Like your comment Doug - it's the relative parity that keeps people watching. The counterpoint is that there were better players available, and they didn't draft them. Carl Lawson is a good example (drafted after Biegel). It's unrealistic for a team to always get that one good player who was lower in the draft order, but you would at least like to get a player who contributes, and some of the more recent drafts haven't done that.
Here's a thought - Damarius Randall would have been a pretty good free safety, and if they hadn't spent 3 years trying him at corner, he might have been happier and less of a locker room cancer. So in essence they drafted a decent player, and didn't play him at his best position. I think most would agree that Hyde would also be an improvement over what they have now at safety, and they let him walk.

" The bashing of the Packer’s drafting is getting really old as are the “realists” pointing out this lack of talent on the team. A true realist would recognize that the NFL is designed to starve winning teams of talent while advancing the talent levels of lesser teams. This results in wild swings among franchises. The 2-14 Rams draft in the top three for three years in a row (where the generational talents lie) and then have success with their new toys on rookie contracts. And some of you people act like they have a very smart front office and we should have had the foresight to draft Aaron Donald. Newsflash: top five talent is not available at 14, 24 or 32 in the draft."

You can trade draft picks to move up in the draft to get the elite player. Something that TT did once in 09' and has traded back and back yearly and then some scream with joy the trade up from 6th to 5 th rd for Hundley. It also means retaining a player that is actually worth keeping and paying and not because you have no other choice as like with Perry. Paying and keeping nothing gets you nothing. Surely the fact that anyone else at his position offers the same return was a choice that would have saved money for an actual OLB, you know, like Mack.
Bringing back players that were let go due to drop in play the first time isn't really improving the now but returning to the past....House and Williams.
Making better FA acquisitions would also help as like the Rams but these players don't come to GB for other reasons than the lack of nightlife.
The ability to adapt during off season and in game regular season also helps unless one is tied to the chair of rinse/repeat.
Of coarse parity is a standard for the NFL but some know how to work around it and GB isn't one of them.
The Packers are window shoppers that always find a way to not buy anything. This is not always a bad fault, but it 's certainly a fault that GB loves to believe shines bright.

The Packers have an organizational deficiency when it comes to defense. Either they draft the wrong players, use them in the wrong way, don't give them enough coaching, or all of the above. When you've invested this many high picks in the defense and it never gets any better, there must be some problems--wouldn't you agree?

Every team has the chance to improve or regress during (or before) free agency. The Packers choose not to retain the services of good players like Hayward and Jenkins, but insist on resigning/keeping ineffective players such as....take your pick.

I'm not satisfied with playoff appearances anymore. That's the Vikings' way of displaying their history. I want to see another year carved on our wall.

Donald went 13th. Brockers 14th. Gurley went 10th. True, those are higher picks than we generally had. Raji went 9th, and he never was a Donald or Brockers. Goff, of course, went #1 with a trade up.

LAR missed on OT Greg Robinson (#2) and Tavon Austin (#8). Even drafting that high, that is a good percentage, particular since several look like elite to close to elite players.

LAR only drafted 6 of their 11 offensive starters.
LAR only drafted 5 of their 11 defensive starters.

LAR is 2nd in the NFL by APY of their roster at $202M. They do fill in a lot or their roster with draft picks and other homegrown-talent. It is a very top-heavy team in terms of money by APY, though not by Cap Hit this year (a lot of back-loaded contracts). Their situation is saved only by having a good rookie contract QB. They did make some trades, like for Talib and Peters. Still, their APY spending on outside talent ranks just 14th in the NFL, so they have signed some huge names but overall their spending on FAs is not far from the median amount.

I don't think you're wrong. Money should (but doesn't always) fluctuate based on record. Some GMs manage to have bad talent, bad teams, and no cap space. Mack only makes sense for Chicago if Trubisky develops a lot. Otherwise, Chicago is looking at a meh team with $12M in cap space in 2019 (though clearly, they'll offload TE Sims at $6M savings) and meh draft picks when they finally stop sending them to Oakland.

Part of LAR's success is astute drafting. Finding OG Saffold and OT Havenstein in the 2nd round ( 33rd and 57th) and OG Jamon Brown (3rd - 72nd) helps a lot with the cap. 2 of those 3 are still on their rookie deals. They bought the OC and LT.

Like the optimism PackFan, but going into this year I felt the Pack were into a two year mini-rebuild.

They had Arods extension to work-out which didn't leave a ton of cap room left combined with a horrific '15 draft class that has produced no impact players (actually only one role player left on the roster) was too much to overcome. The '16 & '17 drafts were better, but not enough to fill all their holes.

This year I was hoping they could hold serve, make it to playoffs and if providence was on their side, win a few there to make it interesting. I thought next year with a couple ones, much more cap room, free agency and a better talent evaluator they could but enough pieces together to become one of the top, if not the top, NFC contenders.

MM may very well be the problem as opposed to being the one to solve the problem.

Jones is a good runner....I won’t deny that. But...his lack of pass protection is not overblown and He had a big time drop yesterday. He doesn’t catch as well....whatever he did in college is fine, but as a pro blocking and catching is a big part of the game. Yes...he can break a big run off, but once a defense keys in on that what’s left? It doesn’t matter, opposing defenses are rushing the Packers hard whether it’s run, pass , play action or RPO... until the Packers keep Lewis on the line Every play...it’s not changing, they are coming into the backfield. Williams averaging 4 yards per carry, blocking and catching passes has been a bright spot He had 9 and 10 yard runs as well. The same people who over rated Mays, where’s Mays now? Is he waiting to have a breakout season somewhere else?

Hopefully they can figure out ways to get Jones in space. But acting like he’s going to save the Packers all by himself is shortsighted. For every long run Jones breaks...the 1, 2 yard runs combined with poor blocking and drops hurt as much as the long runs help. The Packers could kinda fix this by keeping Jones and Williams in the backfield together....but that leaves em short a WR. Or keep tight ends on the line every play...but then the same problem...short a WR. The Packers have been playing from behind in the last 2 of three games....so emphasing running wouldn’t have fixed that problem. I had to kind of cry and laugh yesterday....a full back played a huge roll in some teams success yesterday, Jones could play more downs and designed runs with a fullback in front of him. I have zero confidence in Graham or Kendrick’s in an H back role.....that’s not why they got them. I’m still trying to figure out why Kendrick’s was valued more that Tonyan.

The author is writing what he thinks is true just like you are. Monty has proved himself at RB but should be split out and used more like a poor man's Kamara. Williams is a great pass blocker and falls forward in short yardage situations. Jones is your home run hitter.

Don't worry, they will all be gone by tomorrow and won't show up until the Packers lose their next game...

Ha Ha - king of the the back-peddle and standing around the pile.

He got his pro-bowl nod a few years ago by taking advantage of deflected or overthrown INT's while standing ten yards behind the play.

He seems very reluctant to stick his nose in the action, which explains, in part, why he hasn't had many injuries in his time here.

Not much of a ball-hawk either. Maybe it's me, but I don't recall too many times where I've seen Dix contesting passes and breaking up a throw.

GB has to go in another direction next year. Yet another piece for Gute to plug.

Man, they need a cheeseheadtv article advertising this info. Well done.

I feel the same way.

What's disappointed me the most in 2018 is the same stale offense. I was really hoping the scrubbing the playbook talk by MM with the return of Philbin would make a difference. It's only game 3 and we could still see changes on both offense and defense but so far it's been frustrating.

I have been asking myself, very weird. If he does not play with Bulaga likely out for a bit, I will be shocked. He should be inline helping that right side. Why else make the aquisition??

On the bench.