The Green Bay Packers have expressed interest in New York Giants defensive end Dave Tollefson, who the team originally drafted in 2006.
Word on the street is the Packers plan to bring Tollefson in for a visit next week if he doesn’t sign elsewhere first. The Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are also interested.
Tollefson started only two games last seasson, but recorded five sacks. He has 10 sacks in a six-year career, the past five of which he’s spent with New York.
In Green Bay, Tollefson would likely play outside linebacker. He’s a bit undersized (266 pounds) to play defensive end in the 3-4. The Packers’ interest in Tollefson and Cincinnati’s Manny Lawson, another outside linebacker, is a pretty clear sign they’re looking to replace free agent outside linebacker Erik Walden. While Frank Zombo and Brad Jones remain on the roster, neither player has played at a high level or been able to hold down a spot in the starting lineup.
In other news, the Packers have signed defensive tackle Daniel Muir, another player who started his career in Green Bay. Originally an undrafted free agent, Muir spent the last four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. Over that time he started 26 games, but he was released after just four games last season.
Muir (6-2, 312) provides zero pass rush — he only has .5 sacks in his five-year career — but is solid against the run. His best season came in 2009, when he had 52 tackles.
Muir’s signing likely means the Packers won’t bother re-signing defensive tackle Howard Green. Green had only 11 tackles in 16 games (five starts) last season.
In still more news, the Packers lost cornerback Pat Lee, who signed with the Oakland Raiders. We can’t really say it’s much of a loss. Despite being a second-round pick, Lee never managed to be anything more than a solid special teams performer.
He tied for the team lead with 12 special teams tackles in 2011, but has zero career interceptions.
So the trend is…..only sign younger free agents if they were originally picked up and released by Ted the first time around, and only sign older free agents if they were around before Ted was in charge so he can’t technically say he missed on drafting and/or signing them the first time around???
You think TT thinks one second about any of that shit?
Keep living in the fantasy you made up.
Obviously our coaching staff thinks something of Muir from his time here with us. He was available for cheap. End of story.
Since TT was a GM with Seattle before the Pack, technically Ryan Pickett was someone he “missed” out on drafting. That didn’t stop him from picking him up in free agency. Of course, that was before we had A-Rodge, Jennings, and Matthews to extend. All of whom, TT drafted, by the way.
If they thought something of Muir from his time here with us, then why did they cut him in the first place? Hope Ted finds some defensive gems in the draft. We need a few.
Ok….We needed a center, because Ted got caught unprepared with his pants down not preparing for Wells departure. So we sign Saturday. Who had the negotiation leverage in that deal? I’m curious to find out how much TT paid him. So now we have a 36 year old band-aid, which i guess is better than HAVING to draft and train a center and expect him to lead the O L..Moving on to TT’s next move (finally) So we pick up a guy we obviously didnt think was worth keeping the 1st go around. Now with our desperation for a pass rusher, what does TT do? Signs a 5 year guy with a total of 1/2 sack in his career. We dont need a run stopper, were ok in that Dept. This guy is a younger Howard Green, ineffective. except for keeping the Golden Corral in Green Bay open. TT better start hitting on some draft picks like NOW….After the Mike Neal and Derrick Sherrod failure, or the microscope on him is going to get bigger, in a hurry. Folks, this is not hating on TT, this is about reality. Now in iltarians eyes….TT can do no wrong, which is always obvious in his post. iltarian is ok with Muir i guess cuz he was cheap…lol…unfortunetly, you get what you pay for.
Vijay and yourself need to calm down. For one, players being brought in by TT via free agency will be rotational players, not starters (with the exception of Saturday). Secondly, the D-line will be adequately addressed in the draft. The roster is deep @ linebacker and the secondary isn’t all that shabby either (continued talks of moving C-Wood to SS). Expect DJ smith, Soto, and M.D. Jennings to assume regular playing time.
“unfortunetly, you get what you pay for.”
$6 million a year for Wells. That’s what the Rams paid him. And that would have gone against our cap next year, which makes resigning Matthews, Jennings, etc that much more difficult.
Yeah, you get what you pay…
I suppose we should talk about Dave Tollefson, who the Packers drafted with their last pick of the 2006 draft, where he spent the season on the practice squad, then got picked up by the raiders, who told him to go play in NFL Europe, Giants picked him up where he played in 63 games, where he had 52 tackles…So he gets almost 1 tackle each game, He also had 10 sacks, so that translates to a sack every 6 games…SWEET. So if we get this defensive end powerhouse, and with Muir on board, our defense should jump from 32nd in the league…to ummmmm, oh about, 32nd. Keep up the good work Teddy.
Thanks for being a fair weather fan, mxz600.
MXZ600 is not a Packer fan. I’m thinking jealous Viking troll.
mxz600; I am going out on a limb here, but I think that TT might know more about these players then you do…….he picked up Green when we needed Dline help and that chubby cheese of a man helped bring us back a trophy…he’s however not around anymore – so TT picks up a new chubby cheese…see the idea..?
You see a need, fill a need…the rest will come in the draft and we’ll bring home another trophy this season. Both Saturday and Muir are vets, that have been around great teams for a while now…I would think they will bring more then just “bodies” to a young team that really needs to focus on whats importaint…
Oh; and Sherrod is not a bust (yet) – the guy broke several bones in his leg while playing in his ROOKIE year!
So settle the fu”¤ down you shaky nervous piece of cheeseburger….
I have to agree with Jack. TT’s tortoise instead of hare approach drives an impatient prick like me crazy as much as anyone, but I still have to give him the benefit of the doubt. He doesn’t have a lot of cap room and there just wasn’t shit out there for free agents. The “big name” free agents were way over priced and what is left isn’t very good. So i will calmly continue to focus on my beer and cheeseburger consumption.
Oh yeah. Sign DD’s dance partner as asst. receivers coach. Her scantily clad ass has DD moving like he’s ten years younger.
“Oh yeah. Sign DD’s dance partner as asst. receivers coach. Her scantily clad ass has DD moving like he’s ten years younger.”
I second that………..
So Donny H says the def. line will be addressed in the draft…..sounds good Donny..much like J Harrell, Johnny Jolly, and Mike Neal?….Point taken?….So Jack tells us…..Sherrodd broke his leg….but what Jack doesn’t tell us, is that Sherrod couldnt beat out 2nd string career back up M Newhouse…and Newhouse just got torched, because he plays like his feet are in quicksand. Donny…the roster may be deep at linebacker….their deep with players who cant make plays and tackle, much like the secondary. As far as Woodson playing safety..lol…Woodson is not a hitter, cornerbacks usually arent, sure he can tackle at the line when its not full speed, That doesnt make him a safety, and McCarthy has already nixed that rumor……………Hate on me all you want…What? I cant have an opinion?….lol…should i be like you guys and be blind deaf and stupid?….and scream we have faith in TT!!!!….Sorry…the difference between you guys and Vijay and i, is we do our own thinking…Sure TT may know more than i do, but i damn sure know more than you blind squirrels…..People…There is “actually” a reason…the defense gave up over 100 points more than the previous year, because TT was asleep at the wheel.
The Packers started last season 10 deep at linebacker and half of them were 1st and 2nd year players. With the draft and develop philosophy it will take an average of 2-3 years for these guys to get on the field as starters and contribute. The play makers we need are already on the roster; they just weren’t relevant last season because they were still in the “developing” phase. I think Soto, Smith, Bishop and Matthews are going to put the Packers Defense back into the top 3rd of the league. More than adequate to give us another run at a SB title.
MM “nixed” the Woodson/SS talk weeks ago but for whatever reason has resurfaced recently. If he does continue with CB it will no doubt be on slot receivers exclusively. I don’t think it would be a big deal if he did make the switch. Other great CBs in the past converted seamlessly and it added years to their careers. MD Jennings would have seen significant time at safety last season had he not been consistently hurt. He is on track to be the solution for that position should Collins be forced to retire.
…Actually Sherrod played at more then just the tackle spot…see what they do is try to get the best athletes/players on the field…(you being a “thinker”, you already know this). Sherrod is a better athlete/player then Newhouse (the quicksand ref. remember), but even a “expert” such as yourself has to realize that very few players excell straiht out of college and into the big boys division….look; all I am saying is, give him more then one year on injured reserve before you call him a Harrell bust.
And another thing; In the last two years we got a Lombardi and a nearly perfect season (Yes…we lost to the eventual SB champ….I know…I know). I am not calling you stupid…I dont have too if you claim that TT is sleeping at the wheel after the last two seasons……I might call you Jay Cutler though, because you’re a being a whiny bitch right now….
Wow! There is some ridiculous talk going on here! I think some people need to take a step back, take a deep breath, and pull your head out of your ass!
TT made the Saturday move because he was the best one left on the market. He will draft one this year to be groomed and learn from Saturday. But signing Saturday makes sure he doesn’t have to pick a center in the first round.
TT signed Muir to add depth to the Dline. No he’s not glamorous and he will be a role player. But he probably came at the vet min and is good value for the money. Hopefully he will turn out to be an upgrade over Wynn and Wilson. This also ensures that TT doesn’t have to go DE in round one.
Look for TT to sign Lawson or Tollefson in the near future. This gives an upgrade/option at OLB so TT ensures doesn’t have to go OLB in round one.
My point is by making these signings, TT ensures he can take BPA at 28 and keep all other GMs guessing! TT is one sneaky, clever man!
Mxz600 —
So your theory is that TT spent six years acquiring and developing championship caliber players and coaches, won a Super Bowl with that personnel…
…and then suddenly forgot how to do his job before the 2011 offseason?
No, he’s not perfect. Harrell was a bust, Neal was a bust, and let’s say the jury’s still out on Sherrod. Bottom line, his hit-to-miss ratio is as good as any GM out there — busts are part of the business.
And don’t get me started on the Scott Wells move — getting a four-time all pro at a reasonable short-term deal instead of shelling out for a pricey long-term contract or gambling on the draft? That made complete sense, especially considering the number of quality centers in free agency this year.
I think its a little early to call Mike Neal a bust. He has been injured every year. The one time when he was new to the Packers and had never been injured, he looked like a stud with a lot of potential. Since the injury immediately after that, he has been trying to get back to where he was. If he can get back to what he was, Neal has the tools to be a top D-Lineman in the league.
The hatred of TT springs entirely from the love of Bert Favre. Don’t be fooled into thinking otherwise.
Nothing else could explain such idiocy.
I support TT and MM because the Pack wins football games. Period.
I don’t give a shit where the Packers rank defensively. TT and MM weren’t hired to have a good defense. They were hired to win football games.
If you win 35-25, that counts the same as winning 25-15. I don’t give a shit either way. Just win, baby.
Let’s just settle with some indisputable facts.
The Packers were 15-1 last year.
The Packers went exactly 364 days without losing a football game.
The Packers went the entire 2011 season ranked #1 in the NFL power rankings, per cbssports and espn.
The Packers are NEXT season’s favorites to win the Super Bowl again.
So, yeah, I support TT. The facts say he is doing a HELL of a job. I don’t have to.
The Giants had the 27th ranked defense in the league last year. The Patriots had the 31st.
They better improve their defenses if they plan on making it to the Super Bowl.
Oh, wait…
Mxz600 is a Brent Favre loving Viking fan. A real Packer fan wouldn’t be that pessimistic. On the other hand a real Viking fan would be. Don’t take what he writes at face value, he’s posted anti- Packer fan ramblings in the past. Pay him no mind.
hahaha…Iltarion – nice. Just win baby. Now theres something we can all agree on…and heres three more:
The bears suck
The viqueen swallow
and the lions….well hell, the lions are the lions…I guess thats bad enough…
Funny how as soon as the Packers fail to win a Superbowl everyone reverts back to their “I hate TT” rhetoric.
I’m sorry, but I have very little patience for fair weather fans. A little criticism is fine, but do realize you are NOT an NFL GM before you start acting like you know better.
I second that. F*C% you fair weather fans!
Hate on me all you want…What? I cant have an opinion?….lol…should i be like you guys and be blind deaf and stupid?….and scream we have faith in TT!!!!….Sorry…the difference between you guys and Vijay and i, is we do our own thinking…Sure TT may know more than i do, but i damn sure know more than you blind squirrels…..People…There is “actually” a reason…the defense gave up over 100 points more than the previous year, because TT was asleep at the wheel.
iltarian says:…The Giants had the 27th ranked defense in the league last year……………Thats nice, How about the post season?.. Giants were 3rd in yards allowed…The Giants were 1st in defensive points allowed iltarian, but i dont expect a simpleton to know that……Of course the Packers defense also stepped their game up in the post season right iltarian?……………………….OH WAIT…….
I could give a good godamn about TT, I’m a Packer fan, to hell with political horseshit it’s a waste of time. If the son of a bitch signs Rosie O’Donnel at left tackle I’ll still be watching the Pack. One dick move on this post was made by (mxz600) or robot fucker. He had the audacity to call other Packer fans “stupid” based on their opinion. I’d like to see this pussy say shit like that to someones face. Robot fucker, you better watch your mouth, I can smell a rat viqueen fan. Skoal that you whore!
Hey, the Rosie O’Donnel idea is not a bad one. She’s a HO– — USE & we know she can talk trash….
Lol, you’ve got spirit nurseratchett. that’s what we need.