Packers plan to use Cap Space on Upcoming Free Agents

Wisconsinrapidstribune.com had an article on their website that Ted Thompson and the Green Bay Packers have been quite in free agency because they are looking to allocate much of thier $29 million in Cap Space on securing up to 17 players who will become some type of free agents in 2010. Some of the most notable of these players being Greg Jennings, Nick Collins, and Aaron Kampman. 

I think it is a good idea to make key existing players a priority for the long term. Players like Jennings and Collins could garner a lot of interest from other teams should they become free agents, so much like we did with Aaron Rodgers, we could extend these key player's contacts and not give them as much of a chance to leave and go to free agency. These players are the foundation of the team, they are players at key positions that have shown that they are Pro-Bowl caliber, and I think it only makes sense to build the team around those players like Jennings and Collins who are still at the beginning of their careers. I would much rather have those players stay in Green and Gold for years to come than to see the Pack spend all of their money this year on free agents. 

Obama picks UNC to win it all; When will he start doing his job?

I apologize ahead of time for this post because it goes outside of the scope of this site, but it has a little to do with sports. 

I am in support of whoever the President of the United States is, whether its Barack Obama, George Bush, or Hilary Clinton, but with the country hurting because of the economy, I don't appreciate seeing Barack filling out March Madness Brackets or appearing on the Jay Leno Show. I'm venting a little because it makes me upset that he is trying to be a celebrity, rather than the leader of the most powerful country in the world. 

Prior to the election, I had no problem with Obama being just a regular guy, a guy for the people, and him trying to be popular with younger people and take on more of a "celebrity" role. That time needs to be over! The country is in termoil and the President is filling out his bracket and watching the tourney in Air Force 1. Don't get me wrong, I am still going to be behind Obama because he is the only president we have, but we should have elected McCain.

Packers match offer to Bush

Jarrett Bush was a restricted free agenct and had been given an offer on Friday from the Tennessee Titans. Since he is a restricted free agent, the Pack were given seven days to match the offer if they wanted to keep Bush. The Packers took only the weekend to make thier decision on Monday to match the offer and keep Bush on the roster for 2009. I think that this is a good move for the Packers, not a very exciting one, but a good move.

The last thing that the Packers need to do right now is lose more players on the defensive side of the ball. We know that several defensive players will be taken in the draft this year, but the current depth of that side of the ball has me worried about how effective we can be this year. Bush wasn't a defensive starter, but he is very active on special teams, and like I said, he adds a little depth to the secondary. It was really a no-brainer for the Packers, Bush isn't a high money player, and we weren't going to get anything in return for him, so it was worth keeping him.

Will the Packers match offer to keep Jarrett Bush?

On Friday night the Tennessee Titans extended an offer to Restricted Free Agent Jarrett Bush. This means that the Packers were given 7 days to match the offer if they wish to keep Bush on the team, and if they dont, it turns out that the Packers gave him the lowest tender, and would be given little compensation if he was to leave. Bush played all 16 games last season, mostly on special teams, and he ended the season with just 11 tackles. So it really isn't a huge loss to our team if Ted Thompson decides to just let him walk. I find it sad right now that i'm wasting time talking about whether or not the Packers are going to match an offer on a player who doesn't really make that much of a difference to the team's well being. I guess thats what happens when you try to cover the offseason for a team like the Packers who do basically nothing in free agency. Oh well, Jarrett Bush is a top story for me today, and I hope you are all interested.

The Definition of Versatility by Brian Orakpo

"A versatile guy is a guy who can be very versatile," Brian Orakpo said while describing his game.

I was reading a recent compilation mock NFL draft on ESPN.com by Chris Sprow from ESPN the Magazine and found this quote from Orakpo. I think that Orakpo is a really great football player, but lets be honest, the guy is clearly not "Versatile" off the football field and he shows it with this quote. I think Orakpo is my favorite potential player for the Packers with their first pick and this quote by him doesn't worry me at all. I mean, look at the picture above and tell me honestly that you wouldn't be happy to have him. I know that come draft day, I am really hoping that he falls to the Pack at #9.

Orakpo slated as potential pick for Pack at #9

Mel Kiper and Todd McShay are ESPN's "Draft Experts" and just today on ESPN.com they posted a combined Mock Draft where each of their mock drafts were put together with the hope of ironing out some answers for draft day. I have watched the NFL Draft in it's entirety for the last 5 or 6 years and I follow it pretty closely, so I consider myself somewhat of a "Draft Dork". Up until this point, Malcolm Jenkins was slotted to be drafted by the Pack, even though I didn't think a CB should be high on our priority list. Finally today, Kiper and McShay gave me some hope as they listed both Brian Orakpo and Aaron Maybin for the Packers' first round selection.

This got me very excited because Orakpo has such huge potential and raw talent. He is a beast and I would absolutely love to see him on the Packers. He reminds me a lot of Javon Kearse or Julius Peppers. I think that he could make a great OLB/DE that we need for the 3-4 Defense, and I think he would make Ted Thompson look really good in the eyes of Packer Fans. Check out the video above and let me know what you think.

Why Ted Thompson should be Patriotic!

I was talking earlier this week with one of the other writers of this blog and we were discussing how there are certain teams that are very active in free agency every year, and others, like the Packers and the Bears, who do virtually nothing. And there were a couple of things that jumped out at me. First of all, we notice how active the New England Patriots are in Free Agency and we compare that to their relative dominance so far this decade. Being Packer fans, we had to compare their offseason strategy with ours and some of the other teams in the NFC North.

It seems that every year the Patriots pick up a good amount of players through free agency. The pick up a lot of veterans and value players that will fit into their system and add depth at their position. Perhaps this is why they have been Super Bowl contenders for the last 5 years. In comparison, the Packers and the Bears never seem to pick anyone up in Free Agency, and maybe that explains why the NFC North was one of the weakest conferences in the NFL last season and why the Vikings went to the Playoffs.

You can say whatever you like about Bill Belichick and whether he is a cheater or whatever, but in my mind, there is no questioning that he is one of the best, if not the best coach in the NFL. Whether you like him or not, I would suggest reading "The Education of a Coach" by Bill Belichick and you will see the time and thought that he puts into not only being a coach, but also in the front office and in understanding the Salary Cap system. All I know is that I would love for the Packers to be in a similar position as the Patriots, and maybe the hands off approach to free agency isn't getting the job done.

What ever happened to Kevin Burnett?

Last week there were rumors that the Packers had been in contact with OLB Kevin Burnett from the Dallas Cowboys. Time went on and no visit was scheduled and there was no new information on the status of the Packers' interest. On Tuesday the 10th, Burnett signed with the San Diego Chargers. So what is going on in the Packers' front office? Burnett is not a superstar player who we would have needed to shell out big bucks to get, and he also wouldn't have been a player that would have single handedly taken us to the Super Bowl, but i think that he would have added depth to our linebacking corp. I wouldn't say that I am disappointed that we didn't pick up Burnett, because in the long run I dont see him making that big of a difference. I just like to see that the Packers are looking to improve our team, and when we sit back and do nothing, it seems to me like we aren't trying very hard to do that.

Depth Needed?

There isn't a whole lot going on right now with the Green Bay Packers. We have done virtually nothing in free agency and it doesn't look like that is going to change anytime soon. As I was sitting at my desk thinking about the NFL and the Pack, I found myself looking back to the 2008 season and one glaring question jumped out at me...what will happen to the Packers if Aaron Rodgers has a season ending injury like Tom Brady did? I think that if that happened, we would be in serious trouble.

This season Rodgers got banged up a little and we got a glimpse of our depth at QB, and it wasn't pretty. Matt Flynn and Brian Brohm, both were drafted last season and neither seems to be able to through worth a damn. I have a feeling that if we needed to rely on one of them, we had might as well call it a season. So my question is this: why don't we pick up a decent back up QB in free agency? I'm not saying that we need to spend a lot of money and pick up an all-star or anything, just a decent back up. There are some guys out there who would be perfect candidates; guys who may not lead us to a Super Bowl, but guys who can at least throw the ball. Jeff Garcia is still a free agent, so are Byron Leftwich, Rex Grossman, J.P. Losman and Kyle Boller. All of these players have experience as starters in the NFL, and they would all be quality back ups who could provide some security should we need it. I think of it in the same way as owning a gun; its better to have one and never need to use it, than to need one and not have one.

P.S. You have to love a QB who can pull of a moustache! I just couldn't resist using this photo.

CB Williams Holding out?

Rumors are circulating that Packer Cornerback Tramon Williams may be holding out for more money. Williams is the #3 CB on the depth chart for the Packers and could play a big role in the future should Woodson and Harris be moving on towards the end of thier careers.

The Packers have done pretty much nothing this free agency, so they have plenty of Cap room to rework Williams' contract, but is he worth it? Williams started in over half of the games this year and ended up with over 100 tackles and 5 picks, but he also gave up the most plays greater than 20 yards. There is a lot of potential with Tramon Williams and I see him as the type of talent that will be a great asset to the Packers Defense for years to come. Although I never like to see players hold out for more money, sometimes it is inevitable and sometimes it is worth it in the long run. With all of the so called "experts" saying that the Packers need to address the cornerback position, it would seem logical that the Packers would make an attempt to keep Tramon around and happy. Ted Thompson is the only one who has an idea of what the Packers will look for with their first round selection, and some say it will be Malcolm Jenkins, CB from Ohio State with the 9th Pick Overall. If the Packers are thinking about picking up Jenkins, maybe they have different thoughts on keeping Williams around. I think that at this point, there is too much uncertainty regarding the strategy of the Packers' front office this offseason to know what we can expect.

Packers sign Safety Smith

The Packers made thier first free agent acquisition by signing former Steeler Safety Anthony Smith. The Pack has been after a safety this offseason for some reason. Smith has some experience in a 3-4 defense, but didn't start a single game for the Steelers in 2008 and had only 9 tackles on the year. My question is, what do we really expect out of this pick up? We have Nick Collins and Atari Bigby as starting safeties for this season and I suppose adding depth on defense isn't the worst thing, but as expected, any addition that the Packers were going to make this offseason weren't expected to be a big name or an immediate contributer but more of a value player. Its always exciting for me to see that the Packers are adding new players to the team, but we let Igor Olshansky, who could have made an impact on the D-Line go to the Cowboys, and there is no sign that they are seriously looking at anyone else who may be able to help this team greatly in 2009.

Would Jason Taylor look good in Green and Gold?

Former defensive Player of the Year Jason Taylor was cut this week by the Washington Redskins after having a mediocre 2008 season that was plagued with injury and brought him only 3.5 sacks. There is speculation that the Pack might be interested in Taylor, but as we have seen so far this season, just because the Packers are interested in someone doesn't mean that they are going to open up the wallet.

Since the Packers have changed up their coaching staff and announced that they will be changing defensive schemes, I have read a lot of different articles about the types of players that the Pack will need and the types of players that work best in a 3-4. All signs pointed to a "streamlined" DE/OLB type of player that is tall, fast, and lighter than the typical 4-3 defensive end. Jason Taylor fits the mold at 6'6" and 244 lbs. There are some question marks that go along with his ability and skill level, but there are other things that he can bring to the team such as leadership, and experience. I think that Taylor would make a great Packer, even if it is only for a couple years. He would at least add some depth to a defensive line that doesn't have any, especially since Colin Cole left for Seattle.

Another Hole to Fill; DT Cole headed to Seattle

Packer DT Colin Cole is gone. Cole signed a contract with the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, leaving the Packer defense even more needy than before. There was some interest by the Pack in Chris Canty from Dallas, who would have been a great addition to the 3-4 scheme, but he was signed by the G-Men on Sunday. So once again I find myself disappointed that the Packers have done nothing in Free Agency and we are relying completely on the Draft. I think that the Packers are putting all of their eggs in one basket, and I think that the Packers at times need to be less frugal in the front office and pull the trigger on making the franchise better.