Surviving Sunday: Packers News, Notes and Links for the Football Deprived

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Surviving Sundays with no Packers Football
Surviving Sundays with no Packers Football

I love Packers general manager Ted Thompson. Even if he was terrible at his job, which thankfully he isn’t, I would still love him.

While a bunch of other teams are out signing free agents that most NFL fans recognize and know, Thompson signs Loyce Means, a cornerback who most recently played in the Canadian Football League. A couple weeks ago, Thompson signed an Italian kicker named Giorgio Tevecchio.

While fans of the 49ers get to embrace Nnamdi Asomugha, Packers fans take to Google to try and figure out who in the hell Loyce Means is.

While Vikings and Dolphins fans get excited about signing Greg Jennings and Mike Wallace, respectively, Packers fans are left trying to figure out who (or what) a Giorgio Tevecchio is.

Sometimes I wonder if Thompson signs these unknown guys just so he can see how crazy it might drive some Packers fans. I know that’s not the case, but it’d be funny if it was.

I think by now a lot of Packers fans get Thompson. Not all of fans, but a lot. They might not agree with his strategies, but they at least get him.

That’s progress, right?

Or am I wrong?

Do the fans who didn’t get Thompson from the beginning still not get him now?

Whether you get him or not, do you find it as amusing as I do when he signs one of these unknown guys while the rest of the league signs marquee names?

Packers News, Notes and Links

  • Now a contract extension is apparently close to being done for Clay Matthews. Supposedly, a contract extension was “close” for Aaron Rodgers a few weeks ago. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Blah, blah, blah. Let me know when both players actually sign on the dotted line and the Brinks truck is actually pulling into each player’s driveway to deliver the signing bonus.
  • This is a must-read from Tom Silverstein at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel about the Packers’ sound management of dead money in the salary cap. I can’t even remember the last time the Packers were in salary cap hell. How many other NFL teams can say the same thing?
  • If you haven’t voted for the Packers’ Final Four, be sure to do so here – voting closes at midnight tonight.
  • John Rehor tries to rationalize the trade Aaron Rodgers crazy talk. Good luck rationalizing with those people, John. You are a braver man than I. Interesting read, though.
  • Should the Packers trade down in the NFL draft? If they want to, here are some options.
  • The Packers preseason schedule is out, if you’re into that sort of thing.
  • Do you need to put your child to sleep? Perhaps the soothing voices of Jason Perone, Marques Eversoll and myself talking about Packers running backs and NFL draft needs can help.

Non Packers Links and Other Nonsense

  • Roger Ebert died on Thursday. I grew up watching Ebert and Gene Siskel review movies on TV and I ended up respecting the hell out of Ebert’s writing as I got older. In case you missed this Esquire profile on Ebert from a few years back, make sure to read it now.
  • It looks like father time has not been all that kind to Don King.
  • Jackpot! Here are a bunch of 80s pro wrestling photos from Sports Illustrated.
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Adam Czech is a a freelance sports reporter living in the Twin Cities and a proud supporter of American corn farmers. When not working, Adam is usually writing about, thinking about or worrying about the Packers. Follow Adam on Twitter. Twitter .

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12 thoughts on “Surviving Sunday: Packers News, Notes and Links for the Football Deprived

  1. It should be obvious that the AR and CM3 contracts are destined to be very complex and not easily resolved. Everytime one of the “media” know-it-alls” gets a rumor from one of their anonymous sources, it is not time to go bonkers and start stupid talk like traing AR, etc.

    To date, Raji has not earned what he is being paid now. So, his contract should go unadjusted, unless he’s willing to defer some of this year’s salary to the future.

    Get use to the FA market drying up for the successful teams as they pay current players market value and find out they don’t have the extra cash available. SF and Seattle will find that out when their QB’s want to renegotiate to be paid “fair market value.” In the meantime they definetely have an advantage for planning for the short term.

    Trade down makes sense, if and only if, the gains are without question a net positive for the 2013 football team. Trading the 26th pick is not as easy as it might seem. There has to be a player out there that someone really wants. With a realatively limited supply of exceptional talent in this year’s draft and a large supply of the good players, that might just be possible for TT. His ability to find contributers in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th rounds is a real plus. There are holes to be filled.

  2. To me the book on Ted on not complete yet.
    I understand that he does not have the big bucks other teams have. The Packers have to raise their money (beyond tv contracts)to pay the players. Ted is forced to play ‘money ball’, getting cheap players. So do I blame him for a team of un-drafted’s like Zombo and Seine who didn’t work out, passing up free agents that can help fill holes, or do I accept that this is the best he can do with what he has. My fear is Money Ball in the long run doesn’t work. Especially when your division foes have low number one picks in key positions and are spending it on free agents. Something has to give and I think it starts this year. The Lions and Vikes are just too talented this season.

    1. I don’t mean this to be rude, but you’re completely wrong about the Packers not having the money that other teams have to play with.

      Salary cap makes all teams equal when it comes to roster management. The Packers are not hurting for money. The only real difference is that they do not have a billionaire owner’s bank account to fall back on if they fail to generate positive cash flow from their football operations- not really a valid concern, since season tickets are sold out until the year 14,853 and eeeerbody and they momma buys Packers gear. They store away excess profits in accounts to protect their future.

      Bottom line, Ted spends wisely because in his estimation, it is the best policy for the long term health of the Packers organization, and he also believes it ultimately gives the Packers the best chance to win long term as well. It has nothing to do with lack of funds.

      If anything, teams with Owners would be more likely to underspend, because they are in football for profits, and if saving some scratch means higher profit margins, well….

      While in GB, the only motive is winning games and staying viable for the future.

      1. Pretty much agree Oppy. People often confuse the “CAP” with Cash Flow. The Packers have to be judicious in their handling of Cash, where other teams can, to some degree, rely on their “Sugar Daddy” owners to make up for bad cash management.

        We should all be grateful we have a management team in GB that has an eye to the future as well as the present. As mcuh as I’d like to see a little more present in their thinking, I’d not want anyone else trying to balance the financial complexities for my beloved Pack.

    2. Actually, with very limited exceptions, in the current salary cap era evert team has exactly the same amount of money

    3. Go away! You don’t know the fist thing about the Packers. They are in far better shape than your beloved Viqueens! They made a 40+M net profit last year, and have the money to fund another stadium expansion w/o any help from the public. You know the public that wouldn’t help pay for a stadium for the queens for years when it would have saved a lot of money. Now they are doing it at an extra 300 or 400M. Go visit your viqueen sites and quite trolling ours!

  3. Hailing from parts unknown…Adam Czech.
    The wrestling photos brought back some
    fun memories. Do you have any data on
    a wrestling event involving some Packer
    players…I think it was Reggie White &
    Gilbert Brown at Madison Square Garden?
    They were introduced to the crowd and an
    altercation ensued, supposedly sending
    one of them to the hospital during the
    Super Bowl week. LOL

      1. Yes, the I devoted way to many words to the Packers and pro wrestling a couple offseasons ago in the link that Al provided.

        I don’t ever recall a wrestling “incident” involving Reggie White and Gilbert Brown, but I’ll dig around a bit and see if I can find anything.

      2. Yes, the I devoted way to many words to the Packers and pro wrestling a couple offseasons ago in the link that Al provided.

        I don’t recall a wrestling “incident” involving Reggie White and Gilbert Brown, but I’ll dig around a bit and see if I can find anything.

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