I don't think there is a whole lot of overreaction. Just simple discernment of what the team might expect of a player like Lyerla in the coming months, and should he make the final roster. Blasting those Sandyhook comments on twitter, to me, was the worst of his transgressions. That is a PR nightmare for any team that takes him on. That cannot be denied. A pretty stupid move. That alone is a lot to overlook.

I also don't think he could have landed with a better organization than the Green Bay Packers. If any team can give this kid his best shot at succeeding and turning his life around, it would be the Packers. How Thompson, McCarthy and his staff decide to deal with him on their team will be the bigger story. They are giving him one hell of a gift in this chance to redeem himself. No?

Sure, GB has an out, and I agree with you that their reputation will not be tarnished by giving him this opportunity, as long as he is able to keep his life on track. If he cannot, well, then they release him and take their lumps in PR, for whatever might cause a release from the team... For instance, what if the program they put in place to help him doesn't take? And, what might we expect him to do? That can run the gamut. And, in this, McGinn could be on to something. We are a more "family" oriented team. I hope like hell Lyerla doesn't go off the rails and do something foolish here, like he did just months ago at Oregon. Those are valid concerns.

However, if he comes around, and proves his worth to this Packers team who chose to stick their necks out to give him this chance, all is good.

I do think the Packers staff will work very hard to positively mentor this player, and it could pay some huge dividends.

Originally Posted by: play2win 

The biggest thing this signing shows me is that Ted is desperate. He's reaching.

We rely on Ted to be the Steely Eyed Assassin. But this offseason he seems rattled.

He was having a great offseason, with signing Peppers and all, and then it seemed that he got burned in the draft when those TEs went off the board right in front of us. He took Davante Adams as his fall back guy, but then it seemed he reached on the next couple of picks.

Now he's showing his desperation.

I've never seen Ted show anything like this before.

Originally Posted by: nerdmann 

You do realize the Niners have FIVE Lombardi's to our four? Look at how our own Vic Ketchman hammered the Niners for the way they handled issues of character. SF lost some respect in a lot of eyes for what has been happening over there and their 5 Lombardi's never entered the thought process. Many Packers fans jumped on the bandwagon and railed the Niners for their not being anything like the great "Packer People" we have in Green Bay.

Now, we sign one guy who NOBODY would touch in the NFL draft, or even as an UDFA... I think what McGinn wrote has plenty of truth to it. We can't have it both ways...ripping the Niners and then celebrating us signing Lyerla. I like the signing and don't really care how they do it in SF but I will admit I've made jokes in other venues about the Niners new stadium not being finished until they install the razor wire around the top.

The signing makes it fun for lots of reasons...the human interest story is very compelling probably more than what he might do on the field which is also very compelling.

Ultimately, we don't know "all the facts"...there is a reason all 32 teams refused to touch him in the draft and as a UDFA out of the gate post draft. I would have to think it would have to be something a little more serious than he did cocaine one time and ran from the police. Have to believe we knew as well as the other 31 teams exactly what his full past entails. It still hasn't come to light what exactly happened in Eugene.

Turnabout is fair play.

Originally Posted by: uffda udfa 

You do realize the Niners have FIVE Lombardi's to our four? Look at how our own Vic Ketchman hammered the Niners for the way they handled issues of character. SF lost some respect in a lot of eyes for what has been happening over there and their 5 Lombardi's never entered the thought process. Many Packers fans jumped on the bandwagon and railed the Niners for their not being anything like the great "Packer People" we have in Green Bay.

Now, we sign one guy who NOBODY would touch in the NFL draft, or even as an UDFA... I think what McGinn wrote has plenty of truth to it. We can't have it both ways...ripping the Niners and then celebrating us signing Lyerla. I like the signing and don't really care how they do it in SF but I will admit I've made jokes in other venues about the Niners new stadium not being finished until they install the razor wire around the top.

The signing makes it fun for lots of reasons...the human interest story is very compelling probably more than what he might do on the field which is also very compelling.

Ultimately, we don't know "all the facts"...there is a reason all 32 teams refused to touch him in the draft and as a UDFA out of the gate post draft. I would have to think it would have to be something a little more serious than he did cocaine one time and ran from the police. Have to believe we knew as well as the other 31 teams exactly what his full past entails. It still hasn't come to light what exactly happened in Eugene.

Turnabout is fair play.

Originally Posted by: uffda udfa 

After the 1994 season, Rison signed a lucrative free agent contract with Cleveland, where he was expected to become the featured receiving threat for the Browns, who had made the playoffs the year before.[1] The receiver, who had been named to the Pro Bowl in four of his previous six seasons, had career lows in receptions (47), yards (701), touchdowns (3), receptions per game (2.9), and yards per game (43.8). Rison also developed a feud with the Cleveland fans, who were angered over the announcement that the team would be relocating to Baltimore. After a home loss to the Packers, Rison, who had been booed by the fans throughout the game, lashed out, stating, "We didn't make the fucking move. So, for all the booers, fuck you too. I'll be glad when we get to Baltimore, if that's the case. We don't have any home-field advantage. I've never been booed at home. Baltimore's our home. Baltimore, here we come."

I don't see desperation at all with the Lyerla signing. I see a calculated risk with potentially high reward. New England does things similar to this all the time. Are they desperate? Frankly, I wish the Packers took a few more risks here and there. Sometimes, they pay off and substantially improve the football team. It's not always going to work out, but that shouldn't stop a team from taking risks period. One risk that turns into a high reward can have a huge impact. I want "my" team to do anything it possibly can to improve itself. I guess I prefer a bit more of an aggressive approach. I agree the Packers are generally too conservative. But I don't think this is desperation at all. It amazes me how much stock some are putting into the bottom of the roster UDFA. This guy is no different than any other free agent in terms of his magnitude until he proves otherwise. He's just another guy, albeit a guy than is less likely to be successful in the league, imo. I don't think he will be able to pull it all together any time soon, and I don't think he will make the roster. It doesn't mean I don't like taking a flier though. The potential payoff is well worth the "risk".

Originally Posted by: DoddPower 

The biggest thing this signing shows me is that Ted is desperate. He's reaching.

We rely on Ted to be the Steely Eyed Assassin. But this offseason he seems rattled.

He was having a great offseason, with signing Peppers and all, and then it seemed that he got burned in the draft when those TEs went off the board right in front of us. He took Davante Adams as his fall back guy, but then it seemed he reached on the next couple of picks.

Now he's showing his desperation.

I've never seen Ted show anything like this before.

Originally Posted by: nerdmann 

You do realize the Niners have FIVE Lombardi's to our four? Look at how our own Vic Ketchman hammered the Niners for the way they handled issues of character. SF lost some respect in a lot of eyes for what has been happening over there and their 5 Lombardi's never entered the thought process. Many Packers fans jumped on the bandwagon and railed the Niners for their not being anything like the great "Packer People" we have in Green Bay.

Now, we sign one guy who NOBODY would touch in the NFL draft, or even as an UDFA... I think what McGinn wrote has plenty of truth to it. We can't have it both ways...ripping the Niners and then celebrating us signing Lyerla. I like the signing and don't really care how they do it in SF but I will admit I've made jokes in other venues about the Niners new stadium not being finished until they install the razor wire around the top.

The signing makes it fun for lots of reasons...the human interest story is very compelling probably more than what he might do on the field which is also very compelling.

Ultimately, we don't know "all the facts"...there is a reason all 32 teams refused to touch him in the draft and as a UDFA out of the gate post draft. I would have to think it would have to be something a little more serious than he did cocaine one time and ran from the police. Have to believe we knew as well as the other 31 teams exactly what his full past entails. It still hasn't come to light what exactly happened in Eugene.

Turnabout is fair play.

Originally Posted by: uffda udfa 

It just goes to show you what I have said many times in the past. Deep down the Packers are just like any other pro sports franchise in that we will generally do what we need to to win. We are no more special in that regard than anyone else. We don't have a monopoly on players that do good deeds and we can't put ourselves up on a pedestal when it comes to saying no to questionable player character wise.

We call places like Oakland and Cincinnati prison teams because a few of their players get into trouble but when ours do we cone up with excuses why it is different for us. I love it when other teams sign players with a questionable past and we say they are dealing with the dregs of society and when the Packers do it (Jolly, Lyerla) we say its great that we are giving these guys a second chance.

Certain teams may sway a bit towards one end of the spectrum or the other depending on the people calling the shots but that changes as well. Yes Ted seems to be fairly careful about the character of the guys he brings in but our next GM might be just the opposite. He may be trading for guys like Justin Blackmon and Josh Gordon because they are great players who can help us win. He may be drafting guys with "a history" because they have loads of potential and they can help us win.

Like you Uffda, I am guilty of it myself. I make jokes about other teams and tend to sugar coat the Packers moves as well. The difference is that I know I am being hypocritical and I try not to. Some people do it as a matter of course and don't even see it.

As far as Lyerla goes, all I know is he was found with cocaine and according to him the problem was taken care of and I don't think he is in any danger of any kind of disciplinary action from the NFL so in that respect it's a non issue. I loved Donald Driver so I am in no way going to cast aspersions on this young man until such times as he shows he deserves it and can't stay away from the stuff. I have no idea what he tweeted about in the past nor do I really care. I suppose, when I reply to your post about what he tweeted about the Sandy Hook affair I will have to read what he said but for now, I have no idea what he said other than it appears that he had stated he thought it was a government setup. Well, there is this thing called free speech in the US and many people far more important than Colt Lyerla have said the same thing about Sandy Hook and about many far more important things. Like I said to Nerd regarding his post on desperation. You know what they say about opinions.

Originally Posted by: sschind