Post your off-season here

[jakecronus8]

Here is my ideal off-season...

First off I am assuming Brett comes back. I have a hard time believing he walks away after that Giants debacle with his last NFL pass being an interception. It would be really dope if he would re-structure his contract to free up some more money to bring in more help, but I digress...

Our own FA's:
Bring back Rob Davis, Craig Nall, and Colin Cole. Also, I believe Ryan Grant and Ruvell Martin are ERFA's so bring them back as well on one year deals. A lot of people want to lock up Grant now to a multi-year deal but I want to be sure he's not Samkon Gado before we do that. Koren Robinson seems to like it here so keep him as he would probably be cheap as well and it would be cool to see all the same WR's back next year to form that chemistry.

Let Vernand Morency and other backups like Tracy White, Frank Walker, Tyson Walter, etc. walk. As far as Corey Williams goes, franchise him and trade him for a low 2nd or better. Don't get me wrong, I like Corey as a person and a player but with our depth and Jolly coming back, he isn't worth the salary to keep around and might want to go somewhere and be a full time player.

Also, cut Bubba Franks. At this point, even though we have the space to keep him around, the salary clearly doesn't match the production so get him off the books and try to re-sign him at a cheaper rate. If not, Ted should be able to get a good blocking backup TE cheap in free agency. My gut tells me Bubba would be professional about it and come back though.

On a smaller note, give Aaron Rodgers a pay raise. I have no idea how this works in the NFL as far as raises or bonuses are concerned, but throw him a little something in appreciation for his patience. I could easily see him starting to voice his displeasure over sitting the first four years of his career, but this could potentially soften the blow.

Free Agency:

Ryan Lilja, LG formerly of the Indianapolis Colts-
LG is in need of immediate upgrade. Colledge is as athletic as it gets on the offensive line but would be better suited building upper body strength and developing at LT. He is still very much a part of our future. As far as Lilja goes, he would fit perfectly in our system at LG. The Colts have recently given a lot of big deals to the likes of Harrison, Wayne, Manning and also have their other guard to re-sign. Lilja is probably one notch below Alan Faneca as a player but probably fits in better and would cost a lot less.

Drayton Florence, CB formerly of the San Diego Chargers-
Nickel corner is one need that a lot of people want to fill in the draft, but if the Pack want to win next year they would be better suited bringing in a seasoned veteran. Unlike Frank Walker from last year, Florence can actually play. Though he is not a huge playmaker, he is solid and wont make a lot of mistakes. I also see SD letting him walk opening the door for Cromartie to be the full time starter. I agree we should draft a DB or two, but let them and Blackmon develop as our future at CB.

NFL Draft:

1st) Dan Connor, OLB Penn State: 6'3, 233-
Clear value pick here and could be a starter on the strong side as early as opening day. There has been speculation that Rivers or Connor would still be available and I would take either one here as both provide great value at a position of relative need. Connor is a tackling machine who can cover TE's and should move Poppinga back to where he belongs as a backup and special teamer. Reminds me a lot of Demeco Ryans in that he had a phenomenal career in college but his size and speed numbers don't stand out so he'll drop. We'll be more than happy to round him up an complete our starting LB core.

2nd) Charles Godrey, CB Iowa: 6'1, 208-
The type of guy that will need to develop but has all the measurables and style to fit into our system. Nasty tackler and very physical at the line of scrimmage. Speed is not out of this world but should be more than adequate at the next level. Plus he's got dreads so we gotta nab him up. Could potentially add depth at safety as well.

2nd (from Corey trade) Quentin Groves, DE Auburn: 6'3, 254-
He can be the heir apparent to KGB as our pass rush specialist. Obviously he doesn't have the size to be an everyday player, but athleticism is off the charts and has the luxury of being able to develop. Depending on how quickly he learns the system, might be able to see the field this year.

3rd) Steve Slaton, RB WVU: 5'10, 190- Take him to be the yin to Ryan Grant's yang. A pure outside guy with world class speed and a great change of pace from Grant. Jackson can settle into the role of third down back and Slaton also gives us a boost on special teams as a returner with the burst to break one off at any time. Given the RB depth in the draft we would be smart to grab one.

4th) Brad Cottam, TE Tennessee: 6'8, 270- He should be able to come in right away and be at least a good blocking backup TE. Like many of our picks here, he is a developmental guy with huge upside. I think Bubba will come back but even if he does, I would like to get another young in to develop. If he puts it all together upstairs, he has the athletic ability to be the best TE in the draft.

5th) Heath Benedict, T Newberry: 6'6 320- I haven't seen any games of this guy but everything I read points to him being a perfect fit for our system. The coaches would probably want him to slim down a little bit from 320, but is still a great athlete at his current size. He could step in as our RT of the future.

6th) Ryan Grant-
Slam dunk pick of the draft!!

7) Jack Ikegwuono, CB Wisconsin: 6'2, 193-
Why not? Some other team may have already taken a flier on him at this point but with a 7th round pick why not take the local boy with a ton of potential and see if he can regain his form.

Position Analysis

QB- We are set at this position and probably have the two best QB's in the division. Nall knows the system so he is adequate as 3rd stringer, though I could see us only carrying two like we did at the beginning of the season.

HB- Hopefully Grant is the real deal and with Slaton and Jackson we have a good mix of young talent. Maybe keep Wynn around based on potential but I would be happy with just the three.

FB- I like the combination of developing players Hall and Kuhn.

WR-Driver, Jennings, and Jones should all be locks to be productive and it would be sweet to see Jones have a breakout year similar to Jennings this past season though that might be unfair to expect. Koren and Ruvell top out the deepest WR core in the league.

TE- Lee returns as well as a cheaper Bubba. Cottam makes the roster as a blocker and develops as a receiver. Could possibly see another vet brought in or a holdover like Humphrey.

T-Clifton and Tausch are back like always and are backed up by Colledge and Benedict respectively. Both guys should have at least another year or two before the uber athletic young pair replace them. Moll may have a future as a backup and could see him making the team because of his versatility to play G as well.

G- Lilja and Spitz are the starters with Barbre, Coston, and possibly Moll as the main backups. It will be cool to see Barbre in the pre-season. Hopefully he can show his great potential. I think he could end up being a stellar offensive lineman.

C- Scott Wells returns as one of the most unappreciated guys on the roster. Will probably never make a pro bowl but always does what is expected of him. Spitz can play center too but I think we'll probably bring in a cheap vet to solidify the position. Might be a bit of a concern if an adequate backup isn't found.

DE-Kampman and Jenkins return as starters. Hopefully Jenkins can show a little more than he did this past season as he was solid yet unspectacular. KGB seems to relish his role as a specialist and now has a mentor in Groves, who probably wont see the field much. Mike Montgomery or Daniel Muir will probably battle for a backup spot.

DT-Depth takes a hit with Corey not returning, but should still be a relative position of strength. Jolly and Pickett are both good starters whose games are a good fit next to each other. It all hinges on whether Harrell can continue to develop and take the next step. All I can say is he better do so given the investment. If he takes a huge step forward, the depth will be even better than last year. Cole comes back as a decent run stuffer. Cullen can possibly see some snaps at DT this year as well.

OLB-With Connor now on board, he will probably outplay Poppinga and be more of a complete player to round out the starters with Barnett and Hawk. Hawk NEEDS to show he was worth the top 5 overall selection of two years ago. He has all the measurables, now its time for it to translate on the field. If this happens, our LB's could be amongst the best in the leauge. Depth could be a concern. Poppinga moving to the bench helps a lot, but guys like Desmond Bishop don't provide enough. The wild card is Abdul Hodge. If he can stay healthy he could provide a big boost to the second unit and special teams.

CB- Al and Chuck should have another year of great football at least (though I am less confident about Al). With Florence on board, I am a lot more confident covering the slot, which should allow our safeties to roam the field and allow for more big plays in the secondary. Blackmon and Godfrey are our CB's of the future and should see some decent playing time this season too. Blackmon should contribute as a punt returner too. Tramon Williams should be worth keeping around too. Ike recovers from his surgery as slowly as he needs too.

S-Bigby proved a lot of the doubters wrong in the last month of the season but needs to prove he was not a flash in the pan. I like Rouse at either safety spot and if he puts it together upstairs I could easily see him starting with Bigby with Collins as the primary backup. This is another position that should be supplemented with a veteran to solidify it, but most teams would be more than happy with Rouse, Bigby and Collins as their main contributors.

ST- Kicker we should be set at for at least a decade. Crosby showed more than enough and had one of the best rookie seasons for a kicker ever. Ryan I am not as sold on as I was in the past but I still see him as our punter. I am sure someone will be brought in to compete. LS is money in the bag with Rob. KR duties should be improved with K-Rob and Slaton as our returners. PR should be good as well with Blackmon showing what he can do last year.

Overall, I think it would be huge to bring in vets like Lilja and Florence and really draft for value rather than need. We should have the money so lets get it done. Hopefully we can be in the same position next season as we were this past season with a much better result. Any thoughts/criticisms?

[notoriousTJ11]

Let Vernand Morency and other backups like Tracy White, Frank Walker, Tyson Walter, etc. walk. As far as Corey Williams goes, franchise him and trade him for a low 2nd or better. Don't get me wrong, I like Corey as a person and a player but with our depth and Jolly coming back, he isn't worth the salary to keep around and might want to go somewhere and be a full time player.

I have a couple problems here. Tracy White is probably one of the best special teams players we've had in a long time. He recovered how many fumbles, scored a touchdown and was one of our best tacklers. If you think you can find someone who is as consistent as he is and as reliable (you probably won't) then you let him go, but otherwise bring him back because he's a leader and is very cheap.

And the thing about our depth on the d-line is none of them really give us the passing rushing ability that Williams does. Harrell is a clogger as is Pickett, Jolly is good at deflecting passes but isn't as athletic or consistent to be a reliable pass rusher, and Cole is small. You gotta franchise Williams and bring him back unless a team offers him a ridiculous amount of money in which case you get a automatic 1st rd pick.

I love the Charles Godrey pick because of his size and hitting, something we lack for the most part in our secondary.

[eagle13]

This is needless thread. We already have an off season thread. Why didn't post over there. This is NOT a new topic.

[MickeyDavis]

I know everyone likes their opinion to be on top and you did a lot of work here but please post in the existing off season thread.

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