From time to time, people have said I'm a good cook. But I think of it more as finding good recipes. Recipes that don't have super complex ingredients and deliver good flavor. I enjoy the search. For the last few years, we typically will get a bulk order of beef from a friend that raises steers. We are going to eat beef and it's our modest effort to buy local and lessen the impact. When you buy in bulk, you end up with some cuts of beef that can be a bit tougher to turn into something yummy that the family will enjoy. So I'm often searching for new recipes for those cuts and a thick and lean Sirloin Tip Roast can be in that category. We are approaching that bulk purchase time of year again so I'm trying to empty out the freezer and decided I'd pull said roast from the freezer and look up a recipe. It was a rainy weekend so it seemed like a good chance to fill up the house with that classic pot roast aroma. This reci...
The most hyped "draft" event of all major sports wrapped up this weekend. I am resurrecting the old blog today to share some thoughts on my local team. There is a nice summary of the picks here if you are looking for more info.
Clearly, most Packer fans (including myself) were expecting the Packers to take a WR early in the draft after the departure of star WR Davante Adams who was traded to the Raiders earlier in the off-season. Day 1 of the draft probably left many Packer fans disappointed and scratching their heads. The Packers went after defense early with two first round picks taking an ILB & DL from defensive powerhouse Georgia. After the initial shock wore off, I started to come around to really like these picks. For years, the Packers' front seven on defense has always had some holes to fix and it seems the Packers have finally buttoned up what looks to be a solid defense. Also worth noting, there was a pretty early run on the top WRs in the draft which likely impacted the Packers' decision making process when they found themselves on the clock. Thus Day 1 ended with the Packers still not adding any WR talent to the team.
At this point in the relatively new 3-day draft schedule, it's a good time to sit back and remember the advice of Aaron Rodgers from years ago. Relax. So much emphasis is placed on these first round draft picks every year but in reality, the first round will produce a handful of solid players. Maybe a few All Pros. But generally speaking, this is the tip of the iceberg for team building. The Packers still had 9 more picks to work with.
Finally! The Packers did some maneuvering and moved way up in the 2nd Round of the draft (courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings). They snagged one of the top WR prospects in the draft Christian Watson from North Dakota State. Tall, fast & from a cold weather school, there's lots to like about Christian Watson wearing the green and gold and pairing up with future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers. Two solid additions to defense and a solid WR prospect and the Packers were just getting started. The manuevering cost the Packers their other 2nd round pick and a 3rd round pick so now a rather long stretch before their next pick.
From there, the Packers went on to really fortify their roster. Adding more WR talent ultimately drafting 3 total WRs. And you can never have too many good lineman right? After some roster turnover on the offensive line, the Packers kept with their philosophy of adding versatile, athletic offensive lineman to the roster with 3 offensive line picks to add nice options for the 2022 season. And not only that, they also added another outside pass rusher where they needed more depth and a physical safety/LB type that can probably help on special teams right away, where the Packers desperately need more sizzle.
All said and done, I think most Packer fans have to be pretty pleased with the draft picks. Almost all seem to already fit into some kind of role for the team and the organization continues to add athletic freaks to their roster with good size and speed. I know I'm really looking forward to seeing the defense, which has generally been considered a weakness throughout Aaron Rodgers' career, turn into a strenghth for this team. Pair a Hall of Fame QB with some weapons and a top 5 (potentially) defense??? I like the Packers chances in 2022. Go Pack Go.