Packers chat with Bob McGinn
Wednesday, Feb. 8 transcript
3rd & 7 37yd
3rd & 7 37yd
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If eagles release Connor Barwin he seems like a perfect fit for the packers. Veteran 3-4 OLB who can cover, rush, play the run and would be much cheaper than other options and wouldn't count against comp pick calculations. Plus he is a high character guy. Barwin and Mathews seems like a very good OLB combo to me. Thoughts?
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Pete: Callahan? Really? He was on the street some of the year. He has no market value. Hundley? The Packers drafted him for protection at the most important position. They need him. Rodgers was remarkably durable this season but given how many hits he decides to take and the amount of running that he does, the Packers need a capable backup. Not a warm body like Graham Harrell.
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Rick: By all means. That's what Desmond Bishop did and a young Nick Barnett did and Brian Williams did. That guy who plays every snap, like Deion Jones or CJ Mosley or Ryan Shazier or Eric Kendricks, are worth their weight in gold. It's a very underrated piece of an NFL defense in today's football.
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I think that the NFL should, in the next TV contract, take back control of game start times so that there are no night games in cold weather cities after Nov 15. Also, the Super Bowl should be moved back one day to Saturday night, so people show up for work on Monday ready to be productive. All the events currently on Saturday night could be moved to Friday night, as both are poor ratings nights for the major TV networks. Agree or disagree?
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ED: The NFL doesn't care about fans having to sit in cold night weather. I doubt the current Packers' administration does, either. It's all about TV and ratings and billions for the next network deal. I have no opinion on the Super Bowl schedule other than if you're not ready to go to work on Monday something's wrong with you.
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Mike: Peppers and Lacy wouldn't be cut. They'll both be unrestricted free agents in mid-March. I think I'm the only one that thought Peppers' production was more than adequate. Depending on what options were available and his thoughts, I'd strongly consider bringing him back for another year. Lacy? Someone from the organization (McCarthy, Thompson, Wolf, Highsmith) needs to get him on a scale and then sit down with the guy and see where his head's at.
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Bob: First question is to determine if he wants to play football for anyone. If a guy couldn't keep his weight in check and his conditioning in order in a contract year, what would he be like after signing a new deal? It's beyond me how the current coaching staff allowed Lacy's weight to balloon in the two months before his injury.
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Bob: Heard an NFL analyst say that NE's roster changed by over 25 players from their SB appearance 2 yrs ago to the current roster. They don't tend to chase big name FAs, but they certainly don't live solely by draft and develop which happens in GB. Belichick isn't afraid to either pick someone up or get rid of someone. Why doesn't TT see that? Getting to the playoffs every year is nice but the roster has to continually be improved rather than waiting for players to develop (when many times they don't). The Pats, Broncos and Seahawks, all recent SB winners, aren't afraid to make roster moves while GB continues to stand pat. And continues to get the same results as the career of their all-world QB is being wasted. Your thoughts?
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KP: I'd imagine GB's roster changed 25 guys from 2014, too. The difference is NE has so many more veterans on its 90-man roster than GB. For example, on Tuesday the Patriots announced the signing of nine new players for 2017. One of them, TE Rob Housler, was out of football since being cut by the Bears on Sept. 3. Housler, 28, was a third-round pick in 2011. Playing for three teams, he has 109 receptions for 1,166 yards. He's an athlete with seam-stretching speed. I assume he's protection in case Gronkowski isn't back. Housler is the type of player Ted Thompson would never add to his 90. He wants people like Justin Perillo, Mitchell Henry and Casey Pierce taking up space on the 90 like last year. None of them can run. Therefore, they really have no chance to contribute in a substantial way. Housler probably will get cut in late August but there's no financial risk because it can be assumed he was given no guaranteed money. With his speed and experience, however, one could foresee that he actually could contribute. Belichick makes a move like this amid the Super Bowl hubbub. It's the little things that he does that puts NE over the top.
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Mike: Murphy is dead right in not declaring a successor to Thompson. The best successors presently are under contract in KC (John Dorsey), Sea (John Schneider) and Oak (Reggie McKenzie). You can throw in Scot McCloughan in Washington, too. Wolf and Gutekunst have never made GM decisions. Neither has Ball, but at least he has worked several other places. Dorsey, Schneider, McKenzie and McCloughan are GMs. It's not really a young man's gig in Green Bay right now. The pressure to win is unbearable. It requires seasoning under pressure. Sports Illustrated's Austin Murphy referred to Green Bay this fall as "EnTitletown." He was comically spot on.
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Ben: Maybe the Packers should not pay anybody ... I'm being facetious, the CBA has minimums teams must spend ..... but is no one worthy to be paid? What didn't you like about Perry this season other than his busted hand? What didn't you like about TJ Lang other than his hip/foot injuries? What didn't you like about Jared Cook?
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Tom: Thompson has said several times that he just prefers being around players that he knows. He believes in taking college players and letting McCarthy and his people mold them without having been influenced by other NFL systems/coaches. There is a lot to be said for that philosophy. There also is a lot to be said against that philosophy. Seems like the way to go would be a happy medium between the two, you know?
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Bob, Thanks for the continuing unflinching coverage. Topic: Watching the 1st half of this last Superbowl, I felt pretty good about where the Packers were. But in the 2nd half I felt differently - that both teams (Pats & Falcons) had reached a higher plane, or level of performance - leaving the Packers with a big gap to reach where those teams are. See what I'm saying? Thoughts on this?
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Mike: Joe Montana was 4-0 in Super Bowls. It's either Montana or Brady (5-2 in Super Bowls). 1-2 or 2-1. It's that close. For younger readers, Montana was a more athletic, faster Aaron Rodgers with somewhat less of an arm. Bill Walsh described him as poetry in motion, and he was. Favre sits somewhere in that 6-9 range.
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Regarding the young Packer executives, one thing I admire about Ted Thompson is his remarkable lack of ego (contrast Holmgren & Wolf) - I think he'd be willing to work side by side with a designated successor - handle the draft etc while a younger guy began making more aggressive moves via trade or free agency. Thoughts?
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Loved your article on the 1996 Packer Super Bowl team. The best team I ever saw and I watched all the Lombardi teams. I recall George Koonce being injured in the NFC Championship Game but the Packers had a veteran in Ron Cox to step in for the super Bowl. It just shows the value of having some veteran backups on the roster.
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Jimmy: Very good point. Ron Cox was 28 at the time. He replaced Koonce nicely. The fourth ILB at end of this season was Jordan Tripp ... well, we could sit here and chat all day but that's more than enough from me. Thanks to all for reading us at JS and participating today//BOB McGINN