1. Let's hope Daryn Colledge doesn't get hurt comin' out the gate.... He could be that Mike Wahle replacement we've been lookin' fer....
2. I'm still not sold on Scott Wells - he had those stupid "hike the ball" issues last year - it was decidedly NOT pretty.....
3. Was it just me, or did Sherman spend time avoiding Bubba unless he was inside the Red Zone, all the time (2003, wasn't it?)....? And, the last two seasons, hardly at all... stupid.
4. David Martin always has a pretty damn good pre-season - that's the tooth-grinder of it --- hard to say if he's over-doing it workout wise, or is he just accident prone when everyone turns on the afterburners for regular season play --- has he even had a full season without injury that was worth a damn... seriously?
5. On Batman - look for the Opposing Teams to focus on hitting him right on that quad -- personally, I'd use Batman as a second, maybe third-down-only back until he proved he was able to get back to full strength... I've always liked how we were able to sorta steal Ahman away from Seattle -- TT didn't have much choice back in that day, tho' -- what with Shawn Alexander bein' Numbah One, and all. Still, it'd be great to see him recover completely and possibly finish out his career ala Donald Driver style....
6. On Najeh (Sofa) Davenport --- man, what is there to say....
Good comment on him - it's definitely true, he could be almost as good as Alstot if he could (damnit) stay healthy for a FULL season, for once. He's a BULL in the trenches, that's fer sure!
7. I admire William Henderson, totally -- there's no reason not to. What's more, I've always said that his career ending is linked & locked with Brett's... they will go out together and the Team personality will change greatly when that happens.
8. DONALD DRIVER -- WOW.... You can bet, that this year all Opposing Teams will double and triple team this guy until one or two of the Rookies finally show some guts and steps out in front to fake a few of the veterans out... Let's hope he doesn't get injured again. If he stays healthy, he'll probably have a ProBowl season and be the guy that gets Brett Favre at least three more records in the books.... One of these days, I'm gonna get that guy's autograph...
9. The new-er Receivers all just need to show that they can be there backing up the Pros-from-Dover when it counts - all of 'em. Ferguson? I dunno - if he couldn't do it when Driver went down, what can ya say? Favre damn sure got in his donuts when he dropped those passes - that should've been enuf --- but, it just didn't happen --- one thing.... If he can't learn to "grab (snatch?) the ball outta the air", then he needs to be traded away.... and it needs to be tested before the next major mini-camp, but probably won't be.... I just got a bad feelin' ..is all.
10. Let's talk Defense --
Is "Pickett & Cole" the next "Gilbert Brown & Gabe Wilkins"? Or even a close resemblence of "Gravedigger & Gravy Jackson" circa 2003...? Or is it Jenkins? It'd really be nice to see other Teams being forced around to the outside on "every" play....eh?
I still say Colin Cole is the next Gravedigger - he just needs to take what's already his.... think I'll write him and tell him so...
11. He may not be as big as Urlacher - but is AJ Hawk good enough to finally give the Packers the one thing on Defense we've been missing since the Holmgren Era? Can him and Nick Barnett solidify the middle? What with Nick Collins working the LeRoy Butler section of the field.. it's all left to the Corners after that, it seems... unless Teams figure out how to split the seams too easily... which may happen at first... but after that.. watch out -- I think this Defense is actually better than anyone realizes (in several years, including 2003) and it certainly has the depth it needs -- BIG question is whether the new DC is the same as the old DC... or not - that will tell us whether we still have a Jim Bates mentality Defense.... which smelled mysteriously like Fritz Shurmer's ... didn't it?
12. I see Mark Roman gone -- as much as he is steppin' up to get counted - I just don't think he has what it takes with this Team - he's part of the June cuts, if I know anything at all about NFL football. (I know, it isn't much, but there is some, ya know)
13. KICKERS -- BJ SANDER is probably the last shred of "what the...?" leftover from the Sherman Regime... and was always a waste of trading away TWO PICKS in the Draft... geeesh!
I vote Jon Ryan gets the call - guy's got a leg, "and then some" (as Bruce Willis says... from The Last Boy Scout)
14. GREAT WRITEUP, TROM -- Seriously... just puttin' my own opinion out there... on the Players, that is.
WHAT WILL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE IN THE GREEN BAY PACKERS circa 2006?
One thing, and one thing only -- the HEAD COACH !!!
Get used to it, guys - we are now in the McCarthy Era.
I'm already smellin' 9-7, possibly 10-6 and re-takin' the NFC Nort' Title all over again, with a vengeance.. especially with Favre havin' someone who'll get in his backside when things aren't producin'... Sherman almost never did that - he just scratched his brow... DUHHH...
Certainly, the new Mike will have a few struggles, but it will be because of the new-er system now in place, along with (I say) him gettin' a bit of a honeymoon on his first year ever as HC tryin' to find the cream of the crop on this decidedly younger Team..
2007 will certainly be even better - think about it - TT has another Draft like this year's and the Team then has a year under their belts with this new type of Offense AND Defense... (?) You watch!
JMHO - Mike McCarthy is the real deal when it comes to Head Coaches - We only need to let history write itself..... Lambeau wil get its mystique back with this guy - count on it!
