wpr
  • wpr
  • Preferred Member Topic Starter
15 years ago
ESPN 


Players under contract:

No.       Name                           Pos      Ht         Wt        Age      Exp.     College                        Acquired

71         Josh Sitton                   RG       6-3        322       23         2        Central Florida               D4b-08

63         Scott Wells                   C        6-2        300       29         6        Tennessee                    D7-04

70         T.J. Lang                     T/G       6-4        316       22         R        Eastern Michigan           D4-09

78         Allen Barbre                  RT        6-4        305       25         3         Missouri Southern St.    D4-07

68         Breno Giacomini          	 RT        6-7        311       24         2         Louisville                      D5-08

62         Evan Dietrich-Smith    	 G/C      6-2        305       23         R          Idaho State                   FA-09

64         Stanley Daniels           	 G          6-4        328       25         1         Washington                   FA-09

 

Unrestricted free agents:

No.       Name                       Pos      Ht         Wt        Age      Exp.     College                        Acquired

76         Chad Clifton              LT         6-5        320       33         10     Tennessee                    D2-00

65         Mark Tauscher             RT        6-3        316       32         10      Wisconsin                     D7a-00

 

Restricted free agents:

No.       Name                           Pos      Ht         Wt        Age      Exp.     College                        Acquired

73         Daryn Colledge              LG        6-4        308       28         4        Boise State                   D2a-06

72         Jason Spitz                 C/G      6-3        307       27         4          Louisville                      D3b-06
 


The good news: As disappointing as the early-season protection catastrophes and season-ending sack numbers (56, including five in the playoff loss to Arizona) were, there were plenty of bright spots on the line: Wells, who lost out on the starting center job to Spitz, came off the bench and proved he shouldve kept the job to begin with; Sitton emerged in his second NFL season as arguably the lines best player; Lang surprised even the personnel and coaching staffs by being more NFL-ready than the team thought hed be coming out of college; and Tauscher re-signed Oct. 12 and essentially saved the season with his veteran savvy and know-how. So the year wasnt a total loss. That said, for this team to become one of the leagues elite and for Aaron Rodgers to start all 16 games for a third straight season the protection will have to improve.



The bad news: Not only is there mass uncertainty with Clifton and Tauscher headed for unrestricted free agency and Colledge and Spitz ticketed for restricted free agency under the rules governing the uncapped 2010 season, but the depth has to be a concern. As much of a revelation as Lang was, Barbre was awful as the starting right tackle, and there are serious questions as to whether he is an NFL-caliber player at this point. The coaches love his size, his athleticism and his nasty streak, but none of that does him much good if he has brain freezes, blowing assignments and forgetting his technique. Then theres Giacomini, who inexplicably has kept his roster spot for two years without showing so much as a hint of potential. Granted, he did spend part of his college career at Louisville as a tight end, and he does have good size, but right now hes done nothing to excite, much less encourage. When critics question whether general manager Ted Thompson can effectively draft offensive linemen, Giacomini is often the player they have in mind.



The big question: Will Colledge ever become a player?



Of all the issues facing the line and lets be honest, finding the left and right tackles of the future (and possibly present) is a more pressing issue than Colledges play whats most vexing is why Colledge, a second-round pick in 2006, hasnt hit his stride yet. Hes started 63 of a possible 67 games (including playoffs), has size and is athletic, and yet he hasnt been the kind of dominating player he believes hes capable of being. (Hes also shown that hes not the answer at left tackle if Clifton departs.) Although his status as a restricted free agent means the Packers will likely tender him a qualifying offer and bring him back for another year, thats not guaranteed. Had he played better, he might have merited a long-term offer, but the team might decide to take a wait-and-see approach with a one-year deal if that. Meanwhile, Spitzs back injury does not appear career-threatening, and so far, hes outperformed Colledge when healthy. The two players are close friends and could find themselves battling for one starting job in training camp next summer, assuming both are re-signed.



Offseason outlook: A look at the high-profile tackles available in free agency leaves one disappointed, as the best options are all restricted (New Orleans Jamaal Brown, Pittsburghs Willie Colon, San Diegos Marcus McNeill and Baltimores Jared Gaither) and their respective teams are unlikely to let them go. The best unrestricted options? Two of them Clifton and Tauscher are Packers. The others Arizonas Mike Gandy and San Franciscos Tony Pashos do little to excite. If you want veteran free agents, why not just keep your own guys? Clifton could command an Orlando Pace-type deal (three years, $15 million from Chicago last year) despite his injury history, and thats a deal that Packers should make in a heartbeat, given the dearth of other options at their disposal. Tauscher, too, should be brought back, although he may not get more than a one-year offer. In the meantime, tackle is the one slam-dunk position in the draft where the Packers absolutely must find help. The top-rated tackles entering the NFL Scouting Combine are Oklahoma States Russell Okung, Oklahomas Trent Williams, Rutgers Anthony Davis and Iowas Bryan Bulaga, whom ESPNs Mel Kiper projects as the Packers pick at No. 23 in the first round.


UserPostedImage
RajiRoar
15 years ago
College concerns me VERY much. when a gaurd gives up 9 sacks, there is a problem (a getting mauled by DTs kinda problem)

MintBaconDrivel
Dec, 11, 2012 - FOREVER!
all_about_da_packers
15 years ago
^ Put bluntly, Colledge played so badly last year that the Packers would be justified in not even tendering him at all, and letting him walk.

That said, what you need in an offensive linemen is smarts, and so far there does not seem to be any question if Colledge has the smarts to be a linemen in the NFL. Whereas Barbre has shown his mental-makeup is not NFL ready, Colledge at least has shown he can digest NFL defensive sets and formations.

Add to that, outside of maybe Spitz, Colledge is the most versatile linemen we have. Dude has played LT, LG, RG, RT in a pinch for us before. That's some great versatility. Granted he was terrible at LT the past year, but he has shown previously that he can hold his own somewhat at those positions.


All in all, for as bad as Colledge played the past season, he still brings some positives to the table. I agree with Wilde that his inconsistency even as a vet is maddening, but for a 'same round pick' tender of about 1.2 million.... Colledge may not be a bad option to bring back.
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TheEngineer
15 years ago
We seem to be quite good at developing QBs and the defensive front 7. But we just can't seem to nurture offensive linemen and special teams players in the recent past. Maybe it's the coaches.
blank
Pack93z
15 years ago
My personal opinion, until the Packers or more specifically Mike McCarthy can see that James Campen and Fonteno aren't getting the job done in developing talent and teaching proper technique and scheme, we are going to be in the same boat time and time again.

IMO... Re - Ink Tauscher and Clifton (club friendly deal) .. and then set a course in replenishing our tackle depth, we have a huge start in Lang, and hire a offensive line coach that has a wealth of experience and a track record for developing talent.

IMO, fixing the coaching staff at this position is paramount to getting consistent offensive line play.
"The oranges are dry; the apples are mealy; and the papayas... I don't know what's going on with the papayas!"
Nonstopdrivel
15 years ago
I'm amazed McCarthy hasn't attempted to use the offensive line coaches as scapegoats, if for no other reason than to save his own hide. I can't imagine the higher ups in Green Bay tolerating too many more seasons of appalling play like we witnessed this year and last year.
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wpr
  • wpr
  • Preferred Member Topic Starter
15 years ago
The thing that frustrates me the most about the OL is that it takes half the season to get into some kind of rhythm. Either they are scrapping what they did at the beginning of the season or takes them that long to figure out what needs to be done.

And they do this year after year.
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dfosterf
15 years ago

The thing that frustrates me the most about the OL is that it takes half the season to get into some kind of rhythm. Either they are scrapping what they did at the beginning of the season or takes them that long to figure out what needs to be done.

And they do this year after year.

"wpr" wrote:



The greatest irony to me, and even more infuriating, is the seeming lack of a sense of real urgency due to the RELATIVE improvement on that o-line as the season progresses.

Something else falls apart, and then everyone starts clamoring to fix that in lieu of fixing the OL.

I think Ted and this staff have done a pretty crappy job of trying to fix this line. It could be the coaches fault, due to sticking with a ZBS scheme and "ideal fit for a ZBS scheme" acquisition mindset. I don't think anyone outside the organization really knows who to fairly "blame".

I say we have to re-sign both Cliffy and Tausch, as well as Colledge, and possibly see if we can work some sort of deal to get Brown in trade for Kampy....because of the final 8 thing it is at least in the realm of possibility, though just barely... That tag and trade would have to be worked out in advance for me to advocate this... I don't see it, but can hope...

I want to draft an LT if it is even CLOSE in the BPA, 1st round, would hope it is one of the bigger guys, expect it will not be..

I don't see Lang as an LT, some do, I don't. RT yes, but I want Tausch as insurance, friggin Giacomini was a waste, as was Barbre, as was Meredith.

Sitton is our best player at his position, followed by Wells, Spitz is over-rated due to the relative suckiness of the rest of them, Cliffy is one overpriced QB killing accident waiting to happen, and Tausch is functional only.

Colledge should be a back-up, and he always should have been. We will continue to pay if he is out there, just like Cliffy. I couldn't give a rat's ass about EDS or Stanley Daniels.

I'm with Wade. Draft the piss out of O-linemen. If an FA becomes available, scarf him. Gonna have to do something, because imo, it is way past too late to develop 'em without an extreme risk to some serious DETERIORATION in the quality of the oline play...far more likely than an improvement, again, imo, and that should scare the shit out of everyone.

The theme for the offensive line this year's off-season will be "OVERPAID". That is the reality of a mostly failed strategy to properly address the situation. The thought of how much $$$ Cliffy and Colledge are going to get sort of pisses me off.
wpr
  • wpr
  • Preferred Member Topic Starter
15 years ago
I want to see them draft 2 OL. LT in round 1. G in rounds 3 or 4.
And pick up a QUALITY RT via trade or a FA.

Resign Clifton and Tauscher to 1 year deals.
Release Barbre and Giacomini.

the line would be:

LT		LG		C		RG		RT
Clifton		Spitz		Wells		Sitton		Veteran FA
Draft Pick	Colledge	Dietrich-	Draft Pick	Tauscher
				Smith				Lang  

There would be flexiblity all across the line. If we can not land a FA RT then Lang would have to step up sooner.
UserPostedImage
yooperfan
15 years ago

We seem to be quite good at developing QBs and the defensive front 7. But we just can't seem to nurture offensive linemen and special teams players in the recent past. Maybe it's the coaches.

"TheEngineer" wrote:



Maybe it's the drafting AND the coaches.
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