Thursday, March 30, 2006

Idiot. Head coach Baldrick has another cunning new plan with "more core base concepts." Baldrick "said his belief is that reverting to an offense that relies heavily on the running game, throws often to the backs and uses big receivers running slants and shallow crossing patterns will best fit Favre’s talents." It sounds an awful lot like the offense Mike Holmgren ran in the mid-90s. Favre had some great seasons then, but he was happy when Ray Rhodes and later Mike Sherman allowed him to throw deep. The deep pass is what Baldrick would call a "core base concept" of Favre's game. Favre will not want to play the style of offense that McCarthy is suggesting.

The reality is that the Packers have reverted to an offense with three running backs (Gado, Green, and Davenport) all returning after season-ending leg injuries, that has no center or guards penciled in as starters, and three offensive tackles (Clifton, Tauscher, and Barry) who have all been promised starting jobs. Teams that use a zone blocking offensive scheme (Atlanta, Denver) usually run the ball well and have poor pass protection. Plus, none of the three offensive tackles fit the prototype of a zone blocking lineman. That does not sound like a team ready to rely on the running game. The team currently has three big receivers on the roster, but two of them are players no one else wanted (Gardner and Boehriger) and another is a player who has promised to never again play for the Packers (Walker). The team's best receiver (Driver) is not a big receiver. McCarthy's style of offense will not work with Favre and this current roster.

Why would Favre want to play for this mess of a roster with a coach that doesn't realize his team doesn't have the personnel to play McCarthy's preferred style of football? And now the Packers are trying to force Favre into a decision because they don't want to pay a $3 million roster bonus if they don't have to. Favre does have a big salary cap number and it might be a convenient excuse to shove him out the door.

With the money saved from Favre's roster bonus, they could sign CB Charles Woodson. What a stupid idea. He's 29 years old (cornerbacks don't play well past age 30), he's finished the last two seasons injured, he's fought with his coach, and he got arrested in 2004. Kansas City coach Herm Edwards was quoted as saying that Woodson might be able to play cornerback, but he might have to play safety. The Packers would pay top cornerback money to a safety who is a clubhouse cancer and couldn't beat out any of the projected starting defensive backs. Just say no.

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