Despite Emotion, Culpepper Makes Sense

(Just not as much sense as Tim Rattay)

I am an emotional guy, as you no doubt have surmised over the past year. During those times when I may have let my emotions get the better of me, one of the PackerGeek brethren have been there to provide a calm counterpoint to my emotional outbursts. And now I feel one of them is in need of similar help.

Andy is positively disgusted at the prospect of Dante Culpepper in a Packer uniform. And, to his mind, the fact that he turned down the Packer's offer to be Aaron Rodgers' back-up just proves what a "head-case and a moron" he is. Furthermore, Andy is mystified by Ted Thompson's interest in Culpepper at all, saying the proposed signing would be a "bone-head move".

Really?

Now look, we all hate the Vikings here, (and that is really what this is all about on Andy's part) but we need to divorce ourselves from the image of what Andy accurately describes as "that stupid-ass arm roll" and think about the depth chart at the quarterback position for the Green Bay Packers. Currently, they have an undisputed starter and two rookies. Regardless of how much promise either rookie has shown or will show, they are both rookies. And if we see either one taking meaningful snaps in a game this season, you can mark a large 'L' on that weekly Packer schedule that you have hung on your wall as soon as they enter the game. (You know the one. You printed it out the day the schedule was released and keep obsessing over it, trying to go through game-by-game and figure out what the Packers' final record will be by saying - "Win, win, win, loss, win" etc) If we see either one starting more than one or two games, you can consider the season over. Culpepper has not only started in this league, he has won a lot of games. Yes, he did a lot of that with Randy Moss, but he was hardly horrible without him. Sure he was on some horrible teams in both Miami and Oakland, but he was more than serviceable in both spots with little to no talent around him. Giving him the weapons in Green Bay would rehabilitate any QB.

As for being a "head-case and a moron" - that may be true, but it's hardly because he turned down the Packers' offer. The guy wants to be a starter, and no doubt will wait and see if any injuries in training camp open up a door to just such an opportunity. Why is that a moronic move? Hell, Aaron Rodgers hasn't exactly proven himself to be the most durable fellow in the world. If he were to, heaven forbid, get hurt in the first week of training camp, Culpepper would have a lot more leverage and could probably get more money out of the Packers than the $1 million they were offering. Hardly a moronic move.

And to those, like Andy, who think signing Culpepper, or any veteran, would mess with Rogers' head, I only say this: If that's all it takes to mess with his head, Aaron Rodgers will never be a success as the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. (And don't we all think Favre is doing enough on his own to mess with Rodgers' head as it is? If all the un-retirement talk hasn't messed him up, a veteran QB sipping Gatorade and wearing a headset next to McCarthy shouldn't have any adverse effect.)

UPDATE: In response, Steve over at PackerGeeks has pointed out that he, not Andy, authored the post in question. Apologies. It's like keeping track of Bob and Doug McKenzie... ;)

 

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Comments (2)

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Joe's picture

June 24, 2008 at 07:34 pm

I have no problem with the Pack sigining a veteran - in fact, I think they screwed up by not signing one. That said - come on. DC is not even good. He has a strong arm and that is really the end of his talent. If you subtract the WRs with ability to out jump defenders DC has nothing to offfer. Tim Rattay I could get behind, but DC is just not talented or even good.

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PackerAaron's picture

June 25, 2008 at 02:26 am

That's nothing but a gut-reaction talking Joe, and you know it. Obviously the man has talent, or Thompson wouldn't have offered him a contract. Go watch his plays with the Raiders again. He was on two awful teams after he left the Vikings, but he still made plays. Sure he looks horrible at times. So would Peyton Manning if you put him on the Raiders.

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