5 Mistakes the Packers Can't Afford to Make This Offseason
The Green Bay Packers just suffered one of the most painful losses in the history of the franchise. That's saying a lot, since the Packers have been in the NFL for almost a century.
Yes, the 28-22 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game really stung, especially knowing that the team was so close to punching a ticket to Super Bowl XLIX.
But that's water under the bridge now. The Packers can't change the past. But they can build for the future and make their current team even stronger.
That's easier said than done—especially with the Packers having 14 free agents this offseason, including a number of productive veterans like wide receiver Randall Cobb, offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga and cornerback Tramon Williams.
The good news is that the Packers are in excellent shape cap-wise. Green Bay began the 2014 season almost $8 million below the cap number of $133 million.
Plus, the cap is going upward. It is supposed to go up between $5.6 million and $8.8 million in 2015 based on a tweet by CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora. This is what the NFL Management Council told teams back less than two months ago.
Bottom line, the Packers will do what they always do. They are a draft-and-develop team. But they also need to re-sign key players and get rid of the players who have not been performing at an acceptable level.
I am going to list five mistakes the Packers can't afford to make if they expect to be Super Bowl contenders again in 2015.
You Can't Keep the Same Status Quo at Inside Linebacker
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If there was one position general manager Ted Thompson missed on in the 2014 NFL draft, it was inside linebacker. It came back to bite the Packers hard this year.
I recently wrote that both A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones need to be released. Now Hawk had a nice career in Green Bay, but he really slipped in 2014. Jones was always an enigma as a Packer, flashing ability at times but also committing stupid penalties, which seemed to happen all the time in 2014.
Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel concurred with my thoughts when he gave out his player grades of the Packers. Hawk received a F, and Jones got a D-plus.
The Packers can save $7.25 million against the cap be releasing Hawk and Jones. That amount will come in handy as the Packers try to re-sign some of their own free agents.
The Packers were so bad in stopping the run that they were ranked 32nd in the league before Week 10. That was when they decided to move Clay Matthews inside on rushing downs and started giving more playing time to Sam Barrington.
Barrington will be a key piece at one inside linebacker position in 2015. But who will be the other piece?
I see Matthews returning to outside linebacker, although he will still be moved around at times depending on the down and distance.
Jamari Lattimore isn't the answer, as he misses too many assignments and has been injury-prone. Lattimore is also an unrestricted free agent.
The Packers did draft Carl Bradford last year in the fourth round but played him at outside linebacker through much of training camp according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com, even though his size was better suited for inside linebacker. The Packers finally realized that at the end of camp and switched Bradford inside, where he looked more comfortable.
The Packers also really like Joe Thomas, who is on their practice squad.
I look for the Packers to draft an inside linebacker early in the draft—preferably someone who can play all three downs and has cover skills.
Look for that linebacker to battle with Bradford and Thomas for the inside linebacker position opposite Barrington.
You Can't Keep Shawn Slocum as Special Teams Coordinator
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Mike McCarthy and Shawn Slocum go back a long way in terms of their coaching careers. It goes back to 1990, when both were graduate assistants on the staff at the University of Pittsburgh.
When McCarthy became the head coach of the Packers in 2006, he hired Slocum to assist Mike Stock on special teams. After Stock left in 2008, Slocum was named the special teams coordinator.
Unfortunately for Slocum, the results have not been good. In his first two years on the job, Slocum's units finished 31st in the NFL in 2009 and 29th in 2010. The units improved to 13th in 2011 and 12th in 2012 before falling back to 19th in 2013.
Then came the disaster of 2014. Rick Gosselin of The Dallas Morning News put out his annual special teams rankings last week, and the Packers finished dead last at No. 32.
And this is based on the regular season only. For one thing, the Packers allowed a league-high seven blocked kicks. Green Bay also allowed a punt return for a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills which was the turning point of the game in that loss. A loss that cost the team home-field advantage in the playoffs.
The icing on the cake was the debacle in the NFC Championship Game, when the Packers allowed a fake field goal for a touchdown (Brad Jones and A.J. Hawk were the main culprits), and then Brandon Bostick botched an onside kick late in the game.
Coaching is a tough business. Sometimes difficult decisions have to be made, even with friends. It needs to be made now for the Packers in terms of bringing in a new coordinator for the special teams.
There is just no way around it. Slocum's track record speaks for itself.
You Must Re-Sign Right Tackle Bryan Bulaga
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In terms of the 11 unrestricted free agents the Packers have, they have two really key players on that list. They are wide receiver Randall Cobb and right tackle Bryan Bulaga. I believe the Packers will be able to sign both players.
But the priority should be to sign Bulaga first and foremost, although signing Cobb is very important as well.
In fact, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com says that there is no way the Packers will let Cobb get away.
The same should hold true for Bulaga. The Packers had one of the best offensive lines in the NFL this past season. It was probably the best offensive line the Packers have had in more than a decade.
They need to do all they can to keep the line intact. That means re-signing Bulaga. No. 75 won't be 26 years old until March. He has a long career ahead of him.
Yes, Bulaga has had some injury issues with his knee and hip which caused him to miss 27 games in his career. But when he's healthy, Bulaga is steady and productive in both pass protection and run blocking.
The Packers found that out when Bulaga had to leave the game against the Bills due to a concussion, as JC Tretter soon found out facing Mario Williams.
The Packers need to bolster the depth at tackle by re-signing Don Barclay, who is a restricted free agent, and by drafting another offensive tackle in the draft.
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You Have to Bring Back Julius Peppers
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Ted Thompson rippled the free-agent waters a bit when he signed Julius Peppers as a free agent last March. Signing a big name like Peppers is not usually the modus operandi of Thompson, but it sure paid off, just like it did when he signed Charles Woodson in 2006.
Peppers signed a three-year deal totaling $30 million maximum, $7.5 million of which was guaranteed. The first-year salary was $8.5 million.
To a lot of pundits, it seemed like this was going to be a one-year deal for Peppers and the Packers, as No. 56 was 34 years old at the time he signed with the Packers. Not only that, but in his second year in Green Bay, his cap number would balloon to $12 million, based on the information from Over the Cap.
But Peppers showed he had a lot left in the tank in 2014.
Peppers had 43.5 pressures rushing the passer, according to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Peppers also had 44 tackles, seven sacks, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and two interceptions, both of which were returned for touchdowns.
For good measure in the postseason, Peppers had 2.5 more sacks and two more forced fumbles.
No matter what it takes, most likely through a restructuring of his contract, the Packers must bring back Peppers in 2015.
Draft the Highest-Rated Player Available at Pick No. 30 in the 1st Round
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Ted Thompson normally picks the best player available when he has a selection in the first round of the NFL draft. That pick normally comes later in the round because of the success the Packers have had in the previous season.
That certainly was the case when Thompson drafted quarterback Aaron Rodgers in 2005 with pick No. 24 and offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga in 2010 with pick No. 23.
But Thompson reached a bit in 2007 when he selected defensive lineman Justin Harrell with pick No. 16, as the often-injured Harrell will go down as the biggest draft bust of the Thompson era.
In 2012, the Packers had choice No. 28 in the first round. The Packers selected defensive end Nick Perry. The Packers then had Perry learn a new position in the NFL as an outside linebacker. The result? No. 53 has been fairly productive when healthy, especially in stopping the run.
But Perry was mainly selected to help add pressure rushing the passer. In three years with the Packers, Perry has just nine sacks. He has also missed 16 games due to injury.
Instead of picking Perry, the Packers also could have selected a player who the Minnesota Vikings selected just a pick later. That would be safety Harrison Smith. Smith has turned into a fine safety in the NFL.
In the 2015 NFL draft, the Packers have a number of needs. The Packers need to bolster their quality depth at inside linebacker, offensive tackle, defensive tackle, cornerback and at tight end.
A player who can meet those needs might be ready and available at pick No. 30. That being said, what if a higher-rated player at a different position is also still on the board?
Someone like running back Melvin Gordon of Wisconsin for instance. Just perusing through a couple of mock drafts on NFL.com Wednesday, Gordon was selected 26th and 27th in the first round.
That's pretty close to pick No. 30. Now running back is not a position of need for the Packers, but imagine Gordon on the Packers' roster along with Eddie Lacy and James Starks.
The running game has become a big staple of the Green Bay offense the last two years, and one can never have enough good running backs.
I'm not saying that this is what Thompson will do at selection No. 30, but he does need to pick the highest-rated player on his board, no matter what position he plays.
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