Packers confident offensive line ready to fulfill its promise

Potential upgrades across the board on the OL:

 

2014 Bak vs 2013 Bak at LT

2014 Sherrod vs 2013 Bak at LT

 

2014 Tretter vs 2013 EDS at Center

 

2014 Sitton/Lang vs 2013 Sitton/Lang- more time to get used to the switch

 

2014 Bulaga vs 2013 Barclay at RT

 

GB has the potential to upgrade every spot on the OL going into this season

We'll see how many of them can achieve that goal

 

 

 

 

"  he and general manager Ted Thompson have denied permission for him to interview with other teams more than once."

 

Very interesting as this is the first time I've heard this. Assuming Campen even wanted to leave, that MM & TT blocked/denied permission to interview speaks much about their opinion of his abilities vs the typical fans who repeatedly call for his firing.

 

Calling BS on the Campen thoughts.
And the fact that Dom is still around after the defensive numbers(injuries be damned) speaks to continuity than anything else. I'm thinking MM likes what Campen preaches for his offense as a technician, so the "offensive coordinator" really not going to say bad things now after the commitment. My biggest beef with Campen is that he has probably had the loudest voice with changing guys positions, not sure that has been the best idea most of the time.
All jmo.

I'd really love to see what this offense could do if they had an OL that allowed less than 30 sacks in a season. Rodgers is of course partly to blame for holding the ball, but this team's offensive line hasn't played at an elite level for a decade. It's time to change that.

Spot on as always sir.  One question.  Who developed all this talent?

Watched an old packer game from the early 2000's and saw the time that faver had to throw - it was stunning in comparison to what we've seen in the recent past

 

2001-2004, GB gave up 19, 22, 26 and 12 sacks for an entire season

Lately we've been giving up 45,41,47 sacks

 

Better play from OTs and Center should help their cause along with a lethal running game.

 

As far as the development of these OL  guys ?

Duh. Its all Rodgers 

 

Wahle, Clifton, and Tauscher

 

vs.

 

EDS, Newhouse, and Barclay.

 

 

Shouldn't even be a competition.

 

 

Here's what I love about Tauscher. He doesn't just block the strongside.....he'd have been part of the best run blocking unit in team history. I forsee a long regimine for the Tretter era in GB.

Gotta have some context though Satori. Defenses played the early 2000's teams different than teams have played GB since Aaron Rodgers has been the QB. GB had a much more balanced attack in the height of those years compared to Aaron Rodgers tenure because of the running game. GB wasn't giving up sacks because Ahman was tearing it up and defenses weren't selling out against the pass like they do against GB now. The offensive line was very strong, but they were facing different challenges than the current group has faced. Actually this 2014 group should face similar challenges that the 2003 group faced because this backfield is arguably the best we have had since Ahman, Najeh, and Tony Fisher.

 

More commitment to run the ball.

Ahman Green.

 

Favre INTs for those years: 15, 16, 21, 17

 

Rodgers has never had more than 13 in a season.

 

 

 

Look at the grade out of oline during Campen's tenure.  Straight C's.  He's Dubya.  

 

Overcoming the coaching is the last hurdle for a olineman to prove they are legit on this team.  

 

He's the guy that doesn't make waves, does his reports, sucks the company dick, retires and is forgotten immediately.

 

High praise for these Olines is "stable".  

Which former Packer player was a big WWF fan.  I swear he even made an appearance on the mat one time. 

 

I want to say it was Campen, amirite?

Didn't Reggie White referee a match once?  (For some values of "referee" of course.)

Not a former Packer player, but former Packer coach Kevin Greene fits that description:

 

Bob Uecker!

Reggie and Mongo, I remember that as well. 

 

 

Still think Campen was the WWF fan.  Internet not helping me. 

 

 

this was not easy to find.

 

If he had followed his dream, where would EDS be now?

Steve McMichael (a one-year Packer if memory served) and Dick the Bruiser (Afflis) were wrestlers although I must say where wrestling is concerned WTF comes to my mind more readily than WWF.

Thanks, that's a great point GD.

 

And for you Campenfans; remember James was hired by... Mike Sherman

 

 

Steve McMichael (Mongo) is pictured above

He would be a 2nd tier FA playing for a 3rd tier team, with a retread coach

 

 

I guess he followed his dream, then.

Packer fans are very happy for EDS, he found his special purpose

 

And Tretter is gonna kick some ass

Reflecting back on our oline in the 2001-2004 seasons....Sherman strength as a football coach was the development & implementation of the running game. Pulls, traps, & counters were creatively used in those years & when clicking it was a thing of beauty to watch. 

        He missed the tag!

Wow, Tony Fisher.  Very underrated guy, even if only used on third down.  I remember a stretch late one season where on every 3rd and critical, you knew the ball was going to Fisher and yet he always delivered.

Fisher - back with the Pack last summer.

 

http://www.packers.com/news-an...42-a324-13e65e553047

Well, here's my two cents on the titillating battle between you and Henry

 

Campen does develop talent, but he isn't special and therefore the results aren't special either. In the specific case of EDS, he was a try- hard guy with limited talent and a low ceiling that took 4 years to reach.  And EDS wasn't going to get any better as the trajectory for most NFL players has approached its apex by that point in their development. Now a very talented OL coach may have gotten a bit more out of EDS, but Campen isn't that guy. An average OL coach + an average player = surprisingly enough... AVERAGE and limited production.

 

And that's just not good enough for where GB wants to go so they let him walk. But only after drafting and working with Tretter for a season.

 

We're all going to be very pleased with the upgrade at Center and while there will most certainly be some bumps along the way, the payoff is there.

From what I have read, Tretter will surpass the EDS-apex sometime in October and continue to improve for the next couple seasons. His athleticism compares with some of the best Centers in the league( combine #s) and allows GB to run even more Power instead of ZBS, which fits perfectly in a Lacy-centric run game .

 

Additionally, with an up- tempo offense, Tretter's large brain moves him even further away from the EDS glass ceiling, giving GB what they want on the cerebral side too.

 

EDS was just a guy, Campen got about what you'd expect out of him and neither was good enough to overcome their own limitations.

 

Go Packers

Sounds like Tretter is the perfect guy to help elevate Campen to the next level.  In a few more seasons Campen might be really good.

Whether Sherrod makes this team this year will also probably say more about Campen then him.

 

Assuming he's healthy, he has all the physical tools and size you want out of a 1st round pick. And apparently the kid has a brain and is pretty smart.

 

But I have read more then a couple of blurbs thinking there is a strong possibility he doesn't make the cut.

 

 

If Sherrod is 100% healthy (and has no limitations with his footwork) I can't see him not making the team. 

 

Well, you go tell those blurby blurbs they are full of it 

 

Who would be the back up at LT if you cut him ?

There isn't another one on the roster and its highly unlikely that the Packers would leave themselves completely unprotected at LT. No FAs were brought in, no LTs were drafted. That offers some hints about Derek's future in GB.

 

 

Agree, they believe Sherrod is ready. Their option would be Bulaga flips to LT and Barclay mans the RT spot? 

 

Sherrod's got a year to prove himself, but beyond that is a big question mark. He didn't demonstrate that he was capable of playing at the NFL level prior to the injury and the team has to be unsure of what they have with him now. If they were feeling great about him they likely would have picked up the option year of his contract. 

....I'm pulling for this kid, as AR put it, Peppers & Sherrod make us at least look like a varsity team. 

 

Their hypothosis was Barclay and Linsley as back ups. And starters being Bacteria, Lang, Tretter, Sutton, and Bulaga. 7 OL in total. IIRC, those blurbs came out right after MM announced in OTA's that Don Barclay is a starting tackle in the NFL.

 

But it's entirely possible they keep 8. Agree with others, I am pulling for Sherrod too.

 

The guy hasn't had any significant playing time.  I don' think that's a measure of being able to play at the NFL level.  At best, he was a rook and for the most part outside of knowing the playbook he's coming back as a rookie.  Plan and simple, it's now a question of being able to play after significant injuries.

 

I'm pulling for the guy.  I pulling for the whole damn line include Coach Flounder but I'm over the wishin' in one hand, **** in the other philosophy of measuring this oline.  Guys like Barclay and Bak are scrappers but I want to see a olineman, especially at T that dominates, not merely maintains.  I'd like to see a coach that can take a scrapper and add a second gear.  Point being, this will be a line that maintains and that will likely be enough with high powered offensive weapons.  It's as much balancing the payroll as it is the talent.  

 

If Tretter locks down the C position and a guy like Sherrod actually fulfills his potential, Buluga doesn't go all Shemp, this offense will be like Sherman's march to the sea.

Concur on all counts

 

 

This literally made me guffaw in a public fashion.