Restricted free agents? Double check.

You might think that’d just about cover it for the Green Bay Packers’ offseason to-do list - outside of the draft, of course (don’t worry, we’ll be ALL over that soon enough at OBOD).

If you think that, I’ve got three words for you: Not. Even. Close.

As we all know, numerous [...]]]> Unrestricted free agents? Check.

Restricted free agents? Double check.

You might think that’d just about cover it for the Green Bay Packers’ offseason to-do list - outside of the draft, of course (don’t worry, we’ll be ALL over that soon enough at OBOD).

If you think that, I’ve got three words for you: Not. Even. Close.

As we all know, numerous players – already under contract – get released every offseason by their respective clubs. Injuries, bloated salaries, decreased performance, disputes with coaches – any number of reasons can be the cause.

The Packers certainly have some players who could be considered worthy of being dumped. Sure, the front office might give the old, “It’s not you, it’s us” line, but we all know it’s the player who is at fault.

After studying the Packers’ roster, I’ve come up with five players who could be in trouble. Again, I’ll include as much salary information as possible. And this time, I’m ranking them in order of least-to-most in danger.

As always, enjoy.

5. Middle linebacker A.J. Hawk, four years – Frankly, Hawk is the perfect person to kick off this list. He hasn’t been an out-and-out bust, but he hasn’t been anywhere near as good as he should have been as the No. 5 overall pick of the 2006 draft. The Packers always seem to think Hawk is just one good game away from turning it all around. Not going to happen. The flaws in his game aren’t likely to change as, at some point, a man just is what he is. He takes poor angles on tackles, tackles too high, has poor pad level and struggles mightily in coverage. He’s capable of playing solid for stretches, but never long enough to make a real impact. Take last season, for example: Yes, he had 89 tackles. But he also only had two interceptions and one sack (he’s terrible as a blitzer, too, by the way). Those playmaking stats should be much higher if you’re recording the amount of tackles Hawk is. He’s due $4.1 million next season and a whopping $10 million in 2011. He hasn’t earned that money. Not even close. Verdict: Ask him to take a hefty pay cut for next season. If he’s unwilling to do so, shake hands, thank him for his service and send him on his way

4. Kicker Mason Crosby, three years – Remember how I said, in regards to Hawk, that at some point a man just is what he is? Well, the same goes for Crosby. Three years into his career, we pretty much know what he is. If the kick is under 30 yards, he’s money (a perfect 32-for-32 for his career). If it’s under 40 yards, he’s not bad (27-for-33 for his career). If it’s anything longer than that, though, pretty much anything goes (26-for-44 for his career, a 59 percent average). This past season was particulary bad for Crosby as he made just 75 percent of his kicks, including a horrendous 6-for-13 showing on kicks of over 40 yards. He struggled with his confidence early on and just never really seemed to get it back. My theory with kickers is that they are similar to closers in baseball. Once the confidence is gone, they never fully recover it. Ryan Longwell and Neil Rackers are two examples of guys who ultimately did get their confidence back after bad stretches, but they are the exceptions. Crosby is due $550,000 next season in the last year of his rookie contract – if he makes it to next season, that is. Verdict: Bring in serious, legitimate competition for the kicker job in training camp and let the best man win

3. Tight end Donald Lee, seven years – This past season was the second disappointing campaign in a row for Lee as he finished with just 37 catches, 260 yards and one touchdown (down from five in 2008). Aaron Rodgers clearly doesn’t favor him as much as Judas did, Jermichael Finley has supplanted him as the hands-down No. 1 tight end and Spencer Havner is developing into a nice little red zone threat. Those factors have led to a major decrease in confidence and an increase in drops. He has two years left on his contract. He’s scheduled to earn $2 million next season and $2.2 in 2011. That’s an awful lot to pay for a backup tight end. Verdict: Shake hands, thank him for his service and send him on his way

2. Outside linebacker Brady Poppinga, five years – Despite three very average seasons – and the fact that even the youngest Packers fan knows he can’t cover a corpse – Ted Thompson saw fit to give Poppinga a five-year, $16.84 million extension in the summer of 2008. How did Poppinga repay him? Well, in 2008 he recorded 69 tackles with exactly zero playmaking stats. Poppinga began this past season as a starting OLB, but was quickly replaced by some kid named Matthews. Whether he was a starter or a backup, he made almost no impact, finishing with a paltry 23 tackles and one sack. He’s apparently a good lockerroom presence, yes, but look at his salary numbers for the next three seasons: $1.95 million (2010), $2.05 million (2011) and $2.3 million (2012). Oh yeah, he’s also due a $300,000 roster bonus in each of those three seasons. In other words, a cheaper “good lockerroom presence” can likely be found. Verdict: Shake hands, thank him for his service and send him on his way

1. Cornerback/safety/bain of EVERYONE’S existence Jarrett Bush, four years – How on Earth could we end this list with anyone else? I could list all the times Bush was torched this season and all the stupid mistakes he made. But I’ll tell you a little story instead: I got a late start on my way to Adam’s house to watch the Pittsburgh game. I heard Bush get burned by Pittsburgh’s Mike Wallace for a long touchdown on the Steelers’ first offensive play on the radio. Wayne Larrivee, Green Bay’s excellent play-by-play man, commented after the score that Wallace, a rookie, isn’t the most polished route-runner. Larry McCarren, the team’s excellent color man, said something to the effect of, “Well, he doesn’t really have to be. Just find No. 24 (Bush) and go make a play.” Larrivee let out an understanding groan and pretty much just said, “Yeah.” When the team’s broadcasters – men who are PAID by the Packers – talk openly about how bad you are, Jarrett, YOU ARE BAD. The $1.1 million salary next season and $1.4 million salary in 2011 could be spent on something – ANYthing – more useful. Oh, and Jarrett, if you need someone to move your stuff, Adam, Gene and I are more than willing to come to Green Bay and lend a hand. It would be our honor. Verdict: Shake hands, thank him for his service and send him on his way

That’s all for our look at the players who could be released. Tomorrow we’ll close out our post-season, pre-draft to-do list with a look at some possible free agents available in Green Bay’s areas of need. Make sure to check us out.

-Chris Lempesis

It was all set up.

One of, if not the, greatest non-Super Bowl playoff wins for the Green Bay Packers was about to happen.

Then, in the blink of an eye, a snap of the finger, there was the mob of red jerseys celebrating in the endzone.

Huh? What? How?

Once again, we found out sea changes happen just [...]]]> It was all there.

It was all set up.

One of, if not the, greatest non-Super Bowl playoff wins for the Green Bay Packers was about to happen.

Then, in the blink of an eye, a snap of the finger, there was the mob of red jerseys celebrating in the endzone.

Huh? What? How?

Once again, we found out sea changes happen just that quickly in the postseason. Once again, one happened Sunday.

And once again Green Bay was on the losing end.

Karlos Dansby’s 17-yard touchdown in overtime, off an Aaron Rodgers fumble, gave the Arizona Cardinals a 51-45 win, ending the Packers’ season. Green Bay finishes with an 11-6 record.

It had been an epic display of grit from the youthful Packers up until that point. Trailing 31-10 early in the second half -  and having trailed 17-0 earlier in the game – Green Bay powered back. The offense became unstoppable, scoring 35 points in the final two quarters (21 in the fourth alone).

Then, when it seemed like it just wouldn’t be enough, Neil Rackers whiffed on a 34-yard field goal with 14 seconds left.

Well, sure, that was great. But you knew they wouldn’t win the coin toss. Then, though, they did. They did win the coin toss! Tails never fails!!

Green Bay was a lock to go down the field and put the winning points on the board. Arizona’s defense hadn’t stopped the Packers in hours. And this time, we didn’t have a turnover-prone quarterback.

But there was the back-breaking turnover. The jerseys change but the results are the same, apparently.

As brilliant as Rodgers was for much of the game (28-of-42, a team-record 422 yards, four touchdowns, one interception), the two mistakes he made came at perhaps the two worst times to make them. His foolish interception, on the first play from scrimmage, led to a 7-0 Cardinals lead. That got the crowd fully into the game and gave a shot of life to Arizona, as a team. And as much as you might want to blame the offensive line for the sack that led to Rodgers’ fumble in overtime, the fault really lies with the young signal-caller.

He held on to the ball far too long – again – and when he was hit, he failed to hang on – again. Rodgers truly has the skills to become an elite quarterback in the league. Honestly, I think he’s pretty close right now. But he still waits for plays to develop longer than allowed at times and he needs to develop better ball security when he gets hit. At this point, those are about the only two things holding him back and it’s a damn shame they both came to light on the game-ending play.

(Please note: If you are a parent, spouse, family member or friend of anyone involved with the Packers’ defense, you should probably stop reading…now)

Of course, Rodgers and Co. were the only thing keeping Green Bay in the game. The defense wasn’t doing a damn thing, that’s for sure.

Where was the group of hard-charging, quarterback-bashing, turnover-forcing animals we’d gotten so used to seeing as the season progressed? Did they even get on the plane?

The performance of Green Bay’s defense was an out-and-out joke. They generated zero pressure on Kurt Warner, couldn’t cover the middle of the field and forced a putrid five third downs (oh yeah, Arizona converted three of them). They couldn’t tackle and, at times, looked like they weren’t even trying to tackle, instead going for ball strips on countless plays. The ball strip approach, by the way, worked exactly once – on Charles Woodson’s strip of Larry Fitzgerald in the second quarter. But yet they kept at it. Not really sure why.

As bad as all that was, the worst aspect of the atrocious performance was that the league’s second-ranked run defense was shredded to the tune of 156 yards. No pressure in the run gaps and no containment of any kind. A unit that shut down Ray Rice, Frank Gore and Adrian Peterson (twice!) couldn’t stop “Beanie” Wells and Tim Hightower? Are you KIDDING me?

Warner, even without the injured Anquan Boldin, was brilliant, no question (29-of-33, 379 yards, five touchdowns, no inteceptions). If there’s any doubt he’s a Hall-of-Famer, it died Sunday. And the receivers/backs found the open spaces and ran tough. Tip your hat to them for that. But Green Bay’s paper tiger defense made it a whole hell of a lot easier for them, time and time again.

We’re left with no other option than to think that there are some major weaknesses on this defense, weaknesses that must be addressed in the offseason.

As mighty as the offense was, there are holes on that unit, as well. Daryn Colledge, for example.

We will discuss how the Packers should address these deficencies in the days and weeks ahead. For now, though, none of that matters.

All that matters is that a brilliant, but ultimately wasted, comeback means we have to chalk up another playoff heartbreaker on our collective resume. Owens’ catch in ‘99. Losing at Lambeau for the first time in ‘03. Fourth-and-26 in ‘04. Favre’s OT interception in ‘08.

And now, losing the highest-scoring playoff game in NFL history.

What a long, cold offseason it looks to be.

-Chris Lempesis

What’s that? I forgot special teams?

Oh yeah, I suppose I did.

In this last segment of our three-part series, we’ll take a look at Arizona’s special teams and coaching staff.

(Please note: Barring any shocking developments, this will likely be my last post until after the game. As I said before, [...]]]> Well, we’ve covered offense and defense. That’s it.

What’s that? I forgot special teams?

Oh yeah, I suppose I did.

In this last segment of our three-part series, we’ll take a look at Arizona’s special teams and coaching staff.

(Please note: Barring any shocking developments, this will likely be my last post until after the game. As I said before, we’ll definitely be hitting up our Twitter page before and during the game, so make sure to head there.)

Special teams

In somewhat limited duty this season, 10th-year veteran kicker Neil Rackers has been very good. He’s hit on 16-of-17 field goal attempts and hasn’t missed a kick since week two. Interesting stat: Rackers has not even attempted a field goal of 50 yards or more this season. That likely means the Cards aren’t too trusting of his leg.

Arizona has a very good punter in seventh-year veteran Ben Graham. He finished third in average punt distance (47 yards) and had the most punts inside the 20 (42) and the 10 (17). If field position is a factor in the game, Graham could be a weapon for Arizona.

LaRod Stephens-Howling is the Cardinals’ main kick returner and he’s decent. He finished 17th in average kick return (24.2 per – Green Bay’s Jordy Nelson was 11th with 25.4 per) and had a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Tennessee in late November.

Steve Breaston is the primary punt returner. While that was an area of strength for him in college at Michigan, Breaston hasn’t done much there in the past two seasons. This year, for example, he averaged just 6.7 yards per return, with a long of 64 yards.

In terms of coverage units, Arizona has the sixth-best kick coverage unit, allowing just 20.5 yards per return. Green Bay’s is 18th, allowing 22.8 yards per. The Packers have a slight edge in covering punts, although neither team is particularly good at it. Arizona is 27th in punt return average allowed at 10.5 per. Green Bay is 24th at 10.1 per.

Coaching

In just three short years, head coach Ken Whisenhunt has done a phenomenal job in resurrecting the Cardinals’ franchise. He’s implemented a winner’s mentality (long absent from the franchise) and, while he can be tough, the players there seem to love playing for him. As he was Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator before coming to Arizona, Whisenhunt is more focused on that side of the ball. After Todd Haley became Kansas City’s head coach, Whisenhunt took over the playcalling duties and has done a great job for the most part. He has a knack for calling trick plays, especially in big games where momentum is key, and there’s a good chance he’ll do so again Sunday.

There is no real offensive coordinator for the Cardinals. Russ Grimm, Whisenhunt’s pal from their days in Pittsburgh, is the assistant head coach/run game coordinator. Mike Miller is the passing game coordinator.

Billy Davis is in his first season as defensive coordinator. Davis calls an aggressive game and will likely try to bring pressure from mulitple angles at Aaron Rodgers on Sunday.

-Chris Lempesis