Yesterday I talked about the signing of free agents and I left someone out of the 2014 signee class of two. I had listed zero free agents signed and technically that was true. I added Julius Peppers, even though he really was a waiver wire pickup since he had been cut, but I forgot to add nose tackle Letroy Guion (another waiver wire acquisition). Both signings were a plus and should have been added to the positive side of Thompson's ledger.
Peppers signed a three-year deal with a high cap number for 2015 and 2016, so his contract has to be addressed this off-season. Guion signed a one-year deal and his status (he was a major plus last season) is up in the air because of his arrest on drug and gun charges. We'll have to see how that plays out and how righteous the Packers will be on players with legal problems.
So now to the topic at hand. Players retained, players lost through free agency or being cut. Did they start on their new teams or did they pull a General MacArthur and just fade away? Let's see how he's done over the years.
2006: The Packers lost six players to free agency.
1. RB Tony Fisher signed with St. Louis after four years with the Packers. He was an undrafted free agent and nothing more than a second-string backup (60g-5st; 235 rushes for 880 yards and 4 TDs. and he only spent one year with the Rams appearing in eight games with six rushes for nine yards...Serviceable backup, but no big loss.
2. C Mike Flanagan signed with Houston after eight seasons with the Packers - the last six as a starter. He was a third round (#90) draft pick who's career was delayed by two seasons after suffering an horrific broken leg during the pre-season his rookie year. He replaced by Scott Wells and he ended up playing just two seasons as the Texans' starting center. He continued to have health issues like he did in five of his eight seasons with the Packers...no big loss.
3. LB Paris Lenon signed with Detroit after four years with the Packers with his last season (2005) as a starter at outside linebacker. He went on to play eight more seasons - mainly as a starter. He started three years with the Lions - the first at outside and the last two at middle linebacker, a part-time starter for one season with the Rams, a three-year starter with the Cardinals at inside linebacker and finished up the Broncos (2013) as a part-time starter at middle linebacker...He was good here and good after here, so I consider his a negative.
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| Ryan Longwell |
4. PK Ryan Longwell signed with the Vikings after nine seasons as the Packers place kicker. He left as the all-time leading scorer in Packers history. He was released - if memory serves me well - mainly because his kickoffs were landing somewhere between the 15 and 20-yard lines on a regular basis as well as having an off-year hitting only 20-of-27 field goals and not scoring at least a 100 points for the only time in his career. He was replaced by Dave Rayner - a waiver pickup from the Colts - because he had a strong leg. He had a decent season making 26-of-35 field goals and 31-of-32 extra points, but was replaced when Mason Crosby was drafted in 2008. Longwell spend six seasons with the Vikings hitting 86 percent of his field goals (135-of-157) and 228-of-233 extra points (it seems extra points aren't that automatic, but that's a rant for another day). He was cut by the Vikings after the 2011 season and signed to kick for the Seahawks (errrrrrrrr, their name keeps coming up) during the playoffs ...Rayner and Crosby have been good (except for one year) kickers for the Packers and Longwell ended up still having plenty in the tank...so this would have been a wash if he had signed anywhere, but the Vikings. But since he provided a quality kicker for the Vikings then this is a BIG NEGATIVE.
5. G/C Grey Ruegamer signed with the Giants after two seasons with the Packers. He was picked up on waivers from Patriots and became the starting center for the Packers his second season when Flanagan was placed on injured reserve after three games with tendonitis in his knee. He was another smart pickup as a backup offensive lineman that ended up starting instead of moving another starter to replace Flanagan. Ruegamer went on to become a three-year backup for the Giants...He could have been a solid backup here, so I consider this a minor negative.
6. QB Craig Nall signed with the Bills after five seasons as one of the 10 people who backed up Brett Favre. So he never started and very seldom played. He was nothing here (38-of-48 passes for 480 yards with 5 TDs and no interceptions) and nothing with the Bills, the Texans, the Packers (he was signed Dec. 1, 2007 and released after the season), the Texans again and finally with the Florida Tuskers of the UFL in 2009...No big loss.
To give you some idea what the NFL thought of Packers' lossses they were awarded a 2007 seventh round draft pick (#243), which they used to draft TE Clark Harris. After being cut by the Packers he spent one season with Houston and is currently with Cincinnati after six years as the long snapper.
SUMMARY: 1 BIG NEGATIVE. 2 minor negatives. 3 no big losses - A WASH
2007: The Packers lost three players to free agency and two more were not re-signed.
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| Ahman Green |
1. RB Ahman "Batman" Green signed with Houston and suffered through two seasons where he ended up on injured reserve with knee injuries. He was coming off his sixth 1,000 yard season in seven with the Packers. He was lost after five games in 2005 with a torn thigh tendon (77-255-0TD), but came back to gain 1,059 yards on 266 carries with 5 TDs. He came back in 2009 when DeShawn Wynn was hurt and surpassed Jim Taylor as the all-time leading rusher by appearing in eight games as a backup and rushing for 160 yards on 41 carries. He then played in 2010 for the Omaha Nighthawks of the UFL and gained 253 yards on 68 carries in eight games. While he was as good as Taylor was during his first stint with the Packers, coming back to break his record bothered me. It still does. But that's neither here nor there...He was done and his loss was no big deal.
2. TE David Martin signed with the Dolphins after six years with the Packers after being a sixth round draft pick (#198). He was a serviceable backup with the Packers and was a starter his first year and a part-time starter his second year with the Dolphins. He missed 2009 with a knee injury and then signed with the Bills where he was a part-time starter in 2011 and waived in 2011...Packers had other backup tight ends, so his loss was no big deal.
3. DT Kenderick Allen (signed with Cincinnati and was cut...no big loss.
4. QB Todd Bouman and 5. LB Ben Taylor did not re-sign...no big loss.
Finally the Packers were awarded a 2008 fourth round draft pick (#135) for the lost of Allen, Green and Martin. They drafted Josh Sitton. BIG PLUS.
SUMMARY: 4 good retentions. 5 no big deals. 1. Compensatory Pick - BIG PLUS
2008: The Packers lost one player to free agency, one to retirement and three others were not re-signed.
1. CB Frank Walker signed with Baltimore after one season with Packers where he was a backup. He spent two seasons with the Ravens, one with the Vikings (eeeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkkkkk, that team again) and one with the Cowboys (errr, I hate them, too, but not as much) as a backup making six starts...no big loss.
2. LS Rob Davis retired. I understand he was forced to retire and was given a front office job. He was replaced by Brett Goode...no big loss.
3. TE Ryan Krause was not re-signed and he signed with San Diego where he seldom played as a backup. He was a waive acquisition from the Chargers and spent only one year with the Packers as a backup appearing in nine game...no big loxx.
4. QB Craig Nall and 5. T/G Tyson Walter wasn't re-signed. Check out above on Nall. Walter was out of football when the Packers signed him and he only spend one season with the Packers appearing in five games...no big loss.
The Packers re-signed six exclusive-rights free agents (S Atari Bigby, RB Ryan Grant, WR Carlyle Holiday, TE Tory Humphrey, FB John Kuhn, WR Ruvell Martin); two restricted free agents (DT Colin Cole, RB Vernand Morency) and LB Tracy White. Bigby, Grant and Kuhn were good retentions.
The Packers didn't receive any compensatory picks for the loss of Walker.
SUMMARY: 3 good retentions. 5 no big deals. - BIG PLUS
2009: The Packers lost one player to free agency and two who did not receive qualifying offers as a restricted free agents.
1. DT Colin Cole signed with Seattle (THAT TEAM AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!) after five seasons with the Packers as a backup. He started two seasons for the Seahawks and after two years out of football has been a starter the past two seasons with Carolina. The Packers could have used him...so minor negative.
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| Atari Bigby |
2. SS Atari Bigby didn't receive a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent after five seasons with the Packers the last three as a starter, but being injured a lot. He eventually re-signed, but was never a factor again...no big deal.
3. WR Shaun Bodiford didn't receiver a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent after spending one and a half seasons with Packers as a seldom played backup...no big deal.
The Packers re-signed one exclusive-rights free agent (CB Tramon Williams), five of seven restricted free agents (CB Jarrett Bush, TE Tory Humphrey, DE Jason Hunter, FB John Kuhn, WR Ruvell Martin) and re-signed DE Mike Montgomery. Williams, Bush and Kuhn were good retentions.
The Packers received a 2010 fifth round (#169) compensatory draft pick for losing Cole and they drafted T Marshall Newhouse (who crapped out as a starting left tackle after Chad Clifton left)...BIG NEGATIVE.
SUMMARY: 3 good retentions. 1 BIG NEGATIVE. 1 minor negative. 2 no big deals. - PLUS.
The first four yeas of the Ted Thompson era is over. The Packers have made the transition from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers and that is about to earn big dividends. To my surprise I have given him 2 BIG PLUSES, 1 PLUS and a WASH. I am shocked. But statistics don't lie (or do they?). I think the old Mark Twain axiom goes "There are lies, damned lies and statistics."
I think I will leave it at that as my butt all of sudden has begun to itch as I end a three-hour sit-down to only find out Thompson, or shall I now call him Mr. Thompson, hasn't been so bad. I now have to shower and shave and catch the bus to the re-education camp to rethink my aversion to TT as his sycophants call him.
See you tomorrow if they let me out for Part 2 the Super Bowl Year.
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