Al, I appreciate the effort you and the other writers put into your passion and providing us entertainment, especially this time of the year.

When we drafted Gary, I did do some digging and found out he was the opposite regarding his effort and work ethic. It is amazing how one source says one thing about a player while another states the complete opposite. I’ve found the best way to really learn about a player is by combining multiple sources and watching a lot of their film.

Well before the draft, I really thought Watson wasn’t the guy to go after till I started learning more and more about him because others on this board were so high on him. I felt he was going to be another MVS which isn’t bad but not from a 1st rounder and I was hoping for a much more well rounded WR. I’m sold on him, but I still temper my expectations as he will frustrate us with drops in year one I suspect.

I agree with you and expect Watkins to come out and become our #1 WR. Keep em coming Jersey Al!

Hi Al, enough of the whining and excuses - I expect top-flight, stimulating and exciting content each and every day from CHTV. For the prices you are charging for your content, there should be no down time.

oh... thats right... CHTV is free! The very best GBP website on the interweb at the best price! We're just getting started on the 2022-23 season, take a breath all you CHTV writers, we will all be here when the real hitting starts with the absolute best commentary from the most knowledgeable posters on the interweb!

Agreed Al, Gary has been a revelation. it would be great to know just which coach(es) helped to stoke his fire and got through to him about the effort and dedication it takes in the NFL. Those are coaches that I would work really hard to keep around long-term.

Benkert-schmenkert, it doesn't matter, he was NEVER gonna get any PT in GB. Gutey did him a great big favor letting him go so he could pursue his dream in a situation where his efforts to impress his coaches could actually evolve into an NFL gig. Rodgers, Love and then whatever afterthought is still breathing. He has a better future being gone!

I'm not buying ANY of the #1 receiver hype. That is not something that gets created by any factors other than continued, consistent production. Maybe it will develop over time with one of the WR, but that is sooooo far down the road with the current group of WR. It's gonna take a real group effort to get the offense in a groove, and its gonna be the diversity of the WR room coupled with imaginative game planning by MLF along with an enlightened viewpoint on the wholistic passing game by AR to have a true playoff contending passing attack by the time the playoffs roll around. Good thing we have a 17 game pre-season before the playoffs since our division gives us a bye into the tournament!

Lots of talent on defense... yup, draft position paints a rosy picture. I can see a bright light on the horizon... I certainly hope that the coaching staff can build on the successes and learn from the gaps from last years initiation in the Barry defense so that all the accumulated talent leads to production and results that are favorable to the GBP. It's gonna be important for the defense to start the season strong, I think that means doing the basics very, very well and getting jiggy with it later in the season when the offense has found itself and then they can operate in a more synergistic manner.

I agree with Al 100% and that's one reason I always try and compliment ALL writers here on CHTV. This really is the dead zone for anyone writing and trying to fill content. Personally, it drives me nuts when people criticize writers here. They don't get paid and do it for the LOVE of the Green Bay Packers! You have to appreciate that IMO.

I think Lazard or "Lizard" as Al calls him will have a great season, probably his best as a Pro. But if Watkins stays healthy I have to agree with Al, he could really ball out. But my biggest hope for the WR position in Green Bay is Watson and Doubs show growth all season and are solid contributors by the end of the season. Hey, who knows, maybe Watson or Doubs balls out from the get-go.

THAT'S a lot of talent on one defense and the best part is its YOUNG HOMEGROWN talent. Every one of those players except P Smith was drafted by the Packers, more specifically Gute. WHY people continue to criticize this guy is beyond me. Speaking of being critical...

Rashan Gary... I went back and read many of the comments made when the Packers selected Gary that night on April 25th, 2019, including the negative ones made by myself. Some are pretty humorous. Gute has EARNED my trust...Here's the link...

https://cheeseheadtv.com/blog/packers-select-linebacker-rashan-gary-in-2...

I am also very appreciative of Jersey Al and his team of writers. I have become a much more educated Packer fan through this site and its writers and commenters. Kudos to all!

I also was not a fan of the Rashan Gary pick, but not for the work ethic miss. His college production did not match up with his #1 ranking coming out of high school and that was a large red flag for me. Turns out he was playing out of position as a DL instead of an OLB and that is on Michigan's defensive staff, not on Gary. Kudos to Gary and the Packer coaching staff for righting that wrong.

I am optimistic about the Packer WR group mostly because Rodgers will not be afflicted with DavanteVision this year and hopefully will just throw to the open receiver. I think MLF can scheme the Packer WRs open - Rodgers just needs to give them a chance.

Thanks to you Al and all of CHTV's writers for excellent articles throughout the year. Sure this is 'quiet time' but I think the majority of us understand this. However, we are all so much 'in love' with the Packers in that we don't seem to be able to get enough of the Packers so we want great articles all the time, which is not realistic. There are some articles that interest me more than others and if I don't think I will like a certain article, I pass on it. Personally, I would like to see an article on our DC. I remember when he was hired and I noticed his DC history and I was not impressed. I also remember that his strength was in the ILB area and now look at that part of our defense. I am super happy with him and would enjoy more about him. Just my two cents.

RE: Rashan Gary. I was so disappointed that we selected him at the time. I was super hyped for that draft as we had a #12 pick instead of a 30 and I had not heard much about Gary, and I follow the Big Ten a bunch. However, I am happy how things turned out with him and I do see his great work ethic.

Alien Lizard? I like Allen and always have since his days at Iowa State. As to who will be number 1? I don't really care as I just want the ball spread around more this year than in recent history. Things will fall into place.

'First round talent on defense'

I can't wait to see them play. It will probably take a few games to gel but I am so excited as to what we have now with these two GA picks. Should be a fun year to watch.

Thanks again Al for all of your great articles and to the other authors as well.

Quiet time -
The great thing about the Packers is even this time of year, there is always something that can be written about that people will be interested in. Imagine trying to write something about most of the other teams in the league this time of year.

The curious case of Kurt Benkert -
I was surprised that they cut Kurt. I really liked him as a 3rd option. I thought a 2nd year in the system could have done him really well. Obviously we don't know how well he did in practices or anything, but what we saw of him last year, he was impressive. And his personality really caught on with fans in GB.

I'm Sorry - I think a lot of people need to apologize to Gary for their hating of the pick. That includes me. So i do apologize for not liking the pick right away. He has been a really good player for GB.

Alien Lizard - I don't think GB will have a true #1 WR this year. But as far as who has the most targets, catches, yards, td's that is a really good question.
Targets I think will be Watkins. I think Rodgers really likes him and is going to give him the most.
Catches I think might be Cobb. I could see him being the safety valve for Rodgers. The reason why i think he will have the most catches and not the most targets is because I think Cobb will be catching a lot more high completion passes.
Yards I will go with Watkins again. If he stays healthy I could see him around the 1000 yard mark.
TD's Lazard. I think this is where Lazard will be the biggest asset in the passing game.

1st Round talent on defense - Jarran Reed was the 49th overall pick, a mid 2nd round pick in the 2016 draft. (the same year as Clark).
The defense is loaded with talent. This is probably the most talented defense we have had since 2010.

Mutual Admiration Society - I saw this tweet when it came out. I can just say that I'm excited to see this duo!

-The negative vibe I read on Gary came up mainly after his pedestrian first season. Who cares now, he's the complete package vs the pass and run.
-That's not always the case with OLBs who can get fooled because of their pass rush first attitudes. Watkins #1 WR at 29 with a notorious injury history? However, the best Packer receiver this year might have 55 catches + 4 with 40 each = good production.
- On defense the return of Alexander makes Douglas our 3rd CB who replaces Sullivan, Reed replaces Lancaster, Wyatt-Keke, and Walker should be more versatile than Barnes. This should propel us into top 3 in the NFC.

Al going all the way back to the ALLGBP days and up to now the writers have always done a great job for us. It's been solid work all the way through and the writers along with our bloggers have made this the best Packers online site.

Kurt Benkert will get a shot with his new team unless they picked him up solely to be a camp body. Who knows he could bounce back to the Packers at some point.

Gary - I posted from the beginning that he has all the tools to become a force for the Packers. They brought him along slowly and now he's reached the point where hopefully he can take over games for the Packers defense and wreck the opponent's game plan.

Lazard - he may not be the #1 WR but this is his time to make his statement for his career. A big season will propel him to the #1 WR spot. A season similar to his previous seasons and he will likely remain a #2 at best or #3 for the remainder of his career.

Defense - this is probably the most talented defensive unit the Packers have had since the mid-90s Holmgren defense maybe even all the way back to the Lombardi era. But they need to do it on the field. For now it's all on paper. From the perspective of the starting players we have an elite DL in Clark. Elite ILB in Campbell, elite OLBs in Gary and P.Smith and elite CBs in Alexander and Stokes. We're only missing an elite Safety. Amos is good/very good but he is not at an elite level. Otherwise our starting unit is a very good NFL defense. It's up to them to take the next step to become a top NFL defense. Thanks, Since '61

Al, like others have mentioned here, you and everyone else in CHTV are always appreciated! This is my number one website, I come here first when I wake up, and check back during the day for more content.

Even those who criticize this site do so because they are venting their "external" frustrations.

Keep it coming Al!

Lots of commentary on the Benkert release. Remember he has been in the league a long time. He is what he will be in terms of development. There isn't much more growth to be had. What most seem to avoid is maybe...just maybe Jordan Love is really developing and showing enough improvement that Benkert isn't needed and the Packers want cap space and another young developmental QB. Let's hope anyway.

I was also not a fan of the Gary pick. I wanted the Packers to select either Jeffrey Simmons, who went to the Titans or Brian Burns who was selected by Carolina. Now I wouldn't take either of those over Gary. Great choice by Gutey!
I don't believe we'll have a true #1 WR. I think Watkins will start out getting the most targets, but will likely be injured or be less effective as the year goes on. I think you'll see a true WR by committee this year with targets being more evenly spread than in past years. Watson and Doubs will start the year slowly, but will see more action as the year goes on.
Unless injuries strike the defense hard, especially impacting the Edge and Safety positions this will be a top 5, maybe even a top 3 defense. The talent is definitely there, with no glaring weaknesses to be seen other than depth and it's the 2nd year in this defense , which will also help with their growth.

Like a lemming, I followed the opinions of other posters at the time. I was expecting big name picks. Savage also threw me off of my projections. Yet I thought that Gary was probably a good pick but had him in the second round as a projection. As other posters here can attest, I don’t know crap. I don’t have the time and the skill to do the type of analysis that scouts and GM’s do. And we have some good ones.

As far as the release of Kurt, I am guessing that the staff felt that he was maxed out on talent and that the other guy might fill the role of PS QB better. (I forget his name) Might be a better QB in the room because of his experience and was once considered an option at another position (I think it was WR).

Don't know who the actual #1 receiver will turn out to be, but at least one of them needs to establish themselves as a consistent deep threat or those short and intermediate routes are going to be awfully crowded with defenders. I still see Lazard as a primary blocking and possession receiver who has more of a heightened role in this team's offense as opposed to others.

I'm hoping that both Watkins, and to a lesser extent Doubs, are going to be able to get in sync with Rodgers in fairly quick order. Rodgers is always going to want to air it out a few times, and I can't see him being content confined to an overly methodical offense.

One of the best articles of late was Wendell's on the defenders' gap-and-a half responsibilities. It really struck a perfect medium between being a little more detailed than usual without being over the readers' heads.

Agree that releasing Benkurt now was doing him a favor. He will have a better chance to catch on somewhere else.

Gary's teammates were so effusive about him that I never was really down on the pick. Surprised, definitely. But the measurables were just crazy, and knowing that they could stash him behind the Smith Bros. just made the pick make a whole lot of sense. I feel the same way about Wyatt.

The hot take this week is to tamp down the expectations on the defense. Any way you slice it, this is the most talented defense that I have ever seen suit up for Green Bay since 1996, back when the salary cap was a new thing. The potential is there. The DL will have to develop and gel. The OLB position will have to figure out how to keep guys fresh. But boy, this is a loaded group.

I don't care what the numbers say, I think one of the rookies will take over the #1 spot by January. Watkins has an injury history. Lazzard is not that dynamic. Doubs and Watson have a prime opportunity here, if one of them can take advantage. And I really like Toure as a future #3 receiver. This will be a committee until one of the rookies emerges, hopefully sooner than later.

The most exciting development for me is how Campbell feels about Walker. That is a very positive sign.

Regarding Lazard, Watkins, and the rest of our receiving corps, it may be best to have a few guys in the range of 50 catches this season than one guy with 100.
This kind of diversity seemed to work well in our Super Bowl season of 2010 with Jennings, Nelson, Jones, and Driver -- although I'm too lazy to look up the number of receptions for each that season, as well as in the following one of aerial artistry and excellence in 2011.
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Another plus to this approach is that it seems that being more involved with receptions would really energize all of our wide receivers to play harder during the times that they're not targeted, as well as being ready whenever their opportunities to make the big catches do come.
Anyone who has played even backyard football -- and it's true of just about any other activity in life -- knows how much easier it is to be motivated when we're involved in a meaningful way.
It's not that guys won't try hard when they're largely left on the periphery, but that there's something to touching the ball that provides a natural boost of enthusiasm.
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After 13TC said that Lazard's 40-time is about as fast as Davante Adams, Jerry Rice, and Larry Fitzgerald (as I remember it), I've been wondering if perhaps Lazard could be similar to Fitzgerald in his method of operation on the field.
Even if Lazard's numbers aren't as high due to the Packers spreading around the ball, perhaps he can have a similar success to Fitzgerald in a similar way.
Lazard was a high-volume pass catcher at Iowa State (as I remember it), and may be ready to step up for the Packers -- although, again, I'm too lazy to look up his numbers in college.
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With Lazard as our only proven wide receiver still in his prime, I would sign him to an extension of about four seasons for a total of $40 million (with incentives to make more).
It seems to do otherwise is penny wise and pound foolish, especially when the Packers are handing out big contracts to so many other players. I'm concerned that Lazard is going to feel underappreciated and ready to leave after this season.
Lazard is likely to be at least a solid player all the way through such a contract, while the younger and inexperienced guys find their legs in the NFL -- and he could turn out to be much better than solid.
It seems a key to success in life is to discern which people are worthy of confidence before everyone else does.

Rookies report to training camp one month from today, so we're getting there.
The whole team starts on July 27th.
Meanwhile, it would help if the Brewers pound the Cardinals tonight.

Al, the number of fans who are posting here is the best evaluation of the work of all authors here.

Also, I'm very grateful that I found, first your page and than been transferred to Cheesehead tv.

Sometimes I do not agree with author's thesis or thinking or points of view, but it is nice that we can discuss with authors, not only amongst ourselves, the followers.

Also, CHTV has so many instructive and teaching articles that everyone can find one for his pleasure.

Keep doing this wonderful place as all of you are doing and it will be just OK.

I know the summer is lazy time ("When living is easy") but, somehow I'm sure you and the team will find a way to produce interesting content for Packers Nation.