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Pat Lee

1) Introduction: Excuse me for sounding like Jon Gruden, but here’s a guy that really needs no introduction.   Pat Lee has emerged as a convenient scapegoat for Packer fans ever since his embarrassing performance against the Detroit Lions.  Throw in multiple mishaps the past couple seasons, and this is likely the final time AllGreenBayPackers.com will be evaluating Lee.

2) Profile:

Pat Lee
Height: 6’0”
Weight:  196
AGE: 27

Career Stats

3) Expectations coming into the season: Lee was expected to be nothing more than a contributor on special teams.  While he’s no Jarrett Bush,  Lee was expected to step it up on a special teams unit that notoriously stuggled throughout 2010 (Dan Connolly anyone?)

4) Player’s highlights/low-lights:  Highlights? Well, he recovered a fumble  against the Chiefs in the preseason.  That about covers it.

Now there are plenty of low-lights. Let’s start with the game in Detroit on Thanksgiving.  Before the famous Ndamukong Suh stomp, Lee was ejected after a punt return when he supposedly took a swing at Aaron Berry of the Lions.  It was a classic case of the second person getting caught, but it still stung to see a Packer player.

Lee also made the blooper of the season in the season finale also against the Lions.  Lee ran out of the end zone to recover a kickoff at the one yard line and then kneeled in the end zone. POOF! Instant safety and an instant “face palm” for Packer fans.  Read more... (410 words + 1 image, estimated 1:38 mins reading time)

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C Scott Wells is one of eight free agents for the Packers in 2012.

It’s far from a Moneyball style stats movement, but the guys over at Pro Football Focus have slowly but surely put together one of the premier stat-organizing sites available for the NFL and its legion of fans. It’s not a fool-proof system, and I occasionally disagree with a rating or two from a given game. But PFF grades every player on every play for all 32 teams, so there’s no shortage of work these guys put into their grades and ratings.

With the 2011 season over in Green Bay, I used PFF’s ratings/grades to analyze the Packers’ eight free agents this offseason. If you’re not familiar with the ratings at PFF, don’t fret—a higher score indicates a better rating, and a negative score obviously isn’t what you’re looking for.

Also, for another look at the Packers’ free agents in 2012, check out this article from AllGBP’s own Adam Czech.

CB Jarrett Bush (-4.0, 321 snaps)

There was a time early in the season that Bush was rated as the Packers’ best cornerback. As the season wore on, however, teams exploited Bush in the passing game more and more. In the Packers’ final regular season game against Detroit, Bush played a season-high 83 snaps and allowed 105 receiving yards on 10 targets. Overall on the season, Bush allowed 19 completions on 38 attempts for 302 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions (72.5 passer rating). Bush also finished with seven tackles on special teams, which was good for third on the team.  Read more... (917 words + 1 image, estimated 3:40 mins reading time)

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The Packers should use the franchise tag on TE Jermichael Finley.

I tried writing a post about the Packers loss to the Giants, but the tears in my eyes prevented me from finishing it.

Once I stopped crying, I decided to look ahead and give my two cents on what the Packers should do with their 2012 free agents. These are off-the-top-of-my-head thoughts so I reserve the right to change my mind later.

Please join me in discussing the future, anything to forget about what happened Sunday.

Jermichael Finley
Franchise him. Very few Packers fans like Finley at the moment, but it’s too soon to give up on a 24 year old with his physical skills. A one-year franchise tag allows the Packers to cut ties after 2012 if Finley fades.

Matt Flynn
Let him walk. It sounds so simple to demand the Packers franchise Flynn and trade him, but it’s not that easy. Do you really want to waste the tag on Flynn and possibly not get what you want in return while Finley (who is only 24 years old!) walks? Ted Thompson will only tag Flynn if he knows he has a Packers-friendly trade lined up.

Scott Wells
Resign. I don’t like making a multi-year commitment to a 31 year old, but you can’t always have a rebuilding mindset. Locking up Wells keeps Aaron Rodgers upright and allows Thompson to focus more on defense in the draft.  Read more... (398 words + 1 image, estimated 1:36 mins reading time)

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Packers QB Matt Flynn broke several franchise records Sunday. (Photo: Tom Lynn, JSOnline)

Backup quarterback Matt Flynn threw six touchdowns in relief of a deactivated Aaron Rodgers Sunday, leading the Green Bay Packers to a 45-41 shootout win over the Detroit Lions in Week 17 at Lambeau Field.

Here are five observations from the Packers’ win:

1. Cha-Ching 

In throwing for a Packers’ record in both passing yards (480) and touchdowns (six), Matt Flynn vaulted himself to the top of the 2012 free agent quarterback class. He’ll become a rich man sometime this summer, as there will likely be at least one quarterback-needy team that pays big money to Flynn despite only two NFL starts.

Any chance of the Packers trying to re-sign as a backup him went out the window Sunday. He’s ready to start, and that’s not happening in Green Bay. It’ll be interesting to see how the Packers approach the impending situation this offseason, however. They could choose to let Flynn walk and simply net the compensatory pick in next year’s draft. Or, they could franchise tag him and then pursue a trade, which gives them control over the compensation and location. I don’t think any team in the division is a threat to sign Flynn, but the Packers’ decision regarding their backup quarterback is definitely something to watch after this season.

2. More than a steal  Read more... (1050 words + 1 image, estimated 4:12 mins reading time)

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Packers GM Ted Thompson

At this point of the season, it’s safe to say most readers of this site probably know where every team in the NFC North stands and why they’re in the position that they’re in. So instead of updating everyone with information they probably already know, we’ll take a different approach by examining recent NFC North draft classes.

I went back and listed every team’s draft choices from 2008-11 and broke down each team by examining their picks in the following categories:

Current starters: How many players drafted since 2008 are currently starting? I was fairly liberal in labeling players as “starters.” For example, Jordy Nelson does not “start” for the Packers (until Jennings got hurt, anyway), but for all intents and purposes, he’s a starter.

Home runs: These players are absolute studs, already pro bowlers or force other teams to game-plan specifically for them.

Future stars?: These players are already good, but haven’t reached their ceiling. A pro bowl or more could realisticially be in their future.

Late-round discoveries: Players drafted in rounds 4-7 that contribute and play much better than a typical player drafted in rounds 4-7.

Early-round flops: Players drafted in the first two rounds that did next to nothing.

*Note: I realize I left third-round picks out of both the late-round and early-round categories. Third rounders are sort of no-man’s land for me. I don’t feel comfortable labeling third rounders as either a discovery or a flop.  Read more... (1312 words + 1 image, estimated 5:15 mins reading time)

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Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy had a long injury list to go through Friday, and one of his defensive players found himself on the wrong side of the law early this morning.

The biggest injury news McCarthy announced was that right guard Josh Sitton, who left Thursday’s win over the Detroit Lions, would be “hard-pressed” to play next Sunday against the New York Giants. He said Sitton’s knee sprain was “new,” and that it occurred on a running play in the second half. Over the past few weeks, Sitton has been dealing with a nagging knee injury.

Evan Dietrich-Smith filled in for Sitton on Thursday and played reasonably well considering the circumstances, but McCarthy didn’t commit to a starter at right guard for the Giants game.

If Sitton’s injury news wasn’t bad enough, the Packers got more disturbing news Friday.

Shortly after McCarthy’s press conference, a report from the Green Bay Press Gazette came out which stated outside linebacker Erik Walden had spent the morning in Brown County Jail because of a domestic battery charge. Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, Walden will spend the rest of the weekend in jail.

According to the Journal Sentinel, the Packers released this statement:

“The Packers organization is aware of the situation involving Erik Walden. We are in the process of gathering more information and will refrain from making any further comment.”  Read more... (609 words + 1 image, estimated 2:26 mins reading time)

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N-DUMB-ukong; Not a man, just a "Boy Named Suh"

I overestimated the Detroit Lions. I though they were a good football team that would play the Packers even on Thanksgiving day.

And I was wrong…

I can’t say I saw the entire game. A house full of over 20 Thanksgiving guests and my turkey-carving duties saw to that. But I really didn’t need to.  What I did see:

I saw the Packers as steely, methodical and under control (except for Pat Lee – although I haven’t seen that play yet). The Packers made few mistakes, committing zero turnovers and eight penalties, only two more than their season average of six per game in what was definitely a chippy contest.

I saw the Lions as young, dumb, and mentally numb. One could say the Lions choked a bit in a big spot. Stafford threw 3 interceptions (should have been a pick-six fourth, Tramon…). The Lions came into the game averaging 8.5 penalties per game and committed eleven in this game. In the first quarter, they basically stopped themselves with penalties on several drives. And of course N-DUMB-ukong Suh showed the world he is still an immature little boy playing with men, and gave the Packers seven points in the process.  Read more... (653 words + 3 images, estimated 2:37 mins reading time)

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