We're about to enter what, for Packer fans, is usually a pretty action-less time of year -- early free agency when Ted-the-consistent-seeker-of-value-without-overpaying-and-preferring-to-do-it-by-drafting-anyway Thompson rarely is heard from.

I thought it might be interesting to ask everyone who, if they were GM, they would be willing to overpay for come free agency this year....both players and positions.

My list (so far):

Offense: Greg Jennings.
Offense: Ryan Clady (depending on injury prognosis).
Defense: Henry Melton.
Defense: Cliff Avril.
OL help in general.
NT help in general.

Overpay? Noone, plain and simple. Overpay implicates that you pay someone more money than he's worth which is always a bad thing. Even if I take it as you meant it, I wouldn't spend big bucks on any of those guys available.

If the Packers had cap space and were only one player away from being as close to a sure thing Super Bowl contender, I'd be inclined to overpaying for said player. I think the Packers are a few players away from being Super Bowl contenders. I think as long as the OL and DL are the primary weaknesses on the team, they will falter year in year out.

I'd rather pick up free agents like Sam Shields, Dez Bishop, DuJuan Harris, Jeremy Ross, Don Barclay and Dez Moses.

Since no one else wants to, please allow me to do some shopping.

Cedric Peerman – Running Back – Cincinnati Bengals 5’ 8” – 211
Core special teams player, natural zone runner , who runs with power
4.34 speed - Kirwan Explosion Index 76.75 6.99 cone 1.40 Ten yard split
Overpaying for a guy making $540K? Peanuts.

Kenny Phillips – Free Safety – New York Giants 6’ 2” – 217
4.48 speed Can play single high and has good man skills
You’re not likely to get into a bidding war for Phillips. He made 2.08 million
Give him the $2.3 million that we paid Collins for 2012 (since he is now off the books)

Rocky Bernard – DT - New York Giants 6’ 4” – 300
His 2002 combine numbers 4.96 speed - Kirwan Explosion Index 72.0
Think of Bernard as a Cullen Jenkins type who can stay healthy, he’s only missed 10 games in seven years.
He’s 33, but has some tread left on the tires – especially as a five-tech.
He can be had by overpaying to the tune of $1 million per.

These guys look intriguing. I have no idea what a Kirwan Explosion Index is but overall it sounds impressive.

Bernard can prob be had for less money than Melton and he is stout enough to anchor the end a little better. But as you say, he is 33 so there needs to be a plan B if he is injured and as he looses his edge.

Pat Kirwan, during his time in scouting and personnel developed a formula of a combined result of vertical leap, standing broad jump and bench press test. Kirwan marked 70 as a benchmark for an excellent combined score.

The scores are relative to where the film says a player should be drafted, but are good physical measures nonetheless.

Another measure that Kirwan liked was to compare the shuttle to the 40, players who were a full half second faster in the shuttle, displayed outstanding quickness.

Devil's Advocate

Cedric Peerman- Sounds like Dujuan Harris. Similar size, speed, style. Except Cedric is 2 years older and more expensive.

Kenny Phillips- Plays Morgan Burnett's spot, but Morgan has experience at SS. Most acceptable to the 3 of me, but he is coming off a year in which he only played 7 games due to knee injury. Still pretty young though.

Rocky Bernard- This is a nightmare for me. Let's pretend he is signed. What young player on the active roster gets replaced? Daniels? Worthy? Neil? So the development is stopped on a young player and he is replaced by someone that will maybe be here for a year or 2. What happens in 2014 when both Pickett and Bernard need replaced? Then we are really screwed. He has been relatively healthy, but played just 12 games in 2012. Is this the end? Don't care how cheap he is. Aren't the Giants a 4-3 team?