PACKERTALK: Please don't let this Journey end!

The day we have all been waiting for is here. Round 2 of the playoffs where only the NFLs Elite 8 get to play. Last year after the Packers had a 15-1 season and a first round bye, the Giants came to Green Bay and spoiled the party. A year later the Packers get to go down to San Francisco and spoil things for the 49ers. 

Beating the 49ers in San Francisco is a tall task. If only the Packers had beaten San Francisco in Week 1 when they came to Green Bay, or if there were not replacement refs in Seattle, or if the Packers had just won in Week 17 at the Metrodome, this could have been a home game. As it turns out it was good to play last week and the Packers are a good road team so no more looking back, we are here. The 49ers were the better team when the season started and proved that but who is the better team now?

Coaching: Both Mike McCarthy and Jim Harbaugh are 49 years old. Jim is just 1-1 while Mike is 6-3 in the playoffs (including a Super Bowl Win)... ADVANTAGE PACKERS

Special Teams: Both teams are solid on Kick and punt coverage and have good Punters. The 49ers return game is slightly better. Both kickers, Mason Crosby and David Akers, have been terrible. This might be a game where both teams go for it on 4th downs and maybe we will see a fake...ADVANTAGE 49ERS

Secondary: The Packers are young and getting better and having the veteran Charles Woodson back is huge but the 49ers secondary has some GREAT players...ADVANTAGE 49ers

Linebackers: The Packers have Clay Matthews and a lot of other good linebackers like A.J. Hawk but the 49ers have Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman and much more...ADVANTAGE 49ers

Defensive Line: The Packers are good but the 49ers are very strong. The biggest key to this game is that the Packers OL is able to keep San Francisco DL from taking over the game...ADVANTAGE 49ers

Offensive Line: The Packers now have the best five guys out there and playing well and have a bit of a running game. They must play well and protect Aaron Rodgers if the Packers are to win this game. Still, the 49ers have more talent at this position as well...ADVANTAGE 49ers

It is often said that games are won and lost in the trenches yet the Packers beat the Vikings in Round 1 of the playoffs even though the Vikings are also stronger on both sides of the line. It's a 5-1 advantage for the 49ers so far but stay with me here to find out why the Packers do have a chance.

Wide Receivers: Now only do the Packers have four OUTSTANDING ones but the 49ers have lost guys to injury and have the old Randy Moss starting for them...HUGE ADVANTAGE Packers (worth 2 points)

Running Backs: I love DuJuan Harris but with Frank Gore and more...ADVANTAGE 49ers

Quarterbacks: Aaron Rodgers vs. Colin Kaepernick (the very best vs. the very inexperienced) In addition to that Aaron Rodgers is playing the team that he grew up rooting for AND the team that passed him up in the draft. Colin Kaepernick grew up in Wisconsin and was a big Packer fan but this is bigger for Aaron now because the game is in California, a bit of a homecoming for Rodgers...This is a TREMENDOUS ADVANTAGE for the Packers (worth 3 points)

My rankings finish in a tie 6-6: This game could end in a tie, maybe like 28-28 or something and go into overtime, maybe two overtimes. I hear the field is not in good shape, which team benefits from that? I don't know who knows? It is the NFL, where anything can happen. I'd rather see the Packers play in a dome!

The 49ers (11-4-1) had a tie with the Rams (7-8-1) this season and then when they played them again they lost. This was a bit shocking because most people agree that San Francisco had a much better team than St. Louis. Did the Packers (now 12-5) lose to any inferior teams? It would seem like they did but NO, they did not. The Packers lost to last year’s champion New York Giants (9-7) and the other four are all playoff teams.

When I look at that and add in the fact that the Packer players overall have more games of playoff experience, it gives the Packers the very slightest edge.

I hope to see the Packers try the kick return throw back play that was did not work against the Bears.

I hope to see the fake Field Goal that worked so beautifully in the earlier game against the Bears.

I hope to NOT see the Packers need to try an on-side kick but it is good to know they are good at it in case they need to use it.

I hope all Packer fans really enjoy this game and appreciate some long time Packers who have been great for years but might not be Packers next season because of money. This is a business after all, we need to accept that and say Thank you to this "Core Four" who could me playing their last games as Packers:

Greg Jennings...Charles Woodson...A.J. Hawk... Donald Driver.

My final thought: IF (and it is a big if) the Packer Offensive Line can play well enough and the Packers don't commit any turnovers in this game (or at least win the turnover battle) I think Aaron Rodgers will lead the Packers to a victory we will all remember for a long time: Packers 35 49ers 28 (that's right, no Field Goals) Like I always say: "The Journey is the Reward" and this Journey has been so much fun that I can't stand the idea of seeing it all end! 

Packers 55 Titans 7: That was fun!

Packers pound Titans start to finish!

While it was not perfection and giving up a late Touchdown to ruin the shutout was disappointing, this was the kind of domination we have been looking for from Green Bay and it was fun to have an entertaining but easy victory for a change.

Great job by Ryan Grant but 80 yards and 2 TDs is not a 100 yard game and Aaron Rodgers was nearly perfect again so he gets my vote. On Defense I am going with A.J. Hawk who is quietly having a great season leading this Defense through good times and bad.

Mason Crosby is still a concern but it looks like we are going to keep him and hope it does not cost us. The big concern now is the injury to Randall Cobb. If he is okay, the Packers are okay.

Go Seahawks tonight! It will be fun to root for Russell Wilson again!

2012 Packers Updated MVP totals:

Randall Cobb 4

Aaron Rodgers 4

Clay Matthews 3

James Jones 3 

Tramon Williams 2

Jordy Nelson 2

Mike Neal 2

A.J. Hawk 1

Casey Hayward 1

Mike Daniels 1

M.D. Jennings 1

Sam Shields 1

Dezmond Moses 1

Morgan Burnett 1

Davon House 1

Dan Barclay 1

Mason Crosby 1

The Green Bay Packers are NFC North Champs!

Packers 21 Bears 13

In the NFL it is about the Quarterback first, everything else comes after. The difference in this game is obviously Aaron Rodgers over Jay Cutler. The Packer QB is the reining league MVP who won't win the MVP this season but team goals are always more important to him anyway. The Bears QB is the best one they have had since Jim McMahon but that is not saying much. The 20+ guys that have tried to play QB for the Bears in the past couple of decades were so unsuccessful that Jay Cutler looks good by comparison but simply is not very good. Worse yet he is not a leader and his body language makes him hard to like. As the Bears Defense gets older it looks like the Packers will be the better team for many years to come. The Packers Defense played great today and is young. Casey Heyward could be the Defensive rookie of the year in the NFL and Clay Matthews came back after missing more than a month and made an instant impact. 

I must mention that Randall Cobb had another great game but my MVPs of this game are James Jones (3 Touchdowns) and Mike Neal (1.5 sacks) there impact needs to be noticed. They might not be the big stars of this team but they were amoung them on this day.

This was a total team effort and they was some bad as usual:

As Mike McCarthy said after the game "Excellent Team Win" and yes, he also took the blame for an ill-advised trick play on a return when Randall Cobb's throwback was miss-handled by seldom used Jeremy Ross.

This may be the game that forces Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy to find a new kicker. Mason Crosby missed a pair of field goals Sunday. His 43-yard attempt sailed wide left and his 42-yarder hit the left post. It appeared Crosby may have turned a corner the last two games at Lambeau Field. Yet in Chicago, the funk continued. His second attempt could have given the Packers a two-touchdown cushion with 10:16 to play. 

However on the opening drive of the second half, the Packers drove downfield and faced a fourth and 6 from Chicago’s 26. Rather than kick a field goal, Green Bay went for it and Rodgers hit Randall Cobb for 12 yards. Soon after, Jones caught his third touchdown and the Packers were ahead, 21-7. A lack of confidence in the kicker paid off.

The Packers made a real statement today and now tonight if the New England Patriots take down the San Francisco 49ers (and I think they will, just look at the Quarterbacks) the Packers will move into the #2 spot in the NFC which at season's end can give us the first round bye and then a home game in the second round of the playoffs. The Falcons made an even bigger statement as they shut out the defending champion Giants. As I have been saying all season long, I look forward to the NFC Championship game at Atlanta in the Georgia Dome.

One more fun fact: The Vikings are now in second place in the NFC North and the Bears fall to third. The Bears and Vikings are both 8-6 now and would not even make the playoffs as it stands right now. If they sneak in I would love to play them but they would be knocked out in round 1 anyway while Green Bay is enjoying a playoff bye week!

The Journey is the Reward and we should all celebrate this newest title in Titletown!

Packers overcome a lot to get back to the Top!

Packers grind out a 23-14 victory over the Vikings to take back control of the NFC North!

Thanks to a couple of interceptions by Morgan Burnett (this week’s Defensive MVP) the PACK is BACK on top of the NFC North at 8-4 (*really 9-3) and after losing to the Seahawks for real the Bears are also 8-4 so the North will still come down to December 16^th at Chicago. The Vikings at 6-6 are still part of a wild chance for the final playoff spot in the NFC.

Another dramatic swing in the game was when the Packers lined up to go for the first down on a fourth-and-seven from the Vikings 29 in the third quarter while losing 14-10. The Vikings called a Time Out, Packers coach Mike McCarthy had a change of heart and sent slump-ridden Mason Crosby out for a 47-yard field goal attempt. After doinking a short one in earlier and missing a 53 yarder badly and then kicking the opening kickoff of the second half out of bounds, Mason Crosby appeared to be out of a job. Mason not only made this field goal but the dagger field goal late, thank you Vikings for calling that Time Out. Maybe this will be the turning point in Mason Crosby’s season and the Packers will be able to count on him down the stretch. Not MVP worth by any means.

 

 

 I give Offensive MVP to Aaron Rodgers. He had yet another solid game leading his team to victory on his 29th Birthday!

It was not just Crosby that had to overcome adversity in this game. First, just as Greg Jennings comes back to lineup, very early in the game Jordy Nelson goes out again with a hamstring problem. Then T.J. Lang gets injured and the Packers are forced to use UNDRAFTED ROOKIE Don Barclay on an already struggling Offensive Line. Like a Christmas miracle the line plays better and suddenly the Packers have a running game again. When James Starks scored on a 22 yard run I knew everything would be okay.

Everything was looking okay with the Offense but points were being left out there as we continue to have trouble getting the finals yard for first downs and wind up punting twice on 4^th and short situations in the second quarter. Still it was a 10-7 lead in the 2^nd quarter on the way to blowing out the Vikings.

All of the sudden Adrian Pederson goes off on the longest Touchdown run of his remarkable career. I was very stunned that the ONLY Minnesota Viking that is any good just gave his team the lead. A.P. continued to run through the Packers Defense in the 3^rd quarter but the Packers did manage to go up 20-14.

Somewhere around the beginning of the fourth quarter the best sign yet that this will be a Super bowl season was beginning to happen.

The Packers went on an 11 minute drive, longest in the NFL this season, which resulted in the clinching field goal by Mason Crosby. Something like that is simply not possible without a solid running game. The Packers just became a better team!

Someone said to me “Mike, can you really feel good about a win like this” my simple response is “I feel great about this win” There is no bigger wins than wins in division games. It’s been nearly two years since the Packers have lost one of these NFC North games, the ones that really count.

What went right: It’s clear the Packers will need to run the ball effectively to be a threat in January. Against another team playing vanilla against the run, Green Bay was able to take advantage. James Starks and Alex Green combined for 124 yards on 27 attempts. Starks’ bruising style and Green’s burst complemented each other well Sunday. There weren’t many big plays to be had in the passing game against Minnesota’s Cover 2, but Jermichael Finley (60 yards on six receptions) was effective over the middle.

 

What went wrong: Peterson completely tore up the Packers’ run defense start to finish. The undermanned Green Bay defense missed tackles, was slow to react and let Peterson get to the second level as Peterson finished with 210 yards on 21 carries. On his stunning 82-yard score, Burnett, M.D. Jennings and Tramon Williams all missed tackles. The absence of Clay Matthews and C.J. Wilson certainly does not help, but Peterson had a career day.

 

It is now time to address the problems that the naysayers are pointing out:

1.       Offensive Line: This is still a problem area but now we know why Thompson and McCarthy did not feel the need to go out and find more experienced linemen. Just like all the other positions, our backups are of good quality.

2.       Running Game: For the second time this season, we had one. Will it continue, who knows?

3.       Inability to stop the run: We don’t play against A.P. every week, thankfully.

4.       Aaron Rodgers hold on to the ball too long: Well I disagree. Some of his best plays come because he is able to hang onto it and get away and find someone to throw it to. Taking a few sacks does not kill a team, interceptions do.

5.       The Kicker: To be continued…if Mason Crosby can’t do it the packers will replace him; there is no shortage of decent kickers looking for work.

YES, there are issues to clean up but it is like this with every team in the NFL. The Texans have only one loss and it was when the Packers beat em 42-24. The Falcons have only one loss but that is masking many little problems they have much like the Packers 15-1 record did a year ago. I do not advise betting money on the unpredictable NFL but if you are going to; you should put it on the Packers to win it all.

Do you agree?

 

Without Clay Matthews the Packer Defense Sacks the Lions playoff hopes!

Green Bay 24 Detroit 20

Maybe not what we expected but again, a win is a win is a win. All is well that ends well and in the end Aaron Rodgers threw his second touchdown pass to Randall Cobb with 1:55 to play to lift visiting Green Bay to its fifth consecutive victory.

I knew the Offense could struggle a bit vs that Lions front four without Bryan Bulaga. We continue to try to run the ball but can only muster 3 yards per carry even with James Starks back. Thankfully we did enough to win and nobody else was injured. Still, we are so thin on the OL that another injury there could spell doom.

When it came down to the drive with just minutes left down 20-14 there was no doubt in my mind that Aaron Rodgers would find a way to win it, and he did. Therefore he gets my game MVP over Randall Cobb who deserves it again. It seems like Rodgers deserves it almost every week and does not get it, therefore this one goes to Aaron.

The Special Teams gives us a lot to be happy about yet again EXCEPT for Mason Crosby who nearly lost the game for us. The Packers won't be replacing him so we must just all hope that he gains back his confidence in time to help the Packers win these big upcoming games. I never thought Jarrett Bush would become this good of a player but please Packers, keep him on Special Teams where he knows what he is doing.

The Defense flat out won this game for us. Without Clay Matthews and still no Charles Woodson, the Defense held a good Offense to just 20 points and at the end when forced to stop Megatron one more time they did it!  There is a lot of deserving guys again this week for the Defensive game MVP but M.D. Jennings brought back one of the picks 72 yards for a score. When you get a pick 6 you usually win, he really picked up the slack for the Offense in this one.

With the 49ers blowing out the Bears tonight as I expected, here are the Current NFC North standings: 

Packers 7-3 

Bears 7-3 

Vikings 6-4 

Lions 4-6 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Packers in good position after the bye but injuries must stop!

The Packers continue to suffer from injuries but continue to keep winning which is all that matters. Even though his completion percentage was under 50, which rarely happens to Aaron Rodgers, he still threw four Touchdown passes. Randall Cobb caught two of them and again earns my award for MVP on Offense. Both Alex Green and James Starks ran well giving the Packers something close to a real running game. Tom Crabtree had a huge Touchdown and an outstanding block on Special Teams which he just got fined for which is just wrong.

The Defense also had it's share of candidates:

Ryan Pickett: It seems like week after week, Ryan Pickett wades in against 625 pounds of double-team blocking, seldom gets turned or displaced and many more times than not makes sure both of the O-linemen stay on him instead of getting to the second level. 

B.J. Raji had some strong bull rushes against the weak middle of the Arizona line but wasn't able to finish, partially because his bad ankle limits his ability to make sharp cuts. 

Mike Neal powered past LG Daryn Colledge for a sack and a knockdown

Mike Daniels beat the former Packer for a sack, too. It's just so much easier walking back Colledge than most guards. I am giving my Defensive MVP to him because it was a very impressive play at a very important time in the game. The rookies continue to contribute to this team.

The Special Teams was impressive again and the team overall only had one penalty in this game. Mike McCarthy said he would clean things up and he does not disappoint. It seems like he should be coach of the year every season!

The 31-17 score did not say enough about how great both teams really played this game. Anyway, the packers are 6-3 now, every team has played at least 9 games and if the season were to end now the Pack would be in. Trailing the Bears by only one game now I really am looking forward to re-claiming the top spot when the Packers play at Chicago on December 16.

2012 Packers Updated MVP totals:

Randal Cobb 3

Clay Matthews 3
James Jones 2 
Aaron Rodgers 1

Mason Crosby 1

Jordy Nelson 1

Casey Hayward 1

Mike Neal 1

Mike Daniels 1

Tramon Williams 1

Sam Shields 1

3 in a row: The Packers are now 5-3

Packers 24 Jaguars 15

 

Yes, this was an ugly win but it beats the hell out of the ugly loss or a stolen win.

The Vikings lost badly to the Buccaneers and the Bears also won ugly vs. Carolina so overall it was still a good week for the Packers.

The Defense gave up a lot of yards but only 15 points so they were not the problem this week. My MVP goes to safety Morgan Burnett, he played his best game this season when we needed it most. 

The Special Teams was great again except Mason Crosby, again. this guy has never become the kicker we expected him to be clearly has not yet figured out the wind patterns at Lambeau field after the latest renovations. His missed Field goal made things more difficult than they had to be and the Packers never did totally put the Jaguars away until he finally made a short one in the final minute. Zach and I saw him make a 75 yarder with the wind in warm-ups too.

 

It was the blocked punt by Devon House, recovered for a Touchdown by Desmond Moses, that won the game for Green Bay. Football is truly a young man's game and these two members of the Special Teams will start to play a bigger and bigger role on the Defense as well. They were both great in pre-season and now needed in regular season. The good times have just begun.

The Offense on this day was not very good at all. It was a very choppy game. Jermichael Finley continues to drop passes and when he does make a catch for a first down he looks like an idiot in celebration. The biggest problem was the Offensive Line, again. Both starting receivers being out was also a big problem, bigger than I expected. It looks like not ALL of our receivers are starting quality. Donald Driver is nearing the end of his career but with only two Touchdowns by this group on the day, Donald's score was huge as it turns out. We might have just seen his last Touchdown and Lambeau Leap so with no good candidates, I give the Offensive MVP to Donald Driver this week. Also worth noting, Randall Cobb continues to look good and scored another Touchdown and despite everything, Aaron Rodgers looked good. When he gets a little help he is unstoppable!

Winning games when you don't play very well is the sign of a good team!

 

This Packer/Bear battle in the NFC North should be a good one all season long. No style points gained by either teams Offense this week but there are other ways to win a game.

Get healthy Packers!

The Arizona Cardinals are coming to town and they have mastered the art of winning ugly!

The Time is now Packers!

The Packers go into Houston tonight as a 2-3 football team. Forget about losing the opener at home vs the 49ers, forget about being Screwed in Seattle by the Replacement Refs and blowing a 21-3 halftime lead at Indianapolis and let's even forget about all the injuries. The Packers should have won all three of those games and be 5-0 right now like the Texans are but we are not, we must accept this reality!

However, do not mistake this for any indication of who will win this game. Let's examine the true and meaningful realities:

Quarterback: Advantage Packers with MVP Aaron Rodgers
Running back: Advantage Texans with Arian Foster
Wide Receivers: Advantage Packers with Nelson, Jones, and Cobb. None of them are better than Andre Johnson of the Texans but beyond him, what do they really have?
Offensive Line: Advantage Texans
Special Teams: Advantage Texans, the Packers would be better in this category except for the fact that Mason Crosby has never become the reliable kicker we thought he would turn into
Defense: Advantage Texans as they one of the better ones in the NFL (led by J.J. Watt) even after losing Brian Cushing for the season and the Packers Defense is a Work-in-Progress
Home Team: Advantage Texans

This looks like a 5-2 advantage overall for this undefeated team from HOUSTON, but the things that makes the NFL so great and can not be overlooked will not be overlooked here.

Teams get overconfident and lose that edge sometimes especially at home (case in point: when the Chiefs came to Green Bay and beat an undefeated Packer team last season)

Teams that have finally arrived playing on the National stage of Sunday Night Football. Can the Texans handle this? The Packers have been here, done this, many times.

Often the team who "wants it more" gets the win and the team who "needs it more" is usually the one who "wants it more" The Packers want and need this one badly. A 2-4 start in the NFC this season would be very hard to recover from. If this is going to be a good season THE TIME IS NOW to start playing like champions.

For the Texans, who are from the "weaker" AFC, losing a non-conference game is no big deal at all. It would not figure into any tie-breaker scenarios as they try to  win home field throughout the AFC Playoffs. A loss  would take away the pressure of trying to go 16-0.

These three advantages even things up at 5-5 but clearly these final three things are more important than the seven before them. They explain why there are so many upsets in the NFL.

Therefore I am very confident that the Packers will emerge victorious. It really is the best thing for both teams and the league itself if Green Bay wins. It will be fun to be the underdog.

If you are still not sure always look at the Quarterbacks to decide. Aaron Rodgers has had a slow start to this 2012 season but he is still better that Matt Scaub who is good but not an "elite" Quarterback!

I've been waitin all week for Sunday Night and now it is less than 18 hours away. "CAN'T WAIT"

Packers prove the haters wrong!

The National media and the Packerhating fans were trying to make Packer fans push the panic button by saying things like:

• The Defense looks the same and still sucks
• The Offense is no longer explosive
• Jay Cutler has Brandon Marshall now
• If Green Bay goes 0-2 with both losses at home the season could be over
• That Bear Defense is still solid and Rodgers wont be able to throw

The list goes on and on and they were wrong on every point. The truth is:

• This new Packer Defense will get better as the season goes along and Jay Cutler was not able to find Brandon Marshall or anyone else open very often as the Packer pass rush was all over him. Jay Cutler was mopping around, blaming others, and just being all non-professional again.

• The Packer Offense showed signs of life when Donald Driver scored a TD and danced. Better yet the Packers found a running game and even more ways to score, Masthay to Crabtree? WOW and on a 4th and 26!

• Jay Cutler still gets rattled and the Packers did it to him all night. He then tried to force it to Brandon Marshall and threw INTs to the Packers opportunistic Defense.

• No way was the Pack gonna lose at home to DA BEARS and go 0-2, the fans won't let it happen

• The Bears Defense is still good, did sack Rodgers far too often but are getting old and the 49ers Defense is better

The Bears will never really be good until they find a Quarterback that knows how to react when things go badly. Aaron Rodgers is a true leader who always looks at his own mistakes first. Then he tries to help others, not blame them!


This 23-10 win should shut them up for a while!

The players of the game are the same for the second week in a row:
Randall Cobb and Clay Matthews

Would you agree?

Peter King could be right!

As I nudge closer to making my picks for Super Bowl XLVII, selecting one out of 16 teams in each conference, I am taking into account the predictions of people like Peter King. In the Sports Illustrated NFL preview issue Peter has picked the Packers to beat the Broncos in New Orleans when the season culminates in February.

Interestingly, he has the Chicago Bears winning the NFC North with an 11-5 record. He has the Packers finishing 11-5, but advancing to the playoffs as a wild card. I really don't think the Bears will beat out the Packers for the division but they might make the playoffs.

He has the Packers beating the Cowboys, Bears and Saints to reach the Super Bowl.

King predicts Aaron Rodgers will be voted offensive player of the year, but that quarterback Peyton Manning of the Broncos will be selected most valuable player.

King has a story in the magazine about the astonishing number of passing yards put up by NFL offenses last season and wonders if a 6,000-yard passing season is on the horizon. The no-huddle offense is one reason for the increased productivity of passing offenses, and he quotes Packers coach Mike McCarthy on his use of no-huddle.

“I believe in attacking," McCarthy says. "I’m not trying to shorten the game when we run the no-huddle. I’m not trying to win by three, or win by making fewer mistakes. That’s not us.”

Denver is not a bad choice. It assumes, of course, that Peyton Manning will be Peyton Manning again. And Peter thinks that will happen, as evidenced by the fact that he thinks Peyton will be the MVP again, for a fifth time. On this I can not agree. I expect Aaron Rodgers to take that again.

 

I will unveil my picks only after all of the pre-season is over, all the cuts are made, and I have looked through the entire schedule, game by game. You can complain about Peter's picks, my picks, or anything else in the comments section below. Also if you like my blog, become a follower!

The Packers got their Mojo back!!!

Following the Packers’ 27-13 win over the Bengals on Thursday night at Paul Brown Stadium, Aaron Rodgers was quoted as saying “I think we did enough to satisfy coach. I think we’re going to be ready,”

It was the Packers’ first win of the preseason following disappointing performances against the Chargers and Browns. Needing to get back to the kind of play that led the Packers to a 15-1 record in 2011, Rodgers and the offense led the way in an up-tempo attack that featured two touchdown runs by Rodgers.

When I compare Rodgers to any other Quarterbacks this pre-season, including starting quarterbacks with a bright future like Andrew Luck and Jake Locker, it is obvious that nobody comes close to being able to consistently do the things that Aaron Rodgers can do out there. No doubt about it, this team will go as Aaron Rodgers goes this season. Unless something unforeseen happens, that means all the way to the top.

Even though Rodgers’ 52 yards rushing and 2 rushing Touchdowns led the Packers, it was newly-acquired running back Cedric Benson's 38 yards on six carries that seemed to pump new life into the Packers running game and helped to ease the concerns of PackerNation.

Cedric Benson looked natural running the ball. He’s an instinctive, powerful ball carrier. Another weapon for this Packer Offense. Not since the days of Ahman Green did we Packer fans really know what a solid running game can look like. The Packer Offense might be even better than last year.

Rodgers completed 12 of 22 passes for 154 yards. “I just threw a real bad ball,” Rodgers said of the stunning 2nd quarter interception. I find myself disappointed when ever the Packers have to punt or fumble. I am shocked when he throws an interception. That is how spoiled we in PackerNation are to have the best player in the NFL playing for the Packers. Making a human error shocks the fans, crazy.

Otherwise, everything about his play and the play of the first team offense and defense through a half of action was impressive. The Bengals Defense did a good job covering the Packers talented receivers and did mount some pass rush against the Packers average Offensive Line but Rodgers did a very good job of pulling the ball down and making things happen with his feet.

The defense got into the act when linebacker Erik Walden led a goal-line stand at the 1-yard line. On third down, Walden sacked Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton, forcing a 30-yard field goal. Dalton completed only five of 17 passes for 40 yards. Clearly both Defenses played well and the difference in the game was at the Quarterback position. Andy Dalton is a good young Quarterback but Aaron Rodgers is a Super Bowl champion, the league MVP, and in the prime of his career.

“I thought the whole football team improved today. I thought the defense and the whole team had a lot of bounce, a lot of juice. I thought we played smart. I was very impressed with the defense,” McCarthy said.
Walden is competing with first-round draft pick Nick Perry for playing time at outside linebacker.
“I think he’s had a heckuva camp. I’m sure he’ll grade out very well tonight,” McCarthy said of Walden.
These quotes surprised me a bit. Obviously Eric Walden has improved a lot and is no longer on the bubble as far as making this roster. It will be Nick Perry in the opener however as Walden serves his one game suspension. All is well now with the Packers except...

Backup quarterback Graham Harrell struggled through the second half, completing only five of 12 passes for 26 yards. Mike McCarthy keeps making excuses for him explaining that injuries to tight ends Tom Crabtree and Ryan Taylor sabotaged the Packers’ game plan.
“Our offensive plan for our No. 2 group went out the window with our tight end situation. That’s something you won’t see but we’ll take into consideration with his grade,” McCarthy said, referring to Harrell.

The Packers were without starting tight end Jermichael Finley, who left the team in Cincinnati to be with his wife when she went into labor. Tight end D.J. Williams was out of action with an injury.
At 1-2, the Packers have one preseason game remaining, against visiting Kansas City, but the attention turns to the regular-season opener against the San Francisco 49ers.

“The bigger objective is the evaluation of our team,” McCarthy said of what remains of the preseason.
What was important last night was getting ready for the games that count.
“We got better today, so we’re definitely a step closer to being ready for the regular season than when we left Green Bay. That was the goal,” McCarthy said.

Well Packer Nation that is more coach speak than I usually include in Packertalk. I think the real truth is that Mike McCarthy and Ted Thompson now realize that letting Matt Flynn get away was a mistake. Having a solid backup could be the difference between home field throughout the playoffs in the NFC and just winning the division. Having to rely on Graham Harrell to win a playoff game would be moribund.

I think we will see Graham Harrell get to start and play with the starters for a while on Thursday night vs. Kansas City in the final pre-season game. There is no reason to put Aaron Rodgers out there but I think the rest of the Offense needs more playing time to be ready to go on September 9. I don't know how it will go or how long he plays. I hope seventh round draft pick B.J. Coleman gets the whole second half or more but maybe neither one will make the 53 man roster. I still think that after the cut down days, Monday and Friday of next week, a veteran Quarterback will become available and the Packers will pick him up.

For now it is a cut down from 90 to 75 players on Monday. Many guys who played in those first two pre-season games and in the second half of this one will be cut on Monday. Maybe some will get a chance to tryout on another team but many will need to find a new line of work.

To players in danger of being cut I say this: "May the odds be ever in your favor"

Where is Matt Flynn when you need him?

The second exhibition game provided additional cause for concern! If Ted Thompson would have thought a backup Quarterback you can count on is worth the money and would have kept Matt Flynn. It would have not only made the pre-season much better, it would have avoided this new problem of who is going to backup Aaron Rodgers?

After looking back at pre-season records over the years, which are not easy to find, I have discovered that what some Packer fans have been saying does not hold water. Since the first quarter of Thursday nights game at Lambeau Field, I heard fans at the stadium saying what fans are still saying today: "Pre-season games are meaningless" but...
The truth is that that there is some correlation between how you do in the pre-season and the regular season. The past two Packer championship teams 2010 and 1996 only lost 3 games combined in those pre-seasons. The Packers 2nd string Quarterbacks over the past two decades have always been better than what Graham Harrell is right now.
It's the 3rd pre-season game that matters most as the starters typically play into the 3rd quarter so as long as the Packers core players start getting healthy and the Packers do win at Cincinnati on Thursday evening everything might be just fine. That is as long as injuries don't hit this team as hard as they did in 2010 when somehow the Packers were able to overcome them all. The one good thing about sad game on Thursday was no notable new injuries.
Before getting into the Quarterback situation let's talk about the Defense, where the most improvement needs to come on this team compared to last season: First we will be taking a look at the rookies and  how they are doing:

Pick #1 LB Nick Perry is looking good: With Clay and Nick as the starting OLB's both healthy and playing well at the same time, opponent QBs will get getting rushed and sacked and making bad throws. This could be very exciting and make everyone else on Defense better.

Pick #2a DE Jerel Worthy has a lot of potential: Might not start right away but will make an impact and hopefully push B.J. Raji to get back to his 2010 form before fame got to his head a little bit.

Pick #2b CB Casey Hayward: He just might start because the other CBs fighting for the spot seem to be banged up and/or less productive so this rookie can claim the position as Charles Woodson moves to safety this year. Start or not Casey Hayward makes the secondary better.

Pick #4a DE Mike Daniels has not made a difference yet but I keep hearing about how great he looks in practice so he will be in the mix.

Pick #4b S Jerron McMillian: It the Packers did not have Charles Woodson and Morgan Burnett, a very solid safety duo, McMillian could be a first year starter. Too bad he was not a Packer already last season when Nick Collins went down.

Pick #5 LB Terrell Manning: Have not heard a lot about him yet but I suspect he will make the team considering how awful the Defense was last season. Again in the Cleveland game it looked like we did not have much of a pass rush and everyone was always open, including when Manning was in the game. Is this a coaching problem? I don't know but this Defense needs to get better fast!

Pick #7a T Andrew Datko: I don't think making the 53 man roster is possible here the practice squad is a possibility if the Packers have room to take on this project.

Pick #7b QB B.J. Coleman: I was really looking forward to seeing this strong armed cocky kid play but it did not happen until the final minute and then he threw an INT on his very first pass. He will be the 3rd string QB but if the Packers only keep two Quarterbacks he will be on the practice squad. They say he is just not ready to be the #2 guy yet.

So who is going to be #2? Well Mike McCarthy is not going to cut Graham Harrell after two bad pre-season games after all the work he has put into helping this guy improve over the past two years but...pre-season games is where guys like Matt Hasselbeck and Matt Flynn would shine over the years before they move onto other teams with a chance to start. You have to be able to shine in pre-season playing with other backups or you simply can't be counted on to be the man if Aaron Rodgers goes down for a game or two.

Harrell won't get as much time next week against Cincinnati because typically the third game is when Rodgers plays the most. In the fourth game, McCarthy will have to decide how much time to give to Harrell and how much to give to. If he does not have success the Packers will need to bring in a veteran who will have just been released by another team as they get down to a 53 man roster including just 2 or 3 QB's.

Who might be available after the pre-season? Here is a list:

• Matt Moore (Carolina)
• Tarvaris Jackson (Seattle)
• Matt Hasselbeck (Tennessee)
• Kevin O’Connell / Charlie Whitehurst (San Diego)
• Kellen Clemens (St. Louis)
• Brady Quinn/ Ricky Stanzi (Kansas City)
• Chris Redman (Atlanta)
• Scott Tolzien / Josh Johnson (San Francisco)
• Colt McCoy (Cleveland)
• Matt Leinart (Oakland)
• Trent Edwards (Philadelphia)
• Tyler Thigpen / Vince Young (Buffalo)

Yep, that is a list but not an impressive one. The Packers like to stay young but my choice would be Matt Hasselback. If his starting days are over it is time to come home where it all began. He used to sit on the Packer bench behind Brett Favre back in the day. Now he can sit on the bench behind a slightly less durable, but better Quarterback and better man, Aaron Rodgers. This way if Aaron does miss a game or two, the season is not over.

If the Packers have to count on Matt Hasselbeck or some other starting Quarterback for more than a few games we won't be winning the Superbowl. To reach your goals you must have your best player healthy. This is why the Offensive line playing well is priority #1 and they looked okay in the first quarter vs. the Browns. Everything is fine Packer Nation as long as our best player is healthy and everyone else just does their job. It's all good when you have Aaron Rodgers!!!