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Here are 20 things the Packers don't need
Posted: July 10, 2007
Last year the entire league thought playing the Packers was a gimme. But after a terrible start, Green Bay went out and laid some wood, going 5-1 against the division.
Winning their last four games to finish 8-8, the Packers are relying on a young roster and an aging quarterback to take another big step toward advancing to the playoffs. Optimism, as usual, is running high along the banks of the Fox.
Maybe the Packers can close the gap between them and the division-favorite Chicago Bears. Maybe they can't.
One thing for sure: Here are 20 things they don't need:
1. Another woeful start. Nothing would deflate the optimism faster than following last year's script by losing four of the first five games. The schedule isn't doing the Packers any favors with games against the Eagles, at the New York Giants, the Chargers, at Minnesota, and the Bears to start the new season.
2. No replacement for Green. Ahman Green was a proven running back for seven seasons with Green Bay, yet the Packers weren't willing to reward him for his efforts and they let him walk. They are left with a bushel of marginal backs trying to fill big shoes. Now that he's gone, the Packers will find out how valuable he was.
3. Another No. 1 draft bust. Ted Thompson took a gamble drafting Tennessee defensive tackle Justin Harrell, whose résumé in 2006 was limited to only three games because of a torn biceps. He better not turn out like Ahmad Carroll, who never should have been a No. 1 pick in the first place and was cut after 2½ seasons at Green Bay.
4. Same old scene at Lambeau Field. What ever happened to the mystique surrounding one of the great pro football venues? Strangely, Lambeau Field lost its magic touch when it was renovated in 2003. The Packers were 3-5 at home last year. Since going 8-0 in 2002, they are 15-17 in Green Bay, which is no way to contend.
5. Brett Favre's streak ends. The worst thing that could happen to the Packers would be for Mr. Durability to get hurt. He's still has the arm, the toughness and is the leader of this team. Without Favre, the Packers are in big trouble. Aaron Rodgers may or may not be the quarterback of the future. Because of limited play, no one is sure if he can do it or not.
6. Andy Reid out-coaches Mike McCarthy. If any rival coach knows the Packers, it's Reid who was on Mike Holmgren's staff and was Favre's quarterbacks coach. After losing four-consecutive games to Reid's Eagles, McCarthy's team was in a position to stage a major upset last season at Philadelphia. The Packers played a solid, smart first half and left with a 9-7 lead. But in the second half, they collapsed on both offense and defense, losing, 31-9. They meet again in the league opener at Lambeau Sept. 9.
7. John Jones goes public. Citing his side of the story when he was dismissed as the successor to president and CEO Bob Harlan, Jones hangs out his dirty linen, exposing cracks in the Packers' front office. If this happens, it will go down as the most embarrassing episode in the team's administrative history.
8. McCarthy gets carried away. Before facing their archrivals at home last year, the new coach, inheriting a 4-12 team, was asked if his club would put out a strong emotional effort against the Chicago Bears. It was the home opener, alumni week, against the opponent picked to win the division crown. McCarthy guaranteed the Packers would be ready. Ready for what? The Packers lost, 26-0, and all of those negative emotions quickly settled in.
9. Donald Driver is overloaded. The belief is the Packers have a good corps of receivers. The reality: Driver is the only star. He has meant everything to an offense that doesn't have enough playmakers. Driver certainly needs others to help punch up the team's passing attack. If he goes down, it could be disastrous for Favre.
10. A Mile-High low. The Packers travel to Denver for a Halloween night game against the Broncos. Make that two nights before Halloween. The Packers will be looking for their first victory in the Mile-High city. Their 0-5 mark (0-10) counting exhibition games), includes a 31-10 beating in 1999. This game also will mark former Packers' wide receiver Javon Walker's first game against his former team. Will he come back to haunt them?
11. Special teams woes. Sometime this season, someone is going to make a big play on special teams. It might be a punt return for a touchdown. Whatever it is, the odds are it will be the Packers' opponents making the play. The Packers haven't had a great punt returner since Desmond Howard ran wild in 1996, and the search still is on.
12. Losing to the Lions at home. Be wary of what you wish for, Packers. The Lions come to town Dec. 30 and will be looking for their first victory on Wisconsin soil since 1991. The Packers have won 16 in a row, but the last three have been decided by an average of fewer than five points.
13. Brett puts foot in mouth. Eternally optimistic, Favre stunned a room of reporters in his first training-camp interview last summer when he told them the 2006 Packers, a group that eventually would feature 27 rookies or second-year players, was the most talented group he has played with. Surely, he won't go out on a limb this time until these guys have proved themselves.
14. Sophomore jinx. Fifteen rookies made the team last season, including linebacker A.J. Hawk, wide receiver Greg Jennings, guards Daryn Colledge and Jason Spitz - all starters. All played well and showed great promise, but will they continue to grow?
15. Bubba Franks doesn't have it. Once he was one of the best tight ends in the league. No more. The team's former No. 1 draft choice hasn't been the same player after signing a huge contract two years ago. He needs to prove he's still a productive player or he's gone.
16. Nobody will catch the Bears. They won the NFC North by five games, the widest margin for a division champion in the NFL. They aren't quite the heavy favorite they were a year ago but still better than the rest.
17. Pre-season injuries. It isn't a pre-season as much as a minefield. The primary goal of every team is to get through it intact. The scene no one wants to see played out is a starter going down for the year. So what's being done to avoid this? Fingers are being crossed.
18. It's Ryan Longwell's turn. The last three Packers-Vikings regular season games at Lambeau Field have been decided by a kicker. The Packers edged the Vikings, 9-7, last Dec. 21 when rookie Dave Rayner kicked a 44-yard field goal off the rain-slicked turf with 1:34 remaining. The teams will meet Nov. 11 at Lambeau and Longwell, who left Green Bay for Minnesota last year, will kick the winning field goal.
19. Texas Stadium woes. Having made regular trips to Dallas in the 1990s, the Packers return to one of their most hated venues where playoff runs in three consecutive seasons (1993-'95) ended in disappointment to Troy Aikman and Co. Assuming he remains the Cowboys' starting quarterback, Tony Romo, a native of Burlington, Wis., will face his home-state team for the first time.
20. A letter of apology from the league office. This is the last thing the Packers want. Officials make mistakes. But what good is a letter of apology after a blown call - a call that could have turned into a victory?
Posted: July 10, 2007
Last year the entire league thought playing the Packers was a gimme. But after a terrible start, Green Bay went out and laid some wood, going 5-1 against the division.
Winning their last four games to finish 8-8, the Packers are relying on a young roster and an aging quarterback to take another big step toward advancing to the playoffs. Optimism, as usual, is running high along the banks of the Fox.
Maybe the Packers can close the gap between them and the division-favorite Chicago Bears. Maybe they can't.
One thing for sure: Here are 20 things they don't need:
1. Another woeful start. Nothing would deflate the optimism faster than following last year's script by losing four of the first five games. The schedule isn't doing the Packers any favors with games against the Eagles, at the New York Giants, the Chargers, at Minnesota, and the Bears to start the new season.
2. No replacement for Green. Ahman Green was a proven running back for seven seasons with Green Bay, yet the Packers weren't willing to reward him for his efforts and they let him walk. They are left with a bushel of marginal backs trying to fill big shoes. Now that he's gone, the Packers will find out how valuable he was.
3. Another No. 1 draft bust. Ted Thompson took a gamble drafting Tennessee defensive tackle Justin Harrell, whose résumé in 2006 was limited to only three games because of a torn biceps. He better not turn out like Ahmad Carroll, who never should have been a No. 1 pick in the first place and was cut after 2½ seasons at Green Bay.
4. Same old scene at Lambeau Field. What ever happened to the mystique surrounding one of the great pro football venues? Strangely, Lambeau Field lost its magic touch when it was renovated in 2003. The Packers were 3-5 at home last year. Since going 8-0 in 2002, they are 15-17 in Green Bay, which is no way to contend.
5. Brett Favre's streak ends. The worst thing that could happen to the Packers would be for Mr. Durability to get hurt. He's still has the arm, the toughness and is the leader of this team. Without Favre, the Packers are in big trouble. Aaron Rodgers may or may not be the quarterback of the future. Because of limited play, no one is sure if he can do it or not.
6. Andy Reid out-coaches Mike McCarthy. If any rival coach knows the Packers, it's Reid who was on Mike Holmgren's staff and was Favre's quarterbacks coach. After losing four-consecutive games to Reid's Eagles, McCarthy's team was in a position to stage a major upset last season at Philadelphia. The Packers played a solid, smart first half and left with a 9-7 lead. But in the second half, they collapsed on both offense and defense, losing, 31-9. They meet again in the league opener at Lambeau Sept. 9.
7. John Jones goes public. Citing his side of the story when he was dismissed as the successor to president and CEO Bob Harlan, Jones hangs out his dirty linen, exposing cracks in the Packers' front office. If this happens, it will go down as the most embarrassing episode in the team's administrative history.
8. McCarthy gets carried away. Before facing their archrivals at home last year, the new coach, inheriting a 4-12 team, was asked if his club would put out a strong emotional effort against the Chicago Bears. It was the home opener, alumni week, against the opponent picked to win the division crown. McCarthy guaranteed the Packers would be ready. Ready for what? The Packers lost, 26-0, and all of those negative emotions quickly settled in.
9. Donald Driver is overloaded. The belief is the Packers have a good corps of receivers. The reality: Driver is the only star. He has meant everything to an offense that doesn't have enough playmakers. Driver certainly needs others to help punch up the team's passing attack. If he goes down, it could be disastrous for Favre.
10. A Mile-High low. The Packers travel to Denver for a Halloween night game against the Broncos. Make that two nights before Halloween. The Packers will be looking for their first victory in the Mile-High city. Their 0-5 mark (0-10) counting exhibition games), includes a 31-10 beating in 1999. This game also will mark former Packers' wide receiver Javon Walker's first game against his former team. Will he come back to haunt them?
11. Special teams woes. Sometime this season, someone is going to make a big play on special teams. It might be a punt return for a touchdown. Whatever it is, the odds are it will be the Packers' opponents making the play. The Packers haven't had a great punt returner since Desmond Howard ran wild in 1996, and the search still is on.
12. Losing to the Lions at home. Be wary of what you wish for, Packers. The Lions come to town Dec. 30 and will be looking for their first victory on Wisconsin soil since 1991. The Packers have won 16 in a row, but the last three have been decided by an average of fewer than five points.
13. Brett puts foot in mouth. Eternally optimistic, Favre stunned a room of reporters in his first training-camp interview last summer when he told them the 2006 Packers, a group that eventually would feature 27 rookies or second-year players, was the most talented group he has played with. Surely, he won't go out on a limb this time until these guys have proved themselves.
14. Sophomore jinx. Fifteen rookies made the team last season, including linebacker A.J. Hawk, wide receiver Greg Jennings, guards Daryn Colledge and Jason Spitz - all starters. All played well and showed great promise, but will they continue to grow?
15. Bubba Franks doesn't have it. Once he was one of the best tight ends in the league. No more. The team's former No. 1 draft choice hasn't been the same player after signing a huge contract two years ago. He needs to prove he's still a productive player or he's gone.
16. Nobody will catch the Bears. They won the NFC North by five games, the widest margin for a division champion in the NFL. They aren't quite the heavy favorite they were a year ago but still better than the rest.
17. Pre-season injuries. It isn't a pre-season as much as a minefield. The primary goal of every team is to get through it intact. The scene no one wants to see played out is a starter going down for the year. So what's being done to avoid this? Fingers are being crossed.
18. It's Ryan Longwell's turn. The last three Packers-Vikings regular season games at Lambeau Field have been decided by a kicker. The Packers edged the Vikings, 9-7, last Dec. 21 when rookie Dave Rayner kicked a 44-yard field goal off the rain-slicked turf with 1:34 remaining. The teams will meet Nov. 11 at Lambeau and Longwell, who left Green Bay for Minnesota last year, will kick the winning field goal.
19. Texas Stadium woes. Having made regular trips to Dallas in the 1990s, the Packers return to one of their most hated venues where playoff runs in three consecutive seasons (1993-'95) ended in disappointment to Troy Aikman and Co. Assuming he remains the Cowboys' starting quarterback, Tony Romo, a native of Burlington, Wis., will face his home-state team for the first time.
20. A letter of apology from the league office. This is the last thing the Packers want. Officials make mistakes. But what good is a letter of apology after a blown call - a call that could have turned into a victory?
Don't let that sweet kool-aid run dry!!!!
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