So, the other day on Twitter, I argued that the Packers seem boring, and that it’s a good thing. My take on it was (and is) simply that while some teams around the league are making a lot of noise in the offseason, it’s nice to cheer for a team that realizes it has most of the pieces already in place to achieve its goals. It’s refreshing to not be agonizing over starters at skills positions. Let the Bears and Lions make big splashes in free agency. We’ll see whether ‘winning’ in March is worth a darn in October.
I realize that, for a blog that's supposed to cover the other 31 teams, I've been silent on the subject of the labor negotiations, the CBA, the implications of an un-capped 2010, and the current draft projections for Jacksonville. Free Agency starts this Friday, and I haven't said a word. And you know what? You're welcome.
Frankly, you don't want to hear from me about these things. First, Aaron has a better handle on this than I ever will. Second, I'd only be spitting back what I hear from @caplannfl, @doug_farrar, @SalaryCap101, @GAtallah (even @Adam_Schefter), and that's boring. Third, I recognize that this is where folks get down to brass tacks, and where the league actually lives or dies, but I hate this time in football.
Apologies for the lag time. Work + life + inability to visit an NFL page without reading about how great Warner was against Green Bay = Holly took some time off from football.
After watching the weekend’s games, however, I’m left with a few lingering thoughts:
1. The Cowboys-Vikings game reminded me at points of each of the Packers-Vikings games. In each game against Minnesota, the Packers were down significantly at the start of the 4th quarter (28-14, 31-20 – 24-3 in 3d!), but managed to tighten the score in the face of serious pressure from Minnesota’s front four. On Sunday, Dallas was still theoretically “in the game” going into the 4th quarter. Yes, they were down 17-3, yes, Flozell Adams had left the game before halftime, and yes, Romo was getting his butt kicked. But 14 points wasn’t so much that Dallas’s offense couldn’t make something happen. The Vikings were letting them stick around.
Before anything else, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for reading, for giving me feedback, and for letting me geek out on football stats without pointing and laughing (overtly, anyway). It’s been a treat.
Everyone does it...staring out of your car window as you pass a particularly nasty accident on the highway. You hope that the drivers are OK, of course, but you also want to get an eyeful so that, when you finally get to where you're going, you can say, "You'll never guess what I saw today." Millions of people tuned in to the October 15 "Balloon Boy" incident, riveted by both the potential tragedy and the resulting spectacle of the media ploy. Despite our claims that we "try not to get sucked into the drama that surrounds a bad situation," be it a twenty-car wreck or Britney Spears' latest public meltdown, we all have those moments where we see a situation and think, "Thank God (or fate or common sense) that's not me."
When I was in Cleveland last week, my sister and I agreed that one of the best things about football is the physicality of the game. There’s just nothing quite like the sound of pads colliding, that pop that rings out as a player tries to impose his will on an opponent. No one can dispute that Atari Bigby’s punishing hits on Seattle’s receivers were highlights in the 2007 divisional playoff game. They were thrilling, and we watched them again and again. But reality sinks in when, in extolling the rush that comes with a particularly hard hit, we have to add a caveat: “so long as it’s clean and no one gets hurt.”
Fans like to cite the team's track record of success when it comes to finding offensive line talent later in the draft but that doesn't mean the Packers will ignore premium talent if its available on Day 1.
On today's show, Andy is joined by PFF's salary cap expert - Brad Spielberger to discuss the expectations for Jordan Love's new contract, Green Bay's new contracts from the offseason, and what to expect from Eric Stokes' fifth-year option. Don't miss it!