Green Bay Packers NFL Team Column

Green Bay Packers Post 2008 NFL Draft Report

Round 1, Pick 30: Traded to the Jets for their 36^th and 113^th overall.

I like this trade. I honestly do. Antoine Cason, the only cornerback I could see the Packers taking, was gone at this point. I mentioned Aqib Talib in my previous article, but he was recently caught smoking marijuana. Packers have a high emphasis on character so that puts him out of contention. Tracy Porter was easily gettable in the 2^nd round, and would have been a reach. Also, other players like Lawrence Jackson, Duane Brown, and Sam Baker were gone, players who I would have picked with a 2^nd round pick. Regardless, this trade is very good for the Packers. They gain a 4^th round pick, pay a player less money, and don’t miss out on any prospects.

Round 2, Pick 36: Jordy Nelson WR, Kansas State

I’m speechless at this pick. He’s an underrated player and could turn out to live up to this pick, but at the same time Limas Sweed, Malcolm Kelly, and James Hardy are still on the board. Don’t get me wrong, Nelson is a good route-runner and has pretty good hands, but Sweed and Kelly outperforms him in every category. They’re bigger, faster, stronger, and have better hands. I understand this pick, but I’m not its biggest fan.

Round 2, Pick 56: Brian Brohm QB, Louisville

Great pick here. Not my top choice, but still. I love Aaron Rodgers and all, but he was injured in every single game he played, which weren’t many. Brohm is a great fit for the West-Coast offense, and would provide a great backup. The only thing I’m worried about is Rodgers’ competition affecting him negatively. But still, I like where the Packers are going with this.

Round 2, Pick 60: Pat Lee CB, Auburn

Another great pick. This is the best player, in my opinion, that the packers could possibly pick here. He’s a cornerback and fits what the Packers want. He’s not incredibly small (6’0” 200 lbs.) yet at the same time he’s not incredibly large. He runs a relatively fast 40 (4.40 seconds at the combine). His vertical of 35” is respectable, but nothing amazing, and his 15 reps of 225 is really good for a cornerback. Most importantly, he excels at jamming receivers at the line, something that you’ll see a lot of for the Packers’ cornerbacks.

Day 2 of the Packers Draft

Round 3, Pick 91: Jermichael Finley TE, Texas

I’m really liking this pick right here. The Packers love to utilize a 2-tight end formation. Finley gives Rodgers (or Brohm) a great receiving option. He’s a great receiver, and can run a 4.66 forty. Due to his above average athleticism, it allows the Packers to continue to be very creative when using a 2-tight end formation.

Round 4, Pick 102: Received from New York Jets for draft picks #113 and #162 overall: Jeremy Thompson DE, Wake Forest

… What was Ted Thompson thinking? For someone who never trades up, why do you trade up to get a no-namer. Sure he’s gifted, but there are plenty of other options I would have taken. Watching the draft, I thought that the pick would be Anthony Collins, an OT from Kansas. I seriously don’t know that Ted Thompson was doing at the time of this pick. Jeremy Thompson would have definitely been available at pick 113. Basically he just threw away a 5^th rounder and some money.

Round 4, Pick 128: Traded to St. Louis Rams for draft picks #137 and #217 overall

The first trade was great, the second was horrible. How was the third trade that Ted Thompson made? I would say it’s great. In terms of the trade value chart, the Packers got .1 of an extra point. That shows that the trade is very even. I feel that the Packers probably made this trade because they were targeting an offensive (Tony Hills, Carl Nicks, or Kirk Barton) or defensive (Dre Moore or Red Bryant) tackle with their 135^th overall pick. At least one of the offensive tackles, if not all, would fall to the Packers with their 135^th overall selection. Also, defensive tackles Dre Moore and Red Bryant were selected before the Packers could pick.

Round 4, Pick 135: Josh Sitton OT, Central Florida

When you block for Kevin Smith, you automatically have my respect. Nicks wouldn’t be an option because of his character problems and the Packers’ high emphasis on character. There’s not much else to say about this guy other than the fact that he’s 324 pounds and should provide depth on the offensive line for the Packers. He’ll probably move to a guard in the NFL.

Round 5, Pick 137: Traded to the Minnesota Vikings for draft picks #150 and 209

This is an okay trade. It was not necessary, but it certainly doesn’t help or hurt the Packers. On one side you give your biggest competition a higher draft pick, but they could have traded with anyone. However there’s really no one the Packers are truly targeting at this point, and trading down allows them to pick up an extra player while paying less money. According to the draft pick trade chart, the Packers received an extra 1.2 points from the Vikings. This is a close trade, slightly favoring the Packers.

Round 5, Pick 150: Breno Giacomini OT, Louisville

Brian Brohm will have a familiar face if he ever gets to play. Giacomini was an All-Big East Conference 2^nd team member. He started all 12 games this season at right tackle and should eventually replace Mark Tauscher. Should Rodgers and Tauscher go down due to injury, Brohm and Giacomini can pick up right where they left off.

Round 7, Pick 209: Matt Flynn QB, LSU

As happy as I was with Thompson drafting Brohm to provide depth, I hate this pick. Flynn is incredibly inconsistent. He’s a mobile quarterback, but watching Favre stay in the pocket forever, I don’t think that’s what the Packers want. This pick makes absolutely no sense to me. Brohm is at least capable of stepping in, I don’t think Flynn is. Especially with players like Erin Henderson and Ali Highsmith on the board, I really don’t like this pick.

Round 7, Pick 217: Brett Swain WR, SDSU

I hate this pick. Swain finished his junior season with only 528 yards and 2 touchdowns and his senior season with 973 yards and 5 touchdowns. He only had 1 good season which was his senior year. With receivers DJ Hall and Adarius Bowman on the board, I’ll have a hard time understanding this pick. He’ll provide a deep threat, but other than that he won’t contribute much.

Round 7, Pick 237: Traded to New Orleans Saints for a 2009 6^th Round Pick

I like this trade. I thought that the Packers should have gone into this draft looking for a draft pick next year. The reason is that the Packers will go without Brett Favre for the first time in 16 years. We, or the Packers, don’t know how this season will turn out. Favre affected a lot of things on the offense. His quick release made his offensive line look better, and his decision-making, or lack thereof at times, changed how good his receivers actually are. With a season with Aaron Rodgers (or Brian Brohm) as starter, the Packers should know what to address in the draft. A 6^th rounder isn’t much, but it’s something.

Back to the Top

Updated Packers Draft Preview

The NFL Draft is coming soon, an important event for all teams and football fans. In my previous article I gave a draft preview, but that was a month ago. With a lot of free agents being signed (or lack thereof) and more information on the draft and their prospects, the draft can be better predicted now. Please note that I will only predict the first 3 rounds as predicting beyond that is extremely difficult.

First I’ll nail down the most important positions the Packers need:

1. Cornerback
   Far and away the most important position for the Packers this year. Harris and Woodson are entering their 12^th season, and they have little (if any) depth behind them. Woodson was plagued by a toe injury the 2^nd half of the season which slowed his progress, and Harris showed that he can’t keep up with the elite receivers in the NFC Championship game against Burress. Plus, you can never have too many defensive backs in the NFL.
2. Tight End
   Bubba Franks was good in 2001-2004, but he hasn’t been that great since. That’s why the Packers cut him this offseason. The bad news is that they now have a very large hole in the 2^nd tight end position. The Packers currently have Tory Humphrey as their only other tight end… Yeah I haven’t heard of him either until I looked it up. You also have to take in account Donald Lee’s inconsistency in his career. Take a look below at his career stats.

3. Offensive Tackle
   Tauscher will be 31 and Clifton will be 32 before the start of the 2008 season. If one of them goes down, that would be detrimental to the development of Aaron Rodgers. The offensive line allowed very few sacks, but Favre’s quick release and decision-making attributed to the low amount of sacks. We don’t know how good the offensive line really is without him.
4. Running Back
   Ryan Grant was amazing in 2008. There are two major questions though. Can he continue that progress throughout a full 16-game schedule, and how will he perform without defenses worrying about Brett Favre? Depth could be added so the Packers don’t return to their early 2007 season and their stagnant running game.
5. Quarterback
   I really don’t think this should be addressed through the draft, but rather attaining a veteran quarterback through the free agency. However depth could be addressed, especially with Rodger’s history of injuries even with his limited playing time.

Now I’ll address what the Packers should do with their draft picks, and what I think they will do.

1^st Round, Pick 30: I think the Packers should pick a cornerback here. There’s really no way that all the cornerbacks that are worthy of this pick would be gone by now, considering the depth of this year’s draft. I think the Packers will pick Antoine Cason, as he is a very polished and well-rounded cornerback. I believe Talib will be gone by now, and should Cason be selected before here, I think the Packers will opt for Tracy Porter.

2^nd Round, Pick 56: This is really a toss-up between running back, offensive tackle, and tight end. I think the Packers will select Fred Davis above a running back or offensive tackle, should he be available. Assuming Davis doesn’t drop this far, which I am predicting, I think the Packers should select an offensive tackle, probably Duane Brown since he fits a zone-blocking scheme. If Brown is gone, which I would be severely shocked if he was, I think the Packers will opt for Felix Jones, Chris Johnson, or Jamaal Charles (in that order). Jones was a good backup in college (to Darren McFadden) and he excel in Green Bay where he isn’t the main running attack. Johnson’s speed would compliment Grant’s physical running style well.

2^nd Round, Pick 60: I think the Packers will select a running back or an offensive tackle, whichever they didn’t select with their previous pick. See above for which player the Packers should pick.

3^rd Round, Pick 91: If the Packers did not select a tight end in the 2^nd round, then I think they pick Brad Cottam here. He’s a great tight end, probably the best blocking tight end in the draft, which is what the Packers need. There’s a high chance he’ll be here because of the amount of talent above him (Martellus Bennett, Dustin Keller, John Carlson). If the Packers picked Fred Davis with one of their 2^nd rounders, then I think the Packers will select an offensive tackle or running back, whichever they didn’t select with their other 2^nd round pick. Prospects for offensive tackle would include John Greco and Tony Hills. Prospects for a running back would include Tashard Choice, Ray Rice, and Kevin Smith (in that order).

Back to the Top

Packers Draft Preview

It’s a yearly tradition. Packer fans gather round TVs to wait for his announcement. No I’m not talking about the NFL Draft; I’m talking about Brett Favre. Brett Favre has decided to hang up his cleats and retire. I mentioned in my previous issue whether Favre or Rodgers would leave first and now we have been given the answer. It’s hard to say that this is the right decision, but it might be the right one. Favre will now be remembered bringing a 4-12 team to the NFC Championship Game two years later. If Favre had come back, he might have finished on a lower note. Whether or not you like this decision, you have to agree that you want to see Favre go out on top. Getting as competitive as the NFL is, it’s pretty hard to reach the Super Bowl. Favre probably decided that this was as far as he was going to go, and wanted to retire.

Going back to the original topic, the NFL Draft is coming up. The Packers have all of their draft selections, including a 2^nd rounder from the Browns. On this article, I will preview what position the Packers will likely pick, and potential candidates. I will only preview the first day picks (first 3 rounds) due to the fact that mock drafts become very skewed after a while.

1^st Round, Pick 30: The Packers will probably pick either a cornerback or an offensive tackle, most likely the former. The Packers are a team with very little needs, and all they need to address is age and depth. Burress caught passes around Harris all he wanted in the NFC Championship, and Woodson was plagued by a toe injury. Jarrett Bush is inconsistent, and Tramon Williams can’t cover very well. Plus, you can never have too many defensive backs.

If and only if Chris Williams drops this far, I think the Packers will draft a cornerback. Williams is the 3^rd best offensive tackle, in my opinion, of this year’s draft class, but Clifton and Tauscher have been consistent all season long. Harris and Woodson haven’t. That being said, the Packers will be more inclined to pick a cornerback. Likely candidates are Antoine Cason, Reggie Smith, Aqib Talib, or Brandon Flowers. Cason doesn’t have much upside, but he has proved that he is a great cornerback. Smith can double as a cornerback and a returner making him an interesting pick. Talib is like Cason, only less talented, and Flowers is the next best cornerback, but I highly doubt that the Packers will draft him because of his small size. Harris and Woodson are physical corners, which is why I think the Packers will likely pick Cason or Talib over anyone else.

2^nd Round, Pick 56 (From Cleveland): The Packers will probably pick either a cornerback or an offensive tackle, whatever they didn’t pick in the 1^st round. Likely candidates for a cornerback include: Terrell Thomas, Tracy Porter, and Patrick Lee. Thomas can return kicks, play cornerback and safety making him the highest rated prospect of these four. Porter provides the Packer’s secondary with speed, something that they lack. Lee is a good balance between speed and strength. He stands at 6 feet which is the tallest of these 3 cornerbacks.

Likely candidates for an offensive tackle are: Barry Richardson, Heath Benedict, and Gosder Cherilus. Cherilus has the potential to be a 1^st rounder, but some analysts believe that teams will pass on the offensive tackle in the draft. Benedict and Richardson are both very consistent, and can learn under Tauscher and Clifton.

2^nd Round, Pick 60: The Packers will probably pick a tight end or outside linebacker. Poppinga is the only strongside linebacker the Packers that has starter material. The Packers need to add depth behind Poppinga to improve their defense. As for the tight end position, the Packers released Bubba Franks, and Donald Lee has been inconsistent. The Packer should look to add someone in the draft.

Likely candidates for a tight end are: Martellus Bennett and Brad Cottam. Cottam might be the best blocking tight end in this year’s draft, and he’ll probably be the selection if available. Bennett is more of a receiving tight end, something the Packers already have in Donald Lee. Likely candidates for an outside linebacker are: Xavier Adibi, Shawn Crable, and Erin Henderson. Crable is the best fit for the Packers defense but is considered a reach. However the Packers have been known to reach for players who they think fit their system and will produce, Nick Collins and Greg Jennings are just a couple examples.

3^rd Round, Pick 91: The Packers will probably pick a tight end or outside linebacker, whichever they did not select with the previous pick. Candidates for a tight end are: Dustin Keller, Martin Rucker, or Jacob Tamme. Keller flat out destroyed in the RCA dome. His forty time and vertical are comparable to those of wide receivers. Rucker and Tamme are good blockers, so they might get noticed. Candidates for an outside linebacker are: Ali Highsmith, Bruce Davis, and Tavares Gooden. All of these strongside linebackers produce well when blitzing, something the Packers like from the strongside linebacker.

Back to the Top

Green Bay Offense Overview

Last time we heard from the Packers, they exited a frigid Lambeau Field with an overtime loss to the eventual Super Bowl champions, the New York Giants. It’s obvious the Packers are only a move or two away from bringing the Lombardi trophy home. Here in this edition I will discuss what the Packers need to do and will likely do in this year’s offseason.

Offense:

Quarterback – Of course all this hinges on Favre’s return or Favre’s retirement, but I think the Packers will have absolutely no problem handing the reins of the Green Bay offense to Aaron Rodgers. The Packers offense involves short and quick passes and letting the receivers gain the yards. With a quick pass, pressure has less time to get to the quarterback, which as seen in the Super Bowl is very important. The only question is if Favre does return, how much longer will Aaron Rodgers wait? Rodgers entered the 2004 NFL Draft expecting to become a starter in his rookie season. It will be 4 years since he was drafted and he won’t be able to wait much longer.

Running Back – Ryan Grant is slated to become a free agent, but the Packers are likely to resign him. Grant emerged out of nowhere against the Broncos to become the Packers starting rusher for the next 10 games. If he were to play the whole season the way he played in the 10 games he started, Grant would have earned the rushing yards title with over 1,500 yards and close to 13 touchdowns. Jackson has showed that he can indeed run, although he is more of a physical power runner. Jackson played most of the regular season finale gaining 113 yards on 20 carries. Granted he played against the worst defense in the league, it still shows that he has the ability to become a great runner.

Fullback – The Packers drafted Korey Hall in the 2007 Draft. He is a great blocker and he’s young so he will probably be the Packers fullback for many years to come.

Wide Receiver – This group of receivers will probably be productive for many years. Driver will be 33 by the next season, but he has shown that he hasn’t lost a step in his game. He’s still the productive, yards-after-catch guy that Favre looks to in key situations. Jennings showed that he is a very large touchdown threat. He finished with 12 receiving touchdowns in just 13 games. He’s only 25 by next season, so watch out. Slot receivers James Jones and Ruvell Martin are 24 and 22, respectively, by the start of the 2008 season.

Tight End – Franks has been shown to be injury-prone throughout the years. His play has significantly declined from his productive 2001 and 2002 seasons. Donald Lee grabbed the starting job this season and finished with 6 touchdowns and 575 yards. He’s been inconsistent throughout his career, and the Packers will probably look to address this position in the draft.

Offensive Tackle – If there was one word to describe Clifton and Tauscher, it’d be either consistent or productive. There’s a reason why Favre was sacked only 15 times, the second least of any quarterback who attempted 250 passes. Clifton neutralized Patrick Kerney, the NFC’s leading sacker, and held him to zero sacks in the postseason matchup. On the very next week, they held the NFL’s leading sacking team, the New York Giants, for zero sacks. However, Clifton will be 32 and Tauscher will be 31. The Packers should look to add a young tackle in the draft.

Offensive Guard – Guards Colledge and Spitz have been nothing but productive and continue to improve. The Packers should be set here for a while considering both of these guards were drafted in 2006.

Center – Wells led the offensive line despite the fact that he’s 27. He should continue to produce as a center for many seasons.

Expect a defense overview within the next week.

Back to the Top

Super Bowl Journey Stops Short

Brady vs. Favre in the Super Bowl. What kind of hype would that bring. The quarterback of the past squaring off against the quarterback of the present. It’s been 10 years since Favre was in his last Super Bowl but it was almost a given that he would defeat the lowly Giants in Lambeau to return. Instead, it’s a Brady vs. Manning Super Bowl. Not AFC championship, but a Super Bowl.

Eli led his team into the frozen tundra where the wind chill was around -20º. Playing in Lambeau is never an easy task, especially when it’s Favre under center. With 17 years of experience, against Eli who has never previously won a playoff game, you would think Favre would roll past him. However, despite Favre’s late interception, it was the play of two key players that let the Giants win. One was Ryan Grant, and the other was seasoned veteran Al Harris.

Ryan Grant entered the game with 201 rushing yards in his previous matchup with the stingy Seattle defense. He was a prototypical north-south runner that was acquired in a trade from the Giants. He started his first game Week 8 against the Broncos, and had 104 yards. Grant took off from there. Despite starting only 10 games, Ryan Grant finished the season with 956 yards and 8 touchdowns. He showed the Packers a lot when he tore up the Lambeau turf against Seattle after two early fumbles. There were already whispers of him being the next franchise running back. 13 carries and 29 yards in the Giants game immediately quieted those whisperers.

Now there’s Al Harris. Pro Bowl cornerback, half of the 1-2 punch of Harris + Woodson, and arguably the most physical cornerback starring in one of the best starting cornerback tandem. He was given the tall task of covering Plaxico Burress. Burress stands at 6’5” and weighs around 230 pounds. He used every inch and every pound to fight Harris. It was a physical matchup at the line featuring a physical corner and a physical wide receiver. In Week 2, Harris allowed 2 catches for 32 yards, one of them being a touchdown. This week was far different. 11 catches and 154 yards by Burress.

Now, I’m not saying it’s all Harris and Grant’s fault, but it’s where most of the blame should be put. Yes, Favre had a key interception in the 4^th quarter, but only because he was trying to force things. Yes, Ruvell Martin dropped a pass right on his hands for at least 30 yards, but he was in the middle of 3 defenders and could barely see the ball. There were also many plays that would have turned out amazing for the Packers. Harris’ interception, or the screen pass to Ryan Grant. Harris’ interception was nullified by a penalty, and Ryan Grant was stuffed at the line because of the inability to block Antonio Pierce, the lone defender within at least 10 yards.

Even though all these plays would have probably resulted in a Packer win, maybe they got what they deserved. If Favre decides to return, he will basically have his whole team back with the exception of Corey Williams. The youth that was brought up so often by commentators will have experience. Favre will have something to strive for, and everyone will have a long time to think about how they could have won. If Favre decides to retire, Aaron Rodgers will still have a very talented team to work with.

 Until then, I’ll be sitting here thinking of what would have happened if it was a Favre vs. Brady Super Bowl.