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

Nick Collins has regressed every year of his 3 year career. He had a great rookie season, a pretty good sophomore season, and really played just average last year. Packer fans have been waiting 3 years for Collins to break out and I think this is his last chance because the guy waiting in the wings, Aaron Rouse, is immensely talented and made more plays in 2 games than Collins did all year. Collins is an elite talent who's very good in coverage but he disappears in games and sometimes you have to be reminded he's actually in the game. That's not something you want from your FS and Collins needs to hit the jugs machine this offseason because if he had better hands, he could have had about 5 or 6 Interceptions last year.

I truly believe that Aaron Rouse is our future at safety and I think he has the ability to be an All-Pro. The one thing I love about Rouse is his hunger to succeed; he wants it more than anybody else on the field.

Charles Woodson has played at a Pro Bowl level every year he's been in Green Bay and he's one of the 3 best CB's in the NFL. He is a complete corner who is a technician in the middle of the field and has resurrected his career in Green Bay. Paired with Al Harris, they are one of the best CB duos in the entire NFL and I see another great season from them.

I hear a lot of people say Al Harris' play has regressed, and maybe it has, but it doesn't help his cause that 2 of the worst games he's had in a Packer uniform were nationally televised. He's still one of the best sideline technicians in the game and shuts down half the field more often than not.

One of the guys who I'm most excited about this upcoming season is Tramon Williams. Williams seemed to just get better and better last year and really solidified the Nickle Back position after he won the job. Every time I read a report from the OTA's or Mini-Camp they raved about Tramon Williams. Tramon is very strong(he can bench press double his body weight), which should allow him to get a strong jam at the line once he gets his technique down. I expect Tramon to win the Nickel Back spot with ease and he is going to be one of the most improved players for the Packers this year, giving them the consistent Nickel Back they've been looking for.

Patrick Lee is definitely an intriguing player because his style of play fits our Defense to a T. He excels at jamming Wide Receivers at the line and he is extremely physical. At 24 years old, he's very mature and brings a ton of experience at a high level program to the table. The future at CB will be Tramon Williams and Patrick Lee and as of right now, the future looks bright.

So to answer the question posed at the beginning of this article, yes the Packers can do better in 2008. They probably won't match the 13-3 record they posted last year but I expect them to be a much improved 11-5.

There is a lot of hype surrounding the Minnesota Vikings right now but how many times have the Vikings won the "Offseason Hype Award"? Until they show they can beat the defending NFC North Champs, the hype is only that, hype. If they went out and acquired a better QB than Tarvaris Jackson, a guy like Sage Rosenfels, then I would be worried but since they didn't and since I don't think T-Jack is any good, they'll still struggle to move the ball through the air.

The Packers are one of the most underrated teams heading into next season and you can quote me on this, they will be back in the NFC Championship this year. They will not skip a beat with Rodgers at the helm and they should be one of the better teams in the NFL this year.

In 73 days the Packers get to show why they are still the best team in the division and why no matter how many big time players you go out and sign, team chemistry and good coaching will win out every time. So let them sleep on us Packer fans because it will taste that much sweeter when we're once again one of the last teams standing at the end of the year. GO PACK GO!

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