Just gotta look out for someone who is the right fit. I am sure if that person is out there and the staff really feels that way that they will work some offers around. I think the shake up in the way we do things should be more with the coaching staff though.

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BTW... Haynesworth is a risk, albeit he seems to have become a little more conformed to a norm, don't forget this guy has been part of the conduct policy and onfield incident before.. I think a long term deal is dicey with him.. hence why the Titans haven't locked him up long term.

Peppers.. minus a off year in 07, has been pretty consistent overall, but I don't see Carolina letting hit the open market..

But I would be nervous signing Haynesworth to a long term heavy contract.. probably to nervous to actually want it.. he would help on the field no doubt, but is that just because a contract is due?

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Agreed with Pack93z. Now allow me to pimp my boy Bert Berry as a good signing this offseason. Here's how I see it.

I'm sure he could be had for 2yrs/$6 million or so. And given that he's 33, maybe not even that much. Plus he won't be looking for a starter position. At this point, he'd be the perfect situational pass rusher. Cullen plays DE in the base and moves inside on passing downs while Bert fills that situation pass rusher role. I think he's ideal for a team that has enough young talent that they don't want to make a long term investment on a DE, but still could use a pass rusher for the rotation. I know Bert's old by NFL standards, but if he's only playing 20-25 snaps a game, there's no reason to think he can't fill the void KGB left. Over the last 4 years, he has 19.5 sacks in 37 games.

What say you? I think he'd be a great fit with this team. Low risk/marginally high reward.

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Regarding Julius Peppers,

They also have Jordan Gross and I believe another corner expiring too. I can't remember which one though. I read somewhere that they are more than willing to franchise Peppers and shop him for trade. My guess is it would take a first and a second.

As for Albert Haynesworth,

I wouldn't be nervous about signing Haynesworth at all and even if the Packers do and he flops due to a poor attitude. It's not like the Packers are going to be in cap hell anytime soon. Thompson has put the team in position to take a risk and now is the time to take one.

Haynesworth is way to good to pass up in my opinion and you can tell he's matured a great deal the last two years. He had that incident on the field where he kicked a player before, but that's not the reason he's not locked up long term. Tennessee doesn't want to pay him as much as he's asking.

If I were the Packers, I would.

I wouldn't go after both though. As much as it would be kind of crazy to see those two paired with Jenkins and Kampman, we do have to take care of some key players already on the team.

Greg Jennings and Nick Collins being the primary two.

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Well said Matt, but a part of me thinks otherwise.

Quite simply, we lost near 20 sacks from last year to this year by having KGB lose "it" and trading Corey Williams.

Expecting a young player, especially a rookie, to come in and fill such a void... is marginally realistic, if even realistic at all. expecting to draft a rookie DT to provide an inside rush is asking too much IMO. By the same token, I'm not sold that Jeremy Thompson is capable of providing a rush like KGB did.

Sure you have to save money to re-sign your own key players, but you desperately need good play makers to take the burden off of other players. Not many in the list can be classified as play makers, expect Kampman and Jennings, and maybe Collins.

Getting someone like Haynesworth instantly frees up the entire defence (assuming Haynesworth comes to play, which is no guarantee). No longer can teams double Kampman in pass rushing situations, or double Pickett in run downs. By the same token, you've got a player that will require double teams, allowing the LBs more room to make plays.

The biggest thing though with the freeing up of other players is that right away the Packers D-linemen can move away from a read and react system that they've employed of late (which limits their pass rushing). If the Packers can sure up the run D, as Haynesworth would allow, you've got a situation where Kampman doesn't have to hold his ground to limit the running lanes, instead Kampman can now go full out pass rushing, knowing that even if it is a run the LBs will be free to make a play because the blockers are preoccupied with the D-linemen.


Adding a player like Haynesworth would immediately change the complexion of our D. It'd give us a more aggressive mentality, as Kampman so adequately put it, "(we'd be able) to attack, to dictate and not be dictated too".

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^ Also Matt, as for your suggestion above, about a player like Berry, the only problem is that IMO it is easier to fix the D-line problem by adding a player like Haynesworth, who'd allow for changes in the way our D-linemen attack, than it is to have a player like Berry. Berry would provide help in one dept (pass rush) but still not overwhelmingly address other concerns like poor run D.

Basically, I think Haynesworth is such a dominating player that he can make our other 10 defenders take their game to the next level. Not sure Berry, or for that matter any other rookie / young D-linemen, could even come close.

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I agree Porky, although I do think the lack of CBA beyond 2010 is a big concern.


Another interesting point is that a while back, when ex Ravens LB Adalius Thomas was a free agent, the rumour was that Ted had offered him big money (IE over payed market value) in an attempt to sign him.

This year, with current Ravens LB Terrell Suggs being a FA, I wonder if Thompson would have any interest there. Suggs could play as a LB and also double as a Pass Rusher.

Either way, I think fixing the D-line is (or should be) priority #1 for Ted this off-season. The OG play, IMO, has improved enough to the point that it is not a glaring weakness. Young OTs are needed, but I think Cliffy and Taush (if re-signed) still have a year or two left in them.

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No way.

Offensive line.

I'm not saying don't address the Dline, but Jenkins got hurt, that was huge. We will also make a legit move to replace KGB. That, plus growing young talents, will be enough.

I cant say the same about the Oline.

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I don't know, I think if we don't re-sign Taush then O-line is the priority, but I don't think it is a bigger one than the D-line right now.

Ultimately, I think Colledge has shown himself to be more than a capable replacement at LT, which I think will ultimately be his position. Then you've got Spitz, whose a solid G. Until this year with Colledge's emergence, Spitz has been our most reliable and consistent G. Then there is the rookie G Sitton. Supposedly the Tausher of Gs, I think it says something positive that he's been the only G active the past few weeks, was slated to be the starting G during TC until his injury, and has been complemented by MM and players like Ryan Pickett for his talent.

Wells is solid at C, and Spitz is a good back-up there. Then there is Barbre, who was supposed to challenge Colledge this year. Either way, I think our O-line is in decent shape, especially with the versatility that our young players have. I also think Taush and Cliffy have at least one good year left in them, maybe more if we shift away from the ZBS.


As for the DTs, when Corey Williams left he took 7 sacks with him. That's an awful lot to replace from any other position considering: 1) Kampman already gets good sack totals, 2) Our D scheme is not blitz oriented, so harder to make up the sacks with LBs / DBs, and 3) No other DT comes close to displaying that kind of production.

Even if Thompson does develop and replaces KGB, I still think we need to have three solid DTs to rotate and keep our pass-rushing DTs fresh.

- Jenkins, playing his best football this year, is a given at DT on passing downs. But he will also be playing more on 1st and 2nd downs, so it might be best to not have him be the sole pass rusher from the DT position.

- Jolly showed he can do some pass rushing as well. Once again though, Jolly can also extend and play on running downs (1st and 2nd) so he might need an occassional rest too.

So who is the third pass rusher of the group? That's what they are missing, and I think they need to get desperately. That, and there's no sure thing Harrell will stay healthy.

But I feel confident in saying that the Packers, if they don't do much at DE in the off-season, will be counting on Thompson to improve a heck of a lot, and fill some big shoes. Might be too big a task for him, at least in his second year.

If you still reading this, then just to make things awkward: you've stolen my heart. <3

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As a group, the statistics would show a drop-off in play. Ted Thompson wasn't willing to acknowledge that yet.

"Let's wait until the season is over to do that," he said. "We've still got four games to go. That's something you look at when the season is over."



That was taken from ground to bits story posted Zero. Why can't Ted Thompson just admit he screwed up and say he will fix it in the off season. After reading that i don't see him doing much in FA but he will draft more players

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