Day 3 picks.

 

I can understand why Campen left. Cleveland gave him the title of both OL coach and assistant HC, something he wasn't going to get in GB.

[OnTheBlack]

HaHa and Randall are good players in my opinion and dumping them left us very thin and that lack of depth contributed to the defensive collapse this year. I don't know how bad a cancer they were, like I say I blamed MM for being thin skinned but that article seems to indicate it was more the org. Maybe we would have been even worse with them on the team this year but I find that hard to believe. I thought I saw Randall even stood up for MM after his firing.

 

Was Ha Ha that great? He wasn't all that wonderful in Washington either.

 

 

Well, he didn't say great, he said good. And he was a GOOD safety for the Packers. Problem is, from what it sounds like(and we only get a tiny-tiny fraction of the behinds the scenes reasons for some of these moves) is he wanted to be paid like an elite safety. Look at what safeties are getting paid? You want to give HaHa 5 years and 40 million for example, or give the Honey Badger 3 years 27 million? I know he's small, but he's an impact player. There are a lot of other safeties who sign for even cheaper.

 

As for Randall, he was a safety in the little time he played at ASU and his own position coach in GB said he was better suited to play safety. There seemed to be some issues in the locker room and some immaturity on the part of Randall. Some of it I would venture to guess was the frustration from playing the position that requires the most athleticism while dealing with some injuries that severely limit your change of direction abilities. He did look good as a rookie, but the Packers did get a pretty nice return for him. Swapped 4th and 5th round picks and we got back a young QB who'd have likely been a 1st had he not left ND early.

 

Both are talented....but I wouldn't say their abscesses caused our defense to suffer too much. Give me prime Berry and Thomas and it's not going to mean much if you dont' have any edge rushers who can constantly win their matchup's(which technically means beating your man in less than 2.5 seconds according to PFF, something Donte Fowler did more than any other edge rusher at the time the Rams traded for him(he might be a nice, cheap FA target for us to build up our pass rushing rotation).

 

And I REALLY hope they don't go into next off-season counting on Kyler Fackrell to be a legit 10 sack a year guy. He's not. I'd happily trade him for a 3rd or 4th if anyone would give it up. I have very little faith in him.

 

 

Finally, I don't know how you could possibly blame MM for being thin skinned. Guys run their course and now too much blame is being laid at his feet. Andy Reid was more disliked when he left Philly than MM is now and yet Reid is considered one of the most innovative coaches in the game right now and really had KC winning right out of the gate. McCarthy dealt with big personalities, most importantly Charles Woodson, with whom he butted heads with early on before he earned Wood's respect.

 

Capers, McCarthy and TT all needed to go...but the Packers can need a new direction while at the same time appreciating what those guys did for the franchise. I harbor no ill will. Things got stale, Arod may be a little difficult, but he's too good, too talented and too smart to NOT be playing for Super Bowls.

[OnTheBlack]

Re: Titletown District

Maybe a dumb question, but with the massive amount of revenue sharing in the NFL, why would a team invest it's money in anything? Whether you generate the most revenue in the league or the least, isn't everyone coming out the same after revenue sharing?

 

Everyone gets the same amount from the TV contracts but any monies we get with the Titletown District is just for the Pack. We copied what NE did. They have Patriot Place with restaurants, shops, a Bass Pro Shop, a skating rink, a hotel and now a cinema.

 

 

They also share all monies from the ticket sales(I think they keep 60pct and 40 pct goes into revenue sharing...but that is an older figure. It may be different now.

 

You keep your revenue from luxury boxes. Which is why the ownes were pissed off at Jerry Jones when he tore out a bunch of seats in the old Cowboys stadium to add a lot of luxury boxes and then had to go to them, hat in hand and ask for more money for his bloated new stadium. Which the owners agreed to loan him, but not without making him squirm a bit first. Which...really had to be a blast.

[OldHeidelberg]

Randall has 16 picks in 59 career games, that's pretty good production and he still has a nice ceiling, especially now that he is back at safety. Too bad things went sour there, he wasn't a bad draft pick talent wise. I wasn't as upset about the HHCD trade but it did make us worse at an already thin position, probably wouldn't have made much difference in the end though. At least they saved a few bucks I guess.

[PeaveyFury]

At least they saved a few bucks I guess.

 

And acquired an extra 4th in the process...

[OldHeidelberg]

At least they saved a few bucks I guess.

 

And acquired an extra 4th in the process...

 

Yeah pretty much the comp pick that Washington will get now but if you believe a 4th rounder this year is equal to a 3rd in next years draft we probably will come out ahead there. Plus we don't have to worry as much about losing the comp pick when we sign FA's ourselves, I am hopeful Gutes isn't as stingy about keeping those comp picks as TT was.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

At least they saved a few bucks I guess.

 

And acquired an extra 4th in the process...

 

Yeah pretty much the comp pick that Washington will get now but if you believe a 4th rounder this year is equal to a 3rd in next years draft we probably will come out ahead there. Plus we don't have to worry as much about losing the comp pick when we sign FA's ourselves, I am hopeful Gutes isn't as stingy about keeping those comp picks as TT was.

 

Comp pick wouldn't come until 2020. Also, 4th rounders are awarded for good free agents who sign big deals. HHCD may get a decent deal based on his name alone, but if anyone actually floats him a deal based on what he's put on tape over the last couple years, he'll be lucky to find much of anything on the open market.

[OldHeidelberg]

Yeah I know, that is why I compared the 4th this year to a pick next year. I think he will get a 4th round comp type deal, off the top of my head that is 6-7 million per year. He is durable and has been a pro bowler, someone will take a chance on that.

[PeaveyFury]

Considering the cap room that the Packers have, I'm sure part of the reason they decided to trade him was that they're unlikely to net out a comp pick this year, as you suggested. I'd say they assumed that Dix' pick would get washed out.

[areacodes]

Looks like Rodgers has a QB coach he is familiar with as they are bringing in Luke Getsy.

 

 

http://www.espn.com/espn/now?nowId=21-41053632-4

[OnTheBlack]

Comp pick wouldn't come until 2020. Also, 4th rounders are awarded for good free agents who sign big deals. HHCD may get a decent deal based on his name alone, but if anyone actually floats him a deal based on what he's put on tape over the last couple years, he'll be lucky to find much of anything on the open market.

 

 

 

Well, he's been real up and down, but the safety market in general has been so bad that I think you're looking at a 5th probably at best for HaHa. I could be wrong, but when Mathieu signs a 1 year 7.5 million dollar deal and he's a much more versatile player who's been more productive, I don't see HaHa getting a big multi-year deal. Even Burnett. 3 years and 14.5 million for how reliable he'd been is pretty cheap and I don't think HaHa is a better player than Burnett was when he signed. Again, I'd be happy to bring Burnett back. Maybe you end up drafting someone else and he starts ahead of Burnett, but you need two new safeties IMO and edge rushers, depth on the OL among other positions. So having a smart, solid defender like Burnett would make a lot of sense.

[OnTheBlack]

Looks like Rodgers has a QB coach he is familiar with as they are bringing in Luke Getsy.

 

 

http://www.espn.com/espn/now?nowId=21-41053632-4

 

 

Seems like a good starter. I do wonder how engaged Rodgers will be trying to learn a new offense for the first time since he came into the league.

 

I think that may reinvigorate him and hopefully get his level of play back to where we've expected it to be his entire career as opposed to last year when he just missed too many wide open receivers.

[Pugger]

Looks like Rodgers has a QB coach he is familiar with as they are bringing in Luke Getsy.

 

 

http://www.espn.com/espn/now?nowId=21-41053632-4

 

Did they hire him? I haven't heard any official word about it yet.

[areacodes]

Looks like Rodgers has a QB coach he is familiar with as they are bringing in Luke Getsy.

 

 

http://www.espn.com/espn/now?nowId=21-41053632-4

 

Did they hire him? I haven't heard any official word about it yet.

 

 

Doesn’t look like there is anything more recent on it than from 1/21. Maybe they are waiting to announce until after the later signing day for Mississippi State?

[Pugger]

Looks like Rodgers has a QB coach he is familiar with as they are bringing in Luke Getsy.

 

 

http://www.espn.com/espn/now?nowId=21-41053632-4

 

 

Seems like a good starter. I do wonder how engaged Rodgers will be trying to learn a new offense for the first time since he came into the league.

 

I think that may reinvigorate him and hopefully get his level of play back to where we've expected it to be his entire career as opposed to last year when he just missed too many wide open receivers.

 

It is now official on the Packers' website.

 

I too think this new offensive philosophy will reinvigorate Rodgers and get him to again play up to his considerable potential.

[Point Beer Is Best]

Mike Smith (no, not that one) is the new OLB coach and Alvis Whitted (coached at CSU) is the new WR coach.

 

I've recently began listening to Andy Herman's (@SconnieSports) Pack-a-Day podcast, and they had on a guy who writes for a Chiefs blog (Arrowhead Pride, I think). He said that although Bob Sutton's defense was terrible, the pass rush was the lone bright spot (the group that Smith was responsible for) and he had been hoping Smith would have been retained and promoted to DC. Smith and Dee Ford (a pending FA, but likely to be franchise tagged) are extremely close. If Ford is allowed to test the market, I could see him ending up here at EDGE. A guy can dream.

 

The last major hire that remains is Special Teams coordinator. They had Darren Rizzi (well respected coach) in for an interview. Based on what Tom Silverstein wrote, Rizzi had a number in mind for a contract and the Packers didn't meet it initially. A few days later, they made him an offer for what he was looking for, but Rizzi withdrew from consideration at that time. I don't like the optics of that. As of now, the leading contender for the position seems to be Vanderbilt's Shawn Mennenga for the position. Mennenga had spent 7 years in Cleveland working as an assistant under Chris Tabor (Tabor was an assistant to legendary ST coach Dave Toub in Chicago), so if you connect the dots there it's likely that LaFleur got the recommendation to interview Mennenga from Kyle Shanahan (LaFleur's mentor) who was the OC in Cleveland while Mennenga was on that staff.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

The Rizzi situation is just odd. There has to be something underlying that we don't know. It doesn't help that Silverstein seems to have a hard-on for the guy, and is letting that bias show.

[homer]

The Rizzi situation is just odd. There has to be something underlying that we don't know. It doesn't help that Silverstein seems to have a hard-on for the guy, and is letting that bias show.

 

Yeah that thing seems odd. My guess is Rizzi threw some number out there and once he got it he thought he could do better. Apparently, he got along really well with LaFleur.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

The Rizzi situation is just odd. There has to be something underlying that we don't know. It doesn't help that Silverstein seems to have a hard-on for the guy, and is letting that bias show.

 

Yeah that thing seems odd. My guess is Rizzi threw some number out there and once he got it he thought he could do better. Apparently, he got along really well with LaFleur.

 

Apparently Rizzi didn't want to uproot his family from Miami, and the distance between Green Bay and Miami was just too much. Green Bay definitely met his asking price, so money wasn't the issue. He was just hired as the special teams coach for the Saints, so mission accomplished on his part.

[HiAndTight]

The Rizzi situation is just odd. There has to be something underlying that we don't know. It doesn't help that Silverstein seems to have a hard-on for the guy, and is letting that bias show.

 

Yeah that thing seems odd. My guess is Rizzi threw some number out there and once he got it he thought he could do better. Apparently, he got along really well with LaFleur.

 

Apparently Rizzi didn't want to uproot his family from Miami, and the distance between Green Bay and Miami was just too much. Green Bay definitely met his asking price, so money wasn't the issue. He was just hired as the special teams coach for the Saints, so mission accomplished on his part.

 

 

People tend for forget that you have a real life outside of the game. That unless you're making a significant move, ie, HC, OC, DC and progressing in your career, it's a LOT to pick up and move your family from Miami to Green Bay. Especially with young kids who have friends.

 

I am curious how you KNOW definitively that GB matched his asking price? I'm not doubting you, just asking.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

It was in a recent JS story, maybe from Thursday. Kinda what I suspected. The Packers initial offer wasn’t what he wanted, but then they contacted him a day or so later and matched his ask. It was then he pulled his name out. Silverstein’s complaints were off base (implied Packers were being cheap and making a mistake). Packers did what they needed to. Still don't understand Silverstein's hard-on for the guy.