Thoughts From an Owners Recliner - NFL Draft Day 2

The Packers went into the day with one pick near the end of each of the 2nd and 3rd rounds, and a total of 9 picks for rounds 4-7.  However, in a break from tradition Ted Thompson used two of his picks from the later rounds to trade up in the 2nd round as well as trade up into the 2nd round to target more needs for the defense.

The first second round pick was Jerel Worthy, a defensive tackle from Michigan State.  Indications are that he has good moments and bad moments, but also had the talent and potential to be a first round pick.  So, there is some real potential value and upside with this pick.  I would think he supposed to help fill in some of the production that never seemed to come from Mike Neal(who will be suspended for 4 games) and also allow Ryan Pickett some time to rest, plus help BJ Raji create some pressure up the middle to help out Clay Matthews and yesterdays 1st round pick, Nick Perry.

After trading to jump into the bottom of the second round, the second 2nd round pick was Casey Hayward, a corner back from Vanderbilt.  Reports on him are that he may have trouble in zone coverage, but has good speed and ball skills, and isn't afraid to get physical in run support.  Hopefully he can learn a lot from Charles Woodson, and help improve the secondary, which has a lot of room for improvement after last year.

For the final rounds on Saturday, the Packers have two 4th round picks, one in the 6th round, and four in the 7th round.  Some remaining areas of need, are quarterback, offensive line, safety, and potentially running back.

The 4th round kicks off at 11am Saturday morning.  I'll be back on the couch with the dog watching it all unfold.

Thanks for reading.

-Mr. Betsy




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Thoughts From an Owners Recliner - NFL Draft First Round

The first round was full of fast paced action and loaded with trades.  On several occasions there was a logjam of picks that had to be read off as teams knew who they wanted and made their picks quickly.  This was the fastest first round ever I remember watching.

Onto the Packers pick.

As expected they went with a pass rusher, Nick Perry from USC.

He played defensive end in college, but my guess would be he will be an outside linebacker rushing the quarterback across from his fellow Trojan, Clay Matthews.  Listening to the experts report on him, they said he has good pass rush skills, but at times didn't show a consistent motor.  I would imagine though between practicing everyday with Clay Matthews and being coached by Kevin Greene, they can show him how to keep his motor running.

Welcome to Titletown, we all wish you well.

The Packers have 2 picks tomorrow night, one in each of the 2nd and 3rd rounds, which start at 6pm.  I would imagine Ted Thompson will continue to add players for the defense and maybe address the offensive line.  I can hardly wait.

Thanks for reading.

-Mr. Betsy




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Thoughts From an Owners Recliner - The NFL Draft

So the playoffs didn't go quite as we would have hoped.  Missed opportunities on offense, including too many dropped passes to count, and momentum killing fumbles.  Not to mention the defense that couldn't even stop a hail mary pass at the end of the first half.  But of course that was 3 months ago now, so I am pretty much over it.  At least we all got to chant, "The Bears Still Suck" as we left the stadium, just to make us feel a little better.

So far this offseason the Packers have seen some turnover of their veterans.  Scott Wells signed with the Rams, Matt Flynn went to the Seahawks, Ryan Grant may be signing somewhere else, not to mention the recent release of both Chad Clifton and Nick Collins, both future Packer Hall of Famers.  These moves show some indication of what the team may be looking for in the draft this weekend.  They have addressed some of these issues with a tool that Ted Thompson doesn't use very often, free agency.  They signed long time Colts center Jeff Saturday to replace Wells, but he isn't a long term solution.  They have also addresses some of the deficiencies from the loss of Cullen Jenkins to the Eagles last season, signing Daniel Muir and Anthony Hargrove.

However, their work is far from over, Thursday night is the start of my second favorite holiday, the NFL Draft (my favorite holiday is the Super Bowl).  I will watch every minute of every round over the next three days, which is something that I have been doing since I was a young teenager, I even faked being sick a couple times to stay home from school and watch back when the final rounds were done on Monday; I believe the statute of limitations is up now, so Mom you can't get mad at me.

So what are the Packers going to do with all of their selections?

I would guess they would look at getting help for Clay Matthews in rushing the passer, particularly with their first pick, the lack of ability to get to the quarterback last year was infuriating.

With the recent release of Nick Collins in conjunction with the general poor performance of the pass defense last year, I would imagine they would look at safeties and cornerbacks as well.

A long term answer at center would be a possibility, as well as a developmental quarterback in the later rounds.  A running back would also be a possibility, even though the offense doesn't really need a strong running game.

Two areas I would assume they won't be addressing would be wide receiver, a position of real strength, and tight end, there were five on the roster last year.

So tonight I will be on the couch at 7pm watching NFL Network.  Will any of you be doing the same?  I really don't think I am the only one.

Thanks for reading.

-Mr. Betsy





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Thoughts From an Owners Recliner - Giants Week

For the first time in the long and storied history of the Green Bay Packers they have started a season 11-0.  This is quite a run they are on, especially when you go back to last season, which makes it 17 in a row.

Aaron Rodgers is playing better than any QB in the league, he was just named the NFC offensive player of the month for November 2011.  That is in addition to the times he won the award in October 2011, September 2011, and December 2010, making him the first player to win the award four straight months.

Our offense is very hard to keep down for a whole game, the Lions only allowed us 7 points in the first half, but we put up 20 in the second half to put the game away.  Additionally our defense has been very opportunistic, creating turnovers and making stops at critical points of the game.  They had 3 INTs on Thanksgiving and Tramon Williams dropped two others, one of which he would have returned for a touchdown.

I had the pleasure of attending the game on Thanksgiving with my family, something we decided to do when the schedules were first released back in April.




We ended up with pretty good seats, right on the 50 yard line on the Packers side of the field.

While the game was sloppy early, I never felt we would lose, and once Francois intercepted a pass followed by the long touchdown from Rodgers to Jones, the game was pretty much over.

This week we face off against the New York Giants.  The Giants could be a tough opponent for us this week.  They historically have a good pass rush, and the Packers will have two backups starting on the offensive line, which might pose a problem.  However, if you saw them play Monday night against the Saints, they recorded no sacks and gave up nearly 600 yards to the Saints offense, which is similar in ways to the Packers.

Defensively for the Packers both AJ Hawk and Desmond Bishop will be out of the game, leaving DJ Smith and Robert Francois to start in their place.  They both played very well against the Lions when they played after replacing Hawk and Bishop.  Keep an eye on the defensive players on the field to see if they play with more DBs or more OLBs to help cover up some of their inexperience.

The Giants have a good history when it comes to playing undefeated teams.  In 1998, they beat a then 13-0 Denver Bronco team that was coming off a Super Bowl victory.  In 2007, they played the undefeated Patriots very tough in the final week of the regular season, even though they ended up losing, but they did beat them in the Super Bowl, ending the Patriots run at a perfect 19-0 record.

I have seen and read many things this week that predict the Packers will lose.  But after watching the Giants get pummeled on Monday night, I think that if the Packers are able to get up by 10 or 14 points early, they just might quit.  Our injuries to the offensive line and the linebacker positions make this a closer game than I would have previously thought, but I still think we can pull out a victory and extend our winning streak to 18 games, a winning streak that started with the Packers beating the Giants in week 16 last year at Lambeau Field.

Here's to soon being 12-0.  Go Pack Go!


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Thoughts From an Owners Recliner - Lions Week

The Packers remain unbeaten at 10-0 after putting a beat down on the Vikings in their Monday night showdown and following that up on Sunday by being able to hold off the pesky Buccaneers at Lambeau on Sunday.  I had the chance to go to the game on Sunday, always a great experience.

I get the feeling that we are getting very spoiled with the recent play of Aaron Rodgers.  On Sunday he completed 67% of his passes for nearly 300 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT, and you look back on that performance and think, "He had an off day."  The offense was aided by a big day from Jordy Nelson, and good contributions from Donald Driver and James Starks.  Plus the offense added rushing TDs from BJ Raji and John KUUUUUUUHN!

The defense had its good moments, picking up a couple sacks and adding 2 more INTs, but also gave up a lot of yards to the Buccaneers offense and looked silly by allowing a 54 yard touchdown run in which they missed 6 tackles.

The game came down to executing the little things, with the Buccaneers making more mistakes than the Packers, which is what should happen, the championship caliber team finds a way to win.

The Packers have a quick turnaround this week, heading to Detroit to take on the Lions in their annual Thanksgiving day game.  The Packers have the early game, which leaves plenty of time to have Thanksgiving dinner after the game.  The Lions have some quality players on offense and defense, and pose the biggest threat so far this year to our quest for an undefeated season.  We all remember last year, Rodgers gets knocked out of the game with a concussion, Flynn struggles to move the offense, throws an interception near the goal line, and the Packers lose 7-3.  The Packers need to keep the hits on Rodgers to a minimum so that our receivers can take advantage of playing in the dome and run wild and wide open.  Defensively they need to get after Lions QB Matthew Stafford and do what they can to limit the play-making ability of Calvin Johnson, their freak WR.

On paper this should be a Packers victory, we are favored by 7 points.  However, strange things can happen in the NFL, especially on a short week of preparation.  So to do all I can to help the team win, I will be attending the game with my family and then enjoying Thanksgiving dinner in our hotel after the game.  Watch for me, I will be wearing a Packers shirt.

Enjoy the game and enjoy your Thanksgiving.  Go Pack Go!


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