If I may borrow from Garrison Keillor, it has been another quiet off-season in Green Bay, my hometown. Free agency yielded a number of exciting stories across the league, from the big-time pickups in Kansas City to the axing and reclaiming of Terrell Owens. But once again, the Packers remain absent from the headlines while the rest of the league spends time wheeling and dealing.
Under general manager Ted Thompson, Green Bay has always laid low during free agency. The team usually only opts to sign a few of its own guys back and bring one or two project backups on board to develop in off-season workouts.
This year, however, it seemed as though the Packers might finally get in on the excitement. Their lack of talent on the defensive line and their punting woes from last season should have instigated some interest in the market. Then they signed Dom Capers as the new defensive coordinator and announced that they would be adopting the 3-4 defensive scheme.
But apparently, none of these things was enough for Green Bay to seek free agent pickups beyond the likes of Duke Preston and Anthony Smith, two players who do not stand much of a chance of cracking the starting lineup come September. Once again, the NFL draft will be the Packers' primary source of fresh talent this year.
For those who bleed green and gold, do not be quick to pronounce this season of free agency a failure. One of the changes that seemed to necessitate player acquisition may have made better use of the players currently on Green Bay's roster. With the new 3-4 defense, the Packers can get more out of their deep and talented linebacking core while relying less on their weak defensive line. Brady Poppinga, Nick Barnett, A J Hawk, Brandon Chillar, Desmond Bishop and Jason Hunter all showed considerable skill at linebacker last season, and will be vital components in the new scheme. You would have a hard time naming half as many defensive linemen who were as productive, and chances are Aaron Kampman will be moving into the backfield this year. The new defense fits the current personnel.
Financially, sitting tight will pay dividends as well. Not signing the big market names frees up more cap room for the abundance of draft picks that will be coming in at the end of April—all nine of them, as it stands. If a draft pick comes out of the gates playing at a high level and you sign him to a modest deal for four or five years, you have yourself a bargain. Josh Sitton, Jermichael Finley and Matt Flynn may pan out to fit that description in the next few years.
More salary cap room from a quiet free agency period also means more incentive money to throw at guys who performed well in the previous season who you don't want to get away, guys like Mike Montgomery, Jarrett Bush and Aaron Rodgers.
Drafting talent rather than acquiring it from other teams is better for chemistry, anyway. Though both were available during the offseason, it would be hard to argue that Michael Crabtree would fit in better on any NFL squad than Terrell Owens. Simply put, Crabtree is young and impressionable, while Owens is already set in his ways.
It may pan out for the better that the Packers stayed out of the pickup picture. Their needs will be addressed within the month, and it will not cost as much to address them. No news is good news from Green Bay, where all the players are strong, all the prospects are good-looking, and all the fans are above average.
Think the Packers should have been more proactive this off-season? E-mail Andy about it at avansistine@wisc.edu
