Good article--Should 3 older vets be phased out?

I think Ted is already planning and acting on replacing these guys

I don't even get what the article is getting at. Should the Packers start phasing out Woodson because he's old? They're already prepared for Driver and Clifton getting old, so what is the author saying? I'd venture to guess that the Packers have fewer starters over age 32 than any team in the NFL. That's amazing when you realize how good this team is.

Clifton - He is still playing at a high level. How often did you hear Peppers name last week? I think he had one sack, but it wasn't like he beat Clifton all day.

He can't run block to save his life, but the old man keeps Rodgers clean and thats the most important function of a LT. If he wants to come back, the door is wide open.

Driver - He is already being phased out as Jordy gets more snaps and I think this should be his last year. I hope he chooses to retire instead of the Packers having to cut him.


Woodson - This is a tough one. He can still make plays, but is not the shutdown type corner he used to be. The natural progression for Wood is a move to safety ala Rod Woodson. If Collins comes back, there simply is no room for him there as we will have two very good and young players. If Collins doesn't come back, we will see Wood there next year IMO. When the Pack played 3-4 to start the game against the Bears, Wood was in Collins safety spot. When they got the lead and moved back to 2-4, he rotated back to his slot position. The only problem with this is you need another play maker to take his spot in the slot. Do you trust Bush?

Lucky for us, and Wood, his current role in our Defense is perfect for his skill set. He has at least 2 more years after this one IMO.

Driver didn't even have a catch against the Bears and his phase-out is already well underway.

I don't know if there's a phase out going on but I certainly want to see more of Randall Cobb. If that's at DD's expense, so be it.

Maybe Ted is investigating the Ted from another sport.

quote:

Originally posted by CUPackFan:
I don't even get what the article is getting at. .

Normally Cristl writes some good pieces but this is one I don't get either.

You could easily make the flip argument that not having enough vet's can be just as dangerous. Against Carolina, Woodson's 2 INT's came from experience knowing the routes Newton was going to seek out before the play even occured. He jumped them and the Carolina WR had little chance of defending it. How many times have we seen Woodson do that? And would Devon House (a young CB TT likes or Sam Shields know this)? Maybe. But chances are that it was the experience that helped Woody sniff those out.

has also said time and again with Driver and Jennings, he can look their way not even speak and he knows DD and Jennings knows what Rodgers is thinking and he'll change the play. Can Randall Cobb do that yet? Probably not.

Maybe Rodgers is thinking, "Why can't this dude get open any longer"?

quote:

Originally posted by Pakrz:
Maybe Rodgers is thinking, "Why can't this dude get open any longer"?

Randall Cobb will be getting more and more phased in that I do agree with.

BTW, Im going to predict James Jones will have a big game on Sunday. He's due for one and playing a lesser Bronco team with Rodgers knowing they haven't gotten him as involved as he wants to be, IMO ingredients are there to get him several targets this week. And Bailey has a hamstring that is nagging.

I think you'll see less of DD as Cobb becomes more assignment-sure. Remember that despite his terrific catch and run for his first TD, he admitted he ran the wrong route. AR said the same thing and that he was able to read Cobb's body language and get him the ball despite the mistake. Those types of things, however, could easily turn into interceptions. Right about game 8 or so, I expect we'll see more of Cobb.

Cliffy is solid against the rush, can't block the run, and will stay a fixture until someone can be as solid against the rush. Besides, Cliffy's flaws are a lot less this year with Lang next to him than with Colledge last year. Lang has made Cliffy a better player.

Woody? Nah. He's playing at too high a level. Besides, at this point, who do we have to replace him? Bush? I think not! Let's see how Collins' injury and Jennings turn out. If both go well, I think you'll see a phase-out of Woody next year.

IMHO.

I'm sure Cobb's fumbled kickoff against Carolina landed him on MM's list. I am pretty sure MM will continue to throw him a play or two each game to get his confidence level up in Cobb.

I hope he get's on the field more though, he's a playmaker.

quote:

Let's see how Collins' injury and Jennings turn out. If both go well, I think you'll see a phase-out of Woody next year.

IMHO.

No way. Woody is good for another 2 at least in his current role. He isn't the player he once was but he is versatile and invaluable to this type of defense.

Cobb has some learning to do but it's obvious that he's a highlight reel waiting to happen when he touches the ball. This kid is gonna be awesome in this offense.

Phase-out, not kick-out! If they find his replacement or think they have him on the roster, I think you'll see MM and TT use Woody all the time next year until game 8 or so and then ease in a new player, just the way I think you'll see them do with DD/Cobb this year.

Cobb is just electric. Get him the ball in space and then let him do his thing. Should go to him on WR screens more often. I think his ceiling is a more explosive Wes Welker. Gonna be great in the slot for years

If the argument of the article is to work the young guys in now because it’s a given the older guys will crap out by January, I can’t say I’m entirely on board. Yeah, the young guys need more snaps, and I think we’ll see them once GB is blowing teams out as they should be.

And I want to see more Cobb as much as anyone, but on at least two occasions in Chicago we saw guys correcting him on where to line up. I only expect his snaps to go up as things progress.

Just did a search on "planning for the future" and "incredible roster depth" . Couldn't find much:




Ted already has his meals planned for the next month, not to mention the roster through 2015.

Cristyl is barking up the wrong tree. Woodson, Driver, and Cliffy are rare players that have proven longevity...and a deep roster behind them.

I believe the point was that these 3 guys may run out of gas or otherwise be unable to perform (injury) by the end of the season. The issue is whether or not this prospect is likely enough that the Packers should be replacing them NOW, early in the season, so that by the end of the season the replacements have enough experience/reps/practice to perform well as the playoffs come around.


I can't see that there is a whole lot for TT & MM to do here. The roster is what it is now, and I didn't see 3 guys at these positions who were released but should be on the team. So that means putting in the current backups now.

LT--Newhouse was already getting lots of reps during the week and is now getting gameday experience (albeit at RT). Sherrod will be getting practice reps so long as Bulaga is held out.

WR--As many have pointed out, Driver is already getting phased out as Nelson, Jones, and Cobb see more time on the field.

CB/Slot maniac--Because of his foot injury, Woodson will probably revert to previous years' practice schedule, so whoever fills in will be getting the reps (Bush? House? Peprah?--don't know). With the injury to Collins, Woodson's longevity is a real concern. There is going to be a huge drop-off if he also needs to be replaced, but I don't yet see the heir apparent on the roster. Shields is already in effect a starter. Bush doesn't need more reps or gametime experience--he needs more speed and strength. I guess that leaves House, and right now, the coaches seem to think Bush is better.

i only see a problem if the packers were not grooming replacements. in all three cases, they clearly are. of course, there are no guarantees the replacements will succeed, but assembling an nfl roster is an art not a science.

the comparisons to the 1997 packers do not hold up in my mind. i think the current team is built for the long haul, and the fact that we have a few older guys is a positive, not a negative to me.

My only mild cause for concern is the slightly slower than expected pace of development of Sherrod, but otherwise the piece really lacks any merit.

I agree that the comparisons to the '97 team really don't hold up. Wolf was more of a stop-gap short term guy while TT is building for the long-term and I'm not seeing any glaring errors in his thinking related to those three players.

quote:

Originally posted by johnnie gray:
assembling an nfl roster is an art not a science.

It is if you are mad.

quote:

Originally posted by michiganjoe:
My only mild cause for concern is the slightly slower than expected pace of development of Sherrod, but otherwise the piece really lacks any merit.

In a normal year yes, but with no off-season rookie camp or OTA's I think expectations for rookie development needed to be lowered. There have been quite a few 1st rounders not playing or even active in these first 3 weeks.

quote:

I believe the point was that these 3 guys may run out of gas or otherwise be unable to perform (injury) by the end of the season.

The solution sounds like a win/win. Rookies often run out of gas as well, not being acclimated to the rigors of an NFL season.

Give these older vets a bit more time off and ease the youngsters in and each ought not run out of gas when it matters most.

As to the specific players, I do see that Driver may be hitting the age wall and am so glad he has his ring. Because of Woodson's contributions at the LoS and as more of a safety role, have no concerns there. Clifton? I confess to not noticing the LoS at enough detail to scope out his run blocking, but of the three, LT is by far my biggest concern.

We want a highly productive replacement by next year, I would think.

I think Clifton will cause the phase out to occur on his own. I think there will eventually be something with his knees that will lead to replacement. I do not think there will just be a pre-season change.

Driver and Woodson are in the interesting position of being out there with the replacements. Driver will be out there in three, four and five wide sets. Woodson will be out there in base and nickel. We play quite a lot of nickel these days so there is always room for him. You can never have enough good DBs. I think the phase out will occur, but it will be a little difficult to notice by just looking at playing time.