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I think they could now trade for Flynn for far less than they would have paid to keep him as a backup at the time. His value is down pretty significantly. Heck they probably got a better comp pick for him than they would have to give up to get him now. I am pretty shocked that they dropped Harrell, Young and Coleman though... I don't understand how that makes sense unless they are going to try to trade for Flynn (and wouldn't you do that before cutting everyone?)

Shaun Alexander - he was a steal in 2001 and came on late in the season to lead my team to the championship. Priest Holmes in 2003 - he lead my completely dominant team that year.

Any ideas on who this would have the biggest impact on? Edit: (seems like a nightmare to enforce)

To be fair, when you are 40, would you rather have creaky knees or brain damage?

Clearly he should have slid

Trent Richardson sliding down the draft boards

http://i.imgur.com/3YoLI9g.png Awww :/

TT doesn't ignore FA at all though, he just gets outbid by other teams on the players he is going after. The Packers are not a "cheap" team though - they are always near the salary cap so any Packers fans that are chomping at the bit to sign more FAs probably do not realize that it means someone will have to be cut. They do not go after a lot of big money names, but tend to have more depth because of it which is something a lot of fans tend to undervalue. Bottom line, signing Jennings means Finley would have been cut. All things being equal, I think that they would have preferred to have Jennings at 8-9m and let Finley go, but the reality of the situation is that allowing Jennings to walk this year will give them a comp pick next year. Then if they let Finley walk next year, they will likely get another comp pick. So they get a slightly less effective passing game this year, a couple extra million cap space to work with, and 1-2 extra draft picks. Honestly, when you look at the big picture, this seems like a no-brainer. And I don't think the Vikings got a bad deal either - Jennings will probably have to restructure the last 2-3 years of his contract because he won't be worth that much then, but as long as he is healthy, he will be a huge asset for them. He's not quite the same caliber as Harvin, but he comes cheaper, isn't the headcase that Harvin is, and they got some nice draft picks in Harvin's trade.

But he does now have the advantage of playing with the best RB in the league.

He started quite a number of games actually. He wasn't very good in 2011, so they drafted his replacement for 2012, but then the rookie got hurt so Walden was back to starting again. He is serviceable as a rotational player, but he is slow and not very disciplined. He isn't worth the contract he got, and if you happen to play against an option QB - my advice is to just keep him on the bench

He only played 7 games before he went on IR. Packers probably would have gotten another pick too, but Scott Wells broke his foot in week 1 playing for the Rams.

He is maybe past the peak of his prime, but definitely still within that time frame. He is a much riskier proposition now though with his injury history. Was he worth 9m last year? He was the 5th reciever on the team - even on a per game average he was 4th. Will he be worth $9m/year in years 3-5 of his contract? Almost certainly not. I'm sure he will be missed, but the way the Packer's team is structured, it did not make much sense to keep him.

I'm positive Jennings did not take a paycut to go to the Vikings. I know the scenario for signing Jennings and cutting Finley was in play for the Packers, but the money would have had to be very attractive to make that because it would have cost the Packers draft picks. The scenario where Jennings walks this year and Finely walks next year means a high comp pick for each of them. Resigning Jennings and cutting Finley means zero comp picks. That is TT's bread and butter... use a comp pick to draft the replacement for you out-going (probably overpriced) veterans. If you are successful with your draft strategy, you just can't afford to keep everyone down the line. I'm sure the Packers would have been happy to keep either one of them for the right price. What are they supposed to do though, overpay those two and not have enough money to sign Rodgers?

Lets see, the Packers Cut Woodon and restructured AJ.Hawk. They resigned a couple players (Center, special teams) and let a few walk - nothing major. They continued their time honored tradition of bidding up free agents without actually making offers that would get serious consideration (Canty, Sean Smith, Jackson). Vikings overpay Packers veterans... same old, same old. Just waiting for them to sign Woodson now Highlight so far has been watching Erik Walden get a $16m contract with Indy... and thinking WTF, did they not watch the playoffs? Then smiling because the Packers will probably get a comp pick now for someone I was glad to see hit the road. I don't figure the Packers would cut or trade Finley - they'll overpay him a bit this year, then get a comp pick when gets overpaid next year. Of course, they'll try to draft his replacement this year. I could see them bringing in some RB talent and a kicker, maybe some OL/DL depth. I imagine we will see Rodgers get an extension later in the off season, and maybe even Mathews.

I never really understood why Jackson would give up 7m this year to sign a 12m, 3 year contract.

Brady obviously is not as good as he used to be. It happens, players get older and lose some of their edge, and I think it becomes more difficult for older players to sustain an elite level of play at the end of the season. I also think that as the playoffs start, the effectiveness of coaching is less and it is harder to out scheme your opponent. At this point in the season, there are fewer surprises, you know what your teams strengths are (and your opponent) and it just comes down to execution and talent. For any team that is successful for a long period of time like the Patriots, it becomes difficult to retain talent as your free agents are paid more by other teams and you can't afford to keep them - just a fact of life in the NFL. Belichick is a great coach, and there is a lot he can do over the course of the season to win games via clever game plans, but that is not going to take you to a super bowl win. The fact is that the Patriots over-achieve in the regular season most years, and it catches up with them in the playoffs.

Is it? When is their next 1st round pick - like 2017 or something?

Seems pretty clear about the top divisions. Even easier, the NFC West and the NFC North both played each other this year so we have a nice head to head tie breaker! The NFC North won 9 of these contests and lost 7 of them so I think they have the edge when you look at the entire division top to bottom. (and we won't even bring up the GB-Seattle game) Its funny about STL since they played so tough in the NFC West but then went 0-4 against NFC North teams.

I'd agree with this. Walden (Packers outside LB) continually crashed into the inside line in an attempt to stop Gore and ignored his responsibilities to set the edge. It made Kap's job (relatively) easy. I think this was a game where injuries really caught up with the Packers - 3 LBs that should have been starting along side Matthews were on IR. The backup LBs were just too slow and do not have the talent to contend with SF's ridiculous OLine, Gore, and Kap's speed. They were way overmatched. Notice how they rarely ran to Clay's side.

I'll stick my head in here to take my lickings as a Packers fan. Incredible game by Kaep tonight - not sure what to say. He held his ###### together after the early pick 6 and they just kept coming. The Packers defense has a long way to go and the 49ers were able to stiffen in the second half and hold the Pack to 3 points. The 49ers have so much talent all over the place, its hard to see them losing.

Comeback to Mannning, MVP to ADP.

I think the kickers will determine who wins this game... which should be terrifying for both teams

You'd better hope and pray that is the case to save the buzzards from an embarrassing championship game! You can't get lucky and have the starting QB go down in every game you play

False, I hope they win so the Packers can beat them next week. Aside from obvious revenge reasons, it would be an easier game for the Packers because Atlanta is better and they would also get to play at home. Edit: Also, Atlanta is favored in this game as well, so no, most people do not think Seattle will win. If Seattle fans are so confident, they should be betting the farm!

I think he always feels like a moron and is trying to overcompensate, hence why he acts the way he does.