Packers 2022 Offseason Thread - Adams Traded to Raiders for 2022 1st and 2nd Rd Picks

[Treebeard]

The state of the OLine is a question for the future too, though maybe not as much of a concern next year.
* Does Bakh return to form following a knee surgery that apparently wasn't as successful as hoped?
* Does Jenkins return to form - that's the guy of most concern to me
* Turner is probably gone - he has had his ups and downs, but his flexibility has been real useful
* Does Neumann learn from his rookie mistakes? If yes, that's a real plus, if no, then he's replaceable
* Runyan, Patrick, and Nijman seem like competent building blocks.

Do they need to consider a Bakh(man), Turner overdrive replacements at some point? (old fart joke there)

[coolhandluke121]

I wouldn't be too thrilled about kicking the can down the road to keep this team together. I honestly think they're spending too much on star-caliber players at the expense of avoiding weak links. It's the wrong balance. I'd trade Rodgers, try to tag and trade Adams if possible (but not if they have to add too much future dead cap to create room for his salary), and just keep guys like the Smiths on the last year of their deals. Go into 2023 with a lot more flexibility. Hope Bakh bounces back a little and can be traded when his dead cap is about 60% lower the following year. See if defense and the run game can get you to 10-7 with a puncher's chance in the playoffs.

I think this is pretty much exactly what I would do as well, with the caveat you cut the Smiths if you need to in order to be able to tag Adams, either to keep him or more likely trade him. Can't let him walk for nothing, so need to find a way to make that happen.

Trading Rodgers and Adams this year, should give you some nice defensive pieces in the draft and hopefully a WR1 you can start to grow.

Trading Bakh the following year should also net you at least an additional first, maybe more and you probably are able to lock Yosh into a pretty reasonable extension and hope he keeps developing his game.

I know NFL payroll rules about 1/50th as well as I know the NBA, but it seems like the Smiths are a decent value relative to their dead cap. I hope they can at least keep Z and still tag Adams.

It's worth noting that a lot of the offensive lineman who actually played all year are considered much better at run-blocking than pass-blocking. Going forward, that's all the more reason to build around the run game and defense next year, especially since Bakh is still a big question mark. I'm not optimistic about him being worth a good pick ever again, but yes, rehabilitating him for a trade should be the goal IMO.

What I don't want is an all-out rebuild starting this year. That's the 2023 back-up plan if Love bombs or if they get hit hard by injuries again. They still have a lot of good veterans on the last year of their deal. Anything can happen in the NFL if you're competent and lucky. With better injury luck next year, I'm not convinced losing Rodgers (if they do) is going to make them a bad team.

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

I wouldn't be too thrilled about kicking the can down the road to keep this team together. I honestly think they're spending too much on star-caliber players at the expense of avoiding weak links. It's the wrong balance. I'd trade Rodgers, try to tag and trade Adams if possible (but not if they have to add too much future dead cap to create room for his salary), and just keep guys like the Smiths on the last year of their deals. Go into 2023 with a lot more flexibility. Hope Bakh bounces back a little and can be traded when his dead cap is about 60% lower the following year. See if defense and the run game can get you to 10-7 with a puncher's chance in the playoffs.

I'm mostly with you but I'm ok kicking the can down the road a year. We have the MVP QB returning and we looked pretty dominant at times. We underperformed. We will probably underperform again next year, but we still have a puncher's chance at another Owl. This isnt the Swag Brothers Bucks getting the 8th seed; this team has the talent to get lucky.

I dont think it is realistic to be "10-7 with a puncher's chance in the playoffs" with Love. I think it is more puncher's chance to be 10-7 and make the playoffs. I think it is more realistic we win 4 games next year than 10 without Rodgers (Unless we get a vet QB)......happy to be wrong though or totally fine with us winning 4 games and drafting the QB of the future.

[coolhandluke121]

I dont think it is realistic to be "10-7 with a puncher's chance in the playoffs" with Love. I think it is more puncher's chance to be 10-7 and make the playoffs. I think it is more realistic we win 4 games next year than 10 without Rodgers (Unless we get a vet QB)......happy to be wrong though or totally fine with us winning 4 games and drafting the QB of the future.

That's what I meant. See if the run game and defense can get you to 10-7, which would inherently give you a puncher's chance in the playoffs - especially if you win the weak division. If they bomb, then you're rebuilding, which is also fine - there's just no need to rush into that before seeing what you might have.

But I don't think they can keep enough of the team together to justify keeping Rodgers and Adams, so that would be kind of a waste IMO. And you have to remember that Rodgers would probably piss and moan about cutting guys like Cobb and not giving Adams a long-term deal, not to mention eventually having to trade Bakh. I'm just sort of done with that. I'd prefer a more sustainable approach.

[WeekapaugGroove]

So does Rodgers have a no trade or something, why are they not shopping him for the most absurd ricky williams type deal.

Can't trade anyone until March 16

Rodgers has leverage because in his reworked deal this summer because they amended his deal where he can retire without paying back a portion of his signing bonus. This in a way acts as a no trade clause because he can simply threaten to not show up if they deal him to a place he doesn't want.

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[WeekapaugGroove]

MLF needs to take a hard look at his plans against good dlines because come playoff time you're going to face them and you can't let that ruin your offense. It can't be all 'the oline just needs to block better'.

Now some is on the QB to get the ball out on time and take what the d is giving them. But it's not all the QB and when MLF could sense Rodgers getting away from this he should have ran some plays where Aaron had no choice but to get it out quickly.

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[MickeyDavis]

Rich Gosselin does an annual ranking of special teams, using 22 categories. Always an interesting read. No doubt about where the Packers landed.

https://www.si.com/nfl/talkoffame/nfl/rick-gosselins-2021-nfl-special-teams-rankings

[M-C-G]

MLF needs to take a hard look at his plans against good dlines because come playoff time you're going to face them and you can't let that ruin your offense. It can't be all 'the oline just needs to block better'.

Moving the OL around was a horrible decision, that can't be overstated. But with that said, Aaron Jones, and I love the dude, isn't the answer when you play against teams with good front 7s. Maybe he was at one point, but churning out a bunch of 4 to 7 yard Dillon runs works against 49ers and would have worked against Tampa Bay and their undersized LB core. It is just that MLF and Rodgers abandon the churning games for wins for desire to hit big plays too often.

And I know someone is going to say, Dillon didn't even average 4 yards a carry before he got hurt and I get it, but I think if you keep with it those three yard runs turn to 7 yard runs and the 7 yard runs turn into 14 yard runs on a night no one wants to tackle the dude.

[M-C-G]

I know NFL payroll rules about 1/50th as well as I know the NBA, but it seems like the Smiths are a decent value relative to their dead cap. I hope they can at least keep Z and still tag Adams.

.

My point, I am not letting their decent value to dead cap hold me back from getting at least a first round pick for Adams. If they find other ways to tag him so we can trade him, that works too, one or both of those guys and Cobb just seems like the most obvious of moves to me.

[Treebeard]

Z's one sack probably set him up for a better shot at future earnings. At least GM's saw him play. Back injuries often are chronic, but gifted Edge rushers are worth a gamble.

[ReasonablySober]

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[MickeyDavis]

Dan Quinn who went from SB appearance to 7-9, 7-9, 0-5

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[Treebeard]

BTW, is Maurice Drayton still on the payroll? The ST failures go deeper than him, but he added nothing - at best. They also need a significant talent infusion for the STs

[FAH1223]

BTW, is Maurice Drayton still on the payroll? The ST failures go deeper than him, but he added nothing - at best. They also need a significant talent infusion for the STs

Coach Proves To Be LaFraud – PACKERS NOTES

Many people are to blame for the Packers’ now annual choke in the playoffs. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who’ll likely win his fourth MVP next week and is being paid over $33 million, led the offense to 10 points. Tight end Marcedes Lewis fumbled to thwart early momentum and allow the reeling 49ers to regain their footing. Wide receivers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb combined for six more yards than the slightly overweight fan with nacho stains on his Therme Parka in Section 476. But nobody came up smaller on Saturday night than third-year head coach Matt LaFleur, who, despite a sparkling 39-10 regular-season record, has up until now proven to be no better than Mike Sherman and post-2010 Mike McCarthy.


Like his much-maligned predecessors, LaFleur hasn’t been able to get it done in January. Sherman went 2-4 in the playoffs from 2000 to 2005, and McCarthy went 5-6 from 2011 to 2018. LaFleur is now 2-3 in his three years on the job. And like Sherman and post-2010 McCarthy, a big reason is his inability to hire quality coordinators. Sherman gave us Tom Rossley and Bob Slowik, and McCarthy gave us way too much of Dom Capers, along with Shawn Slocum and Ron Zook. But as bad as those hires were, nothing compares to LaFleur’s decision to entrust special teams to Maurice Drayton.

After rightfully firing Shawn Mennenga following last season when the special teams ranked 29th in the National Football League, LaFleur inexplicably decided to promote Drayton, who had been by Mennenga’s side for two years. McCarthy made the same nonsensical move multiple times when he changed special teams coordinators. It’s as if both head coaches thought the assistants were sitting around playing Call of Duty while their bosses ran things into the ground.

Surprising to nobody except LaFleur, his unfounded faith in Drayton wasn’t rewarded. Special teams were even worse this season, and Saturday night was the cherry on top of a **** sundae. The Packers had both a field goal and a punt blocked, costing themselves 10 points in what ended up being a three-point loss. During the season, mistakes on special teams were a weekly occurrence, as were Drayton’s promises to get it fixed. That never happened. And why would it? If he truly had any ideas worth hearing, wouldn’t he have shared them with Mennenga? But for some reason, that thought never occurred to the person who just recently set a record for most wins by a coach in his first three seasons.

While special teams were a season-long problem, LaFleur’s offense decided to wait until Saturday night to **** the bed completely. After scoring a touchdown on a beautifully designed and executed 69-yard drive to open the game, a unit led by the “genius” young coach and the future first-ballot Hall of Fame quarterback scored three points in the final 55 minutes. Three **** points! That means in the last three playoff losses, the combination of LaFleur and Rodgers has managed to score a grand total of 56 points, and 20 of those came in garbage time in the 2019 NFC Championship Game.

Injuries to All-Pro tackle David Bakhtiari, Pro Bowl guard Elgton Jenkins, tight end Robert Tonyan, and wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling certainly didn’t help, but there’s still no excuse for any offense, let alone one with Rodgers, All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams and Pro Bowl running back Aaron Jones to score three points and gain a total of 58 yards in the second half of a home playoff game. Unless, of course, the opposing defense was the ’85 Bears, and the 2021 49ers are far from the ’85 Bears. Heck, the Packers put up 30 points against this same defense earlier in the season.

With the speedy Valdes-Scantling sidelined due to a back injury, the 49ers often employed nine or 10 men within five yards of the line of scrimmage. LaFleur had to know that was coming, yet he had few answers. Defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans typically rushed four and dropped seven into coverage, and with very few exceptions, nobody other than Adams could get separation down the field. So much for the idea that LaFleur would be able to scheme receivers open. With minimal motion, little creativity, and no useful adjustments, it was as if McCarthy was in his headset all night.


I’ll deal more with general manager Brian Gutekunst at another time, but he’s also very much responsible for the debacle that took place on Saturday night. Yes, he deserves a lot of credit for signing inside linebacker De’Vondre Campbell and cornerback Rasul Douglas and for drafting cornerback Eric Stokes, but he also did or didn’t do the following:

-He didn’t replace Tonyan at the trade deadline. Instead, he left the offense without a tight end capable of making a play anywhere on the field. Evan Engram (Giants) and Hayden Hurst (Falcons) were among the veterans available, but Gutekunst passed. Lewis fumbling and Josiah Deguara dropping a ball in the second half only made that bad decision look worse.

-He didn’t seriously pursue Odell Beckham Jr., who reportedly wanted to play in Green Bay after being released by the Browns. OBJ would’ve come with some noticeable warts, but he also would’ve caught more than the one pass for six yards that Lazard and Cobb combined for last night. LaFleur loves goons like Lazard who do the dirty work and never complain, but sometimes a talented pain in the ass is the difference between scoring in the red zone and settling for a field goal.

-He didn’t do a thing to help improve special teams, even though it was a problem from Week 1. He could’ve signed a couple of proven veterans to bolster a young and undisciplined unit, but he chose to stick with his own players. His only in-season addition from the outside – wide receiver and returner David Moore – wasn’t even active on Saturday night.

-He did replace Hunter Bradley with Steven Wirtel, the smallest long snapper in the league. Did you happen to notice how easily the 228-pounder was run over on that season-defining blocked punt late in the fourth quarter? As I watched that play in horror, I remembered tweeting about Wirtel’s lack of size when he was first promoted from the practice squad.

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I’m only mentioning Gutekunst’s shortcomings in a story about LaFleur’s failings because these are the two men who’ll be expected to rebuild the Packers after Rodgers is gone, which could very well happen in the next couple of months. And because both Gutekunst and LaFleur are entering the final years of their respective contracts, they’ll each likely receive massive long-term extensions sometime between now and the start of training camp in late July. It’ll be a reward for all the success they’ve had the past three seasons. But have they really been successful? That’s a matter of perspective.

I once opined that the Packers, as long as Rodgers was healthy, could win at least 10 games and make the playoffs with Mr. Magoo as coach. Sherman and McCarthy proved me right for almost two decades. After this season and Saturday night, in particular, I’m beginning to think LaFleur is on his way to further bolstering my hypothesis. And while his boss will receive far less criticism, Gutekunst shouldn’t get off scot-free. It took a collective effort to fail as badly as the Packers failed, and he was a part of it. Sadly, I have a feeling things are going to get a lot worse before they get better again.

[ReasonablySober]

I can't take anyone serious with the headline, "Coach Proves To Be LaFraud".

[FAH1223]

I can't take anyone serious with the headline, "Coach Proves To Be LaFraud".

I'll never take LaFleur seriously in the postseason ever again until proven otherwise.

To have your head in the ground all season on the STs is inexcusable... and with 2 weeks to prepare. Just abject failure.

[Matches Malone]

Would it be feasible to get Jeudy in a deal from Denver? Because he would make all the hurt of losing Davante go away really quick. I think he's got the next best release as a wideout. Then double it up with another pick at WR somewhere in the draft.

[MickeyDavis]

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[RRyder823]

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With just how bad our STs were all year its almost a little baffling we didn't start utilizing the starters

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