Friday Cheese Curds: Packers say goodbye to old friends

The team’s equipment manager is retiring, while a respected former coach has passed away.

The Green Bay Packers are saying goodbye to two people who are highly respected in the organization this week — one goodbye coming as the result of retirement and another after a former assistant coach has passed away amid complications from various illnesses.

On the more positive note, the Packers are looking forward to sending their equipment manager of three decades into retirement. Red Batty has been a constant presence at and around Lambeau Field for as long as most of the Packers’ players have been alive, and it will surely be strange for the team’s veterans to walk through the locker room without him being a part of their routine.

The team and the NFL community as a whole is also saying goodbye to Larry Beightol and offering condolences to his family. Beightol coached offensive lines in the NFL for more than 20 years, working for eight different teams throughout his pro football tenure. That included a lengthy stint with the Packers — his longest stretch with any one team, in fact — that saw him put together one of the best lines in franchise history.

While we look ahead to new people joining the Packers organization via the NFL Draft in two weeks, let’s look back and acknowledge the past contributions of these two men heading into the weekend.

Gordon ‘Red’ Batty, long-time Packers equipment manager, is retiring | Packers Wire
Beatty has been the team’s equipment manager for three decades, and is taking a well-earned retirement.

Former Packers assistant coach Larry Beightol dies at 81 | Packers.com
A highly-respected offensive line coach, Beightol led one of the Packers’ best OL groups: the 2003 edition, consisting of Chad Clifton, Mike Wahle, Mike Flanagan, Marco Rivera, and Mark Tauscher. That year’s team allowed just 19 sacks and racked up over 2,500 rushing yards.

How do Cooper DeJean’s skills fit at the next level? NFL Draft film study – The Athletic ($)
The debates about DeJean’s position in the NFL will continue until draft day (and perhaps beyond), and this breakdown of his game helps identify areas where he will need to improve at the NFL level, regardless of what position he ends up playing.

QBs Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels among 13 prospects attending 2024 NFL Draft | NFL.com
It’s no surprise that the vast majority of the players coming to Detroit later this month play on offense — just five of the 13 attendees are defensive players.

German museum employee fired for hanging own art in gallery | CTV News
You can take away his job, but you can never take away the fact that his work was on display in famous museum.