Episode 20 - All In on Free Agents
Blue 58, powered by WTMJ Mobile, goes beyond the headlines to help you become a smarter fan of the Green Bay Packers. Hosted by former WTMJ newscaster Jon Meerdink and his friend Gary Zilavy, Blue 58 brings you a unique, upbeat perspective on your favorite NFL team, as long as that team is the Packers.
Hosts Jon Meerdink and Gary Zilavy discuss an offhand comment by Aaron Rodgers about his contract, and whether the time is right to renegotiate. Cornerback Davon House is on the free agent market, is he a fit for the defense? Finally, we reach the conclusion of the regular season in our season recap series.
Here are the headlines we covered in Blue 58:
Aaron Rodgers may have hinted at a new contract
Appearing with Jason Wilde on ESPN 540, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers seemed to imply that Mike Glennon’s expected new contract, which could pay $15 million per year, could (and perhaps should) lead to a re-evaluation of his own deal.
Davon House released and may return to the Packers
House signed a four-year, $25 million contract with the Jaguars before the 2015 season, and is now looking for a new home. He started slow in his first season with Jacksonville, but finished with four interceptions and 23 pass breakups. After the Jaguars invested in Prince Amukamara and Jalen Ramsey last offseason, House struggled early and was effectively benched for the rest of the season.
Letroy Guion will be suspended the first four games of 2017
Guion has been suspended twice now in four years with the Packers. Per ESPN's Rob Demovsky, this suspension is for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing drugs. The defensive lineman was due $800,000 in roster bonuses between now and May, but the two sides have agreed to delay the bonus until after his suspension has been served. Releasing Guion would save $3.3 million against the 2017 cap.
Packers rolled into playoffs with divisional wins
Our mission is to become smarter Packers fans. Green Bay plays their sixteen games a year at a frantic pace; it's hard to add context and perspective to the Packers schedule when the season happens so fast. We're in the middle of a series where we take a quick look over the next few weeks at the Packers season to help tease out the essential story of the season and use hindsight to see patterns for the future.
Game 13: Packers 38, Seahawks 10
The Packers are 1-3 in their last four games against the Seahawks, but Green Bay’s played solid defense in their last two matchups. On the third offensive play, Aaron Rodgers found Davante Adams for a 66-yard touchdown, and the Packers never looked back. The much maligned Packers secondary picked off Russell Wilson five times, including one amazing play by Damarious Randall and two extremely fluky interceptions that involved weird bounces off of Seattle receivers.
Game 14: Packers 30, Bears 27
Three straight Bears turnovers, including back-to-back interceptions from Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, help turn a 10-10 halftime tie into a 27-10 Packers lead in the second half. John Fox’s team refused to go away. Two touchdown drives of over 70 yards brought the Bears to 27-24 with seven minutes left. After a Green Bay punt, Chicago drove the length of the field but settled for a field goal to tie the game. With the score tied and the Packers facing third down with under a minute left, Rodgers found Jordy Nelson for 60 yards to put Green Bay in field goal position. Mason Crosby’s 32-yard field goal as time expired stopped a furious Bears comeback and put the Packers in the driver’s seat for an NFC North title.
Game 15: Packers 38, Vikings 25
It took one drive for Aaron Rodgers to warm up, and then he was off like a rocket. The Packers scored on three of their first five possessions, including two nifty touchdown passes from Rodgers to Jordy Nelson. After the Packers scored to go up 28-13 at the half, the rest was academic. Minnesota scored twice late to make the final deceptively close, but don’t be fooled. This was a beatdown.
Game 16: Packers 31, Lions 24
On a two-minute drive, Clay Matthews dropped an easy interception and Detroit stormed down the field. Golden Tate’s touchdown catch gave the Lions a 14-7 lead. The Packers took the lead in the third quarter, but the Lions had a history of comebacks. In Detroit’s previous six home games — all victories — they trailed in the fourth quarter. With an NFL record eight fourth-quarter comeback victories this season, the Lions had the Packers exactly where they wanted them. Rodgers, who threw four touchdown passes in the game, found Geronimo Allison on a scramble drill touchdown and Davante Adams to put it out of reach for the Lions.
While I’ve got you here
Remember in 2009 when the Packers carried three fullbacks on their roster for some reason? John Kuhn, who was in his third season in Green Bay, 2007 draft pick Korey Hall, and 2009 draft pick Quinn Johnson. They liked the three full back arrangement so much that all three returned for the 2010 season.
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