C.D. Angeli said "Any other year I’d probably be complaining. This year, while it may not be the moves that make the Packers a winner, it’s still the winning move."
-----------------------------------------
I'm not in agreement with C.D. on this, but, we'll see how it all plays out. My expectations for the Packers are continuous improvement over the previous seasons. IMO, the conservative approach generally leads to a slow erosion.

Aaron, I am not proposing that. I live in DC and have laughed for years at the Redskins' approach. There is a <b>middle ground</b> that has been successfully exploited by GM's like Ron Wolf. Ted has even dabbled there a little bit. He shouldn't go overboard in the conservative direction now. He should be willing to mix it up with quality free agents and the draft. Improving from within only works when you have emerging talent on the roster. Some of our "emerging talent," isn't talented. O-line, and the secondary are two examples. And IMO, the jury is out on our O-line coach's ability to coach.

Jim - Out of curiosity, who in the current free agent market would you like the Packers to go after? Who are the quality O-line and DB free agents?

hyperRevue - I know you're asking a set-up question to prove a point, but let me answer: There's nobody out there in 10' that either a) brings a new dimension/wrinkle to the current roster or, b) represents an improvement over the current talent on the roster.

2011 (depending on what the CBA indicates) has the potential to be a great FA class. 10', however, is only for those desperate to improve a god-aweful roster (See Bears/Lions as evidence and it begs the question: will they even sniff the playoffs with all that guaranteed money?)

hyper, the first one that comes to mind is S Ryan Clark. I know, I know. He already re-upped with the Steelers. I would have liked him to at least have a visit to GB to see if there was mutual interest. Maybe the calls were placed and the interest just wasn't there...Ted doesn't keep me in the loop. :D How about Jammal Brown or Jermon Bushrod from the Saints?

Saints have tendered Brown at the highest level so any team interested in signing him away would have to compensate the Saints with a 1st and 3rd round draft pick, unless the Saints agreed to lesser compensation. He was injured all of last year and didn't play.

Bushrod has a 2nd round tender but the Saints could easily match.

Personally, I think the price for Brown is too steep.

Jim. Those are RFAs... Pretty pricey ones. I for one think Brown is actualy worth it. But I can understand why one wouldn't pull the trigger on a 1st and 3rd, with such a deep draft, and with the Packers not having exactly just one need.
-
Bushrod, on the other hand, isn't worth his price tag...

I'm not afraid of RFA's, if the value is reasonable, and I agree that my two examples were of questionable value. Sorry about that. My point is that we (perhaps Ted, too???) tend to think in terms of UFA's and I think we need to seriously consider RFA's, too. We swing and miss on some of our draft picks, so why not consider using some of them in FA. We should be exploring trades, as well. OK, I'm done playing GM. Thanks Holiday Inn Express! :D

Cromartie and Rolle are gone. Wouldn't have minded seeing one or both in a Packer uniform. The price was very high for both but for the Giants and Jets they are perfect fits. The problem with FA is the big money guarentees and how that translates to play on the field. I guess it really boils down to individual character.
_____
To me it's not a one or the other issue. It breaks down to balance. That's the one big way Wolf is different than TT. FA is a rare commodity with TT. This puzzles me because he has made good choices when he has dipped into the market. Pickett, Woodson and Chilar are good examples. Ya, Chilar's not a star but he is good enough to contribute. I would use him as a standard to go into the FA market for O linemen. This area is one of the real weaknesses of TT's philosophy. His draft picks have not lived up to their billings. Sitton being the lone exception to that statement. You can also add Lang to the potential category. The rest have not developed as they should have by now. In short, add Chilar like FA's to the O line now to fill the backup spots. It's not likely there will be a front liner that TT will take a flier on.
_____
Balance between draft, FA and resigning contriubutors is the key.

Ron LC, name a better interior offensive line (G/C/G) in the NFC North? name the NFC North team that has more depth on the interior than the Packers?

I agree they have ample room for improvement, especially at the tackle positions. Jury is out on Lang, but he has promise. LT is an issue.

No, I'm not defending TT's collective line picks, but he has a better batting average than his division.

ha. CSS - it was half set-up and half genuine. I promise.

---

Personally, I'd love to see the Packers take a look at Joey Porter as a compliment to Clay. I saw him a potential Charles Woodson-type, meaning some character issues would scare teams off and he could be had at a bargain later in free agency. But with his upcoming trip to Arizona, that doesn't seem to be the case.

Aaron - Reports have the Browns shopping Quinn. Let the Flynn rumors live on!

Is RFA Jared Gaither (Ravens LT) worth a 1st? Hmmm...

You're correct, Aaron. That's why I said he can certainly do better. But also put into perspective how delving into FA at the O-line position has gone for the division:

Bears: Frank Omiyale (G), Robert Garza (G)
Lions: Melvin Fowler (G), Jon Jansen (G)

The Vikings paid dearly for Hutchinson and it was a good signing. Packers have drafted better along the O-line than all three.

I won't dispute what you're saying about benchmarking beyond the division, but that's where it starts.

Aaron, I"d spend that much money and that 1st and 3rd in Jamaal Brown. He's an elite franchise LT, and those are really hard to find. And about the Saints re-signing him, not if it'd take them 40M guaranteed if Brown played 4 or more games in the state of Louisiana ;)

I'm not sure why the intra-division comparison means anything. The Packer O line has 3 Sheman left overs, both tackles and Center. Sitton is no doubt going to be a star. Colledge has had four full years to show his ability. Sorry he hasnt done a thing to show he can improve from what he is.
_____
My point was that the three older Sherman leftovers are at risk of missing games during the year. The Packers have no one to replace them. Spitz 5 years and has yet to perform at the level advertised. As a center he was a total bust and guard at best below average. Giacomoni a total loss. He was inactive 15 out of 16 games last year. A total waste of a roster spot. Barbre, check out the stats for the first 4 games last year. He cannot play tackle. Lang has a real chance of being good, I agree. EDS has not played enough in the line to make an educated guess as to his ability. I must assume that if MM thought he had the potential, he would have actually played more. His only extended playing time was the 2nd half of the last game. To say he is this terror on the field is to believe coach talk. Remember killer Barbre going into last year. Just saying they need better reserves before the season than they have now. They have to be better prepared for the possibility of injury at the key spots.

I think Thompson has his "system" for free agent signings, whatever it is exactly, and he sticks by it religiously. If he can find a guy who is available for less than he thinks the guy is worth, he'll go after him. If not, then needs be damned, it's not happenin'. This year or any other.

Aaron, there's a long list of OT's available in FA. None would be instant game changers but could be better than Breno and Barbre for example. A change like that would help and not cost too much. At least they've got film on some of these guys and can make a judgement on their real, not perceived ability.
That's what they pay Campan to do, make the line better.

Does anybody think that maybe James Campen might be the problem? This guy was a solid Packer back in his playing days...but can this guy really teach and coach? Why not bring in a guy like Russ Grimm, or better yet...Bruce Matthews? I don't think we can lay all the blame on TT for the lack of drafting / developing a offensive line. I have never been a fan of the zone blocking scheme either.

IMO, Campen is a good part of the problem. Still, we have to field a solid line with "good enough" backups, otherwise, we'll do no better than this past season. If I was Ted, I would make a run at some of the FA OT's, maybe even OG's.

Three points-One FA is not like it was in Ron Wolf's era.
Two, TT has to take into account what bringing in a high price FA does to the locker room. Players use $ as a criteria and if current players (insert Collins) take exception this could upset the cohesiveness of a team.
Thirdly,TT has been around a looong time. He took the Seahawks to the SB. I judge he's using the formula that you pick and choose FA's (Woodson, Picket, Chillar)that fit as you're building a championship team letting your younger players develop. And when you're near the top you then reach to bring in veterans to get you over the hump.