Another oddity this year is Ted’s new found love of free agency. Added was not one (Martellus Bennett), not two (Lance Kendrick), not three (Davon House ~ again) free agents, but just this week, a fourth (Ahmad Brooks. Will this be the missing piece that gets the Pack back to the big dance? We will just have to wait and see.
One big surprise was letting go Eddie Lacy, no more “Roll Tide” from Ken Hill. He may be gone but he hasn’t left quite yet. Listed as their #2 back, we will get one more look at Eddie this week when we face the seahacks.
To no ones surprise, Ty will be our starting runningback and as of today will still wear #88, time to settle the bets about his number.
To start this season, some long term injuries to report: Three players on injured reserve, FB Joe Kerridge, OL Don Barclay, LB David Talley. Barclay being the biggest one here. On the PUPS list and able to return starting in week 7 is LB Vince Biegel and yet again S Demetri Goodson.
We start the season with two tough games, the dreaded seahacks (see Ken article for my feeling about this team) and then come down here to Notlanta to open their new stadium. Ticket are about $1000 in case you are interested. Hopefully tickets will be cheaper for the Panthers game in December, but we will have to wait and see, after all, we are the Packers and everyone knows we travel well. All this being said, Are you ready for some football? Time to
BLEEDS GREEN MY FRIENDS!
(Packer John)
Just Sayin'
Unless Jeff Janis comes off the bench during a game and is something akin to a lightning rod, I will try to refrain from talking about him after week after week. No promises, “just sayin’”. Besides, this should be the final year of his contract and I would assume he would want to try his hand at another team and be given a fair shot to be used a Wide Receiver. And if that is the case, I hope he succeeds.
One would think that a team that was one game away from the Super Bowl (again . . . ), that normally there wouldn’t be too many questions as they prepare for the next season. But I have been reading over the off season some of the stuff that the talking heads have been saying about the Packers, such as the OL being in dire condition. Or the same thing with the pass rush. Well, Josh Sitton was let go last year on the last cut down. As I recollect, Lane Taylor came in and did an admirable job. He should be a bit better this year. So this year, T.J. Lang left during Free Agency. Well, the signing of Jahri Evans should remedy that situation. Now, the coaching staff is tasked to get some depth ready to play. That seems to be the biggest worry about the OL, the depth. The starting guys are as good as any line in the NFL. But if one of the starters goes down, things could get a little dicey.
As far as the pass rush and losing Julius Peppers goes, Peppers had 15 tackles, 8 assists and 7.5 sacks. Personally, I don’t think this was as big of a loss as the media makes it out to be. I suspect his play could diminish a little more due to his age. Hopefully, Matthews can pick it back up a little this season and Perry can stay healthy. Kyler Fackrell needs to step it up as well. Also, coming into the picture late is Ahmad Brooks. The signing of Brooks should be a big help and more than compensate for the loss of Peppers. And add in Chris Odom, who was claimed off waivers from Atlanta. He will take Jayrone Elliot’s spot since Elliot was traded to Dallas. As we all know, the Achilles Heel of last season’s defense was the secondary. Sam Shields went down in game one. R&R couldn’t stay healthy and regressed. The cornerback situation was in chaos all season long. I have stated this before, but I’ll say it again. I used to put a lot of blame for the poor defensive play on Dom Capers. But when he has only 3rd stringers and UDFAs to put on the field, how good can they really be? As we saw, not very good at all. With Davon House returning, Kevin King coming in, and more experience from the youngsters, it’s possible that last year’s biggest defensive liability could be this year’s strongest defensive unit. As far as the offense goes, they should be pretty darn good, as long as the OL can stay relatively healthy. With the new TEs coming in, we should see plenty of passing. With a converted WR as out lead RB, time will tell if that works out. Looks like all 3 rookie RBs made the squad.
With Taysom Hill being claimed by New Orleans, we have signed Joe Callahan back to the Practice Squad. Maybe Hill had a better skillset, but watching Callahan in the preseason last year, should the unthinkable happen and we needed to go to a third QB, I feel like he could get us by. Others on the PS include OLB Reggie Gilbert and one of the ninja turtles, Donatello.
Well folks, what kind of year do you think we will have? Do we make it all the way again like we did 7 years ago? Or do we start slow, then hit a winning streak when our backs are to the wall and then get ever so close, only to be left broken hearted . . . . again?
Just Sayin’
(Jimmy Smith)
The Chief’s / GPB Report
My friends, hard to believe the club is in it’s 11 year. Starting in the small pool room at Bailey’s, then to Jay’s Mid-town on to Dixie’s, then an overnight change to the Corner Pocket. Stayed their for awhile before moving to Friar’s and now finally to Chief’s. Each move was made for the same reason… space. There are hundreds of Cheeseheads in the upstate and to the dismay of true southerner’s, more coming everyday.
BLEED GREEN MY FRIENDS!
(JW)
Packer’s vs. Seahag’s
There are few teams in the NFL I hate. I don’t hate the Bears. I’m from Illinois, so I can’t really hate the Bears. I don’t hate the Lions, it’s more pity than hate. I used to hate the Viqueens though, Jared Allen and the annoying way they poached former Packers disgusted me.
No, now my hatred is directed towards Seattle, Dallas, and Atlanta. Let’s go in reverse order. I went to Atlanta over Thanksgiving weekend in 2010, the year we won it all. AJ Hawk got called for unnecessary roughness and gave Atlanta 15 yards and got them in Field Goal range. They won by 3 points, and we walked back to our hotel. The Atlanta fans were hooting and hollering like they won the Superbowl. Worst Fans in the NFL. I will never go to Atlanta to a football game again, even though Aaron took them to school in the Division round of the Playoffs later that season. Dallass gets my ire mainly because of Jerry Jones who would do that team a great service if he would fire himself as GM. The only thing he’s been able to do is build a great offensive line. Also Dallas calls itself America’s Team. They’re not America’s Team, they’re Jerry’s Team. WE’RE AMERICA’S TEAM!! Oh, and I go hard too. Someone says, “Oh you’re a Green Bay Fan!” I whip around and correct them toot sweet! “No, I’m an OWNER!” Anyone in the US can own stock, that makes you America’s Team. It may be a Steeler Nation or a Raider Nation, but it’s a Packer World!
This brings us to the Seahags. Two words describe my loathing for this team from the soggy Northwest. Fail. Mary. I wouldn’t hate these guys so much if one of them had JUST OWNED IT!! Pete Carroll just grin wryly and say, “Yeah, we might have stolen one from the Pack tonight!” would have been fine. That’s football! Yeah, the ref that made the call was an idiot and Doc Jennings should have just knocked it down instead of catching it, but I wouldn’t have been mad if Golden Tate had said, “I went for the ball, the ref made the call, and that’s football!”, not making out like he made the catch. We deserved better than a story 2 days later about how someone in Marshawn Lynch’s family saying, “We didn’t win.” 2 hours after the game was over at a restaurant somewhere in town. And no the beat-down we gave them last year doesn’t make it better.
What that 38-10 drubbing did was make it sweet to watch “First Take” and have Stephen A. eat some humble pie after saying that the Packers wouldn’t “Run the Table”. When Aaron said it, even I was unsure, but Aaron Rodgers is a baaaaaaad MAN!! I hope he’s even badder in Week 1 than he was in Week 14. How bad was he in Week 14? 18 of 23 for 246 yards and 3 touchdowns. Not scoreboard lighting up numbers, but consider that the Seahags had 6 turnovers, giving the Packers a short field, he didn’t need to throw for 300+ yards. I don’t think that will happen this time around, it’s early September in Wisconsin and the weather will probably be a lot better than it was the second week in December.
(Ken Hill)
