Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy, at his Monday press conference to explain the organization’s move to release Pro Bowl guard Josh Sitton. There are a lot of teams interested in him.
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The problem between Sitton and the Packers organization may have come late last season when the guard was critical of the offensive game plan in a regular season game against Arizona.
There’s no telling how long it will take for Sitton to completely get in sync with the rest of the offensive line.
Lang confirmed that both he and Sitton were told recently that the Packers would not negotiate with either of them during the season on new contracts – both were scheduled to be free agents after this season – because the team planned to focus on re-signing some of its younger players first.
The Bears also approached the negotiation with a sense of urgency. I like the weather up here. “Obviously bringing in a guy like Josh, who has done it for so long.at the beginning of the year when I think about guys I’ve got to beat out to be the guy, No. 71 is usually one of the two of three guys that I circle as guys I have to beat”. “You know, it’s only 2 1/2 hours from home or from Green Bay”. That was actually a factor.
“Honestly, it didn’t have anything to do with sticking it to the Packers”, he said. “I mean, we know just as much as you guys do – the reasoning behind it, I don’t know, I don’t want to speculate on any of that”, Lang said. “It’s too damn hot in the South”.
Pace credited Fox with helping to woo Sitton, saying the Bears coach “is a charming guy”.
It might be the Florida heat, or the fact that he hasn’t played a full, meaningful game since the NFC title tilt in Seattle 19½ months ago, but his surgically repaired knee and his other, “hiccupped” knee are just fine.
“Well, the personnel side of the National Football League is always fluid, whether it’s offseason, in season, postseason”, Fox said.
Ryan Pace deserves a big round of applause for getting the deal done, and he explained why it was an easy decision to make. Over the course of his career, the UCF alum has garnered numerous honors, including 2010 Offensive Lineman of the Year (NFL Alumni Association), first-team all-Pro (Sporting News 2014), first-team all-NFL (PFWA, 2014), second-team all-Pro (AP, 2013-15) and was named a Pro Bowl alternate in 2010-11 and ’13. He performed better as a run blocker (77.1) compared to his pass protection (45.8). “But that’s not the situation I’ve been put in”, Nelson said of his preparation. And he got better each day. “It does give you flexibility within your scheme, and you’ve got to work a number of different things”.
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From a matchup standpoint, it also remains to be seen whether Nelson will see former teammate and Jacksonville cornerback Davon House lined up across from him most of the time, or if he’ll also battle rookie first-round draft pick Jalen Ramsey and former Giants corner Prince Amukamara here and there. “I thought he was physical and did a lot of good things, and he did some things he needs to improve on”.
