The Dust Has Settled...It's the Offseason...

There has been a little bit of news over the past few weeks that we have failed to report, but I think that at this point we’ve finally gotten over the heartbreaking loss we sustained in Arizona. So…here goes. Charles Woodson was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year for 2009 much to the dismay of Rex Ryan, due to the Saints going to the Super Bowl and Favre foregoing the Pro Bowl Aaron Rodgers will be the starting QB representing the NFC this Sunday in Miami, and Vikings fans now get to endure what Packer fans dealt with more than once over the years…Favre throwing a season ending INT and now sitting and waiting to see whether he will retire or not. I personally would like to see him wait until around August 1st to decide and then say that he is done for good. The more likely Sage Rosenfels or Tavaris Jackson will be the QB, the better off we will all be.

Anywho, what do we talk about next? The Pro Bowl? Free Agency? The Draft? There are plenty of weeks ahead to discuss free agency and the draft, so I’ll address the Pro Bowl for now. The Packers had 3 players selected to play (only 1 to start), but due to injuries and decisions to forego the Pro Bowl we ended up with…well…still 3. But Woodson decided to sit it out and Clay Matthews stepped in as an OLB. Rodgers is the only starter, he and Matthews will be joined by Nick Collins (making his 2nd straight Pro Bowl appearance). I like seeing the Packers have some representation in this game. Not that it makes a big difference, but it shows that we have some talent and that it’s being recognized. I believe that Rodgers will be a great QB for the Pack for many years to come and that Woodson will continue to play extremely well in Capers’ new 3-4 scheme for a few more seasons. Clay Matthews was maybe the brightest spot on the defense this year, after missing the first few games of the season he dominated offensive lines and finished with a team-leading 10 sacks. I am looking forward to seeing him continue to develop and making many more Pro Bowls in for the Green and Gold. Collins is really the only question mark, not about his play, but about his contract. It’s understood that he’s a restricted free agent this year and he’s hoping to get a multi-year contract extension. So we’ll see what happens. I expect Teddy Thompson to make him a priority during this offseason and solidify part of our somewhat shaky defensive backfield. But I digress, I’m actually more interested in the Senior Bowl this weekend than I am in the Pro Bowl. I’m really just hoping that none of our guys end up getting hurt. I’ll be scouting the Senior Bowl for some talent that the Pack can grab in April. We’ll discuss Free Agency and the Draft in further detail in the coming weeks. GO PACK!

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!

Wild Card Weekend: Packer-Card Pregame

Well we a little over 1 hour away from the start of the game and I'm very excited. The Packers are the favorite to win this game and with Boldin being listed as inactive, I think that we match up extremely well against the Cardinals.

The Packers are hot coming into the Playoffs and some people are picking them to make it to the SuperBowl. I don't know what will happen, but i'm excited that the Packers made the playoffs and I think that we should win this game.

I've just decided that i'm going to talk a little about the game and how I think it will need to go for the Pack to win.

First of all, I think that we need to start by playing great defense. We need to be able to put pressure on Warner without sacrificing our match ups in the secondary. If there is one part of the Packers' that makes me nervous it is the lack of depth we have at CB, and a lot of times it seems as though we leave Truman Williams and Bush in single coverage and without help. I think that is one of the keys to the game is for those guys to be successful and given help if they need it.

On offense, we need to stick with the gameplan. The Packers have been great running the ball lately and we need to be able to control the ball and keep it away from the Arizona offense. I feel very confident that the Packers offense will have success again this week.

When all is said and done, I think the Packers are the better team in this one and if we lose, it will be bad. I think that our defense plays strong and the packers cruise to a 28-17 victory.

Sunday Early Games...Looks Like Pack-Cards in Round 1

So, the Vikings are beating up on the Giants right now and if they hold on for the win, it will secure our future of playing the Arizona Cardinals again next week.

In other places around the league, the Bears right now are losing to the Lions, which I find spectacular. I just love the story lines that surround Jay Cutler. He is physically and mentally strong because he doesn't only have to deal with being on a shitty team, but he also has diabetes! Yes, in case you didn't know, they check his blood pressure several times during the game. They have determined that when his blood pressure crosses a certain point, he is more likely to throw interceptions.

Ok, that isn't exactly accurate, but sometimes commentators need to stop making up story lines and they need to talk about real things that are happening in the game or around the NFL. Nobody cares about Cutler's Diabetes. Nuff said.

Week 17: Packers vs. Cardinals

Well it has been a while again since I have posted, and the Packers are in the Playoffs! I remember back when the Packers lost to the Bucs thinking, "another disappointing season". They turned it on and here we are as a wildcard team and 10-5 record. I guess we all probably jumped to conclusions at that point.

Here we are, going against the Cardinals on Sunday, and in most likely cases, playing them again the first week of the Playoffs. I think that we match up pretty well with the Cardinals. Sure, they have some great wide recievers and we dont exactly have the depth at CB than we did with Harris in the lineup. Never the less, the offense is playing great and we have good balance. The defense is very good. They just need to get some more consistent play from our defensive backs going forward.

By the way....Mason Crosby kicked a 52 yard field goal last week! Yes, I said MADE! He will be fine, I'm not worried about him, he will make them when it counts I hope.

Also, off subject, but A.J. Hawk was selected as an alternate for the Pro Bowl. People are stupid. He is playing better lately, but come on, lets all quit living in the past when he still had potential.

Its hard for me to care that much about the Packer game tomorrow, I don't know what to expect for a game. Are they going to play the starters? Is it going to be a half ass competition like most NBA games? I sure hope not, but I'll tell you what, I think that the Packers should rest our key guys. We should pretend its preseason and make sure nobody gets hurt. We don't have that much to play for this week. We have to travel the first week of the playoffs no matter what.

Regardless of anything else, I think the Packers can and should win both games against the Cardinals!

Packers Sweep Da Bears Thanks to Defense!

After the dust settled, the Packers were 9-4 and in prime position for a wild-card playoff berth, while the Bears are now mathematically out of the playoff race. It wasn't pretty, but we've come a long way since the embarrassing loss to Tampa in November. Despite Ryan Grant's 137 yards rushing (with 2 TDs) and Rodgers throwing no INTs (even though he did have a screwy fumble that lead to the 2nd TD of the game for the bears), the Pack just couldnt seem to get anything going on the offensive side of the ball. The defense looked good again, with the exception of a couple of TD tosses by Cutler. 3 sacks, and 2 picks (and another 1 or 2 dropped) guaranteed a winning season for the boys from Green Bay.

Things I liked: Ryan Grant running tough. Pressure by the d-line and LBs. Improved play from Tramon Williams (with the exception of the 2nd quarter TD he gave up). The fact that the Bears gave up so much for a QB that isn't any better than Rex Grossman.

Things I didn't like: Mason Crosby missing another makeable FG (that's 6 out of the last 7 games that he's missed one). Rodgers holding the ball too long...again. Kicking FGs in the red zone.

All in all, it's a win and it was against Chicago so I'm happy. And with the flailing Steelers, the miserable Seahawks, and a Cardinals team that will likely be resting it's starters, the Pack are in good shape to make the playoffs this year! GO PACK!

It Wasn't Pretty...But it Counts!

In a hard-fought game on Monday night, the Packers came out on top with a 27-14 win over the Baltimore Ravens. If not for 3 turnovers, it could have very well been a shut out and a much higher score for the Packers' offense.

The Good Stuff: The Packers' D looks like they deserve their #1 ranking. The rookies look fantastic! It's not surprising that BJ Raji is improving now that his ankle is getting better (although he did reinjure it against the Ravens), but Brad Jones has done as good if not a better job than Aaron Kampman did at the OLB spot, and Clay Matthews has a legitimate shot at winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year for this season. JerMichael Finley looked good as well. Having him back in the lineup gives the offense some juice, and I like it!

The Bad Stuff: Penalties! I couldn't believe how many penalties went against the Pack on Monday. It was just ridiculous. I'm surprised we're the second most penalized team in the league this year...but the only reason i'm surprised is because I can't believe anyone else commits more penalties than we do! Tramon Williams is a great nickel DB. He's obviously got some improvement to make to be a starter though. Flacco was blatantly picking on him and rightfully so. Williams committed 3 pass interference penalties (although 2 i thought were questionable) and 2 of them were in the end zone, giving the ravens 1st and goal from the Pack's 1 yard line! Granted he did redeem himself by intercepting a Flacco pass 2 plays later on the 2nd, but still...there is no excuse for interefering so often.

All in all, the good outweighs the bad. The Packers are 8-4 and in prime position to make a playoff run. Let's all hope for some more losses by the Queens so we'll have a shot at a division championship. GO PACK!

The Lions are Improving...

But they still stink. Granted if Stafford and Calvin Johnson weren't both dinged up, it may have been a little closer but probably not. Even with the scare of the fumble on the opening kick off and quick score by Detroit, the Packers had the game well in hand by the beginning of the 2nd quarter. It made for a much more relaxing and enjoyable Thanksgiving Feast in the afternoon. But here's the good news:

Cowboys win (which makes little difference to us) and the Giants lose, which gives us another game of cushion in the playoff race. Now with the Ravens, Bears, Steelers, Seahawks, and Cardinals (respectively) ahead. I don't believe that there is any reason we wont finish with at least a 10 win season. Not even the Ravens and Steelers have had as impressive a season as anyone thought they would. Not to say they will be easy victories, but at 5-5 (Ravens) and 6-4 (Steelers) It's not impossible to think that we could end up at 12-4. The play of Cutler and the Bears has gotten worse since the opening game in Lambeau, and if the Pack don't win by at least 14, it will be a disappointment. If the Seahawks performance against the Queens is anyhting to go by, I believe that it should be the easiest game remaining on the schedule. The Cardinals will be tough, but hopefully they will have their playoff spot clinched at that point and sit Fitzgerald and Warner early. All in all, it's looking a lot brighter after losing to Tampa in week 9.

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!

And We're Back in the Hunt!!!

Where did this defense come from? Dom Capers may have single-handedly saved Mike McCarthy and Ted Thompson's jobs in one fell swoop. This is how we all hoped this 3-4 defense would look when it was announced that we were making the switch from the 4-3. We blitzed the lights out, got pressure on the QB, and held a potent offense scoreless until there was only 0:38 left in the game. The Pack registered 5 sacks on Sunday...before then we had a total of 13. I think if this type of pressure was put on Favre, the outcome of both Vikings games could have been different.

Maybe the loss to Tampa was exactly what this team needed...a kick in the rear to get them jump started. And with losses to Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Chicago an NFC Wild Card spot is a realistic possibility for this 5-4 Packer team. The big question is will we keep up this defensive aggressiveness or will we go back to our conservative ways? I think it's proven that if you pressure the QB, you have a heck of a lot better chance to win the game. So my vote is to keep blitzing and keep up the momentum gained by beating the Cowboys. With the 49ers and Lions coming up, it's a legitimate possibility that this team could be 7-4 going into the game against the Ravens which will be a tough one. But with yesterday's performance at Lambeau, I finally believe that this team can be good!