NFL Rankings & Midseason Reports/Predictions

[TOPHAT]

http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/10455758

3. Winning back-to-back road games at Denver and Kansas City is impressive. They can score and the defense is good. Watch out for this team.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/powerRankings?MSNHPHCP>1=10637

4. Brett Favre...left Kansas City with a win, and with his team sporting a 7-1 record. With the win, Favre joins Tom Brady and Peyton Manning as the only quarterbacks to beat all 31 other teams in the NFL. If not for that bad loss to Chicago on Sunday night a few weeks back, Green Bay could very well be 8-0 as they host the Vikings this week. Unlike our friends on "Monday Night Football," I have no poems nor elaborate essays for the "old gunslinger" this week. He's just been really, really good.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2007-power-rankings.htm

4. GREEN BAY PACKERS

Notes: Now Brett Favre can say he's beaten everybody in the NFL.

http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default.asp?c=sportsnetwork&page=nfl/misc/nfl-poll.htm

4. GREEN BAY PACKERS
Young team should look even better in the second half.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/powerranking?season=2007&week=10

5. Former NFL coach Jimmy Johnson says Mike McCarthy should be the NFL's coach of the year, citing the Packers' improved defense and their sparkling road record (9-3) since McCarthy's arrival. A few fans in Detroit might disagree.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_y...g=weekrankingsperfectpatri&prov=tsn&type=lgns

5. Green Bay Packers
Winning at Denver and at Kansas City in a span of six days is remarkable

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=300847

5. Green Bay Packers
Winning at Denver and at Kansas City in a span of six days is remarkable.
__________________________________________________________________

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=300629


Halftime adjustments: Bad weather soon will become a factor, and a strong ground game becomes critical in such conditions. Though QB Brett Favre is a great cold-weather player, RB Ryan Grant and the other backs will have to get in gear. One key: OTs Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher must be more effective in cutting off backside pursuit....[P]enalties need to be reduced.

Projection: The team is playing so well that it figures to fend off the Lions for the division title.

Midseason grades: Offense A-; defense B+; special teams C+ [Note: SN thinks Crosby can do better & Pack can get better kr field position]; Coaching A.
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http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7388280

Midterm Evaluation: A

"Is there a better way to end a first half? Brett Favre throws a game-winning bomb to Greg Jennings on the first play from scrimmage in overtime to beat the Broncos in majestic fashion. It was simply classic. Mike McCarthy's Packers are a highly impressive 6-1, fueled by great play from the defense all season long."

op: op: op: op: op: op:

 

[brennan1884]

Packers NFL Power Ranking & 2nd Half Preview

Im surprised by our C+ grade on special teams..... id say more like b+

 

[TOPHAT]

Re: Packers NFL Power Ranking & 2nd Half Preview

Im surprised by our C+ grade on special teams..... id say more like b+

SN believes K Crosby can do better...edited out. Also, they probably believe that the Pack can do better with kr field position compared to the competitive ratings.

 

[millertime]

NFL Power Rankings & Midseason Review/Preview

Crosby has only missed 3 (maybe 4) field goals all year. I think the big problem is that Rob Davis is not consistently snapping the ball well this year (the guy's been money in the past though). May need to upgrade the position next offseason!

 

[brennan1884]

NFL Power Rankings & Midseason Review/Preview

no complains from me on special teams....we havnt given up a punt or kick return for a toucdown, weven won a game off a field goal, havnt lost a game on a missed fg, and have caused fumbles to win games on special teams......what am i missing here

 

[Zombieslayer]

NFL Power Rankings & Midseason Review/Preview

I'd put us at #3 or #4 right now. Anyone who puts the Giants ahead of us needs to stop sniffing glue. None of these links do, but I saw some other "expert" putting us at #6 behind the Giants.

 

[brennan1884]

NFL Power Rankings & Midseason Review/Preview

I think why some "experts" are picking the Giants ahead of us is becuase of their win streak which i believe is 6

 

[porky88]

Re: NFL Power Rankings & Midseason Review/Preview

I think why some "experts" are picking the Giants ahead of us is becuase of their win streak which i believe is 6

It's New York. They're the big time. Green Bay has very little national appeal to it other than Brett Favre and Lombardi. Outside of that nobody really cares or knows anything about Green Bay. The Giants are New York and those types of teams always get a lot of hype. Dallas too.

 

[brennan1884]

NFL Power Rankings & Midseason Review/Preview

yah ..... they have a larger media market

 

[TOPHAT]

Re: NFL Power Rankings & Midseason Review/Preview

I think why some "experts" are picking the Giants ahead of us is becuase of their win streak which i believe is 6

It's New York. They're the big time. Green Bay has very little national appeal to it other than Brett Favre and Lombardi. Outside of that nobody really cares or knows anything about Green Bay. The Giants are New York and those types of teams always get a lot of hype. Dallas too.

THERE YOU GO. I COULD NOT HAVE SAID IT BETTER...LAST 2 DAYS, HYPED LIONS, VIKINGS, GIANTS, & BROWNS NFL CITIES.

 

[brennan1884]

NFL Power Rankings & Midseason Review/Preview

screw the experts the pack is for real

 

[longtimefan]

Re: NFL Power Rankings & Midseason Review/Preview

I'd put us at #3 or #4 right now. Anyone who puts the Giants ahead of us needs to stop sniffing glue. None of these links do, but I saw some other "expert" putting us at #6 behind the Giants.

Skip Bayless did on Monday..

Giants, GB, Dallas was his order

 

[warhawk]

Re: NFL Power Rankings & Midseason Review/Preview

I'd put us at #3 or #4 right now. Anyone who puts the Giants ahead of us needs to stop sniffing glue. None of these links do, but I saw some other "expert" putting us at #6 behind the Giants.

Skip Bayless did on Monday..

Giants, GB, Dallas was his order

I guess he forgot the fact that we beat them by three td's at their place head to head and that they have played virtually no team playing well since.

My guess is they get their *** thumped this week and go away.

 

[Zombieslayer]

Re: NFL Power Rankings & Midseason Review/Preview

I'd put us at #3 or #4 right now. Anyone who puts the Giants ahead of us needs to stop sniffing glue. None of these links do, but I saw some other "expert" putting us at #6 behind the Giants.

Skip Bayless did on Monday..

Giants, GB, Dallas was his order

I guess he forgot the fact that we beat them by three td's at their place head to head and that they have played virtually no team playing well since.

My guess is they get their *** thumped this week and go away.

And we'll beat them again if they get past the Wild Card round of playoffs.

 

[uwbadger12000]

Re: NFL Power Rankings & Midseason Review/Preview

I think why some "experts" are picking the Giants ahead of us is becuase of their win streak which i believe is 6

Against six powerhouses with a combined record of I believe 13-36. If you take out Washington, then it would be like 8-33.

 

[TOPHAT]

ESPN: PACKERS REVIEWS & PLAYOFF FORECASTS

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insi...n.go.com/nfl/insider/columns/story?id=3098461

Green Bay Packers Current record: 7-1 Projected record: 12-4
Result: NFC North champion NFC Seed: No. 2

We keep waiting for the Packers to fade, but they keep coming up with new ways to win and are having more fun than any other team in the league. They have an underrated defense with a deep defensive line rotation, athletic linebackers and shutdown corners who can play press coverages. The lack of a run game is a concern late in the season, but with Brett Favre the Packers have a chance to win every game -- especially at home. They have tough back-to-back road games in November at Detroit and Dallas, but this looks like a team that can play at home until the NFC Championship game. The Packers are for real.

NFC Championship: No. 1 Dallas over No. 2 Green Bay
The Packers have to leave the friendly confines of Lambeau Field and by now, Romo and Co. are on a roll. Finally, the lack of a run game for Green Bay going against the underrated Cowboys run game will be the difference in this one as the Cowboys roll to the Super Bowl.
_________________________________________________________________________

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=chadiha_jeffri&id=3097548

Surprises, disappointments and predictions for all 32 teams

NFC North: Green Bay Packers (7-1)

Surprise: Quarterback Brett Favre has transformed himself from a cavalier gunslinger into an efficient game manager. Who knew?
Disappointment: The running game has been atrocious. Ryan Grant has the only 100-yard performance this season and Green Bay ranks last in the NFL in rushing (72.1 yards per game). Those types of numbers say even more about the way Favre has played.
Prediction: 13-3. NFC North champ.
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http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insi...espn.go.com/nfl/insider/news/story?id=3095890

Not every team passes the midterm exam

Green Bay Packers (7-1) Grade: A

Right answers: It appears that Hall of Fame shoo-in Brett Favre is playing within the system and having one of the better seasons of his career. His efficiency and big-play ability in critical situations have carried the Packers' offense. The Green Bay defense has been impressive stopping the run and the pass, and it keeps the pressure on opponents the entire game.

Wrong answers: The obvious lack of a ground attack is apparent and is likely to catch up to the Packers. The Green Bay offensive line is an average run-blocking unit and is somewhat protected by Favre's ability to get rid of the ball quickly in the passing game. The lack of balance on offense is likely to show up down the stretch.

What's next? The Packers are in good shape going into the second half of the season. Their schedule seems manageable, with four home games, and their eight opponents have a combined record of 31-33. Still, there are some tough games, namely 7-1 Dallas and two games against 6-2 Detroit, one on Thanksgiving, the other the season finale. Those games should be telling. If the Green Bay ground attack doesn't have marked improvement, that might catch up with them. The close victories the Packers had earlier might not be wins later in the season if they are still without an effective running game when the weather turns cold.

 

[TOPHAT]

NFL Power Rankings & Midseason Reports/Forecasts

http://www.packersnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071108/PKR01/711080520/1989

Pro Football Weekly named McCarthy as the NFL's coach of the year in their mid-season all-pro team. "It's a good magazine," McCarthy joked. Clifton was the only Packers player recognized. He was the NFC's all-pro left tackle.

 

[brennan1884]

NFL Power Rankings & Midseason Reports/Forecasts

Romeo Crenell will win the award if the Browns can somehow win 8 or 9 games

 

[TOPHAT]

SI PREDICTS PACK IN NFL CHAMPIONSHIP

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/damon_hack/11/06/nfc.forecast1112/

NFC Forecast: Who's going to Glendale?

2. NORTH: Packers (7-1) For a change, Green Bay is getting production from both sides of the ball. Brett Favre looks wonderful in retirement -- if Tom Brady and Randy Moss weren't playing keepaway with the MVP trophy, he might already have it locked up -- the D-line is sturdy, and Charles Woodson and Al Harris form one of the best corner tandems in the league. Scout's take: "Favre has been on the money, and the play-calling has helped. If they're going to win, it will be because of Brett, and it looks to me like he's doing it again."

Playoff Predictions

Wild-card round: Giants def. Seahawks, Saints def. Bucs

Divisional round: Cowboys def. Saints, Packers def. Giants

NFC Championship: Cowboys def. Packers

 

[Zombieslayer]

Re: SI PREDICTS PACK IN NFL CHAMPIONSHIP

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/damon_hack/11/06/nfc.forecast1112/

NFC Forecast: Who's going to Glendale?

2. NORTH: Packers (7-1) For a change, Green Bay is getting production from both sides of the ball. Brett Favre looks wonderful in retirement -- if Tom Brady and Randy Moss weren't playing keepaway with the MVP trophy, he might already have it locked up -- the D-line is sturdy, and Charles Woodson and Al Harris form one of the best corner tandems in the league. Scout's take: "Favre has been on the money, and the play-calling has helped. If they're going to win, it will be because of Brett, and it looks to me like he's doing it again."

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Playoff Predictions

Wild-card round: Giants def. Seahawks, Saints def. Bucs

Divisional round: Cowboys def. Saints, Packers def. Giants

NFC Championship: Cowboys def. Packers

At this point in the season, that's exactly what I'd say for our playoff predictions. We DESTROY the Giants, and lose a nail biter to the Cows.

 

[brennan1884]

NFL Rankings & Midseason Reports/Previews

well find out whos got the better team on nov 29th....

 

[TOPHAT]

PFW: DT WILLIAMS MOST IMPROVED PLAYER/MIDTERM REPORT

http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/Features/NFList/2007/nflist2218.htm

Man in the middle: Williams atop most-improved list in ’07

1. DT Corey Williams | Packers — What separates Williams, said one personnel man, “is his ability to defend the run as well as being a very good inside pass rusher. I think they have some guys who are more ‘one or the other’ (types), but he does both.” Another personnel man opined, “He has a lot of confidence. He can
________________________________________________________________________

http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/Features/NFL+Features/2007/teamreports.htm?mode=r0508

5. Green Bay

Biggest surprise: Second-year pro Atari Bigby was previously cut by a couple of teams and played only a handful of snaps last season. But he has more than held his own at strong safety replacing Marquand Manuel, who was a major liability at the position last season. Bigby has had some problems covering tight ends, but he’s displayed good toughness and proven to be a very sure tackler.

Biggest disappointment: The Packers’ ground game has struggled far more often than not, and while a nondescript RB corps is partially to blame, a much bigger reason is the offensive line’s shoddy run-blocking in the team’s zone system. Green Bay’s linemen, particularly the guards, have failed repeatedly to convert 3rd-and-short situations and finish their blocks.

Player to watch: How will rookie PK Mason Crosby perform as the weather starts taking a turn for the worse? The sixth-round draft pick out of Colorado got off to a great start, but in the Week Six game at home against Washington, he missed two FG attempts and slipped on a kickoff in a light rain — not the best of signs.

Team MVP: With precious little help from his running game, QB Brett Favre has so far enjoyed an excellent season. He has distributed the ball efficiently and, for the most part, very accurately to a host of weapons, and in five of the team’s eight games — Week Two vs. the Giants, Week Three vs. the Chargers, Week Four vs. the Vikings, Week Eight vs. the Broncos and Week Nine vs. the Chiefs — he was vintage Favre, especially in Denver, when he won the game on the first play of overtime with a picture-perfect 82-yard TD bomb to WR Greg Jennings.

Fearless prediction: The Packers win the NFC North, but their subpar ground game catches up to them in their first playoff game

8) 8) 8)

 

[Cdnfavrefan]

NFL Rankings & Midseason Reports/Previews

I still think we should be ahead of the Giants but I am happy we played them when we did. I do think they're a way better team now then week 2

 

[de_real_deal]

NFL Rankings & Midseason Reports/Previews

Packers going to the superbowl, you heard it here first. Favre will find a way to beat the Cowboys somehow in the NFC Championship game and we will become the Patriots last meal of the season. Best completion % of his career, highest yards per attempt of his career, on pace to shatter his previos high for passing yards, his rating is right up there with his mvp years, on pace for 26 tds and 16 ints with this young group that cant run the ball. Bret definitely saved his best for last

 

[TOPHAT]

MIDSEASON TIDBITS & PREDICTIONS

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=684331


As usual, it's been an interesting season to this point. There have been some surprises (the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions) and some disappointments (San Diego Chargers and Chicago Bears). Likewise, there have been a few good stories (Brett Favre's resurgence, Tom Coughlin's transformation) to offset the bad (Spy-gate, Michael Vick, more off-field arrests, Andy Reid's troubles).

Coach of the year:Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers. With a 4-8 record through 12 games last season, most were wondering whether McCarthy would last another season. Since then, the Packers have gone 12-1, including a 7-1 start to this season. Even Favre can't figure out how his team keeps winning, but it finds a way every week. And McCarthy's responsible for that. Honorable mention: Rod Marinelli, **** Jauron, Romeo Crennel, Coughlin.

Playoff teams:AFC - New England, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Cleveland, Tennessee. NFC - Dallas, Green Bay, New Orleans, Seattle, Washington, Detroit.

Wild-card round: Pittsburgh over Tennessee, San Diego over Cleveland; New Orleans over Detroit; Washington over Seattle.

Divisional: New England over San Diego, Indianapolis over Pittsburgh; Dallas over Washington, Green Bay over New Orleans.

Conference: New England over Indianapolis; Dallas over Green Bay.

Super Bowl Bowl XLII: New England 42, Dallas 24