All Sitton & Lang & OL threads merged

[AmishMafia]

I understand that it CAN happen, but usually doesn't. It seems that most teams are willing to save their draft picks and risk having to compete with other teams. I'm sure that TT knew this and decided that, for some reason, this was the way to do it. That's the part of this that I don't get. He did a smart thing by getting another 7th rounder down the road for a free agent but didn't think it was worth tipping his hand on Sitton to get something for him?

Then again, maybe TT thinks that if teams get a look at Sitton's back, they won't want to trade for him. Who knows. Certainly not me.

We will never know when the decision was made or if TT tried to trade Sitton. I do know this, however. TT loves his draft picks. If he could have gotten a pick for Sitton in a trade, I am positive he would have.

Here are the pros and cons:

Cut
Save $6.6M
Develop young pup
Reduce injury risk
Keep a player next year with cap savings


Keep
Lose as a FA next season and get a comp pick
Keep the line consistent this season


My thought, is that the drop off in line play is not as great as we think to plan B. Lets hope for the best.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

We will never know when the decision was made or if TT tried to trade Sitton. I do know this, however. TT loves his draft picks. If he could have gotten a pick for Sitton in a trade, I am positive he would have.

Here are the pros and cons:

Cut
Save $6.6M
Develop young pup
Reduce injury risk
Keep a player next year with cap savings


Keep
Lose as a FA next season and get a comp pick
Keep the line consistent this season

My thought, is that the drop off in line play is not as great as we think to plan B. Lets hope for the best.

Thompson could have waited an extra few days until Saturday to try to work out a deal to trade Sitton before his salary would have been fully guaranteed.

Another advantage of keeping Sitton would have been having at least one backup best suited to play guard. I expect the drop off in performance at the position to be significant.h

 

[brandon2348]

That doesn't explain why the Packers weren't able to trade Sitton at all.

Has it not become obvious to you Yet? TT lacks the creativity and willingness sometimes when it comes to trading or making "trades happen."

Last year as the trade deadline approached and the team desperately needed a receiver he did nothing. This year the Sitton thing.

 

[PikeBadger]

There's no guarantee Linsley will be healthy within six weeks nor that any of the players you mentioned will at least turn out to be an average guard.

This is very true.

There is also no guarantee that by the end of the 16 season that everything may appear to be going very well with our offensive line. The earlier re-signing of Taylor for that dreaded 2 year multi million dollar contract appears now to have exposed mgmt's thought process on this situation.

I think that many here tend to view the roster as being very static and assume that Thompson and his staff see it that way as well. Imo, one disavow's Thompson's press conference answers at the risk of not understanding the processes and decisions that are taking place.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

There is also no guarantee that by the end of the 16 season that everything may appear to be going very well with our offensive line. The earlier re-signing of Taylor for that dreaded 2 year multi million dollar contract appears now to have exposed mgmt's thought process on this situation.

I would have preferred the Packers to keep Sitton around for this season and save the $4.15 million it took to sign Taylor for two years.

If Thompson planned on getting rid of Sitton all along I don't understand making the move earlier this offseason and not being able to work out a trade.

 

[Packerlifer]

If it doesn't work out here's the prospects we'll be talking about for the draft next year.

http://walterfootball.com/draft2017OG.php

 

[mongoosev]

The favorites to reach the SB in the NFC and he does this sh999t! Sitton going to the Bears just declared psychological warfare against the Packs. I don't blame him.

Still the favorites but how the Oline will perform this I gotta see. can't wait but will miss Sitton!

 

[sjb12681]

Many scouts saying he lost a step over the last few days, and insiders saying he was becoming vocal in the locker room about his non contract negotiations, and tt moving several other linemen renegotiation in front of his for priority.

Read a good article about keeping team on their toes as a motivation to avoid complacency, and by cutting sitton, it makes others realize they are also replaceable.

Imo, as a team first fan, you have to nix any signs of locker room cancer as soon as it's spotted like this.

 

[Sky King]

There may have been a backstory going on and we can only speculate on the details that go with it. (The link to the Pete Daugherty Packersnews/USA Today article already appears in several threads.) For all the reasons that were mentioned by posters about why TT should not have cut Sitton this year, PD's article offers an interesting theory to explain it. It's a plausible theory largely because conventional wisdom would seem to weigh heavily against TT making such a startling, counter-intuitive move.

But if Sitton has a good enough year this year to earn that $10M but first begins to tail-off noticeably in subsequent years and Sitton's replacement(s) prove adequate, then it may have been a decent move for all parties concerned, all things considered. If Sitton's performance tails-off noticeably this year or he is injured fairly early and throughout much of this season then TT gets the last laugh - but only if Taylor or whomever else is solid.

This will actually be interesting to observe as it all unfolds.

 

[Sky King]

...Last year as the trade deadline approached and the team desperately needed a receiver he did nothing...

Well, he did sign Jones.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

McCarthy announces Lane Taylor will start at left guard at Jacksonville.

 

[PikeBadger]

If it doesn't work out here's the prospects we'll be talking about for the draft next year.

http://walterfootball.com/draft2017OG.php

I think it may be more likely that they would draft a guy that played tackle in college like Cole at Michigan or Mahon at Penn State. I think it would be possible that TT would use a 2nd round pick for this type of guy but I don't know if those guys are still available at pick 64.

 

[PikeBadger]

I would have preferred the Packers to keep Sitton around for this season and save the $4.15 million it took to sign Taylor for two years.

If Thompson planned on getting rid of Sitton all along I don't understand making the move earlier this offseason and not being able to work out a trade.

Maybe it was only a known possibility but not necessarily planned. They may have wanted to see how the development of the young O-linemen was going. I think the release of Sitton tells us they are comfortable with that development behind Sitton and Lang. But then, I'm not one of those people that think that Thompson is stupid or hell bent on sabotaging the team. Some of the more recent arrivals in these threads seem to be insinuating those sentiments.

 

[PikeBadger]

My point is that releasing Sitton was a huge mistake as it's probable that none of the players lining up at left guard this season will perform close to the level Sitton has over the last few years.

You're looking backwards. I think to assess this move you need to look forward.

Big question for me: why was Sitton released and not Lang? I think an important part of this transaction's details lie in the answer to that question.

We will likely never know. Ted doesn't talk. That fact alone drives some fans crazy and creates animosity towards Thompson. Facts and details are replaced with speculation repeated often until some consider it factual. If we're lucky, maybe another Andrew Brandt will appear in 5-10 years and fill us in on some of the details.

 

[GBkrzygrl]

I hope that he plays better with veterans around him. I was not impressed with him in the preseason.

 

[gonzozab]

I'd like to know how replacing a guy with only 8 pressures given up last year with a guy who gave up 9 this pre-season is "best for the team" as TT said. Especially when many think this team is a championship caliber team this year.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Big question for me: why was Sitton released and not Lang? I think an important part of this transaction's details lie in the answer to that question.

Lang would have been a bigger dead money cap hit then Sitton. Also, I am guessing the Packers will be trying to resign Lang and chose him over Sitton for talent reasons as as well being a willing partner in a new contract.

 

[gonzozab]

1. We may never know the whole story about the decision to release Sitton. In fact it's all but a certainty. But I wouldn't be surprised if in the near future we hear Sitton's side of the story and puts Thompson on blast.

2. Who's to say McCarthy was on board with this decision? Yes, both he and Thompson discuss what cuts to make but ultimately it's TT who makes the decisions. For all we know McCarthy is seething about this. To think the two of them agree on everything is completely naive.

3. I wouldn't mind this move if there was a viable backup plan to replacing him, but clearly Taylor is not the answer. He's a scrub who played poorly this preseason. In a year where a Super Bowl championship is a realistic goal, I don't think a year when you are a championship contender is a good time to "focus on the growth of the offensive line" as Thompson put it. It's decisions like this that explain why we only have one championship with Rodgers. Just think, this will be year 25 with Favre or Rodgers at the helm, and while Thompson has all but nothing to do with the Favre era, we've only got two championships in a quarter century to show for it.

 

[Croak]

There are already multiple threads on this subject. Please post there.

 

[Einstein McFly]

Big question for me: why was Sitton released and not Lang? I think an important part of this transaction's details lie in the answer to that question.

My best guess is that although his ceiling is lower than Sitton's, he's also been healthier. Or, at least, his injuries haven't been as persistent.

 

[Arthur Squires]

Darren Sharper went to a few Pro-bowls after being asked to take a pay cut, refusing, and leaving Green Bay during TT's first off season.
Let Cullen Jenkins leave.

It's official Lane Taylor starts at guard week 1. Run Rodgers Run!!!

 

[sschind]

We cut Sitton, the Bears offer him 21M with 10M guaranteed, and it's Sitton's fault for taking it? He should have settled for less from somewhere else just to avoid going to a rival? I don't agree. He had every right to go there just as Peppers had every right to sign here when the Bears cut him. I don't see his legacy as a Packer compromised at all.

I thought maybe someone would pick up on the sarcasm. I thought the "stick it to" and the "legacy" references would have given it away. I guess not.

Its unfortunate not all players are given the same latitude to continue their career.

 

[sschind]

As someone else mentioned I doubt TT made this cut without input from MM. If McCarthy had said I just don't think we have someone capable of replacing him I don't think the cut is made. As it stands MM obviously thought we had someone on the roster (Taylor apparently) who could adequately replace him so it made Sitton expendable along with his cap hit. I'm guessing TT had pretty much made up his mind that he was not going to pursue resigning Sitton after this year for whatever reason so he approached McCarthy on the ramifications of cutting him and saving the money.

MO this is what I would call a luxury cut. We could release a guy, who we had no plans for after this season, without a noticeable drop off in performance (according to the guys doing the cutting, obviously not all fans agree) and save a bunch of money in the process. It's not often teams can do that.

All I know is judging this move now is pointless. If, and I know it may be a big if, Taylor can step up and perform as well as Sitton I wonder how many fans ragging on TT now will admit they were wrong. I'm sure some will but some will always contend that it was a stupid move. The move itself does not matter. What matters is the results of the move and that won't be known for some time yet.

 

[7thFloorRA]

Is there any truth to him going on a racist rant which led to this?

 

[Arthur Squires]

One thing for sure our pass blocking took a dip with Lane Taylor. He has made some nice blocks in the run game. But no doubt we see stupid penalties and blown pass blocks from Taylor early at least. Hopefully he improves through the season and isn't a liability come playoffs.