Review – the bye week has come and gone, and somehow Damarious Randall injured his groin and is QUESTIONABLE for Sunday night.  The good news is Clay Matthews and Morgan Burnett are returning and hopefully that’ll help the communication in the defensive backfield and apply more pressure up front.  The Giants were out-manned by the Vikings last Monday night and the lead story stemming from that game is New York’s star wide out, Odell Beckham Jr.  I’m sure you’ve seen his sideline antics over the last few weeks and even dating back to last  year’s matchup v (then Carolina CB) Josh Norman.  Regardless of his spoiled bratness, #13 can play and wreak havoc on Green Bay’s secondary.

Preview – let’s take a look at the numbers and rankings for this match up on Sunday Night Football, shall we?

(GB Off v NY Def)  The Packers offense is ranked 29^th overall in yards/game…yep, 29^th.  Somehow they’re off to a worse start than their finished last season.  The Packers and Aaron Rodgers possess the 29^th ranked passing offense and 16^th rushing offense.  They welcome in a Giants defense which ranks 18^th v the pass and 9^th against the run, while possessing the 11^th overall defense.  This matchup favors New York, just based on numbers, but with such a small sample size and so many unknown factors, let’s take a look at the other side of the ball.

(GB Def v NY Off)  Green Bay holds the 13^th overall defense (29^th v the pass and 1^st (by a wide margin) against the rush) while the Giants are ranked 6^th overall in offense (4^th pass/19^th rush).  This matchup would favor NY again, but let’s take a look as to why the Packers can, should, and likely will win this game.  While the Packers haven’t been “right” since the divisional round playoff game v Dallas in Jan. 2015, Green Bay has managed to win 6 of their last 9 home games while building up – what looks to be – a great run defense.  The Giants can score and have playmakers at the wide receiver position, but if Nick Perry and Mike Daniels keep playing at the level they have been since the postseason last year, that should prove difficult for Eli Manning to tear them apart.

The pessimist in me focuses on how this offense vanished in the 2^nd half v a bad Detroit team and a player I have high hopes for (Randall) has had an Ahmad Carroll-like season so far.  The optimist in me sees that this team is playing playoff football, successfully.  Rules #1A and 1B, run the ball and stop the run.  The Packers have shown the ability to run the football when they so choose, even though Lacy should drop another 20-30lbs his vision is spectacular, and the Packers are giving up just over 40 yards/game.  If this trend continues, and the passing offense can return close to 2014 form, this team very well could be on its way…but the realist in me needs to see it grow and improve over the next 13 games.

Giants 23
Packers 28

With the bye week, there’s plenty to cover.  Let’s try and take an organized approach to this week and see if I can follow it, shall we?

1. Is the offense fixed?
2. Did McCarthy get conservative?
3. Am I justified criticizing #12? (my close friends and co-workers are aware)
4. What’s wrong with Randall?
5. Is Nick Perry really this good?
6. Is the BYE coming at a good time?

Ok, let’s tackle these (pun intended)…

(1) Offense – The production certainly increased, especially in the first half v Detroit.  They’re not a premier defense, but I believe the Lions’ defense is a good test to see where this offense is at.  Let’s take a look at the 1^st half play-calling…there were 29 plays run by the Packers: 14 from under-center; 15 from shotgun.  There were 21 called pass plays and 8 called rushing plays.  If you know me, I’m a big proponent of running the ball and running an offense from under-center.  It’s the quickest method to get the QB the ball, and there’s much more you can do from under center with more effectiveness.  A play that us Packer fans haven’t seen was the TD to Richard Rodgers (TE), a stretch play-action to the left with Rich Rod (Richard Rodgers) pulling across the formation to open in the flat for an easy TD.  That was a sight for sore eyes.

(2) Conservative – The Lions scored a quick TD right before the end of the 1^st half to cut the score to 31-10.  Then came out in the 2^nd half and took the ball down for another TD holding it for about 5 ½ minutes.  Looking at the play-calling, one may say the play-calling was conservative, others might say Lacy is in a groove and use and abuse the Lions’ D which should be beat up and tired.  Another factor is the Packers’ D had been on the field quite a bit and with all of the injuries (and suspension to Pennel) was in much need of a break.  Either way, let’s take a look at it…in the 3^rd quarter, Green Bay ran a total of 9 plays with quite a bit of production from Lacy, however had to settle for only 3 points.  In the 4^th quarter, and the score 34-20, the Packers came out with an under-center, single-back look – went play action to Lacy and tried for a home-run to ice the game, but no one was open.  Then it came to a few runs which garnered a couple of 1^st downs, but no points.  Then the next possession was Green Bay’s last, and with it was a bit predictable, but on 3^rd and 7 and 3+ min remaining, Rodgers had Davante Adams open across the middle and either A. didn’t see him or B. wasn’t comfortable making the throw, so he pulled it down and ran for the 1^st, essentially icing the game.  All in all, I think there was a method to the play-calling, with the factors being: the Defense had been on the field a lot and struggling; Lacy and the offensive line were creating space and producing chunks of yards.

(3) Is the “real” Rodgers back? – He played exceptionally well in the first half, to the level that’s expected of him.  I don’t think it’s realistic to expect him to throw for 4 TDs in the 1^st half all the time, however, it’s plenty reasonable for him to be 11/14 for 150 yards.  My main concern, is him throwing off of his back foot especially with a pocket.  It didn’t affect any production or specific throws until the 4^th quarter on a key 3^rd down with Cobb crossing the middle.  Had Aaron stepped into the throw and lead Randall, I believe it would’ve lead to a large gain (15+ yards) and may have catapulted the offense to another score and putting the game away early in the 4^th.  Overall, he played quite well and let’s hope that play (efficiency from the 1^st half) continues next Sunday night v the Giants.  If the Packers have sights of raising the Lombardi trophy in early February, they’ll need the rush defense to stay atop or near the top of the NFL, the pass coverage to improve greatly, AND the former MVP QB to play like one in Jan and Feb.

(4) What’s wrong with Damarious Randall? – in week 2 at Minnesota Randall was the primary cover corner on Stefon Diggs, the Vikings’ premier WR was targeted 10 times with 9 receptions for 182 yards and a TD.  In the following week v Detroit for the home-opener, Randall was tasked with covering Marvin Jones.  The final stat line for the Lions’ 2^nd WR????  6 receptions on 8 targets for 205 yards and 2 TDs!?!?!?  From what I saw, re-watching the game, Randall’s great play striping the ball from Eric Ebron (Detroit’s up-and-coming TE) in the 2^nd quarter may have led to him getting torched later in the game on the long TD right before the half.  Damarious seemed to have jump the under-route (another defender’s target) thus leaving Jones wide open for an easy completion.  I’m not sure what happened in Minnesota, however the TD to Diggs was a well-thrown ball on pretty good coverage.  I’m still holding out hope that Randall will be good because he’s shown lock-down ability.  The sooner that arrives, the better!

(5) Is this the real Nick Perry? – I’ve always liked Perry, but just thought he was an ideal 4-3 Defensive End and it has taken him this long to fully adapt to a 3-4 Outside Linebacker.  On top of that, his health has always been an issue, I believe this is the longest stretch of health he’s experienced since being drafted.  There was a key play that stood out to me in his first game as a pro that lead me to believe there was potential for the stiff-looking, bulky body of #53.  The opening game in 2012, hosting San Francisco, there was a dump-off pass to HB Kendall Hunter in the flat which was a great play design by then Head Coach, Jim Harbaugh, and Perry was able to make the tackle in the open field v a shifty HB.  That athleticism combined with his brute strength could make for a very dominant 3-4 OLB, and we’re seeing that play pay off now.  It’ll likely result in a hefty payday for Perry and if he continues to stay healthy, could prove to be a key component of a very good defense in the coming years.

(6) Bye timing convenient? – Aaron Rodgers said he hates the early bye, as do most of the other players, but did mention that it might help due to all of the injuries the Packers are experiencing: Sam Shields; Clay Matthews; Morgan Burnett; Letroy Guion; Mike Pennel (suspension, back for Dallas).  The key player the Packers need returned is Sam Shields.  That slides Randall down to cover the 2^nd or 3^rd WR with Rollins covering the other.  LaDarius Gunter (#36) has played quite well and is showing growth since being a breakout star in 2015’s training camp.  A player that got quite a few snaps last week was undrafted free agent rookie Kentrell Brice (#29) from Louisiana Tech.  I’ve loved him since camp based on his speed and athleticism.  Brice was not invited to the NFL combine this past year, and he wasn’t drafted, however credit Ted Thompson and his staff for finding this player.  If developed correctly could be a real player in this league for a long time.  He’s arguably the fastest player on the roster with running a 4.38 40-yard dash at his pro day.  If he plays sound football and keeps the ball in front of him, allowing him to attack by using his speed, he could be quite the compliment to HaHa Clinton-Dix and present a formidable challenge for opposing offenses.

Well, if you’re still with me, thanks!  We’ll preview the Giants next week coming in for Sunday Night Football and we’ll get a good look at them this Monday Night when they head to US Bank Stadium to take on the rolling Vikings.

After correctly picking the Packers v Detroit, I’m 11-10. Stay tuned for next week and thanks for reading!

Well what an awful game.  The Vikings are missing their starting QB, didn’t have their Hall of Fame running back, were without their best D Lineman and 2^nd cornerback, and still got the W versus Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.  I wish I could say “I’m surprised,” but the fact of the matter is nothing’s changed from last year.  Offensive scheme is predictable, there’s no design for anyone to get open, the QB rarely lines up under center, and Rodgers’ ego is in full force.

Sure the Vikings have a good defense, but what’s the point in having an all-world QB if he’s not going to best those defenses?  If you’ve paid attention to local sports media at all this week you’ve heard the numbers.

• Aaron Rodgers hasn’t had a 100+ QB rating in 14 straight games.
• Rodgers is 1-6 in his last seven primetime games, with the lone win coming on a Hail Mary.

 

Amongst many other stats I could  spew out (and believe me, if you’d like me to I’ll be more than happy to), but until this team shows it can win in the clutch (key word being WIN), I can’t believe this team is capable of winning another Lombardi trophy.

The Vikings may have an issue winning any of their next 3 games, but if they somehow win 2 of those, they’re on track to win the division and possibly earn a BYE in the postseason.  As for Green Bay, aside from blowing it up and rebuilding, this team seems destined for another postseason berth ending in choking again.

Enter Detroit, a team (to borrow a line from NBA Analyst, Bill Simmons) that being stuck in neutral would be considered a compliment, to Lambeau Field for a Noon Sunday kick to renew the “rivalry.”  Stafford and his Offensive Coordinator, Jim Bob Cooter (yes that’s his real name) came into Lambeau last year and bested the Packers.  Not sure if you remember that game, but I’ll refer you to my blog post that I believe was title “9 Consecutive Punts?!?!”  Green Bay’s defense seems to have found its groove to stopping the run, but needs major help in the pass defense department since Sam Shields went down with a concussion.  Diggs smoked Randall all night with only a few days’ practice with his QB.  Look for the Packers to get after Stafford, hopefully Clay and Datone are healthy enough to play, but Nick Perry should have another solid game.  As tough as it is for me to pick the Packers to win, it’s almost irresponsible if I don’t.

Detroit is banged up, might be missing their top 2 defenders (Deandre Levy and Ziggy Ansah), and even a porous showing of 20 points by the Packers should get the job done.  Then again, that would’ve won the game last Sunday night.

So to recap – the Packers have major problems and I don’t think there’s a fix that can occur this season that will result in a Super Bowl trophy.  The defense seems to be in top 10 form, but with a QB way off his mark (I don’t feel like starting a war as to naming the reason), and an offense that my 1 year-old daughter can predict…I don’t see this team fully dominating any teams this season.  Then again if it happens, take my word for it “It’s a mirage.”

Go Pack Go!

Lions 16
Packers 24

*overall record now 10-10*

I’ve learned this morning that two of the Vikings’ defensive starters have been ruled out for tomorrow night’s game: Sharrif Floyd (DT); Xavier Rhodes (CB).  While Rhodes is an adequate corner, with good size he seemed like a viable option to cover an obvious non-100% Jordy Nelson.

 

Meanwhile, Minnesota will likely feel the absence of Floyd.  He’s a premier interior defensive lineman in all the NFL and can effect both the running and passing game.  I also believe he’s a better player than Malik Jackson (he signed a big time $ deal with Jacksonville in the offseason and was supposed to wreak havoc v Lane Taylor), and could’ve caused an issue for Lane Taylor, but not to worry now.  The main focus for the offensive line is now to handle Linval Joseph, their other great defensive tackle.

 

With this newfound information, I’m updating my pick to…

 

Packers 27

Vikings 17

 

*I never kept a running total, or score of my weekly predictions.  Here they are.  I never picked an outcome for week 1 last year, but I’ll play it safe and say I’m confident that I would’ve picked the Pack to best Chicago, at least heading into the season.  Since last year was so puzzling, each and every game, I’ll actually take some pride in picking .500.  With the correct pick of last week, my record is 10-9.

Here we go…first off, Josh Sitton.  I never addressed it, however it’s as puzzling now as it was when word leaked the Packers cut him.  If the rumors are true – that Ted and Mac were worried about him creating a problem in the locker room if they weren’t going to discuss a contract extension – there’s a few ways to look at it.

1. It’s awfully dangerous for the Packers’ brain trust to assume such a reaction…why?
   1. Other players may lose confidence in the organization’s abilities/actions
   2. Sitton may not have reacted negatively, thus being pointless to cut him
2. There’s a reason a well-run team would think their own, homegrown, player would react in such a way so the move had to be made.
3. The Packers truly thought that Taylor was the better option over Sitton
   1. Not necessarily now, but they did extend him in the offseason and it’s a priority for him to get playing time.
      1. Devil’s advocate – if that’s the case, why wasn’t Sitton moved or cut prior and why didn’t Taylor begin with the 1^st team all offseason and preseason?

Any way, it was a puzzling move because a trade did not commence and you’d have to assume (dangerous yes I know) based on the contract Sitton garnered from Chicago that he had trade value, at least from them.

 

In the end, I still like the overall philosophy that Thompson conducts and it’s always better to rid yourself of a player a year or two early rather than hang on a year or two too long (see Donald Driver).

 

Not as puzzling, but still stemming from the above situation was the extension of Left Tackle David Bakhtiari.  The Packers locked him up for 4 years with a deal worth in excess of $50M.  That’s a substantial amount of money for a premier player at any position, let alone – what I deem – an average player that seemed to have his replacement drafted (Jason Spriggs).  Looking ahead it begs the question Is TJ Lang a priority or have a future on this team?  I sure hope so as I think he’s a top 5 Guard in the NFL and is only 28 years old, and has 3-5 solid years left.  Either way, looking at it from a pure number and emotionless view, the Packers are rotating their offensive line with youth and it looks to be strong in the years to come.

 

Ok, now on to week 2 and the Minnesota Vikings’ Super Bowl…the grand opening of their new stadium (US Bank Stadium) and of course they must host the Packers.  There’s plenty of reasons to be confident as a Packer fan heading into this matchup, but I’m willing to risk being called negative and “not a true Packer fan” for stating otherwise.

 

First off, the Vikings possess a better defense than Jacksonville and that defense has seen this Packers’ offense a few times…so the element of surprise and unscouted looks will be at a minimum.  Minnesota has always been a pain in the a$$ to play as beating the Packers is their EVERYTHING.

 

Second, the Packers held TJ Yeldon (Jaguars Running Back) to under 2 yards/carry and AP didn’t do much better at Tennessee last week.  I put that more as a testament to the poor play-calling and timing of play calls by Gus Bradley’s staff (Jacksonville’s head coach) than the Packers’ rush defense.  However, if the Packers are able to contain and stop Peterson, that will be a huge step in the right direction to getting this defense to a top 5 overall in the NFL, which is needed to win the Super Bowl

 

The Vikings may not have decided on a starting quarterback yet, but that doesn’t mean losing Sam Shields (concussion) is meaningless.  Minnesota has dangerous wide receivers (Diggs and Johnson) that can make plays and Kyle Rudolph at Tight End to open the middle of the field in the passing game.

 

Of course I have to preface this next statement to prove I’m a “true Packer fan,” but I hope I’m wrong in my prediction.  The Packers are the better team, with more talent, that’s used to winning.  However, I think with this being a game that’s been circled on the Vikings’ and all of their fans’ calendars since April, they make 1-2 more key plays with their fast, physical, smart defense and win a tough battle.

 

Packers 23

Vikings 24

 

*Again, I hope I’m wrong and will gladly admit I am if that’s the case.*

Although I gave my season predictions, I didn’t give insight into the Week 1 matchup v. the Bucks of the NFL, the Jacksonville Jaguars.  They’re the up-and-coming team in the NFL, just like the Bucks are (hopefully) the hot new team coming in!  Anyway, I digress…

The Jaguars have 2 Wide Receivers that will test this Packers secondary; Allen Hurns and Allen Robinson.  I believe they’re both 26 years old or younger and each had over 1,000 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns last season.  Sam Shields, Damarious Randall, Quinten Rollins and company will be tested – and I think they pass the test.  It’s been quite some time, but this Packers’ secondary could be the best since Charles Woodson donned #21 and played corner.  The big issue is the defensive line, not only how thin it is in depth, but talent too.  Keep an eye on Blake Martinez, #50, Middle Linebacker…he’s shown all preseason and in training camp he’s capable of being a solid player at a position of need.

Eventually I’ll get into the whole “cutting Sitton” issue, but another time.  To keep it easy, and on topic….keep an eye on Jacksonville’s running back TJ Yeldon (the HB that followed Lacy out of Alabama), as the lack of depth on Green Bay’s DLine could be an issue.  I think the overall talent of Green Bay beats out the excitement of Jacksonville.  It should be a close game but I believe the final score will give Packer fans reason to believe this team is truly talented…

Green Bay 31
Jacksonville 20

Another year of Green Bay Packer football is finally upon us!  Another year with HOF quarterback play is expected…however, until the Packers show me a reason to believe they’re capable of winning a Super Bowl (and no, because they won it 6 years ago isn’t applicable) I can’t realistically believe they’ll actually accomplish the goal.  I’ve been a huge supporter of Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy since they’ve arrived and the “success” has shown that building through the draft and staying young while adding a free agent here and there is a great way to give yourself a chance each and every year, it’s only garnered one championship.

After seeing Aaron Rodgers develop from 2005 to 2007 behind Brett Favre and seeing his improvement, essentially each season since starting, it’s easy to say he’s the best QB in the NFL.  My only issue with that statement is Why does he only have 1 Super Bowl ring?  One can blame Thompson for not building a strong enough defense around him to win…another can point a finger at McCarthy for going soft in the NFC title game at Seattle in January of 2015.  However, in 4 of Rodgers’ six playoff losses, he’s been outplayed by the opposing quarterback (passer rating) and hasn’t played to near the level that I’ve come to expect from him and he gets a pass from most fans for it.  Like his predecessor (Favre), Aaron won his only Super Bowl with a top 5 Defense (based on total yards; Brett had the #1 overall D while Rodgers had the 5^th in 2010) – and I’m confident in saying he’ll need a top 5 defense to win a Super Bowl this year.

After dissecting all of the preseason games, I believe this defense will be improved overall from last year (15^th overall) which gave up 20 points to a very good Arizona offense, on the road, but choked in overtime just like the year prior – I don’t think they’ll finish in the top 5 thus I don’t think the Packers will win the Super Bowl.  IF THAT’S THE OUTCOME, AGAIN, MAJOR CHANGE MUST OCCUR.  Then again, many fans are happy being “relevant” or “having a shot” every year.  If Quarterback is that important to winning titles, and Rodgers is that great, shouldn’t we as a fan base expect to be a dynasty?  Hell, a team has won 3 rings in a decade in each decade since the NFL began and time is running out, so why not the Packers???

Here’s my season and playoff predictions!  Have fun and thank God football is back!

	NFC				AFC
West	Seattle	11	5			Oakland	8	8
	Arizona	10	6			Kansas City	8	8
	Los Angeles	8	8			San Diego	7	9
	San Francisco	2	14			Denver	6	10
East	New York	9	7			New England	12	4
	Washington	8	8			Miami	9	7
	Dallas	7	9			New York	8	8
	Philadelphia	5	11			Buffalo	8	8
South	Tampa Bay	9	7			Houston	10	6
	Carolina	9	7			Jacksonville	9	7
	New Orleans	8	8			Indianapolis	8	8
	Atlanta	5	11			Tennessee	7	9
North	Green Bay	12	4			Pittsburgh	11	5
	Minnesota	11	5			Cincinnati	9	7
	Detroit	5	11			Cleveland	7	9
	Chicago	4	12			Baltimore	6	10

6Arizona @ 3New York			6Jacksonville @ 3Houston
5Minnesota @ 4Tampa Bay			5Cincinnati @ 4Oakland
New York @ Seattle			Houston @ Pittsburgh
Tampa Bay @ Green Bay			Cincinnati @ New England
Seattle @ Green Bay			Pittsburgh @ New England
	Seattle 27	New England 20

After a 2-month hiatus (my longest) I figured it’s time…football is back!!!  However, let’s clean up the Brewers and Bucks before getting to the Pack.

The Brewers absolutely nailed the trade deadline.  Of course there’s a chance these prospects won’t turn out, but Lucroy needed to be traded regardless as his value was and never would have been higher than August 1^st, 2016.  By packaging Jeremy Jeffress with Jonathan Lucroy the Brewers were able to extract Lewis Brinson (21^st overall rated prospect by MLB.com – RF), Luis Ortiz (62^nd overall prospect – RHP), and a player to be named later.  Guessed by fellow blogger Disciples of Uecker: http://disciplesofuecker.com/guessing-the-brewers-player-to-be-named-later/26550; believed to be Michael Matuella.  Matuella was projected to be the 1^st overall draft pick in 2015 before having Tommy John surgery, and a worthy gamble if you ask me.  With the advancement of Tommy John surgeries and how guys are coming back even better than before the injury, I believe it’s worth the risk as Brinson and Ortiz could easily be the “real deals.”

With all of this said, arguably the best value-trade in all of baseball would be the return garnered by Stearns for LHP Will Smith – the Giants gave up Phil Bickford (64^th overall prospect – RHP) and Andrew Susac, a solid catching prospect who’s 26 years old and the Brewers have control until 2021.  That leaves them with plenty of time to see if the former 2^nd round selection by San Francisco can turn into a contributing piece or a perennial backup to likely catching incumbent Jacob Nottingham.

No matter how I slice it, the Brewers gave up solid talent (Jonathan Lucroy, Will Smith, and Jeremy Jeffress) and got potentially three top 100 prospects and an everyday Catcher all in control until 2021.  Thumbs up David Stearns, A+ in my book…for now.  (Keeping track, as of August 4^th, the Brewers are on track for 73 wins….my guess was 74).

Moving on to the Bucks.  There’s been a lot of money splashed around which would normally help a team like Milwaukee (small market), however with the NBA having a minimum of 90% cap, it could kill a team like the Bucks.  While rebuilding it’d be a perfect time to let other teams sign free agents to stupid money while Cream City focuses on developing their young talent.  Extending Miles Plumlee, signing Dellavedova, and Mirza Teletovic is all huge money and I hope it doesn’t come to bite my team in the ass…and this is all money NOT committed to Giannis and/or Jabari.  Heading into the season, as of now, the goals are simple:

1. Continue to progress Giannis and Jabari
2. Trade Monroe if value is there (he’s just not a fit, I was wrong there)
3. Gain playoff experience and hell, win a series?

Ok, if you’re still reading (probably should start with the Packers) I appreciate it and here’s the good stuff.  Camp has officially started, Eddie Lacy is still absent a 6-pack, meanwhile every other player asked to get in better shape, DID!  Let’s weigh-in, shall we? (I couldn’t resist):

1. Datone Jones switched positions to OLB and while leaner and quite productive on tape (according to the experts) will have my attention this preseason.
2. Aaron Rodgers apparently decided to go vegan and looks good. Hopefully he didn’t give any toughness/endurance away by dropping to 215-218lbs.
3. Richard Rodgers – I’ve been one of his fans since the 2015 mock drafts began – is down to 258lbs and looks quite thin, with a much quicker first-step.

I’m not to firm on many things, yet, but one of those things is I believe Ted Thompson finally found his true middle linebacker (MLB or ILB) in Blake Martinez (4^th round selection, 131^st overall).  From all of the reports and what my eyes saw on Family Night, that kid is ready and can play.  Also, from all of the interviews I’ve heard him do, he’s a sharp cat with a good head on his shoulders.  Jason Spriggs (2^nd round 48^th overall) could be legit too, but I’m hoping he doesn’t have to play much during the regular season.

Wrapping up, as I could go on for days and days, in the Hall of Fame Game on Sunday night I’m looking for:

1. Kenny Clark’s (1^st round pick, 27^th overall) explosiveness off the snap of the ball.
2. Blake Martinez to continue his solid play, aka reading the play quick, first step, etc.
3. Davante Adams to catch a pass (man I had high-hopes for him coming in and he might get cut).
4. IF Brett Hundley plays, for him to pick up where he left off last year’s preseason.

That’s about it…remember it’s like training camp for me too J  If you have feedback or comments, again I always welcome them!

…otherwise known as a State of the State, of sports…in Wisconsin.

With the Brewers going through a much-needed rebuild, the Bucks hopefully doing the same, the Packers had a draft – all meaning there’s not much to get amped about (aside from the Brewers rebuild but only the true nerds, like myself, get pumped about that).

Brewers – as of today, June 4^th, the Brewers are 25-30.  On pace for 74 wins, which is exactly where I had them heading into the season.  There are 2 major bright spots:

• Ryan Braun is hitting and hitting well (his batting avg. is .341)! After last season I would’ve been happy to find another team to take him and we’d be left with ½ his salary.  Now???  He’s arguably the hottest commodity on the trade market.
• Jonathan Lucroy is also having a great season, hitting .304 and just hit 9HRs all in the month of May. He was the hottest trade piece heading into the season and still is considered by some.

Bucks – we’ve since found out Milwaukee will have the 10^th selection in the draft coming up on June 23^rd.  I believe, per usual, that the Bucks are best suited to pick the best player available (stop me if you’ve heard this before Packer fans).  That is usually the best method into building a good team and sustaining it, in any sport.  The Bucks are in need of a point guard there’s no secret there, however if there’s a trade partner for Milwaukee to either A.) move back or B.) add another 1^st round pick in next year’s draft then I’d be all for it.  Especially after the awful trade for Greivis Vasquez (ugh.)

Packers – the draft has come and gone, all the “experts” have given their analysis, and Vegas has updated their odds of each team to hoist the Lombardi trophy (Packers are 11 to 1, with the third highest odds behind Seattle and New England).  Let’s take a quick look at the draft picks and where the team stands now.

Draft – Kenny Clark (1^st round, 27^th overall) may not have been the obvious choice but his position was, so no one should be upset with the pick.  The one I’m most excited about, but likely won’t see returns for 2+ years is Jason Spriggs (2^nd round, 48^th overall).  Based on how he moves, he’s as athletic as a wide receiver with an ideal left tackle’s body.  I’m a big believer in building through the trenches on both sides of the ball and if both of these kids turn out, that should be a major boost to keep the Packers in contention for years to come.

Status – Green Bay returns Jordy Nelson, arguably a top 5 wide receiver in the NFL, but with only another year or two tops of high-level production left AND adding Jared Cook (free agent TE from the Rams) the Packers’ passing game shouldn’t have any problems… that is unless Eddie Lacy can’t put down the fork.  It does no good to harp on him, plus it’s been covered to nauseam, but the Packers need their MVP quarterback to play like it this season (and in the postseason), their receivers to catch the ball (Jordy in the postseason), their defense to actually play well all season while improving, and most importantly: STAY HEALTHY.

So to recap:
Brewers – If you’re against the rebuild look at it this way, when they tried to win they couldn’t even get to .500 while messing up the future.  There’s no pressure to win now.  I know you may think I’m contradicting myself with me saying winning is all that matters, yes, but in order for the Brewers to win a World Series this is needed.

Bucks – essentially read the Brewer recap.  Keep building around Giannis and Jabari with hopes you’re able to build a good team and those two keep progressing towards their extremely high ceilings.

Packers – When Aaron Rodgers first started (as in became the starting quarterback) in 2008, his potential was far ahead of where I thought he’d be and I thought he should’ve been the 1^st overall pick in 2005 without a doubt.  With that said, I figured he’d win 3 Super Bowls for the Packers and while he still has time and talent (and it’s not all on him and I love having discussions about QB ranks, etc.) the Packers have no excuse to continuously fall short in the playoffs.  Some may use the word choke, I have, but it seems that towards the end of the game I have the feeling creep in my head of How the hell are they gonna blow this game? as opposed to This is going to be fun watching them come through in the clutch.

Thanks for reading, any comments, feedback, or arguments are greatly accepted!

I plan on that being the longest hiatus for this blog as the summer (obviously not referring to the weather) approaches and can comment regarding the Brewers and NBA draft/off-season.

Now, to address the title of this blog.  Why you should hope Patrick Lynch (QB – Memphis) is due to a few factors:

1. Although I’ve been critical of Thompson of late, the infrastructure of his plan (draft/develop) is the best. With that plan in place, hoarding draft picks is the best way to accumulate young, cheap talent.
2. This is a very rich and deep draft for Defensive linemen. With the early retirement of BJ Raji, the Packers now have a reason to add beef to the D line.  I believe they were going to already but not it’s an even bigger need.
3. The trades by Los Angeles (that’s going to take some time getting used to still) and Philadelphia shows that teams will pay a king’s ransom for the 1^st and 2^nd overall picks, respectively.

With all of these factors I hope the Packers can find a trade partner and trade back.  The reason to hope Lynch falls to the Packers is that may introduce an opportunity for a team to enter trade talks with Green Bay, aka Denver or Cleveland.  With the deep draft of Defensive Linemen, the Packers’ best chance to stock pile talent at a needed area would be able to trade back and add another two picks in the middle rounds (3^rd through 5^th rounds).  That would be the best case scenario.

If you’re looking for me to elaborate from my first NFL Draft posting by guessing who the Packers will select, I’ll give you the names that have been mocked to the Packers at 27, then tell you who I’d want (ideally a trade back) and who I think Green Bay will select (if no trade back).

NFL.com has 4 analysts mocking players to Green Bay in the first round, Javon Hargrave (DT – South Carolina St.), and the 3 others say Reggie Ragland (ILB – Alabama).  Ragland seems like a great and obvious choice, however after watching the National Title game he appeared slow and thick, more of a tweener body type for what the Packers need/want.

Walter football says Vernon Butler (DT – Louisiana Tech), he also has a possible pick of Jonathan Bullard (DT – Florida), as well as a possible trade down J

My guess???  It comes with an IF.  IF Paxton Lynch is available when Green Bay picks, I expect a trade back which would be awesome.  However, since that’s not likely I’ll leave you with 2 choices, not a cop out but I’ll go on record saying the Packers will select Andrew Billings, DT from Baylor.  There’s also a chance Taylor Decker (OT – Ohio St.) could be selected, but I’ll officially say Billings.

Round 1 is great but Friday (rounds 2 and 3) and Saturday (rounds 4-7) are more fun for us draft geeks.

Thanks for reading!  I’m open to comments/convo!