Bulaga reportedly sign with the Packers

[HardRightEdge]

Bulaga is significantly younger than both of them and some teams might be inclined to play him on the left side.

That's it, really. He came into the league as Clifton's replacement-to-be; he would have been the Packers LT now were it not for the injuries. A team that sees him as LT would place more value on him than a team sticking to the RT "salary scale".

 

[sschind]

Bulaga has got to take the big garaunteed money NOW. What are the chances he's ever the #1 tackle in free agency again? With his injury history he's got to lock things up. Also I don't buy this rumor that Cobb turned down significantly more money elsewhere. Nice story for his agent to put out there, but it's impossible to verify. Glad to have him back. Bulaga is much more replaceable.

He's GOT to? He is going to make several million dollars with the Packers even if the offer isn't as high as somewhere else. That may be enough for him.

If you are struggling and barely getting by an offer of a 10 or 15% increase in pay will seem very attractive. If you are talking 10 million as opposed to 11 or 12 (Cobbs situation) its not that big of a deal. Yes, it is a heck of a lot more money but the difference in your quality of life won't improve much. Even though Bulagas numbers may not approach Cobbs the principle is the same.

I wouldn't surprise me a bit if Cobb turned down more money to stay in Green Bay. It wouldn't surprise me if Bulaga did the same thing (it wouldn't surprise me if he didn't either. Bottom line is to some people money is the be all and end all, to others it isn't.

 

[thisisnate]

I dunno who the crap Darren Wolfson is, but his Twitter feed just suggested Bulaga back to Pack is looking like a done deal.

Oops, looks like the chat box thingie has it covered

 

[Sunshinepacker]

Fact is that Bulaga is the most compelling tackle on the market and the Packers were convinced he could play left tackle, which might be enough for most teams to assume he can play left tackle.

Another factor pointing to some players getting far more than they probably deserve (not saying Bulaga falls into this category but he's a prime candidate) is that NFL teams have to spend at least 89% of the cap from 2013-2016 in cash. The Raiders and Jags are very far under those thresholds and they have to spend big this year, they don't have a choice. The Raiders and Jags, each, have to spend between $50m to $65m in cash this offseason to catch up. That means they'll be signing a bunch of guys to some fairly lucrative deals.

 

[sjb12681]

Darren Wolfson is a reporter with an ABC affiliate out of Minnesota. No other breaking news like this on his twitter feed. Seems like he is simply throwing stuff against the wall

 

[brandon2348]

Bulaga is a premier tackle in this league. I think it is mandatory we sign him. His only concern has been staying healthy but he proved last year he can do that.

Pay him. It will be one last area TT would have draft high at. With Bulaga and Cobb signed TT would be able use all the early draft picks on the defensive side of the ball where we have the biggest holes (ILB and DT and long term replacement for Peppers)

 

[Uncle Rico]

Also I don't buy this rumor that Cobb turned down significantly more money elsewhere. Nice story for his agent to put out there, but it's impossible to verify. Glad to have him back. Bulaga is much more replaceable.

Have to agree that he probably didn't see the offers that are rumored. He's a great slot receiver but wouldn't stand out as the #1 guy on another team. Cobb makes his plays when the safety is chasing Jordy over the top. He fits great into the system we have. It doesn't hurt that the best QB in the game is throwing the ball to him.

But to say Bulaga is more replaceable is ridiculous. Both Barclay and Tretter are fine backups but they're still not ready to step in as full time starters. TT isn't going to want to spend a high pick on a OT this year, especially since the tackle class is weak this year IMO. And we can't count on finding a gem in the 4th-7th every year.

Deal needs to be made. I could see $6-8M for four years.

 

[tynimiller]

But to say Bulaga is more replaceable is ridiculous.

Cannot agree more! I argued with buddies till I was blue in my face that Bulaga will be much harder to replace should we lose him than Cobb. We have the greatest freaking QB in the game right now, we can find guys that catch and run.....shoot we also have the blessing of Eddie Lacy. However, solid lineman are not a dime a dozen...and a kink in a OL can be bleed out a team much faster than a very good WR kink.

 

[XPack]

http://www.acmepackingcompany.com/p...ga-free-agency-packers-jaguars-contract-value

Talk about inflating the market. 6.5m for a career backup is just way too much.
We'd definitely have to go to 7m and up for Bulaga.

 

[thisisnate]

http://www.acmepackingcompany.com/p...ga-free-agency-packers-jaguars-contract-value

Talk about inflating the market. 6.5m for a career backup is just way too much.
We'd definitely have to go to 7m and up for Bulaga.

So weird how all these crap teams with way too much extra money have to find some people to overpay. Seems like something wrong with the system there. Locking bottom feeders into bad contracts isn't exactly going to help them.

 

[mradtke66]

So weird how all these crap teams with way too much extra money have to find some people to overpay. Seems like something wrong with the system there. Locking bottom feeders into bad contracts isn't exactly going to help them.

I believe the system is just over-correcting right now. This is the first year that the 2011 draft class is hitting free agency. They are the first of the "cheap" rookies with slotted contracts.

It's also probably why some the pressure to move on is higher, especially if they were a 1st rounder--they never got their huge first payday.

 

[TJV]

However, Bahk is starting to hit his stride and I feel has proven he's a better OT than Bulaga hence why we keep him at LT.

From McGinn's end of season grades: Bakhtiari "allowed more sacks (5½), pressures (33) and "bad" runs (19½) than any lineman. Drew more penalties (eight), too." Unless you think every starting LT is better than every starting RT how do you justify thinking Bakhtiari is a better OT? Bulaga is the consensus best OT available in UFA for a reason.

 

[tynimiller]

^^^He is the consensus best OT available this year because there isn't many available. Bulaga is a stud of a lineman, I am a huge fan, I wanted us to spend cash on him prior to Cobb! But yes, I do believe in Bahk as a LT...he does struggle with penalties at times but I truly feel he is gonna be an awesome LT when we look back in 3, 5 or 7 years from now.

 

[Shawnsta3]

From McGinn's end of season grades: Bakhtiari "allowed more sacks (5½), pressures (33) and "bad" runs (19½) than any lineman. Drew more penalties (eight), too." Unless you think every starting LT is better than every starting RT how do you justify thinking Bakhtiari is a better OT? Bulaga is the consensus best OT available in UFA for a reason.

I agree with you but I think the argument against your claim would be that Bakh plays LT which means he goes up against some of the best pass rushers in the league while also having to cover Rodgers blindside. I wonder what the discrepancy would be had Bulaga not went down in 2013 and had to change positions with Bakhtiari.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

Have to agree that he probably didn't see the offers that are rumored. He's a great slot receiver but wouldn't stand out as the #1 guy on another team. Cobb makes his plays when the safety is chasing Jordy over the top. He fits great into the system we have. It doesn't hurt that the best QB in the game is throwing the ball to him.

But to say Bulaga is more replaceable is ridiculous. Both Barclay and Tretter are fine backups but they're still not ready to step in as full time starters. TT isn't going to want to spend a high pick on a OT this year, especially since the tackle class is weak this year IMO. And we can't count on finding a gem in the 4th-7th every year.

Deal needs to be made. I could see $6-8M for four years.

Bulaga, through his injury history, has in fact shown he is replaceable. In 2013 he didn't play a down and the Packers (even with all their injuries on offense) were the 8th highest scoring offense in the NFL. Also, what was the last great oline that won a Super Bowl? Because the last few title winners had average to bad olines.

 

[Mondio]

I"ve been pretty critical of Bulaga in the past. To me, going into this year he was a huge question mark. He really only had 1 decent year and then my last memory was of him getting destroyed against a one arm'd linebacker, and then hurt. I didn't know what to make of him. Was he the guy I saw early on? or was he getting sloppy and slow with footwork and weak in the upper body? Last year showed me he belongs here. He was strong, he was consistent, he was good. Not 10 million a year good, but he's pretty good. I think Bakhtiari is a tad overrated. I like him, I think he's improving, but I think people tend to hold him in higher regard because he wasn't even supposed to be playing, then stepped in as a rookie and was pretty decent. He's like the anti-Hawk. Drafted lower, lower expectations, performs adequately and people think he's a stud. he could end up as one, but as of now, There are a lot better, though there are a lot worse too.

 

[Uncle Rico]

Bulaga, through his injury history, has in fact shown he is replaceable. In 2013 he didn't play a down and the Packers (even with all their injuries on offense) were the 8th highest scoring offense in the NFL. Also, what was the last great oline that won a Super Bowl? Because the last few title winners had average to bad olines.

Packers allowed 45 sacks in 2013 compared to 30 allowed in 2014 with a healthy Bulaga. Were the defenses we faced in 2013 just that much better than they were this past season? And are you suggesting that having an average to bad oline would get us back to the super bowl?

 

[Deleted member 6794]

We're probably ok with Barclay and I haven't seen any interest in him so far in (restricted) free agency.

That's because he's still recovering from the torn ACL he suffered in August. Once again Barclay's a nice backup but I don't feel comfortable with him being the starter.

 

[Mondio]

I doubt Barclay is going to be getting much in the way of offers. He was serviceable, but not a guy you want to be your starter. At least not from what I saw, and he's coming off a fairly significant injury.

 

[TJV]

This is from the jsonline article Packers must weigh value of cohesion on offensive line:

Linsley realizes Bulaga — the 23rd overall pick in 2010 — has all the tangibles. The frame. The lean build. The strong base. Athleticism. But intangibly, Bulaga stayed a step ahead of top rushers such as Mario Williams and Michael Bennett. "He's a very intuitive player," Linsley said. "I'll ask him how he's going to play this guy and he'll say, 'Well he does this a lot, so I'm going to try to do this.' The fact that he talks about his game like that and he's knowledgeable, I feel he's got the whole package for an offensive tackle." Tampa Bay Buccaneers left end Jacquies Smith agrees. The speed rusher beat Bulaga inside for a hurry during a 20-3 Packers win in December. Otherwise, it was a quiet day. Smith recalls Bulaga's "patience." As a pass rusher, he baits you into his pass set — so Smith labels him one of the best tackles in the game. Above all, Smith sensed a synergy between Rodgers and Bulaga...

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/pack...nightmare-scenario-b99457231z1-295446041.html

Larry Beightol (remember Larry?) who knows a little about OL play says this:

While Beightol believes Bulaga will seek a rich deal, he also views Bulaga as a player you overspend to keep. For continuity's sake. For a sense of peace. As Beightol shouts, Bulaga is "one of your guys!" ... He'll turn 26 this month.

 

[adambr2]

My biggest concern on Bulaga is health. He's a upper tier tackle when healthy, but he missed pretty much all of 2 seasons before this last with injuries. I'd feel much more comfortable with something loaded with incentives for games played, but as a free agent Bulaga isn't in a position where he needs to take that gamble on himself.

 

[PackerDNA]

My biggest concern on Bulaga is health. He's a upper tier tackle when healthy, but he missed pretty much all of 2 seasons before this last with injuries. I'd feel much more comfortable with something loaded with incentives for games played, but as a free agent Bulaga isn't in a position where he needs to take that gamble on himself.

And that's the thing right there. If the Packers want to keep Bulaga, they're gonna have to go all in.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

Packers allowed 45 sacks in 2013 compared to 30 allowed in 2014 with a healthy Bulaga. Were the defenses we faced in 2013 just that much better than they were this past season? And are you suggesting that having an average to bad oline would get us back to the super bowl?

I'm not suggesting, I'm stating that it's a fact that a before average oline is no barrier to a Super Bowl. How could anyone believe you need a good oline to win a Super Bowl when the Pats just won with a below average oline, the Giants won two recent Super Bowls with below average olines and the Seahawks oline last year wasn't great either?

 

[Carl]

I'm not suggesting, I'm stating that it's a fact that a before average oline is no barrier to a Super Bowl. How could anyone believe you need a good oline to win a Super Bowl when the Pats just won with a below average oline, the Giants won two recent Super Bowls with below average olines and the Seahawks oline last year wasn't great either?

Our offense was also our best ever with Newhouse playing left tackle.

 

[adambr2]

He's GOT to? He is going to make several million dollars with the Packers even if the offer isn't as high as somewhere else. That may be enough for him.

If you are struggling and barely getting by an offer of a 10 or 15% increase in pay will seem very attractive. If you are talking 10 million as opposed to 11 or 12 (Cobbs situation) its not that big of a deal. Yes, it is a heck of a lot more money but the difference in your quality of life won't improve much. Even though Bulagas numbers may not approach Cobbs the principle is the same.

I wouldn't surprise me a bit if Cobb turned down more money to stay in Green Bay. It wouldn't surprise me if Bulaga did the same thing (it wouldn't surprise me if he didn't either. Bottom line is to some people money is the be all and end all, to others it isn't.

Cobb and Bulaga are really different situations. Bulaga first off is the top FA at his position which already starts him off with an inflated market.

In addition, though they are similar in age and career point, Cobb being a skilled WR does make a difference. There are rational arguments that can be made that Cobb can take less money in Green Bay now and still come out ahead in the long run with his next deal with Aaron Rodgers throwing to him for the next 4 years instead of Carr, Tanehill, or Bortles. The same argument can't really be made for Bulaga, whose next payday is much less affected by his QB. That doesn't make it impossible that Bulaga will take less to stay, but he's got a stronger argument for taking the best deal now and I think he probably will.