Ron Robinsons Beard

I agree 100% with this post. The Packers have the talent of a middling team. They are good enough to stay close to the best teams, and bad enough to get beat by mediocre teams. That makes them very frustrating to cheer for, because no one really knows what they are. They don't really have an identity right now. Sunday's game is going to be a very important litmus test. The Patriots are good, but they are vulnerable, especially on defense. How the Packers respond to that gut-punch game in LA will determine how things go the rest of the season. Personally, I think there's a strong chance they come ready to play in New England and pull out an upset. I fully expect them to give NE hell because it's what I've been accustomed to watching MM's teams. They usually play very well when their back is up against the wall and then struggle to escape backup scrub QBs at home against the 49ers. I'm 100% expecting a gut punch loss where they drop it 34-31 on the last drive or something. Mike Sherman had a couple 12-4 teams that were sort of paper tigers, but throughout his tenure I usually felt that the Packers put away teams they were supposed to beat. I've never felt that way with MM. It's like he has to face top teams to bring out his best and it gets so frustrating. There are just so many games where they come out against a team they should beat and play 1.5 quarters or aren't moving the ball until there's 8 minutes left in the 3rd. It's one of the most frustrating things about his teams and seems to be the case every year. MM has never been a "go for the throat" coach, and it's infuriating. He regularly gets a 10-point lead, and sits on it, going conservative on offense and going to the dime defense on defense, allowing the other team to chip away until they are right back in the game. He regularly lets his foot off the gas. He also does a piss poor job having his team ready to compete against every team, which explains the slow starts. I very much want the Packers to make the playoffs, but the silver lining if they don't is that MM will likely be coaching the Browns next year.

I agree 100% with this post. The Packers have the talent of a middling team. They are good enough to stay close to the best teams, and bad enough to get beat by mediocre teams. That makes them very frustrating to cheer for, because no one really knows what they are. They don't really have an identity right now. Sunday's game is going to be a very important litmus test. The Patriots are good, but they are vulnerable, especially on defense. How the Packers respond to that gut-punch game in LA will determine how things go the rest of the season. Personally, I think there's a strong chance they come ready to play in New England and pull out an upset.

Okay...I think you have mentioned it enough. You can probably go without posting how you thought they would suck this year for a few posts. Not saying you are wrong, but jeez man. That being said should be an exciting offseason no matter what happens this offseason. The DBs looked fantastic in the game against the Rams...best I have seen in ages. The young guys were physical and right on top of their receivers. They have a ton of money coming off the books and they have the draft picks to make noise in the draft. They could have some fantastic teams the coming years. I don't think I've stated it many times at all and think this kind of post is completely uncalled for. It's humorous to me that a handful of posters take it personally when anybody accurately predicts something that doesn't work out and get all bitter about it. Not every fan is rah-rah and some of us are more impartial observers than others. It was plain as day the Packers were not a contending team to me this year. Go take a look at the preseason thread and see how I was treated for having the view that I had. Getting to shove it back at some of you is completely justified, and yeah, it feels a little good to do it. The issue I have, then, is that if the Packers were sitting at, say 5-2 or 6-1 right now (which, had a couple plays and crappy calls gone their way, is very possible/probable), the fan such as yourself would say "Well, they are better than I thought, but Yay, they're good." I have several friends who are pessimists disguised as realists, and I think that attitude grates on the optimists because deep down, the optimist sees, understands, and even agrees with that viewpoint, but doesn't want to admit it. That makes it especially tough to see that viewpoint brought up again and again. But rubbing it in, or looking for a pat on the back because you were "right" is way, way over the top. Personally, I think the Packers have middle of the road talent, much like about 20 other teams in the NFL. Where they stand out is at the QB position, which is why I figured they were, and still are, a playoff team. Once in the playoffs, any team can get hot, especially those with an elite QB, so anything can happen.

The idea that the Marlins would be remiss to deal with the Brewers again because the prospects from the Yelich trade haven't been great is a complete and utter fallacy, in my opinion. Any GM that would operate that way doesn't deserve to, and wouldn't, have a job.

Realmuto is a much better defensive catcher than Grandal. Realmuto is basically the equivalent to prime-years Lucroy both offensively and defensively. A little more power sacrificing average. That power would play up in Miller Park too. As a catcher, Realmuto is a special player. It's going to cost a haul to get him, and I'd give up that haul.

What possible incentive would the Tigers have for that deal? They're not getting younger, they're not saving money. They're just replacing one player with different players. Santana and Davies are both 25. How would they not be getting younger?

There is going to be a lot of competition for Realmuto, but there was a lot for Yelich, too, and the Brewers came out with him. I think Realmuto's profile fits the Brewers perfectly, and it wouldn't surprise me if Stearns places a big value on him. I also believe that the Brewers have the prospect depth to get the trade done. I'm not keen on giving up Hiura, but it is much, much easier to find a solid offensive 2B than it is a solid offensive catcher.

The Brewers don't unless they include Hiura and Burnes as the Braves can basically match any offer and beat any offer the Brewers put out there. Maybe. It all depends on how the Marlins value the prospects we are offering versus those the Braves offer. Where those prospects fall on national prospect ranking lists means absolutely nothing.

Perhaps, but for one year, it's not a killer. He pitched well in Milwaukee - I think DJ did well with him. So, why not take the risk, and have him? The pick, if he declines, is worth the risk. It's not worth paying a guy $12M or so over market for a pick that you'll never even get because he won't decline the QO. That would just be bad payroll management. Yep ... he wouldn't let the ink dry on that contract before sending it back to the Brewers. Then he'd probably go to the casino, because it was obviously his lucky day. I think Miley gets $7-8 million per year on a 2-3 year deal, max.

*Ducking - There are many more solid-hitting 2B out there and available than top-flight, solid hitting catchers. If the Marlins need Hiura as a centerpiece, I sure as heck am listening.

Kentrell Brice started alongside Clinton Dix on Sunday.

The only way I am happy with it is if they give Josh Jones time back there. Because if this is to give Jermaine Whitehead more time ... gross.

4th Ehh ... for basically a half season rental. Whatever

Interested in seeing what the return on Ha-Ha is. I can't imagine it is much.

Montgomery was just traded to the Ravens for a 7th rounder: Probably not a bad thing that the Packers were able to salvage some value out of him.

Miley would accept that qualifying offer, while checking to see if Ashton Kutcher is hiding around the corner punking him.

The Bucks have been an especially hard follow over the last few years, simply because they have had so much turnover. They'll acquire a guy, he'll be the "next big thing" for awhile, and they eventually give him away for pennies on the dollar. Or they draft a guy, don't play him, and he's gone in a few years. There's been no building or plan in place for so long ... much like the early 2000s Brewer teams. I used to follow the Bucks pretty closely, but seeing them draft guys like TJ Ford and Jennings, who showed so much promise, only to eventually give them away, really soured me. They make acquisitions like Knight and Michael Carter-Williams out to be exciting, then drop them. Greg Monroe ... Tim Thomas ... this team's recent history is littered with flashes in the pan. I hope Giannis isn't next, but the team's history doesn't give me much hope.

Montgomery has regularly returned kicks as a Packer, and was a returner at Stanford. His return prowess is one of the big reasons the Packers drafted him in the 3rd round, even though he wasn't prototypical receiver size. I could buy the "maybe he didn't know where he was" argument if he was an inexperienced player in that area, but Montgomery is not. Between the pros, college and high school, between games and practice, he's returned hundreds if not thousands of kickoffs. I think he knew exactly what he was doing. I doubt anything was malicious or that he was deliberately going against coach's orders because he was mad, but I think his ego and the need to make a splash play overruled his brain in this case.

Montgomery is a veteran and needs to understand the situation. Even if he doesn't fumble, he still took the ball out with 2:05 on the clock, which basically eliminates a time-out (2-minute warning) from a team that needs to get in field goal range. It's just a very bad play all around by a veteran player who needs to know better. I get that players make mistakes, but it seems like the Packers' big mistakes this year have come at the most inopportune times (i.e. Matthews roughing call against the Vikings, Cobb's fumble against the Redskins, Crosby's horrible game against the Lions). The Packers are not a great team, but they are a good enough team to play anybody tough. This team is theoretically a bad call and a couple horrible plays away from being an undefeated or one-loss squad. I blame a lot of that on McCarthy and his lack of "going for the throat". What is so wrong about getting a big enough lead where the outcome isn't in doubt?

Cobb is an injury-prone slot receiver. He's solid when healthy, but that health is rare. The injuries have sapped his explosiveness and burst as well. He's the "oldest" 27-year-old you're going to find.

Even though it was a trade, the Stanton deal was throwing gobs of money at a problem that really wasn't even a problem. You are right that the Phillies make sense as well. The truth is, the number of teams that can put together a contract like the one Machado is looking for is pretty limited.

You asked who could potentially be available, and that's who I thought. I don't think Shaw is. Chacin would be a sell-high, but I doubt that happens too. Broxton and Thames are a year off of productive seasons, and Anderson, at $6 million, would be a bargain as a solid mid-rotation starter. Schoop is a year off of getting MVP votes and is young. In the end, it isn't how we value these guys ... it's how other GMs value them.

I think Davies, Anderson, Thames, Santana, Broxton, Schoop (if tendered) and even Aguilar or Chacin could all be available. None of them have the value that Shaw brings, but all do bring value to a potential deal. All would be more easily replaceable than Shaw.

I agree with you completely. Me saying he's a Top 100 guy is more of an argument that he would have a high value in a potential deal, to a poster poo-pooing a deal that "doesn't include a Top 100 prospect". In hindsight, I probably just should have said "So what if he isn't?" Personally, I think we get way too caught up on these arbitrary prospect ranking lists. I think we have a lot of guys in the system that have a high value, despite the fact that they aren't on Top 100 lists. Those tend to be biased toward teams that market the heck out of their minor leaguers as well.

I still say he's a Yankee. If for some reason he isn't, he'll be a Cub or a Cardinal.