Cheesehead Sports Nut.com

Quick Thoughts - Prince Fielder signs with the Detroit Tigers

2012-01-24T18:24:00.002-06:00

Before we jump into the details of Prince Fielder's historic contract, let me put the negotiations in context. In early 2010 the Milwaukee Brewers offered Fielder a five-year, $100 million contract. Fielder's agent Scott Boras "according to sources" countered with an eight-years, $176 million contract. The counter-offer by Boras ended the negotiations between both sides because apparently Milwaukee Brewers general manager Doug Melvin, most likely after consulting with principal owner Mark Attansio, decided they could not make a solid counter-offer.

Fast forward to a few months ago when the Brewers were eliminated from the playoffs by the St. Louis Cardinals. In most cases a team in the Brewers' spot at least makes a courtesy offer but apparently Boras told the Brewers that it was going to cost at least $200 million to sign Fielder. If $176 million ended negotiations, $200 million made even a courtesy offer impossible. At that point everyone knew Fielder played his last game in Milwaukee, the question turned to where will Fielder actually sign?

With most of the big market clubs out of the "bidding war" for various reasons: Angels (Albert Pujols), Cubs (owner trying to be cost conscious), Dodgers (current owner already bankrupt), Mets (owners might go bankrupt), Phillies (Ryan Howard), Red Sox (Adrian Gonzalez), White Sox (Paul Konerko), and Yankees (Mark Teixeira) that left very few bidders for Prince Fielder.

For the last month it has been a flip of the coin between the Washington Nationals and the Texas Rangers. The Rangers always made more sense by the mere fact that they play in the American League so Fielder could DH part-time now and full-time sooner rather than later. Outsiders always thought the Nationals were involved just to help drive up the price for Fielder to ultimately land in Texas and gobble up some of the Ranger's new local television money set to start flowing in a few years. Much like Pujols seemingly out of nowhere signing with the Angels, Fielder signed with the Tigers instead of the Nationals or Rangers.

Once the dust settles the numbers might be slightly different but as of right now Fielder signed a nine-year, $214 million contract to play for the Detroit Tigers. To put that huge contract in perspective, there have only been three larger contracts signed in MLB history: Albert Pujols' recent deal (10-years, $240 million for 2012-21) and both of A-Rod's record breaking contracts ($252 million for 2001-10 and after opting out early he signed a $275 million from 2008 to 2017).

I have been critical of agents like Scott Boras and Drew Rosenhaus many times in this same space. Unfortunately Boras delivered the goods and probably inked a few more high-profile soon-to-be free agents in the process. The only asterisk for Boras is that if Victor Martinez didn't recently tear his ACL, there is no way that Fielder signs with the Tigers. Either way, Boras pounced and got his client the $200 million that he promised.

In the short-term the Brewers have a huge hole in the middle of their order with Fielder signing with the Tigers and Ryan Braun facing a 50-game suspension.

Only time will tell if Fielder is worth all that money. The easy answer is to say no and that Fielder will eat his way out of the league sooner rather than later, we all know that he has the means after signing a $214 million contract. I am not saying Fielder is worth $214 million but I am intrigued by him playing for his estranged father's former team. Thanks for the great memories Prince and good luck across Lake Michigan playing for the Tigers.

Quick Thoughts - Mark Wilson wins the Humana Challenge

2012-01-22T23:59:00.035-06:00

Watch out PGA Tour, the Cheeseheads look like they are going to dominate 2012. Steve Stricker got things started by winning the 2012 Hyundai Tournament of Champions two weekends ago.

A non-Cheesehead, Johnson Wagner, won the 2012 Sony Open in Hawaii at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu last weekend.

Mark Wilson got the Cheeseheads back on track winning the 2012 Humana Challenge this weekend. Wilson's win means the Cheeseheads are beating the entire PGA Tour 2-1 to start the 2012 season.

Despite battling winds of up to 35 mph that forced the field to complete the third round on Sunday, Wilson shot 24-under par (66-62-67-69=264) to beat Robert Garrigus, Johnson Wagner, and John Mallinger by two strokes. Wilson notched his fifth career PGA Tour win pocketing $1.01 million in the process.

Following the Humana Challenge, Stricker stayed 5th in the world golf rankings while Wilson moved up to 40th. Jerry Kelly, the most animated Cheesehead golfer, is currently ranked 129th in the world and due for a win to give the 2012 season a Cheesehead hat-trick.

Quick Thoughts - Steve Stricker wins the 2012 Hyundai Tournament of Champions

2012-01-09T23:59:00.036-06:00

Thanks to shooting an impressive 23-under (68-63-69-69=269) over four days, Steve Stricker started off the 2012 PGA Tour season with a win at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Stricker bested the 27-player winner's only field with his putter.

Stricker's domination of The Plantation Course allowed him to notch his 12th career PGA Tour win. Stricker has been on quite a hot streak over the last few years winning eight of his last 50 PGA Tour starts.

If Stricker was in his late 20's or early 30's then a streak like he has been on the last few years wouldn't be that shocking but Stricker is 44 years old. Just to hammer the point home, Stricker won an astounding nine times since turning 40 years old.

Not only did Stricker win $1.12 million today but he moved up to 5th in the world rankings. As I have said many times, Stricker is a like a fine wine...he gets better with age.

Previous Steve Stricker Posts:
- Cheeseheads Rule Day 1 of the 2011 PGA Championship
- Steve Stricker's Three-peat at the John Deere Classic
- Steve Stricker won the 2011 Memorial Tournament
- Steve Stricker Wins the 2010 John Deere Classic

Sunday Funday - 2011 Green Bay Packers Initial Player Rankings

2011-09-04T23:59:00.255-05:00

Since this post is going to get lengthy, I will make the introduction short. These rankings are based on a combination of ability, age, contract Status, and strength at the position. With that in mind, here are my initial rankings of the 2011 Green Bay Packers roster:

#53) M.D. Jennings (S) - The biggest surprise to make the 53-man roster might only be on the actual roster for a short time because the Packers need to add at least one more interior offensive lineman.

#52) Evan Dietrich-Smith (G/C) - Another surprise member of the 53-man roster ahead of Nick McDonald (cut) and Caleb Schlauderaff (traded). Dietrich-Smith can play guard and center so versatility is probably the main reason why he made the 53-man roster.

#51) Jamari Lattimore (OLB) - With Frank Zombo hurt, Lattimore gives the Packers depth at outside linebacker. Once Zombo is healthy, look for Lattimore to get cut and hopefully added to the practice squad.

#50) Pat Lee (CB) - Did not start at Auburn till his senior year yet the Packer used a second round draft pick on him in the 2008 NFL Draft. This will be Lee's fourth year in the league but unfortunately he has more years in the NFL than memorable plays.

#49) Brad Jones (OLB) - Has struggled to regain his form in 2011 after a promising start to the 2010 season (started five games and appeared in seven games) was cut short by injury. Some Packers coaches compared Jones to Chad Brown (former Steeler and Seahawk) but he is a homeless man's Chad Brown at best. It is put up or shut up time for Jones because the Packers have a ton of young outside linebackers vying for playing time.

#48) D.J. Williams (TE) - An undersized, athletic tight end that needs to prove the Packers made the right decision keeping him as their 5th tight end.

#47) Robert Francois (MLB) - After Nick Barnett and Brandon Chillar were cut the Packers suddenly went from having the deepest group of middle linebackers in the NFL to being rather thin at the position after their two starters. Francois showed promise in the preseason but still looks like a mediocre backup at best.

#46) Davon House (CB) - A fast (4.41 second 40-yard dash) rookie cornerback with raw athletic talent that is an unknown commodity because injuries limited his repetitions throughout the preseason.

#45) C.J. Wilson (DE) - Registered 21 tackles, six QB hits, and one sack in 2010. Those are not terrible numbers since the 3-4 defense is not set-up for defensive lineman to put up big numbers. It is more important that Wilson eats up blockers in running and passing situations to open up big play opportunities for linebackers and defensive backs.

#44) D.J. Smith (MLB) - A bit undersized (5'11" and 240 lbs) for a prototypical 3-4 middle linebacker that makes up for being undersized by being an absolute tackling machine.

#43) Tom Crabtree (TE) - Not the most polished tight end on the roster but does a little bit of everything well. Crabtree's strongest asset is his blocking ability, which makes him a candidate to play both tight end and fullback since the Packers traded Quinn Johnson.

#42) Alex Green (RB) - The departure of Brandon Jackson left the Packers searching for a new 3rd down back. Green is trying to prove that he is not a one-hit wonder that benefited from playing in a pass first offense at Hawaii. If Green can improve his blocking ability he looks like the ideal candidate to be the new 3rd down back.

#41) Ryan Taylor (TE) - A few weeks ago it looked like Taylor was fighting for a practice squad spot and now he is fighting for the backup tight end spot behind starter Jermichael Finley. Much like Crabtree, Taylor blocks well so he has a chance to play tight end and fullback.

#40) Jarius Wynn (DE) - Defensive lineman in the 3-4 defense are asked to do all the dirty work (eat up blockers) without having free reign for any of the glory (sacks and tackles for a loss) most of the time. That doesn't diminish how important defensive lineman are in the 3-4 defense though. Look for Wynn to continue to do the dirty work along the defensive line for the Packers in 2011.

#39) Derek Sherrod (OT) - At 6'5" and 320 pounds, Sherrod is the left tackle of the future in Green Bay after struggling at left guard throughout the preseason. The coaching staff should not be surprised that Sherrod struggled as a left guard because he started 47 games (appearing in 49 games total) at left tackle at Mississippi State. Hopefully Sherrod will settle in at left tackle because the Packers are one Chad Clifton injury away from needing a new blindside protector for Aaron Rodgers.

#38) Frank Zombo (OLB) - Transitioned to playing outside linebacker in his rookie season in the NFL in 2010 after playing defensive end in college. Zombo had four sacks (including the only sack in Super Bowl XLV), six tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles, and seven quarterback hits. Unfortunately Zombo broke his shoulder blade in the preseason and his availability for 2011 is up in the air otherwise he would be ranked 10 spots higher.

#37) Marshall Newhouse (OT) - The 3rd tackle on the depth chart despite the fact that the Packer drafted Derek Sherrod in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Look for Newhouse to fill in at either tackle position as opposed to Sherrod if either Clifton or Bulaga get hurt in 2011.

#36) Randall Cobb (WR) - Although he might not be healthy enough to play in the season opener, when healthy, Cobb will help the Packers improve in the return game because they were horrible in 2010: 26th in kickoff return average and 22nd in punt return average. In fact the Packers have not had a kickoff return for a touchdown since Allen Rossum's 92-yard return against the Colts in November of 2000.

#35) Vic So'oto (OLB) - The pleasant surprise of the 2011 preseason for the Green Bay Packers played well against the Colts and the Chiefs to not only secure a roster spot but also serves as the primary backup spot at outside linebacker. I know it seems crazy but So’oto looks like the second coming of James Harrison.

#34) Andrew Quarless (TE) - A homeless man's Jermichael Finley has a ton of young competition (Williams, Crabtree, and Taylor) for playing time in 2011. Look for Quarless to improve his blocking or find his playing time severely limited.

#33) John Kuhn (FB/RB) - The only fullback on the 53-man roster is really more of a tweener fullback/running back then a true blocking fullback. Look for Kuhn to fill multiple roles (fullback, running back, and special teams) in 2011 to justify his three-year, $7.5 million contract extension.

#32) Jarrett Bush (CB/S) - Is the hardest non-starter on the roster to figure out. Bush plays great on special teams most of the time. Unfortunately on defense Bush is like temperamental14-year-old girl, sometimes he plays great on defense and sometimes he looks absolutely lost. Bush's special teams makes him worthy of a roster spot, the wild card is how he will do on defense in 2011.

#31) Brett Goode (LS) - Clean as the long snapper for the last three years (89 punts and 94 place kicks), hopefully Goode can continue that form in 2011 because you never want to hear the long snapper talked about because if his name comes up it means he made a horrible gaffe.

#30) Charlie Peprah (S) - Signed a two-year, $2 million contract ($150,000 guaranteed) in the off-season to give the Packers a quality back-up safety to Collins and Burnett.

#29) Matt Flynn (QB) - At some point Flynn will be an NFL starter but for all the praise he got after his performance against the Patriots with Rodgers sidelined with a concussion at the end of last season, Flynn is still a bit of an unknown commodity. Hopefully Flynn will not get any extended looks in 2011 besides moping up in garbage time because that would mean Rodgers was seriously injured again.

#28) Howard Green (DE/DT) - Big Sexy of the defensive line will be called upon often to play in 2011 because he is the primary back-up at both defensive end and defensive tackle.

#27) Mason Crosby (K) - Moving the kickoff to the 35-yard line will help Crosby but that doesn't mean he is worth the five-year, $14.75 million deal ($3 million guaranteed) he signed after the lockout was lifted. Compare that deal to the four-year, $12 million deal ($3.5 million guaranteed) that Ryan Longwell got from the Minnesota Vikings. I guess that is the going rate for a kicker but Crosby has only converted 78.1% of his FG attempts and 219 of 220 PATs. Crosby’s below average numbers are due in part to kicking in Green Bay but he is still an average kicker at best that is being paid like a borderline Pro Bowl kicker. Let’s compare recent Packer kickers. Crosby is better than Chris Jackie who converted 76.4% of his kicks in Green Bay from 1989 to 1996 but not better than Ryan Longwell who converted 80.9% of his kicks in Green Bay from 1997 to 2005. Crosby makes the kicks he should make (67 of 75 (89.3%) inside 40-yards and makes some of the longer kicks 26 of 37 (70.4%) from between 40 and 49-yards. Unfortunately Crosby is only 1 for 4 in game winning kicks as well (made a 42-yarder in his NFL debut but missed from 52, 38, and 53). There are only 32 starting place kickers in the NFL and Crosby has been below average since the Packers drafted him: 2007 - 26th (79.5%), 2008 - 28th (79.4%), 2009 - Tied for 25th (75.0%), and 2010 - 26th (78.6%).

#26) Mike Neal (DE) - Missed three games with an abdominal strain to start his NFL career in 2010. When Neal returned he registered three tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble. Unfortunately Neal suffered a season ending shoulder injury Week 5. Keep all of that in mind as you try to process that the Packers are expecting Neal to start at defensive end in place of the now departed Cullen Jenkins. Unfortunately Neal is not even a lock to be healthy enough to play in the opener so you can see why Big Sexy (Howard Green) is so important to the 2011 Green Bay Packers.

#25) T.J. Lang (OG) - After an early camp battle with rookie Derek Sherrod for the starting left guard spot, Lang beat out Sherrod with a good performance against the Arizona Cardinals earlier in the preseason. Hopefully we get the impressive 2009 version of T.J. Lang as opposed to the lackluster 2010 version.

#24) Ryan Grant (RB) - The Packers paid Grant a big roster bonus ($1.75 million) at the start of training camp and then re-negotiated Grant's contract so that he makes $1 million less in 2011 but the entire contract is guaranteed. Grant turns 29 during the 2011 season but Grant's body is not really that old because he has only played a few full NFL season. How well Grant and Starks play in 2011 will go a long way towards determining where Grant plays in 2012.

#23) James Jones (WR) - After catching 50 passes for 679 yards and five touchdowns as a borderline starting wide receiver for the Packers in 2010, it looked like Jones was going to break the bank to become a primary receiver for another team. Thanks to one of the deepest groups of free agent wide receivers in NFL history, Jones didn’t break the bank and ended up signing a three-year, $9.6 million deal ($1.5 million guaranteed) with the Packers. Jones needs to limit his drops in big situations because he dropped 10 balls in 2010, five that could have gone for TDs (against Dolphins, Jets, Giants, Eagles in the playoffs, and Steelers in Super Bowl XLV). If Jones limits his drops, he signed one of the most club friendly contracts ever.

#22) James Starks (RB) - Adopted a gluten free diet during the lockout and gained eight pounds to tip the scales at 225 pounds. After a number of impressive performances at the end of the 2010 season, look for Starks to pick up where he left off with an improved body physically to become the primary ball carrier by the end of the season.

#21) Tim Masthay (P) - Preformed very well in 2010: 13th in gross punt average (43.9 yards), 18th in net punt average (37.6 yards), and 16th in placing punts inside the 20 yard line (25 times). If Masthay kicks as well in 2011 as he did in 2010, look for the Packers to sign Masthay long-term.

#20) Donald Driver (WR) - The "starter" at wide receiver opposite Greg Jennings is just 41 yards shy of breaking James Lofton's teams record for most receiving yards in franchise history (9,656 yards). Kudos to Driver in advance of breaking Lofton's record, he is one of the classiest guys in franchise history. For everyone that is anointing Nelson and Jones as bigger threats than Driver, slow down because Driver has been defying the odds his entire career. I expect Driver to have a great bounce back season in 2011.

#19) Morgan Burnett (S) - After an lost rookie season to a knee injury, Burnett opens 2011 as the starter at safety opposite Nick Collins. As long as Burnett can stay healthy, he looks like the next great safety in the making in Green Bay.

#18) Erik Walden (OLB) - It is nice to have some consistency opposite Matthews with Walden because last season the Packers started four different guys (including playoffs) opposite Matthews: Robert Francois (1 game), Erik Walden (5 games), Brad Jones (5 games), and Frank Zombo (9 games).

#17) Jordy Nelson (WR) - For all the praise Nelson is receiving throughout the preseason let's not forget that he did not put up huge numbers in 2010 with 45 catches for 582 yards and two touchdowns. I know Nelson had a nice statistical performance in Super Bowl XLV with nine catches and 140 receiving yards but he dropped a sure touchdown in that game. Let's hope Nelson can have a breakout season in a contract year in 2011 to earn the big extension the Packers presumably already have in the works.

#16) Sam Shields (CB) - Allowed four TDs and 10 plays of 20-yards or more in 2010. Those stats don't seem great but Shields played much better then just the raw statistics. In fact, Peter King ranked Shields as the 100th best player in the NFL in 2010. Not too shabby for a guy that wasn't even drafted in the 2010 NFL Draft. The Packers lured Shields to Green Bay with a $7,500 signing bonus that might go down as the most cost effective signing bonus in franchise history.

#15) Ryan Pickett (DT) - Registered a tackle every seven snaps in 2010. Although Pickett will be a big part of the defensive line in 2011 if he stays healthy, look for him to regress statistically in 2011 because he is moving from defensive end to defensive tackle.

#14) Chad Clifton (OT) - In what might be Clifton's last season in Green Bay let's hope he can stay healthy for the whole season because an injury to Clifton might force the Packers to shuffle the entire offensive line (move Bulaga to left tackle, move Lang to right tackle, and insert a new player at left guard) because Newhouse and Sherrod don't look like starting left tackles in the NFL yet.

#13) A.J. Hawk (MLB) - The Business HJ of middle linebackers signed a five-year, $33.75 million contract ($10.95 million guaranteed) right before the start of the lockout. Hawk plays almost every down contributing 666 tackles, 33 passes defended, 15 tackles for a loss, 10 sacks, 8 INTs, 4 fumble recoveries, and 2 forced fumbles for his career. That seems great but Hawk was the 5th pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. When you are picked that high, you expect more explosive plays.

#12) Bryan Bulaga (OT) - The new school Mark Tauscher in Green Bay sans the glorious neck beard had an all-around impressive rookie season in 2010. In fact a very compelling argument could be made that without Bulaga in the fold, the Green Bay Packers would not have won Super Bowl XLV.

#11) Desmond Bishop (MLB) - Following former starting middle linebacker Nick Barnett's season ending injury, Bishop shed the "Mr. August" title making 150 tackles, 3 sacks, and a pick-six in the final 16 games of the season (including playoffs). The Packers rewarded Bishop with a four-year, $18 million extension. Having Bishop and Hawk in the fold made Nick Barnett expendable but it was still sad to see Barnett go after all he contributed in his Packer career (started 107 of 128 regular season games, registered 575 tackles, 15.5 sacks, and 9 interceptions. Barnett was healthy at the start of his career, he only missed two games in his first five years in the league but a torn ACL in 2008 (missed 8 games) and wrist injury in 2010 (missed 12 games) made him expendable. Barnett signed a three-year, $12 million deal with the Buffalo Bills ($6 guaranteed) after getting cut by the Packers. It will be interesting to track Bishop and Barnett the next few years to see if the Packers made the right decision going with the younger guy.

#10) Scott Wells (C) - Despite trying to replace Wells every year with a bigger guy, Wells (6'2" and 300 lbs) continues to anchor the offensive line. With Evan Dietrich-Smith as the only real back-up at guard or center, if Wells is lost for an extended period of time the Packers season could go south in no time.

#9) Jermichael Finley (TE) - Reminds me of Rickie Weeks. There is no denying his talent but Finley missed 15 games in three years and only finished one season healthy. Finley needs to prove he can stay healthy before the Packers invest a large amount of money in Finley since he is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2011 season.

#8) Nick Collins (S) - Has a knack for getting his hands on the ball, whether he catches it is another story. Although Collins had four interceptions in 2010 (remember the pick-six in Super Bowl XLV), that total could be even bigger because Collins dropped five interceptions in 2010.

#7) Charles Woodson (CB) - Has been an absolute turnover machine since joining the Packers. Woodson has 48 takeaways in five seasons in Green Bay (including playoffs). For all those that think Woodson is getting a little long in the tooth, let’s not forget that Woodson set season career highs in 2010 with 115 tackles and five forced fumbles. Woodson will play in the slot in 2011 to allow him to continue to play as a hybrid cornerback/safety.

#6) B.J. Raji (DE) - Lead all defensive lineman with 1,070 snaps in 2010 where he registered 6.5 sacks, 12 QB hits, and 12 QB pressures. The Packers moved Raji to defensive end to let him get after the quarterback more in 2011 so look for Raji to increase his sacks, QB hits, and QB pressures.

#5) Josh Sitton (OG) - With the influx of big, fast defensive tackles there has been a waterfall effect that impacted offensive guards. Six or seven years ago guard was not that highly paid of a position but the only way to counteract the influx of stud defensive tackles is an influx of big offensive guards. As a result the undisputed stud of the offensive line just signed a five-year extension with the team keeping Sitton in Green Bay through the 2016 season. The numbers of Sitton's extension have not been revealed but look for Sitton to justifiably be one of the highest guards in the NFL.

#4) Tramon Williams (CB) - In 2010 Williams only gave up one touchdown and six plays of 20-yards or more. The Packers rewarded Williams with a nice contract extension last year before a myriad of cornerbacks signed even more lucrative deals. As crazy as it sounds, Williams is the undisputed best cornerback on the roster (sorry Chuck) so if Williams continues to play as well has he did in 2010 the Packers might have to renegotiate the extension that Williams signed in 2010 sooner rather than later.

#3) Greg Jennings (WR) - The offense struggled to utilize Jennings and Finley while Finley was healthy for the first part of the 2010 season. The only positive thing about losing Finley last year was that Jennings thrived in Finley’s absence. The Packers will need to get Jennings and Finley to co-exist in 2011. If they can, the Packers will have the most explosive offense in the NFL.

#2) Clay Matthews (OLB) - In only two years in the NFL Matthews already registered 23.5 sacks. Very accomplished former outside linebacker and current outside linebacker coach Kevin Greene called Matthews the most complete OLB he's ever seen. I could say more but Clay's numbers and Greene's quote says it all.

#1) Aaron Rodgers (QB) - I mean this in all sincerity, if Rodgers plays anything like he did against the Falcons in the playoffs last year he is going to start collecting Lombardi and MVP trophies yearly for the next decade.

Check back Wednesday for more Packer coverage ahead of their season opener Thursday in Green Bay against the Saints that pits the last two Super Bowl champs.

Quick Thoughts - Initial 2011 Green Bay Packers Practice Squad Rankings

2011-09-04T16:00:00.087-05:00

Just like every other team in the NFL, the Green Bay Packers signed eight players to their practice squad the day after finalizing their initial 53-man roster. Here are my rankings of the initial 2011 Green Bay Packers eight player practice squad:

#8) Sampson Genus (C) - Although I have him ranked lowest on the eight-man practice squad, Genus has a good chance to appear on the 53-man roster because the Packers don't have much depth along the interior of their offensive line.

#7) Brandon Saine (RB) - At 5'11" and 220 lbs, Saine has some speed (4.39 second 40-yard dash) and smarts (scored a 27 on the Wonderlic). Saine is a nice project to keep on the practice squad to see how he improves throughout the year because Ryan Grant might not be with the Packers for the 2012 season.

#6) Diondre Borel (WR) - One of three wide receivers signed to the practice squad shows you how deep the Packers are at wide receiver with five on the active roster and three on the practice squad.

#5) Brandian Ross (CB) - I would rather see Ross on the 53-man roster than Pat Lee because Ross has decent measurables (4.54 second 40-yard dash, 37" vertical, 10'0" broad jump, and 16 on Wonderlic) to go along with a pick-six of Aaron Rodgers during the family night scrimmage. I hope I am wrong but Lee is very injury prone so if he gets injured again this year, look for Ross to get a shot at the 53-man roster.

#4) Tori Gurley (WR) - I am surprised that Gurley made it through waivers. Once injuries hit teams in the early part of the regular season look for the Packers to make the tough choice of cutting a player from their 53-man roster to keep Gurley.

#3) Ray Dominguez (G/T) - The Packers decided to keep Evan Dietrich-Smith instead of Dominguez on the active roster. Look for Dominguez to work at every offensive line position because the more versatile he becomes, the more likely he is to make the active 53-man roster by the end of the season.

#2) Chastin West (WR) - After an impressive preseason, the Packers thought long and hard about keeping six wide receivers and four tight ends but ultimately decided to keep five tight ends and five wide receivers because a number of their tight ends are essentially wide receivers (Finley, Quarless, and Williams). Fortunately West made it through waivers so the Packers can stash him on the practice squad for the time being.

#1) Graham Harrell (QB) - Speaking of making it through waivers, the biggest surprise of roster cut-downs was the Packers cutting Harrell after his impressive late game heroics against the Colts earlier in the preseason. Luckily Harrell was not claimed by another team so the Packers happily signed him to the practice squad. With Matt Flynn most likely playing somewhere else in 2012, the Packers need to see if Harrell can be a viable back-up quarterback in 2012.

Finally three of the 10 draft picks Ted Thompson made in the 2011 NFL Draft: Caleb Schlauderaff (traded to Jets), Rick Elmore (cut), and Lawrence Guy (placed on injured reserve) are not on the 53-man active roster or the eight player practice squad.

Check back later tonight for my full rankings 53 to 1 of the initial 53-man roster for the 2011 Green Bay Packers.

Quick Thoughts - 2011 Green Bay Packers 53-Man Roster

2011-09-03T22:59:00.058-05:00

Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson cut 23 players*, placed two players on injured reserve**, and traded two players*** to trim the roster from 80 players to 53 players. Although there is a good chance that the 53-man roster will change in the next 24 hours, here is your first look at the 2011 Green Bay Packers:

QBs (2): Matt Flynn and Aaron Rodgers

RBs (4): Ryan Grant, Alex Green, John Kuhn, and James Starks

TEs (5): Tom Crabtree, Jermichael Finley, Andrew Quarless, Ryan Taylor, and D.J. Williams

WRs (5): Randall Cobb, Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, James Jones, and Jordy Nelson

OLs (8): Bryan Bulaga, Chad Clifton, Evan Dietrich-Smith, T.J. Lang, Marshall Newhouse, Derek Sherrod, Josh Sitton, and Scott Wells

DLs (6): Howard Green, Mike Neal, Ryan Pickett, B.J. Raji, C.J. Wilson, and Jarius Wynn

LBs (10): Desmond Bishop, Robert Francois, A.J. Hawk, Brad Jones, Jamari Lattimore, Clay Matthews, D.J. Smith, Vic So'oto, Erik Walden, and Frank Zombo

DBs (10): Morgan Burnett, Jarrett Bush, Nick Collins, Davon House, M.D. Jennings, Pat Lee, Charlie Peprah, Sam Shields, Tramon Williams, and Charles Woodson

STs (3): Mason Crosby, Brett Goode, and Tim Masthay

Here are a few things that stood out to me about the roster moves:

- The last three guys cut were probably: Ray Dominguez (T/G), Graham Harrell (QB), and Nick McDonald (C/G).

- The last three guys kept were probably: Evan Dietrich-Smith (G/C), M.D. Jennings (S), and Jamari Lattimore (OLB).

- I hope Graham Harrell (QB) makes it through waivers to the practice squad because the Packers are one Aaron Rodgers concussion away from only having one healthy quarterback on the roster.

- Aaron Rodgers will have 10 weapons (5 WRs and 5 TEs) to throw the ball to but only 8 guys to potentially block for him. Look for the Packers to add another offensive lineman to the roster at the expense of a linebacker.

- If Vic So'oto (OLB) and Charlie Peprah (S) look good week one as the primary backups at their respective positions, look for a few OLBs (Jones and Lattimore) and DBs (Jennings and Lee) to be among the first guys cut when injuries inevitable happen.

Check back tomorrow, I will have a ton more to say in my Sunday Funday post where I rank the initial 53-man roster for the 2011 Green Bay Packers.

Footnotes:
* = Diondre Borel (WR), Anthony Bratton (S), Chris Campbell (T), Ray Dominguez (T/G), Chris Donaldson (NT), Ricky Elmore (LB), Sampson Genus (C), Josh Gordy (CB), Tori Gurley (WR), Graham Harrell (QB), Jon Hoese (FB), Cardia Jackson (LB), Eli Joseph (DE), Elijah Joseph (LB), Anthony Levine (S), Nick McDonald (C/G), Dimitri Nance (RB), Brandian Ross (CB), Jay Ross (NT), Brandon Saine (RB), Kerry Taylor (WR), Brandon Underwood (S/CB), and Chastin West (WR)

** = Lawrence Guy (DE) and Shaky Smithson (WR)

*** = Quinn Johnson (FB) to the Tennessee Titans and Caleb Schlauderaff (G) to the New York Jets for conditional draft picks

Quick Thoughts - Preseason Week 4 Packers/Chiefs Review

2011-09-01T23:59:00.129-05:00

With the fourth and final preseason game in the books, here are the big picture takeaways from the Packers/Chiefs game:

#1) Player that hurt his stock most: With wide receivers Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jordy Nelson, James Jones, and Randall Cobb guaranteed roster spots there is a slim chance that the Packers keep a 6th wide receiver. When Shaky Smithson fumbled a punt against the Chiefs, he guaranteed that he would not be the 6th wide receiver. The only other wide receivers with a slight chance to make the 53-man roster are Tori Gurley and Chastin West. Both Gurley and West showed great potential throughout the preseason so look for the Packers to try to sign both players to their 8-man practice squad if they are not claimed by another team.

#2) Player that helped his stock most: As I said last week in my quick thoughts about the Packers/Colts game, the backup outside linebacker spots are completely up for grabs. After 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and a pick-six against the Chiefs it is no longer a question of whether Vic So'oto makes the team. The real question is how many outside linebackers the Packers keep. Matthews, Walden, and Zombo (assuming he is not placed on IR) are guaranteed roster spots. After how well So'oto played the last few weeks he deserves to be the 4th outside linebacker. If the Packers decide to keep five outside linebackers, it will be a battle between Brad Jones and Jamari Lattimore for the final outside linebacker spot. That means with Matthews, Walden, Zombo, So'oto, Jones, and Lattimore all ahead of Ricky Elmore on the depth chart he would be lucky to make the practice squad at this point.

#3) Position to watch: The Packers have a plethora of talented players at a number of positions (running back, fullback, wide receiver, tight end, outside linebacker, cornerback, and safety). Unfortunately that is not the case for the interior part of their line. Starters T.J. Lang (LG), Scott Wells (C), and Josh Sitton (RG) did pretty well throughout the preseason. Unfortunately if any of the interior lineman are lost for an extended period of time, things look bleak. The Packers have to decide between keeping two of the following four guys: Evan Dietrich-Smith, Nick McDonald, Caleb Schlauderaff, and Ray Dominguez. All of those guys have proven that they are replaceable so if the right guys are waived, the Packers could fill their interior line spots with players currently not with the organization while the younger guys (McDonald, Schlauderaff, and Dominguez) have a chance to make the practice squad if they are cut.

#4) Injury: Luckily rookie 4th round draft pick Devon House was the only player injured against the Chiefs, the extent of the injury is unknown.

Final Note: The Packers sat most of their veterans while the Chiefs played their veterans for most of the game. I am glad the Packers got through the preseason without suffering any major injuries but since the lockout took away precious practice time, I can't blame the Chiefs for playing their starters deeper into the game. That is really a win-win for the Packers too because it allowed the Packers backups to play against the Chiefs starters.

Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson has some very tough decisions to make by Saturday night when he needs to cut the roster to 53 players. Check back Sunday morning for my initial player rankings counting from 53 down to 1 for the opening day 53-man roster for the 2011 Green Bay Packers.

For my previous "Quick Thoughts" on the 2011 preseason for the Packers, check out:
- Preseason Week 1 Packers/Browns Review
- Preseason Week 2 Packers/Cardinals Review
- Lambeau Field Expansion
- Preseason Week 3 Packers/Colts Review

Wednesday What (Should) Happen - 2011 Green Bay Packers Roster 4.0

2011-08-31T00:01:00.086-05:00

Welcome to the 4th and final installment of What Ted Thompson Should Do. Thompson had to trim the roster down to 80 players by Tuesday, August 30, 2011. Thompson accomplished that by cutting six guys*, which were the easy decisions. The harder decisions will play out in the next few days because Thompson has to cut 27 more guys to trim the roster down to 53 by 5 p.m. on Saturday, September 3, 2011.

With three preseason games in the books (Week 1 @ Cleveland, Week 2 hosted Arizona, and Week 3 @ Indianapolis), the opening day 53-man roster is starting to take shape. If you want a brief refresher, take a look back at all my previous thoughts about the 53-man roster at various points throughout the last few months: Version 1.0, Version 2.0, and Version 3.0. Here are my updated thoughts on what the 53-man roster and 8-man practice squad should look like for the 2011 Green Bay Packers:

Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers, Matt Flynn, and Graham Harrell
Analysis: After playing mediocre at best for his first few series against the Colts last week, Graham Harrell's heroics leading the Packers over the Colts erased any doubts of whether Harrell will make the roster.

Running Back: Ryan Grant, James Starks, and Alex Green
Analysis: Often times the 4th preseason game is essentially a useless game for determining starters because the starters usually sit out the game but the Packers need to consider giving all their running backs a look because we are no closer to knowing who will actually start at running back (Grant or Starks) or who will be the 3rd down back (Starks, Green, or Kuhn).

Fullback: John Kuhn and Quinn Johnson
Analysis: The Packers have high expectations for Johnson that so far have gone mostly unfulfilled. Johnson has the body to be a sledgehammer as a fullback but so far Johnson has been unable to put it all together. Hopefully Johnson can sort it out sooner rather than later or he will join Justin Harrell on the free agent scrap heap.

Wide Receiver: Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, James Jones, Jordy Nelson, and Randall Cobb
Analysis: Some of the undrafted free agent wide receivers (Diondre Borel, Tori Gurley, Shaky Smithson, Kerry Taylor, and Chastin West) showed flashes of brilliance, the best example is Chastin West's 97-yard touchdown reception against the Cardinals. All the undrafted free agent wide receivers showed promise throughout the preseason but the Packers have a ton of talented wide receivers already essentially guaranteed roster spots. Although there has been a ton of talk about keeping a 6th wide receiver, since the Packers have a ton of money invested in their top five wide receiver, only the household names look like they are going to make the roster at wide receiver.

Tight End: Jermichael Finley, Andrew Quarless, D.J. Williams, and Ryan Taylor
Analysis: With Spencer Havner getting cut the Packers have five tight ends on the roster but it only looks like there are four roster spots at this point. Since Tom Crabtree is an undrafted player while the rest of the tight ends were drafted, Crabtree is the odd man out. Sleep easy though Tom Crabtree, when the dust settles Ted Thompson will probably keep all five tight ends by making cuts somewhere else.

Tackle: Chad Clifton, Bryan Bulaga, Derek Sherrod, and Marshall Newhouse
Analysis: The Packers shuffled Derek Sherrod, their first round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft between left guard and left tackle all preseason. Instead of picking up a little bit at both positions, Sherrod struggled mightily. The Packers need to keep Sherrod at left tackle, the position they drafted him to play. With how much Sherrod has struggled, if the Packers lose one of their starting tackles (Clifton or Bulaga) for an extended period of time they might actually turn to Marshall Newhouse instead of Sherrod meaning the Packers are in a unique position to essentially red-shirt Sherrod.

Guard: Josh Sitton, T.J. Lang, and Caleb Schlauderaff
Analysis: Nick McDonald and Evan Dietrich-Smith are listed as C/G on the roster. Their versatility over Caleb Schlauderaff who only plays guard almost made me keep both of them ahead of Schlauderaff but the Packers always choose the younger guy (Schlauderaff) ahead of the older guy (Dietrich-Smith).

Center: Scott Wells and Nick McDonald
Analysis: Although Evan Dietrich-Smith pushed Nick McDonald for the backup center spot, it looks like McDonald did just enough to beat out Dietrich-Smith.

Defensive End: B.J. Raji, Mike Neal, Howard Green, C.J. Wilson, and Jarius Wynn
Analysis: The Packers had their defensive ends set heading into camp when they decided to let former starting defensive end Cullen Jenkins leave via free agency so apparently they feel comfortable with the group. I do not share that same comfort level because besides Raji, every other player has at least one question mark. I can only hope that the Packers look at defensive lineman following NFL roster cut downs.

Defensive Tackle: Ryan Pickett
Analysis: Each week I continue to list Howard Green as a defensive end but technically Green is a defensive tackle so the Packers have some depth at the position. As I said under the defensive end analysis, look for the Packers to scour the waiver wire if another legitimate 3-4 defensive lineman becomes available.

Outside Linebacker: Clay Matthews, Erik Walden, Brad Jones, Vic So'oto, and Jamari Lattimore
Analysis: I had a hard time picking between So'oto and Lattimore in version 3.0. With how well So'oto and Lattimore played against the Colts last week, I gave them both a roster spot this week. This is all assuming that the Packers do in fact decide to put Frank Zombo on the physically unable to perform list. If Zombo makes the 53-man roster the Packers will only be able to keep two of the following three: Jones, So'oto, and Lattimore.

Middle Linebacker: Desmond Bishop, A.J. Hawk, D.J. Smith, and Rob Francois
Analysis: Another week with the same four guys making the team as middle linebackers. The Packers like both Smith and Francois but if wither Bishop or Hawk were hurt for an extended period of time look for them to pick up another linebacker or try Brad Jones at middle linebacker.

Cornerback: Charles Woodson, Tramon Williams, Sam Shields, Devon House, and Josh Gordy
Analysis: It was a real tough call between Josh Gordy and Brandian Ross for the 5th cornerback spot because both have shown flashes of being the 2011 version of Sam Shields. Gordy was on the practice squad in 2010 so he got the nod over Ross.

Safety: Nick Collins, Morgan Burnett, Charlie Peprah, and Jarrett Bush
Analysis: Collins and Burnett deserve to be the opening day starters. Look for Peprah to serve as the primary backup at both free safety and strong safety because for how well Bush plays on special teams and how well he played in Super Bowl XLV, Bush has still been a liability in coverage throughout the preseason. The Packers claim Bush is playing cornerback this year but I expect Bush to get more snaps at safety than cornerback in 2011.

Specialists: Mason Crosby (K), Tim Masthay (P), and Brett Goode (LS)
Analysis: With Crosby signed through 2015, look for Masthay to get a contract extension if he plays well through the first half of the season.

Practice Squad: Ray Dominguez (G/T), Ricky Elmore (LB), Lawrence Guy (DE), Anthony Levine (S), Brandian Ross (CB), Jay Ross (DT), Brandon Saine (RB), and Chastin West (WR)
Analysis: some of those guys will probably get signed to another NFL team's 53-man roster so other options for the practice squad are: Diondre Borel (WR), Chris Campbell (OT), Chris Donaldson (DT), Tori Gurley (WR), Jon Hoese (FB), Shaky Smithson (WR), and Kerry Taylor (WR).

The Packers host the Chiefs on Thursday in a game that will be make or break for a few guys that are right on the bubble of making the 53-man roster or the 8-man practice squad. Check back on Sunday for my initial rankings of the 53 players that made the opening day roster for the 2011 Green Bay Packers.

Footnote:
* = K.C. Asiodu (LB), Adrian Battles (G), Spencer Havner (TE), Antonio Robinson (WR), Theo Sherman (T), and Brett Swain (WR)

Sunday Funday - Initial Rankings of the 2011 Wisconsin Badgers Football Team

2011-08-28T00:01:00.123-05:00

The 2011 Wisconsin Badgers are a member of the foolishly named Leaders Division along with Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, and Purdue. The equally foolishly named Legends Division is comprised of Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Northwestern. I get that the Big 10 wants to be politically correct but how is Nebraska a "Legend" in their first year in the Big Ten? Furthermore, how does the conference keep Big Ten as their conference name when there are 12 teams in the conference. I guess I shouldn't be surprised because they kept the name Big Ten despite having 11 teams in the conference since 1993.

Besides being horribly named, the new divisions in the Big Ten change certain rivalries since each teams will only have eight conference football games till 2017 when they increase that number to nine conference games. That means until 2017 the Badgers will play the five teams in their division as well as one protected rival (Minnesota) every year. The two other conference games will be cross-over games that rotate every two years. The silly part of that scheduling decision is that since Minnesota is Wisconsin's protected rival instead of Iowa, Wisconsin will not play Iowa again until 2013.

With my complaints out of the way, in honor of college ranking the Top 25 teams in the country I thought I would give my rankings of the Top 25 current Wisconsin Badger football players along with some short comments.

Before we get to the Top 25 players, much like the Top 25 rankings, there are also teams "receiving votes" that are ranked just outside the Top 25. Since we have not seen the 2011 Wisconsin Badgers play any real live snaps yet there are a ton of players that just missed out on the Top 25*. Here are my rankings of the Top 25 current 2011 Wisconsin Badgers football players:

#25) Shelton Johnson (SS, JR) - At this point Johnson is the starter over sophomore Dezmen Southward but keep an eye on this competition because if Johnson struggles, Southward will be plugged in right away.

#24) Kevin Claxton (OLB, SR) - The converted strong safety is trying to get settled at his new position, outside linebacker.

#23) Jake Byrne (TE, SR) - Wisconsin has turned into an offensive line and tight end factory for the NFL. Byrne might turn out to be the next one and he is not even the best current Badger tight end.

#22) David Gilbert (DE, JR) - With the loss of all-world defensive lineman J.J. Watt to the NFL, Gilbert will have to improve on his 21 tackles and 1.5 tackles for a loss performance from 2010.

#21) Ethan Hemer (DT, SOPH) - Started the second half of the 2010 season at defensive tackle after sophomore Jordan Kohout hurt his ankle in Wisconsin's win over then #1 ranked Ohio State. Hemer is currently ahead of Kohout but that could change in short order.

#20) Devin Smith (CB, SR) - Started at cornerback in 2009 but was relegated to nickel cornerback in 2010. Smith is motivated to put his horrible performance against TCU in the Rose Bowl behind him because if Smith struggles, junior Marcus Cromartie could force Smith back to being the nickel cornerback.

#19) Bradie Ewing (FB, SR) - The NFL moved away from using fullbacks a while but it looks like the NFL is gravitating back to using fullbacks. Ewing needs to show that he can not only serve as a blocking back but contribute on special teams if he wants a chance to play in the NFL.

#18) Antonio Fenelus (CB, SR) - The Badgers are talking about playing more press coverage in 2011. If they do play more press coverage, there is a chance that Fenelus moves into the Top 10 in the midseason rankings.

#17) Josh Oglesby (RT, SR) - Despite struggling with injuries throughout the preseason, Oglesby still beat out freshman Rob Havenstein for the starting spot at right tackle. If Oglesby can't stay healthy though, the Badgers should feel comfortable turning to Havenstein because he as absolute physical freak of nature (6'8" and 345 lbs).

#16) Patrick Butrym (DT, SR) - In his 5th year on campus Butrym looks to go out with a bang after registering 28 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 2010.

#15) Jacob Pedersen (TE, SOPH) - As mentioned above, the Badgers are an NFL tight end producing machine. Pedersen is a young, impressive tight end that hopes to join Travis Beckum, Owen Daniels, Garrett Graham, and Lance Kendricks in the NFL in the near future.

#14) Travis Frederick (LG, SOPH) - After losing left guard John Moffit and his 42 career starts to the NFL, the Badgers are going with a youth movement along the offensive line starting Frederick at left guard. There is a slim chance that Frederick will be as impressive in 2011 as Moffit was in 2010 but hopefully Frederick will blossom into a quality starting left guard by 2012 at the latest.

#13) Louis Nzegwu (DE, SR) - Put together a pretty impressive 2010 campaign with 46 tackles (8th on the team) and 7.5 tackles for a loss (3rd on the team). With J.J. Watt in the NFL, the Badgers hope that Nzegwu can improve on those numbers in 2011 to emerge as the leader of the defensive line.

#12) Kevin Zeitler (RG, SR) - Normally people talk about bookend offensive tackles. I am not sure what the offensive guard corollary is but that is exactly what Frederick and Zeitler give the 2011 Wisconsin Badgers.

#11) Nick Toon (WR, SR) - The good news, Toon is still playing for the Badgers. The bad news, if Toon played better throughout his college career he would have left school early for the NFL. Toon needs to have a big 2011 season if he wants to transition from playing on Saturdays to playing on Sundays like his father.

#10) Peter Konz (C, JR) - Made 19 starts over the last two years, which should serve Konz well as he looks to become the quarterback of the offensive line for the next two seasons.

#9) Brad Nortman (P, SR) - You might remember that Nortman picked up a critical first down on a fake punt last year to help Wisconsin beat Iowa on the road. Nortman is an outside contender for the Ray Guy Award (best punter in the nation), which would give the Badgers their first Ray Guy Award winner since Kevin Stemke won in 2000.

#8) Mike Taylor (OLB, JR) - Put up good numbers in 2010 (58 tackles and 4 tackles for a loss, both 4th on the team) despite rehabbing a knee injury (ACL) and spraining his knee against Ohio State. Taylor hopes to be fully healthy by the time the Badgers open their conference portion of their schedule at home against Nebraska in one of the most anticipated games of the season.

#7) Philip Welch (K, SR) - Despite struggling with injuries throughout the preseason, some NFL Draft prognosticators have Welch getting drafted in the 2012 NFL Draft.

#6) Ricky Wagner (LT, JR) - Losing a starter at left tackle to the NFL like Gabe Carimi always hurts but it makes it even harder when that left tackle was voted the Outland Trophy winner (best offensive lineman in the country). Carimi joined Joe Thomas (winner in 2006) as the only Wisconsin lineman to win the Outland Trophy. Those are pretty big shoes for Wagner to fill. Stay tuned because Wagner's performance could go a long way towards determining whether the Badgers are a national championship contender in 2011.

#5) Chris Borland (MLB, SOPH) - Despite being a productive outside linebacker the Badgers moved Borland to middle linebacker. Ranking Borland 5th might feel a little high when you account for the position change but with how well Borland played outside, he should be even more successful moving inside.

#4) James White (RB, SOPH) - Played so well last year that White almost forced John Clay to enter the NFL Draft even though Clay's draft stock was low. Keep your eye on White because he looks like a rich man's Michael Bennett.

#3) Aaron Henry (FS, SR) - Seems to have a nose for making big plays, both of his INTs were returned for TDs last year. The Badgers hope Henry can do more of the same in 2011.

#2) Montee Ball (RB, JR) - Dropped 20 lbs between the 2010 and 2011 season to guarantee that he is the starting running back for the 2011 Wisconsin Badgers. The Badgers have a ton a quality back-up running backs (White, Lewis, and Gordon) so there is a good chance that the Badgers have the best four-headed running back monster in the country.

#1) QB - Russell Wilson (QB, SR) - After putting together a successful career through the air (threw for 8,545 yards and 75 touchdowns) and on the ground (ran for 1,083 yards and 17 touchdowns) at North Carolina State, Wilson utilized a rule that allowed him to transfer without sitting out a season because he graduated from North Carolina State. Wilson narrowed his schools to Auburn and Wisconsin. In what was a huge recruiting victory for Wisconsin, Wilson choose to play for the Badgers instead of the Tigers despite the fact that Auburn won the national championship last year. Wilson is an impressive dual-threat quarterback that gives the Badgers a legitimate chance to play in the first ever Big Ten Football Championship Game and possibly even the BCS National Championship Game.

Check back throughout the season for more coverage of the 2011 Wisconsin Badgers and don't forget to tune in on Thursday, September 1, 2011 as the Wisconsin Badgers open their 2011 campaign at home against UNLV.

Footnote:
* Jon Budmayr (QB, SOPH), Jeff Lewis (RB, FR), Melvin Gordon (RB, FR), Sherard Cadogan (FB, FR), Brian Wozniak (TE, SOPH), Jared Abbrederis (WR, SOPH), Jeff Duckworth (WR, SOPH), Kenzel Doe (WR, FR), Casey Dehn (LT, SOPH), Zac Matthias (LG, SOPH), Ryan Groy (C, SOPH), Robert Burge (RG, JR), Rob Havenstein (RT, FR), Brendan Kelly (DE, JR), Pat Muldoon (DE, SOPH), Beau Allen (DT, SOPH), Jordan Kohout (DT, SOPH), Ethan Armstrong (OLB, SOPH), Conor O’Neill (OLB, SOPH), Derek Landisch (OLB, FR), Marcus Trotter (MLB, FR), Marcus Cromartie (CB, JR), Peniel Jean (CB, FR), Darius Hillary (CB, FR), Dezmen Southward (SS, SOPH), Michael Trotter (FS, FR), Kyle French (K/P, FR), Kyle Wojta (LS, SR), James McGuire (LS, SOPH), and Alec Lerner (KO, SOPH)

Quick Thoughts - Preseason Week 3 Packers/Colts Review

2011-08-26T23:59:00.165-05:00

Hopefully you didn't turn off the Packers/Colts game with only a few minutes left. If you did, the 3rd stringers for the Packers lead by quarterback Graham Harrell erased an eight point deficit with less than four minutes remaining, thanks in large part to personal fouls by Colts defensive back Chip Vaughn on consecutive plays. Speaking of consecutive play, Graham Harrell and tight end Ryan Taylor hooked up on 4th and goal as well as the ensuing two-point conversion to tie the game with 35 seconds remaining.

Instead of kicking it deep, Packers head coach Mike McCarty dialed up an onside kick that the Packers recovered. Harrell quickly moved the Packers into field goal range and Mason Crosby made a 50-yard kick as time expired to give the Packers a 24-21 win over the Colts. It is only a preseason game so the Packers winning doesn't really matter, but it was nice to see the resolve shown by the 3rd stringers. What matters more are some of the big picture takeaways from the Packers/Colts game:

#1) Players that hurt his stock most: Some veterans really struggled (i.e. left tackle Chad Clifton and right guard Josh Sitton) but their starting spots are virtually guaranteed as long as they are healthy. At this point most of the roster spots are already set but guys on the bubble like Pat Lee (CB), Ricky Elmore (OLB), and Brandon Underwood (S) didn't do enough to secure a spot on the opening day 53-man roster.

#2) Players that helped his stock most: The backup outside linebacker spots are completely up for grabs. Undrafted rookie free agents Jamari Lattimore and Vic So'oto continued to out perform Ricky Elmore a 6th round draft pick from the 2011 NFL Draft. All three players are college defensive ends that the Packers converted to rush outside linebackers in their base 3-4 defensive set. Despite Elmore being an absolute sack machine in college, it was Lattimore and So'oto who both came up with sacks against the Colts.

#3) Position to watch: Coming into the game the starters at left guard (T.J. Lang over Derek Sherrod) and right outside linebacker (Erik Walden over Frank Zombo and Brad Jones) were already decided so there were not really any starting position battles to watch besides running back. When the Packers opened their 2011 campaign it looked like Ryan Grant was going to be the starting running back with James Starks getting a ton of touches as well. Starks continued to play well throughout the preseason and all of a sudden there is a fierce competition for the starting running back spot. Grant renegotiated the last year of his contract (took $1 million less but it is fully guaranteed if he is on the opening day roster) so he is virtually guaranteed a roster spot but will have to perform well throughout the rest of the preseason to open the season as the starting running back. Usually starters do not play very much in Week 4 of the preseason but look for the Packers to give Grant and Starks some touches to help determine the opening day starter.

#4) Injuries: Jermichael Finley sprained his ankle and Jordy Nelson bruised his knee, the severity of the injuries is unknown. Despite the quality depth the Packers have at wide receiver and tight end, they cannot afford to lose either for an extended period of time.

Final Note: The success of the no-huddle offense for the Packers continues to be a hot topic. Coaches calling offensive plays from the sideline is a relatively new thing in the NFL. Some people point to the fact that offenses are becoming "sophisticated" but it really means that there are more plays in the playbook now than even a decade ago. When you break down NFL offenses they are really not that complicated. On running plays there is a blocking scheme that usually gives a running back a few options of where to run. On passing plays there are nine basic routes a receiver can run. Obviously when you mix and match personnel you get a ton of permutations in the offensive playbook but sometimes sticking to the 10 plays that work best, like they do in a no-huddle offense, allows the offense to move the ball really well.

For my previous "Quick Thoughts" on the 2011 preseason for the Packers, check out:
- Preseason Week 1 Packers/Browns Review
- Preseason Week 2 Packers/Cardinals Review
- Lambeau Field Expansion

Quick Thougths - Lambeau Field Expansion

2011-08-25T23:59:00.143-05:00

Lambeau Field, the oldest NFL stadium and third-oldest professional stadium behind Wrigley Field in Chicago and Fenway Park in Boston, is getting another make-over.

In 2003 the Green Bay Packers finished a much needed makeover and expansion to Lambeau Field. In 1995 Lambeau Field accommodated 60,890 patrons, following the 2003 expansion, Lambeau Field accommodated 73,128 patrons. As you can see from the rendering to the left, the 2003 expansion gave Lambeau Field a nice new brick facade that gave Lambeau Field an updated look that did not compromise the rich history of the stadium*. If you have any question that Lambeau Field is more attractive following the 2003 expansion, check out the before and after pictures:

Lambeau Field Pre-2003

Lambeau Field Post-2003

For being one of the most historic stadiums in the world, Lambeau Field is always evolving. The Green Bay Packers added a new audio system for this season. Next year Lambeau Field will get new Mitsubishi Diamond Vision video boards as well. Although a new audio system to go along with new video boards is impressive, those are both appetizers to the tasty main course.

Following the expansion that will be completed in time for the 2013 season, the Green Bay Packers will add 6,600 seats to Lambeau Field. The expansion will raise Lambeau Field's capacity from 73,128 to 79,728. The entire $130 million project will be funded by the team, potentially through another stock sale (fingers crossed).

While some NFL franchises have a hard time selling tickets, the Green Bay Packers have roughly 80,000 fans on the season ticket waiting list so they have plenty of takers for the additional 6,600 seats that will have seat backs (quite underrated since most of Lambeau Field's seats are bleacher seats).

As you can see in the beautiful rendering to the left, the Packers will add seats to the south end zone that is currently the only opening in the bowl of luxury suites around the top of the stadium. The seats will be dispersed over four sections and will reportedly cost between $87 and $313. The project will have a rooftop viewing area that club-seat holders can use on game days and will hosts parties on non-game days. The expansion project will see 10 more elevators installed in the north and south ends zones and entry ways for people with disabilities. Finally and possibly most importantly to Lambeau Field patrons in general, the Packers will add new gates in both the north and south end zone that should help alleviate some of the congestion associated with entering the game.

The new 6,600 seats will be allocated through a seniority system. Current season ticket holders will get the right of first refusal where they could trade their current seats for some of the new seats. After that, some of the 80,000 people currently on the season ticket waiting list will move from potential season ticket holders to actual season ticket holders.

The Green Bay Packers are using some Cheesehead companies for the expansion with Miron Construction (based in Neenah, WI) serving as the general contractor after serving as one of the major subcontractors on previous Lambeau Field projects. Besides Miron Construction, Hammes Company Sports Development Inc. (based in Madison, WI) was named the project manager and Elkus Manfredi is the design architect.

The expansion will create roughly 1,600 construction jobs through 2013, which should produce $70 million in wages. According to an economic impact study, the 6,600 additional seats are supposed to produce $11 million annually by non-Brown County residents.

Footnote:
* = That was a direct shot at Soldier Field. Thanks to my uncles having season tickets for the Chicago Bears I get to see the Packers whenever they come to Chicago. As a Packer fan in Chicago, I honestly appreciate the sight lines that the new Soldier Field has compared to the old Solider Field but that still does not justify the Bears landing a space ship inside the historic columns of Soldier Field. I get that Chicago wanted to tie in Millennium Park (north east part of Grant Park) with the new Soldier Field but the design missed the mark.

Wednesday What (Should) Happen - 2011 Green Bay Packers Roster 3.0

2011-08-24T23:59:00.236-05:00

Welcome to the 3rd installment of What Ted Thompson Should Do. If you want a brief refresher, take a look back at Version 1.0 and Version 2.0. With two preseason games in the books, the opening day 53-man roster is starting to take shape. Here are my updated thoughts on what the 53-man roster and 8-man practice squad should look like for the 2011 Green Bay Packers:

Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers, Matt Flynn, and Graham Harrell
Analysis: Matt Flynn has about as much of a chance of being on the 2012 Packers roster as Prince Fielders does of playing for the Brewers in 2012 so the Packers need to see what they have in Graham Harrell.

Running Back: Ryan Grant, James Starks, and Alex Green
Analysis: The Packers restructured Ryan Grant's contract to pay him $1 million less ($3.8 million instead of $4.8 million) in 2011 so that should end the speculation about whether the Packers will cut Grant. Despite Starks looking good, it seems downright foolish to even entertain cutting Grant. Now that Grant restructured his deal, the questions surrounding the running back position are who actually starts (Grant or Starks) and who is the 3rd down back (Starks, Green, or Kuhn).

Fullback: John Kuhn and Quinn Johnson
Analysis: Look for Kuhn to play on special teams, as a full back, and even get an occasional carry as a running back. On the other hand stay tuned on Quinn Johnson because Johnson is hanging on the 53-man roster by a thread.

Wide Receiver: Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, James Jones, Jordy Nelson, and Randall Cobb
Analysis: Brett Swain was the 5th receiver for the 2010 Green Bay Packers and looked like a virtual lock to make the opening day roster in 2011. Oh how things have changed. The Packers used a second round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft to select Randall Cobb. Add in that there are a ton of undrafted free agent wide receivers (Diondre Borel, Tori Gurley, Shaky Smithson, Kerry Taylor, and Chastin West) that have shown promise so far in the preseason and the Packers look stacked at wide receiver. There has been a ton of talk about keeping a 6th wide receiver but that Packers already have a ton of money invested in their top five wide receiver so despite all the promise that some of the lesser known wide receivers are showing, the Packers should stick with the household names at wide receiver.

Tight End: Jermichael Finley, Andrew Quarless, Tom Crabtree, D.J. Williams, and Ryan Taylor
Analysis: Part of the reason why Quinn Johnson's roster spot is not guaranteed is that if Crabtree or Taylor play special teams, tight end, and fullback then Johnson might not be versatile enough. Successful franchises like the Patriots and Packers start trends instead of following trends. One of those trends that both the Patriots and Packers started is using athletic tight ends in multiple ways, which gives them a ton of roster flexibility.

Tackle: Chad Clifton, Bryan Bulaga, Derek Sherrod, and Marshall Newhouse
Analysis: The Packers really like Newhouse at left tackle. Unfortunately for Newhouse he was a 5th round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft and Derek Sherrod was a 1st round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. So even though Newhouse looks better at left tackle than Sherrod right now, Newhouse will have to perform well at right tackle if he wants to make the opening day roster.

Guard: Josh Sitton, T.J. Lang, and Caleb Schlauderaff
Analysis: Thanks to a good performance against the Arizona Cardinals, absent injury, Lang will be the starter at left guard ahead of rookie Derek Sherrod. The competition for the 3rd guard spot is heating up so the next two weeks will be very important for Schlauderaff because his roster spot if far from guaranteed.

Center: Scott Wells and Nick McDonald
Analysis: Much like Schlauderaff's roster spot, McDonald's roster spot is not guaranteed either because the gap between McDonald and Evan Dietrich-Smith for the backup center spot seems to be narrowing.

Defensive End: B.J. Raji, Mike Neal, Howard Green, C.J. Wilson, and Jarius Wynn
Analysis: Hopefully Neal will be healthy for the start of the regular season. If not, the Packers will probably look to add another body along the defensive line.

Defensive Tackle: Ryan Pickett
Analysis: A few years ago I waited in line behind a guy that had "Big Daddy Pickett" on the back of his jersey and kept talking about how he can't wait to see his son play on our way into a game at Lambeau Field. I assumed that it was Pickett's father but I didn't want to bother him since he was with a bunch of family members. Whether or not he was Ryan's father, he sure earned the "Big Daddy" title.

Outside Linebacker: Clay Matthews, Erik Walden, Brad Jones, and Vic So'oto
Analysis: Last week Zombo suffered a broken shoulder but somehow still played in the game. Although heroic, the injury makes Zombo a prime candidate for the physically unable to perform list. With Zombo injured, it was hard to choose between So'oto and Jamari Lattimore so it looks like Ricky Elmore is a long-shot at best to make the roster with So'oto and Lattimore outplaying him throughout the preseason.

Middle Linebacker: Desmond Bishop, A.J. Hawk, D.J. Smith, and Rob Francois
Analysis: Much like the defensive ends, nothing new to add at middle linebacker. The only thing that might change this list is if a young, talented middle linebacker somehow becomes available. I know that seems like a long-shot but the Packers would pick up a guy like that in place of Smith or Francois in a heartbeat.

Cornerback: Charles Woodson, Tramon Williams, Sam Shields, Devon House, and Josh Gordy
Analysis: After Pat Lee struggled against the Browns in the Packers' first preseason game, less heralded cornerbacks like Josh Gordy and Brandian Ross were given stronger consideration. At this point Gordy looks better than Lee so Gordy took Lee's roster spot.

Safety: Nick Collins, Morgan Burnett, Charlie Peprah, and Jarrett Bush
Analysis: I thought it was going to be hard for the Packers to choose between Underwood and Levine for the 4th safety but Levine has been injured and Underwood has a ton of off the field problems. Instead of rolling the dice with either, the Packers should keep Bush as their special teams/defensive jack-of-all-trades like rookie tight ends Ryan Taylor. Although Bush technically moved to cornerback this year, look for the Packers to use Bush as the poor man's Charles Woodson as a hybrid cornerback/safety.

Specialists: Mason Crosby (K), Tim Masthay (P), and Brett Goode (LS)
Analysis: Injury is the only way we see a different person at kicker, punter, or long snapper in 2011 for the Packers.

Practice Squad: Ray Dominguez (G/T), Ricky Elmore (LB), Lawrence Guy (DE), Jamari Lattimore (OLB), Anthony Levine (S), Jay Ross (DT), Brandon Saine (RB), and Chastin West (WR)
Analysis: Thanks to So'oto and Gordy making the 53-man roster there was a little shake-up on the 8-man practice squad. There is a good chance that a number of the players I put on the practice squad won't make it through waivers so some other options for the practice squad are: Diondre Borel (WR), Chris Campbell (OT), Chris Donaldson (DT), Jon Hoese (FB), Brandian Ross (CB), and Shaky Smithson (WR).

The Packers travel to Indianapolis on Friday for a game that will go a long way towards determining some of the position battles mentioned above because the Packers will play their starters at least the entire first half. Win or lose, let's hope the Packers or Colts do not suffer any serious injuries. Check back next Wednesday to see my updated predictions for who should make the 53-man roster and 8-man practice squad.

Quick Thoughts - Preseason Week 2 Packers/Cardinals Review

2011-08-20T23:59:00.130-05:00

Sorry about the delayed "Quick Thoughts" post on the Packers/Cardinals preseason game, I was unable to see the replay of the game on the NFL Network until later on Saturday night. With my apology out of the way, here are my quick thoughts on the Packers/Cardinal preseason game:

#1) Player that hurt his stock most: Derek Sherrod struggled at both left guard and left tackle so it looks like Sherrod's chances of opening the season as one of the five starters along the offensive line ended against the Cardinals. As a result, absent injury, the starting offensive line (left to right) for the 2011 Green Bay Packers will be: Chad Clifton (LT), T.J. Lang (LG), Scott Wells (C), Josh Sitton (RG), and Bryan Bulaga (RT).

#2) Player that helped his stock most: The Packers have a ton of undrafted free agents that would make most NFL rosters but since the Packers already had 53 guys worthy of being on their opening 53-man roster before the 2011 NFL Draft, there are going to be a ton of guys worth keeping on the active roster that will most likely get cut. Just look at a few of the undrafted free agents that are having a good training camp but are still long shots to make the opening day 53-man roster: running back (Brandon Saine), wide receiver (Chastin West, Diondre Borel, and Tory Gurley), and cornerback (Brandian Ross and Josh Gordy).

#3) Position to watch: Since left guard was already handled above and a number of guys fighting to start at defensive end (Mike Neal and Lawrence Guy) sat out with injury, let's look at the starting outside linebacker spot opposite Clay Matthews. After Brad Jones struggled at the start of training camp, the starting outside linebacker spot opposite Clay Matthews looked like a two horse race between Erik Walden and Frank Zombo. Neither player did much to grab hold of the starting job although Zombo played slightly better than Walden against the Cardinals. Look for Walden and Zombo to get a ton of snaps next week against the Colts so the Packers can pick one of them to be the opening day starter opposite Clay Matthews.

#4) Injuries: C.J. Wilson (concussion) and Randall Cobb (bruised knee) were the only players that suffered anything more than a minor injury against the Cardinals. No further injury information was available about either player but look for the Packers to be cautious with both players because both are virtually guaranteed roster spots on the opening day 53-man roster as long as their injuries are not too serious.

Final Note: Last week roughly 30,000 fans attended the Packers/Browns preseason game in Cleveland. This week 67,688 fans attended the Packers/Cardinals game in Green Bay, which is still roughly 5,000 below capacity at Lambeau Field but much better than 40,000 below capacity like in Cleveland last weekend. Green Bay is a very unique place and fans are especially excited about the Packers since they won Super Bowl XLV but 35,000 more fans showing up in Green Bay than in Cleveland is embarrassing for the mistake by the lake.

Wednesday What (Should) Happen - 2011 Green Bay Packers Roster 2.0

2011-08-17T23:59:00.223-05:00

As I said in my 2011 Green Bay Packers Roster 1.0 post, I am never shy about giving my thoughts on what Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson and company should do. With the craziest free agent period in NFL history nearly complete and one preseason game in the books, I thought I would give my updated thoughts on what the 53-man roster and 8-man practice squad should look for the 2011 Green Bay Packers:

Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers, Matt Flynn, and Graham Harrell
Analysis: Matt Flynn continues to impress as a back-up. I know it is only a small sample size against a bunch of back-ups (besides the Patriots regular season game in 2010) but Matt Flynn is starting to become the new-school version of Matt Hasselbeck in Green Bay.

Running Back: Ryan Grant, James Starks, and Alex Green
Analysis: If the Packers kept a 4th running back it would be a two-horse race between Dimitri Nance (holdover) and Brandon Saine (undrafted rookie free agent) for that spot. Unfortunately for Nance and Saine the Packers are loaded on offense at all the other skill positions so the odds are somewhere between slim and none that they keep four running backs.

Fullback: John Kuhn and Quinn Johnson
Analysis: With the emergence of rookie tight end Ryan Taylor I contemplated cutting Quinn Johnson but the Packers already invested a bunch of time and energy in trying to make Johnson the next William Henderson. Based on Johnson's large body of work, pun intended after he showed up to camp over weight, he has a long way to go before he will ever be compared to Henderson.

Wide Receiver: Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, James Jones, Jordy Nelson, and Randall Cobb
Analysis: The rich get richer because the depressed free agent market for James Jones cost Brett Swain a roster spot. Instead of having an open competition for the 5th wide receiver spot the Packers have a number of wide recivers fighting to make the practice squad at this point.

Tight End: Jermichael Finley, Andrew Quarless, Tom Crabtree, D.J. Williams, and Ryan Taylor
Analysis: Speaking of the rich get richer, the Packers are stacked at tight end too. Much like there is a small chance that the Packers keep four running backs, there is a small chance that the Packers actually keep five tight ends. By the end of training camp it is going to be a four horse race between Crabtree, Quarless, Taylor, and Williams for three roster spots.

Tackle: Chad Clifton, Bryan Bulaga, Derek Sherrod, and Marshall Newhouse
Analysis: The Packers are flirting with starting Sherrod at left guard but based on his play so far Sherrod really belongs at his natural position, left tackle. With Clifton entrenched as the starter at left tackle, Sherrod might get a shot at right tackle. If Sherrod played well at right tackle that would allow the Packers to move Bulaga to left guard. Unfortunately if things play out that way there would be a ton of shuffling of positions along the offensive line with very little time before the home opener against the New Orleans Saints for Sherrod and Bulaga to get settled. Absent injury, look for Bulaga to stay at right tackle no matter how well Sherrod does at right tackle.

Guard: Josh Sitton, T.J. Lang, and Caleb Schlauderaff
Analysis: With Sherrod struggling at left guard Lang will most likely take over as the starting left guard for the departed Daryn Colledge. That leaves the Packers searching for an adequate back-up to Sitton and Lang. With McDonald getting a ton reps at center the Packers need someone else as a backup at guard. Since Schlauderaff was drafted and Ray Dominguez is an undrafted rookie free agent, I gave the roster spot went to Schlauderaff.

Center: Scott Wells and Nick McDonald
Analysis: It looks like McDonald went from being the left guard of the future to the center of the future. Either way the Packers must see something they like in McDonald to not only keep him around but give him a bunch of practice reps.

Defensive End: B.J. Raji, Mike Neal, Howard Green, C.J. Wilson, and Jarius Wynn
Analysis: With Raji moving back to defensive end and Pickett moving back to defensive tackle the Packers are counting on Mike Neal to be fully recovered from injury by the end of training camp to replace the departed Cullen Jenkins. Wilson and Wynn are having a mediocre camp so look for the Packers to add another defensive end after roster cut downs unless they both really pick things up.

Defensive Tackle: Ryan Pickett
Analysis: Moving Pickett back to nose tackle is one of the smartest decisions the Packers made in a long time. Pickett eats up multiple blockers but does not actually get to the quarterback like he did earlier in his career. With Pickett eating up blockers the rest of the defense is going to benefit and hopefully cash in with a bunch of sacks and turnovers. Look for Raji and Green to slide over to defensive tackle to give Pickett an occasional breather.

Outside Linebacker: Clay Matthews, Frank Zombo, Erik Walden, and Brad Jones
Analysis: After Zombo and Walden preformed better than Jones the Packers need to see how versatile Jones can be otherwise Jones will go from being a promising starting outside linebacker to a free agent in less than a year.

Middle Linebacker: Desmond Bishop, A.J. Hawk, D.J. Smith, and Rob Francois
Analysis: The Packers need to replenish their depth at middle linebacker with Nick Barnett and Brandon Chillar gone. While the Packers are high on Smith despite him being short for the position, Francois is really going to have to fight for a roster spot because the Packers would replace him with a better option at middle linebacker in a heartbeat.

Cornerback: Charles Woodson, Tramon Williams, Sam Shields, Devon House, and Jarrett Bush
Analysis: Look for Bush to claim the 5th cornerback spot and challenge rookie Devon House for the 4th spot on the depth chart. Keep an eye on Josh Gordy, Pat Lee, and Brandian Ross too because there is a chance that the Packers keep six cornerbacks and possibly only three safeties since Bush could fill in at safety in a pinch.

Safety: Nick Collins, Morgan Burnett, Charlie Peprah, and Anthony Levine
Analysis: Tough to choose between Levine and Underwood for the fourth safety spot. Look for that battle to continue throughout the preseason. All things being equal I kept Levine because he is the guy without the police record.

Specialists: Mason Crosby (K), Tim Masthay (P), and Brett Goode (LS)
Analysis: Crosby just cashed in. Look for Masthay and Goode to follow suit if they perform in 2011 like they did in 2010.

Practice Squad: Ray Dominguez (G/T), Ricky Elmore (LB), Josh Gordy (CB), Lawrence Guy (DE), Jay Ross (DT), Brandon Saine (RB), Shaky Smithson (WR), and Chastin West (WR)
Analysis: There is a good chance that a number of the players I put on the practice squad won't make it through waivers so some other options for the practice squad are: Diondre Borel (WR), Chris Campbell (OT), Chris Donaldson (DT), Jon Hoese (FB), Jamari Lattimore (OLB), and Vic So'oto (OLB).

The Packers host the Arizona Cardinals on Friday in a game that will go a long way towards determining some of the position battles mentioned above. Check back next Wednesday to see my updated predictions for who should make the 53-man roster and 8-man practice squad.

Sunday (sort of) Funday - A Review of the 2010 and 2011 PGA Championships

2011-08-14T23:59:00.265-05:00

The 2010 PGA Championship was held at the majestic Whistling Straits in Kohler, WI. After three rounds of exhilarating play, the championship was close heading into the last few holes on Sunday. Dustin Johnson birdied the 16th and 17th holes to take a one stroke lead into the final hole of the 2010 PGA Championship. Johnson missed the fairway right. As Johnson addressed the ball he grounded his club. Usually that would be no big deal but Johnson did not know that he was in one of the reported 1,000 "sand traps" at Whistling Straits. Johnson hit out of the sand trap and had a putt to win the 2010 PGA Championship. Johnson missed the putt and ended up bogeying the hole to send the tournament into a three-hole aggregate score playoff with Johnson, Martin Kaymer, and Bubba Watson.

As Johnson walked of the 18th green a rules official approached Johnson and told him that his second shot on the 18th hole was under review. After a lengthy review the officials ruled that Johnson grounded his club, which meant Johnson incurred a two-stroke penalty. That meant that instead of participating in a playoff, Johnson ended up tied for 5th place with Jason Dufner and Steve Elkington.

Kaymer and Watson proceeded to play the 10th, 17th and 18th holes to determine the winner of the 2010 PGA Championship. Kaymer played the three holes at even par while Watson finished one stroke worse so Martin Kaymer won the 2010 PGA Championship. Much like the 2002 MLB All-Star Game played at Miller Park ending in a tie, the 2010 PGA Championship will ultimately be remembered for a calamity as opposed to a triumph.

Let's fast forward forward to the 2011 PGA Championship that was held at the Atlantic Athletic Club. Thursday ended up being Cheesehead Day thanks to the impressive play of Steve Stricker and Jerry Kelly. Unfortunately Stricker and Kelly faded as the weekend approached so they were not a factor in the 2011 PGA Championship.

After jockeying for position Jason Dufner (a factor in the 2010 PGA Championship) and Keegan Bradley (making his first ever appearance in a major) were both in prime position to win the 2011 PGA Championship. Bradley played in the second to last group while Dufner was in the final group so the back nine turned into a scoreboard watching affair for both competitors.

The final four holes at the Atlanta Athletic Club are possibly the four hardest finishing holes in PGA Championship history. Through the first three rounds Dufner was the only player in the entire field to not bogey the 15th, 16th, 17th, or 18th hole. When Bradley triple-bogeyed the 15th hole to trail Dufner by five strokes with three holes to play it looked like Dufner was going to win the 2011 PGA Championship running away.

Not so fast. Dufner bogeyed the 15th, 16th, and 17th holes for the first time all week. As Dufner was faltering, Bradley birdied the 16th and 17th holes to put both Bradley and Dufner tied at 8-under heading into the final hole of the 2011 PGA Championship.

Bradley parred the 18th hole, which meant Dufner needed to par the 18th hole just to get into a playoff. It is no small feat to par the 18th hole because the hole played more like a Par-5 than a Par-4 all week. Dufner reached the green in two and two-putted to send the 2011 PGA Championship into a playoff for the second year in a row.

The three-hole playoff was staged on the 16th, 17th, and 18th holes at the Atlanta Athletic Club. Bradley and Dufner both had short birdie putts on the first playoff hole. Dufner missed the birdie putt while Bradley made the short putt to take a one stroke lead. Dufner sputtered on the next hole bogeying the 17th hole while Bradley parred the hole. That meant that Bradley carried a two stroke lead into the challenging 18th hole. Dufner made a birdie on the 18th hole so Bradley had two putts to win. Bradley missed the first putt but made his tap-in to win the 2011 PGA Championship in his first ever major start (first time someone has done that since Ben Curtis won the 2003 British Open at Royal St George's Golf Club).

Some might claim that Dufner choked but there is no shame in bogeying any of the four final holes at the Atlanta Athletic Club. Unfortunately Dufner played those holes great Thursday through Saturday but struggled there on Sunday.

Bradley, the nephew of World Golf Hall of Famer Pat Bradley, entered the weekend as the 108th ranked player in the world. Bradley became the second major winner in a row that started the week ranked outside the top 100 in the world golf rankings (Darren Clarke won the 2011 British Open at Royal St George's Golf Club). Bradley ended the weekend as the 29th ranked player in the world, which vaulted Bradley past Tiger Woods who missed the cut.

Unfortunately all the Cheesehead PGA Tour golfers finished outside the Top-10 at the 2011 PGA Championship: Steve Stricker (tied for 12th place) Jerry Kelly (tied for 26th place) and Mark Wilson (tied for 26th place) so the Cheesehead went another year without winning a major.

No one has won back-to-back majors since Pádraig Harrington won the 2008 British Open and 2008 PGA Championship, which makes 13 different major winners in a row. The 2011 PGA Tour is shaping up to be one of the most interesting seasons in a long time despite Tiger Woods struggling on and off the course thanks to young guns like Keegan Bradley and Rory McIlroy actually winning majors.

Quick Thoughts - Preseason Week 1 Packers/Browns Review

2011-08-13T23:59:00.088-05:00

The Green Bay Packers flew to D.C. on Friday ahead of their Saturday night preseason game in Cleveland to finally visit the White House to celebrate winning Super Bowl XLV. President Obama is an avid Chicago Bears fan (seems like a non sequitur) so he took a fair amount of heat from Charles Woodson and Aaron Rodgers because the Packers beat the Bears in Chicago to win the NFC Championship Game to go to Super Bowl XLV but President Obama seemed to take the joking in stride. Following their visit to the White House, the Packers traveled to Cleveland to play the Browns in both team's preseason opener. Here are a few quick thoughts on the game:

#1) Player that hurt his stock most: Pat Lee had the chance to shine with some of the top cornerbacks (Woodson and Shields) held out against the Browns. Unfortunately Lee struggled and looks like a long shot to make the roster with Woodson, Williams, Shields, House, and Bush all ahead of Lee at this point.

#2) Player that helped his stock most: Clearly rookie wide receiver Randall Cobb and back-up quarterback Matt Flynn played well against the Browns so let's dig a little deeper. Morgan Burnett's rookie season was cut short when he tore his ACL in Week 4 of the 2010 season against the Lions. With Burnett lost for the season, Charlie Peprah was one of the biggest surprises of last year. Burnett is the safety of the future opposite Collins in Green Bay not Peprah but I was still skeptical how healthy Burnett would be less than a year removed from tearing his ACL. One game does not make a season but the physicality that Burnett showed against the Browns was a welcomed sight.

#3) Position to watch: Going into training camp the Packers decided not to resign former starting left guard Daryn Colledge and starting defensive end Cullen Jenkins among others. The Packers had a couple in-house candidates to fill in for Jenkins (Mike Neal, Howard Green, Jarius Wynn, and C.J. Wilson) but there was no clear-cut candidate to take over at left guard. The Packers drafted Derek Sherrod as the left tackle of the future but they are trying Sherrod at left guard along with holdover T.J. Lang. The Packers shuffled Sherrod and Lang between left tackle and left guard throughout the game. Both players did nothing against the Browns to help or hurt their stock so left guard will continue to be the position to watch when the Packers meet the Arizona Cardinals in their Week 2 preseason game at Lambeau Field on Friday, August 18, 2011.

Final Note: The NFL needs to change the pricing structure of preseason tickets. This has been mentioned in a number of places but the NFL Owners shouldn't charge regular season prices for preseason games. Cleveland Browns Stadium holds a little more than 73,000 people. The reported attendance was 57,077 but only 30,000 people actually attended the game. Here is the quick solution for preseason ticket problems. There are four preseason games. Week 1 and Week 4 games are essentially throwaway games because guys that have very little chance of making the opening 53-man roster play most of those games. Week 2 and Week 3 are the most interesting games because the starters play a good portion of the snaps. The NFL should charge $20 a ticket for the throwaway games (Week 1 and Week 4) and $40 a ticket for the more interesting games (Week 2 and Week 3).

If you enjoyed this "Quick Thoughts" post, check out my first "Quick Thoughts" post on the Cheeseheads Ruling Day 1 of the 2011 PGA Championship.

Quick Thoughts - Cheeseheads Rule Day 1 of the 2011 PGA Championship

2011-08-11T19:00:00.246-05:00

In an effort to get more time sensitive content on CheeseheadSportsNut.com to go along with my traditional long form "Wednesday What Happened" posts and "Sunday Funday" posts I am going to start putting up "Quick Thoughts" posts. Obviously the "Quick Thoughts" posts will be a little bit shorter than my traditional posts but I aim to deliver the same quality content in a slightly shorter form.

My inaugural "Quick Thoughts" post will cover my favorite Cheesehead golfers dominating the first day of the 2011 PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, GA. The Atlanta Athletic Club is hosting its fifth major* in club history. This week the Atlanta Athletic Club is stretched out to a lengthy 7,467 yards but is only playing a Par 70 making it the longest Par 70 course in major championship history.

Steve Stricker, Jerry Kelly, and Mark Wilson are in the Top-20 a quarter of the way through the 2011 PGA Championship on a day when only 22 of 156 golfers broke par. All the Cheeseheads in the field played so well on Thursday that Mark Wilson looks like the slacker Cheesehead golfer by only posting a 1-under par, 69 thanks to four birdies and three bogeys.

Jerry Kelly was fighting multiple injuries heading into the 2011 PGA Championship so he had low expectations when he teed it up on Thursday. Kelly surprised everyone taking not only the Cheesehead silver medal but the overall silver medal for the day posting a 5-under, 65 thanks to six birdies and one bogey. Kelly is one of the most animated golfers on the PGA Tour, if he stays near the lead come the weekend look for him to continue his Bill Murray antics to try and keep himself loose.

Speaking of the lead, last but certainly not least, Steve Stricker. Since there are 156 players competing in the 2011 PGA Championship, some players start their day on the 1st hole (playing the course sequentially 1 through 18) while other start their day on the 10th hole (playing the course 10 through 18 then 1 through 9).

Stricker started his day on the 10th hole and started off hot birding the first three holes (the 10th, 11th, and 12th holes at the Atlanta Athletic Club). Stricker continued his hot play on the ladder half of the back nine as well. Par is considered great on the closing four holes of the back nine but Stricker actually played that stretch 2-under par**. Thanks to carding four pars and five birdies on the back nine to start his day, Stricker was 5-under par through nine holes.

Stricker birdied two more holes on the front nine to get to 7-under through 17 holes. Stricker hit a great approach shot on his 18th hole of the day (actually the 9th hole at the Atlanta Athletic Club) to give himself a 10-foot birdie putt to post the first 62 in major championship history.

Unfortunately Stricker just missed the 10-foot birdie putt but made the par putt to post a 7-under par, 63. Stricker didn't realize at the time that he had a chance to post the lowest round in major championship history until he finished and his caddie Jimmy Johnson told him about his dalliance with the record books. Stricker's 63 was the 11th of its kind in PGA Championship history and the 25th in major championship history.

As I have said many times, Stricker might be the best putters on the PGA Tour. Stricker showed that on Thursday hitting a mere 24 putts on the day. Unfortunately if Stricker only hit 23 putts on Thursday he would hold the record for the lowest score ever posted in major championship history.

Stricker has been hot in 2011 so far winning the Memorial at Murfield Village and the John Deere Classic at the TPC Deere Run. The only hole in Stricker's impressive resume is that he is 0-for-52 in majors. Despite entering the record books today the American cougar of the PGA Tour has a long way to go to win his first major. Either way Stricker put himself in good position to shed the title of best current American golfer to never win a major. If I haven't already convinced you to pull for Stricker, check out his post round interview to get a small taste for why Stricker is my favorite golfer.

I hope you enjoyed the initial "Quick Thoughts" post. Look for the "Quick Thoughts" posts the night of Packer games and when important time sensitive Cheesehead sports things occur.

Footnote:
* = Previously hosted the 1976 U.S. Open won by Jerry Pate, the 1981 PGA Championship won by Larry Nelson, the 1990 U.S. Women’s Open won by Betsy King, and the 2001 PGA Championship won by David Toms.

** = Birdied the 15th hole, the longest par-3 on the course and birdied the 18th hole, a challenging finishing hole with water in play around the green.

Wednesday What Happened - Super Bowl Rings Disperse Around the NFL

2011-08-10T23:59:00.000-05:00

After the NFL Lockout was finally lifted the Green Bay Packers cut five veterans: Nick Barnett (MLB), Brandon Chillar (MLB), Justin Harrell (DL), Brady Poppinga (OLB), and Mark Tauscher (T). Besides Chillar, the rest of the guys cut never played for another NFL franchise but unfortunately father time or injuries caught up with all of them.

Chillar (recently injured), Harrell (perpetually hurt), and Tauscher (old and injured) have not signed with another team yet while the other guys signed with different NFL teams:
- Nick Barnett signed a three-year, $11.5 million contract ($1.5 million signing bonus) with the Buffalo Bills.
- Brady Poppinga signed a one-year, $685,000 veteran minimum contract with the St. Louis Rams.

All of the players cut by the Packers allowed them to trim roughly $15.4 million off their 2011 salary cap* with roughly $2 million in "dead money" hitting their salary cap in 2012 thanks NFL accounting rules. For how sad it is to see all of the veterans go, the youth movement continues in Green Bay so the cuts are understandable.

The Green Bay Packers had 11 unrestricted free agents: Atari Bigby (S), Daryn Colledge (G), Mason Crosby (K), Korey Hall (FB), Brandon Jackson (RB), Cullen Jenkins (DE), James Jones (WR), John Kuhn (FB), Anthony Smith (S), Jason Spitz (G), and Matt Wilhelm (LB) once the lockout was lifted. Predictably Green Bay Packer general manager Ted Thompson let most of those guys leave via free agency without even offering them a legitimate contract offer:
- Daryn Colledge signed a five-year, $27.5 million contract ($7.5 million signing bonus) with the Arizona Cardinals.
- Korey Hall signed a two-year, $2.1 million ($400,000 signing bonus) contract with the New Orleans Saints.
- Brandon Jackson signed a two-year, $4.5 million ($1 million signing bonus) contract with the Cleveland Browns.
- Cullen Jenkins signed a five-year, $25 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.
- Jason Spitz signed a three-year, $5.25 million contract ($750,000 signing bonus) with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
- Anthony Smith signed a contract for an undisclosed amount with the Tennessee Titans.

Of the guys that the Packer decided not to resign, Jenkins is the only guy that I would have tried to resign if I was general manager Ted Thompson. The Eagles will only pay Jenkins $4 million in 2011 and have an out where they can terminate the contract with very small cap ramifications if Jenkins struggles in 2011 according to various reports. At that price, especially with the question marks along the defensive line for the Packers, Jenkins should have been resigned. Besides Jenkins the Packers have younger, better, and cheaper options than the guys they let leave via free agency.

With eight of the 11 unrestricted free agents signing elsewhere or remaining free agents** that means that the Packers only resigned three of their 11 unrestricted free agents:
- Mason Crosby signed a five-year, $14.75 million contract with a $3 million signing bonus.
- James Jones signed a three-year, $9.5 million contract with a $1.5 million signing bonus.
- John Kuhn signed a three-year, $7.5 million contract with a $750,000 signing bonus.

Crosby signed one of the richest contracts ever given to an NFL kicker, which feels a little expensive based on Crosby being merely an average NFL kicker. Jones resigning with the Packers shows that general managers around the league are either think that Jones was a product of playing in one of the most potent offenses in the NFL or they think Jones will continue to drop passes in important situations. Either way the Packers were able to resign Jones at a reasonable price to give the 2011 Green Bay Packers the most prolific wide receiving core in the NFL heading into the 2011 NFL preseason. The Kuhn deal makes the most sense of three contracts because it gives the Packers hybrid running back, fullback, and special teams player that fits perfectly on the team.

There were some other minor contracts signed in the last week*** that barely deserve a mention. The free agency period for the Green Bay Packers proceeded exactly how most people thought it would, older guys were cut or let go via free agency while younger guys (besides Crosby) were retained at a reasonable price. Check back for more Green Bay Packers coverage as the preseason kicks into high gear.

Footnote:
* = Barnett ($5 million), Tauscher ($4.5 million), Poppinga ($2.3 million), Chillar ($2.3 million), and Harrell ($1.3 million).

** = Atari Bigby and Matt Wilhelm remain unsigned.

*** = Restricted free agents Brett Swain (WR) and Spencer Havner (TE/LB) resigned with the Packers but look like prime candidates to get cut at the end of training camp while former Packer Donald Lee (TE) signed a one-year, $850,000 contract ($40,000 signing bonus) with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Wednesday What Happened - 2011 Trade Deadline for the Milwaukee Brewers

2011-08-03T23:59:00.078-05:00

Milwaukee Brewers general manager Doug Melvin made four trades before the 2011 MLB Trade Deadline. None of the deals were as ambitious as the C.C. Sabathia trade the Brewers made in 2008* or the Zack Greinke trade before this season**. Despite not making a big splash, the four moves Melvin made before the trade deadline set the Brewers up with the right bench guys to make a strong playoff run:

#1) Acquired K-Rod (P) from the New York Mets for two players to be named: Fortunately it looks like K-Rod is going to be the primary set-up guy for closer John Axford for the rest of the year. There is not much more I can say about this trade that I didn't say a few weeks ago.

#2) Traded Wil Nieves (C) to the Atlanta Braves for cash: Apparently the cash was a grand total of $1. Nieves is an old, washed up catcher so I am not even sure I can complain about the deal.

#3) Acquired Felipe Lopez (INF) from the Tampa Bay Rays for cash: On paper Lopez gives the Brewers a ton of options around the infield, which they desperately need since there is no timetable for when Rickie Weeks will return. Apparently someone in management checked with the team leaders, presumably Braun and Fielder, to make sure they wanted the sometimes volatile Lopez in the locker room. The team leaders signed off so who am I to question the deal.

#4) Acquired Jerry Hairston Jr. (INF/OF) from the Washington Nationals for Erik Komatsu (OF): Some might questions this move with Komatsu being named the Brewers' Minor League Player of the Year in 2010. Let's keep Komatsu's value in perspective, he is a prospect that projects as a corner outfielder at best. The Brewers are all set with Braun and Hart as corner outfielders for the next few years so Komatsu is expendable. Plus Hairston is a guy that can play six positions on the field, which is a rare commodity for a team looking to make a playoff run.

Check back throughout the stretch run as the Brewers look to make it back to the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

Footnote:
* = Sabathia went 11-2 with a 1.62 ERA the rest of the season to almost single-handily pitch the Brewers into the playoffs for the first time in 26 years.

** = Gave the Milwaukee Brewers their first co-Aces (Gallardo and Greinke) in franchise history.

Wedneday What (Should) Happen - Free Agent Shopping Guide for Ted Thompson

2011-07-27T23:59:00.140-05:00

Just as a quick refresher, I gave Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson advice on how to approach the off-season back in February. Following my review of the 2011 NFL Draft for the Green Bay Packers, I gave my first look at how the 2011 Green Bay Packers roster would look when the Packers host the New Orleans Saints to open the 2011 NFL season.

All of the aforementioned advice and predictions were made without knowing the details of the new 10-year collective bargaining agreement ("CBA") between the NFL players and owners. I stand by all my advice and predictions but now that we have most of the specifics of the new CBA, its time to take another stab at how the Packers should proceed.

The Packers reportedly signed sixteen undrafted free agents* to add a ton of camp bodies for the strangest training camp in recent memory. The reason I mention the undrafted free agents is that two of the top three cornerbacks for the 2011 Green Bay Packers are former undrafted free agents (Tramon Williams and Sam Shields) so checkout the footnote because there is a chance that at least one of those guys makes a 53-man roster for the 2011 NFL season.

It is the strangest training camp in recent memory because instead of having a free agency period of a few months before the NFL Draft, free agency is going on simultaneously while training camps are opening. As of Tuesday, teams are free to consummate trades. Besides that, teams can cut players but those cuts do not become official until Thursday, July 28th at 3:01 pm CST. Furthermore, teams can negotiate with unrestricted free agents but those guys cannot sign deals till Friday, July 29th at 5:00 pm CST**. Finally, teams must be under the $120 million salary cap for the 2011 NFL season by Thursday, August 4, 2011 at 3:01 pm CST.

At the start of the week the Packers had 11 unrestricted free agents: Atari Bigby (S), Daryn Colledge (G), Mason Crosby (K), Korey Hall (FB), Brandon Jackson (RB), Cullen Jenkins (DE), James Jones (WR), John Kuhn (RB/FB), Anthony Smith (S), Jason Spitz (C/G), and Matt Wilhelm (LB). Before I could even reiterate my advice, Ted Thompson signed Crosby to a five year, $14.75 million deal and told Daryn Colledge they will not resign him. I agree with both moves, although it feels like Crosby is getting a little overpaid. Green Bay is one of the worst places to kick in the NFL once the weather gets cold despite the nice new DD GrassMaster playing field but Crosby's contract still feels a little rich based on past performance and projected future performance.

That means the Packers have to decide what to do with their nine remain unrestricted free agents. Let Bigby, Hall, Jackson, Smith, and Wilhelm leave. After that make competitive short-term offers to Jenkins, Jones, Kuhn, and Spitz. It is more likely that Kuhn and Spitz would sign cheap deals but Jenkins and Jones look poised to break the bank somewhere besides Green Bay. I would actually rather have Jenkins resigned for a few years than Jones signed long-term despite Rodgers' recent comments about wanting to keep Jones and Tauscher in 2011. Either way it looks like most if not all of the unrestricted free agents will leave via free agency.

Let's turn to guys actually under contract with the Green Bay Packers for 2011 for a minute. It looks like the first Packer to get cut is former starting middle linebacker Nick Barnett unless the Packers can trade him, which seems highly unlikely at this point. I am on record as saying despite the expensive deals given to younger middle linebackers Desmond Bishop and A.J. Hawk, the Packers should have kept all three guys despite Barnett's base salaries of roughly $6 million a year in 2011 and 2012. For the record I would have cut Chillar (clears $2.3 million in cap space) instead of Barnett to clear at least some salary cap space. I know only two middle linebackers play at a time in the base 3-4 defense but the Packers only played the base 3-4 defense 33% of the time in 2010. As a result, the Packers could utilize sub packages to get Barnett, Bishop, and Hawk on the field at the same time.

Either way being able to cut a guy like Barnett but still having three potential starting middle linebackers on the roster (Bishop, Chillar, and Hawk) just shows how much quality depth the Packers have at almost every position. Since Daryn Colledge looks to be playing somewhere else in 2011, left guard is the only starting spot that the Packers would need to fill. There are plenty of candidates already on the roster to start at left guard in 2011: Bryan Bulaga (if they put someone else at right tackle), Evan Dietrich-Smith, T.J. Lang, Nick McDonald, Marshall Newhouse, or Caleb Schlauderaff. Besides left guard, the Packers could use some depth at center, defensive end, and defensive tackle.

Look for other higher paid veterans to follow Barnett out the door in the next few weeks. Prime candidates to get cut unless they opt to renegotiate for much less money are: Brandon Chillar (MLB), Justin Harrell (DE/DT), Brady Poppinga (OLB), and Mark Tauscher (T). After that, the roster is filled with either young guys on cheap rookie contracts (i.e. Bryan Bulaga) or veterans that are worth keeping around even if they are getting paid very well by NFL standards (i.e. Charles Woodson).

Transitioning from inside the organization to outside the organization. I know there is a 1% chance that Ted Thompson will sign any free agents from other teams but here are three big name guys that I wish Thompson would at least attempt to sign:

My biggest off-season crush was Marshal Yanda (OG/OT, 6'3", 315 lbs, 26 years old) because he is the perfect guard/tackle combo that could start at left guard (with Daryn Colledge leaving via free agency), right tackle (if the Packers move Bryan Bulaga to left guard), or act as an expensive floating sixth offensive lineman in 2011 before joining the starting offensive line in 2012 when Chad Clifton either gets cut or retires. Unfortunately recent reports have Yanda re-signing with the Baltimore Ravens for five-years, $32 million. With a ton of young, raw talent along the offensive line already on the roster it would make no sense to commit that much money to Yanda. Sorry for that detour, onto my wish list.

#1) Carl Nicks (G, 6'5", 343 lbs, 26 years old): let me talk out of both sides of my mouth for a second. With how big, fast, and strong defensive tackles are becoming (think B.J. Raji), the value of big guards has dramatically increased in the last five years. Despite having the aforementioned young, raw talent on the offensive line when you have a chance to get a guy like Nicks you do it. Nicks is a restricted free agent so he is virtually unattainable. As a result the New Orleans Saints will do anything humanly possible within the confines of the salary cap to make sure this stud guard is playing for the Saints not the Packers when the 2011 NFL season opens in Titletown.

#2) Brandon Mebane (DT, 6'1", 311 lbs, 26 years old): much like Yanda, I originally wanted the Packers to target defensive tackle Barry Cofield but word on the street is that Cofield already agreed to terms with the Washington Redskins. Since the Redskins always seem to "win" the off-season but that usually never translates into wins on the field, may be I am wrong about Cofield. Either way with Cofield no longer available the Packers could use a guy like Mebane to be another space eater along the defensive line. Adding a starting caliber defensive tackle like Mebane would reduce the work load on current starting defensive tackle B.J. Raji. Furthermore Mebane could team with Raji on passing downs to reduce the workload on Ryan Pickett and Howard Green as well.

#3) Mathias Kiwanuka (DE/OLB, 6'5", 265 lbs, 28 years old): despite coming off a season ending injury, Kiwanuka could be the perfect compliment opposite current starting outside linebacker Clay Matthews.

I would put a .0001% chance that any of the agents of the aforementioned guys even gets a call from the Packers. As a result here are some more lower profile (aka cheaper) guys that Ted Thompson should consider signing:

Samson Satele (C, 6'3", 300 lbs, 26 years old): young, big centers are hard to find. Unfortunately the odds that Satele would sign with the Packers knowing that barring injury he is going to be a back-up are slim.

Kyle Cook (C, 6'3", 316 lbs, 28 years old): the undrafted free agent went from just another guy on the Minnesota Vikings practice squad to a starting NFL center for the Cincinnati Bengals...another great move by the Vikings. The real upside for Cook is that he is a few years younger than current starting center Scott Wells but probably comes with too big of a price tag to add as a back-up to Wells.

John Greco (G, 6'4", 329 lbs, 26 years old): has the frame to be the big, dominate combo guard/center of the future for the Packers. Think of Greco as a younger, healthier version of Jason Spitz.

Daniel Muir (DT, 6'2", 312 lbs, 27 years old): the former Packer could give the Packers some much needed quality depth at defensive tackle.

Alan Branch (DT, 6'6", 338 lbs, 26 years old): has been a disappoint so far in his NFL career but Branch looks like the perfect hybrid DE/DT for the Dom Capers' 3-4 defense.

Marcus Thomas (DT/DE, 6'3", 316 lbs, 25 years old): much like Branch, Thomas has been a bit of a disappointment so far. If the Packers could add a guy like Thomas on the cheap it would be worth bringing him into camp to create a little competition along the defensive line.

Stephen Bowen (DE, 6'5", 306 lbs, 27 years old): last year Bowen played in a 3-4 defense for the Dallas Cowboys so the transition would be smooth. Plus Bowen would be an upgrade over C.J. Wilson and Jarius Wynn in 2011 but would have a hard time beating out presumptive starter Michael Neal assuming Cullen Jenkins is not resigned.

Manny Lawson (OLB, 6'5", 240 lbs, 27 year old): has been underwhelming since being picked 22nd overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2006 NFL Draft. This is 50% based on playing video games (an absolute athletic freak in Madden) and 50% based on Kevin Greene being the outside linebackers coach for the Packers (if Greene can't get him to be a quality NFL outside linebacker then no one can).

All of the free agent talk is probably useless since Ted Thompson rarely signs free agents. Furthermore, without signing a single unrestricted free agent the Packers already have a ton of guys to choose from:
- 16 undrafted free agents*
- 16 guys coming off injured reserve
- 53 guys that won Super Bowl XLV
- 10 guys the Packers drafted in the 2011 NFL Draft

Truth be told it is actually a good thing that Ted Thompson does not spend a ton of money on free agents because it does not usually result in Super Bowl wins (think Washington Redskins since Daniel Snyder bought the team). Teams that draft well and make occasional free agent splashes are usually the teams that contend for Super Bowl wins (think Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, and Pittsburgh Steelers). Plus when Thompson does flash the cash to swoop up unrestricted free agents (think Charles Woodson, Ryan Pickett, and Brandon Chillar just to name a few), it is money well spent.

Thanks for bearing with me for what will ultimately prove to be a mostly academic post that we can look back at in five years to see whether any of the aforementioned players turned out to be studs on other NFL teams. Check back throughout the next few days for more updates on possibly the craziest week in NFL history.

Footnotes:
* = Diondre Borel (QB/RBWR, Utah State, 6'0", 199 lbs), Anthony Bratton (S, Delaware, 6'0", 213 lbs), Ray Dominguez (G, Arkansas, 6'4", 337 lbs), Sampson Genus (C, South Florida, 6'0½", 315 lbs), Tori Gurley (WR, South Carolina, 6'4", 215 lbs), Jon Hoese (FB, Minnesota, 6'2", 238 lbs), M.D. Jennings (CB, Arkansas State, 5'11½", 187 lbs), Elijah “Peanut” Joseph (ILB, Temple, 6'1", 243 lbs), Elisah Joseph (DL, Temple, 6'2", 290 lbs), Jamari Lattimore (OLB, Middle Tennessee State, 6'2", 230 lbs), Brandian Ross (CB/S, Youngstown State, 5'11½", 196 lbs), Brandon Saine (RB, Ohio State, 5'11", 220 lbs), Theo Sherman (G'T, James Madison, 6'3", 302 lbs), Antoine “Shaky” Smithson (KR/WR, Utah, 5'11", 202 lbs), Vic So’oto (OLB, Brigham Young, 6'3½", 260 lbs), Kerry Taylor (WR, Arizona State, 6'0", 196 lbs) source.

** = Players who sign contracts must report to their new team but they can not participate in actual physical activities until start of league year on Thursday, August 4th (source).

Sunday Funday - Steve Stricker's Three-peat at the John Deere Classic

2011-07-17T00:01:00.191-05:00

Steve Stricker got off to a hot start on Thursday in his bid for a three-peat at the John Deere Classic shooting a 66 (5-under par) thanks in large part to birding the last two holes, which put Stricker at 51-under for his last nine rounds at the TPC Deere Run.

Stricker, a University of Illinois alumni, played even better on Friday on "Illini Day" posting a 64 (7-under par). That put Sticker at 58-under par for his last 10 rounds (3 eagles, 62 birdies, and 10 bogeys) at the TPC Deere Run. It also meant that Stricker was 12-under par halfway through the 2011 John Deere Classic which put Stricker in a tie for second place with Steve Marino and two strokes behind Chez Reavie with 36 holes to play.

Stricker continued to improve his play on Saturday as he started off his third round with a bang by dropping a 75-foot putt on the first hole. Stricker posted a 63 (8-under par), which put Stricker at 66-under par for his last 11 rounds at the TPC Deere Run. Heading into Sunday, Stricker was 20-under (193 strokes) and lead Brendon de Jonge by two strokes.

Stricker started out with a birdie on the first hole on Sunday followed by three pars so it looked like he was going to cruise to victory until he approached the 5th hole (a Par-4). On the 5th hole Stricker dumped his approach shot in the green side bunker where he drew a horrible lie. It took Stricker two shots to get out of the bunker (not the only time it would happen to Stricker during his final round) and he missed the bogey putt to card a double bogey.

Stricker rebounded with three birdies capped with a 50-foot bomb for birdie on the 9th hole to go 22-under par and make the turn with a five stroke lead over Kyle Stanley. Stricker looked like he was going to coast to an easy victory till Stanley's putter got hot on the back nine (on the 13th hole he nailed a 26-foot birdie putt, on the 14th hole he nailed an 18-footer birdie putt, and on the 15th hole he nailed a 36-foot birdie putt). Stanley carded five birdies on his first six holes of the back nine to take the lead.

Stricker carded consecutive bogeys on the 15th and 16th holes to put him two strokes behind Stanley with two holes to play. Stricker won the PGA Tour comeback player of the year award twice so he does not give up no matter how dire the situation looks but down two strokes with two holes to play seemed to put the three-peat out of reach. Stricker rebounded on the 17th hole carding a birdie to put him one stroke behind Stanley with one hole to go. Stanley bogeyed the 18th hole to post a round of 64 on Sunday and finish with a four-day total of 263 strokes.

That left Stricker tied with Stanley so a par on the 18th hole by Stricker would send the tournament into extra holes. Unfortunately Stricker pulled his drive into the fairway bunker on the left side of the fairway on the 18th hole. Stricker could have played conservative but he decided to go for broke despite having an awkward stance in the fairway bunker with one foot in the bunker and one foot out of the bunker as well as water lining the left side of the green. Long story short Stricker needed to hit a perfect shot from an awkward stance out of a bunker and over water to even stay alive in the tournament.

Stricker hit what can only be described as a miraculous shot over the water and through the green to set up a 25-foot putt to win the 2011 John Deere Classic. I would guess that 99 times out of 100 a player chooses the conservative route and two putts to send the tournament to extra holes. Stricker is arguably the best putter on the PGA Tour so all he was thinking about was making the putt. True to form Stricker canned the putt in dramatic fashion to three-peat at the John Deere Classic. PGA Tour analyst David Feherty summed it up the best when he said "that is the most spectacular up and down I have ever seen" as he interviewed Stricker on the 18th green.

Stricker finished at 22-under, four strokes worse than his 2010 victory but two strokes better than his 2009 victory. Stricker joined an exclusive list of three-peat winners at the same PGA Tour event since 1940*. Thanks to winning the Memorial earlier this year, Stricker's victory at the 2011 John Deere Classic put him in a very select group of golfers that won multiple PGA Tour events for three years in a row**. What is even more impressive is that Stricker is becoming the cougar of the PGA Tour because 8 of his 11 PGA Tour wins*** came after he turned 40 years old.

As you can tell by now Steve Stricker is my favorite golfer despite the fact that Stricker is a Chicago Bears fan. Not only is he the best current Cheesehead golfer but he is possibly the nicest guy on the PGA Tour. Stricker can not only pull off amazing shots but watch him fist bump the crowd on the way to one of the biggest putts of his career.

Two Cheesehead were in the the top 6 of the FedEx Cup standing before the start of the 2011 British Open with Steve Stricker in 2nd place and Mark Wilson in 6th place. Enjoy the final round of the 2011 British Open at Royal St. George's Golf Club. Unfortunately barring a miracle, Stricker will not win his first Major and hoist the Claret Jug.

Footnotes:
* = Tiger Woods (6), Arnold Palmer (2), Ben Hogan (1), Gene Littler (1), Billy Casper (1), Jack Nicklaus (1), Johnny Miller (1), Tom Watson (1), and Stuart Appleby (1).

** = Steve Stricker (2009-11), Phil Mickelson (1996-98, 2000-02, and 2004-09), Tiger Woods (1999-03 and 2005-09), Vijay Singh (2002-05), Ernie Els (2002-04), David Duval (1997-99), Mark O'Mera (1995-98), and Nick Price (1991-94).

*** = Stricker won twice in 1996 and won a WGC golf event in 2001 before he went on a long drought. After turning 40, Vijay Singh won 22 tournaments and Sam Snead won 17.

Wednesday What Happened - The K-Rod Trade

2011-07-13T23:59:00.080-05:00

It is obvious that K-Rod has put together quite impressive numbers throughout his career*. If K-Rod was acquired to be the primary set-up guy to closer John Axford, I am 100% behind the trade. With Kameron Loe sputtering as the primary set-up guy to closer John Axford, the Brewers needed a better 8th inning option. Unfortunately based on Milwaukee Brewers general manager Doug Melvin's comments, it looks like the Brewers are going to have dual-closers following the K-Rod trade.

If the Brewers do in fact go with dual-closers I don't like the K-Rod deal for two non-statistical reasons. First, it messes up the pecking order in the bullpen. Second, even though it is not my money, the Brewers took on a big chunk of payroll in the K-Rod trade (reportedly $5 million) so they will probably not be able to take on more money via trade if they want to upgrade the left side of their infield for a playoff run. Let's delve into each of my issues with a deal in more detail:

First, the "closer by committee" strategy never seems to work. For better or worse baseball players are like little children, they need to be fed three time a day and need to live a very structured life. That is even more pronounced in the bullpen because the entire staff is built from the end of the game forward. Until the K-Rod trade everyone in the bullpen knew that John Axford was the closer but now the Brewers have two guys that might end the game. The bullpen seemed like a tight group from an outsiders perspective despite the fact that they struggled through injuries (Hawkins and Saito) and ineffectiveness (Braddock and Loe).

K-Rod's presence as the dual-closer will stunt the growth of the deserving closer John Axford. One way to remedy this situation is to use K-Rod as the primary set-up man and the second option at closer. Most managers bring in their closer in the top of the 9th if the game is tied when they are at home. In those specific spots I would pitch K-Rod as well as all the other standard 8th inning set-up spots. Besides those specific situations just mentioned, I would allow John Axford to stay in the traditional closer role since he has thrived** in that spot since assuming that role once Trevor Hoffman lost his mojo in 2010. Sometimes closers only work in short spurts (Danny Kolb, Solomon Torres, and Derrick Turnbow) but Axford has been very good in his sophomore campaign as closer in 2011*** so I am completely opposed to going closer by committee.

Second, the Brewers will not be able to add any more money to their payroll after adding K-Rod. That means the Brewers are stuck with Yuniesky Betancourt and Casey McGehee making up the left side of the infield for the stretch run. The Brewers only have spot starters on the bench in the big leagues (Craig Counsell and Josh Wilson) and no real viable options in the minors (Erick Almonte, Mat Gamel, Andy Gonzalez, Taylor Green, and Edwin Maysonet). That means the Brewers would have to look outside the organization to improve at shortstop or third base. Brewers owner Mark Attanasio has added money in the past (i.e. C.C. Sabathia) and it looks like K-Rod is the big moved as opposed to adding the more coveted New York Met...shortstop Jose Reyes.

Quick side note. I saw Gallardo and Greinke pitch in person a few weeks back at Wrigley Field. It just so happened that general manager Doug Melvin and assistant general manager Gord Ash sat in a box above my seats. Following Greinke's start (a loss where Greinke looked absolutely lost on the mound), Melvin (left) and Ash (right) were leaving Wrigley Field as you can see in the picture when a Brewer fan behind me yelled "come on Doug (Melvin) trade for Jose Reyes (shortstop for the New York Mets)". Melvin did a double-take, which actually got me excited. There is a .001% chance that the Brewers go after Reyes now, especially following the Greinke, Marcum, and K-Rod trades. Trading for Reyes at this point would leave me as the top prospect in the Brewers' farm system.

All of the above analysis did not even take into account that K-Rod was involved in a physical altercation in the locker room last year or the fact that he recently hired Scott Boras as his agent. Don't get me wrong, K-Rod deserves to be a closer somewhere in baseball based on his performance in 2011**** just not Milwaukee. I understand teams want to stock pile quality arms but I don't get why Melvin would add an established closer with issues (K-Rod) when you have a young closer with no issues (Axford) to work as dual-closers. Even if the Brewers don't have to give the Mets very good prospects for K-Rod, the trade still doesn't seem worth it unless K-Rod is the set-up man who gets an occasional spot save opportunity when Axford is overworked.

Footnotes:
* = 32-27 record, 773 strikeouts in 619 2/3 innings (good for 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings), 2.54 ERA and 291 career saves (129 more than Mariano Rivera at the same age) in 573 relief appearances.

** = Converted roughly 90% of his save opportunities (47 of 52).

*** = In 42 appearances Axford has a 2-2 record, 23 saves and a 2.83 ERA thanks to allowing only 17 walks and 39 hits while striking out 53 batters over 41 1/3 innings.

**** = Converted 23 of 26 save opportunities, 3.16 ERA, and 1.41 WHIP.

Wednesday What (Should) Happen - 2011-12 Milwaukee Bucks 1.0

2011-06-29T01:01:00.028-05:00

Much like I did for the Green Bay Packers following the 2011 NFL Draft, here is my first look at how the 2011-12 Milwaukee Bucks following the 2011 NBA Draft:

Earl Boykins and Michael Redd are technically unrestricted free agents while Chris Douglas-Roberts (“CDR”) is a restricted free agent. The Bucks would need to tender CDR to allow them to match any offer he receives from another NBA team. Following their big three-team trade I don’t see Milwaukee Bucks general John Hammond tendering CDR, especially based on how little he played down the stretch last year for the Bucks. For the purposes of this post we are going to assume that Hammond lets Boykins, CDR, and Redd leave via free agency.

Assuming that everyone stays healthy and that there is no NBA lockout, two huge assumptions, the starting five for the 2011-12 Milwaukee Bucks should be:
- PG: Brandon Jennings
- SG: Stephen Jackson
- SF: Carlos Delfino
- PF: Drew Gooden
- C: Andrew Bogut

That leaves a bunch of combo guards as back-ups. The current pecking order is: Beno Udrih, Shaun Livingston, and Keyon Dooling. Look for Udrih to be the left-handed Luke Ridnour and Livingston to eat up Dooling’s minutes.

Much like the back-up combo guards, there are a bunch of back-up combo forwards. The current frontcourt pecking order is: Ersan Ilyasova, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Larry Sanders, Tobias Harris, Jon Brockman, and Jon Leuer.

Finally, as usual, the Bucks do not have a true center to back-up Andrew Bogut. Similar to the Green Bay Packers not really having a true back-up defensive tackle for B.J. Raji, the Bucks continue to put all their eggs in the Andrew Bogut basket (no pun intended) despite his checkered injury history.

I am going to wait to see how the pre-season goes but if I were Scott Skiles my five-man bench pecking order would be Udrih, Ilyasova, Mbah a Moute, Livingston, and Sanders. That leaves Brockman and Dooling along with 2011 NBA Draft picks Harris and Leuer wallowing at the end of the bench collecting pretty substantial paychecks for not actually playing in games.

With the aforementioned 14 guys on the roster that leaves one final roster spot open for the Bucks. Normally the Bucks would have the veteran bi-annual exception (don’t make another Dooling-like mistake) and the mid-level exception (don’t make another Gooden-like mistake) at their disposal but with all the labor uncertainty, who knows how the salary cap is going to shake out. With so much money committed through the 2012-13 season, look for the Bucks to spend very little guaranteed money on their 15th roster spot, especially considering the money troubles facing their owner Senator Herb Kohl.

Look for a few NBA labor related posts over the next few months. Besides that, we all better hope the NFL Owners and Players agree to a new CBA otherwise this is going to turn into a purely Milwaukee Brewers blog.

Sunday Funday - 2011 Milwaukee Bucks Draft Picks

2011-06-26T01:01:00.212-05:00

With all the trades that usually occur during the NBA Draft it is really hard to marry pick, player, and team correctly. As a result let's focus on the spot of where guys were drafted to see how well I did with my "mock draft" of the first round of the 2011 NBA Draft. Unfortunately I only nailed the exact draft number of five picks* out of 30 in the first round of the 2011 NBA Draft. Although that seems like I did a horrible, I correctly predicted 25 out of 30 players** that went in the first round of the 2011 NBA Draft. Of the five guys*** that I incorrectly predicted would go in the first round, I only missed badly on one of my predictions (damn you Josh Selby...I should always remember to keep Jayhawks in their proper place) while the rest went early in the second round.

With all that out of the way, let's take a look at what Milwaukee Bucks general manager John Hammond did after his big three-team draft day trade with the two draft picks that the Bucks had in the 2011 NBA Draft:

1st Round (19th Overall): Tobias Harris
Position: Power Forward
Age: 18
Birth date: July 15, 1992
Birthplace: Dix Hills, NY
School: Tennessee
Class: Freshman
Height: 6'8"
Weight: 223 lbs
Reach: 8'8"
Wingspan: 6'11"
ESPN Player Traits: Basketball IQ, Ball Handling, and Motor
Analysis: Welcome to the Milwaukee Bucks the love child of Marcus Haslip and Joe Alexander. May be I am overacting a little bit. This is not so much that I dislike Harris; it has more to do with the fact that I love Kenneth Faried so much. With Faried still on he board, I am salty that the Bucks passed on my reasonable 2011 NBA Draft crush. Stat heads struggle with projecting college performance to pro performance but one stat that translates is rebounding and Faried was arguably the best rebounders in college basketball last year. Harris is the youngest draft eligible guy so he will need a few years much like their 2010 first round draft pick Larry Sanders. At some point the Bucks have to stop building for the future and win now. Clearly you can see that I think John Hammond should have drafted Faried aka sane Dennis Rodman instead of Harris. As if you are not depressed already. Keep an eye on Jimmer Fredette, Klay Thompson, Alec Burks, Markieff Morris, Marcus Morris, Kawhi Leonard, Nikola Vučević, Iman Shumpert, and Chris Singleton. For John Hammond's sake I hope none of those guys turn out to be an all-star because the Bucks gave up the chance to take all the aforementioned players by trading the 10th pick for the 19th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft as a part of their big three-team draft day trade.

2nd Round (40th Overall): Jon Leuer
Position: Power Forward
Age: 22
Birth date: May 14, 1989
Birthplace: Long Lake, MN
School: Wisconsin
Class: Senior
Height: 7'0"
Weight: 223 lbs
Reach: 8'10"
Wingspan: 7'0"
ESPN Player Traits: Shooting, Basketball IQ, and Size
Analysis: Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. The Milwaukee Bucks have not had a ton of success drafting Wisconsin Badgers in the past. All four guys they previously drafted**** never played for the Bucks. In fact the only Badger to suit up for the Milwaukee Bucks is Paul Grant who has played fewer minutes in the Bradley Center for the Bucks than Jon Leuer played in the Bradley Center for the visiting Wisconsin Badgers...yikes. Since the Bucks were looking to add more guys to their already bloated front court, it is too bad that Jeremy Taylor went one pick before the Bucks took Leuer because I always thought the Bucks should target guys like him in the second round as a boom-or-bust pick. Since Taylor was not available, a few guys that I liked that were still on the board when the Bucks picked were Charles Jenkins (SG, Hofstra) and Malcolm Lee (PG, UCLA). Jenkins is a flat out scorer while Lee has a huge frame for a point guard, the anti-T.J. Ford if you will. Although I would have taken Jenkins over Leuer, I really like the Leuer pick. I hope I am wrong but I think Leuer aka the American Ersan Ilyasova will be a better pro than Harris.

The Bucks roster looks dramatically differently than it did a week ago following the big draft day trade and the 2011 NBA Draft. Check back on Wednesday for my thoughts on the updated roster.

Footnote:
* = Kyrie Irving (PG, Duke) went 1st, Derrick Williams (PF, Arizona) went 2nd, Enes Kanter (C, Kentucky) went 3rd, Jan Vesely (SF, Czech Republic) went 6th, and Donatas Motiejunas (PF, Lithuania) went 20th.

** = I missed on Nolan Smith (PG, Duke) went 21st, JaJuan Johnson (PF, Purdue) went 27th, Norris Cole (PG, Cleveland State) went 28th, Cory Joseph (PG, Texas) went 29th, and Jimmy Butler (SF, Marquette) went 30th.

*** = Josh Selby (PG/SG, Kansas) predicted 21st went 49th, Tyler Honeycutt (SF, UCLA) predicted 26th went 35th, Justin Harper (PF, Richmond) predicted 27th went 32nd, Davis Bertans (SF, Slovenia) predicted 29th went 42nd, and Kyle Singler (SF, Duke) predicted 30th went 33rd.

**** = Joe Franklin in 1968, John Schell in 1969, J.J. Weber in 1987, and Rashard Griffith in 1995.

Wednesday What Happened Friday Style - 2011 Milwaukee Bucks Draft Day Trade

2011-06-24T01:01:00.165-05:00

Although I am going to post my traditional Sunday Funday post where I give my thoughts on the Milwaukee Bucks' 2011 NBA Draft, I had to do a special Wednesday What Happened post to dissect the big draft day trade between the Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Bobcats, and Sacramento Kings.

After running a fiscally tight ship for his first few years as general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks, John Hammond painted himself in a corner last summer when he traded for Corey Maggette, signed John Salmons to a ludicrous contract extension, and signed Drew Gooden to the mid-level exception. After seeing those pieces not work well together last year, Hammond decided to make a big trade. Here is the breakdown of the deal:

Milwaukee Bucks* get:
- Stephen Jackson (SG/SF)
- Beno Udrih (PG/SG)
- Shaun Livingston (PG)
- 19th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft: Tobias Harris (SF/PF)

Charlotte Bobcats** get:
- Corey Maggette (SF)
- 7th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft: Bismark Biyambo (PF)

"Sacramento"*** Kings get:
- John Salmons (SG)
- 10th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft: Jimmer Freddette (PG/SG)

At first blush this looks like a salary dump by the Milwaukee Bucks. According to HoopsHype the Bucks shipped off $45,346,207**** in long-term money committed to Maggette and Salmons while they took on $37,862,500***** in long-term money committed to Livingston, Udrih, and Jackson. At the very least Herb Kohl saved $7,483,707 million in the trade by not giving up very much in the process.

The pieces that the Bucks added fit their team much better than the ones they gave up in the trade. Stephen Jackson has proven to be a temperamental guy in the past (one of the main guys involved in The Malice at the Palace) but he is a flat out scorer that the Bucks desperately need. Udrih is a similar player to Luke Ridnour, a key contributor to the 2009-10 Milwaukee Bucks playoff run. Shaun Livingston is one of the greatest players that never was because injuries really derailed his once promising career. It has been a sad fall from being the 4th player drafted in the 2004 NBA Draft to here but Livingston will only be 26 years old the next time the Bucks take the court so there is still time for Livingston to resurrect his career.

Juxtapose that with the guys that the Bucks gave up in the trade. Maggette never fit the system in Milwaukee and has been a locker room cancer at every one of his NBA stops. Salmons never regained his 2009-10 form after getting hurt going into the 2010-11 season. As a result the Bucks really didn't give up a ton to get the players they got. Furthermore they free up money for the 2013-14 season when there will most likely be a hard cap in the NBA.

I see two problems with the deal. One, if John Hammond just signed Luke Ridnour to the four-year, $16 million contract****** that the Minnesota Timberwolves signed him to last off-season, the Bucks would have been just fine. The Bucks could have let Salmons leave via free agency and never traded for Corey Maggette.

Second, moving down from the 10th pick to the 19th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft the Bucks gave up a chance to get a bunch of guys they had an interest in drafting. I will leave my thoughts on the decision to take Tobias Harris instead of Kenneth Faried for my Sunday Funday post about the 2011 NBA Draft for the Milwaukee Bucks but needless to say this trade would get more support from me if the Bucks made a better pick at 19.

Still the Bucks look like the winner in the trade because they added better pieces. The Bobcats come a close second in the trade because moving from 19th to 7th in the 2011 NBA Draft allowed them to draft my draft crush Bismark Biyambo...the next coming of Serge Ibaka. Unfortunately they had to give up Jackson for Maggette to move up. For the sake of Biyambo please put Maggette's locker as far away from his as possible MJ. Finally the Kings are in huge financial trouble yet they took on long-term money in the trade while moving down in the draft. Normally that would not be a big deal because to move from the 7th pick to the 10th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft because it is considered one of the weakest drafts in years but somehow Kentucky point guard Brandon Knight slipped to 8th in the draft. As a result the Kings lost out on their chance to add Knight so they were forced to deprive the Utah Jazz of The Jimmer.

Long story short, after watching the aforementioned pieces play together last season Hammond decided to shuffle the deck again in hopes of limiting the damage, albeit damage of his own doing. Hammond better hope that the guys that went from 10th to 18th******* in the 2011 NBA Draft never turn into superstars because that will be the achilles heel of the trade if Tobias Harris turns out to be a flop.

Footnotes:
* = Traded away Corey Maggette, John Salmons, and the 10th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft

** = Traded away Stephen Jackson, Livingston, and the 19th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft

*** = You notice I put Sacramento in quotes because their bankrupt owners tried to move out of Sacramento but couldn't pull it off...good guys. Anyhow they traded away Beno Udrih and the 7th overall pick in the draft.

**** = Corey Maggette is owed $21,186,207 ($10,262,069 in 2011-12 and $10,924,138 in 2012-13) and John Salmons is owed $24,160,000 ($8,500,000 in 2011-12, $8,080,000 in 2012-13, $7,580,000 in 2013-14, and $7,000,000 team option in 2014-15 that would push the value of the contract to $31,160,000 but I didn't include that because there is a 1% chance that the Kings will pick up that team option for the 2014-15 season).

***** = Shaun Livingston is owed $3,500,000 in 2011-12 with a team option for $3,500,000 for 2012-13; Beno Udrih is owed $15,042,500 ($7,232,500 in 2011-12 and $7,810,000 player option for 2012-13), Stephen Jackson is owed $19,320,000 ($9,260,000 for 2011-12 and $10,060,000 for 2012-13).

****** = $4,000,000 for 2010-11, $3,680,000 for 2011-12, $4,000,000 for 2012-13, and $4,320,000 for 2013-14.

******* = Jimmer Fredette (PG/SG), Klay Thompson (SG/SF), Alec Burks (SG), Markieff Morris (PF), Marcus Morris (PF), Kawhi Leonard (SF), Nikola Vučević (PF), Iman Shumpert (PG/SG), and Chris Singleton (PF).

CSN's 2011 First Round NBA Mock Draft

2011-06-23T01:01:00.071-05:00

Undoubtedly there will be a ton of trades deeming this "mock" draft essentially useless but I want to get on record what I think each general manager should do with each pick:

#1) Cleveland Cavaliers - Kyrie Irving (PG, Duke, 6'4", 191 lbs, 19 years old)

#2) Minnesota Timberwolves - Derrick Williams (PF, Arizona, 6'9", 248 lbs, 20 years old)

#3) Utah Jazz - Enes Kanter (C, Kentucky, 6'11", 259 lbs, 19 years old)

#4) Cleveland Cavaliers - Bismack Biyombo (PF, Congo, 6'9", 243 lbs, 18 years old)

#5) Toronto Raptors - Brandon Knight (PG, Kentucky, 6'4", 177 lbs, 19 years old)

#6) Washington Wizards - Jan Vesely (SF, Czech Republic, 6'11", 240 lbs, 21 years old)

#7) Sacramento Kings - Kemba Walker (PG, UConn, 6'1", 184 lbs, 21 years old)

#8) Detroit Pistons - Tristan Thompson (PF, Texas, 6'9", 227 lbs, 20 years old)

#9) Charlotte Bobcats - Kawhi Leonard (SF, San Diego State, 6'7", 228 lbs, 19 years old)

#10) Milwaukee Bucks - Jonas Valanciunas (C, Lithuania, 6'11", 240 lbs, 19 years old)

#11) Golden State Warriors - Kenneth Faried (PF, Morehead State, 6'8", 225 lbs, 21 years old)

#12) Utah Jazz - Jimmer Fredette (PG/SG, BYU, 6'3", 196 lbs, 22 years old)

#13) Phoenix Suns - Klay Thompson (SG, Washington State, 6'7", 206 lbs, 21 years old)

#14) Houston Rockets - Chris Singleton (PF, Florida State, 6'9", 230 lbs, 21 years old)

#15) Indiana Pacers - Marcus Morris (PF, Kansas, 6'9", 230 lbs, 21 years old)

#16) Philadelphia 76ers - Alec Burks (SG, Colorado, 6'6", 193 lbs, 19 years old)

#17) New York Knicks - Jordan Hamilton (SF, Texas, 6'9", 228 lbs, 20 years old)

#18) Washington Wizards - Marshon Brooks (SG, Providence, 6'5", 195 lbs, 22 years old)

#19) Charlotte Bobcats - Markieff Morris (PF, Kansas, 6'9", 241 lbs, 21 years old)

#20) Minnesota Timberwolves - Donatas Motiejunas (PF, Lithuania, 7'0", 220 lbs, 20 years old)

#21) Portland Trail Blazers - Josh Selby (PG/SG, Kansas, 6'3", 195 lbs, 20 years old)

#22) Denver Nuggets - Nikola Vucevic (C, USC, 7'0", 260 lbs, 20 years old)

#23) Houston Rockets - Tobias Harris (SF, Tennessee, 6'8", 223 lbs, 18 years old)

#24) Oklahoma City Thunder - Nikola Mirotic (PF, Spain, 6'10", 225 lbs, 20 years old)

#25) Boston Celtics - Reggie Jackson (PG, Boston College, 6'3", 208 lbs, 21 years old)

#26) Dallas Mavericks - Tyler Honeycutt (SF, UCLA, 6'8", 187 lbs, 20 years old)

#27) New Jersey Nets - Justin Harper (PF, Richmond, 6'9", 228 lbs, 21 years old)

#28) Chicago Bulls - Iman Shumpert (PG/SG, Georgia Tech, 6'5", 222 lbs, 20 years old)

#29) San Antonio Spurs - Davis Bertans (SF, Slovenia, 6'10, 210 lbs, 18 years old)

#30) Chicago Bulls - Kyle Singler (SF, Duke, 6'9", 228 lbs, 23 years old)

Wednesday What (Might) Happen - 2011 NBA Draft First Round Preview for the Bucks

2011-06-22T23:59:00.010-05:00

It is 99% guaranteed that Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams will be the first two picks of the 2011 NBA Draft. After that, anything is possible. My draft crushes that will most likely be gone when the Bucks pick in the first round of the 2011 NBA Draft are Bismack Biyombo and Tristan Thompson. Both Biyombo and Thompson look like the ideal power forward the Bucks have been searching for since Vin Baker drank his way out of Milwaukee...no small feat with how much Cheeseheads like to booze.

Players that will most likely be available when the Bucks pick in the first round are:

Kenneth Faried (PF, Morehead State, 6'8", 225 lbs, 21 years old): Rich Man's Ben Wallace 2.0 is my reasonable draft crush of the 2011 NBA Draft. Faried may never make an all-star team but he will do all the dirty work that the Bucks hope Larry Sanders and Drew Gooden will do at some point.

Klay Thompson (SG, Washington State, 6'7", 206 lbs, 21 years old): The big bodied scorer the Bucks were hoping that John Salmons would continue to be looks like the boom/bust prospect that teams love to take in the lottery ahead of a known commodity with a lower ceiling like Faried.

Alec Burks (SG, Colorado, 6'6", 193 lbs, 19 years old): Much like the aforementioned Thompson, Burks is an interesting shooting guard prospect that could help the Bucks put the ball in the basket...something they struggled to do last season.

Marcus Morris (PF, Kansas, 6'9", 230 lbs, 21 years old): Please do not take Marcus, he looks like just another version of Sanders and Gooden.

Markieff Morris (PF, Kansas, 6'9", 241 lbs, 21 years old): See discussion of his brother above, I feel the same way.

There are a ton of other prospects that are in play for the Bucks when they pick in the first round of the 2011 NBA Draft but the aforementioned guys look like the most likely players that John Hammond and company are honing in on. Check back tomorrow for my 2011 First Round NBA Mock Draft.

Sunday Funday - 2011 Milwaukee Brewers Draft Picks

2011-06-17T23:33:00.096-05:00

As you will see below the 2011 MLB Draft is the draft of the pitchers, catchers, shortstops and centers for the Milwaukee Brewers. All told the Brewers selected: 24 pitchers (17 RHP and 7 LHP), 8 catchers, 6 shortstops, 6 center fielders, 2 first baseman, 2 third baseman, 1 second basemen, 1 right fielder, and 1 other outfielder. Irrespective of position, the Brewers took 30 college players and 21 high school players.

The information in parenthesis for each player is: position, side they hit from/arm they throw with, school, height, weight, and date of birth. Here are the 51 players the Milwaukee Brewers selected in the 2011 MLB Draft with some of my comments mixed in about each player:

1st Round (12th): Taylor Jungmann (RHP, R/R, Texas, 6’6”, 220 lbs, 12/18/1989): Let’s hope this power arm out of Texas is not as much of an a-hole as another former right handed power arm out of Texas that is currently being prosecuted by the federal government. Yes, I am talking about Rodger Clemens.

1st Round (15th): Jed Bradley (LHP, L/L, Georgia Tech, 6’4”, 224 lbs, 6/12/1990): The Brewer have this pick as a result of not signing their 2010 first round pick, Dylan Covey (RHP), because they learned after drafting Covey that he has Type 1 diabetes. Bradley is more of a nibbler than a power arm. After missing on pitchers in the first round the last two years Eric Arnett (2009) and Dylan Covey (2010), the Brewers would be ecstatic if either Jungmann or Bradley pitch in a meaningful major league game by 2013.

2nd Round (70th): Jorge Lopez (RHP, R/R, Caguas Military Academy, 6’4”, 165 lbs, 2/10/1993): Not sure if there is any track record for taking skinny guys out of Puerto Rico but it looks like we are about to find out.

3rd Round (100th): Andrew Gagnon (RHP, R/R, Cal State Long Beach, 6’4”, 190 lbs, 6/26/1990): Clearly the Brewers were trying to re-stock their farm system with pitchers after they traded away most of their top minor league pitchers (Jeremy Jeffress and Jake Odorizzi) in the Zack Greinke trade.

4th Round (131st): Nicholas Ramirez (1B, L/L, Cal State Fullerton, 6’3”, 225 lbs, 8/1/1989): With the impending loss of Prince Fielder after the season the Brewers would love to be able to plug in a guy like Ramirez right away in 2012 but unfortunately the MLB Draft is not like the NBA Draft or NFL Draft. Most players taken early in the NBA Draft and the NFL Draft are expected to play right but in the baseball most players taken in the 2011 MLB Draft will be lucky to see time in the big leagues in 2013. One final thing on Ramirez, he went 16 for 16 in save opportunities last year so if he struggles at the plate he can always try pitching.

5th Round (161st): Michael Reed (CF, R/R, Leander HS in TX, 6’0”, 190 lbs, 11/18/1992): I guess you take the best player available but the Brewers have needs at shortstop especially since they have a fair amount of young talent in center fielder at the major league level (Nyjer Morgan and Carlos Gomez) and the minor league level (Erik Komatsu and Kentrail Davis). Much like Ramirez, Reed can pitch too.

6th Round (191st): Danny Keller (RHP, R/R, Newbury Park HS in CA, 6’5”, 190 lbs, 6/30/1992): After a brief run of drafting non-pitchers that can still pitch, the Brewers got back on the tall pitcher draft train. For those scoring at home the Brewers used five of their first seven picks on pitchers that are at least 6’4” or taller. Their other two pickers were position players that pitched part-time last year.

7th Round (221st): David Goforth (RHP, R/R, Ole Miss, 5’11”, 180 lbs, 10/11/1988): Hopefully for Goforth’s sake the Brewers don’t take a picture of their top pitchers drafted in the 2011 MLB Draft because everyone besides Goforth is a tall drink of water. Despite being short, Goforth has a power arm that hopefully will continue to improve as he settles in as a relief pitcher in the minor leagues.

8th Round (251st): Dustin Houle (C, R/R, Brookswood Secondary School in Canada, 6’1”, 205 lbs, 11/9/1993): The last time the Brewers drafted a Canadian catcher (Brett Lawrie) they turned him into a starting major league pitcher (Shaun Marcum). Granted the Brewers used a much higher pick on Lawrie than Houle but they hail from the same school and with the sudden depth the Brewers have at catcher, this is the type of luxury pick that makes sense to me because for my money you can never have too many catchers. Furthermore Houle is the youngest player in the draft so the Brewers can take their time letting him develop.

9th Round (281st): Malcolm Dowell (CF, R/R, La Grange HS in GA, 5’11”, 185 lbs, 4/21/1993): I see themes emerging in the draft, the Brewers want talk pitchers and short center fielders.

10th Round (311th): Mike Strong (LHP, L/L, Oklahoma State, 6’0”, 175 lbs, 11/17/1988): Unfortunately Strong’s last name does not translate to his play on the field because he has a below average fastball.

11th Round (341st): Thomas Toledo (RHP, R/R, Florida, 6’3”, 190 lbs, 12/13/1988): Sometimes players should take the money and run. Toledo was taken in the third round coming out of high school but he decided to go to Florida instead where he struggled with injuries. Toledo joins the Brewers as a boom-or-bust pick.

12th Round (371st): Andrew Cain (OF, R/R, UNC Wilmington, 6’6”, 220 lbs, 3/24/1990): Are we looking at the next Corey Hart? Probably not, but as the Brewers have shown throughout the draft so far, you can’t teach size so you might as well take the tallest guy possible.

13th Round (401st): Mallex Smith (CF, L/R, Richards HS in FL, 5’9”, 155 lbs, 5/6/1993): Forget what I just said, the Brewers took another short center fielder.

14th Round (431st): Jacob Barnes (RHP, R/R, Fla. Gulf Coast U., 6’2”, 230 lbs, 4/14/1990): Since I have never seen Barnes pitch I will go with the low hanging fruit, Barnes seems a tad on a heavy side at 230 pounds. Hopefully with the horrible meals Barnes will eat in the minors he might be able to drop a few pounds.

15th Round (461st): Andrew Moye (RHP, R/R, Georgia Southern, 6’5”, 180 lbs, 9/11/1987): If Moye shows any ability early he should be on the fast track to the big leagues because of his frame and age.

16th Round (491st): Carlos Rodon (LHP, L/L, Holly Springs HS in NC, 6’2”, 12/10/1992): There were rumors that the Brewers considered taking Rodon much earlier if he would sign for slot but apparently Rodon wants to go to college unless he is offered a ton of money over slot. Looks like Rodon won’t sign with the Brewers. May be I am missing something but why did the Brewers draft him at all then?

17th Round (521st): Mario Amaral (C, R/R, Ronald Reagan HS in FL, 6’1”, 10/14/1993): After taking a Canadian catcher the Brewers decided to add an American catcher, as I said above, you can never have too many catchers.

18th Round (551st): Christopher McFarland (SS, R/R, Lufkin HS in TX, 6’0”, 200 lbs, 11/24/1992): Finally the Brewers took a shortstop. After trading away Alcides Escobar as a part of the Zack Greinke trade the Brewers needed to add depth at shortstop higher in the draft.

19th Round (581st): Renaldo Jenkins (SS, R/R, Whitewater HS in GA, 6’0”, 190 lbs, 3/1/1993): Taking shortstops back-to-back still doesn’t make up for waiting so long to take a shortstop.

20th Round (611th): Brandon Williamson (RHP, R/R, Dallas Baptist U., 6’3”, 180 lbs 4/22/1989): I guess this pick was all part of God’s plan.

21st Round (641st): Mike Nemeth (1B, L/R, UConn, 6’1”, 200 lbs, 4/4/1989): A very accomplished defensive first baseman with power seems like a great person to add this late in the draft.

22nd Round (671st): Dennis Jones (CF, R/R, Jefferson Davis HS in AL, 6’3”, 185 lbs, 9/4/1992): So far the Brewers have taken smallish center fielders but they changed course with Jones by drafting a taller guy. Hopefully Jones has some wheels to go along with his big frame.

23rd Round (701st): Benjamin McMahan (C, R/R, Florida, 6’0”, 201 lbs, 10/14/1989): After adding two high school catchers earlier in the draft the Brewers added a more experienced catcher to help balance out the draft class.

24th Round (731st): Michael Palazzone (RHP, R/R, Georgia, 6’2”, 190 lbs, 5/6/1989): I hate to be juvenile but Palazzone sounds like a type of Italian pastry that is huge in Italy but hasn’t quite caught on in the United States yet.

25th Round (761st): Parker Berberet (C, R/R, Oregon State, 6’4”, 205 lbs, 10/20/1989): It will be interesting to see whether this big body behind the plate will hold up or whether Berberet will have to play another position.

26th Round (791st): Josh Smith (LHP, L/L, Wichita State, 6’3”, 194 lbs, 10/11/1989): Although it is a long shot, hopefully this Josh Smith can have as good of a career as pitcher as the Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith has had in the NBA.

27th Round (821st): Chad Thompson (RHP, R/R, Orange Coast College, 6’8”, 210 lbs, 2/6/1991): You can’t teach height but you hopefully can teach how to throw strikes again because all the scouting reports say that Thompson has struggled with control since having Tommy John surgery.

28th Round (851st): BreShon Kimbell (C, R/R, Mesquite HS in TX, 6’1”, 210 lbs, 11/6/1992): This draft is quickly turning into the up the middle draft. Unless you are a catcher, pitcher or center fielder you better look for another team.

29th Round (881st): David Lucroy (RHP, R/R, Umatilla HS in FL, 6’2”, 202 lbs, 9/3/1992): Another pick, another player up the middle of the field. It would be pretty cool to have a family pitcher/catcher combo since David is the brother of starting big-league Brewer catcher Jonathan.

30th Round (911th): Trent Boras (3B, L/R, Junipero Serra Catholic HS in CA, 5’11”, 170 lbs, 6/26/1992): It took 31 picks to add a guy to play third base. Hopefully Trent Boras’ dad is not Scott Boras otherwise he is going to ride the Brewers to overpay his son since he is the devil reincarnated as a baseball agent.

31st Round (941st): Sean Albury (RHP, R/R, Nova Southeastern University, 5’11”, 180 lbs, 3/24/1989): Another pick, another pitcher, let’s keep the train moving.

32nd Round (971st): Alfredo Rodriguez (SS, R/R, Maryland, 6’0”, 175 lbs, 5/26/1990): This has to be possibly the strongest name that the Brewers have taken so far. No matter how much people hate the A-Rod that currently plays for the New York Yankees, if this A-Rod is 10% of that A-Rod the Brewers would be ecstatic.

33rd Round (1001st): Steven Okert (LHP, L/L, Grayson County College in TX, 6’3”, 210 lbs, 7/9/1991): We are officially in the quadruple digits for draft picks now so the odds of anyone from here on out actually playing for the Milwaukee Brewers is so minimal that I am moving to rapid fire mode from here on out.

34th Round (1031st): Adam Weisenburger (C, R/R, Miami U, 5’10”, 185 lbs, 12/13/1988): Can’t argue with taking a guy from big time college program. Hopefully Weisenburger becomes the Hebrew Hammer II with Ryan Braun being the original Hebrew Hammer (or Hebrewer depending on your nickname taste) from the University of Miami.

35th Round (1061st): Doug Elliot (C, R/R, UConn, 6’2”, 210 lbs, 8/31/1988): Bookend catchers in the 33rd and 34th round have the Brewers creeping toward the double digits for catchers taken in the 2011 MLB Draft.

36th Round (1091st): Mitchell Conner (RHP, R/R, Elon U, 6’3”, 210 lbs, 7/26/1989): Not too sure if he can pitch but he has two strong first names so that is a start.

37th Round (1121st): Casey Medlen (RHP, R/R, North Florida, 6’0”, 155 lbs, 8/4/1989): Some people live to eat (Prince Fielder) and some people eat to live (Mallex Smith and Casey Medlen).

38th Round (1151st): Chad Pierce (RHP, R/R, UWM, 6’1”, 215 lbs, 11/20/1987): I love taking a guy from UWM, keep it in the family. Ironically Pierce lives in Milwaukee and got drafted by a team based in Milwaukee but will have to move out of town to player in the minor leagues.

39th Round (1181st): Elliot Glynn (LHP, L/L, UConn, 6’1”, 160 lbs, 1/13/1989): Whoever is the area scout for UConn must be one persuasive fella because the Brewers selected three guys out of UConn with their first 40 picks.

40th Round (1211th): Kenton Aldridge (C, L/R, Glenwood HS in AL, 6’2”, 180 lbs, 7/20/1992): Throws righty and bats lefty, good combo for the last catcher taken by the Brewers.

41st Round (1241st): Jalen Harris (3B, R/R, Lambrick Park SS, 6’2”, 210 lbs, 7/7/1992): Nothing to add here so let’s just keep the train rolling.

42nd Round (1271st): Caleb Whalen (SS, R/R, Union HS in WA, 6’2”, 180 lbs, 10/19/1992): All I hear is Larry King saying “Union High School Washington, your on.”

43rd Round (1301st): Clinton Wilson (RHP, R/R, Navarro Junior College in TX, 6’0”, 215 lbs, 4/12/1992): The stars are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas.

44th Round (1331st): Steven Adam (CF, L/L, Ecole Secondaire L'Esser, 5’11”, 170 lbs, 5/20/1993): Despite taking what feels like a dozen center fielders already this is the first one that hits and throws lefty.

45th Round (1361st): Adrian Williams (SS, R/R, UCLA, 6’0”, 175 lbs, 1/3/1991): I like taking guys from big school like UCLA. The only thing I wonder is how a guy goes from playing for a big-time college team in Los Angeles to riding buses from small town to small town to play double-headers.

46th Round (1391st): Ahmad Christian (SS, S/R, Trinity Christian Academy in FL, 6’0”, 190 lbs, 11/23/1993): It took 47 picks for the Brewers to finally grab a switcher hitter, seems like they should have nabbed one earlier though.

47th Round (1421st): Jecid Tarazona (CF, R/R, North Broward Prep HS in FL, 6’3”, 195 lbs, 9/12/1993): Finally the draft of the center fielder is over. It feels like the Brewers took about 75 center fielders in their first 48 picks right?

48th Round (1451st): Michael Francisco (LHP, R/L, Villanova, 6’4”, 224 lbs, 8/4/1988): I visited Villanova when deciding where to go to college and the highlight of the trip was a cheese steak from Pat’s. Needless to say I didn’t go to Villanova.

49th Round (1481st): David Elmore (2B, R/R, Yale, 5’7”, 175 lbs, 9/9/1988): The Professor of the draft out of Yale keeps the Cheesehead teams streak of drafting an Elmore alive. First the Packers took Ricky and now the Brewers took David. The ball is in your court (no pun intended) Bucks, you better take an Elmore to keep the streak alive.

50th Round (1511th): Matthew Franco (RF, L/L, St. Thomas Aquinas HS in FL, 6’1”, 200 lbs, 12/9/1992): Mr. Irrelevant finally puts an end to the 2011 MLB Draft for the Milwaukee Brewers. Hopefully Matthew puts in a better performance than James did hosting the 2011 Oscars.

Thanks for sticking around to hear my rambling and random thoughts on the 2011 MLB Draft for the Milwaukee Brewers. Check back over the next few weeks for coverage on the actual 2011 Milwaukee Brewers.

Wednesday What (Might) Happen - 2011 NBA Draft Second Round Preview for the Bucks

2011-06-15T23:59:00.016-05:00

Milwaukee Bucks general manager only has one pick in the second round of the 2011 NBA Draft at this point so he better make it count after going 0 for 3 in the second round of the 2010 NBA Draft. Here is a look at some of the guys that John Hammond and company should consider drafting in the second round of the 2011 NBA Draft:

Charles Jenkins (SG, Hofstra, 6'3", 220 lbs, 22 years old): There are some very interesting advanced stats that Luke Winn of SI.com explained much better than I can for why Jenkins should go much earlier in the draft. Needless to say the Bucks could use a true scorer like Jenkins.

Malcolm Lee (PG, UCLA, 6'6", 198 lbs, 21 years old): The body on Lee alone makes him intriguing. Plus adding a true point guard behind Brandon Jennings would help Jennings be more effective.

Shelvin Mack (PG/SG, Butler, 6'3", 209 lbs, 21 years old): I have a soft spot in my heart for Mack despite how much he torched UWM throughout his career. The Bucks could use a combo guard of the future to help lessen the burden on Brandon Jennings going forward.

Jimmy Butler (SF, Marquette, 6'8", 222 lbs, 21 years old): This looks like a sentimental pick but the Michael Oher of the 2011 NBA Draft is riding the wave of Wes Matthews and Lazar Hayward up draft boards. My guess is that Butler will not even be on the board when the Bucks pick in the second round unless they trade up.

Jon Leuer (PF, Wisconsin, 6'11", 223 lbs, 21 years old): The American Ersan Ilyasova could step in and contribute right away. There is a chance that Ilyasova will leave via free agency after next season so the Bucks not only hedge the loss of Ilyasova but add one of the most skilled shooters for big men in the entire 2011 NBA Draft.

Jeremy Tyler (PF/C, Japan, 6'11", 262 lbs, 20 years old): Much like Brandon Jennings, Tyler passed on playing in college to play professionally overseas. Unfortunately Tyler had a few unsuccessful seasons in Israel and Japan so his draft stock has plummeted. Picking a guy like Tyler is the sort of boom-or-bust move I support the Bucks doing in the second round.

Keith Benson (PF/C, Oakland, 6'11", 217 lbs, 22 years old): A bit of a reach but there aren't a ton of guys like Benson in the 2011 NBA Draft and with the health issues that have plagued Andrew Bogut the last few years the Bucks could certainly uses a real back-up center.

Check back next Wednesday for my look at the potential first round picks for the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2011 NBA Draft.

Wednesday What Happened - Buzz Williams Contract Extension

2011-06-08T23:59:00.050-05:00

Buzz Williams finally got a chance to be a head coach at the University of New Orleans for the 2006-07 season after working as an assistant coach for more than 15 years*. In what can only be characterized as a lackluster campaign, Williams compiled a 14–17 record including a 7–9 record in the lowly Sun Belt Conference in his first season as head coach of the University of New Orleans for the 2006-07 season. Instead of sticking around for a second season as the head coach of the University of New Orleans, Williams left to be an assistant for the Marquette Warriors under head coach Tom Crean.

Most observers questioned why Williams would leave a head coaching position for an assistant coaching position at the time although a fair argument could be made that being an assistant coach at Marquette is a better job than being a head coach at the University of New Orleans. That debate was not necessary less than a year later because following the 2007-08 season, despite the Hoosiers men's basketball program being hampered by NCAA sanctions thanks to the NCAA violating text messaging prowess of current Milwaukee Bucks assistant Kelvin Sampson, Tom Crean packed up his sun tanning beds and moved them south to coach the Indiana Hoosiers. I have said it a millions times already so for the 1,000,001th time: Tom Crean is a fool for leaving Marquette for Indiana.

Instead of staying at a stable program (Marquette) where Crean could have milked his 2003 NCAA Final Four appearance (really more of a testament to Dwayne Wade, Travis Diener, Steve Novak, and Robert Jackson than Crean though in my book) for another decade, Crean left for a formerly famous program (Indiana) that has less scholarships available thanks to the aforementioned NCAA sanctions. Crean looks to have one of the best recruiting classes heading into the 2011-12 season but we all know that doesn't always translate into wins. Let me take it one step further. If I was a betting man, I would say Crean not only has a shorter tenure at Indiana than Williams but Crean will earn less money from Indiana than Williams will earn from Marquette.

With Crean tanning in Indiana, Marquette named Buzz Williams their 16th head coach**. Williams has put together quite an impressive resume since taking over as head coach of the Warriors for the 2008-09 season. Williams and the Warriors made three straight NCAA Tournament appearance getting to the second round in 2009***, losing in the first round in 2010****, and making the Sweet Sixteen in 2011****. All told Williams is 69-37 overall, 32-22 in the Big East, and 3-3 in the NCAA Tournament as head coach of the Marquette Warriors.

Williams earned millions of dollars in the three short years in charge of the Warriors. Based on tax returns filed by Marquette University (through June 30, 2011), Williams earned $2,800,347 in 2009 thanks in large-part to a one-time $1,987,203 bonus. Furthermore Team Buzz Williams, a limited partnership that Williams runs, paid Williams an additional $397,500 in 2009. Williams most likely runs his speaking engagements and basketball camps through Team Buzz Williams. All told, Williams made $3,197,847 in 2009 alone. As a point of comparison, Marquette woman's basketball coach Terri Mitchell earned $417,985 in 2009.

There are differing numbers as to what Williams earned in 2010. According to USA Today, Williams only earned $876,282 in 2010 while other sources claim that Williams earned $1.6 million in 2010 as a part of a six-year rollover contract.

Arkansas and Oklahoma showed interest in hiring Williams. Much like Crean leaving Marquette for Indiana, it would have made no sense for Williams to leave for either of those programs, especially since Oklahoma is still in hot water thank to Kalvin Sampson's texting prowess there before he left to commit similar violations at Indiana. Luckily for Williams, Arkansas and Oklahoma's interest allowed Williams to negotiate another raise. Marquette added an undisclosed number of years (presumably more than six years though) at roughly $2 million a year on a rolling basis. It is unclear what buyout was added to the new deal (presumably more than $3 million).

Although I have not read the actual contract, if it were my money, I would not have offered Williams the extension. Ask Notre Dame how they feel about the gargantuan extension they gave Charlie Weis. The only thing that makes sense about the contract is that it contains rolling salaries with a buyout provision. As long as the buyout is not too large, at least Marquette is able to move on for less than the full value of the contract if Williams struggles over the next few seasons.

For all those naysayers that said Williams should have stayed at the University of New Orleans, Williams is laughing all the way to the bank. The 38-year old Buzz Williams is already a very rich man and is on the cusp of being even richer if he fulfills the rest of his contract. Plus college coaches always need at least six years remaining on their contract to appease recruits so Williams will be offered raises and extensions every few years to make sure he is locked up for at least six years into the future until he leaves Marquette.

College basketball and football coaching salaries are skyrocketing much like CEO compensation. Buzz Williams is going to make somewhere in the neighborhood of $2.5 million for the 2011-12 season to coach a college basketball team. Obviosuly that is what the market will bear so good for Buzz but shame on college athletic departments in general. Once one coach gets a nice bump in compensation, every other school has to fall in line. I am not advocating that coaches shouldn't get paid well but at some point the raises and extensions spin out of control. At this point it seems like the extension given to Buzz Williams is just another example of how these raises and extensions have done exactly that, spun out of control.

Footnotes:
* = Navarro College (1990–92), Oklahoma City University (1992-94), University of Texas at Arlington (1994-98), Texas A&M University–Kingsville (1998-99), Northwestern State University (1999–00), Colorado State University (2000–04), and Texas A&M University (2004–06).

** = Ralph Risch (1916–17), John J. Ryan (1918–20), Frank Murray (1920–29), Cord Lipe (1929–30), Bill Chandler (1930–51), Tex Winter (1951–53), Jack Nagle (1953–58), Eddie Hickey (1958–64), Al McGuire (1964–77), Hank Raymonds (1977–83), Rick Majerus (1983–86), Bob Dukiet (1986–89), Kevin O'Neill (1989–94), Mike Deane (1994–99), and Tom Crean (1999–08).

*** = 6th seeded Marquette beat 11th seeded Utah State 58-57 and 6th seeded Marquette lost to 3rd seeded Missouri 83-79

**** = 6th seeded Marquette lost to 11th seeded Washington 80-78

***** = 11th seeded Marquette beat 6th seeded Xavier 66-55, 11th seeded Marquette beat 3rd seeded Syracuse 66-62, and 11th seeded Marquette lost to 2nd seeded University of North Carolina 81-63.

Sunday Funday - Steve Stricker won the 2011 Memorial Tournament

2011-06-05T23:59:00.132-05:00

Cheesehead native Steve Stricker had one of the most impressive stretches of golf spanning two rounds of a PGA Tour event in recent years early on at the 2011 Memorial, Jack Nicklaus' annual golf tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club.

Stricker started his second round on the back nine so he completed his second round on the front nine on Friday. Sticker's 17th hole of the day but actually the 8th hole of the course was a Par-3, 185-yard hole. Stricker hit a perfect shot to pull off one the hardest things in golf, a hole-in-one. Check out the video, hilarious call by the announcer.

That ace was just the beginning of something special. When Stricker teed it up on Saturday on the front nine he eagled the 2nd hole (a Par-4) by chipping in and the 5th hole (a Par-5) by canning a nice putt. Those three eagles gave Stricker three eagles in a seven hole stretch and put him 9-under for a 10 hole stretch spanning the end of his second round into his third round (scorecard).

Stricker led the Memorial Tournament by four strokes at the turn (nine holes to play) and looked like he was going to cruise to victory at Jack Nickalus' signature PGA Tour event. Unfortunately the tournament was halted due to a weather delay for two and a half hours. The lengthy weather delay seemed to help the field more than Stricker because when play resumed, Stricker's lead started to rapidly dwindle.

Stricker lead by three strokes with five holes to play. After bogeying the 15th hole (a Par-5), he only lead by two strokes with three holes to play. With such a small lead, Stricker scrambled the rest of the way. Consecutive sandy pars on the 16th and 17th hole, thanks to draining putts of 15 and 7 feet respectively, gave Stricker a two shot lead heading into the 18th hole. Stricker kept the wheels on the wagon just long enough to finish with a two-putt bogey to hold off Matt Kuchar and Brandt Jobe to win the 2011 Memorial by one stroke.

Stricker owned the front nine (20-under par) but struggled on the back nine (4-over par) all four days of the tournament. If Stricker only played the front nine he would have lapped the field but in golf tournaments you have to play all 18 holes all four days. Thanks in large part to being one the of best putters on the PGA Tour, Stricker managed to hang on to win.

Stricker pocketed a hefty $1.1 million for winning the 2011 Memorial, which put him over $30 million in career PGA Tour winnings. Money aside, winning The Memorial gave Stricker his 10th career PGA Tour win and helped him become the 4th ranked player in the world. That means that Stricker is currently the highest ranked American in the world for the first time in his career.

Despite a weather delay and lengthy par putts down the stretch, Stricker hung on to win the 2011 Memorial at Murfield Village. If you want to know why Stricker is arguably the most liked player on the PGA Tour, despite rooting for the Bears instead of the Packers, the highlight of the day for Stricker was shaking Jack Nicklaus' hand coming off the 18th green. People always talk about how money corrupts athletes but Steve Stricker is living proof that there are still a few good guys left in professional sports.

Wednesday What (Should) Happen - Advice for John Hammond

2011-05-25T23:59:00.004-05:00

Let's put the presumptive NBA lockout aside for the purposes of this post and assume that there will in fact be a 2011-12 NBA Season. Much like I did for Ted Thompson following Super Bowl XLV, here is my best advice for how general manger John Hammond should proceed going into the 2011-12 NBA Season:

Point Guard:
- Under Contract for 2011: Brandon Jennings and Keyon Dooling
- Restricted Free Agent: None
- Free Agent: Earl Boykins
- Advice: Despite my love for short guys because I am a card carrying member of the short guy club, let Boykins leave via free agency. After that, fortify the back-up point guard position with an upgrade over Dooling via trade, the draft, or free agency. I say an upgrade over Dooling because not only will an upgrade over Dooling give Jennings a breather but the Bucks need someone that will actually push Jennings to play better. During his rookie season Jennings had Luke Ridnour pushing him to play better but for his sophomore campaign he didn't really have a guy that pushed him. Finally if someone wants Dooling for a bag of balls, trade him. The only reason to hold onto Dooling is to include him in a trade deadline deal for salary cap purposes.

Shooting Guard:
- Under Contract for 2011: John Salmons
- Restricted Free Agent: Chris Douglas-Roberts
- Unrestricted Free Agent: Michael Redd
- Advice: Unfortunately Salmons looks like the presumptive starter heading into next season. After that, unless Michael Redd wants to pay to play for the Bucks next year, let him walk because a 30-something shooting guard that is coming off two massive knee surgeries the last two seasons is not an ideal back-up shooting guard. After that, tender CDR. Unfortunately it seems like the writing is on the wall that the Bucks want to move on without him but much like Dooling, CDR is worth being a salary cap consideration in a trade deadline deal.

Small Forward:
- Under Contract for 2011: Carlos Delfino and Corey Maggette
- Restricted Free Agent: None
- Unrestricted Free Agent: None
- Advice: If you can move Corey Maggette, do it as long as you don't take on more years or a more expensive contract. After that, decide what the long-term plan is for Carlos Delfino because he is in the last year of the three-year, $10.5 million deal that seems like highway robbery by NBA standards.

Power Forward:
- Under Contract for 2011: Drew Gooden, Ersan Ilyasova, Larry Sanders, and Jon Brockman
- Restricted Free Agent: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
- Unrestricted Free Agent: None
- Advice: Tender The Prince (Luc Richard Mbah a Moute). That will allow the Bucks to match any offer that The Prince gets. In terms of how much money the Bucks should commit to The Prince, match any offer he gets as long as it is less than the mid-level exception because he is hands down the best defender on the current roster. Every time I have a chance to say it I will, Ilyasova a poor let me stress poor man's Dirk Nowitzki. As a result, Ilyasova deserves every chance possible to be on the court. After that, how many tall trees that aren't that good can the Bucks have? Brockman seems like nothing more than a practice player despite the fact that I love his motor, Sanders looks like a long-term project, and Gooden just needs to get healthy. Please don't draft a power forward in the first round of the 2011 NBA Draft unless his name is Bismack Biyombo or Kenneth Faried.

Center:
- Under Contract for 2011: Andrew Bogut
- Restricted Free Agent: None
- Unrestricted Free Agent: None
- Advice: Clearly Bogut was not 100% last year after a freakish injury cut his 2009-10 season short. Unfortunately the Bucks continue to add tweener power forward/centers (Gooden and Sanders) that don't really give the Bucks a legitimate center option besides Bogut. At the very least the Bucks should take a flier on a big guy in the second round of the 2011 NBA Draft to help out Bogut.

Sunday Funday - English Premier League 2010-11 Season Review

2011-05-22T23:59:00.026-05:00

As I said last week in my running diary of Manchester City's FA Cup win over Stoke City, I am a Man City fan so this will be a another soccer post in as many weeks. Don't worry though because this post involves at least one Cheesehead sports connection to justify posting it on my Cheesehead sports related blog.

For those of you that don't know, soccer has relegation and promotion. In England that means that every season three teams are relegated from the Premier League (top division in England) to the Championship (second division in England) while three teams from the from the Championship are promoted to the Premier League. Unlike almost all other professional sports, relegation and promotion means that the last day of the season in the Premier League is one of the most fascinating days on the entire sports calendar.

With that background on relegation and promotion out of the way, now for the Cheesehead sports connection to justify posting this on the blog. A few years ago a Cheesehead soccer player (grew up in Green Bay, WI) and United States Men's National Team player Jay DeMerit scored the first goal for Watford on a header to help Watford defeat Leeds United 3-0 and gain promotion from the Championship to the Premier League. Some media outlets claim that DeMerit scored a £30 million goal thanks to the television rights alone for playing in the Premier League as opposed to the Championship.

The conventional wisdom is that 40 points (teams get 3 points for a win and 1 point for a tie) out of 38 matches will keep you in the Premier League. That conventional wisdom held true for the 2010-11 Premier League season because the three Premier League clubs relegated: Birmingham (39 points), Blackpool (39 points), and West Ham United (33 points) amassed less than 40 points while the three clubs that narrowly avoided relegation: Blackburn Rovers (43 points), Wigan Athletic (42 points), and Wolverhampton Wanderers (40 points) all earned at least 40 points.

The other conventional wisdom in the Premier League is that 70 points will get you automatic qualification for the UEFA Champions League from the Premier League. The Premier League puts three automatic qualifiers in the UEFA Champions League with the fourth team having to go through the qualification process. The conventional wisdom held because Manchester United (80 points), Chelsea (71 points), and Manchester City (71 points) all earned at least 70 points and automatically qualified while Arsenal (68 points) has to qualify for the knock-out stages of the UEFA Champions League because they finished 4th in the Premier League.

In somewhat related news, my buddy Gaber's favorite team Arsenal finished 4th while my buddy Uncle Patty's team Newcastle finished 12th. Both Arsenal and Newcastle have to be relatively pleased with their position since Arsenal still has a chance to qualify for the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League and Newcastle was just promoted back to the Premier League this season.

As you can see the magic numbers of 40 points and 70 points held for another year in the Premier League. All of that is great but selfishly the best part for me as a Man City fan is that they qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in club history. That means that Man City will continue to invest in big name players to try and improve on their best Premier League finish ever. The next goal for Man City is to win the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League for the first time in club history.

If there is one takeaway from the post, relegation and promotion is simultaneously the most nerve wracking and exhilarating thing in sports. There is no real feasible way to implement this in the the major professional sports in North America because most major professional teams own the rights to the players that make up the minor league teams (MLB, NBA, and NHL) or do not have any actual minor league teams besides a small practice squad (NFL). This should be the last soccer post for a while unless something Cheesehead soccer related happens. Please check back for more non-soccer related Cheesehead sports content on the blog.

Sunday Funday – Running Diary from Man City’s FA Cup Victory

2011-05-15T23:59:00.071-05:00

This is going to be a different type of Sunday Funday post since it does not directly involve a Cheesehead sports team. I love football, baseball, and basketball but soccer is the sport I played most growing up so it is the sport that I understand the best. About six or seven years ago I decided that it was crazy I didn’t follow an English Premier League team so I started searching for an EPL team.

I would love to claim that I had an elaborate story for how I picked Manchester City but it was really two converging factors. First, Claudio Reyna, my favorite United States soccer player of all-time, played for Man City at the time I was picking a team to follow. Second, Man City reminded me of the Packers/Brewers/Bucks because they were the underdog in their own city to Manchester United much like Chicago tries to overshadow the Cheesehead sports. So with that as background, here is my running diary of Man City trying to hoist their first trophy in 35 years:

Pre-game: Apparently Fox Soccer Channel is going through a re-branding by changing their name to Fox Soccer. Here’s a hint, instead of worrying about the name of your channel, make sure you broadcast the channel in high definition. Watching a soccer match in square, standard definition feels like I am watching a sporting event on my grandpa’s couch in 1987. This is the FA Cup for god sake, come on Fox Whatever You Want to Call Yourself.

1st Minute: Here we go, the 130th FA Cup is underway between Man City and Stoke City. The easiest way to explain the FA Cup is if baseball had a tournament where every team from rookie ball to the big leagues teams could win the trophy. Obviously the comparison doesn’t work completely because minor league baseball teams are affiliated with major league teams but you get my point.

2nd minute: Stoke was founded in 1863 but has never played in an FA Cup Final or even won a trophy in the entire history of their club. The announcers remind us that Man City is going through quite a draught as well looking for their first trophy in 35 years. Man City is the New York Mets of the English Premier League (“EPL”) at this point while Stoke City are the Cleveland Cavaliers of the EPL. Talk about two clubs that could use a slump-buster even if it means going hogging.

3rd Minute: Cheesehead Chick is filing her nails on the couch next to me as I am trying to stop myself from biting my nails. My nail-biting problem is a nasty, almost 30-year habit that I blame on me being perpetually nervous thanks to living and dying with every game played by a Cheesehead sports teams. Rooting for Man City only hurt my nail biting even more.

5th Minute: A healthy Carlos Tevez, something we haven’t seen for over a month, takes his first shot of the match for Man City. For those of you that don’t know, Tevez is the Prince Fielder of Man City…a man that produces on a high level but already unfortunately has one foot out of the door.

7th Minute: The announcer questions why Man City manager Roberto Mancini started striker Mario Balotelli, a guy who makes Ron Artest look calm. Agreed, why start the hothead when there are tons of better options on the bench (i.e. Adam Johnson).

12th Minute: The first long throw of the match by Stoke’s Rory Delap. Anytime Stoke gets the ball in Man City’s half, Delap can throw the ball into the box. Dunlap’s throw-ins alone give Stoke a huge advantage. It perplexes me why more teams don’t identify or teach players the long throw-in.

14th Minute: The refs miss a red cardable offense by Stoke’s Robert Huth. Nasty play by Huth, not sure how both refs missed that one. I am not saying instant replay is necessary but it is weird that everyone else in the world is more plugged in than the referees overseeing the match on the pitch right?

24th Minute: Man City’s Yaya Toure pushes forward and finds Balotelli who is robbed of a goal by Stoke’s goalie Thomas Sorensen…I take back what I said Mancini…great decision to start Balotelli over Johnson.

26th Minute: The first appearance of the Poznan where the fans turn their backs to the match, put their arms around each other and jump up and down. Man City fans picked it up at an away match in the Europa League this season against Lech Poznan. I love the cheer and it makes sense following a goal but I still don’t get the point of doing it while the ball is in play.

30th Minute: A handball that probably should have been a penalty kick for Stoke by Man City defender Vincent Kompany leads to a rare goal attempt by Kompany on the other end…Man City sure dodged a bullet on that one. I take back what I said about instant replay, the referee doesn’t always have to be in the loop.

32nd Minute: Another long throw by Delap. Everyone knows its coming but it is still so hard for Man City to defend. In case you haven’t realized yet, I hate the long throw.

35th Minute: Balotelli and midfielder David Silva combine on Tevez’s sublime through ball. Silva misses a sitter to put Man City ahead. With that miss Man City has five more shots than Stoke already but nothing to show for it.

38th Minute: Cheesehead Chick tops off my coffee and starts telling me about how her office doesn’t recycle. At any other time I would be interested but since Man City is playing in their first FA Cup Final since I was a zygote I am trying to pay attention to Cheesehead Chick but I am much more worried about the match than reducing global warming right now.

40th Minute: Huth finally goes in the book for a silly challenge. Huth should have already seen red and be watching the match from the locker room so a yellow is of little consolation at this point.

41st Minute: Man City defender Aleksandar Kolarov skies a free kick over the bar. Kolarov has shown flashes of being the modern day Roberto Carlos but unfortunately that was not his best effort. Just as Kolarov skies the free kick now Cheesehead Chick asks me about a parking ticket. There needs to be some type of sports rule implemented that gives guys a certain amount of time a week that doesn’t involve discussing household matters. Unfortunately with how many sporting events I watch, I would probably have to selectively use that time each week. If the NFL Lockout ever ends, I would be screwed because all-day Sunday and Monday night each week ends up being a ton of time.

Extra Time: Thanks to Tevez and Stoke’s Jermaine Pennant going down they play three minutes of extra time instead of the one minute of allotted extra time. Mark extra time down as one of the 10 million things that are considered normal outside the United States because it is exciting and bribe worthy but will never be fully embraced in the United States.

Halftime: Man City absolutely dominated the first half. City had more shots on goal (4 to 1), shots off target (7 to 1), and corner kicks (5 to 0) but the score is tied 0-0.

Commercial Break: Since there is no break in the action besides halftime we are about to get inundated with horrible commercials. Unfortunately the hometown favorite Miller Lite leads off with the worst beer commercial ever. A guy and a girl talk in total American soccer clichés while buying beer. I support the hometown adult beverages on principle alone but who is Miller going after with that commercial? The commercial alienates actual soccer fans and does not draw in the casual fan…well done Miller Lite. Thankfully a WPS commercial follows…high comedy…no one outside of the Northwest supports the MLS but I am sure they will support the women’s version of the MLS. How is the WNBA doing by the way? The cherry on top of the crappy commercial sundae comes from a diabetes commercial that says you can eat cake, potato skins, and other crap…good thing to pitch to diabetics.

Halftime Show: Christian Miles and Warren Barton should catch us up on the first half but since Manchester United won the EPL with a tie on a questionable penalty kick we are forced to see Manchester United highlights instead. A few thoughts. First, Manchester Untied striker Wayne Rooney was already suspended this year for saying “F%&k Off” to the camera earlier this year. What did Rooney do after converting the penalty kick…you guessed it another “F%&k Off” to the camera…keep it classy Rooney. Second, United got more coverage during halftime than the actual match that we were watching…great production work. Third, why are league matches played on the same day as the FA Cup Final? Man City beat Man United to get into the FA Cup Final so if Man United beat Man City then the EPL fixture where Man United claimed the EPL title would have conflicted with the FA Cup Final. Common sense says give the FA Cup Final its own day on the calendar, especially since it is right at the end of the season but I guess that would make too much sense.

46th Minute: Right as the second half is about to kick-off Mama Cheese calls. I would love to talk to my mom but Man City is about to drive me into convulsions so I get off the phone as soon as possible.

47th Minute: Huth tries to convert Pennant’s cross but the play ends in a whimper. During that exchange the announcers explain that Stoke City are the 5th best second half team in the EPL. I assume they are using goal differential to determine that but it seems like one of those simultaneous compelling but useless stats that announcers trot out occasionally.

50th Minute: Delap has another long throw, probably only his 4th or 5th of the match but it feels like the 50th. The throw ends up in a dangerous spot but Stoke fail to do anything with it. Hey Man City defense, just so you know, there are only so many times that you can dodge this bullet.

51st Minute: An intentional handball probably should have been Huth’s second yellow but Huth escapes again. Based on my tally, Huth has earned two red cards but sits on only one yellow. Should we re-open the instant replay discussion?

53rd Minute: Stoke break and are awarded a phantom free kick as Pennant goes down in a heap. Pennant’s day should be over but somehow he continues to hobble all over the pitch. Current least favorite Stoke players: 1A is Huth and 1B is Delap with Pennant winning the bronze medal.

55th Minute: Balotelli summons his inner-Artest and shoves a Stoke player to set-up a free kick in a dangerous spot. Stoke scares the goal on the free kick but the Man City defense does well to avert the danger.

61st Minute: Stoke continues to mess with Balotelli hoping to have him lose his head. Please don’t throw a beer on him Stoke fans…we don’t need the FA Cup version of the Malice in the Palace.

62nd Minute: Stoke plays the ball long with striker Kenwyne Jones holding off Man City defender Joleon Lescott. Jones has a chance to score but Man City keeper Joe Hart saves a goal with his nut sack. That was Stoke’s best chance of the day with Hart’s hairy boys denying Stoke. Matthew Etherington is subbed out for Dean Whitehead. Stoke has the no-name bench with little firepower while every player on Man City’s bench would crack the staring 11 for Stoke. How is the match still 0-0?

68th Minute: The announced attendance at Wembley is 88,643. Wembley is currently the second largest stadium in Europe and their home tenant is the England men's national team. Essentially that means the stadium was built for big soccer matches. Can you imagine a basketball stadium being built in the Untied States solely for qualifying matches and an occasional all-star game? It will take soccer a long time to be big here but it just shows you how big soccer is around the rest of the world.

70th Minute: Man City midfielder and Dutch World Cup Final villain Nigel de Jong’s tackle leads to another Delap throw that results in Man City defender Micah Richards conceding a silly free kick to Pennant. Pennant continues to hobble around, how is he still out there?

73rd Minute: Mancini finally takes out holding midfielder Gareth Barry in favor of winger Adam Johnson. About time Mancini make a move. Barry plays a different position than Johnson for Man City but I am still confused as to how Barry belongs in the starting lineup ahead of Johnson.

74th Minute: The sub works as Balotelli and Silva combine to press forward. With the ball bounding around Stoke’s penalty area, Man City superhero Yaya Toure bangs home a goal to give City a 1-0 lead. Man City fans rightfully break out into the Poznan. The day after Toure’s 28th birthday he scored for Man City in his second connective FA Cup match (Toure notched the winner against Manchester Untied in the FA Cup Semifinal) to set the blue half of Manchester into a state of absolute euphoria.

76th Minute: Things start to get chippy as Silva fires the ball at a Stoke player as he picks up a yellow. Keep your head Man City, you are 15 minutes from you first trophy in 35 years.

77th Minute: The camera predictably flashes to Kolo Toure, the suspended Man City defender and brother of the goal scorer Yaya. Kolo is suspended for allegedly using his wife’s weight management pills while his brother is becoming one of the famous players in the club’s history. While we are on this tangent, Europe has a much more stringent testing policy than the Untied States. If you test positive in Europe you are suspended right away as they sort out the problems. That is not the case in the United States. The Williams Wall of the Minnesota Vikings tested positive in 1847 for performance enhancing drugs but they are still awaiting their appeal. There has to be some middle ground right?

79th Minute: I just grabbed Cheesehead Chick’s flat Hoegaarden from last night from the refrigerator to celebrate City possibly winning their first trophy since 1976. Come on City, only 10 more minutes. By the way, flat Hoegaarden has never tasted so good at 10:40 am.

80th Minute: Stoke take out Delap in favor of Carew and I couldn’t be happier. For the long throws alone it makes sense to leave Delap in there. That got me thinking, what moves should Mancini make. I say sub Balotelli for Meredith Viera, I mean Patrick Viera. I know it sounds crazy since I am not normally a fan of putting the carcass of Viera on the pitch but it makes sense in this spot because it gives Man City another defensive presence they sorely need at this point.

81st Minute: The announcers start talking about the last time Man City appeared in an FA Cup Final in 1981. Coincidentally Mama Cheese was pregnant with me at the time and in Russia on a delegation trying to simultaneously alienate both sets of my future grandparents at the same time.

83rd Minute: Man City wins another corner to take a 7-0 advantage for the match but when you factor in Delap’s throws Man City is actually behind 14-7 in terms of corner kicks. Man City takes the short corner to waste time. I hate that move, why give up a goal scoring opportunity for 15 seconds of wasting time? Take the corner kick normally and leave a few guys back so the other team doesn’t counter attack. Do anything besides sitting on the ball like that.

84th Minute: Stoke makes their final change, Danny Pugh comes on for former Man City player Glenn Whelan. Stoke’s subs were Whitehead, Carew, and Pugh while Man City has studs like James Milner and Edin Dzeko just watching the match. How is it only 1-0?

86th Minute: Great nutmeg by Balotelli…okay I am officially wrong on the Balotelli call…he deserved the call today. Carew counters but de Jong denies Carew. I know this going to drive the red half of Manchester mad but de Jong looks like a new school Roy Keane in the making. That’s right, I said it, the 2010 World Cup Finals villain is on the path to being the next Roy Keane in Manchester. Unfortunately for Man United, Nigel de Jong plays for the blue side of Manchester not the red side of Manchester.

88th Minute: The Argentinean swap of defender Pablo Zabaleta for Tevez. Check out the shiner on Zabaleta. Manny Pacquiao looked better after his last fight than Zabaleta looks right now. Now Man City is officially packing it in playing five across the back with Kolarov, Lescott, Kompany, Richards, and Zabaleta. Why am I nervous with City up 1-0 and a mere seconds left in the match?

90th Minute: Man City takes another corner. Outside of diving in soccer, (although I would argue it is currently worse in the NBA right now than in soccer actually) which I know is horrible, wasting time at the end of matches is such a bummer. I get why teams do it but I wish they just played the matches out. Three minutes of added time, I am officially starting to hyperventilate.

92nd Minute: Silva makes way for Meredith as Stoke press forward for their first official corner or their 87th corner if you count all of Delap’s throw-ins. The announcers are trying to be a buzz kill by saying: “never make a change when defending a corner...you know what happens.” Thanks, as if I needed to get any more anxious. By the way, this counts as an appearance for Viera. I wonder how many of these players get over a career. I feel like these should count as a quarter or half of an appearance not a full appearance.

93rd Minute: Stoke bring the keeper up 11th attacker style to no avail. The ref checks his watch one more time right as Cheesehead Chick walks in from a run and calls it...Man City wins the 2011 FA Cup 1-0 over Stoke City.

Man City dominated Stoke. Man City had more shots on goal (14-1), shots off target (9-7), fouls (14-9), and corners kicks (8-2). Long story short, the proper team won today.

Post-game: The announce says, “money was spent, money buys happiness.” I love that every discussion about Man City has to center on them having a ton of money to spend on players. God forbid the announcer simply congratulated Man City on winning the FA Cup, nope bring up the money. Also for what its worth I have been pulling for Man City through three ownership regimes. The second owner of the team, Thaksin Shinawatra, was in England because of political exile in Thailand. Needless to say, it has been quite a ride in just a few short years pulling for Man City.

As Stoke get their second place medals it reminds me of one of my infinitely less important soccer triumphs. We (Mequon United) won the state championship for our age group over our rivals (Milwaukee Kickers) and as the opposing team got their medals they took them off and threw them. Talk about a bunch of spoiled little kids…yeah that was the Kickers for you. Anyhow luckily Stoke showed more class in defeat even staying on the field to watch Man City get their medals.

Despite being subbed out, Tevez throws the captain band back on to lead the team up to get their medals. Tevez grabs the FA Cup and actually drops the top. Barry picks it up. Okay so I can take it back, Barry did serve a purpose this season for City.

Now Man City plays Stoke again on Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at home. So three days following their battle for a huge prize it feels like they are playing for nothing especially since Stoke secured a spot in the EPL for next season but Man City still has something to play for. Man City secured their EPL spot long ago and locked up a place in the Champions League. Now Man City has their match against Stoke and away against Bolton Wanders to try and secure the 3rd spot in the Champions League so that they are automatic qualifiers for the group stages of the Champions League instead of having to go through qualification matches in mid-July.

Just as I am basking in the glory on Man City winning Cheesehead Chick looks at me and says “so what did they win?” Good times, thanks for paying attention. For Cheesehead Chick and everyone else that is not as dialed in as I was, Man City won their 5th FA Cup. It is Man City’s first FA Cup win since 1969 and their first trophy since 1976.

Between Man City winning the 1976 League Cup and winning the 2011 FA Cup, Man United won: 13 League Championships, 8 FA Cups, 4 League Cups, 2 Champions Leagues Titles, and 1 European Cup Winners’ Cup. Since Man United won the EPL earlier in the day, Man City can claim to be the last Manchester team to hoist a trophy. In the process, Man City is working to shed the New York Mets label to become one of the top clubs in the world. Enjoy the FA Cup win City, it looks to be the first of many trophies you will win in the next few years.

Wednesday What (Should) Happen - 2011 Green Bay Packers Roster 1.0

2011-05-04T23:59:00.114-05:00

Since I am never shy about giving my thoughts on what Ted Thompson and company should do, I thought with the 2011 NFL Draft complete for the Green Bay Packers, I would give my thoughts on what the 53-man roster* and 8-man practice squad** should be for the 2011 Green Bay Packers:

Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers, Matt Flynn, and Graham Harrell
Analysis: With the lack of quality quarterbacks in the NFL the odds are that Harrell would not make it through waivers so the Packers could place him on the practice squad again. As a result I see the Packers keeping three quarterbacks.

Running Back: Ryan Grant, James Starks, and Alex Green
Analysis: Will the Packers keep three running backs or four running backs? Obviously I think they should keep three. That means that Alex Green will beat out Dimitri Nance based on draft position alone. How crazy is it that Brandon Jackson went from being the starting running back for the Green Bay Packers in Week #2 of the 2010 NFL season to being potentially unemployed in 2011?

Fullback: John Kuhn and Quinn Johnson
Analysis: The Packers would obviously need to sign Kuhn to a new contract but I am 95% sure he will be wearing the Green and Gold again in 2011. Besides that, sorry to see you leave Korey Hall but you just never stayed healthy enough to merit a second contract in Green Bay like Kuhn does.

Wide Receiver: Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, and Brett Swain
Analysis: Jennings, Driver, and Nelson are no brainers. The only question for the aforementioned group is whether the Packers should start working on a contract extension with Nelson because he will most likely become a free agent following the 2011 season. Although James Jones is clearly more talented than Cobb and Swain today, the Packers should save some money by letting him leave via free agency unless he accepts a very cheap contract extension.

Tight End: Jermichael Finley, Andrew Quarless, Tom Crabtree, and D.J. Williams
Analysis: If the Packers have a ton of quality depth at wide receiver, they have even more depth at tight end. The Packers are so stacked at tight end that when they drafted D.J. Williams (2010 John Mackey Award recipient given to the best collegiate tight end) in the 2011 NFL Draft, they took a player that isn't even guaranteed to make the 2011 opening day roster.

Tackle: Chad Clifton, Bryan Bulaga, Derek Sherrod, and Marshall Newhouse
Analysis: Sorry Mark Tauscher it pains me not to keep you on the roster but with Bulaga, Sherrod, and Newhouse in the fold the Packers need to start their youth movement along the offensive line.

Guard: Josh Sitton, T.J. Lang, Nick McDonald, and Caleb Schlauderaff
Analysis: Odd are that Thompson will relent and give Colledge an extension but if I were in charge I would let Colledge leave via free agency and let the young guys compete for the starting left guard spot.

Center: Scott Wells
Analysis: Lang, McDonald, and Schlauderaff are going to have to wear multiple hats if they want to stay on the roster. Pick one or two of the aforementioned guys to groom as the back-up center for 2011 with the thought of them starting down the road.

Defensive End: Ryan Pickett, Mike Neal, Howard Green, C.J. Wilson, and Jarius Wynn
Analysis: Unfortunately after Pickett there are question marks surrounding the rest of the defensive ends: Neal (coming off an injury), Green (weight problems always just around the corner), and Wilson/Wynn (need to show that 2011 is the rule not the exception). That is a problem because defensive end is one of the most underrated position in the 3-4 defense because they act like the offensive tackles on defense with the linebackers and defensive backs acting like the running backs and wide receivers on defense. Much like letting Tauscher go, it pains me to let Cullen Jenkins leave via free agency but Jenkins will demand more money than the Packers are willing to commit to him.

Defensive Tackle: B.J. Raji
Analysis: As I said above, quality defensive lineman eat up space and make the linebackers, cornerbacks, and safeties look good in the 3-4 defense. Pickett and Green can slide over to defensive tackle but the Packers still need more quality depth at defensive tackle unless they want to run B.J. Raji into the ground.

Outside Linebacker: Clay Matthews, Brad Jones, Frank Zombo, Erik Walden, and Ricky Elmore
Analysis: Aaron Rodgers makes wide receivers/tight ends look good with how well he throws the ball. The same thing applies to Clay Matthews, he makes the other outside linebackers look better than if they played for another team. The Packers have a ton of options to pair with Claymaker so health will probably be the determining factor of who emerges from the group of young and talented outside linebackers to start opposite Claymaker.

Middle Linebacker: Desmond Bishop, A.J. Hawk, Nick Barnett, and Brandon Chillar
Analysis: As crazy as it sounds the Packers will have back-ups (Barnett and Chillar) that would start for most teams at middle linebacker. As I said many times, the Packers only play the 3-4 defense on about 33% of their defensive snaps so they should get Matthews, Bishop, Hawk, and Barnett on the field at the same time as much as possible in 2011. The aforementioned group is schedule to make a ton of money in 2011 so they need to be on the field as much as possible to earn their hefty paychecks.

Cornerback: Charles Woodson, Tramon Williams, Sam Shields, Pat Lee, and Devon House
Analysis: Woodson, Williams, and Shields are the only locks to make the roster while House is a virtual lock since the Packers used a 4th round pick on him in the 2011 NFL Draft. After that it really comes does to Underwood or Lee. Since Lee was drafted in the second round and Underwood was an undrafted free agent you would assume that Lee will get the nod. That is too bad though because Underwood looks like a potential starter but the off the field issues continue to plague him so the Packers will most likely move on without Underwood.

Safety: Nick Collins, Charlie Peprah, Morgan Burnett, and Jarrett Bush
Analysis: In a little more than only one season Atari Bigby went from the starter opposite Nick Collins to just another guy fighting for an NFL roster spot. Part of that comes from Drew Rosenhaus giving Bigby bad advice about holding out for a contract extension and part of that comes down to Bigby's inability to stay healthy. As a result the Packers will most likely move on without Bigby and Anthony Smith. That leaves an open competition between Peprah and Burnett for the starting spot opposite Collins with Bush continuing to serve as the special teams maven.

Specialists: Mason Crosby (K), Tim Masthay (P), and Brett Goode (LS)
Analysis: Masthay and Goode look like the right guys for the job for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately the same can't be said with 100% confidence for Crosby. Since there aren't many better options the Packers need to sign Crosby to a four-year extension that allows them to cut Crosby without a ton of salary cap ramifications if Crosby struggles in 2011 or 2012.

Practice Squad: Chastin West (WR), Ryan Taylor (TE/FB), Chris Campbell (OT), Jay Ross (DT), Lawrence Guy (DE), D.J. Smith (OLB), Josh Gordy (CB), and Anthony Levine (S)
Analysis: With all of the quality, young talent the Packers have on their current 80-man roster they could fill two practice squads. That is what made it so hard to get rid of guys like Antonio Robinson (WR), Adrian Battles (G), Curtis Young (DE/OLB), Cardia Jackson (LB), and Michael Greco (S). The Packers have such a talented 53-man roster though that worrying about who should make the practice squad is less of an issue than having to get rid of quality veterans like Bigby, Colledge, Jenkins, Jones, Nance, Poppinga, Smith, and Spitz.

Hopefully there will actually be a 2011 NFL season so periodically I will update my predictions for who should make the 53-man roster once the lockout is resolved and players get back on the field.

Footnote:
* = I decided to keep 26 players on offense, 24 players on defense, and 3 specialists

** = Unless something changes with the new collective bargaining agreement between the owners and the players, every team is allowed to place eight players on their practice squad.

Sunday Funday - 2011 Green Bay Packer Draft Picks

2011-05-01T00:01:00.696-05:00

Congratulations to the ten players taken by Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson in the 2011 NFL Draft, today is truly a Sunday Funday for all of them.

1st Round (32nd Overall): Derek Sherrod, Offensive Tackle
School: Mississippi State (SEC)
Height: 6'5⅜"
Weight: 321 lbs
Arm Length: 35.29"
Hand Size: 11.0"
40-yard Dash: 5.18 seconds
Vertical Leap: 28"
Broad Jump: 8'1"
225-pound Bench Press: 23 reps
Wonderlic: 25 out of 50
Other Possible Picks: Da'Quan Bowers (DE/OLB, Clemson), Marvin Austin (DE/DT, UNC) or Stephen Paea (DT, Oregon State)
Analysis: Another year, another tackle drafted in the first round. Last year Thompson drafted Bryan Bulaga and followed it up this year by taking Sherrod with the last pick of the first round. Sherrod has longer arms and bigger hands than Bulaga. Only time will tell whether that means that Sherrod is the left tackle of the future ahead of Bulaga. Sherrod is a smart guy, he graduated college in three years and even started on his masters. With how impressive Sherrod is in the classroom, he is even more impressive on the field. Sherrod started 37 games at left tackle, 47 starts total, and appeared in 49 games for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Sherrod's senior season was his best, he didn't allow a sack in 2010 despite playing in the SEC and facing some of the best best pass rushers in the country.

2nd Round (64th Overall): Randall Cobb, Wide Receiver
School: Kentucky (SEC)
Height: 5'10¼"
Weight: 191 lbs
Arm Length: 31.0"
Hand Size: 9.3"
40-yard Dash: 4.47 seconds
Vertical Leap: 33.5"
Broad Jump: 9'7"
225-pound Bench Press: 16 reps
Wonderlic: 25 out of 50
Other Possible Picks: Dontay Moch (OLB, Nevada), John Moffitt (OG, Wisconsin) or Leonard Hankerson (WR, Miami)
Analysis: Thompson has gone 2 for 3 drafting wide receiver in the second round hitting a homerun with Greg Jennings, a double with Jordy Nelson, and got plunked in the head with Terrence Murphy. Cobb will line up in the slot, at running back, at quarterback in the wildcat, as a return man, and he might even serve as the holder...something that I have long advocated the Packers should do with their backup quarterback. Cobb reminds me of a rich man's Antwaan Randle El or a poor man's Percy Harvin. Cobb set an SEC record with 2,396 all-purpose yards in 2010, check out the breakdown:
- caught 84 balls for 1,017 yards and 7 touchdowns
- rushed 55 times for 424 yards and 5 touchdowns
- went 5 for 10 throwing for 58 yards and 3 touchdowns out of the Wildcat
- averaged 7.82 yards per punt return
- averaged 23.74 yards per kickoff return
With the decline of Driver in 2010 and the potential loss of Jones via free agency before the 2011 season, the Packers added another stud receiver to an already impressive group of wide receiver.

3rd Round (96th Overall): Alexander Green, Running Back
School: Hawaii (WAC)
Height: 6'0¼"
Weight: 225 lbs
Arm Length: 32.0"
Hand Size: 9.1"
40-yard Dash: 4.52 seconds
Vertical Leap: 34"
Broad Jump: 9'6"
225-pound Bench Press: 20 reps
Wonderlic: 15 out of 50
Other Possible Picks: Jordan Cameron (TE, USC), Sam Acho (DE/OLB, Texas) or Christian Ballard (DT, Iowa)
Analysis: Talking about the rich getting richer. By picking Alex Green the Packers selected three offensive players with their first three picks for the first time since 1996. Green is only the fourth running back Thompson has drafted while in charge of the Packers. The highest pick that Thompson used on a running back was a second round pick in 2007 on Brandon Jackson. Oddly enough, Green will most likely replace Jackson as the 3rd down back for the Packers in 2011. That means barring a change in events, Green is going to claim Jackson's roster spot. Before we go any further, let's get the Butte Community College reference out there. Yes, both Green and Rodgers played at Butte Community College. In fact, Green played with Aaron's younger brother Jordan. Green played at Butte for two years, leading them to the 2008 Junior College National Championship finishing 12-0 for the season. Green moved on to play at Hawaii where he averaged 9 yards per touch last year amassing 1,562 all-purpose yards (1,199 rushing yards and 363 receiving yards) and 19 touchdowns. Green played in the spread offense at Hawaii so it will be interesting to see how Green performs in a more traditional offense. The system is not the only change that Green is going to have to get used to in 2011. Green played college football in California and Hawaii, now he can look forward to playing in bitter cold winters in Green Bay. The only knock on Green is that he is a bit of a fumbler (8 fumbles in 271 touches) but that is fitting since another Packer running back named Green, Ahman Green, had fumbling issues.

4th Round (131st Overall): Devon House, Cornerback
School: New Mexico State (WAC)
Height: 6'0½"
Weight: 200 lbs
Arm Length: 31.7"
Hand Size: 9.399"
40-yard Dash: 4.41 seconds
Vertical Leap: 33.5"
Broad Jump: 9'1"
225-pound Bench Press: 14 reps
Wonderlic: 15 out of 50
Other Possible Picks: Buster Skrine (CB, Chattanooga), Marcus Cannon (OT, TCU) or Brandon Burton (CB, Utah)
Analysis: House is the second highest cornerback Thompson drafted while in charge of the Packers. Perpetually injured former Auburn cornerback Pat Lee was the highest cornerback drafted during the Thompson regime. Much like Green taking Jackson's roster spot, it looks like House will claim Lee's roster spot. House started started 6 of last 7 games in 2007 and was a full-time starter from 2008-10. That means that House started 43 of 49 games at New Mexico State, so at the very least House got a ton of experience in college, which should help him make a smooth transition to the NFL.

5th Round (141st Overall): D.J. Williams, Tight End
School: Arkansas (SEC)
Height: 6'2⅛"
Weight: 245 lbs
Arm Length: 31.4"
Hand Size: 10.3"
40-yard Dash: 4.61 seconds
Vertical Leap: 33.5"
Broad Jump: 9'3"
225-pound Bench Press: 26 reps
Wonderlic: 26 out of 50
Other Possible Picks: Karl Klug (DE, Iowa), Dion Lewis (RB, Pittsburgh) or Christopher Carter (OLB, Fresno State)
Analysis: Williams had a tough childhood, his father suffered from mental health issues and beat his mother so Williams was forced to move to Arkansas to get away from his father. On a more positive note, Williams was the 2010 John Mackey Award recipient (best collegiate tight end) thanks in large part to a pretty impressive career at Arkansas. As a two-year starter Williams had 152 receptions for 1,855 yards and 10 touchdowns. One final note, the Denver Broncos traded up 12 spots with the Green Bay Packers to select Julius Thomas (TE, Portland State) instead of Williams. Check back in five years to see if Denver should have taken Williams instead of Thomas.

6th Round (179th Overall): Caleb Schlauderaff, Offensive Guard
School: Utah (MWC)
Height: 6'4¼"
Weight: 305 lbs
Arm Length: 32.2"
Hand Size: 9.6"
40-yard Dash: 5.09 seconds
Vertical Leap: 28"
Broad Jump: 8'6"
225-pound Bench Press: ? reps
Wonderlic: 28 out of 50
Other Possible Picks: Tyrod Taylor (QB, Virginia Tech), Jordan Todman (RB, Connecticut) or David Carter (DT, UCLA)
Analysis: Even with Daryn Colledge and Jason Spitz as kinda a sorta free agents because of the labor unrest the Packers have a ton of guards on the roster (Sitton, McDonald, and Lang) so Schlauderaff looks like a pure luxury pick. Schlauderaff was a four-year starter at Utah but I would be surprised if he makes a start in the NFL before 2013. The Packers moved back twice (shocker) before taking Schlauderaff. The San Francisco 49ers selected Daniel Kilgore (G, Appalachian State) 16 picks earlier, another set to compare against down the road much like Williams and Thomas.

6th Round (186th Overall): D.J. Smith, Outside Linebacker
School: Appalachian State (Southern)
Height: 5'10¼"
Weight: 239 lbs
Arm Length: 32.0"
Hand Size: 9.6"
40-yard Dash: 4.74 seconds
Vertical Leap: 31"
Broad Jump: 8'8"
225-pound Bench Press: 20 reps
Wonderlic: 20 out of 50
Other Possible Picks: Jason Kelce (OG/C, Cincinnati), Brian Rolle (OLB, Ohio State) or Markell Carter (DE/OLB, Central Arkansas)
Analysis: When Thompson drafted Smith I am sure most Packers fans thought it was about time Thompson got another outside linebacker. As I said a few months ago though, the Packers have a ton of talent at outside linebacker already on the roster even before the 2011 NFL Draft. Smith started every game from 2008-10 (32 at WLB and 8 at MLB). At least 15 potential 3-4 outside linebackers went before the undersized Smith so the odds that he becomes an actual NFL starter are slim.

6th Round (197th Overall): Rick Elmore, Defensive End/Outside Linebacker
School: Arizona (Pac-10)
Height: 6'4½"
Weight: 255 lbs
Arm Length: 31.0"
Hand Size: 9.6"
40-yard Dash: 4.84 seconds
Vertical Leap: 34.5"
Broad Jump: 9'7"
225-pound Bench Press: 26 reps
Wonderlic: 20 out of 50
Other Possible Picks: Jerrell Powe (DT, Mississippi), Ross Homan (OLB, Ohio State) or Steve Schilling (OG, Michigan)
Analysis: Elmore has shades of Frank Zombo shifting from defensive end to outside linebacker. Elmore actually had more production than his college teammate outside linebacker Brooks Reed (picked 42nd overall by the Houston Texans) that was often linked with the Packers. Elmore started 36 of 51 games at Arizona and was very productive for his career: 128 tackles (33.5 for loss) and 25.5 sacks. Elmore lead the Pac-10 in sacks in 2010 with 11. If you are not already in love with Elmore as much as I am, he worked with the Claymaker's dad to help him transition from a 4-3 defensive end to a 3-4 outside linebacker in the pros. Mark my words, Elmore Aaron Kampman 2.0 for the Packers.

7th Round (218th Overall): Ryan Taylor, Tight End
School: North Carolina (ACC)
Height: ?
Weight: ? lbs
Arm Length: ?
Hand Size: ?
40-yard Dash: 4.78 seconds
Vertical Leap: 34"
Broad Jump: 9'10"
225-pound Bench Press: 21 reps
Wonderlic: ?
Other Possible Picks: Anthony Gaitor (CB, Florida International), Greg Romeus (DE, Pittsburgh) or Frank Kearse (DT, Alabama A&M)
Analysis: After drafting a tight end earlier in the draft and already being the only team in the league to carry more tight ends/fullbacks than true wide receivers and running backs, Thompson added another tight end/fullback. Thompson has drafted more tight ends (5) than quarterbacks (4), running backs (4), centers (1), and defensive tackles (4). It might have been better for Taylor to go undrafted because he could have gone to a team with less depth at tight end. Either way, why not draft the feel good story of the draft Mark Herzlich? For those that don't know, Herzlich passed on entering the draft despite looking like a sure fire first round pick to return to Boston College. Soon after making that decision, Herzlich was diagnosed with cancer. Fortunately Herzlich beat cancer but his play suffered as a result of his illness. Herzlich's story has all the makings of a Donald Driveresque ending, why not add a guy like that instead of another backup tight end/fullback?

7th Round (233rd Overall): Lawrence Guy, Defensive Tackle/Defensive End
School: Arizona State (PAC-10)
Height: 6'4⅛"
Weight: 305 lbs
Arm Length: 32.59"
Hand Size: 10.6"
40-yard Dash: 4.99 seconds
Vertical Leap: 29"
Broad Jump: 8'8"
225-pound Bench Press: 28 reps
Wonderlic: 17 out of 50
Other Possible Picks: Lee Ziemba (OT, Auburn), Bill Nagy (OG/C, Wisconsin) or Chris Neild (NT, West Virginia)
Analysis: A big body that can move will help add some depth along the defensive line for the Packers. For his career, Guy had 122 tackles (23 for loss) and 8 sacks. Some people are comparing Guy to the Packers' 7th round pick from the 2010 NFL Draft, C.J. Wilson (6'3", 300 pounds). Guy left college early and barely got drafted, will that put a chip on Guy's shoulder?

If you want to take a look back my thoughts on the 2010 Draft for the Green Bay Packer the day after the 2010 NFL Draft, click here.

Cheesehead Sports Nut's 2011 First Round NFL Mock Draft

2011-04-28T00:01:00.129-05:00

There are a million Mock Drafts out there (take a look back at my 2010 Mock Draft), so I decided to do something a little different this year. Instead of trying to predict what teams are going to do, since I have no real inside information, I am going to serve as every team's general manager for their pick. I am not going to make trades despite the fact that I think a number of teams are going to trade, especially towards the end of the first round. Here is what I would do if I was in charge of each team when they pick in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft:

#1) Carolina Panthers: Patrick Peterson (CB, LSU) - This would mark the first time a cornerback was selected #1 overall. Peterson looks like the next Charles Woodson in the making that can contribute all over the defensive secondary and in the return game. I know they will probably take Cam Newton but since the Panthers have a ton of needs, I would take the best player in the draft if I was in charge.

#2) Denver Broncos: Marcell Dareus (DT, Alabama) - It was hard to pass on linebacker Von Miller and defensive tackle Nick Fairley but Dareus had more consistent production in college, which gives Dareus a slight edge over Miller and Fairley.

#3) Buffalo Bills: Von Miller (LB, Texas A&M) - An impact defensive player is not as sexy as taking a flashy quarterback like Cam Netwon. With a feisty quarterback (Ryan Fitzpatrick) already on the roster, its smarter for the Bills to target the next potential Clay Matthews as opposed to a potential franchise quarterback that has all the makings of being the next Vince Young.

#4) Cincinnati Bengals: A.J. Green (WR, Georgia) - Despite their unrest at quarterback with Carson Palmer saying he will retire instead of playing another down for the Bengals, A.J. Green is the last of my four "close to can't miss prospects" in the 2011 NFL Draft. The Bengals might be forced to trade back into the first round to get a quarterback but Green projects to be a much better player than the quarterbacks available.

#5) Arizona Cardinals: Blaine Gabbert (QB, Missouri) - There was a huge drop off from 2009 to 2010 following Kurt Warner's retirement. As a result, this is a need pick as opposed to taking the best player available (Julio Jones or Nick Fairley) so it makes sense to draft their next potential franchise quarterback.

#6) Cleveland Browns: Julio Jones (WR, Alabama) - With A.J. Green off the board, the Browns take the other stud receiver in the 2011 NFL Draft to help their second-year quarterback Colt McCoy.

#7) San Francisco 49ers: Nick Fairley (DT, Auburn) - Last year the 49ers added two offensive lineman (Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati) so this year they need to improve their defensive line. Part of the reason I took Fairley as opposed to Cam Newton is that I think rookie head coach Jim Harbaugh wants to wait for 2012 to take his former quarterback at Stanford Andrew Luck. Oh that and I think Newton is going to be a bust as an NFL quarterback.

#8) Tennessee Titans: Robert Quinn (DE, UNC) - Much like the 49ers, the Titans need a quarterback but I see too much Vince Young in Cam Newton. Despite being suspended for the 2010 college football season, Quinn is still one of the best players in the entire draft.

#9) Dallas Cowboys: Tyron Smith (T, USC) - Let me give you the understatement of the year, one way to keep franchise quarterback Tony Romo healthy is to add an offensive lineman that can block. Smith is a young, athletic offensive lineman that has a chance to be a once in a decade offensive lineman.

#10) Washington Redskins: Cam Newton (QB, Auburn) - Is Newton the next Josh Freeman or the next Vice Young? I am not a big Newton fan but I was also the same guy that didn't like Josh Freeman coming out of Kansas State. I see Newton turning out more like Freeman as opposed to Young. After screwing up the McNabb trade, there is no way owner Daniel Snyder could pass on Newton.

#11) Houston Texans: Prince Amukamara (CB, Nebraska) - Gary Kubiak is turning into the Mike D'Antoni of the NFL...puts up big numbers on offense but also yields a ton of points on defense. With new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips in the fold, Amukamara gives them a corenerback they desperately need.

#12) Minnesota Vikings: Aldon Smith (DE/OLB, Missouri) - The day after the 2010 NFL Draft every draft expert had Washington QB Jake Locker as the #1 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Unfortunately everyone got to see Locker play last year and his draft stock has plummeted. Smith is the smart pick but the Vikings have proven not to be the smartest organization over the last decade. Does that mean the Vikings "reach" for Locker?

#13) Detroit Lions: Anthony Castonzo (OT, Boston College) - If Matt Millen were still in charge the pick would be Pittsburgh wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin. Much like the Dallas Cowboys, the Lions need to keep their franchise quarterback healthy and that is why they are going to take the best tackle left.

#14) St. Louis Rams: Corey Liuget (DT, Illinois) - The biggest beneficiary of the time between the combine and the draft vaulted Liuget from a borderline first round pick to a mid first round pick. Liuget has the tools to be a good player at the next level. For a little more insight into Corey Liuget, check out my chat with him.

#15) Miami Dolphins: Mike Pouncey (C, Florida) - If Maurkice Pouncey had a mediocre year in the NFL last year for the Pittsburgh Steelers then Mike probably doesn't go till the end of the first round...what are brothers for?

#16) Jacksonville Jaguars: Ryan Kerrigan (DE, Purdue) - A perfect complimentary player to Tyson Alualu and Aaron Kampman gives the Jaguars one of the best defensive lines on paper in the NFL. Thought about Washington quarterback Jake Locker but barring a trade, no team between 16 and 25 needs a quarterback, so the Jaguars (and other teams) could trade back into the first round to get a quarterback depending on how the rest of the first round plays out.

#17) New England Patriots: Cameron Jordan (DE, California) - This is the pick the New England Patriots got when they traded defensive end Richard Seymour to the Oakland Raiders. At the time the Patriots thought they would net a Top 5 pick for Seymour but only getting the 17th pick for Seymour looks like the Raiders actually got good value in trade. Jordan has a chance to be a good NFL defensive lineman but would be shocked if he ever approached being as good as Seymour.

#18) San Diego Chargers: J.J. Watt (DE, Wisconsin) - This would set-up the Jordan v. Watt debate. Watt will do everything physically possible to make it in the NFL. Watt may never turn out to be a flashy player but he will give maximum effort and make everyone around him better.

#19) New York Giants: Gabe Carimi (LT, Wisconsin) - Eli Manning had to get rid of the ball faster than he wanted to all last year. Carimi gives the Giants a quality offensive lineman that can start right away and perform.

#20) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Da'Quan Bowers (DE, Clemson) - The Brandon Roy of the 2011 NFL Draft finally comes off the board. There are rumors that Bowers will need microfracture surgery, which is why he dropped out of the Top 5. The Buccaneers finished 30th in the NFL in sacks in 2010 so when a guy like Bowers is available at 20 you have to pick him. For a little more insight into Da'Quan Bowers, check out my chat with him.

#21) Kansas City Chiefs: Nate Solder (OT, Colorado) - I like Carimi more than Solder but the Chiefs have a need at offensive tackle that has to be addressed if they expect Matt Cassel to succeed so I took the best one left.

#22) Indianapolis Colts: Derek Sherrod (OT, Mississippi State) - Speaking of the best one left...every year there is a run on specific positions. The 2011 NFL Draft is going to go down as the year of the lineman.

#23) Philadelphia Eagles: Jimmy Smith (CB, Colorado) - A head case with the potential to be a shutdown cornerback. On talent alone Jimmy Smith is every bit as good as Patrick Peterson and probably more talented than Prince Amukamara. Unfortunately Smith's off the field issues caused him to drop 10 to 15 slots in the 2011 NFL Draft.

#24) New Orleans Saints: Mark Ingram (RB, Alabama) - With all the injury trouble the Saints had at running back last year, Mark Ingram is the perfect guy for the Saints to add. The knock on Ingram is that he doesn't have top end speed but with the quality interior line that the Saints have Ingram will excel running up the middle for the Saints.

#25) Seattle Seahawks: Jake Locker (QB, Washington) - Oh if it were only 2010. In a perfect world the Seahawks would undue their trade for quarterback Charlie Whitehurst and take Locker 25th overall. Instead of dwelling on the negative, the Seahawks should snag the guy that all draft experts had as the #1 pick of the 2011 NFL Draft following the 2010 NFL Draft.

#26) Baltimore Ravens: Muhammad Wilkerson (DL, Temple) - Much like Liuget, Wilkerson has benefited from having the time between the combine and draft. The versatility of Wilkerson fits the scheme the Ravens like to play with the 3-4. For a little more insight into Muhammad Wilkerson, check out my chat with him.

#27) Atlanta Falcons: Adrian Clayborn (DE, Iowa) - The Falcons are rumored to be trying to trade into the Top 10 to snag either wide receiver A.J. Green or Julio Jones. Assuming the Falcons keep the 27th pick, Clayborn provides the Falcons another pass rusher they desperately need. For a little more insight into Adrian Clayborn, check out my chat with him.

#28) New England Patriots: Danny Watkins (OG, Baylor) - With all the uncertainty surround guard Logan Mankins long-term in New England, the Patriots add a perfect pass protector to keep Tom Brady upright.

#29) Chicago Bears: Phil Taylor (DT, Baylor) - With all the good offensive lineman off the board, the Chicago Bears add a defensive tackle to pair with Julius Peppers to create pressure.

#30) New York Jets: Akeem Ayers (OLB, UCLA) - We all know that Ayers had a below average combine workout but as many draft experts say, the game tape never lies. Ayers is the perfect outside linebacker for the 3-4 defense and that makes Ayers the perfect player for the Jets.

#31) Pittsburgh Steelers: Aaron Williams (DB, Texas) - The secondary swiss army knife of the 2011 NFL Draft is the perfect player for the Steelers. Whether Williams plays safety or cornerback doesn't really matter since Dick LeBeau's defense allows defensive backs to move all over the field.

#32) Green Bay Packers: Cameron Heyward (DE, Ohio State) - With most of the guys that I thought the Packers would target off the board, I took the "safest" player left. With the uncertainty surrounding Cullen Jenkins returning to the Packers and 2010 second round pick Mike Neal returning from injury the Packers add quality depth along their defensive line by taking Heyward.

In case you missed my look at potential Day 1 picks in the 2011 NFL Draft for the Green Bay Packers, click here.

In case you missed my look at potential Day 2 picks in the 2011 NFL Draft for the Green Bay Packers, click here.

In case you missed my look at potential Day 3 picks in the 2011 NFL Draft for the Green Bay Packers, click here.

Wednesday What (Might) Happen - CSN's 2011 NFL Draft Day 1 Preview for the Packers

2011-04-27T23:59:00.013-05:00

Barring a trade, which is a distinct possibility, Green Bay Packer general manager Ted Thompson is scheduled to make the last pick of the first round in the 2011 NFL Draft. The reason why I say that it is a distinct possibility that Thompson will trade back is that he has done it before and there are a number of team that have quarterback needs picking at the top of the second round that might want to jump back into the end of the first round so they can selected their quarterback of the future.

It is unrealistic to think studs like A.J. Green (WR, Georgia), Patrick Peterson (CB, LSU), or Nick Fairley (DT, Auburn) will get past the 10th pick in the draft. Even Cheesehead favorites defensive end J.J. Watt and offensive tackle Gabe Carimi will most likely be off the board by the 32nd pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Based on absolutely no inside information, just pure speculation on my part, here are some players that Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson could draft with the 32nd pick of the 2011 NFL Draft:

Derek Sherrod (OT, Mississippi State): Don't grade Sherrod as high as Tyron Smith, Anthony Castonzo, Gabe Carimi, and Nate Solder. That said, getting Bulaga and Sherrod in consecutive drafts would give the Packers their bookend tackles for the next decade to protect Aaron Rodgers.

Mike Pouncey (C/G, Florida): Pouncey's versatility is attractive. Most likely a mid-first round pick thanks to having a brother that excelled in the pros as a rookie last year for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Danny Watkins (OG, Baylor): With Daryn Colledge's future uncertain, Watkins could start at left guard right away in 2011.

Phil Taylor (DT, Baylor): B.J. Raji was on the field for way too many downs last year. Taylor would give the Packers a young one-two punch at defensive tackle that would be almost impossible for teams to deal with.

Muhammad Wilkerson (DE/DT, Temple): Most likely gone by the time the Packers pick, Wilkerson has had a meteoric rise up draft board in the last few weeks because he provides nice versatility along the defensive line. Wilkerson was nice enough to answer one of my questions in a recent ESPN chat, a step in the right direction by Wilkerson if he wants to endear himself to the Green Bay Packer community.

Marvin Austin (DE/DT, UNC): Many people projected that Austin would be a first round pick last year but he decided to go back to school. Unfortunately for Austin the NCAA found him guilty of taking improper benefits so Austin was suspended for the entire 2010 NCAA season. Despite the suspension, Austin could be an impact player all along the defensive line for the Packers in 2011.

Adrian Clayborn (DE, Iowa): Despite what Clayborn said to me in a recent chat, Clayborn looks like a perfect replacement for defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins who will most likely leave via free agency whenever that starts. Much like Austin, Clayborn would be another quality defensive lineman to add to the young Packer defensive line.

Cameron Heyward (DE, Ohio State): The son of Ironhead Hayward would continue the bloodline theme the Packers have with their draft philosophy. Heyward is not as sexy as a number of the other defensive lineman projected to go in the first round but Heyward's bust potential is also much smaller.

Justin Houston (DE/OLB, Georgia): If Justin Houston was entering the NFL in 2005 most draft experts would say he doesn't project to a specific position in the NFL and would most likely be a second or third round pick. Luckily for Houston it is 2011 and the proliferation of the 3-4 defense across the NFL has inflated the value of combo defensive end/outside linebackers.

Akeem Ayers (OLB, UCLA): After a mediocre combine workout, Ayers started to drop on most draft boards. Anyone that lines up opposite Claymaker is going to look better than they might look on another team...think Jones, Walden, and Zombo...so Ayers would fit nicely at outside linebacker for the Packers.

Brooks Reed (OLB, Arizona): Probably a reach at the end of the first round, but Reed sure looks like he should start opposite Claymaker. Reed has a similar motor to the Claymaker so teaming up Claymaker and Reed would drive offensive coordinators nuts.

In case you missed my look at potential Day 2 picks in the 2011 NFL Draft for the Green Bay Packers, click here.

In case you missed my look at potential Day 3 picks in the 2011 NFL Draft for the Green Bay Packers, click here.

Wednesday What (Might) Happen - CSN's 2011 NFL Draft Day 2 Preview for the Packers

2011-04-20T23:59:00.013-05:00

Based on absolutely no inside information, just pure speculation on my part, here are some players that Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson could draft on Day 2 of the 2011 NFL Draft:

2nd Round:
Ryan Williams (RB, Virgina Tech): My sister-in-law Sarah taught him at Virgina Tech...good enough reason for the Packers to draft him. Oh yeah and he has a chance to be a game changing running back but that is a distant second.

Jon Baldwin (WR, Pittsburgh): Would have been a first round pick because he is big, strong, and fast but he is also a head case.

Titus Young (WR, Boise State): A nice game changer at wide receiver that could fill in well for James Jones.

Leonard Hankerson (WR, Miami): I don't see much of a difference between Baldwin, Young, and Hankerson on the field...it might come down to off the field stuff.

Stefen Wisniewski (OG/C, Penn State): The Clay Matthews of offensive lineman could play right away at left guard or center.

Benjamin Ijalana (OT/OG, Villanova): Projects better at guard than tackle...hopefully he is not the next Daryn Colledge.

Stephen Paea (DT, Oregon State): An absolute physical freak that did 49 reps on the bench press at the combine, that kind of strength would fit well along the defensive line for the Packers.

Jabaal Sheard (DE/OLB, Pittsburgh): A rush end that reminds me a little bit of Aaron Kampman.

Mason Foster (OLB, Washington): A talented outside linebacker that gives the Packers a bookend outside linebacker opposite Clay Matthews.

Curtis Marsh (CB, Utah State): Not really a position of need so it might be a bit of a luxury pick for the Packers.

3rd Round:
Randall Cobb (QB/WR, Kentucky): An athletic freak that is a potential rich man's Pat White.

Niles Paul (WR, Nebraska): Would fit well in the Packers' offensive system.

Tandon Doss (WR, Indiana): Injury issues have hurt his draft stock.

Kendall Hunter (RB, Oklahoma State): A potential game changer but more of a luxury pick than a need with Grant and Starks in the fold.

Jason Pinkston (OT, Pittsburgh): Another nice offensive line prospect that could help the Packers down the road.

Marcus Cannon (OT, TCU): Similar to Pinkston, more of a long-term prospect in the pros as opposed to a plug and play prospect.

Kenrick Ellis (DT, Hampton): A big, strong defensive lineman that would fit well all along the defensive line.

Bruce Carter (OLB, UNC): Another outside linebacker prospect that could take advantage of all the extra blockers that Clay Matthews draws.

In case you missed my look at potential Day 3 picks in the 2011 NFL Draft for the Green Bay Packers, click here.

Wednesday What (Might) Happen - CSN's 2011 NFL Draft Day 3 Preview for the Packers

2011-04-13T23:59:00.039-05:00

Based on absolutely no inside information, just pure speculation on my part, here are some players that Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson could draft on Day 3 of the 2011 NFL Draft:

4th Round:
Jordan Todman (RB, UConn): Game changer at running back that could be a versatile option to go along with Grant and Starks.

Edmond Gates (WR, Abilene Christian): Is he the next Johnny Knox?

Cecil Shorts (WR, Mount Union): Small school standout with a chance to step in and play right away.

Jordan Cameron (TE, USC): Complete luxury pick but a freakish athlete cut out of the same cloth as Jermichael Finley.

DeMarcus Love (OG, Arkansas): A gifted athlete with some real health issues, one of the biggest risk/reward lineman picks of the draft.

John Moffitt (OG, Wisconsin): Ready to play at guard or center right away in the NFL.

Lee Ziemba (OG/OT, Auburn): Possibly a luxury pick but worth taking a look.

James Brewer (OT, Indiana): Similar to Ziemba, another possible luxury offensive line pick.

Marcus Gilbert (OT, Florida): Ditto...see above.

James Carpenter (OT, Alabama): I promise this is the last potential 4th round offensive lineman that I am going to highlight.

Dontay Moch (OLB, Nevada): A fast, small school guy that played defensive end that projects as an outside linebacker in the NFL. Are we looking at the next Frank Zombo?

5th Round:
Stephen Schilling (OG, Michigan): Is he the next Steve Hutchinson?

Orlando Franklin (OG/OT, Miami): With Colledge most likely on the way out, Franklin could be a more athletic version that projects to play guard.

Mark Herzlich (LB, Boston College): Cancer free and a great story to sell to the fans while the NFL is in the midst of a public relations nightmare with the lockout.

Ross Homan (LB, Ohio State): It seems like you can never have too many outside linebackers with all the injuries the Packers had at outside linebacker last year.

Rob Housler (TE, Florida Atlantic): Hard to tell the difference between a slot receiver and tight end split out in the Packers' offense so why not add another athletic tight end.

6th Round:
Dion Lewis (RB, Pittsburgh): Highly touted running back coming into college, might be a difference maker for the Packers in 2011.

DeMarco Murray (RB, Oklahoma): Ditto.

Kris O'Dowd (C, USC): Could be the perfect center prospect to groom behind Wells.

Jah Reid (OT, UCF): Another offensive line prospect that could be a starter down the road for the Packers.

Ugo Chinasa (DE, Oklahoma State): Big, fast guy that could play a number of positions for the Packers.

Cortez Allen (CB, The Citadel): Quality, disciplined player to add to the secondary.

Alex Henery (K, Nebraska): Not sure whether Crosby will be resigned, why not create a little camp competition even if the Packers bring Crosby back?

7th Round:
Scott Tolzien (QB, Wisconsin): Is Tolzien better than Harrell?

Courtney Smith (WR, South Alabama): Tall (6'4") and well built (220 pounds) wide receiver with a chance to become the next James Jones in Green Bay.

Josh Davis (OT, Georgia): Coming from the SEC, Davis has faced some of the best talent in college football.

David Mims (OT, Virgina Union): Tall (6'8") prospect that could be another nice developmental tackle along with Marshall Newhouse.

Bill Nagy (OG, Wisconsin): Barry Alvarez always said he gets his offensive lineman from Wisconsin so why can't the Packers do the same?

Steven Friday (OLB, Virgina Tech): Another healthy body to throw in the mix opposite Clay Matthews at outside linebacker.

DeMarcus Van Dyke (CB, Miami): Not saying he will ever turn out as good as Sam Shields but it worked last year so why not roll the dice?

Trick Play Prospects:
Tyrod Taylor (QB) from Virgina Tech: Love the versatility Taylor would provide the already potent Packers' offense.

Will Yeatman (TE/OT) from Maryland: May be a tackle, may be a tight, or a little bit from Column A and a little bit from Column B. Either way, Yeatman is an interesting prospect that could help the Packers in short yardage situations, which they were horrible at throughout their Super Bowl XLV run.

Sunday Funday - Initial Rankings of the 2011 Milwaukee Brewers

2011-04-03T23:59:00.062-05:00

Despite a lackluster start to the 2011 campaign, Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated put together some pretty compelling reasons for why the 2011 Milwaukee Brewers look like a playoff bound team (source).

According to Verducci, 15 of the last 16 years (the last five years in a row) a team with a losing record made the playoffs the follow year. All told a shocking 31 teams over the last 16 years made the playoffs after having a losing record the previous year. Those 31 teams made the playoffs thanks to improved pitching and defense*.

The only bad news it that those teams do not get back to the playoffs that often. Only 7 of the previous 30 teams made back-to-back playoff appearances with the Cincinnati Reds trying to become the 8th in 2011. Let's not put the cart before the horse though, the 2011 Milwaukee Brewers need to make the playoffs before we worry about the 2012 Milwaukee Brewers making their second straight playoff appearance.

With the Milwaukee Brewers adding starting pitchers Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum, the 2011 Milwaukee Brewers fit the profile of a losing team that improves pitching and defense to make the playoffs.

The 2011 Milwaukee Brewers have a fairly expensive disabled list so before I rank the 25-man opening day roster I thought I would rank the disabled list:

#5) Manny Parra (LHP): So much promise but very little payoff. Since Parra was only effective in spurts the Brewers shuttled Parra between the starting rotation and the bullpen in 2010. With a much better starting rotation in 2011, Parra has the opportunity to flourish as a left-handed reliever or look for a new team since Parra is out of minor league options.

#4) LaTroy Hawkins (RHP): Paying veterans to fill holes is always expensive but relief pitching seems especially expensive since relief pitchers can lose their mojo in no time. Hawkins was injured for most of 2010 and is picking up where he left off at the start of 2011.

#3) Corey Hart (RF): After slipping on wet grass, Hart missed most of spring training and looks set to miss the first month of the season. The Brewers do not want to rush Hart back but $6.5 million is a ton of money to pay a hurt right fielder.

#2) Jonathan Lucroy (C): The potential starting catcher for the next decade for the Brewers suffered a freakish broken pinky on his throwing hand during spring training. Luckily the injury does not look like a long-term problem. All of that is good news because the Brewers have been looking for a long-term solution at catcher since B.J Surhoff. Just to put into perspective how long that has been, when Surhoff caught for the Brewers they played their home games at County Stadium and were a member of the American League.

#1) Zack Greinke (RHP): Pretty amazing that a small market team like the Brewers pulled off blockbuster trades for C.C. Sabathia and Zack Greinke in the last few years. Unfortunately those trades have somewhat gutted the Brewers farm system. The window for major league baseball teams to win is small so I applaud general manager Doug Melvin for rolling the dice on the socially awkward Greinke.

Onto my rankings of the 25 guys that made the 2011 Milwaukee Brewers opening day roster:

#25) Erick Almonte (INF/OF): After having a cup of coffee in the majors in 2001 (4 at-bats over 8 games) and 2003 (100 at-bats over 31 games) for the New York Yankees, somehow Almonte is making another appearance in the majors after an eight year absence. Almonte making the opening day roster is less of an indictment on him and more of an indictment on the farm system.

#24) Sean Green (RHP): Older right-handed relief pitchers are a dime a dozen, which means Green’s days in Milwaukee are numbered once Hawkins is healthy.

#23) Jeremy Reed (OF): The poor man’s Scott Podsednik will meet the same fate as Green once Hart is healthy.

#22) Brandon Kintzler (RHP): Looks like a nice young arm for the Brewers after appearing in a handful of games for the Brewers in 2010 during September call-ups.

#21) Mitch Stetter (LHP): Every bullpen needs the token lefty specialist. Stetter needs to perform better in 2011 if he wants to stick on the roster for the entire season.

#20) George Kottaras (C): Lucroy’s broken pinky means Kottaras has a chance to prove he should continue as the back-up catcher in 2011 instead of Wil Nieves.

#19) Sergio Mitre (RHP): The Brewers turned the carcass of Jim Edmonds into the carcass of Sergio Mitre via Chris Dickerson. The Dickerson/Mitre trade makes no sense, especially following the Hart injury. The Brewers continue to struggle to find quality bench guys not named Craig Counsell.

#18) Takashi Saito (RHP): Gotta love paying a 41-year old relief pitcher almost $2 million, luckily Saito is only signed for 2011.

#17) Nyjer Morgan (CF): The Brewers traded minor league infielder Cutter Dykstra and $50,000 to the Washington Nationals for centerfielder Nyjer Morgan. The much-maligned Morgan put up good numbers in Pittsburgh and Washington in 2009 but regressed in 2010. With the underachieving Carlos Gomez doing his best to play his way out of his starting spot in center field, the Brewers are going to have two potential starting center fielders that will probably never figure it out.

#16) Zach Braddock (LHP): After a great 2010 season, Braddock opens the season as the top left-handed option out of the bullpen for the Brewers.

#15) Wil Nieves (C): Witch Lucroy on the disabled list, Nieves will keep the starting spot warm until Lucroy returns. Rookie manager Ron Roenicke will have to decide whether to keep the old man (Nieves) or the young buck (Kottaras) as Lucroy’s backup. If I were in charge, I would go with the young buck.

#14) Carlos Gomez (CF): The centerpiece of the Johan Santana trade a few years back was subsequently traded to the Brewers in exchange for oft-injured shortstop J.J. Hardy. Gomez shows flashes of why the Twins traded for him a few years back but can never seem to do it over a full season. As I said earlier, Morgan and Gomez will probably platoon for most of the season leaving the Brewers without an actual starting center fielder.

#13) Yuniesky Betancourt (SS): As I said in my Most Overpaid and Most Underpaid 2011 Milwaukee Brewers Post, it is never a good sign when $1 million of your contract is being paid by the Seattle Mariners but that is not the last team you played for before the Brewers. Betancourt joined the Brewers as a part of the Greinke trade and the Brewers would replace Betancourt in a heartbeat if they had a better option.

#12) Kameron Loe (RHP): The primary set-up guy for closer John Axford had an impressive 2010. In fact Loe pitched so well in 2010 that the Brewers flirted with putting Loe in the starting rotation but after acquiring Greinke and Marcum in the off-season, the Brewers had more of a need for Loe in the bullpen than the starting rotation.

#11) Craig Counsell (INF): After a great 2009, Counsell regressed a little offensively in 2010. Fortunately the Brewers have Counsell on the roster for his versatility (plays 2nd, SS, and 3rd) and leadership. No matter how Counsell performs in 2011, he has earned the right to be one of the 25-guys on the roster for as long as he wants.

#10) Chris Narveson (LHP): A quality 5th starter on almost any team has consistently out-pitched the field to earn his spot in the Brewers rotation.

#9) Mark Kotsay (OF/1B): After flirting with retirement, Kotsay went from a spot starter to the opening day starter in right field thanks to Corey Hart’s injury. If Kotsay performs well, the Brewers might want to give Hart some reps in centerfielder to see whether an outfield of Braun, Hart, and Kotsay is their best option.

#8) Randy Wolf (LHP): After a bad start to 2010, Wolf settled down to put together a decent campaign. When Greinke gets healthy the Brewers have to decide where to slot Wolf in the starting rotation. Wolf is the 4th best starter behind Greinke, Gallardo, and Marcum but slotting Wolf 4th and Narveson 5th would have the Brewers starting three right-handed pitchers followed by two left-handed pitchers. Either way things are looking up for the Brewers because Wolf goes from the #2 starter in 2010 to the #4 starter in 2011.

#7) Shaun Marcum (RHP): Acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays for Canadian minor league prospect Brett Lawrie. Although the Brewers gave up one of their best prospects, they got a middle of the rotation starter in return. Lawrie may turn out to be a great major league player or he may be another Mat Gamel. Either way the Brewers got a quality starting pitcher that is moving from the American League to the National League. Even if the Brewers didn’t make the big splash trading for Greinke, acquiring a starter like Marcum will go down as one of the best off-season moves in the last decade for the Brewers.

#6) John Axford (RHP): After Trevor Hoffman’s monumental collapse at the beginning of 2010, Axford came out of nowhere to give the Brewers a new school Rollie Fingers. Hopefully Axford can pitch in 2011 like he did in 2010.

#5) Casey McGehee (3B): Much like Counsell, McGehee regressed a little offensively in 2010 after a great 2009. McGehee still gives the Brewers some protection for Ryan Braun once Prince Fielder leaves after 2011 so expect McGehee to rebound well in 2011.

#4) Rickie Weeks (2B): It can’t be understated how high the expectations were for Rickie Weeks when the Brewers drafted him after leading college baseball in batting average for two years. After a number of freakish injuries early in his major league career, Weeks finally started to fulfill some of those expectations. As a result, Weeks signed a huge contract extension with the Brewers in the off-season. The four-year, $38.5 million contract** has an $11.5 million option for 2015 that is guaranteed if Weeks meets two conditions***. With all the injuries Weeks has suffered throughout his career, the Brewers are making a huge financial commitment to Weeks. Hopefully Weeks will stay healthy and justify the large investment.

#3) Prince Fielder (1B): The sawn song for Fielder is going to be very interesting to watch. If the Brewers struggle in 2011 they might feel compelled to trade Fielder at the trade deadline. Either way, Fielder has not showed a willingness to sign an extension despite the Brewers reportedly offering Fielder a five-year, $100 extension a few years ago. Since Fielder is represented but super-a-hole agent Scott Boras, Fielder is headed to free agency following 2011. An American League team is an ideal landing spot for Fielder because although he is decent in the field, Fielder looks like he will be a full-time DH during the second half of the mega extension he will presumably sign in the off-season. If I were in charge, no matter how the Brewers play in 2011 they should keep Fielder throughout the season and take the draft pick compensation if they can’t sign him to a contract extension.

#2) Yovani Gallardo (RHP): Gallardo is living up to his big contract extension. Once Greinke rejoins the rotation, the Brewers will have the best one-two punch in baseball outside of Philadelphia and San Francisco. If the Brewers are smart they will continue to market Gallardo and the Chorizo (#5 sausage in the sausage race) to the growing Hispanic population in Milwaukee.

#1) Ryan Braun (LF): With Fielder on the way out, Braun is the face of the franchise for the next decade. Starting pitchers like Greinke and Gallardo are great to have but they only pitch once or twice a week. Guys like Braun play everyday, which is what excites the average fan. Braun needs to continue to produce on a daily basis in 2011 and into 2012 or the Brewers will have a huge hole in the heart of their line-up.

Footnotes:
* = 19 straight and 27 of the 31 teams allowed fewer runs the season they made the playoffs compared to the previous year.

** = $7.5 million in 2011, $10 million in 2012, $10 million in 2013, and $11 million in 2014.

*** = First, Weeks must have either 600 plate appearances in 2014 or 1,200 plate appearances between 2013 and 2014. Second, Weeks must end the 2014 season healthy. If Weeks does not meet either of those conditions if he has at least 400 plate appearances in 2014 the Brewers have to pay Weeks $1 million to void the $11.5 million option for 2015.

Wednesday What Happened - Most Overpaid and Most Underpaid 2011 Milwaukee Brewers

2011-03-30T23:59:00.053-05:00

On the eve of the 2011 season I thought I would take a look at the five most overpaid and five most underpaid Brewers in 2011.

Overpaid:
Honorable Mention: Manny Parra (LHP, $1.2 million), Carlos Gomez (CF, $1.5 million), and Takashi Saito (RHP, $1.75 million)

#5) Zack Greinke (RHP, $13.5 Million): If Greinke started his Brewer career healthy, there is no chance he makes the overpaid list. Unfortunately as I discussed in a recent chat with Gordon Edes of ESPN, the Brewers still have to pay Zack Greinke despite the fact that he is going to miss at least a month of the season, which translate into missing five or six starts. Greinke started 32, 33, and 33 games from 2008 to 2010. That means if Greinke misses 6 starts he will only make 27 starts at best in 2011. As a result Greinke will miss roughly 20% of his starts so that bumps him into the overpaid group.

#4) Corey Hart (RF, $6.833 Million): Much like Greinke, Hart is starting the 2011 season on the disabled list so that made him a prime candidate for the overpaid list as well. Even if Hart started the season healthy, he is still the 4th highest paid Brewer behind only Fielder, Greinke, and Wolf. The Brewers are already hiding Braun’s defensive deficiencies in left field. Hart does not have those same deficiencies so why not utilize his speed better in center or his length better at first base. In 2012 the Brewers need to move Hart to center field or first base if they want to get the proper bang for their buck.

#3) Randy Wolf (LHP, $9.5 million): Wolf had a horrendous start to 2010 after signing a three-year, $29.75 million contract. Fortunately Wolf buckled down towards the end of the season to help quiet the boo-birds. Unfortunately paying a middle of the rotation starter $9.5 million a year is way too much money, especially for a small market team like the Milwaukee Brewers.

#2) Yuniesky Betancourt (SS, $4.375 million): It is never a good thing when $1 million of your contract is being paid by a team that you played for (Seattle Mariners) before the team that traded you (Kansas City Royals) to the Brewers.

#1) LaTroy Hawkins (RHP, $4.25 Million): You know you are overpaid when your oft-injured reliever is making more than your left relief specialist (Stetter), primary set-up guy (Loe), and closer (Axford) combined. Hawkins was signed to stabilize the bullpen before the 2010 but Hawkins has spent more time on disabled list than pitching.

Underpaid:
Honorable Mention: Chris Narveson (LHP, $441,500), Mark Kotsay (1B/OF, $800,000), and Craig Counsell (INF, $1,400,000).

#5) Jonathan Lucroy (C, $424,000): Despite starting the season on the disable list, Lucroy is still a starting catcher that is making the league minimum at one of the hardest positions to field besides starting pitching. Lucroy looks like a franchise catcher in the making that is not even arbitration eligible till 2013 or a free agent till 2017. That salary flexibility at such a hard position to fill allows the Brewers to overpay at other positions (you're welcome overpaid list).

#4) John Axford (RHP, $442,500): Much like Lucroy, Axford plays a hard position to fill (closer) at the league minimum that is not arbitration eligible till 2013 or a free agent till 2017. Plus, Axford has the classiest stache in major league baseball so how could he possibly be overpaid?

#3) Casey McGehee (3B) - $468,000): With how great Ryan Braun has been offensively, Braun’s atrocious defense at 3rd base forced the Brewers to move Braun to left field. Luckily McGehee has flourished where Mat Gamel and a host of other “up and coming” prospects were supposed to play. With how well McGehee has played, the Brewers need to consider reaching a long-term deal with McGehee before the end of 2011 because in 2012 McGehee is salary arbitration eligible for the first time in his career meaning he will get a huge raise.

#2) Yovani Gallardo (RHP, $3.50 Million): Gallardo would be the #1 starter on most teams. With Greinke in the fold, albeit on the disabled list, Gallardo is one of the most dangerous #2 starting pitchers outside Philadelphia and San Francisco. Enjoy the low price while you can though because Gallardo is schedule to make $5.75 million in 2012, $8 million in 2013, and $11.5 million in 2014.

#1) Ryan Braun (LF, $4.287 million): As I pointed out in one of my first Sunday Funday Posts, Braun signed the most club friendly contract in major league history besides Evan Longoria. The only knock against Braun is that he plays arguably the easiest position in baseball to fill. That said, if Braun stayed at 3rd base he would have priced himself out of Milwaukee. With Braun signed through 2015 he is the face of the franchise. Furthermore, if Braun continues to perform well offensively though 2015 he has a chance to knock Paul Molitor off the Milwaukee Brewers Mount Rushmore.

Check back Sunday for my initial rankings of the 2011 Milwaukee Brewers.

Wednesday What (Might) Happen - NFL Labor Update

2011-03-02T23:59:00.025-06:00

Barring a major change of events the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL owners and players is set to expire at 11:59 EST on Thursday, March 3, 2011. If that happens, all NFL activity besides the 2011 NFL Draft would stop until a new agreement is reached.

Many NFL fans wonder how we got here. In the simplest terms, the NFL owners and players are fighting about how to split revenue. The NFL reportedly took in $9 billion in revenue in 2010. Under the current agreement, the NFL owners take roughly $1 billion of that revenue off the top and then spend 60% of the remaining revenue on the players. As employers are normally prone to think, the NFL owners think they are paying the players too much.

Besides how to split revenue here are the other main issues that the NFL owners and players are fighting about:
- Expanding the NFL regular season by two games to 18 regular season games
- Implementing a rookie wage scale
- Extending health care benefits for retired players

The owners will argue that since 2006 players costs have grown by 11% a year while revenues have only grown by 5.5%. The owners will point to the financial disclosures by the Green Bay Packers (only publicly owned team in the NFL so they are required to release certain financial information) that shows that the Packers' profits have decreased from $34 million to $10 million in four years.

The NFL players will counter that it is not really millionaires fighting with billionaires because the average NFL career only lasts 3.4 years. Furthermore, players like Aaron Rodgers have already earned tons of money but it is the borderline NFL players that can't afford to lose money and benefits. The players will further assert that it is ironic that the NFL is focusing on player safety but also trying to increase the number of regular season games thus subjecting the players to more injuries.

I have a million thoughts about how this should play out v. how this will actually play out. Check back for more coverage on this issue as things unfold.

Wednesday What (Should) Happened - 2011 Milwaukee Brewers Spring Training Preview

2011-02-23T23:59:00.055-06:00

The 2011 Milwaukee Brewers enter spring training with at least 55 players in contention for 25 roster spots. Lots of things can change between now and when the Brewers open their 2011 campaign on Thursday, March 31, 2011 against the Cincinnati Reds at the Great American Ballpark. Absent injury, 20 roster spots are virtually locked down leaving five available roster spots. Below you will find a quick analysis of the Brewers’ spring training roster along with my spring training predictions of which players will make the opening day roster.

Catcher:
- Guaranteed: Jonathan Lucroy
- Borderline: George Kottaras and Wil Nieves
- Long-shot: Anderson De La Rosa, Martin Maldonado, Shawn Riggans, and Mike Rivera

Cheesehead Sports Nut's Prediction: Last year the Brewers entered camp with the carcass of Gregg Zaun as the starting catcher. Luckily this year the Brewers enter with Jonathan Lucroy as their starting catcher, a better younger catcher than Zaun. My prediction is that the Brewers keep Lucroy and Kottaras.

Infielders:
- Guaranteed: Yuniesky Betancourt (SS), Craig Counsell (INF), Prince Fielder (1B), Casey McGehee (3B), and Rickie Weeks (2B)
- Borderline: Erick Almonte (1B/SS), Luis Cruz (SS), and Mat Gamel (3B)
- Long-shot: Eric Farris (2B), Edwin Maysonet (2B/SS), and Zelous Wheeler (SS/3B)

Cheesehead Sports Nut's Prediction: Every year Mat Gamel enters spring training as the “next big thing” to graduate from the farm system. Every year less than a week into spring training Gamel takes those expectations and shoves them right down the toilet adjacent to the training room where he spends most of his time. I am not letting Gamel suck me in this year so my prediction is that the Brewers only keep five infielders: Betancourt, Counsell, Fielder, McGehee, and Weeks.

Outfielders:
- Guaranteed: Ryan Braun (LF), Carlos Gomez (CF), Corey Hart (RF), and Mark Kotsay (1B/OF)
- Borderline: Brandon Boggs (CF/RF), Chris Dickerson (OF), and Jeremy Reed (CF)
- Long-shot: Caleb Gindl (OF) and Logan Schafer (CF)

Cheesehead Sports Nut's Prediction: The outfield looks set with Braun in left, Gomez in center, and Hart in right. Kotsay wouldn’t have signed without guarantees of making the roster so barring a calamity by Gomez or Kotsay, it looks like there is one spot up for grabs between Boggs, Dickerson, and Reed. My prediction is that the Brewers keep: Boggs, Braun, Gomez, Hart, and Kotsay.

Starting Pitching:
- Guaranteed: Yovani Gallardo (R), Zack Greinke (R), Shaun Marcum (R), Chris Narveson (L), and Randy Wolf (L)
- Borderline: Mark Rogers (R)
- Long-shot: Marco Estrada (R), Amaury Rivas (R), Cody Scarpetta (R)

Cheesehead Sports Nut's Prediction: What a difference a year makes? In 2010 the Brewers started spring training with a six horse race for five starting spots between: Dave Bush, Doug Davis, Yovani Gallardo, Manny Parra, Jeff Suppan, and Randy Wolf. In 2011, barring injury, the starting rotation will be: Gallardo, Greinke, Marcum, Narverson, and Wolf. As a result my prediction is that the Brewers will keep Gallardo, Greinke, Marcum, Narverson, and Wolf.

Relief Pitching:
- Guaranteed: John Axford (R), Zach Braddock (L), LaTroy Hawkins (R), Kameron Loe (R), and Takashi Saito (R)
- Borderline: Sean Green (R), Manny Parra (L), and Mitch Stetter (L)
- Long-shot: Mark DiFelice (R), Tim Dillard (R), Pat Egan (R), Robert Hinton (R), Justin James (R), Brandon Kintzler (R), Mike McClendon (R), Roque Mercedes (R), Dan Merklinger (L), Wily Peralta (R), and Zack Segovia (R)

Cheesehead Sports Nut's Prediction: With the money some guys are getting paid (Hawkins and Saito) they are guaranteed a bullpen spot if healthy. Besides that, the Brewers have three really young promising arms (Axford, Braddock, and Loe) that look to form the back end of their bullpen. The wildcards are Parra and Stetter because both have been so up and down. My prediction is that the Brewers keep eight relief pitchers: Axford, Braddock, Green, Hawkins, Loe, Parra, Saito, and Stetter.

Opening Day Lineup:
1. Rickie Weeks (2B)
2. Carlos Gomez (CF)
3. Ryan Braun (LF)
4. Prince Fielder (1B)
5. Casey McGehee (3B)
6. Corey Hart (RF)
7. Yuniesky Betancourt (SS)
8. Jonathan Lucroy (C)
9. Zack Greinke (R)

Starting Rotation:
1. Zack Greinke (R)
2. Yovani Gallardo (R)
3. Randy Wolf (L)
4. Shaun Marcum (R)
5. Chris Narveson (L)

Closer:
1. John Axford (R)
2. LaTroy Hawkins (R)
3. Kameron Loe (R)

Check back for more Brewers coverage throughout spring training.

Sunday Funday - Possible 2011 Trade Deadline Deals for the Milwaukee Bucks

2011-02-20T23:59:00.115-06:00

I hope that you enjoyed the 2011 NBA All-Star Weekend where the only Milwaukee Bucks participant was point guard Brandon Jennings in the Rookie/Sophomore Game. As evidenced by the lack of Milwaukee Bucks representation in the 2011 NBA All-Star Weekend festivities, the 2010-11 Milwaukee Bucks' season is looking like a lost season. Will a John Salmons type trade jump-start the season? Probably not but like I said last year in my possible Milwaukee Bucks trade deadline deals post, Milwaukee Bucks general manager John Hammond has shown that he is not afraid to make bold moves which is why only three players remain from the roster that Hammond inherited in April of 2008: Andrew Bogut, Ersan Ilyasova, and Michael Redd.

Unfortunately for how well Hammond did wheeling-and-dealing through the end of last season, all of his moves since have been downright horrible. If you want digital evidence, I questioned each one of Hammond's off-season moves:
- Corey Maggette trade
- Drew Gooden and John Salmons signings
- Milwaukee Bucks' 2010 NBA Draft

As the 2011 NBA Trade Deadline (Thursday, February 24, 2011 at 2 pm CST) approaches, a quick look at the Milwaukee Bucks roster shows that they have very few assets to trade:

Virtually Untradeable:
- Corey Maggette (SF): Earns $9.6 million this year, $10.3 million next year, and $10.9 million in 2012-13. That is a ton of money to pay a bad chemistry guy.
- John Salmons (SG): Injuries claimed most of Salmons' season so far. The Bucks are on the hook for a ton of money to Salmons through at least the 2013-14 season. Hopefully Salmons can revert back to his 2009-10 form for the rest of his contract. Otherwise, the Bucks will have a ton of money committed to an injury prone shooting guard and the sad part is the last sentence was not even about Michael Redd.
- Drew Gooden (PF): Earns $5.76 million this year, $6.2 million next year, and $6.68 million a year for 2012-13 through 2014-15. Gooden has been injured all season so not even the worst general manager in the league (Minnesota's general manager David Kahn) would consider dealing for Gooden.

Expiring Contracts:
- Michael Redd (SG): Has torn multiple knee ligaments the last two seasons and will participate in his first practice of the season this week. If that is not bad enough, Redd is the 5th highest paid player in the NBA this year earning $18.3 million.
- Earl Boykins (PG): Signed a one-year, $1.35 million deal in the off-season. Boykins earns every cent on the court since he is usually six inches shorter than the guy he is guarding.

Favorable short-term deals:
- Jon Brockman (PF): Despite being a disappointment so far, Brockman is only owed $1 million a year through the 2012-13 season. With such a favorable contract, the Bucks would have to be offered a late first round or early second round pick to make it worth their while to trade Brockman.
- Keyon Dooling (PG): Earning only $2 million this year and $2.2 million next year makes Dooling the most valuable and realistic trade option on the roster.
- Ersan Ilyasova (SF/PF): Is in the second year of a three-year, $6.96 million contract. I stand by my poor man's Dirk Nowitzki comparison for Ilyasova so no there is no reason to trade Ilyasova.
- Carlos Delfino (SG/SF): Is in the second year of a three-year, $10.5 million contract with the third year of the contract only a team option. Delfino has struggle with symptoms from his concussion. Although Delfino could be a sharp shooter for a playoff bound team, his contact is too favorable for Hammond to move.

Cheap Rookie Contracts:
- Larry Sanders (PF): Sending Sanders to the NBDL for "more playing time" hurt any trade value he had. With Sanders on his rookie contract through 2014-15 the Bucks have a cheap asset that they need to hold onto.
- Chris Douglas-Roberts (SG): Is earning $850,000 this year with a $1.1 million option for the 2011-12 season. At such a cheap price, the Bucks have no reason to move CDR until the next trade deadline at the earliest.
- Luc Mbah a Moute (SF/PF): Continues to be a lock down defender with limited offensive skills in the last year of his rookie contract. As long as the asking price isn't too high there will always be a place for a player like Mbah a Moute on a Scott Skiles coached team.

Virtually Untouchable:
- Andrew Bogut (C): The Bucks built their franchise around Bogut so unless they could get a quality young player plus some draft picks, there is no way the Bucks can even entertain offers for Bogut. With Bogut's injury history there is no way a team would be willing to part a with quality young player and drafts picks though so let's just move on.
- Brandon Jennings (PG): Injuries have put a damper on Jennings' sophomore NBA season but since the Bucks have Jennings on his rookie deal through the 2013-14 NBA season there is no way the Bucks part ways with Jennings anytime soon.

As you can see, the Bucks have very few legitimate trade assets. There is virtually no way the Bucks would trade Bogut, Brockman, Delfino, Douglas-Roberts, Ilyasova, Jennings, Mbah a Moute, or Sanders because they are either on cheap contracts (Brockman, Delfino, Douglas-Roberts, Ilyasova, Mbah a Moute, and Sanders) or are a potential franchise player (Bogut and Jennings). All the other guys on the roster save for Boykins and Dooling are signed to very expensive contracts.

Despite having few trade assets, I did my best to work ESPN's Trade Machine to try and realistically improve the Milwaukee Bucks. As we all know, the Milwaukee Bucks have a hard time enticing marquee free agents to sign in Milwaukee so they will most likely have to acquire them via trades. With a core of Brandon Jennings and Andrew Bogut for the next handful of years, players should be happier to play in Milwaukee than they have been in a long time. Here are my 5 trade deadline deals that the Milwaukee Bucks should at least consider:

#1) The Milwaukee Bucks trade Corey Maggette (SF) to the L.A. Lakers for Ron Artest (SF), Matt Barnes (SF), and a future first round pick. Call this the whack-job-swap. All three players involved are head cases that have very little trade value. Artest is a loose cannon that is signed for a year longer at a little bit less per year than Maggette. Barnes has a $1.9 million player option for next year that he would decline because he would have no interest in playing in Milwaukee any longer than he has to. Oddly enough since Artest has lost a step, acquiring Maggette would help the Lakers on the offensive end while being a neutral trade defensively. If Artest can't get along with Bogut and Jennings then he can't get along with anyone. Odds are 1,000,000 to 1 that this trade happens...so your telling me there's a chance?

#2) The Milwaukee Bucks trade Earl Boykins (PG) and a second round draft in the 2011 NBA Draft to the Atlanta Hawks for Jordan Crawford (SG). If you clicked on the trade you will see that the Bucks are projected to lose 6 more games after the trade while the Hawks' projected record does not change. This is one of the reasons that I don't completely buy into John Hollinger's player efficiency rating (PER). How can swapping a 3rd-string point guard for a 3rd-string shooting guard have such an impact on wins and losses? Oh and why would the Atlanta Hawks even consider the trade? Boykins is a legitimate backup point guard that could provide some quality veteran minutes for the Hawks in the playoffs. Odds are 1,000 to 1 that the Atlanta Hawks would even consider this trade but I have to continue to show my hypothetical general manager love for Jordan Crawford despite the fact that Crawford is having a sub par rookie season.

#3) The Milwaukee Bucks trade Michael Redd (SG) and their first round draft pick in the 2011 NBA Draft to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Antawn Jameson (PF) and Ramon Sessions (PG). I guess the Cavs could justify the trade by saying they are bringing in a former Ohio State star while saving some money down the road. The Bucks essentially get a mulligan on letting Sessions go by re-acquiring him and pairing Andrew Bogut with a versatile power forward for the next year and change. If you take the odds of the two aforementioned trades and multiple them together, that is how much of a chance this trade has of coming fruition in the next four days. Basically I had to include one Michael Redd trade so why not send him home to the King's former palace?

#4) The Milwaukee Bucks trade Corey Maggette (SF) to the Dallas Mavericks for Caron Butler (SF). This deal is 100% about Mark Cuban being the owner of the Dallas Mavericks. Cuban loves to tinker with his roster similar to how I like to tinker with my Madden video game roster. The only difference is that one happens in the real world with real life consequences while the other happens at my buddy Sug's house merely for bragging rights amongst two video game nerds. I respect that Cuban would rather make a move and be wrong (i.e. signing Brendan Haywood to a silly extension) than sit on his hands. This might be the only way that the Bucks can move Corey Maggette before the 2012-13 season.

#5) The Milwaukee Bucks trade Keyon Dooling (PG) to ANY playoff-bound team for a 2nd round pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. With all the labor uncertainty facing the NBA, the financial landscape of the NBA could dramatically change in the next six months. Although the 2011 NBA Draft is supposed to involve very little top end talent, there looks to be quality depth at each position so second round picks become very valuable.

If you read this far I want to thank you very much for spending all that time reading my random thoughts on the 2010-11 Milwaukee Bucks and the potential trades that will most likely never happen before the 2011 NBA Trade Deadline. Please feel free to leave a comment or email me (cheeseheadsportsnut@gmail.com) your thoughts on these trades or any other trade ideas you might have as the 2011 NBA Trade Deadline approaches.

Wednesday What (Should) Happen - Advice for Ted Thompson

2011-02-16T23:59:00.120-06:00

Unless the NFL Owners and NFL Players come to a new agreement, the Collective Bargaining Agreement between both sides is set to expire on Friday, March 3, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. EST. That means that the Green Bay Packers lose their exclusive negotiating rights with their "potential" free agents at that time. In a bit of an oddity, at the exact minute the players are set to become a free agents, each team’s ability to sign those players expires as well.

Depending on what type of agreement the owners and the players reach, some of the players below might not have enough accrued service time to become free agents (i.e. James Jones) but to make things as simple as possible, players will only be considered under contract for 2011 if they actually signed a deal with the Packers as of February 16, 2011 at 11:59 PM CST*.

Here is a blueprint for how Ted Thompson should proceed before the 2011 NFL season to help the Green Bay Packers win Super Bowl XLVI:

Quarterback:
- Under Contract for 2011: Aaron Rodgers, Matt Flynn, and Graham Harrell
- Free Agent: None
- Advice: The Packers should have locked up back-up quarterback Matt Flynn to a four-year, front-end loaded long-term deal at the start of 2010 because it was an uncapped year. Even if the Packers decided to trade Flynn, having him under contract for a few years at a cap friendly amount would make him even more enticing to other NFL teams. After playing well against the New England Patriots with Rodgers out with a concussion, a number of NFL teams took notice and Flynn likely priced himself out of Green Bay. Since the Packers didn’t lock up Flynn long-term, they need to keep Graham Harrell on the roster to see if he is worthy of backing up Rodgers in 2012 when Flynn is set to become a free agent.

Running Back:
- Under Contract for 2011: Ryan Grant, James Starks, and Dimitri Nance
- Free Agent: Brandon Jackson
- Advice: Brandon Jackson never performed like a starting running back after starting running back Ryan Grant went down for the season Week #1 against the Eagles. As a result, let Jackson leave via free agency. The Packers should draft another young running back in the 2011 NFL Draft to create an open competition between Dimitri Nance and the running back taken in the draft for the 3rd running back spot.

Fullback:
- Under Contract for 2011: Quinn Johnson
- Free Agent: John Kuhn and Korey Hall
- Advice: Hall showed flashes of being a starting fullback but struggled with injuries throughout his Packer career so the Packers should let Hall leave via free agency. John Kuhn is the younger version of Craig Counsell (jack-of-all trades that plays a number of positions along the infield for the Brewers) in the backfield for the Packers so the Packers should sign Kuhn to a three-year contract extension. Finally, please do not draft another fullback.

Wide Receiver:
- Under Contract for 2011: Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jordy Nelson, Brett Swain, Antonio Robinson, and Chastin West
- Free Agent: James Jones
- Advice: The new wide receiver pecking order in terms of production is Jennings, Nelson, Jones, Driver then Swain. Jones is set to become a free agent and ironically his shaky hands give the Packers a chance to bring Jones back in 2011. With Nelson set to become a free agent after 2012 and Driver getting older, the Packers need a long-term plan at wide receiver. Start by offering Jones a respectable four-year contract extension. No matter what Jones does, draft a wide receiver early in the 2011 NFL Draft. Finally, start negotiations with Nelson about a long-term contract extension.

Tight End:
- Under Contract for 2011: Jermichael Finley, Andrew Quarless, Tom Crabtree, Spencer Havner, and Donald Lee
- Free Agent: None
- Advice: Finley is the presumptive starter heading into 2011 despite missing most of the 2010 season with a knee injury chasing down a defender that scooped up a Donald Lee fumble. After Finley, everyone else will have to fight to earn a roster spot. Lee is getting paid too much money to be a back-up tight end so cut Lee. Take a wait and see approach with Quarless, Crabtree, and Havner. Although it is not a position of need, if the right tight end is available in the 2011 NFL Draft, take him because the Packers use tight ends all over the field.

Tackle:
- Under Contract for 2011: Chad Clifton, Bryan Bulaga, T.J. Lang, Mark Tauscher, Marshall Newhouse, and Chris Campbell
- Free Agent: None
- Advice: If healthy, Chad Clifton deserves to be the starter at left tackle in 2011. If Clifton starts at left tackle, keep Bulaga at right tackle. After that, Newhouse and Lang are still playing under their rookie contracts so they deserve to be on the team in 2011 as developmental guards/tackles. Unfortunately the odd man out is the glorious neck beard of Mark Tauscher because he is coming off another season ending injury and is owed $4.5 million in 2011. The Packers should take a quality left tackle early in the 2011 NFL Draft because Clifton is probably playing his last season in Green bay in 2011.

Guard:
- Under Contract for 2011: Josh Sitton, Nick McDonald, and Adrian Battles
- Free Agent: Daryn Colledge and Jason Spitz
- Advice: Sign Sitton to a long-term extension now. Barring a catastrophic injury, Sitton's asking price is only going up the more games he plays. After an up and down 2009, Daryn Colledge rebounded to play well in 2010. Colledge expects to be one of the highest paid guards in the NFL so let him leave via free agency unless he accepts a cheap, short-term extension. Much like Colledge, unless Spitz accepts a cheap one-year deal, let him leave via free agency too. Finally the Packers should draft a guard in the 2011 NFL Draft to make-up for potentially losing Colledge and Spitz.

Center:
- Under Contract for 2011: Scott Wells and Evan Dietrich-Smith
- Free Agent: None
- Advice: Evan Dietrich-Smith is not a long-term answer at center for the Packers or they would have kept him at the end of training camp. With Wells entrenched as the starter at center, the Packers need to groom their successor at center. The most likely candidates are McDonald or a future draft pick.

Defensive End:
- Under Contract for 2011: Ryan Pickett, Mike Neal, Howard Green, C.J. Wilson, Jarius Wynn, Curtis Young, and Justin Harrell
- Free Agent: Cullen Jenkins
- Advice: Jenkins played with a broken hand for the first half of 2010 and missed part of the second half of the season with a calf injury because he was playing during garbage time. I know Jenkins is 30 and suffered a few injuries but Ted Thompson should have used the uncapped year to sign Jenkins to a four-year, front-end loaded extension. Since Jenkins did not sign an extension, let him leave via free agency. With Pickett, Neal, Green, Wilson, and Wynn in the fold the Packers should cut Justin Harrell. Packer fans feel bad for Harrell on a personal level but why keep him on the roster year-after-year just to put him on injured reserve?

Defensive Tackle:
- Under Contract for 2011: B.J. Raji and Jay Ross
- Free Agent: None
- Advice: Pickett and Green can play defensive tackle in a pinch but the Packers need to add younger depth at defensive tackle via free agency or the draft to allow B.J. Raji to play fewer snaps in 2011.

Outside Linebacker:
- Under Contract for 2011: Clay Matthews, Brad Jones, Frank Zombo, Brady Poppinga, Erik Walden, Robert Francois, Diyral Brigs, and Cardia Jackson
- Free Agent: None
- Advice: Fans are clamoring for the Packers to use a high draft pick on an outside linebacker to pair with Clay Matthews for the next decade. I completely disagree, there are a number of good outside linebackers on the roster. Jones, Zombo, and Walden showed flashes last year but were injured too much to get a good gauge of who is the best of the three. If the right player is available in the draft, take him, but don’t use a high draft pick on an outside linebacker.

Middle Linebacker:
- Under Contract for 2011: Desmond Bishop, A.J. Hawk, Nick Barnett, Brandon Chillar, and Matt Wilhelm
- Free Agent: None
- Advice: I like the four-year contract extension the Packers gave Desmond Bishop because it gives the Packers perfect roster flexibility at middle linebacker. Once Barnett went down in 2010, Hawk took over as the main signal caller and performed admirably. Barnett is owed $6.05 million in 2011 and $6.55 million in 2012. Chillar is owed $2.6 million in 2011, $3.3 million in 2012, and $3.6 million in 2013. Hawk is owed $10 million in 2011, which is the final year of his rookie contract. The Packers need to sign Hawk to a five-year extension so they can stagger their middle linebacker contracts to come off the books yearly from 2012 through 2015. One final note, the four best linebackers on roster are: Matthews, Hawk, Bishop, and Barnett. Unfortunately three of them play middle linebacker. Since the Packers only play a traditional 3-4 defense on about 1/3rd of their defensive snaps allow Hawk, Bishop, and Barnett to be on the field at the same time. I say open camp with Hawk and Bishop as the starting middle linebackers. Let Chillar play as the primary back up at middle linebacker. Barnett is coming off an injury so it might be tough, but see if Barnett can play a hybrid middle linebacker/outside linebacker.

Cornerback:
- Under Contract for 2011: Charles Woodson, Tramon Williams, Sam Shields, Brandon Underwood, Pat Lee, Josh Gordy, and Josh Bell
- Free Agent: None
- Advice: The Packers know that their top three cornerbacks in 2011 will be Woodson, Williams, and Shields. After that the Packers have a bunch of guys that have failed to seize their opportunities. With Underwood getting in trouble off the field, Bell and Lee getting hurt all the time, and Gordy being raw the Packers need to draft a cornerback earlier rather than later in the 2011 NFL Draft. Hopefully competition for the 4th and 5th cornerback spot will bring out the best in the lower level cornerbacks on the roster.

Safety:
- Under Contract for 2011: Nick Collins, Morgan Burnett, Jarrett Bush, Derrick Martin, Anthony Smith, Michael Greco, and Anthony Levine.
- Free Agent: Charlie Peprah and Atari Bigby
- Advice: Charlie Peprah played great in place of injured rookie Morgan Burnett during the regular season and elevated his play in the playoffs. The Packers need to resign Peprah to a two-year contract extension. After that, the Packers need to decide whether Smith, Bigby, or Martin is worth keeping as a 5th safety behind Collins, Burnett, Peprah, and Bush. I say keep Smith but get rid of Bigby and Martin.

Specialists:
- Under Contract for 2011: Tim Masthay (P) and Brett Goode (LS)
- Free Agent: Mason Crosby (K)
- Advice: With Masthay and Goode signed for 2011, the Packers need to resign Crosby. Instead of creating a training camp competition for Crosby, resign him and tell him that he is the starter heading into 2011. Crosby is past competition being a source of motivation to perform better. Plus if Crosby struggles in 2011 there is always a free agent kicker available.

Footnote:
* = General manager Ted Thompson signed everyone that finished the season on the practice squad (Adrian Battles, Chris Campbell, Michael Greco, Cardia Jackson, Anthony Levine, Antonio Robinson, Jay Ross, Chastin West, and Curtis Young) to "futures" contracts. That basically means the Packers signed those players to their 80-man roster for the off-season and gives them a chance to make the 53-man roster.

Sunday Funday - CSN's Final Rankings of the 2010 Green Bay Packers

2011-02-13T23:59:00.138-06:00

The Green Bay Packers suffered a ton of season ending injuries on their way to Super Bowl XLV. Just to put in perspective how many good players the Packers lost and still won Super Bowl XLV, I ranked the 16 players the Packers placed on injured reserve through the 2010 season.

If you look at my initial rankings of the initial 53-man roster I was clearly was wrong on: C.J. Wilson, Jarrett Bush, Charlie Peprah, Desmond Bishop, A.J. Hawk, and Tramon Williams.

If you look at my midseason rankings of the 53-man roster I was clearly wrong on: James Starks and Erik Walden.

Here are my final rankings of the 53-man roster that won Super Bowl XLV with my midseason and initial rankings in parenthesis (NR means they were not on the roster at the time of the rankings):

#53 (53, 53) - Nick McDonald (G):
With Colledge, Spitz, and Lang ahead of McDonald on the depth chart for the entire season the Packers must view McDonald as a starter at guard or center sooner rather than later or they would have cut McDonald and signed him to the practice squad. That or McDonald has pictures of Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy open lip kissing.

#52 (NR, NR) - Evan Dietrich-Smith (G/C):
Thanks to 10,000 season ending injuries, Evan Dietrich-Smith became the lucky recipient of a Super Bowl ring despite being cut by the Packers earlier in the year, playing most of the 2010 season with the Seattle Seahawks then getting resigned by the Packers on New Years Eve.

#51 (50, NR) - Diyral Briggs (OLB):
With all the injuries the Packers suffered at outside linebacker, Briggs still never took any meaningful snaps for the Packers. Barring injury, Clay Matthews will be one of the starting outside linebackers for the next decade in Green Bay. Who will fill the other spot? Not Briggs because he is buried on the depth chart behind Francois, Jones, Poppinga, Walden, and Zombo.

#50 (NR, NR) - Graham Harrell (QB):
After throwing for what felt like 100,000 yards and 1,000 touchdowns in college, it is hard to tell whether Harrell is an NFL caliber quarterback because he has never taken a meaningful NFL snap.

#49 (NR, NR) - Josh Gordy (CB):
The first three cornerback spots are settler, after that, it is wide-open competition at cornerback. Gordy did enough at the end of 2010 to get a look in 2011.

#48 (NR, NR) - Robert Francois (OLB):
Having been cut and resigned more than any other player in 2010, Francois served as the emergency outside linebacker for the Packers thanks to all the injuries they suffered opposite Claymaker. Francois didn’t do anything to distinguish himself from the rest of the group though, so the chances of him playing for the Packers in 2011 team are slim.

#47 (48, NR) - Matt Wilhelm (MLB):
Congrats on getting a ring because with the bloated number of linebackers on the roster (see Briggs and Francois discussion above), your days are numbered in Green Bay.

#46 (33, 40) - Donald Lee (TE):
The poor man’s Bubba Franks had horrible hands all season and provided little in the way of blocking. According to all news reports Lee is the nicest guy in the world, which can be the only basis for why Lee wasn't cut during the 2010 season.

#45 (45, NR) - Atari Bigby (S):
A-hole-agent Drew Rosenhaus reportedly gets clients by only taking money on their second contract. That might be part of the reason that Bigby held out for an extension before the 2010 season. When Bigby returned to the field he re-injured his ankle and was never fully healthy.

#44 (42, NR) - Dimitri Nance (RB):
Never seized the opportunities given. Despite Brandon Jackson probably leaving via free agency, Nance is still behind Grant, Starks, and Kuhn (assuming he is resigned) even before the 2011 NFL Draft where the Packers will most likely draft a running back.

#43 (41, 37) - Brandon Underwood (CB):
Despite being given every chance to hold down the nickel cornerback job, Underwood never recovered from his alleged late night escapades before the start of the 2011 season.

#42 (38, 47) - Tom Crabtree (TE):
Move over Mark Chmura because there is a new white tight end with a Super Bowl ring in town. Crabtree is not a lock to make the team in 2011 so I advise against following Chmura’s footsteps by attending a prom party.

#41 (40, 48) - Pat Lee (CB):
Quickly turning into the second round version of Ahmad Carroll.

#40 (35, 35) - Jason Spitz (G/C):
At some point Spitz has to stay healthy. The guy doesn’t even play in games but continues to get injured. If Spitz was healthy there is chance Wells is playing center for another team but it looks like Spitz’s inability to stay healthy for any extended period of time means he will be hanging out in another NFL team’s training room next year.

#39 (34, 31) - T.J. Lang (G):
Looked like a starter at right tackle or left guard heading into 2010 but a wrist injury held Lang back. Lang has a small window to get healthy unless he wants to become the new school Jason Spitz.

#38 (29, 38) - Korey Hall (FB):
Not a good year for Hall to be a free agent with all the talent the Packers have on the roster. Hall struggled to stay healthy in 2010 so he will most likely move to another team in 2011.

#37 (43, 51) - Brett Swain (WR):
The Fifth Wheel of the impressive wide receiver group. Swain is a valuable contributor on special teams but that probably won’t be enough for him to make the roster in 2011. The only way Swain makes the 2011 roster is if Jones leaves via free agency and the Packers don’t draft another wide receiver in the 2011 NFL Draft.

#36 (23, 39) - Frank Zombo (OLB):
The converted defensive end played well at outside linebacker, when healthy, in 2010. If Zombo can complete the transformation he looks poised for a breakout year in 2011.

#35 (49, NR) - Erik Walden (OLB):
A midseason pick-up that actually played meaningful snaps to help the Packers get to Super Bowl XLV. If Walden can stay healthy, he has a chance to unseat Brad Jones and Frank Zombo opposite Claymaker.

#34 (31, 49) - Andrew Quarless (TE):
Unfortunately Quarless looks more like a homeless man’s Jermichael Finley than even a poor man's. Unless Quarless can get a new set of hands before 2011 he will get to drop passes for another NFL team in the near future.

#33 (36, NR) - Jarius Wynn (DE):
After getting cut at the end of training camp, Wynn stayed in shape waiting for the call. Good move because Wynn looks like he will be a solid contributor along the defense line for the next few years.

#32 (21, 28) - Brandon Jackson (RB):
The second round of the draft has been boom (Collins, Jennings, and Nelson) or bust (Brohm, Jackson, and Lee) during the Thompson regime. After Grant went down for the season in Week 1, fantasy owners rushed to add Jackson hoping for 1,200 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Well 700 of the quietest rushing yards and 3 touchdowns later, Packers fans and fantasy owners hate Jackson.

#31 (37, 45) - Jarrett Bush (S):
At the start of the 2010 season I was President of the Cut Jarrett Bush Fan Club. Bush’s play throughout 2010, capped by an interception in Super Bowl XLV, guaranteed my resignation. Sorry to my fellow fan club members, I know this sounds like blasphemy but Bush’s special teams play and occasional help on defense makes him a valuable member of the team.

#30 (47, 50) - Quinn Johnson (FB):
Showed flashes of being the sledgehammer fullback that the Packers drafted out of LSU in the 5th Round of the 2009 NFL Draft. Johnson needs to be more consistent if he wants to hold off Kuhn be the full time starter at fullback.

#29 (32, 52) - C.J. Wilson (DE):
Showed the ability to play the run and the pass at defensive end in the 3-4 in 2010, a really underrated skill in the NFL. Wilson will compete with Mike Neal to start opposite Ryan Pickett in 2011.

#28 (52, NR) - James Starks (RB):
Starks would have been a first or second round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft if he was healthy his senior year in college in 2009. Starks looks like a younger version of Ryan Grant, which could give the Packers a formidable 1-2 punch at running back in 2011.

#27 (39, NR) - Howard Green (DT):
Despite how well Walden played in spurts, Green was the "under the radar midseason pickup of the year" by Thompson. Raji played almost every down even with Green on the roster so I can't imagine what the Packers would have done without Green.

#26 (28, 42) - Brett Goode (LS):
Steady and rarely heard from, a great thing for a long snapper.

#25 (25, 27) - Mason Crosby (K):
Crosby will almost certainly be resigned but the Packers need to think long and hard about whether they want to use a pick in the 2011 NFL Draft on a kicker.

#24 (22, 29) - John Kuhn (FB):
The poor man’s Peyton Hillis is scheduled to become a free agent. The Packers don’t want to break the bank for Kuhn but he was a valuable jack-of-all-trades in the backfield last year for the Packers and should be on the team in 2011.

#23 (30, 26) - Matt Flynn (QB):
Brett Favre had a handful of backups (Aaron Brooks, Mark Brunell, and Matt Hasselbeck) that turned into starting quarterbacks elsewhere in the NFL. Matt Flynn looks like the first one that will follow in the same footsteps instead of backing up Aaron Rodgers.

#22 (26, 34) - Tim Masthay (P):
The ghost of Craig Hentrich looks like it finally left Green Bay. For Masthay’s performance against the New York Jets alone he deserves the starting job in 2011.

#21 (10, 11) - Cullen Jenkins (DE):
One of the biggest contributors and personalities on the defensive line probably played his last snap for the Packers. Jenkins appeared in every game in 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2009 but missed games in 2006, 2008, and 2010. Jenkins still has a few good seasons left in him but the Packers don’t usually like to invest in aging players especially with so many up and coming defensive lineman (Neal, Wilson, and Wynn) on the roster.

#20 (19, 21) - James Jones (WR):
The boom-bust star of the Packers last year. Every time Rodgers throws deep to Jones Mike McCarthy turns into Robert Loggia from Necessary Roughness screaming “don’t throw it to stone hands!!!!” For every amazing catch (playoffs against the Falcons) there are the brain farts (playoffs against the Eagles). Jones is set to break the bank as a free agent but is a little overvalued in my book because he played as the 3rd option on a potent offense, which is a far cry from being a consistent first or second option on a decent team.

#19 (17, 22) - Daryn Colledge (G):
Played well as the dead man walking of the offensive line. There is something to be said for continuity along the offensive line but there is going to be turnover with Clifton and Wells aging. It makes sense to insert a new guy at left guard next year because 2011 is most likely Clifton’s last year playing for the Packers, which will give the new left guard a year under his belt before someone takes over for Clifton.

#18 (13, 12) - Donald Driver (WR):
Driver is still one of the biggest leaders on the team despite being 4th on the depth chart in terms of production at wide receiver in 2010.

#17 (20, 41) - Charlie Peprah (S):
The surprise retread of the year was Peprah being an integral part of the secondary for the Packers. Peprah played so well that Morgan Burnett is going to have to work hard to unseat Peprah as the starter opposite Nick Collins at safety for the Packers in 2011.

#16 (16, 30) - Sam Shields (CB):
No doubt the biggest surprise of the year on defense outside of Peprah was Shields going from being an undrafted former wide receiver to the starting nickel cornerback on a Super Bowl champion in less than a year. Defensive coordinator Dom Capers was able to move Charles Woodson all over the secondary because of how much he trusted Shields to cover the opposition’s second best wide receiver.

#15 (24, 19) - Jordy Nelson (WR):
The rich man’s Bill Schroeder is making a case to take over for Donald Driver sooner rather than later as the #2 receiver behind Greg Jennings.

#14 (18, 36) - Desmond Bishop (MLB):
Bishop earned the right to be one of the two starting middle linebackers for the Packers in 2011 but Mr. August is going to have to prove he is Mr. Fullseason next year.

#13 (12, 15) - Scott Wells (C):
The Packers tried to replace Wells a number of times because he is not the biggest guy or the strongest guy on the team but Wells continued to perform well and held off the competition.

#12 (14, 25) - Bryan Bulaga (T):
The left tackle of the future turned out to be the starting right tackle of now in 2010. I know it might seem crazy but without Bulaga the Packers would not have been able to absorb the loss of right tackle Mark Tauscher and most likely would have missed the playoffs.

#11 (11, 8) - Ryan Pickett (DE):
Pickett’s days with the Packers looked numbered when the Packers moved from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense in 2009. Fortunately the versatility that Pickett brings to the table is the perfect compliment to all-world defensive tackle B.J. Raji. Much like Raji, Pickett’s impact on the defense can’t be measured through statistics alone. In fact, half of Claymaker’s sacks in 2010 should be spit between Raji and Pickett because of how many offensive linemen they occupied for Claymaker.

#10 (15, 32) - A.J. Hawk (MLB):
Performed well as the quarterback of the defense when Barnett was lost for the season. Hawk reminds me of a pitcher drafted to be a stud-starting pitcher but turned out to be an above average middle relief pitcher. On the positive side of the equation you have a dependable arm coming out of the bullpen, unfortunately you don’t have the starting pitcher you expected.

#9 (9, 14) - Chad Clifton (T):
Old-man-river made it through another season with a few bumps and bruises along the way. Despite being one of the oldest guys on the roster, Clifton played great in 2010 anchoring the left side of the offensive line. The 2011 season might be Clifton's farewell tour on his way to the Packers Hall of Fame.

#8 (7, 6) - Nick Collins (S):
Collins’s pick-six in Super Bowl XLV finally put him on the map for some of the more casual NFL fans and put him neck-and-neck with LeRoy Butler for the best Packers safety of the last 25 years.

#7 (6, 2) - Charles Woodson (CB):
Woodson was picked on more in 2010 than in years past in large part because of how well Tramon Williams played in 2010. Unfortunately an injury prevented Woodson from playing in the second half of Super Bowl XLV but that shouldn’t detract from how well Woodson played in 2010 en route to winning his first Super Bowl ring.

#6 (5, 10) - Josh Sitton (G):
Sitton was named offensive lineman of the year by the NFL alumni association and looks like the brightest star along the offensive line for the Packers for the next decade. With the influx of young, impressive defensive tackles like Ndamukong Suh, guards like Sitton are going to become just as important as having stud offensive tackle in the NFL for the next decade.

#5 (8, 3) - Greg Jennings (WR):
Jennings is the perfect wide receiver for the West Coast offense. The loss of Finley for the year allowed Rodgers to get on the same page as Jennings as his #1 target and Jennings took full advantage of the increased attention to put up huge numbers in 2010. If you forget how many big plays Rodgers and Jennings had in 2010, check out this video.

#4 (4, 16) - Tramon Williams (CB):
The Packers locked up Williams long-term in the middle of 2010 at what looked like a pretty expensive contract. With how well Williams played by the end of 2010, he quickly became one of the most underpaid as opposed to overpaid defensive backs in the NFL. Williams played so well that future hall of famer Charles Woodson was the second best cornerback on the roster behind Williams in 2010.

#3 (3, 13) - B.J. Raji (NT):
After a holdout at the start of 2009, Raji played most of the season injured and never fulfilled all the expectations that go along with being a top-10 pick. Good things come to those who wait because Raji played outstanding in 2010. Raji played so well in 2010 that of the 8 players taken before Raji (Matthew Stafford, Jason Smith, Tyson Jackson, Aaron Curry, Mark Sanchez, Andre Smith, Darrius Heyward-Bey, and Eugene Monroe) the only player that would probably go ahead of Raji if they re-did the draft is Mark Sanchez.

#2 (1, 4) - Clay Matthews (OLB):
The Claymaker looks like a stud outside linebacker that could win multiple NFL defensive player of the year awards over the next decade. I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings but let’s enjoy the ride while it lasts. Brian Cushing, Claymaker’s best friend in college, has been linked with the use of performance-enhancing drugs. My feeling is that Claymaker is smarter than that, especially because his father played in the NFL. Unfortunately everything questioned in 2010 because of the pervasive use of performance-enhancing drugs in professional sports over the last few decades.

#1 (2, 1) - Aaron Rodgers (QB):
The performance Rodgers had against the Atlanta Falcons in the playoffs is required viewing for any player that wants to be a successful quarterback in the NFL. Despite suffering a few concussions in 2010, Rodgers put together one of the best seasons in the history of the franchise. With one Super Bowl under his Championship Belt, Rodgers is possibility the brightest star in the NFL right now.