I want Cobb back but this is a little overdramatic. Next year is not "squandered" without Cobb, we will be contenders with or without him. We are not privy to their "Plan B" but I have full confidence our offensive train will go on regardless of what happens. We were an elite offense before Cobb was drafted and we'll be an elite offense next year.
Julius Thomas for Randall Cobb?
- Thread starter Brandon
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I want Cobb back but this is a little overdramatic. Next year is not "squandered" without Cobb, we will be contenders with or without him. We are not privy to their "Plan B" but I have full confidence our offensive train will go on regardless of what happens. We were an elite offense before Cobb was drafted and we'll be an elite offense next year.
Sanguine camper
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The train starts to break down when elite players drop out. Look what happened to the Packets defense when they lost the elite Nick Collins and Woodson lost a step. The defense went from good to bad in a hurry. While I would not expect such a big drop off from the offense the margin of success in the NFL is so close that losing an elite player like Cobb can make an enormous difference
ExpatPacker
Cheesehead
There is only so much the Packers should pay Cobb. If some team is going to give him more than $9 mill a year then you wish him good luck. Tyler Lockett or Phillip Dorsett as a round 2 or 3 pick could be considered as replacements.
D
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I don't think next year would be squandered if we don't re-sign Cobb but it will be difficult for the offense to stay on an elite level. It's surprising that Randall and House are the only players left from the 2011 draft class and both could be gone within a little bit more than a week.
Before we drafted Cobb the Packers receiving corps consisted of Driver, Jennings, Nelson, Jones and Finley. If we lose Randall the only proven receiver on the roster will be Nelson. While Adams and Richard Rodgers have flashed some potential that group isn't good enough.
Nelson wasn't even close yet to being the receiver he is now before 2011 and Driver was still solid, but starting to decline. The only true top WR we had was Jennings. Finley wasn't a part of the team the Super Bowl year other than the first few weeks.
We've lost Greg Jennings and James Jones in the same time frame and the offense has kept rolling both times. It's entirely possible that we sign another less expensive FA, Adams takes the next step, Abby and Janis step up and we end up just fine.
As long as this offense has Aaron Rodgers they're going to be a top 5 offense.
D
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Four receivers had at leat 45 receptions in 2010. If we let Cobb walk away in free agency the receivers on the roster aside of Nelson won´t have a combined 45 career receptions.
Wolf regretted not giving Favre enough weapons to throw to, I don´t think Thompson should make the same mistake.
And if the price tag is $8M or so I'm all for it. I'm skiddish of wanting us to go much higher than that and there are other weapons that can be developed and/or signed. FA is loaded with WR's that can flourish under Rodgers, some with a much lower price tag.
I think Cobb is a great locker room guy and love his versatility. I don't value him as a pure WR as much as others. He's small for his position and this increases the need for a very accurate QB. He isn't a deep threat and he doesn't separate from coverage particularly well.
D
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But Cobb is the best slot receiver in the league. Aside of Eddie Royal, Reggie Wayne and Wes Welker there aren´t viable free agents available to replace Cobb and with Wayne´s and Welker´s age I don´t want Thompson to bring one of them in.
In addition Cobb is Rodgers go to guy once he gets out of the pocket. It takes a lot of time with the QB and a special talent to be able to adjust routes on the fly to get open on those plays.
The B17 was a 4 engine bomber in WWII and many of them took damage and kept flying on 2 engines. However, If you took away enough engines the plane would eventually crash. Its kinda like that with the Cobb situation. Obviously you can add another WR to take Cobbs place so the analogy isn't 100% but its close.
I think I said in another post (maybe it was on another forum) that I am getting a little tired of the "as long as Ted is drafting them and as long as Aaron is throwing to them it doesn't matter who we have at the WR position" Aaron may make WRs better but what would you rather have A great WR who is better with Aaron throwing to him or an average WR who is better with Aaron throwing to him. Some of you will argue that he is only great BECAUSE Aaron is throwing to him but I would disagree. The point is if a WR is better before you add Aaron into the picture he will be that much better after. Adding in just a guy and expecting him to simply take up where Cobb left off is a little unrealistic in my book. I'm not saying it can't happen but I'd rather go into the next 3 or 4 years knowing WR is not an area of need. I could keep on top of the situation with lower round draft picks to keep the cupboard stocked if you will but I could concentrate my top picks and my main FA focus on areas where I have more of a need. In my opinion that is how you run a football team. Keep your strengths strong and work on your weaknesses. Obviously it comes down to money and you only have so much to spend so if one of your strengths is demanding an unreasonable amount you may not have a choice other than to wish him luck elsewhere and move on. I don't think that is the case here however. 9 million, if we can assume that is what it will take, is not unreasonable. He may not be "worth it" in some senses (the whole slot receiver vs #1 WR argument) but what happens if we let him walk and we can't find a guy to adequately replace him. That's not a chance I would be willing to take for an extra million dollars or do even if it does mean giving a guy a little more than he is worth.
Though Camper's comments may have been a little melodramatic I agree with his sentiments. I will not fault Cobb for any decision he makes. If we offer him the most and he stays or if he stays for less than he could get elsewhere I will be ecstatic. If he takes a higher offer and leaves I will be very disappointed but I won't blame him. The thing is I don't think he would be unreasonable. He seems like a smart guy who understands the benefits of having a two time MVP throwing him the ball. If I'm running the Packers though I don't let him test the FA waters without at least making him a competitive offer. Something like 4 years 37 million 14 million guaranteed with salaries of 2.5, 5.5, 6.5, 8.5 or thereabouts. Maybe make some of the salary into roster and workout bonuses like they did with nelson to reduce the dead money if things go south. That keeps the cap hit under 10 for the first 3 years and even in year 4 its not bad. I think this is doable and fair for both sides. he may not jump on it right away but it gives him something to compare. He may not be "worth" this kind of money but IMO he is worth it, the Packers have it and would be foolish not to at least offer it.
I think I said in another post (maybe it was on another forum) that I am getting a little tired of the "as long as Ted is drafting them and as long as Aaron is throwing to them it doesn't matter who we have at the WR position" Aaron may make WRs better but what would you rather have A great WR who is better with Aaron throwing to him or an average WR who is better with Aaron throwing to him. Some of you will argue that he is only great BECAUSE Aaron is throwing to him but I would disagree. The point is if a WR is better before you add Aaron into the picture he will be that much better after. Adding in just a guy and expecting him to simply take up where Cobb left off is a little unrealistic in my book. I'm not saying it can't happen but I'd rather go into the next 3 or 4 years knowing WR is not an area of need. I could keep on top of the situation with lower round draft picks to keep the cupboard stocked if you will but I could concentrate my top picks and my main FA focus on areas where I have more of a need. In my opinion that is how you run a football team. Keep your strengths strong and work on your weaknesses. Obviously it comes down to money and you only have so much to spend so if one of your strengths is demanding an unreasonable amount you may not have a choice other than to wish him luck elsewhere and move on. I don't think that is the case here however. 9 million, if we can assume that is what it will take, is not unreasonable. He may not be "worth it" in some senses (the whole slot receiver vs #1 WR argument) but what happens if we let him walk and we can't find a guy to adequately replace him. That's not a chance I would be willing to take for an extra million dollars or do even if it does mean giving a guy a little more than he is worth.
Though Camper's comments may have been a little melodramatic I agree with his sentiments. I will not fault Cobb for any decision he makes. If we offer him the most and he stays or if he stays for less than he could get elsewhere I will be ecstatic. If he takes a higher offer and leaves I will be very disappointed but I won't blame him. The thing is I don't think he would be unreasonable. He seems like a smart guy who understands the benefits of having a two time MVP throwing him the ball. If I'm running the Packers though I don't let him test the FA waters without at least making him a competitive offer. Something like 4 years 37 million 14 million guaranteed with salaries of 2.5, 5.5, 6.5, 8.5 or thereabouts. Maybe make some of the salary into roster and workout bonuses like they did with nelson to reduce the dead money if things go south. That keeps the cap hit under 10 for the first 3 years and even in year 4 its not bad. I think this is doable and fair for both sides. he may not jump on it right away but it gives him something to compare. He may not be "worth" this kind of money but IMO he is worth it, the Packers have it and would be foolish not to at least offer it.
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