Notes from Bedard

FrankRizzo

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Some notes from Bedard:

  • Unless Thompson is suddenly going to overpay, DeAngelo Williams isn't available. IMO, Ted missed his chance. A third for Marshawn Lynch, just to see what happens -- he's cheap so you could cut him if he becomes an issue -- should have been a done deal. And people in the building think that too. Ted should have done the deal.
  • I'm all for leaders emerging and holding people accountable. In my opinion, I think it works better when it comes from the players. From people I have talked to, McCarthy has changed the way he gets after players this season and for the better. But the great teams, the players police themselves. I think McCarthy would prefer it that way -- like he encouraged the dialogue after the Tampa loss last season -- but Thompson hasn't given him those types of players. Woodson, Harris, Hawk, Driver, Jenkins....those guys don't speak up until it really needs to be done. The one guy that does get in people's faces, Barnett, won't be around for a long while. I think Matthews is going to be that guy. And that would be huge.
  • I made light of this on Twitter, but I really meant it. I think Sunday will be the Packers' Apollo 13 game. You know the part where NASA dude says something about this being the worst disaster in the history of NASA? Ed Harris responds with, 'With all due respect sir, I think this will be our finest hour.' Can you imagine if the Packers can somehow manage a victory on Sunday, what that will do for them? And then maybe getting Matthews and others back for the Vikings -- let alone Bigby and possibly Starks and Harris from PUP? I think this is a chance for this Packers team to play with some real heart and emotion for one of the first times under McCarthy.
  • Sunday is one of those games where most of that goes out the window. All you are trying to do is survive and win. You know, what football is really all about. If the Packers can discover that passion and heart for the game again -- all of them -- look out. I'm serious. Of course, I also wouldn't mind seeing McCarthy get in front of the chalkboard and say, 'OK, right now we have the healthy talent to get us here (X). We need to get here (X). Failure is not an option gentlemen. Make it happen.' OK, so I'm a sentimental movie freak.
  • Thompson has always, always, always kept his eye on the future. Most of the times that's great. I think they should keep Finley up for a while and see what happens. I know there are people in the building who would like to do that. But it's a question of what Ted will do, and how bad the injuries get. I do think the Packers could survive without McDonald, Newhouse and Johnson.
  • As for Rodgers, he technically has two fourth-quarter wins in 41 games. Chicago in the '09 opener -- 50-yard TD to Jennings with 1:11 left (Packers caught the Bears on PA on 3rd and 1 and Jennings was wide open) -- and the Packers trailed Detroit in the fourth quarter in '08 before running away. That's it. Then again, he's only started 41 games. Not a big sampling. I know, I know about Favre. That being said, Rodgers needs to do better and he needs to lead the Packers to a win in a game they have no business winning. The greats do that.
 

BBalzWI

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I like this. I hope it's true about the finest hour this week.

I think it'll really make the guys on the roster feel great and play with more heart too. Knowing that they can still be a dominate team in this league and over come these injuries. I hope the guys that are getting healthy come back strong and make an impact too!
 

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Bedard. Rodgers has led the packers back in a great many games that they lost. He put them ahead or tied in the waning minutes but then the D imploded.
 

PackersRS

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Bedard is going to boston after the Vikings game. He's gonna vent so badly. He HATES the way the Packers' management conduct themselves. HATES it.

It's not that his points aren't valid, because they are, but when he says he knows people in the building, he's probably complaining about those stuff with some staff, and they are agreeing. It's not like they come to him to say it...
 

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I think Thompson could get a deal done for Williams if he's willing to give up a #2 and James Jones. I doubt it will happen. Put yourself in his place. Do you want to depart with #2 pick and a receiver when you have a pass happy head coach who ignores the run. With the way the offense has been struggling, they need to be more balanced. Teams have figured out how to stop Green Bay. Ignore the run, tee off on Rodgers and play both safeties deep to prevent any long gains.
 
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FrankRizzo

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Adam Schefter weighs-in:

Adam Schefter (2:42 PM)




Everyone's waiting on Green Bay to make a move at running back. There were people in that organization that really wanted the Packers to pull the trigger on a Marshawn Lynch deal before the Seahawks did. Problem now is, DeAngelo Williams is unavailable, the Packers don't seem to have any interest in Willis McGahee, and you name me another back out there that would work for Green Bay. I proposed in my Friday 10 Spot column on ESPN.com that Green Bay trade a fourth-round pick to Dallas for Marion Barber. It's a trade that makes sense for both teams. I think it should happen -- but it won't. Chances are, Green Bay will go through this season with the backs on its roster, plus Starks coming off PUP.
Jeff (Nashville)



Love your work, Adam, but why do you tease us Packer fans with potential trades? We know Thompson won't make a move! That said, what's your outlook on GB's chances for the playoffs and beyond?
Adam Schefter (2:45 PM)




Jeff: I'm not teasing any trades in Green Bay. I'd love to see one, because this offense needs another back. But I'm not running the team; I'm just reporting on it. Injuries really have hurt this team this season. There are so many to overcome -- Ryan Grant, Nick Barnett, Jermichael Finley, Al Harris, Atari Bigby. Morgan Burnett, and on and on. Teams can't lose that many players and expect to be nearly as potent as many predicted.
 
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FrankRizzo

FrankRizzo

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Bedard is going to boston after the Vikings game. He's gonna vent so badly. He HATES the way the Packers' management conduct themselves. HATES it.

It's not that his points aren't valid, because they are, but when he says he knows people in the building, he's probably complaining about those stuff with some staff, and they are agreeing. It's not like they come to him to say it...
I'm sure there are plenty of players who told him that, and probably at least a couple of positional coaches, including Edgar Bennett.
These guys won't go on record, they're not fools.
 

PackersRS

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I think Thompson could get a deal done for Williams if he's willing to give up a #2 and James Jones. I doubt it will happen. Put yourself in his place. Do you want to depart with #2 pick and a receiver when you have a pass happy head coach who ignores the run. With the way the offense has been struggling, they need to be more balanced. Teams have figured out how to stop Green Bay. Ignore the run, tee off on Rodgers and play both safeties deep to prevent any long gains.
I agree with you. Plus, he has to think about the long term interest of the team.

# He LOVES draft picks to death
# Ryan Grant is still young and is under contract
# Donald Driver is old, and he sees James Jones as the replacement
# The HC and the offense are heavily pass-oriented, and have no business with 2 feature backs
# He has to think about team chemistry and Ryan Grant. Maybe the guys in the locker room will think that, if they get injuried, they'll get the short end of the stick also, and be replaced. I know, it's a business, but it's something TT has to take into consideration. I have no doubt that when discussing putting Grant in IR, he and MM talked to him, and said that he was the long term of the franchise, and he would not be replaced nor traded.

I would do it, BTW. Williams is much more talented than Grant, With Finley, Jennings and Nelson we have 3 great receivers, and Williams is relatively young (27). They can share the load if Grant is not traded in the future, like the Saints did.

But I understand why TT isn't trading, like I think it was you who said it, bob, the top of the draft are guys TT himself scouts, so he'll want that. We have other holes than RB, and with a 2nd rounder, we can adress them.
 

Incubes12

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I agree with you. Plus, he has to think about the long term interest of the team.

# He LOVES draft picks to death
# Ryan Grant is still young and is under contract
# Donald Driver is old, and he sees James Jones as the replacement
# The HC and the offense are heavily pass-oriented, and have no business with 2 feature backs
# He has to think about team chemistry and Ryan Grant. Maybe the guys in the locker room will think that, if they get injuried, they'll get the short end of the stick also, and be replaced. I know, it's a business, but it's something TT has to take into consideration. I have no doubt that when discussing putting Grant in IR, he and MM talked to him, and said that he was the long term of the franchise, and he would not be replaced nor traded.

I would do it, BTW. Williams is much more talented than Grant, With Finley, Jennings and Nelson we have 3 great receivers, and Williams is relatively young (27). They can share the load if Grant is not traded in the future, like the Saints did.

But I understand why TT isn't trading, like I think it was you who said it, bob, the top of the draft are guys TT himself scouts, so he'll want that. We have other holes than RB, and with a 2nd rounder, we can adress them.
What I don't understand is the philosophy that we are always building for something that never comes. At what point do you stop and say, "this is the season, it's all or nothing." At that point, you do whatever you can to make sure your team wins. Is it just that there are too many injuries this year? I'm reluctant to say that you can make it through an entire year with just the original roster out of the offseason.
 

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I'm sure there are plenty of players who told him that, and probably at least a couple of positional coaches, including Edgar Bennett.
These guys won't go on record, they're not fools.
Right, like I said, Bedard has enough credibility, no way in the world he made it up, and I didn't say he did.

My point is, it's one thing for Bedard to approach these guys, and for them to agree with him. We're not playing well, we're losing, and they are frustrated.
It's another if these guys call Bedard to show their displeasure with the way the team is being ran. Which I don't think it's what's happening.
 

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What I don't understand is the philosophy that we are always building for something that never comes. At what point do you stop and say, "this is the season, it's all or nothing." At that point, you do whatever you can to make sure your team wins. Is it just that there are too many injuries this year? I'm reluctant to say that you can make it through an entire year with just the original roster out of the offseason.
The exact same philosophy that Pittsburg and Indianapolis employ, and they have been 2 of the best franchises of the decade.

It's about window of opportunity. If they go all out this year, they will have a better SHOT at the title. But what if it doesn't come? Then it's desperation for the next 10 years.

If the same method was used after the Holmgren years, we could've contended for much longer. We could've been a dynasty.

The SB paid off, but it's no coincidence that there wasn't any consistant teams in the late 90's. The Patriots outsmarted everyone in the early 00's and build a solid, blue-collar core that earned them 3 titles. Sure, the last one had lots of FAs. But, then again, after that, what have they done? They're rebuilding right now...
 

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Here's a question for those of you who think we need to trade away our next draft or two for a chance to win it all now: What happens if we don't win it all? What then? Will you criticize Ted and Mike when we inevitably go through another rebuilding period? Will it be worth it to go through about 3-5 years of mediocrity and basement dwelling like what we expect the Vikings to go through, just for a chance to win it all now?

My guess is no, and I'm willing to bet every single one of you who are begging Ted to make all these trades would be the first ones to line up and call for his firing when we ultimately entered another rebuilding period.

Look at the teams that have had recent long term success- Steelers, Colts, Patriots, Chargers, lately the Ravens- All consistently good teams who don't make a ton of huge moves in free agency and build through the draft.

I know fans were caught up in all the preseason media hype where everyone picked us to win the Super Bowl. Guess what? We became that team not by using free agency, but by building and planning for long term success. When completely healthy, we're a damn good football team. Even now, with all of our injuries, we're still an above average football team. The philosophy we're implementing works. I know fans are desperate for Ted to make a trade just for the sake of doing anything, but that's not a philosophy that will get you long term success.

So this year not being our year. **** happens, nothing anyone can really do about it. No amount of in-season trades and free agent signings are going to be able to fix the problems we have, especially when you consider that anyone we bring in from the outside is going to need several weeks to learn the playbook and get up to speed before becoming fully functional.

Lets get behind this team. Let's appreciate the guys we have and hope things turn the corner. With any kind of luck we'll be getting some of our injured guys back soon. With more luck we'll not lose any more guys to long term injury and we'll turn the corner to become the offensive juggernaut we know we can be.
 

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The exact same philosophy that Pittsburg and Indianapolis employ, and they have been 2 of the best franchises of the decade.

It's about window of opportunity. If they go all out this year, they will have a better SHOT at the title. But what if it doesn't come? Then it's desperation for the next 10 years.

If the same method was used after the Holmgren years, we could've contended for much longer. We could've been a dynasty.

The SB paid off, but it's no coincidence that there wasn't any consistant teams in the late 90's. The Patriots outsmarted everyone in the early 00's and build a solid, blue-collar core that earned them 3 titles. Sure, the last one had lots of FAs. But, then again, after that, what have they done? They're rebuilding right now...
No, I understand that, I don't mean throw away an entire draft or anything, but at some point, someone should say "lets win this year." They need to be willing to maybe give up a pick or two in the next years draft to have some proven players.
 

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No, I understand that, I don't mean throw away an entire draft or anything, but at some point, someone should say "lets win this year." They need to be willing to maybe give up a pick or two in the next years draft to have some proven players.
But we had proven players!
Thing is, we're absolutely devastated by injuries.

Are you really gonna make a case that if Peterson goes down, the Vikings are the same?

We all saw what happened to the Steelers' D when Polamalu went down...
 

SpartaChris

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But we had proven players!
Thing is, we're absolutely devastated by injuries.

Are you really gonna make a case that if Peterson goes down, the Vikings are the same?

We all saw what happened to the Steelers' D when Polamalu went down...

Exactly. We're thick with proven talent. This was considered by many to be *our* year. Can't help that injuries decimated us in key skill positions, but guess what? We'll still be a contender next season. And the season after that. And the season after that. And we'll still have plenty of proven talent on the field.
 

longtimefan

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I know fans were caught up in all the preseason media hype where everyone picked us to win the Super Bowl. Guess what? We became that team not by using free agency, but by building and planning for long term success. When completely healthy, we're a damn good football team. Even now, with all of our injuries, we're still an above average football team. The philosophy we're implementing works. I know fans are desperate for Ted to make a trade just for the sake of doing anything, but that's not a philosophy that will get you long term success.

.


Excellent post!
 

Incubes12

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But we had proven players!
Thing is, we're absolutely devastated by injuries.

Are you really gonna make a case that if Peterson goes down, the Vikings are the same?

We all saw what happened to the Steelers' D when Polamalu went down...
Yeah, that's a good point. Sigh, I guess it just comes down to the injuries coming on far too quickly. If it was just Grant, I think it would be reasonable to make a big trade. At this point, it would clearly cost us too much to replace all of the missing pieces.

Oh well, at this point I suppose we just have to wait for what we have to get healthy and see what we can make of it. I'm gonna hop on the Starks and Nance train.
 
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FrankRizzo

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Here's a question for those of you who think we need to trade away our next draft or two for a chance to win it all now: What happens if we don't win it all?
Nothing like a little exaggeration eh?
Seattle traded a 2011 4th round pick and future pick (6th or 7th rounder) to get Lynch.
The Jets didn't trade anything to get Tomlinson.
The Jets didn't trade anything to add Jason Taylor.
The Jets didn't trade that much (3rd rounder) to get Antonio Cromartie, a great cover corner with height.
The Jets only traded a 4th or a 5th to get Santonio Holmes, a Super Bowl MVP.

The Jets didn't sacrifice their next drafts. In fact, they actually won some borrowed time. For the price of a few mid-round picks in next year's draft, they get some proven talent this year, here and now.
That's like a free year on those draft-day 2 & 3 picks from 2011.

The Vikings didn't trade anything to get Moss, or Winfield, or Hutchinson, or Sharper, or Longwell. They only traded a medium pick for Randy Moss. So for next year's 3rd round pick, they get Randy Moss now. The 90th pick in that draft will not help them now as much as Randy Moss will this year.
 

SpartaChris

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Nothing like a little exaggeration eh?
Seattle traded a 2011 4th round pick and future pick (6th or 7th rounder) to get Lynch.
The Jets didn't trade anything to get Tomlinson.
The Jets didn't trade anything to add Jason Taylor.
The Jets didn't trade that much (3rd rounder) to get Antonio Cromartie, a great cover corner with height.
The Jets only traded a 4th or a 5th to get Santonio Holmes, a Super Bowl MVP.

The Jets didn't sacrifice their next drafts. In fact, they actually won some borrowed time. For the price of a few mid-round picks in next year's draft, they get some proven talent this year, here and now.
That's like a free year on those draft-day 2 & 3 picks from 2011.

The Vikings didn't trade anything to get Moss, or Winfield, or Hutchinson, or Sharper, or Longwell. They only traded a medium pick for Randy Moss. So for next year's 3rd round pick, they get Randy Moss now. The 90th pick in that draft will not help them now as much as Randy Moss will this year.

God, we've discussed the Lynch trade to death. We would have had to cough up a 3rd and I heard a 5th conditional to become a 4th for Lynch. Seems like a lot for a guy who's 3rd on the depth chart in BUFFALO of all places, especially when we're not gonna hand him the ball all that much anyway. Time will tell if this is a good move or not, but we've already got three RB's on the roster.

As to the jets, did we need LaDanian Tomlinson, Jason Taylor, Antonio Cormartie or Santonio Holmes before our injuries? Nope, not when we have Ryan Grant, Cullen Jenkins, Charles Woodson and Greg Jennings on our roster.

And obviously I was being melodramatic in my exaggeration. It truly feels like most of you want our front off to make a move, any move, just for the sake of doing something. It feels like some of you are so desperate for the front office to just trade for someone that you'd be willing to give up whatever it takes, including multiple draft picks and players, just to bring in someone from another team in season. I think this philosophy is stupid. it's not how you build a team to win for the long term.

I can't help but wonder if we'd even be having this conversation if we were still healthy. Would people still be begging for Ted to make all sorts of trades if none of our guys were lost for the season?

Oh yeah, how are the Vikings doing at this point in time? Wow, all those free agents sure helped them win multiple championships, didn't it?
 

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I personally think that one of the only places we have not permanently lost any players the OL where we only

lost Tauscher for a short time has not been even close to playing up to a SB standard. We need to continue

to develop and get better on the OL before we can even think about making it deep into the playoffs. Our

young guys are not quite there, the two old guys just can't hang any more, and then there are the guys that

just plain SUCK and need to be replaced. So in my opinion we should hope for another great OT pick up in

first round of the draft and then more secondary help.
 

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