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Offseason Review, Part One: The Green Bay Packers

Yes, yes, I know this is a site dedicated to all things purple and gold. But since the time period between the end of the NFL Draft and the start of training camp marks a sort of dead zone for league activity, I figured this would be the perfect time to analyze how the other three NFC North squads did in their respective offseasons.

By offseason I mean how each team did in both free agency and the draft. I hate when writers give teams free agency grades and then give teams NFL Draft grades. It’s ridiculous. You have to look at the whole of a team’s offseason. Some teams put more focus on free agency while others find the draft more important.

Now that I’ve explained my criteria, what better place to get this going than with the defending division champion Green Bay Packers?

Enjoy.

Green Bay Packers

Quick refresher: Finished the regular season with 13-3 record, second best in the NFC; earned a first round bye; defeated the Seattle Seahawks 42-20 in an NFC Divisional Game at Lambeau Field before losing the NFC Championship Game to the (eventual World Champion) New York Giants at Lambeau in overtime by a 23-20 count.

Where they were heading into the offseason: A team that fell oh-so-short of reaching the Super Bowl, the Packers - the youngest squad in the NFL last season - looked to have very few holes to fill heading into the offseason. The green and gold needed to get a little younger at both cornerback and offensive tackle, for starters. Al Harris and Charles Woodson are perhaps the best corner tandem in the league, but both are on the wrong side of 30. Ditto for starting tackles Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher.

Tight end was also an area ripe for upgrade. Donald Lee had a breakout year in 2007 but Bubba Franks was either injured or ineffective for most of the season. For coach Mike McCarthy to be able to run more two tight end sets (as he’d probably like to do), the team needed to find a replacement for Franks.

Another big question mark was the future of defensive tackle Corey Williams. Williams had totaled 14 sacks for Green Bay over the past two seasons but was headed for free agency and some wondered if the Packers would pay big money to a rotational player.

The final question that need solving was whether or not quarterback Brett Favre was finally going to hang it up. Even if he did, though, the Pack seemed to be set at the position as they had been grooming Aaron Rodgers to take over QB duties for the past three seasons.

What happened in free agency: GM Ted Thompson answered the Williams question before free agency even started, first by placing the franchise tag on him, then trading him to the Cleveland Browns for a second round pick.

The Favre question was answered shortly after free agency began as the former three-time NFL MVP decided to finally call it a career. Mass confusion ensued in Green Bay. Mass parties ensued in the Twin Cities, Chicago and Detroit.

Outside of those two moves, however, the Packers did not do much in free agency. Not surprising, as Thompson is a notorious hater of the free agency period. The team made its only free agent move well after March 1 when it signed linebacker Brandon Chillar (St. Louis) to a two-year contract.

What happened in the draft: Green Bay became the youngest team in the league because Thompson is an avid believer in building through the draft. This year, he focused heavily on offense, using seven of the Packers’ nine picks on that side of the ball. Surprisingly, two of the team’s three first-day picks did not target major areas of concern as Green Bay selected wide receiver Jordy Nelson (Kansas St.) and quarterback Brian Brohm (Louisville). The Packers did get younger at cornerback, however, as they selected Patrick Lee (Auburn) in the second round.

Green Bay got what it hopes to be its tight end complement in round three when it selected Jermichael Finley (Texas). Other interesting day two selections include tackle Breno Giacomini (fifth round, Louisville), a player who could be groomed to replace Tauscher someday, and quarterback Matt Flynn (seventh round, LSU), a player who could serve as the team’s third-string quarterback this season.

Where they are now: The Packers were the youngest team in the league last season and Favre’s (at least for now) retirement - coupled with the team’s lack of activity in free agency - all but ensures they will hold that title again this season.

Nickelback and No. 2 tight end needed to be upgraded and Thompson and McCarthy, by using high picks on Lee and Finley, are going to - at least at first - leave the job to a pair of rookies. Could work well, could be a disaster.

And by drafting Brohm and Flynn, the organization is pretty much telling Favre that they are ready to start a new era, one that he will not be a part of.

The team didn’t really address offensive tackle so it must believe Clifton and Tauscher can stay healthy and get the job done for another year. They also didn’t really address defensive tackle after trading Williams, so the Packers must think their rotation from last year will be okay without him. For that to happen, last year’s first round pick, Justin Harrell, will have to make a big jump in year two.

All in all, the Packers had a solid - but not great - offseason. The team didn’t make any big moves (much to the chagrin of some fans who were hoping the Packers would make a play for a big name or two to really put them over the top), instead keeping with the steady-as-she-goes approach that has defined the Thompson era. Considering the results thus far, it’s kind of hard to argue with the man.

Offseason Grade: B

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 6th, 2008 at 11:45 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.