2016 Off Season - Cook Signs 1 Year Deal

[RRyder823]

We haven't seen a fap gif in here in a while

Count me in for Gordon getting his second chance in GB.

People need to realize that the guy is an idiot on the field and off. He doesn't know how to read defenses and Cleveland did a great job finding ways to get him the ball.

I think you guys would be really disappointed with the results unless Mac and Rodgers made a commitment to get him the ball. Personally, I'd rather find the next Martavis Bryant, big downfield threat with speed, if they don't think we already have that on the roster.

I agree he's an idiot off the field but in terms of Cleveland doing a great job getting him the ball it's tough to do that with the QBs they've had. Dudes an idiot but he's talented.

The bigger question than any kind of commitment MM or Rodgers could make to getting him the ball would be whether he could handle not being force fed the ball and sharing targets with Cobb n Nelson and whether he'd become a malcontent.

I do like Bryant though. That said I was just spit balling and don't think the Packers actually "need" a WR assuming Jordy comes back strong

[crkone]

Why would you give up anything for a guy who extremely close to a permaban? I'd take a flyer on him as a cheap FA, no way am I trading even a 7th for him. The rules are so biased against him that the risk is way too high. 10-15 years ago it would have been fine, but Goodell is insane.

[RiotPunch]

Pretty excited to watch the Senior Bowl. Guys I'll be keeping my eyes on most:

Noah Spence (Crazy good player, but was hooked on dat molly while at Ohio State)
Vernon Butler (Underrated small school DT--1st round talent, IMO)
Kyler Fackrell (Baby Clay. Really love this guy.)
DeAndre Houston-Carson (Nice safety and a big-time playmaker on ST)

(I would be thrilled if those were our rounds 1-4 draft picks, although some offense mixed in would be nice)

[raysbookclub]

Would the Packers take a chance on a guy like Dion Jordan, who was suspended this year and might be cut from the Dolphins?

[Profound23]

With the hiring of Cleveland's Tight End coach and the inevitable cutting of Jordan Cameron, that may be a possibility for us to pursue on a cheap end.

Other possible cap casualties to consider:

Joe Thomas (ok, wishful thinking)
Lawrence Timmons
Ahmad Brooks
D'Qwell Jackson
Kyle Williams
Jerod Mayo

In my opinion, most of those guys will be cut and we should be able to get one of them at a very cheap price.

[zmanishere11]

The FA crop this year sucks. All the top guys will likely get franchised or stay with their teams, leaving a bunch of mid level guys to get overpaid. Best case scenario for us to make a move would be a guy getting cut for cap purposes and deciding it's time to actually win something like Peppers a few years back.

Really, if we can find a TE and a MLB in the draft, with:

Getting Jordy back
Some health along our offensive line
Lacy trimming down
Continued growth on defense (and keeping our FA's)

We may just be the best team in the league next year

[RiotPunch]

The FA crop this year sucks. All the top guys will likely get franchised or stay with their teams, leaving a bunch of mid level guys to get overpaid. Best case scenario for us to make a move would be a guy getting cut for cap purposes and deciding it's time to actually win something like Peppers a few years back.

Really, if we can find a TE and a MLB in the draft, with:

Getting Jordy back
Some health along our offensive line
Lacy trimming down
Continued growth on defense (and keeping our FA's)

We may just be the best team in the league next year

We're not going to find a TE in the draft that will have a significant impact in year 1, IMO. MAYBE Henry, just because he's the most NFL ready, but I don't like the fit. LOVE this linebacker class though.

Go get Benjamin Watson and draft Deion Jones and Kyler Fackrell. Draft Jerell Adams or Tyler Higbee to be the TE of the future.

I would love to throw some money at Danny Trevathan as well, if we can afford it. Maybe if we restructure Peppers, cut Masthay and let Starks walk.

Clay / Jones / Trevathan / Peppers with Barrington, Ryan, Perry, Fackrell rotating in is nice.

Watson / Dick Rod / Adams at TE would be really solid as well.

[RiotPunch]

With the hiring of Cleveland's Tight End coach and the inevitable cutting of Jordan Cameron, that may be a possibility for us to pursue on a cheap end.

Other possible cap casualties to consider:

Joe Thomas (ok, wishful thinking)
Lawrence Timmons
Ahmad Brooks
D'Qwell Jackson
Kyle Williams
Jerod Mayo

In my opinion, most of those guys will be cut and we should be able to get one of them at a very cheap price.

Hoping Martellus Bennett gets cut.

[El Duderino]

The FA crop this year sucks. All the top guys will likely get franchised or stay with their teams, leaving a bunch of mid level guys to get overpaid. Best case scenario for us to make a move would be a guy getting cut for cap purposes and deciding it's time to actually win something like Peppers a few years back.

Really, if we can find a TE and a MLB in the draft, with:

Getting Jordy back
Some health along our offensive line
Lacy trimming down
Continued growth on defense (and keeping our FA's)

We may just be the best team in the league next year

They not only need health on the O-Line, Ted really needs to get someone who can provide competent death at backup tackle. Tretter should be able to be the first off the bench at guard or center, but we can't go into another year with a complete scrub at the backup swing tackle. Barclay was a total disaster every time he had to step on the field last season. He made everyone he faced look like a combination of Von Miller and JJ Watt.

[rilamann]

We may just be the best team in the league next year

I think the Packers are going to need a solid off season just to be the best team in the division next season.

I felt after the 2012 season that the Packers were 2 off seasons away from really making a run because of their defense and that turned out to almost be the case as the Packers should have played in the Super Bowl in the 2014 season.I feel the same way now,but this time because of the offense.I think it's going to take 2 off seasons to really get this offense back on track to where we can take this team seriously as far as getting to a Super Bowl.

The Packers are deep at WR but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a good group.I think it's a pretty mediocre group.Jordy is the Packer's only proven legit guy,but he will be 31 next season coming off major knee surgery.I like Ty Montgomery's potential,but he's unproven and just missed 10 games with a sprained ankle.

I actually like Abby and Janis but both guys are unproven and I think even if they hit their ceilings are no better than #3 or #4 type WRs.Cobb is mediocre at best,Adams is trash.Jones is ok if you bring him back,but at this point he's no more than a #4 guy.

So while our group is ''deep'',our only legit #1 guy is 31 years old coming off a major injury and there isn't a proven legit #2 guy on the roster.And Abby and Ty have are guys who make you nervous from an injury standpoint.

The offensive line regressed and as a group is average at best.Needs to be improved.

Eddie Lacy doesn't think it's important to be in shape.Starks is a solid #2 guy but he might be gone in the off season.

R.Rodgers is our best TE and that tells you all you need to know about the Packers situation at TE.

Aaron Rodgers is going to be 33 next season and while I think he still has a few really good seasons left in him,I don't he can go into ''Godgers mode'' and carry an offense over the course of a season like we've seen in the past.I think he can be Godgers in spurts,but he's now at a stage of his career where he can't carry the load.Again,that's not saying that he's still not a top QB in the league,but 2009-2014 he was off the charts crazy good,I think those days are over.

I think the Packers will make the playoffs and probably finish with around a 10-6 record again in 2016,but I think it might be 2017 before we can entertain any thoughts of the Packers possibly being one of the top teams in the league.

[th87]

We may just be the best team in the league next year

I think the Packers are going to need a solid off season just to be the best team in the division next season.

I felt after the 2012 season that the Packers were 2 off seasons away from really making a run because of their defense and that turned out to almost be the case as the Packers should have played in the Super Bowl in the 2014 season.I feel the same way now,but this time because of the offense.I think it's going to take 2 off seasons to really get this offense back on track to where we can take this team seriously as far as getting to a Super Bowl.

The Packers are deep at WR but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a good group.I think it's a pretty mediocre group.Jordy is the Packer's only proven legit guy,but he will be 31 next season coming off major knee surgery.I like Ty Montgomery's potential,but he's unproven and just missed 10 games with a sprained ankle.

I actually like Abby and Janis but both guys are unproven and I think even if they hit their ceilings are no better than #3 or #4 type WRs.Cobb is mediocre at best,Adams is trash.Jones is ok if you bring him back,but at this point he's no more than a #4 guy.

So while our group is ''deep'',our only legit #1 guy is 31 years old coming off a major injury and there isn't a proven legit #2 guy on the roster.And Abby and Ty have are guys who make you nervous from an injury standpoint.

The offensive line regressed and as a group is average at best.Needs to be improved.

Eddie Lacy doesn't think it's important to be in shape.Starks is a solid #2 guy but he might be gone in the off season.

R.Rodgers is our best TE and that tells you all you need to know about the Packers situation at TE.

Aaron Rodgers is going to be 33 next season and while I think he still has a few really good seasons left in him,I don't he can go into ''Godgers mode'' and carry an offense over the course of a season like we've seen in the past.I think he can be Godgers in spurts,but he's now at a stage of his career where he can't carry the load.Again,that's not saying that he's still not a top QB in the league,but 2009-2014 he was off the charts crazy good,I think those days are over.

I think the Packers will make the playoffs and probably finish with around a 10-6 record again in 2016,but I think it might be 2017 before we can entertain any thoughts of the Packers possibly being one of the top teams in the league.

I don't know about all that.

Remember, one calendar year ago, this team was capable of putting 50 on teams. Something weird happened this year, and while losing Nelson shouldn't have been as big a deal as it turned out to be, I guess it was. It turns out MM just didn't adjust. He thought he could put Jones/Adams in Nelson's role, and everything would be humming along almost as well. But the remaining guys have very different skill sets, so it was absurd to try to run the exact same offense with different personnel. I wonder if MM's coaching restructure also had something to do with this, where they weren't able to change course once injuries hit.

Cobb was a monster in 2014. There's no reason to believe he's not the same guy. The recovery prognosis of ACL injuries is much better than it ever has been, and Nelson strikes me as a hard enough worker to be able to come back okay. Adams was doing just fine in 2014 - I just think he had the yips or something, so hopefully with a good offseason, he'll do better.

I wouldn't be opposed to another monster receiver though. That's why I'm a big fan of Gordon - we could use a guy that's just physically better than everyone, since we don't really have that (most of our guys are great technicians).

But TE is definitely a priority. That is the easiest fix for an ailing offense. Gronk (not saying we need someone like him) is the best player on the Patriots and has single-handedly added 5 elite years to Tom Brady's career. To even have someone the defense has to respect would do wonders.

At RB, Lacy will get it together for his contract year, and we can then draft his replacement. RBs aren't that hard to find.

[El Duderino]

But TE is definitely a priority. That is the easiest fix for an ailing offense. Gronk (not saying we need someone like him) is the best player on the Patriots and has single-handedly added 5 elite years to Tom Brady's career. To even have someone the defense has to respect would do wonders.

Gronk obviously is the Patriots best player besides Barady, but they were 9-0 during the regular season in games Edelman was healthy and 3-4 in games he was out hurt. He is a such a key to what the Patriots/Brady do on offense and we saw very clearly just how important Jody is to Rodgers and the Packers offense.

When Jordy got hurt, all Packers fans knew he'd be missed, but i think some to many just thought since we had Rodgers, everything would work out. Just like Edelman is one of those security blanket type of guys for Brady when he needs a first down to keep key drives alive, it wasn't only the speed/deep threat the Packers offense and Aaron missed. There were also all of those say 3rd and 6-10 to go situations where Rodgers had that incredible chemistry with Jordy, even if he was covered pretty well and thus kept drives alive.

No question that TE is a massive need, but if Jordy comes back really close to his old self, it's should go a long way towards getting the passing game back on track.

[HKPackFan]

I think a stud TE opens up so much for this offense. It forces defenses to devote attention to him which opens up everything for our deep but somewhat unable to get open WRs. And if they ignore the TE he's going to do some real damage picking up first downs and moving the chains. Even a dangerous receiving RB can help the WR's downfield but a stud TE can make a huge difference.

I'm not sure anyone in the draft can make a big difference as a rookie at TE. I really want to find a veteran.

Adams had a good year against other team's 3rd or 4th best corners. I think that's where we need to put him in order to succeed. A Stud TE and Jordy getting the bulk of the attention could open things up for guys like Cobb and Adams who seem to look like stars when defenses don't have their top guys covering them.

[MickeyDavis]

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/2015-packers-by-the-numbers-b99659705z1-366865181.html

Nice recap of the season by McGinn

some tidbits:

The Packers played across the line of scrimmage on defense much better than in recent years. They finished with 62 tackles for loss in 18 games, their highest total since recording 64 in 17 games during the 2009 season. From 2010-'14, their total was between 41 and 48.

The linebackers led with way with 31, their highest total since recording 33 ½ in 1991. Mike Neal led the way with 8 ½, seven more than a year ago. He was followed by Clay Matthews (7 ½), Nick Perry (4 ½), Julius Peppers (3 ½), Jake Ryan (three), Joe Thomas (two), Jayrone Elliott (1 ½) and Nate Palmer (one-half).

The defensive line came through with 22 tackles for loss, its best since 2007. B.J. Raji led with seven, two more than his career high. He was followed by Mike Daniels (career-high 6 ½), Datone Jones (career-high four), Letroy Guion (2 ½, down from five last year) and Mike Pennel (two).

Under coordinator Dom Capers, the priority on defense will always be shutting down big plays. The Packers were an effective defense in most areas, but not when it came to preventing gains of more than 35 yards.

The Packers allowed 19 passes and five runs of that distance for a total of 24, 11 more than last year and more than any year since the Journal Sentinel first began recording the statistic in 1995. They allowed 22 in 2004 and '08.

Of the 19 passes of more than 35 yards given up, Damarious Randall was the leader with 5 ½ followed by Casey Hayward with three. Of the five runs, Mike Daniels led with two.

Not only are dropped passes difficult to assign, they're also hard to explain.

Two years ago, when the Packers had four quarterbacks doing the throwing, they dropped merely 26 passes in 17 games. It was their lowest total since 2005, when they had 25 drops in 16 games during a 4-12 season.

This year, even though Aaron Rodgers threw all but one of the team's 573 passes, the Packers dropped 44 passes in 18 games. It was their highest total since 2011 (45 in 17).

The best hands, believe it or not, belonged to Eddie Lacy. It's true that as a running back the number of contested catches wouldn't compare to a wide receiver or tight end. Still, the fact that Lacy didn't drop any of the 29 passes thrown to him was impressive. He dropped three of 48 in 2013, two of 57 last year.

Elsewhere at running back, James Starks dropped four of 59 for a drop rate of 6.8% and John Kuhn dropped one of 13 (7.7%).

At wide receiver, the unit's drop rate of 8.4% (35 of 418) was more than twice what it was in 2013 (3.2%) and well above 2014 (6.2%).

Davante Adams dropped 12 of 96 passes for the worst drop rate of 12.5%. Randall Cobb was next in drop rate at 10.2% after dropping 14 in 138 targets.

The Journal Sentinel began recording dropped passes in 1991. Cobb's 14 drops were the most in a season during that 25-year period, surpassing 13 by Jermichael Finley in 2011 and Antonio Freeman in 1995. However, Freeman did have 195 targets.

Adams' rate more than doubled his 5.1% mark as a rookie (four of 79). Cobb's previous drop rates were 6.2% in 2014, 0.0% in '13 (46 targets), 9% in '12 and 5.9% in '11.

Other drop rates at wide receiver were 6.1% (two of 33) for Jared Abbrederis, 5.6% (one of 18) for Ty Montgomery, 4.7% (five of 107) for James Jones and 3.9% (one of 26) for Jeff Janis.

[Mags FTW]

Rodgers had surgery on his knee. Sounds like it was just maintenance.

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/367072311.html

[RiotPunch]

Post Senior Bowl Wishlist:

Vernon Butler
Noah Spence
Braxton Miller

[Siefer]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/14686284/calvin-johnson-told-detroit-lions-plans-retire

Looks like Megatron is done.

[jazzfanWA]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/14686284/calvin-johnson-told-detroit-lions-plans-retire

Looks like Megatron is done.

If the Lions adapt to losing him the way the Packers did to losing Jordy they are in for a very long season.

[HKPackFan]

Anyone watch the pro bowl?

I tuned in at the 3rd Quarter and watched Richard Sherman run backwards for - 30 yards on a hand off. Saw a pathetic throw by a bills qb for an int the previous play and saw Bridgewater throw in triple coverage and turned it off. That was 5 minutes too much and I remembered why I haven't watched the probowl in forever.

[BallinBucks420]

Anyone watch the pro bowl?

I tuned in at the 3rd Quarter and watched Richard Sherman run backwards for - 30 yards on a hand off. Saw a pathetic throw by a bills qb for an int the previous play and saw Bridgewater throw in triple coverage and turned it off. That was 5 minutes too much and I remembered why I haven't watched the probowl in forever.

not even a second..its total garbage