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

Packers couch Surviving Sunday without Packers Football

Remember the old Loony Tunes cartoons when a giant safe (or sometimes an anvil, piano or another large object) would drop out of the sky and onto a character’s head? Nobody ever died, but they got knocked silly, usually symbolized by stars swirling around the character’s head.

What if Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson was walking down the sidewalk one day and somebody (perhaps an enraged fan who’s still mad Thompson didn’t trade for Marshawn Lynch in 2010) drops a giant safe on his head? What if Thompson survives the safe-dropping, but he’s knocked silly and the stars swirl around his head the rest of this offseason?

Here are five things a knocked-silly Thompson might do this offseason that a normal Thompson likely would not do:

  1. Sign Ndomukong Suh. At the very least, putting Suh on the Packers would probably get him to stop stomping, kicking and stepping on Green Bay players. I’m always skeptical about giving interior defensive linemen who you didn’t draft and develop yourself a mega contract. The failed Albert Haynesworth experiment in Washington is still in my head. But there’s no doubt Suh is a helluva player. Detroit didn’t play in a 3-4 defense, but I’m sure Suh would figure out what he needs to do in Dom Capers’ scheme.
  2. Acquire Percy Harvin. Like signing Suh, Harvin to the Packers has also been speculated. I’d like Harvin returning kicks. I’d also like him as a change-of-pace/homerun threat ballcarrier out of the backfield. I’m not sure how he’d do as a receiver with the Packers. Aaron Rodgers seems to like his receivers to run disciplined routes and understand the ins and outs of the offense as well as he does. Harvin isn’t that type of receiver. But he is ultra-talented, so I’m sure Rodgers would figure out some way to fit Harvin in (as long as he’s not causing some kind of disturbance in the locker room).
  3. Trade for Lavonte David. The Packers desperately need an inside linebacker. David is a very good inside linebacker on a bad team in Tampa Bay. The Bucs could use some additional draft picks to rebuild. The Packers could use David to try and win a Super Bowl. Seems like a deal knocked-silly Thompson would be up for making.
  4. Draft TE Maxx Williams in the first round. The Packers have a huge hole at inside linebacker. They’ll also have a need at tackle if Bryan Bulaga signs elsewhere and at cornerback if Tramon Williams doesn’t return. But a knocked-silly Thompson (and also several Packers fans) would probably love to see Williams catching passes from Rodgers. If you don’t know who Williams is, check this out. He’s only 20 years old. The kid has a good chance to be a stud.
  5. Share all the details of the Brett Favre saga from 2008. After Thompson signs Suh and Harvin, trades for David and drafts Williams, he’ll need to unwind and relax a little. Normally, Thompson relaxes by locking himself in a dark room with a stack of film on prospects that nobody has ever heard of. But knocked-silly Thompson will go a different route. He’ll call in an assistant to help him figure out his iPhone camera. Then he’ll sit down with a glass of Scotch and record himself talking in-depth about everything that happened — both publicly and behind closed doors — during the 2008 Favre kerfuffle.

Honestly, the odds are much better that Thompson, knocked silly or completely coherent, would do items 1-4 before he even thinks about doing No. 5.

Packers News, Notes and Links

  • What was your favorite A.J. Hawk moment in Green Bay? The Packers released Hawk on Wednesday. I’ll miss his helmet always falling off. It’s weird, but I kind of already miss Hawk, even though all I did was complain about him every Sunday. I guess when a player is round as long as Hawk was, you get attached, even if he wasn’t that good.
  • The Packers are going to let Randall Cobb hit the free-agent market. No wait! They’re still trying to sign him before free agency opens. The NFL offseason, with its leaked storylines and narratives coming from agents, players and teams, is in full effect.
  • Michelle Bruton at Bleacher Report says the Packers need to address inside linebacker in the draft, but they don’t necessarily have to do it in round 1. I’m not a draftnik, but I keep hearing that there aren’t many inside linebackers in this year’s class with first-round talent. No need for Ted to reach if he thinks he can get a contributing inside linebacker in later rounds.
  • Brandon Bostick wrote about the onside kick fiasco in the NFC Championship for MMQB.com. Bostick is coping with what happened by being as open and honest about it as possible. If I were him, I’d retreat into a shell and never bring it up ever again. I’d bury it deep in my soul and hope it just goes away. I’m not saying I disagree with Bostick being so open about the play, it’s just fascinating to me how different personalities handle different situations. Oh, and if you’re one of the people who sent Bostick death threats after the game, Jersey Al has a message for you.

Non Packers links and other Nonsense

  • Can we please stop comparing people we disagree with politically to Nazis? Or, in the case of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and unions, to ISIS?
  • iOOTP will now be called MLB Manager. It’ll be released on iOS and Android in the spring and come with a full MLB license. If you’re unfamiliar with Out of the Park Baseball, it’s the best video game ever. The mobile version was previously called iOOTP, and can now be downloaded for free.
  • This is a good read about why many reasonable people doubt science.
  • Sadly, Parks and Recreation came to an end this week. Then we got to see April and Garry Gergich make out on Late Night with Seth Myers.
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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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21 thoughts on “Surviving Sunday: Packers News, Notes and Links for the Football Deprived

  1. Best AJ Hawk memory was his 2010 season. 111 combined tackles, 0.5 sacks and TEN — yes TEN passes defensed with 3 interceptions.

    Thanks for the link to the Bleacher Report article. After reading it, I have a feeling the Packers will pass on Denzel Perryman given his struggles in pass coverage. No way are they going draft Paul Dawson given his “time management issues” and being late to team meetings. Kendricks and McKinney could be gone by #30, so unless the Packers like a DT, they very well could trade out of the 1st rd to get another pick.

    Sidenote — I am tired of Mock Drafts having the Packers select Jordan Phillips, NT, Oklahoma. He’s a massive guy and no doubt has talent, but since he had back surgery, it worries me. He’s admitted to still having back flare-ups too. We all remember Justin Harrell. He was drafted recovering from a torn biceps, but also had back injuries (among other injuries). What do you guys think? I have a really hard time seeing Ted Thompson going “yeah, let’s take the guy who’s had surgery on his spine already.”

    1. I’m with you on the Jordan Phillips selection, every mock draft I see with his name I think of Harrell and scream NO!! I could see TT trading back into the top of the second round like 2008 when he drafted Jordy Nelson and draft a guy like Max Williams or Stephone Anthony the ILB from Clemson. Dawson scares me, Perryman seems like Barrington to me so unless Kendricks is sitting there trade back.

      This is all assuming Cobb, Bulaga, and either Williams or House are back too. Jezzz, I don’t even want to think about losing Cobb!!

      1. Thanks! Philips only played one season and is a classic boom-or-bust pick. There’s no way in hell a conservative organization like the Packers are going to gamble on him, regardless of his film.
        Agree with you about trading back. I think Maxx Williams will go early in the 2nd round, but Anthony should be available.
        I’m pretty sure Cobb will be back. It’ll come down to the wire, but it’s just a matter of negotiations. The Packers No. 1 priority is not letting him hit free agency. I’d be stunned if he did.

        1. I can’t see Ted letting Cobb go either but I’m still nervous about it. I think Cobb wants to come back and play for the for the Packers with Rodgers. They were there last year, right there and he won’t be there with Jacksonville or Oakland, not for awhile anyways.

          I’m hoping Ted see’s the benefit of FA from last years success and makes dips in again. Bruce Carter is a guy who I don’t think would cost much, can cover, and would solve the problem at ILB. They’d still address it in the draft but it almost FEELS like that’s what Thompson is thinking with the cuts he’s really had to make. They have Barrington, Thomas, and Bradford. Carter is just a example but he’d be a nice addition. He can rush, play inside or outside, IMO he’d be a excellent addition.

          1. Absolutely agree. If Cobb wants to get rich, he can go to Oakland or Jacksonville. He knows he won’t sniff the playoffs for years and may never have a legit shot at a Super Bowl if he leaves.

            Agreed on free agency. I like Bruce Carter as a potential signing because I don’t think he’d cost that much. Although he played mostly OLB in college, he does have plenty of ILB experience with Dallas. He has been erratic with the Cowboys with some injuries.

            2011 he was on special mostly due to recovering from his ACL injury. 2012 was his best year yet although he missed the final 5 games on IR with a dislocated elbow. 2013 he was part of the disastrous Cowboys defense and lost his starting job for 2 games.
            In 2014 he had a quadriceps injury, missed 3 games, lost his starting job, but finished strong on special teams and as a Dime LB with 75 tackles, 5 interceptions (led the team) and 8 passes defensed.

          2. I think there’s a very real chance that if Cobb hits the open market, he’s gone. With the success of slot types like Antonio Brown, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone pays him like a #1. Quick underneath guys who can get open are not a rarity in the league, but Cobb is at a different level from most. If that’s what he truly wants, then he’ll get himself onto the open market and run himself out of the Packers price range. Good luck to him.

            I said it a year ago: TT drafted three WRs because there was a good chance that Nelson and/or Cobb might not fit into the Packers long-range fiscal plans. Adams has shown flashes of being a good complement to Nelson, but in the absence of a proven TE or proven third WR (don’t tell me Abbrederis is that guy when he hasn’t taken a meaningful NFL snap), it makes WR/TE a position of need in this year’s draft. In fact, it might take one of each to replace the long term production of someone like Randall Cobb. Antwan Goodley from Baylor could be that slot/return man type.

    2. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised to see the Packers take Phillips at #30, if only because of the type of player he represents (not necessarily the player he IS). But I think the reality is that if he holds up to the medical scrutiny he’ll get leading up to the draft, he won’t be available at #30.

      If you look deep into the draft, there’s a lot of length in this one at DT and DE. I don’t think the Packers need to grab a player of Phillips type early in order to get a couple players of that type.

      1. I hear you. Plenty of other teams with DT needs in front of the Packers. Shoot, maybe the Lions are interested in him since they probably can’t keep Suh and Fairley.

        One DT I like in particular is Carl Davis (6’5″ 320 lbs.) from Iowa. I think he’ll be available at #30 as well since most mocks have him as a 2nd or 3rd round prospect.

        TT has struck gold with Mike Daniels and Micah Hyde. The only knock on Davis is I’ve heard he doesn’t play with a nasty streak, but I think that’s nonsense if you watch film of him taking on double teams and pounding O-linemen to the ground. Working with fellow Hawkeye alum Mike Daniels would solve any issues about a nasty streak I’m sure.

        1. Davis is one of those “Kevin Williams” type DL: great length, anchors well, strong, plays hard. Kirk Frerentz, for as much as that program has middled-out, gets good effort out of his guys. I wouldn’t mind seeing him in green and gold, too. I’ve heard the same thing about him needing more of a mean streak, and I don’t get it, either. He gets double-teamed as much as anyone you’re going to see.

          I think you’re right: he’ll be there at #30, but I wouldn’t bet on him being there at the end of round 2. The question is: do you like him enough to throw #30 at him, or do you gamble, deal down into the mid second, and see if he’s there?

        2. Some were questioning Davis’s motor but at the Senior Bowl he dominated. You guys are right about him, he’d be another possibility and I think will be there at 30. He was a Freshman when Daniels was a Senior so they played together at least some. Daniels can show him how the Iowa boys so it in Green Bay!!!

  2. Adam Czech has a penchant to say stupid, off the wall comments with which I fully disagree. I tend to agree with today’s comments; I believe I may have to start worrying…about myself.

  3. I said a few days ago here that the Pack would select a TE in Round One if the right guy is still available. I still think so. Adam, I agree.

  4. That bleacherreport link illustrates part of the issue with this year’s ILB class, and that’s that every evaluator seems to have a completely different take on the group. I don’t think I’ve seen two that name the same player as the top at the position.

  5. Love the performance out of Hawk in ’10. I remember when he grabbed an interception against Pittsburgh. Such a fun year. Wouldn’t care what player TT drafts. He has more information available to him than anybody hear. I’m confident he will make the best pick he could have made given the information available to him. As fans, even as owners, we are not acting rationally to criticize individual picks.

    I’m extremely nervous about the relative quality of players available in this draft. I wouldn’t rather have any GM in this situation besides TT. He has a track record of successfully finding gems.

    1. The internet provides a platform for anyone who watches ball to offer their opinions on players/draft position/etc. As I mentioned above, the lack of a consensus “top ILB” in this draft is a little unnerving given the Packers needs, but I think the reality is that they’re all fundamentally different and played in different systems. I don’t doubt that several of those guys will likely be long-term NFL players.

  6. IMHO, it is highly unlikely (and always was unlikely) that TT will sign Cobb, Bulaga or House before March 7. Each player is going to want to hear from other teams. Bulaga will want to know if some team views him and is willing to pay him as a left tackle. House wants to know if a team thinks he is a starting caliber CB. Cobb hopes someone will pay him like a boundary WR. So the only interesting news is cuts by other teams for salary cap purposes.

  7. No to Suh…he’s a jerk. No to Harvin….he’s not quite right in the head. Didn’t work out in Minnesota, didn’t work out in Seattle, didn’t work out for the Jets. But yeah, he’d be fine in Green Bay because of the magic, I guess. Bad idea.

    No to Maxx Williams. Why the team that led the league in offense last year would want to spend their first round pick on another offensive player who would only take touches away from Lacy, Cobb, and Nelson makes no sense. And we just drafted Richard Rodgers last year….why not give him a year to develop and see if he’s the answer?

    The inside dish on the Favre split? Favre didn’t want to be in Green Bay anymore because Thompson was the GM and he treated him like a football player. Favre had been held above the team by his adoring fans for so long that he believed it. End of story.

    Agree to stop denigrating people who disagree with Nazi or ISIS comparisons.

    The link to why reasonable people are skeptical of science does a wonderful job of explaining why flouride prevents cavities. What it doesn’t explain is how washing my car, showering, washing my dishes, watering my lawn, and ingesting it into my body prevents cavities. I would think that if the goal were prevention of cavities, there’d be a more practical way to apply it topically on the teeth.

    1. I tend to agree with you that Maxx Williams (or Devon Funchess) isn’t what this team should be using its first or second round pick on…but if there’s no better option available and no trading partner, why not? The Packers red-zone woes all seemed to spring up with the demise of a certain polarizing 6’6″ TE. It would be nice to see the Packers find a tall, red-zone beast either at WR or TE this off-season. It immediately attracts the attention of defenses and makes it easier for RBs to get a couple yards and underneath receivers to find holes.

      Ben Koyack and Tyler Kroft are tall, athletic TEs (somewhat underutilized in college) that might be available late in round 3 or through round 4. If they have good pro days, they might move up the board. People talk about Funchess moving over to TE, but a guy nobody talks about is Darren Waller from Georgia Tech. Will fly under the radar due to low production in Paul Johnson’s triple option offense, but is tall (6’6″) and fast (sub 4.5-40 time) with a solid frame (240 lb) and is a legitimate jump-ball receiver. Packers fans, meet your new move TE and red-zone savior…

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