NFL Free Agency Day 2: AFC Arms Race

The NFL free agency period started Tueday and of course, a lot happened in the first week. We will be doing these sort of recaps until it starts slowing down. Enjoy.

Patriots Add Revis - The former New York Jet and Tampa Bay Buccaneer cornerback might be the most polarizing player in free agency. The reason is he did not take a massive deal from New England. All it took was a one-year deal with 12 million dollars meaning he could build off this season and have an even bigger payday in 2015. Revis trusts his game more than anyone in the National Football League, and this means bad news for the rest of the AFC where he returns after a year hiatus.

DeMarcus Ware joins Denver's party - Broncos have pushed their chips in, and they are ready to make a run again. Ware means they have a terrifying edge rush with Von Miller and Ware. People were trying to compare Philadelphia's 2011 offseason with what Denver has been doing in the past couple days. It is completely different. Denver had a team built and established, Philadelphia did not. Broncos are adding big ass pieces to their already great team. It is hard not to like any of their moves. 

Jets Deliver Decker - In the evening, Jessica James Decker tweeted 'So Excited!!!!!'  People thought it was a hint to what happened with her free agent husband, Eric Decker, but she claimed it had to do with her impending pregnancy. Well.... About two to three hours later, we learned Decker had a new deal to be New York Jets' number one receiver. I like the move. New York did not overpay him and gave him a standard deal. We actually get to see what Geno Smith's ceiling could be like now that he has at least one quality wide receiver. If New York could land James Jones, all the sudden New York has a potent wide receiving core. 

NFC North Foes Make Moves - Green Bay made a move that we will get to later today, but the rest of the NFC North made some moves. Let's start with the best one...

-Minnesota Vikings signed Linval Joesph whose a guy I thought maybe Green Bay should take a look at for a 3-4 end. Instead, Joesph plays a 4-3 defensive tackle for Mike Zimmer and Minnesota where he should have an impact, but what about Shariff Floyd?  We ignoring they drafted him last season.

- Detroit inked up Golden Tate which is perfect as he fits right in with the culture there. Not sure if Tate will have the impact people are assuming he will have being Calvin Johnson's number two. He did have nearly 900 yards last season, but Tate is very inconsistent in my mind.

- Chicago signed MD Jennings... wait why, why are you laughing?   

Rodger Safford... Still a Ram -  What a bizarre change of direction for St. Louis offensive lineman Rodger Safford as he was a Raider, and we had the opinion that he got signed to a big deal by Oakland then the Raiders owner decided 'HAHAHA JK LOL GUYZ' and failed his physical.  Safford re-signed with St. Louis which could end up being an okay move. Safford is not great and does not stay healthy, but he is still a young offensive lineman. 

Lovie Smith hates young quarterbacks - This makes zero sense as Tampa Bay signed Josh McCown and announced that he will be their starting quarterback. Does Lovie Smith get his rocks off by having a journeyman quarterback lead his team?  Mike Glennon was not a bad quarterback for his rookie season and now he gets put on the bench for Josh f-----' McCown. I realize he played well last year, but my goodness, he is not that good.  I do not like this start for Tampa Bay's offense.

Charlie. 

Grading Green Bay Packers Defense/Special Teams

We are wrapping up the Green Bay Packers season with a grading of the offense/defense/special teams of the 2013 season.  I will also choose an MVP for both sides of the ball. 

Defensive line 
B.J. Raji - Many times when a player is in a contract year, they tend to perform above their head to get their money which there is nothing wrong that yet B.J. Raji is not one of those players. He had an sub-par year overall. There is nothing that made you think Raji is a even a homeless man's version of Vince Wilfork. I have no idea where his motivation has gone, but it is not there right now. I realize nose tackles are not really supposed to make tackles, but they are suppose to fill holes for the awaiting linebackers. If he still wants eight million dollars a year, I think he is honestly crazy. GRADE C-

Ryan Pickett - Not a bad year for Big Grease. He is not a flashy player at all, but Pickett makes some plays in front of the line. I also think he does a lot of good for the younger players on this team. People forget his contract is up, and he already said there is no retirement plan. I realize Green Bay likes to get younger, but Pickett's leadership would definitely be worth keeping him another year or two but what the hell do I know. GRADE C+  

Mike Daniels - ALL ABOARD THE BANDWAGON. I am fully supporting Mike Daniels. Easily, he became my favorite player on the defense. The guy is true bulldog in there being only six feet and 300 pounds. Daniels is built for a 4-3 more so than a 3-4 yet he does not give one single damn about it. The leverage he gets ins phenomenal, and I really do not see how a team gets a book on him when it all comes down to leverage. A six-footer can get underneath a 6'6 or 6'7 offensive lineman especially if he has the strength. GRADE A-

Johnny Jolly - What a year it was for him from a just coming back and being an emotional leader of this football team. It seemed like Green Bay had its edge back as football team for a little bit at the beginning of the year, and I felt along with others, Jolly was a big reason why that happened. The crowning moment of his year happened with the Atlanta game where he forced and recovered a fumble with everyone shouting 'JOLLY' 'JOLLY' 'JOLLY' in the stands. Hopefully, his injury lets him play again and I do not think one person wants to see him leave the team. GRADE B

Datone Jones - I have to say it has been a disappointing year for Jones. He made a couple plays here and there throughout the year, but definitely did not have the impact, I think folks including myself expected him to have with the team. Jones needs to live with Daniels, and figure out how he is doing it against these big offensive lineman. The grade is a low one, but I do think he will come back to be fine for the team. GRADE C

Linebackers
Clay Matthews - My assumption is the natives are beginning to get restless with Clay. He never seems to stay healthy while granted breaking one's thumb is not entirely the fault of the person. This pisses people off, and they begin to sour on him. Matthews made some impact plays leading up to him breaking his thumb, but really he can only be looked at like Dallas Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee. He changes the game when he is healthy, and that's not very often. I would kill to see one full year of Clay being virtually healthy. GRADE C+

A.J. Hawk - Easily, the best year of his career for Hawk. I am not saying he deserved to go to the Pro Bowl, but he made plays this year. Rather, it was not just Hawk filling the hole and making a tackle, it was him sacking the quarterback or getting a key interception. Speaking of sacks, Hawk had five of them this season which is a career-high for him. My assumption is we will be seeing more of Hawk rushing the quarterback next season.  This is a great bounce-back year for him, and I wonder whether Hawk will be able to keep this up. I tend to lean on yes. GRADE A-

Brad Jones - After having a great year that earned him a contract, this was a disappointing year for Jones. It is not all his fault. I would contend he played hurt for at least 75 percent of games this year meaning we should judge him playing differently. He had a bad hamstring multiple times then had an ankle injury at the end of the season. Jones is not a bad player, but he might be an average player which makes him mediocre when injured and that's a little concerning given his contract. He might be the one player I am most interested for next year.  GRADE C

Nick Perry - I think we need to all admit to ourselves that Nick Perry is not a left outside linebacker. It is not a position he seems to excel at even with Clay on the other side. Perry played well against Chicago and San Francisco coming from the right side and maybe it is time for Green Bay to experiment with Clay and Perry flipped. I realize the need to want Matthews coming off the blindside, but Perry is giving nothing from the left side. He does need to stay healthy though as he missed another five games meaning in two years, he has only played 16 games. GRADE C+

Mike Neal - I owe this guy an apology. I thought Neal would be just a workout warrior who could not stay healthy and I have been proven wrong. Neal played his ass off this year at outside linebacker. He did really well at that position. I think there is a future there for him, and I would not be opposed for a competition between him and Perry if they chose to keep him on the left side of the defense. There are definitely things Neal has to learn when it comes to playing the position, but that will come with time. GRADE B

Defensive Backs 
Sam Shields - To think, this was an undrafted rookie whom did not play much at cornerback at Miami. He had a big year for Green Bay when they won the Super Bowl then since there had not been much until this year. Shields delivered a defining play against Dallas, and he did a great job holding down some of the top receivers in the league. Shields is going to be wanted around the league, and will be expensive. I expect him to be back next season, but it would not surprise me to see someone overpay for him because his speed/catch-up speed is worth it. Shields' best is still left to come. GRADE B+

Tramon Williams - Quite the year for the longest member of the Packers secondary. People believed he was washed up. Many folks assumed he never recovered from his shoulder injury in 2011, and it had been downhill since then something changed against New York in the middle of the year. I have no idea what happened or what changed. I guess if you want me to venture a guess, I think Williams stopped playing scared he would hurt his shoulder again. I am excited to see what he has left for the following season. GRADE B-

Morgan Burnett - He will become the most-hated Packer to begin the year. Hell he already has been probably. I am willing to give him a little leash until we see what lines up next to him. I think MD Jennings hurt him more than we will probably ever know. Burnett seemed to play with an attitude of 'Cannot make a mistake' meaning he looked tentative out there. He made a couple of plays, but nothing special at all. Makes you wonder what Green Bay would have done if he did not get a contract and played this way.  GRADE D

MD Jennings -  If I have to watch MD Jennings attempt to play strong safety, I will gauge my own eyes out. It is one thing to be a strong safety that can come up and make bone-cracking hits yet not have the ability to cover anyone. It is another thing to be a strong safety that cannot hit or cover which could define Jennings. He will still be on the roster, but maybe he can go the Jarrett Bush route of being a good special teams player. Mike Gonzalez, MD Jennings and Marshall Newhouse caused me a lot of pain this season. GRADE F

Micah Hyde - This is a defensive and special teams grade. Out of the rookies, he probably had the second most impressive year next to Lacy. Sure he missed an interception in the playoff game, but Hyde played pretty well as a young secondary member. Green Bay now has quite the stable if Shields stays with Williams, Casey Hayward, Shields and Hyde. That's quite the group of secondary members who could really make some noise. I love the physicality of Hyde and his return game was valuable when Randall Cobb went out with injury. GRADE B

Special Teams 
Mason Crosby - Remember in late August, Crosby was having a kicking competition with a guy they brought in from the streets. He ended up dominating him including a 60+ year field goal. Crosby only missed four field goals all season. He did not even have a bad game for people to say 'Here we go again with the shit from Mason.' There is no reason to be worried about him next season. I feel like 2012 will just be a blip on the radar. GRADE A

Tim Masthay - Another great year for the Ginger Wolverine. I never feel nervousness when he is punting the ball. I would not say he is someone that can always flip the field, but Masthay improved as a punter this year. I can only imagine he gets better next season. The Ging as Aaron Rodgers calls him, owns the coffin corner. GRADE B

Charlie.

Sportandfashion-news Packers Classroom: Green Bay v. Dallas

We give grades to the different aspects of the Packers game from Sunday or Monday.  Am I too critical sometimes? Yes.  Am I also too nice sometimes? Yes.  I do not have a teaching degree in case you were wondering. 

Honestly, I thought about writing a full blog about this game and not doing my duty with the classroom. But I do want to write it out while talking about the game itself in the way I know how to do it.  I am completely stunned still this morning to see Green Bay win this game and be right in the mix with the playoff hunt. It is incredible. 

A-Game
Matt Flynn - When the first half ended, I called for Matt Flynn's head. I wanted to see Scott Tolzien because I really thought Flynn had ran out of gas. Mike McCarthy went with Flynn again, and Flynn helped lead them back with a big pass to Jordy Nelson to put Green Bay down 26-10. Flynn continued with a massive second half leading Green Bay down the field with four touchdowns and no mistakes. Green Bay could have quit on this game and it would have probably started with Flynn. He did not let it happen on Sunday. The leadership Flynn displayed on Sunday was amazing. No matter what happens this season, Flynn deserves major credit for leading this team back in three games to keep this Green Bay's head above water.

Eddie Lacy - Given the situation, the best game of the season for Lacy. He rushed for 142 yards and went over 1,000 yards become the first Packer rusher over that number since 2009 with Ryan Grant. Lacy helped create confusion with this Cowboys defense. He also had a big 60 yard run to open the second half providing sort of hope leading in the second half. But he also averaged 6.7 yards a carry. Lacy seems to be rounding into form, and is making his case for Offensive Rookie of the Year. It is dangerously close with Keenan Allen and Lacy.

Sam Shields - SAMMMMMMY. I do not know when it happened, but Sam Shields became one of my favorite players. I think it was during the Super Bowl run when Shields kept making big plays in the playoffs. Shields came up big again late in this game with a major defense of a vertical route of Dez Bryant where if Tony Romo throws it on the money it is probably a touchdown, but instead, Shields caught up to the pass and broke it up. Then once again, Romo underthrew a ball leading to Shields making the game changing interception. I loved he threw the ball in the stands after the pick and did not get a penalty for it (Don't pull that shit again, Sam).

B-Game
Tramon Williams - In a weird way, Tramon and the TV show Homeland are the same. The reason I make this comparison is Homeland was put on such a pedestal after the first season and Williams the same after the Super Bowl season. People put high expectations for both things, and they have been let down at different parts of the last two years. Homeland put on a bow on Season 3 and people still hate it saying they are done with the show. Williams is not having the same sort of criticism making the clinching interception to win the football game. In the last month or so, Williams has improved his game greatly.

Jarrett Boykin - We have talked about Boykin a couple times this year, but it needs to be stated again, he deserves to be a major factor on this team next season. He made a couple big catches on Sunday including a great back shoulder catch leading the Packers down for their final drive of the game. If the Packers get into the playoffs and Randall Cobb is able to return, think about this Packers receiving core. They become damn near unstoppable.

Andrew Quarless - Another big game for him. He was a player I wanted to watch on Sunday to see if he could carry over last week's game to this one against Dallas. Quarless did the same thing having six catches for 66 yards and a touchdown. Do I think Quarless' elevated play means Green Bay should ignore the tight end position in the draft? No I do not actually. But I really cannot see why they would draft Jace Amaro or Eric Ebron in the first round despite my undying love for both players. Quarless is looking more and more like the player everyone talked about when he came out of Penn State.

David Bakhtiari - What a  game from him. I know DeMarcus Ware is battling through injuries, but this is another premier pass rush that Bakhtiari has made completely nonexistent. He will never win it given the play of Lacy and Allen and others yet Bakhtiari deserves some Rookie of the Year votes. The stuff he is doing to protect the blind side is something I do not think many people are giving him credit for this season. If Green Bay were to make a run here, Bakhtiari could be a difference maker keeping Flynn and Aaron Rodgers upright.

C-Game
Clay Matthews - He came up big when Dom Capers started moving him around in the second half, but I am starting to wonder a bit about Clay. It does not seem like he is having the same sort of impact as he once was with this football team. Who is to blame for that? Probably Nick Perry and not having a pass rush from the defensive line even if it is not their responsibility to rush the passer. I will say it seemed like Matthews' rush was stronger when Mike Neal is out there. Maybe that's just me guessing things right now, but it does seem like Matthews' play becomes more clearer when Neal is out there.

D-Game
Green Bay's defensive line - This was a true example of why this team misses C.J. Wilson more than I think anyone realizes right now. DeMarco Murray gashed this defensive line and linebackers and it would have been the lead story if Dallas won this football including Murray who should have had over 200 yards right now. This defensive line needs to start figuring out how to get off blocks much better. Or make sure the holes are big enough for the linebackers to fill the spot. It could be the latter right now, but until we figure out whose to blame, I will start with the defensive line.

F-Game
Brad Jones - Another real bad effort from Jones. This is his second straight game where he has struggled mightily. I think it is time to see more Jamari Lattimore out there at middle linebacker. As I said last week, Jones seems to be a liability and he is in fact a liability. I have no idea if Jones is hurt or what, but he looks like he should not be out there right now. I hope there is more of a mix with Jones and Lattimore.

Jason Garrett's playcalling - I really cannot believe how bad Garrett was on Sunday. I know he threw Tony Romo under the bus, but Garrett gives him the chance to do it. Dallas threw the ball nearly 50 times and only rushed the ball 18 times. That's pathetic. If I am Murray this morning, I am legitimately scorching the earth when I get to the facility. He should have received the rock like he was Adrian Peterson. Murray has become a top ten back in the NFL and only his coaching staff does not realize it.

MD Jennings - Remember when I said I was interested to see what Sean Richardson can do against Dallas? Remember when he barely saw any time and instead we watched MD 'Toast' Jennings play instead. The guy is the Marshall Newhouse of the defense. He could not cover his shadow. My buddy and Sportandfashion-news contributor put it best with Jennings.

For not liking to tackle MD Jennings picked an interesting career
— Seth (@SethKrueger) December 15, 2013

Charlie.