Offseason Questions

This offseason has been plagued with questions. Will T.O. be the same in Buffalo as he has been everywhere else? What will happen with Plaxico Burress? Will Michael Vick have a future in the NFL? Will the Cardinals trade Anquan Boldin? Will Braylon Edwards stay in Cleveland? Will the Packers' new 3-4 defense be a good effective? Will the Jay Cutler trade be the beginning of a decent quarterback in Chicago? All of these have been brought up and discussed on every major sports network, but they've all been overshadowed by the question that's been brought up without fail throughout the past few offseasons and especially this one...

Is Brett Favre really retired?

As always, there are contingencies which bring up more questions. As a huge Packer fan all my life, I want Brett to continue to play because he has been an amazing player to watch for the past 17 years. I was as distraught as any other Packer fan when he decided to retire last year and even moreso when he was wearing a Jets jersey instead of the familiar green and gold, but I still supported him and wanted him to play well. I loved him in Green Bay, but I still rooted for him in New York. Shoot, I even had him on my fantasy football roster. As I told all my friends, last year "The Jets had become my 2nd favorite team."

I don't have a particular liking for the Jets, and once Brett announced his "retirement" this year I was happy to see him go out and hoped that he would come back to sign and retire as a Packer without tarnishing his legacy...but I guess during the past couple of decades, all of us Brett Favre fans were duped...

It's tough to understand that professional athletes just see football as a job. I really find that hard to believe. Football is competitive, and the rivalries are what makes watching and playing the sport fun. Especially when you have something so constant as a great QB for pretty much as long as you can remember watching it. Just like everything else, I knew that Brett's reign in Green Bay would come to an end and I planned on telling my kids and grand kids about how I grew up watching "the greatest QB of all time" play for the Pack...but it appears that I might have been wrong.

I watched the interview on HBO last week and I really just cannot believe that someone who is known to be a "great competitor" and someone who "loves the game" so much would even consider doing the most ridiculously awful thing a great player can do...PLAY FOR THEIR RIVAL TEAM!

Brett made comments about Vince Lombardi and how he left for the Redskins and how nobody considers him a traitor and he's right I don't think that very many people do consider him a traitor...Because he went to the redskins. If he had gone to the Bears it would have been a totally different story. He also said that there are 2 types of people out there, those who will support you no matter what, and those who will despise you no matter what (I'm paraphrasing). But he forgot about the third group...Those who love you, but will not be able to even bare thinking about you or the mention of your name if you go to the Queens...these will be the 70,000 strong who will be booing when Brett runs onto Lambeau Field wearing Purple late in the season.

I understand that he wants to play, and I think that if he can play he should...just not in Minnesota! I have enjoyed watching him play every year that I have watched, but if he goes to the queens everything will have changed. So my questions this offseason are:

How does someone as iconic as Brett Favre get so far off track that he doesn't see what he's doing by even considering playing for the Minnesota Vikings? Even if the queens win the Super Bowl, will it be worth the cost of that purple ring? What the heck are you thinking, Brett?

Summertime...The Dead Zone for Sports

Let's face it, football defines sports. Sure we all enjoy filling out our brackets for March Madness and we'll watch the NBA and MLB playoffs but it's just not nearly exciting enough. Any true sports fan craves football season and knows that something is just missing when there is no football on tv. As soon as the super bowl is over, everone is trying to decide who they want their team to take in the draft or see who from their favorite collegiate team will be drafted and where. Once the draft is over, everyone is analyzing it and trying to predict who will go where in Free Agency. Come July, we're all starting to listen to what's going on in the training camps and see who the big sleeper pick will be for our fantasy team. Then we watch the preaseason, even if it's only for the first quarter, to try to determine how good our team will be this year. All this being said, we're always digging for something that will make us feel like it's football season.

My point is proven through ESPN and their following of the whole Favre/Vikings saga. So far the only thing that anyone has been able to prove is that Brad Childress has not been to Mississippi and that nobody actually knows what the heck is going on. We've seen 3 different reports of "a source close to" someone saying what one of the sides is going to do. If you ask me, it's pretty ridiculous. My opinion is that they should just shut up and let the thing play out, and then when they actually have some sort of conclusive evidence then they can be the first to report it. Until then, just accept that it's the time of year that there is very little sports news and deal with it. We all wish it was football season, and we all want to know what will happen with Brett Favre and whether he will ruin his legacy forever by going to the Vikings or if he'll remain honorable and retire, but until you have some conclusive evidence about something...let's all just stop speculating.

Free Agency rapidly approaching; what can we expect out of the Packers?

The NFL scouting combine is in progress and teams are all trying to figure out how to come out ahead on Draft day. But the draft is still two months away and there will be plenty of time for everything to fall into place. In five days however, some teams will be looking to pull the trigger in free agency which starts this Friday. Ted Thompson is not typically a big player in free agency, but with a lot of needs, can we expect any moves to be made by our front office?

There are several positions that the Packers need to address this offseason. With the defensive switch this offseason, there is a lot of talk revolving around the OLB/DE position and that is the position that I expect the Packers to draft in with their first round selection. So that will be one position that will be addressed right away, and hopefully that player makes an immediate impact, but can we expect our second and third picks to make any impact? There is so many question marks that go into the draft, so why not try to acquire someone who has already proven themselves as a solid NFL player? I would like to see the Packers find a quality player through free agency this year, an offensive lineman perhaps, or maybe someone that has played in a 3-4 defense in the front 7. I don't expect the Packers to be very active in free agency this year, but i always enjoy seeing the Packers adding quality contributors to the team. I hope to be pleasantly surprised next week.

NFL Combine Underway; Crabtree injury steals spot light

The NFL Combine has started in Indianapolis and teams are going through interviews with potential targets, offensive lineman are starting to run their drills, and the offseason picture is becoming clearer for every team as the weekend progresses. Along with the combine comes a lot of articles and blogs attempting to make predictions for draft day. I have read several blogs posted on ESPN.com that are following the happenings in Indy, but this morning, the main story followed the injury of Michael Crabtree. Crabtree got a stress fracture in his ankle, and he is projected to be out for 6-10 weeks. Some think that this may shake up the draft a little bit and he may slide down the board on draft day. I personally dont think that his draft stock will be that effected. He has a lot of time to make a full recovery before any training camps start and he is clearly the top WR and one of the most dynamic offensive threats in the draft this year. I would be very suprised if he fell out of the top 10 and if he wasn't the top wideout taken. But you never know what could happen, only time will tell.

Draft Prospects: Everette Brown, DE, Florida State

Unanimously projected as a first round draft pick, Everette Brown could fit perfectly into the Packers’ new 3-4 defensive scheme. He is big enough to play defensive end at 6’4” 260lbs (although he could stand to put on a few more pounds in the weight room), and fast enough to play linebacker. Although at FSU he was strictly on the defensive line, Brown is talented enough to adapt to any position in the front 7.

The questions have to do with Brown’s ability to cover tight ends and running backs in the 3-4. But his absolute upside outweighs his downside immensely. I had the privilege of watching Everette play in Tallahassee and at the Bowl game in 2008, and he is the type of player that fits the mold of Mickey Andrews’ FSU defense. He has the potential to have a career worthy of being mentioned in the same sentence as FSU and NFL greats such as Peter Boulware, Darnell Dockett, Cameron Wimbley, and Broderick Bunkley. He is fast enough to run around and strong enough to run through offensive linemen and running backs, he stands up well to a double-team, provides good run support, and seems to always find his way to the opposing QB regardless of the offensive blocking scheme.

Teams that run the 3-4 prefer their outside linebackers to be 6-3 or taller, and the weight generally ranges from 240 pounds to 265 pounds. Teams look for long and streamlined athletes such as Miami’s Joey Porter (6-3, 255), because they have to be versatile enough to rush the passer from the outside, hold up adequately at the line of scrimmage against the run, and cover at least the flats, and often more, in pass coverage. I believe that with the obvious need being in the front 7 for the Packers, Everette Brown would bring depth and explosiveness to the d-line and linebacking corps, making him a perfect fit at the 9th pick. Need more proof? Just watch the video below…

What kind of lions will the Lions be in ’09?

As the worst team in NFL history, the Detroit Lions have a lot of work that needs to be done, and it will start next week with free agency. I’m not going to begin to think that I know all that much about the needs of the Lions, because they have them everywhere! The one thing that I know is that they will be looking to pick up solid players through free agency, and they have 2 first round draft picks.

There are rumors circulating that the Lions might take a stab at Albert Hainesworth to help out on the defensive line. As well, John Kitna will most likely be released from the Lions, and with the #1 pick overall in this years draft, Matt Stafford, QB from Georgia looks like he would be the logical choice for the Lions. There are other options out there though at quarterback for the Lions. There are a lot of good, veteran quarterbacks that will hit the free agent market next week and I suppose that the Lions could address their needs through free agency, leaving their two first round draft picks available for other positional needs. We will find out soon enough what direction the Lions will take after the combine this week.
Overall, I expect the Lions to take Stafford in the draft and try to rebuild their team around him. I don’t think that the Lions will rebound as well as the Dolphins did in 2008 but they should win a few games but they will still not be very good. One thing is for certain, it can only get better for the Lions.

The Queens of the NFC North: Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota was crowned the Queens of the NFC North in 2008, and it pains me to say that they will likely be the team to beat in the division once again in 2009.



Offense:
Strength: The obvious strength of the Queens’ offense is their o-line and the athletic ability of their running backs: Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor. Even though it was only a 1-point loss for the green and gold, the Vikes’ o-linement definitely controlled our d-line, and the RBs ended up with some ridiculous amount of yardage and touchdowns. I foresee this happening to most of their opponents in 2009 as well.
Weakness: When Gus Frerotte and Tavaris Jackson are your go-to guys at the QB position, it’s evident where your biggest need is. It surprised everyone when head coach Brad Childress did not pursue a QB in free agency, trade, or the draft of 2008, and it will surprise us all if they don’t make a move this year. The biggest need that must be addressed in the offseason is QB. There are a few good ones who are available through free agency or on the trading block (Kurt Warner and Michael Vick to name a couple obscure possibilities), and 2009 hold a lot of potential at QB within its draft class. Jackson and Frerotte might be good enough to win the division again in the NFC North, but they will not advance in the play-offs without someone to at least have the potential to threaten other teams’ defenses with the passing game.

Defense:
It’s tough to say where Minnesota has a weakness on Defense. Last year they finished high in most categories (12th in passing, 4th in rushing, and 8th overall). The big deficiency that I see is that they still have Darren Sharper starting at Safety. He’s getting old and is too slow to cover the elite receivers of the NFL which gives guys like Greg Jennings and opportunity to burn the Vikings deep. Other than that, let’s all just hope that some of their key players end up with injuries…

An Early Look at the 2009 NFL North: Chicago Bears

Offense:
The Bears livelihood does not revolve around their offense and it never has. However, over the last couple of seasons, the notorious Bears D has gotten a little older, and a lot less dominant than they were when they made it to the Super Bowl. And recently, their offense has been coming together slowly and has shown that they can produce.

The Bears have a three pronged offense with Devin Hester, Greg Olson, and Matt Forte. Devin Hester is a dangerous player whenever he gets his hand on the ball, Olson really emerged as the top target for Kyle Orton this season, Matt Forte is a great young talent who makes the Bear's offense more dangerous. However, the one bright spot for the rest of the defenses in the NFC North is the hole at the quarterback position. Yes, Kyle Orton did have a decent season in 2008, but he is not a good quarterback. There is a lot of speculation this offseason as to whether or not the Bears will go after a QB in free agency or the draft, and with Rex Grossman potentially leaving as a free agent, the Bears have a big bench space to fill. Sorry, I can't even type that with a straight face.

Defense:
The Bear's defense is definately not what it used to be. Urlacher is on his way out, their secondary has holes that have become more and more evident, and they dont strike the fear into their opponents like they used to. Just like all of the other teams in the league, the Bears are going to address their concerns in free agency and the draft.

2009 Prediction:
I expect the Bears to struggle this season on offense if their offensive success rests on the arm of Kyle Orton. I think that the Bears will pick up some quality players on defense this offseason, but when it comes down to it, I believe their offense will not be strong enough to carry them to the top of the North. The Bears finish somewhere in the middle of the conference this season. I'm not going to say where I think the Packers will finish, but I will say that I expect the Bears to finish behind the Vikings in the conference in 2009

The Saints "Drop a Deuce"

A headline on FoxSports.com reads, "Dropping a Deuce: Saints waive 2-time Pro Bowler". If you can't already tell, this is a rediculous headline for a major network/website to not catch before it hit the web. It didn't last too long though as I just noticed that it has been changed to "Deuce is Loose" on the website.

The real story here is not the headline, but the story that goes along with it. The New Orleans Saints waive Deuce after 8 years as the face of the Saint's franchise. Deuce has been plagued with injuries as of late and it doesn't help to have to share carries with Reggie Bush, or having to compete with the emergence of Pierre Thomas, who had a great year taking the place of Bush. So we now see McCallister join Fred Taylor as the old guards of NFL running backs and they will have to hope that there is still a place for them in the NFL.

Falcons look to trade Vick; is there a place for him in the NFL?

The Atlanta Falcons are looking to lighten their load of baggage by trading away convicted dog fighter Michael Vick. There are several story line that go along with Michael Vick, but what I’m most interested in is whether or not Vick will be playing football in the NFL next season, and if so, what colors will he be wearing?

Vick is scheduled to be released from prison, or the half-way house in July, at which point, he will meet with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to discuss his future in the NFL. Assuming that Goodell finds that Vick has served his time and lets him back into the league, if he hasn’t already been traded by the Falcons, they will release him so that they don’t have to pay him since he is no longer needed. This is the point where things will start to get interesting.

There are several teams in the NFL who may be in search of a game breaking quarterback this offseason and may take the risk on an underpriced talent like Michael Vick. The only question is, who is willing to bear the public relations nightmare that will follow along with him, and the animosity from the fans who will never forgive him? There may not be many willing to take on the risk, but I have no doubt that he will be playing in the NFL next season, even though I think he should be punished for the rest of his life for what he did. I came across a photo today online of a dog that was a victim of dog fighting and it broke my heart. In my opinion, Michael Vick has no place in the NFL, and for once, making money should take a backseat to doing the right thing.

The Future of the Packers' Defense

Open for Discussion: How will the Packers fare with Dom Capers and his 3-4 defensive scheme?

I believe that it was a much needed change for the Pack on the defensive side of the ball. The 3-4 scheme plays toward the strength of the defense in that we get to keep more of our linebackers on the field and not as many of our d-linemen. With Hawk, Barnett, Poppinga, Chillar, and Bishop in the rotation at LB, it's definitely a positive to keep as many of those guys playing as often as possible.

If there was a weak spot on the field this past season it was definitely at the defensive line. With the return of Cullen Jenkins, the continuing solid play of Aaron Kampman, and Ryan Pickett clogging up the middle I think the defensive line just needs a couple more additions to make the Packers a competitive force to be reckoned with in the NFC. These additions could be addressed in the draft with the 9th pick (but that's another discussion) or in free agency. But seeing the way that Ted Thompson runs the team's personnel decisions, it will most likely be through the draft...and let's all just hope that it doesn't turn into another Justin Harrell fiasco.

The major concern that I have with the 3-4 is that it will take away from the Packers' biggest strength on defense...its man-to-man coverage in the secondary. Most commonly with the 3-4 defense the coverage is more zone-oriented. This plays away from the strengths of lock down corners like Al Harris and Charles Woodson. Capers has mentioned that he will mix up the looks as far as man-to-man and zone coverage are concerned, but it is likely that it will mostly be a zone scheme.

All in all, I think it's the right decision because of the lack of strength at d-line and the potential at LB, but only time will tell what the offseason will bring and let's all hope that we'll be crowned the Kings of the NFC North once again in 2009.

Weigh in with your thoughts and let's talk about the advantages and disadvantages of the Packers' future on Defense...

A Sad Day in the NFL

It is a sad day in the NFL today as the agent of Brett Favre announces that he will retire after playing one season with the New York Jets.

As a long time Packer fan and Brett Favre supporter, I am sad to see what I believe to be the end of an era. By far the toughest quarterback to ever play the game, the record holder for most touchdowns and most consecutive starts will retire and leave a huge hole in the National Football League.

Although it was hard to watch Brett leave Green Bay and play for the Jets, I had to appreciate his passion for the game and the fact that all he wanted to do was play. As far as i'm concerned, it was better to watch Brett play for another team, than not at all. I would have like to see Brett officially retire with the Packers, and who knows, maybe he can pull a "Jerry Rice" and get resigned with the Pack for one more day so that he can end his career with the greatest franchise in the history of sports.