Saturday, March 15, 2014

Packers sign Julius Peppers

Tempson finally got off his hand and made a move, y'all.

DE/OLB Julius Peppers signed a three-year deal, reuniting himself with Mike Trgovac. Trgovac is Green Bay's defensive line coach, who was Carolina's line coach in 2002 (Peppers' first year in the league, leading to Defensive Rookie of the Year Honors) and defensive coordinator from 2003-2008.

Here are Julius Peppers' seven 2013 credited sacks in gif form:








Update:
Julius Peppers' 2012 sacks have been added:













Friday, March 14, 2014

The Packers and the Current Free Agency Market

Current Signings:
Sam Shields, CB (4/39/12.5)
Mike Neal, OLB/DE (2/8/2.5)
Andrew Quarless, TE (2/3/0.35)
Jamari Lattimore, ILB (1/1.431/1.431)
Chris Banjo, S (1/.495/.495)

Lost Packers:
M.D. Jennings, S [Chicago] (1/?/?)
Greg Van Roten, OG [Seattle] (1/.57/0)

2013 Packers on the Market: (rankings via NFL.com's available free agents)
#4 Jermichael Finley, TE
#8 B.J. Raji, NT
#15 James Jones, WR
Evan Dietrich-Smith, OC
Johnny Jolly, DE/NT
Ryan Pickett, DE/NT
James Starks, RB
John Kuhn, FB
C.J. Wilson, DE
Matt Flynn, QB
Robert Francois, ILB
Marshall Newhouse, OT
Khalil Bell, RB
Seneca Wallace, QB

Wishlist: (rankings via NFL.com's available free agents)
#8 B.J. Raji, NT
#17 Pat Sims, NT
#28 Chris Clemons, S
#45 Owen Daniels, TE
Vance Walker, DE
Evan Dietrich-Smith, OC
Johnny Jolly, DE/NT
John Kuhn, FB
Matt Flynn, QB
Robert Francois, ILB

-Rarely does Thompson go into the draft with a giant hole at a position. Yes, he'll have a low level starter in just in case, but rarely ever does he go into the draft with his hands tied to a position. The exception to that was when the team switched to a 3-4 defense. At this point, there are pretty sizable holes on the defensive line and at safety. Look for a move to be made there.

-Wilfork has yet to be cut, but I could see him added with Raji and Sims as a top priority NT signing. Pickett's age really began to show on the field in 2013, but Jolly still has game in the tank. After healing his neck, I think there's a legit chance he has a shot at either the left defensive end or nose tackle spots in 2014, if he takes a deal from Green Bay.

-When watching Vance Walker, the defensive lineman who played for the Raiders in 2013, Pat Sims stood out. Looking at his grades on Pro Football Focus, he passes the analytics test, too. According to PFF, if Sims, who had an amazing turnaround in 2013, had played at the rate he was in his final ten game over the course of the season as opposed to just ten games, he would have ranked third in run defense for a NT/DT in their rankings. I think there's something to get excited about with Sims.

-Vance Walker looks like a good rotational defensive lineman based on what I was able to catch on Rewind yesterday. A disruptor who doesn't have any truly special physical traits, but is an effort player who doesn't give up, and has great hand usage. You need to keep him on a pitch count, though. He did very well for the Raiders at the beginning of the year, but as his snaps increased per game, his production faded away. If the Chiefs don't sign him, he'll be visiting Green Bay. I also cut some of his snaps in gif form for the blog.

-Chris Clemons, at least in my opinion, is the last safety in this class that is a starting lock. Antoine Bethea, who signed a four-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers, claims he was in contact with the Packers, which means they're at least fielding offers.

-Seneca Wallace went on NFL Network and claimed the Packers had signed B.J. Raji, were in contact with Wallace, and that the Packers were attempting to extend Jordy Nelson, but none of this has been confirmed by other sources.

-Owen Daniels took a visit to Green Bay, left, Quarless got a contract, and now Daniels is on his way to Washington for a visit. There may not be a great chance that he ends up in Green Bay, but there's still a chance. A three million, two-year deal for Quarless doesn't knock out any and all possibilities of a tight end moving forward.

-Evan Dietrich-Smith may very well be valued more by teams outside of Wisconsin, rather than in Wisconsin. Remember, Ted Thompson gave EDS a low tag last year when he was a restricted free agent. It would not surprise me if he doesn't end up in Green Bay if he wants north of four million a year. J.C. Tretter, a 2013 draft pick who injured himself in camp last year, would likely fill the starting center slot, but the depth on the team is poor. T.J. Lang has taken snaps at center, but after that, Garth Gerhart, a futures contract center who hasn't taken a live snap in his career, is the only depth. I'd look for Green Bay to try to bring in a swinging center/guard in to compete with Tretter, have it be through the draft or free agency.

-While you don't need to bring back Flynn, Kuhn, or Francois, they are all "Packer people" who have something to contribute. For all the criticism Kuhn gets, he's still very good in the flex FB role that McCarthy uses him in. Matt Flynn is a proven backup in the system, and hopefully his elbow injury is what kept his arm back in 2013. Francois would immediately be the second best strong inside linebacker behind Hawk, and contribute again on special teams.