The offensive line is interesting. The tackles are good, but they are very young at guard and center. The line gelled well as the season progressed, and they became a strength of the team.

Part of the reason that the Packers could go with so many four and five wide-receiver sets is because of Favre's command of the offense, and his ability to get rid of the ball quickly. 

The Packers surrendered only 19 sacks, tied for third in the NFL. The quicker Rodgers can get rid of the ball, the more four and five-receiver sets they can use to take advantage of the talent they have at receiver.

Finally, we get to the running back. Who is the real Ryan Grant? Is he the back that had 201 yards and three touchdowns against Seattle, or the one that had 29 yards and zero touchdowns against the Giants? 

One would have had the same questions with Favre coming back. Ten games are not enough to anoint a guy a star running back.

The Packers are going to try to feature him in the offense to take pressure of Rodgers, and he is going to have to prove he can handle the increased attention he will see from defenses. He is perfect for that zone-blocking scheme, and I expect him to get over 1,000 yards and score seven to nine touchdowns.

Prediction

I find it entertaining how people seem to think the Packers are not going to have problems without Brett Favre in 2008. The mentality that the Packers have a great young team, and Rodgers is just ready to step in, is based on one good half against Dallas.

Since 1992, the Packers have finished in the top 10 in both yards gained and points scored every year other than 1992, 1993, 2002, 2005, and 2006. In 2007, the Packers finished second in passing yards, fourth in points scored, sixth in touchdown passes, and 11th in interceptions thrown.

This is a huge loss. It cannot be overstated. This is not Joe Montana and his 16 touchdown passes retiring from the Chiefs in 1994. This is not Dan Marino and his 11 touchdown passes retiring from the Dolphins in 1999. Those guys are all-time greats, but were very average at the end of their career. 

Even if you take out the fact that the Packers are losing an all-time great player and leader, they are still losing their best offensive player from 2007 at the NFL’s most important position.

There are still a lot of good players on the team. I don’t expect the Packers to bottom out at 4-12 in 2008. The team is going to want to show that they can still win, and they will be motivated to do well without Favre. There are plenty of NFL teams in a worse situation.

Had Favre come back, I would have thought a 10-6 or an 11-5 record would be realistic, just based on the tougher schedule. The Packers have many tough games in 2008. They play Dallas, at Seattle, Minnesota twice, at Tampa, at New Orleans, Indianapolis, at Jacksonville, and at Tennessee. 

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