March 15, 2015 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers, Surviving Sunday
After a rough start, Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson has drafted some really good offensive linemen in recent years.
Here are Thompson’s o-linemen selections his first five years as Packers GM:
(Player, round, years)
- Junius Coston, 5, 2005
- Will Whitaker, 7, 2005
- Daryn Colledge, 2, 2006
- Jason Spitz, 3, 2006
- Tony Moll, 5, 2006
- Allen Barbre, 4, 2007
- Josh Sitton, 4, 2008
- Breno Giocamini, 5, 2008
Of the eight linemen selected, only Sitton remains with the Packers (and he turned into a Pro Bowl player). Colledge had a decent season in 2010, but other than that, nobody did much of anything. Barbre was a complete disaster, but somehow he’s still hanging around the NFL along with Giocamini.
Now check out the linemen Thompson has selected since 2009.
- T.J. Lang, 4, 2009
- Jamon Meridenth, 5, 2009
- Bryan Bulaga, 1, 2010
- Marshall Newhouse, 5, 2010
- Derek Sherrod, 1, 2011
- Caleb Schlauderhaff, 6, 2011
- Andrew Datko, 7, 2012
- David Bakhtiari, 4, 2013
- J.C. Tretter, 4, 2013
- Corey Linsley, 5, 2014
Now that’s more like it. Of the 10 selections, four are current starters. Newhouse wasn’t terrible when the Packers threw him in at left tackle for a couple of seasons. J.C. Tretter was supposed to be the starter in 2014 before he got injured. Only Sherrod was as all-out bust, and who knows how much of Sherrod’s failures should be attributed to a nasty leg injury that Thompson could not control
Has Thompson suddenly become an offensive line savant? Was he just unlucky early in his tenure and now his fortunes have shifted when selecting offensive linemen? Both are possible.
Here’s another theory: Thompson deserves credit for drafting some good offensive linemen. Aaron Rodgers also deserves credit for making his offensive line look extra special.
The Packers fortunes on the offensive line began to turn when Rodgers became an MVP player. A smart, mobile and supremely talented quarterback who knows how to maneuver around the pocket can make a good offensive line look great or a poor offensive line appear to be average.
How long would a quarterback like Christian Ponder remain upright if he had Marshall Newhouse as his starting left tackle? Not very long.
Give Thompson credit for upping his game when it comes to drafting offensive linemen. But don’t forget that Rodgers has played a key role in helping the Packers turn things around up front.
Packers News, Notes and Links
- I really think the Packers should give free-agent nose tackle Kenrick Ellis a serious look. He didn’t play much with the Jets because he was stuck behind some quality players. But when he did play, he was a true run-stopper. According to Pro Football Focus, Ellis was a plus run defender last season and led the league in run stop percentage in 2013.
- The longer Tramon Williams sits on the open market, the more his price should drop (theoretically, at least). Prediction: Tramon is back in Green Bay by Tuesday for two years, $6.5 million.
- What was your favorite Davon House moment in Green Bay? The oft-injured cornerback signed with Jacksonville for $10 million guaranteed earlier this week. I mostly liked what I saw from House when he was on the field for the Packers, but $10 million is too rich.
- The Vikings traded a fifth-round pick to the Dolphins for Mike Wallace on Friday night. Per Zach Kruse on Twitter, pending any cuts or re-structures, the Vikes will be paying Wallace and Greg Jennings $23.1 million in 2015. In comparison, the Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb will count roughly $10 against the Packers’ 2015 salary cap. Oh, and Wallace might not be too happy about landing in Minnesota.
- Todd McMahon had an interesting Q&A with former Packers coach Mike Sherman in the Green Bay Press-Gazette this week.
Non Packers links and other Nonsense
March 10, 2015 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers
There is no way to predict what, if anything, Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson will do in NFL free agency. But it sure is fun to talk about it.
Here are five free agents that Thompson probably won’t sign, but it wouldn’t be shocking if he did. All of these players would probably fall into the Packers’ price range and would address some type of need.
WR Andre Johnson
Last offseason the Packers signed a 34 year old defensive end who was cut by his former team and didn’t cost the Packers a compensatory draft pick. Might Thompson do the same this offseason with Johnson, a 34 year old wide receiver who was just cut by his former team? The Packers could make up for not having a down-the-seam tight end by bringing the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Johnson on board.
TE Jermaine Gresham
Or maybe Thompson will just go out and sign an actual down-the-seam tight end like Gresham. Gresham is like Jermichael Finley, minus the production. Put him with Aaron Rodgers, and perhaps he can post Finley-like numbers and live up to his first-round draft status.
LB Brandon Spikes
Spikes isn’t a three-down player, which will probably scare Thompson away. But he’d help fill a giant hole at inside linebacker and would immediately upgrade the run defense.
(**This is the section of the post where I have to stop and remind myself to calm down. Look at what I just wrote: “He’d immediately upgrade the run defense.” How do I know if Spikes would “immediately upgrade the run defense?” Thompson doesn’t either, that’s why he usually stays away from free agents even when people like me get a little excited talking about players outside the Packers.**)
DT Kenrick Ellis
Stuck behind three good players with the Jets, Ellis didn’t get to play much. When he did play, the 330-pound was a plus interior run defender.
LB Malcolm Smith
An athletic player who can play any linebacker spot. Reminds me a bit of Brandon Chillar. If the price tag is low enough, Smith’s age (26) and athleticism could be attractive to the Packers, but I see him more as a sub-package player, not an every-down solution at inside linebacker.
March 8, 2015 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers, Surviving Sunday
**Author’s note: This post was written before the Green Bay Packers re-signed Randall Cobb on Saturday night.**
The Green Bay Packers left roughly $7.5 million in salary cap space unused last offseason. That’s cap space that carries over and can now be used to re-sign Randall Cobb, Bryan Bulaga, or another one of the Packers handful of free agents. It can also be used to sign a free agent from another team.
Packers general manager Ted Thompson always fields a Super Bowl contending team without putting his team in salary cap hell. Every offseason, the Packers have enough cap space to offer their own free agents fair deals to return and enough wriggle room to bring in a few outside free agents if they so choose.
But back to that $7.5 million of cap space that went unused last offseason. Should Thompson have used it? If Thompson would have brought in another free agent, could he have plugged the hole at inside linebacker and shored up the special teams? Would spending all or a portion of that $7 million have prevented the collapse in Seattle? Might it have resulted in one more regular season victor and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs?
Using the power of hindsight, let’s look back at last offseason’s free agent group and see if there’s a player or two Thompson could have realistically signed that may have propelled the Packers to the Super Bowl.
ILB Daryl Smith
Smith ended up re-signing with the Baltimore Ravens for 4 years/$16.1 million and finished as the seventh highest rated inside linebacker in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). Before joining Baltimore on a one-year deal in 2013, Smith was an underrated and oft-injured mainstay in Jacksonville. Smith’s injury history, age and the fact that he was coming off an excellent season that inflated his market value probably scared Thompson away. But Smith would’ve bee a whole lot better than A.J. Hawk, Brad Jones or Sam Barrington inside.
ILB Karlos Dansby
Dansby signed with the Browns for 4 years/$24 million ($14 million guaranteed) and finished one slot behind Smith in PFF’s rankings. The 33 year old also missed four games with a knee injury. Sure, Dansby would’ve been an upgrade inside — especially in pass coverage — but at $14 million guaranteed, I don’t blame Thompson for saying no.
ILB D’Qwell Jackson
Jackson — another linebacker in his 30s — signed with Indianapolis for 4 years/$22 million. He ended up not being very good for the Colts, then he beat up a pizza delivery guy in early February. At least Hawk and Jones would never assault an innocent pizza delivery dude. Jones because he wouldn’t be able to tackle the driver as he raced back to his car and Hawk because his helmet would fall off while in pursuit. Good thing Thompson stayed away from Jackson.
ILB Brandon Spikes
According to MMQB.com, Spikes was one of the top 1st and 2nd down run defenders in the league last season. And he totally would have fit the Ted Thompson mold of signing a free agents: Spikes was only 27 last offseason and signed with the Bills for 1 year/$3.25 million. Would he have fit in Green Bay’s 3-4 scheme? We had the same question about Julius Peppers and he worked out just fine. Spikes seems like the type of player who will be effective against the run in any scheme.
CB/Special teams Corey Graham
The Buffalo Bills’ special teams unit went from 31st in 2013 to second best in the NFL in 2014 according to famed special teams evaluator Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News. A big reason for the jump was signing Graham for 4 years/$16 million. That’s a steep price to pay for special teams help, but Graham also started nine games at cornerback and had two interceptions. If Graham is helping out the special teams unit, does it allow a fake field goal touchdown in Seattle? Perhaps there is no punt return TD for Buffalo late in the season. We’ll never know…..
I could keep going, but I think you get the point. Could Thompson have used some of that extra cap space last season to improve the team? Probably? If he did, would the ripple effects have made it much more difficult retain Cobb, Bulaga and other players like Mike Daniels down the road? Probably.
Would the Packers have won the Super Bowl if Thompson inked one of the players I listed above? Who knows.
Packers News, Notes and Links
- I’m not sure what else I can add to the Randall Cobb discussion that hasn’t already been said, but I want to get my 2 cents in anyway. So, here are my thoughts: Anyone who labels Cobb strictly a slot receiver doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Cobb is the game’s best slot receiver. He’s also really good out of the backfield. Even though McCarthy doesn’t use Cobb that much out of the backfield, the threat is always there and teams have to plan for it. The Packers don’t beat New England last season without Cobb creating all sorts of mismatches out of the backfield. Speaking of New England, see what Shane Vereen did out of the backfied in the Super Bowl? Cobb can do all of that, and be a stud out of the slot.If Julian Edleman and Vereen had a baby, it’d be Cobb. He’s a hybrid of both players. If the Packers lose Cobb, it will be a dirty blow. Not throw-in-the-towel-the-2015-season-is-over dirty, but pretty damn dirty. On one hand, I don’t get the point of accumulating all this cap space and eschewing free agency only to let Cobb — a shining star of the Packers’ draft-and-develop philosophy — walk away. On the other hand, I totally get why the Packers won’t want to give a player who’s under 6 feet tall, weighs less than 200 pounds and has only been healthy for a full season one time more than $9 or $10 million per year.
- Sounds like the Seattle Seahawks have their eyes on Tramon Williams. I thought Williams might end up where most Packers end up during the twilight of their careers: Minnesota. But the fact that the Seahawks have interest in Williams makes me think he still has a couple good years left in him.
- Bringing back A.J. Hawk could be an option if the Packers aren’t satisfied with their inside linebackers after the draft and free agency. Can you imagine how depressing it will be if Cobb and Tramon are playing elsewhere and Hawk is still on the team?
Non Packers links and other Nonsense
- This piece from Jeff Pearlman about Jerry Sandusky’s adopted son is fascinating.
- WWE trainer Bill DeMott resigned after accusations started flying about his racist, homophobic and abusive (allegedly, he slapped a guy who had a concussion in the head) ways. Wrestling is a sleazy business, and Demott seems about as sleazy as they come.
- The chairman of a House science subcommittee doesn’t vaccinate his kids. This guy shouldn’t be allowed near anything to do with science.
- A guy sued Applebees because he burned himself praying over fajitas.
March 7, 2015 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Randall Cobb is re-signing with the Green Bay Packers for 4 years and $40 million.
How the deal is structured and how much of that $40 million is guaranteed is unknown at this time. Ian Rappaport from NFL.com tweeted that Cobb turned down more money to re-sign with the Packers.
Who’s ready to watch Aaron Rodgers throw the ball to Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Davante Adams through at least 2017? I know I am.
Keep it locked to ALLGBP.com throughout NFL free agency. We’ll have further analysis of the Cobb signing when more details are revealed. We’ll also keep crossing our fingers that the Packers and Bryan Bulaga can reach a deal.
March 3, 2015 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers
Even if the Green Bay Packers re-sign B.J. Raji and Letroy Guion, they still could use help on the defensive line. That help could come via the draft, a Ted Thompson free-agent signing or Datone Jones finally living up to his first-round draft position.
Or maybe it could come from a JAG currently on the Packers’ defensive line. “JAG” is a (somewhat snarky) term for “Just a Guy,” or a replacement level player who isn’t very good. Current JAGs on the Packers d-line are Mike Pennel, Luther Robinson, Josh Boyd, Bruce Gaston and Khyri Thornton.
Could any of these players become more than JGAs in 2015 and give the Packers defensive line the boost it needs?
Mike Pennel
Of all the JAGs, Pennel probably has the most promise. There’s a reason the Packers kept him as an undrafted rookie following an exhibition season where he showed an incredible mixture of strength and athleticism. We didn’t see that carry over into real games, but it usually takes defensive linemen — regardless of where (or if) they’re drafted — at least one season to get going. Pennel’s ceiling remains high. Even if he doesn’t become an impact player, I think he’s good enough to provide the depth up front every good team needs.
Josh Boyd
Boyd has had a few non-JAG moments. Are these moments of stellar play a sign that the still-young Boyd is more than just a JAG? Or do we already know what we have in Boyd after two seasons: a JAG who occasionally will tease us with non-JAG moments? You don’t see 300-plus pound guys with Boyd’s athleticism often. I’d like to see what he could do if he got a little stronger.
Luther Robinson
We don’t know much about Luther Robinson, but he sounds like a tough dude. You have to be tough to sign as an undrafted free agent following an unproductive college career under two different coaches at Miami, then stick on the roster when competing with a third-round pick (Thronton) for reps and attention at training camp. Robinson also played basketball in high school, and has decent athleticism for a 305-pounder to rush the passeer. That athleticism was on display in Green Bay’s home win over the Vikings in October, where Robinson tipped a pass and notched two quarterback hurries. Actually, Robinson looked good in games 5-8 when Jones was out, but then Robinson landed on IR on Dec. 4 with a calf injury. We’ll see if Robinson can once again outshine Thornton and any other drafted defensive linemen in training camp and rise about JAG status.
Bruce Gaston
Of all the Packers JAG d-linemen, we know the least about Gaston. We know he was signed off Arizona’s practice squad Dec. 8. We know Green Bay was his fourth team. We know he ran a 4.96 40 and bench pressed 34 times at the combine. We know he’s big — 6’2″ and 315 pounds. We know he never played a snap in Green Bay. We don’t know if he has what it takes to be more than a JAG. It’ll probably be tough for Gaston to prove himself come August, but we’ll see.
Khyri Thornton
Nobody had really heard of Thornton when Ted Thompson drafted him in the third round and nobody has really heard of him since. By all accounts, Thornton was a disaster in training camp. Passive, short, no pass rush and easily gobbled up by blockers was the scouting report before Thornton hurt his hamstring in the exhibition finale and landed on IR. You hate to write a guy off before he ever played a single down in a real game, but Thornton’s rookie season didn’t make you very confident that he’s more than a JAG.
Final thoughts
If just one of these current JAGs could grow into more than a JAG this season, I’d be happy. Perhaps Pennel as a run-stuffer in base. Boyd taking another step and providing athletic depth. Robinson becoming a decent pass rusher. Thornton or Gaston doing anything. As a draft-and-develop team, the Packers rely on young players shedding their JAG status in years two and three. We’ll see who, if anyone, steps up along the defensive line.
February 26, 2015 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers
Packers defensive line: While we’re all clamoring for the Packers to finally fix their gaping hole at inside linebacker through the draft or free agency, let’s not forget that the defensive line needs some work, too. Potentially, a lot of work. When opposing teams decided to come at the Packers with a power-running attack in 2014, Green Bay’s smallish defensive front often resembled a squirrel that ran out in front of an 18-wheeler and looked up just in time to see the rig’s headlights bearing down before getting flattened. The Packers’ d-line has some good athletes. It also improved later in the season. But it could use more bulk and grit.
Where are we now:
Here are the current suspects;
Mike Daniels
Datone Jones
Josh Boyd
Mike Pennel
Luther Robinson
Bruce Gaston
B.J. Raji
Letroy Guion
Mike Daniels: Need someone to wreck a running play? Daniels can do it. Need QB pressure on an obvious passing down? Daniels can do it. Need endless energy and 125 percent effort at all times? Daniels brings it. Need a tough-guy attitude and a physical style of play? Daniels is your man. Daniels flies under the radar of most non-Packers fans, but he’s exactly what the Green Bay defense needed last season. I see no reason why he won’t continue playing at a high level, and maybe even get better.
Datone Jones: 2015 will be Jones’s third in the NFL. It’ll also be the year we find out if Jones was yet another first-round bust for Packers general manager Ted Thompson. Jones was playing well early in the 2014 season, then got hurt for a month and was never really the same player. Injuries and a lack of production have slowed Jones his first two seasons. He needs to make a Mike Daniels type of leap in year three.
Josh Boyd: Is Josh Boyd Just a Guy (JAG)? Or is he young and athletic enough to shed his current JAG status in 2015?
Mike Pennel: It’d be a total Ted Thompson move to enter training camp with Pennel as the top option at nose tackle — causing every Packers fan to scream, yell and panic — before the 2014 undrafted rookie free agent has a breakout season. I doubt Thompson will go that route, and I’m not sure Pennel is good enough for a breakout season, but I do think he can provide necessary depth up front.
Luther Robinson/Bruce Gaston/Khyri Thronton: If one of these three emerges as a contributor, I’ll be happy.
B.J. Raji: Expectations were high that Raji was going to bounce back last season. Then he got hurt and those hopes ended. In a perfect world, Raji returns and plugs up the middle of the Packers d-line like a 340-pound former first-round pick should. But let’s not forget that Raji was awful the second half of 2013. If Raji is back with the Packers, will we be getting the version of Raji that splits double teams and regularly stakes out territory in the other team’s backfield? Or will we be getting the version of Raji that ends up on the ground far more often than a 340-pound guy should?
Letroy Guion: Let this be a lesson to the younger readers of ALLGBP.com: If you just had a nice season where you exceeded expectations, and there’s buzz about the team you’re playing for offering you a multi-year contract extension, don’t drive around with a bunch of weed, cash and a gun in your truck. Guion’s arrest might actually end up working in the Packers’ favor if it means they can bring him back on another one-year deal at a reduced rate.
So that’s where we are. Next let’s look at…
Where we want to be: Every season, the Packers have one or two position groups that look a little shaky on paper. In the salary cap era, having one or two position groups labeled as “shaky” before the season starts is actually pretty good. Most teams have at least three. Anyway, the Packers stock their roster with young talent and count on that young talent to step up and shore up whatever doubts we have about that position group. The defensive line very well could be that “shaky” position group once training camp starts. Will players like Jones, Pennel, Boyd, Robinson/Gaston/Thronton or Raji and Guion step up and alleviate our fears? We’ll see.
How do we get there?
If Thompson doesn’t bring back Raji or Guion, and if he’s not confident in the younger players on his roster improving enough to make a difference, look for the GM to draft at least one big d-lineman.
Or maybe Thompson will just sign Ndomukong Suh.
(LOL)
February 24, 2015 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Authors, Packers
Mike McCarthy
1) Introduction: Mike McCarthy has one of the best jobs in the world. He coaches the Green Bay Packers, a team with a storied history, a MVP quarterback, a solid front office and no big-ego owner muddling in football business. It’s obvious that McCarthy knows he has one of the best jobs in the world. He’s taken all the tools provided to him and turned them into a Super Bowl win, multiple division titles and a string of playoff appearances. But even the greatest jobs have their dark days. Whispers about McCarthy’s sometimes questionable playcalling and game management in the postseason have grown louder since winning Super Bowl XLV. Those whispers turned to all-out screaming after McCarthy and the Packers choked away the NFC title game this season.
2) Profile:
Michael John McCarthy
- Age: 51
- Born: 11/10/1963, in Pittsburgh, PA
- Rookie Year: 2006
- NFL Head Coaching Experience: 9 years
Biography and more
3) Expectations coming into the season: Same as every season: get to the Super Bowl. At the very least, earn a playoff win over a quality opponent — something that hadn’t happened since winning the 2010 Super Bowl (beating the Fighting Joe Webbs doesn’t count as quality). After opening up the playbook in the second half during a divisional round win over Dallas, McCarthy got that quality postseason victory. Then all of that goodwill was torched to ground during the final 4 minutes of the Meltdown in Seattle.
4) Season Highlights/Lowlights: Let’s not beat around the bush. The lowlight of McCarthy’s season — hell, of his entire career — was Seattle. That NFC Championship loss will remain a black mark on his coaching record as long as he’s coaching. Just like the rest of his team and his coaching staff, McCarthy made several blunders that cost the Packers a shot at the Super Bowl.
But let’s also be fair: before the blowup in Seattle, 2014 was another outstanding season for the head coach. Division titles, postseason appearances and playoff wins don’t come easily. McCarthy always has the Packers in the hunt, even when the going gets a tough due to injuries, missed opportunities, bad calls or whatever.
5) Contribution to the overall team success: McCarthy outcoached Bill Belichick to beat the Patriots. He moved Clay Matthews inside to rescue a drowning run defense. After the offense looked lost early in the season, he incorporated some new formations and wrinkles that got everything clicking again. Most important, McCarthy was his usual even-keeled, yet authoritative self through all the ups and downs of a football season.
No panic moves. No bold declarations. No yelling for the sake of yelling. Just good, solid coaching to get his team where he wanted them to be.
6) Contributions in the playoffs: Do we have to cover everything from the Seattle game again? No, we don’t. So, I’m not going to. McCarthy was too conservative and contributed to an overall total team collapse. Period. End of story. Moving on.
7) Intangibles: All of us at ALLGBP.com would like to extend our condolences to the entire McCarthy family on the death of Mike’s brother in the days following the NFC title game. Yes, we’re often critical of players and coaches in our writing. Sometimes we even take a few cheap shots. But all of us understand that the coaches and players who make up the Green Bay Packers have lives outside of the time they’re on our television screen or game-planning for the next opponent. Mike McCarthy seems like a good man. I’m proud to have him as the coach of my favorite football team.
Season Report Card (Coaches Grades):
(B) Level of expectations met during the season
(B+) Contributions to team’s overall success.
(D) Contributions to team during the playoffs
Overall Grade: B
Addendum: This evaluation was written before McCarthy announced that he is giving up play calling in order to devote more attention to other areas of the team. I’ve always thought McCarthy was a solid play-caller, who, like most play callers, has his moments of ineptitude. But if he thinks giving up playcalling is what’s best for the team, good on him for doing it. The move (if, in fact, it was 100 percent McCarthy’s decision) also shows that McCarthy isn’t going to let his ego get in the way of doing what he thinks is best for the team. I know if I was a head coach who called plays, I’d never give it up unless ordered to do so. My big ego would want my share of the credit when the offense rolled to another season of success. The fact that McCarthy was able to let go of playcalling says a lot about what kind of coach, and what type of person, he is.
February 22, 2015 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Authors, Packers
Packers special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum.
1) Introduction: Unlike Dom Capers, Packers special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum did not have a bounceback season. The Packers are a patient organization, rarely quick to fire a coach or cut a player on a whim. However, Slocum’s time very well may be up in Green Bay. The Packers have had more bad seasons on special teams than good under Slocum. And 2014 might have been the worst.
2) Profile:
Shawn Slocum
- Age: 49
- Born: 2/21/1965, in Lake Charles, LA
- NFL Coaching Experience: 9 years
Biography and more
3) Expectations coming into the season: Don’t be the weak link. We knew the Packers offense would be tough to stop. We thought the defense had a shot at being better thanks to a few new players. Special teams? It’s never been a strength for the Packers. We all kind of hoped it could hover around average and not cost the team important games.
4) Season Highlights/Lowlights: Nobody had Micah Hyde pegged as a dangerous punt returner when he entered into the league, but he had a few nice returns this season and seemed to improve. Mason Crosby also had a great season, knocking down a big field goal late in the NFC Championship.
Now for the lowlights. Well, just about everything else was a lowlight. Seven blocked field goals. A 75-yard punt return TD at Buffalo. A fake field goal that resulted in a TD in the NFC title game. Botching an onside kick later in that same game. A kick return game that never got going. A punter that tanked as the weather turned cold. It was ugly.
5) Contribution to the overall team success: Well…I suppose we have to give Slocum some credit for Hyde’s progression and Crosby’s big season, right?
6) Contributions in the playoffs: Cheering loudly on Hyde’s nice punt return against the Seahawks. That’s about all I can think of.
7) Intangibles: Ron Zook was brought in to give Slocum some help leading the special teams unit. It didn’t work.
Season Report Card (Coaches Grades):
(D-) Level of expectations met during the season
(D-) Contributions to team’s overall success.
(F) Contributions to team during the playoffs
Overall Grade: F
ADDENDUM: This evaluation was written before Slocum was fired by the Packers. Obviously, I agree with the decision to let Slocum go. But so far his replacement, Ron Zook, has really put his foot in his mouth. When asked what went wrong with the special teams in 2014, Zook said “there’s 12 plays that were not good.” Um, wow. Twelve bad special teams plays is almost one bad special teams play per game. That’s a ridiculously high number, yet Zook seems to think 12 bad special teams plays is just a bad bounce here or there. Zook was also asked what will be different about the special teams under him instead of Slocum. Zook said he didn’t know. “Hopefully, we’re a little more lucky than what happened to Shawn at times,” Zook said.
There ya have it. Zook’s new strategy for fixing the special teams: cross your fingers that the unit’s luck improves. Hopefully Zook is a good special teams coach, but he gets an “F” in the offseason interviews category.
February 22, 2015 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Authors, Packers
Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers
1) Introduction: Finally given a defense that wasn’t ravaged by injuries, Dom Capers silenced a few of his critics (at least for now) and helped the Packers defense take a major step forward in 2014. Too bad few people will remember it after the longtime defensive coordinator went into a conservative shell in Seattle and contributed to the Packers blowing their chance at the Super Bowl.
2) Profile:
Dom Capers
- Age: 64
- Born: 8/7/1950, in Cambridge, OH
- NFL Coaching Experience: 29 years
Biography and more
3) Expectations coming into the season: Don’t get fired during the bye week. I think most people had their fill of Capers before the 2014 season kicked off. They were sick of watching the offense march up and down the field, only to see defensive collapses fail to pick up the slack if the offense struggled in the postseason, or cancel out whatever success the offense had.
Capers’ defenses seemed outmatched, ill-equipped to tackle, and unable to make the necessary adjustments to cover the middle of the field and handle misdirection plays.
All of that improved during 2014. The Packers didn’t grow into a dominant defense, but they became pretty damn good.
4) Season Highlights/Lowlights: I really liked what the defense did in the second half of week four against the Bears. Chicago torched the Packers in the first half, then Ha Ha Clinton-Dix stopped Martellus Bennett just short of the goal-line at the end of the half, and the defense seemed to steadily make progress the rest of the season.
When the Packers were trying to lock down home-field throughout the playoffs, the defense did its part, holding their final three opponents to 20 points or less.
Lowlights include a failed attempt at a hybrid version of the 4-3 defense that was scrapped after a season-opening loss in Seattle. The other obvious lowlight came, you guessed it, in Seattle during the NFC title game. With the Packers’ defense dominating, Capers went conservative, only rushing two and sitting back in a soft zone on a critical third-and-long play in the third quarter. The Seahawks converted, and it was all downhill from there.
5) Contribution to the overall team success: For a while, Capers’ defense was rolling like it was designed to roll. When Aaron Rodgers and the offense gives Capers a lead, he starts sending all sorts of blitzes, creating chaso and forcing turnovers. A lot of the Packers midseason blowouts happened because Capers was so aggressive and relentless when the Packers were in front.
Capers also helped his flailing run defense by asking Sam Shields and Tramon Williams to work solo on the outside while Morgan Burnett crept closer to the line in run support. That, and moving Clay Matthews inside, helped patch up the leaky run defense.
6) Contributions in the playoffs: For 56 minutes of the NFC championship game, Capers looked like a genius. Then he got conservative on the aforementioned third down, the defense collapsed late in the fourth quarter, and…..God, I’m sick of writing about that game.
7) Intangibles: For as aggressive and innovative as Capers is, he has a tendency to turn conservative at just the wrong times. When crunch time hit against Seattle, Mike McCarthy went conservative. I think he may have learned a lesson and won’t do it again. Capers? I’m not sure he’ll every pick up on that lesson.
Season Report Card (Coaches Grades):
(A-) Level of expectations met during the season
(B) Contributions to team’s overall success.
(C-) Contributions to team during the playoffs
Overall Grade: B
February 22, 2015 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers, Surviving Sunday
I’m currently reading Bruce Feldman’s newest book called “The QB: The Making of Modern Quarterbacks.” It’s a good book so far with excellent insight into today’s quarterbacks, including some nice tidbits on Aaron Rodgers (and even a few older stories about Brett Favre).
But there is a prevailing theme throughout the book so far that bugs me. The book’s main focus has been on ex-NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer and his work with the Elite 11 quarterback competition. Dilfer seems like an interesting and thoughtful guy, but he really hammers on something he’s labeled as “dude qualities” in quarterbacks.
“Dude qualities” refers to the “it” factor in a quarterback. What is the “it” factor? That’s my problem with Dilfer’s “dude quality” obsession. There’s no way to define “it” factor or “dude quality.” The whole concept seems like something else for athlete trolls like Skip Bayless to harp about instead of an actual concept to truly evaluate how good a quarterback is.
A quarterback seems to get labeled as having “dude qualities” when he achieves a certain level of success. After a couple of big wins or a strong performance during an Elite 11 drill, the quarterback is suddenly viewed as something more than just a good quarterback with a strong, accurate arm, a sense for the game and the work ethic to pull it all together.
It’s often said in the book that a quarterback with “dude qualities” takes over a room when he enters. Ummm…..ok. What does that mean exactly? Typically, everyone wants to hang out with the stud quarterback. Does he take over that room because he fired the winning touchdown pass in the fourth quarter? Or because he has some unexplainable “it” factor aura that draws others towards him?
If Aaron Rodgers is the longsnapper instead of the MVP quarterback, would people like Dilfer still marvel at his “dude qualities” and his ability to “take over a room?” Probably not, because Rodgers is the longsnapper. Phrases like “dude qualities” and “it” factor are part of the manufactured narrative that surrounds the discussion of well-known and visible quarterbacks, not obscure longsnappers.
I’m not arguing that personality and certain character traits don’t play a role in quarterbacking. Like with any profession, you want good people doing the job. And certain jobs require people with the personality traits to match the physical talents and mental requirements of the position.
But I feel like all this talk about “dude qualities” and “it” factor is just a distraction, something to make us seem smarter than we actually are when talking quarterbacks. Football isn’t the easiest game to understand and quarterback is one of the more complicated positions in sports. I think we come up with things like “dude quality” and “it” factor to try and simplify it as much as we can. We think we sound smart when we utter those phrases, but in reality, our knowledge is regressing.
Coming up with subjective quarterback qualities might simplify things a bit, but it doesn’t do much to help us understand why certain quarterbacks are better than others.
Packers News, Notes and Links
- What should the Packers do with Tramon Williams? I still think he can play, but he tailed off a bit down the stretch. Is that a sign of age and declining skills? Or just a handful of inevitable plays where a corner whose asked to man-up on talented wide receivers gets beat? Hopefully Ted Thompson and the Packers have a better handle on those questions than I do and make the right decision.
- What was your favorite Brad Jones moment in Green Bay? The Packers released Jones on Friday afternoon. Jones was bad the last two seasons. Very bad. But overall, for a 7th round draft pick, he gave the Packers some decent value in 2009, 2010 and then as a fill-in inside linebacker in 2012.
- Both Richard Rodgers and Davante Adams played better later in the season. Sam Barrington also steadily improved. If you want to get excited about the Packers in 2015, imagine those three players continuing their improvement, and maybe even seeing one of them make a Mike Daniels type of jump from “Hey, this guy is playing better” to “Holy crap! This guy is REALLY good!”
- Ted Thompson spoke at the NFL Combine and said absolutely nothing, per usual (although, he did open and close his remarks with a few good one-liners). McCarthy also spoke and didn’t offer much that we didn’t already know.
Non Packers links and other Nonsense
- If you’re unfamiliar with ISIS, what they represent, what they want, and why they’re different from Al Qaeda, read this piece from the Atlantic.
- “Parks and Recreation” is one of my all-time favorite sitcoms. Sadly, it’s final episode is Tuesday. The Packers would win the Super Bowl every season if they hired Ron Swanson as head coach.
- The Vikings signed an ex-Packer and the Timberwolves traded for a former star now well past his prime. In other words, it was a typical week in the Minnesota sports scene.
- Oscars predictions: Best picture, “Boyhood.” Best actor: Michael Keaton, “Birdman.” Best actress: Reese Witherspoon, “Wild.” Number of times some dimwitted celebrity will lecture us about a political topic or social cause they know next to nothing about: 8.
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