Morning Buzz: Same old, same old for Packers
Welcome to your Morning Buzz, rounding up news and views regarding the Green Bay Packers and the NFL 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.
Mark Murphy dubbed the 2016 season “pretty good” in an interview with Pete Dougherty. Murphy seemed to echo Mike McCarthy’s season-ending comments when assessing the success of the season.
In an interview this week, Murphy, the Packers’ president and CEO, called the Packers’ just-completed season a “roller coaster” and said he was proud of the team for reaching the NFC championship game after being 4-6 at one point. He also echoed McCarthy’s statement a week ago that the Packers’ season overall was a success.
“I hope it’s not to the point where you can only have a successful season if you win the Super Bowl,” Murphy said.
Murphy has heard the full range of takes from fans and observers on the team’s 2016, and he knows one view is that the Packers missed another chance to win the Super Bowl with a future Hall of Famer at quarterback in Aaron Rodgers.
But Murphy looks at the Packers’ recovery this season as a sign that the franchise is in good hands for the future with Ted Thompson as general manager and McCarthy as coach. The Packers at one point had a four-game losing streak that dropped them to 4-6, then won eight straight to advance to the NFC title game, where they were blown out by the Atlanta Falcons.
Pete also spoke with Murphy about his plans for the general manager position whenever Ted Thompson moves on.
Meanwhile, Bob McGinn writes that it’s past time for the Packers to join the rest of the NFL in using smaller halfbacks as complementary weapons in their offense.
Be sure to watch Tom Silverstein and LeRoy Butler’s year-end "5 Questions" video:
I spoke with Evan Silva of Rotoworld and broke down the matchup between the Patriots and the Falcons in the Super Bowl:
Elsewhere, Michelle Bruton writes that it’s time for Ted Thompson to dive into free agency:
Today is the Packers' all-time leading receiver’s birthday:
Billy Joel is playing Lambeau Field:
Eddie Lacy could be an attractive free agent for certain teams:
The Washington Post has a good piece on the Packers and Chiefs playing in a partly empty stadium for the first Super Bowl:
Paul Noonan has a positive outlook on the future for the Packers:
Fun debate over at NFL.com about which Super Bowl has been the most fun to watch:
You can expect this Super Bowl to have more than a few politically tinged ads:
Sports Illustrated has a fantastic collection of photos from every Super Bowl:
This is an great story on Matt Ryan:
Colts punter Pat McAfee retired overnight in one of the greatest retirement announcements of all time (Warning: some NSFW language):
https://twitter.com/barstoolsports/status/827028982612701184