Green Bay Packers Need to Sign Jeff Garcia

The Green Bay Packers had two important steps take place this weekend that will enable my favourite quarterback to be in green and gold:

1. They dumped 2008 second round pick Brian Brohm, who showed little to make one believe he could play at the NFL level in two training camps and preseasons.
2. The Oakland Raiders showed their continued inability to make solid personnel decisions by cutting their second-best quarterback, Jeff Garcia.

Garcia is the quintessential bridesmaid. No one ever seems to want to marry themselves to him, even though all he ever does is win.

He took over in San Francisco during the 4-12 1999 season and played 13 games. In 2000, the Niners only went 6-10, but Garcia had a passer rating of 97.6, with more than 4000 yards, 31 TDs, and just 10 picks.

By 2001, Garcia led the team back to the playoffs and a 12-4 record with a 94.8 rating and 32 TDs to just 12 picks. The next season saw the ‘Niners earn the biggest comeback win in NFC playoff history against the New York Giants.

Then Terrell Owens happened. He did so much to discredit the man who got him the ball that the team had to make a choice between the two players.

The choice they made in hindsight seems foolish, but at the time was logical—choose a playmaking receiver coming to his peak, or a 33-year old quarterback who was too small and didn’t have a strong enough arm to even be drafted?

They chose the team-wrecker who had advocated for Tim Rattay over Garcia. In case you didn’t know, here is a comparison of the two quarterbacks:

• Jeff Garcia: 124 games, 2264-3676 (61.6), 25537 yards, 161 TD, 99 int, 87.5 passer rating. After the Niners made their choice, Garcia played in 50 more games, completing 815 of 1316 (61.9  percent) for 9129 yards, with 48 TDs and 27 picks.
• Tim Rattay: 40 games, 432-734 (60.5), 4853 yards, 31 TD, 23 picks, and an 81.9 passer rating. After the Niners chose Rattay over Garcia, he played in just 21 games, completing 330 of 550 passes (60 percent) for 3748 yards, with 22 TDs and 21 picks.

Not much of a comparison. The Niners went 25-55 after Garcia left with no trips to the playoffs, while Garcia’s new teams went 37-43 and won their divisions twice.

Of course, since that time we have seen what an extraordinary judge of quarterback talent TO is. And what a man of character, too! Here are some of his finger-pointing highlights:

1. He publicly called Garcia gay (how does that even matter?) before a matchup with his Browns the season after Garcia’s departure.
2. Amongst a public feud lasting all off-season that brought to an end his time in Philadelphia and ended the team’s playoff run, he said Donovan McNabb was not as good as Brett Favre. For the record, in that season McNabb played in only nine games, but had only four fewer touchdowns than Favre’s full season and a whopping 20 fewer picks for a passer rating 14.1 points higher.
3. He said Tony Romo and Jason Witten secretly drew up plays in their hotel room to exclude him from the offense and complained about not getting the ball enough in a game in which passes went his way over 40 percent of the time.

But enough on the most paranoid, self-centered player in the history of the NFL…

After being let go in San Francisco, Garcia played two unsuccessful years in Cleveland and Detroit, and at 35, it appeared his career was winding down. Then he got new life in Philadelphia, taking over for an injured Donovan McNabb and leading the Eagles to a playoff win.

The next year, his playoff performance got him signed in Tampa Bay as their new leader. He took that team to the playoffs, where they lost in a close contest to the eventual Super Bowl-champion New York Giants.

The notoriously discontented and veteran quarterback-addicted Jon Gruden sought a new quarterback anyway, pursuing (in order of least to most ridiculous) Brett Favre, Jake Plummer, and Brian Griese in Garcia’s two years there. Giving the job at one point to Griese ended up costing Gruden his job, as Garcia was unable to overcome the losses accrued under his lesser understudy’s direction.

Yet in the offseason, teams needing a quarterback failed to make a play for the cagey veteran leader who has always put his own undersized body on the line to make a play. While everyone was seeking one-year wonder (with the second-most talented receiving corps to throw to) Matt Cassell, Jay Cutler (despite his failure to ever have a winning season), or annual coquette Favre, Garcia went almost unpursued.

Teams like Minnesota, Kansas City, Denver, Tampa Bay, Detroit, Tennessee, San Francisco, and the New York Jets all would have made a clear upgrade by signing him, but none did. Eventually, he signed to be a backup to a shaky JaMarcus Russell.

Now, he has been freed from Al Davis’ insane asylum (one run by the chief inmate), and the Packers need a veteran backup quarterback. If Aaron Rodgers goes down, the Packers go from a projected 10-6 to 4-12.

Thus, there may be no other teams whose success rests more on the arm of their quarterback than the Packers and the Indianapolis Colts. Green Bay is the team that has the cap room to make this move, and it’s an offense Garcia has run for almost his entire career.

Please, Ted Thompson, sign this man before someone in our way does.

 

I originally wrote this article for SportsScribes.net.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Green Bay Packers Dominate Early: Almost Blow Lead

On Friday, the Green Bay Packers continued their success in the preseason, beating the Arizona Cardinals 44-37.

Unlike the first two games, won by a combined score of 48-21, this game provided considerably more scoring. There also were considerably more areas in which the team showed it needed improvement.

True, the first team jumped out to a dominating 38-10, halftime lead. The first team success in exhibition games is much more important than the final score. Moreover, Arizona’s comeback was due in large part by them leaving starters in well into the second half, whereas the Packers sat their’s at halftime.

However, the Cardinals, who came into the game struggling offensively in the preseason, did gain over 200 yards in the first half. Moreover, Tim Hightower and Beanie Wells generated 84 yards on 13 carries (6.5 average) with two touchdowns.

Finally, Mason Crosby has gone from needing to fine-tune his kicking to downright worrisome, as he missed two of his three field goal attempts, including a 29-yarder that was the first-team offense’s only failure to score. Even his extra points hooked badly to the left.

Otherwise, the first team looked great. Defensively the Packers generated two sacks (both by Charles Woodson) and two turnovers (one fumble forced by Woodson—my game MVP—was returned for a touchdown by Aaron Kampman) with the first team, helping to hold the point total to 10.

In all, the Packers defense has now forced 13 turnovers in three exhibition contests.

Aaron Rodgers has still not been sacked all preseason, and was 14 of 19 for 258 yards and three touchdowns with no picks. He has a 151.1 passer rating so far in the preseason, with six scores and no turnovers.

In all, he has led the first team to 66 points in 12 possessions. Friday, JerMichael Finley was a favourite target in the red zone. He should certainly be the front-runner for the tight end position now with his three-catch, two-touchdown performance.

In the second half, Matt Leinart drove the Cardinals through the second-team defense like a hot knife through butter. He was 24 of 38 for 360 yards with three touchdowns and a pick. Jerheme Urban and Early Doucet accounted for 11 catches for 196 yards and one score.

One of the few bright spots for the second team was again Jarius Wynn, who had a sack and a forced fumble. Free agent safety pickup Anthony Smith also got another interception.

This lack of defense and the inability of the second team offense to score at all, albeit against the first-string Cardinals defense for the third quarter, led to the team squandering its 27-point lead.

Brian Brohm played the entire second half and was an impressive 4-5 for 45 yards. The running game was also adequate, but they just could not get on the scoreboard.

The special teams were awful all night. Aside from Crosby’s misses, they allowed the Cards to recover an onside that they should have been ready for before the score that could have tied it; the Cardinals went for two and missed.

Kick returns were averaging less than 15 yards a piece until Ruvell Martin picked the ball out of the air on the final onside kick and took it the distance. The lone bright spot on the unit was both punters averaging over 50 yards per kick, with just two return yards and one kick inside the 20.

The Packers final preseason game is at Tennessee Thursday, Sept. 3.

 

I originally wrote this article for SportsScribes.net.

Green Bay Packers Continue to Impress in Preseason

Against the Bills last weekend, the Packers dominated once again in all phases. The Bills were without Terrell Owens and are hardly an elite team on either side of the ball, but the negatives of the game end there.

The starting defense once again pitched a shutout and forced multiple turnovers–in all, the defense recorded five. Johnny Jolly continues to impress, recording two sacks and a fumble forced.

The third-string defense was picked apart for two scores in the fourth quarter to make the game close. But even the second team shined, including rookie Jarius Wynn, recording a sack.

The offense scored 24 points, most of that by players who can expect to see action in the regular season. The Packers threw 30 times for 194 yards and took just one 10-yard sack. On the ground, they ran 32 times for 108 yards.

Aaron Rodgers, whose only incompletion was a dropped pass, threw for two touchdowns—one to Donald Driver, one to Greg Jennings—and 98 yards in nine attempts. He has been near perfect all preseason.

Even Brian Brohm looked a little better—he was 12-of-19 but for just 83 yards with no scores and a pick, but he got the ball in a couple tight spaces. Matt Flynn threw just two passes, completing one for 13 yards, and his fumble was not lost.

Ryan Grant was very effective, rushing 10 times for 43 yards and a touchdown. Tyrell Sutton continues to be this year’s Kregg Lumpkin—an undrafted free agent whose preseason performance is too good to let him go—rushing 11 times for 49 yards and a touchdown. In fact, he may spell the end of Lumpkin, who ran five times and lost seven yards.

JerMichael Finley may have gained the upper hand in the tight end battle, registering 46 yards on three catches compared to Donald Lee’s one catch for seven yards. Undrafted rookie Kole Heckendorf may have distinguished himself enough to earn the inside track on a practice squad spot with his three-catch, 30-yard performance. Six other receivers had one catch and four more grabbed two.

The special teams continued to play little role in the game. Punting has been almost non-existent this preseason, but did average over a 43-yard net. The return and coverage units have done their job, but nothing noteworthy. Mason Crosby hit his only field goal attempt and all four extra points, leaving his only misses being of 55-plus yards, but also giving him only two successful kicks.

The Packers face a bigger test for the game in the preseason, traveling to Arizona to take on the reigning NFC champs and one of the best passing offenses ever assembled. The third preseason game is the biggest barometer of a team’s progress, as starters play the entire first half and sometimes even into the second half. If the team plays well, it may be time to start getting excited.

 

I originally wrote this article for SportsScribes.

Brett Favre Is Dead to Me

I was willing to let this Favre thing go. In a way, I was happy he exposed the Vikings for what they were—desperate and willing to put one man before the team.

Then I heard him utter these words: “Real Packers fans understand.”

Really, Brett? Because I have been a real Packers fan my whole life, before you even knew who we were, and let me tell you what I understand:

1. I understand you jerked us around every year and were not committed enough in the team to stay within the game plan all those years, or maybe you would have won more than one Super Bowl.
2. I understand that you are now playing for the division rival you promised to hold your breath until you got to last season.
3. I understand that you are spitting in the face of the greatest franchise in the history of sports just to get back at Ted Thompson for not placating your whims no matter how many times you changed your mind.
4. I understand that it is like a parent who is so vindictive against their ex that they do not mind hurting the kids they are supposed to love to get back at said ex. We as fans did not fail to placate your ego by putting up with your lack of commitment to the relationship; we just loved you every Sunday. But you obviously hate Thompson more than you love us, which is less than we loved you.
5. I understand that what you mean by that statement is that “real” Packers fans should agree with your vindictive attitude, which is why, as promised, you are dead to me. I will be burning my Brett Favre keepsakes on the last Saturday of August, lest the curse of your negative spirit bleed over into the season.
6. I also understand that we are better off with Aaron Rodgers.
7. What’s more, we are better off with you in Minnesota, because you are not the quarterback you used to be.

Let them deal with your passion overriding better judgment as you try so hard to beat us you beat them. Now they can deal with your prima donna attitude that most certainly undermines that locker room, and that you are better than your teammates and should live by a different set of rules. And now they can deal with you showing their coach to be as weak with his words as you are.

Let them deal with the fact that you have thrown 15 TDs and 39 picks from Thanksgiving on in the past four seasons. All of that is going to hurt our rivals, so in trying to get back at us, you are helping us once more. But since your intent is evil, that is what we will judge you for.

Not to equate the magnitude of our struggles with you to spiritual battles, but for the believer, everything is a spiritual battle, and that’s why two scriptures did come to mind in this affair. Genesis 50:20 says, “you meant evil for me, but God meant it for good.” Proverbs 21:2 (and other Proverbs) says, “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts.”

Let me just say now that if you are still a Favre apologist, you are not allowed to speak to me. Unless he repents of what he has done, I will not forgive him—if I could stop him from going into the Hall of Fame as a Packer, I would.

Green Bay Packers 3-4 Debut and Other Observations

The Green Bay Packers debuted their new defense Saturday, Aug. 15, by shutting out the Cleveland Browns.

Granted, Cleveland is no offensive powerhouse, and helped the Packers by getting called for holding on a 31-yard field goal after their first possession, then missing the re-try. But the Packers held them to just 191 total yards and just 59 rushing, the one supposed weakness of the 3-4 defense.

In addition, the Packers generated four interceptions and three sacks for 20 yards, including one of each by Desmond Bishop, who I am awarding the game’s MVP. Newly acquired safety Anthony Smith also had one of each, bouncing back from a flagrant facemask penalty to get his pick in the endzone.

Performances like this led to the offense controlling the clock, getting 39:56 of the 60 minutes with the ball. There were plenty of notable perfomrnaces on the offensive side of the ball, too:

1. Aaron Rodgers led the Packers to touchdowns in both of his possessions, going 5-10 for 102 yards, 1 TD, and no picks—a 119.6 passer rating. On the first possession, he was 2-2 on third down, including stepping up to avoid pressure and nailing a 53-yard TD on the run to Donald Driver.
2. Rookie free agent Tyrell Sutton ran 16 times for 91 yards (5.7 ave.), although much credit has to go to the line for opening some big holes for him. (This is actually to be expected, since the team has such depth on the line—second-liners are being counted on to step up because what the team lacks is solid first-stringers.)
3. Kregg Lumpkin, who never gives up on plays, was able to turn a loss into a sizable gain en route to his eight carry, 48-yard performance. In fact, all five running backs looked good, getting 231 yards on 44 carries—a 5.3 yard average. The coaches will have some difficult decisions at this position.
4. Matt Flynn was 5-6 for 50 yards and a 101.4 passer rating. While he failed to lead to any scores, Mason Crosby did miss two very long field goals (55 and 60 yards)—all the more reason the defense was impressive with the field position that resulted from those misses.

The only bad spots were that there was nothing impressive about any of the fullbacks, and the offense really sputtered under Brian Brohm. The 2008 second round draft pick was 3-10 for 18 yards with two picks and a passer rating of 0.0.

That’s right, absolute zero, where all life freezes instantly.

Granted, one of the picks was off a receiver’s hands and he was hit on the other one, but that does not mean they were not his fault. He has the slowest release I can ever remember seeing, and he overthrew as many passes as he completed.

At this point, he appears to be an absolute bust even though he has yet to step on the field in a live game. Let’s hope he never has to, unless it’s as a Viking…

Which brings me to Favre…but that is an article in and of itself.

Team Notes:

1. First-round pick B.J. Raji signed a contract this week and is expected to play Saturday against Buffalo.
2. Cullen Jenkins sat out with a minor injury, and Mike Montgomery appeared to have the inside track at defensive end over Johnny Jolly, as he was the starter against Cleveland. However, Jolly had one series in which he was in on all three stops of a three-and-out and is listed ahead of Montgomery on the depth chart.
3. Coach Mike McCarthy rotated linemen, with both Scott Wells and Jason Spitz seeing time at center with the first team. For now, Allen Barbre is the team’s first-string right tackle.
4. JerMichael Finley continues to push Donald Lee for time at tight end and appeared to be stronger in blocking than last season, but Lee made an impression on his 19-yard catch and also was stronger than expected in run-blocking.
5. Ryan Grant looked strong, but Brandon Jackson still looks better to me. I see no reason to go back on my declaration that he will take time from his higher-paid colleague, and were it not for the contract, he might earn the starting gig.
6. James Jones was easily the most impressive receiver, grabbing a team-leading three catches and finishing second behind Driver in yards with 43. On one, he emulated the veteran by deftly cutting back and knifing between two defenders after the catch.
7. The Packers special teams gets mixed reviews in limited action. Crosby had a 45-yard field goal to go with his two long misses. Durant Brooks had just one punt for 39 yards, but with a 36-yard net that kept it inside the 20. The team had only one kick return (Will Blackmon) for a pedestrian 22 yards, and there were three punt returns for 25 yards (8.3 ave.). Kick coverage gave up an average of 25 yards per return, with the long of 32 coming after a kick six yards deep into the endzone.

Michael Vick Signs With Philadelphia Eagles—Good Football Decision?

The Philadelphia Eagles signed Michael Vick to a one-year, $1.6 million contract Thursday, August 13, with an option year for $5.2 million in 2010.

I will not get into the morals of this move, as I have covered them for Examiner.com. Here, I will just address this move from a football standpoint, which does include public relations implications.

Let’s start there. Philadelphia is not exactly known as a forgiving nor laid-back town or fan base. The scrutiny and emotions will be a distraction that may derail the season of a serious Super Bowl contender.

And remember, this team has been there before. In 2004, the team brought in Terrell Owens, only to see the team chemistry blow-up when Donovan McNabb was not hopeless enough in his outlook once Owens was hurt. It created one of the worst off-seasons in NFL history, and it took the team four years to get back to the NFC Championship games they routinely made before bringing Owens in.

In other words, this did not work before, and it appears that the Eagles are fitting Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity—doing the same thing and expecting different results.

What makes this worse is that facts do not suggest this would be a good move were there no PR nightmares to contend with. Here are some things that suggest Vick is not a worthwhile free agent:

1. Two years since he has played. Not only does the game change rapidly, but being in football condition is one of the hardest physical achievements.
2. Vick’s biggest asset has always been his athleticism, but one must wonder if that has fallen off yet. Not only might the time away have hurt him, but he
3. As a backup to McNabb, Vick is only likely to step in if there is an injury to the franchise quarterback. Because of his reckless style, he is susceptible to injury and may force the Eagles to be down to one quarterback.
4. His playing time will only impair the development of the supposed next franchise quarterback, Kevin Kolb.
5. If Vick does play well, that will only intensify the heat on McNabb, who despite being consistently one of the league’s five best signal-callers always seems one step away from being benched by a franchise that succumbs to the weight of the most fickle fan base in football.
6. And last but not least, let’s not forget that Vick never was a good quarterback. He has never had a passer rating higher than 81.6, and has only been higher than his career average of 75.7 one other time, in 2004.

An electrifying player, he was selected to the Pro Bowl three times (2002, 2004, 2005), even though he averaged just 15 TD passes in those seasons. Only in 2002 (his second season) was he worthy of this honour, and it seems teams adjusted to his capabilities after that season.

In his last two Pro Bowl seasons, his touchdowns outnumbered his turnovers by just one, even when you count his rushing touchdowns and fumbles. In 2006, his last season, he accounted for more total yards (3513) than any other after 2002—ten quarterbacks in 2008 had more passing yards than that.

In other words, he is heavily overrated. So congratulations, Philadelphia: you are paying $1.6 million in a recession for a PR and ethical nightmare who may never be able to play like he used to, which was not that good in the first place.

Green Bay Packers May Lose Tory Humphrey for the Season

Tory Humphrey, the Packers third tight end on the depth chart, has suffered a broken forearm in Thursday’s practice, requiring surgery. The team is waiting to see how the surgery goes before determining whether this will make Humphrey miss his second season in three years; clearly, he will miss significant time.

However, at this point, he has to be considered injury prone. The Packers will need to make decisions for his future and that of projected starter Donald Lee in the offseason.

In my position analysis this spring, this is what I wrote about Tory Humphrey:

Humphrey emerged as a serviceable second option at tight end last season after missing 2007 with a broken leg. Until 2008 he was solely a special teams contributor.

He is young enough he could develop a bit, and he is big (6’2″, 255 pounds) and strong. He does well as a blocker in jumbo sets and has decent hands, but the reality is the 2005 free agent is not very athletic and not likely to ever be an impact player.

In a comment below, I added the following:

I don’t think Humphrey has much potential—he’s never going to be a starting TE in this league—but I think he MAY be retained because he will come cheap, maybe even minimum.

However, Humphrey did posses enough athleticism to have two of the three longest catches by a tight end in 2008. This, and his blocking prowess (he played offensive line in high school), made him the ideal third tight end.

True, that player is only on the field for a couple plays a game. But Humphrey will also be missed on special teams, an area the Packers have not been good enough in. The good news is he was not a major player on that unit.

In other words, I don’t think this will impact the team’s performance significantly. In fact, it may allow our other tight ends an opportunity to see if they can fill in—players who may have potential Humphrey does not appear to have. For more on those players, check out my colleague Al Bracco’s piece.

Top Six NFL Quarterbacks by Conference

This is the first edition of a list of who, as a General Manager, I would want to have to win in 2009, in order from best to worst option. I start with the quarterback position because it is universally recognized as the most important in football—the very reason that the top pick in seven of the past nine drafts has been a quarterback.

I picked six from each conference since six teams make the playoffs, starting with the AFC. Only the team’s projected starting quarterbacks are considered, and it rates only the quarterback, not the passing game.

Green Bay Packers: Five Predictions for 2009

As the 2009 season training camp nears, expectations for the Green Bay Packers grow. This is unusual coming off a 6-10 season in which the team lost five of its last six.

Ironically, coming into the 2008 training camp there was more trepidation than expectation, despite coming off a 13-3 season. That is because there were questions as to how well the offense would endure the loss of Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre.

But the offense flourished despite numerous injuries on the offensive line and the nagging hamstring affecting running back Ryan Grant. Production fell only slightly—from fifth to sixth in the league, with scoring dropping just a point per game.

Aaron Rodgers led eight fourth-quarter comebacks, only to see the defense and special teams blow seven of them. This led to the firing of almost every coach on either unit. Dom Capers has been brought in to engineer a defensive makeover.

The defense that was 11th in the league in 2007 but fell to 20th in 2008 has been overhauled. The switch to a 3-4 seems to be ahead of schedule, as two of last season’s defensive ends, Aaron Kampman and Jeremy Thompson, have shown they are ready to make the adjustment to outside linebacker.

On paper, the Packers have more talent than other defenses Capers has turned around. Two of the last three he took over shot up to fourth-ranked from the bottom half of the league. The only reason the Packers defense was ranked that low last season was that it had up to five injured starters at one time.

That makes the only thing that is consistent with the 2008 offseason the,“will-he-won’t-he return” drama surrounding Favre, although this season it is clear where he will play if he does return.

With that in mind, here are five positive predictions, none of which are obvious, for the Green Bay Packers in 2009:

 

1. The Defense Will Finish the Season in the Top Quarter of the League

The sack total went from 13th in the NFL in 2007 to 26th in 2008, but the unpredictability of the 3-4 typically results in more sacks and even more turnovers. In addition, the talent on defense now exceeds that of 2007.

New additions B.J. Raji, Clay Matthews III, Thompson, and a developing secondary more than compensate for the loss of Corey Williams and Colin Cole over the past two seasons and the aging of Al Harris, who still made the Pro Bowl in 2008.

That is enough reason to believe the unit can climb three spots higher than it was when last healthy.

 

2. Aaron Rodgers Will Make the Pro Bowl

He should have made it in 2008, having finished in the top six in the league in passer rating, rushing yards, total yards, and total touchdowns. He will again achieve 4,000 plus total yards, 30 plus total touchdowns, and a passer rating over 90.

Since it will be a second straight year and the team will finish with more wins, he will get the honour he deserves this year.

 

3. The Packers Will Make the Playoffs

I am not willing to predict that Green Bay will win the division. I think the Minnesota Vikings are the favorite presuming Favre does play for them.

And making the playoffs in the NFC will be tough as a wild card, with the following 10 teams battling for six spots: Giants, Eagles, Cowboys, Packers, Vikings, Bears, Falcons, Saints, Seahawks, and Cardinals. Even Washington, Carolina, and San Francisco are legitimate dark horse candidates.

I put the Packers’ odds of winning the division at about three in eight and of earning a wild card at about three in 10 overall. That gives them about a 56 percent chance of playing in January.

 

4. At Least One Rookie Will Beat Out a Veteran for a Starting Position before the End of the Season

In other words, we are not talking about someone replacing an injured player, but legitimately earning a starting spot. The top candidates are first-round picks Raji (DT/DE) and Matthews (OLB), fourth-round pick T.J. Lang (OG/T), and fifth-round choice Quinn Johnson (FB).

 

5. Tramon Williams Will Beat out Al Harris for the Starting Position Opposite Charles Woodson

Harris began to show his age in 2008, missing the first four games of his career due to injury. In his place, Williams grew quickly into a legitimate playmaker at cornerback, and will only get better. The new NFL is a young man’s league, and there is almost a decade between the two corners.

Moreover, the bump-and-run style Harris used so effectively against all but the most physical receivers will be employed much less in the new 3-4 scheme.

This leaves Williams a better fit for the new defense and relegates Harris to the nickel package. This is a critical personnel grouping that still takes the field about half the time, however, and Harris will be the best nickelback in the game.

Five Keys to the Packers’ 2009 Success

Note: I originally wrote this article for SportsScribes. Please visit the Packers blog there at the following url: http://www.sportsscribes.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=81&Itemid=170

On ESPN’s NFL Live Monday, June 29, 2009, both analysts (Cris Carter and James Hasty) said Green Bay was the non-playoff team from 2008 most likely to make the playoffs in 2009. There are few times a 6-10 team can enter the next season as a team that is widely considered a contender to not only make the playoffs, but win their division.

But the Packers outplayed their division rivals head-to-head, going no worse than 1-1 against any team and outscoring all three. They also have the history of dominating their division, winning seven of the last 14 titles.

Plus, with the NFL’s parity, it is not unheard of, either. Last season was the first in the short history of the NFC South that the last-place team did not win the division the next year (other than the first season of the division, with no incumbent last-place team).

However, all three other teams in the NFC North have improved in the off-season. Therefore, the Packers need some things to fall in place to make the playoffs; here are the top five keys to the Packers returning to the post-season:

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