This came from the Buffalo paper and makes you wonder what their coaching staff saw in Merideth and Green Bay didn't. It is only as issue because it's doubtful if he improved that much between leaving Green bay's PS and added to the Bill's team.
http://www.buffalonews.com/452/story/832076.html

Can this adminstration from TT to the coaching staff be this bad evaluating O-Lineman. They make a good solid value pick and then they just let him walk.
Link

Interesting. They're playing 4 first-year starters on their O line, and the day after the game, they're not talking about how terrible their line is. They're talking about how great it is. I wonder what it is that they're doing right?

According to the stat sheet, Fitzpatrick had a 51.4 QB rating and they rushed for 3.4 yards per carry. And they scored 16 points. Methinks the optimism might be coming from extremely low expectations. Not to say they played poorly, or somehow Green Bay isn't playing poorly. Just an explanation for the tone of the article.

I would have rather kept Meredith on the team than Underwood right now.

Campen stinks on ice. Who doesn't know this by now? It's a joke that he still has a job.

Fire him midseason and bring in someone, anyone, else. Are we really going to lose any continuity by letting this chump go midseason? "Oh, their season came to a grinding halt when they had to change horses mid-race at the offensive line coach position..." I don't see that headline happening.

Ditch this guy and get a real line coach. I'm sick of his incompetence ruining that line.

Its so bad that it almost makes me think he has blackmail materials on MM. How else to explain why he is still here?

I can only assume he doesn't have the stones to fire a friend. Or is blinded by friendship and doesn't see what the rest of us see. Or maybe the blackmail thing.

That's a great point Phishtar. At what point in the game did Kris Jenkins get hurt? Not having to play again him all day may have helped the interior of the line survive as well.

What pro bowl defensive linemen did the Packers have to face down yesterday?

The answer is a resounding yes to coaching!!!!

Week in and week out these guys, veteran and young alike, appear completely unprepared and undisciplined. 4 sacks to the Lions backup Dlineman???? They even had to use a backup Olineman on the Dline and still got pressure????? When does it end????

The only thing I will say about Merideth is that maybe he didnt fit the all powerful zone blocking scheme which is why he didnt stick in GB.

That's an excellent point as well.

Or, the problem with Jamon Meredith was that the GM decided to keep an undrafted G/C (when we already have 2 on the roster) instead of a steal of a 5th round pick at a critical position where we have only 1 guy (who's been hurt twice already this season). I said at the time that keeping EDS on the active roster over Meredith was a mistake. Everyone and their mother knew that JM was going to be an extremely raw player. . . but that's the kind of physically talented guy that you keep on the roster and try to DEVELOP into a starting role down the line. (Similar to how we kept 3 FBs because Johnson has so much future potential.) Especially when you're starting LT is a 10 year veteran with a history of injury issues and is coming off of 4 offseason surgeries. I'm glad to see that Meredith played fairly well when given an opportunity. It makes me sick to think that TT might have actually gotten a player who could have eventually filled the starting LT job once Clifton leaves or retires and they let the Bills swipe him out from under their collective noses.

One of several bad roster moves for the final cuts. Meredith was clearly worth keeping over Dietrcih-Smith or Giacomoni or whatever his name his. (You tend to forget the name when a player is never even active.)

So does anyone Think That Maybe Philbin and Maybe Campen had a say in the decision on Meredith...Hmmmm I wonder...

I mean the issue we have is the Line... and the problem has been the Line... The Topic is Coaching or Talent... Campen has doen nothing spectacular with this line whatsoever... I think under his watch it has transgressed backwards since 2007 when Jags was here.... Joe and Jim... the bobbsie twins... I asked last year when Sanders was shown the door that Campy needed to go and also look at Philbin real good as well.....

The GM drafts the guy ..probably on a consensus with the staff...the staff starts coaching them...then just maybe ...Just maybe.... The coaches go ..hey boss this guy just cant cut it....we should trade him or dump him....just a though but the position coach is the one that knows the guys closely.....Just saying...

You have a very good point there, I had been under the impression we were dumping the zone blocking because none of our linemen performed very well in it. I have read recently that, nope we are still hanging onto the zone blocking for dear life. What is with the zone blocking?

I would have kept him over Giacomini.

Meredith played RT yesterday. And he played LT in college. So he could play RT now and LT in the future.

From what I have read, Breno G will never be able to play LT. Plus, there was the possibility of Tauscher coming back.

So the logical pick was to keep Meredith over Breno. Why they did not is a real puzzler.

I was really surprised he was still there in the fifth. I thought TT had a steal. I also thought that he would be a project. Maybe a year or two in the making. But definitely worth it. Especially since we had no one to groom behind Clifton. For the life of me I don't know why TT did not understand that and fight for the guy.

Let me put it this way: Would anyone miss Giacomini if we had cut him? Right now he is probably the third team RT.

If Meredith goes on to be a good starter in Buffalo, this is a real black mark against the coaches and TT.

They kept. . .

OT: Clifton, Barbre and Giocomini.
OG: Colledge, Sitton, Lang and Dietrich-Smith.
OC: Spitz and Wells.

You can say whatever you want, but I think that it was Evan Dietrich-Smith's versatility that kept him on the roster. . . and the funny thing is that Meredith played LT and OG in college and is starting at RT now. I absolutely blame everyone down from Ted Thompson for our future LT starting for the Bills right now. Thompson, McCarthy, Philbin and Campen all had a say in the final decision to keep EDS over Jamon Meredith. The coaches probably had considerable input into the decision, but the reality is that the GM is the one who gets fired for bad personnel moves. The buck starts and stops with Ted Thompson and he blew it IMO.

It's even worse when you consider that he won't be bringing in a decent free agent to address the position, so he needs to make sure that he hits on his draft picks. This is one instance where he really screwed up. It is especially frustrating to me because they already had a number of versatile OL players on the roster (Spitz, Lang, Colledge, Meredith and Preston), and because of the question marks that the three OTs on the roster. Safety in numbers is a good way to go. There's no way I'd have cut him, despite how raw he looked to start out with.

I guess I'd like to hear an evaluation from an objective source before I annoint Meredith a compotent player. Here are some comments on him from Packer Update for what they are worth.

And finally, former Packer Jamon Meredith had far more fans in the front office than he did on the playing field. Coaches and even some of his linemates had lost faith in the rookie left tackle after watching him drop out of numerous practices during training camp for a variety of reasons. The ex-South Carolina star is currently a backup in Buffalo.

He isn't a back up anymore.

Gregg I agree... ON all except the fact of TT on this...In regards yes he should have kept his Pick... But as you can see below the coaches and stuff have ther input....So I Place more blame on Campen... He is the OL coach...







Yeah the same coaches that are coaching the OL to 25 sacks.... Hmmm...If I am the FO ...I guess I would really be pressing the question of and we let him Go Why......and Breno is where ???? I think I would take MM to the OFFICE and ask him straight up ...HOW MUCH CONFIDENCE YOU HAVE ON CAMPEN AND PHILBIN....is IT ENOUGH TO PUT YOUR JOB ON THE LINE FOR THEM.... and Then I would leave and let him think on it...

Well, there's a reason the guy dropped to the 5th round, and it clearly wasn't talent. As much fun as it is to project a guy's career after one football game, I think time will tell how bad the decision to cut him was.
You can't account for a guy's heart. Donald Driver's a great example. Heart, passion, and a strong work ethic allowed Driver to carve out a special career in the NFL. Meredith has the tools to be a player, but is his head there? I know after the draft that was what I heard about him. That he had "lapses in toughness" and was very difficult to coach.
Perhaps getting cut lit a fire under him ... but you'd hate to need to be cut to give you motivation.

Geez!!! Another blame it on TT post. Go figure.

TT only drafted Meredith!! The coaching staff put him on the practice squad for future development....ala Hunter Hillenmeyer.

The Bills needed a OT and scoured all teams practice squads knowing they would immediately put him on their active roster. Good move on their part and did not have to give up a thing.

But to blame this on TT is ludicrous at best!!

What I find ironic is how many people are quick to put down a Packer player, saying they're not good because they only had one good game (e.g. Clay Matthews), yet people are quick to praise an ex-Packer on a team that going into the season had arguably one of the worst lines in football, and that has their starting tackle out.

http://www.packerchatters.com/4ums/index.p...amp;hl=meredith

I mean, just look at the initial reactions, there. Yeah, there are some that were upset at him getting picked up, but there was also some that were glad to see him gone.

Anyone remember Jamon in preseason?


I do, and it wasnt good. EDS played a lot better. He busted his ass and made the team. He earned it.

I do agree with the coaching questions. Why do we commit so many penalties and give up so many sacks? Something has to change.

I remember that to, but that's kind of what concerns me about this entire situation. Why is it that Meredith can look so bad for us that we never would have even considered putting him on the field, but BUF has him for a month and now he is their starting RT? I doubt he is is all-world at this point, but by all accounts he held up well against a very good Jets defense. Barbre hasn't held up particularly well, yet Breno remains inactive on Sunday. Why is Breno on our roster?

What does this say about the ability of our coaching staff and their ability to turn raw OL into legit players? Makes me wonder about what kind of players we actually have on the OL and how much the staff is holding them back with inept coaching and/or schemes.

25 sacks in five games? Feeble running game?
Just what is it the OL is doing right?
Can changing coaches hurt?
Will that not happen until the fine young QB is hurt?

ZBS, too complicated. Meredith... Umm not like the Bills have a good QB and don't exactly have high expectations. They have a coach that wanted the offense simplified.

Buffalo only has him as a starting RT due to injuries to their line, and it is not like it was a good line to begin with.

From what I heard, Meredith was, "raw as sushi" but had good upside. I remember a couple of times in camp that he was said to have just dominated his man. Other times he was shaky. IMO, very, well, like a rookie.

I'm just wondering now if the coaches weren't able to see the potential he had. Or, thought it would take too long for him to fulfill it.

I'll just say that the Bills O line has a bright future. Wood and Levitre were really good picks and should be fixtures for a really long time. Bell is another guy who is only going to get better and is pretty raw. And if Meredith continues to get better they'll have one of the better o lines in a few years.

Thank you for stating the real story.

I love the site and I respect your opinion, but I'm not a blind TT hater or follower. So please don't lump me in with the guys who are. I will call it like I see it. And in this instance I think that Ted Thompson screwed up. He's the guy calling the shots and ultimately the decision-maker over who stays and who goes. The coaching staff can have as much input as they want, but at the end of the day it's Ted Thompson who has the final say over personnel decisions. I do blame Thompson for cutting Jamon Meredith when the OT position looks pretty weak and thin (even back when the decision was made), while the interior line looks to be much stronger and deep. I criticized the move at the time, and I still feel that it was a mistake.

If you don't like a personnel decision, who should you blame? The QB? Team president? Ball boy or hydration coordinator? How about the guy who cut him? Everyone knew that Meredith was raw. That much was evident in the preseason, but it also seemed to many of us that EDS (while working hard and playing his ass off) was somewhat limited athletically. If the front office liked Meredith as much as it's been reported, then TT should have kept him. Period. He second-guessed himself and IMO it looks like a bad move now. Meredith was raw and there were some other things going on, but I did not (and will not) like the decision to first cut him over EDS and then not add him to the active roster when the Bills started showing interest. The Bills made a solid move to get a good player who slipped through the cracks. It's sad to me that a team with the O-Line problems that the Packers have was the team that let him get away. And while there's plenty of blame to go around, the buck stops with Ted Thompson.

Thompson does NOT set the final roster....the HC does and that was my point!

After final cuts McCarthy puts players on the practice squad NOT Thompson and that was my point.

I'm sure MM talks/informs TT about his roster/player decisions but in the end it is the HC making those decisions otherwise it wouldn't be HIS team would it?

Sounds like the same issue we have in Green Bay

That's all true, but how does that change the fact that by all accounts Meridith played well in his first start? If Meredith is a capable starter for BUF, cutting him was a serious blunder any way you want to look at it. Do you think next Monday we'd be talking about how well Breno played if somehow he wound up starting vs CLE? I seriously doubt it.

I would hope the GM on ANY NFL team has major input to how the final roster is shaped. Thompson attends practice sessions, each pre season game. So you think once he makes the picks his job is done? Sure the coaches have input but at the end of the day the GM is just as accountable for the product on the field

I get what you're saying, but I don't think that kind of a set up usually works. Thompson is the Executive V.P., General Manager & Director of Football Operations. Mike McCarthy is the Head Coach. Ted Thompson has the final say over all personnel decisions. McCarthy can (and should) have input into the process, but being a GM isn't just about player acquisition. It's also about who to keep and how to shape the roster for this season as well as for the future. McCarthy doesn't have the talent or experience to be making those long-term decisions. The front office has a job to do. Go out and get the best players for the team and then keep them as long as possible. The coaching staff then takes those players and puts the best product out on the field that they can. The coach should not be making the final call on the roster unless he also has the GM duties. I firmly believe that sometimes a coach can (and should) get stuck dealing with a player that he may not like as much as another based solely on future potential vs. current production. I don't see how this is any different from TT keeping 3 fullbacks (a move that I have applauded) because of Quinn Johnson's potential. Where we differ on is who gets the credit for the shaping of the roster. I think that it has to be Ted Thompson and not Mike McCarthy. There's no way that Tony Sparano has final roster say-so over Ireland and Parcells. There's a structure of power for a reason. Someone needs to be the guy calling the shots (good and bad) and if it's not Ted Thompson in Green Bay, then it damn well should be.

I'm not trying to pick a fight, but I don't agree that the HC is or should be making the final roster decisions. I truly think that Ted Thompson is the guy with the decision-making power and he let the coaching staff influence him into making a poor decision.

I believe that both Thompson and McCarthy make the final decisions on player cuts. After all he has the major say on who they draft and pickup in trade and free agency.

We understand the titles in the Packers organization.

Let me put it this way....

1. Thompson supplies the players with input from scouts, coaches etc.
2. McCarthy and his Staff coach them through the OTS's and training camp.
3. McCarthy after discussions with his Staff formulate the final roster and practice squad possibles and talks with TT.
4. TT says well here is my roster and practice squad and lets go with mine.

IMO any GM is going to give his HC the power and responsibility to go with the players he (HC) and his Staff deem the best players for their team. If not the HC is just a puppet on a string and I wouldn't have any respect for a HC to put himself in that kind of position.

IMO of course.

MM reports to TT. If there is someone TT wants on the roster, said player, will be on the roster. TT makes all the final decisions on players. Period.

I don't think that works any differently on any other team. Look what a "hands on" GM Jerry Jones is.

Well stated LMG, but we'll just have to agree to disagree.

I'm pretty sure that Mike Holmgren had an awful lot of input into the formation of the final roster, but that in the end everyone knew that the decisions were going to be made by Ron Wolf, regardless of how anyone else felt about it. . . and I personally don't see there as being anything wrong with that. Ted Thompson has years of front office experience at all levels and has seen good moves and bad moves go either way. He's more knowledgeable and experienced in the art of player acquisition and development. I don't love every move that he makes, but these points are facts. Mike McCarthy is forced to take more of a short-term view of the roster because of the very nature of his position on the team. Sometimes what the coaches believe the best move to be is contrary to the true interests of the team. A good GM realizes this and bases his decisions appropriately. Sometimes that goes against the opinion of the coaching staff. Sometimes he's right and sometimes he's wrong, but it should be him forming the roster and making all of the final decisions. And if he allowed himself to be influenced to make a bad decision, then it's still on him. Player acquisition and overall roster talent is the GM's responsibility. Coaching the players and preparing them for gameday is the job of the coaching staff. Being available and playing well is the job of the players. Everyone should be accountable for their actual jobs and responsibilities. Good communication and the ability to work together are needed at all stages of the process for success.

I think, but of course don't know that Thompson has the final say on who is on the roster and who isn't. He is the boss in charge of player personnel.

It's great that the Bills fans are excited about a win.

Lets look closer at the Bills' line play.

Their starting QB was knocked out of the game with a concussion.....

Their running backs were all under 4 yards per carry......

The team scored all of 13 points in regulation.....

Sounds to me like their line wasn't all that spectacular, and if Sanchez hadn't thrown 5 picks the Buffalo press would be discussing more problems. They caught the Jets on a down day and now a poor line is held out to be heroic.

I was quite enthusiastic about Meridith when we drafted him, but I think he has a bit more to prove before we call it a huge miss for the Packers. Certainly, when looking back, I think it appears he would have been better to keep than Breno. I guess the development of these guys will be interesting to watch.

Those are all valid points,

but a player we once had, played for another team which won.

Fire TT!!!





Go Pack!!

There is a simple answer to this question. How many times has Rogers been sacked this year? How many times has Grant or any other Packer RB rushed for 100 yds in a game this year? There you have your answer!

I have ragged on the OL the last few years. Glad to see others have taken up the cause. Not sure if it's scouts, Campman, etc. It is a major gap, though. Personally, I thought Merideth should've been plugged in from day 1 and given a ton of reps. Would he have made mistakes, yes. 25 sacks in five games? Ouch!