NFL owners meetings, draft top headlines

fpadmin | 03/23/2015

Lions, Vikings, Seahawks, Cowboys & Bears…Oh My!

All coming to Lambeau this year! Grab your spot from us in late April.

By CHRIS HAVEL
The NFL off-season’s initial flurry of free agent activity has quelled it is time to recap the key comings-and-goings, look to the Packers’ draft and bottom line the NFL’s owners meetings.

Headline: NFL seeks to expand replay

Bottom line: Haven’t we suffered enough?
Replay has its place in adjudicating and impacting NFL games, but those boundaries – like my patience – have been stretched to the limit. Some teams want replay to include all penalties. Others, such as New England, want it to include all plays.
It’s enough already.
The pure joy of celebrating a touchdown hasn’t been doubled because of replays double-takes, but rather it has been diminished. Getting the call correct trumps everything unless it delays and/or dilutes the game until it borders on being unwatchable.
Surely the NFL owners don’t need replay to see that.

Headline: NFL playoff expansion is coming in 2016

Bottom line: League should follow NCAA’s lead
The NFL is going to expand playoffs from 12 to 14 teams. It’s just a matter of when. The fact that it isn’t going to happen this year comes as a mild surprise because more post-season games equals more revenue.
I’m ok with 14 teams in the playoffs. It’s still less than 50 percent of the entire league. The concern is that 12 leads to 14 leads to where? When will the playoff expansion stop? What is the ideal number? The NFL has 32 teams so for balance’s sake 16 is a logical number.
Then again, 32 teams have worked pretty well for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Why not let everyone into the postseason? Consider the upset possibilities and the wild excitement in some cities as their teams shockingly advanced?
If all 32 teams were penciled into a bracket this past season, would the Super Bowl have been Seattle vs. New England?
OK, it’s a crazy idea. Seriously, though, there has to be a limit on the number of playoff teams. If the regular season is diluted, then why not shorten it, too? And that’s certainly not a direction the league wants to go.

Headline: Packers looking to draft, not free agency

Bottom line: And we should be surprised because… ?
The Packers have been operating this way for a decade under GM Ted Thompson. They allow the high-priced players and big spenders – aka two fools in the night – find crazy but common ground for deals.
Meantime, they re-sign their own key free agents before they hit the market. It worked with Randall Cobb and Bryan Bulaga this offseason. Clearly, you can’t keep them all, as was the case with Tramon Williams. It turns out Williams’ three-year, $21 million deal included $10 million in guaranteed money. The Packers were offering two years at $4 million per year, with no word on how much was being guaranteed.
Williams, at 32, made the smart move and took the $10 million in guaranteed money from the Cleveland Browns.
In turn, the Packers didn’t overpay to retain an aging veteran.

Headline: Packers lack depth at cornerback

Bottom line: Draft will bring cornerback help
The Packers’ loss of Williams creates a void that should be filled by Micah Hyde and/or Casey Hayward. However, the Packers do lack depth with Williams’ and Davon House’s departures, so expect them to go shopping for cornerbacks in the first three rounds.
They should be able to get a player who can contribute immediately in a specific role ala Ha Ha Clinton-Dix at safety. The idea would be to groom them to be the long-term starter at cornerback opposite Sam Shields.
The Packers also need to add inside linebacker help, a defensive lineman and perhaps a tight end. It seems like a rather significant number of needs for one draft. On the other hand, the Packers got contributions from four draft picks a year ago.
It happens, and probably more in Green Bay than elsewhere.
NEXT WEEK: A look at the draft’s cornerbacks
Chris Havel is a national best-selling author and his latest book is Lombardi: An Illustrated Life. Havel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4-6 p.m. CDT on WDUZ FM 107.5 The Fan, or on AM-1400, as well as Fan Internet Radio (www.thefan1075.com). Havel also hosts Event USA’ MVP Parties the evening before home games.

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Kudos to Amy for making sure that the tickets to the tailgate party were waiting for me at the reception desk! Your personal phone call and text messages went above and beyond customer satisfaction! I can't wait for the 2024 season, rest assured that my go-to Packer's game supplier will be Event USA for a long time.
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-Jean-Pierre Mallette, Montréal, Canada

"Thank you so much Cathy, greatly appreciate your help. As always, EventUSA has been awesome to deal with in booking the Lodge Kohler package for the Tampa Bay Game, particularly for me traveling from Sydney, Australia, it takes the stress out of the booking process. "

-Kayle

"Good Morning, Nicole - Everything you did turned out great. The seats were great. Access to the air conditioned club lounge was great. Lots of Packers fans in the club lounge and overall at the stadium. The tailgate party at the fancy restaurant in the hotel was fabulous. The servers just kept on bringing out different sliders and desserts. Good thing that I got in a 30-minute run along the river in the morning. So, thank you! You may be speaking with me in November if I can work out getting up to Green Bay for a game. It's been too long since my last time. One of the best aspects of this weekend was interacting with so many people from Wisconsin and learning their personal stories of things Packers. And we even met a couple from St. Petersburg, Florida (my home county) and were able to tell them about the Varsity Club tavern and Packers bar in Clearwater where Mark Murphy's mother is in attendance -- very nice lady whose retirement home is in Clearwater, which borders my little city of Dunedin. Pre-COVID, I always went to the Varsity when the Packers games weren't televised locally -- lots of Wisconsin natives there, too + they serve brats and sauerkraut during Packers games. I'm glad that you are working for Event USA. "

-- Martin Lawyer, Dunedin, Florida

"Dennis - I was blessed to join Amy and some of your customers at the Morton's tailgate as well as after the game. She does an amazing job for you. Every single customer I met praised Event USA for being able to arrange the hotel and tickets and fabulous tailgate party in such a quick time. Having been to some great tour tailgate parties in Jacksonville and Kansas City and old San Francisco, a lot can be said of the long-term benefit of having really great tailgate parties. Morton's was probably one of the best - amazing food, patio sitting on the riverfront, walk to stadium, open bar!!! It was first class fun!!!"

-Matt

"Hi Amy- Just wanted to say thank you for making Jacksonville happen! We had a wonderful time and looking forward to more Packers games with Event USA in the future! Even though the game was not what we expected- we are packers fans for life-lol! Go pack go!!"

-Julie Mastrianni

"I want to thank Event USA and in particular Amy Flores for the Jacksonville trip. We have used you before and always were very pleased with the packages you have set up and your service. My son who lives in Charleston, SC and myself who lives in Minnesota, decided we needed to do a guys trip and decided to go through your company to see the opener in New Orleans. I initially called and talked with Amy about some questions I had and booked our trip. After itinerary and info was emailed to us, it soon became apparent that the trip to New Orleans wouldn’t happen. In steps Amy, wondering if we would be interested in Dallas if the game was moved there and a package was set up. Then finally the move to Jacksonville and continued communication from Amy on our interest. It was getting late at that point and I was wondering if she would be able to pull off setting up a package in Jacksonville. She did it. We went to Jacksonville and had a great time. The accommodations and the tail gate were fabulous. If only the Packer team we were hoping for had made the trip. Thank you Event USA and in particular Amy Flores."

-Tom Sohrweide, White Bear Lake, MN

"Thank you for all your help. I had a great time at the Packer-Raider game opening day. I have already begun telling interested Packer fans in Sacramento about your service. The next time I come to Green Bay for a game, I’ll be sure to ask for your help. God bless you and God bless the Green Bay Packers."

-Frank Chavez, Sacramento

"I just wanted to say that I had such a great time. The whole weekend was so much fun. I enjoyed the Player Autograph Party and the tailgate party was just the best. After coming from a country that loves soccer, it was nice to mix with people who have the same interests as me. Thank you once again, Green Bay is one very special place."

-Beverley Moore, Lancaster

"My accommodations at the Best Western Midway were excellent. I was picked up at the airport and returned promptly. No problems at all. Your representative at the hotel on game day was very pleasant and helpful. The tailgate party was super, great food, great drinks and lots of fun. Obviously, Lambeau Field and the game itself was great. I will continue to use Event USA in the future, and I will definitely tell anyone who I come across to give you a call. One last thing, the hospitality I experienced in Green Bay was incredible. I have traveled to many places, and I don’t think there are more friendly people than the people of Green Bay. Thank you again and see you next year!"

-David Anastas, Worchester

"My wife and I booked the tour to Tampa. The trip was so well organized from start to finish. It started with the people in the office with their friendly help over the phone, to receiving the tickets in the mail, and meeting the tour guides with their upbeat personalities. Signs guided us in the airport and information was posted in our motel lobbies to keep us posted. Your people had everything in order. Talk about organization, you had it. Event USA made this a most memorable trip. Thanks for all involved."

-Dick Koerner, Neenah

"I wish to convey my sincere thanks and gratitude for providing my husband and I with, what he refers to as the greatest experience of my life, apart from my wedding day."

-Lara and Matt Appleton, Thornhill, Ontario

"Thanks for all your help, the great tickets and service, and the chance to help me make one of my son’s dreams come true, seeing the Packers playing at home in Lambeau Field."

-Sam Jones, Sedalia

"I just want to thank you for the wonderful job your staff did last weekend for the Packers vs. Lions game. This was our first time utilizing your program and we were not disappointed at all. In fact, we can’t wait to schedule and event for next season’s games. From my first experience with your staff placing my order until the very end at checkout of the hotel, everything was perfect. You truly out-do yourselves to please everyone. Thanks again for making our stay in Green Bay one of the best."

-Kim Ewing and Bruce DeMaine, Ann Arbor

"Thanks so much for the best weekend ever! You not only got us in all the Magazines, TV, WWW pages and even the big screen at Lambeau Field, but Disney World on the side? Nice job – You and your family are top notch – we were on the best tour for the Super Bowl! Seeing the Green Bay Packers win back the Lombardi Trophy was a life long dream of this Packer fan, and you all were so dedicated to the job of taking care of us that, like the Packers, we were a winning team! Keep me on your list."

-William D Lorge, Representative to the Wisconsin State Assembly