IPBprez
Cheesehead
Posted Oct. 01, 2005
Mike Woods
Are Packers still winners? Let’s hear the arguments
There are those of you who have decided it’s time to cash in your chips and start watching NFL draft geek Mel Kiper’s Big Board.
Then there are those of you who still believe that despite an 0-3 start, the Green Bay Packers will keep alive their streak of 13 straight non-losing seasons.
So today, we’ll take a look at both sides. Only time will determine which set of arguments holds more truth.
The Packers will finish 8-8 or better because:
• This team has too many good players on it to go from 10-6 in 2004 to anything less than 8-8 this year.
• Quarterback Brett Favre is off to a bad start, but the guy is just too good for this to last much longer. He will come around soon.
• Ahman Green has struggled, but when given room to run, he has run hard and looked good.
• The offensive line, with two new guards, will get better as each week passes.
• The defense, in particular the run defense, has looked good. Yeah, the Caddy from Tampa Bay ended up with 158 yards on 37 carries last Sunday. But after three quarters, he was at 22 carries for just 76 yards. In this case, the defense just wore down.
• Coach Mike Sherman is an expert at digging a hole, but has shown he has the moxie to find a way out. The players have been down this road as well, and if they’ve had the will to do it before, they can do it again.
• An improving Ahmad Carroll will help solidify the pass defense.
• Defensive coordinator Jim Bates has done a good job of getting his troops to stop the run. It will only be a matter of time before he finds a way to enable them to put pressure on the opposing quarterback.
The Packers will finish worse than 8-8 because:
• This game is all about having playmakers on your team. The Packers lost a key one in wide receiver Javon Walker, and Favre and Green are struggling. The defense has none. This is a team without enough playmakers on its roster.
• GM Ted Thompson misjudged the value of guards Marco Rivera and Mike Wahle. He should have signed at least one. Their replacements have not played up to par. It will prove to be a decision the Packers will not be able to recover from.
• Green, like all backs who run with such a punishing style, is hitting the wall and will never be as good as he was.
• Favre, knowing the shortcomings on offense, will continue to press to make plays. Invariably, mistakes will follow.
• The defense will continue to struggle because of its inability to generate a pass rush, and teams will exploit that all season.
• Penalties have haunted the Packers for several weeks, with no sign the problem is being fixed. This will continue to be a thorn in their side.
• Sherman’s mistakes as a general manager, a combination of poor drafts and bad contracts, have caught up to the Packers. It will be a while before they can recover.
Mike Woods writes for The Post-Crescent of Appleton.
====================================
Certainly one point of view - just wish PackersNews would review our web site from time-to-time and ask us to post an Article on "their" web site.... Might liven things up just a bit....
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Mike Woods
Are Packers still winners? Let’s hear the arguments
There are those of you who have decided it’s time to cash in your chips and start watching NFL draft geek Mel Kiper’s Big Board.
Then there are those of you who still believe that despite an 0-3 start, the Green Bay Packers will keep alive their streak of 13 straight non-losing seasons.
So today, we’ll take a look at both sides. Only time will determine which set of arguments holds more truth.
The Packers will finish 8-8 or better because:
• This team has too many good players on it to go from 10-6 in 2004 to anything less than 8-8 this year.
• Quarterback Brett Favre is off to a bad start, but the guy is just too good for this to last much longer. He will come around soon.
• Ahman Green has struggled, but when given room to run, he has run hard and looked good.
• The offensive line, with two new guards, will get better as each week passes.
• The defense, in particular the run defense, has looked good. Yeah, the Caddy from Tampa Bay ended up with 158 yards on 37 carries last Sunday. But after three quarters, he was at 22 carries for just 76 yards. In this case, the defense just wore down.
• Coach Mike Sherman is an expert at digging a hole, but has shown he has the moxie to find a way out. The players have been down this road as well, and if they’ve had the will to do it before, they can do it again.
• An improving Ahmad Carroll will help solidify the pass defense.
• Defensive coordinator Jim Bates has done a good job of getting his troops to stop the run. It will only be a matter of time before he finds a way to enable them to put pressure on the opposing quarterback.
The Packers will finish worse than 8-8 because:
• This game is all about having playmakers on your team. The Packers lost a key one in wide receiver Javon Walker, and Favre and Green are struggling. The defense has none. This is a team without enough playmakers on its roster.
• GM Ted Thompson misjudged the value of guards Marco Rivera and Mike Wahle. He should have signed at least one. Their replacements have not played up to par. It will prove to be a decision the Packers will not be able to recover from.
• Green, like all backs who run with such a punishing style, is hitting the wall and will never be as good as he was.
• Favre, knowing the shortcomings on offense, will continue to press to make plays. Invariably, mistakes will follow.
• The defense will continue to struggle because of its inability to generate a pass rush, and teams will exploit that all season.
• Penalties have haunted the Packers for several weeks, with no sign the problem is being fixed. This will continue to be a thorn in their side.
• Sherman’s mistakes as a general manager, a combination of poor drafts and bad contracts, have caught up to the Packers. It will be a while before they can recover.
Mike Woods writes for The Post-Crescent of Appleton.
====================================
Certainly one point of view - just wish PackersNews would review our web site from time-to-time and ask us to post an Article on "their" web site.... Might liven things up just a bit....