Packers Offseason Priorities

So it's finally that time of year when we start missing football deeply. March Madness hasn't quite started yet and neither have the NBA playoffs. Opening day for baseball is dimly visible after all of the painful amount of papers and tests we will be presented with conveniently around spring break. But, now that the NFL combine has finished, and we all are eagerly anticipating where the Manti Te'o media frenzy will land come April, we can start looking at mock drafts and Ted Thompson can start writing his Christmas wish list.

Seriously, the NFL draft is Ted Thompson's form of Christmas. A vast majority of the Green Bay starters are found through the draft. If we were to look at the expected starters for next season, not including upcoming free agency or the draft, and assuming Jennings, Finley and Woodson are gone, it would look like this:

The longest tenured Packer. Who could have expected what
he is now, compared to back in 2005, when he was first introduced.

Offense
QB: Rodgers (05' draft)
RB: Harris (12' Undrafted FA)
FB: Kuhn (FA from Pitt)
WR1: Nelson (08' draft)
WR2: Cobb (11' draft)
TE: DJ Williams (11' draft)
LT: Newhouse (10' draft)
LG: Lang (09' draft)
C: Dietrich-Smith (Undrafted FA)
RG: Sitton (09' draft)
RT: Bulaga (10' draft)

Defense
ILB: Hawk (06' draft)
ILB: Bishop (07' draft)
OLB: Matthews (09' draft)
OLB: Perry (12' draft)
NT: Raji (09' draft)
DE: Pickett (Free Agency)
DE: Neal (10' draft)
CB: Williams (Undrafted FA)
CB: Shields/Hayward/House (Undrafted FA/12' draft/11' draft)
S: Burnett (10' draft)
S:Mcmillian/Jennings (12' draft/Undrafted FA)

I'll do the math for you, that makes two of the twenty two projected* starters next year that have not started their careers with the Packers. I don't know if I can state enough how impressive that is, and for Rodgers to be the oldest of all those starters and not even be 30, is astonishing.

Now, that being said, I think we can all expect where Ted Thompson will be boosting our roster, but what kind of players will we need to be able to compete for a Super Bowl in New York next year?

Playmaking RB:

Ok, so there's no clear cut first round pick in this year's draft, but who cares? How often do we see skill position players succeed after being drafted in later rounds? If Eddie Lacey isn't available at the 26th pick overall, look out for Andre Ellington out of Clemson, a fast player who can break tackles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRoDGYi201Q

Safety:

I could write a book on how much I miss Nick Collins (sweet glory this was). Ever since he went down with a career ending neck injury, there hasn't been that safety net at the safety position that would save touchdowns and force big turnovers. This year has been cited by many scouts as a good year for the safety position in the draft, so hopefully TT can get a 2-4th round steal.

Center:

While Evan Dietrich Smith showed improvement last year, the Packers could really benefit from a dominant center in the first or second round of the draft. Perhaps even Travis Frederick of the Wisconsin Badgers. Imagining a right side of the line with a first or second round center, and two Pro Bowlers in Sitton and Bulaga makes me all giddy inside.

Others:

Many think that we need more of a pass rush, which I agree with, but thought that we showed improvement towards the end of last year. On top of that, Desmond Bishop, Nick Perry, and Jerel Worthy were all injured for either the whole year or most of it last season, and they are some of our most explosive pass rushers. If those three can stay healthy along with Clay Matthews, look for a lot more sacks next year, especially with the first to second year improvements that Perry and Worthy should make.

Parting thoughts:

While it is frightening to think of a future without Charles Woodson and Greg Jennings, keep in mind that the positions they play are the deepest positions on our team, and we should be excited about the possibilities of more playing time for Randall Cobb on offense and Hayward and Shields on defense.

Hang in there, only two more months until the draft!

Youth Sports and the Negative Approach Toward Physical Activity

Ladders, Laps, Push-ups... Is anyone able to correlate positive thoughts with their memories of these activities from their days of youth sport?

Me neither.

I cringe anytime I hear about ladders, or having to run miles within a certain time frame.

Physical activity and temporary discomfort from physical exhaustion are not desirable in any circumstance, but now that we are cognizant of the benefits of physical activity in life, it is important that we recognize how we should be using conditioning in youth sports.

Too many times I can remember basketball practices where a teammate (or myself) would use inappropriate language towards another team, or someone would be late, or just poor play, and we would be punished with physical activity. In any sport, it is beneficial to be in good physical condition, but there are many instances where younger athletes' physical condition has a lot to do with negative experiences. Where many youth coaches go wrong is in associating physical activity with punishment, whether they are aware of it or not.

Conditioning should be stressed as a way to compete better in a certain sport, rather than a preventative method towards bad play or behavior. Many children aren't fully able to recognize the lasting benefits of living a healthy lifestyle, and along with that, how quickly the era of organized sports goes by in ones' life. After organized sports, it becomes increasingly difficult to make time for exercise, and if one already has discouraging memories of physical activity, how likely is it that they are going to want to perpetuate a healthy lifestyle?

The physical and psychological benefits of exercise have been well documented to this date, and coaches need to be more cognizant of the approach they are taking towards youth in stressing the necessity of physical activity, especially with the rising childhood obesity rates.

With the privatization of youth sport and in turn, less accessibility for many youth for participation in organized sport, opportunities for educating our youth on the importance of personal health are being minimized, and it needs to be stressed with the coaches that we do have.

Kids in sports really want one thing, to be able to play. So as a form of punishment, it's fairly obvious how to approach such situations. It is much easier to discourage bad behavior through benching a kid than it is to have them run some laps, which is much more temporary.

With athletics budgets being cut in high schools, P.E. classes being dropped in elementary schools, obesity rates rising, and type II diabetes becoming more prevalent, it is starting to become clear that health and wellness are less of a priority than they used to be. Health and wellness need to be a priority again, especially with health care costs rising and life expectancy on the rise.

Youth sports are a good place to start the movement, and it starts with keeping our coaches and parents informed.