AllGreenBayPackers.Com

Overview: To kick off the next series of evaluations on AllGreenBayPackers.com, the ALLGBP staff are going to be analyzing each position group starting off with the specialists.  Overall, the specialists did a pretty good job keeping their names off the papers and blogs, outside of about 6 weeks of utter CROSBPOCALYPSE.

Where We Are Now

Here are the current suspects;

• LS Brett Goode (Undrafted, 2008)
• P Tim Masthay aka Ginger Wolverine (Undrafted, 2010)
• K Mason Crosby (6th round, 2007)

Listen to expanded coverage of this topic using the player below or download the podcast from the Packers Talk Radio Network on Itunes.

So that’s where we are.  Not much to report here; specialists are often drafted in the later rounds or not at all, and the Packers are no different, only using a 6th round pick on Crosby and picking up both Goode and Masthay off the free agent street.

• Goode: Goode again finished the season without a bad snap and even recorded a tackle in week 9 against the Cardinals, a pretty hard feat considering Goode has the least idea of what’s going on on the field since his head is between his legs at the beginning of the play.  Goode was also not responsible for any blocked or batted kicks which overall for a long snapper basically is a job well done

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Surviving Sundays with no Packers Football

As I was observing the buzz created this week by the U.S. Supreme Court hearings on gay marriage, I couldn’t help but think about former Packers great Reggie White.

Most Packers fan who are old enough probably remember this speech by White in front of the Wisconsin state legislature in March of 1998. White was scheduled to talk about some of his community service work. Instead the Minister of Defense went off about the sins of homosexuality and how being gay is a “decision.”

White also appeared in a few newspaper ads run by Christian organizations wearing his Packers jersey and promoting his opposition to homosexuality.

Can you imagine if White did these things in 2013 instead of 1998? Twitter would spontaneously combust. The comments section at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel would turn into even more of a cesspool than it already is. Collin Cowherd, Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless would reach new levels of intolerable. Activist organizations would storm Lambeau Field.

White’s legacy would probably be damaged beyond repair.

Or would it?

I freely admit that I always think of White the former Packer. The image of White burned into my brain is this one, Super-Bowl trophy held high, a sense of accomplishment on his face.

I never think of this image of White, the one of White in a suit and tie, condemning homosexuality and making other disparaging remarks.  Read more... (1021 words + 1 image, estimated 4:05 mins reading time)

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Forza Tavecchio?

According to an Italian Web site and a tweet from current Packer Jeremy Ross, the Packers have signed former Cal kicker Giorgio Tavecchio. The left-footed Tavecchio was in camp with the 49ers last year, but was cut in favor of David Akers. Additional sources have reported the same news.

As a California Golden Bear, Tavechhio made 48 of 64 field goals (75%) and also missed 9 extra points (six in his Senior year).

According to the article (I can read Italian, but you can use google translate), Giorgo got a call from the Packers a week ago and went to Lambeau Field for a workout. He impressed there and then participated in what was described as a “Pro day” in Boca Raton (could have been the FAU Pro Day on March 19th?). He said he didn’t have his best day there, but still received positive comments from NFL coaches and scouts in attendance.

Tavecchio, born in Milan, Italy, claims to have signed a three-year contract, but tells his interviewer how there are no guarantees and he could easily be cut. He vows to give his all and ends the interview with a “Go Packers!”

My Reaction: In a word, disappointment. I’ve been waiting (and screaming) the last five years for the Packers to bring in some competition for Mason Crosby. Now that they finally bite the bullet and do so, it’s not exactly what I had in mind.  Read more... (449 words + 3 images, estimated 1:48 mins reading time)

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March-Madness-Packers

As the NCAA Basketball Tournament is being played out across the land, I wanted to do something Packers-related with a “March Madness” theme. So here’s the idea:

We’re going to pick the 16 BEST players on the Packers roster.  And by we, I mean me and YOU – the readers. To make it simpler, I’ll pick the first 12. Then you will get to choose the last four from a group of 10 in the poll below.

This isn’t necessarily the Sweet Sixteen in terms of importance to the team (for example, Brett Goode might be in that group), simply the 16 best football players on the roster.

We’ll let the voting run through the weekend and announce the results on Monday? Sound good?

Disclaimer:  My top 12 are not necessarily ranked in order, they’re  just in the order in which they came to mind.

Green Bay Packers Sweet 16 – Best Football Players

1) Aaron Rodgers

2) Clay Matthews

3) Josh Sitton

4) BJ Raji

5) Ryan Pickett

6) Tramon Williams

7) Randall Cobb

8) Desmond Bishop

9) Morgan Burnett

10) Jordy Nelson

11) James Jones

12) Sam Shields

That last one was tough. I could have gone with Bryan Bulaga or Jermichael Finley, for example, but I’m still amazed Shields did not get drafted, with all the athletic ability he’s shown.  Read more... (326 words + 3 images, estimated 1:18 mins reading time)

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1) Introduction: If there’s one thing to be said about long snappers it’s that you only notice them when something goes horribly wrong.  No one ever noticed Brett Goode, which makes him a fine long snapper indeed, to the point that general manager Ted Thompson thought it wise to resign Goode mid-season to the tune of a 3-year deal $2.715 million, something that typically only happens to the player that the Packers want to keep the most.  Goode again showed his worth by not botching up a snap the entire season (nor has he ever in his entire career) and continues to be perhaps the most consistent player on special teams.

2) Profile:

Brett Jackson Goode

• Age: 28
• Born: 11/02/1984, in Fort Smith, AR
• Height: 6’1″
• Weight: 255
• College: Arkansas
• Rookie Year: 2007
• NFL Experience: 5 years

Career Stats and more:

3) Expectations coming into the season: Goode hasn’t botched a snap in his entire career and it nothing less than perfection was expected from him.

4) Player’s highlights/low-lights: With long snappers living in relative anonymity, Goode’s highlight of the season was probably being a part of the Aaron Rodgers’ cream pie-in face prank that’s probably the biggest prank pulled on Rodger’s to date.  Other than that it was a relatively quiet year for Goode, no in game highlights nor lowlights to mention

5) Player’s contribution to the overall team success: Again, people only notice long snappers when they botch a snap, so overall, while Goode certainly didn’t win the Packers any games, he more importantly didn’t lose any.  Read more... (305 words + 1 image, estimated 1:13 mins reading time)

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1) Introduction: My my, what do we do with Mason Crosby.  On one hand, Crosby had one of the biggest meltdowns for a kicker of late.  On the other, fans tend to forget that Crosby was a good kicker during the beginning and end of the season and his problems really only manifest themselves during the middle of the season.

2) Profile:

Mason Walker Crosby

• Age: 28
• Born: 09/03/1984, in Lubbock, TX
• Height: 6’1″
• Weight: 207
• College: Colorado
• Rookie Year: 2007
• NFL Experience: 6 years

Career Stats and more:

3) Expectations coming into the season: Crosby had perhaps his best season in 2011 with career high 85.7% success rate on field goals; however it could be said that Crosby was often never in much pressure to perform since the Packers that year were a offensive juggernaut.  In 2012, with the offensive sputtering, the team turned to Crosby more to keep the game close and at least in the middle of the year, it definitely seemed to effect him.

4) Player’s highlights/low-lights: Crosby’s highlights was probably the end of the regular season where he managed to connect on both his kicks and translate that into success in the post-season.  Crosby lowlight was week 15 against the Bears where he hit rock bottom with two missed field goals out of two attempts.  Read more... (360 words + 1 image, estimated 1:26 mins reading time)

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Packers CB Tramon Williams found himself in the falling category. Safety Morgan Burnett was steady.

The Packers end of season, full roster stock report is upon us. Below are over 2,300 words of insight, analysis, opinions and nonsense about every player currently on the Packers roster.

Read closely and enjoy, because many of these players likely won’t be around in 2013.

I incorporated each player’s performance from this season, and their future outlook while categorizing. Please agree or disagree in the comments.

As always, thanks for reading the weekly stock reports. Onto the last one:

Rising

Aaron Rodgers
It wasn’t as great as his MVP campaign, but it was still damn good. With chaos and injuries swirling all around, Rodgers kept the Packers offense moving forward and limited mistakes. A fine all-around performance and no reason to think it won’t continue in 2013.

Randall Cobb
With Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson hobbled most of the season, Cobb broke out and turned into the Packers most dangerous weapon. I worry a little about his durability, but his production when healthy was great. Oh, and he needs to drop fewer passes.

DuJuan Harris
Is this too much praise for the 5-foot-7, 210-pound rolling ball of butcher knives? Maybe. But if I’m buying Harris stock, I want in right now. I think he’s going to stick with the Packers and get a chance to make some noise.  Read more... (2396 words + 1 image, estimated 9:35 mins reading time)

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