Look for the Packers to be Active in Trade Talks Today

Well, Round 1 of the NFL Draft is over and I could not be happier. I think Nick Perry is a perfect fit at OLB opposite Clay Matthews. I never thought he would last to the Packers at 28. When he was there at 20, I started begging aloud for the Packers to move up to get him. I'm not as worried about the weight as it seems others are. I expect Perry to rush pretty much every down with Matthews being more versatile and playing in coverage from time to time.

On to Day Two and rounds 2 and 3. The Packers still have 11 picks to make. Four of those are frozen in place (Compensatory picks cannot be traded) two each in the 4th and 7th rounds. That leaves seven picks that Ted Thompson can use to move around and grab players they have targeted. The main reason I expect to see the Packers move up in rounds to grab the players they think fill the holes that remain is that there aren't really 11 holes left to fill. I think it would be silly to draft 12 guys this year knowing that 3 or 4 or 5 probably won't make the team.

That said, I also think the holes that remain are glaring holes and it's important they get filled by players that can have an impact this season. Nick Perry is a great start to help the D but they still need to fill the holes at end and safety. I don't think fans will be happy if the team goes into the season with Charlie Peprah starting in the defensive backfield. Center is another key position that I think the Packers need to address this season.

My guess is the Packers end up making a total of 8 picks in this draft. That means either they use the extras to move up or they end up trading them for picks next year.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

That's right folks, it's draft time! This really is like Christmas for me. I can't wait to see what holes get filled in the draft and I get excited to learn about all the new Packers. And it's especially fun when I know how many needs the team has this year. With it being official now that Nick Collins won't be in the defensive backfield any more I count 5 major needs for the Packers.

The most glaring need I see is at OLB. Clay Matthews has had zero help pressuring the QB since Cullen Jenkins left. Pass rush can help the defense on so many levels that I see it as the primary need even with the losses of Scott Wells, Chad Clifton and Collins. My close personal friend Matt Miller of Bleacher Report fame says the Packers will try to address this in the first round with Boise St OLB Shea McClellin. I think this would be a great fit. He's not a name that's been heard a lot but many think he's one of the top few edge rushers in the draft.

Defensive End is a position that saw a huge drop off last year with the loss of Cullen Jenkins. Mike Neal was hurt again and has not lived up to the hype. Now he'll miss the first 4 games of the season and it means the line needs even more help. BJ Raji and Ryan Pickett can't do it all themselves. I think DE needs to be addressed within the first 3 rounds of the draft.

The Packers signed Jeff Saturday to replace Scott Wells at center this season. I think it was a great signing but Saturday is 36 (and will be 37 before the season starts) so I think he's at best a 2 year solution. I'd love a guy like Peter Konz but there's no way he's around when the Packers pick in the 2nd round. Ben Jones from Georgia is a possibility in round 2. It could also be a position that the team tries to fill later with someone they think might develop well.

Safety is another position that I think the Packers have an obvious need at. Morgan Burnett showed signed of being a solid safety in the NFL. He played well last season despite having to wear a club for several games. But he can't do it alone and Charlie Peprah isn't any help.  If Mark Barron somehow manages to fall to 28 I think he has to be the pick in the first round. Beyond Barron I don't know of a difference maker at the position so I don't see it being an early pick.

The last real need I see for the Packers is QB. Yeah, I said it. I know Aaron Rodgers it the QB of now and the future but losing Matt Flynn will hurt more than people realize. Having a quality back up is very important in the NFL (see the Colts last year). I'm not sold on Graham Harrell. Maybe it's my fear of Texas Tech QBs but I just cannot get comfortable with the idea with Harrell being the guy to take over if Rodgers gets hurt. Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy have always been fond of drafting QBs late and developing them. I'm sure this will continue.

Of course with 12 picks in the draft this year we'll see a number of picks other places. And I just can't wait.

Ted, Just Say No to Tebow.

When the news came out that Peyton Manning had signed with the Broncos a new question started getting asked. Where will Tim Tebow end up? At first everyone thought it would be one of the Florida teams, since he's from there and with both Miami and Jacksonville struggling to sell out at times, it makes sense (my guess in Miami because Ireland and Ross keep striking out and they need to do something in the offseason). Tebow brings a huge fan base. Tebow would put butts in the seats. So I assume he'll go to one of those two teams and head to sleep.

I woke up this morning and didn't think anything of it. Got in the car and turned the radio on to find that Skip Bayless was on Mike and Mike. Ugh. Couldn't listen so I changed the channel. I guess it should have been an omen. Then I get to work and see that Green Bay is being discussed as a landing spot for Tebow. I laughed it up. But then fan bloggers that I like and agree with most of the time started talking about how they could see Tebow in Green and Gold. I've had enough

There are three reasons why I don't want Tebow in a Packers uniform. First, he's not accurate passing the ball and that is essential to the Packers offense. He's had several years to work on his accuracy and throwing motion. If it's not fixed by now, it won't be getting better.

Second, I don't think you should have a back up QB who can't run your offense and I can't see Tebow running an offense anything like what the Packers run. Sure, Packers fans have been spoiled in this regard over the past several seasons. We've had Matt Hasselback, Mark Brunell, Aaron Brooks, Aaron Rodgers and most recently Matt Flynn backing up our starting QBs. That's quite a haul and I know better than to expect the next backup QB to be as good as any of those guys. But he has got to at least be able to run the base offense. The Broncos had to vastly simplify their offense last year when Tebow became the starter. While it worked, I don't see it working if Aaron Rodgers misses a quarter due to injury or even a game or two during a season.

The third and biggest reason is I'm scared what would happen if Rodgers had a bad game or two. How many INTs before Tebow fans start clamoring for him to start? A 2 game losing streak? A 2 pick game? What would it take? We watched it play out on national TV last year. I think it would happen sooner than people think. Skip Bayless would be after McCarthy to put Tebow in after Rodgers 1st incompletion. Tebow would bring a huge contingent of fans that would expect Tebow to take over quickly as well. While I have faith that a large core of fans would stick by Rodgers, I'm scared that it would bring about a rift in the fan base and quickly as well.

So please Ted, just say no to Tebow.

Privacy, Integrity Still Have Meaning in Green Bay

I'd like to preface this by offering the Philbin family my sincerest condolences. I cannot imagine laying one of my children to rest and I hope they can find some peace in this time of loss. I hope Michael Philbin rests in peace.

As just about every Packer fan knows, Michael Philbin's funeral was yesterday. Joe Philbin had asked "for continued respect and privacy for our family as we deal with our loss." Well, it seems not everyone honored their request. I knew there had been a few cameras outside the church and I guess that's fine as people are interested in who attended. I'm ok with that as it doesn't really invade the family's privacy.

It appears the NY Daily News didn't think anything of the Philbin's request. They sent a writer to the service. But he did more than write about the comings and goings. No, he wrote an article about what was said and who said it. He wrote about who cried and when. He wrote about what should have been a private memorial. I'm offended that someone would think this is news. I'm not going to even say the name of the author because that would give him more credence than he deserves. This is something that paparazzi would do, it's not true journalism.

I would like to personally thank the Green Bay Media for honoring the Philbin's request for privacy. So thank you Jason Wilde and Rob Demovsky and Kareem Copeland and Ty Dunne and Tom Siverstein and Mike Vandermause and Bob McGinn and Chris Jenkins and Pete Dougherty for having the integrity to honor a man's request. Thank you to all the national media who chose to stay away to let a family mourn. It means a lot to see that personal requests like that still mean something to people, whether an event is newsworthy or not. That's what makes Green Bay different (and in my opinion better) from places like New York.

Memories of a Son's First game

Hunter and I with @ThadCollins. Great to see good friends!

Sorry for the time elasped between posts. Life has been busy over the holidays. Before I get into my thoughts on the playoff game, I'm going to talk a bit about taking my son Hunter to his first Packers game, the loss in Kansas City

Hunter and I had a great time visiting Kansas City. We stayed with a good friend of mine in KC and enjoyed everything right up until the game ended.   During the game Hunter had some good banter with the Chiefs fan about Kyle Orton and their team. A couple of the fans around us commented on how much he knew about the Packers and even the Chiefs. He was going on about their draft needs and how next year should be a good year because they get Jamaal Charles back. It was rewarding for me to listen to him be so knowledgeable about another team. I barely knew who the Packers starting QB was when I was 9 let alone who was on IR for the other team.

Tommy C and the tats  preparing for a kickoff return

As the game went on our concern grew. But the score stayed close and I just kept thinking that the offense would wake up. Then halftime came and I assumed Coach McCarthy would light a fire under everyone's rear ends and the 2nd half would be similar to the Falcons game. The Packers would take control and it would end up being the blowout we expected. Even at the end, as Rodgers ran for the last TD, we assumed the Packers were going to win. The D would get the ball back, march right down the field and score. But it never happened.

When it was over I looked over at Hunter. He had his cheesehead down over his eyes and I could tell some tears had been shed. We walked out of the stadium and walked the mile to get back to the car. We talked about how it made us both sad that the Packers wouldn't be able to have a perfect season this year. Hunter said he wasn't sad the Pack lost the game he went to. He was sad that they didn't have a shot at history anymore.

What flavor do you want? "Blue"

We talked for a while on the 8 hour drive home about how keeping the Lombardi trophy in Green Bay was more important than the perfect season and how it was better to lose now than in the playoffs. About how the game could be a wake up call for the defense (still waiting on that one).

A couple days after the game, I asked Hunter what he remembered about our trip because I was worried the loss would sour the memory of his first live game. So what did he remember? The taste of the cotton candy. Mason Crosby hitting a 60 yard field goal in warmups. How close Rodgers was when he scored that rushing touchdown ("We could see the look on his face daddy!").  He remembers my friend's dog Dexter's eyes having different colors and an inflatable mattress that was deflated by the time we woke up ("But it was still comfy next to you Dad"). Getting to stay up till 11 at night playing Madden ("Don't worry Dad, I won't tell mom"). Looking back, I think the loss lingered more for me than Hunter. I should have known better. As we walked into the house after the game Hunter said, "It's ok they lost this game Daddy, they can be perfect next year."

Where is Brett Favre's Place in History?

When I went to Green Bay for the Rams game, I bought my son and daughter each things from the stadium Packers Pro Shop. I knew that these things would mean more to them because of where they came from. One of the things I got for Hunter was a 2011 Packers team set of football cards. He thought it was awesome. He looks at the cards over and over and is constantly asking questions about Not just the stats on the cards, but what I think about the team and who I think are the best Packers of all time. He also asked if I had cards from when I was a kid. Up into the attic I went. I happen to have a decent sized collection of football and baseball cards, including a Tony Gwynn rookie, 2 Ken Griffey Jr rookies and a few different Brett Favre rookies.

I also have a 1995 Team Pinnacle insert card with Favre on one side and John Elway on the other. Well, Hunter is already a Packers knowledge sponge and he knows that the Packers lost to the Broncos in Super Bowl 32. So Hunter starts asking me questions. About that Super Bowl. About why Favre was in a Falcons jersey on his rookie card. About Don Majkowski. And then he dropped the bombshell on me. "Dad do you think John Elway was a better QB than Brett Favre?"

The real bombshell to me was that the answer came to me so quickly. I told him that yes, I did think Elway was a better QB than Favre. Elway took the Broncos to a total of 5 Super Bowls and won 2. He had led the Drive. He was THE comeback QB for the Broncos before there was Tebow. And I think in a different era Elway would have had more yards and TDs.

The more I thought about it, the more frustrated I got. I'm a Packers fan. How could I dare to take Elway before Favre? I just kept coming back to the early Super Bowls and what could have been. I also remember thinking about how Elway grew as a player. As he got older, Elway became a much more thoughtful QB. His completion percentage went way up in the 2nd half of his career and his TD/INT ratio was much improved as well.

You can't say the same for Favre. He was the same gunslinger at 41 as he was at 23. The more I looked at the stats, the INTs, the playoff runs that were ended by horrible throws, the more I realized why I've been so mad at Favre for so long. It wasn't because he went to Minnesota. It wasn't because he thumbed his nose at the fans by saying the Viking fans were better. And it wasn't because of the obscene texts he sent. I'm mad at Favre because instead of continuing to grow as a QB, Favre chose to just sling the ball around. I'm mad because Brett Favre is the most talented QB I've had the pleasure to watch live. I'm mad because Brett Favre's place in History should be at the top of the mountain by a long shot and he's not.

Thank You Skip Bayless

I know, I know. WTF am I thinking? Thanking Skip Bayless? Why would I do such a stupid thing? I dislike Skip just as much as the next Packers fan. He's a troll, plain and simple. I've been begging people to stop feeding him. So why am I saying thank you? I'll get there. But first, some of the tweets that get everyone so torqued off.

1. "All I'm saying about Packers: They don't have that 1 win vs. NE, Balt, Pitt, SF, @N.O., Dallas or any hot/healthy team that made me say wow." So, he's saying we didn't play the Saints the first week of the year I guess.

2. "You'd better believe I'm taking Tebow over ARodg in last 2 mins. I've SEEN Tebow do it again/again/again. ARodg hasn't had many chances." I was left speechless after this one.

3. "Kevin Smith lost early, more DB injuries, Hanson missed easy FG, Suh self-destructs - this season meant-to-be for Green Bay. More breaks!" Yep, they've caught every break. Nothing like the great breaks of losing one of your top DBs in the second game of the year, losing your long time LT for several weeks and having a starting DE miss more than half the season.

4. "For that matter, I dare Aaron Rodgers to try to convince me face to face how all-time great HE is. He's certainly arrogant enough to do so." This one angers me more than anything. Rodgers has never claimed to be anything. It's fans, the media and Rodgers own play (but certainly not his words) that have put him on the pedestal.

So, why do I say thanks to Skp? Simple. Rodgers himself has spoken about using falling in the draft and the fallout from trading Favre so Aaron could start as fuel to keep getting better. We as fans get to watch an 11-0 football team that still plays with a chip on their shoulder.  I truly believe that the naysayers like Skip are a big reason for it. So here's to hoping Skip can naysay Rodgers to the MVP and the Packers to the SUPER BOWL.

THANKS SKIP!!!