The fastest way to explain the premise of this blog is to just show you the tweet where the idea came from, so here you go:
So that's the basic premise! Some ground rules for the exercise:
-Contracts will not be taken into account (we're not salary cap experts)
-Per the tweet, Rodgers will be ineligible to be stolen from the Packers
-James will make a case for who the Packers should steal, I will make the case for the Vikings
The Vikings should steal... David Bakhtiari, Left Tackle
Although the Vikings' offensive line was much improved this past year, it did show some cracks in pass protection, especially in key games. Perhaps the weakest link on the line was left tackle Riley Reiff. The Packers have one of the top two or three left tackles in the game in David Bakhtiari. It's a no-brainer.
Even if Aaron Rodgers was eligible in this exercise, I think I'd still stick with Bakhtiari. Kirk Cousins is plenty lethal when he has solid pass protection (which was not the case in multiple key games this past season). Rodgers is also aging and has lost mobility, so I'm thinking the combination of Cousins and Bakhtiari would be better off than a Rodgers-Reiff combo.
I briefly considered stealing pass rusher Za'Darius Smith, who had an excellent season last year. However, the Minnesota pass rush is fearsome enough as is, and Mike Zimmer is always able to scheme pressure. The only other guy I considered was Jaire Alexander, the strong young corner for Green Bay. He showed great promise this last year, and could develop into a real stud under Zimmer's tutelage. However, Zimmer is much better at drafting and developing corners than offensive linemen.
The Packers should steal... Adam Thielen, Wide Receiver
This was a tough call for me. ON one hand, I love Danielle Hunter. He is a beast of a man. He could tear a tree down with his hands in a forest and everyone would hear it. He could breathe on me and break every bone in my body. I also want him just so the Packers did not have to deal with him. Then I thought back to Jon's paragraph right above this and how he filled a large gap in the team. Now the Packers run defense was, uhh, not amazing, but Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry, Za, and Preston are no slouches and will only get better together. I also believe in Pettine, even though some of my constituents in Packerland have their doubts. As anyone can tell you, there is an obvious flaw in the Packers. That flaw is, and has been for the past 7-ish years, wide receiver depth. Every Packers fan has complained about how Rodgers has no help whatsoever, which is somewhat true. Davante is great, but when you have no strong number 2 it's easier to cover that number 1. Lazard showed promise, Geronimo has his ups and downs, and MVS is fast. None of these guys are a true number 2 now- maybe later but not now, and not next year unless a miracle happens. It would be game-changing to give Rodgers that true number 2. Opens up the whole field. Plus, we steal a fan favorite from the Vikings, which is just a cherry on top of that beautiful vanilla sundae. Plus, the undrafted wonder's career would heavily benefit from Rodgers slinging him passes that could hopefully top his 1400 scrimmage yards in 2018. Give me "White Lightning".
So there you have it, folks. What do you think of these choices? Make a free account and comment below!
True, Rodgers can make anyone look good on offense. Defense doesn't have a Rodgers. Sane take and I applaud you.
Jonathan: Thielen/Diggs are a great combo, I was just thinking about how ridiculous it would be if Adams was added to the mix. That was maybe just Madden fantasization influencing that though. James: I agree with you. I would like to see them add an established WR vs. trying to develop 5th/6th rounders or UFA into a WR2. I just think there's maybe a little more room for forgiveness on the offensive side of the ball than there is on the defensive side.
Eric Kendricks was on my list, especially because I'm a Martinez doubter, however I just think we add one more receiver that gets attention, it will open up the field for Aaron Jones and Davante instead of our offense being somewhat solely reliant on them.
Not saying Adams isn't as good as these guys, but Thielen and Diggs are about the same level as him. Three guys of that caliber WOULD be a big waste for Cousins w/o a clean pocket
Pretty good arguments from both sides. For the Packers, I'm in agreement that the WR group is severely lacking, however, I would have gone with Eric Kendricks MLB. That position is consistently an achilles heel on our defense. I was very jealous when he got drafted by the Vikings, and he's developed into an All-Pro (for however much you actually read into those "awards"). Regardless, instant upgrade for the Packers. Plus, he doesn't seem like one of those typical cocky, look at me type players the Vikings love. For the Vikings, I wanted to have a conflicting selection, but D-Bak makes too much sense. My initial reaction was "how could you not pick Davante Adams?", but then I soon realized that…