Grades:
QUARTERBACKS: A
Pretty easy case to make here. Rodgers was in a class of his own this season and Flynn made a lot of money in Week 17. Harrell apparently has some ability if they didn't want him slipping to the Bills.
RUNNING BACKS: B
Grant proved he still had some gas in the tank near end of the season, although he's still a longshot to be resigned. I was hoping Starks would have a breakout year, but that didn't quite pan out. Still, he proved to be a very tough runner that can fight for extra yards. Green and Saine are a couple of prospects to watch in August. Kuhn is rock solid.
WIDE RECEIVERS: A-
Hard to ask for much more out of this group. Nelson finally had a breakout year, Jennings and Driver remained the core of the passing attack, Jones quietly had a good season and Cobb wasn't shabby at all. The dropsies were the only things holding them back.
TIGHT ENDS: B+
When Finley was hot, there wasn't anyone better than him this year. When he wasn't, it was ugly. Crabtree is a solid blocking TE but not a disruptive threat in the passing game. Williams and Taylor are promising but unproven. Quarless look good up until his injury.
OFFENSIVE LINE: B+
This group is definitely the most improved unit from last year. Finally, they have a tough SOB at LG and some good prospects at LT. Bulaga may soon become just as elite as Sitton.
DEFENSIVE LINE: C+
Very little pass rush generated this year. While it's not the main job requirement in a 3-4 defense, they were largely ineffective, especially when Pickett was gone.
LINEBACKERS: B+
It seems the league has caught on to Clay Matthews (*cough* holding) and he is in danger of being a one trick pony. Perhaps he had an off year, but I'd like to see him used in more situations beside as strong side blitzer. Bishop was solid and D.J. Smith showed promise. Erik Walden does not deserve to wear a Packer uniform again.
SECONDARY: C-
How the mighty have fallen. Williams appeared to be playing hurt most of the year, Woodson struggled with tackling, and Shields had a sophomore slump. The rest of the CBs were invisible except for making giant gaffes. The one upside is that Morgan Burnett is looking like he will be a disruptive center fielder for many years to come. Apart from that, I'd like to a lot of DBs taken in the draft this year.
SPECIAL TEAMS: A-
A few dum onside calls, but other than that not much to complain about. Cobb is a legit return threat, and Crosby and Masthay are coming into their own. Much improvement from last year.
DRAFT:
1.) Derek Sherrod: Had a tough camp, but in the rare snippets where he played, he wasn't much of a liability. He'll really need to work to recover from his injury if he wants to beat out Newhouse at LT next year. Grade: Incomplete
2) Randall Cobb: If he did nothing else this year but return kicks and punts this year, he'd still be considered perhaps the biggest prize from this draft. All in all, it was a relatively painless year (Except for the fumbles) and he'll have a chance to establish himself as a slot receiver over the next few years. Grade: B+
3) Alex Green: Didn't have the chance to prove himself this year. Hopefully next year he stays healthy. Grade: Incomplete
4) Davon House: Pretty much redshirted for this year. Should take advantage of competition this camp in the CB position. Grade: Incomplete:
5) D.J. Williams: Looked promising on the rare occasions that he did play, but struggled mastering the playbook. Has too much potential to not get another look next year. Grade: Incomplete
6) Caleb Schlauderaff: Did he ever net us a draft pick? Grade: C
7) D.J. Smith: Made a big impact when he did play. A good prospect to watch for the future and perhaps Hawks' heir at SILB. Grade: B+
8) Ricky Elmore: Was awful during camp and hasn't gotten a look by another team since. Grade: F
9) Ryan Taylor: Scrappy special teams player that showed some ability on offense. Might be a late round gem. Grade: B
10) Lawrence Guy: Struggled with learning the scheme in camp but got to redshirt this season. Might be a longshot to make the squad during training camp, but if he applied himself this year and during the offseason, he has a chance. Grade: Incomplete]
MVP:
Nominees:
-Rodgers
-Driver
-Pickett
-Woodson
-Jennings
Pretty obvious that Rodgers is this year's MVP, but he's still a longshot for league MVP.
Offensive Player of the Year
-Rodgers
-Driver
-Jennings
-Grant
-Sitton
Driver was clutch this season. Sadly it will likely be his last in Green & Gold.
Defensive Player of the Year
-Woodson
-Pickett
-Bishop
-Burnett
-Matthews
Ryan Pickett showed how much he was missed yesterday. One of the few bright spots of the game.
Most Improved Player
-Starks
-Quarless
-Burnett
-Jones
-Nelson
-Newhouse
Tough call, but Burnett exceeded my expectations for someone who was basically a rookie coming off an injury.
[/b]Douchebag of the Year[/b]
-Finley
-Walden
Walden is probably the biggest turd on this team since Ahmad Carroll. Good riddens.
Offensive Rookie of the Year:
-Cobb
-Williams
-Taylor
-Saine
-Dominguez
Easily Cobb. Made the biggest impact out of every rookie on this team.
Defensive Rookie of the Year
-Smith
-M.D. Jennings
-So'oto
-Lattimore
Again, Smith is the easy choice here.
Original Post
