Matt Breen

I remember watching Odell's gem. I still remember he gave up the hit in the 9th - and they eventually brought in Plesac (I think) to finish the game. I felt bad he didn't get the complete game. But we won. I think that was the final season of his career. Bizarro.

Did a throwback on Harper a couple of years ago. Truly an amazing season back he had.

Dane Brugler of the Athletic has released his 'Beast' NFL draft guide. It's 300+ pages with 1900 players listed. It is a beast of a thing, and really cool. Warning: as it is from the Athletic, it is subscriber based content. https://theathletic.com/5399690/2024/04/10/nfl-draft-2024-the-beast-dane-brugler/

I am fascinated by Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt. To get Alt, I'm thinking any team would have to get up to the #6 spot - the Giants - as I've seen often Alt mocked to the Titans at #7. So, just for fun, here's a proposal: Packers get 1st (#6) and 4th (#107) from the Giants. Value breakdown: #6 = 1600 pts #107 = 80 pts Total: 1680 pts Giants get 1st (#25), 2nd (#41), 2nd (#58) and 3rd (#88) from the Packers. Value breakdown: #25 = 720 pts #41 = 490 pts #58 = 320 pts #88 = 150 pts Total: 1680 pts If Alt was on the table at #6, would you do this? We would still have a 3rd round pick, plus a pair of 4th rounders, to find some depth. But those are riskier than 2nds and 3rd rounders. Personally, I don't think the Packers would do it - as they want the extra picks to fill other holes in the roster. I'm using the draft value chart found here: https://www.drafttek.com/NFL-Trade-Value-Chart.asp

That's awesome. Just awesome. Too bad those games weren't it crappy winter conditions.

I sometimes think we all believe we are the smartest person in the room. We get it into our heads that we know better than everyone. And to prove that - we have to make declarations or make decisions that go counter to the collective thought. You just wonder about the logic that brought them to this decision.

Just finished "Slow Horses" on Apple. Really good spy stories with a bit of a twist. Oldman is awesome.

Brilliant day of baseball.

Thank you. That was helpful.

NFL draft is one month away. In the latest Mock Draft from the Athletic, they had the Packers trading up to #12 with Denver and selecting CB Quinyon Mitchell of Toledo. Packers give up 1st (#25), 2nd (#58), 3rd (#91) and a 7th (#245). If you're wondering about the draft capital chart values, here's the breakdown: Packers get: 1st (#12) - 1200 pt value Denver gets: #25 - 720 pts #58 - 320 #91 - 136 #245 - 1 TOTAL: 1177 pt value Of course, that's if you trust the value charts out there. Thoughts?

I think Lafleur - and to an extent, Gute - are enamored with the idea of how Tennessee ran their offense circa 2018-19 (Lafleur was OC in 2018). Lafleur loved having a big back to pound the ball 20 times and wear down defenses. I think they envisioned Dillon playing that role in GB - and he did to an extent. But he simply doesn't have the ability - or durability - of Henry. Come 2024 and Jacobs is available as a FA. If you look at Jacobs 2022 season - that's about as close as you get to the glory years of Derrick Henry in Tennessee. 20 carries a game, nearly five yards a pop. And as people have pointed out, the kind of guy that pounded between the tackles. And a solid receiver. MLF and Gute saw that and basically said - that's what we want. It will work awesome with Jordan Love. The team went out and got the guy they think will elevate the offense. Jacobs fit perfectly into what the offensive brain trust wanted. And thus they got Jacobs and let Jones go. Now, was this all a good move is another story. I'm just saying that I think the team felt Jacobs offered them the guy they think will fit the offense perfectly. Jones is great, I'm sure they will say, but he's not on Jacobs' level as a dominant ball carrier. Thus, 'thank you, Aaron, here's the door.' Again, was that a good idea - who knows. It might be that the club was concerned about Jones' age and ability to carry a large workload. The team certainly suffered when he was gone. Of course, Jacobs had his own injuries last season. And while younger, he's ran the ball more times than Jones in his career. And his 2023 numbers were nothing like 2022. Let's hope that's an aberration - caused by awful QB play and bad offensive line.

There you go. Important slot covered.

Aaron Jones released. I thought'd they'd do something to keep... sadness.

One of my favorite ideas was the Vikings bringing in Darnold and Mac Jones to compete against one another. I guess only 1/2 correct.

I liked Runyan, but that's a pretty sweet deal for him. Good for him. I wish him well - most of the time.

Guy was amazing in 2022. Raiders - as noted - were a cluster last year.

Jacobs. Wow. I'm guessing we want two reliable #1 types. Makes Love better to have a running game he can count on.

In the latest mock from The Athletic, the writer had the Packers trading up to #15 slot - Indianapolis - and taking Cooper DeJean. DeJean to the Packers is a popular option in many mocks, but not this high. But his argument is that there are too many teams who pick in the 16-20 area - specifically Seattle, Jacksonville and Philadelphia - who will be looking heavily at defensive backs - and DeJean won't get past those. The cost to move up 10 slots was our own #1 pick (25) and our #5 pick (168) and a #2 pick in 2025. The Packers also get a 2024 #4 (116) pick from Indy. https://theathletic.com/5323254/2024/03/11/nfl-mock-draft-2024-free-agency/ (subscription needed)

Davis' bat is interesting - but nothing special. Decent, but not great power. No real split issues - meaning he can play against lefties and righties. Inconsistent hitter at times, but probably a bit above average at the plate. Nothing wrong with that. Biggest issue is that he's a bad defender. If he played 3B adequately, he'd be nice to have. But he's generally seen as a sub-par fielder - wherever he plays. If he was a bit better hitter, a team could plug him in at DH and the occasional start in the field. And I guess we could do that.

Lots of safeties have been let go this past week. Justin Simmons and Xavier McKinney seem like the standouts. McKinney seems perfect for the team - but will cost the most. It would be nice to fill one of the safety slots with a quality veteran. I guess it all comes down to money and fit.

CB Kool-Aid McKinstry - a good chance to go in the 1st round of the draft - was found to have a Jones fracture in his right foot. It was only discovered at the combine. He plans on working out at his pro day - and then having surgery. Not sure how this will affect his draft position. The Jones fracture is not necessarily serious for a non-athlete - but surgery is usually required for an athlete such as McKinstry. I read that recovery is generally 8 weeks - but it can take longer. And there's likely a 'getting up to speed' time involved.

Good article on Cooper DeJean in The Athletic. Here's the link - but know it's subscription (sorry). https://theathletic.com/5308986/2024/02/29/cooper-dejean-combine-iowa-nfl-draft/ The more I read about him the more I like. Super athletic. Had offer to play QB at South Dakota State. There's some belief he's best played at safety, but as one person in the article says - don't worry about that. Just get him on the field and let his versatility and athleticism carve out a spot. Obviously, the broken fibula is a concern. But it might also mean he'll fall a bit - and be there are #25 for us.

Today, DeJean said he still isn't fully recovered from his injury in November - which was a fractured fibula. He said he will NOT participate in the combine or Iowa's pro day (March 18), but said he will have workout for clubs closer to the draft. He - understandably - wants to be at full strength. He added that he is running at full speed as of last week.

Nice article on Chourio in The Athletic: https://theathletic.com/5304057/2024/02/28/jackson-chourio-brewers-patience-debut/ Nothing earth shattering in the article - just a lot of observations and quotes from people (including Chourio). Of course, it's behind a paywall, so you have to have subscribed.