Of the players cut after the disaster against New England, only G Matt O'Dwyer and LB Hannibal Navies were a surprise. Not too much of a surprise if you watched the New England game; I didn't see O'Dwyer at all and Navies didn't play until the 4th quarter.

O'Dwyer was signed to start at right guard, but 7th round pick G William Whitticker came out of nowhere to impress the team. O'Dwyer was slowed down by minor injuries and a tendency to draw a lot of penalties in the brief time he made it onto the field this preseason.

Navies played with the first team defense early in the preseason, but was pushed behind LB Ray Thompson and LB Paris Lenon as the preseason went on. Still, it was a surprise to see Navies demoted. With LB Na'il Diggs injured, possibly out for the season, and Lenon a constant target of abuse in pass defense (New England picked on Lenon for most of the 3rd quarter), keeping Navies around might have been valuable.

Packers 3, New England 27. Just an awful game. Bad 1st quarter special teams contributed to 10 early New England points. Frequent offensive turnovers. Far too many penalties. Poor run defense. Several key injuries during the game including WR Antonio Chatman, WR Javon Walker, DE KGB, and FS Nick Collins. It does not sound like the injuries are a cause for concern.

The major problem on offense was that QB Brett Favre wasn't in any rhythm, and that was as much to do with New England's great defense. Favre had three interceptions, one was called back on a penalty but it lead to the neck injury to Chatman. Was it bad routes by the receivers? Was it bad throws by Favre? It wasn't clear watching the game, but it looked more like poor routes by the receivers.

The run offense didn't have much success, but New England has an interesting 3-4 defense with essentially 3 nose tackles on the defensive line. If one team is built to stop the run in the NFL, it is New England.

QB Aaron Rodgers looked pretty good (for a rookie), once he stopped fumbling the snaps (he fumbled his first two snaps from center). Remember, Rodgers is a rookie quarterback, and most rookie quarterbacks are bad to awful, with only a few exceptions. He shouldn't look very good, yet.

G William Whitticker had won the starting right guard spot, but he might have lost it with his play against New England. His biggest sin was moving too far to his left on a pass play when the defensive lineman to Whitticker's left ran a stunt, ran around Whitticker's right side, and got a clean shot at Favre, leading to a painful grimmace from Favre. Whitticker can probably win the job with a solid last preseason game, otherwise G Grey Ruegamer will start. C Scott Wells had a lot of playing time backing up LG Adrian Klemm at left guard and might convince the Packers to move Klemm to right guard and let Wells start at left guard.

The Packers defense had some bright spots. FS Nick Collins started with the first team, and his biggest mistake was dropping an interception that would have stopped a New England TD drive. CB Ahmad Carroll played very well, although far too much taunting (calm down Ahmad!). CB Mike Hawkins backed up CB Al Harris again, but got burned on the 2nd quarter TD pass. CB Joey Thomas looked better as the 3rd cornerback. There are still a lot of question marks on the Packers overall, but the secondary has made a lot of progress this preseason.

So has P B.J. Sander. He launched some giant punts and has a lot of hang time. He has completely turned his career around, after spending the entire 2004 season inactive. He could be a valuable field position weapon in 2005.

The run defense looked awful. New England ran almost every run play right at Gbaja-Biamila and was most successful when DT Cullen Jenkins played next to him. The Packers are about 30 pounds heavier per player with DT Colin Cole and DE Aaron Kampman to the right side. Gbaja-Biamila had success on run defense when he was able to use his speed to run past the left tackle, but that rarely happened. DT Cletidus Hunt will play next to Gbaja-Biamila when he returns from his injury, so hopefully that will help. Defensive coordinator Jim Bates has to figure out how to stop teams from running right over Gbaja-Biamila.

WR Terrence Murphy (2nd round, 2005) hasn't played yet, and now Chatman and Walker got hurt. Walker's finger injury isn't as serious as Chatman's neck injury, but a finger injury for a wide receiver can't be a good thing. The wide receiver depth is now WR Donald Driver, WR Robert Ferguson, and you don't want to know. In one game, this position just became a problem.

$6 million signing bonus for Bubba? TE Bubba Franks finally signed a contract with the Packers after remaining a free agent ever since the Packers slapped the transition player tag on him back in March. The signing bonus is one of the top 5 largest signing bonus ever paid by the Packers, only QB Brett Favre, DE KGB, FS Darren Sharper and WR Antonio Freeman have ever gotten more. Should the Packers have paid this much for Bubba? If they had this much cap room available, should they have used it to try and resign G Marco Rivera or G Mike Wahle instead? Should they have used the money to cut and resign FS Darren Sharper?

Bubba is a three time Pro Bowl tight end. He has developed into a very good receiver after starting out in his rookie season with a bad case of the drops. He never has too many catches or too many receiving yards, but he always catches a few touchdowns, which may be more an indication of playing with a great quarterback. He is an excellent run blocker and deserves credit for contributing to the great Packer run offense in 2003 and pretty good run offense in 2004. He plays a position without a lot of depth around the NFL, and some teams seem plagued to never have a good tight end (Hello Chicago!) so it is probably a good idea to keep a good one once you've got him. He is only 28 years old and is likely to continue to play well for at least two more seasons.

However, Bubba had been a free agent for months now, and had not received an offer from any other team, as far as had been reported. If another team had signed Bubba, they wouldn't have had to pay any compensation for him, because the Packers only used the transition tag and not the franchise tag. Maybe teams weren't interested in pursuing Bubba because they knew the Packers would match any offer. Maybe no other team in the NFL was interested in Bubba. If the Packers had held a hard line for Bubba, what were his options? No other team appeared interested in signing him. Would he sit out a season? If Bubba had no other options and had to eventually sign with the Packers, why give him one of the richest deals in team history?

It is a mixed signing. There is a lot of good although it looks like the Packers didn't have to overpay for Bubba. Instead they gave him big money anyway. It is a good signing for the 2005 season, but the Packers might come to regret it by 2007 if Bubba doesn't age well. I have heard criticism on the radio by Peter King of SI that the Packers only spent $50,000 in signing bonuses this offseason on defensive players when they knew that their defense needed help. I didn't think they had the cap room for a multi-million signing bonus, but apparently they had it for Bubba, although most NFL teams only spend modest amounts on their tight ends. It seems like an odd allocation of money and cap room for a team tight against the salary cap.

Head coach Mike Sherman signed a two year extension. This is supposed to help a coach in two ways; first he gets a bunch of guaranteed money, and second he receives the all important vote-of-confidence. I don't quite understand how receiving a contract beyond the current season really helps his relationship with the players by showing confidence in your coach. In today's NFL, everyone is one injury or one bad game/decision away from unemployment. I still don't think it will help Sherman beyond this season. If the season goes bad, new GM Ted Thompson might put the blame on Sherman for the collapse or decide he really wants his own guy as head coach, and fire Sherman anyway; two years left on his contract or not.

And NT Grady Jackson might be able to play! One of these weeks. His knee still isn't good enough to pass a physical. Who knows.

Packers 7, Buffalo 27. I didn't watch the game so I don't have much to comment on. I watched Buffalo during their scrimmage with the Packers a couple of weeks ago and I was very impressed with their defense and their depth at defense. The Packers' backups really struggled against Buffalo's backups, so it was not surprising that they lost a preseason game played mostly by backups. It was good to see the first team offense score (QB Brett Favre TD pass to RB Ahman Green) against their great defense. But it looks like Buffalo was able to run all game against the Packers and kept their offense on the field a long time, which probably means that the Packers poor run defense is still poor, and no one is stepping up on the defensive line or at linebacker while LB Na'il Diggs and NT Grady Jackson are out.

QB Aaron Rodgers probably didn't look good again because his stat line sure didn't look good. But he shouldn't be very good as a rookie (very few rookies are good in the NFL), plus he is playing with all backups who haven't played together for very long. Overall, he shouldn't look very good right now. Hopefully he looks good fundamentally and the rest will come with practice and experience.

I did watch part of Minnesota's preseason game this weekend. Minnesota made many mistakes and lost a game they could have won. It has been the biggest problem of Minnesota in recent seasons; they look great on paper but it doesn't translate into a dominant team. The rest of the NFC North is struggling; Detroit lost to a very weak Cleveland team at home and Chicago has its usually soap opera of quarterback problems. All this means if the Packers can maintain their great offense and the defense can rebound back to its 2002 and 2003 performance level, then the Packers should be the favorites to repeat as NFC North champs.

S Arturo Freeman was cut after the preseason game against San Diego. Freeman didn't play in the scrimmage or San Diego game until late and played behind S Earl Little. It probably didn't help him at all when he committed a penalty in the San Diego game and that he has been playing through an injury to his right hand. The announcers always gave Freeman a little more credit than the other defensive players because he is the only player who played for defensive coordinator Jim Bates in Miami last season. But the Packers have brought in a number of safeties this season; Freeman, Little, 2nd round pick S Nick Collins and 4th round pick S Marviel Underwood. Freeman probably had the inside track coming into training camp at the starting safety spot alongside S Mark Roman, but for whatever reason, it didn't work out for him. The Packers didn't sign him to a big free agent contract this offseason, so the Packers don't have a financial incentive to give Freeman any second chances.

There is talk of trading WR Robert Ferguson? To rival Philadelphia? Ferguson has not been huge success in his career with the Packers, but his stats are generally what a team should expect from their 3rd wide receiver. If Ferguson is traded, behind WR Donald Driver and Javon Walker is only Antonio Chatman, Terrence Murphy (who hasn't yet recovered from a hip injury) and a bunch of guys I don't want to see on the field during the regular season. The Packers were in a major bind during last season's playoffs when Walker was injured. For most of the game, QB Brett Favre's only receivers were Driver, Chatman, and the Packers practice squad in the form of WR Andrea Thurman. Thurman's lack of time with the team caused at least one of Favre's interceptions in the game. This preseason, Thurman hasn't been too impressive and neither have any of the other young receivers. Any insight Ferguson would bring to Philadelphia about the Packers offense would be minimal; Philadelphia's Andy Reid knows how it works from first hand experience and Philadelphia managed to completely shut down the Packers in 2004 anyway. Jsonline.com suggested Philadelphia might offer a 2005 4th round pick for Ferguson. Although, Ferguson has been disappointing as a Packer, if Driver or Walker is injured, the Packers depth is suspect or very inexperienced behind Ferguson and Chatman. Ferguson isn't worth a 1st round pick, but even if Philadelphia would trade it, Ferguson is more valuable as a Packer right now than a 1st round pick is worth next season. Ferguson can't be replaced so close to the start of the 2005 season if the Packers have an injury to Driver or Walker. Added concern; Walker is in a similar contract situation/dispute with Green Bay as WR Terrell Owens is with Philadelphia and both players are represented by Drew Rosenhaus. Walker appears ready to play, unlike Owens, but who knows?

Preseason. Packers 10, San Diego 7. The first string offense looked good, except they had trouble running the ball. QB Brett Favre looked sharp, which had been an early season problem for him a couple of seasons ago. Favre was injured during a preseason game against Denver in 1999 and then he didn't play much over the next few preseasons to either avoid injury or recover from previous injuries. This cost the Packers the first game of the 2003 season when Minnesota won the opening game at Lambeau and Favre looked unusually awful in the first half of it; he used the first half to shake the rust off instead of doing it during the preseason. The last two preseasons, Favre has gotten more work in the preseason and it has helped him.

LG Adrian Klemm started with the first team ahead of LG Grey Ruegamer. Klemm was signed as a free agent this offseason to start at left guard, but Ruegamer started ahead of Klemm during the scrimmage against Buffalo. Rookie RG William Whitticker started with the first team, ahead of free agent RG Matt O'Dwyer, who had been battling some injuries this season after missing all of 2004 with injuries. O'Dwyer didn't play well when he did play in the second half and he was flagged for at least two penalties. The Packers didn't sign O'Dwyerfor big money, he signed for the veteran's minimum, so it would not cost the Packers anything to cut him if he is beaten out by Whitticker.

The Packers run defense didn't look good; the main problem is that they are letting running backs cut back or get outside for big gains. San Diego didn't have much success running up the middle, although San Diego only used their backup running backs against the Packers defense and star RB LaDainian Tomlinson sat it out. Hopefully this is something that can be improved over the course of the preseason.

Rookie 2nd round pick WR Terrence Murphy sat out again with his injured hip. He is probably a lock to make the team as the 5th wide receiver, but it would be great to see him play. All the receivers battling for a roster spot or maybe a practice squad spot haven't looked impressive so far.

The Packers gave a long look at QB J.T. O'Sullivan in this game and it wasn't pretty. He moved the offense into field goal range on the last drive of the game, but did nothing with his other chances against San Diego's backup defense. O'Sullivan doesn't appear to have any chance at beating QB Craig Nall out for the 3rd string job.

TE Ben Steele looked really good in this game. He made some good catches, including a key reception on the game winning field goal drive. He might be turning into a valuable receiver for this season, if he can hold off TE David Martin and TE Sean McHugh for a roster spot.

San Diego burned CB Mike Hawkins for their only touchdown of the game, but it looked like Hawkins played it perfectly. Hawkins kept the receiver in front of him, in the center of the field, and didn't get spun around by the receiver. It looked like S Todd Franz blew it and came in late when the receiver slanted in toward the goal post. Hawkins has been one of the big surprises in training camp and right now would be starting opposite CB Al Harris. CB Joey Thomas will probably start when he returns from his calf injury, but Hawkins has to be considered the 3rd cornerback, which is essentially a starter in the NFL today. CB Ahmad Carroll has to have slipped down to 4th cornerback; he was called for another illegal hands penalty.

The player who made the most noise in this game was rookie 6th round pick DE Mike Montgomery. Montgomery had the only sack of the game, was all over the field on defense, and even made at least two special teams tackles. The entire second unit defense looked energized; LB Paris Lenon made a couple of great tackles and LB Roy Manning looked very active.

Finally, P B.J. Sander has played so much better in the first scrimmage and preseason game in 2005 then he did in 2004. Whatever he has done to improve himself over the last two seasons, including a stint in NFL Europe, has really worked. His punts aren't long distance, but most of them have been high, giving the punt coverage team a chance to get down the field. Sander's problem last preseason was that all his punts were line drive 30-35 yard punts. His punts are only traveling around 35-40 yards but they have a lot better hang time.

Crap! LB Na'il Diggs looked good during the scrimmage on Friday night only to injure his knee at practice the next Monday. The jsonline.com article plays down the injury, saying it could have been worse, but either way its bad. Diggs struggled through an injury in 2004 that took away his speed and effectiveness in coverage and outside the tackles, and this knee injury might do the same to him in 2005.

Scrimmage! The Packers scrimmaged against Buffalo during Family night at Lambeau field. This is an annual event, but the first time the Packers scrimmaged against another team.

Defensive tackle is a question mark with the bad knee of NT Grady Jackson and bad attitude
of DT Cletidus Hunt. In their places started undrafted 2nd year DT Colin Cole and 2004
6th round draft pick DT Corey Williams. Cole made some good plays on the first series
while Williams didn't stand out either way. Buffalo had some success running the ball and
the Packers didn't create much pass rush without a blitz. DE KGB didn't make a play and the camera angle was right on DE Aaron Kampman as he was pushed out of nearly every play.

It was obvious that LB Na'il Diggs and Hannibal Navies look better already. Both played
hurt in 2004 and both looked much better on Friday. Especially Diggs, who looked great
getting outside in run support. Free agent LB Ray Thompson looked good when he came clean on a blitz for a sack, however, LB Paris Lenon was confused, especially in pass coverage.

CBs Ahmad Carroll and Leigh Torrence started at cornerback, and neither played well.
Carroll continued to look like a 1st round bust, getting beat in coverage and still
putting his hands all over the wide receivers. Torrence is an undrafted rookie free agent
and was beaten in coverage at least 3 times in Buffalo's first 2 series. It was a lot to
expect out of a undrafted rookie, but he didn't play well either. 2nd round pick S Nick
Collins looked confused when he played against QB Shane Matthews (Buffalo's 3rd QB) but he
has a lot to learn too. The secondary was abused by backup QB Kelly Holcomb. However, CB Mike Hawkins played a lot early, he looked very good, and he almost intercepted a ball that would have been returned for a TD. S Mark Roman played well, but remember Roman played well in 2004 until mid-season when the wheels came off on his season. The Packers awful 2004 season tackling performance wasn't obvious until Roman started missing tackles too. Maybe he caught the bug from the rest of the team. It looks like right now, S Earl Little would be the starting safety alongside Roman.

The entire Packers defense, unfortunately, might have looked better than they actually
played on Friday, because Buffalo's 2nd year starting QB J.P. Losman looked awful, playing in true preseason form. Commentator and outstanding WR Sterling Sharpe counted at least 3 mental mistakes and 3 bad passes.

Buffalo blitzed on almost every play, frequently bringing 6 on the pass rush, and made the
Packers rebuilt offensive line look awful. Of the veterans, LT Chad Clifton looked good,
it is great to see C Mike Flanagan back on the field, and RT Mark Tauscher had some
problems, but nothing to be worried about yet. G Grey Ruegamer, who played in all 16
games last year for the Packers, has held off free agent G Adrian Klemm so far, Klemm came
into the scrimmage after Ruegamer, and started at left guard. It is not surprising
Ruegamer is ahead of Klemm since Ruegamer has worked in the offense the past 3 seasons while
Klemm is new. G Atlas Herrion started in place of probable starting RG Matt
O'Dwyer and didn't stand out for good or bad. The offensive line really came apart when
all the backups (G Steve Morley, G William Whitticker, C Scott Wells, etc.) came into the
lineup and had problems with the blitz assignments.

TE Ben Steele dropped another pass. Steele's appearances in 2004 usually involved a
dropped pass, and he started off with it again in 2005. With TE Bubba Franks out, Steele
is probably the number 1 TE with TE Sean McHugh as number 2. Steele did recover and catch
two TD passes from QB Brett Favre and Steele was the only Packer who scored during the
scrimmage. Both Steele and McHugh came in late last season after they were the final cuts from the 2004 camps for Minnesota and Tennessee and both looked better on Friday than they had at any time during 2004. For purposes of tight end analysis, it will be assumed that TE
David Martin is always injured.

QB Aaron Rodgers got some playing time and looked really good. His dropback form is
nearly perfect, he keeps the ball at his chest so no one can knock it away, and he has a
quick release despite his funky windup. Unfortunately for Rodgers, his receivers kept
dropping the ball. WR Andrae Thurman was a late 2004 signing after the injury to WR
Robert Ferguson, he didn't play very well during his brief 2004 apperances, and he looked
even worse on Friday. He dropped one pass from Rodgers over the middle and misplayed a
deep pass into the corner of the end zone. Undrafted rookie WR Chad Lucas was another
receiver who dropped a Rodgers pass.

Unsurprisingly, WR Javon Walker reported to training camp. Someone on ESPN was talking about how Walker had to report because Walker got on the bad side of QB Brett Favre and had to report otherwise Packer fans would turn on Walker. Walker had to report because the Packers weren't offering a new contract, they could start collecting fines from Walker, and Walker could never actually miss the season because then he would be another year away from a big contract. It is good to see Walker report right on time and deliver the inevitable resolution (Walker in camp with the same contract) sooner rather than later.

NT Grady Jackson threatens a holdout for a new contract, but when he does report to camp he flunks his physical? It was some serious nerve on Jackson's part to threaten a holdout when his knee is still injured. If the Packers had actually fallen for it, they would have been the joke of the NFL.

It is surprising to see QB Aaron Rodgers signed so soon. I thought he would ask for money comparable to QB Alex Smith, since Rodgers and Smith were seen as pick 1A and 1B for so long during this offseason. Smith received approximately $24 million in guaranteed money, which is appropriate for a quarterback picked first overall, and Rodgers's approximately $5.4 million guaranteed is appropriate for a late first round QB. If Smith and Rodgers really were 1A and 1B, then is more proof what a great value pick Rodgers was for the Packers. Rodgers could not afford to lose his first training camp in a holdout; it would have held back his development for the rest of his career.

TE Bubba Franks is sorely missed, apparently. The Packers are right in holding a hard line with Franks. His best skill is in run blocking and quality run blocking tight ends are floating all over the NFL. The unique skill Franks has is his pass catching ability, but that skill has been more promise than production. Franks hasn't produced anything like a top catching tight end; such as TE Antonio Gates or TE Tony Gonzalez. Franks catches a lot of touchdowns, but does anyone think that has more to do with Franks than Favre? The big advantage for Franks in negotiations is that the Packers roster has no other tight ends capable of starting 16 games this season.

Finally! After a month of nothing but holdout talk from WR Javon Walker and DT Grady Jackson, its finally time to get some players into camp. Yesterday was the first day of camp, but all the veterans don't report until Wednesday. Also, QB Alex Smith finally signed with San Francisco, which should finally get movement on signing QB Aaron Rodgers (1st round), CB Nick Collins and WR Terrence Murphy (both 2nd round). It is always important to get players in for most of training camp, even players like Rodgers who shouldn't be playing much in 2005, because missing training camp during their rookie season essentially holds players back a season.

The NFL has been really slow in signing its first round picks this season; I'm used to the top pick signing soon after the draft, but this year it took almost three months. The biggest problem is that there is no salary cap in 2006, or something like that. I haven't paid too much attention to the issue because I expect the NFL and the players will renegotiate the labor agreement, and all the post-2005 rules will be changed next winter.

Reading the depth chart on packersnews.com, it lists CB Joey Thomas ahead of CB Ahmad Carroll at left cornerback. Despite all the criticism of Carroll, it is the first time I have actually seen it published that Thomas is ahead of Carroll (right next to a picture of Mike Sherman chewing out Carroll). As much as Carroll struggled last season, Thomas rarely played ahead of Carroll in 2004 and Thomas showed almost nothing when he did play. Hopefully one of these guys puts it all together to complement CB Al Harris this season.

Another interesting point, CB Mike Hawkins, the Packers obscure 5th round pick this past draft, is listed as the backup right cornerback behind Harris, ahead of guys like CB Chris Johnson and CB Jason Horton who have actually had a little NFL playing time. Either Hawkins has really impressed early in the minicamps, or the depth behind Thomas, Carroll and Harris is really weak.

Oh good, NT Grady Jackson has hired Drew Rosenhaus as his agent and is threatening to hold out. Since NFL teams rarely honor the contracts they negotiate with players, it is a bit hypocritical to insist all players honor their contracts too. Unfortunately, Rosenhaus was CB Mike McKenzie's agent last season during McKenzie's divorce from the Packers. The Packers lost out on the cornerback they really needed last season and McKenzie mailed it in when he did finally show up for the first few weeks. Hopefully, Jackson's holdout doesn't go the same route.

It is understandable that Jackson would want to improve what might be his last NFL contract, so he might holdout for some time. I still can't imagine WR Javon Walker will hold out for a significant length of time, although he is represented by Rosenhaus too. Walker is too young and probably too anxious to get back on the field, holding out for a season postpones unrestricted free agency by another season, and the Packers will hold much harder on Walker because Walker's demands will be at least 10 times Jackson's demands (probably even a lot more).

It seemed that Jackson's last contract was underpriced when he signed it in 2003, but he was coming off a season in which he just got cut by New Orleans. Jsonline.com compared Jackson to NT Pat Williams and NT Ted Washington, but neither of those players were cut in the middle of the 2003 season. The deciding factor in whether to negotiate with Jackson might be the play of NT James Lee and NT Donnell Washington. If new defensive coordinator Jim Bates feels comfortable with the play Washington and Lee, then the Packers might find no pressure to negotiate with Jackson and let him sit out the season.

The other problem with renegotiating either Jackson or Walker's contract is that the Packers still haven't signed their top draft choices. QB Aaron Rodgers contract will be bigger than the usual 24th pick's contract because quarterbacks usually receive bigger contracts. It is from April 2005, but John Clayton says the Packers have less than $5 million available under the salary cap, which is very little to work with after signing Rodgers. The Packers tight cap will probably hurt Jackson and Walker's wishes too.

The financial side of the NFL has always interested me because a team's ability to generate and spend revenues is just as important as its ability to scout and coach. Take Philadelphia and New England for example. Both teams had the best collection of talented players and coaches in the NFL during 2004. Another big plus for both teams is that they've greatly improved their revenues with new stadiums and have avoid salary cap problems. Both teams acquired a big star in 2004 (Philadelphia WR Terrell Owens and New England RB Corey Dillon) and neither team busted their salary cap (ala Baltimore in 2000) to do it. Both teams should not have a Tennessee-type salary cap roster purge in the near future. When an aging star plays out a contract (New England's CB Ty Law or Philadelphia's DE Hugh Douglass), they let other teams spend big money on them and sometimes the player eventually ends up back with the team after a season or two (Douglass and Trotter both returned to Philadelphia). The three financial steps that Philadelphia and New England follow to create a great team are to maximize revenue, maintain salary cap flexability, and avoid overspending on aging veterans.

This comes to mind because of John Clayton's article about the Packers annual report. It is a huge benefit for all NFL financial junkies that the Packers are the one NFL team that actually reports their financial position each year because they are the only publicly owned team. Clayton's article is about the NFL's overall financial condition and next collective bargaining agreement, which isn't what really interested me as much as his comments regarding the Packers financial future.

Clayton wrote "The Packers' $25.4 million profit showed a team can hustle and compete with the bigger cities. Revenue from the Packers Pro Shop and the new Atrium at Lambeau Field accounted for $23.1 million in local revenue. They made another $18 million through marketing. They maximized revenues by being aggressive and smart."

Clayton has reported that the Packers have followed the first financial step; maximize financial revenue. Hopefully this is a good sign that the Packers have the organizational structure to continue to the success of the past 12 seasons and avoid the ineptness that plagued the organization from the end of the Lombardi era to the beginning of the Holmgren/Wolf/Favre era. The Packers did manage to avoid overpaying for their aging veterans such as OG Marco Rivera, however, the Packers haven't done well at maintaining salary cap flexability and it has cost them players. The Packers had to let FS Darren Sharper and OG Mike Wahle go, although they both could be productive for the next few seasons, and they haven't had the ability to trade for a veteran, such as CB Patrick Surtain who went from Miami to Kansas City this offseason, who could have helped improve a poorly played position during the 2004 season. There will probably be a lot of change with the Packers after the 2005 season, both Mike Sherman and Brett Favre could be gone after it, but it is good to know that some financial steps for long term success are already well established in the organization.

June just isn't a month for Packers news, unless you are curious about the signing of an undrafted free agent tight end or the signing of the Packers' 6th round draft choice. Not much going on until the unsigned veteran free agents get desperate by mid-July and training camp starts July 25th.

Tennessee released S Lance Schulters after the former Pro Bowl safety refused a salary cut. The Packers had previously expressed an interest in Schulters, should he become available. It is hard to get excited about a safety who just turned 30 and is recovering from a foot injury that cost him most of last season in Tennessee. If the price is right, the Packers should give him a call, but it is more likely another safety desperate team might push his price up too high.

The first mini-camp ended last week without much big news, although a few stories did raise their heads.

QB Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers played like a rookie QB in the mini-camp; awful. Jsonline.com reported that Rodgers even had trouble with his accuracy, which was his strength in college. The coaches all appeared quick to defend Rodgers. It will be interesting to see how Rodgers looks when the preseason starts; he should have plenty of opportunities in those games.

The offensive line. Footballoutsiders.com described the who's who's of candidates to replace departed OGs Marco Rivera and Mike Wahle. If the season started tomorrow, it would probably be Matt O'Dwyer (if healthy) and Adrian Klemm. Klemm was the big signing this offseason, but footballoutsiders.com is staffed by New England fans who spent the last several seasons watching Klemm suck for the Pats. C/OG Grey Ruegamer, C Scott Wells and RT Kevin Barry all have a chance to compete too. Maybe even T Brennan Curtin, but T Steve Morley's poor NFL-Europe performance after a disappointing 2004 season probably ended any chance for him. If Barry made the lineup, it might move RT Mark Tauscher to guard. The biggest news for this unit was the healthy return of C Mike Flanagan, as reported by numerous sources. Last season, I questioned whether Flanagan should retire because he missed the 2004 season due to complications from the injuries he suffered in 1996, and I thought he might want to retire while he could still walk. However, Flanagan's surgery appears to have been a success and he appears ready to resume his career. Flanagan's return, along with competant seasons by Rivera and Wahle's eventually replacements, might be enough to offset the loss of the two starting guards.

WR Terrence Murphy. Murphy got a lot of press at jsonline.com, but he might have gotten a lot of good words from the coaches for WR Javon Walker's sake. Maybe the coaches wanted the word to get out to Walker that Murphy looks great and just maybe he could play in place of Walker. Murphy is a welcome addition to a wide receiver group that had paper thin depth in 2004 that was torn wide open once WR Robert Ferguson was lost for the season during the game vs. Jacksonville. Murphy can push Ferguson, challenge WR Antonio Chatman, and maybe even encourage Walker to show up for training camp.

Defensive coordinator Jim Bates's new defense. There are a lot of candidates at the two safety spots with no clear favorites. Rookie S Nick Collins had a lot of playing time according to jsonline.com, but if the season started today, the Packers would probably start last season's disappointing SS Mark Roman and S Arturo Freeman, who followed Bates to the Packers from Miami. Both players could easily lose out to other players, including veteran S Earl Little or rookie S Marviel Underwood. LB Ray Thompson and LB Hannibal Navies are also battling to start at linebacker alongside LBs Nick Barnett and Na'il Diggs. Jsonline.com reported Thompson was hurt early and Navies is still recovering from the injuries he sustained during the 2004 season. Navies told jsonline.com that his disappointing season was the result of a week 1 rib injury he suffered against Carolina. For whatever reason, it was the first time I heard that Navies played hurt during most of 2004. If that was the reason Navies lost nearly all effectiveness during 2004 then his return to his solid 2003 self would be very welcome.

P B.J. Sander joined the team after a successful NFL Europe season! Huzzah! Jsonline.com had a story that Sander had regain his ability to target kicks under the 10 yard line, but no one knows how that will go until Sander shows up in some games. I'm sorry B.J., but until you prove otherwise, you have been a complete bust and last season's P Bryan Barker should keep his bags packed and ready to fly to Green Bay.

Minicamp started June 1 and continues on through the end of the week. The Packers need to work on revamping the offensive line and revamping the defense. It's hard to tell how either project is really going until the preseason starts, but there are a few stories of note at training camp anyway.

QB Brett Favre. Mike Sherman excused him, most likely to give the other three quarterbacks more practice time, but Favre showed up anyway. Favre had to travel to Green Bay for a charity softball game, so this is not a big surprise. Unlike past seasons with Sherman, when Favre sat out to rest an injury from the previous season, Favre could play. Maybe he should play. According to various articles from jsonline.com, the other three quarterbacks (QB Aaron Rodgers, Craig Nall, and J.T. O'Sullivan) have all beeen awful. Favre said at his softball game that he could play for a couple more seasons, which isn't a surprise because he hasn't suffered any major injury in his career and he still plays at a high level (high completion percentage along with a lot of TD passes).

WR Javon Walker. Walker's holdout doesn't have the drama like last season's holdout with CB Mike McKenzie. McKenzie had non-money complaints about the team, probably Sherman specifically, but Walker is a top 10 wide receiver in the NFL and wants to be paid like one. Walker needs a new contract in two seasons, so an extension isn't a bad idea, unfortunately how can Walker's extension be explained when compared to RB Ahman Green. Green has been a top 5 running back in the NFL over the last 3 to 4 seasons and hasn't been given a new contract during that time. The Packers could play without Walker, while Walker won't make any money next season without the Packers. The Packers should remain stubborn and refuse to give Walker a new contract.

TE Bubba Franks. Bubba doesn't have a new contract yet and he's skipping minicamp. But still it has been a great minicamp for Bubba because none of the other tight ends are showing any signs of life. Jsonline.com mentioned how the other three tight ends (TE David Martin, Ben Steele and Sean McHugh) have had cases of the drops. Steele got some playing time last season and spent most of it dropping passes from Favre. The Packers need at minimum one backup tight end but might have to look at free agency to find one.

WR Robert Ferguson. It is amazing to think that he started all of 2004 in front of Walker. He gets a mention here because he is hurt again in minicamp. WR Antonio Chatman outplayed Ferguson in 2004 and Ferguson should be concerned he remains on the Packers roster once Walker returns.

DT Cletidus Hunt. The only reason I can think of why the Packers didn't cut Hunt this offseason was that it wouldn't provide any cap savings. Hunt made few plays in 2004 and wouldn't remain a starter on a team with more depth at defensive tackle, however, the Packers don't have a world of depth at the position, especially with DT Grady Jackson still rehabing his 2004 injuries and DT James Lee having another injury in this June's minicamp. Hunt has been making some news by not showing up for minicamp, but this is voluntary and Hunt has had a tradition of missing voluntary workouts in the past. Since Hunt signed his big free agent contract a couple of seasons ago, it wouldn't be surprising if Hunt passed up over $1 million of workout/showing up incentives. This is just business as usual for Hunt.

FS Lance Schulters. Tennessee hasn't cut him yet, but the Packers confirmed for jsonline.com that he might be the only June 1st cut that the Packers might be interested in signing. Schulters can still play, at least according to comments I read on footballoutsiders.com, and Tennessee wants to keep him, however, at a cheaper price. Of all the free agents still unsigned, he would be the best signing the Packers could make.

This is late from mini-camp, but packersnews.com had a great mini-camp update last week.

The most notable news is the play of LB Ray Thompson, who has emerged as the likely starting strong or weak side linebacker, depending on where LB Na'il Diggs plays in 2005. I noticed Thompson signed right before the NFL draft last month, but I didn't think much of the signing. It looked like roster filler. I assumed that something must be wrong with Thompson. Apparently Arizona coach Dennis Green didn't like Thompson and Arizona had been hoping to trade Thompson for a draft pick before this April's draft, but when no other team made an offer, Arizona decided to release Thompson instead, according to jsonline.com on April 22nd. Thompson was injured early in 2004, but apparently came back healthy during the season. He tested positive for drugs twice previously in Arizona, but he hasn't had a positive test since 2003 and he appears to have put that behind him. This was a nice bargain signing; Thompson signed for the veteran's minimum according to jsonline.com. Thompson had a nice 2002 season; 104 tackles, 3 pass defenses, 1 forced fumble, and 3 sacks. He took a step back in 2003, only playing in 12 games, I assume because of injury. His 2004 season was unimpressive, but he did get benched for his disagreements with Coach Green. Thompson appears to have good speed, and some pass rushing ability to go along with good run support, but he doesn't appear to be an above average player in pass coverage, and the Packers could really use some improved pass coverage from their linebackers in 2005. At the point in the offseason when Thompson was signed and for the bargain price of the veteran's minimum, Thompson seems like a very quality signing and deserving of a chance at starting. He definetly doesn't lack confidence; jsonline.com quoted Thompson as saying "I was one of their best players on defense" regarding last season in Arizona, despite the fact that he got benched.

Defensive coordinator Jim Bates thinks S Marviel Underwood could start at safety for the Packers in 2005, according to packersnews.com. They also mentioned S Nick Collins, but it seems unlikely that Collins will quickly make the transition to the NFL from small college ball and remains at least another season away. Underwood was the Packers 4th round pick from San Diego State. Because he came from a smaller Division I school and was a second day selection in a weak draft for safeties, I assumed he would be a longshot to make the team. But apparently the Packers like what they saw in mini-camp. It will be interesting to see Underwood play when the preseason starts.

Packersnews.com mentioned that DT Cletidus Hunt's roster spot is in danger, which seems unlikely. Hunt had an uninspiring 2004 season that could have led to his release, but he remained with the team. He isn't a workout warrior or a player that has made any of his preseason workout contract incentives in the past, so he shouldn't look too good in May practices. Packersnews.com reported that DT Donnell Washington and DT Corey Williams could take over, but that is unlikely. It is really good to see Washington is back from a lost rookie 2004 season to provide some depth and serious bulk in the middle of the defense, but Williams appeared better suited at defensive end in 2004.

Packersnews.com reported that new OG Adrian Klemm is the new left guard, but failed to mention that he will remain the starter only until his inevitable injury. Sorry for the sarcasm Adrian, but lets see you make it through a full season first. It is really good to read in the same article that T Kevin Barry looks great and it wouldn't be a surprise to see RT Mark Tauscher move to right guard and Barry take over at right tackle. The only down side of that plan would be in 2006 because Barry is playing on a one year contract. Barry drew surprising little interest in free agency, and a strong 2005 season as the starting right tackle may push Barry out of the Packers salary range.

It is really surprising that QB Craig Nall didn't draw more interest from teams this offseason. Nall signed the Packers low qualifying offer when no other contract offers presented themselves. It is too bad for Nall; he looked great in limited action in 2004 and would be a lot better back up for all the teams keeping QB Quincy Carter, QB Tim Hasselbeck, and QB Jeff Blake around on their rosters. That is probably most playing time Nall will get from now on; he should be the 3rd quarterback behind QB Aaron Rodgers. Nall might get the backup spot if Rodgers holds out or doesn't pick up the offense quick enough, but it seems likely that Rodgers will play in most of training camp and pick up the offense in a short period of time. The real loser in this situation is QB J.T. Sullivan, who resigned with the Packers right before the draft. He was probably thinking he would be number 3, but then Rodgers fell to the Packers and now Sullivan will probably be looking for work come September.

I had ignored the fact that the Packers hadn't bothered to find a punter to challenge the feeble efforts of P B.J. Sander. The Packers appear to be counting on Sander to punt for them in 2005. Sander has the best net punting average in NFL Europe this spring, but he is battling former Packer Travis Dorsch, who the Packers showed little interest in last season. Despite favorable comparisons to Dorsch, hopefully Sander is improving and will be useful in 2005.

I wrote a review of Minnesota's offseason for vikesgeek.com, so I thought I would post it here too.

Minnesota had one big problem in 2004; defense. Footballoutsiders.com ranked the pass defense 29th overall and the run defense 32nd overall, however, Minnesota made some big changes to improve this sorry defense.

Coaching: The biggest improvement might be on the sidelines, with the hiring of new defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell. Cottrell was the defensive coordinator for the Jets during the last 6 seasons, but he didn't exactly coordinate a world beating defense in 2002 (according to footballoutsiders.com they were 27th overall), or in 2003 (30th overall), or in 2004 (19th overall). Cottrell might not seem like an obvious improvement based on his track record with the Jets, but as Tice pointed out to his team last season, there are a lot of high draft choices underperforming on defense. A change in defensive philosophy is essential for improvement in 2005.

Defensive Line: An obvious improvement was the signing of Pat Williams. Minnesota probably paid too much for a nose tackle on the wrong side of 30, but Williams was in the middle of a Buffalo run defense that was fantastic in 2004 (2nd overall according to footballoutsiders.com). Chris Hovan seemed to disappoint everyone in Minnesota, he will try to salvage his career in Tampa Bay in 2005, and signing Williams is a major improvement over Hovan. I don't understand why Minnesota drafted Erasmus James. I watched almost every Wisconsin game in 2004. Sometime James was awesome and carried Wisconsin, such as he did against Michigan State and at Purdue. But James missed all of 2003 with an injury and after he got hurt in the 2004 game at Purdue, he wasn't the same player for the rest of the season. The biggest problem with James is that Minnesota already has a nearly identical player in Lance Johnstone. James shouldn't replace Johnstone or Kenechi Udeze on passing downs, however, James does add depth and could push Udeze and might be an eventual replacement for Johnstone. A defensive line with this much talent, including the best defensive lineman in the NFL, Kevin Williams, should be improved in 2005.

Linebackers: This group had to disappoint everyone in Minnesota in 2004. E.J. Henderson put up some solid numbers, but Chris Claiborne was a non-factor for most of 2004 and Minnesota had to be disappointed in the progress of Dontarrious Thomas. The Packers were very high on Thomas, but Minnesota's coaches appeared to lose faith in Thomas and I don't remember Thomas being a factor in any of the games against the Packers. Minnesota added Sam Cowart and Napoleon Harris into the mix, but I don't like either of those moves. Cowart will likely push Henderson outside, but Henderson hasn't proven to be very good in pass coverage, although this could improve the run defense. Harris is the other outside linebacker, but he isn't very good in coverage either. Harris is especially a concern; he is a talented player who took a step back in 2004 due in part to injuries, but he also contributed to an awful Oakland defense. Cowart was once a Pro Bowl linebacker, but he hasn't been the same since tearing his achilles tendon a couple of seasons ago, and he will probably never get his speed back. A big reason Cottrell's Jets defense took a big step forward in 2004 was the addition of fantastic rookie linebacker Jonathan Vilma, but Minnesota doesn't have anyone on its roster that has ever played as well as Vilma did in 2004. This unit will disappoint again for Minnesota in 2005.

Secondary: I will continue to verbally kick Packers GM Ted Thompson at every opportunity for letting FS Darren Sharper leave the Packers. He is a big play maker and if anyone available this offseason will have an impact ala New England's safety Rodney Harrison, it is Sharper. In 2004, Sharper had his lowest interception total (4) since 1999, but he played some of the season hurt and he returned two of those interceptions for touchdowns. Plus, if your worst interception total in five seasons is four, then you are doing something right. He played a step slower last season, but he blamed it on former Packer defensive coordinator Bob Slovik's request for him to bulk up last offseason so he could play closer to the line of scrimmage. Still, he is a great signing for Minnesota. Fred Smoot wasn't as good of a signing, but he is a quality starter and it will make a big difference to move Brian Williams to 3rd cornerback and remove all memory of Terrance Shaw from the roster. There are some areas of concern with the cornerbacks; both Antoine Winfield and Smoot are smaller cornerbacks, and neither player has produced a lot of pass defenses or interceptions in their careers. However, when considering the disaster Minnesota's starting cornerbacks had been before Antoine Winfield and Smoot were signed over the last two offseasons, this is a big improvement for Minnesota. One last thing, Minnesota also drafted Dustin Fox from Ohio State, who played cornerback in college and probably would have been more highly regarded if the 2005 draft hadn't been so deep with good cornerbacks. It wouldn't be surprising to see Fox play a role later in 2005.

Offense: How does Minnesota replace Randy Moss? I've taken comfort in the fact that no matter how much Minnesota improves their defense, their offense took a hit by the loss of Randy Moss. Maybe. If you look at footballoutsiders.com, you'll see that over the past few seasons, Moss doesn't rate as the highest receiver each season. Actually, Nate Burleson had a higher rank than Moss in 2004. But Moss always scores a lot of touchdowns, and that is never easy to replace. For comparison, Brett Favre always ranks low with footballoutsiders.com, but Favre always is among the leaders in touchdown passes. For all of Favre's faults, he consistently finds the end zone each season, which is a rare talent that can't be underappreciated. The same things can be said about Moss. Even with all the injuries in 2004, he still caught 13 touchdown passes, and his loss can't be underappreciated, despite all the other baggage he brings to a team. Can Troy Williamson replace Randy Moss? I pulled up the DPAR from footballoutsiders.com on the last three players to be the second wide receiver drafted; Roy Williams 4.5 (-3.3), Andre Johnson 18.4 (0.2), and Ashley Lelie 25.4 (8.2). The numbers in paranthesis is their team's DVOA for 2004. Williams caught 8 touchdowns, Johnson caught 6, and Lelie caught 7. None of these players played as well as Moss, especially if you are comparing by touchdown receptions, but all three played on inferior overall offenses than Minnesota. If Williamson can be compared a year or three from now to those three receivers in Minnesota's top offense, then he will be a good one, but not quite an equal replacement for Moss. Maybe Moss won't be missed at all if the reason Moss was so good was because Daunte Culpepper is the best quarterback in the NFL (sorry Peyton). It will be interesting to see if the offense doesn't miss a beat without Moss in 2005.

Special Teams: Wasn't anyone in Minnesota concerned last season that the special teams was awful in 2004? Footballoutsiders.com ranked it 28th last season. Special teams can be a fluke from one season to the next, but this unit has been awful for years, and 2004's 28th place finish was actually the highest team finish since they finished 25th in 2001. Morten Anderson was let go to collect social security, but in his wake remain Aaron Elling and Jose "Fed Ex" Cortez. Former Packer Travis Dorsch is hanging around too, but it would be a shock if Dorsch becomes their kicker. Former Viking Doug Brien is sending his resume around the NFL, just in case Minnesota wants their former goat to return to Minnesota. Darren Bennett will continue punting in 2005, but he looked awful in 2004 when he played against the Packers. Minnesota didn't need to draft Mike Nugent to improve this unit, but doing nothing to improve it should disappoint many fans come the regular season. How do these moves compare against the rest of the NFC North? I think no team improved as much this offseason as Minnesota. The Packers had serious cap problems and had to let three starters leave; Sharper, Mike Wahle, and Marco Rivera. The Packers would have probably preferred keeping all three players. The Packers are replacing those three starters with a collection of players; Matt O'Dwyer and Adrian Klemm on offense, and Earl Little and Arturo Freeman at safety, who are all playing for the veteran's minimum salary, except Klemm who was paid $1.5 million. It would be a surprise if O'Dwyer, Klemm, Little and Freeman outplay Sharper, Wahle and Rivera in 2005. The Packers added little in the draft that will help in 2005. Aaron Rodgers will probably take over in 2006 and defensive back Nick Collins should take at least a season to adjust after playing small college ball, however, wide receiver Terrence Murphy looks impressive and could help very soon. I don't understand what Jerry Angelo and Matt Millen are doing in Chicago and Detroit, respectively. Chicago drafted another running back while barely improving an awful offensive line by spending big bucks on average tackle Fred Miller, who was cut by Tennessee this offseason. Then they added a rookie quarterback, Kyle Orton, to add to their collection of unproven young quarterbacks, while not helping the defense at all. Detroit drafted another wide receiver, but are still stuck playing Joey Harrington at quarterback/piano, or maybe Jeff Garcia, while failing to address holes at right tackle or safety. The NFC North should remain a battle between Minnesota and Green Bay in 2005, while Chicago and Detroit still try to figure it all out.

There is a lot of Packers news out post-draft, but the most interesting news I've read is how defensive coordinator Jim Bates plays his safeties. Most teams play with a strong safety, who is ready to drop back in coverage but is very likely to cheat up closer to the line of scrimmage on possible running plays for added run support, while a free safety plays deeper and is primarily responsible for pass coverage. Jsonline.com reported, however, that Bates plays his safeties the same, and that each safety may move up or drop back depending on the offensive formation and motion. Recently signed safeties Earl Little and Arturo Freeman are probably the two starting safeties, but neither seemed a typical strong safety because both have played primarily at free safety, and 2nd round pick Nick Collins also appeared to be a more likely free safety. Returning starting safety Mark Logan played strong safety in 2004, but he is a former cornerback, and was miscast in 2004 as a strong safety. But in Bates system, both safeties play essentially the same role, and should have similar skill sets. It had appeared that the Packers had possibly mismanaged the roster for lack of a strong safety, but the goal from the beginning was to not have a traditional strong safety at all.

It was reported as big news surrounded that QB Brett Favre missed mini-camp, but it was way over reported; Favre rarely played any snaps, or was recovering from some the previous season's injuries in the last few mini-camps anyway. Making it official gave Favre more time with his family and the coaches more chances to kick the tires on QB Aaron Rodgers. Sounds like a good idea.

What is going on with RB Ahman Green? Arrest for domestic violence and then a divorce filed the next day? Wow. Good luck Ahman, hopefully you can work through this difficult time in your life, and we will see you at training camp.

Of all the holdouts in the NFL right now, WR Javon Walker might be the most vocal. Jsonline.com reported that Walker was doing a tour of talk radio studios to voice his case. This didn't work out well with former CB Mike McKenzie last season, but hopefully this goes better. The Packers would have to bust their salary cap to pay Walker a new contract at his current value. Someone better tell Walker to stop worring about his contract because of what TE Bubba Franks is going through this offseason. According to footballoutsiders.com, Franks was the 10th best tight end in the NFL in 2004, up from his anemic 25th place in 2003. Did Franks really improve in 2004? Not really. His TD receptions jumped from 4 to 7, but he really wasn't anymore involved in the offense. Teams are probably taking a pass on offering Franks a contract because his stats are inflated by playing with Favre, who has always done a great job of helping ordinary tight ends boost their stats and play in the Pro Bowl. On the other hand, Walker was ranked as the 8th best wide receiver by footballoutsiders.com in 2004, a much tougher positional competition, and he is a young superstar receiver. If the Packers let Walker play out his contract, then placed the transition free agency tag on him, Walker would be given a giant contract offer by another team the next day. You can't compare yourself to Franks; there is no comparison.

I was down on the Packers selection of CB Mike Hawkins from Oklahoma in the 5th round, because Oklahoma's secondary wasn't very good in 2004, at least compared to the rest of Oklahoma's team, but Hawkins didn't actually play for Oklahoma in 2004. He used to attend Oklahoma, but left the team for a reason unknown to me, and has spent the last two seasons in the Arena league, according to jsonline.com, which further reported that Packers coaches are very impressed with Hawkins in mini-camp. Hawkins is only 21, so this was the first year he was eligible for the draft; read about RB Maurice Clarett if anyone is confused why Hawkins had to wait. Hawkins might be a case of the Packers doing some outstanding scouting, however, the Packers snagged CB Jason Horton out of Canada in 2004, raved about his play in training camp, and he look overmatched whenever the rare opportunity presented itself that he got into a game. So maybe there is no reason to get excited about Hawkins either.