10 burning questions in advance of the combine
By Greg A. Bedard of the Journal Sentinel
Feb. 24, 2010
You may or may not have noticed but the Packers' fan blog "Railbird Central" is now under the jsonline.com umbrella, and we are very happy to have Brian Carriveau and his compatriots as part of the extended family.
Just make sure you keep your shoes off the coffee table, Brian. And pickup after yourself, will ya?
Brian does a great job keep fans abreast of everything that's going on with the Packers in cyberspace. His "Packers Daily Links" is a great read each day and kind of closely resembles something else that was out there last offseason. Oh, don't worry Brian, the Packers Daily Briefing is coming back post-combine and wants its title back as the best daily Packers must-read.
Anyways, as a way to welcome Railbird to their new digs and to get everyone primed for the combine that will start Thursday and be staffed by myself and Bob McGinn, we decided to have Brian hit with 10 burning questions headed into Indy:
1. With the NFL Combine starting this week, what's it like from a journalist's perspective? What do you get to see that fans can't see on the NFL Network?
The short answer is, not a whole heck of a lot. The combine has really changed over the years. It used to be just a quaint gathering of scouts without much media that was originally designed to save every team the travel costs of having to go to every pro day. But the NFL is just a big money-making business now that no expense is spared. So they travel all during the college season, and then they go to every pro day. Now everybody comes, including every media outlet in the country. The change from the RCA Dome to Lucas Oil Stadium last year really changed things and took some of the luster off from a media perspective. There used to be one corridor leading in and out of the RCA Dome. So if you wanted to speak to a GM, coach or scout, you simply waited for them to walk buy. Now the media is stuck in the back of the building and the GMs, coaches and scouts walk in the front. So unless you work really hard, you might not get to talk to anybody by yourself on the side. But there are still ways to do that, you just have to know them. If you covered a team that doesnt mind tampering or is very active early in free agency, that would be important. But the Packers are one of the few teams that plays by the rules thats not an indictment and they dont get involved in the first weekend of free agency, so most of their dealings with agents in Indy are minor in nature. Most of the media access is strictly podium stuff with the players, and some GMs and coaches. The media is only allowed access to one period on Sunday for the quarterback workouts when members of the Pro Football Writers Association are allowed in. Bob McGinn and myself will be there this year.
2. Which prospects are you interested in seeing that you weren't able to see at the Senior Bowl?
All of the top juniors. Thats also what the Packers will be doing. This is their first opportunity to get their hands on and into the minds of the draft-eligible juniors. Theyve talked and prodded all the top seniors at the various all-star games, including the Senior Bowl. This is where they do a lot of the legwork on the younger players. So specifically, (in no particular order) OT Bryan Bulaga, OT Bruce Campbell, RB Jahvid Best, WR Dez Bryant, OT Anthony Davis, RB Jonathan Dwyer, CB Joe Haden, RB Ryan Matthews, LB Rolando McClain, DE Jason Pierre-Paul and WR Golden Tate.
3. Who are a handful of players that might be available to the Packers at the 23rd pick of the draft?
Just a guess: OTs Anthony Davis, Bruce Campbell, Bryan Bulaga; RBs C.J. Spiller, Jahvid Best, Ryan Matthews, Jonathan Dwyer, LeGarrette Blount, Dexter McCluster; S Taylor Mays, Larry Asante; CBs Devin McCourty, Kyle Wilson, Patrick Robinson; OLBs: Brandon Graham, Bruce Carter, Sean Weatherspoon. Should be able to get a really good player there. Deep draft in most spots.
4. Who's a mid- to late-round draft choice that intrigues you? Why?
Will be able to answer this better in April, but how a about a few to watch for now? Just going on the guys I saw at the Senior Bowl: RB Ben Tate (Auburn), really good between the tackles with some shake; QB Tim Tebow (Florida), Green Bay is a perfect spot for him to develop ala Aaron Rodgers and he can play H-back in the meantime. Trade him down the road; TE Jimmy Graham (Miami), basketball player with phenomenal athletic ability that is just learning the position; Austen Lane (Murray State), good developmental player; OBrien Schofield (Wisconsin), shame he tore his ACL. Other seniors: RB Javarris James (Miami), OT Roger Saffold (Indiana), OT Cord Howard (Georgia Tech), LB Greg Hardy (Ole Miss), LB Jeffery Fitzgerald (Kansas State), CB Devin Ross (Arizona).Keep an eye on LSU WR Trindon Holliday. Hes only 5-5 but he can fly. Was the talk of the Texas vs. Nation game, where the Packers found T.J. Lang last year.
5. At the very least, the Packers need to bring in competition at the special teams positions of kicker, punter and return specialist. Where are these guys going to come from?
Well, as far as a returner, the Packers are actively looking for players that can flash on offense as well as in the return game along the lines of a Desean Jackson or a Johnny Knox. Think theyve realized they need to help both the offensive explosion and the return game with one guy, not just use a DB like a Will Blackmon. At least on kickoffs. As for the punter and kickers, I expect theyll go the undrafted free-agent route although they could draft a punter late. They really believe in Mason Crosby.
6. Will the Packers come to a long-term extension with Nick Collins before the end of the 2010 season?
I doubt it. They havent showed hes a priority either of the past two off-seasons. Hard to soothe those feelings. But money does talk. I think a lot depends on who they lose this off-season and if they have to scramble to overpay a replacement. If guys like Aaron Kampman, Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher are gone, I could see the Packers with a little more urgency to keep some of their core players in place.
7. Are the Packers better off with unrestricted free agents like Aaron Kampman and Chad Clifton on their roster or receiving draft choices either via trade or compensatory draft picks?
I think the Packers are better off with Clifton on the roster because the only other option is T.J. Lang. I think Lang would be decent there, but it would be smarter to retain Clifton, draft a guy and have Lang as a viable option at right tackle should Breno Giacomini flop. We all know Lang can play. Thats valuable. As for Kampman, he has all the power now, so theres really nothing the Packers can do except tag him, which wouldnt be smart given his injury and age. Id make Kampman a decent offer, but its up to him to accept it.
8. Who's the Packers starting left tackle in 2011?
Clifton. I just cant see him at his age wanting to jet to another system and organization, but stranger things have happened (Matt Birk). And the Packers would be pretty foolish or at least appear to be if they went into 2010 with these possibilities at LT and RT: Lang, Giacomini, drafted rookie, washed up veteran. Devil you know is better than the devil you dont. I think the Packers would have a pretty good setup with Clifton at LT and either Lang or Giacomini on the right side, with Lang backing up the left.
9. Which of these areas will see the most improvement this upcoming season: pass protection, pass rush or nickel and dime coverage?
You almost have to say pass protection because they led the league in sacks allowed, dont you? So if you look at it that way, its pass pro. But I think the pass rush will be better because they should have better options (even if its a Year 2 Brad Jones) at LOLB, and everyone will be in the system for another year. I know Ive said this a few times, but players really dont get the hang of the 3-4 until Year 2. So I expect the Packers to be better thereif they get consistent safety play opposite Nick Collins, provided he doesnt holdout.
10. Which player is poised to have a better season in 2010 than they did in 2009?
Hmmmm. Im going with two guys, one is B.J. Raji. He needs to be better. And having a whole off-season, hopefully devoid of injury for his sake, should allow him to be more consistent. Andyoure not going to believe this, but A.J. Hawk. I just think with Brandon Chillar getting a big contract, knowing the system better in Year 2, and the prospect of playing in an all-important contract year (his 2011 salary is designed to be voided), adds up to Hawk cutting it loose more like he needs to, and like he did in flashes last year.