Packers chat with Pete Dougherty Skip to main content

Packers chat with Pete Dougherty

Submit your questions for Pete's live chat Wednesday at noon CDT.

    Do you expect to see Taysom Hill playing with Brees out? Does Wilkins remind you of Hill at all?
    OK everybody, let's get right into this. The couple stories I've seen about the Saints say Bridgewater is going to be the QB. It sounds like Brees might be out long enough (six weeks?) that if Bridgewater struggles for a couple games maybe they'd give Hill a shot. No, Wilkins is not like Hill. Hill is quite a bit bigger, stronger, faster and has a stronger throwing arm. Wilkins is mobile and slippery and resourceful seems like a pretty accurate thrower, but he doesn't have Hill's physical talent.
    Biggest positional need for Packers? I think WR.
    I'd say inside linebacker and tight end.
    Hi Pete! Love the analyses w/ Eric. Question: Are we getting lucky here with Pettine's defense carrying the load while the offense finds itself? I know it's early, but it seems there's a sweet spot here.
    Not sure I'd use the word lucky, because Gutekunst went out and signed and drafted these guys on defense for a reason. But yeah, it definitely is giving the offense some time to find itself, no doubt about that.
    Well I'll be damned....the Packers gave A. Jones enough touches. I've been screaming this forever. I know he can be injury prone, he does us zero good sitting on the sideline. I say give it to him 15-20 times a game along w some swing passes. What do you think? Is that too much? I don't think so.
    I'm thinking 15 to 18 touches would be ideal, maybe 20. I'd try not to go above that if I were them. It's got to be tempting to just keep feeding him, but you're right, it does no good if he's not on the field in December. Going back to the previous question, backup RB is a need too, you really have to have multiple running backs in today's game. Williams is a good football player and tough inside runner but isn't going to create yardage like Jones can. They really could use another guy like Jones. Maybe D. Williams can be that guy, we'll have to see when he gets playing time, but I would not say that right now.
    Is there a trade right now that makes sense for the Packers to make the difference between 9-7 and 11-5. Specifically, an inside Linebacker since we lost Raven Greene?
    Probably not one that makes sense if Oren Burks is going to be back in a few weeks. I thought Fitzpatrick might have been interesting but then when I saw what Pittsburgh gave up for, that was pretty steep. Who knows what position they might need their first-round pick for next year. Really surprised Pittsburgh did that deal, what if they have a horrible season with Roethlisberger out? That could be a top-10 pick. They must really like Fitzpatrick.
    Hi Pete, thanks for the chat! There's rumors about the Packers trading a #1 pick for Jalen Ramsey. I say hogwash, they need more help on the offensive side of the ball if anything. What say ye?
    I read today that Jacksonville is looking for two first-rounders.
    Pete..
    You picked Pack to lose against the Vikings and finish 8-8. Ur partner in crime Silverstein picked same and 7-9 finish.
    Can’t u see a happy Aaron Rodgers gets you 9 maybe 10 wins AND most importantly the Defensive improvements that Gutey has made? Do you see that now?
    Yes, we did. I never would have guessed they'd be 2-0 right now, I was thinking 1-1 at best, maybe 0-2. So Tom and I could end up being very wrong. But it is a long season and it's very early. Just as a poor start doesn't ruin a season, a good start doesn't make one.
    Hi Pete Love these chats. I just love the way the Defense is playing. The Smiths plus Amos and Alexander, Savage have really turned the team around. It just seems that the D is going to be a really potent force this season. Heck, with a healthy Rodgers this team is capable of 12-4 season. Your thoughts please.
    This is along the lines of the last question. With the fast start you can't rule that out, but the offense still has to pick up quite a bit, and a couple playmakers on offense are going to have to come through as the season goes on (someone from the group of Allison, MVS, Kumerow maybe Tonyan) or it's going to be tough sledding. But that could happen, one or two of those guys could really start producing as the season goes on. Like I said, though, lots of season to go, injuries, etc., can happen. But agreed that at least from what I see the D isn't a fluke, even if's it's going to keep teams under 20 points every week. The Smiths are good players and in are a really good tandem, Alexander and King are a really good cover duo, and Amos and Savage are a major upgrade at safety.
    Isn’t the big problem with our offense simply a lack of talented skill players? No TEs, 1 pretty good rb, 1 good wr.
    And a bunch of guys.

    And the o line is—what—above average I guess.

    No magic scheme by LaFleur can fix that, can it?
    I'm not there yet. I still think there's some talent there that could start blossoming as the season goes on. Graham obviously isn't anything like the player he was in his prime. He's not going to be making many plays downfield, or turning short throws into big gainers. But I could see MVS making more plays as the season goes on, maybe Allison becoming a better threat (though he's been a little invisible to this point). Who knows, maybe Kumerow will get some more time and catch some of those intermediate throws. And I still wonder if Tonyan won't become more of a threat as the season goes on. Remember, this offense is new to the players, and the players are new to LaFleur, so this could take some time for them to get a good feel on both sides of that equation. Let's see how they're looking around Week 8.
    Hi Pete As I watched the game on Sunday Inoticed something about Rodgers. As you know he was dominate in the first quarter but fell apart the rest of the game, When the cameras were watching Rodgers in the second quarter with his back to the camera he was shaking off something on his throwing arm, it wasn't a one time thing and when he did this they ran the ball it look like a hit to the funny bone a stinger to his arm. I counted 4 times him doing it could this be why he wasn't accurate after the first quarter? Tour thoughts
    I didn't see that during the game but read about it. I can't say if it was a factor or not, but it's possible. Or maybe he just hit that ulnar nerve and needed a few minutes for the tingling to go away. Hope someone will ask him about it at open locker room, he talks to today. I can't because I'll be here chatting with you when the locker room is open.
    Josh Jones has tried out for at least 3 teams with no signing. Thought for sure he'd be a good player a few years ago, now can't even get on a practice squad! Think the other Josh J(ackson) will go the same route? Completely forgot he's even on the team!
    I too thought Jones was going to be good after the offseason practices his rookie year. I do wonder if his thyroid condition is also an issue, teams might be wary of that at this point. I don't know any details but maybe his doctors are still trying to get his medication dosages right. Or maybe teams just don't like his game.
    Hi Pete, can you give us an idea of how many reps Boyle is getting in practice. I assume not many since AR is still learning the offense. But Boyle has to be getting some work right?
    I can't tell you for sure because practice isn't open for team drills once the season starts -- it's open only for the first 20 to 30 minutes, but once they start 11 on 11 it closes (it's that way all around the league). But I believe the general way teams do things is the starter takes all but maybe a handful of snaps when they're doing the offense against the scout team defense, and the No. 2 takes the other few snaps (I think it can be as few as just a couple a practice). Then the backup takes almost all the snaps with the scout-team offense, with the No. 3 taking only a handful. So Boyle is getting a lot of snaps as the scout-team QB, unlike last year, when (unless Rodgers wasn't practicing) he was getting only a few scout-team snaps a practice.
    Hi Pete. Great job with these chats. With LaFleurs offense it seems that in order to be successful the tight end has to be able to block a great deal more than in the past 12 years or so. Which brings me to the point. The only TE that is capable is an aging Lewis, known as a decent blocker and a occasional receiver. Unfortunately he is 35 and looks it Graham can't block and can't get down the field. Tonyan is a work in progress but represents our best option going forward. Are there any TE's that might become available as the season progresses? I am not counting on Sternberger making any impact this season. do you agree ?
    Pretty much agree on all counts. Tonyan's blocking has improved from last year, and he runs OK and seems to catch well. In the longer haul of the season he strikes me as their best hope at that position.
    Hi Pete, The assumption by some has been that Jenkins will replace Taylor as starting guard at some point this season and that Taylor will be gone next year while Turner remains because of his contract...... but what happens if both Taylor and Jenkins are better than Turner ?, is it possible next year that Taylor and Jenkins are starters at both guards and Turner is the top backup for Guard and tackle or is it likely Taylor or Turner has to go for salary cap reasons? Is Jenkins getting any reps in at Right Guard also or only left Guard? I just have this feeling Turner will be the moderate to weak link before his contract runs out.
    Remains to be seen. Turner has struggled at times, seems like he can be bull rushed at times. He can play tackle, which helps him, but his $7M a year average salary is really high for a backup Next year he's due $5.35M in salary and bonus, so maybe they'd be OK keeping him as a backup basically across the line, or maybe as a possible starter at RT if they decide that Bulaga's health is too precarious to re-sign him. I do know LaFleur really likes Turner as a locker room guy, leader, good work ethic for young guys to emulate, etc. Is the scenario you sketch out possible? Sure. So much can and probably will happen between now and January-February, when they'll have to make those decisions.
    Hi Pete, Did Zimmer really make brilliant adjustments after going down by 21? Or did AR just go conservative and challenge the inferior Cousins to dig out of the 21 point hole all by himself on the road against a tough Packer defense? If so, wasn't that a good winning strategy by AR?
    I'm sure Zimmer made at least some adjustments that made a difference, and it did seem like the Packers' offensive tempo wasn't as good in the second half as the first. I also think this kind of how it's going to be the first month to six weeks, the offense will perform in fits and starts, look really good at times, then bad for long stretches at others. I still think that's probably fairly common when you're putting in a new offense and have a  new coaching staff on one side of the ball.
    I think Jalen Ramsey is worth the expense - our first rounders haven't been a good as is he, imo. what do u think
    He is an outstanding CB, that's for sure. If the price were one first-rounder I'd look pretty seriously into it. He seems like kind of a volatile guy, so you'd have to do a lot of research to make sure he'd be OK in the locker room. The Packers are really good at CB, but King has injury issues, and they could just play nickel almost all the time and have three excellent CBs on the field at the same time, it really would be an off-the-charts secondary. Two first-rounders though is getting pretty steep. I'd want to ask some personnel people what they think, it's an interesting questions. Is he the CB equivalent of Khalil Mack? Not sure about that. If the Packers were hurting at CB it would be an easier call, but they're pretty good there already, though with King's health history as a caveat. So yeah, two firsts is really steep. Is he worth a one and a three a big contract next year? Not sure.
    Well the early returns appear that Savage has been a well need upgrade from Clinton-Dix on the back end and Amos a tremendous upgrade from Brice in the box. How impactful do you believe these two can be for the Packers as the season progresses?
    Very impactful. I'm curious to see if they keep Amos in the Greene role as that S/ILB position, and replace him at deep safety with Redmond, or if Pettine has something else up his sleeve. Savage is a rookie, he's going to make some glaring mistakes before the season is done, but he's also an explosive player and seems pretty decent at playing the ball in the air too.
    Hi Pete, is it too early to say Gute should have cut Jimmy Graham and used the money on another WR or TE?
    I was on record saying that last February and haven't seen anything to change my mind. Probably would be fair to give LaFleur a few more weeks to show he can get more out of him, but you know the story about Father Time and all.
    Hey Pete,
    How much in annual salary do you think it would take to sign Blake Martinez? This kind of has the feel of Micah Hyde to me. Whereby Martinez is very reliable but doesn't seem to wow anyone. It doesn't feel like the GB brass has a ton of love for him and I feel like he would be missed if he was gone. MLB has been a problem in GB since maybe when Nick Barnett last played. I guess this is where it gets tricky because he makes sense at some number but probably not the number he wants. Just curious to get your thoughts.
    Agreed, this is a tough one, because Martinez is a solid player and smart and from appearances is excellent at running the D and getting guys lined up and communicating and all that. That counts for something, probably a lot. But he has his limitations, he's not the dynamic guy that many of the better defenses have at that position. I'd have to do some research to make an educated guess on what he might get next year. You get much above $5M a year, that's a decent amount of money, though the cap keeps going up $10Mm a year. I read something in the offsesaon that caught my mind, it was a quote from a scout, said something to the effect of, if you're slow at MLB, you're slow on defense. Probably a lot of truth there, it's become such a coverage position, offenses looking to get that guy matched with a good receiving RB or a TE, but they do need to be able to play the run too. I guess the thing is, if they decide that they're not going to pay him what he can get on the open market, they better have a good plan to replace him with something better. That could mean using a pretty high draft pick.
    Reasonable or ridiculous to think about trading for AJ Green? Rumor mill says he’s available
    Definitely worth exploring. Now, you gotta be careful and smart. He's 31 and has a significant ankle injury (torn ligaments), and if I remember right he's had a significant injury before (ankle maybe?). So age and possible decline could be coming fairly soon. So you'd have to be careful what you're willing to give up. But he's also a rare talent, so he could have a little more longevity that most WRs. I can't say I know enough to tell you what he'd be worth trading, and I don't know what the Bengals would want for him at this point. Without knowing that, it seems like a first-rounder would be too steep a price. A second would be worth thinking about, but I don't know if that would get a deal done. But yeah, if I'm Brian Gutekunst I'm definitely looking into it. How could he not? If the Packers' offense picks up they could be a good team.
    I'm in disbelief at that 4th and 1 debacle that cost the Packers three points at the end of the first half. First, I can't believe Rodgers didn't realize it was fourth down. Second, although Rodgers got the play off quickly, I can't believe LaFluer didn't call a time out to stop the play from being called. He had time to do that when he saw Rodgers lining the team up to run a play. That's two bonehead moves by LaFluer in two weeks. At Chicago he gave away a timeout by idiotically challenging for an offensive pass interference call. In Week 2 he allows the team to run a play on 4th and 1 without taking the points
    It was a costly mistake, no question. Rare error by Rodgers there, he historically has been a super-aware player. Considering his history, I'd say it's a Mulligan. LaFleur said after the game he should have called timeout. LaFleur is a rookie head coach, he's going to make some rookie mistakes. Going back to an earlier question, one of the reasons I picked the Packers to go 8-8 was I thought LaFleur's rookie mistakes would cost them a game or two.
    AB quits on Pitt and demands to be traded, the Steelers refuse to trade him to NE and he ends up in Oakland where he attempts to grab as much $ as he can, then forces the Raiders to cut him. In a few hours he signs with NE! Browns agent has a long standing relationship with Belichek and the Patriots. Something stinks here! Now it all looks like it's gonna blow in AB and the Pats faces! There is justice! Your thoughts?
    I have to admit I was surprised NE paid him a $9M bonus. If I had to bet, I'd bet the Patriots will end up eating that money.
    Pete, the whole watch issue brings a question of why does the NFL allow any jewelry to be worn at all? When I see those big necklaces, I just wonder how long it will be before a player gets their finger or hand caught in the necklace causing significant injury to their hand and also causing injury to the other player's neck. Seem like this is a safety issue?
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