Potential Packers Free Agent Targets

Here is a list of NFL free agents that the Packers could, should, but won't investigate in free agency. Not because these players aren't good or a good fit, but just because the Packers never spend any money on other teams's draft picks. However, if the Packers are truly adamant about re-shaping their team to be a more physical and tough team, they will need more than the draft to accomplish it in 1 year.

All of these players are 28 or younger. All are coming off so-so years.

So, with further ado, here are some potential (but always long-shot) targets for the Packers:

Offense
1. Mike Goodson, HB (Oakland) - tough; sparingly used (college, pros); success in zone-blocking
2. Dustin Keller, TE/FB (NY Jets) - ideal size for H-back; assignment sure, good hands; better leak option than Kuhn (see what Rams did with Kendricks?)
3. David Nelson, WR (Buffalo) - giant (6'5"); can box out; fascinating pairing with Finley
4. LaRod Stephens-Howling, HB/KR (Arizona) - mighty-mouse, but a completely different runner than DuJuan Harris; KR
5. Chris Ivory, HB (New Orleans) - buried on depth chart; has looked like dynamite when given opportunities
6. Mike Pollack, C/G (Carolina) - size, agility, flexibility for interior line
7. Ramses Barden, WR (NY Giants) - genuine monster, at 6'7"; would diversify the receiving corp.
8. Brandyn Dombrowski, G/T (San Diego) - great size, youth; tatted-up means nasty, right?
9. Branden Albert, G/T (Kansas City) - tall, long tackle, agility to even play guard; might be out of price range.
10. Brady Quinn, QB (Kansas City) - whaaa? Sure, why not? How about a young, beaten pup of a QB for McCarthy to mold?

Defense
1. Matt Shaughnessy, DE (Oakland) - tall, long arms; strong against run, setting edge
2. Sean Smith, DB (Miami) - Safety size with CB speed
3. LaRon Landry, S (NY Jets) - feared across middle and in run support; attitude
4. Shawne Merriman, OLB (Buffalo) - can lightning strike twice? Might help to be exposed to winning culture.
5. Terrance Knighton, DT (Jacksonville) - nickname is "Pot Roast"; another big, run-down body
6. Victor Butler, OLB (Dallas) - replacement for Walden, faster than Moses
7. Jason Jones, DE (Seattle) - again, tall, long arms; can set edge.
8. Bradley Fletcher, DB (St. Louis) - good size/speed guy; buried on depth chart
9. Louis Delmas, S (Detroit) - addition-by-subtraction, more so than anything; feared across the middle
10. Keith Rivers, LB (NY Giants) - don't you just need to take a flyer on this guy?
11. Kenny Phillips, DB (NY Giants) - perfect size/speed for Safety in Capers's scheme. Why not?
12. Antwan Barnes, LB (San Diego) - pass rushing specialist out of 3-4
13. Antoine Cason, DB (San Diego) - perfect size/speed; experience in 3-4

Congratulations to Jerry Jones

Who got exactly what he always wanted for Super Bowl XLV in his new stadium - the Green Bay Packers versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.

George Halas Trophy Presentation - 2010 NFC Champion Green Bay Packers!

<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/video?vid=97a5f09d-b8fa-478e-8e61-1129844385bc" target="_new" title="">NFC Trophy Presentation</a>

Go Pack!

Barely slept last night. Had visions of the game coming down to a pass from Aaron Rodgers to Andrew Quarless in the end zone.

Whatever happens today, this was a fantastic year for the Packers. A lot to look forward to (hopefully, in two weeks!).

Go Pack, go!

Green Bay Packers are Finally Vindicated

Giving the mainstream media (RE: ESPN, NFL Network, FOX) their comeuppance on their fawning Favre coverage in 2008-2010 is very satisfying.

Of course, there will be apologists. But the reality is what we the entire nation saw today. Brett Favre threw 2 costly INTs and partly to blame for 1 lost fumble when in scoring range 3 times in a game that was won in OT. He lost. And he failed in his stated goal (to win another Super Bowl). That is what happened. Anything else being said (oh, but did you see how he got up even after being hit; look how well he played this season with the Vikes; he is 40 years old but plays like a kid; etc.) is just a sideshow. Why they will continue to do so (e.g. to protect themselves so that they still get "special access" when he decides to announce his retirement/unretirement; so they can hire him to be an in-game or in-studio commentator for their channel, etc.) is beyond me.

The story that should be written is how prescient the Green Bay Packers organization was to cut ties with Favre when they did. Whether the "we have left the station" moment with Favre in late June 2008 was form over substance is irrelevant. What is relevant is that the Packer organization was confident that Favre did not have the capacity to lead their team (at the time, a youthful, deeply flawed team, with holes in the Oline, Dline, and LB corp) to the Super Bowl and that Aaron Rodgers was the real deal who could fit within their rebuilding plan. They were also prescient to know that 2008 was the year they had to give him the reins.

Flash-forward to 2009. Favre lands with the Vikings - his preferred location. It is a team, that entering 2009 without Favre, was probably a better overall team than the one Favre played with the Packers in 2007. It came equipped with the solid Oline, elite running attack, highly effective Defense, and an offense he famously claimed, "to know better than the coaching staff". He has a highly successful season. We get to the playoffs, he clicks and has a great divisional round playoff game. He then gets to a highly winnable NFC Championship game in his hometown stadium (a dome, for that matter). And yet even when the highly proficient Saints offense was shutdown, he could not do enough to win the game for the Vikings.

(From JSOnline)

So, where do we find ourselves now, Packers fan? Our warm memories of Favre still in tact and untarnished. And a very promising future with Rodgers on the near horizon. I consider that vindication.

Packers Playoff Possibilities

The Packers are currently the #5 seed in the NFC behind New Orleans (#1 seed: 13-2), Minnesota (#2 seed: 11-3), Philadelphia (#3 seed: 11-4) and Arizona (#4 seed: 10-5).

The Packers have a the tiebreaker advantage over the Dallas Cowboys (currently #6 seed: 10-5) based on their head-to-head victory.

If everything stays the same after Week 17 of the NFL season, the Packers (#5 seed) would play back-to-back weeks at the Arizona Cardinals (#4 seed).

But, there are some remote possibilities heading into Week 17 of the NFL season. One thing we definitely know for sure... the Packers CAN NOT play New Orleans, Philadelphia or Dallas.

• Scenario #1 -- Philadelphia plays Dallas next week for the NFC East division title. If they win, the Eagles would be the #2 or #3 seed and the Cowboys would be #6 (the previously mentioned Packers tiebreaker assures them the #5 seed in this scenario). If the Eagles lose, they are a wild card, and two wild cards can't play each other in the first round.

• Scenario #2 -- The Packers are most likely to play the Arizona Cardinals. If the Packers beat the Cardinals on Sunday, the Cardinals will remain the #4 seed and the Packers would remain the #5 seed, hence the back-to-back rematch. If the Cardinals beat the Packers and the Cowboys beat the Eagles, the Packers would fall to the #6 seed and the Cardinals would move up to the #3 seed, hence the back-to-back rematch.

• Scenario #3 -- The Packers could also play the Vikings, but it's a very, very remote possibility. Three things need to happen (or technically, four things need to happen). 1) The Vikings need to lose twice, which would drop them to the #4 seed. 2) The Cardinals need to beat the Packers which would drop Green Bay to the #6 seed and move Arizona up to the #3 seed, but... 3) The Eagles would need to beat the Cowboys, moving the Eagles into the #2 seed and the Cowboys into the #6 seed. The Eagles (12-4) would be the #2 seed because they would have the second best record in the NFC at 12-4. The Vikings (11-5) would drop to the #4 seed because they would lose a tiebreaker with Arizona (11-5) based on the Cardinals' head-to-head victory. The Packers (10-6) would be tied with the Cowboys (10-6), but hold the aforementioned tiebreaker. Since the #5 seed plays the #4 seed, the Packers would play the Vikings in Minnesota.

The Cardinals could also jump to the #2 seed in the NFC with a total collapse by all the teams in front of them, but it WILL NOT affect the teams Green Bay has a chance to play. Simply put, the Packers will be playing either the Cardinals or the Vikings in the first round of the NFC playoffs.

Vandermause - Packers need all cylinders firing

Good article by Mike Vandermause. Here is an excerpt:

Arrmed with the No. 2 defense and No. 5 offense in the National Football League, the Green Bay Packers carry an impressive resume into the home stretch of their season.

But let’s not kid ourselves into believing statistics mean much, considering the Packers have been lucky enough to have the four worst teams in the NFL on their schedule.

Pummeling the likes of the Detroit Lions (2-9) twice, in addition to the Cleveland Browns (1-9) and St. Louis Rams (1-9), is one surefire way to produce with eye-popping efficiency. Even in a loss to the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-9), the Packers fattened their numbers.

Their 7-4 record puts them on solid ground and ahead of the pack of NFC wild-card contenders, but the Packers will need more than gaudy stats to make a deep playoff run.

It will take significant contributions from several key players if the Packers want to elevate themselves from merely a good team to a bona fide Super Bowl contender that can challenge NFC heavyweights New Orleans and Minnesota.

Packers - Lions Preview

Packers - 49ers Preview

Gut Reaction - Week 4, 30-23 loss to Vikings

From Cheeshead TV:

• Going to be a long two weeks in Packerland
• Brett Favre and Brad Childress embarrassed Dom Capers tonight
• Clay Matthews – I take it all back. What a play.
• THERE’S the Jermichael Finley we’ve been waiting for
• Aaron Kampman looked awkward all night
• Where was Ryan Grant for the 2nd and 3rd quarters?
• Deshawn Wynn is not an NFL back. Period.
• Jerius Wynn had some quality snaps
• The Vikings didn’t have a penalty until the second half. Hmmmm….
• TJ Lang was much, much better than Daryn Colledge at left tackle
• Speaking of the offensive line – Epic. Fail.

Gut Reaction - Week 2, 31-24 loss to Bengals

From Cheesehead TV:

• So let’s get this straight: They can’t block, they can’t tackle and they can’t catch. Did I miss anything?
• Dear Mike McCarthy, I am officially sick of the penalties
• Thank God they held on to Jarrett Bush, if only for his comedic value
• Aaron Rouse was surprisingly solid
• The Packers do not have a running game. Period.
• Or a running back, for that matter
• Aaron Rodgers has to speed up his clock and start checking down. The protection is shaky, but he’s not helping.
• Can everyone shut the hell up about the Super Bowl now?
• Dom Capers needs to get the edge fixed. Off tackle has been killing his defense since the first pre-season game.
• Charles Woodson is, if not a God, then a minor-deity
• Mike McCarthy’s team looked poorly coached today

Madden 2009 Cover Goes to...

Bret Favre? Accoring to this internet rumor, yes.

Favre will be appearing on Letterman tonight and will hopefully confirm or dispel this rumor.

Mathematics To Retire Favre's Number

CAMBRIDGE, MA—Mathematicians, statisticians, number theorists, and members of numeral-oriented professions held a press conference at MIT...

Packers Tell Fans They Gave Favre To A Nice Farm Family

GREEN BAY, WI—The Green Bay Packers addressed questions concerning the current status, future plans, and whereabouts of recently retired quarterback Brett Favre by announcing Monday that they had sent him to the country to live on a...

Well, maybe he is hanging out with Trajan.

RE: Favre Retires

Here are my thoughts, explained to a co-worker:

It has been a tough day today. I honestly felt like crying in the shower this morning. I am sure my older brother was just as inconsolable. Yep, here we are, 28 and 30 respectively, and as pathetic as we were at 12 and 14.

Since I was a boy, Favre has been in my thoughts and dreams. He has been a part of some of my fondest memories. He has caused me so much happiness and enjoyment. Honestly, one of my top 5 dreams in life - right this moment - is to see him win another Super Bowl. It is kind of hard to imagine a day from September-January from 1992-2008 where the man didn't dominate my thoughts for the day. Heck, probably during the off-season as well.

It is going to make the NFL and the Packers much different to watch. It is kind of hard to explain. But, I am sure you know what I mean.

In a sense, I am excited for the "newness" of it all. I am also relieved to not have to worry about him getting hurt, tarnishing his "Iron-Man" reputation. Or watch as his skills diminish and fans forget how good he is.

But in reality, I am just sad and a little scared.

Meet Brett Favre

Here is an article written by Bob McGinn about Brett Favre, dated August 17, 1992.

RE: Favre Retires

Here is a great article on ESPN.com:

Brett, We Miss You Already.

Favre's Voice Mail to Mortensen

Or you can access by clicking here.

Favre Retires

He walks away with every record in the NFL Record Book and his starting streak in tact. Apparently, he was too tired to give it another shot, without the guarantee of a Super Bowl victory.

"I know it shouldn't feel unsuccessful, but the only way to come back and make that be the right decision would be to come back and win a Super Bowl. And honestly, the odds of that, they're tough. Those are big shoes for me to fill, and I guess it was a challenge I wasn't up for," said Favre in a telephone conversation with ESPN's Chris Mortensen.

Today is a sad day for Packerland.

AP: Feds Probed Max McGee

From the Associated Press:

Hard-partying Green Bay Packers receiver Max McGee, who scored the first touchdown in Super Bowl history, had a gambling habit that the FBI tracked after his career ended, newly released records show.

Agents investigated McGee for about a year, from late 1972 through September 1973, before dropping the case for lack of evidence, according to records released to The Associated Press under the federal Freedom of Information Act.

Information in the late player's file appears to show the FBI thought he was a bookmaker but determined he wasn't. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Sunday he did not know about the FBI's probe of McGee.

"I'll be damned," McGee's former teammate and longtime friend Jerry Kramer said when told of the file released to the AP last week. "You know he was betting. Everybody knows that," Kramer said Friday from his home in Boise, Idaho. "I kind of thought it was more of a social thing than serious gambling."