bjkrautk

Optimism thread needs more love, especially after confining Hader to sit and watch as the Brewers swept the Padres. Offense has scored 5+ runs daily during the 8-game win streak. Trade deadline acquisitions have been a big part of things. Now keep the streak going against the Cubs!

We tend to forget just how young Jordan Love was when GB drafted him. He's still younger than his rookie backup (24 vs. Clifford is age 25. The NFL Draft is largely about potential, and I don't know that Clifford will be significantly better in 3 years than he is right now. That being said, he seems like a good fit for the offense, which is more important than any concerns he might have been over-drafted in the 5th round (vs. the 7th round / UDFA projection he had going into the draft). Clifford is still the guy who forced 2nd round pick Will Levis to transfer away from Penn State. The sense the offense won't fall apart if Love gets hurt - without having to commit big money to a failed starter from somewhere else - is a better situation than I would have expected. Other observations: Heath is fighting for the team keeping a 6th last WR spot, which is good to see. Will be curious if the Packers try to sneak him through to the practice squad for depth purposes; do they see value in keeping an extra LB for a few weeks while Gary reacclimates to the workload (or if De'Vondre is limited at ILB)? I keep hoping to see Tucker Kraft making plays in the passing game. I know his primary role is blocking, but the opportunity should be there for a 2-way TE after the Davis injury....and the lack of targets is an admittedly a premature concern. Nice to see Brooks and Wooden both flashing potential in the same game. Don't know when I've felt as good about depth on the DL (knock on wood). I don't feel like I have any good read on our safeties, either in who's going to play or in who's any good.

Smooth (...even if it's not that Carlos Santana) Sadly, even average production from 1b/dh would be an upgrade for this team.

Honestly a little surprised the Reds haven't struck a trade going into this series, since it's their last 3 head-to-head games against the Brewers (after losing every other series this season to the Crew).

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/suddenly-bally-sports-wont-airing-171203549.html That is a link to the JS Online story regarding the Padres situation in comparison to the Brewers, including a partial explanation of why the Padres are in a different boat than teams like the Twins, Guardians, etc. (I do not know why JS Online allows some of their stories to show up on Yahoo News, thereby circumventing their own paywall, but I assume a story that is free to read is free to be reposted.)

https://dnyuz.com/2023/05/31/as-cable-model-struggles-m-l-b-takes-over-padres-broadcasts/ Bally (Sinclair) missed their payment to the Padres, so MLB is taking over the broadcast; the on-air talent (including former Brewers prospect Tony Gwynn, Jr.) are being retained by the league. One would have to assume MLB would do likewise if Sinclair defaulted on the Brewers' payments.

I'm assuming that, by extending the contract over 2023 and 2024, the team frees up some cap space for this year....in case they wanted to sign that Amos guy to play safety again (or some similar roster move).

Didn't realize his RAS would be that high. Packers obviously believe in this metric.

The most surprising thing about that run on Edge rushers is that it started with the 15th pick, in part because Green Bay's pick swap allowed Pittsburgh to trade up to 14 and grab the last OT with a first round grade (Broderick Jones). The Packers met with Will McDonald during the pre-draft process (he's from Milwaukee)...but most analysts I read thought it was for the 2nd round. Getting that pick swap in the Rodgers deal meant the Jets didn't get the blocker (for Rodgers) which most pundits thought they would covet; something to watch if #8's sack totals start to rack up in the first few weeks of next season.

Washington / Mayer & Mingo would make the offense look a lot better. Not overwhelmed by the LVN selection (the bench reps at the Combine are at least a question mark), but pass rush is a need with Gary coming off his injury.

It's on page 6 of the thread; here's a direct link to the post.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/peter-skoronski-honors-grandfather-packers-165057709.html Skoronski's Grandfather played for Lombardi, for what it's worth. I would have zero qualms with the Packers drafting him if he falls to 13. I'm not a huge JSN fan myself. For a guy reported to not run a 4.4 40 (he did agility drills during the combine, but not the 40), I think he's at best a 2nd round guy who's being elevated by the not-great draft class at the position. His productivity has largely been a function of playing alongside Wilson and Olave in '22, and Harrison Jr. this year; he's the guy who gets open because teams try to take away the other guys. I don't think he's ever been the best WR on his own team, which makes it touch to see him as the top WR in the class. I was very high on Olave last year, having seen him play over the years....and I never got that same sense from JSN, despite them being on the same team. If there's a guy they like at 13, preferably an Edge or OT, I'm fine with them making the pick. My preference would be to trade down into the high 20s, accumulate additional picks in the 2nd/3rd/4th rounds, looking to fill holes in the roster (TE, Safety, WR depth, and OL / OLB if not addressed in R1).

Can we see the 12 people who "won" the pool?

Honestly, whether Aaron plays in 2024 will have more to do with how he likes playing for the Jets in 2023....which is honestly something we have no control over. The compensation is multiple high picks, which should increase the chances of filling multiple holes in the roster (TE, Safety, Edge, long-term need at OT). Zero cave-in by the Packers front office, which is nice. Would not be at all surprised if they used the extra 2nd as part of a deal to move up and get the TE they covet, particularly if "their guy" falls into the mid-to-late 20s. There's also something to be said about the finality. I will always be thankful to #12 for what he did in a Packers' uniform, but I did not have a high degree of confidence he could get the team back to a Super Bowl in the next few years.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2023/04/21/nfl-suspends-jameson-williams-and-others-for-violating-gambling-policy/ 4 Lions players suspended for gambling, including former Badger WR Quintez Cephus. Cephus, and CJ Moore were released after being suspended for at least 1 season.

Happy Opening Day everyone! Spring Hopes Attorney.

Am I the only one who remembers the old Ueck anecdote about a player arguing a strike call, only to be told "Next one's a strike too."? That's literally what we're seeing in the video; player shows up the umpire, and the umpire gets the last word. Two wrongs don't make a right, but this type of showdown is nothing new.

Never forget that Florio's a Vikings fan.

https://www.si.com/college/2023/03/22/oregon-dana-altman-fan-attendance-nit-wisconsin “You see the commitment that Wisconsin makes with the cheerleaders, the band,” Altman said, per Jarrid Denney. “We make a commitment, don’t get me wrong. But you can just see how important it is to them. It’s important to me. We should have more people here. Alright? I mean, the guys played hard. 3,300 people…that’s not good enough. If it’s me, then get rid of me. If you need somebody else to be a promoter, to do something. But 3,300 people is embarrassing. I’m not in a very good mood, you can tell."

https://www.si.com/nfl/2023/03/20/aaron-rodgers-trade-packers-jets-leverage Andrew Brandt's take on the Rodgers trade negotiations, just to get the discussion back on-track.

Weren't even one of the first four out. Just a disappointing season all-around.

https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/49ers/nfl-rumors-raiders-pursue-jimmy-garoppolo-if-aaron-rodgers-quest-fails?cid=Yahoo&partner=ya4nbcs Hadn't seen a suggestion the Raiders were in on Rodgers prior to this, possibly because the ESPN story is behind their pay-wall. Maybe there's a bidding war we don't know about?

Per an e-mail I've received from the streamer, Women Talking has been added to Amazon Prime from now until Sunday.

Chris Chambers was on both teams as a Freshman at Wisconsin, but he didn't see the court much in Basketball. Tony Gonzalez played in the NCAA tournament for Cal, and had a pretty good career as a football player. I'm sure there are others.

…on the plus side, Chucky drove the lane late, and passed the ball! (Tendency breaker.). Fortunately he also made a big steal at the end of the game, and Essegian took most of the shots from the line late (which explains the percentage). An ugly win is still a win; now get another one this weekend!