Notes From Lombardi: NFC North

The Packers are a couple of injuries, old age at the corners and another disaster at drafting to be 3-13!Their name is not even mentioned by Peppers and they are going to be playing a 3-4 D. HMMM This could be a real disaster!

Packers need sacks.
Julius Peppers gets sacks.
Get Peppers.

It's not rocket science...

That is an absolutely rediculuous statement goose. We had way more than "a couple" of injuries last year, and yet the Packers still outscored their opponents despite going 6-10. The corners showed no signs of slowing down last year and if anything probably played better than 2007. TT has never had a single "disaster at drafting" outside of Harrell who has no lack of talent, only health. The only people who expect the Packers to be worse in 2009 are fools and Thompson haters.

As for Peppers, who cares? We already have one all star defensive end converting to linebacker, why would we want to make a huge gamble on another one? I can't imagine 6'8" Peppers trying to cover a 5'10" running back in the flat.

Where would Peppers play in GB? If they are moving Kampman to the Willie in the 3-4, there's no place for Peppers, unless he plays LE, which I can't see him wanting to do.

The Packers have a lot of problems, but at least they aren't the Lions...

Milltown - Just have to say, we're still pretty far away. Thompson's first GB draft was pretty terrible, but it did net Rogers. Hawk has been an incredible disappointment, but at least we got Jennings in that draft. Last year's draft was simply ugly. This team needs an injection of talent. 6-10 isn't out of the question. I remember during the 4-12 season that GB has outscored its opponents very late into the season. That didn't make us any good, it just meant we scored alot when we played an inferior team.

milltown,
nice to see ari flesher's army still getting recruits. or is this just your latest moniker?
Thompson has yet to draft an adequate offensive lineman. The defensive line is a disaster excepting sherman holdovers Kampman and Jenkins.
The linebackers are pedestrian at best.
Wear the rose colored glasses if you like but Harris and Woodson ARE aging. Fact.
The team is pretty well set at receiver and QB but that's about it.
As a GM Thompson has earned a solid C- so far. The next couple of years will tell. unfortunately we'll have to go through those couple of years of mediocrity to get to the promised land. (post thompson)

Daryn Colledge, Jason Spitz, Josh Sitton. There you go, 3 adequate lineman TT has drafted. Plus 2 more with promise in Barbre and Giacomini.

Jolly and Pickett are both solid TT additions on the D-Line.

The linebackers were great in 2007 when they were healthy with a solid line in front of them.

The defensive backfield has gone from the biggest weakness on the defense to the biggest strength.

I agree, the next couple of years will tell, but despite the setbacks of 2008 I have seen the Packers steadily improving under TT.

Eric, TT's first draft also included Nick Collins, maybe the best Free Safety in the NFC. also promising WR Terrance Murphy broke his neck against Carolina, so that draft could have been stacked. Poppinga has been a solid role player, and Will Whiticker started, until we switched to the zone scheme.
And Miltown, I couldnt agree more, we suffered devasting injuries last year, and had a d-coordinator who can't spell blitz, and we were still 2 missed FG's from 8-8. this team isnt that far away at all.

Jax Max
ever hear of Jason Spitz and Darren Colledge, who was a pro bowl alternate. yeah they are really good. the problem was the age of the tackles, not the interior. also I seem to remember TT paying $20 million for Ryan Pickett, last I checked he was one of the better run pluggers in the league, and Johnny Jolly has been very solid, not much of a pass rusher but very good in the run game. also we are set at RB, Jackson performed well every chance he got last year and against Seattle in 07, and Ryan Grant had 1200 yards despite being injured ALL year! The offense is set(except a RT) for years to come, and the defense has a great coordinator and some very nice peices(Jenkins, Jolly, Kampman, Hawk, Barnett, Collins, Bigby, Williams) to build around.

The Pack have way too many holes to fill and since Ted won't use FA to fill them -he has to to hit on every draft. Ted struggles in the early rounds as the last 2 years will verify. What a joke last years 3 2nd round picks were and of course Mr. Harrell. He is solid in the later rounds but that only fills out the roster-GB needs defensive playmakers.

Eric from Manitowac: I appreciated your thoughtful post even though I disagree. I don't see Hawk as being a huge dissapointment, everyone wants their top 10 pick to be a pro bowler but it's an unrealistic expectation. Hawk had his worst year last year but he was also fighting injuries, he may never be an all-pro but he has talent and he is an above average linebacker.

I agree that the 2008 draft class was light on immediate impact players but it did have quite a few developmental picks with alot of promise in Thompson, Lee, as well as Giacomini and Finley who could challenge for starting jobs.

The Packers need a lot of help on D line and at Linebacker. All of the Packers Linebackers are mediocre and they are not play makers. I hope TT does not go OT with the first pick, but who knows what is going on in that "no free agent signing" brain of his.
I think overall they are better than their 6-10 record last year but they are not as good as the 13-3 record from 2 years ago would suggest.