LouisEly

I'll echo my comments from the last poll, when you leave out Devin Williams, Orimoloye, McClanahan, Supak, Webb, Suter, Magnifico, Wren, Reed, Garcia, Gideon, Burkhalter, QTC (Torres-Costa), Meyers, McDowell, Ghelfi, and Neuhaus from the top 35, this is a really deep system, even if the 65+ guys aren't there (yet). The second five out: 35) C. Harber 34) J. Yamamoto 33) Z. Brown 32) M. Feliciano 31) J. Perrin The first five out: 30) J. Gatewood 29) Jh. Barrios 28) K. Medeiros 27) C. Burnes 26) M. Harrison The top 25: 25) A. Hauser 24) G. Lara 23) C. Coulter 22) J. Barnes 21) J. Nottingham 20) J. Pennington 19) R. Cordell 18) W-C Wang 17) J. Lopez 16) N. Kirby 15) B. Phillips 14) C. Ponce 13) M. Dubon 12) T. Clark 11) F. Peralta 10) M. Diplan 9) P. Bickford 8) L. Erceg 7) Taylor Williams 6) C. Ray 5) L. Ortiz 4) L. Brinson 3) I. Diaz 2) B. Woodruff 1) J. Hader

This is simply not true. They have won because they spent a lot of resources - both money and prospects - in acquiring and retaining talent, and because they got lucky in a couple of acquisitions and lucky in that those players they invested heavily in stayed healthy. Look at the star players. Only two were drafted - Molina and Matt Carpenter. The rest were acquired via trades or free agents. Molina - 4th round draft pick (Brewers drafted Lucroy in the 3rd round), paid him $81M career to date and owe him an additional $74M, combined $155M committed to him Matt. Carpenter - 13th round draft pick Carlos Martinez - originally signed by Boston as an amateur free agent but contract was voided, should never have been a Cardinal to begin with Matt Holliday - acquired for two first round draft picks and a second round draft pick, given $130+M in salary Wainwright - acquired for J.D. Drew, who was a Cardinal only because he refused to sign with Philadelphia who drafted him the year before, should never have been a Cardinal to begin with; given $130+M in salary Fowler - given $82M in free agency Leake - given $75M in free agency Jh. Peralta - given $53M in free agency Moss - traded former 1st round pick for him Grichuk - acquired via trade Jason Heyward - acquired for former 1st round pick (23-year-old #2-type starter) Lackey - acquired via trade (and took on $15m/year in salary) Yes, they've made a few draft picks that have had a couple of good seasons (S. Miller, Lynn, Garcia, Rosenthal, Piscotty, Wacha; four of them regressed significantly last year and one of them missed the season with injury), but they are hardly the stars of the team. STL has given three players >$130M in contracts and two more players >$75M in contracts. They've traded no less than four former first round draft picks for established major league talent. Essentially they have done the exact opposite of what the people criticizing the original poster of this thread think/want the Brewers to do. Not saying Briggs is right at all. Just saying that the narrative that the Cardinals have built their success on draft picks and development is not true.

Not for the Transactions Rumors forum because I'm not necessarily advocating for signing him, but the Giants DFA'd one of, IMO, if not the most interesting player in the minors, Ray Black. Black has a career 7.2 BB/9. The first thought is, yes, that warrants getting DFA'd. He also has a career 2.40 K:BB ratio. Yes, you read those numbers correctly. He has a career 17.2 K/9. The last two seasons his walk rate has been 9.0, thus the release, but you have to wonder what type of stuff he has to strike out 17/9 and walk 7/9. In 2015 in 25 IP he walked 25 and struck out 51. Drafted in 2011, I assume he missed 2.5 seasons with injuries as he didn't have any stats until 2014, when in 35 innings he gave up 17 hits, walked 16, and struck out 71. I wonder what the average number of pitches thrown per inning for him is.

And neither did Cravy. He said it out loud where media reporters heard him, and the media reporters published it; he didn't say it to Stearns. What if your friends or co-workers published your comments in the media? Cravy didn't Tweet it, he didn't post it to Facebook, he didn't take out an ad in the paper. He said it in the locker room where media reporters heard it, and the media chose to publish it. The media didn't have to publish it; players say many things that reporters don't publish. But reporters chose to publish it (probably because they knew it would get a lot of attention). He's upset because the difference between major league and minor league pay is $2500/day. If he gets called up six weeks from now when someone gets hurt, he missed out on $105,000. And remember, he was lucky if he made $2500/month in minor league ball before he made the majors. I can't understand why people don't think he should be upset. $2500/day is a LOT of money, especially when you put in several years of making very little to try to get to this point. Cravy spent 6.5 years in the minors - making very little money - before his first callup in 2015. Yeah, the majors pay a lot - but the minors don't.

Do you have reporters standing next to you all day listening to - and publishing - everything you say? Didn't think so. Cravy didn't say it publicly, he said it out loud where reporters heard him and then the reporters published it publicly. Cravy didn't Tweet it, didn't post it on Facebook, didn't take out an ad in the paper and publish it - that's saying it publicly. Reporters published it, not him.

Games aren't won or lost based on projections; they are won and lost based on performance. Cravy not only performed better in spring training, he performed (arguably) better (out of the bullpen) than Barnes last season. FIP, IMO, irrationally overvalues home runs. Cravy last year gave up three home runs; two were in the Great American Bandbox to Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips, the other was at Colorado to Charlie Blackmon (who hit 35 last year). (Barnes gave up one HR, at home to Jose Lobaton.) That, IMO, is going to irrationally inflate Cravy's ZIPs projections.

JimH5, your two posts on this page are spot-on. For those who are playing the "go get a 9-5 job and see how hard it is" card: 1) I guarantee that you (complain) about your job and your boss out loud at work B) but you don't have reporters sitting at your desk listening to every word you say, especially after you've been told that you've been passed over for a promotion by other people, some of whom you've outperformed, 3) the difference between you getting promoted and not promoted isn't $2500/day, 4) and remember that until he had major league experience he was probably making a lot less money that you were. Minor league baseball - for players with no major league experience - isn't exactly known for exorbitant salaries.

The difference between major league and minor league salary is $2500/day. Give Cravy a break. If you perform better than several of your colleagues and they get a promotion and not you, they probably make $5000-10,000/year more than you. That's 2-4 days of MLB salary differential. If the difference between a promotion and not a promotion is $2500/day, you'd say some irrational things too. And you, as a teacher, were making a lot more than he was when he was in the minors before he had major league experience. For your careers, to this point, you might very well be ahead in salary.

Everyone says dumb things in the heat of the moment - don't tell us you never have. If you outperformed several of your colleagues and they got promoted and you didn't, you'd say some irrational things too. Milone was terrible last year - made Garza look like an ace. And he was terrible this spring. What has Milone done to earn a job? Keeping veterans for veterans sake - is this 2012?

Shocked that Cravy didn't make the team. Not just spring, but he was great out of the bullpen last year - over 86 PAs as a reliever he had a .452 OPS-A (small sample, but he performed). I kind of understand that you can't send Jungmann to Colorado Springs - it's either the majors or AA. But Cravy not making the team, and keeping Milone over Suter (who had a .459 OPS-A as a reliever last year - also small sample, but he performed), were both questionable decisions. If I'm another GM who needs a couple of cheap bullpen pieces, I'm calling Stearns right now to see if Cravy and Suter can be had for cheap.

Looking at the All-Pro CBs from this past year, the highest that any of them were drafted was #20 overall (Talib). Hayward and Jenkins were 2nd round picks, and Butler, Grimes, and Bouye were UDFAs. Richard Sherman was a 5th round pick, etc., etc. Odds are better the higher you draft, but I don't know that the cost of moving up in the first is worth the expected reward, especially in a deep draft. One thing to support a trade-up though is with Jones' and Moreau's injures the upper level depth has thinned which may push some guys up. If CB was the only need, maybe. But given the number of free agents who left and holes that need to be filled (CB, G, OLB, RB, and ILB is pretty mediocre), coupled with the depth of CB, I don't think this is the year to do it. If Witherspoon is still available mid-3rd, or Wilson or Griffin is still available mid-4th, you pull the trigger to move up if it only costs you a 5th. The draft is really deep at CB. Where guys are likely to go: 1st: Lattimore, Humphrey, Conley, White, maybe Jackson 2nd: K. King, Tankersley, Awuzie, Q. Wilson, maybe Witherspoon, Moreau 3rd: Lewis, D. King, Sutton, H. Wilson, Douglas, Griffin, Myrick, likely Jones, maybe Tabor Roughly 100 picks in the first three rounds, and potentially 20 of them CBs. That's a pretty deep draft.

(Note: I checked with a moderator who was active on Lambeauleap.net and he directed me to post this here.) Those (few) of you who were active on Lambeauleap.net know that it’s that time of year – time for my annual Green Bay Packers draft preview and predictions post. Last year was a good year, having hit on Spriggs, Fackrell, and Lowry (none in the correct rounds, but I did call the Packers trading up for Spriggs in the 2nd round) and even hit on Peter Mortell as a UDFA. Let’s get after it. 1st Round: T.J. Watt, OLB, Wisconsin – the criticism of Watt was that while he had a great season and was new to OLB he’s a one year wonder. Sound familiar? JJ said his younger brother was the better athlete in the family, and T.J. proved it when he owned the combine. He was considered a mid-2nd round pick until shining at the combine; now he’s projected to be a late 1st. Loads of potential here, as Watt didn’t start playing OLB until August of 2015 (he missed spring practice that year with an injury), he fills a need, and could easily be BPA. Despite CMIII and Perry having big contracts, you need more than two OLB so they are fresh late in games, and a good pass rush can make average CBs look a lot better when QBs only have three seconds or less. (Replaces Julius Peppers) If he’s still available: Gaeron Conley, CB, Ohio State – up until the combine he was my pick, but given his excellent performance at the combine, Sidney Jones’ injury, and Teez Tabor’s lackluster performance at the combine I think he will push up the board and be gone. Good speed, above average length, allowed just 37% completion rate of passes thrown his way. Press corner who can crowd and trail, which is what the Packers want their corners to do. Don’t be surprised if it’s: Adoree Jackson, CB, USC – if you’re looking for a playmaker with speed at CB, he’s your guy. One of the best athletes in college football, he adds value as a returner (scored four times on special teams) and can sneak in on a few offensive plays. Smallish, but that didn’t stop the Packers from drafting Randall (5’11”). Has great pattern recognition and closing speed to make the INTs (5 in 2016). Still learning CB, and if he was 2” taller he’d be a top-10 pick. 2nd Round: Dan Feeney, G, Indiana – while TT mostly thinks that guards are replaceable, he’s gone this high for a guard before when in need (Daryn Colledge). Losing Lang and Tretter this year, on top of Sitton last year, and with Taylor a FA after next year, the need for interior OL reinforcements is high. Tough guy with lots of experience and a very good pass blocker (only one sack given up in his first three seasons at guard) with short-area quickness, just what the Packers love at guard. Indiana has had great RB production the last four years, and he’s a big reason why. (Replaces T.J. Lang) If he’s still available: D’Onta Foreman, RB, Texas – replace Eddie Lacy with… Eddie Lacy? Big back (6’, 233) who shed a few lbs for the combine and their pro day but has great athleticism – ran a sub-4.50 at their pro day, and also looked good in passing drills. Would present matchup problems the way Lacy did – when the Pack runs an 11 formation (3 WRs) it forces the defense to play nickel; when that happens, and the OL and FB/TE execute their blocks, you end up with DBs trying to tackle him. The issue with Lacy wasn’t production – when he was healthy he was very effective; he just wasn’t healthy. Don’t be surprised if it’s: Ahkello Witherspoon, CB, Colorado – this is a deep CB class and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Pack go for one in the first two rounds, but it’s hard to guess which one. Witherspoon is a riser who has outstanding size (6’3”) and on top of that posted a 40” vertical and 4.45 speed at the combine. Questionable ball skills but still learning the game, he only played one year of HS football (and was 5’8” – grew to 6’3” by the end if his freshman year of college). Needs to spend some time in the weight room, but only 26% completion rate against him in 2016. 3rd Round: Howard Wilson, CB, Houston – there will be talented corners still available in the 3rd round, and Wilson will likely be one of them. Ballhawk who averaged one interception every 15 targets despite only one year as a starter. Average straight-line speed but great agility as he posted some of the top 3-cone and 20-yard shuttle times at the combine with a good burst towards the ball. Willing tackler but needs some time in the weight room. Might not have been fully recovered from his 2015 ACL surgery. (Replaces Sam Shields) If he’s still available: Chris Wormley, DE, Michigan –very good athlete who may be able to stand up a la Peppers and play the elephant. Prototypical 5-technique, good technician, very agile with good pursuit speed (ran 4.82 at their pro day), and can bump inside as a pass rusher. Great leader with high character, excellent locker room presence. Don’t be surprised if it’s: Anthony Walker, ILB, Northwestern – when 105 tackles, 10 TFL, 5 passes defensed, and 1 INT is a down year, you know you’re good. Excellent all-around ILB who posted one of the best 40-times at the combine. Outstanding character and leader. The Pack needs some depth at ILB, particularly when it comes to a pass coverage ILB. 4th Round: Aaron Jones, RB, UTEP – finished fourth in FBS with 1700 rushing yards, but what stands out to me is his 7.7 yards/carry and that during all four of his seasons (one cut short to foot injury) he broke a run for >70 yards, and during 3 of the 4 seasons broke a run for >80 yards. Decent straight line speed but excellent change of direction runner, he was one of the top performers at the combine in the 3-cone, 20-yard shuttle, and 60-yard shuttle (as well as 37” vertical). Adequate receiver who caught 28 passes last season. (Replaces Eddie Lacy) If he’s still available: Isaac Asiata, G, Utah – strong, nasty, good lateral movement for a big guy, can play either guard spot or center. TT likes to grab interior linemen in the 4th & 5th rounds. Don’t be surprised if it’s: Eddie Vanderdoes, DT, UCLA – former 5-star recruit started as a true freshman and was a freshman All-American. Just dominated his first game as a junior (8 tackles, 2 TFL vs. Virginia) but tore his ACL. May not have fully recovered last year, seemed overweight and wasn’t productive, but showed at the combine his athleticism might be back. Great strength, huge hands, can play nose and hold the point, but also a better pass rusher than his numbers indicate. 5th Round: Sean Harlow, G, Oregon State – played LT the last two years but lack of length will push him inside. Tough – came back from broken leg his junior year. Practiced at every position on the line including extensively at center. With the losses of Lang and Tretter, and with Taylor a FA next year, I would not be surprised if the Pack double dips in the interior OL, and TT likes to find them in the 4th and 5th rounds. (Replaces J.C. Tretter) If he’s still available: Davis Webb, QB, Cal – the Packers will need to figure out what to do with Hundley as he will be a FA soon. Webb first unseated Baker Mayfield at Texas Tech (causing Mayfield to transfer) but was then displaced by Patrick Mahomes and transferred to Cal as a graduate where he threw for 4300 yards, 37 TDs, and 12 INTs. Good athlete for his size, good developmental prospect. Don’t be surprised if it’s: Vince Biegel, OLB, Wisconsin – TT personally attended UW’s pro day, and both of UW’s OLBs are good fits for what the Packers do. Had very good workout numbers at the combine and pro day, and looked decent in pass coverage drills. 5th Round (comp pick): Pita Taumoepenu, OLB, Utah – somewhat miscast as a pass-rush DE, he has excellent quickness and athleticism (one of the top 40 and 3-cone drill times for LBs). I watched some of his tape and he really fires off the ball. Will need to learn OLB, and for some reason didn’t start much, but was very productive (9 TFL and 7 sacks in only 4 starts in 11 games). (Replaces Datone Jones) If he’s still available: Vincent Taylor, DT, Oklahoma State – excellent penetrator who is lightning quick off the ball, and used that skill to put up 13 TFL and 7 sacks last year… and led the nation with four blocked kicks. Concerns about being top-heavy and lateral quickness/balance, but he can get in the backfield. Don’t be surprised if it’s: Nate Hairston, CB, Temple – converted WR who moved to CB his junior year, he’s still learning the position but has good size (6’, 196 lbs), decent speed, and upside. 6th Round: An inside linebacker They need depth at the position as Morgan Burnett was playing ILB in some packages by the end of the season. If they need a thumper in run support, Marcus Oliver, ILB, Indiana, forced nine fumbles over the last two seasons and had 15.5 TFL last year. If they need a coverage guy, Jayon Brown, ILB, UCLA is a smaller, speedier ILB who broke up 6 passes and intercepted three last year in addition to making 120 tackles. The best of both worlds might be Keith Brown, ILB, Western Kentucky. One year starter but it was a good one – 131 tackles, 13 TFL, 6 sacks, 9 passes defensed, 2 interceptions. (Competes with Jordan Tripp) 7th round: Josh Tupuo, DT, Colorado – the Packers don’t have much patience for guys who are suspended, and Guion’s suspension might put him on the outside looking in. Tupuo is a big body who plugs the middle with decent pursuit, even if he doesn’t offer much as a pass rusher. (Competes with Letroy Guion, Brian Price) If he’s still available: Elijah McGuire, RB, Louisiana-Lafayette – tough runner between the tackles with low pad level and good forward lean, can also make guys miss and maneuver through the weeds; 100 career receptions for 1145 yards Don’t be surprised if it’s: DeAngelo Yancey, WR, Purdue – TT can’t keep his hands off WRs, and Yancey is a vertical threat who averaged 19.4 ypc as a senior and 16.6 ypc for his career; 1650 receiving yards the last two years combined despite the lousy QB play at Purdue says he’s good. Ran upper 4.4s at their pro day. If he isn’t drafted, look for him to be one of GB’s priority FAs. UDFAs James Connor, RB, Pitt – famous for coming back from Hodgkin’s disease, he’s another bigger back with incredible toughness – physical and mental. Might be a poor man’s D’onta Foreman without having to invest a high draft pick. Kai Nacua, S, BYU – playmaker who totaled 12 INTs over the last two seasons, ran a 4.50 and posted a 39” vertical at their pro day Gunner Kiel, QB, Cincinnati – has NFL arm strength but injuries and poor decision-making limited his performance; needs to be in a no-pressure situation where he can heal, watch, and learn Jhajuan Seales, WR/DB, Oklahoma State – got in a little trouble with a public intoxication arrest at OSU (lucky it wasn’t a DUI) and not terribly productive but incredibly athletic, measured 6’1, 206, and ran a 4.37 with 20 reps on the bench and a 41.5” vertical at their pro day – I’d like to see the Packers do what they did with Herb Waters and Sam Shields and try to convert those measurables into a CB. Evan Goodman, G, Arizona State – played LT for ASU but lack of length will push him inside. Great quickness and agility, above average pass blocker, needs to get nastier if moved inside. Winston Kraig, DE, Richmond – posted 11 TFL and 7.5 sacks his senior year Corey Vereen, OLB, Tennessee – notched 21 TFL and 10.5 sacks over last two seasons as a DE Deon-Tay McManus, WR/RB, Marshall – played WR but at 6’, 226, is eerily similar to Montgomery and might take the same path in the pros and move to RB, 100 receptions in three seasons Riley Sorensen, C, Washington State – need to find a backup center, Sorensen has size to play guard if needed Anthony Nash, WR, Duke – senior season cut short by injury and never terribly productive (less than 1000 career receiving yards), but great size (6’4”, 211) and ran a 4.38 at their pro day Taylor Reynolds, CB, James Madison – good size and combined for 30 passes defensed over last two seasons Michael Clark, WR, Marshall – the Packers had scouts at Marshall’s pro day, and Clark checked in at 6’5.5”, 217, and ran a 4.50; played only one season at Marshall after transferring from St. Francis Folarin Orimolade, ILB, Dartmouth – 27 of his 119 total tackles his junior and senior season and 35 of his career 143 tackles were for losses, seven passes defensed over last two seasons as well Paul Boyette, DT, Texas – better junior year, but combined for 13.5 TFL over junior and senior seasons Torren McGaster, CB, Vanderbilt – three-year starter with decent size, not much for ball skills but 23 passes defensed over his last two seasons against tough SEC competition Mitchell Kirsch, OT, James Madison – small school project Wyatt Houston, TE, Utah State – TE is pretty well set, camp depth and potential special teamer Rigoberto Sanchez, P/K, Hawaii – averaged 45 yards/punt over two seasons and made 21 of 24 field goals

Tyrone Perry showing up weighing 300 lbs didn't help his cause. Surprised about Lambson, he pitched well the last two years.

I've posted this somewhere before, but a possible middle ground that still "teaches someone how to fish" is to give them a small expense account at the beginning of the year - say, $500 - and then have certain eligible expenses that they can submit with receipts for reimbursement to refill that account. Just like in the business world, when I go on trips I have to submit receipts to get reimbursed for my eligible expenses, teach students that skill and learn to be accountable for your expenses. If you have an eligible expense you use the money in the expense account to pay for it and then submit the receipt to refill the account. Money out, submit receipt, money back in. Groceries - check ($40/week limit, they already have a meal plan that covers most of their meals). One plane ticket per year to see your family - check. One laptop at the beginning of your freshman year - check. Tattoos - nope. Alcohol - nope. Concert tickets - nope. You have the $500 as essentially fun money for the year. Receipt submissions are randomly audited (just like in the business world) and violations of policy have consequences. As far as date money... please. As others have said, they have no problems courting women. I do think that coaches salaries should be capped to somewhat level the playing field. Yes, they can go to the pros and make more money... but there's only 30 of those jobs available, with only about 5-7 opening up each year (and they are competing against pro assistants for those), so there isn't going to be some mass exodus of talented college coaches leaving for the pros.

What's missing from this debate is the fact that every starting pitcher with any type of "track record" on the trading block has a contract well into the seven figures if not eight figures. Guerra is still pre-arb; he's not just under control for five more seasons, he's essentially league minimum for this season and next. Anyone can take on his contract - anyone. Unlike every available starting pitcher with a "track record" there is zero financial risk with acquiring him. There is performance risk with everyone, but whether it is Garza or Sale or whomever else is available there is financial risk in the acquisition in addition to performance risk. Prospects have performance risk, but they have value because they have no financial risk. Guerra washing out 3-4 years from now when he hits 35 is no different than the average prospect who washes out at 27 because he isn't good enough.

Sort of. Because the cap carries over, if they had used the $8M in 14 (assuming a multi-year deal) they would have only been $2M over in 15 and 16, so it is only one player.

Oregon had two fouls to give - if they tried to get it down low they would have fouled on the pass and Michigan wouldn't have been able to get a shot off. I'm surprised that Oregon let them get that close to the 3-point line without fouling.

The Packers need depth at ILB. By the end of last season Burnett was playing ILB on some packages. I wouldn't say that Ryan, Martinez, or Thomas are anything more than league average. Brown is a guy I'd go after. So is Jonathan Hankins (and let Guion and his suspension walk).

With Duane Wilson stating he will graduate and transfer, that's another Buzz recruit that has left the program under Wojo and the last Buzz recruit left in the program. While Wojo was hired in April of 2014, his first recruiting class was 2015 so next year's freshmen will be only his third recruiting class. Now they have three open scholarships for next season. Hopefully they can find another Reinhart and a PF as graduate transfers. They also need a guard in their recruiting class.

Yes, Duke has won a couple of national championships, including beating the Badgers a couple of years ago. But for an elite program they sure have a hard time making it out of the first round, much less to the Sweet 16. Mercer anyone? Or how about Lehigh? I count at least four times in the last 10 seasons they have been 3 seeds or higher and not made it to the Sweet 16 (with two of those dropping first round games).

Unfortunately I don't think UW matches up well with Nova. Nova has quickness and length at guard, with some long arms to get into the passing lanes. They also like to run a half-court press/trap, which UW does not do well with. If UW can get the ball down low to Happ and Hayes they have a decent chance, but Nova does a really good job of keeping the ball from getting down low on them.

The Badgers have made the Final Four as an 8 seed before. Time to do it again.

They listed the house on Friday and had two offers before the open house on Saturday. Went to the open house on Saturday and during the 15 minutes I was there at least 15 other people walked through. 30 minutes into the open house the listing agent was almost out of brochures. My realtor said she has never seen an open house like that. They set a cutoff for best offers by 5pm Sunday and accepted an offer Sunday night (not mine which was list price). Found another place on line on Sunday that had been up for six days. Contacted my realtor, she called... and was told they had multiple offers and had a cutoff at noon on Sunday (it was 1:30pm). Wow. Housing is not a bad place to be now.

Welp, Lang to the Lions. Not entirely surprised as he is from suburban Detroit and had a bit of a bad taste in his mouth after the Packers cut Sitton last year. The plan at this point must be Bulaga to RG and Spriggs to RT. The one guy not being talked about that would make for a good sign is Dontari Poe. With Guion suspended for the first four games he loses a lot of value. A DL of Poe, Clark, and Daniels would be pretty darned good and help shore up the run defense.

That's what Cook gets for screwing around trying to squeeze more money out of the Packers. Free agency risk is a two-way street and Cook may have just cost himself a shot a playing for a Super Bowl contender. You try for too much and you can be replaced. I think that Lang - and the general idea of keeping Rodgers upright - is their highest priority and what they are waiting on. That being said, and I've said this several times, my biggest criticism of TT is not using late round draft picks - that rarely amount to anything more than a backup - to fill holes. You can't tell me that last year the Colts wouldn't have parted with Vontae Davis for a conditional 6th or 7th round pick to shore up the Packers hole at CB. Re: Patriots - I'm not sure what they've done is really better. Giving up a 1st and 3rd for a WR? Giving $40M guaranteed to Gilmore when Janoris Jenkins got $28.5M last year and one of the best CB draft classes of all time approaching? Not sure about that. If the Packers can use the remaining cap space to bring Lang back and secure a mid-level CB, ILB, or DT I think they'll have done fairly well for only $30M in cap space. Lots of teams had more than that to work with.