LouisEly

They need to grab one or two DL and another OL. Elijah Jeudy, the transfer DL from Texa$ A&M who visited, signed with Nebraska. Jamel Howard is still out there. I'm guessing the top two guys on their board still out there are Malik Elzy, WR, and Jamel Howard, DL, both from the Chicago area. Also Joe Crocker, the OT from Tennessee who decommitted from Mississippi State and took an official visit to UW last June.

I read somewhere (but haven't done the math to confirm) that if the Vegas favorite wins every non-Packers game from here on out "too much" will happen.

Same thing happened with Nick Collins. When GB drafted him (and everyone on TV said it was a colossal reach), the Ravens called and said that they were going to take him two picks later. Instead, the Ravens drafted Dan Cody, a DE from Oklahoma, who played a total of two games.

No - the contract is structured such that it will cost them more to decline the option. If they decline it, it is a $99M cap hit in 2023, or if after 6/1, a $75M cap hit in 2023 and $24M cap hit in 2024. https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/green-bay-packers/aaron-rodgers-3745/ Declining either of the 2023-2024 options converts the base salary for that year into the bonus figure ($58.3M, $47M respectively)

Still $4.50/gal in my neighborhood. Down from $4.90 a couple of weeks ago. Is WI subsidizing gas or certain formulations of it?

Actually, the biggest reason behind this is that the global competition from so many auto manufacturers (finally) forced all manufacturers, particularly the US-based auto manufacturers, to up their quality game. No more planned obsolescence, because they saw that there was no more guarantee that they would get that next vehicle purchase ("just because they're an American company"). Poor quality perceptions reduced that first purchase likelihood, forcing manufacturers to act. The long-term maintenance costs have dropped significantly because vehicles are designed to last longer. Yes, if vehicle prices were lower more people would buy newer, but there are plenty of people like me who can afford a new car but choose not to because they are not having any problems with their older vehicle. If more people could afford new cars, demand would increase, pushing prices up.. It would have made the chip shortage even worse.

Disagreement on topic is encouraged.

Re: Mertz/QB recruiting - each of you is a little bit right and a little bit wrong. Mertz had little to nothing to do with PC being fired. It was much more his administrative responsibilities (handling administrative responsibilities and administration personnel, working with boosters, etc.) and the performance of the team. And Mertz was not the reason they were losing games. There was a lack of coordination in play-calling between PC and Engram and what Bostad felt his team could block. When MacIntosh met w/PC he clearly outlined steps that needed to be taken and PC wasn't in agreement, thus the termination. When PC was fired, Mertz was in the top 30 in the nation in QB rating, and their defense gave up 52 to OSU and 34 to Illinois and the defense couldn't stop WSU in the 4th quarter when they needed the ball back. Caleb Williams wasn't going to lead UW to victory in those games (maybe WSU, but certainly not OSU or ILL). The recruiting aspect wasn't quality of recruits, it was coordination (part of administrative responsibilities); example - they had a LB in for a campus visit and nobody talked to him. He ended up being a 4-star recruit who signed with Michigan. And it was waiting 7-8 months to fill the recruiter role (again, administrative duties). The reason they didn't bring in a QB in the class after Mertz was much more because nobody wanted to come in after Mertz because they thought they wouldn't see the field until they were a senior. Everybody thought Mertz was going to be a star including the next class of recruits. They offered at least three 4-star QBs in that class. They just weren't getting much interest because of Mertz and felt it wasn't worth bringing in a marginal recruit just to say they signed one.

UW picks up another commit in 3-star TE Tucker Ashcraft, a Colorado decommit. Still hoping they get that DII TE who is in the portal. Supposedly this is one of two commits tonight...

With the impending bankruptcy of Carvana, there's a fear that they are going to have to sell off a lot of or all of their inventory to raise cash which will flood the market and cause prices to fall further. Some are trying to get ahead of that and sell before the market gets flooded. New cars are still hard to come by. My sister and BIL went to Lexus of Appleton around Thanksgiving and they had something like five new cars on the lot.

Apparently no one else around here remembers that

The J.J. Hardy trade tree grows another branch. Yet another reason why you don't let assets expire.

He's devastated

UW gets the first two (new) commits in 4-star S/ATH Braedyn Moore and 3-star CB Jonas Duclona, both Cincinnati decommits. Michael Furtney also withdraws from the transfer portal and will return to UW. Thought for sure he'd go to one of the Michigan directional schools to play closer to home his last year, but apparently not.

His nickname should be "The Fan Message Board"

Back to the Big Three... a small market team can't let assets expire. They either have to extend them or trade them; a comp pick is likely the worst case scenario as far as future team success. See where they are on July 20th, 2023 and then decide to move any of them then or in the following offseason if they are far apart in extension talks.

Can't speak for Shaw, but as for Tippmann... https://www.si.com/college/wisconsin/football/freaks-list-2022 Personally, I think he's miscast as a center and should be a RT or G.

Former 4-star recruit DE Noah Potter - younger brother of Micah Potter - who transferred from Ohio State to Cincinnati has entered the portal. Perhaps follow his brother's footsteps?

Criswell is a former 4-star recruit who was stuck behind Maye this year and Howell last year. Couple other 4-stars coming in this weekend including WR Malik Elzy and ATH/S Braedyn Moore, both Cincinnati decommits. Also visiting is former commit Jamel Howard who decommitted on 11/17; recruits are allowed a second official visit if there is a coaching change. He has said that he will likely wait until the February deadline before signing with anyone which I think means UW isn't his #1 but that depends on who other schools sign. 3-star Cincinnati decommit CB Jonas Duclona is also visiting I think.

Pure speculation, but it would not surprise me at all if Leonhard was leaning toward staying at UW but then the Packers called late last week after that defensive debacle at Philly and said that they will have a few openings after the season. The fact that Leonhard is staying on to coach through the bowl game strongly suggests that he isn't going to another D1 college program in any capacity because they would want him on staff right away to start recruiting and mining the portal. Whitewater is a possibility, but I would put money on the Packers first, then him starting a football camp in Madison where he doesn't have to travel at all, then UW-Whitewater.

@UpandIn Curious as to why you think they need OT. I think that's one of the few positions they don't need. Give Tom a full offseason in a pro strength program and he could be Bakh 2.0. If you're correct and Nijman is a RFA he's around for another year while Jones and Walker develop as backups and see if they make the 2nd year jump. That's not including Bakh who I think will be back for one more year. I'm never opposed to a great OT if one is available, but they're going to have lots of other roster spots to fill. WR - Lazard, Watkins, Cobb are all FAs. Will need to spend minimum one pick, likely two here. TE - Lewis and Tonyan are FAs, likely one pick here DT - Lowry and Reed are FAs, at least one pick here, maybe two S - Amos, Ford, and Leavitt are all FAs and Savage might be full-time nickel, at least one pick here, probably two Edge - Gary out most of the year, little to no depth, Hollins is a FA, at least one pick here K - Crosby is a FA, isn't getting kickoffs deep enough They have one pick in each of rounds 1-5 which covers the first five positions above, then three in round seven which will likely be another WR and then two of S/DT/Edge/TE depending on who is back and BPA. I'd love Michigan's Jake Moody in round 7 but don't think he'll still be around.

They're going to have to with Lazard, Watkins, and Cobb all FAs. They'll need bodies, but it doesn't have to be first round. Johnston is the one guy I hope they get in the 1st if they don't trade down, otherwise they can wait. A.T. Perry of Wake Forest likely a 2nd round pick, but I'm looking at Trey Palmer in the 3rd or Charlie Jones in the 4th/5th. Both have had a tremendous amount of success as a receiver, punt returner, and kick returner and all three were the #1 receiver on their team with no other WR threat and still couldn't be covered. Nixon is a FA so no guarantee he'll be back and I don't think the Packers are entirely sold on him as a punt returner anyway as Cobb was back there last week. Either Palmer or Jones would be a great replacement for Cobb and I think could step in right away and contribute.

2.9bWAR/2.6 fWAR in 2022 in only 248 PAs. 1.3/1.4 in 205 PAs in 2021.

Said the guy living in Atlanta

Over 700 players reportedly entered the portal on Monday. That was just Monday, not including today or grad transfers/coaching changes who entered before Monday. With only 131 FBS teams, you can do the math on how many per team entered. https://twitter.com/JakeAndHoops/status/1600139515372326912?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^1600139515372326912|twgr^|twcon^s1_&ref_url=