Damarious Randall sounds off on trade, confirms why Gutekunst shipped him out
The Cleveland Browns safety is no Deshone Kizer fan.
By PackerAaron
When Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst decided to trade talented defensive back Damarious Randall for a young, developing quarterback in Deshone Kizer, it was generally looked at as a move where both teams were moving on from players who would probably benefit from a change of scenery.
Kizer had, obviously, suffered through a brutal season as the starter in Cleveland and had dealt with questions about his lack of maturity and commitment. (Do I think these characterizations were fair? No, but they were certainly part of the narrative surrounding Kizer.)
Randall, meanwhile, had a very visible sideline dust up during a nationally televised game, one of several immature moments during his short Packers tenure.
Fast forward to Kizer's time in Green Bay, and you saw a much more mature player, one whose professionalism was not only on display but appreciated by his teammates.
As Corey Linsley noted, after Kizer's last regular season action as a Packer:
DeShone did an unbelievable job of leading, especially with the position he was thrown into. He is a confident guy, that I feel like if you guys could have been in the huddle and seen what he was doing. I know score sucked and game sucked, but the way that he stepped up, he was a grown man in the huddle.
Now comapre that growth to...a complete lack of it in this recent quote from Randall about the trade that sent him out of Green Bay in a recent Ty Dunne article about the Browns for Bleacher Report:
I knew it'd go down as one of the worst trades in Green Bay Packers history. Any time I want to feel like I'm on my high horse, I still look back like, Damn, they really traded me for DeShone Kizer? No offense to him, but at the end of the day—c'mon now.
You know why Gutekunst moved on from Randall? Quotes like this.
Look, I understand feeling slighted, and I get that Randall undoubtedly has little love for the team that shipped him out. But to take a shot at Kizer like that is a perfect window into why Gutekunst wanted Randall out of his locker room. That, and the fact that much of said locker room couldn't stand the guy.
Kizer wasn't the answer and the Packers were right to move on. But kudos to Gutekunst for building his teams the way he wants with the type of guys he wants. I may not always agree with how he goes about constructing his roster, but I will always appreciate that he has a standard for the types of people he allows to represent the Green Bay Packers.
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Comments (114)
Ryan3468
September 03, 2019 at 10:51 am
He certainly isn’t as good as the old Cowboys corner who gave himself a nickname, was pretty incredible, but never stopped talking about it.
jannesbjornson
September 03, 2019 at 02:36 pm
He is nowhere near the status as Dieon. He had to right to lay out the speak. A dominating player for Atlanta, 49rs and then dullness.
kevgk
September 03, 2019 at 10:59 am
Nailed it
EddieLeeIvory
September 03, 2019 at 11:04 am
I am fine that we shipped Randall out. But.
But even when he was a shocking 1st rd pick, with none of us or any pundits expecting that, he was listed as a safety.
We all thought his skillset was a safety.
And now look, he's a starting safety in Cleveland.
And we got nothing.
Why couldn't we play him at safety like the pundits & us all think originally?
Why couldn't we get a player at a position that we needed? 31 teams..... do better shopping a recent #1 pick!
ThxJackVainisi
September 03, 2019 at 12:16 pm
I agree Randall should have played safety. Its not as if the Packers had all pros at the position. But the Packers didn't receive nothing. They got the chance that Kizer would justify his physical gifts and draft position and turn into a good backup for Rodgers. That gamble didn't work out, but I think it's only fair to evaluate that trade when it was made and not in hindsight.
Gianich
September 03, 2019 at 02:05 pm
Those were the dementia years for Ted and Domfounded Capers had a special knack for sticking round pegs in square holes....
Johnblood27
September 03, 2019 at 07:13 pm
round pegs can indeed fit into square holes.
As a square peg can fit into a round hole.
It is all about the size of the hole and the space left for leakage to occur.
In this case, Randall proves himself to be an A-Hole with plenty of oral leakage.
Johnblood27
September 03, 2019 at 07:15 pm
BTW, Randall at ASU was a safety in name only. He was a "hero" back who played the opponents best receiver,
He started out a s a cornerback and was shifted to the "hero" role due to his outstanding coverage talents and his tackling abilities.
Do some research and don't cling to a one-word description (safety) to set your agenda.
Pulpfriction01
September 03, 2019 at 08:23 pm
That's pretty disgusting of you. Considering Thompson is probably suffering from one of the worst diseases a human being could ever experience that is as equally bad or arguably worse than ALS. We know the last years weren't perfect. It's definitely not something to joke about.
jannesbjornson
September 03, 2019 at 12:30 pm
Ted was too cheap to get a free agent cornerback. He had a chance to move on Gilmore as a shut-down guy but didn't make an offer. Belichick made the move and got into a couple more SBs. He was a play-making FS for the Wildcats and could go slot CB. He was never a perimeter CB.
Development is for the college coaches to teach technique. In the long run his yapping got him moved out.
Hawg Hanner
September 03, 2019 at 03:29 pm
Randall was another Thompson bust. He was it seems notoriously toxic and had to be dispatched. Though the Kizer experiment failed, we had to move on, Sure he was a first round pick. Means nothing if you can't live up to it..
Thegreatreynoldo
September 04, 2019 at 02:35 am
Randall wasn't and isn't a bust. He is an NFL starter at safety.
Stroh
September 03, 2019 at 04:04 pm
Randall was seen by most scouts as CB moreso than a Safety. He played CB in Jr college and at ASU while listed as a Safety actually played man coverage from the slot on the majority of plays. He was realky much more of a CB entering the NFL.
By Randalls own estimation he plsyed man coverage 90% of the time in college
dobber
September 04, 2019 at 08:32 am
Given the value of good CBs in the NFL, it made sense to try.
splitpea1
September 03, 2019 at 11:06 am
The Browns can have him; they can also have Mayfield, Hunt, and Beckham. Glad we have Gute and not Dorsey with his penchant for acquiring mouthy and/or troubled players.
Springer
September 04, 2019 at 12:38 am
Agreed. The Browns are a perfect AFC team to watch as a fan of an NFC team. I am enjoying watching them, they're exciting, but I'm sure glad the Packers don't build their team like that.
dobber
September 04, 2019 at 08:35 am
We'll see what we'll be saying if Cleveland turns this into a ring or two.
Irish_Cheesehead
September 03, 2019 at 11:09 am
I don’t miss Randall or his mouth at all. Cleveland can have him!
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou
September 03, 2019 at 03:02 pm
Irish,
Agreed!
Randall was a bad draft choice and very immature. IMHO, he was a late 2nd round to a high 3rd round draft choice that TT really screwed up on. It is very telling when your whole locker room didnt like Randall and the team leaders went to Gute asking Randall cut/traded. Obviously Gute found himself in a bad situation a d did the best he could in just getting Kizer.
Stroh
September 03, 2019 at 04:15 pm
He was a late 1st to early 2nd rd projection by CBS. Approximately 35 overall. He got run out of town by teammates who couldn't stand him. The piclk wasnt bad for talent but his own immaturity.
Rossonero
September 03, 2019 at 11:28 am
I don't mind that we traded Randall, but I DO mind that we traded for him for a QB who had very little chance to play at all, and now he's not even on our freaking team anymore.
That trade was a spectacular waste of yet another 1st round pick. Why on Earth Ted chose to draft Randall over Eric Kendricks -- especially after the 2014 season where we knew we were moving on from Brad Jones and AJ Hawk -- is simply mind boggling.
Ferrari Driver
September 03, 2019 at 11:23 am
A motivating factor to the trade had to be the disappointing play of Hundley. Both Hundley and Kiser seem like good teammates and good guys, but they failed to demonstrate the required skill set needed to play the quarterback position at an NFL level.
Rossonero
September 03, 2019 at 12:22 pm
Ferrari Driver: It's certainly possible, since Hundley also looked lost at times. I just hate how we traded away a starting DB and got a guy who was never going to see the field unless Rodgers got injured. And even when Rodgers did get injured in week 1 last year, Kizer threw a pick six almost immediately and looked like a soup sandwich.
I'm all for guys being good teammates and good character fits, but can they play? It was so obvious to even the casual observer that Hundley nor Kizer could even be a back-up QB in the NFL. We got Tim Boyle off the scrap heap who can play better than Kizer. That just goes to show you, you don't need to invest heavy draft capital in these QBs. It's ok to wait, especially when you have Aaron Rodgers under center.
What's even scarier is that reports indicated the Packers actually wanted to spend a high pick on Kizer in the draft. The BROWNS (old regime) were dumb enough to spend a 2nd rd pick on him, but were smart enough to offload him to us. We got fleeced on that deal, there's no other way to spin it: the Browns still have Randall as a starting safety and we have an empty locker where Kizer once was. That's how you build a losing team.
Pulpfriction01
September 03, 2019 at 08:48 pm
It's kind of revisionist history on Hundley. For starters, the guy looked great in preseason. Great passer rating. Great completion percentage. Which was hopefully the only time we would have saw him. But to compare him to kizer isn't fair. Kizer has never looked competent. At least hundley had some stats to back him up. To act like it was obvious the kid couldn't play is foolish. Once he got into a live NFL game it became clear he wasn't there. But hE is probably the best backup Green Bay has had since the Flynn days.
mattgsx
September 03, 2019 at 12:35 pm
What frustrates me with this is Hundley would probably be more successful in the current offense than Kizer had shown. Hundley showed week to week development as a starter, and while he has obvious deficiencies as a QB (which every backup is going to have, because otherwise they wouldn’t be backups), he was able to win some games with an offense that hadn’t been clicking right even for the starting QB.
I think it’s telling that BH is sitting in a #2 spot behind a rookie QB, making him more likely to get starts, and Kizer is probably going to be sitting behind either Nathan Peterman or Mike Glennon as what is essentially an emergency QB.
Demon
September 03, 2019 at 01:42 pm
You saw something In Hundley that I didn't. Hundley was the WORST QB ive had the displeasure of witnessing in a Packers uniform. Although MM didn't do much to help him out though either. Hundley was worse that David Whitehurst, Rich Campbell, Anthong Dilweg, Blair Kiel and others that their memory is too painful to conjur up.
Since'61
September 03, 2019 at 02:25 pm
I’m not sure that he was worse than Jim Del Gaizo. Thanks, Since ‘61
Demon
September 03, 2019 at 03:54 pm
Oh Jeez you just brought back a tereible memory 61. You may be right.
packerbackerjim
September 03, 2019 at 04:06 pm
TJ Rubley
flackcatcher
September 03, 2019 at 04:19 pm
Your just showing off now '61. (heh heh heh......-:)
Johnblood27
September 03, 2019 at 07:21 pm
Let's not short change Carlos Brown either...
Although he was a pretty good deputy...
Don Milan was pretty horrible too...
Brian Brohm anyone?
dblbogey
September 03, 2019 at 11:32 pm
Ouch, Brian Brohm. I had the pleasure of watching every one of these lousy qb's over the years. Don't forget Bobby Douglas was a Packer, and couldn't throw a spiral.
mrtundra
September 04, 2019 at 09:18 am
But Douglas could run a spiral.
Tundraboy
September 03, 2019 at 11:34 pm
I liked Del Gaizo for awhile. Campbell was worse, but all were bad.
GVPacker
September 03, 2019 at 08:28 pm
Graham Harrell was a real stinker too!
Rak43
September 03, 2019 at 07:52 pm
Whether people want to believe it or not Hundley was a better QB than we gave him credit for. I believe he would play 100% better in Matt LaFluer's offense as opposed to McCarthy's. Think Jared Goff in Sean Mcvay's offense compared to Jared Goff in Jeff Fisher's offense. Hundley did manage to win 3 games with a soft roster full of over paid vets and street FA's. He would be a better option in this offense than Kizer or Boyle Imho. McCarthy's offense was old and stale and even AR had to play like superman most times for the offense to look good. I absolutely agree with Matt Gonzalez. Hundley has actually looked very good in the more modern offense run by Arizona. In LaFluer's run heavy offense and their ability to scheme receivers open and a much improved roster I have no doubt Hundley could manage 500. ball if AR went down for a period of time. I was happy to see Hundley leave McCarthy's offense. I know I'm in a small minority but I wouldn't mind seeing Hundley in this offense as a backup at all.
Pulpfriction01
September 03, 2019 at 09:12 pm
I will be honest, I've quickly realized a lot of people don't see football as good as they think they do. Guys really like to bash Hundley and act like he was terrible. But that wasn't the case at all. He is probably one of the better backups in the league right now. He collapsed under pressure when he was put up in the spotlight of Rodgers going down. But in hindsight we know those teams weren't very good. He has enough body of work and consistency, even if it's mostly in the preseason, that shows he is an efficient and accurate quarterback in this league. I would take him in a heartbeat right now. There are only about 5 to 8 backups I would prefer over him at this point in time.
4thand10
September 03, 2019 at 11:33 am
Kendrick’s is more of a 4-3 will or Sam LB in a 4-3-3... but anyway, I don’t really know what could have been done differently. I might have been a dick and just kept him on the bench, not at practices and not in the locker room and let him demand a trade and be out of football until some other sucker wanted him. Or just released him and picked up un undrafted QB or free agent I liked. Having HaHa in combo with him was probably toxic and didn’t help matters.
Rossonero
September 03, 2019 at 12:18 pm
That's a fair comment. My only response to that would be that many teams, especially the Packers, rarely ever play a "true" 3-4 anymore. It's all of these hybrid formations that Dom Capers was dabbling in before Pettine came along.
That said, I think there was plenty of room for Kendricks. He'll plug the middle for the Vikings for a decade like how Nick Barnett did for us.
What ever happened to just drafting the best available player?
Instead Ted got cute, drafted a guy with a fringe 1st rd grade as a safety, but then someone said, "let's have him play CB." Guess what? He probably didn't earn the same draft grade as a CB, so why don't we play players to their strengths??
Haha and Randall were definitely two that poisoned that entire safeties room. I think it had a bad influence on Josh Jones too, even though he shot himself in the foot with other mistakes and poor play on his own.
Randall is just another in a long, long line of recent 1st rd picks that are no longer on the team and is yet another reason why this team still is struggling to find talent.
The 2017 draft is next up: instead of having a bonafide pass rusher like T.J. Watt -- who has actually had an impact on the Steelers -- we got an injury prone CB who hasn't done diddly squat in two years. That's why we're so far behind our rivals. We need at least another draft to shed the dead wood from the roster. I think we'll be lucky to finish 10-6 this year, but think 9-7 is more realistic.
dobber
September 03, 2019 at 01:52 pm
"My only response to that would be that many teams, especially the Packers, rarely ever play a "true" 3-4 anymore. It's all of these hybrid formations that Dom Capers was dabbling in before Pettine came along."
That's very ture: so much of football is dominated by sub packages and specialty personnel groups. There should be some role to match most players skill sets. I think we all default to traditional thinking with regard to scheme and player fits, but it all goes out the window very quickly.
flackcatcher
September 03, 2019 at 04:36 pm
Packers never played a straight 3-4 under Capers. 2015 when they had most of their core and preferred players in defense, Even then, they played more of an what the league is now calling Hybrid with their LB group. That defense carried the team into the playoff on their backs with the collapse of the offensive scheme under Rodgers. (Could never understand why with the lose of most the WR that year Rodgers kept chucking it deep every chance he got. Oh well.) But, your right of course. We see our team, we do not see what the rest of the league is doing.
Stroh
September 03, 2019 at 04:24 pm
Barnett was drafted to play MLB in a 33 D . He only played. ILB in the 34 for one year under Capers.
Tundraboy
September 03, 2019 at 11:40 pm
Glad those days are behind us. But looking back on it what an incredible waste if picks.
nathanj
September 03, 2019 at 02:29 pm
Obviously, the Packers don’t value Kendricks/ilb like you/Vikings do. The Packers haven’t drafted a offball LB early since Hawk. By 2015, they had a lot of attrition at CB (Hayward injuries, Williams aging, etc), and decided to draft for need. However, most of that 2nd round was terrible as well, and 2015 was an especially rough draft for CBs. All the early picks were busts and/or character issues: Trey Waynes, Kevin Johnson, Marcus Peters, and Bryon Jones went ahead of Randall. Waynes and Johnson were nickel backs at best, Peters is a talent but was kicked off both the Huskies and Chiefs, and Jones has 2 career INTs. Just a terrible year to need and draft 2 CBs.
dblbogey
September 03, 2019 at 11:39 pm
The draft is a crap shoot. Every team misses a lot on draft picks, but Packers fans seem to think it's only the Packers who ever miss.
JHitTheB
September 03, 2019 at 02:54 pm
If "if" was a fifth - we'd all be drunk. I don't understand the constant "if we drafted so and so instead of so and so..." narrative all the time. There simply is no tangible proof a player drafted to a team who blossoms would blossom just the same on another team. Coaching matters. Scheme fit matters. Role matters. Depth matters.
Why on Earth did every team pass on Tom Brady for 6 rounds? Tom Brady on any other team isn't the Tom Brady we know today. Hell if Bledsoe never got injured we might never even know who he is.
It's easy to look back after the smoke clears and compare players and their performances/stats/careers. Hindsight is 20/20. But it is literally pointless to do so. You can't change the past. Learn from the mistakes and move on. Just make sure you don't repeat them.
All these expert arm chair GMs...with no professional experience...
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou
September 03, 2019 at 03:07 pm
JHit!
Well stated and true!
However, it is fun and human nature to be an arm chair QB, or arm chair General Manager. Ready for season to start!
Southside
September 03, 2019 at 11:25 am
Good riddance to bad rubbish.
CAG123
September 03, 2019 at 11:32 am
Say what you want that mouthy DB was the only one producing TO on the field and wasn’t afraid of contact. Some guys are passionate about winning and that can always be somewhat corralled . At the end of the day the Packers got nothing and shipped out a pretty good safety.
Pizzadoc
September 04, 2019 at 08:52 pm
Maybe Gute needed to, maybe it was a mistake, whateves, team is better.
Green Bay Shareholder
September 03, 2019 at 11:32 am
Seems to be yet another in a long line of wasted high draft picks in the last 5 years. It's amazing the hype when they are drafted then 3 years later less than a vapor remains. Got to have the record for defensive backfield busts since the days of Charles Woodson, truly amazing how many how that draft and develop has worked.
egbertsouse
September 03, 2019 at 11:36 am
And I should care about what Demarius Randall thinks because..........?
ILPackerBacker
September 03, 2019 at 12:00 pm
because when the house has burnt down it is a good idea to figure out why and how it could be prevented before investing in another
jannesbjornson
September 03, 2019 at 02:56 pm
Risk management should occur before a disaster happens.
Stroh
September 03, 2019 at 04:55 pm
They do that as well. In the form of interviews. He slipped thru the cracks apparently.
Point-Packer
September 03, 2019 at 11:49 am
Great 1st round pick from Teddy T. Draft an immature safety to play corner and it goes poorly. No way! Ted was great, but he was losing it towards the end.
Leatherhead
September 03, 2019 at 01:30 pm
It's acknowledged he had problems at the end, but this was the 2015 draft. We were in the championship game in 2014 and 2016. I can't chalk up Randall and Rollins to the hole in Thompson's marblebag.
All of his 2015 picks are still in the league except Backman. His 2016 picks included Clark, Fackrell, Lowry, Davis, and Martinez. That's a pretty good draft, actually.
I remember the group think at that time was pretty strong in regards to getting Ath-e-letes, not necessarily football players. I thought it was a bad plan then and I still think so.
Point-Packer
September 03, 2019 at 02:15 pm
Not sure what your definition of "in the league" is, but I would not use it to describe GB 2015 2nd round pick: Quinten Rollins. Nor would one be honest to utilize similar wording to describe Aaron Ripkowski's current relationship with the NFL. I'm not even going to bother looking up any of the others.
Did you just make that 2015 "fact" up?
Point-Packer
September 03, 2019 at 02:30 pm
Ringo was just waived with an injury settlement, so may be a stretch to claim he's "in the league" too.
flackcatcher
September 03, 2019 at 04:58 pm
You don't listen, do you. OS point was the 2015 draft was bad league wide. Why? Because it's a draft, and it happens. We fans do not know when Thompson and his team decided to rebuild, or the factors that either delayed or slowed down that decision. But if one looks at the moves, 2017 was the year Thompson cleared most of the salary with one year contracts. Could it have been done earlier, yes. But this team still had a winning starting group, but no depth. So the Packers gambled, won 2016, lost in 2017-2018 when the bodies ran out. Us armchair GM have the luxury of hindsight, Ted Thompson did not. Making decisions effecting the future of the premier franchise in the NFL in real time is hard. TT did that and more or a long time. Best you remember that.
Point-Packer
September 04, 2019 at 10:35 am
You’re on drugs and a moron to boot.
GatorJason
September 03, 2019 at 07:14 pm
"All of his 2015 picks are still in the league except Backman."
2015 was the "R" draft.
Jake Ryan and Randall are still in the league.
These "Rs" are not: Rollins, Ringo, and Ripkowski.
TarynsEyes
September 03, 2019 at 11:51 am
Randall needed to go for whatever reasons one wants to accept and since Hundley was a failed selection and recognizing that Kizer was equal or a tad better than Hudley and Cleveland wanting to be rid of Kizer, this was the easiest and fastest way for both teams to move on. Sure Randall has proved more valuable to the Browns and that is of no consequence because that value wasn't going to be achieved in GB.
Somebody always gets the better of a deal and it isn't the team getting rid of what they deem a cancer.
The Packers have made worse decisions over the last few seasons than the trading of Randall for Kizer. This wasn't a trade to make the Packers better via talent but better by ridding it of a cancer for GB.
Coldworld
September 03, 2019 at 12:57 pm
The resurgence of love for Hundley in some quarters is just funny. I may not have backed Boyle to be QB 2 this year, but I would chose him over Hundley every time.
GVPacker
September 03, 2019 at 08:33 pm
Good Post Coldworld!
fthisJack
September 03, 2019 at 02:09 pm
wow...i actually agree with something you posted....first like ever for you from me.
TarynsEyes
September 03, 2019 at 03:10 pm
You still seem to think I care if you do or don't.
ILPackerBacker
September 03, 2019 at 11:58 am
ROFL lots of people NOW agree he should have been a "S" or that he was not a CB/slot guy.
But that is mostly revisionist history. the number of people who objectively watched and called it as true was very limited.
Worse it was a two fold big problem. A gm making bad picks or guys with known character issues, no experience at the position they wanted him to play and a DC who was literally disengaged and refused to take responsibility for anything.
To this day both Randall and his position coach point out neither of them thought he was a CB/slot guy and they were refused to change.
So who is above the position coach?
Who can order change?
Who is supposed to evaluate and be responsible for this?
None of those people have ever, to my knowledge, been asked this simple question. that is the 3rd problem aspect, the homer press who see their jobs as extended PR guys, not as journalists and/or those scared of retaliation. Which is real in the fishbowl of GB
Lare
September 03, 2019 at 01:56 pm
Personally, I think Hundley, Randall, HHCD and Montgomery all were fall guys for Mike McCarthy.
Since'61
September 03, 2019 at 02:56 pm
Hundley couldn’t complete a pass. HHCD ran away from contact, Montgomery committed an unacceptable turnover which cost his team a game and Randall wasn’t very good, not committed to his team and had a bad attitude. Why would any team be expected to keep
any of them.
Beyond that our secondary and our team is better today without any of those four players and I’ll take Alexander, King, Amos and Savage over Randall at their respective positions any day. They are all better than Randall. Thanks, Since ‘61
Bear
September 03, 2019 at 02:34 pm
Randall was the Defensive Player of the year at Cornerback at Mesa college his sophomore year. He had experience playing the position.
Mesa Community College:
Following his stellar sophomore season in 2012, he was named an NJCAA First-Team All-American, the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) Defensive Player of the Year and a First-Team All-Conference member at cornerback and on returns and a First-Team All-Western States Football League (WSFL) pick at both cornerback and on returns.
jannesbjornson
September 03, 2019 at 02:43 pm
Is that like 1st team in triple-A or double A ?
Since'61
September 03, 2019 at 02:57 pm
Double A at best, more like A ball. Thanks, Since ‘61
jimtalkbox
September 03, 2019 at 11:57 am
By posting his "told you so!", he just reaffirmed why we got rid of him.
chitter23
September 03, 2019 at 12:20 pm
Leave it to Nagler to praise an obvious boner move. Yeah he was a cancer and needed to be gone. So why not cut him? Oh of course...because he has value outside of GB and a team (or teams) willing to offer something in exchange. That's why.
At that point the fact that he is a cancer is irrelevant. The fact is he is wanted outside the building means the GM needs to achieve value. After all, that is his freaking job description. Are we to believe the only offer on the table for Randall was Kizer?
It is impossible to praise this move because the value Gute achieved was less than what it would have been had he simply cut Randall. All the Packers and Gute did was waste time on a huge MISS by the GM.
And Kizer himself was also a first round pick who seemingly had value. Well he doesn't after you cut him. What else could we have gotten instead?
Let's praise Gute for being a lousy talent evaluator and giving Cleveland something of value.
Coldworld
September 03, 2019 at 12:59 pm
Gute didn’t pick Randall. Not sure I follow your logic,
chitter23
September 03, 2019 at 04:41 pm
I'm not surprised.
ThxJackVainisi
September 03, 2019 at 01:49 pm
chitter23, I give you credit for a unique take, but that's all I can praise about it. In the future if you want to really stand out making a point, try it real time. Think about how idiotic it would have been for Gutekunst to just release Randall: Historically idiotic, but you are voluntarily endorsing that idea. And if you're just doing so to make a point, you failed. Gutekunst and the Packers liked Kizer as they prepared for the 2017 draft. Like every other GM and every other personnel department in the history of the league they made a mistake in evaluating a prospect. BTW, Kizer wasn't a first round choice: He was pick number 52.
But here's something Gutekunst certainly deserves credit for: Admitting his and the Packers' mistake and moving on based on the performance of an UDFA. Far too often that doesn't happen.
chitter23
September 03, 2019 at 04:49 pm
I never said that. I said McCarthy should have cut him immediately. That was before Gute was GM if memory serves.
AND had they cut Randall immediately like I would have advocated, it would have achieved a better result than what Gute did in getting Kizer.
Had he kept Kizer instead of Boyle I don't say anything a Kizer still has value and potential value. But now he doesn't. So it is a HUGE loss. Which is all Gute has done is have HUGE losses. Ohhh he ALMOST got Khalil Mack! Ohhhh he almost got something for Mike Daniels! Ohhhh he totally insulted Jordy and every Packer on the roster with his mismanagement. And he spent $100 million dollars on guys who better pan out. Or will we just say sometimes evaluators are wrong?
Yeah. And Tim Boyle has SO much more upside than Kizer, that Gute is willing to toss all value away on the Randall trade. That's HOW badly he screwed this evaluation.
And I'll go you one better. He screwed up again in letting Kizer go. Gute has done nothing but hemorrhage value since his arrival.
ThxJackVainisi
September 03, 2019 at 05:00 pm
chitter,
You aren't helping yourself. McCarthy couldn't cut him as he was the HC, Thompson was the GM (This should go without saying, but it's apparently necessary here).
Then you advocate keeping Kizer so he "has value" rather than the player who beat him out of a job. Thank goodness Gutekunst isn't as foolish as your postings and instead of "saving the value" of the Randall trade, recognized reality and went with the better player. And what if they'd have kept Kizer and he never improved? How long would you keep him to foolishly save his value?
Your hatred of Gutekunst appears to have gotten the better of you. You aren't the kind of Packers fan who hopes the two Smiths, Amos, and Turner don't work out so you can say "I told you so", are you?
dobber
September 03, 2019 at 01:56 pm
"And Kizer himself was also a first round pick who seemingly had value. Well he doesn't after you cut him. What else could we have gotten instead?"
Kizer DID have value at the time of the deal. He STILL has value as does Hundley, despite what they put on film, as they're still on NFL rosters.
Think of it this way: what if Kizer came in and won the Bears game all by himself last year without ARod coming back onto the field? What if he ran the table in his late season starts? He would have been viewed as a tremendous lottery ticket that cashed in. Given how valuable good QB play is, he was worth the developmental risk.
chitter23
September 03, 2019 at 04:53 pm
What if he led the Packers to the Super Bowl with Rodgers on the bench. I can come up with hypotheticals that never happened too. Fun.
LeotisHarris
September 03, 2019 at 09:23 pm
chitter, at this stage in the debate you might want to fake a seizure. Or maybe just go with "I know you are, but what am I?"
dblbogey
September 03, 2019 at 11:49 pm
Um, Randall wasn't exactly a hot commodity. Played poorly and had attitude issues and every team knew that. What makes you think we could have gotten more for Randall?
croatpackfan
September 03, 2019 at 12:26 pm
Now, it is interesting how many immature comments about immature expression of former Packers player.
Randall played CB well, nothing special, because he played as safety all his career. He is above average safety, not top at the position, but I believe his reactions (toxic, of course) came from playing him out of his comfort zone. That produce a lot of knee jerk reaction from insecure young person. I also believe Randall has goal to become pro-bowl player...
skyler
September 03, 2019 at 12:54 pm
Amen, Randall is not perfect. Being an 'ASU grad, I know he was a confident player. He was not a trouble make at ASU. But drafting him and deciding to make him a corner broke his spirit. It made him do something he was uncomfortable with and not a natural. This is all on TT and MM. No Lessons learned from Rollins, etc. Sure, it is done from time to time converting someone to a new position that they didn't play in college. But athe level of times TT and MM did it was crazy. I do not believe any converted players during TT and MM tenure were successful. Lessons Learned Packer Organization
Roadrunner23
September 03, 2019 at 12:35 pm
Yeah well maybe if Randall wouldn’t been such a dickhead they would’ve kept him around.
56Packfan
September 03, 2019 at 12:41 pm
During Randall's last season here, he was complaining about accountability and how some people kept playing despite not keeping to that standard. Perhaps he was referring to HaHa. I do believe there was some bias among coaches as to who played back then. If he is a real cancer, why is he a fit now in Cleveland? Perhaps the coaches there seem more even handed. I hope our present coaches are better.
skyler
September 03, 2019 at 12:57 pm
Shaun Slocam can tell you that Randall was a good guy at ASU
fthisJack
September 03, 2019 at 02:20 pm
he's a fit in Cleveland cause they take on the devils rejects year after year. maybe he found his niche....big fish in a little pond. congratulations on being with a very crappy team that will never sniff the playoffs in your career.
jannesbjornson
September 03, 2019 at 03:40 pm
That operation resembled a 1/2 ring circus with the Guru stuck in time with his playbook and Ted missing on picks faster than a bent barrel 22. at the carnival. It does not help the player to be mis-cast at a position. Dix was a fraud and a coward playing the deep spot, blowing tackles and assignments. Randall's coping skills need a bit of brush up, but that clown show was in full meltdown by then, anyway.
jannesbjornson
September 03, 2019 at 03:42 pm
That operation resembled a 1/2 ring circus with the Guru stuck in time unfolding his playbook and Ted missing on picks faster than a bent barrel 22. at the carnival. It does not help the player to be mis-cast at a position. Dix was a fraud and a coward playing the deep spot, blowing tackles and assignments. Randall's coping skills need a bit of brush up, but that clown show was in full meltdown by then, anyway.
stockholder
September 03, 2019 at 01:28 pm
The whole Randall for Kizer trade, is poison to Gute. I liked the trade. Rodgers collar bone justified it. And everyone could see that the packers needed a back-up QB. The trouble is settling for less then expected. Were spoiled after having Favre and Rodgers. And as much as Kizer could talk. His arm and leadership wasn't the fit for the Packers. Is Boyle? No. But the packers need an arm first. And your just not going to get GOOD one in a bargain type trade. (Lesson Learned) The next MVP QB must be drafted. He must want to win. He must be Favre, Rodgers, and even Starr. He will carve out his own path. Randall can have the last word. Dorsey can have the last laugh. The road to the super-bowl hasn't changed over the years. You still need a QB who knows how to make it happen. Rodgers can. Randall couldn't.
WestCoastPackerBacker
September 03, 2019 at 01:42 pm
Hard to believe all the whining about this one. The GM who picked Randall is gone; it happened a long time ago now, and the coach who played him as a CB is gone as well. Like D-backs who have to forget their mistakes and move on to the next play (while learning from their mistakes), this front office has long ago moved on. And by cutting Kizer now, Gutey shows his willingness to move forward. As far as getting Kizer in trade, well if it was obvious who was going to develop into a great or even good QB, Rodgers would never have lasted in the '05 draft and CHI wouldn't have moved up to second place in to take Trubisky and let Pat Mahomes go.
stockholder
September 03, 2019 at 01:40 pm
I remember the trade for John Hadl. The vision was Brettt Favre. Kizer was John Hadl.
Since'61
September 03, 2019 at 02:45 pm
Not quite. The Packers gave away too much draft capital for Hadl and ruined the team’s drafting for the next 2 seasons resulting in a roster that couldn’t be improved again until the early 80s, not to mention that Hadl’s best days were way behind him by then.
The Kizer/Randall trade has left us no worse at backup QB (we still don’t have one who can win) and in fact better in our secondary. We are better off with Alexander, King, Amos and Savage than we would be with Randall in any of those spots. Thanks, Since ‘61
flackcatcher
September 03, 2019 at 05:22 pm
And a One and a Two and a One two three.... Some folks out in CHTV land have no idea how bad that trade was. So bad the league banned that type of trade from happening again without league approval. Outside of being a dog killer, Dan Divine became the worst HC/GM in Packer history. Some wounds never quite heal.
sonomaca
September 03, 2019 at 01:38 pm
Boring!!!!
PackfanNY
September 03, 2019 at 01:47 pm
Randall should just shut up. He’s just not that good. What I don’t get is that he was apparently unhappy. So, he got what he wanted and was shipped out of town. By all accounts he seems to be in a good place for him. So what’s the beef? Move on and try and win a little bit which is a lot more important than flapping your gums.
PackfanNY
September 03, 2019 at 01:53 pm
Randall should just shut up. He’s just not that good. What I don’t get is that he was apparently unhappy. So, he got what he wanted and was shipped out of town. By all accounts he seems to be in a good place for him. So what’s the beef? Move on and try and win a little bit which is a lot more important than flapping your gums.
D.D.Driver
September 03, 2019 at 01:55 pm
In general, Packer fans get way too worked up about comments from former players. Randall SHOULD want to prove the Packers made the worst trade in team history. I think he'd a be a loser if that wasn't his goal.
Yeah, it's kind of a slam on Deshone Kizer, It wasn't a very nice thing to say. But it's also not a very big deal.
I don't think these comments in any way justify the trade. If the Packers trade away every egotistical maniac, they will have a team that can't win a game but that leads the league in manners every year. Pro athletes are not like you and me. Few attain that level by being well-adjusted and even-keeled.
Lare
September 03, 2019 at 02:11 pm
Many of these guys are still kids, it takes some of them longer to grow up.
Actually, Randall is cutting down himself more than he is Kizer. If he doesn't respect what the Packers got in the trade, it shows that they didn't much respect what they were giving up.
Bear
September 03, 2019 at 02:39 pm
Hey guys I agree with you that he was a better safety than a cornerback.
We talk about him like he never played cornerback in college when he did. He was the Defensive player of the the year at Mesa College his Sophomore year before he went to Arizona State.
His write up:
Mesa Community College:
Following his stellar sophomore season in 2012, he was named an NJCAA First-Team All-American, the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) Defensive Player of the Year and a First-Team All-Conference member at cornerback and on returns and a First-Team All-Western States Football League (WSFL) pick at both cornerback and on returns.
Since'61
September 03, 2019 at 02:58 pm
New GMs come in and they want their guys. Randall wasn’t happy and wanted out of GB. Also as a new GM Gute wanted/needed to send the message that if you don’t want to play here or you can’t/won’t perform you will be gone.
Randall checked both boxes for Gute. Based on the moves Gute has made since he’s been GM if he could have made a better deal he would have. But we need to consider that he needed a backup QB at the time so he went for Kizer. It didn’t work out. It happens.
Bottom line is that Randall is not missed in GB and he shouldn’t be. It’s not like he was going to become Herb Adderly or Willie Wood. Our secondary is better now than when he was here at both CB and Safety. We’re still
looking for a backup QB but that is today’s NFL.
As for Nagler he did a nice job with a click bait headline and article because in the end who cares about Randall or what he says/does.
Thanks, Since ‘61
Lare
September 04, 2019 at 11:51 am
I don't ming professional athletes with a little swagger/arrogance/attitude. But like the saying goes "If you're going to talk the talk, you better be able to walk the walk".
I don't think Josh Jones, HHCD, or Randall could walk the walk.
jeremyjjbrown
September 03, 2019 at 03:46 pm
Meh,
Randall didn't say anything worse about Kizer than 90% of the people that post at this have said.
So what's with the double standard?
JHitTheB
September 04, 2019 at 06:18 am
Jeremy
How dare you call out hypocrisy - if you're going to think logically, you can't play this game lol.
shmelbs
September 03, 2019 at 03:50 pm
When did Ty Dunne become...Ty Dunne? Reading his long form pieces always makes me feel like I'm listening to a segment of Dateline with Keith Morrison. Or the Bill Hader impression of Keith Morrison.
LeotisHarris
September 03, 2019 at 09:16 pm
Excellent take, shmelbs. I think Tyler became Ty when he realized covering the Bills was the equivalent of shouting into a hole. Tired of his own echo, he turned into the character you've described.
Ustabeayooper
September 03, 2019 at 05:12 pm
Thank god the regular season is here. We can move on and quit focusing on free agency, the draft, and past players that are no longer with the Packers. Let the players performance do the talking.
albert999
September 03, 2019 at 10:03 pm
Randall’s a dick
Glad he’s gone
greengold
September 04, 2019 at 08:12 am
Punk. Headcase. Freelancer.
Randall walked out on his team, put his coat on and walked out of Lambeau Field, while they were still playing the Bears. His teammates wanted him kicked off the Packers.
Suck it, loser.
justjan
September 04, 2019 at 11:42 am
Randall is a punk. Glad he is gone.
Tony Baloney
September 04, 2019 at 09:47 pm
It doesn't matter if Kiser worked out for us or not.
It was well known Randall was a cancer in the locker room. He had to go.