We need to concentrate on defense and OL this offseason

[Vrill]

We need a good OLB opposite Matthews. A good Safety. A good RT and perhaps center.

resign what guys we can etc.

 

[Dblbogey]

Bulaga will be our right tackle, a decent upgrade over Barclay, who really wasn't bad. EDS is OK but nothing special if resigned, Tretter has more upside but of course isn't proven. Actually, I'm pretty happy with the OL play this season and it should be better next year with Bulaga starting, Bahktari with an off season to muscle up. He looks like the real deal at LT. Barclay, Sherrod and Tretter would make this the deepest line in memory. Agree with OLB needs and safety as big needs, though Hyde will probably be moved to safety. Greatest need I think is ILB and unfortunately it is a down year for top of the line quality at ILB in the draft. With all the free agent questions, it will make for an interesting off season. I was pretty proud of the Packers today, great effort from the obviously outmanned, beat up defense. May have been the last game for Raji, Shields, EDS. On the bright side, we will never have to watch Newhouse in Green and Gold again.

 

[FrankRizzo]

INSIDE LINEBACKER and SAFETY are the keys.
Our safeties this year, in 17 games? ZERO interceptions and they don't tackle well either. THAT IS HORRIBLE.

INSIDE LINEBACKERS are the key in a defense like this where the DL occupies blocks to free them up.... they don't do a good job. Hawk is okay at best. Jones is NOT an inside linebacker, has terrible instincts because he's a natural edge guy, as we drafted him to be from Colorado.

I like our depth at OLB.
Remember Neal and Mulumba are supposed to be BACKUPS.

 

[Dieseljunkie12]

I hope house will never wear green and gold again either.

 

[Einstein McFly]

Guys, in a 3-4 we need big lineman that can eat up blockers and stuff the run. We have some nice nickel rushers now, in Daniels and Jones (potentially, at least) but they can't do their thing if it's always second or third and short. We need RUN STUFFERS. Pickett played well today but can't be counted on much longer. Raji is okay but only on the cheap. We need to draft a big run stuffer so that our ILBs (either the ones we have or new ones or some combo) can be free to make plays. Remember how much better our ILBs looked at the begginning of the year when the line was playing well and we were able to stuff the run? Mathews and Neal/Perry are better pass rushers too on third and long when they don't have to think about it the run. Also, our "exotic" blitzes only work on obvious passing downs.

How many games this year were we owned with the run in the five minute offense? WE NEED RUN STUFFERS TO MAKE IT PAST THE 9ERS, and we need enough of them to be fresh in the fourth damned quarter.

 

[Vrill]

Drafting CJ Mosley from Alabama would cure our MLB woes. We need to somehow draft him in the first round. Trade up?

 

[ivo610]

We need a good OLB opposite Matthews. A good Safety. A good RT and perhaps center.

resign what guys we can etc.

I dont see an issue with the O line and am happy going into next season with what we have planned.

D line and safety are the two big ones that stand out to me. TE could really help on offense.

 

[Sunshine885500]

We need a Stud D Lineman like Justin Smith. Someone who is very Strong and disruptive that can stay on the field.

 

[7thFloorRA]

TT is going to have to entertain signing a safety. There are not too many in the draft this year after Clinton-Dix that stand out and even his stock may have dropped. I wish there was a way to pry TJ Ward from the Browns. He is good and he is nasty.

 

[Sunshine885500]

I wish that we could have hired the Brown DC. We need a coordinator that will attack an Offense

 

[HyponGrey]

Centerfielder is definitely the biggest need on the board. NT could be the next depending on who gets a new contract. We can get by with our ILB, though either is replaceable. Quarless/Bostick can hold down the TE fort, but an upgrade there would be welcome. If Neal gets out OLB depth is a need, "the other two guys" will be replaced next year if they don't show improvement, and we don't really have a true LOLB. I expect a few ST picks.

2015 contracts: Nelson Cobb Boykin, Williams House Bush, Bulaga Barclay, Taylor, Richardson, and GVR

 

[I_am_smoked_cheddar]

Changes for the 2014 season need to begin near the top. New leadership is needed for the Defence. Dom Capers needs to be replaced. Next, replace the Offensive Line Coach as well as most of the training staff. Then there is Ted Thompson, OLD Ted Thompson and his OLD methods. It is one thing to gamble that the draft will produce great talent as it sometimes does, but proven talent awaits in the free agency market every year. Why not pick a peach occasionally . Use both to the teams advantage.

 

[adambr2]

Just playing armchair GM here, but if we did the following I would be ecstatic.

Sign Jarius Byrd in free agency.

Trade down into the 2nd, and acquire an extra 2nd in return, giving us three 2nd round picks. Use those to draft a run stuffing D-lineman, AJ Johnson (ILB from Tennessee) and Jeremiah Attaochu (DE/OLB from Georgia Tech)

I'm not saying I think we'll sign Byrd, but I actually do think that if Capers is retained, TT will attempt to make a move or two in free agency on the defensive side in particular.

 

[Einstein McFly]

Changes for the 2014 season need to begin near the top. New leadership is needed for the Defence. Dom Capers needs to be replaced. Next, replace the Offensive Line Coach as well as most of the training staff. Then there is Ted Thompson, OLD Ted Thompson and his OLD methods. It is one thing to gamble that the draft will produce great talent as it sometimes does, but proven talent awaits in the free agency market every year. Why not pick a peach occasionally . Use both to the teams advantage.

Thompson's "old" methods have won us a super bowl and three straight north division titles. Signing free agents you can't afford has done nothing for the bears and vikes. Remember the "dream team" eagles last year, with all of their free agent signings? They did nothing until a freshly drafted QB took over and gave the ball to their old vets. The packers have tons of money in CM3 and Rodgers, so they don't have enough to go on a spending spree. They need to keep Shields and depending on health, Jolly and Finley (if cleared and cheap). As for coaches, if we get rid of Capers, are we sure we can find an upgrade? Greene is feisty and was a good player but we have no idea if he can be a coordinator. If Capers were on the market he'd get hired in a second, so it's not clear what the upside is and "change for change's sake" is a loser's option. Oline blocked better in the run this year than in most and if Rodgers didn't hold the ball so damned long they'd look a lot better. They will anyway with Bulaga back.

Trainer/conditioning coach is interesting though. They must do something about all the hammy injuries. It makes son sense that we have so damned many.

 

[Dblbogey]

I hope house will never wear green and gold again either.

Interesting how real early last year House had basically beaten out Shields for a starting corner spot before he messed up his shoulder. I always am curious how a guy can look so good for a spell and then fall off the map. Agree, House was way overmatched, fortunately he did of good job of holding several times that weren't called.

 

[JacobInFlorida]

I definitely think the OLine needs to be better but they should be better by getting Bulaga back and Bakhtiari having an offseason. The only lineman I don't really like is TJ Lang. Way too much pressure comes from his guy and we're paying him pretty well starting next year.

We can't be very active in free agency. We have a lot tied up in Rodgers and Matthews. Then after next year Jordy's bargain deal expires and Cobb's rookie deal is up. Both will get paid very well. Shields is either gonna get paid or walk.

 

[FrankRizzo]

Drafting CJ Mosley from Alabama would cure our MLB woes. We need to somehow draft him in the first round. Trade up?

I don't know..... I saw him in a lot of highlights last week..... of Oklahoma lighting up the scoreboard left & right on Alabama.
He might be overrated, like another recent #1 picked Bama ILB, Rolando McLain.

 

[yooperpackfan]

Curiously, Ted doesn't seem especially adept at drafting defensive players.

 

[BorderRivals.com]

We NEED a safety!!! As someone above said, 0 INTs by our safeties. Neither can cover nor have instincts. A good safety either breaks up or picks off that TD to VD in the 4th Q. Instead, Burnett doesn't read it right and/or was too slow to get there. Hawk played great coverage (first time I've ever said that), forcing the ball to be thrown to the outside - where Burnett was playing 2-deep!!! That should be an easy play for a safety making his kind of money. More, both are spotty tacklers and only Burnett is decent in run support.

After safety, it goes ILB and DT for the reasons stated above. Unfortunately, I'm not sure we'll see a change at ILB due to the recent contracts to both Hawk and Jones.

 

[easyk83]

I think we're closer to having a good Defense than most people realize.

Defensive Line:

Mike Daniels has finally provided us with that pass rushing DL that we've missed since Cullen Jenkins left. He might not be dominant but he does get consistent pressure.

Boyd Wilson Jolly and Worthy- the first 3 are tough against the run, Worthy probably has the highest ceiling of this group. Should help to get Jerel back next year a full season after his ACL injury.

Nose Tackle- This is a hole that needs to be plugged. Picket is fading while Raji has flopped since 2010. Don't need anything **** here just a gritty hard nosed brawler who like scrapping it out all game long against double teams. The draft doesn't appear to be well stocked with this sort of player, but then again they should be undervalued right now. The league is still caught up in pass defense.

OLB

Matthews is obviously a stud and a legit DPOY candidate if he just stays healthy.

Perry has shown flashes and glimpses of the player he could be. But can he stay healthy? Looks ugly at times but he does flash explosive pass rush ability. He's done just enough to earn at least another year on the team.

Lumba looks like a solid contributor , who knows how well he develops. When he failed to close on Kaep on that fateful 3rd and 10 he was hobbling pretty badly and probably shouldn't have been on the field.

Neal lacks toughness and will probably command a surprisingly big salary on the FA market. He just looks like a monster and he kept improving his pass rush over the second half of the season with 4 sacks in 8 games.

Datone Jones, yes he'll be moved over to "OLB." I think Capers wants to have a DE/OLB hybrid, a 270+ pounder with the bulk to play inside on occasional early downs with the speed and agility to rush the passer on obvious passing situations. Jones looked surprisingly natural playing outside yesterday and I think it'll prove a natural position for the big man. Since Mike Daniels has locked up the right side DE spot the team will need to find a way to get Jones on the field as he's just too talented to sit on the bench and this is it.

Inside Linebacker

Hawk is generally solid but plays to the level of his DL like most inside backers. Struggles to get off blocks but plays very well when he's allowed to flow to the ball. Has turned into a surprisingly capable coverage linebacker at his lighter weight. Jones is too leggy, struggles to get off blocks and lacks physicality. Lattimore might be too much of a dunce even though he does bring some fire to the position. Look for TT to address this position in the middle rounds. I think Borland looks like a TT man if he really does weigh 244+ pounds. Borland will be devalued because of his height but he's very compact, plays extremely low to the ground, plays with great leverage pad level and he hits the LoS like a bowling ball. Furthermore he's a ball stripping freak and extremely instinctive. If Chris Borland were 3 inches taller he'd be a consensus mid first rounder, as a pure player he was the best ILB/MLB of the draft in College. Just like Teddy snatched guys like Rodgers, Nelson, Finley, Matthews because of superficial/correctible defects in their profile, I think Ted might value Borland more highly than most GMs.

Cornerback

The team lacks a star at this position but we have an assortment of bodies who are capable of giving quality snaps. Davon House is decent in man coverage, Heyward was a surprisingly good rookie corner and Shields is a solid number 1 with more upside left in his game. Williams is overpaid but solid. I think Micah Hyde emerged as a smart tough heady young player who probably moves over to S in the offseason.

Safety

The team desperately needs a strong safety. The MD Jennings experience has flopped, Richardson isn't worth relying on and McMillan flamed out. Unfortunately this is a weak draft for safety and the FA market isn't likely to provide any help at a reasonable price. The solution, take Micah Hyde and have him add 5-10 pounds of muscle. Hyde has a big enough body type, he's smart, gutsy tough and instinctive. He has average speed for a corner but very good range for a Strong Safety. His frequent role as a nickel back is comparable to a safety and while he's not a beast of a tackler he's pretty solid with room for improvement. We don't need an in the box monster, just a good cover man who can contain outside on run plays. Hyde is a smart kid who seems to attack his role, I think he'll take to the position like a duck to water.

Burnett is solid but not the player the team hoped he'd become. Let's hope he finally gets it this next season.

 

[AmishMafia]

Curiously, Ted doesn't seem especially adept at drafting defensive players.

There is risk associated with every draft pick. That is the speculative nature of the draft. He grabbed Heyward last season - seriously considered DROY - as well as Daniels and also Hyde this year. There are some misses but there are some hits as well.

This last game against the 49ers - we were blown up at the line of scrimmage, offensively as well as defensively. I know the 49ers are very talented there, but I think that is where we need to improve the most. We get Bulaga back, so we should be better next season - couple that with Bahk getting a whole year under his belt. Maybe we need to look at Center depending EDS resigning. But I think we need to still look at DL. I would let Raji go unless he signs for something reasonable. Pick is close to done. We need a NT who can push the LOS in the worse way.

 

[easyk83]

There is risk associated with every draft pick. That is the speculative nature of the draft. He grabbed Heyward last season - seriously considered DROY - as well as Daniels and also Hyde this year. There are some misses but there are some hits as well.

This last game against the 49ers - we were blown up at the line of scrimmage, offensively as well as defensively. I know the 49ers are very talented there, but I think that is where we need to improve the most. We get Bulaga back, so we should be better next season - couple that with Bahk getting a whole year under his belt. Maybe we need to look at Center depending EDS resigning. But I think we need to still look at DL. I would let Raji go unless he signs for something reasonable. Pick is close to done. We need a NT who can push the LOS in the worse way.

Me think the average forum member would be shocked if they saw how bad the success rate is with the draft throughout the league.

 

[NOMOFO]

AMEN on the Raji comment. My Lord that guy has SUCKED this year and that's not being too harsh! I loved that guy since his rookie year and have been waiting for him to break out this year but it never happened! I keyed on him the last 6 games or so and he has been PATHETIC! I mean...really really bad. It's just play after play after play of stand-up bull rush with ZERO push. He's been absolutely brutal.

 

[thisisnate]

Hoping for CJ Mosley, HaHa Clinton-Dix or Rashede Hageman in round 1.

Safety must be addressed. If not HaHa in round 1, I want to see either or both of Deone Buchanon and Dion Bailey taken in the ballpark of rounds 3 and 4.

If Raji is gone and we haven't drafted Hageman, we might be able to snag Daniel Mccullers in round 3 if we're lucky. Not much of a pass rush, but he'll plug a hole better than anyone in this draft.

Would love to see our ILB of the future drafted in CJ Mosley, but this would likely require move up in the round, and that's not really TT's game. Also like Christian Jones in round 2 or 3, Max Bullough in round 4 or 5, and maybe Borland in round 3 or 4, though he's awfully stumpy.

I am not overly concerned about our OL. If we get healthy, we'll have a good one. Would like to see Seantrel Henderson drafted though in round 5 if he's there.

Could use a TE upgrade. Can't use a 1st on this though. Jace and Ebron will be gone by round 2. If Sefarian-Jenkins slips to us in round 2, we can't pass on that. Could draft CJ Fiedorowicz if he's there in round 3 or 4. Late rounder I like would be Mercel Jensen in round 6 or 7.

If WR or CB is by far the BPA after round 1, I say take 'em.

Would rather we not draft an OLB until late. Jonathan Morgan in round 6 or 7 would be someone I'd take a look at.

 

[NelsonsLongCatch]

I'm not as worried about the offensive line as most because the Packer's best offensive lineman was injured all season. Brian Bulaga should come right back next year and start at left tackle. This will allow David Bakhtiari to move over to his natural spot of right tackle. Sherrod could have a full offseason to play and possible become a nice swing tackle. Marshall Newhouse should NOT be resigned by the Packers or signed by any team in the NFL.

Inside Linebacker and Safety are the most two pressing needs (along with Tight End). The Packers should be able to draft either CJ Mosley (ILB - Alabama) or Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix (S - Alabama). Assuming Shields is resigned, the Packers are solid at corner. Hopefully guys like Datone Jones, Nick Perry and Jerel Worthy take a step forward next season.

 

[HyponGrey]

I wish that we could have hired the Brown DC. We need a coordinator that will attack an Offense

Or, and just hear me out, a DL coach who can actually develop players who aren't already technically sound.