Be The GM of the Packers for this off-season

shield4life

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Just a thread to pass our time in the off-season. What would you do if you we're the GM for this off-season?

Link To The 2012 Salary For The Packers
Link of of the 2012 Free Agents

Players I would re-sign:

Finley - Wells - Grant - Green

Players I would sign on free agency:

Robert Mathis - Laron Landry (only if Collins is not back)

Players I would think about cutting or trading if I can't sign Finley & Wells

Donald Driver (Cut or Trade) - A.J. Hawk (Trade)

Draft Picks selection:

1st Round: LB
2nd Round: DE
3rd Round: Best player available on o-line
4th Round: O-line / CB
After 4th round best player available.

How about you guys!
 

TJV

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Draft Picks selection:
1st Round: LB
2nd Round: DE
3rd Round: Best player available on o-line
4th Round: O-line / CB
After 4th round best player available.
IMO this is a prescription for disaster. Since you say after the 4th round BPA, here's how I read your list:

1st Round: No matter what the Packers' talent board looks like: LB
2nd Round: No matter what the board looks like: DE
3rd Round: No matter what the board looks like: OL
4th Round: No matter what the board looks like: OL/CB

Reach for needs in the first four rounds? Yikes.
 
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shield4life

shield4life

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Well, you have to go for the best available player for the spot your looking to upgrade. I doubt you would draft the best WR / QB / TE (assuming there the best player in the draft) available in the first round when you got a HB waiting to be drafted and his the best HB left in the draft ...
 

fettpett

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I wouldn't resign Howard Green or Grant. wasted money. Howard was benched at the end of the season and Grant isn't getting younger.

I would resign Wells and Finely.
 

Forget Favre

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First I'd do a happy dance for getting the job and making more money than I ever had.
Then when realization hits I'd whimper and cry because I would have no idea what to do or where to start.
Then I'd start sweating bullets because I don't want to make any mistakes and have the angry fans burning me in effigy or for real at the stake.
Then I'd faint/pass out.
When I'd wake up after a trainer came into my office with the smelling salts, I'd be an incoherent blob just sitting there repeating over and over "Aaron Rodgers is awesome, Aaron Rodgers is awesome, Aaron Rodgers is awesome..." until someone ***** slapped me to bring me back.
Then I'd get fired.
And all this is in the same day.
Worst day of my life.
 

TJV

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Well, you have to go for the best available player for the spot your looking to upgrade. I doubt you would draft the best WR / QB / TE (assuming there the best player in the draft) available in the first round when you got a HB waiting to be drafted and his the best HB left in the draft ...
IMO no GM in the NFL drafts purely BPA. But Thompson does so more than most and as much as any - again just my opinion. And we are lucky he does otherwise Aaron Rodgers would be playing football somewhere else. Now, that's just the most blatant example of how GMs screw up by going for "the best available player for the spot you're looking to upgrade", but it's not the only one. Luckily some GMs picking ahead of the Packers grabbed players for need rather than a QB who was talked about as being a possible first pick in the draft. One who was clearly in the top talent tier in that draft. It would be an error for Thompson to look exclusively at LBs at pick 28 because if he did, there could be a DB who they grade as a top 15 player in the draft available. Or a DE. Or an OT. IMO more mistakes are made reaching for needs than by anything else and that's exactly what you are advocating.
 

ivo610

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Trade AJ Hawk? Whose going to trade for him? He is below avg and overpaid.

Trade driver? Who picks up an old 5th option WR that gets covered by linebackers?

Reminds me last season when people advocated trading jones. The guy no one was seriously interested in during the offseason. Fan pipe dream
 

7thFloorRA

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Trade AJ Hawk? Whose going to trade for him? He is below avg and overpaid.

Trade driver? Who picks up an old 5th option WR that gets covered by linebackers?

Reminds me last season when people advocated trading jones. The guy no one was seriously interested in during the offseason. Fan pipe dream
I am convinced the Browns can be persuaded to take on hawk if they somehow tag and include Flynn in the trade.
 

Southpaw

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Resign: Wells and Finley
Cut: Hawk, Zombo, Walden
Let Go: Flynn, Grant
Restructure: Driver, Clifton???
Free Agency: Cliff Avril

Draft: (based on average rd projections)

RD 1: Mark Barron/Nick Perry
RD 2: Vinny Curry/Andre Branch
RD 3: Billy Winn/Doug Martin/Mike Martin
Rd 4: Audie Cole
 

SpartaChris

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I think there's plenty of threads to pass the time this off-season, but here's what I would do:

  • Try and resign Finley and Wells, though I don't break the bank for either of them.
  • Part ways with Clifton and probably Driver. Also probably part ways with Grant, unless he's willing to take a team friendly deal.
  • I'd keep Hawk at least through training camp, but probably at least one more season. We paid him an $8 Million signing bonus and DJ Smith could probably use a little more time to develop. Plus anyone we draft is going to need time to develop.
  • Free Agency: Nothing. Too many of our own pieces to re-sign. Cliff Avril is a pipe dream, so get that thought out of your head now. We have to think about the contracts that will be due over the next couple of years. Matthews has two years left, Raji needs a new deal and don't forget QB1.
  • Draft: I'm not a draftnick, so I honestly don't know who out of college is good and who isn't. However, my philosophy would be to take the best player available, regardless of position. That means if Andrew Luck fell to us at #28, I would take Andrew Luck at #28. I'm not going to pass on a guy with top ten talent just because I might have a position of need elsewhere. I'll fill that role elsewhere.
 

NelsonsLongCatch

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1) Resign Finley and Wells
2) Release Driver, Clifton and Peprah
3) Do not resign Bush, Walden and Grant
4) Sign DE Adam Carriker
5) Keep an eye on players like DT Aubrayo Franklin, DT Broderick Bunkley, SS LaRon Landry, OLB Anthony Spencer and FS Michael Griffin (all players who can be around late in free agency)
6) Draft the top rated DL, OLB or DB in the first and second rounds
7) Start looking at extensions for QB Aaron Rodgers, WR Greg Jennings and OLB Clay Matthews

** Due to the players needed to be resigned, I can see not bringing Wells back if he is going to break the bank. Guys like Dan Koppen are available and can be a one-year starter until a long-term replacement develops. This replacement can be on the roster currently or added in the mid-rounds of the draft.
 

AmishMafia

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The Packers are probably a good draw for free agents these days. They are the most likely team, IMHO and IVOMO (In Vegas Odds Makers Opinions), in being in the Superbowl next season. I am sure we can pick up a solid Center and a solid DE if we need to. Offensive players would love the opportunity to play with Rodgers. Defensive players will especially want to play for us so they won't have to play against Rodgers.
 

Croak

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IMO no GM in the NFL drafts purely BPA. But Thompson does so more than most and as much as any - again just my opinion. And we are lucky he does otherwise Aaron Rodgers would be playing football somewhere else. Now, that's just the most blatant example of how GMs screw up by going for "the best available player for the spot you're looking to upgrade", but it's not the only one. Luckily some GMs picking ahead of the Packers grabbed players for need rather than a QB who was talked about as being a possible first pick in the draft. One who was clearly in the top talent tier in that draft. It would be an error for Thompson to look exclusively at LBs at pick 28 because if he did, there could be a DB who they grade as a top 15 player in the draft available. Or a DE. Or an OT. IMO more mistakes are made reaching for needs than by anything else and that's exactly what you are advocating.

Thompson told reporters; "We feel very strongly that our best policy is to draft the best player. This isn't fantasy football." Granted some think TT was trying to throw people off with that comment. But, (I'm still looking for the article) I remember reading that he said he does that because he doesn't know who will get hurt. So that means if a QB is on the board and he is the best player available in the eyes of the Packer Staff, he will take the QB because he doesn't know when Rodgers might go down. It doesn't matter what "need" is perceived. He looks for the best available player according to their criteria of what kind of player that might be. Remember they are not just looking at the players out of college like we do. They have a whole set of rubrics for a guy who would be the best available player for the Packers organization, regardless of position. The article might have been in the Packer Report or the Journal Sentinel.
 

ivo610

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It was widely reported that Michael Crabtree was the top player on his board when he drafted raji.

to every rule there are exceptions I guess.
 

Croak

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It was widely reported that Michael Crabtree was the top player on his board when he drafted raji.

to every rule there are exceptions I guess.

But the question is did the Packers staff grade Crabtree higher as a Packer player? See, there's the rub I think. We hear the announcers and commentators say who they think is higher on the board. But that person might not be considered Packer material by Thompson and company. One of the things they look for is someone with the same team philosophy as the Packers organization. There are a lot of other "qualifiers" they look for as well. So, Raji may have fit that bill better than Crabtree.
 

TJV

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I'm sure I read the Packers had Crabtree rated higher. And as I said no team uses pure BPA. Because if they did they could end up with a seven pick draft comprised of 4 OTs and 3 QBs, even if neither position was one of need, because they were the highest rated players on their board at the time they picked. I will look for an article I read a few years ago that explains this in more detail.
 

Croak

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I'm sure I read the Packers had Crabtree rated higher. And as I said no team uses pure BPA. Because if they did they could end up with a seven pick draft comprised of 4 OTs and 3 QBs, even if neither position was one of need, because they were the highest rated players on their board at the time they picked. I will look for an article I read a few years ago that explains this in more detail.

Here's an article from the official Packer website from last year. "What the Packers were taught by Wolf and what the Packers continue to embrace is the notion of acquiring value in the draft. Dorsey says the team is committed to drafting the best available player." He goes on to say; “Best player available. We live it,” Dorsey said. “Our job is to find the best player we can possibly find to improve our roster. I think that’s what we do. If we can make our roster as competitive as we possibly can, that’s all you can do. We’ve always been taught to stay true to the board, whatever you do, and we stay true to the board.”

http://www.packers.com/news-and-eve...ilosophy/aa9ce6c7-cd5d-4889-8746-4c67565ec697

However, Mr. Thompson has been known to trade up in the draft to get a good player at a position of need in years when his roster was looking pretty good over all. I wouldn't be surprised if he did that this year.
 

realcaliforniacheese

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My head hurts just thinking about all the things that have to happen this offseason, restructure DD and Sir Charles and maybe Clifton or do I just cut DD and Clifton lose to make cap room. Grant is gone. resign Finley and Well's. Do I go out to FA to fill in some of the voids. I still have to think about A-Rod, Jennings and Clay's contracts coming up so have to be mindful, I can't go big on a linebacker contract. Oh yeah at the same time I have to build my draft board and come up with a strategy. Do I move up, if I do, that's gonna cost also, or do I continue my philosiphy of BAP knowing I have a core of great young players and build for the long term success.

My head hurts.
 

13 Times Champs

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DD and Clifton have served well but they need to get out of the way. Sorry to say that in such blunt terms but it's a business. :(

And I agree with Jack. Drafting the best player has it's limits. Need dictated Raji over Crabtree. You can't wind up with 6 (exaggeration) OT's for instance because they are the best player available on your board.
 

realcaliforniacheese

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DD and Clifton have served well but they need to get out of the way. Sorry to say that in such blunt terms but it's a business. :(
So true, a business and a youth movement. DD is a Great player and I hope he ends up as a coach, maybe they can restructure so he can finish out on his terms and get a pair of rings. I think Chad has played his last game as a Packer.
 

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