GB - Quick Thoughts on Free Agency

[big dog cowboy]

Chaz is a bust.

When did this happen?

 

[tm1119]

I think we're fine at DT. Thornton and Paea at 1 Tech and Collins, Crawford, Irving at 3 tech. Don't know how much more we're going to get than that. Maybe a late draft pick...

RDE is by far the most obvious need. I actually think the depth along the d line is fine right now. We just need that 1 "war daddy", as Jerry likes to say. Having Lawrence, Mayowa, Tapper, Irving, Crawford, and Moore can form a very solid rotation imo, it's just that none of them are the true pass rushing RDE that we need (aka war daddy).

RT is the next biggest need...but I don't think it will be that hard to find a Free level replacement player to be honest.

S is next. I'd love to believe in Heath, but I just can't. I'd like to see 1 of Byrd, McDonald, or McDougald in.

And I agree that CB shouldn't be a big priority. Brown and Scandrick should be penciled in as 2 key contributors with Carroll bring a really solid depth piece. We only need 1 more guy, and that could easily end up being 1 of Mo/Carr still. If not this is a really deep CB draft, 3rd or 4th round is fine.

I'd also like to see a young TE drafted that Witten can pass the torch to. This is a really good draft for TE's as well.

 

[waldoputty]

When did this happen?

there is no difference between talented but cannot stay healthy vs. talented but cannot stay off the weed.
what sane fo will going into 2017 trusting chaz to be the starter?

 

[LatinMind]

The window is the next 2-3 years while we don't have to pay Dak 20+ million/yr
We're going to be in the hook for increasing OL money over the next several years as we now start to pay Martin along with Fred and Smith

Both of these will limit our flexibility
Seattle had their SB success while they had the QB on a rookie contract

If we "build" this defense in 3 years were in trouble

Our FO had already created cap problems with little flexibility to do anything without anything to show for it meanwhile teams like NE had had sustained success while being way under the cap

Zack Martin will end up getting the bulk of his guranteed money in the first 3 yrs where all this cap room. Paying these OL will not be hard at all because this team is being built from the draft.

 

[waldoputty]

Zack Martin will end up getting the bulk of his guranteed money in the first 3 yrs where all this cap room. Paying these OL will not be hard at all because this team is being built from the draft.

in another words, front load his contract because we have nothing else to do with the salary cap space, like trying to win the super bowl

 

[Pants]

at first glance, I saw the title of this thread and thought "Why on earth would I want to read ANYTHING on the Packers and their free agency???"

 

[Reality]

at first glance, I saw the title of this thread and thought "Why on earth would I want to read ANYTHING on the Packers and their free agency???"

You are not alone .. each time I see a thread with GB at the start, I usually start the process of moving it to the NFL Zone before realizing it's not about Green Bay.

 

[LocimusPrime]

i believe the Titans also have 3 OL 1st rounders or used to.
$5-6M AAV is not massive free agent money.
for example Remmers signed for 6M AAV and his first year cap impact was likely less than Free's base salary.
And we obviously had the money since Free retired.
Who counts on draft picks working out in the 1st year to cover needs.
We had a historic draft and we are expecting our drafts to be historic every year?
We can count on the 1st round pick contributing year 1 and that is about it.

Look at the 2014 - we hit on one player - Zack. DLaw is always injured and unreliable.
(1) 16 T Zack Martin Notre Dame
(2) 34 DE Demarcus Lawrence Boise State
(4) 119 OLB Anthony Hitchens Iowa
(5) 146 WR Devin Street Pittsburgh
(7) 231 DE Ben Gardner Stanford
(7) 238 OLB Will Smith Texas Tech
(7) 248 S Ahmad Dixon Baylor
(7) 251 DT Ken Bishop Northern Illinois
(7) 254 DB Terrance Mitchell Oregon

Look at the 2015 draft - Jones is pretty good, but Wilson only became a starter late in his second year. We got lucky with Collins who was not drafted. Chaz is a bust. Gregory gamble did not pan out. Swaim is decent but certainly not a starter.

• Byron Jones. Position: CB. Height: 6-1. ...
• Randy Gregory. Position: DE. ...
• Chaz Green. Position: OT. ...
• Damien Wilson. Position: LB. ...
• Ryan Russell. Position: DE. ...
• Mark Nzeocha. Position: LB. ...
• Laurence Gibson. Position: OT. ...
• Geoff Swaim. Position: TE.

Holy crud....was that our 2014 draft. That's not too good. Martin was a good pick, but Hitchens and Lawrence might not see a second contract from us - depending on there play this year

 

[waldoputty]

Holy crud....was that our 2014 draft. That's not too good. Martin was a good pick, but Hitchens and Lawrence might not see a second contract from us - depending on there play this year

other than the 2016 historic draft, we have done well in the 1st round. mixed results in the 2nd. worse afterwards.
so based on that, we can reasonably expect 1 starter from the 1st, and then 1-2 rotation player after in their rookie year.

considering the weakness at DL, RT, CB, S and CB, it is insane given we had more cap flexibility.
instead of signing depth, they could have been signing a couple solutions.
at least a RT like Remmers who is decent and year 1 cap impact would be less than Free's base salary.
if they were unwilling to sign front-7, at least spend a few more M to get a CB who can be a #2 so that eliminates another need from the draft.
the FO has gone from one extreme to another - it is now bean counters gone wild.

Stephen is now the biggest problem from us winning the superbowl.
the team will be good, actually very good.
but he refuses to make the investments need to get the team over the top.

what is the point of going 12-4 with 5% chance to win the superbowl because the D is not nearly good enough.
i would rather sign up for another 4-12 and at least get the war daddy or 2 that way.
if so, at least sign a decent RT so Dak is protected well.
then let the D go through the pains of using rookies/UDFAs for starters instead of the likes of Carroll.

 

[Alexander]

Some posters were seemingly expecting a show like the giants put on last year in FA.

Only the ones starting threads talking about how could restructure everybody and sign whomever we wanted.

 

[waldoputty]

Only the ones starting threads talking about how could restructure everybody and sign whomever we wanted.

you cannot argue the numbers, can you?

i am happy to send you the spreadsheet so you can try to poke all the holes in it you want to.
if you are so sure, what dont you give it a try.

 

[Alexander]

you cannot argue the numbers, can you?

Who cares if it was possible? The team had zero intention of doing anything you said.

What you basically did is indulge yourself in a fantasy exercise that had no chance of happening.

Go for you, I guess.

i am happy to send you the spreadsheet so you can try to poke all the holes in you want to.
if you are so sure, what dont you give it a try.

No thank you.

I prefer reality and what the team will do versus what I believe they could do if they decided suddenly to backtrack on everything that we had been told.

 

[DandyDon52]

yeah I would add hitchens, he contributed alot early on.
I think dallas is getting carried away with the whole build thru the draft thing.
FA is there to be used, just be smart about it.
Then they go for josh mckown ???????
but not a RT lol

Dallas was bringing in josh to look at him for bkup qb I guess

 

[waldoputty]

Who cares if it was possible? The team had zero intention of doing anything you said.

What you basically did is indulge yourself in a fantasy exercise that had no chance of happening.

Go for you, I guess.

No thank you.

I prefer reality and what the team will do versus what I believe they could do if they decided suddenly to backtrack on everything that we had been told.

any idiot would know the team would not take the extreme scenario i proposed.

it is not a fantasy exercise.
it allows me to see how serious the team is about winning.
some of us dont want to be blind fans.

you yourself started to question the sanity of depending on the draft for filling all the holes created.
am i not correct there?

 

[waldoputty]

Dallas was bringing in josh to look at him for bkup qb I guess

if dak is seriously hurt, we are done anyway.
moore seems to be adequate for a short term replacement.
thought he played ok in his last game against the Commanders.
he threw for 435 yards with 68.8 completion %, 3 tds and 2 int.
super small sample, but dont expect josh to be much better.

 

[fivetwos]

I really don't see why it's such a big deal to "build" a defense to what's considered to be a championship level on PAPER.

Even if every spot was filled with what the majority around here consider to be a solid player, it still doesn't guarantee anything.

The way the rules in this league are anymore, you need an offense that can score, and from there it comes down to things like clock management (having the damn ball last), a bad call, and/or the bounce of the ball an inch or two either way, and/or...probably mostly.....luck.

Trying to fill every spot with a solid player on some sort of 2-3 year plan is somewhere between impossible and stupid. You'll not be able to retain others by the time you add what you think you are missing, and that doesn't even account for injury.

Have a QUARTERBACK, protect him, manage the clock, and get very lucky is what it comes down to.

Things like Carroll vs. Claiborne, etc, etc, etc mean ZERO in the end.

 

[waldoputty]

I really don't see why it's such a big deal to "build" a defense to what's considered to be a championship level on PAPER.

Even if every spot was filled with what the majority around here consider to be a solid player, it still doesn't guarantee anything.

The way the rules in this league are anymore, you need an offense that can score, and from there it comes down to things like clock management (having the damn ball last), a bad call, and/or the bounce of the ball an inch or two either way, and/or...probably mostly.....luck.

Trying to fill every spot with a solid player on some sort of 2-3 year plan is somewhere between impossible and stupid. You'll not be able to retain others by the time you add what you think you are missing, and that doesn't even account for injury.

Have a QUARTERBACK, protect him, manage the clock, and get very lucky is what it comes down to.

Things like Carroll vs. Claiborne, etc, etc, etc mean ZERO in the end.

we could have easily beat green bay last year if garrett was not stupid about clock management.

however, good luck beating atlanta or new england with the defense we have.

this team can easily go 12-4 and then go 1 and out again because of the defense.

 

[Alexander]

you yourself started to question the sanity of depending on the draft for filling all the holes created.
am i not correct there?

They could have easily been a little more strategic in free agency, but what you proposed went way outside of the realm of reason.

Hence, fantasy.

 

[waldoputty]

They could have easily been a little more strategic in free agency, but what you proposed went way outside of the realm of reason.

Hence, fantasy.

They were totally strategic in doing what they wanted to do.
They knew that Free was retiring.
They knew the cost of free agency.
They planned everything and executed it with precise timing - see Friday.
They are simply obsessed with value to the point of forgetting about the goal is the superbowl, not the bean counters olympics.

What I proposed was extreme.
But yet it was doable in the short term, and did not blow up the cap in the long term.
So what is actually wrong with it?

 

[MichaelWinicki]

They've got a ton of resources invested in the OL. 3 1st rounders in Smith, Martin, and Frederick. A 4 starter would have been a 4th 1st round pick, if not for bizarre circumstances. That's 4 1st round talents.

2 have been given massive extensions. Martin will get one too.

You can't just keep allocating resources there. You need to address other areas of the team, like defense.

You have to trust your scouting and player personnel people to find replacements that don't require a high draft pick or massive free agent money.

Lions might be the only other team with 3 1at rounders they spent starting. We are hardly ignoring it or putting our QB in jeopardy.

And I look at Patriots... They much OL in & out of the lineup... They willingly gave up a guy like Mankins. And never do you here... "Well Belichick is going to get Brady killed."