CheezWizHed

D-hop trade, yes. Extension... not sure they could do him and Rodgers both. Granted, that might be short term... But you need to acquire talent when you can. I don't think they will ever line up with two TEs 75% of the time unless Sternberger and Tonyan suddenly become very Kittle-like. But I don't think last year is a good indicator of this year either. It normally takes a few years to transform a roster into what you need. That is the main point I was trying to make about the draft. I think they were intentional about getting players that fit the system we want to run. I'm not sure how much of a shift we will see, but if you are running 75% of your plays (MM) with 3+ WRs, you need 4-5 talented WRs plus 2 development types to run a full season. If that decreases to 60%, you can probably get away with 3-4 talented WRs with 1-2 development types. But yeah, if a superstar at any position is available for cheap (ala D-Hop), I'd hope they would grab him anyway. Not like ESB is going to keep a player of that caliber off the field. I'm not saying they didn't try to upgrade the WR spot, but it wasn't the priority others (including me) thought it would be in the offseason.

I'll do my predictions "Clue - The Movie" style with three alternative endings: 1) Vikings put Danielle Hunter on the DL prior to the week 1 meeting with the Packers. The Packers 2019 "luck" continues into 2020. Thus they will go 13-3! 2) The Packers didn't do much in FA filling their WR holes and are left with a mediocre offense. Even superstar Rodgers struggles uncharacteristically. He still hits the occasional home run play, but barely completes 50% of his passes. On the bright side, Rashan Gary breaks out in a big way and starts getting mentions for DPOY. But they finish with a 7-9 record. 3) The Packers start off red hot. They are owners of the #1 offense and #1 defense. Z-Smith is decimating opposing QBs as he is on pace to break the sack record. Teams build a wall of blockers to try to prevent him from getting to the QB, but he wrecks each one like a bowling ball blasting through the pins. Z is the consensus DPOY. However, the league is halted 3/4 of the way through the season due to COVID. The season is resumed, but the team now looks flat. Z-Smith suddenly looks human and the offense comes back down to earth. Even Crosby struggles to knock down his 3pt field goals. The Packers go 13-3 and get the second seed of the playoffs, but lose in the second round to an inferior New Orleans Saints team.

Maybe the Phillies cut him and he comes back to the Brewers. He can be our new KRod.

Well, kind of. I think the scheme will tend to use fewer 3 and 4 WR lineups, so the need for a WR wasn't as significant. Their focus seemed to be more at adding receivers at the TE and RB position (well, we will see if AJ can catch) instead of more WRs. So the WR position is devauled a bit (so it seems by their offseason's actions*), but not necessarily devaluing passing. *noting that I think three things really drove the lack of WR focus in the offseason: Love dropping to them, liking the TE/RB options over the WR options in the 2nd/3rd rounds, and expecting a bigger development from MVS, ESB, and Lazard than "the pundits"(i.e. better options than available in the 5th+round).

One more thought about increased usage of heavy personnel... it will reduce 3 and 4 WR sets, thus reducing the need for WR depth and increasing the need for more TE/HB/RB depth. That doesn't necessarily mean fewer passes, just doing it with fewer WRs on the field more often.

Yes, of course they are going to throw the ball more than they run it. No one insinuated that, especially with Rodgers under center. But they will also be more balanced than under MM. And the main premise of the heavier set personnel is that you can run or pass out of those sets. Obviously, having RBs as Rodger's #2 and #3 targets last year suggest that too. But you are swapping out Graham/Vitale for Sternberger/Deguara which makes for a better rush/pass balance. Graham blocked last year, but it certainly wasn't his forte. Vitale caught some passes, but they never seemed to go anywhere. I think the Packers are trying to go the way of the Brewers (aka Team Versatile) and be less predictable with the personnel they put on the field. I do believe that the Packers also though much more of their WRs then most anyone else (included fans). I'm starting to see why as I did this write up. I do believe MVS was more injured than was let on. He was out there, but his production just dropped off the table. But he was nearly on a 1000 yard rate (of 50 catches) before his injury. Likewise, Lazard really came on late in the season. If both of those guys can play to their potential, they will have a strong top 3 WR core. ESB is almost like a draft pick that comes in knowing the offense already. Both ESB and MVS have top WR size/speed combos, but needed refinement on routes and consistency. Of all people the Packer coaches and GM are going to know if that growth is happening or if they need to look elsewhere.

Khris put up 36 and 23 points against a playoff team while constantly making his own offense while his team stood around and watched. And while said playoff team knew he was their only real offense. Now, he does disappear at times, but perhaps this means more offense should run through him instead of just Giannis.

A lot of 1 and 2 wr sets with 2 te and sometimes 2 rb. I just don't see how our offense is successful unless we run that type of offense. I think this is a key shift in focus that is key to why they didn't invest heavily in the WR position. They DO expect to run many more heavy sets. That is why the investments they made were at TE and RB more than WR. Last year, our top 3 three receivers (by reception) were Adams, Jones, and Williams - who will all be back. Graham and Allison were the 4th and 6th option (38 receptions and 447 yards & 26/452). As much as we liked Kumerow, he put up 12/251 last year which is very replaceable. If Lazard just plays equal to what he did last year, the additional games played would have him go from 35/477 in 11 games to 51/694 in 16 games, which would replace Kumerow. But I also expect him to get many more opportunities. I think a 70/900 season isn't out of the question. MVS was injured in week 7 and did very little the rest of the season. Assuming he could've continued his original pace, he would've finished with 48/951 instead of 26/452. That would replace Allision alone. Between Tonyan, Deguara, and Sternberger, I don't see any problems with improving on Graham's 38/447 plus Tonyan's 10/100. Lewis had 15/156 last year, which he should be able to maintain. ESB put up 21/328 in 2018. So I think he can easily put that up again. Yes, this year's offense is very volatile - TE lost a lot of experience but didn't have much for numbers last year anyway. Lazard, MVS, and ESB are all young and low draft picks. But they should be able to duplicate their numbers pretty easily while still having a lot of upside. It wasn't the big talent boosts we wanted at WR, but unless the o-line becomes wet-tissue paper, I'd really be surprised if they can't exceed last year's offensive numbers.

Perhaps if umps threw out a few parents at little league games people would learn not to be so abusive.

Perhaps if umps threw out a few parents at little league games people would learn not to be so abusive.

I wonder what he needs to sign? I'd imagine he'd be better at MLB than what we have now.

I wonder what he needs to sign? I'd imagine he'd be better at MLB than what we have now.

I'm not sure how the Lions are close. Chicago has a glimmer of hope, but I think last season showed more of their true colors and they didn't really add much this year. I'm thinking it is a neck-and-neck race with the Vikings.

I'm not sure how the Lions are close. Chicago has a glimmer of hope, but I think last season showed more of their true colors and they didn't really add much this year. I'm thinking it is a neck-and-neck race with the Vikings.

Yep ... solid WR. Good size at 6'2", 200 lbs. Has a track record of solid play. Not sure why he fell out of favor last year after looking so good in 2018. And ironically, Kumerow signs with Buffalo's PS. I don't count Kumerow as a surprise cut. I was expecting this early in the offseason. He was maxed out last year at 20 catches and good blocking (for a WR). Time to find someone else with more upside.

Yep ... solid WR. Good size at 6'2", 200 lbs. Has a track record of solid play. Not sure why he fell out of favor last year after looking so good in 2018. And ironically, Kumerow signs with Buffalo's PS. I don't count Kumerow as a surprise cut. I was expecting this early in the offseason. He was maxed out last year at 20 catches and good blocking (for a WR). Time to find someone else with more upside.

These might be the same players that were on the path to 70 wins, but they don't look like the same team.

These might be the same players that were on the path to 70 wins, but they don't look like the same team.

This part should be encouraging.

Yup, this exactly. He ranked #16 on the BF.Net Top 25 before this very season (with only Mr Southpaw having him in the Top 10 at #7). A great of example of why prospect rankings, while informative with proper context, are far from gospel. That #16 was a big come-back for him. Mid-2017 (while recovering from injury), he wasn't in our top-57 (i.e. he received zero top 25 votes).

He also trails Robin by 2 MVP titles! [sarcasm]Would be great if he caught Robin in both categories in two years...[/sarcasm]

This is what I was thinking too. I'm not sure I've seen any of the logos from other fields mentioned here. I thought the White Sox's one was a joke when I first saw it (in this thread).

I only fast between meals...and snacks. Which is generally why I'm not fast...

He is also a good reason not to give up on talent too early. After floundering for several years in the minors, many (myself included) thought he was a bust. Quite a turn-around for the young man!

Giannis might not become as good of a shooter as LeBron, but his 3pt shooting is night and day difference from 2 years ago. You might not quite respect him out there yet, but you can't just let him go either. Not sure where he will be in 2 more years. He is a very hard worker.