While our 2009 wasn't as successful as it was for other teams, we saw enough to expect more success in 2010 and beyond.  There's a lot to like about the Green Bay Packers going forward, unless of course you're cheering for the other team.  But which players fit in the best?  Which don't?  Which ones are keepers, and which ones need to be driven out of town?  It's time to look at who did well (and who didn't),  and ultimately what their role will be going forward.

We actually jumped the gun on this subject way back in November, when I dove head-first into the mysterious vortex that is the Ryan Grant debate.  But in the spirit of the offseason player reviews, and in light of Grant's second half improvement, the debate merits revisiting.

Let's recap: Grant was undrafted out of Notre Dame and came to the Packers via trade in 2007.  His league debut featured rushing for 929 yards in 9 games and a 200+ yard outburst in the playoff victory against Seattle.  Well worth the price of a 6th round pick, eh?  Then, 2008 rolled around, and Grant's agent took advantage of that year's version of Favregeddon and got his client paid, but the holdout and a hamstring injury limited his pre-season training, effectively scuttling his 2008 season outlook.  Sure, he still managed 1200+ yards, but only 4 touchdowns, a 3.9 ypc average, and 4 fumbles.

We figured, hey, one bad year does not ruin a productive player.  And considering Grant was (and still is) one of the few running backs who accounts for the majority of his team's carries (50% in 2007, 71% in 2008, 64% in 2009), he'd certainly have enough opportunities to produce.  His stats for this past season were 1253 yards with a 4.4 ypc average, 11 touchdowns, and 0 fumbles.  Certainly seems productive, doesn't it?

But here's the question that we can't seem to shake: is Grant really the best back for the offense?

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While our 2009 wasn't as successful as it was for other teams, we saw enough to expect more success in 2010 and beyond.  There's a lot to like about the Green Bay Packers going forward, unless of course you're cheering for the other team.  But which players fit in the best?  Which don't?  Which ones are keepers, and which ones need to be driven out of town?  It's time to look at who did well (and who didn't),  and ultimately what their role will be going forward.

There are so many different ways to explore Jermichael Finley, how he did in 2009, and what he means to the Packers going forward, but I'd like to relate a (lengthy) personal story that helps show exactly what Finley brings to the table.

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More photos » Ross D. Franklin - AP

6 months ago: Green Bay Packers linebacker Aaron Kampman, right, celebrates his touchdown after recovering a fumble as Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Jerheme Urban, left, gives chase in the second quarter of an NFL preseason game Friday, Aug. 28, 2009 in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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One comment I missed in my article yesterday on LB Aaron Kampman was from this chat with Tom Pelissero of the Press-Gazette. Via Jersey Al:

I can't envision a scenario in which Kampman is back.

Kevin Seifert of ESPN's NFC North blog says Kampman "seems unlikely to return" and "it's time for the Packers to begin a succession plan at both [left tackle and right tackle]" due to the age and unrestricted free agency of LT Chad Clifton and RT Mark Tauscher. They needed a succession plan about two seasons ago. T.J. Lang is good, but I'd rather see him replace Daryn Colledge at left guard. Hopefully both Clifton and Tauscher return for another season, and GM Ted Thompson can try and find another good young tackle or two in the draft.

Seifert also said that unrestricted free agent Ryan Pickett "could be phased out by B.J. Raji." I like Raji, but Pickett outplayed him last season, and the middle of the d-line would take a step back if Pickett leaves.

More photos » Ross D. Franklin - AP

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Last week we went through the list of free agents for the Green Bay Packers, and the comments seemed decidedly mixed on LB Aaron Kampman. It was about half in favor, and half opposed to resigning him. However his ability as a pass rusher can't be replaced in free agency, and they can't expect to find another LB Clay Matthews waiting for them at the end of the 1st round.

The Packers can guarantee his return by placing the franchise tag on him before February 25th. Unfortunately the franchise tag for a linebacker costs just under $10 million. Even if he returns to the field from his torn ACL, he might not return to his 2006-2008 form until 2011 (just in time for the lockout...). Also, bad knees and defensive lineman don't always mix. DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila never returned to form after his 2008 knee surgery.

But does Kampman have any interest in resigning with the Packers? Mike Lucas said on a radio show that Kampman was "furious" over how he was used last season. Both Aaron Nagler and Greg Bedard agreed that it's unlikely Kampman is furious at the Packers. But Greg Bedard reminded me of how uneasy Kampman was about the switch to a 3-4 defense.

Mocking Dan over at Mocking The Draft agrees that Kampman wants out and he'll be on a "hot target":

Playing in the 3-4 clearly didn't work for Kampman. He struggled in 2009 and wants out of Green Bay. As an unrestricted free agent, Kampman will be a hot target. Make no mistake, when he can put his hand down and get after the quarterback, he's very good. From 2006-2008, Kampman had 37 sacks. He could be another option for Philadelphia, as well as Oakland and Chicago.

So it's probably come down to the franchise tag. This is probably the toughest call for GM Ted Thompson this offseason. Can he resign his top pass rusher for a reasonable price? Or does he have to go get the tag? Or will he let him walk away and receive nothing in return?

While our 2009 wasn't as successful as it was for other teams, we saw enough to expect more success in 2010 and beyond.  There's a lot to like about the Green Bay Packers going forward, unless of course you're cheering for the other team.  But which players fit in the best?  Which don't?  Which ones are keepers, and which ones need to be driven out of town?  It's time to look at who did well (and who didn't),  and ultimately what their role will be going forward.  

Between 1992 and 2007, Green Bay was associated with one man.  In 2008, there was some question as to whether or not the team could establish a new face of the franchise.  In 2009, we found that face, who just happened to play the same position as the old one.  Ladies and gentlemen, I present Aaron Rodgers.

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As already noted over at Cheesehead TV, Rick Gosselin posted his year end stats for special teams and the Green Bay Packers were the 2nd worst. From the Press-Gazette:

The ranking isn't an anomaly either. The Packers finished dead last in 2005 and 2006, rebounded to tie for seventh in 2007 and then fell back to 26th in 2008, after which former coordinator Mike Stock was pushed into retirement and Slocum promoted to replace him. 

If you can name a special teams player, he probably had a bad 2009 season. They all struggled. A couple areas stunk extra bad:

1. Penalties. The worst with 28 penalties, although this can almost be excused because the entire team has a problem with penalties. It's nothing unique to the special teams. This is something the entire coaching staff is going to have to work on hard this offseason.

2. Punts inside the 20 yard line. As bad as P Derrick Frost was in 2008, P Jeremy Kapinos's miserable 2009 campaign was even worse. But while Frost ripped off some memorably bad punts, Kapinos avoided any truly horrible ones and was just generally awful. He actually did OK in 2008 with 7 punts inside the 20 and only 1 touchback in 4 games, before only 15 in 2009 with 10 touchbacks. His net average of 34.1 was the worst in the NFL. He can comeback and compete for his job again in 2009, but they have to bring in some serious competition. Tim Masthay alone isn't going to cut it.

With the exception of 2007, the special teams have been awful every season since Shawn Slocum has been a Packer special teams coach, so I don't know how he's keeping his job. On the other hand, he's not on the field either missing FGs and committing penalties. Mike McCarthy has already done his coaching evaluation and only made two minor moves, so Slocum's not going anywhere. 

The healthy return of Will Blackmon can only help the return game, but they need to bring in some healthy competition too. Kapinos needs competition and so does K Mason Crosby. None of this necessarily has to be done in the draft, but I wouldn't object if a punter or kick returner was drafted in April.

Because the Green Bay Packers are already paying a lot for the ones they've got. From Tom Pelissero at the Press-Gazette:

Nick Barnett is due $4.55 million in salary and bonuses. Clay Matthews is due $1.96 million. Brandon Chillar, who doesn't start in the base defense, is due $1.9 million in base salary alone. And Brady Poppinga, another backup, is due $2.4 million. Toss in Hawk, and that's already well over $15 million in five players -- without a clear starter at left outside linebacker, a position the Packers might fill with a high draft pick.

Throw in the possibility of resigning LB Aaron Kampman and it grows even higher. They need depth at linebacker in a 3-4 defense, but they can't spend their entire budget on linebackers.

Speculation from Bleacher Report about LB Antonio Pierce as a Packer is ridiculous. The Packers don't need an old linebacker with declining skills against the run and in pass coverage to play middle linebacker. They already have four better middle linebackers on the roster.

Speculation from Pro Football Talk about LB Joey Porter is crazy too. GM Ted Thompson doesn't pay top dollar for 33 year old free agents anyway, but Porter has struggled in 2 of the last 3 seasons, and he's become a major off-field distraction. 

More photos » Mike Roemer - AP

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Pete Dougherty at the Press-Gazette wrote an article saying that it's unlikely the Green Bay Packers will use either the franchise or transition tags on their unrestricted free agents. His main point was about the risk of using either tag on LB Aaron Kampman, but I'm not sure GM Ted Thompson wouldn't use one on NT Ryan Pickett. I posted the tag amounts earlier this week, and the cost of a defensive tackle for one year is around $7 million. That's a lot for a part-time starter, Pickett comes out on passing downs, but Thompson placed a franchise tag on DT Corey Williams two years ago. Williams's tag amount was just over $6 million, and he had been on the bench until injuries moved him into the starting lineup. 

But the best part of Dougherty's article was the tender contract amounts for restricted free agents, of which the Packers have several. Here's the breakdown:

S Nick Collins will get the 1st and 3rd round tender, S Atari Bigby received a 2nd round tender last season, and I don't know about the others. I posted the full list here on Wednesday. The only other player who might get as high as a 2nd round tender is DE Johnny Jolly. They can lowball G Daryn Colledge because he was originally a 2nd round pick, and they might do the same with C/G Jason Spitz (a former 3rd round pick).