Packers roster analysis, post draft moves/needs?

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Why do all posts concerning the Packers always bring out the football "experts" (huge emphasis on the quotation marks there) who absolutely know that their viewpoint is right, and will go to the grave defending it, while taking pot shots at those who disagree? TJseven7, unless you are a professional scout, your opinion counts about as much as HiAndTight's or anyone else's. Stop all this troll crap and just respect each other's opinion, and move on.

 

Trust me, I've been down this road. Nobody "wins", and you just end up feeling like a douche.

[HiAndTight]

Why do all posts concerning the Packers always bring out the football "experts" (huge emphasis on the quotation marks there) who absolutely know that their viewpoint is right, and will go to the grave defending it, while taking pot shots at those who disagree? TJseven7, unless you are a professional scout, your opinion counts about as much as HiAndTight's or anyone else's. Stop all this troll crap and just respect each other's opinion, and move on.

 

Trust me, I've been down this road. Nobody "wins", and you just end up feeling like a douche.

 

 

You're absolutely right. I'll also say this. Even if you have experience...and I do have some, though very little(I was a graduate assistant when my eligibility was up, though not in the same sport) you're still liable to get it wrong. Otherwise Ray Lewis isn't the...what, 6th or 7th guy picked.

People can be knowledgeable and wrong...and perhaps I am. Perhaps Martinez is a very bad LB'er and we'd be significantly better off with Daron Lee(who I believe I advocated trading for after the Jets way overpaid and replaced him).

Either way, it throws the entire thread off and becomes pointless. Sometimes it's just better if two people simply don't interact. The "Foe" icon is in your profile for a reason.

 

 

Lets move on now. The Packers have a lot of new pieces and it should be a fun year. Particularly with a GM who's willing to go out and add guys to improve his team when needed.

 

 

In fact, let me extend my apologies to the board. I should have handled it like Peavy did and simply say I disagree. I guess I'm more inclined to bow my back a bit and get into a petty argument with certain individuals/arguments. That's on me.

[Jenkins5]

I lost track, who won the fight about Martinez?

 

 

Nobody, you don't win a fight about an opinion

 

You lose an argument when you tell people you're more qualified than they are without having a clue as to their life experiences and then you misrepresent what they said and then, in my opinion, get extraordinarily condescending.

 

Perfectly stated.

 

I’ve coached linebackers & mostly inside linebackers for over a decade & was completely dumbfounded by the assessment of Martinez. Now granted, Martinez athletically or play style doesn’t jump off page.... but he is a very good linebacker. Now I will say I agree he isn’t elite at taking on & beating blocks. He just isn’t explosive or strong enough to be the imposing LB some want. He is a far better scrap linebacker vs a plunge linebacker. However, he isn’t some bum at it who can’t get off a block or take on guys at all. He’s just a natural Mike vs Sam backer. He is outstanding at getting reads & shooting the green to the ball (the lanes the naturally open between a defender & ball carrier). He is highly intelligent which to me is arguably one of most important qualities for a linebacker as it has ability to mask many other flaws they may have. When you can read what the play is & react correctly at the snap of ball you are at huge advantage. Instincts are so crucial for the position. He has outstanding motor with enough athleticism to close & make plays. He is leader of defense, makes all the calls, adjustments, and knows exactly where everyone needs to be.

 

Pff had Martinez ranked 17th amongst linebackers in 2018 & top in NFC North (not saying too much however, North doesn’t have very many great ones) he is in no way a liability to this team & is a big part of our future success. He doesn’t need to be elite, a player who is almost always in right place at right time play after play is a huge asset. Problem is Packers don’t and haven’t had another linebacker to complement his skill set. Matthews was such a perfect match next to him but they didn’t stick with it. They had their explosive, mean, plunger and their Uber intelligent read & react scraper.

[TJseven7]

Now granted, Martinez athletically or play style doesn’t jump off page

Now I will say I agree he isn’t elite at taking on & beating blocks

He just isn’t explosive or strong enough to be the imposing LB

 

That's exactly the point though. That makes him just a guy. You are literally describing Ben Gedeon of the Vikings and no one hypes that guy. Absolutely no one.

 

He’s just a natural Mike vs Sam backer

 

Which is a dying position in the NFL. They don't play guys like that 2 downs anymore. That's not valuable and there are lots of NFL LBs who can do that role.

 

He is highly intelligent which to me is arguably one of most important qualities for a linebacker as it has ability to mask many other flaws they may have

When you can read what the play is & react correctly at the snap of ball you are at huge advantage

 

That's not enough on the NFL level. You have to be a whale of an athlete to be in the NFL and not be football smart. Everyone executes in the NFL, being highly intelligent just prevents you from losing more ground. It doesn't gain it back or overcome anything.

 

Instincts are so crucial for the position.

 

He doesn't have great instincts. Being smart and playing with instincts is a different trait. Tremaine Edmunds is extremely smart, is from a football family and has been a film rat since HS. He still lacks instincts. Blake does too.

 

Pff had Martinez ranked 17th amongst linebackers in 2018 & top in NFC North (not saying too much however, North doesn’t have very many great ones)

 

Um, Smith Trevathan and Kendricks are really good. Gedeon is a carbon copy of Martinez. Kennard is actually quite similar as well. That leaves Anthony Barr who isn't a LB. Jarrad Davis who is struggling badly. Christian Jones and our 2nd LB shouldn't be starting, and Jones is getting benched. There are 9 LBs in the division who play a position that compares to Blake. 3 are better. 2 more are neck and neck. Tied for 4th-6th in our division alone. You'd probably really like Jahlani Tavai too. I think he's your type of guy. Very good hands, tough, smart, captain, high motor, range is a limited but he looks more complete than Blake in the early down role. That could push Martinez to 5-7th tie in a possible 9.

 

he is in no way a liability to this team & is a big part of our future success

 

The fact that he's on the field 100% of snaps is actually quite a big liability. If they pay him they are making a big mistake as there are many cheap players who could provide the exact same impact.

 

Problem is Packers don’t and haven’t had another linebacker to complement his skill set.

Absolutely. When Clay was the rangy, high level instinctive, play-maker weapon at buck who didn't come off the field, the mike only had to be just a guy. It was Hawk. Case in point. The problem is that one of the two has to be a dynamic player or the defense can't cover the ground they need to cover. We've put a replacement level meat and potatoes mike on the field 100% of the time which puts him in assignments he's not capable of handling, next to a guy who is worse. If he played 50% of snaps instead of the demand he's placed in he would do a fine job in those 50% of snaps and there are a wealth of LBs who would. Morrison Toomer and Burks were all poor last year. They combined to play about 425 snaps. If that was Blake, he wouldn't be a liability. 100% Blake is because Martinez is just a guy.

 

A dependable, accountable, smart, but HIGHLY limited guy who fits a small role well and a big role poorly. If GB took Leighton Vander Esch over Jaire Alexander last year, Martinez would play 50% of snaps and watching LVE vs Martinez is watching players on different planets. A guy isn't above average when you say, his problem is that he needs the other guy to compliment him and take him off the field in situations where he struggles. Yeah, this defense needs a batman. Blake's an acceptable Robin. Ben Gedeon, AJ Klien, (from my HS) Blake Martinez 1 in the same. I truly wouldn't be concerned if Blake was lost for the season and they signed back Morrison. It wouldn't change much.

[homer]

I don't think Bob McGinn has written this many words on Blake Martinez.

 

I mean really you guys are debating whether he's below average, average, or above average. Training camp can't get here fast enough.

[TJseven7]

I don't think Bob McGinn has written this many words on Blake Martinez.

 

I mean really you guys are debating whether he's below average, average, or above average. Training camp can't get here fast enough.

 

Bob McGinn is Bob McGinn. I follow the whole league without needed to be fed by sources.

 

Well GBs avoidance of modern era defensive football has been a thorn in my side for years. The Burnett hybrid LB thing, was 3 years behind Sutton in KC. Our Ss have made me age faster. Amos and Savage is finally getting into the new age. Martinez and the buck position is the last piece. It bothers me when people go, no its fine, its above average. No its what stops this team from having a good defense. S and LB, and now 1 is solved.

 

I get it, I'm nuts. I'm aware.

[OnTheBlack]

I lost track, who won the fight about Martinez?

 

 

Nobody, you don't win a fight about an opinion

 

You lose an argument when you tell people you're more qualified than they are without having a clue as to their life experiences and then you misrepresent what they said and then, in my opinion, get extraordinarily condescending.

 

Perfectly stated.

 

I’ve coached linebackers & mostly inside linebackers for over a decade & was completely dumbfounded by the assessment of Martinez. Now granted, Martinez athletically or play style doesn’t jump off page.... but he is a very good linebacker. Now I will say I agree he isn’t elite at taking on & beating blocks. He just isn’t explosive or strong enough to be the imposing LB some want. He is a far better scrap linebacker vs a plunge linebacker. However, he isn’t some bum at it who can’t get off a block or take on guys at all. He’s just a natural Mike vs Sam backer. He is outstanding at getting reads & shooting the green to the ball (the lanes the naturally open between a defender & ball carrier). He is highly intelligent which to me is arguably one of most important qualities for a linebacker as it has ability to mask many other flaws they may have. When you can read what the play is & react correctly at the snap of ball you are at huge advantage. Instincts are so crucial for the position. He has outstanding motor with enough athleticism to close & make plays. He is leader of defense, makes all the calls, adjustments, and knows exactly where everyone needs to be.

 

Pff had Martinez ranked 17th amongst linebackers in 2018 & top in NFC North (not saying too much however, North doesn’t have very many great ones) he is in no way a liability to this team & is a big part of our future success. He doesn’t need to be elite, a player who is almost always in right place at right time play after play is a huge asset. Problem is Packers don’t and haven’t had another linebacker to complement his skill set. Matthews was such a perfect match next to him but they didn’t stick with it. They had their explosive, mean, plunger and their Uber intelligent read & react scraper.

 

 

I assume that there are a lot of former athletes who post on this board as well as a lot of coaches, so the "I'm an expert" thing kinda irks me as well.

 

I agree as well, he's not a great athlete, but setting aside the elite LB'ers in the NFL, very few are. You have Deion Jones who is awesome vs the pass, but he gets knocked over by a soft breeze, or Daron Lee who was mentioned I liked coming out but was awful his rookie year, better last year. But there are very few guys who are as instinctive as Martinez as you say who are also at least competent in coverage.

 

The part in bold though says it perfectly. He's also pretty athletic. But his instincts and the way he can make plays in the backfield, that's what makes him a good MLB'er. The position is a huge question mark because you don't have a 2nd MLB'er that you can count on for anything. Not even for Jake Ryan type production. You're hoping Burks can step in and play that role as nickel LB'er. He was a big, physical with good athletic ability who hasn't really been available to show much yet.

[OnTheBlack]

Now granted, Martinez athletically or play style doesn’t jump off page

Now I will say I agree he isn’t elite at taking on & beating blocks

He just isn’t explosive or strong enough to be the imposing LB

 

That's exactly the point though. That makes him just a guy. You are literally describing Ben Gedeon of the Vikings and no one hypes that guy. Absolutely no one.

 

He’s just a natural Mike vs Sam backer

 

Which is a dying position in the NFL. They don't play guys like that 2 downs anymore. That's not valuable and there are lots of NFL LBs who can do that role.

 

He is highly intelligent which to me is arguably one of most important qualities for a linebacker as it has ability to mask many other flaws they may have

When you can read what the play is & react correctly at the snap of ball you are at huge advantage

 

That's not enough on the NFL level. You have to be a whale of an athlete to be in the NFL and not be football smart. Everyone executes in the NFL, being highly intelligent just prevents you from losing more ground. It doesn't gain it back or overcome anything.

 

Instincts are so crucial for the position.

 

He doesn't have great instincts. Being smart and playing with instincts is a different trait. Tremaine Edmunds is extremely smart, is from a football family and has been a film rat since HS. He still lacks instincts. Blake does too.

 

Pff had Martinez ranked 17th amongst linebackers in 2018 & top in NFC North (not saying too much however, North doesn’t have very many great ones)

 

Um, Smith Trevathan and Kendricks are really good. Gedeon is a carbon copy of Martinez. Kennard is actually quite similar as well. That leaves Anthony Barr who isn't a LB. Jarrad Davis who is struggling badly. Christian Jones and our 2nd LB shouldn't be starting, and Jones is getting benched. There are 9 LBs in the division who play a position that compares to Blake. 3 are better. 2 more are neck and neck. Tied for 4th-6th in our division alone. You'd probably really like Jahlani Tavai too. I think he's your type of guy. Very good hands, tough, smart, captain, high motor, range is a limited but he looks more complete than Blake in the early down role. That could push Martinez to 5-7th tie in a possible 9.

 

he is in no way a liability to this team & is a big part of our future success

 

The fact that he's on the field 100% of snaps is actually quite a big liability. If they pay him they are making a big mistake as there are many cheap players who could provide the exact same impact.

 

Problem is Packers don’t and haven’t had another linebacker to complement his skill set.

Absolutely. When Clay was the rangy, high level instinctive, play-maker weapon at buck who didn't come off the field, the mike only had to be just a guy. It was Hawk. Case in point. The problem is that one of the two has to be a dynamic player or the defense can't cover the ground they need to cover. We've put a replacement level meat and potatoes mike on the field 100% of the time which puts him in assignments he's not capable of handling, next to a guy who is worse. If he played 50% of snaps instead of the demand he's placed in he would do a fine job in those 50% of snaps and there are a wealth of LBs who would. Morrison Toomer and Burks were all poor last year. They combined to play about 425 snaps. If that was Blake, he wouldn't be a liability. 100% Blake is because Martinez is just a guy.

 

A dependable, accountable, smart, but HIGHLY limited guy who fits a small role well and a big role poorly. If GB took Leighton Vander Esch over Jaire Alexander last year, Martinez would play 50% of snaps and watching LVE vs Martinez is watching players on different planets. A guy isn't above average when you say, his problem is that he needs the other guy to compliment him and take him off the field in situations where he struggles. Yeah, this defense needs a batman. Blake's an acceptable Robin. Ben Gedeon, AJ Klien, (from my HS) Blake Martinez 1 in the same. I truly wouldn't be concerned if Blake was lost for the season and they signed back Morrison. It wouldn't change much.

 

 

Sure he is. He probably should't have been with his frame, athletic ablity and first step, he should have been an edge rusher, but he's not. He's a LB'er for Minnesota who rarely rushes the passer...which is vastly under utilizing his skill set. He also extremely up and down and apparently came back to Minnesota rather than leave to play OLB'er for the Jets. But he didn't, he came back and he's played LB'er his entire career.

 

Also, being as instinctive and as smart as Martinez absolutely makes up for a ton in the NFL. No possible way to argue otherwise. But as someone pointed out, he's not this terrible athlete. He's a 4.70 40 guy who's instinctive, makes plays behind the LOS, has a good feel for blitzing.

 

 

He's definitely an asset to the Packers defense. The problem is they don't have anyone to play next to him.

 

I'm trying to think of the list of complete non-edge rushing LB'ers who do everything well in the NFL. I'm coming up with Wags and Kuechly. Telvin Smith is a pretty complete LB'er, but there are very few.

[KeithStone53151]

Someone feel free to temper my expectations for me, but everytime I read something on the Packers I get more and more excited. That's probably pretty natural for any team in the offseason, but I can't help myself. I get the impression from reading up on receivers that McCarthy and Co. were simply dreadful and judging talent at the position and utilizing their resources. It sounds like Trevor Davis is having a really strong camp and is getting a lot of praise from a lot of angles. MVS as well, though that was more expected. I feel like we might see a crazy productive Packers offense this year.

[homer]

I'm fired up for no reason other than there is a new scheme and a bunch of new players (on defense). At the very least, it will look different. The offense had gotten so darn stale that any change is welcomed by me.

[OnTheBlack]

Someone feel free to temper my expectations for me, but everytime I read something on the Packers I get more and more excited. That's probably pretty natural for any team in the offseason, but I can't help myself. I get the impression from reading up on receivers that McCarthy and Co. were simply dreadful and judging talent at the position and utilizing their resources. It sounds like Trevor Davis is having a really strong camp and is getting a lot of praise from a lot of angles. MVS as well, though that was more expected. I feel like we might see a crazy productive Packers offense this year.

 

 

I don't think that's fair. If you look at McCarthy's era, they did pretty damn well with WR'ers and the guys fans liked that didn't end up panning out, it's not like they went somewhere else and did anything. Jeff Janis is the biggest example and I think the issue with him was more his awful route running. Rodgers plays a big role in this. I remember Rodgers throwing to him in the endzone and Rodgers threw a quick out and Janis rounded that route off so much that he was two yards deep. It looked so different from the way Jones, Nelson, Jennings and the like ran that route.

 

As for Trevor Davis, I've heard a lot of praise from the ST's coaches about him, but not so much from him as a receiver.

 

As for Kumerow and MVS, it's tough to blame their lack of success on McCarthy. Along with St. Brown, these guys were raw. The two rookies from last year were extremely talented(St. Brown and MVS) but there again, it's tough for rookies to thrive, especially with Rodgers. I actually thought that McCarthy thrived with his WR'ers. He stuck with so many future studs who struggled BADLY with the drops. The list includes Jones(remember all the drops in the SB run), Nelson(Again, he had two big drops in that SB, but struggled early on with drops), Adams had quite a few drops his 2nd year. But he kept throwing them out there and helped them keep their confidence and they all thrived.

 

I'm really excited about this whole group. Kumerow is a fan favorite and hopefully he'll develop as that reliable possession guy, but in MVS and St. Brown, the later was poised to be a 1st or 2nd day pick after his freshmen year with Kizer as his QB at ND, but Kizer left early and then St. Brown left as a RS Soph, so he's pretty green as well. Two 6'4-6'5 guys who run 4.40's....there's a lot of upside in this group.

[OnTheBlack]

I don't think Bob McGinn has written this many words on Blake Martinez.

 

I mean really you guys are debating whether he's below average, average, or above average. Training camp can't get here fast enough.

 

Bob McGinn is Bob McGinn. I follow the whole league without needed to be fed by sources.

 

Well GBs avoidance of modern era defensive football has been a thorn in my side for years. The Burnett hybrid LB thing, was 3 years behind Sutton in KC. Our Ss have made me age faster. Amos and Savage is finally getting into the new age. Martinez and the buck position is the last piece. It bothers me when people go, no its fine, its above average. No its what stops this team from having a good defense. S and LB, and now 1 is solved.

 

I get it, I'm nuts. I'm aware.

 

It bothers me when people claim that Blake Martinez isn't worth anything.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

This is the first year in a really long time I’ve had no strong feeling on how I think the Packers are going to do. In 2017 I thought they’d be contenders and was really excited about Martellus Bennett. Last year I thought they were going to suck and should have drastically overhauled the roster. They basically did so a year later, and at least on paper have finally addressed the glaring lack of talent on defense. Even in seasons where the consensus was that things were really up in the air, I can think of 2009 as being one, I thought they’d be pretty good. Most of the last decade I thought they were the same no-defense, 10-win team.

 

This year though I really have no read, personally. I can see anything from the wonder boy coach getting them back to prominence with a well-coached, talented defense, to LaFleur just tanking and being fired in two years. Then of course there’s a chance they respond well but it’s still a transitional year and they win 9 or 10 games but need one more offseason to take a jump. I think any of the three are equally possible.

 

If I had to put money on it I would do so on the last scenario.

[KeithStone53151]

My football knowledge is not very strong, but I'm pretty excited about the changes made. I like the effort we made to improve the defense, I think we'll be very physical at the line of scrimmage especially...not entirely sure how the secondary will do though. Hopefully the pass rush makes them look like probowlers. I think the offense struggling the last few years was largely based on an old and predictable offensive scheme...so bringing in a more creative offensive mind should be a positive, hard to be less creative than McCarthy. I'm excited to see how some of the young receivers and rb look in the new offense.

[OldHeidelberg]

This is the first year in a really long time I’ve had no strong feeling on how I think the Packers are going to do. In 2017 I thought they’d be contenders and was really excited about Martellus Bennett. Last year I thought they were going to suck and should have drastically overhauled the roster. They basically did so a year later, and at least on paper have finally addressed the glaring lack of talent on defense. Even in seasons where the consensus was that things were really up in the air, I can think of 2009 as being one, I thought they’d be pretty good. Most of the last decade I thought they were the same no-defense, 10-win team.

 

This year though I really have no read, personally. I can see anything from the wonder boy coach getting them back to prominence with a well-coached, talented defense, to LaFleur just tanking and being fired in two years. Then of course there’s a chance they respond well but it’s still a transitional year and they win 9 or 10 games but need one more offseason to take a jump. I think any of the three are equally possible.

 

If I had to put money on it I would do so on the last scenario.

 

I am optimistic but a lot of that is just getting rid of MM, especially considering the articles describing ho dysfunctional things had gotten. I expect an improved defense but the offense will depend a lot on how the young receivers develop. You are probably right about 9-10 wins but the NFL sees teams swing up pretty fast and if Rodgers commits to the new system they have super bowl contender potential. I am certainly looking more forward to the season than I did last year.

[OnTheBlack]

My football knowledge is not very strong, but I'm pretty excited about the changes made. I like the effort we made to improve the defense, I think we'll be very physical at the line of scrimmage especially...not entirely sure how the secondary will do though. Hopefully the pass rush makes them look like probowlers. I think the offense struggling the last few years was largely based on an old and predictable offensive scheme...so bringing in a more creative offensive mind should be a positive, hard to be less creative than McCarthy. I'm excited to see how some of the young receivers and rb look in the new offense.

 

 

This right here is pretty much what's going to define the Packers season. I don't think the Bears secondary was that much better last year than previous years, they just happened to add one of the greatest pass rushers ever.

 

The Packers didn't do that...as much as they tried, but they did go out and get two guys in Preston and Za'Darius Smith who were both much-much more effective at rushing the passer last year than Perry and Matthews(in fact, I believe both had more pressures individually than Perry and Matthews had combined).

 

Then you throw in the freakishly talented Gary, the underrated Kenny Clark, Mike Daniels in a free agent season, and our depth is nice as well. Keke is a guy I like better now than before, I really like Lowry, Lancaster came on and looked like a nice rotation piece. We don't know what we have in Montravius Adams, but we saw at least a few flashes where he exploded off the LOS and blew plays up. Kinda like his pre-draft profile, the talent is clearly there, not sure if everything else is. And then you have Deon Simon as an under the radar NT who I think could make this team. There is plenty of talent there and plenty of time that once the depth chart gets sorted out, this SHOULD make our secondary that much better.

 

Of course we have no idea what we have in Savage other than his athletic ability. He's fast and physical. He also seems to be really good in coverage as a FS. And then King. He's a #1 Corner if he can stay healthy. There's no question about that, and every question about his health.

 

But Amos was a awesome move, Alexander looks like a legitimate difference maker. Just need to hope Jackson and King can be healthy, and there's a chance Tony Brown makes a big jump this year. I could see him coming on like Sam Shields did about a decade ago.

 

 

They seemingly fixed the safety spot, the CB spot relies on health....and now presumably not having to cover for 4-5 seconds every play and closer to 2-3 and that should result in more picks, more breakup's, just everything.

[OnTheBlack]

This is the first year in a really long time I’ve had no strong feeling on how I think the Packers are going to do. In 2017 I thought they’d be contenders and was really excited about Martellus Bennett. Last year I thought they were going to suck and should have drastically overhauled the roster. They basically did so a year later, and at least on paper have finally addressed the glaring lack of talent on defense. Even in seasons where the consensus was that things were really up in the air, I can think of 2009 as being one, I thought they’d be pretty good. Most of the last decade I thought they were the same no-defense, 10-win team.

 

This year though I really have no read, personally. I can see anything from the wonder boy coach getting them back to prominence with a well-coached, talented defense, to LaFleur just tanking and being fired in two years. Then of course there’s a chance they respond well but it’s still a transitional year and they win 9 or 10 games but need one more offseason to take a jump. I think any of the three are equally possible.

 

If I had to put money on it I would do so on the last scenario.

 

 

I think you're probably right. Then again, I think McCarthy was a great coach, but like so many others, he just got stale in GB and then you couple that with almost everything going wrong last year, including Rodgers having probably the worst year of his career since his rookie year(don't care what the stats say, he missed a LOT of throws that would have gone for 30-40 or more).

 

I think we're probably a year away, but with a QB as talented as Rodgers, a DC as good as Pettine and all the new additions, It's certainly possible they become this years team that makes that huge jump. The NFL is different. Even in the 90's, there was this period of ascension you went through and then broke through most of the time. That exists in the MLB and the NBA...even if you sign a couple superstars.

 

 

 

The biggest factors are going to be;

-The Pass rush. How effective are the FA's and rookies mostly, but if Kenny Clark can take that next step and we can squeeze out one more good year from Mike Daniels, the defense suddenly becomes a really good one.

 

-Health of Bulaga, King since there's not a ton of depth there and each have shown how good they can be. Obviously to vastly different degrees as King's looked good in few games and Bulaga's been one of if not the best pass blocking RT in the league when healthy, but they need both of them to be productive.

 

-Rodgers connection with his young recievers. Obviously MVS, St. Brown are the most physically gifted, but Allison and Kumerow look like guys who just know how to get open and then there is still Davis who's the type of guy who may thrive in this system and be able to give us some impact plays. Now a 60 catch, 800 yard season type, but a guy who you can give the ball to on a quick WR screen and he can use his quickness to get into the open field and make guys miss. Plus, he's probably the best bet as a return man we have(though those are really becoming less and less important).

 

 

I really wish they'd have at least talked to Cobb and Matthews before both left. Cobb at 5 million for one year is a no-brainer to me, if he's willing to, you have to sign him for that and instead he goes to a very dangerous team and Matthews at 2/16.5 is less obvious, but he can play all over the field. And one thing great defenses have in common is they can rotate guys in.

 

 

I'm really excited to see Rashan Gary play. We heard great things about him and Tony Brown on the defensive side during OTA's..for whatever that's worth. But a guy with his size and his athletic ability...I just love what they're doing on the defensive side. They're going back to BIG athletic guys. They were a smaller, finesse defense, but they didn't really have much finesse. Now they're much bigger and they're not sacrificing speed in order to do so.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Ooof, I can't disagree more on Cobb and Matthews. Buh bye. Nothing against them, but just time to turn things over. Cobb is productive when healthy, which he never is. Matthews is still disruptive at times, but just felt like he was never going to used as the supplementary player he is at this point. Every snap they are giving to those two guys while hoping against hope they don't hurt is a snap taken away from someone 10 years younger who needs to be on the field. But I wanted them both cut prior to last season.

 

I have my eyes on Jimmy Graham this year. He was much more productive than most people are giving him credit for. He didn't score, but neither did anybody else. That offense had so many problems it was really hard to single out anyone who didn't have a really good year. I think he's a shell of what he was and his hands were a little stoney at times, but I think he's a dark horse for being a contributor this year.

[OldHeidelberg]

I would have been OK with Clay coming back, he is still a good player although his ability to not get sacks last year was strange, maybe the early penalties got in his head. Still fine moving on, especially since we made the big FA splash and drafted an edge. No way I wanted Cobb back, just another guy for Rodgers to play favorites with and freeze out the young guys.

[Zad Fnark]

Hmmm... 2-1/2 weeks until pre-season and the Packer boards are quiet.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Hmmm... 2-1/2 weeks until pre-season and the Packer boards are quiet.

 

Team reports this week. No drama leading into camp is a good thing.

[KeithStone53151]

Hmmm... 2-1/2 weeks until pre-season and the Packer boards are quiet.

 

Team reports this week. No drama leading into camp is a good thing.

 

There will be drama of how to divvy up playing time between 7 WR that all look awesome in camp...

[FVBrewerFan]

I'm excited, and it's fun to be excited again. In the decades I've been a fan, last year was the season I just went through the motions of being a fan. I love that changes were finally made, and it will be fun to see how the offense has changed. On defense, with the influx of talent they are almost guaranteed to be better, with a chance of being really good eventually.

 

New coaching staff, lots of new players, plenty to keep me interested in seeing how it all develops.

[homer]

I can't wait for week 1. Bear fans are pretty cocky right now. Would love to knock them down a peg.

[monkeyman343434]

Packers releasing Mike Daniels. Is this for cap purposes? Seems strange to let go of a pretty productive player, even if he was injured some of last year - the whole defense was hurt last year.