First we wait forever until camp starts

[Rastak]

The offseason is LONG and SLOW for the most part. We talk about drafts, FA's and who will step up. Who will decline. How players are now used to the system.

All offseason I'm thinking, let's see how guys look in training camp. Now, I'm thinking, it's just training camp. I want to see these guys in preseason
games, in game situations not running 7 on 7. Once the preseason ends we'll be saying, week one is a COMPLETELY different speed and tempo. Pre season means nothing.


It just occurred to me how utterly pointless all the endless speculation is when nothing is really learned until game one.

Not that I'm suggesting we not talk and speculate, it's what we're here for. It's our god given right as fans. It's just kinda funny if you think about it.

[wist43]

Being an "armchair anything" is too much fun... that's why we do this - it's fun.

Think about golf (my other great passion), what the hell is the point??? Chasing a little white ball, trying to put it in a 4 1/4 inch hole 400 yards away... pretty pointless actually; but for me, fun as hell.

It's all about having fun!!!

[Rastak]

Being an "armchair anything" is too much fun... that's why we do this - it's fun.

Think about golf (my other great passion), what the hell is the point??? Chasing a little white ball, trying to put it in a 4 1/4 inch hole 400 yards away... pretty pointless actually; but for me, fun as hell.

It's all about having fun!!!

Yea, I hear ya wist. What made me think of all this was the reports of Vikings 3rd round pick Marcus McCauley is having a great camp so far. They're saying he'll probably win the nickel job. Then I started thinking....it's just practice (queue Iverson) what about preseason....then I thought about when the stuff plays at real speed. Hell, we won't know for sure about Brandon Jackson, James Jones, Marcus McCauley or Sidney Rice until the games count and are played at full speed.

But as you say, this speculation and analysis is fun. I enjoy it too.

[RashanGary]

You can learn a lot from practice. James Jones will probably be good. Rodgers will probably be improved in preseason. These things do carry over.


That said, I agree that it's already old. I'm going to one more practice on thursday and then I'm done. I'm looking forward to the preseason. And you are absolutely right, as soon as we watch two preseason games we'll be looking forward to the regular season becuase we'll be sick of watching scrubs who arn't going to make the team anyway.

[wist43]

Being an "armchair anything" is too much fun... that's why we do this - it's fun.

Think about golf (my other great passion), what the hell is the point??? Chasing a little white ball, trying to put it in a 4 1/4 inch hole 400 yards away... pretty pointless actually; but for me, fun as hell.

It's all about having fun!!!

Yea, I hear ya wist. What made me think of all this was the reports of Vikings 3rd round pick Marcus McCauley is having a great camp so far. They're saying he'll probably win the nickel job. Then I started thinking....it's just practice (queue Iverson) what about preseason....then I thought about when the stuff plays at real speed. Hell, we won't know for sure about Brandon Jackson, James Jones, Marcus McCauley or Sidney Rice until the games count and are played at full speed.

But as you say, this speculation and analysis is fun. I enjoy it too.

McCauley has a ton of upside... from a physical/atletic standpoint, he should have been a top 10 pick. If he get his head together, he was a steal for you guys.

In one of my proposed mocks, I had the Pack taking him in the 2nd round... he may be a boom or bust pick, but if he puts it together, you guys could have found one hell of a player there.

[GBRulz]

Isn't that true?!

Like last year at this time, we were all so worried about AJ Hawk because he didn't have an exactly stellar training camp! Some were second guessing the pick, etc.

I hope I'm wrong about it being a big mistake letting Green go, but at this point our running game is what concerns me the most. and the TE's....lol. The speculation will never end !

[Guiness]

Being an "armchair anything" is too much fun... that's why we do this - it's fun.

Think about golf (my other great passion), what the hell is the point??? Chasing a little white ball, trying to put it in a 4 1/4 inch hole 400 yards away... pretty pointless actually; but for me, fun as hell.

It's all about having fun!!!

I just figured out why I don't like watching golf, even though I play!!! How the hell can you be an 'armchair golfer' or a 'Monday morning golfer'?

"He shoulda used a four iron" is no good. They never get it wrong. So you're pretty much reduced to "I can't believe he's wearing that shirt".

[GBRulz]

I just figured out why I don't like watching golf, even though I play!!! How the hell can you be an 'armchair golfer' or a 'Monday morning golfer'?

"He shoulda used a four iron" is no good. They never get it wrong. So you're pretty much reduced to "I can't believe he's wearing that shirt".

That brings back memories of Sherman!

[MJZiggy]

Hey, M3's given us here at the fashion channel a few days of hilarity himself...

[Fritz]

Good thread, Rastak. It's true, too - you can't wait for the next part - FA period, the draft, the OTA's, then camp, then preseason...and at each step you say "well it doesn't mean anything reall;y" until you get to the games. And even then, sometimes, you might say after a game, "Well, the season is early and they looked good in spots, so maybe that one loss didn't really mean all that much in the long run...." and even then, at the end of the season, when the record is in, some people say "Well, it was a weak 8 - 8 because of who they played in their last four games" or maybe "That 8 - 8 doesn't mean too much because they played so much better late in the season that next year they should be really good!"

It's crazy, isn't it? But it is fun. And it's all about hope. Even people who despise TT are hopeful - they are hopeful he'll get canned, and hopeful the team will bring in a risk-taking genius who will help get the Pack to the Super Bowl.

[LL2]

I think all of this just shows how the NFL does such a good job of keeping fan interest year round. We are always waiting for the next draft, mini-camp, training camp, pre-season game, and the season to start.

[PlantPage55]

I never really thought about it in regards to training camp, but Rastak - you are absolutely right. Nothing we perceive right now matters at all. Preseason games can only tell us so much (look at how bad Charles Woodson played against Cincy!!!). I mean, with the way Training Camp was going last year - you'd have thought that Abdul would have been a defensive rookie of the year contender and AJ Hawk just an invisible guy at LB!!! Look how that shook out in the end!

However, I do get these exact thoughts every year during the long wait for the NFL DRAFT. We make mocks and get ideas about who our team will get - and most of the time we are NOT EVEN CLOSE! Often guys thought to go in the 3rd or 4th round can go undrafted!!!

Look at the TE from Delaware this year. Projected 3rd rounder - everyone wanted the Pack to take him. He didn't go until the, what, 6th round?

Pointless! But fun as ALL HELL!

[LL2]

The long wait before the season starts is also why we have the Romper Room and Garbage Can. Something to hold our interest. I've noticed the Romper Room is kind of quiet.