December 2008 - Posts

• Dear Ted: We're here to help.

  Posted Dec 30 2008, 03:43 PM by Dan Haddinger

  OK, for all of you who are frustrated with the season this year (and I'm hoping that means ALL of you), I thought we could put together a list of things you'd like to suggest to Ted. Maybe not all of them are plausible, (or logical), but lets vent. And maybe, just maybe, as Ted cruises the web for deals on turtlenecks, he'll pop in here to RC and find some good ideas. Or at least something to make him think. I'll start:

  The Obvious:

  D-line help. We've talked about it. We've yelled about it. Heck, many of us have even dreamed about it. (I'm sure Aaron Kampman has), so lets address it.

  Who tops our list?

  Albert Haynesworth

  Julius Peppers

  Terrell Suggs

  And some other possibilities:

  Bertrand Berry, Arizona Cardinals

  Jonathan Babineaux, Atlanta Falcons

  Rocky Bernard, Seattle Seahawks

  Kevin Carter, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  Offensive lineman (specifically Offensive Tackle)

  I know Ted. You like to develop young talent from within. And it's usually a very good idea. It saves money. Gives your young guys confidence. And let's your fans know that you trust what you've done in your drafts. But please, take a lesson from one of your predecessors. Ron Wolf knew that young talent can always develop better with a good leader or two. So while I don't like getting older on the O-line any more than you do, there's something to be said for adding a veteran or two there.

  Who's tops on our list?

  Jordan Gross

  Matt Birk- Now allow me to pontificate on Mr. Birk for a little bit. I know a lot of you, including you Ted, are saying that he's too old, too injury prone, and really not a good replacement for Scott Wells. I respectfully disagree. Given my very close proximity to Vikings central for many years, I think he would be a huge help to the O-line and the locker room. He's smart (Harvard). He's loyal to the upper Midwest (MN boy. Local businessman. Good citizen). And he's a guy who's not afraid to speak up about what needs to be done to get better (he's a regular guest/replacement for local sports talk radio in the twin cities). Yes, he has rushed back in previous years from injuries. But that's mainly because the Vikes had no one else to put there and he felt an obligation to the team. I think his presence would be a great addition to a developing O-line for many years. And it would be nice to grab someone from the Vikings for once, instead of the other way round. Let's hurt someone in our own division in more ways than one.

  And some other possibilities (all veterans who could come in and contribute right away. Especially Jeff Saturday. The reason he's not listed above? Let's see about his injury):

  Jon Runyan, Philadelphia Eagles

  Jeff Saturday, Indianapolis Colts

  Marvel Smith, Pittsburgh Steelers

  Tra Thomas, Philadelphia Eagles

  Fred Weary, Houston Texans

  John Welbourn, Kansas City Chiefs

  Defensive Backs

  I know that our Defensive backfield has been a strong point for us this year, for the most part. But I think a few additions could make it the premier one in the NFL. First off, Ted- don't get rid of Al Harris. That may be just me talking, and I may take a lot of flack for it, but keep him on for a year or two more. Yes he's getting older. And yes he's not the cover corner he once was, but he's still got enough in him to do an excellent job and all Tramon Williams to develop more. Instead, give him more help at safety. You can see what he's done when he's had some good help back there.

  Who's tops on our list?

  Brian Dawkins

  Dawan Landry, Baltimore Ravens

  Who else is on our list?

  Bryant McFadden, Pittsburgh Steelers

  Chris Gamble, Carolina Panthers

  Jabari Greer, Buffalo Bills

  And last, but as we've seen this year, certainly not least important, Punter.

  Ted. I want to speak to you very clearly right now. Please. Please. Do not draft a punter in the 3rd round. It's been tried before. It hasn't worked. While our free agent signing of Jeremy Kapinos was a MAJOR improvement over the beginning of the year, I'll reiterate. Please. Don't draft a punter in the 3rd round. Take another lesson from "GM's" past. Keep Kapinos on the roster and bring in a vet to show him a trick or two. Hey, here's an idea:

  Who's tops on our list?

  Shane Lechler, Oakland Raiders

  Who else is on our list?

  Anyone not named Derrick Frost.

  Other names floating out there this Free Agency season:

  LB- Ray Lewis- Respected in the league (by players at least). He may have too big an ego for the team, but might be an interesting experiment that could help to offset AP and Matt Forte.

  QB- Kyle Boller and J.P. Losman- Backups that could give us a little insurance in case A-Rod has injury issues. NOT TO BE USED UNLESS IN AN EXTREME EMERGENCY. IS A TEMPORARY PATCH.

  RB- OK, I'm just putting this out there. Darren Sproles- He's been impressive for the Chargers in Kickoff returns and spelling LT. I'm sure he's looking for Michael Turner fame and fortune, but he might be an interesting tandem with Ryan Grant. A better DeShawn Wynn.

  TE- Owen Daniels- This is a pipe dream for me. There should be NO WAY the Texans let him go, but what the hell Ted. Go after him with guns blazing. You already passed up John Carlson in this years draft (much to my chagrin.) He's a stud that can be paired with a developing Jermichael Finley and give us a great pair of tough TE's. Plus, he's an ex-Badger who knows how to play in the cold.

  Now that I've addressed some player possibilities with you Ted, let's talk coaching.

  Defense- Now we could go with Winston Moss or Lionel Washington as a replacement to Bob Sanders. Both are good coaches who have the players respect. I have another idea. Let's get Romeo Crennel. Now, hear me out. He's out in Cleveland. He's a proven D Coordinator that can do a lot with a D. Let's give him a coupe of years to mentor Winston and Lionel and then get them ready to develop their own schemes.

  Special teams- Blow it up. Just get some TNT from Acme and go Wile E. Coyote on it. Don't worry, it's already blown up in your face this year. What more can it do?

  Some names from top special teams units around the league-

  Marty Galbraith, Assistant special teams coach with the Titans

  DeMontie Cross, Assistant special teams coach with the Bills. He's learned under Bobby April, who's been one of the best for a few years.

  Or go big and try to snipe Steve Crosby from the Chargers. Or Brad Seely from the Pats. He's a local guy (Vinton, IA and South Dakota State U.)

  Please Ted, know that we're only here to help you. And by helping you, we hope to actually do something this Free Agency period. Don't get us wrong. We like Brandon Chillar. But bringing in someone who can make an immediate impact, both on the field and as a leader in the locker room is something that can elevate Our Packers back to not only top of the division, but back to one of the premier teams in the NFL.

  Oh, and I think I found some good deals on turtlenecks at Walmart.com. Happy hunting!

  Thanks to www.footballsfuture.com for the Free Agents list.

  Photo courtesy of USA Today

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• The silver lining: Jermichael Finley

  Posted Dec 30 2008, 08:44 AM by Brian Carriveau

  After every single Green Bay Packers game here at Railbird Central, we bring you the silver lining. In a loss, it's the reason for optimism. In a win, it's an unexpected performance. Either way, it's good news for Packers fans.

  This week's silver lining: Jermichael Finley.

  The Packers' 2008 draft class went clunk, splat, kerpoot, pffffft. And the top half of the draft choices were especially appalling.

  Jordy Nelson did well enough, but the second rounders were atrocious. Brian Brohm was supposed to be the team's backup quarterback this year, but he didn't even come close. And fellow second rounder cornerback Pat Lee barely played at all. When he did, he didn't do anything noticeable.

  And that brings us to third rounder Jermichael Finley. After losing Bubba Franks and David Martin (good riddance), the Packers needed some help at the tight end position.

  Finley was young and wasn't expected to be a contributor right away, but the team at least needed him to show some potential.

  He couldn't have started off the year any worse. He began the year playing on special teams, and he's wasn't especially good at that in the beginning. If memory serves me correctly, Finley had a penalty on special teams in his first ever NFL regular season game.

  And then the bottom fell out.

  "The rookie, whose only notable achievement before Sunday’s season finale was catching the ire of the coaching staff for questioning whether they knew how to use him early in the season," writes Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

  But Finley finally started to show a little promise in the final two games of the season. Coming into the Bears game Finley had three catches on the season for all of 10 yards.

  In the Bears game Finley showed some of his athleticism with a catch that went for 35 yards. He followed up that performance with two catches in the regular season finale against Detroit including one that went for a touchdown.

  He also showed that he had the confidence of Aaron Rodgers by being the intended receiver on several other passes on Sunday that went incomplete. One went off his hand that would have been a tough catch, but it's a catch Finley is going to have to make next year and beyond.

  The good news is that Finley provided at least a glimmer of hope that he can be the tight end of the future for the Packers. He has the tools to be a Pro Bowl type player if he gains a little maturity, makes catches he's supposed to make and works on his blocking.

  And that's your silver lining.

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• Blue, red & cow chips: Lions edition

  Posted Dec 29 2008, 01:53 PM by Brian Carriveau

  

  After every Green Bay Packers game, Railbird Central will provide you with a look back while we hand out our blue chip, red chips and cow chips for yesterday's performance.

  

  The blue chip, amazing performances:

  • Running and passing balance -- Is there any doubt the skill position players are not the problem in Green Bay? The running game and the passing game are clicking for the Packers. It goes to show that the Packers need to focus their offseason attention on either the offensive line or on the defensive front seven. Aaron Rodgers had maybe his finest performance as a pro. He had a 132.2 passer rating on 21 of 31 passing for 308 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. It only came against the Lions, but all quarterbacks need to have good games against the cupcakes too. The Packers had two 100-yard rushers for the first time in what seems like decades. Ryan Grant was a powerful runner like he has been all season. And the pleasant surprise was DeShawn Wynn. Based upon his performance the past two games, he should be a candidate to receive heavier playing time next season.

  

  The red chip, solid performances:

  • The wide receiving corps -- The only thing that kept this from being a blue chip performance was a couple of miscues. Greg Jennings had three drops in the first quarter of the game alone. If he wants people to point out why he's not heading to the Pro Bowl, that's it. And Donald Driver was too busy waving DeShawn Wynn into the endzone to block for him. He ended up on his back when getting bulldozed over by a Lions defender. Aside from those mistakes, both Jennings and Driver had 100-yard receiving games and both ended up with over 1,000 yards on the season. For Driver, it marked the sixth 1,000 yard receiving season of his career, a Packers record.

  • Daryn Colledge -- Colledge had one poor series, but he deserves credit for playing a position he's never played before. He had a hand in paving the way for a 211 yard rushing day. And he also deserves credit for protecting Rodgers while the Packers threw for over 300 yards as well. Packers Radio Network analyst and former Pro Bowl offensive lineman Larry McCarren called Colledge one of the Packers' most consistent linemen this season. He was also Johnny On-the-spot with two fumble recoveries. Colledge wasn't dominant, but he acquitted himself well this season.
    

  

  The cow chip, crappy performances --

  • Al Harris -- The cornerback deserves all the credit in the world for the way he's played since coming back from his ruptured spleen. But Sunday was reminiscent of last year's NFC Championship game when Harris struggled against Plaxico Burress. Harris had a couple of nice tackles and a pass defensed, but he lagged in coverage against Calvin Johnson. Harris was also flagged for three penalties on the day including a 15-yard unnecessary roughness call.

  • No pass rush -- Doesn't it frustrate you to see Jason Hunter get all pumped up and chest bumping other players after his second half sack? He got absolutely dominated on the play and got credit for the Packers' only sack on the day when Orlovsky had to scramble out of the pocket when the Packers' defenders had the Lions' receivers locked down. It was a coverage sack.
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• Q&A with Packers cornerback Joe Porter

  Posted Dec 27 2008, 12:51 PM by Brian Carriveau

  Green Bay Packers cornerback Joe Porter was kind enough to take a couple minutes of his time to do a brief Q&A with us before the regular season finale against the Detroit Lions. We'll be checking in with Joe occasionally throughout the offseason, so check back.
  

  Railbird Central: You played in your first ever NFL regular season game on Monday Night Football against the Chicago Bears. What was it like?

  Joe Porter: It was nerve wrecking but exciting at the same time.  I couldn't really get any rest most of the night, minutes seemed like hours.  I just wanted the game to hurry up and get here so I could cut it lose.  For your first game to be on monday night football against your division rival is a big thing and you want to play hard.
  
  RC: You contributed to several special teams units. How do you feel you did?

  JP:Satisfactory.  I wish I could have made some impact plays to help my team win, but it was good to get my feet wet and get some reps in the game.  I feel I am better prepared and well equipped for the next time my number is called.
  

  RC: What's the motivation for a team that has been eliminated from playoff contention?

  JP: It's true there's no more playoffs, but there still is a lot to play for.  We still want to show that we have pride and there is still a lot of fight left in us.  Our motivation is to play for each other and the fans and get some momentum going into the off season.
  
  RC: Has there been any indication that the coaches will give some less experienced players such as yourself more playing time in the final game?

  JP: No indication yet.  Just because we are not going to the playoffs it does not mean the game is any less significant in our eyes.  We are still going to treat it like we would any other game and prepare as such.  The depth chart is pretty much in tact, but I'm still hoping to possibly get an increased role this Sunday to help my team.
  

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• Blue, red & cow chips: Bears edition

  Posted Dec 23 2008, 11:28 AM by Brian Carriveau

  

  After every Green Bay Packers game, Railbird Central will provide you with a look back while we hand out our blue chip, red chips and cow chips for yesterday's performance.

  

  The blue chip, amazing performances:

  • Michael Montgomery -- The defensive end is playing the best ball of his entire career. And he's played well for a couple games running now. I'm not sure if it's indicative that he's finally (!) arrived, or that he's playing his brains out in a contract year. His production on Monday night was superb: six tackles, 1 1/2 sacks, two hurries and a tackle for a loss. If Montgomery can keep up this kind of performance, he'd be great to have next year.

  • The Pro Bowl secondary --As is usually the case, it wasn't the secondary's fault that the Packers lost the game. Okay, maybe it was a little bit of Aaron Rouse's fault, but the two guys headed to the Pro Bowl did well. Charles Woodson continued what might be the best season of his career with another pick and his willingness to tackle ball carriers bigger than himself. Congratulations to Nick Collins for setting the Packers interception return yardage record in a single season with his tied for the NFC-leading sixth interception. He defended three other passes as well.
    

  

  The red chip, solid performances:

  • DeShawn Wynn -- Wynn didn't do anything spectacular, but he made the most of his limited opportunities in place of Brandon Jackson, and kudos to him for that. His biggest play was converting a fourth down run, getting a hard earned four yards to keep the chains moving when the Packers decided to use Wynn instead of the the usual battering ram in Ryan Grant. Wynn also added one reception for seven yards and was an effective blocker in pass protection.
    

  • Brandon Chillar -- Like Wynn, Chillar didn't do anything exceptional, but he was active. He led the team in tackles with seven including one for a loss and a quarterback hurry. Perhaps most impressive was when Chillar allowed his receiver to catch a pass but was able to tackle him before the first down marker, which happened on more than one occassion.
    

  

  The cow chip, crappy performances --

  • Run Blocking -- The Packers averaged a measly 2.2 yards per carry. That's not going to cut it in the cold weather when it becomes harder to have an effective passing game. Gone are the days when Chad Clifton was effective.

  • Special teams --Let's count the miscues: The Packers gave up a 70-yard kickoff return to Danieal Manninng. The unit failed to stay in their lanes up the gut of the field and Jarrett Bush was carried for at least 25 yards. Here's a hint, when you've already given up over 35 yards on a play, don't sacrifice a solid tackle for a weak attempt at a forced fumble. Mason Crosby not only kicked two unsucessful field goal attempts, he also booted one kickoff out of bounds. The Packers also gave up a 24-yard punt return to the always dangerous Devin Hester. And there was a holding penalty on a kick return too.
    
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