WST Podcast 1.24.11 (Packer Section)

Duration: 16:11

Topics:

• The WiscoSportsTalk Crew is joined by Dave from SteelersDepot.com and the Terrible Podcast.

• Dave and the WST guys talk about the confidence level of the Packer and Steeler faithful.

• Dave and the guys break down the weaknesses of their respective teams.

• Predictions for the big game.

WST Podcast 1.18.11 Part 1

Duration: 21:45

Topics:

• A look back at Aaron Rodgers and Packers’ perfect performance in Atlanta last Saturday.
• Packers vs Bears NFC Championship preview

• What factors are key to a Packers victory?

• What match-ups will be key?

• Is Soldier Field’s poor condition a cause for concern?

NFC CLINCHED:

• Chicago, NFC North and a first-round bye
• Philadelphia, NFC East
• Atlanta, playoff spot
• New Orleans, playoff spot

NFC ELIMINATED:

• Arizona
• Carolina
• Dallas
• Detroit
• Minnesota
• San Francisco
• Washington

GREEN BAY – Clinches a playoff spot with:

1) Win OR

2) Tie and N.Y. Giants loss or tie and Tampa Bay loss or tie OR

3) N.Y. Giants loss and Tampa Bay loss

ATLANTA – Clinches NFC South and a first-round bye with:

1) Win or tie OR

2) New Orleans loss or tie

- Clinches homefield advantage with:

1) Win or tie OR

2) New Orleans loss or tie and Chicago loss or tie

CHICAGO – Clinched the NFC North and a first-round bye and clinches homefield advantage with:

1) Win and Atlanta loss and New Orleans loss or tie

NEW ORLEANS – Clinches the NFC South and homefield advantage with:

1) Win and Atlanta loss

NEW YORK GIANTS – Clinch a playoff spot with:

1) Win and Green Bay loss or tie OR

2) Tie and Green Bay loss and Tampa Bay loss or tie

TAMPA BAY – Clinches a playoff spot with:

1) Win and N.Y. Giants loss or tie and Green Bay loss or tie OR

2) Tie and N.Y. Giants loss and Green Bay loss

ST. LOUIS – Clinches NFC West with:

1) Win or tie

SEATTLE – Clinches NFC West with:

1) Win

AFC CLINCHED:

• New England, AFC East and homefield advantage
• Kansas City, AFC West
• Baltimore, playoff spot
• N.Y. Jets, playoff spot
• Pittsburgh, playoff spot

AFC ELIMINATED:

• Buffalo
• Cincinnati
• Denver
• Cleveland
• Houston
• Miami
• Oakland
• San Diego
• Tennessee

PITTSBURGH – Clinches AFC North and a first-round bye with:

1) Win OR

2) Tie and Baltimore loss or tie OR

3) Baltimore loss

BALTIMORE – Clinches AFC North and a first-round bye with:

1) Win and Pittsburgh loss or tie OR

2) Tie and Pittsburgh loss

INDIANAPOLIS – Clinches AFC South with:

1) Win or tie OR

2) Jacksonvile loss or tie

JACKSONVILLE – Clinches AFC South with:

1) Win and Indianapolis loss

Fresh coming off yet another four point loss, which easily could have been won with a handful of plays, the Green Bay Packers stand at 8-6, a terrible record considering the team could easily be a one loss team. That is not the only bad news, unfortunately for the Packers with their victory over the Minnesota Vikings Monday night, the Chicago Bears have won the division. Fortunately, however, playoff hopes rest solely on the Packers own shoulders. With victories in their last two games, the Packers will clinch the final wildcard playoff position.

Playing the New York Giants this upcoming Sunday will be no walk in the park. However, the results will be different than the last time the Packers played the Giants in that devastating NFC championship in 2007.

The Packers can be a mildly bi-polar team, losing 7-3 to a mediocre Lions team and then the next week with a backup QB lose 27-31 to what many consider the best team in the NFL the New England Patriots. But with playoff implications on the line, the Packers will not come out a flaccid team as they did against the Lions. McCarthy will set a fire in the players belly and whether or not Aaron Rodgers is able to return this week the Packers will methodically pick apart the Giants.

The Giants also have playoff hopes on the line and it could be that they come out to play at a top level too. However, after last weeks horrifying and embarrassing loss to the Eagles after having such a large lead so late in the game, the Giants will not have the emotional capacity to fight as the Packers will. The Packers lost too last week, but the manner in which each team lost was incredibly different. The Packers were large underdogs whom many experts considered would be blown away by the always powerful Patriots, but that was not the case. The Giants on the other hand were up by three touchdowns fairly late in the game and it was obvious they were going to win, yet they managed to lose.

Emotions are the not the only advantage that the Packers have coming in to Sunday’s match up. The Packers are 9-1 in their last 10 home games, which is second in the NFL only to the Patriots. Cold hard statistics too play a role in the Packers advantage on Sunday.

By now most people know that the Packers have one of the better ranked defenses in the NFL. Even after giving up 31 points last week, although two touchdowns were arguably not their fault, the Packers are currently tied for number one in least points allowed at 15.7 per game. The Packers are also number four in the league in interceptions which bodes well for the upcoming game because Eli Manning has thrown 20 picks this year.

The Giants do have a pair of good receivers in Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham. But these two should not be a challenge for Tramon Williams and Charles Woodson. A formidable running attack that ranks fifth in the league could certainly present a challenge. Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs are both excellent backs. But if the Packers can jump out to a quick lead, it should eliminate that aspect of the Giants game and make it incredibly difficult to win for them.

In two and a half weeks the Packers should be sitting pretty preparing for their playoff game. To do so the Packers must win this week, and they will.

My prediction: Packers 34 Giants 17

WiscoSportsTalk Podcast Part 1

Duration: 16:20

Topics:

- Recap of the Packers’ loss to the Detroit Lions

- What was the biggest factor in the Packer’s loss

- Preview of Packers vs Patriots

- The Packers’ playoff chances

Remember last year when the Packers lost to a winless Tampa Bay team?

Or in 2007 when they lost to the lowly Bears twice?

Sunday’s loss at Detroit was the 2010 version of that. When it happened last year in Tampa, the team dropped to 4-4, and the prospects of reaching the playoffs appeared to be pretty bleak. The Pack had just lost to the worst team in the league, and were about to face one of the best the following week, the Dallas Cowboys. Fans were saying that Mike McCarthy should be fired, that Ted Thompson should be burned at the stake for letting Brett Favre go, and that all the preseason hype was, well, hype.

The team went 7-1 from that point forward, and finished with a very respectable 11-5 record, including a win the next week against Dallas.

Sunday’s loss at Detroit was a stinker, and on top of that, New England– a team that is regarded as the best in the league, and is very tough at home- is next on the schedule. To make matters worse, it is happening at a time when the Packers need wins to get in the playoffs. The team remains a both a game behind in the division and at the moment, out of the playoffs (if it started today).

There are three games left against good teams. After New England, it the Giants, who are the main competition for a wild card, and Chicago, who is the main competition for the division. So this game against Detroit was an important game that should have been won.

But like the situation last year, it’s not time to panic. There are 3 games left and the team could still finish 11-5 or 10-6. Chicago is also only one game ahead and they looked pretty bad on Sunday. The Packers still control their own destiny. It’s likely that winning 2 of the next 3 will get them to the playoffs.

Moral of the story: Don’t be one of those fans that calls for McCarthy to be fired because he had a few questionable calls on Sunday. Don’t call for Thompson’s job because he didn’t trade for Marshawn Lynch. And don’t write off the season because of one ugly loss.

WiscoSportsTalk Podcast Part 1

Duration: 13:40

Topics:

- 49ers VS Packers Recap and Player of the Game

- James Starks’ debut and what it means for this team going forward.

- Whats wrong with Clay Mathews recently?

- The WST guys take a look at the Packers’ remaining schedule and break down some play-off scenarios.

Disagree with a comment made on the show?

Post a comment and have a chance to defend it on next weeks WiscoSportsTalk Podcast!

Have the Packers found the solution to their problems running the football?

It’s too early to tell.

Is there at least some hope and excitement that James Starks is that solution?

Absolutely.

In his first action in nearly two years, James Starks looked good running the ball 18 times for 73 yards against a 49ers defense that came in 8th in the league against the run.While these numbers (a 4.1 yard per carry outing) are not eye-popping, it was the way he ran that turned heads. For the first time since Ryan Grant went down with an ankle injury, the Packers have a decisive runner that runs downhill and gets positive yardage after first contact. “He falls forward and the bigger backs have that ability. And that’s the difference. That’s the difference between second-and-7 and second-and-4,” said Mike McCarthy after the game.

Also impressive was the workload that Starks carried. The 18 carries was tied for the most any Packer runner has had all season and more than Brandon Jackson has had since week 1. This is especially remarkable for Starks, who sat out all of his senior season at the University of Buffalo and was forced to the PUP before training camp (missing preseason and the first 11 games of the season.

There were concerns that because of this time off, Starks would have problems holding onto the ball after recieving his first taste of NFL tacklers.

Starks said: “I was waiting for it, the first run, that’s why I just ran straight. I just wanted to get hit, just to see how it is. Test the NFL a little bit. You have to get the rust off. So, first carry, I tried to keep the ball high-and-tight and just hit the hole. After that I was ready to roll.”

It’s got to be a breath or fresh air for the Packer organization to have a big back (6-2, 218) that is physical and runs hard.

Looking forward, it would be hard to imagine the Packers not giving this rookie the lion’s share of the carries out of the backfield. Jackson only carried the ball four times for 13 yards. For the first time in a long time, the Packers may have reason to be excited about running the ball.

It looks like cornerback/return man Will Blackmon will receive the offer of the low tender in free agency.

This means that the Packer’s have the right to turn down Blackmon if he wishes to sign with another team and the Packers would then be compensated with a 4th round pick. The Packers low tender towards Blackmon consists of $1.76 Million.

However, with Blackmon’s long list of injuries any Packer fan could question on whether Blackmon should stay or go. Overall, I think there are more reasons to keep him around.

Reasons Blackmon should go:

1. The 4th year veteran is made out of glass. In all but one of his seasons he has been injured for seven games or more.

2. As I said before, the Pack get a fourth rounder if he signs with another team. That fourth rounder could be more valuable than the injury prone returner.

Reasons Blackmon should stay:

1. When Will Blackmon has played as a returner, he has been quite  successful. He currently has the franchise record tied with Desmond Howard for most punt return TD’s (3).  While the 08 season was the only one where he wasn’t injured for the majority of games, he had an impressive total of 1,157 yards on kick returns and 398 yards on punt returns.

2. With the uncertain future of Al Harris and with Pat Lee’s unproven  ability, having Will Blackmon fill in at corner couldn’t hurt.

3. If he did sign with another time and became successful, fans would go after Thompson for not resigning him.  One similar player is Allen Rossum, who was not resigned and is still a successful return man to this day.

Although the Pack has given Blackmon many chances, I think one more go around with him is necessary. If he gets injured again this year, it’ll be time for him to go.

Ted's got his work cut out for him

While the Packers have just finished a successful season ( in most terms) they now must focus on next year and that entails the re-signing of key free agents who made this team become as dangerous as it was.  There are 13 overall free agents while they are broken down into  two different categories of unrestricted, where they are free to sign anywhere, and restricted which are free agents where Packers can match an offer the player receives.  For all the rules of free agency check out the NFL rules here.

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS (UFA)-

Ryan Pickett

Chad Clifton

Mark Tauscher

Aaron Kampman

Ahman Green

Aaron's O-Line could look a lot different next year

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS (RFA)-

Daryn Colledge

Jason Spitz

Johnny Jolly

Nick Collins

Atari Bigby

Derrick Martin

Will Blackmon

John Kuhn

For me Nick Collins is the most important free agent we should retain.  But he may not be the first to be re-signed.  The Packers will try to get there UFAs settled quick and early while negotiations with Collins are supposed to be somewhat of a long ordeal.    For the UFAs, Ryan Pickett and one of either Clifton or Tauscher will be back for sure.  Although we picked BJ Raji with our first pick last year, there is always the need for quality depth along the defensive line in the 3-4 system so I feel Pickett is a priority.  Then we must bring back one of the tackles.  I would prefer Tauscher to re-sign, but i think Clifton would be the first guy they would go after to sign.  I also wouldnt be surprised at all if they both come back, hell, both are old and Clifton aint gunna make it a full season (couldn’t last year).  With TJ Lang backing them up for another year he should be a very solid replacement if one gets hurt or does not re-sign.

Re-signing Aaron Kampman would the wrong move.  Re-signing him is absolutely pointless from both a financial and personnel stand point because it was clearly a failed experiment when the Packers tried to convert him into a 3-4 OLB.  Combine that with the fact that he’s coming off of an ACL tear at age 30 and that he was terrible in coverage before the injury and re-signing him becomes moronic.  Also, you expect players to have career years in their contract year.  Most players do because they know this is their opportunity to get paid.  So I feel we should let him explore free agency, and if he can’t find any suiters, we could then sign him for cheap.  A low risk, potentially high reward type of move.  One team expected to make a run at Kampman is the Chicago Bears.  Which would be just fine with me and almost any other Packer fan I know.

Ahman made him better

Then Ahman Green also shouldn’t be retained.  One thing with Green though is that Ryan Grant picked up his pace once the Packers signed Green.  In the five previous games to Green signing, Grant ran for an average of 69 yds per game, while after he ran for a little over 82 yds a game.  Although Green pushed Grant to be a better player and ran hard in short yardage situations; re-signing him may take meaningful time away from the playmaking RB the Packers should look to select in the draft.  I expect this “RB to be named at a later date” to help out in the return game (both kicks and punts) and help out in passing situations as well.  Two things Ahman is unable to help with at this point in his career.  .

Now onto the RFAs-

Our main overall free agent priority, as I said earlier, has to be Collins.  He is a 2 time pro bowler and will command a lot of money on the open market.  The Packers have the ability to use thier franchise tag on him ( Which is when you sign the player for the next season and you pay him the average of the top five players at his position in the league).  Collins, on the other hand, wants the security of having a long term deal in place.  Some players do not like the franchise tag because if they get hurt they would lose millions in the following year. Collins is all over the place, hes a ball hawk, and when he gets the ball he knows what to do with it.  We need him on this defense for years to come especially with our cornerbacks getting a year older.

Next on the list is Daryn Colledge.  He played multiple positions but mostly was our Left Gaurd.  I thought he played well and was at his best at Left Gaurd.  He has good lower body strength and gains alot of leverage thats goes along with his technique.  One problem with this here is that Jason Spitz can also play Left Gaurd and he is also a RFA.  Spitz also can play center, so its not unlikely that both could be re-signed.  But it all depends on who the Packers value.  from what I can tell, the Packers value guys who can play multiple positions and both of these guys fit that bill.  Of course Colledge could feel he is being under appreciated and become a UFA next year.  I still think its the Packers best option to sign both of these guys for multi-year deals.  I hear McCarthy always talking about having continuity and familiarity along the OL, this would ensure that for years to come.  Johnny Jolly is also a RFA, this here is a guy who was in a contract year and made the most of his opportunities and had a career year.  He has always shown flashes but this year he was consistent.  Again you cannot have enough depth along the DL.   Jolly plays the end in the 3-4 and his job essentially is to take up bodies and have the linebackers make the play.  Jolly made a living batting down passes this year and made many plays in the opponents backfield.  Jolly was key this season and I want to re-sign him but he does come with baggage.  His legal issues, which consists of possession of 200 grams of Codeine and is still pending decision, raises huge questions about his character.  Also, in every post play scuffle amongst players this season, Johnny Jolly could be found right in the middle.  He’s a good player but his off and on the field issues raise questions and this being his contract year scares me a little.

Sorry Ahman

Next on the list is a big question mark, and his name is Atari Bigby.  He plays strong safety and fills the billing of strong.  Yes, he makes good plays against run and lays the wood when receivers come through the middle, great.  The thing i cant stand about him is that he is just awful in pass coverage and does not have ideal speed to cover alot of ground.  I don’t know how much they will value Bigby, it will also depend on what Nick Collins does on the market.  The Packers cannot lose both safeties because the likelihood of them replacing them with players on the same talent level would be slim to none.  Another safety is Derrick Martin, he played very well on special teams and i wouldn’t mind having him come back for a small fee.

John Kuhn was very valuable in the red zone this year and was a solid blocker.  This is the same predicament that we were in in training camp.  The problem is that we would be carrying 3 fullback on our roster.  I feel that they should bring Kuhn back and let one of either Corey Hall or Quinn Johnson go sometime in training camp.

Finally to me Will Blackmon has no value because he can’t stay healthy for even half a season, let alone a whole one.

Heres how I would prioritize our offseason moves:

1. Collins

2.Pickett

3. Jolly

4.Colledge

5. Spitz

6.Tauscher

7. Clifton

8.Bigby

9. Kampman

10. Martin

11.  Kuhn

12. Green

13. Blackmon