25 Questions and Answers About Bills Game

1. Is Mike McCarthy still head coach? Yes. So the Packers might lose to Buffalo.

2. Is Mike McCarthy still calling the plays? Yes. So the Packers might lose to Buffalo.

3. Is Mike Pettine still defensive coordinator? Yes. So the Packers might lose to Buffalo.

4. Is Mark Murphy still CEO? Yes. So the Packers might lose to Buffalo.

5. Is Ted Thompson still working for the Packers? Yes. So the Packers might lose to Buffalo.

6. Is Eliot Wolf working for the Packers? No. So the Packers might lose to Buffalo.

7. Is Brian Gutekunst still General Manager? Yes. So the Packers might lose to Buffalo.

Some More Things We Now Know

After last season when the basically season-ending injury to Aaron Rodgers showed some stark realities to the local kiss ass media and the lovers of Ted Thompson or the “Tedders” as I call them that except for Rodgers the Packers 52 + 10 rest of the roster was not championship quality. So a meeting of the minds in 1265 Lombardi Avenue resulted in the “big spring of change” during the offseason and the Packers were now new and improved and totally energized to make a serious run for the Super Bowl.

However after seven weeks of games the Packers sitting in second place in the North Division behind da Bears of all teams at 1-1-1. In this short time we have learned that the “big spring of change” was just smoke blown up our collective skirts by the local kiss ass media and the brain trust of the Packers.

Packers – Redskins

The Packers are 1-0-1 and are lucky to be that. I gave up being proud a long time ago and will accept the former rookie place kicker for the Vikings gave the Packers the tie. The 38-yard field goal was normally a give-me, but I felt the rookie was already rattled and would probably have missed a 10-yard field goal at that point. Cutting him was cruel. If he was good enough to win the job then he should have been given the time to grow into the job. Mason Crosby had his trial by fire in 2012 (making only 21 of 33 field goals and he was a veteran, but nobody would have griped if he was cut, but head coach Mike McCarthy stayed with him and since then he’s made 125 of 147 field goals coming into the season and this year he’s made 5 of 6, but the one miss was for the win last week. He didn’t get cut.

The Packers offense is ranked 17th in the league with a one-legged Aaron Rodgers, who is only one hit away from being lost for a long period of time. DeShone Kizer is NOT a quality backup and the Packers need a veteran behind Rodgers ASAP. But the stubborn Ted Thompson influenced front office WILL NOT admit they made a mistake and sign one.

What Have We Learned After the First Two Games

1. Aaron Rodgers is the Packers MVP.

2. Aaron Rodgers is one tough son of a bitch.

3. If Aaron Rodgers goes down for good the Packers don’t have a second string quarterback for the second straight season. TT/BG should have signed a veteran quarterback after what happened last year.

4. If Aaron Rodgers goes down the Packers won’t win another game.

5. Mike McCarthy’s offensve scheme makes it harder to be Aaron Rodgers.

It’s All About Me

I just can’t believe what happened, except for the fact it was me that caused everything to happen Sunday night when Aaron Rodgers pulled a Willis Reed and led the Packers to a 4th quarter comeback for the ages after being down 20-0 in the 3rd quarter.

I watched the 1st half of the game in my living room, which I normally don’t do, and the result of breaking my normal routine was disastrous, which was also something I should have known because like I said before it’s all about me.

Week 1 and Hopefully not Done

The Packers open the season at LAMBBBBBBBBBBBEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAUUUUU Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin against da Bears. The first week power rankings has the Packers dropping two spots to No. 9 while the Bears rose nine spots to 15 after making the trade Brian Gutekunst should have made for Kahlil Mack.

Sunday Night Is Football Night at Lambeau Field

The team that takes the field Sunday night against the Bears is a team we haven’t seen since ever. The offensive skill starters hardly played in the preseason, which is no surprise because Coach Mike McCarthy does that every year since Jordy Nelson was hurt in the second preseason game three years ago and pretty much before that, but it's worse now.

The Packers are notorious slow starters at the beginning of the season and I think that is a direct cause of this practice. So come Sunday night Aaron Rodgers will be under center Corey Linsley. Justin McCray is the new right guard replacing Jahri Evans. Lane Taylor missed most of the preseason and returns at left guard. David Bakhtiari is back at left tackle and Bryan Bulaga returns at right tackle after missing the last eight games of the season on injured reserve for the third time in his 8-year career and second because of knee surgery. The first was a hip fracture.

The Cuts and Signings: The Aftermath

The NFL cut down day was Saturday and the Packers made those cuts and I was wrong on 11 of them. The first day after the Day was Sunday and Ted Thompson/Brian Gutekunst was silent on adjusting the lineup, but, of course, they signed 8 of those cuts to the practice squad and 3 of those signings were 3 players I had kept, but were cut (running back Joel Bouagnon, fullback Joe Kerridge and guard/tackle Adam Pankey).

The other practice squad signees signed on Sunday were center Austin Davis, outside linebacker Kendall Donnerson, defensive tackle Tyler Lancaster, defensive tackle James Looney and inside linebacker Greer Martini leaving two spots open. Other moves were waiving running back Devante Mays, tackle Kyle Murphy and cornerback Quinten Rollins from injured reserve with injury settlements even though those moves haven't been officially announced yet and may never be.  

The Cuts Are Really In And….

The cut to 53 has come, but it probably hasn’t gone because what was left from Saturday’s cutdown leaves more moves to come to actually fill out the roster, but if there are not any changes then some of the positions have been left in a lurch. So let’s see how I did position by position.

FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS, PART 35

Sublime

The preseason is over and the season starts next week against da Bears at Laaaammmmbeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Blonde Sublime

I will be going to The Cellar this season because of the loss of two of the Packer Backers. I’ve been watching the Packers games at The Cellar since 1994.

 

Wisconsin Girl from Milwaukee

The first set of Packer Backers from 1994 to 1997 were Patrick Immel and a very blonde radio and tv major at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale from Kenosha, Wisconsin. I really didn’t know her name, so I called her “Kenosha”. She was a true Wisconsin Packer girl. This was prior to watching the preseason games on the internet and The Cellar had the preseason package. I would guess her final year at SIU I was down at the bar on a Friday night and I think the Packers were playing the Dolphins in the first preseason game. I was there and she showed up for the kickoff. She had just arrived back in town and had her boyfriend drop her off at the bar to watch the game even before they got back to their apartment. She knew football like all the Packer Backer girls. We all have our little superstitions or things. Her thing was placing her keys in the middle of the table as she sat down.

Da Bears, Oh My

I think if Ted Thompson/Brian Gutekunst had listened to me and threw Clay Matthews into the mix the Packers would have gotten Khalil Mack instead of the formerly hated Chicago da Bears.

Faint Heart Never Won No Lady

Reportedly the Bears gave up 2 No. 1 draft picks and possibly more, but I think a No. 1, Clay Matthews and a No. 2 or 3 or 4 or all or a 2nd No. 1 would have swung the trade the Packers way. But the current version of the Packers doesn’t have the stones or the strong heart to make a season or team changing move like the Mack trade and I will NOT go out on a limb to say if the current front office faint hearters were in charge of the Packers in 1992 they wouldn’t have pulled the trigger on Reggie White and the Packers never would have won the 1996 Super Bowl.