Green Bay Packers Have Nothing to Look Forward to But Next Year.

It's all right fellow Packer fans, the 5-9 record isn't nearly as bad as it looks.

Aaron Rodgers and company have put up 371 points this season, while the defense has only allowed 339. 

The defense is solid, the offense has youth on their side, and this team is poised to be good, if not great, in 2009. So why are they 5-9?

Simple. Aaron Rodgers doesn’t have “it”. Yet…

What is “it”? “It” is that special something that winners have. “It” is something that can possibly be gained with experience. “It”, is the intangible that baffles experts and players alike.

Rodgers is in his first season. Let that soak in.

He is, essentially, a rookie.

Our defense isn’t to blame, our special teams aren’t to blame, and certainly the offense isn’t to blame. It’s purely inexperience.

Does Rodgers have what it takes to win big games? I don’t know. But I do know that he has thrown picks in big situations this season. After another pick to end the game this weekend in Jacksonville, and to end the Packers postseason hopes, I’m not certain Rodgers is the answer in Green Bay.

Rodgers is in his first season as the starter and has done well thus far, I get it. But don’t fool yourself, this might what he has to offer. Good when the lead is there, but a nobody when the game is on the line.

I know it’s not all Rodgers’ fault, the D is 27th in points given up this season, but when your quarterback can’t drive the offense down the field in the fourth, it makes you worried.

I think that if there were a few more defensive components, this wouldn’t be an issue at all. Rodgers has played well pretty much all season, outside of final drives in the fourth. This could be because he doesn’t have the experience. This could also be because he doesn’t have the leadership and ability to step up to pressure. Nobody knows, not even him.

With next season already in Packers fans' minds, we all have to think about how the defense has come along this season. They have evolved and scored a lot of points on turnovers. They’re even eighth in total turnovers, and fifth in interceptions. They give up a lot of points, but they also make up for it.

This season may be considered a loss to a lot of fans, but I’m not one of them.  This was a building season from the start, because we all know that if your quarterback has “it”, then you don’t have…well, I’ll leave it your imagination.