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!

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.