Packers 2014 free agents - who leaves/stays? (Flynn Re-Signs)

It sure seems to me they are putting all their eggs in the same basket with Tretter.  We'll see how that turns out.   I trust in TT

Arod is good enough to hike the ball to himself.

Relax.

I highly doubt it's all the eggs in 1 basket with Tretter.

 

Big Ern just got signed by Tampa today. We also still have the draft coming up in May not to mention free agency is still ongoing. 

 

Some teams cut players around June, yes? More possibilities.

 

Lotta work to do before September. Once the season starts, the work continues & the roster is ever changing

Some have said for quite awhile, even Packer brass, that TJ Lang's best position could be Center. So, that might happen as well.

See, other more successful teams are signing free agents. Why not TT.

Spelling is hard...kinda like my penis, right ladies? Shaddup BK.

I'm conflicted on TT's actions so far.  On one hand, we have resigned both the guys I wanted back. (Shields and Neal)  

 

On the other hand we have resigned 4 guys from the weak side of the team and only 1 from the strong side.   You would think the opposite would be the approach to take.

 

Defense:

Raji

Neal

Shields

Lattimore

 

Offense:

AQ

 

That really leaves Pickett and Jennings as the only contributers he hasn't retained from our weakness.   Strange.   Does he see it differently and think the D performed adequately?  

Meanwhile on offense we have several contributors about to leave town.  Starks, Jones, EDS and Kuhn.  

 

Obviously there are other factors, but in a vacuum it looks backwards. 

EDS already caught the train.

Jennings is addition by subtraction.  EDS may not be as good as the kid who was going to take his job. 

"Jennings is addition by subtraction."

 

Sure, but when you plug in the next Undrafted free agent chances are you add the negative right back in the equation.   Sam Shields is rare.  Lets not pretend like this happens all the time.

 

 

I don't think the team is done vacuuming yet

I continue to pretend like this happens all the time

Stats (in a vacuum) backwards is still spelled Stats.

 

WE'RE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS HERE PEOPLE.

 

 

Difference being TT's tact has been used by other successful teams to varying degrees.

 

My personal take, there is a high level of luck across the board when it comes to winning a championship.  FA/Draft/game planning/injuries/etc., all have varying degrees of luck and hitting at the right time.  

 

Overall, after watching the dig out from Sherman and Joe Johnson (I still remember one writer making the comparison of it being a Reggie like signing) TT's approach is measured and some years the crop is better than the year before.  Use whatever analogy you will.

 

Do I think a one or two 2nd tier vets would have been good this year?  It wouldn't hurt merely from a experience point but then that's what the coaches are supposed to provide as well.  So yes, rookies are now vets.  They have made a jump simply by making it through the first season.

 

I also see the constant churning at the bottom of the roster as a good thing.  You hit on a guy, even for a season, and it may be enough to hit the luck/planning equation and get you over the top.  Going all in may give you better odds but the drop is much steeper as well.

 

There are so many factors its not even worth getting your knickers in a twist.  What if all those FAs that Denver signed end up in a injury meat grinder like the Packers experienced?  

 

At minimum TT is a solid, methodical GM with great scouting acumen that has paid off for him in some situations.  You can throw in the issue of attracting FAs as well as guys that won't upset the proverbial cap apple cart as part of the equation.

 

Overall, Uncle Ted is boring but you know what you got and sometimes it's enough to pull out a championship.  BORING!

 

When you have Shields and Williams as your starters and some bottom roster bums who helped long enough to win a Super Bowl, it isn't that rare.  Plus, the talent pool is watered down to a degree so the proverbial diamonds in the rough aren't as rare anymore.

I think he is frugal. The Packers carried over 10mil of unused cap space last year.

Since there's no one dominant team in football right now (one team winning multiple Super Bowls and in a clear position to do it again), I don't think anybody's method of building a team is any more successful than anybody else's. Uncle Ted's won it all in the last four years, and he did it with this same philosophy. So, I say we give him a chance to do his thing. A couple solid vets to add depth would have been nice, but not at the price of losing Jordy Nelson, or Randall Cobb, who are both going to command some serious bucks. 

 

Watching Packer fans while Ted puts his team together is like watching the Ten Commandments. Moses comes across the desert, and promises to free the slaves, and everybody loves him. Once they're wandering in the desert for a bit, they all hate him. Moses goes up for a chit chat with the big guy, and the slaves throw a massive orgy, get drunk and stupid. Moses comes down from the mountain with the ten commandments, and the people love him again. The slaves are fickle, so, too, are Packer fans, myself included, I guess. Win a Super Bowl, Ted Thompson is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Go 8-7-1, and get bounced in the first round of the playoffs for the second time in third years, Packer fans freak out all over ESPN saying he's a tight-ass, and has no clue how to build a team.

 

Tough crowd. 

^^ This is true. But one thing Packer fans need to remember is that we didn't have Casey Hayward pretty much at all last year. He was one of the best corner backs in the NFL as a rookie in 2012. Add him back into the mix, and with Shields resigned, and Tramon Williams having a really good second half, our secondary should be much improved over last year. 

 

 

 

The ol' nylon cord. There's a fine line between nirvana and death. A very fine line.

As I said before, tehre is more than 1 right answer (in a vacuum of course). Just because Seattle won a SB with multiple free agent starters doesn't mean Thompson was wrong for doing it with draft & develop. I find it astonishing that a GM could have so much sustained success (in a vacuum) and can field a highly competitive team every year yet some fans have the arrogance to think tehy know enough to say his method (in a vacuum) is wrong. TT isn't perfect, tehre have been mistakes, but teh stats (in a vacuum) tell me he and his method are successful. Pete Carroll and John Elway can sign all teh free agents they want (in a vacuum),  doesn't mean TT's method is flawed for not partaking.

So as far as I know, (in a vacuum), the whole system sucks.

It could be TT and the coaches think Lattimore still has not hit his ceiling and Neal is in a better position to do well now that he knows his position. Shields is solid, and Raji got a fairly cheap "show me" contract. Raji cost himself $4 mil if the reports of his being offered $8 mil are true, so TT wins there. We'll see who suits up at center to see if it's an improvement over EDS. Four years $14 mil for EDS? I don't blame TT for not matching that. 

 

So far, I'm not upset with what TT has done. I think most of his moves this year have worked out. He has a method and it's worked out quite well. Better what TT is doing vs. other GMs dumping a bunch of $$ on one or two guys in hopes of winning it all this year and then after flaming out spending several years as a bottom feeder. 

Raji at $4 million to play NT, his best position, is another nice signing by Thompson. 

I think "spill it" Pickett comes back.   Doubt at his age that other teams will give him much of a look.

 

As far as offense, I would like to see us re-sign James Jones.   I'd also like Starks again, but it wouldn't be a huge loss to lose him (knock on wood) assuming that DHarris and Eddie Lacy are both healthy.   I'm still not sold on Franklin.  I sure liked the Lacy and Starks combo last year though.

 

Still waiting to hear something on the health of TE Finley, too!  It would be nice to know if he's another Nick Collins, or if he's going to be healthy enough to play and play tough.

Seattle did sign a few FAs- namely Avril, Clemons, and Harvin.  However, the majority of their core players were drafted.  Wilson, Chancellor, Sherman, Wagner, etc.  They traded for Lynch.  Bottom line, they don't win it without those guys.

 

Would I like it if the Packers were more active in FA?  Sure.  But I have a tough time criticizing TT's approach as well.  Thompson believes in drafting and paying his own guys.  Occasionally, he'll go out there and sign a FA but that's not his style and I don't think he's all of a sudden going to go Rick Spielman and get a bunch of FAs either.

 

 

Juilus Peppers.......

Doc posts a vague comment about Peppers.  Allow me to correct myself a comment about Peppers.  DocBenni doesn't do vague.

 

 

quote:

As I said before, tehre is more than 1 right answer (in a vacuum of course).

I disagree.  There are no right answers in a vacuum.  By definition, there's nothing in a vacuum.    (Disregarding of course that you can't get a perfect vacuum.)


The answer is not in the Magdeburg sphere

And I don't think anyone is saying he should. A couple of plug & play guys would make a huge difference though. Imagine if they had just a decent safety opposite Burnett and another solid lineman/ILB. Instead of the cluster**** they had on defense they could be good enough.

The teams that are ahead of them didn't/don't go nuts signing guys either, but they bring in contributors to plug holes.

yep, a couple guys like Herschel said could make a good team a great team. Sitting on the money will definitely not make a good team great.

Time will tell. It takes Big Balls to sign a guy for 4 million dollars when he just finished a season with 12 tackles. Not sure I am buying the whole "best position" argument as he truly looked like an unmotivated bum last season, but again, time will tell.

Thompson is obviously getting  an extra bonus for not using that extra space and is hiding teh money in a vacuum.

I know you were just being a smartass but, No, the money isn't hidden and it isn't in Ted's pockets. He Did however leave 10mil unused last year(at least according to what I have seen, and if I am wrong about that I apologize) when we had some major holes to fill. I think TT does a good job generally, but he is stubborn. I guess myself and some others just can't figure why you would sit on the money when there are obvious holes to fill and guys available who could fill them. Of course as some have stated, the player has to want to come here but it doesn't seem like we are trying too hard, although maybe we are behind the scenes.

 Lots of factors involved, but my point is: we have the need, we have the cash, the players are out there(imho)......why not go for it?

@JosinaAnderson: Source: Julius Peppers has agreed to terms with the Green  Bay Packers on a 3-year deal.

 

Holy crap!

 

Peppers isn't the all around force he once was but is still stout against the run.  If he comes motivated and if it doesn't break the bank I like this deal.  Gives Packers height and length at DE that it really needs.  He and Datone as bookends?

 

(I had a feeling this might be going on.  There has been no word whatsoever out there about where Peppers might be headed and I thought hmmm, total silence makes it like TT is involved!)

 

The Packers will save a few bucks in hotel expenses signing Peppers with his AARP discounts he qualifies for

ARE YOU ALL ****ING HAPPY NOW?!?!?!?!?!

Trgovac must be ecstatic.

I like it. An honest attempt to make something happen. Thanks TT