AllGreenBayPackers.Com

2012 NFL Draft

So now that the NFL draft is officially over, tons of fans will converge on Packers web sites to air their grievances about not drafting a particular player or reaching for another.  They will hand out grades to teams and players alike; argue with other fans about what should have happened, and how the analysts have no idea what they are talking about.

I frankly am uninterested in such things; you’re typically not going to find out how good a draft class or a player is for 3-5 years and a player’s success has a lot to do with the team and the environment they get drafted in.

Nevertheless, every team drafts a player with a role in mind, and in this article I hope to analyze what role I think each player was drafted for; I am not concerning myself with what I think will likely happen, I have not placed a grade or an analysis of each player’s potential for a reason.  I’ve also included who I think the rookies will be replacing, keep in mind I don’t necessarily think that a rookie will take a veteran’s spot (for instance I have Casey Hayward replacing Charles Woodson) only what type of role that rookie is like to take.  Read more... (1641 words + 1 image, estimated 6:34 mins reading time)

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Frank Zombo is one Packers defender that could be on the chopping block.

If using almost all of his draft picks on defensive players wasn’t enough of a warning, Ted Thompson could re-enact Alec Baldwin’s brass balls speech from Glengarry Glen Ross on the first day of training camp if he feels the Packers defense hasn’t gotten the message.

Replace Cadillac with a spot on the roster. Replace steak knives with a spot on the end of the bench. Replace getting fired with getting cut.

Message received.

Of course, this message doesn’t need to be delivered to everyone on defense. Clay Matthews is probably the Alec Baldwin of the Packers D. He can point to his $975,000 watch and automatically command respect. Desmond Bishop and Charles Woodson can point to their own watches, which aren’t quite as big as Matthews’, but are impressive nonetheless.

Because of their ineptitude last season and infusion of new blood for the upcoming season, the following defenders who received regular playing time in 2011 could be on the chopping block. They’ll have to prove during training camp that they have the “brass balls” to play in the NFL.  Read more... (503 words + 1 image, estimated 2:01 mins reading time)

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Packers QB Aaron Rodgers is the NFC North's, and probably the NFL's, best draft choice since 2005.Introduction

Introduction
As Packers fans, we hear a lot about building through the draft and developing young players. I thought it would be interesting to examine each team in the NFC North to get a better idea of how drafted players impact current rosters.

So as baseball season gets underway, I decided to celebrate by writing over 2,000 words about the NFL draft.

I came up with a baseball theme (sort of) to accomplish this task. I break down each team’s drafts from 2005-11 by putting draftees in the below categories. I chose 2005-11 because it encompasses Ted Thompson’s time as Packers general manager. Here are the categories and an explanation of each:

Current Starters
This one should be obvious. Which players drafted from 2005-11 are current-day starters with the team that drafted them?

Home Runs
Players who have turned into pro-bowl caliber players or superstars.  Read more... (2235 words + 1 image, estimated 8:56 mins reading time)

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Packers Defensive Line

Packers Defensive Line: This is the first in a series of examinations I’m going to do on each Packers position group as it currently exists. Kind of a State of the Union address – where we are, where we want to go and what we need to do to get there.

Where are we now:

Here are the current suspects;

BJ Raji (1st round)
Ryan Pickett (1st round)
Mike Neal (2nd round)
C.J. Wilson (7th round)
Jarius Wynn (6th round)
Howard Green (6th round)
Lawrence Guy (7th round, injured reserve)
Johnny Jones (undrafted, 77th ranked DT by nfldraftscout.com, cut by Miami in preseason)

Notice a pattern here? This is classic Ted Thompson building depth with late round picks, but thanks to Neal missing so much time, the emergency fill-ins ended up playing a lot more that you would want. For the year, both Jarius Wynn and CJ Wilson were both within a hundred snaps of Ryan Pickett. Frankly, that’s way too much. Pickett’s value against the run can not be argued against – one just has to look at the two games Pickett missed – the Packers gave up 344 rushing yards in those two games.  Read more... (1849 words + 1 image, estimated 7:24 mins reading time)

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Aaron Rodgers stock fell a bit during the playoff loss to the Giants, but it remains high heading into next season.

The Giants beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl and there will be no more meaningful football games for the next six months. That’s six months to reflect on how a team that lost twice to the Redskins during the regular season could go on to knock off the mighty Packers in the playoffs and keep rolling all the way to the Lombardi Trophy.

Depressing.

It’s hard to find a silver lining, but if you’re searching for one, take a few minutes and look over the Packers roster. It’s pretty good. Go ahead and cross off some of the players you think won’t be around next season, and it’s still pretty good. This team is going to contend again next season, and probably for the next couple of seasons after that. At least Packers fans have something to look forward to.

We’ve spent the last couple of weeks at AllGBP.com evaluating and grading every player on the Packers roster. Those report cards are done now, and it’s time to put this season in the rearview mirror.  Read more... (1632 words + 1 image, estimated 6:32 mins reading time)

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C.J. Wilson

1) Introduction: Wilson is another Packers defensive lineman that was just another guy in 2011. It’s tough to distinguish Wilson from Jarius Wynn, Howard Green and Mike Neal because nobody in the grou did much of anything to stand out.

2) Profile:

Clifford James Wilson

Position: DE
Height: 6-3
Weight: 290 lbs.
AGE: 24

Career Stats

3) Expectations coming into the season: Capable backup. Wilson was expected to fill in if a starter got injured and give regulars like B.J. Raji and Ryan Pickett a breather when needed. Wilson ended up getting some starts later in the season when Wynn’s production fell off.

4) Player’s highlights/low-lights: Like the rest of the Packers D-linemen, Wilson could not pressure the quarterback. According to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Wilson averaged one pressure every 113.4 snaps. Yikes. I can’t think of many individual plays that stand out as highlights for Wilson, but if he moved into a starting role, he must have been doing something right.

5) Player’s contribution to the overall team success: Every team needs role players and Wilson was definitely a role player this season. Unfortunately, the D-Line had plenty of role players and needed someone to step up. Wilson has the athleticism to be more than a role player, but we’ll see if he ever elevates above the status of a role player.  Read more... (311 words + 1 image, estimated 1:15 mins reading time)

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Charles Woodson needs to sit on the bench next to Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews on Sunday.

When did it become the norm in America to shop before, during and after the holidays? When I was a kid, my parents sneaked away after work on a random night in early December to buy my Christmas presents (my favorites were games for my Sega Master System or WWF wrestler figurines).

They didn’t wake up at 3 a.m. to wait in line at some store on Black Friday. They didn’t buy additional crap on Cyber Monday. And they didn’t use the Holidays as an excuse to buy a bunch of stuff for themselves on the day after Christmas.

Speaking of the day after Christmas, I never once rushed to a nearby store to exchange one of my presents. If I got a Ricky Steamboat wrestling figure, then by God, that’s the wrestling figure I played with until my birthday came around.

Shopping for kids these days isn’t what it used to be. It’s hard. I don’t envy parents one bit. If I ever become a parent, I’m going to ask my kid to make me a list of things he doesn’t want in addition to the things he wants. I guarantee you the don’t want list will be longer than the want list.  Read more... (601 words + 1 image, estimated 2:24 mins reading time)

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