A free agent DE/DT no one is talking about...

Jonathan Fanene of the Bengals
6.5 sacks in 2011.
292 lbs, 6ft 4in

Check out an article about him.
www.packersUK.com

Doesn't Cincinnatti run a 4-3? He doesn't seem to have the size i.e bulk to be a 3-4 player. You need real big guys to play DT in the 3-4.

He'd probably be an end. But he is a little light

DE and DT are same position in 3-4.

He might not be a 3-4 de that can play every down, but he might be able to be thrown in on 3rd downs

He is the same weight as Cullen Jenkins, 2 inches taller, and I am sure heavier than Jarius Wynn. I think he fills similar role to Cullen, who was also a 43 DT before switching to a 34, and the guy has nose for the sacks. Fifth highest total of all D linemen over 290 lbs. Also not the big name, he is Samoan as well, they produce players with good ethic.

www.packersUK.com

Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports the Packers have inquired about Miami free agent DE Kendall Langford, according to his agent, Adisa Bakari, but no visit is scheduled and Langford visited Cincinnati today and is headed for St. Louis, according to published reports.

Bakari would not say if Langford was close to signing, but he said the Packers have expressed interest. If the Packers don't get aggressive soon, they probably won't have a shot at him given the others' interest. Presumably, the Dolphins want him back, too.

Jenkins is listed at 6-2 and 305 pounds. Yes Wynn is 6-3 and 285 and he isn't worth a ****.

All moot. He signed for the Patriots. I love the way the Packers deal with free agency and the draft....but part of me wished they got these kind of under the radar players like the Pats do...

I hope we can be a player somehow in this free agency period. I don't think all our defensive problems can be solved in the draft.

WHO signed with the Patriots?

I think Fanene

Yup Fanene on a three year deal. Don't have the financials. They also signed Steve Gregory a safety from the Chargers

I could not agree more, I understand that the draft is the main way to build a consistently positive team, but this does not mean FA should be completely ignored as it has been the last few seasons by TT. The Patriots build their team mostly through the draft, but will also go out and sign a big name free agent every couple of years. You need to role the dice in FA every once and awhile. Nothing overly risky but it could greatly help the team. They tagged their back-up QB (it was a different situation but not a huge one), they traded for Moss, they sign relativly big names (Thomas, Dillin, Haynsworth, Ochocinco) whether underrated or a few years past their prime. Do they always work.....no, but they are almost always very low risk and often times workout for the best.

Lately TT has done nothing at all, maybe I'm wrong but has he done anything the two previous offseasons? I would like to see him sign underrated players that make it past the first few days of FA, and who have no history of selfishness. The few problems the team has are HUGE (ROLB, DE, and maybe DB depth and and OC) and cannot be fixed within the shrinking window of success this current team could have. A coupek thrid round picks are very unlikely to make the difference within this window.

I do not want TT to completely change his philosiphy but I feel tweeking it would help

We gave big money to our own free agents last year in Hawk and James Jones.
What would we have lost had we kept that money? Had we given it to Cullen Jenkins?
Or had we signed or traded for a decent OLB?

Ted has it right overall, but he's not perfect and he simply has to give Capers some talent addition at OLB and DE before the next season starts.

Free agency (and trades) is a way good or great guys can be obtained. They don't always have to come from the draft. Plenty of draft picks are misses.
See: Free Agency (trades)

-Charles Woodson
-Ryan Pickett
-Julius Peppers
-Mario Williams
-2007 Randy Moss
-2005 Drew Brees

-Reggie White
-Eugene Robinson
-Santana Dotson
-Sean Jones
-Andre Rison
-Don Beebe

Some of Ted's Draft pick failures:
1st rd -Justin Harrell
2nd rd -Brian Brohm, Mike Neal, Pat Lee, Brandon Jackson (I love him, but he was and is just a guy)
3rd rd -Aaron Rouse, Allen Barbre, Abdul Hodge
4th rd- Cory Rodgers
5th rd- Ingle Martin
6th rd- Craig Bragg, Ricky Elmore
7th rd- Kurt Campbell

Anyway, he's one of the best drafters. But he misses enough in all rounds that I think he should add at least one sure-talent to one of the pathetic positions that hinders this title-contending team. And that's OLB and DE.