packergeeks

The Charles Woodson Mystery

awhayes — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:19:54 +0000

I know Charles Woodson has gotten older, he’s had injury issues and overall his performance has dropped some. And he has very evidently lost speed (which is concerning considering he was never super fast to begin with). But I’m surprised he hasn’t been picked up yet. The guy is a locker room leader and a field general. He commands instant respect from opposing QBs and offensive skill players – and most importantly, from young defenders on his own team. He’s a scary guy to throw at. But it is his unmatched football instincts that would have me calling if I were a GM of another team. He is a turnover machine because of these instincts – he just has a sense for the game that no young dude, no matter how athletically gifted, can match. Now, I can understand why the Packers got rid of him (primarily financial reasons, but also because I think his style no longer really fits our defense) and I can understand why prospective teams may be hesitant again given his age, his recent injuries and his salary demands. But I would think Woodson and some team could agree on a fair compensation deal (incentive-based) that would make both of them happy. I’m guessing it happens with the Broncos this weekend and I’m guessing he helps lead the Broncos deep into the playoffs next year.

Frankly, I’m surprised that the Bears haven’t pounced yet. I would think the temptation for a guaranteed 1-2 turnovers a game by the Woodson/Tillman duo would be too great. Can you imagine how awful it would be to catch a pass in a secondary with Tillman and Woodson running around?

Von Miller and chickens

awhayes — Fri, 03 May 2013 13:32:58 +0000

“I’m the only one that wears glasses and raises chickens and plays football the way I do.” – Von Miller.

Maybe one of the top quotes in recent years from an NFL player. Read here for more on Von Miller’s chicken farm aspirations. Both odd and cool at the same time. Good for him. Great player.

Eddie Lacy too!

awhayes — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 01:57:27 +0000

Wow. Hard to believe he dropped in the draft like this. Packer fans should be excited about the draft so far – and we’ve only made 2 picks. While I really like DuJuan Harris and think he could be great RB some day, I think pairing him with Lacy could really make for a unique running attack. Mix Starks in there for a random, different, upright style and defenses might finally have some trouble with our running game. This is a good draft pick.

(Dave in Tucson, I agree we now need to grab a few OL guys, but I think this is a good pick.)

More info on Datone

awhayes — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 21:45:08 +0000

If you want to read more about Datone, Tyler Dunne had this rather prophetic piece on Datone just a few days ago. Seems like a likeable guy who is hungry. All the talk about his relentless style has to have massive appeal to Packer fans especially when you consider “relentless” may be the best way to describe Matthews. Together they could make things awful for an opposing QB.

Packers extend Rodgers

awhayes — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 21:23:04 +0000

Finally, a deal has been reached. Read here. Rodgers signs for 5 years and $110m. That’s huge. Wow. Hard to argue the guy doesn’t deserve it after what he’s done in his career. He is on a trajectory to be one of the best QBs to ever play. That may sound like inflated/biased Packer fan talk but really, it’s just the truth. I like this signing, I like the Matthews signing, I like the Datone Jones pick and I’ll like the team even more if we can fill some holes here this weekend in the draft.

Go Packers!

Packers pick Datone Jones

awhayes — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 03:08:00 +0000

I like this pick. The highlights look good and I like how the Packers might be able to use him. But what draws me most to this guy are his moves on the line. He seems to have an abnormally quick first step and while I know the NFL is a much faster game, I’m guessing he will be plenty disruptive (ideally playing on the other side of the field from Matthews).

Packers should pick up Elvis Dumervil…now

awhayes — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:15:24 +0000

As anticipated the Broncos just released DE Elvis Dumervil. Read here. This guy is a fantastic player. I know he’d be expensive, but he was released pretty much just because of a contract snafu. He would be an AMAZING complement to Matthews.

Come on Ted.

Walden signs $16M deal – really?

awhayes — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 12:42:00 +0000

Read here. Walden had some OK plays as a Packer, but a 4 year $16M deal with Indy? That doesn’t make much sense to me. The guy is just not very good.

Woodson gone – another veteran leaving

awhayes — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 20:55:55 +0000

Read here. First Driver, now apparently Charles Woodson. It seems sure that Woodson will be released. On paper, his release makes some sense. He has been injured often in recent years and he was set to count $10 mil against the cap this coming year. He’s also 36 and slower and not as quick as he once was. And, there is some young talent that may need spots to open up so they can get their opportunities.

But where this may hurt the most is his presence. Woodson is a leader – a credible leader young guys respect. He is a true professional dedicated to his craft and he has been an absolutely stellar role model for younger players ever since joining the Packer family. Veteran “presence” is an intangible benefit that is difficult to quantify but his departure will leave a leadership void in the secondary. Even when he was injured over the past few years, he was around and maintained his “presence”. Tramon Williams suddenly becomes the “veteran” guy – and he’s coming off a 2nd consecutive questionable year. (Fortunately, Tramon has learned from Woodson how to lead via example etc, but I just don’t think he has the capacity to be the same kind of leader.) Yes, Hayward and House being there make me feel a little better about the succession plan, but I still worry about the veteran leadership void on the defense.

Despite slowing down a bit, it’s hard to imagine Woodson not moving on to help a team somewhere given he’s just a couple years removed from one of the most impressive defensive seasons any DB has had in a long time.

In the end, these are really difficult decisions to make. I think TT’s strength (and sometimes weakness) is being able to make cold, calculated decisions about personnel. But this can be a weakness at times too because I believe his pro-youth bias has left a few of his teams lacking in the veteran leadership department – and this can be a missing factor for taking a team to another level (see Ray Lewis). In the end, if I were GM, I probably would have asked Woodson to take a substantial pay cut in an effort to keep him around for another year. But it sounds a little like Woodson may not have been willing to entertain this option – so I guess I may have cut him too.

As GM – what would you have done?

Donald Driver retiring

awhayes — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 18:12:47 +0000

Read here. Sad day for Packer Nation. Donald Driver has been such a great story to follow. What an amazing guy. Who Driver is and his legacy as a player have been such a good match for the Packers. We all have enjoyed watching his improbable rise to stardom due mostly to a rare work ethic and a special ability to focus. Packer fans are no strangers to hard work – so again it makes sense that he may go down as one of the most popular Packers ever to play.

I find it particularly awesome that the image most of us have in our minds of Donald Driver when we think of him, is probably of his enormous, infectious smile. Awesome guy. We’ll miss you Donald.