A little remodeling could go a long way
January 4 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Columnist Rick Braun
"The off-season arrived in Green Bay three weeks earlier than a year ago.
That's three weeks the upper brass at 1265 Lombardi Ave. will have to work out why the 2008 season went from high hopes after a 2-0 start to bitter disappointment.
It's a safe bet that general manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy have had meetings to discuss what they can do to make sure that 2009 season doesn't end as early.
Well, they didn't ask, but here's some unsolicited advice.
First off, open the wallet.
The Packers have enjoyed more salary cap room the last couple years than most teams and have not used it to their advantage.
Sure, they used some of it this season to get quarterback Aaron Rodgers under contract for the next six seasons, but that barely scratched the surface of how much cap space is available. They could have used some of that cash to sign a player or two last season.
Someone like Corey Williams comes to mind. Instead of paying the defensive lineman, who posted seven sacks a year ago and gave the Packers an inside pass rush, they dealt him to Cleveland for a second-round pick and counted on 2007 first-round pick Justin Harrell.
Call that penny-wise and pound-foolish. The Packers never had an interior pass rush this season. Now they'll have to spend this off-season to rectify that problem. And they'll have to spend more than they would have on Williams.
Here's another tip: Don't worry about being the youngest team in the league.
Sure, that's a nice title to have when a team is rebuilding.
But the Packers are not rebuilding. Even with Rodgers having replaced legend Brett Favre this season, there was no excuse for the Packers to fall to 6-10 from 13-3.
Rodgers' numbers this season were close to Favre's last season. Rodgers threw for 4,038 yards this year; Favre threw for 4,155 a year ago. Rodgers matched Favre's 28 touchdowns. He threw two fewer interceptions (13 vs. 15); his rating of 93.8 was barely below Favre's 95.7 a year ago.
The Packers scored just 16 points fewer than they did a year ago - that's a point per game.
No, these Packers are not rebuilding. So while younger is better than older in some cases, it isn't when experience matters, and experience is often the difference between winning and losing.
So spend some money on a free agent or two. I'm not saying mortgage the future on someone who is past his prime.
But a couple of solid veterans - one, maybe even two, who can rush the passer - would do wonders.
The 2008 Packers went 0-7 in games decided by four points or fewer. That may cause a more cautious general manager to think they're closer to the top than they really are.
Remember Lindy Infante's "seven plays from the playoffs" comment after a 4-12 record in 1991? That squad lost six games by four points or fewer. A year later, under a new coach (Mike Holmgren) and new quarterback (Favre), they were 9-7 and building towardLink
Calendar
