HiAndTight

In this clip, Cecil honestly looks like he'd be lucky to be 185# dripping wet with his pads on knowing how short he is...He looks like a highschooler compared to players today, even just comparing the safety position. Guys that size in today's NFL run sub 4.4 40s to even have a shot at being on a roster where there's skill position speed everywhere and pass-heavy offenses. Cecil ran a 4.77. The era Cecil played in gave him the ability to have a 7 yr NFL career as a heady safety, where he had limited reads to make and much less field to cover - that enabled him to be a really good player until his body and father time forced him out of the league. If he was born a generation later he would have been lucky to get a D1 scholarship offer from somewhere. You're right obviously, but even for his era, Cecil was undersized and slow. He was considered too small for College so he didn't get a D-1 scholarship. A 4.77 40, 6 reps at 225...LOL...that is just awful. He'd have average athletic ability for a punter in today's NFL! But..he got the most out of what ability he did have. And honestly after watching those highlights, maybe he would have been able to adjust to today's rules(not the speed obviously). Not sure if that second hit was illegal. Couldn't tell because of the video if he got the head across and hit him in the numbers or up too high. But that hit on Meggett. That's a picture-perfect tackle from any era.

They are, but he still seemed bigger than that to me. Shoulder pads have also gotten much-much smaller in the last 25 years. Still hard to wrap my head around the idea that he was basically the size of Darius Randall.

Agree definitely on how poised Mertz looked. Patient in the pocket and went through his reads. Didn't see any sign of the jump in level being too fast for him. I'm holding out hope that Jalen Berger takes things over when he gets his first crack at some carries. Taylor emerged around game 4 of his freshman year. Maybe lighting strikes twice. Berger carried a higher recruit ranking coming into college than JT. That's what I'm hoping, but at least Taylor was getting carries right out of the gate, then had a 200-yard game week 2 as Shaw started getting less and less. Watson and Shaw are somewhat similar backs to me. Physical, they fight for a couple of extra yards, but they don't seem to have great vision and they're not very explosive. I wonder if they don't feel as though Berger is ready in some aspect of the game. On a couple of nice throws, Mertz was given time because Groshek stepped up and picked a blitzing LB'er on a couple of plays. Groshek's a great backup...but pretty much the only thing this team looks to be lacking is that #1 back(which is also pretty much the one thing you can count on UW having year in and year out).

What about Greg Williams? He's almost certainly not coming back to NY after this year as I'm guessing the entire staff is replaced. He's an aggressive, firey coach and he's creative, especially with his blitzes.

Ok, how many pressures did he have over those 6 games? What was his win rate? Saying he had 2 sacks over the last 6 games(And then 2 more in the playoffs) tells me almost nothing about him as a pass rusher. And of course, I disagree with the statement that he won't be tradeable. We're 5 games into the season, he's 27 years old and had12 sacks and 55 pressures a year ago and he'd cost ~2/22 for any team acquiring him. I think the idea he went from an extremely reliable edge rusher to one of the better ones in the leagues to untradeable in a year is a little....over the top.

This above. Aguilar close to his normal range in 2020. Shaw better. Cain had bad year. Now Hiura, Yelich, Narvaez, Garcia, Smoak garbage seasons vs norm expectations. Look, y'all can say how much do you think a hitting coach really matters, I think it's an a game plan on what a Starter will throw on sequencing. How many times did we watch pitches right down the middle be taken for strike? Then swing at garbage? That to me is Haines saying on 1-1 he's going to throw a breaking ball in the dirt, anything belt high take because its going to fall out of the strike zone. Maybe that can explain Hiura swinging through FBs down middle plate because the "Haines magic Scouting Report" says this situation a pitch is going to break. Let's talk about the pathetic 3b or 2b with 0 outs. There are guys clearly struggling and not once can he call for the bunt to move a player over, or even suicide squeeze. Just think it's time to move on after such a poor showing among many statistics a team can have. If it cant all be blamed on Haines cuz he does nothing impactful really for hitting then, replacing him isnt a loss. Just bring the next placeholder who does nothing if that is true. You can always use an excuse that a slump is the adjusting on hitting philosophy that guy brings. Heck give the job to Braun while picking up his option. Interim title with the open search for 2022. How often is the hitting coach the one who decides when they try to move guys over with a sac bunt or a suicide squeeze? I've never known of a team that has the hitting coach putting guys in motion of calling for them to bunt. As for your theory with regard to Hiura's struggles...what happened last year? Do you suppose that Haines knew what he was doing last year but didn't this year? To me, this is just guessing what Haines is saying with no real data beyond "well, Hiura looks bad, so the coach must be telling him when to swing."

Yes...the only two years from which anything substantial can be gleaned were nearly identical. I'm sure there are people who are looking at the impact he had in Chicago...in Miami helping develop numerous good hitters(Yelich, Stanton, Realmuto, Ozuna among others) and they'll factor that into how much a 60 game sample size should matter. Maybe that'll result in him being let go, maybe it won't. I just really disagree with the idea that you can tell how good a hitting coach is based on how the entire team hit over a small sample size. Surely he's not to be blamed for Hiura and Yelich(though he may deserve some credit for helping to develop Yelich). I doubt he taught either to do something different than he taught them last year.

I honestly think six wins can win this division, and I pray to God that is exactly what happens. I've got Dallas winning 7 games and winning the division, but 6 is legitimately possible. One of the nice things about the NFL. Watching teams like Washington, Dallas, NYG and Philly all be among the 10 worst teams in the NFL because they can't just outspend everyone else. As a Packers fan...I do have a soft spot for Wellington Mara, without whom, the Packers would almost certainly no longer exist, but without whom, the Giants would probably be able to spend about 400 million a year to sign whomever they wanted so they could at least 'Yankee' their way to being somewhat competitive.

The Turf Monster bit him...probably happened to anyone who's ever played football, but when you're a marginal QB on a winless team...it looks a bit worse. Though I have to admit, "marginal QB" proves I was wrong about Daniel Jones. He's exceeded my expectations and if he had talent around him, 'Danny Dimes" might actually become a serviceable QB in the NFL.

It was a rhetorical question. The Raiders of the '70s and '80s were obviously one of those teams, but teams don't do that any longer. That was 40+ years ago. I think the Vikings thing was a big overblown. They said all the same things about bringing in high character guys...they just had some really stupid and funny stories that Packers fans reveled in. And even the Cowboys...they put how many guys with Dez Bryant, hired security to ensure he would behave. I would disagree that it was the "opinions" of a "couple of fans." It was the majority of the fan base that believed the Packes held their players to higher standards. Someone said they became a fan of another team because Packers fans were the Cardinal fans of the NFL. Not sure I'd go that far, but there does seem to be a moral superiority among a pretty sizeable fanbase.

Wonderful... How in the hell does TB get AB when they had like 6 grand left in cap room? No matter...so many things can happen before we'd likely play TB that it's not even worrying about right now. But it's a fascinating move. Ariens said explicitly that they wouldn't sign him whilst Brady has been pushing for him for months. I'd say it reminds me of other NFL "super teams" who end up falling apart. Though it was pretty remarkable how in sync Brady and AB were last year in just the one drive where AB caught 3 or 4 passes, including a really nice back shoulder on a 20 yard TD. Meanwhile, Gute is reportedly looking for trades to try and improve this team. Lets hope he can pull a couple off.

Damn...needed another FG from both teams!

Agreed. And for a Freshmen, he just didn't flinch at all. He was extremely calm and collected back there. Even on easy passes, QB's can rush it, but he just dropped it right in there. What's NOT to like at this point? Maybe Mertz opens the doors for young WR'ers and future generations of QB's. If the Badgers throw the ball more this year, it'll show that the team isn't dedicated to running the ball, rather using whatever talent they have. This certainly can't hurt in that regard anyway.

Agreed. If you put him on a team that threw the ball more and had two big, athletic threats on the outside(including one who's a projected top 10 pick by some) he would have been more productive IMO. Plus...it's not like Minnesota didn't have a rushing attack. They had 3 backs who averaged 5 YPC, a guy who went for ~1200 another for 600 and a 3rd for 400. I feel like people forget that Jim Sorgi and Scott Tolzien were both among the top 15-20 best QB's in the country(if not higher) and they spent a combined 13 years in the NFL...and neither were "projected" to be NFL draft picks are as highly regarded at this point in their careers. Coan is rated ahead of Morgan and behind only Fields and Clifford in at least one services rankings. So it's certainly not an outlandish argument to say he'd start for all of 15 D-1 teams and I doubt you meant exactly and literally 15 teams. Maybe it's 18 maybe 14...the underlying point was he is a very good QB. Mertz is just on another level in terms of talent and upside.

Well, that's a given. But he has also put the ball right where it's needed to go on a few occasions. Of course the PA's on the goal line are throws Hornibrook could have made(though he deserves some credit for selling the fake). He also dropped in an NFL type throw to Ferguson on the sideline(I think it was Ferguson, whoever it was, he dropped it right in there). He was flawless when guys were wide open, but also hit guys in stride and didn't come close to making a mistake. Pretty much the perfect game for a young, highly touted QB. He was also pressured at times and instead of looking at the rush, kept his eyes downfield and made the throws. Even when it looks easy, there are still things you can take away.

John Ross has now asked for a trade. 4.22 40, still just 24 years old. He's dynamic with the ball in his hands, he's an upcoming Free Agent...and while he's certainly been a bit of a bust at WR'er, he did put up back to back 100-yard games to open last season, then was injured, came back, and had two pretty good games toward the end of the year. But in a previous post, I suggested the Packers try to acquire him for a 6th or a 7th round pick and his him in the role(at least in part) that Tyler Ervin is used in. He's not Antonio Brown, but I would think if the Packers could get the ball to him on some WR'er screens, Jet Sweeps or basically how we get the ball to Ervin now(imagine him going in motion, running that fake jet sweep and then running the wheel route...potentially getting him matched up against a safety or a LB'er with his 4.2 40...) he'd certainly add another aspect to our offense. Or at the very least someone else who can keep the defense honest using pre-snap motion. He's also pretty damn capable in the return game, though he hasn't been used there in Cincy, likely because he was a top 10 pick and they've had excellent return men.

That's a pretty cool story. Seemed like a kid who LOVED football, he's smart. They've got a LOT of young talent, so if he's starting, I'd guess he earned the job cleanly rather than them giving the nod to the vet who's battled through adversity(though I could be wrong). I'm as excited about this team as I have been in a while. I think they've got the type of defense that as good if not better(relative to the rest of CFB) than they've been in a while. Absolutely loaded in the front 7 and especially on the DL. I know there are questions about the young OLB'ers, but Leonhard(my pick for Packers DC next year) always gets those guys ready and the only question is about the experience. Plus...I saw Leo last year. If that dude had another year to get ready, he's either wrecking B10 game plans for offensive coordinators or getting set back in time to kill John Connor. I really like how Groshek runs the ball...but hopefully Berger can become the next great Badger back. I'm not a huge fan of Watson. I think the Badgers actually cover the 23.5 spread if they let Mertz free. Ferguson will likely be the guy they go to early, but I think Dike will get in there for some quick hitters, but I think Mertz comes out and has a 300-yard game to start his B10 career and the Badgers roll 48-10.

I thought the High School he went to was Thomas Moore(I just wrote William Moore in a deleted post)...I'm not sure if that's right, but I had a good friend from College who had also gone there and I swear he was talking about him going to the same school. But it seems like there's just a St. Francis High School. Given that they had two D-1 recruits that year and the top OL in the country, I'd think I'd know of them... Anyway, kinda a sad story. Pretty much the opposite of Joe Thomas who despite having a bad knee injury(bad in that it happened in the worst situation you could imagine for a jr entering the NFL draft, tearing his ACL...in a bowl game...playing defense. But he came back and then played like 12,000 straight snaps. That's slightly exaggerated, but it's a crazy amount. I actually played against Thomas when he was at Brookfield in Youth FB and then HS. I remember everyone talking about how good this kid would be as a 6th grader...he was probably 6'3 160 pounds and not real aggressive.... That changed...'bigly.'

I don't know if they need to switch to a 4-3, I like the 3-4, but one of the reasons I really liked Pettine...was because he, like Belichick, was comfortable using both 4-3 and 3-4 looks. His defense is relatively vanilla and he's just not getting the job done. As for Preston Smith...maybe you're right. He has 11 more games to get going. A big part of his lack of production IMO is obviously dropping him in coverage(he dropped more than any OLB'er through the first 3 games...not sure what the numbers are now). But he's also been less effective getting after the QB. I do think a guy who gave you 12 sacks and 55 pressures just a year ago...they should be able to at least trade him, but that 8 million they'll save may be better used on Jones or King(or Linsley, but I think he's the most likely to go). Kris Richard or Jim Leonhard could be interesting picks...though I'd hate to steal Jim Leonhard from the Badgers, I do think he's a future NFL coach, I think his system translates just fine to the NFL...and you don't have to change personnel.

Do you believe he was only 185 pounds? I knew when I went to look him up he wasn't 6'2 215 or anything, but Jaire Alexander is listed at 5'10 196. Whatever he was, he was a helluva hitter...kinda overshadowed his playmaking ability though. I just remember John Madden grunting approvingly every time they'd show the bloodied bridge of his nose! Loved that guy. He and Tim Harris are two of the first guys I can remember as a Packers fan.

Like I said, I think you are still thinking of "Packer People" as too high of a standard. The team wasn't filled with choir boys - yes they had guys make mistakes and they gave guys second chances. Packer People just meant that we cared about how people were on and off the field - pretty much the opposite of the Raiders of the 70s. People that had long histories of issues were avoided, but it wasn't as if they expected the players to never have gotten in trouble either. Much was made of this when they brought Colt in, too. They were clear this was his chance and he had a very short rope. I don't recall him ever taking the field in preseason. Sad case for the guy. FYI, TT's justification for not signing FAs was that they weren't rookie free agents - the only kind he ever signed. Yeah, but what team DOESN'T care about how people are on and off the field? They all do. And I'm speaking more about how some of the fans would talk about different players and use the "Packer People" term rather than the organization. It was a little too righteous at times for my liking. And of course, they said Colt had a short rope. Few players have come out of College in recent years with as much baggage as him. And they even talked about bringing him back once his ACL healed, but he ended up getting arrested. Which is fine...like I said, I don't want them with these unrealistic standards or being too unforgiving to kids who've had trouble. I was really pulling for him....in part because he was so talented...but sadly he's had a pretty hard time since his days at Oregon.

Like I said, I think you are still thinking of "Packer People" as too high of a standard. The team wasn't filled with choir boys - yes they had guys make mistakes and they gave guys second chances. Packer People just meant that we cared about how people were on and off the field - pretty much the opposite of the Raiders of the 70s. People that had long histories of issues were avoided, but it wasn't as if they expected the players to never have gotten in trouble either. Much was made of this when they brought Colt in, too. They were clear this was his chance and he had a very short rope. I don't recall him ever taking the field in preseason. Sad case for the guy. FYI, TT's justification for not signing FAs was that they weren't rookie free agents - the only kind he ever signed. I had never heard of this guy before seeing his name here. According to Wikipedia he tore his ACL warming up before Family Night and was released shortly after. Never saw game action of any kind. He was a guy who had 1st round potential playing for Oregon...but had a coke problem, was suspended from the team for I believe hitting his Girlfriend, then came back and was later kicked off the team. Then arrested for having cocaine and running from the Police. Pled guilty, spent like 10 days in jail. A few other scrapes before the draft. Then was signed as an UDFA and apparently only GB and a couple of other teams would even consider signing him. He's since served time in prison for similar but more severe crimes. But he was a stud. I think Rodges was comparing him to Gronk during training camp.

I wonder if the Bucks could give the Wizzards the option to swap picks in the future to push this potential deal over the edge. I can't really see any trade that works with Beal...but maybe they hope Giannis leaves? Bledsoe is a really nice player(though obviously only for the first 82 games), and with his contract only guaranteed for...what, 3 million in 21-22, so he has some value, but Beal's one of the best guards in the league. Pretty much the perfect fit for the Bucks, but I would think the Wizards would be able to get a much-much better return for him. Does this package get you Buddy Hield? I think that might be a more realistic target at this point...maybe Hield and Barnes or Corey Joseph if the Kings want to get rid of either? They could probably get value for Barnes in a normal year, but I don't know how much value he has this off-season. Joseph seems like the type of guy they'd want to get rid of and he could replace Bledsoe as he's a pretty good defender and a decent backup. It's been pretty obvious since last off-season Horst was going to have a very difficult job improving this roster. The best chance may be by drafting and developing, but as that takes time and we're on a clock here, it'll be impressive if he can find a way to add a 3rd difference-maker....all the more so if he can add a player better than Middleton with what we have to offer.

This is 100% correct. We'd have to pick up Ersan's contract, and then he can be traded. Of course...but at that point, how much value does he have? I was under the mistaken impression that you could trade his non-guaranteed salary to a team....such as the Wizards, to help them dump salary. If that was the case, he'd have value. I guess he still has some as an expiring salary.

Everyone kinda knew Rodgers is an odd dude, but this really confirms it. Talk about a complete 180 personality-wise from Favre. With Favre, what you saw was what you got. There just wasn't a ton of depth there. I think when Rodgers hangs up the cleats in a few years, he's going to end of doing something completely off-the-wall, like go back to school to get a doctorate in neuroscience, or work for a think tank, or something along those lines. Or do something like he mentioned on his radio appearance yesterday, and take weird one-off film acting roles. There's no way he ends up doing anything in football. Dude is just wound a whole different way. I agree...but he's also pretty confident in his ability to assess talent. I could see him coming back down the road and becoming a GM for a team. But he's definitely going to do some other stuff first.