I will start a series of articles on what to watch out for in the upcoming football season. The intention of the articles will be to provide you with some insight for 2008, and to get you excited for a new chapter in Green Bay Packers history.

These are the top-five things to watch out for from our top-five receivers known as the “Big Five”. It is noted that Koren Robinson was an original member of the “Big Five”, but was released during the offseason. His spot will be taken by our second-round pick Jordy Nelson, from Kansas State.

1) Is Donald Driver fading, or will he return to his numbers of ’06?

Driver has lead the team in receiving the past three years, but his numbers have fallen since ’06. That year he caught 92 catches for 1,295 yards and eight touchdowns. This past year he caught 82 balls and only had 1,048 yards receiving. The biggest stat was the amount of touchdowns he caught, with two.

There are many good reasons for this, including the emergence of Greg Jennings as a star receiver, Wynn and Grant being strong on the goal line, and the solid play of Donald Lee at the TE position. However, there is no excuse for only two touchdowns when you play in all but one game. The breakaway speed was just not shown this year, minus the touchdown catch against the Giants in the NFC Championship game.

Yes, he does still have the ability to gain those extra yards through his hard work, but he needs to keep working the middle of the field and making one or two defenders miss. Driver is known for yards after the catch, so take that away from him, and he is not a No. 1 or No. 2 receiver on any team.

2) Will McCarthy continue with the five-wide formations even without Favre?

Last year, on Nov. 11, Coach McCarthy used a formation known as the five-wide with his top-five receivers on the depth chart. This included, from left to right on the field in different formations, Driver, Jennings, Jones, Martin, and Robinson. This would leave the QB in a shotgun formation, with no running back for protection.

The routes would consist of one player running a fly pattern, another two running slants, and the other two either running an up-and-out or a comeback. The formation would cause the defense to go into man coverage, and drop more men than usual. The intent of the offense is to find a weak defensive back who usually plays special teams, but is forced into the position because of the threat of a deep pass.

This offense required a quick-thinking quarterback and precise route-running by the receivers. It also requires the offensive line to have perfect pass-protection, because if one man gets beat, he is leaving his quarterback out to dry.

With the addition of Jordy Nelson to a solid group of receivers, it looks like McCarthy is keeping that page in the playbook. Rodgers is a smart quarterback, but can also buy extra time with his feet. Look for the Packers to use this formation to surprise opponents, and even get Jennings on a mismatch for a quick score.

3) Will James Jones continue to improve?

Jones was considered one of the best WR taken in the 2007 draft. We used our third-round pick on him, and he emerged as our No. 3 receiver on the depth chart.

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