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.

Take Heed You Ted Thompson Supporters

The Packers predictably laid an egg before a national audience Sunday night against the Atlanta Falcons giving the general population a good look at the Green Bay Packers roster that the local kiss ass media doesn’t seem to see.

After the win over the punchless Seahawks the Packers jumped from No. 3 in the NFL Power Rankings to No. 1 (a spot I thought was a bit inflated because I felt the Seahawks weren’t that formidable of an opponent to justify a No. 1 ranking).

The Key to the Atlanta Falcons Game

The Packers will open the new Mercedes-Benz Stadiurm Sunday with a lot on the line for the second week of the season. The key to this game is the Packers defense and not whether Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense can play a full game in sync.

I expect the Packers offense to play well, if David Bakhtiari plays. If he doesn’t and Adam Pankey has to start or Lane Taylor shifts over and Lucas Patrick starts at left guard or something else because General Manager Ted Thompson has left the Packers without a viable backup at left tackle then Rodgers and the offense will be in trouble.

However, that stupid injury on a celebration is not the real issue this week. The Falcons have a high powered offense with a decent offensive line and a bonafided star in Julio Jones unlike the Seahawks who had a wreck of an offensive line that Packers front seven dominated.

I Was Surprised and Very Pleased With the Defense

There were far more positives than negatives Sunday afternoon in the win over the Seattle Seahawks. The defense, for the most part, played very well and the offense played well enough, especially in the second half.

You Must Listen to Aaron Rodgers

After the Packers were routed by the Falcons in the NFC championship game the "Man Who Must Be Listened To" Aaron Rodgers said this, "I don't think we need to rebuild. We need to reload We've just got to make sure we're going all-in every year to win. And I think we can take a big step this offseason."

Reading the lines were easy. Rodgers was saying it was time to bring in the final pieces of the puzzle since his time was drawing down, which is something I've been saying since before the Super Bowl. General Manager Ted Thompson built a playoff team that has made the playoffs for eight seasons in a row, but he absolutely refuses to build a Super Bowl team.

FAKE NEWS - Packers Edition

            “There certainly are some indications that the Packers might be a little more aggressive in free agency this year,” Ian Rapoport said on NFL Network. “From what I am told, I would think the Packers are going to try to get some free agents this year, along with trying to re-sign Jared Cook.”

            If anyone, and I mean anyone, including the "Tedders" and "Ask Vic", who drink so much Ted Thompson Kool-Aid their tongues are a permanent purple (think about that Tedders as you wear your green and gold proudly, but underneath it all you are, yuk, purple as you pledge your allegiance to a man blindly like shorn sheep) think The Ted is going to change his stripes now you are sadly mistaken.

Staty Stuff

The Green Bay Packers (2-1) will host the New York Giants (2-2) at "The Shrine" LAMbeau Field on Sunday Night Football with the most insufferable color man in the business in the broadcast booth Chris "The Best in All of Football" Collinsworth.

 

Aaron Rodgers Needs To Be Back

Aaron Rodgers verses Eli "Packers Killer" Manning is the big matchup with the Odell Beckham, Jr. and his fragile psyche against the banged up Packers secondary the under-card.

Potpourri

The Perry Plan

 

This is Nick Perry's Moment and Last Chance

There seems to be method to the madness of General Manager Ted Thompson re-signing former No. 1 pick Nick Perry, when a lot of people, including me, thought it was time to let the often injured and unpotentialized linebacker go, but Thompson evidently had other plans.

 

April Fools Three Weeks Early

The Walking Dead Brain Trust Leads the Packers

Free agency is in full swing with many middling free agents available who could help a Packer lineup that has huge holes at inside linebacker and on the offensive line, but the Walking Dead Brain Trust who run the greatest franchise in sports history turned their attention inward to protect the Just Good Enough Packers instead of building the soon to be 5-time Super Bowl Champion Packers.

Speaking of free agency, the Detroit Lions beat writer for SB Nation made this comment about the Packers, "they often do nothing at all on the first day out of some misguided notion of That Was The Way Things Were or whatever they sell to Wisconsin simpletons these days."

Hold That Ghost

B. J. Raji is Hoping to See Another Packer Training Camp

The Packers have five pending unrestricted free agents on defense. The biggest one, literally, figuratively and otherwise, is nose tackle B. J. Raji.
 

Raji was allowed to test the free agency waters two years ago and ended up re-signing with the Packers on a 1-year deal. He missed the entire 2014 season with a biceps injury. He didn't find any takers last year and re-signed again on a 1-year deal and played the entire season, but didn't have a breakout season despite being moved, if in name only, back to nose tackle from left defensive end.
 

When the other nose tackle, Letroy Guion, was re-signed to a 3-year deal on Feb. 12, it seemed to indicate that the Packers were ready to move on from their former No. 9 pick overall in the 2009 draft. However, late breaking news has the Packers opening negotiations with Raji during the combines.

Mojo is Back

The Smiles and Mojo Were Back

I didn't get a chance to see the Packers win over Washington until Monday because I was covering a women's college basketball game and didn't get over to the game until the score was 32-18 in the fourth quarter.

Aaron Rodgers addressed what had happened and who am I to say anything different, “This is huge for us, it really is. I talked a lot the last couple of weeks about being able to turn it on. A lot of you probably thought that this was lip service. But we just needed a game like this to get our mojo back. We got our confidence going. I said this week, it just takes one — one performance to get us going back in the right direction and believing we can make a run.”

Offensive mojo has been lacking since Week 3 of the season and team mojo has been lacking since coming back from the Bye Week. I finally watched the entire game and it seemed to me several things were going on.

Can You Say 2-0, Baby!!!!!!!!!!!!

The losing streak is over. The Seahawks have finally been plucked. The Bears (0-2) lost and the Lions (0-2) lost to the Vikings (1-1). After two games the Packers lead the North and are tied for the lead in the NFC and the NFL.

 

Full Disclosure up front. I predicted a 35-24 loss while wishing I was wrong. I got my wish, but you all have to understand something I'm the pessimist in our Packer Backer group while Timmer is the optimist and Andrew jumps off the couch and cusses as he blocks our view of the TV. We all do our jobs. I, of course, AM the "Pouring of the Beer" with help from Andrew, Andrew, the pouring machine.

 

The Green Bay Packers did a lot of good things Sunday night, including overcoming the glaring deficiency of Dom Capers not making adjustments at halftime and the opposing team always coming out and owning the third quarter.

 

However, this time the Packers fans, James Starks, Aaron Rodgers, Randall Cobb and my vote for game MVP Jayrone Elliott stepped up in the fourth quarter to bring the victory home.

 

Other big time contributors were right tackle Don Barclay (Turkey Leg), wide receiver Ty Montgomery (Turkey Leg), nose tackle B. J. Raji (Turkey Leg), wide receiver James Jones (Turkey Leg), tight end Richard Rodgers (Turkey Leg) and linebacker Nick Perry (Chicken Leg).

 

I also want to give a complete Butterball Turkey dinner to the Packers special teams. Mason Crosby didn't come close to missing a kick from every distance going 4-for-4 on field goals (54, 44, 21, 18) and 1-for-1 on extra points (33). The kickoff coverage team had the Seahawks bottled up inside their 20 on six of his seven kickoffs. Punter Tim Masthay had a good night. Finally and more importantly there was not a penalty on special teams.

I have noticed over the years that the Packer fans at Lambeau Field aren't very vocal and it seemed Coach Mike McCarthy did too, because he made a point during the week to ask for some noise Sunday night. Lambeau Field was rocking, except for the third quarter, but they came back in the fourth quarter when the Packers needed them the most. TWO THUMBS UP WITH A BEER BELLY CHASER.

I DECIDED TO ACCEPT THE MISSION TO GO ON A FOOL'S ERRAND

You will find a 100 different mock drafts with this or that scenario leading to the 30th pick in the first round. When it comes to the other 31 teams, or maybe the other 30, since the Raiders seem to defy logic a lot of time, most of them are very logical and end up picking someone at a need position.

 

But in the case of the Packers it's a fool's errand to predict what General Manager Ted Thompson is going to do, so the art of predicting is a very imprecise. But I will try anyway because...I'm the smartest guy in the room and...whoops, you heard that. I didn't realize I was thinking out loud. Be that as it may let's continue.

 

First let's look back to see what Thompson has done over the past 10 drafts. He has the reputation (through his own words prior to each draft) of drafting the best athlete available (BAA) regardless of position, but does he deserve it? Let's see.

 

Ted Thompson in the War Room

 

2005: 1-24 (QB Aaron Rodgers) - Needs: guard, safety, defensive end, strong side linebacker and running back. However, Brett Favre was nearing the end and the only quarterbacks on the roster were future Hall of Famers (tongue deep in both cheeks) J. T. Sullivan and Craig Nall, so when Rodgers had dropped from No. 1 overall to be available at 24 a future replacement for Favre became the biggest need. NEED.