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After being able to keep a core of players together for several years, the past couple of days have been tough on the hearts of Packer Nation.
As sad as it was to see Clay Matthews and Randall Cobb move on, letting them leave was also very necessary.
Both players are no longer their former selves. Matthews has infamously struggled when healthy and even when he was on the field he was often invisible. Cobb had flashes, but he too was not as productive the past few seasons as Davante Adams’ star began to rise.
They were both very popular with fans. and Matthews made THE play of Super Bowl XLV that stunted the Pittsburgh Steelers’ momentum and allowed Green Bay to win their fourth Lombardi Trophy. Cobb was a noted Chicago Bear killer as he scored two game-winning touchdowns against the Packers’ most hated rival. Those are moments fans will never forget.
However had Green Bay brought them back, they’d be doing so based on what they did for the team more than what they can still do and being nostalgic won’t win you a Super Bowl. Same rule applies to bringing back Jordy Nelson. Green Bay is moving forward, not backwards.
This offseason has been all about the Packers coming into the future and part of that means letting go of the past. As bitter of a pill as it is to swallow losing Cobb and Matthews, it was time.
Their legacy in Titletown is secure, but their paths diverged from where Green Bay was headed. May their travels forever be smooth.
You can read more on the tough but correct decision to let the two players walk plus how one of the new free agents could be in for a breakout season in today’s cheese curds.
Packers send proper message in letting Clay Matthews, Randall Cobb walk—PackersNews.com
Tributes continue to roll in for both Cobb and Matthews, but the turning of the page letting both men walk feels significant. The Packers are in the process of being modernized and sometimes that means painful but needed decisions.
From hoop dreams to NFL stardom: Za’Darius Smith’s path to Green Bay—ESPN
Matthews’ replacement as the Packers’ featured pass rusher, with all due respect to Kyler Fackrell, took a strange path to the NFL and Green Bay. Za’Darius Smith’s heart is in the right place too, as the first person he called after he signed with the Packers was mother and he told her she could quit working.
New Packers OLB Preston Smith due for breakout year in 2019?—Packers Wire
All eyes were on the first Smith the Packers signed, but what about Preston Smith? His pressures have gone up each of the past three seasons but his sack totals have fluctuated. This seems to indicate a player who is close and could benefit from Mike Pettine’s coaching and scheme.
Jim Ringo was perfect fit for Lombardi’s offense—Packers.com
Bart may have been the Starr of the offense but Ringo was at the center of a legendary Fab Five offensive line.
Escaped wallaby captured in Dallas neighborhood—UPI
Unfortunately this is not the reboot of Rocko’s Modern Life we have all been waiting for.