Packers' Free Agents Sign Elsewhere...

As is the norm, Ted Thompson and the Packers have been extremely quiet this offseason. It should come as no surprise to any real Packer fans that no free agents have even visited Green Bay. It should also come as no surprise that the ties between QB Matt Flynn and C Scott Wells are now cut.



Wells forewent the Packers' offer to stay in Green Bay and found more money in St. Louis. This is not surprising because Thompson does not like to sign aging free agents. Wells is 31. Will the Packers now pursue a veteran to fill the huge void in the middle of the offensive line, or will they trust their typical strategy and try to find a capable rookie via the draft? I, personally, am hoping for a mixture of the 2. I'd like to see us get middle dollar veteran to start the season, and groom a rookie for the future. I'm really nervous that this could become another Cullen Jenkins-Mike Neal situation (By the way, Neal is suspended for the 1st 4 games of the 2012 season for the use of PED's...he's turning into Justin Harrell...)




Now on to Matt Flynn...I had been saying for months that I thought Flynn would sign in Miami. When Philbin was hired as the head coach in January, I thought it was a done deal. But, much to my surprise, Flynn met with Miami last week and left without a contract. He then signed a 3-year $26 million contract with the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. It's eerie to think of the similarities between Flynn's and Matt Hasselbeck's paths...late round pick...career backup behind a Super Bowl winning QB...brought to Seattle by a former Packers' staffer...now we just need to hope that Flynn throws a game-losing INT in overtime to Al Harris to allow the Packers to advance in the playoffs...

The Flynn situation does little to affect the Packers. We all expected him to leave. Now we're hoping that we can get a 3rd round compensatory pick for him in 2013...Wells, however could prove to be more difficult to cope with. I wish them both the best. GO PACK!

Familiar Faces Return to Lambeau

When the Packers' offense lines up against the St. Louis Rams this weekend, they'll see a couple of players who contributed to the Packers' success during the past decade.



Cornerback Al Harris who played with the Packers from 2003 to 2009 before a brual knee injury ended his season and kept him out of action in 2010 as well, is slated to start for the Rams on Sunday.



Linebacker Brady Poppinga, who was released by the Packers in July, has also been starting for St. Louis all season.

It should be interesting to see how Harris and Poppinga's familiarity with the Packers' schemes translates into on-field play. The Rams have been decimated by injuries this season, and have yet to win a game. I personally am happy to see that Al and Brady are finding playing time on a team in the NFL, but I am also hoping that they get burned several times by Aaron Rodgers and the offense this Sunday...GO PACK!

Not Again! Jones to IR

Here we go again! This morning the Green Bay Packers placed OLB Brad Jones on Injured Rererve due to surgery needed on his shoulder.

Jones will be replaced by Frank Zombo, and it now becomes clear why the Packers signed 3 linebackers just this week. The hits just keep on coming. To fill the open spot, the packers claimed NT Howard Green from the Jets. This addition will give the Pack a full roster, meaning that we wont be seeing Harris or Bigby in the lineup just yet.

In other news, former Packer kick returner Will Blackmon was signed by the New York Giants. Blackmon injured his knee early last season and was released in the final cut for the Pack this preseason.

Packers Sign Linebackers; 1 Roster Spot Left Open

Yesterday the Green Bay Packers signed 2 Linebackers to the roster to help sure up our corp after losing yet another backer for the season in Brady Poppinga. The Pack signed Diyarl Briggs from Denver's practice squad as well as 8 year veteran Matt Wilhelm.

More importantly, another linebacker, Maurice Simkins was released from the team, leaving 1 roster spot open this week. The open roster spot may indicate that the either Al Harris or Atari Bigby may be released from the PUP list and available this weekend against the Jets.

I think that the Packers have performed fairly well on the defensive side of the ball considering the devastating injuries that we have had so far this year. I believe that we have shown a lot of depth on defense, and having Bigby and Harris back would be HUGE for the defense. I am expecting that Bigby will be released from the PUP list first as Harris is coming off of a major injury and I don't anticipate the Packers rushing his progress and risking losing him again.

Another Heartbreaking Loss...Reinforcements on the Way...

In another tough-to-swallow overtime loss, the Packers' Defense looked decent at times, but it was obvious that Clay Matthews' presence was missed. There was little to no pressure on Chad Henne, and the secondary couldn't find an answer for Brandon Marshall. Even with a big TD drive at the end of regulation, the offense looked flat without Jermichael Finley or a running game. And the big kicker was penalties. They weren't as often or as serious as they were a few weeks ago against the bears, but a 5 yard penalty on 4th and 3 set up the go-ahead TD for the Dolphins and essentially lost the game for the Packers. That's what happens when you have inexperienced players in the game. Francois, who was called up from the practice squad last week, was the culprit for the penalty. But there is good news...

Atari Bigby, James Starks, and Al Harris could return to action this week after being released from the PUP list. If they pass their physicals on Wednesday they will be able to begin practicing with the team and see immediate action. The question is whether or not they can return to form and help out a suspect secondary and running game.

Harris is returning from major knee surgery, Bigby from an ankle injury that has plagued him since 2008, and Starks will try to see his first NFL action after being drafted in the 6th round in this year's draft. Can these guys provide the needed spark to get the team back on the winning track? I think they can. Bigby has significant experience and will be better than any of the other safety options we have in Morgan Burnett's absence. If Harris is confident in his knee, then he will be a much better nickel corner than Sam Shields, Bush, or any of the other corners we have tried in that spot. Can Starks jump start the running game? I have my doubts, but I'm hopeful. These additions come at the most opportune time with a HUGE divisional matchup against the queens this week.

Ted Thompson also traded a conditional 7th round pick to Jacksonville for safety Anthony Smith, who was cut from the team at the end of the pre-season in 2009. This fortefies the safety position with Bigby returning, and makes me feel much better about our secondary. GO PACK!

Can The Pack Live Up to the Hype?

The 2010 NFL season is almost here and there is a lot of football talk going on right now and the Packers are expected by many to do big things this season. But how good are the Packers? Many have them pegged for a Super Bowl appearance...i'm not too sure.

The Pack surely have a Super Bowl Caliber Offense for 2010. Anchored by Aaron Rodgers who has made it seem like #4 was never a Packer at all. Rodgers is an elite QB and he has the swagger to go along with it. The offensive line is in good shape this offseason and Rodgers is going to get more and more opportunity to pick apart defenses this season.

My main concern with the hype that the Packers are getting this season is the defense. We looked good for much of last season, but some bad losses towards the end showed our weaknesses.

The Pack need to get some pressure on the QB so that our defensive backs aren't stuck in coverage too long, and a healthy return of Al Harris would make this team a Super Bowl contender. However, let will need to prove that they can make plays and make stops if they are going to make a run this season. Hopefully Chef Dom comes out of the kitchen and brings the heat early and often with his blitz packages and the Packers become a FEARED defense in this 2010!!!

It's Over...Who's to Blame?

The Pack came out on the wrong side of a thrilling game that will likely make up for at least 5 of Sportscenter's top 10 plays today. Now begins the long offseason full of "what ifs" and "what now's".

What if...

Rodgers doesn't throw the pick and Driver doesn't fumble on the first 2 possessions of the game...

Crosby doesn't miss the 54 yard field goal in the 1st half...

The Pack had better clock management and could have scored a TD at the end of the 2nd quarter instead of kicking a field goal...

The #2 ranked defense in the NFL could have come up with more than 2 stops during the entire game...

Rodgers didn't overthrow a wide-open Jennings on the first play from scrimmage in overtime...

Darren Colledge didn't hold on the Packer's overtime drive...

The Refs had called one of the roughing the passer penalties in overtime that were no-calls...

Needless to say, there were several things that could have gone slightly different to give the Pack the win. It just wasn't meant to be this year. Now come the big quesions as to what the Pack will do in Free Agency and the Draft to help our chances of not letting this happen next year. Will Al Harris be able to recover from his knee surgery and come back at full-strength? What is the future of Aaron Kampman? Can we re-sign our now free agents? Who do we target in the draft? O-line? CB? RB? That's what this blog is for and that's what we'll be talking about from here until draft day.

All in all, I believe this season was successful. After losing to the lowly Buccaneers the pack went 7-2 (including yesterday's playoff loss) and were very close to winning the division. This is still a very young team and has a bright future as long as we can keep it together. A few key offseason acquisitions (and an actual retirement of a certain old QB that plays for the queens) should be able to catapult this team to an easy division title and hopefully a deep playoff run in 2010. We find out in 2 days if Woodson wins DPOY.

GO PACK!

Another Good Win, but 2 HUGE Losses

The Pack pulled out another great Conference win on Sunday vs the 49ers moving them 1 step closer to a playoff appearance. The big news coming from this weekend's game however is not good. OLB Aaron Kampman and more importantly CB Al Harris are out for the season with ACL tears. This is going to pose problems for what was a solid defensive unit. The trickle down effect is going to be the issue for the CBs. Tramon Williams is a solid CB and I believe that he will be a starter for years to come for the Pack, the problem is going to be our nickel and dime packages. Now Williams will be replaced by Jarrett Bush, Underwood (the rookie), or newly acquired Josh Bell. Bell is the most accomplished of the 3 having started 4 games in 2008 for the Denver Broncos, so I anticipate either he or Bush being the initial starter. I do like what i've seen from Underwood so far, but he's still a rookie and prone to make big mistakes which we cannot afford. Hopefully these 3 can form a rotation and be a suitable replacement for Williams. If they can't it takes something huge away from our defense...the ability for Charles Woodson to move aroudn the field as he has done over the past few weeks so successfully. It limits Dom Capers' ability to use him so liberally in blitz and coverage packages, which takes us back to where we were against the Vikings and Bengals. Let's hope for the best!

Kampman on the other hand is not as big of a loss. Although he is an effective pass rusher at times, he has not been nearly as successful in his OLB role as he was as a DE. Brad Jones has been effective in replacing him over the past 2 weeks, and i anticipate him to continue to play well. The return of Brady Poppinga and Brandon Chillar should make this transition easier as well. It's a good thing we play the lions this week!

Happy Thanksgiving...and GO PACK!