Bleacher Report - Articles by Peter Bukowski

Green Bay Packers: December Success a Key For Team, McCarthy

Peter Bukowski — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:58:49 -0500

The last meaningful game the Packers played in December did not go well.

Hellacious winds scoured Soldier Field, Brett Favre threw a pair of picks and the Chicago Bears beat the Packers 35-7. The next week, the Packers, having sewn up the two seed, pummeled the Lions with mostly back-ups and coasted into the playoffs.

That was already two years ago.

Last season, the Packers were 5-7 heading into December and riding a two-game losing streak. They proceeded to finish December a disappointing 1-3, dropping those three games by a combined 10 points.

Since Mike McCarthy joined the team, the Packers have gone 8-5 in the month of December. That isn’t going to get it done.

To some degree, it is a microcosm of the McCarthy tenure in Green Bay: The Packers can’t finish, whether it’s drives, games, or seasons.

Until they do, they will not be an elite team in this league.

Winning in December is only trivial if you’ve gotten the division already won. Right now, that list officially includes only the Indianapolis Colts. That means now is not the time to rest on the laurels of having won three straight.

While, the division is all but lost, there is still plenty to play for, though a playoff spot is not a sure thing.

Ten wins may not be enough to get you in, depending on what happens in the NFC East. A repeat of last year’s 1-3 December, and the Packers are looking at spending January on the golf course (the only reason to stay in Green Bay would be if there were football to be played).

If the Packers are able to take care of their business in December, January status is secure. Perhaps, even more important, January football could bring a familiar foe.

If the Saints find a way to lose a game (and they likely will), and the Vikings don’t lose another game (possible they won’t), the Pack could be in position for a Minnesota rematch if they are able to grab a playoff spot and spring a first round upset. (There are a number of different scenarios that could bring about a rematch, plenty of them plausible).

Right now, it is on McCarthy to bring the Packers back to being a cold weather, late season dominating force. That is how Green Bay used to be, and there's still nothing like winter football in Wisconsin.

The onus does not fall on Aaron Rodgers, as he’s never played a meaningful December game. He will certainly get the opportunity.

Penalties, poor execution, ridiculous play-calling, and underachievement have marred McCarthy’s time in Green Bay. This team is poised to make a playoff run, and if they can even just go 3-2 down the stretch, they should make the playoffs.

Failing to qualify for the postseason would qualify as a choke job, and would fit to stand as the perfect example of why McCarthy is not the man to lead the Packers back to prominence: His teams can't finish.

The roster is full of players capable of getting the Pack back. It’s time for the coach to step up and bring them together. If he can’t, it will not be a happy new year in the McCarthy home.

Not on Their Knees: Green Bay Packer Injuries Won't Cripple Playoff Possibility

Peter Bukowski — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:24:17 -0500

Losing a Pro Bowl player at any position is going to have an impact on your squad. Lose two, and you could be in serious trouble. Not so if you're the Green Bay Packers.

Al Harris and Aaron Kampman are elite players, and neither will suit up for the Packers this season barring some minor medical miracle. But the impact may not be as bad you would think.

Bearwith me. I mentioned last week that I believed this defense might actually be better off with Brad Jones starting at outside linebacker instead of Kampman. Against Dallas, without big number 74, the Packers had their best defensive game of the season and Mr. Jones was a big part of that effort.

He is fluid, athletic, and is getting to be assignment-sure. He can make the plays in coverage Kampman couldn't, and even if he's allowing completions, Jones is in position to make a tackle to limit the damage.

Kampman has had his hand in the dirt more, and even got a sack this last week, but he's not the same player he had been, and there's no reason to believe that was going to change.

Cullen Jenkins is playing like a Pro Bowler, and the defensive front has been stout. Between Jenkins and the improved pass-rush from the linebackers, the Packers don't lose much with Kampman off the field. They proved that against the Cowboys.

Losing Al Harris is a bigger issue. When Harris went down with that ruptured spleen last season, Tramon Williams made his presence known to the fans in Green Bay, and to some degree the NFL. Williams is an elite nickel back and will be a more than competent starter someday in this system, particularly if he continues to improve.

Williams is more fluid in coverage and has better speed. Not the physical player Harris is, Williams does have some deficiencies in the run game, but his ball skills and playmaking ability may actually be greater than Harris'. Expect him to be tested early and often by opposing offenses.

There's the next big reason this won't kill the Pack's D: There just aren't that many explosive passing offenses left on the schedule.

The Packers still have to play Detroit, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Chicago, and Arizona. Detroit has one banged up, if ultra-talented, receiver and either a banged up rookie, or a washed-out has been at quarterback.

Baltimore has a tremendously talented quarterback, but no receivers who really scare you. Pittsburgh has a talented receiving group and a dangerous tight end, but no one one you can point to and say, "This is a guy we have to look out for."

Seattle is just terrible offensively and defensively, although Hasselbeck HAS been a Pro Bowler and he has a more than competent group of wide-outs. We know what Chicago has in JaMarcus Cutler, and that the group of receivers is one of the most anemic in the league.

The only group with more than one game breaker is Arizona with Boldin, Breaston and Fitzgerald. The weird thing is they've been terrible at home and Kurt Warner has been both horrific and unstoppable this season.

By the time the Packers play 'Zona, they'll have long locked up the division and won't have much to play for, particularly if there is the potential for Packers, Cards first round match-up (Very possible).

Certainly, in the playoffs both of these injuries could be costly. Every division leader in the NFC has a Pro Bowl quarterback and a potentially explosive passing attack. The Packers have almost no chance of stopping the Saints or Vikings without two of their best defensive players, but just getting to the playoffs will be an important step for this football team.

In terms of age in the NFL, both Harris and Kampman are well passed their supposed prime, even if they are still top-tier players. But if Ted Thompson's desire to stay young has any chance of winning football games, then his young and talented roster will have to fill the holes. Four wins in the last six does not seem out of reach, and five or six wins is certainly not out of the question.

Tramon Williams and Brad Jones have potential to be impact players. But "potential" is a dangeruos word. We all have the potential to be great, but we are defined by our response to the opportunities we have to be great.

For Williams, Jones, and this young Packers team, that opportunity is now.

Five Guys Playing on Saturdays Who Could Help the Green Bay Packers On Sundays

Peter Bukowski — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:24:03 -0500

I came to the Bleacher Report community to write about the NFL Draft. I sort of fell into this Packers gig by accident (although it’s a blast and I love it). Unfortunately, in the last couple months I have failed to come up with any substantive draft coverage. I figured with the college regular season winding down I would mix my two passions and give you an idea of what guys in the college game, the Packers might be interested in.

Obviously, I can’t say “Oh the Packers would benefit from having Eric Berry, Tennessee’s outstanding safety,” because even if Green Bay lost all of their games from here on out, they’d have no chance of landing Berry, assuming he declares.

Seven teams currently sport a 5-4 record, which means the Packers are picking somewhere in the late teens, or early 20’s in the first round if the season ended today. Ted Thompson likes to pick the best player available so of course we have no idea what to expect on draft day. That’s where I come in.

1) Bryan Bulaga OT Iowa 6-5 313

For starters, the offensive line is a mess. That is no secret. Luckily, rookie tackles can have outstanding seasons as we’ve seen from recent top tackles like Michael Oher, Jake Long, and Joe Thomas. Offensive tackle must be considered priority No. 1.

Talk about a physical offensive tackle, Bulaga is a mauler on the edge. He is certainly a better run-blocker than he is pass-blocker, but he’s got a wide frame and good feet. Just a junior, Bulaga is the second or third ranked offensive tackle in college football depending on who you talk to.

Whether he comes out this season or not is somewhat of a question, but if he does he could certainly be not the Packer’s radar. Bulaga is a more prototypical tackle than Packer T.J. Lang, and could play on the right side or left side, depending on what happens with Clifton, Tauscher, Barbre et al.

USC OT Charles Brown and Bulaga have similar ratings on my board, and both would likely come off the board around the time the Packers would pick.

2) Sergio Kindle OLB Texas 6-4 236

Right off the bat I want to add TCU’s Jerry Hughes, North Carolina’s Bruce Carter and Missouri’s Sean Witherspoon to this list, but I figured it’d be messy. The Packers need another edge rusher opposite Clay Matthews and his name is not Aaron Kampman (that’s a whole other issue).

All four of these guys are strong, athletic, and crafty working on the edges. Jerry Hughes has been one of the most underrated players in college football for two seasons now, and continues to get the quarterback despite opposing offenses game planning for him. I would love to see him in green and gold.

Kindle and Witherspoon are two of the elite defensive players in the Big 12. Witherspoon may not have the pass-rush capabilities to play outside in the 3-4, while Kindle’s specialty is getting to the quarterback. And Carter has come on strong this season, and is shooting up draft boards.

This draft is full of guys who can get to the quarterback, and the Packers could afford to wait until the second or third round to address it. However, if they really like one of these guys, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them snap one of them up.

3) Jahvid Best RB California-Berkley 5-10 197

Ryan Grant needs some help. He’s a one cut runner with limited big play ability because he does not possess the agility in space to make people miss. Brandon Jackson is a nice player and Ahman Green is a nice story, but “nice” doesn’t cut it in the running game.

Best is a burner, and despite this recent head injury at Cal, Best is a top 25 talent with room to spare. He was having a Heisman season early on and is capable of taking over games with his big play ability. He would give Aaron Rodgers another weapon on offense to run screens, draws, and swing passes too, and may even help in the return game.

Based on pure talent, Best shouldn’t be available when the Packers pick, even if it’s in the middle of the first round. But I get the feeling Best’s stock is falling, particularly after his scary injury (after he blazes a 40 time at the combine, we’ll likely see that change).

Although he has a late first/early second round grade, Jonathan Dwyer from Georgia Tech is another player who could really give the Packers backfield a boost.

4) Patrick Robinson CB Florida State 5-11 192

Tramon Williams may be one of the best nickel backs in the league, but after that there isn’t much to speak of in the Packer’s secondary. Additionally, the safety position is a huge concern with only Derrick Martin as any kind of serviceable back-up. Getting some young talent into this secondary must be a concern for TT.

Patrick Robinson is the top senior corner in the draft and possesses unmatched physical tools at the position. Florida State coaches say he’s as gifted a player as Deion Sanders and Terrell Buckley. If Green Bay drafts him, Packer fans will hope Robinson can remind us of Deion and forget Buckley.

Robinson is not a great tackler, and his numbers won’t jump out at you, at least not the last two seasons, but before everyone knew who Robinson was back in 2006, he tallied six picks.

Teams simply don’t throw his way anymore and it could be a great tool to learn how to be a more physical corner from two of the best in Al Harris and Charles Woodson.

South Florida S Nate Allen could draw some consideration here as well as the defensive back class is one of the thin group after top tier guys like Berry, Florida’s Joe Haden and USC’s Taylor Mays.

5) Arthur Jones DT Syracuse 6-3 302

Right now, the Packers have one of the best defensive lines in football. Cullen Jenkins has elevated his game to elite status. Ryan Picket has been solid inside and Johnny Jolly has been a difference maker on the other end.

However, Jolly could be wearing a different jersey pretty soon (and not the NFL kind, a bright orange one), and B.J. Raji is probably a better fit as nose tackle, although he has been getting reps at end.

Jones and Jolly are very similar players. Both have long arms and can use their hands to gain position. The Syracuse star makes a living in opponents backfields despite seeing double teams. He even had 15 tackles, 4 for a loss in the 2008 game against Notre Dame.

A knee injury ended Jones' season early, and he had surgery on his chest after a freak accident in the weight room last spring. Jones' strength is one of his biggest assets and he will have to check out physically to earn this kind of draft position.

USC’s Everson Griffen and North Carolina’s Marvin Austin could also be options here as defensive lineman.

Losing The Edge: Sacking Kampman Could Be Double-Edged Sword For Packers

Peter Bukowski — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:43:10 -0500

When Aaron Kampman heard the Packers were switching to the 3-4 defense, he kept his mouth shut about his frustrations. As we all know, that was as good as saying, “I’m not on board.” Through eight games in 2009 it isn’t hard to see why.

Kampman has just 2.5 sacks and has been rendered useless on many passing downs, having to cover running backs and tight ends from his new linebacker position. Now, out with a concussion, Kampman will be replaced by Colorado rookie Brad Jones for Sunday’s key face-off with the Dallas Cowboys.

That is great news for Packer fans this week (“this week” is important).

Aaron Kampman is not an outside linebacker, not a very good one anyway. He should have his hand down as a 4-3 end because Kampman is a technician pass-rusher. That is to say he doesn’t beat tackles with speed or power, but rather by working them over and over all game long. He has great hands, quick feet, and no one will out-hustle him.

That used to be enough. It isn’t in this defense.

Kampman is regarded as an elite pass-rusher even though he’s had double-digit sack numbers just twice in his career. Before his break-out season in 2006 Kampman had only 12.5 sacks in 48 career starts. And since his career high 15.5 sack season in 2006, his numbers have gone from 12.5 in 2007 to 9.5 in 2008. He’s currently on pace to finish with just 7 in 2009.

The former Iowa Hawkeye will be 30 at the end of this month. He was still an elite pass-rusher despite the numbers last season, but how much longer can that continue? Late bloomers are tough to predict.

Despite Kampman’s frustration with it, this new defense has made light year strides against the run. Adrian Peterson was essentially a non-issue in both Vikings contests, and the Packers currently rank ninth in the league in rush yards allowed.

It wouldn’t matter if Kampman were playing or not, that number would likely be the same.

The problem this season is the pass-rush. The problem last season was the pass-rush. The problem next season will be the pass-rush if Aaron Kampman is still in Green Bay, assuming the Packers stick with their new defense and that isn’t necessarily a knock on Kampman.

I’m not saying Brad Jones is the definitive answer either, I’m just saying he’s closer.

Kampman does not have the agility to play in space against tackles. He beats them by getting them off-balance and working them for position. But when talking about Aaron Kampman’s skill set, “explosive” is not an appropriate word.

Brad Jones on the other hand, runs a sub 4.6 40. From a pure athletic standpoint, there just is no comparison.

If you look at the elite defenses in the league, nearly all of them have an explosive pass-rusher. Teams like the Giants, Steelers, and Colts have a couple. That’s why they’re scary teams for opposing offenses.

The Packers are an edge rusher and an offensive tackle away from really being a contender in the NFC (let’s not forget a coach). Whether it’s the draft (There are probably seven or eight first round pass-rushers and a deep crop of tackles), or free agency, there are places to go to sure up this team.

Kampman heads to free agency after this season, and will expect a big payday (that he’ll likely get). The smart move would have been to make a Jared Allen-type trade with Kampman months ago, ensuring the Packers would receive SOMETHING for their Pro Bowl pass-rusher. Now, he can walk away and head to say, the Vikings where he signed an offer sheet as a restricted free agent in 2005.

You’d like to keep Kampman because pass-rushers can take over a game. Just ask the Packer tackles. But in this defense, Kampman isn’t a game-changer at outside linebacker. In fact, he’s just barely average, particularly with his deficiencies in coverage.

But whether you like it or not Packer fans, Dom Capers is here for a while. What’s more, it wouldn’t surprise is Ted Thompson hired him knowing Mike McCarthy may not be long for this world.

Kampman’s potential departure would open up a starting spot for someone who could be an impact player, but it also opens up the possibility of Kampman coming back to hurt the Packers, something Cheeseheads know all about this season.

The problem is Aaron Kampman can’t help the Packers much more this season and probably couldn’t in the near future either. Unfortunately for fans, he could certainly help someone else.

Time To Clean Up Disaster Site After Hurricane Freeman Hits Green Bay

Peter Bukowski — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:07:13 -0500

A complete unmitigated disaster, one that requires serious introspection, and self-evaluation. That’s perhaps the only way to describe what the Packers 38-28 loss to hapless Tampa Bay was. This is the kind of loss that ruins a season, particularly with a match-up with the red-hot Cowboys on national television next Sunday afternoon.

Oh, and did I mention there are still dates with the Ravens, Steelers, Cardinals, and Bears left on the schedule after that?

The Buccaneers were supposed to be the perfect whipping boy for a frustrated Packers team coming off one of the most emotional losses of the season. Tampa even had their throwback uni’s on, hearkening back to the days of historic ineptitude to match the Bucs 0-7 season.

Make that 1-7.

The Buccaneers couldn’t get to the quarterback, and had traded their most talented pass-rusher to the Bears. Better remind Aaron Rodgers, at least after you pick him up off the ground. Mark Tauscher didn’t help much, as the Packers gave up six sacks.

At some point Rodgers is going to start feeling phantom pressure, get happy feet, and start making bad throws. In fact, we’re already starting to see it. Donald Driver might be right when he says that if you give Rodgers time, he’s the best quarterback in the NFL, but if they can’t start protecting him soon, it could do permanent damage to Rodger’s psyche.

I hear a lot of whining about Ted Thompson, and I hesitate to even bring him up, but this isn’t on TT. This team isn’t constructed poorly, it’s being coached poorly.

I was never sold on Mike McCarthy as the man to lead the Packers back to the Super Bowl. He has been consistently out-coached during his tenure in Green Bay, and it’s been the same problems, no matter who the players, or coaches have been.

The offense can’t move the ball consistently, and relies too heavily on big plays. The short passing game has disappeared, and given way to five, and seven step drops, despite the Packers' inability to protect. And when Rodgers does get time, he can’t find a receiver. I don’t know if guys just aren’t getting open, or if Rodgers isn’t making his reads properly, but something has to change, and nothing has.

The running game has shown improvement, and Grant seems to have his burst back. But the play action game has been nonexistent. When they do go off a run fake, it’s all downfield throws. Rodgers doesn’t seem content with underneath routes, even when they’re wide open, and prefers to throw into double, or even triple coverage downfield (a habit he no doubt learned from his predecessor).

The defense continues to get take-aways, and stop the run, but the lack of a pass-rush has been the undoing of the season for the Packers. Even getting a rookie making his first start wasn’t enough to create some havoc in the opponents backfield. The interceptions were made on rookie throws, not great defensive calls.

The preseason showed the Packers susceptibility to underneath throws if the blitz didn’t get home. The regular season has only proved that tenfold. The 3-4 was a sexy idea at the time of the switch, coming off a season in which the Packers' defense was responsible for a number of late game collapses.

Now after two terrible weeks, the 3-4 has about as much sex appeal as your elementary school lunch lady.

Al Harris, and Charles Woodson, can only fool Father Time so long. Aaron Kampman’s concerns over the switch were clearly justified as he has proven week in, and week out he’s a terrible fit at outside linebacker.

This team looks tailor-made for a 4-3, with Pickett and Raji inside, Kampman and Jenkins at the ends, and Jolly (until he goes to jail anyway) on the inside on passing downs. Chillar, Matthews, and Barnett would be an athletic, and versatile linebacking group, and we all know what the secondary can do, just as long as they don’t have to cover for 10 seconds a play.

If the Packers are committed to the 3-4, then you have to make some changes in personnel. If they’re committed to winning now, then the change must come from the coaches. Either Dom needs to figure something else out, or he needs to go.

Same goes for McCarthy. There is too much talent on this offense for them to be stalling in the red zone, continually, and perpetually committing penalties, not to mention being habitually put in a position to fail because of poor calls.

Lost in the Brett Favre/Aaron Rodgers hype is the fact that the pressure is now on the Packers to make the playoffs, since the Vikings are almost certainly going (likely with a first round bye).

The only goal now, is to win every week. Fail to win enough games, and miss out on the playoffs, heads need to roll in Green Bay. The fans here expect the playoffs, and they deserve it. Especially when the former face of the franchise will be playing well into January in purple and gold.

Mike McCarthy, and Dom Capers, you, and your staff, have been put on notice. Your jobs are on the line if you don’t make the playoffs.

And Ted Thompson, you’re not immune. If the Packers are sitting home during the playoffs, and there aren’t consequences, it’s time for you to go too. You better hope the Pack can keep Aaron Rodgers upright, because if he get sacked much more, and you don’t make some changes, then you deserve to be sacked along with him.

Despite Critics, Don't Sell Packer Defense Short

Peter Bukowski — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:47:12 -0500

Packer fans are not happy with Dom Capers right now.

And they’re not the only ones. Players voiced their frustration following the loss to Minnesota, saying they were “handcuffed” to quote Cullen Jenkins.

Just don’t blame the defense for the Packers being 4-3.

You can understand the frustration when Green Bay showed no ability in two games to stop the Vikings offense, gave up a ton of points, and lost both football games.

Now, we are hearing from bloggers, writers, and fans that the Packers defensive rankings are inflated because they’ve played bad teams, and they don’t deserve to be considered a top tier defense. The Pack currently rank in the Top 10 in all four major categories: points, total yards, passing yards, and rushing yards allowed.

Critics will say those numbers are due to playing sub-standard teams, and if you look at the stats against the Vikings, they show the Packers really aren't that good.

They’re right about the stats, but they’re equivocating, and it’s not fair to this defense.

So since everyone wants to talk about the schedules, and the Packers in relation to the Vikings, let’s do that, and you may be surprised at the results.

The first contention fans make is the easy schedule the Packers faced outside of the Vikings. But the Packers, and Vikings, have played very similar schedules, rank on opposite ends of the league, and yet the Vikings are supposed to have an elite defense.

But take a look at the schedules. Each team has faced the Lions, Rams, and Browns. The Vikings gave up 933 yards and 40 points to those three, while the Packers gave up just 624 yards, and 23 points.

We know what happened in the head-to-head meetings, but both teams put up a ton of points, and a ton of yards. So those games are a wash.

You can’t count the extra game, because these rankings are based on a per game basis, not total. The only argument there would be that the Packers got some rest, and the Vikings didn’t. The difference is, the Vikings weren’t dealing with the same injury issues the Packers have been, so again, that ought to be a wash as well.

The rest of the schedule, so far, has been very similar. The Packers played a 4-3 Bears team, and a 5-2 Cinci team, both of whom have beaten the Steelers (to whom the Vikings fell just two weeks ago). The Vikings played 4-3 Baltimore, and 5-2 Pittsburgh, is this sounding familiar? Both the Packers, and Vikings, split their meetings, although the Vikes gave up 58 points, and Green Bay just 46.

Now, consider the Packers have given up the fourth fewest total yards, and the Vikings the 19th fewest.

The Packers have faced Matt Forte, Adrian Peterson (Twice), Cedric Benson, and Stephen Jackson, and have given up just 13 yards, more on the ground per game than the vaunted Vikings rush D (The Packers rank ninth and the Vikings fourth).

This is defensive improvement. It was what Dom Capers was brought here to do. It isn’t the defense's fault the Packers can’t protect Aaron Rodgers. Last Sunday, the Packers' defense was constantly defending a short field, because the offense was putting them in horrible positions given their propensity to give up sacks, and penalties.

I hear you, there’s more to football than these rankings. Look at last season with the offense.

I get it.

The Packers couldn’t stop Brett Favre in either of the two meetings, and that hurts Packer fans. I know. But Favre has killed everyone this year. He’s playing at an elite level right now.

Green Bay ranks first in turnover ratio, and fourth in the league in interceptions. They have one of the best secondaries in the league, and they’re a Top-10 team statistically against the pass.

But the big criticism is, they’re not getting to the quarterback with just 11 sacks this season. Did you know 5-2 New England only has 12? Or 4-3 Atlanta only has 14? The Miami Dolphins are sixth in the league in sacks, and they’re 3-4. The Seahawks, and Redskins are tied for seventh in the NFL in sacks, and they’re a combined 4-10.

So to you who say stats aren’t as important as winning football games, I agree. Remember, the Packers are still very much in the thick of the Wild Car race, and have plenty of chances to separate themselves down the stretch.

The loss to Minnesota hurts, not only because it was a division game, but because Brett Favre was the QB. The division is all but out of reach, however, the schedule is still favorable.

Let’s not forget the Packers will likely go to 5-3 this week, and play a number of their wild card competition down the stretch, including a monstrous game against the Cowboys at Lambeau in two weeks.

Win the next two, and don’t make any big mistakes down the stretch, and the Packers are still in excellent shape to make the playoffs, not to mention finish with a top-ranked defense.

Fans need to push the images of Brett Favre out of their mind, and remember this was a 6-10 team last year killed by injuries, and inconsistency.

Aaron Rodgers has been sacked more than any quarterback in the league by far, and he’s still the highest rated QB in the league, not to mention how infrequently he’s turned the football over. A-Rod is the man who will have to step up down the stretch, create opportunities to score, and keep that defense off the field.

Consistency is the key. Play like a 10 defense every week, and it doesn’t matter what bloggers say, you are a Top-10 defense.

I don’t have to tell you what sorts of things defense wins.

Even in Purple, Brett Favre Still Top Gun in Green Bay

Peter Bukowski — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:19:20 -0500

Let’s be very clear about this: The Minnesota Vikings are a better football team than the Green Bay Packers. And yes Packers fans, the difference is Brett Favre.

There’s no way the Vikings sweep the Packers if Sage Rosenfels is the quarterback, particularly when you consider how successful Green Bay was corralling Adrian Peterson. But with Brett Favre playing energized and focused, this Vikings team could be scary good.

Michael Strahan mentioned at halftime the Packers looked like an immature team. Nothing seems more relevant as to why the Packers lost on Sunday afternoon than that.

Penalties gave life to Vikings drives. Missed assignment lead to sacks or blown coverages. Once again, the Packers were not ready to play this game and their opponent was. Somehow, Mike McCarthy was outcoached by Brad Childress. The Vikings were prepared, the Packers weren’t.

But the biggest difference was Brett.

It was painful for Packer fans to watch. I’ve never heard Lambeau field so loud in my life. For what seemed like the whole first quarter, fans booed before every offensive snap. And I couldn’t help but think that was not smart. If there’s one thing Packer fans should know, the harder you hit Favre, the more he’s going to come back and try to beat you.

When it was all over and the Packers had given away any chance to win the game, there was a moment where I actually smiled. Favre has thrown his fourth touchdown pass, completing the kind of tour de force performance that was every Cheesehead’s worst nightmare.

I have taken management’s side this whole way since Favre forced his way back into the league (I still contend he never had any intention of playing with Green Bay). But Brett Favre had done what he set out to do, what so many hoped he couldn’t: Beat the Packers.

It was that moment of triumph for Favre, that I felt connected with him for the first time since he retired.

I got a text message from my sister saying watching the game was like seeing an ex-boyfriend have a dirty, tacky affair with some cheap call girl right in front of you. It was gut-wrenching and horrible. Aaron Rodgers played just well enough down the stretch to make things close (Can you believe he’s the highest rated passer in the NFL and has been sacked 31 times? Peyton Manning is second, he’s been sacked five times).

There will be plenty more chances for Aaron Rodgers to win big football games. He’ll have another shot in a couple weeks when Dallas rolls into town.

But this is Favre’s swan song.

In the moments following the game, as dejected and disappointed as I was in my team, I watched Favre. He was triumphant, a conqueror. And for a few fleeting moments I remembered what it was like to love watching him play.

To be a Favre fan once again.

I will never ever cheer for Minnesota. If Favre can break the Viking’s curse and win a Super Bowl it will be one of the darkest hours in Packers history (not to mention the lives of so many Packer fans). But it is remarkable to think about what good ole’ number 4 is doing for Minnesota.

I insisted you boo Favre when he came out onto the field. I even booed from my apartment. But when Favre finally hangs up his cleats, I will cheer my guts out for him.

The Green Bay season, in some ways, can start again. Favre hype is gone, and now they can focus on making the playoffs. With the division all but out of reach, the Pack simply has to focus on winning every week in order to stay alive.

Barring some minor miracle, the Packers are not the Super Bowl team many predicted they would be. We should have recognized that all along. They could have been the feel good story of the year. Instead, they continue to make stupid mistakes and underachieve.

Unfortunately for Cheeseheads, the man once viewed as the second coming is instead the lead story. Ironically, Super Bowl ring or not, this is the season people will remember as the second coming of Brett Favre.

True Packer Fans Must Let Favre Hear It

Peter Bukowski — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:04:18 -0400

The talk on ESPN today was the state of fans in Green Bay when Brett Favre is announced as the opposing starting quarterback this weekend. Will they boo him? Will they cheer him? What will the split be? 80/20?

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Sports Editor Gary Howard wrote a great piece imploring Packer fans to cheer for the man who has done so much for the NFL's proudest franchise.

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/66230602.html

Former Packer, and close friend of Favre, Leroy Butler insisted Packer fans ought to boo him mercilessly. He also wrote in the Journal Sentinel, "if you’re going to stand up wearing Packer clothing or a Packer uniform and cheer when Brett Favre comes out, you should bring a bag and put it over your head."

Expect to hear cheers and jeers Sunday when No. 4 takes the field for the first time.

I can't imagine Brad Childress is dumb enough to introduce his offense in starting line-ups to give Cheeseheads a specific opportunity to boo Favre. Then again, I just started a sentence with, "I can't imagine Brad Childress is dumb enough to X." Famous last words.

I know how I think Packer fans ought to react. Much like LeRoy Butler, I believe if you are a fan of the Packers you are a Packers fan first and a Favre fan second. Ultimately, Favre plays for a division rival and his departure from Green Bay was less than amicable no matter what you believe happened between Favre and Ted Thompson.

That means you boo, hiss, yell obscene things about his mother (unless you're in a family section), and you wave your Bredidict Favrold signs because No. 4 plays for Minnesota. That means he's going to bust his butt to beat the Packers.

Your team.

It doesn't matter what you believe about how he left Green Bay. Whether he was kicked out the door, or whether he wanted out, none of that matters. He left.

He could have come back after retiring in New York, signed a one day contract in Green Bay, and officially retired as a Green Bay Packer. He will go into the Hall of Fame as a Packer, and that does deserve a certain amount of deference and respect.

So, maybe the obscene mom comments should be kept for Jared Allen or Bernard Berrian.

His three MVPs, Super Bowl trophy, gazillion passing yards, and almost two decades of Green and Gold memories don't matter when he takes the field wearing purple and yellow.

Howard points out that the feelings angry Packer fans have are simply "the passion that burns for the Green and Gold, not your true feelings about a player that some of you even named your sons after." And he's half right.

The animosity towards Favre is based on unbridled enthusiasm for their team, but only because Favre broke their collective hearts when he bolted for Minneapolis. Trading Green and Gold for Viking horns and purple effectively ruptured the relationship connecting fans to Favre.

It is not THAT Favre is coming back, it's who he's bringing with him that makes Packer fans potentially booing so justified.

And I'll prove it.

If you're a Packer fan and Brett Favre comes back last year in a Jets uniform do you boo him? Absolutely not. He'd have come out to raucous applause and signs about how Brett will always be a Packer and all sorts of other nonsense.

But not when he comes out with those annoying horns blowing and Jared Allen running around like a drunken maniac rocking the colors of your most hated rival.

Brett Favre wants to beat Green Bay more than anything else he could possibly do this season. How could you possibly cheer for a man who stated explicitly part of coming back was to show the Packers he could still play, specifically by beating them?

As a fan, that is treason.

Gary Howard is a tremendous writer, one of the most respected in the Midwest, and he has been a trailblazer for African-American journalists. But that doesn't mean he can't be wrong.

Brett Favre deserves to have his jersey retired in Green Bay to a standing ovation and tears. He ought to have unified support from fans when he gets his bronze bust in Canton as well as anytime he comes back to Lambeau in his famous Wrangler jeans.

Just as long as he doesn't have that Viking purple on too.

You can love Favre, but if you love football and you love the Packers, you have to boo him, at least until he retires for good.

Packers Play the Perfect Team to Set Up Their Marquee Match of Season

Peter Bukowski — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:35:02 -0400

A couple months ago, the Packers beat the living daylights out of the Cleveland Browns at Lambeau in the preseason. The defense was devastating, the offense looked sharp, and it was clear the Browns were simply overmatched.

Through five games, the Packers aren’t who we thought they were, but this Browns team may actually be worse than we thought they were. No, it won’t be a test for Green Bay heading into Judgment Week, but it should be the perfect tune-up.

The quarterback situation in Cleveland is the worst in the NFL. By far.

Derek Anderson is a shell of the quarterback who threw for 3,787 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2007. He was benched last season in favor of Brady Quinn, who won the job outright this season.

The hometown favorite from Notre Dame was so pathetic in Anderson’s stead that they went back to Anderson who responded by throwing six interceptions to just two touchdowns for a marvelous QB rating of 41.7.

Turnovers should be plentiful from a Packers defense that is as good as it gets when it comes forcing take-aways from opposing quarterbacks.

Much like last week, the receivers should be no problem. Josh Cribbs is an explosive return man, but a marginal receiver at best. Mohamed Massaquoi is a physical, talented rookie out of Georgia who had a big day against Cinci three weeks ago, but has yet to score a touchdown and has only had two multiple catch games.

Playing defensive back has a lot to do with swagger. Guys like Charles Woodson and Al Harris don’t need much help in that department, but a Sunday of man-handling a group of receivers should do wonders for a team when they go up against a quarterback in Brett Favre, who torched them in the first meeting.

The biggest concern, in some ways, is the offense’s rhythm heading into the November match up with Minny.

No one gives up more yards than the Browns do at a staggering 407.3 yard per game clip. They are 30th in the league in rush defense giving up 165 yards per game and even though newly signed Ahman Green probably won’t play in this game, getting the offensive line some confidence in the run game will be vital for success against the Vikings (Remember, Ahman Green had some big days against the Vikings).

If you’re Aaron Rodgers though, your biggest concert has to be this offensive line gaining some cohesion and confidence in pass protection. Jared Allen ate the Packer’s lunch in that Monday Night game, and things didn’t get much better against the lowly Lions when they gave up five more sacks.

Jared Allen is playing like the defensive player of the year, so if the Packers hope to slow him down, they have to make some adjustments and get the offensive line squared away. Mark Tauscher won’t be ready by then, and even if he were ready, Allen would be matched up on the opposite edge more often than not.

The Browns do not boast a devastating edge rusher, but neither did the Lions. In fact, the Lions were missing half their defense and still managed to get in the grill of Aaron Rodgers. Getting the Browns means getting a team who has struggled to get consistent pressure and who lacks true playmakers along the front seven in terms of rushing the passer. The O-line should be able to handle this group, and feel good about themselves heading into the following week.

The big picture here is clear: get things corrected this week against a terrible team, so you can have your heads on straight to play the biggest game of your season.

That means this cannot be a trap game, it means too much. The Packers offensive line has to play well this week, or face a ferocious pass-rush next week who will sense the blood in the water. Aaron Rodgers and company have to come away with six in the redzone instead of three, because Minnesota will. And the defense has to rush the passer, and force take-aways because Favre has shown he can still fire rockets if he has time.

I hate to keep looking forward to that game, but if the Packers don’t win November 1st , the division is gone. The only way that game even matters though, is if the Packers win this week. They don’t have to win by 100, they just have to cut down the mistakes and play solid football. If they do that they’ll win, and be on a roll headed for the monster matchup of the season.

Hey, Packers, Just Shut Up and Start Winning

Peter Bukowski — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:28:41 -0400

Jermichael Finley rubbed me the wrong way when he tweeted “Next is lion should trash them,” in reference to the upcoming match-up with the Detroit Lions. He gave a half hearted apology of sorts while basically saying, “What do you want from me? It’s the Lions”

Now I love JMike as a player, but much like this Packers team, he is talented while proving nothing.

So until this team proves something, shut up.

I don’t want to harp on Finley or single him out. It's not on him, he's just the one who said something. The kid should have confidence in his abilities, after all he did trash the Vikings last week. He has every reason to believe an inferior defense would fare even worse against him and this offense.

He’s also right in saying the Packers “should” trash the Lions. Especially now that word out of Detroit is that Lions All-World wide out Calvin Johnson likely won’t play, the Packers should and need to beat the Lions.

But Green Bay is 2-2, coming off a painful not to mention sloppy defeat at the hands of an arch rival, I don’t want to hear a word out of Green Bay that isn’t “We’re working our (bleeping) tails off to get this turned around.”

Against Minnesota, the Packers looked listless at times. They played with no passion, energy, or heart. There was no chip on their shoulders, no anger, no fire. It was as if the players were just waiting for the light to turn on and they’d start playing like the Super Bowl team everyone thought they were coming into the year.

That time has passed, the press-clippings aren’t pretty anymore so the players need to stop reading them and start reading their playbooks. The bye week gave the team a chance to heal physically, now it’s time to put the hurt to someone else.

It’s good to play Detroit and Cleveland after such a bad beat, because Green Bay has a reason to come out and pulverize the opposition in the next two weeks. Oh, and did I mention what’s his name and that team from next door come to Lambeau after those two games?

When the Packers lost to Cincinnati, the talk was not to panic, it was just one game.

When they lost to Minnesota, it was the wrong kind of talking, the excuses and explanations for such a pathetic display of mediocrity (And I need to remind you, they still had a chance to win that game).

Did Aaron hold the ball too long? Did the offensive line suck? Did the defense play with no life or creativity? Will Mark Tauscher be signed?

Enough talk. Enough excuses.

There’s no hype this week for a Detroit Lions team with one win since Clinton was President (Okay not quite, but it seems that way). There will be even less for Cleveland as the intensity of a division game will give way to an AFC powder puff game.

These are must wins, and they need to be crisp and convincing. And I don't mean by explaining that it wasn't close.

A good linebackers coach will tell his players that you do your talking with your pads. You think Kevin Greene is saying that to his guys right now? He better be.

It’ll be clear after just a couple minutes against Detroit where this team is. If they talk with their pads and put a butt-whooping on Detroit early, maybe this team is starting to figure it out. If they have to squeak out another W (or God forbid they lose), and we have to hear more excuses after the game, the real talk will need to start again…Talk about next season.

More Pressure On Brett Favre, Not Aaron Rodgers To Win Now

Peter Bukowski — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 01:17:31 -0400

Let me be clear about this from the outset: I don’t want Brett Favre to fail in Minnesota.

That may sound strange given that I’ve been a vocal Favre basher since the nonsense this offseason and I hate the Vikings with a fiery, burning passion. But they say in formulating the best argument you want to give your opponent the strongest possible case, and then refute it.

In order to show, and I have argued, that Ted Thompson made the right decision when he chose Aaron Rodgers over Brett Favre, then it follows that we must make the strongest case possible for an opponent, no matter how deep in Favre insanity he or she may be.

That is simple: Brett Favre deserved to come back to Green Bay because he can still lead the team and would be a better option than Aaron Rodgers.

Look at the facts from last season and you’ll notice Rodgers had one of the greatest seasons in NFL history for a first-year starter, but he won three fewer games than Favre’s team who’d been 8-3 and poised to make a deep playoff run before Favre got hurt. That’s a pretty good start for the opposition.

Favre apologists continue to mention that injury part. The whole “Had he been healthy” line. That’s the point fellas, he wasn’t. He wouldn’t have been in Green Bay, just like he wasn’t in New Jersey. But since Favre apologists are already not thinking clearly, I want to see Brett Favre healthy for a full season on a really good team. Then there can be no such caveats.

Testing Favre in Minnesota is like doing medical experiment in a controlled experiment, “ideal conditions.” Seeing what he can produce there should be a true measure of a “Favre at his best.”

I might argue that Rodgers last year suffered from a defense that constantly let him down late in games, while opponents might say A-Rod simply didn’t make enough plays.

I certainly would argue with the Jets defense Rodgers would have easily picked up 9 wins, but I can’t prove that. Hence, the need for a better sample.

Both the Packers and the Vikings have Super Bowl aspirations and were picked by plenty of preseason pundits as favorites in the NFC.

It’s time for Aaron Rodgers to perform.

Rodgers had to prove it Monday night, and what’s more, will have to for the rest of the year. Living in the biggest shadow ever cast over Lambeau is not a one year deal, it’s a career. But this year, Rodgers has the privilege of pummeling the team lead by the man who shunned him in Green Bay, but he has the pressure of needing to do that.

There is added pressure this year because of the man taking snaps in Minneapolis. But Rodgers career will be defined over a number of years, whereas Favre's legacy is drawing to an end. In order to exact his revenge on Ted Thompson he couldn't just win one game on Monday Night, but rather win throughout the season and the playoffs.

He has to do it this year, or he hasn't proven anything. He couldn't do it last year, if he can't do it this year, we will know Thompson made the right call.

This is the true beginning of the Aaron Rodgers vs. Brett Favre debate. We knew nothing when it started because Rodgers had never taken a snap. We can’t say with certainty after a season each because Favre was hurt (although as I said, I believe that to be important in the discussion). Now it is time to really see.

If Aaron Rodgers can lead the Packers to a division crown and a playoff run before Brett Favre can do the same under those ideal circumstances, we have a definitive answer in the debate over what was better for the franchise.

And if he can do that, and do it before Favre, we have the answer regardless of what Rodgers career does after that.

The best part though, is that if Rodgers win he proves TT right. If Favre wins, he doesn’t necessarily prove Thompson wrong, assuming Rodgers goes on to have a successful career.

Favre has to show he can do it faster AND hope Rodgers doesn't go on to win multiple division titles, a Super Bowl or two and maybe even an MVP. If A-Rod cann do that it will be clear that Thompson made the right choice given the long term success of the franchise, and Favre fails. Allowing Rodgers to get his feet wet, mature and develop into a Pro Bowl player would clearly have been the right choice.

Rodgers doesn’t have to win three MVPs, throw more touchdown passes than Favre, or play in a million straight games to wiggle out of the shadow of Brett Favre. All he has to do is win this year. That’s what he was supposed to do anyway. But that's not it for Rodgers, he'll have his whole career to vidicate Thompson.

For Favre, all he has is right now. Year One: Zero total playoff appearances between the two. He's thinking "First one to a title wins." If he can do that, then the pressure falls on Rodgers not only to match it, but to go above and beyond. The best way to shirk the potential shackles of that pressure: beat him there.

He's got the support of every red-blooded, Viking-hating, Packer fan behind him, and a legend in front of him. I didn't say there was no pressure...

No Defense For Packers As They Hand Brett Favre His Vindication, For Now

Peter Bukowski — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:38:44 -0400

If you had told Packer fans Monday morning Adrian Peterson would rush the ball 26 times for 55 yards, lose a fumble for a Green Bay touchdown, Aaron Rodgers would throw for almost 400 yards the Packers would still lose, they'd have told you that you were insane.

Welcome to Crazytown, population: Cheesehead Nation.

As if seeing Brett Favre wasn't unequivocally maddening in an of itself for Green Bay Fans, a Brett Favreian performance and Vikings victory came on a night when nation's eyes were squarely on that new purple No. 4 jersey.

Brett Favre can still get it done, he can still win football games, he is still an electric talent in the NFL. None of those should have been questioned before Monday Night, but the Packers certainly didn't do themselves any favors in helping Favre of today look like the Favre of old.

Green Bay's defense was listless rushing the passer, reactive rather than aggressive in coverage, and was on its heels most of the night despite containing Adrian Peterson all night long. It was as if the Packers dared Favre to beat him, and Favre obliged.

What??

Why, in the name of all things Vince Lombardi, would the Packers just LET Brett Favre beat them? I wrote last week that the Packers wanted the ball in the hands of Brett Favre, and that is still true. Brett Favre was outstanding, never making the gunslinging mistake plenty of Packer fans were hoping he would. But the Packers didn't MAKE Brett Favre beat them, they let him.

The Packers didn't get sliced and diced by Favre because they were too busy worrying about Adrian Peterson. Favre carved up the secondary on straight drop-backs with absolutely zero pressure on his face. Tavaris Jackson could have thrown for 270 yards and three touchdowns against that defense.

No creativity, no pressure, no aggression from Green Bay's defense.

That is unacceptable in a game the Packers defense had talked about since August. There weren't linebackers running around creating pressure, or defensive backs flying in on unexpected downs.

A blitz is a blitz to some degree, and if you want to create pressure on the quarterback, while you're there you might make a tackle on a running back should he get the ball instead. Had Dom Capers not heard of a run blitz? Because a run blitz on a pass play is still a blitz. It still means bringing more people than the offensive line can theoretically block. It means moving Favre a step or two off his spot.

Just ask Aaron Rodgers. He knows what it's like to be moved from his spot. The guy was running for his life all night, and has been all season, and yet had the Packers within an onsides kick of going on a game-winning drive. He was sacked about 28 times, and that was just by Jared Allen.

It started on the opening drive. Green Bay, with a chance to quiet the crowd early and put Favre in a must-throw situation, marched down the field. Rodgers was brilliant, making stick throws and converting third downs. Then, he held the ball a little too long, was sandwiched and lost a fumble. Favre lead the Vikings down the field and all of a sudden it's 7-0 Vikings instead of 7-0 Packers.

Similar scenario just a few moments later when the Packers, having tied the game and forced Favre three and out, marched down the field again. This time, Rodgers threw a comeback route that Antoine Winfield came back with. Favre drove the Vikings down the field and the Vikes are back up 14-7, instead of the other way around.

That is 14 points off turnovers on two of the first three drives of the game. The Packers come away with touchdowns the other way instead of turnovers (highly plausible given the way they moved the ball much of the game) and a Favre-lead 31 throw night trying to overcome a 21-7 deficit does not end well for Minnesota.

Green Bay let Brett Favre have this moment, he didn't take it. The Packers played wildly inconsistent football, made mental mistakes with penalties, turned the ball over, and still had a chance to win the game on the road in the most emotional football game played in Minneapolis since I've been alive.

The Vikings wanted it more, and showed it with tenacity, hustle, and better execution.

The Vikings with Brett Favre, needed to win that game more than the Packers. A Super Bowl contender wins a game against a division rival at home on a Monday Night.

It was horrible, awful, terrible, excruciating, and difficult to watch for Packer fans, but let's not jump to conclusions about what this means about Ted Thompson, Aaron Rodgers, and the first Brett Favre retirement.

No way, with the kind of time Rodgers got, that 39 year-old Brett Favre nearly puts up four bills and has his team in a position to win the game late. Just saying.

It was unbearable at times to look at, and it came to a point where I'd shut off my phone and turned the TV off. But fans cannot quit on the team,and more importantly the Packers can't quit. They showed the kind of talent they have, but some mistakes and some strange coaching decisions were the difference in a game where the Vikings were basically perfect and Green Bay was mediocre at best.

Brett Favre and the Vikings needed their best game of the season to beat the Packers at home in a game with much more importance to them. They got it, and the Packers, particularly the defense, didn't even get off the bus. Yet, 30-23 is essentially as bad as it could get.

A loss is a loss, and this one is horrible. The Packers have two weeks to think about it, to stew over it, to make corrections, and to get it right against some weak opponents coming up. The Vikings proved they were a top-tier team when they took care of business Monday Night.

But, rest assured, the Packers gets their chance to do the same in a few weeks. If they bring their best game November 1st the same way the Vikings did Monday, the tundra will seem even chillier for one Mr. Favre.

Revenge is after all, a dish best served cold.

As Always, Packers Want Brett Favre to Try and Win It

Peter Bukowski — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:14:03 -0400

I've never seen Packers fans so down after a 20-point road win.

The Rams were without their quarterback, they have no receivers, and they haven't won a game since George W. Bush was in office, but the Packers put it to the Rams on Sunday. It was closer than it should have been for a while, but ultimately the Packers' superior talent and improved resolve took over.

I have a feeling I know why this win was so "tough" for Cheeseheads: the Vikings won, too. Not only did the Domequeens make an improbable comeback, complete with an impossible catch and booth review, but it came from a familiar face. Only this time, he was wearing enemy purple.

I can think of no better scenario for the Packers to face Minnesota than after Brett Favre's home debut in which he was the hero, after almost being the goat. (The 49ers dropped a handful of picks, including what would have been the game-sealing pick No. 6 on the final drive that ended with the go-ahead touchdown).

Green Bay heads to Minnesota at 2-1 (which doesn't look so bad when you consider Cinci beat the defending Super Bowl Champs on Sunday). They have struggled to run the football, score in the red zone, stop the rush, control opposing pass-rushers, or move the ball consistently. And I'll repeat—they're 2-1.

The Vikings team they'll face are 3-0, having beaten the Browns, Lions, and 49ers, who had a combined 11 wins last season. The Lions gave the Vikes all they could handle in Week Two before falling. And San Fran really ought to be beaten by the Vikings without Frank Gore. (Can you tell me how, with less than 10 seconds left, you don't have EVERYONE in the end zone?).

The Vikings may have taken the Lions for granted, just like the Packers took the Bengals for granted, except the Bengals are a much better team. Really, that is the only difference in Monday night being a matchup of 3-0 teams. Either way, it's for the top spot in the division, and I wouldn't expect either team to take the other for granted.

The Vikings have not faced an offense half as good as the one Green Bay will bring to town, even slightly out of sync right now. There are more talented players at the skill positions on the Packers roster than the three previous Vikings opponents combined.

Aaron Rodgers has been erratic, but has not turned the ball over. In fact, through the first three weeks Rodgers has not thrown a pick, something the quarterback in Minny has never done.

The Vikings aren't going to stop the Packers offense, but can the Pack defense stop Adrian Peterson and Favre?

There has been some chatter, or more specifically some twitter, that Brett Favre will not be the difference in the game on Monday night.

If Brad Childress were any kind of coach, he'd hand the ball to AP 40 times against the Packers 23rd-ranked rush defense and tell Brett to throw bubble screen to Percy Harvin.

But Childress doesn't know his butt from a hole in the ground, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Brett put it up 50 times. Not necessarily just because Childress is a bad coach, although that's certainly part of it, but more because Favre will want to.

And that's good news for the Packers. No one threw more interceptions than Favre last year, and no one turns opposing quarterbacks over better than the Green Bay Packers. You don't think Charles Woodson and Al Harris have had October 5th circled on their calendars for weeks?

For a while now, Favre has been known as the guy you have to be ready for as a DB because every game he'll give you a few opportunities. There will be opportunities for turnovers on Monday night, even if Childress does make Favre a game manager (which he won't).

Favre had to put it up 46 times last week to get a victory against a "we're not sure how good you are" 49ers team without its best player. You're not going to throw 46 times against the Packers and win many football games, because there are just too many players who can bait bad throws and cause interceptions.

If Dre Bly had held onto to a gift-wrapped game-ender last week, the talk would not be about a Favrefantastic finish, but another "f" word talking about the same old Brett (one Vikings fans have used many times before with No. 4).

The media will play this as Favre's revenge, or Favre vs. Rodgers, and for the Packers that is just fine. The pressure is on Favre, the spotlight is on Minnesota. But Packers defensive backs could steal the show if the Vikings decide to put the game in the right hand of Brett Favre.

Ted Thompson and Packers Flying With No Safety Net

Peter Bukowski — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 23:35:08 -0400

The best lesson I learned on the golf course was never let one mistake turn into two. Time for Ted Thompson to learn his lesson.

Many fans bristled to find out the Packers had kept Jarrett Bush over a more experienced play maker in Anthony Smith, who was shining in the preseason. It got worse when the secondary became woefully thin due to injuries against the Bengals...but thank God Green Bay had three full backs.

Unless Kuhn, Hall, or Johnson can play some safety, the Packers messed this up.

No one could be sure if this would come back to bite Green Bay when the Packers made their cuts, but it didn't take an NFL analysts with Chris Mortenson's credential to figure it out.

Nick Collins was a Pro Bowl safety last year, and Bigby performed at a high level when he was healthy. Keeping Aaron Rouse despite his injuries made some sense because he was a supposedly talented player, not to mention a high draft choice by Ted Thompson. Green Bay traded for Derrick Martin, another 3-4 veteran and young talent on cut day, so keeping Rouse, Martin and Bush as back-ups seemed like plenty.

Now with Bigby missing extended time, Collins nicked up and Rouse not performing up to par (so much so that he was cut in favor of a young player who'd never played a snap in the 3-4) the Packers are stuck. If Collins couldn't go, they'd be forced to start two players who'd never been full-time starters and had never started for this team in this scheme. You can't win football games like that.

No, you can't plan for injuries, especially when they lose both your top guys like the Packers have. But Thompson kept three full backs...three. A position the Packers use maybe half the time on offense and we've got three players to play it. If you want to talk about special teams, I'm pretty sure Martin could have played special teams and the Pack could have kept Anthony Smith to be a back-up player so you could keep two fullbacks.

So where is Anthony Smith now? St. Louis, the team Green Bay will face this week. Just another reminder to Thompson that of that wayward drive when he cut Smith.

I have been, and still am a Ted Thompson supporter. Personnel decisions are not made solely by the GM, the coaches and staff have a big input in how these things work. THere's no way Thompson made these decisions without consulting Dom Capers and Mike McCarthy. The coaches decided Rouse was such a lost cause, that a never-has-been like Matt Giordano was a better option.

We know all about hindsight and what great vision it is. Could Brandon Underwood have gotten some time at safety? Should the Packers have kept Anthony Smith instead of three fullbacks? Should Jarret Bush be playing professional football? All valid questions. (I really hate ganging up on him, but c'mon the guy has done nothing but screw up every chance he's gotten, at some point it's time to let him go. If Rouse was booted for not playing well, Bush should have been carrying his bags out with him).

The Packers never should have cut Anthony Smith in favor of Aaron Rouse or John Korey Kuhn Hall, and certainly not for Bush. We didn't need hindsight to see that, it was clear at the time and is even worse now.

When Smith got his pink slip and 3 fullbacks wound up the roster, Thompson hit his drive way right. When he cut Aaron Rouse and signed some random no-name former-Colt reject, he decided to hit a wood from the rough instead of laying up, didn't hit it cleanly. Now he's laying 3 from 300 yards out wondering what to do next.

The only way this isn't a snowman on TT's scorecard is if Nick Collins comes back healthy (and stays healthy) and the Packers can get enough from Derrick Martin, and gulp Jarrett Bush until Atari Bigby gets healthy.

Bad News Bengals: Packers Sloppy Play Dooms Them in Loss

Peter Bukowski — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:55:43 -0400

The sky is not falling in Green Bay after the Packers lost to the Bengals 31-24. They lost one game early in the year to a hungry team coming off of a heartbreaking loss at home. They have no continuity offensively, and once they find it, they should be fine.

However, as a Packers fan, it hurts me deeply to say it, but, “I told you so.”

Green Bay took Cincinnati too lightly and got whooped.

I don’t care what the final score showed; that was not the margin of victory for the Bengals. Antwan Odom (5 sacks) and Cedric Benson (29 carries for 141 yards) had their way with the Packers' offensive and defensive lines respectively, and the Packers played without discipline or intensity.

Yes, they were within one play of scoring the tying touchdown and the end of the game was as bizarre as it was dissatisfying for Cheeseheads.

But the Packers again struggled to run the football, again struggled to protect Aaron Rodgers, and again failed to make any adjustments to get things sorted out. And again, Rodgers was errant most of the game until late.

Injuries to Nick Collins and Chad Clifton certainly didn’t help, but the struggles started long before they left the game.

The defense couldn’t stop Cedric Benson, who isn’t exactly Adrian Peterson. They got no pressure on Palmer—those interceptions were just great individual efforts by Charles Woodson.

This bigger, supposedly more improved offensive line couldn’t run the football consistently, and they couldn’t block Odom at all. The continuity we saw in the preseason was nowhere to be found as stupid penalties, poor execution, and absolutely dumbfounding playcalling at times have this team 10 steps back from where they were in August.

The team the Packers faced on Sunday is not a Super Bowl contender—it's not even a playoff team. The Bengals should finish, at best, third in their division with a mid-level draft pick coming in April.

Green Bay is an immensely talented team, which makes the drops, overthrows, missed tackles, botched assignments, and bad calls even more frustrating.

Again, this isn't the end of the world for the Packers. They don't quit because they took a bad loss. Every team has a bad loss. The Pats, a favorite to win the AFC, lost to the Jets. The best team in the NFL by record last year, the Titans, lost to the Texans.

Things happen, you can't play well every week. But this is such a far cry from what we expected, and so painfully close to what we saw last year, that it has to be discouraging.

This was a Bengals team that was kicked in the stomach last week by Denver. Hindsight is 20/20 and you always want to get off to a good start, but going up 7-0 on this team rather than the other way around would have changed the entire complexion of the game. If not for drops, it could have very easily been the case.

This was supposed to be the part of the schedule during which the Packers pad their win total. Sure, that’s why you play the games on the field and not on paper, but this is a clearly inferior Bengals team we’re talking about and the Pack just couldn’t get it done.

If they couldn’t stop Cedric Benson, I’m not sure how they expect to stop Stephen Jackson in Week Three, and good luck with AP in the following game.

Once again, the Packers' defense failed to get the stops it needed, especially late in the game.

At one point, with the opportunity to end a Bengals drive, two Packers failed to bring down Benson in the backfield on a 3rd-and-1. The drive was extended and Green Bay lost precious time off the clock, not to mention let the Bengals get into field goal range to make it a two possession game.

After last week we heard that the Packers' errors could be fixed. They were technique issues, or assignment issues.

Well, it’s about Week 19 of hearing about that from the coaching staff over the last season-plus. At some point, there has to be some accountability.

Starting with guys like Jarrett Bush. I have absolutely NO idea why Bush still has a job in Green Bay, or anywhere in the NFL. I hate to single out players, but if you’re a special teams player and you can’t play special teams, then you need to specially be shown the door.

That is the bottom line in the NFL: If you don’t produce, you don’t have a spot.

Allen Barbre bounced back...a little, and it was the offensive line's most consistent player, Chad Clifton, getting his hat handed to him by Antwan Odom.

We still haven't heard from A.J. Hawk. I haven't heard his named called once in two weeks. As a matter of fact, I can't remember hearing his name called since the commissioner called his name on Draft Day a few years ago.

If not for that day, Brandon Chillar would be starting and this defense would likely be better off with a more versatile, more explosive playmaker in the middle.

I don’t want to oversell the importance of this game. A loss is a loss in the NFL, there’s no good loss and there’s no bad victory. Green Bay wasn’t going 16-0, but there are too many tough teams on this schedule for the Packers to give away games to inferior teams.

The problem today: The Packers didn’t give away this game, they got beat by an inferior team. They got outworked, outmuscled, outhustled, and outmatched.

That kind of sloppy effort might work most days against the Bengals, and it would probably be enough next week in St. Louis, but it sure as hell won’t be enough at the Metrodome in one of the most anticipated Monday Night games in the last decade.

Green Bay has two weeks to get it straightened out, or I guarantee an effort like today will get the Pack embarrassed in front of millions on Oct. 5.

Packers Defense Can't Let Bengals Offense Regain Form

Peter Bukowski — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:26:07 -0400

Carson Palmer to Chad Johnson used to be one of the most dangerous combinations in the league. If you want to get technical, Palmer now throws to Chad Ochocinco, but the point is things just aren't the same in Cinci.

The Bengals had gone through a renaissance of sorts, making the playoffs in 2005 thanks in large part to the arm of Palmer and a talented trio of receivers. However, that year in the playoffs, Palmer went down with a ripped up knee and things haven't been the same for Palmer, or the Bengals since. He battled injuries since that surgery and just hasn't seem quite right since that Steelers game.

Chris Henry has struggled since having been suspended due to his off the field conduct. T.J. Houshmandzadeh plays in Seattle, and Chad Johnson and is now Chad Ochocino coming off one of the worst years in his career.

The Bengals did bring in Laveranues Coles and they like their second year Florida speedster Andre Caldwell, but Caldwell has shown very little except promise, and Coles promises very little.

Now 1,000 yard rusher Rudi Johnson is nowhere to be found as former Bears bust Cedric Benson now resides in the backfield. This just isn't the offense that was slinging it up and down the field even when they were losing.

Some comments have been made about Cincinatti's familiarity with the 3-4 defense. They play against it at least six times a year in the AFC North, so they certainly have seen how it can work. Considering two of the best defense in the league reside in their division, you would expect they could handle it.

But all you have to do is look at the record to see that just because they see it a lot, doesn't mean they're having success. The Bengals haven't had a winning season since 2005, and they've only lost on offense since then. Clearly, any advantage they have from seeing the 3-4 defense all the time is negated by the fact that they're just not a great offensive team anymore.

Against a Denver team who was horrible against the run last year, the Bengals managed just 86 yards on 27 rushes. Oh, and the Broncos just switched to a 3-4 too, without half the talent Green Bay does.

Yes, the Packers made Jay Cutler look like a fool last week, but throwing to new receivers (who aren't very good anyway) certainly didn't help. Palmer does have some young faces to throw to, and his top target from last year plays in Pacific Time now, but Chris Henry and Chad Whateverheisthisweek are talented and explosive. This would not be a good week to let them find a rhythm.

This game and the next are trap games for Green Bay; teams they should beat but they could very easily overlook thanks to their imminent Monday Night matchup with Adrian Peterson and Co. (He's the only big-name player on that team right?).

The Bengals defense has been much improved the last two years despite being much maligned under Marvin Lewis. If it weren't for one of the wackiest plays in the NFL regular season history, the Bengals would be heading into Lambeau 1-0 and feeling confident about their team. And the Packer's offense wasn't particularly brilliant Sunday Night. Cinci could have felt good about their chances.

But Brandon Stokley invoked the spirit of Madden users everywhere and broke the Bengals hearts. They come in winless, struggling, and thoughts of "here we go again" are likely creeping in.

If the Packers let the Bengals hang around, their confidence will grow. Get out to a fast start and an early lead though, and the Bengals could hang their heads and quit.

People like to say NFL players don't do that, but when a guy like Carson Palmer who has played in Cinci his whole career, gets beaten and beaten it effects a person's psyche. At a certain point those wounds don't heal as fast and you don't recover as fast from a bad throw, bad drive, or bad game.

The Bengals are coming off a bad game, and it is up the Packers defense to make sure they continue to hang their heads. The Bungles don't have much of a chance if that happens.

Packers on Track after Escaping with Win, Despite Sloppy Play

Peter Bukowski — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:50:50 -0400

Last week, I attempted to be the voice of caution for excited Packers fans and pundits ready to anoint the Packers as the favorite in the NFC. After an underwhelming offensive performance and a narrow victory, it should be clear why I was so reserved in my judgment.

That being said, Packer fans need not panic. The offense was sluggish and play calling unimaginative at times. The pass protection was poor, after a preseason where Aaron Rodgers basically stood in the pocket for as long as he wanted, surveying the field to throwing whenever and wherever he desired.

With the Bears' pressure, Rodgers was out of rhythm and missed a ton of open receivers. To be fair, his pass catchers didn't give him much help as they dropped some catchable balls.

The offense we saw Sunday night looked nothing like the offense we saw in August, but we couldn't expect it to be. That Bears' defense is much better than expected and boasts a pass rush considerably more fierce than anything the Pack had faced in preseason.

This is the first time the young O-line has had to face that kind of aggressive pressure. Allen Barbre struggled with Ogunleye, but most tackles do. This offensive line has not played together as a unit in the regular season, and we had to expect some growing pains.

As I mentioned last week, teams don't scheme in the preseason, so once a team gets film on you, they're going to create matchup problems. Coaches and scouts get paid just to do that.

There was bound to be more pressure in the regular season than the preseason. That's just the difference in intensity. It will only increase in the playoffs, should the Packers wind up there.

The offense will come around. The real story from the game is the defense. They stuffed Matt Forte and, with the exception of the big play to Hester, held the Bears' offense in check. Corners are going to get beat like Woodson did, but the Packers' defense held on that drive. That kind of play-making was non-existent last year.

The Packers turned Jay Cutler into a JV quarterback, forcing off-balance throws and bad decisions to the tune of four picks. If Tramon Williams hadn't had a case of the "dropsies," it could have been even more. The Packers could have conceivably picked half a dozen from Cutler, as Dom Capers defense lived up to its preseason billing.

That was the question mark. Aaron Rodgers is in control of the offense, as long as McCarthy grows a pair and picks up his aggressive play calling back up where he left off in the preseason.

But the defense's ability to matchup with offenses was the big question. Could Al Harris and Charles Woodson adjust to playing zone? Could the Packers get pressure from their front seven without giving up big plays? Could Nick Collins be the same game-changer he was last year, without giving up as many big plays or missing as many tackles?

The answer seemed like an emphatic "Yes," (with the exception of the Hester TD on which Collins cramped up, whether physically or mentally) after Sunday's performance.

We watched some of the best teams in the league struggle opening weekend, and the Packers were no exception.

But in the NFL, a win is something to be savored no matter how you come by it or against whom. Luckily, the Packers will get a chance to do a lot more right this Sunday against cellar-dwelling Cincinnati, and they won't really be tested until that massive Monday night matchup against the Viqueens.

Getting the Bears in Week One was a blessing for the Pack because that offense won't be held in check for long. When they roll into Soldier Field late in the year, you can bet things will be different.

But after one game, Green Bay got the W and that is all that matters. They sit at the top of the division now, and they'll get a chance to get in sync as the schedule is soft the next few weeks.

Lovie Smith Injected Life Into Packers-Bears Rivalry

Peter Bukowski — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:11:24 -0400

When Lovie Smith arrived in Chicago as the new man in charge five seasons ago, he had a major, but specific goal, “Beat Green Bay.”

At that time, Green Bay was the only division champion the new NFC North had known, and was a perennial winner in the previous NFC Central. In fact, from 1995-2008, the team in green had won seven of 14 division crowns.

In Chicago though, they’d won just one division title since a guy named Ditka left town. Even in 2001, when the Bears went 13-3, they were swept by Green Bay.

The oldest rivalry in football had lost its luster, because even if the games were close, they didn’t matter since Green Bay was going to win more games than Chicago anyway.

Within a year of making his famous anti-Packer decree, the Bears had gone from 5-11 cellar dweller to 11-5 division winner. The next season, the Bears used their pulverizing defense to dominate opponents and wound up in the Super Bowl.

Four out of the last five seasons, the NFC North division winner has come from Chicago or Green Bay.

In the 1980s, the Bears were the powerhouse and the Packers the team struggling to find a course. In the 1990s, it was the other way around for the most part. In fact, the Packers seemed to play better at Soldier Field than anywhere else (maybe it's karma from all those Cubs fans who invade Milwaukee for Brewers games all summer).

No football fan wants to see a rivalry game end in a blowout. Not consistently anyway. Sure, it was great to beat the hell out of the Bears in Lambeau last year. It was just payback for the whooping they put on Green Bay in the coldest game I’ve ever been to the season before in Chicago.

Game broadcasts love to use the Brett Favre statistic about the number of QBs starting in Chicago while Favre started in Green Bay (I believe the number is somewhere around 683). But in some ways, it is nice to finally have a foil in Jay Cutler.

Jay Cutler, Matt Forte, Devin Hester, they provide a solid core for a Bears team that had been aging. With Minnesota setting their franchise back another half decade with this Favre debacle, and the Lions being the Lions, the Packers and Bears look like they’re going to fight this thing out for the foreseeable future.

No excuses for either team now with Super Bowl expectations in both cities for as long as Cutler and Rodgers stay under center in their respective cities.

Who would have thought a man named Lovie would bring such change the Monsters of the Midway. But he has, and Packer fans should be happy that he has.

This season the talent on the field will reflect the richness of the history between two marquee NFL franchises. If you love football, I don’t know how you could get sick of Cutler/Rodgers promos.

Sunday Night will be what Packers versus Bears is all about. And it’s due in large part to a man with a simple goal, “Beat Green Bay.”

Packers Bandwagon Closed Until They Earn It

Peter Bukowski — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:33:29 -0400

What the heck is going on in the NFL?

The returning Super Bowl champions return 22 starters who were on the team last season, their schedule is easier and their division is terrible. Somehow, the Patriots and Chargers are getting way more ink as the contender in the AFC this year.

In the NFC, the Panthers are getting no love, despite winning 12 games last year mostly because their quarterback threw an epic stink bomb, not to mention about 54 passes to the other team, in their playoff game.

Meanwhile, the Giants were almost equally terrible in their only playoff game, and yet they continue to get serious love from preseason pundits. That doesn’t even include the fact that they have absolutely zero at wide receiver and lost a key cog in the running game to free agency.

Then, and this is perhaps the strangest of them all, a team that went 6-10 last season is being picked as an NFC title contender and potential Super Bowl team.

Yes, I’m talking about the Green Bay Packers. The third place NFC North team from a year ago.

What is the basis?

Talent? That can’t be, this team is essentially intact from last season from a starters stand-point. If anything the loss of Mark Tauscher is the biggest roster change. Losing one of your best horses upfront can’t be a talent upgrade.

The Packers are loaded from a talent standpoint, but like I said, its not any different from last year when they went 6-10.

What about experience? The Giants are deserve some of their credit because they are just a season removed from one of the greatest and most improbably runs in playoff history. The Packers are just a few months removed from losing close game after close game, finishing third in the division.

Aaron Rodgers has never started a playoff game, and Mike McCarthy has only won one, count ‘em, one, playoff game as the Packers head coach. Oh, and the Packers roster is still among the youngest is the NFL.

Then it must be injuries? Ok, this one I’ll buy to some extent. Green Bay was hurt by injuries last year, even players who fought through injuries and played, like Ryan Grant, were clearly not 100%. Getting this team back to full strength will be a key factor in improved play this season.

But the real reason the Packers have sports writers salivating? The preseason.

Read that again. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

The preseason? You mean the game where no one schemes for opponents and you play your scrubs and you’re just really getting back into shape? Oh yeah, that one.

The same season where an 0-16 regular season team went undefeated. That preseason.

I saw the games too. They were impressive. At times, it honestly looked like a varsity high school team against a middle school team.

Let me be clear cheeseheads, that isn’t going to happen every week.

People will scheme for the defense. They won’t cause 34 turnovers a game. They will give up points and the Packers will lose some games.

The offense will not move the ball at will every possession…Well maybe they will. The offense was damn good last season, they’ll be even better this season with a healthy Ryan Grant and an emerging superstar at tight end. I will believe the offense is good for 8-10 wins this year. In fact, the Pack should win 12 games this year. But they should have done the same last year.

The preseason is like the NFL Combine, never get too excited or too discouraged by what you see. The tape will tell you what you need to know. And the tape, shows a 6-10 team last year. I don’t care if the games were close, the point is you lost.

Go back and watch the games from last year, you’ll see inconsistent play-calling, poor red zone offense, and a defense that couldn’t get a stop when they needed one.

That is all that matters. Ask any coach, there’s no such thing as a moral victories. Players don’t get millions and fans don’t play hundreds for tickets to watch moral victories.

As Herm Edwards once said, “You play to win the games.” And that means when they count.

You can expect some of those things to change, heck you might even expect them all to change. I don’t believe the Vikings are the team people think they are, nor would I trust Jay Cutler to win me a playoff game….ummm ever.

The Packers, based on talent, are an NFC title contender. Not making the playoffs should be considered absolute failure and not winning the division should be considered disappointing. But that is the case every year in Green Bay. Packers fans are the best in the world (everyone says that, but you go to Lambeau and you’ll see it’s true about Green bay), they expect a winner.

And you should. It’s up the players to get motivated and make changes this year. They don’t keep track of preseason. You’re 6-10 until you win a game in the regular season the next year.

No, they don’t deserve credit for being a talented team, because they’re a talented 6-10 team. Until they take the field Sunday Night against Chicago, that is what they are. Period.

Yes, they have a shot to win it all this year, but until they start winning ball games and changing the things that killed them last year, and I mean in games that matter, they don’t deserve the kind of positive press they’ve been getting.

They have not arrived, not until they win some games. Not until they beat the defending NFC Champions when it counts, or the defending division champions when it counts.

A wise man once said, “Don’t believe the hype.” The Packers have to earn it. I believe they will. So do they.

Until then, you’re a 6-10 team. Go out and earn it. It starts this week in primetime.

Weird Wheelings and Dealings for Green Bay Packers, Others on Cut Day

Peter Bukowski — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 14:10:22 -0400

So Saturday’s 53-man roster deadline proved once again that most NFL GM’s have no idea what they’re doing. Al Davis, who doesn’t know where he is much less what he’s doing, gives up a top 10 pick for a 30-year-old 3-4 defensive end who isn’t an impact player anymore, not to mention doesn’t stay healthy.

The Ravens gave up something, anything for Tony Moll (that’s bad enough, he can’t play at all).

Oh, but Ted Thompson doesn’t escape without looking a little foolish. He kept three fullbacks when John Kuhn and Korey Hall are essentially the same guy (if you switched their numbers would you be able to tell the difference? No).

He cut Anthony Smith and not Jarrett Bush…and that’s really all I’d have to say even without a game every being played. But then Anthony Smith displayed an aptitude for the defense, and was making plays all over the field, while Atari Bigby struggled and Bush was well, Jarrett Bush.

This is a talented, talented team and while Smith was brilliant this preseason, Aaron Rouse probably has more natural talent and better physical tools. In fact, I never understood why Rouse wasn’t getting time at strong safety this preseason because with his body he seems like a natural fit there.

Some interesting questions now though, because there are some very talented players on this team who don’t seem to really have a clear role.

Quinn Johnson is a road-grading fullback with underrated receiving skills and limited special teams potential. He’s a third string fullback sitting behind John Korey Kuhn Hall and likely won’t even be active most games.

So why keep a player on your team for depth at a position where you don’t need depth unless they can play special teams, which he won’t because the guys in front of him will? How does that make sense?

Brad Jones at outside linebacker is off the charts athletically, but with Kampman the starter on one side for as long as he wants to play in Green Bay, and Clay Matthews the man being paid to play opposite him, where does Brad Jones fit?

Jeremy Thompson bigger and stronger than Jones, but certainly doesn’t have the same burst or agility. As long as Kampman, Thompson and Matthews remain on this team, he’s no better than the fourth outside linebacker, and we haven't even talked about the current starter Brady Poppinga. Plus, lord only knows why Chillar hasn’t been getting time there.

The offensive line seems painfully thin. Word out of Green Bay is Jamon Meredith will be brought back on the practice squad, but there isn’t an awful lot of experience on this line. Two first year starters make up the right side of the line, not to mention Jason Spitz has never started a full season at center.

Other than Scott Wells, the back-up offensive lineman have started a grand total of zero games. For a team that had to do a lot of shuffling due to injuries last season, this seems like a dangerous game to be playing particularly when the face of your franchise is the man these guys are protecting.

Ultimately though, the starters remain in place. The Packers boast one of the deepest receiving cores in football, a stable of talented linebackers, and some man-eaters on the defensive front.

The offense will need to stay healthy at running back and offensive line, but if they do it seems hard to imagine them being stopped.

The defense has been flying around the field, and they have plenty of athletes to continue to put pressure on opponents, force turnovers, and create opportunities for the offense.

No, we won’t always understand NFL GM’s, but Ted Thompson normally seems easier to read. This was a somewhat strange cut day for him, but there was no Hall of Fame quarterback locked out, no first round pick bungled (Justin is sitting at home), so Packer fans can’t complain too much.

The 2009 Packers now need to focus on making a statement on national television. They’ll see Cutler and Co. in a week.

Thoughts From My Couch As We Head To Final Preseason Game

Peter Bukowski — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 00:34:45 -0400

The last game of the preseason is for the coaches and the scrubs. The starters will play one series except for the big uglies and a few others. But even they won’t get big minutes Thursday night in Nashville.

The Packers have their starting line-ups essentially set, at least on offense. There are a few questions still on defense, but with injuries we may not know the answers until midseason anyway.

Win, lose, or draw this has been the most exciting and encouraging preseason in sometime for Packers fans. The offense has done whatever it has wanted and the defense has turned over opponents at a startling rate.

Additionally, the 3-4 transition has been much better than expected and as long as some of the soft spots in the coverage can be covered up to some degree, Peter King’s prediction of an NFC Championship appearance doesn’t seem far fetched.

Since the game against the Titans means nothing in the standings and will show us little to nothing in terms of what the season might bring, I want to shine a light on a few players, coaches, and elements that you ought to be pay attention to.

Starter with the most to prove

A.J. Hawk’s name would appear here if not for the fact that he was a top 5 pick and the coaches insist he has graded well in the preseason despite being second to last on the team in tackles for starters. So, in his stead, the man who was last on that list: Atari Bigby.

Bigby may have been the worst fit into the 3-4 because he just isn’t a playmaker in coverage. He can play near the line of scrimmage, but his instincts in the passing game are about hitting not playing a receiver. He was a key cog in the defense’s improvement in 2008, but he has struggled with injuries and inconsistency since.

His potential replacement, Anthony Smith, has been outstanding, making plays with interceptions while showing a knack for being around the football. Smith is a better cover safety and despite his slight frame, he can lay the wood.

He was the gem of the 2009 Ted Thompson free agent class (not that it’s a long list), and Smith should get plenty of run in sub packages anyway. But if Bigby doesn’t step up early in the season, he could be back on the bench.

Familiar name most in danger of being cut

I’m not sure Tyrell Sutton has shown enough after that Browns game to make the team, but even though he has gotten plenty of ink in the media, he’s not a familiar name with the average Packer fan (More on him later).

The man I’m thinking of has been a starter for the last couple seasons and really played well, but has lost his job for one reason or another.

Scott Wells wound up on the second team behind Jason Spitz after some injuries, but not poor play. If Spitz can play guard (which he has) I don’t understand going with Spitz over Wells rather than play them together unless they like Josh Sitton that much, which they reportedly do.

However, the line-ups have been set and Wells will be a back-up. You can’t pay almost $2 million for a back-up center. If he’s not going to play he has to either be traded or cut. That is the bottom line.

Yeah, he’s great insurance, but Spitz can play multiple positions, so can T.J. Lang and Daryn Colledge, so it just doesn’t make sense to keep Wells if he’s not starting.

Coach with the biggest load to shoulder

This is another no-brainer: Kevin Greene. Arguably the best 3-4 rush linebacker ever, Greene was tasked with teaching a 4-3 team how to play the 3-4.

Getting pressure on the quarterback was a problem for the Packers last season, but generating pressure in the preseason has been easy thanks to the blitzing schemes of Dom Capers.

However, good offenses with time to scheme for those blitzes will find ways to beat it. The Packers will have to find a way to get pressure with four and five guys, which mean those outside linebackers have to produce.

Aaron Kampman is one of the most prolific pass-rushers in Packers history already, and has been one of the best in the league over the last couple seasons. However, it remains to be seen how he can transition to a stand-up position.

The other side we’re not even sure who will be the starter. Brady Poppinga has won the job almost by default. While his play has been stellar, he’s only getting minutes because Jeremy Thompson and Clay Matthews have battled injuries all preseason. Thompson brings the best combination of strength, and agility, while Matthews is by far the best athlete. Poppinga is just a player who seems to be in the right place at the right time.

By Week 8, we could have had three different starters there.

It will be up to Greene to make the right call, and ultimately it seems like Thompson or more likely Matthews’ job to take. Greene must get him ready. At least Clay already has the Kevin Greene hair thing down.

Back-up capable of making biggest impact

The answer here is obvious, but he’s capable of making such a huge impact (and I’m so excited about him), it is worth talking about.

Jermichael Finley has a chance to be special. If he realizes his potential as a player, he won’t be a back-up for long. He is a match-up nightmare, which he showed last week on a play I just can't get over.

Following a turnover, the Packers split Finley out wide where the Cards decided to match him with Dominic Rodgers-Cromartie one of the fastest and most athletic players in the NFL. Finley runs to the endzone and catches a back shoulder fade (to be fair, it was a perfect throw) for six.

If defenses can't match their best cover corner on your back-up tight end, you have a serious weapon at your disposal.

Most talented player who may not make the roster

My compatriot Jersey Al would probably say Kregg Lumpkin, and he’s not that far off (although Lumpkin appears to have zero shot at making the roster). Running back will be the toughest position to pair down to fit the roster. Ryan Grant is obviously a lock, with Brandon Jackson a solid bet.

The question is what happens next? Wynn has played well when he’s been healthy and able to play. In fact, he’s even flashed the ability to be an every down back if it weren’t for injuries. He just hasn’t had may opportunities this preseason.

On the other hand, Tyrell Sutton has had a ton of opportunities and has played well when given the chance. He isn’t dynamic as a returner, which will detract from his value, but the Packers don’t really need a returner because they have Will Blackmon.

Sutton was an outstanding high school player, an at times dominating college player, and looks like he has a place on an NFL roster. The problem is, he isn’t clearing waivers to make the practice squad in Green Bay. If they Packers want to keep him they’ll have to put him on the active roster.

With the need to carry extra linebackers in the 3-4 and depth at other positions, that just seems like a tough sell at this point.

Element most in need of work

It seems strange that such a stacked secondary would struggle in coverage, but there were some big holes this preseason. If not for turnovers, the Packers pass defense could have surrendered plenty of points.

Turnovers are a funny thing, because they tend to come in waves. Teams will find a way to deal with the pressure packages (at least to some degree), so every once in a while you will have to play straight coverage. When that has happened, or the blitz hasn’t gotten home, the Packers D has been gashed.

This is the case with plenty of teams, but the point is the blitz isn’t always going to create pressure, and you can’t always blitz. So either Dom Capers will have to go to more man concepts if he knows he won’t get pressure with a particular call, or find better ways to mask soft zones.

Considering this is a defense that has given up 10 points all preseason, it isn’t a huge concern, but something to keep an eye on. Sure defenses like the Eagles, Steelers, and Giants live off blitzing and pressure, but watch their games and see when they don’t get the pressure, they are just like any other team.

Another potential scenario (and one we saw in Arizona) is that an opponent becomes so concerned with the blitz that when the Packers bluff blitz and drop into coverage, the QB, who hasn’t been comfortable all game, just doesn’t know what to do with the ball.

Bottom Line

This last preseason game is about staying healthy and making final roster decisions. Some players will play their way on the team, and some will play themselves off( I’m looking at you Brian Brohm).

If the Packers can get all 22 starters to next weekend for Chicago, then even if they lose 56-3 tomorrow night, it won’t have mattered. Get healthy, get the roster together, and get me to Week 1.

Packers Put NFC On Notice, Trounce Cardinal Starters, But Superbowl?

Peter Bukowski — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 17:14:25 -0400

(Sorry for the lack of Packer backer content this week. I had some technical difficulties due to a faulty update from a company I won’t mention, but whose name rhymes with schmicrosoft)

Through three weeks of the preseason, no team has been more impressive than the Green Bay Packers. Period. Even though the second and third stringers let Arizona back in the game, fans should be excited about the finish and the way head coach Mike McCarthy and his team responded.

The offense has outscored opponents 76-10 in the first halves of games and the first team defense seemed let down when they allowed 10 first half points the defending NFC champion Cardinals Friday night. (They had shut out Buffalo and Cleveland in the previous two games).

The defense continues to create big plays and the first team defense now has 12 turnovers through three games in the preseason. Charles Woodson forced three fumbles and had two sacks, with the Packers scoring 17 first half points off those turnovers.

The second half in Arizona was similar to the Buffalo game where the defense let the opponent back in the game. In fact, the Cards had a chance to tie or take the lead after scoring a touchdown late in the fourth. When Arizona missed the go-ahead two point conversion, the Packers continued to fight back.

Ruvell Martin returned an onside kick for six and then it was the Packers turn to go for two. Even though they missed it, we saw McCarthy’s dedication to teaching this team the importance of finishing games and wanting to win, preseason or otherwise.

Even Brian Brohm looked half-way decent going 4/5 against Cardinals starters. He made stick throws and seemed more in control of the offense than he has since being drafted in 2008. It may be too late for land a roster spot, but it certainly isn’t too late for him to increase his value in a trade.

But I want to be a voice of cautious optimism.

I don’t want to hear about Super Bowls or anything like that. The Packers are an extremely talented team, but with Aaron Rodgers are quarterback they have proven absolutely zero in the regular season except that they are maddeningly inconsistent.

Monday after Monday last season it seemed the talk from Cheeseheads was “Coulda, woulda, shoulda” because that’s how close the Packers were from turning a 6-10 team into a 10-6 team.

They went 3-0 against teams with sub .500 records and 3-10 against teams with .500 records or better. So far this preseason they have played exactly one team with a winning record from last season. Now to be fair, that means they played 13 games against teams who won at least 8 games last year, but a team who won the division and nearly the NFC just a year prior has to beat playoff teams at least once in a while. In that category, the Packers went 2-5.

Aaron Rodgers looks in command of the offense, posting a gaudy 150+ QB rating this preseason. But he put up gaudy stats last season and it just didn’t translate into victories.

The defense was third in the NFL last season at intercepting opposing quarterbacks, but they couldn’t get stops when they needed them. The rushing defense was below average and this talented team faltered more often than it flourished.

I don’t want to say don’t be excited. Be excited. This Packers team is more talented than the team that made a run at the Super Bowl two year ago. This might be the most talented team the Packers have had since the mid 90’s.

Jermichael Finley is a match-up night mare. For an example just look at the back-shoulder fade he caught over one Dominic Rodgers-Cromartie, one of the best athletes in the NFL regardless of position. Can he give the offense that game in and game out? What about when teams aren’t surprised by him anymore? Guys like James Jones and Jordy Nelson will have to step up and exploit match-ups against safeties if teams try to cover Finley with a corner.

Speaking of corners, Charles Woodson and Al Harris are arguably the best corner duo in the NFL and Woodson could get four to six sacks this season in the new pressure D. They are playing at an All-Pro level. Add in Pro Bowler Nick Collins with Atari Bigby and a charging Anthony Smith, this secondary is deep, physical and smart.

Dom Capers will see to it they don’t have the communication break-downs that plagued them last year. He has to. If the quarterbacks have time, it doesn’t matter how talented your secondary is, they’re going to get beat. The offense has too big an advantage and NFL quarterbacks are too good.

The biggest question will be the pass-rush. We saw what it did to mediocre quarterbacks, but it confused the heck out of Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner. He was never comfortable in the pocket, but when he was, he was effective.

That will be true with any quarterback. If the pressure doesn’t get home, there are match-up problems in the secondary whether it’s lineman in space, linebackers on wide-outs, or safeties having to help on multiple receivers.

I can’t see how you can stop this offense. McCarthy called a perfect game Friday, but he was all over the place as a play-caller last season. Not just game to game, but even series to series it would seem he had a great game plan one moment and no idea the next.

The offensive line has played well in the preseason, with Ryan Grant looking quicker and more decisive than ever. But Josh Sitton and Allen Barbre are essentially rookies, neither ever having played a full season as starters.

The pass-rushers on this schedule are fierce between Allen, Ware, Ogunleye, Suggs, Harrisson, and Kearney just to name a few. And those are just the ends.

The NFC North might be the best division in football for interior lineman and those guys in Baltimore and Pittsburgh really know how make life tough on opposing offensive lines.

The Packers are deep, cohesive, talented, physical, and excited to play. If they can lock down the penalties and play with discipline, I don’t see why they can’t win double digit games and be a serious contender in the NFC.

Unfortunately, last year you could say the same thing and it translated into just six victories. No more excuses. This team is talented, and looks ready to go. They’ve put the NFC North and the rest of the NFC on notice that they’re ready to play. After all, they clobbered the defending NFC champions in a match-up of first teamers.

If they can learn on the fly how to handle adversity, this could be a really good team for a really long time; the kind of franchise Packers fans in the 90’s were used to. And then fans can really say things like “We’ll never forget you Brent.”

Green Bay Packers Vs. Buffalo Bills Preseason Preview

Peter Bukowski — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 01:02:24 -0400

Stats don’t matter much in preseason. Not much matters in preseason except setting a depth chart, staying healthy, and maybe finding a few hidden gems. Of course, getting a new system right will always be important. That's what training camp, OTA’s, and the rest of the offseason is for.

The games are for playing. The games that matter are the ones that count in the win or loss column.

That being said, the preseason still means football. For most fans, that’s enough. The Packers will play tomorrow against the Buffalo Bills.

Let’s take a look at a few things to watch for in this game.

Tale of the Tape

The Bills boast a smart quarterback, a talented set of wide receivers, and a solid offensive line, yet finished 25th in the league in passing last season.

Enter Terrell Owens and the no-huddle offense.

With TO out for the game Saturday, it will be a new offensive scheme against a new defensive scheme. Trent Edwards has looked good in the no-huddle offense, and with explosive players like Lee Evans, Roscoe Parish, and second-year player James Hardy, the receiving core is solid.

The Packers will come in still learning how to play the 3-4 defense. It should be interesting to see how getting reorganized, getting signals out, and getting aligned works as the Packers defense hustles to get set against the no-huddle.

Pros vs. Joes

The Bill haven’t had a legitimate tight end in a while. Let me throw some names at you: Jonathan Stupor, Derek Shouman, Shawn Nelson, Travis McCall, and Derek Fine. I’ll take the real names of the Backstreet Boys for 200? No, that’s the list of tight ends currently on the roster in Buffalo.

Meanwhile, the Packers have big names like A.J. Hawk (whose name is currently bigger than his play to be fair), Nick Barnet, a Pro Bowler at safety in Nick Collins, plus heavy-hitter Atari Bigby, and talented new Packer Anthony Smith.

With this new 3-4, the blitz can come from anywhere. When you don’t have to worry about taking a safety or nickel back to cover a tight end, that gives a defensive coordinator tremendous flexibility to take risks. Expect to see plenty of linebackers and safeties attacking the quarterback because they just don’t have to worry about getting burned by a Bills tight end.

This looks like the most lopsided match-up of this game.

History Lesson

In the history of these teams, the numbers across the board are incredibly similar. The Bills hold a 3-2 advantage in the five games, but the statistics are eerily close. The Packers have run 315 plays for 1462 yards against the Bills, while Buffalo has run 332 plays for 1458 yards in those games.

The Packers are 22/67 in third down conversions against Buffalo. The Bills are 21/67. On kick returns, the Pack have 19 for 361 yards, while the Bills have 19 for 367 yards. Get it? It’s been close.

The one area Green Bay has had a clear advantage is getting pressure on the quarterback. In those five games, the Pack has recorded 19 sacks, to the Bills' 10. The near two-to-one advantage works out to almost four sacks a game for the Packers.

It shouldn’t surprise you that the Bills used a first round pick to draft a pass-rusher (Penn State’s Aaron Maybin, who just signed).

Don’t Bet On It

The Packers' offensive line has been a work in progress for a couple years now, really since Marco Rivera and Mark Wahle left. The Packers continue to tweak the offensive line and except for Chad Clifton and Daryn Colledge on the left side, nothing is set in stone.

The Cleveland game saw Clifton, Colledge, Wells, Spitz, and Barbe start from left to right. With three games left in the preseason, there are three more opportunities to win jobs.

If I set the +/- of line-ups used with a first team offense at 3.5 you’d have to take the over right?

Spitz could start at center or guard. Josh Sitton could start at guard if Spitz plays center. Breno Giacomini could start at tackle with any of those line-ups. While you hope McCarthy and the coaches pick a starting staff and stick to it, it hasn’t been decided yet.

Final Word

This would normally be where I make a prediction, but in the preseason, that isn’t even worth it because there are 582 people on each roster and after the first half, it is just too hard to try and make predictions based on the play of back-ups. I mean, that’s why they’re back-ups.

I expect the Packers to win because they have superior talent and depth, but injuries have depleted the roster to some degree on both sides. It should be an exciting game to watch, and even though TO won’t play, it’ll be worth getting your popcorn ready.

Brett Favre's Arrival in Minnesota Cripples Vikings

Peter Bukowski — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:17:41 -0400

I’m sick of writing about it to be honest. In fact, I think I’m going to pull a Bill Simmons and only refer to him by pseudonyms rather than his actual name. I like “Bredidict Favrald” or just “The all time interceptions leader.”

But since, I’ve already gone through it ad-nauseum, I won’t waste any more time about who is to blame for Favre’s departure from Green Bay. Anyone who knows me or has read my column understands my position.

That being said, now that Brett will be playing purple and gold, there is an interesting parallel that can be drawn between what happened this summer and what happened last summer in Green Bay.

When Favre left the Packers they were an ultra-talented, but mostly young football team. They had a 1,000 yard rusher, two 1,000 yard receivers, a set of All-Pro corners, and an All-Pro pass-rusher. The team without Favre had question marks at quarterback, but other than that was relatively set at most positions.

The Vikings have a 1,000 yard rusher (really two), a 1,000 yard receiver (almost), a Pro-Bowl corner, a set of All-Pro defensive tackles, and an All-Pro pass-rusher. The team without Favre has question marks, but other than that is relatively set at most positions.

There is talent on the offensive line, but inconsistency and lost veteran presence could mean some struggles, at least early on. That could go for either the Packers or the Vikings.

The point that I’m trying to make is when Ted Thompson decided not to bring Favre back, he saw the big picture. The Packers could make one last run with Favre, and leave the team with no direction, particularly with the heir apparent at quarterback riding the pine yet again.

Or, the Packers could give Rodgers the shot, and allow this ultra-talented—if inexperienced—team to learn and make it’s way in the world. Now, however, they have an opportunity to grow together and develop their own leadership and identity without Favre, knowing that he wouldn’t have been there much longer anyway.

With Favre in Minnesota, the question isn’t so much about this year, but what happens in 2010? What if Adrian Peterson, much like he has throughout his football career, struggles to stay healthy? What about Favre’s health?

The Vikings are selling out for one, maximum two season of Brett Favre. You’re going to take touches away from the most dynamic player in the NFL to give it to a quarterback who lead the league in interceptions last year and has been a Pro Bowl caliber player just once in nearly a decade?

The Vikings are crippling themselves, all to win the one game this franchise has never won, and the only one that really counts.

The problem is, Brett Favre doesn’t make the Vikings the team to beat in the NFC. They aren’t better than the Giants, or the Eagles if they’re healthy. They certainly aren’t better than the Patriots, Steelers, Colts, or Chargers.

So the upside is becoming a contender, though certainly not a prohibitive favorite, instead of doing a favor to your team and letting them grow together. If they can’t win with Brett Favre, the psyche of this team will be shot.

Vikings management has already made it clear they don’t think the team can win with this set of quarterbacks. Add Favre and they still don’t win, then what? You have a team post-Brett Favre who thought all they needed was a quarterback. They got one, and still didn’t get it done.

That would do some serious damage.

Speaking of damage, even Favre himself doesn't know how seriously injured his shoulder is, or how healthy he will be this season. In fact, we learned in his press conference today that Favre's rotator cuff was still torn even post-surgery.

The soon-to-be 40-year-old has broken down at the end of the last two seasons, and struggled to play in cold weather. Now he's going to play hurt for a whole season instead of just the end?

They are taking a huge risk, not just with the shoulder, but that Favre will make them so much better the Vikings will not only make the playoffs, but get home field through out. A trip to the Meadowlands or the Linc in January could mean a problem for the once invincible in cold-weather Favre.

I want to close by adding just a brief aside. Packers fans have to feel slighted. They’re angry, and if they could, plenty of people would want to put on a helmet and shoulder pads to come on a corner blitz from the blindside to take Favre out.

The players in Green Bay feel the same way.

Nick Barnett had this to say when asked about playing against Favre, “After all those years of not being able to hit him do I want to hit him? Of course I want to hit him.” Aaron Kampman simply quipped, “The red jersey will be off.”

They understand Brett came back, at least in part, to stick it to the team he says pushed him out of town. Expect the players still residing on that team to be more than happy to stick it right back because they want to show they can win without Favre.

That is the kind of mentality the Vikings ought to be instilling in their team. So don’t judge this deal based on what happens just this season. See the big picture, like TT did. Maybe you’ll see just how big a mistake this is.

Green Bay-Cleveland: Packers Blank Browns, Show Early Signs Of Improvement

Peter Bukowski — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:36:50 -0400

Cheeseheads got their first glimpse of the 2009 version of the Green Bay Packers and they have to be pleased with what they saw. The Packers, though not perfect, executed much better than the Browns and earned a 17-0 victory Saturday night at Lambeau Field.

It was the first opportunity to see the revamped defense under Dom Capers, although the intricacies expected to come with this version of the 3-4 were limited. The success however was anything but.

Whenever you shut out an opponent, preseason or otherwise, things had to go well defensively. Browns quarterbacks threw some dumb passes, but defenders still have to hold on to the football, something they did as they picked off four passes Saturday night (they had their chances for even more).

The Browns managed just 59 yards on the ground, despite going against a Packers front seven missing a number of potential starters. Except for a 29 yard end around by Josh Cribbs, the defense contained big plays, something they struggled at times to do last season.

The zone coverage got crossed up a few times, and that will be a work in progress all season as the defensive backs transition from a man scheme to a area-based zone coverage system.

The best part of the defensive performance was their ability to come up with big plays. Will Blackmon came up with a huge play on a corner blitz, forcing a fumble. Desmond Bishop, who had a monster game, had a pressure that forced a pick, an interception of his own, and a sack. It will be tough to keep him off the field if he keeps playing like this.

And one of the few changes Ted Thompson made in the offseason, Anthony Smith, saved the shut-out when he took the ball away from Braylon Edwards in the endzone with under a minute to go in the first half. He also tied for the lead in tackles for the team.

Offensively, the Packers showed some new looks, and improved versatility. The combination of Jermichael Finley and David Lee looks to be a potent one, giving the Packers already deep receiving core some added options. In case you missed Donald Driver torching the Browns for a 53 yard bomb from Aaron Rodgers for six, Driver has not lost a step and should continue to produce at a Pro Bowl level.

The passing numbers for the QB's weren't spectacular, but didn't need to be. The running game was outstanding, finishing with 230 yards and a yard per carry average of nearly five.

Tyrell Sutton made a strong case for that third running back spot with 91 yards on on 16 carries. The rookie free agent looked like a longshot to make the opening day roster, but he acquitted himself nicely in his first game action since joining the Pack.

But expect DeShawn Wynn and Kregg Lumpkin to get plenty of opportunities to show what they can do. This running back battle will be one to watch in the coming weeks.

As I wrote last week, you can't be too excited or too discouraged after a week of preseason games. However, the defense didn't look totally lost, the offensive line might finally have some continuity, and the team is healthy...at least for now.

When the first teamers get more extended minutes this week against Buffalo, we will be able to identify trends and tendencies early on. That should give us a better idea of what to expect, and what the team needs to work on as the opener against the rival Bears moves ever closer.

For now, the Packers are glad to get out of Lambeau with a victory and their health. Adding newly-signed B.J. Raji, and hopefully some of the ailing bodies back to the mix on Saturday, should mean an even deeper squad, and hopefully some similar results.

What Green Bay Packer Fans Should Look For This Preseason

Peter Bukowski — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:32:17 -0400

For veteran (read: good) teams like Pittsburgh, Philly, New England, or Dallas, the preseason is a chance to get the two-deep roster in order and maybe find a diamond in the rough who can return a punt or play the nickel.

For a young (read: bad) team like Detroit, Kansas City, St. Louis, or the New York Jets, the preseason is an exciting time to see who can emerge as a playmaker. Fans want to see their rookies play well, a new scheme, or something to get excited about after a dismal year.

The Packers are somewhere in between. They were a young team last year, but they were young in 2007 as well and won 13 games. There are plenty of positions where there can be no argument who the starters will be. In fact, it could be easily argued this team has far more answers than questions heading into the preseason.

To determine what we can look for this preseason from Green Bay, let’s first take a few things off the board.

First, and most importantly, don’t under any circumstances get too excited over anyone you see do anything for any reason whatsoever.

Sorry to be a buzz kill, but the bottom line is the preseason just doesn’t mean very much. Teams go undefeated in the preseason and win four games in the regular season, while teams win one game and end up with 12 or 13 victories in the regular season.

Every year a couple players go through the preseason like gangbusters and wind up middling on the second or third team during the regular season because they were playing in the third and fourth quarters of games when most of the players on the field are lucky to have a jersey in a day or two. So don’t get too jazzed.

Starters won’t play big minutes, little injuries will mean rest a regular season game wouldn’t warrant, and the systems are normally so vanilla that it is difficult to really gauge anyone’s performance accurately.

Except in one case. Much like the NBA Summer League, doing well is not necessarily a harbinger of success, but struggling in the preseason can be a sign that things aren’t going to go well.

There are certainly exceptions to these rules, but by and large, players who can make an impact right away aren’t going to struggle all preseason. A player might have a bad game, or a bad series, but if they struggle the entirety of the preseason, you can probably cancel that ticket to Hawaii in February.

As far as the Packers are concerned, it is difficult to know who will play what role.

Cheeseheads are stoked to see the new 3-4 defense, and rightfully so. However, expect it to be basic in most cases, with only occasional wrinkles. What fans can be excited about are the players they’ll see.

Cullen Jenkins has been a man on a mission since returning from injury. No one in practice can block him, and that includes first-team offensive lineman. He is a great fit with the 3-4 defense, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him quickly become one of the best 3-4 ends in the game.

Sticking with the defense, it will be interesting to see what happens at outside linebacker. We know Aaron Kampman wasn’t psyched about making the transition to playing the 3-4, but his pass-rushing skills are not in doubt. We will see how his pass drops are, his coverage acumen, and his overall comfort with the defense.

On the other side, the battle for the starting spot continues. Jeremy Thompson has been outstanding, showing great agility and fluidity for someone his size. A hamstring injury has slowed Clay Matthews, but if he is healthy, that battle should be something to keep an eye on.

You really can’t have too many pass rushers.

On offense, there will be plenty to watch as well.

Jermichael Finley has been a standout in camp and if he can replicate his practice success in games, he will give Aaron Rodgers a deadly weapon both down the seam and inside the red zone (where the Pack was awful last year).

The offensive line must develop some continuity. We know Chad Clifton will play left tackle, Daryn College is likely the man at left guard, and Jason Spitz will play… somewhere. Scott Wells has been working with both the first and second teams, as have Allen Barbe, Josh Sitton, and Breno Giacomini. The first depth chart of the year has Clifton, College, Wells, Spitz, and Barbe as the first team, but that could certainly change over the course of the next four games. Expect to see them all get some first-team run.

As far as skill position players, the running back battle is one to watch. Ryan Grant obviously will start, with Brandon Jackson right behind. After that it looks like Wynn, Lumpkin, and Sutton will battle it out, although I doubt Sutton really has a legitimate chance of making the team. That means it will be down to Wynn and Lumpkin, and Wynn has really looked slimmer and more focused this offseason.

Finally, and I can’t emphasize this enough, Jake Allen is going to look great. He’s been great all offseason, in minicamp, in training camp, everywhere. He’s 6’4”, can run, and would be a great red zone guy. There are just too many receivers in front of him for him to bust through.

Allen is an ideal practice squad player and is great insurance in case one of the top five guys go down. Unless he shows he can be an asset on special teams, I can’t see the Packers carrying six receivers on the roster, not with the need now for extra linebackers, and the depth and offensive line.

Enjoy it Packer fans. This team is talented and focused. With no distractions (read: no Brett Favre), camp has been crisp and physical, even a little chippy at times. We should find out if the players have any idea how to play the new defense, and maybe catch a glimpse or two of an offensive wrinkle the Packers are working on.

Like I said, don’t get too excited and don’t get too down. The games mean something, but they don’t count. Pick a favorite player on the third team, and root for him every game. When you have that first roster that seems like it has 300 names on it, learn your favorite names and see if they make the team (Mine is Cyril Obiozor, too bad John Madden isn’t around to pronounce that one).

And as always, Go Pack Go.

Stop Blaming Ted Thompson for Brett Favre and Free Agency

Peter Bukowski — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 15:45:01 -0400

For those of you who have turned on Ted Thompson for supposedly ruining the Packers by not bringing back Brett Favre, enough is enough.

You Favre apologists are nothing short of naive, nostalgic nincompoops whose short-sightedness and loyalty to Favre has clouded your judgment about the Packers' best interests.

Let’s go back two springs. Cries for Thompson to make a splash were boisterous. Favre made it clear he wanted Thompson to trade for Randy Moss and reportedly threatened to retire if Green Bay failed to do so.

Moss wound up in New England, and the Packers signed a grand total of one free agent, Frank Walker, who started a whopping zero games.

With one of the youngest teams in the league, the Packers went 13-3 and were a boneheaded throw away from the Super Bowl. Thompson was the Sporting News Executive of the Year, without adding Moss.

What happened next has been hashed and rehashed enough. I don’t want to hear that Thompson ran Favre out of Green Bay. That is absolutely, categorically false.

This was at least the third season in a row Favre had spoken publicly about thoughts of retirement, and each offseason, the process seemed to drag out longer.

Favre had decided to return with the acceptance of both Thompson and Mike McCarthy. They insisted he take some more time to think about it in order to make the best decision for both him and his family. After doing so, Brett decided it was time to stay in retirement.

It was only after weeks more of hemming and hawing that Brett called Thompson again and said, “I want in.”

Sure, Thompson could have met with Favre personally and figured something out. Perhaps that’s what Ron Wolf would have done, or Bob Harlan. (The bigger question is whether Favre would have even been doing this had his father Irv been alive. My guess? No way.)But Thompson was making a point: “This isn’t about you anymore, Brett. You are not bigger than this team.”

Of course, Favre didn’t take kindly to that, so he pitched a hissy fit and wound up in New York. You could say that it wouldn’t have gotten so messy had Brett just been allowed to come back, but that would be pure speculation. Favre was the one who went on Fox News and spun stories about feeling betrayed, when it was Favre who’d gone back on his word repeatedly.

Thompson has always told it like it is; that’s what he does. He’s a no-nonsense administrator, and that’s how he runs a team.

Favre is the one who understands how to manipulate the media. Watch their press conferences side by side, and you’ll see what I mean.

Favre hasn’t been in a Packers uniform for 18 months, so now we have to move on.

I hear talk about Justin Harrell, losing players to free agency, and not signing any marquee free agents. Enough.

The big knock on Thompson outside of Favre is the way he builds a team: through the draft. He didn’t go after Albert Haynesworth or attempt to get Julius Peppers or Terrell Suggs.The Packers essentially stood pat, except for trading up and drafting Clay Matthews in the first round.

Name the last marquee free agent signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Indianapolis Colts? The Baltimore Ravens? Fourteen of the top 20 passers last season played for teams that drafted them. Three of the four teams in the conference championships last year were lead by QBs drafted by their team. In fact, eight of the 12 playoff teams had homegrown signal callers.

Hindsight is 20/20, but if the Packers are healthy in 2008, they probably win at least two more games with Aaron Rodgers, maybe more. Rodgers sparkled last year and showed why Thompson made what I now believe to be the right call in telling Favre to move along. Don’t blame Rodgers for the Packers blowing close games. More often than not, it was the defense who failed to get a stop late.

There’s a reason the Packers have totally reworked the defensive coaching staff and scheme.

Go ask the Raiders or the Jets how spendy offseasons worked out last year for them. And didn’t a certain former Packers legend play for the Jets? They spent a gazillion dollars on free agents and even with Brett Favre couldn’t make the playoffs in a WIDE OPEN division after Tom Brady went down. Favre's defense with the Jets was light years more consistent than Green Bay’s, and the running game was considerably better, yet they barely broke the .500 mark.

Sure, Brett got injured, but that is the point! He’s just not capable of being that guy anymore. He would have gotten injured in Green Bay too, maybe sooner with injuries robbing the offensive line of any continuity. People forget that.

How is it possible Thompson comes out looking like the fool here?

The best teams build through the draft. It would be easy to rebut a claim about the percentage of starters drafted by Ted Thompson by saying that is because Thompson never signed free agents. But that just isn’t true. Thompson paid up for Charles Woodson, and Woodson has been reborn as one of the elite cover corners in the league. Ryan Pickett was brought in and has been an anchor on the defense.

He found Samkon Gado when the running back corps was decimated by injury. He plucked Ryan Grant off the Giants' practice squad, and now he’s a 1,000-yard rusher.

Then, via the draft he’s added A.J. Hawk (who has underperformed, to be fair), Greg Jennings, James Jones, Jason Spitz, Nick Collins, Brandon Jackson, DeShawn Wynn (a STEAL in the seventh round), and promising second-year players like Jermichael Finley, Jeremy Thompson, Josh Sitton, and Breno Giacomini.

Throw in rookies B.J. Raji and Clay Matthews, who both could start, and Thompson has put together one of the most talented teams in the NFC.

Oh, that’s right—he’s also responsible for drafting a quarterback who just had one of the great statistical seasons in franchise history, and his name isn’t Favre.

Ultimately, this Packers team is young, talented, and poised to be good for a long time. Thompson has put the Packers in a position to do what few teams in pro sports can, and that is win consistently over a number of years.

We see a “win now and next year be damned” attitude around the league, especially with teams thinking they can spend their way into wins.

The Packers are a 10-win team easily on paper in 2009. The reason is simple: Ted Thompson has loaded this team with talent. Sure, they could have made another run last season with Favre, but if Green Bay had the same injuries last year with Favre, they wouldn't have gone 13-3. In fact, they might not even be 8-8, especially with Brett’s injury.

Enough making excuses for why Favre didn’t come back. He shouldn’t have come back, and his play late in the season, combined with the injury, proved that. Thompson was the man who made that call, and it was the right one.

Just because he’s the best quarterback in franchise history doesn’t mean he gets carte blanche to come back at his leisure and hold the team hostage. It’s up to Thompson to make the decisions based on the future, and he made the right one, period.

By putting the future of the team over some antiquated notion of entitlement for Favre, Thompson showed why he’s the right man for the best franchise in sports. He always has the best interests of the team in mind and won’t sacrifice that, even for the most famous player ever to put on the Green and Gold.

I just wish the fans would share his desire for the team’s success rather than wishing selfishly to have a washed-up former superstar play a position he’s only had real success at once in the last half-decade.

Enough.

Five Reasons Michael Vick Makes Sense in Green Bay

Peter Bukowski — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:25:23 -0400

Brace yourself Packers fans...

Michael Vick would look awfully good in the Green and Gold.

Ok look, no one likes what the guy did. He committed unspeakable, not to mention highly illegal, acts and was convicted of those crimes. He has never had a squeaky clean image...I seem to recall something about herpes and an alias "Ron Mexico."

Furthermore, Green Bay has never had a reputation like Dallas or Oakland for taking on people with troubled pasts. The Packers have always been an organization that valued personal integrity.

But let's not be too high and mighty. The greatest Packer ever was an alcoholic and abused prescription drugs.

Paul Hornung and Max McGee were hung-over playing in the Super Bowl because they were out partying the night before, and that was in the mid 60's!

This is not an excuse for allowing a highly questionable character onto your football because there is precedent. That would be foolish. I just don't want to hear, "That kind of person would never be in Green Bay."

But look at it from a football perspective.

He's never shown any reason to believe he will be anything but a below-average passer, and he can't stay healthy because he runs too much. But the Falcons won because running was what Vick did best. Hence reason No. 1:

Vick could bring a dynamic element to the running game

Remember, this is the greatest running quarterback in NFL history. The guy is one of the greatest pure rushers in the history of the game, regardless of position. Go turn on the highlights of him running all over Minnesota and tell me I'm wrong.

Or better yet, think back to when Brett Favre was invincible at Lambeau in the cold and a young Mike Vick torched the Packers with snow falling in the playoffs.

The guy is electric with the ball in his hand, and while Ryan Grant can be a home-run hitter, he's not going to scare defenses like Vick would. Plus, if there is a skill a person is just born with, it is that instinct to run.

Prison certainly didn't hurt Vick's natural instincts towards being elusive...if anything, it heightened them.

True, Green Bay has a quarterback. A pretty good one actually. That brings up No. 2:

Vick won't have to be "the guy"

Aaron Rodgers put up gaudy stats last year and the offense was tough to stop. But wouldn't he be even better if defenses had to worry about Mike Vick running 5-10 plays a game?

Vick was as dynamic as anyone in the NFL when he was healthy. He couldn't stay healthy because he ran all the time. Well, if he's only in the game for a fraction of the plays, you could save him over the course of the season.

It even takes pressure off A-Rod. For a series or two each game, he'll have an extra opportunity to watch the defense from the sidelines, talk with coaches, and game plan.

It doesn't hurt that the guy taking his place is capable of taking it to the house every time he touches the ball.

And he can do it from any position.

Vick could play all over the field

Put Vick on the field in the Wildcat and let him run a spread option. Line him up under center and run a wishbone option. McCarthy likes that full house backfield anyway.

Put Vick in the slot and have him run routes. Anyone who says he'd rather have Jordy Nelson lined up wide over Vick is a liar.

Pittsburgh won a championship running a gadget play or two a game. The Dolphins shocked the world and made a playoff run coming off a one win season in large part because of the success of their Wildcat offense.

Once the league figured out Ronnie Brown couldn't throw, it stopped working as well, but Vick CAN throw...at least better than Ronnie Brown.

If you line Vick up in the shotgun with a setback, the defense has no way of knowing if he's going to run or pass.

Once you have the defenses guessing, he works just as well as a decoy. Much like when teams loaded up Randy Moss and the Pats unloaded underneath to Wes Welker, you don't think having Vick in the slot opens up the coverages for Greg Jennings and Donald Driver? Guys who don't need much help to get open as is.

Vick won't be a distraction

This is as important an aspect as the other four. Vick has to go to a team that can handle him being there. The actual distance may only be about 1,000 miles, but Green Bay is forever away from Virginia and Atlanta, where Vick's infamy precedes him.

I don't want to be crass, but how much trouble can Vick really find in Green Bay? All that blaze orange in December tell you that its not an animal-loving community (except maybe on the wall).

But it is a close community and Vick won't be able to just sneak off and fool around...not in a city that loves football the way they do in Packerland.

And that community will save him. The Packer fans are outstanding and if Vick performs, the move with be lauded. Like any move, if Vick doesn't, the Packers made a mistake. But that goes for any player.

The point is, Cheeseheads will forgive his transgressions if he scores touchdowns. As a fan you may be disagreeing now, but talk to me if he winds up running all over the Pack in the Metrodome.

That leads me to No. 5:

He won't be playing anywhere else if he's playing in Green Bay

It would be a nice incentive to have him in Green Bay and not Minnesota, or anywhere for that matter. Certainly that is not reason enough to sign him, but it has to be a nice added benefit.

Vick and AP in the same backfield would be awfully tough to deal with. Vick is just a good enough passer to make that play-action game there deadly.

This may seem like a joke, but it most certainly is not. The title is somewhat, but the point is putting together the most talented team possible.

If there is an opportunity to add talent to your team you have to take it. He would fit into the personnel on this team and wouldn't take away from what the Packers already do well.

You may not like what has happened in the past, but he's no Pacman Jones, or even Michael Irvin. He's ultra-talented and those natural gifts can still be harnessed.

His passing was never great, but it won't have to be on this team. Vick can help the Packers in 2009 and beyond, and his presence won't hurt the team or the organization.

Vick understands what kind of opportunity he has in front of him if he's smart. That means flying right. If he can give that kind of electricity to a football team for what I assume will be cheap, it is worth the risk.

Brett Favre True to Form Even in Retirement

Peter Bukowski — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:35:35 -0400

I couldn't bring myself to write a Brett Favre retirement piece after it happened the first time. The man literally reduced to me to tears last spring when he announced he wasn't sure he had the passion anymore.

I don't mean "Oh Leonardo is frozen and the lifeboats are coming" tears (Wait, did I just admit to crying watching Titanic?) No, I was sobbing and heaving because the man who taught me how to love the game, the player who made me proud to be a quarterback, didn't have the passion anymore.

I didn't fault him for wanting to come back and play. I got it. No one in the history of sports loved to play anything more than Brett Favre loved to play football. I couldn't possibly begrudge him the opportunity to play. I didn't even fault him for wanting to stick it to Ted Thompson whose stubbornness, it seemed at the time, forced Brett to want to come back with the Vikings.

If Favre was going to come back, he was going to come back guns blazing at the man who done him wrong, just like the cowboy he is.

Well, it seems that isn't really how it went down. Turns out, Favre wanted to come back and Thompson, along with head coach Mike McCarthy said, "Sure Brett, we'd love to have you back."

The Pack was coming off a division title and a painful loss in the NFC Championship game, and Brett was coming off a renaissance campaign. It made sense to let him have a do over.

But then Favre decided he wasn't coming back. OK. Done deal. Aaron, it's your job again.

Wait, just kidding. Only this time Brett trashed Thompson and the Packers in the media, saying he was "forced" out of Green Bay. Word from those who know Thompson personally was he was a straight shooter and he wasn't going to play games for the media's sake. He was going to tell the truth.

I was advised to believe Thompson, but of course he hadn't delivered me a Super Bowl ring, and nearly two decades worth of Sunday afternoons. Now, that looks like the most lucid thing anyone has said about this whole situation.

Why the diatribe? Catharsis for one, context another.

Favre may be a good old boy, and he's still the guy who picks up receivers and carries them around the field. But he's also a man whose been spoiled by the spotlight. His family is famously in love with the media.

Plenty of people suggested it was their influence that weighed heavily on Favre's decision to come back in the first place. A Brett Favre apologist (and I know far too many) might say that none of this is Brett's fault. He just wanted to play and he was manipulated by media hungry friends and family.

The problem is, Bonita Favre didn't raise no dummy.

This is the work of Favre. It has all the marking of a Favre game plan. "Who cares if there is triple coverage, I'm throwin it cuz I can fit it in" and much more like the older Favre, the pass was off the mark. .

He threw a proverbial pick-six with Packers fans. Wanting to play was one thing. I told you, I forgave him for that. Wanting to play for the Dome Queens is quite another thing in Wisconsin. Furthermore, wanting to play with the express purpose of demolishing your former team is ground for a hanging.

Look it up, it's in Green Bay law.

My sister said the best thing about Brett's decision this offseason, "Brett has played enough games in December at Lambeau to know what all that blaze orange means; Packer fans are gun owners. He's gonna get shot!"

At his Packers Hall of Fame induction recently Dorsey Levens said something that I believe to be incredibly cogent.

He said something to the effect of, "If you don't like Brett playing in Minnesota, then let him know. Boo him when he plays at Lambeau. But when he goes up there to get inducted into the Hall, cheer. Cheer for everything he gave to this organization"

Dorsey was right, as you might expect a good Syracuse native to be (I'm a Syracuse Alum).

In fact, the more I think about it, the more sense it makes. Everything I loved about Brett Favre drove him to the position he was in. He loved Green Bay. I truly believe that. He loved the fans and he loved playing at Lambeau. Those weren't crocidile tears at the press conference last spring, he was truly heart broken to be hanging it up.

But when he decided to come back (the second time that spring) and the Packers basically said "Sorry, we've moved on" Favre was jilted. He was more than jilted he was heartbroken, like I'd been watching him admit defeat in retirement.

The passion and fire that made him a great quarterback was driving his actions. Even if it was the best decision for the Packers to trade Favre instead of bring him back, Brett never saw it that way, and how could we expect him to?

From a fans perspective, what Favre has done seems unforgivable. In Green Bay, more than anywhere else, they're the ones writing checks for the players. He owed to the fans to think with more clarity about their reaction to his decision. I can't justify his actions, but for me, there is no justification.

But I understand it now. Surely the media attention was planned. He likes it. Who wouldn't? That isn't a free-pass on that either.

Even Michael Irvin said what Brett was doing was bogus. Do I even really need to say it? It's Michael Irvin. If he thinks you're messing up, chances are you're REALLY messing up. But it shoudln't have surprised anyone who watched him play.

The player who if you told him, "I bet you can't throw the ball throw a tire on a moving pick up truck going 50 from across the highway" would have said "Watch me."

The man who overcame addiction to pain killers and alcohol, not to mention unspeakable and untimely loss in his family.

A man who played and often lived with reckless abandon, hoping for the best, was always both dazzling and maddeningly disappointing. That was who we saw the last year and a half, and we, as Packer fans, should have understand.

Appropriately enough, he regained his MVP form and did what was best for both him and the Green Bay Packers.

Aaron Rodgers Must Take Next Step to Erase Ghosts of Brett Favre

Peter Bukowski — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 21:09:29 -0400

I want to start by saying I was among the few Packer fans who applauded when Aaron Rodgers plummeted on draft day and Green Bay had the forward thinking to draft him. I was literally talking to the TV with each passing pick, hoping he would fall.

Subsequently, I was one of the Packer fans who questioned whether Rodgers would ever be half the quarterback Brett Favre was after he struggled to assimilate in a back-up role to a man he seemed not to realize was a legend and state hero (until recently at least).

Somewhere along the line though, he figured it out. He had his struggles in pre-season, like every young quarterback does.

He got some hand-off duty playing behind the greatest iron man in the history of professional football and maybe all of sports. But somewhere in there, it clicked for the former Pac-10 standout.

He showed up on a Thursday night after Brett Favre went down with a mysterious injury during a pummeling at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys. Luckily it was on NFL Network, so no one really saw it. In fact, I had to go to a local bar and watch.

What fans saw that night was not the cocky California boy who didn't take kindly to a back-up role. No, what we saw was the transformation of a young player ready to take the next step.

Of course, Favre came back the next game, and Rodgers resumed his clipboard holding. But life had taken an inescapable detour for Aaron Rodgers. He had proven he was ready to take over for the only quarterback a generation of Packer fans had ever known.

No one needs to be reminded of what followed, from the famous Favre interception that cost the Packers a chance at a Super Bowl that year, or the retirement, reinstatement, trade, re-retirement, and potential re- reinstatement although it's not a re- reinstatement because he never officially retired, just wanted to play somewhere else and now my head hurts.

In his first full season as a starter, Rodgers dazzled, finishing fourth in the league in passing yards while tossing more than twice as many touchdowns as interceptions.

The stats are nice. It was one of the greatest statistical seasons in Packers history, including anything No. 4 ever put up. But the final board said six wins and ten losses.

That just won't cut it in cheesehead country.

John Madden once talked about how great Favre was in terms of his ability to impact not just one game, but the entirety of a season. He would say that Brett Favre was so good, that by himself he was worth eight victories.

In his prime, he definitely was. It is A-Rod's turn to put himself in that class.

The Packers have five legitimate threats at the receiver position, not to mention a proven tight end to go along with an extremely talented young one.

The running game should be improved with the health of Ryan Grant and Brandon Jackson, not to mention some stability on the offensive line. Coach Mike McCarthy loves the play-action pass, and it could really help improve the Packers pathetic red zone offense.

Without these things in place, Rodgers put up incredible numbers last season, despite battling injuries himself. The Packers lost a ton of close games and could have very easily been a playoff team.

There will be no excuses this year, especially now that you know who isn't going you know where.

When the defense gets a huge turnover, it's time to put it in the end zone instead of between the uprights. When the team gets in the red zone, it is time to score 6 instead of 3.

When the game is on the line and you need a field goal to win it, it's time to get to the 15-yard line, not the 35-yard line. When you have a man running down the seam, it's time to hit him in stride instead of off target so has to make a diving catch, nullifying a sure touchdown.

What's more than that Aaron Rodgers, it is time to live the kind of maturity and growth you've talked about since what's his name left Green Bay.

If you want to be talked about on a first-name basis like Brett, or Peyton, or Tom, then it is time to show you are worth eight victories a year.

It is time to show you can carry a team to a division crown, a playoff berth, and be a threat in the NFC despite living in the biggest shadow in franchise history.

Packer fans were scared to let Brett Favre play in Minnesota because of what it might mean for that offense and that team next door.

It means more to Green Bay.

Because if Aaron Rodgers could have matched Brett Favre blow for blow in a head to head match-up, then not only was Ted Thompson right in letting Brett go play in New York, but the Packers have taken the next step. Aaron Rodgers had taken the next step.

Rodgers won't have that burden now, but that is all the more reason why he ought to succeed. In fact, with the confidence of the QB's in Minny shattered, the Packers have as good a chance as any to win the North outright.

The fans at Lambeau cheering for the Green Bay Packers are the best fans in the world. Everyone says that, but it is only true in Green Bay.

They're ready for Aaron Rodgers to take the next step. They want him to. Aaron wants it too. He seems ready. Now all he has to do, is take it. The elusive next step.