Green Bay Packers Rumors: Answering Some Questions About the Offseason and Draft
Green Bay Packers Rumors: Answering Some Questions About the NFL Draft and Upcoming Offseason
The Green Bay Packers, like all NFL teams, have personnel questions in the offseason—most of which have been already been addressed.
However, there are always other questions that fans have about the team heading into the draft and next season.
There are possibly more out there, but here are some of the most asked but least answered questions regarding the Packers offseason.
Will Mark Tauscher Be Back?
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The Packers obviously trust Tauscher a great deal, but he has three major things working against his return to Green Bay: Injuries, age and price.
While fans might not always agree with it, Packers GM Ted Thompson has historically shied away from players who fit that bill.
Tauscher could be another veteran casualty because of it, and coach Mike McCarthy wasn't sure about his status moving forward.
“Just get some distance (from the end of last season), sit down and talk,” McCarthy said. “We have a great relationship with Mark, see where he’s at, see where his mind is at.”
Tauscher will turn 34 in June, and has suffered season-ending injuries to both his knee and shoulder in the recent past.
However, his price tag might be the final nail in the coffin. Tauscher has a $4.1 million base salary for next season, and he'll also be owed over a $1.5 million in various bonuses.
For an oft-injured, backup tackle, Tauscher has probably played his last game in Green Bay.
Could Casey Matthews Join His Brother on the Packers Defense?
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To be fair, it's only natural for Packers fans to be enamored by Casey Matthews.
Green Bay struck gold with his brother Clay two years ago, so why not take a second dip into the gene pool with Casey?
If only it was that simple.
While Casey certainly has some redeemable defensive qualities, he just isn't the same elite athlete his brother is and weights almost 20 pounds lighter.
However, the main reason to level down your expectations on Casey is the fact he actually plays a different position.
Unlike Clay, who is an edge rushing outside linebacker, Casey's natural position is at middle linebacker, and the Packers currently have a log jam there.
Still, this isn't an impossible scenario. Casey injured his shoulder at the combine and was unable to run, and that could drop his stock.
If he fell into the later rounds, there'd be nothing wrong with the Packers taking him on value alone.
How Can the Packers Improve Their Offense?
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One surprising thing to take from the NFL Combine was coach Mike McCarthy's comments about the Packers offense last season.
“I think the best offense in the league is the offense that scores the most points,” McCarthy said. “That’ll be our No. 1 focus. To break it down simply, run the ball better, pass protect better, have more production in the passing game. We’ll go through our scheme evaluation like we do every year, that won’t change, and we plan on being a better offense.”
For a Packers' offense that averaged over 30 points in the postseason, those comments could catch you off guard.
However, McCarthy is right—the Packers could be a better offensive team next season.
Aaron Rodgers struggled through the first half of last season, and the Packers scored 73 less points in 2010 than the year before.
McCarthy took some of the blame for that.
"There’s some things that I could have done a better job with and [Rodgers] could have done a better job with," McCarthy said. "Spending more time together, I definitely do think it helps. I felt that, as an offensive play-caller, I probably got a little bit too far away from the quarterback room in the early parts of the year.
Don't be surprised if Rodgers and the Packers offense plays near the level they did in the postseason for the majority of next year.
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Could a Wisconsin Badger Go to the Packers in the First Round?
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The Packers haven't drafted a Badger in 10 years (Bill Ferrerio, 2001), but there's a chance that could change this April.
Two Wisconsin prospects—defensive end J.J. Watt and offensive tackle Gabe Carimi—fit positions the Packers might draft and would be hard to pass up if they got to pick 32.
However, that could be the big problem.
Watt had a fantastic combine, and the Packers would most likely have to trade up to select him.
Carimi might be the more logical candidate to fall to 32, but starting-caliber offensive tackles rarely last long in the first round.
At this juncture, adding Watt or Carimi without trading up might be nothing more than a pipedream for the Packers.
Whether there is a real possibility or not, the thought of drafting either UW standout has to be appealing to football fans in Wisconsin.
Is There Anyway the Packers Trade Up in the Draft?
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If the Packers want to draft either UW prospect, as we've addressed, they'd probably have to trade up in the first round.
Is that a possibility, however?
We've seen Thompson trade up twice recently; once in 2009 to get Clay Matthews at the end of the first round, and once in 2010 to get Morgan Burnett in the third.
With the abundance of depth in the Packers organization, it could make sense to give up some later picks to land an impact player earlier in the first.
Yet even with Thompson's recent departure from his norm, Packers management would have to fall in love with a player and be convinced that he wouldn't make it to Green Bay at pick 32.
While this season seems like the ideal one to pull off this kind of draft day deal, don't expect the Packers to do anything crazy.
In fact, it's probably more likely for Green Bay to trade down from 32 and secure better-situated picks in the middle rounds.
Can Someone Explain the Packers' Recent Coaching Moves?
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On Friday, the Packers threw a curveball at the NFL combine when they announced that running backs coach Edgar Bennett would be taking over the wide receivers and assistant offensive line coach Jerry Fontenot would take Bennett's former spot.
A lot of fans initial reaction was, "wait, what?"
By now, hopefully those people have taken some deep breaths and assessed the situation.
First, it was to be expected that the Packers would lose coaches (WR coach Jimmy Robinson went to the Cowboys earlier this month) after a Super Bowl run.
In fact, losing just one major coach probably came off as a shock to Packers management.
Secondly, don't get too worked up about Bennett and Fontenot making seemingly drastic position changes.
Bennett, as Jason Wilde states, is a great teacher and the move will allow him to expand his coaching abilities.
Fontenot is a young, up and coming coach who the Packers were looking at to expand his responsibilities.
The initial shock of the moves was understandable, but don't worry Packers fans—this move won't doom Green Bay next season.
What is the Future of T.J. Lang?
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The looming free agency status and possible departure of starting left guard Daryn Colledge brings to light the Packers' future plans at the position.
The next man in line? T.J Lang.
The Packers have played Lang all over the offensive line, and he could be a potential starter at either left guard or right tackle.
However, Lang struggled fillng in at left tackle in the NFC Championship game (see picture of Rodgers on the ground from a Julius Peppers hit), and he didn't play well at left guard in a Week 14 loss to the Lions.
The Packers like his potential, however, and he's the leading candidate to replace Colledge should he leave in free agency.
Which Second Year Player Makes the Biggest Jump?
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That's a good question, because the Packers have a bunch of a candidates that fit that bill.
The most obvious answer is James Starks, who lit up the postseason with 315 yards and a touchdown in a lead role. With Ryan Grant set to return, however, he might not have as big of impact as he potentially could.
The same goes for Andrew Quarless.
Thrust into action before he was physically or mentally ready, Quarless didn't contribute much at tight end while filling in for the injured Jermichael Finley.
Finley will be back and hungry next season, but it'd be reasonable to think Quarless would be a much-more polished player in 2011.
Several other second year players could be difference makers next season.
Defensive end Mike Neal looked like a potential game-changer before injuring his shoulder, and he'll be the likely replacement for Cullen Jenkins should he leave this offseason.
First round pick Bryan Bulaga had some ups and downs at right tackle before settling in and should improve heading into year two.
However, the player many would love to see make a big jump is safety Morgan Burnett.
In just four games, he showed he has some ball-hawking skills, and he'd add another play-maker to the Packers secondary.
You couldn't go wrong with any of the aforementioned players, but Burnett could provide the biggest impact at the back end of Green Bay's defense.
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