HiAndTight

I would say his pitching this year was more him reverting back to his career norms than the workload. His workload last year wasn't much different it'd been throughout his career. He just wasn't as good as he pitched last year. But more importantly, if this was JUST about him not being worth 4.3 next year, they could have just declined it at the end of this year. I'm 99 pct sure it wasn't a vesting option. So doing this 8 hours after the cutoff to catch on with a potential playoff team seems...almost punitive.

Really strange timing. I was all for declining the option. I said I thought we'd end up doing that at the start of the season. But to do it on the 1st...right after the deadline to catch on with another team? It feels like the Brewers have just given up on trying to get hot and win that Wild Card. Chacin and now Jeffress? You're giving away two of the guys who'd most likely help you if you were trying to get hot. That said, Jeffress was great for the Brewers. He pitched way over his head last year and helped get them 1 game from the World Series. But to release him hours away from the Midnight deadline....makes you wonder if something happened. This seems...well, as you said, strange.

Well, I don't know what there'd be bad to read into it....unless you really try(and I'm pretty sure I can find one poster who could do that). But the Badgers have historically been a slow starter. I don't think anyone's reading TOO much into it, but I guess it depends on what you think is too much. This team has some studs, is solid across the board(though the secondary needs to play better). I'm not reading "bring on Alabama, Clemson, Georgia," into this, I'm reading, "this is a deeper and more complete team than we previously thought and they should be competitive. Wasn't this the year that Plush had us maybe missing our first Bowl Game? I'm also reading that's almost definitely not gonna happen now!

That's a good question. He can workout with the team, team meetings, all that stuff. But I don't know if there's a window for him to actually practice with the team after being put on IR before the final cuts. I don't think it's a huge deal just because they're not on the field that much during the season. It's film, game planning, rehab, etc...etc.. Like I said, the big knock on St. Brown coming out of ND and maybe the reason he wasn't a 2nd or 3rd rounder as some projected him to go was because there were questions about how committed to the game he actually was, how his effort waned at times. So he can prevent it from becoming a wasted year if he really wants to be an impact player for the Packers down the road. I remember a certain poster on here bashing the Packers pretty big when they drafted Gary for not "just trading back and picking Polite." NFL.com had him as a 3rd/4th rounder just based on pure ability, but he could not have done more wrong during the pre-draft process. He was seen as an elite athlete who could use that athletic ability to make up for his lack of size and toughness. He showed up to the combine overweight(relative to what he'd played at) and ran a 4.84, then didn't do the rest of the tests. He gave some notoriously bad interviews, one of which was with the Packers and he talked about it. The guy seems like he could be a Fowler-like 3rd down specialist off the edge, but he's gotta stop acting like a clown. He cost himself millions by just not working hard enough during the pre-draft process...the one time EVERYONE works hard because they know how big the combine is.

Can’t imagine it would be a straight swap when it could potentially (heck I will go likely) a worse 7th for us. I'm shocked. What a change from your usually optimistic disposition. But here, try to imagine it. The Packers were going to cut McCray. In comes the Browns with their really poor OL and the Packers trade him for a conditional draft pick. You realize many of these trades result in no draft pick actually being exchanged? Anyway, this one is real simple. Cut a player or get something for it, especially when dealing with a front office where almost all the top executives were formerly of the Packers. We ended up getting something.

Who knows. Cutting him the "injured/reserve" designation makes the prospect of him playing for us this season pretty unlikely. First, he has to clear waivers. Another team could claim him and stash him on IR..and I don't think that'd be crazy. He's quicker than he is fast, but he also ran in the 4.5's, had a great vertical and he looked pretty instinctual. But aside from all that, it appears like the Packers really liked him. They had him playing over Summers. So he'd have to clear waivers, the Packers would then retain his rights, they'd be able to put him on IR...but he'd be out for the year like St. Brown(I believe, maybe not). The Packers would then have to negotiate a settlement with him. I believe you get paid for however many weeks you're expected to be out. The team always thinks it's less, the agent longer, they meet in the middle. If you want him back though, you certainly try to make it as easy as possible. The problem is, if they reach an agreement saying he would have missed 10 games, the Packers couldn't sign him to the PS before then while other teams could. So...I'm not as familar with this as I once was, but it seems to me like they could have just put him on IR. The road to getting him on the field for them this year became far more difficult.

Yeah, he really was. Especially in context. A freshmen safety starting in the B10? He was a sure tackler and always around the ball and helped turn around a couple early games with a big pick in a close game and another PD that turned into a breakup in back to back weeks. I mean...yeah, he wasn't Taylor Mays right out of the gate, but not sure where that "hype" you're talking about was coming from. I give you credit for repressing the Minnesota disaster, but that was one of the most brutal tackling performances I've seen from a player. He is great when he is the "center fielder" reading plays on the backend, but when he is required to play man coverage or fill a gap in the run game he has been exposed a bit. He was freshmen so its not like he cant improve but the coaches have to be willing to pull the plug if a team is repeatedly exposing him. I'm not repressing anything, I'm taking the season as a whole, not breaking it down to his worst game and identifying him by that. And no, of course, he's not good in man. That was like two years ago when they put Ferguson(The safety) in man vs Campbell from Ohio State. The best corners in the country will get burned. He's not a CB, so I don't expect him to be able to keep up in coverage with guys running a 4.3. But I disagree, I do think he's good at coming up and filling. He did a great job of it vs a good team with a lot of athletes.

No, I think he has zero trade value and I think it's 50/50 that he even gets claimed. This is a guy who really just needs to sit for 2 years behind Rodgers in ONE offense. I'm not confident he sticks, but I am confident that if he'd been handled properly, he'd be a very good backup QB and possibly a good starter(good closer to Winston/Mariotta than Matty Ryan....etc... Incidentally, has ANYONE heard anything about Nick Perry? I saw in the comments section in the Green Bay Gazette maybe? Not positive, but it was talking about the potential of bringing Nick Perry back this year for the vet minimum. And of course, half the fans lose their minds, but if you could get him for the veteran minimum, and he could come in and rotate with the guys we've got their now? That would make us so much more dangerous. Have him play 20-25 snaps instead of 75. He's one of the best in the NFL at setting the edge and he can get to the QB. it seems entirely unrealistic. I've never heard of a situation like this...coming back in the same year. But maybe Perry's just real about it and knows they had to cut him? Any chance?? I'm curious if anyone would be opposed. He wouldn't play ahead of Gary....I'm not seeing a downside. They're top-heavy at OLB'er, they only have 4 guys now with Gilbert traded. Perry is undisputedly a good player when healthy. Two other Guys who were Cut- Brandon Marshall- 6'1 245 Good fit for 21 personnel, not an every-down LB'er anymore, but if healthy, a steady, smart player and a good tackler. Shane Ray-Former 1st rounder was waived by the Ravens. He's athletic and talented. He one good season and then not much else.

DISCLAIMER- This isn't exactly what I think the roster will be by end of the day. For instance, it sounds like they'll go 3 deep at QB. I don't think they should. It also sounds like they're going to hold the line with Lane Taylor as the starter despite Jenkins clearly outplaying him from what I've seen. This is what I'd like to see done...in most cases, it's pretty obvious what they'll do. The Practice Squad numbers aren't exact because that's a bit of a fools errand. They'll make some changes, some guys may go elsewhere, it's just my opinion on who they currently have at each position. And the most tape I watch on my boy Nijman, the most I really believe he could be the replacement for Bulaga. Maybe my favorite camp guy. I also shared a not very brief synopsis of each position and my reasoning. Believe it or not, I took a lot out. Ignore, disagree with it, I felt like doing it, so I did. QB-2 Rodgers, Kizer It sounds like they may keep all 3. I think you can slide Boyle through waivers and I personally don’t like seeing the young talented QB’s who get thrown out there for terrible teams right out of the gate, get beat up, develop bad habits and then never stick around long enough to break them. So I’d like to see Kizer here for a 2nd year, it’s still his 5th offense in 5 years. He has all the tools, you could see it on that throw that he dropped in that on Shepard, but he makes some mistakes. Not sure who it was, but that crossing route where he had pressure and the WR’er stopped his route. That’s what your supposed to do there, sit down between the zone and Kizer’s bad side came out. PS-Boyle Running Backs/FB-3 Aaron Jones, Jamal Williams, Danny Vitale I don’t think the Packers #3 back is on the roster right now. And if he is, I think you’ll be able to pick Dexter Williams or Ford, or Carson back up. I think they all clear. So, go with 2 for now so you can get the extra WR’er spot. PS 1-2-Dexter Williams/Malcolm Johnson-6th rounder shows some promise. If you’re going to play in this scheme where the stretch play is kinda THE play that sets up the rest of the offense, you need to be far more patient and you need better vision. Running hard is great, but running hard and missing our cutback lane doesn’t help and Williams did a lot of that. The only fix may be playing time, but I think they look elsewhere. As for Johnson, he's athletic, pass-catching FB whom I believe was a TE in college. Based on how the staff has indicated it would like to use the FB position, maybe you keep an extra FB who has as much talent as TE-(4) Graham, Tonyan, Sternberger, Lewis Gotta get more out of Graham. I think Tonyan is ready to break out. Former QB turned WR’er, turned TE now in the pros. He’s a lot more physical this year, but he’s still a poor blocker. Did not get to see Sternberger enough to really judge his inline blocking, but that was a question coming out of college. So you really kinda need that behemoth that is Mercedes Lewis. While it wouldn’t be ideal, if one of your tackles went down, Lewis is the type of guy who could line up next to the tackle and really help neutralize some of the elite pass rushers(and we face a LOT of great pass rushers and what may be just as difficult a team with a lot of really good pass rushers like the Eagles who just keep sending them like the ‘Hawks used to. PS-0Baylis would be a long shot IMO to latch on to the PS to start the year, but I could see the Packers calling him back in the future if someone goes down. WR’er-7 Locks; Adams, Kumerow, Scantlin Near lock; Allison Very good bet- Davis, Lazard, St Brown. Pretty damn impressive on Kumerow’s part that the 27-year-old D-3 player who started his College career late and has very little NFL experience is a lock at this point. I remember an assistant on the Badgers staff telling me and another board member that UW-Whitewater had a future NFL QB and WR’er back when they were during their dominant run. I kinda rolled my eyes a bit thinking, “well, yeah, they look good against D-3.) Well, Callahan IS an NFL QB. He’s stuck around for years and he’s made quite a bit of money (for us normal folk) playing a game and now Kumerow is a lock to make the Packers and could legitimately get 75+ targets this year. There’s really nothing he doesn’t do well. He’s big, not a burner, but fast enough and he can get open. He just does everything right; manages to get separation and he goes up for the ball so strong. Adams is like a Modern Day Sharpe for the Packers. One of the best, a legit #1. MVS, 6’4, 4.37, strong hands. Routes still look a bit rounded off to me, but what do I know. I don’t get the coaches tape and usually only see the catch, not the break. Didn’t play much. Allison-I have Allison as a near lock. As of right now, he’s a starter and I doubt anything happens to change that. But it wouldn’t shock me to see the Packers trade him if there’s a trade to be made. He’s like Kumerow but less athletic. The Packers have a lot of redundancy with their WR’er and he just doesn’t have much upside. Still, he has a good rapport with Rodgers, so you'd have to feel very confident in your depth. But for argument's sake, if you could deal Allison for a young MLB’er who could play right away, not sure how much you’re losing. You’re losing depth and a good player, but again, we’re deep and have a lot of big, physical guys. Davis-All the talk about how great he looked in OTA’s and in camp and Bahk picking him to be the breakout player and talking about how this offense is perfectly suited for him…plus his return ability. Still, it’s been ONE game and a couple of nice catches at Family Night. Lazard-The Iowa State all-time leading pass catcher looks like he may finally stick. If he does, it will be as much for his ability to play special teams as his play at WR’er. He’s been outstanding as a gunner on special teams, similar to when Jannis was here. Many teams had him as a TE when he came out until he ran a 4.55 at the combine. 6’5, 230…not much of a stretch. I’m loving the idea of a 1st and goal at 5 with Jimmy Graham in the slot, Adams wide left, MVS in the other slot and Lazard on the other outside. Those are goaline targets and they all go up and attack the ball and have strong hands. Equanimeous St. Brown-Goes to IR. I’ve been a bit disappointed in St. Brown. There were mock drafts that had him going to us on Day 2 when he came out. He became an UDFA in large part due to the significant drop in numbers at ND after Kizer left and there were some knocks against him that he wasn’t aggressive enough, wasn’t competitive enough. Again, we only see a bit, but it does not appear those questions have been put to rest yet. He is one of my favorite guys on the team personally, so I’m rooting for him. Also have to keep in mind, he’s still just 22 years old and I think unless the Packers suffer a string of injuries at WR’er, by the time week 6-7 rolls around, they’ll likely have more important players to use the “designated to return,” but he still has a huge upside if he matures a bit more and learns from guys like Adams, Kumerow, Allison, guys who do all the little things right and don’t just try to run past and out jump everyone, he could develop into a legit deep threat. PS-1 Shepard is a lock for the PS if he doesn’t get picked up…and I don’t think he does. I think every team has several WR’ers they really like. I like Malik Taylor as well. Another D-2 Ferris guy the Packers have in camp(Sheldon the other). Not gonna make the roster, not gonna make the PS…at least not early in the season, another guy who may get brought back after bouncing around a bit or if injuries hit. -Shepard has that suddenness that the other WR’ers are lacking. Again, I’m still not positive what our base formations are, or our tendencies. I’ve heard LeFleur likes a lot of bunch formations, quickness from the slot isn’t as important coming out of there, especially compared to route running(see Kupp, Cooper) but you always want that guy who can run that little dig route, that little speed out route, ala Hunter Renfroe vs ‘Bama in Clemson’s first title game. OL (10): - David Bakhtiari, Corey Linsley, Bryan Bulaga, Billy Turner, Lane Taylor, Elgton Jenkins, Alex Light, Lucas Patrick, Adam Pankey, Yosh Nijman. The more I watched Nijman, the less I believed the Packers would give up an elite athlete with the ideal size, length and feet to be a starting NFL tackle. This was a guy many believed had worked his way up to the 3-4th rounds with his workout and he's shown not only the ability to protect the blindside but punish guys in the running game. He's not ready, but I think he could play this year and be serviceable. Whoever they keep in the final couple spots, I happen to think they go with Patrick and Pankey, but they’re as well covered as they’ve been in a while AND they’ve got potential developmental players, . young studs ready to go right away and vets. Jenkins clearly outplayed Taylor to me and when LeFleur comes out and says Taylor is the starter for “continuity,” that suggests to me that they believe Jenkins is better as well. I STILL believe there could be a late trade here. I’m back and forth on Madison. It’s not because of the penalties, I just don’t think he’s even close to being able to hold up vs starters in an NFL game right now, so I don’t think other teams are going to be claiming him. Of course, the reason I have for Yosh Nijman making the 53 is that I’m far more worried another team may pick him up given the dearth of starting tackles in the NFL and tackle is obviously so much more objectively valuable than guard, if you think you found a potential future starter, you HAVE to keep them. Especially one with elite athleticism and Bulaga's contract up next year. You don't want to overpay for a 31-year-old tackle with his injury history and you'd have to get pretty lucky to find one in the draft that can step right in. I think this guy will be one of the biggeste surprises. So that's why I have 10 guys on the OL making it. PS-1-Madison-This is going to come down to how confident the Packers will be able to get Madison through waivers. A guard who sat out a year and is rusty should get through. There's always teams though with no plans on competing who will take a chance. Madison has looked bad to me. I've seen others on other forums argue from he's not an NFL player to every team would put a claim in on him. I'd offer him half a full-season salary, let him work out the rust on the PS and he'd be the 1st guy activted if there was an injury on the line. Defensive Line-(6) Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry, Montravius Adams, Tyler Lancaster, Kinsley Keke, Fadol Brown These 5 are all obvious. Clark is still only 23 and ready to take off. They should try and sign him ASAP as he’s going to make a lot of money. Lowry’s just solid, steady. Not very athletic, but good leverage, great motor. Adams….I’m not sure what to make of him yet, but I do trust Pettine. He says the big guy has really turned a corner and based on the scouting reports of him, how dominant he could be at times and now how he’s rebuilt his body, I’m feeling confident there. Lancaster is steady. Solid. I guess he’s your backup NT or 0 Technique. Keke has really looked good. He’s gotten turned a bit in the running game, but that’s being picky. He’s looked good in pre-season and he looks like he’s added 10-15 pounds from the 288 he played at A&M last year. Could be a nice inside pass rusher and eventually take over as a starting 5 in the base. Hard to say what his ceiling is, but I think his floor is an active, disruptor and quality depth. That’s great for a mid round interior pass rusher. Does struggle vs the run a bit. He’s not really the guy you want eating up blocks as he’s more of a penetrator. That is why the Chiefs scored that rushing TD yesterday to make it 20-20 IIRC. Simon and Looney stood their blockers up, Simon was getting doubled, Keke turned his shoulders to try and penetrate when all he had to do was not give ground and the guard turned him and pushed him out of the play. Sill, another exciting young guy for this defense that should grow together. PS-1 James Looney- I'm inclined to put Simon on the practice squad in the event that we need another NT, but at 29, I don't think it's likely. I THINK he did enough that he'd likely get a better offer elsewhere. OLB’er-4 Za’Daris Smith, Preston Smith, Rashan Gary, Kyler Fackrel Not much to say here other than I wish we had more depth. I’ve never seen the Packers put as much capital into one position as they did OLB’er and I think it’s going to pay dividends right away with the two Smiths. Just those two players change the way this defense looks…. literally. Matthews was a smaller OLB’er and Perry was a bigger guy, but these guys are much bigger and they’re incredibly consistent and durable. Balanced, good vs the run, they are not as explosive as Matthews, so they won’t turn as many pressures into sacks, but they move the QB off his spot, they make him feel it and that’s when you get rushed throws. Gary looks like a Rookie playing a new position. He looks athletic as hell; he can bend and his first punch is powerful, knocking some tackles back on their heels. Problem is, I’ve seen the Bull rush, the speed rush. And again, he’s fast and he can bend, but he needs to develop his repertoire. That’ll come with time. He’s active, he chases down runs from the backside, he sets the edge, and most importantly, he's a high effort type guy. Combine elite athletic ability with effort and you can be great. Lots of complaining about his stats. If he wasn't playing hard, getting some pressure, but just got 2 garbage sacks, people would be screaming about him. Overall, he’s played well this pre-season regardless of the stats. I will be interested to see what Fackrell can do this year. He wasn’t as good as a typical 10+ sack guy last year…in fact, he got a sack on I believe about 45 pct of his pressures as opposed to Preston Smith who got a sack roughly on 12 pct. Read the article a while back, so can't recall the exact numbers PFF used. Point is, Smith should have had more, Fackrell fewer. Going off memory from an old PFF article. But even still, ever year he gets better. Can he take that next jump and by a guy who gets 30 pressures in a limited role? PS-1; I guess I’ll go with Markus Jones. I would have said Ramsey before the last pre-season game, but when you put a performance like that on tape, it’s hard to pass it up. Trading Gilbert leads me to believe they think they have another competent edge player developing. MLB’ers-(4) Martinez, Burks, Summers, Bolton(IR), Crawford/(Most likely a trade/signing). Crawford goes through waivers so they can put Bolton on IR...again, asuming it's serious. We haven't heard yet. Brandon Marshall-A bit of a surprise cut. Coming back from a knee injury, says he's 100 pct healthy, he'd been playing with the Raiders(hence the surprise). Pretty athletic. If you can get him for ~2.5+ incentives for 750, I'd do it. Otherwise there will be other options available. Blake Martinez is somewhere between, average, above average, really good and so bad that it makes a certain poster want to puke. Rated as the best MLB’er in the NFC North by PFF, the Packers have one of the two MLB’er positions locked down. 5 sacks last year, 144 tackles, he gets in trouble when the OL gets to him, but he’s among the best in the league at shooting the gap. 10 TFL last year, 9 Passes defended. He says he’s gotten bigger, changed his diet. CoolhandLuke would love it(I feel safe, he doesn't read the Packers stuff and I doubt anyone else is at this point), but I don’t know if it’s player speak or legit. But if he could take one more step, that’s a consistent pro bowler. Burks seems likely to miss at least a month. He has suggested it would be less, but I’m skeptical. A torn peck, even partially is going to be a VERY difficult injury for a LB;er to play with and not make it worse. You’re always reaching back to grab a guy, in awkward positions. I have to say, I’m baffled how that was the injury based on how he got hit when he got hurt. Bolton and Summers, two extremely athletic, but undersized LB’ers stepped in until Bolton got hurt. Summers, who ran a 4.51 40(compared to Bolton’s 4.53) and posted outstanding all around scores at the combine has been on the field as much as anyone this pre-season. He struggled with tackles early, a result of all the “thud” practices they now do in my opinion, but in any event, he’s improved. PS-1-Sheldon; Again, this is what I think they should do. Sheldon I believe played safety in College, got to the NFL, weighed about 200 pounds, the Raiders worked with him on the edge, the Packers started him out there and then moved him to MLB’er. He ran a 4.52, had a 38 Inch vertical IIRC. He seemed like he has a pretty good feel for the position. Maybe I’m reading too much into the early cuts, but seems unlikely one of the first guys you cut is going to end up on your practice squad. Still, Sheldon was intriguing because he could do so many things. As a former safety, he can track the ball, after playing edge his first couple years in the NFL, he’s learned some pass rush, and now at MLB’er, he was pretty active, he’s 6’5, looks like he has a 8 foot wingspan. Shot the gap a few times forcing the RB to cut back into help defenders in the Chiefs game. A long way from playing and they likely don’t want to spend the time developing a MLB’er. CB(6) Jaire Alexander, Kevin King, Tramon Williams, Josh Jackson, Tony Brown, Ka’dar Hollman Alexander- was good last year. Should have more chances to make splash plays with the pass rush. King- is great….on those rare occasions he plays. It’d be amazing for this team if he could finally put together a healthy season. Tramon-Is the old vet, but he’s still got plenty of quickness to play the slot or step outside if need be. Brown-He’s an elite athlete and some have said he had the best camp of anyone. I took that to mean of any of the new guys/young guys, but he really looks like a Sam Shields type out there. Attacks the ball, plays with a swagger, doesn’t panic if the WR’er has a step on him, he fights through it. Jackson-People talk about how he can’t play press man, I think that’s nonsense. He’s faster and tested better across the board than Marcus Peters. He’s not as good, but he’s a similar type of player. Physical, longer, he does NOT do well with the TY Hilton types, but he’s a bigger, more physical Corner. I would expect a transition to FS down the road, but his “slow speed,” is a disputed time at the combine. They originally had it at 4.49, one of the electronic timers had him there, another had him at 4.56. He ran it again, 4.52. So….not NEARLY as important as agility, vertical, how well he plays the ball, the fact that he’s a former WR’er, so he has a better feel for the routes. He needs to have a big year this year. Hollman-Fast, athletic. Like a poor mans Brown in this off-season, but pretty safely on the roster. PS-1, maybe 2Sullivan is obvious to me(well, to everyone). I just hope we’re not bringing him up within a week due to a certain injury. Ento is another interesting player. With the questionable durability, I think he’s flashed a bit, particularly given how raw he is as a converted WR'er. He's done a good job getting his head around and playing the ball. I think he could really improve on the PS. Clearly the #8 corner, but I think he has a chance. Great short area quickness, 41 inch vertical...just needs time. It'd seem silly to invest all this time into him and then not keep working with him. Safety-4 Amos/Savage/Green/Jamerson/Campbell PUP Still haven’t really seen Savage. I’ve heard some Earl Thomas comps, but if he plays even CLOSE to the style Thomas does, the way he can run down the ball, track it and just separate the ball from the reciever is amazing. Hopefully Savage has some of that. Amos might be the best addition of the off-season. Green might be the most improved player on the Packers. He’s just totally rebuilt his body…and he’s been working out at the Safety/Nickel backer hybrid. I think he’s going to clean up the flats and punish backs running those swing routes and is more than capable of covering the safety in the seam. I don’t have a strong opinion on Campbell. The Packers obviously like him. Jamerson might be better suited for what is a very crowded practice squad by now, but I think it’d be a good idea to keep that versatility around IF he doesn’t make the 53 man. PS-0Probably nobody unless Jamerson gets cut, but Tre Matthews has looked physical and he’s a very hard-hitting, but clean hitting safety. He also drives through guys, so backs haven’t been running over him for extra yards. He's also very good at timing his hits to knock the ball loose. ST's-3 Crosby-Kicker Scott-Punter Bradley-LS I do NOT want to see Crosby, a cold-weather kicker solving the Bears or Vikings problems. Let them take a chance on Ficken.

I don't know if they really got burnt. I don't think we use Taysom Hill anything like the Saints and I'm not sure Hill is much more than Tim Tebow, but more willing to play multiple positions. Hill's big plays have come on rushes, catches, blocked punts, fake punts. But even if you think we got burnt then, Boyle has a nice arm, but doesn't possess many of the intangibles he does. I certainly would rather have trotted Hill out there and hope he could win a couple games playing that FB/QB old school style of play that Luck would revert to that got him so beat up. As for WR'er, you just keep 7. You can start out with just the 2 RB's. We don't need Dexter Williams on the initial 53 man among others. Go with 2 RB's and 7 WR'ers, put St. Brown on IR and then try and add that RB after Bolton and St. Brown are protected. As for Lazard, I still don't know what he actually is. I'd feel better if he'd gone up against some better Corners. Every team seems to have that big WR'er who is "catching the eye," of the Head Coaches, but they eventually do very little. Can Lazard actually separate? Or is he more of a red zone, throw him open, special teams ace type of guy(he has shown up on ST's in a big way). If the roster shakes out close to how many expect, we should be pretty damn good in kick coverage.

I won't defend Hornibrook, but this is a gross exaggeration. I'd assume it was a joke, but you actually qualified your remarks by sayng you were serious. Hornibrook DOES have the best record of any Badgers QB ever(26-6) and there were times he was brilliant(Miami bowl game). You DO remember we went 13-1, lost 27-21 in the B10 Title game and Hornibrook had a pretty solid year his soph year, right? So he as a TD away from putting us in the CFB playoffs. And this is the guy who couldn't start for ANY other power 5 schools? Fans seem to only remember the worst when a guy leaves a team on bad terms. Like I said, he was good at times, average most of the time and bad at the worst times, but if you don't think there are any other Power5 schools he'd start for, I don't think you're watching much CFB. I'd guess he'd start for probably half of them this ye But Hornibrook is gone and good riddance. Not so much because of his play...he looked to be ascending his Freshmen to Sophomore year, Soph to Jr and then just totally lost the team last year and he's just been petty posting annoying little comments on twitter. Jack Coan is our starting QB and we got the #1 Pro-style QB in the country this past year, some nice weapons outside...no reason to be looking back at Hornibrook when the future looks so bright. Coan either settles in, makes those easy throws...and he'll likely get more opportunities with Taylor back there and a really nice OL and what thus far appears to be a potentially elite defense. And if we're 4 games into the season and Coan can't get it going...and Mertz was actually as close as many on here are assuming, hopefully we follow a poor mans Clemson route and insert the Freshmen that propels us the reset of the year.

I never got the hype about Nelson last year. He wasnt very good. Yeah, he really was. Especially in context. A freshmen safety starting in the B10? He was a sure tackler and always around the ball and helped turn around a couple early games with a big pick in a close game and another PD that turned into a breakup in back to back weeks. I mean...yeah, he wasn't Taylor Mays right out of the gate, but not sure where that "hype" you're talking about was coming from. It's kinda baffling to read some of these responses. I'm genuinely curious what the people complaining would personally find acceptable if beating a talented team on the road in the 1st game of the season 49-0 wasn't? You ever hear how when a team or player is playing well early on, they talk about how that team/player is "in mid-season form?" Yeah, it's because you generally aren't at your absolute best week 1 of the Season, especially with no pre-season. I'm curious what the Packers threads are going to look like when their offense starts out extremely sluggish right out of the gate(I'd expect them to struggle the 1st quarter of the year).

I don't honestly know what Kizer is. I know Boyle looked more impressive this pre-season by the numbers, but the last two games, particularly the interior OL was so bad when Kizer got in there, he had no time to throw. That throw that he dropped right into Shepards hands for what would have been a ~50 yard completion shows what he's capable of, and then that pick showed the downside. Anyway, gonna post my 53 man in a second, but Brandon Marshall just got cut from Oakland. He could be the ideal player for the Packers to go and pick up to help their MLB'er depth. Has some knee issues last year, but he's been a good LB'er for a while in the NFL.

The OL is really up in the air to me. What do you do with Madison? He's not ready to play. But you invested a 5th round pick into him, a valuable pick for a guard. You have 6 locks in the starting 5 and Jenkins. After that, I guess I go Patrick, Nijman and Pankey. I think Madison could be snuck onto the practice squad. That's what I'd personally do. Nijman the more you watch him, he just looks like a future starter playing tackle in the NFL. Most likely on the right side, but with all the teams thirsty for OL help, I just don't want to risk giving him up at this point. I would really be shocked if the Packers swing a deal with the Bears for a kicker. I want to keep Crosby, but as a GM, it has to be so hard seeing that cap number next to his name and seeing Ficken, who has a BIG leg pushing him all camp. But I'd rather stay with the proven bad weather, the clutch kicker. The guy who hit two 50+ yard FG's to tie and beat Dallas in about a 6-minute span or have a history of kicking in bad weather. That cap room would be real nice to have however as the Packers are starting to get close to bumping up against it! Not sure about some of the others, but that's kinda the point of "bold" predictions. To give a different take.

With the announcement that they're going to be sticking with Lane Taylor at LG over Jenkins, they probably feel like they can afford to go a bit lighter there. Taylor, Jenkins, Turner, and then several guys who are all close.

Because it just opens another hole on the roster. I'm not confident that we can just find a cheaper CF that would even be as good as Cain is when he isnt going good... Factoring in that Cain still has a pretty high upside for the next 2 years anyway and I just don't see us moving him. I'm pretty confident we could find a better CF'er for significantly cheaper than Cain is/was this year. But you don't even need to do that to decide it makes sense to move on from him. You just need to decide that you can get the same type of production for a fraction of the cost. I think Cain will bounce back and I don't see his defense just suddenly regressing next year, so I'd hold onto Cain because I don't think we can move him for "minimal or no inventive" now, but if we could, it's really a no-brainer. If someone would take Cain's deal, you dump him in a heartbeat and move on. Eliminating Cain's deal would pay for most of your next deal that's going to be bad in the last few years, Rendon! Or my personal choice, Cole! Realistically, I think we'll hold onto Cain, he'll rebound next year. I still think he's capable of playing elite defense and hitting .285/.355/.400. Then we'd be more likely to be able to move him with just two years left on his deal and coming off a good year.

A bit defensive, no? Nobody called you out on it. It was pretty easy to assume it was still about Hiura as the conversation only flipped when one person said they were in favor of signing Grisham to a big extension...and of it went. I would argue that it's tough to be as consistently as good as Hiura and not have a good approach at the plate. Or for that matter a good eye. He seems to have pretty good pitch recognition. He still is swinging through too many pitches, but I think it's reasonable to expect that K rate to drop down closer to 25 pct in the future. Reasonably, I wouldn't trade him. You're unlikely to get equal value and he should be a quality top of the order hitter for the next several years. He doesn't have a great arm, but I think he'll get better. Wasn't Utley awful defensively before becoming solid? He's athletic...he seldom really needs real arm strength to get it over to 1st. If you throw out hypotheticals, there are some I'd go for obviously...just like I'd have done that Hader or Yelich to SD trade from about a month ago, but who's going to trade someone equal to Hiura to us? I guess if Altuve had a career-ending injury and the Astros were willing to overpay, fine, but that's pretty far fetched. I'd be shocked if he didn't' spend at least 4 full years in Milwaukee.

Well to some it means attacking early in the count. Remember how much Yelich's "approach" changed? Approach really just means whatever works for a hitter.

No he hasn't. Certainly not a 2 year 15.5 million dollar deal. Maybe you give him 5 million for a year now and then a team option at 7-8 million with a 1.5 buyout. That'd probably be as high as I'd want to go. There are so many pitchers in this free agent class.

It offends me. It also offends me to have UW called a "2nd tier" school. It also baffles me how we already have a fully formed opinion of how a player we've never seen play ranks with another player we've never seen play and then a TE who's a Redshirt Soph and getting a lot of early draft buzz. Or how naive we can be to think that deciding where you're going to spend the next 4-5 years of your life, we're you're going to go to school, the most important decision of your life up until this point is as simplistic as "playing time." And simply pointing out that a guy said, "they run a lot formations with 12 personnel is next to meaningless when you're talking about Alabama and ND, both schools that do exactly that. We're not talking about spread option type schools. I'd hope Ferguson would be "better" than him at the moment. Really just closing your eyes and tossing a dart at the wall would be more productive in guessing how he will eventually compare with other TE's who've yet to play and who we haven't seen. Also, I'm really conflicted about how I feel about the Badgers 3 ESPN 300 recruits now. None of the big schools who offer scholarships to "half the population," offered them. But it's like Homer said, it's not even this single post. It's just kinda the tone no matter what the news is.

LOL. ok. Sorry if that offends you? I am guessing most of those teams already have a few nice recruits at the position and/or a bunch of high end WRs to throw to. Wisconsin only has Ferguson and while they have a few intriguing WRs they are nothing like the athletes the elite teams trot out there. It’s no insult to Wisconsin, just the reality of why recruits don’t take offers from elite schools. I just think it’s a super misleading statement. He was the #14 ranked TE in his class and many of those top tier teams seem to gives offers out to half the US population. It's more obnoxious than it is offensive. If he'd have gone to Alabama, he'd be a stud. But since he's coming to UW, it's just because he wouldn't be able to play at all those elite programs that end up with elite recruiting classes year after year after year. Also, it's not JUST that he turned down those schools, it's that those schools are throwing out so many scholarships that I guess it diminishes him again? So basically, you would win any debate because you've already argued all sides of it. He comes to UW, well, if he's good, he only did it because of playing time. But he's probably not that good because those schools offer so many people scholarship offers. I'm curious what your basis for how recruits choose schools comes from? Especially at a position like TE where multiple guys can play and at schools like Alabama, ND and the like who routinely churn out NFL caliber players who leave school early? Please don't suggest it's not an insult to Wisconsin. That's absolutely what it is. And it's easy and simplistic to say they give out offers to half the population, but you don't get all the top programs offering on a player unless he's a very highly regarded player.

It's his third year in the league. He was on the active roster all of 2017, appearing in the final game of the year, and was on the practice squad for 12 weeks in 2018 before being activated in December. He's had two more years of pro coaching than Madison, so right now he should be better. Give Madison two years of pro coaching and I think he'll be a lot better than Pankey. Ok, his 3rd year, my mistake. But they are still playing musical chairs with him. There's some projection there on my part because they have him playing a lot of tackle, so comparing he and Madison is hard to do. But he's lined up at every position in the pre-season at some point. I also think you somehow read my comments with regard to Madison negatively. I simply said he's too rusty from sitting out a year and right now Pankey was better. If you think Madison will be "a lot better" in two years, I don't know enough about him right now to agree or disagree. The guy is playing a very difficult position in the NFL to learn and he's a rookie who didn't work out with the team at all last year. I'd have to see him in a year. He looks sluggish and not strong enough right now. But that's to be expected. We'll see in a few days though. This is about as invested in a guard as I can be. I think there's going to be more shuffling from the original 53 man to the final 53 man than in years past. You actually went back and looked at the tv replay again. I didn't. Thoughts on Nijman? I know they like him and he had a great workout at the combine and he'd appear to be a lock for the practice squad.

I can't believe Jervey played 9 years in the NFL But about five months into Nala’s time in Green Bay, she tried to chew on Johnson’s hat, and Jervey reached to snatch it from her. “She bit a hole in my arm,” Jervey said. “So then I got freaked out. “I realized that at this point, I could take (the lion) if we had to go one-on-one (in a fight). But I knew that in about another six months, maybe we’d be equal.” Soon, Nala was off to an Oklahoma ranch designed “for people that were stupid and got exotic animals and couldn’t take care of them,” Jervey said, laughing about his youthful misadventures. Jervey was a stud...on special teams. Kinda like a poor mans Slater or Tasker. One of the reasons I miss Jeff Janis a bit. He got so good covering kicks.

One more thing, obviously you can't project this into a lineup, but I think we'll have 2 players, maybe 3 who are not yet on the roster make the 53 man. TJ McDonald is a guy who could provide depth at safety and the Dolphins were working him in as a nickel LB'er. He's a proven vet, he's physical. He could certainly still help out playing SS. I'd be curious what his price would be at this point. If it's more than say 2-3 million, not worth it. They only seem to really like 2 RB's as of now in Aaron Jones and Jamal Williams and both have injury histories, so good chance they add a back. And if a solid starting CB gets cut, a Sitton type situation, I'd really like to see us jump on that. We don't have enough depth there and you can't count on King as it stands right now. He could turn it around, but to trust him would be foolish and I don't see 3-4 starting caliber corners on the roster.

If you keep Madison on your 53 man, I think it's just because you like him better long term. He had two penalties each of the last two games and he just cannot anchor vs more physical linemen. You're taking a guy who sat out a year for his mental health, which should be applauded, but he was a 5th round pick and now after a year off, he's that much further behind. I guess you've got to have a feel for who is going to get picked up on waivers. Fadol Brown-I think he's come pretty close to forcing his way on the roster. I like Looney as well, but we're seeing why Daniels was let go. The Packers just have a lot of really good, solid, versatile linemen. I think you could go with Looney, Simon and Brown in a given year as your DL depth and actually be alright. But since it's going to come down to one, I might pick Simon over Brown just for that NT depth. Pankey-He had his worst showing against the Raiders, but I think he's got a chance to be your 6th best linemen. This is just his second year and they're still playing the musical chairs with him. I'd rather protect him than Madison for example. If you just showed Pankey at Guard, I think it's pretty clear cut that he's well ahead of Madison at this point. I also do actually think he can play Tackle. No, he can't move his feet like our starters, but that's just about everyone. But he is physical and while he can get beat by a speed rush, I don't think he gets overpowered. Some interesting Practice Squad options; Sheldon-He looked good vs the Raiders in the 2nd half. He's a converted OLB'er who's playing MLB'er for the Packers. Same draft class as Peppers and ran the 2nd fastest time at LB'er because that's what Peppers was classified as at 4.52. But I like that long 6'5 frame with elite speed and some natural feel for the position, albeit very raw sticking around. The Packers want versatility, he would certainly offer that. At least potentially. Whichever DL doesn't make it among Brown, Looney and Simon. I think Simon would be a guy who other teams may pick up because he does actually move pretty well for a O tech. I think Boyle has a good chance to make it. There are probably about 15 guys I'd like to see kept on the practice squad. Some corners have flashed a bit at times. Sullivan being the obvious one, but Ento looks like there might be something there. I believe the Packers converted him to CB just this camp. So he's not raw like Sam Shields was in that he got some playing time in college, he's totally raw. I wouldn't use one on the RB position. You can find a guy on the street in Sept who's similar to Carson. I'm absolutely done with J'mon Moore. I don't believe he will ever figure it out. He doesn't return kicks. It sounds like he's a great locker room type guy, a guy that works hard, but he just cannot catch the ball cleanly.