Bleacher Report - Articles by Andrew Kaake

Packers-Bengals: Green Bay Fumbles Victory Away

Andrew Kaake — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 18:39:19 -0400

I didn't manage to catch the entire football game, but I saw the last part of the fourth quarter. I was not pleased.

The question in my mind was simple enough: How did the Packers manage to lose to the Bengals? They not only blew a 10-point lead, but they botched the final scoring drive.

What went wrong? Keep reading.

The Packers actually destroyed the Bengals in several stat categories. They had 383 yards to Cincinnati's 241, and their 271 passing yards more than doubled the Bengals' QB gains. Green Bay managed eight third-down conversions to the Bengals' four. They even controlled the ball for a marginally longer period of time.

As well as the Pack did in certain areas, some key things destroyed them.

The first thing that caught my eye was the turnover margin—Green Bay had three to Cincinatti's one. The other area where the Packers suffered was penalties. After starting off the game with a false start, Green Bay committed a total of 75-yards' worth of penalties. These two factors essentially decided the game.

Stud of the Game: James Jones. He made Aaron Rodgers look good, taking a pass 30 yards to the end zone after getting his helmet knocked off in the process of shaking a defender.

Dud of the Game: Kregg Lumpkin. He had the catch, he shook the tackle, and he STILL dropped the ball! Green Bay was unable to recover the fumble and was therefore unable to complete their last-chance drive.

Player to Watch: Aaron Rodgers. Honestly, whom else could I pick? I'm going to be watching him all season. After his mediocre start in professional football, I hope that he was a little nervous today. I, though not exactly a Rodgers fan yet, know that he is capable of more. Do it, Aaron. Live up to your predecessor. Make us cheeseheads proud.

How Should Aaron Rodgers React to the Green Bay Packers' Offseason?

Andrew Kaake — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 19:11:11 -0400

In the recent media assault on the NFL, Aaron Rodgers' name has been mentioned a few times, usually as being in the way of Brett Favre's comeback. Mostly, Rodgers' point of view has been largely stomped on in favor of the standoff between Ted Thompson and Favre.

Although I'm not exactly a fan of Rodgers, I would like to write a few words on his behalf.

The time: March, 2008. The situation: The football legend you've spent years sitting behind has finally retired. The coaches are ready to hand you the reins, and you're ready to take this team to the playoffs and beyond.

Four months later: Summer, 2008. Brett Favre announces he wants to come back and play. Sure, the guy's awesome, but this was your big break, and now you're second fiddle again...or so you think.

The GM and coach of the Packers both announce they are ready to stand by you as starting quarterback. They say they want you to take this team in a new direction. You wipe the sweat off of your forehead—it seems like your job is safe after all.

The present: August, 2008. Brett Favre refuses to give up and is reinstated to the Packers' active roster. Now you're being told the job Green Bay management fought so hard to protect is up for grabs—and it's a battle between you and the legend himself!

Life doesn't look good...Where are the guarantees of a starting spot? Where are the empty promises of a team to lead?

Yes, Aaron Rodgers was wronged. The Packers got stuck between a rock and a hard place with Favre wanting to come back. Favre flip-flopping was annoying, but it was easily predictable.

You could have guessed that he might want to come back, and plan for what to do if that happens. That doesn't matter now, though—the damage has been done.

Unfortunately for Rodgers, most people, myself included, think the Packers will do better with Favre as the starting quarterback. Would it be impossible for Rodgers to clinch the spot? Absolutely not, but it's also not impossible for me to throw a bouncy ball through a brick wall (it's a weird physics thing—don't ask).

So what do you do if you're Aaron Rodgers, the bouncy ball being thrown up against the brick wall? One, you go through (beat out Favre for the starting spot). Two, you bounce back and turn the tables.

If Favre wins, Rodgers should take his place and pressure the Packers into trading him to a team in need of a good quarterback to lead them to the promised land (i.e. division rival Minnesota).

Would it work? Maybe not, but it sure beats being second string to a guy that won't retire. If it does, then maybe being Aaron Rodgers will be a lot better come the fall.

Why Brett Favre Didn't Take the Cash and Run

Andrew Kaake — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:31:05 -0400

While no one but Favre himself can state his reasoning for turning down the Packers ad deal, I will attempt to put myself in his shoes in order to conjecture as to why he refused the $20 million.

Reason number one: he's rich enough already! His 2007 base salary was around $11 million (WikiAnswers estimate). He could make more in two years of playing than in ten years of marketing.

Reason number two: he hasn't exactly been buddy-buddy with the Packers franchise this last month or so. Why would he want their blood money? Taking that deal would not only help them out with their QB mess, but it would leave him advertising for them.

Reason number three: he loves football. This reason is probably the one that hits closest to home. The financial world would wonder how sane any guy is that could turn down $20 million in sure money. The sports world knows better. We know what it's like to love the game. We know that when you give your life to playing football, it never leaves you. Regardless of his March press conference, Brett Favre still wanted to play football. Now, he will. We're just waiting to see where.

Brett Favre Is Back, for Better or for Worse

Andrew Kaake — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 17:31:52 -0400

It will be official as of 12 PM cheesehead time—Brett Favre has been reinstated on the active roster of the Green Bay Packers. What will this mean? Will he start? Will he be traded? Will football as we know it ever be the same? These are the questions we ponder.

I think it is likely that the Packers will still try to find a good trading option, but at this point, the biggest bridge has already been crossed; Brett Favre is playing football in 2008. Since he is on the team already, I think that Green Bay will at least give Favre a chance to fight for his position as starting QB.

Probably, barring an amazing trade option or Rodgers taking passing steroids, Brett Favre will be starting for the Packers. Will he be able to deliver as well as he did last year? Only time will tell for sure, but with Ryan Grant able to take some of the pressure off, I expect an above-average season for Green Bay—assuming Favre starts, that is.

Regardless of the outcome, the impasse is being resolved, and the sports media will soon have something new to whine about.

Ted Thompson Is the Worst GM in NFL History

Andrew Kaake — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 09:57:26 -0400

The tale of Ted Thompson's historical blunder can be reduced to one word: fiasco. That's what he started when Brett Favre, one of the best quarterbacks ever to throw a football, decided to flip-flop on his decision to retire.

Yes, Favre should make up his mind before he calls the press conference next time, but Thompson has handled this pivotal situation with astounding incompetence. Here's a quick breakdown of his mistakes in the Favre comeback saga.

First, Favre announces he wants to come out of retirement and play for the team he's led for 16 seasons. Any normal, sane GM would happily accept the news and get Favre ready for training camp.

What does Thompson do? He says that he'd rather have a second-string QB of Grossman-like skill start for the Packers than the three-time MVP that led Green Bay to one Super Bowl already, and would happily get them to another.

At this point, I have to mention the amazing excuse that Ted used for his illogical decision. He wants to protect Brett Favre's legacy. Brett threw for over 4,000 yards last season, while at an age most players retire before. His legacy doesn't need protecting, and if it did, it wouldn't be Thompson's responsibility in the first place.

Next, Thompson instigates an investigation of the Minnesota Vikings because Favre was chatting with a good friend who just happened to work for them. Thanks to this scandal, Brett is now essentially blocked from playing in the NFC North. Also, Thompson refuses to release Favre, and he is even hesitant to trade him to a halfway-decent team.

To top it off, the Packers say that if Favre returned to them, he would be sitting the bench behind Aaron Rodgers. If you still question my opinion of Rodgers' readiness to lead my favorite team, see paragraph two.

Then, to add to the outrage, Ted is now offering Favre $20 million to stay in retirement. Why is he doing this? Simple, Brett Favre is amazing. There's no way he'll play second-fiddle to Rodgers, and he will be incredible regardless of what other team he would end up on.

No matter where he goes, Favre would come back to haunt Thompson. Therefore, he wants to get rid of him and remove evidence of his error.

How should this process have gone? Brett Favre calls up the Packers saying, "I want to play again." The Packers GM responds, "Sure! I'll go tell Rodgers to get back to the bench so we can have an Pro Bowl quarterback lead us to the Promised Land."

See? In three sentences, the Packers have an amazing QB again, Ted Thompson looks good, and there is no media firestorm.

Ted Thompson, you've obviously messed up. I, being the diehard Green Bay fan that I am, hope Favre goes to the Vikings and makes sure no one forgets why he's there. I hope he makes you look bad, preferably without making the Packers look bad.

Besides, with Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson on one team, who could stop that offense? Patriots, step aside.

Mr. Thompson, you may have one more chance to mend the error of your ways this Monday. The entire NFL will be watching you as you make the biggest choice of your career.

Most importantly, the fans will be watching, and they'll remember who's responsible for next year's QB situation. The fans don't forget, and the fans don't forgive. You remember that, Mr. Thompson. Remember that.