I start this thread as a sequel or whatever to my blame Ted Thompson thread. Position by position, how do the Packers stack up against the rest of the league?
QB: Obviously in the top four along with Brady, Brees, and P. Manning. IMO, Rodgers is #1 even among those.
RB: Prior to this year, we were probably in the bottom ten, maybe bottom five. Now with Lacy, I would rank us top ten, maybe top five. Considering age, I can't think of any RB I'd rather have, although right now a few may be better. (I'd take Melvin Gordon over even Lacy, though).
WR: I said in the WR thread, we are probably top 8 or 10 - not higher than that because all our WRs are better because of Rodgers. Nelson might be top 5 or 6; Cobb might be top 10 or 12; Jones top 15 or 20.
TE: Assuming Finley is gone by injury/free agency or both going forward, I would think the Packers are in the lower half, maybe lower ten. There are a lot of decent TEs out there.
O-LINE: The Pits - that's not just a description of the job; It's a description of the quality of ours. Lower ten for sure, maybe lower five. Maybe it gets better if by some miracle, Sherrod plays like a first rounder next season. Bulaga has been adequate at best when healthy - NOT what you expect from a first rounder. Consider three things: 1. the way Aaron Rodgers and now his replacements NEVER get time, and basically have to run for their lives and 2. the way our running game even with Lacy can't do much of anything when not set up by passes - when they just have to line up and get the job done, they don't. 3. the way a lot of teams have rebuilt quality lines with apparent ease.
D-LINE: I see light at the end of the tunnel with Daniels, Datone Jones, and maybe Worthy, and hopefully moving Neal back there. We still are in the lower half, though, and with Raji and Pickett still playing the bulk of the snaps, we are bottom five - moving to mid-range if we lose the big fatties (keep Jolly, though).
OLB: Clay Matthews and Who? Matthews alone probably puts the Packers in the top half of the league. However, I'm getting less and less optimistic about Perry not being a bust. I certainly don't think he is the bookend for Matthews you would expect from a #1 pick.
ILB: Hawk has played better this season than in the past, and Brad Jones hasn't been as bad as I expected. Still, neither is anywhere near what you would call a "playmaker". I would say bottom ten overall.
CORNER: We may be better overall there than any time since the Lombardi era. Just the same, a lot of other teams have found good corners too these days. I'd put the Packers in the top ten. Top five? Maybe if Shields matures before Tramon fades too much and House continues to improve.
SAFETY: Disappointing is the best word. Burnett has been OK, but not quite what I was hoping. McMillian I had high hopes for but he has flopped. I kinda like Jennings, but he is just above minimum NFL-quality. I think Hyde will end up there, and maybe we draft somebody fairly high. For now, we are bottom ten.
PUNTER/KICKER: Masthay has been great; There seem to be a lot of great punters now, though, in the league. Crosby? Middle of the pack, I guess. At his best, there are at least 8 or 10 better kickers in the league, and he ain't always at his best. Combine the two, and I'd say top 10 or 12 in the league.
It's my contention that other than QB, the overall team is mid-range at best, maybe in the lower half. I'd be interested to read how those who think Ted Thompson is so great would rate the team position by position.
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