2013 Off Season Thread - Working On Ext For Burnett - Pg 129

[midranger]

Unless we're getting a Calvin Johnson type talent, we don't need another WR at all.

The 4th (5th with Finley) WR is probably the least important position on offense. How about getting a starting quality LT, C, RB, in-line TE? Or a backup QB who doesn't completely suck?

[eagle13]

1. WR is more import than LT??

2. We don't need 4 good WRs. That is so obviously a luxury it's not even funny.

1. in past 1-2 yrs it changed for some
2. in the 3rd rd i'm talking - i think Pack needs a 4th WR more than S as I feel McMillian > 3rd rd rookie

btw - do you have a pit bull or doberman?

[eagle13]

Unless we're getting a Calvin Johnson type talent, we don't need another WR at all.

The 4th (5th with Finley) WR is probably the least important position on offense. How about getting a starting quality LT, C, RB, in-line TE? Or a backup QB who doesn't completely suck?

I have been talking only about 3rd rd - you're not getting startiing quality LT there.
I feel EDS is starting C.
IF Quarless recovers we don't need another inline TE.
some say (not me) never take a RB until 4th or later b/c of success of late rd & UDFA RBs.
you seriously want to draft a QB in 3rd?

[emunney]

We don't need a 4th WR for this year, but guess what? James Jones is 29 next month and will be a FA next spring. Jordy is 28 in May and will be a FA the following year. We need to get another talented WR in the pipeline or it will dry up.

[MickeyDavis]

TT never really says anything newsworthy but it's a slow time of year so here it is

General manager Ted Thompson just finished up his media sessions here at Lucas Oil Stadium, speaking the reporters at the podium and then the local media again in the lobby. Again, Thompson declined to speak about free agents and draft prospects specifically, but he did offer some thoughts on the Packers' changing roster and a handful of players on the team.

Here are some highlights:

--- It's hard to argue with the Packers' decision to release Charles Woodson. The aging defensive back was due $10 million and has broken his collarbone twice in three years. Still, in losing Woodson, Donald Driver and Jeff Saturday, Green Bay also loses a lot of leadership inside the locker room.

On Friday, Thompson expressed optimism in the team's core group of veterans.

"That is a lot of veteran leadership that won’t be with us, so you’re always a little bit concerned about that," the G.M. said. "We have a strong locker room, strong leadership foundation. In the NFL the wheel keeps turning and that’s what we’re about, trying to get ready for the next game. We feel confident in the leadership in our locker room."

And Thompson also dismissed the notion that the Packers may be too young.

“I think we’ve got a lot of leadership," Thompson said. "We have a good core and it’s made up of veteran players. But the game continues to evolve. Your team continues to evolve. You have to be prepared for it and I think we have been. But no, I don’t think we’re going to be too young.”

--- Thompson said that the Packers anticipate both Bryan Bulaga (hip) and Derek Sherrod (knee) to be ready for action this coming season.


"We’re expecting them back," Thompson said. "I don’t really have any injury updates at this point, because the off-season is the off-season. But we expect those guys to be able to come back and play."

Not surprisingly, Thompson didn't get into Greg Jennings' situation, though did note the Packers' belief in retaining their own players.

Said Thompson: "We’d very much like to do that, and that includes Greg."

--- One player whose future in Green Bay remains uncertain is tight end Jermichael Finley, who is due $8.25 million this season. When asked if he expects Finley to be on the team this year, Thompson said, "I expect all of our guys to be on the team.”

--- As Tom Silverstein wrote for today, the Packers' personnel department has endured three key losses. With John Dorsey heading to Kansas City, John Schneider in Seattle and Reggie McKenzie in Oakland, the Packers are counting on a reshuffled group of talent evaluators.

Thompson again said he's confident with the scouts he promoted. One key is identifying strengths and building a rapport off of that.

"The exact same thing that John Dorsey does might be different than the exact stuff that we have Eliot (Wolf) or Alonzo (Highsmith) or Brian (Gutekunst) do. We’ll play to each other’s strengths like we always have. When John and Reggie and John were all there, we played to each other’s strengths and that’s what we’ll continue to do.”

--- Green Bay will again need to sift through plenty of off-field concerns with prospects this year, including Notre Dame's Manti Te'o and his bizarre catfishing experience.

With such "bugaboos," Thompson said the Packers try to examine each prospect on an individual basis.

"And you try to work through it," he said. "We don’t doubt that people have made mistakes. We’ve all made mistakes. I think you can make a mistake and bounce back from it. We do try to discern whether a person is a good guy or a bad guy. I know that sounds simple, but it’s not."

--- A year ago, Thompson traded up on draft day at a historic rate. Three times, he worked his way up in the draft to take a defensive player --- atypical for a G.M. accustomed to trading down and stockpiling picks.

"Well, you do what you think is best," Thompson said. "We felt like there were value players there last year and we felt like it was worth it. We had done that a couple times in the past and felt like it was worth it then. Historically speaking, we have probably traded back more than we’ve traded forward. If you can do that, like I said when I always bring up my dad, he’s a frugal guy, and from a draft numbers standpoint, that’s the better buy if you can still get a good player. You don’t want to sacrifice a good player for the sake of gaining another pick somewhere."

--- At the podium, Thompson was asked about running back DuJuan Harris. The undrafted, second-year street pick-up finished as the Packers' starting running back. In six games, Harris had 62 carries for 257 yards (4.1 avg.) with four touchdowns.

With a chance at a handful of potential starting running backs in the draft, Green Bay has some decisions to make this off-season. It all might start with their opinion on Harris.

Having the former Troy back for a full training camp will help.

"He did a good job," Thompson said. "And we’re looking forward to having him here for the whole thing, because when you come in in the middle of the season, you don’t go through the offseason, you don’t get to see them in training camp and the stress times and things like that. You’re already in the regular season. So there’s a lot more that we need to get to know about him. But he did a nice job for us."

--- Sure, team's are open to the occasional home video from a wannabe football player this time of year. But Thompson joked that sometimes those videos "are not very good." Case in point...

"We had a guy one time send a video in," Thompson said, "who said he can kick a ball across the river but he didn’t say how big the river was. It didn’t really help us a lot.”

--- Thompson denied that the Packers' hung onto Donald Driver a year too long. Carrying a relatively hefty price tag, Driver finished with only eight receptions for 77 yards and two touchdowns before retiring this off-season.

“No, no. Donald was prepared to play last year," Thompson said. "He didn’t get an opportunity to play a whole lot but he’s a good player

[Miasma]

Anyone interested in a 31 y/o Turner?

ESPN.com news services

The Atlanta Falcons are likely to release running back Michael Turner, who is scheduled to make $6.9 million next season, league sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter on Friday.


Turner, 31, rushed for 800 yards and 10 touchdowns last season as the Falcons reached the NFC Championship Game. It marked the fifth straight season in which he reached double figures in TDs.


Turner split time in 2012 with second-year pro Jacquizz Rodgers. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Turner was on the field for 503 snaps and Rodgers took part in 502.


A two-time Pro Bowler, Turner has spent the past five seasons with the Falcons after playing his first four years with the San Diego Chargers. He has rushed for 7,338 yards and 66 TDs in 134 career games.

[emunney]

Hate to tell you this man. We trade Hawk, we pay the 4.8. Bonus money goes on our cap this year.

But it frees up all that space next year. That money can be shifted around so easily in contract negotiations, I don't think it makes sense to look at it in terms of how it affects strictly this year's cap.

No, trading a guy is equivalent to cutting him. Every dime of Hawk's signing bonus would be accelerated onto the cap. That's not negotiable.

In the sense of, we can only spend 122 million dollars this year. That's exactly how you have to look at it. I don't see any scenario where it's an efficient use of resources to cut Hawk.

I fully realize trading a guy is equivalent to cutting him in terms of signing bonus accelerations. I'm saying that doesn't matter that much. It would not be difficult to structure the big extensions we're about to sign to take advantage of the fact that we'd be paying Hawk nothing next season. The total savings is important. The cap hit this year is a minor obstacle at worst.

The fact is financial management doesn't happen one year at a time. It's fluid and the years connect to each other.

We're paying Hawk what's left of his signing bonus (4.8m) no matter what. How much more are you willing to commit to him? 4.9m base salary this year plus a non guaranteed 550k bonus. We would save 2.25 off this year's cap AND 3.2 off next year's cap if we cut him.

[jakecronus8]

Anyone interested in a 31 y/o Turner?

ESPN.com news services

The Atlanta Falcons are likely to release running back Michael Turner, who is scheduled to make $6.9 million next season, league sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter on Friday.


Turner, 31, rushed for 800 yards and 10 touchdowns last season as the Falcons reached the NFC Championship Game. It marked the fifth straight season in which he reached double figures in TDs.


Turner split time in 2012 with second-year pro Jacquizz Rodgers. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Turner was on the field for 503 snaps and Rodgers took part in 502.


A two-time Pro Bowler, Turner has spent the past five seasons with the Falcons after playing his first four years with the San Diego Chargers. He has rushed for 7,338 yards and 66 TDs in 134 career games.

No

[Newz]

Turner is poop.

[RiotPunch]

David Bakhtiari of Colorado is a guy flying up draft boards. Supposedly, he has been evaluated as both a center and a left tackle-- could be a good get in the 2nd round.

[trwi7]

tom silverstein‏@TomSilverstein

Source confirms @MikeGarafolo's report about DE Chris Canty drawing interest from the #Packers. A visit "is possible after the combine."

[Newz]

tom silverstein‏@TomSilverstein

Source confirms @MikeGarafolo's report about DE Chris Canty drawing interest from the #Packers. A visit "is possible after the combine."

Interesting.

[Bucksfans1and2]

1. WR is more import than LT??

2. We don't need 4 good WRs. That is so obviously a luxury it's not even funny.

1. in past 1-2 yrs it changed for some
2. in the 3rd rd i'm talking - i think Pack needs a 4th WR more than S as I feel McMillian > 3rd rd rookie

btw - do you have a pit bull or doberman?

1. Maybe a few folks think that #1 WR is more important than LT. Nobody thinks #4 WR is more important than anything.

2. Why are we worried about depth at WR more than depth at Safety?

3. Random, but no.

My parents are lawyers who've done way too many dog bite cases to even consider getting a dog like that. My mom would fight to ban the owning of those dogs if she could.

[Bucksfans1and2]

Anyone interested in a 31 y/o Turner?

ESPN.com news services

The Atlanta Falcons are likely to release running back Michael Turner, who is scheduled to make $6.9 million next season, league sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter on Friday.


Turner, 31, rushed for 800 yards and 10 touchdowns last season as the Falcons reached the NFC Championship Game. It marked the fifth straight season in which he reached double figures in TDs.


Turner split time in 2012 with second-year pro Jacquizz Rodgers. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Turner was on the field for 503 snaps and Rodgers took part in 502.


A two-time Pro Bowler, Turner has spent the past five seasons with the Falcons after playing his first four years with the San Diego Chargers. He has rushed for 7,338 yards and 66 TDs in 134 career games.

Hell No

[RiotPunch]

Cut Hawk, sign Canty, go Ogletree or Minter in round 1? Works for me.

[Bucksfans1and2]

No, trading a guy is equivalent to cutting him. Every dime of Hawk's signing bonus would be accelerated onto the cap. That's not negotiable.

In the sense of, we can only spend 122 million dollars this year. That's exactly how you have to look at it. I don't see any scenario where it's an efficient use of resources to cut Hawk.

I fully realize trading a guy is equivalent to cutting him in terms of signing bonus accelerations. I'm saying that doesn't matter that much. It would not be difficult to structure the big extensions we're about to sign to take advantage of the fact that we'd be paying Hawk nothing next season. The total savings is important. The cap hit this year is a minor obstacle at worst.

The fact is financial management doesn't happen one year at a time. It's fluid and the years connect to each other.

We're paying Hawk what's left of his signing bonus (4.8m) no matter what. How much more are you willing to commit to him? 4.9m base salary this year plus a non guaranteed 550k bonus. We would save 2.25 off this year's cap AND 3.2 off next year's cap if we cut him.

Couple points:

1. There's a reason we want to get these deals done now. You save cash off the yearly signing bonus hit if we can tack it onto the upcoming year. The more we can put on this year's cap the better. One of the ways we'll do that with Rodgers and Matthews is give them big signing bonuses and roster bonus. NFL players will take less guaranteed money and nobody's worried about Rodgers or Matthews slacking off. You can get creative with the deals, but it's best for everybody if we spend a lot of money this year on Rodgers, Matthews and Raji.

2. What are you doing at the SILB spot if you cut Hawk? We don't have that guy on the roster. Other than Minter, or Te'o there isn't a guy who's built to play that spot in the draft (without being a huge downgrade). If you make that play, you're forcing yourself to either sign a FA (That guy's going to cost a hell of a lot more than 2.25 million) or draft a 1st rounder. Don't do either of those and you're significantly downgrading the middle of our defense, which is already pretty poor. I just don't see how it's an effective use of resources.

3. If Hawk falls off and plays poorly next year. You can cut him and save 4 mil next year. You're only missing out on 3.2 million if you cut him last year. Worse things have happened.

[Bucksfans1and2]

Cut Hawk, sign Canty, go Ogletree or Minter in round 1? Works for me.

I don't get the desire to manufacture a need for us. AJ Hawk doesn't lose you games.

[Newz]

I see where Minter would play... in Hawk's spot. But where does Ogletree fit in our defense? He seems incredibly talented, but doesn't he weigh like 235 or something? Where does he fit in a 3-4?

[Bucksfans1and2]

I see where Minter would play... in Hawk's spot. But where does Ogletree fit in our defense? He seems incredibly talented, but doesn't he weigh like 235 or something? Where does he fit in a 3-4?

Opposite Hawk. He's got potential to be amazing as a WILB.

[WiscSports1]

The Packers were interested in Canty before when he was a free agent a couple of years ago so that doesn't surprise me.