My 30 Second (Tight End) Rant

NelsonsLongCatch

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Watching yesterday's game vs. Dallas, I hope that it dawned on Ted Thompson, as it's been apparent to me for a long time, that the offense functions so much better with a capable tight end. Jared Cook has added a new dimension to the Packers offense. Cook was a match-up nightmare for safeties and linebackers yesterday. There is no coincidence that the Packers run coincided with Cook getting healthy.

Who would've thought that the X-Factor for a potential Super Bowl Champion would be a guy who was cut by the Rams?
 

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Kudos to Ted for plugging an obvious hole with a low-priced free agent. On the other hand, why did it take so long? :)
 

Sanguine camper

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You have to give TT some credit. It only took him 3 years to find a replacement for Jmike. Seriously, without a TE, the entire offense bogs down because teams can cheat a safety up to hinder passing lanes and clog the running game.
 

PFanCan

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I think it's more important to either sign Cook or get another Cook-like TE for next season than getting a CB. ideally, do both.

With Cook on the field (remember Finley?), this offense is so much better.
 

Pokerbrat2000

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I think a lot of us were seeing the need for an improvement at the TE position ever since Finley went down. If TT wasn't reading our comments :D, he should have at least been paying closer attention to the rest of the League to see the value of having one. Sure TT tried half heartedly, but until Cook fell into the Packers lap, I have to give TT a D grade for his efforts.

Now the important part of this lesson TT, if you are reading ;)

1. Re-sign Cook
2. Take note of what Cook did and realize that maybe its ok to fill a glaring need (CB, cough, cough) with a FA.
 

Pokerbrat2000

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I think it's more important to either sign Cook or get another Cook-like TE for next season than getting a CB. ideally, do both.

With Cook on the field (remember Finley?), this offense is so much better.

No question in my mind, re-sign Cook is a must. It took Cook awhile to establish chemistry with the Rodgers, that in itself is valuable and can be built upon. I wouldn't risk trying to draft or sign another FA TE when you already have a pretty good one. Plus and this is a HUGE plus, from everything I have read, Cook loves being in Green Bay.
 

Pkrjones

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TE is a definite addition to this offense and apparently makes AR more comfortable/confident. Cook turns 30 in April, will TT consider re-signing him to a 2 or 3 yr. deal? Currently on a $2.75Mil deal... a 3 yr./$10Mil would only put him 24-26th highest paid TE.

AR's post-game interview he mentioned how this was the first season Cook played in playoffs and had a big smile in the locker room. No TE's in the draft have Cook's speed (all in 4.65-4.75 range), so maybe TT will pay Cook to stay?
 

Pokerbrat2000

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TE is a definite addition to this offense and apparently makes AR more comfortable/confident. Cook turns 30 in April, will TT consider re-signing him to a 2 or 3 yr. deal? Currently on a $2.75Mil deal... a 3 yr./$10Mil would only put him 24-26th highest paid TE.

No TE's in the draft have Cook's speed (all in 4.65-4.75 range), so maybe TT will pay Cook to stay?

Cook turned out to be a bargain this year. I am seriously going to be disappointed if he isn't resigned. Other teams may not pursue him too hard, due to a few factors:

1. The question marks surrounding him prior to coming to GB
2. Placing a lot of his success this year on AR
3. Cook wants to stay in GB
4. His age
 

longtimefan

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I think a lot of us were seeing the need for an improvement at the TE position ever since Finley went down. If TT wasn't reading our comments :D, he should have at least been paying closer attention to the rest of the League to see the value of having one. Sure TT tried half heartedly, but until Cook fell into the Packers lap, I have to give TT a D grade for his efforts.

Now the important part of this lesson TT, if you are reading ;)

1. Re-sign Cook
2. Take note of what Cook did and realize that maybe its ok to fill a glaring need (CB, cough, cough) with a FA.
I can guarantee Ted knows that a fa can fill a need...

One thing we know.. When he signs a fa it will be a good pick up.

Just point this out..

Giants dl... How much was spent? And we blew them out
 

Zuma

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Great te they need to sign him. Did the pack fly out last night? Bad weather?
 

jetfixer

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Cook turned out to be a bargain this year. I am seriously going to be disappointed if he isn't resigned. Other teams may not pursue him too hard, due to a few factors:

1. The question marks surrounding him prior to coming to GB
2. Placing a lot of his success this year on AR
3. Cook wants to stay in GB
4. His age
We have to place a lot of the success on our offensive players to AR.
 

Mondio

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You have to give TT some credit. It only took him 3 years to find a replacement for Jmike. Seriously, without a TE, the entire offense bogs down because teams can cheat a safety up to hinder passing lanes and clog the running game.
This is such a shortsighted minuscule take on things it's hardly worth responding to. Yeah it took a while to replace an excellent TE in the prime of his career who he drafted, and had his career ended. The rest of the roster doesn't stop needing attention, and not every TE is available at any given moment.

I like cook, I hope we re-sign him, but this offense should also be potent with a healthy Nelson, Cobb, Adams and our formerly in shape and effective Eddie Lacy. Case and freaking point, we win a super bowl with with no TE and Starks as our RB. Lots of ways to win football games.

Last year our struggles weren't because we didn't have a stretch the field TE either, it was because we had Cobb with 1 good arm, devante with no good ankles, No Jordy Nelson and a fat out of shape RB. Toss in a constant and steady rotation on the offensive line with multiple players getting off-season surgery and the reasons for struggles are screaming in your face if you chose to listen.

Yes DB is a glaring need, and maybe there will be on available for a price that's worth it and maybe not. Or maybe our young guys come back wiser and more healthy.

If the packers would sign all the people you guys clamor for we'd have out of the league and garbage ILB's retired TE's and guys like Daniels and BahkT would be set to be free agents.
 

Pokerbrat2000

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I can guarantee Ted knows that a fa can fill a need...

One thing we know.. When he signs a fa it will be a good pick up.

Just point this out..

Giants dl... How much was spent? And we blew them out

The Giants went from being a 6-10 team in 2015 to a 11-5 team in 2016, I am not sure if I would say that all of their FA signings weren't successful.

You are correct though, there is a large range of what teams do and don't do with the FA market. We can rehash it and point out all of the teams that have failed or all of the teams that have signed or over paid the wrong guy. But I think TT is on the way too conservative spectrum of the FA market. When you have a team that is playing at the level the Packers have been playing at and may just need that "one guy" (Cook this year) to take them up a notch, I think that is where you can afford to slightly veer away from your draft and develop mentality and go out and get that guy. Which is what I hope TT does with the CB position in 2017.
 

XPack

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I think a lot of us were seeing the need for an improvement at the TE position ever since Finley went down.

We drafted Richard Rodgers the next draft, right? He makes crucial TDs but is not quite dynamic and has obvious deficiencies. No wonder we have one full season before going for Cook. Not really sure if we had other stellar options that we passed on.
 

Sanguine camper

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When evaluating a free agent it makes sense to look at the potential of the upgrade. When you have absolute garbage at a position it makes more sense to sign a free agent since to potential reward is quote high, especially if the free agent doesn't break the bank.
 

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I agree Ted is way to conservative with fa.

He needs to do something for the def IF he is in charge in 2017.
 

C-Lee

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Cook will 100% be re-signed. He loves playing for the Packers.
 

longtimefan

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When evaluating a free agent it makes sense to look at the potential of the upgrade. When you have absolute garbage at a position it makes more sense to sign a free agent since to potential reward is quote high, especially if the free agent doesn't break the bank.

Part of getting a fa is the whole body of work. His character, style of play that fits in the scheme.

But it should be easy to find someone else to help
 

Pokerbrat2000

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We drafted Richard Rodgers the next draft, right? He makes crucial TDs but is not quite dynamic and has obvious deficiencies. No wonder we have one full season before going for Cook. Not really sure if we had other stellar options that we passed on.

I actually like Richard Rodgers, but as a backup. A guy that you use in the Red Zone (or Hail Marys). His lack of speed was his deficiency from the jump, if he was drafted to be a play making difference maker TE, someone whiffed badly on him.

As far as other options prior to Cook, there are always other options.
 

Pokerbrat2000

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I like cook, I hope we re-sign him, but this offense should also be potent with a healthy Nelson, Cobb, Adams and our formerly in shape and effective Eddie Lacy. Case and freaking point, we win a super bowl with with no TE and Starks as our RB. Lots of ways to win football games.

When you have AR behind center, this offense should be potent with just about anyone, yes. But look at least year and even yesterdays game, not everyone stays healthy. Do the Packers win yesterday without Cook?

The more weapons you can give AR, the higher the chances of him just flat out beating the other team. Not having a weapon at the TE position, when that weapon is already on your team, would be a mistake IMO.
 

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No question in my mind, re-sign Cook is a must. It took Cook awhile to establish chemistry with the Rodgers, that in itself is valuable and can be built upon. I wouldn't risk trying to draft or sign another FA TE when you already have a pretty good one. Plus and this is a HUGE plus, from everything I have read, Cook loves being in Green Bay.
With mediocre QBs on other teams Cook still flashed, though he was not offered a top-tier contract. With Rodgers at QB Cook shines. Perhaps, other FA players mired on mediocre teams could do so, as well. Like Cook, these players may be signed to reasonable prove-it contracts initially and extended longer if their play warrants doing so. If ever a player epitomized the value of acquiring a savvy veteran player to fill a position of need, Cook is this season's poster boy.

With the SB hanging in the balance it kind of makes me pine for experienced vets to have filled other roster needs after last March rather than crossing our fingers with bottom-of-the-barrel players whose only meaningful roster justification is that they came cheap. It's the difference between acknowledging the actual difference between cost and value.

Again, the specific choice in the Packers case this season may have been retaining Backman or Perillo in lieu of signing Cook. Mull that one over. Would be better off entering the playoffs with Hawkins and a converted no-name as our last resorts at DB, or would we be in better hands with veteran DBs along the lines of a Jared Cook?
 

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