It's Over...Who's to Blame?

The Pack came out on the wrong side of a thrilling game that will likely make up for at least 5 of Sportscenter's top 10 plays today. Now begins the long offseason full of "what ifs" and "what now's".

What if...

Rodgers doesn't throw the pick and Driver doesn't fumble on the first 2 possessions of the game...

Crosby doesn't miss the 54 yard field goal in the 1st half...

The Pack had better clock management and could have scored a TD at the end of the 2nd quarter instead of kicking a field goal...

The #2 ranked defense in the NFL could have come up with more than 2 stops during the entire game...

Rodgers didn't overthrow a wide-open Jennings on the first play from scrimmage in overtime...

Darren Colledge didn't hold on the Packer's overtime drive...

The Refs had called one of the roughing the passer penalties in overtime that were no-calls...

Needless to say, there were several things that could have gone slightly different to give the Pack the win. It just wasn't meant to be this year. Now come the big quesions as to what the Pack will do in Free Agency and the Draft to help our chances of not letting this happen next year. Will Al Harris be able to recover from his knee surgery and come back at full-strength? What is the future of Aaron Kampman? Can we re-sign our now free agents? Who do we target in the draft? O-line? CB? RB? That's what this blog is for and that's what we'll be talking about from here until draft day.

All in all, I believe this season was successful. After losing to the lowly Buccaneers the pack went 7-2 (including yesterday's playoff loss) and were very close to winning the division. This is still a very young team and has a bright future as long as we can keep it together. A few key offseason acquisitions (and an actual retirement of a certain old QB that plays for the queens) should be able to catapult this team to an easy division title and hopefully a deep playoff run in 2010. We find out in 2 days if Woodson wins DPOY.

GO PACK!

Another Good Win, but 2 HUGE Losses

The Pack pulled out another great Conference win on Sunday vs the 49ers moving them 1 step closer to a playoff appearance. The big news coming from this weekend's game however is not good. OLB Aaron Kampman and more importantly CB Al Harris are out for the season with ACL tears. This is going to pose problems for what was a solid defensive unit. The trickle down effect is going to be the issue for the CBs. Tramon Williams is a solid CB and I believe that he will be a starter for years to come for the Pack, the problem is going to be our nickel and dime packages. Now Williams will be replaced by Jarrett Bush, Underwood (the rookie), or newly acquired Josh Bell. Bell is the most accomplished of the 3 having started 4 games in 2008 for the Denver Broncos, so I anticipate either he or Bush being the initial starter. I do like what i've seen from Underwood so far, but he's still a rookie and prone to make big mistakes which we cannot afford. Hopefully these 3 can form a rotation and be a suitable replacement for Williams. If they can't it takes something huge away from our defense...the ability for Charles Woodson to move aroudn the field as he has done over the past few weeks so successfully. It limits Dom Capers' ability to use him so liberally in blitz and coverage packages, which takes us back to where we were against the Vikings and Bengals. Let's hope for the best!

Kampman on the other hand is not as big of a loss. Although he is an effective pass rusher at times, he has not been nearly as successful in his OLB role as he was as a DE. Brad Jones has been effective in replacing him over the past 2 weeks, and i anticipate him to continue to play well. The return of Brady Poppinga and Brandon Chillar should make this transition easier as well. It's a good thing we play the lions this week!

Happy Thanksgiving...and GO PACK!

Packers-Vikings: What happened?

I want Ted Thompson’s head…and I’m serious! Hate is a strong word…and I feel strongly about the way I hate the Vikings. But let me explain myself…

I’m not angry about the way Favre was dealt with last year or that he’s not on the Packers. The quarterback was not the reason for last night’s loss. I am angry about the way our offensive and defensive lines are playing. These are the most critical positions for a championship team. You have to be able to protect your quarterback and put pressure on the one you’re playing against. This is something the Packers have been unable to do for some time now. Rodgers was sacked 8 times last night…EIGHT! And he was hit several other times. I counted 2 times that anyone in a white jersey was even close to Favre last night. Kampman hit him once, but it was still a completed pass, and Woodson tipped a ball on a corner blitz, which was also a completed pass. It’s a miracle that we actually had a shot at tying the game at the end.

Thompson has been the GM for 5 years now. That’s plenty of time to build a solid offensive and defensive line. The problem is that he is not willing to sign free agents. How do you think the queens got their lines to be so good? FREE AGENCY! I’m sorry but there is no way to stay competitive in the NFL without utilizing the free agent market. If Thompson doesn’t realize that, then we need to get someone else in there that does. I’m fine with using the draft for skill players and grooming future starters under proven veterans, but you have to have those veterans on your roster to groom the rookies. That’s my 2 cents on Thompson. Now on to last night’s game…

Things I didn’t like:

- Seeing Jared Allen obliterate our right tackles all game
- Seeing Favre in a purple jersey
- Counting to 10 while watching #4 sit in the pocket and just wait for one of his receivers to get open because there was no pass rush – even the best corners in the world can’t cover a receiver that long every play
- Aaron Kampman getting no pass rush from his standing position - he was much better as a 4-3 defensive end
- Packers receivers dropping very catchable balls (especially the ones in the end zone)
- Greg Jennings still not producing – 3 catches, 31 yds
- Turnovers (Int, Fumble, Downs, Safety)

Things I did like:

- Aaron Rodgers making plays with his feet – scrambling and throwing on the run for 386 yards and a 110+ passer rating
- BJ Raji in the lineup
- Holding Adrian Peterson to 55 yards on 25 carries *see #2
- Jermichael Finley finally breaking out – 6 catches, 128 yds, TD
- Donald Driver passing Sterling Sharpe as the Packers’ all-time leader in receptions
- That there was still a chance to tie the game with less than a minute left in the 4th quarter

The season isnt over at 2-2, but we need improvement from the offensive and defensive lines if we want to be anything more than mediocre. GO PACK!

Kampman Impresses at Training Camp

ESPN.com had a blog article this week updating Aaron Kampman's transition to the OLB position in the Packer's new defensive scheme, stating that he has looked very impressive to this point. The article mentioned how, at first glance, Kampman seems to fit the mold as a prototypical DE in a 4-3 defense, but that they were very shocked to see how well he moved in the open field and how comfortable he looked in his new role.

As a Packer enthusiast, the move of Kampman this offseason often sent chills up my spine and I was worried about the complications that may have arrisen to do the move of one of the premier D-Ends in the league, but so far it sounds like smooth sailing. Aaron Kampman has shown that he is not only a great defensive end in this league, but an elite athlete as well. I believe that it shows a lot when you can switch positions and be selfless enough to not bitch and moan about it. There should be more Aaron Kampmans in this league.

Kampman Upset with the New Defense?

Aaron Kampman has been one of the best pass rushing D-ends in the league for the past 3 seasons and he will be playing OLB this season in the new defensive scheme. This is clearly the biggest loss for the Packers with their defensive change. Aaron Kampman has been interviewed about his new position and although he did not say anything major, he clearly isn't as happy as he could be. Is this a problem? It depends. I think that it obviously revolves around his success this season. An athlete like Kampman should be able to make plays this season, and if he cant, you can expect Kampman to get trading sometime during the season or between this season and next. 

Packers plan to use Cap Space on Upcoming Free Agents

Wisconsinrapidstribune.com had an article on their website that Ted Thompson and the Green Bay Packers have been quite in free agency because they are looking to allocate much of thier $29 million in Cap Space on securing up to 17 players who will become some type of free agents in 2010. Some of the most notable of these players being Greg Jennings, Nick Collins, and Aaron Kampman. 

I think it is a good idea to make key existing players a priority for the long term. Players like Jennings and Collins could garner a lot of interest from other teams should they become free agents, so much like we did with Aaron Rodgers, we could extend these key player's contacts and not give them as much of a chance to leave and go to free agency. These players are the foundation of the team, they are players at key positions that have shown that they are Pro-Bowl caliber, and I think it only makes sense to build the team around those players like Jennings and Collins who are still at the beginning of their careers. I would much rather have those players stay in Green and Gold for years to come than to see the Pack spend all of their money this year on free agents.