Packers Stock Report: Time for a win Edition

ALLGBP.com All Green Bay Packers All the Time
T.J. Lang has been one of the few rising players for the Green Bay Packers recently.

My two jobs, a newborn baby and extended visits to family hours away from where we live has made it very difficult to write about the Packers this season. The way the Packers are playing also makes it difficult to write about the Packers.

I don’t have time to do the in-depth and comprehensive posts that I’d like to do, so I do what I can in the free hour I can manage to find here or there. As I type, my kid has been up screaming for the last 2 hours. Why is he screaming? Who knows.

All I know is that my wife is feeding him to see if that gets him to calm down and I got a few minutes to bang out a stock report, so let’s get to it:

Rising

Jordy Nelson
When in doubt, just launch a pass somewhere in the vicinity of Jordy Nelson. Nelson is quietly having one of the best seasons of his career. I wish some of his toughness could be transferred to the defense.

T.J. Lang
Teams have been stacking the box against the Packers with Aaron Rodgers injured, but the interior of the offensive line has held up well. Lang showed his versatility two weeks ago by taking over at center and had another solid game against New York even though the Packers couldn’t gain much traction running the ball.

Steady

Jarret Boykin
Can Boykin replace James Jones in 2014? That question doesn’t sound nearly as ridiculous as it did at the beginning of the season.

Josh Sitton
See the write-up about Lang above. The same applies to Sitton.

Mike Daniels
Daniels is the only defensive lineman who has provided some consistency in getting after the quarterback. If Datone Jones continues showing signs of life, it’s a step forward in transforming the d-line from a bunch of space eaters to a more dynamic and diverse unit.

Falling

Marshall Newhouse
Why. Is. Marshall. Newhouse. Still. On. This. Team?

B.J. Raji
Who made the worse decision: Raji turning down $8 million per year from the Packers or the kid who founded SnapChat turning down $3 billion in cash from Facebook? Raji is not worth $8 million per season. He’s way too inconsistent and he’s stuck in one of his disappearing spells again.

The Packers season
If the Packers can’t beat the lowly Vikings on Sunday, I’ll be crying alongside my kid late at night.

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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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30 thoughts on “Packers Stock Report: Time for a win Edition

  1. Something tells me Raji doesn’t want to be a Packer beyond 2013. I agree he isn’t worth $8 million.

    1. He’s probably better in a 4-3 than a 3-4, much like many of the other players in the front 7…except CMIII who would probably be wasted in a 4-3 (as was pointed out by Stroh, I think).

      1. Raji is a good player. And he’s one of the few Packers who doesn’t get injured every season. But $8 million….man. That’s steep.

        That said, it wouldn’t surprise me if he does end up getting more than $8 million. All it takes is one team….

        1. this season Raji isn’t playing big 3rd down plays. How many times have we seen on 3rd down no one is in the middle and the quarterback keeps and run a qb draw. Maybe that is way he is showing no interest. Hate to say it but maybe more then we think is that the problems sit up in the booth.

        2. According to the scouts I read, 8M is more than fair for Raji, maybe slightly generous. Fans don’t know how to evaluate a players value to a team. Lets let the PROFESSIONALS do that! Thompson would have talked to the coaches about Raji’s value before extending that contract offer. If they think he is worth it, he is. Fans don’t know…

          Thompson determined his value and extended the offer. When Raji plays NT like as he did in ’10 he’ll have even more value than as a DE. Thompson won’t go up from the 8M, that’s the offer and Raji has a decision to make. In the end, chances are he’ll sign. Just have to let the process play out and Raji weigh his options.

        3. There are enough teams out there transitioning to the 3-4 that there will be a market for him at a high price.

  2. Good work Adam. Like your child, I have been crying much of the last month. This team is killing me. Your list is spot on. The fact that we have risers and steadys is encouraging.

    The next 7 days will tell the tale of this season. Now, where’s my milk?

  3. Bring back Gilbert Brown, he could probably still outplay Raji. Raji had one great dance and then was never heard from again. He isn’t worth 8 bucks…

  4. You forgot Aaron Rodgers on the rising list. His absence makes him look better and better every week…

  5. I painfully re-watched the Giants game the Wednesday night. Picket and Raji seem to get too easily pushed out of the way. It appears like they give up too soon. If they can’t get pressure, they at least need to hold their ground. I was hoping Jolly would add some of the toghness the Pack was missing, but haven’t seen that either.

    Boykin has been a great surprise. He’s shown that he is a legitimate NFL receiver and I do expect him to be in the mix next year even with Cobb back.

    I would put Burnett in the falling. I’m just not sure he is intelligent enough to be the leader in the backfield. He looks like he doesn’t know his own assignments half the time, let alone being able to direct traffic in the back field. Still would like to see more Banjo.

  6. I heard that it will be a good free agent market for DTs. It seems to me that the Pack could land somebody more dynamic and constant than Raji for 8m

  7. I could not believe the packers offered $8m for Raji. Big guys that can move are hard to find, but Raji is not worth $8m. I would rather keep Jordy and James Jones than pay $8m per to Raji. Is Raji that much better than Jonny Jolly? He is better, but not $8m better.

    The packers better hope that there are some big boys that can play in this draft though. Raji, Pickett, Jolly and I believe mike Neal are all UFAs after this season. I expect Pickett and Jolly to stay with the pack, but big depth will get thin and pickett cannot play forever.

    Jordy may be most under rated WR in the NFL. He is an absolute beast. He does everything well.

    I am hoping they can resign Jordy and Jones. Cobb, Boykin, Jordy and Jones is great. They will need weapons because there is no way Finley plays for the pack again.

    1. Jones is gone. He’s a good receiver made better by those around him. They won’t ever offer him a contract unless he can’t find an offer in FA and he comes back cheap. Boykin is the same receiver as Jones, so why bother paying Jones? Next year Jordy, Cobb and Boykin will be the 3 WR used on every down and we wouldn’t lose a thing. I said even before this season Jones is gone and he’s not shown to be a keeper. Boykin is just as good, less expensive and that makes Jones expendable.

      With Finley’s injury no teams will touch him. I think he comes back to GB on a one year deal to prove he’s healthy and determine his value, if he’s cleared medically by the Packers.

      Packers will draft a WR to develop going forward, but going no-huddle as they were w/ Rodgers they only have 3 on the field.

  8. Sorry. You heard it here first. First of all, I am a diehard Packer fan, Season ticket holder and owner ( 2 shares ). I keep seeing silly Packer fans and the fearful media saying that it will be an easy win against the Vikings this weekend. They call the Vikings “Dreadful” and other names. If the Vikings are “Dreadful”, what are the Packers? The Vikings have a much better Defensive Line than the Packers, better tackling and covering Linebackers and a much better safety ( although luckily he is out ). The Pack may have better Cornerbacks, although the last 3 games would not show that. On Offense, the Vikings have a much better Offensive Line, Much better tight ends, Much better #1 receiver ( Jennings ), Much better young and improving young receiver ( Patterson ), Much better running back ( although he is hurting also. The Vikings have 3 backup QB’s better than our backups. Doesn’t sound as good when you take a look at the talent, does it. With Rogers, the Vikings talent beat the Packers once last year. Without Rogers I am afraid that many packers fans and media members will have their Packer fantasies exploded. Thompson has left this team very below average in talent because of his black and white talent acquisition theories. With Rogers, the Packers can win a Super Bowl because he masks the many problems in the organization. Without Rogers, the Packers are one of the worse teams in the league, talent wise.

    1. I agree in general but “better receiver”? No way – I’d take Nelson over anyone the Vikings have.

  9. Pack has a big edge Sunday. They are home and the ViQueens have to play outdoors. The Queens are playing for nothing but pride. The Packers are playing for their lives. Vikes main weapons will play hurt. Pack’s main weapons are ready to go. Tolzein or Ponder? I’m stickin w Tolzein. He’s got moxie and he sees the whole field. Defense will win this game. Will it be our defense or theirs? Their defense is shot. Ours will rally with their backs to the wall. Look for a big game from our pass rushers: CMIII, M Daniels, D Jones and possibly, even M Neal.

    If the Pack loses to the Vikes at Lambeau in cold windy weather – something is seriously wrong in Denmark. It’s not like we’re facing Fran Tarkington and Chuck Foreman.

    1. If Sullivan can’t go for the Vikes, that’s a major blow to their OL. AP with a touchy groin (I really wanted to write that) on grass? There’s a good shot at a Packer win, here, but nothing comes easy with AR on the bench. I’m guessing…
      Packers 17
      Vikings 19
      …if only because I’ve picked the Packers the last couple games and I’m trying to get off the jinx.

  10. $8mil is a lot for a D-end in a 3-4, its not huge money for a NT in a 3-4. Next year, the Pack will move Raji back to NT and cut Picket based on age. Raji will stay a Packer after he doesn’t see huge offers from other squads. Next years line of Jolly/Raji/Jones, with breathers for everyone with Worthy/Boyd/Daniels will make for a good unit IMO. GoPack!

    1. Exactly how I see it too… Starting unit in base D and all. When we go to nickel they’ll have a rotation of Raji, Jones, Daniels and Worthy at the 2 DT spots. Just let them work out in training camp who to pair w/ who and which group gets more snaps.

      Would like to see Jolly drop more weight. Get him down to about 320 so he has better quickness and mobility. Raji was at his best in ’10 as a pure NT and Jones stepping up his game.

  11. In Capers’ scheme no way Raji is worth 8 mil. If they bring someone else in to run the defense he might be worth it. They can always franchise Raji for a one year rental and see how he performs for a new defensive coordinator. Sadly I don’t see Capers getting fired.

  12. LOL ADAM! I can tell you’re STILL not over (let’s face it, you probably never will be) with being a new dad ha! Congratulations buddy!

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