Morning Buzz: Kramer continues baffling wait
Welcome to your Morning Buzz, rounding up news and views regarding the Green Bay Packers and the NFL from around the web and here at PackersNews.com. Grab a strong cup of coffee and get caught up on everything you need to know about the Packers.
Gary D’Amato starts us off with an excellent, not-to-be-missed column on former Packers kicker Chester Marcol and his journey back from drug and alcohol addiction.
Once, Marcol was a celebrated kicker for the Green Bay Packers . The NFL rookie of the year in 1972, he twice led the league in scoring and twice was all-pro. His improbable game-winning touchdown in 1980 against the Chicago Bears – off a blocked field goal in overtime – is among the most memorable plays in Packers history.
But when Marcol spoke last week at a fundraising dinner for Samaritans Hand , a faith-based drug and alcohol outpatient clinic, he never once mentioned football. That was all a lifetime ago and is almost irrelevant to what and who he is today, other than serving as a conversation starter.
Ryan Wood continues with his free agency series, this time focusing on Don Barclay.
There will be plenty of mock drafts produced around the Internet between now and the draft in late April, and we’ll round them up for you and look at who the draftniks have the Packers taking.
I chatted with readers over on our Facebook page late Tuesday afternoon.
Elsewhere, Andy Benoit of Sports Illustrated tackles the topic of Jerry Kramer’s continually baffling exclusion from the Pro Football Hall of Fame:
The popular opinion for why Kramer wasn’t elected is that voters felt that too many members of the 1960s Packers were already in. By 1997 that great Green Bay team had 11 men in Canton, including Lombardi. It’s now up to 12; linebacker Dave Robinson was elected as a Senior candidate in 2013.
Those were the sentiments of voters back then. Twenty years later voters must rely on the previous generation’s opinions. Most of today’s voters feel that senior finalist spots are there to help players whose cases weren’t fully heard during their years of eligibility. That would not include Kramer, whose case was presented nine times before a group that saw the great ’60s Packers often, and then a 10th time in front of a committee with a mix of voters—some who covered him, most of whom didn’t.
The Internet was abuzz on Tuesday with a report that the Packers could be trade partners with the Eagles for Connor Barwin:
I offered my take:
Packers fans are dreaming about Alshon Jeffery signing with the Packers:
Former Packers receiver Donald Driver has been keeping busy:
The Bears are reportedly shopping Jay Cutler.
Something to keep in mind the next two weeks:
Martellus Bennett, a player some media and fans thought the Packers might pursue last offseason, will reportedly hit the market in a few weeks:
Jimmy Garoppolo could also be an ex-Patriot soon:
The Seattle Seahawks hosted a Media Combine. (Here’s hoping the Packers don’t get any ideas…)