NFL Veteran Combine today

[Carl]

Maybe you didn't connect the dots?

Or maybe it's not necessary to have the same argument about TT over and over again in different threads.

 

[PackerDNA]

Or maybe it's not necessary to have the same argument about TT over and over again in different threads.

Discussions on player acquisition will end up including the guy responsible for player acquisition.
Natural progression.

 

[ivo610]

Guys get injured, guys retire, guys don't like Ted's offer, guys don't take the vaunted second year jump. As for the latter point, there are not many bottom of the bench youngsters who have impressed enough where you say, "they're stuck behind an established starter."

As you saw with the Williams and House deals, increasing cap levels just get sucked up in wage inflation for starter-level players. House's case should be instructive...that's a lot of money for a guy who had yet to establish himself as a starter.

As I say regularly, "panic" is not a word to be applied to a spectator sport unless you have large monetary wager on an outcome.

What makes the 2017 scenario concerning is 1) the shear volume of starters and second line backups involved, 2) Thompson's hesitance to match the market, 3) a less than impressive back bench and 4) complete disinterest in mid-tier FA starters to back and fill.

The process is losing momentum. Maybe I should change that signature line to "two drafts".

Yet he still manages to keep the best players and let go of the declining ones. Maybe this will all fall apart, but hey that doesnt matter bc unless you win a SB it doesnt matter how you finish right?

 

[HardRightEdge]

Yet he still manages to keep the best players and let go of the declining ones. Maybe this will all fall apart, but hey that doesnt matter bc unless you win a SB it doesnt matter how you finish right?

No, it does matter how you finish when the finishes involve historic collapses. It wasn't an odd bounce of the ball; a bit of bad luck, an opponents single spectacular play in a close game that was the undoing.

So, yeah, benefits of doubts surrounding an "almost" effort are not in play. And if you don't think there is mounting pressure over this very fact on Lombardi Ave. you're probably mistaken.

 

[HardRightEdge]

Or maybe it's not necessary to have the same argument about TT over and over again in different threads.

Or maybe the situation is fluid, circumstances change and the critique takes a different shape?

I don't think anybody has done a recent breakdown of the 2016/2017 free agents before, for instance.

If it makes you uncomfortable, you know what you have to do.

 

[PackerDNA]

The Super Bowl is the goal.
To paraphrase Marv "The Leatherman" Gomez from "Thank God It's Friday",
"Winning the Super Bowl! Everything else is BULLS**T !"

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Here are the players who will be FAs in 2017:

Lacy
Sitton
Lang
Bhaktiari
Peppers
Hyde
Barrington
D. Jones

That's 6 starters, possibly 7 with Jones, and actually 8 with Hyde since the nickel back gets a ton of snaps, he's the #3 safety and possibly the #3 cover corner.

Daniels and Hayward (a presumptive starter) in 2016 make 10. With a repeat of Matthews at ILB in nickel, Perry (2016) is a presumptive "starter" given the number of nickel snaps. That's 11 starters.

A base D NT, and a base D LB, at a minimum, are still requirements for 2015. We're up to 13. Reducing Matthews snaps from all-nickel (2/3 of the snaps) requires a 3-down ILB rather than a 2-down guy. A FB/H-back lead blocker is still on the list for this year.

There are also the following second line depth and rotational players on the clock: Barclay (2016), Quarless (2016), Neal (2016), Starks (2016), Tretter (2016) and Tolzien (2016). Add Crosby to the list for 2016.

That's a lot of players at issue over 3 drafts assuming a repeat of recent years' zeros from outside free agents. And it's not like there are high picks with promise standing behind these guys.

I'd like to say a few of these players can be expected to be extended. But after seeing Cobb, Bulaga, Williams and House left to test free agency, that's hardly certain.

I think it´s way too early to worry about the 2017 free agency but just for fun let´s a look at the players you mentioned in the post above.

Peppers will be 37 years old in 2017 and the Packers will most likely not offer him another contract. Sitton and Lang already get paid a combined average of $11.95 million per season with the Packers currently having no problem to fit them under the cap. I don´t expect that numbers to raise significantly if the team decides to offer both of them a long-term contract in 2017. There´s no guarantee Barrington, Hyde and Datone Jones will be productive starters in 2016 so we don´t have any idea if one or all of them will demand a lucrative contract by the time they become free agents.

The Packers will most likely have to offer Lacy and Bakhtiari huge contracts to get them re-signed but with the cap expected to raise significantly over the next few years the team should be able to get it done. The other guys you mentioned won´t ask for huge money and should either be re-signed for reasonable deals or by letting them walk won´t result in the Packers falling apart.

All players of the 2015 rookie class will be under contract through 2018 and the Packers won´t have to worry about renegotiating their contracts in the 2017 offseason.

Overall I expect the Packers to be a contender as long as Rodgers is the team´s QB and the front office is able to manage the cap the way they´ve done since taking over.

 

[ivo610]

And if you don't think there is mounting pressure over this very fact on Lombardi Ave. you're probably mistaken.

Are you assuming or do you know TT and/or MM is in danger of being fired if they dont win a SB?

 

[ivo610]

I think it´s way too early to worry about the 2017 free agency but just for fun let´s a look at the players you mentioned in the post above.

Peppers will be 37 years old in 2017 and the Packers will most likely not offer him another contract. Sitton and Lang already get paid a combined average of $11.95 million per season with the Packers currently having no problem to fit them under the cap. I don´t expect that numbers to raise significantly if the team decides to offer both of them a long-term contract in 2017. There´s no guarantee Barrington, Hyde and Datone Jones will be productive starters in 2016 so we don´t have any idea if one or all of them will demand a lucrative contract by the time they become free agents.

The Packers will most likely have to offer Lacy and Bakhtiari huge contracts to get them re-signed but with the cap expected to raise significantly over the next few years the team should be able to get it done. The other guys you mentioned won´t ask for huge money and should either be re-signed for reasonable deals or by letting them walk won´t result in the Packers falling apart.

All players of the 2015 rookie class will be under contract through 2018 and the Packers won´t have to worry about renegotiating their contracts in the 2017 offseason.

Overall I expect the Packers to be a contender as long as Rodgers is the team´s QB and the front office is able to manage the cap the way they´ve done since taking over.

Honestly, having to resign the entire O line would be a best case scenario. That would mean they all stayed somewhat healthy, are playing at a high level, and are expected to continue to play at a high level. Not worrying about an O line until then would be a dream, but I doubt we will be so lucky.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Honestly, having to resign the entire O line would be a best case scenario. That would mean they all stayed somewhat healthy, are playing at a high level, and are expected to continue to play at a high level. Not worrying about an O line until then would be a dream, but I doubt we will be so lucky.

Barclay and Tretter are decent backups and I would be fine with them having to step in in case of an injury. The team could need another reliable backup but other than that there´s no need to worry about the OL.

 

[Helmets]

When I read the title - I wondered, "how is there 3 pages of posts about the veteran combine..."

 

[PackerDNA]

As far as the Oline goes, the Packers are in as good shape as you can be. Pretty amazing also to have an entire top level offense under contract for the next two seasons.

 

[Half Empty]

Yet he still manages to keep the best players and let go of the declining ones. Maybe this will all fall apart, but hey that doesnt matter bc unless you win a SB it doesnt matter how you finish right?

Very concise and correct.