Morning Buzz: Pressure on rookies to help
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.
Before we get started, I wanted to lead with the news that Bob McGinn is leaving the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. I won’t bore you with how important his work has been to me, but suffice it to say, I can’t believe I had the opportunity to work with a legend.
We’ll start with Pete Dougherty’s latest column, which casts its gaze toward Chicago and reminds Packers fans how well they have it.
If you’ve been following the Packers since only the early 1990s, you have no clue what life is like in most NFL cities. During that time, the Packers have had only two quarterbacks, and they’re two of the all-time best: Brett Favre, who’s in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and Aaron Rodgers, who will be there five years after he retires.
That’s rarer than rare. The Cleveland and Los Angeles Rams had a combined 13-year run (1945-57) with Bob Waterfield and Norm Van Brocklin, Hall of Famers both. The San Francisco 49ers had Hall of Famers Joe Montana and Steve Young as their starting quarterbacks from 1981-98. And Indianapolis will join that list if Peyton Manning’s successor, Andrew Luck, pans out like early signs suggest.
When you have quarterbacks like that, you’re what, 80 percent of the way there?
Most franchises are lucky to get one Hall of Famer at the game’s key position, let alone back-to-back. A handful have one right now.
Everyone else is either hoping, looking or making do. And plenty get stuck on that merry-go-round for years and years.
You can chat with Pete about his column or anything else Packers by joining in his reader chat at noon.
Gary D’Amato writes that Packers fans shouldn’t expect the early run on defensive players in last weekend’s draft to be some kind of panacea for what ails Dom Capers’ defense.
Tom Silverstein joined me on my weekly podcast to assess where the Packers stand after the draft and to pay tribute to McGinn:
McGinn has the Packers depth chart as it stands in early May.
Elsewhere, tributes to Bob came pouring in via social media Wednesday:
Now is probably a good time to re-read Sports Illustrated’s profile of McGinn:
Jason Wilde writes on the impressive makeup of rookie running back Jamaal Williams:
Zach Kruse notes how the Packers targeted versatility in the draft:
It is time for the Packers to prioritize length and speed on the outside, writes Michelle Bruton:
The Power Sweep puts some veteran players on notice:
Keep an eye on these negotiations, as Matthew Stafford and Matt Ryan’s deals undoubtedly will help set the market for Aaron Rodgers’ next deal.
Spice Adams is simply hilarious:
And finally, May the 4th Be With You. Happy Star Wars Day: