Packers Morning Buzz: Players' offseason work begins
Welcome to your Morning Buzz, rounding up news and views regarding the Green Bay Packers, from around the web and here at PackersNews.com. Grab a strong cup of coffee and get caught up on everything you need to know about the Packers.
We’ll start with Ryan Wood’s look at Aaron Rodgers and his first comments to the media at the start of the team’s offseason program Tuesday.
From Ryan:
The issue is over how “this” happened, and at whose expense. Back on March 13, new Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said he informed Rodgers of Nelson’s release only after the fact. There was no conversation, no warning.
“This is a professional environment,” Rodgers said, “but as humans we have personal connections to people. Obviously, he was one of my closest friends in the locker room for a number of years, and played together for a long time and talked about really finishing his career here and together, and making the most of the opportunities. The disappointment is when you get close to your teammates, and they're not here anymore – and especially when they're not here, they're playing somewhere else.
“But the organization is making decisions that they feel like are in the best interest for our team, and you've got to trust the process.”
Rodgers had already expressed dismay over his position coach’s departure. At the Super Bowl, Rodgers mentioned how he wasn’t consulted before coach Mike McCarthy allowed Alex Van Pelt’s contract to expire. It was another example of Rodgers not having input.
Rodgers’ lack of involvement in personnel decisions isn’t surprising. McCarthy opened this offseason making clear any changes on the horizon would be made free from his quarterback’s influence.
“I don’t think this is really fair to Aaron,” McCarthy said four days after the Packers' season ended in Detroit. “Players play, and coaches coach. I clearly understand where Aaron is in his career, the magnitude of what he brings to our organization. But it would be really ignorant to try to think, to put any of these changes on him. That’s not right.
“He wants what everybody wants here. He wants to win.”
Ryan also writes on the wide receiver group in this year’s draft:
Jimmy Graham came to Green Bay for the chance to win a championship:
The regular-season schedule will be released Thursday evening:
There’s plenty of draft around the build up to the NFL draft:
Brett Favre’s Monday Night Football audition apparently did not go well:
Elsewhere, Aaron Rodgers took a none-too-subtle shot at Tuesday’s Yahoo article about his supposed frustration with the Packers:
LeRoy Butler was not feeling all the drama Tuesday:
Brett Favre made a statement on the Monday Night Football story:
Tuesday gave us our first look at Jimmy Graham in the Green and Gold:
Peter Schrager is all-in on the Packers:
Rob Demovsky writes that despite all the drama, the most important thing is that Rodgers is there:
The Dez-to-Green Bay thing just won’t go all the way away:
The Packers should land a defensive playmaker in next week’s draft:
The team is wrapping up pre-draft visits with prospects:
Jim Trotter tackled the question of whether Aaron Rodgers should have more say in personnel decisions:
The Power Sweep tries to predict the Packers schedule: