PackSmack is Back, But Are the Packers?

After quite a haitus from football, also known as off-season complete hibernation, PackSmack has popped his head out of the den to peer in to the current state of the Green Bay Packers and the NFL.

The first surprise I discovered was that former Denver coach Mike Shanahan is now the coach of the Washington Redskins! Then I learned that Terrell Owens is teamed up with Chad Whats-his-name with the Bengals! The third stunner was when I learned that the Philadelphia Eagles have dealt quarterback Donavon McNab to some other team, though it is not clear to me yet which team he plays for.

If it is not obvious yet, PackSmack does not pay much attention to sports until football season actually begins; and, of course, pre-season is football season.

So this brings us to this year's edition of our Green Bay Packers, who made their pre-season debut against the Cleveland Browns last weekend.

Now a lot of people say pre-season does not matter, but I believe that pre-season games are very telling.

And what we learned from the game against Cleveland is this: 1.) Our first team defense is weak, 2.) There is nothing special about our special teams, and 3.) Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Air Force will be nearly unstoppable.

With all our veteran receivers returning, and all looking at least as good as they were last year, the Packers will be racking up 35-45 points per game. But the question becomes, will that be enough points to win, when our special teams will be granting opposing teams generous field position, and our defense will not be able to stop the run?

We will be able to beat sub-par teams, but will split with fellow contending teams. A 10-6 record will be optimistic unless we learn how to stop the run and can fix the special team mess.

But regardless of whether this can happen or not, watching the Green Bay Packer offense this year will be one thrilling ride.

As a final note, PackSmack also just learned that Charles Woodson was named the NFL Defensive Player of the year last year, which indicates that someone must have been reading PackSmack, because we were saying he should be named that since early last season. Let's hope Charles Woodson brings as much excitement again this year as he did in his unforgettable performances last season.

Welcome back, Pack! We're behind you through thick and thin!