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It's Viking Week!

These next two weeks the Packers will take of business in the NFC North with wins over the Vikings and Bears.

The Packers should be able to handle the Vikings on Sunday night which will be the final trip to the Metro dome. That stadium used to be a house of horrors for the Packers but now is just an old stadium with a bad team.

Minnesota is still a rival but the short-handed Packers should still have little trouble advancing to 5-2 for the season!

Packers "Stay Calm and Carry On" have no trouble beating the Browns in Lambeau while the Bears and Lions lose!

Packers 31 Browns 13

Pack On Top again in the NFC North!

Banged up Packers make a statement in Baltimore

Winning 19-17 is fine by me.
The Packers are now 3-2 and continue to move forward with the "Next Man Up" philosophy!

PACKERTALK: Up Next are the CHAMPION Ravens in BALTIMORE

The Packers 22-9 win over the Lions was far from my prediction of 50-7 but the Packer Defense was great and gets the credit for this much needed win.

This week is another much needed one. With Clay Matthews and Brad Jones and others people missing on the Packer Defense, the Packer Offense really needs to kick it in gear. I think they will and here is why:

The Packers now have the 5th best running game in the league. If the Ravens game plan to focus on stopping this, Aaron Rodgers will have a great game.

Remember, Peyton Manning did throw 7 Touchdowns against this years version of the Ravens Defense on the opening game of this NFL season. Aaron Rodgers is not currently considered the best Quarterback in the NFL right now and needs to begin to catch up with Peyton Manning and Drew Brees!

If Baltimore decides to slow down the Green Bay passing game, those holes will be there for Eddie Lacy an the others to put up big numbers on the ground again. Aaron will confuse the Ravens all day.

I will guess Packers 40 Ravens 27!

Agree or Disagree?

Week 5: Feasting on the Lions should be the right fuel to get this Packer train moving

I don't think that the Lions stand much of a chance to come to Green Bay win. I am not concerned at all. Detroit has always been the just what the doctor ordered to make everything feel all good again. Even though Reggie Bush makes the Lions a real threat The Packers are coming off a bye and truly NEED this game.

Green Bay will win by at least 12 points and if the Packers get up early and these undisciplined Lions lose there cool again we could see...

Packers 50 Lions 7!

Now lets see what professional sports writer Adam Kriesel (firststopfantasy.com) has to say: 

Packers Look to Extend Home Winning Streak Against Lions

The Detroit Lions have dreaded their annual trip to Lambeau Field ever since 1991, the last time they tasted victory in the state of Wisconsin. The Packers’ winning streak currently sits at 22 games over Detroit, including one playoff victory. It is the longest streak over one opponent at home in NFL history. Sunday, however, could be the best chance Detroit has to stop the skid in recent years.
Coming off a big win against another NFC North team, the Bears, Detroit is filled with confidence and has redemption on their mind. While coaches and players on both sides have downplayed the streak all week, everyone involved knows how badly Detroit wants to lift the dark cloud that has been hovering over them for the past 21 years.
While Detroit comes to town with momentum, Green Bay also has a few things going for them as well. Head Coach Mike McCarthy is 6-1 in games following a bye week during his time in Green Bay, and the Packers could be the healthiest they have been all season. Returning to practice this week were safety Morgan Burnett, who did not suit up in the team’s first three games, along with running back Eddie Lacy and tight end Jermichael Finley, both of whom are coming off of concussions.
Although Lacy is tabbed as the team’s top back, he is the only one of the team’s top three backfield options yet to have a 100-yard game. James Starks racked up 132 yards in Week 2 against Washington, while fellow rookie Jonathan Franklin put up 103 the following week in Cincinnati. Both Starks and Franklin suffered injuries against the Bengals, though Franklin later returned to finish the game. Starks has yet to return to practice and is unlikely to be activated Sunday, something Packer fans have grown accustomed to. With that, Green Bay is likely to primarily feature rookies in the backfield for the first time this season. Led by interior linemen Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley, with rookie fifth-overall pick Ezekiel Ansah alongside, Detroit boasts one of the best defensive fronts in the NFL. Handing off to rookies could prove challenging, who will try to break through the toughest front four either of them have ever seen.
An overlooked factor in the run game could be the offensive line shift the Packers made in the offseason. With guard T.J. Lang now on the right side, he will face Suh on nearly every snap, something he has never done in previous meetings.
Burnett’s return is timely for the Green Bay secondary, who is set to face perhaps the most lethal passing attack they have seen yet this year. Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson combine for one of the best passing duos in the league. Stafford is averaging 315 passing yards per game with seven touchdowns, with four of them going to Johnson. Having Burnett quarterbacking the secondary could be key in preventing Johnson the chance to break loose.
While Detroit may have many advantages on paper, Green Bay is still the favorite in this game. They have lost at home only once since the 2010 season, when they suffered an overtime defeat to Miami in Week 6. Since then, they have rattled off 22 straight regular season victories inside Lambeau Field.
Sunday’s match-up has the potential to come down to the wire, something Detroit has seen numerous times during their Lambeau skid. They have fallen short each time, and Sunday will give them yet another chance to prove that they are in fact capable of winning in Wisconsin. Green Bay isn’t ready to let that happen, so this match-up should provide extra intensity between two teams battling for NFC North supremacy.

So, what do you think?      

Packers win big or a tight game that could go either way? 

Please post your comment!

Packers bye week comes as the Packers are at their low point this season

There is a nice article about the Packers tough loss in Cincinnati by my nephew Adam Kriesel. 

http://firststopfantasy.com/nfl-teams/green-bay-packers/turnovers-injuries-prove-costly-for-packers-in-cincinnati/   

I would like to add that 1-2 was the Packers record after a game was stolen in Seattle last season. Things sure did get a lot better after that and my guess is that they will again this season.
    

Packers lose to Bengals 30-34 in Week 3

How concerned am I about the Packers starting the season at 1-2? ...Not concerned at all

PACKERTALK is BACK

It's Week 3 for the 2013 Green Bay Packers and after beating up the Washington Redskins in Week 2 it finally feels to me like the Pack is Back!

Adam Kriesel at firststopfantasy.com
http://firststopfantasy.com/nfl-teams/green-bay-packers/packers-offense-clicks-in-rout-of-redskins/

As always injuries are a big concern: http://www.jsonline.com/sports

·  Out: S Morgan Burnett (hamstring), CB Jarrett Bush (hamstring), CB Casey Hayward (hamstring)

·  Doubtful: John Kuhn (hamstring)

·  Questionable: RB Eddie Lacy (questionable)

·  Probable: TE Jermichael Finley (toe), DE Johnny Jolly (neck), LG T.J. Lang (back), CB Tramon Williams (groin) 

The Packers travel to Cincinnati with a Defense that really misses Burnett and Hayward and with no Jarrett Bush for Special Teams this week, the Offense will, once again, need to carry the load. The Offensive Line will be the key as they take on this huge and talented front 4 of the Bengals.

I expect that this game will see both teams score in the 30s with the Packers winning only because Aaron Rodgers is a much more accurate Quarterback than Andy Dalton.

I would not be shocked if Aaron Rodgers throws for 500 yards in this game and no longer has to share the record with Matt Flynn but with a banged up Defense and a Special Teams that is shaky so far including a Kicker Mason Crosby, I am concerned...how about you?

It all ends with a dreadful loss in California

The San Francisco 49ers beat the Green Bay Packers in every possible way. The score was 45-31 but that does not tell the complete story of the domination!

I think these past two huge failures in the playoffs are a case of human nature. After winning it all two years ago the players and coaches have enjoyed the success a bit too much, shown up in way too many commercials, and have not lived up the hype the media, themselves, and fans like me have showered upon them.

The Packers need a much better OL, better RBs, and a better Defense all around including new coaches. It is so sad considering that just about 14 months ago Green Bay was the defending champs and were 13-0 looking like a dynasty. 

Now: A dozen or more of these players won't even be back next season!

Just like the Packers in the 1990s, that one Super Bowl win was great but we wanted and expected so much more!

 

With this stunning end to the season I shall also stop doing PACKERTALK because I have not been getting any comments on this blog. Goodbye!

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 24 Vikings 10 in an Ugly Win over a bad Vikings team!

John Kuhn scored two Touchdowns so I must give him credit for that but with all the weapons the Packers have it seems odd that he gets the ball at all.

Charles Woodson playing again makes the Packer defense better.

Good: Holding Adrian Peterson to 99 yards rushing

Bad: The Vikings team did not even put up a fight

Ugly: The Game! The Packers should have scored twice as many points as they did 

However: A playoff win is always a great win and now it's on to San Francisco!

Minnesota 37 Green Bay 34 (Road to Super Bowl tougher now)

That was a "hell of a game" and Adrian Peterson does deserve to be the NFLs MVP but I am not sure if Christian Ponder has gotten a lot better or the Packers Defense failed. I am disappointed and the fact is we must swallow this loss and I don't have a lot to say about it right now!

My Packer MVP's go to Greg Jennings and Morgan Burnett so my season totals finish up like this:

Randall Cobb 4

Aaron Rodgers 4

Clay Matthews 3

James Jones 3 

Morgan Burnett 2

Tramon Williams 2

Jordy Nelson 2

Mike Neal 2

Greg Jennings 1

A.J. Hawk 1

Casey Hayward 1

Mike Daniels 1

M.D. Jennings 1

Sam Shields 1

Dezmond Moses 1

Davon House 1

Dan Barclay 1

Mason Crosby 1

Randall Cobb is my Green Bay Packer MVP of the 2012 season!

The Packers do not earn a first round bye and the hot Vikings are coming to Green Bay. Having Randall Cobb back and the Home Field do give me a lot of confidence that we will win it but having to go to SF in Round 2 will be tough!

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 improve to 9-4

This 27-20 victory over the Lions was called an "ugly victory" by Aaron Rodgers but it sure was great to get that running game going and the Defense has held just enough to keep winning until the stars make it back.

I am giving the Offensive MVP to Don Barclay because of his run blocking and on Defense to Tramon Williams for keeping Calvin Johnson out of the endzone.

2012 Packers Updated MVP totals:

Randall Cobb 4

Aaron Rodgers 3

Clay Matthews 3
James Jones 2 

Tramon Williams 2

Jordy Nelson 2

Mason Crosby 1

Casey Hayward 1

Mike Neal 1

Mike Daniels 1

M.D. Jennings 1

Sam Shields 1

Dezmond Moses 1

Morgan Burnett 1

Davon House 1
Dan Barclay 1

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?