One more quick question. I think this is the last time we'll have much of a chance to draft in the top 10 for a long time. And really it'd take top 5 to get Morris Claiborne, a guy who could fall to 6-7 possibly. Right now the draft order is(as far as teams needing QB's).

Browns 4th
Redskins 6th
Jaguars 7th
Dolphins 8th
Chiefs-11th/12th
Seahawks-11th/12th
Titans-20th

The Jags despite having to know that Gabbart isn't the answer are likely out.
The Browns would have to probably trade up to get RGIII. Lucky Barkley didn't come out.

The BEST fits
The Redskins
They have a good defense and money to spend. Flynn I think could really thrive there with their running game, defense, and if the Skins could add a WR, they could really be dangerous. Vincent Jackson, Wes Welker, Deshawn Jackson, Marques Colston, Reggie Wayne, Dwayne Bowe, Mario Manningham, Brandon Lloyd, Robert Meachem are all Free Agents, and Mike Wallace is a RFA, but I could see the Redskins paying for him.

Lets just say for arguments sake they're willing to trade their 1st for Flynn. We get the #6 pick.
Draft. Quinton Coules is a 6'6 1/2 275 pound elite pass rusher who played DT for the Tarheels this year. Could be a great threat off the edge for the Packers despite beign a bit small. If So'oto at 265 can learn his responsibilites it could really lesson the MINOR size disadvantage teams would have against a 275 pounder in the 3-4. But again, after excelling at DT in a 3-4 and being the best pass rusher in the draft, he could make a huge impact.

OR Dre Kirkpatrick, the 8th rated prospect, and a BIG physical corner who loves to play the bump and run vs WR's. Also has the speed to run with them and is a freakishly good athlete. Kinda like Pattrick Patterson without the 4.25 speed. More of a 4.4 guy, but still, plenty of speed, and he fits out system perfectly.

So either Couples of Kirkpatric for maybe Flynn and a future pick/player. A differencce making DE in the 3-4 and if Neal comes back, it's now a position of strength.

Kirkpatrick gives us our CB's for the next 5-6 years and they could and should all be eliete and all great press cover corners.


Then use our 2nd to move back into the 1st round and grab a guy like; http://www.nepatriotsdraft.com/2012/01/ ... eport.html

This is only if we do not get Couples and go with Kirkpatric. Can't lose either way. You improve at CB and DL.

Who is projected to be a latter 1st round pick(ranked 23rd right now).


To pick up Kirkpatrick, allowing Woodson even more freedom, to allow the Packers to trot out Collins/Burnet at Safety if we get good news there, Shields, Williams, Kirkpatrick at CB, and then a play making 3-4 DE.

Still missing that OLB'er.


That's a huge hole to shore up. Anthony Spencer is a talented 27 year old OLB'er who hasn't put up huge numbers, but is good vs the run and would give the Packers another option the other team would have to respect opposite of Matthews.



So bottom line, trade Flynn to one of the top 10 teams in need of a QB who won't be able to get the III, or obviously Luck.
Trade up 10 picks or so in the 1st round to grabe a either a play making DL or CB depending on what we didn't get.

Go out and FINALLY spend a little bit on Anthony Spencer a guy who's value might be a little bit low, but who is infintely better than what we have, and in the right situation, I could see bouncing back and becoming a 10-12 sack guy opposite of Matthews.


A front 7 of
DLNeal/Raji/Cox or Couples(a Julius Peppers type talent who would play some from the standing position with his athletic ability).
Backup's
Pickett/Green/wynn
Starting OLB;ers
Matthews-Spender
So'oto/Jones, Zombo/Walden, none of whom have been the answer

Hawk/Bishop/Smith/Francouis(But much improving depth. Smith MAY allows us to cut bait with Hawk in the near future. I really liked how he covered and hit the gaps hard).

Starting Secondary....though obviously "starting," is a relative term. Nickel backs aren't starters, but they play 75 pct of the downs. This allows Woodson to cover TE's, come off teh slot and make plays, but teams would have to account for Spencer and Couples or Cox opening things up for him like when Moses parted the red Sea.
Williams Woodson Shields KirkPatric

Collins Burnett

Backup's
1-Bush
Gotta bring him back, and I don't care if people rip me. He should have been a ST's pro-bowler, he absolutely has excelled there long before people would admit it.
And I've ALWAYS SAID the guy cannot play the ball to save his life, but he's made some exceptional plays on the ball, including a couple HUGE fucking picks, including maybe game changer vs the Steelers when he made an incredible play to hump the route. He has the size, athletic ability is self-less enough to do whatever we ask(every ST's, Safety, CB, wherever).

2-House
Gotta figure out what he has. I just don't see any other viable CB options for this team at this moment.

Freel free to ignore this thread, but I think you plug those guys in to next years ineup and the Packers go back to having a dominant defense, one that again ball hawks, is bigger, more physical, and more athletic.


Look at the positions on offense we've got locked up for the long term.


QB/WR/TE.

Best in the NFL in those spots. Rodgers/Jennings/Nelson/Jones(just look at what he's done when thrown back in the mix and made a part of the game plan...there isa reason rodgers fought to keep him here).
Finley, you can deny it or not, but look at all the rollouts to Nelson or Jennings or Jones down the field. Finley is almost always running free undernearth. Without such good WR's, I think those passes go to Finley just like they do in NE and in NO. Just my opinion.

OL
Tackles-Sherrod-He was our 1st rounder. No training camp. Give him a TC, let him learn and he has all the physical tools.
Newhouse has done one helluva job,.
Bulaga I am confident can play on either side.

Guards-Sitton is one of the best in the game. TJ Lang has been a revolution. We weren't sure if he'd be as good as colledge and he's been better. And they're so versatile. Look at all the shuffling and what did the Lions fearsome front 4 to do Rodgers?

Center-One place that may START to be a concern, but not this year. I've been screaming from the Mountain tops that Wells is overrated ever since he came back to camp, added 15 pounds and took the job back away from Spitz. He's a very smart and reliable player. I'd say there are 10 Centers who are better than him, but top 3rd is pretty good.

Backup's-The Packers love a couple of these guys. EDS they think if the future at C, Ray Dominguez looks like a plower at guard.


So the offense is set.

Only need/conerns

Flynn
Finley
Wells

Ideal world;
Finley re-signs using the franchise as his gauge and what Graham and Gronk did this year. Better blocker than both, though it looks like Gronk s hould be so much better). 5 years 27.5 million 10 guaranteed.
Wells 5 years 32 million 12 guaranteed, you can cut him 2-3 years in and bite the bullet.

Flynn-Franchise and trade him for a top 10 pick. Sweeten the pot if need be. Make it a conditional pick. If he takes them to the playoffs, it's a 4th rounder, if he throws for 4,000/30, they get nothing more in return.



And again, we use Flynns higher 1st rounder on the BPA at DL/CB, our 1st on the BP available at OLB'er/DL/CB(whichever wasn't picked first) and then our 2nd on the last remaining pick.

Give our D a couple more playmakers so our corners don't have to go out and cover for 5 seconds, and this D could transform in one years time just like the Texans did.

And then a 4th on a RB, maybe we find a diamond in the rough. Use the rest on BPA. Of course if Zietler or Konz somehow falls, fuck it, move up and grab them.


This is the type of QUALITY of quantity. We can't keep all our picks.

And with Clifton coming off the books ~7 million
Grant coming off the books~6 million
The cap due to increase by 6-7 million in it's 1st year, that's 21 million dollars in cap room we have.


Trade Flynn, frotn load the SHIT out of Finley and Wells deals, give them base salaries of 12 million or so in their first yeaer, maybe make it roster bonuses so we don't have to give the signing bonus.


And you're still set up when Matthews, Raji and Rodgers are set to earn 80 over 8, 45 over 7 and 165 over 10.


Just hope that we don't get any extra cap space from Collins.






More babbling. I hope to get some feedback, but I'm guessing Chukk responds first, then BD, dismiss the entire thread, add nothing and I did this to entertain myself. But, oh well, I was bored.

1) Collins returns
2) Draft another pass rusher to help Matthews
3) Dont score so fucking much

ESPN had a good stat:

Packers' Defense Rushing 4 or Fewer, Past 2 Seasons

2010
Comp pct 58.2
Yds/att 6.7
TD 12
Sacks 30

2011
Comp pct 66.6
Yds/att 8.5
TD 21
Sacks 11

UWbrewball wrote:ESPN had a good stat:

Packers' Defense Rushing 4 or Fewer, Past 2 Seasons

2010
Comp pct 58.2
Yds/att 6.7
TD 12
Sacks 30

2011
Comp pct 66.6
Yds/att 8.5
TD 21
Sacks 11

Which kinda goes to what I was arguing with BD about before. I don't think you have to draft and OLB'er because we play so many 2 DL sets, I think we play so many 2 DL sets because we don't have another DL.


Lets say, FOR ARGUMENTS SAKE, we had Cullen Jenkins/BJ Raji/Mike Neal and all three played liked we hoped. With Clay Matthews, that'd be enough to get a pass rush.


Mike Neal at this point is almost code for, "athletic pass rushing DE," more than the Purdue player as this is now year #2 he hasn't done dick and I'm done waiting. If he shows up, great, we're that much better off with him. If not, ah well.

Collins returning is one thing I have a really hard time being optimistic about. Now I'll be the first to admit that I really know nothing about the surgery he had and how he compares now to someone who never had a neck injury. But it's a neck injury and it's just my assumption that doctors are almost always going to err on the side of caution.

Couple that with the fact that Collins seems to be okay with retiring if that's what has to happen. He isn't gung-ho about football being his life and wanting to do whatever it takes to get back on the football field in spite of any risks, nor do I blame him for that whatsoever, it's the right attitude to have, his life is more important. I think he's basically looking for a doctor to tell him there isn't a risk of a re-injury and he's in just as good of shape to play as he was at this time last year, and I don't see that happening.

adambr2 wrote:Collins returning is one thing I have a really hard time being optimistic about. Now I'll be the first to admit that I really know nothing about the surgery he had and how he compares now to someone who never had a neck injury. But it's a neck injury and it's just my assumption that doctors are almost always going to err on the side of caution.

Couple that with the fact that Collins seems to be okay with retiring if that's what has to happen. He isn't gung-ho about football being his life and wanting to do whatever it takes to get back on the football field in spite of any risks, nor do I blame him for that whatsoever, it's the right attitude to have, his life is more important. I think he's basically looking for a doctor to tell him there isn't a risk of a re-injury and he's in just as good of shape to play as he was at this time last year, and I don't see that happening.

I think we're taking the "Collins is ok with retiring," thing and really running with it on our own. He made comments about how he'd be alright if he retired, and it was basically a nothing statement.

He also talked about how much he loves playing and prays he's able to play again and how much he misses it.


And this, "he isn't gung-ho about football being his life," is an enormous liberty to take. Players are obviously going to say they have to think about life after the game, this, that and the other thing, but whne it comes down to it, it's all they've done.


And I don't think you need to really look further into his intentions than a simple doctors explanation.


A-Is he cleared to play;
B-Is he not cleared to play.

Simple as that.


I think the thing is there are too many assumptions being made here, probably by both sides. The fact is, the early reports were very good after the surgery, it went exactly as it was suppose to. It's become a wait and see game. So...lets wait and see.

I'd guess he'll be back next year given how far surgeries like these have come.

We'll see. If he is done, then Woodson moves to safety and CB becoems the top or the #2 priority.