The Green Bay Packers have fired special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum, the team announced in a statement on Friday.
As I wrote the day after the collapse in Seattle, somebody was getting fired for the debacle and Slocum was the most likely fall guy.
The Packers have been mediocre at best on special teams for years and it culminated this year in about the worst year a special teams unit could possibly have. The Packers finished dead last in the Dallas Morning News’ annul special teams rankings and had seven kicks blocked during the regular season.
If that wasn’t bad enough, two critical special teams plays cost the Packers a berth in the Super Bowl. Slocum got outfoxed on a fake field goal that anybody with a little forward thinking could have seen coming. That fake field goal cut a 16-0 lead to 16-7 and gave Seattle life in the game. Also, Brandon Bostick wasn’t on the same page with the rest of the special teams unit when he failed to block his man on the onside kick, and instead dropped the ball that would have ended the game.
Assistant special teams coordinator Ron Zook was not let go by the Packers and seems like a candidate to get promoted. Although, it would make more sense to me to go with an outside guy who had nothing to do with the disastrous special teams unit this season. Read more...(303 words, estimated 1:13 mins reading time)
I scoured the internet and racked my brain this week in an attempt to find half a connection between the Packers and the two teams playing in Sunday’s Super Bowl XLIX. I knew I didn’t want to revisit the memories I’ve managed to partially repress from the NFC Championship, so I looked for a single player to tie things together. The only one I came up with was Seattle punter Jon Ryan.
Now I know that even Jon Ryan may be a sore subject after his successful, fake field goal a couple of weeks ago (See? I said I didn’t want to talk about it and here we go.), but during the 2006 and 2007 seasons, Ryan was the punter for the Green Bay Packers.
Ryan was originally drafted into the Canadian Football League (CFL) from the University of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada (24th overall pick). He played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for two years (2004 & 2005) before joining the Packers. In January of 2006 he signed with Green Bay as only the third Saskatchewan native to make it to the NFL.
During the 2006 season, Ryan averaged 5.25 punts per game (84 total) – a number that feels astronomically high compared to the 1.88 punts per game that current punter Tim Masthay averaged this past season (49 total). The Packers went 8-8 in 2006, which was Mike McCarthy’s first season as head coach. The team had gone an unbelievable 4-12 the year before under Mike Sherman. Woof. Read more...(472 words, estimated 1:53 mins reading time)
Every offseason NFL teams face the difficulties of the salary cap and having to cut players to create more space. Even though the cap is rising this will still be a big issue and the Green Bay Packers have to create as much space as possible to try to re-sign top free agents Randall Cobb and Bryan Bulaga. According to overtthecap.com, the Packers are projected to have about $23.647 million in cap space before cutting anyone. Here are my top five candidates to be cut:
1. A.J. Hawk
The value that Hawk brought to the Packers had been argued by many people for years, but nobody can argue that he absolutely hit a wall this season in his eighth year in the NFL. Hawk was a player who could not really afford to lose a step since he did not have much speed and explosiveness to begin with. Hawk could not stay with anybody in coverage this season or make any impact plays. The Packers realized this when Kyle Rudolph turned a two-yard catch into a 23-yard gain on Nov.23 by running away from Hawk like he was stuck in mud. He never regained his starting spot after that play. As soon as he replaced Clay Matthews during the final drive on the NFC Championship game all hell broke loose. That’s not to say it was all his fault, but it was certainly noticeable. He was partially at fault for the fake field goal conversion for Seattle that got the Seahwks back in the game. He went after punter Jon Ryan who would have had to run nine yards for a first down instead of staying as deep as the deepest man. That is a mistake a high school player makes. The Packers will save $3.5 million against the cap by cutting Hawk. Read more...(905 words, estimated 3:37 mins reading time)
Now that the Packers’ season has come to an end, the front office will be switching gears from winning games to team building. There will be the inevitable turnover on the roster, and general manager Ted Thompson will start looking to shore up areas of weakness and attempt to make the 2015 version of the Green Bay Packers a stronger contender.
It’s no secret that one of the team’s Achilles’ heels was at inside linebacker. The week 1 Brad Jones experiment was a disaster, and AJ Hawk’s presence on the field diminished week by week to the point where many question if he will be sent packing during the off season. The position was such a liability, that the defense, at times, had to think outside the box and plug holes with players not used to that position. Clay Matthews functioned well as an ILB, but that certainly isn’t a permanent solution.
Quite simply, the Packers need to bring in new talent otherwise the lack of stability at this position will come back to bite them in 2015.
Not that Thompson has ever been a huge fan of signing powerhouse free agents in the off season, but this year’s pickings are rather slim at ILB. More like dumpster dining for so-so talent in this position. And no, the Packers do not want nor need Clay Matthews’ baby brother Casey who is listed among the Eagles’ free agents this winter. Read more...(1262 words, estimated 5:03 mins reading time)
A highlight of every Super Bowl week is Media Day – the day that reporters get to bombard the players with questions about the season, the upcoming game, and just about anything else they can think of. Even though the Packers aren’t participating in today’s Media Day in Arizona, let’s take a look back at a few memories from Packer Super Bowl Media Days past.
Super Bowl XLV was the last time the Packers were subject to Media Day. Check out interviews with Aaron Rodgers, Clay Matthews, B.J. Raji and Matt Flynn.
As you can see, reporters ask just about anything. One reporter even asked what Aaron’s 80-year old grandparents’ names were! Clay Matthews was a good sport when a reporter asked him to don a Troy Polamalu wig and then spell his last name, and Matt Flynn took some solid questions about playing in his home state of Texas and playing behind Aaron Rodgers.
Tom Crabtree was also happy to give one reporter a tour of his tattoos. The same reporter interviewed Andrew Quarless and Daryn Colledge on their tattoos as well.
Media Day is also a day where the news outlets aren’t the only ones to bring along cameras. Players also bring along their own equipment to capture the week they’ve been dreaming about since they were little kids. Here are some fun pictures from the Media Days for Super Bowls XLV and XXXI.
Read more...(354 words, 5 images, estimated 1:25 mins reading time)
The boys are back in what is arguably the most depressing show in their history. The show begins with a recap of the game, and a discussion as to whether the loss is the most depressing loss in team history. Following that the guys discuss what was encouraging to them coming out of the loss, some answers were looking toward the future, others were a little cryptic. A brief offseason preview breaks out in which the guys give out what they believe are the biggest needs for the Packers, and what makes them think that way. The show finishes with a preview of the Super Bowl between the Seahawks and the Patriots.
In an attempt to move on with their lives, Chris and Adam reconvene this week to relive, cope, argue and mourn the Green Bay Packers Championship Game meltdown in Seattle last Sunday. Who is to blame? What is to blame? The guys even do the ‘unthinkable’ calling out the one person who seems to be always be immune to blame. Ol’ Bag of Donuts gets a little dark and little heavy this week.
Ol’ Bag of Donuts is a part of the Packers Talk Radio Network, serving up enough weekly podcasts to satisfy the most fervent of Packer fans. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and subscribe over at iTunes.
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.
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The Green Bay Packers have fired special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum, the team announced in a statement on Friday. As I wrote the day after the Read More »
Every offseason NFL teams face the difficulties of the salary cap and having to cut players to create more space. Even though the cap is rising Read More »
Now that the Packers’ season has come to an end, the front office will be switching gears from winning games to team building. There will be Read More »
Mayfield Sports Marketing is the official Player Marketing sponsor of Packers Talk Radio Network. You can hire Packers Players for autograph sessions, golf outings and football camps, as well as other paid appearances or endorsement deals. More » 
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