2008 Outlook: Can the Packers be better than last year?

I read a quote from Edgar Bennett saying how improved Jackson is in blitz pickup which was really a huge weakness for him last year. If Jackson can keep improving, keep his head in the playbook and really get the offense down, we could have the best 1-2 punch in the division.

It's really unfortunate that Grant can't be out there practicing with his teammates in what I consider the most important offseason in a long time. I really want Grant and Rodgers to get their cadences down and really get a feel for each other because Grant is going to be a HUGE part of our offense next year.

His contract situation will get worked out sooner rather than later and I think it will be done well before Training Camp, probably within the next 2 weeks during the true "dead season" of the NFL.

Enough about Grant's off the field situation because on the field, he's the most important player on our offense outside of Aaron Rodgers next year. Aside from the NFC Championship, Grant really didn't have a bad game all year and was absolutely brilliant. Aside from LT and Peterson, Grant was the most consistent RB in the NFL last season and really looked like a budding superstar. His feel for the holes is so good and it makes him an absolutely perfect fit for our Zone-Blocking Scheme. He runs as hard as any RB I’ve seen in Green Bay since the 2003 version of Ahman Green and his vision is the best I’ve ever seen in a Packer running back. He knows what he's going to do before he touches the ball and he is a game breaker, he had a 20+ yard run in every game but one from Week 9 until the NFC Championship and his 11 20+ yard runs were good for 3rd in the entire NFL.

The job is Grant's at RB and I don't think he's going to relinquish it anytime soon because he's simply too good. I have no doubt in my mind that if he can stay healthy all season long he is capable of rushing for 1400+ yards and 10+ Touchdowns, all while earning a trip to Hawaii.

So when you consider the situation we were in last year at RB, you can definitely breathe a whole lot easier knowing that we have not 1 but 2 guys who can consistently move the chains when called upon. If we can run the ball consistently like we did during the 2nd half of last season then that would make Rodgers' job so much easier and really take a lot of pressure off of his shoulders.

A consistent running game is a QB's best friend and when you look around at all the weapons we have on offense, our offense should be able to do whatever they want, as long as we keep pounding the rock.

Offensive Line

For the 3rd straight year we know who will be suiting up at T and C but we don't fully know who will start at Guard. Jason Spitz seems to be a good bet to start on the right because he played solid, not great, but solid last year. Spitz is a mauler and he gives our offensive line a mean streak that only Scott Wells can copy. He's seems to be a better pass blocker than run blocker but from what I saw, he seemed to improve at the end of the year. The one thing that separated him from the rest of our guards was the fact that he was consistent and that's not something you can say about the play of the left side last year.

Daryn Colledge just isn't strong enough to play guard IMO, he gets blown up too much and Kevin Williams made him look like a rag doll last year, though, he's definitely not the first person William's has done that to. I can't see Colledge playing Guard this year unless there is an injury because he's just too inconsistent to rely on inside. His future is at LT, so I’d like to see him get some snaps there during the preseason.

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