Chance to scout the opponent

[FritzDontBlitz]

Play a five man front.

I was actually musing about such a run defense: call it a "53 Defense" if you like: 5 down linemen, 3 LB's, 2 cornerbacks and one safety. Run it in short yardage situations. Assign outside containment to the DE's, have them make their first step upfield, then if its a pass assign them to cover the flats in a zone (Kampmann and KGB both have the speed and range to play this front - think of each as essentially LB's who start each snap in a 3 point stance). Assign LB Nick Barnett to cover AP if the Vikes check to a pass, Hawk takes TE, Poppy either spies or covers TE/FB depending on the formation. Chuck and Al cover two top wideouts, safety either mans up on the 3rd wideout or plays deep 1/3rd to take away the deep pass. At each snap, think run first/pass second. Or, you could just go with two inside LB's, assign the DE's LB responsibilities as I have previously mentioned, substitute a second safety for the 3rd LB and call it a "52."

Not that you'd run it every down, you'd still exercise your options to use your base 4-3, nickel and dime packages when necessary. But, it throws something new at the Vikes and may limit AP's success. I don't think you can shut him down completely, but better backs have been shutdown before (remember the 1993 playoff game where the Packers held Barry Sanders to -1 yards rushing?).

The offense's responsibility would primarily be clock management and ball control: work the play clock down as far as you can before every play, utilize a balanced pass/run attack where even on the pass completions the receivers stay in bounds if they can, and most of all keep the miscues to a minimum and of course SCORE POINTS. AP can't score if the Vikes don't have the ball, so keep it away from him as much as possible. Once you build a big enough lead and enough time evaporates the Vikes will have to go to the pass if they have any hopes of catching up, so it limits AP's touches even more.

Yes, I know: AP returns kicks too. Just don't kick it to him (duh). No one in their right minds kicks to Devin Hester anymore, so employ the same strategy: angle all punts out of bounds, have Mason Crosby squib it as often as possible and/or kick it through the uprights when the wind is at his back (Crosby definitely has enough leg to do this as well).

Its gonna be a damn exciting game whatever the outcome, but I predict a Packers win because its easier to stop a running game (1 guy) than it is to shut down a prolific passing game (6 guys - 1 QB, 5 receivers). At worst I see Green Bay winning in a shootout.