Adam Pankey Promoted to 53

[Pokerbrat2000]

Irregardless, they should have immediately extended Lang when Sitton was let go. What was a strength is becoming a weakness. It won't be fixed by throwing warm bodies at it.

I gave this an agree for the general notion of "it won't be fixed by throwing warm bodies at it". I hope I am wrong and probably am, but for years the Packers have had success at building a solid starting 5 and developing guys in the background, who later stepped in first as successful backups and eventually starters. I just don't see that right now from the current group of backups and its complicated even further by a sudden rash of injuries only 1 game into the season.

Just to be clear, this is our current situation on the O-Line:

Starters:

Bakhtiari: Nursing an injury.
Taylor: Healthy
Linsley: Healthy, injury history
Evans: Healthy, not a solid first game
Bulaga: Injured and sick

Backups:

Spriggs (2nd rd): Injured, hasn't played well when healthy
Pankey (FA): activated off the PS, little to no NFL experience
Patrick (FA): Little to no NFL experience
McCray (FA): rough preseason, little to no NFL experience
Murphy (6th rd): 1 start, did ok Still green

Say what you want about "other teams" and this is "normal" in the NFL, I disagree from the standpoint that it isn't "normal" for the Packers and not so sure that the inexperience of the backups is "normal" in the NFL. Pankey, McCray and Patrick are at best PS players, but if things don't go well, we could actually see them being forced into starting in the near future. If I were TT and the Packers, I would be searching for answers outside the organization and those answers would come in the form of 1-2 veterans with some experience.

 

[Dantés]

I don't really understand why people thought Evans' game was so sub par. I know he had the penalties, but all together I thought he was very solid.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Irregardless, they should have immediately extended Lang when Sitton was let go. What was a strength is becoming a weakness. It won't be fixed by throwing warm bodies at it.

There's absolutely no reason to consider Evans a warm body though as he was named first-team All-Pro four times during his career. There's definitely reason to be concerned about the depth on the offensive line but the starting group is among the best in the league.

 

[PackerDNA]

There's absolutely no reason to consider Evans a warm body though as he was named first-team All-Pro four times during his career. There's definitely reason to be concerned about the depth on the offensive line but the starting group is among the best in the league.

I'm fine with Evans, Cap. I was speaking to Pankey and the other youngsters on the depth chart.

 

[PackerDNA]

For those of you disagreeing with my post; if you were against extending Lang, or just fine with him being allowed to walk, that's fine. My point was aimed at he could have been resigned(no cap problem) and if so, the time to do it was right after losing Sitton. For the record, I would have extended him immediately.

 

[PackerDNA]

I don't really understand why people thought Evans' game was so sub par. I know he had the penalties, but all together I thought he was very solid.

Agree. There are things here- such as how to block for Aaron- that he'll need to get used to, but I thought he did well. I was especially impressed by his strength. On a couple of occasions I saw him lock up with the biggest and strongest of Seattle's, and he stoned them.

 

[GreenBaySlacker]

No different than any other team that lost both starting tackles.

Lost two starting tackles, and spriggs, Barclay....
Not good...

 

[Dantés]

Look at the bright side guys-- we'd have to get to our 6th string option before we ended up in the same boat as Seattle.

 

[Sky King]

Somehow that does not cheer me up.

 

[Passepartout]

Somehow that does not cheer me up.

Who knows it could be a blessing in disguise.

 

[GreenBaySlacker]

I gave this an agree for the general notion of "it won't be fixed by throwing warm bodies at it". I hope I am wrong and probably am, but for years the Packers have had success at building a solid starting 5 and developing guys in the background, who later stepped in first as successful backups and eventually starters. I just don't see that right now from the current group of backups and its complicated even further by a sudden rash of injuries only 1 game into the season.

Just to be clear, this is our current situation on the O-Line:

Starters:

Bakhtiari: Nursing an injury.
Taylor: Healthy
Linsley: Healthy, injury history
Evans: Healthy, not a solid first game
Bulaga: Injured and sick

Backups:

Spriggs (2nd rd): Injured, hasn't played well when healthy
Pankey (FA): activated off the PS, little to no NFL experience
Patrick (FA): Little to no NFL experience
McCray (FA): rough preseason, little to no NFL experience
Murphy (6th rd): 1 start, did ok Still green

Say what you want about "other teams" and this is "normal" in the NFL, I disagree from the standpoint that it isn't "normal" for the Packers and not so sure that the inexperience of the backups is "normal" in the NFL. Pankey, McCray and Patrick are at best PS players, but if things don't go well, we could actually see them being forced into starting in the near future. If I were TT and the Packers, I would be searching for answers outside the organization and those answers would come in the form of 1-2 veterans with some experience.

I heard McCarthy say that we are deep on oline, and he isn't worried. During the preseason. That was before bulaga went down, and bahk /spriggs, torqued their hammy's..... hopefully he was telling the truth, and not just trying to be a positive influence on the young guys...

 

[Mark Andrew Hooley]

DBak and Bulaga probably play this week. Spriggs should be improved by mid season. Murphy is solid. The interior guys are pretty good. If Barclay comes back after week 8 as the fourth Guard , that's pretty good depth. What we still need is a veteran backup in the interim that can slot in at Guard or Center. Why aren't we looking at Zuttah or Greco?? This is our only weak position group after the starters.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I heard McCarthy say that we are deep on oline, and he isn't worried.

And you believed him? When does MM ever sound like he has no faith in players? That is his job, especially when it comes to selling his team to fans and the media.

 

[Poppa San]

Who knows it could be a blessing in disguise.

All seriousness it could be. It'll be several weeks before we see a defense on par with Seattle's. By then the offense should be in midseason form.

 

[Dblbogey]

For those of you disagreeing with my post; if you were against extending Lang, or just fine with him being allowed to walk, that's fine. My point was aimed at he could have been resigned(no cap problem) and if so, the time to do it was right after losing Sitton. For the record, I would have extended him immediately.

Can he play tackle? (sarc)

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I'm fine with Evans, Cap. I was speaking to Pankey and the other youngsters on the depth chart.

Evans is the one replacing Lang though. There's no doubt the Packers lack quality depth but the starting group is definitely one of the best in the entire league, at least in pass protection.

DBak and Bulaga probably play this week. Spriggs should be improved by mid season. Murphy is solid. The interior guys are pretty good. If Barclay comes back after week 8 as the fourth Guard , that's pretty good depth. What we still need is a veteran backup in the interim that can slot in at Guard or Center. Why aren't we looking at Zuttah or Greco?? This is our only weak position group after the starters.

The Packers listed both Bakhtiari and Bukaga as questionable for Sunday's game. While it's possible both end up playing they could be limited though.

I don't share your optimism about Spriggs at all, especially with him expected to miss several weeks because of a hamstring injury.

There's no doubt the starting offensive kine is rock solid but the unit definitely lacks quality depth.

In addition there are question marks about the backups at running back, edge rusher and cornerback as well. There's even an argument to be made the starters at CB haven't proven to be solid yet.

 

[Mark Andrew Hooley]

People have short memories as with Randall and Adams when they had dips in form. Spriggs looked pretty decent when coming in last season. Maybe it's a sophomore slump or whatever. I trust in the talent of a guy we traded up for. Especially given TT record with O-Lineman. Spriggs is supposed to be out 2 weeks. Both Starting Tackles should play. Murphy is a solid backup. I see a need for a vet backup at G/C. Then we are good.

Edge rusher? We have Brooks, Biegel , Fackrell, Odom and Gilbert. Thats plenty. Clearly they are happy with CB depth , or Gunter would still be here. So that tells you that Hawkins and Pipkins passed him on the depth chart. Hawkins looks really good. Throw in King and Rollins with Randall and House, plus Goodson to come back. Plus we will see some slot from guys like Brice, Jones, Burnett maybe.

RB is the one position you can get away with rookies. Jones looked great preseason and wasn't even active last week. Williams looks a solid downhill runner. Mont is healthy and should have a big week this week as Atlanta struggle against pass catching backs. Mays has promise. All I'm asking for is one experienced interior lineman to replace what Barclay was covering and we are good!

 

[Deleted member 6794]

People have short memories as with Randall and Adams when they had dips in form. Spriggs looked pretty decent when coming in last season. Maybe it's a sophomore slump or whatever. I trust in the talent of a guy we traded up for. Especially given TT record with O-Lineman. Spriggs is supposed to be out 2 weeks. Both Starting Tackles should play. Murphy is a solid backup. I see a need for a vet backup at G/C. Then we are good.

Edge rusher? We have Brooks, Biegel , Fackrell, Odom and Gilbert. Thats plenty. Clearly they are happy with CB depth , or Gunter would still be here. So that tells you that Hawkins and Pipkins passed him on the depth chart. Hawkins looks really good. Throw in King and Rollins with Randall and House, plus Goodson to come back. Plus we will see some slot from guys like Brice, Jones, Burnett maybe.

Spriggs looked overmatched in limited action as a rookie as well and absolutely atrocious during the preseason this year. There's no way I would feel comfortable with him protection Rodgers' blind side. Murphy performed at an adequate level vs. the Seahawks but made too many glaring mistakes to trust him beyond doubt.

With Brooks being sidelined by a concussion the Packers don't have any proven backup currently available at outside linebacker. While Fackrell has flashed some pass rush ability I don't expect Odom, an undrafted rookie who was acquired after camp, to have a huge impact learning a completely new defensive scheme. Biegel (PUP list) and Gilbert (practice squad) aren't even on the roster at the moment.

 

[OldSchool101]

I'm going to sound like a broken record, but when we invest $22M a season at QB and our entire season essentially hinges on #12 being on his feet, we have to do better than one 6th round Offensive Lineman in the draft. Especially in a draft that supposedly had a poor crop overall of O-Lineman and then if I remember correctly, picking a guy that arguably could've been had in FA. It's an easy position to overlook but this isn't the first time we've been in this predicament and it won't be the last.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I'm going to sound like a broken record, but when we invest $22M a season at QB and our entire season essentially hinges on #12 being on his feet, we have to do better than one 6th round Offensive Lineman in the draft. Especially in a draft that supposedly had a poor crop overall of O-Lineman and then if I remember correctly, picking a guy that arguably could've been had in FA. It's an easy position to overlook but this isn't the first time we've been in this predicament and it won't be the last.

Agreed.

Or.....here is a novel concept....don't make Evans your only FA offensive lineman signing? Essentially, the Packers let 3 decent starters walk in less than a year, your development better be spot on and timed perfectly to make up for that. I'm not talking about going out and signing ProBowl starters, but guys like Evans and a bit below. Maybe not starters, but guys with enough experience that jumping into the starting role when need be, isn't new.

 

[Mondio]

I'm going to sound like a broken record, but when we invest $22M a season at QB and our entire season essentially hinges on #12 being on his feet, we have to do better than one 6th round Offensive Lineman in the draft. Especially in a draft that supposedly had a poor crop overall of O-Lineman and then if I remember correctly, picking a guy that arguably could've been had in FA. It's an easy position to overlook but this isn't the first time we've been in this predicament and it won't be the last.

answer me these questions,

How much have we invested in tackles?
Guards? not that high I know at this point.
How many more do we invest in?

We have 2 tackles that rank#5 and #7 in the NFL in terms of dollars. Sounds like a healthy investment. A left guard that is now #8 and a right guard that is middle of the pack and a center on a rookie contract, but most people are happy with our center.

So, how much do you invest in back ups? and then keep in mind all of the calls to have more depth at WR, RB, DB, OLB we've heard constantly over the past 2 seasons leading up to this one. and somehow it is a travesty to not have more to support Rodgers at every position when injuries hit.

and there is more than a 6th round offensive linemen invested, there was also a 2nd rounder. One year the 2nd round was too much, the next year it's not enough. he may very well be a poor pick. It could end up that way who knows? I think this line will be fine if they only have to replace a guy or 2 and not at the same time. I think that is like every other team in the league, if they even have an adequate line to begin with. How many does GB get? Do we get roster exemptions and cap relief to do it? Do we pay 5,6,8 million a year to backups?

everyone keeps saying 3 guys were left to walk. 1 was replaced last year by a guy previously on the practice squad and he did just fine. Let that sink in for a bit. Then Lang was allowed to walk because we certainly weren't paying him what Detroit did and Evans was signed. Who was the other starter? Tretter? our backup center? They were hoping they replaced him with a 2nd round draft pick from a year ago. They were thinking about this day. If Spriggs can't play, he can't play. But let's not pretend Tretter was a phenom at tackle. He was barely adequate. Nice center for sure. Better than Sitton at Tackle, but hardly a starter. If he were, he would be at 10+ million per year playing tackle for somebody, not the 5 or so he got to play center. Unless your'e advocating 5 million a year for backups at center and tackle?

 

[OldSchool101]

answer me these questions,

How much have we invested in tackles?
Guards? not that high I know at this point.
How many more do we invest in?

We have 2 tackles that rank#5 and #7 in the NFL in terms of dollars. Sounds like a healthy investment. A left guard that is now #8 and a right guard that is middle of the pack and a center on a rookie contract, but most people are happy with our center.

So, how much do you invest in back ups? and then keep in mind all of the calls to have more depth at WR, RB, DB, OLB we've heard constantly over the past 2 seasons leading up to this one. and somehow it is a travesty to not have more to support Rodgers at every position when injuries hit.

and there is more than a 6th round offensive linemen invested, there was also a 2nd rounder. One year the 2nd round was too much, the next year it's not enough. he may very well be a poor pick. It could end up that way who knows? I think this line will be fine if they only have to replace a guy or 2 and not at the same time. I think that is like every other team in the league, if they even have an adequate line to begin with. How many does GB get? Do we get roster exemptions and cap relief to do it? Do we pay 5,6,8 million a year to backups?

everyone keeps saying 3 guys were left to walk. 1 was replaced last year by a guy previously on the practice squad and he did just fine. Let that sink in for a bit. Then Lang was allowed to walk because we certainly weren't paying him what Detroit did and Evans was signed. Who was the other starter? Tretter? our backup center? They were hoping they replaced him with a 2nd round draft pick from a year ago. They were thinking about this day. If Spriggs can't play, he can't play. But let's not pretend Tretter was a phenom at tackle. He was barely adequate. Nice center for sure. Better than Sitton at Tackle, but hardly a starter. If he were, he would be at 10+ million per year playing tackle for somebody, not the 5 or so he got to play center. Unless your'e advocating 5 million a year for backups at center and tackle?

I'm glad you asked! Revert to post #45.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Mondio, you keep dancing around the subject and using numbers being paid to starters and saying it's impossible to ask for more than what is being done. Is it really? We are stuck with our own UDFA's and underperforming draft picks? Why? Our cap? Not once did I say we screwed up by not resigning Tretter or Lang.

I for one, for the last month (since our backups looked like crap) have been hoping the Packers would sign a veteran like the Cardinals did with Alex Boone. Just like the Packers did on defense with Brooks, Dial and Odom, strike RJF...since he was cut Maybe I am reading too much into what I saw from the backups in the preseason, but even if I was, the current state of health of the OL sure isn't making me more confident.

 

[swhitset]

answer me these questions,

How much have we invested in tackles?
Guards? not that high I know at this point.
How many more do we invest in?

We have 2 tackles that rank#5 and #7 in the NFL in terms of dollars. Sounds like a healthy investment. A left guard that is now #8 and a right guard that is middle of the pack and a center on a rookie contract, but most people are happy with our center.

So, how much do you invest in back ups? and then keep in mind all of the calls to have more depth at WR, RB, DB, OLB we've heard constantly over the past 2 seasons leading up to this one. and somehow it is a travesty to not have more to support Rodgers at every position when injuries hit.

and there is more than a 6th round offensive linemen invested, there was also a 2nd rounder. One year the 2nd round was too much, the next year it's not enough. he may very well be a poor pick. It could end up that way who knows? I think this line will be fine if they only have to replace a guy or 2 and not at the same time. I think that is like every other team in the league, if they even have an adequate line to begin with. How many does GB get? Do we get roster exemptions and cap relief to do it? Do we pay 5,6,8 million a year to backups?

everyone keeps saying 3 guys were left to walk. 1 was replaced last year by a guy previously on the practice squad and he did just fine. Let that sink in for a bit. Then Lang was allowed to walk because we certainly weren't paying him what Detroit did and Evans was signed. Who was the other starter? Tretter? our backup center? They were hoping they replaced him with a 2nd round draft pick from a year ago. They were thinking about this day. If Spriggs can't play, he can't play. But let's not pretend Tretter was a phenom at tackle. He was barely adequate. Nice center for sure. Better than Sitton at Tackle, but hardly a starter. If he were, he would be at 10+ million per year playing tackle for somebody, not the 5 or so he got to play center. Unless your'e advocating 5 million a year for backups at center and tackle?

I agree with all of this.... but as I said above that was then... At this point ... I would hope they are reevaluating Spriggs etc...

 

[OldSchool101]

Just make sure and tell him. NO Fraternizing with the other teams cheerleaders and definitely no Hanky Pankey with them!