March 16, 2014 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers, Surviving Sunday
Surviving Sundays with no Packers football.
The following is a transcript of a hidden camera conversation from Packers GM Ted Thompson’s office on the opening day of NFL free agency.
(Knock on the door. The Packers front office team enters Thompson’s office. Thompson is watching “True Detective” on his office television)
Thompson: Why did nobody tell me about this “True Detective” show before? This is amazing. I didn’t know Woody from Cheers was such a good actor. And how about Matthew McConaughey?! The guy can actually act when he keeps his shirt on. Yellow King?! I want to change our nickname from the Packers to the Yellow Kings!
Scout: Um, sir….we didn’t tell you about the show because you only allow us to watch film of college players nobody else has ever heard of. And free agency is now officially open.
Thompson: Shhhh! This episode is more intense than the last few minutes of Super Bowl XLV.
Scout: But sir, we’ve already lost Lamarr Houston and Arthur Jones. They’re off the market.
Thompson: Really? They signed like 7 seconds after free agency officially opened? That’s some quick negotiating. Because no NFL team would ever cheat and use the three-day window to talk to agents to actually work out a contract, right?
Scout: Ummm…..
Thompson: How much did they go for?
Scout: Houston for $35 million to the Bears and Jones $30 million to the Colts.
Thompson: BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! That’s hilarious. No, seriously. How much did they sign for?
Scout: Sir, I was being serious.
Thompson: Dammit, you do this every year. You tell me who signed right after free agency opens and you make up some wild and silly number. Just tell me the real number.
Scout: But sir, that is the real number. I wasn’t kidding. Every year we have this same conversation 5 minutes after free agency opens.
Thompson: How about that other guy people want us to sign…what’s his name. Something to do with birds…
Scout: Jarius Byrd, sir. He signed with New Orleans for $54 million.
Thompson: I see. I can’t wait to see the headlines after the Super Bowl: “Jarius Byrd leads Saints to Super Bowl win.” Or maybe “Lamarr Houston makes people forget about the ’86 Bears.”
Scout: Sir, don’t you think we maybe should’ve gotten in on some of these signings? People are getting mad on Twitter.
Thompson: I haven’t been on my super secret Twitter account for a few days.
Scout: Couldn’t handle all the profanity directed your way about free agency?
Thompson: Nah. Didn’t want to see any “True Detective” spoilers. Do you really think Rust is the Yellow King?
Scout: Sir, right now a lot of people think you’re Matthew McConaughey in “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” not Matthew McConaughey in “True Detective.” Silly and annoying instead of brilliant and fascinating.
Thompson: Will they feel the same way after we win another division title this season?
Scout: If we flop in the playoffs again, yes.
Thompson: People need to keep their pants on. Free agency lasts longer than one day.
Scout: But people are getting restless.
Thompson: Good. That means that they care. They’re passionate. They’re fans. So what if they’re a little misguided? We’re not setting foreign policy or passing human rights legislation. Playing armchair GM and getting riled up about your favorite team is part of what makes our game fun for people.
Scout: So, what did you think of the Alexandra Daddario nude scene in “True Detective?”
Thompson: I watched it like 19 times! Wait…I mean…what are you talking about? I must’ve been watching film on that fullback from Middle Tennessee St. that I want to draft on a different television when this nude scene you speak of occurred…
(Editor’s Note: this post was written before the night before the Julius Peppers news broke.)
Packers news, notes and links
- B.J. Raji is back on a 1-year, $4 million deal. If you’re mad that Raji’s back, stop it. One-year deals are harmless. Find somewhere else to direct your anger.
- Losing center Evan Dietrich-Smith isn’t a bad area to direct whatever rage you feel about Raji. Dietrich-Smith isn’t an all-pro, but he’s a good player. And he signed a reasonable contract. Perhaps Dietrich-Smith decided he just wanted to play elsewhere, but 4 years, $14 million was a perfectly reasonable offer for Dietrich-Smith. Does Thompson turn the center job over to J.C. Tretter or find a veteran in free agency?
- The Packers also re-signed DL/OLB Mike Neal and TE Andrew Quarless this week. I seem to be in the minority, but Neal doesn’t do much for me. It’s a 2 year, $8 million deal, so I have no problem bringing him back on those team-friendly terms, but I don’t think he’s the answer, or a major part of the answer, to fixing the Packers pass rush. Yes, Neal played well toward the end of last season and he was also learning a new position. But he still popped up regularly on the injury report (even though he played through those various injuries) and wasn’t consistent enough, in my opinion. Quarless, another low-risk deal, merits another look at tight end.
- The Pro Football Draft preview publication presented by CheeseheadTV is on sale now. I highly recommend picking up a copy and having it by your side while you watch the NFL draft in May.
- The Green Bay Press Gazette asks: “Why isn’t Ted Thompson more like Ron Wolf?” Well, if you only look at results, the two GMs are very similar. From ALLGBP.com’s Kris Burke: Ted Thompson vs Ron Wolf after nine years: Ron Wolf: 92-52 record. … Ted Thompson: 86-57-1. … Both have one ring. … Ron Wolf: 9-5 in playoffs. … Ted Thompson: 6-5 in playoffs. … Ron Wolf: Three division titles. … Ted Thompson: Four division titles. … Ron Wolf had one non-losing season, Thompson had three (though 2005 was not necessarily his fault).
- I feel like I’ve been very defensive about Thompson on this site recently. It gets old hearing the constant clamoring every year whenever (insert name of free agent) signs elsewhere. But Thompson isn’t above criticism. If he doesn’t in bring a few guys from the outside to bolster the defense, I’ll take my shots at Thompson and they will be deserved.
- Here’s another kinda criticism of Thompson: I’m getting sick of hearing from Packers beat reporters that the “Packers had genuine interest in (insert name of free agent who just signed elsewhere).” It feels like the Packers are just feeding info about possible free agents to the beat guys to make it seem like they genuinely tried to sign (insert name of free agent who just signed elsewhere) when, in reality, they didn’t try all that hard. If you are genuinely interested in a free agent, and you think he can help the team, then get his butt into Green Bay and sign him. Enough with the “Ah shucks, we just missed him” nonsense.
- Late addition,,, Yes, the Packers signed someone…
Non-Packers links and other nonsense
March 14, 2014 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers
I decided to go all Fire Joe Morgan on this piece written by Frank Schwab at Yahoo Sports about Packers GM Ted Thompson and NFL free agency. Enjoy.
In 2006, Packers general manager Ted Thompson signed cornerback Charles Woodson in free agency, and it was one of the best moves he ever made.
Ok. A good start to this post. I agree with that statement.
You’d think that experience would give Ted Thompson the warm and fuzzies about free agency and he’d spend his time chasing the next Woodson. Instead, Thompson might be off on vacation this week. Wherever he has been, he hasn’t been signing any players.
Starting to go off the rails a bit now. Thompson didn’t “chase” Woodson. He signed him well after free agency opened. I think part of the reason Thompson doesn’t dive into the opening frenzy of free agency is because it is a “chase.” Chasing to fill this roster hole or plug that weak area. Chasing a big-name veteran who fans are familiar with. Chasing the notion that you have to “DO SOMETHING!!!!” to get better like the other teams around you. Those types of chases are from guaranteed to pay off. Oh, and the “Ted Thompson goes on vacation” thing became an eye-rolling cliche three years ago.
Green Bay didn’t sign one player, outside of retaining his (sic) own free agents, in the first three days of free agency.
Gasp!
It’s not like they don’t have needs. A stud left tackle would have been great, allowing David Bakhtiari to move inside to guard. Any of the top centers would have worked. A pass rusher would be swell. They could have spent on a big-time safety, and it’s not like Antoine Bethea, T.J. Ward, Donte Whitner or guys like that got a ridiculous amount of money.
Sign a stud left tackle and move a promising, young and inexpensive left tackle to guard when you already have one pro bowl guard and another guard coming off his best season (and Bryan Bulaga coming back from injury)? Was there a “stud left tackle” on the free-agent market this year? I didn’t see one. Stud left tackles, like stud QBs, typically don’t make it to free agency. If the Packers re-sign Evan Dietrich-Smith, that’ll meet the “any of the top centers” criteria. Yes, a pass rusher would be swell. Let’s see what the remaining days of free agency bring (yes, free agency lasts more than a couple days). Finally, none of the safeties Schwab lists are “big time.”
Instead, despite their status as contenders and the fact that everyone in their division and most teams around the league improved this week, Green Bay did nothing.
It’s a “fact” that everyone in the Packers division improved this week? Were some NFL games played that I wasn’t aware of? When did Roger Goodell start making teams play football in March? I know technology has advanced at a rapid pace with the internet and cell phones and drones and all of that stuff, but can we really tell these days which NFL teams are better and which are not in the middle of March? I seem to remember everyone raving about how the Lions “improved” last March after a free-agent signing spree. How’d that work out for them?
The Packers were lauded for being so home grown last season…
They were? Schwab obviously doesn’t interact much with Packers fans online. Thompson and the Packers being praised for a draft-and-develop philosophy instead of signing free agents is more of a national media narrative than an actual reality.
But going on free-agency signing binges is just as short-sighted as ignoring free agency altogether, as Thompson has apparently decided to do.
So Scwab has a mole in the Packers front office telling him, without a shadow of a doubt, that Thompson “ignores free agency altogether?” This is another lazy meme, usually pushed by national media types. Looking at the price tag, risk and potential return on investment, as well as future cap ramifications when it comes time to re-sign your own guys, Thompson says “thanks, but no thanks” to high-priced veterans early in free agency. It doesn’t mean he ignores free agency altogether.
They lost on a last-second field goal to San Francisco in the playoffs, and it stands to reason that a key free agent might have made one play that turned that game around.
It also stands to reason that a misstep or two in free agency would’ve thrown the Packers into salary cap hell and they would’ve went 4-12.
Thompson places a premium on drafting players and retaining the best ones to long-term deals. But when you completely ignore signing any outside free agents, you’re cutting off an avenue of player acquisition.
Here we go with the whole “ignore” thing again. Yes, ignoring free agency is stupid. I agree with Schwab there. But I doubt Thompson “ignores” signing outside players. I ignore my wife when she asks me to do the dishes while I’m watching Monday Night Raw. Thompson doesn’t ignore free agency. If Thompson were me, and my wife asked Thompson to do the dishes during Monday Night Raw, Thompson would 1) weigh the positives and negatives of missing the next match, 2) factor in how missing some of Monday Night Raw might impact future viewings of this fine television program, 3) consider the wrath my wife would reign on him should he refuse her request, and 4) say “no” and keep watching Monday Night Raw. That’s not ignoring, that’s giving serious consideration, examining all possible angles, and deciding to pass.
Thompson takes the extreme opposite approach to free agency. That’s a mistake, too.
Yes, it is. But nothing Schwab laid out in this piece made a case for why Thompson should do more in free agency. The problem isn’t the Packers lack of offseason free agent signings. The problem is the Packers constantly dealing with a steady stream of players ending up on IR or in street clothes with nagging injuries. Schwab’s contention that Thompson “ignores” free agency might get a little more merit if he doesn’t sign a few defensive players this offseason. But it’s far too early in the process to already start kicking and screaming about Thompson “ignoring” free agency.
March 12, 2014 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Authors, Packers
Minnesota Gophers defensive lineman Ra’Shede Hageman
Packers prospect profile: DL Ra’Shede Hageman
Player Information:
Ra’Shede Hageman, DL Minnesota, 6-6, 310 pounds, Hometown: Minneapolis, MN
STATS
NFL Combine:
40 time: 5.02
Vertical jump: 35.5″
225 lb. bench: 32 reps
Broad jump: 114″
News and Notes:
Converted from tight end to defensive line during his redshirt freshman seasons. … Was two-time all-state tight end in high school … First team all Big Ten and third team All-American his senior season. … Received the Bronko Nagurski award, given to the team’s most valuable player, his senior season. … Had 13 tackles for loss senior season. … Foster child, mother was a drug addict, father died before Ra’Shede met him. … More about Hageman’s difficult childhood.
What they’re saying about him:
- Mike Mayock: The Hageman kid is really interesting and especially given his background and where he’s coming from and what he’s had to go through in life, and I think the hard part is putting the tape on in one game, you see a kid that can go as a Top 15 pick and then you put the next tape on, and then he disappears for three quarters and that’s a fifth or sixth round pick and you have to rectify the whole thing if he blows up the Combine; who are we getting. That’s the important thing is trying to understand the kid, because the talent is certainly there.
- NFL.com: Terrific movement, flexibility and range. Loose ankles. Can work the edges. Able to redirect and chase athletically. Fierce tackler. Rare leaping ability for his size (workout all-star). Disrupts passing lanes. Has a “wow” factor at his best. Has immense upside. Team captain.
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHjCRb49ER0
Video Analysis:
- Size and length look very intimidating
- Big-hitter
- Good lateral movement and ability to make a tackle downfield
- Slow to react at times
- Extremely difficult to handle if he gains leverage
If drafted by the Packers:
Since I live in Minnesota and punish myself by watching the Gophers, I’ve followed Hageman’s entire career. Most of the scouting reports are accurate: He’s got a ton of ability, but tends to disappear for stretches. Some say his disappearing acts raise questions about his effort. Whenever I’ve observed Hageman go into hibernation, he appeared to be really tired. Hands on the hips, breathing heavy, slow of the ball — the usual signs. I wonder if conditioning was an issue for him in college and if an NFL conditioning program would fix that.
I really want to see Hageman rushing off the edge in a 4-3 scheme. I think that’s where he fits best in the NFL. His height and natural physical skills remind you of Julius Peppers. That’s not to say Hageman wouldn’t fit in a 3-4 scheme like the Packers. If it all comes together for a talented player Hageman, he’ll find a way to produce in any system.
However, I wonder if Ted Thompson might be looking for more immediate impact in an early pick. Hageman will likely need some time to develop. But man, it’s awful tempting to fall in love with everything Hageman could bring to a defense. If the Packers want to go more athletic on the defensive line, Hageman definitely fits the criteria.
March 12, 2014 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers
Safety Jarius Byrd signed a monster NFL free agent contract on Tuesday, but not with the Packers.
C’mon, folks. You didn’t REALLY think that the Packers and general manager Ted Thompson were going to make a splash on the first day of NFL free agency, did you?
No way Thompson was going to fork over $56 million ($28 million guaranteed) like the Saints did for safety Jarius Byrd.
Give defensive linemen Lamarr Houston (5 years, $35 million, $15 million guaranteed) and/or Arthur Jones (5 years, $30 million) deals like they got from the Bears and Colts, respectively? Not on Thompson’s watch.
What about safety T.J. Ward? The Packers desperately need a safety and Ward’s deal with the Broncos (4 years, $23 million, $14 million guaranteed) is much more reasonable that Byrd’s. Sure, Ward came at decent market value, but Thompson wasn’t going to pay that much for a box safety.
The list could go on and on. Aquib Talib (6 years, $57 million, $26 million guaranteed), Linval Joseph (5 years, $31 million), Paul Soliai (5 years, $33 million, $14 million guaranteed). The prices were outrageous and the potential return on investment far from guaranteed. Hell, the Jaguars gave Toby Gerhart 3 years and $10.5 million. Toby Gerhart!
You didn’t REALLY think Thompson was going to suddenly start gambling on the high-risk game known as Day 1 of NFL free agency, did you?
If you did, hopefully you learned your lesson (again) for next time. If you’re upset that Thompson didn’t deviate from his norm and dive into Tuesday’s madness, don’t be.
There is still a long way to go in free agency. I do think Thompson is going to step outside of his comfort zone and bring in some free agents, but it sure wasn’t going to happen on day 1.
Once the chaos of the opening of free agency calms down and the funny money goes away, Thompson’s real work begins. That’s when bargains can be found and holes on the Packers roster plugged with players who sign contracts more in line with their true value.
But isn’t now the time to take a risk and overpay for a major free agent or two? After all, Aaron Rodgers isn’t getting any younger and the Packers have a few obvious holes.
There is never a good time to pay airport restaurant prices for hot dog stand talent like most teams do on the first day of free agency.
Because Thompson refuses to get caught up in that rat race, he’s never had to cut a quality player because of salary cap issues or desperately re-negotiate existing contracts so he can retain his own guys.
Thanks to Thompson’s philosophy, Packers fans will likely never have to wave goodbye to players like Clay Matthews, Josh Sitton, Randall Cobb, Jordy Nelson or Eddie Lacy because there wasn’t enough cap room to keep them after a recent free-agent spending spree gone wrong.
Despite the consternation over the lack of free agency moves, the Packers are in the playoffs every season and are perennial Super Bowl contenders. They have a ton of talent. The costs of retaining that talent add up in a hurry and you need to manage the cap in order to not back yourself in a corner.
Yes, I realize the comments section to this post will probably light up with all kinds of negativity toward Thompson and another early free-agency that went by without a whisper of anything happening at 1265 Lombardi Ave. That’s fine. Let it all out. Some of you may even have valid points.
But be patient. Just because Thompson didn’t sign that big name you had your eye on, it doesn’t mean he’s already thrown in the towel on free agency.
March 9, 2014 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers, Surviving Sunday
Surviving Sundays with no Packers football.
With Sam Shields locked up for the next four years, it’s time to focus on the Packers other free agents.
News of the Packers offering B.J. Raji a short-term contract to return as the team’s nose tackle brought out all kinds of reactions. Many Packers fans want nothing to do with Raji after he fell off the face of the earth midway through last season.
Other Packers fans are willing to stick with Raji if all it takes a relatively cheap, low-risk one-year deal.
I’m in the latter category. There is rarely such a thing as a bad one-year contract. If Raji flops again next season, you’re not tied to him long-term. If he’s horrible in training camp, and a good portion of the contract isn’t guaranteed, the Packers can just cut him.
That might make me sound like a Raji defender, but I am anything but. There were several times in the second half of last season where I wanted Ted Thompson to enter the Packers defensive huddle and cut Raji on the spot. He was that bad.
One talking point from Raji defenders that drives me crazy is the notion that it’s his job to “occupy blockers” so the middle linebackers can make plays. Yes, often in a 3-4 defense, it is the job of the defensive lineman to absorb double teams and sacrifice a little bit of personal glory to free up teammates.
But most people don’t understand what “occupying blockers” really means. It doesn’t mean you stand there and belly bump with other fat guys. It doesn’t mean you simply take up space. It doesn’t mean you never get to make a tackle for a loss or pressure the quarterback.
It definitely doesn’t mean you end up on your backside or blown off the ball like Raji is all too often.
The best way to “occupy blockers” is to kick their ass, to win your match-up, whether it’s against a single offensive lineman or a double team. Knock your man back a step and force the running back to alter his course, even if it’s a minor detour. Anchor yourself in the hole. Split that double team.
A 3-4 defensive lineman who does that often enough will get a tackle behind the line or a sack every now and then. He’ll also be doing a fine job of “occupying blockers.”
Raji hasn’t won many individual matchups since 2010. Yes, it’s might be unfair to expect him to put up big sack numbers or pile up tackles. But his lack of production recently isn’t because he’s been busy “occupying blockers.” He’s just been getting beat.
That said, if the Packers want to give him one more year to figure things out, I’m cool with it.
Packers news, notes and links
- WTF is Aaron Rodgers doing in this picture?
- The Packers need to re-sign Evan Dietrich-Smith. Sure, J.C. Tretter might be a viable replacement, but is it really wise to hand over the center job to a kid who snapped his ankle during a fumbling drill in mini-camp? Of course, declarations of re-signing any player comes with the caveat of “if the price makes sense.” Here’s hoping the price makes sense to bring back Dietrich-Smith.
- Jason Wilde continues to hold out hope that Morgan Burnett can turn into a quality safety and live up to the contract extension he signed last offseason. It was around year four that Nick Collins morphed into a pro bowler for the Packers after an up-and-down start. I don’t see Burnett in Collins’ league, but like Wilde, I’m not giving up on Burnett yet.
- This tweet from Sam Shields got Packers fans hopes up. Unfortunately, those hopes were dashed a few hours later. Thankfully, I checked Twitter while I was waiting for my wife to finish feeding the baby Saturday evening, and I saw that the Packers and Shields have agreed to a 4 year, $39 million contract. That’s a lot of money, but a deal that the Packers probably had to make. Here’s hoping Shields makes the leap from an up-and-coming cornerback to elite.
- Brian Carriveau at the new-look CheeseheadTV makes his case for the Packers to sign free-agent safety Jarius Byrd. Not happening, in my opinion.
- The Packers Talk Radio Network did another mega podcast this week, and once again, it’s a must-listen. This one features an interview with NFL insider and former Packers vice president Andrew Brandt.
- John Kuhn is set to hit the free-agent market. Besides the Vikings, who enjoy signing as many ex-Packers as possible, who is going to sign Kuhn? He doesn’t really fit on any other team besides the Packers.
- Um, Mr. Barnwell? You forgot about David Bakhtiari, who started as a rookie at left tackle for the Packers all of last season. Might want to consider that before opining about the Packers signing tackle Anthony Collins and assuming that Derek Sherrod (Derek Sherrod!) is penciled in as a starter next season.
Non-Packers links and other nonsense
- Former AWA wrestling jobber Buck “Rock ‘n Roll” Zumhofe tried to flee after being convicted on 12 charges of criminal sexual conduct this week. Zumhofe molested a close female relative over a period of several years. Disgusting.
- Take a few minutes to read this piece from Matt Bowen about the other side of NFL free agency, the side that isn’t all about multi-year deals and mega contracts.
- The season finale of HBO’s True Detective airs tonight. However, this person already figured out who the Yellow King is.
- This is true on many issues: Facts and science often cause people to become even dumber than they already are.
March 8, 2014 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers
Packers CB Sam Shields re-signed with Green Bay for $39 million.
The Green Bay Packers have re-signed up-and-coming cornerback Sam Shields to a 4 year, $39 million deal. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the deal includes a $12.5 million signing bonus.
Shields’ agent Drew Rosenhaus confirmed the deal via Twitter.
That’s a lot of dough for a corner who has the talent to be one of the best, but isn’t quite there yet. But this is a deal that the Packers probably had to make.
Now it’s time for Shields to 1) stay healthy for a full 16-game season + playoffs, and 2) take the next step and become an elite cornerback.
March 7, 2014 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Authors, Packers
Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers
1) Introduction: Ever since the Packers won the Super Bowl in 2011, Capers’ defenses have been banged up, overmatched, pushed around and just plain lousy. The backlash against Capers has gotten so loud in Green Bay, there is actually a small backlash to the backlash going on. You know the backlash is bad when people start backlashing against the Capers backlash.
2) Profile:
Dom Capers
- Age: 63
- Born: 8/7/1950, in Cambridge, OH
- NFL Coaching Experience: 28 years
Biography and more
3) Expectations coming into the season: Build a more physical defense. It worked the first part of the season. Then injuries started wiping out key players and most of the middle of the defense completely disappeared.
The Packers in 2013 weren’t a complete mess on defense like they were in 2011. At times they were even better than they were in 2012. But at no point in the season did you ever feel like this defense was good enough to step up and carry the team for an extended stretch, if needed. They just weren’t good enough.
4) Season Highlights/Lowlights: With Aaron Rodgers out and the Packers needing late defensive stops to have a shot at stealing games against Chicago and Philadelphia in weeks 9 and 10, Capers’ defense went in the tank. The Bears held the ball for almost 9 minutes to seal the game and the Eagles for 9 minutes, 32 seconds to wrap up the victory. The defense also looked absolutely helpless in a blowout loss to Detroit on Thanksgiving.
Highlights included holding the Lions (without Calvin Johnson) to nine points in week 5 and coming up with a gritty performance the following week against Baltimore to help the Packers win despite several key injuries.
5) Contribution to the overall team success: I don’t know…do we give Capers credit for Sam Shields’ interception against the Cowboys? Do we pat Capers on the back for not allowing the Bears to score after the Rodgers-Randall Cobb miracle in Chicago?
This is where it gets tricky with Capers and why the people backlashing against the Capers backlash have a point: We get all ticked off at Capers when the Packers defense gets run over, then give credit to individual players instead of Capers when the Packers defense does something positive.
Is there a defensive coordinator in the league who could have success with Clay Matthews out, BJ Raji taking half the season off, and bad to mediocre players up the middle like A.J. Hawk, Brad Jones, Morgan Burnett and M.D. Jennings?
Then again, doesn’t Capers deserve blame for the aforementioned players underperforming or not developing?
There’s also the question of Capers’ scheme being overly complicated, and the general perception that the Packers just try to hang on when on defense instead of taking it to the opposing offense.
Yes, people backlashing against Capers and the people backlashing against the backlash both have points. Bottom line: The Packers defense once again wasn’t good enough in 2013.
6) Contributions in the playoffs: The playoffs were another sort of bright spot for Capers. The playoff loss to the 49ers was on the offense. Rodgers and the offense should’ve been able to muster more than 20 points and win that game. But when the game was on the line, the Packers defense couldn’t reign in Colin Kaepernick (again) and lost.
Season Report Card:
(D-) Level of expectations met during the season
(D) Contributions to team’s overall success.
(B-) Contributions to team during the playoffs
Overall Grade: D
March 2, 2014 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers, Surviving Sunday
Surviving Sundays with no Packers Foo
The WWE Network debuted on Monday and my wife immediately began filling out divorce papers.
I try to limit my classic wrestling viewing to the television in our room before bed or my iPad if I have a free minute or two in the living room. With WWE Network, I can now literally watch old (and new) wrestling whenever I want. On my phone, in the car, at church, during family dinners, or waiting to check out at the grocery story. Thousands of hours of wrestling footage is at my fingertips.
There is no way my wife is going to be able to deal with me watching wrestling when we’re supposed to be having a serious conversation about buying a new house or finding a good school for our kid.
While I’m reliving classic moments like this, my wife will be packing up her things and relocating as far away from me as possible.
I wonder if the NFL would ever give something like the WWE Network a try? On the surface, it makes sense that they would. But if you really think about it, you realize how silly the league would be to abandon the golden goose it currently has with its traditional television package.
In 2013, the WWE made about $168 million from its television deal. That’s a great deal for the networks that air WWE programming like Monday Night Raw and SmackDown, and not all that great of a deal for WWE.
Ninety-percent of WWE viewers watch shows like Raw and SmackDown live or less than a day after airing. That’s on par with professional sports like football or basketball. The majority of WWE viewership is also under 34 years old and ethnically diverse, two key components that prominent advertisers are looking for. Networks are also looking for more “DVR-proof” programming, or shows that are watched live instead of recorded and watched days or weeks later.
So why doesn’t the WWE have a more lucrative TV deal? Because it’s professional wrestling, duh! Nobody — especially fancy schmancy television executives and big corporate advertisers — has ever taken professional wrestling seriously. Sure, they might back-handedly acknowledge its solid track record of reliable TV ratings and a dedicated and loyal fanbase, but they’re not going to back it up with dollars.
It’s just dumb wrestling. You know, men in their underwear pretending to beat each other up. In the eyes of the big-wigs, only idiots watch wrestling; not people who are well off and might be interested in buying nice cars, shopping at decent stores or enhancing a respected brand.
Vince McMahon and the higher-ups at WWE likely realized that they’re never going to get the giant TV deal they feel they’re worth. So, McMahon — the man who invented Wrestlemania and put wrestling on the mainstream’s national radar — figured he might as well see if creating his own Netflix-style mobile network could boost revenues to where he wants them to be.
The NFL doesn’t need to take such risks. Its TV deal literally prints money.
The NFL currently has a TV deal that runs through 2022 and totals $27 billion. Football makes more in about a month with its TV deal than WWE made in all of 2013. Give up a good portion of that just to create their own network and deal with pricing, marketing, customer service, infrastructure and who knows what else? It ain’t happening.
I could maybe see something similar to the WWE Network happening with the NFL’s out-of-market Sunday Ticket package. Right now, DirecTV holds exclusive rights to Sunday Ticket, but that agreement ends in 2014. Perhaps the NFL could opt for some type of multi-platform delivery system that allows fans to access out-of-market games whether they have DirecTV or not.
But even that could open up several cans of worms: Will the NFL build its own “network” to stream games? What would the networks who are paying $27 billion to the NFL think of this? Isn’t it just plain easier for the NFL to collect a giant check from DirecTV and let them worry about delivering the package and everything else that comes with it?
In a perfect world, NFL fans would have it just as good as wrestling fans currently have it with the WWE Network. What NFL fan wouldn’t want the ability to access any game he wanted from any device for a reasonable price? But unless the market forces the NFL to adopt something similar to the WWE Network, it’s never going to happen. No matter how happy it might make us fans.
Packers news, notes and links
- No surprise here: It sounds like Sam Shields will hit the open market. Now before you start panicking, remember that Shields is not yet a dominant corner and he’s missed games with various injuries every season of his young career. The Packers also still have Tramon Williams, Micah Hyde, and a returning Casey Hayward. It’s not the end of the world if Shields bolts of Green Bay. Don’t get me wrong, I hope the Packers re-sign Shields — they should re-sign Shields — but it’s not the end of the world if they don’t.
- The NFL salary cap is officially set at $133 million and the Packer have about $34.7 million in cap space. Prepare for the free-agent spending spree, right? I doubt it. I’m guessing a good chunk of that cap space goes toward news deals for Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb and to re-sign Sam Shields and a few of the other 17 free agent Packers. I could see Ted Thompson signing a few free agents during the second or third wave of free agency, but I’ll be shocked if he breaks the bank for anyone in that first tier.
- We finally know what was up with Johnny Jolly’s neck at the end of the season. Turns out, he had a neck fusion procedure similar to what safety Sean Richardson underwent early last year. Neck fusion surgery ended Nick Collins’ career and may end Jermichael Finley’s career. Richardson returned, however, and it sounds like Jolly has a good chance to resume playing as well. Will the Packers want to bring back a defensive lineman on the wrong side of 30 who is coming off a major surgery? We’ll see.
- Washington State safety Deone Bucannon could wind up with the Packers if both Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Calvin Pryor are off the board by the time the Packers pick at No. 21 in the NFL draft. Brian Carriveau at CheeseheadTV goes in-depth on Bucannon in this excellent post.
- It sounds like the Packers want to bring back LB Jamari Lattimore, but not for the $1.389 million price tag of a restricted free-agent tender. Lattimore could wind up back on the Packers roster the same way Robert Francois did last offseason: by re-signing for slightly more than the minimum once free agency opens. I’d like to have Lattimore back. He’s good on special teams and capable of filling in at inside linebacker for short stretches.
- The Packers re-signed safety Chris Banjo and signed running back Michael Hill this week.
- This Darren Sharper thing keeps getting uglier and uglier.
- Need something to keep you entertained while you’re shoveling snow or cleaning off the roof? Check out the latest round of podcasts from the crew at the Packers Talk Radio Network.
Non-Packers links and other nonsense
- Holy crap I don’t ever want to go to prison.
- Breaking news from the world of fast food and expanding waistlines: Taco Bell will soon start serving breakfast and McDonald’s might serve its breakfast menu all day.
- The Packers have been plagued by injuries the last four seasons, but thankfully, no Packers player has come down with this injury…yet.
- Hannibal Buress is one of the best (and most underrated) stand-up comedians around and he absolutely killed on the Tonight Show this week.
February 28, 2014 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Authors, Packers
Tim Masthay
1) Introduction: Tim Masthay gets the job done. That’s probably the best way to describe him. He doesn’t drastically tilt the field with his powerful punts and pinpoint accuracy, but he does an adequate job. Masthay doesn’t give you much to leap out of your chair and cheer about, but he also doesn’t give you a reason to hurl your TV through the wall after consistently poor punts.
2) Profile:
Timothy James Masthay
- Age: 26
- Born: 4/16/1987 in Pittsburgh, Penn.
- Height: 6’2″
- Weight: 198
- College: Kentucky
- Rookie Year: 2010
- NFL Experience: 4
Career stats and more
3) Expectations coming into the season: Just keep doing what he does. Masthay has a lot of games where he punts in cold weather and his always hold up well.
4) Player’s highlights/low-lights: Masthay’s net average has gotten better every season, topping off at 39.0 yards in 2013. He also notched 17 touchbacks on 34 kickoffs to start the season. If you’re looking for lowlights…well, it’s always a lowlight when Masthay comes on the field because it means the Packers are punting.
5) Player’s contribution to the overall team success: Masthay’s consistency was a bright spot on an otherwise shaky special teams unit. If there was a special teams breakdown, it was rarely because of something Masthay screwed up.
6) Player’s contributions in the playoffs: Unfortunately, Masthay contributed too much and the Packers didn’t score enough points in their playoff loss.
Season Report Card:
(B) Level of expectations met during the season
(B-) Contributions to team’s overall success.
(B) Contributions to team during the playoffs
Overall Grade: B
February 27, 2014 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Authors, Packers
1) Introduction: Packers kicker Mason Crosby saw his lucrative contract tore up over the offseason and replaced with an incentive-laden deal. Message received. Crosby connected on 33 of 37 field goal attempts and even sent two 57-yarders soaring through the uprights. If Johnny Jolly wasn’t on the roster, the Packers comeback player of the year award would have probably gone to Crosby.
Packers K Mason Crosby
2) Profile:
Mason Walker Crosby
- Age: 29
- Born: 9/3/1984 in Lubbock, Texas
- Height: 6’1″
- Weight: 212
- College: Colorado
- Rookie Year: 2007
- NFL Experience: 7
Career stats and more
3) Expectations coming into the season: Get beat out in training camp by the Italian guy with the cool name. Packers fans were done with Mason Crosby and were itching for somebody to replace him. Crosby outlasted Giorgio Tavecchio and went on to have a career season.
4) Player’s highlights/low-lights: Crosby hit all five field-goal attempts with a long of 52 yards in week 5 against Detroit. He made his first 10 attempts and even hit 5 of 7 from beyond 50 yards after going 14 for 33 on attempts of 50 yards or more in his first six seasons. Crosby’s lowpoint came against the Eagles in week 10 where his missed kicks from 53 and 42 yards.
5) Player’s contribution to the overall team success: The Packers comeback against the Cowboys might have fallen short if Crosby doesn’t nail a 57-yard field goal earlier in the game. Unlike in 2012, you can’t really point to a game where Crosby had an overly negative impact. Crosby took over again on kickoffs midway through the season. I guess the Packers prefer Crosby’s directional kicking over Tim Masthay’s powerful leg.
6) Player’s contributions in the playoffs: Crosby made both of his field goal attempts against the 49ers and was fine kicking the ball off.
Season Report Card:
(A) Level of expectations met during the season
(A-) Contributions to team’s overall success.
(B) Contributions to team during the playoffs
Overall Grade: A-
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