Green Bay Packers T Chad Clifton will likely be cut and WR Donald Driver will re-structure his contract . That’s what a source told Jason Cole of Yahoo Sports Friday.
Cole is the only one reporting this at the moment.
Clifton is due $5.25 million in 2013, and a $203,125 roster bonus.
Driver is due $2.6 million and a $2.2 million roster bonus next month.
My take: If true, Ted Thompson obviously ignored my offseason blueprint. But nothing has been confirmed yet, so as of now, Clifton is still on the team and Driver has his old contract.
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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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Jason Cole got a hold of one of McGinn’s anonymous sources.
I understand what Driver means to this team. But there are practice squad WR’s who need to be moved up or we’ll lose them to other teams. Driver needs to go, as much as it pains me.
If Driver is still on the team I will be really surprised. I don’t think TT will make the mistake of letting his young, untapped talent walk for maybe another 2 years of play from DD. Clifton is no surprise. Most people saw that coming from a mile away. “Anonymous tip”= a way of predicting what will happen while getting more readers because it seems more likely to be valid without being held accountable if it’s not true.
The fastest way to stand still…fear to say good-bye.
Almost all arguments to keep Driver is based on his leadership/locker room presence.My question with that is simple.If he was a great leader than another has been taught and learned to step into the role.Saying you still need him meams either he failed in teaching or the players we have are only followers and TT failed.
Saying goodbye can hurt but it must happen as sure as tommorrow becomes today.
Okay, okay, enough vitriol about “Anonymous” informants.
People who have really high paying jobs in the NFL, who aren’t really supposed to be leaking information, aren’t going to tell a sports writer anything, ever again, if they say “Don’t use my name” or “Don’t quote ME on this”, if the writer turns around and prints their name.
Bob McGinn is one of the most respected writers in sports. You don’t have to like him, that’s fine. But there’s simply no reason to believe he just makes up fantasy and pins it on anonymous sources.
This is a guy who’s been covering the Packers for about 25 years. This is a guy who was given sports writing’s highest honor last year by his peers (He received the award at the canton inductions, If i’m not mistaken). Throughout the season, every season, he polls various NFL personnel men on various topics (Yes, he usually lists them anonymously, as “NFC scout”, “AFC North GM”, etc, and so forth, because they request it as such”.
Does he always get good information? Maybe not. Does he sometimes take said information and do some forcasting? Sure, and he tends to say so when he does.
Does any of this mean he’s not credible, or some sort of hack who just tags “anonymous source” when he’s just making a wild guess? Not by a long shot.
As stated, don’t like McGinn? Understandable, I don’t like Tom Clancy.. But this character bashing seems so undeserved and unnecessary.
Well said, Oppy. And I agree 100%.
Are you all forgeting that DD was the only WR that played well in the NYG playoff game. I don’t believe in blind loyalty, but DD has earned some. He wants to play 3 more years, and that may not be possible with GB. So, I expect his negotiations with TT will be difficult. But, if there is anyway to keep hime and accomplish the highest priorities, do it.
Ron, we are set up to possibly be the team of the decade right now but that all banks on making smart, rational and sometimes cold decisions. Our depth at recieving core is one of the keys that is setting that situation to play out. Getting 2-3 years out of DD does not justify letting Cobb, Gurley, and other untapped talents walk. They are our future for the next 10-12 years… They are the ones that will either make or break our team and we can’t let them walk which keeping DD for that long lends itself to. Nobody wants to see Driver gone but the good of the organization has to outweigh the loyalty to a player as painful as it is. I don’t see a way to keep Driver as anything more than a backup (which isn’t what he wants) AND develop our young talent the way that they should be.
Tarynfor 12, leadership is an intangible that can’t be taught. A person either has charisma and leadership ability or they don’t. There may be some guidance a veteran can offer to steer a future leader in a direction but all in all it’s not something a person can be given. It is not DD’s failure if there is lack of leadership after he is gone. I have nothing but respect for DD and, as someone mentioned on a past post, I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see DD return as a coach to Green Bay, much like edgar bennett has done. DD says he’s not playing for money anymore and that he is playing more to solidify his legacy… He would do much more to accomplish this as a coach than he would by playing in the upcoming 2-3 years.
Zach,leadership comes either by being thrust upon you whether willingly accepted or not at times and by being tutored/mentored etc to step into the role of leadership.If one have the appearance of such charisma/character etc,you help and hope he takes it on but ir’s still a learned/tuned ability.
I’m not blaming DD for anyone failing to step in,just that keeping for that is wrong and if no one can step in,than another problem has risen or has been masked for awhile.
Many are born with leadership qualities but,they still need to be worked/learned to be successful.
On Driver playing well in the playoff loss: He should have played well. He was covered by a LB all day. Any NFL receiver that is able to walk upright will get open when matched against a LB.
“Leadership is not just one quality, but rather, a blend of many qualities; and while no one individual possesses all of the needed talents that go into leadership, each man can develop a combination to make him a leader.” –Vince Lombardi
Clifton Leaving, and Driver restructured? As much as it pains to say it, I think it should be the other way around.
Derek Sherrod is going to miss the entire offseason, if not training camp, so counting on him to be the left tackle is iffy at best.
Driver is wonderful, he has the best attitude and personality on the team, and one of the best in the NFL, but the fact remains that he is no longer needed. It has to end SOMETIME.
I’m in the navy so I’ve seen the best and the worst of leadership. I’ve seen talentless, spineless worms get the exact same training at the exact same time by the exact same people as competent personnel and be put into leadership roles with complete opposite effects. Leadership should not be dismissed as an easily replaced commodity like your post suggests. The reason dd commands respect is because he has poored more than 10 years of his life into this organization and done so in a classy, dignified manner but there are many who have done the same thing and arent revered as great leaders. Its because he has that inherant ability. You can teach leadership PRINCIPLES but there are innate traits that a leader, especially a football leader, is either born with or not. You and I agree that dd won’t and shouldn’t be on the team next year but I felt like your post was dismissive of what he means to thie team. Suggesting that the value of dd’s presence is as common as you’re implying does not reflect what he has done and would do for this team… Make no mistake we are sacrificing alot by not bringing him back but not as much as we would by letting our young talent go undeveloped or worse walk away next year.