Did anyone see the game this guy had against the Bears? link 11 tackles and 2 sacks. Saw SIGNIFICANT time in a game the Pack had to win. Just curious what they saw in him in GB that we couldn't get out of him here.
All these hindsight threads are popping up everywhere. This regime let go of Ninkovich, Walden, and whoever else. OMGZ! Wonder what 32 other NFL teams saw in Davone Bess. Or what 32 other NFL teams saw in Cameron Wake. There was no chance Walden would've started on our team. That is what they saw in him. Maybe the system in GB suits him? Maybe the guy had the game of his life? Or maybe, just maybe, McCarthy doesn't micromanage his team? At the end of the day, look no further than your own avatar as to what I think about the situation.
Not worried about it. I still take our LB's over Walden. As others said, Ireland has dug up quite a few gems here. If a couple of marginal players happen to do better elsewhere, than more power to them.
Actually a udfa tends to pick the team he has the best chance of making the roster. Several were interested in Bess he and his agent just knew we had no talent at WR. 18 teams were recruiting Wake sites not like they were under the radar. They just made smart decisions signing where they could play. I do agree having 1 good game doesn't mean it was a bad move releasing him
Several teams did offer Wake a contract. Ours just happened to be the highest offer and in a system suited for him (a pass rushing OLB in a 3-4). What is different about Wake and Bess is that they weren't on NFL rosters at the time. Walden was here and the regime let him go. I tend to agree that it's tough to know about this. It could be these guys just didn't "Get it" at the time they were here. Or that they got more motivated when they went to another team. Or, it could be the incessant merry-go-round of players gives them such a short window to grow, shows such impatience - giving a guy one year or less - that they cannot really let players develop.
Thank you thank you thank you. I'm so tired of hearing how Bess and Wake somehow negate the implications of the fact that guys who rot away as backups on our team go to other teams and find success. Whether or not that implication is true is up for debate. No doubt about it. But just pointing out that we happened to sign too talented guys, one from the CFL and the other a UDFA, does not prove anything. Signing them speaks to Ireland's ability as a scout, not to Sparano and his staff's ability to coach guys up or pick the right players to play/keep. Another name that I have thrown out in the past that people may have forgotten about was Anthony Armstrong. When I think about how that guy sat on the practice squad for an entire season only to be cut the following preseason . . . and then see what he's been able to do up in Washington . . . it just makes me sick to my stomach. And I know that a lot of guys around here, especially the ones that go to practices, were very high on him. He's exactly the kind of field-stretcher we need right now, and we just shoved him out the door. I have to laugh about it just to keep from punching a hole in the wall.
I might be able to accept cutting some of these guys because they were terrible on special teams . . . if our special teams unit wasn't still terrible.
I think this thread is ridiculous. Anyone can look like an *** or a genius in hindsight. And Walden got on the field in 3 games for the Pack, and had mediocre games for the first two. Then he has one absolutely amazing performance and we call for Ireland's head. Lets review the tape, or the forum shall we, and see who here was against Armstrong, Walden and Ninkovich being released. Like, really against the releases. I don't think anyone was awe stricken. And now, that they are doing well on other teams, we question this regime. C'mon guys. I think we are nitpicking here. Would you start Walden over Odrick, Merling, Starks, McDaniels, Langford? We are deep on the front 7, and Walden was weak on special teams like someone mentioned. Maybe that is why he was released. Either way, I don't see the big deal.
Well Ordrick is broke and we don't know what we have there. Merling sucks and is working his was towards a prison sentence. I will call it right now McDaniel won't be back, it will be an Ireland ego thing! Generally I don't lose sleep over cutting scrubs! What pisses me off is the constant turnover of the bottom of our roster which is why our ST suck! That and filling those spots with Cowboy castoffs!
Merling has had his charges dropped. We labeled him a lot of things without actually waiting for the circumstances to play out. So does that mean Kobe Bryant is still a rapist? And Merling has been playing the last few weeks. Either way, disregarding Merling; With the emergence of Soliai at NT, you have Starks, Odrick (who showed flashes before his injury), Langford (solid and consistent), and McDaniels (playing very well right now) at DE. Where does Walden fit in? We need the roster spot for WR projects, and return projects like Clifton Smith, etc. We are deep at the front 7 like I mentioned already, so we can't afford to hijack a roster spot for someone who isn't going to see the field when we have other needs that had/have to be addressed.
Saints released him too. Twice, including after we had released him the last time. They seem to be pretty decent at talent evaluation.
That's because it's not about talent. It's about coaching. Here's an idea. Rather than cutting a guy because he can't play special teams, how about you teach him how to play special teams and motivate him to play it well?
In their defense the guy has been around since 2006, and was with the Dolphins during the Cameron year. It doesn't appear as if we were the only team/staff that couldn't teach him how to play special teams. The amusing thing is that he was cut for........drum roll please.........Erik Walden.
I'm not aware of the charges for beating his pregnant girl friend being dropped only a plea margin for almost running over a metermaid. If so he still sucks and I will never understand the trifecta n their obsession with 3-4 ends ! You need NT, LBs and a ball hawk safety. Ordick has more broken bones then tackles as a dolphin and Solai was a Cam find
LOL. Regardless of who found Soliai, he freed up Starks at DE again because he played surprisingly well. My whole point is we don't have a roster spot for 37 DEs. Do you comprehend this?
Yet we continue hoard Defensive ends over and over Maybe this front office should do a TV show "DEFENSIVE END HOARDERS" Francis kaika Alama Chris Baker Ryan Baker Kendall Langford Phillip Merling Jared Odrick Randy Starks
Alama Francis is playin OLB first and foremost. Then, aside from the Bakers, who would Walden have started over on that list. Then you look at ST, and Walden was terrible. So if he can't contribute to ST and won't see the field as DE, why keep him? I'm done here. It is a simple premise.
Yes I comprehend that and am agreeing with you! To bad the front office who is suppose to be a 3-4 genius doesn't realize de isn't important. Ever see Pit waste a 1st round pick on de?
Can people stop bringing up Rob effin' Ninkovich please? PLEASE? Look at his numbers in all the other games played not against us. Go ahead. There's no reason to be pissed we let him go.
I just found it interesting to see a guy like that who was picked up off the scrap heap by GB do some good for them in a big game. Makes you wonder if he just never showed it here in practice, was never given the opportunity outside of ST's or what. Especially considering guys like Ike Francis stuck around and contributed very little... I didn't mean for it to become so argumentative....
He has a couple of good games against us, hasn't done jack squat for most of the rest of the season and he is "flourishing"? Objective criticism is one thing. But this board is being overrun by people trying to find any piece of minutiae to join in on the piling on.
Exactly. Ninkovich has 1 sack and that's it in the other 14 games yet people think he's flourishing. It's ridiculous.