Excellent point. (Which is why I don't argue with you.) I concede. I was looking at his "ranking" as being static instead of his potential to grow even more.
It is certainly true that Harris and Woodson have gotten even better since they came to GB Nick can too.

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I can't advocate "locking him up" or not "locking him up" until I have some idea of the costs involved and our ability to pay.

In June I'll have a better idea. If the Pack comes out and says they have a 20 million dollar profit (and having raised ticket prices for this year) for 2009, and have taken care of the contracts that they said they were prioritizing...

Still not out of the woods-paucity of information-wise.

If I don't know that Nick Collins is NOT making outrageous monetary demands, I'm not going to fault my team for making him play under the auspices and restrictions of restricted free agency.

In my opinion, if you are not doing the same, you are being at least as unfair and rigid to the team and this point of view as I might be perceived with this stance.

If you are operating under some assumption that we have plenty of money to "pay the man", I would have to ask what money you are speaking of, and kindly prove it to my satisfaction.

If you are tempted to cite our salary in comparison to other teams, or possibly our dollar amount under last year's cap- please don't, if the plan is to try and persuade me.

Every indication thus far is in keeping with my perception on the matter.

We had an indication that Nick was unhappy at his 3 + million dollar figure, to the point that a mini-holdout occurred. To somehow praise him for not doing a full-fledged holdout (I have heard that mentioned) as an indication that he is now somehow entitled to some special consideration because he HONORED HIS CONTRACT with a huge escalator, well, that is a pretty low standard, imo.

We have 12 other issues going on simultaneously, and some of those issues have the potential to be extremely expensive. For example, Clifton makes a hell of a lot of money, and he will be an unrestricted free agent.

You just cannot take each individual situation and place it in some sort of isolated "thread vacuum" and come to any conclusions. Like I said previously, as yet another example, another set of members here have us paying Kampy top 5 money in a "tag" scenario. Not only are they low by about a million in their assumption by using 2009 franchise number, they might be low (note I said might be, because this is going to open up a can of worms if it comes to pass) his agent might raise hell that he is a DE, not a linebacker...why? Tack on about one MORE million.

For me this is a by-product of the fiasco. How can this possibly relate to that, one might ask...

"Tightwad Ted"

People drink that Kool-Aid.

I'll drink it when they double the ticket prices and we don't have to worry about the financial ramifications as much.

He is as tight as he has to be, and if you don't get it, it is because you don't want to, imo.

Right now, a top revenue team would have over 100 million dollars more than we do to address this exact situation.

The very bottom revenue team in the league would have about 24 million less than us. It is easy to see how tough it would be for them. I only ask that you look at how easy it is in comparison for a top revenue team before casting aspersions and wondering why these things are a little tougher to do here in GB than we would all like. (Revenue differentials based on 2008 numbers-latest available) I don't like dicking around with numbers, but I like to know the why, not just the what. This is not a rant, it's a plea.

I found something interesting over at PFT last week. Florio (or one of his cohorts) mentioned as a preface to something about us (the Packers and their fans) --

They said they love reading our local papers. They said they love to read them because of both the media and fan involvement with the minutia of our team, far more so than any other team. I had to laugh. I found the thought that we are "well represented" in the comments section of the JSOnline or the GBP Gazette very sad, indeed.

I only ask that everyone that wants to lock up Collins now make damn sure they know why the Green Bay Packers opted out of the Collective Bargaining Agreement...For starters... At least then I will know you have come to the discussion table having at least looked at some of the financial reality. Again, not a rant, a plea. A plea mostly because I know so many that want this done so badly - now-- are in fact fair-minded and intelligent.

Instead of looking at what Nick did or didn't do in those two games, I'm looking for news about the hearing that occurred this week regarding the legality of the NFL yanking back the supplemental revenue sharing. Why should I give a shit about that? You know, the one (our--as in rooting for that financial abomination with deep pockets might move to LA losing tall $$$ team)Nick laughs at me about for caring about?

How about 12 million dollars in "Nick Collins money" on the line?


OK OK- I re-read it. It's a rant. Forgive me, you know how I get, lol sorry, carry on.

I want ticket prices at Lambeau tripled and season tickets put in lotteries.

Then I could make an annual trip to Mecca, make a vacation out of it, and not have to sit in the end zone. I would have a chance to pick better seats.

It is a about me dammit. You inheriters make me ill on this issue.

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Found these notes on KFFL, looks like Ted does realize the importance of Clifton and Tauscher, just having them on the team is a plus for the other linemen.

Interesting coach changes also.

Packers | Thompson would like to re-sign Clifton, Tauscher
Fri, 29 Jan 2010 07:41:11 -0800

Updating a previous report, Greg A. Bedard, of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, reports Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson said he would like to re-sign impending free-agent OTs Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher.

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Packers | Thompson believes Lang can play LT
Fri, 29 Jan 2010 07:30:24 -0800

Greg A. Bedard, of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, reports Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson said he believes OT T.J. Lang can play at left tackle but needs to learn a few things.

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Packers | Alter duties on coaching staff
Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:26:17 -0800

Pete Dougherty, of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, reports Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy has altered the duties of several assistant coaches, but he will not make any changes in his coaching personnel. Strength and conditioning coaches Mark Lovat and Dave Redding will switch positions, with Lovat becoming the coordinator and Redding his assistant. Special teams assistant Curtis Fuller will move to a coaching and administrative position where he will primarily work with the defense. Coaching administrator Chad Morton will become the assistant special teams coach.

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I did not inherit. I stood in line from when I was 18 until I was 40.

What I could do is let you pay me $150 a ticket (that is not triple rates) and then you can see games a year. Wait I have end zone seats never mind.

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I was wrong about those franchise numbers. I said linebackers probably 1 million more this year than last year, and Defensive Ends probably 2 million more than linebackers got in '09.

Looks like 1.4 million more for line backers and 4 million more (from that 8.3 rattled about in other thread, which was accurate---for '09) for DE's.

jesus.

Franchise and transition tag numbers 

What is considered outrageous by demands? Is it making more than Ed Reed or is it making six million a year? I think Collins is worth six million a year give or take. That's almost doubling his current contract. You really think he's that greedy? If the Packers are willing to pay him between 5.5M and 6.5M a year for the next three years, I'm willing to bet he signs that. For a quality safety that is young and has potential, that's fair for both sides IMO.

Remember, Darren Sharper is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year I believe. Maybe I'm wrong on that. Still, I think the Saints will probably try to get him locked up for two or three years and that's another deal GB can work around or use. I suppose the Saints could franchise him though.

My point is I don't think anyone is going to mistake Collins for Sharper and Reed, including Collins and his agent.

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For the record I do think the Packers should resign Tauscher. The reason though the Packers probably want to resign Clifton next is because he has more precieved value then a RT.

Whether the Packer fans like it or not, Clifton could get pursued harder then they think.

For example, the Bears have no high draft picks. They signed Orlando Pace and he ended the season injured. The Bears might be desperate enough to offer Clifton a big pay day. Thompson probably has less competition to resign Tauscher.

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The Packers have always drafted olinemen at least in the middle rounds. Ted Thompson always seems to draft at least one olinemen in the 4th/5th rounds. So the Packers will likely at least have one draft pick to compete with for the RT position. Nobody knows yet what position the Packers will likely draft first.

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Hell I'd $500 a piece for 50 yard line seate 15 rows up. My point isn't to punish those of you that have the tickets, but to complain that some of us can't get them cause they are locked up tighter than Fort Knox. Don't Packer fans outside of Brown County deserve to go see a game too? And as long as ticket prices are really low, we have no chance at them.

Does standing in line mean your name was on a list?

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