That was written in the context of discussing the Johnny Jolly 2010 Suspension Tour, but really, d-line isn’t the only area Thompson could look to sure up via [...]]]> Monday, I wrote about the idea of Ted Thompson trading a player from an area of relative strength in order to bolster the Green Bay Packers’ defensive line.

That was written in the context of discussing the Johnny Jolly 2010 Suspension Tour, but really, d-line isn’t the only area Thompson could look to sure up via trade at some point during camp.

While it seems unlikely, cornerback and outside linebacker are also areas Thompson could look to tighten up a bit before the season begins. The man hangs onto draft picks the way I grip beers, so trading a player already on the roster is the only route he’d take.

Who are some of the players he could look to move? Here are a few names to consider (and, no, I’m not including the loser of the three-man fullback derby – that’s just ridiculous):

1. Donald Lee, tight end – The selection of Andrew Quarless in the fifth round spoke volumes about Thompson’s feelings regarding the tight end position. Clearly, Jermichael Finley is the man there moving forward. And, for all his offseason stupidity, Spencer Havner is an emerging red zone threat and special teams demon. Those two aren’t going anywhere, meaning Thompson likely feels that Lee is becoming – or has already become – expendable. That makes sense. Lee’s got a big salary (due $2 million this year) for a backup and just has not been the same player since you-know-who left town. Quarless has upside and if he gets off to a good start in camp, Lee could very well become a player to move. Despite his struggles, he could still bring value in a player-for-player swap.
2. The loser of the Daryn Colledge/Jason Spitz left guard battle – Of all the battles to watch in camp, this should be the most hotly contested (more on that in the coming days). On the surface, it makes sense for Thompson to keep whomever loses the battle. Spitz has struggled with injuries and Colledge has been, well, Colledge, an extremely hot-and-cold player. Keeping the loser insures coverage. And both come fairly cheap in a capless season (each is due $1.759 million this season under their respective RFA tenders). But if Thompson feels the team needs help elsewhere, either player would be able to bring back value in a trade. Both have started for much of their careers and each player still has upside (and, again, both would come cheap). It’d be nice to keep both, but if the team is in dire need of help elsewhere, he’d have to consider moving one of these two.
3. Atari Bigby, strong safety – Okay, I’ll be the first to admit that trading Bigby seems far-fetched (and there’s still that little issue of him not having signed his tender yet). But hear me out. Morgan Burnett was one of the major stories of the OTAs/minicamps; in short, the guy was around the ball almost constantly, while working with the No. 1 defense. Bigby isn’t a bad player, but he is still very much living off his 2007 season. If Burnett is clearly the better player in camp – provided Bigby, you know, signs and shows up – isn’t it a waste to have such an expensive backup when you clearly need help elsewhere? Again, Bigby is a decent player and could bring help elsewhere. Doesn’t sound so crazy now, does it?
4. Desmond Bishop, inside linebacker – No, I’m not going to shamelessly mention my recent Twitter tussle with Bishop (oops, I guess I just did). The Packers already have a capable – and expensive – trio of players ahead of Bishop on the depth chart in Nick Barnett, Brandon Chillar and A.J. Hawk. Those three are firmly entrenched as the top guys at that position heading into the season. Bishop has shown flashes in previous preseasons/his limited regular season playing time, but he can’t seem to make the field on a regular basis. I don’t doubt that he’s got ability, but it seems unlikely that he’ll make the field in 2010 unless two of those three guys go down with injuries. That being the case, wouldn’t he be a perfect candidate to be moved for help elsewhere? I say yes. Similar to the situation at left guard, it’d be nice to keep all four, but sometimes, you don’t have that luxury, especially when you’re trying to make your team as deep as possible for a potential Super Bowl run.
5. Jarrett Bush, cornerback/safety/bain of my existence – Okay, okay, this one’s a joke. I doubt you could get more than a six-pack of Keystone Light back for Bush in a trade, but seriously, I’d do it. At least Keystone Light doesn’t get burned every…single…time.

-Chris Lempesis

By selecting Mike Neal (Purdue, second round) and C.J. Wilson (East Carolina, seventh round), the team made it clear it felt more size and depth needed to be added up front. And by officially moving B.J. Raji (RAJI!) and Ryan [...]]]> The Green Bay Packers put a significant emphasis on the defensive line in this year’s draft.

By selecting Mike Neal (Purdue, second round) and C.J. Wilson (East Carolina, seventh round), the team made it clear it felt more size and depth needed to be added up front. And by officially moving B.J. Raji (RAJI!) and Ryan Pickett to nose tackle and defensive end, respectively, the Pack will look a lot different as they enter year two of the 3-4 scheme.

This current look will probably only last for the 2010 season, though.

That’s because two key members of the line, ends Johnny Jolly and Cullen Jenkins, are both entering free agency after this season. Jolly signed his one-year RFA tender – worth $2.5 million – last week. Under the current CBA, he wouldn’t be scheduled for unrestricted free agency until after 2011, but you have to think the Players Association will get that rule changed by the time a new CBA is agreed upon.

Jenkins, meanwhile, will earn $3.2 million in the last year of the four-year, $16 million contract he signed in 2007.

Green Bay is clearly hoping one of the two rookies or 2009 sixth round pick Jarius Wynn – no, I’m not doing the “If he’s healthy, Justin Harrell could bring something to the table, too” dance, like some fans are – will play well enough this season to make either Jolly or Jenkins expendable.

Obviously, how those two players perform this season will play a major part in who stays and who goes. Since it’s only, you know, June, we can’t determine that yet. But we can look at some factors that may provide some clues as to which way the team is currently leaning.

First, let’s look at the type of player each is.

Jolly is a powerful – make that ridiculously powerful – lineman. His quickness is perhaps a bit underrated, yes, but Jolly makes his name on his ability to flat-out overpower the man in front of him. He’ll likely never be a big-time pass-rusher – he had just one sack last season and has just two for his career – but he’s still an asset in pass defense. His 11 pass knockdowns last season broke the club record of nine, ironically set by Jenkins in 2007. In many ways, he is a prototypical 3-4 end – not overly flashy, but strong enough to eat up blocks and free the linebackers behind him.

Jenkins is not a weak man by any stretch, but he doesn’t appear to have the raw strength of Jolly. Of course, he’s got very good quickness and has shown he knows how to get to the quarterback, be it 3-4 or 4-3 (his 4.5 sacks last season is a lot for a 3-4 end, believe it or not). He’s a good fit for the scheme, but perhaps not quite as much as Jolly is. Remember, pass rushing skills are a plus, not a requirement, for 3-4 ends.

Let’s now take a look at the ages of each player. Jenkins turned 29 in January, while Jolly turned 27 in February. Not much of a difference in most areas of life, but in the NFL, two extra years of youth can sometimes play a big part in making such decisions.

So far, it would seem the edge goes to Jolly, right? Yes, but this third area could shift things a bit: Negatives on each player.

There are two major knocks on Jenkins: His injury history and his tendency to wear down as the season progresses.

Big things were expected of him in 2007, but he wasn’t very good (outside of the pass knockdowns). Injuries nagged him for most of the season and he finished with just one sack (plus 1.5 sacks in the divisional round win over Seattle). He was lining up a Pro Bowl-type year in 2008 before a torn pectoral muscle put him on injured reserve just four games in.

The tendency to wear down was obvious last season. After putting up 3.5 sacks and three forced fumbles through the first six games, Jenkins all but fell off the map for the final 10: One sack, no forced fumbles. Pass rushing is a luxury for linemen in this scheme, yes, but it wasn’t just there that Jenkins disappeared. You seemed to notice him less and less in every area as the season went on.

And Jenkins was also one of the players that voiced their displeasure with the way Dom Capers was scheming things near the midway point of the season. He quieted down as the defense took off, but you have to wonder if he’s still unsure of his role. After all, he’s a better fit for the 4-3.

Those two knocks are certainly significant, but they pale in comparison to the major knock on Jolly: His character.

The drug charges currently looming against Jolly are certainly troublesome, as is the fact that his trial is seemingly never going to actually happen. Truth be told, though, I’d be willing to look past that. Remember, this is the NFL, and Jolly would definitely not be the first young player to make a foolish off-field mistake involving drugs (allegedly).

The thing I can’t look past, however, is the fact that Jolly is still making foolish mistakes (see: the photos where he appears to be drinking even though he was told not to by the judge). Those photos, in part, earned him an extremely strict curfew from the judge in his case and those are the things that make me wonder if he can ever actually be counted on.

I’m not the only one who feels that way, either. The rumors have been out there for awhile now that people within the organization are worried about handing over a big contract to Jolly. The drug issues play a part in those feelings, but there’s also concern that Jolly has a poor work ethic and could be the type of player to mail it in upon receving that big signing bonus (now more relevant than ever with the current Albert Haynesworth saga in Washington).

And whether or not he’s found guilty in this case, Jolly is almost certain to receive a suspension of some sort from Roger Goodell (even if he’s found innocent, I’m guessing he’ll have to sit out two games). That means the margin for future error with him will be zero – not good if you’re talking eight-figure signing bonuses. 

When you add all of this up, it seems like Jolly is a better candidate to stay until you consider the off-field stuff. Jenkins might not be the better fit for the scheme, but he’s a safer choice. It’s true that the team could keep both players – franchise Jenkins and re-up Jolly – but that is not going to happen. Pickett and Raji already both make big money and the team has invested a lot in the young guys, particularly Neal.

Again, the 2010 season will likely provide the final verdict. But for now, Jenkins has the edge.

-Chris Lempesis

Our bad.

With the week winding down, here are my thoughts on some of the major Green Bay Packers-related stories of the past, well, five days.

Well, it appears as though cornerback Tramon Williams took [...]]]> It’s been a few days since we last checked in. Okay, five days.

Our bad.

With the week winding down, here are my thoughts on some of the major Green Bay Packers-related stories of the past, well, five days.

• Williams joins Jolly in signing tender; Bigby appears to be digging in

Well, it appears as though cornerback Tramon Williams took me up on my advice – at least, in part. Williams signed his one-year RFA tender (worth $3.168 million) laaaaate Tuesday night. Actually, he didn’t sign it by the 11:01 p.m. Lambeau time deadline, but rather (reportedly) verbally agreed to sign it, which counts just the same under league rules.

By getting Williams to sign, the Packers can now breathe a sigh of relief as it appears there will be no ugly, prolonged holdout between the rising corner and the team. In my last post on the topic – again, click on the link above – I said that Williams needed to play ball with the team and ink his tender as a sign of good faith (similar to what Nick Collins did earlier this offseason).

He’s done his part, and now the Packers should do theirs by opening discussions on a long-term extension. Williams is still fairly young, 27, and has shown the ability to make plays in two different schemes (again, similar to Collins). He’s got the potential to become a Pro Bowl-type talent, but even if he falls a bit short of that, he’s no worse than a No. 2 corner for the foreseeable future. As much as we love Charles Woodson and Al Harris, it’s likely those two won’t be around more than a few more years – even less in Harris’ case – and the team has nothing but question marks behind those three. Williams provides some stability and the team must ensure it has someone to count on.

Johnny Jolly, like Williams, also signed his tender (worth $2.5). He has been excused for the next week to deal with his personal situation (i.e., “the drug trial that will never end”). We’ll have more on Jolly on Monday.

Finally, Atari Bigby appears to be digging in for a prolonged holdout. He didn’t even come close to signing his one-year tender (worth $1.759). Oddly, it still has not been made public as to whether or not the Packers made good on their threat to cut his salary to 110 percent of what he made last year ($1.704 million). He’s reportedly told teammates he’s willing to take his battle into training camp.

Just to reiterate what I wrote a few days ago: Have fun sitting at home, Atari. Morgan Burnett will take over your spot and the defense will be just fine without you.

• Commish hints at an 18-game schedule

Earlier this week, Commisioner Roger Goodell said the NFL no longer needs four preseason games, a clear sign that he is in favor of upgrading from the current 16-game regular season format.

It’s becoming increasingly obvious that the NFL season will become an 18-game slate. It’s just a matter of deciding when that happens. Packers president Mark Murphy seems to be on-board with the move.

Ultimately, I’m on board, as well. I’m in favor of anything that shortens the preseason from its current four-game death march. Too many injuries that have a long-lasting impact on the regular season occur there. Fans suffer in other ways, as well, like having to pay full-price for tickets to a game that, essentially, means nothing.

Some changes will have to be made to the current structure, of course, like increasing roster size (I’d bump it up to a 60-man roster, but that’s just me). The season really can’t go any longer than early February, in my mind, so that means things will have to start at least two weeks earlier than now. That puts us at the last Sunday in August – the second-to-last if you throw in an extra bye week for each team, something that will have to be strongly considered in order to avoid having a Super Bowl decided by second-and-third string players.

The players don’t seem to be in love with this idea, at the moment, and I can sort of see why. Two extra games means more of them will suffer injuries, with some of them being season-enders. They will come around, though, once they find out that two extra games will likely mean an increase in salary.

Frankly, I don’t see who loses in an 18-game world.

• We’re working on something…and we need your help

We’ve rolled out one special series so far this summer: Our all-time 53-man roster. We’re in the process of doing one more before the start of training camp (just 41 days ’til the first practice!!)

We can’t tip our hands too much about the focus of the next series – we’re all about being secretive here at OBOD – but we can say we’d like to ask you, our dear readers, for some help.

When you go to Green Bay (or the Fox Cities, in general) on a game weekend, where are some of your favorite spots? You can take that to mean anything you’d like – restaurants, bars, malls, hotels or “other.”

We simply want to know what spots you hit in order to put your Lambeau weekend over the top. Again, anything applies – just tell us, either via email (olbagofdonuts@gmail.com), comment on this post or at our Twitter or Facebook pages. 

We hope to reveal just what this all means to you guys and gals soon enough. If we can do it right, it’s going to be pretty sweet.

-Chris Lempesis

At 11:01, the Packers can reduce the RFA tenders made to safety Atari Bigby and cornerback Tramon Williams to 110 percent of the 2009 salaries for each player. The Packers reportedly sent letters to those two – along [...]]]> As we near 11:01 p.m. Lambeau Time, the Green Bay Packers have a pair of decisions to make.

At 11:01, the Packers can reduce the RFA tenders made to safety Atari Bigby and cornerback Tramon Williams to 110 percent of the 2009 salaries for each player. The Packers reportedly sent letters to those two – along with Johnny Jolly, who signed his tender late Monday night – informing them the offers would indeed be decreased.

Bigby, tendered at $1.759 million, would only drop $55,000, down to $1.704 million. For Williams, the dip would be significantly more, from $3.168 million down to just over $584,000.

There’s also a great difference with regards to the respective situations of Bigby and Wiliams and how the Packers should handle them.

With Bigby, it’s fairly simple: Drop the offer and let him sit – make that rot – if he so chooses.

Outside of one good year, 2007, Bigby has shown his deficiencies time and time again. He’s not the great run support guy some make him out to be; rather, he’s merely solid (and even that’s not all the time). He’s capable of making plays in coverage, but he’s caught out of position or just plain flatfooted quite a bit, too. His football smarts also leave something to be desired.

Of course, those average skills are only on display when Bigby is, you know, healthy, something he’s struggled with for much of the past two seasons.

And then there’s this: Morgan Burnett.

Burnett, the team’s third round pick out of Georgia Tech, has been turning heads throughout the minicamps/OTAs as he’s consistently displayed his innate knack for finding the ball – a big reason the Packers surrendered their fourth-round pick to move up and get him.

With Bigby sitting out in his search for a new deal, Burnett has worked almost exclusively with the starting defense. As Bigby continues to make a home on his couch, Burnett will only continue to gain confidence. I said at the time of his drafting that I thought Burnett would be starting by week four. That target date keeps moving up, even if Bigby signs his tender. Simply put, I think Burnett is a better option.

So, Atari, continue to listen to super agent/super scumbag Drew Rosenhaus – the defense will only be better for it.

Things will be much, much trickier with Williams.

Williams, despite his ups-and-downs, has shown himself to be a very capable starter in the NFL. He’s got upside, too, and could develop into a Pro Bowl-type guy in time. That gives him a lot of leverage, as does the fact that Charles Woodson turns 34 in October and Al Harris, 36 in December, is coming off major knee surgery and very well could miss the first six weeks of the season.

And Green Bay has no Morgan Burnetts waiting in the wings at corner, but rather an injury-prone Pat Lee, a paying-for-sex-prone Brandon Underwood (allegedly) and a – gulp – Jarrett Bush-prone Jarrett Bush.

A small paycut likely means little to Bigby, but a massive monetary decrease thrown Williams’ way will likely be taken as a sign of great disrespect from the organization. After all, reaching Dallas is the goal this year and the organization has clearly shown that by dishing out roughly $80 million to Ryan Pickett, Nick Collins, Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher. If the Packers have paid that much – in a capless 2010 – why are they suddenly being so cheap with an up-and-coming player at a position with little depth?

If that is indeed Williams’ viewpoint, I can’t say I disagree with him too much. He’s right; he should get a raise.

But here’s the part I take issue with: the Packers gave him a raise – of $2.6 million. They didn’t have to tender him as highly as they did – they could have dished out a first-round tender instead of a first-and-third tender, as it’s likely no one would have surrendered that - but by doing so they showed him how much value he holds to the team. He should – like Collins before him – sign the tender, get into practice and continue to work towards a long-term extension. My best guess is that the team wants to re-up him, but it wants him to bend a little, too.

And signing the tender is the best way to do that. Meet them halfway, Tramon – I’m pretty sure it’ll be in your best interest.

-Chris Lempesis

We know it’s been a few days since we’ve posted anything new. Sorry, we’ve all been busy with various endeavors – work, mostly -and just haven’t had the time. We truly care about breaking down all things related to the Green Bay Packers, but sometimes, life gets in the [...]]]> Hey gang. We owe you an apology.

We know it’s been a few days since we’ve posted anything new. Sorry, we’ve all been busy with various endeavors – work, mostly -and just haven’t had the time. We truly care about breaking down all things related to the Green Bay Packers, but sometimes, life gets in the way, you know?

Anyways, we’re back now – hopefully we can go pedal-to-the-metal from now ’til after the draft - and we’re going to discuss a few of the Packers-related topics that have been in the news since our last post. We won’t be going too in-depth here, as a lot of this stuff is fairly old news. We’re also going to take a humorous angle with most of this stuff (or, at least we’ll try to be humorous) because a lot of this news is, well, kind of ridiculous.

Since we last talked, the Packers have, in no particular order:

1. Signed an Australian punter, Chris Bryan, to a three-year contract. I know almost nothing about this man, but I like him already. First, his nickname is “Bear,”  pretty badass for a punter. He’s 6-feet, 5-inches and 215 pounds – or, basically, the size of a wide receiver (as long as that receiver’s name isn’t “Robert Ferguson”). He’s also left-footed (for some reason, I’m excited about that) and played for the Collingwood Magpies of Australian Rules football last season. And, like I’ve always said, you can never have too many former Magpies on your squad.
2. Been rumored as a possible destination for former San Francisco 49ers general manager Scot McCloughan (if he is, in fact, no longer with the team). It makes sense that people would think such things. McCloughan knows Ted Thompson and John Schneider and Schneider’s departure to Seattle left an opening in the front office. And, like I’ve always said, you can never have too many former 49ers in your operation. What a successful franchise they’ve been lately!
3. Seen cornerback/return specialist Will Blackmon sign his one-year tender. Amazingly, he’s gone almost six whole months without injuring himself. Anyone want to take odds that he can go six more? Anyone? 
4. Dealt with a few twists and turns in this whole “Spencer Havner DUI” scenario. At this point, it’s sort of difficult to keep up with it all. Havner was arrested, but the Nevada County district attorney’s office has not yet decided if it will file charges. I’ve got to be honest – I don’t really care anymore. All I know is that people who ride “crotch rockets” should be arrested regardless of whether they are drunk or not.
5. Heard that Daryn Colledge will skip the voluntary workouts. Any chance we can get him to stay home and skip the season, too? I’ll donate to that cause!
6. Seen former defensive end Aaron Kampman place a “Thank You” ad to fans in not one, but two papers (the Green Bay Press Gazette and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). Okay, no humor on this one. Kampman’s gesture was indeed classy and indicative of the type of person he is. He typifies what the Packers are all about and we’re all thankful of the many great memories he gave us. We at OBOD wish him nothing but success in Jacksonville (if nothing else, the weather should be a lot nicer). Too bad ALL former Packers couldn’t be as classy on their way out of town, eh? Just to reiterate: I do not like you, Brett.
7. Um….actually, that’s it. I only had six topics. There’s just something about the number seven, though, you know?

So, now we’re all caught up. And, again, we’re sorry.

-Chris Lempesis

At this time last week, there was almost nothing going on with the Green Bay Packers. I mean, I was writing 1,100-word posts on the “Lombardi” movie to pass the time, for God’s sake - and that movie won’t even come out until roughly two years from now!

All [...]]]> Funny how things can change in a week, isn’t it?

At this time last week, there was almost nothing going on with the Green Bay Packers. I mean, I was writing 1,100-word posts on the “Lombardi” movie to pass the time, for God’s sake - and that movie won’t even come out until roughly two years from now!

All of a sudden, though, there’s a ton of Packers-related news to discuss. And a Tuesday trip to the question department is the best way to get to it all, especially since we haven’t done one of these in awhile.

Question: What does the picture at offensive line look like now that Mark Tauscher is back in the fold?

Answer: As of now, the starters are basically set, but it’s up in the air as to who the backups will be. From left to right, the starters will be Chad Clifton, Jason Spitz (yes, I’m predicting he wins the battle with Daryn “Crybaby” Colledge), Scott Wells, Josh Sitton and Tauscher. While some fans/media members have talked of the possibility of an open competition between Tauscher and T.J. Lang, it’s pretty clear – at least as of now – that the job will be handed to Tauscher (especially if the “starter money” thing is true).

The backups that are locks to return are Colledge, Lang and Evan Dietrich-Smith (the team is high on him and he can play multiple spots). That makes eight spots that are definitely filled for next year. The ninth will be either Allen Barbre or Breno Giacomini as I do not expect both to be on the opening day roster. Both were taken as developmental players (Barbre in 2007, Giacomini in 2008). Since it’s now, you know, 2010, the team has to cut the cord on one of these guys. If I had to guess now, I’d say Giacomini sticks based on his rare size alone (6-feet, 7-inches).

The Packers kept nine o-linemen last year and my best guess is that they’ll keep 10 this season, particularly since Clifton and Tauscher are both well over 30, with the 10th spot going to whichever lineman they take high.

Question: What should we make of tight end Spencer Havner’s DUI arrest?

Answer: For those of you who might not know, Havner – according to a story in the Grass Valley Daily Union – was allegedly under the influence when he crashed his motorcycle while driving around a cul-de-sac early Saturday morning in his home state of California. He fractured his scalpula (fancy medical term for shoulder blade), suffered some lacerations on the back of his head and his left arm and has several abrasions. The story says he was not wearing a helmet - ARE YOU SERIOUS?! – and was later arrested at the hospital. Those injuries could slow down his work in the offseason program, but that is unknown as of now.

First, let me just say this: Driving drunk – be it a car, motorcycle, bicycle or even unicycle – is one of the dumbest things a person can do. It shows a complete lack of responsibility and causes countless deaths every year. Don’t. Do. It.

Now, on to Havner…

If this is true, it is STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, Spencer. Are you NUTS? You’re coming off a nice season, your quarterback clearly looks your way at times (especially in the red zone), you have a chance to increase your role in the offense this season and you go an do THIS? Not good enough at all, man. You were riding a “crotch rocket” Kawasaki. Sounds like you need to pull your head out of the same general region.

As for whether or not this puts his roster spot in jeopardy, the answer is it does not. While he is a moron for doing this, this is the NFL. If you can play, which he can, there’s a spot for you, DUI arrest or not. If this all ends up being true, I’m sure he’ll face a sizeable fine and get an incredibly unpleasant talking-to from head coach Mike McCarthy. I doubt he’ll see a suspension, but you never know.

Question: What, if anything, should we make of the Packers scouting a college basketball player?

Answer: Probably not much. If you don’t know, Green Bay is apparently taking a close look at Niagara University’s Tyrone Lewis, a 5-feet, 10-inch, 180-pound guard. He hasn’t played football in college, but was a corner/wide receiver/kick returner in high school and the Pack will be giving him a pre-draft workout. This isn’t the first time they’ve done this, either, as they had some interest in Greg Paulus last offseason. Paulus, a former Duke University basketball player, chose to play QB for Syracuse instead.

Ted Thompson is known for turning over every leaf this time of year, so I’m not surprised the team is looking at Lewis. And the Packers do have a glaring need for a kick returner. But I think – or, maybe, I hope – they will opt for a more proven player in the draft than Lewis. Still, if the Packers chose to bring him in as an undrafted free agent, I guess I wouldn’t mind.

Question: What do you think of the new throwback uniforms?

Answer: As excited as I was about the idea of an alternate jersey for 2010 that would focus on the team’s long history, I became something less than excited once I actually saw them.

While it is cool that the team is deciding to honor the 1929 world championship squad (that’s what your team is called when you win it all, Vikings fans), the blue-and-gold jerseys just aren’t that appealing, especially the giant gold circle on the front that contains the player’s number.

I’m hoping these things will grow on me as time passes. But for now, I am doubting that. Let’s hope these things are only worn once.

(And we’re moving on to the lightening round!)

Question: Did the Vikings drop the ball (copyright Adrian Peterson) by missing out on LT?

Answer: Sadly, not really. LaDainian Tomlinson is pretty much out of gas, anyways, and his massive ego would have been hard to keep in check. As I’ve said before, his presence on that team would not have scared me one bit.   

Question: Do we know any more of the particulars on the Nick Collins/Ryan Pickett/Tauscher contracts?

Answer: No, we don’t. But once we do, we at OBOD will, as usual, break them all down. Hopefully they are made public soon.

Final question: When can we expect a new OBOD mock draft? We’re dying here!

Final answer: Wednesday. Should be interesting, so make sure to look for it.

-Chris Lempesis

The offensive tackle, who came back halfway through last season after tearing his ACL in 2008 and stabilized the Packers’ offensive line, got a multi-year deal for what one league source told [...]]]> Mark Tauscher is back in Green Bay, and there can be no doubt now: Ted Thompson is trying to win a championship this year.

The offensive tackle, who came back halfway through last season after tearing his ACL in 2008 and stabilized the Packers’ offensive line, got a multi-year deal for what one league source told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was “starter’s money.” Tauscher is going to be 33 in June, but the Packers don’t have another legitimate alternative to protect Aaron Rodgers on the right side. You don’t make that kind of deal if you’re a year or two from winning a championship. You make it if you need to keep things together for a run now. Thompson has moved aggressively to keep his own guys in the fold this offseason — that’s always been his m.o., but not with guys on the wrong side of 30, as Tauscher, Chad Clifton and Ryan Pickett all are.

If he can add a piece or two in the draft, it could be a very, very good year for the Packers.

The other thing this does is completely change the draft strategy. You’ve got another year (maybe two) to develop offensive linemen, so maybe you take one in the second or third round instead of using the top pick there. That, instead, could go toward another defensive back. Or maybe Thompson trades up again to get a legit pass-rusher, like he did last year with Clay Matthews.

Because it’s March, not September, let’s take a second to dream: Say Thompson can add another impact piece in the draft, and Al Harris comes back to be an effective corner after his ACL injury. Everyone is back on offense. The Cardinals are regressing without Kurt Warner or Anquan Boldin. The Vikings don’t know if Judas will determine playing for them is more worthwhile than trimming Bonita’s hedges. The Bears will be better with Julius Peppers, but can you see Jay Cutler leading them to the playoffs? The Giants are regressing, and Donovan McNabb is due for a stinker of a year after leading the Eagles to the playoffs two years in a row.

That leaves the Packers in the mix with the Saints and the Cowboys for the NFC title — and you’ve got to wonder if the Saints’ bend-but-don’t-break defense can do it two years in a row. We saw the Packers get away with a similar approach — create enough turnovers to mask more fundamental flaws — in 2003 and 2004, but it typically doesn’t last. And, uh, we’ll take our chances against Tony Romo (preferably not in Dallas, though, because with Jerry Jones trying to make the Cowboys the first team to play at home in the Super Bowl, you can expect some extra-special mob refs down there).

It’s all built on about a half-dozen best-case scenarios, but like I said, that’s what March is for. They could take Judas out in the playoffs and win the Super Bowl in Jerry Jones’ shrine to Jerry Jones. As Chris said the other night, that might be the moment you just stop watching sports. Because it couldn’t get any better than that.

But hey, it’s just a right tackle contract.

–Gene Bosling

But no longer can you say he doesn’t want to put the Green Bay Packers over the top.

I say that because, as many of you know by now, it was announced Friday that free safety Nick Collins and defensive tackle Ryan Pickett had both agreed to long-term extensions with [...]]]> Say what you want about Ted Thompson.

But no longer can you say he doesn’t want to put the Green Bay Packers over the top.

I say that because, as many of you know by now, it was announced Friday that free safety Nick Collins and defensive tackle Ryan Pickett had both agreed to long-term extensions with the team.

Collins received a three-year deal worth $23.4 million, with $14 million in first year pay. Pickett was given a four-year extension worth $28 million, with $10 million coming in the first year.

(Hey, did someone predict that the team would announce an extension with Collins during Fan Fest this weekend? Anyone?)

Obviously, there will be a ton of numbers to digest with these two contracts and, as usual, we at OBOD will break them down fully in the days ahead.

For now, though, the big story involving the pair of extensions is this: By handing out over $51 million to two crucial players – $71 million if you include the three-year deal signed by left tackle Chad Clifton a week ago – Thompson took another massive step from “Building for five years from now Ted” to “Going for it NOW Ted.”

There were likely more than a few Packers fans who figured Thompson would come up with a way to screw the Collins/Pickett situations up. He’d never pay Collins, they thought, thus leading to a prolonged – and distracting – holdout. Pickett might get a deal, they thought, but the team might also just have him play the season on his one-year franchise tender. Either way, two key members of the defense would be unhappy and the season would be in doubt six months before it even started.

The sky is falling!

You know these people.

“I can’t stand TT!”

“I hate TT!”

“He was mean to poor ol’ Brett and Brett’s just like me!”

“TT’s the devil!”

To those people I can now say, once and for all: If you still can’t see what Thompson is doing here, that’s only because you don’t want to see what he’s doing here.

Thompson does care about winning. In fact, I think he cares a lot. I think he sees what we all see: That the Packers have a legitimate shot to get to, and win, the Super Bowl. He wasn’t about to let that pass him by and, as a result, was willing to open up the checkbook and pay two guys who can go a long way towards making those Lombardi trophy-filled dreams a reality.

But he had to wait for the right time to do such things. And if you really think about it, this is the first time in his five-plus years as general manager that it was the right time.

He couldn’t do it at the beginning. The team was too old, too overpaid and just too Mike Sherman-y to have a chance.

After 2006, the team was too young and too Brett Favre-y (Thompson likely knew even then that Favre could never actually get to, and win, a Super Bowl).

After 2007, Favre was gone – or so we thought – and Aaron Rodgers – as much as we liked his potential – was a complete unknown.

After 2008, the defense was transitioning and he wanted to see what he had there before paying players like Collins and Pickett.

But now?

It’s officially ALL there - a rising superstar quarterback (who doesn’t kill his team with turnovers in big spots), a high-powered offense and a defense that is really only a player or two away from being scary good (oh yeah, that unit led the league in stopping the run last year, too). And with the way he kept this team together after a near-disastrous 4-4 start, it’s clear that Thompson has a legimitately good head coach in Mike McCarthy. Thus, it was time to do whatever it took to keep the pieces in place.

Which is exactly what he did.

I don’t think he’s done, either. McCarthy said, at Fan Fest on Friday, that the team is closing in on a new deal for right tackle Mark Tauscher. I was certain Green Bay would move on to T.J. Lang at that spot, as there was no way Thompson would pay starter money to two tackles over the age of 32. But, shockingly, it looks like he’s going to. By re-signing two players who might only have one year apiece left in them, how can you come away thinking he isn’t loading up for a run this year?

And, by hitting a grand slam in trading up to grab Clay Matthews last April, you have to wonder now if Thompson won’t take a similar approach in this year’s draft. I’ve said all along that I thought the Packers would take their left tackle of the future at pick No. 23. I’m beginning to re-think that a bit. If you think Clifton and Tauscher can get the job done for one more year, maybe you focus on defense with that pick. Maybe you aim for that guy who could put the unit over the top – an outside linebacker to go opposite Matthews or a cornerback, perhaps. Maybe you look for a tackle in round two.

After all, if “Slow-and-steady Teddy” is willing to change his outlook, I’m sure as hell willing to change mine.

-Chris Lempesis

Although it was bigger than any of us could have expected.

On the first day of Fan Fest, the Green Bay Packers announced they had reached contract extensions with free safety Nick Collins and defensive tackle Ryan Pickett. Collins received a three-year deal worth [...]]]> The big news we’d been waiting for, seemingly for weeks, finally broke Friday.

Although it was bigger than any of us could have expected.

On the first day of Fan Fest, the Green Bay Packers announced they had reached contract extensions with free safety Nick Collins and defensive tackle Ryan Pickett. Collins received a three-year deal worth $23.4 million ($14 million in the first year). Pickett was handed a four-year deal worth $28 million ($10 million in the first year).

This news, obviously, is huge, and we’re going to have more than enough reaction very shortly. But for now, let’s all simply rejoice. Two key members of Green Bay’s defense are locked up for the foreseeable future as the Packers appear to be fully entrenched in a distraction-free zone.

Brilliant work, Ted and Russ. Simply brilliant.

-Chris Lempesis