Slim pickings in free agency

In what could have been a boom year in free agency, because of the unlikely event a new collective bargaining agreement is reached between players and owners by March 5, 200-some players will not get their chance at a big payday. Of course that is part of the reason why some players haven’t been signed by now too – the owners knew there wasn’t going to be an agreement so why pay big money to a guy who isn’t going anywhere. The Packers’ Nick Collins is a perfect example.

Barring a miracle, and I do mean miracle because the NFL Players Association is once again failing to see the light, there will only be a handful of free agents worth signing and several of them may get a franchise or transition tag, essentially taking them off the market. When the owners used their option to end the current CBA early the players should have immediately said “OK, what can we do to get this done?” instead of getting defensive and basically forcing the owners into a lockout in 2011.

The owners hold all the cards and the sooner the players realize that the sooner a deal will get done. At least the late Gene Upshaw knew that and even though he was a hard bargainer, he got the job done before anything drastic had to happen. NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith has stated the players have no plans to make any concessions so a work stoppage is a certainty. The owners can sit out forever. Can the players? With that in mind I will only focus on the unrestricted free agents that might be available.

The Packers need offensive line help and that might be the slimmest pickings of all. There is simply nobody available. The Saints have two left tackles in Jammal Brown and Jermon Bushrod that are unsigned. The Packers would have to trade for one of them and Brown would probably bring the higher price tag even though he missed last year with a sports hernia. Bottom line though, don’t look for any movement here. I hope Ted Thompson finally gets lucky with offensive lineman in the draft. I also hope nobody goes hard after Chad Clifton, the best unrestricted offensive lineman out there.

Staying on the offensive side there are a couple of intriguing running backs in Chester Taylor and Willie Parker. Taylor I think for sure is starter material and if Parker can stay healthy he could be worth looking at. Myself I would be more inclined to look at Taylor if I was looking to replace Ryan Grant, which, by the way, I’m not. If the Packers could get Taylor and use him like they did in Minnesota, I’m all for it. He is heads and tails above Brandon Jackson, who has been a major bust for a second-round pick. Just re-sign Ahman Green and be done with it.

Defensively the Packers need help at linebacker and secondary and there may be some help available there. Linebackers Keith Bulluck, Karlos Dansby are available if the Packers don’t want to re-sign Aaron Kampman. Jason Taylor is also available but he won’t play in the cold in what could be his last year. Bulluck may come cheap coming off injury but Dansby won’t, in fact he will probably be tagged. Those are the outside linebackers, an interesting inside linebacker would be Gary Brackett. If the Packers don’t want to pay A.J. Hawk they might be thinking about Brackett. The thing is, Brackett will bring the leadership skills the young Packers need but in the end Hawk might be more worth the money down because of his youth. Tough call.

In the secondary guys like Leigh Bodden and Dunta Robinson at corner might be worth a look but other than Darren Sharper their is nobody of starting value at safety. Sharper back in Green Bay? I would love it! He’s today’s Deon Sanders – just following the ring.

The only guy I would open the vault to would be kicker Sebastian Janikowski. The Packers can’t afford to make another playoff run with a shabby kicker. I just wish there was a punter available.

All that said, you can see why the Packers won’t be finding any starters in free agency this year. They should just focus on guys like Clifton, Mark Tauscher, Ryan Pickett and Nick Collins and not worry about the rest. The Packers’ aren’t one player away from a championship, they have the pieces already in place, they just need a few complimentary players to get them through through the rough spots of a long season. With the work stoppage looming, the Packers might have the least worries of any NFL team going into this season.

It’s going to be an interesting off-season that is for sure.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 15th, 2010 at 9:53 pm and is filed under Al Davis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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  • Steve Cheez

    Sea Bass in the Green ‘N Gold? I love it! Maybe we can pry away Lechler, too.

  • http://Orlando Mark

    Al, no teams are in danger of losing money so I don’t see the reason for the 18% paycut. We seem to be able to pay our bills. What is the management going to do with the $10 to $20 million because the revenues aren’t declining. What’s behind this move by management. Is it just greed. I don’t like the rookie pay scale especially compared to veterans but the management proposal doesn’t address that or make any provision for a development league which is something we could use. I’m sure you would jump at the chance to take a pay cut if you thought you were overpaid but what if you felt you deserved your salary. That would be hard to swallow.

  • packer_bob

    You get “Hrumphh” out of me for Sharper back in the Green and Gold! I got a big kick out of Green being back with us last season, and he did contribute in some situations. I’m probably just a sentimentalist, but it’s clear Sharper has a lot more left in the tank than Green. I’d love to see him back, although how realistic this is I have now idea.

    Mark, I don’t claim to be an expert on the profit margins of all 32 teams, but from listening to Hub Arkush, publisher of Pro Football Weekly, there very much is a danger for some of the smaller market teams to lose money. The way I understand it under the old cap system, there wasn’t just a cap ceiling but a floor as well, so that smaller market teams would be forced to spend at least “X” amount of dollars in a given year. At least according to Arkush, that led to a situation where several smaller market teams could actually lose money, though whether any have to this point I don’t know.

    I completely agree that the rookie pay scale is a joke and needs to be changed.

  • Rick

    Which is greater 60% of 16 games or 53% of 18. It is very very close.
    So we look at an 18 game regular season with actual dollars player revenue staying the same unless the NFL continues to grow. That should quiet the “takin a paycut” crowd.
    Then they-the NFLPA- will make even more money with bigger regular season TV contracts in the future and increasing the presence of the NFL makes them more money.

    Owners get to cut team subsidizes for the lower performing clubs that just received a lower cost of operating. That makes the Packers and Cowboys Jerry Jones very happy and settles alot of the owner bickering. I hate the Pack giving money to the Vikings because they have a cr@ppy stadium.

    Rookies get a slotted pay system but a shorter time to free agency or RFA, say 2 years or perhaps 3 years contract. If they are bust they bust sooner, if they play big they get the bigger money faster too. This also values veterans as bigger contracts for established talent only raises their value.

    Add an extra franchise tag or transition tag so the owners will go for the shorter time period and both sides pay into a better healthcare system and post NFL career support system as well.

    We have reestablished the salary cap and floor.

    Ladies and gentleman we have ourselves a deal.

  • Rick

    As to team profitablility, you do realize the NFL marketing and merchadising is split 33 ways. ONLY when you order from the official Packers store does ALL the money go to the Packers.

    Some teams just sell better and fill their coffers in ways they do not have to share. i.e. The Packers sold “ownership” to their fans and reestablished the hard currency to be able to upgrade our stadium and keep the team in the black.

    Vikings do not have the higher number of luxury suites to sell and they depend on hand outs from 28 other teams.

    Jaguars are dancing with blackouts and poor luxury box sales. Another handout team.

    The Bills have been dancing on the edge for almost 4 years now. They are a handout team.

    I think that unless the NFLPA wants a strike they need to see the writing on the wall like the rest of us and get a deal done before March1 2011. If they do not, we lose football in 2011.

  • Rick

    Al- Have you noticed that almost all the best true FAs happen to be Packers?
    Clifton, Tauscher top Tackles
    Spitz top C/G
    Kampman DE
    Pickett DT

  • roy jamison

    TT hasn’t been big in the FA market before and I expect that to continue to be true.
    If their is a guy like Chillar available, I’d expect that type of signing. TT seems to like a player with a relatively lower salary, with higher potential. That’s a hard thing to find.

  • Rick

    After the comments on Kampman I do not think he wants to play with the Packers 3-4 defense again.

  • http://Orlando Mark

    Thanks Rick, that proposal sounds good. Hope it can get done. Still want some kind of developmental league and not just a taxi squad.

  • http://Orlando Mark

    As to free agency, I don’t think it matters who’s out there. If TT can get a good player for a bargain he will. Otherwise it isn’t very likely. We have real needs that have to be addressed and other than a returner, punter or DB he’s going to have to use free agents including our own. An OT or pass rusher takes too long to develop, unless we move up, to be of much use next year.

  • Mel e Mel

    NFL.com predicts the Packers as the team to beat next year behind N.O. and Indy.
    Journal Sentinel has a poll split 50/50 on signing Peppers. New England is supposedly the front runner for Peppers. To all those who against the signing, I guess they know more about football than Belichek. That actually is a good sign New England has the same negatives as Green Bay cold. Positives rabid fan base. Those who are looking to save money, Jerry Jones and Godell will make sure there is a work stoppage so save money for what??

  • http://Orlando Mark

    We’ll all find out how much winning a championship means to TT this year. We know how he responded to 4-12 and 6-10, he did great. We need one more year of that outside the box type of effort, to have a chance to justify the optimism Mel reported. Peppers showed he could destroy the Vikes from the defensive left and Matthews did it from the right. We have money if we don’t resign Kampman. It’s a longshot but might be a big piece of a #1 defense.

  • Rocky70

    You want to experiment at ‘high-risk’ & ‘high-dollars’ with Peppers ………. He’s 30+ & has never been a LBacker……….. AK was an experiment that basically failed ……….. CM3 was a draft choice drafted strictly for the 3-4 who ended up in the Pro-Bowl ……… Why would TT change his approach ? ………… If need be, TT could once again move up & draft a better option in April ………. Let NE have Peppers ……. They have more holes on their roster than GB does ………. NE is on their way south ……… Signing Peppers will expedite their move to a sub-500 club.

    ” OLB: Brandon Graham, Michigan (6-1.0, 263) Short, yes, but this guy can rush the passer all day and in his sleep. And he’s also fairly strong at the point of attack so he can play on the strong side. Just a really good football player with a ton of experience. Exactly the type of guy Thompson likes. And while the Packers have high hopes for Brad Jones, Graham could instantly provide the kind of compliment to Clay Matthews the Packers are currently lacking. Is in the same mold as Pittsburgh OLBs James Harrison and Lamar Woodley. “

  • Mel e Mel

    Brandon Graham is a shorter less versatile Brad Jones. I never said Brad Jones was a bad player. Clay Matthews needs someone who will draw a double team. This Peppers has never played LB crap, Peppers played hoops at Carolina (they know a little something about the game there). NE has more holes than GB???? They have loaded up on draft choices and gotten younger. Even if that was true they own their division and right now the Pack can not say that. I would take your approach Rocky if the DB position was more solid. Right now is TWilliams or Woodson goes down any length of time its all over. We need to use those draft picks on DBs.
    By the way whats the risk when a work stoppage is a virtual certainty? As usual I respect your opinion Rocky but I respectfully disagree.

  • Mel e Mel

    By the way NE runs a 3-4

  • Rocky70

    Sebastian Janikowski resigned with the Raiders for 4 years ……….. Looks like Sharper will be franchised by the Saints …………..

    “Replacement Player” teams may play in 2011 until the lock-out ends ………. Another lost NFL season similar to 1982 …………. It was a wasted season then & will be in 2011 also ………….. I’d hate to see it happen but no one’s going to blink until the last moment ………. Once again, the needs of the fan will be disregarded ……..

  • Rocky70

    Many, many NFL players played basketball at the HS or college level ………. Means nothing.
    BTW, Peppers played basketball at NC ………….. Played in 25 games over two seasons ……. Averaged 7.1 pts. per game along with 4 rebound average per game ……….. It was wise for him to choose football.

    Most pundits believe the Jets will move past the Pats in 2010 ………. So do I …….. New England’s most recent youth was drafted after the 1st round ………. None are yet proven NFL players ……. Chung, Brace, Butler, Vollmer, Tate & McKensie were all drafted in the 2nd or 3rd round in 2009 ……… None were able to break into the starting line-up in 2009 ……… Only Chung & Butler played any real minutes as special teamers & back-up roles …….. In other words, New England’s whole draft class of 2009 is suspect at this time ……….. Some are already calling their draft a quantity draft versus a quality draft ………..

    I like drafting a DB also ……….. If B. Jones hits the weight room, he may very well be the answer at OLB ………… However, Woodson, A. Harris, T. Williams & P. Lee ……… Alot of NFL teams would like those 4 coming into TC.

  • packer_bob

    On a different note, it’ll be interesting to see what happens in the Williams Starcaps case. The judge is supposed to rule today.

  • Rick

    Rocky- Just an FYI. It is now illegal for the NFL to use replacement players. It can only be a lockout.

  • Rick

    Brad Jones is a solid late round 3-4 OLB. He is not a CM3. He is solid depth, not necessarily starter.

    Brandon Graham is a great pass rush OLB but is big liability in 3-4 OLB coverage and is NOT good against athletic TEs. He does not have hip flexibility and he plays smaller then his 6’1″ in space and large receivers and TEs because of this.

    He is a beast from the edge though. A definite blitz upgrade

  • Rocky70

    Very few OLB are considered ‘good’ in coverage ……….. Even CM3 is at best average in coverage & had significant problems keeping up with certain TEs ……… Makes sense …….. TEs know where they are going & are for the most part faster than OLB’ers ………..

    More on Graham ……….. Sounda alot like CM3 to me ……….

    •An energizer bunny – Plays with excellent intensity and a high motor
    •Never gives up on a play
    •Tremendous burst off the ball
    •Gets good leverage
    •Plays under control when making plays in the backfield
    •Tenacious two-way player who is equally adept at rushing the passer and stopping the run
    •26 TFL (led Division I) and 10.5 sacks in 2009
    •Powerfully built. Tremendous lower body strength
    •Good football IQ
    •One of the most impressive players at the 2010 Senior Bowl

  • Rick

    Rocky- I love this kind of draft and player debate. I really follow college games from all over just so I can see the players that I think have “it” or look good to develop.

    Brandon is 6’1″ but plays with slow hips in coverage, CM3 does not. That means Brandon is slow to redirect and whip around in coverage. Ray Maluaga has slow hips too.

    Brandon’s strength is quick burst and great pass rush ability from the edge. We saw it from CM3 and Woodson even in a couple of games. I like Brandon and he showed he was one of the best at the senior bowl, but that is college. I need to see what that means against grown men playing NFL football. Do you want him as an “A” quality pass rusher and a “C+” pass coverage? He may the best available and may be what we need.

    My opinion has been to grab Merriman from the Charger by giving up the 1st and 3rd round pick and writing a poison pill so the Chargers can not really match the offer sheet. We miss having to over pay on a 1st round rookie contract

  • iccyfan

    Your debate is interesting. I guess I have a hard time seeing Brandon Graham as a first-round selection. I won’t pretend to have seen him play, but I’ve seen him compared in writing to Elvis Dumervil, who lasted until the fourth round in 2006 as teams saw him as being under-sized and one-dimensional.

    In this hybrid OLB / DE position, what makes Lawrence Taylor and Shawn Merriman worthy of first-round selection while an Elvis Dumervil slides to the fourth? Is Brandon Graham more comparable to the former or the latter?

    In closing, I still feel we have guys on the current roster who can play LOLB, be it Jones, Thompson or Poppinga. We can’t count on Clifton and Tauscher to stay healthy, and even if they do we NEED to acquire the OT’s of the future. Same holds true for CB to a lesser extent. Those are the two positions I see as the greatest areas of concern, though I wouldn’t be upset if Ted took a safety in Round 1. Nick Collins and Taylor Mays would make receivers think twice about going over the middle!

  • Rick

    Taylor was nasty and brought a speed and viciousness not normal seen in the OLB position. He started the “new” idea of what a 3-4 OLB was about. How ever the rules for passing have changed making coverage skills a must.

    The Packers drafted Carroll from Arkansas, he was a fast press coverage CB. However his use of hands and physical play came the same year the rules were more tightly called and the 5 yard rule established. He was not able to get away with what he could do in college and we payed a lot of money for a “bust”

    Merriman has proven able to handle both pass rush and coverage OLB responsibilites.

  • Rocky70

    ” In closing, I still feel we have guys on the current roster who can play LOLB, be it Jones, Thompson or Poppinga. We can’t count on Clifton and Tauscher to stay healthy ….. ”

    Cliffy & Tausch won’t stay healthy ……….. As soon as one or the other is hurt & on the sideline, GB is immediately relegated to a 2nd-string at either tackle position or even both …………. This could virtually destroy the 2010 season ……… Protecting AR (minimizing his hits) has to be top priority ………… The solution to this issue is still unknown to anyone, IMO.

    I agree ……… LOLB can be manned by a roster player ………. Even the defensive backfield is a lower priority ………… If you draft a DB in the 1st round, that player will be hard-pressed to get on the field ahead of Woodson, Harris, Williams or even Pat Lee ………… This is assuming all are healthy ………..

    Drafting Graham at 23 would be a mistake if an LT is available at the same spot ……… I’m hoping Lang & ‘that 1st round pick’ are pushing Cliffy & Tausch for the starter spots ………. AR is the key ……….. I doubt M. Flynn or R. Grossman will lead GB into the NFC championship game …………

  • Rocky70

    For those of you who still have a woody for Julius Peppers ………… Consider this ………. Peppers generally played out of position in season 2007 (at least that’s the excuse given) ……….. He wasn’t allowed to bounce between LDE & RDE ……….. Even though he played on the DL, he managed a measly 2.5 sacks for the entire season ………… Now some of you want to move him to LOLB ……… Sounds out of position to me ………..

    30+ ……….. Mega-bucks ………… Can play basketball ??? ………… He could lead the ‘Blue Team’ to a victory in the annual Packer Charity Basketball game held in Grand Chute ………… LOL ………… Peppers …….. “Just Say No”.

  • Larry

    The 3-4 defense is predicated on 1. the unpredictabilty of the blitzer 2. 3 beefers keeping the LB’s clean and 3. over the top support for pass coverage…cover 2/cover 3/ quarters etc.. The lb’s need to be able in MOST cases to cover the underneath routes and when asked to do more it is the UNPREDICATABLE element and the over the top element that helps them cover down the field.

    The concept of a really top cover LB is RARE…and at times comes at the expense of size and pass rush. I.E Pittsburgh LB’s are known for the blitzing ability at 245 and 265 respectively and not their cover skills (See coach Kevin Greene…never could cover). Neither of these “sack artist” run a 4.6 or better.

    The LB that plays opposite CM3 needs to be big enough to support the run…and be a pass rusher. His cover skills need to be average He needs to run 4.60 or better. Brad Jones in year 1 was too light to hold up the edge and not strong enough to get through or under a tackle or overpower a RB. Under the Pittsburgh model a 265 lb pass rusher is their answer. Pass rush skills and size to fend off blockers.

    Not the answer is Kampy…too slow for a 3-4…Peppers a traditional DE in a 4-3 with no cover skills and lack of speed. We should be looking for a big LB with rush skills and good change of direction skills. There is a decent crop of LB’s in the draft to find this after rd.1 and Brad Jones at 250 might be as good as well.

    Big money on this position is CRAZY.

  • iccyfan

    Rick – you’ve written several times regarding a middle-round selection of a o-lineman who started for multiple years in the SEC, Big Ten, etc. Most draft-followers know of Brian Bulaga, the junior OT at Iowa, but fewer know much about Kyle Calloway, the SR RT for the hawkeyes (not capitalized because I hold them in contempt). I was very surprised to see Calloway rated the #10 OT prospect in a combine preview article, as I had hoped he might be THAT player you were visualizing. Funny story about Calloway – he got a DUI on a MOPED prior to last season – dummy drove thru the “coned off” area around a traffic accident! Hopefully that’ll work against him in pre-draft interviews and we can snag him in the third or fourth…

  • Steve Cheez

    iccy- I just love the non-capitalized rival team name. Nothing is better than a grudgeholder!

  • iccyfan

    Steve – there’s a nugget of truth to your grudge-holder comment; while my Cyclones have won six of the last ten against our rivals to the east, I’ve not forgotten the fifteen straight they ran off against us in the 80′s & 90′s. My favorite illustration is that Nebraska won three National Championships over that span, yet they didn’t beat up on pathetic ISU the way the hawkeyes did under hayden fry. Add in the fact that I’ve lived in Iowa City for a decade plus and have to put up with their dumb@ss fans on a daily basis and I get a little cranky. Even so, Kirk Ferentz (note the capitalization) does turn out quality offensive linemen, so I can cheer for them once they’re no longer wearing the hated black & gold (fry’s ripped off version of a Pittsburgh Steeler uni with a parrot head logo)…

  • Rick

    There are about 23 OTs drafted on average. I have Calloway as #12 on my big board for tackles. Ready to go as a NFL Guard probably turn into a RT at the NFL level. He is a trained Zone Block Scheme guy. If we stick with that then he moves up on the Packers board.

    He is in the right vain of my thought. Good call.

    Ciron Black is another 4-5th rounder OT that I would look towards.

    Kevin Haslam – Rutgers is another TJ Lang versitle guy that can play Guard and Tackle. He would be a great 6th round pick up for the pack depending on what we do to resign Sptiz, Tauscher, and Clifton. Played LG then starting RT for Rutgers. Did well and looks solid in game tapes I’ve seen. Past injury means I want a solid thumbs up from the team doctors at the combine.

  • roy jamison

    PackBob, just like Dragnet the ruling comes in..
    Minnesota Vikings defensive tackles Kevin and Pat Williams can sue the NFL in Hennepin County for allegedly violating parts of state drug-testing laws when the league suspended them four games, a judge ruled today. But Hennepin County Judge Gary Larson pierced several of the Williamses’ claims and sided with the league in its fight to discipline the players for failing 2008 drug tests. The split decision in the landmark StarCaps case sets the stage for a March 8 trial that could determine whether the Vikings can count on having their two star defensive linemen on the field when the 2010 season opens in September.
    Stay tuned till March 8th!

  • Rick

    I am suprised the NFLPA is not suing the William s over unfair competetive advantage. The union has the right to demand and expect an even playing field for all memebers of the union from members of the union.

    If the judge rules against the Williams duo, I would ask the commish to double the extent of the ruling for the delay in serving to 8 games or that the Williams be fined the amount equal to the 4 game checks that should have been missed plus the 4 game suspension in the fall with the loss of 4 games checks as well.

    The idea being, know what you ar putting in your body. If you don’t, bad news.

  • Rick

    TT is doing good. No tender needed to Martin. Just go ahead and offer him the lowest tender money but add a second year which allows him to get a chunk as signing bonus. A definate win win for the player and Packers.

  • Rick

    Larry- I agree with the a pass rush OLB being but a solid coverage guy is necessary. I am not asking for DB skills. CM3 turns his hips around and gets into position for coverage. It is his natural ability to swivel and resquare up that has worked out well for us.

    Kampman actually is taller and a great off edge pass rusher like the kid from Michigan but is also slow in the hips. It makes a huge difference in coverage. Woodson has a fantastic ability to swivel and it show both in his coverage and his ability to square up for a tackle. How many guys have to arm tackle because they are sideways to the play or only get one hand in the way instead of getting into the play.

    Tramon swivels well, Harris is actually slowing and not getting around as fast as he used to which is why I think his jamming skills keep him in the play. I think he moves to nickel so he can jam third receivers and TEs and Williams plays out side with Woodson.

  • Ed

    Rick

    On the Williams case, the NFLPA is not suing the Williams’ because federal law requires the employment rules to be the same for every player — If the Williams’ win the whole NFL drug discipline program goes up in smoke and the NFLPA has a major bargaining chip in the CBA.

    So the NFLPA is rooting FOR the Williams’, big time.

  • Rick

    The NFLPA is suing the NFL because they are defending their union members in STATE court. The Federal Court requised themselves.

    I am not sure about other player in the union rooting for a win, the CBA ends in about 1 week. Everything goes back onto the table after that. I would want my union to sue for me, the guy that listened to the news that Starcaps was bad. Especially if I was on a team playing against the Vikings.

    It will come down to whether the players play for the Vikings or the league. If they play for the league they are screwed, if they play for the league the league is screwed.

  • Rick

    Franchise tag is expensive om Pickett. I hope they are just posturing for a deal. 3years at 5.5 average 1/2 as signing bonus sounds right.

  • roy jamison

    Sounds like Pickett gets over 7 mil if he gets franchised. So, he might be looking for over 6 mil a year in a multiple deal. I know these guys have short careers, but this is getting to be crazy money.

  • Packer’s Advocate

    Can’t agree w/ya on Kampman, Rick. Only had 1 1/2 games to go by, but it seemed that moving Kampy to DE on passing downs was working well. He’s strong enough to set the corner as LB on running plays, OK in pass (needs to get to the swing pass a bit sooner and we can bait the 1st down pass a bit, if they want to work on Kampy) and brings the heat as DE on passing downs. If we can add a 3rd pass rusher to the mix, then they’d better watch the fuck out!!!! CM3 squared and Kampy could get the job done. As for the draft, we’re missing two things for a big SB push right now. The offense needs the fastest, nimbliest RB the draft has to offer (that will also double as KR and PR). The passing offense is real good and teams will play to that. We need the HR threat in the backfield to add the second demension and make this offense scary. (not to mention ST’s, if he’s good in the return games) Next, we need a damn good CB. Teams NEED 4 good CB’s these days. And pass rush, Kampy should fill that bill, though a third would be great (could maybe fill Kampy’s vacated LB spot on passing downs). Interesting to imagine what could be, if we could find the second coming of CM3 to pair at LB w/Kampy as DE on that side, scary, couldn’t double both. Could even pick up our future LT (won’t help much this year) on round 1, get a fine CB at 2 and lock onto a nifty little speed demon with #3. 4 and 5 could be S, LB or CB, w/6 being a P and 7th is to take the flier on!!!

  • Rick

    7million one year deal is very steep but if that is his guarantee for one year lets give it to him as a signing bonus and and the other half over the 3years. He gets the same money as a franchise tag, gets 3 years which makes him happy and gives us a solid run stopper NT. That is why I thought 5.5 for three years with half as a bonus. He gets 7.2 million today either way. Win win and looks good coming into negotiating with Collins and the O line guys that the packers are fair dealing, not being stupid but being upfront and fair.

  • Steve Cheez

    Advocate- Where’s the Super Bowl this year? Sounds like I should book my hotel now.

  • Packer’s Advocate

    Cheez…………. Who knows????? A million things can happen, but I’d like to think they’ll be in the hunt at the end again this year.

    Everyone is all about the O-line upgrade this year and getting future replacements but I’d like the spots I mentioned prior upgraded and with SPEED. I’d like to see the tackle spots manned by Lang and Barbre til about the fourth game. Rest the hell out of Clifton and Tausch til it’s time to put them in. Say what you will about Lang (not typical size for LT, etc. etc) but he did a decent job there as a ROOKIE and has earned the right to see if he can do it in money time. Barbre had a lot of downs but he had some good plays too. I think he needs a second chance in money time also. Obviously, can’t learn much about players in preseason games. If we get Spitz back, put him in as starter. I’d sign Colledge to a contract as a back-up. He graded as the best lineman a few years ago but looked like crap in his assignments last year for some reason, but would be a decent back-up. All that said, there may be an LT available and hard to pass up. Lang could go to RT in a couple years and the new guy takes LT. Find a stud G to install with them. And I like the idea of flipping those older guys to back-ups as they get replaced. Don’t think Tausch and Clifton could handle a whole year as they get older but keep them fresh and rested, I think they could give you a good half year in relief should someone get injured. I’m looking forward to the year already. Not the reffing though!!!!!

  • Rick

    F fing R feffing!!! 8)

    Advocate- I agree the Kampman is actually a great if not fantastic DE. However in a 3-4 He is on the inside fighting double teams, not his strong suit. I think you will agree that he is a on the tackle guy and is one of the best in the league. We can use him situationally but an injured top RFA 4-3 DE is tough to figure out pay and compensation. I say top tender and let it float for the year unless we have to match a contract offer.

    I also agree that unless we feel we have a starter capable O lineman drop to us that we grab and train that position with later picks.

    As far as PR/KR I loe Parrish Cox he has solid 3rd or 4th DB abilites and is on of the top returners in the draft. With Blackmon back healthy we have two returnstuds that can play to our secondary depth and return game. I am also interested in seeign if Pat Lee steps up and gives us that depth too.
    Great in college but always hurt and not on the field.

    I don’t think the Browns will mismanage the Cribbs deal, but if they do we need to stick a finger in that pie.

  • http://jlworden1suddenlink.net LarryTex

    Lets review PA’s road to greatness. Kampy situational DE @ 5M and a starting caliber LB to replace him on passing downs. Check. Next, a starting caliber RB w/speed or at least a change of pace back w/4.3 to sub for Grant that also runs back kicks and punts. A starting caliber CB because all teams need (4) now. Round 1 goes to our new LT although he doesn’t have to start for a while.
    I think TT can get that done this year, so lets make SB plans now so we don’t miss out. I’ll bet these new guys have a great Pre-Season.
    And to think I thought D was all that we really had to shore up.

  • Rick

    My sarcasm detector is going off big time.

  • http://jlworden1suddenlink.net LarryTex

    Couldn’t resist Rick. Its like saying that IF the top rated RB, LT, OG, LB, or any other top ten guy falls to #23 we’ll probably take him. Duh!
    Seriously, this year should be different than the last (6) in that we go for need to fill (Defense) rather than best player in the first. Doesn’t really matter if its DE, LB, or CB. My only surprise would be Safety.

  • iccyfan

    Couldn’t resist what? I reread PA’s post(s) and fail to see the source of your angst, unless it’s the “need four corners” comment. You’re probably bristling over the perceived slight to Jarrett Bush, considering you’ve appointed him the future starter because “he has the range to cover the entire field”… Duh!

  • Rick

    LT- I actually agree with most of Adv points. We traded up last year and grabbed some very good, crucial defense pieces. A great player that falls to us at #23 like Rodgers did should also be looked even if it is not an immediate need.

    Also after injuries to our #2 and #4 CBs (Harris, Lee) we showed how crucial decent depth is with this 3-4 Capers defense. Once Woodson could not be brought up as a passrusher the defense completely changed its ability to hide the pressure.

  • Packer’s Advocate

    Fine, go ahead and pick on me……………………… I don’t care. When TT picked CM3 I was scratching my head a little. Now, I’m like “holy shit!!!”. TT’s been a thief in the mid-twenties (AR too). But I did get my 11-5 prediction right (this year anyway). I’m just stating that the O-line we finished the year with wasn’t terrible, so to use a 1st on it this year probably won’t help us this year and I know some on here like immediate results. Soooooooooooo……. we all noticed the pass defense is the priority. An improvement will come to that, even if we do nothing but just get our injured guys back and signed (Kamp and Harris). So, immediately for this year we need the 4th CB to eliminate that weak spot. Or a stud S could maybe bring the same impact. We’re loaded in the passing game, especially w/the emergence of Finley. Teams will play against that. So if there’s a 4.2/4.3 guy out there, we could use him in our backfield to offset that. I don’t care if he’s a crappy RB, WR or DB. Coach him up, beef him up, and/or convert him and put him out there. That guy might be found in later rounds and if he helps special teams hit HR’s, great. But also as mentioned, if a stud player falls to you, you just can’t pass on him if he isn’t exactly what you need right now. Butt Farve would probably be here right now if AR hadn’t fallen, then again maybe not. AR was a possible #1 over all and I’ve read that CM3 was #12 on TT’s board. Just sharing some thoughts in the off season is all. What ever happened to Lew, by the way???? No TT to complain about and he disappears.

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