Top 5 Impact Players this year on the Pack

[Tony Oday]

Who do you think they are? Both Defense and offense who will define this year?

In no order these are my guys:

1. Brett Favre:
Once more into the breech my friend. Keep gunning!! those 29 ints last year could turn into 18TDs this year with WR from the start.

2. Samkon Gado:
Beat out the vets young man. You are the EXACT kind of player we want. Humble and good. Sophmore slump be damned! 12 TDS are within your grasp!

3. Barnett:
You have Hawk With you now time to shine!

4. Collins:
You played AWESOME last year as a rookie. You have earned the right to try and live up to the number you wear.

5: KGB:
You are stronger, you have more experience and now you have coaching. Step up or step aside. You need to dominate this year, Kearse style.

Honorable mentions:
Kamp, Pickett, Harris, Woodson, Driver, Lee, Franks and Broegter(sp?)

Who do you think will define our year?

[Joemailman]

1. Brett Favre - The fact that the blocking scheme requires the QB to be mobile should help him. Favre's mechanics, which were horrible last year, are usually better when he is moving. Plus he should have more talent around him.

2. A.J. Hawk - He will give this defense a dose of intensity it has lacked since Leroy Butler retired. I look for him to blitz quite a bit this year, and his great instincts should make him better at this than anyone we've had in a long time. The attention he attracts from the opposition should make Barnett better.

3. Nick Collins - He was solid last year as a rookie, and should only get better. As he gains more experience, he should be able to anticipate things better, instead of just reacting. He should produce more turnovers this year.

4. Samkon Gado - I think his skills are perfectly suited to the zone-blocking scheme. He is an extremely smart player who is always looking to get better. He should also be more involved in the passing game than last year.

5. Charles Woodson - His presence not only strengthens the cornerback position, but moving Carroll to nickle should strengthen that area. Having two shutdown corners will enable Sanders to call more blitzes this year, increasing the pressure on the opposing quarterbacks. And pressure causes turnovers.

[RashanGary]

I'll second Route's prediction. I'll put Woodson and Driver at the 4 and 5 slot instead of Gado/Woodson.

1. Favre
2. Hawk
3. Woodson
4. Collins
5. Driver
6. Harris
7. Kampman
8. Barnett
9. Gado
10. KGB

10 sacks is good for something.

[Noodle]

No order:

Ahman Green: He comes back. Strong. Fast. Explosive. The Man and The System are made for each other. He won't hit his stride until after the bye, but after that, he's going to tear things apart.

Donald Lee: Except for that one pass that hit him on the facemask, I thought Lee showed real promise last year. Jags is going to want a serious vertical threat from the TE position, and Lee is the guy to give it to him. We'll be saying "Vernon who?" by November.

Charles Woodson: Shocks the world by having a season out of his past. He emerges big time, and when it becomes clear that Al Harris can no longer carry the load, Woodson becomes the clamp-down guy and Carroll steps in as the other corner. And due to Woodson's mentoring, Carroll continues his progress from last year and the two of them become one of the premier DB tandems in the league.

AJ Hawk: Maybe it's too obvious, but I just have to believe that this hard-nosed headbanger from the Neolithic past is going to create a whole new vibe on D. With teams afraid to throw to their WRs (see Woodson above), they'll have to run. And for this, they will pay dearly, as Hawk just stones dudes in the hole with bad and malacious intent. Should make for inspirational Sunday afternoon TV.

Rock Gullickson: That's right, Rock Gullickson. First, he has the greatest name ever for a strength and conditioning coach. But more importantly, because of his emphasis on free weights instead of machines and his overall better conditioning program, the Packers suffer far fewer nagging injuries this year. A healthier team would make a huge difference, and Rock will deliever the goods.

[wist43]

The Packers don't have any "impact" players - the one they had, TT pissed away.

That said, I expect the Packers will be better on defense; and, by seasons end, they should realize some modest gains on the offensive side of the ball.

Hawk, Manuel, Woodson, and Hodge (who should be in the starting lineup at some point this season) should upgrade the defenses overall toughness and athleticism; but, none of them is, by himself, an "impact" player.

The offense has no playmakers. The best we can hope for is steady improvement - with Lee and Jennings hopefully rising to the top. The interior of the OL is, of course, critical... so, the importance of developing the young guys there can't be overstated.

I don't harbor any dillusions of the playoffs - despite the weak schedule and weak division. Slow and steady improvement is what I'll be looking for.

[packrulz]

No playmakers? Favre, Green, Gado, Driver, & others?

[ND72]

Brett Favre
Donald Driver
AJ Hawk
Nick Collins
Charles Woodson

honorable mention:
Ahman Green
Nick Barnett
Al Harris
Aaron Kampman
KGB
Greg Jennings

[Bretsky]

Brett Favre
Donald Driver
AJ Hawk
Nick Collins
Charles Woodson

honorable mention:
Ahman Green
Nick Barnett
Al Harris
Aaron Kampman
KGB
Greg Jennings

I'D COMPLETELY AGREE WITH THIS LIST.

FOR THE GADO LOVERS, I THINK HE MAY STRUGGLE WITH THIS OFFENSE; LAST YEAR HE MISSED A LOT OF HOLES, BUT WHEN HE HIT THEM HE BURST THROUGH THEM. I THINK THIS NEW O WILL BE A GREAT CHALLENGE FOR HIM

[ND72]

i WANT to like Gado. I really do. but until i see him do it game in and game out, i'm reserving judgement.

[FavreChild]

Top 5, none of this runners-up BS:

Will Hendu
Samkon Gado
D. Driver
Marv Underwood
Al Harris

[Harlan Huckleby]

Samkon Gado
Donald Lee
AJ Hawk
Nick Collins
Greg Jennings

[Chubbyhubby]

no particular order:

Favre
AJ Hawk
Woodson
Jennings
Colledge

[Partial]

Biggest impact, positive or negative, in order
KGB
Hawk
Chuck
Cole
Pickett

[HarveyWallbangers]

Rob Davis
Tony Moll
Ingle Martin
Donnell Washington
Chris White

[Guiness]

I'll take this to mean the 5 players who will have the biggest impact on how well the Pack does this year

Farve - for them to win, he's got to be on form - that's a given

Green - if he returns to his old self, it'll have a big impact

AJ Hawk - if he lives up to his billing, it'll be a huge difference

DL Rotation - not a player, of course, but these guys need to provide pressure up the middle, and let Barnett and AJ do their thing

Driver - he HAS to keep performing the way he has, or opponent teams play 8 in the box

[OS PA]

Favre - Even though it is a new offense and Rodgers knowledge of it is just as high as Favres. Rodgers still doesn't have the experience that Favre brings. He is not as skilled at play-changing, defense reading, have as strong an arm, or spirit to win that Favre has. Favre also has one hell of a chip on his shoulder which will prove to be about 85% of a good thing.

Will Montgomery, KGB, and Jenkins - Yes I know this is a three-fer, but if Montgomery has the ability to step up as a starting run-stopping DE he'll be able to spell KGB on rushing downs. If he does not, he'll still be thrown in the mix as a pass-rusher over Kampman. I'm not sure if the coaches are looking at this as an option but Jenkins could be a dominant run-stopping end in the place of KGB. If he doesn't play much DE Jenkins should get considerable time at DT on passing downs. If these three have improved this off-season through workouts they could provide the pass rush that we've been missing.

Harris and Woodson - Another multi-player pick. With both on the field the quarterback won't know who to throw at, which in turn will give the pass-rush a little bit more time to make their way in, this could turn out very dangerous for opposing offenses due to Harris's sure hands and Woodson's amazing hands and taste for the ball. Our turnover margin should sky-rocket because of these two.

Lee and Franks - I know these two-fers are annoying, sorry. The sure-handed Franks finally will get his chance this year to prove that he can be short-to-medium threat, he is tall enough and strong enough to create miss-matches in the middle of the field and will not have to be a sixth offensive linemen every down he plays. Lee showed worlds of potential last year in the limited time he played. With a full offseason of learning the system and working out with the team he'll be our poor-mans Vernon Davis.

Blackmon, Jennings, and Woodson - Whomever wins the Kick and Punt return jobs will make an immediate impact on the team. Instead of having to march 80+ yards down the field to score we'll be more in the 70-50 Yard range, which will work wonders on our players stamina and longetivity.

[motife]

1. Adrian Klemm
2. Kevin Barry
3. Donnell Washington
4. Robert Ferguson
5. Ahmad Carroll/Mark Roman

the "no Viagra" five

[Fritz]

BJ Sander
Will Whitticker
Patrick Dendy
Leo Bookman
Ingle Martin

[swede]

BJ Sander
Will Whitticker
Patrick Dendy
Leo Bookman
Ingle Martin

Whatchoo talkin' 'bout Willis?

The return to glory will be led by...

1. AJ Hawk who knocks four opposing players onto the Injured Reserve list and receives criticism for his brutal play and "boy scout" answers to interview questions. His inspired play gives a new personality to the defense, and Green Bay's defense is rarely named without the adjective "brutal" preceding it. However, the media mock him constantly for his "too good to be true" public demeanor and unkind references about his appearance pop up all season long.

2. Charles Woodson who plays the best football of his career and scores two touchdowns as a wide receiver and three returning picks.

3. Brett Favre who throws 20 touchdown passes and only nine interceptions. He sets a new personal record for passing yardage and credits a new brutal defense and an offensive scheme that allows him to contribute without having to "do too much".

4. Donald Driver who credits the presence of Greg Jennings and a revitalized running game for keeping opposing defenses honest and allowing him his most productive offensive season.

5. The defensive line as a whole rotates in a number of young players that become known for timely game-changing big plays.

[The Leaper]

In no particular order...

MANUEL - Coming off a campaign with a conference champion has given this kid confidence. Sticking him in the defensive backfield with 3 other solid players is going to allow Manuel to step up and become a playmaker.

DRIVER - When hasn't this guy stepped up and been an impact player? He's the top option for Favre in 2006, and the two have an excellent rapport. If he stays healthy, 90 catches and 1200 yards are likely results for a class act.

DAVENPORT - I'm not convinced Gado is going to step up and become a full time starter with ease. I'm also not convinced that Green is going to be able to get back close to his past form after the injury. Davenport is going into this season knowing that he needs to step up if he wants to become a starter in the league.

KGB - The upgrades in the secondary will give the DL a little more time to get to the QB...and that is going to be good news for KGB. I expect the coaching staff to give KGB a little more rest as they allow Montgomery to see more playing time. I expect 8-10 sacks and more consistent pressure on the QB this year from KGB.

FAVRE - He is the HOF leader of this team. If he isn't an impact player on this offense, this team doesn't hold a chance of any push for the postseason...and will struggle to avoid double digit losses. Favre needs to limit mistakes and allow the players around him to do more of the playmaking.

[chain_gang]

Guess my top 5 would have to be this.


1.) Brett Favre- Obvious for many "proven" reasons.
2.) Al Harris- I just think having Woodson on the other side will help his big plays immensly. He has some ball skills for sure.
3.) Ahman Green- I think he's going to play with a major mean streak in him. Last year was a bitch to him and I think he's rehabbing like a mad man. All of his aggression will be taken out on opposing defenses this year.
4.) Nick Barnett- With the suddenly talent Linebacking core around him, solid defensive line, another year in the same system he's going to be a force. Check that, a playmaking force.
5.) Donald Driver- Easy choice. Just keeps performing and being an amazing late round pick that turned into a star. I smell a pro bowl berth coming this year.


I see a lot of you have Nick Collins on your list. I left him off of mine because I feel he has a lot more learning to do to be an impact. I hope it'll all come together this year, but I think it'll take another year or two. He played OK as a rookie, but there are many flaws in his game. He missed way too many tackles, and in my opinion was worse than sharper in that aspect and that's saying something. He's sometimes in a position to make a play yet drops the ball repeatedly. He fast but I think he lacks the smarts to ever be a pro bowl player, he may turn out good, but I don't think he won't be much more than average. He lacks the smarts, hands, blizting ability to be a great safety. As I said it's a little early to judge him, but I don't think there's anything to be that excited about. Not yet anyways.