Packers Win Despite No Running Game

Despite the lack of open holes for running back Ryan Grant, the Green Bay Packers were effective in the other aspects of the game and left Seattle with a win. Of course the fact that Seattle was without their starting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and is now a weak 1-4 might lend one to keep the win in perspective, Green Bay nonetheless played pretty solid football.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, playing with a continued shoulder injury, showed images of Favre-like toughness. His short-yardage throws throughout the first half, as well as some selfless plays where he subjected his body to the Seahawks' defenders, were enough to keep the Packers in the game.

But the game-changing play happened in the third quarter when Rodgers hit a streaking Greg Jennings in a rare down field attempt. Rodger's sore-shoulder pass hit Jennings on the numbers and the Packers grabbed the lead.

From there it was mostly down hill for the Packers except for Grant who couldn't buy a hole and had to smash his way for any gain. Most of the fourth quarter was spent with Grant getting two or three yards, Rodgers throwing for a first down, and back to the clock-killing running game. Grant played as courageously as Rodgers but does not have the blocking he needs to open things up.

On defense, Aaron Kampman had several sacks on Seattle's backup quarterback, Charlie Frye, who was under pressure all day by the Green Bay pass rush. The Pack also shut down Seattle's running game and played good defense.

Charles Woodson, looking once again like a Heisman Trophy winner, out-smarted Frye and came up with an obligatory pick. Woodson should be put into this year's Pro Bowl right now. He stalks and strikes like a cat, and his seasoned experience makes him look like a man among Seattle's receiving boys; this guy is good (and he's doing all of this on a broken toe.)

So it appears that Green Bay found a way to win when they really had to to pull into a tie for first place in the NFC North division with the hated Bears. But they will be tested severely next week as they will have to face the underachieving Indianapolis Colts.

Game Ball: Aaron Rodgers.

Pack Can't Win By Hook or Crook; OJ Guilty

The Green Bay Packers are a lot like OJ Simpson these days. They both just showed up to try to retrieve a little football glory. The only thing is is that miscues, penalties, bad decisions and mistakes brought them both down.

Though Simpson faces the stiffer consequence, a possible fifteen years to life in the slammer, the Packers it seems, like Simpson, will also have bigger, badder men dictating terms and conditions to them for a while to come in a harsh environment unless Coach McCarthy and Warden Ted Thompson can come up with some answers.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers played a decent game considering that he came back like a mini-me Iron Man, and Ryan Grant got some yards for a change, but once again the line was inconsistent and made lethal penalties. Donald Driver played like a rock star and proved that he is among the NFL's elite receivers in terms of concentration, skill and getting yards after the catch.

Defensively, the Packers played inspired football at times, but never found consistent answers to be able to stop the Atlanta Falcons running game or their passing game. A slippery field was to blame for some early Falcon big passing gains, but, of course, the turf was slippery for both teams as well. But the Packers secondary did have some nice plays including a key interception in Atlanta's end zone that made a momentum shift until a later Rodgers interception.

In the punting department, the wisdom of Ted Thompson is on display for the entire league to see. He cut a decent punter, John Ryan, for a guy who is not that good, Frost. Yet after several poor outings, Thompson continues to put Frost on the field. What could be more clear evidence that Thompson thinks he is always right and will let the ship go down to prove it. Frost again did not have a good day and now would be a good time to get rid of both Frost and Thompson. Nothing personal against Frost, he did his best, but it is Thompson's DUTY to put the best punter he can on the field. Thompson, therefore, is just as guilty as OJ.

So the NFL season does not get any easier. The Packers are getting punked week after week. Like OJ, there doesn't seem to be any way out of it this time. And also like OJ, the Packers better make sure that they don't drop the bar of soap in the shower.

Game Ball goes to: Donald Driver

Packers Achieve Mediocrity; Vikings Lose

The Green Bay Packers, boasting an offensive line that plays like a Troop of Girl Scouts, settled comfortably into the zone of mediocrity in Tampa on Sunday angainst the Tampa Bay Bucaneers. Using alternate sparks of brilliance and episodes of ineptitude, the Packers proved they can strike in a heart beat or fall flat on their face just as quickly.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who spent much of the day running away from Tampa's pass rush, and also left the game with what may be a separated shoulder, saw enough passes slip through the hands of Green Bay's receivers to make a Blooper episode on You Tube. And did Donald Driver even get the ball thrown at him at all?

The left side of the Packer's offensive line is weaker than a French defense. Neither Rodgers or running back Ryan Grant can count on anything from that direction except a steady stream of hurricanes. When Chad Clifton isn't penalized for holding, his man is either sacking the quarterback, forcing an early throw, or eating Ryan Grant for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Until the Packers find an answer to this problem, nobody should expect anything better than an 8-8 season.

Yes, the Green Bay defense is pretty good. Charles Woodson is playing like an mvp and the rest of the secondary is also sharp. Our linebackers are strong, as is our d-line. But when an offense goes three and out repeatedly, all day long, it places an unfair and disproportionate burden on our pretty good defense.

And if Rodgers will be missing some time, this will mean that rookie Matt Flynn will be starting at quarterback for the Green Bay Packers (I told ya so). Flynn will have to spend some obligatory adjustment time which often relies on the run game. Only problem is that we don't have one because our Girl Scouts can't block.

Good luck to Flynn. Hopefully he can pick things up quickly. He should be able to as he is used to high-pressure, important games and has proved himself to be a leader as he led his LSU team to the NCAA National Championship last year.

But until we learn how to block, it is going to me a mediocre year for everyone...except for Jets fans who saw Brett Favre toss 6 touchdown passes yesterday. Thanks again, Ted.

By the way, the Vikings lost too, and so did the Cowboys.

Game ball goes to: Charles Woodson

Air/Run Rodgers Walks the Line

Showing deftness, sharp senses, keen eyes, dangerous feet, a killer arm and an ability to tight-rope the sideline, Air/Run Rodgers proved to all-comers that he is a dangerous weapon through the air or on his feet as the Green Bay Packers brought home a win from Detriot.

But Rodgers only got help from the defense in the second half, as all of his primary receivers were collectively guilty of dropping the ball on him. In all but a few cases, Rodgers' arm delivered the football exactly where it needed to be, but the primary Packer receivers seemed to have taken catching instructions from the Packer punter, who let a second-half snap slip right through his fingers and out of the end zone for an embarrassing safety.

It took heroic efforts by both Charles Woodson and Detroit Lions' quarterback John Kitna for the Packers to overcome a late one-point deficit. In two successive series, Kitna's pass went right into Woodson's hands, and Woodson ran one of them in. On the next series Kitna gave himself the hat-trick, giving up another interception for a touchdown to the Packers defense.

So in PackSmack's opinion, there is a three-way tie for Green Bay's MVP of this game: Rodgers deserves it for his excellent game, Woodson deserves it for his game-saving plays, and Detroit's Kitna deserves it because without him, we probably would not have won.

Like Johnny Cash's song, I Walk the Line, where Cash confesses his focus on guarding his heart from harmful influence, Rodgers seems to be guarding the integrity of the offense with his careful pass-throwing, awareness of pass pressure and ability to quickly buy some extra time with his speedy feet. Surely he got out of places that Brett Favre would not have today. And Rodger's dainty tip-toe almost on top of the white sideline paint, which gained a valuable first down, or several of his laser-accurate throws while on the run indicates that this man is not only dangerous in the air or on the ground, but also that the Green Bay Packer offense's leader can strike in any direction at any time.

The man is serious.

And he's looking good.

Vikings Choke, Packers Win!

In a game of big penalties and bigger plays, the Green Bay Packers put things together long enough to pull out a win on Monday Night Football's opening night.

The Vikings, filled to the gills with talent, somehow could not execute well enough to notch a victory in the season's opener at Lambeau Field. With a dominating defensive line and a dauntless running game, plus a quarterback who was competent in his own right, it is a sheer wonder how the Packers were able to escape an upset.

Did Aaron Roders use mirrors? Was Ryan Grant juicing? Did the Packers punt return team sneak 13 or 14 men on the field to get a punt returned for a touchdown? Either they did all that, or the Green Bay Packers played a pretty good game, generally speaking.

It had to be the play calling and Rodgers impressive decision-making that kept the game from being all Minnesota. Certainly the Packers were outmatched against a Viking defensive line that will force a lot of punts this year. Certainly Viking running back Adrian Pederson was unstoppable. Certainly Viking quarterback Tarvaris Jackson threw for some big yards. But for some intangible reasons, the Packers made the plays when they had to.

Credit coach McCarthy for some brilliant strategy. Credit the offensive line for deciding to stop getting penalties every play after the first quarter. Credit Aaron Rodgers for showing us that yes, indeed he can. And credit the likes of AJ Hawk and Nick Barnett for playing with reckless abandon.

I have no idea how Green Bay beat the Minnesota Vikings, but the team pulled together and showed some rugged, impressive character. Maybe these young guys are growing up. Or maybe the Vikings choked - again.

Why Matt Flynn Will Be The Packers Starting QB

Several Packer bloggers (CheeseheadTV, Packer Geeks) beat me to writing about Matt Flynn, but only because they had similar thoughts and got it written down quicker.

My thoughts were just suspicions when I saw the first pre-season game against the Bengals on tv. But when I watched the 49er game in person from the stands at Candlestick Park, I saw things in 3rd string quarterback, Matt Flynn, that the television camera does not show. And I am convinced that Matt Flynn will be the starting quarterback of the Green Bay Packers.

Now I am not saying that he will start ahead of Aaron Rodgers; I am saying that he will start after Rodgers goes down with the obligatory season-ending injury. I have confidence in Rodgers, I think he is a quality quarterback and I do not wish him ill, but like many other Packers fans, I see the trend that has started with his injuries, though none of them were his fault.

So in a season where Rodgers' getting injured is a given, albeit a presumptuous conjecture, the question of who is number two quarterback is important because in such a scenario that I believe is inevitable, number two will be number one. And I believe Matt Flynn is the person who will replace Aaron Rodgers for some very strong reasons. Here they are:

1. Matt Flynn is a leader; pure and simple. You can see it in how he encourages his team to come together and to follow him. You do not see it on television coverage because cameras do not focus on what happens after the play. But when you watch Flynn while at the game, you will see him drawing the players into a group into a new huddle. He isn't waiting for them to eventually gather about twelve yards behind the line of scrimmage, he gets to where they should gather, he reaches out with his hands with several, "Come here," gestures drawing them together in a certain place in a prompt, timely manner. The third-string responds. Flynn is LEADING them; and it works.

Either you have that or you don't. Either you compel and invite men to join you or you don't. Yelling at them would not serve any team purpose, so to get them all on the same page, Matt Flynn encourages them. Once nearing a huddle formation, Flynn claps his hands and speaks confidence, unity and optimism to his teammates. It is an art to watch. It is leadership in a pure and compelling form.

And you can tell that it works from how the team bounces together out of the huddle toward the line of scrimmage. They are motivated, focussed and unified. Granted, they might perhaps be outmatched in the talent department, as was evidenced by the numerous sacks and resulting turnovers, but they went to execute the snap as a sharply unified group, and that comes from Matt Flynn.

Contrast that with the same between-plays characteristics of Brian Brohm and there is no comparison. Guys kind of end up back in the huddle and then sort of stand around until a play is called. Brohm, despite being two inches taller at 6'4'' (Flynn is 6'2"), is a much smaller man in the leadership department, and, frankly, not even on the same roster as Flynn in this category. It is a noticeable and vivid contrast to see how these two quarterbacks differ in their game management styles. And their respective units reflect each quarterback's lead. The second team looks slothful and dull; the third string looks energetic and peppy.

2. Rhythm. Because of the unity, encouragement, focus and promptness that Flynn's leadership creates, his team sparks with rhythm. Almost like a drilling, marching army, they play as if they are on the same page and on a mission together. Again, though their talent might not be as great as their team unity, Flynn's leadership affects the team in that they get into a quick, smart, bouncy pattern with which a football team can move itself down field if they brought equal talent to the hike.

But the powerful point here is that if third-string players will follow a leader into a rhythm, so will first-stringers. If Matt Flynn stepped into the huddle with the Packer starters, he would eventually have the same effect on those players. Think Doug Flutie. Though Flynn is far from a 5'9" Flutie, Doug Flutie was an effective football leader and Matt Flynn is a chip off of that block. His teams will flow and fire like a driving machine when he is matched with top NFL teammates.

3. Experience. You don't win a national championship with ineffective means; in any sport, at any level. You win because some (and hopefully all) of your players have some of the qualities that work for success. Watching Matt Flynn march his team toward a first down at Candlestick, it is hard not to think of him marching LSU down the field in that final game last year.

And you can see that he brings the same enthusiasm, the same encouragement, the same infectious optimism to the gathering of NFL players into an offensive mindset that he did with NCAA players earlier this year. You cannot buy that kind of intangible with any amount of bonus-signing money. Either men follow you or they don't.

I saw it with my own eyes, and you can quote me on this: Men Follow Matt Flynn.

After Aaron Rodgers gets hurt this year, Matt Flynn the leader will be the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers.

Rodgers Smooth as Silk

Alright, so be it. Brett Favre is not a Green Bay Packer at the moment. I can't change that.

I guess the old saying, "TT Happens" is true, and indeed it has laid a pile on all of us. It's not a perfect world.

Nonetheless the Favre-less Green Bay Packers opened the pre-season last night with a respectable showing against the Cincinnati Bengals last night. And despite the distractions regarding the Favre issue, the team looked pretty sharp for a first outing.

Let's face it, none of this was Aaron Rodgers fault. All he has done so far for the Packers is everything he has been asked to do. Not only has he shown some unusual patience and restraint in the midst of the media storm, but perhaps his composure has tipped his hand a little as to what kind of a man and football player he is. Monday night's game shows that it has.

Studio camera lights on? Microphones jammed into your face? "Aaron, what do your think of Brett Favre's decision to return to the NFL?" "What does this mean for your role with the Packers?" etc. etc. and Rodgers answers calmly. Linebackers are blitzing, offensive line does not pick them up, defense playing the receivers in a man-to-man, Rodgers drifts the ball out to the safety-valve receiver calmly.

If what we have seen under media pressure is also who we are going to see under football pressure, this could be an exciting year for the Pack. If this composed, patient, and rock-solid guy can also handle the pressure of the shadow of Brett Favre, which he did seamlessly and impressively last night, we might be contenders.

If last night was any indication, Aaron Rodgers is a composed guy, smooth as silk, and this is going to be a great season.

p.s. I guess my old Lynn Dickey jersey is going to get a second life; or was that the Zeke Bratkowski jersey?

The Most Hated Man in Wisconsin

Jeffrey Dahmer was a beast; Ed Gein was a monster. And if Green Bay Packers General Manager Ted Thompson does not pull his head out of the frozen sand and keep Brett Favre from getting dished up to another team, he, too, is going to be on the state's very short Infamous List.

Ask Dan Devine about what life is like on that list. Or his dog.

There simply are no excuses, reasons or justifications that would have Brett Favre wearing a jersey other than a Packers jersey. None. Whatsoever.

I am not sure where Ted Turner, or Thompson, or whatever his name is, comes from, but for him to let Brett Favre go to another team is like lifting his leg on the entire Cheesehead Nation and taking a whizz.

And that is not acceptable in Wisconsin. Not when a player like Favre gave everything he had for 16 years in Green Bay and is the very embodiment of the Packers to an entire state.

If Thompson deals Brett Favre to another NFL team, he is going to earn the top spot as The Most Hated Man in Wisconsin, hands down. No Chicago Bear will even have to run for election.

It would be the biggest stab in the back to every citizen of the state since Lew Alcindor changed his name to Kareem Abdul Jabbar and went to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Or maybe since President Clinton's Secretary of Defense, Wisconsin's own Les Aspin, refused to authorize the use of tanks in support of a mission in Somalia because we 'might alienate the United Nations.' Of course, the result was that he got 18 soldiers killed in Mogadishu in the Blackhawk Down incident.

Perhaps Ted Thompson could take a few lessons from the inglorious pasts of other shameful Wisconsonites. Remember the 'Mogadisgu Mile,' that unprotected one-mile long run that US soldiers had to take down the streets of the hostile city while being shot at from every direction continuously the whole way?

Well, suppose we offer Thompson the 'Green Bay Gauntlet' instead? Sure, he could start running at Lambeau field and then try to make it to any state line where he can cross into freedom. Of course Cheeseheads unhappy with Thompson's treachery in dealing Favre away would be free to practice their marksmanship in this event Perhaps Thompson could do as nice of a job dodging bullets as the US soldiers did who were put in a terrible position by farLESs ASPIN.

And if he gets running along and begins to think the heat is getting too much, the bullets too close, he can always choose to go 'another direction;' he seems to think that is a good idea nowadays, and all.

I mean, so Aaron Rodgers, Ted's brainchild who Thompson hopes will prove him to be a genius, suppose he gets hurt. THEN WHAT??? Then we switch the channel and watch Brett Favre play for the Buccaneers or something? NEGATIVE, Mr. Thompson. FAVRE IS A PACKER. Forever. Unlike you.

Don't make them find your head in Jeffrey Dahmer's freezer or your skin around Ed Gein's lamp. Do the right thing. Or get your running shoes on, and grab a bottle of water...

Not a Dilemma At All

With Brett Favre's announced desire to come out of retirement and return to the NFL, the Green Bay Packers seem to be in a bit of a dilemma. Some are saying the Packers should release Favre. Others are saying trade Favre. The Packers have said that they honored Favre's wishes to retire and have already moved on. It seems like the Packers have themselves a quandary.

But this is not a dilemma at all. If you look at the characters involved, this is a no-brainer.

Who are the players with something at stake? They are: 1.) The Green Bay Packers organization 2.) Brett Favre 3.) Aaron Rodgers and 4.) The greater Cheesehead Nation, who are the Green Bay Packers organization's paying customers.

Next you look and wonder which of the characters from this list has any flexibility. The Packers are bound to the promises they made to Aaron Rodgers. But the Packers are also tied in with Brett Favre in that he is pretty-much the embodiment of the team in the last decade. The organization also would risk disaster should they trade Favre or cut him loose only to face him in charge of a divisional team. Furthermore, the team needs to consider how many troops from the Wisconsin National Guard would need to be called in to quell the riots at Lambeau Field should word ever leak out that Brett Favre would be going to the Chicago Bears.

To the Packer fan, to those who labored over Favre's decision to call it quits just a few months ago, there are no options. Every Cheesehead knows that Brett Favre is a Green Bay Packer. Consider for a moment what happened to Joe Montana. Joe Cool was an aging quarterback who had fellow Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young waiting in the wings as Montana's backup. The 49ers, after vacillating for a number of years, finally decided to cut Montana loose by sending him to the Kansas City Chiefs so that Steve Young could be their guy.

But everyone outside of Kansas City who saw number 12 in a uniform that was not a San Francisco 49ers uniform knew that it was just wrong on so many levels. It just didn't seem fitting for someone who had done as much as Montana, or done so much so well, should be taking snaps for a foreign football team. Can anyone imagine Terry Bradshaw in something other than a Steelers uniform? Marino other than a Doplhins? Elway other than a Broncos?

No, there are no options. Brett Favre must and will wear the Packers jersey if he comes back because it is wrong that he would wear any other.

So here is the final solution: have both Favre and Rodgers come to camp and compete for an open starting QB position; that is only fair to all parties concerned. That would keep Packer fans happy, secure a successful season for the organization, allow Favre to come back, and give Rodgers a genuine opportunity at earning a starting job in the NFL.

And frankly, if Rodgers does not like it, he has the least to lose; let him go play for Kansas City. You just don't deal-away a Brett Favre. Joe Montana taught us that.