Pre-Season Predictions

August is over, so is the preseason. It's less than a week until REAL football starts. So that means it's time for us to make our pre-season predictions.

PACKERS

The Pack return 21 out of 22 starters from the Super Bowl run of 2010. I believe that the loss of Cullen Jenkins will prove to be a mistake, but not a big enough one to lose the division. I predict that Rodgers shreds defenses with the help of JerMichael Finley, the running game is mildly improved (but not substantial), and the defense led by the Claymaker will be top 5 for the 3rd year in a row. Packers win the division with a record of 11-5.

LIONS

I was a believer in the Lions in 2010 and thought that they would finish ahead of the bears until Matthew Stafford went down for the season. This year there is a lot of hype surrounding the defense and Stafford's impressive pre-season performance. I think the Lions are on the verge of making a big splash in the NFL. They have a ton of talent on both sides of the ball, but injuries have been their downfall. Even this pre-season they have lost their first 2 draft picks. If Stafford stays healthy, it will be a tight race (but not too tight) at the end of the season. I have the Lions finishing 2nd in the NFC North with a record of 9-7.

BEARS

I think this will be the year that the bears luck will catch up with them. They have historically had a better record than their ability and I find it difficult to believe that they can do it again this year. Cutler will be 2nd in the league in INTs only behind Eli Manning. And the new kickoff rule will kill the bears' field position and take Hester/Manning partially out of the game. Along with an aging defense, I think this will be the beginning of the decline of the bears. Opposing defenses will catch more touchdowns from Cutler than Roy Williams. The Bears finish 3rd in the North with a 7-9 record.

Vikings

The Queens are an intriguing team, but not really that intriguing. The acquisition of Donovan McNabb will bridge the gap between Brett Favre and QB-of-the-future Christian Ponder. The O-line has major problems, and the defense and receiving corps have big question marks. I see the vikings giving up on the playoffs just after midseason and handing the reigns to the rookie QB to gain experience. Last in the division at 5-11.

Those are my predictions for 2011. Make sure you have your brats, cheese curds, and Miller beer ready to go for next Thursday against the Saints. GO PACK!

Clay Matthews Blowing Up Plays

Happy Manlarn Day!

Although we have many loyal followers here at The Malnarn, few actually know the origin of the sites name. There was once a very dear friend to the creators of this blog that we commonly referred to as Malnarn. She was a very nice girl, and although we had a falling out these days, this website was named in her honor, and today is her Birthday!

This will be the first annual edition of The Malnarn Day Preseason Post, full of news, predictions, insight and pure poppycock.

The NFL Lockout is water under the bridge and football is back! The Packers are coming into the season as the team to beat and the favorite to win the Super Bowl, and with good reason as we have some key players coming back from injuries who certainly can improve the team. Much like Malnarn, these players are coming out of hiding in the swamps and are ready to pounce on their competition.

As is typical of the Pack, we did little through free agency this season to improve our squad, and may have arguably moved back a couple of steps with the departure of Cullen Jenkins and Darren Colledge. Jenkins leaves a big hole to fill at DE, and with the injury to Mike Neal, that hole is a glaring one to us at The Malnarn.

Several rookies will be expected to make an impact early in the season. Through two preseason games, Randall Cobb looks like lighting in a bottle. He is already a little banged up with a couple of bruised knees, but he has looked dynamic in the return game and could be dangerous anytime he gets the ball in his hands. I'm excited about Cobb and I'm really looking forward to seeing what he can do this season.

Alex Green is another skill position player who can positively effect our already potent offense. Green is going to be thrown into the running back mix with Ryan Grant and James Starks this season. The Packers seem to really like this kid and want to get him into the mix and get the ball in his hands.

Aaron Rodgers is going to have more weapons that he had last season and I don't think there is a team in the league that is going to be able to cover them all, especially with Finley back in the lineup.

There has been a lot of talk this week about Ryan Grant's future with the organization. I believe this is mostly speculation, but the emergence of James Starks last year in the playoffs and the ability of Alex Green could lead to Grant being less valuable to the Packers. Grant did restructure his contract earlier in the month, taking less money but getting it all guaranteed. This could be a sign that he has a home in Green Bay for at least the 2011/2012 season. We will just have to wait and see what happens as final cuts in the NFL will occur September 3rd.

When it comes to The Malnarn, there is always a lot of discussion about the Packers and the NFL in general between myself and my co-editor. We are often on the same page but there are times when we don't always see eye to eye on topics. For this reason, I am going to make some predictions for the upcoming season that he may not agree with.

#1: James Jones will take over Donald Driver's spot as the #2 WR. It was clear this offseason that Aaron Rodgers wanted to keep Jones around. James Jones has a ton of talent that last season was often trumped by dropped passes. I think that Jones is going to break out this season and show that he is on his way to being a very good wide receiver in this league. I expect him to step up and take over as the #2 WR on the team, and although I still think Driver is going to play a role in the offense and get his catches, I think that Jones will start to take some of his targets.

#2: Clay Matthews will lead the league in Sacks. Last season Clay had 6 sacks in the first two games. It came out earlier this preseason that last year Clay played with a stress fracture in his leg or foot, I don't remember which, but the bottom line is that when he is healthy, there is no stopping him.

#3: Alex Green takes a larger share of running back duties than you expect. One of my favorite things about the NFL is the NFL Draft. I always love watching the draft and waiting to see what the Pack does. I remember hearing a little about Green prior to the draft, but it was nothing compared to what i'm hearing coming out of Green Bay's training camp and what i've seen so far this preseason. The Packers are looking for ways to get the ball into Green's hands and I think that is whats going to happen during the season. We here at the Malnarn see the Pack going with a true "running back by committee" strategy this season and we expect Alex Green to be a surprise this season and prove to be a great draft pick.

#4: The Bears will still suck. Regardless of how the Bears were last season, making it to the NFC Championship, they will always suck. I continue to hate the Bear Nation with a passion and I continue to bash them with every chance I get. Watching Jay Cutler cry on the sidelines to end their season was one of the greatest gives I've ever received. This season the Bears have made some serious moves in Free Agency...just kidding, they got Roy Williams and Marion Barber. This is so laughable because everyone in Chicago thinks that Roy Williams is going to lead the league in receiving, all because out of his lackluster seasons that compile an average at best NFL career, his best season was under Mike Martz, now offensive coordinator for the bears. So obviously, it makes complete sense that after doing nothing in Dallas for a couple years he will come into Chicago and be a top WR. Again, I'm completely kidding. The bears suck, Roy Williams sucks, and I smile everytime I think of him being the #1 receiver. I'm putting Chicago in the #2 spot in the division, but the Bears still suck.

That concludes my predictions for the start of the season. I would imagine they will all be correct. We now have less than two weeks until the Packers season debut against the Saints. All we can do now is sit back, relax, and get ready to defend our title!! That being said, happy birthday to Malnarn and stop back often for more award winning blogging from us at The Malnarn!

It's Official...

FOOTBALL IS BACK! The players and owners have agreed on a new deal that will last until 2021. Sorry we haven't reported much in the offseason, but honestly there hasn't been much to report. We probably should have addressed the draft, so i'll address it quickly right now...

I think that the first round pick was a solid pick just like last year by taking Bulaga. It gives the O-line depth and stability for the future.

I am the most excited about 2nd round pick Randall Cobb (WR). He's a utility guy who will likely play in the slot and should give the return game a boost.

The RB from Hawaii will most likely mean that Brandon Jackson will not be re-signed.

CB Davon House is a potentially good late round pick and gives the defensive backfield some more ridiculous (sub 4.4 40) speed.

I don't anticipate any big free agency signings or trades.

Notable unrestricted free agents are: Cullen Jenkins, James Jones, Mason Crosby, Brandon Jackson, and John Kuhn. I think Crosby and Kuhn are the most likely to be re-signed. The other 3 will only be inked for the right price (which i don't think Thompson will be willing to pay).

Packers players will report to training camp this Friday, July 29th. Got to be excited for football season! GO PACK!

Offseason Post

It's been an eventful, albeit not too exciting, offseason thus far. With all of the labor disputes, there isn't much to post about. But here is how I see things leading up to the draft:

1. Jolly is done for good after being arrested for a second time for possession of purple drank.

2. Cullen Jenkins has likely seen his last day as a Packer due to the fact that management made no attempt to re-sign him before the CBA expired. I believe this to be a mistake in that he is one of the most talented d-linemen in the league. But at this point, I have come to trust Ted Thompson to provide depth on the roster.

3. I see our biggest needs as Offensive Tackle, Defensive End, and Outside Linebacker. I will be happy with any of those 3 positions taken in the first round. With the #32 pick and no serious needs in the draft, it will be interesting to see what Thompson decides to do. You can always count on him to do things that are not that exciting. So it wouldnt surprise me to see us trade back and get multiple picks in the 2nd and 3rd rounds.

GO PACK!

SUPER BOWL XLV CHAMPIONS!

THE LOMBARDI TROPHY IS BACK WHERE IT BELONGS...GREEN BAY!!!! GO PACK GO!!!!!

It's Playoff Time!

It's been a bumpy road since we last posted, but we made it! The Packers squeezed into the playoffs as the #6 seed, edging out the Giants and Buccaneers with a 10-6 home win against the Bears. The game will be in Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon against the Eagles. I think that this is a winnable game for the Pack, but it could be a very tough one. Here are my keys to the game:

#1 - The offense has to get into a groove early. When McCarthy calls plays in the first quarter to get Aaron Rodgers comfortable, he flourishes and the Packers generally win when they score a bunch of points.

#2 - Contain Vick. I'm not concerned about Michael Vick's arm. We have played good passing QBs this year and have won those games. It's his legs that scare me. When a 3rd and 14 play breaks down due to good coverage and the Pack only rushed 3, Vick runs for 20 yards. We need to avoid plays like that.

#3 - Tackle well. The Eagles are one of the best teams in the league at picking up Yards After the Catch. DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy are especially good at this.

#4 - Solid play on Special Teams. Special Teams play has been the downfall of the Packers in at least a few of the close losses this season. It was much improved last week against a dangerous Bears Special Teams with the likes of Devin Hester and Daniel Manning.

If the Pack can abide by those 4 keys, I think they advance to Atlanta to take on the Falcons next weekend. Go Pack!

Packers visit Meadowlands and leave with Victory!

Everyone knew that this weekend's game against the Jets would be a tough one for the Packers. I myself had no idea what to expect in this game. Part of me thought that the Pack could stay in it and possibly win the game and another part of me thought we would never match up and they would handle us easily. I'm very happy with the result and there is no arguing that it was a very big win for this team.

The Jets came into this game with the top rated defense in the league and an offense that had turned the ball over only 4 times so far in the season. The Pack certainly didn't impress anyone with their offense. Aaron Rodgers once again did not look very good, but luckily, he didn't make any bad mistakes that cost the team. Staying on the offensive side of the ball, I have been very disappointed lately with Greg Jennings. I once thought that Jennings could be one of the best receivers in the league, but as the season rolls along I am beginning to realize that he not the home run hitter that I had expected. I think the biggest plays that Jennings has made is somehow complaining enough and getting referees to throw interference flags on the defense. He needs to step up and stop complaining and start making plays.

I think that the keys to the victory for the Packers was the great play by our defense, and surprise special teams play by our punting unit. I think a huge reason that we were able to win this game was that we won the battle for field position. The combination of our defense making big stops and causing key turnovers, and a good punting game left their offense deep in their zone to start most of their drives. If we can keep up the special teams play, it will definitely help us moving forward.

The defense was a huge surprise yesterday, and Ted Thompson surely deserves a lot of credit for going out and getting players to help fill holes that injuries left in our defense. Howard Green was picked up this week to help out Raji on the defensive line and he played well. It doesn't hurt that he's enormous, but he looked good out there. Another player who has impressed me has been S Charlie Peprah. Peprah is what, the 3rd or 4th stringer? He has stepped in and played very well.

I think this weekend gave Packer fans everywhere some more hope that the Pack can have success despite the injury woes. The Packers will host the struggling Dallas Cowboys in week 9.

Minnesota kicks Moss to the Curb

It was just announced that the Minnesota Vikings will release WR Randy Moss after just a 4 weeks on the team.

After yesterday's loss to the Patriots, Moss apparently was badmouthing the team's strategy, and was that likely had to do with him being waived.

The Vikings are falling apart and it's wonderful! The vikings lost a 3rd round draft pick when they traded for Moss and since he was released, they will be on the hook to pay him out on his contract.

Randy will now have to go through waivers. The team with the lowest record (Buffalo Bills) will have the first chance to claim him off of waivers. If they decide not to claim Moss, then he will go to the team with the next worst record and so on. The waiver period is only 24 hours, so expect to see Moss in a new jersey tomorrow afternoon.

Not Again! Jones to IR

Here we go again! This morning the Green Bay Packers placed OLB Brad Jones on Injured Rererve due to surgery needed on his shoulder.

Jones will be replaced by Frank Zombo, and it now becomes clear why the Packers signed 3 linebackers just this week. The hits just keep on coming. To fill the open spot, the packers claimed NT Howard Green from the Jets. This addition will give the Pack a full roster, meaning that we wont be seeing Harris or Bigby in the lineup just yet.

In other news, former Packer kick returner Will Blackmon was signed by the New York Giants. Blackmon injured his knee early last season and was released in the final cut for the Pack this preseason.