During the Tuesday afternoon debriefing, after the Monday night Vikings debacle, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy stated, "We've got to identify the things we need to work on, but we've also got to identify the things we need to work on and apply it to our next opponent,” McCarthy went on to proclaim, “it's important to keep cleaning your own house."

Exactly what does that mean? 

Look, I’m not here to be facetious but that’s political jargon if you ask me. I understand McCarthy has a job in which he has to carefully choose his word but in as savvy a football state as you’ll ever step foot in, the fans are simply smarter than that. 
“We’ve got to identify the things we need to work on”…. such as the excessive penalties that have plagued this team for the last 3 years? An offensive line that was built upon the dollar rather than proven quality? A teams whose only title is youngest rather than champions? 

I know that’s an oversimplification to a certain extent but the fact remains, there are still glaring weaknesses that can be and need to be corrected. Now you can’t run out and buy a top notch free agent this minute but you can correct the penalties that you’ve been trying to “clean up” for quite some time. Let’s start there. 

Putting yourself in the hole 100 yards per game is a pretty large mountain to consistently overcome. If I’m Mike McCarthy I ask myself why is this a problem? 1. Refs know that we commit a lot of penalties so they’re scrutinizing us that much more. 2. The physical penalties (ie: pass interference, late hits on a QB, penalties such as this) are a little more forgivable because they’re heat of the moment penalties. It’s the false starts, especially at home, the continual hands to the face, the taunting penalties, those are drive killers that are mental and are unforgivable.   How can I (McCarthy) correct them? Fines for repeat offenders. Fines for extracurricular personal fouls. Start there and see where that takes you. The one thing that I’ve found out working with athletes, to no one's surprise, is that no matter the amount, no matter what they make salarywise, no one likes to take money out of their own pockets. Then there’s the old standby, sit em’!

“If they can’t play the way the games supposed to be played, error free, then get rid of them or sit them until their contracts up then dump them”, from Joe in Oostburg.

Not realistic but you certainly sense a fans frustration. 

Yes, this article is somewhat tongue in cheek so here’s the bottom line; players want to win as much as the fans want them to win and coaches want to be coaches of championship teams but the point of all of this is you can’t stand at a podium each week and say the same thing with the same lackluster, inconsistent results and generate the fan perception that you’re heading in the right direction. I see what it takes to corral a full roster of players to all gather on the same page, it’s not easy but you have to continually show progress or the faith and hope that you originally had will evaporate faster than your job. From the outside looking in, faith has pretty much left the building and hope isn’t far behind.

The Packers stand at 2-2 after an emotional loss but things are no where near as bad as some want to make it out to be.  That said, the corrections that are continually discussed can't be evident against Detroit alone.  They have to become consistent for this franchise to regain hope and faith via its followers.

Packers fans, you have a better team than the one that participated on the field Monday night in that giant garbage bag located in Minnesota.

McCarthy and crew, it's time to prove it!

Brett Favre extracted a smile this evening as the Vikings beat the Packers 30-23 but more importantly, Favre was brilliant. Revenge against Ted Thompson, according to Favre, it’s not about revenge but I’m sure Brett’s giggling inside at the thought of Ted and Mike McCarthy’s misery and the ire of the fans that they’re about to face.

The Vikings QB dissected a pathetic excuse for a defense as the Packers didn’t present a real threat to #4 all night long (24 for 31, 271 yards and 3 TDs). Favre was allowed to sit in the pocket as if he were already retired and resting comfortably in a rocking chair at his home in Mississippi. Dom Capers opted for drop back coverage rather than blitzes and pressure (not that it would have done any good) not realizing that he doesn’t have the personnel to play either.

While the defense was a couple of turnovers away from being considered completely awful, the offensive line didn’t have that luxury. Aaron Rodgers ran for his life tonight and that’s putting it mildly.

Rodgers, to his own fault, took 2 sacks when he should have gotten rid of the football but the rest…the sacks, the pressures, the inability to run the ball at all…that falls squarely on the head of Ted Thompson. Why Ted Thompson, I’ll tell you.

For the last few years I’ve listened to fans complain about Favre or Thompson, MacCarthy or Murphy or all of the above, picking up or not picking up Randy Moss, getting Brett or Aaron Rodgers more weapons, ect. ect. Where Thompson has remained steadfast is to his commitment to the draft….to a fault. Since 2005, Thompson has drafted 9 offensive linemen. Out of those 9 only 1 (Daryn Colledge) has proven to be sufficient. Colledge is a decent guard but not an adequate tackle. Meanwhile, Thompson's gotten rid of Mike Wahle, Marco Rivera, Mike Flannigan and Mark Tauscher. Rivera I understand and even Flannigan to a certain extent but Wahle and Tauscher….mistakes replaced by no one of quality. From what I understand, Tauscher is sitting in his home in Sun Prairie and no one from the Packers organization has called him regarding his health.  Tauscher's between 80 and 90 percent ready to go.  Why not call or send someone down there to at the very least wtiness a workout?  Spitz, Barbre, Sitton, Giacomini are all works in progress at best. Barbre has shown a progression and Sitton might be stable one day but to have each one out there, at the same time, is a learning curve that’s killing Aaron Rodgers.  Remember the likes of Junius Coston and William Whitticker? Awful and gone! The point is, Ted chose Rodgers over Favre and I can live with that, Rodgers is a quality quarterback but when the Packers GM protects his franchise guy with inadequate players, those obstinacies will ultimately be his downfall. Sitting on a pile of capital while your quarterback gets his body wrecked in only his second year of full-time play is beyond ignorance. There has been a bevy of quality lineman in free agency whom Thompson has refused to go after or went after in a half-hearted manner.

Take a look across the field Ted, those guys in purple were built via the draft and their quality leaders were put into place with creative trades and free-agency. That’s what a winning team looks like. You can have all of the quality weaponry stockpiled in your arsenal but if there’s no one to block up front it’s like having a Ferrari with no wheels, you’re all show and no go. I feel for Rodgers, Jennings, Finley, Driver and the rest. They’re superstars in the making but no one will ever know it.
But hey, at least the Packers are well under the salary cap.

Mark Sanchez, the quarterback out of USC, is “moving up the draft board”. That’s the word guised as murmurs and whispers throughout NFL insiders and mock drafters. Sanchez has met with numerous teams and, according to a recent poll conducted by God knows who, 40% of teams in the NFL that have met with Sanchez like him. What? I’m confused. So that means the other 60% don’t like him? How does ones draft stock rise when only 40% of those who you’ve actually met with like you? Why wouldn’t your stock go down? Yes, there are some teams like the Lions, Browns, Seahawks, Broncos, possibly the Jacksonville Jaguars whose eyes are observing with a raised eyebrow the quarterback speculation but come on….. 

Stock rising or falling in the NFL Draft has always driven me crazy. Unless you suddenly fail a drug test, get arrested, get injured or are coming back from an injury, how in the world can your stock rise and fall. Your body of work is your body of work. You mean to tell me that because a guy runs a 4.5 instead of a 4.3 his stock falls even though he’s been a quality receiver in a good conference on a winning team? Stupid I know but I swear to you that’s the way some of these scouts and GM’s think. Maybe that’s why Matt Millen has one of the worst draft records in the history of the NFL.

I was told a long time ago, track stars can run 4.3 40’s but putting pads on them and saying they’re wide receivers doesn’t make them football players or good for that matter and in essence, that’s what these mental giants in football front offices are doing. In doing so, they’re taking leaps with the futures of YOUR franchises. It’s one thing if you take a speedy guy with questionable hands in the 7^th round but when you start talking about a top 10 pick, you’re mortgaging the future on a “hint”, a “hunch”, qualifying his “intangibles”. You simply can’t do that. The combine should be used to merely substantiate your hunch about the capabilities of a particular player. Get to know him, get an idea of what type of character he has, not cause him to jump from a late 2^nd round pick to a top 10. Don’t fall in love with the player, fall in love with his productivity. There’s a lot of guys that I’ve met at the combines who are great guys, fun to be around, great senses of humor, good character people but I wouldn’t want them lining up for my team on Sunday because they simply can’t cut it. Pay for a football player, not a 40 time.

We’re less than a week away from the NFL Draft. With the Brewers ship taking on water at a rather rapid and disappointing pace, it’s a welcome distraction to think football for the next few weeks. When our focus returns to the diamond, we’ll hopefully see the Brew Crew in the midst of a 4 to 5 game win streak and the NL Central pinnacle within their sights. Then again, they could be 9 to 10 games back and thus 2009 a dismal failure before we even get into June. Either way, it’s Packer replenishment time!

The old adage regarding the draft, “the best player available”, still holds true to a certain extent but this year, more than most in the recent past, Ted Thompson can look at his wants and needs then make a few decisions based upon those inadequacies. Thompson has 4 picks in the first 83 overall. He can certainly find a few guys who can contribute.

Here’s a list of what I believe to be the Packers deficiencies and/or question marks are as they venture into the 2009 – 10 season;

1.  First and foremost, the Packers need to create a pass rush and stop the run…PERIOD!
Jolly, Jenkins and Pickett are your down linemen in the new 3-4 scheme. Jenkins was having the best season out of the three before he went down with a season ending injury in only the 4^th game. Pickett played through a bicep injury and Jolly had 82 tackles (4^th on the team) but no sacks and presented very little pressure consistently on opposing quarterbacks. Taking Aaron Kampman out of the “down lineman” mix in the new 3-4 and making him a rushing end as more of a stand-up, outside linebacker seemingly may hurt his ability as the only true pass rusher the Packers have.

2.  Offensive Tackle, with the loss and uncertainty regarding Mark Tauscher, the Packers only true consistent offensive lineman, the Packers are relying on 2^nd year player Breno Giacomini to step up and fill that void this season. Tony Moll is currently slotted in that position on the Packers official depth chart but realistically, he was adequate at best the last couple of years and at times benched for sub par performances. Tackle’s not the position for that type of player. At left tackle, Chad Clifton is aging, his injuries have slowed him considerably and his attitude towards the zone blocking scheme has showed on the field since Mike McCarthy’s arrival. Clifton has had some spectacular games, don’t get me wrong but he’s clearly not the player he once was.

3.  Middle Linebacker, who’s knows how Nick Barnett’s going to return from major knee reconstruction surgery for both his MCL and ACL. A.J. Hawk played, in my opinion; heavy and slow last year and his numbers have steadily declined since his 155 tackles in 2006 when he was a rookie. Since then he’s recorded 129 tackles in 07 and 121 last year in 08. Granted he’s been used differently schematically but he’s still not playing with the sideline to sideline speed that we witnessed his rookie season. The other major concern at linebacker is this, in the 3-4 linebackers are regularly asked to take on blockers. This is a major deficiency in both Barnett’s and Hawk’s capabilities. Neither has proven once they get locked up with an offensive lineman that they’re capable of shedding the block to fill the gap and make the play. If history repeats itself, these two could end up being non-factors in the 3-4 defense vs. the run.

4.  Line depth. Trenches, trenches, trenches. You can’t get big enough and physical enough in the trenches. Your play up front will determine the play making capabilities of your specialty players. A faster more consistent pass rush will make your corners and safeties better. A better blocking line will spring your running backs and make your receivers that much more elusive. Ted Thompson must continue his effort to build both the offensive and defensive lines and their depth.

5.  The defensive secondary; Charles Woodson had a spectacular season in 08. He’s 32 years old and he’s not on the downside of his career yet. That said he’s solid. Al Harris, while he’s 34 years old, you certainly have to give him credit the way he played after he came back from a lacerated spleen last season. His toughness is unquestioned and he can still “go get it” with the best of them. The Packers still have one of the best corner tandems in the league. The safeties, Atari Bigby and Nick Collins; when they’re on their game, they’re ferocious. When they are nursing nagging injuries that slow them down, they’re no where ear as effective. Even with Tramon Williams and Will Blackmon waiting in the wings, it wouldn’t hurt to pick up another d-back or two.

6.  Tight End; Donald Lee’s adequate and Tory Humphrey is a decent back-up. Jermichael Finlay’s the heir apparent and he has shown flashes but he needs to be more consistent with his hands and his blocking. He had numerous opportunities to make plays last year and for whatever reason, he succumbed to stone fingers or complete whiffs on the football. Don’t forget, he had the audacity to complain about how many times, o lack thereof, that Aaron Rodgers looked in his direction. We’ll see how much he’s matured in the offseason. That being said, a tight end would not be an unwelcome addition.

7.  Running back; Was it the line or the back last year? Ryan Grant held out of training camp and got the money and then produced lackluster results on the field. Brandon Jackson proved that he’s ready to bust forth and Deshawn Wynn had flashes but this unit is just an injury away from being depleted.

8.  Wide Receiver; Last year Ted Thompson took Jordy Nelson and many said, “WHO”? Well, did you know that Nelson only had one drop all of last season? He had the surest hands on the field for the Packers. He was also thrown into the mix because of numerous injuries. You can never have too many quality receivers.

9.  Special teams tacklers; Tracy White was traded away last year for Danny Lansanah….(insert comment here)…that’s right, Danny Lansannah. Your best special team’s player for a sub-performing player who’s only impact was the amount of tackles he didn’t make. Special teamers are a deep need on this club. That’s why this draft has got to be heavy with guys who are quality at their position but can also stay in their lanes, break down and make a play when it comes to kick offs and punt coverage.

10.  Last but not least, quarterback; Aaron Rodgers, what can you say about his rookie year under center full time? The only thing he needs to accomplish is a come from behind win to get the monkey off his back. Other than that, he’s a keeper. First year player, Matt Flynn proved that he’s got the tools and the mental capability to take over for Rodgers if need be but Brian Brohm, who most predicted was going to blossom in the NFL, struggled with his throws and reads. With a need for young quarterbacks in this league, if Thompson would be able to make a draft day trade, I’d do it. Bring in a veteran back-up to work along side Flynn and garner another 2^nd or 3^rd rounder for Brohm…if you’re lucky to get something that high for him.

Now, who can you get to fill the needs that I list above, that’s the $64,000 question.

For a look at the Packers prospects, CLICK HERE

For the last couple of weeks, football fans have speculated, discussed, quibbled, wagered and witnessed the 2008-09 NFL Playoffs.  I, on the other hand, have spewed my opinions, pontificated my picks and, after the second week in a row, have had to admit that if I were a betting man I would be destitute.  In week 1 of the post-season, I went 1 and 3.  This past weekend, again I’m 1 and 3.  To call the playoffs, in my opinion, unexpected would be putting it mildly….then again, maybe not.  I’ll explain my point eventually.

The surprise team, to me, is the Arizona Cardinals.  They won the NFC West, but let’s be honest, that’s clearly one of the worst divisions in football.  The Cardinals limped into the post-season by allowing a total of 82 point in weeks 14 and 15 to Minnesota and New England.  Their last game was a struggle at home, a 34-21 win, against a banged up and depleted Seattle Seahawks club who was simply trying to get the season over with.  Arizona should have been beaten on Wild Card Weekend right? 

          AP Photo/Chuck Burton
Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald and company have been spectacular since entering the post-season but the real muscle has come from Arizona’s defense.  Ranked 19^th overall in the regular season, the Cardinals defense is #2 in the post-season in yards per game.  They rattled Atlanta’s rookie QB, Matt Ryan, they picked off Carolina QB, Jake Delhomme, 5 times yesterday and now, the improbable, Arizona is hosting the NFC Championship game next weekend.  Did you see this coming?  I didn’t and for all of the negative things that I so erroneously pointed out about the Cardinals, I apologize.

The only other mild surprise to me was that Indy went down to San Diego last week.  Riding a 9 game win streak, I thought Peyton Manning and company would handle the banged up Chargers much better and advance.  The rest of the match-ups you could make a strong case for both sides.  Baltimore with a rookie QB in Joe Flacco, who knew he’d be that poised?  You always knew that the Ravens “D” were that good.  The Steelers, when Roethlisberger throws the ball well, looks almost unbeatable.  Philly’s played outstanding ball since the McNabb benching and they’re a team that’s “been there before”.  Even those who have faltered in the playoffs, Miami, Minnesota, San Diego and the reigning NFL Champions New York Giants all were considered true contenders for one reason or another.

Back to my original point; the bottom line is this, for all of the dissection, for all of the scrutiny we placed upon the Packers failures this year, one thing is clear, the NFL has a fine line between very good, average and bad.  The gap between the Steelers and the Lions is far more vast than the schism between the Steelers and Ravens but remember, the Dolphins were a 1-win team last year and look where they ended up this season.

The predictability of the NFL isn’t an exact science and it’s not a sure thing.  If it were, the Titans and the Giants (both #1 seeds) would be playing in their respective conference championships this coming weekend.  Just because we believe that something should be a certain way, doesn’t mean it’s going to unfold as our visions see fit.  I guess what I’m trying to say is that my picks aren’t great because I went strictly with stats and logic and Packers fans predictions about another 13-3 season and that this year should have been a Super Bowl year, while more than desirable, should have been a little more tempered with what is reality in the NFL….nothing is a sure bet.  You have to be good, you have to be healthy and, maybe more-so than you think, you have to be lucky.

Off to pick the winners of the conference championships.  I’ll study the stats, the match-ups and then, maybe this week, I’ll just draw names from a hat.