Well, first of all, I was hardly the first. In fact, I think the record will show I NEVER am the first to bring politics into the football section. (That would be YOU, Dakota.) Second, comparison ain't necessarily a political thing. Third and to the point, the best comparison to Bush would be Bart Starr - highly respected by all good normal people (that let's you out, Dakota), did a great job doing things "the right way", had decent but mixed results (8-8 X 2 seasons I think it was) - a lot of good but some things that didn't go right also, and thoroughly disrespected and called ignorant by the know-nothings (THAT would be you, Dakota - politically speaking, anyway. You do all right when it comes to football.)

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Yeah Dubya was so respected by his own party, he got to make a video for the Republican National Convention. [roflmao] [roflmao] [roflmao]

You just can't help but step into those land mines can you Texas? [rockon]

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The report says nothing about signing top-tier free agents. Activity in free agency (or what Ted Thompson believes is active) doesn’t mean Jairus Byrd or Brian Orakpo. The report is telling us the Packers intend to bring in outside free agents. I’m guessing it means the Packers want to sign mid-tier free agents. Most people want Orakpo, but I believe Jason Worilds fits Thompson’s criteria more. He’s an ascending player, who would come at a cheaper price. Anthony Spencer is also available. He’s coming off an injury, but he has experience in a 3-4 defense. Bernard Pollard is a good alternative to Byrd. The Titans may also cut Michael Griffin, so he’d be a strong under-the-radar candidate.

We know the Packers have the money to sign several free agents. They can entice players by frontloading their contracts. They would also look to sign a player to two or three-year deals. I’ve watched reporters link the Packers to several free agents before, so I’m not anticipating anything. But getting aggressive in free agency, even if that means focusing on the mid-tier players, is something I think they should consider.

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I got a name for ya,

Red Bryant.

keep hearing Seattle may cut him to save cap space.

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Worilds would be better than Orakpo, considering price and injury history.

I don't like Pollard, however, as he is not primarily a Cover Safety. We don't need a big hitter who can't cover. Griffin might be worth considering if he becomes available. He could cover in college - I assume he still is decent.

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Worilds doesn't really seem like much of an upgrade over Perry to me and possibly not an upgrade at all. If that guy had spent his career in GB with the same production people here would have been screaming to replace him 2 years ago. It's doesn't seem like a great idea to invest the kind of money that may be required to get him for a player that has a good chance of being the back up.

If the Giants dont re-sign him I would like Stevie Brown.

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Depends on his market and health.. but adding Peanut Tillman as a nickel/dime back or even as a FS would be interesting. He is a playmaker in the backend of the defense; a poor man's Woodson of a couple years ago.


C Alex Mack would be interesting too. 311 and a bright spot on the Browns.


Packers active in Free Agency.. If the right player / value combo presents itself.. yes. Do I expect Ted to overspend or even gamble on a free agent with a high dollar value. No.

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Tillman would be a welcome addition, even at age 33. If there is any thought of switching one of our Corners - Hyde or Hayward to Safety, we could use him, and we would be weakening a division rival.

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I'm not really sure what kind of gambling is involved with a Pro Bowl talent signing with a team like the Packers who could thereby become legit Super Bowl contenders…

Weren't we gambling with Woodson his last couple of seasons coming off a broken collar bone, twice, at $11M per year?

I don't think it is beyond Ted Thompson to sign a serious FA talent who wants to win a championship, even if it means spending more than normal. I trust he can find a good player who would be worth the dough to sign. I just question whether or not he has the stones to do it. A mid-level signing could be as big a risk if not greater, as there may be a higher propensity for a lesser return on the investment. And, I'd like to add, if the FA player performs up to the level they expect, it is not overspending at all.

We've wasted gigantic dollars on Brad Jones and Jermichael Finley… low to mid level talents receiving way more than they are worth. Sadly,we could probably add Morgan Burnett in there too. That's about $17M in these 3 players.

I believe our defense is in need of adding two top performers at any of DL, OLB, ILB or S. Doing that could drastically change our prospects for the better.

Add to it, we could stand to have some Pro Bowl caliber veteran talent on this defense to help show some of the younger guys the way. I believe this is what Tramon was alluding to in his post season comments.