2018 Free Agency - Prospects for GB

[MacReady]

If we start the Bell to Packers thread now instead of at the end of the season, we could get it to 1,000 pages.

[Green19]

2 minutes ago, Outpost31 said:

If we start the Bell to Packers thread now instead of at the end of the season, we could get it to 1,000 pages.

Well if the Mack thread did what it did... just saying. Let’s get one going so the Lions can get a new mega deal on their books for a new RB haha.

[craig]

44 minutes ago, Packer_ESP said:

It's the other way around. X weeks to become a FA (X is negotiated in the settlement, based on the injury in question) and then 3 more before he can sign with the Packers. So if a hammy is 4 weeks, he can sign with any team after week 4 and with the Packers after week 7.

Thanks, that's very helpful. 

1. By the "X weeks", that's basically weeks in which the player will get paid? 
2. And that's negotiated between team and player/agent?  
3. I wonder what the player and agent lobby for in that: 

• More weeks, I suppose, equals more dollars.  
• But fewer weeks might give you a quicker chance to make a roster and establish your career in the league?  

[Joe]

2 hours ago, CWood21 said:

I mean, even if you wanted to go by that logic he still survived 3 years.  You simply don't cut bait with your players.  It's not like you're saving any money by releasing them, because if you release them you have to replace them.  

Rollins proved that he is incredibly replaceable.

 

48 minutes ago, Green19 said:

Know it’s been talked about before... but with teammates coming out against Bell (extremely weird) I’m guessing the clock is ticking on his days in a Steelers uniform.

Given that he will have to sign for a big deal... what would/should he be worth to GB if Gute wanted to trade for him?

understanding that the chance is less then 0 GB does. But just think it’s interesting with how quick his teammates turned on him.

Bell isn't coming back to the Steelers in any circumstance. He's the Kirk Cousins of RB's only he's a better RB than Cousins is a QB obviously. I suspect he'll go to some team hard up for a featured back who will overpay for him. He'll then get hurt and that team is screwed. You really want that headache in the lockerroom?

[craig]

9 hours ago, Beast said:

I just want to throw a wild idea out there.

....Could the Packers be planning on playing more 4 man front looks with 3 DL?

1. ...
2. Look at the roster numbers, SO FEW EDGE OLBers and SO MANY tradition LB at ILBers... the rosters numbers has closer to that of a normal 4-3 than 3-4
3. The OLB depth chart doesn't make sense, there is only 4 (two injury prone and one doesn't hold the edge well) ...
4. Gute, when talking about edge, told the media (paraphrasing) as you can see we added two OLBers to the PS to add depth there to only the 4 on the 53... except the on the PS is only OLB Donnerson. ...but as someone pointed out, Looney fits that that context better because he can play DL Edge..

There just seems to be too many roster oddities, for this to be a traditional 3-4... ....

But basically instead of Fackrell picking up the edge responsibilities when Matthews needs a rest, having the DE of Wilkerson/Lowry doing it... and using Fackrell's coverage ability some... and from this they can go back and forth from a 3-4 and 4-3. 

• I agree with this, yes.  Not a wild idea at all.  They are contantly improvising and hybridizing to match the actual players they've got. 
• I agree that his helps to explain how Gute is including both Fackrell and Looney in the OLB group. 
• Pettine's got to work with the guys he's got. 
• They hardly ever played traditional 3-4 anyway, Capers was always hybridizing and using various packages anyway. 
• The concept in which you have an "OLB" on one end, but not on the other, so that it's effectively a 4-man front with 1OLB + 3DL seems very plausible.  And in which a 2nd OLB may not be so much "on the line' nor having equivalent "set-the-edge" responsibilities in certain sets.  (Those may be sets when they choose to, [or need to] use Fackrell)  
• I think this totally explains the Looney reference. 
• We don't don't expect Looney and Fackrell to play the same kinds of roles. 
• Just as we didn't expect Perry and Matthews to provide equivalent function.  (Perry can't drop back and cover receivers the way that Matthews can.)
• We love the ideal guys who can pass-rush AND set-the-edge-in-run, AND ideally drop back into coverage sometimes as well.  But obviously such do-it-all guys are rare.  Certainly that is NOT what tends to be the reality for 4th/5th OLB on a roster!  Most back-of-the-OLB-room prospect might be pretty good at set-the-edge (Looney, perhaps?), but not too hot at pass rush; or perhaps interesting at pass rush but not too hot at set-the-edge?  (This was what was hoped for from Jayrone Elliott, for example.)   
• Coach needs to call different sets for different situations.  Lots of different ways to get the job done, depending on what kinds of guys you have to work with.  

[packfanfb]

1 hour ago, Outpost31 said:

If we start the Bell to Packers thread now instead of at the end of the season, we could get it to 1,000 pages.

Maybe the Steelers will take him straight up for Byron Bell. 

[Cheech]

Man the timing is impeccable.

...is that he knows the system and that he's "there."

 

 

[TheBitzMan]

4 hours ago, Outpost31 said:

If we start the Bell to Packers thread now instead of at the end of the season, we could get it to 1,000 pages.

When the Bears land Le'Veon after we reach 100 pages it will all but confirm that Pace is reading this forum. 

[beekay414]

People here really advocating for Kony Ealy? He gets dropped because he's dumb and doesn't care about football when it's not game day.

[Cheech]

I love that the only "defense" for KF is to go after possible free agents.  

Not even Fackrell's teammates are in his corner.

I find it hilarious.  "Nick, talk about the two guys behind you." 

"Oh, well, Reggie really has stepped up and is ready to contribute.  And Kyler is on the team. His number is 51 and he has blue eyes.  I think he's pretty good at  polish horseshoes, too."

 

[Packerraymond]

11 minutes ago, Cheech said:

I love that the only "defense" for KF is to go after possible free agents.  

Not even Fackrell's teammates are in his corner.

I find it hilarious.  "Nick, talk about the two guys behind you." 

"Oh, well, Reggie really has stepped up and is ready to contribute.  And Kyler is on the team. His number is 51 and he has blue eyes.  I think he's pretty good at  polish horseshoes, too."

 

He's the freaking 4th LB on the team. Everyone else realizes if we're relying on our 4th OLB for more than 10 snaps a game we're in trouble. The "he was an early pick so we have to continually crap on him and Spriggs, Rollins and eventually Jones" crowd is the only one who cares. Fackrell is a mediocre player who we're relying on for a couple snaps a game.

I'm more concerned about Brice, Morrison, McCray, Allison, etc. Players who actually will have extensive roles. Keep whining about Fackrell though.

[Sasquatch]

4 minutes ago, Packerraymond said:

He's the freaking 4th LB on the team. Everyone else realizes if we're relying on our 4th OLB for more than 10 snaps a game we're in trouble. The "he was an early pick so we have to continually crap on him and Spriggs, Rollins and eventually Jones" crowd is the only one who cares. Fackrell is a mediocre player who we're relying on for a couple snaps a game.

I'm more concerned about Brice, Morrison, McCray, Allison, etc. Players who actually will have extensive roles. Keep whining about Fackrell though.

I won’t start whining about Fackrell until a few games into the season, when Perry and Matthews take their annual mid-season injury vacations, and Fackrell’s snaps go up exponentially.  Till then, mums the word.

[TheOnlyThing]

Fackrell was the #4 OLB at the start of last season as well, behind Clay, Perry, and Brooks.

He ended up playing >42% of the defensive snaps even though Odom, Biegel, and Gilbert were all on the roster behind him at various points. No one is truly behind him right now.

In 2016, the 4th OLBer Datone Jones played >53% of the snaps.

Perhaps Pettine's scheme will result in fewer snaps for the 4th OLBer or perhaps Clay and Perry will remain healthy all season and perhaps Clay will be able to play upwards of 80% of the snaps at age 32.

But If not, as of now the #4 OLBer is Kyler Fackrell and he is likely to get a significant number of snaps at one of the critical positions on the defense.

[Packerraymond]

10 minutes ago, TheOnlyThing said:

Fackrell was the #4 OLB at the start of last season as well, behind Clay, Perry, and Brooks.

He ended up playing >42% of the defensive snaps even though Odom, Biegel, and Gilbert were all on the roster behind him at various points. No one is truly behind him right now.

In 2016, the 4th OLBer Datone Jones played >53% of the snaps.

Perhaps Pettine's scheme will result in fewer snaps for the 4th OLBer or perhaps Clay and Perry will remain healthy all season and perhaps Clay will be able to play upwards of 80% of the snaps at age 32.

But If not, as of now the #4 OLBer is Kyler Fackrell and he is likely to get a significant number of snaps at one of the critical positions on the defense.

We're comparing one scheme that doesn't exist in GB anymore to one that does, we're also comparing a player in Datone who was a good player to one who's mediocre. I'd be shocked if Fackrell played that much save for injury.

[Cheech]

4 minutes ago, Packerraymond said:

We're comparing one scheme that doesn't exist in GB anymore to one that does, we're also comparing a player in Datone who was a good player to one who's mediocre. I'd be shocked if Fackrell played that much save for injury.

Save for injury.  Id rather ignore Matthews and Perry's injury history too.