2013 - Free agency season

quote:

Originally posted by ChilliJon:
Baltimore probably has the biggest need. But Huff needs to consider they just lost both saferies and all three starting LB's. Not sure if he wants to sign up for that kind of a rebuild if the dollars from GB and Baltimore are close.

But I agree Baltimore has to be the early favorite to sign him.

rumor has it, he would be at the beginning of a dynasty in baltimore ...

quote:

I think he has as good a shot at a ring in Denver (if he resigns) as he does in Green Bay.

I expect Peyton Manning to screw the pooch spectacularly in the playoffs again.

Maybe, although he and the Broncos would've been hosting the Pats in the AFCC had it not been for horrendous secondary coverage in the closing minute of their last game.

quote:

Originally posted by ammo:
Last line in a NFL.com article by Greg Rosenthal concerning free agency:


A league full of GMs acting more like Ted Thompson is simply good business.

As much as TT's inactions grate on my nerves from time to time, I'd much rather have a GM with his approach than a Matt Millen type who is a lot of hot air, and spends his way into a losing cap Hell the team takes years to dig out of.

by the time September rolls around, the fans are excited about the team that is being put on the field and appreciate the depth that Ted has developed. Meanwhile, poorly run teams like the Vikings might catch lighning in a bottle as they did last year but in reality know that it will not be sustained.

agree with f-rob. the march and april superbowl don't concern me. neither do the paper championships. i have faith in tt and our staff that our team in september will be ready to compete for another division title.

Very comprehensive report from BobMcG about the top free agents at each position and if and where they have signed.

Linky

quote:

Originally posted by PackFoo:

quote:

Originally posted by ammo:
Last line in a NFL.com article by Greg Rosenthal concerning free agency:


A league full of GMs acting more like Ted Thompson is simply good business.

As much as TT's inactions grate on my nerves from time to time, I'd much rather have a GM with his approach than a Matt Millen type who is a lot of hot air, and spends his way into a losing cap Hell the team takes years to dig out of.

.....while consistently fielding one of the NFL's best teams year in and year out.

from GBPG

"Thompson’s approach is working, based on the Packers’ NFC-best 47-17 regular-season record since 2009. They are the only NFC team to qualify for the postseason the past four years."

Oh look. There's another bitch post to put some on here back to reality.

quote:

Originally posted by Satori:
from GBPG

"Thompson’s approach is working, based on the Packers’ NFC-best 47-17 regular-season record since 2009. They are the only NFC team to qualify for the postseason the past four years."

Pfft... Just think where we'd be if TT wasn't a piece of crap and signed free agents. It wouldn't hurt to stop being a cheapskate and pay guys like Jennings, Wells, etc. either.

And for the love of God, WTF was MM thinking not putting Driver into the final game of his career? Heartless. Cold. Unthinkable.

I'd like to see him back. I thought he played well his 1st year inside.

@RobDemovsky
Indications are the #Packers are talking to linebacker Brad Jones. Return is possible.

Another "old" guy looking for work.

@BradBiggs: #Bears announce they cannot reach agreement with Brian Urlacher and both sides will move on.


Hawk should be ecstatic he's not on the street as there are more than a few ILBs out there.

quote:

Originally posted by Hungry5:

@RobDemovsky
Indications are the #Packers are talking to linebacker Brad Jones. Return is possible.

He did a great job in coverage in comparison to the others at ILB spot, not surprised he's seeing FA action. I'd like to see him back for 2013

Nick Roach no longer a Bear. Who's playing MLB? Does Dansby end up there?

End of an era in Chicago. Even though his best days are clearly behind him, I hoped he could be re-signed and retire a Bear.

That said, this is a deep draft for linebacker, and this opens the door for a change that was coming soon regardless.

Maybe the Vikings will overpay for him as they add to their “Greatest Players of 2008” collection .

B-N-D

Always had a lot of respect for Urlacher. It's a shame he can't end his career in Chicago where he belongs.

Chicago needs to find his replacement in the draft but the bar is set ridiculous high in that organization at MLB.

@AdamSchefter
Brian Urlacher's preferance has been and continues to be to finish his career with the Bears, per source. Bears made him only one $2m offer.


(I assume Schefter meant one year $2mm offer)

Yep, end of an era.

Respect what he gave the Bears on the field. if they'd had anything near him on offense ... may have had a (GULP) SuperBowl or 2 during his time there.

thank god lovie never took the offense serious.

Hope he simply decides to call it a career. Hell of a football player. Only 34 but thats in Urlacher years. He beat the crap out of himself playing linebacker.

Retire, grab a sports gig in Chicago. Wait for the Hall to call.

@BUrlacher54
It was not a negotiation it was an ultimatum. Gonna miss my teammates.

not even worth $2 mil

Finley was spot on

Zygmunt! Zygmunt!

Lot of respect for Urlacher and his carrying on the tradition of excellent middle linebackers in Chicago. He was a thorn in our side. Although his play has slid lately, you still had to account for him on every play.

That being said, Rodgers made a great tackle!

He's still better than Hawk.

Its amazing how many teams are giving popular players "ultimatums". Urlacher said it was no negotation. You could argue the same with Jennings, sounds like Welker was the same, I'm sure there are plenty of others. Appears that GM's are taking a different view on players this year and possibly moving forward? I think this trend is a good thing for teams to manage their cap/roster.

quote:

Originally posted by PackerRuss:
Its amazing how many teams are giving popular players "ultimatums". Urlacher said it was no negotation. You could argue the same with Jennings, sounds like Welker was the same, I'm sure there are plenty of others. Appears that GM's are taking a different view on players this year and possibly moving forward? I think this trend is a good thing for teams to manage their cap/roster.

Good observation. I think more and more GMs are trying to emulate what TT has been doing all along. It does help a team manage the cap and roster, but I wonder if some fans will move along as well as favorite players become more transient. In many ways we all cheer for laundry, but with the NFL's structure it seems fans can get attached to players due to the length of contracts, especially early in a player's career.

In GB, with good players getting extensions early, it can seem that just when fans begin to think their favorite player is on the team till the very end, the rug gets yanked out from under them when the player gets cut. Of course, the players have a part in it as well. When the team is successful and the player refuses to take just a little less to stay with the "hometown" team, especially if it's a successful team, fans can get upset. The same can happen when they go to hated teams (see: Gerg, Bert).

Sentimentallity speaking, the Bears 'parting ways' with Urlacher is akin to us doing the same with Woodson. Well-respected leaders of their teams, veteran players wrapping up great careers, and more.

Not quite the same as Woodson since Urlacher played his entire career with the Bears. But, both were respected leaders. I wonder if Urlacher will get a better offer, and for how long the deal would be. Same with Woodson. If a team picks either of them up, it's hard to see anything more than a two-year deal at what? $3 million? And would they even see the end of that contract? And especially in Urlacher's case, the market for a 4-3 LB is already limited with the number of 3-4 teams out there. GMs are playing hard ball as they follow TT and go with younger, cheaper guys. As far as Urlacher's "slap in the face" comment, any player over age 30 better get used to it. It's the new NFL.

Chicago Bear arrested

The unfortunate reality of the NFL is guys who still have some skills (albeit declining) are let go even though they may still be better than the guys replacing them. Woodson's problem isn't so much that he wouldn't be a decent safety, it's that there is almost zero chance he'll be able to be physically ready to play a significant percentage of the games during a year. Same thing for Urlacher.

This is where football is so different from the NBA, or to a lesser extent, major league baseball. Ray Allen is a shadow of what he once was, but he can adapt to a role where instead of 40 minutes a game, he plays 20 and is still effective. Or he can sit out a game here and there. Each game means too much in the NFL to do that and a guy can't play 1/3 of the defensive plays and be effective. It would be great to have a guy like Woodson play a few minutes a game during the season and have him just for the playoffs, but that's not possible.

@PriscoCBS
One thing I felt at owners meetings: The teams know they got the best of the union in that CBA.


I think this is more of the reason for the current financial landscape league wide than GMs emulating Thompson. They are working this way because they can.

Re Urlacher:

Would be interesting to see him play in Green and Gold vs the Bears...not saying we should do it, but would love to see some revenge going that way. On the other hand, I never did trust McMahon.

If he wanted to finish as a Bear he coulda taken less, but even then he takes up a roster spot. Its always a shame when this happens but it is part of the business.

The thing I noticed most was that he is slower. Seemed to be that he wasn't making as many plays because receivers and backs just ran by him. It became normal to see that and the coaches I'm sure noticed it even more. Whether that was his injuries or age or both, I think they just figured its time to say bye-bye. They did lose a leader on that side of the ball though.

quote:

Originally posted by Hungry5:
@PriscoCBS
One thing I felt at owners meetings: The teams know they got the best of the union in that CBA.


I think this is more of the reason for the current financial landscape league wide than GMs emulating Thompson. They are working this way because they can.

Yup. The teams with cap space have spent like drunken sailors.

quote:

Originally posted by Goalline:

quote:

Originally posted by Hungry5:
@PriscoCBS
One thing I felt at owners meetings: The teams know they got the best of the union in that CBA.


I think this is more of the reason for the current financial landscape league wide than GMs emulating Thompson. They are working this way because they can.

Yup. The teams with cap space have spent like drunken sailors.

Which will bite them in the ass. With the cap being flat (or down) over the last 4 years, and players wanting (and getting) bigger contracts, something has to give. Moneyball comes into play.

tom silverstein ‏@TomSilverstein 2m League source said #Packers have re-signed LB Brad Jones. No numbers yet.

like that they kept him. we'll see about the details...

Cheers to you guys saying nice things about BU.

It is indeed a sad day. With Urlacher and the Bears D, the game was NEVER out of reach. So many improbable victories, so many turnovers. It was a HELL of a ride.

Bears only had five million left to spend and three of it was for the rookie pool. The Bears offered the most they could. If only Julius Peppers would restructure. He is set to make 16 million.

Thanks Angelo!

Thank you Brian!

Good News: Packers re-sign ILB Brad Jones, a FA that several other teams were interested in signing

He was a Packer previously, so it probably doesn't count for some

It'll be interesting to see how the Bishop/Jones/Hawk depth chart plays out in base and in sub

Here's Pro Football Focus comments on him, an undervalued asset

Brad Jones, Inside Linebacker

After playing his first three seasons as a rush outside linebacker, Jones moved inside this offseason. In Week 6, after injuries to Desmond Bishop and D.J. Smith, Jones was thrust into a starting role. From then on he compiled the ninth-best grade among inside linebackers and proved to be immensely valuable as a three-down linebacker. I’m not sure even the Packers’ coaching staff could have predicted how well Jones took to the position. The only knock on him was his subpar 9.6 tackling efficiency. Jones is a free agent this offseason, and with only 12 starts to his name, he could be a steal for whomever he signs with.

Cap Hit: $635k
Performance Based Value: $6.3m
Value Differential: +$5.6m