Benedict Brett?

Cornerback Charles Woodson says that if a media report indicating that Brett Favre shared inside knowledge of the Green Bay Packers' offense with Detroit Lions coaches is true, it's nothing short of sabotage.

The whole article.

I can't imagine this is true. But, if it is . . . what will the Favre fanatics say now?

San Diego at Denver

I picked San Diego so I am a little biased. But, how that wasn't a fumble by Cutler late in the game is beyond me. His arm certainly was not going forward. The ball came out on his back swing. Did the rules change?

Looked like a great game. Still, I think the Chargers got hosed.

Packers 24 - Vikings 19

Are You Ready For Some Football!


First off . . .

BWAA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!

EAT CHEESE, PURPLE PISSHEADS!

(ahem)

Yes, I realize I often scold such behavior as childish, rude, and un-sportsman-like.

Tough. It's the trash talking, spend millions to beat the Packers, think they're just gonna walk in and beat us Viqueens.

OWNED! 0 and 5!

How many times did we hear Jared Allens name?

Zip. Nada. Zero. None. Not at all.

We blew a hole in their line so big, Michael Moore and Rosie O'Donnell could have run through it hand in hand.

OK. It was ugly. The penalties! Crimeny! Especially to have such a beautiful touchdown called back. Laps and push ups, guys. Laps and push ups.

While I thought McCarthy called a pretty good game over all, not throwing a pass on first down on their second to last possession was playing to lose. Also, if you're going to throw a quick out to a receiver, bring someone in motion to take the DB out!

Rodgers had a good game. 18/22 for 178 yards. No interceptions, a great toss for a touchdown, no sacks, and s few nice runs. He never once looked like a rookie. I thought he handled the game very well.

Barnett, Hawk, and Popinga. You're gonna hear a lot from these guys. Maybe the best linebacking trio in football.

Bigby. Go to the board and write: "I will not try and make a play when the game is won" 100,000 times.

Frost did a good job. a 50 yarder and one that landed inside the 20. Can't ask for much more.

Finally, no injuries. We live to play another game. Next up, we go to Detroilet to play the Lions.

Are You Ready For Some Football!

If there's a bright spot at all to the end of summer, it's the football season. Which officially kicks off this Thursday night. Anyway, for those of you who like picking contests, head over to Jimi the Geek and look for the link on the right side of the page that takes you to an online pick page. Fill it out, send it in, and I'll keep track of your scores. It's updated every week. You won't win anything as the site is primarily for my workplace. But, I'll keep track of everyone's score for bragging rights.

Packer vs Denver

I don't put a lot of stock in pre-season, but I've got a few thoughts so far.

Aaron Rodgers looks good. He's no Favre. But, he's got a good arm and is pretty accurate. He's also not made of glass which is something many people were afraid of. Looks like he'll last the season. He's taken some solid hits.

I was encouraged by yesterday's game. I thought the Packers played with a good amount of intensity on both side of the ball.

One thing is certain, though. They need to stay healthy. The Packers can ill afford too many losses to injury. Particularly on both lines.

We continue to have quite the stable of runners and receivers. We now seem to be flush with linebackers.

The kickers are doing well. A 71 yard punt? Nice.

As for the rest of the division . . . Detroit looks good. They may well win the division. The Viqueens look average. The Bears suck.
I'm really surprised Lovie and Rex are still there.

Go Pack!

BTW, The Jets face the Giants tonight. Let's see how they do with the pass rush.

Almost positive for sure Brett might be absolutely gone

I watched McCarthy's press conference. A couple of thoughts.

He seemed very forthright, and I'm impressed by that. If he was faking it, he did a good job. Yes, he seemed a bit annoyed having to deal, once again, with the whole retirement thing. But, can you blame him? He's the coach. He's got 79 other players to contend with. Some as vital as Favre once was to the success of the team. They cannot be ignored. They cannot be diminished in their contributions. While I can go both ways with Favre, one thing I've maintained is that no one is above the team. If Brett is driven by his desires as a player, then McCarthy is driven by his desires to coach a winning football team.

While I'm sure he'll never admit it, this whole Favre thing must drive him nuts. Again, I can't blame him.

But, he's not to blame for anything. He's not the GM, the owner, or the team president. He doesn't own the building, run the restaurant, or cook the food. He just serves it.

While we can debate how it is we got to this point, why we got to this point, and who's fault it is, I thought Mike asked the perfect question. Is your (Brett's) mind in the right place to play for Green Bay? Absolutely perfect. I can imagine it was a very difficult question to answer given where we are. As I said, Mike has 79 other players to deal with. If Brett is on board, then he'd better be on board. I think the question really gave Brett a chance to evaluate the whole situation. What he's doing to Mike. What he's doing to Aaron. What he's doing to the team. What he's doing to himself. Expectations would be extremely high with his return. I know there are many who blindly believe that Brett would take us to Zion and beyond. For others, he'd be under a HUGE microscope. The press would be brutal. With every loss, every interception, every fumble, questions would arise.

I feel mistakes were made on both sides. What drives me nuts is that people think Brett is god yet think Ted is shit. That's simply not consistent. I think it was wrong for Brett to think he could simply walk back in as if nothing happened, I think it was wrong for Brett to continuously use releases to Mortensen instead of speaking himself, and I think it was wrong for Brett to draw a line in the sand. As for Ted, I think he spoke of things too soon without fully evaluating the situation. I really don't blame the Packers for not wanting Brett back. I believe they believe they need to move on and have worked hard in that direction.

Would they be better off with Brett? I don't care what anyone says. It's all speculation. I don't know. No one knows for sure. And it looks like we'll never know.

What I do know . . . I wish Brett well. I highly doubt he'll take whatever team he plays for to the Superbowl. I do hope he has a good season and stays unhurt. I wish the same for Aaron. While I love Brett, I'm a Packer fan first.

Packers will not release Favre

Ted Thompson hasn't ruled out the possibility of Brett Favre playing for the Green Bay Packers this season, but in what he described as a messy situation the general manager remained loyal to Aaron Rodgers as the team's starting quarterback.

The rest of the article is here.

Opinions are all over the place today. The Favre supporters believe Brett is the best chance the Packers have at going to the Superbowl. The MoveOn (so to speak) crowd are likely not big Favre fans to begin with, and are sick of the yearly waffling.

While I stated I'm in the "move on" camp, I could go either way. Brett is certainly one of a kind. He had a great year last season, and we were one game away from the Superbowl.

But, everything is speculation.

Last season the Packer defense came alive . . . and it was a relatively conservative defense. The Packers also found a running game. Something they've struggled with. And, they've been flush with above average receivers. The offensive line also gave him great protection.

All of this helped take the pressure off of Favre. I think McCarthy has done an excellent job reeling in Favre. Similar to the way Holmgren did and Sherman was unable to do.

We should remember just how badly Brett can look. While I'm willing to give Brett his due, some of his success is from pure tenacity. He's an excellent field general. He can throw the ball 50 yards on a rope. But, he's not what I'd call the most accurate quarterback out there.

Speculation.

Yes, Aaron is untested. He scares me. It looks as though he's got the skills, the arm, the mobility, and the smarts. But, can he last the season?

What if . . .

They bring Brett back, Rodgers leaves, and Brett goes down the first game of the season?

Rodgers takes the team to a Superbowl victory?

Either could happen.

Here's the thing . . . if they let Favre return, he'd better f*ckin' play and trump last season. Anything less, and for me it's a big mistake. Better than last season. Fine if they go 12 and 4. But, he better take them to the Superbowl. All of everyone's talk of "he's the best chance we've got" . . . f*ck chance. We'd better go to the Superbowl if we bring him back. Particularly since there's a good chance we'd lose Rodgers.

Also, be the team player. Brett is real good at the "me" stuff. Shut up about the meetings, practices, and the preparation. Play. And play good. If he does, I'll be the biggest, happiest Brett Favre fan out there. I hate to sound like a "fair weather" fan . . . and I'm not. At least as far as the Packers are concerned. Brett DID have a great season last year. I'd hate to see him come back only to disappoint.

As I've said, I don't think anyone is above the team. Not TO, not Brady, not Moss, and not Favre. I think the Packers have accomodated Brett plenty. It's clearly not about the money. If he thinks he's still got it and wants to play . . . fine.

Put your arm where your mouth is.

Favre's Follies

The rumors are one thing. What should we do if it's true is another.

First, I think they're rumors. I think Favre may have even said something to someone . . . jokingly, and it got out of hand, out of context, and we are where we are. Knowing the type of guy Brett is he might have done this on purpose.

But, just WHAT IF it's true? What should we (the Packers) do?

Jay Weber was talking about this on his show this morning. One good point was made . . . the Packers were a game away from the Superbowl. The team is virtually unchanged, at the least, and much better being a year older, at the most. This could be their year. Unless you think they got awfully lucky last season. Why not let Brett come back and play again? If this is the year, do you want to trust our success the only neophyte starter? Especially the quarterback? Don't we think Favre is, at the worst, third best in the league?

Calls to the show were about evenly split for and against.

On the other hand, Brett can suck no like no other. His playoff record is not very good. And, there are some things we'd gain with a younger quarterback. Trouble is also, from what we can tell, Rogers doesn't suck. He looks good. His durability is in question. But not his skills.

What about a trade? Well, we could certainly cash in on that deal. But, it just wouldn't seem right. Plus, Favre may not want to be traded.

One article I read suggested it was Favre's family that encouraged him to un-retire. I just doubt that. Sure, could he be a little unbearable for a while? Brett doesn't strike me as the type of guy who wouldn't be able to find something to do in place of football. That said, you hear from retired athletes from time to time. And, it does happen. Athletes come out of retirement because their desire to play/participate is just too great.

Well, put me down as wanting him to stay retired. Be with his family. Fish. Golf. Do charity. Whatever. Stay retired and let us move on. Aaron is the man. As much as I'll miss Brett I'm looking forward to seeing Aaron play. It's a new dawn. Go home.

I hope it isn't true.

Pro Bowl

A few thoughts:

It's fun to watch the interaction of the various players from different teams. I thought the Packers were pretty well represented. Driver caught a key pass, Clifton did a good job, Kampman had a good game with a few hurries and one sack, and I thought McCarthy called a good game.

I'm sooooo glad TO did't get MVP. HA!

Anderson from the Browns isn't very good.

NFL Playoffs 4

OK. Still only 50% for the playoffs. Although I've been correct on some insight. Oh well. Anyway, this weekend seems pretty clear cut to me. We have mirror situations in the AFC as in the NFC . . . the under dogs are all banged up and likely have no chance of winning. I see the Pats rolling over the Chargers, and I see the Packers walking away with a victory. Rolling and walking. I think it will be easy wins for both teams.

NFL Playoffs 3

Wow. There's a lot to comment on. Let me try and be as concise as I can be.

Jaguars at Patriots. I was actually a bit surprised. The Pats had to work for this and Garrard did extremely well. One more completed pass and who knows? I was actually a little surprised at the Pats defense. They stayed tough right to the very end. To sign of petering out in spite of there being a few "old" guys on the squad.

Chargers at Colts. I've been saying rather frequently . . . if you thinks it's tough being a Packer fan . . . Wow. How did they lose this game? With Peters and Ladanian both out it should have been easy! I really think the Colts got of of their rhythm and started making bad calls. I don't give much hope to the Chargers beating the Pats.

Giants at Cowboys. I let out a pretty good Wooo! at the end of this game. I can only imagine what the taverns in Green Bay were like. I'm sure aspirin use is at an all time high today. Well, I got the feeling the Boys thought they were just going to walk through this game. What they didn't count on was the Giants fighting for it right until the very end. Bad strategy. As a long time Cowboy disliker, I LOVED it! TO crying, Romo acting like a baby, the look on Jones' face . . . what a bunch of sore LOSERS.

LOSERS.

TO can take his popcorn, his sharpie, his behavior, and his tears and shove them up his butt. Romo can take Jessica and sail off to parts unknown and do all of us a favor and don't come back. Go have babies somewhere. If you have to return, leave Jessica behind. Yeah, it would have been sweeter to have had the Packers beat them, but I'm OK with this.

Seahawks at Packers. My prediction was 35 to 17. Unlike many others I didn't think it would be a close game. I didn't think it would be a comeback from 14 down in the first quarter game, either. Anyway, what an amazing game. Grant, Favre, and the rest of the team and coaches really hung in after the initial deficit. I can't say I was worried. In fact, I told my wife that it was a good thing. If the Packers had any thought at all of this being an easy game, that thought left very quickly. The rest, you saw. Hasslebeck and the rest of the team folded like an accordion. We manhandled them. We out finessed them. We were faster, stronger, smarter, and better.

This sets up the Chargers at the Patriots and the Giants at the Packers. I just don't see the Pats or the Pack losing. First, they're better teams than who they're playing. Second, the underdogs are all beat up. Third, home games for the favored.

If this holds true then that means . . .

The Packers and the Patriots in Arizona for the Superbowl! This is the worst cast scenario for the Pats. Aside from many football fans just hating the Pats, their coach, and Tom Brady, Arizona is a Green Bay state. the stadium will be 90% Packer fans. It will be like a home game!

But, we gotta get there first.

Seattle at Green Bay

I told my wife before the game, 35 to 17 Packers. I thought it would be close at first but that the Pack would walk away with it.
When they went down by 14, I told my wife not to worry. Now they would play seriously.

Wow. It's the start of the 4th quarter. Of all the things amazing about this game, Kerney's name hasn't been mentioned once. Grant has MORE than made up for his early fumbles, and the Packers are winning walking away.

What an amazing game. I'm sure Seattle can blame the weather some but as the Packer's did in Chicago last time they played, the Packers are playing in the same conditions.

I'll have more after the game.

NFL Playoffs 2

2 of 4 this past weekend. Not good. Here are my picks for the coming weekend:

Jaguars at Patriots. I think all the picks are hard. We've certainly got the best of the NFL represented. If there's a defense that can cause Brady some trouble, the Jags have it. They haven't played each other this year so not much is known about the Jags by the Pats. But, I don't think Garrard has what it takes to win. Patriots.

Chargers at Colts. The Chargers are one of those teams like the Steeler and Giants, you never know who is going to show up. It took a bit but the finally got it together against the Titans. I don't think they can start so slow and expect to win against the Colts. Colts.

Giants at Cowboys. Like the Jags and Pats, I think the Giants have a defense that could cause trouble for Romo. Not sure about the health of TO and Glenn although they're saying they will start. The Cowpies defeated the Giants twice this year although they allowed the Giants to score 35 points in one game. The Cowboy defense sucks. The Giants are bi-polar. If TO plays, the Cowboys.

Seahawks at the Packers. The Seahawk defense is good. But Favre is great. The Seahawk offense is banged up including Matt. Our defense is healthy. Holmgren is cursed . . . and can be a mental case at times. At home, Packers win easy.

Jaguars at Steelers

2 minutes left. What the heck happened to the 18 point lead the Jags had? Can't say as I care who wins but I did pick the Jags. Credit the Steeler defense and Big Ben for a good game. Now I gotta watch!

Washington at Seattle Halftime

Geez. Washington needs to put together a drive. Seattle isn't doing much better but they've had one or two plays that have made the difference so far. Not liking the play calling by Washington but I have to give credit to the Seattle defense.

NFL Playoffs

Sad to see the season come to an end, but the playoffs are always an exciting time. Here are some predictions:

For the wild card weekend:

Jacksonville Jaguars defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers
San Diego Chargers beat the Tennessee Titans
Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeat the New york Giants
Washington Redskins defeat the Seattle Seahawks

If this holds true, the Packers would play the Buccaneers in Green Bay.
Washington would go to Dallas (again) to beat the Cowboys. Funny how teams
match up. Should the Packers defeat the Bucs (they will) and should the Redskins
beat the Cowboys again, they would come to Green Bay for the NFC Championship.

Again, we could see the Packers in the Superbowl!

But, I'm not predicting, yet!

NFC North Champs

Sure, this was a game they were supposed to win. The Raiders ain't that good and the Packers were favored. But, this is an important game to have won. First, not only because they were supposed to, because it gave them the North title. Decisively. And with three games left! No waiting until the last game and hoping the Giants, Eagles, Minnesota, Rams, Seahawks, and Niners all lose so the Packers get a chance if they score more than 60 points in the game they're playing. This is nice. This is a luxury. They can virtually relax for the next few weeks knowing that they're already in. Now, I wouldn't sit anyone that isn't nursing an injury. But, I wouldn't play some players for the entire game either. Sure, there is a chance they could still get home field advantage. But, we're back to the old "they need certain things to happen" kind of situation. Plus, in the case of the Packers, I think home field advantage is a little over rated. Green Bay in January? Even many of the Packers don't necessarily want that.

Anyway, when you look at the likely playoff candidates, things look good for the Packers. Should the Cowboys finish as first seed and the Packers second, the Packers would get a first round bye, and wouldn't face the Cowboys again until the NFC championship. No one else looks to pose much of a threat. Of course, never say never.

Still, you can't help but be optimistic. Could they win the SuperBowl?

Remember . . . God is a Packer fan.

Packer and Cowboys Epilog

First, let's not make any excuses. The girls won. Say what you want about the refs and the play calling, we couldn't stop them from scoring. Period. Their strategy of moving TO around was brilliant. Nice job. Some thoughts.

Cowboy offense. Romo is good, no doubt. But, he didn't get any pressure. The very few times he did, he threw off. The run game was held in check save for a couple of big plays. TO is great. Witten is great. The front line did a great job.

Packer defense. Lost. While KGB may or may not have made a difference, Woodson would have. Harris was lost out there and it's because he didn't have any help. While Witten didn't show up until later in the game, he was effective and mismatched against Hawk. What would it have hurt to try some blitzes?!?!?! It drove me nuts to see the Packers do essentially the same thing on defense . . . ALL. NIGHT.

Packer offense. Got lost along the way. I'm not sure who's at fault, but the decision to go long time afer time was just plain stupid. Even if the call came from the coaches, Favre had no business throwing ANY of those passes as there wasn't anything there. That said, we moved the ball. And came to within three after scoring 14 unanswered points . . . with Aaron Rodgers, no less. Who did great, by the way. It could have been closer, it could have been worse.

Dallass defense. Other than getting more pressure on our quarterbacks, they didn't fare any better than we did. While I'm willing to admit the Cowboys outplayed us, I'm not willing to go all the way with the team. Again, if you look at their schedule, the Packers and the Giants are the only teams of substance they've defeated. Will they go undefeated? They've got Detroit, Philly, Carolina, and Washington. They could. Could they win the NFC. Well, they'll have to beat us again. Assuming we'll have players back and have learned something . . . I don't know. Again, their defense looked pretty suspect to me.

OK. A few thoughts on the refs. First, why that wasn't a take away by Harris is beyond me. And if it wasn't, then they're going to have to revisit what constitutes a fumble. Based on yesterday's call, if the ball comes out of the hands of a runner in the course of falling to the ground, but his forward advance has been stopped, that shouldn't be a fumble. How many replays have we watched to determine just that? Like, a lot? Second, interference is the most subjective call in football. Fact is, our guy put his hands on the receiver. Clearly. Did he grab him? No. Did he impede his progress? No. Was the ball catchable? Didn't look that way, but hard to say. Should it have been a penalty? I don't know. I agree with Collinworth, though. To make that call and virtually hand 7 points to a team, you'd better be pretty damn sure.

Lastly. I echo the millions who are saying the same thing . . . the NFL network sucks and Bryant Gumble is clearly the worst football commentator in the world.

Packers and Cowpies

OK. If I'm going to claim to be a football guru then I should make a prediction about tonight's game. Truthfully? I'm nervous. Two things. One, we're a little banged up. KGB and Woodson may not play. I think we could survive without KGB, but not having Woodson might be a factor. Second, Texas Stadium. Bad karma for Brett. Weird field with it's arched surface. And if you've ever been to Dallas you'll know what I', talking about . . . the most rabid fans in football. Cheeseheads don't come close to comparing. Noise could be a factor.

Having said all that . . .

I've pointed out at a few other blogs that the Cowboys haven't defeated anyone of any real substance. Of the teams they've won against, only the Giants have a winning record. The Packers have fared against better teams over all. Plus, you can score on Dallas. They don't have a dominating defense like the Bears, Ravens . . . or even the Packers. I give the edge in defense to the Packers. Offensively, TO will be a concern. Witten will be a bigger concern. The girls don't have anything special as a running game so I don't see them "running" away with a victory. Which leaves Romo. Our front 4 has done a great job of providing pressure with no additional help.

For the Packers, I think the 5 receiver set will give the girls problems. The emergence of a running game could also prove to be beneficial as it's something a lot of teams didn't think they had to contend with. The edge in quarterbacks goes to the seasoned Favre.

So . . .

The Packers go with a ball control offense to take the field out of the equation. They hold TO in relative check and get three sacks on Romo. The 5 receiver set proves again to be a problem for the opposition. Grant will catch more passes and the Packer will win 31 - 24.

Football Guru

I run an office football pool at work. Actually, there's two. A weekly pick game, and a seaon long pick game. I've won the weekly game once so far, but I lead in the season long contest. Over at WISN's website, they run a pick contest. Since I run the pool at work, I'm often kidded that I must be cheating. I know it's all in good fun but I now have proof of my football picking prowess. Over at the WISN contest I am currently 13th among 717 players, or the 98% percentile. Have a look above.

In your face!