The firstthree players the Packers drafted last week were offensive tackle Bryan Bulagafrom Iowa, defensive end Mike Neal from Purdue and safety Morgan Burnett fromGeorgia Tech. Green Bay also chose another lineman on each side of the ball, atight end and a running back.
With Frankvisiting relatives in New York and Philadelphia, Artie wentsolo in the Observers’ "war room" for the draft. How did he react tothe Pack's picks? We'll see…
Frank: You saidthe Packers’ top priority was the offensive line. How does the Bulaga choicestrike you?
Artie: Seemsfine. He was the Big Ten lineman of the year and some people were surprised hewas still available at No. 23.
Frank:Apparently, some scouts decreed that this 6-foot-5, 316-pound man has"small" hands and a short "wingspan."
Artie: Wingspan?What the crock. You know if they got a measurement on the length of his beak?
Frank: I thoughtholding was a penalty. Small hands could be an asset, make it tougher for areferee to spot ’em with a handful of jersey.
Artie: In thetechniques they allow these days, they can use their hands to shove a chest orthe pads or something. And long arms can help push off those monster defensiveends. But when they compare arm lengths or whatever, they're talking about aninch or an inch and a quarter. How much difference can that make?
Frank: Rememberthat Broadway musical years ago, Your ArmsToo Short to Box With God? I guess some alleged experts think Bulaga can'tbox with Jared Allen, or Julius Peppers.
Artie: If theguy had no arms I'd have some reservations. But a Big Ten lineman of the yearshould turn out fine. They need all the help they can get in keeping AaronRodgers in one piece. I'm just glad that at No. 23, Ted Thompson didn't decidethe "best available player" was a long-snapper.
Frank: I noticedone thing that might worry you. Bulaga wore No. 79 at Iowa. Do you recall another first-roundchoice who came to the Packers as the best offensive tackle in the Big Ten? Hewore No. 79 for Michigan State—and was a flop in Green Bay.
Artie: TonyMandarich. Oh boy. But I'll combat that by saying that when I saw Bulaga Ithought he could be a double for an All-Pro offensive lineman from the GloryYears in the ’60s, Fuzzy Thurston.
Frank: Also,Bulaga probably won't wear No. 79 in green and gold. That already belongs toRyan Pickett. Now another issue: The Packers ignored the positions you saidwere their next priorities, cornerback and outside linebacker.
Artie: Theycould use some depth at those spots but that's the thing, there's no areathat's a real dire need—except for punting. Even on the O-line, they're notdesperate for someone who can start right away. What they need is depth.
Frank: But theystill didn't draft a corner or outside LB.
Artie: Yes, withAaron Kampman gone they need someone to complement Clay Matthews as apass-rusher. But at the end of last year, Brad Jones showed a lot of promise.And two of the corners they lost last year to injury, Pat Lee and WillBlackmon, seem to be healthy again.
Frank: So yougive the Packers a thumbs-up?
Artie: Yeah, butso what? It takes years to really judge a draft. But the media get hysterical,assigning grades to the teams.
Frank: The Philadelphia Daily News gave the Packersa B-minus, for what it's worth.
Artie: Which isexactly nothing. It's like you go to college, get your class list and itincludes your grades. "I'm taking geography but I only get a C-plusbecause I've never been to the West Coast."
Frank: Nobodyknows what will happen.
Artie: Look atthe Pro Bowl rosters every year, how high those guys were drafted, and thereare big surprises. Let's get Bryan Bulaga on the field and see if his graspexceeds his reach, or whatever.
Déj� Vu With a Twist
Frank: Being inPhilly for a few days, I caught the aftermath of a fascinating tale. The Eaglesdid what the Packers refused to do in 2008—let their longtime quarterback go toa team in the same division.
Artie: That'sjust screwy. The Packers wouldn't release Brett Favre so he could join theVikings and traded him WAY out of the division, to the Jets. Last year theycouldn't stop him from getting to Minnesota,and he sliced them up twice.
Frank: WhichDonovan McNabb could do to the Eagles now that he's been traded to theRedskins.
Artie: Just toorisky, I say.
Frank: McNabb’10 is just like Favre ’08 in the sense that the Eagles decided to "go inanother direction" after 11 years with him.
Artie: Thatturns Kevin Kolb ’10 into Aaron Rodgers ’08. The Pack will test Kolb in theseason opener.
Frank: But inmany ways McNabb ’10 is different from Favre ’08. There was no Hamlet act overretiring and un-retiring; McNabb always said he wanted to play, and as anEagle.
Artie: So whydidn't he?
Frank: In thewords of coach Andy Reid, "We wanted to do what was best for us and bestfor him." There's a big difference from Favre ’08: The coach did all hecould to send McNabb to a place he'd like—even if it meant the same division.
Artie: Talkabout loyalty! I guess it figures; Reid arrived in Philly in ’99 and McNabb washis first draft choice.
Frank: Whichbegan a love-hate thing between McNabb and the, um, passionate Philly fans andmedia. Another difference from Favre ’08: McNabb was hardly revered the wayBrett was in Wisconsin.The radio sports-talk shows in Philly can be brutal, and McNabb was thelightning rod for everyone's wrath.
Artie: It's truehe never won the big one with Philly.
Frank: He helpedthe Eagles get to five NFC title games, but they went to only one Super Bowl.And when they lost to New England, 24-21,McNabb was accused of gagging.
Artie: And youmean that literally, ain'a?
Frank: Yup. Onthe Eagles' final drive, McNabb allegedly threw up on the field.
Artie: He'snever admitted that, right?
Frank: True, andthere's no video evidence to prove the claims made by a few teammates. Theoriesabound—he was dehydrated, he was gasping from a hard hit, he was dazed andneeded help calling the plays. Bottom line: The Eagles didn't score and lost.
Artie: For whichMcNabb has never been forgiven.
Frank: The mainsports-talk station in Philly, WIP, does little skits besides the call-instuff. Last week one of the skits included the line that McNabb would bejudging a "Punt, Pass and Puke competition."
Artie: Ouch! I'dsay McNabb has some incentive when he faces the Eagles.
Frank: Reid canonly hope he doesn't emulate Mike McCarthy ’09 against the Vikings.
Not So Fast, Hawks
Frank: A funnything happened to the Atlanta Hawks on the way to brushing off the Bucks in theNBA playoffs.
Artie: Two gamesat the Bradley Center and voila, a 2-2 series! Who’s tosay the Bucks can't keep this nice ride going into the second round?
Frank: In Game3, the ESPN announcers seemed amazed that the team down 2-0 got a big liftfrom its home crowd and came out blazing. That's surprising?
Artie: Happensall the time. Still, to come back like that without Andrew Bogut—it's a ton offun to watch!
