LouisEly

Yep, outside of Mike Daniels the rest of the leaders on the team (Rodgers, CMIII, Williams, Bulaga, Bak, Cobb, Perry) are lead by example guys, and several of them won't be around next year. Brown is the type of guy who needs to get X number of targets a game to not be a malcontent. Rodgers has always been a spreader - it's fairly common that the Packers have 7/8 guys who catch passes in a game and only once this decade have the Packers had two 1000 yard receivers in a season. I don't know that Brown is going to get enough balls to not be a malcontent. Brown is going to expect to be the guy wherever he goes, and he isn't going to be the guy in Green Bay - that's Adams. I don't know that Brown can handle not being the guy. Along that note, the Packers do need to bring a couple of free agents that are locker room leaders.

So... random thoughts on Grandal. 1) http://forum.brewerfan.net/viewtopic.php?p=1185070#p1185070 B) Maybe the plan all along was for Kratz to mentor Nottingham at AAA this year, and to find another catcher on a one-year deal. 3) I have yet to see anyone correctly retroactively project Grandal's 2018 numbers based on his spray charts. In order to retroactively project his 2018, you need two components: 1 - Take his home spray chart except for games against the Brewers and apply it to Miller Park's dimensions 2 - Keep the rest of his stats the same as those won't change. Everything I see is applying his spray chart for all games to Miller Park, but only 81 of his games would have been played there.

Jared Cook... imagine that. How much did they blow combined on Bennett and Graham?

Remember, they will have somewhere around $50M in cap space, maybe a little more if they can restructure Graham and Perry. The draft isn't the only place to source starters. This draft is so deep at DL and to a slightly lesser extent OLB/Edge - and fairly weak at OT and to a lesser extent OG - that I think they go DL/OLB early because they will likely be the positions with the BPA and go the free agent route to shore up OG. There is a lot of depth in free agent OG's too, and the supply/demand could work in their favor and the better value could be OG in FA. Pass rushers and defensive linemen cost a lot more in free agency than guards. I could see an OT early to (hopefully) develop for a year, but don't want to reach for one just for the sake of spending a high draft pick on an OT.

Regardless of how seriously determined and focused the aquatic mammals, I think the Brewers did well in this trade. Or intents and purposes

Yep. Walsh's field goal was only 27 yards, and missed it by 10 feet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HSvWf4R5DY Holder didn't put the laces out.

The question isn't whether they get pushed around, the question is whether they get pushed around more than the average team. Not trying to be condescending, but how many other teams have you watched as much as the Packers? If the answer is "none", then I don't see how you can definitively tell that they are worse than average. What PFF is giving you is a ranking, not a grade. Rankings are exactly that - they only tell you relative placement. Sometimes they only give you the tallest midget.

I liked Broxton and thought he had value, but I didn't think he had this much value. I might have taken Wahl straight up for Broxton. Looks like Wahl used his first option in 2018 and has two remaining. Hill has some upside. Hopefully he can make some mechanical adjustments to bring the walks down. His BB rate increased every year at South Carolina. Jason Rogers - the 32nd round draft pick gift that keeps on giving.

Dozier has a career OBP of .324. He walks at a decent rate - just under 10% for his career - but is not someone I would call an "OBP guy".

I loved Larry Walker as a player - he was one of my favorites - but he spent so much time in Colorado, and his career splits show that it buoyed his numbers: Home: .348/,431/.637 Away: .278/.370/.495 I do wonder what could have been if he hadn't has as many injuries - only once in his career did he play more than 150 games in a season. His 1997-1999 seasons were pretty incredible. His peak seasons were age 27-34, exactly what they should have been, so it seems like he was clean of PEDs. Maybe that helps him. Edgar Martinez, however... 60% of his games as a DH, peak seasons age 32-38, highest HR total at age 37. I can't get behind him.

David Edwards has declared for the NFL draft. Really surprised by this, as he did not have a good season. PFF graded him as the #41 RT this past season. Hopefully he got a top-3 round grade from the NFL advisory committee and isn't doing this on his own without external input.

The Packers are going to interview at least 10 candidates. No reason to get worked up over the first few. Cross Lincoln Riley off the list - he signed a contract extension today.

Some interesting names on that list. If the Packers don't think that Spriggs is the answer, Bobbie Massie is a guy I'd look at for RT. Never hurts to steal from a division rival. Jerald Veldheer and Ty Sambraillo are other names I'd look at, with Veldheer as a starter and Sambraillo as depth/competition for Spriggs. Rodger Saffold is a guy who could instantly solidify RG. If I'm reading it correctly, as part of a restructure Iupati's last year on his contract voids, making him a free agent; I haven't watched ARI this year, but I'd be interested in seeing if he has anything left in the tank like Jahri Evans. Andy Levitre was hurt this year and missed all but two games; he'd be a guy to bring in for 1-2 years for Madison to learn behind. Same with Zane Beadles or James Carpenter. Lots of options at guard. Kyle Emmanuel is a guy I wanted the Packers to draft. He hasn't put up sack numbers because they play in a 4-3, but he may be a better 3-4 OLB than 4-3 OLB. If the Packers move on from Perry I'd be all for bringing him in. And, of course, taking Anthony Barr from the Vikings would be a coup. Earl Thomas is my #1 free agent target; he'll be costly, but they'll have ~$50M in cap room. Landon Collins is my #2 free agent target, but the Giants could and may likely franchise him. Kenny Vaccaro is another option at safety. Antione Exum is a guy I wanted the Packers to draft; he'd be a solid depth signing.

I take a little different look at the roster, not so much on individual players but overall need at the position on a 0-10 scale. Also, with a projected ~$50M in cap space, the draft is not the only place to look for players. I think there are 2-3 positions where they need a veteran much more than a rookie. Number in parenthesis indicates need on scale of 0-10. Offense: QB (4): Need for a starter – 0. Need for a backup – 8. I want to believe in Kizer and give him time to develop, but he looked awful. Given that both he and Hundley looked awful, maybe this is an offense that only Rodgers can run? Silver lining – if the Packers have another bad year, they could be in position to draft Herbert in 2020. RB (3): Aaron Jones is the best back they’ve had in a long time and is a legitimate threat, and Williams has shown flashes. They could use a 3rd down pass-catching threat, but that’s pretty far down the list of needs. FB (2): If they didn’t keep Rip on the roster last season, they don’t need one, and they’re fairly easy to find a la Vitale. TE (8): Maybe TEs are a little overvalued, but if you have a good one, they can be a weapon. Regardless, Graham may be a cap casualty, and Lewis and Kendricks are free agents and there’s nothing compelling about either; Tonyan could be the only one back. WR (5): The bad news – there are a lot of question marks here, and Cobb is a free agent. The good news – Kumerow is the oldest returning player at 27 next season and Adams just turned 26; there is youth and the potential to develop, and the youth have shown flashes (except for perhaps Moore, yet). This is a position where I’d like them to bring in a veteran as rookies have a long learning curve. I’d love to bring Cobb back at a reasonable salary (1/$6M), or another veteran who can pick up the offense quickly and give the young guys time to learn the position. Adams, Allison, FA/Cobb, MV-S, ESB, Kumerow, Moore is a nice, young set. Allison is a RFA though, and someone could make him expensive to resign. OT (7): If you believe PFF’s grading, Spriggs has graded out as above average when he has played. Bulaga could be a cap casualty though as he has missed 13 games over the last two years and could free up $6.75M in cap space. Even if they believe in Spriggs as a starter, he’s a free agent after next year, as is Bulaga. Depth is needed, and protecting Rodgers is a priority. OG (6): Murphy has said that they expect Madison to be back with the team next year, but he has had no mini or training camp, so he will be starting from scratch as a rookie. If he's back, a veteran FA on a 1-2 year deal is preferred. If Madison doesn’t come back, this jumps to a 9. Bell was a nice stop-gap, but not a long-term solution and is a free agent; neither are Patrick or McCray. If they get the opportunity to find the next Lang/Sitton in the 4th or 5th round, they need to seize it. C (3): Linsley is one of the better ones in the game. But he does get expensive in 2020 and may not be worth $10M. Defense: DL (6): I think Wilkerson’s injury hurt them a lot. Daniels and Clark are stars, but Daniels is a FA after next season; his value is in the locker room and as a leader but may not be worth $10M+/year. Lowry and Lancaster are adequate depth, but with a bumper crop of DL in this draft class, and with Adams showing little so far, I think they invest a draft pick here simply based on value. Wilkerson is an example of the type of starter they can get in free agency for $5M-$6M/year with their cap room, and if his medicals check out, I’d love to have him back. OLB (9): Matthews is a FA, and while I think Perry will be back next year (hopefully on a restructured deal for a lower cap hit), he isn’t long for the team and is too injury-prone to rely on. Fackrell isn’t a Pro-Bowler, he isn’t Matthews, but he is a more than adequate starter. I will be shocked if they don’t draft an OLB in the first three rounds, if not two over the entire draft. ILB (5): Martinez is developing into a Pro Bowl-caliber LB. However, it’s strange that Burks saw little of the field at the end of the season. Regardless, they have no depth here. Ryan is a free agent, and if his knee injury robbed him of any speed he won’t be an adequate backup much less starter. CB (4): They have a nice young core of Alexander, King, Jackson, Brown, and Breeland. Redmond was a 3rd round pick by SF two years ago; he’s only 25 as well. That being said, Jackson’s long term home may be FS, and CBs are like starting pitching – you can never have enough good ones. FS (9): This is the other position I’d like them to invest in a free agent. Bring in a veteran who can help Jamerson learn the position. Maybe Josh Jackson is the long-term solution but will need time to learn the position behind a veteran as well. Brice should be a SS, not a FS; he blew too many coverages back there. SS (5): I want to believe in Josh Jones, but it is troubling that he wasn’t starting. Maybe he can make the jump. Brice should be a SS, not a FS. It wouldn’t hurt to bring in a veteran to teach – and push – Jones. Special teams: K (6): Crosby is good but is probably not worth $4.85M. I’d prefer they bring in another kicker for <$2.5M and apply the remaining cap elsewhere. P (0): Scott at one point late in the season led the league in hang time and return %. Yardage/punt is deceptive as it doesn’t tell you how often they were trying to pin the other team inside the 15 or how often they were trying to flip the field. In the Seattle game they were pinned deep in their own territory, and Scott hit a 67-yard punt. He’s good. LS (2): Bradley is adequate.

I'd argue that they are in need of depth at ILB. Even if Burks makes a big jump, they have nobody behind them. If you believe PFF's grading, Spriggs has graded above average when he has played. He didn't look good against Mack, but Mack has made just about everyone who has tried to block him look bad. There's a reason the Bears are paying him $23M/year. Depth is needed, but I don't think you draft a RT at #12. I'd rather they go Allen or Polite. If both of those guys are gone, try to trade down a few spots and grab Clelin Ferrell or one of the DTs. Try to get a RT in free agency. They are being hurt by Herbert going back to school. He would likely have gone before #12, sliding someone further down. I really hope Josh Allen is still available, but I think he'll be gone by #8 much less #12. I'm warming on Polite, who led the nation in forced fumbles in addition to being 7th in sacks. There's some depth at edge rusher in this draft. They can get guys like Jaylon Ferguson, Oshane Ximines, Joe Jackson, and Kenny Willekes in the 2nd or 3rd round if they don't get one in the first.

Let's not underestimate this - the cap room they have. Look what the Bears were able to do with cap room - Allen Robinson ($14M/year), Akiem Hicks ($12M/year), Trey Burton ($8M/year), Danny Trevathan ($7M/year), Prince Amukamara ($9M/year), Taylor Gabriel ($6M/year). That's six starters for $50M/year. If my calculations based on SportTrack's figures are correct, if they cut a few guys (Bulaga, Tramon Williams, Crosby, Graham) they could have $68M in cap space clear up. Factoring in contract raises (Rodgers - $6M, Linsley - $3.3M, Bakhtiari - $3M, Allison - RFA), they will probably be sitting at a little over $50M. Graham is the tough one. In isolation, I can't see him back for $12.66M in cap hit - if they release him he will count $7.33M in dead cap but save $5.33M. On the other hand, Lewis and Kendricks are free agents, and if Graham is gone then the only returning TE is Tonyan. Maybe they can restructure his deal and give him $6M guaranteed for 2019 with nothing guaranteed for 2020, bringing his cap hit down to $9.66M, with the plan to fully release him after 2019 and counting only $3.66M dead cap against 2020. Maybe they can do the same thing with Nick Perry - give him $8M guaranteed for 2019, reducing his cap hit from $14.7M to $11.7M ($11.1M is his dead cap if they release him). Based on their 2018 performances, those are salaries that are likely higher than they will get as free agents if they are released, making it appealing for both sides.

Purely answering the question, there was a comment in an article back in early October that mentioned that the Packers were "expecting" Madison to be a part of their team next year. There is no reason to revisit this until mini camp, which is almost five months away. Lots of things can happen in five months.

What I have heard is that he is not in consideration, and that they plan on interviewing at least 10 candidates. No reason to get worked up over any early interviewees.

Minnesota has started a UDFA and a 5th round pick at WR all season. They've combined for over 2300 yards receiving and 17 TDs, not including today's game.

They were also facing a really good defense. Miami is #1 in the nation in passing defense, 9th in the nation in sacks, 13th in the nation in INTs, 24th in rushing defense.

And one of those teams wanted to be there and the other one didn't.

He's against the playoff expanding because it means he will have to win an additional game against a top 8 opponent to win a national championship. I hypothesized earlier that an additional game means less of a chance of winning a national championship and increasing the risk of injury, thus increasing the chance of elite players skipping the playoff games.

Whoever at ESPN wanted to get in three meaningless bowl games today, including squeezing in the Academy Sports & Outdoors Texas Bowl matchup of Baylor vs. Vanderbilt before the evening Sports Center.

Complete opposite. As someone who recently graduated from UW-Madison's full time MBA program with a GPA of 3.93, I am intimately familiar with the level of effort needed to study for finals to achieve a good GPA. I can also attest that one of the reasons I could achieve that GPA was because the level of stress for school - even an advanced degree - was nothing compared to what I have experienced in my career and life. If given the choice of studying for finals or having your job eliminated in a restructuring, being fired for addressing something that you felt was unprofessional and unethical, having a CEO publicly criticize you and your colleagues on conference calls, two job searches in less than a year in a line of work in which you have limited experience, not selling your house before you have to relocate and paying double housing costs for five months, making the decision to go back to school full-time (and no income for over two years) and switch careers at the age of 40, having your boss's boss call you into his office and ask you to make a career (and geography) switch that you weren't interested in or planning on, and many other things, I'll take studying for finals in a heartbeat. I admitted that it's a bit of "get off my lawn", but I don't think that today's 20-somethings have been taught how to deal with adversity. Like two weeks ago when my 20-something neighbors had their car window smashed and were so shocked that they literally did not know what to do. I had to tell them to call the police because they'll need a police report for their insurance and so that the crime statistics reflect actual crime in the neighborhood.

Several years ago, UW started bring in "therapy dogs" to campus libraries to help with stress during finals. I'm sorry, but if you think finals are stressful to the point where you need a therapy dog, you will have a very rude awakening when you get into the real world. #getoffmylawn