Exhibition games are boring. Even when they involve the Green Bay Packers. If you’re looking to be a little less bored during today’s Packers vs. Steelers exhibition snoozefest,keep an eye out for these five things:
Can Don Barclay play tackle?
Even when Barclay got the nod at right tackle after Bryan Bulaga’s injury in 2013,I remained unconvinced that Barclay was a tackle. To me,his body type and playing style are much better suited inside. Now Barclay’s a year removed from an ACL injury. In the exhibition opener,he didn’t hold up very well at tackle. With David Bakhtiari likely out today,Barclay will get another shot to show improvement coming off an injury and re-assert himself as the Packers sixth offensive lineman.
Ladarius Gunter
Just watch him. See if you still think he’s for real. See if you think his slow 40 time will be exposed come the regular season. See if you think he’s got a legit shot of making the team and making some noise.
Can Jayrone Elliott put together another good game?
Ideally,I’d like to see Clay Matthews spend most of his time inside during early downs. That fantasy is much closer to being reality if there’s a credible outside linebacker to play opposite Julius Peppers. I don’t think Nick Perry and Mike Neal are the answer. I’m not sure Elliott is either,but he sure had a good game against New England.
The medical cart
Watch the medical cart closely. Make sure it stays on the sideline,where it belongs. If it fires up and moves,that means a Packers players has been injured. We don’t want any Packers players injured during silly exhibition games.
What’s up with Christian Ringo?
By all accounts,the Packers draft pick with the coolest name was going to be a project,one of those late-round flyers you take,stash on the practice squad for a season,and hope to get something out of them two years down the road. With all the injuries and suspensions the Packers are facing along the defensive,might Ringo be needed earlier than planned? It’s a long shot,but it’s something to keep an eye on. If the Packers are short-handed up front,they might need someone like Ringo to step up. Word is,Ringo’s been improving lately.
Welcome to the first Green Bay Packers Stock Report of the 2015 season.
For new readers,the stock report will run every Tuesday afternoon during the season. We’ll cover who’s rising,steady and falling. We’ll also be sure to make fun of the Chicago Bears,fans of the Minnesota Vikings fans and people who listen to Nickelback (Why people who listen to NIckelback? Because people who listen to Nickelback are almost as bad as the Chicago Bears and fans of the Minnesota Vikings. Almost.).
One thing to note before we start: The stock report isn’t necessarily a week-to-week evaluation. I try to use context from the previous couple of games when placing players in certain categories. So,if Jordy Nelson drops the first 50 passes thrown to him to start the season,then has a game where he catches 11 touchdowns,he might not necessarily end up in the rising category for his 11-touchdown game because of how miserable he played in dropping those first 50 passes.
For the first edition of the stock report,I’m focusing only on rookies. We’ll have plenty of space to cover the veterans as the season gets going.
On to the stock report:
Rising
Quinten Rollins
With nagging injuries slowing down Casey Hayward and Damarious Randall,Rollins bounced back from his own early injury and put together an impressive game in the exhibition opener. Scouting reports on Rollins indicated that he was a speed guy. He seems plenty fast,but he looked physical against New England as well. I liked it.
LaDarius Gunter
We’ve heard plenty about Gunter since camp opened and he backed it up against New England. Big,physical and full of potential. We’ll see if his slow 40-time eventually catches up with him,but so far,so good on Gunter.
Ty Montgomery
I’m extremely pleased with what I’ve seen from Montgomery so I’m not going to praise him too much because I don’t want to jinx things. Keep it up,young man.
Steady
Brett Hundley
How about that throw Hundley dropped in there to Montgomery against New England? Scott Tolzien has received most of the backup QB love this training camp,but Hundley looks like he’s holding his own.
Jake Ryan
Ryan wasn’t the name fans had circled on their middle linebacker wish list during the draft,but it’s hard to be disappointed with what we’ve seen so far. Odds are good Ryan’s impact will come on special teams during his rookie season,but I had no complaints with what I saw when he manned the middle of the defense against New England.
Falling
My ability to watch Packers games
My son turns 2 years old in early October and I have no idea how I’m going to be able to watch Packers games this fall. Last year,he was young enough where we could contain him to one room and let him do his thing while the game was on. Those days are long gone. He doesn’t spend more than 3 minutes in any one room now.
I have televisions in the family room,sun room and master bedroom,so I suppose one strategy could be to have them all tuned into the Packers game and hope he only goes to those three rooms (fat chance). Another strategy is putting up a gate and trying to contain him to just one room (this would work for a couple minutes before he got angry). I suppose we could give him the iPad and let him watch Bob the Builder or Thomas the Train while we drink beer and watch the Packers (it’d be effective,but wouldn’t win us any parents of the year awards).
If anybody has any other advice,I’m all ears. Otherwise,cross your fingers that he’s either A) infatuated with Aaron Rodgers at a young age and will actually watch the game or B) wants to cuss at the TV like his dad whenever the Packers screw up and will actually watch the game.
We’re at the point in the Green Bay Packers preseason where certain players are starting to generate hype,or prove or disprove that the hype they received during the offseason was justified or overblown. Let’s take a look at a handful of these players and see if they’ve lived up to their hype thus far.
If a player has yet to meet the hype,I’ll give a final verdict of “calm down.” If he is meeting the hype,the final verdict will be “Believe the hype.”
Keep this in mind: It’s early. Way too early to make final judgements. A player labeled as a “calm down” shouldn’t be written off as a lost cause. A player labeled as “Believe the hype” shouldn’t be immediately enshrined in Canton. There is plenty of time for “calm down” players to make a major leap upward,and plenty of time for “belive the hype” players to get knocked down a few pegs.
Davante Adams
Ever since Aaron Rodgers bragged up Adams during minicamp,people have assumed Adams will automatically ascend to being the next good-to-great Packers wide receiver taken after the first round of the draft. Well,Adams has been kind of quiet in training camp and he didn’t exactly light it up in the exhibition opener. I need to see more before I put a down payment on a seat on the Adams bandwagon. Final verdict: Calm down.
Ty Montgomery
When Ted Thompson takes a wide receiver in the second or third round,everyone assumes that receiver will turn into a stud. That was the chatter after Montgomery was selected,and I was fully prepared to be a contrarian and not be impressed. Well,Montgomery has converted me. The kid looks bigger than your typical slot receiver/kick returner type and I liked what I saw on Thursday. Final verdict: Believe the hype.
Offensive line
The Packers had one of the best offensive lines in football last season. After the Packers beat the Patriots in November,I said if the line continued playing like it was,the Packers would win the Super Bowl. Well,the line held up its end of the bargain,but the football Gods had other ideas in Seattle. Now that Bryan Bulaga is re-signed and the full line is back again,people are saying that this year’s version of the offensive line might surpass last season’s. David Bakhtiari struggled on Thursday,but he was probably as bored as all of us were watching the opening exhibition contest. If the Packers offensive line stays healthy,and that’s a big if,I do believe it will once again be one of the best units in the NFL,possibly better than last season. Final verdict: Believe the hype.
Packers short yardage/red zone woes
The first-team offense bogged down against New England in short-yardage and red-zone situation on Thursday. Sound familiar? To longtime Packers beat reporter Bob McGinn it did, who compared the team’s struggles in the exhibition opener to its failings in the NFC title game. Yes,comparing at conference championship game to the exhibition opener is silly,but short-yardage and red-zone issues are nothing new for the Packers under Rodgers and Mike McCarthy. That said,it’s far too early to label this Packers team as another that will struggle to pick up short-yardage first downs or touchdowns in the red zone instead of field goals. It’s a new season. Narratives from seasons past usually give way to new narratives that nobody was anticipating. The Packers will have their struggles in certain areas of the game. I’m not yet convinced it will be in short yardage. Final verdict: Calm down.
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix can’t tackle
Clinton-Dix sure looked silly on New England’s long touchdown run on Thursday night. Clinton-Dix also had his lackluster tackling moments last season. But I’m not so sure Clinton-Dix’s issues are with tackling. He seems to be daydreaming on certain occasions,like on the two-point conversion in the NFC title game and being totally out of position on the Thursday night touchdown run. And even if Clinton-Dix did need to improve his tackling,how is he going to do it? The Packers don’t tackle in training camp and practices are never full speed. I’m not overly worried about Clinton-Dix’s tackling. I am a bit concerned about his attention span at certain times. Final verdict: Undecided.
Ladarius Gunter
Every season the Packers have at least one undrafted free agent who makes people wonder why he didn’t get drafted. This season,Gunter looks to be that guy. Reports from practice had Gunter making plays and flashing just about every day. He also had an interception on Thursday. Gunter is garnering plenty of hype for an undrafted rookie,but he’s earning it with his day-to-day performance. Therefore,we have no choice but to believe in this kid. Final verdict: Believe the hype.
The Green Bay Packers now have eight practices under their belt as they prepare for the 2015 season.
It’s impossible to make meaningful judgments after eight practices,or label individual players as booms or busts. But we can still take the temperature of the team as each practice concludes and reports come in about certain players who have stood out,fallen behind,or gotten hurt.
If the season started today,after only eight practices,here’s what I would consider the Packers biggest strength and biggest weakness.
(Note: Obviously,Aaron Rodgers is the Packers’ biggest strength. But writing these posts wouldn’t be much fun if we just listed his name over and over again.)
Strength
Wide receivers. Jordy Nelson doesn’t appear to be slowed down by offseason hip surgery. Randall Cobb still appears to be Randall Cobb after signing a fat new contract. Ty Montgomery looks like yet another receiver find for Ted Thompson. Davante Adams hasn’t gotten many balls in practice,but nobody is saying that he’s taken a step backward in his second season,either.
It’s shaping up to be another fun season for Packers wide receivers. The group has it all — talent,experience,depth,and a quarterback with the ability to elevate the entire group.
Weakness
Linebacker. It’s weird labeling a position group that includes Clay Matthews and Julius Pepper as a weakness,but I don’t have much of a choice. Nick Perry and Mike Neal have always been injury-prone and average players at best. Less than two weeks into camp,both players have already missed time with injuries. Matthews is also dinged up as he prepares for whatever inside or outside role he’ll be playing.
Other injured linebackers include Jayrone Elliott,Josh Francis and Adrian Hubbard.
Getting rid of A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones was supposed to be an addition-by-subtraction sort of thing. So far,the Packers have continued subtracting at the position thanks to injuries. As camp continues,we’ll see if the Packers start hitting the “+” button on their calculators at the linebacker position.
Other thoughts
I considered tight end for the weakness slot,but went with linebackers because the Packers receivers,offensive line and Rodgers should be able to compensate for not having a strong tight end group.
By most accounts,the Packers young defensive backs are showing promise. Defensive back would probably have gotten the weakness slot if I wrote this before camp started.
Would it have been crazy to list offensive line as the team’s strength? I don’t think so. If the Packers offensive line stays healthy and plays like it did last season,the Packers will win the Super Bowl.
In just a few days,the Green Bay Packers will open training camp and we’ll all be sitting at work,constantly refreshing Twitter to see which players are standing out,which players are struggling,and which players are injured.
Live-tweets from NFL training camps might be one of the most pointless exercises in the entire universe,but I can’t help myself. As soon as my timeline starts lighting up about a Packers undrafted free agent who is shining or a veteran who may have lost a step,I get sucked in and start following along.
When this inevitably happens a few days from now,here are three Packers players I’ll be paying particular attention to:
LB Clay Matthews
Is he lining up inside? Outside? What’s the ratio? Does he look healthy? How’s he holding up in pass coverage drills? Is he spending more time on pass rush moves or adding volume to his hair?
RB John Crockett
Will he live up to the fair amount of offseason hype he received? Is he getting enough carries behind Eddie Lacy and James Starks to really show what he can do? Could he contribute on special teams? Since he went to North Dakota State,does he talk like the people in the move “Fargo?”
B.J. Raji
Does he look as good in camp as he did in last year’s camp before the injury? How is playing strictly at nose tackle helping him? How is it helping the defense overall? How is Raji complementing Letroy Guion? Might we see Raji line up as a fullback in certain goal-line situations?
Bonus person to watch:
HC MIke McCarthy
Is he serious about giving up playcalling? What’s he doing differently at practice now that he’s not calling plays? What is he doing to shore up the special teams? WIll he keep the beard or shave it before the season starts?
What if the Green Bay Packers are beating the Chicago Bears 42-0 late in the second quarter of the 2015 season opener and President Obama finally decides that he’s had enough?
At halftime,the president/Bears fan announces a new program called the “De-Favreification of America.” To enact a little bit of revenge against Packers fans,Obama orders all video footage of Brett Favre destroyed. No more watching Favre torch the Bears for five touchdowns on a bum ankle. No more re-living the moment when Favre broke Dan Marino’s touchdown recrod. No more jumping for joy as Favre takes his helmet off and runs around the field after throwing a touchdown pass in Super Bowl XXXI.
No video highlights during the Favre ceremony when the Packers play the Bears on Thanksgiving. They’ll all be destroyed. Thanks Obama…
Obama orders the De-Favreification program to be implemented immediately,but after some intense lobbying and threats from Wisconsin cheese makers to discontinue nationwide cheddar production,Obama relents and says that Americans may vote for one Favre highlight to preserve. The rest must be destroyed.
Which highlight do you choose?
Here’s mine:
Favre-to-Sharpe in the 1993-94 playoffs will always be my favorite because it happened while I was hanging out with my grandmother when I was 12 years old. My grandmother’s Alzheimer’s had set in at that point in her life and my uncle was doing his best to take care of her.
I’d occasionally “babysit” my grandmother at her old farmhouse when my uncle had things to do. By “babysit,” I mean hanging out to keep my grandmother company and make sure she didn’t put herself in any danger. To a lot of 12 year olds,this might not sound like much fun,but I loved it. I didn’t mind answering the same questions over and over again from my grandmother,or having conversations that made no sense whatsoever. My grandmother didn’t recognize me and probably had no recollection of anything we talked about,but I knew she was better off by having me there to talk with. Even though I was a young,smart-ass 12-year-old,I also knew I needed to cherish all the time I could get with my grandmother. I wouldn’t trade the time I spent with her during her battle with Alzheimer’s for anything.
Anyway,the television in her old farmhouse had rabbit ears and poor reception. It picked up one channel,two on a good day. Thankfully,the Packers vs. Lions playoff game on CBS was the channel it picked up that day. It came in just good enough for me to follow what was going on.
I spent most of the game telling my grandmother about football. She would ask me for the 114th time if I needed something to eat,I would tell her about Reggie White. She’d ask where her husband was (who had been dead for several years),I’d tell her about Mike Holmgren’s West Coast offense. She’d get sad or upset about something. I’d try and get her to chant “Go Pack Go.”
That might sound silly,but any conversation with my grandmother was a good one at that point in her life. Anything to keep her engaged and talking. On that day it was the Packers. Other days it was hunting,farming or some family history or gossip.
Late in the game,Favre connected with Sharpe for the winning touchdown. I remember my exact feeling when Favre made that throw. “Why is he trying to throw the ball straight through the roof?”
On the old farmhouse television with its snowy screen,mismatched colors and general shakiness — it looked like all Favre was doing was launching the ball straight up in the air. Then the ball actually came down,landed in Sharpe’s hands,and I went crazy. I must have did 10 laps around the living room where my grandmother and I were sitting. I couldn’t stop pumping my fists and hollering.
I finally sat back down next to my grandmother. She asked: “Are you watching ball?”
“Ball” to my grandmother typically meant “baseball,” but I’ve convinced myself that in this particular instance,she meant football.
I told her yes,I was watching “ball,” then went on to explain how this guy named Favre just got the Green Bay Packers their first playoff win in a very,very long time.
She didn’t understand the significance of the moment. But neither did I. Little did I know that that pass would be the first of many distinct Brett Favre moments in my lifetime.
I’m glad I got to witness the first one with my grandmother.
There has been enough internet ink spilled about Green Bay Packers players hiding behind plants or getting suspended for enjoying something that’s a little more potent than Wisconsin cheddar or Leinenkugel Summer Shandy.
Instead of speculating why the Packers have suddenly come down with a case of our-players-keep-getting-arrested-itis,I’ll take the advice of one of our fearless leaders here at CheeseheadTV and develop a tiered list of NFL quarterbacks.
Aaron Nagler posted his list on Twitter yesterday and later encouraged all football fans to come up with their own.
Sounds like a lot more fun than debating the pros and cons of whether you should hide behind a plant or roll it up and smoke it.
If Aaron’s encouragement wasn’t enough motivation for a post like this,Sports Illustrated ranked all 32 NFL QBs and slotted Aaron Rodgers second behind Tom Brady. These offseason “rankings” or “list” posts are supposed to generate moronic comments debate and silly internet fighting discussion among fans to kill time before training camp opens.
In the case of the Sports Illustrated list,the strategy worked on me.
Tier 2
Peyton Manning,Drew Brees,Philip Rivers,Matt Ryan
Tier 3
Russell Wilson,Tony Romo,Cam Newton,Joe Flacco
Tier 4
Ryan Tannehill,Matthew Stafford,Eli Manning,Teddy Bridgewater
Tier 5
Colin Kaepernick,Carson Palmer,Andy Dalton,Jay Cutler
Tier 6
Nick Foles,Sam Bradford,Alex Smith,Derek Carr
Tier 7
Brian Hoyer,Blake Bortels,RGIII,Geno Smith
Tier 8
Josh McCown,Zach Mettenberger
10 observations about my own list
Aaron Rodgers is my No. 1. If he can snap himself out of his recent playoff funk,it will no longer even be debatable that he’s the best in the NFL.
Yes,I put Luck in the top tier over guys like Peyton Manning and Brees. Perhaps I’m giving too much credit for potential future performance,but I’d take Luck for both the short- and long-term over P. Manning and Brees.
I have eight tiers instead of Nagler’s six. I think it provides a little more separation,especially at the top where you have to make some tough calls.
Ryan over Wilson? Yes. Ryan averages over 4,000 yards and 26 touchdowns per season. It’s not his fault his defense hasn’t been able to stop anyone for two seasons.
Newton over Flacco? Flacco is a perfectly fine quarterback. So is Newton,but he’s got the ability to be much more than perfectly fine.
Isn’t Kaepernick a little high? Maybe. But I think if he’s allowed to use his legs like he did earlier in his career,he’ll have a bounce-back season. He also plays the Packers in 2015,so that should help pad his stats.
Where are the rookies? Past performance was part of my criteria,so I didn’t include rookies. If I did,I probably would have put Marcus Marriotta ahead of Jameis Winston.
If I had to predict which quarterback from the bottom tiers will move up after the 2015 season,I’d pick Bradford.
I’m crossing my fingers that I’ve ranked Bridgewater too high.
If I had to predict a quarterback from the top tiers to drop down after the 2015 season,I’d pick Romo (back injuries scare me).
Bonus observation: If Brett Favre announced that he’s un-retiring again,I’d probably put him in tier 5 and drop Cutler down a tier.
Disclaimer: There’s a good chance I forgot someone. If I did,don’t skewer me too bad in the comment section.
Wisconsin men’s basketball coach Bo Ryan announced on Monday that the 2015-16 season will be his last. Assistant coach Greg Gard seems to have a good shot at replacing Ryan. Then again,the Badgers could opt for someone like Tony Bennett in Virginia or UNI’s Ben Jacobson.
Either way,speculation on who will replace Ryan kicked into full gear merely seconds after Ryan made his announcement. A few gullible folks even fell for the joke that Minnesota Gophers coach Richard Pitino is being considered.
If Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy announced later today that the 2015 season would be his last,who would be the first person that popped into your mind as a possible replacement?
You could go the big name route and see if dropping a hellicopter full of money on Bill Cowher or Jon Gruden might bring them to Green Bay. A move like that would generate plenty of headlines,but it doesn’t seem like something Ted Thompson or Mark Murphy would do.
Bringing in a big name from the college ranks would also create plenty of splash. Can you picture Nick Saban or Urban Meyer roaming the same sideline once occupied by Lombardi,Homgren and McCarthy?
How about Brad Childress? You’re one of the saps who bought the Pitino-to-the-Badgers tongue-in-cheek “report” if you think that’ll ever happen.
In all liklihood,if McCarthy did announce he was stepping down in a year,the Packers would probably turn to an under-the-radar assistant already on their coaching roster,or an assistant tucked away in obscurity on another coaching staff. I’ve got no inside info and no way to prove that my hunch is correct,it just seems like that’s what Thompson and the Packers’ brass would do.
No pomp. No circumstance. No big ordeal. Just find a good coach and bring him in,regardless of national recognition.
Of course,being nationally recognized doesn’t automatically disqualify you from also being a good coach. If someonelike Cowher or Saban was hired,it’s not fair to assume the Packers went for name recogntion over football acumen.
Thankfully,it doesn’t appear that McCarthy will be pulling a Bo Ryan anytime soon. He should be around for a while to orchestrate one of the league’s best offenses,oversee a perrenial Super Bowl contender and give us bloggers and those who lurk in the comments sections of the blog posts we write plenty of fodder to bitch & moan about on the rare ocassions when the Packers don’t come away with a win.
Now that minicamp is over for the Green Bay Packers,the Packers Hype Train is leaving the station. It’s time to decide if you’ll get on board or wave goodbye from the platform as several Packers Hype Train cars pull away.
This kind of thing happens every offseason after minicamp. Coaches,fans and media get a glimpse of the team and certain players or team units are pegged to break out during the upcoming season. This time around,the hype train seemed to center on second-year WR Davante Adams,the defensive line,CB Quinten Rollins and,of course,WR Jeff Janis.
Packers defensive line
I have to admit,when I started seeing people claiming that the Packers’ defensive line could be a strength this season,I was skeptical. No way I was buying a ticket for that hype train.
But the more I thought about it,the more I began changing my mind. Now,I’ve got my ticket for the defensive-line hype train and I might even buy a few drinks after I climb on board. Here’s why:
Mike Daniels is already an excellent player. B.J. Raji will be returning to his old nose-tackle position and Letroy Guion will be looking to have another above-expectations season after missing out on a big contract following his offseason arrest.
Datone Jones ane Josh Boyd are entering their third seasons,which is the year when you often see young defensive linemen “get it.” Both of those players also probably realize that they’re approaching put up or shut up time if they hope to earn a nice big fat raise in their second NFL contracts.
The Packers defensive line has a lot to prove,both individually and as a unit. That extra motivation,combined with Jones and Boyd entering a season where,if healthy,should have plenty of opportunites to put it all together,will lead to good things up front.
Davante Adams
When I went to buy my Davante Adams hype train ticket,they were already sold out. Apparently,Packers fans stormed the box office after Mike McCarthy had nothing but glowing things to say about Adams at a recent minicamp press conference.
I’m fine with missing the Adams hype train this season. Honestly,I don’t think it’ll be a completely smooth ride. There are going to be a few mechanical issues,the food in the dining cart will be hit or miss and the bar staff probably won’t know how to make a good Old Fashioned.
I think next year is when you’ll want a first-class seat on the Adams hype train. That’s why,when I saw tickets for this season were gone,I snatched up a seat for next year at a discounted price.
I don’t doubt McCarthy or Aaron Rodgers when they say Adams has what it takes to be great. I just don’t think greatness will happen in 2015. We’ll see improvement,but not enough to match the recent hype.
Quinten Rollins
Me buying a seat on the Quinten Rollins hype train is the equivalent of me buying shares in Google before Google was Google.
The very best-case scenario for the Packers is Rollins turning into the cheesehead version of Google. But even if he doesn’t turn into an all-world corner,he still has the raw talent to be a contributor for several seaons. That’s why I feel comfortable buying low on Rollins at this time. I think he’ll be a player and give me some return on my investment,even if he might not make me rich enough to buy all the cheese curds in Ellsworth,Wis.
Also,the Packers will likely need contributions from one of their rookie corners this season. I’m putting my money on Rollins being that guy.
Jeff Janis
I have no idea where the Jeff Janis hype train is headed. It might travel all the way to the promised land. Or it might drive straight into the river.
Normally,I’d steer clear of a train if I couldn’t figure it out where it was going. But McCarthy is one of the people adding coal to the Janis hype train. If the coach is saying good things about a player,there must be something behind the hype.
That said,I’m still going to give up my seat on the Janis hype train. If the Janis hype train ends up being legit,at least I’ll have a good view from the platform to watch it pick up speed.
Welcome to Surviving Sunday,my weekly column during the offseason that summarizes the Packers news of the week,mixed in with my own thoughts and opinions. Toward the end of the post,after I’ve brought you up to speed on everything that went down with the Packers during the week,I mix in some non-Packers links and thoughts that are sometimes silly,sometimes serious,but hopefully,always interesting.
We’re a week into the CheeseheadTV and AllGreenBayPackers.com marriage. So far,nobody has had to spend a night on the couch after a big fight. We’re also sharing household chores and listening to each other — two keys to any sucessful marriage.
I had the honor of kicking things off with this post about key players the Packers will face in 2015. From there,you saw great pieces like this one from Thomas Hobbes on trading Brett Hundley and this one from Jay Hodgson on the Packers and playcalling.
And remember,this is the boring (reeeeeeeallllly boring) part of the offseason. As the season approaches and things get more interesting on Lombardi Ave.,the CheeseheadTV and AllGBP.com marriage will start cranking even more high-quality material.
Let’s get to the news of the week:
Packers news,notes and links
The Packers three-day minicamp consisted of one full-squad practice,a team-building activity (sporting clays) and a day where veterans were excused early. For a team that wants to get off to a faster start this season,and a coach who has lamented the reduction in the number of opportunities he has to work with his squad in the offseason,you’d think the Packers would want to make more of their time in minicamp. Then again,the odds of suffering a needless injury are greatly reduced when you send the veterans home early one day and spend another day shooting discs out of the sky (assuming Dick Cheney doesn’t show up).
Ty Dunne is heading home to work in Buffalo and cover the Bills. I’m going to miss the outstanding work he did on the Packers’ beat these last several years. I’m also going to miss his podcasts with Bob McGinn. Farewell,Ty. Thanks for all the coverage and best of luck trying to stay awake covering those Bill games in December when the team is 5-10.
Besides Aaron Rodgers,Matt Barlow at Acme Packing Company wonders which Packers player will be the most critical to the team’s success in 2015. I’ve got a darkhorse candidate for you: B.J. Raji. If Raji can come close to returning to his 2010 form and solidify the defense up the middle,great things will happen for this team. Darkhorse candidate runner-up: David Bakhtiari. He’s had a solid first two seaons. If he stays healthy and improves again in 2015,the Packers offensive line will once again be in great shape.
Who the hell is LaDarius Gunter? Sounds like he’s got a shot to be the next solid Packers’ find in undrafted free agency. We shall see…
When the Packers sweep the Vikings this season,McCarthy should bring a ping-pong paddle to midfield for the post-game handshake with Mike Zimmer.
Non-Packers links and other nonsense
All of us at CheeseheadTV send our throughts and sympathy to the victims and families of the Charleston shooting. It’s long past time to put an end to this B.S.,America.
My previous sentence applies to the rest of the world,too. I’m in the middle of reading “One of Us,” which goes into detail about a shooter who murdered 77 people in Norway. Just awful,awful stuff.
On the lighter side,Mastodon has a new music video out featuring cats that appear to be completely whacked out on hallucinogens.
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