BrewerFan

I don't think they do. I think every team has a RB that they really like, but I think Wilson is a really good back and I wouldn't want to run the risk of losing him when we're looking at possibly losing both of our RBs next year. They can cut Taylor and put him on the PS. There's far less risk he'll be claimed. He's not a particularly good RB. He's a good STer, but it certainly feels like this team is taking a multi-year view right now(Whelan making it over O'Donnel is one indication) and looking ahead. Again, 230, quick feet, runs low, great balance, vision and 4.4 speed? But, he'll probably be cut.

Yeah, it feels like a real big gamble. I don't think he's as good as O'Donnell just yet. Certainly not as good at directional punting or dropping it back inside the 10. Huge leg and he must be a pretty good holder. The fact that O'Donnell is one of the better directional punters, they paid him a decent roster bonus and Whelan didn't really have a great preseason until the final game...good reminder that the preseason games are probably less relevant to their decision making than we make them out to be.

I don't think he's burried as deep on the depth chart as you do. I think they'll rotate him in there, particularly early in the season with Gary working his way back. I think the order is pretty clear, Gary, Smith, Enagbare, LVN, Hollins(Cox I'd guess will be inactive if he makes the team). He's been good vs the run and he hasn't really provided much as an edge rusher, but I don't think he was expected to. Pretty much the opposite of Will McDonald at this point(the player he's going to inevitably be compared to). I'm pretty good with where he is overall though. Definitely very similar to Gary. He's just physical though. I'd rather have a guy who needs to develop technically, but who plays hard and has the size and toughness than a speed rusher who can make a few big plays, but can't consistently hold up at the point. Enagbare reminds me more and more of Za'Darius. They have a very similar style. He takes some risks that will result in TFLs or losing contain. This is really a strength on this team though. The Packers just keep moving in the right direction in terms of building a physically dominant, fast team.

...are you not seeing the irony of this statement?

He might be falling off, but he's still in that group for now. Guys the reigning MVP. Lowe is a guy who's quietly in that next to elite tier or...in the discussion with the 3rd group. I think outside of top two more obvious, Yandy would be the guy who'd benefit the Brewers the most. A guy a lot of people were talking about trading for this past off-season and I remember there were some ideas that seemed like an overpay, but man, he'd fit this lineup so perfectly. He definitely has been this year. And his average exit velo is 3rd in the league behind only Acuna Jr and Judge who has a ridiculous 97.5 average exit velo. The Base running isn't good, but not like Tellez is Ricky Henderson out there.

I've thought that Devin Williams losing his velo is going to lead to struggles. That if he's throwing that FB 93-94, that change is not as effective as when he could throw it 97-98. I've thought this since the start of last year. So over the last 110+ IP and a ~1.70 ERA and a WHIP under 1.00... Sometimes, it's great to be proven wrong.

One thing that's been really good for Love is that he has not been pressured in this pre-season. He's either gotten the ball out quickly, or he's run play action and has had really nice pockets. That throw to Reed vs the Pats(IIRC) where he's running a crosser and holds the ball a little longer to let him clear the LBer is a perfect example. If our OL can do that for him this year, I think he's going to make the FO look very smart. A really good pre-season from him. Just two deep shots to Watson I didn't love. One he threw despite safety help over the top and the other in this last game Watson had a 4-5 yards in man coverage and Love underthrew him(it was into the wind). That's getting awfully nit-picky for the preseason though. But of course, his anticipation, identifying the coverages, blitzes, those will make the difference between a QB you can win with and a QB that will win you games. Clifford has been so much better than I'd hoped for behind Love as well. So I'm feeling very good about this offense going into the season.

The best place for him would be somewhere that's got a HC who is offensive minded and has job security and a QB who's established. That'd probably be KC. Denver with a better version of Wilson. Then again, I thought SF was a pretty good situation as well, but they deemed him good enough to start last year and then seemed to give up on him.

I guess there's also the original callup's and then those could certainly change based on need. If things hold(and I kinda think they will...#3 seed, VERY unlikely they catch the #2 unless they have another crazy Craigtempber and it'd still take a Dodgers collapse...but we're still effectively 8 games back of a more talented team, so doesn't seem likely). So would hardly be a shock to see Rea up to skip Woody, and then Burnes, then Peralta, then to set up the rotation as you get to the middle of Sept or...any number of possible outcomes. Chaffin struggles, he could just be DFF'ed. I still think he can contribute, but he's struggled. I think Gasser has a chance and I don't think there's a huge correlation with Frelick. The Brewers did bring up Mitchell and good chance Gasser starts the year in Milwaukee, so we'll see. I think for the reasons you mentioned he'd make a LOT of sense out of the pen, especially as this team is so likely to win the division.

I don't even want to see him now. Now he'll get 7 ABs a week, he struggles and that'll be used against him and you blow the opportunity to bring him back when the Brewers inevitably non-tender Tellez next year and you COULD bring him back at 1.1M. So I'll go with... Want-Toro/Lauer or Gasser Predict-Winker/Sousa? I'd also like to see Devanney, but I have no reason to believe they're gonna call him up, but he certainly covers the SS/3B defensive flexibility. Started out terribly and yet he's still put up a good line and has a .307.381.560 .941 OPS vs lefties? That seems like it could be useful.

This is who you WANT to do?

I just don't get the need for Leavitt for STs. It made sense on an older team with a number of guys who weren't going to be playing STs. WRers, you weren't gonna have Cobbs, Lazard(last year as the #1), Watson or Doubs play as much STs. Toure was inactive. If we're going younger, we have guys who have the potential to contribute on offense or defense and be core STers. Ballentine. He's a nice 5th CB, he's played a little safety. Carpenter will make the team, Wilson, Heath, Toure, Johnson. Hollins at Edge. It just seems like a waste of a roster spot to have dedicated STers who aren't Tasker or Slater type aces on this final 53 man. I don't disagree he'll make it, it just doesn't make sense to me. The only other thing I didn't really see was Ford getting moved. They doubled him a couple times, but thought he held his ground and even split the double teams pretty well. He was in there with Wooden when Seattle started running more power running and doubling at the point. I'm seeing a lot of beat writers with 7 WRers(Dubose) 3 RB, but Taylor(he's not gonna get picked up, just elevate him if you need)...3 TEs(with Deguara if you want to call him that). 6 Edge. Bukowski had Deguara and Pearson both making the team, so...that's just silly. They have given 4 players now(other than Hanson) reps at Center and that doesn't include Jenkins. JRJ looked the best there, but I didn't get to see Tom in there. I've also seen Wheelan projected to land on the PS in a lot of projections. They save 1.15M and I think that's worth it IF he can hold. If he's not a good holder...you risk ruining Carlson as it seems like it's all about confidence with him. Like I said when I made my own, there are going to be 5-6 moves the Packers make that I wouldn't. Leavitt, 2 RBs, Owens at S, a 7th WRer and probably just the 5 OLBers(Enagbare has been outstanding this pre-season, so it's not like they don't have depth even without Gary). As an aside, McGough looked impressive...for a 3rd stringer that wasn't on a team long before camp started.

If you agree he's not one of their best 5 starters...and there is a limit on the number of relievers you can have...and he was also struggling to maintain 94 more than 2 innings, then...that's the reason. There's a better chance he's non-tendered(or traded) this year than they offer him a raise in arbitration and pay him ~7M+ next year with their bullpen depth. And I feel like there have been pretty regular reports. FAR more than you get with MiLB players. They've updated his status on broadcasts, they've talked about his outings pretty regularly, what they're hoping for from him. Lauer was not good when pitching. And while I don't place a ton of emphasis on MiLB rehab starts...he hasn't been particularly good in the minors until his last two outings. And even his last outing, he walked his final 3 and ended up with a poor line. His last two outings will hopefully earn him a Sept callup. 5 IP, 3H, 0ER 1BB, 6K 4.2IP, 5H, 3ER, 4BB, 9K That probably earned him a callup. The start before that, he had a 7.20 ERA in AAA, he went 3.1 IP, 6H, 4ER, 2BB 6K Not exactly worthy of a callup. So I think this is pretty exclusively about his performance and he's making a case to earn the 14th spot coming on strong as of late. Not as a starter however, more likely as a long man/2nd lefty.

Well...he just threw 90+ pitches and it's 8/27, so...I was thinking more of adding another lefty to the pen and he seems like the most likely candidate short of Ashby(who's not yet close and I don't actually think they'll bring back this year). In 5 days when the roster expands, I'm thinking another lefty is going to be a priority over another starter. And if they do need to skip someone or get by without one of the 5 starters, they can get ~4 innings out of Lauer and then fill in with the BP. You're also listing pretty much every AAA pitcher but our best one(who's also a lefty). I'm having trouble seeing them bringing up Bukauskas or Junk, Abad, Claudio(Vieira, Rea, MAYBE McKendry if it's just about covering innings).

Why do you think Rea and McKendry are ahead of Lauer? Has he spent enough time in AAA to get another year of control? Would they even want that with his arbitration situation? I was thinking he'd be anobvious left hander to bring up and be a long man in the pen given we only have Milner. I would not have guessed Rea or McKendry would be ahead of him.

His swing is a thing of beauty. I know guys get it done in different ways(there's a thread about Wiemer's stance/movement and mechanics)...but Avina's swing is so smooth and hands are so quick. I guess it's just about pitch recognition with him?

I don't know with McCaffery, but I think that's worth the risk. They paid a premium to get him(2,3,4 in '23, 5th in '24). But what he can bring to a team, particularly in that system is huge. It's like having a really good slot receiver and RB. They can line Deebo up at RB, McCaffery at WRer and you have no idea what they're going to do. I still believe Trey Lance can be a really good NFL QB. I'd have gladly traded for him. A 4th round pick is a lot to give up for a guy who's thrown just 711 passes in HS, College and the NFL, but what he needs is to sit, learn and a good QB coach. I don't think McCarthy is a great coach(I think he's a better coach than his reputation, but still) but he did play a big role in developing a lot of different QBs. I think I'd have traded a 4th to get two years of Lance for ~2M in Base salary and let Tom Clement get his hands on him if we were in ANY other type of situation. Just break down those mechanics, build them back up like they did with Rodgers and let him run the scout team. I'm very confident in the Love/Clifford combination(insomuch as anyone can be with two QBs with 1 combined start)...but Lance's physical tools haven't gone anywhere. One thing they continually have going for them is they can pay other position because of the QBs. This year their most expensive QB will be Trey Lance and the ~9M cap hit. But Purdy is ~900K and Darnold is ~5M. I think their arrogance is a bit justified and I hope this will translate to Love, but it's a very QB friendly system. That much more when you've got a dominant LT, and weapons at both RB, WRer and TE. And of course, they added an elite DT when they signed Hargrave to go with Trent Williams. That's a whole lot of talent on that DL. They will likely have to give Nick Bosa something along the lines of 5/150. I'd guess 30M AAV and 70M fully GTD. Another reason I'd love to hear the Packers announce a Rashan Gary extension soon. His number is just going to sky rocket if he comes back and is healthy.

Any changes from today's game? Very few notable performances from players on the bubble. I'd move Ballentine into the 53, SJC off. Wilson-An ugly stat line, but the 2nd/3rd OL just didn't open any holes. I'd still keep him, but I suspect they'll start the year with 2 RBs, Taylor and Wilson on the PS. Carpenter looked better at MLBer. It's a low bar, but as he was probably going to make it for his STs ability, it's good to see. Newman had an injury, but assuming he's healthy, I think he makes the team...even if I don't think he should. The OT position is going to be interesting. I didn't notice Caleb Jones until later in the game Cox Jr looked even better. WRer-I still think the top 6 is pretty settled. If there's anyone at risk here, I'd say it'd be Toure with Dubose beating him out, but going back to all the comments by MLF and Gutekunst, that seems unlikely. I think the Packers are going to be able to develop some of these PS players, whoever it ends up being. Dubose, Chrest, Bones....I think Bo Melton has fallen out of favor. Still like the idea of developing Dre Miller. Late signing, but big physically, really fits the Packers scheme. Watson needed to make that catch on the underthrow by Love if he wants to elevate his game, but that's not a 53 man issue.

I think he pretty much solidified his spot on this roster today...not that there was much doubt as they hadn't even considered bringing in another kicker. I don't see that changing unless the Packers have a surprisingly successful season and Carlson is still struggling 2 months in. Then Crosby would be an obvious candidate assuming he doesn't sign anywhere else in the meantime.

They said it, but I didn't really see much evidence of it. Just a good swing on a FB in the minors and a bad swing on a breaking ball that fooled him in the Big leagues. I'm not stating the premise is wrong. I just don't know that it's right. My untrained eye says if you slow it down, stop even the first one, a bad swing, at 3 seconds, or just as the pitch is delivered and he looked balanced, hands are coming through, he's not opening up...but I'm also not a hitting guru. A lot of moving parts makes being a consistent hitter tougher for most players. That seems obvious. The bat waggle and the big step work for some(Bonds, Sheff) and others struggle with it. I just don't know if Wiemer needs an overhaul or if he's just a young player with big tools who has had a tendency to adjust slowly to the next level and if that's what is happening here at the highest level.

I still know of Packers fans who think Favre should have finished his career in GB... So the Packers way of drafting their successor toward the end of their great QBs career(which they've done twice, so maybe not an MO yet) may always be unpopular with some fans. I just want Rodgers to stop acting like an annoying Ex telling everyone how much he loves his new team and was ready to leave GB when he wanted to come back and ONLY chose the Jets when the Packers approached the Jets and they were the only team that wanted him in the AFC. But we'll make up and move on. It'll be much easier if Love has more success in the playoffs than Rodgers.

I was JUST chatting with a 49ers fan on Twitter asking if Lynch was actually a good GM or if he came into a good situation and then just hired a good coach and...he didn't have an answer for me. Look at their best players. Williams-Washington was done and they gave up draft capital for him. Bosa-Obvious pick for them. Kittle-Not on their team. But then they DID go out and get Warner, Deebo, Aiyuk, Hufanga(he was a 6th rounder). Their firsts are...uneven at best, but where they're good, they're REALLY good. And they trade for players like McCaffery and again, great coach. I think Lynch is more 2nd half Ted Thompson career in terms of drafting. Early misses, late round hits here and there...some have to be lucky. Brock Purdy'? But they're a really good team. Go look at the Eagles drafts year by year. Those weren't pretty either. But they found some studs in strange places, so...I don't know. Roseman has been outstanding the last couple years though. No question about that.

I don't know...I just remember Tony Gwynn basically saying he doesn't care about any of the stance or what happens until the pitch is delivered and he wants to see guys balanced in their load and their bat staying in the hitting zone. Looks like he's doing that to me, but...I'm no hitting coach. I know EVERY time I watch a game with my Old Man I hear how much he hates Wiemer's stance(same with Weeks). The more movement, obviously the more you need to do in order to get your timing down.

THAT is really cool to see. I haven't any updates on Yeager for a while. I thought he was likely having TJ.

I actually hope he had a forearm injury. Getting 2022 Rowdy back would be great. We're gonna need a couple other guys to really get going if we don't wanna be a one and done again. Get him back, Adames is hitting the ball hard. Frelick and Turang are having good ABs. You don't need to be the '27 Yankees, just timely hits at the right time. I'm pretty sure there's been a WS team just about every year the last 10-20 years that people dismissed at this time of the year.