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Category Archives: Seasons
Green Bay Packer Fans Should Exercise Calm & Patience During this Offseason
Unless you are really into the draft, this is usually a pretty boring time of the year for Packer fans. But this offseason seems like it will be a little different.
A little over a week ago there was a sizeable portion of the Packer fan base losing their collective minds over reports that Sam Shields would be testing free agency and not resigning with the Packers any time soon, if at all. This was confirmation to Ted Thompson haters that he was in fact trying to destroy the Packers from within. In actuality this was probably a smart, albeit predictable, ploy by Shields’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus, to leak this information to media outlets which in turn would exert some pressure on the Packers to increase their offer.
Now that the Packers and Shields have come to terms on a 4 year $39 million contract extension, all the anger and consternation over his potential departure has dissipated, replaced by anger and consternation over whether the Packers overpaid for Shields’ services. As John Rehor points out in his latest article, sometimes you just can’t win.
A few days after the Shields news, a report came out that the Packers were close to signing BJ Raji to a 1 year deal. A deal that in my opinion would be a win for both the Packers and Raji. The Packers wouldn’t immediately have to worry about having to find a nose tackle in free agency or the draft, and Raji gets a year to rehab his value on the free agent market.
With Sam Shields, step one is done, what next?
Despite all of the panic, and the claims that Ted Thompson was crazy for letting Sam Shields test the market in free agency, a deal is done. Sam Shields will be a Green Bay Packer for at least the next four seasons. The final numbers were four years, 39 million dollars.
However, Shields will only cost just over five million against the cap next season, leaving the Packers plenty of room to sign some of their own, and other free agents. Shields was always seen as the Packers top priority and a good base for what the offseason would hold.
Now the question simply is, what’s next?
With “legal tampering” beginning on Saturday, teams have sent out feelers to free agents, to express their interest.
With that, there have been some reports about the Packers being interested in some outside free agents. Various reports have them linked to three defensive linemen. Oakland’s Lamarr Houston, Kansas City’s Tyson Jackson, and Baltimore’s Arthur Jones.
All three would be good fits for Dom Capers’ 3-4 defense, as they have the ideal size and skillset of 3-4 defensive ends. They would add length to the Packers front, and bring an edge to the defense.
Jones would be the most expensive of the bunch, but that does not rule him out of Green Bay. If the Packers were offering BJ Raji eight million a year at one point during the season, Jones’ projected demand of seven million a year is not out of the question. Jackson and Houston are likely to be cheaper, and therefore more realistic for the Packers. One thing is clear, the Packers plan on upgrading their defensive line going into 2014.
Focus Shifts to Defensive Line
Yesterday, the Green Bay Packers signed cornerback Sam Shields to a four-year, $39 million contract to help solidify their secondary.
It may seem like an overpay based on what Shields has done so far, but it was necessary, and the contract was designed very nicely by general manager Ted Thompson. Shields, 26, is still an ascending player at a premium position. He did a great job shadowing the number one wide receiver of opposing teams last season, and a player who can do that is just so hard to find.
Free agency is about what a player can do for you in the future and not about what he has done. Shields’ elite speed and wide receiver ball skills will not be going away. He may not be an elite corner yet, but he is right on the cusp of that. The Packers have one of the best cornerback groups in the NFL with Shields, Tramon Williams, Casey Heyward, Davon House and Micah Hyde.
With Shields’ contract out of the way, the Packers can now focus on rebuilding the rest of their defense. Keeping Shields only ensures that the defense will not get worse. Even after the signing, the Packers have about $28 million in cap space available to use this offseason.
The Packers still have huge holes at safety, inside linebacker and along the defensive line. It sounds as though rebuilding the defensive line is their next goal.
The Week In Review at PackersTalk.com
This week at PackersTalk.com:
Ross offered a little perspective on the Green Bay Packers and how they do business.
Matt proposed that the Packers free agents are replaceable.
Ian discussed the prospects of the Packers resigning free agent center Evan Dietrich-Smith.
Will a Wisconsin Badger be drafted this year? There are some good candidates for this to happen.
Ross continued his position by position analysis by looking at the inside liebackers.
John revisited the NFL Network’s Top 10 Packers of all time-making a few changes to their list.
The PTRN team produced another MEGA SHOW this week, with ESPN business analyst and former Packers VP Andrew Brandt joining the Cheesehead Radio crew as the special guest
Ol’ Bag of Donuts returned with their latest edition of their podcast.
From the Benches also returned with their latest podcast.
Be sure to stop by AllGBP.com and check out this week’s edition of Surviving Sunday: Packers News, Notes and Links for the Football Deprived. It is a must read every Sunday of the far too long NFL off season.
Follow Packers Talk Radio Network on Twitter @packerstalknet and visit the PTRN Facebook page. Check it out, and give it a LIKE today!
Packers Talk Radio Network
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John Rehor is a writer at PackersTalk.com.
He can also be heard as one of the Co-Hosts of Cheesehead Radio. ---------------------
Ted Thompson Cannot Win Regarding Free Agency
Ted Thompson just cannot win.
Every off season, critics complain that he is not active enough during free agency season. His unwillingness to venture into these strange waters and sign the “big name” free agent that many desire leaves him as an open target.
Then he goes out and does things like resign free agent CB Sam Shields.
Of all the Packers free agents, Shields was the one player who needed to be targeted to be resigned, and that is exactly what Thompson went out and did.
And here is where the criticism begins.
Shields’ new deal, reportedly 4 years/$39 million, had some saying Thompson overpaid for Shields. And that may be true. Shields is not a top tier cornerback-yet. But his new contract will reportedly make him the second highest paid cornerback in the NFL in 2014.
If the numbers are correct, and Shields continues to ascend as a player, he will be a bargain by the third and fourth seasons of this new contract. A bargain contract for a (hopefully) top tier player. And that is a move that every Packers fan would be praising.
But right now according to some, Shields has been overpaid for the body of work he has produced.
And this is where Thompson just cannot win.
If Shields was allowed to walk away in free agency, fans would have been sharpening their pitchforks and lighting torches, with Ted Thompson being the recipient of the attacks.
Ol’ Bag of Donuts: The Dawn of Free Agency
After a brief offseason hiatus, Chris and Adam are back just in time for Free Agency opening on Tuesday. They go in-depth on the Sam Shields situation, the benefit of bringing back Raji and how Thompson needs to eliminate needs heading into the draft. But most importantly, they give you the ‘sexy’ name that is most likely going highlight the Packers’ 2014 Free Agency class.
Listen using the player below or download the podcast from the Packers Talk Radio Network on Itunes.
Find Additional Football Podcasts with Packers Talk Radio Network on BlogTalkRadio
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Chris Lempesis and Adam Somers bring their offbeat brand of podcasting to Packers Talk Radio Network, with the latest rumors, news, and prognostications about your Green Bay Packers.
Follow them on Twitter at @olbagofdonuts and @ASomers_time and stay tuned to Packers Talk Radio Network every week for more of Chris and Adam! And head on over to the PackersTalk iTunes account, subscribe, and enjoy great Packers podcasts nearly every day of the week!
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PACKERS FOOTBALL FRIDAY: Offseason Needs: ILB
AJ Hawk has always been a point of contention for Packers fans. Hawk came in as the team’s first top 5 pick in a very long time and was heralded as the “savior of the defense”. While Hawk has been very durable and one could even say dependable he has not been top 5 pick spectacular. I think what a lot of Packers fans hoped they were getting was their answer to the Bears’ Brian Urlacher. In that respect Hawk hasn’t come close. Splash plays have been few and far between. Hawk has had trouble rushing the passer consistently and causing turnovers has been almost non-existent.
I’ve said on From the Benches and written here a number of times that a player like Hawk can be on a Super Bowl winning defense. He was in 2010. An assignment sure, stable force can be very useful if he’s playing next to a playmaker or a star. Desmond Bishop before his hamstring tear was that player. Brad Jones is not that player. Jones, a converted OLB is a guy that seems like such a great idea. His height (6’3″) makes him a presence in the passing game and his time filling in for Desmond Bishop in 2012 was “adequate” unfortunately Jones is no more than “adequate” either. You can’t have a punishing 3-4 defense if both inside linebackers are average players.
