Packers Morning Buzz: Favre says Green Bay 'should have won more' under McCarthy

Welcome to your Morning Buzz, rounding up news and views regarding the Green Bay Packers from around the web and here at PackersNews.com.

We'll start with Brett Favre telling TMZ Sports that although he thought the explosive Bleacher Report story describing a dysfunctional relationship between quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former Packers coach Mike McCarthy was "a little blown out of proportion," he does agree with a basic premise of the article.

"They really should have won more," Favre said of the Packers' inability to win more than one Super Bowl under McCarthy. "For whatever reason, they didn't. They were that good, and they had the best player in the game. I just felt like they should've won more."

Favre also offered a tip for new Packers coach Matt LaFleur in handling Rodgers:

"Any coach that will attempt to coach him has to tread lightly because you don't want to take away what he does so well – which is a lot of good things – and handcuff him," Favre said.

You can catch the entire Favre interview here:

With the draft now less than two weeks away, Pete Dougherty looks at edge rushers they could target at No. 12 despite already signing two in free agency:

Kenny Clark welcomes the experience that Za'Darius and Preston Smith will bring:

Pete also fielded readers' questions about the draft and the controversies that embroiled the Packers over the last week:

Rotoworld's Evan Silva ranks the Packers' top three positions of need and puts receiver on top:

Pass Catcher: Even as Equanimeous St. Brown, Valdez-Scantling and J’Mon Moore flashed promise as rookies, none carved out consistent chemistry with Aaron Rodgers. Geronimo Allison is a replacement-level talent playing on a one-year deal coming off core muscle surgery. Jimmy Graham’s tank is nearing E at age 32.

Offensive Line: There is an open competition at right guard, Taylor is coming off a poor year across from it, and Bulaga’s contract expires after this year. PFF charged Taylor with the NFL’s second-most sacks allowed among guards (8) last season. Green Bay finished second in the NFL in yards per carry (5.0) but struggled to protect Rodgers all year long. Only the Texans (62) and Cowboys (56) allowed more sacks than Green Bay (53).

Defensive Line: Green Bay’s Daniels-Lowry-Clark trio is as strong as any of the NFL’s 3-4 fronts, but depth is severely lacking behind the first team. Clark played the 11th-most snaps among interior defensive linemen last season, while Daniels has missed eight games over the past two years with foot, hip and hamstring injuries. Inside linebacker is another arguable Packers need with Martinez in his contract year and Burks an unproven commodity beside him.

And here's how the Packers' first-round picks will go in the view of Rotoworld draft analyst Josh Norris:

1 (12). TE T.J. Hockenson, Iowa - I’m having a difficult time pegging what the Packers might do. They’ve invested so much in the corner position recently. They seem content with their starting tackles. Would they be willing to take a receiver here? Another edge rusher after paying two in free agency? Complete tight ends are difficult to find, and Hockenson looks like one early in his career. I will continue to say that tight end can be one of the slower developing positions in the NFL, despite the immediate impact some have made lately.

1 (30). Acquired from Saints in Marcus Davenport trade - WR A.J. Brown, Ole Miss - Two skill positions in the first round for the Packers would add some real juice to the Packers Offense. This is conceivably their window to win, despite what previous records might tell you. Brown is often viewed as a slot receiver, but he also played outside down the stretch. MVS and ESB played well for third day pass catchers last season, yet those talents don’t prevent you from upgrading.

You can read Rotoworld's entire take on the Packers' draft here:

Tom Oates weighs in on the Rodgers-LaFleur dynamic for the Wisconsin State Journal:

Are the Packers' young receivers prepared to step up?

Former Packers receiver-turned-running back Ty Montgomery lands with the Jets, and bids Green Bay a  heartfelt goodbye:

Former Packers executive Andrew Brandt shares a photo from the day that Rodgers signed his first contract:

And finally: It was that kind of day Thursday in Green Bay:

Contact Stu Courtney at (920) 431-8377 or scourtney@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @stucourt