The Packers have money to burn

I was waiting on this one, at least until Brett Favre makes a decision on what he's doing next season. Smart money says that if that team goes .500 or better with signs of life last season and we're not having this conversation. Why people feel the need to push Favre out the door is beyond me, but the third coaching change after Mike Holmgren probably will do the job.

Yesterday Daunte Culpepper IM'd everyone on his buddy list and placed his trade demands on his blog and then stomped his feet until his parents made him go to bed an hour early and without dessert.

This morning, Javon Walker picked up his phone and told everyone who would listen that he no longer wants to be a Packer. After Favre ripped him for being a baby (brought about in no small part by following the advice of Drew Rosenhaus who was leading walkouts in most of the NFL training camps last summer) and failing to honor his contract.

Now, with Kennard McGuire in his corner, Walker is crying about his contract again as fifteen different things are going on in the NFL this week as they sort out their Collective Bargaining Agreement and get ready for fee agency to kick in.

To add a little splash of art to the bottom here, I figured I'd post a picture of Walker, but didn't really recognize him when he was upright or in uniform. That's not entirely fair. There are no pictures of Walker in uniform or upright from the past few seasons.

To be fair, if I knew Favre was leaving and that the front office was in disarray as a new coach tries to right the ship, and I was a marquee receiver with a history of injury, I'd be looking for a way out, too. Do you want to be a rookie quarterback's most viable option at receiver? Or would you rather push for a trade to a team ready to win as you enter your prime - and in doing so lessen your risk of injury?

Exactly.

In addition to the growing free agent frenzy, John Clayton's column today focused on the Packers as the top team with money to burn this offseason. This worries me as Green Bay hasn't been doing much in the offseason for the past few years. They used to be good for one or two solid pickups per year (or at least move things around to clear a path for solid young guys). The defense has needed a massive tune up for three seasons running now and it hasn't been done yet. The abysmal secondary has lost Mike McKenzie and Darren Sharper in that time, while the top DB this year according to ESPN in oft-injured Charles Woodson.

(For the record the top QBs are Drew Brees at No. 5 and Josh McCown at No. 23).

Also, this year's free agent class can be summed up in two words. Horse. Shit. It's LeCharles Bentley as the top-ranked free agent bad... yeah. On the plus side, the Packers have resigned Aaron Kampman hours before he became an unrestricted free agent, taking him off an already thin signing board.

The sleeper free agents are great, though. Lot of keepers in that list, including a Packer running back who allegedly shit in a girl's closet while he was a player at Miami... That's what is known as an intangible, kids.

(Photos: USA Today/Getty Images - TSN)