Greetings, faithful readers — and apologies for my extended absence from the site. I’ve been tied up with a number of different work projects lately, but Chris has done an admirable job holding things down, as he always does. Anyway…
The Packers placed the franchise tag on defensive tackle Ryan Pickett today, meaning he’ll earn at least $7 million next season. As Chris wrote, this move buys the Packers some more time to get a multi-year deal worked out, and virtually eliminates any chance of him getting snapped up on the open market.
I like the push to keep Pickett, myself. He’s been a steady force in the middle of the defensive line, and while there are concerns about a player at his size and age breaking down, he’s simply too valuable a piece in a 3-4 scheme to let loose.
That’s the news. Now, on to some speculation.
There are plenty of rumors that have the Vikings as the leading candidates to land former Eagles running back Brian Westbrook. I don’t see any reason not to believe that — he’s got a relationship with Brad Childress, and he’d be a natural fit in the Vikings’ system. But I have a hard time seeing this for the same reasons Chris had a hard time seeing the Packers getting LaDainian Tomlinson — I can’t imagine Westbrook being ready to accept a backup role. He’s had difficulty staying on the field, but when he’s on the field, he’s still explosive enough and dangerous enough in a number of different ways to hurt you. Of course, it’s this kind of Westbrook love that led me to keep him over Thomas Jones in my fantasy football league — a crucial mistake that turned a possible championship team into a squad that missed the playoffs by a game. I mean, I had Drew Brees, Andre Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Brent Celek, and acquired Marques Colston in a mid-season trade. I had Ronnie Brown, before he got hurt! How did this team only finish 7-6? I’ve done the math, and Jones would’ve put me in the playoffs. So screw Brian Westbrook!
Whoops. Sorry. Got a little carried away there.
Anyway, I don’t see Westbrook strictly as a backup, but maybe part of that is because I don’t want him to land in Minnesota. He’d be a dangerous part of their offense, but more importantly, I’m tired of the Vikings being in the running to land every high-profile free agent in the game. You’d think their lack of revenue would hurt them in an uncapped year, but that remains to be seen. If they don’t have Favre back, none of this matters — and the Packers might be able to get by them and win the division even with him. I just don’t want to take the chance.
What about Westbrook in Green Bay? It makes little sense for the same reasons I’m skeptical about the Vikings — the idea of him as a third-down back doesn’t compute, at least not yet. But a back who can catch passes out of the backfield would be a key addition to the offense, especially in the ways it would help Aaron Rodgers get rid of the ball quicker. The question is, do you want to take that playing time away from Brandon Jackson? I’m a big Jackson fan, and he’s a developing piece in the Packers’ offense. But the Packers need their backs to be a bigger factor in the passing game, and Westbrook would certainly help with that.
It makes even less sense that he ends up with the Packers than he does with the Vikings. But we’ll see where it goes.
–Gene Bosling
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