Packers Cruise In Preseason Opener: 22-11 Over Patriots

During the 1st quarter, when QB Aaron Rodgers was in the game, the Packers couldn't score on multiple red zone opportunities. The backup defense failed to contain on either edge at the start of the 2nd quarter when RB Jonas Gray ran for a 55 yard touchdown and then a two-point conversion. The Packers also failed to convert on either of their two point conversion attempts. I mention these bad plays at the start of this post because other than those problems, the Packers were in control in every other aspect of this game and wasn't even as close as the score might indicate. Also the stats below don't reflect all the penalty yards the Patriots gave up.

A look at the final stats from tonight's #Packers victory: http://t.co/c6xQ2ymih4 #GBvsNE pic.twitter.com/AZNifadJf7

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) August 14, 2015

The backup quarterbacks. After a sloppy performance in the televised practice on Family Night, I was a little down on the backup QBs. But against the Patriots, Scott Tolzien and Brett Hundley each threw a touchdown pass and neither had a turnover. That doesn't sound like a major accomplishment, but these preseason games have featured a lot of bad backup quarterback play over the past couple seasons. That's promising.

The 2015 draft class. 1st round CB Damarious Randall sat out with a groin injury which probably gave more playing time to 2nd round CB Quinten Rollins and undrafted CB LaDarius Gunter, and both of them played like they were ready to start in Week 1. Gunter came away with a nice INT when he stole a bouncing ball right in front of the receiver, while Rollins seemed to be running the receiver's routes for them and missed out on an couple of interceptions in the 2nd quarter. 3rd round WR Ty Montgomery didn't light up the box score as a return man but he looked really comfortable on special teams, and he caught a couple passes too. 4th round LB Jake Ryan had 6 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for losses, and 1 QB hit; he looked like the downfield, hard charging inside LB I've been hoping they would find for the past few seasons.

WR Jeff Janis. He's had some drops in camp and appeared to be on the outside of a roster with too many receivers, then he goes and catches a touchdown. He can be a deep threat with his speed and size (and single coverage) even if he isn't often a target.

The second string defense and second string offensive line. It's always a little deceptive to see the backups beating up on other backups (DE Jayrone Elliott's outside rush doesn't look as fast in the regular season) but they were flying around there and hustling to every play, like a pack of guys battling for a roster spot should look. There were a couple of free rushes to the quarterback and some blown blocking assignments, but mostly held up better than I've come to expect from preseason pass protection.

RT Don Barclay. He'll probably be given some slack for playing in his first game in over a year after a serious knee injury, but he was beaten badly on a couple plays. They have some good options (Taylor and Tretter) for the backup jobs on the inside, but Barclay's their best option as a backup tackle. LT Jeremy Vujnovich played better on the other side but he isn't obviously a better option at this time.

TE Andrew Quarless. He too probably deserves a break after a terrible past few weeks off the field, but he got off to a terrible start as the starting TE. He cut a route short of a 1st down on a 3rd down reception and then got blown up on his run blocking assignment when they went for it on 4th down. He also had a drop pass on the next drive. It took a while for TE Richard Rodgers to find the field, I didn't see him until after TE Justin Perillo got into the game, so Quarless should be the starter (depending on if he gets suspended to start the season).

RBs John Crockett and Alonzo Harris. They each scored a touchdown and they give the Packers a couple more running backs to think about. They were also facing a bunch of backups.  which included a keystone cops moment when on Harris's touchdown run, three Pats defenders ran into each other instead of tackling Harris.

It's just a preseason game, but there was very little bad to come out of it. No injuries and a really good showing from the 2015 draft class. Another preseason road trip is coming up to Pittsburgh on Sunday August 23rd.

Packers Won't Release Andrew Quarless After Arrest

Rob Demovsky's sources say that the Green Bay Packers won't release TE Andrew Quarless after he allegedly fired a gun then tried to hide it in a potted plant while he was in Miami Beach on July 4. He's a useful football player (though they'd get along fine without him) so this could be seen as a football move since it's too late in the offseason to sign or draft his replacement. However, he does seem to be well liked, Aaron Rodgers complimented him in a recent interview, and one former teammate believes in him too.

"@TravisG1988: @JermichaelF88 don't count Quarless out yet" I'm not at all my man. #PackersWay

— Jermichael Finley (@JermichaelF88) July 6, 2015

He does get himself in trouble, but people like him and they're willing to give him a second chance, such as the one he got at Penn State after an alcohol-related offense:

On that particular day, Paterno was in no mood to show mercy, according to Quarless, who ended the five-minute chat with a promise. "He was ready to let me go. I just told him, 'Coach, I'll show you,'" Quarless said this week at the Packers' team hotel. "That was my message I left him, because he really didn't want to hear too much." 

He ended up playing in 47 career college games and finishing as Penn State's leading tight-end receiver in their history.

It was a reckless act on his part, and it's an embarrassment for everyone involved. He's likely to be suspended by the NFL for his actions, in addition to his ongoing legal problems. But he's apparently a good person; both his college and his professional teams are willing to give him a second chance.

Andrew Quarless Has Put The Packers In A Tough Spot

Dealing with player arrests is not something new for GM Ted Thompson, but I can't recall another time when two players made news in the same week. First it was a DE Datone Jones, who received a one game suspension relating to an arrest for marijuana possession back in January. Now it's TE Andrew Quarless, who was arrested for firing a gun in public and allegedly trying to hide it in a potted plant. A possible suspension for DT Letroy Guion was also discussed last week, but the Packers knew all about his arrest, which happened before he was re-signed, so that's not a new situation. Jones doesn't seem to be in too much trouble, though he's likely on thinner ice within the organization now, but Quarless might have put the Packers in a tough spot if they consider releasing him.

Packers tight end Quarless arrested in Miami for firing gun http://t.co/gNxsTwD4vd pic.twitter.com/fbsPT928Sz

— SI NFL (@si_nfl) July 4, 2015

Quarless is a bit of a football survivor. He was nearly dismissed from Penn State after two alcohol related offenses though he managed to stay with his college team. But I have no idea what the Packers are going to do about him.

If the Packers do release him, then they've got a roster problem on their hands. Quarless is nothing special, even if QB Aaron Rodgers is a fan, but there's little depth on the roster behind him. TE Brandon Bostick was dumped after his mistake in the NFC Championship game, leaving only Quarless and TE Richard Rodgers as the only tight ends who played last season. Now they might be down to just Rodgers, who showed a lot of improvement last season, but he can't be their only player at the position. Here are their other options:

Second year TE Justin Perillo is an interesting player but I wasn't counting on him for anything more than special teams next season. He could be one of the most closely watched players this preseason.

Rookie 6th round TE Kennard Backman. He's a basketball player/tight end, which is a popular skill set in the NFL at the moment, and he might be underrated because he's coming from the chaos that is/was the UAB football program. He's probably got good hands, but everything else about him is a mystery.

Two undrafted rookie tight ends. You never know, but they have to be candidates for the practice squad, at best.

So basically there's no experience other than Richard Rodgers. Throwing Perillo and/or Backman into a significant role with the offense next season might be possible, and it worked OK with Richard Rodgers last season. The Packers might become very interested in tight ends on other teams that will be released during the preseason.

How The Packers Can Attack Seattle's Secondary

This comment doesn't take away from Seattle's great defense, but I was surprised at how few great quarterbacks they've faced in recent weeks. To start the season, they won against Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning but lost to Phillip Rivers and Tony Romo. Over their past eight games, they've faced Cam Newton, Shaun Hill, Ryan Lindsey, Colin Kaepernick (twice), Mark Sanchez, Drew Stanton, and Alex Smith. Their defense has been fantastic over those last eight games, but that's not the greatest quarterback challenge either. Aaron Rodgers, even with a bad calf, is better than those last seven quarterbacks.

How can Rodgers, #Packers target #Seahawks secondary? All-22 look at 3 route combinations: http://t.co/lB3VUS7weo pic.twitter.com/SkEiEgtOcz
— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) January 14, 2015

His article is written like something that a former NFL safety would love, and it's a bit heavy on concepts and formations, but he found three examples of big plays against the Seahawks's defense (which he admitted were hard to find). Two of them were passes to tight ends, and twice it showed how to exploit a linebacker in coverage. Just as TE Andrew Quarless and Richard Rodgers were surprise helpers in their win over the Cowboys, the Packers are going to have to use them again to exploit Seattle's linebackers in coverage.

The last time a quarterback had a good game against Seattle's defense was arguable on November 9th, when Eli Manning wasn't too bad in a 38-17 loss. Unsurprisingly he got a big game from WR Odell Beckham Jr. but he also got a career game out of third string WR Preston Parker. So another big game out of WR Davante Adams is important. In the season's opener, no Packer wide receiver other than Nelson and Cobb caught a single pass and that can't happen again.

For something completely different, the last team when the Chiefs beat the Seahawks, they did it in large part by calling more running plays for Jamaal Charles than pass attempts for Alex Smith. Maybe that was just what the Chiefs had to do because of their quarterback and lack of decent wide receivers, but it's something to consider when the Packers have Eddie Lacy available.

In the end, no pass heavy or run heavy attack is the answer. The Packers will need a combination of both, and every receiver on the team is going to have to deliver.

Reaction: Rodgers rallies Packers to playoff win over Cowboys

Not trying to brag, but I called this score perfectly. Anyway, here are my thoughts on the Packers' 26-21 win today over the Cowboys, which gives them a spot in next week's conference championship game in Seattle:

1. Aaron Rodgers Knows How to Play Hurt:

He didn't for the first half, but once Demarco Murray reached the endzone to make it 21-13 he finally figured it out. Just watch the replay of that touchdown pass to Richard Rodgers to see what I mean. 

2. Andrew Quarless and Davante Adams are better than we think:

Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb didn't do much this afternoon, but at least Quarless and Adams were there to pick up the slack.

3. Karma: 

Go ahead, Cowboys fans. Blame the refs for this loss. You know very well the ball hit the ground there, not to mention that your team only played this week because of that picked up flag against the Lions.

On to the Seahawks.

Rodgers Admits He Didn't Mean to Throw Unusual Touchdown Pass to Richard

The unusual touchdown one-yard touchdown pass Packers QB Aaron Rodgers threw to TE Richard Rodgers might've been cool, but that doesn't mean it was intentional.

Aaron admitted so to the Green Bay Press-Gazette yesterday.

"Well, that was a little bit of freestyle, if you will," he said. "The play is not designed that way. It's a play-action with (Andrew Quarless) as the first look in the right flat and there's only two guys in the route. Richie is the other option."

That's too bad, as it's fun to think that something like that could be on purpose. 

Still, the play was pretty unique, as the ball is said to have traveled 39.4 yards through the air on it.

Packers OL Tretter Fined $16,537 For Leg Whip Vs. Eagles

Packers Offensive Lineman J.C. Tretter has been fined $16,537 by the league for his leg whip late in Sunday's game against the Eagles, The Green Bay Press-Gazette's Weston Hodkiewicz reports.

Tretter swung his leg at Eagles LB Trent Cole with four minutes left to play Sunday after apparently missing a cut block. The move knocked Cole over, and drew a 15-yard penalty for unecessary roughness.

However, the league doesn't seem to think that that punishment was enough, taking away 56.8% of Tretter's weekly salary. Tretter, though, is expected to appeal.

This is the second time this season a Packer has been fined for an in-game incident. The first came back in Week 2, when Andrew Quarless was punished for grabbing the face of the Jets' Sheldon Richardson. 

Jordy Nelson Is Number One, But Spreading The Ball Around Has Made The Packers Offense Better

Sam Monson has written the definitive post about the Green Bay Packers first game with Clay Matthews at inside linebacker (don't call him an inside linebacker!) and should be read by anyone interested in his new position/role on defense.

Another interesting point raised this week was that QB Aaron Rodgers threw two of his six touchdown passes against the Bears to tight ends, which doubled the number of touchdown passes thrown to tight ends this season. He has been throwing more passes in general to TEs Andrew Quarless and Richard Rodgers in recent weeks and he's been spreading the ball around to the benefit of the offense.

Below are the number of targets to their top receivers so far this season, pro-rated out to 16 games in the next column, and compared to the number of times each player was targeted in 2013.

Receiver	2014 Targets	2014 Projected	2013 Targets
Nelson	84	149	126
Cobb	60	107	46
Lacy	30	53	44
Adams	37	66	0
Quarless	27	48	54
Richard Rodgers	14	25	0
Jones	0	0	93
Boykin	8	14	82
Finley	0	0	34

One interesting note is that overall the Packers haven't run as many offensive plays this season. So when you combine the projected number of targets to Quarless and Rodgers (73) and compare that to the total targets in 2013 to Quarless and Jermichael Finley (88), it's down but overall the number of plays are down anyway.

The number of pass attempts to Eddie Lacy is up slightly, and passes that last year went to James Jones and Jarrett Boykin (so much for his breakout season) have gone to a healthy Randall Cobb and rookie Davante Adams, though not as many. However, the one player that jumps out is Jordy Nelson.

Watch all the big plays from last night's win, including this impressive Jordy Nelson TD: http://t.co/NUr8sZxDhj pic.twitter.com/c8iaJEkRG4
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 10, 2014

29% of all pass attempts have been targeted at Nelson, which leads the team by a wide margin. Early in the season, Nelson was targeted 40% of the time, so he's actually been less featured in recent weeks. He's also had to play against two teams (Lions and Saints) who were very determined to shut him down with double coverage.

Whatever they're doing this season its working in the passing game, Aaron Rodgers moved ahead of Peyton Manning in ESPN's QBR this week, so this is not a complaint. I'm just tracking how the passing game is being used as the season goes on.

Rodgers Claims Nobody Knew Fake Spike Was Coming

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers claimed on his ESPN Milwaukee radio show today that nobody besides him knew Sunday's late fake spike was coming.

According to Rodgers, he simply yelled "clock," the team's code word for spike, before lining up and then instead throwing to Davante Adams. 

The play gained for the Packers 12 yards and brought them down to the six, where they'd score the game-winning TD seconds later.

Rodgers said that he didn't expect Adams to get as far downfield as he did, but figured the team getting two chances from the ten would be better than them getting two chances from the sixteen. 

Quarless Hoping For More Opportunities After Winning Game Sunday

Packers Tight End Andrew Quarless is hoping for more offensive opportunities to contribute after making the game-winning catch Sunday.

"I hope so. I hope so," Quarless recently told The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "The future will tell, but it starts in practice. The more and more I split out and am moving around the field, it's only going to help and hopefully we can build upon it."

Quarless' big grab this weekend came with just three seconds left on the clock, and kept the Packers above .500 with a 4-2 record. Their next game will come at home against the 3-2-1 Panthers. 

Quarless Fined By NFL for Role in Jets Endzone Fight

Packers Tight End Andrew Quarless' role in Sunday's endzone fight with the Jets is apparently not being ignored by the league. 

According to ESPN.com's Mike Mazzeo, Quarless has been fined $8,268 for his actions during the scuffle, the same one that has also led to fines of Jets Defensive Linemen Muhammad Wilkerson ($20k), who was disqualified, and Sheldon Richardson (same amount as Quarless).

Quarless, though he was clearly in the center of the issue, was not penalized on the play, a successful two-point conversion pass from Aaron Rodgers to Randall Cobb in the middle of the third quarter. 

Packers Release Injured TE Colt Lyerla

The Packers have released injured Tight End Colt Lyerla, USA Today's Tom Pelissero reports. 

Lyerla, a rookie out of Oregon, tore multiple ligaments in his knee earlier this week, an injury that will probably keep him out a couple of months.

So, in a move that'll definitely surprise some, the Pack cut him this afternoon, officially limiting their amount of possible starters to just three (Recent Draftee Richard Rodgers, and longtime backups Andrew Quarless and Brandon Bostick)

Lyerla, 21, signed with the Pack this summer after a workout, giving him the NFL chance he originally didn't have after going undrafted.

Packers Don't Think Bostick's Leg Injury is Serious

The Packers don't think TE Brandon Bostick's leg injury is serious, ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky reports.

During yesterday's preseason win over the Rams, Bostick sustained the wound, the details of which have yet to be revealed.

Nonetheless, this news is definitely good for Green Bay, as who will start for them at Jermichael Finley's old position this year is a complete mystery.

Remember, since Colt Lyerla just got hurt and will be out weeks this season's TE possibilities have begun to dwindle, with Bostick, longtime backup Andrew Quarless, and rookie Richard Rodgers really the only possible candidates at this point.

Five Key Things To Watch In Camp: Number 4 - Starting TE

The countdown to training camp continues and I'm returning to a subject I've written a lot about this offseason: who will start at tight end for the Packers?

The current players on the roster are a bit underwhelming, which is a problem because whoever starts will see a lot of passes thrown his way based on the number of times QB Aaron Rodgers has targeted the tight end position over the past few seasons.

Feel for @JermichaelF88 in wanting to play, but know firsthand how (admirably) conservative GB medical staff is concerning head/neck.
— Andrew Brandt (@adbrandt) July 17, 2014

A lot has been written about TE Jermichael Finley, who may be medically cleared to play by at least some NFL teams, but he still has to decide whether to accept one of the modest offers he's received or retire and collect his insurance money. While Finley was in Green Bay last week, it doesn't appear that he met with any member of the Packers other than the team's doctor.

The starting job still appears to be a battle between rookie TE Richard Rodgers and the recently re-signed TE Andrew Quarless, though the position is wide open, which opens the door for someone like Brandon Bostick, if he has a strong preseason.

Because of the importance of the tight end in the passing game, the battle to determine who starts will have a big impact on how effective the offense might be next season.

2014 Starting TE Job Still "Wide Open"

The Packers 2014 starting TE job is still "wide open," team assistant Jerry Fontenot recently told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

According to Fontenot, Green Bay will have a better idea of who should get the position come Training Camp, although for now nobody is favored. 

Currently, the Pack's main two candidates for the role seem to be veteran Andrew Quarless and rookie Richard Rodgers, although FA Jermichael Finley could always find a way back in, as he's recovering pretty fast from the neck injury he suffered last season.

Ex-Oregon Duck Colt Lyerla's name has also occasionally come up as a possibility.

Who Will Start At Tight End for the Packers?

This recent mailbag on ESPN discussed a few interesting topics, and the one regarding the starting tight end position got my attention because I was just discussing that topic with a colleague.

Mailbag: Talking starting jobs at TE, S http://t.co/YapH2LDRCX
— Brandon Benson (@AcmeBrandon) July 8, 2014

Rob Demovsky's opinion is that if rookie TE Richard Rodgers "continues to show the ability to catch the ball down the field like he did this offseason, then he will be the starter." I'm not expecting much from the TE position in 2014, and I don't disagree with his assessment that Rodgers could be the starter, but I find it depressing.

In pre-draft evaluations, Rodgers came across as a finesse athlete who could be a sneaky weapon as a No. 2 TE, and compared him to TE Garrett Graham, who isn't much of a receiver. It was also noted that Rodgers would on occasion drop an easy reception.

His main competition is TE Andrew Quarless, who hasn't impressed so far in his NFL career. He could be an identical player; someone who isn't much of a blocker with the occasional drop. I'm still expecting Quarless to win the starting job because of his experience alone though I'm not expecting much from either one of them this preseason.

It's been reported that TE Jermichael Finley is healthy, but several weeks have passed since that report and you'd expect he'd have been signed somewhere if every team was convinced it was true. It's possible the Packers could re-sign him, but it feels like they've moved on.

As much as TE Colt Lyerla fascinates me, he's an unlikely candidate to earn a starting job and he's got to secure a roster spot first. I don't know how TE Ryan Taylor has kept a roster spot for three years (is it because he's the back-up long-snapper?) and TE Jake Stoneburner looks like Taylor v.2.0. Maybe TE Brandon Bostick will show more in his second season and I haven't yet seen undrafted rookie TE Justin Perillo play.

The Packers have so much offensive firepower at wide receiver and running back that they can afford to go with a second (or third, fourth) tier TE. Maybe it's good to keep my expectations so low that one of them will surprise me this preseason. But it remains a weakened position that shouldn't be expected to carry much of a load in 2014.

Packers 2014: Realistic Projections for Receivers

In the past few years, the Packers have parted ways with four of their top receivers (Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, James Jones, Jermichael Finley). Despite all those changes, QB Aaron Rodgers consistently targets the same positions in the passing game no matter who's on the field alongside him.

A lot of different receivers will be involved, but the top three wide receivers will be targeted between 90-125 times with about 100 targets to tight ends. The number four wide receiver should be targeted about 50 times and the top running back will see another 50 (44 to Lacy in 2013). The total pass attempts should be around 550, so that leaves the final 50 for a collection of occasional targets like John Kuhn and Ryan Taylor.

Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. Nelson led the team with 126 targets last season, but assuming Cobb stays healthy in 2014, Nelson won't repeat that high mark. 100 to 110 targets is more realistic, and using a slightly high 70% catch rate (Cobb was over 80% in his rookie season but under 70% last season), that's 70 to 80 receptions. That's not going to lead the league in receptions for either of them (the 2013 league leader, Pierre Garcon, was targeted 184 times in 2013). It could lead to another 1000 yard and double digit touchdown season for Nelson (Cobb's never reached either mark in a single season). They could be the two most efficient receivers in the NFL next season, but neither one should be considered as a 1st round fantasy draft option.

Jarrett Boykin. He seems to be a shoe-in for the James Jones role of trying to sneak into single coverage along the sidelines, which should be good for 90-100 targets in 2014. His 59% catch rate in 2013 is a concern, but hopefully it has to do with the fact that he was most active while Rodgers was hurt last season (Boykin barely played on offense until the Packers released Jeremy Ross in late September). The coaches love him, but I'm not completely sold on him yet.

Davante Adams showing his catching ability with pass from Matt Flynn across middle. I think he can make an impact as rookie. #Packers
— Mike Vandermause (@MikeVandermause) June 10, 2014

I'm really intrigued by the battle among the group of receivers at the bottom of the depth chart, but those guys are going to have no impact on the offense once the regular season roles around (barring injury). And all of them are going to be hard pressed to beat out Davante Adams after the Packers just used a 2nd round pick to acquire him. Cobb only had 31 targets during his 2011 rookie season, but the receiving corps was deeper that year, and I'd expect Adams should expect closer to 50 targets in 2014. The only thing holding him back is that the Packers don't spend the entire game lining up with four wide outs. When he does get on the field, he's always going to see single coverage, which is what Rodgers wants to see. He's going to be a very tempting target.

Insert name of a tight end here. I guess Colt Lyerla and Richard Rodgers both have chances to earn playing time, but they're both going to have a tough time getting past Andrew Quarless because they still have a lot to learn. In the meantime, Quarless doesn't have much of a ceiling, but he was targeted 54 times despite only starting for half the season and being pretty useless as a weapon. He'll get 70 targets if he starts 16 games, and he'll earn more if he can show some of the promise he had before he injured his knee in 2011.

Finley still a Packer to HC Mike McCarthy

To most Packers fans, the days of Jermichael Finley are over.

The veteran Tight End, still rehabing from the horrific neck injury he suffered last season, agreed to a contract with the Seahawks earlier this offseason, yet had it revoked after failing his physical.

Due to that, many NFL enthusiasts have begun to assume that Finley will never play again, although Green Bay Head Coach Mike McCarthy doesn't appear to agree.

"In my mind, (Finley) is a Green Bay Packer hopefully and he is going through a tough medical situation," McCarthy told Sirius XM NFL Radio."To my understanding, he is doing everything and beyond to get ready and we will continue to watch that."

In my opinion, having a healthy #88 back this fall would be nice, although really, I don't think it's necessary. After Finley got hurt last year, Andrew Quarless played pretty well, and, considering that Richard Rodgers is also on the roster now, I don't see a reason to go into 2014 with our heads down. The team's fine. Finley or not, I have no doubt in my mind they'll win at least 12 games in the upcoming season, even though I probably shouldn't at this time of year.

2014 Free Agency: Packers Re-Sign Quarless and Raji

GM Ted Thompson never signs anybody who played for another team, but he has continued with his strong track record of re-signing his own players.

Most recently, B.J. Raji agreed to the deal that he said he's not interested in:

Raji deal expected to be worth around $4 million. Could be ncentives. It means TT has spent $16M in cap space on retaining five of his own.
— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) March 14, 2014

and TE Andrew Quarless:

Quite a bargain price, no? RT @TomPelissero Andrew Quarless signed a 2-year, $3M deal with #Packers. $350K bonus. Bases of $800K, $1.3M.
— Jason Wilde (@jasonjwilde) March 13, 2014

Depending how the next few days go for CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, no player probably made a bigger blunder than Raji, who turned down $20 million guaranteed before eventually signing for $4 million. He was awful last season, but there's just no downside at one-year and $4 million for the Packers.

I'm not a big fan of Quarless, he was very disappointing last season but I was probably hoping for too much from him. However, this contract is even more modest than it looks, with the larger base salary coming in 2015. At just over $1 million in 2014, he's getting paid like a backup, though he could be a solid starter if his run blocking returns to pre-2011 form. He looks like a steal considering the contract the Lions just handed out to an inferior TE; Brandon Pettigrew. I'd still love to see them sign TE Owen Daniels as their main pass receiving tight end. Then Quarless would be a solid No. 2 based on his 2013 production and 2014 price tag.

7 teams have apparently contacted Andrew Quarless

7 NFL Teams, whose names have not yet been released, have apparently contacted Packers TE Andrew Quarless, ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky reports. If the Packers don't get a deal done with Quarless by 3:00 pm CT this afternoon, he'll become an unrestricted free agent, so yea, this news is kinda important. 

Now really, I could care less whether or not the Packers get Quarless back, but still, I must say I'm surprised that #81's getting as much attention as he is. I mean, in his career he's never exactly been a super star, so just what exactly is making all these teams want him so much?