Position Evaluation: Linebackers

The linebackers for the Packers are average at best. Former All-World Pass Rusher Clay Matthews is a shadow of his former self and in my opinion should be cut. He is entering the final year of a 5-year, $66,000,000 contract. He began his career with 50 sacks in his first 5 seasons earning Pro Bowl berths in his first four seasons, but missing his fifth when he fell to 7.5 sacks playing with a broken thumb.

The 1st year after the signing of the contract, which was justified at the time, Matthews spend half the season at outside linebacker and the last half at inside linebacker and rebounded with 11 sacks returning to the Pro Bowl.

In his 1st 6 seasons Matthews had 61 sacks, but the last 3 seasons have been below par. In 2015 he was named to the Pro Bowl, but that was on reputation alone because he only had 6.5 sacks. In 2016 he appeared in just 12 games with 9 starts because of hamstring and a more serious shoulder injury finishing with 5 sacks. Last season he was a situational player with 7.5 sacks sitting out half the downs and key moments in the game when he would normally be playing.

Watching him play last season was pitiful. He no longer had his burst to the quarterback and routinely missed the quarterback when he got there. It’s time to move on.

"Hail Rodgers"

I took last week off because I was busy at work and I really didn't know what to think about the Packers after dismantling the Lions in the 6h must-win in as many weeks. I felt the Lions were only downslide even though the Packers had failed to win the same game last year at Lambeau Field against the Vikings with the North title on the line.

That failure stuck in my mind heading into the game against the Giants as did the other two times Eli Manning faced the Packers at Lambeau in the playoffs and beat Brett Favre the first time and Aaron Rodgers the second.

However, this is a different Packers team facing an older and not better Eli with Aaron Rodgers at the top of his game and the Aaron Rodgers who was mired in a slump when he faced the Vikings last year.

Roster Rumblings

Looking around the roster the Packers kept three quarterbacks and I have no problem with that because we don't know how healthy Brett Hundley is and Joe Callahan earned at least a few weeks on the 53 because he was the only one who provided the "WOW" moments during the preseason.

Let The Games Begin

The Offseason Was So Busy I Really Need a Vacation

Once again CEO Mark Murphy and General Manager Ted Thompson have sleepwalked through the offseason while the other three teams in the Green and Gold and Black and Blue and Purple Division have been aggressive in filling holes in their rosters.

The Murphy/Thompson Regime drafted seven players, signed two free agents, released 10 and one retired, which according to my Southern Illinois math means they lost two players in the final summation.

Everybody Loves Blake

The OTAs (Organized Team Activities) and the mini-camp are over and for some odd reason there has been very little news coming out of Packer Land concerning actually personnel issues. I have watched and read everything on a daily basis, but I haven't had a post in since May 1 (15 days before I turned 63) because there was nothing to report since I'm not in Green Bay actually watching practice and reporting something substantive unlike the self-absorbed ass-kissers that pass themselves off as journalists in the age of Donald Trump and Dan Patrick, where the messenger is more important than the subject being reported on.

In past year's the reporters would tell us outlanders who is playing left tackle and where the now healthy Nick Perry (I will predict right now he will be injured) is lining up, but nothing from the tweets except bullshit about how the reporter is feeling that day or what he ate for breakfast or some inside joke he has with another self-absorbed reporter. It seems everything in today's media is about the reporter's personality and nothing to do about what he is covering.

The FOXinization of the news ruined the news business during the Clinton Administration and it has been transforming sports news for a while now making the reporter more the story than the story itself. Us in the hinterlands will have to make the pilgrimage to the Shrine to get any sort of news of substance. I couldn't care less what is going on the reporter's life and his buddies. But that is what I'm getting on the whole.

Post Draft Analysis

Tramon Williams May Get Cut

Unlike the uninformed musings of one NFL Network analysis Mr. Mark Dulgerian (see Lombardi's Den 168) I hope to give you some observations that are accurate and informative.

First thing I saw was a throwaway comment made about the trade the Cleveland Browns made with the Miami Dolphins for veteran cornerback Jamar Taylor.

The story said "The Browns, though, need help at the position. Pro Bowler Joe Haden is coming off an injury-plagued season and veteran Tramon Williams had his ups and downs in 2015", so maybe another former Packer may be hitting the open market soon to join wide receiver Greg Jennings, who was let go by the Dolphins on March 5th and inside linebacker A. J. Hawk, who was let go by the Bengals on April 26th.

The Rest of the Draft (B+)

Finally An Inside Linebacker - Blake Martinez

Once again General Manager Ted Thompson took my suggestion and finally drafted an inside linebacker with the first pick of round four (#133) and one that I had suggested in Blake Martinez (6-2, 237) from Stanford. (5.3)

Evidently the analyst at NFL.com thought third round pick outside linebacker Kyler Fackrell was actually an inside linebacker when they made this comment about Martinez, "In that base 3-4 defense, he has to an inside guy. So, now what do they do with Kyler Fackrell? Do they move Fackrell outside and play Martinez inside?"