Super Bowl LVII is in the books and former Packer Marquez Valdes-Scantling gets a Super Bowl Ring before Davante Adams. Nobody said life is fair. Valdes-Scantling, discarded after four years with the Packers, may have been a no stat contributor in Sunday’s big game but the Kansas City offense didn’t need him in the second half of what was a juggernaut performance against a solid Eagle defense. Now, the Packers put up 33 points against the same Philly defense just over two months ago, but Patrick Mahomes did not throw two interceptions like Aaron Rodgers did in late November and the Kansas City defense put six on the board by taking Jalen Hurts’ fumble to the house. And while I’m complaining why does the NFL keep using Roman Numerals to promote this championship.
For a league that communicates it wants to get away from a Gladiator violent persona could you try using numbers that weren’t used by enslavers of half the world? Listen, we could come up with all sorts of useless complaints, troll endlessly about the commercials we liked or disliked. But instead of coulda, shoulda woulda, and a side of whining, can the 2023 Packers take anything constructive away from the final game of the 2022-2023 season?
The 2023 NFL draft is just around the corner and the Packers will have their best draft position in years. Watching this playoff matchup the tight end play on both teams jumped off the screen. Travis Kelce and Dallas Goedert combined to make 12 catches for 141 yards and one touchdown. The two teams that KC and Philly played for a shot at the Lombardi Trophy, the 49ers and Bengals, have George Kittle, the best tight end in the game when healthy, and former first round pick Hayden Hurst for the Bengals, respectively.
The lesson to learn is that elite NFL offenses have tight ends that can change the game and force other teams to develop a focused defensive game plan to try to stop them. The Packers in 2022 relied on Robert Tonyan, Mercedes Lewis and Josiah Deguara. Tonyan ended the season with two touchdown catches. The entire Packer 4 man tight end depth chart, including Tyler Davis, totaled 4 touchdowns and 76 catches. Kelce had 110 catches this past season. Even if the Packers resign Tonyan and Lewis, they must upgrade this position.
Debating when to draft a tight end is a wasted energy debate. Kelce was a third round pick, Kittle a fifth rounder. Hurst and Goedert were first and second rounders respectively. The Packers have tried and failed to find a game changing tight end in the third round in their last two attempts. Jace Sternberger and Josiah Deguara have not lived up to their draft position. Deguara is not a complete bust like other Packer third rounders, Sternberger, Amari Rodgers, Oren Burks, Sean Rhyan, Khyri Thornton and the list continues. When you put these failed picks on a list the depth of the problem is clearly worse than any easy excuse could dismiss. The likely issue screams that the repeated failures are systemic.
The list is so long it makes fans wish Gutekunst would step aside and let someone else in the room make the third round selection or better yet, change strategy. NFL draft pundits are saying this is a good draft to find a tight end. There is allegedly some quality and depth.
So the big question is if the Packers or another team take a tight end in the first round, will he be the next Gronk, or the next Dave LaFleur. LaFleur was an All American TE drafted in the first round in 1997. He was a do it all college tight end who was too slow to get open in the pro game. Kyle Pitts, the fourth pick in 2021, was the last draft pick compared to Gronk and he has not been enough to turn the franchise around in Atlanta. (28 receptions and 2 TD’s – surgery on MCL in week 11 of 2022) Top picks can star or flame out. But tight ends are hard to evaluate as both the Packer struggles and other players mentioned above demonstrate.
Twenty four tight ends have been drafted in the first round since Bubba Franks was the Packers first round pick in 2000. Teams that have drafted a tight end in the first round multiple times since 2000 include the Lions, Jets, Patriots, Ravens, Steelers, Browns and Giants. This list shows there are many strategies to a successful draft in the NFL but the success or failure is not strategy as much as it is tied to the health and talent of the players drafted.
Michael Mayer carried Notre Dame in 2022. Every defense knew the ball was coming to him on third down and Mayer made tough catch after touch catch. In 12 regular season games (he did not play in the Gator Bowl) Mayer collected 67 passes 809 yards and 9 touchdowns. Even with shaky quarterbacking he rarely dropped a pass and he was a good blocker in an offense that ran the ball with commitment. Mayer had 26 contested catches in 2022. He is listed as 6’4” and 265 pounds. He often won by using his size against college athletes that will not star in the NFL. It will be interesting to see if he is really 6’4” as he does not look tall on a college field. He also does not look like he is blessed with game changing speed.
Next up in many pundits lists is Luke Musgrave of Oregon State. Musgrave ran a legit 4.51 forty and had a 36.5 vertical jump before knee injury ended his 2022 season after two games. Some pundits are actually mocking the Packers picking Musgrave as their first round pick, number 15. How do the Packers take a tight end with a significant knee injury at 15? Teddy is rolling over at the suggestion. For his toughness, he was a lacrosse, track and field and ski racer in high school. Musgrave’ s blocking includes multiple missed assignments that will probably drop him to the second or even third round.
Next on the pundit list is Tucker Kraft of South Dakota State. 6’5” 255 pound athlete with 90 catches for 1091 yards and 9 touchdowns over his college career. He wants to follow Dallas Goedert from South Dakota State to elite pro. Kraft missed multiple games with an ankle injury and had his catches drop from 67 in 2021 to 27 in 2022. While he has put up great numbers against lower division talent, he had only one catch against Iowa for 7 yards but his blocking in that game was outstanding. Kraft’s number one concern listed by the Draft Network are his hands, he has had his share of drops.
An intriguing prospect to take over the main blocking duties if Lewis retires is Georgia’s Darnell Washington. Listed at 6’7” and 280 pounds he is taller than any starter in Green Bay’s lineup and blocks with the power of a lineman. His tape shows some catching ability, but he lacks the speed to separate in the NFL. His running is described as “lumbering” by the Pro Football Network.com. His highlights show extremely soft hands and the ability to make one handed grabs, off target catches, contested catches, even hurdle defensive backs.
Washington is an amazing athlete for his size. His nickname, the big O, for his jersey number 0, takes me back to my favorite Milwaukee Bucks memories. One thing you can take to the bank, if Washington becomes a Packer, nobody in practice or a game will want to tackle him. The more I watch the more I want him in a Packer uniform. His blocking has potential as an inline blocker and jets sweeps and if used as the blocking outside flanker on wide receiver screens they could be unstoppable. His big drawback is little to no burst off the line of scrimmage.
The debated fourth tight end of the draft is Sam Laporte of Iowa. He lists at 6’4” 250 lbs catching 58 passes in 2022. LaPorte plays like a receiver, playing outside, and all over the field. While he is a willing blocker and showed toughness through injury, his blocking is not is strong point and could use improvement. He also had 6 drops in 2022. He is better after the catch than he is at route running. His ability to separate, which is really the key to top tight ends like Kelce and Kittle, is questionable.
Not to be forgotten, Cameron Latu of Alabama set an Alabama record for touchdowns in 2021 but his numbers dropped in 2022. At 6’5 and 244 lbs, he has legit size and will block, but his hands are sometimes suspect although he displays better separation skills than some prospects on this list.
Dalton Kincaid is the tight end that is not being discussed but his film is impressive. Kincaid is 6”4” and 242 lbs and had 18 contested catches to go with 70 total catches. He tallied 8 touchdowns. His 91.8 receiving grade, higher than Mayer, is due to only one drop. If you only watched his pass catching highlight reals you would say he is a legit first rounder. If you watch his blocking tape, the bottom falls out. He struggles blocking anybody. He is also 24 years old, so his window to learn how to block is sunsetting as we speak. Now, his poor technique blocking, especially when he dips his head, can be coached, but you can’t rely on him blocking to protect your quarterback at this stage.
Other tight ends listed by Pro Football Network.com include:
Luke Schoonmaker; Michigan (6’6”/250 lbs)
Payne Durham; Purdue (6’5”/255 lbs.)
Josh Whyle; Cincinnati (6’6”/250 lbs.)
Brevyn Spann-Ford; Minnesota (6’7”/270 lbs.)
Will Mallory; Miami (6’5”/245 lbs.)
Code Stover; Ohio State (6’4”/255 lbs.)
Benjamin Yurosek; Stanford (6’4”/245 lbs.)
Zack Kuntz; Old Dominion (6’8”/251 lbs.)
Luke Ford; Illinois (6’6”/265 lbs.)
Noah Grindorff; North Dakota State (6’6”/275 lbs.)
Brenton Strange; Penn State (6’3”/246 lbs.)
Davante Adams wanted two things when he left the Packers. To be the highest paid WR in the game, and to play with his buddy Derek Carr. Playing for a SB contending team didn’t make his short list. Adams got exactly what he wanted. The Raiders will always be the redhead stepchild in the AFC west behind Mahomes and Herbert. Adams knew that going in. There’s no reason to shed a tear for poor Davante. MVS got a nice contract and a ring. I say good for him. Seems like a good kid. As for being discarded, I wouldn’t go that far. There’s only so much money to go around and when your QB makes upwards of 60 million per season. You’ve got some tough choices to make when it comes to the cap. I absolutely would NOT draft a TE at 15. Aaron Rodgers has never in his long and distinguished career thrown to his TE’s. Never. Wasting the 15 pick on a TE that Rodgers will virtually ignore seems foolish to me. Sure, the SB teams had playmaking TE’s, but they also had young, ascending, dynamic, playmakers at QB. Aaron Rodgers no longer qualifies. Now, if Jordan Love is your QB, then he’s going to do what he’s told and throw to his TE. Still, this is a good draft for TE’s and I wouldn’t select one until the 3rd round at the earliest. I would use the 15 pick on a pass rusher. You won’t get Rashan Gary back from his ACL until mid season and Preston Smith is getting long in the tooth. Then I’d draft a safety in round 2, and possibly a TE in round 3. Trading Rodgers gives you additional picks where drafting a TE earlier could be an option. But the way it stands now, I’d go pass rusher, safety, TE, then in the 4th round either slot receiver or RB.
“There’s only so much money to go around and when your QB makes upwards of 60 million per season”
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Mahomes is also one of the highest paid QB’s in the league and has the biggest contract by total value in NFL history. How on earth are they successful? How do they sign anyone else with that monster contract? How selfish of him to take that much money. Doesn’t he know they could sign other players if not for his overwhelming greed?
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Or maybe the KC front office knows how to manage their money and add talent while also having a high paid QB.
The difference Cheese, is Patrick Mahomes doesn’t need a perfect roster to win a SB. He can carry a team to multiple SB appearances and wins without a great defense, an average running game, or even without his best WR in Tyreek Hill. He’s worth every dollar he makes. While your hero Cheese, requires a perfect roster. Not unlike Kirk Cousins or Dak Prescott. The defense is never good enough, he doesn’t have enough weapons, management has somehow not signed or drafted the right players, and now, if he just had an elite TE. There’s no such thing as a perfect roster. Your QB is either good enough to make it work or he isn’t. You don’t believe Aaron Rodgers makes the New York Jets or the Las Vegas Raiders SB contenders and neither does he. Yet you put Patrick Mahomes on either team and they’ll be favored. You put Patrick Mahomes on the Packers and they’d be favored to make it to the SB. Aaron Rodgers knows this Cheese, it’s why he talks about winning an MVP next season, that’s the best he can do….
“Patrick Mahomes doesn’t need a perfect roster to win a SB. He can carry a team to multiple SB appearances and wins without a great defense, an average running game.”
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Stop pretending KC’s defense is a slouch. KC’s defense put 7 points on the board and almost put another 7 up. Without that fumble return KC doesn’t win. Special teams also ran a punt return down to the goal line. Do you care to acknowledge that or would you rather romanticize how that 5 yard TD “drive” was due to Mahomes’ unparalleled heroics. Just like that 11 yard comeback drive with two runs and an incomplete pass against Cincy.
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“The defense is never good enough, he doesn’t have enough weapons, management has somehow not signed or drafted the right players, and now, if he just had an elite TE.”
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The Packers have literally had the 32nd ranked defense or the 32nd ranked special teams unit multiple times over the past 13 years. I don’t know how that could affect a teams Super Bowl chances though…. It’s all about the QB.
Anyone who thinks this years WR core was anything other than a “work in progress” at best is delusional. Mahomes has one of the best tight ends in the history of the league who he has many years of chemistry with. No, this isn’t to say Rodgers needs a top TE to succeed. It’s saying that he needs a player that he has chemistry with that is also one of the top at his position. When all of Rodgers’ top guys keep getting the axe he’s left with UDFA’s, late round nobodies, and a bunch of over the hill dudes that were never much to begin with. Sure Rodgers has chemistry with Cobb, but Cobb is not a top guy. Rodgers may have some chemistry with Lazard but Lazard is not a top guy. It’s the same with anybody else on the roster. This is what you get when Gute supplies the offense with bread crumbs for half a decade and lets guys like Nelson and Adams walk while not refilling the position. Christian Watson looks promising, but relying on a class of rookie WR’s to put your offense over the edge when you claim to be “ALL IN” is not only foolish, but negligent.
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“There’s no such thing as a perfect roster. Your QB is either good enough to make it work or he isn’t.”
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So you could put Patrick Mahomes on the 0-16 Lions and he’s gonna make them Super Bowl favorites? How about the 0-16 Browns? “Your QB is either good enough to make it work or he isn’t” is a load of nonsense. It’s called a team for a reason.
I said Mahomes didn’t need a perfect roster Cheese, not a hopeless one. The KC defense ranked 16th while the Packers 17th. They’re virtually the same. You’ve got two players on the KC roster superior to anything the Packers have. They are Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. Everything one else is pretty much a push. Patrick Mahomes went to three out of the last four SB’s. Winning two at the young age of 26. Those are facts, romance has nothing to do with it. It’s called a dynasty in the making. You tell me Cheese, does Aaron Rodgers win the AFC west as a member of the Raiders? Does Aaron Rodgers win the AFC east as the QB of the Jets? You tell me what team Aaron Rodgers needs to be on to get to the SB since the Packers are never good enough for him? And why didn’t he leave last year when he had the chance if Brian Gutekunst had been really holding him back all these years? Patrick Mahomes doesn’t get swept by the Lions and miss the playoffs if he’s Packer QB. Patrick Mahomes beats the 49ers in the playoffs last year as Packer QB. And Patrick Mahomes probably finds a way to beat Tom Brady at home in the NFCC game. And don’t talk about chemistry with his WR’s when he can’t be bothered to work with his guys in the offseason. He’s too busy drinking magic tea and trying to find himself.
“And why didn’t he leave last year when he had the chance if Brian Gutekunst had been really holding him back all these years?”
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Why hasn’t Gutekunst moved on from Rodgers if he’s been holding this team back all these years? Instead he just gave him a $150 million contract.
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“Patrick Mahomes probably finds a way to beat Tom Brady at home in the NFCC game.”
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Go ahead and puff your chest out and act like you know what would have happened if Mahomes hypothetically would have played whatever team. Mahomes literally lost to the Buccaneers two weeks after the Packers did you stupid fuck. Talk about a romantic fictional fantasy.
Thanks for a new article Paul. As I half-assed paid attention to the game on Sunday I made the observation myself. Hey, both teams have good tight ends, and they are getting thrown to. Imaginary that…
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This team is facing a glaring hole coming up at the position. Depending on what happens in the QB situation more than one of those names you’ve listed may come into the conversation. Even without a trade at QB, one of them should for sure. The evaluations of what might come available in free agency isn’t all that encouraging.
Bob McGinn is now reporting that the Packers are “disgusted” with Aaron Rodgers and will move on regardless of what the “prince of darkness” decides after his “retreat.” McGinn, who spent more than 30 years covering the team, has more than few inside sources, and is not known for hyperbole. I wouldn’t take his comments lightly. Well, what do ya know? Someone in the organization actually has the balls to stand up to the little queen! It’s about time!
“Someone in the organization actually has the balls to stand up to the little queen! It’s about time!”
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Who exactly in the organization is standing up to anyone? Who said there was anyone to stand up to? Gutekunst is the GM and has 100% control of this roster. Rodgers isn’t holding anyone hostage. Bob McGinn (not a member of the Packers) made comments on a podcast about an anonymous source allegedly being disgruntled with Rodgers. No one in the organization is putting their name out there and this was said at at time where Rodgers isn’t even able to comment on it. I would say whether true or not, that this was done in total cowardice. There are ways to deal with things and and ways not to deal with them. If the front office has anything to do with this then my image of them couldn’t get anymore incompetent.
Bob McGinn here.
That’s what i heard, from my source.
Plus, it’s a good way to get everyone to source my name and my old co-workers website across the Country, especially when you’ve become a decrepit old man with one foot in the grave like i have.
It’s not because i’ve never liked Rodgers, after he took over for my God, Brett Favre.
It’s not because, after the Journal/Sentinel fired me, i got to be a bitter old man.
It’s not because, after i got my own website my kid helped me put up, i was pissed off that the Packers turned down my request for media credentials.
It’s not because i had to shut down my website for inactivity.
Here is how Tyler Dunn uses McGinn to create revenue at his website.
“The Green Bay Packers, McGinn has learned, have all but moved on from the longtime starter. They’re more confident than ever to start Jordan Love, too. For all of this and much more regarding a franchise-defining decision, subscribers can…”
Pay up?
Is that you Kevin? We haven’t heard from you in weeks! We all thought you’d gone on your own “darkness retreat” perhaps with the “princess of darkness” himself. Or did you just feel violated and betrayed over the whole email snafu? It’s all so exhausting being an Aaron Rodgers fanboy, isn’t it girls? Bob, this is where you want to marvel at Erin’s regular season stats, tell us Brain Gutekunst is the worst GM ever, and that little Erin is just misunderstood. I know Bob, you don’t write fantasy pieces. You deal in facts and have sources. It’s called journalism. But you have to understand Bob, this is a pure fanboy site. We’re not interested in someone who might have inside information and tell us the truth. We want to hear that Santa and the Easter Bunny are real, and that little Erin is the goat. And while you’re at it Bob, can you sing us a lullaby as you put us down for a nap?
Let me explain what i meant when i said “They’re more confident than ever to start Jordan Love, too.”
That is to say, they are more confident now than they were in March 2022, when they kept Rodgers on for 3 years at 50 million a year, too.
Here’s what I know for certain Cheese. Aaron Rodgers will never win another SB. Because he can’t. He’s simply not that kind of QB. He can win regular season games, or at least he could. During the playoffs Erin folds like a cheap suit. Aaron Rodgers will never be Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes. Aaron Rodgers is a glorified Kirk Cousins. He’s a Drew Brees clone. I said, Mahomes probably beats Brady as Packer QB because they’re the two of the best QB’s to ever play the game. Neither has won every SB they’ve been in but they win most of them. Aaron Rodgers can’t win Jack shit unless it awards. In fact, Rodgers has set his sights on winning another MVP award next year should he decide to play. Winning a SB isn’t even in his vocabulary. How excited you and Kevin must me! In the meantime, Patrick Mahomes will set out to make NFL history. Will he win another SB? It would be hard to bet against him. As long as Aaron Rodgers was winning 13 games a season, Gutekunst was compelled to bring him back. But he can no longer deliver. He’s no longer worth all the bullshit and drama. It’s time to move on. Most fans can see the writing on the wall Cheese. But you and Kevin live in the past and dream of what might have been…
“Aaron Rodgers will never win another SB. Because he can’t. He’s simply not that kind of QB.”
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Name a QB that has won a SB all on his own. It takes a team, dipshit. Without the defense scoring 7 points Mahomes doesn’t have his second Super Bowl.
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“Aaron Rodgers will never be Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes.”
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Lol, found yourself a new boyfriend to suck off? There’s a million ways you could spin this but of course you want to villify Rodgers. How about Matt LaFluer will never be Any Reid. How about Brian Gutekunst will never be Brett Veach. How about Mark Murphy will never be Clark Hunt.
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“I said, Mahomes probably beats Brady as Packer QB because they’re the two of the best QB’s to ever play the game”
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That doesn’t even make any sense. Way to backtrack. Brady and Mahomes are two of the best QB’s to ever play the game so as a result Mahomes “probably” beats Brady as a Packer even though he lost to the same exact Buccaneers team Rodgers lost to two weeks later? LOL, that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.
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“Aaron Rodgers can’t win Jack shit unless it awards. In fact, Rodgers has set his sights on winning another MVP award next year should he decide to play. Winning a SB isn’t even in his vocabulary.”
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Keep clinging to your fake news. Did you actually listen to the interview or do you just want to keep spreading bullshit? Rodgers has said that there’s no point in coming back if there is no chance to win a Super Bowl. Rodgers was asked if he could still play at a high level and he said that he thought that he could win another MVP in the right situation, AKA actually having a #1 and a #2 WR to throw the ball to. He never said that he wanted MVP awards more than a Super Bowl. If a player wins an MVP award that means he’s doing everything he can to put his team in a postion to win a SB. No one is going start half assing it part way through the season in fear that they might win an MVP. There’s not a single player in the league that wouldn’t want to be MVP, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t want a Super Bowl.
We’ve heard the excuses a million times Cheese. You put Patrick Mahomes on this team and he wins a SB. End of story. Take your boyfriend and go to New York, go to New England, go to Las Vegas, go wherever the hell you want and it all ends the same. Rodgers shits the bed in the playoffs, assuming he can get that far which is no certainty after his piss poor performance last year during the regular season. He’s simply no longer worth the headache.
Sounds exactly like you.
“You put Patrick Mahomes on this team and he wins a SB. End of story.”
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Exactly. End of STORY, because all this is is your little fantasy.
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“He’s simply no longer worth the headache.”
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Sounds like you two have a lot in common.
Lets forget about my Rodgers hate temporarily
“Can the Packers Learn From This Super Bowl?
How about,
“Can the Packers learn from their own mistakes on how not to run an NFL Team?”
I’ve been covering the Packers forever and a day, too.
I’ve never seen a team’s strategy fail so bad, in drafting Love to replace Rodgers.
For further “insider” explanation to comprehend, simply subscribe to golongtd.com.
I don’t work for free.