What has me excited about this season

sschind

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I was talking with a guy this afternoon and he asked me what I thought of the Packers draft. Thinking back to all the WR discussion that has been going on on this forum I said I really like what I am hearing so far about the two WRs we drafted (not counting Toure right now but I'm pulling for him to make the team so I can get my free 12er of Leinies). A few hours later it dawned on me that they were not even our first two picks. For years our offense has overshadowed our defense and I was fine with that but I am really excited to see what this defense will be able to do when fully healthy.

This team is shaping up to be what could be my favorite in a long time. A strong defense with two very good running backs. I don't expect us to become a run first team and with Aaron Rodgers I certainly wouldn't want us to. I mean you gotta utilize the talents that guy has but I am one of those rare fans who does not think the RB position is over rated. I've said it before I'd rather have the best RB in the league than the best WR. In fact I have Jones and Dillon on my fantasy team and its entirely possible that both will be starting for me on a regular basis.

Getting back to my original discussion though, its be a long time since I was so excited about so many of our draft picks. Obviously you are always hoping they all work out but realistically you think if half are even still with the team in a few years it was a pretty good draft. With this group it seems that at least half of them could be more than just still with the team, they could be major or at least very solid contributors.
 
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I was talking with a guy this afternoon and he asked me what I thought of the Packers draft. Thinking back to all the WR discussion that has been going on on this forum I said I really like what I am hearing so far about the two WRs we drafted (not counting Toure right now but I'm pulling for him to make the team so I can get my free 12er of Leinies). A few hours later it dawned on me that they were not even our first two picks. For years our offense has overshadowed our defense and I was fine with that but I am really excited to see what this defense will be able to do when fully healthy.

This team is shaping up to be what could be my favorite in a long time. A strong defense with two very good running backs. I don't expect us to become a run first team and with Aaron Rodgers I certainly wouldn't want us to. I mean you gotta utilize the talents that guy has but I am one of those rare fans who does not think the RB position is over rated. I've said it before I'd rather have the best RB in the league than the best WR. In fact I have Jones and Dillon on my fantasy team and its entirely possible that both will be starting for me on a regular basis.

Getting back to my original discussion though, its be a long time since I was so excited about so many of our draft picks. Obviously you are always hoping they all work out but realistically you think if half are even still with the team in a few years it was a pretty good draft. With this group it seems that at least half of them could be more than just still with the team, they could be major or at least very solid contributors.
Well said. As Packer fans we have been blessed to have lots of good Offensive play since Favre took over. Due to that fact we are all programmed to magnify our focus on our Offense. The truth is that the more balanced teams are most often winners in each Superbowl with a very thin advantage to the better Defense (from a points scored for/points scored against perspective). This year we should conceivably float in that top 5-10 D scoring range and that's as good or better than any D we've had since 2009,2010. It's the first year in more than a decade that I can actually say that our Defensive unit is equivalent or possibly leaning better than our Offense from a scoring ranking. IF Quay and Wyatt adapt quickly? We can win games on Defense and just shut the average teams down. As long as our Offense is in that top 10-12 scoring ranking? we should be in for a treat.

disclaimer: I wouldn't so much judge our Defense by the first couple of games (good or bad) as I believe it will take us a few games to make adjustments and get players in position to maximize potential. We have all learned countless times to temper our expectations until about mid- season, that's also when our competition gels and the real contender's step into the limelight
 
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realitybytez

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Getting back to my original discussion though, its be a long time since I was so excited about so many of our draft picks. Obviously you are always hoping they all work out but realistically you think if half are even still with the team in a few years it was a pretty good draft. With this group it seems that at least half of them could be more than just still with the team, they could be major or at least very solid contributors.
i hope your feelings come true. but honestly, i almost always feel great about our draft picks before training camp starts and reality starts to set in. btw, i'm also pulling for you to get your free 12er of Leinies. on paper and highlight reels, toure looks a real steal.
 
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sschind

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i hope your feelings come true. but honestly, i almost always feel great about our draft picks before training camp starts and reality starts to set in. btw, i'm also pulling for you to get your free 12er of Leinies. on paper and highlight reels, toure looks a real steal.

I guess I'm always optimistic as well but there is just something about this group that make me feel my optimism is more warranted. Maybe I'm just paying more attention than I had in the past. Going into this draft with 2 first's and 2 seconds had me a bit more excited than years past.
 
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I guess I'm always optimistic as well but there is just something about this group that make me feel my optimism is more warranted. Maybe I'm just paying more attention than I had in the past. Going into this draft with 2 first's and 2 seconds had me a bit more excited than years past.
For me. It’s that we somehow retained essentially the same Defense.

Ok. We lost Z, but he didn’t play all year anyways.

We gained more than we lost, but then on top of that, the potential to have Rasul and J’aire play more snaps than last season is significant.

We exchanged Burks for a 3 down LB in Quay Walker after we picked up Reed and Enagbare over Lancaster and Mercilus. Then Wyatt over Keke. Added Nixon over King.

We got Carpenter in place of Black.

We actually stayed near even or upgraded at every lost D position. To top that, you’d easily come to conclusion that having a season in Barry’s system is a slight advantage.
 
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What has me excited about this season?​

I will be excited about this upcoming season if we have very few injuries.
Every team has some but hopefully ours will be at a minimum.
Injuries can make and break a great team from reaching the play-offs.
 
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Didn't disagree enough with any of the list to mention except this. Nixon is NOT an upgrade over King on defensive snaps - he is on ST however which is primarily why he was signed FOR CHEAP.
Over didn’t mean I had him ranked higher. Over meaning covered that loss. A better choice of term could’ve negated that confusion though. Notice it was followed with “near” replacement production or upgrade. Obviously nobody is a perfect match equivalent in production. But yes, Nixon is one of the few I’d rank as a “very slightly inferior impact” than King. Keep in mind we’re talking about a 4th CB here.
Rich might have something to scream at me about though if I shed Nixon. :eek:He brought him here for a reason.

However. Point taken.

That said. Let’s hope Nixon performs like Rich thinks he can. If he is a leader on ST and can just hold his own as a 4th CB we’re good here.

I also missed a player or three added and lost, so these were more ideas off the top of my head.
 
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I understand the optimism about the Packers draft class, especially considering the team hasn't had three picks in the top 34 selections since 1980.

I'm extremely optimistic about the starting lineup outside of wide receiver and tight end but am hopeful Rodgers can still elevate their game enough for the passing offense to be successful.

In my opinion the team lacks quality depth at a lot of positions though, meaning they will need to stay fairly healthy to make a run at a championship. Some rookies might be able to change that over the course of the season though.
 

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Generally agree except for the part about needing to stay fairly healthy. I think that there is a large enough sample size to say that even injury-depleted Packers teams can and have made runs at championships - even winning them. The key is having a GM willing to swap out players mid-season when the replacements are not working. We have quality depth at quite a few positions (RB, OL, DL, ILB, CB, and dare I say QB). No team has quality starters and quality depth in the modern NFL of salary caps and free agency. Gutekunst seems willing to swap out the parts that aren't working, which is what we will need if the injury bug strikes in 2022.
 
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Generally agree except for the part about needing to stay fairly healthy. I think that there is a large enough sample size to say that even injury-depleted Packers teams can and have made runs at championships - even winning them. The key is having a GM willing to swap out players mid-season when the replacements are not working. We have quality depth at quite a few positions (RB, OL, DL, ILB, CB, and dare I say QB). No team has quality starters and quality depth in the modern NFL of salary caps and free agency. Gutekunst seems willing to swap out the parts that aren't working, which is what we will need if the injury bug strikes in 2022.
Yes. I really like our situation.

Yes we have lots of potential over proven production in the Receiving area, but we also nearly all recognize that Rodgers lifts the bar in that area markedly. I think Rodgers will either surpass or come very close to 4,000 yards passing. So who cares if it’s more spread around or 35% goes to 1 player.

Also, I like that while we will pay dearly for some overspending in a couple of years, we currently freed some Available cap and we have a GM that is both a tuned to finding gems in the trash heap and working team friendly “prove it” deals. I suspect we will see 1-2 more contracts signed for veterans at positions of concern before trade deadline.

I don’t even think OLB is thin. Due to signing Wyatt and Walker (Barry has 2 Championship level Georgia Defenders that he’s tinkering with at various positions) We are steeped in versatility across that DL and even Wyatt is plenty quick enough to guard the edge and has good bend and a high motor to pass rush from outside if needed, according to his pre draft scouting profile. The beauty of having Barnes is he gives us the luxury of using Walker like a chess piece. Walker has obviously been made aware of this universal usage concept imo. It’s all threaded through his dialogue when he interviews.

Hopefully we remain healthy, but imo if the Receiving band gets their act in good timing, then as I’ve said previously? We’re in for a treat.
 
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Curly Calhoun

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Yes. I really like our situation.

Yes we have lots of potential over proven production in the Receiving area, but we also nearly all recognize that Rodgers lifts the bar in that area markedly. I think Rodgers will either surpass or come very close to 4,000 yards passing. So who cares if it’s more spread around or 35% goes to 1 player.

Also, I like that while we will pay dearly for some overspending in a couple of years, we currently freed some Available cap and we have a GM that is both a tuned to finding gems in the trash heap and working team friendly “prove it” deals. I suspect we will see 1-2 more contracts signed for veterans at positions of concern before trade deadline.

I don’t even think OLB is thin. Due to signing Wyatt and Walker (Barry has 2 Championship level Georgia Defenders that he’s tinkering with at various positions) We are steeped in versatility across that DL and even Wyatt is plenty quick enough to guard the edge and has good bend and a high motor to pass rush from outside if needed, according to his pre draft scouting profile. The beauty of having Barnes is he gives us the luxury of using Walker like a chess piece. Walker has obviously been made aware of this universal usage concept imo. It’s all threaded through his dialogue when he interviews.

Hopefully we remain healthy, but imo if the Receiving band gets their act in good timing, then as I’ve said previously? We’re in for a treat.

I personally like the way Gutey is building this team - A lot of big, physical (and talented) offensive linemen, and adding talent on defense every year.

This team is built for the long-haul.
 

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What I like is that the Packers are loaded at literally every position, offense and defense. The D should be MUCH better. We will be more diverse and creative on offense. The Packers were something like 10-1 without Davante Adams in recent seasons, and with Watson, we arguably have a lot better talent than any of those games without Adams.
 

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Quality starters win games, depth wins championships. It's not complicated. There are injuries. Sometimes key injuries. When they happen, the person or people who step up can be the difference between continuing to win games, or starting to lose them.

Expecting the Packers, or any other team, to go an entire season without game changing injuries is pure foolish. We're going to find out, this year, how well they have stocked the shelves on both sides of the ball. I'm anxious to see us at top form at the end of the 17 game season more than at the start. That's why I'm more than happy to see Bakh, Tonyan, and Jenkins play themselves into shape, and be going full bore when the season ends.
 

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What I like is that the Packers are loaded at literally every position, offense and defense. The D should be MUCH better. We will be more diverse and creative on offense. The Packers were something like 10-1 without Davante Adams in recent seasons, and with Watson, we arguably have a lot better talent than any of those games without Adams.

Loaded is a stretch. I LOVE our top shelves at nearly every position, however one injury at many a position can quickly showcase how thin we are - OLB and Safety come to mind the fastest. TE is another, that is already banking on either Tonyan being back 100% VERY quickly or Davis or Deguara producing at a 500 yard clip season type level.
 

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What has me excited about this season?​

I will be excited about this upcoming season if we have very few injuries.
Every team has some but hopefully ours will be at a minimum.
Injuries can make and break a great team from reaching the play-offs.
I was going to say the same thing.

Maybe this is too vague, but I'm excited about the team in general. Excited to see what happens with the receivers and the new tools acquired for the defense. And believe it or not I'm actually excited to see if Bisaccia can whip the ST
 

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Generally agree except for the part about needing to stay fairly healthy. I think that there is a large enough sample size to say that even injury-depleted Packers teams can and have made runs at championships - even winning them. The key is having a GM willing to swap out players mid-season when the replacements are not working. We have quality depth at quite a few positions (RB, OL, DL, ILB, CB, and dare I say QB). No team has quality starters and quality depth in the modern NFL of salary caps and free agency. Gutekunst seems willing to swap out the parts that aren't working, which is what we will need if the injury bug strikes in 2022.
Generally agree except for the part about having quality depth at CB.
 

Heyjoe4

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I was talking with a guy this afternoon and he asked me what I thought of the Packers draft. Thinking back to all the WR discussion that has been going on on this forum I said I really like what I am hearing so far about the two WRs we drafted (not counting Toure right now but I'm pulling for him to make the team so I can get my free 12er of Leinies). A few hours later it dawned on me that they were not even our first two picks. For years our offense has overshadowed our defense and I was fine with that but I am really excited to see what this defense will be able to do when fully healthy.

This team is shaping up to be what could be my favorite in a long time. A strong defense with two very good running backs. I don't expect us to become a run first team and with Aaron Rodgers I certainly wouldn't want us to. I mean you gotta utilize the talents that guy has but I am one of those rare fans who does not think the RB position is over rated. I've said it before I'd rather have the best RB in the league than the best WR. In fact I have Jones and Dillon on my fantasy team and its entirely possible that both will be starting for me on a regular basis.

Getting back to my original discussion though, its be a long time since I was so excited about so many of our draft picks. Obviously you are always hoping they all work out but realistically you think if half are even still with the team in a few years it was a pretty good draft. With this group it seems that at least half of them could be more than just still with the team, they could be major or at least very solid contributors.
I agree. When was the last time we looked forward to a season because of the quality of our D? I don't remember that happening. Yeah the SB teams of 1997 and 2011 did have great Ds, but they were overshadowed by Favre and Rodgers. Rodgers won't be here forever. A lot of teams have won the SB one the strength of their D. That would be nice for a change. Although I don't care how GB brings back another SB title.
 
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I personally like the way Gutey is building this team - A lot of big, physical (and talented) offensive linemen, and adding talent on defense every year.

This team is built for the long-haul.
I think it’s along a similar path to what Ted tried, but this far I think Gute has definitely done a better job at player and Coaching acquisition.
I personally like the way Gutey is building this team - A lot of big, physical (and talented) offensive linemen, and adding talent on defense every year.

This team is built for the long-haul.
Amen in that “size” aspect of things. you’ll notice that in recent years the bulk of teams are getting away from the 255lb. ILB in place of a 3-Down, faster 225lb version. We thought we had that in Burks, but he injured then fizzled at LB at this high play level. He would’ve been better off shedding 5-10 pounds and playing Safety, like he did at Vanderbilt

What we have in Walker is both concepts. Maybe not Roquon fast, but very close (4.44vs4.51) Yet Quay’s solid 6’4X241lb. size and stellar block shedding is ideal for a team needing help stopping the run. All that without losing much of anything in quickness needed in covering the short passing game. Once again, Quay is so fast diagnosing using his speed and aggressive plays type, that he sometimes overplays. I’m not sure about Barry, but I’d rather fix a player who’s so fast he overshoots the play (Mental) than a player who physically can’t keep up with the play speed to begin with. We need to teach him to swim sideways in the Rip tide, not fight the current headlong
 
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Heyjoe4

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I think it’s along a similar path to what Ted tried, but this far I think Gute has definitely done a better job at player and Coaching acquisition.

Amen in that “size” aspect of things. you’ll notice that in recent years the bulk of teams are getting away from the 255lb. ILB in place of a 3-Down, faster 225lb version. We thought we had that in Burks, but he injured then fizzled at LB at this high play level. He would’ve been better off shedding 5-10 pounds and playing Safety, like he did at Vanderbilt

What we have in Walker is both concepts. Maybe not Roquon fast, but very close (4.44vs4.51) Yet Quay’s solid 6’4X241lb. size and stellar block shedding is ideal for a team needing help stopping the run. All that without losing much of anything in quickness needed in covering the short passing game. Once again, Quay is so fast diagnosing using his speed and aggressive plays type, that he sometimes overplays. I’m not sure about Barry, but I’d rather fix a player who’s so fast he overshoots the play (Mental) than a player who physically can’t keep up with the play speed to begin with. We need to teach him to swim sideways in the Rip tide, not fight the current headlong
To your last point, that was the problem with AJ Hawk and Blake Martinez. They rarely overshot a runner, but they consistently tackled them 3 or 4 or more yards past the LOS. Yeah those count in tackle totals, but they don't help win games.
 
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To your last point, that was the problem with AJ Hawk and Blake Martinez. They rarely overshot a runner, but they consistently tackled them 3 or 4 or more yards past the LOS. Yeah those count in tackle totals, but they don't help win games.
Exactly.
Martinez was fine if paired with someone like Campbell. Yes He gave up lots of 3-4 yarders, but rarely allowed a big play also. In his defense, Not many slow guys lead the league in tackles. For me anyways, he was still a good LB, worth about 5M annual salary range, but nowhere near the 10M annual the Giants paid.

Martinez was a 67%tile athlete at his position, with a “poor” explosion grade (testing at combine)
Walker is a 96%tile athlete with an “elite” explosion grade (combine)

(From PackersWire regarding Walker and Wyatt)
“Their speed and explosiveness is off the charts,” Gutekunst said following the first round.
He later called them “two fast, explosive players.”
 
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I’m not a big fan of later Day 1 Safeties who play a mile from the LOS. Partly because that’s an area I’d draft someone involved in being disruptive. I’d normally also say that about off-ball LB’s. You can find those guys later in Day 2 or even day 3.

That said. I’m excited for Quay Walker because in limited experience, as a starter at Georgia, he’s proven to play at a high level against top competition (he racked up a team high 8 tackles in the Bulldogs Championship Win over LSU) He was the best tackler on the best team in college ball and scouts called him “an integral part of the best Defense in College Football”

That said, he’s more than a thumper.
We are already tinkering with him in packages where he rushes the passer. It’s quite rare to see an ILB who can pass rush. Yet the more I consider his overall metric, that’s where the bulk of his unlocked potential is. He needs development and training, but he’s got 2 really dynamic guys to learn “pass rush” under in Preston and Rashan.
He’s basically got the speed and agility of a Safety, but with the size of an OLB. You don’t really want that type athlete playing on their heels back into coverage as much as you would want him disrupting the QB timing or greeting the RB or whoever has the ball.
 
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gopkrs

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Exactly.
Martinez was fine if paired with someone like Campbell. Yes He gave up lots of 3-4 yarders, but rarely allowed a big play also. In his defense, Not many slow guys lead the league in tackles. For me anyways, he was still a good LB, worth about 5M annual salary range, but nowhere near the 10M annual the Giants paid.

Martinez was a 67%tile athlete at his position, with a “poor” explosion grade (testing at combine)
Walker is a 96%tile athlete with an “elite” explosion grade (combine)

(From PackersWire regarding Walker and Wyatt)
“Their speed and explosiveness is off the charts,” Gutekunst said following the first round.
He later called them “two fast, explosive players.”
In my opinion Martinez getting hurt and Bishop taking over for him was a huge reason we won the super bowl that year. I honestly don't think we would have with Martinez. There were a few other good things that happened during that year also.SORRY, I MEANT BARNETT
 
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Heyjoe4

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Exactly.
Martinez was fine if paired with someone like Campbell. Yes He gave up lots of 3-4 yarders, but rarely allowed a big play also. In his defense, Not many slow guys lead the league in tackles. For me anyways, he was still a good LB, worth about 5M annual salary range, but nowhere near the 10M annual the Giants paid.

Martinez was a 67%tile athlete at his position, with a “poor” explosion grade (testing at combine)
Walker is a 96%tile athlete with an “elite” explosion grade (combine)

(From PackersWire regarding Walker and Wyatt)
“Their speed and explosiveness is off the charts,” Gutekunst said following the first round.
He later called them “two fast, explosive players.”
Thanks for the comparison between Walker and Martinez. Wow! I've heard the Packers are thinking about using him on the edge as well. Why not, depending on the down and distance?
 

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