Julius Thomas for Randall Cobb?

[Carl]

TT keeps a tight cap, but one thing he does not do is let really good young guys in their prime go.

Doesn't make sense to develop a guy to get as good as Cobb and let him go after his rookie deal.

Cobb will stick around.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

Well, on the other hand a GM signing him to a deal for LT money has to be an idiot as well as he hasn't played a single snap in the league there.

Unfortunately it only takes one desperate GM to offer him a deal like that.

They wouldn't necessarily have to sign him for LT money. Just higer than normal RT money would price him above his value to the Packers. If another team thinks there's a 20% chance he could play LT then they pay him 20% LT money and 80% RT money. Packers only going to pay him 100% RT money.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

TT keeps a tight cap, but one thing he does not do is let really good young guys in their prime go.

He let Matt Flynn go TT made a godlike move on that one!

 

[TJV]

Could someone please explain why Bulaga re-signing is so important? I mean, real actual facts. Not "we need to keep Rodgers healthy" because there are a LOT of ways the offense can compensate for having to help a right tackle (e.g., chipping, quick throws, etc) and I haven't yet seen any real evidence that shows right tackle performance is strongly linked to team performance.

I talked about the importance of re-signing Bulaga in this post: https://www.packerforum.com/threads/we-hang-onto-our-own.58491/#post-599281

Why re-sign him? Because he’s young and will be entering his prime. Because I don’t think Barclay or Tretter are adequate starters at RT. Because he was an important part of what I consider the best Packers OL in a decade. Because being in sync and continuity is more important on the OL than any other unit (I think the Grantland article I quoted and cited in that post explains it well.) Because I want the Packers to be able to use their entire playbook and not have to compensate for having to help a RT. Because I want to be able to spend a few more seasons without the constant complaining (mostly justified IMO) about the Packers OL as in the not very distant past. Because unless he demands to be paid like a LT, they can afford him, cap- and cash-wise.

Because some of us have noticed Rodgers suffered injuries in the last two seasons and even if you don’t want to hear about it, it’s a real concern (and as stated above I don’t want them to have to “compensate”). While re-signing Bulaga doesn’t guarantee Rodgers’ health, the best bet to keep him healthy is having a good to great OL in front of him and Bulaga gives the Packers the best chance to do that.

Sign him at any price? Of course not. Cobb is more important? OK, but I still want them to keep Bulaga. McGinn says he had the fewest “bad” runs on the OL last season and, “(b)egan really punishing defenders from about midseason on". And as I’ve posted before, if you’re a draft and develop team, you have to keep the core players you’ve drafted and developed. They spent a first round choice on him and they've invested a lot of time and money in developing him. He fits like a glove on the OL and in the locker room. I hope he's reasonable and wants to stay.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

I talked about the importance of re-signing Bulaga in this post: https://www.packerforum.com/threads/we-hang-onto-our-own.58491/#post-599281

Why re-sign him? Because he’s young and will be entering his prime. Because I don’t think Barclay or Tretter are adequate starters at RT. Because he was an important part of what I consider the best Packers OL in a decade. Because being in sync and continuity is more important on the OL than any other unit (I think the Grantland article I quoted and cited in that post explains it well.) Because I want the Packers to be able to use their entire playbook and not have to compensate for having to help a RT. Because I want to be able to spend a few more seasons without the constant complaining (mostly justified IMO) about the Packers OL as in the not very distant past. Because unless he demands to be paid like a LT, they can afford him, cap- and cash-wise.

Because some of us have noticed Rodgers suffered injuries in the last two seasons and even if you don’t want to hear about it, it’s a real concern (and as stated above I don’t want them to have to “compensate”). While re-signing Bulaga doesn’t guarantee Rodgers’ health, the best bet to keep him healthy is having a good to great OL in front of him and Bulaga gives the Packers the best chance to do that.

Sign him at any price? Of course not. Cobb is more important? OK, but I still want them to keep Bulaga. McGinn says he had the fewest “bad” runs on the OL last season and, “(b)egan really punishing defenders from about midseason on". And as I’ve posted before, if you’re a draft and develop team, you have to keep the core players you’ve drafted and developed. They spent a first round choice on him and they've invested a lot of time and money in developing him. He fits like a glove on the OL and in the locker room. I hope he's reasonable and wants to stay.

I agree with all those points except for the Rodgers injury. Rodgers got hurt last year, so obviously having Bulaga is no assurance of non-injury. Might it lessen the chance? Possibly, but this football, players get hurt. You can't overspend based on the chance that the expensive player MIGHT help keep Rodgers healthy.

The other reasons you listed are great reasons that it would be NICE to re-sign Bulaga but none of them show it's a necessity. Is the cohesion on the line going to be destroyed by one player leaving (incidentally,a player who has not exactly been on the field consistently over the past few seasons).

When people say we HAVE to sign Bulaga then you're pretty much saying we have to have one of the highest paid RTs in the league, if not the highest since it's very possible that some team will pay him with possibility of him playing LT. So, I'm not saying that I don't want to re-sign him, just that I don't think the packers need to have the highest priced tight tackle in the NFL.

 

[TJV]

I agree with all those points except for the Rodgers injury. Rodgers got hurt last year, so obviously having Bulaga is no assurance of non-injury. Might it lessen the chance? Possibly, but this football, players get hurt. You can't overspend based on the chance that the expensive player MIGHT help keep Rodgers healthy.

IMO it’s axiomatic the better the OL in protecting a QB, the less likely his chance of injury. Of course there are no guarantees, but arguing fewer hits on the QB might lessen the chance of injury is illogical: More hits = a greater chance of injury. Rodgers is getting older and IMO protecting him becomes more important as time goes on. I also believe it’s axiomatic that the Packers need a healthy Aaron Rodgers in the playoffs in order to win another title, so an investment in protecting him also protects the money and cap room allocated to Rodgers.

BTW, I’m not sure why you are so hung up on the “highest paid” RT. The way the league works, if Bulaga gains that status, it won’t last long. As long as his contract allows the Packers to keep Cobb and House/Williams, etc. I’m fine with it. One of Thompson’s attributes even his critics can’t disagree with is the way he quickly fixed the Packers cap situation since he took charge and the way he’s managed it since.

Is re-signing Bulaga a necessity? No, but neither is re-signing Cobb or any other player whose contract is up. If Bulaga and Cobb aren’t re-signed other players will line up in their spots and the Packers will still have a potent offense. But again, Thompson’s team building philosophy provides for limited use of free agency and has the heaviest emphasis in the league on retaining their own players. Any method of acquiring players is a crap shoot but Thompson’s method requires more than any other retaining players identified as core players.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

IMO it’s axiomatic the better the OL in protecting a QB, the less likely his chance of injury. Of course there are no guarantees, but arguing fewer hits on the QB might lessen the chance of injury is illogical: More hits = a greater chance of injury. Rodgers is getting older and IMO protecting him becomes more important as time goes on. I also believe it’s axiomatic that the Packers need a healthy Aaron Rodgers in the playoffs in order to win another title, so an investment in protecting him also protects the money and cap room allocated to Rodgers.

BTW, I’m not sure why you are so hung up on the “highest paid” RT. The way the league works, if Bulaga gains that status, it won’t last long. As long as his contract allows the Packers to keep Cobb and House/Williams, etc. I’m fine with it. One of Thompson’s attributes even his critics can’t disagree with is the way he quickly fixed the Packers cap situation since he took charge and the way he’s managed it since.

Is re-signing Bulaga a necessity? No, but neither is re-signing Cobb or any other player whose contract is up. If Bulaga and Cobb aren’t re-signed other players will line up in their spots and the Packers will still have a potent offense. But again, Thompson’s team building philosophy provides for limited use of free agency and has the heaviest emphasis in the league on retaining their own players. Any method of acquiring players is a crap shoot but Thompson’s method requires more than any other retaining players identified as core players.

Not sure why you're disagreeing with me, I've basically said the same thing. I don't believe the Packers MUST sign Bulaga. That's all I've said.

 

[HardRightEdge]

OK, lets look at where we're at without Bulaga.

Let's say Barclay does not snap back from the ACL. Tretter? He's no RT by any stretch and with the time missed he's practically a rookie. And if anybody's concerned about Bulaga's injury history, how about Tretter?

Replacing an OT is no easy matter...I present Sherrod and Newhouse and exhibits A and B, and a string of PS guys who's names we've already forgotten as exhibits C, D, E, etc. Sherrod will be back for training camp for a last shot at a career. Does anybody have anything but low expectations for him?

But lets be optimistic and say Barclay returns 100%. First, he's simply not in Bulaga's class...let's call him adequate. Second, what happens when Sitton or Lang misses a game, two games, a season? Then you have Barclay at RT when he should be backing up at OG, leaving Lane Taylor or Tretter to fill in, a position Tretter has never played while Taylor's brief time has been inauspicious? What happens if Bakhtiari goes down? There's no Bulaga to flip to the LT.

Everybody looks at the pay vs. performance with FA's and overlook the other critical factor...who's behind them when they go? If you don't have bench strength, the agent has enhanced bargaining power.

If it comes down to Bulaga or Cobb, I'll take Bulaga.

 

[sschind]

Honest question. If Cobb is in somewhere like Minnesota, Oakland, or Cleveland, is he anything special/noticeable as far as a standout WR?

I could see him flourishing with the vikings or Raiders because I think Bridgewater and Carr are going to be very good NFL QBs and I think both will take steps forward in 2015. Also neither of those teams have a viable #1 threat right now. I'm not saying Cobb is a #1 WR but if he went to either of those teams he would be their #1 by default.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Sherrod will be back for training camp for a last shot at a career. Does anybody have anything but low expectations for him?

Mostly agree with your post and that it´s important to re-sign Bulaga. Sherrod isn´t a member of the Packers anymore as he was waived in November and signed a reserve/future contract with the Chiefs in January.

 

[TJV]

Not sure why you're disagreeing with me, I've basically said the same thing. I don't believe the Packers MUST sign Bulaga. That's all I've said.

No, that's not all you've posted. Not a big deal but if you really don’t know, I first answered your question why re-signing Bulaga is important and disagreed with your inference that it isn’t and I then called your idea fewer hits on a QB might lessen the chance of injury illogical.

 

[tynimiller]

It is much easier to find a strong #2 reciever in draft or in D Adams than finding a solid # Tackle...capable of playing LT if needed.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

It is much easier to find a strong #2 reciever in draft or in D Adams than finding a solid # Tackle...capable of playing LT if needed.

It's not that easy to replace the best slot receiver in the league though.

 

[tynimiller]

It's not that easy to replace the best slot receiver in the league though.

nor is it easy to replace arguably the best RT in the league either though

 

[Deleted member 6794]

nor is it easy to replace arguably the best RT in the league either though

I want the Packers to re-sign Bulaga as well but calling him the best RT in the league is a stretch.

 

[tynimiller]

I want the Packers to re-sign Bulaga as well but calling him the best RT in the league is a stretch.

Which is why I said arguably...he is definitely that according to analysts. Shoot Cobb is for that matter arguably, not 100% guaranteed that everyone would agree I bet. I want both...but I also know we can definitely overcome either or both leaving...I just personally think it'd be tougher to replace Bulaga.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Which is why I said arguably...he is definitely that according to analysts. Shoot Cobb is for that matter arguably, not 100% guaranteed that everyone would agree I bet. I want both...but I also know we can definitely overcome either or both leaving...I just personally think it'd be tougher to replace Bulaga.

Bulaga is probably the best free agent tackle this season but I haven't heard any analysts mention him when talking about the best RT in the league.

On the other hand Cobb led all receivers with 75 receptions, 1,067 yards and 12 TDs out of the slot.

 

[tynimiller]

Bulaga is probably the best free agent tackle this season but I haven't heard any analysts mention him when talking about the best RT in the league.

On the other hand Cobb led all receivers with 75 receptions, 1,067 yards and 12 TDs out of the slot.

Yeah sorry that is what I meant...I can think of probably 3 fairly quickly I'd rank above him overall...and given more time probably nearly or around 10.

 

[XPack]

I think we should sign both. They are both young and has quite a bit to offer down the years. Bulaga's injury history may give a rethink, but he seems to be maturing well and is versatile to back in other positions too. Rodgers seems to have connected with Cobb same as Nelson and it's hard to get on same wavelength with any others in a short time.

 

[Ace]

PFT reporting on Twitter that if the Jets can't come to an agreement with Percy that the Packers are one of the teams to keep a very close eye on, along with the Pats and Chargers. I'm assuming this is only if Cobb leaves but he didn't specify.

Just thought I'd pass it along.

 

[tynimiller]

I would give 11 million for Cobb before I'd give 2 Million for Harvin. Parasite to team moral and locker room make up from all sources. No thanks.

 

[Mondio]

if we swap Cobb for Harvin, however it happens I think we've lost. No doubt Harvin can be a playmaker, he can also tear a team apart.

 

[adambr2]

TT keeps a tight cap, but one thing he does not do is let really good young guys in their prime go.

Doesn't make sense to develop a guy to get as good as Cobb and let him go after his rookie deal.

Cobb will stick around.

I'm not advocating for letting Cobb walk, but it's not all TTs decision. If Cobb wants to test free agency, our choices are to overpay by trumping the highest bidder or franchise tag him and neither one is a great option.

We can't hold a gun to his head and force him to accept a fair offer.

 

[7thFloorRA]

If we have to find a cheap replacement for Cobb via free agency then I am looking at Cecil Shorts and having a team of 20 medical specialists approve his hamstring.

 

[Carl]

I'm not advocating for letting Cobb walk, but it's not all TTs decision. If Cobb wants to test free agency, our choices are to overpay by trumping the highest bidder or franchise tag him and neither one is a great option.

We can't hold a gun to his head and force him to accept a fair offer.

That is true, but based on the amount of guys the Packers do resign, they must be doing something right to keep them. They have overpaid in some cases also and may have to with Cobb.