Hoping on a Ghost

After I found the offensive line free agents not worth a look I will turn to the skill (sorry linemen, but that is what they call them) positions to see if an upgrade is out there.

The Real Ghost Jordy Nelson

Wide Receivers: Not a single starter had a good season, including the Ghost of Seasons Past Jordy Nelson.

With Nelson missing the entire season Randall Cobb was the leading receiver (79-829-6TD), but he averaged only 10.3 yards a catch. James Jones was a season saver averaging 17.8 yards a catch with 8 TDs (50-890), but he hit the wall and unless he is signed to a veteran's minimum he shouldn't be asked back.

Chasing a Ghost or What Did You Do During Free Agency?

For the first time since Aaron Rodgers became a starter the defense or special teams weren't the reason for a less than successful season. The ultimate extension of General Manager Ted Thompson's philosophy of building almost entirely from within and ignoring obvious weaknesses while the clock was ticking on Brett Favre's last years and is ticking on Rodgers' prime years has hurt the Packers brand. The Packers last year were a little better than average.

Thompson was asked about the window closing on the Rodgers era and he said this, "We're not going to chase a ghost just because we think the clock is ticking."

Translation: I guess the ghost he is talking about is bringing a Super Bowl back to Green Bay. He has already wasted four of the best years a quarterback has ever had in the history of the game, so why should he be worried now that Rodgers is on the backside of his career and coming off his worst season ever. As long as the Packers make the playoffs that is good enough for Thompson and the Trust in Ted crowd.

Uniquely Unique The Packers and Mike McCoy

Mike Charles McCoy

The passing of #29 Mike Charles McCoy at the age of 62 is another indication I'm getting old since I will soon be 63.  I remember him well. He was a solid cornerback who finished his career with 13 interceptions, including 10 his first three years as a starter. He also recovered five fumbles and averaged 22.0 yards as a kickoff returner.

A West Memphis, Arkansas native he was drafted out of Colorado in the third round (72nd pick overall) of the 1976 draft by Bart Starr with a draft pick acquired from the Kansas City Chiefs in the 1975 trade of running back MacArthur Lane.

He played 110 games in a Packer uniform starting 96 consecutive games at right cornerback from 1977 to 1983 until he suffered a ruptured quad muscle in the ninth game of the season.

You Might Have Missed It, But the Off-Season Began 2 Weeks Ago

February 8 the NFL off-season officially began when players could be placed on waivers. The next day the teams began to sign players whose 2015 contracts have expired, but being Packer Backers this is the time of year we all take a Packers theme cruise with Ted Thompson until April.

However, this year before we all disembarked there actually was a transaction and when I say a transaction I mean it literally.



Ryan Williams When He Was a Miami Hurricane

Despite signing QB Ryan Williams on Jan. 1 and nine of the 11 practice squad players (LB Carl Bradford, DT William Campbell, TE Mitchell Henry, WR Jamel Johnson, DT Christian Ringo, OL Matt Rotheram, T Jeremy Vujnovich, WR Ed Williams, DE B.J. McBryde) on Jan. 18 to reserve/futures contracts Ted Thompson re-signed DT Letroy Guion to a 3-year contract worth $11.25 million on Feb. 12.

Scapegoating and Rearranging Chairs

McCarthy Making It Clear As Mother's Milk or Did He

The Packers are run by notable recluse Ted Thompson, so the off-season has a different meaning for Packer Backers than it has for the other 31 fan bases. You have to make up your own stories most of the time because personnel moves are few and far between, so when actual news is made out of the black hole that is the Packers front office you need to jump on it.

One of the things that has happened besides Aaron Rodgers and T.J. Lang having minor surgery and Randall Cobb admitting he had a punctured lung for some mysterious reason or malfeasance by the NFL was the so-called restructuring of the coaching staff.

I already talked about phase 1 when tight ends coach Jerry Fontenot and running back coach Sam Gash were fired and replaced with former Cleveland Browns tight ends coach Brian Angelicho and former Rams running back coach Ben Sirmans.

M*A*S*H Report Packer Style

Randall Cobb Non-Catch Injury

People seem to want me to comment on Randall Cobb admitting he had a punctured lung and is now doing well and Aaron Rodgers doing well after his minor knee surgery, despite the fact I felt there wasn't much to say about those non-stories.
The story would have been if Cobb died or had his lung removed or the doctors had repaired the wrong knee or amputated Rodgers' leg. But for both of them to say things are fine seemed to me that it didn't require any in-depth analysis since I already mentioned a few posts ago about Rodgers having knee surgery and mentioned at the time Cobb was injured I thought he had a punctured lung, despite the official word being a chest injury. You don't spit up blood with a chest injury.

The New Face of the NFL Has Gold Feet of Clay

I've had time to think about Super Bowl 50 and how it ended. Cam Newton, literally the Golden Boy NFL MVP, not only was shown that he could be beat, sorry Falcons, but it also showed that he, like almost every other player these days, is playing only for himself in a game that stresses team more than any other professional sport.

During the season Newton was reveling in the attention he got each week as the Panthers won game after game leading up to talk of the perfect season. He could do no wrong and couldn't wait to stand before the press after each game and answer what would be the same questions week in and week out. He would flash that $Million smile and "his ego grew three times each day" if that was possible for a man who came in with an ego the size of the Super Bowl audience world wide.

However the week leading up the to the big game Newton grew tired of answering questions every day (kind of foreshadowed something didn't it) and made the comment, "It's confusing. How can I reword questions I've been asked so many times? Goooooolly, it's not like the questions have changed since I saw you 24 hours ago. I had an unbelievable sleep and yet I'm up here again. It's cool. I sound like a broken record."

FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS, PART QUINCE

(click on your computer's SAP app to find out which PART this is)

SUBLIME

This Old Dog Beat The Young Pup

Super Bowl 50 featured "Superman", who all the pundits were calling the best quarterback in the game today - see what happens Aaron Rodgers when you give up that mantle - and "The Sheriff", who was called the worst quarterback to start a Super Bowl by FoxSports - who we know is the bastion of truth, justice and the American Way.

When the dust settled Peyton "The Sheriff" Manning was standing on the podium with the Lombardi Trophy while Cam "Superman" Newton was doing his best Marshawn Lynch and Bill Belichick impressions answering - and I say that while laughing out loud - questions before abruptly getting up and ending the post-game interviews in mid-question showing the real Cam Newton and not the fake modest Cam Newton who answered question after question after question even though it did get tedious and he said so during the week before the game.

Super Bowl Prediction and Hall of Fame Thoughts

Superman Cam

The smart money is on the Carolina Panthers to win Super Bowl 50. If I was actually putting money down I would have to back the Panthers even though I don't like Cam Newton.

However, Super Bowl 50 has a Super Bowl III feel to me, if not to anyone else in punditry or the rest of the civilized world for that matter. The last line I've seen has the Panthers favored by 5.5 points and not many people are picking the Broncos.

For those of you born after 1980 the Packers had won the first two Super Bowls pretty handily and the Baltimore Colts (yes, there was a team in Baltimore before the Browns moved in the middle of the night to become the Ravens) were the Panthers of 1968-69 going 13-1 behind backup quarterback Earl Morrall, who had taken over for the legendary future Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas, who had injured his passing arm in the preseason.

“Yes, Virginia, There is a Super Bowl”

Super Bowl 1

It's been brought to my attention that the Super Bowl is being played this Sunday. I knew one was going on but it didn't rise to something I thought I needed to comment on because it was between two teams I have no allegiance to, between two quarterbacks I don't like and, for that matter, it isn't a Super Bowl I'm much interested in since the Packers aren't involved.

Super Bowl 2

PACKER ALERT! Besides disliking Cam "Superman" Newton on a person level, it griped my butt when the Packers in week 9 could have been the first team to beat the Panthers, but lost a shootout after Aaron Rodgers got scared and didn't see a wide-open Randall Cobb in the right corner of the end zone for a TD to set up a two-point conversion, which Head Coach Mike McCarthy would have had to go for since the Packers needed it to tie the game and send it into overtime.

The L-Files

The Mini-Camp Picture That Started It All

Coach Mike McCarthy's first proclamation after he and Larry Fitzgerald single-handily ended the Packers season was Eddie Lacy was fat and that won't be tolerated next season. McCarthy added he needs to lose 30 pounds before the OTA's.